Surviving as the Fallen Northern Grand Duke

Chapter 30: Festival of Spring (3)

Knight Devon couldn't hide his shock.

'This can't be happening. There must be something wrong with my qi perception.'

Yes, that had to be it.

Otherwise, how could this situation even make sense?

Srrrrk! Swish!

Devon twisted his body once more to evade Johan Kraubitz’s sword.

However, he couldn't completely avoid it, and the tip of the blade grazed his wrist, leaving a shallow cut.

Huff. Huff.

Before he knew it, Devon was drenched in sweat, gasping for breath.

'This is impossible. A sword technique that makes him disappear in an instant…?'

How could such a thing be possible in this world?

A sword technique that allows the user to teleport short distances while swinging the blade…

If something like that existed, it wouldn’t even be swordsmanship anymore.

No, if that were real, it would be more accurate to call it 'magic.'

And then—

Schlurk!

As that damned longsword pierced through his thigh once again, Knight Devon reflected on the absurd order that led him here.

The grand duchy of Province in the south.

And its ruler, a man akin to an emperor—Grand Duke Escal Demaris.

That was the one Devon served.

The southern Province was already known for its overwhelming production capabilities on the continent, and Escal Demaris's financial power was on a completely different level from other lords.

How great was it?

To the extent that he maintained a private army nearly three to four times the size of the knightly orders of other principalities.

Considering how exorbitant a knight’s salary was in this era, maintaining such an order was beyond reason.

And thanks to that financial power, Devon came to serve Escal Demaris.

It was only natural that the strongest knight of the south would pledge loyalty to the wealthiest state in the south.

And then, not long ago—

‘Suddenly… he ordered me to kill some rookie who can’t even use mana properly…’

Escal Demaris had given up his own opportunity to participate in the Festival of Spring, entrusting Devon with the sole mission of killing Johan Kraubitz.

And it had to be done during a duel—by 'accident'—in a 'legal' manner.

He had even promised a hefty bonus.

At the time, Devon had scoffed at how absurdly easy the order seemed.

And now—

Saaaah!

That rookie’s longsword was streaking toward his body.

Srrrk!

I once again slipped out of Devon’s sword trajectory and targeted his blind spot.

'I need to focus on the resonance of my Mana Heart and the energy passed down by the essence of the Northern Continent.'

If I did that, I could momentarily leap through space.

When was it?

I was able to wield the Mugang Sword after slaying the Silver Chimera and obtaining the essence of the Northern Continent.

That day, when I ripped open my Mana Heart and pushed it into overdrive just to fix my damn face, I had inherited this 'power.'

'The ancient Giant Kings were said to possess the ability to traverse worlds.'

That legend didn’t seem to be entirely false.

Even if I couldn’t cross worlds, I could at least move short distances instantly.

And because of that, Johan Kraubitz’s body could now compete against the aura-infused blade of a high-level expert knight.

Knight Devon's sword was strong.

If I clashed with him a few more times, his aura would completely overwhelm Johan’s body.

However—

'If I follow the principles of the Mugang Sword, I can avoid direct clashes altogether.'

No matter how powerful his aura was, if I never let our swords meet, Johan's body wouldn’t take any damage.

'The Kraubitz-style Mugang Sword, huh…'

An extreme acceleration of the Mana Heart, combined with a fluid evasive movement that slips past the opponent’s sword trajectory.

And from those angles, launching countless attacks from the blind spot.

That was the core principle of the Mugang Sword.

Shwaaaaak!

Despite his body being pierced in multiple places, Devon gritted his teeth and charged forward.

For an ordinary person, his speed would be overwhelming, impossible to react to.

However—

Thump!

To me, his charge felt exaggerated, like waves crashing toward me.

I could see every undulating motion clearly, and just by lightly stepping aside, I could effortlessly evade his attack.

Srrrk!

I stepped into his blind spot just as he swung his sword—

Saaaah!

And slashed my longsword horizontally toward his waist.

Then—

Slash! Splurt!

A fountain of blood burst from the deep wound, at least two inches deep, carved into his body.

“Grrgh…!”

Knight Devon was drenched in sweat as if caught in a rainstorm. He clutched his bleeding side tightly.

His eyes soon turned bloodshot as he struggled to endure the pain.

A very knightly display, indeed—

But,

'I can't let a man who tried to kill me walk away alive.'

I had to end him with my longsword.

So—

Srrrng!

I raised my longsword high one last time.

Knight Devon, sensing that this would be the final clash of swords, swung his blade upward from the ground.

Wuuuuuung!

He poured all his strength into his sword, infusing it with aura.

That massive strike was meant to shatter Johan’s body.

However—

Srrrk!

Maintaining my eagle-like stance, I once again used the Mugang Sword and dashed precisely half a step forward.

By the time my longsword had been swung, it had already bypassed his blade.

Saaaah!

Thud!

The longsword cut downward toward the ground—

Swaaah.

Scattering the blood of the man who had obeyed his master’s command to take the Northern Grand Duke’s life.

Thump.

The knight collapsed to the ground.

“…Did I make a mistake?”

Maybe a bit of arrogance had crept in, and I had shown too much.

However, I had no luxury to hold back my power in the first place, so this outcome had been inevitable.

Shwaaak!

I flicked the blood off my longsword. Then, with trembling legs, I stood upright.

