Chapter 164: Completely Trapped
Carl, who had heard about Ishul from an agent of the intelligence agency, likely planned to kill 'ordinary level commoner rebels' on his way to Ishul and make them let their guard down.
The opponent seemed to know Carl, if not completely. On the other hand, Carl didn't know his opponent at all. The anxiety and danger that came from this were unfathomable.
"Attack!"
In the brief moment that Carl was gathering his thoughts, Catherine and Billford had already reached the rebels who were driving the stakes.
Catherine, a capable royal knight, and Billford, a mana user, swung their mana-infused spears, lightly breaking the stakes in the ground and bouncing them away before digging in.
Catherine, on the right, turned her horse's head in an instant with her skilled horsemanship and swung her spear sharply, sweeping away or repelling the rebels charging from the right.
Billford, running on the left, passed the picket and circled around it. Holding the horse's loins tightly with his rock-like thighs, he ran forward with his spear in both hands and swung it like a farmer's scythe to sweep down the enemy.
"Ahhhh!"
"Help me!"
A rebel force of about 60 men was completely destroyed by just two men.
If they had known there were mana users, they wouldn't have attacked like this.
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No, there was a Master in the first place, so what kind of reckless thing was this?
Yes, they came here without knowing anything about the inside story of this incident.
If you look at it that way, you could say they were innocent victims.
Carl led his cavalry and charged without hesitation into the confusion of the rebels caused by Catherine and Billford.
He confirmed that Jaren had defeated his enemies without killing them and did not feel the need to spare the rebels who were running around in front of him.
Since they were going to kill them all anyway, keeping them alive and then executing them would only worsen the soldiers' mood.
Carl and the imperial soldiers killed the rebels who came up the road in one fell swoop, stabbing them with spears and trampling them with their horses' hooves.
The poorly armed rebels, who had not even formed a line, were already in a state of total exhaustion and were killed in an instant without even a scream by the cavalry charge.
"Kill those who run away!"
After the great slaughter of rebels, Catherine and Billford dismounted and chased after the rebels who were fleeing into the forest at Carl's order.
But there was no need for that.
Jaren, who had already cleared the forest on the other side, flew up quickly, jumping over the cavalrymen's heads and landing in the forest on the other side.
The spear that had been held upside down was now held upright, exposing its blade, and his form caught up with the fleeing rebels.
Jaren's movements were so fast that the fleeing rebels appeared as stationary targets. In the blink of an eye, Jaren passed by, and red maple leaves bloomed in the desolate forest with bare branches. Hot steam rose in the chilly air, and soon silence fell.
There was no need for the Mana Blade, which was the true value of a Master and possessed physical power. He could crush them with just his overwhelming physical strength.
"Bring the living heretic in custody."
Carl glanced at the mutilated and scattered corpses of farmers, carpenters, and others, then gave a ruthless order to his soldiers. He didn't use the word 'rebel.'
They were all just 'heretics' who must be killed and exterminated. Carl didn't know about the others, but it was the same for them.
So what did they mean to Carl?
'No one would know useful information. They're worthless, but just in case...'
Carl thought.
Worthless.
If by any chance there was any useful information, that would be great. If not, then there was no need to worry. That was all.
Unfortunately, and understandably, Carl could not get any meaningful information from them.
All they heard was an order to simply attack and block any cavalry coming their way.
Among those captured, there was not one who could be called a true 'heretic.'
As the Palton Territory was swept up in the storm of rebellion, everyone, including the spineless commoners, had joined the rebels. Until a few days ago, they had just been ordinary fathers and sons from ordinary families living ordinary lives.
"Kill him." Carl ordered without emotion.
"Ugh! Ugh!"
The captive struggled in vain.
However, Carl could not spare those who participated in the rebellion behind the heresy and aimed their spears at the 4th prince and Grand Duke Carl Feld Hardion of the Morgan Empire.
Even if it was not heresy, it was considered treason and was punishable by immediate execution. The soldiers stabbed the bound captives to death with spears.
They didn't hesitate, and their expressions didn't change. Mercilessly, like stabbing a training haystack, they killed those who squirmed and pleaded with mouths blocked by ropes.
After Carl had the bodies gathered in one place, he set them on fire, following his first decision.
Fortunately, the rebels had prepared fires to survive the cold forest, so there was no need to waste precious fuel.
Carl, who had ordered the soldiers to rest while keeping their distance from the burning corpses in the middle of the road, spoke quietly from a distance.
"This attack is just bait. It's meant to lure me to Ishul. They know I have a Master, but they're still so confident," Carl observed, his tone icy and analytical.
Carl, who was heading into battle, had thrown away the appearance of a boy excited to see Cecil after a long time.
His eyes were fiercely burning, and even Master Jaren could not dare look straight at him.
"Wouldn't it be better to step back now and ask for support?"
Harmon suggested, crossing the line of 'not getting involved in combat.' He was very nervous that Carl might get seriously hurt or die.
"There is no support. We cannot increase our contact with heretics any further," Carl stated firmly.
Fifty royal soldiers, Catherine, Billford, Harmon, Milton, and Master Jaren. All of these people, except Carl, would be under covert surveillance in the future for their contact with heresy.
As the pinnacle of bloodline ideology, the imperial family of the empire, Carl was in no danger of falling for something like the Church of Universal Equality, but others were not. They had direct contact with about 50 heretics.
That alone was overwhelming.
There was nothing Carl could do about this.
In the first place, the imperial family did their best when they dispatched Master Jaren, and in normal circumstances, that alone would have been excessive force.
This problem arose because the situation was unusual.
Above all, there was a decisive reason why they could not wait for support.
"If we wait for support to arrive, we will not know how the enemy will move. Our mission is to eradicate heresy. If we do not move as we wish, the heretics in Ishul may scatter, and then the mission will be a failure."
If Carl didn't run to Ishul, there was no telling what his opponents would do. If they went further, they would find it was a trap set by the enemy. If he stepped down, he wouldn't be able to handle what happened next.
A dilemma.
He was completely trapped.
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