WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Chen

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◈ The Genius Knight of a Fallen Race ◈

Chapter 68: If You Cannot Defeat Them, Join Them

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“Whew...”

After breaking through the defensive formation with three consecutive charges, Shan took a deep breath to recover the stamina he had spent in that brief burst.

The sudden exhaustion, fear of death, and thrill of leading the battlefield alone all mixed together, leaving his head spinning.

Even so, one thing stood out.

Ahead of him was a bearded man being pulled away by others, yet staring at Shan as though bewitched.

Duke Moraen, the enemy commander.

The moment Shan recognized him, he urged his warhorse onward once more.

Awin’s leg muscles, taut as ropes, contracted sharply and launched her forward at explosive speed.

“You bastard!”

“Stop him! Don’t let him reach His Highness!”

As Duke Moraen fled in haste, the guard knights and squires around him rode between them to stop Shan.

There were around twenty of them.

Shan deflected an incoming spear with Kamad’s holy relic shield and struck back.

This was not the Spear of Blazing Fire he had used to break through the formation earlier. It was Heartbreaker, the spear Serin had made for him.

The moment Shan raised the spear and thrust it out, one of the enemies watching from the side cried out in horror.

“It extended...!?”

Even while busy over the past few months, Serin had not forgotten to experiment with transferring Thousand Forms’ abilities into Shan’s magic device.

Thanks to that, the spear, which had originally only been sturdy and capable of repairing itself, could now extend and retract.

It had taken the Magic stone of the high vampire they had killed before, and it was still slower than Thousand Forms. Even so, a spear that could stretch and shrink during battle was tremendously effective.

If it extended while thrusting and retracted while being pulled back, the relative speed of its blade nearly doubled.

“Argh!”

“Urgh...”

It was twenty against one, against skilled knights and squires. A situation beyond dangerous, almost hopeless.

Yet Shan knocked aside lethal strikes with his shield and took unavoidable attacks on the curved surface of his armor.

Whenever the spear in his right hand flexed like a snake, extending and retracting, another rider in front of him lost their life.

Awin also moved diagonally or backed away, doing all she could to prevent herself and her master from being surrounded on all sides.

Other horses crashed into her and made her stagger, but although she snorted in irritation, she did not lose her temper. She followed her master’s guidance.

Watching this, the knights and squires surrounding Shan all found themselves thinking the same thing.

‘Is he really human?’

One knight was facing twenty skilled knights and squires?

Even for people who had honed their martial skills all their lives, it was a realm they could not imagine reaching.

Who would have thought such a knight existed in this world?

The enemy faltered under Shan’s overwhelming presence, creating a small gap.

The cavalry unit that had broken through the infantry formation through the opening Shan made did not miss it.

“Help Sir Shan!”

Baron Yurk shouted and took the lead, skewering an enemy knight and squire with a Spirit-filled lance charge.

The knights and squires behind him swiftly surrounded the enemy cavalry and thrust their spears.

Everyone knew that in a clash between cavalry, the side with momentum held the advantage.

Their numbers were nearly double as well, so the difference between the two cavalry forces was decided in an instant.

“Cough...”

“M-My lord!”

“You get away at least! Agh!”

More than a dozen people were impaled and killed or knocked from their horses by sheer force within moments. Only a few barely managed to escape alive.

Even Libert’s skilled knights had no way to fight back under such circumstances.

With his companions’ help, Shan broke free of the encirclement and saw Duke Moraen fleeing with his men toward the infantry formation.

Scattered cavalry had gathered around him as well, making it difficult to target him again.

‘If he’d hesitated for only a few more seconds, I could’ve caught him...’

Shan clicked his tongue, then gave new orders to his companions, who had crushed the enemy cavalry.

“Change of plans! We’ll circle around, attack the enemy infantry, then return!”

“Yes!”

Knights were troops who sacrificed endurance for overwhelming explosive power.

The squires who had yet to awaken Spirit likely had some strength left, but the knights who had used Spirit to break through the infantry formation and assault the enemy knights were surely exhausted.

At Shan’s command, the cavalry charged again as a single spear with Shan at its tip.

Their new target was the enemy archers, left completely exposed.

Most of the spearmen and cavalry had moved to protect the duke, leaving the archers poorly defended.

Shan’s cavalry force struck directly at that weakness.

“C-Captain! Cavalry behind us!”

“Everyone, run!”

“Aaaagh!”

The archers, who had been diligently firing arrows at the walls, were completely shattered by the cavalry crashing into them from behind.

“Hahaha!”

“Kill them all!”

The knights and squires whose spears had broken during the lance charge slaughtered the defenseless archers with swords, axes, and maces.

Armed with little more than short swords or clubs, the archers could not even dare resist.

