Return of the Unrivaled Spear Knight

Side Story Chapter 284

The mage in charge of the small teleportation gate scurried away to a remote spot, holding a crystal ball powerful enough to remain unaffected even within the jamming around the palace.

“W-we have a problem,” the mage whispered.

-What is it?

“Kireua Sanders just went through the teleportation gate accompanied by Duke Voltaire and two hundred knights.”

-Duke Voltaire did…?

The voice from the communication crystal ball was tinged with surprise, but that quickly faded.

-…This is better.

“B-Better? How?”

-Voltaire has always been an eyesore, so this is a chance to eliminate him too. My superiors will be delighted.

The mage’s eyes widened. Voltaire and his knights were some of the strongest people in Swallow, so the nonchalant remark was rather off putting to the mage. Still, it was none of his business.

“Umm…” he cautiously broached. “What about the other half of the spellbook…?”

-You must be very eager to get your hands on it. Well, it’s useless to a knight like me, but I did hear that it’s a spellbook from the age of magic that’s been kept well hidden.

The mage trembled with barely restrained excitement.

Several days ago, the mage had made a deal. In return for changing the coordinates of the teleportation gate that he was going to install in the palace, he was going to receive a valuable spellbook from the age of magic. He hadn’t believed the offer at first because all spellbooks from that age were thought to have disappeared; it seemed preposterous. However, he had received part of the spellbook as a down payment.

‘I’ll be expelled from the Magic Tower if I’m discovered.’

The mage bit his lip. Despite the excitement, he was also afraid because expulsion meant his Circle would be destroyed. Yet he was still cooperating because the offer was too good to turn down.

‘I have to admit that not all spellbooks from the age of magic are good, but all the spells written in the book I received were above Sixth Circle.’

The mage was still at the Fifth Circle even after over ten years trying to reach the Sixth Circle, the level of the Seven Mages, due to his lacking skills. Even if he managed to reach the Sixth Circle, it wouldn’t be easy for him to become one of the Seven Mages, judging from the current members. The lowest of the Seven Mage was a highly experienced Sixth Circle mage, so this mage’s chance of becoming one of the Seven was close to zero. However, a Sixth Circle mage who used ancient spells that no one else knew was a different story.

‘I’ll learn all the ancient spells in the spellbook and then burn it. I can use some of the relatively worthless spells to negotiate with the Magic Tower for a position in the Seven Mage.’

The mage’s eyes filled with joy as he imagined his happy future. The difference in funding between an ordinary mage and the Seven Mages was astronomical. In addition, they could have quite a number of mages under their command.

The mage’s steps quickened.

-Head to the number three shed in the north area of the palace. Find a black horse in the fourth stall and search inside its toilet to find what you’re looking for.

In other words, the mage had to dig through horse dung, but he didn’t hesitate to rummage through it as soon as he arrived. Before long, he located the other half of the spellbook and clenched his fists in delight.

‘All I have to do now is get out of the Palace!’

The mage didn’t care if the assassination succeeded or not. He did what he had been told and informed his contact about the change, so he’d done his due diligence. His plan now was to leave Swallow and seclude himself deep in the mountains to master the spellbook. Once the world forgot about him, he could return to fulfill his ambitions.

However, the moment the mage stepped out of the shed, he had to abandon the happy future he had been imagining.

“You look awfully happy.”

“H-How…?”

“Just give me that thing you’re holding. I want to know what the hell they paid you to make you do something that crazy.”

The mage swallowed. He had been constantly using his mana to check for someone following him, but he hadn’t thought about checking the sky. Well, no one would have expected to be tracked from the sky, much less by the empress of Swallow by all people.

“Wh-What are you talking about…?” the mage stammered, feigning innocence.

“I heard everything, so stop pretending you don’t know anything. It’s getting annoying at this point. Just give me that thing if you don’t want to die right now.” Anna flicked her hand and knights came rushing toward the mage.

The mage watched the knights surrounding him like a forest of swords and fell into despair. It was obvious now that he had fallen into a trap. Otherwise, they wouldn’t move in such an orderly manner.

“How… did you find out?” the mage asked in an utterly hopeless voice. He wasn’t looking at anyone, but it was clear to whom the question was directed.

“A handsome, clever guy gave me a heads-up,” Anna replied with a bright smile.

* * *

“What are you waiting for?” Kireua tilted his head. “Are you going to go down without a fight?”

