◈ Chapter 49 - 9-the Night of the Decisive Battle
Swordsmanship is an essence that has been developed by each family or knighthood under different circumstances.
It is meaningless to compare sword techniques since their backgrounds are different, but the debate over which family's or knight's sword is stronger is something that not only knights but also street kids have experienced at least once.
Among such debates, the sword method that always comes to the forefront is the sword method of the Yakhok family.
Monsters are vicious and massive.
They are suffering from hunger and are miserable.
There is no way to back down when you are hurt.
In order to deal with such monsters, the Yakhok family perfected a sword technique to hunt monsters over several generations.
It is a lion-like sword technique that is heavy and powerful, and thus stimulates the viewer's desire to win.
The Yakhok family's specialty is powerful and wide-ranging sword skills.
When his sword drew a line, a long line of images rushed towards Cameron as if the space had been cut.
-Kakakang!
When the sword energy touched Cameron's sword, the bottle exploded with a shock wave that echoed through the basement.
Taking advantage of that opportunity, I modified my strategy.
Ember's feet were tied up because of the trap we made, but it didn't matter.
If Cameron can't go to Amber's side, he will try to break through to my side, which has the least chance.
With the power obtained through a contract with the devil.
On the other hand, as long as I block Cameron's hidden ace, Yakhok will finish me off from the side.
In that case, what I have to do is adjust the angle so that Cameron's side is empty so that it is easy for Yakhok to aim when Cameron approaches me.
While Cameron was struggling with the sword, I knitted it again.
Well, come.
Show me the secret number you have hidden.
And despair when you are blocked by my passion.
"Humans forget so quickly. The sad history committed against the Aryans and how we, who serve the first god, fight."
Cameron spit out unintelligible words and threw a bottle of poisoned liquor at Yakhok.
The bottle was broken by his sword energy, and the yakhog stopped for a split second to avoid drinking the poison.
Cameron did not miss the opportunity.
Between me and Yakhok, Cameron predictably chose me.
I will buy time by poisoning the yakhog and then kill me to overcome this situation.
His sword showed no hesitation as much as his determined will.
"Freeze, descendant of the abominable De Jeevitz!"
The air became cold as he shouted.
The alcohol that was lying on the floor was frozen.
My feet froze with the alcohol and my movement became restricted.
The mana mixed together and was not easily broken.
Was this why you broke the barrel and wet the floor?
On the one hand, a sense of relief swept over me.
Is this your secret number?
It would be disappointing if the power I gained by making a contract with the devil was only this much.
This kind of technique doesn't work for me, who has a passion for fire.
Cameron's sword traced a trajectory without any thought behind it.
The sword flew towards my neck loudly and clearly, as if it was going to take my breath away.
If his plan goes according to his plan, I will be tied up, unable to escape, and will be stabbed to death by a sword.
But that didn't happen.
The ice on my feet melted much faster than Cameron expected.
His sword was blocked by my aura before it could reach his neck.
His left arm was torn off as if it had been torn apart by an animal due to the Yakhok's subsequent sword blow.
Cameron's gamble failed, and his life was shaken like a wind chime.
There is nothing more he can do.
Everything was as expected.
Just one thing.
Except his movements didn't stop at me.
Cameron walked past me and held the knife to the throat of the nanny who was hiding behind me.
A prosthetic hand made of ice grew from his left arm, which had been torn off by the yak's hump's sword.
"You even forgot that clumsy attacks don't work when fighting those who follow the First God. That's soft and ridiculous."
Cameron was targeting the nanny from the beginning, not me!
Did they tie my feet to make it harder for him to deal with when he took the nanny hostage?
"I've been watching you all this time, Bjorn. You're weak in personal feelings. Can I kill the head maid for you?"
I was hit.
The fact that it was his first time fighting against demon cultists was a factor, but Cameron was calmer than expected and responded appropriately to the situation.
When he decided his head was spinning too well, he should have considered a wider variety of situations.
My failure was to rely too much on Yakhok's power.
"The other cultists will have noticed that things have gone wrong because I used the power of God. Soon the cultists will storm into your room. Soon there will be no one breathing there, not even the saint."
A smart rabbit digs a lot of burrows.
The assassination plan went a bit awry, but all you had to do was achieve your goal.
The saint and you both end here.
Cameron spoke to me with a confident expression of victory.
"My goal from the beginning was only you, Bjorn. So if you don't want to add the head maid to the lives that will disappear tonight, throw away your sword. Now!"
*
The night was dark, and Bjern's room, which was crowded with vassals, was also immersed in silence.
If all goes according to plan, Bjorn will be engaged in a bloody fight with a demonic knight by now.
Barton was lost in thought, looking at the saint, Mion, who was restless in the garden.
"Is it really okay for us to wait here? We need some help..."
"I completely understand your feelings, but even if we go to help, there is nothing we can do."
Barton spoke to Mion in a somewhat cold tone.
Those words were directed at Mion, but she didn't just criticize Mion.
Recently, Barton was feeling more helpless than anyone else.
Barton thought of Björn.
He was a knight like something out of a bard's song.
