A Famous Traitor and Treacherous Genius

207 – Sword Master (2)

Running on a horse borrowed from my maternal grandfather, Balzac Lembourg Gunther.

As I rode through the roadless plains past Lemberi Camp, I sighed inwardly at the state of the horses running forward so vigorously.

‘It’s up to you to give meaning, but isn’t this blatant to anyone?’

It is not a sick horse.

However, it is not too young a colt.

Rather, he lent me a horse that is old enough that it will have trouble running in a few years and that it will lie down and go away.

‘I’m just trying to show off.’

He boasted all sorts of things about it being his favorite course horse, but if he had recognized that it was truly an urgent situation, he would have lent him a top-class horse that wouldn’t be surprising if he used it as a war horse right away.

It would be a waste.

He is thinking about surviving, and I am probably thinking about dying along with the horse.

Although this horse is a high-end breed, it is a mare that has already given birth to all foals and can no longer become pregnant.

If you think about it like a chicken, it is in a state where it can no longer lay eggs.

At least because it is a horse, being able to ride and run like this has utility value, so if it didn’t exist, there would only be one fate.

The fate of a hen that cannot lay eggs is that her hair branches will break.

This statement is also true.

Not knowing that he was invited to a path leading to danger, he is running through the plains following my instructions while holding the reins.

“Whoa, whoa.”

When you pull the reins at the appropriate position, the horse slowly slows down and stops.

Purr.

Seeing the horse’s eyes as if asking if I was going to take a break, I immediately got off the saddle and removed the various harnesses installed on its mouth and back.

“People will soon come to kill me. Just run away on your own.”

Along with the horse, lightly tap the horse’s back with the mana containing the intention.

“Or you can go back to the territory.”

Purr.

The horse started and noticed, but soon lowered its head, turned its head, and ran along the path it had run on.

“Well, it’s impossible to go into the wild.”

A horse raised in a stable its entire life.

It is impossible to suddenly go to the wild.

It’s impossible to run to an unknown place you’ve never been to.

However, it is unreasonable to trust and follow someone you meet for the first time.

In the end, the horse chose to return to where it was.

That’s normal, that’s average.

Animals have a homing instinct, so unless the place they are returning to is completely trashed, they return to the place they are staying.

We call it ‘home’.

So, is this place called Nostrum my home?

Well.

From noble mtl dot come

Right now, those who are running towards me, kicking up dust like crossing horses, may call it home, but my home is a place over there on the road toward the empire-

It is a canyon.

“I thought it would come, but it arrived sooner than expected.”

“…Gray Gibraltar.”

The knights who came riding on horses fully equipped with barding were screaming at me with all their might.

“The enemy who killed the vice-captain. I will pay you back right here and now.”

“Aren’t you going to pretend to be an Imperial Assassin now? “The sun is still a long way away from setting?”

The time was probably around 5pm.

Although there are dark clouds in the sky, the sunlight has not completely disappeared, so the sunset is lighting up the plain.

“It’s not even late at night. They’re attacking at this hour. Let’s see. I guess…50 people. The number has increased again.”

“You arrogant man. How can you have such composition even when facing the kingdom’s first knight corps? What on earth are you believing in?”

“Well, at least I think I know that you are trying to prevent me from entering the territory of Gibraltar.”

The reason why I quickly grabbed my weapon and ran out as soon as I got on my horse.

“You’re afraid you’ll tell your father, aren’t you?”

“…”

“The Knights of the Golden Dawn attempted to assassinate Gray and Chat Noir. Before they deliver the news directly, even if they do, aren’t they trying to make it a ‘fait accompli’? Isn’t that right?”

“It’s all because of you.”

“Ha.”

Now I blame myself as the source of all evil.

“Me?”

“If you have quietly enjoyed the prestige of the guardian family-“

“Bullshit.”

I immediately cut off the knight’s words because I felt like my ears were rotting.

“How much more sacrifices will our family have to make in the name of Nostrum?”

“…”

“All the merits that Gibraltar has accumulated belong to Gibraltar. All the kingdom gave Gibraltar was an obligation. If you ask whether it did not send taxes, ask the opposite question. Is it a country if it does not send taxes from the center to the front lines of the empire?”

I raised my staff horizontally and pointed at the knights surrounding me in a circle.

“Among these, whoever has experience dealing with the Imperial Army in the Gibraltar Gorge, raise his hand his. I will spare that person.”

No one raised their hand.

“There is no one. Of course. The nobles who are busy molesting ladies in the capital and playing with women paid by nobles in the countryside with the title of Golden Dawn may have even experienced an actual war.”

No one here has experienced war.

At least within the past 30 years, all battles with the Empire that resulted in casualties, including small-scale local battles involving one man, all took place in Gibraltar.

“Let me ask you something. This is because I am honestly curious, both publicly and privately. If there is a war with the Empire, whose side do you think Gibraltar will take?”

“Ha…!”

The Knight of Golden Dawn snorts.

“Are you going to commit treason?”

“Answer me accurately. Tell me what you think.”

“Of course the kingdom’s earl should take the kingdom’s side!”

“…Yeah, that’s the kingdom average.”

These are the thoughts of those who are pure in the sense that they are not smart even among the average kingdom.

“The eldest son became the mate of the imperial princess, and Gibraltar has the most exchanges with the empire, and even in terms of currency volume within the territory, the local currency, the thaler, is more widely used?”

