Chapter 55 – Graveyard (1)

Two eyes staring at the castle gate, and a hand caressing the sword’s hilt. Could this man be…?! Feeling an ominous premonition, Kara firmly grabbed Belloc’s shoulder.

“Wait! Even if you have the strength of a giant and a sword that cuts down ghosts, that is impossible!”

Belloc tilted his head.

“How do you know what I am going to do?”

“Weren’t you thinking of smashing the castle gate?”

“You guessed right.”

“This is crazy.”

As Kara swore, Adel, twitching her eyebrows, pulled Kara’s arm off Belloc’s shoulder.

“Are you doubting Lord Belloc right now?”

However, unlike before, because of that cautious touch, Kara looked at Adel with subtle eyes.

No, that wasn’t what was important right now. She had to stop this insane behavior. Shaking her head slightly, she spoke again.

“Leaving aside belief in a companion, let’s think common-sensically. Does it make sense to smash a castle gate with a sword?! This is on a completely different level from cutting down a demon or a few trees! Moreover, the capital’s castle gate is twice as thick and sturdy as other places. Only your sword might end up broken.”

Despite Kara’s passionate dissuasion, Belloc had a calm face.

Of course, there was a reason. It was because of the conversation around him that he heard thanks to his transcendent hearing.

“That fog is a barrier? Can you dispel it?”

“It is impossible with my skills. It would be better to smash the castle gate instead. Because no barrier is visible there. However, I cannot do it alone; we need more mages. Or we need a siege engine.”

“Hmm… wait a moment. There must be lords who have mages under them. Messenger!”

“Archbishop. What should we do?”

“What are the other churches doing? For now, we should discuss countermeasures with them…”

Even though they had not even stepped inside the royal palace yet, the allied forces were already starting to creak.

Even a great lord did not command all the other lords. There were other great lords, and there were also lords who allied in small groups.

Naturally, factions were divided among them, and friction arose.

Of course, this was the same for the churches. It was the limitation of groups gathered for their respective interests rather than a single unified army.

“The more magic I use, the more my spell power is shaved away. Please remember that I might not be able to cast proper spells later on.”

“Isn’t it better to watch the other side step forward first before we act? We must preserve our strength.”

Since the chain of command was different and there were multiple leaders, lack of communication was a minor issue. Later on, even those targeting opportunities like hyenas appeared.

Belloc dialed back his enhanced senses. The noisy clamor dropped sharply in an instant.

Was it due to the consumption of mental energy, or was it because the situation was a bigger mess than expected?

Belloc furrowed his brow. Sure enough, he could not trust these bastards. He had to step forward himself.

“Do not stop me.”

During that brief moment, Kara also seemed to have grasped the situation, as she sighed softly and followed behind Belloc. Adel was already close to Belloc’s side, clearing away the people blocking their path.

Soon, the party was able to go near the closed gate. Of course, there were early arrivals around it as well. It was Duke Georg, the great lord who led the forces at the absolute front. Because he was busy, the knights under his command quickly ran out.

Among them, the one dressed in the most flashy attire opened his mouth.

“Wait! Who are you to enter the Duke’s military camp?”

“A military camp? Where is there any territory here?”

At Belloc’s question, the knight snorted. He looked warily at the suspicious spellcaster, the greatsword knight, and the female knight.

“Look around. They are all vassals or retainers of Duke Georg. You are faces I’ve never seen before. What business do you have?”

Belloc turned his gaze. There was certainly some uniformity, such as the flags or the patterns engraved on their clothing. But so what? Belloc said.

“We came to break down the gate.”

“The gate? What, did you bring a siege engine? Or are you trying to join forces with us by bringing a mage under your command?”

“Neither.”

The knight’s expression became strange.

“Then what on earth are you going to break it with?”

Belloc lightly tapped the greatsword he was carrying.

“With this sword.”

A moment of silence flowed. Neither the knight wearing the flashy plate armor nor the other knights who seemed to be his subordinates spoke. And the surrounding soldiers, who had intrigued expressions to see what was happening, also closed their mouths.

That silence did not last long. Soon, a snicker burst out. It was a sound from the knight at the front. He trembled his shoulders and laughed at Belloc. When their captain did so, his subordinates also laughed along with him. The knight opened his mouth.

“Hahahaha! Judging by your looks, you seem to be a knight among knights, but your wit is like that of a clown. Well, if it was to lighten the mood, it could be seen as a good choice. I ask again. What business brings you here?”

“Didn’t I say I came to break down the gate?”

The expression of the laughing knight distorted slightly. His voice lowered further.

“I mean, with what?”

“Did I not tell you? I will break it with this sword.”

“I think the joke is going a bit too far.”

“I am not joking. Now that you know the reason, won’t you step aside?”

Belloc said, clicking up his visor. His colorless black eyes were looking at him without a single trace of shaking.

At that moment, the cuirassier knight realized. This man is serious. He really intends to swing his sword at the gate. Is he crazy? Or is it a knight’s competitive spirit? The cuirassier knight started to say something, then just stepped aside.

It was because he felt that dealing with this man was a waste of time. He smirked. Then he tapped Belloc on the shoulder.

“Well, we can’t force you. Sure, do your best. Gate Breaker.”

Laughter could still be heard from behind.

“These bastards!”

“Bear with it. They don’t know anything.”

