Chapter 307
Chapter 307
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: EP.65 – The Knight Remembers and Repays (1)
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……I don't like this.
Kwarrrrk!
Even though they were pathetic and worthless spawns born from his grace, seeing them vanish so futilely...
Kuuung!
It put him in a foul mood.
The fact that his loyal servant, the warrior bestowed with the title of Great Warrior, was struggling so pathetically.
Hwaaak!
Hateful. The very idea that such insignificant primates dared to rebel against him.
[N-No... I hate this...]
Everything was contemptible and displeasing.
If anyone heard this, they'd call him a spoiled brat, but none who dared offer such advice were left alive.
He had crushed them all miserably.
Thus, Inanna thought.
[...You think you've won already?]
Wagrrk!
Crushing the hopes of these monkey-like primates in an instant—what could be more refreshing?
[Hee, heehee...!]
Just imagining it eased the gloomy fog of displeasure slightly, allowing Inanna to decide swiftly.
[You lot have no right to be happy. Never...]
A twisted being through and through.
Too narrow-minded to be called a god, overflowing with malice unfit for anything but an evil spirit—its form perfectly matched the title of Great Evil Spirit.
...Chillingly so.
'Who am I? Where is this...?'
The eyes of the white-haired knight, bearer of the noble moniker White Silver Lion, were utterly vacant.
He was completely lost in a daze.
"Sir Aren! Monsters keep climbing up the fortress walls!"
"Eighth Prince! We, we need reinforcements! The western side is about to break!"
"First Knight Commander! Poisonous fumes! Massive clouds of them spreading everywhere! What do we do?!"
...Even in his trance, people kept calling for him.
Like ducklings following their mother, they relied on the White Silver Lion—or rather, in his current state, he looked too pitiful even for a cat.
And so the knight,
Thwack!
"Aak!"
"Snap out of it. What are we supposed to do if you're spacing out again? Give orders, Sir Aren."
"Y-You insolent fool, striking a royal on the back of the head..."
"You told me to knock some sense into you if you acted like an idiot. I'm just following orders."
"...That didn't mean hit me on the head."
"Anyway, pull yourself together and take control. Everyone's waiting for Mother Duck's command."
"...Watch your words, Sir Yord. I'm no Mother Duck..."
"Then what should we call you?"
"...Call me Mother Cat instead. At least lions are felines..."
"......"
"Eek!"
Aren let out a fiery roar, as if even saying it gave him indigestion.
"You pathetic lot! If they're climbing, knock them down! Throw rocks or whatever!"
"Learn to cooperate! Don't fight separately from the 2nd and 3rd Knight Orders—work together!"
"Are you carrying antidote potions for show? Stay calm and use what you have, damn it..."
Aren, sounding almost like he was screaming in despair, couldn't hide his dismay.
How utterly pathetic the Royal Knights were, really.
"...Tch."
But it wasn't incomprehensible.
If he hadn't had his tunnel experience, he might have panicked and crumbled just like them.
'The fear emitted by hundreds of thousands of monsters is more than enough to strip away human reason.'
The fear from a single low-grade monster was no issue for a knight trained in Fighting Technique.
But mid-grade monsters could stiffen even knights, and high-grade ones could rob people of their sanity.
And there were hundreds of thousands of high-grade monsters here.
In truth, the regular soldiers' numbers meant nothing on this battlefield.
It was a blessing if they just froze and didn't get in the way.
Those versed in Fighting Technique at least pulled their weight as one man each, and the White Silver Lion Knights were managing two men's worth alone—so they were holding their own, in a way.
Defending the fortress, repairing it, supporting Mordred's forces...
In a word...
'They're excelling as splendid quartermasters and infantrymen.'
How lamentable.
Why were knights playing the role of soldiers...?
'No, wait. Right now, that's an important role too.'
Aren quickly buried his sadness.
Yes, they weren't lacking.
The mere fact that they withstood the fear of 600,000 monsters and contributed to the fight meant they were fulfilling their duty.
So simply...
'Those things are the abnormality.'
Kwaaaang!!!
Another deafening clash echoed.
Dust spread like a massive doughnut cloud, filling a 3km radius.
Does that make sense?
'A mere clash between knight orders and monsters creating that kind of shockwave...'
Unreasonable to the extreme.
No, were they even human before being knights?
'Is the gap really this wide?'
White Silver Lions and Black Iron Lions—aren't they both lions, just different colors?
Yet the white ones were like this, while the black...
'Fighting a 600,000-strong army over there?'
Kwaaaaang!
"...How is that a knight order? They're just monsters."
"They're on our side right now, though. Incredibly reassuring."
"...Aren't you pissed off?"
"Pissed? If you have confidence in your own skills, that's all that matters."
Thwack!
"......"
