Chapter 163: Do Your Worst (2)
Chapter 163: Do Your Worst (2)
"You little...!"
A soldier’s spear lunged toward Matthew’s torso.
It wasn't a mere threat; the thrust was intended to kill.
However, Matthew didn't even bother to dodge. He simply reached out and snatched the spear mid-air.
Thud!
"Huh?"
The soldier gasped in shock as his thrust was caught effortlessly.
He tried to yank the spear back, but it wouldn't budge.
"Urgh... Hnnngh...!"
His opponent was holding it with just one hand.
To the soldier, it felt like trying to pull a stake driven deep into solid bedrock.
It won't move an inch? How...
He threw his entire weight backward, pulling with all his might, but the spear remained stationary. And then...
"You done?"
"Eeeek...!"
"Get over here."
With a slight tug from Matthew, the soldier’s body lurched forward. And then—
Crunch!
"Aaaagh!"
Matthew’s fist slammed directly into the man’s face, sending him flying with a scream.
With teeth shattered and his nose flattened, the soldier rolled on the ground, clutching his face in agony.
Only then did the other soldiers realize that Matthew was no ordinary traveler.
"You! Identify yourself!"
"Put your hands above your head and get on your knees this instant!"
"How dare you resist the law?"
"We’re arresting all of you!"
As the soldiers leveled their spears and barked threats, Matthew let out a cold smirk.
"You pieces of trash..."
Drinking on duty and harassing women? And they have the nerve to talk about the law?
Moreover, despite their bluster, he could see them instinctively shuffling backward.
Matthew spoke with a look of pure contempt.
"Want a piece of advice?"
"W-what advice?"
"If I were you, I’d turn around and run right now without looking back."
"What kind of bullshit is that?"
"Would you even understand if I explained it?"
"......?"
"I’m just giving you a warning for the sake of my conscience. Purely for humanitarian reasons."
"......?"
"Well, I suppose it’s too late for that now anyway."
The soldiers had no idea what Matthew was talking about. But they didn't need to strain their brains to figure it out.
They were about to learn with their bodies.
"This is..."
Patter, patter, patter...
"What are you—"
Someone vaulted over the second-floor railing. And then—
"Doing, you bastards!"
CRACK!
A two-footed dropkick slammed squarely into one soldier's face.
Matthew watched the scene and nodded as if he’d expected this.
"I did warn you."
* * *
About thirty minutes later.
"Guh... ughhh..."
"Please, stop... stooop..."
"Spare me... please..."
The soldiers were on their knees, begging for their lives.
Their faces were swollen like overripe fruit, more than half their teeth were gone, and it was impossible to find a single patch of unbruised skin on their bodies.
It was truly remarkable how a human being could be reduced to such a state in just thirty minutes.
But what was even more remarkable was that no one was dead yet... and—
"You bastards, how dare you beg for forgiveness? If you did something wrong, you should take your beating quietly. You think you can just get off easy by saying sorry?"
Patrick was still pummeling the men, who looked like they might die if he so much as poked them.
Thwack! Crunch! Snap! Thud, thud, thud!
His control of strength was truly at a divine level.
He ensured they never died.
He simply allowed the pain to stack infinitely.
Patrick grabbed a soldier by the hair and slammed his head against the floor.
"I was having a perfectly good drink, and you had to come in and ruin the mood? You prick, that’s the thirty-fifth thing I hate most in this world."
You... hate... too many... things...
Even through the haze of pain, the soldier felt the injustice of it all.
How was he supposed to know that?
But if Patrick Schneider were the type to care about such circumstances, he wouldn't be Patrick Schneider.
Patrick grabbed another soldier by the collar and drove his fist into the man's face with a sickening rhythmic sound.
"I've..."
Punch. Punch.
"Since a long time ago..."
Thud. Thud. Thud.
"Had a lot of pent-up resentment toward bastards who act all high and mighty just because they wear a government uniform!"
Crunch. Snap. CRACK!
"Non-interference between the government and the martial world? You take bribes like they're candy, but you want 'non-interference' when it suits you?"
The soldiers hadn't even mentioned that...
"Go on, say it again! Say it one more time!"
We didn't say it!
Patrick’s brutal and relentless violence only paused when Isabella placed a hand on his shoulder.
