324 - The Fall of the Empire 4

324 - The Fall of the Empire 4

TL/Editor: raei

Schedule: 5/week

Illustrations: Posted in discord

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In the dark cave, steel-clad knights marched in perfect rows and columns, a stark contrast to the chaotic, scattered mercenaries causing a commotion.

Except for the large knight commander at the front, they all had similar builds. Their synchronized steps and the sight of them walking with their helmets on were enough to be intimidating.

“Look, they’re taking this seriously. They already have their helmets on.”

“Yeah? What does that mean?”

“When they wear helmets and lower their face guards, it means they have no intention of talking.”

Of course, they could speak with mana-enhanced voices even with their helmets on, but what I meant was a habitual rule of the kingdom's knights.

If they were merely traveling, they would have their helmets off or face guards up, chatting. But now, it was the opposite. Even the knight commander at the front, who carried a softly glowing flag, wore his helmet suited for his large head.

A group of dozens of knights, led by a giant over two meters tall, marching silently was enough to make even the most unruly mercenaries step aside.

The flag-bearing knight commander and knights with their hands on their sword hilts ascended the stairs and disappeared into the cave.

“...Wow, those are knights, aren’t they? They’re already here?”

“No wonder that red-haired woman was pushing us so hard.”

“Why do they look so murderous? Did they hold a grudge against the harpies or something?”

Finally, the mercenaries started murmuring. One of them grumbled about the oppressive aura, and as if the dam broke, the once-silent mercenaries burst into chatter, returning to their usual noisy selves.

In front of us, an empty platform of the elevator-type magic tool ascended. Behind us, only the clanking footsteps of the disappearing knights remained. I looked away from Han Se-ah, who was fiddling with her camera drone, and spoke up.

“So, what should we do? Shall we go spy as Hanna suggested?”

“We’d like that... but are you okay with it, Roland?”

Katie’s eyes sparkled like a puppy ready for a walk, but Irene’s gaze was fixed on my shoulder.

I suddenly remembered that the sack I carried contained an elite harpy with a concussion from my steel flying knee drop from ten meters up. Like someone who wears glasses for so long they forget they’re wearing them, my superior physique made the weight of a harpy feel like a feather.

Though, considering a normal person would have their skull shattered from such a blow, she should be fine for half a day or so. Even if she woke up and struggled, I could still choke her out with the sack.

With this in mind, I nodded slightly to indicate I was okay.

“If Roland is okay with it...”

-Is this mom? Is this mom? Is this mom? Is this mom? Is this mom? Is this mom?

-Lol, you can see how considerate Han Se-ah is. Leaving her baggage and even trying to shirk her duties.

-If she doesn’t go watch the knights’, she’d be scolded to death.

-Seeing them gather like this makes the fantasy vibe strong. Makes me want to be a knight instead of an adventurer.

“Indeed, this mana's wave resembles divine energy. It’s impressive that you noticed it faster than I did, even though I’m a nun.”

Of course, she was surprised since she had received a 5★ paladin’s buff.

Irene’s 5★ saint buff is immunity-based, a higher form of purification that removes all debuffs and grants immunity while the divine energy remains. It also includes a shield that negates attacks below a certain damage threshold.

In contrast, the 5★ paladin buff is a comprehensive set. It doesn’t have insane multipliers in any single aspect like my damage reduction or Irene’s protection, but it includes every possible buff, compressing the deck and causing a massive shift in Heroes Chronicle.

While new characters often bring major changes, this one is so beloved and hated that players joke it gives as many buffs as their receipts.

“Certain chance to block projectiles, reduced damage taken, continuous healing, periodic debuff cleansing, increased movement speed, equipment condition maintenance, damage distribution, increased attack power, condition maintenance... and a bit more. What is all this?”

-Are you playing a different game than me?

-Does it have that performance because it’s the kingdom’s knights, or did it get that way going from 5★ to 6★?

-Is that really a kingdom knight? Isn’t it actually a holy knight? Why does a knight carry so many buffs?

-If they sent these guys to the tower, wouldn’t they clear the 100th floor? This is insane, lol.

-If the second knight commander is like this, what kind of monster is the first knight commander, lol.

The chat quickly filled with comments reacting to Han Se-ah’s muttering.

Han Se-ah, realizing she had racked up another misunderstanding due to her stream, started moving again. We had to see the knights who received those buffs, not just the absurdly long list of them.

As we barely got outside the cave, we saw a massacre unfolding in the city. Since the cave was slightly higher than the city due to the mountainous terrain, the horrific scene was visible at a glance.

“Armed humans!”

“Screech, strong, they are strong—!”

From residents and low-ranking soldiers to elite harpies, all were equally turning into mana stones.

If harpy corpses didn’t transform into mana stones, the streets would have been flooded with blood, resembling a neighborhood where the drainage system failed during the monsoon season.

Harpies had wings, and the city was built for those with wings. The collapsing buildings became barricades that hindered movement, but it didn’t matter at all.

They were the kingdom’s knights, a group of specialist killers trained to wield swords from a young age, unlike mercenaries or adventurers.

If their opponent wasn’t a massive monster that could withstand sword strikes like an ogre, they were better than I was at quickly and efficiently killing humanoid monsters.

---

[raei: was originally knight captain in a previous chap. Changed it to knight commander.]

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