A Killing Blow with Golgol.
Unfortunately, the bastard was an even more accomplished knight than I had thought.
The bastard twisted his body at the last possible moment and let my sword strike glance past.
But he did not evade it completely.
After all, my sword had pierced the bastard's shoulder.
The bastard and I amicably exchanged looks, each with his sword buried in the other.
The bastard was the first to speak.
“So you had the skill to keep a move in reserve.”
“Indeed. And I have more than one move in reserve.”
I had no idea how this had happened, but for now, I simply said whatever came to mind.
It was not as though I could confess, “No, this was unexpected for me too,” in a situation like this.
But setting that aside.
‘Tsk, what do I do?’
It was all well and good that I had managed to land a blow, but what came afterward was the problem.
That strike had only been possible because I had caught him off guard.
As long as the blood of Australopithecus, a primate capable of learning, flowed through the bastard's veins, he would not fall for the same trick twice.
Then what should I do?
[You should start backing away. This is dangerou…….]
A warrior of Valhalla knows no retreat.
I advanced with the heart of a warrior.
SLICE.
The sword buried in my shoulder sawed through my flesh, but I endured it. Then I converted that pain into rage and drove my sword deeper into the bastard's shoulder.
“You said your name was Zeke, correct?”
“That is correct.”
“Why do we not stop here? This seems a rather shabby battlefield for a knight such as you to close his eyes upon.”
Unlike before, I spoke with a measure of decorum, and he smiled.
“To call a sword for hire a knight. I am deeply honored. But did I say I would be the one to close his eyes?”
“Yes.”
“Such confidence. Do you not realize that I am refraining from pulling out my sword for your sake, Young Master?”
What was he talking about?
[The bastard is right. If he pulls out his sword now, you could bleed to death.]
Oh, was that it?
How very considerate of him.
But I did not back down.
“Well, if one closes his eyes on the battlefield, even that would be a happy death. More importantly, are you not the one laboring under a misconception? Which of us do you think is showing the other mercy right now?”
“……I have difficulty understanding what you mean.”
“Look around. Where are we?”
“On a battlefield, are we not?”
I nodded at the bastard's answer.
“Yes, a battlefield. A battlefield where death runs rampant. Then who am I? Must I truly say it with my own lips?”
“A necromancer…….”
“Yes, I am a necromancer. Have you not realized it? All the blood scattered across this place, all the death, is mine.”
[Is that really true?]
Of course it isn't.
After briefly clicking my tongue at my hopelessly naïve ancestor, I caught the confusion clouding my opponent's eyes.
From here on, it was all about momentum!
“may be a Necromancer , but I also walk the path of the sword. Though circumstances forced me to use necromancy, I wanted to cross swords with you, a knight. After all, I too aspire to knighthood. But…….”
Ah, fXck. It hurts like hell.
I chewed up the pain, swallowed it, and continued.
“As a noble, I bear a responsibility. And that responsibility outweighs my convictions as a knight. Therefore, I cannot concede defeat to you here. Regardless of the outcome of this duel, my life is not mine alone. So choose.”
“……Choose what?”
“Either we see this through to the end here, or you withdraw quietly.”
“If I choose to see it through…….”
“One of us will not see tomorrow's sunrise. And I assure you, you will be the one to close his eyes.”
“…….”
The bastard's eyes wavered.
He must have been confused about whether my words were true or false.
So was I.
By this point, even I could no longer tell whether the bullshit I was spouting was actually bullshit.
Bullshit with my very soul poured into it!
“What will you do? If you surrender, I will accord you every courtesy as a knight.”
“……Even though I am merely a swordsman who sold his blade for money?”
“You did not sell your convictions, did you?”
“…….”
The corner of the bastard's eye twitched.
I prayed desperately.
Please, please!
Answer me already! It hurts so badly I feel like I am going to die―!
How long did I endure that eternity of waiting?
“……I surrender.”
“……!”
Had my silver tongue won him over?!
For a moment, I thought so, but I soon realized that was not it.
“You bastard―!”
A thunderous roar!
NEEEIIIGH―!
