975. Imperial Knight
Back when I was at the Border Guard, three demon minions came to visit. One of them, a gold-clad merchant, offered eternal life; what did the other one say he would give?
The entire continent.
Encreed retraces his steps. There had been three henchmen who had visited the Border Guard. The sorcerer had discussed the path to becoming a demigod. Without exception
, they put a goal first and tempted him with rewards, but never discussed the path to achieve it or how to accomplish it. Does it matter
how one gets there as long as the objective is achieved? To put it in terms of his current situation, if the goal is to destroy the Mirror of Evil, is it acceptable for a few people to die in the process? Is it acceptable for a kingdom to burn down?
Of course not.
The objective is to protect his back, not to destroy the Mirror of Evil. Encreed had not forgotten that. As he sorted out his thoughts, he felt as though he naturally understood what the henchmen were seeking.
What the henchman at that time desired was also corruption.
What those who fought this time desired was also corruption.
Putting those possessed by demons at the forefront, they asked if they were worth protecting. In doing so, they planted doubt in the heart and left a stain.
Of course, Encred brushed it off. It was simply that, upon reflection, he seemed to realize just how cowardly and petty demons were.
Crys must have already guessed.
Those guys do not come out of the demon realm.
If the remaining five were to join forces and attack, the disparity in power might be so great that it would be difficult to even begin a proper fight; yet, while they scheme within the Demon Realm, they do not step forward.
This fact implies only one thing.
What is the true nature of these so-called rulers of the Demon Realm?
He is a coward who is desperately refusing to lose a single thing he holds in his hand.
Then, is the Emperor the Imperial envoy is speaking of someone else?
This is the place to receive an envoy from a foreign country, and an Imperial one at that. Officially, he should have been received in the audience chamber, but this was an unofficial gathering held before that.
It was the largest reception room in the royal palace. There were dozens of
chairs and long oval tables, yet fewer than ten people were seated. An attendant brought out tea and snacks
, and steam rose from the table. Crackling, the sound of burning firewood echoed from the fireplace. Although it had warmed up, a chilly air still lingered within the castle. The warmth from the fireplace brushed against the sides and armpits of everyone seated, but the atmosphere was as cold as a biting wind blowing.
Welcome.
Krang welcomed them with a look of no joy at all.
Two wizards blocked the way on the way.
No matter what the King said, Balfir Balmung only spoke his own mind.
I’m telling you, we’re destined for each other.
A curly-blonde wizard with drooping eyes that was strangely irritating cast ceaseless flirtatious glances at Esther from one side.
Esther acted as if she couldn’t hear him, and Rem, sitting beside her, whispered with his usual expression while sitting next to Encred.
I think that bastard’s nickname is something like “Wizard of Fate.”
Rem adjusted the volume of his voice appropriately so that only Encred could hear him, and Encred also nodded slightly so as not to be seen by the other person. I agree.
Ah, us too.
In the meantime, Krang responded to Balmung’s remark. He meant that they were not the only ones to be attacked.
At those words, Balmung furrowed his brow. His tone was one of displeasure. Encred watched Balmung from the side with an indifferent gaze.
The process of embellishing words and showing mutual respect had been omitted. They gauged each other before getting to the main point. The
Duke of Octo felt as if he were sitting on a bed of thorns because the air was filled with discomfort, while Duke Marcus remained composed, knowing that the King he served was just as mad as Encred, the mad Knight Commander. At least, that was the appearance.
The head of the Royal Guard reacted aggressively to the demeanor displayed by the foreign knight. Although his spearhead did not tilt forward, veins bulged on the back of his hand. It revealed his determination to fight if things went wrong. The sparring he had done
with Encred over the past few days had once again dealt a heavy blow to the head of the Royal Guard.
If you were to ask why there was no such thing as etiquette or pretense, this was the reason we met in the reception room rather than the audience chamber. It
was to lay bare our true feelings to one another.
If things didn’t get messed up and ruined here, fine words would be exchanged in the audience chamber.
But if it turned into a complete mess, well, it was war again.
The only difference was that the great southern power attacked with military force from the start, whereas the Empire began the fight by sending envoys.
What is it that the Emperor desires?
