Chapter 25: The Strongest Knight of the Duchy
This was the day that Narva, the third son of the Povius Duchy, was exiled to a monastery due to his repeated mischievous acts.
It was around sunset when Duke Aselton summoned his second son Therver to his office. And Therver’s attitude in response to the Duke’s summons was quite different from usual.
Therver, who was usually bold and brave, was nowhere to be found as he hesitated in front of the office, wasting time. The reason for his restless groaning was one – because of his father waiting beyond the door.
Therver let out a sigh and muttered to himself.
“If Father called me at this hour, he must be very angry.”
Ever since his wife was alive, Duke Aselton had always been affectionate towards his children. After becoming a widower, his respect and love for his children only deepened, to the extent that he would refrain from scolding or lecturing them in front of others as much as possible.
Even if it meant his authority and dignity would be slightly tarnished.
Instead, when there were fewer eyes around, usually around sunset, he would have his subordinates summon the child who had misbehaved to his office. Naturally, the one summoned most often among the brothers was the second son Therver.
He was the problem child who made Duke Aselton, who had never lifted a hand against his children, finally unable to hold back and resort to discipline. That was Therver’s nickname. It was the memories of his childhood that made Therver hesitate.
In the end, it was the low voice of his father, Duke Aselton, that moved the hesitating Therver.
“Therver. You have to leave tomorrow to deal with the raiders.”
“…Eek!”
Therver tightly closed his eyes and flung open the door, concerned that he might have committed some unknown mistake. But Therver’s concern turned out to be unfounded.
It was not Duke Aselton, but someone else’s voice that had called Therver.
“…I see Sir Therver.”
Therver slightly opened his eyes to confirm there was someone else in the room, and then straightened his posture. The owner of the voice was the gloomy-looking intelligence officer Overth, with his limp seaweed-like bangs hanging over his face.
Only then could Therver let out a sigh of relief. Duke Aselton would never physically punish his children in front of others. If he wasn’t summoned for making a mistake, there was no problem.
Therver asked politely, aware of the intelligence officer Overth’s presence.
“What is the matter, Your Highness?”
“I want to hear about the conversation you had when you met Narva.”
“Narva… you mean?”
Therver blinked his eyes and then slightly curled up the corners of his mouth. In Therver’s mind, Duke Aselton was already showing his gruff concern as a father who had to send his son away.
“We didn’t really have any other conversation. It seems he was just concerned about the internal factions in the monastery, so he told me to visit him once. But I don’t plan to go right away when he calls – I think I should let Narva’s spirits rise a bit first before going.”
A man must be tempered through trials to be truly complete. Therver had planned to take his time as usual, until Narva had suffered a bit. He thought he couldn’t allow his only younger brother to become a weak man.
If Duke Aselton and the intelligence officer Overth hadn’t shown strange reactions, that’s really what he would have done.
“Therver. You must go before he calls.”
“What? Your Highness, a man shouldn’t whine and complain – he should be able to manage things himself.”
Therver tilted his head as he made his claim, making Duke Aselton ponder. Duke Aselton firmly pressed his right hand to his forehead and began to speak hesitantly.
“…Your Highness, we must inform Sir Therver of the truth as well. In order to accomplish this important task smoothly, he must know all the circumstances.”
“…”
“…Although a little. No, quite a bit. Perhaps even very… inadequate.”
If not for the persuasion of the intelligence officer Overth, this would have continued for a while longer. Finally, Duke Aselton accepted Overth’s words. After a very long silence and painful deliberation, he resolved to reveal everything to Therver.
“Therver, listen carefully. The fate of our Duchy… and your younger brother’s life is at stake.”
Duke Aselton’s explanation was quite long. But Therver did not miss a single word of the Duke’s speech and took it all in carefully.
The situation facing the Povius Duchy and the many schemes woven by Yubas. In the midst of this, the twelve-year-old youngest son Narva became the target of a political stratagem. The reason Narva was exiled to the monastery.
And the reckless gamble that was carried out with Narva’s life at stake.
“I will go to him immediately.”
The dazed second son was already gone. Before Duke Aselton stood a resolute warrior resembling a lean falcon, the knight Therver, after he had made up his mind. But Duke Aselton had to stop Therver’s remark.
“The reason Narva risked danger and took it upon himself to go to the monastery was to buy us time. Don’t you understand yet?”
“Time? Your Highness… Are you saying you used your own son as bait and sent him to die?! We should immediately gather the army and wipe out those insolent bastards!”
Duke Aselton tightly pressed his lips shut as if pierced in his core by those words. Just as Therver was about to continue berating him in this momentum, the intelligence officer Overth beside him spoke up instead.
“Sir Therver, we… have no army to gather.”
“What do you mean? There are vassals serving Your Highness.”
“Do you really think your father made no attempt at all to counter Yubas’s military threat?”
