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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Teottry
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Count Bruah’s eyes widened, his pupils trembling. He was clearly terrified.
After all, who would have expected such a betrayal from Eric and me, after our previous subservience?
And for a knight of the King to join forces with Dressten? It was beyond his comprehension.
However, I wasn’t a knight of the King, and I was willing to ally myself with Dressten if the benefits were sufficient.
In my slowed perception, Count Bruah leaned back, attempting to avoid my lance. I could adjust my trajectory accordingly.
‘How dare he covet what’s mine…?’
While I wanted to kill him on the spot, I couldn’t. It would be no different from an assassination.
Count Bruah wasn’t valuable enough to risk my hard-earned reputation and fame. Even if I killed him, I needed a justification first.
I adjusted my aim. The lance, piercing the space between his face and shoulder, struck the chair directly.
Crack! The ashwood jousting lance shattered, scattering wooden splinters that grazed Count Bruah’s face and body.
Count Bruah slumped back in his chair. Blood trickled from the wounds where the sharp splinters had embedded themselves.
He seemed oblivious to the pain. He pointed at me accusingly, but he was so shocked that he could only open and close his mouth silently, unable to speak.
“You wretch! How dare you?!”
One of the Count’s vassals shouted in his stead.
The guards and the vassals skilled in swordsmanship surrounded Eric and me.
Their swords and spear tips glinted menacingly. If not for the Count’s safety, they would have already run me through.
“I’m simply doing what needs to be done.”
“What?!”
I calmly discarded the broken lance and drew the Trolls Blade, pointing it at Count Bruah’s throat.
The Count’s face paled as he looked up at me, his Adam’s apple bobbing nervously.
I looked up. The Count’s vassals, members of various families, even ordinary citizens and peasants, all watched intently.
It was a perfect stage.
“The Bruah family’s origins lie in a contract with the previous King. The King appointed the Count’s ancestor as Palatine and granted him this territory, which was originally a royal domain. The Count’s ancestor swore before God to serve the King faithfully and fulfill his duties.”
Some of those watching nodded in agreement.
It had only been two generations since the Bruah family had inherited the title and territory.
Therefore, there were still a few who remembered the relationship between the King and the Bruah family.
“However, the Count’s father broke that oath, taking advantage of the chaos within the royal family to unilaterally terminate the contract. He should have returned the title and territory to the King upon his ancestor’s death, but he ignored his obligations and claimed them as his own. And the current Count Bruah has done the same.”
“Ahem.”
Those who knew the truth coughed awkwardly as Count Bruah’s inconvenient truth was revealed. Those who didn’t looked bewildered.
The swords and spears pointed at me wavered slightly. The tide was beginning to turn.
Count Bruah tried to speak, but he was still unable to make a sound.
“The Bruah family’s treachery didn’t end there. When Bronce II, who inherited the contract, demanded that the current Count uphold his oath, he refused. Not only that, he even demanded a new price. A member of the royal family, no less.”
I picked up the fallen royal banner. A gust of wind, as if on cue, unfurled the banner, revealing the royal emblem.
“What an arrogant act! The Count has defied the King, broken his oath, and tarnished his honor. As a loyal subject of Bronce II, how could I stand idly by and witness such an outrage! I, Allen, acting on behalf of Bronce II, will make the Count pay for his treachery!”
I presented myself as a knight sacrificing his personal honor for the sake of his loyalty to his lord.
“S-Silence!”
Count Bruah’s voice finally boomed through the arena. Having regained his voice, he glared at me furiously.
“This title and territory are mine! The Bruah family has legally ruled this territory for generations! Do you think I’ll just hand over my rightful inheritance?!”
Despite the sword at his throat, Count Bruah was enraged. However, his wide eyes were surprisingly rational.
I saw confidence in his eyes, a belief that he could survive. I pressed the sword closer to his throat and asked,
“Do you think I can’t kill you?”
“Do you think the nobles will stand idly by if you murder me in such a manner? The entire aristocracy will condemn and sanction the King for disregarding tradition and custom!”
A king was just a lord with a larger territory.
If the entire aristocracy united against him, he wouldn’t survive.
If he were alone, that is.
“No. The aristocracy will remain silent and watch.”
