Chapter 119: Roger, the Temporary God
With Duke Fergus and all the nobles in the castle under the control of the Night Guard, the remaining powers and guards had no reason to continue fighting. The scene of the main commanders falling into enemy hands before the battle even began was too strange, rendering any desperate resistance utterly pointless. From the perspective of the Free Duchy Alliance’s powers and retainers, it felt like their starting crystal had exploded without them even lifting a finger. They were extremely frustrated and even suspected their opponents of cheating! Those who couldn’t escape surrendered after token resistance. Those hired purely for money scattered like birds and beasts, disappearing long before the Night Guard could engage them.
And so, Little Joey led the main force of the Night Guard through the main gate, preparing to take over Fergus Castle. When a retainer of Fergus intended to abduct the seemingly delicate female general, she used a “Bewitching Voice” to trap him amidst his own men, inciting infighting, and allowing the Night Guard to apprehend him. Little Joey’s strength was now on the verge of legendary, and she had mastered many of the Orc Tribe’s war shamanistic song and dance skills, making her combat methods no longer purely that of a spellcaster. With the legendary-level powerhouses from the Night Guard emerging from within, the battle held no suspense. A conflict that the outside world hadn’t even had time to notice concluded with lightning speed, without any ripples.
It wasn’t that the Free Duchy Alliance was too careless, but rather that Roger’s methods were simply too unfathomable. For the old-world nobles who knew nothing of technological means, the Arcane Society’s exploration in technology had created a dimensional strike, a crushing victory that was entirely within Roger’s expectations. Roger, under the name of the Night Guard, sent the news back to the imperial capital and publicized it to the surrounding areas, astonishing the entire World. This battle, though brief, resulted in heavy losses for the Free Duchy Alliance. Chairman Duke Fergus was captured, and all the councilors fell under the Night Guard’s control, effectively decapitating the upper echelons of the Free Duchy Alliance in one swift move. These were the strongest among the southern nobles, and if they couldn’t withstand the Night Guard for even an hour while banding together, how could the remaining nobles have the confidence to maintain their so-called freedom?
Thus, the Free Duchy Alliance, which had announced its establishment for two hours, collapsed on its own. The remaining nobles were either secretly inquiring about how to surrender or discreetly contacting escape services. They couldn’t even comprehend how the enemy had won, let alone how to keep fighting. The nobles were confused and shocked. Equally perplexing to them was Roger Charles, the notorious waste Brother from Audoir. Did he have his current status not because of his good looks, but because he genuinely possessed skills? Was the news of his lack of ability at the Victory Celebration fake, a trap to lure them out? In reality, this kid was incredibly strong, skilled in battle command, and nicknamed “Little Empress,” was he? So, who the hell was so insidious as to spread rumors about Roger’s inadequacy? This guy now seemed like a temporary god!
Far away in the Kamptuzak Desert, Cornelia sneezed all afternoon, suspecting many people were talking about her… As the news continued to spread, not only were the southern nobles in a panic, but nobles in other directions of the Empire who were observing the situation were also deeply shaken by the strength displayed by the Night Guard. Although initially, most people didn’t have high hopes for Duke Fergus and his faction. They believed that if the Empress of Eternal Night made a move, they would have no chance. Their gamble was that the Empress of Eternal Night had no cards to play… ahem, that the Empress was too busy. After all, with the Church of the Seven Gods balancing each other externally, the Empress of Eternal Night needed to preside over the City of Mysteries, giving them a sliver of room to survive in the cracks.
