Chapter 86 : Devil!

The vanguard collapsed, and those following behind tumbled into them, creating chaos in their ranks.

Unfortunately, not everyone was caught up in the mess. The troops behind quickly swerved around and continued their pursuit.

“Red-Eyed Devil! What is the meaning of this? Did you not say you came here in peace?!”

The same man who had been yelling at me earlier had somehow avoided my sword aura. Now, still riding at the front, he bellowed again.

I muttered in an aggrieved tone, “What? I didn’t even do anything. Why are you cursing at me…?”

“Stop at once! This instant!”

But wronged or not, I wasn’t about to hold my tongue.

“Don’t give me that crap. If you didn’t come to fight, why drag a whole damn army behind you?”

“That is… a show of sincerity for a noble lord!”

“Sincerity, my ass. Stop babbling about ‘noble lords’ and spit out a name. Who in their right mind would stop when a bunch of strangers with swords are chasing after them?”

After a moment of hesitation, the man shouted, “The great lord is none other than Prince Frederick Vittorio Blake! Now stop at once!”

“…And who the hell is that?”

Walpole quickly filled me in.

“The Second Prince!”

“Ah, I see.”

I looked back at the man.

“So, you’re the Second Prince’s lackey?”

“Lackey? That’s rather insulting!”

“Then what should I call you? Henchman? Errand boy? Lackwit? Lapdog? The Second Prince’s toenail?”

The man exploded in anger.

“Are you mocking me?!”

As if I couldn’t yell too.

I roared back, “You bastard! And what if I am mocking you?! I’m the one who crushed the fearsome Knight of Frost with my own two hands! I am the Red-Eyed Devil, twice as terrifying as that frozen corpse! What kind of moron thinks it’s a good idea to provoke me?! If you don’t want to die, piss off while I’m still being nice about it! Do you really think all your pathetic thrashing could even scratch me? Get lost while you still can.”

“That hardly sounded nice.”

“It’s relatively nice, you son of a bitch.”

A sharp gust of wind blew, making my eyes sting. I closed them for a moment, then opened them again.

It hit me—here we were, arguing at breakneck speed on horseback.

‘Damn it. This is insane.’

Trading words was one thing, but I couldn’t imagine fighting with swords like this. One slip while swinging and I’d be eating dirt in an instant.

I wasn’t a knight, after all. When had I ever fought mounted combat? The only times I’d ridden were when I had to rush for a job with no time to spare.

While I was still racking my brain for a way to fight on horseback, the Second Prince’s “toenail” shouted at me again.

“Take this as a warning! These are not all the troops we command. Not even you could withstand us all. Stop your horse and come with us quietly!”

“What nonsense. I told you, I defeated the Knight of Frost. All of you could come at me at once and you’d still be no match. Don’t test my patience—go back.”

“The Knight of Frost too was once surrounded by hundreds of foes at Wyvern Pass, driven to the brink of death! You are no exception!”

Huh? That was a new perspective.

Now that I thought about it, this wasn’t just a test of strength—it was a test of endurance as well.

“Choose, Devil! Will you come with us missing an arm, or will you follow whole? Refuse, and we’ll drag you with us by force!”

So the Second Prince really was desperate for a champion in the duel.

Trading me, alone, for hundreds of his soldiers? That was a reckless gamble.

What made it worse was his arrogance. He acted as if the duel was only between him and the First Prince, not even considering the Black Prince as a contender.

That thought made me recall the Black Prince’s sinister grin—like a lurking black tiger.

‘That bastard better not be slacking.’

I had tried to shake these fools off with words, but they had clearly come ready to risk their lives.

Which meant I had no choice but to answer in kind.

Curling my lips into a mocking smile, I sneered, “Try me, lackeys.”

The man’s face twisted.

“Draw your swords!”

Shing!

Dozens of blades rang out in unison.

Several glimmered faintly with aura.

These weren’t common rabble.

“They’re coming!” Walpole shouted.

Sir Schneider calmly cloaked his blade in aura.

Boom!

Thunderous crashes erupted as the two knights cut down the attacks closing in from both flanks.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

To think they could fight like this on horseback…

I found myself staring in disbelief. To me, mounted combat was unfamiliar, yet these knights swung their swords at full speed, as steady and balanced as if they were standing on solid ground.

So this was the true art of knighthood.

Riding in the lead, Curtis bellowed, “Shake them off! Don’t let them cling to us!”

“Yes, sir!”

The two knights’ fierce swords carved through the enemy, sending them tumbling from their saddles in sprays of blood.

