"Baron Atreus…! Thank goodness…!"
The soldiers immediately walked over to me with smiles of relief.
I saw that they were the soldiers who had been injured by Baroness Cecile's attack.
One of them was a thin-cheeked, disheveled man with pale face, named Nach.
"What's wrong?" I asked calmly.
"Baron Atreus…we really panicked when you suddenly disappeared without a word these past four days. We were going to go out to look for you, even though we haven't fully recovered yet," Nach replied.
Well, going down to the dungeon, trapped in my world with Time and Dimension Magic, everything happened so quickly and unplanned.
If I had been even a day late returning here, the soldiers here would probably have panicked, and that would be bad for the stability of the Vermillion Territory.
"I'm…training, Nach. Preparing for a duel against Baroness Cecile. You know she challenged us to a duel. It's either our territory or theirs that will be destroyed," I said calmly.
"…it looks like this will be a very important duel, Baron. Many of our citizens know about Baroness Cecile's attack, and they're worried that the stability of our farms and wheat fields we've built will be destroyed again by Thornvale."
"Don't worry, Nach. I'll win."
I saw the soldiers and Leysha were pleased with my confidence, except for Nach.
He still looked worried, even though he was the leader of the soldiers.
It was truly embarrassing.
It made me wonder, what would my soldiers' future be like if their leader was like this?
"Follow me to the throne room," I ordered, walking away, my Vermillion magical robe fluttering briefly.
Leysha and the soldiers followed close behind.
After I sat on the throne, Leysha and the soldiers knelt before me.
"Listen, soldiers… I know you're shaken by your defeat against Baroness Cecile. But don't let fear and anxiety overwhelm you. We are Vermillion, the pure wizard army that will rise again!" I shouted encouragingly.
"Yes, Baron Atreus…!"
I saw the soldiers and Leysha shout enthusiastically.
I even could sense their optimism about my idea.
But Nach remained silent, his gaze blank.
Tch, I wonder what was going through his mind.
"Nach… what do you think?" I asked.
Nach remained silent.
"Nach…?"
The soldiers fell silent, confused because Nach hadn't responded.
"Nach…!" I exclaimed angrily.
"O-oh… y-yes…! Yes, Baron…! Of course, Baron…! Whatever the Baron wants, I will definitely obey…!"
Nach looked flustered.
His face was pale and covered in sweat.
His gaze darted around frequently, as if he were observing something.
I beckoned Leysha over with a gesture.
Leysha immediately approached without a word, standing next to me and bringing her face close to mine.
"What's wrong, Baron…?" Leysha whispered.
"There seems to be something strange about Nach. Stay away from him for the time being," I warned.
"Y-yes, Baron…"
"Baron Atreus…" Nach finally spoke, though his expression was still full of anxiety. "…the era of elemental and spirit magic seems to be over. If we, as Vermillion, want to advance and survive, we must switch to magical gear like those wielded by Baroness Cecile's forces."
"You want me to abandon magic and curse anyone who uses magic like Baroness Cecile?" I asked sarcastically, suppressing my anger at the stupidity of his idea.
"Not everyone in Vermillion can use magic as skillfully as you, Baron Atreus. You'll be fighting alone to defend the Vermillion Territory if you continue like this. Your enemies from other territories are numerous... and they have a large amount of magical gear and a well-trained army that can easily overrun our territory."
"I can defeat them all."
"Yes, perhaps you can... but you also have limited magical energy and troops, Baron Atreus. Our defeat by Baroness Cecile is proof of that..."
I stood up, feeling irritated.
I've never seen Nach so impudent!
He was the one excited when I repaired the dam and restored life to our farms and wheat fields, but why is he hesitating now?!
"Just one defeat against Baroness Cecile, and you're such a loser, Nach?! What a shame! For Vermillion, it's not just about winning and losing, but also the very principles of magic itself! I've seen many of our people, young men who have the power to forge and train their magical talents, becoming skilled mage warriors!" I exclaimed loudly and firmly.
Nach trembled, but he swallowed hard and mustered the courage to look back at me with a distressed expression.