“What nonsense are you spouting?!”
“Who would dare to challenge an alliance between the King and a powerful Margrave like Count Dressten? They’ll be too busy calculating how this alliance will affect them to interfere.”
With Count Bruah’s territory under my control, Count Dressten would effectively rule the southeastern part of the continent.
An alliance with such a powerful Count would allow the King to focus his attention elsewhere, without having to worry about his rear.
It would be a seismic shift in the power balance. The nobles would be too concerned with the repercussions to challenge it.
“How can Dressten and the King possibly join forces?!”
Count Bruah finally noticed Eric’s presence.
Eric, having joined me a little later, stood behind me, facing the surrounding forces, keeping them in check.
He glanced down at Count Bruah and scoffed.
“We Dresstens are willing to ally ourselves with even our enemies if it’s beneficial. You shouldn’t have refused my offer, Count.”
Weren’t the King and Dressten sworn enemies, rivals for the throne?
Count Bruah couldn’t have imagined the two families joining forces. It would have been impossible without my intervention.
Even those surrounding us began to murmur. The King alone was a formidable opponent, but with Dressten added to the mix? They had no chance.
Count Bruah, sensing the shift in the atmosphere, finally realized the gravity of the situation. He cried out desperately,
“The aristocracy’s hesitation is only temporary! No noble wants a powerful king! The great lords will soon join forces and oppose him!”
“That’s what I’m hoping for.”
“What…?”
The nobles would interpret the alliance between the King and Dressten as follows,
A non-aggression pact, dividing the Northern Continent and the mainland between them. It was the only explanation for the two families overlooking their long-standing animosity.
Moreover, Bronce II’s past ambitions would further support their assumptions.
‘They’ll have no choice but to act. No noble wants a powerful, absolute monarch.’
A great war would erupt on the mainland. A war that would be my opportunity. Count Bruah’s death was the catalyst.
“N-No…!”
Perhaps he finally understood my true intentions. Count Bruah looked up at me, his face pale with fear.
But it was too late. My sword flashed, severing his head.
His head separated easily from his body. His body collapsed, and his head, still bearing a look of shock, rolled towards the spectator stands.
“Agh!”
“My lord!”
Chaos erupted. The guards and knights closed in, their muscles tense, ready to attack. It was a critical moment.
I calmly turned to face them.
“Do you intend to follow Count Bruah to hell?”
Even if they killed Eric and me, the alliance between the King and Count Dressten wouldn’t change. Resistance meant death.
Realizing this, they hesitated, exchanging glances. Just then, one of them stepped forward.
“What are you doing?! The Count is dead! The man you swore your loyalty to has died a dishonorable death! How dare you hesitate?!”
It was a middle-aged man who bore a striking resemblance to Count Bruah. His words seemed to have an effect. The guards and knights tightened their grips on their weapons.
But it was short-lived…
“Begins! Stop hiding behind your men and join the fight!”
Another man, a young man who also resembled Count Bruah, shouted.
Begins, the leader of the guards and knights, scowled.
“How dare you! You bastard!”
“Hmph! With the Count dead, it’s only natural for his son to take charge! It’s not your place to interfere, Uncle!”
“What?!”
They weren’t the only ones arguing. Another man, also resembling Count Bruah, emerged from the crowd.
“Now’s not the time for this! The Count is dead because of that villain!”
“This doesn’t concern you!”
“You disgusting bastards! You have no sense of propriety!”
Eric nudged me with his elbow.
“Just as you said. A truly dysfunctional family.”
“The Count’s legitimate children all died young, and the lecherous old man left behind numerous bastards. He also has many brothers. The line of succession is a complete mess.”
Moreover, it seemed greed ran in the family. The conflict erupted sooner than I anticipated.
“Then the next step will proceed as planned.”
“Let’s discuss that after we escape.”
We exchanged glances and charged.
The nearest guard, startled by my sudden attack, thrust his spear at me.
Despite the unexpected situation, the spearhead remained steady, aimed directly at my throat. He was indeed one of the Count’s guards.
He was fast. The sharp tip of the spear filled my vision.
However, I had already entered my slowed perception.
