Chapter 799
Chapter 799
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 799
Chapter Title: Reborn as the Plum Blossom Sword Master in a Count's Family
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The castle grounds were a scene of utter chaos.
Allies and enemies were tangled in fierce combat. The slave soldiers swung their blades desperately to earn merit, while the enemy troops, with nowhere left to retreat, lashed out in fury. The enemy's momentum was ferocious.
They knew surrender meant a fate worse than death, or Viscount Mirphobos was commanding brilliantly. Or perhaps both.
I scanned my surroundings and spotted an enemy knight. He was butchering our slave soldiers with inhuman strength.
"Baron Prucker!! You fool! You've come to your grave! I thank the goddess Serion for this fortune! Die, Baron Prucker!"
The knight's eyes changed the moment he saw me, and he charged straight at me. Aura blazed from his sword like a lantern flame.
I drew my sword from my waist. A longsword forged by dwarves, adorned with jewels on the hilt, pommel, and guard. People often dismissed ornate swords as mere decorations unfit for battle, but this one was different. A dwarven blade would never lack practicality.
Whoosh.
Blue aura surged along the blade.
'Moment.'
The knight's movements slowed. The enemy knight was exhausted from prolonged fighting, squeezing out his last reserves for a desperate assault. I saw an opening.
Slash!
I leaped from my horse, severing his right arm and both legs. His body crumpled.
"Where is Viscount Mirphobos?!"
I yanked off his helmet and pressed my sword to his throat. He was a man in his thirties. Blood dripped from his mouth as he sneered.
"Your mom."
The knight raised his remaining left arm. A hidden dagger shot from his gauntlet toward my eye. I tilted my head just enough to dodge. I'd already anticipated such a trick.
"I've got so many moms, I don't know which one you mean."
Slash.
The aura-clad blade cleaved his neck and torso in two. If I had time, I might have tortured him, but every second counted now. Cutting off Viscount Mirphobos's head myself would carry more weight.
I mounted my horse and galloped off again. The viscount would likely be at the center, barricaded in his manor with his soldiers, holding out to the bitter end—true to his nickname "The Stubborn One."
"Master! Based on Viscount Mirphobos's reputation and known personality, he's probably commanding his troops against the monsters pressing from behind."
"...Yeah?"
"Yes. He's renowned as a lord who cherishes his people. In war, surrender means their lives continue. But monsters are different—they're mindless disasters. He'll do anything to hold them back."
"Sounds like the situation at the rear of the castle is dire."
I tightened my grip on the reins and turned the horse's head.
As I raced toward the monstrous roars, my horse suddenly balked. It reared up on its front legs and refused to move.
"What the hell?!"
I smacked its hindquarters. It whinnied in panic but wouldn't budge. No intention of running.
"It's terrified."
Yuria rode up beside me. Her horse was fine.
"This one's scared? Wasn't it a warhorse of special breeding?"
"Monsters are ahead. It's instinctively afraid."
"Your horse isn't fazed."
Hers showed no sign of fear.
"Your mount doesn't trust you, Master. How insolent."
Yuria extended her left hand toward my horse. Shadows writhed from her palm and seeped into it.
"Magic?"
"Yes. I temporarily dispelled its fear."
"Hyah!"
The horse bolted forward.
I spotted Floy and the Golden Rose Knights ahead, fighting monsters alongside Mirphobos's soldiers. There were quite a few beasts, including some powerful minotaurs.
Enemies and allies united against the monsters! It was like something out of a movie. Some might call it beautiful, but it stirred nothing in me.
'Where is Viscount Mirphobos?'
I craned my neck from horseback, searching.
"Kyaaah!"
A woman's scream made me turn instinctively. An attractive woman with long brown hair, C-cup breasts, and plump hips had tripped while fleeing an orc.
"You damn orc bastard!"
I charged on horseback and rammed the orc.
"Kweeeek!"
It tumbled to the ground. I drove my sword into its pig head and dismounted. I grabbed the trembling beauty's shoulder and helped her up.
"My lady. Are you all right?"
"Th-thank you for saving me..."
"Just doing what anyone would. My lady, what is your name?"
"Ca-Caroline..."
She seemed to recognize me and was utterly terrified.
"Lady Caroline, no need to fear me so much. I don't know what rumors you've heard, but I want to help you. You there, soldiers!"
I called over four nearby soldiers. True to form, they hurried over briskly.
"You called, my lord!"
"I command you: protect Lady Caroline and escort her to safety in the rear. Guard her with your lives. If she suffers even a scratch... I won't forgive you."
I glared at them with killing intent. They gulped audibly. They knew my cruelty well. They bowed immediately.
"Yes, my lord! We'll protect Lady Caroline with our lives!"
"Good. Go. Lady Caroline, wait for me in safety. Once this war ends, I'll come for you."
"Uh...? Y-yes."
Caroline nodded. Her darting eyes suggested she hadn't fully grasped the situation. The soldiers carefully escorted her to the rear.
Now to find Viscount Mirphobos.
"Kyaaaaah!"
Another woman's scream. An ordinary-looking woman chased by a raccoon bear.
"Lightning Bolt."
A thick bolt struck the raccoon bear, electrocuting it dead. I approached the woman.
"Eek! B-Baron Prucker...!"