Shan, at the front, hung his shield at his side, shortened his spear, and gripped it in both hands as he thrust left and right.

Those lucky enough to avoid a fatal blow or dive to the ground were crushed beneath Awin’s hooves, their heads or chests smashed in.

After trampling nearly half of the archer force of more than two hundred people in an instant, the cavalry continued onward and reached the walls.

Soldiers watching through the side gate hurriedly opened it and lowered the drawbridge, making a path for them to return.

Naturally, the infantry who had been climbing ladders near the main gate had already stopped their assault.

They could not keep trying to seize the walls while their main force was under threat.

Silence soon fell over the battlefield that had been so chaotic only moments before.

* * *

After returning successfully, Shan and the cavalry received endless applause and cheers from those waiting inside the walls.

The knights, still mounted on their panting horses, smiled with satisfaction despite being half exhausted.

A single cavalry unit had rampaged through the enemy camp and forced back an army laying siege to the castle. It was the stuff of legends.

In Pendia, where it was difficult to earn merit through war, they had achieved deeds they could proudly boast about to their children one day. Of course they were happy.

Shan, the knight with the greatest achievement, did not grin at the praise. He first checked the casualties among the cavalry who had ridden with him.

The count showed that the cavalry had fallen from forty-one to thirty-five, losing six people.

They had suffered almost no losses while fighting cavalry or attacking the archers. The casualties had come when a few failed to break through the infantry encirclement at the beginning and were caught behind.

“All the knights returned safely. Only squires failed to return...”

One knight carefully added that Tavera, Shan’s squire, was among them.

Biko, Tavera’s fellow squire, lowered his head with a gloomy expression.

“I’m sorry, Sir Shan. I saw Tavera fall from his horse. I should’ve helped him...”

“Enough. It was an emergency. There was nothing you could do.”

“Please don’t worry too much. If he’s still alive, they’ll have taken him prisoner. We can pay a ransom and get him back.”

Seeing Shan comfort the squire with a dark expression, Yurk spoke encouragingly.

Of course, that assumed Tavera had not broken his neck when he fell or been killed by enraged infantry. Yurk did not bother saying that part aloud.

“Call the priests first. Treat the wounded.”

“What about you, Sir Shan?”

“I’m fine. Only my armor took some damage.”

Kamad’s armor, which Shan wore, was a mess of scratches and punctures.

Even Shan could not fight twenty cavalrymen, including several skilled knights, without taking a single hit.

Still, he had redirected every attack to minimize the damage, leaving him with only minor grazes.

Without his armor, though, he would have been torn apart by a spear filled with Spirit.

“Even after leading the breakthrough, that’s all the damage he took?”

“Honestly, I don’t even feel inferior anymore...”

“Though he is one of the Altos, he must be a knight granted by the Goddess. He isn’t someone people like us can compete with.”

After leaving the other knights with awe and a hint of despair, Shan handed Awin’s reins to Biko and climbed the wall.

She had fought fiercely, even if only for a short time. She needed food and rest before she could run again.

‘Sigh...’

Knowing that his squire had been lost during the charge left Shan with a strange tightness in his chest.

Should he have stayed farther back and looked after them?

No. Then they would never have broken through the encirclement in the first place.

The more enemies they killed, the more allied deaths they had to accept.

That was war. Shan understood it now.

Still, even if it was childish, he did not want to lose anyone under his command.

He wanted to become stronger, strong enough to slaughter tens of thousands of enemies alone if necessary, and protect everyone without letting anyone get hurt.

When Shan reached the wall, he saw Roden busy handling the aftermath.

There was much to do now that the battle had settled down, such as sending wounded soldiers down from the walls and replenishing supplies.

Roden’s face hardened when he saw Shan approach.

“I’m sorry, Sir Shan.”

“Sorry for what?”

“I saw it from outside. The enemy saw through my flimsy scheme... If not for your martial skill breaking through, I nearly put my lord in danger with my half-baked plan.”

Watching the cavalry get surrounded by enemy infantry from atop the wall, Roden had felt as though his heart had stopped.

Even when a sword had been thrust right before his eyes, he had never felt so hopeless or afraid.

If Shan had not broken through quickly, at least a third of the knights who joined the charge would have been killed or wounded.

With bad luck, they might have been wiped out entirely.

“I thought it was something serious. Forget it. I made the decision... More importantly, how did things go on the walls?”

Since Shan did not blame him for the failed plan, Roden lightly cleared his throat.

“To be honest, we were pushed back more than expected. If Ravana and her subordinates had not taken the lead in directing things, the walls would have been captured.”

“That badly?”

“Yes. A first war seems to put more pressure on people than I thought. Still, everyone gained experience this time, so I think they’ll improve from here on.”

The first time people went hunting monsters, their hands and feet often froze up and they could do nothing.

