Chapter 39: A Small Kindness, A Great Enmity

Chapter 39: Chapter 39: A Small Kindness, A Great Enmity

The moment he recognized Robinson, Roy’s first thought was, ’Count Rock Lion already knows I killed the Mutated Four-armed Demon Ape.’

But he quickly realized he was overthinking things.

’If Count Rock Lion knew I killed the Mutated Four-armed Demon Ape, he definitely wouldn’t have sent just Robinson and his men. He would have come himself.’

’Not only that, the Count would also suspect that I’m the Dark Night Knight.’

After shattering the incoming Arrow, Robinson dismounted without a moment’s hesitation.

He unleashed his black Mad Bull Fighting Qi, completely enveloping his body.

The next second, he sprinted toward the direction the Arrow had come from.

As he dismounted, Matthew and his three companions did the same, drawing their Cross Swords and unleashing their Mad Bull Fighting Qi.

Without waiting for Robinson’s command, Matthew and the other three followed close behind him, charging toward Roy at the edge of the forest.

Roy had originally planned to take one of them out with his Bow and Arrow first.

He just hadn’t expected his randomly chosen target to be Robinson, the strongest of the group.

Although things weren’t going exactly to plan, he paid it no mind. He stored his Bow and Arrow back in the Chaos Square and unhurriedly drew the Cross Sword at his waist.

Before long, Robinson, leading the charge, was the first to reach Roy. He executed a lightning-fast thrust at Roy’s heart, his Cross Sword wreathed in Mad Bull Fighting Qi.

Robinson’s attack was ferocious, but to Roy, a strike of this level posed no threat whatsoever.

CLANG!

The two Cross Swords—one shrouded in black Fighting Qi and the other in white—slammed into each other with a crisp, metallic ring!

With just a casual swing, Roy parried Robinson’s Cross Sword.

The next second, he flicked his wrist and delivered a Diagonal Slash at Robinson.

Robinson didn’t recognize Roy, much less know that he was the Dark Night Knight.

However, the moment Roy parried his Cross Sword, he knew that Roy was a Peak Knight, just like him.

Robinson neither retreated nor dodged. He swung his Cross Sword again, preparing to counter Roy’s attack in the same manner.

It wasn’t that his choice was wrong.

It was just that he’d somewhat overestimated himself.

To be precise, he had overestimated his own Power and the intensity of his Fighting Qi.

On the surface, Roy’s Diagonal Slash looked no different from Robinson’s earlier Straight Stab. It seemed to be nothing more than an unremarkable, standard slash.

However, it wasn’t that simple.

Roy had not only put his full Power into the attack, but he had also wreathed his Cross Sword in an amount of Fighting Qi far beyond Robinson’s imagination.

BANG!

The swords collided violently once again, and the Cross Sword in Robinson’s hand snapped on impact.

’How is this possible?’

’Is he a Great Knight?’

An expression of utter disbelief appeared on Robinson’s face.

Before he could process this, the Cross Sword wreathed in White Fighting Qi shattered his defensive layer of Mad Bull Fighting Qi.

Not only that, but his black armor was also torn open as if it were fragile cloth.

SLICE!

The sharp blade sliced across his chest, leaving a vivid gash from his right shoulder to his left abdomen as intense pain shot through his entire body.

Robinson knew Roy was a Peak Knight, but he never could have imagined that Roy’s Diagonal Slash would possess such astonishing power.

His Cross Sword, shattered!

His Mad Bull Fighting Qi, crushed!

His Fine Steel Armor, sliced through with ease!

It wasn’t just Robinson who was surprised; Roy himself hadn’t expected his Cross Sword to display such astonishing power when infused with more Fighting Qi.

He had thought his strike would, at most, break Robinson’s Cross Sword.

He never expected it would also shatter Robinson’s Mad Bull Fighting Qi and Fine Steel Armor.

Though somewhat surprised, he didn’t waste time overthinking it. He thrust his Cross Sword like a bolt of lightning toward Robinson’s Sea of Life.

SQUELCH!

Roy gave Robinson no chance to summon his Mad Bull Fighting Qi again. The Cross Sword in his hand struck true, piercing the very center of Robinson’s chest, its blood-stained tip emerging from his back.

The White Fighting Qi wreathed around the Cross Sword instantly destroyed Robinson’s Mad Bull Seed and Sea of Life.

With his Mad Bull Seed and Sea of Life destroyed, Robinson was instantly reduced from a heavily injured Peak Knight to a heavily injured commoner.

Roy could have killed Robinson on the spot.

But after a moment’s thought, he decided to let Robinson live for now.

Killing Robinson outright would be too much of a waste.

As Count Rock Lion’s Captain of the Personal Guard, Robinson was sure to know a lot.

At that moment, Roy was still unaware that Robinson had already betrayed Count Rock Lion.

But even if he had known, he still wouldn’t have killed Robinson outright.

A betrayal was a betrayal!

As long as Robinson hadn’t lost his memory, he was still worth interrogating.

After destroying Robinson’s Sea of Life and Mad Bull Seed, Roy kicked him in the stomach without any hesitation.

Robinson was sent flying toward Matthew and his three companions.

In an instant, his body landed in front of them.

Just as Roy expected them to catch Robinson, Matthew and the other three parted with perfect unison, letting Robinson crash to the ground.

THUD!

With no one to catch his fall, Robinson slammed wretchedly onto the grassy ground!

Matthew and his three companions completely ignored Robinson. After exchanging a look, they immediately took off at top speed, scattering in different directions.

’Huh...’

Seeing this, Roy sighed helplessly.

He didn’t know the exact relationship between Robinson and the four men.

But one thing was now certain: Matthew and his men had abandoned Robinson without a second thought.

Otherwise, the four of them wouldn’t have acted in such perfect concert, simultaneously dodging Robinson and fleeing in different directions.

Roy ignored the crippled and heavily injured Robinson, immediately giving chase to Matthew and the others.

In the blink of an eye, he vanished from Robinson’s sight.

Even though Roy was gone, Robinson felt no sense of relief.

He never could have imagined that Matthew and the others, who were usually so reverent and deferential, would act so callously the moment he was injured.

When Matthew and his men had decided to betray Count Rock Lion with him, he thought he hadn’t misjudged their character.

Now, he finally understood just how wrong he had been.

Matthew and his men hadn’t chosen to betray Count Rock Lion with him out of admiration or respect; they had done it simply because they didn’t want to be punished by the Count.

As for why they didn’t save him...

The reason was simple.

A small favor creates gratitude, but a large one can create resentment.

Robinson didn’t understand this principle. He had naively assumed that Matthew and his men would repay his kindness.

He had never considered what the weight of his patronage truly meant to them.

Without him, Matthew and his men would have just been common soldiers in Rock Lion Castle, earning a meager salary of a dozen or so Silver Coins a month.

He had changed their destinies, elevating them from common soldiers to Official Knights and granting them power and status they had once only dreamed of.

His favor was too great a debt for them to bear, so great that it could never be repaid.

As long as he lived, they would forever remain in his Shadow.

More importantly, he had never tested their character, only their potential.

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