The Youngest Son of the Northern Grand Duke Wants to Break Off the Engagement-Chapter 91

Alraune was stationed at the eastern front line together with mages from the society.
Until just recently, the Eastern Army had managed to defend against the enemy's offensives smoothly, and the front line had remained secure.
However, once a powerful monster revealed its might, even the seasoned knights could not help but be shaken.
When witnessing such overwhelming magic power as a human, one would instinctively be confronted by a fear of death.
"The situation isn't good. At this rate, only the casualties will increase."
"Should we not retreat, even now?"
"If we pull back from the front line, only we will be at a disadvantage. That's why we're holding out, accepting the losses."
"Still, in this state..."
While overhearing the mages' conversation, Alraune glanced out beyond the fortress wall.
Monsters surrounded the area, engulfed in red flames.
Their numbers had decreased considerably due to the prolonged battle, but there was still no sign of them withdrawing.
'This is not good. The drop in morale because of the dragon...'
Since Alraune had been assigned to the critical point at the front line from the beginning, he had no choice but to continue fierce fighting.
Moreover, because the enemies were wreathed in the dragon's flames, the power of his own fire magic had weakened.
In the end, he had to respond using only his earth attribute, but the monsters referred to as "vassals" were stubbornly neutralizing even that.
'If only I could take down a vassal, the tide would turn, but even that isn't easy.'
Much of his magic power had already been consumed dealing with numerous monsters.
The knights dispatched with him were probably in a similar predicament.
To reverse the tide of this battle, reinforcements had to arrive.
'The Sword Saint will not come, and the next Sword Saint has vanished. Even if the Semerune Order steps in, they will not readily send their holy knights.'
The Semerune Order had already suffered losses to supply holy knights and holy apostles.
Moreover, since there was a diocese of the Order already in the east, most clergy were participating in the battle.
In such circumstances, if reinforcements were requested again, he worried there would be backlash.
'That means I'll have to call them...'
In the end, only one option remained for the imperial family.
Those who possessed enough force to slay the vassals and stand against the dragon.
They had already proven their qualifications in many ways, so they would inevitably be swept up once again.
'But isn't this too harsh? Aren't we overusing them?'
The two of them had been involved in many incidents already, and their illustrious merits had been elevated even further.
The chaos at the imperial banquet, the war in the north, the enthronement of the new emperor.
Because of all that, their wedding had even been postponed, yet the two had steadfastly fulfilled their duties.
And now, must they be burdened with such grave responsibility again?
'With no brilliant plan surfacing, I am forced to demand their sacrifice...'
Thus, Alraune had tried to leave Alter alone as much as possible.
He had already endured enough hardships—even more so he should not be driven to the battlefield yet again.
Recently, with accusations swirling around him as the mastermind of the emperor's assassination, Alraune had tried to be extra cautious.
'I should see this through with these people and myself... Hmm?'
Alraune sensed a presence of magic power and instinctively turned his head.
It seemed that someone with a chilling magic power had joined their side.
More than anything, since he had once met that person, his suspicions were immediately confirmed.
'Did you come to join the fight immediately? As expected, you were not attached to power.'
Alraune had, at one time, suspected Alter had been blinded by power and led the uprising.
The justification could have been manufactured, and only the desired outcome needed to be seized.
But judging by his actions now, his disciple, Uriel's son, seemed to follow the greater good more than anyone.
'Even your disposition resembles his. Truly, you have raised a commendable child.'
At some point, the enemy formation began to waver and then soon halted their advance.
At the same time, some were frozen, and the chill gradually spread, corroding the monsters.
How much had he trained in such a short period that the density and volume of magic power had grown so much?
'Can he really become that strong so quickly? He will soon surpass me.'
* * *
Alter, together with Brillie, arrived at the eastern front line after leaving the capital.
Originally, they should have been given some time to unpack and rest, however briefly, but there was no such leisure.
Now, they had to jump right into the fray and turn the tide of the battle.
"Ugh..."
"How can they be so strong?"
While fighting the monsters, the Eastern Army was unable to advance.
The enemies' momentum was fierce, and their strength was beyond ordinary.
Above all, as they were cloaked in flames, the soldiers were constantly exposed to searing heat.
"Shouldn't we retreat? If this keeps up, we'll all die!"
"It's all because of the dragon. Since the dragon appeared..."
"How are we supposed to defeat a monster like that?"
The soldiers, gripped by fear, fixated on the idea of fleeing.
Before, they had barely managed to hold on, but the moment the dragon appeared, all they could foresee was a doomed outcome.
Thus, they had no will to keep fighting, and obsessed only with saving their own lives, even if narrowly.
"Ugh... I don't want to die here."
"The higher-ups cause this, yet don't fight themselves?"
"If we were still in the capital, we'd never have to face something like this..."
Their weapons scarcely worked on the monsters.
