Chapter 241: So... It’s... You (1)
Chapter 241: So... It’s... You (1)
The next day.
A delegation from the Harbor Kingdom arrived at the Schneider mansion.
Moving alongside them was Marquis Panola.
“What is that man doing there?”
“Isn’t he a noble of our kingdom?”
“I heard he’s even the Captain of the Royal Knight Order.”
“Sigh… That guy?”
Marquis Panola glared coldly at the knights of the Schneider County who were whispering about him.
Impudent brats…
He was the Captain of the Royal Knight Order and a knight who had reached the 6-Star Realm.
Yet, the knights of the Schneider estate showed him not a shred of respect. Instead, they openly displayed emotions like contempt, disillusionment, and disappointment.
“I guess the quality of the Royal Knight Order isn’t all that great?”
“Tell me about it. If the Captain is like that, then the ones under him… well, I think even I could take them.”
“Take them? I’d wipe the floor with them.”
“Me too.”
Royal Knight Captain? 6-Star?
Why would they care about such things?
The one who had trained them was none other than Patrick Schneider. Their Vice-Captain, April, could probably beat down the entire Royal Knight Order by herself.
Furthermore, Panola’s behavior was so obnoxious that there was no way they would look upon him kindly.
Receiving such blatant stares of hostility, Panola arrived at the entrance, where Count Schneider came out to meet him.
“Have you made your decision?”
At Marquis Panola’s question, Count Schneider let out a heavy sigh.
“I will release Prince Dawson.”
“A wise choice.”
“However, I cannot offer an apology.”
Marquis Panola’s eyebrows twitched.
“What is the meaning of this?”
“I can agree to release Prince Dawson to prevent a larger conflict. But I will not apologize.”
“So you dare to defy a royal command. Do you have a justifiable reason?”
“There is no justifiable reason to apologize. That is my reason.”
“Hooo…”
Marquis Panola furrowed his brow.
How dare a mere provincial noble stand up to him like this? His instinct was to draw his sword and intimidate the man immediately. But…
Go ahead. Just try it.
Behind Count Schneider stood a beautiful female knight, glaring at him with a sharp glint in her eyes.
She was beautiful enough to make one wonder if she was even human, but more than that, a terrifying killing intent was constricting his very breath.
It can’t be helped.
“First, release Prince Dawson.”
To achieve at least half of his goal, Marquis Panola demanded the Prince’s release first.
Then, from behind Count Schneider, Prince Dawson appeared, tightly bound by the knights.
With his hands tied behind his back and a gag in his mouth, there wasn't a hint of the courtesy usually afforded to royalty.
In truth, for Count Schneider, keeping the Prince alive and in one piece was already more than enough courtesy.
The Harbor Kingdom delegation hurried to take custody of the Prince and undid his restraints.
With this, the biggest problem was settled—
“You miserable sons of bitches! Do you think you’ll get away with this?!”
Or not.
If anything, things got worse.
In all his life, Prince Dawson had never experienced such humiliation.
He had been imprisoned in a damp underground dungeon by a provincial noble family from a place he couldn't even find on a map.
The food was pathetic, and he’d had to survive with nothing but a thin blanket.
Even when he was injured and asked for a priest, they didn't call one. But the ultimate blow to his pride was the fact that he had been beaten senseless by a woman.
This was the first time in his life he had experienced such humiliation and disgrace.
And Prince Dawson was not a creature with enough patience to endure it.
“Kill them all! Kill every single one of those bastards who dared to insult me, the heir to the Harbor Kingdom!”
The Harbor Kingdom delegation looked troubled by Prince Dawson’s explosive rampage as he screamed, spitting flying from his mouth.
“Your Highness, please calm down for now.”
“The situation is not favorable at the moment.”
Naturally, the delegation had no intention of letting this matter slide. However, starting a fight right here and now was not a good strategy.
They should let it go for now, return to the Harbor Kingdom, and then lodge a formal protest with the Atronia Kingdom…
“Kill them! I said kill them all! Can you not hear me? This is my command! Do not leave a single rat alive in this godforsaken territory! Wipe them all out!”
This was maddening.
The Harbor Kingdom delegation felt like they were dying.
Usually, he was a foolish prince they could control by flattering him, but once he lost his mind, there was no reasoning with him.
“That little shit…”
“I’ve been trying to be patient, but…”
The knights of the Schneider estate—no, even the common soldiers—were fuming.
