Dozens of torches danced in the pitch-black darkness of the 'Whispering Canyon', illuminating the heavy black armor of over fifty cavalrymen who had completely sealed off the exit.
The atmosphere pressed down like a mountain on their shoulders. The metallic scent of blood from the recently dispatched bounty hunters mingled with the smell of sweat and steel from the reinforcements ahead.
Lloyd Weston stood still in the center of the encirclement. Bright red blood dripped from his nose onto the collar of his faded noble's coat. A severe, throbbing pain pulsed in his temples, as if someone were smashing his skull with a hammer. His mana status bar, blinking a warning red at [10/100] , indicated his body had completely entered a state of 'Overload'.
If I force myself to use [Micro-Management] right now... my brain will literally fry to a crisp, Lloyd gritted his teeth, rapidly assessing the situation in his mind.
Even without the system assisting in unit control, the former RTS world champion never surrendered to disadvantageous numbers. His deep blue eyes swept across the terrain of the Whispering Canyon. It was a narrow pass flanked by steep, rocky cliffs, only wide enough for five horses to walk abreast.
"A chokepoint..." Lloyd smirked, licking the blood from his lips. "Even if they have fifty men, if they can't charge in all at once, their numbers are meaningless... This is a prime monster-farming spot."
An iron-masked man, the leader of the Dark Bounty Hunter guild's reinforcements, jerked his reins, stepping his horse forward. His eyes peered through the mask at Lloyd with a mix of frustration and surprise.
"I don't know what a noble like you is doing in the wild jungle at this time of night," the masked man rasped. "But this isn't personal, My Lord... Our bounty hunter guild is going to starve this coming winter. That witch's five-thousand gold coin bounty means rations and blankets for the families of hundreds of my subordinates."
The hunter chief pointed his sword at the unconscious body of Elisa Blackwood lying on the ground.
"Back off. For the sake of the innocent children in my guild, I don't want my sword stained with noble blood... But if you stand in our way, we're ready to chop you all to pieces and throw you into the ravine together!"
His excuse sounded reasonable from the perspective of someone struggling to survive in a cruel empire. But it wasn't an excuse Lloyd would accept.
"If your guild has empty stomachs, go demand a budget from the nobles who hired you," Lloyd replied with an icy tone. "But this woman is a 'UR-tier Item' that I just went through hell to pull from the gacha drop... I don't make a habit of donating rare items to anyone."
"You speak nonsense! You arrogant brat!" The hunter chief lost his patience. He raised his sword high. "Kill them all! Bring me that knight's head!"
"Charge!!!"
A deafening roar echoed off the cliffs. The five black-armored cavalrymen in the vanguard spurred their horses, charging directly at Lloyd's group. With long spears pointed forward, they aimed to crush everything beneath their hooves.
"Frank! Hold the frontline! Don't let them step a single foot past that boulder!" Lloyd barked his orders. "Sylvie! On the cliff! Aim for the legs of the horses in the second row! Break their formation!"
There were no blue light tethers connecting them, no system to perfectly time their attacks. There was only pure trust and instinct!
"Consider it done, boss!"
Frank roared. The giant youth didn't back down. He stomped his foot heavily onto the ground, shattering the rock beneath. His [SSR Steel Fortress] talent was pushed to its absolute limit. A blinding golden light enveloped his body, expanding into a massive shield that completely sealed off the narrow canyon!
CRASH!!!
The five armored warhorses slammed directly into Frank's wall of golden light! The immense impact shook the ground. Frank gritted his teeth, his boots sliding back against the dirt to carve a trench nearly two meters long. The muscles in his forearms bulged as if they were about to burst, but he stood firm, refusing to let the wall fall!
"Ugh! You guys hit like bulls!" Frank cursed, heavy beads of sweat rolling into his eyes.
"Taking them down!" Sylvie, who had leaped onto a steep, rocky outcropping the second Lloyd gave the order, drew her feathered wooden bow. Emerald-green mana condensed at the arrow's tip.
Fwip! Fwip! Fwip!
The elf girl fired three rapid shots. The arrows arced through the air, flawlessly bypassing Frank's wall. However, they didn't pierce the bounty hunters' chests. Instead, they struck true right into the 'armor joints' on the front legs of the second row's warhorses!
