Chapter 11
Chapter 11
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: A Noble's Duty
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After unleashing the Ice Bolt, Dale spurred his horse down the ridge.
“S-Sir Dale!”
Duke Sachsen stopped Lord Helmut as he hastily tried to pull on his reins, shaking his head.
“We will watch a little longer.”
“Your Grace!”
He dismissed the bewildered Lord Helmut’s words and turned his gaze to Dale’s retreating back.
At first, he had thought it was a child’s bravado.
But that Ice Bolt, fired from Dale’s fingertips—it was a form of proof, a message to his father, asking for his trust.
Could something with a range and lethality incomparable to any other bolt even be called a bolt in the first place?
And then there were the modifiers Dale had added to his spell.
「Barrett M98B」, 「8.58x70mm」.
For Duke Sachsen, who had lived his entire life in this world, they were otherworldly pronunciations he couldn't even begin to imagine. Thus, there was only one logical conclusion he could reach.
‘Could it be… an Original Modification at his age?’
When novice mages added their own unique, indecipherable modifiers to their spells, the effects were minimal.
But for high-level mages who had firmly established their inner world through relentless training, it was a different story. It was an advanced state where they could draw images from their meticulously constructed inner world.
That was the 「Original Modification」.
‘A mere 1st-circle mage possesses such a complete inner world?’
Even before considering his circle level, Dale was only a nine-year-old child. This was a level beyond what words like ‘prodigy’ or ‘genius’ could describe.
──Strictly speaking, however, what Dale had used was not a true Original Modification. After all, the incantations Dale chanted corresponded to a clear, tangible reality.
The bombing runs of iron-clad fighters soaring through the sky. The endless roar of gunfire and artillery.
Weapons from another world that no one here could possibly imagine, but that nonetheless existed as tangible objects.
‘Just what is that child…?’
Unaware of this fact, Duke Sachsen simply decided to trust Dale and watch. No, he was so curious about what Dale would do next that he was growing impatient.
Like a foolish father, eagerly anticipating his son’s exploits.
Besides, no matter how great the distance, Duke Sachsen was the greatest black mage on the continent. Protecting Dale in a pinch, regardless of the distance, would be a trivial matter.
Cutting through the retreating cavalrymen, Dale was soon galloping at the foot of the ridge.
In the distance, he could see the fallen knight, the orc swordsmen, and behind them, the main orc force still holding their formation.
The distance closed rapidly, and Dale’s mind, as he watched them, was colder than ever.
‘The additional spell modifiers are too cumbersome.’
They were perfect for sniping, but far too inefficient to pronounce with an enemy right in front of him.
However, the suggestion was too weak to project the images of Earth’s weapons from his subconscious.
Therefore, he needed a more efficient ‘substitute word’ that could achieve about seventy percent of the effect on the fly.
A streamlining of the modifier.
‘…!’
As the thought crossed his mind, Dale couldn't help but let out a laugh. He felt foolish for having agonized over such a simple problem until just now.
*Ice Bolt*. That was the spell name mages in this world favored to invoke the image of an ice projectile.
And Dale had used that spell name as a base, adding the image of a sniper rifle he envisioned as a ‘modifier.’
What a foolish thing to do. There had never been any need for that in the first place.
“Groooar!”
The first orc swordsman had been killed instantly by Dale’s sniper Ice Bolt, and the remaining orcs were now on high alert.
Still on horseback, Dale once again pointed his finger at them. He aimed, then opened his mouth.
“Ice Bullet.”
──*Crack!*
Whether the pen was truly mightier than the sword was debatable, but at the very least, a gun was mightier than a bow or crossbow. The same held true for bullets and arrows.
A bullet of ice slammed into an orc swordsman.
A single shot that pierced just below the eye, penetrated the skull beyond the socket, and fired through.
“S-Sir Dale!”
The knight, who had been sprawled on the ground, resigned to death, turned his head, unable to hide his astonishment.
“What are you doing here! Quickly—.”
“Don’t worry.”
But Dale, dismounting from his horse, simply offered a quiet smile to the knight, who was babbling, unable to grasp the situation.
“House Sachsen never abandons a loyal sword.”
His voice carried a weight that was impossible to believe came from a nine-year-old boy.
“Sir Dale…”
He was one of the vassal knights who had watched Dale’s training at the ducal castle on several occasions.
The world was unfair, and this child was living proof of that absurdity.
That was why, every time he saw Dale’s skills improve by leaps and bounds, he had to force a bitter smile at the injustice of the world, loyalty aside, while suppressing the dark emotions welling up in his heart.
But now, that very child was standing alone against a horde of orcs for his sake.
Dale turned his gaze toward the few surviving orc swordsmen.
The dawn air was exceptionally cool, yet there was no wind. Despite this, the hem of Dale’s black cloak began to flutter as if caught in a gale.
“Graaaah!”
As the orc swordsmen charged, Dale’s shadows shot up from beneath his feet like skewers.
The first form of the artifact ‘Shadow Cloak.’
Shadow Blade.
*Clang!*
The moment the shadow blades deflected the orcs’ swords…
‘Devour them.’
The shadows, like living tentacles, coiled around the orcs’ blades and began to slither toward their hands.
*Shhhlick!*
Several dark, shadowy serpents formed from the blades of shadow wrapped around the orcs’ wrists, severing them, and then lunged for their torsos.
Starting from the wrist, they sliced through the shoulder and torso, and finally, the head was lopped off. Green blood gushed from the wounds.
