Chapter 344: If You Can't Do It, You Die (2)
Chapter 344: If You Can't Do It, You Die (2)
Patrick spoke with a solemn expression.
"Someone once said: If you want war, prepare for peace."
Wait, isn't that backward?
But Patrick continued, unbothered.
"And the deep meaning behind those words is this: to emerge victorious in war, you must grind yourself to the absolute limit during times of peace."
The fact that his interpretation actually sounded somewhat plausible was the real problem.
Though no one responded, Patrick pressed on.
"A massive war that will decide the fate of the entire continent is right before our eyes. So, naturally, we must train and train again, shouldn't we?"
"……."
"But what is this? You're all weak. Pathetically weak."
Grind.
Grit.
The sound of teeth gnashing filled the air. Driven by their intense pride, those who had been called weak gritted their teeth and tried to push themselves up…
"Urgh…."
"Dammit…."
But they failed.
Their bodies, with every joint and bone aching, refused to obey their will.
To them, Patrick delivered the final blow.
"This instructor is deeply disappointed in his recruits. How do you expect to survive on the battlefield like this? Huh?"
Patrick was nagging.
Before him, knights lay sprawled on the ground as if dead.
Up to this point, it was a familiar sight. However…
"Dammit, you… monster."
"Uuuugh…. Argh…."
"Bloody hell…."
What made this different was the sheer caliber of the individuals lying there.
Starting with Queen Catherine von Yuzef….
The Black Knight Matthias Carvan, the Giant Killer Marius Shuleiman, and the Sword Queen Leona Mayvers.
Beyond them were Clavin Taerion, Vector Bridges, Adolf Raines, Dustin Lobsky, and more….
All the former 7-star knights of the Yuzef Kingdom were sprawled before Patrick, groaning in agony.
Patrick looked at them and smirked.
"Therefore, out of the kindness and benevolence of my heart, I shall forge you recruits again from the very beginning, one by one. So…."
So what?
We don't even have the strength to lift a finger, and you're going to do more? Are you even human?
"Come on. Bring it."
A human might not, but a demon certainly would.
To explain why this hell was unfolding, we must turn back the clock a little.
* * *
"Whew…."
"What's going to happen to us now?"
"Who knows."
"Haha…. How did things end up like this?"
They were wearing special restraints owned by the Tower of Truth.
Even 7-star knights couldn't easily break these restraints, which froze the mana and aura within the body. The people wearing them were gathered in one place.
These were the powerhouses of the former Yuzef Kingdom who had been subjugated by the Overlord.
When Patrick swallowed the Yuzef Kingdom whole, their custody had been transferred to him as well.
And now, they were prisoners awaiting their fate.
What would happen to them?
They couldn't even guess.
In a way, they were victims who had been turned into Enemy Knights by a Dark Mage.
But on the other hand, before that happened, they had invaded the Magellan Kingdom under the Overlord's orders.
Whether to punish them or show mercy was entirely up to the victor.
All they could do was wait for the verdict.
The one who appeared before them was….
"Double Dragon?"
"Oh, it's been a while. Have you been well?"
It was Patrick Schneider.
Appearing with Queen Catherine and the Black Knight Matthias Carvan at his side, Patrick struck up a conversation with Adolf Raines, whom he already knew.
Though they were meeting like this now, the two had formed a decent bond back when Patrick was undergoing his knight training.
I did get a lot of free drinks out of him.
Patrick looked at Adolf Raines, and then….
"Huh? This guy's alive too."
"Hahaha…. It is an honor to see you, Grand Duke Schneider."
"Your attitude has certainly become polite. Aren't we a bit past the point of smiling at each other?"
"Hahaha. Not at all! It is nothing but an honor for me to meet the Grand Duke like this."
The man desperately flattering Patrick was Dustin Lobsky.
He was also someone Patrick had a history with.
Well, unlike Adolf Raines, it wasn't exactly a good history.
Come to think of it, I heard he was captured by April.
Most of the people here were those who had been modified into Enemy Knights in the Yuzef Kingdom and had naturally surrendered after their brainwashing was broken.
But Dustin Lobsky was different.
He had been defeated and captured by April before that, so he hadn't suffered through the brainwashing.
Since then, he had been living comfortably as a hostage until this meeting with Patrick. And then….
Thud!
"I, Dustin Lobsky, am ready to serve as the right hand of the great hero, the Double Dragon. Please, accept my loyalty!"
"……."
He was actually doing it.
He was really doing this.
