Chapter 105
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 105
Chapter Title: The Trap Springs
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Chris could see right through Baron Borde and had to suppress a laugh.
“However, the escort is a problem.”
“The escort… you say?”
“Out of respect for the Law Nation, we can’t bring too many knights. Perhaps I should ask Sir Press.”
“Sir Press, you say?”
Baron Borde asked, his voice anxious.
Sir Press, the strongest knight in the county, was not part of Baron Borde's faction.
Neutral.
If Sir Press came along, no tricks could be played.
However.
“It would be difficult to ask Sir Press in a situation like this. He must protect the county, after all.”
“Y-Yes, that’s right!”
“Instead, how about this?”
Chris casually tossed out the poisoned bait.
“You will escort me, Uncle.”
“!!”
“You’re a 4-Star knight, are you not, Uncle? With you, I believe I can feel at ease.”
Baron Borde swallowed hard.
He barely suppressed the corners of his mouth from rising as he replied.
“Of course… I will. You can count on me.”
* * *
The delegation departed immediately.
As mentioned, it was a small group.
A few vassals to attend the audience with the Pope.
A handful of knights, including Baron Borde, made up the entire party.
And on the road to the Law Nation.
Baron Borde showed his true colors.
Just as expected.
*Shing.*
Baron Borde and his knights drew their swords.
“W-what is the meaning of this, Baron?!”
The accompanying vassals cried out in shock.
“Silence. All of you will die here.”
Baron Borde’s sword glinted ominously.
“Especially you, Roy. You won’t die a peaceful death. Just like your father.”
“!!”
At those words, the vassals’ eyes widened.
They realized Baron Borde was the one who had cursed the count!
“Baron Borde, how could even you do something so terrible?!”
“The Constellations in the sky will not forgive you!”
Some vassals voiced their anger with fortitude.
“What does it matter? You’re all going to die here anyway.”
“!!”
“After I kill you, I will become the master of the County of Brusen. Then no one will be able to punish me.”
The vassals gulped.
*Thud.*
Baron Borde and his knights advanced, step by step.
Just as everyone’s face was contorting in fear.
Young Count Roy spoke nonchalantly.
“Let me ask one thing.”
“…What?”
“Is it true you colluded with a Majin from the Dark Magic House to curse His Lordship the Count? Who in the Dark Magic House did you deal with?”
Baron Borde looked bewildered.
His nephew’s face was far too calm.
As if he hadn’t a care in the world.
*‘Has he lost his mind?’*
He wondered if an ally was hiding nearby, but that wasn’t it.
Baron Borde had thoroughly scouted the area before making his move today.
*‘It’s not like he has some hidden card up his sleeve.’*
Roy’s ability as a knight was a mere 2-Star.
“Why would a man about to die be curious about that?”
“I just want to satisfy my curiosity before I die. Even in death, I should know how my father and I were killed.”
Baron Borde let out an incredulous laugh and replied.
“Fine. I dealt with the County of Riberi from the Dark Magic House. I offered a human sacrifice, and they cast the curse.”
“Just as I thought.”
Chris nodded and spoke to the vassals who had come with them.
“Please remember what was just said.”
“…Pardon?”
“It’s a confession, after all.”
“!!”
Indeed.
Chris had brought these vassals along on purpose.
To serve as witnesses.
“You’ve lost your mind.”
Baron Borde snorted and approached.
“First, I’ll cut off your arms and legs!”
Baron Borde raised his sword arm high into the air.
As if certain Roy could offer no resistance.
As if bringing down a guillotine.
*Fwoosh!*
A magnificent Mana Blade surged forth.
The level of a knight on par with a Black Sword.
A dull brown light enveloped the blade, and just as Baron Borde grinned cruelly at the impending spectacle…
“Your movements are too slow and wide.”
*Slice.*
A red line was drawn across Baron Borde’s neck, right over his carotid artery.
For a moment, Baron Borde looked puzzled, and that was the end.
Blood spurted out like a fountain.
His body slowly collapsed.
It twitched once, then went limp.
He was dead.
“B-Baron?!”
“Wh-What?!!”
The accompanying knights cried out in shock.
They couldn’t fully comprehend what had just happened.
Only belatedly did they see the Young Count holding a blood-soaked sword.
“Ah, what happened? I saw an opening, so I cut him. When you show an opening like that, aren’t you just asking to be killed?”
“!!”
“What’s the point of manifesting a Mana Blade? You’ve grown fat as a pig on greed and don’t even know how to use a sword properly.”
The Young Count—no, Chris—smiled coldly at them.
Like a predator eyeing its prey.
“You all look pretty similar to him. Think you can take me on?”
The knights faltered.
It was incomprehensible.
Young Count Roy was only a 2-Star.
They, on the other hand, were all 3-Star.
Three of them, no less.
Yet, they were the ones feeling unnerved.
“Don’t be scared! That was just a fluke!”
“Kill him!”
The knights grit their teeth.
And blood splattered.
* * *
All the knights were down.
A complete victory.
He hadn’t suffered a single scratch.
It was unbelievable.
Chris was currently borrowing Roy’s body.
