Surviving as a Knight in a Trash Game

Chapter 172

"Karl Reitz Arthur Meyer…."

In a spacious and luxurious office, a man dressed in not-so-fancy clothes repeated Karl's name.

"Did he also know that that foolish dwarf was the prince of Dertrungen?"

"It seems he didn't."

"He joined him in the mountains purely by chance."

"Chance, you say?"

"Could such a coincidence occur in this world?"

The moment Jacques Marin's deep eyes met Louis', he flinched and lowered his head.

"What was he like when you met him?"

"Perhaps…."

"Perhaps?"

"I felt that the legendary state of Grand Master might actually exist."

“…”

Duke Jacques Marin, with a different kind of indifferent face than Karl's, stroked his fist with one hand and fell into thought.

"Decarabia has disappeared, you say…."

He uttered some cryptic words and fixed his gaze to one side.

"Keep an eye on him."

"You'll need to be careful."

"His skills seem to be genuine."

The moment the Duke spoke to the empty air, a shadow strangely flickered and then returned to its place.

"Louis."

"Yes, Your Grace the Duke."

"Follow Karl Meyer."

"I am a hunter…?"

Louis was not formally a subordinate of the Duke.

He introduced himself as a hunter, but he was actually more like a fixer who solved requests for money.

"I shall give you the commission fee as an advance."

Thwack!

The moment Duke Jacques snapped his fingers, someone from outside brought in something like a small pouch.

"It's a pouch enchanted with spatial expansion magic."

"Inside are 1,000 gold coins."

"The pouch itself is worth far more than the gold coins."

"I'll give it all to you as an advance."

“…”

Louis knew that this commission could be unimaginably perilous.

"What must I do for you?"

"Follow him closely and report everything about him to me."

"That is all."

"The duration is one year."

"Nothing more."

“…”

There was no reason not to do it.

All he had to do was report on Karl, and the duration was only one year, so it wasn't too bad, was it?

"Lord Karl might not accept my company."

"No, rather, there's no reason for him to accept it."

"Then I shall take back only half of the pouch and the amount I gave you."

"Don't try any tricks."

"I am watching your every move."

"It doesn't matter what tricks you use."

"You only need to carry out the commission I just mentioned."

"...I will do it."

Louis felt he absolutely had to take this job.

It was a decision stemming from a strangely unidentifiable, ticklish feeling in his heart.

"Depart immediately."

"You may take the gold coins."

Louis, bowing his head deeply, left the Duke's office, and all the lights in the Duke's office were extinguished, and darkness fell.

‘What are you scheming, Decarabia.’

Decarabia, who had vanished from his senses, and Karl Meyer, who seemed to have reached the Grand Master level.

Jacques Marin, finding such a chaotic situation amusing, smiled quietly in the darkness.

***

Two humans and one dwarf.

An unusual combination continued to move along the main road.

There was a black-haired man with an unmistakably annoyed expression, and next to him, a dwarf who chattered endlessly about something.

"So, what I'm saying is, please accept me as your disciple!"

"Why should I do that?"

"Are you not the savior of my life?"

"Since you saved my life, you should naturally give me a chance to repay your kindness."

"What's the difference between repaying kindness and wanting to become a disciple?"

"Are you planning to repay kindness with enmity?"

"...What are you saying?"

"Can you not feel my gaze and this pounding heart, Master?"

I'd picked up a truly madman.

Looking at the dwarf boy prostrated flat on the ground, begging, Karl felt that something had gone seriously wrong for the first time in a long while.

"I don't use an axe."

"I heard from Sir Sancho!"

"That you've even created axe techniques and taught them before!"

“…”

Karl's icy gaze fixed on Sancho.

Sancho shivered but diagonally raised his eyes and peeked at the sky.

"I didn't say much, did I?"

"I just, well, I think I might have mentioned something about such an incident in the past…."

“…”

As Karl's gaze, still fixed on Sancho, did not waver, Sancho whistled pointlessly and turned his head this way and that.

"Master!"

"It was on the day you saved me that I realized it!"

"You absolutely must become my master!"

"Hoo…."

Karl let out a short sigh.

There was still quite a long time left before they reached Dertrungen.

And Karl wished for his journey with that lunatic prince to end soon.

Karl, who had been watching Volker cling to him like a leech and beg for roughly two days, gestured towards him with his chin.

"Take out your axe."

“...!”

Volker's eyes widened.

"It seems you don't need my teachings."

"No, sir!"

"I'll take it out right away!"

With that familiar vibration, an axe the size of his torso appeared in Volker's hand.

"Come at me."

At that moment, Volker launched himself.

When he launched himself holding the axe, he was no longer an immature brat.

His changed eyes were serious, and his speed as he rushed towards Karl far surpassed that of any ordinary knight.

Kwaang!

A single strike.

With that one strike, Volker tumbled to the ground.

‘What power…!?’

Volker, who had nearly lost consciousness from the single clash, barely regained his senses and was trying to control his tumbling body when Karl's foot suddenly flew out and properly kicked Volker in the abdomen.