Neeeeigh!
The warhorses shrieked in agony, tumbling forward onto the ground. This caused the cavalrymen trailing behind to fail to brake in time, crashing into each other and rolling over like dominoes. Their powerful wedge formation was shattered to pieces in the blink of an eye!
"Great job! Frank, counterattack!" Lloyd shouted.
Frank didn't hesitate. He dismissed the golden shield and swung his massive trident at the stumbling vanguard. The immense sweeping force knocked two bounty hunters off their horses, sending them flying into the cliff wall where they were knocked out cold!
"Damn it! Is that kid a monster?!" the hunter chief cursed as he saw his frontline scatter. "Crossbowmen! Lay down suppressing fire on the cliff! Bring that elf down! The rest of you, dismount and charge them all at once!"
The bounty hunters immediately adapted their tactics. The narrowness of the canyon rendered their horses useless. Over twenty of them leaped from their saddles, drawing swords and battleaxes as they swarmed toward Frank. Simultaneously, dozens of magical crossbows aimed at the cliff above, forcing Sylvie to duck and weave behind boulders, severely hindering her ability to provide support fire.
The situation grew tense once more. Despite his immense strength, fending off twenty professional killers attacking from all directions began to leave shallow cuts across Frank's arms and legs.
Lloyd pressed his lips tightly together. His mana was down to 8/100. All he could do was observe and shout directional warnings to Frank.
Pant... pant...
Amidst the chaos of the clash, heavy, labored breathing echoed from the rocky ground behind Lloyd.
The Magic Knight, Elisa Blackwood, slowly pushed her sweat- and blood-soaked body upward. Her eyes, previously blurred by paralyzing poison, now blazed with a deep purple light of mana that had been forcefully squeezed from the very depths of her soul.
"You... you're still alive?" Lloyd turned to look in surprise.
"As long as my sword... has not yet drank the blood of those traitorous nobles... I cannot die..."
Elisa spoke through gritted teeth, dark blood seeping from the corner of her mouth. She knew full well that forcing her mana while the poison was reaching her heart was burning away her very 'lifespan'. It was an incredibly steep price... but watching this young man and his guard risk their lives to protect a stranger like her was an insult to her pride as an Imperial Knight!
Whoosh!
A dark purple aura erupted around Elisa. Her [UR Heart of the Magic Sword] talent responded to her will. The deadly poison in her veins was temporarily suppressed by the dense magical energy. The cracks on her silver armor glowed as if alive.
"Step aside... boy."
Elisa staggered past Lloyd. The massive black greatsword in her hand dragged across the rocky ground, sparking against the stone.
Frank, who was busy parrying a battleaxe, widened his eyes as the slender knight stepped up beside him.
"My Lady! You're injured! Fall back!" Frank warned.
"Shut up and watch my back!" Elisa snapped back with the commanding tone of a former general.
The bounty hunter chief sneered, seeing the target walk right out into the open. "The witch! Finally showed her face! Crush her!"
Five bounty hunters lunged at Elisa simultaneously, swords and axes raised high, aiming to chop her to pieces.
Yet, Elisa remained unfazed. She lifted the massive black sword with one hand as if it were weightless. Purple mana condensed along the blade, turning it into a colossal blade of pure energy!
"Moon Shadow Sword Dance... First Stance!"
SLASH!!!
Elisa swung her sword in a wide horizontal arc. It was as fast as lightning and as beautiful as a work of art!
The dark purple shockwave sliced through the air and the leather armor of all five bounty hunters as easily as cutting tofu. Their bodies were severed clean in half, blood splattering to paint the canyon walls. Their screams echoed for a fleeting second before falling eternally silent!
"M-Madness! What kind of attack is that?!" The remaining bounty hunters froze, their legs trembling uncontrollably at the terrifying destructive power of the legendary Magic Knight.
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"Why are your jaws dropping, you weaklings?! Keep coming!" Frank, seizing the opening, laughed boisterously. He lunged forward, using the butt of his trident to launch two stunned enemies into the air.