A magnificent knight was charging toward us amid the furious pounding of hooves.
It was not Sir Balt.
“Father!”
“Son, hold on!”
It was not my silver tongue. He had spotted my father drawing near, realized he had no chance of winning, and raised the white flag!
Wait, but was Father allowed to charge in like this when it was supposed to be a limited battle?
Well, if it worked, it worked.
‘I'll take what I can get.’
I gave him a faint smile.
“I will accord you every courtesy as a prisoner.”
“I trust you.”
The bastard may be Golgol's enemy, but Golgol is with me as Bone Armor.
The variable?
Eliminated!
A world line where everyone's happy!
That aside.
[I never knew you were so earnest about the sword.]
Ancestor, you have a rather naïve side to you.
Then again, that must be why you became my first slave.
In any case, it was not a bad outcome.
***
The battlefield was swiftly brought under control afterward.
“Father, this man surrendered. I promised to accord him every courtesy as a prisoner, so I hope he will be treated accordingly.”
“This bastard……?”
“Yes. It was a promise made between one knight and another.”
“…….”
Father looked back and forth between us with evident displeasure, but eventually nodded.
“Close your eyes. I will subdue you.”
“……Understood.”
The bastard answered respectfully and closed his eyes.
Then.
CLANG—!
Father's scabbard smashed into the bastard's skull.
It was subjugation in the most physical sense.
I checked to see whether his skull had cracked, but thankfully, he seemed fine.
That aside.
“Wait a moment. I will apply a potion.”
Father poured a potion over my wound and pulled out the sword.
Was it thanks to the potion's effects? The bleeding was not too severe.
“Pour the rest over the wound and press down as firmly as you can.”
Father tore a cloak into strips and handed them to me along with a spare potion.
Then he headed toward Sir Balt, who was surrounded by knights.
As for what happened after that…….
‘……This is going smoothly.’
Father's mere appearance threw Hadion's knights into confusion and broke their formation.
Sir Balt did not miss the opening.
“You bastards―!”
With a resounding roar, the knights were subdued one after another.
But still.
“Father, is this really allowed? You said it was a limited battle.”
“Did this father of yours swing his sword?”
“No.”
“Then there is no problem.”
Ah.
He had stepped onto the battlefield, but because he had not swung his sword, he had not participated in the war!
Miraculous logic!
Father then roared in a booming voice.
“Everyone, lay down your swords―! Surrender, and you will be treated as prisoners!”
Silence fell over the battlefield.
Our soldiers and the enemy soldiers alike blinked as they tried to grasp what was happening.
“What are you doing?! Why have you not surrendered―?! Do you all wish to die?!”
At that thunderous roar, the enemy soldiers jumped in fright and dropped their weapons.
And it was not only the enemy soldiers.
Even our conscripts were so startled that they dropped their weapons!
‘Why are you lot…….’
Well, I supposed he was just that frightening.
That was roughly how I chose to understand it.
In any case, once the soldiers had laid down their swords, Father rode straight toward Viscount Hadion.
“Viscount Hadion.”
“What is the meaning of this? You personally joined the battle?”
“I merely stepped forward to ensure smooth command. If you object, you may take up your sword as well, Viscount. So…… would you care to try? The outcome already seems clear.”
“…….”
Viscount Hadion's gaze lost its way and wandered through empty space.
But only for a moment.
He squeezed his eyes shut and sighed.
“……I surrender.”
“Come here. You will be accorded every courtesy as a prisoner.”
“A prisoner? Do you truly intend to go this far?”
“Then try to flee, if you are confident you can.”
“…….”
Viscount Hadion parted his lips before biting down on them.
For all intents and purposes, that was the end.
“I sincerely hope you keep your word.”
“Of course.”
Father approached the soldiers with Viscount Hadion in tow.
No one spoke, but everyone sensed it.
The war was over.
And we had won.
Everyone also knew without being told who had contributed the most to our victory.
“Long live the Young Master!”
“Long live the Second Young Master!”
When someone quick-witted shouted the words, the soldiers all raised their weapons high and took up the chant.
Hmm, it did not feel bad.
