Chapter 52
Chapter 52
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: Scheme (2)
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“……Such a thing happened.”
Olivia told the two of them everything that had occurred that day.
“……Big brother.”
Abel looked at Demian with a face full of fear.
The count and a mid-class knight were joining forces to target Demian’s neck.
“We must escape immediately. If we stay like this, big brother’s life is in danger!”
Unlike the frantic Abel, Demian remained calm.
‘Jacques Nuare, I knew my first impression of him was bad. To think he’d pull off something this pathetic.’
He had thought things were proceeding smoothly. He hadn’t expected Jacques Nuare to throw a wrench into it like this.
‘Copperhead Count is exactly the same as in my previous life. Willing to kill someone so easily if it benefits his family.’
In the end, the good-guy act was all just pretense.
His true nature was that of a cruel man ready to do anything if it profited his house.
He was far more trash-like than the rumors from his previous life.
‘Now, how to handle this.’
Honestly, Jacques Nuare wasn’t much of a worry.
He’d be a bit tricky to deal with, but Demian wouldn’t lose.
‘Killing Jacques Nuare would make things extremely troublesome, though.’
Currently, Demian was known as a genius who had only recently picked up the sword and reached low-class.
If, in this situation, Demian took down even a mid-class knight?
Rumors would spread that he had reached mid-class in just a few months of sword training?
He couldn’t even guess how much the whole world would hound Demian Haksen.
‘But how exactly do they plan to kill me? They shouldn’t have a way.’
Even if they taught him a technique, it would take time to master. Even consuming an elixir would require days to absorb.
If they claimed to have a means to take down Demian Haksen in just one day……
‘Black magic is the only possibility.’
Unlike other magics, black magic specialized in that area.
Cursing others, inflicting diseases, summoning misfortune, and so on.
Nothing was better for killing or ruining someone.
A knight like Jacques Nuare wouldn’t know black magic, so he’d probably use a magic tool imbued with it.
‘If they plan to use black magic…… do I really need to engage?’
Aren’t there people in this world who go berserk and eradicate anything related to black magic?
‘I’m also curious about that mana cultivation method Jacques Nuare promised to hand over to the count’s family.’
Currently, Demian was tirelessly researching to create his own mana cultivation method.
If he could obtain one used by a master-class, his research would accelerate dramatically.
“We’re not running away.”
“Yes?”
Abel shouted in surprise at Demian’s words.
“Big brother, Jacques Nuare is mid-class! Even for you……”
“Don’t worry. I have a plan.”
Demian said, lifting the corner of his mouth. Abel looked deeply uneasy as he replied.
“I’ll step out for a bit. You comfort the lady.”
“Yes?”
“After hearing talk of killing people right in front of her, she must be shocked. She needs some consolation.”
“I-is that really……?”
Abel glanced at Olivia. She wore an expression as if wondering what nonsense this was.
“Sob…… It was so scary.”
Then, catching Demian’s glance, she immediately pretended to cry.
“L-Lady……”
Abel floundered, not knowing what to do.
Demian left the two behind and stepped outside. He spoke toward the adjacent tent.
“Victor, you awake?”
“No, sir. I’ll come out.”
Victor emerged from the tent, yawning.
“What’s the matter, sir?”
“I need you to do me a favor.”
“Yes? At this late hour?”
“Yeah, it’s something only you can do.”
Demian whispered softly into Victor’s ear.
Victor’s eyes widened as if they might pop out.
* * *
The final day of the mounted combat tournament dawned.
Far more people filled the spectator seats than usual.
Nobles even stood in rows at the very back due to lack of seating.
It couldn’t be helped. The final match was the team event, the most popular event in the mounted combat tournament.
“Then I shall explain the rules for today’s match!”
A knight from the Copperhead Count’s family shouted toward the knights in the waiting area.
“Unlike before, this team event will proceed not as a cooperative battle, but as an individual one!”
At the knight’s words, the participants began murmuring to each other.
The team event rules had been broken, changed to individual combat.
