The Count’s Youngest Son is a Player

“So, it was another ancient seal within the forbidden zone….”

Duke Hansley sighed in relief as he listened to Lawrence and Raul’s story.

‘If they hadn’t stopped it, another demon would have emerged from that place, wouldn’t it?’

Had that happened, the barrier might not have held. There was also another point of concern.

‘Impressive.’

Since Raul joined the barrier, Duke Hansley felt a significant weight lifted off his chest.

Shiiing!

The legion of weapons Raul controlled was mercilessly exterminating the demonic beast hordes. At the fortress wall, considered the heart of the barrier, the mass of floating weapons was eliminating any enemies encroaching within a certain range.

‘Even with the support of the barrier’s Overload System, it’s truly a magnificent sight.’

Thanks to this, Duke Hansley found it easier to manage his forces. He no longer needed to personally use his aura to fend off enemies, and the chief knights of the barrier could also relax a bit.

“Anyway, it’s truly a relief. Not only did you return safely, but you’ve also stepped into a higher realm! Truly commendable.”

Duke Hansley patted Raul and Lawrence on their shoulders with a smile.

“Phew. Though it’s not something I should ask of you after all you’ve been through, could you lend a bit more strength? As you can see, the situation at the barrier isn’t very good.”

“Why even ask? Of course, we will help!”

“We’ll do our utmost.”

Even without Duke Hansley’s request, Raul’s party was already in the thick of the battlefield. But the sincerity in Duke Hansley’s polite plea seemed to resonate with Raul and Lawrence, who readily agreed to join the fight.

“Thank you. It’s truly reassuring.”

And it genuinely was. He had been the only Master until now, but with four Master-level fighters joining at once, it was a significant boost.

‘Their presence may not be enough to drive out the enemies, but it’s certainly enough to hold the line.’

Of course, he was yet unaware of the true extent of Raul’s party’s strength.

***

“Whistle~. It’s higher than I expected,” Josh remarked while whistling.

Raul, accompanied solely by the First Knights, was standing atop the fortress wall near the front gate.

“It’s hidden by the barrier, but this fortress is quite large too. They considered the possibility of being attacked from behind when they originally designed it. Just like now.” explained Jake, prompting Josh to nod in understanding.

Indeed, the height of the fortress wall was about 30 meters. Typical castles or forts usually had walls about 10-15 meters tall, making this wall twice as high.

The wall’s thickness was also considerable, providing ample space for troops to stand on top.

“By the way, it seems endless, doesn’t it? It’s already been two days. Where do all those creatures come from?”

“Don’t even mention it. Last time, we had trouble stopping them from emerging from two holes. Now there are five. Just looking at it, you can tell it’s going to be a nightmare.”

Two days had passed since they had joined the barrier. The situation on the battlefield remained unchanged.

The demonic beasts emerging incessantly from the Dark Gates kept attacking the barrier, but since Raul joined, they hadn’t managed to deal any meaningful damage.

“But is it really okay for us to just defend like this?”

“Exactly! We should have charged as soon as we joined. Anyway, Duke Hansley can be overly cautious. Even when I worked under him before…”

Jake began recounting his experiences of working at the barrier to Josh in detail.

‘Looks like those two get along well.’

Raul smiled faintly at the endlessly chattering pair and turned his gaze. Far off in the distance were five Dark Gates. And floating in front of them was a building, the 『Temple of the Demon God』.

He had seen it several times before and knew it was a troublesome entity.

Grooo.

A massive energy flow could be felt emanating from beneath the Temple of the Demon God. Though not visible, the dark, cold energy was definitely ‘demonic power.’

‘If we leave it as is, this could really be the end….’

The Temple of the Demon God that had crossed over through the Dark Gates transformed its surroundings into a ‘demon realm.’

It absorbed the ambient mana and turned it into demonic energy. In such an environment, the demons could exert their true power, while humans…

‘It’s hard to exert full strength in a demonized area.’

Mana recovery would slow, and control itself would become difficult. The best solution was to destroy the Temple of the Demon God as soon as possible, but that seemed impossible at the moment.

“There must be over ten thousand of them by now, don’t you think?”

“Doesn’t matter. They’re just minions.”

“They look quite strong, though….”

“In this battlefield, numbers don’t matter. Can’t you see that?”

Jake pointed to the sky, where Raul’s legion of weapons tirelessly moved.

“I’m not doubting the Master’s capabilities, but…”

‘…These don’t look like ordinary soldiers.’

Josh swallowed the last part of his sentence. Jake probably understood it too. Beneath the Temple of the Demon God were actual soldiers from the demon realm, a cut above the demonic beasts.

They had gradually crossed over with the demonic beasts through the gates, forming an army of over ten thousand. Who knew how many more would come, but they were undoubtedly a significant threat.

Raul looked down on them with a slightly heavy heart. Jake wasn’t wrong. After joining the barrier, Raul had immediately proposed an attack on the Temple of the Demon God.

But Duke Hansley had declined.

‘I expected the refusal, though.’

Despite Raul’s party joining, launching a counterattack when they were already outnumbered in superhuman strength was unreasonable.

From Raul’s perspective, it was a battle worth trying. Even with five demons and two Imperial masters on their side, their side wasn’t weak either.

Duke Hansley, whose strength was clearly above a intermediate-level Master, and Raul.

Jake, Kane, and Lawrence, who could exhibit Master-level abilities.

A dozen top-class knights using temporary aura with the barrier’s support. And if he included Rabel and Caldenas, and ‘him’ in the calculation….

