It felt so good to be close to the witch!

Chapter 42: Overwhelm

The war was unfolding far too quickly.

It wasn't until Lord Denham, the Lord of Iron Mountain, collapsed and fell, that the Blackrock Knights and Iron Mountain Knights present belatedly realized what had happened.

Compared to the Blackrock Knights' surprise, the Iron Mountain Knights were having a nightmare.

They stared in disbelief at Lord Denham, who had fallen to the ground and been captured, and then at Jax, the Bronze Knight, who was also unconscious. They were completely dumbfounded.

Both of our Bronze Knights have been sent. What should we do next? Urgent!

……

On the barren, rocky ground, looking at Lord Denham bound hand and foot with "iron chains," Roy breathed a sigh of relief, a heavy weight slowly lifted from his heart.

From the time he traveled to the present, the enemy who had been pressing down on him has finally been defeated.

In fact, Roy still had one trump card he hadn't played during the battle with Lord Denham, the Lord of Iron Mountain.

That was Shanika, the healing witch who had been hiding all along.

Shanica's ability is healing, and it seems to have no offensive capabilities. However, in reality, even without any training, the witch's physical abilities are at the lowest level among knights of the same rank.

Shanika's total magic power is around 40, which is equivalent to a Silver Knight. Just based on her physique, she is a very strong fighter.

Moreover, who says healing abilities can't be aggressive?

Having been exposed to a wealth of information from his past life, Roy knew very well that everything in the world is relative.

A good medicine that can save lives can become a deadly poison when the dosage is too high.

In terms of combat power, Lilia alone, with her Shadow Magic, could keep all of the Iron Mountain Lord's knights here.

However, she was wary of Lord Denham's witch control device and therefore dared not act rashly.

In that situation, facing a pincer attack from both Red and Roy, Lord Denham had no time to use the witch controller, which gave the Shadow Witch Lilia an opportunity.

As agreed with Roy, she did not hesitate to "backstab" Lord Denham. The black dagger made of shadow magic pierced Lord Denham's heart, but did not damage it. Instead, it turned into a web of shadow that enveloped his heart.

The heart is the source of life, and it is an extremely important organ for both witches and knights.

His heart is controlled by the shadow magic. Even if Lord Denham awakens, he will be in a "weak state" and unable to use his fighting spirit, with no chance of breaking free.

As for the Shadow Witch Lilia, as long as Lord Denham is controlled and not killed, her sister, the Light Witch Vivian, will not die due to the witch controller.

As for the uncontrollable contamination on Vivian's body...

That was the content of the deal between Lilia and Roy.

……

"call……"

Roy let out a soft breath and turned his gaze toward the direction of the Iron Mountain Knights.

Currently, they have eliminated the two leaders of the enemy camp, and what remains are the regular knights.

He turned his head and glanced at the Shadow Witch Lilia beside him. She immediately understood and disappeared into the shadows. When she reappeared, she was already at the rear of the Iron Mountain Knights' ranks.

Red, who was standing to the side, didn't need Roy's reminder. He rode his warhorse to the left side of the Iron Mountain Knights.

Meanwhile, the Healing Witch Shanika appeared on the right side of the Iron Mountain Knights' ranks at some unknown time. She removed her full-coverage helmet, revealing long, light golden hair. A faint white light emanated from her, forming a floating white sphere of light in her hand, confirming her identity as a witch.

With Roy himself, he completely blocked the Iron Mountain Knights' escape route from all four directions: front, back, left, and right.

Roy stared intently at the Iron Mountain Knights before him and said in a low voice, "Now, lay down your weapons and surrender, or die!"

He took off his helmet, revealing a handsome face. His black hair fluttered in the wind, and his brown pupils held a resolute and determined gaze.

He wasn't joking.

These Iron Mountain Knights witnessed the Shadow Witch Lilia's attack. Although Lilia's attack was "instructed" by Lord Denham, and even if the temple investigated, it wouldn't implicate him, these knights had to surrender as a precaution. Otherwise, he wouldn't mind leaving all of them here.

Of course, even if they surrendered, these knights would still have the possibility of leaking information, but the possibility would be greatly reduced.

If these knights still managed to get the message out despite being under the watchful eyes of multiple witches, then they were certainly capable.

When Roy removed his helmet, his strikingly distinctive face immediately stunned the Blackrock Knights.

Young Master Roy?!

Wasn't he captured by the temple?

How would it appear here.

Numerous questions arose in their minds, but the situation at this moment did not allow the Blackrock Knights to ponder them further. The return of Roy, the lord's son, coupled with the fact that "the advantage is on our side," greatly boosted the morale of the Blackrock Knights. Five knight squad leaders each led a five-man knight squad to encircle the area from the outer edge.

Two bronze knights, two witches, and thirty regular knights—such a lineup would be no match for Lord Denham, the lord of the Iron Mountain Territory, and his squire Jax, even if they were still alive and in good condition.

The Shadow Witch alone is enough to slaughter them all here.

The terror of the witch is a consensus among all the people of the empire.

Instinctively, the Iron Mountain Knights turned their gaze to Anduru, the "little giant" at the front of the group.

