Chapter 104 : Chapter 104

Chapter 104: The Road Ahead Will Be Long (4)

Kuhn’s shadow moved swiftly through the air.

It seemed to form hand seals.

Soon, a pattern emerged beside her, each stroke emitting a fierce light.

It was like a malevolent star suddenly appearing in the night sky.

Rrrrrrr—

The momentum of the sand waves surging toward the soldiers gradually weakened, then stopped completely, as if life had drained from them.

It halted precisely beneath Kuhn’s feet.

Saaaaa.

Kuhn floated in a lofty posture.

Her ebony hair fluttered in the air, its luster undimmed even by the dust.

Her ghost-pale face showed no trace of emotion.

Her silence stood in stark contrast to the clamor of the soldiers panicking behind her.

Grit.

Was it because I clenched my teeth so hard?

I could feel the veins bulging around my jaw.

“You finally showed up.”

Tat—!

I charged at Kuhn.

My eyes burned.

This time, I was truly pissed off.

Clang!

I crossed Zahara Toxeed in front of my chest.

I’d strike while unfolding them.

Since I didn’t know what tricks she’d pull, it was best to avoid overly elaborate moves for the first strike.

Whoosh—

Suddenly, the world seemed to slow down.

The distance was considerable, and I’d heightened my senses to their peak.

In that prolonged moment of midair suspension, a flood of information poured through my senses.

All sorts of things.

The dry dust clinging to my lips, the salt-tinged breeze, the faint vibrations traveling up the blade, my increasingly ragged breathing, and Kuhn, who seemed to have let go of everything.

“…”

Kuhn’s face held no ambition, no anger, no pain, no vitality… nothing.

Only resignation lingered.

Yes, resignation.

As if she’d foreseen everything and was quietly accepting her end.

Eerily serene.

Slash!

I grazed past Kuhn, landing in an arc.

A spray of blood trailed behind me.

Thud.

My body stiffened slightly.

For some reason, I didn’t want to look back.

The fleeting emotion was unsettling.

It felt as if I’d cut down an innocent person devoid of hostility.

Kuhn was dead.

That was certain.

“Bihen Benkou! Swarm him!”

The enemies’ shouts snapped me back to reality.

Who’d have thought I’d be grateful for their clamor?

‘Ignore it.’

I told myself.

Don’t get distracted now.

I was almost there.

I straightened my knees and stood.

Enemies poured in from the front.

“Uaaaaah!”

To them, I must’ve looked like I’d dropped from the sky.

Their momentum was overwhelming.

The air grew hot with their collective breaths.

Swoosh!

I dove into the center of the charging mob like a phantom.

Was it exhaustion?

The unfamiliarity of switching stances made me dizzy.

It hadn’t been this bad before.

Pshhh—!

“Graaah!”

Drenched in blood and screams, I pressed forward.

Each life I extinguished brought me closer.

“You bastard! You won’t pass!”

I was sick of hearing that.

How many times have I heard it now?

The knight shouting to block my path was a robust middle-aged man.

His imposing plate armor gleamed dazzlingly.

“Sir Tutor—! Today, we’ll take Bihen Benkou…!”

I crouched low, sliding across the ground.

My right heel dragged a long trail, kicking up dust.

Screeeech!

I stopped just past the knight and swiftly turned.

No one could’ve followed my movements with their eyes.

To them, I must’ve vanished.

The back of the knight’s greave filled my vision.

High-quality plate armor is meticulously crafted with no gaps in the front.

In my past life, this was why our Imperial army scoffed at Kingdom knights.

Their idea of slathering armor only on the front was absurd.

Whirl!

My dual short swords spun rapidly in my grip.

I switched my hold.

Zahara’s tip pointed upward, Toxeed’s downward.

Slash! Snikt! Stab! Stab!

I drove the blades into the visible joint seams, slashing and stabbing repeatedly.

I even thought the movements were swift and precise.

“Graaaaah!”

Thud!

His mangled leg buckled, and he collapsed helplessly.

I quickly removed his helmet and pressed my blade to his cheek.

“Move an inch, and you’re dead.”

I declared to the surrounding soldiers.

They flinched and backed off at the sudden turn of events.

One hand gripped the back of his armor’s collar.

Dragging the slumped knight, I inched backward toward the Order’s entrance.

“Hngh, hhh, huuuh…! Aaaagh!”

The knight let out all sorts of bizarre screams.

For a knight, he seemed to have never been cut before.

He panicked at the sight of blood gushing from the gaps in his leg armor.

“Don’t be dramatic. You won’t die from this.”

“Kyaaa! Shut… up! You filthy… argh!”

The ground was streaked with bright red blood, like brushstrokes.

The sight must’ve terrified him; I could hear his teeth chattering.

“Back off! Everyone, back off…!”

No need to threaten—he shouted it himself.

Thanks to that, I kept moving through the soldiers without stopping.

I scanned all directions, occasionally pointing my blade at those showing signs of sudden movement.

Of course, I knew.

With their knight as a hostage, they wouldn’t dare act rashly.

The Archduke’s army was a coalition of Conwell’s regular forces mixed with small contingents from various domains.

If this Tutor was from another domain, it went without saying.

Even if he was from Conwell, the soldiers here were likely his personal troops, so they couldn’t act recklessly.

Even Anderson had joined our army with his own men, hadn’t he?

‘A factional command and loyalty structure based on domains.’

In an Empire directly under the Emperor, this tactic would’ve been unthinkable.

