Chapter 21

For reference, the only entrance connecting the Inner Castle and the Peasant District was a single gate.

The East Gate.

According to what I’d learned, the reason was obvious: given the kind of stunts they usually pulled, it was meant to keep the peasants from ever storming into the inner city.

I recalled the conversation Yuribel had relayed between the baron and his cronies and let out a laugh. How neatly they moved along the path I’d laid for them.

“No matter what it takes, capture the angel, huh. Well, I guess that’s the best solution you could come up with… but let’s see if you can even get that far.”

I planted myself right in the middle of the drawbridge that spanned the moat in front of the East Gate.

The moat was over twenty meters wide. Its depth—probably around four meters. Since it had been made by diverting two branches of the Tigrid River, the current was strong. Even a Steel Body knight weighed down by armor would never cross it.

Meaning this drawbridge was their only way into the Peasant District.

“A one-man wall strategy, like Zhang Fei at Changbanpo?”¹

I let my sword hang low and drew a steady breath.

Up ahead, I could clearly see the knights leading a force rushing toward me.

Srrrng.

“Come on then. You dumbasses.”

“Who goes there?!”

Neighh!!

The knights pulled their horses to a halt the moment they saw me standing on the drawbridge, sword hanging at my side.

Then, with his escorts around him, the baron rode forward—his eyes going wide when he recognized me.

“D-David?”

Smiling brightly, I greeted him.

“Lord Idiot. Where are you rushing off to in such a hurry?”

For a moment, the baron was rattled by my sudden appearance. Then fury twisted his face and he jabbed a finger at me.

“You—you wretch! If not for you! If you hadn’t stirred things up, none of this would have happened!!”

I shrugged and nodded calmly.

“You’re right, my lord. If not for me, none of this would’ve happened.”

At my easy agreement, his accusing expression froze. He sensed the strange dissonance between his blame and my acceptance.

“Wait. You mean…?”

I dropped the polite speech I’d been using just for fun and showed my true face.

“Yeah. I pushed things on purpose. And I’m plenty glad it all turned out the way I planned.”

“…No. Impossible. You expect me to believe I was tricked by the likes of you? Don’t make me laugh! Unless you knew in advance an angel would descend—!”

“You idiot. I didn’t know an angel would descend. I called her. That angel.”

“What?”

“I said, I called her here. I happen to be acquainted with the Archangel herself.”

His face twisted in equal parts shock and rage. He sputtered, then clenched his teeth so hard they ground audibly.

“You lunatic! Enough! You’re useless now anyway! I don’t know why you’re standing in the middle of the bridge, but if you want to die that badly, I’ll grant your wish! Crush him beneath your hooves!!”

At that, one of his knights spoke urgently.

“My lord, the bridge is narrow. Sending too many at once could collapse it under the strain—”

The baron’s face contorted.

“Tch… Pavel! You deal with him!”

“Yes, my lord!!”

A young knight at the front spurred his horse toward me. Since he hadn’t even drawn his sword, it seemed he meant to simply trample me under his steed.

Fair enough. For a heavy cavalryman, that wasn’t difficult—if his opponent weren’t me.

Shkkk!

At the moment of impact, I twisted my body and leapt. My blade flashed in a light cut.

The knight galloped past—his upper body, still in full armor, splitting apart cleanly and toppling sideways.

Thud!!

“……!”

The baron’s eyes bulged at the shocking sight.

“Better send someone worthwhile instead of tossing green boys to their deaths.”

“You—you’re not just some defrocked priest, are you?”

“Defrocked, my ass. I was never a priest in the first place.”

“Wait. Not a priest, yet you can wield divine power and speak with an Archangel? I’ve heard of something like that, just in rumors… You’re a ‘Rule Executioner,’ aren’t you?”

Rule Executioner? What the hell was that supposed to be? From the sound of it, maybe some upgraded version of an Inquisitor.

Explaining would be a pain. Better to just let him believe it.

“Heh. You know your stuff.”

“My god… so it wasn’t just a rumor. But why stay hidden for decades only to act now?”

“Does it matter?”

“…No, it doesn’t. No matter how great an Executioner you are, you’re still just human! If we mean to capture an angel, we can’t be stalled by the likes of you! Bern! Hassel! Col! Step forward and attack together!!”

The three knights he named stepped out reluctantly, unable to hide their confusion.

At the level of Aura Users, you could generally tell whether someone was at least a Steel Body practitioner or not. And to their eyes, I looked like a complete nobody. Yet their baron was tense, telling them to attack me in unison. Of course they were baffled.

One of them asked cautiously,

“My lord… with respect, even if Pavel fell, it doesn’t seem like this man requires a joint attack…”

The baron’s eyes snapped open, cold and sharp.

“Bern, who gave you permission to question me?”

