Chapter 301
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 301.
A week later, the Falcon Knights would leave the capital for training.
Originally, they trained near the capital, but this time, they said it was an exception.
“There’s a fortress. A fortress named Almek. Monsters have been appearing near there. The numbers aren’t large, but it’s apparently a suitable number for training.”
“So it’s not just simple training but training combined with actual combat? They are planning to gain real combat experience while exterminating monsters.”
“That’s part of it. But.”
Hayden smirked bitterly.
“With the death of Farowell, who was the leader of the Falcon Knights, a new person has taken his place. Her name is Gabrielle. A knight with excellent skills. Of course……”
“She doesn’t measure up to Farowell?”
“Yes, that’s the general opinion. Gabrielle is sensitive about that, and because of it, She’s thirsty for recognition.”
Farowell was a figure who had been expected to succeed Hayden, the kingdom’s only Sword Master, and become the next Sword Master.
Gabrielle is also an outstanding knight, but she was insufficient to replace him.
She was only able to become the leader of the knights because Farowell had died.
That was the evaluation of Gabrielle within the kingdom, and she herself was painfully aware of it.
“If you give her a chance to make a name for herself.”
“She won’t miss it.”
Yoo Baek-jun smiled ominously.
“Trapping people is my specialty. I’ll handle that part.”
“I can’t even lift my head because it feels like I’m leaving everything to you.”
“Well, what can I say?”
He wasn’t surprised since he had predicted it would turn out this way from the beginning.
And anyway, the most important task had to be done by Hayden himself.
“I’ll take care of the preparations, so make sure the rebellion succeeds. There’s not much I can do to help there.”
“…Hmm.”
Yoo Baek-jun was a being from another world.
Having someone like that directly participating in a rebellion wouldn’t look good.
He planned to only assist with the groundwork and stay out of it on the day of the rebellion.
‘Not because I’m lazy or anything.’
In any case, it was the kingdom’s affair.
It was better for them to resolve it themselves. In the meantime, they had other things to do.
‘We need to save the demi-humans.’
Oooong.
As if reacting to that thought, the white sword at his waist vibrated.
A troublesome fellow.
“Come to think of it, we haven’t even introduced ourselves. What are your names?”
“Yoo Baek-jun. This one is……”
“Delowin.”
Hayden closed his eyes as if committing the name to memory.
“I don’t know much about names from other worlds, but it has a nice ring to it.”
“Really? I don’t see it.”
“It’s just a feeling. Here, take this first.”
Hayden rummaged through the desk drawer and pulled out something resembling a badge.
It was the badge of the knight leader.
“I haven’t used this badge since I holed up in this mansion. If you take it, they’ll know I sent you.”
“Got it.”
Yoo Baek-jun took the badge.
It was a badge shaped like a golden wolf roaring. Its appearance was quite ornate.
“Hmm……”
Hayden alternated his gaze between Yoo Baek-jun and Delowin.
His eyes were filled with curiosity.
“An odd combination. A human and an elf chieftain…… How did you two meet?”
“He saved me.”
“Saved you?”
“Yes, in our forest……”
Hayden stared intently at Yoo Baek-jun’s face and suddenly fell deep in thought.
A traveler from another world. He could sense an unfathomable energy from him. Moreover, he had just blocked his attack with his bare hands.
His face stiffened.
“Wait, don’t tell me… Were you the one who killed Farowell in the Ruwinid Forest?”
“Huh? Uh, yeah.”
“…….”
Hayden’s eyes widened in shock.
“That bastard had the personality of trash, but his skills were top-notch. I wondered who could have killed him, and it turns out it was you.”
“Why are you laughing?”
“No……”
He let out a hollow laugh.
“It’s just that I feel something like fate.”
At those words, Yoo Baek-jun smirked bitterly.
Fate, my ass.
* * *
From that day on, Yoo Baek-jun had to move around frantically, to the point of exhaustion.
As Hayden had said, his subordinates were scattered all over the kingdom.
Those assigned to other knight orders were the lucky ones. A significant number of his subordinates were deployed to battlefronts.
“How much hatred did he incur to get them stuck in such remote places?”
To be precise, it was more like wariness.
The leader of the Golden Wolf Knights. The strongest force in the kingdom, with immense popularity to boot.
‘It’d be weird if they weren’t wary.’
Even groveling wouldn’t be enough, yet he outright refused the king’s orders.
Were they planning to rebel? Were they harboring treacherous thoughts?
It was only natural to be wary.
“Thanks to that, we’re pointlessly suffering……”
Yoo Baek-jun used Thunderbird to traverse the entire kingdom without rest.
He infiltrated various fortresses and camps to meet Hayden’s subordinates.
“Who are you?!”
“Someone sent by your superior.”
“What?”
Yoo Baek-jun showed the badge.
A badge that only the leader of the Golden Wolf Knights could possess.
The knight’s eyes widened upon seeing it.
“Here, take this.”
“This is… a scroll?”
“Yeah, a teleportation scroll. It’s ridiculously expensive, so use it carefully.”
“W-wait a minute!”
“If you have questions, contact your leader through communication or something.”
Yoo Baek-jun briefly explained the plan and left immediately.
He had to keep doing this day and night without rest.
“Damn it……”
But his efforts weren’t in vain. Thanks to working through the night, he managed to traverse the entire kingdom in two days.
‘This should be enough.’
