Chapter 185:
Chapter 185:
Otto, who had laid siege to the capital of the Baltin Kingdom, immediately led his elite troops to infiltrate the palace.
The strategy was simple.
Otto knew all the secret passages that led from the palace to the outskirts of the capital, and he could simply use those to infiltrate.
Otto’s knowledge and information about this world was like a cheat key.
“Waaaaaaaaaa!”
The elite knights of the Lota Kingdom, infiltrating in such a manner, began to sweep through the Baltin Palace like a pack of raging wolves.
And at the forefront was Otto.
“Attack only armed enemies! Minimize civilian casualties! Never touch an unarmed enemy!”
Otto shouted, and then he stormed off toward the throne room where King Chech IV was.
“What!”“You shall not reach His Majesty the King!”
Countless knights blocked his path, engaged in a battle of defiance.
They were the elite of the elite, the Royal Guard of the Kingdom of Baltin.
Even Otto’s men would have to give it their all to defeat them.
‘Strong.’
Upon seeing the Baltin Kingdom’s Guard Knights, Otto realized the difference in quality between the knights of Kashmir and those of the continent.
He could tell even without fighting.
*Whiirrr*
The concentration of auras on their swords was a clear indication of their level.
However, Otto had no intention of completely annihilating the Royal Guard.
‘They will all become my knights.’
When the war is over, most of them will swear allegiance to him.
In that case, killing them now would only be detrimental to Otto.
Besides, knights aren’t something one can train and raise in a day or two, after all.
Once he gets past the Royal Guard, he’ll be able to reach Chech IV.
Then…
*Swish.*
Otto pulled a poker from his waistband.
“…What are you doing?”
Camille asked Otto.
“Trying to subdue them.”
“I see.”
Killing would be easy.
But subduing them is several times harder.
Attempting to subdue them half-heartedly might backfire.
But Otto and Camille had faith in their abilities.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
With those words, Otto and Camille charged toward the Baltin Kingdom’s Royal Guard.
The ensuing battle.
*Smack!* *Thwack!*
“Keugh!”
“Ack!”
The poker Otto wielded smashed into the heads of his enemies.
Camille was no slouch either.
*Thwak!* *Smack!*
“Aack!”
“Keuck!”
Camille also joined Otto in subduing the Guard Knights, keeping as little of the enemies killed as possible.
They weren’t the only ones.
The magic swordsman who followed Otto and Camille were also skilled enough to subdue the Guard Knights of the Baltin Kingdom.
As a result,
“kkeeog.”
“keueug.”
The Baltin Kingdom’s Guard Knights could last less than five minutes.
The disparity in power was so overwhelming that they were bound to fall, even if they weren’t at all out of their strength.
Having taken care of the Knights guarding the palace in front of them.
“We will open it.”
The two magic swordsmen flanked the gate and opened it.
*Creaaak!*
The gate opens.
*Rumbles*
The magic swordsmen who had stormed in earlier scattered to the left and right, making way.
“Your Majesty.”
“Okay.”
Otto walked forward with Camille at his side.
To the palace where King Chech IV and the great and small nobles of the Baltin Kingdom were.
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“Raise your head.”
Otto, sitting on the throne of the Baltin Kingdom, looked down at Chech IV.
“…..”
Chech IV could not respond.
‘Is this truly reality? And not a dream?’
He was half in a trance, unable to process the situation.
Everything that had happened in the last few days had been so unreal.
Kashmir was a fringe among fringes.
It was a land that the Baltin Kingdom had practically ignored and abandoned.
Who would have thought that a rebellion from such a rural hamlet could have spread so far?
Moreover, the process by which the royal palace had been captured was both incomprehensible and inconceivable.
It was the equivalent of having your nose cut off with your eyes open.
“If you hand over the throne obediently, I will guarantee your safety and that of the royal family.”
“W-What?!”
Otto’s words enraged Chech IV.
“Surrender the throne? To a backwoods lord like you….”
“Why are you kneeling on the ground to a country lord like me?”
“…..”
“Accept mercy when it is offered. If I feel like it… I will wipe out the entire royal line, including you.”
*Shudder*
Locking eyes with Otto, Chech IV shuddered.
“Choose. Whether to relinquish the throne and live out the rest of your days comfortably, or to face annihilation as it is.”
“…..”
“You know full well that I was showing you mercy.”
Otto’s words were indeed true.
Normally, the proper thing to do would have been to kill all members of royal blood and wipe out their lineage.
But that wasn’t what Otto wanted.
‘I need to make them loyal to me.’
Otto wanted to take control of the Baltin Kingdom by gaining the support of the royal family, including Chech IV.
Killing all the royals now would have ensured his immediate control, but it would have also sparked rebellions across the kingdom.
But as long as Chech IV and the royals supported Otto, stabilizing the Baltin Kingdom would not be too difficult.
First, he would claim the throne, and then as he proceeded to implement his plans, public opinion would naturally tilt in his favor.
“Make your choice.”
“…..”
“I won’t waste my time with you.”
Otto finished, and waited for Chech IV to make his final decision.
A little time passed.
“Throne, the Throne.”
Chech IV opened his mouth with great difficulty and struggle.
“I will… transfer it to you….”
*Thud!*
A silence descended upon the room.
“Your Majesty!”
“No you cannot!”
“You cannot do that!”
A few loyalists rose to their feet and tried to dissuade Chech IV, but to no avail.
Now that Chech IV had made his decision, the throne of the Baltin Kingdom had been transferred to Otto.
