I Became a Childhood Friend With the Villainous Saintess - Chapter 178



178 – Barbatos (1)

Swordmaster is an important force that determines national power.

Treating such people properly is not a choice but a necessity.

Once you know how to draw the sword from your hand, you can achieve success no matter how humble your birth.

So it was purely his own wish that Sir Norden, a renowned swordmaster, should live in a simple wooden house.

To be exact, it’s my spouse’s taste.

All the property, titles, and lands bestowed by the emperor were long ago passed on to his children.

The usual Norden life was no different from that of an old man living in a rural village.

A shabby Norden gentleman was picking herbs on the mountain behind him.

The one walking slowly up the rugged mountain path was an elderly woman, older than Norden.

As soon as the woman came up, she blurted out:

“You damn old man. You said you were busy, but you’re loitering around in a place like this again?”

“You’re just loitering around. I do all these things because they’re necessary. Look, I’ve gathered a lot of good herbs for your health today.”

“Our old man is now confused about what he is doing. It seems that he has become very senile. He should stop bothering the kids and just rot away in a corner of the room.”

“Haha. I was planning to retire after this incident was over. I’ve already told His Majesty, so he won’t arrest me this time.”

“That’s the most welcome news I’ve heard in my 40 years of marriage.”

The two old couples laughed out loud at the same time.

Sir Norden didn’t stop cutting herbs until his wife sat down nearby before taking a short break.

The pleasant breeze blew with the scent of grass.

His wife pretended not to care and threw a paper bag in front of him.

Inside the bag there was a nice smell of bread, and a cheerful old man opened it as if he had been waiting for it.

The carefully made rye bread gave off a wisp of smoke.

“Eat. I made this because I thought the old man was going to starve to death.”

“I was just waiting for you to say that.”

“Does it taste okay?”

“It’s better than the popular one.”

Phew.

His wife hit the gentleman on the back.

Now that I have no strength, I won’t feel any pain.

Sir Norden groaned as he rubbed his back where he had been hit.

He grumbled, saying that his hands were getting spicier by the day and that he was so neat.

My wife said this with an expression that showed no sign of anger.

“Anyway, as the old man said, there will be no dinner.”

“Ugh. I think I misspoke.”

“I’m about to retire, so please give me a break. I have to eat well before I go out, since I’m standing in front of the kids.”

“That’s true. The children have eyes, so why show them such a bad sight? Tomorrow is the day of the expedition, so please prepare a good dinner.”

Norden Sir stood up and stretched.

The steps he took while carrying his wife down the stairs somehow seemed light.

That night, his wife filled her dinner with Norden’s favorite dishes.

Unlike the usual routine of only making enough to eat, there was so much food that my legs were shaking even after eating my fill.

Sir Norden never once asked why he had prepared so many.

The next day.

Norden Sir went out wearing his armor.

Commander of the Southern Garrison. This was Norden Heritz’s last campaign.

* * *

Three-quarters of the territory of the Ashin Kingdom became a frozen hell.

After a fierce battle, two sword masters were killed, and the archmage was badly injured and barely managed to escape with his life.

The power users that Barbatos particularly likes were trapped in ice and became his ‘collections’.

It was a situation worse than death.

Even in this severe humiliation, Ashin did not give up his stubbornness.

Because the turbulent internal political situation could not tolerate him.

Even if he were to give up the North, he would not give up the power he held in his hands.

If only I had a little more time, things would have been different.

The royal family of Ashin were still too young to dominate politics.

Three years at most. If we had at least one more year, things wouldn’t have fallen apart like this.

The adjutant’s grumbling drew a line at the Norden Kyung.

“This is a lost opportunity. Haven’t I told you this many times? The eyes of the enemy are not slits. They won’t wait until the moment you desire comes.”

“… … I will keep that in mind.”

“Learn it well while you can. After I retire, I will live at home, brewing herbs and such. No matter how much you cry and beg, I will pretend not to know.”

“Yes, please do so, Your Excellency Commander.”

A reaction of being sick of it.

The adjutant’s attitude made Norden Kyung smile for the first time in a while.

His laughter died down with the cold wind.

A girl with light blue hair appeared at the end of my vision.

