Your Majesty's money, why don't you engrave my name on it?

Those who managed to escape became the luckiest group—although they were immediately surrounded by other mercenaries who arrived, at least they didn't suffer the same miserable fate as those around Dubler.

"Clang!" The still-dripping blood skull crashed to the ground, its jagged, malevolent features now filled with countless pieces of flesh. In its gaping maw, von Dahl's meticulously sculpted, gleaming teeth held several strands of fresh blood, clearly torn from someone's body. The mercenaries who had just been convinced they could defeat Raslaufer with sheer numbers were now scattered and fleeing, leaving behind only a dozen mangled corpses.

Raslaufer lowered his head and looked at the face that was pale with a golden hue due to extreme fear—there was still one person who hadn't escaped; it wasn't that he didn't want to, but that he couldn't run away.

"I'm...I'm sorry...?" The first soldier to hug Raslaufer now only regretted not being killed in the chaos. He looked at Raslaufer's shiny, blood-red mask and forced a trembling smile. "I want...a quick death...is that alright?"

Raslaufer used his left hand to lift the visor, then grinned at the other man.

"What do you say?"

Upon hearing that heart-wrenching wail, both Philia and Verveti, who were fighting on the other side, turned pale.

"That's... the person you absolutely must kill?" Philia gritted her teeth, slashing down a mercenary with her sword, and roared at Verveti, "Tell me, why is he still standing here! Is it because our strength is insufficient?!"

He created the illusion that he was still active along the Moser River, and mobilized all his elite troops there to strike the reinforcements under Raslaufer. He did succeed, but this success was never complete—all because of those few ruthless characters!

Vilviti glanced to the side and, out of the corner of his eye, saw a poet holding a mattress and another woman wielding a coral dagger suppressing one of the sorcerers he had brought. The other sorcerer was in no better shape; the unicorn and its companion were telepathically connected, dodging the barrage of spells time and again, and instead managing to constantly shake the barriers it had erected.

At this rate, their defeat is probably only a matter of time...

Verveti denied his earlier opinion: time was no longer an issue, because he saw that Dubler, who was seriously injured but still capable of fighting, moved again and charged towards one of the sorcerers!

"Damn it, damn it, damn it..." The black-robed man, who was being attacked by Daisy and Mary, could no longer maintain his mysterious image: his hood was ripped open, revealing a bald head covered with black patterns. He saw Leslaufer approaching, but there was nothing he could do. He could only take a deep breath and, without warning, spew out a large fireball that swept towards his two opponents.

As a warlock, not an ordinary mage, his spells, influenced by that great being, were extremely difficult to deal with—a point he always took pride in. But for some reason, this trait failed him when facing these two women. His dragon breath spell, cast instantly, had been completely unpredictable and impossible to dodge, yet the poet seemed to have foreseen it and retreated beforehand. The other, though slightly slower to react, was incredibly agile, suffering only a burnt patch on her clothing—as if she had already planned her escape!

"Instant cast of Super Magic... another two spell points," Daisy muttered to herself, though only she and the devil in the glass probably knew what she was calculating. "Even if you're an eighth-level sorcerer, you've already used Super Magic. I know reality and written rules aren't always the same, but you've reached about the limit with this level of power, haven't you?"

What nonsense are you talking about?

The black-robed sorcerer stared at Daisy with a gloomy expression. For some reason, he had the feeling that all his actions were under her control, even though she was clearly just a bard. Could it be that she also possessed the aptitude to learn and cast arcane spells like a mage?

The situation was far from optimistic, leaving him little time to think. As Mary attacked again, he let out a muffled groan from his still-warm nostrils, and roaring flames immediately enveloped his feet, giving him explosive speed to dodge Mary's sure-fire sword strike. At the same time, blazing flames rose along his path, forcing Mary and Daisy to shift positions to avoid being burned by the scorching trail.

But all of this... is just on the surface.

Watching the two shift positions, the warlock couldn't help but reveal a smug smile. On the surface, he intended to use the high-temperature flames he obtained through magic to harm his opponent, but in reality, he was using them to outline a simple magic circle on the ground. In this way, he could achieve the goal with less magic power consumption...

"Uh?"