*Thump*
Chech IV presented his crown to Otto.
“Please… I ask for your mercy.”
Then Otto rose from his throne and bowed to the kneeling Chech IV.
“Thank you for the difficult decision you have made.”
“…..!”
“Please rise.”
Otto helped Chech IV to his feet.
“From now on, you will serve as my High King.”
“I-Is that really true?”
“Your Highness was the King of the Baltin Kingdom. Since you have cooperated with me, I will give you the honor you deserve.”
“…..”
“I understand your pain. However, the tide has already turned. Accept it, and I will ensure you can find peace in your heart.”
While it might seem like giving a wound and then giving medicine, Chech IV couldn’t argue against it.
Why?
Because this was clearly an act of mercy on Otto’s part.
“…Thank you.”
Chech IV bowed his head.
That was the best Chech IV could do at the moment.
Now, the fate of the royal family, including Chech IV, rested solely in Otto’s hands.
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The war was over in the blink of an eye, as Otto captured Chech IV and took over the throne.
In doing so, the Kingdom of Lota made a very clean sweep of one of its three neighboring kingdoms, the Baltin Kingdom, and successfully made its way to the Continent.
“What? It’s over already?”
Kairos and the Soul Knights, who had rushed over late, were disappointed to see that Otto had taken over the palace.
“What are you doing so late?”
Otto gave a slight reprimand to Kairos.
Since then, there had been no news from Kairos and his group, who were sent to observe the explosions of the smuggling ships at the Oberhauser.
Not until after the war with the Baltin Kingdom.
“I was in such a good mood that I had to stop and have a little party.”
“…What?”
“Kekeke! It was refreshing to get revenge on that Argonne wretch, kekeke!”
Otto was initially puzzled, but soon understood.
After all, Kairos and the Tin Can-Soul Knights-had been subjected to by the Great Argonne, they deserved a feast for days.
‘They must have hit every tavern they could find on the way here, and gotten drunk, huh?’
Otto shook his head and addressed Kairos.
“If you’re planning on making a mess of things, do it somewhere else now that we’re done here.”
“Hmm?”
“I know just the perfect place.”
Otto opened up a map.
“Right next to us is the Loredin Kingdom. The situation there is dire at the moment.”
“‘Dire’ in what way?”
“Due to the famine that started last year, the food shortage has become extremely severe. Tens of thousands may have already died from starvation.”
“Huh!”
“Meanwhile, in the royal court, they’re only concerned about filling their own bellies, completely ignoring the public sentiment. The poor citizens are revolting all over the kingdom, and the king is slaughtering them like monsters.”
As Otto explained, the Kingdom of Loredin was in a state of great turmoil.
The king was ruthlessly killing people who couldn’t hold back their hunger.
More people have been killed by the king’s army than by starvation.
“If I give you an army, do you think you can rally the people to overthrow the crown?”
Otto turned and asked Kairos.
“You dare ask!”
Kairos thumped his chest and exclaimed excitedly.
“Civil unrest is one of my expertise!”
“Huh?”
Now that Otto thought about it.
A long time ago.
When this continent was in turmoil.
Kairos led a band of mercenaries to rally the disgruntled populace, growing into a warlord whose empire spanned a third of the continent.
He was a master at leading rebellions, overthrowing the existing power and founding a new one.
‘Now that I think about it, the right person was actually here?’
They say it’s dark under the lamp.
“I can leave him to his own devices. I’m sure he’ll take care of it himself.’
Otto decided to leave the Loredin Kingdom to Kairos.
“Then go to the Loredin Kingdom. I’ll keep sending you food, and you can use it to gain the public support.”
“Don’t worry, Pansy, I’ll see to it that things are taken care of!”
Kairos was in a very good mood after the destruction of the Oberhauser Trading Firm, so he obediently accepted Otto’s order.
‘Now, I can forget about the Loredin Kingdom.’
Otto had no doubt that Kairos would topple the Loredin Kingdom.
Then….
‘There’s one final place left.’
Otto’s gaze lingered on the Kingdom of Slaine as he studied the map.
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The Kingdom of Slaine has long been known for its famous knights.
This was due to the fact that the Kingdom of Slaine was the first to have a system for generating knights on the entire continent.
Until then, most knights were trained through one-on-one inheritance.
A squire would serve and learn from a knight for years, and when the time was right, he would be granted knighthood.
However, the Kingdom of Slaine boldly integrated the training of knights with that of its military academy, creating the first knight academy on the continent.
Subsequently, many powerful kingdoms followed suit, but the Kingdom of Slaine’s Knight Academy still held its own prestige.
Due to its long history, the curriculum was highly systematic and well-established, and the know-how was considerable, enabling the academy to produce high-level knights in a short period of time.
As such, countless foreign students continued to study and train at the Knight Academy of the Kingdom of Slaine.
Like Camille.
‘I wonder if such a day will come.’
When Camille heard that the Kingdom of Lota’s next target was the Slaine Kingdom, his emotions were inexplicably shaken.
The Kingdom of Slaine was where Camille had spent his time as an foreign student and apprentice knight, so it was understandable that he had complicated feelings.
So Camille left Otto’s side for a while to have some time to himself.
Late at night.
Atop the high walls of the palace, Camille gazed to the west, where the Kingdom of Slaine was located.
‘Life is so full of surprises..’
It was then.
“What are you doing?”
*Heok*
Camille’s heart nearly stopped beating.
Out of nowhere, Otto poked his head around the corner of the castle wall.