Episode 157
EPISODE.79
“Earl Raymond. As requested by the count, we have gathered the magicians of the royal capital.”
The door to the conference room opened with a voice.
A click-.
The screams of doorknobs and worn hinges came one after another.
Then, a group led by Earl Reinkel appeared.
The number is about ten.
All of them were dressed in colored robes that symbolized the genealogy of the Mage Tower to which I belonged.
‘Most of them are 3rd circle, 4th circle and 5th circle…’
Among them, the most impressive was a man wearing a yellow robe and a woman wearing a white robe.
Both appear to be in their fifties.
Not only standing at the forefront of the wizards, but also feeling the five circles, it seemed to be the 5th circle mage who came with Alan in a leadership role.
How many times have you passed by while living in the royal capital?
They didn’t know each other, but both men and women’s faces were familiar.
“ah…!”
They recognized Russell as he recognized them and bowed their heads.
“I am Leman Cleon of the Imperial Capital Imperial Tower. Although lacking, I was in charge of the wizarding team until Sir Russell came.”
“I am Cassandra of the White Tower of the Royal Capital.”
seniors and juniors.
Judging by the time they entered the magic world, they would be far superior, but anyway, the general commander of this subjugation was Russell.
Besides that, he was also a respectable mage who achieved a higher level than himself.
It was only natural for the two of them to bow first and bow.
If you are in a similar situation, you have experienced it several times in various missions.
After receiving their greetings, Russell responded with a familiar expression.
“This is Russell Raymond.”
At Russell’s introduction, several young wizards behind Riman and Cassandra gulped and swallowed.
It has to be.
3rd and 4th circles.
For young wizards who had just entered the tower, ‘Russell’ was an object of admiration and respect.
Leaving behind their twinkling eyes, Russell turned his head.
I called Count Reinkel, who was standing in a corner of the conference room.
“Count.”
“…?”
“We mages are planning to discuss countermeasures and plans from now on. What will the Count do?”
Even though it was a subjugation party sent to help Count Reinkel, the subjugation party and the members of the county belonged to a strictly different organization.
If the count had other thoughts, he wanted to hear them.
“haha. tell me this Earl Raymond.”
At Russell’s question, Earl Reinkell clenched his fist in a crush.
Kwak-.
“When discussing ways to protect the territory, the lord cannot be left out. It’s just…”
He said with a determined expression as he felt his fingernails digging into his hands.
“Wait a minute, Count Raymond?”
“…?”
“Speaking of having a meeting, there are a few people from our territory who need to participate as well.”
“All right.”
Russell nodded, and the Count left the meeting room with the words that he would bring the personnel.
In the meantime, Russell received a brief report from Riman and Cassandra about the damage caused by the Wizards
…
It was about ten or several minutes later that the Count returned.
But this time, it wasn’t single.
Unlike the simple appearance with only an attendant and an escort knight, he is hanging his tail.
“These are the knights who have been protecting this castle for a long time. Although they are a little older, they are brave generals, and everyone leads their own knights. It will surely be of great help in this subjugation.”
surely.
In the battle between wizards, knights were an indispensable presence.
Even wizards can bombard a wide range with a few spells, but general wizards are weak in close combat.
Only war mages with a lot of experience or who have reached a high circle have overcome such shortcomings to some extent.
For wizards who were still in the 3rd circle, the protection of the knights could be said to be essential.
Of course, that’s the case, but how many knights did you come with?
In this subjugation battle, Rakel’s sincerity to capture the Hydra seemed to be revealed.
“The kingdom’s hero-.”
“Meet Shin Seong-gong…”
“The nameless person who defeated McRae Hughes is well known…”
The old knights who met eyes with Russell put their mouths together like children and made a fuss.
Russell’s existence had been a hot topic of discussion not only among wizards but also among knights.
‘Probably after the fight with McRae Hughes.’
Even Weapon Master Gillian Pulson was interested in the news and came to see Russell.
The meeting started for a while as I guessed the reason and nodded.
.
.
Various options were discussed, but it didn’t take long for the options to be narrowed down to one.
“The conclusion is a preemptive strike.”
The stance the punitive force and county staff should take was clear.
“Isn’t he currently living in a swamp to recover from the wounds he suffered the day before?”
“It would be a much better decision for us to act first than to wait for him to recover.”
Of course, the preemptive strike was not chosen simply for this reason.
There was also a possibility that the damage to the county would grow out of control if he waited until he moved again after he had finished recovering.
‘In that case, it’s better for us to move first.’
Not only could they bring the initiative this way, but they could also turn the battlefield from the county to a swamp.
The problem is how to deal with the hydra.
Hydra, with its powerful magical power and heavy mass, was a threat in itself.
In addition to that, in order to approach him, he had to break through the army of monsters he commanded.
