Blacksmithing Is Child’s Play for a Dark Mage - Chapter 98

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 98
And so it began.
Tay’s army—ten thousand Medium Skeleton Soldiers and one hundred attendants—finally raised the banner of departure.
Their destination: the south of the Salkartna Earldom.
Tay’s forces marched southward slowly, yet without hesitation.
And several days later.
Tay’s army had finally reached their objective. The Gehenna Barony—a Domain nestled in the southwestern reaches of the Salkartna Earldom.
The cherished holding of the Earl of Salkartna’s most trusted vassal. The Marquess himself had pointed directly at this place: “Strike here.” The castle walls of their very first prey.
Its name was Gehenna.
That name—meaning a burning hellish ravine—seemed to prophesy in advance the devastation that would soon unfold upon this land.
And indeed, true to its name, this place was composed of rather formidable gorges.
To pass through the southwestern reaches of the Salkartna Earldom, one had to cross the gorge fortress walls of the Gehenna Barony.
“Now that’s impressive.”
Admiration spilled unbidden from Tay’s lips as he gazed up at the fortress of the Gehenna Barony.
That castle, constructed with the labor of many mages, rose to a height of twenty-five meters.
Moreover, the fortress walls themselves were five meters thick—a thickness so staggering that a man could lie on his side lengthwise and still have considerable space remaining.
By modern standards, it was an eight-story building in height, and the thickness exceeded the width of a modest one-room apartment with ease.
It seemed less like stones stacked atop one another and more as though an entire mountain had been carved out and erected in place.
And Gehenna was no mere fortress either.
It was a legitimate trading city.
One of the major routes connecting the southern and northern regions.
Merchants from the Salkartna Earldom and the southern Domains of the Harundel Marquessate had no choice but to pass through here if they wished to sell their wares overland.
By gripping this bottleneck so tightly, Gehenna accumulated tolls simply by sitting idle—a choice piece of property indeed.
In short, it was a prime location, a vending machine of tariffs planted squarely where the roads converged.
Tay turned slightly toward Partan, who stood at his side.
“Partan, how ought we to bring down that fortress?”
Partan studied the castle for a moment, then opened his mouth gravely.
“Frontal Assault would be difficult, my lord.”
There was sound reason behind Partan’s words.
The standard doctrine of Siege Warfare in this age was, in fact, simple: encircle the castle, cut off supplies, and slowly starve those within to death.
Thus it was common to camp around a single castle for about a year, gradually tightening the noose.
Direct assault?
No one with any sense attempted such madness.
While clawing and climbing the thick fortress walls, the defenders would rain arrows, stones, and boiling oil upon the attackers—the casualties would be catastrophic.
Moreover, Gehenna was no ordinary fortress.
It was a border stronghold and a vital trade hub—among the Salkartna Earldom’s most valuable holdings.
The Earl of Salkartna, knowing its importance better than anyone, had even married off his own daughter into its ranks.
In other words, the Baron and the Earl were bound by matrimonial alliance, and Gehenna’s garrison was correspondingly formidable.
Partan began to enumerate the enemy’s forces, counting on his fingers.
“Contrary to public reports, the elite forces within number fifteen hundred. Moreover, there are four Knights stationed there.”
That was not all.
“Each Knight typically commands four or so retainers. But these retainers must not be underestimated—they are Semi-Knight Level warriors who can dispatch ordinary soldiers with ease.”
That meant four Knights plus at least twelve Semi-Knight Level retainers—a fighting force that was staggering even to contemplate.
“Most troublesome of all are the mages. One 3rd Class Mage and three 2nd Class Mages are entrenched there.”
At the mention of a 3rd Class Mage, Partan’s expression grew heavier still.
“A 3rd Class Mage would certainly have mastered area attack magic such as the Flame Burst Sphere. When it detonates in the heart of a tightly packed enemy formation, it’s a fearsome explosive magic that can incinerate dozens in a single blast.”
Of course, Tay’s Medium Skeleton Soldiers were unaffected by such attacks.
They were large-framed with thick bone structure, and even with moderate wounds they continued to function—one Flame Burst Sphere would at most destroy ten to twenty of them.
Yet even that could not be dismissed lightly.
If such explosions detonated across the battlefield in succession, losses would mount steadily.
“Furthermore, that 3rd Class Mage likely commands several apprentices—ordinarily 1st Class in standard, but they serve well enough as mana batteries and readily loose Mana Arrows.”
Partan pointed finally at the soaring fortress wall.
“And that wall itself. Magical power is woven into its structure, making it nearly impossible for standard siege weapons to leave even a scratch.”
The conclusion was clear.
“Frontal assault would be nothing short of suicide.”
