#213
Trials of Jeron (2)
There were still a few knights left resisting after surviving the ambush, but it was only a matter of time before they were all dealt with.
The enemy was ruthlessly slaughtering anyone who dared to approach the carriage doors of the delegation, while additional barriers set by the wizards made it impossible to escape without using “Hero’s Footsteps.”
In the midst of this crisis, Hesperon’s mind was racing more than ever.
‘What the hell are they thinking, causing chaos right in the heart of the capital? How are they planning to clean this up later? Are they trying to start a rebellion?’
When he investigated important figures beforehand, he had confirmed that Stav, the Commander of the Imperial Guard, was clearly neutral… more accurately, he belonged to the Emperor’s faction.
He also heard that Riley was putting considerable effort into trying to pull him to their side.
‘Damn it, he’s just been holed up in the Imperial Palace, so there’s not much information available. No, never mind the motive! I need to find a solution!’
Through the “Bond of Connection,” Riley’s emotions were being transmitted to him in real-time.
As expected of a princess, she seemed to be trying various methods, but her slim hopes were quickly thwarted by some unseen force that kept crashing down on her.
‘…Was the “thorough preparation” he mentioned not about the Undead King but about trapping us here?’
No matter how hard he searched for options, despair was inescapable.
Yet, despite it all, she refused to give up.
Even a girl who hadn’t yet reached adulthood maintained her composure as she faced the looming shadow of death, striving until the very end.
But if he were to give up first…
‘Nothing could be more embarrassing than that!’
He was, after all, the puppet master behind this chaos; it would be too humiliating to simply back down!
‘I can’t give up without even trying. Besides, I’ve just caught a glimpse of a possibility.’
However, to turn that possibility into reality, one vital thing was needed.
Time.
The barrier set on the princess’s carriage was on the verge of being completely destroyed, and two knights were already on the verge of reaching his carriage.
Even with his dramatically improved reflexes, the ticking clock felt incredibly tight.
– Hannibal Strauss: Tsk, foolish and inefficient. Isn’t it more beneficial for you to escape alone rather than both dying?
– Hesperon: No, I’m barely reaching the level of intermediate wizard now. My greatest asset is my connection with the next rightful heir, Riley.
They shared and understood each other’s thoughts, but could not grasp the differences in their modes of reasoning.
So, Hesperon kindly added a little explanation for Hans’s understanding.
– Hesperon: But if I run away from here, all that will remain is just another intermediate wizard. Isn’t it better to take a gamble? If I succeed, I’ll be the closest aide to the future emperor, right?
– Hannibal Strauss: Hoh—? That’s certainly a valid point. Well, at your level, it shouldn’t be too difficult to start over.
– Hesperon: …That kind of declaration stings a bit.
– Hannibal Strauss: Fine. Though it is a waste of time, considering the potential rewards, it’s worth a shot.
– Heinrich: I just finished my battle. Now that I have some breathing room, let’s prepare right away. I really hope this works out. I don’t want to see the princess get hurt.
– Heinz II: Hmm, a way to buy time.
– Howard: Wait! Speaking of which, I have something I prepared quickly; it’s still incomplete, but…
Just then, the emergency meeting in the rush of time came to an end.
The situation began to unfold rapidly once again.
*
BANG!
The knight attempting to open the carriage door with drawn sword immediately stepped back as an ambush came flying out.
The opponent suddenly kicked the carriage door open and swung his sword at him without warning.
However, as a high-ranking knight of the Empire, he was not so weak as to be unable to respond.
“Resistance? How bothersome.”
“I’m a disciple of Duke Pristine. Be careful, I’m a wizard.”
“A wizard? A wizard swinging a sword…”
Before he could finish, another knight shouted a warning too late.
That man—Hesperon—was enveloped in shimmering blue magical energy, amplifying his speed several times over.
“Tricks! Not a chance!”
Yet, that was only amusingly pathetic to a knight of his caliber.
From his entire being, thick wisps of haze emerged, and the brilliantly shining great sword severed the incoming magical sword with a single stroke.
Just as he was getting pumped up to finish off the defenseless opponent…
BANG—!
In an instant, the dazzling sword flickered with magical energy while Hesperon’s fist, now amplified, smashed directly into the knight’s chest.
“Guh?!”
Creeeak—
The reinforced metallic knuckles he wore for combat collided with the knight’s armor, creating a harrowing sound.
“W-What…?!”
But the problem did not stop at merely the shock from the strike.
The deadly curse radiating from his fist burrowed into the knight, restricting his movements.
