Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Duke's Rampage
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To summarize the results of the negotiations between the upper knight and Wise, with Rex—the leader of the outcast party—in the middle:
- Liberate the city occupied by a 4th Hierarchy demon.
- Liberation criteria include rescuing the citizens held hostage by that demon.
Surprisingly, the citizen rescue clause had been added by Rex himself.
'No reason not to use power when you have it.'
Rex didn't consider himself a hero.
But he wasn't the type to ignore people in trouble when he had the strength and the spare capacity.
If defeating the demon occupying the city could conveniently lead to rescues as well, there was no reason not to do it.
And to make it happen, Rex decided to reduce his own reward.
"Could I lower my reward and let other adventurers join in instead? I think that would boost our success rate for the rescues."
Ari alone would suffice for slaying the demon.
But if rescues were the goal, more people would dramatically increase success odds.
The upper knight couldn't hide his admiration at Rex's proposal.
'What a noble soul.'
Typical high-rank adventurers the knight knew showed zero interest in rescuing citizens from the start.
It could put them at risk, and even if they had the leeway, it was just too much hassle.
But Rex was different.
He prioritized citizen rescues even at the cost of his own reward.
For total strangers, no less.
'A person like Lady Sneria.'
The upper knight thought of his liege and smiled faintly.
'No wonder Sir Awik serves him.'
Wise accepted the proposal with deep respect for Rex.
"Understood. We'll arrange for the reward to be shared with the other adventurers."
The upper knight Wise signed the contract with a pleased smile.
If one person had been there, she would have screamed, "No!!!"
She would have kept the reward for Duke... no, Rex's group intact while adding extra for the other adventurers before signing.
But Wise here was strictly Yu Hana's proxy.
His authority extended only to distributing rewards, not increasing them.
As a result, Hana's carefully laid "natural 10-year plan with Duke" crumbled.
"Then, we'll convert Rex's rightful share into monetary compensation and distribute it among the adventurers afterward."
Pride swelling in his chest, the upper knight finished signing the contract.
If Hana had been there, she would have planted a roundhouse kick into his ribs to stop him—but unfortunately, she wasn't.
Thus, Hana's plan partially succeeded, and the 4th Hierarchy demon subjugation and citizen rescue mission was greenlit.
Recruitment for the citizen rescue mission proceeded swiftly.
Countless adventurers flocked under the banner of Rex, the guild's rising star.
Of course, they weren't driven by noble motives.
'A city occupied by a 4th Hierarchy demon and its army?'
'Chance to kill without Karma penalty!'
This was also the kind of opportunity adventurers craved.
"Opportunity" for adventurers didn't just mean spirit herbs, ancient grimoires, or secret manuals.
Demons of moderate hierarchy—killable without Karma buildup—counted too.
Sure, death was a risk, but to those obsessed with realm advancement, it hardly mattered.
"Hey, boss! We can take down our share of demons ourselves, right?"
Rex nodded calmly at the rough adventurer's question.
To be precise, he nodded with stiffened muscles from fear, but to onlookers, it looked cool and collected.
As they recruited, unexpected knights burst into the guild.
Kicking open the guild doors.
Kwachik!
"Argh! The installments aren't done yet!!"
Ignoring the guild master's wail, the knights unrolled a scroll and bellowed.
"By order of the Lord! Cease this guild's large-scale commission immediately!"
The guild fell silent, question marks practically floating over everyone's heads at the knights' abrupt declaration.
Rex's party was no exception.
'What's their deal?'
Rex and Ari hadn't heard about Count Karognar's schemes from the upper knight, so they had no clue why these knights had crashed the scene.
'This scene wasn't in the original.'
Duke was caught off guard too.
This was a deviation from the original story, leaving him a bit rattled.
In the original, it hadn't started as an official guild mission like this.
Rex stumbled upon it by chance, and Ari slew the demon, leaving the lord unable to respond.
