Chapter 117
Owain steadied his breathing.
The opponent did not move recklessly either.
Since their skills were similar, they had no choice but to be cautious with each other.
It was while he was thinking that.
“Is it over?”
“There is still one more left.”
Light flowed from the staff of the boy called Joshua.
That light enveloped the body of Rodwell, who was right beside him.
“What kind of magic do you think it is?”
“I don't know what it is either.”
Even Chloe, who possessed considerable skill as a mage, did not know what the boy's magic was.
An ominous feeling arose.
“This is the end of it.”
“Oho, is this the buff Leo ntioned?”
Buff?
He had a mory of hearing the term.
Among many types of magic, it referred to the kind that improved a person's abilities.
Damn it, if he had known the boy's magic was a buff, he would not have just watched.
“Aren’t you guys going to do it as well?”
Rodwell asked while shrugging his shoulders.
“A true knight does not rely on such things.”
“You could just say you are envious if you are.”
Owain gnashed his teeth.
Chloe did not have buff magic.
Whether that was due to her attribute or because she had not learned it, he did not know.
Whatever the reason, they had lost to those two at the stage of preparation.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
The smile vanished from Rodwell's face.
He kicked off the ground.
Clang!
His ears grew muffled at the sharp sound of their blades clashing.
His fingertips were tingling.
And they were heavy.
Why was such a gap felt even though they were knights of the sa rank?
‘It is because of that boy.’
When he signaled to Chloe, she produced electricity from her hands as if she had been expecting it.
It headed toward the boy, drawing a parabola like an arrow.
Boom!
A thunderbolt exploded.
Even in the dark passage, the scorched traces were clearly visible.
“You’re thinking too much.”
Rodwell closed the distance and swung his sword broadly.
Owain parried the sword and let it slide to one side, but it slightly touched his wrist.
Crack!
A crack appeared in the tal guard worn on his wrist.
Blood flowed from the inside.
It was not a fatal wound, but injuring his wrist was a painful mistake.
However, he was certain that the opponent had suffered more damage than that.
“Chloe's lightning is powerful. And fast. Your subordinate must be dead. Even if he is alive, he will not be in a normal state.”
“That is just your wishful thinking.”
Rodwell's expression did not change in the slightest.
He simply focused on consuming Owain's stamina while silently swinging his sword.
Owain thought it was a feeling of desperation.
Victory was his if he could hold out until Chloe created a new thunderbolt.
“Owain!”
Hearing her voice, he reflexively twisted his body.
The thunderbolt passed by.
Boom!
The explosion from just a mont ago occurred vividly right in front of his nose.
Thick smoke rose up.
Since Rodwell was not holding a shield, he must have taken the attack with his bare body.
Even as a General rank, he would not be safe.
As if mocking that thought, Rodwell charged forward.
He allowed a blow without even having ti to avoid the sudden attack.
“Aaaargh!”
A scream flowed from his mouth.
The shoulder guard struck by the sword did not just dent but was shattered to pieces.
He retreated greatly.
“Just how?”
He examined the situation while clutching his shoulder.
He saw countless golden fragnts fallen around Rodwell.
“Huh, you really look like you have no idea what’s going on.”
Rodwell pointed toward the rear with his finger.
There stood the boy he had thought was fallen.
“H-How?”
Chloe trembled as if she had seen a ghost.
Magic increases greatly in power the longer the ti spent weaving the spell.
The thunderbolt shot at the boy had been prepared since before the two n crossed swords.
To think he survived after being hit by that?
It was an impossible thing.
“Chloe, what’s going on?”
“I don't know either. I certainly shot the strongest magic among those I can fire.”
Both of them wore horrified faces.
“He blocked it.”
Rodwell spat out the answer as if he were frustrated.
“He blocked it?”
Even after hearing the answer, the two still did not understand.
“A giant shield appeared instantaneously and took the attack instead.”
Among the two, the shock received by Chloe was particularly large.
She was a mage.
And she had considerable pride in the skill she possessed.
The master who taught her magic had said she was a talent likely to appear once in a hundred thousand people.
If so, how should the boy in front of her be explained?
A boy who had not lived even half her life blocked her magic with ease.
“Ah, there is no need to be too disappointed, Countess. Even I don't have the confidence to kill Joshua in one blow.”
Was he saying that as a boast?
Regardless, the plan needed to be revised.
There was a high possibility that those words from Rodwell were not empty talk.
The thunderbolt from earlier was that powerful of a spell.
“Just what is that magic?”
“You’re a fellow mage and yet you don't know what that is? Well, I suppose that makes sense. I heard he’s the only mage in existence with that attribute.”
Chloe felt a flash of realization.
A rare attribute.
The golden fragnts scattered on the floor.
And the buff that enhanced a person’s abilities.
“……Could it be, that child is…… a child of the Palarion family.”
“Oho, you’re the first person I've seen call Joshua by his family na.”
Judging by Rodwell’s reaction, there was no mistake.
While the highest rank for both mages and knights was ‘Deus,’ the first head of the Palarion family was a figure evaluated to be even beyond that.
However, she had heard that unlike its forr glory, the Palarion bloodline had already been severed.
Thus, her master used to say habitually that his [Holy] attribute would never be seen again.
To think that the brat before her eyes was a human capable of wielding that power.
“Is it a formidable magic?”
Owain asked.
“I heard that assistance and defense are his specialties. Although he is said to have almost no attack power, be careful since we don't know what he will use.”
The boy's capability was extraordinary.
If it was as Rodwell said, it ant the boy used magic late after seeing her magic.
In a fight between mages, the speed of calculating the spell was the first priority.