Pow!

A horrific impact sound was heard, and Volker fainted on the spot.

"Load him up and let's go."

Sancho looked pitifully at the fainted and limp Volker, then loaded him onto a horse and followed Karl, who was already riding ahead.

Pow!

The next day too.

Pow!

And the day after that, the same thing repeated endlessly.

"How about you stop now?"

"It just looks like you're being beaten up, not really receiving any teachings?"

"No, sir, this is definitely my master teaching me."

No matter how one looked at it, it seemed like retaliatory beatings for the torment he had endured, but since the one being beaten insisted otherwise, Sancho simply kept his mouth shut.

Pow!

And the beatings continued the next day as well.

Karl's beatings always continued until Volker fainted.

Kaang!

Then one day, a sound completely different from before was heard.

"Uh…?"

Volker, who had blocked Karl's incoming sword for the first time, wore a dumbfounded expression, himself bewildered, at that moment.

Pow!

Volker's consciousness was cut off by another kick that flew at him.

Thump.

Volker, who got up that day, was already holding the summoned axe and continued his forms.

‘I blocked it.’

‘I definitely blocked it for the first time.’

‘I blocked it.’

Volker knew it wasn't a coincidence.

He couldn't have blocked Karl's sword by coincidence.

And so, the next day.

Kaang! Kang!

Volker blocked two of Karl's attacks before collapsing to the ground.

And the next day it was three times, the day after that four times, and when he had blocked ten times, Karl's party was able to reach the cliffs near the entrance of the Dertrungen Kingdom.

***

The entrance to Dertrungen was bustling with those invited by the dwarves.

Gathered before the endlessly sheer cliffs, these individuals were quite well-known in their respective regions.

Among them, many had brought attendants, and some had even brought over 100 people.

Dururururuk.

At that moment, the cliff moved left and right, and a giant passage began to reveal itself.

Kung, cheok! Kung, cheok!

From within the revealed passage, nearly 1,000 fully armed dwarves marched forward, striking the ground with their weapons.

Though not very tall, they moved with discipline, carrying weapons as tall as themselves or even taller, and one could not playfully assess them.

At their overwhelming presence, the faces of others who had been swaggering just moments before strangely hardened.

"Gulp."

A knight swallowed dryly.

At that moment, those leading the knightly order towards the cave entrance were stopped at the entrance.

"Only ten people, including those invited, may enter."

"...These are my attendants."

The lord-level leaders of various regions had sent representatives in their stead, and the number of knights accompanying them was quite large.

"Even if they are attendants, it cannot be helped."

"The invitation did not state that only a certain number of people could enter."

"Then isn't this clearly your administrative error?"

"Even so, it cannot be helped."

Despite their unreasonable pronouncements, the dwarves guarding the entrance were resolute.

"Temporary lodging will be prepared here."

"Others must wait outside."

"...Understood."

It was when the representative of Count Tempavia, who had reluctantly nodded, was about to enter the entrance.

"Why are you stopping me?"

"There is an order of entry."

“…”

His face instantly turned red, and his body trembled.

What rudeness and insult was this?

At that moment, the knights who had been listening to the situation behind him drew their swords.

"No matter what, isn't this too much!"

The group of roughly 50 knights, as soon as they drew their swords, unleashed their aura towards the dwarves.

At that moment.

Ping!

Ppeok!

One of the knights who drew his sword was struck by an iron ball thrown from somewhere and fainted on the spot.

"We will not tolerate any further rudeness."

"Aren't you the ones being rude!"

"If you don't like it, go back."

"Didn't you invite us!"

"Is this how you treat your guests!"

The words of Count Tempavia's representative were perfectly reasonable.

They were the ones who had invited them, and they were the ones who hadn't informed them of the personnel limit.

"If you don't like it, go back."

What was absurd was that even in such a ridiculous situation, the dwarves were brazen.

The attendant, his face turning red and pale, huffed and puffed as he retreated.

At that moment, a group of armored dwarven warriors moved towards one spot.

"Please enter."

"It's been a while, Gwen."

"It hasn't even been two months since you ran away from home."

"Well, then it's been a long time."

As the dwarves escorted the young dwarf and the two men first, one of the remaining men in the back who had been voicing complaints launched himself at them.

"These guys, the more I look at them, the more they seem to have no respect!"

"I'll make you regret ignoring me, Argo the Mountain King!"

Argo the Mountain King was a former bandit leader who had recently become famous as a Master after slaying several renowned knights.

When he launched himself, the humans around thought that no matter how formidable the dwarves' presence was, some of them would lose their heads.

Pow! Kung!

Contrary to everyone's prayers for a few of those ill-mannered dwarves to be sent tumbling, Argo, who had flown forward with tragic determination, fainted on the spot.

Standing there was the black-haired man who had been entering first with the dwarf.

“…”

Thus, amidst everyone's silence, the curtain rose on the banquet invited by the dwarves.