The battlefield had grown silent. Only the buzzing of flies and the distant croaking of forest creatures filled the air.
The knights trudged back toward the lakeside camp, their armor stained with blood and drenched in sweat. Every step seemed heavier under the punishing afternoon sun. The heat wrapped around them like a suffocating cloak. Even the warhorses snorted wearily, their nostrils foaming from exhaustion.
Nearby, the barbarians hauled carts and prepared the camp. Lunch still needed to be made, tents reinforced, and supplies sorted. Even after victory, work never stopped.
Leon remained standing where the battle had ended, his boots sinking into the blood-soaked earth. His eyes were fixed on the jagged ruins that loomed faintly on the northern horizon—his fief, his future stronghold.
"This is going to be troublesome…" he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck as a bead of sweat rolled down his temple.
Around him, goblin corpses lay scattered like broken puppets. The stench of blood mixed with the sweltering heat made the air almost unbearable. Instead of relief, a growing pressure coiled in his chest.
Goblins this close to the ruins…
That could only mean one thing.
He let out a bitter chuckle. "Of course. There's no way the ruins stayed deserted for long."
Ten years ago, Cailux's armies had purged the goblins from these lands. But that victory was only temporary. Like weeds, goblins always grew back. The forty they'd just slain were probably just a raiding group. The main tribe still lurked somewhere within those ancient walls.
Leon quickly did the math in his head.
If a raiding party is forty strong, then the tribe controlling the ruins must number at least… two hundred fifty? Maybe more if there are women and young.
His headache worsened.
The Ruins of the Solace Kingdom weren't just any crumbling fortress. They contained the only teleportation altar in the southern Solana Greenlands. If Leon failed to claim that area, he'd be trapped here. His only option would be to return to the Kingdom of Cailux — where enemies waited in royal halls with polite smiles and hidden daggers.
As the bastard son of King Leopold, Leon's return would only ignite political strife. Many nobles would rather see him quietly disappear in the wilderness than return to the capital alive.
So… retreat isn't an option.
Leon exhaled slowly, then straightened. There was no choice but forward.
"Status."
[ Leon Nightshade ]
[ Age: 17 ]
[ Title: Exiled Prince, Baron ]
[ Rank: Tier 5 Awakened ]
[ Race: Human ]
[ Occupation: Magic Swordsman, Necromancer ]
[ Bloodline: Nightshade ]
[ Bloodline Skill: Bloodline Extractor ]
[ Physique: None ]
[ Talent: None ]
[ Cultivation Method: Specks of Darkness ]
[ Skills: Sword Mastery, Abyssal Flame, Mana Coating, Summon Skeleton ]
[ Inventory: Bat Swarm Skill Book, Graveyard Elixir Spell ]
A translucent screen floated before his eyes, glowing faintly against the forest's shade. Leon's attention locked on the inventory section.
"Retrieve."
The Bat Swarm Skill Book materialized in his hand with a shimmer of white light. The cover pulsed faintly, covered in swirling runes.
"Learn," Leon whispered.
The book dissolved into a flurry of radiant particles that swirled around him like fireflies caught in a gust of wind. They spiraled upward, then dove straight into his head.
For a heartbeat, the world fell silent.
Then knowledge bloomed in his mind. Whispers of incantations, patterns of mana control, and the feeling of wings beating in the night flooded his consciousness.
"Huuu~" He exhaled slowly, eyes gleaming with new understanding.
[ Skill Learned: Bat Swarm ]
[ Summon a swarm of enraged bats anywhere on the battlefield. Low mana cost. Origin: Night Witch. ]
Leon smirked. "That felt… good." He flexed his fingers, feeling the threads of new magic waiting to be called. "This will come in handy."
---
By the time Leon returned to camp, shadows were shifting inside the tents. The knights were laughing and talking loudly, clearly in high spirits after the easy victory. The barbarians worked methodically, reinforcing defenses and unpacking supplies.
Leon's gaze narrowed. 'If I'm to reclaim the ruins, I'll need them all of them. But their loyalty isn't to me.'
The knights respected his royal blood but followed the King's orders not his. In battle, Carlos commanded not Leon. For now, he had authority in name only.
He changed direction and headed toward the carriages, where two barbarians stood guard.
"My Lord," one greeted, straightening.
"Be quiet." Leon raised his hand and signaled for them to stop talking then continued "Retrieve the corpses of the goblins that was scattered in the forest and gather their remains and stack them in the clearing for a macabre purpose."
Leon looked at the two baffled Barbarians and reasserted himself. "Understand?"
"Yes, My Lord," they answered.
"Good." There was not a single bit of expression seen on Leon's face as he walked to his tent as if he didn't order something disturbing.
After he came to this backward and mysterious world, Leon, as the bastard son of the king, learned how to make use of others even if one is dead to the greatest extent. All of that was completely normal considering how he was a noble.
"My Lord."
When Leon was still steeped in thought, a barbarian in charge of cooking, who was holding a wooden plate, lifted the blinds on the tent and said, "Lunch is ready."
"Alright." Leon nodded and took a look.
There were three pieces of white bread, half a smoked chicken, and three spoonfuls of juicy dried meat cooked in black pepper.
That was the kind of gourmet meal that only his status as a baron could have afforded.
White bread and black pepper were both luxuries. Squires and knights were unable to afford such spices and high-quality, soft white bread.
They could have only afforded black bread with wheat bran mixed within the flour, as well as simple cooked dried meat.
"Dried meat cooked in black pepper, eh."
Leon took the plate and said, "If I'm not mistaken, our supply of salt and pepper is running out."
"Indeed my lord" the Barbarian replied.
"I see?"
Leon nodded and told the peasant, "Tell Captain Carlos to come to my tent after he is done with lunch."
"Yes, My Lord," the barbarian respectfully said before leaving the tent.
Leon heartily ate his lunch with a wooden spoon.
The white bread was soft and tasty, as well as of high quality. It had been prepared for him with butter before he left the castle in the Kingdom of Cailux. The same went for black pepper. Leon was a noble. Even if he had been exiled, he still represented the bloodline and glory of King Leopold.
He was a baron and needed to be treated as one.
At the very least, Leon no longer had to worry about food being nasty. Compared to the knights and peasants, he was actually having quite a good meal.
'Too bad that I won't be able to eat like this any longer.'
He dipped the bread into the last bit of soup and put it in his mouth before chewing and gulping the last piece down.
He spent 15 minutes eating lunch, no more and no less.
He soon heard footsteps outside his tent. The leather boots stepped onto the slightly hard sand, making a cracking sound and leaving a footprint behind.
It seemed that Carlos was outside.
"Your Lordship, I heard that you were looking for me."
Captain Carlos could be heard from outside the tent. He sounded respectful and somewhat impatient at the same time.
"Please come in." Leon:s voice was calm as if he did not notice any of that.
The blinds on the tent were lifted. Carlos stooped down for a bit before entering. He smiled faintly as he looked at Leon. "Your Lordship, we'll soon be at the Ruins. How can I be of service?"