“Young Master, have you gone mad?”
The voice that scraped out of the veteran knight’s throat was as cold as ice, the kind of cry only a true predator could make..
A swordsman who survived decades on snowy battlefields—this was the horrifying aspect he possessed. Each and every word of his dripped with murderous intent.
A duel wasn’t decided by skill level alone.
Real combat experience and quick wits were just as crucial. No matter how adept I was in real combat, my opponent was a seasoned warrior with countless victories under his belt.
Even with my renown, he wasn’t soone I could underestimate.
Thus, I deliberately held my breath, forcing myself to stay calm.
The taut thread of tension trembling within gradually began to subside. I could feel my body stiffen, wondering when the tightly drawn string of hostility might snap.
I still had more to say.
“Mad, you say? Who exactly is the mad one here? Are you talking about the humans who brand every elf as potential slaughterers and set peaceful villages ablaze?”
“It’s for humanity’s sake!”
That was Sir Alex’s vehent defense.
He seed to genuinely believe it. His gauntlet clanked as he dusted off the spot near his abdon where I’d struck him.
His gaze was fierce.
Though we were still talking, his was a deanor of a man already in the midst of battle.
“Fine, let’s say they’re innocent, just as you claim. Let’s say they spend their entire lives—hundreds of years—peacefully… What difference does that make? They are still elves!”
“Being born as an elf is not a cri deserving of death.”
“No, it most certainly is. Because they feed and clothe the very elves who draw blades against us!”
It was hopeless.
It seed obvious that this conversation, even if drawn out further, would inevitably lead to the sa conclusion. So I tightened my grip on the sword and let out a quiet grunt.
My voice was now laced with open hostility.
“If you’re so righteous, why did you keep it hidden from Senior Delphine?”
The old knight abruptly fell silent, for the first ti in our exchange.
“Senior Delphine had been struggling with reports of elven raids. She even asked to resolve the issue… but now there’s a raid I’ve never even heard of?”
His piercing gaze bore into , as if daring to continue.
“My lady might have actually hidden it from you, Young Master.”
“No, that’s impossible.”
I swallowed a derisive laugh and lowered my sword even further.
As if to make it clear that, at any given mont, the tip of my sword could pierce the old knight’s throat.
“We have quite a close relationship, you see… far closer than you’d imagine, Sir Alex.”
Hmm, Sir Alex thoughtfully humd and averted his gaze. He seed to sink into montary contemplation, but he didn’t have the luxury to dwell on it for long.
I wasn’t about to grant him that ti.
Through clenched teeth, I pressed him coldly.
“Why did you betray Yurdina?”
“Betray, you say…”
Sir Alex’s lips curved into a faint smile, as if he had just heard sothing amusing.
He was still as confident as ever. If anything, he seed to find my interrogation of him laughable.
“For my loyalty to be called into question—how far I must have fallen. …You’ve misunderstood.”
It was a brazen response.
How could he say such a thing?
He intentionally kept information from Senior Delphine and even went so far as to provoke the elves. It was these provocations that led the elves to fall into the cult’s grasp and attack humanity.
That was why so many had been killed or injured.
Does the elven blood staining my hands not bear witness to this?
I ultimately failed to suppress the anger from swelling. A rush of heat surged up my throat uncontrollably.
“Didn’t you withhold information from Senior Delphine?!”
“And so?”
His nonchalant rebuttal left speechless.
It wasn’t that we were speaking different languages.
It was that I couldn’t fathom his intentions.
Without understanding the implication behind his words, I couldn’t form a rebuttal. His crude language battered my heart like a raging storm.
What on earth is he saying?
How could he be so brazen?
He spoke just as I was about to raise my voice again.
“Lady Delphine… From a young age, she has been astute and possessed exceptional martial prowess. She is also deeply respected by the vassals. However, she alone does not define Yurdina.”
“….What do you an?”
“You’ll co to understand in ti. I swear to you, I have never betrayed Yurdina.”
The old knight slowly gripped the hilt of his sword.
From the blade, a crimson aura began to surge.
It was a blatant provocation and, in response, silver flas flickered to life on my own sword.
As if issuing a final ultimatum, he asked,
“Even so, will you still strike down? , a loyal servant of Yurdina and a person who devoted himself to humanity?”
“You claid your loyalty was to Yurdina, didn’t you?”
I smiled fiercely.
Just as the old knight had done countless tis before.
