Chapter 141

Chapter 142. Did You Think You Could Die to Me? (2)

Piyoong- Boom!

A firework signaling the start of the competition exploded in the center of the deserted island.

“The competition has begun. You may now act freely.”

The official left after making a formal announcement, and Anis, who had removed his blindfold, began to survey his surroundings.

“Is this the edge of the deserted island?”

Anis stood in a position where, if he took even a single step back, he would fall off a cliff. Behind him was a cliff with crashing waves, and in front of him was a dense forest. The towering mountain above was the only one on the island and also the location of the escape route.

The terrain was exactly as Mail had described, but there was an unexpected variable.

There was no bow or arrow.

Anis let out a deep sigh.

“All the strategies I prepared are useless now.”

Sephira’s archery can be used even in a prone position. This is common knowledge among Sephira’s archers, but not among other swordsmen. Anis had planned to use this advantage actively, hiding in the bushes or behind rocks to snipe passing knights. But without a bow and arrow, that strategy was now meaningless.

‘If I hadn’t trained under Keter, I would have been helpless.’

Before the training, he couldn’t even create an Aura Bow. His martial arts weren’t at a level where he could defeat a 3-Star Knight. The elixir Keter gave him, the joint training with mercenaries, and the secret technique “Heavenly Power” had all boosted his confidence.

‘It’s disadvantageous, but not hopeless. At least I can create a bow and arrow with Aura. And I have Heavenly Power too.’

However, a bow and arrow made of Aura are too conspicuous. Aura has a glowing property. Moreover, if he only shoots Aura Arrows, he can only fire seven shots with an Aura Bow. The more complex the structure, the more Aura it consumes, and a bow is much more complex than a sword.

Anis, whose goal was to collect 10 badges to earn 5 points, quickly revised his plan.

“I need to find either a bow or an arrow.”

After finishing his thoughts, Anis boldly entered the forest, focusing on moving stealthily rather than quickly.

Rustle.

He hadn’t moved far when he sensed someone nearby. Anis frowned. The presence felt quite close.

‘They probably haven’t found a weapon either, but there’s no need to fight. Finding a bow and arrow is more urgent.’

There’s plenty of time. Other knights would be looking for weapons or elixirs, not picking fights bare-handed.

But something was off. The cautious presence began to move towards Anis.

Anis lowered his stance and clenched his fist.

‘They know I’m here.’

Assuming it was a hostile noble targeting Sephira, Anis created an Aura Bow and prepared to shoot an Aura Arrow.

“Brother! Don’t shoot! It’s me!”

“…?”

Out of the bushes came Taragon.

If Anis hadn’t trained under Keter, he might have let his guard down at this moment.

But Anis, who had grown after meeting Keter, still aimed at Taragon and asked, “What’s the name of the 9th form of the Twelve Palaces of the Zodiac?”

“Uh, that, that is…”

Seeing Taragon flustered, Anis lowered his arrow.

“Since you don’t know, it must be Taragon.”

“…Brother?”

Taragon made a complicated expression. Should he be happy or not?

“More importantly, how did you know I was here and come find me?”

“I wasn’t specifically looking for you. While searching for a bow and arrow, I was moving cautiously, but I sensed someone nearby and came to check, and it turned out to be you.”

“Hmm…”

Anis was surprised for two reasons.

First, Taragon had detected him first, meaning Taragon’s stealth and detection abilities were superior to his.

Second, he and Taragon had started in the same location. Was this a coincidence?

“Taragon. It seems we started in a trap.”

“Did they add a new rule at the last minute to take away our weapons? That’s really…”

“Shh. Heighten your senses. If my prediction is correct, there must be people targeting us.”

Taragon had also grown after meeting Keter.

He realized that he must follow the words of someone trustworthy. Even if he didn’t understand with his mind, his body reacted first.

“Huh?!”

Taragon, whose detection abilities were indeed more developed than Anis’s, could feel it. The presences closing in from all directions.

“Brother. I want to believe it’s a coincidence, but there are people surrounding us and closing in.”

“It’s no coincidence. You and I starting right next to each other, the cliff behind us with no escape route. How many are there?”

