Chapter 284: My Arrangements Weren't in Vain (3)
Chapter 284: My Arrangements Weren't in Vain (3)
The duel was over.
And the winner was clear to anyone watching.
Oliver A.
A nameless knight—the kind people would respond to with a "Who?" if asked—had defeated none other than the future Holy Sword of the Holy Kingdom.
As for the Holy Sword himself...
"How... How could this..."
He was in a state of total shock.
Patrick approached the dazed Antorius and spoke.
"Hey."
"..."
"You know the result, right?"
"..."
"You lost."
"..."
"...Hello? Is anyone home?"
Patrick waved a hand back and forth in front of the man's face. Antorius finally spoke, his expression one of utter hollow despair.
"How could I... I..."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. The kid’s gone mental again."
"...I do not understand. How could such a thing happen? Surely... surely I was the stronger one..."
At Antorius’s lament, Patrick scratched his head and sighed.
"Seriously, you really are a hopeless case, aren't you?"
"What?"
"Don't get it twisted."
"About what?"
"The strong don't win. The one who wins is the strong one."
Antorius’s face crumpled at Patrick’s words.
Seeing that, Patrick gave a sly smirk.
"You don't look convinced at all, do you?"
"If we were to fight again..."
"Aww, is that so? Did the wittle baby lose because he let his guard down? Does he think he’ll win if he tries again next time?"
"..."
How could a single person provoke such intense rage with every word they spoke?
Antorius truly did not want to accept the fact that such an undignified and rude man was famous across the entire continent.
But then, Patrick spoke again.
"Hey, why didn't you go to the battlefield?"
"What...?"
"Your Holy Kingdom is currently locked in a fierce struggle with the Empire, isn't it? So why didn't you go? I heard the Sword Saint’s grandson is out there fighting."
"Do you think I stayed behind on purpose? I wanted to go. I wanted to go more than anything. But..."
"But...?"
"My Master stopped me. So I had no choice but to..."
"Ahhh. I see. So your Master knew."
"...Knew what?"
"He had a gut feeling. He thought, 'If I put this idiot on a battlefield, he’ll get himself killed in a heartbeat.'"
Antorius’s face turned beet red. He struggled to squeeze out a rebuttal.
"My skills are not that pathetic."
"Dumbaaaaass."
"..."
Antorius was certain that even the benevolent Yupinel would have started swearing if she saw this man's face...
No, no. What am I thinking...
As a Holy Knight, thinking something so irreverent—bordering on blasphemy—caused Antorius to hurriedly shake the thought away.
Patrick continued.
"The first ones to die on a battlefield aren't the weak ones. It's the morons like you who overestimate their own abilities."
It was the same in the Martial World.
They would gather the youngsters, have them scrap a bit, and if a few stood out, they’d praise them as 'Dragons' or 'Phoenixes.'
That in itself wasn't a bad thing.
It was good to encourage healthy competition among the youth and grant honor to the victors.
The problem was that it often filled the kids' heads with hot air.
Immature brats who don't know how wide the world is. They think they're hot shit because of some measly fame they earned from being the tallest among midgets.
The Jianghu was a place that demanded a harsh price for such youthful folly.
The price of death.
That was why masters would discipline and watch over their disciples even more strictly as their fame grew.
Likely, this brat’s master couldn't trust his disciple at all, which is why he kept him away from the war.
He probably even endured political pressure to make it happen.
Tsk, tsk. What an unfilial brat. To think he couldn't fathom his master's heart and only harbored resentment...
[Are you really one to talk?]
I wasn't like that. I revered my Master like the heavens themselves.
[You little...]
There was a slight fabrication of memory involved, but regardless, the core point remained.
"You've still got a long way to go, kid."
"..."
Antorius fell into a somber silence, his expression heavy.
"If you want to leave a mark as a warrior? If you want to achieve something? Start by tempering yourself first."
"I am tempering myself sufficiently."
"Oh, really? Then why did you get wrecked so helplessly by an Aura Blade this time too?"
"That was..."
"You were like this back in Arcana when you lost to that brat Sierion, weren't you? You were pushing him back well enough, then you got wrecked by a single Aura Blade and lost."
"..."
"It's been quite a while since then, so why haven't you improved at all?"
He had nothing to say.
The results spoke for themselves.
He had thought that with the 6-Star realm, divine power, and the Authority of miracles, he could stand against those in the Supreme Realm.
But that was just a thought.
The actual result was a complete defeat with no room for excuses.
He had been relentlessly attacking his opponent, but the moment that opponent drew an Aura Blade, the same result as in Arcana repeated itself.
He had no choice but to admit it.
He had not yet reached the 7-Star realm.
"Are you... No, did you pit that nameless knight against me just to make me realize this?"
"...Huh?"
"Did you foresee that the knight would awaken to the 7-Star realm during our duel, and arrange the match hoping that both he and I would grow?"
"..."
"Even at the risk of being misunderstood by me in the process?"
Patrick fell silent for a moment.
And sometimes...
It was true. It really was true.
Silence is more precious than gold.
Antorius now had no choice but to admit it.
The Double Dragon was a man who had reached a height incomparable to his own.
Not just in skill, but in character as well.
Even though we belong to different factions, he went as far as inviting misunderstanding just to look out for my growth...
A massive misunderstanding was falling perfectly into place.
And I, without knowing any of that, misunderstood him as a rude and lazy man and denounced him.
Well, you got that part right.
How shameful. Can I truly call myself a Holy Knight who serves God after this?
It was then.
