WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Chen

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Genius Knight of a Fallen Race ◈

Chapter 55: Jealousy Devours Life

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“I-I’m out.”

“What? You bastard, are you planning to betray us?”

“It’s not betrayal... What are we supposed to do against the green-eyed knight?”

“He’s only one man.”

“That one man already tore twelve people apart and killed them! What difference would sixteen make?”

“Have you no pride as a gate guard? Aren’t you ashamed before your fallen comrades!?”

“You can have all the pride you want, brother. I want to live.”

The soldiers were split exactly down the middle.

Half believed they had to fulfill the duty they had been given no matter what, while the other half saw no reason to risk their lives against the famed Shan Barendil and backed down.

Watching them, Shan realized once again that Conrad had not fully taken control of the capital’s army yet.

The lords and knights under Conrad’s command, along with the vassals and mercenaries they had brought, might have been different. To the capital’s gate guards, though, he was still only one of the princes.

If the king had still been alive and well, they would have at least pretended to stop him out of fear of the punishment that would follow.

“Fine. Anyone who doesn’t want to fight, get out of the way. I’ll only kill those still willing to fight.”

As Shan took a step forward, the remaining eight men finally threw down their weapons as well.

They had enough sense to understand that fighting after half their numbers had given up would be nothing but a pointless death. Sixteen men charging him together might have won, but not eight.

“Ugh...”

As they walked along the wall at Shan’s command, several guards sobbed when they saw the bodies of their comrades scattered around them.

Since they all served as gate guards, some of them must have been close.

Seeing that, Shan briefly wondered whether he could have passed through if he had tried persuading them from the start.

‘No, that wouldn’t have worked.’

If he had done that, the guards would have assumed he was acting weak because he could not defeat them. They would have joined their comrades and tried to overwhelm him with nearly thirty men.

Facing that many at once without armor, he might have suffered a serious injury.

That was a risk he could not take when there were people depending on him.

Once the disarmed gate guards had retreated far enough to disappear from view, the servants of Weavers Estate hurried out from hiding without needing a signal.

Serin had led them after secretly watching through spiders.

“Let’s go. Quickly.”

“You really opened the gate by yourself...”

Though she had seen it with her own eyes, Serin stared at the bodies scattered around the gate as if she still could not believe it.

When she had first heard the plan, she had opposed it. Even if it was Shan, breaking through a gate guarded by dozens of soldiers without armor was dangerous.

Now that she had witnessed his overwhelming strength, she knew she had been wrong.

The thought suddenly made her chest ache.

If Shan had remained in the capital instead of joining the ogre expedition, could Kagon have escaped safely without dying? Could Shan have mediated the clash between the two princes?

While she gathered up those bitter thoughts, the others collected the weapons the guards had abandoned and hung them from their waists.

They were heading into the wilderness, where monsters could attack at any time.

Fortunately, they did not need to throw open the main gate, wide enough for ten people to walk through shoulder to shoulder.

Large cities always had a small side gate beside the main one, usually secured from within by a crossbar.

After unfastening the bar and passing through one at a time, Shan, who had stayed behind to guard the rear, came through last.

When he turned his head, he saw the slums and plains beyond the walls of Hasra City in the distance.

“Haa.”

“It’s dark. Feels like something could jump out at us any moment.”

Unlike Shan and Serin, who felt relieved to have finally escaped the capital, the servants’ faces were full of anxiety.

Hasra’s outskirts were relatively safe, but this was still Pendia, a land crawling with monsters.

Tata, the butler who had traveled all over as Kalion’s representative, was one thing. The others had spent their entire lives safely within the capital’s walls, so they could not help being afraid.

“First, we’ll keep heading east. If we walk until morning, we should reach a fairly large village. We’ll rest there and find a priest to treat the elder.”

Shan explained the next part of the plan to Serin and the others.

The village he mentioned was one Shan and Roden always stopped at when traveling between the capital and Sedil City.

That meant if they stayed there, there was a good chance they would meet Roden when he returned.

As they headed east from Hasra, Shan cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted.