Had it not been for the protective energy, this curse alone could have rendered him completely incapacitated.
However, that didn’t mean he had a hope of survival.
SPLAT—
With a sickening squelch, crimson blood splattered everywhere, as the knight’s body, now headless, slowly fell backward.
“You bastard!”
At the same moment.
Clang!
Another knight, reacting to his comrade being struck, found his sword cross with the ‘Demon Sword’ that materialized in Hesperon’s hand.
And of course, it also radiated ominous black magic since it had just harvested life moments ago, blood dripping from it.
Now, it seemed to leak thick malevolent energy from his body as well.
With his sword pushed down harder against Hesperon’s, the knight breathed out, as if to spit.
“Could it be a dark mage? And where did you get such a demon sword?!”
“Ugh, I borrowed it from a friend!”
The nonchalant remark made the knight scowl in disgust, but that was all.
Whether he enhanced his body with black magic or tried to oppose him with the power of the demon sword…
Clang—! Clash! Clang—!
Before the highest-ranking knight, he was little more than a child playing with dangerous toys.
‘No, not even a child’s level. I heard he was a wizard, but what was that martial art and swordsmanship? He isn’t just responding with physical ability!’
No matter how much he leaned on the alien powers, the mere fact that he could intertwine his sword with attacks was proof that he was anything but ordinary.
Though he was barely hanging on by a thread, that alone was worthy of praise.
Squelch—
‘But that ends here.’
The knight sneered, seeing the cracks forming in the demon sword as it was being exposed to his overwhelming energy.
No matter how imbued with dark magic it was, it was only natural to sustain damage under repeated attacks from someone of higher skill.
‘If you could enhance your weapon with energy, that might have helped, but with that pitiful magic, it’s a lost cause. How dare a wizard try to imitate a knight; he should know his place!’
Fully convinced of his victory, the knight swung his sword toward the crack in the demon sword.
However, just as their swords connected, he felt an eruption of dark magic expanding from the fracture and his eyes went wide.
“Wait?! …What is this?!”
But before he could react…
CRACK!
The immense pressure emanating from the fracture instantly shattered the weapon into fragments, which were then directed toward a specific target due to a spell placed on the demon sword.
BOOM—!
A multitude of deadly magical shards, filled with black magic, swept forward like a claymore mine.
Designed to obliterate those who dared to challenge the wielder, this deadly demon sword maximized its lethality by limiting the effective range severely.
THUMP!
And yet, within that distance, it boasted overwhelming effectiveness.
Even against the high-ranking knight.
“Haah, haah— just because I’m at a high level doesn’t mean I’m unbeatable. This is what you call relying on good items.”
Hesperon, breathless, gazed at the remnants of the knight’s body, which barely resembled a shape.
No matter how much he had enhanced his body using “Introduction to Magic” and utilized skills like “Martial Arts” and “Great Strength,” defeating knights of this level solely on his own ability was utterly impossible.
To navigate this situation, external assistance was undoubtedly required…
And that assistance came in the form of high-grade items supplied through “Avatar Cloud.”
‘And what’s more, it’s a cursed magical equipment primarily focused on dark magic.’
It was a high-quality item personally selected and sent by the Undead King, so there was no need to question its quality.
Of course, using such an item would come with its own share of side effects.
SWISH—
“Mmm.”
As the disposable demon sword dissolved into powder, a potent curse began to seep into Hesperon’s right hand, which had held it.
Moreover, numerous accessories like rings, necklaces, and bracelets, which had been provided to enhance his physical abilities and attack power, were also steadily corroding his lifespan.
‘Well, my lifespan isn’t a big deal. …By the way, they seem to be glaring at me quite a lot.’
However, despite swallowing the blood surging from his throat, Hesperon maintained his composure.
Given the ruckus, it was only natural; all the knights around were now fixated on him.
“…A cursed item? Was he really a dark mage?”
“No, upon a closer look, it doesn’t seem like he learned it directly. Those magical items seem to be the cause… Then again, at this point, does that really matter?”
“Kurta aside, to think Lord Wilhelm would fall as well!”
In just a brief moment, one knight had died, and another had joined him without warning.
Given that two of their comrades had suddenly perished while they had been watching, the remaining knights became increasingly wary, unable to act recklessly.
‘This is getting tense.’
Of course, they were refraining from rushing in, but the aura rising among the knights was terrifying enough to make it seem like they could slice him apart at any moment.
– Heinrich: A bit late. Still, this should be sufficient help. Send more as soon as you can.
