Chapter 73: I Will Ask You Just One Thing (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 73: I Will Ask You Just One Thing (3)
The moment his habitual self-introduction ended, two flashing ice spears hurtled toward the knights.
Swoosh!
Crunch!
The sharp whistle of something slicing through the air and the crunch of bone echoed almost simultaneously.
Too fast!
One knight with sharp reflexes barely managed to dodge by throwing himself from his horse. The other fell from his mount with a gaping hole in his chest, and the blood pooling beneath him quickly formed a dark puddle.
With one of their comrades dead before they could even react, the remaining knights scrambled off their horses. Arsen had no intention of waiting for them to close the distance. He moved his hand once more.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two ice spears flew in rapid succession toward the knight standing directly in front of him. Though the man managed to deflect the first with a swing of his sword, the second struck him squarely, killing him instantly.
Thud!
At the sound of the heavy body collapsing, the eyes of the remaining knights wavered.
Target, calculate, chant, and cast.
Wasn't that how a mage fought?
Swoosh!
Slash!
As if mocking their complacency, the sharp, tearing sounds continued.
Arsen's ice, flying through the dead of night, was like an assassin’s blade. To see it was to die.
Thud.
A knight standing next to Tail collapsed, dark red blood gushing from his pierced throat.
What the hell is he, a monster?!
In the brief moment it took to dismount and surround Arsen, their numbers had dwindled by three.
Tail tightened his grip on his sword.
Standing in the center of the seven remaining knights, Arsen turned his head.
As his gaze swept forward in search of his next target, the two knights who had ended up behind him lunged in perfect unison. One aimed for Arsen's neck, the other for his heart. Their swords whipped through the air like the wind.
Noticing them a fraction of a second too late, Arsen snapped his head around. The blades, already inches away, were reflected in his eyes.
And then—
Clang! Clink!
With a crisp, metallic ring that felt entirely out of place, Arsen's Shield flashed twice. The two swords, unable to graze a single thread of their target's clothes, bounced harmlessly away.
Just as the dumbfounded knights tried to thrust again, shards of ice materialized from thin air and struck them. The sickening crunch of ribs followed.
Crack! Crunch!
One knight slumped to the ground, his heart pierced through. The other, lungs obliterated, spent his final moments envying his now-heartless companion before coughing up bloody froth and dying.
Watching the carnage unfold, Tail gritted his teeth.
Damn it!
It wasn't skill that had kept him alive this long—it was pure luck. Tail knew this better than anyone.
In the blink of an eye, five of the Marquis's elite knights had been slaughtered.
We messed with the wrong guy.
Arsen didn't even give Tail time to regret his choices.
The moment a sudden chill crept up his spine, Tail jerked his head aside, just as a cold blade of ice grazed the back of his neck. A burning pain flared across the cut. At the same time, Arsen's Shield flashed once more.
Clink! Clang!
The two knights who had just struck the Shield, seizing the opening created by the attack on Tail, quickly retreated. They stared straight ahead, bracing themselves for any ice that might fly their way.
Swoosh!
As if mocking their caution, an ice spear materialized directly above one of the knights and plunged straight down.
Thud!
The unfortunate man was pierced from the crown of his head to his jaw, dying instantly. Crimson blood trickled down the tip of the ice, soaking the ground.
Tail had only survived because Arsen's attention had been diverted for a split second. The moment he realized he was still alive, Tail kicked off the ground.
Not toward Arsen, but away from him.
Seeing Tail flee, the other knights also began looking for a chance to escape.
Just then, one knight lunged at Arsen. His sharp blade swept forward as if to cleave both the Shield and the man behind it in two.
Instead of calculating his Shield’s remaining durability or the sharpness of the incoming blade, Arsen simply spoke.
“[Teleport.]”
With that low murmur, he vanished from the knight's sight.
At that, the knights—excluding the one whose sword had just swung through empty air—scattered in all directions. Tail, of course, was among them.
Arsen’s figure materialized directly behind Tail. A terrifying ice spear shot toward Tail and another fleeing knight.
Tail twisted his torso and swung his sword blindly behind him.
The miraculous movement saved his life. With a sharp clang, the ice spear was deflected.
Thwack!
Simultaneously, the light of life faded from the eyes of the knight running just ahead of him. Tail's hands trembled as he barely managed to look back and witness it.
I shouldn't have come.
He had known the mage was strong.
That was why he had brought nine companions whose existence was unknown to the royal palace. Ten of them in total, including himself. The reward was more than enough to split ten ways, and they had been promised double if they succeeded, so he hadn't minded sharing.
Tail let out a hollow laugh.
To think we actually believed we could succeed. With only ten of us.
Belated regret filled his eyes as he faced imminent death for his poor judgment.
It was clear now that even Silike had no idea what kind of monster Arsen truly was. The money she offered was a fortune, but it was nowhere near enough for this.
Less than five minutes had passed since they had surrounded him.
Of the ten knights, only three remained.
Swoosh!
Crunch!
No, make that two.
One of the knights, running frantically with his back turned, failed to dodge an ice spear falling from the sky. He died with his body impaled by the massive shard.
His corpse rolled down the riverbank, and dark red blood began to spread through the clear waters of the Senyu River.
The knight who had swung his sword at empty air, and Tail, who had given up on running. Only two were left.
Only then did Arsen halt his attacks.
“Now there are two,” Arsen finally spoke. “Which of you will live? I only need one.”
And then, he posed his question.
* * *
Right after Arsen left, Calian took a leisurely sip of sparkling water and spoke in a quiet voice.
“Kyrie.”
Since there was no one nearby, it might have seemed like he was talking to himself.
The evening banquet had just begun, and the atmosphere was lively. The sounds of guests introducing themselves to one another were loud. Glasses clinked constantly, and the clatter of cutlery echoed from all directions.
