Duke Pendragon

“Argh!”

A mercenary fell back while spurting blood from his mouth.

“Ugh…”

Jody pulled out his sword with difficulty. An axe had brushed past him and he felt a burning sensation where the deep wound was left. It was the same with his waist where a dagger was sticking out. Any deeper, and he would have sustained a serious injury.

“Jody! Are you all right?”

“Ugh… I’m okay! Don’t overdo it and hang in there. Ueeagh!”

Jody pulled out his dagger at Gus’ urgent cry and looked around his surroundings. The battlefield was chaotic, with mercenaries and vigilantes attacking and killing each other. Even though all the mercenaries were dressed differently, more of them appeared to be wearing a red band on their left shoulder, which showed that they belonged to Ramelda’s side.

After the serfs dissipated, the number of men was similar on both sides. It was expected that Tylen would have the advantage due to the fact that the vigilantes lacked both skill and experience, but Ramelda’s side was unexpectedly forcing the Tylen mercenaries back.

“Whew! This is driving me crazy…” Jody sighed loudly, then looked around for the person who was responsible for creating this unbelievable situation.

It didn’t take too much effort to find her. She was standing in the middle of the anarchic battlefield, slaughtering those around her with ease. The battlefield was a disorganized slaughterhouse where one couldn’t even differentiate allies from enemies, but no one approached her in a 10-foot radius, as if there was an invisible wall.

Jody shook his head in disbelief, “He said she was stronger than him, but to think that he was actually telling the truth…”

The silver-haired beauty was leisurely walking through the battlefield with a sword in one hand. Blood and flesh flew at every swing of her sword, but the sight was beautiful in a strange way.

Sol, the silver-haired beauty, was the queen of the battlefield. As soon as the full-scale battle began, Tylen’s mercenaries rushed at her all at once. It was only natural as she was a beautiful woman who stood out as being the weakest.

Jody and Scylla tried to rush in to help, but they were too late. The battlefield was a mess and they were too far away.

Three or four mercenaries came at her, their eyes glaring with murderous will and perverted intents.

That’s when Jody saw it clearly. A few blue, luminous lines had cut through the air. Simultaneously, four lines of blood had risen into the air before dispersing. In an instant, four people fell to the floor with their limbs cut off.

She walked slowly through the group of mercenaries who could only stare at the situation with incredulous looks. Again, there was another blue flash, and human limbs fell to the ground like logs. 

Leather armor, metal armor, shields. None of it had any use. As soon as the ordinary iron sword in her hand drew an arc, limbs flew into the air after spewing blood. It was only after 10 mercenaries suffered such fate that Tylen’s mercenaries started to keep their distance from Sol. They had figured out that she didn’t attack if you didn’t get close to her. But dozens of people had already been killed by Sol by that time, and she had completely disoriented and destroyed the mercenaries’ formation. As Ramelda’s mercenaries rushed in to attack, Tylen’s mercenaries could only be pushed back helplessly.

“Uaaagh!” Jody sliced off the neck of the soldier that was rushing towards him, then turned his focus back to Sol while breathing roughly. The queen of the battlefield was staring blankly and walking towards her husband, who was also decorating the battlefield with terror and blood as the reaper of the battlefield.

***

“Ahhh…..” Ruv Tylen let out a weak moan and leaned back on his saddle.

The battle was already lost. He tried to pull on the reins to run away, but his body didn’t respond. Tylen was a knight, so he had seen many other knights that served Baron Nobira and Count Bresia. However, none of them could slaughter soldiers single-handedly like the man who was walking towards him right now. Raven Valt had crushed all the soldiers in a brief moment.

Not to mention, he didn’t know anyone except Filmore who could let off such fierce spirit while they were in a battle. Only very few humans, those that were chosen by gods, or had magic artifacts, could unleash the fearsome energy called ‘spirit’ like the orc’s Orc Fear. It was a special ability that could instill fear and terror in their opponents on an instinctive level.

That was what ‘spirit’ was, an ability that only very few exceptional knights possessed.

But a mere mercenary who had entered into the fray between two small knight families was emitting such spirit right now. A spirit that was even more intense than what Filmore could emanate, which was the strongest spirit Tylen had ever seen.