While he was cautiously keeping an eye on the surrounding knights, the sacred emblem filled with Heinrich’s holy power began to disperse the curse encroaching upon him.
‘Ah, I can breathe a little now.’
Even though it was just indirect empowerment through the holy emblem, it radiated holy energy from a saint, so it wasn’t insignificant.
The knights, who had been preparing to strike as a group, flinched and frowned at the sudden surge of power.
“…What tremendous holy power. Is that a relic?”
“Seeing it diminish quickly, it seems temporary. But given that level, it seems a high-ranking bishop must have intervened, right?”
“To think he has something like that along with the cursed items… What the hell kind of a guy is he?”
‘Just a side character receiving support from the main character. Lucky on items!’
Though looking serious while being playful internally, Hesperon was, in fact, far from relaxed.
Even as he fought, a part of his mind had been focused on maintaining the “Bond of Connection,” yet it still felt a bit lacking to attain what he desired.
‘If only I had a little more time…’
He glanced around.
Almost everyone who had been in the carriage with him was slaughtered except for a few allies that hadn’t turned traitor.
Yet, as chaos had ensued, perhaps due to his ruckus, quite a number of surviving knights remained on their side.
While he was surveying the situation, suddenly—
Chilly—
He felt a cold sensation and turned his gaze toward it.
Not surprisingly, there stood Stav, the leader of the betrayers, eyeing him from a short distance.
Right in front of the wide-open carriage door.
*
Stav, who had been intently watching Hesperon, soon shifted his attention.
At the moment, dealing with this one punk was less important than what was happening on his side.
Though his artifacts felt a bit bothersome as he observed, the opponent was not high enough in skill for him to care.
By now, his subordinates would be vigilant, so he should be able to manage the situation from their side easily.
“…Lord Stav. Why are you doing this?”
“I apologize, Your Highness. Isn’t this what political strife normally is? The objectives just happened to differ, that’s all.”
“Do you really think you can get away with such open movements in Jeron? The Emperor will never let this go!”
“Don’t worry about that. We didn’t act thoughtlessly.”
Stav calmly replied to Riley’s warning.
He had already poured tangible and intangible resources into this operation to an extent that would shake his power, and he was not the only one involved.
Most regrettably, the fifth princess, who had barely escaped the grasp of the Undead King, would be treated as a casualty who was taken down by the undead army that came to eliminate a escaping prisoner.
The terror now unfolding in the city was also a part of that scheme, and all physical and magical evidence had already been prepared.
‘Including everyone here, naturally.’
He looked down at her with a chilling smile and cold eyes.
“I’m sorry, but there’s no more time. It’s time for you to leave.”
As a final show of courtesy towards the princess, he responded in conversation, but given that they didn’t have much time left themselves, he could no longer afford to waste any.
There were limits to how long they could buy time for central and surrounding forces.
“Wait! You’re not serious…”
Riley tried desperately to stall for time, but Stav ignored her and nonchalantly pulled out a short dagger from his spatial dimensional magical equipment.
…In reality, it was only called a dagger because it had a handle; judging by appearances, it resembled something like a beast’s claw.
“One more thing I need to apologize for. You will find it quite difficult to die peacefully. It will be a terribly painful and miserable end for you.”
A blood-red claw dagger exuding pulses of energy that seemed to tear everything apart.
It was also a cursed demon sword.
“By the way, earlier that guy was using cursed items. I originally intended to entangle him as a servant of the Undead King from the start, but it wouldn’t be bad to make him the direct perpetrator of the princess’s assassination, either.”
His gaze remained fixed on the ongoing commotion in the distance.
Having felt something unusual since earlier, he discovered the fellow he believed to be dead was instead still among a few surviving knights, supporting them and engaging in all sorts of antics.
Healing the knights with holy items, buying time with barrier magical equipment in emergencies, and summoning a bloodstorm with a bloody orb, he hindered the wizards’ moves.
And amidst that, the cursed items he had summoned helped restrain his subordinates from recklessly intervening.
“…Tsk, useless fools. Looks like I’ll have to take matters into my own hands. I’ll wrap this up.”
With a slight scowl, Stav clicked his tongue and, without further ado, swung the dagger towards Princess Riley.
No, to be precise, towards the spot where Princess Riley “was.”
“…Huh?”
After swinging at the air, Stav froze for a moment before slowly turning his head, following his instincts to the center of the ongoing battle.
And there—
“Wow, that was close.”
Bleeding from both his nose and mouth, Hesperon wore a carefree smile as he held the astonished Princess Riley in his arms.
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