Lord: My Shop Connects to Modern Times

In Frostfire City, in a luxurious merchant's residence.

Hansen slammed his wine glass down on the table with such force that Hughes, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but turn his head and look over.

"What's wrong, Hansen?" Hughes asked, taking a sip of his drink.

Hansen did not answer immediately. He glared at the shop owner in the corner, who was trembling slightly because of his movements, then picked up his wine glass again and raised his hand in a gesture.

Not far from the table, the shop owner's youngest daughter walked over shakily and refilled his glass of wine, which had been spilled.

Hansen drank it impatiently, the bitter and slightly sweet taste of the alcohol filling his mouth. Only alcohol could relieve his agitated mood.

He turned to Viscount Patrick's adjutant and said slowly, "Hughes, when do you think the reinforcements sent from the capital will arrive?"

Hughes fell silent when he heard the other person discussing this topic, and he put his wine glass back on the table.

"Who knows, it should be on its way by now."

His tone carried a slight hint of uncertainty: "After all, the capital is several days' journey from here. And it's troops from the western border that need to be mobilized; with all the procedures involved, it won't be a quick matter."

Hearing this, Hansen could only nod helplessly and continue drinking in silence.

They have been in Frostfire City for more than ten days now, and there are no longer any official nobles stationed here.

The city's original owner, Count Karl, had died, and as one of the few nobles without an heir, the place had become a no-man's land.

The other nobles either died at Raven Pass like their master, Earl Willard, or they fled to this territory but returned to their own lands in cowardice within two days.

But Hansen and his men couldn't escape. To put it bluntly, the noble lords were the masters, and they held titles, even if they were just minor barons.

And what about them?

They were soldiers, or to put it more bluntly, dogs under the command of these noble lords.

The noble lords who fled were simply punished with fines. At worst, they would be stripped of their titles.

They escaped, so they must die!

A few days ago, Duke Ivan sent a messenger claiming that the new king had organized an army in the west, along with members of the Mage Guild, to support them.

However, a long time has passed, and there has been no sign of any reinforcements.

Hansen has already started to give up somewhat.

The wine in the glass was finished again, and Hansen couldn't help but curse under his breath. He turned slightly to the side and pulled the shop owner's youngest daughter, who was standing by the table, over.

"Can't you see I'm out of wine, sir?!"

He roared, already somewhat drunk.

Not daring to offend Hansen, who was in a fit of anger, the girl smiled apologetically and, trembling, refilled his cup.

Hansen tilted his head back and took another gulp, then said, "These nobles are bastards too! That Lynn, how come he just can't take him down?! And those running idiots, a bunch of cowardly cowards!"

Hughes frowned upon hearing this: "Hansen, watch your words."

"Watch your words?! What are you afraid of?! None of those cowards are here! Right now, you and I are the bosses!"

Hansen’s tone was full of disdain and complaint.

Since the nobles fled, these leaderless soldiers have become unruly.

They beat up civilians, forcibly occupied their homes, and humiliated women; they committed almost every imaginable atrocity.

When the nobles were around, they were somewhat restrained. After all, although the nobles did such things quite often, they at least had "noble etiquette" and were not so blatant or "unreserved".

But now, the biggest force in the entire Frostfire City is their group of about four thousand "soldiers." They've done this kind of thing with their noble masters quite a bit before, so they're completely unrestrained now.

However, despite the relaxation of restrictions, Hansen did not choose to stay at the most luxurious lord's castle in the city.

They weren't stupid; they wouldn't dare do something so blatantly outrageous, for fear of being held accountable later.

But these ordinary Frostfire City residents are different; they have little status and are easily bullied.

Hansen had forgotten how many different women he had slept with in the past ten days.

He looked at the girl whose figure was somewhat blurry by the table. He had been drinking with Hughes all night, and this girl was his "sleep partner" for a while.

"Ha! Come or don't come, I'll just enjoy being an emperor for a few more days."

He snorted dismissively, then pulled the girl into his arms and began to roam freely over her body.

Hughes frowned even more, not because he thought the other person's actions were too outrageous, but because he was afraid that the other person's dazed state would delay important matters.

If the newly arrived nobles see this behavior now, they'll be in serious trouble, if not dead. Those pampered people might accept you taking action against the residents below, but they would never accept Hansen being so "barbaric".

Moreover, the group that came included members of the Dharma Masters Association.

Those mages probably see things from a different perspective than the noble lords…

boom--!!!

Just then, a deafening crash came from outside, startling Hansen so much that he dropped the wine glass in his hand.

He abruptly pushed the girl away from his arms, staggered to his feet, and the loud noise dispelled most of his drunkenness.

"What was that sound?!"