The carnage Dale was demonstrating was far beyond common sense. It was hard to believe this was the same child who had been swinging a sword in the ducal castle.
This was not the sword of a knight who pursues the way of the sword.
It was the Killing Sword of an assassin, filled with the sheer obsession to take the enemy’s life by any means necessary.
“Ice Bullet.”
After slaughtering the charging orcs by manipulating his Shadow Cloak, Dale extended a finger.
*Crack!*
The tip of his finger pointed at the last remaining orc swordsman.
The bodies of the orcs sent to hunt down one fallen knight were scattered about in disarray.
Dale turned his head. In the distance, he looked toward the orc unit that maintained its longspear formation to counter the cavalry charge.
A few orcs in the front line readjusted their grip on their longspears, readying themselves to throw. But the volley of spears never came raining down on Dale.
They merely clutched their spear shafts hastily, as if startled by something.
Dale easily understood what it meant and smiled faintly. His part to play was over.
“──All cavalry, full charge!”
As he smiled, Lord Helmut’s thunderous roar echoed, splitting the air.
The heavy sound of warhorses’ hooves followed from behind.
Passing the two of them, the charge of House Sachsen’s famed ‘Black Cavalry’ began once more.
Furthermore, the morale of the knights, who galloped with their lances readied, was higher than ever.
The eldest son of the ducal house, risking his life on the battlefield for a single knight. It was a marvel that couldn't be fully described even with the words ‘a noble’s duty’—it was a legendary tale of heroism in itself.
Thus, Dale’s actions had the effect of pouring fuel on the embers of loyalty to House Sachsen burning in their hearts.
“For House Sachsen!”
“For Sir Dale!”
“Wipe out the orcs!”
“Charge!”
A storm of steel raged. It was a final, decisive blow against a shield wall on the verge of shattering.
* * *
The morning sun rose over the eastern ridge.
“Why did you charge into the enemy lines alone and so recklessly?”
After the battle with the orcs had ended, that was his father’s first question to Dale.
But it was by no means a tone of reprimand. It was merely a question to test him.
“You told me, Father.”
Therefore, Dale answered without hesitation.
“That the knights of House Sachsen here today are the men I will one day lead.”
“…”
“The noble have a duty befitting their station.”
Dale continued calmly.
“As the one who will lead them in the future, I was merely fulfilling that duty.”
“But it was too reckless.”
“If it had truly been a reckless act, it would not have been difficult for you to stop me, Father.”
Dale replied. It was an incredibly audacious answer.
“After all, annihilating that orc horde would be a simple matter for you.”
“Hoh.”
At his audacity, his father, Duke Sachsen, smiled in amusement. Dale was right. For Lord Black, wiping out a thousand orcs would require nothing more than a wave of his hand.
And yet, he hadn’t.
“As you say, if I truly set my mind to it, annihilating the orcs before us would not be a difficult task.”
“Then why did you stand by and watch your own men die?”
Now it was Dale’s turn to ask a question.
“Did you want me to wipe out the orc horde with a single gesture?”
“I had hoped you would at least save the knight who serves you with loyalty.”
“They do not wield their swords on the battlefield hoping to be saved.”
At those words, Duke Sachsen continued in a cold voice.
“Is stepping forward to save your subordinates whenever they are threatened and turning the tide of battle what you consider a noble’s duty?”
“Yes.”
A cold sneer was the response to Dale’s answer, as if he had forgotten he was speaking to a mere nine-year-old child.
“Our domain is exposed to countless threats every year.”
It was a face Dale had never seen before, the face of a ruthless archduke.
“If I use my power every time a threat arises and maintain peace in the duchy through that power, what then?”
What then?
“Will you protect this domain with your strength alone when you succeed me as Duke?”
And after that?
“Then what need is there to raise knights loyal to House Sachsen?”
“That is…”
“How will you take responsibility when their sense of the battlefield dulls and their blades grow blunt?”
Faced with this cold realism, Dale was momentarily at a loss for words.
“To confront the threats to our domain, the knights of House Sachsen endlessly sharpen their swords.”
Duke Sachsen said.
“When a threat finally arrives that they cannot handle, then I will be the one to stop it.”
As the head of House Sachsen, counted among the greatest lords of the Empire.
“That is the ‘noble’s duty’ that we of House Sachsen must bear.”
“…”
It was something Dale had never considered. No, it was such a sound argument that it had struck a nerve.
Hadn't he himself, in his past life, acted similarly as the supreme commander of a suicide corps?
‘Then why did I try to save that knight?’
Having come this far, Dale himself was seized by a doubt he couldn't understand. Was it simply to win the loyalty of the knights who would one day be his subordinates?
It was at that moment.
“──And yet.”
As if his cold expression from moments before had been a lie, Duke Sachsen continued in a softer voice.
“You followed through with what you believed to be a ‘noble’s duty,’ by your own will.”
At those words, Dale quietly drew in a breath.
“In the future, when you inherit this ducal house and reflect upon the ‘noble’s duty’ in the name of Duke Sachsen.”
A future that the current Dale could not even begin to imagine.
“Which of our beliefs was right… that is something you will realize in time.”
“Father…”
“Let us return to the castle.”
Everyone has their own path. As if to say just that, Duke Sachsen turned his back without another word.
And where Lord Black had turned his back, two hundred and fifty knights awaited the father and son of House Sachsen.
Unable to contain their surging loyalty toward House Sachsen… no, toward ‘Dale of Sachsen,’ they repeatedly swore to willingly offer their lives.