Then, the nobles received terrifying news: the Empress of Eternal Night hadn’t even made a move yet, and Roger, leading the Night Guard, which had only been established for a few days, had defeated Duke Fergus like slicing through vegetables. The process of this battle was too swift and decisive, too shocking, far exceeding the nobles’ normal understanding of warfare. Such speed had only one explanation: the power of the Night Guard had created an overwhelming advantage against Duke Fergus and his forces. If it weren’t for knowing that Duke Fergus lacked the brains for such a scheme, they might have suspected him of cooperating with the Empress of Eternal Night in a play to scare them…
But now, with this failed demonstration, the nobles found that the options that wouldn’t cost them their heads were shrinking. They finally vaguely realized that the imperial power had, unknowingly, formed an absolute power advantage over the enfeoffed nobles. The structure of this World, unchanged for tens of thousands of years, was subtly shaking its foundations. While they were indulging in drunken revelry, had the Empress of Eternal Night, through diligent governance, reached the point of burgeoning power? Whether she was incompetent in foreign wars was unknown, but judging by this state, she was certainly competent in civil war…
The nobles endured agonizing hardship, dispatching countless personnel to inquire about the detailed events of the battle at Fergus Castle. The Free Duchy Alliance could truly be called pitiful. When it was formed, no one paid it much attention, but when it failed, it became the focus of everyone’s research and attention. The more they investigated, analyzed, and studied, the more the nobles were astonished. This Night Guard was something else, their methods incredibly bizarre. Fergus Castle’s defensive strength was well-known, and Duke Fergus often boasted about the heavy investment he made in defensive magic arrays, yet this was the result? This? Was it any different from paper? They didn’t even guard against spatial teleportation; where had the money gone? Poor old Duke, had he encountered a swindler? Shortly after the battle began, the Night Guard seemed to have obtained Fergus Castle’s detailed coordinate system and directly executed precise teleportation for targeted assassinations. Simultaneously, the castle’s internal defenses were incredibly lax, with no reaction to intruders slipping in. It wasn’t just one high-ranking official taken down, but the entire leadership. Everyone thought, if they were there, they could at least… last a few more minutes?
The nobles declared Duke Fergus’s expulsion from the noble class unilaterally. This old man was too foolish, lowering their average intelligence and dragging down over a dozen teammates. But not long after, these nobles’ analyses were proven wrong. The latest news indicated that Fergus Castle’s defensive magic array was equipped with several of the Empire’s most popular and common spatial teleportation blockade methods, and the standards were quite high. However, just before the Night Guard’s teleportation, his magic array experienced a minor accident. A few minutes of downtime, which no one took seriously. The Night Guard seized the opportunity, and their victory was cemented in one wave. At such a juncture, who would believe this was a coincidental accident? It must have been a special method orchestrated by Roger! Reaching this conclusion was even more unacceptable to the nobles than Duke Fergus being intellectually impaired, sending shivers down their spines. Was this Roger truly this terrifyingly strong? Had he truly proven he could break through defensive magic arrays head-on and treat a host of legendary powerhouses as invisible?
The combat power displayed by the Night Guard in this battle, with the most incredible and decisive victory, told these nobles who was in charge! Many recalled Roger’s promise to the Empress Your Majesty at the Victory Celebration, that he would certainly manage these nobles well… So, he wasn’t just flattering her; he could actually do it! As intelligence grew clearer, the Night Guard’s deterrent effect on the nobles continued to rise, directly comparable to strategic weapons. The vast disparity in combat power left many nobles feeling they had only one option: absolute obedience to the Empress’s will and becoming well-behaved subjects. With the Night Guard present, any defiance of the Empress’s will would likely have dire consequences! After all, the results of this Night Guard operation were so astonishing that, let alone the nobles, even ministers loyal to the Empress couldn’t understand how they had achieved it.
Some sought information from their comrades who had joined the Night Guard, but they refused to reveal any details, merely stating, “We merely follow the Master’s orders.” However, in moments where even the slightest stir could lead to endless speculation, limited words could also be interpreted to convey infinite hidden information. They believed what these Night Guards truly meant to say was: All operations were completed by Roger Charles. He possessed the intelligence on Fergus Castle and caused the magic array to malfunction at the most opportune moment. In other words, we just had to lie back; following Master Roger’s lead was enough! Everyone found it hard to believe that Roger could overshadow so many legendary powerhouses, leading everyone to admit that the Night Guard was all thanks to him carrying them? Hiss~ This child is terrifyingly powerful!
The beautiful reporter from the “Long Live the Empress!” newspaper, leveraging her official status, successfully executed a decapitation strike and immediately arrived at Fergus Castle to report exclusively on the scene. She managed to corner Roger and excitedly asked him how he achieved such a miraculous victory. Roger smiled and replied, “It was an overwhelming display of magical power. Read more of ‘New Arcana,’ and you might find the answer someday.” The beautiful reporter was almost angry enough to spit blood. She wanted an inside scoop, gossip, an exclusive big scoop, and yet he was now advertising his magazine? Everyone knew he was the editor-in-chief of “New Arcana,” and his magazine cost five gold coins a copy; it was incredibly expensive! But beyond that, Roger refused to reveal further details of the battle, deflecting all her questions with prepared public relations statements, answering flawlessly. This left her in a difficult position. Even when the beautiful reporter offered to buy him drinks and revealed her room number, she received no additional information. After all, this was the Night Guard, not some internet giant where business deals could become trending hot topics.
