Chapter 194

Chapter 194
## Chapter 194

The sentries stationed atop the ramparts became restless at the sound of Lucian’s call.

He claimed to be there by invitation? Yet he brought a literal army with him? Had the traditional customs of starting a war suddenly shifted into the guise of a friendly “summons”?

After a brief pause of uncertainty, a guard peered over the edge at Lucian and yelled back.

“I shall verify this! Hold your position for a moment!”

The soldier vanished inside the fortifications immediately after speaking. It was clear he didn’t possess the authority to handle such a situation and was hunting for a superior.

Following a short delay, the screech of heavy metal grinding against metal resonated through the air as the fortress entrance began to shift.

Rumble—

“…I thought the fortifications were bizarre enough, but this gate is genuinely insane.”

Hugo clicked his tongue, his eyes fixed on the slow movement of the barrier.

Beyond the fact that it was forged from solid iron, its density was preposterous. It was thicker than the span of a standard longsword; one had to wonder if any blade could even manage to bite all the way through such a slab.

Thud—

“Greetings, Your Highness! I am Emil Ruit, Captain of the Guard here at Belfort Castle!”

Once the massive slab was fully retracted and secured with a heavy vibration, a middle-aged warrior with a bright, welcoming face stepped forward to meet Lucian.

Even though he pointedly avoided using the title of ‘King,’ Lucian didn’t press the issue as he might have in the past. There was little point in bickering over etiquette now that they had arrived at the threshold.

“It is a pleasure, Sir Emil. I’ve arrived following the Marquis’s formal request. Do we have permission to pass through the interior?”

“Naturally. I’ve been briefed by His Grace the Marquis. I shall escort you toward the northern exit so you may continue your journey.”

“I appreciate that.”

Lucian offered the cooperative Emil a thin smile, but his gaze remained sharp and distrustful.

They had arrived at a completely random hour, yet this man was perfectly composed. It was glaringly obvious that the Marquis had sent word ahead and established a contingency plan.

‘I wonder what sort of deception they’ve cooked up this time.’

“Please, walk with me!”

Captain Emil acted as if he didn’t notice Lucian’s icy stare and began leading the way toward the north gate.

However, they hadn’t even covered half the distance before a scout came sprinting toward Emil in a state of high agitation.

“Captain, we have an emergency!”

“Speak. What is it?”

“A disaster at the north gate, sir!”

“A disaster?”

Emil cocked his head to the side, playing the part of a man who had no inkling of trouble. Lucian watched this clumsy display and fought back a cynical smirk.

‘He looks remarkably calm for someone receiving news of a “disaster.”’

He was almost certainly reciting lines from a script. The performance was so amateurish it was painful to watch, but by now, Lucian felt more intrigued than annoyed. What kind of plot required a knight to resort to such pathetic theater?

As if providing the punchline to Lucian’s internal question, the scout bellowed at the top of his lungs.

“The lifting apparatus for the north gate has been destroyed!”

—

“Well, it’s certainly been thoroughly wrecked.”

Lucian, having followed Emil to the northern exit, let out a sharp breath of disbelief.

The mechanical gear system designed to hoist the massive barrier had been pulverized, as if someone had taken a sledgehammer to it with clear intent. Examining the wreckage, the components were so complex they would require custom fabrication from a legendary smith.

“Is there a way to fix this?”

“Not in the short term, no. We would need to summon a master craftsman from the main estate to diagnose the break, forge entirely new mechanisms, and then perform the installation.”

“So we’re looking at a delay of at least a month, then.”

“I offer my sincerest apologies.”

Emil didn’t bother to dispute Lucian’s estimate; he simply gave a shallow, perfunctory bow. Lucian was almost impressed by the man’s audacity; there wasn’t a hint of genuine regret in his tone. It seemed they weren’t even bothering to mask their attempts to stall anymore.

“With the exit blocked, what becomes of our baggage train and supplies?”

“We will have to utilize winches and ropes to haul them over the walls. It will be a grueling process, but since our garrison is small, it shouldn’t take an eternity.”

“Do you have provisions for us?”

“I am truly sorry, but our stores are…”

“So the message is: turn around and go home.”

“I shall ensure the repairs are prioritized with the utmost speed.”

Speed, my eye.

It was painfully clear they wanted to bog them down here until their own reinforcements could be mobilized.

As Lucian grew frustrated, Felicia, who had been observing quietly from behind, moved to his side.

“Should I just slice it open?”

“…!?”

At that jarring suggestion, Emil’s face went pale with shock. She intended to cut through a barrier thicker than a sword’s length?

“You’re surely jesting. You’ll do nothing but shatter your own steel. I advise against such folly.”

“I noticed this isn’t a drawbridge that drops to form a road. If the obstruction is removed, we can walk right through. Give me the command, and I’ll carve it out now.”

Felicia paid no mind to Emil’s protests and unsheathed her blade. Panicked by her sudden aggression, Emil’s hand flew to his own hilt.

“What do you think you’re—!?”

Vrooooom—

Emil’s shout was swallowed by a roar of power. The sheer volume of mana radiating from Felicia’s weapon forced everyone into stunned silence.

The blade of pure energy, extending to a length that defied logic, seemed capable of splitting not just the iron gate, but the very foundation of the wall itself.

Just as Felicia prepared to swing and bisect the metal, Lucian raised a hand.

“Wait. That’s enough.”

With those few words, the terrifying aura vanished instantly, like a flame being snuffed out. While the surrounding crowd remained paralyzed, still reeling from the pressure, Lucian spoke again.

“I’ll handle this myself.”

—

‘…Is he out of his mind?’

