Chapter 146 : Chapter 146

Chapter 146 : Krause

After the mysterious assassins, the sudden appearance of the Easton Guard...

The phrase "losing one's mind" must have been coined for moments like this. I

was speechless, just blinking my eyes.

It felt completely unreal. I would've believed this scene was a dream.

"Bihen?!"

"Oh! It's Bihen!"

At the voices of Janson and Bill, I finally managed to close my gaping mouth.

The faces of the two men flickered before my eyes.

"Why are you guys here..."

Only after I spoke did it flash in my mind.

The Lord had requested support from Conwell.

This was before Bolero and I came to Aldenfort.

'So they've finally arrived.'

Even so, wasn't the timing too strange?

At this exact moment, in this manner?

I didn't have time to feel relieved.

Tzzzzt.

The rift in the air was slowly closing.

It was without a doubt a Spatial Transfer Gate.

'Could it be that Ayan...?'

Did he finally awaken his magic?

It seemed a lot had happened while I was gone.

"Bihen! W-what on earth is going on?"

Jayden asked with a bewildered expression.

The surroundings were in complete ruins and behind me, the blood-soaked Max was stammering as if insane.

Add the group in black cloaks surrounding the area and me, with my sword drawn...

It was understandable that he was disoriented.

"It's a long story."

I was just as confused, but I answered that and made my companions fall back behind me.

As my vision cleared again, I got a better look at the surrounding assassins.

Their features were blurred, but they must have been just as flustered by the sudden situation.

Stomp, stomp.

I heard footsteps.

A figure was slowly approaching from beyond the line of assassins in front.

Soon, a man appeared. At the same time, my heart sank.

Facing the deceased of my past life again was something I just couldn't get used to.

'Valen Krause Aldenfort.'

Long black hair, androgynous looks, and a uniquely languid gaze.

The only difference was...

He was wearing the Empire's traditional clothes instead of the Kingdom's noble attire.

The man radiated an ominous stillness.

"Ha."

A sigh escaped me without my knowing.

I looked around at the assassins again.

My expression must have looked quite dazed.

'...So the Krause were an Imperial family.'

In my past life, "Valen Krause Aldenfort" was clearly a noble from the Kingdom who fought desperately against the Imperial army.

He was a man who didn't flinch even when facing Griem, who had reached the ultimate level.

'The course of history is that this man will push aside the current Lord and take over Aldenfort.'

The assassins all bowed their heads to him at once.

I didn't back down from the stare-down with the man in front of me.

It felt like I was the only one taking it seriously, but whatever.

"Who are you guys?"

The man asked, as if tossing the words out.

His tone was as flat as his expression.

My companions lined up on either side of me, holding their breaths and getting ready for a tense situation.

Thump!

I grabbed Max by the hair and dragged him in front of me.

Even as Max let out an unseemly shriek, the assassins didn't even bat an eye, as if they had decided to act nonchalant.

I deliberately unfolded the letter that Max had spat on.

"This guy started it with a ridiculous provocation."

"..."

"I don't know if you've heard of it. The Imperial code of etiquette, that is."

Max suddenly cried out.

"Duke Krause! Don't be fooled! This guy and the Lord of Aldenfort conspired and ambushed us!"

Duke Krause, huh? Since things had come to this, I had to address it.

"What about you guys? You're all wearing matching, hideously dark clothes. And it's hot enough as it is."

The "Valen Krause Aldenfort" of my past life still didn't say a word, just staring at me.

His eyes, as black as his hair, were impossible to read.

'Come to think of it, his hair wasn't this black in my past life.'

He subtly extended his hand forward, and an assassin quietly came up and took the letter.

"Valen Krause Aldenfort" didn't even turn his head.

The assassin knelt on one knee beside him and respectfully handed him the letter.

Only then did his gaze fall to the letter.

"..."

Only his black eyes moved slowly over the crumpled letter.

For a moment, there was silence.

The air was so heavy it made my cheeks itch.

And finally, with his eyes still on the letter, he spoke indifferently.

"You look younger than me."

Thinking he was talking to me, I tilted my head slightly.

He really was talking to me.

Then he lifted his gaze from the letter and said to me,

"Before you talk about the Imperial code of etiquette, shouldn't you know basic courtesy? If you're going to ask for a name, it's proper to reveal your own first."

I snorted.

Maybe I had been wrong about him.

Now that I thought about it, he wasn't an Imperial or a Kingdom person, but someone in between.

"The swordsmen of the Empire don't offer respect lightly."

"..."

I wanted to grab him and beat him up like Max right then and there, but his skill level seemed to be on par with mine, and I had my companions with me, so I couldn't act rashly.

I slung my Heavenly Demon sword over my shoulder and put on the most indifferent expression I could manage.

"You wouldn't know, would you? Just dressing up doesn't make you an Imperial noble, you mongrel."

Clang-! Clang! Clang!

Killing intent surged from all directions.

I quickly counted the number of men hidden in the shadows.

'Roughly thirty.'

That was more than I expected.

...This was a problem.

"I am Valen Krause, the Head of the Krause family. If you thought I was a man of the Kingdom just because I am here, you're mistaken. Our family's roots belong to the Empire."

