My Students Regret It After I Retired

53 – Knight’s Demise, The Dead Duke

Diascota’s screams reverberated everywhere. The knights nearby rushed towards Diascota, but Leos quickly lunged forward, pressing his sword to Diascota’s neck.

Diascota frantically stopped the approaching knights.

“Don’t come! Don’t fucking come!”

With a single order, over two thousand knights froze in place. Leos let out a hollow laugh at the sight. The thought that one person’s words could so easily control so many lives was absurd.

“You’re not strong, you’re not smart, and you don’t have anything special going for you. How the hell did a guy like you become the Duke of the Peren Empire, lording over so many people?”

“…”

Just moments before, Diascota, who had displayed such a belligerent attitude, completely submitted to Leos. The man’s lips trembled, and his arms and legs began to flail wildly. Like a child about to be scolded, Duke Diascota could only cower and desperately seek a way to survive.

“C-could you… spare me?”

The man’s demeanor had become much more humble. Leos asked again.

“I asked why a man like you is able to lead so many.”

“W-wasn’t it because… I was born this way? The gods designated me as the son of a Duke, and born into that family, I became a Duke, following my father. With… with a title, naturally, many people follow me.”

“So, in short, you were just fortunate to be born into a good family and are enjoying the privileges due to your lacking abilities?”

“…Y-yes… that’s exactly what you said.”

A powerless emperor, a corrupt judge, a selfish Duke. The Peren Empire was riddled with cancers in every corner, and Leos began to feel a sense of despair at this reality.

There was a time when Leos lived, even for a moment, truly for the Peren Empire. Conquering Redgate, destroying all the common gates, he was loyal to the Empire and lived for its people, but in the end, it was merely the ripple caused by a single stone thrown into a vast river.

No matter how many stones he threw, the river would only stir briefly before returning to its original state. In the same way, the Empire Leos had tried to protect was already too rotten to be saved.

Once again, the reason to cleanse the Empire became even more clear.

“I’ll give you a chance now. Except for the Knight Commander who tried to kill Vendict just now, and his men, let the others find their own way to survive. If you refuse my offer, I will kill you all here.”

“…”

As a blade was pressed against Duke Diascota, the man cried out urgently.

“E-everyone, follow Leos’ words! Those who wish to leave here, leave immediately!”

Leos thought Diascota was truly foolish. Knights were the only shield and sword to protect him. But now, just because he felt his own neck was about to be cut, he was actively helping to remove his only means of survival.

‘If he’s going to make it this easy for me, I’m thankful.’

It wasn’t that he wanted to forgive all the knights. However, at the moment, he had rushed to save Vendict and was not properly prepared. The terrain, tactical materials, and even his forces were completely dispersed. In this situation, fighting against thousands of knights would be a foolish act.

But even so, Leos decided to leave those he could not forgive. One was the Knight Commander who had tried to kill Vendict. The other two were the ones who swung their swords at Vendict by his side.

“…Get the hell out of here right now! Didn’t you hear me?”

The knights hesitated, not moving. Was it loyalty to Duke Diascota? No, it wasn’t. It was one knight’s cry that spoke for their inability to leave.

“W-what about our pay… what happens to it?”

“You son of a b*tch…is pay really important in this situation?”

“My…my wife and children are starving at home! If I wasn’t going to get paid and fed, why would I risk my life following you!”

Leos, still gripping the Duke of Diascota by the scruff of his neck, walked towards the knight who had bravely spoken. Of course, no one tried to stop him.

“…”

The knight stood frozen, silent, so Leos stopped right in front of him and asked,

“You have a family?”

“Yes…”

“They’d be very sad to hear you died.”

“Please, spare me.”

“Then why didn’t you run away just now? I honestly would have let you live if you had.”

“…Because if we don’t get our pay and supplies…our families will starve to death where they’re hiding. Even if it means I die, I have to secure food for them. If I can’t do that, it’s like being alive and dead at the same time.”

