Chapter 112: Reborn

The training grounds in the royal capital were dozens of times more magnificent than those of Count Zander’s family. It was large enough for thousands of soldiers to clash with each other at once. Moreover, there were even bleachers for the nobility, where the king sat with his entourage, waiting for the entertainment to begin.

Count Maximilian Zander felt terribly miserable.

“Our practice area is like a doghouse.”

“It doesn’t matter, the knights are no better than dogs.”

The old man next to me, the spellcaster Gerhard, who I’m using as my confidant, said it in a bored tone. I wonder if he thinks he is following up with this.

“… Is it that bad?”

Maximilian listened with fear. He asked questions, but he didn’t want to hear the answers.

The knights of the count’s family are often the second and third sons of lower nobility who cannot succeed to the family.

They had no bright future, no hope whatsoever. Naturally, they had no motivation for their duties.

In spite of that, their pride was unnecessarily high, so they only caused troubles with the citizens.

Jocel, a high-ranking knight, tried several times to beat back their guts, only to receive protests through their parents each time. By now, everyone had given up. That’s the way they are.

“Why didn’t His Excellency order them to search the labyrinth? I thought we already had the answer.”

“… because I can’t use them.”

“Exactly”

Not only were they weak, but it was doubtful they would report accurately. It was obvious that if we left it to them, they would take a nap and come back and report that there was nothing wrong.

“There is a way to restore the Count’s security and finances in one fell swoop.”

“What?”

Maximilian aske without any expectations. He doesn’t think Gerhard is serious about what he’s saying.

“Dismiss all the knightly idiots and hire some of the adventurers who could be of use. I will also invite Claudia to the castle and leave all the count’s wallets with her. That will solve everything.”

“It’s a great idea, except that it’s impossible.”

Gerhard didn’t particularly want to say anything back. He knew from the start that it was impossible. It was just small talk.

Disbanding the Knights will be strongly opposed by the vassals. The same would be true if he entrusted Claudia with full authority. In addition, Maximilian does not trust Claudia, although he recognizes her competence.

Maximilian is not a dictator. If he pushes things forward, he will lose the support of his vassals and the Count’s family will become dysfunctional.

In other words, it is the entanglement of human relationships. I know there’s a problem, and there’s a solution. But we still can’t act. It’s because people have their own agendas.

The lower noble vassals do not want change. Even if it was an idea that would make the count’s estate much better than it is now. The most important thing for them was to protect their current lifestyle, and the good newcomers were more than just an obstacle; they were the enemy.

“We have no choice but to solve them one by one.”

Gerhard said with a voice full of trouble. It was as if he was telling himself, and it was also a word directed at Maximilian.

“Yeah, I know.”

Maximilian nodded.

Jocel advances to the center of the arena, which is surrounded by several hundred soldiers. He seems to be uncomfortable at the waist because he is holding a sword that might be the king’s sword.

“You’re looking around restlessly, you inexperienced person.”

“Well, don’t say that. Anyone would be confused if they were suddenly told to fight with the king’s sword.”

While Gerhard and the others were talking, a prisoner wearing manacles came from the other side, dragged by a soldier.

“If I beat him, I’ll get away with it, right?”

The prisoner said in a hoarse, wrinkled voice.

His hair is unkempt and shaggy, and his shabby clothes are stained with dirt. Perhaps due to malnutrition, his arms and legs were thin compared to his tall stature. Only his eyes glittered with greed.

This is the face of a man who has made his living killing people.

“I will keep my word,” replied the soldier as he removed the prisoner’s shackles. It was an uninteresting and appropriate reply.

No matter the outcome, he was not going to let such a dangerous man go unchecked. It was this soldier who made the promise, not the king. Therefore, the king’s authority would not be harmed.

The prisoner grinned as he received a mediocre shortsword from the soldier. He was confident he could kill as many people as he wanted with just one rusty knife. A decent sword would be too good.

I know that the kings have no intention of keeping their promises. In that case, let’s at least slaughter the knight in front of us and bring shame on his owner. The prisoner was burning with a dark passion.