The enraged Adel tried to step forward, but Kara stopped her. By this point, Kara also wanted to cheer for Belloc. The party stood in front of the gate.

True to its status as the entrance to the royal castle, it was larger and thicker than the gates of other castles. This structure, a exquisite mix of logs and steel, gave off a strange sense of intimidation just by standing there. Standing behind him, Kara spoke hesitantly.

“Hey… should I fire off a spell? If you swing at a weakened gap, won’t it break more easily?”

Belloc stared blankly at the gate. It seemed to be similar in size to that snake from before. He chuckled.

“No, it’s fine. It looks easier than I thought.”

Belloc drew his sword. Then, gathering his breath up to his chest, he slowly took a deep breath. The heavy greatsword glistened as it reflected the moonlight. The Black Knight wielding it was also illuminated brightly.

His bulging muscles screamed, and the ground supporting his weight was also gouged out with a rumble. Feeling all these sensations, Belloc slowly raised the sword.

Was it thanks to the stats he had invested in so far? Or was it due to his body, trained by crossing between life and death? This chunk of iron, weighing hundreds of kilograms, was now as light as a feather.

Confirming his own strength was always a pleasant thing. Smiling inwardly, Belloc swung his sword down as usual.

In an instant, a flash of light occurred. A violent wind pressure struck the faces of the people nearby. However, there was no change in the gate.

It stood right there as it was. Whispering voices were heard from behind.

“Of course. Does it make sense to break a gate with a sword?”

“There should be a limit to crazy things…”

A noble who had a sneer on his face quickly shut his mouth. It was because a crack was splitting wide across the gate with a crackling sound. Soon, the crack grew out of control, and when Belloc kicked it hard, it reached its peak.

BOOM!

Through the falling sawdust and iron chunks, the interior of the royal palace was clearly visible. The castle gate, which seemed like an impregnable fortress, was shattered by a single slash.

Belloc, who shook the debris off his sword with a flick, gestured indifferently.

“Going in.”

“As expected, indeed Lord Belloc. Such valor!”

“To think he would actually pull it off…”

Adel hopped and followed behind Belloc, and Kara also followed him with a blank face.

No, she had intended to do so. But she stopped dead in her tracks and looked back.

The soldiers and nobles, who had dumbfounded faces, were looking this way. The cuirassier knight from earlier was also blinking his eyes. Seeing this, Kara shrugged her shoulders.

“Well, how is it to actually see the majesty of the Gate Breaker? I don’t know who is acting the clown right now.”

“…”

The speechless cuirassier knight remained silent. Chuckling, Kara followed the two with the hem of her robe fluttering.

#

Breaking open the gate did not mean the king’s residence would appear right away. The palace was vast, and many buildings were lined up inside.

When he turned his head, the fog spreading over the castle walls was covering even the sky.

This feels a bit uneasy. Thinking that, Belloc walked again and strolled aimlessly through the wide garden.

It was because of the thousands of soldiers following behind them.

It was strange. Not to mention the buildings with the lights turned off, not a single enemy could be seen despite having entered this far.

The moment Belloc felt suspicious, several voices were heard from behind along with the sound of horse hooves.

“Excuse me, Sir. I am Count Bartus, but if you don’t mind, could I ask your name?”

“Pardon the late introduction, Sir. I am Viscount Arto. I watched your swordsmanship from earlier. It is truly a skill that would appear in legends. If it is not a discourtesy…”

The haughty nobles spoke to Belloc one after another. It was to build a relationship with a warrior who did not seem human. However, Belloc furrowed his brow.

Lunatics. They were currently in the middle of enemy territory. To be leisurely introducing themselves in this situation?

The moment Belloc was about to say a word to these idiots drunk on power, an anomaly occurred.

The fog wriggling on the castle walls slid down and began to wrap around the ankles of the party, as well as the expedition.

“Gasp. What on earth is this?”

When a noble gasped in horror, Belloc looked at Kara. It was to ask her, since she was a mage, as something strange was about to happen. However, Kara also had a face that showed she didn’t know the reason.

“I don’t know either…”

At that moment, Belloc’s crest armor began to emit light. Its intensity was on a completely different level from when it blocked that trivial mage’s spell from before.

Even without the warning sent by his Sixth Sense, Belloc could tell. This strange fog’s spell was trying to do something right now. Belloc tightly hugged Kara and Adel. It was to place the two of them within the protection range of his spell-blocking armor.

“Lord Belloc?!”

The fog had now risen up to their heads and was even emitting a strange light. Belloc lowered his gaze. His beast-like eyes captured the lines laid underneath the fog.

It was a magic circle. What was about to happen?

The moment he confirmed this, the light of the crest armor whipped around violently, and the magic circle also emitted light. In the swirling flash of light, Belloc closed his eyes without realizing it.

How much time had passed?

The touch of the fog that was creepily wrapping around his body faded, and the light also slowly subsided. Leaving behind the two breaths felt on the nape of his neck, Belloc gently opened his eyes. Eventually, he swore.

“Damn it.”

The human palace and the well-maintained garden that had been visible just a moment ago were nowhere to be seen.

What took their place was twisted ground, a dug-up graveyard, and monsters crawling out from within.

“Kieeeek.”

At the newly appeared prey, the monsters grinned so wide that the corners of their mouths tore. The red moon floating in the air sorrowfully illuminated the three people and the ghouls.