Since Gatefront Town was such a juicy prize, it was only natural to consider how the ambitious Cuckoo would respond. That was where the royal domain and the Village of the Albinaurics came into play.
Nolan reached his conclusion without needing much thought. He did not hesitate, striding straight toward the final tower.
The scorching evening wind howled past, brushing against Nolan and Sellen's faces as they sprinted toward their target. The people on the streets had a keen sense for danger. Even if they had never seen a Carian Knight before, the sight of that splendid armor alone was enough to make them step aside on their own.
They advanced without obstruction, moving deeper along the winding stairways. The air was thick with acrid smoke, and the floor beneath their feet had grown searing hot. Yet under such conditions, the environment became the perfect cover.
Using the smoke to blur his approach, Nolan closed in on the Haima Lecturers who were hurling cannonballs.
Kill!
Without the slightest mishap, the knight burst out of the black smoke. The sorcerer before him raised his staff in panic, but the Claymore had already pierced through his chest, pinning him firmly against the wall.
Hidden Weapon!
Hidden Body!
Nolan's body and weapon faded away, dissolving into the darkness of the night in the blink of an eye. No one inside the tower realized that a third party had entered the battlefield.
A Carian Knight should have been besieged by the Cuckoos. Even if he fought his way out through sheer valor, he would not be carrying out assassinations within the town itself.
Nolan moved with practiced efficiency, cleaning up the battlefield alongside his Witch teacher before the final confrontation. The area was swiftly cleared. Ordinary lecturers and knights were completely helpless before a hero-level assassin.
After a painstaking search, Nolan finally found that damned magic preceptor.
"Oh? You didn't run after all. You even came straight to me?"
Seluvis shrugged, studying the strange magic apprentice with open interest.
"I suppose I should thank you for clearing out that trash. So, you two, are you here to die?"
"You're the one courting death. You dared to send assassins after us. Do you really think Her Highness the Princess will forgive you?"
Nolan had been the first to harbor murderous intent, yet now he turned the accusation around without hesitation. After all, the man had handed him the perfect excuse.
Seluvis fell silent. This was indeed his miscalculation. He had sent out dozens of puppets, all of them experts in combat, assassination, and Sorceries. According to his plan, the assassins only needed to subdue Sellen, not kill her. Rendering her unable to fight would have been enough.
With the remaining forces working alongside the Cuckoo army, dealing with a wet-behind-the-ears Carian Knight should have been effortless. Yet despite being completely surrounded, the two of them had still escaped.
Damn that Miriam. If not for that worthless magic she had been researching, even if he failed to capture them, he would never have encountered them here.
At worst, he could simply defect to the Lunar Princess. As a magic preceptor offering allegiance, he could make up some excuse on the spot. Surely the princess would not turn hostile immediately.
A clever man like Seluvis had naturally considered the risks of such a plan. What he had underestimated was the standing this "Carian Knight" held in the Lunar Princess's heart, or rather, how the princess treated those close to her.
"Once I take you both, the Lunar Princess will hear the 'truth' she ought to know."
As the magic preceptor let out a cold sneer, Nolan suddenly raised the Carian Greatsword.
Cannon of Haima!
The magic projectile traced an arc through the air, swelling rapidly within their vision. The blinding light snapped Seluvis awake.
"What are you standing there for?"
At that shout, the ten figures standing silently behind him moved at once. Five heavily armored knights bearing greatshields stepped forward, their magic shields spreading instantly.
Then came a deafening crash. The floor beneath them collapsed completely.
Dust and debris surged upward, swallowing everything in a gray haze of chaos. The magic preceptor leapt down through the shattered floor. Just as Sellen raised her staff, three arrows shot through the smoke.
These puppets were far stronger than ordinary soldiers!
Nolan wrapped an arm around Sellen beside him. The petite Witch was lifted at the waist with one hand as the knight leapt down with her.
The building crumbled layer by layer. Midair, Seluvis extended a long blade from his palm, driving it into the wall and carving a deep gash before landing safely on the ground.
This strength surpassed even that of Battlemages.
"This guy…"
Nolan was slightly taken aback, but Sellen had already given him the answer.
"He's a master of puppetry. He modified his own body long ago. Don't underestimate him."
Before the Witch teacher had even finished speaking, two four-armed puppet soldiers wielding blades kicked off the wall and lunged toward them.
This defies science!
Sparks burst from iron boots scraping against stone. In mid-fall, Nolan twisted his body, his Claymore sweeping in a wide arc that sent both soldiers flying at once. Just before reaching the ground, he kicked off the wall, and a violent gust roared around him.
Ash of War: Storm Assault!
Carried by the wind, Nolan leapt through the air, light as a bird riding the gale. He flipped backward and landed cleanly.
He barely had time to breathe before two massive Greatswords burst through the wall. The sheer force made the tower shudder violently.
Two Mountain Troll Golems!
Nolan snorted coldly. As the blades came down, he slammed his Greatsword into the ground.
Earthshaker!
The Promised Claymore struck, and the floor beneath them shattered instantly. Both of them plunged downward.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Under the combined devastation of Troll and knight, chunks of stone cascaded downward. The tower was smashed apart layer by layer. Covered in ash and dust, Nolan burst out of the smoke with Sellen in tow.
When he looked up, the magic preceptor was sitting atop a Troll's shoulder, gazing down at him in silence.
"Boy, pay for your arrogance. You and Sellen will become part of my collection!"
Faced with the surging fury of a magic preceptor, any ordinary person would have been shaking in fear.
Nolan, however, only curled his lips into a faint smile, casual and openly disdainful.
He had a trump card, after all. A doll personally gifted by Ranni. Did this man have anything like that?
Even so, that Dark Moon was something Nolan intended to save for a far more important moment. What right did this guy have to waste a demigod's full-powered strike?
Nolan's calm expression only succeeded in enraging the magic preceptor further. Ignored outright, Seluvis clenched his fists.
In his mind, he could already picture the contemptuous look beneath that mask, the insolent sneer of a young apprentice. The thought made his entire body tremble with rage.
Seluvis's gaze sharpened, and then a violent detonation rang out.
Boom!
A terrifying howl filled the air as invisible currents were crushed together. Sellen, who had long since lost patience with him, launched a surprise attack.
Comet!
Magic second only to legend streaked through the air. The massive spell carried searing heat and a violent shockwave, but Seluvis reacted instantly.
One forearm unfolded in a flash. Metal plates snapped together, forming a circular shield, while his legs kicked off hard.
The Troll's right shoulder, along with half its skull, was blown clean through. The magic shield absorbed the shockwave, and the magic preceptor landed safely on the ground.