He never backed down from a fight against the devil, and with his spirit and wisdom, he drove the devils into a corner.
But Barton, who served him, could do nothing.
He didn't have the intelligence of Ember, nor could he gather information secretly like Lord Sentle.
At the very least, they don't have the ability to hunt down demon cultists like saints do.
Barton said he felt he was in this position by sheer luck.
'I thought it would be different if I became a sword user.'
It was a shameful role for a knight to keep his position without being able to use it.
Especially if the reason is lack of ability.
Barton thought about the future.
By Bjern's side, Ember, Lord Sentle, and the saint will all do their part to change the world.
But in Barton's opinion, he had no place in it.
No matter how strong he became or how hard he trained, he could not envision his future standing next to Bjorn.
'The only thing I can do is not to hold back.'
Just like on the way to Stem Wind, he bit his lip and swallowed the pain after being assaulted by senior knights.
In order to protect the undeserving treatment, they stick around like parasites and endure each day with the mindset of not causing harm.
Barton felt like that was the only path given to him.
"Aaaaah!"
Barton, who was lost in his thoughts, came to his senses when he heard a tearing scream outside the room.
At the same time, the door opened, and I saw the blood that was supposed to come from the body of the knight guarding the door splattering everywhere.
Masked men burst into the room and started cutting everything they saw.
As if he would leave no living being behind.
Barton intuitively realized that something was going wrong.
"Looking at what has gone wrong, there is definitely a saint here! Don't leave even a single person alive!"
There were six masked men in total, and the auras surrounding their swords were all as neat as those of an expert.
It was excessive power deployed under the assumption that Björn was here.
Barton, a sword user, had no chance of winning alone.
"Saint."
While the masked man was preoccupied with the people in the room, Barton quietly called to the saint behind him.
"I will throw you over the wall. Run for your life. You must never look back."
The assassins entered through the door, not the garden.
Barton guessed that this was to prevent them from escaping into the main castle and mixing with the people.
Bjorn might be there, so he wouldn't have dispersed his firepower into the garden.
Of course, there would be a calculation that even if he ran away to the garden, he could be tracked down and killed right away, but if Mion is a sword user, the possibility is not entirely out of the question.
"Then Lord Wigner..."
"Don't worry about me. The knight died while keeping his lord's command. Isn't he a nobleman?"
In order to raise that slim possibility even a little, Barton planned to buy time by sacrificing his life.
Barton was afraid.
It was too precious for him to lose his only life here.
If the person he was supposed to protect was an ordinary person, he might have run away despite the order.
Barton is a coward.
When he faced the Great Demon of Plague, the reason he spoke first was because he felt like if he continued like this, they would all be exterminated.
He was a witty knight, and praised him for being willing to sacrifice his life for his comrades, but the beginning was clearly the overwhelming fear that dominated Barton.
But the person Barton protected was a saint.
He is a shield that protects humanity, and in the future, countless people will be saved by his hands.
Compared to that, Barton is nothing.
An ordinary sword user-level knight of the Lighthouse Corps of Humanity.
He was ashamed to even put his own life on the same scale as a saint.
"So, saint. Please survive and protect humanity. Use it to pay for the life you owe me."
Barton didn't listen to Mion's answer and just threw it over the fence.
I feel like if Mion says let's fight together, I'll be tempted.
'I didn't know you would come up with another way to stay by the side of the heroes so quickly.'
Doing his best and sacrificing his life to protect the saint.
Barton remained calm and determined in the face of his death.
"I know who you are! If only you were knights! Stop killing innocent people! I am the saint you seek!"
◈ Chapter 50 - 9-the Night of the Decisive Battle
*
Alcohol poured out of the broken oak barrel.
Ahh, the liquid spilled on the floor, air filled the barrel, and in the midst of the gurgling sound, Yak Hok shouted so that the basement trembled in case I couldn't hear him.
"Björn! You can never listen to what he says! This is a battle already won! If you die here and lose that guy, the North is over! You can't be swayed by emotions!"
So sacrifice the nanny.
If you make up your mind, I will kill Cameron.
I knew what Yakhok was talking about.
I don't even think that's wrong.
The nanny, the North, and my life.
Of course, it was the latter that had to be chosen.
But I hesitate, wondering if there might be another way.
If you put down your sword, there is no chance of victory.
Still, you never know.
If you sacrifice one arm.
No, even if you get hit in the stomach with a sword, you might have a chance as long as you avoid critical points.
Cameron pushed me like that, as if he wouldn't give me more time to think about it.
"You'd better listen to me quickly. The head maid's neck is so thin, I don't know how long she'll last."
Cameron pressured me to find another way.
His blade slowly dug into her maid Chang's neck, drawing her blood.
"Bjorn! You must not listen!"
Ember's shout was faintly heard in the midst of complicated thoughts.
She slowly put down her sword and considered all the circumstances.
To find at least one way to save the nanny.
You've successfully overcome countless hardships up until now.
We can solve it this time too.
You can get a nanny and even the North.
So Bjorn, don't give up and think.
The nanny looked at me like that.
There was no fear or horror in her eyes.
I could only feel regret that the situation had come to this.
