Chapter 94
Creeeak.
At the sound of the door opening, Pedro's eyes flicked open as he immediately reached for the sword hidden under his pillow.
'They came after all.'
A bitter smile formed on his face, but he had already been prepared for this.
He covered Flora, who was sleeping in his arms, with the blanket and got out of bed.
Watching the shadowy figures that seemed to blend with the darkness of the room as they silently appeared, Pedro nodded.
'About twelve.'
Too many to believe they came just to catch him alone.
As if they had made a prior agreement, the assassins rushed outside the villa.
They headed toward a secluded spot in the mountains.
Ironically, it was the same place where Callias and he had fought not long ago.
It had been an empty lot with only weeds, but now flowers had bloomed there.
Pedro looked at them in wonder and muttered.
"Flowers bloomed. There was nothing here, but flowers bloomed. Did they bloom by feeding on my comrades' blood?"
Regardless.
"At least they leave something behind."
"What nonsense. Stop dragging it out and offer your neck, Pedro."
"If you failed your assassination, you should die. Why cling to life like a bat?"
"Do you intend to fight until the end?"
At the assassins' words, Pedro smiled bitterly.
"I'm planning to struggle at least."
"Don't bother. You can't handle us alone."
"Since I can't kill you all anyway, taking a few as companions to the afterlife wouldn't hurt."
"Haa... Pedro. Everyone around you, including your daughter, will die anyway. The order was to kill everyone around Callias. Bringing you here quietly was our way of showing consideration."
"So what?"
"Quietly offer your neck. I'll spare your daughter for old times' sake."
"Though I don't know where she'll be sold off to, hehehe."
The assassins laughed despicably.
It was an obvious provocation and nothing more than a ploy, but Pedro couldn't control the power surging through his hands.
"You bastards!!"
The moment he was about to charge out.
Splatter!!
"Urk!!"
"What!"
"Who is it!!"
The assassins hurriedly turned around.
Pedro also sensed something strange and turned his head. Then a chilling sensation ran down his spine.
Before he knew it, darkness had spread everywhere.
'When did it get so dark?'
Looking up at the sky, there was only pitch blackness.
Not even a sliver of moonlight could be seen.
True darkness.
Only the footsteps and panicked voices of the bewildered assassins could be heard.
Slash!
"Kahak!"
"Who is it! Who dares to attack us!!"
"Pedro! You set a trap!!"
"……."
Pedro himself didn't know the situation either, so he was equally frustrated.
But at the voice that soon followed, Pedro heard a speck of hope ignite.
"A subordinate made a request."
Someone slowly walked out from the darkness.
Even with the assassins before him, his steps were as leisurely as if he were out for a stroll.
"If it had been a request to kill, I wouldn't have accepted."
The assassins' eyes widened like lanterns.
A face that those who wield swords in the darkness couldn't possibly not know.
"But it was a request to protect. That's a job that suits me perfectly."
With those words, Zenos's figure vanished.
"Keuheok...!"
An assassin crumpled in an instant.
A bizarre scene where no sound was made except the victim's scream.
At that chilling sight, even the highly trained assassins were consumed by fear.
"Z-Zenos!!"
"Damn! It's Cat-foot Zenos!"
"Run, damn it!!"
Silently.
Zenos, who had melted into the darkness, made no sound at all.
Pain-filled screams echoed from all around, and when it seemed like moonlight was finally visible.
The only one standing in the clearing was Zenos.
"I survived."
Pedro looked at the blood-stained flower petals and laughed hollowly.
* * *
The next day.
I stayed a night in the County.
When my subordinates asked why I was staying there when they might suddenly turn hostile and try to surround and kill me, I shut them up with a "shut up."
There was no possibility of that.
Even if it happened by some one-in-a-million chance, I had something to rely on.
"The Golden Lion is a knight with a strong competitive spirit and his own unique sense of justice."
He wouldn't stand by and watch such a thing happen.
Also, I had made a few other arrangements. Anyway, it wouldn't happen because of the Golden Lion.
Because despite sharing the surname Luidren, he was a completely different man from Luteon.
That's why Luteon never liked being compared to his older brother.
Is that why he turned traitor?
Honestly, I don't even know why he turned traitor. There are multiple routes for his betrayal, so I don't know the exact reason.
Knock knock.
"Come in."
"Captain, the Golden Lion says he'd like to have a word with you."
"Let's go."
That was the reason I had risked staying in enemy territory in the first place.
He was also someone I wanted to meet and talk with at least once.
Since he was infinitely close to being a Master, he might give me a hint to break through my wall.
"Oh, Count Jerban. You've come."
"Yes, Golden Lion. But what are you doing here..."
"Golden Lion is still too burdensome for me. Please call me Luen."