In any case, if I had a status window, perhaps something like this would have appeared.
[Spoils of War]
Noble Prisoner: Viscount Hadion
Knight Prisoners: 18 regular knights of Hadion
Others: Approximately 600 standing soldiers and conscripts, along with Zeke and ten of his companions
Well, if not, never mind.
Immediately afterward.
[Uh, uhh…… why are you collapsing?!]
I finally relaxed and closed my eyes.
I had no regrets.
***
How many days had passed while I was unconscious?
[It has been a full week.]
“I slept for a long time.”
I had awakened after an entire week.
No wonder I felt so good.
When I got up and went to find Father, I received good news.
“The negotiations to end the war are proceeding smoothly.”
“Then…….”
“We have agreed to receive ten thousand gold in total, including the prisoners' ransoms and reparations.”
“Oh!”
Ten thousand gold.
It was enough to make my jaw drop.
And why would it not be?
Prices in this world were such a goddamn mess that it was difficult to compare them with modern ones, but a rough comparison looked like this.
1 copper=100 won
1 silver=10,000 won
1 gold=1,000,000 won
And he was saying ten thousand gold?
In Korean currency, did that not amount to ten billion won?!
It was practically the same as winning the lottery, but as I had said, the comparison above was only a reference.
In reality, it could be worth more than ten billion won, or less!
The viscount's ransom was particularly steep. It accounted for half the total!
‘Is this why those crazy nobles wage war every chance they get?’
Of course, I was well aware of the price paid for this money.
Many people had died in this war.
Father seemed to know that as well, for he decided how the reparations would be used.
“First, I plan to use the reparations as compensation for the conscripts who participated in the war and for the fallen.”
“Of course you should.”
“You rascal…….”
Father seemed quite moved by my response.
Well, that made sense.
Most lords in this world did not care whether their conscripts dropped dead or not.
But there was something I wanted to know.
“But is the mana stone vein all right?”
It was the reason the war had broken out in the first place.
As long as the mana stone vein existed, there was no guarantee a second war would not occur.
This was what worried me most.
‘Viscount Hadion might bring in another faction.’
Father had this to say about that possibility.
“Apparently, he has not brought in any other faction yet. He is a greedy man. It seems he even kept it secret from his closest aides, lest flies gather around it.”
“Then the viscount…….”
“I intend to invite a priest from the Order and have him swear an oath.”
“An oath?”
“Yes. It will cost a fair amount, but once he swears the oath, he will not be able to wag his tongue carelessly.”
Could Father seriously believe that an oath made in a god's name would always be kept, or something along those lines?
But that was not it.
“An oath is a power with tangible substance. The moment it is broken, the curse spreads not only to the person who swore it, but even to his family. The more expensive it is, the stronger its effect. This time, I intend to make him swear an oath worth five thousand gold.”
“Five thousand gold?”
Then we'd have to pour half the reparations into it, wouldn't we?
“Of course, the viscount will have to bear the cost.”
Hmm, Father had a plan for everything.
I had never doubted him.
I swear.
Let's see, then.
‘Ten thousand gold…….’
Even after compensating the conscripts and the fallen, a considerable sum would remain.
In that case…….
‘Could this mean I've taken a step closer to my dream?’
I meant a leisurely life spent tilting back a mug of beer as I watched the red sunset.
But Father did not seem inclined to support my dream.
Why?
Because if he intended to support it, he would not have said this.
“Which brings me to the matter at hand…….”
“Yes, please tell me.”
“I intend to take this opportunity to develop the mana stone vein.”
“What?”
What did you say you were going to develop, Father?
No matter how ignorant I was of worldly affairs, even I knew that developing a mana stone vein did not come cheap.
Ten thousand gold?
Yes, it was a lot. It was, but…… would it truly be enough to cover the cost of developing a mana stone vein?
“I will tell you the details when your brother returns. You must be tired for now, so go back and rest.”
The wind was blowing.
It carried the plague known as business fever.
Since things had come to this…….
‘……I hereby put my elder brother forward as baron.’
It was a joke, of course.
For now.