Chapter 56 – Human? (2)
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
Chapter 56 – Human? (2)
Silence.
This time, no answer comes.
After a moment, a sigh of frustration is heard.
“Does it matter?”
Lukento’s face was marked with annoyance.
“We came all this way for the princess. But you keep picking at us.”
“The princess herself is rejecting you.”
Ketal shrugged.
“Are you unwilling to talk? That makes it even harder to trust you.”
He wondered if teleportation could be used to approach them like that, but it seemed not.
Even if Lukento managed to convince him, his attitude wouldn’t change.
He had already accepted the request.
Lukento’s face twisted.
“Do you believe that delusion? Barbarian, how foolish.”
“If a mercenary doesn’t believe his employer, who will?”
“Are you saying you’ll turn us into enemies for the sake of a worthless contract?”
“If I didn’t intend to, I wouldn’t have taken the request in the first place.”
“…The princess deceived you.”
“Even so, I accepted the request.”
A request is a contract and a promise.
He would escort Elene and Aaron to the kingdom of Denian.
No matter what stood in their way.
“Running away from a contract because the opponent is strong and numerous—how would I be different from a common thief in the alleys?”
Ketal said quietly.
“I said I would protect her and escort her to the kingdom of Denian.”
A man’s word must be kept.
“I will not run away from my promise.”
With those words, Ketal stood in front of Elene and Aaron.
“Oh.”
Elene let out a sound without realizing it.
No one had believed her.
She had confided in those she deeply trusted, but instead of believing her, they had taken her to a doctor.
Although Aaron had followed her, it wasn’t because he believed her but because he too felt the kingdom’s changes.
She had made up her mind to tell Ketal, but deep down, she also thought he wouldn’t believe her.
It was natural.
It was impossible.
It couldn’t happen.
Even she thought it was a madman’s delusion.
It would be strange to believe it.
But Ketal said he would believe her.
Despite being deceived, Ketal’s attitude hadn’t changed.
He said he would protect her against formidable enemies.
Like a prince.
Elene blankly stared at Ketal’s broad back as he protected her.
* * *
The quietly observing Tower Master narrowed his eyes.
‘Is it loyalty?’
Judging by Elene’s reaction, it seemed she really didn’t know about the pursuit, but that didn’t matter.
In the end, she had deceived them.
The Tower Master could understand if Ketal swung his axe at her.
But he said he would protect the princess without hesitation.
‘Is he that type of person? Unexpected.’
Lukento also seemed to have a similar feeling, muttering as if acknowledging him.
“It’s a pity someone like you is a barbarian.”
The knights behind him looked at Ketal with astonished faces.
Ketal was truly a model knight.
And Ketal was thinking to himself.
‘Yes! This is it!’
Despite certain defeat, a knight who didn’t retreat and sacrificed his life for the glory of his country.
A man who blocked an army to let an old man cross a bridge.
Someone who persisted in his will despite being at a disadvantage.
All of them were praised as heroes, their names recorded in history.
Ketal was also one of the boys whose heart raced when reading their stories.
‘Thinking logically, it’s foolish.’
Continuing to fight despite certain defeat?
Foolish.
It would be more rational to survive and dream of revenge.
Blocking an army for an old man?
If he had the time, he could just carry the old man.
But what about it?
Romance is the epitome of irrationality.
Now, he was the protagonist of such a story.
Look at them.
Patrick, Lukento and his knights, the princess, and Aaron.
They were all admiring him.
‘I’ve checked off another item on my bucket list.’
He felt great.
He wanted to pump his fist and shout for joy.
But that would ruin the atmosphere he had worked hard to create, so he held back.
He thought he would celebrate alone later if he got the chance.
“Then, there’s no need for further discussion.”
With Lukento’s words, the atmosphere changed.
Killing intent began to fill the space.
“Patrick. Step back. Elene and Aaron as well.”
“Understood.”
“Be careful. They are the Green and Blue Knights, the strongest knights of our kingdom.”
The three of them retreated.
Ketal and the knights quietly faced each other.
Lukento spoke.
“Everyone, draw your swords.”
Srring.
The sound of metal clashing and sharp blades revealing themselves filled the air. Simultaneously, a mysterious force enveloped them.
The Tower Master watched the knights.
‘They can all control mystical powers.’
Second-rate.
And their leader was first-rate.
He could materialize mystical power.
To the Tower Master, they were no different from ants on the street, but in the eyes of the world, they were a formidable group.
“Take care of that barbarian first. The princess will come next.”
“Yes!”
Lukento glared sharply at Ketal.
“Kill him if you must! Take him down!”
Clang!
No sooner had the words left his mouth than the knights charged.
They reinforced their bodies with mystic energy and rushed forward like tanks.
Ketal smiled and raised his fists.
Boom!
“Ugh!”
The armor that collided with his fist crumpled.
A knight spewed blood as he flew back.
Another knight seized the opportunity to thrust his sword.
“Whew.”
Ketal lightly dodged, tilting his body.
He grabbed the sword and pulled, sending the knight flying through the air.
“Even as you’re flung away, you don’t let go of your sword. You have the qualifications of a knight!”
“A barbarian talking about knights!”
This time, two knights thrust their swords simultaneously.
Ketal moved his hands lightly.
He tapped the sides of their blades.
With just that, the swords bounced off.
The two knights lost their balance and staggered.
Crunch.
Their armor crumpled, and their bodies were sent flying.
‘Strong!’
The knights’ eyes wavered.
In an instant, five had been neutralized.
He was a warrior they couldn’t handle.