“Ten. The spacing isn’t tight. If we move quickly, we can break through.”

“Wait a moment. Even if we break through the encirclement, they’ll chase us. In our position, where we need to find a bow and arrow, it’s better to avoid unnecessary combat.”

Battle Royale isn’t a competition to show off strength. It’s a competition to prove survival skills.

Even if you win a fight, if you don’t have the time or energy to collect the opponent’s badges, you’re just doing them a favor.

“Then how about we deal with them here? They came here right after the start. They probably haven’t found weapons yet. Let’s use a lot of Aura to take them out, then quietly search for a bow and arrow while replenishing our Aura.”

“Your words have merit. But I want to assume the worst. That the enemies already have weapons, there are 3-Star Knights among them, and if we delay, reinforcements will come.”

Ten knights acting in unison. To anyone, it would mean the competition itself was rigged. It wasn’t impossible to assume they started with swords.

It was truly an unreasonable and nonsensical competition management, but now wasn’t the time to complain.

Fight or flee.

Anis placed his hand on Taragon’s shoulder.

“Taragon. We will…”

Anis explained his plan to Taragon. Taragon nodded immediately.

“I’ll do as you say, Brother.”

* * *

Tens of thousands of citizens watched the participants’ exploits on a large screen in the spectator seats.

-Go, Sword Dragon!

-Move aside. You’re not my match.

-T-Thank you.

The screen showed Sword Dragon letting a 3-Star Knight pass by.

“As expected of Sword Dragon. If the opponent has no intention to fight, he lets them go. Truly the epitome of a knight.”

“But then who will fight Sword Dragon? No one would want to fight him. Won’t he end up with zero points?”

“If only he were a bit more handsome…”

While the citizens discussed Sword Dragon’s actions, the screen’s perspective shifted. It showed Dragon Spear Jordic facing two 3-Star Knights simultaneously.

-Damn! How did he find a spear right at the start?

-I-I give up!

The opposing knights also had swords, but they were no match for Jordic with his spear. In seven exchanges, Jordic subdued both knights and casually collected their badges.

“Not as impressive as Sword Dragon, but Dragon Spear is also amazing. His spear moves like a noodle!”

“Did you see him swinging the spear with one hand while the two knights struggled to block?”

“The sword is no longer the best!”

In reality, there were more spear families than sword families. Because spears were easier to learn than swords.

After that, scenes of violent confrontations continued. People fighting bare-handed without swords. Knights forming alliances to hunt down lone knights.

The citizens weren’t just cheering.

They booed knights who handed over their badges to avoid fights or those who ambushed at the island’s central escape route.

“Boo! What are you doing? Boring!”

“Fight fair! Are you even a knight?”

“Which family’s knight is that?”

Words they couldn’t say in front of the knights, but under the guise of a festival with hundreds of thousands of people, they had the guts to say it here.

Meanwhile, the nobles were comfortably watching the competition from their private rooms. While the citizens had no choice in what was shown on the screen, the nobles could freely choose which screen to watch.

They mostly observed their own family’s knights or watched participants they were interested in. Like how Mail watched his younger brothers Anis and Taragon.

“How can they change the rules on the day of the competition? Surely Lord Eslow is in charge of this competition!”

From Mail’s perspective, it was incomprehensible. After all, Eslow had allowed Sephira to participate in the competition to test them.

Mail, who hadn’t anticipated that the competition rules would be changed to hinder them, bit his lower lip.

A swordsman without a sword and an archer without a bow are problems on entirely different levels. Swordsmen can pick up any sword and use it. Even if it’s not a sword specialized for their body type or swordsmanship, they can still use it.

But an archer?

What can an archer do with a sword? They can’t shoot arrows with a sword.

What made Mail even angrier was that bows and arrows were treated separately.

“Having to find a bow and arrow separately. If that’s the case, they should have separated the sword’s hilt and blade.”

Beside Mail were Catherine and Didos. Both also had troubled expressions.

“At least you two prepared martial arts. It’s fortunate, even if you didn’t anticipate this situation.”

