990. KOTY
Count Coty is one of the Empire’s guardian generals, and his original name is Gainer Epoch. He was born on a small piece of land but began to show his talent through battles with neighboring territories, and was chosen by the Emperor to guard the borders.
It’s you.
Gainer Epoch was very interested in the surrounding political situation. His nickname, Count Coty, stands for Knight of the Year.
Every year, he invites Imperial Knights to the frontier to select the most notable knight of the year. That was the most exciting thing in his life and a hobby he was deeply engrossed in. It was his only interest apart from his duty to guard the frontier and physical training, and it was the most fun thing he knew of all.
I’m going down.
Gainer spoke, and the deputy did not stop him.
He was a formidable opponent.
This is what the subordinate knight sent as a test said. He is a fellow known as the Knight of Inaction for deflecting any attack, but he took a harsh hit this time. His strengths lie in his ability
to wear down opponents with his stamina and Will’s endurance, but such specialties are easily broken.
To rise higher, one eventually has to break out of their shell.
Perhaps this incident served as the catalyst, as his expression looked better than before. Of course, he himself described it as a peculiar feeling, saying he felt a strange sense of relief along with a sense of defeat.
“I heard he even left his name behind?”
“Yes, Encrid.”
“Right, that mad knight commander.”
It was a name I had heard time and time again. I was dying to call and see their face.
But I couldn’t just leave my post, so I came up with a plan. I sent a hawk named Bianca Conti to subtly steer them in this direction, but it was a failure.
That is why I went to such lengths to make this much effort, my dear knight.
Gainer moved his feet, thinking to himself. He practically ran halfway. He had been waiting all day on the castle wall, eagerly awaiting the arrival. It was a pity that he couldn’t greet him below, as he had arrived earlier than expected.
I wonder how well he’ll play.
Even though I was past middle age, my heart was pounding. How long had it been since such a talent emerged from outside the Empire, not even from within?
The talented knight who had recently left briefly crossed my mind, but I quickly pushed him aside. I wouldn’t ever see that bastard again.
Get rid of distracting thoughts.
The Count steeled himself inwardly as he arrived at the castle wall.
“What are you doing not opening it!”
As I shouted, unable to conceal my excitement, the pulley gained more speed. Five strong soldiers were working together from both sides.
Kugugung.
The gate made of a lump of iron opened. This castle gate is called the Iron Gate. It was given this nickname because it is that heavy and impenetrable, and because it was made by bringing in a solid block of actual steel.
Whatever the case, the Count burst out through the open gate.
He drew the thick-bladed sword hanging at his waist in a reverse grip, tossed it into the air, and caught it immediately.
Ching- Tak.
The sound of a blade being drawn and the sound of it being tossed into the air and snatched were truly crisp, but the Count’s steps were even more light. With every stomp of the ground, his body surged forward.
It was a charge like a galloping thoroughbred. To be precise, it looked more like a rhinoceros charging than a thoroughbred.
His physique was massive, as if to prove he was not of the human species. As he charged with such a body, it looked as if a boulder was rolling straight at him.
I’ve already half-decided on this year’s article.
“Are you going to overturn that? Are you capable enough? Or is it just a false reputation? Is he just a guy with plausible rumors? I’ve heard the moniker ‘Demon Slayer’ even from here—is that true?”
The Count’s face flushed with excitement and doubt. It looked as if a red-faced rhinoceros beast was charging at him.
From the perspective of the one facing him, that wasn’t entirely wrong.
You’re definitely picking a fight.
He is a knight with gray hair. The Count’s eyes, which had been fixed solely on Encred, turned to him.
He was a Count who had been reprimanded countless times by his subordinates and everyone else for his habit of not looking around once he became absorbed in something.
Yet now, his gaze shifted naturally, and he adjusted the speed of his running feet.
If asked why, he would say it was due to instinct and insight.
Perceiving what was about to unfold just ahead, he put strength into his feet, swung his sword horizontally—a blade of moderate length and thickness to him, but large enough to appear as a greatsword to others—while reaching his left hand behind his back to pull and grip his shield.
