Chapter 56

Oto and the mages escaped from the rebel camp 10 minutes before the "Masker's False Face" spell ended. Then they immediately headed for the suppression army camp led by the crown prince. A few hours later. "Captain Cain? What brings you to me at this hour of the night?" The crown prince, who had been unable to sleep due to worry and anxiety, seemed quite surprised by Oto's sudden visit. "You told me to just wait without giving any explanation?" "Yes, Your Highness." Oto answered the crown prince's question. "The operation was successful." "Operation...?" "You can advance to Canyon Ridge right now." "What, suddenly you're telling me this?" The crown prince could not understand what Oto was saying. "You want me to attack Canyon Ridge at this hour of the night?" "Yes, Your Highness." "But isn't Canyon Ridge firmly held by the enemy? If we attack now, it will be... ." "Didn't you want to attack anyway?" "Well, that's true, but..." The crown prince, who had been the one to push for an attack on Canyon Ridge just a few days ago, was speechless in the face of Oto's point. "Trust me and attack now." "Captain Cain." The crown prince said, looking perplexed. "It's difficult to move the army so suddenly. I need a convincing explanation..." At that moment. "Your Highness." A general appeared and reported to the crown prince. "It is said that Iota's Oto de Scuderi has died." "Is that true?" "Yes, Your Highness. According to the report, Iota has officially announced Oto de Scuderi's death and is preparing for his funeral." "My goodness." The crown prince turned to look at Oto after receiving the report. 'Yes, I killed him for you.' Oto smiled inwardly at the crown prince's expression. It was only natural that he would laugh, seeing the crown prince so surprised, not knowing that the person he had asked to be killed was right in front of him. "Captain Cain... Is it really true that Oto de Scuderi is dead? In just a few days?" "You asked me to kill him, didn't you?" "That's true, but I didn't expect you to act so quickly." "Gonzales, that wicked man, never misses a target once he sets his sights on it. He will pursue them to the ends of the earth and kill them no matter what." Oto, while needlessly badmouthing Camille, said to the crown prince. "Captain Cain... Your abilities are truly remarkable." "I simply killed Oto de Scuderi as you asked, and I set up the situation so you could occupy Canyon Ridge as you requested." "Very well." The crown prince made a decision. "I will trust Captain Cain." The crown prince decided to trust Oto absolutely. It was only natural. Oto had saved the crown prince from the rebels and even eliminated the leader of a future threatening force. It was impossible not to trust him absolutely. "I will advance to Canyon Ridge immediately." * * * The crown prince, who had come to trust Oto, advanced to Canyon Ridge without further questioning. "Enemies! The enemies are attacking!" "They're coming!" The rebels remaining on Canyon Ridge were greatly alarmed by the sudden advance of the suppression army. Currently, only about 1,000 troops, a small number, were guarding the ridge. Moreover, most of them were non-combat personnel such as cooks, supply troops, and administrative personnel. In effect, it was almost an empty house. On the other hand, the number of troops led by the crown prince was a staggering 15,000. Even if Canyon Ridge was a strategic location, it would be difficult to hold off an army ten times larger. "Prepare for battle!" "Fire the signal flares! We must inform the main force!" Whizz! Bang! Whizz! Bang! Bang! The rebels remaining on Canyon Ridge hurriedly fired signal flares to inform the main force, but it was already too late. "Waaaaaah!" "Advance!" "Kill them all!" The 15,000-strong suppression army climbed the ridge in the blink of an eye and began to turn the rebel camp into a slaughterhouse. "My goodness." The crown prince, who had personally joined the battle to boost the morale of the suppression army, was greatly surprised to see that the number of rebels remaining on Canyon Ridge was much smaller than expected. It should have been teeming with rebels. 