Chapter 21
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: I Become a Royal Knight (4)
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The Royal Knights included at least one member from every race except humans. Even so, there had once been a human knight among them in the old days.
The purpose of forming the Royal Knights was to band together and eradicate the continent's most dangerous threats. But even accounting for that, there were deep-seated rivalries between certain races.
The most prominent example was the conflict between elves and dwarves. To start with, their values were polar opposites. Elves believed in preserving nature exactly as it was—a staunch naturalist philosophy.
Dwarves, on the other hand, held that unearthing the gems hidden in the earth was the right thing to do, viewing nature itself as a resource meant to be used.
In short, their racial conflict could be summed up as...
The clash between vegans and industrial polluters.
The carriage jolted hard. One of the wheels must have hit a rock on the poorly maintained dirt road. Outside the windowless frame, trees whipped by in a blur.
We were riding in a carriage headed for the capital. Helia was stuck to my side like sticky rice cake, but she couldn't endure my boring stories any longer and had finally dozed off.
I silently offered her my shoulder. Her red hair draped over my shoulder and arm like beautiful threads of silk. That's when Quorens, sitting across from us, spoke up.
"May I continue explaining?"
"Please do."
"The feud between elves and dwarves has been infamous for ages. Usually, it's the dwarves overextending and getting on the elves' nerves, but..."
"There must be plenty of times when the elves provoke the dwarves too."
In the game, elves were depicted as loving nature as it was and duty-bound to protect it. The problem was that their love turned dangerously obsessive.
To the point where even slightly encroaching on elven territory would trigger an immediate declaration of war. Even when over half the continent had fallen to demons!
This game, unusually for an eroge, even had territory management elements. The issue was that one of the key early resources—lumber—could only be sourced from the nearby elven forest.
Elves who didn't care about context and would declare war over a single felled tree... No wonder players nicknamed them "mercenary cunts."
"Why are you tormenting us?"
"This is an intolerable outrage."
"We cannot forgive this. Judgment begins now."
"What the fuck? These bitches lose their shit over one tree?!"
Thinking back on it still makes me want to murder someone. I was the type to charge in blind without guides, and those damn elves forced me to restart 12 times in the early game alone.
"How much farther to the capital?"
"We'll arrive soon."
"Earlier than expected."
"This is a hidden route reserved for the Royal Guard."
"Finally, this uncle can catch a break."
I bit my tongue hard. There was a slight tearing sound and the metallic taste of blood. Letting my guard down always brought out Time Stop Breeding Uncle's speech patterns. Not like in the refugee camp.
This carriage was warm, the food tasty... My tension melted away without me realizing it. I'd slipped into that speech pattern several times inside already.
The horses panted as they galloped nonstop. We emerged from a thicket of old trees along the rugged dirt path, and soon the capital sprawled ahead, proudly displaying its grandeur.
"The Royal Knights are in the capital now, right?"
"Yes. His Majesty the King summoned them personally, so they're fighting a bit less for the moment."
"That's a relief. Tried talking them down?"
"They won't hear it. Once they start fighting, they don't hold back at all."
Good thing it was the capital, humanity's home turf. Anywhere else, no amount of persuasion or mediation would work. The moat surrounding the massive walls brimmed with murky water.
Our carriage crossed the bridge built over the muddied waters and entered through the gates. We were stopped for inspection, but Quorens stepped out and we got VIP treatment right away.
The capital looked nothing like I'd imagined. If the refugee camp was a den of beggars, this was straight out of a classic medieval fantasy.
"Heaven compared to the refugee camp."
"But the capital's finances are in poor shape."
"And it still looks like this?"
"The nobles' extravagance. His Majesty has strictly forbidden it, but..."
The nobles apparently didn't want their home looking like a slum, so they'd dipped into their own pockets to beautify the capital. And squeezed the taxes from the common folk to cover it.
I was dumbfounded. I'd been cursing the Royal Knights for wiping each other out, but now? They didn't even deserve the scorn. Humans were all the same.
And this was with His Majesty cracking down hard. If not... Ugh, don't even think about it. By then, our carriage had reached the royal palace.
Three blue-roofed spires stood tall, connected by white walls that formed the palace's silhouette. I was awestruck. A castle was a castle, alright.
"Welcome to the capital, Sir Hans."
"Pleasure to meet you."
"You can unpack and rest inside first..."
They must have been tipped off ahead. Armored knights greeted us warmly upon entry. The plan was to rest today and start tomorrow.
BOOM!
If not for the thunderous explosion echoing from the courtyard. It was so massive I half-thought it was an ambush. But Quorens and the knights barely reacted.
"Apologies to you after such a long journey, Sir Hans, but could we ask you to step in right now?"
"They're fighting right now?"
"We're used to it."
"..."
If even the palace guards shrugged it off, how much had they fought in that short time? Unimaginable. I followed the knights to the courtyard.
BOOM! CRASH! Each step cracked the ground. A hammer swung like lightning smashed down, sending shattered debris flying everywhere.
I silently stared at the fragment that had hurtled toward me. It hovered right in front of my face at insane speed. I glanced around.
Thankfully, none had hit Helia or Quorens. But the courtyard was a wreck, like it'd taken a bomb. I yelled in shock.
"I almost died from one shard?!"
Yeah. Time stop was active right now. Not from a direct attack on me, but collateral from their brawl. That's when the gap in levels hit home.
No matter how pathetically they'd wiped out, a rotten Royal Knight was still a Royal Knight. Trying to intervene sloppily could've gotten me killed for real.
What now? Bail? But if I don't stop this, the Royal Knights disband. And if they disband? I'd have to endure those hellish seven years...
I gritted my teeth. When cornered to the extreme, people swing the opposite way. Swallowing the fear boiling in my chest, I stepped forward.
Judging from what Quorens said in the carriage, they probably ignored anyone weaker. And they were pissed, eyes rolled back in rage.
So how to make them listen? Simple answer: Make them think I'm overwhelmingly strong. Even if it's fake.
Results matter, not truth. But the risk was huge for me. One slip, and I'd be saddled with problems like in the refugee zone.
"Better than hell, though."
I'd seen countless hells in the game. Back then, it was just a game, easy to shrug off. Now it was reality. One I might live through firsthand.
No matter how cheat-like time stop was, I doubted I could survive that hell. Hell, one shard nearly killed me moments ago.
Survive in a world without the Royal Knights shield, against hordes of monsters? No way. Better suffer later—do this now.
"Nngh!"
I hoisted the dwarf's hammer like a barbell. Slowly, bit by bit, it descended from overhead. Once it touched ground, I turned.
"What insane strength..."
The elf gripped her sword two-handed overhead too. They were set to clash full-force. I reached out, manipulating the elf's arm like a puppet.
Once her grip slackened, I grabbed both slender wrists with one hand. Good.
I'd considered wedging a finger between her fingers and blade but noped out—don't want severed digits. Prep done, I snapped my middle and index fingers together.
Time resumed. Now they saw it: The elf realized her wrists were held. The dwarf saw her hammer pinned under one foot. Their rage-filled gazes locked on the intruder—me. I swallowed dryly.
"Pathetic. And you call yourselves knights?"
The dice were rolled.