Ch.92EP.24 – No Excuses for My Life (3)

Pandemonium.

There couldn’t be a more fitting expression to describe the horrific disaster unfolding before my eyes.

However, this catastrophe might more accurately be called a “man-made disaster,” if I may say so.

Because it was undeniably a disaster in human form.

Yet no one was concerned about this right now.

And for good reason.

“L-Lord!!”

“Save our lord…!”

“What about the servants in the mansion?”

“There are no servants in the mansion! Just confirm if His Lordship is safe!”

“Y-yes, sir.”

The head of Tristan.

The situation was uncertain whether Marchioness Jeminia was alive or dead.

Miraculously, only the mansion where the Marchioness resided had collapsed from the attacker’s assault.

Also, perhaps because the Marchioness couldn’t sleep well if people were nearby at night due to her sensitive senses, she sent all servants away from the mansion during nighttime.

Fortunately, there were no casualties, and now if only the Marchioness was safe…!

“T-The Lord is safe!”

“Hurraaaaah!!”

It was essentially no different from having no damage at all, and the mansion’s servants had to let out joyful roars.

After all, they had confirmed their master was safe.

…However.

“Surround the enemy!”

“…Ugh!”

“Everyone, don’t get too close! Even when surrounding, keep your distance! Get too close and you’re dead!”

The situation remained unchanged—the enemy had not yet retreated.

The soldiers gathered in a circle, surrounding the attacker.

But none dared to approach, because…

…drip, drip.

A man bleeding from his face, looking somewhat exhausted.

One might think this was the perfect opportunity to strike, but no one underestimated or took him lightly.

“Where did such a monster come from…”

The monster who had broken through—no, destroyed—the front gate of the mansion.

Most soldiers had already seen what he had done, and even those who hadn’t had heard from their comrades, so they dared not underestimate the man.

Rather, they were terrified and frightened.

Even if they were called elite soldiers, not everyone could be brave.

In such a situation.

“—What insolent fool dares attack Tristan!”

They had arrived.

“K-Knights! The knights have arrived!!”

The soldiers finally felt relief upon seeing those who appeared with fluttering flags bearing the “Red Eagle.”

After all, those who had arrived were knights with the strength of a hundred men.

-The Red Eagle Knights.

A knightly order with a long tradition and prestige known not only within the kingdom but also in foreign countries. Now that Tristan was under attack, they appeared without a single knight missing.

Woooong!

There’s a saying that just ten knights gathering can change the flow of battle.

Though perhaps exaggerated, it speaks to the remarkable power each knight possesses.

But I can assert that if the Red Eagle Knights had ten members, they would certainly have the capacity to change the tide of battle.

They were incomparably stronger than other knightly orders, considered comparable to the Order of the Silver Lion during its “golden age” when commanded directly by the War God.

Though everyone pretends not to notice, they are actually the strongest in the royal capital except for Galahad and Lionel.

Unlike the weakened Order of the Silver Lion, these crimson eagles were still in their prime.

And there were a hundred such Red Eagles.

The spirit and anger emanating from a hundred knights was enough to shake the ground and create shimmering heat waves.

Flaaare!

A presence like a fire demon!

Their magnificent presence made the soldiers forget even the overwhelming pressure the monster had shown earlier.

And then.

“—My, my. What a rude awakening from a good sleep, indeed.”

The moment “he” appeared, the soldiers were moved to tears.

The [Undefeated Archer] was right there.

“My Lord!!”

“Ah, don’t shout. You know I have sensitive ears.”

A red-haired middle-aged man—no, a handsome man who looked no older than his mid-30s—walked out from the collapsed mansion.

One might wonder if “handsome” is an appropriate description for a man over 50, but he was indeed handsome enough to take the stage in a theater.

However, he was not merely a pretty man.

Whoosh!

With each step, he exuded an extraordinary presence, and the massive composite bow he carried heightened that presence with overwhelming dominance.

A bow larger than the average woman’s height.

A bow made from the processed horns of a magical beast called Gowugwi, or Minotaur.

It was also the symbolic bow of the head of the Tristan Marchioness family, which had produced famous and divine archers for generations.

“Young man over there. You must understand what it means to target Tristan, or rather, me?”

-Jeminia Rivalin de Tristan.

The current head of the Tristan family and commander of the Red Eagle Knights, the Knight of the Bow, delivered a calm yet spirited rebuke toward him.

“……”

Perhaps he was tense because of the appearance of a hundred knights and the formidable Marchioness Jeminia.

No answer came from him, and Marchioness Jeminia merely shook her head, apparently not expecting a response.

“My Lord, at your command, I shall immediately bring you his head!”

Had the insolent attacker’s attitude offended the loyal knights?

They expressed their anger, eager for the order to be given.

So they could take the enemy’s head.

But the Marchioness shook her head.

“He doesn’t seem to be a villain. Although he attacked, no one was injured.”

“That’s just a coincidence…”

“Do you truly believe that?”

“……”

…An undeniable point.

As the Marchioness said, that monster was strong.

They had all seen it from afar.

His monstrous strength as he threw iron gates.

Yet with such power, he still hadn’t killed anyone.

Though he destroyed the Marchioness’s mansion, there were no casualties.

This couldn’t be dismissed as a miracle or coincidence.

In fact.

“He spared my life, how humiliating indeed.”

It meant he had deliberately let her live.

“Also, this brute knew. That only I was in the mansion.”

“T-Then that makes it even more outrageous…”

“No, rather it’s amusing. Can you see? Only the area opposite my bedroom collapsed.”

