Chapter 113: Mock Battle
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 113: Mock Battle
You think you can just let this slide?
Dresden's rightful heir had tried to shatter our alliance. As the head of his house, the count had to take responsibility for failing to manage his heir.
The amiable smile on Count Dresden’s face stiffened.
“What do you want?”
Nobles never apologize, even when they are clearly at fault. At most, they might offer a statement of regret, much like modern nations.
Instead, material compensation was the norm. They valued their honor above all else.
“What can you offer me?”
It was up to Count Dresden to decide on the compensation. After all, I had no idea what assets he possessed.
It meant that no matter how much I pondered it, I was unlikely to secure a fitting reward.
So I passed the turn to him. This way, considering the honor of his prestigious house, he wouldn't be able to make a paltry offer.
“…”
Count Dresden fell into thought, a troubled look on his face.
I turned my gaze back to the match, which had resumed at some point.
Aron has broken free from the count's control.
The important question wasn't why, but how.
Even a rightful heir could lose his head if he fell out of favor with the head of the family. Yet Aron had openly defied him.
It was an act impossible to commit without the certainty that the count could do nothing to him.
Is Aron's faction too powerful for the count to handle?
A lord might wield power like a king within his own domain, but it wasn't uncommon for them to be unable to choose their own successor.
One such case was when the mistress of the house had influence equal to or greater than the lord's.
A wife of higher status who brought a massive dowry was bound to exert immense influence over the family's affairs.
Come to think of it, Aron's power came from his mother's side.
Just then, my eyes met Aron's as he watched me from a section of the stands.
Unlike the count and his second son, who looked as alike as two peas in a pod with their fox-like features, Aron had sharp eyes that gave him the air of a predator.
Of course, the way his eyes darted about restlessly was the one flaw.
“I will take responsibility for supplying your army during the northern continent expedition.”
I almost let out an exclamation of admiration at the conclusion the count had reached.
It was a truly brilliant move.
Objectively, handling an army's supply chain was a massive loss. An army was a group that did nothing but consume, and the cost was beyond imagination. On the surface, it was a perfect apology.
But a closer look revealed a meticulous calculation.
If the number of troops I mobilized was small, he could minimize his losses.
If it was large, his losses would be greater, but it would ultimately be a huge boon to his own goal—the northern expedition. For the count, it was a gain.
It was like losing the battle to win the war.
And that wasn't all.
“Supplies, you say…?”
“Are you not facing financial difficulties recently? This compensation was offered with that in mind.”
Count Dresden was warning me. I know every detail of your situation.
I had deliberately maintained a relaxed demeanor to avoid being led by the nose, but he was no pushover. In the end, we had traded a blow each.
“I am grateful for your offer.”
I decided to accept for the time being. It was true that I had financial problems.
Since I had changed my plan to one of showcasing my power, the idea of earning my keep in the mock battles to cover my finances had gone up in smoke.
“Count Dresden.”
Count Dresden extended his hand again. Only then did I take it.
“Allen.”
We stood side-by-side before the fence, our eyes on the arena.
The match had devolved into a chaotic melee. The weapons had been blunted and wrapped in cotton and cloth.
On top of that, everyone was equipped with at least chainmail, so it was only natural that the fight dragged on.
The crowd was visibly bored. Some were even yawning. It was a stark contrast to the spectacle I had just shown them.
Count Dresden also quickly lost interest and focused on me.
“What happened with the king?”
“He expressed his displeasure at my forming a marriage alliance with Dresden. Moving Sir Aron to break the alliance was a warning for me to choose a side definitively.”
“So you’ve decided to become his complete enemy? That is not a good outcome for me, either.”
Count Dresden’s goal was the throne of the northern continent. Unnecessary conflict with Bronx II would only hinder his ambition.
“Nothing changes. The promise we made will be kept.”
“It won’t be easy. The king will not stop doubting you until he is certain you are on his side. As his long-time rival, I know him well.”
He seemed to want something. I finally turned my gaze to him.
“What would you have me do?”
“There is one way to make the king have no choice but to trust you.”
“And what is that?”
“Before I tell you, I need to confirm something. Do you intend to continue what you were doing just now?”
I nodded. The king had shown that he didn't yet see me as a threat. In that case, I had no choice but to continue, gradually increasing the intensity.