"...Captain Luen. What are you doing here."
"Starting a fight."
"I can see that."
Luen had brought the Golden Lion Knight Order and personally walked all the way to where the Sixth Division was stationed. It seemed he had similar thoughts to mine.
"Brans."
"Yes, my lord."
"Explain briefly."
"The Golden Lion Knight Order bastards—no, the knight order picked a fight."
"What did they say."
"They asked if northern folks are always this weak..."
"They're not northern folks?"
"Yes. When we called that ridiculous, they started ranting for us to come at them if we're staring."
It was such an obvious provocation that no words came to mind to respond. The Golden Lion also seemed embarrassed, scratching his head as he spoke.
"They really have no way with words. They should have just honestly said they wanted to fight, but since they picked such clumsy fights, I just left them alone."
"Some have already been hit."
After who knows how many sparring matches, quite a few were already lying on the ground.
Of course, the ones on the ground were from the Sixth Division.
"Haha, isn't it a good opportunity?"
"I suppose. If you're going to do it, do it properly."
It was one of the strongest knight orders, counted among the top five.
If they could experience the prowess of such a knight order firsthand, nothing could be better.
Knights of similar levels began sparring with their swords.
Even at a glance, the difference in skill was severe.
While some held out a bit, most couldn't last even ten exchanges and were quickly knocked down.
The way they rolled on the ground was a complete disgrace to the Sixth Division.
"……."
I hadn't expected much anyway.
The Sixth Division was on the weaker side among the Inquisition Squads to begin with.
Unlike knight orders that roam battlefields, their work mostly involved hunting down and interrogating traitors.
"Have you trained them?"
"Only those who wanted it."
"I see. I heard you took office just a few months ago... but it's definitely showing promise already."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
Of course, not everyone was getting thrashed.
The vice-captain was holding his own, and the ones who had worked hard under me were even gaining the upper hand.
"Brans, what's that one's name?"
"It's Joseph."
Diego and Joseph.
And only a few others were continuing their sparring matches.
The rest were rolling on the ground with the eyes of losers. But most seemed to have glimpsed the Golden Lion Knight Order's prowess and realized many things.
The skill gap had been clear from the start.
"Captain."
"Please speak."
"Why did you start a fight?"
"Isn't it a good experience? I believe nothing helps improve skill as much as sparring and real combat."
"True words. But I don't think that's the only reason."
The skill gap was clear.
Though it was called sparring, it was closer to bullying.
Considering the Golden Lion's disposition, he wouldn't force such sparring matches.
There must be another reason.
"Actually, there was something I wanted to ask the Count."
As expected, he must have created an excuse to approach me while avoiding the nobles' eyes.
"Is it about Luteon?"
"...Yes."
I had expected as much.
I would have done the same.
"The rumors have already spread, I see."
"It's a disgrace to the Luidren family."
Luen's energy subtly shifted as if he was implicitly angry. A man who abandoned his parents, abandoned his siblings, and abandoned his country.
Luteon, the apostate who even betrayed the gods.
How painful must it be to have become the brother of a traitor.
"I heard you encountered him directly. I'll ask despite my shamelessness."
"You have the right to hear it."
I told him about what happened in the North.
How he helped the orcs, and how he was with Ramatu of Kracion.
How he fell into the abyss and fought a duel, and even about facing the troll—I told him everything.
And that I had left him behind.
"Why didn't you see it to the end?"
"Because I wasn't the one who brought him down. I'm a knight, not an assassin."
"It's surprising that the troll is still around, but the Count's chivalry is also quite impressive."
"……."
I said nothing.
I didn't have to talk about the troll, but I did so deliberately.
Luen was a man who deserved to hear the details. He wasn't the type to go around blabbing carelessly.
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"I wanted to end Luteon with my own hands. I'm not sure if I'll be able to, but he's probably alive."
"He's not someone who would die in that pit. He's alive. By now, he's probably reached the Empire and is building his strength."
Luen closed his eyes and nodded slowly.
"Do you know why he turned traitor?"
"...I didn't expect you to ask me that. I thought you would know, Count. I heard you were close, but perhaps not to that extent."
"I have no interest in men."
"Haha..."
As if lost in thought, we both watched our subordinates sparring.
Soon a cheer erupted as Joseph raised his sword in victory.
And the vice-captain lost.
'Useless bastard.'
He struck the hard ground in frustration.
Then he started looking at me.
When the sparring ended, they naturally looked at Luen and me, their gazes clearly asking if we weren't going to spar.
"Would you like to?"
"I'd like to learn a move or two."
I was about to take the iron sword the vice-captain offered, but refused it, feeling it would bring bad luck.
"You won't take it?"
