187
‘The swordsman Daiso was the third eldest son.’
I scratched my beard at the shocking fact.
‘So everyone was sure I was the third child.’
Objectively speaking, Daiso and I are similar in swordsmanship.
Of course, most Westerners are big, scarred, and bushy-faced, but even taking that into account, they look remarkably similar.
‘The third eldest son… It doesn’t smell, but there was an incredibly strong reason for it.’
I sniffed and muttered.
When I remembered that the Devil Candy guys had been saying things like, ‘The third eldest son doesn’t have Devil Candy, but instead has a body or something…’, the puzzle started to make sense.
“I’m truly sorry that I couldn’t stop my stupid brothers due to my lack of ability···.”
The five eldest sons had been doing that for a while. They were kneeling in front of the sword master Daiso and apologizing over and over again.
It was basically an apology for not being able to stop it that day due to lack of strength. It seemed to vaguely match what I had expected about what had happened to the third child.
However, the swordsman Daiso was staring at me instead of looking at the guy.
Looking at the attitudes of the five eldest sons, it seems like they did something very bad, but the person involved, Swordsman Daiso, seemed to not care.
“You knew my grandfather? What a small world.”
I smiled like a grandson.
“······Our grandfather? You must be···.”
The faces of the five eldest sons were furrowed violently. The expressions of jealousy and shock were quite pleasant to see.
It seemed like he wanted to ask, but he seemed to be trying hard to hold back.
“···You’re the third?”
The hesitant swordsman Daiso opened his mouth.
Unlike before, Kensul Daiso hesitated seriously. For a moment, it was a hesitation so great that I thought he was going to confess to me.
Kensul Daiso seemed to think that there was a real possibility that I was his grandson.
However, I couldn’t give a definite answer, because I didn’t know anything about this body’s past.
‘Looking at the resemblance, it seems like it might be so.’
Thinking about the swordsman Daiso used to treat children, it was clear that it would be more beneficial to call him a grandson.
I could see the slightly trembling hands of the sword master Daiso, as if he had a stroke. The sword master Daiso was fine even though he cut hundreds of swords every day.
It seemed like having a grandchild meant a lot to me.
‘That’s so gross.’
I smiled bitterly and shook my head.
“Hey, don’t I look better?”
At my answer, Kensul Daiso let out a small breath.
I reminded him of the purpose of my coming here.
“Ah, I came to tell you that twelve fresh and chewy imperial knights have entered the Catholic Church.”
My words changed the momentum of the swordsman Daiso, who had been feeling a little gloomy until just now.
It was rough and persistent, like the breathing of a hungry beast before its bleeding prey.
“Good.”
Daiso, the swordsman who answered briefly, took a step to one side.
It was quite cool to see him take on twelve imperial knights without hesitation, but there was a big problem.
“Cathedic is this way.”
“hmm.”
The swordsman Daiso headed in the direction I pointed.
However, I couldn’t even walk five steps before I turned around.
‘This crazy guy was the third eldest son…’
I sighed softly and stepped forward towards the swordsmith Daiso.
“I’ll go first. Follow me.”
Surely he couldn’t even follow me? I shook my head and headed towards Cassidy.
‘This should be enough.’
We had the third and fifth. The other one was the firstborn and he wasn’t the eldest, so we had the advantage in numbers.
However, the twelve imperial knights and the sect’s troops were a problem.
‘Worst case scenario…the two of them are working together.’
It wasn’t an impossible story.
If that happened, things would definitely become very troublesome.
‘I wonder how many swordsmen Daiso will have.’
I took a quick look at the sword shop Daiso.
He was staring at me intently. However, his eyes were shaking and rich, unlike their usual indifferent state.
Just then, a familiar face came running out of the gate.
‘···weasel?’
The weasel that found me came running, panting, as if being chased by a devil.
The weasel that arrived in front of me was breathing heavily and making a fuss.
The weasel laughed, hehe. The mean-looking guy with slanted eyes laughed just like a eunuch.
However, the sight was strangely unsettling.
I’ve seen weasels do that weird laugh.
‘It’s similar to when the imperial flag was burned.’
I glanced at the guy’s pants and they were damp. It was clear he had been in an accident.
“What is it?”
I asked, trying to suppress my anxiety.
The slightly startled weasel looked at me and quickly put on a serious expression.
“Brother! I will stand by your side even if you fight the Empire!”
A voice suddenly filled with determination. The lines were similar to those when the imperial flag was burned.
If you look at the fact that the opponent is an empire…
‘···This little bastard did something to the royal knight.’