Of course, with my bloodstained face, I lifted my head to face the empire’s sun.

‘Though I did this sooner than expected…’

I understood the significance of this moment well.

This was—

The moment when the highest noble, Johan Kraubitz, became a high-ranking knight.

And the moment when the king of the Duchy of Axen, who had been crouched in the frigid land, made a grand entrance into the imperial central politics.

“Do not ruin the moment of glory the Northern Grand Duke has seized.”

Emperor Freud Pontiac spoke softly to Knight Bichen, who was overseeing the preliminaries.

Knight Bichen had been staring at the dueling arena in a daze.

Then—

“I shall obey your command.”

Bichen replied quietly and stepped onto the platform of the dueling ground.

And then—

Clap!

He raised his hand and officially announced the result of the duel.

“In the preliminary duel of the Festival of Spring, between Johan Kraubitz, Grand Duke of Axen, and Knight Devon, the victor is Johan Kraubitz.”

At that moment—

“Wooooooahhhh!”

The previously silent audience erupted into cheers.

In truth, ever since Johan had displayed the Kraubitz-style Mugang Sword and overwhelmed Knight Devon, the empire’s nobles had been too shocked to say a word.

Only Baron Goldman, who had been a close friend of the previous Northern Grand Duke, had clenched his fist tightly and cheered for Johan.

The rest had merely stared in awe at Johan’s swordsmanship.

Thus, when the previously hushed dueling arena suddenly exploded into cheers, it was quite a spectacle.

The nobles who had already enrolled their children in Axen Academy were particularly delighted by Johan’s impressive performance.

‘The rest of them must have realized it now, too. That this is quite a valuable prize.’

Just as Erina Trotsky had thought, no one could remain silent after witnessing the birth of a new powerhouse in the empire.

So, each of them cheered thunderously, celebrating the young Northern Grand Duke’s triumph as if it were their own.

At least, that’s how it appeared on the surface.

After the deafening cheers subsided—

“Johan Kraubitz, King of the Northern Duchy of Axen, step onto the platform.”

Freud Pontiac personally commanded Johan.

“I shall obey your command.”

And as Johan slowly ascended the platform—

“Kneel.”

The emperor ordered Johan to kneel on one knee in a traditional posture.

The audience began murmuring at the sight.

“Th-That… could it be…?”

“Is His Majesty personally conducting a knighting ceremony?”

“No way! Even though Expert Knights are rare in this era, there’s no way His Majesty would personally perform the ceremony…”

And then—

Srrrng!

When the emperor personally unsheathed his sword and lightly tapped Johan’s shoulders—

The imperial nobles realized that their suspicions were indeed true.

“As the rightful ruler of the Prohatska Empire,

As the Emperor of the Empire, Supreme Commander of the Imperial Order of Knights, and Marshal of the Prohatska Imperial Army,

I, Freud Pontiac, hereby declare:

Johan Kraubitz, King of the Duchy of Axen, from this moment forth, you are knighted as an Expert Knight according to imperial law.

This is not a privilege but a duty. Not an authority, but an eternal service.

Strike down injustice without hesitation, yet seek the truth with great care.

Face the strong without fear, but be wary and cautious not to harm the weak.

The Supreme Gods who watch over the continent and the Emperor of the Empire will always observe and guide you.

Devote yourself to loyalty and spend your lifetime in pursuit of greatness.”

The emperor then helped the knight to his feet.

The knight, with an unwavering expression, declared loudly—

“I shall dedicate my life to the pursuit of justice and uphold the code of knighthood with all my strength.”

As the knight stood upon the platform, he gazed down upon everyone from the highest point in the empire.

“This is going to cause an uproar.”

Baron Goldman, who had returned to his seat, murmured quietly to Erina Trotsky.

"Why is that?"

At such a moment of glory, Baron Goldman had a somewhat complicated expression.

Erina found it quite puzzling and asked again.

Then, Baron Goldman let out a short sigh before speaking.

"Lady Erina, this isn't just about His Majesty knighting the Grand Duke. The emperor does not personally knight individuals in the empire."

"Then why did His Majesty choose to knight the Grand Duke in front of all the central nobles?"

"That is because…"

Baron Goldman looked straight into Erina's eyes, as she was the future Grand Duchess, and spoke.

"After personally meeting Grand Duke Johan Kraubitz, the emperor sent a message to everyone. From this moment on, the Duchy of Axen and the Northern Grand Duke…"

The Northern Grand Duke?

"…will receive the support of the imperial family."

"…"

If true, this was an astonishing development.

Even now, as the competition for territories among the principalities intensified, the Northern Grand Duke, a major player in this territorial struggle, had secured the emperor’s support.

If this were truly the case—

'The smaller principalities will all rush to align themselves with him.'

Baron Goldman confirmed Erina’s thoughts.

"From now on, not only will the northern principalities of the continent approach the Grand Duke, but also nobles dissatisfied with the surrounding grand duchies will begin to flock to him one by one. They’ve just confirmed that this is a solid backing worth grasping. So…"

Rumble!

From afar, the central nobles were already beginning to leave their seats and approach Johan one by one.

None of them hesitated to approach Johan, even though he was still covered in blood.

"Just like that."

Pointing toward the seventeen-year-old boy who had suddenly emerged as the core of imperial politics, Baron Goldman concluded his words.