“Awin!”

His voice carried over the dark field.

A moment later, everyone looked startled at the sound of hoofbeats in the distance.

Awin, clad in barding, came charging through the darkness toward Shan.

“You waited for me! Thanks, I-urk!”

Shan opened his arms to welcome Awin, only for her armored head to slam into his chest and send him rolling across the ground.

Awin snorted as she pawed the ground with hooves stained black with dried blood, showing her displeasure.

“I’m sorry. I was a little late, right? But I came as fast as I could. Please forgive me.”

Like someone soothing a sulking lover, Shan repeatedly flattered her while scratching beneath her neck, her favorite spot.

Only after he had coaxed her for quite a while did Awin forgive him with a snort that seemed to say, ‘Don’t do that again.’

Shan had barely breathed a sigh of relief when he noticed Serin watching him with a strange expression.

“What’s wrong?”

“Um, nothing. It’s just...”

Serin had been about to say that he treated Awin like he was soothing an actual person, but she closed her mouth because it might have sounded mocking.

She could not explain why, but Shan being so affectionate with Awin bothered her for some reason.

“You two get along well.”

“They say a horse is a knight’s companion.”

As Shan answered, he took out the weapons and armor he had loaded onto Awin and put them on.

With help from one of the servants, he had little trouble putting on the plate armor.

“Hoo...”

When he had first worn this armor, it had felt unbearably awkward. Now, it made him feel safe.

Armed like this, he would not have feared even fifty enemies like the gate guards he had just fought, not merely thirty.

Once the number reached three digits, he would have had some trouble due to stamina, though.

Thanks to being able to load much of their baggage onto Awin’s back, everyone’s hands were much lighter.

From now on, four men would take turns carrying Kalion.

Shan peered through the dark field with his shining eyes and judged their pace.

At this rate, they should reach the village in five or six hours.

They would have to rest a few times along the way, since some of them were not used to marching like this...

“Haa.”

As Shan considered their schedule, he heard a sigh beside him.

Serin, walking at the head of the group with him, looked up at the sky before turning to him.

“Ah, sorry... I was just wondering what will happen to this country from now on.”

As royalty, she seemed to have more concerns on a larger scale.

Unlike Shan, who only wanted himself, the people around him, and perhaps his fellow Altos to live well.

Shan glanced at the servants following behind them and asked quietly.

“You’re going to Count Paless’s territory now, right?”

“Yes. Things have come to this, so I have no choice but to use my uncle’s territory as a base and raise an army.”

The moment she failed to prevent the clash between the two princes, all of Serin’s grand strategies had effectively been destroyed.

Now an age had come where power alone would decide everything.

Serin had a way to gain that power if she chose.

Using the Magic stone compression and division technique she monopolized, Count Paless could build a powerful force in a short time.

Of course, the fatal problem of lacking proper knightly strength still remained...

“What are you planning to do?”

“First, I’ll meet up with Roden and discuss it. Wait.”

“Hm?”

“Everyone, stop!”

At Shan’s words, everyone walking behind them stopped.

Shan quickly lay down and pressed his ear to the ground, then rose to his feet.

“Someone’s following us. Cavalry, probably three or four riders.”

“Cavalry...!”

If they were on horseback, there was no way to escape on foot.

Shan immediately unloaded the baggage from Awin’s back, mounted her, and spoke to Serin.

“Pr- Rin, take everyone and keep moving. Just follow the road straight ahead.”

“Got it.”

Other than Shan, Serin was still the strongest person among them.

Even though the Age of Magic had faded, great mages like her were rare.

Serin nodded, as though she would live up to Shan’s expectations.

* * *

Only a dozen or so seconds after Shan urged Awin forward, he spotted figures approaching in the distance.

Three mounted riders, each carrying a torch...

Judging by their clothes, only the one at the front was a knight.

The two behind were likely squires, or perhaps just mercenary cavalry.

‘They know who they’re chasing, yet they only brought one knight?’

For a moment, Shan wondered whether Marquis Abel himself had come. Then he saw the other man’s build and realized it was not him.

