Surviving as the Fallen Northern Grand Duke

Chapter 29: Festival of Spring (2)

Kwaaaaaaaang!

Knight Devon once again swung his sword, imbued with aura.

And I,

Kwaaaddddddeuk!

Raised my longsword to block that overwhelming aura.

Of course, unlike that high-ranked Expert bastard, I couldn’t use aura, so I blocked it using only the pure strength of my two arms.

‘If not for Johan Kraubitz’s body, no one on the continent would be able to pull this off.’

Yeah, this was only possible because Johan’s body carried the blood of the Giant King.

Otherwise, how could a fragile human body withstand a sword strike infused with an aura said to split mountains and shatter castle walls?

So while I was amazed once again at Johan’s monstrous strength...

Pashit. Pashishishit!

The sound of burning began to come from my arms, and I realized that the real crisis had arrived.

Psh.

Across from me, Knight Devon smirked as if mocking me and muttered.

“This seems to be the end, Northern Grand Duke.”

Saaaaaah.

He wrapped his sword in aura and continued speaking.

“The sheer strength you displayed was truly astonishing… but do you really think you can keep blocking aura attacks with your bare body? If you keep this up, you’ll collapse from exhaustion.”

“……”

“Ah, perhaps just blocking a couple more strikes will do it? You already look quite fatigued.”

He was right.

Even though I tried not to show it, my breathing had already become quite labored, and the sweat dripping from my hair was falling onto the ground.

Having gained a decisive advantage, Devon indulged in what is commonly called the ‘victor’s praise.’

“Still, it was impressive. I heard rumors that the Northern Grand Duke was terminally ill… but for you to hold your own against me to this extent. If you could use aura, you would have already reached the rank of Expert long ago.”

Parrrrrrrr.

By the time he finished speaking, my arms had begun to tremble.

It wasn’t from humiliation or shame. It was purely because my strength was draining away.

Swoosh.

I lifted my head and looked at the knight standing across from me.

A high-ranked Expert knight, whose name was renowned throughout the continent.

Moreover, the very knight known as the Sword of the Southern Overlord—Knight Devon.

And beyond him...

Saaaaaaah.

I could see the Grand Duke of Southern Provin, Escal Demaris, watching me from the distant stands.

‘…That junkie bastard…’

That dazed, irritating expression on his face made it clear as day.

‘This is such a cliché.’

Even though I hadn’t finished reading the novel Burden of the North, just looking at that junkie’s face told me everything.

That bastard was a major hidden villain. And most likely…

‘He’s trying to use Knight Devon to “accidentally” take the Northern Grand Duke’s life in this duel.’

My suspicions were quickly turning into certainty.

It was a perfect opportunity.

A chance to eliminate the ruler of the Northern Continent under the guise of an “accident.”

And since the proud Northern Grand Duke wouldn’t back down from a fight, using a high-ranked Expert knight would make it easy to cut off his head.

Hoo. Hooo.

As I exhaled heavily, my breath escaping my throat,

I felt an eerie sense of calm in the face of all these conspiracies and dirty schemes.

Because…

“…I can’t hesitate any longer.”

Psh.

“I can’t afford to waver anymore.”

It felt like I had finally found the answer to the problem.

And so, now I could finally reveal it with confidence.

The trump card I had hidden away for quite some time.

Though honestly, I wasn’t even sure if hiding it had ever truly mattered.

‘After all, this no longer exists.’

On this continent, this was already considered something that had vanished.

Kwaaaaaaaa!

Across from me, Knight Devon was preparing his final strike.

Just like before, he wrapped his sword in an immense amount of aura and charged forward.

And if Johan blocked that strike, his entire body’s meridians would be twisted, and he would collapse from exhaustion.

That bastard must have known it too, because his lips curled into a cruel smile.

‘Disgusting. A so-called knight taking pleasure in harming others.’

Hwaaaaah!

Knight Devon let out a thunderous war cry as he leaped forward.

“Then, this will be the final move. It was an honor to cross swords with you, North-ern Grand Duke.”

With that sneering remark, he charged toward me with deadly force.

And the way his sword moved…

‘A killing move.’

Yes, this was no longer something befitting the name of a duel.

Paaaaaaaang!

And as the sword, overflowing with aura, came flying toward my body, even the air itself let out a splitting sound.

As if it was going to tear everything apart.

And then…

At the moment when, under normal circumstances, his sword should have sliced through my flesh,

Saaaaah.

“What?!”

The body that should have been at the tip of his sword had suddenly disappeared.

Hwoong!

Thus, the sword, brimming with aura, slashed through empty air.

“Disappeared? The Grand Duke definitely disa—”

But before the bastard who had unleashed a killing move could even resolve his curiosity...

Paaaat!

I appeared behind him...

Kwaaaaaaaang!

And thrust my longsword toward his body.

Kwaduk! Kwadudududuk!

The longsword tore through Knight Devon’s armor as it pushed forward.

At that moment, when the longsword let out a horrifying rending sound, devouring the knight, the ruling class of the Empire gathered in the arena witnessed it clearly.

One of the Seven Swords, said to have already vanished from the continent...

