The Terminally Ill Young Master is the Mad Dog of the Underworld-Chapter 270

[Translator - Pot ]

[Proofreader - Kawaii ]

Chapter 270: Breaching the Castle Gate

We split up and boarded the small boats prepared for the raid, crossing the river in the middle of the night.

“The current is fast and the river is wide. If someone was determined to push through, it'd be hard to stop them,” Siena remarked.

I responded, “Exactly. Like what we’re doing right now.”

A small owl soared in on the river wind.

[Young Master.]

It was a familiar sent by an agent of the Shadow Division.

[Reporting in. All enemy outposts have been successfully neutralized.]

“Well done. You’ve earned your rest.”

[The guards weren’t particularly skilled. But they were ready to fire signal flares at a moment’s notice.]

But not a single outpost managed to fire a flare. That alone showed how swiftly they had been taken down.

“What about the port’s security posture?”

[Very strict. The moment we make a move, they’ll know there’s an assault on the castle.]

“Just as I thought.”

I turned to Rudgarda.

“Sixth Commander, it’d be better to stagger the timing. Wait fifteen minutes after we reach the castle before launching your attack.”

“Understood.”

“They’ll definitely send troops to reinforce the castle. We’ll use that gap to infiltrate.”

I looked at Ghir and Drak.

“It’d be tough for our entire force to break in during that chaos, but a couple of assassins could sneak in without much trouble, don’t you think?”

Ghir replied coolly, “Not a problem.” freewёbn૦νeɭ.com

“Good. Slip in and take out the dozing officers, sword-hands, and freeloaders before they even know what hit them. A decapitation strike, if you will.”

Ghir gave a satisfied smile.

“A decapitation strike? Has a nice ring to it.”

“You bloodthirsty bastard.”

I gave a warning to everyone.

“We’re surrounded by enemies, and it’s pitch-black out here. Visibility is poor. Be on guard—an attack could come from anywhere.”

Ghir’s reaction stood out again.

“Isn’t this easier, though? No need to watch for friendlies. Just kill anything that moves. What a convenient battlefield.”

“Incredible. Your way of thinking is just on another level.”

Ghir shrugged.

“You flatter me.”

Then the owl, which had been quietly listening to our nonsense, spoke again.

[Ahem... Young Master, then may fortune be with you.]

“Thanks. You all remain in the rear and be ready in case something unexpected happens.”

[Yes. If it gets dangerous, we’ll join the fray.]

I gave a smirk.

“Appreciated, but I doubt that’ll be necessary.”

I am not in danger. I am the danger.

***

We rushed forward and soon arrived at the drainage channel that led into the castle.

“This the place?”

“Just sniffing it tells you it is.”

Jeffrey wrinkled his face in disgust.

“Ugh… the smell.”

“It’s bad, huh.”

The pungent, moldy stench unique to sewers hit us like a wall. Everyone grimaced.

I could understand why there was no defense stationed here.

It reeked, it was filthy, and it wasn’t especially wide either. What kind of lunatic would try to invade from here?

“Ah, this isn’t one of the main drains.”

One of Kailan’s retainers told us with little embarrassment.

“They must’ve forgotten about it when expanding the sewer system. Seems it got clogged over time. It’s even narrower than I remember.”

“That’s why we’re able to infiltrate—but it’s still a pain,” I said, crossing my arms and thinking.

Of course, I’ve come and gone through here plenty thanks to Verdzig.

But the others haven’t. And there’s no way dozens of armored soldiers can crawl through this one by one.

“Huuuh…”

Siena sighed, then suddenly tied up her hair.

“Young Lady, what are you doing?”

“It’s easier to move through narrow spaces if your hair’s tied up.”

“Wow.”

So enthusiastic. But it wasn’t really necessary.

“Jeffrey, why don’t we just widen the damn thing?”

Jeffrey, hearing me, pointed out the difficulty.

“Sorry, but tunneling would require specialized equipment and days of effort—”

“Tsk tsk.”

I clicked my tongue and educated my ignorant retainer.

“No need for such brute methods. If we’ve got this special technique, we’re good.”

“…That’ll be loud though.”

I pointed at the night sky.

“Look at those catapults firing. They’ll just think it’s a misfire or a stray impact.”

Our main force was still busy bombarding the front gate with stones, arrows, and ladders.

“Oh? That… actually makes sense.”

“Told you.”

Jeffrey nodded, persuaded.

“Ah! The boat’s on fire!”

“It’s started!”

Off in the distance, I saw Rudgarda lighting boats aflame and launching the assault on the harbor. I raised my palm.

“Alright, everyone get ready.”

I saw the rear gate of the castle fly open and a troop pour out in confusion.

“Three… two… one… and—”

Profound Radiant Heaven Rend.

KWAJIK— KWA-GWA-GWANG!

A straight beam of mana shot through the darkness and blew open the path.

The absurd sight of flowing water suddenly parting was followed by a gust of rancid air as the drain tunnel widened drastically.

“…Young Master, with power like that, couldn’t we just blow open the front gate too?”

Jeffrey asked, dumbfounded.

“It’s not that easy. That thing’s covered in a ridiculous amount of thick iron plating.”

I could probably bust it open by going all out with my technique—but breaking down the gate wouldn’t win the battle.

“What are you all waiting for? Let’s move. We need to open the door.”

Then Siena quietly muttered to herself.

“…He’s gotten stronger. Fucking annoying.”

“……”

***

Allenvert and Siena led their forces and cut through the enemy’s rear like slicing through tall grass and finally flung open the gate.

"The gate’s open!"

"Let’s go! For the Count!"

"For the vengeance of our beloved Lord Kailan!"

