LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 17.2
Finally, the barrier was destroyed.
For me, it had only been an unpleasant day, but for Arina and the knights, it was the end of a harrowing two-month imprisonment.
“So… it was true.”
With that, we returned to reality.
Balzac, the Frostblade, who had only introduced himself to me as Dominic, now stood with fury in his eyes, sword in hand.
Shing!
Clink, clink.
The other knights also drew their swords one after another.
I quickly loaded my magical crossbow and aimed.
Vmmm…
Activating the mana in my second heart circle was like lighting a match, readying the magestone bolt for use.
Even Arina, who had just completed the barrier’s destruction, pointed her sword at the ready.
“Sigma, the imperial spy network. So, it was you.”
Her voice was colder and sharper than the northern winds.
As we emerged from the barrier, we were surrounded by adventurers—no, imperial knights and mages disguised as adventurers.
“Those ten adventurers were imperial agents in disguise?”
If Renslet had its Frostblade, then the Empire boasted Sigma, a massive intelligence organization directly under the Emperor, far surpassing the Frostblade in scale and influence.
“You’ve sunk so low as to conspire with the Warlock’s Den?”
Arina’s chilling words continued.
“The Imperial Court and the Golden Tower have truly rotted to their core.”
Behind the disguised agents stood warlocks from the Warlock’s Den, exuding a sinister aura. Further back, necromancers controlled undead monsters, waiting for orders.
“……”
None of the people before us introduced themselves as imperial agents. They didn’t even speak.
They wore the standard attire of adventurers that could be seen anywhere across the continent.
Yet, the Grand Duchess and her knights were certain of their identities.
‘With the resources and manpower required to create this barrier, and considering who would benefit most from the disappearance of the Grand Duchess and her high-ranking knights, it’s obviously the Empire.’
I couldn’t argue with that logic.
Clink!
At the forefront of the enemy formation stood a high-ranking Sigma mage who appeared to be their leader.
They wore luxurious adventurer gear paired with a mage’s robe, their face obscured by a deeply pulled hood. Their staff, adorned with a superior magestone, glowed with an imposing brilliance.
Without a word, the mage issued commands through gestures of their staff.
ROOAARRRR!
BAM!
The first to charge were the undead monsters, roaring as they rushed forward. Sigma knights joined the fray, seamlessly weaving through the gaps.
Whirr… Zap!
Imperial mages began chanting attack spells, their voices a sinister hum.
Meanwhile, the warlocks muttered curses designed to hinder the knights’ movements.
“Wipe them out!”
“Renslet! Rune Renslet!”
“For the North, forever!”
“Ancestors, grant me strength!”
The Grand Duchess and her knights responded with a fierce cry, channeling aura into the swords I had repaired.
‘I can’t sit this one out. If I perform well, I might be able to dispel some of their suspicions about me.’
I aimed my crossbow at the warlocks chanting curses from a distance.
I loaded it with the most expensive and powerful magestone arrow I had—a meticulously crafted blend of fire, light, lightning, earth, and wind Magicstones.
Click.
With the trigger pulled, the arrow, infused with the mana from my heart, flew straight into the middle of the enemy ranks.
BOOOOOOM!
A massive explosion erupted among the densely grouped warlocks, far surpassing ordinary attack spells in power.
The warlocks, seemingly unprepared for such an attack, suffered devastating losses.
The magestone arrow I fired bypassed all their defensive barriers, instantly obliterating half their number.
“……?”
“!!”
The Grand Duchess and her knights, readying for battle, turned to me in astonishment.
“?!”
The imperial forces also paused, staring at me and the crossbow in my hands.
It seemed I had drawn far more attention than I anticipated.
“Damn it!”
To make matters worse, the golden carriage behind me—already conspicuous—became an even bigger target.
ROOOARR! SCREEECH!
Fortunately, the absence of the warlocks threw many monsters into chaos, causing them to rampage indiscriminately.
Now the imperial forces had to contend with both us and the monsters attacking their rear.
“Now’s the time! Attack!”
The Grand Duchess and her knights were the first to regain their composure. After a brief moment of surprise, they nodded in silent agreement, drawing their swords to strike.
“Destroy that golden carriage too!”
The Empire’s forces, caught off guard, took a moment longer to react. About three seconds later, they redirected part of their attention toward me.
“Damn it!”
Clicking my tongue, I grabbed another magestone arrow from my bag and reloaded the crossbow.
‘What level of weapon mastery did Arad reach?’
As a craftsman character, one must be skilled in handling their creations—a concept referred to as Weapon Mastery.
It’s a basic passive skill for all characters.
If Weapon Mastery is maxed out, even non-combat production-focused characters can land effective attacks.
‘Looks like Arad maxed it out. Plus, their Dexterity skill seems to be playing a role here.’
In the midst of this frantic battle, my Weapon Mastery shone brightly.
I reloaded and fired the crossbow with astonishing speed, almost achieving rapid-fire efficiency thanks to the MAX level of the passive skill.
BOOM! CRASH! KABOOM!
Explosions erupted all around, creating a spectacular scene of destruction.
Behind me, rampaging monsters caused further chaos. In front, the monstrous knights of Renslet tore through the enemy ranks.
For Sigma, with only about thirty members in total, the situation had turned into a nightmare.
“That damn golden carriage!”
“Kill whoever’s in that carriage first!”
“Protect Arad and the carriage!”
“Sir Doyle, guard the carriage! Protect Arad!”
“Understood!”
Before long, the entire battle centered around the golden carriage where I stood.
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