“……”

“If this were coincidence or luck, I should go searching for the Holy Grail right away, haha!”

“……”

The Holy Grail of Avalon.

A treasure that existed only in legend, and the very idea of finding it was absurd.

So the Marchioness’s meaning was clear.

This monster never intended to kill anyone from the beginning,

Even though he had the opportunity to kill everyone from the soldiers to the Marchioness herself.

Therefore.

“Reveal your identity and surrender. Then I can at least guarantee your life.”

The Marchioness showed mercy.

A glimpse of willingness to forgive the opponent generously—

“Hey, pretty-faced old man. If you talk like that, doesn’t it defeat the purpose of me deliberately not firing projectiles at your bedroom?”

“……”

…Pretty-faced old man.

The Marchioness was stunned by this title she had never heard in her life, and the knights felt the same.

But he continued relentlessly.

“I picked a fight with you today. I picked a fight to battle…! Then you should either make me kneel or kill me, while I struggle with all my might. You shouldn’t offer forgiveness, right? That would make my coming here meaningless!”

“…Huh.”

Beyond shameless, it was bewildering.

What is this guy?

He’s urging to be killed when offered mercy.

The Marchioness, who claimed to have met all kinds of people in nearly half a century of life, had never encountered such a type before.

The Marchioness was speechless and gave a hollow laugh, but he ignored this and pointed at the knights.

“The same goes for all of you. I’ve threatened your master and even insulted him. I’m a villain who dared invade the mansion at night and destroyed the Marchioness’s property. I even half-destroyed the mansion where the Marchioness stays. So what are you doing facing someone like me? Why aren’t knights like you drawing your swords immediately-!”

Boom!

The man stomped his foot.

A ground-shaking stomp.

An expression of his displeasure and anger.

The consideration shown by the Marchioness…

As if the nobility’s dignity or integrity was none of his concern.

“Is that justification still not enough? Then I’ll give you one. I’m going to hit your master’s pretty face now. Stop me, because if you can’t, your master’s face won’t be pretty anymore today.”

Grind!

“This bastard…!”

“H-How dare you!”

“Insulting His Lordship! You! Have you ever seen such a hellbound wretch!”

Shing!

Clang!

Swish!

Swords and spears were drawn.

The pressure emanating from the knights’ blades filled with killing intent was immense, and even if the Marchioness ordered them to stop, they couldn’t be halted.

For if they left unpunished one who insulted their master, they would have to abandon the name of knight.

KWANG!!!

The Red Eagle Knights, a hundred knights, charged toward one man.

To take the head of the man who insulted their master.

And the man who provoked a hundred knights finally.

“Yes, that’s more like it.”

Satisfied, he threw himself toward the wave of killing intent pressing upon him.

* * *

“Form the Great Beast Hunting Formation!”

No matter how enraged they were, the knights were never foolish.

Rather, their anger made their minds incredibly cold, and they immediately deployed a hunting formation for the man.

Having already witnessed the man’s monstrous strength.

They did not make the mistake of underestimating his power and sought to hunt him with full force.

They deployed a formation used for hunting large magical beasts, and the hundred knights moved in perfect order like a single organism.

Pressure.

Defense.

Attack.

Support.

Each performing their assigned role meticulously.

Boom!

Crack!

Whoosh!

The pressure exerted by a hundred knights—no, a force beyond mere pressure, fighting spirit.

It was fiercer and more violent than the pressure of an army of ten thousand, and no individual could possibly resist it.

This was the first stage: pressure.

No matter how large the magical beast, none could escape the net of fighting spirit these knights cast.

No magical beast had ever escaped this formation in history, and the knights intended to strike him down in one go.

…However.

“…Ha!”

This applied only when facing ordinary magical beasts, not to him.

He, Ihan, burst into laughter.

Despite the situation being anything but amusing.

A hundred knights trying to kill him, and these hundred knights were no ordinary fighters.

Though their individual skills might not be at champion level, they gave the impression of true veterans.

Before the fighting spirit these men exuded, Ihan felt his entire body about to be crushed, and his joints were actually creaking.

…But why did he feel a sense of déjà vu from this pressure?

Then he realized.

He had already felt a similar presence and pressure before.

‘…Is it the same? No, maybe even stronger?’

The Troll King.

The pressure was equal to or greater than what the creature called the King of Trolls had exuded.

‘This is fun…’

This is why the world is interesting.

He had thought all knightly orders were as weak as the Order of the Silver Lion, but here was a knightly order not only intact but capable of facing even the Troll King.

That’s why his entire body was tingling.

A sense of crisis that told him he would die if he let his guard down.

Yet ironically, he could endure it because he had already experienced the Troll King.

Because of that experience he could endure, and because he had not been lazy after that encounter, because he hadn’t wasted even a single day, he could.

Crunch!

Gladly tear through the net pressing down on him.

“W-What kind of monster is he!”

“Throw the spears!!”

“Thrust your swords all at once…!!”

Pounding the net of fighting spirit like hammering metal, again and again, finally emitting a presence matching their spirit, Ihan’s resistance made the Red Eagles panic.

…However, if the Red Eagles could have heard Ihan’s inner thoughts, they might have felt beyond panic—shock and humiliation.

He-.

‘If I don’t want my kid to hold a grudge, I should end this without killing anyone, right?’

Non-lethal.

He resolved to subdue everyone without killing a single person.

Thus raising the already high difficulty of the battle to an extreme level, Ihan-.

Whoosh!

Kicked at the “air.”