Chapter 91: Greed That Had Crossed the River (1)

Rosio of the Dagger of Darkness waited in the dark forest with his subordinates, watching for an opening.

Even now they kept firing arrows from a short distance away.

The number of knights under his command, which had been three at first, had grown to thirty.

“If I hadn’t had them waiting in advance, that would’ve been a disaster.”

Rosio had positioned troops separately near the Praizen territory.

At first he had entered the castle with only three subordinates to gather information.

“Now, let’s begin.”

“Understood.”

They stowed their bows and arrows and moved.

It was time for the two men assigned to the seaside to check them.

Everyone placed in the forest wore Prios equipment.

In that state they charged straight for the carriage.

“Kill them all!”

The Dagger of Darkness attacked with a calm expression.

As the fight broke out, the area around the carriage became a mess.

Then a similar number of troops rapidly approached from the seaside and joined the battle.

“Ugh……! Where on earth did these bastards come from!”

Veritad swung his sword wildly and fought them.

Then he noticed something strange.

“These men’s swordsmanship……”

While he wondered, a man leapt in and clashed blades with him.

Kaaang―!

It was Rosio.

“Resistance is useless!”

“You bastards…… you’re not from the Prios Kingdom!”

By their uniforms, swords, and arrows they were clearly Prios equipment.

But their swordsmanship smelled more of the Canel Kingdom than the typical aggressive style of the Prios Kingdom.

It was the technique handed down to knights of the Canel Kingdom.

“Whoever you think we are doesn’t matter right now, does it?”

“Those sons of bitches……! Who sent you!”

“You don’t need to know that!”

Rosio parried and pressed the attack.

Kkang! Kkakang! Kkang!

Their swords rang sharply, sending sparks flying.

The Praizen territory’s knights and soldiers were busy just holding them off.

Because of the troops that had come from the seaside, they gradually fell into a disadvantage.

“Ugh…….”

With more enemies joining against Veritad, the situation became dangerous.

“Secure the carriage so the lord can’t escape!”

At that moment, Rosio issued an order and Veritad realized their objective.

“No chance!”

Veritad swung his sword broadly to knock them back and moved toward the carriage.

At that instant, Rosio’s blade grazed Veritad’s thigh.

Swaak―!

“Guh! So that’s what you were aiming for!”

Grasping his thigh, Veritad faced them with his back to the carriage.

“You’re stupid……. Would anyone move troops while they were facing you, the commander of the knights?”

“To think they’d aim for that……”

Veritad had been so focused on protecting the lord that he hadn’t been able to consider the flow of the battle.

“The others will be finished soon too. Farewell, then!”

Rosio flashed a fishy smile and raised his sword.

At that moment an arrow flew in from the forest.

“Hm—?”

Startled, Rosio swiftly cut the arrow that flew toward him.

But the arrow was shaped like the ones they’d been shooting just now—Prios Kingdom stock.

“An accidental shot after we’d cleaned things up. Come out at once!”

Rosio assumed a comrade had fired poorly.

Then the bushes in the forest rustled and someone walked out.

Step. Step. Step.

“……Hm?”

The person who emerged from the bushes was not one of Rosio’s men.

A man with brown hair whom none of them had seen before stepped out in armor stamped with a strange pattern.

He was Cayman, the knight who had accompanied Raion.

“I shot to hit. Still, I find a sword more comfortable than a bow.”

“Who are you!”

“Shouldn’t you be more worried about the back of your head than about me?”

“What? Th-this!”

A chill ran down Rosio’s spine and he turned his head immediately.

Suddenly a red-haired man had appeared above the carriage and swung his sword widely.

“Stand back, now!”

At his shout, the subordinates hastily stepped away from the carriage and from Veritad.

Swoooosh―!

The sharp wind that extended from the red-haired man’s sword tore into the earth.

Because of that, a long, thick line was drawn in front of Veritad.

The knights and soldiers fighting froze at the red-haired man’s sudden appearance and watched.

“How can one do that with a sword……”

The red-haired man landed on top of the carriage and looked down at them with an arrogant gaze.

“Are you impressed with my skill? I’m Raion Canel, a knight of the Dagger of Darkness—Rosio’s unit!”

The man was Raion.

Using his abilities—Sensing and Specific Analysis — he even identified Rosio’s affiliation.

“How did you know my identity……”

As the question was raised, the cloud that had been hiding the moon began to clear.

Raion’s face, along with his red hair standing on the carriage, came fully into view before them.

“Y-you are……!”

“Now that you know me, you’ll have to die, right?”

Raion answered and emitted a translucent blue aura from his sword.

Seeing that sight, Rosio and his subordinate knights turned pale.

They were seeing the aura of a Swordmaster with their own eyes.

Moreover, with the Swordmaster’s blade pointed at them, the operation’s chance of success had already plunged long ago.