Nanny, I risked my life to save you.
So don't make that face.
It feels like you're going to sacrifice yourself for me.
There must be another way.
Yes?
But the nanny ignored my wishes and said things I didn't want to hear.
"Bjorn. You have grown up so well. The princess must be proud."
Don't call me that.
Don't say that as if it's the last time.
That's not the nanny's role.
I didn't want that from you.
It was enough for him to secretly bring me alcohol at night.
So don't shoulder the burden for me.
"...I'm sorry for not being able to keep my promise to go to the princess's grave together."
The moment she finished saying that, the nanny cut her own throat with Cameron's sword.
Her body fell diagonally along the blade of the sword.
Even though her actions risked her own life, she could not find any hesitation on her part.
"Aaaaah!!"
I know why the nanny should have given her life without hesitation.
It was to create a clear opportunity to kill Cameron.
The sword, which he could not bear to put down, plunged into Cameron's chest as if he could not waste the opportunity the nanny had created.
Cameron, embarrassed by his nanny's suicide, had no time to react.
I didn't give you that kind of time.
The target was Cameron's right lung, which had a gap created when the nanny's body tilted.
The sword covered with aura entered his body as if stabbing his head.
I just turned the blade and cut off the person's life.
Cameron's head fell off his body due to the Yakhok's ensuing sword attack.
Already seriously injured by the sword, Cameron died without even being able to scream.
Those damn devil cultists were okay for now.
I first looked at the nanny's condition.
"Nanny, Nanny! Come to your senses! Nanny!!"
Her voice broke out and she called for the nanny, but the life was gradually draining from her body.
"Jin! Is there no way to save the nanny?! If I burn her with fire!"
[... It's already too late.]
That can't be possible.
That can't be possible.
When I declared that I would turn the North into a sea of blood, I expected that the blood of people around me would also flow.
But I didn't know that the nanny's blood would flow.
If only they had planned a strategy that excluded the nanny.
If only they had figured out that I was targeting the nanny.
All the decisions that led up to this moment left me with regret.
At that time, the nanny's hand touched my cheek.
She smiled softly as if telling her not to feel guilty.
My nanny devoted her last breath to me.
"Bjorn... Please... Be free..."
Even in the dark basement, I saw that the nanny's pupils were dilated.
All I could do for her nanny was to close her eyes comfortably.
It was Amber's shout that brought me back to my distant consciousness.
"Bjorn, I completely sympathize with your sadness. But now Barton and Mion!"
I said, holding her nanny in her arms and squeezing her locked neck.
"...There's no need to worry about that. I've prepared for it."
"No matter how prepared we are, how on earth can we get six Sword Experts..."
"There are people who are prepared for this nature."
A pathetic man who has both hands full of things he doesn't want to let go of and wants to hold on to something more, but his power is like a ghost.
Before Helga left to attack the church, she left a message saying that assailants were trying to assassinate the saint.
Canniel must have received the message at a time when it was difficult to mobilize troops, but enough to deal with it alone.
So you don't need to worry about that.
Okay, there is no time to be sad now.
The nanny wouldn't have wanted that either.
There is only one thing left to do now: get Eileen's testimony that Count Haenrel is a demon cultist.
"Count Yakhok, let's go now. Let's arrest Eileen and end this situation."
I picked up my nanny's body and stood up from her seat.
Recalling her will that was imprinted in her mind.
*
Of course, there was no way I could believe that he was a saint.
The masked assailants, the elites of the Sedalia Knights serving the Haenrel family, laughed at Barton's shout.
Barton swallowed dryly.
Any knight of Haenrel would know who he is.
He is a knight of wit who saved his life with his wit in the face of the great evil of plague.
So I don't believe what he says, but I can't say for sure that it's a lie.
Rumors tend to be exaggerated.
It may be because he was a saint who was able to use such clever words against the Great Demon of Plague.
It may be different from the commotion that occurred in Lothric Village, but you never know.
It doesn't matter as long as I can instill even a little doubt.
That kind of doubt makes them cautious, and the judgment they make based on that caution will delay time.
As this happens, Mion's survival probability increases exponentially.
The movements of the knights, who had been cutting at random as Barton intended, became cautious.
They herded those in the room into the garden.
Barton shouted at them.
"Cruel devil cultists! All devil cults that have infiltrated Stemwind have been discovered and there is nowhere for you to run!"
The knights who drove into the garden slowly formed a siege.
There was no one here who could escape the barrier-like formation that the six Sword Experts had built.
Even though he knew Barton wasn't listening, he continued to scold them.
"Your sins are deep! But if you throw down your sword and surrender, I will spare your life! So don't take the lives of any more innocent people!"
Barton thought he was like a dog barking with its tail curled.
A dog that is afraid and has no choice but to raise its voice even more to shake off that fear.
That's it.
Fighting only when you can win is not a knight.
I've never wandered around looking for a place to live, but at this level, I can feel comfortable without feeling resentful.
A dusky aura bloomed on Barton's sword.
Floating precariously like the rest of his life, the sword was aimed at a powerful enemy that could not be defeated.
