9

The following day, the old man living in the northern area of Derevnya woke up very early before dawn. Since it was still dark outside, he decided to stay in bed and recalled his past. The moment when he lost his right arm was an unforgettable nightmare to him..

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“I appreciate that you guys joined me.”

A sturdy man in his forties was wearing plate armor with an armorial bearing of the lofty eagle on his chest. There stood twelve men in front of him. They were Knights belonging to the same Order, which the man in plate armor with the eagle armorial bearing had been the commander of.

“Don’t mention it, boss. It’s natural for us to help you.”

The man's eyes slightly trembled as he watched the Knights with pleasant expressions. Even though they spoke casually, the decision they had made for him was by no means an easy one. They had resigned from the Order to help him with his private matters. This decision would change their whole life. Up until then, they had been members of an Imperial Order based in the capital of the Icarus Empire, but from now on, they would belong to the Knights of the Marquis Adelian. Above all, there would be a lot of repercussions as they intended to antagonize the Empire’s prominent Duke family.

They decided to help their former Commander at the risk of all the anticipated disadvantages. Out of thirty regular Knights of the Red Lion Order, twelve Knights were a considerable portion of its military power.

“After the feudal war, let’s hit the pubs.”

“We might drink up all the liquor in your estate.”

The Icarus Empire was the most territorial and powerful nation on the continent. The plate-armored man, Andrew Adelian, was the eldest son of Marquis Adelian, the head of one of the most distinguished noble families in Icarus.

Andrew had been a swordsman since he was a kid. His family hired numerous famous teachers to teach him swordsmanship. So, at the age of twenty, he joined the Red Lion Order, one of the three Knights Orders under the direct command of the Emperor. Andrew Adelian, who had constantly been honing his swordsmanship ever since he was a small child, finally became the Commander of the Red Lion Order fifteen years after he had joined it. Although the Adelian family was a prominent one in the Empire, and it was essential for him to succeed the title of Marquis in due course, the Knight Commander of the Imperial Order was also a key position that could not be easily yielded. Therefore, Andrew had led the Red Lion Order for almost ten years, having postponed the succession of the Marquis title until the conflict between the Adelian family and the Cronos family occurred.

A gold mine sparked the onset of the conflict at the border of the two estates. Though the gold mine was located near the border, it definitely belonged to the estate of Marquis Adelian, and the Adelian family had been mining it for the past thirty years. Out of the blue, Duke Cronos claimed ownership of this gold mine.

“On accurate measurement, it became clear that the gold mine belongs to my estate. So, I expect you to give it back to me immediately. On top of that, I want back all of the gold which you have mined for the past thirty years.”

Land surveying was always bound to be subjective. The results were all different depending on the person who measured it and yet, Duke Cronos ridiculously requested all the gold produced for the last thirty years as well as the gold mine itself be returned. There was no reason for Marquis Adelian to give the gold mine to Duke Cronos. Above all, the gold mine was the source of the Adelian family’s current richness.

“That’ll never happen.”

Both the Adelian and Cronos estates were strong powers with large territories on the western border of the Icarus Empire, which have been fighting against the monsters and orcs in the Plantio Mountains for more than five hundred years. The conflict between the two estates had escalated to a point where it was impossible to resolve peacefully. Therefore, it resulted in the feudal war as the Emperor gave permission for some unknown reason. Perhaps he intended to weaken the two forces, as they had the potential to pose a threat to the Imperial family in the future by making them fight against each other.

Andrew could not stay put either. The fall of his family was as plain as daylight if they lost the battle of the lands. If they handed the gold mine over, the riches of the Adelian family would also disappear.

At first, Andrew resigned from the Red Lion Order since it was impossible to participate in the feudal war as a member of the Imperial Knights. Besides, Marquis Adelian, Andrew’s father, wanted Andrew to succeed in the title of Marquis as he had gotten fed up with disputing with Duke Cronos.

