< Chapter 70 - Patriotic Duke >
Chapter 70 – The Guardians of the Nation
The war with the Argon Empire is over.
But neither side believed that true peace had been achieved.
Just a temporary ceasefire.
“The war never ends.”
The empire could never give up the Silates Plain, the continent’s greatest granary.
And the same was true for the Kingdom of Cailun, which was already enjoying the benefits of the Silates Plains.
“A fight that will only end when one side falls.”
However, neither side reached the point of an all-out war that would determine the fate of their country.
Because it was not a situation where one side had an absolute upper hand.
As a result, the Kingdom of Cailun and the Argon Empire have fought eight wars over the past hundred years.
If you include the smaller, localized battles, there were hundreds of battles.
“I don’t hate it.”
If there had been no war, my life would have ended at best as that of a back-alley gangster.
Maybe he couldn’t even do that and starved to death.
As always, there was war and there was a shortage of troops.
I was wandering around the back alleys when I was lured into becoming a soldier by the promise of bread.
It was good at first.
Anyway, I now have bread to eat for every meal, and a comfortable bed to sleep in.
A life where I could eat and sleep without having my food stolen or being attacked while sleeping was like heaven to me at the time.
But when you actually stand on the battlefield, the story changes.
No matter how hard I tried to think about it, I couldn’t remember the day of the first battle.
All I could remember was that I was the only one who had survived out of the twenty people living in the barracks, and that the tall guy next to me who was always noisy had been shot in the forehead with an arrow and died as soon as the battle started.
The war continued, and the skinny little boy, who had been struggling not to die, gradually began to learn the tricks of survival.
And eventually, not only did they learn to survive, they also learned how to kill others.
“I don’t want to die.”
My life was full of nothing but suffering, so why was I so obsessed with life?
I fought to live, I killed to live.
Although he couldn’t even remember when or where he committed his first murder, he did remember the murder he consciously committed – the one he defined as his first murder.
The moment the spear pierced the opponent’s chest.
When the soldier in front of me, whose name I didn’t even know, ended his life.
There wasn’t much joy in surviving.
There was no such thing as the thrill of killing and ending a life with my own hands.
I was just scared.
Death.
That’s what it means to die.
As time passed, I became more and more skilled at fighting. Skills became skills, and skills in turn called for more effort. It was natural to want to do better when you did well.
Moreover, the only effort one could make to avoid dying on the battlefield was to become stronger.
The war is over, and the back-alley rascal without even a name from his parents becomes a knight.
“And then another 20 years.”
A brief peace and two wars.
The knight became a count, and the count became a duke.
Patriot.
A national hero who saved the country.
I just fought and fought for glory, and I ended up getting such a grand name.
“Your Majesty, there is a child I would like to introduce to you.”
The second king.
I had no particular connection with the first king I saw at the knighthood ceremony held after the war.
But there was quite a bit of interaction with him as the second king.
Because I saved him, and he gave me the earldom.
When the last war ended, they gave me the title of Duke, even though I was a commoner and didn’t even know who my parents were.
“He’s my son. He was born just before the war, so I never had a chance to introduce him to you. But I’m sure you’ve heard his story, right?”
The second king smiled with a kind face, and I counted the numbers in my head.
The third war he fought in since he was born lasted for a full seven years, so if he had been born just before the war, he would have been around seven or eight years old by now.
“Henry, come this way.”
As the king gestured, a young child who had been hiding behind the queen’s back ran up and stood next to the second king.
The child who will become the third king if nothing else comes up.
For some reason, the child, who was extremely excited, looked up at me with a blush on his face, and before I could even begin to greet him, he greeted me in an awkward but serious manner.
“Henry D. Seilun, the Guardian.”
Eyes that sparkle as if looking at a hero in a storybook, rather than the eyes of a subject.
I knelt before the child with the same name as the first king, and for the first time in a long time I said my own name.
“Greece Antarius of the Duke of Antarius greets you.”
A title bestowed by the first king, a title bestowed by the second king.
The third king smiled brightly at my greeting, as if he was so excited about something.
&
“Dig!”
“Gravity Fall!”
Cordelia and Prince Dion shouted almost simultaneously.
