Chapter 82

* * *

Whoosh!!

As I pulled the sword I was holding, the knight who was trying to pull out his sword with all his might lost his balance and was thrust forward.

Without hesitation, I let go of the sword and placed my palm on his abdomen.

Crack!!

“Gah!!”

A brief sound accompanied by a blinding flash of lightning that momentarily enveloped and then disappeared.

Sizzle……

It was as if the meat had been burned.

I threw the frozen knight away with disinterest, and my expression turned cold.

“So, you were told to kill me, right?”

The knights, realizing something was amiss, tried to move quickly.

“Don’t make a commotion in the room, brats.”

“Gah!!!”

Before my words were even finished, confusion spread across their faces as they were pinned to the ground.

You can't believe it, can you?

Suddenly, as if their entire bodies were being crushed, they were pressed to the ground.

An impossible mission, an assassination target with no real worries.

Yet, the situation has taken a strange turn, leaving them bewildered.

“So, if you want to kill someone, you should know that you might die too.”

Speaking calmly, as I stepped on one of the knights, I could feel his body shudder.

- Dave, if you spill blood here...

‘That’s why I don’t use a sword.’

I have no intention of spilling blood.

A high-voltage shock magic of the 5th Circle, a close-range spell.

In terms of power, it can take down a troll with a few hits, given their incredible regenerative abilities.

And it’s also the highest-level magic I can use up to the 5th Circle.

To subdue them cleanly and without much fuss, there’s nothing better.

“Gah... Wh... What...”

Only then did the knights realize what had happened to their comrade, and their faces turned pale.

At the same time, those who tried to break free from my restraint with all their might lunged at me to subdue me.

Thud...

Of course, while magic is one thing, they don’t know that one of my main combat abilities is swordsmanship.

“Gah?!”

Crack!!

Another knight fell cleanly, and I took another step forward.

“Wait... Just a moment!”

Crack!!

“Ah!!”

Only then did the remaining knights realize something was wrong and that they needed to escape, and they turned to flee.

But.

“I’m going to the tower, show me your back.”

Crack!!

Showing your back is not a good idea.

In an instant, I left a trail of afterimages and took a step forward, by which time all the remaining knights had turned black.

The smell of burning flesh began to spread.

“Jack.”

“Do you need something?”

“Clear the bodies. And cut down anyone who enters here.”

“I’ll keep track of it.”

“I don’t know how big a favor you’re asking for, but for now, call it.”

At my words, Jack, or Aina Helisana, who had been standing there as if she had always been there, nodded silently and disappeared.

“Lord Gorneo.”

As I stepped out of the tent and called out to Lord Gorneo, I saw him open his eyes wide.

He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

He’s easily surprised.

“Please stay and treat the wounded.”

“D... Prince Dave...”

“I’ll go and eliminate the non-humans.”

At my words, he stood there, unable to say anything.

* * *

As I left the treatment area, red-uniformed knights began to appear from all directions.

“The opponent uses strange electricity! Be cautious and subdue them!”

There were roughly 20 to 30 of them.

All of them were at least Sword Experts, not ordinary beings.

Moreover, I had no weapon like Hongdan or Cheongdan in my hands.

The only combat power I could rely on was Aina Helisana, but I had already ordered her to guard the treatment area.

-Dave.

“The tracking magic I placed on Winry has started to move.”

Muttering irritably, I immediately extended my hand into the air.

Whoosh!!

At the same time, the mana that had been active throughout my body spread out in a very thin, large wave across the entire territory.

If I lack weapons...

“Everyone! Eliminate the target!”

Swoosh!!!

“Gah?!”

I had no choice but to bring them.

One of the knights charging at me was split in half by a high-speed red afterimage falling from the sky and crashed to the ground.

Swoosh...

At the same time, a chilling metallic sound accompanied the appearance of a red afterimage in my hand, which was a large scythe.

Hongdan, emitting a flame-like red light, was pulled into my hand.

Swoosh...

Swoosh!!

