Chapter 199
Chapter 199
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 199
Chapter Title: Interlude – Diary of a Certain Knight
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[Day 3]
[Admit it, this is real life.
I've really been dropped into another world. Not some childhood fantasy, but the actual deal.
No, it's not reality.
If this were reality, my creaky 40-year-old body wouldn't have turned into a spry teenager's, and I wouldn't be scribbling this crap in a stinking cowshed on some backwater farm that reeks of cow shit.
Fuck.
Why the hell did this happen to me?]
[Day 14]
[It's been two weeks since I landed in this world.
I've racked my brain, but I still have no clue why this happened to me.
Don't these stories usually have a god or fairy pop up to explain things?
But I haven't seen jack shit. No truck crash, no angels or demons. No hints, no hope—just dumped into this world.
Fuck.]
[Day 24]
[I asked the farm owners.
I don't know how much this damn stable rent is, but after three weeks of grunt work, isn't that enough?
The asshole couple says after deducting room and board, I owe them two more years.
When I protested, the neighboring farmers came running and threatened me.
Looks like I'm screwed.]
[Day 56]
[Escape failed.
My arm that got beaten is swollen bright red. Think it's cracked.
Just you wait, you dumb fucks.
And especially Dale, you piece of shit... Thought he was a friend.
My side where he hit me still throbs.]
[Day 89]
[A clerk from the noble's castle came and jotted down my info.
When he asked my name, I said Miguel de Cervantes.
The author of my beloved Don Quixote.
After the clerk left, the farm couple beat me for daring to claim a noble title.
Damn it, everyone in this village is a serf without a title—what do they expect me to do?]
[Day 287]
[Worked all day by myself.
Thanks to that fucker Dale screwing around with the lady of the house.
Goddamn it.]
[Day 365]
[There was Russian writing on a fertilizer sack. Soviet Socialist Republics Union.
What the hell?]
[Day 398]
[So, to sum it up: the world I got dropped into is that goddamn franchise movie series I was watching.
One problem: it's not the timeline when the story starts—it's the era when Earth invades the fantasy world.
Rough estimate: it'll be about 40 years before the protagonist is born.
Goddamn it, for real.]
[Day 655]
[Dale snitched to the lady that I'm keeping a diary.
Pens and paper are rare here, so I hid it on purpose... but she came and took it like it was hers.
I played dumb and somehow got out of it, but looking in Dale's eyes, this ain't over.
Let's see who dies first.]
[Day 671]
[Dale's half-crippled now.
The farm owner happened to catch him slacking.
Happened that the lady and Dale were screwing right then.
Happened that other villagers saw it too.
The lady cried she was the victim... but even dumb serfs aren't that oblivious.]
[Day 702]
[Dale got sold off. Some creepy guy in black robes bought him... obvious why you'd buy a cripple who can't even walk.
What a trash world.]
[Day 811]
[The lady thinks I'm the one who ratted out her affair. Sharp bitch.
But it's too late. I've finished prepping to burn the village.]
[Day 829]
[The village burning was a hell of a sight. Did the lady repent as she died, or curse me?
Hoping for the latter.]
[Day 830]
[Hit an unexpected snag. The stolen pack mule won't carry a rider, and I don't know how to ride.
Better than nothing, so I named it.
Rocinante.]
[Day 833]
[Fuck, you won't believe what I saw.
A monster with a lion's body, wings, and a giant human face swooped down from the sky and tore out Rocinante's throat...
I barely grabbed my stuff and ran. Sorry, Rocinante.]
[Day 875]
[This place called Baltua is a shithole city.
They threw me in prison for over a month over unclear identity. What is this, a military base?]
[Day 876]
[Baltua's a fortress city on the northern border blocking monsters. It was a military base.]
[Day 888]
[Met my first Earthling. Guy named William Ford. When I said I'm from Earth, he happily said he'd take me back as a travel buddy.
Finally leaving this beggar land for Earth.]
[Day 921]
[William, that fucking slave trader, and I was locked in prison for over a month.
Nearly sold to some nameless noble lady, but luckily the Imperial Knight Order rescued me and got my stuff back.
Grateful, but a bit uneasy.
The vice commander of the knight unit that saved me... has the same name as the mad knight who fights the protagonist.]
[Day 957]
[Became a squire for the knight order. Gotta eat somehow.
And the vice commander turned out decent. Kind, charismatic, and above all, a good guy.
