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The drums beat rhythmically, driving people’s heartbeats in sync. Blood warmed, and breaths became quicker by the minute. It was the kind of harmony that made soldiers’ morale soar.
High above, a dazzling golden owl soared. It may be a species that would resort to cannibalizing their own mothers, but it symbolized the Pontiers, and the Pontiers would not let that be forgotten.
Icarus’s hands clenched. From where they stood, they could see thousands upon thousands of enemy troops surrounding them.
They could hear the tension in each breath. The soldiers knew that the person standing next to them could be dead in moments.
Such was the bitter truth of war.
Someone tapped Icarus on the shoulder.
“You don’t need to force yourself to do this. If it’s too much, then you can go rest for a while. Tactician or not, you’re only fifteen years old.”
“I’ll be sixteen soon. Besides, I’ve learned how pointless knowledge is without experience. I have no intention of hiding, either. Anyway
 There’s that ‘boy’ everyone’s calling a monster.”
“Monsters
 are exempted.”
“You have an answer for everything.”
“Hmph. The Master Battle is over and we still haven’t seen hide nor hair of our master. What are we going to do about him?”
Cain’s contemptuous mannerisms made Icarus’s face darken.
He rubbed his temples. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”
“Where is he?”
“He?”
“The Black Knight. I don’t believe I’ve seen him since we arrived here
”
“We’ve got a problem, then.” Cain’s expression sharpened.
“A problem?”
“He vanished.”
“He what now?” Icarus’s head popped up.
“I followed him into the woods because I was worried he wasn’t feeling well, but
” Cain sighed. He knew that the Black Knight was, in fact, a fabled Death Knight, but nobody else knew that. It made it difficult for him to explain the situation.
His magi suddenly swelled and then he disappeared into smoke—but I can’t tell them that.
Cain shook his head. “Even if he’s on our side, he’s unpredictable. You don’t know who he is yet, do you?”
“Of course not. I’ve never seen him before, but I believe that he was sent by our master.”
“If you’re satisfied with that conclusion, you’ll die without learning the truth.”
Icarus paused. “
Right.”
“Gah, don’t give me that look. I feel like I’ve wrongfully accused you. Anyway, let’s trust our master—I know he won’t leave his people to die.”
Icarus stared at Cain sullenly until he poked Icarus in the side with his elbow.
“So
” Icarus’s eyes flashed, although Cain barely managed to pick it out in the liquid eddies of Icarus’s blue pupils1. “Why are you talking to me informally2?”
Cain scratched his head awkwardly. He certainly couldn’t tell her, “You’re like my younger sibling.3”
“The enemy is marching!”
Their heads snapped around. Just as they’d heard, the enemy was advancing on Peril Castle.
“Prepare for battle!”
The drums began to rattle out a rapid cadence as the soldiers hustled.
“I’ll tell you later—”
“Wait
”
Cain gave Icarus a confused look.
“Th-There!” Icarus jabbed her finger outside the walls.
The enemy was approaching—but a third group was approaching the enemy. It was a small group, a hundred at Icarus’s best guess. Their momentum was strong, their horsemanship skilled, and their black armor was more intimidating than its dull finish would suggest.
The indistinct black dots gradually resolved into distinguishable figures as they approached.
Cain squinted at them, making the best of his superhuman vision. Are they the Marquis’s backup? He would be able to tell their identity based on whoever led them. The clothing didn’t look right, but if that was the Mercenary King

His eyes widened. Cain would recognize that deep blue hair, no matter how far away they were.
“Oh my god—” Cain’s jaw dropped. “Master!” His cheeks flushed.
“What did you say?” Icarus’s eyes traced Cain’s gaze and quickly flooded with tears.
Baron Joshua Sanders, their one and only master, led the black-clad knights.
“Ugh—”
“Gwakkkkk!”
The sounds of boiling rages and the cries of horses washed over the battlefield.
It started simply. A hundred men, at most, against a massive force of five thousand. The Crombells’ army didn’t even stop—what could a force that small do against them?
In retrospect, their logic was obviously flawed.
“The enemy! The enemy is attacking us from behind!”
Gehog scowled. “The enemy?”
“We should take a look.”
“I thought you said they only have a hundred people.”
