Chapter 110
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 110
All Norbeck wanted was Lucian’s life.
However, as the commander-in-chief, Lucian was protected by layer upon layer of escort forces. Even in a crushing defeat, a commander-in-chief usually managed to escape with his life. Norbeck doubted whether his blades could even reach Lucian, even if they managed to induce a chaotic melee.
‘And even if we reach him, that’s another problem. It would be one thing if his own martial prowess was pathetic, but isn’t he the one who broke Harald in a head-on fight?’
It wasn't through clever schemes or using technique to compensate for a lack of strength. Lucian had sent an axe flying through pure power and displayed overwhelming martial might. An average knight would have to worry about their own head flying off rather than taking his.
Yet, the man who occupied such an unreachable position had declared he would step forward of his own volition. It was enough to make Norbeck, already half-mad with a grudge, lose his mind entirely.
‘But if we do this, aren't we just dancing to the enemy's tune?’
Palmyr didn't know which knight would step out first, but they certainly wouldn't be an easy opponent. If the House of Calix suffered consecutive defeats, the worst-case scenario might unfold.
“My Lord.”
“Will you go?”
The moment Palmyr opened his mouth to dissuade him, Norbeck’s eyes flashed with a cold glint. It was clear that if Palmyr said anything other than agreeing to the duel, Norbeck would send Palmyr himself out first.
After hesitating for a long moment, Palmyr swallowed the sigh rising in his throat and spoke.
“...I will send Sir Dane.”
“Do so.”
Norbeck seemed to have no intention of further conversation and didn't open his mouth again. As he had said before, he didn't care how many were sacrificed as long as he could drag Lucian out.
Watching him, Palmyr swallowed his bitterness and turned away. He felt an unbearable pity for his comrades, who were being discarded as consumables rather than dying as knights.
Buuuuu—
A short while later, the sound of a horn signaling the start of the duel echoed across Crow Hill.
Simultaneously, a single knight stepped forward from Lucian’s side. Clad in pure white full-body armor, their face was completely hidden.
Following them, Dane, the knight designated as the challenger from the Calix side, stepped out.
“I am Dane Volkov, servant of the House of Calix! Who are you?!”
“Hoo.”
A scoff drifted from inside the helmet, which was difficult to peer into. The voice sounded youthful, but because of the resonance within the metal, it was hard to discern an exact age.
“Rebel dregs playing at being knights? Stop this useless posturing and just offer up your neck.”
“...!”
Dane glared at the white-armored knight, his face flushing crimson. He wouldn't deny that the cause of this war lay with Calix. But wasn't it too much to insult a knight’s personal honor along with the sins of the house they served? He was merely fulfilling his duty to the lord to whom he had sworn his loyalty, yet he was being treated like a common bandit.
“Let’s see if your sword is as sharp as your tongue!”
Drawing his sword, Dane lunged at the white knight. No matter how magnificent the armor was, if the skill with the blade was lacking, it was nothing more than a sturdy decoration. He would blow away the opponent’s sword and then thrust his blade into the gaps of the armor.
‘First, I’ll overwhelm them with momentum!’
It was the moment he intended to press down with powerful force so the opponent couldn't dodge the first strike.
Phut.
“...?”
As the white knight’s sword was drawn, the sound of a reed snapping reached his ears. As Dane blinked, wondering what that sound was, his vision tilted sideways.
Why so suddenly... With that final thought, Dane Volkov met his end.
Thud. Splat.
His head hit the mud first, followed by his body, which collapsed and sent muddy water splashing.
Even though no blood stained the blade, the white knight flicked it as if shaking off something filthy. While everyone stood dazed, unsure of what had just happened, the white knight spoke.
“Next.”
“...”
“...”
Both armies stared with their mouths agape at the shocking sight. While Dane might not have been a legendary knight, he was certainly a seasoned veteran with extensive combat experience. To have his head taken without even a single clash of blades...
‘They didn't aim for the gap between the helmet and the breastplate. They sliced through the armor as if it were paper.’
Palmyr swallowed hard as he looked at the piece of armor that had fallen along with Dane’s severed head. It was true that knights could manifest superhuman strength by enhancing their bodies. However, while an enhanced body allowed for faster and cleaner swings, it didn't inherently increase the cutting power of the blade itself.
