Novel Full Chapter 170 : Chapter 170
Chapter 170. It’s Been a While (3)
Three figures revealed themselves.
A middle-aged man with blond hair, broad shoulders, and a sturdy-looking build.
A man with red hair and a strong impression, looking slightly younger than him.
And an old man with wrinkles on his face and white hair that shone silver in the moonlight.
At the appearance of the three, Patrick observed them carefully, then pointed his sword at the sturdy man on the far right and said.
“You must be Count Bereto Ziegler.”
“Hoh, you know me?”
“I do. Originally, you were my next target.”
“……”
“You were saved, weren’t you?”
At Patrick’s provocation, Count Ziegler frowned and said.
“Tsk, what a rude brat. This is the problem with those who lack faith.”
Count Bereto Ziegler.
In his mid-40s, he was often considered a rival to Count Calvin Spike.
His weapon was a mace, a blunt weapon mainly used by holy knights.
He was not a holy knight, but he used it as his main weapon.
Because he was a very devout follower of Yupinel.
So much so that his moniker was the Iron Mace of God.
It was quite unusual for someone who was not from the Holy Theocracy to have such a moniker.
And the other two were exuding a presence that was not inferior to Bereto Ziegler.
When Patrick looked at the two, the man who appeared to be in his 30s said.
“I am Helios Gilsion. It’s a pleasure to meet you like this, Double Dragon.”
“Helios… Ah! That….”
“It seems you know me. I’ve also heard your name many times….”
“You’re the youngest one at the bottom, right?”
“……”
The moment he heard Patrick’s words, Count Gilsion’s eyebrow twitched.
He was indeed the youngest among the 7-Star knights of the Kaisar Kingdom.
That was true, but….
‘How dare this greenhorn….’
To Count Gilsion, who was glaring with killing intent in his intense gaze, Patrick didn’t even bat an eye.
On the contrary….
“Well now? You little brat, you’re not looking at me nicely, are you? Huh! Hah! Ma!”
“How dare you….”
Count Gilsion, who had never been so insulted in his life, brought his hand to the bastard sword on his back.
“Oh. Is the little one angry? Bring it on, bring it on. Big bro will teach you a lesson.”
“I’ll kill you!”
“I’ll kiiill yooouuu.”
“Uwaaaaaaaah!”
‘Easy.’
Patrick smirked, seeing Count Gilsion charging at him after being baited by the provocation.
But….
“Calm down.”
Just as Count Gilsion was about to charge forward, someone’s back blocked his path.
And he, who had turned with calm eyes, looked at Count Gilsion and said.
“Your mental training is lacking.”
“Ahem…. But….”
“Is it not a blatant and vulgar provocation? Do not fall for it.”
“…I apologize.”
Count Gilsion let out a small groan and retreated at the person who had intervened.
It was unpleasant, but his attitude showed that he could not carelessly go against the person before him.
That person was….
“It is a pleasure to see the divinity of the continent.”
“Who are you, old man?”
“Hahaha. Old man….”
“What? Why?”
What do you expect from a person who calls the Imperial Sword Saint of the Empire an old geezer?
The opponent said with a benevolent smile on his lips.
“I am Marquis Andrea Ruide.”
“Never heard of you.”
“…The world calls me the Iron Castle.”
“Never heard of that either.”
“……”
“You’re not very famous, are you, old man?”
You’re the only one who doesn’t know, you bastard. You’re the only one….
The words rose to his throat, but he forced them down.
In fact, when discussing the strongest on the continent, the Imperial Sword Saint of the Empire was so overwhelmingly dominant that there was little debate.
But when discussing the second-in-command, there were a few names mentioned, and one of the names that could be cautiously raised was the Iron Castle.
The pride of the Kaisar Kingdom.
The de facto strongest in the Kaisar Kingdom, considered the top among the nine 7-Star knights.
A strong warrior who might even surpass the 7-Star wall and reach the 8-Star realm of transcendence.
But Patrick, as if he had never heard of such a thing, picked his ear with a bored expression.
‘Anyone below the Imperial Sword Saint is a nobody. When would I have the time to remember them all?’
Patrick blew on his pinky finger to get rid of the earwax and said indifferently.
“So? The other one?”
“Hmm…?”
“The number of 7-Star level individuals I sensed was four, right? So where did one go?”
At those words, the three were genuinely surprised.
They hadn’t particularly hidden their presence, but they had been waiting completely outside the encirclement.
But for his senses to be sharp enough to grasp the exact number….
‘His senses are unusually sharp.’
‘He wasn’t just a brat.’
‘How did such a person come from a minor country like the Atronia Kingdom?’
Marquis Ruide, who had been silent for a moment, said.
“You are the one who is alone. I heard you were moving with the princess who is your fiancée.”
“She was getting in the way, so I sent her off.”
“A wise decision. With your level of skill, it would have been more convenient to move alone.”
“Ahem!”
“……”
Was this a mood to be proud of?
Marquis Ruide, forcefully erasing the thought, ‘What kind of guy is this?’ that popped into his head, said calmly.
“But it would be a great miscalculation to think that we would not have anticipated such an intention of yours.”