"That’s enough. Stop."
"I can still fit in at least 754 more hits, though?"
He certainly had a meticulous estimate ready.
At Patrick’s words, a damp liquid began to leak from the crotch of the shivering soldier.
Isabella let out a sigh.
"I will file a formal complaint regarding the harassment. Any more violence is meaningless."
"Huh? Senior, you were harassed?"
"......"
You didn't know? You beat them like that without knowing?
Ah, right. He just beat them because they interrupted his drinking. Of course.
Having received this new information, Patrick flashed a smile that looked like it belonged to a Great Demon from the depths of hell.
"Ho... is that so? You harassed my fiancée?"
"W-we didn't know..."
"P-please forgive us..."
"It was a mistake. Sob..."
The soldiers wailed, begging for mercy.
They never dreamed that the woman was the fiancée of this monster.
Patrick gave the soldiers a bright, radiant smile.
"Among the teachings I’ve received, there is a saying."
Patrick continued, his smile widening.
"Hate the sin, but don't forget to hate the sinner too."
[I never taught you that!]
The Master who would have shouted those words wasn't here.
Having distorted his Master’s teachings to his heart's content, Patrick spoke with eyes that gleamed with demonic malice.
"You bastards must be insane. Who do you think you're harassing? Should I snip off the root of the problem so you never think about a woman again?"
Patrick drew his twin swords.
He crossed them like a pair of scissors and snapped them together with a metallic clank-clank. The mere sight of it made every man in the room wince and recoil.
Driven by a primal sense of crisis, the soldiers screamed and began to crawl away.
"Aaaaagh!"
"Noooo!"
"Stop it!"
That demon would do it.
No, beyond just doing it, he looked like he had plenty of experience doing it.
And that was actually true.
"It's been a while since I've sent some fresh recruits to the Imperial Inner Palace Department!"
While the local royalty didn't use eunuchs, who knew?
Maybe they’d find a use for them if he sent them over.
Patrick was fully prepared to carry out his threat. Just then...
"Don't move!"
"Nobody move a muscle!"
A fresh troop of soldiers swarmed into the inn.
There were dozens of them, led by two knights who had come to oversee the situation.
Normally, this would be considered overkill for a tavern brawl, but...
"Who are you people now?"
That was under normal circumstances.
Against a natural disaster like Patrick Schneider, this force was woefully inadequate.
The only saving grace was that Patrick wasn't the only one there.
"We are Academy students here on a knight training mission from the Atronia Kingdom," Matthew stepped forward and spoke.
The knight leading the soldiers scoffed.
"Atronia Kingdom? So you're from a backwater nation."
Matthew felt a surge of irritation but ignored it for now.
Explaining the situation took priority over picking a fight.
"Those men, who appear to be your subordinates, were in full uniform during duty hours, drinking in a tavern and—"
"Enough."
The knight cut Matthew off, his voice cold.
"I will not tolerate criticism regarding our soldiers' conduct from foreigners. You are outsiders."
"...I see."
Matthew’s brow furrowed.
Judging by the knight's provocative attitude, a long conversation wasn't going to lead anywhere good.
He decided to get straight to the point.
"They attempted to harass our companion. My friend and I acted in self-defense to subdue them."
"Subdue? You call that subduing?"
The knight pointed at the soldiers, who were reduced to piles of meat begging for their lives.
Admittedly, "subdue" was a bit of an understatement for their current condition.
But Matthew stood his ground.
"Do you know who they were trying to harass? This lady is—"
"Enough. I have no interest in useless information."
"What?"
"Only tell me what is necessary."
"Is identifying the victim not necessary?"
"I will be the judge of that."
Is that so?
You only want to hear what you want to hear?
Matthew’s blood pressure was starting to rise. The knight continued.
"I don't care how much of a pampered young lord you were back in Atronia; this is the Caesar Kingdom."
"I am well aware."
"Then follow the laws of our land. You attacked my subordinates without provocation and caused grievous bodily harm. Do you admit to this?"
"I admit to the act. But there was a justifiable reason—"
"Nonsense."
"Excuse me?"
"The claim that my soldiers harassed your companion is merely a one-sided accusation from your party. Is it not?"
"So you're saying you don't believe us?"
"Obviously."
The knight replied firmly.
