Chapter 156 : Chapter 156

Chapter 156 : The Kingdom's Finest Sword

My body lurched to one side, hitting the wall.

The carriage, which had tilted as if it would fall, barely regained its balance.

“Left Camp Leader! It's a surprise attack!”

An urgent voice was heard along with the neighing of horses.

My eyes met Noser's.

“Wasn't the imperial capital's flag on the carriage?”

“It should be. If it wasn't stolen.”

It was a sarcastic remark about the prestige of the Imperial Capital Knight Order being only this much, but Noser took it literally.

No matter how much their authority in the provinces wasn't like in the capital, a carriage flying the capital's flag shouldn't be getting into trouble on the road.

“Left Camp Leader! Are you alright?”

The soldier who opened the carriage door asked with a pale face.

Noser's eyes were bloodshot.

“What shook the carriage? The impact was quite significant.”

“It seems to be lightning magic. It struck so suddenly we had no time to react……. B-but it's a relief we avoided a direct hit.”

“Mm, you're right. I could have been roasted alive without knowing why.”

“S-sorry…….”

“What kind of crazy bastards are they?”

“I think you need to come out first.”

Before Noser stepped outside, he glanced back at me.

It was a silent gaze that seemed to say ‘do as you please,’ since telling me to stay put wouldn't work anyway.

Shaaaa―

The sound of the wind rustling through the dry grass tickled my ears.

A wide wheat field spread out before my eyes.

To suddenly be in such a place after the humid and hot port.

The scenery was so unfamiliar that I wondered when we had come this far.

“How did the sirs from the Imperial Capital Knight Order end up all the way out here?”

Far in front of us, a man sitting crookedly in his saddle sneered.

Behind him were seven or eight more men on horseback.

Far from hiding that the recent surprise attack was their doing, they were flaunting it as if they were proud.

“You are…….”

Noser narrowed his eyes.

Suddenly, the men's faces lit up.

“Oh, you know who we are? For real?”

“No? I was asking what kind of bastards you are. How would I know a bunch of bandits dressed like beggars.”

Noser's tone was leisurely.

If this were the Empire, it would be called the unique leisurely air of a profligate.

But watching from behind, I could clearly feel the killing intent hidden beneath that leisure.

“Bihen, are you alright?”

Bolero slowly rode his horse over.

He must have been tired, as his already deep double eyelids looked several layers thicker.

“The ones who attacked me when you were unconscious earlier were dressed just like that.”

I recalled the scene I saw when I opened my eyes earlier.

The corpses were so horribly butchered that there wasn't anything particularly memorable about them.

“They used strange tricks. Like illusion magic. They might be using Dark Magic.”

Bolero leaned over and whispered to me.

My ears perked up at his words.

‘It couldn't be Sorcery, could it?’

Just then, the one who had sneered first answered.

“Look here, sir from the Imperial Capital Knight Order. The guys we're chasing seem to be hiding over there. We're just going to take a quick look, so let's cooperate peacefully, shall we?”

The man pointed at the carriage.

‘A bunch of mere vagrants want to search the carriage of the Imperial Capital Knight Order?’

It was a level of audacity that shook my common sense. What made them so confident?

“Kids these days are truly scary.”

Noser muttered.

Then he glanced at me. What, why.

Kiiing!

The soldiers assumed combat stances.

Despite that, the men on horseback didn't even blink.

A few of them even grinned, seeming as if they had wanted this situation from the start.

“Wow, are you going to go for it?”

“I let you be, and now some rag-wearing things are running wild without knowing their place.”

Noser looked at the subordinate beside him.

“Where are we?”

“The nearest territory is Tarnholt.”

“Tarnholt. The worst backwater in the south. As soon as I return, I must report to His Majesty. That this rotten land must be overturned.”

“Hey, mister. You'll be shocked when you find out who we are. Don't act up and regret it later.”

“Is there still more to be surprised about?”

Ttak―

The man snapped his fingers. The surrounding wheat field rustled loudly.

Soon, heads began to pop up one by one between the golden stalks.

They had all been hiding, crouched among the fields.

There were quite a lot of them.

They had already half-surrounded us.

“We are the Children of Deiron.”

The Children of Deiron? Is it some kind of orphanage?

If they were neglected in their etiquette education, I could understand them acting up like that.

“D-Deiron……!”

“My god, it seems he was still alive.”

The soldiers murmured among themselves.

Some stared wide-eyed and gasped.

Their expressions were full of disbelief.

Noser was similar. His brow was gradually furrowing.

‘What is Deiron?’

I wanted to ask in a loud voice, but the atmosphere felt like I shouldn't.

Just then, Bolero dismounted his horse and approached me.

He shook his head from side to side, he too looked terrified.

“Sword Master Deiron. He was once considered the strongest swordsman in the kingdom.”

My eyes must have widened quite a bit.

A jolt went down my spine.

‘The Kingdom's Finest Sword?’

Don't get excited. That ‘once’ could have been twenty or thirty years ago.

Of course, for a swordsman who has reached a sublime level, that time would be years of maturing to perfection, but in the end, the weight of time is relative.

“……Deiron, it's been a long time since I've heard that name.”

Noser muttered. He was trying to act nonchalant, but it was obvious to anyone that he was tense.

“Now your expression is a bit more bearable. Sir from the Imperial Capital Knight Order?”

“You wouldn't be flaunting that name without knowing anything. The Children of Deiron? Are you his disciples?”