The black-robed sorcerer suddenly stopped in his tracks. Just now, he felt as if he had been pricked on the back of the neck by something like a needle—but in the midst of the current chaos, it was unlikely to be a stray arrow or anything like that. Even he should have been able to sense it beforehand.

He instinctively raised his hand, wanting to touch the spot where he had been stung, but he could no longer do so.

As his body stiffened and fell backward, the lingering flames immediately set his body ablaze. The brief, distant stinging pain brought the warlock back to his senses for a fleeting moment, and in that instant, he finally realized the cause of his death.

"It's...highly poisonous..."

His soul drifted up, and in the murmurs of his subconscious, he heard a sinister laugh from the little devil.

Please take one day off.

I caught a cold from the air conditioning -_-

Chapter 608 The Warlock's Pathogenic Radiation

The two men in black robes, as rare and powerful spellcasters, could be considered the backbone of Philia and Verveti's side. Now that one of them has been lost, the unease and restlessness quickly turned into a plague, spreading throughout the army.

And those most affected were undoubtedly his companions. The only remaining black-robed figure was currently entangled by Angrita and Verunara. The unicorn was surrounded by a shimmering pale gold magical field, protecting both herself and Annie within it, rendering most of the sorcerer's spells ineffective. On the contrary, both the unicorn's kicks and horn rams were enough to profoundly affect the defensive barrier he had created—this battle was unequal from the very beginning.

Veruna was no novice celestial being; she had come to this world long ago. She knew very well how to use her power, those four iron hooves that were far stronger and more powerful than those of ordinary horses, donkeys, or mules.

"Enough!" The increasingly agitated warlock roared, spewing gray-green arcane light from his eyes and nostrils. A surge of magic gathered around him, and the unicorn that had just passed by tried to pull Angrita away from the area enveloped by his power, but it was too late. The raging green light transformed into a terrifying, skeletal maw, expanding outwards from the warlock, instantly devouring him, his horse, and the surrounding soldiers!

"Are you warlocks unreasonable?!"

On the other side, Daisy, who had just thought she could take a short rest, let out a strange cry, but her hands and movements were not slow at all. Just as Angrita and Verunara were pulled into the range of the green light, a barrier that could resist the corrosive effects of the poison fell on Angrita's body along with the music. However, Angrita still let out a painful cry. As the green light dissipated slightly, Verunara, who was burned all over her body, leaped out of the air and barely landed on a nearby rock with Angrita on her back.

"What...what kind of magic is this?" Its eyes, usually as gentle as a lake, seemed to freeze at this moment. Even though its white fur was now stained with torn flesh, the unicorn's voice showed no tremor or pain, only questioning of the caster: "What have you done to us?"

She was panting heavily, as if she had just suffered a great loss of energy. Angrita, on her back, was equally exhausted. What was even more puzzling was that they, along with the other beings shrouded in the sorcerer's spell, were all enveloped in a strange green glow.

Angrita struggled to sit up, but the weight of her body forced her to lean back against Veruna's back once more. Her face was burning and flushed, sweat streaming down her face in this season long past the height of summer. The Balanced Breastplate had helped her resist some of the damage, but to her shock and dismay, she could clearly feel that the protective barrier Daisy had erected for her was completely ineffective!

This spell, the power it displays is not highly poisonous!

"I really like judging the types of arcane spells by their colors, huh?" The black-robed sorcerer laughed as he panted, slowly making his way towards Angrita, who was too exhausted to run any further. Being at the center of this "pathogenic radiation," even he, as the spellcaster, could not escape its effects. But in doing so, he could trigger the entire radiation event, dragging everyone in here in, leaving them no chance of escape!

"Come on! Welcome, Miss Death!" He spread his arms exaggeratedly, approaching Angelita in a half-mad manner. "I should let you taste the pain of losing loved ones—hmm?"

With a clang, the light of the shield spell flashed and disappeared in front of the warlock, deflecting a dark arrow thrown from a distance to the ground, and also causing the man's voice to quickly turn furious.

"You think this little trick can kill me, end my spell?! Are your brains in your asses?! Ah!" His already unsteady steps became even more unsteady, but his speed increased. "You're all a bunch of idiots, die!!"

The bard, like Mary, stared wide-eyed as the sorcerer launched his charge, but there was nothing they could do to stop him—the usual "humanoid nukes" were just talk, but this guy was genuinely radioactive!

