His vision had long been dyed a turbid dark red by swollen eyelids and the blood flowing into his sockets.
Natsuki Subaru curled up on the center of the training grounds, trembling helplessly like a tattered rag.
With every breath, his fractured ribs scraped against the edges of his lungs, the frequency so rapid it made him want to vomit.
The ringing in his ears drowned out everything else, yet even so, he could still hear the sneers coming from the onlookers, dense and cold like piercing needles.
Why... did it turn out like this?
He tried to open his mouth, wanting to utter those lines he thought were cool, but only saliva and bloody froth surged from his throat.
His proud "Return by Death" was useless here, for his opponent, the "Finest Knight" Julius, deemed it beneath him to even kill him.
It was a gap in strength as vast as the distance between heaven and earth.
Every strike from that unremarkable wooden sword held by his opponent not only shattered his bones but also peeled away the final layer of self-esteem Natsuki Subaru held as an "Isekai Protagonist."
Subaru had always thought he was special, thought that relying on "Return by Death" and a chest full of hot blood would be enough to protect Emilia's smile.
But reality was like a cold leather boot stomping on his muddy face, telling him: You are just a self-righteous buffoon.
The light and shadows before his eyes began to shake violently. Julius's back, elegant and calm—even carrying a trace of pity towards him—was turning to leave.
Perhaps this perfect knight didn't even care that he had defeated Natsuki Subaru, defeated such a grandstanding boy.
The taller that perfect knight's back appeared, the more it highlighted Subaru's insignificance.
It was truly ironic. Perhaps he actually intended to mete out a small punishment through this duel, so that Subaru wouldn't be assassinated by other knights he had spoken rudely to.
But to Subaru, this small punishment was worse than just killing him outright.
Anyone...
Anyone at all... just acknowledge me. I clearly didn't say anything wrong...
The screaming deep in his heart was cut off by ruthless reality.
Subaru's fingernails broke as he clawed at the mud, the pain connecting ten fingers to his heart nearly causing him to faint.
"Yo, isn't this Subaru? The suffering of forcing yourself into the spotlight isn't pleasant, is it?"
Just as Subaru heard the footsteps of medical staff approaching, ready to carry him off the stage like a stray dog kicked to death on the roadside—
A strange male voice rang in his ear.
"Here, this is a Life Elixir."
"That'll be 2000 gold. If you don't have money, you can owe me for now~"
Subaru felt his jaw being dislocated by the man. That hand, calloused as if from doing too much farm work, poured a bottle of pink medicine entirely into his mouth.
"?!"
Subaru felt a warm current surge through his body.
In just the blink of an eye, the blood-red hue before his vision vanished, and the dull pain in his body dissipated into nothingness!
"You... who are you?"
The figure of a handsome man dressed like a farmer, who had intruded into the Royal Palace training grounds at some unknown time, reflected in Subaru's eyes.
Subaru had no impression of ever seeing such a person.
Moreover, putting aside everything else, his rustic attire was completely out of place with everything around them—
"Who I am isn't important."
"What's important is that, setting aside your motives, I actually quite liked your argument regarding the kingdom's system just now."
"Although most of your words were empty talk, there was one sentence I loved to hear—"
"Most of the people in this Royal Palace really were just born lucky!"
The farmer-dressed man raised his hand to point at the sky, as if imitating a certain mysterious Great Witch.
His appearance was without omen. Everyone's eyes widened at the outsider who had manifested out of thin air in the center of the training grounds!
"Lowborn, how dare you?!"
"Where did this peasant come from? To dare trespass into the palace!"
"Men, shoot him dead!"
The onlookers from the Knight Order cursed and shouted. Some knights even drew their bows and nocked arrows, preparing to shoot dead the male dressed in rustic commoner's clothes.
"Stop!"
Only the Finest Knight, Julius, who was still on the stage, held a solemn gaze. He suddenly shouted, yelling angrily at his colleagues who had nocked their arrows, halting their actions.
"Hmm?"
Perhaps it was this Finest Knight's sudden shout that caused the other Royal Selection Candidates, who had grown bored of Subaru's clown show and intended to leave, to stop in their tracks.
As candidates for the Dragon Maiden, they turned back, looking once more toward the center of the stage, at the strange farmer who had appeared out of nowhere beside Natsuki Subaru.
Who is this farmer?
When did he appear? Is it magic?
These were the question marks popping up in the minds of everyone, including the Council of Sages. But it was also because of the warning mixed into Julius's shout that some began to wear serious expressions.
"I do not know who Your Excellency is, nor do I know why Your Excellency has trespassed into the Royal Palace."
