Chapter 15

The Marquess Family's Magic Genius - Chapter 15 (15/324)

15

Ten knights.

Their speed was quite fast.

Given that they were all experts, it was perhaps to be expected.

However, the ogre's speed was even faster.

The moment it swung the massive log in its hand.

Crack!

With a rather chilling sound, one of the knights disappeared.

‘That’s really strong.’

Even though they were lower-level experts, the fact that they could be instantly killed by a single blow was quite something.

Maybe it’s because it has two heads.

There was a significant difference.

“Ugh… Ugh!”

“A… A knight was taken out in one hit…”

The soldiers' morale plummeted as a result.

Knights.

They possess a level of martial prowess far beyond that of ordinary soldiers. The fact that a knight was eliminated without even putting up a fight was perhaps to be expected.

I need to help them out a bit.

If I don’t, they might all run away from the very beginning.

“Pull yourselves together! Form up! Raise your shields! Draw your bows!”

Thanks to my loud shout, the soldiers nodded their heads in a daze and began to prepare for the attack. There were still many knights left, and fleeing into the dark forest would be tantamount to suicide, so they chose to fight rather than flee.

Moreover, if they fled at the start of the battle, they would surely be hanged even if they managed to survive.

In this world, such actions were punished very strictly. After all, they weren’t just hired for a regular salary.

While I was encouraging the soldiers,

The battle had already begun in earnest.

Nine knights.

Among them, the marquess, who was under the Haste spell, was performing the most brilliantly.

Moving much faster than the other knights, he began to slice the ogre's body with his sword, which was dripping with aura.

Clearly, being a higher-level knight, the marquess's sword was easily tearing through the ogre's skin, leaving deep wounds.

Roar!

Was it because the knights were cutting into various parts of its body? The two heads let out fierce roars.

Next.

Bang!

Bang!

It began to swing the log in all directions, moving frantically to strike the knights. One hit from it could send even a decent knight to their grave.

Still, it was okay so far.

Except for the first knight who was hit with a powerful blow, there were no other casualties.

“Aim for the wounds!”

The marquess, dodging the ogre's club, shouted loudly.

Whoosh!

Over a hundred arrows flew towards the ogre's body.

My magic was the same. I had to show that I was doing my best to avoid any complaints later.

The exposed flesh, revealed by the knights' auras.

Arrows and my lightning magic pierced into those spots.

Squish!

It must have hurt quite a bit.

The ogre, roaring fiercely, began to charge towards the soldiers, ignoring the knights. It seemed to instinctively know which were the weaker targets.

“Take cover!”

The knights shouted, but there was no way the soldiers could avoid the ogre's speed.

I gave a different order.

“Raise your shields! Hold them up!”

At my command, the soldiers in front of the archers raised their rectangular shields.

Wham!

The moment the ogre's log was swung with full force.

Crack!

The tower shields, reinforced with steel, shattered easily. With the shields shattered, there was no way the fragile human bodies could withstand the attack.

In that instant, about twenty shield-bearers were eliminated by a single blow.

‘…’

What can I say?

It’s a scene I’ve seen many times in games.

Reality wasn’t much different.

The implementation of virtual reality games was very high. As a hardcore player, I had set the game to the highest levels of cruelty and realism.

So, apart from a slight shiver down my spine, I didn’t feel much else.

If that club had been aimed at Ersiel or Leonhardt, my subordinates, I might have been shocked.

But in fact, these are the enemies, aren’t they?

The rebellion that will occur two months from now.

When Adolph releases his power, these will be the killers who go on a rampage, unleashing their suppressed tendencies and sweeping away everyone, regardless of age or gender.

They were already inclined towards evil, and there was no way to save them.

So, if they were obstacles,

It was better for them to be eliminated.

The continent is vast, and there’s a mountain of work to be done.

Meanwhile,

“Ugh… Ugh!”

Wham!

Crack!

The formation began to crumble in an instant.

“You beast!”

The marquess, witnessing this in real time, charged at the ogre like lightning.

Swoosh!

He severed the ogre's ankle with his aura-filled sword and began to focus his attacks on the leg area to draw the ogre's attention.

Adolph’s elite soldiers, who had been eliminated without even putting up a fight, must have made him very angry.

They had shared many hardships over a long period.

The same went for the knights, who were charging at the monster with all their might.

‘There will be heavy casualties.’

Seeing this, a smile involuntarily spread across my face.

The marquess and the knights.

They were essential personnel who needed to die here.

These were the ones who followed Adolph to the core. As for the soldiers, it was enough if some of them survived.

Still, there needed to be witnesses for my heroic deeds to spread quickly.

Thus, a fierce battle unfolded in the forest.

* * * * *

Jerome.

He was now using all his aura to fight the twin-headed ogre.

‘It’s this strong.’

He knew it would be strong because it had two heads, but this was beyond his imagination. He thought that with the elite soldiers, they could easily capture the ogre!

The ogre’s attacks were incredibly fast and powerful.

Twenty minutes into the battle.

More than half of the knights who were standing around him had already been turned into ghosts by the ogre’s club.

The remaining knights were now only mid-level experts.

Wham!

He narrowly avoided the fiercely swung club, and magic began to envelop his body once again.

Haste.

A support spell that increased the speed of his body.

With even faster movements, he sliced the ogre’s body and then looked at Kyle behind him.

A mage with the power of a 1st Circle mage, which was hard to believe.

He consistently supported the knights with various support spells, including Haste and Mental Cleansing, and gave orders to the soldiers with charisma.

Finally, whenever there was an opening, he cast elemental spells to deal consistent damage.