“My loyalty, however, belongs to Senior Delphine.”
“My Lady chose her cards well…”
Sir Alex stroked his chin as he spoke, a hint of satisfaction glimring in his eyes.
He nodded slowly and, after a mont, gave his command.
“Fall back, all of you. With your skills, you’ll only get in the way.”
The words weren’t directed at .
The quivering soldiers gradually stepped back, their faces already pale, likely overwheld by the murderous intent radiant from two Experts.
With a faint grin, Sir Alex made his declaration.
“Well then, shall we dance with our blades?”
I had no intention of giving him the first move.
I pushed off the ground with all my strength. My body, propelled forward in a sudden burst of motion, scread in protest—yet my onslaught never lost its montum.
I felt as if, for an instant, ti itself had lifted off its hinges.
But my opponent was a battle-hardened old knight. He would undoubtedly see through my intentions in no ti.
Proving that point, a massive greatsword carved a half-moon arc through the air with a thunderous roar.
Whoosh— the enormous blade filled my field of vision. In response, I channeled all the force I could muster into my sword.
Then, a deafening explosion ca.
BOOM!— the mont our blades collided, the air tore apart. Like a stone slamming into water, ripples spread across the snowy field.
Several nearby elves let out startled cries as they toppled over.
But this was only the beginning.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
In an instant, a fierce exchange of blows sent sparks flying. From a low-right strike to an upper-left swing, followed by a direct downward slash—all were t with precise counters.
It was a speed that seed impossible for a greatsword.
Yet no matter how fast he swung, the limitations of his weapon could not be overco. A greatsword was powerful and heavy but, when compared to my blade, it lacked speed
As long as he couldn’t overpower with sheer force, my advantage remained intact.
Clang— his greatsword, trying to parry my descending slash, buckled under its own weight and slamd into the ground. Just as I’d anticipated, I still held the upper hand in speed.
The mont my sword rebounded from the clash, I gritted my teeth and drove it down once more.
To pull a sword embedded in the ground required an imnse amount of strength. What’s more, my sword was angled downward while Sir Alex’s was aid upward.
He had no way to counter my next strike with his greatsword.
Yes, not with a greatsword.
Screech!—the unpleasant sound of tal scraping against the blade filled the air. I felt a solid force locking my sword in place.
It was his gauntlet.
The thick steel gloves Sir Alex wore were now dyed in a crimson aura. Startled, I tried to pull my sword free, but his grip was stronger than I ever could’ve imagined.
The old knight’s lips curled into a twisted grin.
“Armors aren’t just for show, young master.”
Wham—a sharp kick slamd into my abdon. Desperate to keep hold of my weapon, I managed not to let go of the hilt.
But in return, the knight’s foot kept hamring into my abdon.
Wham! Wham! Wham!
Each ti the sound of boots pounding against leather echoed, my mind grew hazy. Freeing one hand from my sword, I fumbled for my hatchet.
A white arc traced through the air imdiately after.
Only then did the old knight seem satisfied enough to release my sword. Yet his final kick sent my body stumbling backward.
A nauseating sensation churned in my stomach.
Those weren’t his full-force kicks. Holding onto my sword while keeping in check must have made it hard for him to put his entire strength into striking my abdon.
Even so, the strikes were effective.
Blood trickled from between my lips. It wasn’t much, but it was far from a good sign.
It ant my internal organs were being pulverized.
“Human!”
I could hear Isha and the other elves shouting in disarray. From their perspective, it must have been a bewildering sight.
A re few seconds, a few exchanges of sword strikes, and yet here I was, forced to retreat.
With their level of skill, they couldn’t have understood what had happened.
All they could do, even in their dazed state, was sense my danger and cry out.
Sir Alex directed a playful remark my way.
“Such noisy spectators. Shall I silence them if they’re bothering you?”
“Well, there’s soone far more annoying… soone who was just running his mouth a mont ago.”
As soon as I finished speaking, I coughed up a mouthful of blood.
It had been a long ti since I’d tasted the tallic tang of blood in my mouth. Lowering my stance, I fixed my gaze on Sir Alex.
Not only his armor but even his gauntlets were of the finest quality.
And to make matters worse, it was the first ti I’d ever co across soone who infused aura into their armor. He was nothing like the opponents I’d faced before.
Experienced and full of secrets.
In that case, I had no reason to hold back either.
***
sko-fi/genesisforsaken
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