Ch.210210. Marquis of Bordeaux (4)

The revealed high-ranking knight, the greatest power in this duchy and the only one who could resist me…. was a knight(?) wearing an elaborate coat.

He wore what was originally closer to a surcoat, modified to resemble an actual coat, and beneath the luxurious gold-embroidered surcoat, he wore clothing that resembled casual modern attire.

Additionally, he had something like a metal case strapped to one shoulder with leather straps and carried on his back. His modern appearance, which looked like it belonged in some academy-themed gacha game, made his existence seem questionable at first glance, but….

‘….Oh, he really is high-ranking.’

Judging by the magical power and life force I sensed, and furthermore by that unique attire, this man was none other than the one and only high-ranking knight of Bordeaux Viscounty…. or more precisely, the famous 7th Lord Astolfo, the high-ranking wandering knight.

Once, under the first King Charlemagne de Frank, there were twelve great knights.

Known as Charlemagne’s Twelve Knights, they were all knights who had reached the high-ranking realm, and they accompanied Charlemagne on his journey, writing countless legends.

After Charlemagne’s death, they scattered and lived their own lives, ending their days in either comedy or tragedy….

Astolfo, one of the great Charlemagne’s knights, was a man whose later years were unusually peaceful among these knights.

He created a martial arts school named after himself and raised disciples. Though he gave up power, he gained honor and fame, resulting in the unique form of “irregular titles” that inherit his name through generations.

Roland, Astolfo, Rinaldo, Olivier, Bradamante. Only five knights’ names continue to this day, and among them, the name “Astolfo” is unique in many ways.

While other names are mostly inherited directly through bloodline or swordsmanship, the succession of “Astolfo” requires only the consent of the current holder.

Thanks to this, the knights who have inherited the name “Astolfo” have been famous for their eccentricities and peculiarities from the first generation until now, and this is no different for the current 7th Astolfo.

The only high-ranking wandering knight who roams around pursuing money and pleasure. He demands an employment fee so high that one would need to sell off a manor each month to afford it, but despite this, the demand for him is enormous due to the characteristic of being “a high-ranking knight who can be hired with money.”

And…. right now, he happens to be employed by the Viscount of Bordeaux, who would be upset to be called second in terms of wealth.

“Are you the cause that made our employer so agitated?”

“….Well, yes. That bastard acted like a dick.”

“Well, the Duke is a dick indeed. To the extent that he wouldn’t be hired if he paid any less.”

“Is that so?”

“That’s right. You must be quite something yourself to come all the way here in person?”

“….Indeed, that’s true.”

His speech and demeanor gave off a strong impression of being loose and casual. Though he resembled some common street thug, his walking pattern was exactly like that of a human butcher who had only learned how to fight professionally.

Well, that back-alley thug-like way of speaking was probably just his natural disposition.

“So, what brings you all the way here, mister?”

“I tried to live decently, but these bastards just saw me as a pushover. ….So I decided to make an example of them.”

“An example…. I guess what I know as an ‘example’ is different these days?”

“You know it too, right? That beasts called humans don’t listen unless you go to extremes. For beasts that won’t listen—”

“….A beating is the medicine, I suppose.”

While exchanging words with a strange sense that we understood each other well, neither I nor the 7th Astolfo lowered our guard against each other.

Not knowing when either of us might suddenly launch a surprise attack, we were carefully testing each other, almost crossing the line but not quite….

That’s when it happened.

“Lord Astolfo! Is this the time to be casually conversing with an intruder?”

“….?”

A man who I had intentionally ignored due to his life force not even reaching the lower rank level, presumably a servant following the 7th Astolfo, opened his mouth with a sharp tone.

Of course, that was truly a stupid thing to do. When a power struggle is already in progress, what thoughts would arise when someone claiming to be an ally blurts out such words?

Indeed, as the servant’s words continued, the 7th Astolfo’s expression grew increasingly distorted, eventually revealing his desire to kill the man on the spot….

“….Oh.”

Seeing the two of them, a good idea occurred to me, and I opened my mouth with an expression as arrogant and displeased as possible.

“Lowly creature. What gives you the right to interrupt?”

