Chapter 41: A Knight's Return 41

Chapter 41: A Dream Within a Dream (2)

While Jackson Cutter was steeling his resolve, the knight was plotting his revenge.

‘Damn... If I can just get out of here, I won’t let this go.’

Though he was angry, the knight knew he couldn’t defeat Jackson Cutter with his current skills.

They were both low-class, but Jackson Cutter was incomparably stronger.

However, there was still a way.

The Dolphin Viscount has close ties with the nearby knight families.

‘If I use the family’s connections, I can bring in two more low-class knights.’

Even if Jackson Cutter was strong, he couldn’t handle three low-class knights at once.

Just as the knight was thinking this, the tavern door opened.

A middle-aged man entered the tavern.

His face was as stiff as if he were wearing a mask.

“H-H-Hey! Master! A-Are you well?”

“Ah, hello!”

At the man’s appearance, Jackson Cutter and Sophia Russell hastily bowed.

Their demeanor was completely different from how they had treated the knights earlier.

“Jackson, were you picking on trash again?”

The middle-aged man asked in a cold, emotionless voice.

“Well, they started it.”

“You must have provoked them. Didn’t I tell you several times not to cause trouble?”

“Well, I couldn’t just let those guys get away with it...”

The middle-aged man approached, and his lifeless gray eyes fixed on Jackson Cutter.

Under the无形的压力，Jackson Cutter began to sweat.

“...I’m sorry.”

“If this happens again, you’d better be prepared.”

After saying this, the middle-aged man approached the fallen knight and kicked him in the jaw. His upper and lower teeth clashed and shattered.

The knight groaned, clutching his mouth.

“My name is Jacques Noire.”

The moment the knight heard this name, he forgot his pain and looked at Jacques Noire in shock.

Jacques Noire.

A middle-class knight who suddenly appeared in the Apple Kingdom one day.

His origin was unclear, and he operated as a free knight without any affiliation, but his skills were exceptional.

He was most famous for his duel with the elite knight of the Bluegreen Marquessate.

The Bluegreen Marquessate was a prestigious knight family in the Apple Kingdom.

In particular, the current Bluegreen Marquess was one of the three high-class knights in the Apple Kingdom.

The elite knight influenced by him was known to be outstanding even among middle-class knights.

Jacques Noire achieved a decisive victory against this elite knight.

Rumors spread that he was a high-level middle-class knight, and he became famous.

“If you want revenge, come find me. But it’s better to give up.”

“I, I have no such impure thoughts!”

No matter how many low-class knights there were, they couldn’t defeat a middle-class knight.

Especially not someone as outstanding as Jacques Noire.

“Very wise. Now, take your trash and get out.”

The knight woke his companions and hurriedly fled the tavern.

Once the situation was settled, Jacques Noire turned to Jackson Cutter.

“I heard an interesting piece of news while wandering the city. The Copperhead Viscountate is hosting a jousting tournament.”

“Yes, Master. I’ve heard about it too.”

“Good. Then you’ll participate and win the tournament.”

Jackson Cutter was taken aback by the sudden order.

“Eh... So suddenly?”

“Why? Don’t you have confidence?”

“No, no! I do!”

Jackson Cutter quickly replied. From experience, he knew his master didn’t like being questioned.

“What if I don’t win...?”

“You learned swordsmanship directly from me. There’s no way you can’t win a small tournament like this.”

This jousting tournament was organized by the Copperhead Viscountate, a major noble family in the west.

All the knights in the west were already gathering to participate.

It wasn’t a small tournament, but Jackson Cutter didn’t point this out.

He didn’t want to risk what his master might do.

“Still, there’s always a chance. If I don’t win and upset Master...”

Jacques Noire kicked Jackson Cutter in the stomach.

“Cough! Choke!”

Jackson Cutter rolled on the ground, unable to breathe properly from the intense pain.

“Your mouth has gotten more active since you reached low-class. Did you dislike the task I gave you?”

“No, no...”

“When I took you as a disciple, what did I say?”

“To... to obey Master’s orders without question...”

“You remember well.”

Jacques Noire looked down at Jackson Cutter and continued.

“Remember this. You must win. If you fail, I will take back what I taught you.”

Jackson Cutter swallowed hard.

What did it mean to take back what he taught?

It meant cutting off Jackson Cutter’s limbs or destroying his meridians so he could never use swordsmanship again.

But what scared him more was being disowned by Jacques Noire.

Jackson Cutter was Jacques Noire’s first disciple when he appeared in the Apple Kingdom.

Jackson Cutter was originally just a thug in the city.

He only reached low-class because of Jacques Noire’s teachings, so it was natural that he couldn’t defy him.

