Chapter 74: Deception

At this moment,

After a round of chaotic, first-encounter skirmishes, Suya roughly estimated Hector's ability values based on the strength and speed he displayed during his actions. In terms of a character sheet, it would look like this:

[Hector, Strength: D, Agility: D-, Endurance: D- starting, Magic: Unknown, Noble Phantasm: Unknown]

Before coming here, Hector had already used his Noble Phantasm to kill Lucan. The commotion from that could be seen clearly from several kilometers away, so this kind of decisive, battle-ending miracle could temporarily be ruled out.

So at this time,

Hector was just a slightly tougher version of a peak-level master knight than Hammond.

And after a round of enhancement from Merlin, Suya's attributes in his sword-drawn state were basically equivalent to those of a true master swordsman. Except for a slight inferiority in the application of Qi, he could temporarily pass as a master-level swordsman without much issue.

Beyond that,

Lucan's identity being exposed meant that Hector had already seen through their plan. What he would do next would undoubtedly be to lead the Companion Cavalry back to the Seleucid army. Once the Companion Cavalry returned as reinforcements, Suya and the others' plan would completely fail, and it would be impossible to break through the encirclement from the direction guarded by the Seleucids.

Therefore, Suya judged that they had to fight this battle here!

They had to eliminate this Companion Cavalry and Hector here!

The first problem they had to solve was—how should they deal with the Companion Cavalry?

Lucan quickly provided his answer.

"Woven Hawkins!"

At this moment,

Leading Suya back to the front of the 3,000 Royal Guard cavalry,

Lucan suddenly stepped forward and looked at the blue-haired young knight leading 2,400 Halicarnassus cavalry, who had separated from the main Companion Cavalry.

He took out the letter he had previously intercepted from Paris, a Companion Cavalryman sent by Philotas, and held it high.

Lucan stared at Sir Woven, took a deep breath, and commanded in a deep voice:

"Now, in the name of King Mausolus, I order you—lead the Halicarnassus cavalry to kill Hector!"

Hearing this, Sir Woven's expression immediately changed, becoming troubled:

"This, I..."

He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.

Just as he couldn't lay hands on Lucan, who was impersonating Mausolus, now Lucan, disguised as Mausolus, was ordering him to attack another master, Hector. He was caught in a dilemma.

Lucan, however, narrowed his eyes slightly, raised his hand, and threw the letter towards Sir Woven, then slowly began his deception:

"Look at this letter. You should be able to recognize who wrote it, and under what circumstances that monarch left this last testament!"

Sir Woven frowned and easily caught the letter, which flew like a blade.

When he unfolded the letter and saw its contents, combined with what Lucan had said, he looked up in shock, gazing at Lucan in disbelief.

"This... this is real?!"

"My Lord, Mausolus, has passed away?!"

Lucan nodded earnestly. Of course, he had fabricated this; after all, he had never even met Mausolus. And the Mausolus who had written this letter under Philotas's command was, of course, still alive.

However, when he had previously tried to reveal his identity, he had, by instinct as a con artist, fabricated a line to deceive Woven Hawkins and buy time—

He claimed to be Mausolus, or rather, as the 'Dragon of a Thousand Faces,' he had witnessed Mausolus's death and devoured his identity.

Coupled with Hector's subsequent reaction, treating Lucan as a formidable foe and acknowledging his status as a Star Beast, Woven Hawkins was now also convinced that Lucan was indeed a Dragon of a Thousand Faces.

And at this moment, the 'Dragon of a Thousand Faces,' claiming to be Mausolus, produced a letter that undoubtedly bore his liege's handwriting and seal, further corroborating the 'fact' that Mausolus had died.

So,

At this moment,

Woven Hawkins was deceived and believed it deeply due to the interlocking chain of evidence.

He looked at the letter, at the clear, well-formatted, and inspiring lines of text. He couldn't imagine what kind of feelings his monarch, Mausolus, had held to write him this letter so calmly before death arrived!

Woven Hawkins clutched the letter, his hands trembling slightly.

He immediately looked up, a glimmer of terrifying madness flashing in his eyes, and demanded sharply of Lucan:

"My Lord... How did my Lord die!?"