The guys on horseback exchanged glances.

I don't know what part they liked, but they wore satisfied smiles.

“Disciples……. That sounds nice. Well, let's just say it's something similar.”

“Deiron taking disciples? That's ridiculous. I heard there was no news of him for a while, so he's been up to something suspicious. So, is Deiron around here?”

The man in the center chuckled and raised his index finger.

“Why don't you shut that mouth now? You talk too damn much. Deiron has said it time and again. Overusing warnings is nothing more than admitting to your opponent that you lack confidence.”

“…….”

“If you don't want to make this a big deal, then shut up and step aside. This is the last warning.”

Soon, the man and woman behind the man dismounted their horses.

Their appearance was no different from beggars, but their steps as they approached, whistling confidently, were as carefree as if they were out for a stroll.

“…….”

As Noser lowered his head as if to look away, the soldiers began to cautiously step back one by one.

They weren't just soldiers from some minor territory; the sight of the Imperial Capital Knight Order making way for a bunch of beggars was absurd to me.

A dry laugh escaped me, and my gaze shifted elsewhere.

Rustle.

Of all places, it stopped right there.

Near the carriage wheel, a long, dry stalk of wheat swayed. It wasn't because of the wind.

A presence slipped through the gap.

‘……!’

A man was crouched there, holding two children in his arms.

For a brief moment, our eyes met. In that instant, I clearly saw his pupils trembling with fear.

“Hey, move.”

My head snapped back.

Dammit, I must have had a stupidly surprised look on my face just now.

“I said move?”

It was the female beggar.

The male beggar was already on the other side, waving a spear shaft around and looking over the area.

“Jeez, don't you understand words? So what if you're cute. You're pissing me off.”

Before I knew it, the male beggar had opened the carriage door and was peering inside.

I looked down at the female beggar standing in front of me.

The moment our eyes met, she grinned widely.

“Wow. Looking at you like this, you're really cute. Wanna go out with me?”

I tried to push the man and children I just saw out of my mind.

If I kept thinking about them, my eyes would unconsciously turn in their direction.

“You stink, so shut up and get lost.”

“You'll take that back once you're under me.”

The female beggar's eyes narrowed as she licked her lips with her tongue.

It was a relief, in a way.

Her impression was so strong in a different sense that I could forget the scene I just saw for a moment.

“Hey, Sir Noser.”

“I know what you want to say. But please bear with it for a moment. We have our own circumstances.”

Bolero had his arms crossed and his eyes squeezed shut.

I didn't know what kind of person Deiron was, but his infamy alone seemed quite widespread.

I quickly counted the number of guys who had us half-surrounded.

Including the ones on horseback, it seemed they easily numbered over thirty.

“You said I stink?”

The female beggar suddenly stood still and sniffed her arm and chest.

“Oh, I really do? Strange? I'm sure I washed every nook and cranny thoroughly ten days ago?”

Her sniffing nose left her own body and began to slowly scan the surroundings.

“Not in the carriage.”

“There's no way I stink.”

The two beggars' voices rang out alternately.

The moment the male beggar finished his search and stepped out of the carriage, the female beggar flattened her body.

“……As I thought.”

The female beggar was staring in the direction I had looked earlier.

A faint chuckle grew louder and louder.

“Found the stinky ones…….”

I drew Toxeed and stabbed the back of the female beggar's neck.

In the heat of the moment, I also slashed the throat of the male beggar standing next to her.

Pushut!

Both of them covered the holes in their necks with their hands, their mouths gaping.

Gazes of horror poured in.

“Wipe them out, you damn fools. I'll take responsibility for what happens next.”

I said, looking at Noser.

***

Why had Noser acted so pathetically?

When the beggars who boasted of being the Children of Deiron were wiped out in the blink of an eye, that question could only grow larger.

In the first place, it was embarrassing to even call it a fight.

“Y-you'll regret……!”

Pwack!

The leader, who had been putting up a fight, eventually had his head taken by Noser's sword.

At my words, Noser drew his sword as if he had been waiting, and the soldiers followed, wiping out the band of beggars all at once as if unleashing their pent-up anger.

‘It seems like he was secretly hoping I would step up like this.’

Noser, whose eyes met mine, grinned.

‘……Doesn't matter.’

I sheathed Toxeed and turned around.

“It's over now, you can come out.”

I said towards the carriage.

Puzzled glances were exchanged among the soldiers.

The man, the two children, and the young woman I had seen earlier emerged from between the reeds.

Soon, surprised voices were heard here and there.

“Th-thank you for saving us.”

The man bowed his head before me.

The woman followed, also lowering her head.

The children, who looked to be about four or five years old, blinked their eyes, not understanding the situation.

“Were you being chased by these guys?”

I pointed to the fallen group of beggars.

The man did not answer the question right away.

He slumped down and soon began to sob.

“That demonic beast of a man…….”

He choked up and couldn't continue.

The woman wrapped her arms around his shoulders and the children burrowed into their embrace.

As if overwhelmed by the fact that they had survived, the whole family burst into tears together.

“It's because of a promise made between Deiron and His Majesty the King.”

Amidst the heart-wrenching cries, a low voice was heard from behind.

Noser wore a bitter expression.

“A promise?”

“……It was a pact not to shed blood. A non-aggression treaty between them.”

“The king and a mere swordsman?”

Noser silently nodded.

‘Ah.’

I had forgotten for a moment.

The fact that the king of this country was a colossal idiot.

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