<h4>Chapter 246: The Civil War in the Principality (11)</h4>


    <i>Whoosh!</i>


    Serica Lauren pulled her cloak, woven from the fur of a white-horned rabbit, tighter around her, shivering against the biting cold. Although she was skilled in ice magic, she had spent her entire life near Cove, in the southern part of the principality, and so she was unustomed to such frigid weather.


    “Well... this is better than when that idiot Mikhail dunked me in water. At least I have a cloak now.”


    When Karyl announced the members for the principality expedition, despite his suggestion, Serica had opted to follow Mikhail instead. Perhaps it was because of the bond they had formed during their time in Antihum, or maybe she was simply curious about his talent.


    Because of that decision, Serica became the target of Suan’s envious nces, who longed to go but couldn''t.


    Karyl, however, merely gave a faint smile when he heard her request.


    <i>“That won’t do.”</i>


    <i>“...Why?”</i>


    <i>“Who do you think made it possible for you to learn magic in Antihum? Now that you’re finally somewhat useful, you should at least pull your weight.”</i>


    <i>“Who... Who’s indebted to whom?!” </i>Serica shouted, though her voice faltered, clearly flustered by Karyl’s blunt rejection of her request, especially after she had worked up the courage to ask.


    <i>“What are you nning to do by following Mikhail?”</i>


    <i>“What... What do you think? I’m going to study the magic of the Dawn Council. You know that better than anyone, right? Theirbat magic is moreplex than anyone else’s. Of course I’m interested.”</i>


    <i>“The Dawn Council’sbat magic? That doesn’t suit you. You’d only be disappointed if you went.”</i>


    <i>“And how can you be so sure?”</i>


    Serica frowned, casting Karyl a doubtful look.


    <i>“The ck sh Seven Forms of the Spear King.” </i>


    With those words, her face stiffened.


    <i>“You’ve already grasped the key techniques, haven’t you? Nain Darhon, who held those books, couldn’t understand their significance because he was a sorcerer.”</i>


    <i>“What are you talking about...?”</i>


    Seeing her hesitate, Karyl smirked.


    <i>“From the stance to the breathing technique, it’s all too straightforward for a sorcerer. Everything changed after you left Antihum. You can’t fool my eyes.”</i>


    Karyl spoke as if he had been waiting for this.


    <i>“If you’d said you liked Mikhail and wanted to follow him, I might have considered it. But if you’re going to use some flimsy excuse like it’s about magic, I won’t allow it.”</i>


    <i>“Wh-What are you saying?!”</i>


    The one who seemed most taken aback by Karyl’s words wasn’t Serica, but Mikhail. After all, she was still just a child, not even an adult yet.


    The nces directed at Mikhail grew slightly colder, but Karyl, with a sly expression on his face, spoke as if nothing were amiss.


    <i>“Serica, warsst a long time. They don’t end in a year or two.”</i>


    Serica and Mikhail exchanged confused nces, not fully understanding what he meant. Karyl merely chuckled, as if knowing something they didn’t.


    <i>“Serica, you may not have fully mastered it yet, but you’re already creating your own spear techniques, right? Aren’t you curious to see how far your skills can take you?”</i>


    <i>“Hmph...”</i>


    <i>“And there’s another important reason you need to go to the principality.”</i>


    <i>“What is it?”</i>


    At that, Karyl shed a cryptic smile and said, <i>“You’ll understand when you get there.” </i>


    “That sly snake...” Serica Lauren muttered to herself as she thought of Karyl, her lips twitching slightly. She looked ahead, her gaze colder than the swirling snow.


    “That’s the ce.”


    She was staring at the towering Yoman Mountains, known as the Great Wall, which loomed like a giant curtain blocking the way ahead.


    “Once we cross that, we’ll be right at the White Bunker. Why are those Cove idiots wasting time elsewhere when there’s a shortcut right here?"


    “It’s... not that simple. No, conquering the principality is probably the hardest part of the entire campaign.”


    The soldier standing beside her removed his goggles as he spoke. His eyebrows were instantly covered with frost from the relentless blizzard.


    “...No one has ever managed to surpass the gatekeeper of Yoman. He’s the principality’s greatest knight.”


    Anyone from the continent would recognize the name—Gh of the Halberd.


    Gh was one of the five Sword Masters on the continent; he had been branded a traitor in his previous life after the Principality Civil War, but for now, he was known as the Halberd because of the enormous weapon he wielded.


    His halberd was no ordinary weapon; it was more like a giant scythe, with a de as long as that of a greatsword, resembling the grim reaper’s scythe. Few could hope to wield it, its immense weight requiring multiple skilled knights just to lift it.


    Gh oftenined about his moniker, as he felt it attributed his strength solely to his weapon. Little did he know, an even worse reputation awaited him in the future.