Bang!
What suddenly bound my feet was a discus. To be precise, it was a heavy projectile that spun so fast that, even to a knight’s eyes, the shape of the axe was obscured and appeared as a circle.
It flew in and struck the Count’s greatsword. A loud crash spread from the frozen Count.
Dust rose, and wind raged in all directions. And so, the charge—or rather, the charge—came to a halt.
“Why didn’t you tell me your race beforehand?”
Watching that, Krang asked as if muttering.
I intended to take my time clearing up the misunderstanding while looking at it, but I guess I was mistaken.
“Seriana,” said the Executor. The Count covered half of his upper body with a round shield and held his thick blade so that the tip was positioned behind his head.
His combat style was clear: block with the shield and cut with the blade. The shield was no ordinary object, either.
Its surface was engraved with the shape of a monster with fangs and horns, and a faint light lingered across the entire shield, though one could not tell what it was made of. It was a heavy silver light, and something resembling divinity could be felt.
Anyone who wielded Will would surely sense the power engraved upon the shield. Rem, who wielded sorcery, was particularly sensitive.
He felt traces of both sorcery and divinity on the shield simultaneously. In other words, it was an unfamiliar method.
Was it as if divinity had settled upon the descent?
So, is that important? Didn’t I see some giant bastard drawing his sword and charging at me with a flushed face? Revealing his might, Rem immobilized the Count by throwing a single throwing axe.
“Wow, you seem like quite a formidable opponent, too.”
The Count spoke while keeping a close eye on Rem. Encred was about to express his displeasure but stopped himself. He was annoyed that Rem had snatched the guest away when he was clearly his, but knowing that Rem was the type of guy who enjoyed stepping in during situations like this, he said nothing. He merely blamed himself for his own complacency.
I should have hit it first instead of blocking.
This was entirely due to that knight who challenged me before. That fellow had evaded my swordsmanship so much that I learned a great deal from watching him, so I tried to test him,
only to be beaten to the punch. Gainer Epoch was by no means young. Even from the outside, his hair was gray. Although he was well past middle age, his physique revealed itself to be superior to that of an average knight.
It was proof of the passage of time and the reward for the effort he had honed over the years.
Should I call it the body of a giant who had trained relentlessly, like carving a rock with a single hammer and chisel? While
it is rare for one’s character to be revealed solely by their body, Count Coty’s physique was a form that revealed his inner self.
Look. My body is awesome, right? I’ve been training every single day without missing a single day.
His forearm muscles twitched, as if trying to speak to him.
Aside from being a giant, it meant his body had never neglected training. Overall, he resembled a rough block of stone.
Rough fur, with its unpolished edges, fluttered in the wind, half-covering his shoulders and back. The only armor covering his body was this slightly loose fur.
His appearance reeked of game, yet the scent emanating from him was clean.
Enkrid stopped in his tracks to become a spectator, and although Saxen maintained an indifferent gaze, he sensed someone approaching other than the one who had already arrived.
As his eyes turned to one side, the familiar female assassin waved her hand.
Because the Count is a bit impatient.
She stuck out her tongue and spoke. Was she trying to act cute? Saxen ignored
her completely and turned his gaze away. She might have been hiding her true intentions, but in any case, he sensed no malice. As if to prove it, the female assassin stopped at a safe distance. Even if she harbored murderous intent, it was a distance where he could have reacted sufficiently.
The five, including the Captain of the Royal Guard and Learvan, once again surrounded Krang.
The Captain of the Royal Guard felt a burning sensation in his stomach. Wherever he went in this Empire, was it always going to be chaos like this? As someone tasked with protecting the King, he had absolutely no desire to enter a place where such a giant kept attacking him.
So you’re bestowing a title even on a giant.
The king simply spoke nonchalantly.
“Just because they are giants doesn’t mean they all live intoxicated by blood. Nor does the Empire discriminate in rewards based on race.”
“Do you feel that the Empire is more enlightened than expected?”