I quickly looked at the weasel. It must have eaten bread; there were crumbs all over the corners of its mouth.
Other than that, the difference is…
“Where is your dagger?”
“······Eek!!”
The guy jumped up in horror at my question.
Judging from the reaction, it seemed like it was correct.
A weasel without a dagger against an imperial knight…
Combining the two, we get one hypothesis.
“···Did you stab the back of the head of an imperial knight?”
I shook my head as I spoke.
Sure, it was an art to have a weasel hit the back of the head, but it felt a bit lacking when the opponent was an imperial knight.
“I didn’t stab you!! It’s real, hyung!!”
The weasel screamed.
A voice that seemed to say that it was really unfair.
I thought that would be the case, but his answer was strange.
“······You didn’t stab me?”
“lol···.”
He laughed, avoiding my gaze like a child who wet his bed.
“What have you done?”
I grabbed the guy by the collar and pulled him. The guy who was pulled lowered the corners of his eyes and avoided eye contact. After hesitating for a moment, he spoke stammeringly.
“That… that… I accidentally dropped my dagger while cutting bread… and it hit an imperial knight in the head and bang-. I pushed it away like that.”
Even after hearing the explanation, I still had difficulty understanding it, so I pronounced it out loud.
‘The dropped dagger hit the head of an imperial knight. The imperial knight who was hit by it died. … How could that be?’
The Imperial Knight was the sword of the Empire. He was a knight among knights.
If a knight’s armor had the imperial mark, it was as good as guaranteed quality, like Chungju apples.
A royal knight like that was killed by a dagger dropped by a weasel.
It was a somewhat absurd story, but even imperial knights were human. If they were hit in the head while defenseless, they would die anyway.
There was also a knight who died with his neck broken during the Flying Baron’s time.
And seeing the struggling weasel, it didn’t seem like a lie.
‘What the heck is this kid···.’
I clicked my tongue as I looked up at the weasel with an expression that said it needed to take a shit.
He dug into his pocket, took out a handful of silver coins, and handed them to the boy.
The weasel opened its eyes wide and quickly accepted it. It seemed like an instinctive action.
“I recommend going to the Kingdom of Brighton if possible. The food will probably suck since you’ll be eating fish bread, but it’s better to be alive.”
The weasel that had been laughing after receiving the silver coin started to cry.
“I can’t go! I’ll stay by your side, brother! Brother! How many death lines have we crossed together! Even when a thousand corpses were rushing at me, wasn’t it I who stood back to back with you and protected you! I promised myself that when you one day take the throne, I’ll be there! I can’t go!”
The weasel screamed fiercely.
‘When did I ever see a thousand corpses···.’
I clicked my tongue at the guy who was blatantly exaggerating. Plus, wasn’t that guy the one who was pretending to be dead under the zombies at the time?
“Then just die. I’ll take care of the salting. Let’s go to the inspection together as the new mascot.”
Tears flowed down the weasel’s eyes.
The guy who had been rolling his eyes for a moment suddenly grabbed my trouser leg and rubbed it.
“Hyungnim!! I promised Kanna that I would never leave! Oh! And I didn’t get caught! They were fighting amongst themselves so they didn’t even notice me!”
The weasel screamed as if in a fit of rage. I tried to kick the thing, but held back and pushed it away with my foot.
The one who rolled his eyes and stopped quickly crawled back and reattached.
“So who is fighting and getting hit?”
I asked, clicking my tongue.
“The Templar Knights and the Imperial Knights fought first… Ah, it seems like they just don’t get along very well! Anyway, the two were bickering like that, and then the rebels suddenly intervened and it became a total mess! No one will know that I took out an Imperial Knight! It’s true! I swear it on my soul!”
The weasel, with a serious expression on his face, put his hand on his chest and swore.
I don’t know about the other guys, but I didn’t really trust the weasel because it seemed like the oath would have no effect.
‘···But why are they fighting among themselves?’
Maybe it was a fight over who I was popular with.
‘Popular people are tiring.’
It was a blessing for me.
I held out my palm to the weasel. The weasel tilted its head for a moment, then jumped in surprise and placed a silver coin on my palm.
As I started counting the coins, the startled weasel took out five more coins from his pocket and gave them to me.
“You’re missing 5 silver?”
“······yes?”
“5 silver is empty.”
“No, you clearly gave me 67 silver······. Aha! Come to think of it, it was 72 silver! Hehe!”
The weasel, whose trousers were rummaging, placed a handful of silver coins in my palm.
The weasel had a wonderful expression on his face, smiling and shedding tears.
“···What did you say just now?”
