◈ Episode 285 Mercy in Steel (2)
Leo shed silent tears.
Rudger watched him silently.
At first, when Leo was told that he belonged to the Liberation Army, even Ludger was deeply shocked.
It reminded me of sending a note to Leo that day and leaking information.
He has excellent abilities and a prudent personality, so I thought he would be able to use it well in the future, but I never thought he was a member of the Liberation Army.
Is there such a coincidence in the world?
Upon learning the truth, Rudger was troubled.
Arresting Leo right away and handing him over to the police made sense.
But the moment he sees Leo’s expression when he says that his family is being held hostage.
That thought melted away in an instant like ice on hot sand.
‘I heard that he was born as a commoner and worked hard to feed his only mother and younger sister.’
In Leo, Ludger suddenly remembered his past self.
The image of Leo trying to endure everything alone for the sake of his family.
It just seemed to overlap.
Leo became a slave of the Liberation Army when it was not enough to spend a happy youth laughing at that age.
no one believes
no one can help
I would have had to live in a hellish reality every day.
Coming like this and bringing out all the truth is as desperate as it is, and there must be a commitment to go in the right direction.
In fact, I would have been more willing to give up on this difficult choice now.
How can you not understand that heart?
“Leo.”
At Ludger’s call, Leo raised his bowed head.
The tears were wiped away, but his eyes were still red.
“I intend to help you as a teacher and as a senior in life. There is no lie in this.”
“….”
“But only one. I have something to check.”
“what is that?”
“Are you really ready to fight on your own?”
It wasn’t anything else, but did you suddenly become determined?
Aidan, who was next to him, and Leo, who heard that directly, were taken aback.
But Rudger’s expression was serious. It was like that usually, but his gaze, wanting to hear an answer now, was especially serious.
“Even if someone helps, it’s useless if you don’t do anything.”
There were times when Rudger also asked for help.
There have been many occasions where I have actually been helped. Both in the past life and in the present life.
But the most important thing was that he had the will to fight.
I can’t wait forever for someone to reach out.
In the end, you had to fight for yourself.
“You’re asking if you’re really ready to accept everything.”
“…I’ve been terribly tormented by them for half my life.”
Leo didn’t avoid Ludger’s gaze, his eyes shining.
“I don’t think I’ll feel better unless I give them a shot at least.”
At those words, Rudger’s eyes softened.
“excellent.”
Aidan widened his eyes.
It was because if Rudger, who was stingy with praise, had said this much, it was really the best compliment.
Rudger looked back.
Pasius was watching this side with a complicated face.
“Sir Pasius. It happened.”
“…yes? That’s how it happened.”
“You have to go along with my stubbornness this time.”
“No that…ha.”
Pasius sighed.
There was nothing wrong with asking Rudger why he did what he wanted.
As a master-level knight, of course he could overhear everything Leo said even from a distance.
Of course, he knew what Leo was in now, and Pasius also sympathized with him.
However, it was necessary to clearly distinguish between public and private affairs.
The problem was that there was a company covering the ball all over the place.
“Did you forget? I am a Royal Guard. A knight in charge of protecting the Exilion Empire beyond the imperial family.”
“I am not a Royal Guard right now. Where did the uniform and sword go?”
It wasn’t something that came out publicly, so don’t mention the Royal Guard.
“…Didn’t Mr. Rudger say that he was a superficial teacher just a little while ago?”
“So, on the surface, I want to help.”
“You don’t lose a word.”
“That’s why the princess must have been looking for me.”
Pasius shook his head.
But with Rudger coming out so strong, Pasius thought it was all right.
Arresting Leo here and taking him away wasn’t very comfortable for him.
Even he can’t bear to turn a blind eye to the truly evil.
The fact that Leo was also a victim in the end played a big part.
‘I thought he was cold-blooded.’
While admiring Ludger’s unexpected side, Pasius suddenly remembered what had happened in the past.