A figure that looks too delicate and beautiful to fit in a place like this.

But to the Southern troops, it was also a sight so terrifying that it made them feel nauseous.

The adjutant spoke with a hardened expression.

“Forward. It’s Barbatos. As expected, I’ve been waiting for you.”

“That’s a good thing. It means it didn’t leak out somewhere else.”

Even though there is still quite a distance left, the cold wind is bitter.

The presence of that cruel demon lord still felt enormous even from a distance.

A sense of unease as if a thousand evils were gathered together. Sir Norden somehow felt that Barbatos was watching him.

This isn’t my first time dealing with Barbatos.

Well, the Southern Garrison has already blocked Barbatos’ path several times.

But Sir Norden’s intuition spoke.

Today will be different.

Just looking at the wind blowing made my whole body feel it.

If up until now Barbatos had been enjoying playing war games, today is the day he decided to put an end to it.

If you want to live, don’t take up the sword.

“… … Now that I’ve shaken off my worries, let’s go. Today is the day I’ll kill Barbatos.”

“Your Majesty. The Grand Duke of Illencia is coming. If we consider the timing of contact, it will be soon. If we retreat just a little, we can receive support from Illencia from the next battle onwards.”

“That is a good idea. But where should we retreat to, leaving this plain? Should we open the way for another imperial army to attack? Or should we turn the imperial people’s homeland into a battlefield? I cannot do that, so give the order to advance.”

Yes. There was nowhere else to retreat.

The Grannor Plains where they settled were a strategic point and also the gateway to the empire.

If the garrison withdraws now, the imperial forces fighting other demon lords will be in danger.

If I run away, I can save my life.

If it were Barbatos’s personality, he would let us escape.

Instead, Barbatos will ask others to pay the price for not dealing with him.

And in a very cruel way.

Barbatos was a demon lord who loved to bring death to the brave and suffering to the survivors.

So that’s why I’m writing.

How much longer does an old man have left to live before he can show off his disgrace?

For the sake of the young people who would be watching his back, Sir Norden made a knightly choice.

“All forces advance!”

The Norden knights took the lead.

The ice that had been rushing in like a tidal wave was cut down mercilessly.

* * *

The groans of the wounded spread like a funeral march.

“Coolook! You’re on time.”

“We’re sorry. We wish we had come a little sooner.”

“No… … . It’s just the right time. I’m not that… … shameless old man.”

The cough that Norden Sir let out was mixed with blood.

He seemed to want to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, but he couldn’t move even one arm.

Instead of wiping his mouth, I made way for an old woman.

A woman with wrinkles on her face.

When he saw her face, Norden Sir smiled faintly.

“Huh, huh! I guess I’m hallucinating.”

“I guess it’s because I’m old. I knew this would happen. I knew you’d be angry when you said you’d retire after not listening to me for so long.”

“I’m sorry, Hao. I made you look bad.”

“Don’t say that even as a joke. Of all the things I’ve seen of you, this is the one I’m most proud of.”

Norden Sir couldn’t speak any further.

It was inevitable.

Because his body had already reached its limit as a life form.

The lower half of his body had been severed long ago and was rolling several meters away, and there were three large wounds on his upper body.

Barbatos’ ice crystals were visible through the gaping wound.

Southern Garrison.

No, the Norden Lord’s suicide squad met with a predestined defeat.

Barbatos displayed his might to the fullest and reduced the number of the suicide squad by half.

But it wasn’t helpless.

The suicide squad managed to hold out until reinforcements from Sirien arrived.

As soon as Barbatos saw Illencia’s military standard, he took a step back.

This was the first time in the entire war that the extreme cold had been stopped.

Moreover, Sir Norden has clearly demonstrated his bravery.

An arm, presumed to belong to a girl, was found lying beneath his upper body.

It seemed like the magic power had already been recovered, but it was Barbatos’ arm.

The old woman hugged the old man who was playing softly.

“Go now. When your grandchild asks what kind of man his grandfather was, I will tell him that he was the most honorable knight in the world.”

“That… makes me happy.”

Long separations were not permitted.

After much deliberation, Norden left his will.

“I’ve dried some herbs in the storehouse. If you have a cough… Don’t forget to eat them.”