“Ah, really?”
“That’s right. The other one was sent to capture your lovely fiancée, Princess Isabella.”
“Ah, really?”
At Patrick’s still indifferent reaction, Marquis Ruide suppressed the anger boiling inside him.
He had lived for a long time, but where would he have been so blatantly ignored?
He tried his best to feign composure and said.
“Aren’t you curious who went to capture your fiancée?”
“Yes. I’m not curious.”
“……”
“Then, can we start swinging our swords again? Bri…”
“Ahem, ahem….”
At Patrick’s words, Marquis Ruide cleared his throat and said.
“I’ll tell you specially.”
“I said I’m not curious.”
Listen, you bastard.
“The one who went to capture your lovely fiancée, Princess Isabella, is Count Martin Tonius.”
“What? Martin Tonius!?”
Patrick made a surprised expression.
Marquis Ruide then said with a leisurely smile.
“Hoh, it seems you’ve heard of him.”
“No. It’s the first time I’ve heard of him.”
“……”
“……”
A hollow wind blew between the two.
And Marquis Ruide said in a voice that was trying to be calm.
Though it was trembling quite a bit.
“Then…. why did you act like you knew him?”
“I was just playing along with the mood.”
“……”
“Seeing you ramble on about something I’m not even curious about, I thought, ‘Ah, this old man is lonely. A pitiful old man who has been alienated from his family and society because of his geezer-like personality and nagging.’”
“Cough… cough….”
“I may look like this, but I lived being called a Great Master…. I mean, a good person. So how can I just ignore a lonely old man? I should at least be his conversation partner.”
“A lonely old man?”
“Yes. It was a little fun, wasn’t it?”
“……”
“Huh? It wasn’t fun?”
No, beyond whether it was fun or not….
‘What kind of bastard is this?’
‘What kind of bastard is this?’
‘What kind of bastard is this?’
Every single person surrounding Patrick thought the same thing at the same time.
Marquis Ruide, who had belatedly come to his senses, said.
“If you don’t know that friend, you probably don’t know the rumors about him either.”
“Tsk tsk, our old man must be very lonely.”
“……”
No. I’m not.
Don’t look at me with those pitiful eyes, as if you’re looking at a helpless old man.
“Wow. I’m so curious. What rumor is it?”
Marquis Ruide then said, gritting his teeth.
“He is the knight with the most vicious and cruel personality among the knights of our country.”
Now, how about that?
Are you worried now?
“Is that something to be proud of?”
“……”
Uh, well, actually, that’s not something to be proud of.
A knight being vicious and cruel is not something to be proud of.
Marquis Ruide cleared his throat for a moment.
“Ahem…. ahem….”
He just couldn’t continue a conversation with this guy.
He couldn’t, but he had to somehow steer the conversation back to a normal track.
“It seems you don’t know. That friend once personally executed over a thousand criminals in one night. Thus, he is called by the moniker Bloody Martin.”
“He’s a son of a bitch.”
“On top of that, he is very fond of women and boasts that he always has over a hundred concubines.”
“He’s a damn son of a bitch.”
“……”
“What? Am I wrong?”
Let’s just not listen to him.
Marquis Ruide, who thought it would be better to just say what he had to say, said.
“The person pursuing your fiancée is such a person. So….”
“If you don’t want your fiancée to suffer a terrible fate, surrender peacefully?”
“Uh… uh huh….”
“Then I will promise to at least spare your life?”
“Hmm….”
“You were going to say something like that, right?”
“……”
That’s right. That was right, but hearing it from the other side’s perspective, it was like….
“Wow…. Look at this character. How can a human be like this?”
“What are you suddenly talking about?”
“No, just think about it. You just unleashed a damn son of a bitch on my fiancée and then said, ‘If you don’t want her to suffer a terrible fate, surrender peacefully,’ right?”
That’s right. In summary, that was it.
“Even if you can’t win with skill, is that what a knight should do? Wow, am I supposed to not talk about your character?”
“……”
Being pointed out so directly, even Viscount Ruide’s face turned red.
He tried his best to avoid Patrick’s gaze and said.
“Ahem, I just made a choice to minimize the damage.”
“Tsk tsk, look at this fantastic character.”
“……”
Leaving the speechless Marquis Ruide behind, Patrick’s mouth relentlessly spewed out words.
“Hey, even you think it’s a bit much, right? This isn’t right, is it? Yeah, you over there. You, who were nodding your head with an expression that said, ‘Well, this is a bit much,’ while listening to me. You.”
The knight who was pointed out pointed at himself with his finger.
And receiving the gazes pouring in from all around, he hastily shook his head.
“N-no. I wasn’t thinking that….”
“Kaaah…. Look! Look at that pitiful young man who can’t speak the truth and has to succumb to violence and power! Do you see it? This scene of tragedy?”
Everyone’s jaws dropped.
“The way of the martial world…. No, the justice of a knight is dead. Justice is dead. They don’t let you speak the truth. Wow, this is dirty. So dirty. So this is the level of the Kaisar Kingdom. Tsk tsk, you guys have it tough too. When the higher-ups are like that….”
