The Count’s Youngest Son is a Player

Chapter 61

Boom! Bang!!

Swoosh~Crash!

“Push them back!”

“He’s down~!”

The scene had completely changed from moments ago. Above the ramparts, consecutive loud blasts were followed by flashes of light and shockwaves.

“Damn it!”

Dalton, who until now had been holding his ground well, cursed as he was flung back into the fortress. The battle had shifted from a human contest to a clash of weapons.

No matter how skilled a knight Dalton was, it was clear he wouldn’t last long in that brutal combat.

Crack! Snap!!

Even the magical cavalry, known for their tenacity, were torn to pieces, caught in the sword qi collisions between armor users. The top of the walls was devastated, except for the armor users.

“Tch!”

Dalton, unable to find a gap to jump into the fray, bit his lip in frustration. Then, Philip shouted.

“Push forward! Spare no one!!”

Following his lead, the members of the First Knight Order unleashed their power in unison.

“Ha!”

“Disappear!!!”

Whoosh!

A massive collision ensued, and the empire’s armor users were pushed out beyond the walls.

“Euracha!”

Jake, wearing black armor embossed with a golden bear emblem, bellowed loudly as he leaped down the wall, following the enemies.

Members of the First Knight Order quickly followed suit, jumping out of the fortress.

Boom! Bang!

While continuous collisions sounded outside, the fortress’s interior was relatively quiet. The mercenaries, finally catching their breath, spread out to recover their strength, and some climbed the watchtowers to survey the battle situation.

Dalton, now at ease, was struck with a thought.

‘Just how many armor users are there?’

Looking around, he noticed ‘they’ were nowhere to be seen.

‘No, where is everyone…? Could it be!?’

Before entering the gate, Raul had introduced the members of the knight order. Excluding the officer knights, there were three knights and seven apprentices.

He was surprised at the apprentices’ skill level, but could it be there was more to it? With a growing suspicion, Dalton leaped atop the wall to check the battlefield, and his mouth dropped open in astonishment.

“My goodness!! Were they all armor users?”

On the hill in front of the fortress, nine armor users from the Empire and thirteen armor users from the First Knight Order were engaged in a fierce battle.

“I was sure I heard it was a new knight order with just nine knights, what in the world…!”

Dalton’s mind became entangled in confusion.

‘Is Raul really the hidden successor of the Count’s family? Or is it just because he’s incredibly wealthy? No, even then, there wouldn’t just be expert knights lying around….’

However, such thoughts soon vanished from his mind.

Boom! Crash!

“Ugh!”

“What’s with that clumsy swordsmanship!? What a waste of a power armor!”

Philip was displaying overwhelmingly superior skills against two opponents, one of whom appeared to be the enemy commander, and another knight.

His movements were restrained as he made precise thrusts, exploiting the weaknesses in the enemy’s power armors, forcing them to stagger back. Even the occasional destructive beams of sword qi couldn’t even graze him.

Thud! Thud!

“Ha-ha! This is so satisfying!!”

Jake was literally beating down on an opposing armor user with his ridiculously large sword qi. On another front, another officer, Pierce, was sniping at the enemy armor users from atop the walls with a gigantic bow.

Whiz-thud!

The arrow, imbued with mana, might not have pierced the power armor but it did leave a fist-sized dent on the armor, causing the enemy knights to stumble.

“Amazing! They’re as good as the heads of our family, aren’t they?”

Watching the splendid battle scene, Dalton felt an inexplicable thirst.

“I want to fight too….”

Unconsciously, his hand had moved to his waist.

“Getting itchy hands?”

Raul had approached him unnoticed and asked casually. Dalton looked at him with a complicated expression and nodded.

“Isn’t that true for every knight?”

“Why not join in, then?”

As Raul looked at his waist, Dalton sighed.

“This is just for insurance. You know I can’t use it recklessly.”

What was on Dalton’s waist belt was, in fact, power armor. No matter how bold a swordsman was, they wouldn’t send their grandchild into battle without any form of protection.

[Durensa D-type Standard Power Armor]

Grade: D

Output: 0.85 CP (Core Power)

Operational Time: 2.5h/max

Operational Mode: Mana Stone Consumption

Defense Spell: 4th Circle

It was a D-Grade power armor manufactured by Durensa of the Brennan Republic. Durensa’s products, although slightly less powerful compared to other products of the same grade, had longer operational time and offered great value for money, making them favored by many families.

“Hmm. I thought you’d just rush into battle without a second thought… Aren’t you disappointed?”

Dalton trembled as he recalled something in response to Raul’s seemingly surprised question.

“You must not know my old man. If I used it just because he gave it to me, my life would be hell from here on! That’s absolutely not happening.”

He was sure to be worked to the bone, worth every mana stone’s value. Probably, he would be stuck training in the barracks, not even getting a glimpse of the outside world, grappling with hellish training.

“… Tsk.”

Raul, observing Dalton’s pale complexion, clicked his tongue and pulled something out of his pocket.

“Stop worrying about useless things and go do what you want.”