Such matches tended to drag on if not handled carefully, so participants and spectators alike grew curious about the reason.
Soon, most realized the intent.
“The one who fells the most opponents shall be the winner of this tournament!”
The knights rolled their eyes, scanning the others.
‘They’re being way too obvious.’
Demian thought, feeling the knights’ gazes upon him.
Every knight harbored hostility toward him.
Some exchanged glances. Demian could easily guess their scheme.
‘Well, look at that? They’ve even formed alliances to take me down?’
It was unfair, but he had no intention of reporting it.
A few teaming up couldn’t touch Demian anyway.
Unless everyone allied, that is.
“Now, the match will begin shortly. Please prepare yourselves.”
The knights grabbed their weapons and mounted their horses. Demian took the lance Victor handed him and got on his horse.
“Do your best again today.”
Demian said, stroking his horse. The horse snorted.
“Then…… begin!”
The waiting area gate opened. The knights charged out into the arena en masse.
The knights scattered across the entire arena.
“Waaah! Go for it!”
“Sir Alonso! Show them the sword of the Alter Baron family this time!”
“Demian Haksen! You can do it!”
The spectators cheered enthusiastically toward the knights.
But the knights had no leisure to respond. They all stared at each other with tense faces.
‘Alright, then. Who’s coming at me first?’
Demian gauged the knights’ gazes and killing intent.
Then, he noticed something odd.
Almost every knight was targeting him immediately.
‘……Huh?’
Even Demian couldn’t help but be taken aback.
“Begin the final match!”
At the count’s shout, the knights swarmed Demian all at once.
* * *
Demian let out a hollow laugh as knights charged at him from all sides.
‘I didn’t expect them to actually all form an alliance.’
Strictly speaking, not every knight had coordinated.
Knights who were usually friendly had simply grouped into alliances of five or six.
The problem was that every such alliance was targeting Demian Haksen.
“Aren’t you knights being a bit too dishonorable, ganging up like this?”
Demian said, intending to provoke them. But the knights showed no shame.
“If things go like this, you’ll win the mounted combat tournament with an overwhelming score!”
“Better to do this than sit back and get mocked for letting a bastard like you take the championship!”
Because Demian had rampaged too wildly, the other knights hadn’t shone.
Among the nobles attending the tournament, some had even mocked the knights as wooden puppets.
For that reason, the knights had agreed to set aside their faces and target Demian Haksen.
“We won’t let you take first place in this match!”
“I swear on the honor of the Malta family to hinder you!”
“I vow on the name of the Saintroller Viscount family to fell you!”
The knights surrounded and charged at Demian. Weapons rained down from all directions.
‘Shouting about family honor while pulling this crap. Have they all lost their minds?’
Demian clicked his tongue inwardly.
‘Well, I suppose I have to humor them this much to make it fun.’
He let go of the reins, but it was no issue. Demian could control the horse with his will alone.
‘Go!’
The horse kicked off the ground. It charged toward the loosest point in the encirclement.
“Demian Haksen is coming!”
“Knock him to the ground!”
The knights thrust their lances forward. The armored knights charging were intimidatingly fearsome.
Unlike the lightly dressed Demian, the knights wore full armor.
Moreover, while Demian held a short lance, they gripped long ones.
A direct clash would clearly favor them in terms of damage.
Demian didn’t stop the horse. Instead, he commanded it to accelerate further.
Over the past two days of riding, his understanding of the horse’s body and ‘man-horse unity’ had deepened greatly.
Thanks to that, Demian could now pull off another feat.
Demian infused mana into the horse.
The permeating mana strengthened the horse’s muscles. Each step left clear hoofprints in the ground.
“Huh? Wh-what?”
“Wh-what?”
Discomfort appeared on the knights’ faces at the ominous momentum.
“Bl-block……”
With a roar, the knights and their horses flew through the air. The knights tumbled across the ground.
