Chapter 81

Betrayers, they are the ones with the largest organization in history. In any world, in any era, they have always betrayed people. Like Judas Iscariot, Brutus, Mordred, Hilde, and Yi Wan-yong, those bastards. But I didn’t want to believe that Ricardo was someone who belonged to such a betrayer organization.

But it was clearly strange. Why Ricardo, of all people? There’s no one who loves their comrades and justice as much as he does. Moreover, he considers loyalty to the imperial family his mission, and if the emperor ordered him to sacrifice his life, he would commit suicide without hesitation.

But betrayers are always the ones you least expect. Still, you can’t take a life without evidence. First, I need to subdue him and hear his side of the story. If I use magic, he could get seriously hurt, so magic is out. That leaves only subduing him through martial arts. I’m not great at subduing someone without killing them, but I have no choice.

I quietly approached Ricardo with silent footsteps. Step by step, I got closer and pounced from behind. Now, if I choke his neck and hold a knife to him, then ask why he’s here…

I was adjusting the wording of my question when suddenly the world flipped. What the hell? If it weren’t for my instinctive breakfall, my neck would have snapped, and I’d be dead.

“Oh, what? It’s Werner.”

Ricardo, on the other hand, seemed curious about why I was here. If he were a betrayer, he would have clicked his tongue and tried to kill me. So, does that mean Ricardo isn’t a betrayer? Damn, then how do I explain attacking him from behind? Come to think of it, the ancient sages said, “When it’s clearly your fault, just pretend you don’t know and deny it.”

“Oh, it was you, older brother? I thought it was one of those Black Round Table bastards…”

“I also thought you were one of their lackeys since you attacked from behind. But your martial arts skills have really improved. If it were the old you, you might have died.”

Werner only learned the basics of punching and mimicked the Heavenly Demon Old Man’s techniques. His real basics, like breakfalls and joint locks, were pathetic. Even if he had learned a bit, he would have been knocked out by that throw earlier. A throw so fast it didn’t give time for a breakfall… I’ve never seen such a throw before, even when I killed a few judo athletes.

“Something’s really suspicious, as if you’ve become a different person.”

“Hahaha… What’s suspicious?”

“The Werner I knew hated physical labor and would run away using magic whenever I tried to teach him martial arts.”

Damn lazy bastard… That lazy bastard has made Ricardo suspicious of my identity now. Sloth, known as the heaviest of the seven deadly sins, and Werner, that damn bastard, has committed it. When your older brothers offer to teach you how to fight, you should just bow and accept it. Why run away and complicate things? Why only learn the damn basics…

“Werner, you…”

I have no choice, if he knows my identity, I’ll have to kill him. If you kill all the witnesses, it’s an assassination. If you kill everyone who knows, it’s a secret. If you kill everyone who notices, the secret is kept.

I tried to pierce Ricardo’s neck with my thumb…

“You’ve really worked hard, hahaha.”

“…What?”

Is Ricardo really that dense? Well, Melchior did call him a can, but I didn’t take it seriously because it was Melchior. But now I see even that idiot Melchior was right to call him a can.

“That movement, it’s not something you can pull off without serious training and honing your skills. You must have worked really hard to get that strong.”

“Yeah… I practiced hard on my own.”

To be precise, it wasn’t “on my own.” I was the only one who survived among those who trained. More than “working hard,” it was more like “I had no choice but to desperately learn.”

“You’re a genius in both magic and martial arts, Werner. The gods have given you two gifts. You’re truly my younger brother.”

“Gifts, my ass. By the way, how did you get here, older brother?”

“I was also investigating the Black Round Table. I heard reports of someone with a peculiar tattoo entering the sewers.”

“Ah, really? I saw a kid who stole my wallet being dragged here…”

“Hahaha! That’s one gutsy kid. Reminds me of you when you were young. Just like when you dropped a thunderbolt on the Heavenly Demon Old Man as a kid.”

Yeah, that’s why the Heavenly Demon Old Man put Werner through hellish training under the guise of “education.”

“I’d like to see that bold kid. He has the makings of a knight.”

“You can’t see him now.”

No matter what you do, the dead don’t come back. That cold, obvious truth was so resentful when I was young. I desperately prayed for someone to tell me that truth was wrong. But despite that, as history has proven, the dead don’t come back.

“…I see.”

“There’s a room here where kids are held captive. I set up a magic barrier and had spirits guard it, but…”

The sight came back to me, and I felt uneasy. I can handle kids dying; people always die. But every time I see kids die… I keep remembering that child’s death. Life has no hierarchy, but to me, it did. The sight of kids dying itself is unsettling, but more than that, I hated remembering how that child died.

“Right. It’d be best to take out the leaders hiding here today and save the kids. That’d be the coolest.”

“Yeah, let’s do as you say, older brother.”

With two great heroes stepping forward, what is there to fear? It’s like deploying an SSR Shielder and an SSR Caster in a mobile game. Well, most mobile games have a 3-person party, so we’re one short, but that’s just a handicap play.

“By the way, older brother, where’s your weapon?”

Ricardo, who always carries a spear, shield, and armor when fighting, was in casual clothes and unarmed. I wondered if he had changed jobs.

“Oh, that?”

Ricardo chuckled and clapped his hands. Suddenly, light emanated from his body, and in an instant, he was clad in silver armor, holding a magnificent shield and a rugged spear.

“Now we’re good, right? Let’s go.”

What the hell, is he some kind of magical girl? Like, poof-poof transformation! Magic Knight Ricardo, slashing heads with his spear and bashing skulls with his shield! Something like that.

Anyway, Magic Knight… no, Knight Commander Ricardo, and SSR-tier human rights caster Werner are on the move. Who will greet us in the first stage? A wyvern? A creature with a horse’s head and body but isn’t a horse? Or a blond magician holding four guts? Damn, who will it be?

We opened the door ahead and were greeted by a massive slash. Isn’t that a bit excessive for a welcome? This is why swordsmen…

If it weren’t for Ricardo’s shield, I would have been dead. SSR-tier Shielder, performance confirmed. But even Ricardo seemed strained by that slash; his shield arm was trembling slightly. Who the hell could deliver a slash that made Ricardo tremble? I had to find out.

But trying to figure out his identity was pointless. The guy who delivered the slash was wearing a robe. The only notable features were his thin build for a swordsman and the black sword he was holding. But that wasn’t enough to identify him.

“…Hmm, seems like you have some tricks up your sleeve.”

When I heard that voice, both Ricardo and I instinctively knew. That guy is damn dangerous. He’s clearly a member of the Black Round Table, and among them, a high-ranking strong one. Not someone to face unprepared.

“Turn back. I’ll return the kidnapped kids. We’ve already taken the useful ones anyway.”

“You bastard, how can you say that?!”

Ricardo charged in anger, but the man disappeared without a trace. What the hell? It wasn’t an illusion… He had a physical presence, but he vanished as if melting into the air. It wasn’t magic either.

Ricardo bit his lip and said, “Werner, we need to steel ourselves.”

“Yeah, older brother, I was thinking the same.”

This wasn’t some simple enemy you could auto-battle to 3-star in a game. This was a boss where even with full concentration, it was doubtful if we could clear it.

Just as we were steeling ourselves, we heard footsteps approaching. I thought reinforcements had arrived, but it was just one person. Still, he was very strong, though not as much as the guy we just met.

Ricardo raised his shield and aimed his spear, and I prepared to chant a spell.

And the person who revealed themselves was…

“Werner and Ricardo, what are you two doing here?”

It was SSR-tier Saber Camellia.