Chapter 279: You Said Anything, Didn't You? (1)
Chapter 279: You Said Anything, Didn't You? (1)
Receiving such impeccably polite etiquette, a faint smile played on the Death Knight’s lips.
“…I see. So… that is how it is.”
“……”
“The Twin Dragon… Sect… cough…. My knowledge must be lacking, for I have never heard… cough… of such a place.”
“……”
“But… a sect capable of raising… such an excellent swordsman as yourself…. It must surely be a magnificent and prestigious… Orthodox sect.”
You’ve got it all wrong, Senior.
In the Central Plains, our sect was famous for being strictly third-rate.
However, Petrick didn't bother to correct the misunderstanding.
The Death Knight—no, the man who had now returned to being a Plum Blossom Swordsman—was slowly fading away, starting from his toes.
He had so many questions; he didn't have the luxury of time to clear up every little misconception.
Petrick cut straight to the point.
“Who are you, Senior, and how did you end up like this?”
To Petrick’s core question, the man replied.
“This humble one… is of the Great Mount Hua Sect… cough, cough….”
“……”
Could you just get to your name already? Do you really have to do the whole 'Great Mount Hua Sect' bit?
We’re short on time, is that really necessary?
Honestly, these 'prestigious Orthodox' types….
“…I am Hyungeom, a disciple of the seventh generation.”
It was a name Petrick had never heard.
However, Petrick’s eyes sparkled at the mention of the "seventh generation."
“Were you a participant in the Righteous-Demonic Great War?”
“I was.”
“……”
“Cough…. In my day…. they called this humble one… the Plum Blossom Sword Saint… cough….”
“Is that so?”
I didn't really ask.
If you dig through the Mount Hua Sect’s genealogy, names like Plum Blossom Sword Saint, Sword God, or Sword Exalted pop up all over the place. It wasn't exactly news.
However, the fact that he held such a grand title meant he was the absolute strongest master of the Mount Hua Sect in his era.
And if one considered that his active period overlapped with the seventh generation…
“You’re someone who faced those monsters in person.”
“…Indeed.”
The era of the Mount Hua Sect’s seventh-generation disciples was the dawn of the Demonic Cult.
In other words, it was the time when the Heavenly Demon and the Blood Demon actually existed.
It was the darkest period for the Orthodox Faction in the history of the Martial World.
If that were the case, it made sense why someone of his skill hadn't left a lasting legacy.
The Jianghu of that time was a period where two massive demonic heads, the Heavenly Demon and the Blood Demon, vied for supremacy. The Orthodox Faction was like a shrimp caught between two fighting whales, being brutally crushed in the process.
And the world does not remember the name of every single shrimp.
‘Even so, his skill is incredible.’
To think a master of this caliber died without even leaving his name behind.
Petrick couldn't even begin to imagine what kind of absolute monsters the Heavenly Demon and Blood Demon of that era must have been.
As his body continued to fade, the man spoke.
“The reason… I do not know. My last memory…. was challenging the Heavenly Demon…. And….”
Hyungeom bit his lip.
A clear expression of terror and humiliation surfaced on his dying face.
He continued.
“This humble one… was defeated before I could even last ten moves… cough… against the Heavenly Demon.”
Petrick was stunned.
With this level of skill, he couldn't even last ten moves? Just how much of a monster was this Heavenly Demon?
“After that…. I merely wandered… through a long nightmare… cough… sigh….”
“……”
“It seems… I wasn't much help. I am sorry.”
“Not at all. It’s enough.”
More than half of his body had already crumbled away.
Petrick watched him with a stoic gaze and said, “If you have one last wish, please tell me.”
“A wish….”
The man gave a thin smile.
“It is fine.”
“……”
“I have… already received enough.”
Being able to meet his end as a martial artist was enough.
And so, the swordsman of Mount Hua scattered into ash, a quiet smile lingering on his face.
Petrick let out a long sigh.
“Dark mages, huh….”
Why did a Plum Blossom Swordsman appear here?
And as a Death Knight, no less.
This was very different from when he saw the White Tiger.
That had been purely in the realm of myth, but this Plum Blossom Swordsman was a figure related to the Jianghu and the Martial World of Petrick’s previous life.
Why? For what reason?
Just why on earth was he reborn in this world?
“Phew….”