Emil, finally finding his voice, stared at Lucian standing before the gate with a look of pure scorn. His expression was bordering on an insult, yet no one stepped forward to correct him.

Aside from a select few, every person present was thinking the exact same thing.

‘What? He’ll do it himself? Does he think he’s attained the rank of Sword Saint?’

‘If you’re going to talk big, at least check the scale of the problem first.’

‘How is he going to save face once he fails to leave a scratch?’

Though the passing of the former Sword Saint Eisen was still fresh, Felicia’s own legend had already taken root. The Successor of Eisen, the Unrivaled Heroine, the Prodigy Sword Saint, the Knight-Slayer—her ruthless efficiency since the fall of the House of Calix had earned her a dozen terrifying titles.

Consequently, when she displayed that overwhelming aura, people were shocked but accepting. It made sense for a Sword Saint to possess such might.

But Lucian claiming he could match that level of raw physical power was an entirely different story.

‘Was His Highness always as formidable as Lady Felicia?’

‘No. He was rumored to be on par with Viscount Harald, the one they call the Wolf Slayer.’

‘And how strong is this Harald?’

‘Nowhere near strong enough to move that gate in a thousand years.’

‘Good grief, this is going to be embarrassing.’

Even the knights and soldiers Lucian had brought with him looked uneasy. If a rival made a fool of themselves, it was a joke; if your own leader did it, it was a catastrophe. They wanted to beg him to reconsider, but Lucian showed no hesitation.

After inspecting the gate for a moment, Lucian glanced back at Emil.

“This barrier is designed to swing inward, correct?”

“…That is the design, yes.”

“Then it will likely snap if I force it outward?”

“One would assume so. Since it’s never been forced in the wrong direction, I couldn’t say for sure if it would hold.”

“Since we’re in this predicament, let’s find out together.”

Ignoring Emil’s dripping sarcasm, Lucian placed both palms flat against the cold metal. Then, leaning into a stride, he pushed.

Creeeeeak—

“…?”

People tilted their heads, confused by the sound of metal being warped and distorted. What was that screeching?

While the soldiers looked on in bewilderment, Lucian kept moving forward. His steps were as steady and casual as if he were walking through a garden, yet the effect was horrific.

Grind, screech—

“Wh-what’s happening?”

“Is the gate opening?!”

“No! He’s ripping it out!”

As a soldier stammered in disbelief, the man beside him shouted a correction.

How could a gate built to swing inward function when pushed the opposite way? The metal was being torn from its heavy hinges, the locking bolts were snapping like glass, and suddenly, the entire structure collapsed onto the dirt with a bone-shaking boom.

The soldiers’ eyes nearly popped out of their heads at the impossible spectacle. He hadn’t used a secret sword art or magic; he had physically uprooted the gate with nothing but his own muscles.

Was such a feat even possible for a creature of flesh and bone?

“Tsk, this is going to obstruct the march.”

In the suffocating silence that followed, Lucian grumbled as he looked down at the fallen debris. Because the gate was so massive, the army would have to funnel around it one by one if it stayed in the center of the path.

After a heartbeat of deliberation, Lucian swung his foot and kicked the detached panels one after the other.

BOOM—

With a thunderous roar that vibrated through the castle’s very stones, the iron slabs were launched into the distance in different directions. It looked as though a titan had struck them with a massive mallet.

Having cleared the way with two simple kicks, Lucian offered a smile to the catatonic Emil.

“Well, it looks like we won’t be needing that month of repairs after all. Don’t you agree?”

—

“He failed yet again…?”

Marquis Bernhardt took the report from the courier, his face pale and empty. He was so stunned he could barely find the words to respond.

They had physically sabotaged the entire mechanical system; how could he have possibly passed? Even the Marquis himself would have been forced to wait for a reconstruction.

“What sort of sorcery did that brat use this time? Did the sorcerer with him rewind the clock? Or did they magically mend the gears in a single afternoon?”

“I-it would be more efficient for you to read Sir Emil’s personal account than for me to describe it, my lord.”

At the Marquis’s snapping voice, the messenger spoke with a trembling tone. The Marquis groaned and ripped the parchment from the man’s hand.

“Fine, Sir Emil, the man who let him through like a common guest, should have some explanation. Let’s see what pathetic excuse he’s drafted…”

Muttering under his breath, the Marquis unrolled the report and froze the moment his eyes hit the opening line.

—The Duke tore the gate off by pushing it the wrong way.

The Marquis blinked and rubbed his eyes, certain he was hallucinating. However, the text remained unchanged no matter how many times he blinked. Even the following lines doubled down on the claim.

—I am aware of how preposterous this sounds. But it is the absolute truth. The Duke dismantled the gate with his bare hands. He then proceeded to kick the wreckage out of his path.

“Has Emil lost his mind?! What kind of drivel is this?!”

Marquis Bernhardt balled the report up in his fist. It was one thing to make an excuse for failure, but it had to be within the realm of reality. What? He ripped it off and kicked it away?

“Bring Emil Ruit to me this instant! I’ll have him whipped for trying to mock his master to hide his own incompetence!”

“M-my lord! Every word in that letter is factual!”

“You dare…!”

“I witnessed it myself! The Duke actually shoved the gate of Belfort Castle until the hinges exploded, and then he sent it flying with a kick right in front of my face! I swear it on my life!”

Marquis Bernhardt’s brow twitched violently. He was beginning to wonder if his entire staff had conspired to play a massive, coordinated prank on him.

However, the messenger beat his chest in desperation, crying out, “If you do not believe me, send another scout to Belfort immediately! The gate he uprooted and launched is still lying in the field! Even the Duke’s boot prints in the dirt and the indentations of his hands on the metal are perfectly preserved!”

“…!?”