Chapter 260

#260 The Tin Knight and the Empire’s Banquet (10)

[Whenever the ‘Tin Knight’ has a quest, like hunting down 30 wild boars, he always complains about how he can’t see a single boar in sight!]

“Enough of the nonsense, focus on the combat.”

The grumbling Tin Knight gets a snarky remark from Dorothea.

The two of them had a pretty smooth journey. There was no opponent that could withstand the Tin Knight’s god-like strength, and any participants hoping to target Dorothea, who was casually walking beside him, found themselves thwarted by the powerful barrier created by her staff.

Without needing any other teammates to join or Dorothea to use necromancy, the Tin Knight’s reckless swagger alone had already eliminated teams numbering more than three.

It was almost as if they spent more time searching for opponents than actually fighting them.

But this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

The Tin Knight didn’t mind it either way; Dorothea preferred simple and straightforward fights over difficult and troublesome ones. Ideally, if they could avoid fighting altogether, that would be even better.

However.

Even Dorothea couldn’t help but feel perplexed when, halfway through the exam, there was still no sign of the Lion Duke’s bloodline.

“…Where the heck did those guys go?”

No matter how powerful the Tin Knight was, it was impossible to take down foes they had never met.

It was also unlikely that they just hadn’t encountered them yet, given how the pillars of light surrounding the arena were getting narrower, ensuring the exam didn’t drag on too long.

This meant that, as time passed, it should have been easier to run into other teams, yet they hadn’t even caught a glimpse of Lenart’s shadows.

There were two possibilities.

Either they were just unlucky and hadn’t found them yet or they had been eliminated by another team long ago.

Especially in the case of the latter, powerful teams like Adelheid or Alingd might have been targeting the Lion Duke’s bloodline, so it wasn’t impossible at all.

How much time passed, anyway?

The two finally found the Lion Duke’s bloodline, but it wasn’t the intense battle the Tin Knight had hoped for.

“Go for it! The enemies are dwindling!!”

“Ugh, these guys one by one…!!”

The young men of the Duke Lenart family, surrounded by other participants, found themselves pushed into a corner.

Although the skill level was clearly superior on their side, the Lenarts only numbered about five, while their enemies were nearly a hundred in total. It looked like members from different teams had formed an alliance, and with such a huge discrepancy in numbers, even the Lion Duke’s bloodline had their work cut out for them.

Participants who had made it this far were amongst the upper echelon within the Empire, so it made sense there were way more of them.

In the end, without any intervention from the Tin Knight and Dorothea, the members of the Lion Duke’s bloodline lost their markings and got eliminated. Seizing the momentum, the alliance led by Dorothea attempted to take down her team as well, only to be blindsided by the walking catastrophe in armor.

This sort of thing happened several times.

“There! There’s Lenart!”

What should have been the might of the Lion Duke’s bloodline turned into an abnormal situation where they were being hunted like game.

The reason for this was crystal clear.

The Lion Duke’s bloodline was completely splintered, torn apart with only a few individuals sticking together.

The largest group didn’t even have more than ten members, so it wasn’t surprising that others had their eyes lit with the desire to hunt them down.

If performance in the exam was factored in for evaluation, there was no clearer “achievement” than defeating members of the Lenart family.

“Knight, Witch!”

[The ‘Tin Knight’ sees someone approaching rapidly with characteristics similar to a target!]

[The ‘Tin Knight’ declares his intent to engage with that mysterious Lenart Mask!]

“Don’t, you idiot.”

After slapping the Tin Knight on the back of the head with her staff, the finally reunited party dove into an information-sharing session.

“Looks like all the Lenarts are either scattered or out. Did you have a hand in this, Adel?”

“No, I thought it might have been you, Knight.”

[The ‘Tin Knight’ complains that they haven’t fought anyone properly so far!]

“Was it Alingd’s doing? Or was there someone else skilled around? …Sophia, what’s up with you?”

Dorothea questioned Sophia, who had fallen silent in thought.

Sophia paused as if choosing her words carefully, then abruptly spouted out.

“Which would you say is in the more desperate situation: Those with an escape route or those without?”

“What?”

