The Grand Duke's Son Is A Heretic-Chapter 105:Something Is Wrong Out Here

Kael spent the entire morning racking his brain, trying to figure out a way forward. On the outside, he kept his usual cold and collected demeanor, but inside, he was screaming.

"This is shit... This is the deepest level of fucking shit I have ever seen."

His mind raced through the numbers again. "If my calculations are right, I have to clear thousands of monsters and beasts... and what do I have?" He looked around at his so-called army.

Handle and Vic—are both A-rank. Chandler—a C rank. The rest? A pathetic mix of 90 C-ranks and below. As for his men—Baret had barely advanced to peak D, Gare was just D, and Chris? E-rank. "You expect me to fight with this?" Kael suppressed the urge to throw something. His fists clenched as he recalled Grant’s smug face from their last meeting.

"That bastard Austin cooked me. No, he deep-fried me."

The main problem was he didn’t know if the Northern gates were standing. If it has fallen, it was just a waste to go there.

Baret, standing slightly away from the rest, hesitated before speaking. "My Lord, what should we do now?"

Kael exhaled, running a hand through his hair. He was already coming up with a plan.

"I think we should try regrouping the lost Red Lion Knights first," Gare suggested. "But it’ll be difficult."

Kael smirked. "I’ve already thought of it."

Baret and Gare exchanged glances before turning to him. "Thought of what?"

"Hey, Reiner!"

"Yes, My Lord!"

"Sparves is the nearest right."

"Yes, SIR!"

Kael’s eyes gleamed with something dangerous. "I’m gonna knock on Lord Fernad’s door first." He stood up and shouted to the men.

"Advance towards Baron Fernad’s, City of Sparves! Let’s see what that bastard is doing!"

.......

150 Kilometers Later....

Th City of Sparves

The city of Sparves towered in the distance, its massive stone walls standing like a barrier between the North and the Central Region.

It was built atop a steep incline, a fortress positioned at the perfect choke point to control movement between territories. The iron gates were enormous, reinforced with thick layers of steel, and lined with deadly spikes. High above, archers patrolled the battlements, their bows drawn, ready to kill without hesitation.

Sparves were meant to be a key connection between the North and Central territories, a lifeline for trade and reinforcements. However, the railway system never reached it due to the mountainous terrain. Instead, Kael and his team had been forced to trek over 400 kilometers on foot from the station.

A nightmare of a journey all because of this city’s inconvenient location.

As they approached the gate, the guards stationed atop the walls reacted immediately. The tension was thick as the sound of weapons being drawn echoed through the air.

"Who are you?! State your identity!"

"What if I don’t?As a fellow human won’t you allow us to enter?"Kael asked.

"No, we are under lockdown. If you dared to babble so much, we’re gonna attack."

"INSOLENT!"Handel shouted, pulling out his sword.

"Do you know the identity of the person you are threatening.."

Kael gave Handel a pleasing look. He liked the way.

"Ohh! Really?"The guards laughed and then mocked.

"Who are you little shit?"

Kael’s eyes twitched as he looked up at the guards who dared to point weapons at him. His patience was already wearing thin from the days of endless walking. He took a step forward, his eyes glowing with an eerie crimson light.

A twisted grin spread across his face. "Who am I?" His voice was low, almost amused. Then, suddenly, he let out a chilling laugh. "I’m the guy who’s going to rip that fucking gate off if you don’t open it in the next ten seconds."

BOOOM!

Like a bombardment, everyone up above was hit by an immense bloody killing intent that shook the hell out of their soul.

"What the hell?"

"The fuck is this?"

The guards hesitated, their fingers twitching over their weapons. No one had ever dared to speak like this in front of Sparves’ gates. Yet, standing before them was a man who didn’t seem to care whether he fought an army or broke down a fortress himself.

The air was thick with tension. The city of Sparves had shut its doors to many—but today, it had caught the attention of the wrong man.

The guards on the walls stiffened as Kael’s laughter echoed through the cold air. His grin, wide and unhinged, made them uneasy. His golden eyes burned with an eerie light, a silent promise of destruction if they refused him entry.

Baret, Chris, Gare, and Handel exchanged uneasy glances. They had seen Kael lose patience before, and it never ended well. The tension in the air was suffocating. The guards had already raised their bows, fingers on the string, ready to fire if given the command.

Before things could spiral, Handel stepped forward, his expression composed. "My Lord," he said firmly, looking at Kael for permission.

Kael narrowed his eyes but waved his hand lazily. "Go on, Handel. Before I decide to test how much weight that gate can handle."

Handel strode forward with the authority of a noble, his voice clear and unwavering. "I am Handel, Captain of 2nd Legion of Blue Knight and standing before you is His Highness The Second of Grand Duke Veydrin. He leads his expedition to reclaim the North from the chaos plaguing it. Open the gates. Now or else.."

"You will bear out wrath."

The moment his name was spoken, the guards hesitated. Whispers broke out among them. "Son of the Grand Duke?" "What is he doing here?" "Did Lord Fernad know about this?"

They muttered among themselves, uncertainty creeping into their stance.

Threatening a random ass was easy but if this was what they heard, then even killing of 14 generations of their family can’t absolve the crime.

After a few tense moments, one of the senior guards called out. "We require verification."

Kael was about to take his ring but Handel stepped up.

"Let me handle it."

Handel scoffed but reached into his coat, pulling out a silver emblem with the Veydrin crest, and threw it.

The guard inspected it, his face paling. Without another word, the massive iron gates groaned as they slowly creaked open.

Kael took a drag and looked at Handel.

"You saved a city but.." Kael paused looking at the guards who mocked him.

He will make sure they become a statement by the time he leaves.

...

The moment Kael and his group stepped inside, they froze.

What lay before them was not the bustling city they had expected, but a wasteland of frozen ruin.

The streets were lined with half-buried corpses, their bodies stiff from the cold, their faces twisted in agony.

Buildings, once proud and strong, now stood as hollow skeletons, their walls cracked and covered in frost. A thick, unnatural fog clung to the air, making it hard to see beyond a few feet ahead. The silence was absolute—no merchants, no civilians, nothing but the whistling wind and the distant sound of ice cracking.

"This...This isn’t Sparves...What happened to it?"Reiner shrieked.

Chris muttered under his breath. "What the hell happened here?"

Even Kael, for all his madness, narrowed his eyes. He had seen war. He had seen destruction. But this? This was something else. This wasn’t just a city abandoned... it was a graveyard.

As they stood in eerie silence, a figure emerged from the mist.

A young man, no older than twenty, with pale skin and dark circles under his eyes, walked toward them. His noble attire was neatly arranged, but his expression was haunted. He moved with careful steps, as if the ground itself might betray him.

He reached them and immediately lowered his head in deep respect. "Lord Kael, Lord Handel, esteemed guests," he greeted, his voice trembling slightly. "I am Cedric, son of Baron Fernad. My father deeply regrets that he could not meet you himself."

Kael tilted his head, his grin returning, but there was no humor in it. "Regrets? Oh, I can’t wait to hear this one."

Cedric swallowed, avoiding eye contact. "My father is unwell... as is much of this city. But please, come inside. We have much to discuss."

Kael looked around again at the frozen corpses, the ruined buildings, the unnatural quiet.

Something was very, very wrong here.