    “So, he’s the strongest in the principality, huh?”


    Serica, sent to lead the Yoman invasion by Anthem Howard, licked her lips slightly in anticipation as she considered the soldier’s words.


    <i> </i>


    <i>“Gh’s halberd is not only unusual in its shape but even more so in its de. While Clear Distilled Water is known as the finest material for weapons on the continent, this might surpass it.”</i>


    <i>“What is his weapon exactly?”</i>


    <i>“It’s a de made from a rare ore called Ultimatum. It naturally possesses a strong water element.”</i>


    Karyl spoke to Serica the day before sending her to the Great Wall.


    <i>“Looking back, I think Gh’s de might be an artifact from der. I’ve never seen such a peculiar mineral since. He might be unhappy with his moniker, but there’s nothing else quite like it.”</i>


    <i>“An artifact from der? You mean like your sword?”</i>


    <i>“No, even older. It’s an artifact from the Mythical Era. It might even surpass the sword I use. The principality, as you can tell from its golems and magitech, has far more relics left than the empire.”</i>


    She nodded at Karyl’s words.


    <i>“It’s a mineral with apletely differentpositionpared to the elemental stones you can get from a mana mine.”</i>


    <i>Karyl continued, “Serica, you need to obtain it.”</i>


    <i>"Are you telling me to fight a Sword Master?"</i>


    <i>“What? Are you scared?”</i>


    <i>“Hmph...”</i> Serica scoffed softly, although the idea of facing a Sword Master when she hadn’t even broken through the wall of the 5th ss was absurd, no matter who said it.


    <i>Even though it’s unfortunate that it was lost during the civil war in the principality and can no longer be found... You may be able to create a weapon that suits you better than any other, and you might save Gh from the stigma of betrayal. </i>


    Right before Karyl departed, he had a strong feeling that Serica would be the biggest wildcard in this campaign to the principality.


    <i>Rumble... Rumble...</i>


    The snow piled on the Great Wall—the massive gorge known as the Yoman Mountains—was brushed away by the roaring winds.


    N?v(el)B\\jnn


    “Haah...” Serica exhaled, unfazed by the cold despite wearing only a short top and light leather armor beneath her cloak, her midriff exposed.


    A sh of light passed through her eyes.


    Activating Eagle Eye, the distant wall seemed to draw near,ing into sharp focus as if right before her.


    Unlike ordinary sorcerers, Serica had properly trained her body, and although she hadn’t reached the level of the Sword Masters who wielded the Infinity Circle, her magic was far above the standard of her ss.


    “...”


    There he was.


    Standing atop the wall like a giant statue, d in heavy armor, a knight nted a massive scythe into the ground like a banner, gazing downward.


    There were no other soldiers around, and it didn’t look like the man needed any. Though his full te armor was thick, he wore no helmet, and despite the fierce blizzard, not a single snowke stuck to his face.


    The man’s thick eyebrows and sharp features belied his age, and the vertical scar running from his forehead down his left eye was most striking.


    There was no need for an introduction. Serica knew at once that the man was Gh.


    <i>Crunch...!</i>


    As the man’s gaze met hers, a burning pain caused Serica to flinch and step back.


    Gh, like Gordon Fabian, had reached the level of Infinity Circle. The aura he exuded, honed to the extreme, made his very gaze as sharp and forceful as a de.


    “Ugh...”


    A groan escaped Serica’s lips, yet she kept her eyes open, her gaze fixed on the knight atop the wall.


    “That’s the one.”


    She focused on the halberd Gh was holding. Even without relying on his weapon, his powerful gaze alone conveyed his strength.


    “And I’m supposed to fight that monster?” Serica murmured to herself. “Why is someone like that even here?”


    Despite having a Sword Master before her, Serica was more intrigued than intimidated.


    “That guy really knows how to push people around.”


    She found herself oddly curious, and she quickly understood why that was. There had always been a monster far more fearsome than the principality’s Sword Master by her side.


    “Even without the de, that halberd looks way too heavy to use as it is. I wonder if it can be reforged in Tatur.”


    Serica eyed the weapon as though it were already hers, smirking as she reached for the short staff at her waist.


    <i>Click...</i>


    With the press of a button, the short staff extended from both ends.


    In Antihum, she had used an old spear shaftbined with a magic staff. After returning to Tatur, Karyl had improved it further by attaching a new spear shaft made of Clear Distilled Water to her staff.


    While itcked a de, her weapon resembled a ceremonial staff used by priests rather than a typical sorcerer’s wooden staff.


    <i>Whirr...!</i>


    Mana surged from the staff as she gripped it tightly, forming a sharp de of ice at the tip that turned her weapon into a spear. Around the main de, four smaller ice des emerged, arranging themselves like petals.