Is this really the guy who burns LA?]
[Day 1203]
[The Empire's in bad shape.
Earthlings monopolize the market with industrialized goods, using merchants as an excuse to send armies.
To me, they should control exports of mana metal, elixirs, magic tools, then solve it politically and economically...
But rumors say the Emperor's brazenly planning a Soviet invasion.]
[Day 1533]
[They say 80% of modern history's fuckups are Britain's fault, and it's spot on.
British troops attacked a kingdom under the Empire.
War.]
[Day 1579]
[We won. Won, but...
Even superhumans blocking machine guns with a single sword couldn't survive dozens of Tallboy bombs.
They should've just run when they saw the planes—instead, they bought time evacuating noble assholes, and the rookies and commoner knights got massacred.
Damage is so bad, they're even offering me, a squire, formal knight training.
Thinking of the future, I should refuse without hesitation...
Fuck, I don't know.]
[Day 1622]
[Why the hell did I strut around saying I wanna be a knight?]
[Day 1872]
[If the whole knight order agrees on one thing, it's that our vice commander is the order's future.
If born on Earth, he'd be a great man.
I know this isn't reality, but I'm still swayed by his character.
But fuck, tone down the training.]
[Day 1966]
[Finally sensed mana!]
[Day 2001]
[Can't believe I'm an official knight.
Worried about being mistaken for an Earthling, I declared my name Sancho at the dubbing ceremony, not Miguel Cervantes.
Pretty fitting, right?
Since Don Quixote's already in the order.]
[Day 2468]
[Earthlings' invasion is ramping up. Trade routes cut off, war clouds over the dimensional gates.
Mages and the Empire aren't idiots—they're importing guns...
But these morons say guns without mana are vulgar, so they're handing them to slaves and conscripts.]
[Day 2631]
[Of all times, the Emperor's health tanks.
Mages and Saintess can't find the cause, just spamming healing spells daily.
As an Earthling, this looks like... radiation poisoning.]
[Day 2512]
[It's started.]
[Day 3?1]
[Deep Tower and the knight order succeeded in moving the Berlin dimensional gate to Border White Command.]
[Day 3??]
[We took the Kaesong gate. Victory's in sight.]
[Day 3??]
[Contrary to expectations, victory reports from Border White Command too.
Everyone cheered at news Border White single-handedly pushed French troops back to the gate.
Now if the Holy Knight Order and Saintess join...]
[Day 37?3]
[Did the movie plot change?
Soviets were supposed to trample the Imperial Palace... but they haven't even joined.]
[Day 3??]
[Monsters appeared at Border White Command.
Obvious who drove them from beyond the mountains.]
[Day 4??]
[The Crown Prince and most of the Emperor's kids started showing the same symptoms.]
[Day 41??]
[Communists opened a bright red dimensional gate at the Empire's heart.
Stalin sent troops to protect his revolutionary comrades... without saying it, that's a declaration of war.
We abandoned Kaesong gate and headed for the capital.]
[Day 42??]
[Armed revolt at Deep Tower.
Mages banned AC for conscripts and slaves, paying sawdust-mixed flour instead of wages, they say.
Crazy bastards. Hope it's bullshit.]
[Day 4??]
[Hit by artillery, woke up in medical 21 days later.
Vice commander who got caught in it with me died on the spot...
Our commander got promoted to vice.]
[Day ????]
[Holy Knight Hoana Tuleran developed a blessing for guns and bullets.
Proof the gods still watch over us...
Is it, though?]
[Day ????]
[Stalin's just garrisoned in the communist-held city, no big moves.
Knight order heading to Border White Command with some breathing room.
Vice commander's hyped to meet Border White. That great?]
[Day ????]
[One-Man Legion, God's Arbiter, Peerless Hero... and this era's warrior.
All nicknames for one guy—you believe it? I do.
Guy crushes tanks with one punch, downs planes with sword aura—who else is a hero?]
[Day ????]
[Gonna die. Haven't slept in 3 days.
Monsters, British, French troops, occasional US... battles nonstop.
Why'd Border White lose in the movie? Remember he was impotent...]
[Day ????]
[The Emperor's youngest brother, that fucking prick, knelt to Stalin.
Offered elixir, even issued an edict for the whole knight order to return to the capital.
Fucking bullshit.]
[Day ????]
[Commander defied the Emperor's order, stripped of armor as punishment.
Vice became commander, I became vice.]
