Chapter 618 – 618. God’S Atlantis
618. God’s Atlantis
The Five Dukes of the Empire.
The five dukes who support the Ustia Empire.
The Duke of a Thousand Years, the Duke of Water Robes, the Duke of the Foolish Sword, the Duke of the Iron Man, and the Duke of Illusion.
Among them, the Duke of a Thousand Years is the oldest, and Elena, the Duke of Illusion, has only been one of the Imperial Dukes for a few years.
The task I received from Elena was to send a letter to one of the Imperial Dukes, the Duke of the Foolish Sword.
Why make me do such a thing?
‘The Duke of the Foolish Sword’s territory is a place that cannot be reached by space-time scrolls. Moreover, it’s in a dangerous and remote location, so sending any ordinary knight or soldier would only result in their death.’
Above all, there was a presence that was constantly interfering with Elena. The Crown Prince, who desired absolute power. It was imperative to prevent the Imperial Dukes from joining hands.
‘Haa. It looks like I’ll be suffering for at least a few days. The task is important, and I don’t know what might happen, so I’m reluctant to use auto-progress….’
Clatter. Clatter.
I whipped the reins of the horse I had received and galloped across the land.
However, I had to dismount after only half a day. It wasn’t by my own will.
The horse had abandoned me and ran away. But the horse didn’t abandon me for no reason. It acted as if it had been brainwashed by someone.
“That damn bastard….”
I looked up at the sky.
There was a black horse. The black horse with eight legs and wrapped in black smoke raised the corners of its mouth as it looked at me.
「World Leap (Pseudo) is mocking you.」
World Leap.
Sleipnir.
I had once tried to kill him at the urging of the Lord of the Sky. I failed then, and Sleipnir was harboring a grudge and interfering with me.
“Thunder!”
I dropped lightning towards Sleipnir. However, as if proving that he wasn’t an ordinary flying horse, he dodged all my lightning bolts by darting around the sky and disappeared.
“…Damn it!”
I clicked my tongue.
Follow the escaped horse and catch it again? I wanted to, but that horse wasn’t ordinary. I forgot its name, but it was a horse that could run for a week without getting tired. It was also so fast that it was impossible for me to follow it.
‘Should I take out a motorcycle or a helicopter?’
I pondered but gave up.
I already felt like the system was watching me these days, and I didn’t want to do anything that would stand out.
‘And it would be annoying if strange rumors started spreading.’
I started walking down the road, then realized I was just walking and used auto-progress.
•••
“Where are you going alone, you scholar?”
“…….”
A band of thieves appeared in front of me.
I narrowed my eyes and stared at the thieves. Dirty, dark-skinned men. About 15 of them, and not a single woman.
Normally, I would have killed them without question as soon as I saw them.
“Hey. Who ordered you to kill me?”
But this was the fourth time today that I had encountered a band of thieves. I had thought nothing of the first three attacks. There were many thieves around here because the land was barren. But no matter what, if I was attacked four times in half a day, even I would become suspicious.
“Who dares to give us orders! Don’t insult us!”
“For thieves to talk about insults. So, you weren’t really ordered to attack me?”
“You came to our territory! Don’t beg for your life even if you don’t want to die! We’ll kill you and take everything you have!”
“These morons don’t even know what kind of cloak I’m wearing.”
I muttered in annoyance.
Currently, I was wearing a cloak with blue butterflies embroidered on a white background. Any citizen of the empire, even a child, would know that the blue butterfly represents the Baldert family.
“Heh heh. Are you going to claim to be a knight of the Baldert family, you vulgar fellow? I know your type well. You’re definitely not the kind of person who could become a knight. You fraud, consider yourself lucky that we’re killing you before the Balderts chase you down!”
“……So, you thought I was a pushover.”
“Kill him!”
I took out the spear I had been practicing with recently from my inventory and engaged in battle with the band of thieves.
‘It’s easy.’
