Chapter 27

TL: Because of a reader’s suggestions, I returned to using Ghost Army.

I also change Shadow Knight with Moon Knight so they will not be confused with Shadow Squad. In the Raws it was Night Knights, but because they have the same pronunciation in English I changed it to Shadow Knights but now I will need to changed it again because a reader was confused with Shadow Squad.

Ghost Army= Dark Army

Moon Knights = Shadow Knights not Shadow Squad

“Fifth Prince, we are ready.”

Casillas, the commander of the Imperial Army, visited the training room and reported. No further signs of agitation could be read in his eyes.

Although he witnessed Raymond’s overwhelming talent, he decided to take it lightly, thinking there are still many things he didn’t know in the world.

“What’s the status of the prisoner?”

“He has his consciousness recovered. There’s no problem having torture right now.”

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Casillas guided Raymond and his entourage to a barracks where Ghost Soldiers are being kept.

The windows of the barracks were all covered and the surroundings were supervised by the Imperial Army.

“All instruments are ready. You can use it comfortably.”

Raymond had already told earlier to the border forces and the Imperial Army that he would take charge of the torture himself.

This operation was Raymond’s biggest contribution, so everyone acknowledged him and accepted his request.

“Thoroughly supervise the surroundings. Do not let a single ant get under our feet.”

Raymond stepped inside the small barracks.

It was dark inside. There was a magic lamp, but it was not that strong. Whether it was intended or not, the present situation gives off a gloomy atmosphere.

The Ghost Soldiers were tied to a chair securely fastened on the floor.

Seeing that there was no movement with his head down, he must have lost consciousness. Although they have said he had recovered it, he must have been unable to endure mental fatigue and fainted again.

“Wake up, Ghosts.”

“Kkk, kkk!”

Raymond used lightning magic and shook him. The Ghost Soldier woke up screaming with severe pain. Raymond might have adjusted the output, but he did not lower it to the lowest level.

“Damn it…. What the hell is this place?….”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Raymond responded as the Ghost Soldier looked around as soon as he regained consciousness. Only then did the Ghost Soldier look at Raymond.

“Pilias Empire……the Fifth Prince….”

He recognized Raymond’s ring on his finger at one glance.

“I’m glad you know who I am. The conversation would be faster.”

“The Ghost does not negotiate with the enemy. Kill.”

“I don’t really intend to do that.”

“What, what?”

The Ghost Soldier was taken aback by Raymond’s calm attitude.

Seeing him like that, Raymond grinned and opened his mouth.

“You didn’t expect that I know everything?”

“No way…”

The Ghost Soldier bit his lip.

‘He is not bluffing.’

What on earth does the Fifth Prince know?

“How far do you know…….”

“I know where you’re going to execute Marquis Crayer.”

The Ghost Soldier didn’t respond for a while. He was trying to keep quiet, thinking he was just waiting for him to spit out the words he wanted.

There’s no way Raymond didn’t know his intentions. The meaningless resistance of the Ghost Soldier caused a smile to spread in his mouth.

The Ghost Soldier got goosebumps all over his body.

‘How far did they know?’

He decided to take a look at the appearance of the Fifth Prince.

“There’s no way you would know that.”

“Giant Rock right next to the Orc village.”

The Ghost Soldier’s eyes widened at the words Raymond uttered nonchalantly. His eyes were shaking and sweat formed on his forehead.

He tried to hide his feelings, but it was meaningless. However, the Ghost Soldier didn’t intend to give up.

“The execution will be done in the territory of the Orcs, known for using fierce weapons, right? I am not talking nonsense.”

“I also know that there is a wizard in the Ghost Army who can control the beast for a while. Using his Illusion magic, you could get into the vicinity of the Orc village.”

“You son of a bitch! How far do you know?”

He raised his voice uncharacteristically. His composure was broken.

What Raymond just said was only known within their Ghost Troops unit.

However, he did not know that Raymond read the Novel and knew all of this.

“You wouldn’t know about it unless there was a traitor…….”

“I know everything.”

