Chapter 149 : Chapter 149

Chapter 149. Welcome, Double Dragon (1)

Early dawn.

A time when the sun had not yet fully risen.

Patrick was rushing his party at the main gate of the Academy.

“Let’s go, let’s go, why are you so slow.”

“Why are we going so early?”

“Don’t you know the early bird gets the worm?”

“I hate worms.”

Isabella, dazed as if from lack of sleep.

And Matthew, who looked haggard, likewise from lack of sleep, spoke to Patrick.

“Can’t we at least have breakfast before we go?”

“Yeah. Eat. Who’s stopping you?”

And Patrick took out a sandwich and started munching on it.

Seeing that, Matthew said.

“Do you have one for me?”

“Nope.”

“……”

Friend or not, I wish he would just die.

Matthew let out a deep sigh, and so the party left the Academy’s main gate.

“What’s all this fuss so early in the morning.”

The moment Matthew, grumbling like that, stepped out of the main gate, he was startled.

“He’s out!”

“Ooooh, he’s out.”

“It’s Sir Schneider!”

“Young Masterrrr!”

In front of the Academy’s main gate, a large crowd of White Town citizens had gathered.

And as soon as they spotted Patrick, they rushed towards him with a fiery cheer.

And they scattered flowers, threw letters, and shouted with desperate expressions.

“Sir Schneider. Please have a safe trip!”

“You must stay healthy.”

“Please visit our shop next time you come.”

“Young Master. Please accept this.”

It is common for family or friends to come and see off someone leaving for their knight’s training journey.

But this was, no matter how you looked at it, unusual.

The citizens had packed the front of the Academy’s main gate, even though no one had told them to.

And they were ordinary citizens who seemed to have no connection to Patrick whatsoever.

Seeing them, Patrick frowned.

“Damn it, this is why I tried to leave early.”

An old man approached Patrick with difficulty and said, “Aigoo, my lord. If you were leaving, you should have at least said a word before you go.”

“Whether I go or not!”

“This is not much, but please take it as a travel allowance. It’s small, but it’s this old man’s sincerity.”

The old man tried to give Patrick a money pouch that was shiny from being handled so much.

At that, Patrick shouted.

“Shut up! What money does an old man who has to take care of two grandchildren have! Put it away!”

“My grandchildren also gathered their allowances and sent this for you to take. Please accept it.”

“Ah, I said I don’t need it!”

Just then, a man approached from the side, limping, and held out a wooden charm.

“Sir Schneider. This is a protective charm that my wife and I obtained after praying for your safe return. Please, at least take this.”

“What nonsense is a man with a bad leg up to. Just focus on your treatment.”

Patrick got angry and shouted, pushing the citizens away, but still, the citizens approached him desperately and kept holding things out.

“Young Master. This is…”

“My lord. At least this…”

“Young Master Patrick…”

“Aish, get lost, get lost. All of you, get lost!”

Patrick roared at the citizens approaching him.

But the citizens of White Town were not afraid at all, even when Patrick got angry.

Rather, they just looked at Patrick with misty and sad eyes, as if seeing a family member off on a long journey.

Matthew and Isabella just stared at such a scene with their mouths agape.

In the end, Patrick, who couldn't push the people away, shouted.

“This won’t do. Let’s go quickly. Senior, Matthew, follow me.”

“Uh… Uh huh…”

“Alright.”

The party quickly rode their horses and left along the main road, and from behind Patrick, the voices of the citizens continued to echo.

“Stay healthy, Young Master.”

“My lord. You must come back.”

“Young Master Patrick. We will definitely visit you next time.”

“Sir Schneider!”

Since most of them were commoners who did not know proper etiquette, the titles they used to call Patrick were all different.

But their fond feelings for Patrick could be clearly felt.

They hung a hastily made banner and scattered flowers for Patrick, blessing his future.

They mobilized all the means they could to pray for Patrick’s future to shine brilliantly.

They were only able to escape the citizens’ farewell after passing through the main gate of White Town.

“Tsk, why are people so clingy? So uncool.”

Once he had some breathing room, Patrick said, drinking water from his canteen with a flushed face.

Matthew and Isabella just stared at Patrick in disbelief.

‘What did I just see?’

‘Brainwashing? Mass hypnosis? Hallucination?’

They didn't understand.

The citizens’ reaction was close to that for a saint or a savior.

Probably, even if the king himself came out, it would be difficult to receive such enthusiastic support from the citizens of White Town.

‘Does this make sense?’

‘Is this a dream?’

The person receiving that fervent welcome and respect was none other than Patrick Schneider?

No matter how much they thought about it, they couldn't accept it.

In the end, Matthew, who couldn't hold back his curiosity, said.

“What did you do to the citizens?”

“Do what? We just got to know each other a bit in passing.”

“I’ll tell you this in advance, mass brainwashing using black magic is a capital offense.”

