153
The Three Knights
‘Not bad.’
I nodded my head as I looked at the fallen Bossi trio.
The combination of seeing and seeing was really good. It almost felt like I was always doing dagul.
However, unlike the other two, barley could not be mixed.
In terms of swordsmanship, Bori was the best, but because of his uniquely self-righteous personality, he often interfered with others’ attacks.
Old Bo-eup was average in swordsmanship among the three, but he was very quick-witted. However, perhaps because of his age, he was slow to learn.
Looking at her freckles, she was the least out of the three, but she followed what the other two said very well. Also, perhaps because she was the youngest, she learned quickly.
All three were not bad. The problem is where to set the reference point.
‘It has to be at least a little bit thump thump.’
Only those of the rank of royal knight who came to Cassadic could be considered useful.
Compared to that, we were very lacking as individuals.
Originally, Kungkungta, who was of royal descent, had different roots from these people. Therefore, there were clear limits to filling him with swordsmanship, but there were other possibilities.
‘A knight who cracks the pot.’
The knights had a very high sense of pride. Of course, there were quite a few who were not like that, but most of them were very arrogant.
But these guys weren’t ashamed of their daggers. Of course, daggers weren’t bad, but if they were knights, they would be ashamed, but they didn’t hesitate even a little.
He was a very big weapon. Sure, it was close to foul play, but there was no judgement in front of the sword.
“Get up.”
“”evil!!””
The three of them stood up in unison. Then, following Bori’s instructions, they stretched out their arms and formed a line, all the while doing so perfectly.
Those laid-back knights have become so nimble in such a short period of time. Nothing beats a fist.
It was quite nice to see that her eyes had become much more gentle. At that moment, Freckle-faced Man-i raised her hand.
Then the two people next to me turned pale. They seemed afraid of the responsibility I had given them.
As I nodded, Bo-myun took a deep breath and opened her mouth.
“Ouch! Aah! Ouch! Ouch!”
Judging from the nuance, it seemed like they were asking if they could really become stronger.
It was similar to what he had said to Bori earlier, but the tone and look in his eyes were completely different.
It seemed like it left a pretty good impression that they had been squeezing them without taking out their auras. As expected, most of them were cured once they were squeezing them.
I nodded. There was no such thing as a state where one could no longer become stronger.
If you swing your sword just once more, you will definitely become stronger than yesterday.
He was the reason I survived this far, I could guarantee it.
“evil?”
When I looked at it, it made a sound that made me lose energy.
“Fall down.”
The other two quickly fell down while glaring at Bo-myeon. Bo-myeon, who was shocked, also fell down.
“You can become stronger. Just like you who thought Aura was everything to me lost to me.”
“evil!!”
“······evil.”
Barley answered briskly, and the other two answered in a crawling voice.
‘I squeezed it too hard.’
I looked at the three of them and thought for a moment. In the process, I actually gained a lot.
Because of that, I felt a bit excited and pushed harder, but it didn’t matter because the article was so solid.
I scratched my head and reviewed the situation that had just occurred. The one with the most to point out was, of course…
“Look. Come forward.”
“···evil!!”
Bo-eup’s side, which had a bewildered expression, was poked by Bori. Bo-eup was startled and jumped forward.
I paused for a moment to consider my words, looking at the messy middle-aged knight.
“Your swordsmanship is trash.”
I declared, looking into those eyes. It was so serious that it was not worth repeating in other words.
“Ahhh···.”
Looking at him, Bo-eup muttered softly with a wounded face.
“You have so many bad habits. You’ve been going to tournaments, haven’t you?”
“···evil?!”
Bo-eup’s eyes widened at my comment.
“It’s embarrassing to even call your black swordsmanship. Rather, it’s closer to clowning.”
“······.”
This time there was no answer. I didn’t bother to point it out.
He must have lived a long life as a knight, so it must have been a great shock to be denied so directly.
The bastard’s mouth twitched, but there was no protest, either because my words had hit the mark or because the place where I had hit him was still numb.
“You are not a prosecutor, you are a clown.”
“···evil.”