“I don’t know what you thought of our homeland, but it was ours that taught Azpen how to forge a bridge with the Beastmen.”
“The interspecies integration policy.”
Through that policy, they embraced quite a few different races. Krang is well aware of Azpen’s situation.
“One outstanding individual understood it well and wrote it.”
“That friend is currently at the Border Guard.”
“I know that as well.”
The Empire, contrary to appearances, has a great interest in the continent.
The giant known as the Margrave who stepped forward just now was proving that very point.
“So it’s you! You crazy bastard Rem!”
“Who started that rumor?”
The giant Margrave greeted Rem. He had rushed over upon seeing Encred, but wasn’t he also a skilled enough contender to become Knight of the Year?
A faint figure lingered behind Rem. At the same time, his body sped terrifyingly fast.
Bursting air with a “pop,” he approached and plunged his axe vertically. It was an acceleration difficult to keep up with without the eyes of a knight.
As the axe fell, it took on a gray hue, appearing as if a gray bolt of lightning had struck.
It’s mine.
Rem perfectly replicated the essence of the fast sword Encred uses. It didn’t feel awkward at all. He used it as if it were his own.
Bang!
With a thunderous roar, the Count and Rem were sent flying backward simultaneously.
The Count pushed back, deflecting the axe’s force with his shield, while Rem, aware of this, attempted to overpower him with brute force.
It was an amusing sight. The giant deflects, while the human relies on brute force. Shouldn’t they usually fight the other way around?
The opposite battle followed immediately. This time, the Count charged forward.
pop-!
The ground burst open, and a body twice Rem’s size charged straight in. He stood low, shielding his back.
It was an attack that was difficult to block with just that. Rem feigned a swing of his axe, then blocked the shield with the blade and pushed him back; the Giant Count swung the sword in his right hand with a whoosh.
Rem pushed the shield aside, sensed the sword’s movement, and dodged. He tripped him, but the Count braced himself using the strength of his ankle.
Anticipating the resistance, Rem stepped on the top of his foot again, but this time, the Count slithered his foot back.
All of these movements flowed as naturally as water. Before he knew it, a smile settled on Rem’s lips.
This was actually quite fun.
The Count wasn’t just a skilled fighter; his level of combat was comparable to sparring with Enkrid or other crazy bastards.
In fact, one of the reasons he came to be called Count Koti was his mastery of sparring, which allowed him to fight to the brink of a dangerous level.
His shield blocked and deflected most attacks, and agility unbefitting of a giant underpinned his defensive skills. In other words, contrary to appearances, he was specialized in defense.
Rem balanced his legs with the Skyfly and struck with the power of Bodremö.
bang!
A violent wind raged around the two of them. It was no different from a storm forming. Esther and Nephir waved their hands toward the raging wind to scatter it.
If you aren’t going to keep looking here, please eat inside.
Seeing them, the female assassin said,
“Is this because they pay no attention to the Count, or is it due to their boldness in not caring about trivial matters?”
“Shall we?”
Krang replied. Well, when it came to boldness, I was no pushover either.
I’m just watching.
Encred stayed behind. The fight between the two was an amusing sight in itself.
Since Saxon was following, he didn’t necessarily need to go with him. It was certainly a good thing that Kreis let Saxon go.
It’s a nice sight. That man is handsome, too.
Temares once again spat out words fit for a dog with a human face. To call a knight as big as a boulder—a giant with half-white hair—beautiful.
Yet, he understood. Encred was slowly beginning to grasp Temares’s standard of beauty. After all,
didn’t he have similar criteria for judging people?
‘passion.’
With unwavering resolve and unwavering devotion to a single purpose, no noise is heard. Encred took a liking to the Count the moment he saw him.
It was truly enjoyable for him to watch someone suddenly swing their sword while laughing, and now that fellow is expressing his perspective in the same way with his whole body.
“You shouldn’t push me too hard, Rem.”
Encred cheered for the Count. After all, he needs to have some strength left so he can enjoy himself.