Still, Shan could understand why his opponent had come alone.

The full plate armor he had seen when he first met Serin, so perfectly shaped it looked like a work of art...

The warhorse beneath the knight also had long, straight legs with a metallic sheen, just like Awin’s.

It was a Horais warhorse, likely one of Awin’s relatives.

Given the circumstances, his opponent had to be a royal knight.

Knights personally appointed by the king, considered the finest warriors in the country...

‘Why?’

Knowing who the man was only made Shan more confused about why he was being pursued.

If Conrad was going to fight Prince Elvin in the future, surely he would need someone as capable as this. Was it really worth investing this much just to catch one fleeing Alto knight?

Unless they had discovered Princess Serin’s presence.

While Shan wondered, the royal knight noticed him and stopped about thirty meters away rather than charging in to attack at once.

“Shan Barendil?”

“That’s right. And you are?”

“A lowly Alto like you dares use Emperor Varen’s name. You should be ashamed.”

Shan had asked for his name, yet the other man immediately insulted him.

Before Shan could respond, the royal knight raised his visor.

A man who looked to be in his late twenties stared at him with contempt and anger.

“I am Kamad of House Entor. I pledged my spear to Gizelle the Third, and now I serve Prince Conrad, His Majesty’s eldest son.”

“Did the prince order you to come kill me?”

“No. Chasing you was my own decision. I’ve wanted to kill you for some time.”

Why would someone he had never met want to kill him?

Could it be simply because he was an Old Faith follower who despised the Altos?

The man’s next words revealed the reason.

“I should see for myself whether you’re truly so skilled that my master said I should not fight you.”

“You’re also Sir Darkal’s disciple?”

“Don’t lump me together with you. It disgusts me. You are nothing more than a toy my master made to entertain himself.”

Sir Gowell had once said that after receiving Sir Darkal’s letter, some would probably grow jealous of Shan or even hate him.

It seemed the royal knight before him was one of them.

He had likely been near his fellow disciple by chance, heard that Shan had appeared, and hurried over.

That explained why he had arrived far too quickly for someone who had ridden out from the royal palace.

“You need not worry. I only brought the mercenaries beside me to witness your death. A lowly Alto like you has enjoyed fame far beyond your station. It is time you paid the price.”

Shan had hoped they might settle this through words, since they shared the same master, but there seemed to be no room for conversation based on the way Kamad spoke.

Still...

“Can I ask one thing?”

“A man bound for hell sure has a lot to ask.”

“How did you find me?”

There were countless roads leading from Hasra’s eastern gate to other cities and villages. Shan wanted to know how Kamad had followed them so accurately.

There was no guarantee another pursuer would not use the same method.

Kamad looked as if Shan had asked something utterly pointless, yet he answered surprisingly earnestly.

“The only place you could be going was Sedil, so I found the fastest route in that direction. If I hadn’t found you, then I would have simply been unlucky.”

Shan had not intended to return to Sedil at all. Kamad had found him through pure blind luck.

As Shan let out a disbelieving laugh, Kamad lowered his visor.

“The night is short. Enough nonsense.”

“Fine.”

Without speaking, the two knights seemed to communicate. They slowly moved apart to widen the distance, then charged toward each other at the same time.

Watching his opponent approach, Shan was inwardly impressed.

‘Oh...’

Kamad’s horse was large and swift, as expected of a Horais warhorse.

It paled beside Awin, who had ruled over her siblings like a tyrant, but it was still far superior to an ordinary warhorse.

Its rider suited it as well, holding his lance aimed at Shan without the slightest tremor.

As expected of a royal knight, Kamad’s lance technique was cleaner than anything Shan had ever seen.

Even compared to Fional Aldan, he was only half a step behind at most.

‘His lance is longer. I’ll have to defend against his attack and strike back.’

Unlike Shan’s spear, shortened somewhat for uses beyond a lance charge, his opponent wielded a perfect cavalry lance over four meters long.

The instant Shan caught the first attack with his small shield, light rippled across the lance before an explosion erupted at its tip.