The knights who had formed their camp rushed towards Barton.
Six swords wrapped in aura aimed at Barton.
At that time, although it was a brief moment, Barton saw it.
The sight of those six swords being blocked by the sword of just one person who suddenly appeared.
The de Jeevitz family emblem engraved on the clock that saved his life.
"Dismissal!!"
Canniel de Jeevitz's aura was spread on the surface of the sword as if it were thinly sliced and glowed softly.
Those who have seen the Sword Master's Sword Aura compare it to the crescent moon that softly lights the way in the middle of the night.
Anyone who holds a sword dreams of this, but only those who have reached the pinnacle of mana and swordsmanship can achieve it.
Barton was blinded by the Marquis' Sword Aura.
When Canniel swung his sword at the panicked Sedalia knights, two heads fell off at the same time.
Even though the opponent was also a sword expert, he was unable to do anything.
"For the first god erased!"
Even though two people lost their lives with a single sword strike, the knights were not afraid.
The assassination failed and the cult was discovered.
All they have left is a sword dedicated to evil.
The four remaining knights attacked and surrounded Canniel, as if to prevent him from swinging his sword any longer.
Kanniel struck down swords coming from four directions, one by one, as if performing a feat.
Barton thought that the sword was like a thread.
This is because the sword blade was curved and blocked the knight's attack like a flowing stream.
If his sword touched even once, the knight's sword aura fluttered loudly, and on the second hit, the sword was cut.
The knight's head was taken away without the three being combined.
In a short period of time that could be counted on one's fingers, the six Sword Experts turned into cold corpses, spraying blood across the garden.
When they were all dead, Canniel spoke to Barton.
"Where is Bjorn?"
◈ Chapter 51 - 9-the Night of the Decisive Battle
*
Such was the nature of the De Jeviets family, it was noisy at night, when only the sound of owls could be heard occasionally.
Prestigious nobles staying in the guest room, vassals of the De Jeevitz family, knights scurrying about to understand the situation, and screams.
Eileen was also in the confusion.
"Lord Cameron! Lord Burg! Where is everyone?!"
Eileen desperately searched for Sir Cameron and the Knights of Sedalia, who were originally supposed to protect her.
It must be to understand the situation.
But no one answered the call.
Soon she would realize.
Not only the knights, but also everyone belonging to the Haenrel family disappeared without a trace.
Eileen bit her nails.
Thanks to her efforts, the issue of her successor has all been sorted out, and tomorrow her husband will declare Aidan the child who will inherit the kingdom.
Everything went smoothly.
However, the sudden turmoil that came to the main castle would not be pleasant.
Then something rolled under her feet.
Eileen could vaguely see the dark circular object in the light of the candlestick.
When the object touched her foot, she recognized what it was.
Eileen fell down with a tearing scream.
"Oh, Lord Cameron! What the hell is this..."
"They tried to assassinate me."
Eileen became thoughtful as she saw my appearance revealed in the shadows.
"Cancer or flesh? Why on earth is Lord Cameron...?"
"That's what I want to ask you."
A sword with a sword aura touched her neck.
Her blood looked particularly red when it touched the blue mana.
"Give me one reason why I won't cut off your head right now."
When her sword reached her neck, Eileen was so embarrassed that she began to gibber.
"I knew that Sir Cameron was planning something separate from my father, but I had no idea that it was an assassination! It's true! I didn't order it!"
I know.
Eileen was not fully involved in this matter.
She needs to stick with Kahniel because her chance of being discovered increases if she is associated with her demonic cult.
She would have focused on making Aidan her successor.
So everything Eileen said is true.
Wait a minute, Eileen, who was panicking and gibbering when she saw Cameron's severed head, soon came to her senses and glared at me, she said.
"Are you falsely accusing me because you're worried that I might not be chosen as your successor?! You tried to assassinate me? That's why you killed a knight of House Haenrel?! Did you think the Marquis would get away with something like this?!"
"It's a span."
"I beg your pardon?"
"The length of your neck. Just one span. If I move the sword just that much, your neck will fall and I will repay my long-cherished wish. The revenge I suffered from you for 15 years."
"Björn! After that, you can't handle it. Your head will fall to the ground along with me under the Marquis' sword. So, do something."
At that time, Count Yakhok, who was behind me, spoke.
"Madam, it may be a pity, but there is no way Bjorn's head could have fallen. I saw it clearly. The moment that knight named Cameron tried to poison Bjorn. The evidence is still in the basement warehouse of this castle."
"Count Yakhog! You instigated Björn to do something like this! When the Marquis comes, you too will die along with Björn and your territory will be reduced to rubble! My father will definitely make it happen!"
Eileen screamed viciously even though my sword was aimed at her throat.
It's worth it.
Because she doesn't think she did anything wrong.
She simply made her own child the heir to her kingdom out of her parental heart.
I almost died because of it, but it's not a mortal sin.
However, the nanny did not die because she committed a mortal sin.
Just then, Helga appeared from the darkness.
The sight of him covered in blood from face to toe made it possible to imagine what happened during the raid on the cult.
