< Chapter 103 - System >
Chapter 103 – The System
Sarah blinked blankly inside her helmet.
Because I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
‘Leon… lost?!’
Who was Leon?
Wasn’t he a genius who was considered the most promising among the Royal Knights, who were selected from all over the country?
But Leon lost.
Although it wasn’t a life-threatening battle, and it was just a sparring match, I ended up losing completely.
Of course, Leon was not invincible just because he was a genius.
Even without going as far as the absolute knight Galahad, the captain of the Royal Knights and the pride of the empire, Leon still felt somewhat inferior to the senior knights, including the vice-captain.
But they were all older and more experienced than Leon.
Even within the Royal Knights, they were among the most veterans.
So, it was understandable even if Leon lost.
Leon’s defeat was not strange.
But now it was different.
Leon, the great Leon, was defeated by a knight of the kingdom. And by a young man—no, a boy—six years younger than him!
“I lost.”
Leon dropped his sword and fell to the ground, breathing heavily.
Leon himself was so shocked by the current situation that his face showed confusion rather than anger or resentment.
And that’s Leon’s front.
The boy, who had been tensely holding his sword, let out a deep breath at Leon’s words of defeat. He slowly retrieved his sword and spoke with a slightly awkward smile.
“It was a good match.”
boy.
Lucas Hresvelg.
Leon gritted his teeth at his words, as he had recently turned seventeen and his birthday had passed.
It was because the fact that he had lost hit him hard.
‘You were so proud.’
I thought I had no enemies of my age other than Maximilian.
No, could he really consider the boy in front of him – Lucas Hresvelg – as his peer? A boy who was six years younger than him?
“Ugh.”
Leon groaned without realizing it.
Although I didn’t suffer any injuries from the fight, I felt mentally devastated.
He lost to an opponent who was much younger than him.
Moreover, isn’t the opponent a knight of the kingdom, not the empire?
As a Royal Knight protecting the imperial family, I was defeated by a knight who was not even a member of a proper knight order.
Of course, there were some excuses.
Lucas Hresvelg was a swordmaster – no, he was the only son of Count Hresvelg, one of the ten swordsmen of the kingdom, and he inherited the swordsmanship.
“Ugh.”
No. That was no excuse. Leon himself was not of the Sword Master’s bloodline, but he had been taught by the Sword Master, the Absolute Knight Sir Galahad.
‘Don’t be ugly, Leon.’
Lost.
What’s true is true.
So let’s admit it.
Moreover, weren’t these the people who would be participating in the future rescue operation to save the royal family?
The stronger they were, the better the situation was.
“Phew.”
He tried hard to control his mind, but it wasn’t easy. That’s why Leon’s face was stiff.
A flushed face, heavy breathing due to embarrassment and anger, and even dizzy gaze due to not being able to control one’s mind.
Sarah’s confusion deepened when she saw Leon for the first time.
And Lucas, facing the two knights of the empire, did his best to control his expression.
‘Don’t laugh, don’t laugh.’
That’s not polite.
It’s not cool.
Builtwein is not happy and is jumping around saying that he won the duel.
But the corners of my mouth kept rising.
I tried hard to keep a serious expression, but it was so hard to keep from smiling.
‘I won.’
I won.
I won.
I have defeated the knights of the empire, the imperial guard, and the genius of the empire that the First Sword praised!
Lucas clenched his fists and tensed his legs to keep himself from jumping around in place. As a result, his body trembled slightly, but it was inevitable.
‘I am strong.’
No, I’m strong too.
He was once considered one of the top prospects in the North.
In fact, among his peers in the North, there was no one stronger than Lucas himself – no, not even one who was of a similar level.
That is, until Yuder showed up.
‘Family rivalry.’
Now it was a word I was embarrassed to even say.
Because Yuder has become too strong.
Because now, Yuder may be stronger than his father.
To be honest, it was hard.
It was so, so hard.
I wasn’t talking about the time when I would kick the blanket over my head every time I thought about myself saying, “I wish you would be my match.”
Something much more fundamental than that.
Something so natural that it’s hard to suppress.
I was jealous of Yuder.
How hard I tried not to feel ugly jealousy towards Yuder.
Moreover, Uther was not just strong.
He was the disciple of Lord Landius, whom he admired so much.
No matter how much Lucas begged, Lord Landius would not accept him as his disciple, but as soon as he saw Yuder, he stepped forward to take him as his disciple.
And that’s not all.
Uther had Cordelia.
