NOVEL NEXT Chapter 9
In the quiet carriage where not a word was exchanged,
Adele rested her chin on her hand, staring out the window. The only one fidgeting was her attendant, Lily, sitting beside her.
Given the current situation, I doubt she would reply properly if I tried to start a conversation. Is this the mood Adele is giving off?
Could it be that my little fib has been discovered?
If that’s the case, then it’s hard to guess how it got revealed.
‘..What a headache.’
Sighing as my head throbbed, I turned to look out the window.
What I saw was the full moon hanging in the night sky, partially obscured by dark clouds.
It’s a scene straight out of an old historical drama. Was this why Adele’s gaze was lost in thought by the window? As I pondered, a slight buzz of drunkenness began to swell, pulling me closer to sleep.
Had I perhaps drunk more wine than I realized? I have no idea how much alcohol my body can handle. After downing three glasses, I’m already feeling tipsy!
Back in my previous life, I could handle three bottles of soju with ease. The vivid memory of that freshman year in college, where I foolishly attempted to take down four bottles only to end up vomiting, flashed before me.
Feeling nostalgic as sleepiness crept in, I almost closed my eyes when I heard Adele’s sigh.
“Ugh…”
At the pained sound escaping her lips, I immediately used magic to shake off my drowsiness. Adele’s eyes were slightly constricted and swaying a bit.
It’s certain.
She just regressed.
‘She didn’t give off any signs but regressed, huh?’
I had just been on the brink of sleep because I ensured there were no signs around me. If by chance any signs had appeared, I would’ve woken up right away.
‘..A skilled one, huh.’
I roughly stirred the mana circle within me.
Vroom..
With a sensation of my entire body reverberating, a refreshing energy began filling me.
“What’s going on, Adele?”
“We’re surrounded. By them.”
Her immediate response was followed by a moment of realization as she glanced at me with wide eyes. Did she think I wouldn’t believe her? Certainly, if I were the original Abel, I wouldn’t have.
But right now, I am Abel.
“..How many?”
“Six. All at Sword Expert level.”
Sword Expert.
That’s one step below Sword Master level. Only about 1% of knights reach this status.
Doubtless, these high-caliber individuals were a challenge I hadn’t adequately dealt with in the past. I’m guessing they’re from the Imperial Family…
‘..No, they wouldn’t act so overtly.’
So, that leaves…
‘..That foolish guy.’
I clicked my tongue and stood up.
Boom!
The carriage roof flew off completely. At the same time, I spotted six men wearing black cloaks. They were the Crown Prince’s elite guard, knights who obey only his orders.
The mid-ranking knights of the Golden Lion Order.
‘Well, the carriage is done for.’
The coachman is already dead, with only blood-soaked traces remaining on the seat.
Couldn’t they have come when Evan was around? No, perhaps they timed their attack knowing he wouldn’t be here.
If they also recognized that I was in this carriage, it meant they thought I wouldn’t possibly ride in such a lowly carriage. Were their minds so pure or just irrational?
Thinking this, I turned to Lily and asked,
“Did you say your name was Lily?”
“Yes? Yes!”
“Have you ever worked as a coachman?”
“I… I have.. My father was a coachman…”
Lily answered, her voice trembling.
Of course, I already knew this from the original story; that her father was a coachman was common knowledge. Still, I didn’t want to raise suspicions with Adele if I simply asked her to drive the carriage.
“Well then, you go first.”
“But.. My Lord..”
“No, Abel! They’re far too strong!”
How badly did my future self get beaten to elicit that kind of response from Adele? It seems prudent to avoid drinking at parties from now on.
“Trust me, Adele.”
As I flashed a slight smile toward her, Adele hesitated for a moment before nodding. Perhaps it meant she would revert back the moment anything went wrong.
Of course, that won’t happen. No, I’ll ensure that doesn’t happen.
“..Got it. Please be careful, Abel. Let’s go, Lily.”
“Yes, sir!”
Lily hopped onto the driver’s seat and took hold of the whip, urging the horses to move. Did they kill the coachman simply to nab the horses?
Maybe they are non-lethal about their business, but that’s doubtful considering they’re affiliated with the Imperial Family.
If so, there’s only one conceivable possibility left.
They believe they can handle me quickly and then catch up with her. Hidden away as the powerful magician I am now, they’re likely just a bunch of jokers acting up.
“Seems like they underestimated a bit.”
I felt an unpleasant sensation that I’d shown Adele how pathetic I could be against such knaves.
Thump.
My heartbeat echoed as a surge of mana gathered in my hands.
