Ch.124EP.31 – The Knight Call Themselves Losers (1)

The soldiers’ panting breaths filled the forest path.

An unexpected march.

And not just any march.

They had to cover several thousand meters at a running pace, without falling behind even for a second.

Even in wartime, such a brutal march would be unthinkable.

They’d exhaust themselves before even fighting.

But now.

Boom!

“Hu-hurry up and run faster!”

“It’s a second earthquake!”

“E-everyone brace for impact!!”

There was no time for complaints or grumbling as they pushed themselves to their limits.

Against the fury of nature’s earthquakes, no human dared to stand defiant.

Crack!

The ground, already weakened by Worms burrowing through it, collapsed like a sand castle under the earthquake’s force, turning the surrounding hundreds of meters into chaos.

Getting caught in that would mean not just being buried alive, but falling into a collapsed cliff and ending up like a burst tomato.

Not wanting such a fate, the soldiers gave their all to escape the earthquake zone.

Thud!

And so, in just a few dozen minutes.

The soldiers miraculously succeeded in escaping the earthquake area.

It was proof that humans can accomplish anything when they truly set their minds to it.

“W-we made it…”

“I-I can’t walk anymore…”

“…I’m dying.”

People collapsed or sat down with thuds all around.

This would normally be when officers would step in to restore order, but unfortunately, the officers themselves were in the same condition—panting and collapsing alongside their men.

Their moment of exhausted relief was short-lived.

Crash!!

“Ah…”

…The tunnel was collapsing.

The Southern Continent’s largest fertilizer production site and century-old hell for criminals.

Crack!

Rumble-!

Witnessing the destruction in real-time, all they could feel was not relief but awe and shock.

How many people ever get to directly witness hundreds of meters of land completely caving in and collapsing?

Or rather, even if they did, it would likely be the last day of their lives.

In that sense, they were lucky.

“This is all thanks to the Prince—I mean, Lord Aren!”

“That’s right! If it weren’t for Lord Aren, we would have…! Whew!!”

“Noble and wise White Lion of Pendragon! You are our hero!”

[Hurrah!!!]

The soldiers lavished praise on the knight of royal birth who had saved them.

Without his quick judgment, far fewer would have survived.

If word spread, this would be an achievement all citizens would admire.

It was a moment promising tremendous fame and honor, and given Aren Pendragon’s personality, he should have been feeling immensely satisfied and proud.

“…Please stop, I beg you…!”

Instead, he covered his face in shame.

While some might shamelessly smile and accept praise for others’ achievements as if they were their own, there are also those who cannot bear such situations.

And Aren clearly belonged to the latter group.

Though he had once been arrogant, he had recently received some unintentional but intense character education, which had matured him somewhat. This newly matured golden prince shuddered at the praise directed at him.

Finding it too shameful.

However.

“Such modesty…!”

“As expected of royalty!”

“Descendant of the great Knight King!!”

Once people see you in a positive light, everything you do looks good—the soldiers’ rose-colored glasses weren’t going to come off easily.

“I said shut up!!”

“Haha, he’s just being shy.”

“Well, well.”

“So modest…”

“Arrrgh!!”

The matured golden child was suffering.

“He deserves all the praise, so why is he acting like that?”

“I know, right?”

The two knights, Jake Farman and Yord Decker, tilted their heads as they watched Aren squirming.

After all, it was indeed Aren who had saved most of the soldiers.

“Who but royalty could have accomplished something like this?”

Why had the soldiers so purely cooperated, followed evacuation orders, and even looked after the prisoners?

It was because a ‘royal’ had personally taken charge.

Even if they were knights of the Order of the Silver Lion, would the soldiers have followed their orders so readily?

At best they would have dragged their feet, and at worst, insubordination would have been rampant.

But the one who commanded them was none other than the descendant of the Knight King, blessed by the noble silver dragon.

His silver hair and the Pendragon name had the power to make people follow even unreasonable orders.

So he deserved praise today, but…

“Has he matured late in life? He doesn’t seem to know how to handle objective self-assessment.”

Or perhaps, having heard only false praise his entire life, he found such sincere admiration unfamiliar.

Still, they thought this reaction wasn’t bad, and decided not to offer praise themselves.

Now that the golden child had finally matured, why risk turning him back into a fool with unnecessary compliments?

As Ihan once said:

No animal is as stubborn as a human, and no matter how much they reform, they tend to revert to their original state. That’s why they need regular beatings…

“Sigh, I need to find someone to wield that stick quickly.”

“Why don’t you just honestly say you’re worried…”

“What?”

“…Nothing, nothing at all.”

Jake and Yord quickly approached the collapsed tunnel.

To find the one who hadn’t come up from underground.

Though they believed he was safe, they couldn’t help but worry.

No matter how monstrous he might be, he wasn’t an actual monster.

And as if agreeing with their thoughts…

“He-he’s not dead, is he? He didn’t actually die fighting?”

They saw someone already searching diligently for him.

A gray-haired boy.

A familiar face.

“It’s our helper.”

The one who had helped them in the tunnel.

His name was…

“Lord Derrick. Are you looking for our senior?”

“Lord Yord.”

“…Sigh, so our senior didn’t make it out?”

“…A lot happened.”

“…I see.”

Derrick wore an expression that made it difficult to speak, and they guessed that many things must have occurred, letting out sighs.

‘That guy…’

‘Even if he’s our senior, if he got buried underground… hmm!’

They wore serious expressions.

They knew this mission might require sacrifices, but they never thought he would be among them.

As shadows fell across their faces…

“Ah! There he is!”

“?”

