episode_0036

36. Sarah’s Massacre.

“I’ve heard enough! I can’t stand it! He looks like a commoner, but he’s lost all fear!”

Swish─

Sir James drew his sword. If he put a hairline fracture on that arrogant woman’s neck, she’d learn to behave!

Immediately after, Sarah tapped Sir Jakison’s fingers that were holding her.

It was a signal to let go. But Sir Jakison was not Sarah’s subordinate.

“Stop it. I know you’re angry, but I won’t tolerate you rampaging any further.”

“······.”

He also said to Sir James.

“You should stop now, too. That magician is this young lady’s lover and just lost his temper for a moment.”

“Hmph, Sir Jakison?!”

Perhaps his vision had narrowed, but he finally recognized Sir Jakison’s presence.

The knight before him was the real deal, unlike a novice knight like himself. He had no choice but to take a step back.

“If that’s what you say, sir······.”

“Thank you for understanding. But the situation is serious. Can you tell me the details of what happened?”

“······Understood.”

Authority begets force, and force establishes authority. Eventually, Sir James began to explain his disgrace.

“I had some business to attend to and went into my personal tent when a sturdy masked man attacked me.”

He raised his eyes as if recalling that moment.

“It was truly a graceful skill. The opponent must be a knight. A knight with seasoned skills at that.”

“Swordsmanship, what was the swordsmanship like? Describe the characteristics. Let me try to deduce.”

“There wasn’t anything particularly unique. It was both steadfast and soft. Ordinary longsword swordsmanship.”

Sarah closed her mouth tightly beside him. There were many things she wanted to ask, but she couldn’t act rashly.

Now is the time to be patient. She is only enduring to uncover the culprit of the incident.

“Ordinary, you say······. Too obvious. Anything else?”

“Hmm······ Ah! He was very fast on his feet. It was the first time I had seen a knight use such rapid steps.”

“······!”

Instantly, Sir Jakison’s face hardened. Longsword swordsmanship, ordinary attack method, rapid steps?

Sir Jakison asked in a trembling voice.

“Did you perhaps······ feel any vibration? Enough to slightly hinder attack and defense?”

“Oh! How did you know? A subtle wave traveled through the ground every time he moved his feet.”

“······.”

It’s not certain. It’s not like there aren’t knights or families that use similar techniques.

Sir Jakison finished thinking and stomped his foot.

“Take a good look. See if this is really what it was.”

Shhh─

With a noise like wind leaking somewhere, Sir Jakison’s figure stretched out long.

Thump, thump.

At the same time, a heavy vibration is felt from the center of his foot. Sir James’ eyes widened.

“Huh?”

Seeing that reaction, Sir Jakison covered his face with his palm.

What he had suspected had happened.

Quickly subduing a formal knight, albeit a novice, and using techniques similar to the family’s secret arts.

There aren’t many people who can do this. And Sir Jakison knows the possible person very well.

‘Master······. Was it you?’

The man who made Jakison who he is now, and a meritorious subject who has been loyal to the family for a long time!

The head swordsmanship instructor of the Edith family.

‘Robin······.’

It was definitely him.

Sarah saw Sir Jakison’s reaction and asked.

“What’s wrong? Did you figure something out?”

“I’m not sure, but I know a skilled knight who could do something like this.”

“Who is it?”

Sir Jakison looked at Sarah. Her eyes looked like she would cut down that knight right away if he said his name.

She deserved to hear it, but now was not a good place.

“Let’s talk later. There are too many eyes watching right now.”

“······Yes.”

Sarah nodded regretfully. She wanted to urge Sir Jakison, but she couldn’t.

Because······

‘I’m weaker.’

That’s all. Anyway, Sarah and Sir Jakison returned to the mansion.

The wave wasn’t completely over, but the matter was so important that they had no choice.

“······.”

“······.”

In Sarah’s arms, Johan’s head was being held precious. She stroked it carefully and thought.

‘I will definitely kill him.’

Sarah was proud of her curse-like regression ability now more than ever.

It was definitely the best ability to have in order to get revenge.

······Eventually, they arrived at the mansion. Naturally, the chief butler came out to greet them.

He seemed to sense something strange and said to Sir Jakison.

“What happened? Master?”

“The magician Johan is dead.”

“······!”

“Let’s go inside and talk. I have a lot to say.”

The butler bowed deeply. His movement was so solemn, as if expressing his condolences for Johan.

