Chapter 24

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Wilhelm's Final Moments

For a moment, I thought I had misheard.

A successor?

I had never heard of the Knight King Wilhelm having a successor.

‘A fraudster.’

Duke Weiser calmed his startled heart.

Looking back, how many fraudsters had claimed to be the Knight King’s reincarnation, predecessor, or disciple?

Especially after the Great Expedition failed, some cities openly had people who claimed to be the Knight King’s disciples, securing their positions.

But not just a disciple, what? A successor?

It was absurd.

That calm demeanor would surely reveal its true nature if his life were on the line.

Duke Weiser lowered his hand.

Just as the knights, who understood the duke’s command, were about to take a step forward.

“The ducal family owes the Knight King a ‘star.’ What did you swear to the Knight King, Duke Weiser?”

“······ Stop.”

Thud!

The knights, who had been emitting a deadly aura, halted their steps.

Duke Weiser’s eyes were intensely shaking.

He owed the Knight King a debt. In exchange for helping the pure knight Serengeti transcend, he had made a vow.

But no one knew about this fact.

Not even Serengeti herself.

The only ones who knew the truth were the Knight King and Duke Weiser.

The man who claimed to be the Knight King’s successor then spoke.

“If you have forgotten, I will remind you.”

Swallow!

The sound of someone swallowing dryly.

“··· I have shown sufficient respect.”

Duke Weiser replied.

I burst out laughing.

“When did loyalty become an abbreviation for ‘sufficient respect’?”

Duke Weiser had sworn loyalty to the Knight King Wilhelm.

Loyalty is the utmost sincerity that comes from the heart, is it not?

It cannot be brushed off as merely showing respect.

“Have you, once called the ‘honorable Weiser,’ now become a fat pig?”

Knight Weiser became a duke of the Balan Kingdom due to his honor and skill. He was a man who understood honor, to the point of becoming the master of the ‘Knight’s Garden,’ where knights resided.

Duke Weiser gritted his teeth.

“Five hundred knights are dead, and Serengeti is a cripple. What more do you want me to lose?”

“Even so, it does not match the value of the ‘star.’”

The value of a star is so great that even a large city like this is insufficient.

There are 244 such large cities on the Pangea continent.

However, there are only 32 stars.

Not only is their rarity significant, but the value and symbolism of the remains of the goddess, as well as their transcendence, are incomparable.

“However, I am not a completely unreasonable person. I merely wish to hear the Knight King’s final words.”

“You want to meet Serengeti?”

“Yes.”

I have no other desires.

Even if he were to ask for the city, Duke Weiser’s expression remained stern and unyielding.

“If you are the Knight King’s successor, show me proof.”

“Proof?”

“Swordsmanship. Or, an inherited skill...”

Only the two of us knew the truth, but words alone cannot prove everything.

Swordsmanship or a skill inherited from the Knight King.

I straightened my posture and nodded willingly.

“It’s not a difficult task.”

It was a difficult task.

··· What should I do?

*

Looking across the training ground, there was a regular knight in silver armor with a fierce expression.

He held his sword, radiating an aura that seemed ready to split me in half.

【Lv.7】

He was the strongest knight remaining in this estate.

The truly powerful knights had all been dispatched on the Great Expedition.

So, I was giving all kinds of treasures to a mere Level 7 knight.

‘Blessed Execution Sword, Blessed Silver Armor of the White Knight, Blessed Ring of the Royal Family?’

He was truly a blessed knight.

To attach the prefix ‘blessed’ to equipment, a high-ranking priest had to perform a miracle with a blessed talisman through immense effort and prayer.

Wearing all of these, he was indeed a formidable opponent for me, who was only Level 3.

“You don’t look like much. I won’t be held responsible if I accidentally kill you.”

The knight spun his blessed execution sword with excitement.

The knight who was about to speak did not know that I was the Knight King’s successor.

This duel was taking place under Duke Weiser’s silence.

“······ Do as you please.”

Duke Weiser was very serious.

Verifying whether I was truly his successor was a crucial matter for him.

With the city’s funds and talents drained by the Great Expedition, he was in decline.

However, if the Knight King’s successor were to help, this city might avoid its downfall...

“Is this the famous execution sword!”

··· It’s good.

The expression was familiar, but he was talking about the blessed treasure in that manner.

And from the fact that he was the strongest knight remaining in the city, it was clear that the city’s fate was sealed.

I slowly drew out my ‘dual swords.’

“What? Those crude swords? And dual swords?”

The knight sneered and mocked.

The two swords I drew out looked truly shoddy.

They were no different from the common weapons you might find at the entrance of a blacksmith.

Most importantly, dual swords were a pretentious and shoddy practice.

No proper swordsman would wield two swords simultaneously.

However, these two swords were not ordinary.

‘Two Ultimate Iron Swords.’

Weapons obtained as a reward for transcending in Main Quest 3.

I chose two identical Ultimate Iron Swords without hesitation.

‘For switching purposes.’

One of the hidden traits, Weapon Master, allowed me to handle all weapons with considerable proficiency.

To maximize this trait, I needed weapons to switch between.