"Tsk, tsk. Look at the shamelessness on this one."
"Hahaha. Whatever do you mean?"
"Well, I suppose people like you do survive the longest no matter where you're dropped."
The man certainly had impressive survival instincts.
And as a bonus, his skills weren't half bad either.
Patrick glanced at him, then looked at the others and spoke.
"Well, I don't know if you've heard, but Queen Catherine von Yuzef here has surrendered to our country on behalf of the Yuzef royal family."
The people showed surprised expressions at Patrick's words.
It seemed they were hearing it for the first time.
Patrick continued.
"Therefore, the Schneider Duchy has taken custody of all of you. We have to decide what to do with you from here on out, but…."
"Grand Duke, my loyalty—Agh!"
Whack!
A shoe thrown by Patrick struck Dustin Lobsky right in the forehead as he tried to interrupt.
"You shut up for a second, you opportunistic rat."
Patrick put his shoe back on after retrieving it with Void Manipulation and said, "First, let me ask. Who wants to serve under me? Raise your hand."
The prisoners in the cell glanced at each other. Adolf Raines, who was most familiar with Patrick, spoke up.
"You, ahem… Grand Duke. What will happen to us if we serve under you?"
"What else? All you've learned is how to swing a sword, so you'll have to keep swinging it."
"Are you telling us to become knights of the Schneider Duchy?"
"Kni-i-i-ights?"
A twisted, mocking voice rose from deep within Patrick's gut.
"Wow, look at the nerve. What have you done to earn the title of knight? Do you have any idea how hard my people worked just to get knighted? In the Schneider Duchy, the law dictates you have to roll in the dirt like a dog for at least three, no, five years to receive a knighthood. But what? You want to be knights the moment you arrive? Wow…. I've seen some shameless people, but you lot have even less a conscience than 'Knight A'."
Adolf Raines spoke hurriedly.
"No, are our skills and experience not already proven? Surely you aren't telling us to start as squires?"
"Squires? No, you'll be common soldiers."
"Soldiers?"
"Haha, this is absurd."
"You've gone mad, Double Dragon!"
The prisoners in the cell erupted in absurdity and anger.
Though they were currently prisoners of war, every single one of them was a valiant 7-star knight whose name was known across the continent.
And yet, he was offering to accept their surrender only to use them as common soldiers?
"Do you really think we would accept such ridiculous terms?"
The one glaring at Patrick was Marius Shuleiman.
He was the strongest knight of the former Flame Kingdom, known as the Giant Killer.
"Sir Shuleiman, please, calm down for a moment…."
"Ah, it's fine. Let's just hear him out."
Catherine tried to say something to Marius, but Patrick raised a hand to stop her.
He then turned to Marius.
"You seem unhappy?"
"Of course I am! If you intend to insult us like this, you might as well kill us!"
"I see. Yes, I understand."
And then, Patrick actually drew his sword.
As the White Dragon slid from its sheath with a sharp ring, it was Marius who became flustered.
Wait, what? Is this how it usually goes?
The flow he had expected was….
[Then what kind of treatment do you desire?]
[A drop in rank is unavoidable. However, we require at least the status of a knight, the noble status to gather our vassals again, and a territory.]
[Hmm, those are difficult terms to accept all at once. But for now….]
It should have been something like that.
Wasn't a conversation supposed to involve mutual persuasion and a bit of push and pull? But….
"Come here. Line up your neck."
What is this? What kind of creature has no brakes?
"Now hold on, Double Dragon."
"What now? Hurry up and offer your neck."
"Shouldn't we try to have more of a… conversation?"
"Why bother?"
"……."
"You just told me to kill you cleanly. I'm doing exactly what you asked, so why are you backing off all of a sudden?"
"……."
And so, Marius Shuleiman came to the same conclusion that anyone who dealt with Patrick Schneider eventually reached.
What the hell is wrong with this guy?
It was a perfectly normal reaction.
The one who saved him from his predicament was his colleague, Clavin Taerion.
"There is one thing I wish to ask."
"What is it?"
"The Queen… the Princess surrendered to you. Does that mean she will be staying with you?"
"Why don't you ask her yourself?"
Patrick stepped aside, making it easier for Catherine to speak.
Catherine stepped forward.
"Master. Please, help me."
Clavin Taerion.
He had been Catherine's mentor during her time in the Flame Kingdom.
In fact, she had been his most cherished disciple.
He had surrendered to the Yuzef Kingdom in the first place primarily for her sake.
And now, his disciple was pleading with him once more.
