Imperial Guard - Chapter 105



Only Krnovel

The Yongbongjihoe event was a hot potato among the empire’s nobles.

It received more attention than the Round of 16, which brought together players from all over the continent, because it was a showdown with the Devils.

In fact, the nobles had more opportunities than they thought to witness duels between outstanding knights.

Since there is little to enjoy in this world, when something interesting happens, it tends to gather people.

“Are those the demons I’ve only heard rumors about…? This is the first time I’ve seen them alive.”

“If the elves hadn’t cured the disease, I wouldn’t have had this precious opportunity.”

But the evil spirits beyond the forbidden Alheim were different.

In any era, the battle between monsters and humans has been an interesting topic, and there is an incredible thrill in seeing actual knights take down giant beasts.

“Maven is really amazing! To take down such a giant raccoon! What a great blessing for the Samuel family!”

“Haha, thank you. Maven was a talent that I could recognize from the very beginning.”

Count Samuel smiled at his son’s performance.

“By the way, is the youngest still staying home?”

“···Yes. I’ve been locked in my room ever since I got beaten up by a civilian guard at a bar.”

“Tsk tsk. You’ll come to your senses soon.”

The nobleman looked out over the stadium, comforting Count Samuel.

The scene of knights fighting giant monsters was new to him, even as a nobleman.

“The reaction among the nobles is hotter than I thought, Rain.”

Archduke Eric nodded at the nobles’ reactions.

He was quite familiar with the devil, having been active on the battlefield in the past, but the other nobles were not like that.

“Because they are like greenhouse flowers in the Millennium Empire Kamen.”

Rain made a displeased face as he watched the nobles excited about the confrontation with the demons.

It has been less than ten years since the end of the great war with Alheim.

It’s not 100 years, it’s 10 years.

All the nobles who are watching the devil with interest now are those who have experienced the great war.

That is, these people were in the arms of the empire throughout the Great War without ever being on the battlefield.

“Rain. Watch your mouth.”

“sorry.”

The Archduke smiled bitterly as he saw Rain bowing his head.

I understand his feelings, but there is nothing to be gained by taking out his anger on the nobles.

“Have you ever seen a demon’s hand, Second Princess?”

Eric looked at the second princess with a kind face.

“Yes. I’ve seen it a few times. I used to visit the battlefield often before the end of the Great War.”

Yuri loved the battlefield.

I used to go often before, but I couldn’t go until my chest pain got worse and I started to feel a blessing all over my body.

“As expected, the Second Princess is different from other nobles.”

Rain nodded, seemingly satisfied.

“Her Highness the Second Princess loved the battlefield. I often saw her during the Great War.”

“hmm?”

dump-

At that moment, a man with an unfamiliar voice sat down next to Rain.

Rain turned his head and opened his mouth in surprise when he saw him.

“Sword Dragon?! Why did you come here?”

“It’s been a while, Rain. That brat is now the commander of the knights. This is going to turn the world upside down.”

“It’s already been five years, but you’re still the same.”

“Was it? I wasn’t really interested.”

The sword dragon turned its head with a smile.

“Your Majesty Sword Dragon. It’s been a while. Have you come to say hello?”

“I come to see Her Highness the Second Princess. No. I came to see the promising star of this Yongbongjihoe.”

“Expectations? Are you talking about Kyle, the grandson of Sword Dragon?”

The sword dragon shook its head at Rain’s words.

“I’m talking about the Three Heroes of the Empire. I taught them some swordsmanship a few days ago. I’ll have to check out their skills.”

“Huh?! Are you saying this yourself, Sword Dragon?”

Rain looked at the sword dragon in surprise.

Having risen to the rank of a full-fledged Sword Master, he is one of the few strongest on the continent.

In particular, since he did not teach to just anyone, it was a very precious opportunity.

“Tsk. What’s so great about an old man’s sword?”

Even as he said that, the sword dragon had a smile on his lips.