“It’s not that!”

As Patrick roared, another voice was heard from behind Isabella and Matthew.

“I can explain.”

And when they turned around, there was…

“A…ce?”

“Wait, you’re coming too?”

A handsome man in a neat butler’s uniform was standing there.

The man voted the most handsome for three consecutive years by the women of the Academy.

A man who received dozens of love letters a day and had even received a passionate love confession from a high-ranking noble lady.

But a peculiar person who didn't even bat an eye and focused only on serving Patrick.

It was Patrick’s personal attendant, Ace.

“Is an attendant allowed to come on a knight’s training journey?”

“Yes. It is allowed.”

“No, usually…”

“It is allowed.”

At Ace’s firm words, Matthew couldn't say anything back.

He had felt it for a while, but this butler was a bit difficult.

In a different sense than Patrick.

This handsome butler, whose expression was so cold that it was impossible to know what he was thinking, would assist Patrick in his daily life without being flustered, no matter what Patrick did.

That was not something that could be done with an ordinary mentality.

Maintaining one’s composure next to Patrick was a mental strength comparable to taking a nap in the crater of an erupting volcano.

On top of that, it was something Matthew had only realized after reaching a certain level himself, but…

‘He’s strong. Much stronger than me.’

He was too strong to be just a butler.

So much so that Matthew, who had reached the 4-star realm, couldn't get a feel for him at all.

Ace was a person shrouded in mystery in many ways.

Such an Ace spoke.

“For the past three years, the Young Master has protected the security around the Academy and helped those who were wronged.”

“…He did?”

“Yes.”

Matthew and Isabella looked at Patrick, who was fanning himself with his hand on one side and repeatedly saying, ‘Ah, it’s hot, so hot.’

And looking back at Ace, they said…

“He did?”

“He did?”

“Yes. That is correct.”

And Ace explained.

“The old man who tried to give the Young Master money was someone who had lost his son and daughter-in-law and was on the verge of having his house taken by a loan shark. The Young Master helped him nullify the debt and get his money back. And he also introduced him to a job necessary to raise his children.”

“……”

“And the man who was limping was originally a retired soldier. His wife was bedridden with illness, and the Young Master treated her and, with his private funds…”

Ace’s explanation continued, and in proportion to it, Patrick’s face grew redder and redder.

* * *

The past three years.

Patrick had roamed the night streets of White Town.

In doing so, he could easily see people with stories.

A young lady who had come to the night streets to earn money for her parents’ medicine.

Kids living as pickpockets, driven by violence.

A retired soldier in despair, unable to even get a chance to work due to injury.

Patrick reacted indifferently to such pitiful people.

“It’s none of my business.”

Right.

He really meant to do that.

But…

[Cheon. Aren’t the people too pitiful?]

“Yes, yes. They are pitiful. But what can I do?”

[Cheon, if you do not help those people, how can you call yourself the great disciple of the Twin Dragon Sect? Did I teach you so?]

“……”

[Cheon. Cheon. Cheo….]

“Awoooo! I’m really going crazy. Crazy!”

Every time he saw such people, he heard his Master’s auditory hallucination and couldn't ignore it.

In the end, he decided to help as much as he could.

Not for others, but purely for his own mental health.

“What? Debt!? Deeeebt? Did these bastards bury their conscience in the Demonic Realm? You extorted more than ten times the principal, and there’s still a debt? Let’s start with one punch per 1 cooper of debt.”

Mostly in his own way.

Currently, Red had a tight grip on the night streets of White Town.

But that was not the result of Red actively seeking to expand its influence.

It was the result of one mad dog picking fights here and there and voluntarily biting.

Red had only focused on cleaning up after that mad dog.

And not everything was solved with violence.

He referred people who needed jobs to jobs and created an orphanage, taking in children who roamed the streets.

When winter came, he even repaired the houses for people who were about to freeze to death in shabby shacks and provided firewood.

And even that wasn't enough, so whenever he found someone with a physical disability, he would visit them one by one and treat them with aura…

“Ah, shut up. Shut up!”

Patrick, with a flushed face, covered Ace’s mouth.

And he said to Matthew and Isabella.

“It’s nothing great. Just know that.”

“Patrick, you…”

“What, what man. What?”

Why are you looking at me so slyly?

Maybe I should twist your jaw 680 degrees.

“Huuuummm…”

“What’s with you now, senior. What ‘Huuuummm’? Don’t look at your fiancé like you’re proud of him!”

Patrick shouted with a flushed face.

But Isabella and Matthew looked at Patrick and smiled even more warmly and fondly.

‘No matter what you say…’

‘That’s the kind of guy he is.’

The students of the Academy treat Patrick as an incarnation of the Demon King who has crawled up from the Demonic Realm.

That is a very just and proper treatment.

But those who have watched Patrick up close, like Matthew and Isabella, know.

That Patrick’s true nature could never be that of an evil person.