The man who finally revealed his name lifted his chin arrogantly.

His gaze didn't waver for an instant.

"Thanks to you, I've had a sudden realization. So I'll teach you something."

A white hand slowly emerged from beneath his wide sleeve.

Between his slender fingers, sharp daggers were stuck.

His fingertips didn't tremble at all.

The calm movement was even more chilling.

"To repay a favor twofold, and vengeance tenfold."

"..."

"That is the iron rule of our Krause family, so you deserve to suffer twofold."

He slowly raised his hand with the daggers.

At that moment, a chilling sensation ran down my spine. I immediately shouted.

"Everyone, don't move from your spots!"

If we scattered, I would have to deal with a wider range of movement.

I could somehow stop the daggers that would fly at me in a straight line alone.

'Just once.'

I raised my Heavenly Demon sword.

Just then, I heard a stifled laugh in front of me.

It was Valen.

His shoulders were shaking, and then he burst into a crazy laugh.

"Hahahaha!"

"...Funny?"

"Is it the reckless arrogance of a swordsman from the mainland? Whether you're intoxicated by your recklessness or just foolish, you are truly naive."

Thud.

Valen suddenly raised his hand.

Soon, there was a presence from behind him.

Valen's subordinates emerged from the darkness.

There were people being dragged along in their hands.

The moment I swallowed a gasp, Jayden and Janson on both sides of me shouted at the same time.

"Ma-Maserin!"

"Bolero!"

Krnock and Deli were there, too. All four were covered in wounds, unconscious, and bound.

Bolero, in particular, was in a critical state.

His face was blue and the whites of his eyes were twitching nonstop.

His body was also convulsing irregularly.

Anyone could see he was barely hanging on.

"This one was quite a handful. I personally took the time to deal with him."

Valen stroked Bolero's scalp.

Bolero's jaw trembled as if in resistance and blood dripped from his bitten lower lip.

"Hah, what a monster. He's still conscious?"

Crunch.

My molar just cracked.

I hadn't even realized I was clenching my teeth.

It was fine. They probably couldn't hear the sound.

I barely managed to tear my eyes away from the four collapsed people.

"What do you want?"

"What?"

"Were you planning to negotiate with their lives? Now that I see it, you're a bug worse than a common street thug. Did you think this flimsy trick would work on me?"

"...Hah."

Good. I had seized the initiative.

This bought me some time.

K-ing-

I tightened my grip on the Heavenly Demon sword.

The time to think was now.

'I still have enough energy to use the Sword Aura one more time.'

Valen wouldn't die so easily from that one blow.

He was at the peak level, after all.

If I could instantly capture the guy who barely survived and question him about the whereabouts of the Poison Demon, the situation would be neatly resolved.

'...The problem is that the four of them would die along with him.'

Assuming I didn't use the Sword Aura, what about a frontal assault?

That was just as hopeless.

The four of them and even the Easton Guard, would be in danger, which would make things even worse.

'I've found myself in a difficult situation in an unexpected place.'

Where was the misstep?

Was it dragging the Solari Trio and Maserin into this fight?

No. If I went back, I would make the same choice.

This wasn't a fight just for me.

This one fact proved that I was different from my past life.

The chivalry of Bihen Benkou that I had forged in this life, the third rule, was "to move forward together."

I didn't know for sure, but walking the path alongside others would be less lonely than walking it alone and surely, what lay at the end of that path would be of greater value.

'...Is this the time for such thoughts?'

You idiot. Shut up and focus.

For now, I was okay.

I could hear the capillaries in my brain popping and snapping.

It wasn't a hallucination.

It was proof that the speed of my thoughts had surpassed reality.

I was stretching a moment into an eternity.

'Approach in a single instant and subdue Valen.'

In a flash, my vision turned blue.

Dozens, hundreds of paths overlapped like afterimages in my sight.

Each variable branched out, and each possibility narrowed the path.

As all the possibilities clashed and split in my mind...

The optimal single path became clearer and clearer.

Drip.

Suddenly, the back of my hand felt cold.

It was saliva that had fallen from my lower lip.

'Now.'

The difference in a fight between masters is just a hair's breadth.

My Heavenly Demon and my footwork were clearly ahead.

In the next moment, one of Valen's arms would be suspended in the air.

"Halt-!"

The voice resonated in my mind.

It meant that someone had entered the ascending domain that Valen and I had built without permission.

And in a split second I hadn't even recognized.

Thump-!

With a loud crash, my senses quickly returned to reality.

Valen and I stood about three steps apart, both with our shoulders tilted forward.

The man stood firmly in between us.

"You are..."

"We meet again here, Bihen Benkou."

It was Noser.

The man who was the Vice-Commander of the Imperial Capital Knight Order and the head of the Sharon Faction.

"It seems like there are too many surprise appearances today."

"It's not just a coincidence."

Noser just turned his head to look at Valen.

"You, put away that monstrous thing for now."

"..."

"Have you forgotten the pledge of the Sharon Faction, Sir Valen Krause?"

Sir Valen Krause...

I barely held back a laugh.

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