Chapter 78
Chapter 78
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: The Land of the Retired Knights (5)
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“It’s an honor to meet you, Greta Edelpfelt.”
I stepped forward and offered a greeting.
“I’m Sion Aleyas, leader of the 13th Unit of the Holy Knights Order’s Independent Knight Brigade. This is my subordinate, Edwin Signus, a Grade 1 Knight, and Lieselotte Hydra, also a Grade 1 Knight.”
“Yes, you’ve come at just the right time.”
At Greta’s gesture, Oscar quickly prepared a chair.
“Have a seat and let’s talk. I’ve wanted to have a chat with you for a while now.”
“……”
There was only one chair, so I sat down alone.
Edwin and Lieselotte would have to endure standing for a bit.
“I’ve heard you’ve been quite active lately. You took down a Dialogue Church bishop in the Hermel region, subjugated a necromancer building an undead legion in the Western Great Forest, repelled Archbishop Sapphire in the east… and most recently, you even suppressed a Guard Corps uprising in the Papal Territory?”
“Some of that was the work of Kurt Aleyas, Sky Rank Knight.”
“Yes, Kurt. I heard he played a part too.”
“Do you know my father?”
“You might know this, but I used to be a Holy Knight myself. Of course I’m acquainted with Kurt.”
With that, Greta shrugged.
“I even got consulted by Est once. She was troubled because her one and only little brother seemed to be going through puberty, and she couldn’t figure out what he was thinking.”
“……”
“So I told her, your little brother’s probably thinking the same thing when he looks at you.”
I nearly snorted despite myself.
Est was always expressionless, so it must have been bewildering for Greta to hear that about her.
[What’s this? She’s more sociable than expected.]
As Igzard pointed out, Greta was treating me in a far friendlier manner than I’d anticipated.
But just because her outward demeanor was warm didn’t mean I could read her true intentions.
A tense standoff hung in the air here.
‘Greta aside, the other nine are openly hostile toward me.’
Five with 6-star mana, two with 7-star, one with 8-star… and a man who had reached 9-star, just like Greta.
It was stifling, with all of them directing gazes laced with enmity at me.
“How is Captain Ianus doing?”
“He’s doing well.”
“I see. A person who’s reached 9-star stays vigorous even with age, huh? My father’s the same. I wonder when he’ll finally pass on the family head position.”
“……”
Greta kept tossing me idle chit-chat like that.
She maintained her friendly attitude the whole time.
Just as I started wondering if she’d really called me here just to make small talk.
“Isn’t that enough, Aunt?”
The 9-star youth, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.
“You didn’t call Sion Aleyas here just to chat, did you?”
A gloomy, sharp voice.
Greta frowned at his words.
“If he’s Est’s nephew, he’s my nephew too. What’s the problem with a friendly chat?”
“Save your favoritism for your blood nephews, Aunt.”
“You lot aren’t all that cute anyway.”
“If you’re not planning to get serious, I’ll take over the conversation.”
The youth turned his gaze to me.
Then, in a cold voice, he introduced himself.
“I’m Elias Edelpfelt.”
“……”
As expected, he was Elias Edelpfelt, the eldest grandson of Johan Edelpfelt.
[Helena said the Edelpfelts with 9-star mana are Johan, Greta, and Elias.]
‘Right, this guy.’
A powerhouse who had reached 9-star at the age of twenty-nine.
He was the first after the four Aleyas siblings to hit 9-star in his twenties.
He was directing clear hostility at me.
“Sion Aleyas, I question why you’ve shown up here.”
“I was invited by all of you.”
“Don’t play dumb. I’m asking why you appeared in a region under Edelpfelt family control.”
Elias’s voice was sharp.
“You’re not going to claim it was because of bandits, are you? Don’t spout such obvious lies after coming all this way.”
“May I correct one thing?”
“What?”
“You just made a serious misstatement.”
I looked straight at Elias’s face and said.
“You claimed the Edelpfelt family governs this region, but His Imperial Majesty the Holy Empire Emperor has never granted you governance rights here.”
“……!”
“That’s a clear falsehood. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t go around saying such things in public.”
In front of a wide-eyed Elias, I shot back in a cold voice.
“It could lead to misunderstandings that the Edelpfelts are masquerading as border barons.”
At that moment.
A chill settled over the garden.
Elias glared at me in silence, but the others reacted with agitation.
“How dare you speak such nonsense…!”
“Are you insulting the Edelpfelts?!”
“Picking a fight over nothing! Do you want to die?!”
Judging by their mana, they seemed like mid-level figures in the Edelpfelt family.
But they lacked any gravitas befitting their mana.
“Sion Aleyas, you think you’re all that?!”
One of them even drew his sword.
A man with 6-star mana whose name I didn’t know.
“Seems a few lucky achievements have made you arrogant. Want Philip Edelpfelt here to teach you some manners?!”
He was older than Greta.
Possibly one of her brothers.
Or maybe a relative from a branch family.
“Well, Sion Aleyas? Shall we have at it!”
“……”
I didn’t respond and shifted my gaze.
Amid the excited relatives, Greta watched me with a relaxed expression.
Seeing that, I sensed Greta was no ordinary person either.
“Lady Greta.”
“What is it?”
“This gentleman seems to be challenging me to a duel. I’ve always been interested in Edelpfelt swordsmanship—may I accept?”
“Do you need my permission for that? Sparring’s fine whenever you want.”
“Understood.”