“Ah… father…”

Jess had already given up all hope and was drooling from his mouth.

The hired mercenaries were being pushed back even more by each second. Enzo had run away as soon as Raven Valt and his companion started the massacre, and Sophia had fainted on her saddle.

“Elkin.”

Isla bowed at Raven’s call and headed towards Ruv and Jess Tylen.

“Get off.”

Tylen trembled at Isla’s short words. Although Tylen tried to remain confident, his body had already betrayed his will. When the two men had stepped off their saddles and stood on the same eye level as Raven, Isla backed off.

Raven spoke right away, not giving the two anytime to think and breaking the strange silence.

“I’ll ask you a few questions. Years ago, you delivered a letter to the Valt family, correct?”

“Heuk…” Jess let out a loud noise at the unexpected question. How did this stranger know about that incident?

“Then you must have changed the letter. Or what you gave them in the first place was a fake. Correct?”

“T, that..”

Shing!

Two swords glimmered left and right towards Jess, who was hesitating.

“Keuk!”

“Aggh!”

Blood splattered with a scream. Ruv Tylen and Jess Tylen were both clutching a side of their face. Both of them had one of their ears cut off.

“The day is still long, and there are many places for me to cut. You better give me a proper answer.”

Raven appeared to be even more terrifying as he spoke in a sullen voice while shaking off the blood from his blades.

“I’m going to call out three names. If any of them are involved in the case from three years ago, you will nod your head.”

“What, what the hell are you talking abou…”

Raven ignored Ruv Tylen who was fumbling in pain and fear and continued.

“Geoffrey Aragon.”

They showed no response. But the two names that followed caused the two to let out unintentional moans and widen their eyes in shock.

“Count Sagunda, and Duke Arangis…”

“I, I don’t know what you’re talking...”

Shing!

“Keeeuck!”

The scimitar drew a short line, and Jess fell on his knees with a scream.

“Huh?” Ruv Tylen jerked his head towards Jess with concern in his eyes. His only son was suffering with his arms laid flaccid. His tendon had been cut through.

“Your right arm is next. I’ll make sure you won’t even be able to lift a spoon from now.”

“Stop, stop! Stop it!”

Ruv Tylen wrapped his arms around his son while drooling in fear. But Raven’s face was still cold as he looked at the father protecting his child.

“Why? Does it hurt to see your child injured? Did you feel the same way when Gray Valt covered his son in Bresia Castle? You said you’d let Jonathan Valt live if he confessed to the treason, right? To use some gold bars hidden in the basement as an excuse?”

“Ughhh….” Ruv Tylen couldn’t get his act together. How did this man in front of him know the secrets that only him, his son, and the dead Gray Valt knew of? His eyes quivered and his body trembled.

‘So it’s true….’

Based on Ruv Tylen’s reaction, Raven had guessed all of it right. Even though ‘Raven Valt’ didn’t exist in this world, everything had happened the same way from before, except that his older brother had taken his place. It also became clear that the assassination attempt on the crown prince was closely related to Count Sagunda and Duke Arangis, as Ian had guessed. However, Ruv Tylen didn’t know anything about Geoffrey Aragon. But then it was to be expected of a knight stemming from a small town.

“Did Sagunda and Arangis instigate the incident? Why did the crown prince hide his identity and receive a letter here? Are you the link?”

Despite Raven’s acrimonious tone, Ruv Tylen remained silent. Raven made up his mind.

“You’re going to die anyways. Tell me if you want to save your son.”

“……!”

Ruv Tylen flinched and raised his head. There seemed to be a faint light of hope.

And at that moment, Sophia woke up.

“Hmm? Ah, ugh, buewawaaaagghhh”

Her first action after opening her eyes and seeing her surroundings in shock was to pour out everything she had eaten today. She only managed to stop vomiting after her eyes were tearing up and drool hung from her mouth. Sophia’s fear reached its peak when a pair of cold eyes turned to her. She could see the dozens of bodies that lay around her. They had probably met the same gaze moments before their deaths.

“Ahahh…”

Ruv Tylen remembered the sight of Enzo running away and looked at Sophia, who was groaning and frozen in her place. He came up with an idea.