The guy’s eyes widened as he gave a short answer. They weren’t bad eyes.
At any rate, those who held the sword had to have dazzling eyes so that they could stab the sword when the opportunity arose.
In that respect, the best was the weasel, but he was too much.
“If you want to remain a clown, then your current ridiculous swordsmanship will suffice.”
“·········evil.”
After a long silence, a single word escaped like a scream.
“Isn’t that it?”
“······evil!”
The silence became a little shorter. I nodded, looking at that embarrassed face.
“Then, narrow your elbows and reduce the size of your movements when you swing···.”
I pointed out the problem of the guy I had seen earlier. His expression became subtle.
Originally, bad habits could not be known on one’s own.
However, there was no way I could understand it just by speaking.
“Take the sword.”
“···evil.”
The guy hesitated for a moment, nodded, and aimed his sword at me. His trembling arms caught my attention for a moment.
But as a knight, his spirit was extraordinary. No matter how many times he was struck, he never put down his sword.
“Look carefully.”
I swung my sword, imitating the guy’s swordplay. The guy’s eyes widened as if they were going to tear.
There was a look of uneasiness in his eyes, as if he thought that his swordsmanship had been stolen, but he would not have taken such trash swordsmanship even if it had been given to him.
‘This one would be better with the Sword of the Tenth Star.’
The tenth star was one that prioritized speed and threw away all the frills.
Because of that, he was lacking in strength, but Bo-eup had an aura. That shortcoming would be greatly compensated for.
‘It’ll be okay.’
I looked at the sword for a moment and smiled bitterly. The guy who had no successor wanted his sword to spread.
I closed my eyes and added the tenth thing to Boeup’s sword. It wasn’t as difficult as I thought, since it was a method I often used.
I left only the skeleton that suited me in the process, but I didn’t intend to go that far.
‘Hmm… Is this it?’
He finished him off and took a stance. It was similar to Bo-eup, but his center of gravity was focused forward, as if he was about to jump forward at any moment.
‘You are in charge of attack.’
I quickly moved my sword while looking into Bo-eup’s eyes. The air tore and a refreshing sound erupted.
Of course, everyone had indifferent expressions because there was no aura, but Bo-eup’s face was different. In any case, it seemed like he recognized him because of his swordsmanship.
I added the tenth star’s signature characteristics to the moves he had shown me, increasing their speed and sharpness.
The demonstration wasn’t that long, since I didn’t see all of the guy’s swordsmanship. I just modified the moves he showed me.
“Uh··· how···.”
A faint exclamation, like a gasp, burst out of the mouth of the man who had been lying down. The shock was palpable, as the man who had always said ‘Ah!’ was now speaking like a human being.
‘···You must look like a genius.’
I smiled bitterly and shook my head slightly. There was no need to explain what was underneath.
“Get your bearings.”
“evil!”
The guy’s voice grew a little louder. The look of defeat that had been thick on his face faded a little. And in its place, a hope that didn’t match his age filled him.
The guy started swinging his sword without me even telling him to. He was quick-witted, so his posture improved quite a bit, but habits aren’t easily changed.
“evil!!”
I hit the guy’s spread knee with my black belt. Something that was either a reply or a scream burst out of his mouth.
How many times did I knock like that?
The guy who fell down couldn’t get up.
I kicked him away roughly and snapped my fingers at him.
“···evil!!”
The face of the approaching Boman was truly subtle.
It seemed like he liked it, or maybe he was full of fear.
‘If you take money, you should get what you pay for.’
As an 8% major shareholder, I couldn’t leave the articles alone.
***
“···Tsk.”
The sound of heavy footsteps faded away, accompanied by a tongue-clicking sound.
Look… no, only then did Adolf open his eyes and look around.
Right next to them, Delphn and Adela were lying in horrible slumps.
‘···What on earth is that guy?’
Adolf muttered as he watched the man disappear into the distance.
Even though two knights wearing Auras rushed at him, he was defeated miserably. Of course, he was attacked the first time when he let his guard down.
But Adolf attacked Delfran and the man several more times after that.
