In the middle of the night, when everyone should be asleep, an uninvited guest forced the lock on my door. I had two options: first, ask the intruder why he had snuck in and express my anger in words.
«...i hope you came prepared to die».
Second, get angry with my whole body. As a typical barbarian, there was no need to think much about the correct way to treat an uninvited guest.
¡Aprieta!
I grabbed the intruder's neck tighter. It was the normal reaction of a barbarian to a murderer.
«Has the marquis ordered you to kill me?».
¡Ch-choke!
In response, the intruder snorted desperately: «...It's not...! Wait, let's talk about this...».
It was obvious what he was going to say, probably that he hadn't come here with the intention of killing me. I was sure it was true. I didn't have a gun in my hand when I opened my eyes. If he really wanted to kill me, the marquis had many better options than this guy. I couldn't deny it.
«I have no intention of talking to someone who tried to kill me».
But I can't get angry if I admit that, can I? So, get some sleep. I will go collect compensation for this from your father.
¡Aprieta!
I squeezed hard, blocking his airway to the point that there was no room for even the slightest sound. Then I buried my fist in his abdomen, which was bare of any kind of equipment.
Hit!
His back curved like that of a shrimp from the slight blow. He drowned.
Oh, aren't you going to faint after this? Then another.
Hit!
"Father!
I guess he's holding up well since he's a gentleman. Do I need to hit him in the jaw?
Just as I was about to change my aim, Eltora felt that her life was in danger and unsheathed the knife she was carrying around her waist. «Urgh!» It was about the same size as the dagger he normally used to cut jerky. But the size of a knife in a gentleman's hand didn't matter.
¡Whooooom!
Using the dagger as a medium, the knight summoned a blue aura that quickly spread outwards.
¡Latigo!
The aura covered the dagger, which rushed like lightning towards my wrist. It seemed like he had decided to cut off my entire hand since he couldn't get me to let go. I could see his logic. Most knights tended to try to cut off anything that got in their way.
[You have launched Iron Fortress.]
[The Evolutionary Shell effect has increased 1.5 times.]
As I quickly activated my ability, his aura touched my wrist.
¡Kagak!
The aura struggled to pierce my flesh and finally became trapped in the bone. His eyes widened. It wasn't much different from the Blood Knight's look when we fought in the Dark Continent. 'Why the hell doesn't it cut?' These bastards who spent their lives using auras had a hard time accepting the fact that they could fail. Of course, it wasn't my job to hold his hand.
«Even hiding a gun?» Blood dripped from my torn flesh but I didn't move, my grip on his neck still firm. «So you're a murderer».
Eltora tried to shake her head violently, but couldn't. He tried, but failed because he lacked the strength to turn his neck. He could only widen his already wide eyes.
¡Whoom!
The next moment, a large fist broke the bones in his face.
¡Crack!
Now, shall we go?
Grabbing the marquis' son by the back of the head, I left the room. Unfortunately, I soon ran into a problem.
How to find the marquis?
I didn't know where the marquis was, but I couldn't wake this guy up to ask him.
Goteo, goteo.
Ugh, I want to meet the marchioness before my wrist wound heals...
However, my worries were short-lived. As the saying went, you didn't have to strain your mind too much if you had a resilient body.
I'm sure I'll be able to figure it out as soon as it comes out.
I was staying in a separate building located to the east of the main house. I walked down the empty hallway and headed towards the stairs. The servants who had been everywhere when I entered my room were no longer seen anywhere. That meant the marquis had restricted their access before sending me his son.
The first floor seems normal.
The first floor lobby was brightly lit even at this time of night. Although there was no one on guard here, a maid who was on guard noticed me and screamed. «Kyaaah!»
What, is it a biometric alarm or something?
«What is that noise?!» The main door, closed tight, opened when he heard the scream and the night shift knights ran in. «Riehen Schuitz...! What does this mean?! Who is that person you are holding?!»
Unfortunately, it seemed that they did not recognize their young master. Maybe I shouldn't have hit him in the face.
«Judging by the threads on his belt, he looks like a member of the Tecerion Family.»
«You may be a guest of the marquis, but did you think you would get away with something like that?»
«Let go of that man and surrender!»
A total of four knights surrounded me, their auras active. It was a situation that would make any ordinary adventurer sweat profusely and tremble in his boots. These guys probably knew this better than anyone, which is why they were so confident.
«I will say this one last time, surrender and await the judgment of Lord Tecerion».
«What if I don't want to?»
«...Then we have no choice but to demonstrate our skill.»
«Really? Well try».
When I shrugged at his ultimatum, the knights frowned as if they thought he was making a foolish decision.
Grifo.
I threw the son to the ground, opened my subspace and carried the Demon Crusher on my shoulder. Just then, the four knights exchanged glances with each other and attacked me from all sides.
Run.
Luckily for me, as soon as I stepped on the ground with my foot, a vortex appeared.
Boom.