‘M, maybe I can live…’

“That girl isn’t going to help you in this situation. Answer the question.”

Tylen felt a shiver down his spine and hurriedly opened his mouth at Raven’s icy voice.

“I, I don’t know the exact details. An Armada Bird mercenary brought two letters and, and… One was to be delivered to the High Lord’s castle and the other one, the next day, that, the, it’s fake... it’s fake…”

“You received two letters from the Armada Bird Mercenaries and the real letter was the one your son had? What you gave to Reed Valt was the fake letter which was poisoned.”

“I, I swear that I didn’t know it was poisoned! Besides, I didn’t know that the guest in the castle was the c, crown prince..”

“You also didn’t know that the Armada Bird Mercenaries came to you under Toleo Arangis, hmm? And you didn’t know Sagunda was involved?”

“I, I…”

Ruv Tylen gulped loudly at Raven’s voice that was full of malice and hatred.

It was then.

Whoosh!

“Keuk!”

A quarrel skimmed over Raven and pierced someone else’s throat.

“Kiyaaaah!”

“Heuk?”

Sophia screamed, and Ruv Tylen let out a bewildered groan.

It was a sudden development, but Raven instinctively looked in the direction where the quarrel had come from and readied himself. A crossbow was held in the hands of a soldier who was lying on the ground with his back split.

Isla threw himself at the soldier like the wind and pushed his spear against the soldier’s neck.

“Hmm?”

Isla’s eyes filled with puzzlement. The soldier’s eyes and expression were strange. Even though he was seriously injured, his eyes had no focus as if he were on high on drugs.

“This can’t be… Hypnosis?” As Isla muttered to himself, the soldier poured out blood from his mouth while his body trembled uncontrollably.

Isla peeled the eyes of the soldier, then stood back up.

“I think he killed himself with poison.”

“Hmm…”

Raven furrowed his brows. This wasn’t a coincidence. The arrow had been aimed at him, but it had missed him and hit someone else.

Then, a howl-like scream resounded through the battlefield. Ruv Tylen was tightly hugging Jess Tylen who was profusely bleeding from his neck. Raven looked down at the frenzied man who had just lost his child with cold eyes.

It was the death of Jess Tylen, who had deceived him in the previous life, and deceived his brother in this life. Of course, he felt no sympathy for the man. Ruv Tylen and Jess Tylen had brought this whole matter on themselves.

“Get up.”

“Heeueuuuuuugh…”

Ruv Tylen stood up with a limp while tears of blood flowed down his face. He headed for Raven with eyes full of malice and loathing. But Raven glanced at Isla with a cold, unshakeable expression.

Isla dragged the dead soldier’s body towards Ruv Tylen.

“Tell me about this man.”

“Kkeut! He’s a soldier who used to be under Nobira. Kuhahah..! I have nothing more to say, so just kill me. I already lost my son and my land, there’s nothing for me to be afraid of... Kuhahaah!”

Perhaps due to the shock of losing his child in front of his eyes, Ruv Tylen seemed to have lost his mind.

“Don’t worry, that’ll happen soon enough. But don’t you think it’s unfair? Not everything’s your fault anyway, right?”

“Uughhh.”

Tylen’s eyes quavered.

Raven became sure at the sight. Bastards like these would never die alone. They were despicable people who loved to enjoy benefits by themselves, but would always drag down others with them when they failed.

“Kuha! What’s going to change even if I tell you? You don’t know. You don’t know what kind of people they are. Sagunda? Toleo Arangis? Kuhaha! They’re just pawns on the chessboard as well.”

Raven’s eyes grew sharper at Ruv Tylen’s mocking laugh.

“Are you saying that there’s someone behind them as well?”

Ruv Tylen did not answer immediately. As Raven was about to speak again, Ruv Tylen burst into maniacal laughter.

“Kuhe… Kuhahahahaha!”

“My lord!”

Isla called out in an urgent voice. Raven turned around, and he saw the reason for Tylen’s laughter. In the distance, he could see the flags of Count Bresia and Baron Nobira swaying in the air. Many horsemen were coming towards him at a rapid pace.