Tay nodded slowly at Partan’s analysis.
Indeed, it was the flawless judgment of a seasoned veteran knight—not a single weakness in his reasoning.
“True. That’s how this age works.”
But Tay soon let out a low chuckle.
“But here’s the thing, Partan. I’m a little different.”
Common sense, after all, only worked among those who fought within its bounds. And Tay had never been that sort of man—he played outside the ring entirely.
“Time to break out what I’ve been holding in reserve.”
The dialogue box hovering above his shoulder practically vibrated with excitement.
“At last! The moment for Master’s magnificent—no, his utterly ingenious secret weapon! The fortune of Gehenna ends today!”
Partan’s eyes widened slightly. He grasped immediately what his lord intended.
“……You mean to deploy it.”
“I do.”
“I’ll make the preparations.”
* * *
Meanwhile, behind Tay’s lines.
Robert, a contract mercenary Black Mage in Tay’s employ, had been grumbling with a sour expression ever since the battle began.
“Sigh…… I never thought I’d be dragged to an actual war. Even in the rear, this is making my skin crawl.”
In truth, Tay had brought along several Black Mages on this campaign.
Though he commanded an army of pure bone soldiers, he still needed sorcerers to animate them and handle the countless minor magical tasks.
Temmi, another contract mercenary Black Mage standing nearby, clicked her tongue.
“Quit your whining. You’re a man—act like one. And they’re paying double, remember? Double.”
“But what if we die doing this?”
“Damn it, if you’re so terrified, why’d you become a contract mercenary in the first place?”
“Even so……”
“Shut your mouth. If you’re going to keep sniveling like that, rip off your manhood and hand it over—I’ll wear it and be a man twice as well as you.”
For the record, Temmi was a woman.
“……Why would I give mine to you?”
They were in the middle of this pointless bickering when—
One of Partan’s servants came sprinting over, shouting.
“Operation commence! Everyone move!”
At the order, the Black Mages snapped into frantic motion.
They spread out the heaps of bones they’d brought, then cast the Black Magic spell Bone Shaping.
The bones began to writhe as if alive, twisting and reshaping, clicking and interlocking into place.
In moments, siege weapons crafted entirely from bone sprang up like mushrooms after rain.
Zero material cost, assembly time mere minutes—with sufficient bone, Black Mages could conjure siege engines at will. No armory in the realm could match their cost-efficiency.
The Black Mages then carefully removed something from sealed containers and began loading it into the trebuchets.
The instant that ‘something’ came into view—
Robert’s head suddenly grew heavy, and his mind began to sink into an abyss. Strength drained from his entire body, and everything in the world felt utterly pointless.
“Wh…… what……?”
Temmi, standing beside him, quickly cast Mental Protection Magic over Robert.
“Hey! Snap out of it, you idiot!”
“Gasp…… th, thank you.”
“I told you to cast mental protection before loading! If you don’t follow protocol, you’re a dead man!”
“I, I’m sorry, sorry.”
Robert, barely recovered, commanded a skeleton soldier to pull the trebuchet’s release mechanism with full force.
Twang!
The trebuchet hurled the ‘something’ forcefully over the walls of Gehenna.
Thud!
What struck the ground inside the enemy’s walls was—
A sculpture, carved from bone.
A figure clutching its own head in both hands, lost in endless torment.
Bone Sculpture of Despair and Helplessness
Quality: Superior
Grade: Magical
A bone sculpture that instills in all who behold it an extreme sense of depression and helplessness.
As negative emotion reaches its peak, the afflicted falls into a state of complete incapacity.
Function: Status Ailment – Induces Extreme Depression
Function: Status Ailment – Induces Extreme Helplessness
The soldiers and townspeople inside the walls who had the misfortune of looking directly upon that grotesque sculpture—
“Uuuu……”
Sank to their knees with hands cradling their heads, some weeping, others seized by panic as their minds went blank.
Those who had been sharpening their blades and preparing for battle mere moments ago suddenly lost all will to live, collapsing in place.
And those sculptures kept coming.
Not one or two, but in waves, pouring over the walls and flooding inward.
It was as if despair itself were raining down from the heavens—a psychological bombardment unlike anything in recorded history.
The scene shifts to the top of the fortress wall.
The Baron of Gehenna cried out in bewilderment.
“What—what in the world is happening?”
Pesart, a 3rd Class Mage standing beside him, reported the situation urgently, his voice trembling.
“It’s Mental Protection Magic applied through Black Magic, my lord! To create such artifacts and fire them off like consumables……”
Even Pesart found the sight nearly impossible to comprehend.
Black Mage is Too Easy as a Blacksmith
Author |
Automaton G
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(주) Samyang C&C
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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