The Ghost Soldier in front of him will not survive here anyway.

He thought it would be nice to send him to hell together with fear.

Before he knew it, there was a sharp dagger in Raymond’s left hand.

“Now that the play is over, it’s time to take your life.”

He swung the dagger and cut the Ghost Soldier’s neck.

Red blood splashed and the Ghost Soldier’s head helplessly fell down.

Gesteine and Casillas were waiting outside.

Seeing Raymond coming out from the baracks while wiping the blood off the dagger, they straightened their backs and made a salute gesture to great the Fifth Prince.

“Imperial Commander.”

“Yes, Your Highness the Fifth. Your request is at my command.”

“Tell the other commander and Lord Cron that we have located the Marquis Crayer.”

Raymond didn’t take ten minutes to finish the torture. Even the Empire’s finest torturers would not find out any information this quickly.

Casillas once again surprised and let out an exclamation of admiration.

It didn’t took long before Cron and the other commanders gathered at the barracks.

As soon as he was informed by a messenger, Cron ran towards the barracks immediately.

“Is it true that you have located My father?”

Raymond nodded, and Cron bowed with a face that seemed to about to cry.

“Thank you!”

Because of his father’s abduction, he was very frustrated. He could not do anything due to the circumstances of the Pilias Empire.

After spending time panicking, he actually lost hope as soon as he heard that the Ghost Army might have intervened.

But because of Raymond, he could see some hope again.

“Where is it?”

One of the senior commander from the border forces asked carefully.

Raymond sat down on a hard wooden chair and said a location.

“It’s near the Orc village.”

“Ahh!”

“That’s why we couldn’t find it!”

That was an area full of ruins. A place where even the Ghost Army can’t easily get in.

Despite being a terrifying place, the commanders did not doubt him much. It was thanks to Raymond’s modest play and the trust he had built up during his stay in the Black Mountains.

Soon they began to discuss what would they do, but after half an hour, they were stuck and didn’t get any good opinions.

“We need to move the border forces now.”

“There would  be an all-out war if we do thay. Isn’t it what the Fresyrian Kingdom wants to do? Fight them and let us lose more allies? And don’t forget about the Demilitarized Treaty.”

“We don’t have any troops, so the Demilitarized Treaty would be meaningless anyway. We need to ask the Northern Central Army for assistance and move forward right now.”

“Marquis Crayer’s and my army are willing to join the glorious northward march!”

Cron Crayer excitedly pulled out his sword and raised it up.

The heir of a prestigious knight family in the north pulled has out his sword.

Several senior commanders were also toughed. They lifted their swords and did the same this as Cron.

“You are in front of His Highness the Fifth Prince! Put your sword down right now!”

Raymond frowned, while the Imperial Commander Casillas yelled. He was not wrong. What they just did was disrespectful to the Prince.

Everyone bowed their heads and apologized.

It should have been a big problem, but Raymond decided to move on because he didn’t want them to be more frustrated than they are now.

“No choice, I’ll be with you.”

“The Fifth Prince!”

“No, you can’t!”

“The Orc Village is the heart of the Black Mountains. That place is where the devil prevails!”

“Please reconsider!”

The Fifth prince, Raymond, drop another bombshell, so the senior commanders freaked out and jumped up.

Despite their aggressive dissuasion, Raymond’s decision did not change.

From the beginning, he was going to take the initiative disregarding everyone’s opinion.

“Since when did the lineage of the Pilius has been treated as a coward?”

When he asked such question, the people gathered at the command barracks shut up.

“The previous emperors always fought in the vanguard in every battle. The same is true for the other imperial members. The lineage of the House of Pilius does not back out.”

Always on the battlefield with the soldiers. That’s the honor of those who bear the fate of being a member of the Pilius family, Pilias Empire’s imperial family.

“Commanders must not forget the glory of the past.”

The Empire might have been in a dire situation, but long ago it shone brilliantly.

Although he did not live that day himself, everyone in the Pilias Empire dream to rebuild the collapsing empire and regain the past glory.

