Chapter 449 A Weapon Beyond Reach

In the war room in Inevir, King Aeurion pounded the table in anger. "How is this possible?! Why are we the ones being pushed back?!"

The map on the table showed the current situation in the war against Norvaegard. Since the start of the war, they had not been able to take a single step forward; instead, they were moving backward.

In the past, the military strength of Norvaegard and Inevir were practically equal. Even with the addition of Norvaegard's new weapons, Inevir, which had allied itself with the Rocton Empire, with other kingdoms also backing them up and creating their own special weapons, should have had the advantage with them.

In the battles before, it had been proven that their golems and the newly created Bulwark Golems were able to withstand Norvaegard firepower.

Even with the flying airships providing support wasn't that much of a problem for now, as the firepower from those was weaker than that of the weapons on the ground.

So why were the ones being pushed back? Silence filled the war room. The Elder Mages and the heads of the major families could not say a word.

"If that wasn't bad enough, they were able to take two fully functioning golems alongside their mages."

"Don't worry, Your Majesty, those idiotic Norvaegard b*stards would not be able to copy such a complicated spell." One of the family heads spoke out.

King Aeurion then shifted his attention to that person. "Do you truly believe that?"

The family head hesitated beneath Aeurion's stare. "Of course, Your Majesty. The spells used to create our golems have been perfected over generations. Every major family protects its own part of the construction process. Even if the Norvaegardians dismantle them, they will never understand how the separate formations work together."

Hearing the family head's answer, the King was silent for a second as if deep in thought, then he spoke his next words.

"Lucen Thornehart, and Robert Duskwell."

The second they heard the names of those two, the room once again became quiet.

"Those two have created many things we cannot hope to replicate ourselves. The latter could match the top scholars of our kingdom, and the former has caused massive damage on the battlefield. Not only has Lucen Thornehart created those weapons, but he has made our proud soldiers into frightened children."

One of the Elder Mages scoffed. "Those soldiers merely lacked conviction. If they had remembered the blood flowing through their veins, they would never have feared any b*stard from Norvaegard."

Several family heads nodded in agreement.

"Yet it is true that he is one of the main reasons we are being pushed back." The king, who was finally calming down, responded.

No one could say anything to that. They had tried to capture or kill Lucen Thornehart several times now, but it had all ended in failure.

The problem was that even if the assailant was able to bypass Lucen's guards, Lucen himself was a powerful figure.

They needed to send someone at least at the level of an Elder Mage to do the job. Unfortunately, the Elder Mages already had their hands full with the Four Dukes and Tower Masters of Norvaegard.

Before the silence could settle completely, one of the family heads cleared his throat. "Your Majesty, I have something to inform you."

"What is it?" The King's gaze shifted to the family head who spoke, making the other party feel a little suffocated, but he tried to regain his composure and spoke.

"Your Majesty, I'm pleased to announce that I, Ferdinand Ramford, have produced a son who is a greater genius than Lucen Thornehart. My son, Aeralious Ramford, has started the creation of something that can turn the tide of the war."

The bold declaration drew several doubtful looks from those around the table. King Aeurion narrowed his eyes.

"A genius greater than Lucen Thornehart, is it? So what is this creation of his, and is it finished?"

"That is what I wanted to talk to you about, Your Majesty. Right now my son's weapon is simply theoretical. The resources needed to create such a weapon of war are not something the Ramford family can afford."

"Hoh, well that is rather intriguing. So what is this weapon of war?"

"An airborne fortress, Your Majesty."

Ferdinand bent down and lifted a narrow leather case that had been resting beside his chair. He opened it and removed several rolled sheets of parchment.

He spread the first sheet across an empty section of the table.

A massive floating fortress had been drawn upon it in black ink. Towers and fortified structures covered its upper surface, while rows of mana cannons protruded from its sides and underside.

Ferdinand unrolled two more sheets beside it. One showed the fortress from below, revealing several enormous rings covered in magical formations. The other contained numerous smaller drawings, measurements, calculations, and explanations of how the separate formations would connect.

"My son calls it the Sky Citadel."

The other family heads and the Elder Mages looked at the design and the formulas to make it work. The King also looked at the design and was astounded by what he saw.

"It would seem that your son is truly a genius. How did he come up with something like this?"

Hearing the King's question, Ferdinand proudly answered. "My son said that he used Lucen's ideas and incorporated the superior magical knowledge of Inevir into them."

Ferdinand pointed at the drawing of the Sky Citadel. "The trains that could transport many soldiers and supplies. The airships that make them control the skies. The so-called Fenrirs, those small fortresses that move. This is the culmination of all that. The Sky Citadel is a floating fortress that will let us control the skies and allow us to transport soldiers and resources with an iron defense."

One of the Elder Mages studied the drawings more closely. "Even if the idea is sound, the amount of mana needed to keep something this large in the air would be enormous."

"Aeralious reached the same conclusion," Ferdinand replied. "That is why we haven't even made a prototype. It will require a huge amount of mana to keep it afloat, and with all the spell formations on it, even more still is needed. It will take a lot of mages and mana crystals to make it move and do all of that, but it will be worth it."

Ferdinand remembered how his son explained it to him and told others in his own words what he understood.

"This will be a floating fortress that cannot be pulled down from the skies. It will then, in turn, rain down destruction upon those Norvaegard fools."

One of the Elder Mages scoffed. "Cannot be pulled down? You speak confidently about a weapon that does not exist."

"Ordinary weapons will not be able to reach it effectively. At the height my son intends it to fly, rifles will possess neither the accuracy nor the remaining force to damage its enchanted foundation. Norvaegard's artillery was designed to fire across the battlefield, not directly into the sky."

"Their airships could still attack it," one of the generals said.

"They could reach it, but their weapons are weaker than those mounted upon the Fenrirs. They would exhaust their ammunition against its barriers while the Citadel's mana cannons tore them apart. With the Elder Mages dealing with the Duke and Tower Masters, no one in Norvaegard will be able to bring it down."

"How about Lucen Thornehart?" One of the family heads asked.

"Hmph, I will admit that boy is out of the ordinary. Still, no matter what, he is still just at the third circle and third mantle. He does not have enough destructive power to bring down my son's Sky Citadel."

King Aeurion tapped on the table, silencing everyone else. After several seconds of silence, the King spoke.

"That is quite an interesting thing. A similar idea to the Bulwark Golem we just made, but based on what you're saying, this weapon will require much more mana than that. Just how much more will it need to function?"

"My son says the prototype needs at least several dozen third-circle mages, and a few hundred mana crystals to function."

"That is quite a lot just to make a single fortress fly in the sky."

"Yes, Your Majesty, but I truly believe that this creation of my son will change the course of the war."

King Aeurion studied Ferdinand for a second and then glanced at the drawing. "Very well, I fully support this project. All you need to finish this job will be given. Show those Norvaegard b*stards that we are not lacking in might or intelligence."

Ferdinand bowed deeply, unable to hide his smile. "House Ramford will not disappoint you, Your Majesty."

Everyone once again glanced at the drawing of the Sky Citadel, thinking that this might actually work.

None of them even wondered how Lucen Thornehart would answer after seeing their new weapon.