Chapter 365: Bread and Dagger (63)
Chapter 365: Bread and Dagger (63)
“It’s still stinging. Were you actually planning to kill me?”
“Naturally.”
The words were spat out along with a boisterous laugh.
To an outsider, it might have sounded like a joke shared between close friends. But looking into Sir Alex’s sharp eyes, I realized the truth.
This man was serious.
He had taken up his sword with the full intent to kill me.
“Young Master, let me share an old northern proverb with you. ‘It is easier to remove a mouth than to keep it shut.’ Ancestral wisdom truly has its moments of greatness.”
“You’re quite talkative today. Are those your last words?”
“Haha, you’re just as intent on killing me as I am… Excellent.”
The greatsword, buried in the snow, was wrenched out with a sharp thud.
It didn't take long for the tip of the blade to point toward me. Sir Alex wore a confident smile once more.
He had finished his rough calculations based on our previous exchange.
While my realm was higher, Sir Alex surpassed me in combat experience and tactical unpredictability.
It was the exact opposite of my previous battles.
My strength lay in practicality—utilizing sub-weapons and a variety of techniques. But since Sir Alex was overwhelming me in that very area, I was at a disadvantage.
Furthermore, Sir Alex saw right through my fighting style.
Most of my techniques had already been revealed to the public. At the very least, Sir Alex must have watched me closely during the recent battle with the elves.
It was a predicament.
However, I still had one hidden card left.
In a world where even the fluttering snowflakes seemed to demand silence, it wasn't me who broke the stillness of the frozen world.
With a heavy thud, the old knight’s body shot forward.
He was a knight clad in full heavy armor. When his acceleration was added to that weight, his destructive power was comparable to a cannonball.
A head-on collision offered little hope of victory.
My eyes spasmodically mapped out the surrounding landscape. The threads of space tangled wildly at my fingertips.
Tung—!
It felt as if the world distorted and then regenerated.
Sir Alex had already brushed past me. But as if he had expected this, he skidded to a halt and thrust his sword out as if rounding a turning point.
A thrust that seemed to tear through the very air.
I tilted my blade to deflect the strike. Because the greatsword was so heavy, I couldn't help but feel my body lean slightly under the impact.
That was the opening Sir Alex had been aiming for.
Instead of backing off, he kicked off the ground and closed the distance, pressing his body against mine. He seemed to have guessed that I couldn't take one hand off my sword's hilt while trying to deflect the weight of his greatsword.
In other words, he knew I couldn't use my hand axe to keep him at bay.
Then came the physical charge, forcing its way into that gap.
I grit my teeth, pulled my sword back, and spun my body. With a single strike imbued with the subtlety of the turning cut, Sir Alex’s body brushed past me once more.
I didn't just stand there as I spun.
Harnessing the rotational force, a horizontal slash cut through the air.
Clang!
The old knight’s greatsword blocked my blade. It was an awkward posture, barely defending his back, but the greatsword was closer to his center of gravity.
I quickly retracted my sword, and as expected, the greatsword followed right after.
I took two steps back to evade.
The front of my clothes was shredded by the freezing wind.
It was a material I couldn't obtain in the elf village. A brief flash of regret crossed my mind, but I had no leisure to dwell on it.
My body crouched and then sprang forward.
Just before my sword could penetrate his guard, Sir Alex let out a roar.
“Not so fast!”
A full-power downward slash drew a straight line through the air.
Boom!
A heavy shockwave swept the surroundings. My sword was naturally knocked away, falling toward the lower left.
Sir Alex raised his greatsword high once more.
A red Aura was shimmering on his gauntlets. If this continued, it would be a repeat of what happened before.
Whether my sword was knocked away or I managed to parry his strike, my blade was destined to be caught by his gauntlets.
A murderous glint flickered in Sir Alex’s eyes.
His lips moved silently.
‘You fought well.’
It was a declaration of victory.
At least as far as he knew, I had no means of breaking through this situation.
That was why he was burning his blood-red Aura one last time.
To ensure my life was extinguished.
The shimmering Aura was like a flickering flame. It was impossible to block that strike head-on as it condensed tighter and tighter.
Yes, I couldn't block it.
Then what move did I have left?
The answer lay in the position of my sword's tip.
The blade, which had fallen to the lower left, began to float and drift through time.
The sword, having escaped the momentary clash, was carving wounds into the empty air.
Were these teeth, or perhaps claws?
There was no way Sir Alex wouldn't recognize this technique.
Just before the frozen time was released, Sir Alex’s eyes widened.
His gaze was filled with utter disbelief.
But it was already too late.
Like an explosion, five lines of silver talons erupted.
Secret Ritual Technique: Golden Silk Sword.
It was a technique said to be passed down only to the direct lineage of the Yurdina family. How could an old knight, who had been loyal to Yurdina for so long, even imagine it?
