Duke Pendragon

“Oi, captain! I think they spotted us.”

A hairy mercenary spoke when he saw a soldier frantically dashing away. A frown appeared on the captain’s face at his words.

“Hmm! Can you land a shot?”

“He’s too far away. I think they are going to call for reinforcements.”

The mercenary spoke while slowly lowering his crossbows from the running man. The mercenary captain replied while running towards the nearby building.

“That’s fine! If we get to the building and take the girls inside as hostages, we will be able to win without having to do anything! There’s only about ten of them, so let’s get it over with quickly!”

“Uooo!”

Around a hundred mercenaries charged while shouting loudly. On the cliff side, the main building was connected to a large back garden. Thanks to the pouring rain from a few days ago, the garden was filled with blooming flowers and lively trees. However, the mercenaries paid it no mind and ran while trampling on the gorgeous greenery.

“Kehehehehe!”

The mercenaries burst into a peal of sinister laughter when they saw the soldiers lined up near the building. It was obvious that the weaklings were at a loss.

They weren’t even knights. Ten ordinary soldiers like them would be…

Shoook! Thuck!

“Keugh!”

Suddenly, quarrels appeared from nowhere and pierced a dozen mercenaries who were at the forefront. They fell to the ground with a scream, the quarrels having precisely pierced their throats and chests .

“What kind of dog-shit bastards dare to…? Kuahhh!”

The mercenary captain became enraged and sped up with his battle axe raised high.

“Formation! Get into formation!”

One of the soldiers hurriedly shouted. The crossbows took a long time to reload, so they quickly threw the crossbow to the sides before forming into a triangular formation with their spears and shields held up high.

“Ha! Look at these bastards!”

The mercenaries burst into laughter. What were these weaklings planning to do with a feeble formation formed from only a dozen people?

“Crush them!”

“Uwaahh!”

The mercenaries headed straight for the formation while shouting vigorously. The distance between the two forces was now less than 10 yards. To the mercenaries’ surprise, the soldiers pulled back their shields and threw their spears at the same time.

Shuack!

The distance between the two groups was so narrow. It was impossible to dodge the 5-feet-long spears.

“Keugh!”

“Kek!”

About ten mercenaries in the front lurched forward after being struck with the spears.

“Huh?”

The road leading from the back garden to the main building was narrow. When the mercenaries at the front fell, the following members could not immediately come to a halt and tripped over their comrades.

“Now!”

At someone’s cry, the soldiers pulled out another short spear, then stabbed at the fallen mercenaries.

Pupupuck!

Another five or six mercenaries shrieked as they perished.

“Formation!”

Thud!

After stabbing the mercenaries with spears, the soldiers quickly stepped back and erected their shields.

“You son of a…!”

The mercenary captain’s eyes were glowing with anger. More than twenty of his men had been killed by only twelve soldiers.

“Fuck!”

He shouted loudly while taking out a crossbow from his back. As he aimed and shot at the soldiers, the other mercenaries followed suit and took out their bows.

Tung! Tung!

But their attacks were unable to break through the sturdy shields of the Pendragon soldiers.

“Keu… Just charge! Kill those damned fuckers!”

They were standing on the only path leading to the main building, so there was no other solution. The mercenaries shouted and charged once more at their captain’s orders.

Boom!

“Die!”

They smashed down with their axes and swords, but the shields remained rigid.

“Keuugh!”

The people in the lead fell down while bleeding out.

“Gah! You fucking idiots!”

The mercenary captain shouted with frustration and joined in the fray.

Shuack!

His battle axe drew a line through the air, then swept down near the ground.

Whoosh!

“Argh!”

One of the Pendragon soldiers collapsed after having his legs cut off.

“Now!”

He shouted while jumping through the gap and swinging his axe.

Puck!

“Keugh!”

Another soldier staggered after receiving a blow to his torso. Finally, a crack appeared in the wall of shields.

“Kuaaagh!”

The southern mercenaries swung their weapons at the gap without missing a beat. They were all too familiar with battle and had plenty of experience. The soldiers abandoned their spears and unsheathed swords from their waists.

Clang! Chaeng!

In an instant, the battle transformed into a dogfight. The southern mercenaries were adept in all sorts of cowardly tricks and strategies, which caused the Pendragon soldiers to struggle in the battle. Although the Pendragon soldiers had abundant experience in the field through several expeditions, they were unfamiliar with a dogfight against such a large group.

“Kuhaha!”

“Die!”

The mercenaries were literally enlightened in the art of killing, and they pushed back the soldiers mercilessly. Nevertheless, the Pendragon soldiers were not easily defeated.

Their instructor was none other than the one-egged devil of the Pendragon Duchy. In order to become soldiers of the duchy, all of them had to have a confrontation with Killian, a master of the imperial arts of swordsmanship and shields. Such confrontations forcibly elevated the soldiers’ skills, and each one of them was comparable to ordinary squires of other great territories. Therefore, even though they were outnumbered against the infamous southern mercenaries, each of them equalled two or three mercenaries.

“Keugh!”

But as they were severely outnumbered, soon, two soldiers became fatally wounded and collapsed. The injured soldiers were faced with the murderous gazes and the glittering axes of the mercenaries.

“Ahhhh!”

With resounding screams, four or five soldiers died while being stabbed countless times. The remaining soldiers formed into a small group and faced the mercenaries with their backs against each other.

“Kuhahaha! Kill them! Kill them all!”

The mercenary captain swung his axe while laughing maniacally.

Woosh!

Another soldier was decapitated and fell to his knees. The mercenary captain smiled insidiously while kicking the bloody body to the side. The situation appeared grim. Soon, all of the soldiers would be dead and the mercenaries could proceed to take over the building.