The coordination between a UR-tier [Vanguard] and an SSR-tier [Tank] , even without Lloyd's Micro-Management system, displayed a horrifying efficiency. Elisa cleared the frontline with wide-area devastating attacks, while Frank threw his body into intercepting all counterattacks, protecting Elisa whose battered body had zero defense left.
And with the suppressing fire on the cliff neutralized, Sylvie resumed her role as a sniper. Emerald arrows rained down, piercing the skulls of the enemy crossbowmen one by one.
"This... this is the true dream party..." Lloyd leaned against a boulder, watching the clash with a wide smile, even as blood continued to stream from his nose.
In less than ten minutes, the force of over fifty Dark Bounty Hunters was pulverized down to fewer than ten men!
The iron-masked hunter chief stared at the corpses of his subordinates, trembling violently. He now realized that the five-thousand gold bounty wasn't worth throwing their lives away against this group of mysterious, monster-like individuals!
"Fall back! Retreat, now!" he screamed in terror, before jerking his reins, turning his horse, and fleeing as fast as he could. The surviving subordinates ran for their lives after their boss, leaving their weapons and fallen comrades behind.
Silence returned to the Whispering Canyon once more, save for the exhausted, heavy breathing of the party.
Clang!
The black greatsword hit the ground. Elisa's body collapsed, dropping to her knees. Dark blood spilled from her lips again. With all her forcefully extracted mana depleted, the paralyzing poison returned, spreading even faster than before!
"Elisa!" Frank rushed over to catch the knight. "She's passed out, My Lord! She's completely freezing!"
Lloyd wiped the blood from his nose before walking over. "Get her on a horse, quickly. We're heading back to Verdant Province right now. Elder Aura can definitely brew an antidote for her... You all did exceptionally well today."
Sylvie jumped down from the cliff with a grin. "Of course! But once we get back, you have to treat me to a huge set of roast meat, Commander!"
Lloyd's small convoy hurried their horses back toward Verdant Province under the cover of darkness, leaving behind the traces of a fierce battle.
The return journey was rushed. As they passed through the newly constructed palisade walls of the village, they were welcomed by the glow of torches and the warmth of the villagers working on construction. Lloyd ordered Frank to take Elisa straight to Elder Aura's hut immediately.
The detoxification took nearly all night. Using the province's highly pure mana-infused wild herbs mixed with the ancient healing magic of the Forest God Cult, Elder Aura successfully drew the paralyzing poison from Elisa's bloodstream.
The dawn of a new day...
Soft sunlight filtered into the wooden hut. Elisa Blackwood slowly opened her eyes. The agonizing pain throughout her body had significantly subsided. She found herself lying on a wooden bed layered with straw and a clean blanket. Her armor had been removed and carefully cleaned. The black greatsword rested beside the bed.
The knight propped herself up to a sitting position. She looked out the hut's window, and the sight made her once-cold eyes widen.
It was the central plaza of Verdant Province. Human villagers were helping each other push wooden carts. Giant orcs were shouting construction orders with smiles on their faces. An elf girl was handing out bread to human children. Every race was working together, laughing together, without class division or oppression.
And amidst those people, Lloyd Weston, wearing his old noble's coat, was inspecting the work. Despite his pale face, he received genuine love and respect from everyone.
Elisa gripped the blanket tightly. The scene before her was drastically different from the royal court of the Veltine Empire—a place filled with cutthroat rivalry, corruption, and stepping on others for power. This was a land where a noble risked his life to save a wanted fugitive. A land that respected people for their abilities, not their bloodline.
Tears of overwhelming emotion, which she had never shed in her entire life as a knight, slowly rolled down Elisa's cheeks.
Elisa wiped her tears roughly with her bandaged hand. She took a deep breath to steady herself, returning to the calm, collected demeanor fitting of a former army commander.
She equipped her cracked armor and grabbed the black greatsword beside the bed, slinging it over her back. Although her body still ached from the mana strain, the weightless feeling of being free from the paralyzing poison allowed her to walk steadily once again.
As Elisa pushed open the wooden door of Elder Aura's hut, the late morning sun kissed her face.
The appearance of the 'Black Sword Magic Knight' caused the villagers hard at work to freeze. Some stepped back half a pace, intimidated by the lingering aura of a killer around her. But many others looked at her with genuine concern, completely devoid of the disgust or fear that capital city folks usually directed at wanted fugitives.