Having resigned from the position of the Red Lion Knight Commander, he explained the situation of the two estates to his former men.

“I ask you, not as the Commander, but as a friend, if anybody is willing to volunteer, please help me in this battle.”

Andrew expected only a few volunteers since almost all of them were from high-class noble families and would not easily fight against Duke Cronos’ family. Surprisingly, however, twelve volunteers resigned from the Order and came to Marquis Adelian’s estate in the plain armor of free Knights without any armorial bearings.

“We are here to join you.”

“We can’t ignore your crisis.”

Their choice deeply moved Andrew.

“I’ll never forget this favor. Together with you guys, I’m sure the Knights of Adelian will win over the Knights of Cronos. Let’s go to the castle. A reception will be in place.”

His body stiffened the moment he turned around with a big smile. A shadow popped out of the darkness. At that time, Andrew had come out to the border of his estate to meet the Knights. He immediately unsheathed his sword due to the possibility that the unknown shadow could be an enemy.

“Who is it? Identify yourself.”

Twelve Knights also stared at the shadow with wary eyes. The shadow was revealed to be a brown-haired man who looked around thirty years old. The man in leather armor, usually the preferred choice of mercenaries, carried a longsword at his waist. As everybody looked at him, he grinned.

“I’m in a bit of a pickle. I don’t understand why the Knights of the Red Lion Order joined the Adelian family in this feudal war.”

Andrew asked again with displeasure.

“I said, identify yourself. Who are you?”

“There’s nothing to hide. I am William Cronos. You have probably heard of me.”

Andrew was stunned. William Cronos was the second son of the Cronos family. In Andrew’s memory, William was at least ten years older than him, which means he must be in his fifties. The man before him, who looked no older than thirty, claimed to be that very William Cronos. Anyhow, it was not necessary to discern the fact at that moment. The opponent belonged to the Cronos family, and the current location was clearly the territory of the Adelian family. Andrew’s eyes were filled with an enraged violent temper.

“You must want to die if you’re infiltrating our territory by yourself when the two families are at war.”

Several Knights, who received Andrew’s signal, pulled out their swords from the sheaths in unison. If they could catch this man, he would be a valuable hostage during negotiations with the Cronos family.

“Blame your own carelessness for trespassing on our territory.”

There was a dumbfounded expression on the Knights’ faces because the man did not look like a Knight at all. The body type of the Knights was completely different from that of commoners. To swing the swords and wear the heavy plate armor, it was necessary to build up a substantial amount of muscle. Usually, a knight’s thighs are as thick as the average human waist. As if to prove it, the twelve Knights here were all muscular and big men.

Contrarily, William had a relatively slender figure wearing thin leather armor. He could be considered a mage rather than a swordsman if he wore a robe instead of leather mail.

“Get him. I’ll give a bottle of thirty-year-old Red Dragon to the guy who catches him.”

Having heard Andrew’s shout, the Knights’ faces brightened. The Red Dragon was a very rare whiskey. Moreover, the thirty-year-old Red Dragon was extremely expensive.

“The Red Dragon is mine.”

“That's bullshit.”

The Knights rushed to William. It looked like they were trying to capture William alive. Watching as the Knights rushed toward him, William unsheathed his sword slowly. From the end of the blade, a reddish glow stretched toward a Knight. The burly Knight, who was rushing in front of the others, winced. The next moment he twitched. From a small part of his neck, not protected by the plate armor he was equipped with, blood gushed out. At the sight of the Knight screaming and collapsing helplessly, everybody was shocked.

Another Knight, who approached William without unsheathing his sword as he was distracted by the Red Dragon, was recoiling awkwardly. William’s sword stabbed between the breastplate and the left pauldron of the armor. Blood gushed through the thin joint of the armor. The knight sat down holding his shoulder, and a couple of his colleagues stepped back, supporting him. The pain caused sweat to flow down the wounded Knight’s face.