Petrick’s gaze turned cold.
He didn't know the details, but he understood the gist of it.
“They’re really pissing me off.”
He didn't know what kind of scheme those dark mages were trying to pull by approaching him.
But now, they were going to find out.
They were going to learn exactly who they had dared to mess with.
* * *
“Mmm….”
“Jonsa?”
“Are you alright?”
Noticing Jonsa’s uncomfortable expression, his disciples rushed to his side.
Jonsa spoke with a grim face.
“Double Dragon…. He is no ordinary fellow.”
“Jonsa….”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Rust is dead.”
The disciples already knew this. The moment Rust died, they could all feel her passing. However….
“And despite the death trap I personally prepared being triggered, Double Dragon emerged victorious.”
This was unexpected.
If it was a death trap prepared by Jonsa himself, it wouldn't have been strange for the entire Schneider Duchy to fall, let alone one man.
Yet Double Dragon had won?
Knowing exactly what kind of monster Jonsa was, the disciples' shock was even greater.
Sword Saint? Overlord? The Paladins of the Holy Kingdom?
In the end, those were just brats focused on human power struggles.
Jonsa, who drew the big picture from a much higher vantage point, was on an entirely different level from such children.
‘He overcame Jonsa’s personal arrangement?’
‘Double Dragon… just what kind of monster is he?’
‘No wonder that bitch Rust died.’
Jonsa sank into silent thought.
He reflexively raised a hand to his left eye.
Though he had inserted a prosthetic eye made of amethyst, his left eye was gone forever.
It was a small price to pay for tanking the final blow the World Tree had unleashed before its death, but still.
Why was it?
Right now, that old wound was throbbing.
“Come to think of it, he was also in Evergreen when the World Tree met its end, wasn't he?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
The man kept popping up at every turn.
From Jonsa’s perspective of drawing the grand design, he wanted to ignore minor annoyances, but…
“I can’t let this continue.”
Feeling a sense of foreboding, Jonsa decided he had to get rid of Petrick.
He resolved to step forth himself to ensure the most certain result. But just then…
“Jonsa.”
“Rasnya?”
One of Jonsa’s disciples appeared, her voice laced with urgency.
“We have found traces of the dragon.”
Jonsa leaped to his feet and shouted.
“Where? Where is it?!”
“It was hiding on a remote island behind a barrier. What are your orders?”
“Ha… Hahahaha!”
Jonsa’s laughter rang out thunderously.
The sheer pressure of the power behind that voice forced the disciples to cower.
Abruptly stopping his laughter, Jonsa spoke.
“The time has come. Gather all the brothers. We shall wipe out the seeds of those loathsome existences.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Yes, sir!”
Having issued the general mobilization order, Jonsa stroked his beard.
“You are lucky, Double Dragon.”
He had intended to take the boy’s life personally, but that could wait.
He had finally found the trail of a far more important prey.
* * *
After the subjugation of the dark mages.
Petrick went to his father, Grand Duke Schneider.
“Father, I’m going to step out for a bit.”
“Where to?”
“The Saint Louis Holy Church State.”
“I see. Have a safe— Wait, what? The Holy Kingdom?”
“Yes.”
Watching his son speak as if he were just going to a friend’s house for a sleepover, Grand Duke Schneider felt a throbbing headache coming on.
“Why there?”
“To flip the place upside down.”
He made it sound so simple.
Grand Duke Schneider pressed his thumb and forefinger against the bridge of his nose, trying to calm his rising blood pressure.
‘Don’t get angry. Let’s listen first. This is my son we’re talking about; there must be a reason. Let’s ask for the reason first.’
Having composed himself, the Grand Duke spoke with a gentle, fatherly smile.
“And why do you want to flip the Holy Kingdom upside down?”
“Because they pissed me off.”
Snap!
“I’m the one who’s pissed off, you brat! Me!”
Petrick Schneider: the man who could make even the virtuous Grand Duke Schneider lose his cool.
* * *
A short while later.
Eventually, to calm his raging father, Petrick told him the truth of his errand.
“I’m going to crush the dark mages.”
“Dark mages? Why are you looking for them in the Holy Kingdom?”
“Father, doesn't the recent infiltration of dark mages into our territory remind you of anything?”
“……”
Not particularly.
When the Grand Duke remained silent, Petrick let out a small sigh.