Encreed thought as he watched the unfolding situation. Crys was busy silently observing the Empire’s delegation. Krang smiled sweetly.
“I understand you didn’t come here to pick a fight. Am I mistaken?”
He said it with a smiling face. It was like pulling a dagger out of a hole and stabbing with words.
It was no different from asking, ” If you’re going to fight, fight; if not, don’t. Why did you come?”
* * *
The Empire unified the continent’s currency and language. This alone served as proof of the magnitude of their power.
The rulers of the continent—that is why they were the Empire.
Consequently, the attitude toward envoys from the Northern Empire was uniformly similar:
either reverence or fear.
Driven by such attitudes, they all made an effort to be friendly and allowed him closeness.
As Balfir Balmung was adept at exploiting the Empire’s prestige, he became intrigued by the man sitting before him, the so-called King.
Is he fearless?
Or maybe I’m just short-sighted.
If not, they must have something up their sleeve.
Aside from being the leader of Naurilia, Cdianat Landius Nauril was a different person in his very nature. That was how Balmung saw it.
“Shall we take a stroll in the garden instead of here?”
The wizard, completely oblivious to his surroundings, kept flirting with the witch on the other side. Upon hearing Krang’s question, Balmung looked into his eyes for a while before speaking.
“Nephir Tesher, you have come here by the Emperor’s command.”
At those words, the blonde, curly-haired wizard fell silent.
“I know.”
He answered curtly and leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed. Balmung then spoke again.
“Shall we have a sparring match?”
It was said abruptly, yet no one was surprised. Who among us would be surprised by something like this?
Everyone here is incredibly bold. Moreover, everyone knew who he was addressing without even having to ask. Naturally, it was time for everyone’s gaze to turn toward Encred.
I could do it.
Rem interrupted and replied, “If I get left out of something like this, the name ‘Warrior of the West’ would be wasted.”
“He is a guest who came to see me. Don’t cut in line.”
Enkrid scolded Rem.
“Hey, aren’t you trying to have too much fun all by yourself?”
The few words exchanged between the two sounded like a provocation to Balmung. Indeed, that must have been the intention.
The King is the King, but.
This path suits him better, after all. The Order of the Mad Knights—isn’t that truly tempting prey?
Balmung’s given nickname was the Knight of the Beast.
He bared his sharp fangs. A child born to a mother contaminated by vampire blood, a child destined to die because of it—that was the past of Valfir Balmung.
His tenure as a centurion in the Eli Mercenary Corps was merely brief.
He had escaped his predetermined fate and become a knight of the Empire. It was not that he had been without a helping hand along the way, but reaching this point was thanks to his talent, luck, and hard work.
Proving what has been built up.
For those who have chosen to make a living by force—such as swordsmen and mercenaries—what they desire most is proof of their prowess. After all,
the desire to show off what one possesses is one of the fundamental human instincts.
How much more joyful would it be, then, if all of this were for the person one loves most?
Moreover, it was not much different from the countless things he had done before. After all, this was what he primarily did.
“I must break your arrogance for His Imperial Majesty.”
Balmung spoke, pushing the chair aside with a scraping sound and standing up. The subtle chill that had lingered even while stoking the fireplace vanished with a whoosh, as if fleeing.
“Then I suppose I just need to pull out one of your pretty fangs for my king and friend.”
He never backs down when it comes to provocation. Encreed grabbed the chair with his left hand, pulled back, and stood up.
“mole.”
At Balmung’s words, a man who appeared to be his squire handed him a belt. He fastened the belt and gripped his weapon again.
Displaying such an attitude in a meeting with the King was a grave breach of etiquette, even if they had agreed to speak frankly with each other.
Leaving the task of disarming to his own men, and then taking up his weapon again without permission?
He would have had no grounds to complain even if soldiers had surrounded him immediately and pointed their spears at him. Yet, Balmung did not care about such things.
Is this the arrogance of an empire?
Duke Octo thought so and was displeased, but Marcus was different.
He’s a born fighter.
Of course, there is likely an ulterior motive behind this, but for now, I simply intend to demonstrate and prove the power I possess.
Marcus has certainly been through enough politics, so he could see what was coming.
The Emperor must have considered even this when sending this man as an envoy.
