Episode 369 – Even if everything goes our way, things will be difficult for you.
– I am prepared.
That’s what Baros said in front of Jerome, who had once again sworn loyalty that day before the incident occurred.
– The reason why the Kassel Tower wants to take me away is probably to shake up the empire, but I also have no choice but to assume that role in order to survive.
– I understand.
– Even though that would ultimately endanger your life?
– ….
– Don’t make me into a shameless person, Jerome. So, let’s come up with the minimum possible measures. How you live.
– …The only way I can think of is to completely remove the ghost and frame it as a kidnapping by the Kassel Magic Tower.
– Do you think Lord Tris will be fooled by that?
– …I don’t really believe it. But for now, we have no choice but to place our hopes on that slim probability.
– You can’t do that. So the only thing you can do is save my life in exchange for your life?
The prince’s bloodshot eyes were full of sincerity.
– I, Baros Van Ares, have lived with the determination to always repay more than I received, whether it be a favor or a grudge. And that made me who I am today… hehehe. I wouldn’t trust you when you see this pitiful sight.
– …No matter how much it was His Majesty’s will, I could not follow the order to assassinate him, let alone cut down that child. I just followed the knight’s duty. Never mind.
– How could you not care! How!
– ….
– Sigh…. Good. Do it like this. It may seem a little shabby and cowardly, but I have to live to return the favor.
– yes?
– …Isn’t it Cardinal Tracy who is taking me away, or rather kidnapping me? Whatever your real identity, your current identity is.
– …What do you mean?
– You just say that Seongguk ‘collaborated’ with ‘enemies of the empire’ to kidnap me. And even the matter of Commander Max… Blame everything on the Holy Kingdom.
Jerome, recalling his conversation with the second prince, gathered his thoughts and looked straight into his teacher’s eyes.
“In both cases, the justification is that the Holy Kingdom ‘attacked’ the Empire first. In other words, the Holy Kingdom is collaborating with the Empire’s enemies.”
Tris’s eyes narrowed at those plausible words.
But there was a catch.
“…And what if the second prince says something nonsense?”
“Wouldn’t it be better to just ignore it? Moreover, the kidnappers are the masters of mental magic…”
“Are you announcing that the prince has been brainwashed?”
“It would be a good idea to announce it first before His Highness the Second Prince officially expresses his position.”
“Hoo…”
Tris’ complexion hardened again, and Jerome, watching her, swallowed dry saliva with a dark look on his face. Because it was a situation where he had to make the person he had served as his master look like a crazy person to the outside world.
– It’s okay. I can’t go back to the imperial family anyway. Now the only way left for me is to wait for the chaos of war. A chaos that would not unfold according to the emperor’s wishes. They were chosen for that purpose.
– Before that, no matter how good a justification you made to return to the imperial family, it would have been an act of suicide. The moment you walk in, both mice and birds will die without you noticing. Because my father, no, the emperor of the empire, is that kind of person.
Jerome swallowed again, hoping that his lord, who by now would be facing a new situation in a place he did not know, was safe.
“Of course, it is clear that all of these measures are far inferior to the perfect cause of the prince’s death. But…”
Some would say that the empire is being unreasonable. Some would scream that it was an imperial conspiracy.
“The Saint and the Divine Sword already know His Majesty’s intentions, so they will never accept our demands, no matter how trivial they may be.”
“Hoo?”
“But from an outside perspective, it will appear that reasonable suspicion is not being forcefully accepted.”
“…will it advance the cause?”
“Yes. Wouldn’t that at least be enough of a cause for war?”
“…I don’t think it’s a thought worthy of your brain.”
Jerome could only bow his head at his teacher’s words.
– Even if you don’t have to come up with such a plan, your Majesty won’t really kill me, right? As long as I don’t reveal what happened with His Highness…
– It’s not difficult to be falsely accused. If you do nothing, the honor you are trying to protect could be tarnished. So do as I say.
– If you can somehow create the appearance the emperor wants, considering your family and your skills, you will be able to avoid the death penalty. But even so…
“Okay. Well, it probably doesn’t matter who the owner of the idea is. Still…”
Tris sighed and looked at her student.
Soon, the same words that Baros had predicted and that Jerome had first said came out of his mouth again.
“…Be prepared to be stripped of your title and serve as a rank knight.”
“of course.”
Triss, who was still unable to relax her face as she looked at her student with a heavy face, soon lifted the Auror curtain and spoke as if giving notice.
“As the situation has come to this, I will take Sir Jerome with me.”
The imperial messenger will take away the injured knight of the empire.
I wondered if there was any reason to stop him, but Harmon didn’t seem to think much of it and suddenly stopped him.
“Oh. Then, I need you to confirm that the prince’s disappearance has nothing to do with the castle.”
Tris slightly raised her eyebrows and turned her head to see a paladin holding something that looked like a communication device, possibly for recording.
“Huh… Do you think you can figure out the truth of the incident just by looking at it like this?”
“I am sorry if you think so, but I must leave Sir Jerome here.”
“Heh heh. I thought this guy could understand things.”
Fazizik.
With a small noise between the smiling faces, an optical illusion appeared as if the space where the two people were was distorted. Even though people around him kept sighing, the two people didn’t care at all.
“The fact that you are bringing out the only witness in a case that the imperial army is currently trying to force seems like an attempt to use even more force.”
“Does Jerome seem like a person who would give different testimony depending on his location? This doesn’t seem like a good look at Shingeom’s eyes.”
“I trust Sir Jerome, but I don’t trust the Empire.”
