27
Sergey was furious after seeing Baron Kozlov’s tyranny in person. As soon as he took over the mission from the troops which had been in charge of Korolyov’s western front, Sergey led his troops right up to the fortress. A messenger was sent forward from Sergey’s unit and shouted at the guard of the fort.
The fortress gate opened, and Id came out, dressed in the silver suit of armor with the helmet masking his appearance. Having seen the armored Knight, the messenger went back to his camp, then Sergey stepped forward and spoke, checking the Kozlov’s crest on Id’s armor.
“Are you Baron Kozlov’s son, Oleg? Sergey of the Korolyov family asks Oleg of the Kozlov family for a one-on-one confrontation. I suggest replacing the battle of the west fortress with the duel between the two of us without needlessly sacrificing the soldiers.”
Id, who did not want to tell a lie, drew his sword wordlessly. Seeing this, Sergey lowered his helmet’s face shield and unsheathed his sword. Although Sergey could not identify his opponent, he did not think much about it, confident in his sword skills. Sergey attacked first, wielding his sword vertically. Id dodged his sword several times, with quick footwork without striking it back. Id felt the second magic diagram carved on his armor activate, absorbing his manna. It was the Anti Physical Force. Id basically ignored the effects of the magic since he had no intention of being struck by his opponent’s sword regardless. Once again, Id was quite satisfied by the fact the the consumption of Manna force was surprisingly low. The amount of Manna he consumed could easily be replenished through his breathing technique later, and Id had already gotten accustomed to the feeling of his Manna being absorbed by the armor in order to activate the imbued enhancements.
Sergey’s swordsmanship was excellent considering he was just an apprentice, but it was not as good as that of Denis, the Knight Id had already dealt with. Having figured out Sergey’s sword skills, Id decided to end the showdown quickly. When Id, who had just been avoiding Sergey’s sword, suddenly swung his sword, clashing forcefully against that of Sergey. Unable to handle the abrupt power, Sergey’s sword was sent flying and Sergey himself was forced to stumble a few steps back. Id approached Sergey immediately, manifesting the blue Aura Blade, and struck Sergey’s right gauntlet with great precision and speed using the side of his blade. The tip of Id’s sword was held against Sergey’s neck by the time Sergey’s sword, which had been sent flying, even managed to fall to the ground. After a while, Id withdrew his sword and asked.
“Do you want to try once again?”
Sergey, who lost his fighting spirit due to Id’s overwhelming sword skills, asked.
“Who are you? You are by no means Oleg Kozlov.”
“If you don’t accept the result, ask for a duel again any time. If you don’t want to fight now, I’ll go back to the fortress.”
Staring blankly at Id’s back, who had already turned to return to the fort, for a long while, Sergey led his troops down the mountain and reported his defeat to the headquarters. Upon hearing of his son’s defeat, Baron Korolyov dispatched his Knight Commander Daniel and five Knights to the west fortress.
Meanwhile, returning to the fort after defeating Sergey, Id called out to Denis.
“I defeated Sergey as promised, so free my friend. I no longer intend to fight your enemies in your stead. Go back to Aleksey with your apprentices and servants and let us be on our way.”
After staring at Id with a bewildered look for a while, Denis left the fortress and returned to the Kozlov Castle. After Denis left, Id gathered all the soldiers of the fortress.
“As you may have realised by now, I’m not Oleg Kozlov. Given what the Kozlov’s Knights do, it is certain that this war will end with the defeat of Baron Kozlov. You have no reason to lose your lives in a meaningless feudal war. Right now, if you enter the mountains in small groups. This war will be over within a few days. There will be no problem if you return to your village after then.”
After hearing Id’s words, the soldiers gathered food and scattered in twos and threes into the mountains. Having confirmed that all the soldiers had left, Id also left the fortress and headed for the Kozlov Castle. It did not seem that Aleksey would release Sasha that easily, so Id decided to rescue his friend himself, taking advantage of the disorder of the feudal battle.