Using the spear’s long range made the battle easy. Most of the thieves, who were carrying swords, were cut or stabbed by my spear before they could even get close to me.
“Hah, huff…! A, a real Baldert knight?!”
The thief leader, who had lost all his subordinates in less than a minute, was shocked. He glanced at me, then turned and ran away at full speed.
‘How foolish. Does he really think he can escape from me?’
I took a javelin stance. Even though it was a mass-produced item, it was a spear made by a dwarf, so it felt quite exquisite in my hand.
‘Astrape.’
Lightning crackled around the spear. I threw the spear at the thief leader, who was running away in a hurry. The spear, which flew like lightning through the air with a thunderous sound, pierced the leader’s body accurately.
The result was more gruesome than I had expected. The leader’s body was shattered, and his flesh fragments flew in all directions.
‘Even though I used a lot of mana, this power is unexpected. Is it because of Astrape?’
I trudged over, retrieved the spear, and continued on my way.
•••
I arrived at a fairly large village.
I had been walking for three days, so I planned to rest in this village today and leave again tomorrow.
‘There must be a brothel, right? Even if there isn’t, a village of this size should have quite a few beauties.’
As soon as I entered the village entrance, people stared at me.
“…….”
They quietly observed me. It didn’t seem like a village that welcomed strangers.
“Impertinent.”
I muttered as if for them to hear, fluttering my cloak. The villagers flinched and lowered their gazes.
Currently, my status was that of a knight of the Baldert Duchy. A higher status than commoners.
“Since this body has deigned to visit such a shabby village, it is only right that I receive the village chief’s gratitude. Bring the village chief.”
“Ye, yes. Sir Knight!”
I had finally obtained the status of a Baldert knight, so I couldn’t help but act high and mighty.
I waited for the village chief with my arms crossed solemnly. At that moment, a young boy approached me. He was holding a flower basket in his hand.
“S, Sir Knight. Do you need flowers?”
“I don’t need any.”
“Sir Knight! P, please buy some flowers! I haven’t eaten anything for three days!”
The boy grabbed my left leg. I was angry, so I shook my left leg and kicked the boy.
“Aaaah!”
The boy fell backward. Even though it looked like this, I showed mercy. I controlled my strength and kicked him.
“I, I’m sorry. Please spare me! Sir Knight! Please spare me!”
“Indeed. As expected of a beggar, your skills in bowing your head are excellent. I’ll spare you.”
I glanced around.
‘The village women who are watching must have seen it too. My generous mercy.’
Then I found a girl. She was wearing shabby clothes and holding a flower basket in her hand. As soon as our eyes met, she trembled and took a step back. I approached the girl and knelt on one knee.
“Lady. I happen to need flowers, would you sell them to me?”
“U, uh, th… that….”
The girl was flustered. Seeing her up close, I could be even more certain. She was a girl who would become a beauty in the future.
I grabbed the flowers in the basket and put money in the basket instead.
‘These flowers are….’
I didn’t really need them.
I scattered the flowers on the boy who was still lying on the ground.
“It seems like you like flowers, so I’ll give them to you as a gift. Take them.”
I looked around again. There was no one in the village who dared to make eye contact with me.
In the distance, I saw an old man hurrying over. Judging by the atmosphere and timing, he was the village chief.
“I, I’m sorry! I dared to make the Sir Knight wait!”
“It’s alright. I’ve been walking non-stop to get here. I’m tired, so I want to rest well in this village.”
“I’ll guide you to the inn!”
“Village Chief. Since you’re the representative of this village, you must have the best house, right? I’ll be staying at your house.”
“My house is too shabby for the Sir Knight to stay in! I’ll guide you to the best inn in the village! It’s been a long time since a Sir Knight has visited, so the innkeeper won’t charge you for the inn!”
The village chief seemed to have grasped my personality to some extent.
“You seem to think of me as too shameless. I will, of course, pay for my lodging.”
I took out my money pouch. The money inside the pouch sparkled. A total of 1 million pennies. About 10 million won in Korean currency.