Adolf often practiced ‘strategic cooperation’ with Delph. That’s why he was confident in their joint attack…
‘···It was miserable.’
The more he followed him, the more miserable his defeat became.
Adolf thought his eyes were good, having competed in many tournaments, but his opponent was far superior to him.
‘The same number never works twice.’
Each knight had his own habits with his sword. Of course, he had to hide it somehow, but he couldn’t help it.
The man figured him out very quickly. The method he used once never worked again.
He was a man who looked dull, but he was more intelligent than anyone Adolf had ever met. No, it felt like intelligence and something else.
‘Even the Imperial Knights’ assistants weren’t like that.’
Adolf’s frown deepened. The man pressed Adolf and Delfran harder and harder, and at some point, they were no match for him.
Except for the first few times, neither of their swords had ever touched the man.
What was even more shocking was the man’s next move. He corrected him in real time by pointing out their habits.
I had a rough idea since the method I used once didn’t work the second time, but my opponent had a good grasp of the three’s swordsmanship.
The opponent directly pointed out the shortcomings of the three’s swordsmanship.
It was a habit that had continued since the time he first held a sword. There was no way he could fix it right away just by listening to him.
Moreover, Adolf was now past the middle age of being a knight. He was of an age that could be described as hardened, which made the revision even more difficult.
Then the man started beating him up out of the blue. He told him to swing his sword and then beat him up. He told him to swing his sword again and then beat him up again.
Adolf was a knight, so his body was strong, but the man’s fists were different. Every time he was hit, tears welled up and his bones ached.
As a result, Adolf instinctively did not want to get hit, so he concentrated. The punch broke his bad habits.
At one point, the man’s elbows were together, just as he had pointed out.
Of course, it happened suddenly, but the man swung his fist without any hesitation.
He cried loudly even though Adela and Delphran were around him because of how much the punch hurt.
It was the first time in my life that I had ever been hit with such a painful fist.
The man didn’t say much. He just muttered, “Again.” and swung his fist. He was a scary guy with no emotions.
Adolf pretended not to be able to get up, lying down as if he would die if he was hit more, but the man somehow knew and kicked him.
Eventually, Adolf had to get up and swing his sword again. By then, all his aura had been depleted, so he just held on.
After a while, when he really lost his strength and fell, the man kicked him a few times. It seemed like he just kicked him when he fell.
When that didn’t happen, the man went over to Delfran.
The result was like this.
Adolf’s whole body ached, but strangely enough, he was able to move. It hurt, but not as much as he had thought. How could this be?
Adolf groaned and sat up. The other two heard him and turned their heads to look at Adolf.
The sense of defeat that had been weighing heavily on them was no longer visible. They were all just groaning and suffering.
Adolf squinted his eyes and looked up at the sky. The dark night was slowly becoming brighter. He had been beaten all night.
Adolf was not a great knight. He was just a mediocre knight, like any knight who was driven to a castle in the outskirts.
If there was a place that would accept it, I wouldn’t have come all the way here.
That’s why Adolf went from tournament to tournament.
‘That’s right.’
In tournaments, the bigger and cooler your moves, the higher your chances of being hired and your popularity.
If he won, he would be hired right away, but Adolf knew that he was not good enough to win. That was why he had to find a way to survive.
‘···I was defeated a long time ago.’
Adolf’s heart pounded as if a sword had been stuck in it.
The man’s teachings… no, after going through torture, the passion I had forgotten suddenly rose up.
‘It’s changed a little bit.’
Adolf nodded, looking down at his trembling hands.
Although it was only a little bit, I definitely felt that my skills, which had been stagnant for a long time, had improved.
As the man said, if you follow him, your skills will definitely improve. The problem is that the process will be too painful.
Sob sob… Delphran’s back, which was pressed against the ground, trembled slightly. Adolf also didn’t feel anything strange since he had been crying a lot earlier.
‘I’m settled.’
Adolf looked at the other two and thought, “He’s settled down the way he wanted to.”
Wouldn’t it be okay to live moderately like you do now and then buy a suitable surname when you get older and live moderately?
Adolf was concerned about Delphine and Adela. Unlike him, they were still young.