Seeing Patrick chattering nonstop, Marquis Ruide realized.
What he had to do first.
“All units, attack!”
‘I have to shut that mouth first.’
He sure learned quickly.
***
Even though he knew that the trash named Bloody Martin was after Isabella, Patrick was not agitated at all.
In summary, it meant that one 7-Star knight had moved to capture Isabella, right?
One person.
‘Tsk tsk, he’s going to die.’
There was no reason to be genuinely worried.
Because there was the apprentice he had put the most effort into raising.
***
Count Martin Tonius.
Or the man called Bloody Martin.
Although he was considered the most cruel and vicious person in the Kaisar Kingdom….
In fact, it was worse than that.
Excluding the glamorous trophy of the 7-Star realm and evaluating him only as a human, there was no trash like this trash.
The taxes in the Kaisar Kingdom were already heavy, but the place with the heaviest taxes was this man’s fief.
On top of that, if there was something he coveted, he would take it by any means necessary, and those means were utterly base.
He would force a duel by finding a pretext and then take it.
Since no one wanted to duel a 7-Star knight, he would just take it by force.
Among the targets were expensive treasures and land, as well as beautiful noblewomen.
If he saw a beautiful noble lady or madam, he would try to get his hands on her somehow, and if the other party refused, he would drag them into a duel, kill their husband or father, and take the woman.
Truly a real piece of trash.
The reason such a man had received the order to capture Patrick was to get his hands on Princess Isabella.
He had never made a princess of a country his own, so his collector’s desire had surged.
So he had separated from the other three and acted individually, pursuing Princess Isabella.
And the moment he saw her….
“Hoooo…. Excellent.”
He had heard she was beautiful, but she exceeded his expectations.
The sight of Princess Isabella swinging her sword to break through the encirclement was truly beautiful.
His subordinates were being cut down and falling by her sword, but Count Tonius just smiled contentedly, watching as if appraising a work of art.
Her white skin, glowing faintly in the moonlight, and her flowing black hair.
Even the beads of sweat flowing down her cheeks shone like transparent pearls, and her cold expression, maintained with pride even in the desperate situation of being surrounded by numerous knights.
Everything was beyond expectation.
What would it be like to see that black hair spread on a pillow?
Would the moment that proud and cold face was colored with humiliation and disgrace be ecstatic?
He wanted to draw screams of despair and lament from the lips of that beautiful and proud princess.
‘Just thinking about it is thrilling.’
He had found a prey that would satisfy his desire for conquest for the first time in a long time.
Next to Isabella, Matthew was also desperately swinging his sword and fighting, but he didn’t even come into his line of sight.
“First, I should capture her without hurting her…. Hmm?”
In that instant, Count Tonius saw a commotion happening outside the encirclement.
“St-stop! I said, stop!?”
“Uwaaaaaaah!”
Amidst the desperate shouts of the knights and soldiers, a flashing light elegantly drew a line.
And then….
“Uh… ugh….”
“Keuk….”
Someone walked through the soldiers who had collapsed without even putting up a proper resistance.
A person wearing a butler’s uniform, with short blond hair and light sprout-colored eyes, walked over.
He said to Isabella and Matthew.
“You held on well. I’ve broken through the west, so let’s go.”
“Alright.”
“Thanks, Ace.”
And April’s gaze, who had joined Matthew and Isabella, turned to one side.
Her light sprout-colored eyes met exactly with the eyes of Count Tonius, who was hiding his presence from a distance.
And….
Thump! Thump!
‘What is this? What on earth is this?’
Count Tonius felt his heart beating fast and trembled all over.
He had obtained and toyed with countless beauties in his life.
So, an ordinary beauty could no longer make his heart pound.
That heart of his was now pounding like a boy who had fallen in love for the first time.
Could a human be that beautiful?
Even the moonlight coming down from the sky seemed to exist only to adorn that being.
The fallen corpses around and the bloodstains splattered on her cheeks could not diminish the beauty of that being.
No, on the contrary….
“Even more beautiful.”
He decided.
He would definitely obtain that.
Count Tonius, who had made up his mind, raised his longsword and shouted loudly.
“Everyone, get out of the way!”
With that, his body charged forward.
Kwakwakwakwakwa!
The trees and shrubs that got in his way were no obstacle to him.
To him, who was charging, destroying everything in his path, Matthew was the first to step up and try to block him.
“You shall not pass!”
Matthew’s act of bravely stepping forward with two swords in his hands only made Count Tonius feel contemptuous.
“How dare you….”
He would crush that brat in a single blow and obtain Princess Isabella and that beautiful beauty.
The night spent with those two in one bed would surely be more special than any night he had experienced so far.
Having made up his mind, he immediately imbued his sword with a large amount of Aura Blade.
“Get lost, brat.”
A blow that relied only on strength, with no technique whatsoever.
But a blow sufficient to split that brat in half.
The moment it was about to fall on Matthew’s crown….
“Get lost, trash.”
A clear and melodious voice, like a jade bead rolling on a silver tray.
And….
Craack!
A refreshing striking sound that cleared the chest followed.
“Keok….”
It was the sound of April’s knee crushing Count Tonius’ face.