“How about splitting the Templars in two?”
“Split the Knights in two?”
“yes. One order of knights protects the 3rd and 4th circle mages, provides support from the rear and prevents the monsters from escaping…” “The other order of
knights means to break through the monsters.”
There was also the possibility of an ally being sacrificed by the magic bombardment, but that could be solved by limiting the range of the bombardment.
“yes.”
Russell nodded.
“If such a melee is induced and the road is cleared, then we will make a move.”
The ‘us’ that Russell meant was himself and the two 5th Circle mages.
‘If there were expert level aura users in the county’s side, they would have been able to receive support…’
Master level aura users are just as valuable as 5th and 6th circle mages.
As such, it was never easy to keep them as vassals in the county’s frontier.
‘Looking at Count Reinkel’s personality, if he had that kind of power, he would have shown it right away.’
I’m sorry but I can’t help it.
As the meeting proceeded like that, several detailed opinions were exchanged assuming a preemptive strike.
“Then…”
Russell concluded as he checked the neatly organized documents.
“…The conclusion will be four days later, at dawn right after all preparations have been completed.”
It definitely should have been…
The unexpected variable occurred at the point where only a day and a few hours were left until the dawn of the finale two days later.
* * *
The second night a few hours before the end of the day.
Russell checked the contents of the operation once again while confined to his residence.
Sarak Sarak-.
Every time your fingertips move, the sound of paper turning over rings in your ears.
After reviewing the strategy several times and running simulations in his head, Russell put the plan down in his hand.
Took.
“after.”
I muttered to myself with a long sigh.
‘I hope things go well.’
As explained before, Hydra was a dragon species that inherited the elements of the dragon.
In other words, it meant that there was room for Hydra to use his power as a Dragon Emperor.
‘If that happens, I’ll be able to finish the subjugation without any damage.’
However, the problem was when this power could not be applied to Hydra.
‘Because Hydra is a dragon that belongs to a higher rank than Komodo Lizard.’
Yubimuhwan (有備無患). As it was impossible to know the future, the battle had to be properly prepared.
‘To deal with the hydra that emits poison…’
Assuming such a situation, Russell checked the magic he had memorized once again.
‘Considering the terrain is a swamp and versatility, it’s better than Blaze Run…’
Through a wandering freelance life before returning.
I had experienced it many times and painfully how the magic of an incompetent and thoughtless mage could harm allies.
For such Russell, it was a very natural thing to fix and check the memorized magic over and over again.
only once.
Because the battlefield was a place where a single magic shot could kill and save the lives of countless allies.
How many hours had he been revising his magic?
──!
Russell raised his head, feeling the sixth circle rattle.
‘This…?’
Russell rose from his seat and headed that way toward the window. rattle-.
When I open the window, a cold night breeze pours in.
In the meantime, Russell’s gaze was focused on only one place.
‘Where is that?!’
A hospital room where Alan Page must be struggling with the hydra’s miasma.
Powerful magic was emanating from there.
Whoaaaaaaah-!
.
.
Parbat-.
Russell quickly reached the entrance of the hospital room and half a beat later.
Riman and Catherine ran to the front of the hospital room.
As they were also 5th circle mages, they were extremely sensitive to the flow of magic.
“Sir Russell, is this…?”
Leaving behind Riman, who seemed flustered, Russell opened the door to the hospital room.
Hwaaak!
A storm of magical power so strong that it blows my head is pouring out of the hospital room.
The magic power generated was so strong that the surrounding herbs and medical devices were flying randomly.
Clink and click!
The vial was smashed and the drug inside spilled out.
Parala Rock!
Several medical books were torn to shreds. The paper that made it up flew around randomly.
“Hee hee-.”
Among those magical storms, there were those who were terrified and trembling.
Russell, the witch doctors who have been struggling late to cure Alan, waved.
Hwaaak-.
He pushed back the magic storm with his magic power and created a path at the same time.
“Come this way.”
“Thank you….”
The witch doctors who finally came to their senses came out of the hospital room through the passage where their magical powers were stabilized.
Some of them stopped and tried to tell Russell about Alan’s condition.
“A blue light rose from Sir Alan’s body, and suddenly a storm-.”
“I was in the middle of administering the antidote, but I didn’t think this would happen…”
It must have been the first time that even a skilled witch doctor had experienced something like this.
Embarrassed, the voice came out in gibberish.
“it’s okay. It’s okay, you can go out.”
After reassuring them and sending them outside, Russell moved his gaze.
The storm of magical power that swept around Alan Page. Russell’s eyes widened at once as he stared at it.
Although different in shape, these storms were familiar to Russell.
‘Is this the first time seeing it in person?’
Alan Page.
The mage who completed the five circles was drawing a new circle, the sixth one.
dragon-swallowed wizard