The five elders behind him asked in a somewhat stiff voice.
“They say the rebels have started in earnest.”
I summarized the situation as I collected the silver coins.
Things seemed to be going better than expected.
As the faces of the five elders crumpled, I smiled coolly.
“···You punk.”
A weasel grumbled behind me, but I pretended not to hear it.
“Ouch! Why are you hitting me!”
“Because he’s a gangster.”
The weasel rolled his eyes.
***
‘···Screaming.’
What a disgrace.
Pulphutz glanced at Marshal Balhar Khan and quickly sorted out the situation.
‘Why are the Templars and the Rebels fighting the Imperial Knights…?’
The situation was so incomprehensible that I began to suspect that the report was wrong.
Why are the Templars and the rebels joining hands, and why are they fighting against the Imperial Knights? And even in the eastern frontier, in Cathedic!
‘Now is not the time to doubt.’
It would have been foolish of me not to trust the information my intelligence agency gave me.
Fullfoot glanced at the guild leader. The guild leader had a more stern expression than before and was opening his mouth. However, no sound came out.
It seemed like he was using a magic tool to make contact.
Judging from the reaction, the report seemed to be true.
Pulphutz turned his gaze to Marshal Balhar Khan.
The Marshal Balhar Khan was still expressionless. He seemed to be uninterested, but given his status, Pulpouts was needlessly pricked.
Things unfolded just as Pulpouts had imagined. For some unknown reason, if the Knights Templar and the rebels joined forces to fight the Imperial Knights, interest would certainly turn.
‘Then it depends on who wins.’
Although Fullfoot didn’t know much about force, his opponent was an imperial knight.
Even twelve imperial knights. There was a story that one imperial knight could defeat three knights.
Considering that Adela had been defeated miserably by the lustful Kurtun, who was a former imperial knight, it seemed possible.
Pulpouts estimated the number of knights and rebels he had received in the report.
‘There’s a high probability that the Imperial Knights will win. But if the guild leader is just sitting there… do they have any chance of winning?’
If it had been a miserable defeat, the guild leader would have left. If he had stayed here, he would have been caught by the imperial knights who came up later and had his neck hung on charges of treason.
Judging from the fact that he didn’t leave the room even though we were talking separately, it was clear that he had decided that he had a chance of winning.
‘What should I do with this?’
Pulphus muttered as he looked at Marshal Balhar Khan. Marshal Balhar Khan would receive a report after the situation was over.
In that case, there was an element of Fullfoot being caught without prior notice.
‘I have no choice but to pass it on.’
Pulpouts nodded after doing a quick calculation.
However, it would be best to report as late as possible to give Nova some time.
The guild leader will want to prevent what is currently happening from reaching Marshal Balhar Khan as much as possible.
‘If you use the guild leader···.’
“Ahem.”
Pulpouts coughed lightly.
The guild leader’s face turned serious as he was clearly about to start talking about something important.
‘···If the enemy participates, it is a sure defeat, but if not, is there any chance of winning?’
In response, Pulpouts sorted out the situation.
“Marshal Balhar Khan···.”
“Have you heard? The story about a coalition of nobles led by the Grand Duke heading to the capital.”
The guild leader quickly cut off Pulpouts’ words and brought up a different topic.
The gaze of Marshal Balhar Khan moved from Pulphutz to the guild master.
“So that’s not what’s important, Marshal Balhar Khan···”
Fullfoot added, pretending not to notice and making an Adela-like expression.
The guild leader quickly cut him off.
“The Archduke claims that the Imperial Family is covering up His Majesty’s death!”
The guild leader shouted. It was rude, but the content of his words more than made up for it.
‘···The emperor is dead?’
The death of the emperor… I couldn’t help but think of it as being related to the incident where the palace collapsed.
‘Surely not Aaron···.’
Of course, destroying the palace itself was an irreversible act, but if the death of the emperor was also involved…
“hmm.”
The previously quiet Marshal Balhar Khan let out a low growl, as if to tell him to do more.
“It has been quite some time since His Majesty the Emperor made an official appearance. However, the Archduke felt it was strange that He had not made an official appearance since the recent incident at the Imperial Palace, and so he called together the Noble Alliance.”
The guild leader spoke clearly and concisely, as politely as possible.
’emperor···?’
The Emperor was Emperor before Pulphus was born.
Of course, the Empire may have been somewhat fictional, as it idolized its emperor, but it was clear that it had been in power for quite some time.
If an emperor who had ruled the empire for a long time died, chaos was sure to ensue. However…
‘Now that I think about it, the empire didn’t have a succession problem.’