“When a perfectly intact ship is about to sink, who do you think the passengers’ wrath will fall upon? Most likely the captain, right?”

“What kind of nonsense is this?”

“Just as it’s always been, it means our plans have been derailed.”

***

Sven von Lenart.

This noble young man, now twenty-five, held immense pride in his bloodline.

Descendants of the legendary hero, the Lion Duke, known as one of history’s mightiest warriors.

They fought bravely against outsiders as the Empire’s sword, playing a significant role in the Empire’s rise to power, one of its greatest noble houses.

Not relying solely on their natural gifts, true aristocrats who constantly competed and honed themselves.

What a magnificent family this was.

What a glorious bloodline this was.

From a young age, listening to tales of the Lion Duke’s heroics as he drifted into sleep, this young man had vowed to become a hero himself, turning his training into his life’s mission, making it all the more difficult to endure the current state of affairs.

They had never attempted a rebellion, yet simply because they were deemed powerful, the imperial family kept a tight grip on the Lenarts.

Being accused of sacrificing a branch family to maintain power and the ruckus that followed among the riffraff.

It was utterly outrageous.

Without the Lion Duke, the Empire couldn’t even call itself an Empire, and without the Lenarts, it would have fallen long ago to external forces.

It was sickening to see those who had managed to climb to positions of dignity and those who had valiantly defended the Empire turn against the Lenarts in this horrid situation.

Sven was irate.

Sven lamented.

Sven was resolute.

He would prove his worth. He would protect his family’s honor with this sword and illuminate their future.

The other young men of the house, who were usually in competition with him, now ignited their fighting spirit, swearing to stand together as allies for this occasion.

And now, at this very moment.

Sven and his comrades were being thoroughly wrecked, as if their previous vows had lost all meaning.

Blood scattered. Teeth rolling on the ground. Comrades collapsing without even having a chance to scream.

The ambush was sudden, and the attackers had an overwhelming strength that they had never experienced before.

The elite bloodline of the Lenarts were unable to mount a decent resistance and were being hunted down one by one.

‘Am I dreaming right now?’

He couldn’t help but think this, as what was happening before his eyes felt overwhelmingly surreal.

However, physical training doesn’t lie.

While his mind half-escaped reality, his body, trained over and over, instinctively reached for his sword.

Clang!

Sven’s sword clashed with that of the attacker, bringing their shadows close as they engaged.

Only then did Sven manage to properly discern his opponent’s figure.

Draped in robes from head to toe, with a mask obscuring their face.

But even so, the petite body and the glimpses of striking blonde hair, coupled with the heavy strikes from dual swords, made it clear who they were.

Adelheid von Lenart.

A vile traitor who tarnished the family’s honor and colluded with the Empress!

“Ooohhh!”

Fueled by seething rage, Sven swung his sword like a madman.

He couldn’t afford to lose; his will pushed him on.

But the gap in skill was night and day.

The betrayer effortlessly dodged Sven’s full-powered strike and kicked him right at his ankle.

His over 180 cm tall frame flipped through the air like a lightweight twig, spiraling in the sky.

The kind of force oozing from such a petite figure was hard to believe.

And before that body even hit the ground—

Bam!

The betrayal’s sword came crashing down mercilessly into his side.

With a piercing pain, air was forced out of his lungs.

Was it a blunt strike, or had the blade been tampered with? Aside from a bit of blood from the skin being scraped away, he was shocked to find he wasn’t bleeding.

Taking into account that they had drawn real swords against each other, this was surprisingly light injury.

Yet Sven could not find solace in that fact.

He felt instead the sting of humiliation and wrath.

To ruin their honor, their pride, their dignity, and then to spare his life under the guise of mercy!

After violently ripping the emblem from his shoulder, the assailant vanished once more.

Looking around, Sven found himself alone, the only one still conscious.

Even if there were others who hadn’t yet lost consciousness, it wouldn’t matter.

They had already been eliminated.

Yes. Eliminated.

The moment he recognized that reality, a new emotion began to creep into Sven’s heart amid the fury and humiliation.

If they could lose so easily like this, what would become of the others back at the main house?

Sure, there was Hilda among the participants, who was soon expecte to claim the title of strongest.