“Zhengling, if all else fails, how about I give you one-twelfth of your soul?” Realizing she seemed to have exhausted all other options, Daisy had no choice but to turn to a higher level of power. “You should save Annie first…”

The soul I've been longing for is now right in front of me, but the devil seems to scoff at it: "Are you still paying off your loan? One-twelfth... Why don't you give me one-hundred-twentieth a month for ten years?"

"Just wait and see. I don't even need to lift a finger; this guy with only one horn on his head can handle it."

Daisy, still somewhat skeptical, temporarily reassured herself. Meanwhile, Leslaufer, unaware of her conversation with the demon, saw the sorcerer heading straight for Angrita. Dopler flipped a nearby soldier high into the air, snapping his back against his knee before immediately shifting his target. The heavy, black-flame greatsword trailed a long cloud of dust across the ground; before the sorcerer could even react, it was upon him!

The deadly radiation indiscriminately struck Reslaufer, but instead, a more terrifying green flame rose from the metal of the broken sword, seemingly capable of burning away even the invisible and intangible radiation energy, leaving Dople completely unaffected. He charged forward, his greatsword slashing down, shattering the shields and armor before him. Their owners and the fragments of arcane energy were instantly and unevenly scattered across the surrounding battlefield!

Along with the caster, the pathogenic radiation that had seemed unstoppable just moments before also dissipated.

“As expected…” Veruna shook the mane behind her neck. As the radiation dissipated, a holy radiance began to envelop her and Angrita, healing all their pain and illnesses—Zheng Ling was right, she could indeed handle this situation.

The damage and side effects caused by the spell could not be avoided, but she could indeed heal it. However, in order to verify some things, the unicorn delayed the healing time slightly.

Queen Larri made the right decision; she should indeed have chosen Angreta Matt as her companion, and not just for the reasons she had previously stated—

It might not have worked before, but the girl's safe presence lately has been able to stop this Dobler from sliding uncontrollably in the direction he came from.

Chapter 609 Both Sides Suffer Losses

Now that the second and last man in black robes has lost his life, there is no reason to continue the battle.

"Take that man's body, and retreat!" Philia made a decisive decision, immediately ordering her messenger to relay the retreat order to all directions. Just as the messenger was about to leave, the old general grabbed her wrist. "Remember, relay the order in batches, and retreat in order. Retreating is not shameful; what is shameful is a disorderly rout!"

"Tell the last few groups that the general will be with them!"

As for where General Philias would be with them, those people would never know.

"Look! They're retreating!" Angelita, still feeling dizzy from the spell, struggled to observe the battlefield. Seeing the enemy's lines shift, she immediately shouted, "We should press our advantage!"

“Wait, Annie, they haven’t collapsed!” Veruna, feeling a squeeze in her ribs and abdomen, quickly spoke up. “If we rush in, we’ll probably be surrounded instead—think about why we were ambushed in the first place?”

Long-distance raids are never a good idea in warfare. Successful campaigns are often remembered, but that's because the blood and tears of the defeated are far more gruesome. Now that they have repelled the ambush and even killed one of the high-ranking sorcerers, the sensible thing to do is to focus on finishing off the remaining enemies.

Although Veruna had never commanded a battle, when the Elven King who led the elves in the battle of Kolasund gave orders, her ear was only a fraction of a second farther from his mouth than it is now with Angrita.

“But…” Angelita gritted her teeth. She turned to look at Leslaufer, only to find that Dople had also stopped. Instead of giving chase, he began directing the leaders of several battle groups to gather their troops and count the casualties.

"Uncle Leslaufer? They—"

Dobul looked up at her. Although he was the most bloodthirsty among those still standing there, while everyone else was busy cleaning up the mess or even chasing after Philia's retreat for a short distance, he simply strode forward, walking step by step toward her.

“You should try harder,” Raslaufer’s icy blue eyes swept over Verunara, causing even the unicorn to tremble slightly, but the man’s thoughts were clearly not on her, but rather on Angrita on horseback. “Are you alright? I saw you were affected by that spell…”

"I-I'm fine! Look, I'm perfectly healthy now!" Angelita blushed and quickly said, "I must have been affected by that spell just now, which is why I was a little weak. You killed him, and I'm completely fine now!"