"But since Your Excellency, like the boy beside you, speaks rudely of our knightly honor and believes we are merely incompetents who inherited the grace of our ancestors, then I must ask Your Excellency for instruction."
Throwing away the wooden sword in his hand, Julius drew the fine steel sword at his waist.
He did not slack off in the slightest against this eccentric farmer who could appear silently behind him.
Even the spirits attracted by his Divine Protection had given no warning of the farmer's sudden appearance.
—But precisely because of that, it was terrifyingly eerie!
"I'm not saying you are an incompetent person."
"Just like nobles who exploit serfs, there are kind nobles and there are evil nobles."
"But no matter how good those kind nobles are, it doesn't affect the essence of the definition of being a 'noble'."
"So I'm not targeting anyone specific. I'm just saying that everyone here..."
"Is trash."
Suke let out a relieved smile, and a purple precious sword radiating starlight appeared in his hand.
Facing Julius's frontal slash, which carried no hesitation, he simply held his sword horizontally—
Crack!
It was the crisp sound of fine steel breaking.
"How is that possible?!"
Everyone watching couldn't help but lose their voices as Julius's sword blade broke in two upon his downward strike, as if an egg hitting a rock!
Yet the arm Suke used to hold the sword and block didn't even tremble.
"—!"
Julius stared blankly at the broken sword in his hand. The blade of the purple precious sword, close at hand, radiated starlight that illuminated his face.
He had never been careless. The moment he decided to duel Suke just now, he had even infused his spirit and magic into the sword he held.
But it was just so...
Unbearably fragile?
"As I said, you are a 'good noble,' so I don't want to fix you up too badly."
"I'm not the type who can't distinguish right from wrong. So stand down. No matter how excellent the 'Finest' Knight is, essentially, he is just a 'Knight' rotting along with the kingdom itself."
Suke tapped forward lightly with the spine of his sword. Julius attempted to block with the broken sword in his hand, but the moment their blades collided again—
He felt himself become weightless.
Like a cloth ball thrown by someone, he was patted lightly into mid-air.
Immediately after, he crashed heavily into the stands surrounding the training grounds, kicking up a cloud of dust!
"Julius!"
Anastasia, one of the candidates for the Kingdom's Maiden, cried out in alarm.
Her First Knight, the "Finest Knight," had been taken out just like that, so casually?!
"What crappy Great Waterfall. The United Government really doesn't know how to find a more stable passage. It washed us all apart to god knows where."
After swatting Julius away, Suke looked at the public channel in the bottom left corner, muttering to himself with a frown.
Although Tsukishiro Yuki and Abigail had both replied to him, the situation was a bit strange.
Abigail was fine; she said she had been sent to a large city situated in the middle of a lake, surrounded by water on all sides.
Suke also reported his own location in the Royal Capital of the Kingdom of Lugnica. Their regrouping should only be a matter of time.
But Tsukishiro Yuki was different.
[Great Witch: Animus, I have sensed some traces that may have been left by my kin. I need to go confirm some things first.]
[Great Witch: I might not be able to reply to messages very promptly during this time. Please forgive me. I will finish the matter at hand and rush over as soon as possible.]
He had originally planned to take the two of them for a stroll in the otherworld after finishing their business.
This is just great. Somehow, he's ended up alone again.
Whatever, whatever!
At least the location where he landed was very good. He arrived right in the center of the plot. Finding "Chili" should be a breeze.
Oh, actually, he wasn't alone.
Suke touched the Starfruit tumbling around in his jacket pocket, thinking that at least the little guy hadn't been lost in the teleportation.
"To be honest, my mood right now isn't very good."
Suke looked around at the Royal Knights who, after Julius was defeated, were waiting in full battle array, forming a formation to surround him.
"Let me declare this first: I am in a very bad mood right now."
"I'm protecting this boy named Natsuki Subaru!"
He had to protect him. Subaru's "Return by Death" was different from Hiro's "Death Rewind"; this kid rewinds directly!
Suke didn't want to gamble on the possibility that Abigail, who was rushing to meet him, would be unaffected by the rewind.
"Whoever wants to hurt him, or dares to stop me from doing anything, will bear the consequences!"
The Shepherd's Crook appeared in Suke's hand at the same time.
The instant the staff appeared, the battle formation formed by the knights instantly collapsed!
"What's happening—?"
"It's magic! This is magic!"
"Everyone, be careful! Ah—"
All the knights floated uncontrollably into weightlessness, their armor and shields clashing against each other.
Without Suke even striking, the phalanx collapsed without a fight!
"Otherwise, I guarantee I'll make you all fly!"
Suke pointed and gestured.
"Do you know what is called Nightmare Entanglement!"
____
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