He said, looking down at the stadium.

“Is that Belen? He’s the captain of the 1st division of the Knights of Kamen.”

“That’s right. He is a genius who grew up to be a knight representing the Knights of Carmen at a young age.”

“Hmm… Not bad. If he were my grandson, I would have somehow raised him to be a sword master.”

The sword dragon nodded.

That guy named Belen definitely had good fundamentals.

Judging from the fact that he was able to kill a high-ranking demon on his own at that age, his talent itself was something that could be counted on one hand.

‘Have you faced many high-ranking demons? You’re good at dealing with them.’

It is said that the demons that will be faced in the event are not announced to the participants in advance, but Belen’s response was very clean.

‘But… it’s a shame. I don’t see anything special about it.’

Belen.

He is clearly an excellent knight.

He is worthy of becoming a Sword Master someday.

But if you ask whether Belen is a talent comparable to Lucas or Rael, the answer is ‘no’.

There are countless inspectors on the continent who are trying to become stronger.

Among them, only a handful will reach the rank of Graduate, and even among them, only a handful will reach the rank of Sword Master.

It takes a lot of crazy effort to add to the talent that has been bestowed upon you by heaven.

Belen seemed to lack that kind of venom.

“As expected of Sir Velen. To be able to take down a high-ranking demon so cleanly is truly amazing.”

Meanwhile, a little ways away, Prince Damian was applauding and conversing with the nobles.

The Knights of Carmen are knights who support the imperial family.

He can’t help but have a good relationship with Damien, who is closest to the Emperor.

“That’s right. It’s the pride of the Knights of Carmen.”

“If you can defeat a high-ranking demon without getting hurt… then it wouldn’t be strange to capture a high-ranking demon.”

If Belen wins this Yongbongjihoe, the power of the Kamen Empire and the imperial family will become even stronger.

And his position as emperor will become more solid.

Damien had no doubt about that fact.

‘Yuri, that kid is pretty energetic, but… it’s still not enough.’

Even for that child, the position of Emperor of the Empire is not a position that can be easily given up.

As the first prince who carried on the tradition, Damian had an absolute duty to do so.

Thud, thud.

At that moment, light yet strong footsteps came walking among the nobles.

A man wearing what at first glance looked like a rag-like cloak passed the nobles without seeming to care about other people’s gaze.

“hmm?”

The first to react was the vice-leader of Jeongcheonmaeng, Mu-Baek.

He clenched his fists as he watched a man enter the doorway.

‘It’s so incredibly strong…! Who is that?!’

A truly strong person can gauge the strength of his opponent just by looking at his gait.

Moobaek felt his fingers tremble and opened his eyes wide.

There was only one person who could make Mu-Baek feel fear when he entered the Sword Master’s entrance.

“Hey you! Where the hell are you coming from?”

“for a moment!”

Moo-Baek pushed away the knight who was trying to block his entrance and approached the man.

And then he looked at the sword hanging from the man’s waist.

A pattern engraved on a sword.

Heavenly death.

It is a sword that only one person on the continent possesses.

“Thousand-Year Sword Master···?”

Moobaek looked at the old man and spoke cautiously.

“Hey, you’re the Thousand-Year Sword Master?!”

At Mu-baek’s words, the other knights also jumped to their feet.

The name Thousand-Sale Sword Master was very heavy for the knights, and especially for those who participated in the great war, it was like a god.

“The Thousand-Year Sword Master? Are you talking about the swordsman who single-handedly stopped a great war?”

“Wait a minute. Why is that person here···?!”

In an instant, the surrounding nobles’ eyes gathered, and the knights who knew him swallowed their saliva at the momentum of the Thousand-Slayer Sword Master.

Thousand-year sword master.

It was the power of the name of the best sword on the continent.

“The Empire is still noisy.”

Thud, thud.

The Thousand-Sale Sword Master, seemingly oblivious to the attention of those around him, smiled faintly and sat down in front.

