Chapter 172
Bang bang bang!
As soon as he finished speaking, gunshots rang out from outside the castle.
Then came a series of chaotic sounds: charging, gunfire, and magical bombardment, creating a scene of utter chaos.
The sudden turn of events threw the nobles in the castle into a panic. Some rushed to the gate to check the situation. At that moment, a battle was breaking out outside the castle, with a group of unidentified attackers fighting against the Holy Blood Legion.
Although the enemy's numbers were not large, the incident was taking place on the castle side, and Kalkart's army was outside the city.
"What... what's going on?" Caslathdi exclaimed in surprise. "Could Kalkart really be plotting a rebellion?"
Ryan shrugged. "Maybe, but that's none of our business."
Caslathdi glanced at Magana, whose composure puzzled her. If it were her, she wouldn't have missed such a good opportunity. Ryan and Magana, however, seemed to have anticipated this, and for a moment, Caslathdi seemed to understand something.
Kalkart was tricked.
"Ryan, I'm going out for a bit."
Magana suddenly stood up.
"Your Grand Duke, where are you going?"
"Since I'm just killing some people anyway, I might as well go kill a few. The battle in Molt isn't over yet."
Watching Magana wave goodbye and leave, Ryan was speechless. "Grand Duke, you're going to kill someone in that dress?!"
"Teacher, let's go take a look too."
Caslathdi also wanted to know what had happened.
Suddenly, only Ryan remained of the four people.
He opened the game and switched to the character interface of 'Vainay'. At this moment, the latter was standing on the city wall, the city gate was open, and Holman had already led the imperial army to set off.
Accompanying them was the main force of the Holy Blood Legion, but the Iron Blood Army was also being mobilized. Magana was preparing to personally lead the troops into battle to bring an end to the last battle in Mort.
With her involvement, that would be ideal. According to the intelligence obtained by 'Vainay,' nearly 50,000 men followed Kalkart in the raid, most of whom were his trusted confidants, with some others hoping to turn the tide. The remaining men, whose plans were uncertain, remained at the base. Kalkart was very cautious and did not leak any information before the operation.
With 50,000 men, the success rate would be very high if they really cooperated with Magana from the inside. After all, the Ironblood Cavalry was still around, and 'Vainay' hadn't even officially become emperor yet, so there might not be that many people willing to fight to the death for her.
If it weren't for these reasons, Kalkart wouldn't have dared to directly defect.
Greed blinds people.
Ryan leaned back in his chair, gently swirling his wine glass, his relaxed expression a stark contrast to the panicked atmosphere in the hall.
Ignoring the exclamations around him, he switched to the character creation screen.
The situation in the Augustus Empire will soon be completely stable. The plan to attack the Northern Coalition will begin with the Kingdom of Lotte. Amabena came directly on her knees, so there is no need to worry about her. Now it is more important to find a way to break through from within Wildea.
Once Elvian is won over, the Northern Coalition will have essentially secured most of the deal.
So he planned to use the Tainted Knight first to see if he could seize an opportunity. If not, given the size of Wildea, it wouldn't be a problem to use Alts for development.
Please name the new character.
Avril.
Ryan knew the way well.
The name isn't the issue; the character creation process is the key.
"Getting a weapon with 12 charm points is no easy feat."
'Motis' is most likely due to the curse of the God of Desire. Not only is the initial value high, but it also rises rapidly later. However, this does not mean that the charm value is easy to increase.
Pink hair.
Light pink eyes.
Her figure is undeniably stunning; the loli-like Grand Duke is an anomaly. To play it safe, it's definitely better to prioritize larger figures.
About ten minutes later, Avril's initial appearance appeared in front of Ryan.
Her temperament is devoid of any femininity; in fact, she possesses a striking and heroic air. Before her fall Tainted Knight was a knight of justice, outwardly sunny and positive but inwardly filled with desire. This contrast is the essential beauty of the power of lust.
It's like what you can't see is the most attractive. The highest level of erotic art is never about someone standing naked in front of you, but rather about that hazy, ambiguous quality that leaves the viewer with endless room for imagination.
[Character 'Avril' confirmed; initial attributes generated.]
Avril (female): Constitution 9, Spirit 10, Magic Power 10, Comprehension 9, Charm 12
Initial random class preference: Knight, Nun, Noble, Priest, Maid, Commoner...
"Huh? It worked?"
Ryan's eyes lit up.
You're lucky.
Please select your birthplace.
'August' 'Veldeya' 'Arcadia'...
[The spawn point has been determined to be 'Veldria'.]
The scene before him changed, and Ryan found himself in a small room.
Avril is a Veldrian, born into a knightly family. Although her family has fallen on hard times, for some reason everyone she encounters along the way is willing to help her. This year, she successfully passed the Moonlight Knight Order's recruit assessment and became one of the Moonlight Knight's reserve members.
"Uh... is this a perfect start or a complete disaster?"
Ryan was stunned.
Unexpectedly, they stormed into the Moonlight Knight Order, but because they were too 'weak,' it was much more difficult for them to act freely in the military camp.
After all, if he weren't here, he could have gone out to farm and develop his skills, and then come back to shine when he reached the second or even third tier.
'I just finished training; my tasks for today are over.'
Avril's inner monologue pops up.
Seeing this, Ryan told her to explore the surrounding area first.
There was nothing to see in the room, so Avril left. Ryan then realized she was in a dormitory building.
The dormitory building is located in a spacious camp surrounded by mountains. This area is actually behind the royal city of Veldria and is a training base specifically for Moonlight Knight.
Ryan had previously investigated and found that all Moonlight Knight undergo a period of special training after being recruited. The exact location is unknown, and no one knows what the training entails. Each Moonlight Knight signs a confidentiality agreement, prohibiting them from revealing any secrets about the Moonlight Knight Order to anyone other than themselves.
