Chapter 93
The moments when humans are most vulnerable are when they are careless and when they are terrified.
And right now, Marquis Baltimo’s forces were in a very vulnerable situation.
If the time they lost four knights futilely a while ago was when they were careless, now was the time they were terrified.
“…”
Karl, having naturally blended in with the surrounding soldiers like last time, slowly began moving towards the barracks where the knights were.
Having completed his very stealthy approach to the barracks, Karl settled inside just like before and waited for someone to enter.
Thump, thump.
Listening to the approaching footsteps, Karl felt something strange.
The number of knights using one barracks was roughly 3 to 4.
But the number of footsteps approaching this place seemed to be at least 10.
‘Are they passersby… or else…’
To call them passersby, the sound of footsteps was approaching too directly in a straight line.
No matter how terrified the army was, somehow the infiltration felt too easy.
Which meant.
“It’s a trap.”
The moment Karl’s murmur echoed, numerous arrows began flying towards the barracks.
The instant he noticed the incoming arrows, Karl crouched down and spread his Aura Armor as weakly as possible, concentrating it on the parts the Ancient King’s Chainmail couldn't defend.
If it weren't for the Ancient King’s Chainmail, the waste of energy would have been severe.
Karl waited until the number of incoming arrows decreased, minimizing his breathing and presence as much as possible.
Although the tent was riddled with holes from the arrows and tattered, the situation inside wasn't clearly visible.
Rogério and the Red Knights approached the tent very cautiously.
Even though it was just one person, they were extremely tense.
They remembered their comrades who died on the castle wall last time.
Gulp.
A staggering 40 knights advanced slowly towards the tent with tense faces.
Rogério, standing at the forefront of the knights, raised his hand high into the air and then dropped it, and at that moment, about 10 knights rushed towards the tent from all directions.
It was the moment they rushed into the tent.
Kwaaang!
A golden aura exploded, and the knights who had rushed in were instantly thrown back, tumbling onto the ground.
And from inside the tent, a single person slowly walked out.
He wore a skull mask on his face and a black robe, giving off an atmosphere like the Grim Reaper himself.
“…Who on earth are you!? Are you really something like an Apostle of Gullveig?”
Karl, still wearing the skull mask, did not answer Rogério’s question.
“…Right. We aren’t exactly on terms to exchange lengthy words…! I acknowledge that you are strong. But! Entering the main camp alone was a mistake you won’t get to make again!”
Rogério and the knights lunged towards Karl.
At that moment, the bodies of the 5 knights rushing from the front were instantly severed.
Even though the armor they wore was full plate armor, it was torn apart like paper by Karl’s aura.
“Charge simultaneously! Secure the blind spots! Aim for when he can’t move!”
When they first started charging, they thought they could surely overpower Karl.
Although there was some fear, they were the Red Knights, one of the three knight orders Marquis Baltimo prided himself on, and they were individuals who had become knights through harsh, practical training.
“Uwaaaaaaaaah!”
An explosive roar burst from their mouths.
And a group of knights simultaneously aimed for Karl’s four sides and lunged once more.
They had something they believed in.
Even Master-grade knights couldn't infinitely spray aura.
The Red Knights knew this fact through long experience.
Kwaaaaaaang!
Contrary to their expectations, the knights rushing in from all sides once again instantly turned into chunks of meat and scattered in all directions.
A huge shield of aura centered around the skull mask spun in all directions, striking the knights as if performing a shield bash.
However, the shield made of aura, unlike an ordinary shield, dismembered people.
“Ah…”
Rogério’s expression became dumbfounded as he watched the blood and pieces of human flesh scatter in the sky.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Even though he and his subordinates clearly still numbered 30, Karl turned his back on them and was walking in the opposite direction.
“What do you think you’re doing! Are you mocking us! Do you think we can’t kill you if we resolve to die trying!”
“If you all die just to catch me alone, what remains?”
“…!”
Rogério’s mouth clamped shut at Karl’s single remark, spoken after turning back.
“Go back.”
Rogério couldn't answer Karl’s words.
If they returned having lost 70 knights without even suppressing a single barony, there was no telling what Marquis Baltimo would do.
The line where it could have ended with a severe reprimand or disciplinary action had been crossed long ago.
“Where could we possibly go in this situation!”
“If you really have nowhere to go, trying the County of Collo might be alright.”
“…”
In the minds of the surviving 30 Red Knights, the thought arose whether there could be a safer place than there in this situation.
Marquis Baltimo wouldn't forgive them for failing so spectacularly.
He might feel it was a waste, but they knew well that the Marquis valued his dignity above all else.
Rogério’s head turned.
Looking at the faces of the remaining members, there were many who followed him rather than the commander.
It seemed Rogério had unknowingly placed those who followed Joaquin at the front.
‘Maybe it turned out for the better.’
In the first place, the roughly 30 knights remaining now were those Rogério had brought with him since before he became part of the Red Knights.
That madman Joaquin was the commander, but everywhere he went, he selectively committed disgusting acts that were hard to watch, making one sick of him.
The Marquis, who had appointed such a person as commander based solely on his killing skills, was also suspect.
He had chosen the shadow of Marquis Baltimo because he couldn't wander without power in these times, but perhaps it was clothes that didn't fit Rogério from the start.
“…Why are you giving advice?”