His innate temperament surely wouldn’t have told him to politely greet people in a place like this and come back after making peace.
To add to that, since it would be difficult to stop a knight of this caliber unless he were a fellow knight, it is only natural that he displays such confidence.
A knight is a walking army and a disaster with a will of his own. Why else would every kingdom go to such lengths to raise knights?
Even Count Molsen, who instigated a civil war, attempted to create Chimera Knights through magic experiments.
“My name is Balfir Balmung; the Emperor bestowed upon me the epithet ‘Beast,’ so I am the Knight of the Beast.”
In the Empire, the Emperor bestows aliases upon every knight.
This was something Krang, Marcus, Octo, and Encred were unaware of.
They simply accepted it because the other person mentioned it.
It is Encred.
Encred simply stated his name. I don’t know about the Empire, but in the Kingdom, others give you a nickname. That is why there is no need to say it out loud.
If it came naturally from the heart, he would say it himself, but that wasn’t the case now.
It was one of the cultural differences between the Empire and the Kingdom. Instead, Krang recited Encred’s nickname on his behalf.
He is a bewitching knight.
At those words, Rem chuckled. Encred rose from his seat and picked up his sword belt. As soon as “Oneul” hung at his waist, a small resonance spread from the entire belt through his whole body.
It was a strange thing, if you could call it that, but Encred read the emotion his sword was conveying. In reality, the sword did not possess emotions.
If examined more closely, the imprinted weapon “Oneul” merely reacted to his will.
In other words, it responded to his expectations.
How well do they fight?
The Imperial Knights were truly renowned on the continent.
It was an opportunity to compare them to himself now, having defeated a great southern nation, slaughtered demons, and come to be known as the Balrog Slayer. It would be a lie to say that he felt neither doubt nor anticipation.
Your Majesty, please grant your permission.
Balmung looked at Encrid and spoke, and Krang smiled and said.
You may do as you please.
“You are confident of victory.”
Balmung bared its fangs further. He smiled and guessed the King’s true intentions. It was a guess that was half right and half wrong.
Of course, he was right to wish for Encrid’s victory, but to be honest, he thought it didn’t matter if they lost.
Krang racked his brain and breathed a sigh of relief.
What did staging such a show of force signify?
It means that I have no intention of blindly going to war.
This was the conclusion Krang had reached. Kreis had reached the same conclusion.
Kreis examined the envoys who had followed Balmung the entire time, one by one.
One knight and one wizard.
Their level is so high that they have even repelled attacks by the minions sent by Astrail’s wizards and demons.
Adding to this is a young man who appears to be a knight’s attendant.
Aside from these three, there are three others who are neither merchants nor attendants.
One was a man, and two were women.
The man among them appeared to be over fifty, had little hair, and wore a priestly robe made of reddish fabric adorned with countless buttons.
Priest.
It must be a holy priest. He likely accompanied them on the long journey as a healer.
Then, did the knight and the mage request it? No. Those two did not need a priest.
To be precise, there is no need to take him along.
Therefore.
The reason that priest followed is because of the other two.
A woman wearing fine fabric and a triangular hat stands behind Balmung with her hands clasped, and a woman with a relatively fair complexion and brown hair tied back tightly.
The woman mentioned later sat between the sorcerer and the priest.
If the woman standing behind is a servant, who is the woman sitting there?
Moreover, it is situated in a spot perfect for escorting.
While Crys was lost in thought, the two disasters—whose brains had turned to muscle and who wielded the unprecedented power of Will—exited.
The King, accompanied by the Royal Guard, and everyone present moved toward the royal training grounds.
Those they encountered along the way stepped aside to the left and right of the corridor to wait for them to pass.
That is how the two finally faced each other in the center of the training grounds.
Have your skills improved a lot?
Balmung spoke as if tossing it out. Instead of answering, Encrid examined Balmung’s posture once again. The funny thing was, he saw something he hadn’t noticed before.
The ever-changing river.
Izado knows how to change Will. Balmung was currently deceiving him by slightly changing the position of his hands, the direction of his toes, and the parts of his body where he applied force. The words he spoke were also a form of such deception.
Any technology can emerge.
Encred brought his sword down in response to the words he spoke with his body. It was an ultra-fast vertical slash with no preparation whatsoever.