***

Sir Jakison’s office. As if representing his personality, the desolate space was filled with the chief butler and Sir Jakison in earnest conversation.

Sarah was listening silently.

“Instructor Robin, you say? But I thought he had retired from the front lines a long time ago.”

“I myself have great doubts. I thought he had suffered a major injury and declared his retirement······.”

Sir Jakison said heavily.

“That may have been a smokescreen.”

“Hoo, if he returns to the forefront, wouldn’t the Archduke’s power be greatly strengthened?”

“You could say that. His own martial power is low, but the people around him aren’t.”

Sarah, who had been listening quietly, said.

“Archduke? What does that mean?”

“Hmm······.”

Come to think of it, Sarah was still ignorant of the family’s affairs.

Sir Jakison unfortunately wasn’t good at speaking, so the butler took over.

“The eldest son of the family Master belongs to. We call him the Archduke. He is competing with Master for the position of head of the family.”

“······.”

“It’s probably the trickery of the treacherous Archduke. He’s been good at blocking Master’s path since long ago.”

“What does that have to do with Johan?”

At that moment, the butler said with a remorseful expression.

“······Actually, Johan was the first combat magician we raised. I guess Johan’s activity bothered them.”

“······.”

“I’m sorry. We should have paid more attention to the escort, but to think it would happen during the wave······.”

“Can I rest?”

The butler questioned her sudden words.

“Pardon?”

“······I’m tired. A little. I want to go to my room.”

The butler put on a outwardly pitiful expression. She had lost her lover overnight. Her feelings must be indescribable.

“I understand. I wasn’t thinking clearly. Please rest comfortably.”

“Yes. Then······.”

Sarah quietly left the room. A servant followed behind her.

Click.

The door closed, and the butler and Sir Jakison looked at each other.

“Hoo······. What’s dead is dead. Let’s discuss what to do going forward. What do you think my brother wants?”

“We’re still in the wave period, and I think it’s just a warning. In the first place, he has a gentle nature.”

“Hmm······. Is that so? I wonder what it will be like······.”

Their discussion lasted for a long time.

And as time passed and the clock hand hovered around midnight, a commotion arose in the mansion.

Sarah, the lover of the dead magician, had disappeared.

***

Sir Jakison’s eldest brother. Lordson was working in his office late at night.

Due to the nature of the city, he was always busy during the wave period. Naturally, the weight of the burden pressing on his shoulders also increased.

His hand, which had been shuffling through documents for a while, stopped after seeing the title of a certain report.

[Investigation into the Actual Power of Young Master Jakison] Lordson read it slowly and muttered.

“It’s a good thing the magician was killed. His growth rate is faster than I thought.”

The document contained personnel information mixed with all sorts of identities, such as Sir Jakison’s soldiers, apprentice knights, and servants.

There are many people with martial power. They don’t measure up to Lordson, but they are definitely a meaningful number.

“He killed a knight······. I never thought sending Sir Robin would come back like this.”

Currently, Sir Robin was resting in the detached building. He seemed quite tired.

It was like using a knight instead of soldiers to catch goblins, but it turned out that the guy was a goblin king.

It must have been a mutant.

“I lost a valuable talent. Tsk.”

The cost of raising one knight is astronomical.

It’s not as much as Sir Jakison, but it’s definitely a painful loss.

“······.”

He was lost in thought for a while when a commotion arose from somewhere.

─KWAANG!

“Hmm?!”

It’s not far away. It’s even getting closer.

─Block her! Cut off her breath before she gets into the office!!

─Kghhh!

─Where is she getting this monstrous strength in that condition!

“······.”

Lordson looked at the two knights guarding the door.

It was a signal to see what was going on. After all, Lordson always had a guard knight next to him.

“Yes.”

The knights bowed solemnly and opened the door. And soon, their eyes widened.

There, a monster covered in blood was wielding a sword.

“What!”

“What makes you think you can come here!”

The monster and the two knights locked eyes. The monster ignored the longsword stabbing her arm and accelerated instantly.

Whoosh!

The monster’s leather armor and flesh are torn. The wound looks terrible, but it only gets faster.

Thanks to her characteristic. [Unyielding]. The more damage she takes, the stronger she becomes.

Sir Jakison evaluated Sarah as being better than a decent tin-can knight.

That evaluation did not include the score for unyielding. In other words······.

KAAAANG!

“Khuk! A woman’s strength!”

Sarah, who is now critically injured, surpassed the capabilities of an ordinary knight.