The Returned Lord Is a Genius of Gun Law - Chapter 21
chapter 21
The Knight Order’s Aura
The Returning Lord is a Gun Law Genius – Episode 21
Episode 21
The booby traps are working well.
From his command post, slightly elevated behind the temporary fortifications around the mine, Eugene scanned the battlefield through his binoculars.
Through the lenses, he saw a gruesome scene illuminated by the cold light of flares.
About half the bodies were unrecognizable, but here and there, he spotted figures examining fallen comrades or roaring in fury.
These must be the mysterious knights Frederick mentioned.
They’re still standing, so they must have used their Aura. Their senses are truly remarkable.
Eugene had encountered Aura users many times in the past.
Superhumans who could withstand bullets with their bare bodies or even deflect them with swords were like death gods on the battlefields of guerrilla warfare and mercenary conflicts.
But even they aren’t invincible.
Forty years had passed since the end of the Great War.
Tactical analyses of knights and “aura users” had long been perfected—perhaps even overdone. The countermeasures had been codified into standard operating procedures at Iron Gate, where he served, and distributed to all personnel.
The plan Eugene had devised to stop the Primrose knights from seizing the magic stone was fundamentally based on these procedures.
The most crucial elements are two: chaos and containment.
The terrifying aspect of aura users lies in their speed and senses that surpass human perception, and their defense thick enough to stop bullets.
Disrupting their senses and halting their charge was fundamental to suppressing these Aura users, who possessed abilities comparable to a one-man army.
They’re about to move.
Seeing the knights through his binoculars struggling to regroup amidst the chaos, Eugene lowered the binoculars and picked up the radio beside him.
“The enemy is regrouping and preparing to charge. Prepare Plan 2.”
“Understood, Lord!”
Soon, Jerome’s voice came through the radio, commanding his soldiers below. Eugene began closely observing the enemy’s movements.
After a moment.
“Show that Crocus brat what we’re made of! Charge!”
The Aura-infused knights’ war cry echoed as they charged toward the defense line like a storm.
The knights, enhanced by their aura, moved at speeds far exceeding human limits.
Ting-ting-ting!
Rifle rounds poured from the trenches, striking their auras with sparks or merely scratching the surface. Some even twisted their bodies with remarkable agility to dodge the bullets entirely. This was their countermeasure against Earth’s firearms, honed through experience in the Great War.
Yet Eugene watched their movements with cold detachment. This was all within the plan.
50, 45…
He waited for the enemy to approach the defensive line.
Finally, when the vanguard reached the “kill zone”—a 20-meter area in front of the trench—he spoke quietly.
“Now, Jerome.”
Yes, my Lord!
After confirming Jerome’s raised hand in the trench below the command post, Eugene immediately turned away, bowed his head, and covered his ears.
Then, with a deafening roar that shook the earth, the battlefield erupted in a blinding flash that seemed to set the world ablaze.
This was no ordinary flare; it was a flashbang, a destructive light and sound that paralyzed eyes and ears.
“Kuaaah!”
“My eyes! My eyes!”
The flashbang, designed to blind the enemy, proved devastating to the knights whose senses had been enhanced by their aura.
Even the knights who had charged fearlessly through gunfire stumbled under the overwhelming sensory overload.
“Fire! Fire everything!”
Jerome’s roar cut through the chaos.
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
As if they had been waiting for this moment, the Crocus soldiers turned their rifles toward the incapacitated knights and squeezed the triggers.
Most of them were wielding outdated rifles like AK-47s, older than many of the soldiers firing them.
Yet the 7.62mm armor-piercing rounds they unleashed were enough to break through the aura enveloping the knights.
Clang-!
As the bullets tore through the knights’ armor where their aura had weakened or vanished, blood and gore erupted with the rending sound of metal.
“Ugh… cough…!”
“I can’t see…!”
“What in the world…!”
The sight of knights, who had transcended humanity with their aura-wielding abilities, collapsing without even a proper scream was too horrific for words.
But not all had fallen helplessly.
“Ugh… You bastards!”
A grizzled knight, riddled with bullet wounds and bleeding from multiple places, staggered to his feet. His left eye was a bloody mess, and his armor bore clear marks from the bullets, yet his eyes still blazed with murderous intent.
Whoosh!
Even as bullets continued to rain down, he squeezed out his remaining aura and focused it on his legs, his monstrous tenacity allowing him to break through the last remaining distance.
“Everyone—I’ll kill you all—!”