“Everyone, stand up.”
Adolf said, wiping the drool from his mouth.
“evil!”
Adela, who answered habitually, sat down first with a frown. Adolf pretended not to hear him. Delphine got up after a while, hesitating.
Adolf looked back and forth between the two swollen faces. His own face must have been similar.
Delphine was crying and Adela had a proud face.
‘Three knights were beaten by the guard captain. If this gets out, it’s the end.’
It was questionable why such a strong man was merely leading the security force, and how they could defeat them without an Auror, but this was a secret that had to be kept until the end.
Then Adela opened her mouth.
“Are you still going to insist that I’m wrong?”
Delphran shrugged his shoulders and glared at Adela.
Delphran often looked at Adela with longing eyes, but now his face looked like he was going to hit her.
However, Adela was right.
“······You did get stronger.”
As Adela said, the ignorant fist somehow fixed his posture.
It was clear that I had become stronger than before I started receiving instruction, but…
‘What’s the use of this?’
In the Empire, it is easy to increase aura, so why bother going through such a difficult process······.
Adolf shook his head. The chances of them receiving a boost from the Empire were slim.
‘This is our only option.’
As Adela said, Cassidy… no, it was the only way for them to become stronger. Plus, the opponent actually defeated two knights without an Auror.
“···I will become stronger!”
Delphran suddenly shouted, her swollen lips trembling.
Then, Adela praised Delphran with a bright smile that she had never seen before.
“That’s right! We can become stronger! Will you give up because the road ahead is difficult? What were your thoughts when you took up the sword! Did you walk the path of a knight just to live a life contented with such a remote place?”
Adela jumped up and raised her voice. It was a passionate speech that was not typical of Adela.
The tearful voice reminded Adolf of the first time he had held a sword.
Adolf also wanted to be a hero. He wanted to be the hero who could catch the demon king who would one day destroy the empire.
Although his memory had been worn away over the years,… Yes, Adolf, who had wanted to be a knight when he was young, wanted to be a warrior.
“It is only physical pain! When knights die, the swords they hold in their chests rust and break! If you give up your path because of pain, you are as good as dead! Get up! Isn’t this the path you have been hoping for? Are you going to give up like a child because of pain?”
Adela shouted, holding out her sword with trembling hands.
Despite Adela’s eccentric personality, her appearance was as good as it could have been, but the bruises and dark tear stains all over her body didn’t really stand out.
However, there was something in that voice that made people boil.
“Are you going to give up!!”
Adela raised her sword and shouted. It had a deep resonance, as if it contained my soul.
‘···Why is Adela like that?’
Adolf suddenly began to question Adela’s drastic change in attitude. Why was Adela, who had been avoiding the knights’ gatherings, suddenly spouting such heated words?
“I will not give up! I, Knight Delphn! I will not crumble in pain!!”
Delphran limped to his feet and brought his sword to him.
The two of them looked down at Adolf at the same time. Adolf looked at them for a moment and then let out a deep sigh.
‘It’s my fault for getting caught up in those young guys.’
Adolf felt his heart, which had stopped beating for a long time, start beating again like the day he saw Deokgu, and he brought his sword up.
The three swords gathered in the center. Their arms were shaking, but they held on by supporting each other as they overlapped.
When Adolf sheds tears from the hot emotions that were welling up inside him.
“I stake my honor on it! I, Knight Adela! I will not give up! You are now my comrades!”
Adela then smiled brightly at the two cheering.
***
It was a horrible, horrible nightmare.
I carefully put down the crushed Udra and laughed in vain.
Among the guys approaching, the one wearing a crown was annoying.
‘Why on earth did you do that?’
I was curious, but I didn’t ask. The guy had his throat cut, so he couldn’t speak. If I blew air into his neck, maybe he’d be able to speak.
As I struck down the crowned man, a woman appeared behind him. She had a gentle smile on her face, but her head was cut off just like the crowned man.
It must have been done with a lot of care, it was neater than the neck cross-section of the crowned man.
‘···Because I made a useless promise.’
I moved diligently, clicking my tongue.