“….What? What do you mea—”

The servant’s words were never completed. I released a certain amount of magical power outside my body and controlled it according to my will, crushing the completely ordinary person who hadn’t even received lower-rank training.

-Crunch!

“….Hmm, should I thank you for this?”

Thanks to me, Astolfo no longer had to endure this insignificant man’s chatter. While saying that, he suddenly began fiddling with the garnet earring in one of his ears….

“How unpleasant. (….Can you hear me!)”

“What’s with that look, after I took care of that annoying guy for you? (Yes. I hear you clearly. Seems like there are quite a few eyes watching you?)”

Whether it was imbued with some communication magic, we shared our opinions through this magical communication while outwardly appearing to be having an argument.

“How unpleasant. (Thank you.)”

“So. Are you planning to fight me just because some insignificant creature died? (It’s nothing. If you’re really grateful, let’s just be honest. You don’t plan on risking your life for these guys, right?)”

“If necessary, by all means. (What do you take me for? Of course not. I have no need for someone who relies on vain delusions born of power lust.)”

While outwardly conversing as if we were an evil sorcerer and a righteous knight, the two of us exchanged opinions in a much more relaxed atmosphere than the tense one from earlier.

And as a result, I was able to find a dramatic point of agreement with the 7th Astolfo.

From the beginning, Bordeaux Duke and Astolfo were merely in an employer-employee relationship based on money, but Astolfo had grown increasingly sick of the Duke’s constant nagging and clingy behavior.

As a self-proclaimed hedonist and embodiment of aestheticism, he had only been hired to earn money to indulge in luxury, but when his employer demanded loyalty, how could he feel?

Already displeased with having a fake knight—only nominally mid-rank—as his superior, Astolfo finally reached his breaking point after enduring for so long.

If it had been purely for his own dream, that would be one thing, but when he learned that the Duke wanted to drag him into a vain dream born of ugly power lust—the restoration of the duchy—he simply lost all expectations.

Thus, he was now just waiting for his contract period to end when I happened to arrive….

“Are you willing to risk your life to protect such lowly creatures? (Let’s work together on something.)”

“….If necessary. (Oh…?)”

I proposed to the 7th Astolfo that we collude.

Astolfo wanted to avoid combat without damaging his reputation, and I didn’t particularly want to get entangled with a high-ranking warrior in this situation.

Judging that anyone below high-rank wouldn’t be able to tell whether two high-ranks were genuinely fighting or just putting on a show, we decided that we would exchange some moves and then Astolfo would let me win.

“Oh, so you want to fight? (….Is that really okay?)”

“Yes, prepare yourself, Aleinos! (Worried? That’s unusual. ….Well, if it’s a defeat to ‘Aleinos,’ there won’t be much damage to my reputation.)”

All I needed to do was cast magic that looked flashy but lacked substance, and the 7th Astolfo seemed to have his own expertise in techniques that only appeared impressive on the surface.

And so, the scheme of two high-ranking con artists began.

“Hmph. Come, knight. (Go easy on me, alright?)”

“I’ll give you what you desire, druid! (Of course. I’ll do it professionally.)”

[■■■■■■─!!]

I cast a spell called “Phoenix’s Blessing,” causing the image of a bird engulfed in flames to wrap around me above my head.

The effect was to remove all negative effects (debuffs, status ailments) and grant continuous regeneration—in short, a spell that was all flash and little substance.

Meanwhile, the 7th Astolfo unexpectedly took down the rather large metal case-like object he had been carrying on his back and placed it on the ground as if throwing it….

-….Click!

Then, with a metallic sound more fitting for sci-fi or technology than fantasy, what had appeared to be just a metal case unfolded, and its contents…. liquid metal and component-like things attached themselves to Astolfo’s body.

The liquid metal that attached itself over his elaborate surcoat became thin armor made of metal plates, and in his hand formed what could be properly described as a modular spear made of metal parts.

Thus equipped with gear that transcended the era (medieval fantasy), presumably incorporating elven magical technology, he seemed to look in my direction for a moment….

-─KWAAANG!!

With an attack that was all noise and shockwave, we began our enjoyable pre-arranged battle.