“If I need my life to revive the empire, I am willing to dedicate it.”  Raymond said with a determined look on his face.

The commanders were speechless.

They didn’t move a single inch from the moment Raymond mentioned the glory of the pas.

“A glorious victory for the Pilias Empire!”

He raised his right hand slowly and spoke solemnly. The brief declaration exploded the commanders’ strong desire.

“Hurray for the Fifth Prince!”

They pulled out their swords in unison and lifted them toward the ceiling, this was the same scene as before but more emotional and profound.

Their morale was sky-high, and now it’s time to discuss all the important details.

“Since we need to move in small groups, we must discuss and select about 30 elite troops.”

Moving in a small group was too risky to just be accompanied by the Shadow Squad.

In order to survive from the “Bloody Funeral,” event, Raymond has to minimize the damage on his Shadow Squad here in the Black Mountains.

“Three Senior knights from the Helix Squadron will apply!”

“Elite of the Knights from the Black Wind Squadron will also stand on the same battlefield as His Highness the Fifth Prince.”

“I’ll send two High Ranking wizards from the Ilian School of Magic.”

The commanders, who were in the mood, generously put out their best subordinate and Raymond had to endure of not letting out a big smile.

“I’ll be with you, Your Highness the Fifth Prince!”

“I, too, shall be a spearhead at the beginning of a great war!”

Thirty people were quickly chosen. Their morale was on the verge of penetrating the sky, and as time was running out, the discussion quickly ended.

Border Forces and Crayer Private Army usually trained together so there was no need to concern about working together.

Raymond was a little worried about the Shadow Squad, but since all Knights learned the Pilias ways, it didn’t matter much.

Some of the Fifth Prince’s Shadow Squad, the border forces, the Crayer Army and 50 elite troops of the Imperial Army finished all preparations within a day.

It didn’t take long to assemble and group together.

Fifty heavily armed soldiers gathered at the entrance of the base. At their center there was the Fifth Prince.

“All units, let’s go.”

The Army of fifty men moves deep into the Black Mountains.

* * *

Knights from border forces, who are well adept of the geography of the black mountain range, took the lead.

Thanks to this, they were able to minimize the engagement with Monsters, and within two days they reached the Orc Village.

But many problem arose here.

“The number of Orcs is too high.”

The scout, who went on a reconnaissance trip, reported.

Within the radius of 1km, it was filled with Orc Warriors.

The information was obtained after sending a scout of five senior officer from the border forces.

“This is not good….”

Raymond murmured to himself with a frown.

Unlike ghost troops, who ate specialized in hiding, as well as wizards, who has limited control over the beast, in this situation it was impossible to avoid direct confrontation.

“Should we breakthrough?”

Surprisingly Casillas, who was in command of the Imperial Army, asked the question without measures.

“No, the ghost army will notice it.” Raymond responded while shaking his head.

It has been confirmed that the Moon Knights and Ghost Army are collaborating.

It was a miracle that they weren’t caught on their way here now.

‘Hidden in the middle of the Black Mountain, you thought you didn’t have to be wary of your surroundings.’

The wizard’s body was the one the one that controls the beast, so they can’t immediately notice them without any bigger scene.

“Red Tower.”

But it’s not like there’s no way out. In this case, he could use a modified method that the main character has used to suppress the Orcs from the Black Mountain in the novel.

Raymond grinned and called Berenus Kyle, the Master of the Red Tower. An old man in a red robe nodded slightly and approached him.

“Can you set the surroundings on fire?”

“Are you going to set the forest in fire?”

“That’s right.”

Looking at Raymond, who gave him a shocking instructions, Lisefield Dior kick the floor and made a groveling sound.

“Goodness! Your Highness! We would be in danger with the Red Tower’s Fire!”

“That’s not gonna happen, old man.”

After answering the Blue Tower, he turned towards Berenus.

“Red Tower?”

“You know the details of the Flamour Staff.”

Instead of answering Berenus, Raymond grinned and nodded.

The only artifact that even the Blue tower Master doesn’t know about, the true ability of the Flamour Staff.

That is absolute control over the flames.