He then turned his gaze toward Isabella, who was standing behind Matthew, and looked her up and down with a blatant, leering stare.
"For all I know, this pretty little wench might have been the one to seduce my soldiers first."
"What did you say?"
"She certainly looks the part. Women from small, weak nations are naturally drawn to men from a great power, after all."
At that grave insult, Matthew gritted his teeth.
"Watch your mouth. Do you have any idea who she is—"
"Ah, forget it."
The knight cut him off again, sneering.
"If you feel so wronged, I suppose I can conduct a brief investigation."
He looked around the tavern and shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Is there anyone here who can testify to the truth of their words? If so, step forward now!"
The patrons of the tavern all lowered their heads in unison.
No one was foolish enough to miss the meaning behind the knight’s words as he rested his hand on his sword hilt and radiated a blatant, threatening aura.
Matthew’s eyes widened.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"What does it look like? I'm looking for witnesses."
"That's not an investigation!"
It was blatant intimidation.
Naturally, no one stepped forward. The knight smirked.
"No one is coming forward. It seems my hunch was correct."
"You... are you truly a knight?"
The knight’s expression soured at Matthew’s question.
"A brat from a backwater kingdom has no manners. I suppose I’ll have to teach you your place."
The knight raised his hand, and the other soldiers leveled their spears at Matthew.
"Surrender quietly."
"You piece of trash..."
Matthew was trembling with rage.
He hadn't expected anyone to be this shamelessly corrupt. Just then...
"You done yet?"
Patrick’s voice came from behind Matthew.
Patrick grabbed Matthew’s shoulder and pulled him back.
"If you've had your turn, step aside."
"Wait, Patrick."
"I'm handling this my way now."
"Hey, just hold on a second."
Matthew didn't back down easily.
Patrick sighed and scratched his head.
"Give it up. Talking to trash like this is a waste of time. Just beat the—"
"That's not it."
"Then what?"
As Patrick was about to snap in annoyance, Matthew spoke.
"Let's do it together. I can't hold back anymore either."
Patrick blinked in surprise, looking at Matthew. And then...
"I'm in too."
"......"
Isabella stood up from her seat, and April silently followed suit.
Huh? What's gotten into them?
While Patrick was momentarily stunned, a sharp grinding sound came from Isabella’s teeth. And then—
"As the top-ranked student of the Academy, I am giving an order."
"Wait, Senior, you're—"
"Wreck them."
"Yes, ma'am!"
The moment Isabella gave the command, Matthew lunged forward and buried his fist into the lead knight's face.
THWACK!
"Guh... you...!"
Staggering from the blow, the knight glared at Matthew. But Matthew met his gaze with an even more murderous intensity.
"You're dead."
"How dare— Gack! Wait— Urgh!"
"Repeat after me: 'I am dead.'"
Matthew didn't even give the man a chance to draw his sword, unleashing a one-sided barrage of blows.
Meanwhile, Isabella stepped lightly onto a table, sprinted across, and kicked the other knight in the head like she was punting a ball.
CRACK!
"Gah!"
The man, struck squarely in the head, flipped backward. Isabella immediately began to stomp on him relentlessly.
Crunch! Thud! Bam!
Her kicks were so violent that the plate mail the knight was wearing began to crumple.
"Stop... stop her!"
"Attack!"
The surrounding soldiers tried to rush her. However...
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
April took them down with punches so fast they were a blur.
The soldiers collapsed in a heap, and April slowly approached them while cracking her knuckles.
"Backwater? Backwater?!"
"Guh... Aaaagh!"
"This bastard isn't even from the Empire or the Holy Church State, yet he calls someone else's country a backwater? Die, you prick!"
Matthew was mounted on top of the fallen knight, pulverizing his face with his fists...
"Ugh... wait... stop... cough..."
Isabella was silently and methodically stomping her opponent into the floor with eyes as cold as ice.
"Aaaagh!"
"Wait, my arm... my arm...!"
"My leg... my leg is...!"
April was also personally dismantling the soldiers.
As she made sure to break at least one limb on each of them, the soldiers cowered with eyes full of terror.
Patrick watched the entire scene and...
"They've all grown up. They've really grown up."
He placed a hand over his heart, wiped away a stray tear, and smiled with fatherly pride.