[Translator - Kiteretsu]

    [Proofreader - Kyros]

    Chapter 102

    —“The situation doesn’t look good.”

    Kaylen observed the state of the fortress, arms crossed while riding atop the Drake.

    The harpy assault had thrown the defensive lines into disarray.

    Meanwhile, a massive horde of monsters, led by ogres, was steadily advancing toward the fortress walls.

    The Meisters were doing their best to hold them back, but it was impossible to defend every part of the wall.

    Except for the sections where elementalization-capable Meisters were stationed, monsters had already reached the ramparts.

    This was simply because the Meisters lacked sufficient firepower.

    And the knights who should have been supporting the magic casters...

    —‘Shields instead of swords, huh.’

    Kaylen watched as the knights formed defensive lines around the magic casters.

    Right.

    That was just how things were in this era.

    Knights couldn’t compare to magic casters in terms of power.

    So, it made sense for them to at least act as shields.

    But...

    —“Aaargh!”

    Even as some knights were grabbed by harpies, they didn’t even think to draw their swords.

    —“Ugh... Ugh... This place is hell...”

    Others cowered behind their shields, trembling in fear.

    Kaylen let out a short sigh.

    The state of the knights was worse than he had expected.

    —“Let’s go over there.”

    —[Understood.]

    Following Kaylen’s command, the Drake moved toward the most critical part of the battlefield.

    The harpy swarm fearlessly rushed at the Drake.

    —Kaaaah!

    The ones in front were instantly incinerated by its breath, while those to the sides and rear were frozen solid and crashed to the ground.

    Kaylen activated his Mana Suit Guardian.

    His entire body transformed like a water spirit as he approached Eldir.

    —“Eldir, does using Mana Suit Expert put a strain on your body?”

    —“No. Compared to other mana suits, this one has far fewer side effects on elves. For me, it’s even less of an issue.”

    Normally, when elves wore mana suits, severe aging was a common side effect...

    But the attribute-free mana suit created by Myorn showed significantly reduced side effects.

    —‘With further experiments, elves might be able to use mana suits without any drawbacks.’

    For that, more data would be needed.

    Eldir had already resolved to gather that data firsthand.

    —“What about Alkas?”

    —“The pressure from Mana Suit Expert is intense... but I can endure it.”

    —“Good. Then we’ll deploy here.”

    —“H-Here?!”

    —“Yeah. Rather than having the Drake land and take off again, it’s better for us to jump down now.”

    From atop the Drake, Alkas looked down at the fortress walls.

    Even with the mana suit equipped, jumping from this height...

    —‘This is way too high...’

    He suddenly recalled how Roenna had tried to stop him earlier.

    Dying in a glorious battle was one thing, but falling to his death?

    That, he absolutely wanted to avoid.

    Whoosh.

    While Alkas hesitated for a moment, Eldir was the first to leap off the drake.

    As he fell, he drew his wooden sword, Melvria.

    Chizizik!

    In an instant, the swarm of harpies around him was sliced apart.

    Even if he couldn’t match Kaylen, Eldir was still a full-fledged Swordmaster.

    A mere flock of harpies was no threat to him.

    “Fly.”

    Floating.

    Alkas felt his body lift into the air.

    “I was planning to use it while falling, but I guess it’s better to just activate it now.”

    “Ah... my apologies.”

    “It’s fine. Let’s go.”

    Kaylen and Alkas descended slowly through the air.

    The harpies, seeing their sluggish descent, rushed in, treating them as easy prey.

    “Ice Arrow.”

    However, even a simple first-circle spell from Kaylen was enough to take them down, sending them plummeting one by one.

    Tap.

    Easily brushing off the harpy attacks, Kaylen landed and surveyed the fortress walls.

    The dead outnumbered the living.

    The few survivors were barely holding on, desperately fending off the harpy assaults.

    Crunch. Crack.

    Beyond the walls, an ogre battalion was now within striking distance.

    A horde of massive creatures trampling over corpses, preparing to breach the defenses at any moment.

    Meisters positioned further away tried to suppress them, but their firepower was insufficient.

    At this rate, this position would be the first to fall to the ground forces.

    Guntrian''s eyes widened at the surreal sight.

    "A throne... made of swords?"

    Suddenly, a memory from his childhood surfaced—

    A storybook he had once read, one that had left a deep impression on him.