“It appears they also have a hundred knights behind us,” Wright, an A-Class Knight, noted.
“Hired knights?” Gehog frowned. “Nobody said anything about this.”
“They may not be working for the Pontiers.”
“Then what the hell are they doing here? Helping the Pontiers when they’re on the brink of defeat? Is this a joke?”
“Whoever they might be
” Wright murmured.
“I hope I see some headless bodies
 soon.”
“I hear and obey.”
“Don’t worry about it too much.” Gehog smirked. “Just send two units.” He then fed mana into his voice. “Army! Advance!”
“I hear and obey.” Wright bowed his head and turned his horse around.
Two units of knights—about 300 men—followed him, three times as many as the group that had struck from behind.
A Crombell knight approached Wright and bowed.
“Is that them?”
“Affirmative, Commander!”
“I’ve never seen that coat of arms in the Empire before. That pattern
” Wright examined the hammers and arches embossed on the black armor and scowled. Their heraldry was not the only problem—each and every one of them was highly skilled. Their blades cut the opposing knights like a scythe through grain.
Uncertainty crept onto Wright’s face as he kept looking. There was a man at the front of the pack, youthful and attractive. He definitely recognized that face.
“
Duke Agnus?”
They’d cut ties years ago, but everyone in the Avalon Empire would recognize the similarities between their faces4.
“Hmm
 I see now. That’s Joshua von Agnus—Joshua Sanders, the greatest talent of all time.” Wright rubbed his chin. The corner of his mouth couldn’t help but curl upward as he admired Joshua. He thought the rumors had been exaggerated, but apparently, he was wrong. Joshua’s skills alone were a feat worthy of the history books.
“Hah.” Wright abruptly stopped and turned toward Joshua. The three hundred knights following him gave him an odd look, but that was just how he liked to do things.
Joshua and Wright locked eyes.
“I am a knight in the service of Marquis Crombell. My name is Viscount Wright seon Nagari. I’ve heard the rumors, Joshua Sanders, but I never expected to meet you like this.” Wright’s smile continued to grow. “To throw in with the losing team—you must be a fool.”
The Crombell knights jeered.
“Are you worried about your men? Or
 do you feel guilty for abandoning them?”
Joshua responded by wresting his crimson spear from the fabric of space and leveling its blazing tip at Wright.
“You talk too much.”
“Boy, don’t you know how scary heaven is?” Wright drew his sword. “I’ll chop off your head, my men will chop off your limbs, and then I’ll feed you to the dogs.”
The young Baron stared darkly at him.
“No excuses—you pointed your weapon at me first.” Wright’s blade shimmered with Aura. Mana danced on its edge like fire, subtly denser than that of a fresh A-Class Knight.
Leo de Grans noticed the danger and began to advance cautiously.
They were interrupted by a soft pop.
“Ugghhh—” Wright lowered his head and stared at the spear running through his heart. “When—When did you—?”
The light faded from his eyes quickly. All that was left behind was his bewildered expression.
It was an astonishingly pointless conclusion for an A-Class Knight.
The Wilhelm Knights stared in awed silence while the Crombell knights were crushed by the incomprehensible reality.
“Proud Wilhelm Knights, hear me!” Joshua brandished his spear.
“Speak!” Leo de Grans trembled, but in a different way from Wright. He dropped to his knee, quickly followed by the other black-clad knights.
“Eliminate these nuisances, quickly.”
“Your will is our command!”
The Wilhelm Knights brayed like rabid dogs straining at the leash. What was there to fear when they were led by a man like this? Numbers meant nothing to them anymore.
“Slay anyone who dares stand before our king!”
“WOOOOOH!”
A feast of blood began as their mad howl pierced the heavens.
TLN: That must be a beautiful pair of eyes
 Manhwa, don’t fail us! ↩
EDN: Cain often used “-nim” when referring to Icarus and I’ve tried to make him sound more formal when it comes out. Maybe I’ve done a shit job, but you’re stuck with me until the rest of the team figures out that I have no idea what I’m doing. ↩
TLN: 동생 같아서— No pronouns again, I see
 I now feel so bad for asserting that Icarus is a girl when the story itself lacked pronouns -_- ↩
TLN: huh? I guess here, but manhwa
 nuh-uh ↩