After I had killed all my acquaintances, I felt a strong presence from far away.
It seemed like he was saying that it was his turn next.
‘The Demon of Despair.’
I always lost my will to fight against that awesome presence, and eventually I was moved by a sense of responsibility for my promise.
‘···It looks delicious.’
Today the feeling was different.
Instead of fear and weakness, a terrible hunger took their place.
Suddenly, the guy felt like a giant cake.
– Yeah, that sounds really sweet.
I nodded at the thick voice coming from somewhere.
I wiped the drool from my mouth.
I ran to where the giant cake was.
My vision turned red.
***
“···Isn’t it too fast?”
I checked behind Kel’s question. There, a wall was taking shape.
A dwarf with a bushy beard was trembling and muttering something, and Kanna, held in the arms of Park Head, was diligently pounding stones.
All around, foreign workers were busily stacking stones. Next to them, Hana and the three Hogu were diligently filling ice beer.
‘It’s fast.’
The wall seemed a bit excessive. The dwarves were still stubborn, so the majesty of the wall gradually grew worse.
‘Are you thinking of building an iron wall?’
It didn’t suit a castle on the outskirts, but the sturdier the better, so it didn’t matter.
The problem was the form. Deokgu had his mouth wide open, and to someone who didn’t know, it looked like a monster’s mouth was open.
However, to show how full of life it is, I drew its veins and skin using the method the dwarf taught me.
‘I don’t know anymore.’
It felt a little late to point that out.
“Wow… I almost want to cry when I see Cassidy developing like this.”
The Kel guy said, shamelessly wiping his eyes at me.
When his wife became pregnant and could not work, Kel worked separately at Ha-na’s bar after finishing his security job to fill in for her.
Because of that, his face was full of fatigue, but he seemed satisfied.
I looked at him for a moment and then turned my head.
“We need to develop further.”
As an 8% owner of Cassady, I couldn’t be satisfied with this. I could consider Cassady’s ‘ㅋ’ to be mine.
Cassidy still has room to grow.
The three siblings of Bossi were also developing day by day, and the upper class was preparing to move up to deal with the spoils they had acquired.
All that’s left to do is to keep going up.
At that moment, Google came rushing through the gap in the wall.
I was sure something was up with Google’s urgent face.
“······We got a call from you.”
The paper Google handed over was red, as if it had been soaked in blood.
His expression hardened for a moment at the strong smell of blood.
[Aaron, promise me you’ll save that child.]
I gripped the hilt of my sword tightly at the sound of the mournful voice in my memory.
I wanted to keep my promise as much as possible, but as is the case in life, there are times when things can’t be helped.
***
Office of the Director of the Imperial Eastern Administration.
Gesher Wind spun around in the now familiar plush chair.
In front of him, Sinan Halina was glaring with her beautiful brows furrowed.
“What’s wrong? Make your expression disappear.”
Gesher Wind coughed in vain under Sinan Halina’s sharp gaze.
“Cardinal Gobert, who went to the East, was the king of heretics? How could we not have known that?”
Gesher Wind felt wronged by the voice that seemed to be reproaching him.
“I guess the intelligence agency made a mistake. It was a long period of time, right? Even we can’t know everything.”
Gesher Wind shrugged and answered. Even the Administration couldn’t know the entire vast continent.
Ultimately, he was the target, but even for the royal family, it was still too much. Such omissions in information often occurred.
“Huh- You’re right. But how on earth did they catch that heretic king?”
“I heard there was a knight of the temple mixed in.”
Sina Halina scoffed at Gesher Wind’s answer.
“A low-ranking Templar alone took down a great demon? Don’t talk nonsense.”
At the violent reaction, Gesher Wind raised both hands. Sinan Halina, who had been glaring at him for a moment, let out a deep breath.
That’s true, but why are you holding that against yourself?
“Isn’t that how the church management office handles things?”
Gesher Wind shrugged and answered.
Sinan Halina seemed to think that the Church Administration had dealt with the heretic king. Gesher Wind thought similarly.
‘So there must have been an information leak. Damn the religious order management office.’