This is because both of them knew that ordinary attack magic would not work on the Ten Swordsman.
Dig into the ground and crush it with gravity. Focus on preventing movement.
Kwak-kak!
The patriotic prince was buried in the ground.
However, Cordelia and Dion did not let their guard down. Although their opponent was weakened, he was the Guardian Duke, a national hero who had saved the Kingdom of Cailun in the past and a member of the Ten Swords.
“Ugh!”
Prince Dion sweated profusely and strengthened his gravity magic, but he was unable to overturn the Guardian King.
Even the Guardian King, who stood tall as if defying gravity, could not stop his sword strike.
Kak-!
Cut the air.
No, he cut the magic with a powerful sword. He split the magic composition and nullified the magic.
This was something that would normally not happen.
It wasn’t a magical composition that would shatter if you just waved your sword in the air.
But it was the sword energy of the Ten Swordsman.
It was possible for them to read the flow of magical power and precisely cut through the core.
“Cough!”
Prince Dion, who had been overcome by the aftermath of the magic being forcibly destroyed, stepped back with a gasp, and Princesses Uder and Daphne held their breath. They focused all their attention on the Guardian who had kicked the pit and jumped right after cutting off the magic.
‘Buy time.’
That is the winning condition for this fight.
Don’t overdo it.
Focus on saving time.
Actively utilize Princess Daphne and Prince Dion.
They go into battle feeling like they are fighting together rather than protecting each other.
‘Not under protection.’
Henry II, his queens, and Princess Darien fled.
Even if Princess Daphne and Prince Dion die, the blood of the Holy King will continue.
‘Go.’
There was no more time to think. I had to take advantage of the moment when I was still in the air, unable to move.
‘Black Dragon Roar! Chain!’
Yuder continuously fired black dragon auras toward the Guardian. Princess Daphne watched carefully as the Guardian smashed the black dragon auras with a sword covered in dark blue aura. After defeating the fourth black dragon, she charged forward with a kick to the ground.
Princess Daphne’s powers.
Her sword was sharp and fast. However, it was not enough to reach the Guardian. The Guardian’s body spun like a top and swung his sword, which deflected her sword, and Yuder closed the distance with his Super Wind and Faith. He charged at an incredible speed and fired a fist filled with the energy of the black dragon at the Guardian.
Kwak-kak!
The black dragon’s energy disappeared.
The Guardian King extended his sword and struck the wall, and the Guardian King, who had lowered his body as if he were lying flat on the ground, leaped up like a snake and aimed for Princess Daphne.
“Light of the Holy King!”
At that moment, Prince Dion shouted, and pure white light poured down from the sky and enveloped Princess Daphne.
“Haaaah!”
The sword that Princess Daphne swung with a shout interlocked with the sword of the Guardian King.
Although there was no comparison in terms of technical precision and proficiency, at least in terms of instantaneous power, it was possible to match the power of the Guardian King.
“Eww!”
When Princess Daphne shouted again and swung her interlocked swords in a big swing, the Guardian Prince, instead of resisting, went with the flow and retrieved his sword. He took a big step back and looked at Princess Daphne.
“Is it the blood of the Holy King?”
The power that the first king had.
Instantly summon the dragon power of the first king, Lion D. Sairun.
It seemed like it was a power that Prince Dion had inherited rather than Princess Daphne’s power.
Instead of answering, Princess Daphne readjusted her grip on her sword, and Uther momentarily assessed Princess Daphne’s power.
If Dion’s assistance is added, the overall fighting power is stronger than Lucas’s, but weaker than Uther’s own.
At this point, it was possible to fight together.
‘Suited for Princess Daphne.’
Princess Daphne was not Cordelia. It was impossible for her to naturally breathe with her and become the main character of both.
Without assistance from either side, even a proper passing was impossible.
“Your Highness the Crown Princess!”
“Help me!”
The moment Yuder shouted, Princess Daphne shouted loudly and rushed towards the Guardian, and Yuder also kicked the ground.
And Cordelia thought as she took in the whole sight.
‘It’s impossible.’
You can’t win that way.
I knew it the moment I saw it.
The basic power difference was just too big.
Wild beasts can instinctively sense the strength of their opponents the moment they meet them.
Cordelia was like that too.