Pulpouts felt a strange sense of foreboding. Of course, there were more than a few kingdoms that had been divided over the issue of succession, so it was possible that the imperial family had handled the succession thoroughly.
‘Even so, it’s a human affair. It’s strange that there’s never been a problem.’
Pulphutz looked at Marshal Balhar Khan. His face was still indifferent, so his true intentions were unclear.
“The Grand Duke, who had a special relationship with the Emperor, was furious that the death of his close friend was hidden.”
The guild leader spoke while staring at Marshal Balhar Khan. His tone was as if he was trying to test him. Just like Fullfoot.
The corners of Balhar Khan’s mouth slightly rose. It was a sneer. It was a mysterious answer, but no one asked.
Pullputs, who was thinking again, suddenly felt something strange.
‘Why are the Royal Knight Marshal and the Rebel Leader sitting side by side in Cassadic, at the eastern end?’
Pulpouts shook his head and opened his mouth again.
“Marshal Balhar Khan···.”
“Oh, did you know that? There are two dragons living in the Kirton Mountains. It’s just a rumor, but it’s definitely been confirmed······.”
Fullputs nodded while looking at the desperate guild leader.
It seemed like we could buy a little more time.
As I had some free time, my thoughts turned in that direction again.
The rebels and the knights of the temple are fighting the imperial knights…
‘Just right…just right…please…’
Fullfoot desperately sought God.
***
‘Why is this situation······.’
The Farhan Inquisitor brandished his mace and searched for God.
Crunch! With a crisp sound, the imperial knight’s armor dented. It was so thick that it didn’t cause any significant damage.
“This son of a bitch!”
The imperial knight shouted and swung his sword. The sharp blade sliced through Parhan’s breastplate.
Farhan took a step back as a burning pain burned in his chest. Another man took Farhan’s place.
“George! Georgie! You damn Empire!”
He was the first man to jump out of the rebel army. There were quite a few rebels who joined the battle in a daze as he jumped out.
‘···Why are you fighting with the rebels?’
The man brandished his weapon as he cursed the Empire. The resentment in his voice was truly deep.
However, the sword swung by the imperial knight blew off his head. The man’s crumpled face rolled on the floor.
‘···Is this okay?’
Farhan muttered indifferently as he tended to my wounds.
There were quite a few bold rules in the church.
Do not read or open the heretical Bible.
Do not speak to any impious person who bears the mark of the devil, but immediately crush their head.
The corpse of the warlock must be burned.
Among them, the one thing that was always emphasized was ‘never attack anyone with the imperial emblem on them’.
There was a time when the Empire and the Church constantly clashed. The more this happened, the more difficult it became for the people of the Empire, so the Church and the Empire made an agreement to put an end to this war of attrition.
However, the emotional ache did not easily disappear.
Because of that, when the Knights of the Temple and the Knights of the Imperial Court met, they would often fight. However, I heard that even when they exchanged insults or became heated, it was only a minor confrontation…
‘Why is this situation happening···.’
The man with his head cut off fell down and hugged the imperial knight. The imperial knight was shocked and tried to shake him off, but perhaps because of his deep resentment, he would not let go.
The imperial knight’s movements slowed down, and the temple knight took advantage of the gap to swing his mace. In an instant, the mace broke and struck his shoulder.
It seemed that he was being cautious because his opponent was an imperial knight. His shoulder blades became blunt, and the imperial knight let out a groan of pain.
The imperial knight swung his sword at the neck of the temple knight even in that state. The temple knight dodged him by a hair. Judging from the blood spurting out from under his helmet, it seemed to have been scratched.
“What a wicked man! Oh my god!”
The knight shouted as he drew his mace with both hands. The mace shattered the head of the imperial knight. Crunch! Red blood sprayed around.
“···How dare you kill an imperial knight!”
The imperial knight next to him swung his sword and decapitated the temple knight.
The face of the knight of the temple that had risen into the air appeared slowly. His mouth was still muttering as if in prayer.
Crunch. The face of the knight in the temple that had been rolling on the floor burst with a terrible sound.
“Stay in formation! They can’t use Aura!”
“We are the sword of the empire.”
At that moment, a blue light burst out from the imperial knights’ direction.
“Take out the blessings! Keep your formation!”
The knights of the temple quickly stepped forward and radiated light.
Kwaang-! The surroundings shook with a loud noise. Everyone except the knights fell backwards. Some unlucky ones hit their heads on the floor and trembled.
The knights of the temple, clad in light, blocked the sword of the imperial knight. The knight’s greatsword was scratched. However, it was not as easy to cut the greatsword as before.
