Adopting the Male Protagonist Changed the Genre - Chapter 237

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 237

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Later, the employees of Baluashten Castle who reminisced about ‘that day’ would often say this.

What was meant to come had come.

At dawn, the sound of bells rang out from watchtowers standing at regular intervals along the boundary of the Barrier Forest, signaling an alert.

Listening to the bells ringing madly as if foretelling the end of the world, the Northern Allied Forces in battle formation stood guard at the passages of the withered forest.

As the pale sun began to rise beyond the horizon.

In the distance, something like a pitch-black plague of soldiers could be seen surging forward, trampling the light of sunrise.

A path to the continent opened with a width of about fifty paces.

The demonic beasts set foot in the withered Barrier Forest like evil spirits trying to escape through the crack of a hellgate opened to the human world.

Thud. Thud.

The earth trembled.

Deputy Commander Penandel, standing at the very front of the Northern Allied Forces, raised his right arm and quietly commanded.

“Prepare for battle.”

The taut sound of archers drawing their bowstrings followed, and the spearmen in the front row of the allied forces gripped their spears.

The remaining distance until contact was about fifteen paces.

However, the attack signal did not come.

Ten paces.

It was when the fierce glowing eyes of the demonic beasts became visible close enough to see right before them.

“Attack!”

Penandel shouted and thrust his right arm forward.

With the sound of cutting through wind, thousands of arrows poured down like a torrential rain toward the demonic beasts.

The demonic beasts running at the very front were pierced by spears thrust by the spearmen and collapsed, only to be trampled by the demonic beasts following behind them.

Even so, they could not stop the horde of demonic beasts surging forward like a tide.

Just as the claws of a demonic beast were about to crush Penandel’s head at the very front.

Crackle!

A barrier rose from the ground and blocked the army of demonic beasts. Inside the barrier, a scene of utter chaos unfolded.

Penandel immediately sent the next signal.

“All forces retreat five steps! Match the timing when the mages’ barrier disappears! Spearmen, forward!”

Afterward, a war of attrition led by the Magic Tower mages’ barriers continued.

The sluggish but effective defensive battle continued for four more days after that.

When the archers had shot arrows all day until their arms were about to fall off, and the Magic Tower mages fell one by one from mana exhaustion, the allied forces had to retreat to the forest boundary area.

It felt like facing a natural disaster rather than demonic beasts. It was when such helplessness began to gradually consume the allied forces.

“Withdraw the barrier for a moment.”

A cold voice tinged with frost.

Where the exhausted soldiers looked, there stood Cesar wearing an iron mask with his selected elite knights, and the Holy Knights led by a cardinal from the Holy Empire.

In contrast to the Holy Knights who called themselves God’s Iron Hammer, the Northern knights all wore fierce masks and had such a murderous atmosphere that they could hardly be considered allies.

The moment the Duke crossed the barrier and stood before the demonic beasts.

Winter came again to the North that had welcomed summer. The ground began to freeze around him, and finally, breath could be seen escaping from exhaled air.

“Your Eminence the Cardinal.”

“…Yes, yes.”

Lionel, who had momentarily lost his words at the level of aura that Cesar had achieved, answered a beat late.

Clang.

The sword blade rang as Cesar, holding a pitch-black magic sword in his hand, pointed at the knights with his chin and commanded.

“Please cast a holy barrier so that the curse of the demonic beasts cannot reach them.”

Lionel, who had been hastily reciting prayers, called out to stop Cesar who was trying to face the horde of demonic beasts ahead of him.

“Your Grace! If you advance that far, you will be outside the holy barrier!”

Cesar did not answer. However, Lionel soon realized that silence was as good as an answer.

Cesare Baluashten.

For him, who was born with the strongest supernatural ability among all the Dukes in history, a holy barrier was not necessary in the first place.

The demonic beasts fell helplessly like paper dolls to Cesar’s swinging sword, but their blood did not flow on the ground. Because the moment they were pierced by his sword, even their hot blood froze.

That day, Lionel could understand, even if just a little, why the Northern knights were called the strongest knights, and why the King of Jenos Kingdom was so wary of the House of Baluashten.

* * *

The strategy established considering the terrain, characteristics of demonic beasts, and even the mages’ magic meshed like gears, allowing the allied forces to block the demonic beasts without major damage.