Greta wasn’t the only one staying calm.
Elias watched me with cold eyes too.
[They’re throwing this Philip Edelpfelt at you as bait to gauge your strength.]
‘Right. These guys’ goal from the start was to observe me.’
The reason Greta Edelpfelt and Elias Edelpfelt had bothered summoning me here.
It was to confirm what kind of person I was with their own eyes.
‘If they wanted to stop my investigation, they could’ve just claimed they’d handled the bandits and sent me packing.’
[But instead, they invited you all the way here.]
‘Yeah. In the end, these guys were curious about me.’
Why was that?
Simply because I was a promising Holy Knights Order talent?
‘Their goal is probably…’
I drew Ashurai.
And without hesitation, I unleashed my sword aura.
“Sword aura!”
“How can someone his age unleash sword aura like that…!”
Everyone marveled at my sword aura.
Even Oscar couldn’t tear his eyes away.
“This guy…”
Philip’s face tensed slightly.
But he quickly unleashed his own sword aura.
‘Golden-tinged sword aura… The Edelpfelt signature aura.’
Johan Edelpfelt and Greta Edelpfelt were famous for using golden sword auras.
It seemed to be a family tradition that activated sword aura to boost destructive power.
“You used sword aura first, Sion Aleyas.”
“So?”
“Don’t blame me if you lose a limb.”
“I don’t get the sense you’re that capable.”
“You bastard…!”
Philip glared at me with fierce eyes.
“I’m a veteran knight who fought in the war against the Dialogue Church! I’m on a whole different level from a greenhorn like you!”
“Is that so? Never heard of you.”
This wasn’t provocation.
I’d never heard the name Philip Edelpfelt even during Archbishop Hausel’s time.
“Insolent…!”
Philip kicked off the ground and charged.
Definitely veteran-level movement. He felt like a swordsman seasoned in real combat.
But that was it.
‘For someone who’s mastered sword aura, he’s too ordinary.’
He was around the level of Lotus, a 4-star knight.
A waste of 6-star mana.
“Hup!”
But right then.
Philip’s movements suddenly accelerated.
Midway through, he boosted his speed to aim for my vital points.
‘This is…’
I instantly understood what was happening.
And realized there was no need to drag this out any longer.
[It’s confirmed, then. What’ll you do?]
‘Subdue him.’
Whoosh!
His fast but monotonous sword sliced through empty air.
My Ashurai plunged into Philip’s shoulder.
“Argh…!”
Slashes!
The precisely controlled sword aura severed Philip’s right arm from his body.
“You’re the one who said not to complain if a limb flies off.”
“M-My arm…!”
Philip collapsed to his knees, screaming.
Looking down at him, I said coolly.
“Run to the Holy Spirit Church branch—they can reattach it. I cut it cleanly.”
“W-What the hell are you doing?!”
“Sion Aleyas, you…!”
The watching Edelpfelts all drew their swords at once.
Only Greta and Elias stared at me with serious eyes.
“Sion Aleyas.”
Elias spoke in place of the silent Greta.
“You called it a duel, didn’t you? This is going too far.”
“Going too far?”
“You don’t think this is a normal situation, do you? Or has the Holy Knights Order’s culture changed?”
“You’re the one who first said not to complain if a limb flies off.”
“Even so, this is abnormal.”
“A family that doesn’t rush to help a relative who’s lost an arm and just leaves him there is abnormal too.”
At my retort, Oscar flinched and ran to Philip.
Maybe because he was young, he seemed to have the most sense among them.
“I can’t comprehend it. How do you plan to handle this situation?”
“That’s what I should be asking you, Elias Edelpfelt.”
“What?”
“How do you plan to handle it?”
“……?”
Elias looked puzzled at my near-threatening tone.
“Let me be clear—I’m a reasonable person.”
“So?”
“Slicing off an opponent’s arm in a duel is plenty unreasonable. I know that.”
“Then why…”
“It was summary judgment.”
“Summary… judgment?”
“Yes.”
Elias didn’t seem to understand.
Neither did the others.
Only Greta flinched and looked at my face.
“Lady Greta, who reached 8-star as a Holy Knight, would know.”
“Sion, don’t tell me…”
“Just now, this Philip Edelpfelt momentarily amplified his mana to enhance his physical abilities.”
“W-Wait a second.”
Greta finally showed genuine panic.
Elias, catching on late, widened his eyes.
“He used the Crimson Lotus from the Dialogue Church—the colorless variant they use to hide it. But he couldn’t fool my eyes.”
“……!”
They all lost control of their expressions at the precise callout.
Greta and Elias probably never dreamed I could see through colorless Crimson Lotus.
But I was Archbishop Hausel’s Dialogue Church—I can detect even invisible colorless Crimson Lotus.
“Using a mana circulation method banned by the Holy Spirit Church is a Grade 1 heresy. Grade 1 Knights and above can execute summary judgment.”
Greta and Elias’s mistake was clear.
They wanted to gauge my strength but sent an incompetent 6-star knight like Philip instead of stepping up themselves.
That led Philip to use colorless Crimson Lotus for a sure win, exposing himself to me.
The Edelpfelts had revealed their secret power-building schemes right in front of me.
[Just as you predicted. Stir them up, and they show their gaps.]
Listening to Igzard, I scanned the Edelpfelts struggling to compose themselves.
“Would it be alright to check the rest of you right here? I’m worried this might be an issue for the entire Edelpfelt family.”