Chapter 81
Even if I went outside like this, the pursuit would surely continue.
Marquis Baltimo was the noble who had built the strongest influence in this area.
In an era where Knight Orders were power, he was one of the few nobles whose individual aristocratic force rivaled that of a Knight Order.
He himself was also known as a knight nearing the Master level.
‘They say even Superior-grade knights are hard to find, but lately, everyone I et seems to be Superior or higher.’
After the Emperor’s death, forces fragnted, and conflicts and wars increased, causing the skills of knights to advance rapidly.
Thanks to this, it felt like there were many unknown powerhouses and Master-level knights erging from seclusion.
Just look at Karl himself, wasn't he a new rising star?
Just as I was urging my horse towards the castle gate, the surroundings filled with enemies.
And among them, I saw a familiar face.
“Where are you going in such a hurry!”
Behind a group of rcenaries, the one smiling benevolently was none other than Kavar.
“Shut that mouth!
How dare you kill the Master and Second Brother and still call yourself human!
If the Master hadn’t taken us in, we would have been white bones sunk in a ditch!”
When Verpin roared, the rcenaries around Kavar stirred.
Karl instantly read their reactions.
They didn't yet know what Kavar had done.
“Silence!”
Kavar shed his earlier benevolent expression and shouted with a hardened face.
“Did you think I wouldn’t know that you conspired with Seonil to harm the Master and are now fleeing!
We all know where you’re coming from!”
It was a checkmate.
This was why they hadn't attacked Karl and Verpin inside the headquarters.
Many rcenaries and the people of Ulstein city had witnessed the two erge and run off frantically.
‘He’s like a hyena.’
Karl stared at the hypocritical Kavar, who had been wearing a benevolent smile all over his face.
“You scoundrel!
Do you not fear the heavens!
We know full well that you joined hands with Marquis Baltimo and killed the Master!”
As Verpin shouted, his eyes bloodshot, the surrounding rcenaries wavered once more.
It was because they all knew Verpin well.
“Don’t get involved!
All the acting that man has done until now was for today’s treacherous plot!”
The argunt between the two fueled the confusion in the rcenaries’ minds.
“Did you say Verpin?
I rely ca here to assist Sir Kavar.
I haven't even t the rcenary King face-to-face.”
Just then, Marquis Baltimo revealed himself next to Kavar.
Simultaneously, more troops appeared in the surroundings.
Amidst the confusion caused by the sudden appearance of Baltimo’s forces, the rcenaries slled which side would win.
Who was at fault was ambiguous, but which side would erge victorious seed all too clear.
“What a ss.”
Karl, who had been listening quietly from the side, spoke up.
His voice was calm but penetrated everyone’s ears.
As everyone stirred, several system windows visible only to Karl appeared before his eyes.
[Quest: Find the Traitor of Ulstein Completed.]
[As a reward for completing the quest, the skill Aura Step is granted.]
[A Linked Quest is generated. Quest: Path of the rcenary King]
A quest was completed even though I hadn't done anything.
And a linked quest on top of that.
However, I didn't have the leisure to leisurely look at system windows right now.
“Who are you to stand beside a traitor and run your mouth!”
Kavar yelled furiously.
“Karl, a Free Knight.”
His introduction was brief, and his voice was calm, but the impact of that single phrase was far greater than expected.
“The Knight… of the Lighthouse…?”
“The Savior of Sinice?”
“The living saint of the Essus Order….”
“The Knight of Salvation….”
Here and there, titles referring to Karl began to pop up one by one.
And they recalled the one person who had recently beco the center of the biggest storm on the continent.
“Karl Reitz yer.”
The mont his na echoed, the initial unrest grew larger.
Instantly, everyone's gaze focused on Karl.
“…Are you that Free Knight who has recently caused such a stir in the world?”
Kavar was flustered by Karl’s sudden appearance but tried his best to act composed and spoke with feigned ease.
“I don’t know about the other things, but I am certainly Karl, the Free Knight.”
“Why are you beside that man who killed the Master?”
“Because Verpin didn’t kill the Master.
The rcenary King himself told
as he was dying.
That you and that man standing next to you killed the rcenary King.”
“Nonsense!
Soone who knows nothing is speaking carelessly!
You have nothing to do with our affairs, so if you leave quietly now, I will guarantee your safety.”
He spoke as if offering rcy, but it ultimately ant Karl was a burden.
Just then, Karl pulled out a badge from his tunic.
“The rcenary King asked
to find the traitor.
And I think I have found that traitor now, what do you think?”
The golden badge in Karl's hand was clearly the identification badge symbolizing the rcenary King.
As the rcenaries wavered at his question.
“How dare you…!
Kill the Master and steal his identification badge!
Seize those n imdiately and bring them before !
I will kill them and avenge the Master’s grudge!”
Kavar shouted in a voice full of fury, but the rcenaries hesitated.
Circumstantially, they thought Kavar might be the culprit, but the overall situation was overwhelmingly in Kavar’s favor.
Seeing them hesitate like that, Marquis Baltimo clicked his tongue, raised his hand, and then brought it down.
Instantly, Baltimo’s subordinates mixed among the rcenaries began to charge towards the two.
Seeing the first movers, the rcenaries following Kavar also ran forward together.
Just when I thought it was impossible to break through all of them while carrying the heavily injured Verpin.