It ant she had already been defeated in that first priority.
The plan had to be changed.
If they focused on minor attacks while utilizing the speed of the thunderbolt….
It was at that mont.
“Keugh!”
Chloe exhaled a large breath.
Her entire body beca heavy as if lead weights had been hung on her.
It was the boy's magic.
His staff exploded while emitting a strong light.
She let her guard down!
Just as she had prepared the thunderbolt, he also gathered ti for this magic.
‘To suppress us with force.’
Even setting herself aside.
She did not expect even Owain to be tied down.
A knight went through grueling resistance training to resist magic.
With Owain's level, most magic would be at a tickling level.
But the boy was different.
Although he was said to be injured, he was suppressing Owain.
Slash!
Rodwell did not miss such a gap.
He raised his sword and struck down with the determination to end it this ti.
“Aaaargh!”
Owain let out a shout as if he could not be defeated like this.
A pure white aura exploded from his entire body, and he was released from the boy's binding.
He barely succeeded in blocking the sword.
However, he only blocked it.
He could not deflect it and they vied tensely.
The blade was gradually pushed back and touched his injured left shoulder.
Blood dripped down.
Before long, a rough sound of breathing leaked from Owain's mouth.
“……Sir Rodwell, I want to talk.”
“Ah, I thought it would be around this ti.”
Rodwell did not relax the strength in his hands, as if he had no intention of doing so.
“Even though the victory or defeat has tilted, I believe you know my skill best. Do you not think it is too wasteful to cut down here?”
“A man who is a knight is saying things that third-rate villains would say.”
“It is a matter you must think about carefully. Because there will be no turning back after you cut .”
Owain felt that his remaining strength was running out.
He had lost too much blood.
The blood fallen from his shoulder was clotted on the floor to the point it looked like a small puddle.
“It might not be a bad idea.”
Rodwell's attitude beca just a little lukewarm.
“But that is not a problem I can decide.”
“I know you are the commander of this! If you decide, everyone will follow.”
Rodwell snorted.
“I am telling you, it is not .”
It was frustrating.
At this point, he could not distinguish whether Owain did not want to believe it or if his head just was not working.
“The person who planned this matter is that bastard.”
“That bastard?”
“The person who made you two kneel from behind, you see.”
Owain recalled one person he had forgotten.
Joshua.
The mage who cast a buff on Rodwell and a curse on himself to make the situation advantageous.
However, he was still a student.
A single knight order carried out such a great undertaking while trusting a single student?
How could he believe that!
“Even if his talent is outstanding, that child is still a student.”
“He is a student indeed. One who slayed a mutant, won over a Knight Captain, has a warhorse, has a boat…… Wow, even I don't believe it after saying it.”
Rodwell pushed the sword away and kicked the body with his right foot at the sa ti.
Owain lost his balance and collapsed on the floor.
A groan of "Ugh!" burst out.
Looking at his injured shoulder, it was not a state where he could hold a sword.
Rodwell also knew that and did not finish him off.
“Joshua, it seems to be roughly finished, what should we do?”
Owain doubted his ears.
A figure like Rodwell was seeking an opinion from a student.
The sound of footsteps was heard.
The boy slowly approached from the darkness and revealed himself.
“I heard the talk.”
The boy locked eyes with him.
Even now, he could not believe the circumstances.
However, the fact that he was the center of the group that had raided was clear.
“I am sorry, but I have no intention of accepting you.”
“I am strong. I can definitely be of help!”
“I acknowledge that. But Saint Stalia is a place you and the Countess have dominated for a year. If the head remains, the body will quickly regenerate. Did you all not purge the family mbers in order because you were afraid such a thing would happen?”
Owain swallowed his words.
The boy had a gaze that seed to know all the actions he and Chloe had committed.
“We committed sins, but all of those things were actions to survive.”
“I understand. I am not trying to capture you all because you are villains either. It is just that the targets I set happened to be bad guys.”
There seed to be no room for compromise.
Joshua was not naive.
The innocent attitude commonly found at that age was not visible.
There was only a cold-hearted commander chasing solely after practical interests.
“I am in a very angry state right now. Do you know why?”
The boy's eyes lit up.
What kind of young brat's spirit was at this level?
“Thanks to you all managing the castle like a ss, there are quite a lot of places to repair. It will take months to return it to normal.”
Joshua approached and struck his injured shoulder with the staff.
Terrible pain ran through him.
He thought of picking up the fallen sword to counterattack, but gave up.
Even if he struggled, he was in the palm of the boy's hand anyway.
“It is also a talent to screw up a land that would run well even if left alone like this.”
“I was also feeling the seriousness. But Chloe—!”
He looked at the spot where she had fallen.
Chloe was not in her spot.
She had escaped using the gap when the boy's magic weakened.
“I have a guess as to where she went. Rest easy, for you will not be the only one suffering alone.”
Owain did not feel angry.
It was a relationship they had been in together while feeling each other's utility value from the beginning.
He knew there was no such thing as affection in this relationship.
“What becos of from now on?”
“I intend to execute you in the plaza. To soothe the residents who have been suffering all this ti, and to persuade the knights who did not join our side.”
“What if I commit suicide and resist your will?”
“If you are executed, I will respect that will and bury you in a sunny spot, and even set up a monunt. However, if you plan to interfere until the end, then you will not be able to go peacefully even in death. I will display your head, and throw your body as food for wild dogs. It will be the most miserable end for you as a knight.”
It was over.
The boy was felt like a priest pronouncing a judgnt.
“That’s why you should have believed my words from the beginning and begged Joshua.”
Rodwell's sense of injustice had not subsided yet.
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