novelraw Chapter 156: Engagement - Neck
Chapter 156: Engagement - Neck
156. Engagement - Neck
Leo Dexter knelt.
As the winner of the Reti Tournament, he addressed King Petra de Klaus with due respect.
"It was a mere 'divine power' of a humble swordsman just beginning his journey. I am deeply grateful for your high praise."
Leo deliberately suppressed his pronunciation, mispronouncing "divine power" to imply he was not worthy of responding as a true knight.
Cheers erupted.
The citizens of Manubium, filling the tournament hall, were still applauding without understanding anything.
King Petra de Klaus silently watched him, as if deep in thought. Leo felt like a crow's beak would pierce his crown at any moment, but he did not raise his bowed head.
The king remained silent. Just as the atmosphere started to grow awkward, Prince Pablo de Klaus, who was sitting beside him, cautiously asked.
"Father? Do you have more to say...?"Conscious of the surrounding gazes, the king silently waved his hand, dismissing the winners and summoning the magician.
Leo breathed a sigh of relief. However, as he retrieved his sword and returned to the stage, he closed his eyes tightly as he heard the king declare war on the Kingdom of Aisel.
Foolish man.
Now he understood. Why Halpas was here, why the Kingdom of Astin declared war on the Kingdom of Bellita, and even why the 'Nine-Day War' broke out in the past.
The King of Astin was likely also a knight. Here was the black crow, Halpas, and over there would be the red crow, Malpas, the other half of Malhas.
The altars found in the capital of the Kingdom of Astin, Barnaul. Those were drawn by Malpas.
Currently, the kings of the Kingdom of Astin and the Kingdom of Aster ascended the throne by killing their fathers who started the Nine-Day War. After splitting the Kingdom of Aslan in two, they gathered strength over ten years and recently began waging war again.
It was clearly the work of Malhas, who thrived on sowing discord and feeding on the victor and the vanquished.
'So what should I... we do?'
Despite numerous achievements, I was still just a mere swordsman.
My skill surpassed most knights. That was certainly impressive, but it was truly nothing compared to Malhas, who had seized the two northern kingdoms.
"War all of a sudden... Could it be because the prince refused to go to the Kingdom of Aisel last time?"
The citizens murmured, covering their mouths, at the declaration to attack the magical kingdom, with which there had been long-standing animosity.
"Seems so. The king tried to marry the prince to the princess of the Kingdom of Aisel. Damn it. How many years has it been since the Nine-Day War..."
But it was the king's command. If the king ordered them to extract nails with their bare hands, they had to comply.
The citizens, who had been glaring at the prince with resentment, forced cheers, and the Reti Tournament ended grandly amidst the murmuring.
Lena Ainar curiously looked at the completely dejected winner, Leo.
*
"Hahaha! You're impressive, but your boyfriend is even more so! Why haven't you mentioned him until now?"
On the way back to their lodging, Bahatar, oblivious to Lena's feelings, struck up a conversation.
"Was there anything to mention? Even if I said our Leo would win, wouldn't you have confidently stated that Droksha would be stronger?"
"That's true. Man, I was shocked that Droksha lost. I thought no one could beat him unless they were a knight."
Bahatar patted the embarrassed friend, Droksha, on the shoulder.
Lena knew why this man held Droksha in such high regard. She had heard when Leo asked, "What is the relationship between the Albacete tribe and Baron Arpen Albacete?"
The Swordmaster of the Kingdom of Astin, and the first barbarian to become a noble, Baron Arpen Albacete, was a friend of Droksha Albacete. They were born in the same tribe, underwent the trials of the Great Warrior together, and even participated side by side in the Maunin-Reti Tournament.
However, their paths diverged afterward.
Droksha wanted to remain the Great Warrior of the tribe. He had no interest in becoming a knight, so he declined the opportunity to become one even after placing in the Maunin-Reti Tournament.
On the other hand, Arpen chose to become a knight. Dreaming of fame and success, he sent Droksha back and began his life in the knighthood alone.
Initially, he frequently visited his hometown. He made sure to take a leave once a year to visit the Albacete tribe and catch up with his old friend.
But at some point, Arpen stopped visiting his hometown. He occasionally sent letters, but his news ceased completely after the 'Nine-Day War.'