Even without her, many blood relatives with superior skills compared to Sven could be found.

But, what if they lost as well?

What if no one made it through the exam?

What if the Empress’s scheme to dispose of them succeeded?

Sven trembled.

The third emotion that followed his anger and humiliation.

The name of the wedge that transformed the proud lions into famished and ferocious beasts was fear.

***

Dozens of shadows gathered around the girl in the mask and robe.

The girl asked.

“Did we succeed?”

The shadows nodded.

For those who intentionally retreated in battles with other teams, disguised themselves as innocents to strike behind enemy lines, and revealed their position to the enemy while claiming they were scouting, their actions were remarkably brazen.

This behavior could be justified.

They didn’t feel guilt; that’s something felt by those who think their actions are shameful.

Only those who acknowledge their deeds as shameful might feel that way.

Since they genuinely believed their actions were in service to the family, they felt no shame whatsoever.

The Elder Council had intentionally gathered such people and assigned them “jobs.”

The masked girl.

Hilda von Lenart ripped off the emblem hanging on her shoulder.

The other shadows did the same, removing their emblems.

It had been an act committed in the blind spots of spirits and monitoring magical devices, yet even if some sort of evidence were to reach them through some means, they weren’t worried.

The importance of the evidence secured by Dorothea’s party from the Magical Kingdom lay in the fact that it could be supported by someone neutral, who everyone recognized as powerful – the North Witch Olin.

However, that was impossible for the South Witch Glinda.

Not because her skills were inferior to the North Witch’s, but because she was not a neutral figure.

Even if Glinda brought the most convincing evidence, it would just come off as nonsense to the Lenart people.

Hilda gazed past the forest, thinking of someone her age out there.

“─Don’t be too disappointed. If you’re going to do this, something like a powder keg would be more fun than a boring event like this.”

***

An hour and three minutes after the start of the match.

Ending the exam twice as quickly as expected, it concluded.

Out of the 200 participants who passed, only one bore the name of Lenart, and that was Adelheid von Lenart.

People were in shock at such a truly shocking result.

As the rumors spread that the family members had not fought to the last but had instead been hunted down by other participants, astonishment turned to mockery.

“Always talking about the Lion Duke, but it looks like he’s nothing special, huh? All this hype, but it’s clear there’s nothing there?”

“After I literally ripped their emblems off, witnessing their desperate struggle to survive made them out to be more like rats than lions! Hahaha!”

“Once the Royal Guard is created, they’ll gradually steal the military power from the Lenart family. Better get in line early.”

“These bastards have some nerve!”

Jealousy and resentment that had been suppressed under the brilliant shine of Lenart began to bear fruit under the consensus of ‘Lenart is washed up now.’

It’s human nature to admire and praise the brilliant, but it’s also human nature to scorn and belittle the fallen.

Of course, there was a significant gap between public opinion and reality.

The power and influence of the Lenart family were still holding strong, and even if an imperial guard was established, it would be far from easy to fully push the Lenarts aside anytime soon.

Originally, the plan had been to weed out only a portion of the family, particularly the extremists and the out-of-control radicals, along with the Elder Council urging them on.

But.

Once the entire Lenart family became the butt of jokes, things became oddly complicated.

The radicals were enraged.

The moderates were enraged too.

Even the centrist faction couldn’t suppress their agitation.

The prideful lions, wounded and cornered, began demanding ‘measures’ from their leaders.

“I’ll remind you again. Family Head. The Elder Council requests a ‘more forceful protest’ aimed at the Imperial family that has attempted to ignore the loyalty we’ve shown to this family and has thrown us to the dogs. This is a petition signed by those who support the Elder Council’s stance.”

With a resounding crash, the enormous pile of signatures cascaded onto the desk, causing Duke Lenart to frown.

“What precisely do you mean by a stronger protest?”

“The abolition of the Imperial Guard. The punishment of those who spread malicious rumors about the protectors of the Empire.”

“That’s a ridiculous demand. The Imperial family won’t concede to that, will they?”

“They’ll have no choice but to.”

The Elder Council Leader spoke calmly, yet with a foreboding fire in his eyes.

“─If you don’t want to see the Duke’s family and all its factions declaring independence from the Empire.”

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