As they began to grip their weapons and step forward, the Harbor Kingdom delegation shouted urgently.
“Marquis Panola! Quickly, calm them down!”
“…….”
Marquis Panola let out a sigh. He felt like telling them to calm down their own piece-of-trash kidnapper first, but…
I have no choice.
Marquis Panola hated the Schneider family even more than he hated that trashy kidnapper.
“Everyone, stand down! Does Count Schneider intend to commit treason against the kingdom?”
“What are you talking about?”
“What else do you call someone who defies a royal command and resists with force if not a traitor?”
“…….”
“The problem lies in the fact that you refused to follow my instructions and declined to apologize in the first place.”
At Marquis Panola’s words, the knights moved their hands to their swords, emitting blatant killing intent.
The killing intent radiating from over a hundred knights made even Panola, a 6-Star master, flinch for a moment. However…
“Immediately follow my orders, kneel before Prince Dawson, and offer a sincere apology. If you escalate the situation any further, I will hold the entire Schneider territory accountable as the representative of the Royal Family.”
He stood his ground firmly.
It wasn't that he was confident he could fight his way out if something happened. Rather, he was certain that nothing would happen.
Because he was the Captain of the Royal Knight Order and the representative entrusted with full authority by the King.
Power is stronger than the sword. Those who don't know that will never defeat me.
This was a belief that bordered on faith for Marquis Panola.
There were knights stronger than him in the kingdom.
Late from the Academy had reached the 7-Star Realm, and Marquis Nicola had been an insurmountable wall from the beginning.
However, the one with the greatest power and authority in this country was himself.
No matter how outstanding their skills were, they were ultimately just individual knights.
The true winner was the one who held greater power in his hands. And he firmly believed that power would protect him this time as well.
“What are you doing? Do you truly intend to defy the royal command until the very end?!”
Marquis Panola barked at Count Schneider.
At that sight, the knights were on the verge of exploding. But…
“Will that be enough?”
Count Schneider’s single sentence made everyone squeeze their eyes shut.
And Marquis Panola let out a sigh of relief inwardly.
Yes. That’s how it should be.
His back had been damp with sweat from the tension, but his conviction had proven right once again.
Power was the most formidable force guaranteed by the state.
It was the only power that could turn black into white and white into black.
I have no choice.
Count Schneider let out a sigh.
He didn't want to do this. He knew he shouldn't.
But what would happen if he turned against the Royal Family and became a traitor?
Not only himself, but his wife and son would be in danger as well.
To protect them, he would have to use force, and then the Atronia Kingdom would be engulfed in a civil war, leading to countless deaths and injuries.
Compared to their lives, was his pride or honor even worth putting on the scales?
The world will call me a coward. I might be recorded in history as a fool.
But it didn't matter.
If he could prevent the worst-case scenario where blood flowed like a river, that was better.
Count Schneider took a step forward.
And as he prepared to kneel before the agitated Prince Dawson, who was glaring at him…
Dammit…
Everyone in the Schneider territory squeezed their eyes shut and turned their heads away, unable to watch.
And it was then.
BOOM!
An explosive sound of destruction erupted from somewhere within the Schneider mansion, and something soared into the air.
“Huh…?”
“Uh…?”
“What is that? What just…”
THUD!
While everyone was dazed, the object that had burst out of the mansion landed right in front of Count Schneider. And then…
“I…”
A voice like a growl from the depths of hell echoed out.
“Huh…? Uh?”
“No way.”
Everyone knew.
That appearance, that killing intent, that madness.
It was a man they all knew very well.
“I tried to hold it in…”
The figure lifted its head.
Those who met the gaze of eyes shimmering with madness flinched, and at the same time, a roar erupted.
“I felt like I was going to get a damn tumor if I held it in any longer, so I came out! You bastards!”
Patrick Schneider.
Returned after one year.
* * *
“Young Master?”
“Young Master! Is it really you, Young Master?”
“Oh, Yuzef be praised!”
The knights and soldiers of the Schneider territory watching the scene couldn't believe their eyes.
In the worst possible situation, where their lord was about to be covered in humiliation and disgrace, Patrick had been resurrected as if he had been waiting for this moment.
And the first thing the resurrected Patrick did was…
“Which one of you is it?”
Everyone flinched at Patrick’s growling voice.
They didn't know who the ‘which one’ he was referring to was.
But everyone hoped it wasn't them.
In fact, every knight who made eye contact with Patrick shook their head fervently, expressing, ‘It’s not me.’
