Chapter 2085 – 2085. The Fallen Empire
I rode along the road with Cotton. We occasionally encountered merchants, travelers, and mercenaries. Of course, they all bowed their heads in respect. A knight was a quasi-noble rank below a noble, so it was only natural.
Riding a horse wasn’t entirely boring. Monsters would occasionally pop out and attack. Wild goblins and kobolds, mostly. They were all slaughtered by me and Cotton’s swords in less than three minutes.
“Those disgusting monsters never seem to disappear, no matter how many you kill. Well done, Sir Daycart.”
“It’s nothing to be praised for. This is the fifth attack today. It seems there are many monsters nearby, why not exterminate them?”
“If there are trolls or orcs, the Count himself leads the troops to exterminate them. Goblins and kobolds are not difficult for an adult male to handle if they have weapons, so we tend to leave them be. In the first place, the people of the territory rarely leave their villages or cities. These monsters don’t come down to where people live, so there are few extermination parties.”
Unlike Earth, this world treated monsters like wild beasts. It wasn’t strange. For them, the existence of monsters was a given.
“Do you know what kind of person Baron Triway is, the noble to whom we must deliver Count Morc’s letter?”
I asked Cotton. I didn’t know much about the tangled relationships of the nobles here, and I was bored riding the horse.
“He is the father of the Count’s third wife. In other words, the Count’s father-in-law.”
“Indeed. If he’s family, he’ll help.”
Count Morc, with the territorial war imminent, had no choice but to rely on alliances to survive. In other words, with the power of an alliance, he could avoid a two-front war.
The road was close and well-maintained, so we arrived at Baron Triway’s territory in just two days. It was definitely smaller than the Count’s territory, but it had everything it needed. It was definitely a developing city.
We met Baron Triway at his mansion. He was a thin man with piercing eyes. His children and servants were busy watching the Baron’s every move. He seemed like an authoritarian figure.
“I hear you’ve brought a letter from Count Morc? Triway welcomes you. I’ve prepared a meal for you. It may be lacking, but rest well for now.”
Baron Triway accepted the letter. He immediately broke the seal and read the contents.
“A war with Viscount Gledenberg… So he’s finally revealed his dark intentions. War is unpleasant, but it must be done when necessary. Summon the troops!”
Baron Triway issued a call to arms. I asked him calmly.
“Did you know that war was coming? You didn’t hesitate at all before reading the letter and summoning the troops.”
“I love peace. But the times do not desire peace. So, shouldn’t we prepare in advance? Tell Count Morc that I will protect his rear while the territorial war with Veroprin is underway.”
I could see Count Morc’s plan.
Win the territorial war, receive 50,000 territory residents and war supplies from Veroprin, and then attack Viscount Gledenberg. If he armed 50,000 territory residents and pushed them onto the battlefield, victory would be almost certain.
In the end, what matters is victory. The victor will take everything.
We spent the night in Baron Triway’s territory and set off again in the morning.
Next, we met Baron Allsreg. The mustachioed baron looked at us with cold eyes.
“I understand Count Morc’s intentions. But Count Morc’s inner thoughts are too sinister for me to join him. On the other hand, Viscount Gledenberg has a cause. I support Viscount Gledenberg. So, leave my territory immediately.”
We were turned away at the door.
We were chased out without even getting a glass of water. Cotton’s expression was not good. It was like an enemy had increased.
“Sir Daycart. We must hurry. We need to check the movements of the other nobles!”
We rode for three days and met four more nobles. The results were mixed.
‘This war is going to be bigger than I thought.’
Count Morc, Viscount Gledenberg, and all these guys were preparing for war. There was no true peace in this fallen empire.
The horse walked on. Even a horse specialized for running would get tired. A horse was a living thing, after all.
But today, Cotton’s complexion was dark.
“Sir Cotton, you don’t look well. Is it because of the impending war? No, that’s an insult to you. I’m sorry.”
“…Sir Daycart. Do you have no intention of truly serving Count Morc?”
“As I said before, I am looking for my destined lord. Count Morc is an excellent noble, but I don’t feel like he’s my destiny. As promised, I will participate in this territorial war and lead Count Morc to victory. And then I will leave after receiving my knighthood.”
“…Sir Daycart. I have a request. Give up your knighthood and leave now. You are an excellent knight even without a knighthood. You have a knight’s secret technique and are armed with sturdy armor and a sword. Even without a knighthood, you are a knight who knows honor.”
“Without a knighthood, I’ll be ignored. Didn’t you do that?”