“Argh!”

A mercenary fell back while spurting blood from his mouth.

“Ugh…”

Jody pulled out his sword with difficulty. An axe had brushed past him and he felt a burning sensation where the deep wound was left. It was the same with his waist where a dagger was sticking out. Any deeper, and he would have sustained a serious injury.

“Jody! Are you all right?”

“Ugh… I’m okay! Don’t overdo it and hang in there. Ueeagh!”

Jody pulled out his dagger at Gus’ urgent cry and looked around his surroundings. The battlefield was chaotic, with mercenaries and vigilantes attacking and killing each other. Even though all the mercenaries were dressed differently, more of them appeared to be wearing a red band on their left shoulder, which showed that they belonged to Ramelda’s side.

After the serfs dissipated, the number of men was similar on both sides. It was expected that Tylen would have the advantage due to the fact that the vigilantes lacked both skill and experience, but Ramelda’s side was unexpectedly forcing the Tylen mercenaries back.

“Whew! This is driving me crazy…” Jody sighed loudly, then looked around for the person who was responsible for creating this unbelievable situation.

It didn’t take too much effort to find her. She was standing in the middle of the anarchic battlefield, slaughtering those around her with ease. The battlefield was a disorganized slaughterhouse where one couldn’t even differentiate allies from enemies, but no one approached her in a 10-foot radius, as if there was an invisible wall.

Jody shook his head in disbelief, “He said she was stronger than him, but to think that he was actually telling the truth…”

The silver-haired beauty was leisurely walking through the battlefield with a sword in one hand. Blood and flesh flew at every swing of her sword, but the sight was beautiful in a strange way.

Sol, the silver-haired beauty, was the queen of the battlefield. As soon as the full-scale battle began, Tylen’s mercenaries rushed at her all at once. It was only natural as she was a beautiful woman who stood out as being the weakest.

Jody and Scylla tried to rush in to help, but they were too late. The battlefield was a mess and they were too far away.

Three or four mercenaries came at her, their eyes glaring with murderous will and perverted intents.

That’s when Jody saw it clearly. A few blue, luminous lines had cut through the air. Simultaneously, four lines of blood had risen into the air before dispersing. In an instant, four people fell to the floor with their limbs cut off.

She walked slowly through the group of mercenaries who could only stare at the situation with incredulous looks. Again, there was another blue flash, and human limbs fell to the ground like logs. 

Leather armor, metal armor, shields. None of it had any use. As soon as the ordinary iron sword in her hand drew an arc, limbs flew into the air after spewing blood. It was only after 10 mercenaries suffered such fate that Tylen’s mercenaries started to keep their distance from Sol. They had figured out that she didn’t attack if you didn’t get close to her. But dozens of people had already been killed by Sol by that time, and she had completely disoriented and destroyed the mercenaries’ formation. As Ramelda’s mercenaries rushed in to attack, Tylen’s mercenaries could only be pushed back helplessly.

“Uaaagh!” Jody sliced off the neck of the soldier that was rushing towards him, then turned his focus back to Sol while breathing roughly. The queen of the battlefield was staring blankly and walking towards her husband, who was also decorating the battlefield with terror and blood as the reaper of the battlefield.

***

“Ahhh…..” Ruv Tylen let out a weak moan and leaned back on his saddle.

The battle was already lost. He tried to pull on the reins to run away, but his body didn’t respond. Tylen was a knight, so he had seen many other knights that served Baron Nobira and Count Bresia. However, none of them could slaughter soldiers single-handedly like the man who was walking towards him right now. Raven Valt had crushed all the soldiers in a brief moment.

Not to mention, he didn’t know anyone except Filmore who could let off such fierce spirit while they were in a battle. Only very few humans, those that were chosen by gods, or had magic artifacts, could unleash the fearsome energy called ‘spirit’ like the orc’s Orc Fear. It was a special ability that could instill fear and terror in their opponents on an instinctive level.

That was what ‘spirit’ was, an ability that only very few exceptional knights possessed.

But a mere mercenary who had entered into the fray between two small knight families was emitting such spirit right now. A spirit that was even more intense than what Filmore could emanate, which was the strongest spirit Tylen had ever seen.