“Don’t retreat! Don’t be afraid!”
From behind them, Lukento shouted.
“Form a siege formation!”
“Yes!”
The knights changed their tactics.
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
Instead of targeting Ketal, they surrounded him.
In an instant, they encircled him and swung their swords.
But they couldn’t reach him.
Ketal dodged their swords with light movements.
‘Each one isn’t as strong as the knights of the Barkan territory.’
Ketal lifted his foot.
A knight who was kicked spewed blood as he flew far away.
The formation cracked.
Another knight immediately filled the gap.
‘But their teamwork is excellent.’
Nearly fifty of them perfectly coordinated to surround and attack him.
‘Amazing.’
Ketal was impressed.
He had once considered the idea of coordination.
The White Snow Plains were filled with monsters so strong that his tribe couldn’t handle them.
Facing them as a group rather than individually could take down even stronger monsters. So, he had taught his tribe to cooperate.
But he had given up.
Those damned barbarians refused to rely on each other, even unto death.
He had tried using force to make them coordinate, but it only lasted for a while.
After seeing a dozen dead bodies with axes buried in their backs, Ketal gave up.
To him, this coordination was astonishing.
He had never seen such a perfectly controlled group.
They were individuals, yet a collective, and one.
‘This is a knight order.’
Ketal was mildly moved, while the knights inwardly screamed.
‘Why can’t we hit him!’
They were attacking with perfect coordination.
They were confident that even a superhuman couldn’t escape their formation unscathed.
But Ketal was dodging their attacks flawlessly.
Hundreds of sword strikes were made, yet they hadn’t inflicted even a scratch.
However, their attacks were just setting the stage.
Lukento, watching with narrowed eyes, shouted.
“Now!”
“Hup!”
The knights simultaneously thrust their swords.
It was a collective attack leaving no space to evade.
The knights were confident that this time, their swords would pierce the barbarian.
Clang!
“Oh. This kind of collective attack is indeed tricky. It’s educational.”
Ketal murmured.
Someone shouted involuntarily.
“Don’t be ridiculous!”
Dozens of sword blades were caught in Ketal’s fingers.
One knight, his face pale, muttered.
“Monster!”
“It’s not like your speed is unmanageable. It’s sad to hear such things.”
Faced with this absurd scene, Lukento was momentarily flustered.
But his hesitation was brief.
He immediately launched himself forward, drawing his sword.
An aura enveloped the blade.
‘Now!’
A first-rate warrior like him had failed to counter Ketal’s initial strike.
He hadn’t expected such a straightforward response, but he had anticipated that Ketal would block this attack.
However, blocking without any damage was another matter entirely.
Ketal’s hands were fully occupied holding the sword blades, leaving his body unprotected.
Accelerating his body, Lukento shot forward and thrust his sword towards Ketal’s face.
Elene screamed.
“Hmm.”
Ketal opened his mouth.
Crunch.
Everyone present doubted their own eyes.
The Tower Master widened his eyes in disbelief.
Lukento’s sword was caught in Ketal’s teeth.
“…What?”
Lukento involuntarily let out a sound.
What is he looking at?
Is his aura caught in the barbarian’s teeth?
Before he could fully comprehend the situation, a powerful shock overwhelmed him.
Boom!
An explosion erupted.
Knights were sent flying.
Trees around them snapped and collapsed.
“Ugh!”
“Argh!”
The knights spat blood.
Their swords shattered, and their armor crumpled.
Lukento was also not spared, groaning in pain.
“All those attacks were just setups for your final move. Impressive! A splendid strategy! It’s not something just anyone could counter!”
Ketal was genuinely impressed.
But his admiration only deepened Lukento’s despair.
His trump card, which should have been devastating, only elicited Ketal’s praise.
“Will you continue?”
“…Everyone, retreat.”
Lukento gritted his teeth.
The knights stumbled to their feet and began to flee.
Once the situation was under control, Elene hurried over.
“Ke-Ketal! Are you alright?”
“I’m not hurt. Don’t worry.”
“Th-that’s a relief…”
“I will fulfill my contract. However, I want to hear the full story.”
“Yes.”
Elene nodded resolutely.
“I will tell you everything, down to the last detail.”
* * *
They moved as far as possible.
In the pitch-black night, when they couldn’t see an inch ahead, they made camp.
Although they wanted to keep moving, walking through the forest at night was akin to suicide.
They set up tents and lit a campfire.
Sitting around the fire, Aaron spoke.
“First, I must express my gratitude once again. We deceived you. Although it wasn’t intentional, that fact doesn’t change.”
But Ketal had promised to fulfill his contract.
Aaron bowed respectfully.
“I swear, when this is all over, I will give you everything I have.”
“Me too.”
Elene interjected.
When Ketal looked at her, she blushed and averted her gaze.
“We can discuss the future later. First, we should talk about the present situation.”
Ketal chewed on a piece of jerky with a keen interest.
“So, what exactly happened?”
“…It’s as the princess said. Our kingdom has been replaced by something else.”
Aaron gritted his teeth.
“When we realized this, barely one in ten had not been replaced. The kingdom was already in a state of collapse.”
“So, you escaped.”
“If we had stayed, both the princess and I would have been replaced as well.”
Aaron sighed and continued.
“Let me start from the beginning. This distortion began about a year ago.”
“Hmm?”
Ketal reacted.
“A year ago?”
“We can’t be sure of the exact time, but it likely started then.”
“…I see.”
A year ago.
That was when Ketal was on his last quest in the White Snow Plains.
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
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