"I need your strength, Master. To carry on the bloodline of the Spirit Royal Family and to save the entire continent from crisis, please lend me your strength."
"The justification is quite grand."
"It is not a lie, Master. I can explain—"
Catherine stopped mid-sentence.
Her master, Clavin Taerion, had quietly knelt and bowed his head.
"I, Clavin Taerion, shall surrender to the Schneider Duchy following the command of Princess Catherine, the sole bloodline of the Spirit Royal Family."
"Master…."
Catherine's eyes welled with tears.
This was the mentor who had suffered through being modified into an Enemy Knight after surrendering to Yuzef because of her.
She felt guilty even coming to ask him for a favor when she didn't have the face to look him in the eye.
But her master still believed in her. And then….
"I, Vector Bridges, shall follow my friend Clavin Taerion and pledge my loyalty to the Princess."
"Sir Bridges."
Vector Bridges, another 7-star knight from the Flame Kingdom, also knelt. And then….
"Ahem, if these two are doing it, I can't exactly stay out of it. Well, we'll have to discuss the treatment separately later, but…."
Marius Shuleiman also knelt.
He subtly hitched a ride with his fellow knights from the Flame Kingdom.
Patrick looked like he didn't quite like it, but he let it slide for now.
That's three….
He then turned to the others.
"What about the rest of you? Decide quickly."
Adolf Raines's mouth twitched several times. He looked like his heart was moved, but his reason was holding him back.
At that moment, a young woman with white hair spoke up.
"May I ask one thing, Double Dragon?"
"Go ahead. But… who are you?"
"My apologies for the late introduction. I am Leona Mayvers."
"…Huh? Who?"
"Leona Mayvers. I was once known as the Sword Queen in the Decatur Kingdom."
"Ah…. You? Come to think of it, I tried to see you back then but couldn't, right?"
After defeating Adolf Raines and Dustin Lobsky in the Decatur Kingdom, he had intended to visit her, but the royal family had directly blocked him.
But after all those twists and turns, they had finally met.
In the Martial World, this lady would be something like a Sword Empress, right? Hmm, her skills aren't that great, though.
In the Martial World, the title of Sword Empress carried significant weight.
Usually, it belonged to the Emei Sect, but occasionally others held it.
It was a title reserved for the most outstanding female swordsman of the era.
He had assumed the title of Sword Queen carried similar weight, but….
Then again, it's been a long time since this lady was considered the best, hasn't it?
She had already been surpassed by April.
Regardless, if she was the Sword Queen, she was much older than she appeared.
"So, what did you want to say?"
"I understand why Queen Catherine is by your side."
"And?"
"But what is that Black Knight doing there?"
"Oh, this old guy?"
"Yes. He was the Overlord's right hand, a man who stood with him on the battlefield."
"That's true."
"Knowing that, do you still intend to take him in? And you expect us to stand shoulder to shoulder with him on the battlefield?"
There was a faint trace of anger in Leona Mayvers's voice.
It was only natural for her to harbor a grudge against the Overlord and those associated with him.
In fact, the way she looked at Catherine wasn't exactly warm either.
Patrick said to Leona, "Matthias is no longer a knight. And he will never be a knight again."
"What do you mean?"
"He has promised to spend the rest of his life atoning for his sins. Thanks to that, I get to use a piece of free labor."
"Even so, to keep such a great villain…."
"Look here, Sword Empress—no, Sword Queen Auntie."
"Au… Auntie?"
It was a word Leona Mayvers had never heard in her entire life.
To the stunned woman, Patrick said, "When a person dies, that's the end of it."
"……."
"If killing Matthias could undo even a tenth, no, a hundredth of the crimes he committed, I would have taken his head myself."
"Mmm…."
"But that's not how it works. In the end, if this man is to lessen his guilt even a little, he has to live the rest of his life paying it back."
"That may be true in words…. but isn't it too idealistic? What guarantee is there that he won't betray you?"
"Oh, a guarantee?"
Patrick signaled to Matthias.
Matthias stepped forward, removed his upper garment, and bared his chest. Then….
"Gasp?"
"That is…?"
Every 7-star knight in the cell was shocked.
They saw it.
On Matthias Carvan's chest was a distinct Slave Brand.
The Slave Brand, usually reserved only for the most heinous criminals, was etched onto the body of a powerhouse who had once been known across the continent as the Overlord's right hand.
Patrick spoke.
"It's a brand personally engraved by the Fifth Sage himself. He can't escape it, even in death."