We Return Once More (2)
We Return Once More (2)
A quiet road with no one in sight.
With a forest running close alongside it, this was the perfect road for an ambush.
As I looked at the road we were racing down, I couldn't help finding it a little absurd.
After causing such a massive scene, we'd ended up taking the exact same road.
We'd even lost some knights and eliminated a powerhouse like Vid.
On top of that, I'd even spoken to the Grand Prince.
Honestly, if they'd just dealt with the people gathered at that inn beforehand, there would've been no reason for us to get ambushed again.
What on earth had the Grand Prince meant when he said he'd handle it? Did he mean after his own daughter had been put in danger?
If we kept going like this, we'd be ambushed again.
Vid was dead, and the number of black knights had decreased, so it wouldn't be as dangerous as it had been back then. But I couldn't block all of them by myself.
It was clear that many people would die.
I tried to warn the others and turn the carriage around.
"Wait a moment..."
But I couldn't finish my sentence.
The Duchy Knight I was about to speak to was already extremely tense.
He gripped his sword and scanned his surroundings.
Baffled, I looked at the other knights as well.
All the Duchy Knights were incredibly tense, waiting on edge for something to happen.
Before I knew it, the air around us had changed.
The atmosphere was thick with tension, as if something were about to happen.
Perhaps it was because of that atmosphere.
Though not as much as the Duchy Knights, the knights from the Kingdom were also focused intently on their escort duties.
The carriages were taking different paths, and the knights were tense. Yet no one suggested turning them around.
Oh my god. Don't tell me they knew.
That we—that the Grand Archduchess—would be ambushed?
It was an absurd thought, but judging by the knights' reactions, it was the only explanation that made sense.
No, surely he wouldn't go that far.
No matter how politically minded the Grand Prince was, there was no way he'd use his own daughter as bait to set a trap and catch the enemies...
Those thoughts cluttered my mind, and I failed to warn them in time.
It was only a brief hesitation, but by the time I snapped out of it and tried to speak again, something had already registered on my senses.
Since I'd already sharpened my senses to their limit, I knew exactly what it was.
It was the exact same sensation I'd felt in this very spot before I died.
People were gathered in the forest. Every single one of them possessed mana.
Damn it, it was exactly the same as before.
Perhaps because their numbers had decreased, the mana they gave off was slightly weaker, but the location and the people were no different from before.
Just as I was cursing the Grand Prince in my head and pulling the sword from my chest,
'Huh?'
Something else registered on my senses.
From a completely different direction. That feeling was approaching from the opposite forest and the road behind us.
The direction was different, but the feeling was similar to the one I'd sensed moments ago.
Those approaching from that side were also people with mana.
'Their numbers increased?'
Were there more people than I'd expected? Hadn't they sent everyone before I died?
Though those thoughts swirled in my head, this time I was able to shout immediately.
"Ambush! Everyone, defensive formation!"
Thunk.
Before my words could fully register, the knights drew their swords.
The Duchy Knights must have prepared in advance, and the Kingdom knights were able to draw their swords instantly thanks to the tense atmosphere.
"Enemies are hiding in the forest to the left! And they're also approaching from behind and from the opposite forest!"
When I said that, the Kingdom knights panicked and tried to surround the carriage.
"The ones coming from behind and the opposite forest are reinforcements! We only need to block the left forest!"
At that moment, the Senior Knight of the Duchy shouted.
Reinforcements? And they even knew the enemies were hiding in the forest? Don't tell me—was it really a trap?
Though countless thoughts flashed through my mind, my body moved on its own, guided by my past training and experience.
After pulling the dagger and greatsword from my pockets, I climbed onto the carriage.
"Take the Grand Archduchess to safety! We'll hold the rear!"
Neigh!
As if they'd discussed it beforehand, the coachman cracked his whip at the Duchy Knight's words.
The carriage dashed forward.
Up to this point, it was the same as before I died. But unlike last time, not all the knights followed the carriage.
Most of the Kingdom knights followed the carriage, but only some of the Duchy Knights did.
The remaining knights stood their ground, waiting for the enemies to burst out of the forest.
"Haha, how dare you lock us in prison! We've come to take our revenge!"
"How dare you look down on Kingdom mercenaries!"
The mercenaries and black knights shouted the same words as before as they burst out of the forest, but now their words sounded hollow.
As they emerged from the forest, they were met with a completely different sight than before.