It was only after the intelligence officer Overth explained the details that Therver realized the reality of the Duchy, and how formidable Yubas’s power was. Duke Aselton had not backed down from a rude marriage proposal due to cowardice.
“Sir Therver. Yubas had already laid the groundwork for their plan a long time ago. Although the execution itself was sudden, they had been preparing the foundation for a long time. Your Highness’s vassals defied his summons, and judging from their behavior, there is a very high possibility that they had already been co-opted by Yubas long ago. Those who were not co-opted probably sensed what was happening and chose to remain indifferent.”
Duke Aselton had also tried to gather an army to confront Yubas’s threat. Perhaps with the resolve to go to war if necessary.
The problem was that it was only the Duke’s thought alone.
When Duke Aselton summoned his vassals to counter Yubas’s threat, none of them responded. They all knew how formidable Yubas’s power was, so they assumed the outcome of any fight would be clear and made excuses to delay, dragging their feet.
Some even outright ignored the summons, claiming they had never received it.
Although Duke Aselton was concerned about the authority of the Duchy and kept silent about this fact, rumors had already spread. This could be one reason why the surrounding principalities were observing the situation. The truth hidden behind the incident was truly dreadful.
When Therver was at a loss for words, Overth stroked his bangs and further supported Duke Aselton.
“But while the vassals may not, the knights are still loyally assisting Your Highness. While Young Master Narva diverts the enemy’s attention, Your Highness plans to devote all his efforts to weeding out the internal rebels and collaborators. Our goal is to reorganize our forces while the enemy focuses on the inheritance rights or justifications. The only concern is…”
“Narva’s safety.”
It was the anguished Duke Aselton, letting out a pained groan, who finished Overth’s words. Now that he knew all the facts, Therver could no longer blame Duke Aselton.
The vassals wary of Yubas’s power, the sovereign forced into a helpless marriage proposal. And the wretched father who had to use his own child’s life as bait for a chance at revival.
Worried about the well-being of the son he had sent away, Duke Aselton said.
“Narva anticipated that Yubas would attempt two ambushes. One during the journey, and another after arriving at the monastery. He only took minimal escort, saying that if he had too many guards, they might abandon the assassination plan and turn their attention elsewhere.”
“The monastery…? Your Highness, even if it’s Yubas…”
“There is a high possibility they will disguise it as the work of raiders. If an ambush occurs, it will be when the monastery accepts outside merchants for trade. They likely plan to infiltrate disguised rebels to disable the defenses. Narva said he would send a separate signal if Yubas tried anything at the scheduled time… but I think differently.”
Even cornered by Yubas’s formidable power, he was still a proper mature sovereign. As an experienced ruler and as a father worried about his son, Duke Aselton pointed out what Narva had failed to consider.
“Yubas is acting in such a hurry. There is a higher chance the ambush will occur before Narva has the chance to send a letter or signal.”
“Your eldest son Sir Ethelred cannot move separately as he is busy preventing the defection of his vassals and persuading them. …Sir Therver. You are now the only knight following His Highness’s orders.”
Therver now understood why the eldest Ethelred could not return. Ethelred had no leeway as he was inspecting the loyalty of the defiant vassals and preventing their defection.
If Ethelred had been free, Duke Aselton would have unhesitatingly assigned him to this task. But not because the eldest son was an outstanding knight. Simply because he could be entrusted with it.
“Therver, pretend to go down to guard the coast and let some of the raiders go. Make an excuse that they fled inland, so you can freely change course under the pretext of eliminating them. Then keep watch near the monastery where Narva is staying. You can’t be too far away that rescue will be delayed, nor too close that the enemy has time to stall or retreat.”
Duke Aselton slowly raised his head and looked squarely at Therver as he spoke.
“This is about rescuing your younger brother. Can you do it?”
Therver remained silent for a while, facing Duke Aselton’s anguished expression. After a silence that was far from short, his answer was extremely concise.
“Yes, Father.”
***
The moonlit blade sank mercilessly into the flesh beneath.
The blade first cut through the skin, then severed one tendon at a time before tearing through the muscles to take a life. The severed head rolled on the ground even faster than the gushing blood.
As the headless body fell, it felt the chilly wind. And the sound of hooves relentlessly trampling the surrounding ground. Ten knights in chain mail and surcoats, swinging swords and flails from atop their horses.
At the vanguard was Therver, snarling fiercely.
“Fools prattling about serving God, attack! Leave not a single one alive!”
“Arrrghh!”
The moment one swung down his spiked mace, a human head was instantly crushed with a cracking sound. Whenever a knight swung his sword from horseback, those with severed necks fell, spouting blood.
Soon, the area around the iron gate was stained with blood, and Therver was the first to dismount, gripping his sword tightly.
“Half here, the rest come with me.”
“Sir Therver, those trying to leave?”