“What are you talking about? I can’t just—huh! Are you serious? That’s?”

Dalton’s eyes sparkled as he saw what Raul was holding.

‘A mana stone? And it’s refined for use in power armor!’

Whoosh.

“What, what?”

As Raul casually tossed the shiny, thumb-sized orb, Dalton scrambled to catch it.

“Are you really giving this to me? I can use it? For real!?”

Raul nodded slightly, prompting Dalton to hug him tightly, laughing.

“You good fellow, you were a nice guy!!”

The price of this one mana stone, the size of a fingernail, was a hundred gold. In Korean currency, that was a whopping ten million won. Given that using a power armor to its limit would consume an entire mana stone, it was clear how much of a money sink these machines could be.

Moreover, not only were they costly, but as strategic materials, they were also not readily available. Even for a friend, giving away such a precious item was by no means an easy decision.

“But honestly, why are you being so nice? Really just because we’re friends?”

When Dalton asked, Raul gave a slight smile.

“Of course not… What I could do as a friend was only up to experiencing the gate. This is a separate matter.”

“Then what’s the reason? It makes no sense to just give away something this expensive.”

Raul then placed a hand on Dalton’s shoulder and said,

“The world may seem complicated, but in some ways, it’s simple. It can be divided into things that can be done with money and those that cannot. Look.”

Raul pointed to his knights.

“Hiring them with money is not difficult. But, if they die, no amount of money can bring them back to life. That’s why, when I established the knight order, I vowed: it’s unavoidable to lose to a strong enemy, but I should never lose because I was stingy. Money can be earned, but the life of a valuable subordinate cannot be resurrected.”

“……”

It wasn’t exactly a noble sentiment for a knight to proudly proclaim. However, a firm determination was palpable in Raul’s words.

Dalton remained silent, then Raul spoke again,

“The point is, I have no intention of teasing you with mere mana stones. If you join the battle, saving the lives of my men and leading us to victory, then not a hundred, not a thousand mana stones would be too precious! So please, go and smash those enemies! I’m counting on you.”

Looking into Raul’s fiery eyes, Dalton found himself nodding before he knew it.

He couldn’t pinpoint the reason, but Raul’s words stirred a rush of emotions within him.

‘Such a lord who cares for his subordinates…’

Frankly, throughout our efforts to conquer the gate, I often thought that Raul was just wasting money needlessly. Employing mercenaries that were excessively expensive for the level of monsters we were facing.

It was practically splurging to build an improvised fortress. Not to mention the costly crossbows, specially made arrows, and steel spears among other defensive weapons. If an enemy hadn’t shown up, wouldn’t all these have been pointless?

But my perspective shifted irrevocably once I saw the power armor distributed not only to knights but also to the squires. It wasn’t a waste of money, but a gesture of cherishing his subordinates.

It wasn’t a frivolous investment, but thorough preparation to win the battle.

“Compared to this…”

I had no idea how much it embarrassed one to borrow arms from the household. Despite the Duke’s orders, it took three days to secure the power armor, during which I had to endure veiled threats from numerous relatives.

I could use my grandfather as an excuse to Raul, but if the power armor was even slightly damaged, the adults and cousins who filled the ducal mansion wouldn’t let me off easily.

“Sigh…”

Calming the turmoil within, Dalton mustered his spirits and said, “Understood, Raul. I’ll take down the enemies for both of us. Don’t worry and just wait!”

Having someone who cared so deeply about his subordinates being reduced to a mere spectator was frustrating, not just for Raul but for me, a third party, itching to join the fray.

“I need to step up and alleviate Raul’s frustration on his behalf. Wait for me, you bastards!”

The thrill of donning the power armor and joining real combat electrified him from head to toe.

“Alright, but don’t overdo it.”

“Ha. Leave it to me.”

Dalton pounded his chest, displaying confidence, which prompted Raul to nod in satisfaction before turning around and leaping off the fortress.

“Wha-!? Hey! Not that way!!”

Dalton bellowed in shock because Raul didn’t jump inside the fortress but outwards.

‘What in the world is he thinking?!’

As Dalton feverishly pumped mana into his belt to activate his power armor and was about to jump after Raul, he halted.

‘… Huh?’

Something caught his eye. Raul’s body flickered momentarily before being engulfed by a set of black armor engraved with an ancient golden pattern.

“… This is kind of unfair, don’t you think? An expert at 15!”

A mix of astonishment and a hint of resignation left Dalton momentarily stiff, but then he coolly slapped his thigh and leaped off the wall. He wasn’t the type to sulk in jealousy over a friend’s achievement.

On the contrary, he felt uplifted, thinking it was only right for his friend to achieve such feats.

“Alright, it seems like a fair start. Time to race to the intermediate level and surprise Raul.”

Dalton, who hadn’t yet realized Raul had already reached the intermediate stage, drew his twin swords ablaze with red energy and charged at the enemy like a whirlwind.

“Prepare yourselves, hounds of the Empire!!”

And so, Raul and Dalton joined the battlefield of Aura users, turning the tide of battle.

(To be continued)