"Lord Bjorn, as you commanded, we have arrested all of the abominable demon cultists who have infiltrated Stemwind. Those who resisted were killed, and those who surrendered were handed over to the inquisitors. When the sun rises, the crimes committed by the Haenrel family will be revealed. It will be revealed."
"Wait a minute, what do you mean...? Demonic cult...?"
Eileen couldn't help but feel embarrassed at the sudden profanity of her name.
Yakhok told her as if it was over.
"That's the crime hanging around your neck. The knights of House Haenrel made a pact with the devil. A man named Cameron also used the devil's power. I wonder what it's like for you. When your wife gets cut up, she replaces the part with ice. "Can you do it?"
"It's a lie! It's a ridiculous accusation! Who would believe something like this..."
"Then where are all the knights of House Haenrel now?"
"That..."
"I will tell you. The knights stormed into Bjorn's room to assassinate the saint. And they all died at the hands of the Marquis. Do you still not believe this?"
Eileen's eyes widened when she heard the word saint.
Helga added a suspicion to Yakhok's words.
"I found a crystal ball connected to the spirit of Haenrell inside the Demon Church that I attacked. I need to investigate further for details, but I also secured a lot of documents to testify that the Count was involved. Madam, the evidence is overwhelming. Why didn't you notice it until now? To the point where I regret it."
"Well, that can't be possible... Your father is a devil..."
Eileen's eyes went blank, as if she had heard something she couldn't believe.
It doesn't matter whether she believes or not.
I stepped on Eileen's foot.
"There is only one thing that must come out of your mouth: that Count Haenrel is a demon cultist. That is enough. So say it quickly."
Just a little bit, she applied enough force to crush her fingertips.
Unable to withstand the sword expert's strength, her knuckles and fingernails were crushed.
Then a scream rang out.
That wasn't what I wanted to hear, so I pushed a little harder.
Suddenly, the sound of her bones breaking and screaming rang out again.
"Wow, it's hard to do it with your feet. It's not easy to control your strength."
"I-I really don't know...!"
"That's not the answer I want to hear either."
Grumbling, if I apply more force here, even if her hand heals, she won't be able to straighten it properly for the rest of her life.
Plural.
It was a moment she had dreamed of countless times since she was a child.
Kill Eileen, who was harassing me, become the successor to the North, and harm Kanniel.
Before my memory returned, I wanted to do these two things, and because I couldn't do them, I tried to run away from the North.
Looking back, I have come a long way.
Just surviving was the original goal.
Now I hold the fate of the North and revenge in my hands.
Even if I don't scold them, Eileen will soon be taken to the Inquisitors and subjected to all kinds of torture until she gets the answer she wants.
Unable to withstand her torture, she will testify that Count Haenrel is a Daemon, and she will soon be branded a witch and burned to death in Stemwind Square.
After that, all of Kanniel's efforts to unite the North will be in vain, and I will become the hero who saved the North from the clutches of the Demon Cult and the successor to the kingdom.
Just as I had hoped for as a child.
Maybe I have endured that cruel persecution just for this moment.
However, this moment I actually encountered was far from joyous.
It felt as if I was being pushed by someone's hand and forced to arrive.
It may have started out as a desire for revenge against my parents, but by the time I reached the end, I was holding Northern and Aidan in both my hands.
Aidan is her witch's child and will be pointed at for the rest of his life.
He will be locked in a dark cage for the rest of his life, bearing his mother's sins and slowly dying.
Or, he might realize that his mother was framed and hold a knife to my throat for revenge.
If it joins the Haenrel family, or even if the Haenrel family disappears, it will become the focal point of the forces hostile to the De Jeevitz family.
There is also a possibility that he is a stooge of the imperial family who wants to own a kingdom.
In the end, as Yakhok said, he must be held accountable for a crime he did not commit and executed.
Just like when Eileen bullied me when I was young, even though I had done nothing wrong.
I killed Aidan as many families as I had built to save him.
After killing Eileen, I am sitting on a rusty throne.
In the choice to keep Aidan alive, he thrust the sword into me in some way, and I ended up killing his brother to protect that rust-dropping throne.
He gathered the remnants of Haenrel, sided with the imperial family, and tried to poison them...
Each time that happened, more blood was shed in the North, and the demons that would come down in the cold danced with joy on the blood.
There were hundreds of reasons, hundreds of families, and Aidan lost his life to me for hundreds of reasons.
On a scale with North and Aidan on the scale, I couldn't choose Aidan even once.
You shouldn't be indecisive.
In order to get something, you have to let go of what you are holding.
Because I failed to act decisively, the nanny died.
Likewise, if Aidan is not killed, the North will have to shed more blood.
You can't repeat the same mistakes.
Kills Eileen and kills Aidan.
That is the way for humanity, and it is the way for Aidan.
And I become the successor and take over the North.
If that is the way to save humanity from the devil, I will wear that crown of thorns.
Even if you are chained to a rusty throne and have your freedom taken away like Canniel.
The moment I made my decision, what I heard were the nanny's last words.
'Björn... Sir... Please... Freely...'
The words my nanny left for me at the cost of her life held me back.