“Cough, cough…… Wh-what the hell is that horse……”
“We have to…… st-stop Demian Haksen……”
It was so shocking that the other knights forgot they were in a match and stared at Demian Haksen.
“Th-that……”
“H-how in the world……”
Then, the horse carrying Demian turned. Looking back, it scraped the ground with its hooves.
It was less like a horse and more like a bull in a bullfight.
“Th-that……”
“N-no way……”
An ominous premonition flashed through the knights’ minds.
Sure enough, the horse charged at the knights again.
“D-dodge!”
“D-don’t face it head-on!”
The knights scattered in panic. But the horse was faster than they could evade.
“Argh!”
“Kaaah!”
With another roar, three more knights and their horses flew.
“It’s coming again!”
Every time Demian Haksen charged, knights were sent flying and fell from their horses.
“Sur-surround him! Don’t give him space! He’ll charge again otherwise!”
One quick-thinking knight moved to block the charge.
This time, the horse lowered its body and rammed with its head. The knight fell with his horse.
“We’ve got his back!”
A knight appeared behind Demian. The horse lashed out with a rear kick. The knight flew far after taking a hit to his breastplate.
“Wh-what the hell is that……”
A knight who had long fallen muttered from the ground.
“It’s not a horse…… it’s like a monster.”
As the knight said, the horse Demian rode rampaged like a monster.
Its speed and power were impressive, but its massive draft horse build made it even more intimidating.
The knights couldn’t even swing at Demian before being struck by the horse and sent flying.
Thanks to that, less than an hour into the mounted combat tournament, most knights had been eliminated.
“Woooah! Demian! Demian!”
The nobles cheered Demian’s name.
Many such tournaments had been held, but no knight had achieved such feats with horsemanship alone, so the crowd cheered even louder.
Demian halted his horse and basked in the cheers.
“Sometimes this kind of attention isn’t bad. Right?”
Demian asked, patting the horse’s head. As if understanding, the horse nodded up and down.
But not all knights were eliminated yet.
“Demian Haksen!”
Then, one remaining knight shouted.
His mana-infused cry amplified, shaking the entire arena.
The nobles in the stands flinched and fell silent. They looked toward the shouting knight.
“I am the Monster Slayer Jackson Cutter!”
The shouting knight pointed his longsword at Demian Haksen.
Demian looked at Jackson Cutter and smirked.
“Yeah, finally stepping up, huh.”
Demian turned his horse toward Jackson Cutter. Meanwhile, Jackson Cutter kept shouting.
“Others might not know, but I do! How much of a scumbag you were in the past!”
Demian felt puzzled at the sudden accusation.
Denouncing another knight in such a public setting? Was he insane?
“I don’t know what method a guy like you used to build your skills, but getting a bit stronger and acting all high and mighty is pathetic!”
Jackson Cutter raised his weapon high.
“I, Monster Slayer Jackson Cutter, will expose your true nature!”
* * *
‘This is my last chance.’
Jackson Cutter thought as he charged on horseback.
‘Today, I’ll defeat Demian Haksen and gain fame!’
It shamed him that it wasn’t by his own skill, but Jackson Cutter pushed it aside.
If he could get revenge on Demian Haksen, he could discard his pride.
‘I’ll make you pay for looking down on me!’
Jackson Cutter thrust his sword. The blade tip aimed for Demian Haksen’s face.
Just before it connected, Demian Haksen turned his head. Dodging lightly, he grabbed Jackson Cutter’s wrist.
More precisely, the bracelet on his wrist.
“So it was black magic after all.”
At those words, Jackson Cutter felt a chill down his spine.
“Wh-what are you……”
Demian Haksen squeezed. The bracelet crumbled. Simultaneously, black mana burst outward.
The spectators’ eyes widened at the sight.
“B-black mana!”
The crowd cried out in shock.
At that moment, hooded figures in the stands rose en masse.
They leaped over the stands into the arena.
Then, they threw off their hoods. Pure white uniforms appeared.
Seeing the garments, the crowd cried out in shock once more.
“Holy Knights of the Church!”