Those who fell were trampled beneath the hooves of the onrushing horses, dying pitifully.

And yet, the pursuers showed no sign of stopping.

[Do something already. Or are you planning to sit there sucking your thumb?]

“I’ve got a plan.”

I pulled out the stones I’d gathered during our rest, rattled them in my hand, then flicked Meteor Bombs at the riders.

Ping!

“Urgh!”

“Gah!”

They didn’t even know what hit them. Struck in the face, they toppled from their horses.

Once the vanguard and the trailing troops were separated, I tossed Night Sky Bombs to either side.

Boom! Boom!

Instantly, pitch-black darkness spread like spilled ink.

Neigh!

“Black magic!”

“Argh!”

The horses panicked, blinded by the sudden night.

Neighhh!

“Steady!”

“Whoa—calm down!”

The beasts crashed into each other, throwing their riders into chaos.

Thud, crash, thud!

Screams filled the air as they collided and fell in heaps.

“Aaagh!”

“Stop! Stop them!”

Those behind tried to avoid the spreading darkness but ended up crashing into each other anyway.

In moments, the entire rear had turned into a writhing mess.

Watching the disaster unfold, Schneider murmured, “Black magic… terrifying indeed.”

“I told you, it’s martial arts.”

Their rear was broken.

Now all that remained was to shake off the vanguard.

Just then, something shot into the sky.

A red flare burst overhead, glowing like a firework.

“…A signal flare?”

While we pushed forward through the chaos, Shushruta tapped my back.

“Ashuban. Enemies ahead, lying in wait.”

I quickly relayed the warning to Curtis.

“Sir Curtis! An ambush up ahead!”

“Understood!”

We were charging down a forest path.

There was no way to leave the road. The trees were too dense—veer off, and we’d crash straight into them.

The enemy knew this, of course. That’s why they had set their ambush ahead.

“What’s the plan?!” I demanded.

“Break through head-on! I’ll clear the way! Follow me!”

“Good. Bold and simple.”

The thunder of hooves shook the ground.

Soon enough, the ambushers came into view.

I focused my inner strength into my eyes to see more clearly.

A wall of shields blocked the road, packed tightly together like a turtle’s shell. Between the gaps, spears jutted outward like the spines of a hedgehog.

If we charged straight in, we’d be skewered like meat on a spit.

But Curtis only urged his horse faster, drawing his sword.

Woom—

A deep green aura wrapped around the blade.

The louder it grew, the more fiercely his sword howled.

“Haaah!”

Curtis swung.

The green sword aura blasted forth, colliding with the wall of shields.

Boom!

The shield wall shattered.

The remaining shields and spears were torn apart by Sir Curtis’s sword, wreathed in green aura.

From the collapsing wall of shields, pitiful screams burst out.

We surged down the path Curtis had carved open, while the soldiers at our flanks stumbled and fell, caught in the wreckage of the shattered barrier.

Those few who still clung to the chase with unyielding will were swiftly dealt with by Schneider and Walpole.

Thunderrrr—

We rode on without hindrance.

When I looked back, there was no one left in pursuit.

My gaze returned to the broad back of Curtis riding ahead.

Today, it looked wider than ever.

“…So that’s why he was once a knight commander.”

Several more ambushes followed, but thanks to the valor of the three knights—especially Curtis’s fearless charges—we shook off every enemy that came at us.

By late afternoon, with the sun beginning to sink, we finally dismounted to find a place to rest.

I patted the sweat-soaked neck of my horse.

“Well done.”

Prrr.

Following Shushruta’s lead, we stopped by a brook where the water trickled gently.

While the horses drank, we collapsed nearby, gulping from our waterskins.

“Gods, I’m dead tired…”

“Uuurgh…”

To be precise, only Walpole and I were sprawled on the ground. Curtis and Schneider simply leaned against a tree, exhaling heavy breaths. Schneider glanced at Walpole and me with thinly veiled disapproval, but said nothing.

Still seated, waterskin tilted at his lips, Schneider finally spoke to Curtis.

“Sir Curtis. The Second Prince’s troops are far too many.”

Curtis looked back at him.

“This is no simple detachment. They’ve clearly dispatched soldiers in force.”

“…”

“It doesn’t add up. Unless they knew we were coming, how could such numbers be gathered in such short time—”

“Sir Schneider.”

Curtis cut him off.

“I understand your meaning. But let’s leave it at that.”

“…Yes.”

Uneasy silence hung between us.

“Lord Ashuban. Hand me your waterskin. I’ll refill them.”