[You have cast Eye of the Storm.]
I deliberately didn't use it in combination with Transcendence because, against a group, it was much more effective in its usual state.
¡Whiiiiip!
The knights, who were conveniently within a five-meter radius of me, were swept away by the powerful winds and drawn towards me. Of course, even so, the knights brandished their swords. After all, a blow from a knight could pierce heavy armor like butter and cut through flesh and blood without resistance.
«¡Yes!»
I hit the Demon Crusher again and again, not worrying about defending myself. This was how barbarians used to deal damage. Assuming the blows were exchanged face to face, I hoped I would be the one to emerge victorious in the end.
Whiiip.
The knight who charged at me from my forehead lowered his sword. I made no effort to block or dodge.
Slash!
This guy applied so much force that the sword embedded itself in my collarbone.
Hit!
I retaliated by stabbing him in the temple with my hammer. Just then, the gentleman who was lunging at me from the left cut my ankle.
Slash!
Gosh, targeting the Achilles tendon is low.
I almost lost my balance for a moment, but luckily my tendon was not seriously damaged.
Ziiip.
I quickly balanced on my other foot and used my injured foot to kick him in the face like a soccer ball.
¡Kwa claim!
The knight flew away and collided with one of the pillars of the mansion. Just then, I heard a thud behind me.
"Kak!
So, you didn't cut, you stabbed.
[Any damage taken from stabbing will be reduced by 75%.]
No wonder he didn't feel pain.
«W-Who the hell are you...?»
The best question is, who are you, boy? Do you have something to say?
I turned around and elbowed him in the jaw. It was that easy, there was only one guy left standing.
«Ahhh!» As if he wanted to avenge his fallen companions, the knight went to slice my neck with a fierce golden aura.
My neck is a little vulnerable.
Since there was no need for large, energy-consuming movements, I simply raised my left arm and blocked the blow with my shield.
Attack!
Then I kicked him in the stomach.
Shaaaaaa.
At that moment, the Storm's Eye timer ran out and the vortex disappeared. The lobby was now silent. Although we exchanged the same number of blows, it was clear who the winner was. Except for a few scratches, I was fine, while the opponent was crawling on the ground.
¡Tos…!
Two of them were still conscious. I wasn't sure about the last one I kicked, but I honestly thought the guy I punched in the temple out of rage would have died.
Did he use any kind of defense skills before being hit?
However, it seemed that the damage he had received to the head was still significant, because the knight's walk as he staggered towards the door was pitiful.
«Backup...»
Wow, gentlemen really are professionals, huh?
I was impressed by his sense of responsibility, but since I didn't want him to go too far, I used Transcendence, followed by Vortex to hit him on the head and knock him unconscious.
And I can ask this guy where the marchioness is...
I bent down and grabbed the head of the gentleman who I kicked in the stomach to make him look at me. «I have a question for you...»
Spit!
...Is this son of a bitch crazy?
I was always the one spitting bloody phlegm at others, so this investment put me in a bad mood. I bit my anger and tried again. «Where is the marquis?»
«You... will follow me... to hell.»
Who said I'm going to kill you?
I was exasperated, but given how he spat curses at me with that resigned look in his eyes, I had the feeling that he wouldn't answer my questions anyway.
¡Pum!
I slapped him on the head and continued deliberating.
What do I do? Shall I go out again? Hmm, although I think there are wizards out there. To begin with, I don't want to make any more scandals. It would be nice to have a private conversation only with the marquis... Should I wait for the son to wake up?
Deslick.
As all those thoughts crowded into my mind, I sensed a presence beyond the open doors. I raised my head to check it and then slowly stood up from my squat.
«...You won't have to come look for me».
The marquis was standing there, in the same casual clothes as before. That meant he hadn't gone to bed. Well, it could have been because I was busy with work. However, I wondered what the real reason would be. I thought it was more than fair to say that I was waiting for his signal to appear. The same was true of the troops that gathered beside him.
When I got up, the woman standing next to the marquis put her hand on the hilt of her sword.
«Okay, leave».
«...Yes.» The guard immediately withdrew his hand from the sword, following his orders. I studied it carefully. First of all, this woman was not a gentleman. Auras were exclusive to humans.
And she is from the dragon tribe.
Confirming that his pupils had the characteristic torn appearance of the dragon tribe, I noticed his equipment.
Damn sea.
I realized what the sword he was carrying around his waist was. No. 19: Exenith Demon Dragon Sword was a long conversion sword that not only greatly amplified physical damage, but turned it into magic damage. Until I finished my Mana Resistance build, that sword could be considered my personal kryptonite.
I had never heard of this woman...
If the equipment matched the talent, this woman had to be one of the strongest fighters in the city. It was safe to say that there were no weak dragonians to begin with.
There was a moment of silence as he took stock of the situation. The marquis was the first to break it. «Why don't we move this conversation somewhere else?».
«Why should I trust you?»
