Inside the silent carriage, not a single word was exchanged.
Adelle sat in front of me, her chin cupped in her hands as she stared out the window. The only one showing signs of restlessness was Lily, the maid sitting beside her.
It seemed useless to try speaking to her in this situation; Adelle wasn’t likely to give a proper response. Perhaps it was the atmosphere she was giving off.
Could she have discovered that I lied to her?
Even if that were the case, it was hard to guess how she found out.
“..Headache.”
The feeling of pressure in my head brought a sigh as I turned to look out the window.
What I saw was the round moon rising against the night sky, partially obscured by black clouds.
It was a scene one might expect to see in a period drama. Could this be why Adelle’s gaze was drawn to the window?
As I thought this, drowsiness and the effects of the wine I drank began to take hold.
Did I drink more than I realized? This body seems to be quite the lightweight when it comes to alcohol. To think I’d get drunk from just three glasses of wine after such a long time.
In my past life, I could handle three bottles of soju with ease. The memory of vomiting after naively challenging myself to four bottles during my first year of university still comes flooding back.
Somehow, as nostalgia mixed with sleepiness, I closed my eyes just as Adelle’s breathing reached my ears.
“Hoo…”
The sound, tinged with discomfort, immediately snapped me out of my drowsiness thanks to a surge of mana. Her pupils had slightly contracted and were now trembling faintly.
I was sure of it – she had just regressed.
‘No signs at all and yet she regressed?’
It was because I had been about to fall asleep while confirming the quiet around me. Besides, if anything unusual had happened near me, I would have woken up instantly.
‘…Is she some kind of expert?’
I harshly disrupted the mana circle within my body.
Woong…
A sensation of my entire body resonating washed over me as a refreshing energy began filling me.
“Is something wrong, Adelle?”
“…We’re surrounded.”
She answered instantly but then gave me a look of regret as if she thought I wouldn’t believe her.
Was she under the impression that I wouldn’t trust her words?
Abel from the original story probably wouldn’t have believed her either.
But now, I was Abel.
“…How many?”
“Do you believe me then?”
“Not really. Just preparing for any eventuality.”
Adelle looked at me with a slightly disappointed expression before continuing.
“Six in number. All are at Sword Expert level.”
Sword Expert.
One step below Sword Master, a realm only the top 1% of knights can achieve.
This caliber of enemy seems to have been too much for the Abel from my future. My guess is they’re likely related to the royal family, but…
‘…No, those guys wouldn’t move so openly.’
If not them, then it must be…
‘…That fool.’
I spat as I stood up.
Kooong!
The carriage’s roof was blown off.
At once, I saw six men cloaked in black. The direct subordinates of the Crown Prince, knights who take orders only from him. The senior knights of the Golden Lion Knights.
‘The carriage… is a lost cause.’
The driver’s seat was soaked in blood, indicating the driver was long dead.
Of all times, they’ve chosen to attack when Evan wasn’t around. More likely, knowing Evan’s absence, they have timed this attack accordingly.
Besides, it’s implausible that they would attack knowing a Duke like me is in the carriage… Could it be they thought I wasn’t here?
Maybe they never considered the possibility that a Duke like me would be traveling in such low-tier transport.
Should I call that simplistic thinking or rational?
As I thought this, I asked Lily.
“Weren’t you called Lily?”
“Yes? Yes!”
“Have you ever been a driver?”
“I… yes.. My father used to be a coachman..”
In a trembling voice, she confirmed this.
Of course, I knew this fact through the original story—that her father had been a coachman.
I had only initiated this conversation so Adelle wouldn’t find it odd if I abruptly instructed Lily to take over the reins of the carriage.
“Then go ahead.”
“But… Duke…!”
“It’s useless, Abel! They’re too strong!”
… Why did my future self let himself get so easily overwhelmed by these guys? From now on, I should probably avoid drinking too much even at banquets.
“Trust me, Adelle.”
I gave her a slight smile while speaking, which made her hesitate for a moment before nodding.
Perhaps she’s decided to regress again at the first sign of trouble.
Of course, that won’t happen. In fact, I won’t allow it.
“…Alright. Be careful, Abel. Come on, Lily.”
“Got it!”
As Lily seated herself at the driver’s bench and whipped the reins, the carriage took off. Maybe they left the horses for the purpose of capturing them later.
Maybe these guys aren’t ones who shy away from killing.
Of course, that’s unlikely for knights affiliated with the royal family.
If not, there’s only one remaining possibility.
Confidence that they can quickly overpower me and catch up.
Because I hid the fact that I’m a Grand Magician, unlike the Abel from the original, it seems some foolish types have gotten overly confident.
For some reason, this situation started to make me laugh.
“It seems I have been underestimated.”
It also made me a little irritated to think I looked this weak in front of Adelle.