But here, as a large-scale commission, the lord had caught wind and moved to stop it.
One thing the lord hadn't anticipated, though:
'Has that bald geezer lost it?'
The presence of a "noble(?)" charismatic knight who ignored anyone weaker than himself.
'Something's twisted because of me, but time to normalize it.'
Whatever the reason, if it deviated from the original, it was surely his fault.
With Rex's permission, Duke strode toward the knights.
Kkiiik. Thud thud.
His steps echoed on the guild's creaky wooden floor as he closed in.
"Back off, punk!"
The knights menaced adventurers near the commission board, spears and swords at the ready.
Duke pushed through the frozen crowd surrounding them and approached the board.
He could have psychically stroked their necks or hearts from afar.
But among all these people...
'They wouldn't know it was me.'
Unlike usual, he moved in person this time.
As Duke emerged from the adventurers, all eyes turned to him—including the knights'.
"Hm? You..."
The knight trailed off.
Duke's hierarchy stood out oddly among the rabble.
'...Why's someone like that slumming it with low-tier adventurers?'
The knights gaped at the 5th Hierarchy presence where it shouldn't be.
As they froze in shock at Duke's unexpected appearance, he seized the highest-level knight by the nape.
"?!"
The knight had no time to react before soaring through the air...
Kwoong!
...and slamming into the guild floor with a heavy thud.
- "Whoa!"
- "Holy crap!"
- "Damn, bro's got moves!"
Normally, adventurers would flee in terror at Duke's hierarchy, but thrill overrode fear as cheers erupted.
"What do you think you're—?!"
The subordinate knights instinctively drew swords at their boss's assault.
But knowing Duke's hierarchy, they hesitated to swing.
Duke revealed his right hand from beneath his cloak, as if for their benefit.
"Any true knight knows the meaning of drawing steel."
As Duke slowly clenched his fist, the knights' helmets began crumpling with grinding cracks.
- Ugh...
Agony from the vise-like helmets made them drop weapons and clutch their heads.
They fumbled to remove them, but Duke forbade it.
- Aaagh!
The cheering adventurers paled as they grasped the mood.
Thrilling or not, watching tomatoes get juiced live in front of them killed the cheers—no sane person could cheer that.
As knights slowly suffocated and adventurers eyed each other warily,
"Colo... Forgive our rudeness, milord!"
The upper knight, previously flung down, bowed his head.
Coughing up lung-searing pain, he begged Duke for mercy.
"I'll... explain to the Lord myself. Please, mercy. Cough. Mercy!"
Duke's emotionless helm tilted toward the upper knight's crown.
He withdrew his right hand under the cloak, and the helmets fell silent.
Clang.
Knights hastily discarded theirs.
Duke turned from them to address the upper knight.
"I trust you'll handle it well."
"Our apologies... milord."
Swallowing rage, the knight withdrew meekly.
No cheers rose as the knights slunk out in disgrace.
Turning his back on their pitiful retreat, Duke returned to Rex.
Rex messaged him:
"Adventurers are a savage lot. In large ops, you must crush their spirit like this, or individual antics ruin everything."
Rex agreed with Duke.
A small-time everyman, but also a brutally pragmatic realist.
Avoidant of responsibility, sure—but no fool blind to reality.
On that note, Rex issued a new order:
He'd originally hidden at 1st to avoid attention, but after tangling with the lord's knights, it was pointless.
If exposed anyway, better to escalate to a level even the lord hesitated to touch.
"Understood."
Duke stayed at 5th Hierarchy, skipping a suitable chair.
'Hm... That old coot's playing it predictable.'
From within his helm, he gazed darkly at the mansion.
'This mission just got more things to watch.'
The upper knight, humiliated by Duke at the guild, reported straight to the lord.
Count Karognar.
The elderly man, hounded by mortality,'s bald head gleamed under the light.
Knowing the ruthless old man's temper, the knight led not with mission failure.