The three knights flinched and quickly bowed their heads.

“Yes, my lord!!”

They exchanged glances, then dismounted and drew their swords.

Hmm. Not bad. From their presence, they all seemed to be high-level Aura Users.

“Hey. Knights A, B, and C. Think you three are enough? I see stronger ones in the back—why not send them instead? Oh, wait, are you saving them to fight the angel?”

“My name’s Bern, not A!”

“I’m Hassel, not B!”

“And I’m Col, damn it, not C!”

“Why the hell would I bother remembering the names of sweaty background extras? If you’re not swapping players, shut up and come at me.”

The knights flushed red, stung by my mockery.

“You dare!”

Their fighting spirit flared, and a grayish blaze shimmered over their bodies. The flame spread across their armor and swords.

Aura. Condensed mana in physical form. Definitely a step above that lunkhead knight who’d barged into the inn earlier.

Still, I felt no pressure. At the end of the day, they were below Master level. And even now, I could go head-to-head with a Master.

Clang!!

With a battle cry, A, B, and C thrust at me in staggered rhythm. I caught, twisted, and hooked all three blades together in one flowing motion.

Krrrk! Kkigkk!!

My own sword slipped low, reversed, then whipped up with brutal force, smashing into their tangled blades.

Kwang!

“What—!?”

“What strength is this!?”

Their swords flew into the air, their stances shattered. The shock forced them to stumble backward.

Of course, they were knights who lived and breathed swordplay, so the opening was brief.

But for me, brief was enough.

“Hyup!”

I drove off the bridge with a powerful stomp, my blade spearing toward the chest of B, who stood in the middle.

Even in panic, he twisted his body, bringing his armored upper arm to intercept—classic armor-guard technique. Normally, that would have been more than enough. Layered with mana and aura, the armor should have deflected or absorbed my blow.

But my weapon wasn’t “normal.”

As the angel had described it: an “orichalcum” alloy, tempered in starlight. A mass-produced divine armament.

Squelch!

A direct, merciless thrust—speed was its only purpose—rammed into his aura.

Krrk.

A hard, sticky resistance. The first time I’d ever felt that texture. So this was aura, huh?

But only for a moment.

Krrrk! Crunch!!

Pouring in my weight, I drove the blade deeper. The divine weapon punched through both aura and armor, skewering his chest at an angle.

“Ghhkk!!”

“Sir Hassel! You bastard!!”

Knight A let out a furious roar and charged. I shoved bleeding B into him with a kick.

A caught his comrade on reflex, but when he realized my intent, he snarled and tried to shove him away—

“Hold Person.”

Woom!

A pale ring of light snapped tight around them, pinning the two together.

Hold Person. A low-level priestly miracle that restrained humans. Normally useless against knights of this caliber.

But “normally” still meant it worked a little.

The glowing ring clung to them for just a heartbeat before tearing apart under their auras. That heartbeat was enough.

Boom!

I slammed into them with a full-body charge.

Kwoooom!! Crackkk!!

“Ghhaagh!!”

Splash!

The wooden railing shattered as if blasted by an explosion. The two knights flew like bowling pins, plunging into the dark waters below.

The last knight—C—froze, eyes wide.

I calmly flicked blood from my blade and turned. C stumbled back without realizing.

“If you’re not going to fight, get lost.”

“D-damn you…!”

I’d meant it as advice—no need to waste his life. But that only seemed to cut deeper into his knightly pride.

“I’ll kill you!!”

The gray aura around his body gathered into his sword, swelling its length and thickness nearly twofold. He’d shifted it all into offense, sacrificing defense.

“Hah. I thought this earlier, but… you guys really don’t have much experience fighting people, do you?”

“What!?”

“Against dumb monsters that just charge headfirst, maybe that works. But in a duel? You’re just broadcasting your weakness.”

“Bullshit!”

I sighed.

“Even when I give you free advice, you don’t get it…”

I let my left hand drift toward the throwing dagger at my belt and grinned.

“You know what happens, right? You die like this. Holy Smite.”

“…What?”

With seamless ease, the priestly miracle called a golden hammer into the air.

Whooosh!

It hurtled toward C.

Caught off guard, he swatted at it with his gauntlet. Bang! The weak spell shattered uselessly—just as expected.

But that had never been the real attack.

Fwip!

Hidden behind the hammer’s glow, a black dagger streaked forward, burying itself between his eyes.

Thwack!!

A Recall Dagger I’d bought from the Magic Tower. Nothing special aside from its recall ability. Normally, aura would’ve stopped it cold. But he’d poured every drop into his sword, leaving his body as bare as a novice.

“Urgh…”

With the dagger’s hilt jutting from his brow, the last knight toppled forward.

Thud…

“See? Told you. That’s how it ends.”

“……”

“……”

A heavy silence settled over the drawbridge.