As everyone knew, Arpen became a Swordmaster at the end of the Nine-Day War. He was the first barbarian to become a baron and successfully achieved fame and success.
It had been over ten years since contact with Arpen was lost. After raising his children into fine warriors, Droksha decided to visit his friend himself.
Since a Great Warrior couldn't leave the tribe freely, he gathered his friends under the pretense of participating in the Maunin Tournament.
Unfortunately, when they arrived in Barnaul, Arpen Albacete was out at war. They learned from the baron's steward that the Maunin Tournament was also canceled due to the war, so Droksha decided to participate in the Reti Tournament instead, not wanting to return empty-handed.
Perhaps by the time they returned, the war would be over, and his friend would be back in Barnaul.
"How about you take up the sword too? Who knows? You might become a Swordmaster. Honestly, your skills were similar."
"Nonsense. Changing weapons doesn't improve skills. And that friend Arpen liked axes so much that he stuck with them even after becoming a knight. I heard he recently switched to a greatsword though..."
Droksha shrugged, lightly accepting Bahatar's joke. They walked leisurely towards their lodging, like the citizens dispersing after the tournament.
By the time they arrived in front of their lodging, the sun was setting...
At that moment, Leo felt a chill and turned around. He spotted a masked knight walking towards him.
Damn it.
Quick-witted Leo jolted in fright. "Leo?" called Lena as she turned to him, and he shouted, "Run!" before darting off down the street.
"Leo! Where are you going?!"
There was no time to answer.
Could the king have sent a knight already? I thought if I kept my distance, it would be fine, but Malhas must have judged that I had encroached on his territory and sent someone to kill me.
Moreover, that knight was likely a Swordmaster. If his reputation was true, he was a monster Leo could never hope to defeat.
It's over.
Crashing into the people blocking his path, Leo lamented his fate.
He had tried to avoid every crisis. But with just one encounter with the king, everything was over.
If only I didn't have this mark...
Leo cursed the mark of Barbatos on his palm as he ran.
"Hey, look! Isn't that the winner from earlier?"
The citizens, returning home in groups, recognized Leo and applauded. Some warriors whistled and shouted that he was impressive today.
Amid the passing cheers and applause, Leo felt an indescribable loneliness.
They knew nothing. They had no idea what was happening in this kingdom.
And Leo himself was just one person who had to flee from this great evil.
Leo looked back. Wondering if he had gained some distance, he turned his blurred vision from heavy breathing, only to find the small-framed knight right behind him.
"Damn it!"
Leo gritted his teeth and turned around. At the same time, he drew his sword and swung it with all his might.
- Clang!
The masked knight easily blocked it. The moment Leo recognized the knight's weapon, the knight twisted his own weapon.
Sword Breaker.
The sword had a thick blade, like a wooden stick, and its sharpness was maximized. It was specialized in breaking the opponent's sword or competing in weapon durability.
The knight struck repeatedly. Each impact met the firm surface of the sword like solid wood, and as the knight twisted his sword slightly at the moment of contact, cracks began to form on Leo's sword.
"Ugh!"
Leo pretended to strike and then threw the sword he received as a tournament prize. While the knight parried the spinning sword, Leo drew his own sword.
[ Achievement: Bound Item, 0/3 ]
[ Sword - Unbreakable. ]
- Clang!
The knight's mask shook. He seemed to gauge the hardness of Leo's sword from a single clash and shifted his grip on the handle.
He then used the unnotched part of his blade, aiming the ordinary edge at Leo.
"What's going on?"
"Isn't that the tournament winner? Why is he being attacked by a royal knight? Did he do something wrong?"
The citizens lining the streets murmured. They hesitated upon seeing the masked knight in the royal guard's uniform and soon their mouths fell open.
Aura Blade.
The knight's weapon flared brilliantly white as impurities burned away, revealing his identity to the citizens.
"It's Count Mordred!"
"Isn't he the captain of the royal guard? My goodness. That guy must have done something seriously wrong to the king."
"Huh? Wuh? Whuy iss thaht fayus beiung hutted by thu gahurrd cheyptun? Wuhat dee id du?"
At that moment, the man presumed to be Count Mordred opened his mouth. His words were unintelligible, but the citizens recognized him.