When he became the shadow of the first princess and heard a lot of information from her, of course he also heard about Jack the Ripper, the former shadow.
– Princess. Who was my previous shadow?
More than a little curiosity.
As Pasius, he had no choice but to ask Princess Eileen about Ludger’s existence.
– He was a neat man. He was cold, cold, rational, and calm. His head rolled quickly, and his eyes were excellent at seeing current streams.
-That’s a great compliment.
– I am cautioning to admit what I have to admit.
– If you complimented me often like that, your evaluation would have gone up even more.
– Do you think I would care about the evaluations others give me? If you feel unfair, try your best to get the evaluation you deserve. just like that guy did.
-So that’s the end of the story of Lord Jack the Ripper, the former shadow? Just listening to the story makes it look like a killing machine without blood or tears.
-no. Not necessarily.
-Isn’t it?
-okay. Rather, the man is much softer than you think. Even though he pretends to be cool on the outside, he is weak in affection and speaks harshly, but he thinks deeply about the position of others.
– It doesn’t seem to match what you said before.
-That’s why the man is a person, not a killing machine. This is because everyone lives with their own contradictions and hidden sides. That’s why I chose you.
-You mean me?
-Even though he has excellent skills as a knight, his chivalry is lacking, and if he wants to realize justice but has to get his hands stained with the blood of others, isn’t it?
Saying that, Eileen grinned at Pasius, who was looking at her with a confused look.
-That’s why I chose you as my successor. it was very suitable to thank you
-…It doesn’t sound like a compliment at all.
After reminiscing about the past, Pasius couldn’t help but laugh as he recalled Ludger’s image and the words of the first princess.
That day, he couldn’t understand why 1st Princess Eileen had said such a thing.
But now I think I can understand.
“So what are you going to do now? Rudger ‘Teacher’.”
“You seem to be giving strength to the part of being a toxic teacher.”
“Did I?”
“All right. We don’t have time to argue with each other right now. I just asked what are you going to do? I plan to get information from him first.”
“What if I get it?”
“You have to move. I am busy at 1:00.”
Ludger listened to Leo talking with Pasius.
Leo was wary of the first blonde handsome guy he saw with Rudger, but the situation was such that he didn’t argue and told everything he knew.
Unfortunately, the Liberation Army did not give Leo all the information.
Because Leo wasn’t normally cooperative, they didn’t share some important information either.
But that didn’t mean Leo’s knowledge wasn’t helpful.
Their hideouts on the ground and even the upcoming terrorism around them.
“But there are some things you need to be careful about.”
“what?”
“Obviously, the target of the terrorism is the student Seon, but it seemed that they were targeting the mentors as well. Considering the skills of the mentors, they wouldn’t be easily beaten, but seeing that they act like they’re confident, it’s clear that there’s something… ….”
“You don’t have to worry about that. I can guess what they’re trying to do.”
Perhaps he was thinking of using special gunpowder that is not affected by magic.
If you didn’t know anything, even a 6th tier wizard would have no choice but to be defeated.
If you know, then you will not be in danger.
“That’s not what’s important. Leo, your family must be somewhere in the capital right now, right?”
“…yes.”
Leo nodded his head with a sullen face.
Leo’s family was now in the capital Lindebrunn.
They didn’t come because they wanted to, but the Liberation Army brought Leo’s family here on purpose.
‘It would take a long time for the Liberation Army to send a signal to deal with the family if it was in a remote rural area.
In other words, he was trying to keep reminding him that if he did even a little nonsense, the safety of his family could not be guaranteed.
“But their actions actually helped us.”
“yes?”
“If your family is far away, it will take time to get there, but if you are inside the capital, it is good because work can be done quickly.”
Ludger looked at Pasius as he replied.
“You have to take care of it instead.”
“You mean that?”
“yes. Sir Pasius would be the most suitable person in this situation.”
“Miss Rudger. As you know, I… ….”