“Gibraltar is the house of Nostrum!”

“…Yes, I did.”

I held the cane with both hands and lightly twisted it in the opposite direction.

Click.

“People like you have been sitting at the center of the country for decades, so it’s natural for it to get to that point.”

Are they stupid? You’re stupid.

That’s why it failed, and it will continue to fail.

Under the universalism of heroes, I have no doubt that heroes will always do the right thing, and I am not sure that heroes who should protect the country will become traitors who betray the country.

I guess so.

Just as the incompetent king drank alcohol and stormed into the Gyeongryongjang, Crimson Gibraltar could side with the empire, but they simply dismissed that possibility as ‘they’re not that type of person.’

“Okay. Then it makes sense that they’re coming to kill me. They think it’s because I’m turning Gibraltar into an imperial faction, right?”

“Sounds obvious!”

“I’m trying to kill you because you’re a scum who deceived my father and brainwashed him to side with the Empire by covering the eyes and ears of Crimson Gibraltar, the guardian of the canyon. Right?”

“If you know, die quietly!”

A knight is running.

The distance is quite long, so he rides on horseback, aims the sword in his hand precisely at me, and even refines his mana to cut me as he passes by.

“Die quietly, man.”

If I don’t do anything like this, I’ll just be stabbed to death by that spear.

“Unfortunately.”

If you don’t do anything.

Just think that this is fate and accept it.

“Right now, there’s no one next to me.”

* * *

That time.

“Hey, princess.”

“Yeah, why?”

“If you’re worried, why don’t you follow along now…?”

Noir asked very carefully.

“Me?”

Astasia, looking out her window, blinked and pointed to herself.

“Yes.”

“Noir. You don’t know much about your brother, do you?”

“…Yes.”

Honestly, I don’t know.

“Perhaps the person in this world who knows my brother best is Princess Astasia.”

“…Hmm, hmm.”

Chat Noir just spoke honestly, but Astasia cleared her throat and blushed.

“Well, that’s probably true. Gray does not tend to reveal his true feelings to others.”

“That’s why I’m asking. Isn’t it…Dangerous?”

“It must be dangerous.”

“Then… “

“The enemy.”

Chat Noir tilted his head at Astasia’s words.

“The enemy is dangerous…?”

“Yes.”

“No matter how big of a brother he is, he doesn’t know how far his opponents will go.”

“But Gray decided exactly where to go and went forward.”

Astasia pointed alternately between herself and Noir.

“You too, but you left me here too. You may be my younger brother, but you are a man and you can protect yourself, so let’s just say it is.”

“…Hmm. Are you saying that I am recognized enough to not be a burden to you?”

“… It’s similar. Anyway, if you were really worried about Gray, you would have taken him with you, right?”

“Is that so? It actually seems safer here.”

“This is the best when it comes to protecting against enemies. But…Grey’s purpose is different.

Astasia lightly lifted up the bread knife she had been using to cut the castella.

“Gray, if there’s no one else around … Why are you suddenly grabbing his neck?”

“Oh, that. That…”

“Why?”

“…You don’t know? Then, if I tell you…”

“What is it? Tell me, okay?”

Astasia smiled slightly as she placed the tip of the bread knife vertically on her index finger.

“It’s okay. I won’t tell Gray.”

“The princess. Do you know that the princess is very similar to her older brother?”

“Thank you. But what are you trying to say?”

“I say I don’t talk about Wednesdays, but I tell other people…Ugh!”

Grinning.

“I’ll keep it a secret, okay?”

“…Ha.”

Chat Noir hesitated, then finally sighed and opened her mouth.

“People think that when I was kidnapped at the age of seven, I used my wits to kill the assassin and ran away. That’s true…”

“Oh, I heard that?”

“Yes?”

“I already heard this when we met at the age of 13.”

“…”

Noir opened her mouth with a look of betrayal, but Astasia stabbed the piece of castella she had cut with her knife and took a light bite.

“Then it will be easier to talk about. Gray is a person who pays a lot of attention to what people around him think, isn’t he?”

“…Brother?”

“Yes. As I keep saying, that’s why he left us here. There are many different reasons, but if someone attacks him…”

Suddenly.

“Gray, he doesn’t really want to show himself to his family. At times like that.”

“At that time… “

Suddenly.

“Everyone has at least one side of themselves that they don’t want to show, right? I understand. There are times when I do that too. Oh, just in case you don’t know, I’ll tell you something. You know, Gray. When you do that to people.”

Astasia tapped the right corner of her mouth with her index finger.

“Here, it goes up slightly?”

“…That.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“…”

A scene appeared in Noir’s mind.

At that time.

It was dark so I couldn’t see it well.

My brother at that time was definitely-

* * *

Suddenly.

Whether human, horse, or metal.

“Huh.”

The feeling of cutting with aura is always unfamiliar.

“As expected.”

A familiar feeling is better.

“The imperial blade is better for slicing and cutting.”

“Uh, uh…! Ugh…!”

Along with the horse, the body of the knight riding the horse is separated.

“Hu-ha.”

The sky is dark, there is no rain, but the air is humid.

“Okay, next.”

Infusing the aura into the blade taken out from within the staff, creates a single blade that is best suited for cutting.

“I’ll cut off your hair with a single knife, without you even having to feel any pain.”

Sword Master.

Human butcher.

“Mercifully.”