In between, a rebel knight thrust his sword. The rebel knight’s sword was also enchanted with an aura. Another imperial knight’s sword stopped him-.
Boom! A melee ensued. The Templars and the rebels outnumbered each other by at least three to one, but the Imperial Knights stood shoulder to shoulder, filling in the gaps.
Every time the aura flashed, a scream erupted.
Then, as Aura disappeared again, the Imperial Knights were pushed back again.
It seemed as if everyone had lost their minds and no one had any intention of stopping.
Farhan, who was looking around, clicked his tongue slightly.
There were residents watching from afar, holding the child’s hand.
Seeing him smile, I guess he found the situation funny.
There was also a guy walking around collecting money.
There were also some who would sneak in and dip their bread in the blood flowing on the floor and eat it. They would grumble, saying, “If it’s the blood of an imperial knight or a holy knight, good luck will come.”
There were also some who would sneakily steal the bodies.
At that moment, someone tapped Farhan on the arm.
When I turned my head, I saw Inquisitor Joanna Ethan handing me a potion. Next to her, Knight of the Temple of Johelia was catching her breath.
There was quite a bit of red blood on both of their armors.
Farhan took the potion, sprinkled it on his wound, and put the rest in his mouth.
“We came on orders from the church. We heard that there were some impure people gathering at Cassidy. But the central figure was······.”
The Joheliya Temple Knight stood on tiptoe and whispered to Joanna.
Joanna’s face crumpled violently as she heard what was said. It was an extremely intense reaction for Joanna, who rarely showed her emotions.
“Your Excellency Inquisitor Joanna Ethan.”
At that moment, a woman approached from the side. It was the secretary Nova, with her hair tied back tightly.
Nod.
“Do you know where Aaron is? It’s quite urgent, and I need to find him right away.”
Crackle crackle.
“Then is there any way to stop the situation now? We, the Cassadics, don’t mind, but the relationship between the Order and the Imperial Family will become unbearably strained.”
Secretary Nova calmly continued with the next question.
Farhan shook his head at the sight of Joanna asking the question. Is he asking Joanna because he has no one else to ask?
All I could ask Joanna was, ‘Is there a sunny place where I can eat cake?’
Joanna turned her head around.
It looked like he was looking for something.
After a while, Joanna laughed quietly. The laugh was extremely uncomfortable. Joanna took something out one by one.
“···Isn’t that a fire stick?”
What Joanna took out was a fire stick that was supplied for dealing with demons and warlocks. It was a magical tool that was only used for burning.
The face of Joanna holding him was subtle. Her eyes were both expectant and trembling.
‘That face···.’
It was the expression he had when he showed off something strange he had learned somewhere. It was the same expression he had made when he had beaten himself after hearing something strange from that guy named Aaron.
“Is that a fire-breathing magical tool?”
Secretary Nova asked with shining eyes, seemingly oblivious to the situation.
Nod.
Joanna pointed to one side with a fire stick.
There were barrels of wine piled high, ready to be used for the holy day.
“Calm down the excitement with a bigger shock? All the residents have been evacuated… It’s an idea that Aaron would come up with… But it’s also a situation where there’s no room for error… It’s okay. It’ll cost a lot of money, but it’s an emergency. Let’s proceed.”
Secretary Nova nodded, looking at him with calculating eyes.
‘What is this crazy woman agreeing to?’
It seemed as if Secretary Nova thought Inquisitor Joanna Ethan was joking.
Nod.
Farhan’s mind flashed at Joanna’s nod.
“Inquisitor Joanna Ethan? Inquisitor Joanna Ethan!!”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Joanna pointed to one side with a fire stick.
The flames flew quickly towards the stacked wine barrels-.
‘Oh my god-.’
Farhan sought God more desperately than ever.
“Fire!!”
The sharp voice of Secretary Nova filled the square.
***
“Kanna, what did you see?”
Vivian tilted her head as she looked at Kanna, who had returned with a very surprised expression on her face.
Kanna, who had been feeling down all day because she hadn’t seen Aaron, went out for a bit and her mood changed.
“I saw something really cool. But I’m going to make it bigger. I promised Aaron.”
Vivian smiled brightly as she watched Kanna clench her tiny fists.
It was fortunate that Kanna found her strength.
‘Tonight is going to be incredible.’
It’s amazing that Kanna, a genius among geniuses, can even show such passion.
The magic that Kanna will show tonight will be amazing. I’m sure the residents will love it.
Vivian laughed heartily, holding back the slight pain she felt from her chest dance.