“Ah… father…”

Jess had already given up all hope and was drooling from his mouth.

The hired mercenaries were being pushed back even more by each second. Enzo had run away as soon as Raven Valt and his companion started the massacre, and Sophia had fainted on her saddle.

“Elkin.”

Isla bowed at Raven’s call and headed towards Ruv and Jess Tylen.

“Get off.”

Tylen trembled at Isla’s short words. Although Tylen tried to remain confident, his body had already betrayed his will. When the two men had stepped off their saddles and stood on the same eye level as Raven, Isla backed off.

Raven spoke right away, not giving the two anytime to think and breaking the strange silence.

“I’ll ask you a few questions. Years ago, you delivered a letter to the Valt family, correct?”

“Heuk…” Jess let out a loud noise at the unexpected question. How did this stranger know about that incident?

“Then you must have changed the letter. Or what you gave them in the first place was a fake. Correct?”

“T, that..”

Shing!

Two swords glimmered left and right towards Jess, who was hesitating.

“Keuk!”

“Aggh!”

Blood splattered with a scream. Ruv Tylen and Jess Tylen were both clutching a side of their face. Both of them had one of their ears cut off.

“The day is still long, and there are many places for me to cut. You better give me a proper answer.”

Raven appeared to be even more terrifying as he spoke in a sullen voice while shaking off the blood from his blades.

“I’m going to call out three names. If any of them are involved in the case from three years ago, you will nod your head.”

“What, what the hell are you talking abou…”

Raven ignored Ruv Tylen who was fumbling in pain and fear and continued.

“Geoffrey Aragon.”

They showed no response. But the two names that followed caused the two to let out unintentional moans and widen their eyes in shock.

“Count Sagunda, and Duke Arangis…”

“I, I don’t know what you’re talking...”

Shing!

“Keeeuck!”

The scimitar drew a short line, and Jess fell on his knees with a scream.

“Huh?” Ruv Tylen jerked his head towards Jess with concern in his eyes. His only son was suffering with his arms laid flaccid. His tendon had been cut through.

“Your right arm is next. I’ll make sure you won’t even be able to lift a spoon from now.”

“Stop, stop! Stop it!”

Ruv Tylen wrapped his arms around his son while drooling in fear. But Raven’s face was still cold as he looked at the father protecting his child.

“Why? Does it hurt to see your child injured? Did you feel the same way when Gray Valt covered his son in Bresia Castle? You said you’d let Jonathan Valt live if he confessed to the treason, right? To use some gold bars hidden in the basement as an excuse?”

“Ughhh….” Ruv Tylen couldn’t get his act together. How did this man in front of him know the secrets that only him, his son, and the dead Gray Valt knew of? His eyes quivered and his body trembled.

‘So it’s true….’

Based on Ruv Tylen’s reaction, Raven had guessed all of it right. Even though ‘Raven Valt’ didn’t exist in this world, everything had happened the same way from before, except that his older brother had taken his place. It also became clear that the assassination attempt on the crown prince was closely related to Count Sagunda and Duke Arangis, as Ian had guessed. However, Ruv Tylen didn’t know anything about Geoffrey Aragon. But then it was to be expected of a knight stemming from a small town.

“Did Sagunda and Arangis instigate the incident? Why did the crown prince hide his identity and receive a letter here? Are you the link?”

Despite Raven’s acrimonious tone, Ruv Tylen remained silent. Raven made up his mind.

“You’re going to die anyways. Tell me if you want to save your son.”

“……!”

Ruv Tylen flinched and raised his head. There seemed to be a faint light of hope.

And at that moment, Sophia woke up.

“Hmm? Ah, ugh, buewawaaaagghhh”

Her first action after opening her eyes and seeing her surroundings in shock was to pour out everything she had eaten today. She only managed to stop vomiting after her eyes were tearing up and drool hung from her mouth. Sophia’s fear reached its peak when a pair of cold eyes turned to her. She could see the dozens of bodies that lay around her. They had probably met the same gaze moments before their deaths.

“Ahahh…”

Ruv Tylen remembered the sight of Enzo running away and looked at Sophia, who was groaning and frozen in her place. He came up with an idea.