Yet, the opponent hadn't just enhanced their body; they had increased the cutting power of the sword to an absurd degree.
‘Is that the level of materializing mana to shroud the blade?’
It wasn't just about increased cutting power. At the point where one could freely manipulate materialized mana during combat, the precision of their movements reached a different dimension. Unless the opponent was a knight of the same caliber, anyone who stepped out would be mowed down like a straw doll.
“My Lord.”
“Send the next one.”
“My Lord!”
“I believe I said I don't care how many die.”
“...”
“No matter how strong they are, they are but one person. Use poison or whatever else is necessary. We’ve already come too far. You know as well as I do that there is no turning back. So, do not obsess over things like honor.”
Palmyr looked up at the sky with sunken eyes. The fact that they had hired mages had been revealed, and the successor, Godfrey, had long since become a corpse. The destruction of House Calix was already a foregone conclusion. Even so, he had come seeking a place to die to keep his oath as a knight, but...
‘Did I live all this time for a death like this?’
A deep regret weighed heavily on Palmyr’s chest. Even if he stayed with his fallen lord any longer, nothing good would come of it.
“I will step out this time.”
“I’m counting on you. I won't forget your sacrifice.”
At his lord’s toneless voice, Palmyr merely nodded stoically. There was no need to put heart and soul into a courtesy that held no sincerity.
Seeing Palmyr quietly draw his sword, the white knight asked.
“Are you not going to announce your name?”
“It would be meaningless.”
“...I see.”
Recognizing Palmyr’s despair, the white knight raised their sword.
“I will not offer pity. Whatever the outcome, he was the lord you chose for yourself.”
“I have no rebuttal for that.”
With a bitter smile, Palmyr swung his sword. Even in a state of self-abandonment, his body moved automatically toward the optimal path. Perhaps because he had discarded all distractions, the trajectory was more perfect than it had ever been during his days of burning ambition.
The moment he realized he had surpassed a wall, the opponent’s sword light flashed. In that split second, Palmyr marveled at the trajectory of the incoming blade.
‘How beautiful.’
With that final thought, Palmyr’s head flew into the air.
Splat.
“Hmm.”
Another head thudded into the mud. The white knight, who had been steadily creating corpses, let out a faint groan for the first time. Because so many bodies had piled up, it was becoming difficult to find proper footing. While they weren't people deserving of pity, the knight didn't particularly enjoy trampling over corpses.
“It seems we need to move the location slightly.”
“...”
“Shall I go over there? Or will the next opponent come here?”
Norbeck’s clenched fists trembled violently. On the hill piled high with the corpses of knights, the white knight showed not a single sign of exhaustion. The amount of mana used for body enhancement while continuing the duels must have been considerable; how could a human be like that?
“...Who are you?”
The eyes that had been glaring fixedly at Lucian finally turned fully toward the white knight. The white knight answered Norbeck’s question calmly.
“There is no need for you to know.”
“No, I must know! I cannot stand to watch a brat bring in an outsider who isn't even his retainer and act so arrogant!”
“An outsider?”
“Eisen Brightner! As the Sword Saint, do you feel no shame?! To assist that brat simply because he is your lord’s son!”
“Ha.”
Unless it was the Sword Saint, such a feat was impossible. Seeing Norbeck jump to that conclusion, the white knight let out a snort. Then, without hesitation, the white knight reached for their helmet.
As the helmet was removed, cascading hair flowed down to the shoulders.
“The Sword Saint? What on earth gave you that idea? I am not my father.”
“...!”
“My name is Felicia Brightner. I am a knight serving His Grace the Duke. I am fighting for my lord, so I fail to see what the problem is.”
Norbeck bit his lip. The female knight he had initially thought the brat had kept by his side as a mere decoration. It was only after rumors of the Sword Saint spread that he learned she was the Sword Saint’s adopted daughter and top disciple.
Even so, he hadn't been particularly wary. No matter how much of a genius of the century she was, wasn't she just a sprout with almost no real combat experience? He thought they would keep her in the safest place possible until she reached a certain level.