“Kill them all.”
The knights who came with him also dismounted one after another, following Therver’s instructions. Half blocked the exit, while the other half followed Therver out. And those who followed Therver were left speechless by the carnage inside the monastery.
Bloody stains everywhere. Corpses strewn so densely they filled the corridors. There was no time to pay proper respects to the dead. The knights had to endure the hems of their cloaks soaking in blood.
“Are these the ones who claim to serve Lux Stella?”
“Hah, they told me to cut back on drinking, but they seem to be guzzling human blood.”
The knights’ cynical and scornful tones soon hardened with killing intent. Suspiciously well-armed raiders appeared from beyond the blood-stained corridor. They maintained a disciplined formation in front of the knights.
The raiders with their shield wall deliberately spoke up, seemingly intent on a standoff.
“Crows watching the stars. The crest of Povius. …You shall go no further.”
“Mere heathen raiders daring to recite the crest of a noble serving Lux Stella.”
Therver could only scoff at the raider’s words. While ignorant of politics, Therver had not completely abandoned his upbringing as a nobleman. Swinging his flail, Therver twisted his mouth into a distorted smile.
“If you’re going to feign, do it properly. Raiders are not of Povius’s crest.”
Beneath the face cover, the eyes of a warrior who had vanquished countless foes spoke.
“It is I, the knight Therver, that you should fear!”
With those last words, Therver charged. The knights who came with him also began galloping hard after Therver. The charge down the narrow corridor towards the sturdy shield wall seemed reckless at first glance.
The raiders inwardly mocked the knights charging at their shield wall. However, Therver and his knights were warriors who had fought countless times against the heathen raiders who had stubbornly survived even after Inse.
When the spiked mace swung down and struck, the raiders only realized the truth when they saw their comrade’s crushed head beyond the shattered shields.
“What…!”
“Where are you looking, heathen!”
Bang!
The spiked mace gripped by Therver instantly shattered the shield. The shield wall thought to be impregnable was crumbling like a mud wall before the mace. A formidable combat skill born not from divine miracles, but from a tempered body and accumulated experience.
Of course, the knights following behind could not shatter the shields as quickly as Therver. However, they were adept at rattling the shield wall by swinging down their flails, and then crushing the enemy’s head through the gaps created.
The raiders who had confidently blocked the knights soon scattered, begging for their lives.
“Hey, wait. Wait a moment! I, I’m not a heathen!”
“Committing slaughter in a monastery serving Lux Stella and claiming you’re not a heathen? How shameless! To brazenly commit apostasy as well, do you have no face left to show the gods?”
“Ugh, kuheck. Kukukuk…”
Bang, bang, bang.
There were no exceptions, even when begging for their lives. Therver raised the spiked mace high and struck down again and again. Only after bashing their heads to a pulp did he move forward again with his knights.
Countless priests and raiders blocked their path. Of course, the price for their insolence was bone-chilling.
“Aahhhhhck?!”
“R-Run! That’s Povius’s second son! Therver!”
“The one who should be stuck by the sea, how did he…!”
Whenever that happened, Therver swung his mace, shattering not just shields but heads as well, and shouted:
“Narva, your brother is coming! Hang in there!!!”
Therver didn’t need to know about politics or stratagems.
He was the strongest knight of the Duchy.
***
A new vigor arrived at the monastery that had briefly fallen silent.
People were so energetic that they let out such piercing screams, it would make the hair stand up on your back if you were sleeping. Enough to make even the raid leader lecturing the priests wonder.
The raid leader paused for a moment, waiting for his soldiers to ready themselves, then questioned the closest one who approached.
“What’s going on?”
“…It seems something happened at the rear. The soldiers stationed there are hurriedly rushing this way.”
It was surely no coincidence that the raid leader and I locked eyes at that moment.
Although the despicable raid leader was indeed a scoundrel, he was certainly a loyal servant of Yubas. The moment things went awry, instead of fleeing to save himself, he chose to point his blade at me.
The raid leader dashed towards me in an instant. Some priests hurriedly tried to stop him, but he ignored them as if a few stab wounds didn’t matter and kept running, drawing an involuntary admiration.
Such an A-grade talent proved Yubas’s power. I felt again just how formidable a force Yubas was. But even an A-grade talent is bound to be blocked by a top-tier obstacle at some point.
Claang!
Blades crossed with a loud clanging sound. Even the valiant and formidable raid leader aiming for me could not hide his bewilderment at who stood in his way.
“You’re…”
“Young Master, it seems this is the critical moment you mentioned!”
With a plump countenance and dignified bearing utterly mismatched to his agile movements. The kindly smiling priest blocked the raid leader’s path with his blade while glancing this way with a strained smile.
“I’ve been waiting precisely for this!!!”
“Hahaha…”
Sertell. This novice had finally decided to intervene after watching for so long.