Catherine knew that Anis and Taragon had prepared more intensely than anyone else. They had become proficient in close combat to prepare for various situations.

Didos also reassured Mail.

“Prince Mail. Anis and Taragon have already surpassed the Lunar Knight Order in martial arts. Don’t worry too much. They’ll surely do well.”

When it comes to martial arts, mercenaries are generally superior to knights. And Anis and Taragon had learned martial arts from those mercenaries. They had learned through relentless sparring, fighting as if in real combat.

Of course, the hundreds of knights gathered in this competition also had rich martial arts experience, but they hadn’t fought dozens of mercenaries non-stop.

Comforted by their words, Mail stopped biting his lower lip, a habit he had when he was on the verge of losing his temper.

“Where’s Keter?”

Feeling something was off, Mail looked around.

Keter had definitely been there. But at some point, he was gone again.

Mail didn’t know, and neither did Catherine or Didos.

“Uh, where did he go?”

No one had noticed Keter’s disappearance, even though they were engrossed in watching the screens.

“He’s not causing trouble somewhere, is he?”

“Surely not. The competition has already started.”

As Catherine said, the competition had begun. What trouble could he cause?

But they had overlooked one thing.

The nobles’ viewing area wasn’t seat-style but room-style. Rooms that provided all sorts of services.

* * *

A large, luxurious room.

Marquis Galahind and three allied nobles were chuckling as they watched Anis and Taragon in distress.

Then, someone knocked on the room’s door. A guard knight slightly opened the door and spoke.

“What is it?”

“A gift from Baron Monserd. A 200-Year-Old Sangreal.”

“Wine? Got it. Bring it here.”

“Can’t I bring it to you?”

“No.”

“Please.”

Swoosh.

A platinum coin was slipped through the door crack. The knight glanced around, then pocketed the coin.

Click.

The knight who opened the door whispered quietly.

“Just mark your presence and leave. Don’t say I let you in.”

Many lesser nobles wanted to gain favor with the upper nobles. The guard knight had received bribes like this more than once.

“Thank you.”

The person who entered the room was Keter.

He didn’t hide his face.

He didn’t change his voice.

It was just Keter as he was.

“Wait. I feel like I’ve seen that face before.”

The knight suddenly stopped Keter.

Though he hadn’t met Keter in person, he had seen his portrait. The knight looked at Keter with suspicious eyes.

Keter shrugged.

“My face is unforgettable, isn’t it?”

“Hmm, I guess not. Go ahead.”

The knight couldn’t possibly imagine that Keter would come here alone, without any disguise, brazenly bringing wine.

Marquis Galahind was the same.

“What is it? Who are you?”

Normally, one would say which family they were from. But Keter just handed over the wine.

“A 200-Year-Old Sangreal from Baron Monserd.”

At the mention of a 200-Year-Old Sangreal, Galahind’s eyes widened.

“What? A 200-Year-Old Sangreal? Are you trying to fool me? There aren’t even ten bottles of that in this country. How did some unheard-of Baron Monserd get it?”

“I’ll verify its authenticity.”

Count Aiwin, who was next to him, was a wine enthusiast. He took the Sangreal from Keter and began examining it.

Of course, the Sangreal was genuine. Keter had personally taken it from Eslow’s wine cellar.

Though it wasn’t exactly a normal wine.

It was laced with a colorless, odorless laxative.

“…This is unbelievable! It’s genuine! How did you get this? As far as I know, only someone of the lord’s status could possess such a rare wine…”

Galahind laughed heartily upon confirming the Sangreal’s authenticity.

“A genuine 200-Year-Old Sangreal? Excellent! A wine worthy of celebrating this moment! Hahahaha! Ah! I’ll remember Baron Monserd’s name. You may go now.”

Galahind turned his attention away from Keter. He then focused on the gifted wine and the competition screen.

Keter pretended to leave the room but entered the bathroom. He then took out a silver tray from his pocket and attached it to the ceiling.

Ragnon the Bomber’s masterpiece, the Rose.

He had modified it despite Ayrus’s warning, significantly reducing its power. Just enough to devastate the bathroom.