‘...Was her skill already enough to slaughter most knights? Damn it!’
The mature knights had already been decapitated by Felicia. The three remaining were men who would become corpses the moment they were sent out. Effectively, at this point, dragging Lucian out had become impossible.
“It is unfair. Calix is being destroyed, yet that brat is to reign as the Conqueror of the North.”
“It’s all your own doing, so what’s unfair about it?”
“But if I take the Sword Saint’s disciple with me, I’ll at least get to see him beat the ground in regret.”
Norbeck ignored Felicia and muttered to himself. Soon, as Norbeck raised one hand, the soldiers in front of him simultaneously pulled something from behind their thighs.
“Short bows?”
Felicia, who had put her helmet back on, muttered as she saw the objects the soldiers produced. Because of the frequent blizzards, the North preferred large bows with high tension. Yet, these weren't even standard bows, but short bows small enough to be hidden in one's trousers by bending them. This wasn't a unit intended to keep the enemy in check, but one created specifically to stab someone in the back at an event like this.
“To the very end...”
“Fire!”
Before Felicia could finish her sentence, arrows were loosed all at once. It wasn't a single volley, but sequential firing divided into five rounds. Even if one had the martial power to deflect all the arrows once, they wouldn't be able to withstand a continuous barrage.
That was what Norbeck thought as he began to smile.
T-t-t-tung!
“...?”
As the arrows struck Felicia’s armor, they lost their momentum and fell, accompanied by small flashes of light. It wasn't that the arrows had broken against the armor. They had been deflected by a minutely deployed Rune Protection before they could even touch it.
Norbeck cried out in horror as he realized all five rounds of sequential firing were utterly useless.
“This is insane! What kind of armor is that...!”
“I knew you’d do that. You never fail to meet expectations.”
Lucian’s voice pierced Norbeck’s eardrums. Looking up, he saw Lucian, who had been standing apart with his troops, gradually approaching Norbeck’s position. The moment he realized Lucian had come within range of the short bows, Norbeck’s eyes snapped open.
“What are you doing?! Fire! Kill him! I said kill him!”
“Do you even have arrows left to fire?”
Norbeck gnashed his teeth at Lucian’s sarcasm. If they had brought proper quivers, it would be one thing, but these were weapons hidden secretly to avoid notice. Naturally, they could only cram in enough for exactly one proper volley.
“Fine! Discard the bows and take up your spears! All troops, prepare to charge!”
“...”
“...”
Despite the order, the soldiers hesitated and did not move. Norbeck’s face contorted at the sudden insubordination.
“What are you doing?! Prepare to charge!”
“Shout all you want. See if they listen.”
“What?”
“You used your knights as consumables right in front of the soldiers; did you really expect their morale to remain intact?”
The soldiers were already treated far worse than the knights. Having seen the knights handled so ruthlessly, it was obvious they would think they were next. There was no way they would obediently follow an order to go out and die now.
“If the knights were still around, they would have forced the men to obey somehow. But you ground them all up. There’s no one left to push the soldiers from behind or make an example of them by cutting them down.”
To be precise, about three knights remained, but that was a meaningless number. They might control their own units, but the other units would still remain motionless. Without allies to back them up, any charging unit would stop in its tracks before getting very far.
“The short bow unit was trained to move according to your signals, so they followed reflexively. But the other units are different. It was over the moment you took the middle commanders away from the soldiers and gave them room to think.”
“You...!”
“Thanks to the foolish Count, things have turned out well for me. This many men will make for an excellent labor force. If they bring their families along, I’ll be able to collect quite a bit in taxes, won't I?”
Norbeck froze on the spot. Could it be that he had tried to minimize soldier casualties as much as possible for the sake of population and taxes? Just to eliminate the knights loyal to Calix using the duel?
“It’s all over, old man.”
As if confirming Norbeck’s suspicion, Lucian’s lips curled upward. Driven mad by that smile, Norbeck lunged toward Lucian.
“I’ll kill you— urk!”
Thwack!
Before he could finish spitting out his curse, Lucian struck Norbeck across the head with his scabbard. Lucian looked down at the collapsed head of the House of Calix and commanded:
“Bind him. We will execute him after we move to Asagrim.”