Surviving as a Knigh Chapter 64 : Chapter 64

Chapter 64

It was already the 10th day since they had established their camp in front of Count Collo's castle.

As before, soldiers with stern faces, fully ard, watched the castle gates.

The fear they initially felt had almost vanished.

If the enemy had been confident, they would have already opened the gates and engaged in battle, but they had rely held out inside the gates for over ten days.

“Isn’t this all thanks to Sir Karl, the Knight of the Lighthouse?”

“Of course, isn’t he the knight who cut down all those infamous Vipers of Collo? I heard that on his way to our domain, he single-handedly cut down 50 assassins sent by the Count. Is that all? Didn’t he also cut down the famous Machado in one fell swoop!”

To the soldiers, Karl was, in a word, like a talisman.

That day too, as always, they were holding their positions and observing the enemy’s movents.

“The gate is opening!”

At the urgent cry of a soldier, they instantly ford ranks.

And at their forefront stood the knights, the three barons, and Karl.

“Are they finally coming out!”

Baron Vito’s voice was heavy but subtly trembling.

“Are you nervous?”

“Being human, how could one not be nervous with such a difference in troop numbers?”

“I empathize. However, after today, there will be no more such tension.”

It was then.

At the very front of the forces led by Count Calido, there were about 100 knights they had never seen before.

“Those are!”

I, too, knew their insignia well, having seen Hector of the Alcantara Knights before.

‘Unexpected reinforcents.’

I hadn't thought Count Calido, despite being nominally affiliated with the Holy Knights, would bring in the Alcantara Knights, who stand in opposition to them.

Since there were many regions in the West where the forces of Alcantara and the Holy Knights clashed, they probably saw this as good prey from their perspective.

‘A cunning man.’

Thanks to that, our side gained more justification.

And if they had prepared the Alcantara Knights, we too had sothing prepared.

“They’re coming!”

At the very front, Count Calido was charging with his sword drawn.

I had seen it on the battlefields of the East Continent before; that man always charged ahead like that when certain victory was assured.

He looked like he believed he was certain to win now.

“Withdraw the troops!”

As I shouted, the well-positioned troops began to retreat in perfect order.

“Let’s see if they can resist chasing this delicious bait.”

Wearing a strange smile, I began to retreat with the soldiers.

***

“Strange. Why are they retreating?”

“Isn’t it natural they’d retreat since you joined us?”

Haz, the knight commander of Alcantara, frowned upon seeing the troops retreat rearward without even fighting.

“They probably thought they had a decent chance if the Knight of the Lighthouse fought our knights. In that situation, with a whole new knighthood of 100 appearing, if they have brains, retreating the troops is the natural course.”

Count Calido had seen countless troops break and flee after losing montum.

Since all the battlefields he participated in on the East Continent were ones where they had an overwhelming advantage, the battlefields Count Calido witnessed always took a form similar to this.

On the other hand, Haz, who had always experienced fierce battlefields, found the current picture quite unfamiliar.

“We must move quickly, we need to crush them all before they scatter and return to their own castle!”

Watching Calido shout with overflowing enthusiasm, Haz, though displeased, began to spur his horse quickly, following behind him.

“Baron Solar! Lead the infantry and follow slowly! The knights will strike their rear first!”

With 150 mounted knights behind him now, Count Calido’s confidence soared sky-high.

Commanding such a large force was sothing he had only done on the East Continent, and each ti, they had achieved results close to a massacre against infantry.

Count Calido believed this was the chance to recreate those glorious monts.

Excited, he charged towards the enemy's rear with 150 cavalry.

“This feels uneasy.”

Baron Solar felt uneasy watching his lord, who seed too excited and to have lost his reason.

No matter how much he thought so, his stubborn lord was unlikely to change the current decision.

There wasn't much else he could do other than preserve his troops and follow behind him.

Those diligently chasing the enemy's rear found their rearguard sooner than expected.

They seed to be planning to use the entrance to the forest to block the knights' charge.

“Is that pathetic idea the best you could co up with!”

A charge of 150 cavalry couldn't be stopped by a re slight terrain advantage.

Only 30 knights and Karl stood before them.

“Karl, the Knight of the Lighthouse! Your heroic tale ends here! Hahahahahaha.”

While no one else spoke, only Count Calido boldly shouted.

I, standing at the forefront of the allied forces, simply stood silently before the knights, my sword drawn.

It was when the allied forces and Count Calido’s cavalry were drawing closer to each other.

I, who seed to be standing still, suddenly flashed my sword.

Upon it rested a radiant golden Aura, brilliant enough for anyone to identify.

“Aura…! He was a Master!”

A sound close to a lant escaped Knight Commander Haz’s lips for the first ti.

And simultaneously, I spurred my horse forward from before the 30 cavalry, poised for a solo breakthrough.

“Isn’t he crazy! There are 150 knights here!”

Everyone present considered my action reckless, just as Count Calido said.

No matter how much of a Master-level knight I was, I couldn't handle all of them alone right now.

Nevertheless, I was charging ahead at the front, spurring my horse.

The sight was so much like a legendary knight from stories that even the charging knights of Alcantara and Count Calido felt slightly intimidated by the montum.

“Teach that bastard driven mad by ambition a lesson about reality!”

Count Calido slowed his charging horse and subtly yielded the lead to the knights coming up behind him.

The others, too, aware of his actions, pretended not to notice and simply charged towards .

Thus, at the very front, I clashed first with about 10 enemy cavalry.

“Damn it…!”

The mont Count Calido’s eyes widened as if they would pop out, about 10 of his knights were caught in the golden Aura during the first clash, turned into bloody sses, and scattered in all directions.

***

Charging towards as many as 150 cavalry, my heart pounded as if it would burst.