Arrows were, of course, ignored, and the creatures advanced unperturbed.
They tried to smash down the gates or scaled the walls, attempting to breach the fortress.
When they couldn't even unleash magic power, how could they hope to face these creatures?
"It's over. We'll just die pointless deaths here."
"Sooner or later, the dragon will show up too..."
"What more can we even... huh?"
Suddenly, the soldiers felt something strange and looked around.
A sudden chill swept from the rear, even driving away the heat radiating from the monsters.
Soon, it seemed the cold spread beyond the fort, settling upon the land.
"Uh... uh?"
"They're freezing, aren't they?"
"Is there a mage here or something?"
A clear chill enveloped the monsters, finally devouring even their flames.
The monsters were instantly frozen, then shattered and scattered.
The speed was so great, all the enemies at the vanguard were swept away.
"You aren't overexerting yourself, are you?"
"Is there any need to call it overexertion? I'm just doing a little reconnaissance."
Alter climbed atop the fortress wall and quietly surveyed the situation.
The monsters were advancing fiercely, yet none had actually breached the walls.
Even the fortress, it was said, had been half-destroyed, but they had barely managed to recapture it, enduring as best they could.
"The enemy numbers aren't small. Won't this make it hard for the other forts as well?"
"The front still holds for now. If we deal with the vassals, we can break their momentum."
Alter spread his chill, searching for the dragon's vassal.
To restore morale, the strongest foe had to be eliminated first.
Only that way could the army keep fighting, even if the dragon appeared.
"They say they've killed one, but I guess that's not enough."
"The strongest one remains, doesn't it? Looks like he's become pretty famous here."
The Knight of True Flame.
A monster rampaging across the battlefield, without even subordinates in tow.
With swift swordsmanship and fierce flames, he could even breach the walls.
Many soldiers had been ambushed by the Knight of True Flame; it was only natural he became an object of fear.
"Then I just need to kill that one first?"
"They say he once fought a holy apostle and wasn't overpowered at all. That makes him quite dangerous."
"Dangerous or not, we can't avoid fighting him, right?"
"We should wait for the right opportunity. Just because we see him doesn't mean we should attack blindly."
Alter was extremely wary of the Knight of True Flame.
The first holy apostle of the Semerune Order was renowned even within the empire's elite.
Yet the Knight of True Flame had fought him evenly, which made Alter somewhat tense.
"When fighting the holy apostle, he supposedly leaped right over the wall in a single bound. That's not something most can do."
"Monsters don't usually act like that. They say he's covered only in armor, too..."
For a moment, Alter considered another possibility.
A human, having acquired a strange power, fighting as a monster.
If it was the Benlrode the Incandescent, would he not grant magic power to a human harboring malice?
'The timing fits, but... could it really be connected like this?'
Alter found himself linking the next Sword Saint with the Knight of True Flame.
An unknown identity, mastery of swordsmanship, and the next Sword Saint was still missing.
No matter how hard a heartbreak, he wouldn't intentionally become humanity's foe.
'But the number of vassals did increase, didn't it? If some variable occurred, it's not entirely impossible.'
Alter could only hope his intuition was wrong.
Fighting the next Sword Saint under these circumstances would only lead to unnecessary heartache.
Above all, for Brillie's sake, it would surely be a torment.
'If it really does turn out to be him, I'll have to take care of it myself. I can't leave it to Brillie.'
* * *
The Knight of True Flame, like always, was at the vanguard.
Because it was a siege, Benlrode the Incandescent's forces would inevitably suffer heavy losses.
But that was not his concern—he only acted by his own beliefs.
'My battle with the holy apostle ended in a draw. Even if we fought again... it would be a similar outcome.'
The Knight of True Flame knew the defensive side had the advantage in a siege, so he did not wait idly.
If the enemy holed up inside the fortress, he simply had to follow them in.
Of course, he would have to fight many alone, but with his current strength, he could hold out easily.
'The great mage is a bit ambiguous. Not the kind of fight I want.'
Immersed in his desire, the Knight of True Flame even brought his own philosophy into battle.
Knight versus knight, or a foe he sincerely wished to defeat, or displaying a swordsman's pride even with magic.
If the battle did not fit that criteria, he saw no reason to fight.
'Now that the dragon's been sighted, over there too—this feeling...'
The Knight of True Flame, encountering an unfamiliar chill, instinctively recalled someone.
No matter how skilled the user of freezing magic, they could not spread such powerful currents.
But if it were a noble recognized by the great mage, he might exceed expectations.
'They've finally arrived. Now my fighting spirit is burning bright.'
Gripped by longing, the Knight of True Flame immediately turned his direction.
If the youngest son of the grand duke's family had entered the battlefield, she would have followed as well.
Perhaps he might have to face both of them at once, but that, too, would merely fuel his excitement for battle.
'I'll prove that my decision was not wrong...'