Knights stood side by side along the road, waiting for them; soldiers poured out of the opposite forest; and other knights rushed down the road behind them.
"Could it be... a trap..."
One mercenary muttered blankly as he looked around,
"We'll create an opening! We hope you knights can achieve your goal!"
Another mercenary, though he understood what was happening, did his best to ensure the plan's success.
Standing atop the speeding carriage, I listened to their shouts.
"Let's go!"
The mercenaries tried to carve a path with their lives, while the knights attempted to escape the encirclement through the opening they created.
The Duchy soldiers and knights tried to block them,
"Block them!"
"Don't let them escape the encirclement! If even one slips through, the Grand Archduchess will be in danger!"
The enemies threw themselves at the encirclement, trying to tear a hole through it.
"For the Empire!"
"Throw your bodies forward and open the path!"
Ultimately, they tore a gap in the encirclement.
Some of the black knights broke through and pursued the carriage speeding ahead.
"To think it really was a trap."
I shuddered at the Grand Prince's decision to use his own daughter as bait in a trap.
So the 'time' he'd spoken of really was now.
Realizing they were targeting his daughter, he'd sent her to the Kingdom, then wiped out those who'd targeted her in one fell swoop.
Surely, he hadn't done this just to avoid causing a commotion inside the castle, right?
If knights and mercenaries fought inside the castle, cleaning up the aftermath wouldn't be easy.
If that was his thinking, he must be rounding up the remaining people who couldn't fight by now.
Though he'd sent a large force and knights under the guise of protecting his daughter,
"Even if you trap them perfectly, there's no guarantee she'll always be safe."
Besides, an enemy with their back against the wall would charge forward no matter how strong their opponent was. Just like now.
The distance between the black knights and the carriage gradually closed.
And up ahead, I saw a man with his hands pressed against the road.
Was that him? The man who'd blown up the ground and overturned the carriage before I died.
I channeled mana into my dagger and threw it at him.
Swish! Thud!
The dagger flew like a beam of light and embedded itself in the man's head.
Gulp.
The ground shook up and down before coming to a halt.
The man collapsed, and the carriage sped past his fallen body.
To think he'd tried to use his ability without any protection, even though he wasn't a physical ability user.
If he hadn't been detected, he would've achieved the best result. But I'd retraced the events of that time over and over again until now.
I could easily anticipate that the man who blew up the ground would be nearby.
Aside from the black knights chasing us from behind, it seemed there was nothing left to stop the carriage from moving.
Though it seemed we could easily hold them off if I fought alongside the knights riding with the carriage,
I swung my sword with all my might toward the rear of the carriage and then leaped off.
"Ugh!"
With a grunt, I landed on the ground.
From where I stood atop the carriage, I could hear how noisy it was inside, too.
The Princess was making a fuss about fighting alongside us, and the Grand Archduchess had been gathering her mana for quite some time. I wondered what she was planning to do.
Balea also seemed to be trying to do something here and there.
The Princess's skills weren't bad, and I trusted Balea, but I didn't want them caught up in the fight.
We were at the final stretch now. It would be troublesome if someone accidentally died.
Through this incident, I realized once again that no matter how hard I tried, things could get incredibly tangled.
The enemy wasn't the only problem. Third parties, or even allies, weren't chess pieces that moved according to my will.
Even now, this wasn't a situation where I had to start over, but things hadn't gone according to my expectations either.
That was mostly because the Grand Prince had acted on his own whim, but someone else could easily cause another incident.
So this time, I intended to finish the job myself.
I landed on the ground and approached the fallen man.
I pulled the dagger embedded in his head.
A greatsword in one hand, a dagger in the other. All my other artifacts were in their proper places.
The black knights, gritting their teeth, drew closer and closer.
"Out of the way!"
The knight in the lead shouted loudly.
If I'd intended to get out of the way, I wouldn't be blocking them in the first place.
Come to think of it, I remembered seeing the leading knight before I died.
He was the knight who'd fought until the very end.
He seemed to fight quite well, but unfortunately, I hadn't been able to see it through to the end.
I gathered my mana to the brim and channeled it into my necklace.
This time, I wouldn't lose even if I fought normally, but I had no intention of wasting time being held up by a single person.
The amplified mana surged through my entire body, and a hazy aura rose from my greatsword and dagger.
The leading knight swung his sword, and time slowed down.
The battle didn't last long. I didn't let a single person pass me.
I overcame the coordinated attacks of two knights, as well as the blade aimed at a mutual double death.