“Telling those remaining to go to the domain after killing 70 of them isn't exactly good advice.”
Karl’s plain words paradoxically put the minds of the remaining men at ease.
“Are you… Sir Karl Reitz Meyer…?”
Karl, who had briefly turned his body towards them, nodded his head, and a sigh escaped Rogério’s lips.
Simultaneously, the heads of the remaining Red Knights also nodded unknowingly.
They too, as knights, knew well that the Karl standing before them now was walking the path of a great knight.
By the time Rogério’s exceedingly complicated mind had somewhat settled, Karl had already disappeared.
He watched Karl’s retreating back, who had left without listening further, with a complicated gaze.
That day, Marquis Baltimo’s 300 soldiers disbanded, and only a few returned to Marquis Baltimo.
And on the same day. One of Marquis Baltimo’s three knight orders vanished.
***
“…”
Silence hung in the office as the Marquis, receiving the report, grimaced.
“An Apostle of Gullveig appeared and…”
“Turns out that Apostle of Gullveig… was that Karl Meyer bastard who survived that cliff? And because of that one bastard, 70 out of 100 Red Knights died, and the surviving 30… went to the place Karl Meyer suggested?”
What on earth was this nonsensical story.
It was so absurd that words failed him.
“The disappearance of the Red Knights is as impactful as the failure on the Ulstein side. It seems we need to conserve our strength for the time being.”
For Marquis Baltimo, who had recently been rapidly expanding his influence into the surroundings, Karl was an unexpected disaster.
“Put in a request to Taklama's Sandstorm. Tell them I’ll pay any price, so kill that bastard using whatever means necessary.”
“…I will do so.”
He might be a monstrous bastard, but he couldn't just leave alone the one who had ruined his plans twice.
However, he couldn't afford to lose any more of his own forces to that bastard, so he needed to borrow someone else's hands.
In that sense, Marquis Baltimo hoped that Taklama's Sandstorm might somewhat quell his boiling anger.
***
“What is this?”
“It’s a sacred relic.”
“Sacred relic?”
Sergei, with a serious face, handed over a bracelet made of black metal.
“Who in the world gives a gift with such a face?”
“It’s Gullveig’s sacred relic. The only sacred relic Gullveig left behind. It’s also proof that those Tarantula bastards are not the ones who properly inherited Gullveig’s teachings.”
“Are you trying to get me branded a heretic and killed?”
“You are our apostle.”
“…You really seem to want to see me burned at the stake.”
Sergei laughed at Karl’s joke.
“You once said, Sir. That if we were condemned as heretics for helping us, then they were the ones in the wrong. You were the first person to say that, Sir.”
“I don’t believe in Gullveig.”
“I know that well.”
“So? Why are you handing me the only sacred relic?”
“Because I believe that everything you showed us was Her miracle.”
Sergei’s lips slowly opened as he calmly accepted the questioning gaze.
“I am thinking of pinning our hopes on you, Sir.”
“I am not such a great person. Just a mere Free Knight.”
“We have decided to bet everything on that Free Knight.”
“What exactly are you betting.”
“Well, I don’t know that either.”
He was smiling like a fool.
And that smile was the most genuine and clear smile Karl had seen since coming to this world.
‘Everyone was like that…’
Sergei’s smile was ultimately the reason Karl decided he had to protect this place.
“Sergei Schwerin, Lord of Schwerin, vows before Gullveig to live as Sir Karl Reitz Meyer’s vassal from this time forth. This promise shall be eternal and shall be kept no matter what happens.”
Just then, Sergei made some strange pledge.
And simultaneously, light filled the office.
“What is this act?”
“It means I have become your eternal vassal.”
“Did I say I accepted?”
“Even if you don’t want it, Sir, it can’t be helped. This is my freedom, you see.”
“…I don’t know if this is good, you don’t seem to listen to a single word I say.”
“Good things will happen as we go along.”
And so, Karl gained a strange vassal who acted as he pleased.
[Gullveig’s Sacred Relic: Aura and Qi operation ability improved by 1.5 times, automatically absorbs Qi in non-combat situations]
He obtained an item with surprising functions.
[Seeker’s Boots: Boots of the legendary knight Bartein, known for having vanquished demons. They contain a portion of the power Bartein cherished throughout his life. Increased Agility. Increased Protection.]
[Set Information: Seeker's Belt, Seeker's Boots]
[Set Effect: Special Passive Effect Seeker's Light: Enhances various resistance abilities]
He was able to obtain the Seeker's Gloves and even set items.
Whether having a fanatically devoted pagan following him was truly a good thing was a question worth considering, but it was true that he had gained a lot one way or another.
‘I wonder if the Pope should know about this.’
Just as his head started aching unnecessarily, a messenger arrived from the Pope.
[The Essus Order hereby appoints Karl Reitz Meyer as a Saint, effective immediately. We declare that all his actions and every path he walks are the will of our Order. However, he is one who practices God's will outside, not within the Order; he does not belong to the Vatican, and we also declare that he is one who shines brightly on his own.]
“…”
Karl had merely asked for acknowledgment that the people of Schwerin were not heretics, but the Pope, perhaps having gone mad, suddenly declared him a Saint.
In any case, thanks to this, the matter here was also settled smoothly, but whether this was entirely a good thing remained uncertain.