The beautiful reporter, helpless, could only take more pictures of the dejected faces of the defeated side. The battle report released by the Night Guard was vastly different from the boisterous scenes she had imagined. The operation consisted of three steps: We arrived, we teleported, we won. What was there to report? Duke Fergus, how could you be so incompetent? The establishment and fall of the Free Duchy Alliance would undoubtedly be tomorrow’s headlines. Yet, there was shockingly little content to write, and they reporters would have to rack their brains to fill the pages… The beautiful reporter was worried, and at the same time, curious about how this miraculous commander of the Night Guard had achieved such an incredible feat. “There must be a big secret I don’t know yet!” The beautiful reporter applied for the highest level of attention to Roger Charles, which was quickly approved by the entire editorial department, promising full reimbursement for all her activity expenses. From now on, she would focus solely on Roger. They had a premonition that even greater news would erupt from this young man!
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As the “Long Live the Empress!” newspaper was published the next day, the peculiar actions of the southern nobles of the Empire were seen by more as a farce, a joke. Ninety-nine nobles announced the establishment of the Free Duchy Alliance, only to have the imperial forces capture the core council members within two hours, after which the entire alliance was declared dissolved… The resistance was comparable to the Gallic Empire established by goblins; they surrendered before the enemy even exerted any effort. In the history of the Eternal Night World, Duke Fergus and his ilk could be ranked among the most embarrassing nobles, failing to hold even an hour while backed by a supposedly impregnable castle. It was truly hard to believe. The complaints about Duke Fergus also indirectly demonstrated the incredible battle fought by the Night Guard. A castle defended by over thirty legendary powerhouses, more than eight hundred various professionals, and five thousand elite soldiers, taken down in an hour? Even in open field battles, such a rapid collapse would be somewhat outrageous, especially considering Fergus Castle was famously a strong fortress.
However, the report from the “Long Live the Empress!” newspaper was clear: the Free Duchy Alliance had indeed suffered such an outlandish collapse. As soon as the Night Guard arrived, these councilors were gone. Post-battle magical imprints showed that the castle was taken over by the Night Guard with little to no external damage. While the battle details were not extensively written, the process, the outcome, and Duke Fergus’s crestfallen face were all clearly depicted. Such a report, which deliberately avoided certain details, was enough to fuel rampant conspiracy theories that the Night Guard possessed strange methods that were not suitable for public reporting! This Roger Charles was not a simple waste; there was something peculiar about him! Based on this dazzling victory alone, many considered Roger to be the new God of War of the Empire, a rising star in the Empire’s military might. Coupled with his outstanding performance against the Orc Tribes, the impression of him among the Imperial people had transformed from a green and inexperienced waste Brother to a promising young general. At this moment, people were willing to consider Roger as a temporary god. Perhaps one day, they would see Marquess Lacapas shine on more battlefields of the Empire like a star.
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Deep within the Kamptuzak Desert, a caravan was struggling to make its way. The heavy burden of food greatly slowed their progress, with wheels occasionally sinking into the sand. This was Duke Nancarditon’s caravan. Despite the hardship, he couldn’t abandon the food he carried, urgently needing a large buyer to take his goods. After all, he had very little cash left. He was among the first to flee after the Victory Celebration, and he had hired “professionals.” The route he took was very smooth in the early stages. He escaped from the City of Mysteries, and his loyal retainers, along with the family’s assets and stockpiled food, successfully joined him. Now, all he needed was a dark and windy night to secretly cross the border. Once he crossed, Duke Nancarditon could leave this drastically changed Empire and become a carefree rich man.
The day for action soon arrived. They quietly slipped past border patrol and, with victory in sight, unexpectedly encountered a band of bandits. The opponents were swift and elusive, even boasting a legendary sorcerer who immediately targeted Duke Nancarditon at the start of the encounter. They then broke through the guards’ defenses and stole the last of the Nancarditon family’s fortune: two carts of alchemical equipment, jewelry, and artworks. Fortunately, the retainers resisted bravely. After an outburst, the sorcerer was suppressed by Duke Nancarditon, and they used their knowledge of the terrain to hastily retreat, avoiding significant personnel losses. However, Duke Nancarditon’s final assets were gone. The commotion of the battle had already attracted patrols, and border guards were mobilizing nearby. Despite his heartache over the treasures he had guarded since childhood, Duke Nancarditon dared not pursue the bandits. He could only seize the opportunity to retreat further into the depths of the Kamptuzak Desert, planning to sell the grain in the Orc Tribes for cash. Having left the core circle of the Empire, his intelligence was delayed, and he was unaware of what awaited him in the Orc Tribes…