I too had weathered nurous battlefields, but I had never charged alone against so many knights.

I had decided on this crazy act with the purpose of focusing all eyes on myself, for the morale of our allies and for the Holy Knights who would charge from the flank.

I tried hard to soothe my pounding heart and raised my sword with the most expressionless face possible.

As my charging horse, Silver, his dark brown coat fluttering in the wind, I raised my sword enveloped in golden Aura before the approaching enemy.

[Zen yer Sword Technique 2nd Form.]

A technique focused solely on cutting down enemies in front, spreading Aura as wide as possible to annihilate the foes before , unfolded.

The golden Aura, spreading wide in a crescent shape, instantly turned the roughly 10 enemy cavalry charging from the front into bloody sses.

‘Not enough….’

Originally, if this technique were complete, they should have been cut down cleanly like bundles of straw.

However, due to the lack of proficiency in the technique, their bodies burst apart more gruesoly.

It wasn't what I wanted, but because of it, the enemy's morale seed to have been significantly broken.

“Follow Sir Karl!”

Boosted by that sight, the three barons led their knights and charged after .

Normally, the Alcantara Knights would have overwhelmingly crushed them, but having lost their impact force from the clash with , their formation was pierced in an instant.

And in the brief mont that short exchange continued, the sound of horns echoed from all directions.

Bwooooooo!

The first to react to the horn sound was Count Calido, who until monts ago had been vigorously raising his sword and shouting.

“N-No way…!?”

It was a sound Count Calido knew well.

Army signal horns are surprisingly diverse.

Among them, that sound….

From the plains to Calido’s left, nearly 200 knights revealed themselves.

They wore white surcoats with diagonal cross markings and helts that covered their faces.

Their individual weapons varied, but they charged forward in a cavalry formation that looked as if stamped from a mold.

“In the na of God!”

The man charging at the head of the 200 cavalry, unlike the others, wore no helt, his dense beard and short hair flying as he spurred his horse.

“Karim Garcia!”

Known as the Vice-Commander of the Holy Knights and a Master-level knight, he was one of the great knights whose na was known throughout the entire continent.

“What on earth is going on! There was no ntion of the Holy Knights participating!”

“As if I knew! If I had known, I wouldn't have called you in the first place!”

Blaming the victim, Calido instead grew angry.

“Retreat… Everyone retreat!”

Haz, realizing the situation was beyond their control, instantly turned his horse around.

“Where are you going!”

“I won’t throw away the lives of my subordinates in a aningless fight.”

“Sir Haz!”

Calido shouted, but the Alcantara knights began to flee even faster in the opposite direction.

Even amidst that, many knights had to lose their lives to

and the barons’ knights.

“Those who throw down their weapons and surrender will be spared!”

At my roar, many knights suddenly threw their swords to the ground.

In the anti, Karim and the Holy Knights arrived and struck the few remaining Alcantara knights and Count Calido’s knights.

“Everyone retreat!”

Count Calido gave the belated retreat order, but by then, they were already surrounded on all sides by the other knighthood.

“….”

When the dumbfounded Calido, stunned by the sudden change in situation, dropped his weapon from atop his horse, the situation had already been completely settled.

“That man hasn’t changed one bit.”

Karim, arriving with his brown hair flying, clicked his tongue looking at Calido.

“You haven’t changed either.”

Karim, dismounting from his horse, strode towards , who had also dismounted, and suddenly embraced

tightly.

“Hey, what are you doing in front of everyone.”

“Is reuniting with an old comrade strange?”

At his booming voice, everyone looked at the two of us with curious eyes.

“Master, did you know Sir Karl?”

“I owe this friend my life. If I could go back, I wouldn’t mind returning to that ti. Hahahaha.”

At Garcia’s hearty laughter, unchanged from the past, I chuckled.

Because at least he wasn’t sinister or two-faced, and he was soone you could trust your back to on the battlefield.

“Actually, I’ve been hearing news about you from various places.”

“You must have investigated my movents. After causing such a ruckus in the East Continent, it would be stranger not to investigate.”

I thought everyone who knew

would have tracked my movents.

The Order did, and I expected the Holy Knights would too.

“Well, anyway, all the news I heard sounded just like you. By the way…!”

Garcia’s face lit up not with a smile, but with competitiveness.

“You’ve finally learned Aura!”

Seeing his burning eyes, I averted my gaze towards the distant forest.

I had forgotten.

That this madman loves to fight, and especially goes crazy for an even match.

Even on the East Continent, despite being able to use Aura, he always enjoyed crossing swords with

without Aura.

With this man, it wasn’t just about crossing swords; one had to fight endlessly until all stamina was depleted.

“Now we can finally duel using Aura!”

What if one of us loses an arm in the process.

I wanted to say that, but I couldn’t bring myself to pour cold water on the face of an old comrade who had rushed all the way here.

“Let’s do it later. I’m busy now, so later.”

“…Well, it’s a pity, but today isn’t the only day, understood! Hahahahaha!”

Watching him make a disappointed face and then imdiately laugh heartily, I regretted calling the Holy Knights.

Thus, they safely entered Count Collo’s castle.

The infantry following behind looked back and forth between the captured Count and the 200 Holy Knights, then all threw down their weapons and surrendered.

[Quest: Liberator of the County of Collo ended.]

[Ancient King’s Chainmail is provided as a reward.]

Closing the popped-up system window, I looked at the widely spread interior of the Count's castle and marveled slightly.

It was a grandeur that seed as if he had lavishly spent all the money he had earned.

Having entered, they imprisoned Count Calido and discussed several administrative matters.

And amidst that, a vassal of Duke Ellenhower of the Sorset Duchy, the highest noble ruling the West and one of the most prestigious great nobles in the entire Empire after the Emperor's death, arrived at the County.