I remembered her smile as she caressed my cheek with her bloody hand rather than her bruised neck.
Freedom, freedom.
Was I free to choose?
All I wanted was a vineyard, alcohol, and a small mansion to lie down in.
Her outstretched hand waved through the air without reaching her goal.
Everything I did to survive eventually led me here.
A nanny said from somewhere far away.
Then why not do that?
I asked back.
How?
What on earth should I do?
That I don't become the heir to the North, that Aidan survives, and that we save the North at the same time.
I don't know anymore.
No matter how hard you try, you can't change the outcome.
I couldn't do anything in front of the given fate.
The nanny's smile was kind, as if she understood.
There is no need for you to be a hero.
Know.
There is no way the dead nanny would talk to me.
Just telling me what I want to hear.
I don't want to carry it, so I can run away.
Because I've never wanted to be a hero.
As freely as the nanny's will.
At that moment, the only way to save the North without killing Aidan crossed my mind.
"...Ha!Haha! Nanny! You only help me until the end!"
I laughed like crazy.
I laughed so hard that tears formed in the corners of my eyes.
Someone asked me that question.
"What's so funny?"
When I turned towards the sound, Canniel de Jeevitz was standing there.
Wearing cloaks soaked in demonic blood.
He was looking at me with a creepy face.
◈ Chapter 52 - 9-the Night of the Decisive Battle
"Did you really want to be the heir? Did you really covet this successor kingdom?"
"Your Excellency, your wife..."
"Yakhok, I owe you my life. I just paid you back. The fact that your neck isn't rolling right now is proof of that. So back off."
The overflowing mana showed that his words were not lies.
Yak or his mouth closed.
It may not have been because he was afraid of Canniel.
Even though he clearly knew the situation, he was probably taken aback by Kanniel's attitude that was different from what he expected.
I withdrew the sword aimed at Eileen's neck and called Count Yakhok.
"Count Yakhok, could you please take care of your wife until something else comes up?"
"Is that okay?"
Yakhok looked at Kanniel once and hesitated.
Yakhok seemed worried that things might go wrong after seeing Kanniel's reaction.
However, Kanniel's Three Hundred Eyes were aimed only at me.
His face, which was naturally cold and whose emotions were difficult to read, was filled with anger that anyone could recognize.
I dismissed Yakhok's concerns.
"Please be considerate so that father and son can talk."
"...I understand."
As Yak Hog left his seat, Khan Niel slowly opened his mouth.
"Out of your greed to become the heir, you framed the Haenrel family and tried to kill your stepmother. That crime is so deep that not even your life can pay for it."
"House Haenrel has fallen into the hands of the Demon Cult. I have protected Stemwind from the Demon Cult. Tomorrow, the charges will be revealed to the world. Do you not believe me?"
"Shut up. How dare you plot treason and still expect to get away with it?"
Canniel held his breath as he questioned my sin.
His eyes were not those of his children.
I had to be scared when Canniel looked at me like that.
I was worried that my father might kill me.
"A traitor, a traitor... Didn't you just come to my room to protect a saint from assassins? There's no way you wouldn't know which assassins belong to."
"Is that the end of your excuses? Lord Sentle, arrest Bjorn right now."
But now you know.
He would have already heard that Count Haenrel was a follower of the Devil Cult.
You must have already received a detailed report from Barton and Ember, who ran out of concern for him on the way here.
Nevertheless, he is accusing me of treason.
To blame me.
"No, Helga will not arrest me. I am the lord he swore his oath to, not you."
Helga remained silent in response to my words.
The person to whom Helga originally swore her oath was my mother.
And the mother left me in the care of Helga.
While I was still in his mother's womb, he would have sworn me a knight's oath.
The reason he joined the Human Lighthouse was probably because he deceived Haenrel and at the same time made a deal with Kanniel.
To keep that pledge.
"I have read your trick a long time ago. I have no intention of going along with it."
"What are you talking about? Lord Sentle! Hurry up and get Bjorn..."
"Sorry."
Helga did not follow Kanniel's words.
He put his sword away and stepped back as if he was waiting to see what I would do.
I guessed something after hearing the nanny's story.
Canniel lost his father, brother, and mother on the same day.
There were two wills that he carried that day.
To take care of your country and to let your children live freely.
To keep these two wills, Khan Niel takes a woman from the Haen Rel family as his new wife and gives birth to her second child.
Khanniel may have planned to protect the North and free him from the shackles of the Nall bloodline by making his second son, who was of Haenrel's blood, as his successor.
"Tell me, what were you planning on doing by arresting me?"
"You..."
"Let me guess. I will be taken to the great hall at the crack of dawn and sentenced to Homeland for usurpation. Count Yakhok will be imprisoned. Only when my sentence is completed will you free Count Yakhok and Haenrel. "He will admit that his family has fallen into the hands of the Demon Cult. Even if I prove my innocence at that time, I will be banished from the North and will never be found."
However, nobles do not become free by leaving home.
As long as a subordinate kingdom exists, anyone who wants to take advantage of that lineage is bound to get caught.
So Kanniel thought.