Hearing of Sergey’s defeat, Daniel rushed to the fort, whipping the running horse relentlessly in order to arrive even a moment sooner. Having taught Sergey swordsmanship from an early age, Daniel cherished him like his own son. Known as the best swordsman in Scandia’s northern areas, Daniel was considered one of the top ten swordsmen in the Kingdom. Looking at the depressed Sergey, Daniel attempted to comfort him.
“Defeat is an inevitable process you have to go through to become a high-class swordsman. What’s important is that you didn’t get hurt irreparably. From now, if you don’t forget your duty as the heir to the Korolyov Viscounty and work hard, you’ll be able to restore your honor later.”
Nodding his head, Sergey said.
“I didn’t see his face, but he cannot possibly be Oleg Kozlov.”
“Aleksey seems to be playing tricks, and I don’t know yet who’s involved, but I’ll surely catch the boy who interfered with other people’s war without regard for the consequences.”
Daniel and Sergey led troops up to the fort, but all they found was an empty fortress. Sergey said to Daniel.
“I think we may have fallen into a trap. Isn’t the enemy trying to raid our main camp while you’re away?”
Daniel said with a calm look.
“Don’t worry. Their tricks won’t work. Even with me missing, the two other high-class Knights in the main camp can beat Aleksey. Don’t worry. Your father will be fine, and rather, it’s a good opportunity. If Aleksey had gone for a surprise attack on our main camp, Kozlov Castle must be defenseless. If we attack now, we’ll catch Baron Kozlov off guard without difficulty.”
Chewing on his lower lip Sergey nodded.
“I’ll do as you said.”
They marched with their troops towards the Kozlov Castle.
Upon hearing that Daniel had rushed westward with five Knights, Aleksey immediately called all twenty-nine members of the Kozlov Knights Order and all fifty light cavalry units. Kozlov, who came to Aleksey preparing for a sudden attack, said with a perplexed look.
“Who’s going to protect the Lord’s Castle if you take the whole Knights Order and the light cavalry?”
“Now that Daniel is away, the number of Knights in their main camp will be less than twenty. If we miss Viscount Korolyov at this opportunity, we won’t ever have a chance to win this war.”
As Aleksey left with both Knights and the cavalry, Kozlov became fearful. In its current state, even just a few of Viscount Korolyov’s Knights would be enough to take over the castle. They would not kill him, the aristocrat who had received a feud from the King, but he did not want to be taken to Viscount Korolyov as a captive. So Baron Kozlov prepared to run away with his valuables. After loading his valuables onto a wagon, Kozlov escaped through the north gate taking only four guards. He planned to go to his acquaintance, the Mayor of Nordburg, at first to ask for help and then try to find a way to escape to the estate of his wife’s family where his son and daughters were staying.
Id was watching from afar as Aleksey led the troops out of the Lord’s Castle. As they completely disappeared from his sight, Id rounded the castle walls and found the most accessible place. The defense of the Castle, where the entire change of command had fallen into shambles, was a mess. Id found a relatively low wall and easily jumped into the Castle. He went to the dungeon's entrance without hesitation, and no one stopped him in his armor with the Kozlov family’s crest. The Knights, who had guarded the entrance to the dungeon, were called to Aleksey, and two conscripts, not even regular soldiers, were guarding it. Id approached them and said.
“The Knight Commander asked me to bring the captive.”
Seeing Id’s armor, the guard opened the door without asking any questions. When Id walked down the dungeon steps, the imprisoned Sasha, dressed in a light travel suit, was busy working out. Chain armor and weapons were neatly placed in the corner.
“Don’t try to show off in front of me. Put on your armor and pack your weapons.”
Hearing Id’s low voice coming from behind the face shield, without a word, Sasha wore his armor, put mace and battle-axe on his back and held the sword and shield. Id called in a guard to open the prison door. As the two were about to escape the dungeon, Daniel and Sergey’s troops broke through the castle gates. Id and Sasha hid at the entrance of the dungeon and paid attention to the outside movements. Situated in a square not far from the dungeon, Daniel and Sergey sent the soldiers to search for Kozlov’s whereabouts.