Even though he had not shown up in a long time, the nobles were still annoyed.

“···Your Majesty the Thousand-Year Sword Master. How did you come all the way here?”

At that moment, a man approached the Thousand-Year Sword Master.

There were only a handful of people in the empire who could speak to the Thousand-Year Sword Master.

The most high-ranking of them all was, of course, the Commander of the Knights of Carmen, Gideon Garcia.

Gideon was bewildered as he saw the Thousand-Sale Sword Master suddenly appearing at the Yongbongjihoe.

‘Why is this guy here now···.’

The Thousand-Year Sword Master is one who does not reveal himself unless the empire is in danger.

What on earth is he thinking, that he just showed up at the Yongbongjihoe?

Not only Gideon, but also the other nobles waited for the Thousand-Slayer Sword Master’s words.

“I came to see my disciple today. I will just watch quietly, so stay still.”

“···Are you a disciple?”

Gideon frowned without realizing it.

You are the disciple of the Thousand-Year Sword Master.

There was only one such person in the Yongbong branch.

“Yeah. That guy over there. That guy is my disciple.”

The eyes of the nobles were focused on the stadium.

Where the Thousand-Year Sword Master pointed, Lael was standing there, glaring at the audience.

*

Inside the stadium.

The Knight of Carmen opened his eyes wide as he looked at Rael.

“Higher rank? Are you sure it’s okay?”

“Yes. Please prepare quickly.”

Rael shook his head as he watched the knights of the Carmen Order preparing for the event.

On the other side, the Knights of Carmen and priests were seen preparing for an emergency.

They were the ones who were supposed to be there in case the contestants lost to the Demon King, so they would naturally be familiar with the Demon King’s countermeasures.

‘I guess there’s not much to lose anyway… Did they just bring me here so I can applaud?’

I thought of the Knights of Kamen who applauded louder than anyone else when Belen defeated the superior demon.

Maybe they shared the information with Belen too.

‘Was it the exposed bones under the head and the heart under the wings? They were only persistently targeting the weak points.’

It was exactly the same information Clara had given me.

In some ways, you could say that both Rael and Belen had committed misconduct, but Rael didn’t think so.

Unlike Belen, who received information because he was a member of the Knights of Kamen, he obtained the information through his own efforts.

“But why is it so noisy?”

As we waited for the top horse to arrive at the stadium, the surroundings became increasingly noisy.

The rumbling in the audience grew louder.

“huh?”

Something intense and intense gaze touched Rael’s senses.

When Rael raised his head, he saw a familiar face in the audience reserved for high-ranking nobles.

‘Why is that old man over there?’

Rael blinked as he looked at the Thousand-Slayer Sword Master who was swinging his sword at him.

He felt the intense gaze of the nobles around him.

It wasn’t just the simple gaze, but the intense interest contained within it that touched Rael’s senses.

‘uh?’

Thump- thump-

At the same time, something boiled inside Rael’s body.

Every time the nobles in the audience paid attention to Rael, magical power surged within him.

I feel it.

The sky, the world was looking at itself.

The fragmented realizations that had been spread throughout my body began to fit together one by one.

“···.”

Rael recalled the teachings of the Thousand-Slayer Sword Master.

[Think of the sky as this world. Trample on this world and stand above it. Let the eyes of all the sky be upon you. That is the way to the answer.]

Rael smiled without realizing it.

This time again, it was a truly intuitive explanation.

The gaze of heaven, that is, the sword that becomes stronger the more this world pays attention to it.

‘I knew it, old man.’

There’s no way anyone in their right mind could make a sword like this.

Thousand-year sword master.

The old man was clearly a vassal.

“ha.”

Rael raised his head and looked around.

The countless interests and concerns that catch his attention.

And the gazes of the nobles who seemed to be evaluating him.

Rael twisted the corners of his mouth in displeasure.

‘Do whatever you want, you little shits.’

Rael drew his sword, squeezing his magic power.