Although I couldn’t receive the Heaven-Earth-Man effect without the Michel’s Sword, these two swords were perfect for mimicking the Knight King.

【Ultimate Iron Sword】

★ An iron sword that has reached its peak. Originally a simple and ordinary iron sword, it underwent the ultimate enhancement and transcendence due to some eccentric transcendence.

★ Strength +3

★ When worn with other equipment with the ‘Ultimate’ title, the ‘Ultimate’ effect is activated.

★ Sword proficiency +1 level

★ Unobservable

★ Unique

Ultimate, True, Annihilation, Genuine.

Weapons with these four titles possess a power that cannot be measured by ordinary standards.

Although the stats are disappointing due to the transcendence of an ordinary weapon, the other effects are incomparable.

‘Proficiency adjustment. It doesn’t seem like much, but it’s a huge boost.’

Holding the two Ultimate Iron Swords, the relevant information appeared before my eyes.

《Sword proficiency adjusted to 7 levels.》

《Sword proficiency adjusted to 8 levels.》

《Sword proficiency adjusted to 10 levels due to the ‘Ultimate (+2 levels)’ effect.》

The hidden trait ‘Weapon Master’ starts with a weapon proficiency of 5 levels.

The hidden trait ‘Handiness’ adds +1 to all proficiencies.

This alone brings the base to 6 levels.

With the two Ultimate Iron Swords and the ‘Ultimate’ effect, it reached 10 levels.

No matter what, once you surpass 10 levels, a pebble becomes a tower and a drop of water becomes an ocean.

‘Still lacking.’

However, it is still insufficient to be called the ‘Knight King’s predecessor.’

This alone cannot recreate the Knight King’s unique appearance.

It doesn’t even come close to being a claw of the Knight King.

What should I do? How can I be recognized as the Knight King’s successor?

At that moment.

《The ‘Star Inheritor’ class can read the memories of the previous owner of the star under certain conditions.》

《With sword proficiency reaching 10 levels, the memories of the star are read.》

《The Knight King Wilhelm’s sword technique, ‘Heaven-Earth-Opening’ of ‘Heaven,’ is recreated.》

*

“······.”

When a person encounters something that surpasses their understanding, they become a fool.

They are left in a state where they can only stare blankly, unable to do anything.

This was the case for everyone gathered in the training ground.

Duke Weiser, Hudson, Isabella, and even the knight facing me.

‘What, what is this?’

The knight looked up at the ceiling of the training ground.

He was brimming with confidence, wearing blessed treasures.

He thought he could not possibly lose.

His opponent was a pretentious dual swordsman, a mediocre person wielding two crude iron swords, trying to mimic a swordsman.

But once the battle began, everything changed.

Before the battle, he saw countless openings, but once it started, he was completely at a loss.

His mind went blank, unsure of where to strike.

When he regained his senses, he was looking up at the ceiling again.

‘What happened?’

He couldn’t understand.

It wasn’t that the sword was too fast to see.

On the contrary, it was slow enough to block.

The subtlety of slowness?

That doesn’t exist. He should have been able to block it, but he couldn’t.

The overwhelming presence that dominated the battlefield.

An intangible something that didn’t exist.

The man became the sky in an instant.

“······ Ah.”

Duke Weiser let out a small sigh.

He realized he had been holding his breath.

‘It is the Knight King’s sword technique.’

The sword the man in front of him wielded was in line with the Knight King’s.

The overwhelming presence that transcended understanding.

Only the Knight King Wilhelm could do this.

Endlessly slow, yet impossible to block, and unable to see the whole picture even with open eyes.

It was like magic, but the Knight King called it his sword technique.

If he could wield this absolute domain, no one could understand it.

‘Ah······.’

Duke Weiser trembled.

The Knight King of the highest honor.

The strongest human, the last hope of humanity.

He thought he was dead, but he had returned.

*

A woman lay on the bed, her eyes open but unfocused.

This woman, who showed no signs of life, was the pure knight Serengeti.

Alive, yet in a state akin to death.

“She returned tied to a horse. We called a saint, but the powerful curse was too strong even for the saint to break.”

Duke Weiser spoke heavily.

Behind him, Hudson was struggling to hold back his tears as he looked at Serengeti.

‘The Demon King’s curse.’

She was currently under the curse of the Demon King.

A curse that binds one in eternal dreams, forcing them to endure nightmares.

The Demon King’s curse cannot be broken by anything, not even by a saint or a holy emperor.

But I had to wake her up.

To hear my final words.

‘Serengeti······.’

A close confidant.

One of the 500 knights who followed me the most.

Their deaths did not affect me.

Because it was just a game to me.

But seeing Serengeti now, I felt a strange emotion.

It was nostalgia.

Was I bewitched by the realism that couldn’t be called a game?

No, it was time to admit it.

‘This is not a game.’

This is not a world within a game.

It is another reality.

“I have tried everything to wake Serengeti. The best elixirs, the most famous healers, nothing worked.”

It was one of the reasons the city’s finances were in ruins.

Duke Weiser tried everything, but Serengeti did not return.

“··· However, I must now protect this estate. In a month, Serengeti will no longer be here. The Count of Sain will take her. I have no