Chapter 157 : Chapter 157

Chapter 157 : The Kingdom's Finest Sword (2)

As we left the wheat field, twilight fell.

We stopped at a suitable spot and prepared to camp.

The soldiers decided on their sleeping and watch schedules among themselves.

In the meantime, Bolero, Noser and I sat around a campfire.

“Do you know what Deiron wanted in exchange for not pointing his sword at the imperial capital?”

Noser seemed intent on continuing the story he hadn't finished earlier.

Bolero and I exchanged glances, then shrugged simultaneously.

We had some rough guesses, but the way he asked suggested it wouldn't be anything ordinary.

“Well.”

“It was freedom.”

“……Freedom?”

“Yes, freedom.”

What Deiron wanted from the king was not immense wealth or honor.

I pondered the meaning of freedom in my mind before asking.

“What is the meaning of freedom in the Kingdom?”

This time, Bolero and Noser looked at each other.

Both tilted their heads once.

Noser spoke as if it were no big deal.

“For a serf, freedom would be having a body that can leave the lord's land. For city dwellers or merchants, it would be the right to not be bound by taxes and levies.”

I nodded without retorting.

Noser clicked his tongue once and continued.

“For knights like us, isn't the unrestricted power of the sword freedom itself? That's what Deiron wanted in the end. He's a man who even cast aside his knighthood. He's someone with nothing to hold him back.”

I replied while tearing a piece of well-grilled beef jerky.

“The unrestricted power of the sword……. To put it simply, you mean the licentiousness of running wild just because one is skilled with a sword, something like that?”

“You could see it that way.”

“In that case, aren't all the knights of the Kingdom already no different from Deiron?”

Noser frowned.

“What kind of bizarre statement is that?”

“Most of the knights I've met so far were like that. The majority were insolent fools running wild, drunk on their swords. The only thing that could control them was a stronger and more powerful sword.”

My emotions stirred.

I suddenly thought of Eugene. He was a man who was the very incarnation of chivalry.

In a world like this, where power runs rampant and disorder prevails, a man like Eugene shines even brighter.

“Sir Noser, do you know about chivalry?”

Noser repeated the word briefly.

“Chivalry.”

He glanced up at the sky.

The starlight of the night sky was faintly reflected in his eyes.

“Isn't it like the stars in that sky? An illusion that everyone looks up to and yearns for, but can never reach, let alone embrace.”

Well, that's much better than some outdated, bygone trend.

But there was a flaw in his reasoning.

“No, it's not an illusion.”

One might not be able to directly touch the stars, but the steps taken while following their light cannot be called an illusion.

The living proof of that was me.

“If the strongest power compels it, it becomes order.”

And that power.

I have the power to turn that illusion into reality.

“……I don't know what you're trying to say, but that's a dangerous idea. Forcing an ideal through power? Isn't that the very definition of a tyrant?”

Noser and Bolero looked at me.

I shifted my gaze to the campfire.

I paused for a moment at the sound of the crackling flames.

“Those who hold a sword can only be ruled by the sword. If chivalry is those shackles, then I will be the one to fasten them.”

Only the campfire made a crackling sound.

A not-so-short silence followed.

What broke the silence was Noser's awkward laughter.

“That sounds like you intend to enforce chivalry upon the knights of the Kingdom. An Imperial swordsman.”

I stared directly into his eyes.

“Why can't I?”

Logically speaking, these were words Noser should have said.

It was fitting for him to speak of chivalry to rule over the licentiousness of those who wielded swords.

But the roles and order were completely reversed.

I, from the Empire, had said it first, and he, a knight of the Kingdom, was sitting and listening.

Nevertheless, none of the three of us tried to question that fact.

“…….”

Both Noser and Bolero sat with somewhat blank expressions, as if they were just mulling over my words.

Like sparks flying around the campfire, the words I had just thrown seemed to flash and fade repeatedly in their minds.

“I'm curious who the Kingdom's Finest Sword is at this point in time.”

I asked as I relaxed my body.

On the surface, it seemed like a light topic thrown out to catch my breath, but in reality, the premise that my ideals would be realized only after defeating the Kingdom's strongest was already laid out.

It would be best to address it now.

“Haha, this isn't child's play, how ch…...”

“Discussing who is the Kingdom's Finest Sword has always been the topic that gossipmongers are most passionate about, now and in the past.”

Noser's and Bolero's answers were at odds.

Noser subtly glanced at Bolero.

Bolero spoke as if he didn't mind at all.

“But the Kingdom is vast, there are many more unknown experts, and the peaks of the influential figures are strangely misaligned, so it's a situation where an agreement is not easily reached.”

Noser nodded as if in agreement.

“That's right. And that's not all. There are more complex factors that can't be judged by simple swordsmanship alone. For instance, if you consider things like popularity, achievements, and social status……”

“Still, if one had to pick a number one, wouldn't it be Sir Deganelo? I don't think there would be much disagreement.”

Noser suddenly frowned.

“Hey, Bolero. If you're going to speak, speak properly. How can the Right Camp Elder, who has already aged and retired from the front lines, be considered the finest sword?”

“In any case, unless we all gather in one place and cross swords, it's just an empty debate. So rather than judging current skills, it's more rational to weigh them on the same standard of their prime. There's no need for Sir Noser to get so worked up.”

Bolero continued speaking, ignoring Noser.

“Besides him, other strong contenders for the title of the Kingdom's Finest Sword would be the Sword Saint, the Mercenary King, Deiron the Madman, and Sir Noser here.”