And the moment Patrick’s gaze landed on Prince Dawson…
“W-what? How dare you… I am of the Harbor Kingdom…”
“So... It’s... You.”
Prince Dawson felt his heart drop into his stomach. And…
“It’s you, you little shit!”
That feeling was about to become a reality.
Closing the distance in an instant, Patrick’s fist slammed into Prince Dawson’s face.
CRACK!
Prince Dawson spun through the air like a top.
Patrick reached out his left hand and snatched the collar of the Prince, who was still spinning in mid-air like a roulette wheel.
Then, facing Prince Dawson, whose face was already a mangled mess…
“You dare? Huh? You want to die? You looking for a death wish? Huh? I’ll kill you!”
WHACK! WHACK! WHACK!
Every time Patrick’s fist buried itself into Prince Dawson’s face, a wet, meaty sound echoed in real-time.
Simultaneously, threads of blood stretched between Patrick’s fist and the Prince’s face.
Horrified by the sight, the Harbor Kingdom delegation hurriedly intervened.
“What do you think you’re doing?!”
“You scoundrel!”
They drew their swords and lunged at Patrick.
But really, what was the point?
The opponent standing before them was Patrick Schneider.
“Oh, really? I was planning on wrecking you lot too!”
Still holding Prince Dawson by the collar with one hand, Patrick charged toward the Harbor Kingdom delegation. And then…
CRACK! CRUNCH! SNAP! THUD!
A scene of gruesome carnage followed.
“Wow, our Young Master hasn't changed a bit.”
“He’s been lying in bed for a year, how can he move like that?”
“How should I know? I’m human; how would I know the biology of a demon?”
The knights nodded as if this scene were perfectly natural.
Was it okay to beat a prince and a delegation of another country like that?
No. Normally, it wasn't.
But that was human logic, and it didn't apply to Patrick Schneider, the Great Demon who had climbed up from hell. And besides…
Haaa. That’s refreshing.
I feel so much better.
This sense of clarity rising from the depths of my soul…
Wasn't it just so satisfying?
The people of the Schneider territory had been seething because of those bastards, but they hadn't been able to step forward and had endured and endured. To them, this was simply a beautiful scene of a much-needed lesson. However…
“Stop! Will you not stop this instant?!”
There was one person who didn't share that sentiment.
Marquis Antonio Panola.
He shouted loudly at Patrick with the dignity befitting the Captain of the Royal Knight Order.
“How dare you behave like this? The Schneider family has no regard for the kingdom’s diplomatic—Gah!”
“And who the hell is this guy?”
Though his words had no effect.
Marquis Panola was sent flying after taking Patrick’s flying kick straight to the face.
The knights of the Schneider family watched the scene with satisfied smiles.
* * *
A short while later.
Patrick’s rampage finally stopped.
The one who stopped the rampage that no one else seemed able to halt was…
[Patrick!]
[Grrr. Which… Oh, Mother?]
[Patrick. My son!]
It was Ava.
Having rushed over as soon as she heard the news, she pulled Patrick into an embrace, and only then did Patrick’s grip on Prince Dawson’s collar finally loosen.
And now.
A group of humans with swollen faces were gathered in front of Patrick.
“So, you. What did you say your name was?”
“The… Prince Dawson of the Great Harbor Kingdom…”
“Ssssp…”
“It’s… Dawson Abraham Harbor… sir.”
Patrick’s gaze shifted to the side.
“And what’s your name?”
“…….”
“You want to die?”
Flinching at Patrick’s gaze, which made it clear he wouldn't tolerate even a hint of defiance, the man revealed his name.
“I am Marquis Antonio Panola… sir.”
“Panola… Panola, Panola… I’ve heard that name somewhere before.”
Patrick scratched his head, thinking.
At that, Marquis Panola burst out indignantly.
“Are you saying you’ve forgotten what you did to my sons?!”
WHACK!
“Who do you think you are, raising your voice at me? You want another beating?”
He’d already given him one.
But Marquis Panola fired back as if he couldn't hold this back.
“They are my sons, the ones you kicked out of the Academy! And you’re going to feign ignorance?”
“Kicked out of the Academy because of me?”
“That’s right! They were beaten miserably and kicked out, and they still haven't recovered from the emotional trauma. Are you still going to claim you don't remember?”
Patrick scratched his head and replied.
“Do you have any idea how many guys like that there are?”
“…….”
Marquis Panola’s jaw dropped.