Some people speculated that the training camp was where Moonlight Knight changed their class, but that was just speculation. Elvian had taken excellent precautions to protect the place. Apart from the members of the Moonlight Knight Order, only she could enter. Even members of the royal family were not allowed in.
At this moment, Avril walked downstairs and encountered many new recruits like herself.
"Ah, Avril, are you going to eat? Want to come along?"
A vibrant girl asked expectantly.
This is a women's Training Camp, so naturally it's all girls here.
"Who are you..."
"My name is Sico, and I'm in the same company as you."
"Oh, I'm sorry Sico... I have other things to take care of, so..."
"It's okay, it's okay, I'll make plans with you again tomorrow~"
Sico waved and left.
Avril continued walking forward.
"Hey Avril, wanna go eat? Want to come along?"
"No, I have something to do."
"Avril, want to train together later? Let's sneak in some extra training and amaze everyone!"
"Avril..."
"Avril..."
Ryan: "..."
Fall!
Is this some kind of succubus concentration camp? You girls are so despicable!
"Wow, a charm rating of 12 points is really this ridiculous? I never noticed it before..."
It might also be related to their profession and environment. For example, although Lin Qi is very charming, she has a noble status and a cold personality, so no one dares to approach her. As for Shally, needless to say, go talk to her Ares Greatsword!
"Tsk~ I'm so envious... Ugh, what a hassle. Can women just stay away from me?"
After a while, Avril finally came out of the dormitory and started wandering around the camp.
The entire Training Camp was very large, surrounded by mountains and forests, making it difficult to ascertain the surrounding area. Ryan also suspected that a barrier had been set up.
As a new recruit, Avril wasn't allowed to leave the camp, so she could only wander around. However, she managed to glean some information thanks to her high charm. For example, the female instructor who had just passed by had told her to intensify her training, as they would be holding a "qualification selection" ceremony in a few days, and those who qualified would be able to soar to great heights.
Although it wasn't explicitly stated, Ryan knew it must be about the Moonlight Knight change.
"Huh? A treasure chest? I opened it."
A regular treasure chest yielded Roasted Chicken.
"Looks like I'll have to focus on leveling up first, or maybe I should try switching to Moonlight Knight?"
Anyway, this profession is pretty awesome, because if someone sneaks in here and suddenly becomes a Tainted Knight... ugh! Wouldn't Elvian tear 'Avril' to pieces?
On the contrary, if he could get the Moonlight Knight, he could achieve his goal of attacking the enemy from within.
After setting 'Avril' to AFK mode, Ryan stretched and came to his senses to find that the chaotic noise outside had stopped.
With the Burning Covenant and the Holy Blood Legion around, he wasn't worried at all about the attackers breaking in, since there wouldn't be many of them.
Then, after a while, someone received intelligence about an explosion coming from outside the city.
"Magana killed Kalkart!"
"Really? Could it be that Magana orchestrated this...?"
"I understand, I really understand! Magana is actually a subject of Vainay!"
"Upon closer reflection, without Magana, Vainay probably wouldn't have succeeded so easily."
There was a lot of discussion in the hall.
By this time, it was completely dark. The engagement banquet, which was originally scheduled to start at seven o'clock, was delayed due to the sudden outbreak of war. It wasn't until almost eight o'clock that the hall door was suddenly pushed open with a bang, startling the nobles inside. Then, in the blink of an eye, they saw Magana, dressed in a black evening gown, walking in proudly.
She was holding a long-handled battle axe in her hand, and she scanned everyone as she stood at the door.
"Well, the matter is resolved. Now, I, the Grand Duke, declare the engagement banquet officially open!"
Everyone: "..."
Everyone fell silent.
No, didn't you see the blood on your weapon? Are you sure this is an engagement party and not a feast for the dead?
"What's wrong? Where's the music? Where's the atmosphere? Do I have to explain everything to Grand Duke one by one?"
Splash~~
The music started, the atmosphere became lively, and the nobles began to chat and laugh, though they didn't know what they were laughing about.
"Phew~ It's finally over. That guy, Kalkart, has improved quite a bit in the years I haven't seen him." Magana sat down in front of Ryan and said smugly, "But I still chopped him down with one axe. Humph! He dared to provoke me, the Grand Duke, and even dared to say I was short. I chopped off both his legs and hung them on the flag. His men were so scared they didn't dare to utter a sound!"
After realizing he had been tricked, Kalkart was so angry that he cursed Magana. He could forgive anything else, but he had actually offended her. If he didn't die, who would?
The army he led had already been defeated, and the rest was being handled personally by 'Vainay'.
As a reward for this assistance, 'Vainay' lifted the Old Emperor's previous limit of 50,000 troops in the Western Territory Army, meaning that 100,000 troops are now legal and compliant.
While it may seem like there are no tangible benefits, this legitimacy will significantly remove development restrictions in the Western Territory, which is actually quite meaningful.
Based on her observations, Magana realized that Baron was far more solid than outsiders perceived, and even if she were to launch a coup, she might not necessarily gain any advantage.
Since that's the case, she might as well take the benefits first and then develop steadily. Anyway, she already has a plan to attack the Great Plains. As long as she takes over the Great Plains, she will be the queen of the Western Territory.
Although the location is a bit off, tell me, isn't this the emperor?
There's a battle going on outside, but singing is taking place inside the hall.
After a while, the engagement ceremony began.
'Vainay' had originally arranged for the priest of Gate of Janus, but Magana drove him away. Instead, she found a group of talented individuals from the Iron Blood Army and put on a 'song and dance show' according to Western Territory tradition.