    <i>Swoosh...</i>


    Serica aimed her spear at the wall, the Great Wall of Yoman—a natural barrier that had existed long before the principality was established, and an impregnable fortress that had never been breached.


    “I wonder if I could break that.”


    “...What?”


    The soldier standing beside Serica looked at her in disbelief, startled by her casual remark.


    <i>Using me as bait... It’s so bold that it almost makes me want to punch him.</i>


    She thought of Karyl again, aware of his n. She and Milliana were to act as bait, leading the forces of the northern tribes to attack the principality from behind. It was a brilliant n, one that no one had thought of before.


    After all, neither the principality nor the empire had ever considered using the tribes as allies in battle. To them, the tribes were enemies to be defeated, not potentialrades-in-arms.


    <i>But that alone isn’t enough. He said this ce would be the stage to prove my worth, so I need to stand out more than anyone else.</i>


    A faint smile tugged at her lips, her eyes gleaming with determination.


    “There’s no time. If I just follow orders, it’ll be boring. That woman probably thinks the same.”


    She then muttered under her breath, “Maybe that’s exactly what he intended.”


    Even if that was the case, it didn’t surprise her. Karyl’s strategies always exceeded her expectations.


    <i>I’ll conquer not just Gh but Yoman itself. Karyl, I shall greet you from the White Bunker.</i>


    Serica Lauren stood against the unbreachable Great Wall and the principality’s sole Sword Master. For a 4th ss fledgling sorcerer to dare such a feat was arrogance that bordered on madness.


    However, Supreme Serica Lauren was no mere sorcerer.


    <i>Boom...!!</i>


    As if to make a deration, Serica thrust her spear into the ground. This battlefield would mark the first battle of the world’s onlybat sorcerer, a title Serica had to earn once more.


    ***


    <i>Thwip—!</i>


    <i>Thud! Thud! Thud—!</i>


    “Shit! Where are they?!”


    “Find them!!”


    The whistling of arrows cutting through the night air was barely audible. However, the headless corpse, riddled with arrows as if death itself were mocking the fallen soldier, stood stark against the scene.


    “We’ve lost twomanders just tonight.”


    “And that’s your report?! You haven’t even found the enemy’s location!”


    “Well... it’s just that... this kind of sniping is unprecedented...”


    Fear lingered in themand tent, and no one was able toe up with a solution. Without knowing the enemy’s position, their dread only deepened.


    “Hmph... This is child’s y,” Miliana said with a yawn. “Did Karyl really send me to this battlefield? Even if I’m just bait, this is ridiculous...”


    She pulled an arrow from Kinu Mukari’s quiver and infused it with mana. Then, she threw it with all her might.


    <i>Whoosh—!!!</i>


    The arrow cut through the air and struck the neck of a sentry in the distance.


    “Impressive,” came a voice from behind her.


    Miliana smirked. “It’s nothingpared to your archery. I know you came close to the enemy lines for my sake. I’m reminded again of how formidable the Flying Bow really is. Or maybe... it’s just you, Kinu Mukari.”


    She looked at him as he drew his bow. For Kinu, this distance was far too close.


    “When they realize the range of your archery, the knights of the principality will surely feel their legs give way.”


    Kinu Mukari’s arrows reached distances so great that even her Infinity Circle couldn’t keep up with them. Despite the vast distance, Kinu Mukari had perfectly shattered the faces of the enemymanders with his arrows.


    It had only been two days since they arrived at the Brown Ant, and after familiarizing himself with the swamps of the area, Kinu Mukari had single-handedly plunged the enemy into terror.


    <i>Creak...!!</i>


    His bow bent into arge arc as he drew the string.


    <i>Whizz!!!</i>


    Watching his arrow cut through the air, Miliana muttered, “Your arrows can reach even there...”


    “You tter me,” Kinu Mukari replied humbly, looking toward the peak she had pointed at.


    “Now I get it,” Miliana said after a brief pause. “Karyl must’ve deliberately sent me and that kid here to provoke us. The one at the wall is probably thinking the same. Karyl, how twisted you are.”


    She looked at Kinu and went on, “And the reason she paired the two of us is probably the same. If I’m stuck here, it’ll imply that the empress of Digon is less reliable than a fifteen-year-old kid. What a disgrace that would be.”


    Miliana stood up.


    “Kinu.”


    “Yes, Empress?”


    “This isn’t just about buying time or distracting the enemy. It’s apetition to see who can breach the White Bunker first and im victory.”


    Her gaze was fixed on something far beyond the enemy in the swamps.


    “We’ll be done with this ce in half a day. The target is those twin peaks over there. From now on, we’re no longer just bait.”


    Miliana’s cloak billowed behind her.


    “Instead, we’ll be the first vanguard to conquer the White Bunker.”


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