“Please forget about that. It was my mistake. You are young. You will have another chance to get a knighthood. So, give it up this time.”
Cotton, being a knight, would know that a knight without a knighthood is not officially a knight.
Yet, he was telling me to give up the knighthood and leave?
There was only one reason I could think of.
“…Did Count Morc tell you to kill me?”
“Yes.”
“I’m disappointed in Count Morc. I thought he was a noble who knew honor…”
“Viscount Gledenberg’s declaration of war was something the Count did not expect. The Count currently suspects that Viscount Gledenberg has done something to his territory. The most suspicious thing is…”
“Me, right? I suddenly appeared before the war broke out… Count Morc didn’t trust me.”
Above all, if he had someone investigate me, he would have realized that my actions didn’t exist at all. The knight named Daycart did not exist in this world.
Count Morc had decided to eliminate the seed of unease by using Cotton.
“Why are you telling me all this? You could have killed me quietly. Is it because of your honor?”
He could have snuck up on me while I was sleeping and stabbed me with a sword, or poisoned my water. There were many ways to kill me. Honestly, I had been careless recently. Cotton was the guy who even brought me a concubine.
“Didn’t you save my life, Sir Daycart? In that village, when I collapsed from sleeping pills, I would have died if you hadn’t been there. So, please leave now.”
Count Morc had betrayed me. I wanted to kill Count Morc right now. But if Count Morc died now, the territorial war would fail. Veroprin would win, and Park Suho would grow. Maybe. Just maybe, Park Suho might reach S-rank before me. That had to be prevented.
“I have already made a promise to Count Morc. I will fight for him until the territorial war and receive my knighthood. If I leave now, I would be abandoning my honor.”
“You can build honor again. You will be welcomed wherever you go.”
“But that doesn’t mean the honor I abandoned will come back.”
“…Do you really have to?”
“Sir Cotton. You can report that you couldn’t stop me. Count Morc will care about his reputation, so he won’t openly kill me.”
“Do you know why I’m telling you this here? There are soldiers and knights disguised as bandits ambushing ahead. If you don’t turn back now, you will be killed by bandits. It’s a great disgrace.”
“Well, I don’t think I’ll lose.”
“Arrogance. No, you have great confidence. I understand, since you are Sir Daycart, not just any knight.”
Cotton got off his horse and drew his sword. I remained on my horse, looking at him.
“Sir Daycart! Draw your sword!”
“Are you going to fight here? Didn’t you say there was an ambush ahead?”
“I am only acting for my honor.”
“…I see. Sir Cotton, you are a true knight.”
I turned my horse’s head. I kicked the horse’s belly, and it began to gallop at full speed.
“Sir Daycart?!”
Cotton, flustered, called out to me loudly from behind. I ignored him and sped away.
It was the moment I entered the excessively quiet forest path. A spear appeared, piercing through the trunk of a tree next to me. The spear was aimed directly at me.
I raised my sword and deflected the spear. Bandits hidden everywhere revealed themselves. To be precise, they were knights and soldiers pretending to be bandits.
‘A total of 33. Three knights and the rest are soldiers.’
Including Cotton, there were four knights. The 30 soldiers were clumsy. Their role was closer to meat shields. They would sacrifice themselves to create an opening if necessary.
I could feel their determination to take me down for sure. I jumped off my horse as if leaping. The horse was just cumbersome here.
A spear flew straight at me. It pierced through the tree in front and continued forward. A spear that never stopped. I raised my sword and slashed it, deflecting the spear. Only then did the spear lose its power and fall from the air to the ground.
[The Heavenly Eye is opened.]
I could see the direction where the knight who threw the spear was. I grabbed the falling spear and threw it back in the direction it came from. The knight couldn’t dodge and was killed with his heart pierced.
Thunder Heaven Style Electromagnetic Wave.
An electromagnetic wave spread out from me. I could directly feel the locations of the hidden enemies without seeing them with my own eyes. It was surprisingly easier than seeing them directly with my eyes.
‘There’s a knight hiding under the ground. Is this also a knight’s secret technique? What exactly is a knight’s secret technique that makes this possible? What’s certain is that the secret technique is not martial arts.’
Meteor Sword.
A sword wrapped in blue lightning fell from the sky to the ground.
Kwaaaang!
The meteor sword, embedded in the ground, exploded with lightning. The ground flipped over, creating a crater. It was only natural that the knight hiding underground was shattered into pieces.
“Go and kill him! I will make the one who kills him my servant!”
“Waaaaaaaah!”
The hidden soldiers charged at once.