The fact that the family’s secret had been passed to an outsider.
The price was devastating.
One line forced the greatsword’s angle aside.
Another line knocked the greatsword upward.
The remaining three lines tore through the thick metal, delivering a piercing agony.
Gush—!
Blood erupted from Sir Alex’s mouth. Even then, he stared at me with dazed eyes.
Of course, that wasn't my concern.
Immediately after, my hand threw the axe.
Tung—!
Sir Alex’s body, having taken the blow while defenseless, was sent flying into the air. I sprinted forward and lunged at him as he fell.
My hand snatched the hand axe floating in the air.
What followed happened in an instant.
Thud!
Sir Alex’s body convulsed once as it hit the ground. Taking advantage of that moment, my hand axe slammed into his forearm.
There was no need to aim for the joints in the metal.
I just had to use the back of the axe like a hammer.
Clang, clang, clang!
With the sound of sparks flying, the metal armor began to crumple bit by bit. It wasn't a fatal blow, but it was enough to subdue him.
“Agh, ugh, aaaaaargh!”
The old knight let out a pathetic scream as his forearm bone twisted.
But that, too, was brief.
Having finished subduing him, I picked up my sword instead of the hand axe.
It was to keep as much distance from Sir Alex as possible, just in case.
Cold sharpness flowed from the tip of my blade. At the end of that stream of light, a drop of blood formed.
It was on the old knight’s Adam’s apple.
I spoke, trying to hide my ragged breathing.
“…Surrender, Sir Alex.”
“Heh, hehe… Hahahahahaha!”
It was a laugh that sounded like he was running out of breath.
The old knight twisted his body in what was almost a struggle, laughing all the while. My body, pinned on top of him, shook along with him.
My brow furrowed even deeper.
Should I just kill him now?
But there were still things I needed to hear from him. I lowered my voice further in warning.
“I told you to surrender now. If you do, I’ll guarantee your life—”
“The… Golden Silk Sword… I can’t believe it. To think I’d live to see someone not of the Yurdina bloodline use the Golden Silk Sword…”
His words sounded like a lament.
Exhausted from laughing, Sir Alex exhaled sharply. I could feel the pain he was enduring through his distorted expression.
“So that’s what it meant when they said you were deeply involved with Lady Delphine? Heh… I promised her when she was a child that I would at least see her wedding day.”
“Then surrender!”
I couldn't hold it back any longer and shouted.
Regardless, the old knight only wore a faint smile.
“Why did you attack the elves behind Senior Delphine’s back? And what do you mean by saying Senior Delphine won't be a Yurdina for long? Why did you go out of your way to provoke elves who were living in peace…!”
“Young Master.”
His voice was much calmer now.
The old knight looked up at me quietly, his eyes filled with pity.
It was the face of someone who had already transcended life and death.
I suddenly felt uneasy.
I felt as if that face would remain in my memory for a long time.
“I am already a dead man… My parents were hunters in the forest. Until one day, they met an elf and met a sudden, violent end.”
“Do you want me to pity your tragic past?”
“And my son died trying to follow his father and become a knight. It was also on the battlefield against the elves… He was like the last gift my sickly wife left me.”
I pressed my sword harder against his throat.
I bit my lip and said, “Look at the tragedy you’ve brought about because of that… The elves have fallen into an evil cult, and more soldiers are dying on the front lines. Are you satisfied now?!”
“I’ve always felt relieved…”
Heh, heh. Sir Alex’s shoulders shook with a twitch.
He seemed to want to raise his hand, but his broken bones made it difficult.
“No, to be precise, it felt like there was a hole in my chest. That’s why it became easier. To live a life thinking of nothing, only for the sake of Yurdina.”
“Ha, so that’s why you did that to Senior Delphine…”
“Young Master, you do not know the weight Yurdina carries.”
My hand froze at his words, spoken as he caught his breath.
I looked at the old knight with a questioning gaze. As if responding to that doubt, he wore a bitter smile.
“In this world, there are sometimes things that cannot be helped… Circumstances that even the Empire's Five Great Noble Families cannot defy.”
“…What on earth is that?”
Heh. Sir Alex let out a hollow laugh and closed his eyes.
And immediately after, he opened them and said one thing.
“This is why I’m saying you don’t know anything, Young Master.”
Just as I was about to ask another question.
Snap!
Sir Alex’s shoulders twitched. And riding that ripple, his metal armor lashed out like a whip.
It was shrouded in a faint, blood-red Aura.
If I got hit, it would be a critical blow.
I immediately ducked and held my sword sideways. A powerful clang rang out, and my body was tilted to the side.
Taking advantage of that gap, Sir Alex violently bucked his waist and pushed me off.
Creeak, crunch.
The metal armor was crumpling and making strange noises. The way the armor was peeling off on its own was a sight I had seen somewhere before.