It was well-known that the count had lost half of his jaw during the Nine-Day War and could barely speak. Perhaps realizing that communication was futile, the masked knight nodded and irritably shook his head before striking with his sword.
- Clang!
But it was blocked. Leo's unbreakable sword stopped the aura blade.
The knight hesitated, seemingly surprised, though his expression was hidden by the mask.
Of course, this didn't mean the tide had turned. Even though Leo's sword neutralized the aura blade, the gap between him and the Swordmaster was immense.
There was no exploiting each other's strengths and weaknesses in their swordsmanship. The difference in their mastery was simply too great.
The Swordmaster twisted his blade slightly with each clash, perhaps out of habit to break swords, using the recoil to continue his attack with incredible speed.
Leo was overwhelmingly outmatched. Even with his {Swordsmanship.3v: Bart Style}, he barely managed to protect his torso and head. His shoulders and thighs were shredded.
"Ugh!"
At this rate, he would die. Leo sensed his impending doom but fought on with all his might.
There was no reason to die easily. He had to survive somehow and escape with Lena.
But as he retreated, he found himself cornered. Manubium's second military facility, an impregnable fortress, blocked his way.
It was a canal.
Unlike a moat built around or within a castle wall, the military purpose of a canal wasn't to block enemy attacks.
It was designed to split the enemy's camp in two or push them to build their camp outside the canal, flowing in an awkward location around the fortress.
Now, it served as the capital's waterway, but if necessary, it could be poisoned or flooded at night by controlling the upstream sluices.
Normally, someone on the run would welcome flowing water, but Leo hesitated.
If he fell in, he would die.
Though not very high, if he floated in that slow-moving water and the knight jumped in, he would be helpless against the sword.
- Clang!
The Swordmaster seemed to realize this, persistently clashing his sword against Leo's, trying to push him off the ledge.
Leo was physically stronger, but he couldn't deflect the Swordmaster's blade.
A grating, eerie scraping sound. If he pushed incorrectly, the blade might turn and decapitate him.
Holding on by sheer strength was the best he could do. He wasn't sure how long his injured shoulders and thighs would last.
The two men were now close enough for their bodies to touChapter Through the gap in the mask, Leo saw the fierce, burning eyes of the Swordmaster and had a sudden thought.
{Barbatos' Bracelet}
Could he use [Enchantment Gaze] to somehow stall this man?
But it was a consumable item... Only three uses allowed, total, for all the remaining attempts.
The Swordmaster's sword wasn't consecrated, but would he be susceptible to enchantment under Halpas' command?
As his body leaned precariously over the low ledge, Leo's mind raced. Then,
"Leo!"
Amid the murmuring crowd, Lena burst forth. The Swordmaster's eyes flicked to her, and Leo felt a sense of finality.
"Look at me!"
Leo's eyes turned red. One of the beads on his bracelet shattered, the red filling his eyes.
'Please. Please. Please.'
Leo anxiously watched the knight's reaction...
"Hmm!"
The Swordmaster's aura blade flared blindingly bright. Realizing an attempt to enchant him, he pressed harder.
He would fall at this rate...
- Swoosh!! Clang.
Suddenly, the Swordmaster turned abruptly, pulling back his aura blade to strike behind him.
"Leo! Are you okay?"
Leo avoided falling, but Lena's charge had been cut short as her sword was cleaved in two. She stood trembling, holding the broken hilt.
"Lena! Run away!"
The Swordmaster ignored the now unarmed Lena. With terrifying speed, he swung his sword, causing Leo's body to shudder with each impact. Then,
"Ah!"
"...?!"
Lena, who had been shaking, calmed down. She threw away the broken sword hilt and,
"How can I leave you behind!"
She shouted and charged the Swordmaster.
- Boom! Crack!
Lena spread her arms and tackled the Swordmaster. He tried to dodge, but she clung to his torso. The ledge crumbled as they both fell into the canal.
"Lena! No!"
Leo barely clung to the ledge, reaching out. He swung his hand to catch Lena's leg, but what he grabbed was...
Her hair.
The recent swing of the aura blade had sliced Lena's neck. Her body and head followed different trajectories, with her head landing in Leo's hand, tied with the hair ribbon he had given her.
With trembling hands, Leo lifted Lena's now light body. As her hair turned, the message appeared:
[Lena has died.]
Her face vanished swiftly from his view.
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