“I will definitely win.”

“Of course you will. I’ll go find a carriage for our journey.”

With that, Jacques Noire left the tavern.

“Jackson!”

Sophia Russell helped Jackson Cutter up. He refused her help and said,

“I’m fine. I’m okay.”

Jackson Cutter staggered to his feet. Sophia Russell looked at him with concern.

“No matter what, kicking you like that! Master really went too far!”

“You’re the only one who worries about me, Sophia.”

“Jackson...”

The two lovers looked at each other with affection.

“Good timing. I was planning to participate in the jousting tournament anyway.”

Jackson Cutter smiled and said,

“I’ll follow Master’s orders and, while I’m at it, teach Damian Hassen a lesson.”

“Yes, it’s a great plan.”

The two lovers in the tavern agreed with each other.

* * *

A few days later, Damian and Abel set off for the Copperhead Viscountate.

“Be careful on your journey.”

Their father, mother, and sister decided not to go.

This jousting tournament was organized by the Copperhead Viscountate for young nobles.

While there was no rule against older nobles attending, it would have been awkward.

“I’ll stay at the mansion. My fiancé is coming.”

Louise couldn’t leave because her fiancé was visiting.

‘That guy is coming, huh.’

Just like in his previous life, Damian didn’t like Louise’s fiancé.

He was a typical bookworm, wearing glasses and looking shabby.

Damian thought Louise was too good for him.

For this reason, Damian and Abel set off alone for the Copperhead Viscountate.

“Master! It’s an honor to serve you again!”

Victor, the coachman, was assigned to them. Damian checked Victor’s condition and asked,

“Are your injuries healed?”

“Yes! I’m fine now!”

When the Ryanbloom Marquessate’s knights attacked, Victor had been seriously injured.

Fortunately, he recovered quickly thanks to the treatment from the church’s priests.

“Master seems even more dedicated now!”

“Flattery will get you nowhere.”

“Haha, did it show?”

Victor laughed, and Damian chuckled.

It was good to see him safe and sound.

“Let’s go.”

A carriage set off for the Copperhead Viscountate.

* * *

The carriage was filled with silence. The brothers didn’t spend much time together, so there was little to talk about.

“Master Abel, may I ask you a question?”

Victor, sitting in the driver’s seat, spoke up.

The windows were open, so there was no problem with the conversation.

“What do you want to know?”

“How did you fall in love with Lady Copperhead?”

Victor’s question made Abel’s face turn red.

He seemed ready to jump out of the carriage.

“W-Why are you asking that!”

“To pass the time on the journey.”

Just as Abel was about to protest, Damian interjected.

“Sure, I was curious too. Go ahead.”

“B-Brother!”

“Come on, I even prepared a gift for you and came to help. Can’t you tell me this much?”

“A-All right, you asked for it...”

Abel hesitated, then sighed and continued.

“It happened four years ago.”

Damian listened with interest.

“I attended a social gathering for western nobles with Father.”

Abel was just an adult then, so four years ago, he was still young.

“Lady Olivia was also there. She was a bit older than me and seemed much more mature.”

Abel’s eyes grew distant, as if he were looking at the past.

“She had her chestnut hair braided up and wore a sapphire hairpin. She was dressed in an Alize-style dress, a deep red that matched her chestnut hair.”

Abel spoke dreamily.

“She was... truly beautiful.”

Looking at Abel’s face, Damian thought to himself,

‘In short, he fell in love because she was beautiful.’

He was surprised his brother was so easily smitten. Damian inwardly sighed.

‘How do I get Abel and the lady together?’

Damian recalled his past life.

As a mercenary, he had spent money to gather information about his family.

‘They were definitely lovers, but the viscount rejected Abel’s proposal.’

It wasn’t just a rejection.

- Hassen Viscountate? I’ve never heard of such a lowly family.

- Who are you! Abel Hassen? I’ve never heard of you!

- I hate people who don’t know their place! Get out of here!

In the end, Abel had to part ways with the lady.

After that, she married into another family.

Abel, on the other hand, remained single for the rest of his life, until he died at Damian’s hands.

‘I don’t know how they became lovers, but...’

There was a chance they would naturally become lovers again, as they did in his past life.

But Damian always prepared for the worst.

There was no guarantee that everything would unfold the same way as before.

Accidents and coincidences could change the course of events.

Especially with Damian, the biggest variable, present.

‘I need to convince the viscount, that’s for sure.’

Unfortunately, he didn’t have much information about the Copperhead Viscount.

From his brother’s story, he seemed to be a very authoritative figure.

‘I’ll do my best to help.’

Damian looked at his brother and made a promise.