The problem wasn’t just the 2-Star level.
Since Link involved using another’s body, there was a subtle awkwardness compared to moving his own.
If he tried to move one centimeter, the range would be slightly off, so to speak.
It was fine for daily life.
But in a life-or-death battle, it was a fatal discrepancy.
Yet, Chris used his genius to calculate for all these off-beats while facing the knights, defeating all three 3-Star knights using only the power of a 2-Star.
He hadn’t even killed them. They would be made to confess Baron Borde’s crimes before everyone.
Considering it’s far more difficult to subdue someone alive than to kill them, even if Chris’s original level was 5-Star Starlight, he had accomplished the impossible.
*‘Well, that was simple.’*
As he went to brush the dirt off his pants, he suddenly felt a heavy pressure.
Startled, he turned his head to see a new figure had appeared.
The strongest man in the County of Brusen.
It was Sir Press.
Sir Press approached him and knelt.
“…I greet the Young Count.”
This was the first time he had seen Sir Press.
6-Star.
He could feel the power befitting a ‘Master Knights’ class, but Chris showed no sign of it as he spoke.
“How did you get here? Weren’t you supposed to be guarding the castle?”
“…Baron Borde seemed suspicious, so I followed in haste. I thought I was too late…”
Sir Press trailed off.
“…You’ve performed a miracle, Young Count. How on earth…?”
Sir Press looked as if he couldn’t believe the situation.
Naturally.
Chris shrugged and said nonchalantly.
“I don’t know. I’m not sure myself.”
“…You’re not sure?”
“Yeah, I guess I became a genius for a moment.”
“……??”
Sir Press wore a look of confusion.
It didn’t matter.
Chris decided it was time to end this operation.
“By the way, Sir Press, I’m tired from the exertion. Would it be alright if I slept for a bit?”
“Young Count?!”
Young Count Roy slowly collapsed to the ground.
He had severed the Link!
Sir Press, startled, supported the Young Count and let out a sigh of relief. He was fine.
*‘But that fight earlier.’*
Sir Press replayed the battle in his mind and swallowed hard.
The astounding sight of him felling stronger opponents with minimal force.
He was completely different from the Young Count Roy he knew.
*‘Did he really become a genius?’*
It was an unsolvable mystery.
* * *
And the next day.
Young Count Roy let out a long sigh.
The imposing aura he had exuded until recently was completely gone.
His original consciousness had returned.
*‘What in the world… what is all this.’*
Roy pressed his throbbing temples.
While Chris’s consciousness had controlled his body, Roy hadn’t lost his memory.
He had shared the senses and witnessed everything.
*‘How could he do such a thing.’*
Roy recalled all the things Christian had accomplished using his body and looked utterly aghast.
In just a few days.
With only a few schemes, he had cornered and eliminated Baron Borde.
*‘I wouldn’t have even dared to confront him.’*
Having watched through the same body, he could appreciate just how incredible Chris’s feats were.
It was enough to give him chills.
*‘Is that guy a demon or something?’*
He was shaking his head when…
“Yo.”
“!!”
Startled, he turned his head to see the unforgettable face from his dreams, Christian, sitting on the windowsill.
“H-How did you get here?”
“I just walked in. You should probably tighten security around the castle. Anyway, how do you like what I’ve done? Satisfied?”
Roy fell silent.
*‘Satisfied?’*
That was hardly the word to describe it.
It was the best possible outcome, something he couldn’t have even imagined.
Baron Borde was dealt with, he had become the true Young Count, and even his father, the Count of Brusen, was recovering.
It was enough to make him wonder if he was dreaming.
Christian was his and the County of Brusen’s benefactor.
“Judging by your face, you seem satisfied. Now, it’s time to pay my price.”
“Price?”
“Of course. You didn’t think I’d do all this for free, did you?”
Roy recalled his first meeting with Christian and tensed up.
Chris just grinned.
“No need to look so scared. It’s nothing much. Here, take this.”
“What’s this?”
“This is proof that Baron Borde was colluding with the County of Riberi, a vassal of the Dark Magic House. I found it on my way here.”
“!!”
After severing the Link, Chris had searched Baron Borde’s residence.
As Chris had once been a master thief, he’d easily located a hidden safe and found the incriminating documents inside.
“So I just need to send these documents to the Dark Magic House in the name of the County of Brusen? To bring about the downfall of your rival, the County of Riberi.”
Roy had looked into Christian over the past night.
The rising star of the Dark Magic House. He had also learned that Christian was hostile toward the top candidate, Eshid, and the County of Riberi.
“Yeah, that’s right. But there’s something you need to be careful about. Don’t send the letter right away.”
“Huh?”
“And have the Brusen forces that retreated march back toward the Cazar County. As if you’re really going to start a war.”
Roy tilted his head, then his eyes widened.
“You mean?”
He was asking him to pretend the matter wasn’t resolved yet.
A shiver ran down Roy’s spine.
*‘He’s trying to make the Riberi family let their guard down. That guy is plotting something else.’*
Remembering all that Christian had shown him, he started to feel sorry for whoever became his target.