'Captain Cain... What kind of magic did you use?' The crown prince looked at Oto's back, who was indiscriminately cutting down the rebels in front of him, with a sense of wonder. The crown prince could not even imagine what kind of strategy Oto had used. Meanwhile, Oto was leveling up enthusiastically while crushing the rebels. [Notice: Experience gained!] [Notice: Experience gained!] [Notice: Experience gained!] (Omitted) [Notice: Experience gained!] The battlefield was always an excellent source of experience. While combat was not the only way to gain experience, it was the fastest and most efficient method. [Notice: Level 86 achieved!] [Notice: Level 87 achieved!] [Notice: Level 88 achieved!] Oto did not miss the opportunity to sweep away the rebels and collect as much experience as possible. As a result. [Notice: Unlock imminent!] [Notice: The skill "Stone Gaze" will be unlocked at level 90!] Only 2 levels remained to reach level 90. Once he gained 2 more levels, he would be able to use the second skill in the "Calypso's Gaze" system, "Stone Gaze." 'I'll take out one more.' Oto, feeling elated, pressed the rebels even harder, vacuuming up experience like a vacuum cleaner. - Good, kid. Kairos seemed quite pleased with Oto's performance. - When I first met you, you were nothing but trash. Now you're at least a low-level mercenary. Oto was still a novice, despite his growth. To Kairos, who had once been an absolute ruler of the continent, it was not surprising that Oto still seemed clumsy. 'What, were you always that good?' - What? 'You say you built an empire with a sword? You must have been weak when you first picked up a sword, right?' - What a joke! Kairos retorted. - I was strong from birth! I held a sword at my coming-of-age ceremony! I hunted wolves at the age of three! Tigers at five... - You're lying. Oto did not believe Kairos. Even in a different world, humans were not like the Saiyans from Dragon Ball. How could someone hunt wolves at three and tigers at five? 'Why? Do you make grenades out of pine cones and bullets out of sand? Can you use teleportation? You?' Oto mocked Kairos, thinking of an old dictator from a northern kingdom. - Huh? Grenades? What are those? Of course, Kairos had no knowledge of modern thrown weapons like grenades. 'Forget it, don't talk to me now. I'm busy.' Oto ignored Kairos' chatter and continued to sweep away the rebels and gain experience. However... "Huh?" Looking around, there were no more enemies. Only corpses. There were only dead rebels around Oto, not a single living enemy left. "None...?" At that moment. "We won!" "We've occupied Canyon Ridge!" "They're running away!" The soldiers of the suppression army, led by the crown prince, burst into cheers of victory. Oto had been so busy swinging his sword and gaining experience that he hadn't noticed the successful occupation of Canyon Ridge. * * * After the battle. "Captain Cain!" The crown prince hurriedly ran to Oto. "What kind of magic did you use! How did you make Canyon Ridge almost empty! What did you do? Please tell me now. I beg you." The crown prince was extremely curious about what kind of magic Oto had used. "It's nothing special. First, I assassinated all the high-ranking officers, including the commander." "All... all of them?" "Yes." "What did you do next? What was the next step?" "I impersonated the commander and high-ranking officers and issued false orders. I told them to move the troops to the rear of the suppression army to launch a surprise attack." "My goodness." The crown prince, still unable to imagine how it was possible, clicked his tongue. "Is it... really possible with just a handful of people, less than ten?" "It was a feasible strategy against a weak country like this border region." Oto said definitively. And it was true. 'If it were a powerful country, it would be impossible.' The more powerful a country, the tighter its military command structure and the clearer the division of roles among officers. The abilities of individual officers were also incomparably superior. Furthermore, with advanced communication magic, reports were made very quickly. On the other hand, the army of a weak country like the Kingdom of Rozhan was riddled with weaknesses, making it possible to manipulate them if one had the ability. "A weak country... a weak country..." The crown prince repeated Oto's words. 'His pride must be hurt.' Oto, who knew the crown prince's psychology very well, smiled inwardly. It would be more strange if his pride wasn't hurt, given that his own country, which he would eventually own, was described as a "weak border country." However, the crown prince was a man with the grand ambition of controlling the western border and expanding into the continent. Instead of getting angry, the crown prince asked Oto. "Do you know much about the powerful countries on the continent?" "Of course." "What is the continent like?" "The continent..." Oto answered. "There are numerous cities whose economic power