‘M, maybe I can live…’

“That girl isn’t going to help you in this situation. Answer the question.”

Tylen felt a shiver down his spine and hurriedly opened his mouth at Raven’s icy voice.

“I, I don’t know the exact details. An Armada Bird mercenary brought two letters and, and… One was to be delivered to the High Lord’s castle and the other one, the next day, that, the, it’s fake... it’s fake…”

“You received two letters from the Armada Bird Mercenaries and the real letter was the one your son had? What you gave to Reed Valt was the fake letter which was poisoned.”

“I, I swear that I didn’t know it was poisoned! Besides, I didn’t know that the guest in the castle was the c, crown prince..”

“You also didn’t know that the Armada Bird Mercenaries came to you under Toleo Arangis, hmm? And you didn’t know Sagunda was involved?”

“I, I…”

Ruv Tylen gulped loudly at Raven’s voice that was full of malice and hatred.

It was then.

Whoosh!

“Keuk!”

A quarrel skimmed over Raven and pierced someone else’s throat.

“Kiyaaaah!”

“Heuk?”

Sophia screamed, and Ruv Tylen let out a bewildered groan.

It was a sudden development, but Raven instinctively looked in the direction where the quarrel had come from and readied himself. A crossbow was held in the hands of a soldier who was lying on the ground with his back split.

Isla threw himself at the soldier like the wind and pushed his spear against the soldier’s neck.

“Hmm?”

Isla’s eyes filled with puzzlement. The soldier’s eyes and expression were strange. Even though he was seriously injured, his eyes had no focus as if he were on high on drugs.

“This can’t be… Hypnosis?” As Isla muttered to himself, the soldier poured out blood from his mouth while his body trembled uncontrollably.

Isla peeled the eyes of the soldier, then stood back up.

“I think he killed himself with poison.”

“Hmm…”

Raven furrowed his brows. This wasn’t a coincidence. The arrow had been aimed at him, but it had missed him and hit someone else.

Then, a howl-like scream resounded through the battlefield. Ruv Tylen was tightly hugging Jess Tylen who was profusely bleeding from his neck. Raven looked down at the frenzied man who had just lost his child with cold eyes.

It was the death of Jess Tylen, who had deceived him in the previous life, and deceived his brother in this life. Of course, he felt no sympathy for the man. Ruv Tylen and Jess Tylen had brought this whole matter on themselves.

“Get up.”

“Heeueuuuuuugh…”

Ruv Tylen stood up with a limp while tears of blood flowed down his face. He headed for Raven with eyes full of malice and loathing. But Raven glanced at Isla with a cold, unshakeable expression.

Isla dragged the dead soldier’s body towards Ruv Tylen.

“Tell me about this man.”

“Kkeut! He’s a soldier who used to be under Nobira. Kuhahah..! I have nothing more to say, so just kill me. I already lost my son and my land, there’s nothing for me to be afraid of... Kuhahaah!”

Perhaps due to the shock of losing his child in front of his eyes, Ruv Tylen seemed to have lost his mind.

“Don’t worry, that’ll happen soon enough. But don’t you think it’s unfair? Not everything’s your fault anyway, right?”

“Uughhh.”

Tylen’s eyes quavered.

Raven became sure at the sight. Bastards like these would never die alone. They were despicable people who loved to enjoy benefits by themselves, but would always drag down others with them when they failed.

“Kuha! What’s going to change even if I tell you? You don’t know. You don’t know what kind of people they are. Sagunda? Toleo Arangis? Kuhaha! They’re just pawns on the chessboard as well.”

Raven’s eyes grew sharper at Ruv Tylen’s mocking laugh.

“Are you saying that there’s someone behind them as well?”

Ruv Tylen did not answer immediately. As Raven was about to speak again, Ruv Tylen burst into maniacal laughter.

“Kuhe… Kuhahahahaha!”

“My lord!”

Isla called out in an urgent voice. Raven turned around, and he saw the reason for Tylen’s laughter. In the distance, he could see the flags of Count Bresia and Baron Nobira swaying in the air. Many horsemen were coming towards him at a rapid pace.