"For us!"

Lucan said with a pained expression:

"Woven Hawkins, you must understand, this is all for us!"

"A country cannot have two kings, but for the continued existence of the Kingdom of Halicarnassus, for the future of Artemisia, and for all the stateless soldiers like us, residing within the Macedonian Empire."

"Our monarch, Mausolus, after writing this letter, chose to commit suicide by drawing his sword before Philotas."

"Now, before us, these brother knights, there are only two paths—"

"Tonight, gather all the strength of Halicarnassus, raise arms, and kill the Conqueror King Alexia III. Propose Philotas—who is already a military commander, holds elite Macedonian troops, and whose father, General Parmenion, controls numerous strategic locations, making him arguably the most likely to inherit the empire after the Conqueror King's death—to ascend the throne!"

"He will recognize our kingdom, acknowledge our existence, and grant us our homeland, allowing us to finally return home."

At this point, Lucan's face darkened, his tone pausing slightly, and he stated in a deep voice:

"Or—"

"Tonight, we fail, and Halicarnassus will cease to exist in this world."

Hearing this,

Woven Hawkins and his brother Lars, as well as all the Halicarnassus cavalry behind them, were shocked.

Sir Woven's tiger-like eyes trembled, tears welling up, and his voice became choked.

"What... It's like this... My Lord, he actually went this far for us..."

"I... I..."

Lucan immediately seized the opportunity to fan the flames, sternly rebuking:

"What are you still hesitating for!?"

"Sir Woven Hawkins, do you truly consider yourself a Greek? Have you truly forgotten your homeland?"

"Have you forgotten the oath you swore to our Lord in your youth?"

"At this critical juncture, with total national destruction if we fail, are you still going to cling to your pedantic creed!?"

"Is the country you originally pledged allegiance to not more important than this knightly master you were later forced to serve!?"

Lucan's cunning, deceptive words echoed like the whispers of a devil in Woven Hawkins's ears, making him tremble, making him clench his iron fists, making him grind his back teeth.

Finally, he fell for it.

He looked up at Lucan, then at Suya and Merlin beside Lucan, and the Royal Guard knights behind the three, who clearly had a Britannian knight style. He gritted his teeth and asked:

"We... but who are you!?"

Hearing this, Lucan's expression froze. He looked at the group of knights behind him wearing Britannian plate armor, and at the golden-haired little con artist and gambling magician beside him, who looked more like a king than anyone.

Only then did he realize what Woven Hawkins had been hesitating about.

The visual styles of the two sides were too different...

However,

Just then—

Suya, standing beside Lucan, stepped forward, a look of profound disappointment on his face, glaring at Woven Hawkins. He loudly cooperated with Lucan's deception:

"Don't you understand!?"

"Idiot!"

"We are us!"

"Tonight, those who rebel against the Conqueror King are by no means knights of Halicarnassus; they can only be Britannian traitors!"

"Do you think I am Suya Pendragon? Fool, my surname isn't Pendragon at all!"

"What are you agonizing over? Not just us, but including you, Woven Hawkins, including these brother knights behind you—"

Suya declared excitedly:

"Tonight, we are all knights of Britannia!"

Upon hearing these words,

Sir Woven Hawkins and Sir Lars Hawkins exchanged glances, looking at each other. They both saw enduring shock and a sudden, profound realization of astonishing wisdom in each other's eyes!

"So that's how it is? So that's how it is!"

"Brother," Lars Hawkins finally understood all the inconsistencies of the night. He looked at his elder brother and stated with certainty:

"I get it! I get it now!"

"We should indeed be knights of Britannia!"

And just then—

Beside them, the ferocious Hector finally, driven by his loyalty to his admired king, violently tore through the oath that had bound him.

"Enough!"

He gasped heavily, his body suddenly expanding like a balloon, from 1.8 meters to 2.2 meters tall. He wielded his four-meter-long gigantic lance like a toy,

His eyes were bloodshot, veins crawling across the whites, as if he were infuriated to the point of laughter. He swept his sinister gaze across everyone present,

"All of you traitors, you will all die!"