In order to truly free Bjorn, it is not enough to hand over the kingdom to the Haenrell family.
So we have to pretend that Bjorn is dead and avoid the eyes of the world.
In the year Bjorn comes of age, he can make up his own sins and make sure to fake her death.
In the biography of Esteria, Bjorn becomes involved with Yakhok in the year of his execution and is sentenced to Homeland imprisonment for usurpation.
The transport mission would have been handled by Helga Sentle, a senior knight of the Human Lighthouse.
Kanniel must have given Helga riches and ordered her like this.
Once you leave Stemwind, take Bjorn with you and leave the north.
Throw away your name and surname and live freely there.
However, what Kanniel failed to notice in the original work was that the Haenrel family was a demon cult.
That's why Count Haenrel immediately noticed that Bjern, who was sentenced to Homeland, did not head there.
So Helga died at the hands of the Knights of Sedalia, and Bjorn was taken to Homeland and turned into an archvillain by the Demon King who coveted his talent.
When Eileen bullies me, I close my eyes and move on, and when I intentionally treat her harshly, I show that she has no affection for me. I want Count Haen Rel to pay no attention to me.
The reason they were put into practical work at an early age was so that they could start working on it right after they became adults.
Unlike the original, the reason for sentencing Homeland three years early was to avoid being caught up in the bloodshed that would come in the future war with the Haenrel family.
After hearing about the past history between Khan Niel and his mother, all the questions I had had were answered.
Even though he realized that the Haenrel family was a demonic cult, he felt the need to force me into a weightlifting situation.
This is why he wants to do so even though he clearly knows that if he does so, he will be stigmatized as a cancer patient.
"Kanniel, no matter how much rot you put on your body, there's still no bad smell coming out of your mouth."
As the owner of an unwanted kingdom, he must have been torn between the North and his mother's will.
The problem is that I wasn't in that agony.
In the end, Khan Niel locked me in a cage just like his parents did.
The irony of taking away freedom under the pretext of making one free.
If he had told me the truth even once, things wouldn't have ended up like this.
"How does it feel to do the same thing to your child that you hate so much? I understand, but I just can't forgive you."
"..."
I pointed my sword at Canniel, who did not respond, and spoke.
"It won't work out the way you want. I'm going to take you down from the throne of the Marquis. From now on, I'm going to swing my sword at you and accuse you of being a demon cultist. So before you make a fuss, either kill me and protect the North, or you can protect the North. "Give up and leave the kingdom to me."
My sword pushed him forward as if not giving him time to respond.
No, it doesn't make sense for me to push the Sword Master.
Kanniel's sword just blocked my sword as if it had lost its will.
Even as he was passing swords, he looked at my face for a long time as if he was looking for someone else.
The first time he opened his mouth was when the sum of five was passed.
"Ever since you were little, you have been as smart as your mother. I can't tell you how relieved I am by that fact. So I don't even know. What on earth do you want to do?"
Kanniel frowned and asked me.
"The nameless ancestors of De Jevicz protected the North. My father also died protecting the North. I am also sitting here protecting it. Without even knowing why I am protecting it. It is like a fate that I cannot escape. What you want. Is this what it is? Do you really want to own this kingdom? In that case, you should have killed your brother first."
Kanniel spoke as if he had looked into my heart.
"But you didn't do that. The title of marquis is not as valuable to you as your half-brother. This kind of pride is an unwieldy burden for you. This collapsing kingdom will bind you like shackles. You know that better than anyone else."
This was also the reason why I did not want to hand over the position of successor even though I hated you.
Kanniel spoke about his true feelings that he had not been able to reveal before.
"You don't want the latter country. I also realized that I have no intention of killing you. But why on earth are you pointing your sword at me?"
"...I too have been guided by fate. To kill Eileen and Aidan, drive you out, and take over the territory. Because that was the only way for me to live."
As soon as I regained my memories of my past life and realized that I only had four years left to live, I had to struggle to survive.
With the power he gained through his fortune, he planned to rob the de Jeevitz family of their wealth and flee to the southeast.
The opportunity gained in that way had no immediate effect.
When that failed, I tried to survive the chaos by turning the North into a sea of blood.
It wasn't difficult because we secured the saint and knew that Haenrel was a demon cultist.
I was able to save the North and take revenge on both sides.
To you, Eileen and Canniel, who harassed me.
If Eileen had been a Satanist, she would have killed her without a moment's hesitation.
If Canniel had really tried to purge me for political reasons, I would have been his successor.
Because that's the fair revenge I can take.
But when I looked into it, I realized that Eileen wasn't a demon cultist, and Kanniel wasn't really trying to kill me.
Eileen may have been tormented by her own will, but she too was being used by Count Haen Lel without knowing anything.
Khan Niel only tried his best to keep the North and his mother's will.
When I realized that I couldn't stop, I was devastated.
From then on, it wasn't revenge or anything.
It was a question of whether I could frame and purge my stepmother and half-brother in order to survive.
The moment Count Haenrel revealed that he was a demon cultist, Eileen's fate was already decided.
However, Aidan is still young, so there is room for consideration.
The plan I had thought out and implemented went awry.