There might be some among Hayden’s subordinates who had second thoughts.
So he used methods like the Observer’s Eye to check as thoroughly as possible.
Fortunately, there were none.
“Is the magic circle ready?”
“Yes, Human.”
Yoo Baek-jun returned to the capital.
There was a hill near the city with a cave.
A cave recommended by Hayden.
“No one’s come, right?”
“I asked the spirits, and no one has. It seems like they don’t even know this basement exists?”
“Hmm, Hayden said it was a place he used to skip out to when he was young.”
It wasn’t too far from the capital.
For some reason, neither people nor animals ever came here, making it perfect for solitude or something like that.
“There seems to be a faint magical energy at work here.”
“Can you sense magic?”
“Yes.”
Yoo Baek-jun looked at the cave floor. Delowin had drawn a large magic circle.
A teleportation magic circle.
“It was a really difficult magic circle. Did that mage make it?”
“Hmm… Probably?”
This magic circle was from the Magic Tower.
The Magic Tower—more precisely, its master—was practically a master of teleportation.
Jin Seo-yeon was the same.
He had obtained the blueprint for the magic circle from her, and it was quite intricate.
“The magic circle is complete, so when your subordinates use the scrolls, they’ll all be transported here.”
“Then we can invade from here.”
“Yes, but will it be okay? Won’t the numbers be too few……”
Delowin spoke worriedly.
Even if Hayden’s scattered subordinates were gathered, they would only number in the dozens.
To her, the number seemed too small to feel secure.
“Each of them is practically a human weapon, so why worry?”
“Is that… so?”
The number of ‘knights’ belonging to the Golden Wolf wasn’t large.
But their level was exceedingly high.
‘This is a world where aura exists.’
Though they couldn’t match the aura used by the Sword Master, they too could emit magic as sword energy.
Magical Blade, or something like that.
“Each of them can take on a hundred men, so don’t worry about it.”
Frankly speaking, they were practically walking human weapons.
Delowin nodded with an ambiguous expression, as if she understood.
“Family head……”
Just then, Jeon Soo-yeon walked into the cave like a zombie.
Her face showed she hadn’t slept for days. That was indeed the case.
While Yoo Baek-jun was traversing the kingdom, Jeon Soo-yeon had been tracking the underlings of the Golden Wolf Knights.
“I’ve identified all their locations and behavior patterns. But there are too many for me to handle alone.”
“Not enough time?”
“Yes……”
Yoo Baek-jun sighed.
“Then I’ll help. What about the acting knight leader?”
“Baek Jun-kyung will handle it.”
“Yes, I’ll take care of it.”
Baek Jun-kyung showed his bow.
Thanks to the special options of that bow, he was more specialized in ultra-long-range sniping than anyone else.
“What, our intelligence chief isn’t handling it herself?”
“Family head, how do my hands look to you? Do they look round?”
“No, they look fine. Why?”
“…….”
Jeon Soo-yeon glared at Yoo Baek-jun.
“Sometimes I wonder if you think I’m a robot that spits out all-purpose tools when you press me.”
“Of course not… Ahem.”
Yoo Baek-jun cleared his throat awkwardly and averted his gaze.
In many ways, he cherished Jeon Soo-yeon because she was convenient to use.
“Well, alright. The preparations are done.”
Yoo Baek-jun stood up.
“Now we just wait for the right time.”
The day the Falcon Knights would depart was only a few days away.
They decided to wait until then.
* * *
A week passed.
The usually quiet royal castle was bustling with unusual commotion.
“Are the preparations complete? Make sure everything is perfectly ready without any shortcomings.”
“Yes!”
The commotion was due to the Falcon Knights preparing for training.
This time, they were training at a fortress far from the capital.
Reports had come in that monsters were running rampant there recently.
“Leader, the preparations are complete.”
When the preparations were done, the vice-captain reported to the woman on the platform.
The knight leader.
“…Assemble.”
Short-cropped golden hair.
A woman clad in striking red armor engraved with magic.
The knights quickly gathered before her.
“I’ll keep it short. This training is about eliminating monsters running wild without a master. With so many battles against the demi-humans, fighting similar creatures will be useful.”
Gabrielle scanned the knights.
A little over a hundred knights and numerous soldiers were watching her.
“I trust there won’t be any fools who get taken down by monsters. Kill every last one and return. Understood?”
—Yes!
Gabrielle raised her head.
Someone was watching her from the high terrace of the castle.
An elderly man with snow-white hair. The King of the Baim Kingdom, Rubelus.
“…….”
Gabrielle saluted the king by raising her sword, then turned her back.
“Move out!”
The Falcon Knights left the castle.
And among those watching the scene with displeasure was a middle-aged man.
“…Pathetic.”
The head of the Banstein family.
Marquis Gerald Banstein clicked his tongue as if disgusted by the sight.
“A trash who couldn’t even rise to the position of knight leader is acting all high and mighty……”
His son, Farowell, was dead.
The reason Gabrielle, who should never have reached that position, could become the knight leader.
Gerald felt as if the position had been stolen from him.
“That position belongs to the Banstein family. Gabrielle, not you.”
Gerald turned his back.
Mulling over countless ways to bring Gabrielle down in his mind.
“…….”
Yoo Baek-jun watched the scene from the shadows.
The knights leaving for training.
“Time to make our move.”
It was time to act.