The patriot was strong.
It wasn’t as dizzying as the feeling he had when he first encountered the First Sword, but it was clear that he was a strong opponent that neither he nor Yuder could match.
So what should we do?
How to overcome the current crisis.
The passing of Uder and Daphne has begun.
Prince Dion couldn’t expect anything from Princess Daphne, as it seemed overwhelming just to give her strength.
‘Just join us?’
Should I get involved in passing?
No. My instincts rejected it.
Do something else.
Find another way.
Cordelia’s gaze turned to the Holy Sword.
Holy Sword Claude Solas.
But I didn’t take it up right away. I had already reviewed it with Yuder.
‘I can’t use the holy sword.’
First of all, it was dangerous.
Archangel – It was the sword used by Solari, who was also called the sun god.
Even though Cordelia had become an angel by reverting to her ancestors, she was still just an ordinary angel, so if she tried to use it rashly, she would not be able to handle the power and there was a possibility that her body and soul would be destroyed.
‘The guardian angel will also break.’
The Holy Sword was the core and power source of the Guardian Circle.
Just as a remote control that has lost its batteries no longer works, the Guardians would collapse the moment the Holy Sword was removed.
‘That’s if you can take that out, though.’
The reason why the Guardian King decided to kill all the royal family members was because it was impossible to draw the Holy Sword.
‘Perhaps it’s you, Cordelia… Since you’re an angel, it might be possible. But if we do that, we’ll end up granting the wishes of the devil followers with our own hands.’
What Uder said.
In the original, the demon followers sent demons and minions to the royal capital where the guardians had disappeared, ultimately summoning the gates of hell.
Quagga River!
Princess Daphne was thrown back with a loud noise, and Yuder barely managed to avoid the Duke of Guk’s sword with his Super Wind Trust.
The dark blue sword that was originally intended to cut down Yuder left deep wounds on the floor and walls.
“Cordelia!”
Uder shouted. He swung his sword at the Guardian, who dodged the blow so effortlessly.
And Cordelia understood.
Regardless of what Uder had shouted for him to join, he realized why he had an intuition that the current fight was meaningless in the current way.
‘Capacity gap.’
If it’s just physical ability, it would be okay if Yuder had a slight advantage.
But when the experience and skills of the patriots were added to that, an insurmountable gap arose.
‘Ten Swordsman.’
That was how weak he was due to old age.
So, among the ten swords, which one is considered the strongest, the Sword of Light – how strong is the first sword?
‘It was real.’
I won’t kill you.
I won’t fight you with all my might.
‘Father.’
For a moment, I thought of Count Bayer, who was competing with the First Sword.
But Cordelia cut all thoughts off.
He sharpened his senses as he watched Princess Daphne rushing at the Guardian King again.
Since when did Cordelia start thinking for herself?
Concentrate.
It awakens a sense of the wild.
What we need most right now.
How to reach victory.
Again, his gaze turned to the Holy Sword.
And then a light flashed in my head.
“Wow!”
Yuder roared and unleashed the black dragon’s energy, and Hoguk-gong cut down all of that energy with his sword.
Princess Daphne attacked from behind, but even that was gently blocked.
If things continue like this, we won’t be able to last long.
Both Princess Uther and Princess Daphne were wasting their energy and strength as they endured group after group.
So, I had to do something about it before I got completely exhausted, before the current balance was destroyed.
Quagga River!
The Guardian’s downward strike did not stop at shattering the ground, but split the entire floor in two. The aftermath of that relentless attack alone was enough to send Uther and Daphne flying.
And Cordelia flew, diving into the center of the guardian circle and taking her place in front of the holy sword.
“Uder!”
At the thunderous shout, Uther turned his gaze and met Cordelia’s eyes.
Cordelia’s thoughts.
What I want to do from now on.
I couldn’t tell you everything.
But just some of it was enough.
‘I believe.’
Yuder didn’t calculate any more. He charged towards the Guardian again.
Princess Daphne joined in with a roar, and Prince Dion’s eyes grew bloodshot as he awakened the power of the Holy King.
And Cordelia saw the Holy Sword.
He spread his angel wings and grabbed the holy sword.
&
< Chapter 70 - Guardian of the Nation > End