“I’m so glad you’re alright, Miss Anne,” Dieter’s voice came from behind. He had already crossed the river, and although he hadn’t participated in the fight, the young man still wiped the “cold sweat” from his forehead in a very convincing manner. “That was really dangerous, sir! I almost thought you were in real danger… Anyway, I’m so glad you’re alright!”

Dieter looked Angrita up and down as if still shaken, trying to separate the image of the valiant girl in the middle of the river, bathed in the glow of the unicorn, from the girl before him, but he couldn't. The scene looked so natural, as if she was born... to belong there.

She was definitely not the daughter of a marquis or earl. Dieter told himself this in a voice no one else could hear.

While Reslaufer and his companions were relatively unharmed, the ordinary mercenaries weren't so lucky. Although the battle ultimately ended with the enemy retreating, a headcount revealed that Reslaufer's side had lost at least one and a half times their enemy's forces, making it at best a draw. Fortunately, Reslaufer and his men's reputation and the battle they had just fought were undeniable, and although the chapter leaders were somewhat pained, none dared to voice their doubts.

“Unless that old man has dementia, there’s no way he’d ambush us a second time. Joining forces with Erwin and his men is now inevitable.” The remaining fighting and cleanup lasted almost the entire day. By evening, the troops had set up camp by the water, and everyone finally had time to reassess the situation. “But they will definitely not give up so easily. One of those two powerful sorcerers was cleaved into a pulp by Lord Raslaufer, but the other’s body was never found. They probably stole it.”

In this world, death doesn't necessarily mean the end; it might just be a brief respite. After all, they're facing a kingdom, and it's not surprising that there are priests or scrolls capable of resurrecting that warlock. It's estimated that they'll encounter that troublesome enemy again soon.

“At least Uncle Raslaufer has already killed one of them, and it’s almost impossible for him to be resurrected,” Angrita said in the tent, the firelight illuminating her face. “Then we’ll only have to deal with one, which will make things much easier for us.”

“But… is there really only one?” Mary asked with some concern. She glanced at Daisy beside her out of the corner of her eye. The poet paused for a moment, then quickly realized what she meant and continued, “The one who was kidnapped, Mary and I fought with him, and he acted strangely.”

"Explaining things like 'level,' 'spell points,' and 'super magic' to you might not be easy for you to understand, but let me just say this: the strength he has shown is somewhat stronger than he should theoretically possess."

Fortunately, neither she nor Mary were pushovers, and the little devil Barbasabalon launched a surprise attack at the last moment, succeeding in killing the enemy temporarily. Even if the enemy planned to revive him later, they would first have to deal with the little devil's toxins within his body.

“To have two geniuses like these in a kingdom like Inathas, and to act together and dress so similarly,” Daisy casually plucked the strings of her harp with one hand, while using magic to draw blurry phantoms of two black-robed figures on the table in front of them with the other. “I don’t believe it’s a coincidence. And what’s even stranger is, consider this: if they had also participated in the killing of Count Felix, would he have survived until our reinforcements arrived?”

"Even if Ironjaw and Erwin's reinforcements arrive, can they really hold out for Count Felix? Mr. Paul is acting with Erwin, but he's a... theorist."

Moreover, even if he survives, he probably can't defeat these two. According to the message relayed by his magical pet, Cole, there were quite a few spellcasters among the members who besieged the city earlier. Pol is not young, and he can't possibly gain the upper hand in a fight against these people.

But these two people just showed up like that, and they even showed a very positive attitude during the previous ambush.

“The answer is probably quite obvious,” a chapter leader said, arms crossed, his eyes darting between Leslaufer and Dieter. “Those two are ‘guest troops’ who happen to have similar needs to General Philia, and their target is right here.”

"Considering that although our battle groups have some influence, they don't seem to be that powerful... Before we continue our advance, I think it's the right thing to do is to find out exactly whose interests they're after."

Chapter 610 From Offense to Defense, From Defense to Offense

"I might have some clues about this."

Veruna, sitting in the corner with her limbs curled up, slowly raised her head. "They carry the aura of Aphrodite—those two probably didn't expect to encounter a unicorn here, so they didn't hide anything."

"Moreover, the spells they use... don't seem to be the kind of power that ordinary sorcerers could possess."