“…But wait, why am I [detecting] him here?”

“??”

Derrick suddenly uttered something incomprehensible, causing them to tilt their heads simultaneously.

…What was he detecting?

And the answer to this question…

Thump!

“!!!?”

They immediately understood when they saw the dirt mound moving slightly.

“N-no way!”

“Q-quick, dig! Hurry…!!”

The two knights quickly began digging through the dirt mound.

Without shovels, they had to use their swords to dig…

In a way, they were doing something a knight shouldn’t do, but what did it matter when saving a comrade!

They would endure far worse.

For now, their swords, companions to knights, served as excellent shovels, and as they dug with all their might…

Thump! Thump!

The dirt began to move more rapidly, and finally…

Whoosh!!

An arm stretched out.

“…Wow, how did he actually survive?”

Derrick exclaimed in amazement at the sight of the arm, and as if responding to his words!

Crash!

He revealed himself.

“Kuhack!!”

As soon as he emerged, he spat out a handful of dirt and coughed repeatedly. He was a complete mess.

From head to toe, his entire body was covered in dirt, and he had an enormous number of injuries.

Anyone else would have long since departed this world, but his vitality was so strong that as he breathed in the fresh surface air…

“Haaa! I-I nearly died…!”

He showed signs of recovery.

And looking at him, the three people…

“Did he seriously just dig his way up to the surface?”

“…How did you survive in that massive pile of dirt, not to mention the earthquake?”

“He’s not a Worm, what the heck.”

No, even a Sand Worm couldn’t survive under such a mass of soil according to common sense…

‘…Maybe the common sense I know is wrong?’

Derrick was dumbfounded not just by his survival, but by the fact that he had also managed to bring a large man out with him from the dirt pile.

But soon.

“…Haha.”

Derrick broke into laughter as relief spread through him.

The situation itself was amusing.

Anyway.

‘This person makes living itself interesting.’

There’s never a dull moment.

* * *

…I nearly died.

‘Wow, how did I survive?’

Ihan continued to cough up dirt.

The oxygen was so sweet, and the sunlight felt so precious.

He was experiencing all the emotions of someone who had returned from death.

Yet even he couldn’t believe he had survived.

‘In all my life, I never thought a monster would end up helping me.’

The giant Sand Worm that Ihan had slashed and Maximus had finished off.

Ihan had barely survived by using the Sand Worm’s corpse as a shelter.

Thanks to its massive size, or perhaps because it was a creature that lived in soil, the Sand Worm’s outer skin had withstood the pressure of the earth to some extent.

And what happened afterward was simple.

After the earthquake had somewhat subsided, he dug with his bare hands and swam through the soil with his entire body.

Like a mole or earthworm, he had navigated through the dirt for who knows how long…

He could have been buried and killed at any moment, or died trying to escape, but Ihan ultimately succeeded.

Literally a triumph of human will!

He wanted to praise himself.

“…Heh, you should have just escaped alone. Why risk yourself by bringing me along?”

“Finally come to your senses, have you?”

“Air has never tasted so sweet.”

“If you understand, just say thank you. Stop talking nonsense.”

“…Well, I do express my gratitude for saving my life.”

“I don’t need you to bow down to me. If that’s your attitude, I’d rather you didn’t thank me at all, you fool.”

“H-how unfair, I truly am grateful…”

Maximus wore an awkward expression.

He was used to saving others’ lives, not having his own saved or owing someone a life debt, so his thanks came out clumsily—but he wasn’t so ill-mannered as to not understand gratitude.

Wanting to clear up this misunderstanding, he tried to get up, but…

“…In my heart I want to bow down immediately, but my body won’t move.”

“That’s what happens when you use your technique so recklessly.”

“I agree. But I never expected my body to be in such a state. Is this what muscle pain feels like? It’s a sensation I’ve never experienced before.”

“…That’s not something to brag about.”

The way Maximus had used his technique was beyond reckless—it was practically suicidal.

Especially at the end.

When he used [Sky Breaker], even Ihan was secretly terrified.

Ihan himself never stacked his layered technique more than five times, but this man had stacked it more than twelve times.

Anyone else would have had their body torn apart.

Only Maximus, with his [Trait-Heavenly Indestructible Body], could withstand it, but he would likely need time to recover.

And this fact…

“…How unfortunate.”

“?”

“I should have settled things.”

“…Oh brother.”

Maximus couldn’t have been more disappointed.

Having to postpone their duel because of muscle pain…

“Hmm, or is it? On second thought, I seem to have lost. You were the last one standing in the end.”

“…”

“I admit it, you are the victor.”

“…”

“Next time I shall return as the challenger, haha!”

“…You’re just playing around.”

Ihan was about to retort.

He had things to refute.

But then, rudely…

Whoosh!

“I apologize, my lord. I am grateful for saving the vice-commander. I will repay this debt later. But this is not the right place or time. Please forgive my rudeness!”

A woman who appeared from nowhere bowed her head to him and quickly turned away.

The tall woman—about 180cm with snow-white skin suggesting Northern origins—hoisted the much larger 230cm giant onto her back and quickly disappeared.

It all happened in an instant.

Ihan…

“Sh-she’s strong.”

Having no intention of stopping her from taking him away, he just scratched his cheek awkwardly.

And…

“…That guy just deceives me and runs off.”

Ihan frowned, finding the “victory” that man had bestowed on him quite unpleasant, and looked at the handle of the sword at his waist.

The remains of his gladius, whose blade had completely disappeared—

Indeed.

“How is this the appearance of someone who won…?”

It was a victory more irritating than defeat.