In a poor village like this, this amount of money was a lot. The villagers’ gazes were focused on me.
“Village Chief. If you let me stay at your house for one day… all this money is yours. Ah, of course, you’ll have to attend to me, but I might give you an extra tip.”
“I will welcome the Sir Knight to my house!”
“Heh heh. I knew it.”
I didn’t skimp on money.
The money I earned wasn’t for saving. I earned money to use it all.
I arrived at the village chief’s house. It was a better house than the other houses nearby.
“Sir Knight! Just a moment, just a moment! I’ll have my wife and daughter-in-law clean the best room right away!”
“Hmm. I understand.”
I answered disappointedly. The woman who was said to be the daughter-in-law, who I could see behind the village chief, was old and ordinary-looking. She wasn’t my type.
“Village Chief.”
“Yes. Sir Knight.”
“I don’t care if she’s a virgin, a widow, or married. Bring me a beauty. And the more beauties, the better.”
“That’s….”
The village chief trailed off and made a troubled expression.
The reason why a robust man would look for a beauty was simple, so there was no way the village chief wouldn’t know.
I showed the village chief my pouch. It wasn’t the money pouch I had shown him earlier. It was a pouch full of dazzling jewels.
The village chief’s eyes widened.
This amount of jewels was enough to buy the entire village and still have some left over.
“I’ll give you jewels depending on the woman’s beauty. One for the village chief. One for the beauty. The value of one of these jewels… I don’t need to tell you, do I?”
“Yes. Yes. Of course, Sir Knight.”
Greed flickered in the village chief’s eyes. Just because he was old didn’t mean he was wise or detached from greed.
“If you bring me a beauty who satisfies me, I might give you even more jewels. Bring her within three hours. I’ll wait, trusting the village chief who has ruled this village for a long time.”
“I won’t make you wait long!”
The village chief hurriedly left the house. He seemed to have thought of a few women in his head.
I sat leisurely on the tidied bed and waited for the beauty.
The village chief returned in about an hour. There was a woman wearing a cloak next to him.
“Village Chief. You haven’t forgotten the conditions I mentioned, have you?”
“You’ll be satisfied! Lidella! This is the Sir Knight! Take off your cloak!”
“Yes.”
It was a soft and gentle voice.
‘Her voice is a pass for now.’
The cloak fell to the ground.
Long, golden hair that shone brilliantly rippled once. And green eyes turned towards me. Her skin was white, and her features were distinct. Her eyes were slightly droopy, giving off a gentle atmosphere.
“…Amazing. To think there would be such a beauty in this village.”
“Yes. Yes. She’s the most beautiful woman in the village. It was very difficult to persuade her.”
I gave 5 jewels to the village chief and the other 5 to Lidella.
“Thank you! Sir Knight!”
“Leave.”
“Yes! Have a good time!”
The village chief left the room, grinning. I stared intently at the woman and asked.
“Introduce yourself.”
“I’m Lidella. I just had my coming-of-age ceremony recently.”
“Are you a virgin?”
“……Yes.”
Lidella blushed slightly and nodded.
As I began to take off my clothes first, she hesitated and then took off her clothes as well. Her breasts were about a B cup, and her waist was slender. Her legs were long, giving her a model-like feel.
Looking at the moisture on her underwear, it seemed like she had taken a shower before coming here.
She hesitated and couldn’t take off her underwear right away.
“I didn’t expect a beauty like you to come. Did you need money that badly?”
“……I want to leave this village and live in the city. I need money to do that.”
“Indeed. It’s a waste for your looks to rot here.”
I approached her as she stood there awkwardly. My hand naturally went to her crotch. My fingers stroked the soft golden pubic hair and went further down to her private area. I smiled with satisfaction after confirming her hymen with my fingers.
Thwack!
A sharp knife pierced my heart.
I reflexively looked at Lidella’s face. The shy expression of a virgin was nowhere to be seen, and the cold eyes of an assassin were looking at me.