The knight leaped into the trench, his massive sword swinging wildly.
“Who do you think you are!”
Clang!
Seeing this, Jerome immediately drew his own sword and blocked the knight’s strike.
But even wounded, the aura radiating from the knight’s blade was far more potent than Jerome’s.
The gap in their abilities was obvious to anyone watching.
“Ugh…!”
Jerome, too, felt the crushing weight of his opponent’s strength, far beyond mere technique.
I have to block. Otherwise, the Lord…
As he thought of Eugene behind him, Jerome gritted his teeth once more.
“Jerome.”
A familiar voice came from behind him.
“Step aside.”
It was the voice of his lord, Crocus, the newly appointed lord.
The moment he heard the voice, Jerome pushed aside the old knight’s sword as if he’d been waiting for it and retreated to the side.
Simultaneously—
Bang-bang-bang-!
A deafening roar split the air as thick flames erupted in succession from the muzzle of the gun in Eugene’s hand.
Dozens of steel pellets surged toward the old knight from the short barrel of the M26 MASS shotgun Eugene held.
The iron pellets, fired from a four-legged, 12-gauge shotgun designed to hunt deer the size of a house, carried enough force to shatter the old knight’s final aura shield.
Finally.
Bang-bang-bang!
The aura protecting his body collapsed like paper, and the buckshot mercilessly erupted across the old knight’s breastplate.
“Gah!”
With a guttural scream, his massive frame, unable to withstand the buckshot’s force, was sent flying backward like a sheet of paper.
Eugene walked slowly toward the fallen old knight, then aimed the shotgun’s muzzle at his helmet.
“Surrender.”
“Ugh…”
The cold metal against his skin elicited a faint groan from the old knight, but having exhausted all his aura to block the last barrage, he had no strength left to resist.
The battle concluded before sunrise.
The air still hung thick with the metallic tang of blood and faint traces of gunpowder, stinging the nostrils. Proof of the battle’s ferocity lay scattered everywhere: shattered weapons, fragments of armor, and the lifeless bodies of those who had once been soldiers or knights.
“Take all surviving enemies alive! Get the wounded allies to the rear immediately!”
Under the command of Captain Jerome, the soldiers moved silently, carefully carrying the injured away and binding the enemy soldiers who lay groaning on the ground.
Fortunately, there were no fatalities, but the failure to prevent the old knight’s final charge had resulted in several injuries, which was regrettable.
Still, it’s a relief no one died.
With that thought, Eugene looked down at the prisoners kneeling before him.
Specifically, it was the eagle and flame crests engraved on their armor.
“That’s the crest of House Bolton,” Jerome said, his eyes scanning the battlefield as he oversaw the cleanup.
“House Bolton?”
“One of the most influential families in this region. They now wield considerable power, even by the empire’s standards in the east. I believe they’re related to Primrose through marriage. They likely received Primrose’s request for support…”
“I see.”
Eugene nodded calmly after hearing Jerome’s explanation.
But inwardly, his thoughts were far from calm.
First Primrose, now Bolton… This mine must look incredibly tempting to them.
He didn’t need further information to easily deduce what was happening.
Primrose must have requested support in exchange for a stake in the magic stone, and Bolton, coveting that stake, sent his knights. After all, even with a marital alliance, lending one’s military might for free was almost unheard of.
And… they must think I’m that easy to take advantage of. Enough to lend their troops without hesitation.
A faint, sardonic smile spread across Eugene’s lips.
Inside him, cold fury simmered quietly.
But preventing such incidents from happening again was more important than venting his anger.
It seems I can’t stay idle any longer.
With his mind made up, Eugene turned to Jerome.
“Leave the battlefield cleanup to you. Send the prisoners to the castle as soon as they’re ready.”
“Understood, my lord. We’ll ensure it’s done thoroughly.”
Leaving Jerome to answer confidently, Eugene returned to Crocus Castle.
As soon as he arrived, Eugene saw Butler Crawford, who had come out to greet him.
“Crawford.”
“Yes, my Lord.”
Crawford bowed respectfully. Eugene slowly stated his business.
“Prepare a letter to Earl Bolton.”
“A letter…?”
“Yes.”
Eugene smiled coldly at Crawford’s puzzled expression. “The contents should be… ‘Find the knights of the lost family. We can even escort them ourselves if you wish.'”
“Yes…?”
“Of course, don’t forget to mention that a proper ‘price’ must be paid.”
As Eugene finished speaking, his amethyst eyes glinted coldly in the sunlight.