At the same time, a blue afterimage cut through the air, slicing through a couple of knights and being pulled into my hand.

A simplified version of the Igierye sword technique, using Hongdan and Cheongdan, who have their own consciousness, to control the swords in the air.

To others, it might look like the swords are alive and cutting down the enemies on their own.

In fact, that’s true.

I immediately lowered the tip of Hongdan and reversed Cheongdan, pointing its tip upwards, and stepped forward with my left foot, assuming a stance.

In reality, if I let myself be held back by those trying to stop me, it would be a waste of time.

Therefore, the best course of action is to prevent them from holding me back.

As I stepped forward with my left foot, explosive force was applied to the ground, and using the recoil as a springboard, my sword flashed in the air.

All of them are Experts?

The assassins I met on my way to the Principality of Felicity were stronger than these.

* * *

“Gah!! W... Wait! Wait, stop!...”

The neck of a knight who was crawling on the ground, screaming, was severed in the air.

The number of knights I have cut down while moving quickly is not just one or two.

They were strategically placed to hold me back, with a clear sense of malice.

If I were just a Master, I would probably have been delayed and wasted a lot of time.

-Why did they target Yulius and Winry?

“It’s just an excuse.”

“Ah! S... Save me!”

Swish!!

In the quiet forest, with nothing to obstruct me, I used Hongdan to sever the opponent’s neck.

“There were two council members, so there were knights who followed Lord Gorneo.”

Now that I think about it, they were all under the command of Baron Lington.

-Just an excuse?

“Honestly, it’s a funny thought, but there’s a rank, you know.”

The protection magic I placed on Winry is too inefficient to maintain continuously.

Currently, I can only use up to 5th Circle magic, so I only placed a tracking magic, which led to this situation.

Well, if the opponent is a Sword Master, the protection magic would have little meaning anyway.

“Yulius is an elder of the Adversary Tower, and Winry and I are royalty of the Round Kingdom.”

-That’s right.

Passing by the cold corpses, I began to see a half-open iron gate under a large tree.

It means someone arrived before me.

The only person I can think of now is Yulius.

“Then an investigation will be launched. Why they died, the best excuse would be a raid by bandits or monsters. Both are possible in the Ordem territory. If we say we died protecting the territory from the raiders, what can the Adversary Tower or the Round Royal Family do?”

-What does that have to do with kidnapping Winry?

“Hmm... I don’t know the details, but it’s just an excuse.”

Speaking calmly, I quickly entered the underground area.

It’s a well-fortified underground base, but I continued to cut through the walls with Hongdan.

“Winry has gone missing. So, the Extermination Knights and the Duke Collio, the head of the knights, left the territory to find Winry.”

And during that time, the raid happened.

This way, we can avoid responsibility for now.

“Inv... Invasion... Gah!”

As I thrust my fingers into the throat of an Extermination Knight who had discovered my presence and was shouting, his throat became ragged as if pierced by a sharp object.

Kicking the knight who was spitting blood, I cut through the wall again, and a large space began to appear.

It’s a fairly wide space, but to me, who knows Winry’s approximate location, the maze has no meaning.

If the path is blocked? If it’s blocked by a solid wall? I’ll cut through it with Hongdan.

If an obstacle appears?

I’ll cut it down.

-But if that’s the case, there was no need to take Winry... They could have just finished everything and said it was done...

I heard Perseus mutter in disbelief, but my gaze was fixed on the large underground chamber below.

A scene so gruesome that the word "horrible" doesn't even begin to describe it.

-My God...

What I saw were hundreds of people tied to experimental beds, with strange cells implanted in them.

“Did the knights try to save me and bring me back?”

At my words, Perseus nodded as if he had just remembered.

“They were also trying to obtain high-level mages and those with holy marks, which are hard to come by.”

Fearless bastards.

* * *

“What is this...”

Lord Gorneo, who remained at the treatment area, still couldn’t believe what was happening before his eyes, his eyes filled with confusion.

“What are you doing?”

At that moment, a voice broke his thoughts.

A man’s voice, devoid