"Joseph, give it here."
"Yes."
"I can't believe this. Really."
I passed the scoffing Diego and stood face to face with Luen.
"Captain Luen. But why are you here? As far as I know, the Golden Lion Knight Order was guarding the Southern Front."
"As you said, we were originally stationed at the Southern Front, but a man who caught my interest appeared, and while moving north, I ended up staying in the County for a bit."
Interest?
"The Southern Front seems to be leisurely."
"I had to come up anyway due to His Majesty's summons. This was along the way."
"I see."
"To evade the pursuit of the Golden Lion Knight Order and escape—he must be no ordinary person. Perhaps an Imperial spy?"
Clang-! A sharp sound rang out from the iron swords clashing without sword aura.
As if we had agreed upon it, we exchanged swords with pure physical strength, without using divine power.
"Yes, he had quite a mysterious appearance, and his skills were remarkable."
Swish, clang!
Slowly, bit by bit, we increased our speed and pushed more power into our swords.
The swords that had initially clashed slowly enough to be seen by the eye now clashed fast enough to send sparks flying wildly.
Yet we calmly continued our questions to each other.
"For the Golden Lion Luen to speak so highly of him."
"I didn't fight him properly, but the way he easily dodged my sword was like watching a jaguar. There was something a bit strange, so I was pursuing him."
I immediately pulled my sword back and feinted a high strike before thrusting toward his lower body.
But Luen, as if he had already seen through it, countered and pushed my sword upward with a grinding sound.
Then he immediately struck down as if to bite and tear.
Though it was clearly one strike, it looked as if three swords were coming down.
The power was the same as well.
I tried to simply block it but changed my mind.
I relaxed the strength in my grip and held the sword with just my fingers, letting the strike flow away like water.
But I couldn't deflect all of it.
That was how powerful his swordsmanship was.
Before we knew it, we had lost our words.
Instead, we conversed with our swords.
As if saying this was enough, Luen's sword suddenly began to shine.
As a solid sword aura began to rise, I responded in kind.
A sword aura like a lion's mane.
It enveloped his entire body, creating a figure that suited the moniker "Golden Lion" perfectly.
That was the Golden Lion of Luidren.
"You'll recognize him immediately if you cross paths. He was a man whose presence was distinctly beast-like, so with your skill, Count, you'll sense it right away."
Someone who could escape the Golden Lion was no ordinary person.
I also raised my sword aura.
A sword aura that looked messy at first glance.
It was the sword aura of the Silver Flower Shattering Sword—like scales tightly packed together, or perhaps like flower petals.
"Who do you think it is?"
"Well, he didn't carry a sword, and it wasn't a spear either."
"What was he wearing?"
"He was wearing rags. No, perhaps I should say it was a bit more structured than that."
"I see."
A person came to mind, but right now, that wasn't enough to capture my interest.
All I could see was the sparring match unfolding before me with the Golden Lion.
Boom-!!
The moment our sword auras properly clashed, an earth-shattering roar reverberated.
The shockwave spread out, making the hair of the watching knights flutter.
My sword was a fast sword.
But the Golden Lion's sword was a heavy sword.
It wasn't fast, but each strike was heavy and pierced through definite openings.
Clang-!
The method of operating divine power that spread out like a mane, born from the Luidren family's swordsmanship and cultivation technique, caught my eye.
In that moment, I forgot about the Sixth Division.
I forgot about the Imperial spy.
I erased everything, one by one, and forgot.
There was only the sword gripped in my hand and Luen's lion sword roaring like a lion before my eyes, clashing against it.
With every clash of swords, I could feel his experience, his habits, and his strength.
We had both been holding our swords with one hand, but as soon as I felt the probing phase was over, I immediately gripped my sword with both hands and swung it in one fluid motion.
Crash-!!
"……."
Spinning, thunk.
The broken iron sword spun through the sky before embedding itself in the training ground floor.
The broken sword was Callias's.
Meanwhile, the Golden Lion's sword was intact.
"Tch."
Callias looked at the broken blade and tossed it aside carelessly.
"Captain Luen. Let's meet again next time."
"Yes, take care, Count."
The moment he and the Sixth Division left.
The Golden Lion Knight Order approached Captain Luen's side.
"He was indeed remarkable, just as you said. Is that Saint Stella's sword?"
"Yes. The Silver Flower Shattering Sword. A lost swordsmanship."
"But his mastery doesn't seem that high yet. Since you won, Captain..."
At his subordinate's words, the Captain silently raised his iron sword. And.
"Look."
The Golden Lion curled the corners of his mouth into a grin as he looked at his sword.
When he flicked it with his finger, the iron sword soon cracked with a sharp sound.
"A spar is just a spar."