If Patrick had been a villain who truly abused his power and authority, they too would have lost their affection for him long ago.

And people like Professor Leyte or Professor Baroq would not have gone out of their way to protect him.

Although his words and actions were rough and rude, there was always goodness at Patrick’s core.

As if a sturdy pillar were standing there.

That was Patrick Schneider.

Patrick averted his colleagues’ gazes and, mounting his horse, said.

“We have a long way to go. Let’s just hurry up and go.”

“Alright.”

“Right. Let’s go.”

Four horses set off in the morning sun.

Patrick Schneider, 19 years old.

He headed out into the world.

* * *

The Yusef Kingdom.

One of the four kingdoms that border the Great Forest and act as a breakwater for the East.

A surprising change is now occurring in that country.

“Sto…. Stop him! Stop that man!”

The man sitting on the magnificent throne shouted until his throat was raw.

The current king of the Yusef Kingdom, Taerion Cion Yusef.

He looked at the one walking steadily towards him with eyes full of fear.

Cierion Baisus Yusef.

The prince of the Yusef Kingdom and his own son.

But right now, at this moment, he was just a usurper approaching to seize the throne.

With every step he took, the king trembled in fear.

“What are you all doing? Stop him! I said stop him from coming! You may kill him!”

The Royal Guard Knights, who should have acted upon the king’s command, remained in a fixed posture and did not move.

Rather…

“Kneel.”

Thump!

No sooner had Cierion’s single word fallen than the Royal Guard Knights all knelt on one knee in unison and bowed their heads.

The knight’s etiquette of swearing obedience to the object of their loyalty.

Normally, no one other than the king could receive this etiquette from the Royal Guard Knights.

But now, at this moment, all the Royal Guard Knights were kneeling and bowing their heads towards Prince Cierion.

There was no one who did not know what this symbolized.

“Th… th… these… you traitors!”

It was useless for the king to scream at the top of his lungs.

Cierion, who had approached the throne, looked intently at his father.

The being that had seemed so huge and absolute in his childhood now looked so small and insignificant.

Most decisively…

“Pathetic.”

“Keeuuuk…”

The king let out a painful groan as if a knife had been plunged into his heart.

Cierion spoke to his father.

“Father. You are too incompetent and vile.”

“How dare you…”

“A piece of trash who has no interest in the hardships the people of the kingdom suffer and only wastes his life pursuing his own pleasure and enjoyment should not lead the country.”

“How dare you. How dare, how dare youuuu!”

“So you must vacate your seat. From now on, I, Cierion Baisus Yusef, will lead this country.”

And as Cierion gestured, knights approached, removed the king’s crown, and then grabbed him from both sides and dragged him out.

“You bastards! Let go! Won’t you let go of me?”

The king struggled, but the knights just silently dragged him away.

“I am Taerion Cion Yusef. The rightful and sole king of this country. Won’t you let go of me at once!”

His struggle reached its peak the moment his son sat on the throne.

The moment everything of his was taken away, his eyes flipped.

“You baaastard! How dare you betray me! The son of a lowly whore, not knowing the grace of being given birth, how dare you betray your own father!”

“……”

“I will surely take your head. I will tear your limbs apart and kill you, and I will feed your corpse to the dogs! You will meet a more miserable death than your lowly mother! Are you listening? Cierion, you baaastard!”

“……”

A father being dragged away, cursing his son, and a son looking at such a father with indifference.

Perhaps this was the essence of royal power.

And as the king was dragged away, a man with black hair and a pale complexion approached Prince Cierion’s side and said.

“Shall I take care of him?”

“No, let him live for now. He’s useful.”

“Understood.”

“How far have we won over the nobles in the capital?”

“Over 70% of the nobles related to administrative affairs have come over. The remaining 30% are also being brought in smoothly.”

“Good work, Noah.”

“Thank you.”

This man’s name was Noah Gregory.

Cierion’s closest aide.

It was this man’s skill that had helped Cierion build his power using his heightened fame after Arcana, and had thoroughly prepared in advance for Cierion to smoothly take over the royal family today.

Thanks to his efforts, Cierion was able to sit on the throne much more smoothly than originally planned.

Cierion spoke to his competent aide.

“Hey. Noah.”

“Speak.”

“From now on, there’s no turning back or stopping.”

“I am aware.”

“Will you still follow me to the end?”

“Of course.”

At that answer without a hint of hesitation, Cierion let out a smirk.

Then that was enough.

He had a goal.

He had subjects who had resolved to follow him.

From this moment on, there would be no hesitation or regret in his life.

“Let’s go to hell together.”

“I will gladly follow.”

A few weeks after that.

The news that the king of the Yusef Kingdom had abdicated the throne due to illness and that Prince Cierion Baisus Yusef had ascended to that position spread throughout the continent.

Cierion Baisus Yusef.

It was the enthronement of a young king of 26.

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