"I-I think that us still standing here in the throne room after losing to Baroness Cecile is a stroke of good fortune from the gods, trying to remind us that the era of magic is over, and the era of magical gear has begun. We don't want to live as pure magic like Wizards, because King Victor Dragomir will surely destroy us."
King Victor Dragomir...?
Suddenly, Baron Atreus Vermillion's memories opened up inside my head, revealing an intense conversation between Lord Vermillion and King Victor Dragomir's messenger.
The king's messenger conveyed that Lord Vermillion must stop developing magic and switch to Magical Gear because pure magic as a Wizard is considered dangerous.
Lord Vermillion said that pure magic is indeed a key communication and collaboration channel between humans and dragons, golems, and spirits.
However, the king's messenger said that King Victor Dragomir did not want to establish relations with dragons, golems, and spirits because they were uncontrollable and had the potential to cause unwanted chaos.
I absorbed all those memories, then sat down, sweating.
"Baron Atreus...? "Are you okay?" Leysha wiped the sweat from my face with concern.
I couldn't respond immediately because I still needed time to process that crucial fragment of Baron Atreus Vermillion's memory.
Dragons.
Golems.
Sprits.
Three mythical beings that only pure magic wizards can communicate and collaborate with.
If only I could recruit them into my army, perhaps I could narrow the gap between my forces as pure wizards and the forces of other barons and baronesses who rely on magical gear.
Furthermore, perhaps I could rely on magical gear-wielding troops as additional troops as long as they were obedient and loyal to me.
"Hehe... now I understand why you're so scared, Nach. It seems you've become too reliant on magical gear, forgetting the pure magic abilities that a mage warrior should possess," I said, glaring at Nach.
"No, Baron Atreus... I've chosen to be a warrior with magical gear, not to the point of mastering pure magic," Nach replied, looking back at me.
"...even if I allow my warriors to use magical gear, you still don't want any mage warriors to master pure magic?"
"Yes, Baron... it's too dangerous for all of us. It's better for us all to become magical gear warriors..."
I chuckled, laughing at his hypocrisy.
"Idiot... have you ever think why Vermillion back to life and arise? Is it because with nonsense that you talked so much about? Of course not, idiot! Its all thanks to the power of our pure magic! The power of pure magic that is the pride of the Vermillion family!" I exclaimed loudly.
"You can say that arrogantly because you are a great wizard, Baron. But not all mage warriors possess your level of power. Even Leysha, with her considerable magical abilities, succumbed to Baroness Cecile's curse. Can you imagine if all your mage soldiers were cursed? Baroness Cecile has troops with magical gear specifically designed to carry out that curse… they're even trained in its dangerous poisons… I hope you won't be reckless and—"
Suddenly, Nach's body trembled violently.
His gaze, like a madman's, shifted from me to Leysha.
He pointed his index finger at Leysha and shouted:
"…AND YOU WILL SEE THE EVIDENCE RIGHT NOW, BARON ATREUS…!"
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
Amidst Nach's thunderous scream, I heard the faint sound of arrows leaving his bow.
My instincts were right; four arrows were swiftly heading to the throne, not aiming me, but Leysha.
There was no way Leysha could have protected herself with a magical shield because she was still under the curse!
WOOOSHH!
I immediately moved quickly using my wind magic to knock the four arrows away, which nearly struck Leysha's head and neck.
But the faint sound of the arrows could still be heard; it turned out there was still one left.
And unfortunately, this damn arrow managed to penetrate the effect of my wind magic!
Was that an anti-magic arrow?!
STAB!
Leysha and I fell.
My vision was blurry, still not understanding what was happening because my body was moving faster than I intended.
Leysha hugged me tightly, and I hoped nothing had happened to her.
But then I saw... Leysha, she was looking at me worriedly.
Good.
It turned out the poisoned arrow had landed in my back instead of Leysha's neck.
"Baron Atreus...! No...!"
"Everyone...! Secure Baron Atreus...!"
"Nach is a traitor...!"
Leysha and all the soldiers in the throne room screamed at the moment I fall.
But only one person in the throne room laughed as I collapsed.
Of course, it was the soldier who doubted me: Nach.