On the day when three weeks had passed since the war began.

The forest’s decay gradually spread, increasing the area that needed to be defended, and demonic beasts were still endlessly surging forward.

Nevertheless, hope that they might somehow survive spread through the allied forces like wildfire.

However, as if mocking that hope, an incident occurred that broke the precariously maintained balance.

“Your Grace! Please dodge!”

Cesar, who would step forward and sweep through the battlefield whenever the allies were pushed back, had been injured.

The injury was so deep that he could not even support his own body and had to rely on Penandel to escape the battlefield.

Not only the allies, but also the dark mages including Ophelia on the demonic beast army’s side clearly saw that sight.

‘This is the chance.’

Liam, a dark mage and assassin who had entrusted his body to Ophelia, realized that now was exactly the time to move.

In the middle of the night, Liam, who had received orders from Ophelia, set foot in the Northern castle. No one suspected him wearing the uniform and helmet of an allied soldier.

In fact, even if he had not disguised himself, he would not have received much suspicion. The allied forces had designated only the demonic beasts as enemies and were obsessed with preventing them from setting foot on human land.

They had forgotten that there were humans behind the demonic beasts.

Thus, Liam was able to easily infiltrate to the deepest part of the castle by hiding in the darkness.

The process was suspiciously easy, but Liam thought it was because people were too anxious to pay attention to their surroundings.

After all, hadn’t the Duke of Baluashten, the focal point of the Northern Allied Forces, suffered a serious injury?

Soon, Liam, who had reached his intended destination without making a single footstep sound, recited a short prayer in front of his target’s door.

Even when he was active as an assassin, he had never accepted contracts to kill children. However, this time he was prepared to dirty his hands.

“Liam, remember. It’s because of this target that a veil has been cast over this world. To lift the veil, this task must succeed.”

Recalling the ascetic’s earnest voice, Liam picked the lock of the target’s door and entered inside.

Though he held no dagger in his hand as he headed toward the bed, his eyes glowed ominously with the remnants of dark magic.

“You’ll just have a very long, long dream. So don’t resent me.”

The moment his eyes turned purple and he was about to cast dark magic toward the figure curled up on the bed.

“Isn’t that too shameless a thing for an assassin to say?”

Chill.

At the sensation of goosebumps rising on his spine, Liam turned around. He definitely hadn’t felt any presence.

In one corner of the room, some woman was sitting in an armchair.

Liam hastily gripped his dagger, but soon after confirming the opponent’s face, he could not hide his sense of dismay.

“Marquess Blanche…”

The opponent whom the ascetic had said must never be touched.

There was no choice. He tried to retreat even if it meant abandoning the target, but his feet would not move.

Not because of any magical power, but purely because of fear. He felt so terrified that even taking a single step would risk his life.

All his senses warned him. He had to flee from this place immediately.

‘Why?’

The opponent was at most a powerless noble woman.

There was nothing about her that he, who had been active as an assassin, should fear.

Nevertheless, he was sweating cold sweat and could not move like a mouse before a snake.

The reason was soon revealed without difficulty.

【Curse…】

Just as he thought he heard an ominous voice from somewhere, a shimmering form like a mirage could be seen behind Belinda.

No, that wasn’t a mirage. Though translucent, it had a definite form. That very existence was what had terrified Liam.

The Queen of the fallen kingdom, wearing a black veil, stood firmly behind Belinda, whispering words of curse.

【Ugly man…】

“Lili, you shouldn’t discriminate against people based on their appearance.”

【Ugly man… exterminate…】

“Yes, yes. I understand your desire to curse people indiscriminately, but unfortunately, that one isn’t your prey.”

Belinda, who had been soothing Lili, rose from her seat with an incomparably more murderous expression than before.

“How dare you enter Leo’s room without permission.”

“…”

Hesitating. Just as Liam barely took one step back, he heard a presence behind him.

Belinda spoke toward over Liam’s shoulder, who couldn’t even think to turn around.

“Now, it’s time to repay the favor.”

The figure that had been quietly crouched on the bed slowly began to rise.

She commanded mercilessly toward him.

“Hound, tear him apart.”

Watching Belinda speak as if she had been waiting for this moment, Liam realized.

That he had fallen into a trap.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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