"Milord. A 5th Hierarchy appeared at the guild."
"...What did you say? Repeat that!"
The count initially doubted, but affirmed at the knight's insistence.
"Father. I saw it too. No mistake."
Count's son Kubel, coincidentally in the office, backed the knight.
Seeing his son certain it was that blacksmith knight, the count smirked.
"5th Hierarchy...!"
He'd raised demons as a gamble for realm breakthrough, but they faded from mind.
'Finally, my turn for 6th!'
The old man leaped up in ecstatic thrill.
But waist pain yanked him back to earth.
"Ugh... Did you confirm the knight's age?"
Kubel, who'd glimpsed Duke's bare face pre-helm, replied.
"By looks, a young man."
"Such...!"
The count lamented.
Hierarchy trumped physical age, but same tier? Body age mattered hugely.
Count, stalled at Lv59 and ravaged by senescence, vs. the ageless mystery knight—who won was obvious.
'Impossible...'
Genuine regret from the count.
To him, devouring a mid-50s demon seemed easier.
Then, his silent son spoke.
"Father. How about this instead?"
Whisper whisper.
Hearing Kubel's scheme, the count cheered it as brilliant.
"Yes. That'll do it."
Father and son Karognar exchanged smirks.
The next day.
An adventurer alliance formed, led by Rex and Ari.
The plan was simple.
"Know the term 'feint'?"
Ari explained to the mob via Rex's speaker.
In this medieval world with 90% illiteracy,
among adventurers—mostly those too dim for magehood—
none grasped the idiom.
"...Decoy op?"
"“Aha.”"
Ari sighed amid the brutes.
Rex messaged her lines with a wry smile.
The plan was idiot-proof simple.
"We'll split into three teams."
Breakthrough, Rescue, Assassination.
Breakthrough hits front.
Rescue extracts citizens.
Assassination takes the head.
Straightforward structure.
Rex had better ideas, but doubted this ragtag crew—sans contracts—could execute.
"Teams like this."
Ari's all-women party + close adventurer pals: one team.
Duke + two support parties: one team.
Rest lumped: one team.
When teams finalized, the "rest" assumed they'd breakthrough—largest group.
So...
"We just poke and pull back, right?"
A "rest" adventurer raised hand.
Ari eyed him like an idiot.
"You're Rescue. Why pull back?"
"Huh?"
He scanned his massive group.
Standard decoy: biggest team tanks aggro/entry.
But they get Rescue? Bizarre.
Cautiously: "Then, Lady Arabella... which team?"
"Mine's Assassination."
"Uh... then..."
Eyes swarmed Duke.
Duke shadowed his helm silently, slamming his massive greatsword into the floor.
Thud!
Local adventurers recognized it instantly.
The festival strength contest blade, wielded lightly by Duke.
Plus yesterday's silent knight-banishing feat.
Even brute adventurers, too savage for emotion magic, honed survival instincts.
"Yessir. We'll handle the citizens fine."
No grumbles about missing fights.
Such tone-deaf fools vanished naturally in this harsh world.
Still, Duke added courtesy:
"Any demons I miss, or that block your rescues—you may slay. Nay, safer for you that way."
The demon army held threats even to adventurers.
Duke guaranteed his scraps—or encounter stragglers—sufficed.
His stern tone commanded instant buy-in.
"Got it, bro."
They'd witnessed the knights' fate—had to believe.
Then, Duke cautioned:
"Just two things to heed."
"Hm?"
"One: Prioritize citizen rescues. No needless fights endangering them.
Two: I shan't lecture knightly honor. But treat citizens with basic human decency."
Vague rules, full of loopholes.
But Duke knew how to awaken forgotten decency in this world's brutes.
Kkiiik—
Silently psychically bending a fork.
Adventurers got it: their spines.
They nodded at 100Hz vibration.
Duke nodded satisfied.