“Do they think they can take me down and still catch her?”
If I were the original Abel, I might have fallen for that. He was a great magician but had a tendency to look down on knights, thinking they were weaklings who’d be undone by a mere gesture of his.
But I’m different.
“I will shatter that arrogance.”
White energy began to converge in the air. The knights charged toward me, brandishing their weapons.
“Formation!”
White magic circles began to form in the air. Surrounded by the gathering light, they started to take shape as a massive hammer. The sight shifted the knights’ movement.
“Strike!”
With my incantation, the huge hammer swung down.
This was my way of throwing a custom space magic into melee combat.
Using space magic to create a weapon to swing; it’s exceptionally useful for battling strong knights in close quarters.
Boom!
“Gah!”
One knight who couldn’t evade in time was sent flying far away by the hammer. He likely sustained severe injuries, if not death.
Despite their title of Sword Expert, their physical durability is about the same as that of ordinary knights. Their aura might be exceptionally strong, though.
Even with one down, the remaining knights did not relax their combat stance. Do they intend to continue even after death?
“Formation!”
The white energy swirled and formed an even larger hammer than before. The knights, who were about to charge, froze in place at the sight.
“This time, you won’t escape.”
Using space as a weapon is on another level from swinging a physical weapon.
Any weapon takes time to wield for an attack, a principle even the most seasoned Sword Masters can’t avoid. However, my modified space magic functions differently.
If I wish, I can swing the hammer before the knights even perceive it. That last strike was merely a warning to demonstrate my power.
If they choose to ignore it, then there’s only one thing left to do.
“Strike.”
It’s retribution.
Boom!
As I brought the hammer down, the knights were driven into the ground. Perhaps they’d used their aura for defense in that brief moment.
So they’re still capable, even if they’re Sword Experts.
They won’t move for some time now. After expending about half the mana remaining in my body, this level of impact should be sufficient.
As much as I want to kill them, doing so would cause a massive escalation.
After all, these guys acted under the personal orders of the Crown Prince. They’d try to cover it up, suggesting such injuries happened in the line of duty. Ignoring it is the best plan.
“..I’m tired.”
After expending a lot of mana for the first time in ages, the fatigue I’d been holding back surged all at once. Having already been sleep-deprived from the engagement preparations for two consecutive nights didn’t help either.
‘..Let’s head back for now.’
I began to cycle the remaining mana through my body and started inscribing a magic circle. The most basic magic in space magic: teleportation.
Vroom..
A vibration pulsated through the air as a white magic circle appeared above my head. My remaining mana was halved, and the scenery around me changed.
What appeared was a white bed.
‘..Wasn’t my bed supposed to be black?’
Now that I think about it, did I set coordinates in her bedroom for Adele’s safety? I must have made an error during the coordinate setting due to being overly fatigued.
‘..Eh, whatever. Time to sleep.’
As uncontrollable sleep took over, I laid myself onto the bed. Just as I was about to connect my thoughts, consciousness slipped away.
*
As soon as I arrived at the Duke’s Residence, I promptly sought out Old Butler.
With Grun, the head butler, at the helm, there was surely a way to get knights sent to Abel. Since I wasn’t officially betrothed yet, I had no authority to mobilize the knights.
Just as I was replaying my thoughts, Lily approached the gathering attendants and shouted.
“Allen! Where is Allen?”
The maids stared vacantly at Lily’s outburst, startled. A calm maid among them responded to her question.
“Sir Allen is likely in his office.”
“Thank you for letting me know.”
Lily replied before nodding at me. I replied with a nod of my own and sprinted toward the office.
This is an urgent situation.
Six Sword Experts.
Before regressing, I had been abducted by those six. Even before Abel awakened, no less.
And even when he did awaken, he had been overpowered by them, unable to resist at all. Just imagining what might have transpired had I not regressed sends chills down my spine.
As I burst through the door of the office, I found Allen processing paperwork. I immediately yelled at him.
“Allen! Abel is in danger!”
“..Are you referring to the Duke?”
He tilted his head momentarily, as if he’d misheard, before acknowledging with understanding.
“Ah, I see, you must not know yet.”
“..What do you mean?”
“Countess Este?”
With a serious expression, Allen continued speaking.
“The Duke is a great magician. A great magician of the caliber of a Sword Master.”
“..A great magician?”
I had heard of such a title.
It’s the title one achieves when a magician’s power reaches its peak.
Is Abel really that great magician?
But if that’s true, then why was he overpowered by knights who were merely at the Sword Expert level?
‘..Could it be…?’
Because of me…?