“Urgh!”

His opponent’s lance was a magic device as well.

Though Shan had caught it precisely at the center, the blast twisted the shield’s balance in his hand.

Even as he absorbed the blow, Shan’s lance did not waver as it thrust precisely toward Kamad’s throat.

Unlike a jousting tournament, it carried a piercing Spirit, a strike filled with the intent to kill.

Yet Kamad astonishingly recognized Shan’s attack and raised his shield to block it.

His reflexes were the best Shan had seen in any knight so far.

“Not bad!”

As they passed each other, Kamad spoke in a voice filled with both admiration and mockery.

In an ordinary jousting tournament, they would have ridden farther apart, regrouped, and begun a second clash.

This was a real battle where their lives were on the line.

The two knights turned their horses almost simultaneously, closed in, threw aside their lances, and drew their swords.

An unnamed magic sword collided with Guardian of the East, scattering sparks.

“Urgh!”

Kamad groaned at the powerful Spirit carried by Shan’s sword and the magic that enhanced its cutting power.

Even so, the skill and reaction speed with which he deflected Shan’s snake-like sword strikes were astonishing.

The royal knight before him was certainly the strongest opponent Shan had fought so far.

Lugh had better overall physical ability, but Kamad’s reflexes were far superior.

His skill with horse and weapon also showed how he had pushed his natural talent to the limit through sweat and blood.

He was the strongest among the knights in the Ogre Subjugation Force, and probably one of the strongest royal knights as well.

“Grr...”

Yet even someone that strong found it difficult to defeat the current Shan.

Kamad was far larger, but Shan overwhelmed him not only in technique and speed, but in strength and force.

The sound of breaking metal rang out again and again as pieces of Kamad’s full plate armor shattered away.

Following Sir Darkal’s teachings, Shan took every available option from his opponent and steadily pressed him down until Kamad’s breathing became ragged.

As that happened, the two Horais warhorses moved forward and back, sometimes left and right, widening and closing the distance at their riders’ command.

When Awin opened her jaws with a vicious expression and tried to bite him, Kamad’s horse recoiled in fear.

If not for the barding that completely covered its head, Awin would have bitten it without hesitation.

The duel between the two knights, which had set the night ablaze, ended more easily than expected.

Kamad had allowed several powerful attacks through and lost his composure, swinging with far too much Spirit.

Exhaustion followed.

The moment Shan noticed his speed slowing, he slid up along his opponent’s sword and stabbed him in the throat.

It was the same move as the secret technique Sir Darkal had taught him long ago.

“Cough, urk...”

Kamad, pierced precisely through the windpipe, opened his mouth as if trying to speak.

Only surging blood came out.

As Shan watched the royal knight fall limply from his horse, he turned his eyes toward the two cavalrymen who had followed him.

The moment Kamad had been stabbed in the throat, they had already fled at full speed toward Hasra.

‘It would be better not to chase them...’

Awin was fast, but their horses were not bad either. Chasing them would take a fair amount of time.

Shan looked down at Kamad, then swung his sword and cleanly cut off his head to finish him.

After a brief moment of thought, Shan quickly cut the straps of Kamad’s armor and took the damaged plate armor and weapons.

It was an old custom that the winner of a knightly duel took the loser’s equipment, so it was rightful loot.

When he loaded the spoils onto Kamad’s warhorse, it lowered its head and gave a mournful whinny.

It seemed to have formed a deep bond with its master.

Killing its master and taking the horse felt strange, and Shan hesitated for a moment before grabbing its reins from Awin’s back.

“Come on. Follow me.”

Fortunately, Kamad’s warhorse did not resist anymore. It followed Shan on Awin’s back while whinnying sadly.

Both horses were somewhat tired after their fierce battle, so Shan rode along the road at a moderate pace.

Then, a commotion and sharp screams came from ahead.

“Ahhh!”

“Get back!”

Shan released even the reins in his hand and urgently drove Awin forward.

Far in the distance, beneath the bright moonlight, he saw the members of the Weavers household surrounded by a pack of monsters.

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