Thousand-year sword master.

I understood that the old man’s sword was a talisman.

I also understood that the realm of Dapcheon was to use the magical power that came from that interest.

‘That’s not enough.’

However, he intends to go beyond that.

Climbing up and trampling on the gaze of this world is not the end.

I will make sure that you can never look down on yourself again.

“It feels somehow familiar.”

Many nobles are looking down on him.

Rael recalled the first time he pulled out his sword when he was ten years old.

Little Rael, who had been unable to do anything despite the knights and nobles causing trouble at the orphanage, was now once again receiving the attention of all the nobles.

‘I’m sorry, but I’m different now.’

It’s different from when I was a kid.

I can’t live with you guys any longer.

In order to cut down this fucking world, you must first climb higher than anyone else.

Boom! Boom!

At that moment, the door in front opened and a superior demon appeared.

A giant lizard with wings and a body covered in scales.

Cockatrice.

It’s the same demon that Belen faced.

It was actually a good thing for Rael.

– Kaaa …

The cockatrice howled and spewed out magic energy, but it had no effect on Rael.

Because his body was optimized for dealing with monsters beyond the forbidden.

Sling-

Without taking his eyes off the cockatrice, Lael slowly raised his sword.

A thick layer of steel made from the realm of the mouth wrapped around his sword.

“Phew.”

Rael breathed magic into the sword.

A sword that cuts down opponents across space, ignoring time and intervals.

The realization about Dapcheon dug into my head.

“Is this what it feels like?”

The sword imbued with magical power glowed softly.

The attention he received became his strength and was engraved on his sword.

Rael concentrated all his senses and released the power condensed in his sword.

– Ugh, ugh. Ugh, ugh…

The upper class cockatrice took a step back without realizing it.

There is a saying that a dog that encounters a dog trader will immediately wag its tail and urinate.

Recognizing predators was an instinct engraved in wild beasts.

But the Cockatrice’s judgment came a little too late.

“The third form of the Thousand-Slayer Sword.”

The body was hot.

The arrogant sword that held the world beneath its feet was extremely heavy.

If I swung this thing now, I felt like I could break anything.

A terrifyingly powerful force was woven into Rael’s sword.

Rael smiled as he felt the power contained in the sword.

It was a strength I had never experienced before, but I felt like I could do it.

It is the ability to perfectly control magical power that seems like it could explode at any moment, jump through space, and hit the desired location.

If it was Rael’s sense, it could be done as much as you want.

“Stepping into the sky.”

As Rael brought down his sword, the sword of refined magical power distorted space and tore through the air.

Kwagagagagagagang!!

With a loud noise that shook the ground, the sword that leaped through space pierced the cockatrice’s body.

The upper demon’s thick scales and magical energy-covered body were torn to shreds.

Blood from demons burst out in all directions, and magical energy leaked out like smoke.

– Keaaaak, keaaaaaaak···.

The cockatrice’s intelligence was unable to understand what had happened to her.

The last memory of the demon was of distant pain and heat.

thud-!

A short period of time, less than 5 seconds.

The cockatrice was instantly killed by the sword slash that cut through her entire body.

It was a vain end that belied the name of the superior demon.

The massive thing fell to the ground, kicking up dust, and Rael rolled his stiff shoulders and looked down at his sword.

‘Trampling the sky…’

Rael put his sword back in its scabbard with a refreshed feeling.

It felt quite refreshing to have overcome a blocked realm.

A disjointed realization lingered in my head, but there was work to be done before that.

Rael turned his head and looked at the fallen cockatrus.

“···!”

“······.”

The Knights of Carmen and the priests waiting beyond the barrier of the stadium were looking in this direction with their mouths wide open.

The same goes for the noisy audience seats.

As if they had made a promise, no one opened their mouths.

Rael, who was watching that scene, opened his mouth with a smirk.

“It seems like it’s over, but aren’t you applauding?”

End