He connected the doorknob and the bomb with a thread of mana, so it would explode when the door was opened. Keter then calmly left as if nothing had happened.

Did Keter anticipate Galahind changing the competition rules and retaliate?

No.

Giving the bomb and wine as gifts was planned regardless. Because tormenting enemies is fun! Satisfying!

However, Keter hadn’t expected things to go so smoothly.

When he asked the servants for Galahind’s location to deliver the bribe, they told him without suspicion. The guard knights also let him pass without a second thought.

Keter, who had been prepared for a confrontation if his identity was revealed, was almost disappointed.

Meanwhile, Galahind, unaware of what was about to happen, was delighted as he watched Anis and Taragon standing still on the screen.

“Kukuku, they’re like turtles, unable to move. Count Aiwin, you handled things properly, right?”

At Galahind’s words, Count Aiwin smirked.

“I’ve already bribed the mages to switch the screen to that side the moment Anis and Taragon are defeated.”

“Well done. Count Delmore, what about you?”

“I’ve already informed the administrators not to go near Sephira.”

“Excellent!”

Galahind looked at the last member, Count Bristan. He also nodded.

“There will be no knights interfering with our plans.”

“Perfect! A flawless plan with no gaps! Hahaha!”

“Let’s have a drink, Marquis Galahind. This Sangreal will be even more meaningful at this moment.”

“Let’s do that. You all join us.”

Anis and Taragon were like mice in a trap. Feeling reassured, they finally turned their eyes away from the screen.

In the mere 10 seconds it took to clink glasses and take a sip, what could possibly happen?

“Huh?!”

Count Aiwin, who had put down his glass first, let out a startled sound.

“What’s going on? Has it started already?”

At Count Delmore’s words, Aiwin grabbed the screen with both hands and shouted.

“Those two are gone. Is my screen malfunctioning?”

“Gone? What nonsense…!”

The same was true for the others’ screens. Just moments ago, they had been showing Anis and Taragon crouching, but now only an empty space was visible.

The cheerful atmosphere instantly dissipated.

They silently and quickly switched the screens. But nowhere could they find Anis and Taragon.

“What the hell is going on! Where did they go!”

And back on the deserted island.

Ten knights arrived at the location where Anis and Taragon had been. They were knights hired by Galahind.

The knights looked at each other in confusion.

“Why is no one here?”

“This is strange. We should have encountered them around here…”

“There’s no way they broke through the encirclement.”

The knights began to search the area. But finding no footprints or signs of people, they quickly gave up.

“Let’s go to where Anis and Taragon started. Maybe they’re still there.”

“I agree with your idea. They might have chosen to wait without moving rashly.”

“We might encounter them on the way, so let’s maintain the encirclement formation.”

Splash… Splash…

The knights arrived at the cliff where Anis and Taragon had opened their eyes and looked around.

“They’re not here.”

Even though they knew it was impossible, one knight even looked over the cliff.

“Did they go down this cliff?”

“Unless they knew we were coming, why would they do something so reckless?”

“But look here. The footprints stop at the edge of the cliff. If they went into the forest, there should be footprints leading that way.”

At the words of the knight who seemed the smartest, everyone paid attention.

“Could they have thought there might be weapons or elixirs at the bottom of this cliff and gone down? This island isn’t entirely surrounded by cliffs, and if you look closely, there are many rocks to step on. Maybe they moved along the rocks to the shoreline.”

“Oh.”

“Indeed…!”

“Other families might not, but Sephira could do it.”

To the public, Sephira was known as cowards. People who only avoided and defended.

Moreover, to accept that they hadn’t encountered them after starting the encirclement, that assumption was the only one that made sense.

“But we can’t know if they went right or left, can we?”

“There’s no need to do something as reckless as climbing down the cliff. Let’s split up and wait at both beaches.”

“I agree with that idea.”

Unanimously, the ten knights split into two groups of five and moved along both shorelines.

A short while later, the eastern beach.

The five knights who arrived began searching the area, but even after 30 minutes and then an hour, there was no sign of them.

“Did they slip on the rocks and fall into the sea?”

“Maybe they went left instead of right.”

“We