Unlike mages who acquire arcane power through theoretical and practical learning, warlocks' power comes from themselves: perhaps from the bloodline left by their ancestors, perhaps from some wondrous natural event, or even perhaps from a gift from the gods. In any case, the richness and stability of the spells obtained in this way are far inferior to those of mages. Therefore, warlocks are very rare, and those who can develop their power to its fullest extent are even rarer.

The two they encountered were clearly members of this group.

"You mean, their power might come from the devil?" Several chapter leaders were taken aback. "Could it be that the king has become a slave to the devil?"

“Devils are not to be trifled with,” another leader quickly interjected. “In that case, the whole situation becomes extremely complicated: they might summon more cultists, or even more demons! With just the few of us trekking here, we probably have little chance of winning, not to mention we just encountered an ambush…”

Although that's what they said, their eyes all turned to Dieter, who knew exactly what these guys were thinking. He snorted coldly, "Raise everyone's salary by twenty percent."

The captain's eyes immediately lit up: "...But then again, isn't helping our neighbors solve the disaster caused by the devil something we Eastern Inasas should do?"

"Even the devil wouldn't make a big fuss about this." "We still have a unicorn!"

They had already witnessed the enemy's capabilities; they were not easy to deal with, but that was all. If they were truly an insurmountable enemy, then it wouldn't just be a matter of paying more money.

Ultimately, those high-level combatants don't need them to be distracted.

Veruna watched the greedy mercenaries and realized that they weren't really confused about who the two sorcerers were after; they just wanted to gain more profit.

The previous ambush resulted in casualties among their soldiers, meaning that if the original reward remained unchanged, their share would actually be reduced.

“If you all have no questions, then I have one more,” the unicorn shook its horn. “As I mentioned earlier, they carry the scent of Avernus, and it’s not the kind of scent you can just describe as ‘passing by.’ So, why are they here?”

The Grand Duke of Avernus, the first level of the Nine Hells, is Zariel, the angel who chose to fall due to her excessive fanaticism for blood war. There has never been only one thing she was passionate about: war.

But the situation here does not align with her desires. That tyrant, his incompetence and brutality stem from his massive construction projects rather than external conquests. Why would Zariel's men be willing to assist him?

"What do you think could be the reason, Miss Daisy?"

"Huh?" The poet was taken aback, not expecting the unicorn to ask her such a question. "I have no way of knowing, really."

Although the Nine Dukes harbored their own ambitions, if Zariel truly had designs on Inathas, the demons would surely have informed each other.

The phrase "cannot know" means that it doesn't exist.

Unless... although they come from Avernus, they are not under the Grand Duke's command.

“Perhaps it’s Bayer. He was once the ruler of Avernas, but was dismissed for his poor performance in the war against the demons. Now he serves as the deputy to Grand Duke Zariel,” Zheng Ling reminded Daisy in her mind.

"In addition, you should know that Avernus has another exceptionally powerful being—but the possibility of that being is very, very small."

"You mean Tiamat?" The poet thought for a moment and agreed with Zheng Ling's opinion. "Those two should just be human. I haven't heard of any dragon worship activities here. The only one associated with dragons is that dragon-pointing Fidel, but he's in Western Inathas."

Although Felix's location is near the border between western and central Inassus, it is still considered part of the central region. In comparison, Daisy herself is more inclined to believe that Felix is ​​related to the devil.

After all, the last time they passed through this area, she and Raslaufer were invited for "tea" by the Duke of Belial, so it wasn't surprising that they encountered a devil cultist again this time.

“It would be best to wipe them out completely,” Raslaufer interrupted Daisy and Zhengling’s secret conversation, pointing at the map with his finger. “Our primary task now is to reunite with Elwin and the others, and then reclaim all the remaining lands of Morsel. Although Morsel is surrounded by the kingdom’s territory on three sides, Philia can only be stationed in one place, and if the rescued sorcerer is resurrected, he will only be with him. As long as we can figure out their locations and eliminate them, the rest are not a concern.”

"...And Philia was the tyrant's most capable general. Once his army collapsed, the remaining generals were nothing but useless trash."

Several days later, when Raslaufer and his team successfully met up with Erwin and Felix, the proposal was approved.

But the question is, where exactly did this old guy go?