I Pioneered Scientific Magic

Chapter 402: Sounding the Horn of Counterattack!

Mid-August, in the eastern part of the Kingdom of Hadralata, within the Steel City of Seltoden, Duke Ulysses has gone without a good night's sleep for over a month now.

In recent times, the entire kingdom's situation had been tumultuous, changing so rapidly it was almost unbelievable.

Just half a year ago, the lords of the kingdom were taking sides, discussing the succession of the heir to the throne. As a neutral party, Ulysses wasn't particularly interested in who became king, knowing that decrees from the capital had minimal impact on borderland lords like himself.

However, he hadn't anticipated that the second prince, Hatar, would dare to conspire with notorious wizards, even going so far as to seize the capital and murder King Bazeel! This action shook the entire kingdom!

Though their newly crowned king claimed externally that it was the Machiavellian act of the Cardinal aligned with the elder prince and the Church, and he merely righted the wrongs to ascend the throne, this flimsy excuse likely fooled no one!

Such an act was bound to incur the wrath of the Church!

Given this, Ulysses pretended to comply with Hatar's call, seemingly returning allegiance to the kingdom's rule while covertly informing a section of borderland nobles about the downfall of the kingdom.

When Edweil led the army to retaliate, Ulysses readily chose to welcome the king's forces! He was well aware of the power held by the Empire and the Church. While the cultists of those dark gods might have momentarily exerted their influence by committing regicide within the kingdom, the moment the Church's forces arrived, they would swiftly be decimated!

Ulysses was resolute in this belief. Yet, within less than a month, news arrived of the complete and utter defeat of the Church's forces...

Upon receiving this information, Ulysses was shattered. He couldn't fathom how such a mighty army could face such a disastrous defeat. He even doubted if it was a concocted story by spies banding together to deceive him.

Once the authenticity of this news was confirmed, Ulysses fell into tremendous panic, faced with an incredibly crucial decision.

Should he continue following the Church's orders or turn towards the embrace of the new king?

As a proper noble, Ulysses wasn't fixated on principles. He was open to employing anyone, whether lowly assassins or infamous wizards, if they served his purpose.

As for faith in the divine, he did possess some, albeit minimal. After the crushing defeat of the Church's forces, this devoutness diminished even further!

And flanking these were over ten thousand musketeers, marching in impeccable formation, each wielding a long wooden stick with a pointed knife bound at the top.

If it were the first time seeing these, Ulysses might have mistaken them for short spears. Yet, according to the scouts, these firearms called muskets were incredibly powerful long-range magical creations, imbued with the power of thunder and flames, capable of effortlessly piercing through armored protection at a hundred meters, leaving the Duke's proud cavalry in the dust...

The only relief for Ulysses was the absence of those colossal flying alchemical constructs.

Even so, their chance of victory was incredibly slim because Seltoden was by no means as fortified as the capital! Especially after the disastrous defeat suffered by the Church's expeditionary forces, let alone these newcomers!

Ulysses promptly analyzed the situation, considering whether to surrender or not.

He did entertain the thought, but the Grand Bishop of Seltoden and his clergy were right by his side, and remarkably, they seemed to have received the news even faster than himself!

"No need to worry too much, Duke Ulysses." The Grand Bishop seemed to perceive Ulysses's inclination towards timidity and reassured him. "I have received divine revelation. Under the leadership of Saint Lucia, we will personally crush these minions of the dark gods who have committed grievous crimes in the kingdom. We need only persist for a while, victory will be within our grasp."

"When the time comes, I will present your merits to His Holiness, and you shall be the next King of Hadralata!" The Grand Bishop stated firmly.

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