Duke Voltaire frowned. “You act like this ambush doesn’t concern you.”

“I’m asking you because it’s my concern.”

“…Did you know that was going to happen?” Voltaire asked in a serious voice.

Kireua shrugged. “Well, I considered the possibility. That’s why I asked for your protection when I used the teleportation gate.”

“Urgh…” Voltaire had nothing to say anymore. It wasn’t as if Kireua was the one behind this ambush. Instead, Voltaire shouted, “Who are you people!?”

Masked people in white clothes surrounded Voltaire’s group on the ground and in the trees and had Swallow-made longbows, which were considered the best in the continent, pointed at them. Since Swallow longbows were usually used by people who could utilize mana, it was clear that the group was going to sustain great damage if the archers loosed their arrows, especially given how close they were.

Which was why Voltaire was vigilant.

“What in the world are they doing?”

However, not a single arrow left the string no matter how long he waited. The archers simply pointed their arrows to prevent Kireua and the others from making a move.

The deadlock shifted when one of the masked ambushers ran toward their apparent leader and whispered something into his ear.

“…Is that so?” The captain took a step toward Kireua’s group. “Your fate has just been decided.”

“What?” Voltaire’s brows furrowed.

“All of you will die here today.”

A bright light burst out of the ground where Kireua’s group was standing.

“M-Magic circle!” Voltaire spat.

It seemed their assailants had already finished their preparations because the circle was activated in no time.

When the light slowly faded away, the knights realized that they were sinking into the ground.

“It’s a s-swamp!”

The swamp slowly swallowed the knights.

“E-Everyone, get out of here!” Voltaire shouted.

The archers finally let go of their nocked arrows.

“Ugh!”

“Argh!”

“W-We can’t dodge the arrows because of the swamp!”

The knights who managed to get out of the swamp were the first to be hit by the arrows. The casualties multiplied very quickly, but the arrows weren’t the only problem.

As one of the knights tried to pull out his feet from the sucking swamp, he unwittingly glanced to the side and gasped.

His colleague looked green.

“Y-Your face…”

“Hmm? What about my face… Augh!” The other knight coughed up a mouthful of blood.

“The sw-swamp is poisoned!” the knight shouted at the top of his lungs.

“Fuck, fuck!” Voltaire cussed.

“Take out the captain first to disrupt their chain of command,” Kireua calmly suggested.

Voltaire glared at Kireua, his teeth gritted. “Do you think you’ll be safe if the rest of us die here!?”

“That’s precisely what I’m trying to avoid here. I didn’t say anything about sitting out this fight, you know, but you’re our leader right now. You should fight in the front so that I can try something.”

“Shit!” Voltaire cussed again before giving out commands. “Knights, get into a defensive formation!”

They were in a swamp, so their movement was restricted. However, the knights maintained their composure as they got into a formation.

“Oh!” Kireua exclaimed.

As soon as the formation was completed, Voltaire leaped out of the swamp, with an agility that made it clear that he was no ordinary knight.

‘Let’s use this chance to see how good one of the best knights in Swallow is,’ Kireua leisurely thought.

In contrast, Voltaire used his full power to rush toward the enemy captain.

“You!” Voltaire unleashed his radiant aura through his sword.

Kireua’s eyes narrowed. ‘He isn’t just an experienced Master. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that he’s reached the highest level a Master can reach.’

Voltaire truly lived up to his reputation. However, Kireua couldn’t help but wonder how much stronger Aaron del Killian was to put a man like Voltaire on edge.

A sudden shift in the air made Kireua stiffen. Three of the masked assailants had surrounded him. It didn’t take long for Kireua to realize what their goal was because of the intense murderous energy they directed at him.

“…I still have many guards left,” he muttered. “You can’t take the king yet.”

“You’re awfully relaxed, Kireua Sanders, but I came here for your head today.”

Kireua grinned. “You know, I actually owe someone a favor.”

The air subtly hummed. The source was perfectly clear.

“What are you trying to do…?”

“Don’t just stand there. Kill him!”

The three people pounced at Kireua, but he was quicker. He carved a pair of slits in the air, and two figures jumped out from them.

The three ambushers cried out in dismay when they realized the two figures’ identities

“What!?”

“A queen is the strongest piece in chess, and it’s always next to a king,” Kireua informed them, his voice tinged with mirth.

“What in the world…?”

“You can claim checkmate after you beat my guardians here,” Kireua continued with a wide grin.

The golems began to take action.