Because I used the necklace, my mana was completely depleted before long. But by then, no one was left standing except me.
I had definitely grown.
It wasn't just my stats that had grown. My swordsmanship, my skills, and my experience were all different from before.
I'd used the necklace just in case, but I wouldn't have lost even if I'd fought normally.
To fight and win against several imperial knights.
Once again, a surge of confidence threatened to swell within me.
But perhaps because my mana was completely drained, my excitement quickly subsided.
I still had a long way to go. There were still many people stronger than me. Knights weren't everything.
This world wasn't ruled by knights, but by nobles who possessed inherited abilities.
I hadn't even fought them properly yet.
I began walking slowly.
Fighting any further was out of the question, and even walking was a hassle. But I couldn't afford to stay here and get pestered by people for no reason.
And there was something I needed to check.
As I walked slowly, I saw blood splattered here and there on the ground.
The bloodstains grew thicker, and after a short while, I saw someone collapsed on the ground.
Fascinatingly, he was a man whose body had half-blended into the color of the carriage. His chest was split halfway open, and he was already dead.
That wound had been made by my sword when I'd leaped off the carriage earlier.
If he hadn't sneaked into the front carriage like before I died, if he'd been able to dodge my sword, or if he'd been able to call for help before dying, he might have lived.
But unfortunately, this place was Viscount Daniel's final destination.
No one had seen him die, and no one knew I was the one who'd cut him down.
He was now just another victim who'd died because of the Grand Prince's trap.
I didn't know how things would be settled between the two countries, but he'd still be remembered as someone who'd sacrificed himself for his nation.
Leaving the Viscount's corpse behind, I kept walking.
After walking for a while, I saw a carriage approaching in the distance.
It was the very carriage I'd jumped off.
Instead of continuing onward, the carriage was returning.
Far more knights and soldiers were escorting it than when it had fled.
It seemed soldiers and knights had also been coming from the direction the carriage had been heading.
That meant the soldiers coming from the front had been too late to join the encirclement.
Had they originally planned to encircle them from three sides?
It seemed the operation authorized by the Grand Prince had been carried out in complete disarray.
Though I heard later that it was incredibly difficult to carry out the plan without being detected by the insiders, in the end, it was an operation that had nearly put even the Grand Archduchess in danger.
Even though it had succeeded, whoever designed such an operation deserved to be disciplined.
The Grand Prince who'd approved the operation was the worst of all.
The carriage stopped, and people got out.
"What about the enemies that were pursuing us?"
I answered the Grand Archduchess, who had stepped out first.
"They won't be pursuing us anymore."
At my words, the Princess and Balea nodded in agreement, but the Grand Archduchess stared at me with a questioning look.
It seemed hard for her to believe that I'd blocked that many enemies by myself.
Perhaps the other knights found it hard to believe as well, since a few of them rushed ahead first.
They would only find corpses anyway, so rather than wait and watch them go, I asked the Grand Archduchess:
There was something I'd wanted to ask her ever since the ambush began.
"Did you know there would be an ambush?"
At my question, the Grand Archduchess's expression darkened.
"I'm sorry. I was told that it might happen. I couldn't tell you because I was sworn to secrecy."
So he had told his own child, at least.
But the Grand Archduchess was apologizing to the wrong person.
"I believe you should apologize to the others, not me."
I looked at the Princess and Balea.
They were the ones who'd nearly been swept up in this and killed for nothing.
And it wasn't just them. There were also those left behind.
The seniors left behind, and even the Viscount lying dead on the ground.
"Yes. I will apologize to everyone. And I apologize to you once again, Young Lord."
At least the Grand Archduchess, unlike the Grand Prince, properly apologized to others.
Not just to the Princess, but even to me, a bastard son.
"As an apology, would you like me to take a look at that sword?"
"Pardon?"
"The dagger you're holding in your hand. It's an artifact, right? It seems a bit broken, but I think I can fix it for you."
Huh? She was offering to repair it even though I hadn't said anything?
I felt a surge of joy at her words, but then I was bewildered again.
No, wait. Why the dagger?
I examined the dagger.
It was the dagger Katrin had given me in the dungeon. The dagger that had granted me a new ability.
It used to speak to me at first.
Don't tell me it wasn't a fully intact dagger?
I stared at the Grand Archduchess and the dagger with startled eyes.
<The crisis has ended. A new 'Save Point' has been set.>
Behind the message window, the dagger gleamed in the sunlight.