Walpole, taking everyone’s waterskins, slipped away to the brook.

I knew what Schneider had been implying.

There might be an insider.

I couldn’t deny it felt strange. A few men shadowing us at first—that was understandable.

But this many soldiers, attacking again and again, and so systematically?

“….”

The sinister smile of the Black Prince came unbidden to my mind.

But what could I do? Thinking about it now would solve nothing. The only answer was to get the Demon Sword as quickly as possible and return.

I looked up to see Shushruta returning from the brook, her face and hair dripping wet as if she’d dunked her head straight into the water.

“How far left?” I asked.

“Our destination is Mist Lake. At this pace, we’ll reach it before tomorrow’s sunset.”

“Mm.”

“But to draw starlight with the dagger, night is needed anyway. We could afford a slower pace.”

“Makes sense.”

“When do you plan to set out?”

“When the sun sets.”

“Understood.”

I stretched, then stopped her before she could leave.

“Wait a moment. Come here.”

“Hm? What is it?”

I reached out and jabbed the back of her neck.

“Pressure point!”

“Eek!”

Shushruta let out a strange sound before slumping limp.

I hooked her unconscious form over a branch, then turned to the knights.

They stiffened, inching back.

“I—I’m fine, truly.”

“I’m not sleepy. I’ll stand watch.”

I ignored them.

“Proper rest is the best medicine…”

Thwack! Thwack! Thud. Thud.

I struck their pressure points in turn, laying both knights flat on the ground.

Just then, Walpole returned with the waterskins filled.

“I’m back. Huh? Why are they already asleep—”

Thwack!

“Ghk.”

He crumpled, and I laid him down beside the others with a long sigh.

“Feels like babysitting.”

Strangely enough, no enemies came.

We rode through the night undisturbed, only pausing briefly at dawn before continuing again.

Peace lasted until afternoon.

Yet the mood was grim.

[Peace that tastes rotten, like the calm before a storm.]

I couldn’t shake the feeling something bad was about to happen.

The knights seemed to feel the same; their faces were tight, their eyes sharp.

At last, Shushruta called out.

“Ashuban. Enemies ahead.”

Thunderrrr—

Once again, riders closed in from both sides.

There were so many that glancing back, I could see dust clouds boiling skyward.

It was obvious—they meant to finish things here.

Fwoosh!

The pursuers fired signal flares into the sky.

Six of them, each a different color.

Even without Shushruta saying it, I understood.

There were enemies waiting ahead.

And soon enough, they appeared.

But this time, no wall of shields barred the road.

Instead, three knights stood waiting.

The one in the center grinned and hefted his long spear back.

“A pleasure to meet you!”

From his stance—his eyes, shoulders, and elbows—I could see exactly where the spear would fly.

The sunlight caught the sharp tip as he hurled it forward.

“Duck!”

At my shout, Curtis instantly flattened himself against his horse’s neck.

The spear whistled into a blazing streak of light.

Swaaash!

It pierced the spot where Curtis’s chest had been a second earlier.

I kicked off his back, reached out with my inner strength wrapping my hand, and seized the streak of light itself.

Holding the spear firm while letting the rest of my body go loose, I let its force spin me in midair.

Pivoting like an axis, I completed a full turn, then hurled the spear right back the way it had come.

Swaaash!

“Pleasure’s mine!”

Thunk!

The knight clutched at the hole in his chest with a stunned look before collapsing like a sack.

Without pause, I charged the knight to the left.

Pouring the starlight wrapped around my hand into my sword hilt, I drew.

Slash!

His body split diagonally in two, his sword falling with him.

With the road clear, the mass of soldiers waiting behind came into view.

Shields raised, they stared at me as if I were a ghost.

“….!”

Their numbers were staggering.

A tide of soldiers rolling like waves, blocking every escape.

Behind us, the roar of pursuit closed in like a crashing sea. Ahead, the shield wall loomed like a cliff.

The Heavenly Demon’s voice warned me.

[If you don’t break through, you’ll be surrounded.]

Which meant there was no choice.

We had to break through.

No matter what.

“…Fine then.”

I kicked off the ground, ready to charge into the wall of men—

But suddenly, the air felt damp.

From behind their ranks, a massive green mist surged forward like a giant serpent.

Poison fog.

“Gurrrghhh!”

“Gackkk!”

Soldiers collapsed one by one, choking on the fumes.

And behind them appeared a girl, her bright green hair braided into two plaits.

She beamed at me.

“Devil!”

Oh, for fuck’s sake…

(End of Chapter)

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