If I kill Eileen by falsely accusing her of being a Satanist, Aidan will definitely get revenge on me.
It's just a matter of whether it's sooner or later, but eventually I have to see his blood.
What you get after killing these two is the successor to the later kingdom.
This is the position I had longed for to get revenge on Kanniel.
So now the position has no value to me.
The throne, where he had to constantly choose between the countless lives of the North and something else, was the only reward.
In my heart, I wanted to throw everything away and run away.
What you get by crossing the line and staining your body with your brother's blood are shackles.
Those who grabbed my arm were the innocent people of the North who would later be tormented by the devil.
It would be better if I didn't know the future.
If that were the case, I would have run away with peace of mind.
They caught me like a fate I couldn't escape.
Without being able to let go of either the North or humanity, I reached this point as if someone had pushed my back.
So now I can see it.
Kanniel, I guess that's what happened because you tried to keep your two wills.
"But when you think about it, it's too heavy. Are you always carrying this thing on your shoulder?"
"...I pushed you that hard. It's my fault. I'm not going to ask you to forgive me. So don't burden me any more than that."
Kanniel looked at me with eyes I had never seen before.
It was the face of a parent looking at their child, something I had never seen before.
"I heard that the head maid died. Now there is only one head maid, but if you sit on the marquis' throne, you will be unable to do anything and will have to keep losing people. Or kill them yourself. There is no will of yours. Do you want to live a life like that?"
A calm aura bloomed on his sword.
It seemed like he was planning to cut my sword and break my will.
I infused more aura to protect the sword.
"From the moment I became a marquis, I was driven by fate and died day by day. At that moment, setting you free was my only wish. Half of your blood is Della's. I want to make her wish come true."
His sword was swung aimed at me, but the heart inside that sword was clearly warm.
There won't be the slightest lie mixed in with what he says now.
"I know how you feel. Think of it as the opportunity you've been longing for. So, throw away your name and last name and leave Stemwind. Go wherever you want and live however you want. I'll take care of the North and the Demon Cults. "I will do it."
There was no trap in those words.
It only contains parental concerns.
To prevent you from going down the same path as yourself.
So it sounded even sweeter.
That is what I truly wanted and hoped for.
It went around and around, but if you just nod your head here, you can have that.
But I straightened my sword towards Kanniel.
"How can you be so confident when you don't even know that Stemwind has fallen into demonic hands? You cannot handle the current situation. You are incompetent."
"..."
"You are trying to do whatever you want with me until the very end. Do you think I will accept it for your own self-satisfaction? What you are giving me is not freedom, but flight. It is a momentary escape. If I run away from here, I will live in regret for the rest of my life. Is that what you think of freedom?"
This is why I cannot forgive you.
Sword and sword met, and Kanniel was pushed by the sword.
"I don't know who her former mother was, because she died shortly after she was born, but I don't think her mother would have wanted her own will to be carried out in that way."
The same goes for the will my nanny left me.
When the nanny said freedom, she didn't just mean running away.
"So what do you plan to do? Are you going to kill Eileen and Aidan and become the heir? Is that the freedom you chose? If that is what you really want, then I have no choice but to forcibly expel you as planned."
"I have no intention of running away from my fate, nor do I have any intention of being dragged into it. The more I think about it, the worse it becomes. It's about pushing the situation that way and forcing you to make choices you don't like."
I don't know who you are.
I don't even know why you put me here.
But I have no intention of doing what you want.
"I hate you to death, but now I understand you. The reasons why fate forced me to make that choice. But I am not your father. I have no intention of repeating the same mistakes you made."
So watch carefully, how your novel falls apart.
This is my choice.
"I will expose Count Haenrel's sins, but I will not kill Eileen and Aidan. I have no intention of becoming the heir. I will be free and unbound by anything, and at the same time take control of the North. I will minimize the amount of blood shed and keep the North out of the hands of the Demon Cult. I will save you."
And Canniel, Eileen.
I will not forget and repay the debt I suffered from you both as children.
Kanniel shook his head at those words.
"It's greed. You probably don't know that you can't do that."
"That's possible. There's a gift my nanny left me. And I'm a greedy person like you. I'll have both hands full no matter what."
Swords passed between swords, and Kanniel's aura faded.
So, I reconnected the broken words.
"If you truly want me to be free, please respect my choice. Trust me and leave everything to me. Canniel, you can lay down that burden now."
The mana disappeared from Kanniel's sword and was slowly cut away by my aura.
He was tired.
Carrying too much and struggling to keep it all.
"I know what you are saying is nonsense. But on the other hand, I desperately want to believe it. Can you really do as you say? Can you please take off my shackles?"
"What are you worried about? You are a sword master. If you don't like what I do, turn everything around. Then, wouldn't you be able to suppress me with force and banish me?"
"...Ha,haha! Yes, that's okay. You're right. You're right!"
The moment his sword was cut, Canniel laughed.
Refreshingly, like someone who has given up everything.
When Helga handcuffed his hands, the great shackles that had bound his body for so long, the North, fell away.
◈ Chapter 53 - 9-the Night of the Decisive Battle