Amidst the din, Calian's voice reached Kyrie, who had been standing with Yan a short distance away. Kyrie approached at once. Perhaps due to his elven blood, his hearing was exceptionally sharp.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Calian looked at Kyrie for a moment before delivering his instructions. Though his words were drowned out by the surrounding noise, Kyrie understood every one of them perfectly.
“...Can you do it?” Calian asked in conclusion.
Without a moment's hesitation, Kyrie replied, “Yes.”
Calian nodded, and Kyrie promptly slipped out of the banquet hall.
Watching Kyrie’s retreating figure, Calian rose from his seat and glanced toward Alan. Alan, who had been conversing with Lemain, naturally caught Calian's eye. Without a word, Calian walked out of the banquet hall, and Alan immediately followed.
“Is something the matter?”
Calian nodded with a smile. “Since the news about Gray arrived today, Silike must have made her move. She’ll want to confirm whether I did something to him.”
“I was wondering why Sir Hertz was nowhere to be seen.”
Understanding instantly, Alan’s eyes crinkled. His voice carried a hint of amusement, as if he were anticipating something entertaining. “So Silike's underhanded scheme is directed at Sir Hertz. Shall I go handle it?”
Calian laughed. “We can’t have Sispanian hunting a mere rabbit. Your strength is hardly needed to deal with them, Master. You only need to go back inside and inform His Majesty.”
While this showed his immense trust in Arsen, there was another reason Calian believed Arsen could handle it alone.
“Silike must be doubting whether Marquis Brissen is still on her side. She’ll want to be sure.”
Calian knew very well that Gray hadn't come to help Silike out of brotherly love. There had to have been some sort of deal between them.
And the only thing Silike could offer Gray right now was the title of Marquis. But that title didn’t just fall from the sky. Unlike the throne, it couldn’t simply be abdicated. It would only become available upon Evan Brissen's death.
Therefore, Silike had to consider the possibility that Evan had caught wind of her plans and punished Gray himself.
“Even if she sends someone to the Margrave’s territory to assess the situation, it will take days for them to return. Until then, she has to consider the possibility that the Marquis himself attacked Gray. This means Silike cannot freely command the Marquis's knights. If she makes a wrong move, their blades might turn on her instead.”
With a deep, mocking sneer, Calian looked toward Heisia Palace.
“Furthermore, Silike has never met Sir Hertz. Since his martial prowess is unknown, she probably sent only a handful of knights. Sir Hertz alone will be more than enough to handle them.”
The corners of Alan's mouth curled upward.
Considering how much aversion Calian had shown when they first met…
“Your trust in Sir Hertz has grown quite firm since your trip to Roselita.”
Calian grinned at Alan. “I have no choice but to trust him. He was the last person I met before coming here.”
Alan had already guessed that something had happened between Bern and Arsen based on Calian’s reaction the first day he saw him. Hearing this response, Alan clicked his tongue, his suspicions fully confirmed.
* * *
‘And don’t fall asleep on the way.’
Finally understanding the meaning behind those words, Arsen let out a deep sigh as he looked at the two men standing before him.
Calian had known an attack was coming.
Yet, he had sent Arsen alone.
“I don’t know whether to thank you for your trust or resent you for your neglect, Your Highness,” Arsen muttered to himself.
He had no idea why Calian trusted his abilities so implicitly.
Tail and the other knight grimaced as they watched him. Their swords were still in their hands, and they were barely a step and a half away. Yet, Arsen was lost in thought, completely ignoring them.
Of course, neither of them dared to attack. It was obvious that before they could even raise their swords, his ice would pierce their bodies.
Arsen looked at them and asked again, “Have you decided? Who lives and who dies?”
Though he spoke this way, he actually intended to keep both of them alive. He planned to make them compete for survival, spilling information in the process.
Tail spoke up. “Spare me. Take me to Prince Calian. I will tell you everything.”
While Calian was at the palace, so was Silike. Tail believed that if he could just reach the palace, Silike would find a way to save him.
At those words, the knight beside him glared at Tail fiercely. Even in the face of death, they had been comrades for twelve years. How could he abandon him so easily?
“I see. Then…”
Arsen, about to raise his hand toward the other knight to threaten him, paused. He was listening to a sound echoing from the distance.
Clop, clop, clop!
The rapid approach of horse hooves.
Leaving the two men where they stood, Arsen turned his head to observe the newcomer. As the figure drew closer, he smirked.
“So it wasn’t neglect after all.”
The one who had come to find him was none other than Kyrie.
Dismounting, Kyrie looked around the gruesome scene. Seeing this, Arsen’s expression softened with concern.
“You’re a bit late. You should leave. This isn’t a sight you’ll want to linger on.”
The air was thick with the stench of blood, and the ground was littered with brutally mangled corpses. Arsen assumed that someone as young as Kyrie had never witnessed such a thing.
It was indeed Kyrie's first time seeing such a sight, just as Arsen thought. However, Kyrie remained entirely calm.
“I’ve lived in far harsher places. I am fine.”
After saying this, Kyrie glanced at the two surviving knights and asked Arsen, “Why did you leave these two alive?”
At Kyrie's question, Arsen casually pointed at Tail and replied, “Doesn’t His Highness have things to confirm? Besides, this one said he wanted to see the Prince…”
Slash!
Before Arsen could finish his sentence, the head of the knight on the right rolled onto the ground. The headless torso collapsed with a heavy thud.
An elite knight of Brissen, tense and armed—yet Kyrie had severed his neck in an instant. Flicking the blood from his dagger, Kyrie turned his heterochromatic eyes toward Arsen.
“His Highness said there was no need to bring them back.”
Tail slumped to the ground, paralyzed with fear.