Chapter 93
Chapter 93
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Ep. 24 – No Excuses in My Life (3)
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A scene straight out of hell.
No expression could better capture the horrific sight of devastation unfolding before their eyes.
However, this disaster could more accurately be called a 'man-made calamity.'
For it had been wrought by a calamity in human form.
Yet no one had the luxury to dwell on that now.
And why would they?
"M-Marquis!!"
"Save the lord…!"
"Wh-what about the servants in the mansion?"
"There are no servants in the mansion! Just confirm the marquis is safe!"
"U-understood."
The head of House Tristan.
The Marquis Jenimia's fate hung in the balance.
By some miracle, the only structure collapsed by the intruder's attack was the marquis's own mansion.
Moreover, due to his acute senses that prevented restful sleep if anyone was nearby at night, the marquis dismissed all servants from the mansion after dark.
Fortunately, there were no casualties. If only the marquis himself was unharmed…!
"Th-the marquis is safe!"
"Hooray!!"
It was practically as if no damage had been done at all, and the servants of the marquis's estate let out roars of joy.
For their master had been confirmed alive.
…However.
"Surround the enemy!"
"…Ugh!"
"Everyone, stay back! Surround him from a distance! Get close, and you'll die like dogs!"
The enemy still showed no signs of retreat.
The soldiers formed a circular perimeter around the intruder.
But no one dared approach.
…Drip. Drip.
A man bleeding from his face, looking somewhat fatigued.
This seemed like the perfect chance to strike, but no one let their guard down or underestimated him.
"Where did a monster like that come from…?"
The fiend who had breached—no, outright demolished—the marquis's main gate head-on.
Most soldiers had witnessed his deeds firsthand, and even those who hadn't heard from their comrades. No one dared belittle the man.
On the contrary, they felt fear and terror.
Even elite soldiers couldn't all be fearless.
In the midst of this tension.
"—Who dares assault Tristan with such audacity?!"
They had arrived.
"K-Knights! The knights are here!!"
The soldiers finally breathed sighs of relief upon seeing the arrivals bearing flags emblazoned with a 'red eagle.'
These were knights of one-in-a-hundred caliber.
—The Blood Eagle Knights.
A knight order with a long-standing reputation and prestige known not only within the kingdom but abroad as well. And now, with Tristan under attack, every single knight had appeared without absence.
Vrrrrm!
It's said that the mere gathering of ten knights can shift the tide of battle.
There may be some exaggeration, but it speaks to the awe-inspiring prowess of individual knights.
Yet if the Blood Eagle Knights fielded ten members, they could undoubtedly turn the tide entirely.
They were stronger than any other order, comparable even to the White Silver Lion Knights in their 'heyday' under the War God's direct command.
Everyone pretended otherwise, but excluding Galahad and Lionel, they were the strongest in the capital.
Unlike the White Silver Lions, who had weakened to their limits, the blood eagles were still at their peak.
And now, a full hundred of these Blood Eagles.
The aura of fury and indignation from a hundred knights was enough to shake the earth and raise shimmering heat waves.
Whoosh!
A demonic blaze of momentum!
The majestic presence overwhelmed even the intruder's domineering aura, uplifting the soldiers' spirits.
And then.
"—Now this is more like it. What kinda bad luck is this, ruining my beauty sleep?"
The moment 'he' appeared, soldiers shed tears of relief.
The [Invincible Archer] was here.
"Milord!!"
"Ahh, quiet down. You know my ears are sensitive."
A middle-aged man with red hair—no, he looked no older than his mid-thirties at most—strode out from the ruins of the mansion, handsome and refined.
One might question calling a man over fifty handsome, but he was a striking beauty who could grace any theater stage.
Yet he was no mere pretty boy.
Whoosh!
With every step, an extraordinary presence emanated, amplified by the massive hornbow that exuded tyrannical pressure.
The hornbow appeared larger than an average woman's height.
It was crafted from the horns of a monstrous beast called the Giant Ox Ghost, or Minotaur.
It also symbolized the master of House Tristan, famed for producing legendary archers across generations.
"You there, young man. You knew exactly what it meant to target Tristan—or rather, me—didn't you?"
—Jenimia Rivalin de Tristan.
The current head of House Tristan and captain of the Blood Eagle Knights unleashed a calm yet commanding shout at him.
"……."
Tense from the arrival of a hundred knights and the monstrous Marquis Jenimia?
No reply came from him, and the marquis shook his head, as if not expecting one.
"Milord, give the order, and we'll fetch his head at once!"
Did the insolent intruder's attitude irk the loyal knights?
They raged, eager for the command to strike.
To claim the enemy's head.
But the marquis shook his head.
"He doesn't seem like a mere brigand. He attacked, yes, but no one was hurt."
"That could be coincidence…."
"Do you truly believe that?"
"……."
…An undeniable truth.
As the marquis said, the fiend was a powerhouse.
They had all seen it from afar.
The superhuman strength hurling iron gates aside.
Yet someone with such power hadn't killed anyone yet.
He'd demolished the marquis's mansion, but with zero casualties.
This was no miracle or fluke.
In truth.