"Let’s slaughter the pigs of Belorok!"

"Uooooooooh!"

The moment the gate opened, Kailan Webern sent out the cavalry he had kept in reserve.

"All troops, charge!"

Thud-thud-thud-thud!

With thunderous hoofbeats that shook the earth, the cavalry charge began.

“D-Damn it!”

The defenders inside the castle were already panicking from the chaos.

The shock of the gate being breached drove them further into disarray.

And now, seeing knights charging on massive warhorses right in front of them—there was no way the already demoralized soldiers could stand their ground.

"Run! Ruuuuun!"

But even that decision came too late.

Crack!

Splat!

Human bodies were trampled by hooves and skewered on spears, flying through the air like rag dolls.

"Aaaargh!"

"Fall back! Retreat!"

Not even the underworld’s seasoned killers or veteran mercenaries could withstand the unstoppable wave of knights charging as one with their steeds—an overwhelming unity of man and horse.

"We’ve broken through!"

"All units, advance into the castle!"

The forces defending the gate crumbled in an instant, and the soldiers of Pergrin surged in like a flood of ants.

“…At last, I set foot on this land again.”

Overcome with emotion, Kailan shouted.

"Let’s go! Tonight we erase the name Belorok from this land and raise the banner of Webern once more!"

Watching the moment, Allenvert clapped.

“Phase Two: complete.”

***

In the dead of night, the marquis came running in his nightclothes, screaming.

“What the hell is going on?!”

The castle was on fire.

Screams, shouts, and the clashing of metal echoed all around.

The scene resembled a living hell descended upon the mortal realm.

“…This can’t be.”

To the marquis, who had lived in luxury all his life, this was a tremendous shock.

Watching war from afar was one thing, but having carnage erupt within his own stronghold was an entirely different experience.

“F-Father…”

His son—the young heir, raised with even more care than himself—stammered.

"W-We must flee!"

At that, the marquis snapped.

“Flee? What do you mean, flee?! What about all my property?! There’s no way I’m leaving it behind!”

“We can come back and reclaim it once we regroup and gather troops!”

“You little shit! Do you have any idea how I earned that money?! You think food just showed up on your plate for free?! Think it just grew on trees?! You ungrateful brat!”

“Please, both of you, calm yourselves.”

At that moment, the pale faced chief strategist stepped in.

“The enemy caused confusion with their tricks, but there’s no need to panic. The castle’s core defenses remain intact—”

“But the gate’s open, you idiot!”

The marquis stomped in frustration.

“Don’t you see the enemy pouring in?! Stop talking bullshit and give me a plan! That’s what I’m paying you for!”

“W-Well, according to military doctrine—”

As the strategist pulled out a book and began flipping pages, the marquis exploded.

“You useless bastard!”

“A-Ah, here it is! It says in this passage—”

“Screw your passages! I asked you what we do ‘now’! Not for some dusty quote!”

Shrinking back, the strategist spoke up again.

“First, we maintain a strong defense of the keep and try to capture the enemy’s commander. That’s why we hired those assassins, remember? If they strike amid the chaos—”

“They were supposed to take out the bastards sleeping in their tents during a standoff, not now! And they already fucked that up!”

The marquis scoffed, and the strategist coughed awkwardly before continuing.

“There is still a way. Our top fighters are resting inside the inner keep. We can promise them even greater rewards and put a bounty on the enemy commander’s head—”

At those words, the marquis let out a deep sigh.

“Goddamn it. I don’t even know if this is a military command or a fish market.”

But really, he had only himself to blame for treating war like a business deal.

“Please, don’t worry, my lord.”

Then Aaron, the head of the Four Heavenly Kings, stepped forward.

“This is exactly why the Four Heavenly Kings exist—to defend you in times like these.”

The marquis' grim expression finally began to ease.

“Oho, if you’re stepping in, I feel reassured.”

“However, about the noble bastards from the ducal clan… if necessary, can we kill them?”

The marquis’ eyes gleamed with venom.

“Capture them alive if you can, but killing them is fine. They stormed into someone else’s house and caused this mess—they should’ve been prepared to die.”

“Understood.”

At that, one of the Black Society men chuckled darkly.

“Keh-heh-heh! Marquis. You meant that, right?”

“Damn it. I just need to worry about keeping my own neck intact.”

The marquis rubbed his thick, fleshy throat.

“In that case, we’ll help you.”

“Shit.”

So they were just waiting to hear him say that. Goddamn snakes.

“Will you really help us?”

Aaron asked, and the black-cloaked man scoffed.

“Spare me. We’ll act on our own.”

“Hm.”

Despite the arrogance of that reply, Aaron didn’t flare up. He simply responded again.

“Very well. But let’s agree not to stab each other in the back.”

“Hahaha. Cheeky bastard.”

The black-cloaked man pointed at Aaron.

“I’ll let you run your mouth just this once. But don’t let that pesky tongue of yours flap around any further. Get lost.”

“….”

Even in the face of such blatant provocation, Aaron calmly exhaled his anger and remained composed.

“My lord, rest easy and wait.”

“…Very well. I’m counting on you.”

At the very least, Aaron, as the head of the Four Heavenly Kings, was a man prepared to put his life on the line for the favors he’d received and the contracts he’d honored.

“We’ll fight as well.”

Then came another voice.

“Captain, are you sure?”

“Our contract states we act when the employer is in the greatest danger. I’d say that time has come.”

Captain Carpeyo of the White Mercenary Corps spoke with a firm expression.

“Excellent. Let’s move together.”

Indeed, there are those who would risk their lives for honor—even honor bought with coin.

[Translator - Pot ]

[Proofreader - Kawaii ]

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