I parried the spear with my sword. Even minimal force was enough to deflect the spear. At the same time, the guard’s torso was exposed. I lowered my stance and charged into his embrace.
The guard instinctively pulled back on his spear, attempting to use the butt end to keep me at bay.
“Gah…”
My sword, thrust before he could react, pierced his abdomen, creating a wound as if flesh had been ripped away. The force behind the blow was too great.
The guard collapsed. I kicked his kneeling body, pull my sword, then spun around, swinging it horizontally.
-Whoosh…
The air crackled. A deep gash appeared on the side of the guard to my left, the wound resembling an animal bite.
“Agh!”
The guard, clutching his spilling intestines, fainted. He would soon bleed to death.
Just then, a knight emerged from behind the fallen guard.
“Die!!”
He had used his comrade as bait. Chivalry was just an ideal, rarely practiced.
I raised my sword in a half-swording stance, blocking the downward strike. Without pausing, I swung my arm, using the momentum to push the knight’s sword outwards. My exposed elbow struck the knight’s face.
“Agh!”
His cheekbone shattered, sending teeth flying.
As he stumbled to his knees, I brought the pommel of my sword down on his head. The pommel, weighted and sharpened for this purpose, pierced his skull.
“Sir Edwin!! You bastard!”
Enraged by his comrade’s death, the knight charged at me. Two other knights joined him, flanking me on either side. They intended to attack simultaneously from the front and both sides.
I moved counterclockwise, placing the knight on my right behind the one in front of me.
It was a momentary shift, but it was enough time to deal with the two remaining knights.
“Haa!”
I swung the Trolls Blade with all my might, the air crackling once more.
The diagonal swing cleaved through the knight and his sword, then continued its arc, severing the leg of the knight beside him.
His chainmail and the padded armor beneath offered no protection.
“Agh! My leg!!”
The one-legged knight, dropping his sword, collapsed.
He foamed at the mouth and lost consciousness from the shock. He would soon bleed to death.
“G-Giant Slayer…!”
The knight who had charged with the others, but had been a step slower, hesitated. He eyed me cautiously and began to back away.
I wouldn’t miss this opportunity to reduce Count Bruah’s knightly forces. He turned to flee, but my sword was faster.
-Thud.
It pierced his back, meeting minimal resistance.
“Blargh…”
The knight looked down at the sword protruding from his chest, then collapsed without a sound.
“H-He’s not human! He’s a monster!”
“Damn it!! He’s even worse than the rumors!!”
“I-I don’t want to die! I don’t want to die!!”
Three knights, who had boasted of their skills, were dead before they could even coordinate an attack. The remaining guards were terrified.
They began to back away, eyeing me nervously, and the remaining knights pointed their swords at their backs.
“Don’t run! You’ll die by my hand if you do!”
“D-Damn it! If you want to fight so badly, why don’t you do it yourself?!”
Terrified of me, the guards resorted to insubordination, an act they wouldn’t have dared to commit under normal circumstances.
“Y-You wretch!”
The knight, his face turning red and then blue, was about to make an example of the insubordinate guard.
Just then, the tip of a sword emerged from the knight’s throat.
“Y-You… blargh…”
Eric stood behind the fallen knight. Several other bodies lay strewn behind him.
As expected of a named character.
“It seems the skills you displayed in the jousting tournament were just the tip of the iceberg.”
I shrugged and turned. The spectator stands were a scene of carnage, and the distance between us and the encircling forces had doubled.
The guards, seeing that the knights blocking our path were gone, had retreated. Even the cautious knights had joined them.
Despite still being outnumbered, they didn’t dare to approach us.
Thanks to that, we were able to escape the arena on horseback.
“What now? They’re simply stunned by their lord’s sudden death. They’ll soon regroup and counterattack. They can’t defeat us alone, so they’ll surely seek help from other factions.”
Eric reminded me that he couldn’t offer his full support.
I looked at Count Bruah’s vassals and soldiers, who were too stunned to pursue us.
“If they can find anyone to help them. And regrouping won’t be so easy. There are many factions vying for the Count’s position.”
“So it’s going according to plan?”
“Yes. We just have to wait. Until they offer us the territory on a silver platter.”
We wouldn’t have to wait long.
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Trully masterpiece!