    The tale of Ernstine, the Grand Swordmaster and the first emperor of the Meier Empire.

    —When Emperor Ernstine sat upon the throne of swords, knights awakened their aura and grew stronger.

    —Those who stood before the emperor seated on the Sword Throne pledged their eternal loyalty to him.

    The Sword Throne.

    A seat upon which, if an emperor sat, knights would gain enlightenment in the way of the sword and swear unwavering fealty...

    Even as a child, when Guntrian had admired the legendary Grand Swordmaster Ernstine, he had thought such claims were too far-fetched.

    And yet—why?

    Now, as a grown man,

    Standing before that very sight, he couldn''t suppress the pounding in his chest.

    A part of him wanted to kneel before that throne on his own accord and follow the one who sat upon it.

    The fact that he was the vice-commander of Elsalvar’s Civil Squad and the second son of a ducal house—

    Had long since faded from his mind.

    Right now, he simply wanted to submit to the King of Swords as one knight to another.

    "Sir Guntrian! Sir Guntrian! Please, get a hold of yourself!"

    "Ah... right. Thank you."

    The Meister beside him shook him by the shoulder, snapping him back to reality.

    ''Tsk. What was I thinking...! I am—I am a commander of a ducal house. To be mesmerized by the sword like this...!''

    Whoosh.

    Guntrian quickly averted his gaze from the Sword Throne.

    Once it was out of sight, the strange exhilaration subsided—if only slightly.

    Now fully composed, Guntrian heard the Meister''s aide speak in a grave tone.

    "Sir Guntrian, something is wrong with the knights. They’ve drawn their swords instead of raising their shields."

    "What? What the hell are they doing?!"

    Knights were supposed to protect the Meister—yet they had drawn their blades?!

    "Take your eyes off that throne and raise your shields! Knights! Have you lost your senses?!"

    Guntrian roared in anger—

    But what he witnessed next made him question his own eyes.

    Fwoooosh!

    Aura flared to life along the swords of knights who were far from being skilled enough to wield it.

    And not only were they now emanating sword energy—

    Their movements had become more fluid, allowing them to fend off the harpy assault with ease.

    "My body feels so light!"

    "Ah... so this is how you''re supposed to use aura!"

    If even the less skilled knights were experiencing this,

    Then the ones who were already Sword Experts were on a whole other level.

    Their sword aura surged forth, cutting down harpies with effortless precision.

    The difference was night and day—

    Compared to when they had only been defending with their shields, the battlefield had completely shifted in their favor.

    "Hmmm..."

    Watching it all unfold, Guntrian felt an itch in his body.

    As a commander, he couldn’t ignore his duty—

    But right now, he wanted nothing more than to draw his own sword and charge in.

    However, the command center was heavily fortified.

    There were no flying monsters in the vicinity—meaning he had no justification to unsheathe his blade.

    So instead, he turned his gaze back toward the Sword Throne.

    "Tell the Meisters to focus only on the ground battle. I''m heading to where that Sword Throne is."

    "Commander, but you still need to oversee the battlefield—"

    "Ugh, just handle it yourself! Figuring out what’s happening over there is just as important!"

    The Meister’s aide stared at Guntrian in disbelief.

    Guntrian may have looked like the typical rough and burly knight, all muscle and power—

    But despite his rugged appearance, he was known for making cold, rational decisions as a commander.

    ''Ever since that Sword Throne appeared, the knights have been acting like they''re under some kind of spell.''

    "Let''s move toward the Sword Throne!"

    "Yes, Sir Guntrian!"

    Just as Guntrian and the command knights prepared to set out together—

    Some of the swords forming the throne suddenly broke free and shot out in all directions at high speed.

    Each blade flew toward the knights on the battlefield with the highest levels of aura.

    Guntrian, naturally, was among them.

    Whoosh.

    One sword stopped right in front of him.

    Its blade was engulfed in flames.

    A powerful aura of fire completely enveloped the weapon, radiating an overwhelming energy.

    ''T-this...!''

    Gulp.

    Seeing the sword, Guntrian swallowed hard.

    This was—

    An Aura Sword, a weapon that only a Swordmaster could wield.

    ''Is... is this meant for me...?''

    As Guntrian’s hand instinctively reached for the sword’s hilt—

    Kaylen’s knight, Alkas, was desperately trying to look away from the four swords floating before him.

    [Translator - Kiteretsu]

    [Proofreader - Kyros]