The moment Antorius reflected on his inner self and shattered his own stubbornness, a beam of holy light descended upon his head.
"Oh... Ohhh...!"
"How can this be?"
"It is the manifestation of a new miracle!"
The surrounding Holy Knights were shocked.
A miracle—the unique Authority of those who serve God—was not something honed through physical training.
It was a power bestowed by God when one's vessel as a human grew through the tempering of their faith.
As a promising Holy Knight, Antorius already possessed four miracles.
And now, he was receiving his fifth.
Everyone marveled at this holy sight.
Why the hell is this guy gaining enlightenment after getting cursed out?
Everyone except one person...
* * *
After being bathed in holy light while floating briefly in the air, Antorius’s feet returned to the ground. Then...
Thud.
One of his knees hit the floor.
Placing a hand over his heart, Antorius bowed his head toward Patrick and spoke.
"Thank you, Double Dragon."
"...Huh?"
"Thanks to your teachings, I was able to grow further."
"..."
Think about it carefully. This guy didn't do anything.
"Thanks to you, Yupinel has granted me a new miracle. I do not know how I can ever repay this debt."
Ah, how tragic...
A Holy Knight who should serve a holy God was kneeling and expressing gratitude to a Great Demon.
What was even sadder was that this demon had already grasped the situation.
The corners of Patrick’s mouth curled up toward his ears. Then, with a smile as benevolent as a Buddha's, he placed a hand on Antorius’s shoulder and spoke.
"Yes. It seems my arrangements weren't in vain after all."
What did you even do?
Oliver did the dueling, and Antorius got the enlightenment. But...
"You understand now, don't you? That I'm a man who does everything with a plan."
Since when?
"If you just follow my words obediently, good things—no, blessings—will fall into your lap. Got it?"
It was absolute bullshit. The problem was...
"Of course. I do not doubt it for a second."
...that it worked.
The mental strength of a pure-hearted Holy Knight was far too fragile to shake off the words coming from a Great Demon’s cunning tongue.
And the demon spoke with a victorious smile.
"Right. Then you'd better listen to me well, shouldn't you?"
"Of course... I will."
By the time the thought Wait, isn't this a bit much? flickered through his mind, it was already too late.
"Then first, call all the Holy Knights under you and have them assemble. Big brother needs to take a look at them."
"...Big brother? From what I know, I am older than you, Double Dragon..."
"Ahem? If someone is better at fighting, smarter, and has a great personality, they're the 'Hyung.' Why are you being so picky?"
"Yes... Yes. I understand."
And so, Patrick gained another sworn brother after the Orc warrior Tutan.
* * *
Patrick thought to himself.
There was no doubt that a Dark Mage had infiltrated the Holy Kingdom. However, he couldn't find any traces among the high-ranking priests.
In that case, could they be hiding among the Holy Knights?
That was why he planned to gather the Holy Knights through Antorius and check them personally.
Under the pretext of...
"Step up, step up! This isn't an event that happens every day!"
"Heh... Gasp... Aaaaaagh!"
...instructional sparring.
Baaang! Boom! Crack!
To any onlooker, it was a scene that looked like nothing short of an assault.
At first, the Holy Knights had thought it an honor and rushed to participate.
Who would refuse when the famous Double Dragon offered to personally oversee their training? But...
"Eing, not this one either."
After seeing the "corpse"—well, not a corpse, but a body that was one foot in the grave—of a Holy Knight smoldering right in front of them, their minds tended to change.
"Alright, next!"
"Andos, isn't it your turn?"
"No, Tranus got here before me."
"Ahem, I'm not feeling well today..."
The Holy Knights were slowly backing away.
It was understandable.
Everyone's life is precious, after all. However...
"Do not worry. You won't die."
"But, Sir Denar..."
"Rather, there will be much to gain. I, too, was able to develop further thanks to the Double Dragon’s teachings."
"..."
"So, next. Andos, you go up first. Go and experience the Double Dragon’s skill to your heart's content."
"..."
A Great Demon in front.
Behind them, the demon’s henchman who had been brainwashed by said Great Demon.
Unfortunately for the pitiful Holy Knights, there was no escape route.
* * *
Three days later.
"Uwaaaaaaaa!"
Baaang!
A monk who had charged in with a spirited shout was kicked away by Patrick.
"Next."
Patrick called for the next person with a bored expression.
He thought to himself.
Man. This is great for stress relief, but...
Compared to listening to the nonsense of the priests, beating up Holy Knights was actually quite tolerable.
The problem, however, was that his original goal for coming here wasn't being met.
He had already beaten up every single Holy Knight in the Holy City without exception.
But no trace of Demonic Energy had appeared, and now he was in the middle of beating up the monks.
And still, there were no results.
Just as he was wondering if he would fail like this...
"I request a lesson from the great swordsman who has pioneered the Supreme Realm."
"Yeah, yeah. Step... Huh?"
Patrick was slightly surprised.
The monk standing before him, trying his best to steady his trembling legs while taking a stance, was a kid who looked to be maybe fourteen? Fifteen? Around that age.
But the moment that young boy clenched his small fists and took his stance...
Found him.
The look in Patrick’s eyes changed.
"Hey, kid. What's your name?"
At Patrick’s question, the young monk spoke with a serious expression.
"I told you just a moment ago. Have you forgotten already?"
"Ahem, no. Of course not. I heard you."
"..."
"So, your name is..."
Most of the names in the Holy Kingdom end in 's.' So his name must be...
"Jon Jones?"
He really should have just said he didn't know.