Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 165 (Part 2)

“We can rest here until the time of the war.”

“Do you think they can win today?”

“They absolutely will. I’ll make it happen.”

Fortunately, the weather was clear today. With no chance of variables like rain, they had to fight through orthodox methods.

—

The time had come. The troops of the Marquis of Richmond aligned in formation and slowly advanced.

There was movement on the other side as well.

The forces brought from the Marquis of Rotten outnumbered those of the Marquis of Richmond. The army, seemingly well over 1,000 strong, completely filled the Kantros Plain.

The two armies, stationed about a kilometer apart, briefly engaged in a contest of momentum.

The vast plain was engulfed in a tense, explosive atmosphere.

“They brought quite a few.”

“Even so, we are stronger. The Marquis of Rotten has only 100 knights. The rest are all regular soldiers.”

The Marquis of Richmond looked at the opposing force with confidence. It was a confidence with basis.

The Marquis of Rotten was not a knightly house. Though publicly known as a scholarly family, to be precise, it was a house that dabbled in a bit of everything.

The current Marquis of Rotten was known to have trained in swordsmanship. There were rumors that he had recently been neglecting his sword training, but at the very least, in his youth, he had certainly been a swordsman.

However, the previous Marquis of Rotten had been a fairly famous scholar, and the house of Rotten included mages as well. They also ran their own merchant guild, so the house lacked a clear defining identity.

“I see.”

“Not only in numbers, but in training level too, we surpass them. In knightly strength, the Marquis of Rotten cannot keep up with our house.”

“Still, be cautious. They’ve been driven into a corner. And the mood is off.”

“Do not worry. I have no intention of letting my guard down.”

The Marquis of Rotten had been the ones who pulled a one-sided trick. They should be lowering their heads in guilt.

Yet the current atmosphere was the opposite. The ones from the Marquis of Rotten looked visibly angry.

‘This is strange.’

The time arrived. A few from the Rotten side slowly stepped forward. In response, a few knights from the Richmond side also came forward.

“Hm? Isn’t it supposed to be 100 versus 100?”

“There are various formats for domain wars. The hundred-man duel results in many casualties, so high-ranking nobles with many knights tend to avoid that method.”

The hundred-man duel that Rodin knew of was an intense battle with 100 people clashing. Since they fought in tight formations, fatalities and injuries were inevitable.

It was a format preferred by lower nobles who had few knights and had to rely on mercenaries and regular soldiers.

“What format is this then?”

“A nine-man duel. Nine from each side step forward and fight one-on-one. There may still be deaths, though.”

“There will be fewer casualties than a hundred-man duel.”

“That’s right. That’s why high-ranking nobles, who rely primarily on knights, prefer this format.”

Though it was a nine-man duel, each side had about 20 people step forward. These were forces prepared to respond to unexpected variables during battle.

“It’s an interesting format.”

“I heard you’re from the Western Continent. It’s probably unfamiliar to you.”

“Yes. Still, it does seem reasonable.”

Compared to the Western Continent, the nobles of the Central Continent did not command large forces. Even if all the noble houses’ troops were combined, it would be less than the military of a kingdom from the Western Continent.

The Marquis of Richmond and the Marquis of Rotten each had more than 100 knights because of their high noble rank. Most typical nobles only commanded between 10 and 20 knights.

Even the County of Aramia only had around 30 knights. Its total number of soldiers was just about 400—not a large force.

“Would you like to join the advance?”

“Is that alright? It seems like there’s a limit on the number of people.”

“We have enough forces to deal with variables.”

By “variables,” the Marquis of Richmond meant things like cheating.

In a one-on-one duel, suddenly swarming the opponent with many attackers or using poison, for example.

While not common, such things could certainly happen when the fate of a noble house was on the line.

“Then I’ll go with my escorts.”

“Very well. Three people. I’ll reserve three spots.”

Shortly after, Rodin stepped forward along with Karis and Jena. Including the three of them, the Richmond side had exactly 20 people.

Doom! Doom! Doom!

The sound of drums resounded throughout the space. One person from each of the 20 gathered on both sides slowly stepped forward.

“Is the Marquis of Rotten among them?”

“No.”

“It’s been quite some time since his body was overtaken by an ancient spirit, so he must be a powerful individual… and yet he hasn’t come forward…”

Rodin, feeling uneasy, instinctively looked behind him.

He saw Larry and Bianca standing near the carriage, watching this side. Around them were the gathered forces of the Marquis of Richmond.

‘I’m not exactly anxious, but this feeling is unpleasant.’

Rodin tried to suppress his discomfort. Instead, he examined the Rotten side more closely.

“Aren’t there mages among them? They aren’t suited for one-on-one duels.”

“You can’t see that far, can you?”

“Pardon? Ah, no. It’s too far for me.”

He had asked whether the Marquis of Richmond could see the main force of the Rotten side, and as expected, he could not.

Rodin himself could only observe the Rotten main force by sharing perception and using Jito’s eyes.

“What does the Marquis of Rotten look like?”

“He’s two years younger than me. From my most recent memory… he had grown his hair long. Brown hair, too.”

“Long hair and brown… huh.”

Trying to find the Marquis of Rotten in their main force with only that description was impossible. There were too many people of similar age. Brown hair was also common.

“Haaap!”

Just then, a knight from the Richmond side who had stepped forward clashed with a knight from the Rotten side.

From the beginning, the fight was fierce. Both relentlessly targeted each other’s openings, neither giving an inch.

“Does it end with five victories?”

“No. The difference in wins and losses determines the compensation.”

“So winning all nine would be best.”

“Yes. If we win all, the compensation amount doubles.”

The minimum result to win was five victories and four losses. In that case, they would receive the set compensation.

For every additional win beyond that, the amount increased by 20%. If they won all nine, an extra 20% would be added, totaling twice the original compensation.

“Haaah!”

“Grrk!”

Soon, the duel was decided.

The defeated knight collapsed with a severe wound to the abdomen. The victorious knight raised his sword high, proudly revealing himself.

Hyung_Otaku2

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