"Be careful too, Sir Aren. You're the commander."
"Mm..."
Aren watched Yord Decker bisect a serpent-form monster bursting from underground, and a wry chuckle nearly escaped him again.
This guy—when did his skills improve again...?
'While I was in command training, he must've trained alone, the training maniac.'
A squad member outshining the captain—utterly insolent.
He was grateful for the help, but the subtle feeling was unavoidable.
Shwaaak!
Yord casually shook off the blood and sheathed his sword stylishly, continuing their conversation.
"And there's no reason to be upset. It's not just the Black Iron Lions acting abnormally, is it?"
"What?"
"Look over there. There are three more monster-level groups."
"......"
In the direction Yord pointed, three knight orders rivaled—no, surpassed—the Black Iron Lions in absurdity.
The Cyan Qilin Knights charging through the battlefield on their azure steeds, and the swordmasters of House Offen, no different from a knight order despite the lack of title.
And...
"...Why is that one flying?"
"Artifact, or maybe a flight technique."
"Something like that exists?"
"Hmm, asking Senior Lee Han might get us an answer. That technique looks rooted in his Muscle Arts, no matter how you slice it."
"How do you know?"
"It's obvious at a glance."
"......"
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"...You're annoying."
"Pardon?"
"Damn punk, so arrogant..."
"??"
This is why geniuses are hated.
If he weren't so capable, Aren would've smacked him right there, furrowing his brow as he thought that.
His advice offered no comfort—only grievance.
No, why were all the other knight orders—including the kingdom's supposed top White Silver Lions—flying around while his were like this?
Incomprehensible... no, maddening.
At that moment.
"-If we're nitpicking, those guys are the truly absurd ones."
"Sir Jake?"
"Look over there, Sir Aren. Once you do, our guys seem merely average."
"......"
Jake Farman, looking fresh despite finishing a fierce clash with monsters charging the fortress, pointed left to console him. Aren turned instinctively, then his eyes twitched as if regretting the sight.
Kugugugugu-kung!!
...Monsters were colliding.
Pabababat!
No movements visible.
Faint afterimages blurred by, but that was it.
Puuuung!!
Every faint motion unleashed massive shockwaves sweeping the area.
"...God of War."
He'd overheard it from Mordred's soldiers.
That the one there was an ancient great warrior, a monster with a divine body.
A superior existence potentially more dangerous than the 600,000 monsters.
In that sense,
Kuung!
...Those fighting it on equal footing were monsters too.
"Ahaha! Impressive, blocking it again! Ferocious Wolf, that guy's really strong."
"Strong, but not unkillable. Retreat now. I'd rather fight alone than with you."
"...No, I was fighting first?"
"What do you want me to do?"
"...Hmm, is this how others feel? Guess I need to watch my words from now on too, ahaha!"
Two knights wielded power equal to the God of War.
Duke Galahad's Ferocious Wolf and Grand Duke Lionel's Black Lion—two famed knights not only holding their own against the ancient great warrior dubbed God of War, but pressing him from both flanks.
One with raw power, the other with skill.
Either way, inhuman.
No, questionable if they were even the same species of primate.
"...Cough."
Aren coughed dryly, his face paling further.
Just watching made his head spin and stomach churn.
And then.
"Don't show me stuff like that, Sir Jake. People should live like people."
"They are people."
"No."
"...They're rising stars of the Seven Knights, just like you, Sir Aren."
"Damn it! Whoever mentions that Seven Knights crap around me dies that day!"
Comparing him to those non-humans?!
Making an innocent man feel wronged.
Aren grumbled through gritted teeth, but he couldn't deny their reassuring presence.
No, not just those two knights—the others brought comfort too.
This battle...
'We've won.'
With all enemy forces being swept away, urgency lingered but crisis did not.
Proof that victory was sealed—defeat impossible unless his side gave up suddenly.
They boasted such overwhelming might.
"Boring, really."
"Sir Aren, weren't you just wallowing in self-loathing?"
"That was past me."
"...You're starting to develop a mental illness, Sir Aren."
"Enough nonsense. Victory's near—time to prepare the celebration, haha!"
"......"
"Sir Jake? Why that look?"
"Well... it reminded me of what that guy said."
"That guy?"
"Yes, him. Lee Han said not to celebrate prematurely before the win's decided, or you'll get hit from behind."
"What nonsense is that?"
"Nonsense... I wish it were, but his nonsense always..."
Saaaaak!
"......Hits the mark."
"......"
...A chill wind blew, rivaling the northern seas' frost.
A bone-chilling cold that numbed fingertips, drawing every knight's gaze to its source amid battle.
It screamed danger, triggering survival instincts.
"Sir Aren..."
"I-Is this my fault?"
"......"
"Sorry."
...Aren apologized, feeling inexplicably wronged even as he did.