‘He’s definitely changed.’

There was no trace of the reckless behavior he had seen a few years ago.

‘Now I understand why Lord Adolph said what he did.’

A few days ago.

Before setting out with the extermination force, his lord had strongly advised him to make a good impression on Kyle. Even considering that he had overcome Hermemul, it seemed like an excessive reaction.

But his thoughts were different now.

Over the past three days, he had received significant help from Kyle’s magic, and it was the same now.

If it weren’t for his magic…

Jerome, who had narrowly avoided the ogre’s attack, shuddered. Without it, they would have never defeated this monster. Releasing his power would be the worst choice.

For now, he had to hide it like a dead mouse.

Even if it meant his death, the decision would be the same. He couldn’t hinder his lord’s path just to save himself.

‘It’s really fortunate to have the Fourth Prince.’

The timing of the magic that came at critical moments was truly spine-chilling.

Now, Jerome completely trusted Kyle.

Every time his mana approached, he accepted it without any doubt.

* * * * *

The ogre, standing at 6 meters tall.

Its stamina was as massive as its size.

For a full thirty minutes, it had been rampaging wildly. The number of knights had been reduced from ten to three, and nearly four hundred soldiers had been eliminated.

It was truly a monster.

Of course, the ogre was not unscathed.

Auric cuts all over its body.

Arrows and my magic were embedded in those wounds, causing continuous bleeding.

‘Phew.’

From the start, I had been using support spells like Haste and Mental Cleansing, and helping the knights with defensive spells whenever they were in danger.

Without my magic, the battle would have ended long ago. From what I could see, the ogre’s stamina didn’t seem to have much left.

‘It’s the perfect time to execute the plan.’

Now, the marquess, the knights, and the soldiers trusted me completely.

It was natural.

Over the past three days, I had steadily built their trust, and unlike the rumors, I had supported them with magic without any hesitation, even when facing the ogre.

‘It’s a bit disappointing not to release my power.’

But it couldn’t be helped.

The marquess, filled with loyalty to Adolph, seemed unlikely to perform any actions that could be obstacles, even if it meant his own death.

Tsk.

Deep loyalty, but in the wrong direction.

Since he had already accepted the power, it was too late to turn back.

Dying an honorable death here would be a fitting end.

Leaving behind a beautiful story of fighting the twin-headed ogre to the end without retreating.

Of course, I planned to live in this world, even if I had to roll in a dung heap.

The battle continued.

The mid-level knights who had been fighting the ogre alongside Jerome began to disappear one by one.

Since their aura was not infinite, they eventually ran out of strength.

Each time, they were hit with a powerful blow.

The number of soldiers had also been reduced to about two hundred.

In exchange, the ogre’s body was almost completely tattered.

It was the perfect situation to execute the plan.

Now, even without the marquess, it seemed the ogre could be captured.

It was time for this guy to make his exit.

“Everyone, keep fighting! The ogre’s life is almost over! We will surely win!”

After shouting at the remaining soldiers,

I slowly sent my mana towards the marquess.

Having cast support spells for him so far, Jerome didn’t doubt my mana at all.

On the contrary, while fighting the ogre, he was moving closer to my mana.

But this time, the spell was different.

He probably thought it was just Haste.

But this time, it was the Ensnare spell, which binds the body tightly.

Under normal circumstances, he would have noticed something was off.

The activation methods of Haste and Ensnare were completely different. A higher-level knight would have immediately noticed the difference.

But it was late at night, and after fighting the ogre for over forty minutes, his aura was almost depleted.

Exhausted from dodging the ogre’s attacks, the marquess didn’t feel any discomfort and submitted to my magic.

Damn.

Thanks.

Thus, the Ensnare spell tightly bound the marquess’s ankles.

Jerome, perhaps realizing something was wrong, tilted his head. His feet didn’t move properly, unlike before.

At that moment,

The ogre, covered in wounds, roared and swung its club at the marquess. I poured mana into the Ensnare spell to ensure it held tight.

It was a perfect timing.

His feet, stuck like in a spider web, couldn’t easily break free.

The marquess quickly sent aura to his ankles.

A quick reaction, befitting a higher-level knight, but unfortunately, the ogre’s club was faster.

Smack!

“Gah!”

With a loud sound, the marquess was sent flying far away.

Phew.

It must have hurt a lot.

The ogre’s club had aimed for his torso, so his dantian, where he concentrated his aura, was probably destroyed.

Not to mention the internal organs.

Even if he released his power, it would be too late to save him.

Nice shot.

The enraged ogre began to stagger towards the marquess, who had been hit directly.

To kill the human who had inflicted the most wounds on it.

The marquess began to stir.

As the ogre approached,

The marquess, who had staggered to his feet, had a brilliant aura on his sword.

Like a candle burning brightly before it went out.

With blood gushing from the corner of his mouth, the marquess charged at the ogre.

The club narrowly missed his head.

Swoosh!

His sword cleanly severed the ogre’s leg.

Wow.

This is too helpful.

Grr…

“Cough!”

Thus, the two monsters fell to the ground together.

“Stop the ogre! I will check on the marquess!”

After shouting forcefully, I immediately ran towards the marquess.

He had suffered fatal injuries and would die, but since it was still uncertain whether he was alive or dead, it was problematic to have the soldiers approach first.

I didn’t want to hear anything he might say before he died.

That’s not the scenario I wanted.

Fortunately, the soldiers trusted me completely. They started fighting the ogre without hesitation at my command.

I had the leisure to check on the marquess’s condition.

I slowly approached the marquess.