"You're awake, Elisa."
A calm but warm voice rang out. Lloyd Weston looked up from the blueprints on the wooden table outside the town hall, walking straight toward her with Frank and Sylvie following closely behind.
"Lord Lloyd..." Elisa spoke softly. Her deep purple eyes met the gaze of the thin young man before her.
Her mind flashed back to her past. The nobles of the Veltine Empire she used to serve all dressed in opulent luxury, sipping wine in their ivory towers while ordering their lowly soldiers to die for them. But Lloyd wore an old, faded coat. His face was pale and dusted with dirt, yet he always stood on the frontlines beside his subordinates.
Elisa took three steps forward before dropping onto one knee on the muddy ground. She drew her black greatsword and planted it into the earth before her, bowing her head deeply.
"You saved my life, fully aware that I am a rebel wanted by the authorities... You gave me shelter, and provided care that I have never received from any overlord." The knight's voice rang out, resonant and firm. "I, Elisa Blackwood... a disgraced warrior with no homeland and no honor, swear upon the spirit of the magic sword."
She looked up, meeting Lloyd's eyes with burning loyalty.
"From this second onward... my sword is your sword, my life is your shield! Whether your enemies are an army of ten thousand or the entire Veltine Empire itself... I will carve a bloody path for you! Please, accept me as the new sword of Verdant Province!"
The sacred oath of the former general echoed across the plaza. All the villagers and laborers stood still, sensing the gravity and magnitude of the moment.
Lloyd looked at the knight kneeling before him. A wide smile broke across his face. His fatigue and headache vanished without a trace.
Rolled the free gacha and got a UR-tier unit with her signature weapon included... Even if the server is brutal, this makes the grind absolutely worth it, Lloyd joked to himself, his inner gamer rejoicing.
He reached out, grasping Elisa's shoulder and helping her to her feet.
"I gladly accept your oath, Elisa," Lloyd declared loudly. "Welcome to Verdant Province... as our new 'Army Commander'!"
Ding!
[System Update: The unit 'Elisa Blackwood' has officially sworn fealty and joined your forces!]
[Loyalty Status: 90/100 (Maximum Loyalty: Devotion of Life) ]
[Army Function Unlocked: Level 1 Barracks / Basic Unit Training System]
[Force Morale increased by 50%!]
Cheers erupted from the villagers and adventurers. Having a famous heroine as their military leader drastically eased their fears regarding the impending Imperial inspection.
Frank walked up and slapped Elisa's shoulder heartily. "Welcome to the family, My Lady! Next time, let's have a test of strength. I want to know whose weapon hits harder, your sword or my trident!"
"If you think you can handle my shockwaves, give it a try, muscle boy," Elisa smirked back. It was her first truly lively smile in months.
Sylvie clung to Elisa's shoulder, giggling. "With another frontline tank here, it makes my archery job way easier! You have to join me for roast meat tonight. I forced the boss to open up the pantry to treat us!"
The tense atmosphere melted away, replaced by smiles and hope. Verdant Province was no longer just a rundown village. It was beginning to form the framework of a powerful 'Kingdom' brimming with top-tier talent!
That night, the central plaza was transformed into a makeshift banquet ground.
A massive bonfire was lit. The rumors of the Imperial Inquisitor were temporarily shelved. Villagers, laborers, orcs, and adventurers shared roasted dried meat and hot herbal soup to celebrate the city wall being over half-completed, and to welcome their new commander.
Elisa was dragged by Frank and Sylvie to sit in a circle, swapping tales of monster hunts. The laughter of the three blended harmoniously, as if they had been comrades-in-arms for years.
Lloyd sat sipping herbal tea on the balcony of the town hall, peacefully watching the joyful scene below. In his mind, he was reviewing his plans to deal with the inquisitor arriving in two days. Now he had city walls, intelligence, and a hero-tier combatant. If it really came down to a fight, he was confident they wouldn't go down easily.
But just as Lloyd was enjoying this brief moment of peace...
"Lord Lloyd, sir..."
