Adopting the Male Protagonist Changed the Genre - Chapter 240

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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 240

Through Ophelia’s memories, I learned.

That this country’s king was an even more petty and cowardly human than I had thought.

‘After winning the war against the demons, I might end up facing the royal court next.’

Mulling over a future that didn’t feel like a joke at all, I headed to the great conference room where the staff officers and strategists had gathered.

In the great conference room where the lights hadn’t gone out once during the war, red-eyed staff officers surrounded a massive map spread across the table.

“What’s the situation!”

“The 2nd Knight Order has been split in two!”

The voice of the soldier explaining the battlefield situation using a telescope was completely hoarse, but his vigor was no different from the beginning.

At the soldier’s report, the staff officers moved the chess pieces on the map and immediately ordered tactical modifications.

“This is the final defense line that absolutely cannot be breached. Send Marquess Allenka’s forces that way.”

“We need to combine Marquess Silli’s troops to form a minimal battalion unit.”

I listened to the staff officers’ debates and gradually grasped the overall situation.

Unlike Hound’s words that it seemed evenly matched, thanks to the successful surprise attack, as time passed, the tide of war began to flow favorably for the Northern Allied Forces.

Today’s battle, which had started as soon as the sun rose, was scheduled to continue through the night.

Hopeful opinions were exchanged that if they could just endure tonight, they could crush the demon army with attacks from both front and rear, but no one let their guard down.

What we were facing wasn’t demons with beast-level thinking, but an army of demons borrowing human wisdom.

“Tonight will be the turning point.”

At someone’s muttered words, the atmosphere in the conference room grew heavy.

The people in this room were staff officers who couldn’t participate in actual combat. After the planned tactics were successfully executed, there was little left for them to do.

Just pray that as many people as possible would survive.

The staff officers recited prayers with haggard faces and spoke the name of god, but I alone never spoke god’s name.

I only recalled Sir Cheri’s promise to return safely, over and over again.

* * *

Evening, as the sun slowly began to set.

Having cleverly learned how to read tactical maps, I held my breath and watched the staff officers’ expressions every time our army’s pieces advanced one step, two steps across the map.

It was when hope first began to form on their gradually brightening faces.

A heavy horn sound I had never heard before rang out, cutting through the darkness.

At first it was very faint, but soon that sound shook Baluashten Castle like a tsunami approaching from afar.

I didn’t know the complex tactical terms or hand signals the staff officers used, but I could instinctively sense that this horn sound was no ordinary matter.

Soon the castle became bustling, and Sir Penandel, who couldn’t even remove his armor stained with stench and blood, burst into the great conference room.

“Sir Penandel! Why on earth did you order a retreat!”

Ignoring the staff officers’ outcries, Sir Penandel took his place at the table, removed his helmet, and threw out a single statement.

“The 2nd Battalion in the center has been annihilated. Currently, mages and priests are putting up barriers to block the enemy forces, but they won’t last even a few hours.”

His blood-stained hand roughly knocked over the map pieces that had been lined up to block the entrance to the Barrier Forest.

Only after those pieces rolled and fell under the table did the staff officers finally find their voices.

“But why… why was the 2nd Battalion suddenly annihilated?”

“…’That thing’ appeared.”

That thing? Everyone’s gaze focused on Sir Penandel. As if he didn’t want to speak these words, he answered with a bitter expression.

“The Demon King.”

The Demon King. Everyone knew of its existence, but no one had seen it during the war.

Because of this, perhaps they had been secretly thinking.

That something like a Demon King didn’t exist in the first place.

However, Sir Penandel’s words completely denied their thoughts.

“Having seen it and paid the price of fighting against it, I made a judgment as deputy commander.”

Sir Penandel’s gaze, which had been thoroughly scanning the map, lingered on Sir Cheri’s surprise army.

Soon, as if he had made up his mind, he spoke.

“The current central army lacks the strength to withstand the Demon King. Therefore, we must decide. Will we retreat as is, or will we face death and resist?”

At Sir Penandel’s words, the atmosphere in the conference room grew heavy.

After that, fierce debates ensued, but time passed without reaching any conclusion.

The North’s retreat meant humanity’s retreat and the continent’s destruction. Everyone had participated in this war with such feelings, so they could neither easily retreat nor decide to resist.

How long had such meaningless time passed?

A streak of light crossing the dark night sky flashed like a phantom. It was a dazzling cluster of light that made one forget the dismal atmosphere of the meeting.

“That… isn’t that magic?”

As soon as someone’s words fell, a massive magic circle adorning the night sky spread over the battlefield like fireworks.

A magic circle so beautiful that just looking up at it seemed like it would blind one’s eyes.

“Wide-area attack magic…”

Leo, who had been occupying a corner of the great conference room with me, whispered as if terrified.

Everyone’s gaze turned to Leo.

“Young master, do you know what kind of magic that is?”

The staff officers pressed him with questions, but Leo couldn’t take his eyes off the magic circle and ran straight out to the balcony.

“This is my teacher’s mana. But…”

Just as Leo was about to explain something.

With a sound like a beast howling, the massive magic circle spat out dark red lightning.

Boom!

Heaven and earth roared and the ground shook.

However, the lightning didn’t stop at just once. Like divine punishment, it fell repeatedly, targeting only one place.

“Oh, it seems to be the Magister’s attack magic!”

“Perhaps he noticed the Demon King’s presence?”

“If we ride this momentum, we might not need to retreat…”

While the staff officers couldn’t hide their excitement, I couldn’t take my eyes off Leo, whose face had turned pale.

“Leo, do you know what kind of magic that is?”

“…”

“Chaser is safe… right?”

At those words, Leo finally turned his head toward me, bit his lower lip hard, then shook his head.

“I don’t know…”

As soon as those words fell, I immediately seized Cao’s vision.

The numerous Shadow Crows I had released onto the battlefield.

During the day, they hid in the shadows of our allies, then observed the battlefield situation when night came.

The visions the Caos saw flashed in my mind like snapshots with flickering flashes.

Blood pooled like puddles after rain.

Blood-soaked ground and people fallen in a tangled mess.

Every time I stole the vision of the Caos watching the battlefield, heat rose in my head, but I didn’t stop.

“Lady Belinda?”

The Shadow Crow hidden in Chaser’s shadow. I had to find it.

So I could confirm that my ominous prediction was wrong.

“Lady Belinda!”

I heard Leo’s urgent voice calling me, but I couldn’t answer.

Click, as if something had engaged, the scene I had been searching for unfolded before my eyes.

Torn butterfly wings were fluttering like snowflakes.

Standing on the blackened, devastated ground were only three.

The Demon King and Ophelia, burned and battered but still standing.

Chaser’s lips moved toward Ophelia. I couldn’t tell what he was saying, but I could clearly see Ophelia’s face contorting horribly.

Soon she slowly approached Chaser and muttered a few words.

Chaser, who smiled coldly, reached out and grasped Cao’s neck.

In Chaser’s gray eyes looking at me, at Cao, there was no trace of the brilliant mana that had once been there.

Eyes that had lost their vitality and died black.

I know those eyes. On the day he came back from killing the Magister, his eyes had looked exactly like this when not even a trace of mana remained.

“No, Chaser….”

The words I unconsciously let slip, however, did not reach Chaser.

Soon, Chaser’s mouth began to move slowly.

‘Don’t look at this, Protagonist.’

With that as the last, the connection with Cao was severed.

“Lady Belinda!”

Leo supported me as I collapsed on the spot.

However, I couldn’t even give him a proper response.

Chaser’s eyes that had turned toward me at the very end.

Those pupils held a violet hue, evidence of dark magic.

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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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