[Day ?87?]
[With the Saintess as witness, we swore to return to Border White.]
[Day ???9]
[Rumors rioters breached the Holy City. Commander worried Holy Knight Order would retreat.]
[Day ?3??]
[Holy Knight Order retreated. Border White stands alone.]
[Day 50??]
[We knights urged commander to overthrow the Emperor.
Coup—only way to save Border White.]
[Day 50??]
[Under pretense of massive monster horde at Border White Command, alliance launched nukes.
Nukes.
Finally remembered why Border White went impotent.]
[Day 5??3]
[Fucking bastard.
Emperor's prepping papers to hand Border White Command to France.
No time. Coup tonight.]
[Day 5??4]
[Commander refused the coup. Why?]
[Day ???7]
[Commander was right, we were wrong.
Soviet troops waiting at the palace, like they knew we'd come.
If we'd couped...
Fuck.]
[Day 5???]
[Edict to disband the knight order.
No resistance. Knew it'd end like this since we skipped the coup.
Comrades left the Empire.
Some headed elsewhere to fight Earth, others to their families.
And I... decided to follow the commander.
Sancho can't miss Don Quixote's path.]
[Day 6?23]
[Feels weird writing after so long.
Left the capital with commander, living a fulfilling life.
Dealing with Earthling slavers, hunting monsters... that sorta thing.
Maybe self-consolation, but our care for this world is real.
Earthlings opening new gates—thinking of heading there too.]
[Day 7???]
[LA gate's hell's mouth.
Earthlings exploit Imperials cheap, nobles sell countless serfs for more Earth goods.
Not some pre-Civil War cotton field—city crawling with slaves.
Me and commander decided to fix this place.]
[Day 7???]
[Nurse says I woke after 4 whole days.
For getting swiss-cheesed by bullets from Earth thugs, quick wakeup—commander stormed their gang solo for revenge.
Crazy bastard.]
[Day 1????]
[Long time no pen, nothing much to write.
...Not much happened.
City got named Gemini City by America, our knight order became the city's gang.
Gang? Some'd call it the Imperial Knights' fall...
But we're saving more Imperials than ever.
Commander's still training like chased by something... time for me to find the protagonist.
If it's movie plot, commander's fated to die by his hand.]
[Day 1?328]
[Snooping Earth, learned this world's a bit off from what I knew.
Bit like novel version, some comic settings mixed, parts exact movie match.
Saintess ain't bi too, is she?]
[Day ????]
[Commander hid his condition all this time. Damn fool.]
[Day ????]
[Never got why a paragon like our commander fights the protagonist—now I do.
He's... got dementia.
Superhuman regen holding it off, but how long?]
[Day 1?923]
[Sent huge donation to Holy Kingdom begging for Saintess—only got reply that age-related dementia's incurable.
Fuckers. Then don't take the money.
Gotta find a way. A way...]
[Day ????]
[Found record past Emperors who drank elixir never got dementia.
Elixir, huh.]
[Day ????]
[If memory serves, elixir's in dragon nest without owner.
One snag: I don't know exact spot.
Wanna send huge expedition, but vultures'd swarm. Damn.]
[Day ????]
[Found the nest at last, but already looted.
Which bastard? Another Earth real-worlder like me?
Fuck, whatever—find elixir first...]
[Day ????]
[Found the perp.
So-called Incheon's Butcher. Hid identity, but obvious at a glance.
This fucker treats world like a game. Elixir to a guy like him...]
[Day ????]
[Commander called me aside.
Knew I was fumbling for elixir, knew city's balance crumbling.
Impressive for old man half-lost in border war memories.
He... asked me to kill him before he goes fully mad.
I said yes, shut door, cried.
Fuck.
Gotta find Butcher and elixir fast. He can't die like this.]
[Day ??444]
[...Was my greed too much?
Or is this world doomed to follow its script?
Commander surrendered to dementia.
Lost in delusion he's still in border war, fighting Earthlings.
Locked in building mimicking old knight quarters... but one glimpse of gate or Earthling, he'll swing sword.
Like the movie commander.]
[Day ???54]
[Knight order refused to kill commander.
Some even shoved sword at me, saying they'd kill Earthlings with him instead.
Who wouldn't want to?
But knights obey orders, and his last was to kill mad him.
I'll follow. As knight, as subordinate.
Before my Don Quixote meets gruesome end by protagonist's hand.]
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