An inhuman swordsmanship so fearsome that even the gods once trembled before it...

A technique that transcended space, distorted time...

And instilled such unrelenting pain in its enemies that it became synonymous with fear itself...

The Kraubitz Style 'Mugan Sword (無間劍)' was unfolding at the fingertips of a young swordsman.

“Withdraw all knights from the arena.”

Emperor Freud Pontiac gave a quiet command.

Then, he added another sentence.

“All knights with drawn swords, as well as the Imperial Guard, shall protect the arena according to the Empire’s laws.”

At those words, the captain of the Imperial Guard urgently questioned the Emperor.

“The preliminaries for the Festival of Spring are in full swing. If we withdraw all the personnel managing order now, chaos will only intensify. Moreover, commanding adherence to the knightly code by law... what exactly do you mean?”

Yes, it was only natural for the captain of the Imperial Guard to question this.

Because among those gathered in the arena today, there was likely no one who truly understood the meaning behind the Emperor’s command.

Be they knights, members of the Imperial Guard, or even the distinguished noble lords of the central aristocracy...

None of them could comprehend why the Emperor was invoking ‘the law.’

Psh.

Hearing this question, Freud Pontiac gazed down at the captain with a faint, bitter smile.

Then, he muttered under his breath.

“Has everyone forgotten…? Well… I suppose it’s only natural since there’s no one left to tell them.”

Then, raising his voice slightly so his vassals could hear, he repeated his order.

“Hear me. At this very moment, a new Expert Knight is being born in that arena. According to Imperial Law, the moment of a high-ranking knight’s ascension must be protected.”

“……”

“Thus, withdraw all personnel from the arena where Johan Kraubitz of the Duchy of Axen is undergoing his transformation into a high-ranking knight… and ensure that his ascension is safeguarded.”

Hwoooooong!

The instant the Emperor’s decree was issued, a powerful surge of energy swept through the spectators, sending tremors through the assembled central nobles of the Empire.

After a brief silence, Crown Prince Arthur Pontiac turned to the Emperor with a puzzled expression and asked,

“Your Majesty… I apologize, but… I do not understand.”

“What is it?”

“Your Majesty has declared that the Grand Duke of Axen is ascending to the rank of an Expert Knight and has ordered us to follow Imperial Law…”

“And?”

Gulp!

Arthur Pontiac swallowed hard, then voiced the question that everyone in the gathering had on their minds.

“But… I do not see any ‘aura’ at all.”

Yes, Arthur Pontiac’s question was entirely valid.

After all, why were Sword Experts, commonly known as ‘high-ranking knights,’ granted special privileges within the Empire?

Wasn’t it because they could manifest aura?

The ability to wield aura had long been the defining criterion for identifying an Expert Knight within the Empire.

If, as the Emperor claimed, Johan Kraubitz was currently ascending to the rank of an Expert Knight...

Then it was only natural to expect his sword to be glowing with aura.

However, in the duel currently unfolding, only Knight Devon’s sword was shimmering with aura.

Johan’s sword, on the other hand, was merely a cold, steel-gray blade.

Thus, it was only natural that the nobles present found it difficult to understand the Emperor’s decree.

And then...

The Emperor bestowed knowledge upon his gathered vassals, including the Crown Prince, the Guard Captain, and the others gazing up at him in confusion.

“…You all look upon the Grand Duke of Axen’s sword, yet you do not recognize what you are seeing.”

“…Regrettably, that is true.”

The Guard Captain answered, prompting the Emperor to continue.

“The title of Expert was not originally granted only to knights capable of manifesting aura. In the past… it was also bestowed upon those who inherited the techniques of the Seven Swords (七劍), said to embody divine majesty.”

“……”

“In time, those who could wield aura were considered on par with the Seven Swords and were granted the title of Expert as well. Thus… in truth, the true qualification for an Expert Knight was never aura, but rather the inheritance of one of the Seven Swords.”

Since nearly all knowledge of the Seven Swords had been lost, the gathered nobles remained silent.

“As the successors of the Seven Swords gradually vanished, the Empire shifted to measuring knights’ accomplishments based on their ability to wield aura.

Thus, perhaps it was inevitable that the Seven Swords became nothing more than a distant legend to us.

And yet…”

And yet?

“I once heard from my predecessor, the former Emperor… that among the Seven Swords, the Mugan Sword of the North… is a technique that allows a swordsman to leap through space as they fight. He told me that it appears as though a knight vanishes and reappears in an instant, their swordplay unfolding like a dream.

So then…”

Swoosh.

The Emperor gestured toward the two combatants in the arena.

And in a hushed voice, he asked,

“What do you see?”

Following the Emperor’s words, the gathered central nobles turned their eyes to the duel below.

Saaaaaaaah.

What they saw was Johan Kraubitz disappearing and reappearing at different locations—leaping through space itself as he wielded his sword.

And then,

“The Imperial Guard and the Knights shall protect King Johan Kraubitz of the Duchy of Axen as he ascends to the rank of a high-ranking knight!”

At the command of the Imperial Guard Captain, the Empire honored the moment when one of its highest-ranking nobles became a true knight.