“This is also an extension of our work. And as you may have heard, the Liberation Army is right next to Leo’s family. I don’t know if it’s an average person, but the opponent said that he was quite talented.”
As long as the Liberation Army kept Leo in check, he must have calculated that a minimum level wizard might come to help.
Because the position he holds as a new student is too big to just ignore Leo.
He will try to continue this intimidating situation somehow, and of course, there will be a strong person next to Leo’s family.
“I cannot fight while protecting my family. But Sir Pasius is different. Aren’t you a person-to-person specialist?”
Pasius tried to argue, ‘Isn’t that the same for you?’, but he shut his mouth after seeing Aidan and Leo.
Ostensibly, Ludger is Ceorn’s teacher.
Pasius shouldn’t have revealed that fact.
Wasn’t one of the first princess’ orders to help Ludger if he was in danger in the first place?
dilemma. In the end, Pasius was in a position where he had no choice but to do as Ludger ordered, even if he felt unfair.
Besides, Ludger’s words weren’t completely wrong.
It is, of course, a knight rather than a wizard who is better suited to hide in the crowd and ambush someone.
That knight does not shy away from being a surprise attack, especially if he is a master-level knight with superhuman-level physical abilities.
“Even if I do, what is Mr. Rudger planning to do?”
“Isn’t it decided?”
Rudgar replied in a tone that it was nothing.
“We will wipe out the liberation army on the ground.”
* * *
“Finally, the things we feared happened.”
A secret branch where the Liberation Army resides.
One of the people waiting there with a hard face opened his mouth.
But nobody answered that.
It was because the situation was not so good.
“They said branch number 3 was caught.”
“The same goes for Branches 5 and 17.”
The bad news kept coming.
It also meant that the Knights of Cold Steel and the Knights of Nightcrawler were in full swing and that someday their leashes might be narrowed.
“It’s still fine. All of the branches that have been raided now are nothing more than bait using the scarecrow.”
That’s what Carl, the branch manager and first-level agent, said.
That’s why he didn’t lose his composure even though his expression was stiff.
The Liberation Army did not make a hopeful observation that they would not do anything in the Empire.
They will definitely move, and in fact, they called as many as two out of the three major knights of the Empire.
It means that they were also aware of the Liberation Army’s movements, albeit roughly.
That’s why this side intentionally set up several fake branches to divert their gaze to other places, and was in the process of disturbing their gaze.
However, Carl was not without an element of anxiety.
‘Anyway, this is just to buy time. They must have noticed. They are hateful enemies, but they are the elite of the Empire. They’ll be aiming for the body right here.’
In order to do so, this side also had to prepare to reflect the will of the desperate struggle.
As Carl winked, the waiting men each checked their weapons.
HE shells for automatic rifles. Firearms that smell like gunpowder.
These weapons are too much for ordinary people, but the story is different when the opponent is a knight or wizard.
But all the liberators were confident.
Because the weapon they use is by no means ordinary.
On the contrary, because it was such a weapon, it was optimal to catch the opponent off guard.
“Each group travels to a given location through an underground aqueduct. If there is a problem, you have to be prepared to take at least one more person with you.”
At Carl’s command, the Liberation Army agents nodded their heads with solemn faces.
That was the moment.
One wall of the hideout exploded.
Scattered wooden planks and brick dust. Some of the liberators who were swept away by it rolled across the floor.
Even in broad daylight, the light did not come in well, so suddenly light came in as if pouring into the dark room.
And there was a man who appeared with his back to the white light of the day on the collapsed wall.
When most of the liberation troops were bewildered by the sudden surprise, only Carl recognized the man and widened his eyes.
“Lou Rudgar Chelsea!”
Why is Ceorn’s teacher here?
Carl immediately remembered Leo’s face and hardened his face.
At that moment, Ludger’s gaze reached Carl.
“It’s you.”
The cold voice that came out of his mouth wrapped around Carl’s body like a snake.
“The scum that threatened my student.”