“…”

Leos paused, thinking for a moment, then sliced off the Duke of Diascota’s ear with his sword. The Duke screamed in pain, and Leos, grabbing the Duke by the hair, asked,

“Tell me the location of the food storage.”

“Telling you isn’t difficult but…it’s a place that can’t be entered without…my fingerprints…so you have to come with me…”

“Which finger?”

The Duke of Diascota, of course, refused to answer at first, but as Leos’s sword pressed closer to his neck, he finally spoke.

“U-Um…”

Leos sliced off one of Duke Diaskota’s fingers and tossed it to the knight. He asked again.

“Tell me the location. If you hesitate, or if I get the feeling you’re lying, I’ll just kill you.”

“A…a dilapidated house 1km north of the palace…it’s surrounded by the river, the only building there so it won’t be hard to find. If you look in the basement…you’ll find food and money stored there…”

“Go and share it amongst yourselves.”

“…”

The knight asked, his face blank.

“We followed Duke Diaskota, so why show us such mercy? This was food and resources you could have taken for yourself…”

“You followed Duke Diaskota, but you haven’t attacked me or my comrades yet. So I’m giving you a chance.”

“…”

The knight lowered his head for a moment, then spoke quietly.

“Renkatio…that’s my name. I hold the position of reserve commander, in case Commander Debigale died. If anything happens later, I will help you.”

“I don’t trust anyone. So don’t speak nonsense and just get out of here.”

“May your life be filled with blessings. And…I’ll leave those who attacked you here.”

With those words, Renkatio led nearly two thousand knights away towards the back of the palace. A Red Gate was nearby so they could all be annihilated, but from there it was their own problem.

Leos looked at the remaining ten or so knights and Debigale, and said.

“It seems no one is going to protect you.”

Debigale answered with a sorrowful expression.

“Those dog-like b*stards. Abandoning their superior and leaving.”

“Abandoning their superior? It seems they listened to Renkatio pretty well. Isn’t it just because you’re a piece of trash? What’s your justification? What are you fighting for under Duke Diaskota? Do you have a family?”

“…”

“You only fight for your own greed.”

“What’s wrong with that? Every human wants to climb higher, to have more resources and supplies. If you think having ambition is bad, you’re insulting humanity’s desire to progress.”

“Don’t try to dress it up. I hate that disgusting habit of making excuses for your own shitty behavior, self-justifying.”

Leos swung his chainsword fiercely towards the knights beside him.

-WHOOSH!

The chainsword, moving with incredible speed, repeated its throws and retractions before neatly beheading nine of them and returning to his hand. Only Duke Diascota and Dvigail remained.

Dvigail chuckled dryly, then asked,

“Among those you killed, there must be some like Renkatio who came here for their families?”

“The only ones I’ll take into consideration are the ones who haven’t tried anything against me.”

Leos’ face twisted as he added,

“If you try to kill someone else, you should be ready to die, no matter what your reasons. Isn’t that obvious?”

Dvigail couldn’t say anything.

Leos looked at the man for a moment, then threw Duke Diascota, who had been standing beside him, away.

“Kill him.”

“…?”

“If you kill this b*stard with your own hands, I’ll let you live.”

Duke Diascota started screaming like a madman.

“D…don’t do it, calm down, Dvigail! Dvigail! I am a Duke! A Duke of the Peren Empire!”

Without a word, Dvigail slowly drew his sword and began to walk towards him.

“A title is only meaningful when there are those who follow you.”

Then, Devigail swung his sword with force.

Duke Diascota fell to the ground in an instant. The moment his breath completely stopped, Devigail spoke with a laugh.

“Are you going to let me go now?”

An excited face. Leos’s chainsword plunged straight into the man, who seemed genuinely pleased.

“C-cuh-gh…”

Devigail, gripping the chainsword that had pierced his abdomen, questioned.

“Why…?”

Leos replied with an emotionless expression.

“I despise trash who abandon their comrades most of all.”