Begin,” a Kingsguard knight called out.

Jocel pulls his blade from its ornate sheath and points it at the prisoner. The prisoner held up his sword to cut him down quickly, but for some reason he couldn’t move from the spot.

“What is it…, the movement is sluggish…”

I guess it’s not the same as saying that I haven’t eaten enough. I don’t know. While I was thinking about it, my body got heavier and heavier, and I fell to my knees.

The enemy is approaching in front of me, sword raised. But I can’t move. I can see my surroundings and my thoughts are clear. It was so scary.

I tried to scream in fear, but my jaw jaw didn’t move properly

A severe blow to the shoulder. The prisoner groaned in pain as his collarbone was shattered.

“Ugh, ugh. …….”

The prisoner fell flat like a squashed frog.

It was Jocel’s peak strike. Hesitating to slash an opponent who could not move, he returned the blade as quickly as he could.

The prisoner had an anguished look on his face, and Jocel, who had defeated him, was also confused.

…… What is this, a violent serial killer is like a radish?

The surroundings were silent due to the eerieness and the absurdity of the situation.

Jocel put his katana back and picked up the prisoner’s sword and tossed it away, just in case.

The weight of the prisoner slips away, but he seems to have no intention of fighting back from now on. The look in his eyes was neither madness nor murderous intent, but fright.

Should I go back now? When I turned my head to see if the kingsguard knight who was the referee could say anything, he too turned his back.

When I followed his line of sight, there was a man approaching me at a quick pace.

“Geez…”

A man dressed in a sumptuous costume of woven gold threads, Rathbald Walscheid. He was the king. To Jocel, who was only a country knight, he was like a god.

Seeing the entourage rushing to follow the king, it appears that this was an unscheduled move.

Rathbald came right in front of Jocel. Rather than thinking of him as an honor, he has a stronger feeling of asking for forgiveness from troublesome matters.

“Give it to me.”

Without greeting or preamble, Rathbald suddenly said such a thing.

“Huh?”

“It’s my katana.”

“Ah, yes! I beg your pardon!”

Jocel pulled the entire sheath from his waist and presented it to the king.

Rathbald grabbed the scabbard carelessly, drew his sword, and pointed it at the prisoner. The prisoner’s body is again struck by a vicious gravity.

“Guuu…”

Rathbald continued to point his sword without expression, and the prisoner’s body continued to grow heavier. Mixed in with the cries of anguish was the sound of bones breaking. All the fingers were bent in strange directions. Next, an arm, then a leg, was broken, revealing white bones.

The prisoner sticks out his tongue. Little by little, his eyeballs were also pushed out.

There was a muffled sound, like the air was escaping. A large amount of black blood, which seemed to be mixed with crushed flesh and entrails, was spat out from the mouth, soaking Rathbald’s feet. The prisoner seems to have finally died.

The entourage looked at each other, unable to understand why the king had suddenly done this. It would have been the right thing for the entourage to do, but the scene was so horrific that they were speechless.

Rathbald’s gaze was fixed on the toad, which was spitting out its guts. His shoulders trembled. It was a shudder of fear that gradually gave way to amusement.

“Haha…, ahhahahaha!”

Rathbald opens his mouth wide and laughs happily. His entourage, the royal guard, and the Count Zander family were only more and more confused.

He had instructed people to kill many times. But this was the first time that he had personally done it.

The wretched corpse below is his own creation. This was the king’s responsibility and pleasure. Rathbald now felt that he was king for the first time.

Suddenly, Rathbald’s eyes were on Maximilian, who was thinking that it would be better to leave before he got deeply involved. It was as if his eyes met those of an owl in the forest at midnight.

“I like it, Sir Maximilian.”

“Yes. That’s more important than anything else…”

There is no escape.

The task of presenting the katana to the king to get him to like it and become an advertisement for it was completed. However, it seems that we have stuck out more trouble than it is worth.

Perhaps he liked it so much that Maximilian was invited to join him for the royal banquet. Rathbald’s eyes were looking around as if searching for his next prey, and Maximilian could hardly finish his meal.

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