Thump.
The sound of my heartbeat echoed as mana gathered in my hands.
“To think you would be so arrogant as to believe you can subdue me and catch her?”
The Abel from the original story might have been bested. While a Grand Magician, he had a tendency to look down on knights, believing they would crumble with just a wave of his hand.
But I am different.
“I’ll crush that arrogance.”
A white light began coalescing in the air. The knights charged me, their weapons drawn.
“Formation spread.”
White magic circles began to form in the air, surrounded by a gathering white light that soon took the shape of a massive hammer.
At the sight of this, the knights quickly changed their tactics.
“Strike.”
With my incantation, the massive hammer swung.
This was my personal adaptation of Spatial Magic.
Transforming the space itself into a cudgel and wielding it as a weapon. It’s a highly effective method for close combat against strong knights.
Bang!
“Keh!”
A knight who couldn’t evade in time was sent flying far by the hammer. Even if he survived, he must have sustained severe injuries.
Even if Sword Experts are near-superhuman, their physical endurance remains similar to that of regular knights.
What sets them apart is the exceptional strength of their auras.
Even as one knight was sent flying, the rest didn’t relax their combat stances.
Do they intend to continue even if one of them dies?
“Formation spread.”
As white light gathered to form a hammer far larger than before, the knights froze in their tracks.
Striking with spatial magic is fundamentally different from wielding a weapon.
Any weapon takes time to attack. Even a Sword Master can’t escape this principle.
However, the Spatial Magic I improved slightly deviates from this.
If I wanted, I could strike with the hammer before these knights even notice.
The slight damage I dealt just now was merely a warning.
If they ignore the warning, there’s only one thing left to do.
“Strike.”
It’s time for punishment.
Kwaaang!
With a swing of the hammer, the knights were crushed into the ground. They were using their auras to defend against the blow, I see.
Still, even as Sword Experts, they couldn’t completely evade the impact.
They’ll be immobilized for a while, having consumed about half the mana within me.
It was enough to produce such power.
I’d prefer to kill them, but that would make matters too complicated.
These knights were likely acting on private orders from the Crown Prince, so they’ll want to cover this up.
They’ll likely claim the severe injuries they suffered here were from a mission mishap. It’s wise to leave the matter as it is.
“…Damn, I feel exhausted.”
Maybe it’s because I used so much mana, all the fatigue I’ve been suppressing hit me at once.
On top of being sleep-deprived for two days due to the engagement preparations, it’s no wonder sleep evades me.
“…Let’s head back.”
Starting to circulate the remaining mana within my body, I began sketching a magic circle. The basic form of spatial magic — teleportation.
Wooong…
As the vibration resonated, a white magic circle appeared above me. As half of my remaining mana drained, the surroundings changed.
What I saw now was a white bed.
“…Didn’t my bedroom’s bed used to be black?”
Looking back, I must have mistakenly set the coordinates for Adelle’s bedroom when I meant to go to my own.
Probably due to my fatigue.
“…Alright. Just sleep.”
Uncontrollable sleepiness overtook me as I lay down on the bed. My consciousness faded even before my thoughts could continue.
*
As soon as I arrived at the mansion, I immediately sought out the steward.
That steward must be able to send knights to Abel’s aid.
As I hadn’t officially tied the knot with him yet, I didn’t have the authority to mobilize the knights.
Lost in this thought, I moved to search for him when Lily approached the gathering of maids and shouted.
“Lord Alan! Where is Lord Alan!”
The maids, startled by her sudden outburst, looked at Lily blankly. One of the more composed ones answered her question.
“Lord Alan should be in the study.”
“Thank you.”
With that, Lily nodded at me before heading off. I reciprocated her gesture and rushed toward the study.
This was an urgent matter.
Six Sword Experts.
Before my regression, I had been abducted by those six. And this, even before Abel woke up.
Even upon waking, Abel was overwhelmed by the six and couldn’t resist at all.
Just imagining what might have happened if I hadn’t regressed gave me goosebumps.
I burst into the study and found Alan busy with paperwork. Immediately, I called out to him.
“Alan! Abel is in danger!”
“…The Duke?”
He momentarily tilted his head as if he hadn’t heard correctly and then nodded as if understanding.
“…Ah. I see. So you didn’t know, it seems.”
“…Huh? What do you mean..”
“Miss Estelle of the Viscount family?”
Alan continued with a serious expression.
“The Duke is a Grand Magician. A Grand Magician whose power rivals that of a Sword Master.”
“…Grand Magician?”
I’ve heard of it.
A title gained when a magician reaches the peak of their powers.
Could Abel be that Grand Magician?
But then… Why did he get overpowered by knights who were just at Sword Expert level?
‘…Impossible.’
Because of me..?