"That's right. I am Baron Prucker. Woman."
"P-please spare me."
"Very well. I'll spare you."
"Ah, aaah... Thank you for your mercy, Baron!"
"You there, soldier. Take this woman to the rear. Guard her with your life."
I sent her off.
She wasn't a beauty by my standards, but she could still get pregnant from a single thrust. With my ability to impregnate any woman in one go, even ordinary ones were useful for boosting population. Who knows? She might bear beauties later.
"Kyaaaaah!"
I turned. An ugly woman chased by a troll.
"Viscount Mirphobos... Where the hell is that bastard?"
I galloped across the battlefield. Yuria followed, firing arrows from her bow. Each one struck a monster's vital spot precisely. With her help, the humans gained the upper hand.
"Hold them back! Prioritize stopping the monsters! Not for me—for the people of the territory. That's your duty!"
A middle-aged man with a black-brown beard, armored and swinging his sword at a giant wolf.
"Found you."
Viscount Mirphobos.
The bastard who'd taunted me from the walls.
Conveniently, no knights or soldiers guarded him. They were busy with monsters—likely on his orders to fight them directly.
I yanked the reins with my left hand and raised my sword with my right. My red cape billowed in the headwind. Murderous aura blazed blue along the blade.
"Mirphobos!!"
"Gasp! Baron Prucker!"
Mirphobos parried my sword in panic. The recoil threw me from my horse. I flipped in midair and landed, then kicked off the ground toward his neck.
Clang! Clang!
He backpedaled, deflecting my strikes repeatedly. Blue aura rippled like heat haze from his sword.
"Baron Prucker! Hear me out! This isn't the time for us to fight!"
"We're at war right now, Mirphobos!"
"I know you lured the monsters here! But we'll set that aside for now! This war is yours—I'll admit defeat! Once it's over, I'll surrender to you! So help me hold the monsters—save the people from being slaughtered!"
"Ridiculous. You think I'd trust you? I'll take good care of your people. So die here!"
"Eugene Prucker!! Have you no humanity?!"
"Humanity? The word alone gives me chills! Screw that!"
I gripped the sword with both hands.
Crackle.
Lightning and aura erupted.
Sensing danger, Mirphobos grimaced and stomped. The ground erupted into a wall. His boots were magic artifacts.
I didn't stop, smashing through with my shoulder and sweeping my sword in a wide arc. He hastily raised his blade to block. Sloppy. His sword flew skyward, exposing his torso. I plunged my blade in.
"...Eugene Prucker... Someday, divine punishment will strike you."
"That's just your wishful thinking. You know better than anyone it's meaningless. Bear your loneliness patiently. I'll send your sons along soon."
"Eugene!!"
Enraged, Mirphobos clenched his fist. Before it reached me, I withdrew my sword and severed his head. His body collapsed.
I hoisted Mirphobos's head high.
"I, Eugene Prucker, have taken Viscount Mirphobos's head! The war is over! Victory is mine!!"
The surroundings fell deathly silent.
No cheers from my allies. I frowned, assessing the situation.
For some reason, not just the enemy morale plummeted—even ours did.
"No way...! Viscount Mirphobos!"
"You coward! Attacking him now of all times!"
"We held on because of his orders. What is that brat doing?!"
"Ahh... What do we do now..."
The soldiers who'd been holding against the monsters lost heart. Some even dropped their weapons and fled. Their line buckled and collapsed.
"Useless bastards."
I clicked my tongue.
"Roooaaar!!"
Three minotaurs bellowed. They grabbed soldiers and hurled them. No human could withstand such overwhelming strength. Bodies fell like leaves.
"Master! Let me!"
Yuria stepped forward. She must've judged three minotaurs too much for me. She was right. One, maybe—but more was tough.
"No, I'll handle it."
Battle and victory had me burning with excitement. No mere minotaurs would cool this fire.
I sheathed my sword.
Mirphobos's head and ornate blade hit the dirt.
'Blazing Lotus Sword.'
I summoned the Blazing Lotus Sword from my inventory. It fit my hand perfectly, cooling my boiling blood with icy clarity.
'Genius Time.'
My senses expanded.
I stepped toward the minotaurs.
'Acceleration.'
My body sped up.
I chained Moments next. Use Moment, then another before the effect ends—a continuous boost. Without Genius Time, no one could perceive that fleeting gap to chain it.
'Heavenly Mind.'
I reinforced my body with Heavenly Mind to endure the strain of overwhelming speed.
'...What is this?'
Something uncanny.
The world in my vision drowned in black, slashed by white lines. Instinct over reason told me: sword paths.
I surrendered to the sensation in this inexplicable state. Was I wielding the Blazing Lotus Sword, or was it wielding me? It felt like an extension of my body.
Crimson lightning crackled from the blade's tip, fusing with blue aura.
The moment arrived.
I gritted my teeth and swung along the white sword path.
Shadow Heaven Style: Thunderlight.
A massive slashing bolt tore through the air, felling the three minotaurs. It didn't stop, carving through dozens more behind them before vanishing.
All fell silent.
Those fighting monsters. Those fleeing in terror.
A beat later, cheers erupted.
I forced down the blood rising to my throat, straightened my back, and roared.
"Hunt the monsters!!"