The captured man would’ve scolded his subordinates, telling them to ignore him.

But the Archduke wasn’t the Emperor.

Not even a king.

Strictly speaking, he was just the heir in a succession dispute of a ducal house.

There was no way they’d swear blind loyalty to the Archduke over the knight before them.

“Sir Tutor…!”

“Argh! Stop talking to me! Clear the way!”

I finally reached the Order’s entrance.

A quick glance.

Soldiers were stationed around the wide-open gate and visible inside.

Their panting breaths and murmurs mingled with the sound of waves behind the Order, ringing chaotically in my ears.

“Huff, huff.”

Was it because I’d let my guard down slightly?

I caught my breath and scanned widely.

Beyond the startled, hesitating soldiers, flickering torches dotted the distance.

Probably troops guarding other directions.

A building this size wouldn’t have just one entrance.

They likely didn’t have time to organize a proper gate defense while rushing in.

Proof of that was this fool Tutor holding a key position in the final defensive line.

Well, I’d chalk it up to my good luck.

Then, a laugh mixed with blood-flecked phlegm rang out.

Had he finally lost it?

The tutor smirked at me.

“Bihen Benkou, it’s already over. By now, the Young Lady is in the Archduke’s hands. What do you think your flailing will change? Heh, not a damn thing.”

“…”

“You’re willingly jumping into the lion’s den. Come to your senses, even now…”

“Shut up.”

“What?”

“Thanks to you, though. I’ll send you off gently.”

Stab!

I tossed aside Tutor, tongue lolling out, and turned.

After dealing with the soldiers who’d rushed me at the entrance, my clothes and skin were drenched in blood.

Drip, drip.

Why was it?

My stamina had long surpassed its limit, yet it didn’t feel bad.

My lips were curling upward.

For the record, I hadn’t gone mad.

‘Ah.’

It hit me.

The spearman Draven had said earlier:—“Are you talking about the protagonist of some third-rate novel that went out of fashion ages ago?”

And just now, that dead worm Tutor had said:

—“Bihen Benkou, it’s already over. By now, the Young Lady is in the Archduke’s hands. What do you think your flailing will change? Heh, not a damn thing.”

“Haha.”

I laughed.

The soldiers rushing toward me from the end of the corridor froze, staring at me strangely.

I didn’t hold back my laughter.

Who knew being treated like a fool could feel this good?

* * *

After Adeline left to uphold her “trust” with the Gunbel Trading Company, Joel stood alone in Watchtower 4.

Determined to keep his promise to his lord, he resolved to fulfill his duty not as a mere escort but as a knight of Lady Adeline’s army.

He was sprawled flat on the floor in shock when an earthquake seemed to shake the entire Order building.

“What… what was that?”

He muttered to himself in panic.

The earthquake stopped as abruptly as it had begun.

Dazed, Joel instinctively looked out the window.

“…!”

The quiet plains had transformed in an instant.

Flags, warhorses, and soldiers swarmed.

They blended in as naturally as if they’d always been there.

Joel’s breath caught.

When and how had they gathered like that?

No way, he thought to himself.

The magic formation has collapsed—!

A shout from below the stairs.

Joel felt his heart drop.

His mind went blank.

As his fear became reality, his body froze.

“Wha… what…”

His wandering gaze fell to his left waist.

Two sword hilts crossed.

The plain one was his; the gold-decorated one belonged to his mentor.

Blood Lion.

‘…’

A glint flashed in Joel’s eyes.

He kicked off his spot instantly, leaping down the stairs without touching them.

The commotion grew louder as he descended.

Magic formation collapsed.

It was unthinkable.

The abbot, Moras, who oversaw the formation, had been utterly confident.

Despite recent unexplained micro-cracks and signs of mana leakage, he’d insisted that the formation, designed by the Saintess—one of the Kingdom’s few high-circle mages—would never collapse.

“Oh, Joel! I’ve been looking for you!”

Moras appeared, and Joel stared at him, momentarily dumbfounded.

The panting abbot rushed up.

Despite his dignified face, his behavior was always frivolous.

Joel recalled this anew, then shook his head, incredulous at himself for thinking such things in this moment.

“Abbot, what the hell happened?”

“Huff, huff! Where’s the Young Lady?”

Joel scanned the surroundings before answering.

Chaos had already erupted.

Priests and refugees following Adeline were panicking.

Swallowing the bitter taste in his mouth, Joel spoke in a low voice.

“She went to trade with the Gunbel Trading Company earlier. She’s likely still in the underground passage.”

“Then, hmm. She probably hasn’t grasped the situation. The collapse’s aftereffects shouldn’t have reached the passage. Is this a blessing…?”

The secret underground passage was long.

It took a while from the entrance to reach the exit at the coastal cliff.

Joel estimated his lady hadn’t even reached halfway yet.

“Come to think of it, Joel, why aren’t you with her…?”

Moras asked, as if it just occurred to him.

Joel was momentarily speechless.

As always, this odd old man had a knack for hitting the mark at the worst times.

“…”

The spreading chaos grew louder.

Yet Joel stood silently, as if in another world, unable to speak.

The absence from his usual place hit him now.

His mind understood, but his heart hadn’t fully caught up.

A whisper even seemed to echo in his mind.

‘Go protect her now…’

He bit his lip.

To think he was still spouting pathetic thoughts.

Joel looked down at the Blood Lion his mentor had left him.

Once again, he realized the sword was still too much for him.

“I have work to do here.”

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