A pretty, kind, and capable fiancée!
‘These days, I keep getting goosebumps even when I’m not trying······.’
Lucas was human too.
He was now seventeen years old, a time when his curiosity about the opposite sex runs wild.
But how can you be so rude in front of such a young person!
They say they do it in secret, but honestly, it looks really good.
‘Me too, I want to do it too!’
Me too with a pretty fiancée!
Doing this and that! Hey!
‘Oh, no. Calm down. Calm down, Lucas.’
What was important now was not that or that.
No, of course, that was true and that was also very important, but it wasn’t unimportant.
“Ahem.”
Lucas cleared his throat and looked at Leon again.
Leon was trying hard to suppress his anger.
Even Lucas, who is not very perceptive, could tell at a glance that he was burning with competitive spirit.
And that fact made Lucas happy once again.
The genius of the empire is looking at Lucas himself and disintegrating.
I feel a sense of triumph.
‘Ugh······.’
How long has it been since I’ve felt this way?
This feeling of being the main character of the world.
I had forgotten about it for a while, but it was so sweet. It was so good.
I am strong.
I am strong too.
I’m a genius in my own way.
I’ve always worked hard too.
“Phew.”
But that was it.
Lucas was a man born with a kind and gentle personality.
Instead of rejoicing in the defeats of others, I began to be grateful.
‘Thank you, Prince Yude.’
Lucas was able to become this strong thanks to his own hard work, but he also benefited greatly from Yuder’s help.
If it weren’t for Yuder, would I have worked as hard as I did now?
Could it be that you were so intoxicated by the vain reputation of being the best prospect in the North that you neglected your training?
Moreover, a coincidence I recently experienced.
The Demon Prince that I was able to deal with thanks to Uther.
It was Lucas himself who had become incredibly stronger after that battle.
If the events of that day had not happened, it would not have been Lucas himself who had won, but Leon in front of him.
‘Okay, so let’s be humble.’
Lucas, who had pulled himself together, simply bowed to Leon and turned away instead of offering words of comfort.
And then Lucas saw Kaissa and Cordelia smiling meaningfully in his eyes.
‘Oh, Lucas. Did you like it? Huh? Were you excited?’
‘Lucas is awesome, kind, great, and the best.’
The expressions were so vivid that it felt like I could hear their voices in my head.
“Ahem.”
Lucas coughed again, but he couldn’t help but blush.
Because I was embarrassed because I felt like my true feelings had been revealed.
“Ugh.”
Caesar giggled again, then stretched out his hand and ruffled Lucas’ hair, which was about 10 centimeters longer than his own. He hugged his neck and kissed his cheek.
“Well done, as expected from our Lucas. My sister praised him a lot.”
Lucas was speechless as Caesar started to touch him so casually.
And seeing Lucas like that, Kaisa became even more excited and teased him by pressing her body closer to Lucas.
“Ugh.”
It was when Lucas groaned and bent his back slightly.
Cordelia, who was imagining the couple of Lucas and Kaisa with happy eyes, suddenly turned her gaze to the side.
This was because Kirara, who was not even 150cm tall and cute, was admiring me with sparkling eyes.
“Why? Are you surprised?”
Kirara, who was startled when Cordelia spoke to her, quickly nodded her head fiercely.
“I was surprised.”
I really never imagined that Prince Lucas would be this strong.
That would be the case, because although he was big and handsome, he somehow had no presence within the group.
Should I just say that it feels like a folding screen?
I’m always being teased by Caesar.
But when I actually opened the lid, it was no joke.
‘I beat Leon!’
None other than Leon Gadriel!
Although Kirara had only been active in the Empire for a little over a year, there was one name she knew well: Leon Gadriel.
The swordsman genius of the system.
The next generation sword master born from a renowned sword family!
But Lucas won.
Lucas wasn’t just a screen, he was a very strong screen!
“But you know, Kirara.”
“Yes, master.”
“Our Yuder is much stronger than Lucas.”
“Hieee?”
Stronger than that? Much stronger?
“Much. Really, really much. Wow, wow, wow.”
As Cordelia spoke boastfully, Kirara’s eyes sparkled again.
Kirara was originally good at reacting because she was used to flattery and flattery, but now she was truly impressed.
“You know, our Uder. He even caught a dragon? An ancient dragon at that. A monster that was about 150 meters long.”
“Hieee?!”
Come to think of it, I think I heard a rumor that a dragon had been caught in the southern part of the kingdom.
But the one who caught that dragon was your husband – no, was it Yuder?