"He spared my life on purpose, huh? What a humiliation."
It meant he had deliberately let him live.
"And the fiend knew. That I was alone in the mansion."
"Th-then that's even more outrageous…."
"No. It's downright amusing. See? Only the area opposite my bedroom collapsed precisely."
"……."
"If that's coincidence or luck, I ought to go hunt the Holy Grail right now, haha!"
"……."
The Holy Grail, Avalon's legendary treasure.
A mythical item from legends, pursuing it was absurd.
Thus, the marquis's point: the intruder never intended to kill anyone from the start.
Despite opportunities to slaughter soldiers and even the marquis.
Therefore.
"Reveal your identity and surrender. Do so, and I'll guarantee your life."
The marquis showed mercy.
A benevolence willing to forgive—
"Hey, pretty boy. If you do that from over there, doesn't it make my not lobbing a cannonball at your bedroom pointless?"
"………."
…Pretty boy.
The marquis was dumbfounded by the unprecedented moniker he'd heard in his life, and the knights were equally stunned.
Yet he pressed on undeterred.
"I'm here to pick a fight with you today. A fight, specifically…! So you either make me kneel or kill me. I'll struggle with everything I've got. But forgiveness? That ruins it! Makes coming here all for nothing!"
"…Hah."
Beyond brazen, utterly absurd.
What was this guy?
Offering to spare him, and he begs for death.
The marquis, who could claim to have seen every type of human in nearly half a century, encountered this breed for the first time.
Speechless, he let out a hollow laugh, but the man ignored it, pointing at the knights.
"You lot too. I just threatened your master and insulted him. Invaded his mansion at night like a brigand, wrecked his property. Half-destroyed the building he lives in. And with a guy like that right in front of you, what are you doing? Why haven't you drawn swords yet, you knights—?!"
Thud!
The man stomped the ground.
A earth-shaking stamp.
An expression of his displeasure and rage.
The marquis's consideration?
…As if noble dignity or honor mattered to him now.
"Still not enough justification? Fine, here's some. I'm about to go slap your master's pretty face. Stop me. If you can't, it won't be pretty anymore."
Grind!
"You bastard…!"
"H-how dare you!"
"Insulting milord! You scum! Have you ever seen a wretch doomed to hellfire?!"
Shing!
Clang!
Sching!
Swords and spears were drawn.
The knights' bloodthirsty blades unleashed immense pressure. Even if the marquis ordered them to stand down, it wouldn't stop them now.
Letting their master's insulter go would mean forsaking their knighthood.
Boom!!!
The Blood Eagle Knights, a hundred strong, charged at the lone man.
To claim the head of the one who mocked their lord.
And the provocateur of a hundred knights finally.
"Yeah, that's more like it."
Grinned in satisfaction, hurling himself into the wave of murderous intent bearing down on him.
"Form up for great beast hunt!"
No matter their fury, the knights weren't fools.
On the contrary, rage sharpened their minds to icy clarity, and they swiftly formed a hunting formation tailored for the man.
Having witnessed his superhuman strength already.
They wouldn't underestimate him and went all-out to hunt him down.
Forming the array used for colossal beasts, the hundred knights moved in perfect, organic unison.
Pressure.
Defense.
Attack.
Support.
Each role executed flawlessly.
Thud!
Krrunch!
Whoosh!
The momentum from a hundred knights—no, not mere momentum, but their battle ki.
Fiercer and more savage than ten thousand troops, impossible for any individual to withstand.
This was the first phase: pressure.
No matter how massive the beast, none escaped the net of their battle ki.
No beast had ever broken this formation, and the knights aimed to end it in one strike.
…Except.
"…Ha!"
This applied only to mere beasts. Common sense didn't hold for him.
Lee Han burst into laughter.
In a situation that warranted none.
A hundred knights intent on killing him, each formidable.
Not champion-level individually, but veteran elites through and through.
Their battle ki felt like it would crush him any second, joints creaking audibly.
…Yet, oddly, it felt familiar.
He realized it.
He'd felt this same pressure and momentum before.
'…The same? Or maybe even stronger?'
The Demon King.
The pressure from the troll lord rivaled or exceeded it.
'Fun….'
This was why the world was fun.
He'd thought all knight orders were frail like the White Silver Lions, but here was one intact, even comparable to the Demon King.
His body tingled all over.
The mortal terror of death if he slipped, the acute crisis sense.
Yet he endured—ironically, thanks to prior experience with the Demon King.
Experience let him hold, and relentless training afterward—not wasting a single day—allowed him to.
Crunch!
Tear through the crushing net.
"Wh-what kinda monster is that?!"
"Hurl your spears!!"
"Thrust swords in unison…!!"
Pounding the battle ki net like hammering an anvil, Lee Han unleashed resistance matching their aura, leaving the Blood Eagles flustered.
…But had they heard his inner thoughts, their fluster might have turned to shock and humiliation.
He—
'To avoid grudges with the kid, better end this without killing, right?'
No killing.
Subdue without fatalities.
With that solo vow elevating the already brutal fight to hellish difficulty, Lee Han—
Whoosh!
Kicked off toward 'empty air.'