“This can’t be. How could the prince……”

Rosio faltered in confusion, then shouted urgently to his knights.

“Do not flee! We must finish this here.”

The Dagger of Darkness tightened their gaze, sharper than before, and charged the carriage in unison.

They intended to kill their target, Marquis Kataroan Pelican, by any means necessary.

Then Raion used the sword, which had been emitting his aura, to block their movements.

Swoooosh!

With a sword made of steel, it was impossible to block a blade imbued with aura—it would simply be cut.

Of course, Rosio knew this well and leapt toward the carriage.

‘I don’t know how the prince has reached the level of a Swordmaster, but he’s just a brat who’s barely had his coming-of-age ceremony.’

He had planned to let the sword he thrust forward be cut, then counterattack with the other sword hidden behind him.

Sleung―!

In an instant, Raion’s blade deflected Rosio’s sword, and the distance between them closed sharply.

True Martial Art (眞武道) Hand-to-Hand Combat (手搏) Transformation of Power (化勁).

At the same time, Raion grabbed the arm holding the sword and threw him onto the carriage.

Thak! Whooong! Thud―!

The impact was so immense that the carriage roof caved in slightly, spreading across Rosio’s entire body.

“Ughk! H-how did I…….”

It all happened in a flash.

Rosio couldn’t even guess how he had been handled.

Raion didn’t stop there. He threw Rosio to the ground again and moved on to fight the other knights.

The Praizen knights and soldiers gained tremendous morale from the arrival of such a powerful ally.

The Dagger of Darkness, already at a disadvantage, began to hesitate.

“Where do you think you’re going―!”

At that moment, Raion stepped forward to block their escape.

More than half of the Dagger of Darkness had already fallen.

A few tried desperately to flee, but Raion blocked them, leaving them in despair.

The situation had been completely overturned.

In that state, Rosio struggled to stand and spoke.

“Everyone, drop your swords!”

At Rosio’s order, all of the Dagger of Darkness dressed in Prios Kingdom uniforms dropped their weapons.

At the same time, Veritad gathered the knights and soldiers and drove the surviving enemies to one side.

Then Rosio looked at Raion and spoke clearly.

“Rosio, a knight of the Dagger of Darkness, pays his respects to the Third Prince of the Canel Kingdom.”

Those who hadn’t heard his words earlier finally erupted in shock.

“Prince?”

“The prince of our kingdom?”

As murmurs rose, the carriage door opened and Marquis Kataroan Pelican stepped out.

“The prince has come. I offer my respects.”

With his response, the lingering curiosity was confirmed.

“Praizen’s Knight Commander, Veritad Glover. I offer my respects to the prince.”

“We pay our respects!”

Veritad, along with the knights and soldiers, quickly bowed their heads.

Seeing this, Raion frowned and approached Rosio.

“Earlier, you charged as if to kill. Why are you surrendering now?”

“You’ll need some people alive if you want to gather information anyway.”

Once Raion was confirmed as the Swordmaster prince, Rosio thought to inform Duke Alito.

Naturally, if he died here, even that would be impossible, so he surrendered.

Of course, the assassination plot against Duke Alito and Queen Elina might also be reported to the royal palace.

‘I need to stabilize the situation a bit first, then find a chance to escape somehow.’

From the start, Rosio had no intention of cooperating.

Of course, he needed at least some of his allies alive to create an opportunity.

At that moment, Raion tilted his head and asked.

“What information do you think you’re extracting from me?”

“About my backers.”

If it had been anyone other than Raion, it would have been a natural point of curiosity.

“Do you think I came here without knowing that too?”

“That is……”

Hoo! Shwaaaak!

At the same time, Raion swung his sword.

The aura condensed on his blade extended outward, and the heads of the surrendering group fell simultaneously.

“W-what is this…….”

The Dagger of Darkness, which had attempted the ambush, was now reduced to only Rosio.

“You all remain as Prios forces. Ah, does the lord have any objections?”

“No. Do as the prince decides.”

“Good, then.”

Raion stared coldly at Rosio.

Rosio felt a bad premonition and urgently shouted.

“I-I have important information. If you kill me, you won’t find out anything.”

“If it’s information that Duke Alito and Queen Elina intend to replace the throne regardless of the succession test, I already know.”

“Th-that’s impossible―!”

Swaak!

The aura-infused sword passed over Rosio’s neck.

Rosio couldn’t finish his words before his head was severed, and he died.

“It’s over.”

“Thank you for your efforts. You’re late, though.”

The Praizen knights and soldiers had taken considerable damage.

“Apologies. I took the wrong path because of this guy.”

Raion struck the back of Cayman’s head as he came up beside him.

Cayman narrowed his eyes and shouted.

“Why is that my fault! Master didn’t check whether the lord would inspect east or west first, did he!”

“…….”

At that moment, a heavy silence settled around the carriage where the battle had taken place.

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