With the lord and his squire unconscious, Anduru, the "Little Giant," became their subconscious leader, being the strongest among them.

Andru, the "little giant" who was the focus of everyone's attention, felt his scalp tingle.

Imagine what it would be like to be stared at by four powerful individuals whose strength far surpasses your own?

Without hesitation, Andru, the "Little Giant," released the giant axe he was holding, letting it fall to the ground: "I surrender."

Andrós understood the situation very well.

Despite his tall and imposing stature, which might suggest he has more muscle than brains, he is actually very meticulous.

Andru's "arrogant" demeanor during his previous battle with Tom was largely at the behest of Lord Denham, who wanted to provoke Red into making a move in the second match.

Andru had seen the portrait of Roy, the son of the Iron Mountain Lord, long ago, so he recognized Roy the moment he took off his helmet.

The current situation is that Lord Denham, the lord of Iron Mountain, has been defeated and captured alive, and his squire, Knight Jax, is still unconscious. In the "war of territorial merger," Iron Mountain has completely lost.

According to imperial law, the territory of the loser in a "territorial consolidation war" will be incorporated into the victor's territory.

In other words, from today onwards, the lord of Iron Mountain Territory will no longer be Lord Denham, but Roy, who will soon become the lord!

Realizing this, Anduru decisively chose to surrender.

He could feel the undisguised, icy killing intent in Roy's eyes.

The reputation of a surrendering knight is indeed terrible, but it is insignificant compared to his own life.

With the surrender of "Little Giant" Anduru, the Iron Mountain Knights dropped their weapons and chose to surrender.

Thus, the war for territorial unification came to a perfect end.

Chapter 43 Letter from the Duke

The surrendered Iron Mountain knights removed their weapons and armor and, escorted by the Blackrock Territory people, returned to Blackrock Territory.

They will be temporarily detained in Blackstone Prison pending further processing.

Roy was not worried about the riots of these Iron Mountain Territory knights.

Unlike bronze knights, formal knights lack battle aura. Without their armor and weapons, they are like tigers with their claws and fangs removed and those suffering from serious illness. Their threat level is greatly reduced, and they are no match for formal knights of the same level who are fully equipped.

A knight's combat prowess differs drastically depending on whether they are equipped with gear or not.

When Roy and his men escorted the surrendered knights of Iron Mountain Territory back to Blackstone Territory, they were greeted by deafening cheers and jubilation from the people.

The victory in Blackrock Territory, coupled with the return of the lord's son Roy, brought them double joy. How could they not be happy?

Although it is unclear why Roy was not imprisoned by the temple as rumored, this is not important to the people of Blackrock Territory.

The important thing is that Roy returned safely.

In this era, whether a territory has a lord is a very important matter.

It was more than an hour later when the enthusiasm of the people was dealt with and the Iron Mountain Knights were properly detained.

In front of the Blackrock Lord's mansion.

Twenty full-fledged knights were ready to go, full of vigor. Red rode his tall warhorse in front of the knights, his eyes also filled with excitement.

Normally, the size of a territory is linked to the rank of nobility, and the situation of "territory merging and fighting" is very rare.

The combined area of ​​Blackstone Territory and Iron Mountain Territory is almost the same size as a baron's territory.

In a sense, the Tulumbel family also completed its first expansion of its family territory.

And he, Red, as the assistant to young master Roy—no, from now on he will be respectfully addressed as "Lord Roy"—as a meritorious contributor to Lord Roy's great achievements in expanding the family, will also leave a significant mark! And when Lord Roy is promoted to a high nobility in the future, he may very well have the opportunity to become a true nobleman himself!

Beside Red was Roy, who was half a body length ahead of him, having removed his helmet and armor and wearing only light clothing.

With the war for territorial consolidation over, he no longer needed to hide himself.

He left ten regular knights and the healing witch Shanika to guard Blackstone Territory, and then he went to officially take over Iron Mountain Territory.

Looking back at the knights behind him, Roy forcefully swung his sword-wielding right hand forward: "Let's go!"

"Yes!"

The knights shouted in unison, and then, led by Roy, they surged forward like a black torrent toward Iron Mountain Territory.

……

After entering Ironstone Territory, the surrounding plants and trees gradually decreased, and in the end, only rubble remained.

Two hours later, Roy and his companions arrived at the gates of Iron Mountain Fortress.

Looking at the tightly closed gate ahead, Roy glanced at Red, who understood and immediately stepped forward, shouting:

"In the war of territorial consolidation, the Tulumbel family won a great victory. Lord Denham and his squire Jax, along with forty regular knights, have all been captured."

"From this day forward, the Denham family ceases to exist!"

"Open the door right now!"

"Welcome to your new lord, Lord Roy Tulumber!"

The booming voice of the Bronze Three-Star Knight made the pebbles on the ground tremble slightly.

A dozen seconds later, the tightly closed gates of the fortress slowly opened.

To Roy's surprise, the knights who emerged from the fortress gates were not the Iron Mountain Territory knights he had expected, but five tall knights fully armed, with the emblem of the Purple Thorn Sword printed on their red cloaks on their chests and backs.