Count Dresden continued.
“Many will die, I imagine. Enough that it wouldn't be strange if one more person I wanted was included.”
“Whose death do you desire? One of the king’s vassals? Or a political rival?”
Count Dresden’s gaze returned to the arena. No, he was looking at the stands.
“…Kill Aron for me.”
His eyes were fixed on Aron, who had been constantly glancing our way. His eldest son.
When I remained silent, he continued in a voice devoid of any emotion.
“Even with blunted blades wrapped in cotton and cloth, accidents are frequent in mock battles. Fatalities are not uncommon. And there is no need to take responsibility for them. It is, after all, nothing more than an accident.”
Just as Count Dresden said, it wasn't rare for unavoidable accidents to occur in duels, jousts, and mock battles. And it was customary not to hold anyone accountable.
For instance, a knight who caused an accident that led to a king's death in a joust had once escaped responsibility.
The problem is that the human heart isn't rational.
Would the victim's family simply let it go, chalking it up to bad luck and custom?
The knight in that example had fled to another country, fearing the consequences, but was eventually captured, framed, and executed.
It was proof that the families of the perpetrator and the victim were destined to become mortal enemies.
But what if the family in question forgave the perpetrator?
Not only would they gain a reputation for being merciful, but it would also place the perpetrator in their immense debt.
This is a trap to ensnare me.
His plan was to use my hand to dispose of his troublesome eldest son, then use the massive debt I owed him to control me.
Count Dresden was pretending to help me while looking out for his own interests.
As if taking Adeleade as an insurance policy wasn't enough, he was trying to put another leash on me…
He was a relentless old man.
This one, that one… they all just want to use me.
The alliance was a proposal that benefited both sides. If the king and Dresden had possessed the rational thinking of a modern person, they wouldn't have refused.
But the result was the complete opposite. Like predators that pounce on any sign of weakness, they put the law of the jungle into practice.
Perhaps I was the one at fault for expecting rational thought from them.
Don't they say that in the city of the blind, the one with normal sight becomes the abnormal one?
This era was suited for an "eye for an eye" approach from the very beginning.
If they want me to act in a way that suits this era… fine. I'll give them exactly that.
I decided to willingly become one of them. They would soon feel to their very bones the responsibility for making me this way.
“I will think more on your proposal.”
Just then, an attendant approached to inform me that it was almost my turn.
I left without giving a definitive answer and turned my back on Count Dresden. Then, I unleashed the stress I’d received from the king and the count in the arena.
“H-Help me—!”
The war hammer swung, aimed at the head of an enemy soldier begging me for mercy.
Even though the war hammer was thickly wrapped in cloth and cotton, the moment it met the soldier's helmet, a sound like a bomb exploding rang out.
The bone fragments that had, until a moment ago, formed a human head shattered and scattered.
A headless corpse rolled on the ground. It wouldn't be lonely. There were quite a few comrades in the same state nearby.
“He’s not human! He’s not human!”
“A-A devil—! The devil has descended!”
“Run!!”
The surviving enemy soldiers fled. Even after crossing the arena fence and being disqualified, they kept running.
Overwhelmed by absolute terror, they had lost their reason and forgotten they were in a mock battle.
“Don’t run! Do not… Gasp—!”
Still, the soldiers had it better. They could at least use the excuse of having lost their minds to flee.
A knight, forced to hold his ground for the sake of honor, sucked in a sharp breath as he faced me.
He glanced around, seeking help, but his comrades-in-arms, and even his own lord, were averting their eyes.
“Ha—”
The despairing knight was about to surrender immediately, choosing his life over his honor. But I had never offered him a choice in the first place.
Smash.
Before the knight could finish his words, my hammer split his skull open.
The terror that had settled over the arena spread rapidly. In contrast, cheers erupted from the stands.
“Wooooo—! Kill him! Kill him!”
“Kill all the deserters who know no honor—!”
The atmosphere on either side of the wooden fence was starkly divided.
The few remaining knights resisted me to protect their honor, but after two or three more had their skulls split, they quickly surrendered.
“Allen, the Undefeated Knight!!”
“Giant Slayer!! Skull Crusher!! The Strongest Knight!!”
“Hah! Sir Knight, take me—!”
But I didn't just engage in mindless slaughter.