When Hughes heard the loud noise, he had already rushed to the window, pushed it open, and looked outside.

Outside, the sky was just beginning to lighten, and the morning mist shrouded Frostfire City. But at that moment, in the direction outside the city, a huge ball of fire was dissipating, and thick smoke was billowing out.

That is……

"It's over by the city gate!" Hughes' voice changed. "Damn! Someone's attacking the city!"

Hansen's mind went blank.

Siege?

Who?

Lynn?

Impossible! Absolutely impossible!

How many men does that kid have? How dare he attack the city?

When Hansen followed his master to attack Ironstone Castle, he knew the population situation of Lynn's territory.

There were approximately 3,000 people in total, but the number of soldiers could not have exceeded 800.

A few hundred against four thousand? Has he gone mad?

This is not a natural fortress like Dark Raven Pass; this is Frostfire City, which is almost entirely flat on all sides!

Without geographical advantages or numerical superiority, how dare the other side?

Could it be based on his strange weapon?

Another loud "boom" interrupted Hansen's thoughts.

This time the sound was much closer. Hansen could feel the ground shaking, and the window frames were creaking.

"Go!" He grabbed the sword hanging on the wall and staggered out.

The streets were in complete chaos.

The soldiers emerged from the various houses, some still putting on their clothes, some pulling up their trousers, and some barefoot. They looked around blankly, not knowing what had happened.

"Assemble! Assemble!" Hughes yelled, "All of you, assemble the fuck!"

But few people paid him any attention. Everyone ran around in panic.

Hansen ignored Hughes; he still couldn't believe that Lynn had attacked.

He staggered toward the city gate, but after only a few steps, the third roar rang out almost right next to his ears.

This time he saw it—a burst of fire erupted on the city gate tower, flying debris, and the figures of several soldiers assigned to guard the city fell from the city wall.

Hansen stopped, panting heavily.

He suddenly remembered the explosions at Dark Raven Pass.

Those flames that spewed from the ground.

Those dark shadows flying down the hillside.

Lynn is using this kind of weapon! And now, those weapons have actually reached Frostfire City!

"Hansen!" Hughes caught up and grabbed him. "Don't go any further! It's dangerous!"

Hansen shook off his hand.

"Dangerous?" He laughed, a laugh more like a grimace. "Where the hell isn't dangerous for us?"

He continued running towards the city gate.

When he reached the foot of the city wall, he finally saw the situation outside the city.

In the thin mist, a dark mass of people was slowly approaching from afar.

At the very front was one of those big, wheeled machines; he'd heard about it from prisoners who had escaped. Back then, the attacks coming down from the hillside at Dark Raven Pass were fired from these machines.

Hansen looked closely and realized there must be at least a dozen of these huge machines!

Behind the large vehicle were soldiers in gray uniforms, lined up in neat squares. Each of them carried one of those legendary iron pipes that could breathe fire.

Further on, there were even more people. They were dressed in messy, unkempt clothes.

Are they new recruits?

No! That's not right!

Hansen suddenly saw a familiar face.

Gail White!

He knew this person; in fact, many people in the Southern Territory knew him!

Earl Karl's chief knight! A peak-level intermediate warrior in his early twenties! Someone he once had to look up to!

Those people... were prisoners! Just over ten days ago! Those people were members of the Southern Alliance Army, just like me!

At that moment, Gale stood among the gray-clad soldiers, holding an iron pipe in his hand. His expression was calm, as if he were doing something perfectly natural.

Hansen's heart sank to the bottom.

Even Gale...

"Ready—"

A loud shout came from below the city wall, amplified by some tool so that it could be heard throughout the entire city wall.

Hansen saw the dark, gaping openings of those big guys pointing towards the city gate.

He suddenly remembered something.

How many people are left in the city?

four thousand?

But out of four thousand people, how many are truly capable fighters? How many, like him, have spent the last ten days or so drinking and womanizing?

How many people were still asleep when they were scared so badly by those few cannon shots that they wet their pants?

"put!"

boom--!!!

More than ten cannons opened fire simultaneously.

Hansen felt the entire city wall tremble, and he lost his footing, falling to the ground with a thud.

When the smoke cleared, he saw that half of the wall at the city gate had collapsed.

The city gate itself is long gone.

"Charge!"

A deafening shout erupted from below the city walls.

The gray-clad soldiers began their charge.

Hansen sat on the ground, watching the crowd surge in, his mind blank.

He remembered that he had just been complaining about how slow the reinforcements from the capital were to arrive.

He was still thinking about being "king" for a few more days.

I'm still thinking about the merchant's daughter I "favored" today.

Now, none of that matters anymore.

Because Lynn came.

This rumored cult member is the embodiment of the devil.

He's here...