Chapter 120
Chapter 120
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 120
Chapter Title: 12. It's Not Over Until It's Over (9)
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#12 Their Circumstances: The Circumstances of a Certain Female Knight.
"Are preparations complete?"
"Yes, Lady Iris!"
The empire, called the strongest on the continent.
Among them, the absolute elite were surrounding a single small cave.
The official reason for encircling this cave was training.
But the truth was that tens of thousands of troops had their eyes fixed solely on this one cave to capture a single person.
It wasn't strange, though.
The target was someone who had already tricked and escaped from all of them a year ago.
And especially, the one who had committed a massive blunder by letting that person flee was none other than myself.
That was why we were sealing off the perimeter without the slightest gap, perfectly.
"How long until you can activate it?"
"Approximately ten to fifteen minutes."
"Good. Deploy all the magic engineers flying overhead to the rear. And have the mages prepare detection spells."
"Understood."
I had obtained Lane with His Highness's help, but because of me, His Highness had let slip the person he'd longed for over such a long time.
Even so, His Highness forgave me.
Of course... there had been a punishment so horrific that I'd almost wished for death instead.
But by enduring that punishment, I had grown even stronger.
I had reached the realm of Swordmaster, the dream of every knight!
Thanks to that, I transferred from vice captain of His Highness's Third Knight Order to another order, but I had no regrets.
The captain of that order was none other than Lea Knight, whom I'd admired since childhood.
'If only they'd change the knight order's name just a little...'
My face flushed slightly at the one blemish—the knight order's name—but that would end today.
Once today was over, everything would be perfect.
The knight order's name would change, I wouldn't have to endure His Highness's whining every time we met, and I'd reunite with Lane, whom I hadn't seen in so long while searching for that person.
"Then begin immediately."
At my words, the nearby mages stood from their seats and moved to their positions.
Even that person—Astr—wouldn't be able to do anything against this.
He had escaped from His Highness's grasp twice, but that was before this existed.
With this, completed by the imperial family with the aid of dwarves and elves, even the Sword Saint himself wouldn't escape.
"I'll leave command to you."
"You're going?"
I nodded slightly to my junior, who had become the new vice captain of the Third Knight Order in my place after my transfer.
All the other members of my knight order, including myself, had already gone outside for the operation.
Lady Lea and the other knights had moved to infiltrate Yuglasia Academy, and while I'd stayed behind to command them, my role was to move and capture that person.
That was,
"my duty as a member of the Astr Abduction Squad."
True to the knight order's name, to capture Astr.
With all preparations complete, I walked toward the cave.
***
I stared blankly at the flashing red, blue, green, and white sword auras.
Ten Swordmasters.
It was a sight believable even if they'd brought every Swordmaster a single nation possessed.
"Your Highness... you didn't bring them... you made them?"
It was so ridiculous that the words wouldn't come out all at once.
How many Swordmasters were in the empire?
I recalled there were just over fifty, but here were ten faces I'd never seen before?
"Yeah, I made them. My gift to you. Happy?"
Taken alone, it sounded like a shy girl giving Valentine's chocolate to her crush.
But grasping the full context, it was utter nonsense.
What? Like Swordmasters are factory products? Pump out ten whenever you feel like it?
-Master? Didn't you turn academy students into Swordmasters? In just half a year? Compared to that, it's not weird if the hardworking empire knights—uncles and aunties—became Swordmasters, right?
No, I had the iron bat as insane motivation and used a special method passed down by the Princess of the Sword!
They didn't have that!
"It was all thanks to this bat. I gathered knights on the cusp of Swordmaster and gave Lea this bat, telling her to beat them until they reached it. And they started becoming Swordmasters quickly."
-Master, they had insane motivation and direct guidance from the Princess of the Sword too?
-...Fair.
The wooden bat that had turned my monstrous disciples—even I couldn't handle them—into obedient puppies.
And the Princess of the Sword, one of the continent's strongest female swordsmen and a Swordmaster herself, had wielded it personally.
No wonder Swordmasters emerged.
Who knew the wooden bat I'd given Lea would accomplish such a feat...
"I'm disappointed, Your Highness. To think you'd steal someone else's possession."
First, I needed to buy time.
The plan until now had been to take down one Swordmaster.
But now there were eleven to face.
What the hell?
Without a legendary Grand Swordmaster, there was no hope.
"I didn't teach you that during my time as Your Highness's exclusive butler!"
"I have plenty to say, but don't worry too much. I paid to borrow them. By force."
That's stealing!
"Your Highness, even so..."
"Hah. Why's the great Astr so glib-tongued? If you're scared, just become mine."
I tried steering the conversation, and she threw my old line back at me.
Damn. I'd said that to an enemy envoy, and they'd nearly died laughing.
Now she was using it on me.
"You're stalling, but do I look like a fool? You think I'll let you escape? We'll talk slowly at the palace. So surrender without resistance, Astr."
At the princess's words, the knights began approaching slowly.
No way to flee behind.
No one waiting to let me climb up through the vents either, and even if I did, hundreds of knights awaited above.
So the conclusion was, once again, bat time.
"Hey, you lot. Think you learned anything from getting beaten by this bat? Know what I'm holding?"
"Ignore him and seize him!"
Even with the princess's shout, the knights' gazes inevitably drifted to the iron bat in my hand.
-Haaang, e-everyone's looking at meee! So embarrassing!