A multitude of bolts flew in, montarily halting the charging rcenaries.
“This way!”
Soone was gesturing towards the two from there.
“Mongoose!”
The man, who appeared to be one of Verpin’s subordinates, blocked the path with about 50 rcenaries, buying ti for Karl and Verpin to escape.
“Go, Lord Verpin!”
“We move together!”
“We will follow shortly!
Hurry!”
“We go together!”
“Quickly escort Lord Verpin!”
Mongoose turned away from Verpin and blocked the path.
Then, about 10 subordinates began to lead Verpin away from the spot.
The two quickly moved through the castle's secret passage, following Mongoose’s subordinates.
Escaping outside the castle, they frantically began to flee into the forest.
“Let’s split up here.
I’ll lure them, so you hide sohow and survive.”
“What do you an?
We must move together.”
“Are you asking
to protect that broken body of yours too?
Forget it.
I can escape on my own just fine, so focus on surviving.
If strangers co to help you midway, ntion Anne’s na and mine, and they will help you.”
Sticking together like this was more disadvantageous.
The presence of nurous enemies was already being detected around the forest.
“Let’s survive and see each other again.”
Leaving behind those brief words, Karl launched himself away.
Verpin could only grit his teeth tightly as he watched Karl recede into the distance.
‘How pathetic.
Verpin… How pathetic…’
He whipped himself inwardly and pushed himself up.
Everyone was risking their lives to help; he couldn't just stay frozen like this.
He clenched his teeth and moved his body.
***
Reading the presence of enemies flocking around, Karl concealed his own presence as much as possible.
They didn't know, but Karl, before being a knight, had been a soldier, an assassin, and a rcenary.
Most knights didn't know the movents of assassins, but Karl had acted and moved like an assassin on nurous battlefields on the East Continent.
Killing his presence, approaching, and slitting the commander’s throat were as natural to him as breathing.
‘It’s been a while…’
Even though he rarely had to move like this after coming to the West Continent, the mont he killed his presence, his body reacted naturally.
And now that he was a Master, Karl’s movents were even stealthier and faster than before.
Swish.
Karl’s body appeared behind the enemies surrounding the area.
Then, several flashes of his sword occurred like lightning and vanished, and in an instant, dozens of lives disappeared on the spot.
“Enemy!”
The soldier who shouted the mont he was attacked also collapsed on the spot.
However, his shout caused the enemy’s encirclent to tighten further around Karl.
Although Karl had intended this to save Verpin, it also ant that it beca harder for Karl to escape the tightening net due to the swarming enemies.
Swish. Slice.
Karl, hidden, appeared, cut down enemies, and disappeared again, repeating this several tis.
The surroundings were stained with darkness, making Karl’s concealnt more effective.
However, the number of torches illuminating the surroundings increased exponentially compared to the beginning.
Karl sensed that stealthy surprise attacks were no longer feasible.
“There he is!”
The mont Karl recognized the change in the surrounding situation, even though he hadn't revealed himself, a soldier spotted him and pointed, shouting.
And well-trained enemies began to ticulously encircle Karl.
Even though he used the forest terrain, climbing over trees and running down, trying his best to restrict the enemy's movents, the well-constructed encirclent began to tighten its grip on Karl's neck little by little.
Just after cutting down a soldier who was forming the encirclent ahead and running forward, a bolt grazed Karl's side.
The number of stray arrows had increased to the point where it was becoming difficult to dodge or block them all.
Karl's vision, bright even at night, scanned restlessly for a place to move.
And spotting a relatively thin area in the encirclent, Karl dashed forward without hesitation.
Cutting down the enemies blocking his path, Karl ran frantically, blood already flowing from various parts of his body.
‘If it weren’t for the Ancient King’s Chainmail, I might have died long ago…’
The defensive capability of the armor I recently obtained was outstanding, protecting all vital areas of the body.
Bolts or arrows flying from a distance mostly failed to penetrate the armor.
However, the number of enemies felled by Karl's hand had already reached around 100, and even he was growing weary.
The enemies included assassins, rangers, knights, and soldiers.
The forces led by Marquis Baltimo were renowned even within the West Continent, so each one of them was well-trained.
‘Troubleso.’
Even when several enemies were cut down with a single stroke, their formation didn't break.
It ant they were extrely well-trained soldiers.
Additionally, any gaps were filled by the sheer number of rcenaries.
Easily several thousand personnel were surrounding the area.
Ironically, they seed uninterested in their original objective, Verpin's location.
Blinded by the deaths of their comrades, they were focusing everything on Karl.
“You stupid fools!
Didn't I tell you to capture Verpin!”
Just then, a roaring voice was heard from sowhere.
Perhaps Marquis Baltimo had realized the situation had gone awry.
Even so, it was already too late.
Karl smiled.
And he just ran like crazy towards the gap in the encirclent he had broken through monts ago.
However, the movent of those encircling the running Karl changed.
It was as if they were letting Karl run forward.
‘Strange. It’s as if they’re deliberately luring …’
After running forward for quite so ti, Karl confird that a cliff lay before him.
It was so dizzyingly high that even a Master-level swordsman like Karl could surely die if he fell.
“That’s far enough.”
When Karl stood before the cliff, countless enemies were positioned behind him.
And at their forefront stood Marquis Baltimo.
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