«Hmm, then at least let me take care of those men». When I nodded, the marquis glanced at the knights at his side, who carried away his fallen comrades. «Apart from Miss Ravien, let everyone leave the mansion».
The marquis withdrew all his troops from the mansion. Only the dragon tribe woman remained next to him. But, although the dragonian guard was still present, the marquis did not hesitate to say my real name.
«Baronet Yandel. I know why you did this. There must have been a misunderstanding».
A misunderstanding, huh?
True, the marquis must have been bewildered. Even if I wasn't an evil spirit and only woke up halfway through his son's mission to check it out, I couldn't know that things would get like this, and no less than in the middle of his mansion. Of course, right now he had no reason to be understanding.
«You send a murderer after me in the middle of the night and call it a misunderstanding... You have guts».
«It is for that precise reason that I am calling this a misunderstanding. He wasn't a murderer, he just wanted to check if you are an evil spirit or not.»
«...Evil spirit?» I had already realized his motive years ago, but I pretended not to. Oh, would it make more sense for me to bother here? «...Are you saying you suspect I'm an evil spirit?» The question oozed hostility.
At this, the marquis nodded solemnly. «It is better to be sure of these things. As you may have heard, evil spirits are called to a meeting every fifteenth day of the month. During that time, they are completely helpless. I swear I was just trying to check if you were awake or not».
«...¿Y?»
«Esto lo confirms. No eres un espíritu maligna».
I let out an inaudible sigh. That was my biggest motivation for wreaking all this havoc. «So why did you send your son, among all people?».
«It's... because I thought there would be no problems this way, even if you woke up».
«Go on.»
«First, I didn't know you'd make such a fuss. And second, I thought he would be able to manage only in case of emergency». In other words, he thought his son might subdue me even if things went wrong.
«Weren't you worried that I might kill him on the spot? Isn't he your only son?»
«Pampering them will only make them grow weak.»
So that's your strategy for raising your children.
Some parts of his explanation were still unclear, but I thought I understood what had happened quite well.
«Now, if that clears up our misunderstanding...»
«Just because the misunderstanding is clarified does not mean that there are no resentments. For starters, you haven't completely cleared up the misunderstanding». When I interrupted him, the marquis looked at me with a frown.
Do you think that will scare me?
«Do you see this wound?» I showed him my half-healed wrist so he could see the wound. «It's from when your son ambushed me earlier».
«...Ambush?»
«He wanted to talk, but he pulled out a knife».
«I see, so it's natural that you misinterpreted it and reacted the way you did. You will be punished accordingly».
«And what about the damage I received?» Without stopping at my wrist, I showed him my other knights' wounds so he could see them. Compared to those of the knights, who were made of porridge, the injuries were extremely minor.
While mocking, the marquis gave me the answer I wanted. «Since they were caused by our mistake, we will make sure to reach an agreement that satisfies you».
Well, that should be enough compensation.
«So are you willing to clear things up now and talk?», he asked. «I want us to talk about the second condition I was planning to talk to you about in the morning».
«Okay».
When I nodded, the dragonian guard next to him pulled a chair out of subspace as if it had done so hundreds of times. It was an expensive and comfortable chair.
Wow, does it make her carry a chair like that in subspace? These nobles...
«As I get older, my body is no longer what it used to be. Oh, do you need a chair too?»
«It is not necessary.»
«I'm glad.»
«So what is the second condition?»
There was no need to drag out this conversation so I got straight to the point. In exchange for helping me regain my identity, his first condition was that I join the war effort. What could be the second?
«Let me confirm one last thing before we get to that». The marquis shrewdly avoided answering and exercised his right to question me.
Ugh, it's not like I can say no.
«Forward».
With my permission, the marquis continued, but the direction the conversation took was a bit unexpected. «Aside from my son, the four gentlemen you faced earlier were considered quite skilled even within our house».
Oh really? I took them all down before I saw their abilities, so I couldn't tell.
«¿Y?»
«I'll ask you clearly», said the marquis. «How strong are you?»
The question was a little off, but it made sense if you thought about it. Not even the marquis knew my exact abilities. I just wanted to use my reputation to help in the war.
«Hmm, seeing as you don't answer, I guess it's a tough question.»
«The truth is, no».
It wasn't a difficult question, it was just too open. How to express a person's strength in words? How strong someone was was as relative as time itself, and therefore required something to compare them to. For example...
«That woman».
When I nodded to the dragonian guard, the marquis seemed surprised. «Are you saying you're confident you can defeat Miss Ravien?».
I shook my head. «No.» Maybe not defeat her. We hadn't fought before, so it was too early to be sure. But the marquis was asking about my combat power, so I responded without a moment's hesitation. «Strong enough to go through that woman and break your skull».
Was it a good enough answer? Probably. I saw a slight tremor run through the marquis' figure, even though he was normally relaxed even in front of me.
«...He's even crazier than the rumor says». High praise came from the guard's mouth.