My next opponent was a house that played a fairly important role in the king's faction.
Knowing this from Jin's report, I rode my horse alone toward the enemy camp as soon as the match began.
Despite the thirty-to-one odds, the enemy was visibly tense.
Still, mindful of his honor, the commander slowly stepped forward to meet me, maintaining a distance from which he could retreat at any moment, his body taut with tension.
“Wh-What is it?”
“How about a one-on-one duel? You may put forth your champion.”
“This is a mock battle…”
“So you refuse?”
“Ahem, who said I refuse?”
The enemy commander didn't decline. It was the only way to protect his honor while minimizing his losses.
Of course, the knight designated as the champion was injured badly enough to require a long period of recovery, but compared to my previous opponents, he got off easy.
As I deliberately treated the houses on the king's side in this manner, the atmosphere grew strange.
“The houses that have a difficult relationship with the king are being slaughtered! This is clearly the king’s scheme!”
“This must be why he held a mock battle after such a long time!”
“The king has revealed his ambition!”
“But didn't Sir Allen and the king seem to be on bad terms just a moment ago?”
“That must have all been an act to deceive us!”
“That’s it! I wondered why a knight who seemed so close to the king’s brother was suddenly opposing the king. It was all to fool us!”
The nobles were already wary of the king's ambition.
The situation, where houses opposing the king met one miserable end after another, was bound to be suspicious.
The murmurs that began in one section of the stands spread like wildfire throughout the arena.
It was exactly as I had intended.
“I-I don't know what you're thinking, but stop! If you continue, you will become a public enemy!” Aron stammered when we met in the waiting area. He was my next opponent.
He knew that even though I was sparing the houses in the king's faction, he wouldn't receive such a benefit despite having colluded with the king.
“I suppose I will.”
I admitted it cleanly. The king would never want me to force losses upon nobles who were hostile to him.
He still lacked the power to take on the entire nobility. And the nobles, needless to say, felt the same. In other words, I was currently making enemies of both sides.
“Y-You know that, and you’re still doing this? It’s not too late! Stop this nonsense and bow down to the king. He will protect you.”
“The king will protect me? If he could reconcile with the nobles, he would offer me up as a sacrifice. You, who have been nothing but a pawn, should know that better than anyone.”
“…So you intend to continue this suicide mission?”
“A suicide mission. If I stop here, that would be a true suicide mission.”
“What…?!”
“Kill one man, and you are a murderer. Kill ten thousand, and you are a conqueror. Kill a million, and you become a god. If a god were to annihilate a house before their very eyes, who could stand against him? All a weak human could do is resent it.”
I gave him a cynical smile.
Gulp.
Aron’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He stared at me with trembling eyes and raised his voice.
“Nonsense—! If the victimized noble houses join forces, you are finished!”
“And who will bell the cat? The victimized houses, who have witnessed my skill up close? They’ve suffered great losses from this incident and won't be able to act easily. If they fail to eliminate me, their houses will fall. Even if they succeed, they’ll suffer such great damage in the process that they’ll meet the same end.”
“Not everyone is a coward!”
“The problem is that I will soon be leaving for the northern continent. Furthermore, they believe my actions are the king's scheme. If I were them, I would use my absence as an opportunity to make a move against the king.”
They would do their best to avoid any provocation that might bring me back from the north. Conversely, the king would need my strength to stand against the nobles targeting him.
Since he couldn't block ten hands with one, he wouldn't be able to ignore my power, even if he knew it was my ploy.
“That can’t be…!”
“You think not? I wonder if you'll say the same after seeing that.”
I walked past the bewildered Aron and stood before the arena fence.
A house from the king's faction was fighting one that wasn't. But the latter was fighting with a ferocious intensity.
“Kill them! Kill them all!!”
They blocked the enemy's blunted, cloth-wrapped weapons with their armor while ganging up on one person at a time.
They tore off a man's helmet and smashed his face with their unprotected iron gauntlets. Their intent to kill was blatant.
The knights took it a step further, unhorsing enemy knights with lance charges and breaking their necks with wrestling moves.
It was a scene of utter frenzy.
“The war has already begun.”
They can't trust me?
Then I'll create a situation where they have no choice but to trust me.
Even if that method is a war that will create tens of thousands of casualties.
I will not hesitate.