"Ugh..."
One knight groaned as he beheld the bat's thick head, its smooth curve tapering for perfect grip.
"This one's name is the iron bat."
-Nuh-uh! I have the goddess name Arcadia! Tell them Ar! Iron bat is so tacky!
The bat protested fiercely at her name, but you'd been an iron bat since birth.
And introducing you as such made it easier for these guys to get it!
"It's the superior weapon to the wooden bat that gave you all that pain."
"L-Liar!"
Trembling eyes fixed on the iron bat.
Ignoring the pervert rejoicing again, I raised the iron bat with a wicked grin.
"You want to believe it's a lie. But you know, don't you?"
"W-We don't!"
"Yeah? But your bodies remember. The pain of the bat!"
The ten Swordmasters stepped back at once.
Rud had, Sia had.
Even as Swordmasters, they couldn't forget the bat's pain.
I had to awaken the bat fear lurking deep—not that deep—in their hearts.
"Come on, what are you waiting for? Drua. Drua-o! The first one here gets a taste of iron bat pain that makes wooden bat agony child's play!"
At my shout, the Swordmasters took another step back.
Good, keep the momentum...
"Hyaah!"
But the momentum died thanks to a female knight who collapsed screaming like she was moaning.
"Didn't I say ignore him and seize? Are you defying me?"
"N-No, Your Highness."
"Defying. My knights, stepping back no less."
Shame filled the knights' faces at the princess's words.
Ten Swordmasters retreating two steps against a powerless foe.
Even without Swordmaster status, any knight would feel suicidal shame.
"If anyone steps back even a foot from now, I'll personally beat you with the bat."
Perfect motivation added.
-Those guys are pitiful.
Iron bat ahead, wooden bat behind.
Tougher than any last stand.
"Hoh, not afraid of the iron bat?"
Truthfully, I was more scared, but I didn't show it.
Getting caught meant at least betrothal to the princess.
Even if by her will, nobles wouldn't want some lowborn of unknown origin above them.
In an empire where rising high nobility was like grasping stars, how much envy?
So much their stomachs ached—daily assassins, poison in food, "Oops, hand slipped" with sword auras flying.
-But less scary than nine Swordmasters trying to grab Master right now?
-True?
The symbols of destruction that cleaved all, the ideal of every swordsman—sword auras—right before me made my resolve waver again.
"We are Your Highness's swords."
"We'll embrace even death at Your Highness's will."
Noble knightly resolve.
But I didn't miss their opening.
"Then why aren't you coming?"
"......"
"You know? Death ends it—this doesn't?"
Shaking the iron bat made their uneasy eyes follow it.
"Hyaaaah!"
"Go."
The knights, faces paling at the princess casually swinging the wooden bat at the fallen female knight, advanced cautiously.
"Sir Ast, I respect you."
"Me too. While others chased glory, your actions for your subordinates are every knight's example."
"You're the man worthy of Her Highness!"
The knights—even Swordmasters—started spilling flattery out of fear.
"You're the captain?"
I addressed the male knight who'd stepped forward as representative.
"No. I'm this knight order's vice captain. The captain is Lady Lea."
Lady Lea, solely Her Highness's guard, as captain.
They'd invested heavily just for me.
"Right, vice captain. You lot are really pitiful. Iron bat front, wooden bat back. Tough, huh? But one question."
"What..."
"Think about it. You wake up. From a soft, fluffy bed. Turn your head slightly."
I told the tilting vice captain a tale scarier than any ghost story.
"And beside your bed, Her Highness smiles brightly: 'Awake?'"
"......"
I smirked at the frozen vice captain—no, all the knights.
"Would you want that?"
The knights clamped their mouths shut.
Right. If you have hearts, no more bullshit.
"But..."
"We must obey orders."
Realizing the horror they'd uttered, the knights steeled themselves and raised swords.
Still gonna hand me over?
Really? I spelled it out, and you're human?
"Forgive us, Sir Ast!"
"We won't forget your sacrifice!"
The vice captain and a female knight beside him charged, sword auras blazing.
And then.
"Kyahahaha!"
"Hm?"
"What're you doing?"
The vice captain, first to charge, dispelled his sword aura, took a direct iron bat hit, and collapsed screaming.
"What?"
"Why no mana..."
Sword auras began fading from the waiting knights behind too.
"Astr. What did you do!"
Even the princess glared in confusion.
Me? Nothing?
"Your Highness!"
Right then, our answer arrived.
"Iris?"
"Your Highness! All personnel except the knight order have arrived and perfectly surrounded the area. The mana suppression device around here is fully activated too. Now... you can't escape!"
I bowed with a joyous smile at the female knight drawing her sword confidently.
"Thank you."
"Who told you to do that!"
"Your Highness?!"
The female knight panicked, hit by my thanks and the princess's icy fury.
"Iris. Disable the mana suppression now!"
"Hyaah!"
At the princess's sharp voice, the vice captain's companion female knight let out an indistinguishable moan-scream.
"Your Highness? It's just one! Even without mana, against Swordmaster-level knights..."
"Kyaaah!"
"Hyaang!"
As the female knight panicked at the swiftly subdued pair, the princess charged me, shouting.
"Our foe is the one who broke Sword Heaven with a sword. Fight with resolve to die!"
But by the time she said it,
"Kugh!"
"Five down."
Half the Swordmasters had already fallen.