“Am I an honorable mention? Getting praise I have to fish for.”

“That is not the case.”

Anyway, it seemed there was no room for doubt that Deiron was ranked within the top five strongest in the current Kingdom.

“I will defeat Deiron.”

As it happened, Deiron was a person considered a thorn in the side even in the imperial capital.

It was an opportunity to gain both justification and practical benefit, and even the king's favor.

“Hmm, if that is what you have decided……, it would be right to respect it as a fellow warrior.”

Noser didn't try to stop me.

He appeared calm on the outside, but a hint of some unknown, sinister intention briefly showed.

Well, it doesn't matter.

My level is no longer one to be troubled by falling for such schemes.

***

“He often came to the village and demanded various things. He took people as he pleased, regardless of whether they were children or adults. From women to satisfy his lust, to men for labor, and even people to be offered as living sacrifices……”

The family I rescued yesterday recounted Deiron's atrocities.

Fortunately, they seemed to have rested well overnight, and their voices were much clearer.

“Sacrifices?”

“Yes. I heard him say that. I don't know the details.”

It seemed Deiron would suddenly appear in the village whenever he needed to, making all sorts of bizarre demands.

The problem was that the places he visited were not limited to Tarnholt, from which this family had escaped.

“He would come and go, rotating through the five territories in the area.”

From what I heard, the scale of those five territories was quite small.

At most, they had about three to four hundred households.

“Because of that, Deiron knew in detail who lived where, what their family composition was, and even what they did for a living.”

The man, rubbing his forearm, bit his lip hard.

He added in a small voice, as if describing the chilling eccentricity of a madman.

“This time, it was our turn. He said he would take my wife and daughter in half a month. That's why we ran.”

I looked around at Bolero, Noser, and the soldiers of the Imperial Capital Knight Order, who were gathered around the family, listening to their story.

They clicked their tongues and shook their heads as if to say it was pitiful, but I seemed to be the only one who couldn't understand.

“What were the lords doing while it got to that point? You said it wasn't one, but five territories.”

The man let out a deep sigh.

“Of course, there was resistance. The five territories united to stand against Deiron. They even hired mercenaries……. The result was disastrous.”

Similarly, I was the only one with a dumbfounded expression.

Noser added.

“It's not for nothing that His Majesty the King made such a pact with him. Deiron's swordsmanship is one thing, but he has a peculiar ability.”

“A peculiar ability?”

“They say he commands a legion. I don't know the exact details myself. I've only heard about it.”

Commands a legion? As I tilted my head, Bolero snapped his fingers beside me.

“Brother Bihen, didn't I tell you? The first bandits I encountered used strange tricks.”

“That they suddenly looked like demonic beasts?”

“Yes. I think it might be related to that.”

I looked back and forth between Noser and Bolero.

Piecing their testimonies together, the conclusion was this.

‘Deiron controls a legion of demonic beasts.’

Indeed, how formidable must his power be for five territories to all kneel, and for even the king to make a humiliating peace treaty.

“The Kingdom's Finest Sword is certainly of a different caliber.”

At this point, pure curiosity stirred within me.

“If I go to Tarnholt and wait, he'll show up on his own.”

The position of the Imperial Capital Knight Order became slightly ambiguous.

Originally, their mission was to escort me to the imperial capital, so naturally, they had to accompany me to Tarnholt.

Moreover, as people who stood for justice and order, they couldn't just turn a blind eye to the family's plight.

However, due to the pact between Deiron and the imperial capital, it was an awkward situation to intervene rashly.

“We can't all disguise ourselves because of that one guy. Well, there's no choice. Someone has to continue the mission, so I will follow Bihen Benkou.”

Noser said calmly.

His expression looked strangely relieved, as if he had been waiting for this very moment.

“What? Are you saying, Left Camp Leader, that you will move separately from the main force, alone?”

“You can't, it's dangerous.”

“Is there any other way? You all go to the rendezvous point first. We were already far off course from the point where we first encountered Bihen Benkou outside Aldenfort.”

Somehow, an argument ensued between the superior trying to get away from his subordinates, and the subordinates clinging to him, insisting they could never be separated.

“You all know as well. If Bihen Benkou falls to Deiron, the problem isn't his life. The responsibility for breaking the pact will fall squarely on our knight order, and His Majesty's honor will be dragged through the mud. To atone for that sin, offering our own necks won't be nearly enough.”

“B-but……”

“Since it's come to this, wouldn't it be better if I lent a hand in killing that bastard Deiron?”

Noser's logic was flawless.

Except for the part where he was casually assuming I would lose to Deiron.

“Is being the head of the Sharon Faction not a real position, but a kind of honorary title? Something decided by public opinion.”

I asked Bolero in a whisper.

Seeing Noser's rash attitude that clearly revealed his inner thoughts, I had more than a few doubts.

“He is the current head of the family that can be called the origin of the Sharon Faction. The same goes for the position of Knight Commander. It's all hereditary.”

“Which means it has nothing to do with skill.”

“Hmm, well. Is that really so?”

Bolero smiled confidently.

“What do you mean?”

“Didn't you say it yourself? The chief attendant, the Knight Commander, and Sir Noser there. That those three didn't seem like followers of Zisair.”

“I did.”

“What if he's acting so foolish on purpose to get out of Zisair's sight?”

“……!”

“What do you think?”

My eyes widened without me realizing.

“……That makes sense.”

Far away, Noser, who was in the middle of a heated argument with his subordinates, scratched his ear vigorously.

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