Once they succeeded with help from someone beside them, they started gaining experience.

At least everyone had equipped themselves quite thoroughly, so there were many wounded but not many dead.

Around thirty people had been killed, while the number seriously wounded was roughly double that.

The enemy’s losses were estimated to be more than twice that.

Below the walls, corpses of people who had failed to climb up were piled like mountains.

“Our losses are far smaller, so there’s a chance they’ll try to drag this into a long battle...”

“A messenger is coming!”

Just as Roden began predicting what would happen next, someone shouted from behind them.

Sure enough, a knight from Duke Moraen’s camp was approaching with a white flag.

It was not Conrad’s knight, the one who had provoked them before the battle.

The knight raised his voice toward the walls.

“Duke Moraen, Regent of the King of Libert, proposes a conference with Sir Shan Barendil!”

* * *

“This is terrible.”

After seeing the exact extent of the damage left by Shan’s cavalry, one of the duke’s retainers muttered quietly.

No one rebuked them for saying something demoralizing.

The losses truly were that terrible.

“Seven knights, nine squires, twenty-one heavy infantrymen, and one hundred fourteen archers are casualties...”

Many of them were only seriously wounded, but they could not function as fighting forces for now.

Nearly one-seventh of their thousand soldiers had been disabled by a single cavalry charge.

What made it even more absurd was that they had expected the attack and still suffered such damage. Had they reacted even a little slower, Duke Moraen himself might have been caught.

“Casualties from the siege are also close to two hundred. I don’t want to admit it, but this battle is already lost.”

They could try another siege, considering the enemy’s main force was made up of inexperienced soldiers.

But that monstrous knight would charge at them again.

Nearly half their army was already dead or wounded. If they took another blow like this, they would truly be finished.

Duke Moraen listened to his retainers’ discussion with a blank expression, then casually asked, “What happened to the baron Conrad attached to us?”

“He died in the cavalry charge.”

“Good. That gets rid of any troublesome ears. Propose a conference. I’ll go myself.”

“It’s dangerous, Your Highness.”

“The New Faith followers of Pendia must know honor. Surely they would not attack during a conference? More importantly, tell them that knight must come. Shan Barendil. A man like Varen, whoever gave him that name chose well. He was Emperor Varen reborn.”

“Your Highness...”

The retainers looked troubled at their lord praising an enemy knight, especially one from a demonic race that had betrayed the Goddess.

Duke Moraen did not care and demanded that they propose the conference at once.

Knowing how stubborn their lord was, they eventually sent a messenger.

Before long, a response arrived that they should meet before the walls.

* * *

Before the walls, the leaders of each camp and five knights guarding each side stood facing one another.

Duke Moraen introduced himself first.

“I am Sabante Lagos Ion Armando, son of Lagos, King of Libert, and Duke Moraen.”

Just as Pendia had the Hasra Royal Family, Libert had the Armando Royal Family.

In the past, they had been called not a royal family, but an imperial family.

They had inherited their name as direct descendants of Varen Armando, founder of the Arman Empire.

Even now, Libert’s royal family subtly acted as though they stood a step above the royal families of other nations.

They were the direct line, while everyone else was only a branch family.

“I am Shan Barendil, knight of Princess Serin. It is an honor to meet you, Your Highness.”

Shan offered a polite greeting as he observed the enemy commander he was finally seeing up close.

Duke Moraen was a handsome man with a neatly groomed beard and bold features.

His curly black hair and double eyelids were almost excessively pronounced.

More unsettling than his appearance, though, was the way he gazed deeply at Shan.

There was no fear or hostility toward a powerful enemy in those eyes. Instead, they were filled with desire, as if he were looking at a beautiful woman or an artwork.

A strange chill ran down Shan’s spine, and he unconsciously looked away.

It did not feel as though he had lost the initiative. It felt more like he had encountered something unpleasant.

“I heard about it, but it is still hard to believe. That beautiful knight is such a young boy...”

The knights accompanying Shan looked at the duke as though they wondered if they had heard wrong.

After hesitating for a moment, Shan could not hold back any longer.

“Did you just call me beautiful?”

“Yes. I saw it. Every movement as you swung your spear, held your reins, and maintained your balance. Nothing was out of place. Everything followed reason. Aside from armor that did not fit your body, you were the ideal that all knights should aspire to.”

Shan’s eyes widened in surprise.

Other than himself, this was the first person he had met who understood the principles of moving one’s body efficiently, who could understand how much another person’s movements followed reason.

Could Duke Moraen possess the same talent as Shan?

But the duke’s movements earlier had been as ordinary as anyone else’s.

As Shan pondered this, Duke Moraen suddenly began talking at length about his philosophy of beauty.

Most people admired the beauty of people, animals, or landscapes, but he pursued functional beauty.