“Oh, can I take those words to mean that the head of the Knights Templar, the face of the Holy Kingdom, is hostile to our empire?”
“I’m just stating basic principles.”
Wooooow.
It was as if he had been pricked by thorns filled with leisurely speech. As the two people confronted each other, small items around them began to crumble little by little.
“Ugh! Increase the distance!”
“Everyone get off!”
The Holy Knights and the imperial knights who had come to escort Triss were all embarrassed and moving away from the object of the guard. The power radiated by superhumans at the top of castles and empires was too much for even those who could be considered the elites of each country to withstand.
However, their complexions could not help but become as hard as stone. This was because the confrontation of momentum without even an inch of compromise spoke of the psychological states of the two superhumans.
– Both of them are sincere.
I felt that way and the thoughts that followed at the same time were similar.
-Why bother?
They are superhumans representing both countries. It was clear that even if one of the two went wrong, it would have an irreparable impact on the relationship between the two countries.
If the new sword is wrong, all the justifications the empire claims will disappear, and if the spirit of the sword is broken, the empire will have a solid justification to subdue the Holy Kingdom.
Even if both were safe, this confrontation itself could have deepened the emotional rift between the two countries. Unless a full-scale war broke out, it would be foolish for two people to fight like this.
The two superhumans were not without common sense, but once the confrontation began, their vision had already narrowed.
Ugh.
I don’t know what to do.
As the red and white forces collided and faced each other fiercely, the eyes of the two superhumans changed.
They realized their mistake too late.
Ugh.
However, the red and blue energy that had already perfectly divided the intestines was so tightly balanced.
‘this…!’
‘Huh…!’
We have already reached a point where we have to risk injury if just one person gives in.
An accidental incident created by the desire for victory that built up in each other’s hearts over a short period of time.
It would be right to come to an agreement somehow and then back down.
– You first.
– You first.
Their eyes conveyed only their intention that they could never back down first.
That led to an extreme situation.
– dare?
On one side, they are extreme superhumans who have not been able to find a match for 10 years and on the other side for over 20 years. If you were confident that the other person was not as good as you, either of you would have backed down.
But in an equal situation, do I give in?
I didn’t even think about doing that. No, on the contrary, my desire to win grew even stronger.
‘okay. The empire will not retreat anyway. It is rather beneficial to cut down the sword spirit here.’
‘Your Majesty’s will is firm. In any case, war will break out, so it would be a good thing to break the sword of the Holy Kingdom before it happens.’
If people around them knew, they would have been horrified and thought to stop them, but the two people, who were already filled with the desire to win, convinced themselves of that.
Moreover, looking at each other’s smiling expressions, we even forgot the reason.
And as a result, the two superhumans let out harsh voices at the same time.
“All Paladins, leave the palace!”
“Knights of the Empire, stay away!”
Wow!
It was almost at the same time that the faces of the troops on both sides stiffened at the shout, and with a deafening explosion, part of the VIP residence in the central temple exploded.
* * *
Such debates have always existed.
-Who is the strongest in the world?
knight and wizard. Force users and mana users.
An era in which superhumans exist who have transcended their respective limitations.
That debate was a hot topic that came up often at parties of nobles in any country.
And in this era, in the past 10 years, there have been two people who have always been a topic of conversation.
– Tris Hornsby, the greatest sword on the continent.
– Seongguk First Sword God Sword Harman Killer Brew.
A sword spirit who cut down with one sword 100 of the other prince’s elite knights who had rebelled and failed to yield to the current emperor when he ascended to the throne.
A new sword that was said to have been able to block waves of monsters pouring in for three days with a single sword to protect a pioneer village at the foot of the southern mountains of Magyeong.
Even part of the story of the two men was like a fairy tale that was difficult to believe. Most of the luxury people also assumed that it was inflated like a bubble.
However, the two men were proving that the sagas were not exaggerated in an unexpected place, the center of Noviense.
Flashing.
All that was visible was white and red light, but at that moment, everything in the light’s influence was shattered.
Skag.
At the point where the beam of light spread out like an arrow, the temple building, which was protected by all kinds of holy laws, was cut off like tofu.
Miracles achieved with a single sword.
With a single swing, the beam of light traveled at least tens of meters. Whether it was white or red, if it was swung vertically, it carved an indelible wound on the earth, and if it was swung horizontally, it became a weapon of destruction that crushed everything it caught in its path.
And the moment they collide head-on….
Wow!
It brought a storm with great noise.
Everyone was astonished at the sight that completely shattered people’s common sense.
“This can’t be right.”
“How can these people…”
“Monsters…”
Those close to them who thought they knew them well also watched the devastation caused by the two in fascination. Among them was Jerome Decade, who, like them, had the title of ‘superman’.
“How…!?”
He couldn’t help but be even more surprised.
Having reached the intermediate level of an auror user, he thought he had some idea of the level of his teacher, who was considered the best in the world, even if he did not know the divine sword.
But that confidence disappeared at this moment.
‘I heard that if you are a top-level Auror user, you can even separate spaces. But even so, this is…’
It was an explosion as if a god of destruction, not a human, had descended.
It felt like the sagas known to the public were rather undervalued. It was an unrealistic sight, as if there were a few more superhumans like this, the military would become meaningless.
When Jerome looks on in such fascination.
The light flashing everywhere stopped, and the storm of dust rising high into the sky also began to subside.
– The conclusion has been reached.
All eyes in Noviense turned to the corner of the ruined central temple.