It was a problem that often occurred due to a fight between management offices. It was a situation where something happened even though it was my responsibility, and I heard about it later through a report.
There was no need to blush, though. The eastern end was not particularly damaged, but even without him, the eastern part was still large.
The hypocrites were settled in the East, and the church would be in turmoil for some time due to the Cardinal affair, so it was certain that the harvest they had desired would be met.
If we had just sent additional harvesters, we could have gotten through safely.
Looking at the still crumpled face of Sinan Halina, Gesher Wind brought up another topic.
In times like this, it would be best to look elsewhere.
“I heard that the North also failed because of the cold, and the one who crossed the wall seems to be stronger than expected.”
To divert his attention, Gesher Wind recalled a story he had heard a few days ago.
Since the wyvern was weak to the cold, its control over the north was bound to be considerably weakened.
In such a situation, the situation was bound to continue to be delayed as even those who had climbed over the wall were taking their place.
“There is also talk that the sword’s master will move.”
Gesher Wind shook his head at Sinan Halina’s answer.
To deal with someone who has crossed the wall, it would be best to send the sword master, but it was rare for the sword master to leave the palace.
“I’ll move a few of the demons I’ve put away.”
Gesher Wind said, pointing to the floor with his finger.
“···They’re out of control, right?”
Contempt appeared on Sinan Halina’s face.
Due to excessive erosion, those who had lost their reason were completely uncontrollable, as she said. They were kept alive for research on their effectiveness.
Is it better to feed them now or after they have fattened up?
“What if there is no need to control it?”
Gesher Wind turned his palm over and laughed. A look of contempt appeared on Sinan Halina’s face, but Gesher Wind found it pleasant to see.
Gesher Wind took a quick look at Sinan Halina’s pointed shoes.
“······Anyway, there was an information omission, so we need to fix it right away.”
I nodded at Sinan Halina’s cold voice.
In any case, the information omission was the work of the Information Bureau. And since the religious order is involved, the religious order management office will take action.
It was a fight between two organizations that had nothing to do with the Eastern Management Bureau. They didn’t have the manpower to do that in the first place.
However, there was no need to mention him.
‘What the hell is this, because of that damn prophecy···.’
Gesher Wind sighed softly, caressing the artifact hanging around his neck.
The demon that will destroy the empire. Despite the multifaceted efforts to prevent the prophecy that will come one day, the feeling that the situation is getting worse cannot be erased.
At that moment, a light, thumping sound was heard. Gesher Wind’s head automatically turned to him.
Entering through the open door was a woman wearing ornate wizard robes.
‘Crazy… how much is all that?’
As soon as Gesher Wind saw him, he examined the magic wrapped around his robe. The robe was engraved with high-level magic, as if there was something to be afraid of.
Even if you sell a castle, you won’t be able to get that robe.
“Is this the Eastern Management Office? It smells bad.”
The woman muttered in a languid tone. It was almost like a quarrel, but Gesher Wind nodded politely.
There was no way a beauty wearing such a robe could be a swindler.
“I’m Avery, the Director of the Eastern Management Bureau starting today. Will you step aside?”
Gesher Wind jumped up in surprise at the woman’s gesture. The woman waved her hand lightly, and the room’s appearance changed in an instant.
The room turned into a forest in an instant, and the magical skills were amazing, but Gesher Wind frowned at the woman’s name.
It was a name I had seen somewhere.
‘Avery… Avery… Oh, I see.’
When I was looking for the old name Aaron, it was there.
“···Avery from the Western Management Agency?”
“Oh my, do you know me?”
Gesher Wind shook his head sharply at the question from a woman whose eyes were clear but whose lips were turned up.
“That’s fortunate.”
The woman’s eyes drew arcs. She hummed and wiggled her slender ankles revealed beneath her robe.
‘You were clearly a subordinate of the Western Management Agency a few years ago, but you’re the new director?’
“Why are you still there? Show me more?”
Avery lifted my robe. I was wearing nothing underneath.
Gesher Wind nodded unconsciously, then was dragged out by Sinan Halina, who grabbed his ear.