“A well-made sword and armor, a warhorse running swiftly, an army that faithfully obeys orders and risks death itself... I desire and admire all such things. But today, here, I felt true beauty. You. You were the most ideal and beautiful knight. If either you or I had been a woman, I would have proposed on the spot.”

The duke’s sticky gaze and tone were like those of a madman, leaving Shan flustered.

Was this supposed to be an expression of affection?

The people around them also looked uncomfortable, so it did not seem Shan alone felt that way.

“So, would you consider becoming my knight? Once I return to Libert and execute Count Barlic, I will promise you his title. It is not right for a knight as beautiful as you to have no title.”

“Your Highness!”

“How can you make such an outrageous offer to one of the Altos!”

The duke’s retainers shouted in shock, while Shan’s fellow knights frowned.

They had not even offered Shan anything, yet were already talking among themselves about taking him away. It was irritating.

Shan, who had stood there blankly for a moment, shook his head.

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. Is that your entire proposal?”

“...Ah, a refusal? What a shame. It cannot be helped. Winning a beauty has never been easy. As for another offer, how about exchanging prisoners? I hear you captured quite a few of our men who climbed the walls. We can exchange them for those captured during the cavalry charge.”

Duke Moraen snapped his fingers.

Several people walked out from behind the camp.

They were those who had joined the cavalry charge and fallen behind.

Shan saw Tavera among them.

He was limping slightly, but did not appear to be in mortal danger.

‘He was alive.’

As Shan let out a breath of relief, Duke Moraen continued.

“Of course, we likely have far more prisoners, so a simple exchange would be unfair. I would like to discuss the details from here... How much authority do you have?”

“What do you mean?”

“How well does your lord, Princess Serin, treat a powerful knight like you? Will the words I say here be fully conveyed to her?”

“They will.”

The duke’s eyes widened at Shan’s unhesitating reply.

It was as though he had not imagined the two had built such a level of trust.

“I see, that much... What a shame. I heard you were originally from Libert. It would have been nice if we had met a little sooner.”

“You knew where I was from?”

Shan had not expected even a duke to know that much, so he asked in surprise.

Duke Moraen smiled.

“You are more famous in Libert than you think. The Black Spear mentioned you once. He said a black-haired, green-eyed boy would become a warrior stronger than himself in about five years. But after seeing you today, he was wrong. It has only been two or three years since he said that, but you already look far stronger.”

Apparently, Fional Aldan had been speaking about Shan throughout Libert.

Should Shan be grateful for gaining fame he never expected?

Duke Moraen muttered that he would not have lost to the traitor Count Barlic if Shan had been there, then added that a knight of the Altos would still be impossible in Libert.

At last, he got to the point.

“Conrad promised that he would fight beside me against Count Barlic in the future.”

“In exchange for what...?”

“Supporting his side in this civil war. He took Princess Serin’s army tearing through the northwestern region quite seriously. Recently, he has been pushed back by the allied forces of Elvin and the Kingdom of Luman, so he desperately needed my help.”

Conrad was being pushed back by Elvin. This was new information.

Until recently, Shan had heard that Conrad was driving Elvin back one-sidedly.

Since they were in territory at Pendia’s far northern edge, nearly an island, they could not help being slow to receive such news.

Duke Moraen grinned when he saw the knights of Pales looking flustered.

“My original plan was to win today’s battle, ride that momentum, occupy Pales, and build my strength from there. But after what I saw today, that seems impossible. So why don’t we do this instead?”

Duke Moraen’s proposal was simple.

First, they would cleanly exchange all prisoners and end the fighting.

While the duke’s forces withdrew, Shan would return to Pales with all the spoils. Duke Moraen would rule this northwestern region, where a power vacuum would be left behind.

In other words, he would serve as a buffer zone between Conrad and Serin.

That was the generous way of putting it. Bluntly speaking, he intended to stab Conrad in the back after Conrad had taken him in.

Conrad had sent him to attack hostile forces, only for him to settle in the territory he had invaded and take it for himself. How else could that be interpreted?

“This is not a bad offer for you either. It would be difficult for you to manage everything from Pales to this place anyway, would it not?”

In a sense, Duke Moraen would be keeping Conrad in check for them.

If Princess Serin ruled this northwestern region herself, her forces would be spread too thin.

A fourth power would take root in a place that should originally have fallen under Conrad’s control.

On the other hand, attacking and driving them away would only benefit their enemies.

Of course, it was still difficult to expect Shan to possess such complex political insight.

He pretended to think seriously, then glanced toward Roden, who stood respectfully behind him.

A moment later, he received Roden’s answer through a look and nodded.

“All right.”

“Good, then we have a deal! I hope we will be good neighbors from now on, Sir Shan!”

Duke Moraen laughed heartily as he patted Shan on the shoulder.

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