God damn it, this is such a pain. Here I am, one of the knight commanders of Draila, having to deal with a bandit group myself.
Alright, I admit it, today is my day off. But, this one bandit group outside of The Capital, close to a small town, is starting to really get on my nerves. The thing is, it's lead by a former knight commander, one named Rowan Medge. The bastard was always a greedy pig, but to start a bandit group? Well, it's not too surprising.
If you couldn't tell, I'm Royce Thorne, one of the five knight commanders of Draila. I'm soon to be the knight general, if all things go well. Well, I don't want to get too cocky, but it's pretty much guaranteed. Again, that's not me being overly confident, it's fact. The current knight general is an old man, one who, yes, is strong, but whose skills have diminished over the years. Age seriously hasn't done him well, poor old man.
Well, I wouldn't say that to his face, of course. Even if he's old now, he might still stand a chance at beating me... not the point, anyways.
I came all the way out here on foot. It took a while, maybe three hours or so, but it's fine. I'm here now, right in front of the base of operations they use.
"Hey, who the hell are you? What do you think you're doing here?!" One of the watchmen called out at me, a strange sense of deja vu filling me... weird, but I'll ignore it.
"Hey, isn't that--" Before another of the watchmen finished their thoughts, one piece of metal flew into their heads, killing them instantly.
We don't exactly want them sounding any alarm, do we? What, I'm acting heartless, cold? Be serious, these guys are hardened criminals who have killed many people. By law, you're allowed to kill bandits on sight in Draila. Although, you can of course bring them into a guard station for the bounty... but you still get the bounty if you can show proof of dealing with them.
Alright, I kick the entire gate open, accidentally creating a load of noise. Well, let's throw sneakiness out of the window. Let's get this over with, it won't take long.
...
There he is, Rowan Medge. One of the garbage humans that plague this kingdom. He was now right in front of me, glaring at my eyes. He's mad, I can tell. It's almost funny, how far this man has fallen.
"You're... Royce Thorne, one of the damn lapdogs of the kind! Damn it, why are you here?" He shook in anger, approaching me.
"Is that really a question you should be asking in the situation you're in now? You're a criminal, and as a knight, it's my job to deal with you." I responded swiftly, my answer putting a grimace on his face.
"Shut up!" He pulled a large axe from his back, wielding it, "I've always hated you, you know? You law-abiding fools! Don't you understand? This kingdom won't last for much longer, why even try and defend it? The king, he's on his last few years! And, after that, nobody can truly replace him, which is why there's no point in working for him or Draila! You and your stupid dream of becoming the general, it can all go to hell!" He yelled out, moving even closer to me than before.
"An inspiring speech, but you've got something wrong..." It was hilarious. I couldn't keep myself from laughing, "I'm not just aspiring to be the knight general, I'm gonna be the king himself."
"What...? That's a pipe dream!" He swung his axe at me, I swiftly dodged it, "Sure, you can, in theory, become the king even if you aren't part of the royal family due to his rules, but there's no way a commoner like you could ever think of it! Never! That's what we people are doomed to, failure!"
"You're an idiot. I'm above people like you who, instead of attempting to forever rise up, settled for little." I cracked my knuckles, "I'll show you my determination, you damned coward!"
And there I went, a single punch to his face. No, I don't even need to use my weapons for this fight, not against someone like him. Not all knight commanders are equal, I'll have you know, and he was always the weakest.
Some of his underlings moved to get involved, but he spoke against it. "Stop it! I'll kill the bastard myself! Don't any of you dare move another inch!" He stood back up, running at me. "Won't even use the swords you're known for, huh? That kind of thing will get you dead!"
"A bandit like you doesn't even deserve to see my blade, I'll defeat you with my hands alone."
"I'll kill you!" With those inspiring words, he casted a simple spell, "Enhancement Magic: Physical Overhaul!"
This spell of his was one of the reasons he was even able to join the ranks of the knight commanders. It increases all of his physical stats by over 200%. A simple thing, yes, but incredibly effective. However, with lacklustre abilities like his... he stands absolutely no chance.
He ran at me with no real plan in mind. I went for another hit to his head, the same as before. However, he dodged out of the way at the instant it would have hit, moving behind me.
"Your confidence will be your death!" Saying this, he went for a vertical slash across my back... failing.
I simply slap the axe away, kicking him in the stomach into one of the surrounding walls.
"You should rethink your words, especially if you don't know what you're talking about." Turning around, I took a few steps towards him. "If you're just going to sit down and take a rest, why don't we end this?"
"Shut up... Shut up!" In a fit of anger, he took some black orb from his pocket, consuming it in an instant.
Hm...? What exactly is that supposed to do? Oh, and now he just fainted.
Wait, what the? What's that weird aura his mana is now giving? It's a total shift, almost like a... like a devil. Reminds me of that day... but seriously, what the hell is going on here? That thing he ate must have something to do with it. That thing, it couldn't possibly be...
So, the cult has made their move, then.
-Side Chapter, end.-