Puck! Thud!

“Keugh!”

“Argh!”

But something was a little off.

Some distance away, a few of the mercenaries were falling to the floor while screaming, one after another.

“What is it?”

The mercenary captain squinted while turning his gaze. Five or six of his subordinates were surrounding a single man, but strangely, they dared not approach him. Rather, they were slowly backing away.

“These idiots…”

Whoosh!

Another mercenary flew backwards with his neck bent at a strange angle.

“Hmm?”

The mercenary captain’s eyes became filled with shock. A young man with unusually long limbs was fighting the mercenaries without using any weapons.

Whoosh! Puruck!

Every time the young man’s uniquely shaped, black gloves moved through the air, mercenaries collapsed with broken noses or teeth. His attacks were so fast that it was invisible to the naked eye.

Besides, he was utilizing more than his fists. Elbows, knees, kicks. His entire body was a dangerous weapon, and he was moving with maximum efficiency. He was like an enraged predator.

“Foolish sons of bitches!”

The mercenary captain uttered with a frown and swung his axe at the young man.

It was then.

After destroying the face of a mercenary with his punch, the young man slightly turned his head. Immediately, his long leg drew an arc behind his back.

Shiiing! Puck!

“Keugh!”

The mercenary captain instinctively turned his body at the last minute, absorbing the kick with his shoulder, which was guarded by a pauldron. The impact was considerable. If it wasn’t for his armor, he might have suffered a crack in the shoulder bone.

“A fighter of Tiramis…”

The mercenary captain’s eyes took on a fierce light. Having lived as a mercenary for more than a decade, he was knowledgeable and experienced. As such, he was familiar with the fighting techniques of the Tiramis Temple as well.

The fighters of Tiramis Temple were famous for possessing incredulous skills, even though they only trained their bodies without using any weapons. But the priests of Tiramis rarely showed themselves in the world, so people were unaware of their true strengths.

However, there was one man who gained quite a reputation after making his appearance recently. It was an old fighter, a man nicknamed the Black Tiger. Around one year ago, he had killed the successor of a high lord in a competition held in a great territory.

“Come to think of it…”

The mercenary captain licked his lips while meeting the stubborn eyes of the young man. It was said that the fighter Black Tiger was taken in by the Pendragon Duchy after he executed the heir in front of the high lord himself. If that was the case, it was likely that this brat was the Black Tiger’s student.

“Hah! Even so, you’re only a little brat who’s learned for a year. Attack him all at once!”

The mercenaries rushed forward at their captain’s words with a shout.

Shuack!

Weapons shot forward with flashes.

“Heeup!”

Finally letting out a sound for the first time, Leon gave a shout while shooting into the middle of the flashing weapons. He had lived as a clown before learning the art of fighting from Argos, and he avoided the attacks of the mercenaries by bending his body and moving in fluid, inhuman ways.

Shuck! Puck!

Blood splashed as the weapons skirted his arms and legs, but Leon remained indifferent while throwing his fist and kicking at the mercenaries’ vital points.

“Keugh!”

In an instant, three people were thrown back. It was as if they were hit by a large boulder. The mercenary captain caught the body of the collapsing subordinate, then pushed him into Leon.

“Ugh!”

When Leon became flustered, the mercenary captain lobbed a small hatchet without missing the chance.

Puck!

After spinning through the air, the axe lodged itself in Leon’s side.

“Keugh!”

Leon instinctively bent forward at the burning pain.

“Kuhaha! Fuck you! Die!”

The mercenary captain raised his battle axe, then two other men followed suit and swung their swords.

Pupupuck!

A terrible noise resounded.

***

Clang! Chang!

“Argh!”

The women trembled and recoiled as the sounds of iron and screams continued to resound. Meanwhile, the maids stood with their arms spread in front of Irene, Lindsay, and Mia in a determination to protect their masters.

“We are fine.”

Irene spoke in a confident voice and led the maids back.

“But Lady Irene…”

“Sir Leon Johnbolt promised. He will definitely knock on the door. I trust him.”

Irene’s gaze and attitude were unshaken. Indeed, she acted befitting her status as the eldest daughter of the Pendragon Duchy. The maids felt admiration growing from their hearts.

But they weren’t able to see it – that Irene’s small hands were shaking finely.

Someone suddenly grabbed onto her hands.

“I trust him as well, lady.”

“Sister…”

Feeling the soft, warm touch of Lindsay’s hands, Irene’s tremor subsided. The two ladies nodded while sharing a gaze.

“Hmm?”

One of the maids tilted her head.

“It’s suddenly gone quiet outside, hasn’t it?”

“Ah, now that you mention it…”

The maids became a little relieved and started conversing with each other. However, as promised, they would never open the door first unless Leon knocked three times.

Boom!

“Oh my!”

A sudden noise jolted the maids.

Boom! Boom!

Soon after, two more knocks were heard on the door.

“My lady…!”

The maids looked back at Irene with bright expressions. Irene also took on a happy expression before slowly walking towards the door.

“…It’s…”

Someone spoke from outside the door, but it was too quiet to make out.

“My lady, it’s squire Leon Johnbolt. You can come out now…”

Irene’s eyes widened. The Pendragon family’s squire, her escort, had kept his promise.

Kieeeek!

“Leon! Sir Leon Johnbolt!”

Irene called out in a joyful voice.

“Yes, I’m here, my lady.”

Under the rising morning sun, she could see a faint smile on Leon’s face.

He was standing there with an axe jutting out of his side, and a sword coming out of his stomach…