Chapter 169

“Damn it….”

Even though I had to avoid being seen by people, being told to come through the sewage for a backdoor route… I don’t have any good memories of sewers, you know.

“Seriously, I couldn’t care less about my boss’s kid… but they act like their kid is the cutest thing ever… bothering people to come and go like this…”

This damn workplace culture. No wonder Werner ran away. Just because the boss’s kid was born, they make us go through this route? Next thing you know, they’ll tell us to cross the underworld because their damn dog had puppies. Treating talent like this…

Suddenly, I noticed the gloves I was wearing. Those damn black gloves that woman, my so-called mother, gave me. I even thought about taking them off and throwing them into the sewage. But something inexplicable seemed to pull my hand back, stopping me from tossing them.

“F*cking hell, seriously…”

I don’t know. I could tell there was something buried in that vague sense of longing. But it’s like when you’re taking a test, you remember seeing the answer, but the exact details are foggy, and you can’t recall it properly. I couldn’t remember who it was or even their face.

I knew it was a memory from my childhood. But… that existence felt so hazy, and it just made me uncomfortable. And then…

“Are you f*cking sewer rats? Hiding again, huh?”

This is the route to the sub-palace of the imperial palace, and seeing the Black Round Table’s lackeys hiding here, it seems something serious has happened at the sub-palace. Even if they called me through the sewage, a boss is still a boss, so I have to protect them.

“Horn of Earth, rise!”

I quickly leaned back at the sudden magic. If I had been even a second slower, my jaw and brain would’ve been skewered by that rock horn.

“What kind of disrespectful brat ambushes like this? Should I rip your mouth open?”

The young guy who suddenly appeared was sneering. He looked like he was barely twenty, but his face was like a joke, a crazy bastard.

“I am Clamadaeu, a prospective executive who will inherit the title of Tristan. Just die already, you weak old man…”

“Oh, is that so?”

“If I kill you, I’ll definitely be promoted to executive. Just a few minutes of fighting against a weak old sorcerer, and I’ll be saved… Don’t you think I’m really lucky?”

Calling me weak? Is this what they call “mesugaki” or something? An old harem master once said that mesugaki need to be taught a lesson by stabbing them with something big and sturdy. But since I’m not gay, I’ll just smash their head instead.

“Yeah, you were lucky. Out of all your dad’s sperm, you were the half-baked one that made it. But now… your luck’s run out, huh?”

“An old man struggling against me dares to talk big!”

These young ones are always so full of energy. It’s a senior sorcerer’s duty to properly guide such kids.

“Let me tell you something first. A brat like you isn’t even worth the dirt under Tristan’s fingernails. Your mana, magic skills, ability to gauge an opponent’s strength, your attitude toward life, your manliness… all of it is a downgrade from Tristan… No, even comparing you to that old man is an insult. You inferior brat. And…”

I applied Tristan’s magic to turn my arm into steel.

“Respect your elders, you disrespectful half-baked brat.”

“This bastard’s looking down on me…?”

“I just gave you a fair evaluation. Maybe I even overestimated you a bit.”

The guy’s rationality seemed paralyzed. Compared to the real Tristan, he was just a pathetic bug.

“Fist of Earth…!”

“Armor of Lightning…”

It was a boring and predictable fight. Like Bruce Lee fighting a neighborhood thug—pathetic and dull.

—

It was really boring. Most of the Black Round Table guys at least had guts, but this guy begged for his life after a few broken bones. Pathetic.

“Really, Tristan would’ve at least taken one of my bones. Look, not even a speck of dust on my clothes. Hey, answer me! Not gonna?”

Weird… In manga, they’d still be talking in this state… Guess he really lacked guts. No wonder kids these days have no drive. I just gave him a little push, and he couldn’t even answer. Disappointing.

I sighed at the reality of today’s youth lacking drive. How can the future be led by kids like this…

But something was off. All the knights guarding the Crown Prince were knocked out.

“Tsk tsk, this is why kids these days… Falling asleep from food coma right after dinner? Sigh… Kids these days… no drive… no guts… Damn it…”

But something was strange. The knights had strange needles stuck in their necks. Could it be…?

“These bastards are even doing piercings now…! They say ‘respect the body your parents gave you’…! Hurting themselves with piercings…! And they call themselves knights…!”

Wait, something’s off. That big lump of metal lying there like a hedgehog… No, it’s Ricardo, my older brother. There aren’t many who can take him down. He’s the kind of guy who could survive dozens of poisoned arrows that could kill an elephant.

What could’ve brought down that monster?

Luckily, checking his pulse, his life wasn’t in danger. In this state, I could kill him easily if I wanted. And judging by the needle’s position, they only targeted the nerve points. I pulled out a needle and sniffed it—just a sedative, no deadly poison.

Who could’ve done this? And to hit the nerve points so precisely… Even in the middle of a fight, who could pull off such a feat?

“Hey, what was this guy’s name… Ah, right, Pikachu. Hey, Pikachu! Any idea who did this? You’re from the same Round Table, so you must know something.”

But our Pikachu remained silent. Ugh, this useless rat…

With no choice, I carried the silent Pikachu and headed inside. Hearing some noise from a room, I went in…

“Did you resolve the issue with the ladies this morning? I thought bringing them in would cause a commotion…”

Both the Crown Prince and his wife were knocked out. Only their baby was crying peacefully in the cradle.

And there was Ares, my attending physician, smiling with his usual unreadable expression and squinting eyes.

“Ah, don’t worry too much. It’s just a sedative on the needles. They’ll wake up feeling refreshed, and their lingering fatigue will be gone.”

“Were you with the Black Round Table…?”

At least from what I’ve seen, he was a complete saint. Playing with the hospital kids, the genuine expression when talking about his family, even saving me from near-death situations… He wasn’t a villain. No, I wanted to believe he wasn’t.

“Yes, I am Bedivior of the Black Round Table. A title I dislike, but… I have to follow the leader’s preferences. You can call me Ares, though. That’s my real name.”

“You haven’t killed anyone yet… If you stop now, I can try to get you a light sentence. Or you could run away to the countryside…”

“Haha, I deeply appreciate your kindness. But I’ve been ordered to kidnap this baby, so I can’t just let it go.”

“…… Aren’t you ashamed in front of your own child?”

“Hmm… I can’t even remember when I last saw that child.”

Ares… no, Bedivior, stared at me, holding a scalpel and long needles.

“Hmm, what’s that in your left hand…?”

“Ah, this?”

I threw Pikachu at Bedivior. The severed head rolled on the floor.

“I expected Clamadaeu to fail when you arrived… But to carry around just the head? How cruel.”

“Well, compared to what you guys usually do, this is nothing, right?”

“….Can’t argue with that.”

“I don’t dislike you. So I don’t want to kill you. Surrender now, and I’ll spare your life.”

I wanted a peaceful resolution. But it seemed that was just my wishful thinking.

“What a terrifying thing to say. Bedivior of the Black Round Table. I also dislike unnecessary slaughter. If you let this go, we can resolve this peacefully… But I’d like to hear Lord Werner’s thoughts.”

“Guess there’s no choice.”

I turned both my arms into steel again.

“Ah, applying Lord Tristan’s magic, I see.”

“Hope you last longer than that rolling head.”

“At this point, who’s the villain here?”

“Even kids can tell.”