‘He’s smart, but he’s really lacking in intuition.’
He was the textbook definition of someone who couldn't handle politics or schemes.
If this were the Central Plains, he probably would have studied hard to become an official, only to be terrible at politics, bounce around low-level posts, and eventually get purged because he couldn't read the room.
Looking at his father, Petrick said, “The dark mage who died by my hand and the one who approached Jason before that—both were disguised as low-ranking priests of the Holy Kingdom.”
“Mmm…. Could it not be a coincidence?”
“And the three dark mages who died with the woman named Rita were also disguised as apprentice priests. They all used identities from the Holy Kingdom.”
“……”
It was certainly a stretch to call it a coincidence. However…
“Even so, it is hard to believe.”
“What is?”
“It is the Holy Kingdom, of all places. Is it not a place where priests and holy knights who serve God reside? Would dark mages really take root there? I would sooner believe it of the Empire.”
“Father, you know the magicians in the circus troupes that occasionally perform in our territory, right?”
“…Why bring that up all of a sudden?”
“Anyway, do you know how those magicians use tricks to hide objects or pull out pigeons?”
“…I can’t say I do.”
“They use the very 'no way' thought you just had.”
“……”
“'No way they hid it in that tiny gap.' 'No way they swapped it in that short time.' 'No way they went that far.' 'It’s just a magic trick, after all.' Right?”
“Mmm…”
“Once you plant that 'no way' perception, it’s the safest bet. You don't even need to convince the doubter. They convince themselves with the words 'no way.'”
“……”
“Father, just a moment ago, didn't you say, 'No way dark mages would infiltrate the Holy Kingdom'?”
“I did.”
“Because there are people who think like you, Father, it was a place worth infiltrating for the dark mages.”
“……”
Grand Duke Schneider stroked his chin in thought.
A place no one suspects might be difficult to hide in, but once you manage to hide, it becomes the safest territory.
His son’s argument…
‘It makes sense.’
After hearing his son’s words, he too began to find the Holy Kingdom suspicious.
“Then…. what do you plan to do once you get there?”
“Well, it’s not like I have no plan at all….”
[Pope, get out here!]
Was that the plan?
Wouldn't most people call that a riot?
Petrick shrugged. “Well, since I don't know what will happen, I was planning to just go, clash with them, and improvise based on the situation.”
“So you have no concrete plan.”
“Well, what can I do? It’s not like I’m Zhuge Liang….”
“Who is that?”
“Just someone. A villain with wicked wisdom, a minion of evil who assisted Liu Bei and thwarted the grand designs of the great hero Cao Cao….”
“Ah, fine. Stop right there.”
Whenever his son started saying things he couldn't understand, it was best to just stop listening.
Grand Duke Schneider thought for a moment before speaking.
“Setting aside what you’ll do there, you have no justification for going to the Holy Kingdom in the first place.”
“Wait, do I need a justification to just go?”
“You do. You are no longer just a commoner; you are the heir to the Schneider Duchy, the Grand Duke’s son.”
“Mmm….”
Rising in status and gaining a title had its perks, but it also had its inconveniences.
It had become difficult to travel and act as freely as he had in the past.
Still, he couldn't not go.
If dark mages were hiding in the Holy Kingdom, Petrick was confident he could distinguish them at a glance.
So, it was imperative that he go in person.
‘Should I just go secretly?’
Seeing his son like that, Grand Duke Schneider spoke.
“Heh, it seems you’re at a loss.”
Actually, the boy was just about to go through brute force.
Whether he knew his son’s heart or not, Grand Duke Schneider spoke with the pride of a father who could finally do something his son wanted.
“Now that I think about it, we have established the foundation of our nation, yet we haven't paid our respects to neighboring countries.”
“…Huh?”
“We should dispatch a diplomatic mission to the Holy Kingdom to strengthen the friendship between our two nations…. What do you think? Would you like to go?”
Instead of going secretly, he had provided an excuse to go openly and with full justification.
The corners of Petrick’s mouth curled into a smirk.
“That sounds great. I’ll go and make sure the friendship between our two nations is firmly established.”
“Hahaha. Right. Go and do a good job.”
Let’s pause for a moment.
Sending Petrick Schneider as an envoy to "strengthen friendship"?
Is this really okay?