“Hehe, isn’t our Yuder amazing?”
“It’s amazing. It’s really, really amazing.”
“That’s right, our Yuder is great.”
As Cordelia got excited again, Caesar, who was busy teasing Lucas, burst out laughing again.
“Hey, Kirara.”
“yes?”
“I caught that one too.”
Kirara blinked at Caesar’s words, because she didn’t immediately understand what he was saying.
That is why Caesar spoke again.
“Cordelia, she and Uther also caught Malekith- no, the Ancient Black Dragon. They are dragon slayers together. I saw them summon the Fist of the Spirit King and strike with my own two eyes.”
It was a much more friendly and detailed explanation than before, but Kirara still couldn’t react properly.
Because it was such an unimaginable story.
Ancient Black Dragon?
Dragon slayer?
Spirit King?
Is this a heroic novel story?
Kirara looked back at Cordelia without realizing it, and Cordelia, who was trying to suppress the corners of her lips while blushing deeply, nodded slightly.
A sign of positivity.
The story is that everything Caesar said was true.
“Wow, wow wow!”
Kirara jumped up in surprise. She was so shocked that her tail stood on end.
Kirara was originally very suspicious.
Kirara was the type who would listen to other people’s words, ignore half of them, and look at the remaining half with suspicion.
But I believed Cordelia’s words.
Although it had only been a few days since we met, I trusted Cordelia’s words 100%.
That’s why Kirara had no choice but to keep jumping around.
The owner is kind, pretty, rich, and of good status.
But in fact, it’s incredibly strong?
‘Oh my god!’
The master is a god!
As the light of worship finally spread in Kirara’s eyes, Kaisa wanted to urge Cordelia to quickly transform into an angel, but held back.
Because if she really transformed into an angel here, it seemed like Kirara would become a fanatic.
And two people who were watching the series of events.
The young knights of the Royal Knights were assigned to meet the two people of their destiny, but they still did not know much about them.
Leon and Sarah blinked in bewilderment.
&
While Leon and Lucas were having a duel in the garden, testing their skills.
Yuder, who was left alone on the second floor of the mansion, attempted to contact Kamael, but it seemed that it was still impossible.
In the first place, contact with Kamael was one-sided rather than two-sided – Kamael came to Uther himself.
‘Is sending a signal the limit?’
However, since they were constantly moving, it was not easy to make contact with Kamael.
‘I think the key is what the situation is like for the Holy Cross Guardians.’
It was unlikely that the Order of the Holy Cross, which had been stationed in the Empire, would have been destroyed.
When in the kingdom, it was likely that only the communication network had collapsed, as Kamael had guessed.
But that didn’t mean I could feel at ease.
Since this was a place where the devil’s followers had gathered together, at this very moment, somewhere, they could be in the middle of individually defeating the Holy Cross Guardians.
‘Master.’
Landius and Lena.
The two had left for the Empire one step ahead of Kamael via a different route.
The purpose was to track down Archbishop Manuela, but now that all the demon followers had become enemies, it seemed better to join forces with Landius rather than act separately.
‘That’s if you can join.’
To be exact, it should be said that it is a problem with the timing of joining.
“Phew.”
As soon as he stopped thinking, Uder exhaled and looked down at the map of the empire again.
Leon and Sarah had planned to ask the elves for help after rescuing the royal family, and from what Yuder could see, that seemed like the best option for the time being.
Unite the royal family and the elves to stop the tyranny of the Prime Minister.
‘War between the kingdom and the empire.’
The great tribulation of the continent desired by the devil’s followers.
And the great summons that will occur because of it.
Conversely, this meant that if we could prevent war and the Great Tribulation from occurring, we could prevent even attempts at the Great Summoning.
‘Then, all that’s left are the seven great disasters.’
We’ve already taken care of two, so there are five left.
It was a considerable number, but I didn’t think it was unstoppable.
They block them one by one, just like they did in the kingdom.
Moving towards a perfect happy ending.
‘First, rescue the royal family.’
Even though they were devil followers, they didn’t know everything.
It was conceivable that Uder himself and Cordelia had infiltrated the Empire, but it was unimaginable that they had already made contact with the Royal Knights and were conspiring to rescue the royal family.
So, I’m going to take advantage of that gap.
He breaks through the objectively strong escort, which includes the Sword Master and the Imperial Knight, and rescues the royal family.
Uder turned his gaze.
I looked east, where the system was.
&
< Chapter 103 - System > End