A hoarse whisper came from behind. Marcus Grey had slipped away from the banquet. The middle-aged merchant approached with a pale, stressed expression that starkly contrasted with the festive mood below.
"What is it, Marcus?" Lloyd set his teacup down and turned around. "Is it intel on Baron Reinhardt's army, or are those grey-cloaked figures making a move again?"
"N-No, neither of those, My Lord," Marcus gulped dryly. He scanned his surroundings to ensure no one was eavesdropping. "It's a new rumor... I just got word from my traveling merchant contacts who passed through the northern route earlier this evening."
"Spit it out."
"Less than twenty kilometers to the north... is the estate of 'Viscount Morgan'," Marcus's voice trembled. "He is a lower-ranking noble notorious for his twisted perversions and his obsession with collecting oddities... My contacts say that Morgan secretly won the bid for a 'Female Demon Slave' at an underground black market years ago, sir!"
Lloyd frowned. "A demon slave? The race branded as the enemies of the Cult of Light and the Empire?"
"Yes, sir! Owning a demon slave is a severe felony, but nobles often use bribery to keep them as playthings for their sick desires..." Marcus clenched his fists, enraged on behalf of his fellow humans.
"My contacts said the demon girl is locked up in the dungeon of his estate. She's been brutally tortured every day for years—whipped and bled dry to harvest her 'Demonic Mana' to sell on the black market... She's probably on the verge of death by now."
The word 'Demon Race' instantly awakened the gamer instincts within Lloyd.
In the world of [RTS Master System] , the Demon race boasted the highest magical stats in the game. They were usually top-tier [Support] or [Mage] units, even rarer than Elves!
"Marcus, why are you telling me this?" Lloyd probed. "Do you want me to go save her?"
Marcus turned pale, waving his hands frantically in denial. "N-No, not at all, sir! I'm just reporting regional news as is my duty! Breaking into Viscount Morgan's estate to steal a demon slave... that's pure suicide!"
The merchant desperately tried to make his lord see the harsh reality. "We are currently facing Baron Reinhardt, the Imperial Inquisitor, and those shadowy grey cloaks... We can barely handle all of that as it is! If we provoke Viscount Morgan on top of that, it means opening a 'Two-Front War', My Lord!"
From a strategic standpoint, Marcus's words represented the absolute most logical course of action.
Lloyd turned back to look at the plaza below. Elisa Blackwood was laughing with the villagers. Frank was clinking wooden mugs with Notch. Everyone was pinning their lives and all their hopes on Lloyd's decisions.
Marching out to attack another noble's estate right now was peak-level risk. It could cause Verdant Province to be ganged up on from all sides, potentially turning weeks of hard work to dust in an instant.
"This really isn't the right time to unlock a new map area..." Lloyd muttered to himself. The throbbing pain in his temples reminded him that his mana was not ready for a prolonged war.
But at the same time... the image of a demon girl chained in a dungeon, being bled every single day, flashed vividly in his conscience.
In his previous life, Lloyd Weston was just a kid abandoned in a cramped, square room. He knew isolation and despair better than anyone. And what was the point of his vow to build a 'Kingdom' where everyone had a place... if he turned a blind eye and let an innocent be tortured to death just because it was 'strategically disadvantageous'?
"If you 'Play Safe' all the time... you're not playing a World Champion's board game."
Lloyd clenched his fists, his deep blue eyes gleaming fiercely through the dark night.
"Marcus..." Lloyd spoke with a tone so icy and absolute that the middle-aged merchant flinched. "Go get me the layout of Viscount Morgan's estate... I want to know the number of guards, their patrol routes, and the exact location of the dungeon in the utmost detail by tomorrow morning!"
"M-My Lord! Are you really going to attack?! The Inquisitor is coming in two days!" Marcus cried out in panic.
"Because the Inquisitor is coming, I have to end this as quickly as possible!" Lloyd flared his coat, turning his back to walk into his office. "We will use 'Stealth Units' to infiltrate and extract her without leaving a trace... I absolutely refuse to lose this crucial chess piece!"
The young Baron had made his decision! He would open a two-front war, trample on the rules of perverted nobles, and drag that demon slave out of hell... even if he had to wager his own life and the entire future of Verdant Province to do it!
(End of Chapter 17)