"Thanks in advance for your dedication."
The occupied city: citizens' heads on market display, eerie quiet.
Demons patrolled with blood-rusted blades as usual.
The former mayor dangled in the square; his mansion claimed by a tusked giant.
"Hmmm..."
Giant eyed his cracked hand-mirror, fussing over tusks.
Troll-ogre hybrid, he truly believed these parental heirlooms his charm.
'Heh. Chicks dig this.'
As he toothed his tusks, a cyclops entered the office.
"Chieftain. Starvin'. Can I eat one girl?"
Giant lowered mirror, eyed the single orb.
Irked yet flippant tone:
"Eek!? Gave ya knights already."
"Still hungry."
"Your realm's past grub meaning jack!"
"Hmmm... Cravin' woman..."
"Clarify: horny or hungry?"
"Hungry."
"Suck it up, pig. Prisoners low already. Sons near fighting age—what then?"
Giant and cyclops: 4th, 3rd Hierarchy.
"Rush sons to 1st, hit human cities in a year."
"Hold out till then?"
"What else!?"
"Huntin' trip. Scouts found village east."
"Hmmm..."
Chieftain stroked tusks, shook head.
"Grown-ass, learn patience? Forgot how we took this city?"
Cyclops conceded, nodding.
"Sorry. Rash of me."
"Frankly, I'm barely holding—don't remind."
Dragged to underground pits as slaves, survived years.
Lock on demon cage unlocked by chance; they escaped that night.
Guard knights dead; demons ate corpses, conquered city with gained power.
Heaven's whim, perhaps—never demon-friendly before.
Demons neither thanked nor relied.
Quietly built forces, eyed next city.
"Orc chieftain's late from forest army-building."
Then next city.
Chieftain puzzled at delay.
Cyclops on his musing:
"Me check?"
"Warrior instinct?"
"Yeah. Glory calls from there."
"Glory? Die out there, it's exile."
"Kek. Ain't that glory too?"
Easy banter between demons.
But their peaceful routine shattered without warning.
"Wha... what's that?"
Guard demons' murmurs drew mansion pair to window.
Gazes locked on it—like others'.
A ship hovering higher than city walls.
"Eh? Ship?"
Chieftain's dumb mutter; prow aimed at gate.
Ram head decoration this menacing? First for them.
Chieftain, sheep-head entranced, snapped to as ship reared back.
Grabbed comm-crystal.
"Pull baaack—!"
Too late; ship faster than relay.
Kwaaang!
Ram-ship pulverized gate—and itself.
Oww...
Uwaaa...
Momma...
One crash, nearbies half-wiped.
Some torsos severed; bellies pierced by shards; eyes blinded by stone.
- Hungrii...
- Cold...
- Cough cough!
Dust-cloud survivors coughed survival boasts.
But...
- Stab.
- Aaagh!
- Sa... ve... gurgle...
Blind dust hid endless death rattles; coughs ceased.
Brief silence, then creaks resumed in cloud.
Kkiiik, kkiik.
Someone trod shattered wall/ship planks.
Undeniably the chaos culprit.
As demons gulped awaiting reveal, panic broke some—dropped arms, fled.
Mostly instinct-driven goblins.
But steps in, they clutched throats, writhing.
Gasp... hack...
Deserters slumped silent corpses.
Dust parted: red carpet of demon blood/bodies unfurled for helmed knight.
"High... "
Captain demon, to order counter, jaw quivered from rear.
"Atta—"
Slash.
Before finish, body bisected.
Chill-gleam greatsword between halves.
Unmistakable cleave sound; demons shuddered, turned.
Beyond cleaved captain: Duke's helm, where entrance should be.
Sword in right, mana-clad left: the knight.
Eyes off corpse, to survivors:
"At least you lot—unlike these—I'll let grip steel honorably in death."
Over deserters/commander corpses, knight concluded:
"Take up arms, men."