‘But considering Duke Hansley didn’t know about Rabel and Caldenas, it couldn’t be helped.’

Attacking with just Raul’s group wasn’t feasible either. Excluding the barrier’s full force, even if they won, casualties were likely. There was no need to play heroes and risk sacrifices unnecessarily.

‘Time isn’t necessarily on their side either.’

With a meaningful expression, Raul controlled the legion of weapons. As long as nearly unlimited mana and divine power were supplied, this place was an unparalleled source of experience.

***

“The enemies are moving!”

Bwooooo!

On the fourth day of the standoff in front of the barrier, the enemies finally made a significant move. Meanwhile, the barrier side also received some good news.

Reinforcements had arrived from Forward Base Alpha, the closest outpost to the barrier.

“Demons, huh. I’m curious to see if they’re really as strong as the rumors say.”

A middle-aged man in his late forties, looking at the Demon Temple with a curious gaze. His unkempt brown hair and beard gave him a wild look, and he wore only a leather vest over his casual clothes, disliking cumbersome attire.

His name was Edhart. He was a master sent from Marcus, the Mercenary Kingdom, and the commander of Forward Base Alpha.

“Don’t underestimate them. Can’t you feel it? Their immense power.”

Duke Hansley remained cautious, while Edhart merely shrugged, trying to contain his excitement.

Clack, clack, clack.

Ten thousand demon soldiers began marching in an orderly manner towards the fortress. However, it wasn’t the soldiers that caught their eyes.

Above the heads of the demon soldiers were four figures floating in mid-air. Demons with small horns on their heads.

“Sir Celta will command the left side. Sir Girion will command the right wall. We’ll handle the demons.”

“Yes, commander!”

Entrusting the chief knights with the command of the troops, Duke Hansley gripped his sword. And a bit further away stood Raul.

“Jake, Kane. Follow the plan and guard the fortress wall with the knights. Begin phase two at the signal.”

“Yes, Master!”

“Elder brother, I leave the command to you.”

“Phew. Alright, understood. But really… just be careful.”

Lawrence patted Raul’s shoulder, his concern evident. Understandably so, as Raul was planning to attack the Demon Temple separate from the main group.

Of course, he wasn’t truly going alone.

“We are ready.”

The one speaking to Raul was none other than the saintess, Kiera. And with her were Shimar, Regan, and Asher—all fully armed members of the hero’s party.

“When the battle starts, we’ll use the opening to infiltrate quickly. And as I mentioned earlier, take care of your own lives. If you become a hindrance, I will leave you behind.”

“Of course, viscount. Just focus on dealing with the demons. We’ll handle our part.”

Having understood Raul’s strength, the hero’s party was very cooperative with him.

A few days earlier, they had come to sincerely apologize for their past actions, and Raul had readily accepted. Though he had no intention of becoming close friends, he didn’t want to be enemies either.

Initially, Raul intended to tackle the Demon Temple alone, but Saintess Kiera had personally requested to accompany him. While there was no necessity to take them along, Raul decided to.

‘Let’s consider it a business relationship.’

Most of the time, they were more of a burden or a source of trouble, but when it came to their primary mission, they could be formidable allies.

Bang! Boom!

Magic and long-range attacks began flying from the demon ranks. The magic barrier installed at the fortress formed a translucent wall, blocking the spells.

Simultaneously, the barrier and fortress responded with their own attacks.

“Commence firing! No need to aim! Fire as quickly as possible!”

There was no necessity to aim as the area before the fortress was teeming with demonic beasts and the demon legion. Thus, the full-fledged siege battle began.

Swish. Boom, boom, boom!

It looked as though black lines were forming in the sky, as the magical barrier was effortlessly torn down and the black-horned figures descended onto the fortress wall.

“Fff, ha. I can feel it, the fear of humans!”

“The scent of blood is intoxicating, keh heh.”

“Become offerings for the Demon Lord.”

“……”

Dozens of soldiers surrounding the landing spots of the four demons turned into bloodied messes.

“Retreat! Knights, form a shield wall, urgk!”

Mid-command, an armor user of middle rank had his neck grabbed by one of the demons.

“Keh-hel. If the Demon Lord asks who sent you, tell him it’s ‘Baron Marcel Zane.'”

Crack, crackle!

The force field of the power armor was useless as the commander’s neck was snapped instantly, and his body was incinerated by surging electricity, turning to ashes in moments.

Thunk!

“You dare! Do you know where you are?!”

“And where might that be? Isn’t it the sacrificial altar for the Demon Lord? Keh-hel.”

Duke Hansley and the barrier’s elite forces stood in the demons’ path. But in those brief moments, over a hundred casualties had already occurred. And thus, the true battle between the superhumans began.

‘As expected, they’re not to be underestimated.’

Raul observed the battle from a short distance. The demons were exhibiting considerable prowess even on the fortress wall, filled with various obstructive spells and holy barriers.

Their power levels were estimated to be between beginner and intermediate Master levels. However, because they were demons wielding the aggressive energy of dark mana, they felt more threatening than their levels suggested.

‘Even so….’

Raul judged that the fortress could likely be defended without him.

“Everybody, gather around.”

Upon Raul’s command, the hero’s party members approached him with tense expressions.

‘Well, I must commend their tenacity and conviction. They won’t be a liability.’

Despite heading towards the most perilous place on the battlefield, they were tense but not fearful.

“Let’s go.”

Raul used psychokinesis to lift them and leapt into the sky.

(To be continued…)