Chapter 77 - 73: A Message for Caroline
Chapter 77: Chapter 73: A Message for Caroline
High in the sky, Rudolph pulled tight on the Dragon Eagle’s reins.
He had seen everything with perfect clarity.
The Rock Breaker Knight Order launched their charge, were led into a trap, and then were repeatedly worn down by that bizarre set of "tactics."
Finally, the Baron was captured alive, ensnared by vines that shot up from the ground.
The entire process was suffocatingly fast.
The elite Knight from the Dawn Territory was filled with immense shock.
But beyond the shock, his professional military instincts made him notice a subtle dissonance.
That beetle legion.
When they were executing that "strangulation tactic," they seemed flexible and versatile, their advances and retreats well-ordered.
But upon closer inspection, every one of their movements, every turn, carried a subtle clumsiness and stiffness.
They didn’t look like seasoned veterans. They were more like a group of marionettes controlled by strings, trying their best to imitate masterful movements but unable to hide their inherent sluggishness.
A theory formed in Rudolph’s mind. This Demon Beast Legion probably wasn’t forged overnight.
Rather, this Knight, Velin, must have spent years—or perhaps even longer—using some Secret Technique to painstakingly cultivate and repeatedly train them, "carving" them into a trump card.
Thinking of this, his gaze toward the young man below was now tinged with respect.
’To train a group of low-level Magical Beasts to this degree... What astounding patience and perseverance that must require.’
Seeing the sailors below rush to Velin’s side, Rudolph suddenly remembered his mission.
He urged the Dragon Eagle to descend.
Its massive wings stirred up a fierce gust of wind, nearly knocking the people on the ground off their feet.
The Dragon Eagle landed steadily a short distance from Velin. Rudolph dismounted with a clean, crisp movement.
He strode before Velin’s horse and, with one hand, bowed in a standard Knight’s salute.
"Knight Velin Klein, I have come on the order of the Lord of Dawn, Countess Diana of Dawn, to deliver a letter to you."
Velin took the letter, sealed with the Sun Emblem Wax Seal, and nodded.
At the same time, Sea Wolf came barreling over like a cannonball.
His eyes shining, he first circled the Dragon Eagle twice and let out a loud whistle before tilting his head back to shout at Rudolph.
"Hey! You! The brother riding the big bird!"
Rudolph’s brows knitted into a knot, and his hand subconsciously rested on the hilt of his sword.
’How dare a crude sailor address a Knight of the Countess like that?’
Sea Wolf wasn’t even looking at him, pointing at the sky and spraying spittle as he spoke.
"S-since you can fly, can you do me a favor? Take a message to Vice President Caroline of the Golden Sail Commerce Association."
Rudolph was about to refuse coldly, but a glimpse of Velin in his peripheral vision stopped him.
Velin said nothing, merely watching them with a calm gaze, his expression as detached as if he were watching a farce that had nothing to do with him.
Rudolph’s heart skipped a beat, and he swallowed the sharp rebuke that was on the tip of his tongue.
’He had a feeling that if he dared to act high and mighty here, his fate might not be much better than the Baron dangling in the sky.’
"Just tell her that Lord Velin is doing great, that the fish has been hooked, and it’s a big, fat one. Tell her to put her mind at ease and stop fuckin’ worrying for nothing!"
Rudolph was silent for a moment before finally nodding.
"I will pass on the message."
With that, he saluted again, mounted the eagle, and soared into the sky, quickly disappearing behind the clouds.
Velin hadn’t even had a chance to break the letter’s seal when another horse galloped over from the distance.
It was Master Valerius. He had been a step behind, only just now arriving after receiving news that Velin had left the town to face the enemy.
The old Alchemist sat on his horse, staring at the chaotic battlefield before him, completely dumbfounded.
He saw Ola hanging high in the air by the vines and the Knights, who had been divided and surrounded by the beetles, completely unable to resist.
He even saw them... the Bader Dung Beetles he had personally helped cultivate.
They were marching in neat formations, herding the captives to one location.
Valerius’s mind went blank.
’Impossible!’
’He had watched these insects hatch; he knew their intelligence level better than anyone!’
’Forget executing a complex tactic like "divide and conquer."’
’Even getting them to form a straight line required half a day of luring them with pheromones and food.’
’Velin... how on earth did he do it?’
Velin paid no mind to the old man behind him, who was lost in self-doubt, and began to systematically handle the post-battle affairs.
"Take some men and confiscate all the Knights’ weapons and equipment. Register everything. Force a bottle of sedative down each of their throats, then bind them securely with iron chains and escort them back to town."
"Yes, sir!"
Velin turned his head, his gaze shifting toward the direction of the enemy camp.
The two hundred-plus conscripted soldiers were still kneeling where they were, not daring to move.
Kane and Mo’er, the two hapless minor lords, shoved each other forward as they mustered the courage to run over.
"L-Lord Klein!" Kane forced a smile that was uglier than a crying face. "Your bravery is like that of a legendary hero. We..."
He was just about to offer some flattery to get on Velin’s good side, hoping to get some scraps from the feast.
Velin just gave them a cold glance.
"You can go home now."
His tone was devoid of any emotion, as if he were shooing away two flies.
The smiles on Kane’s and Mo’er’s faces froze.
They understood that in Velin’s eyes, they didn’t even qualify as spoils of war.
This powerful lord wasn’t even willing to grant them a meal.
The two scurried away as if granted a pardon, scrambling and stumbling as they fled.
Velin ignored these trivial matters, turned his horse, and headed toward Newly Town.
Sea Wolf immediately trotted after him like an eager puppy.
When Velin and his beetle legion returned to the town entrance with the prisoners in tow, Newly Town erupted in thunderous cheers.
The townspeople poured into the streets. They saw the Rock Breaker Knights—the same ones who had appeared outside their walls before—now bound like livestock awaiting slaughter, and their eyes filled with fanatical adoration.
They shouted their lord’s name.
"Long live Lord Velin!"
Following behind Velin, Sea Wolf listened to the tsunami of cheers from both sides and looked at the dejected faces of the Knights, his heart filled with emotion.
He knew that from this day forward, things were about to change in the barren lands around the Gray Sea Marsh.
A new lord, one whose strength defied all reason, had risen.
Back at the Lord’s Mansion, Velin had just dismounted, preparing to go to the laboratory to check on "Sarah," who had returned to rest before him.
But a withered hand gripped his arm tightly.
Velin turned to see Valerius.
The old Alchemist’s eyes were bloodshot. His face, usually well-groomed, was now a mask of fervor, confusion, and craving—his curiosity was driving him mad!
"Velin!"
The old man’s voice was hoarse and trembling slightly.
"You have to tell me! Those dung beetles... how in the world do you command them?"
"Tell me, Velin!"
"How did you transform the tactics in your mind into commands that even those stupid beasts could understand and execute perfectly?"