The Count’s Youngest Son is a Player

Chapter 256

“Waaaah!”

“Commander Vinsith is the best!”

In front of the Kerden Plains, the air was filled with the cheers of soldiers.

Amidst the tens of thousands of soldiers facing each other from both sides, on the vast plain, only two knights were locked in combat with their swords.

And this scene was being broadcasted to all the soldiers via magic projection in the sky.

Witnessing a duel between masters for the first time in their lives, the soldiers and knights couldn’t help but shout in amazement and encouragement.

“Is this formal ceremony really necessary?”

Kane asked with a somewhat reluctant expression.

“Well, it’s a matter of knights’ pride, you could say.”

The fact that a knightly duel, usually seen in territory disputes, was happening here might have been inevitable.

‘It’s almost the first time the proud Five Martial Families have stood together on such a public battlefield.’

Some might argue what use is there for a pride contest in a battle that determines the nation’s fate.

Indeed, when the Marquis McNeil’s side proposed a knightly duel, some commanders suggested not accepting it and starting the battle right away.

Raul was among those who held that opinion.

‘To utilize our advantage in superhuman and knightly strength, quickly concluding the battle with a concentrated offensive is the best strategy.’

There was no need to create variables by falling into their intentions. However, that opinion was rejected by the Sword Saint and the family heads.

Honor.

The ultimate trophy anyone from a prestigious family, not just knights, desires. With the opportunity to raise it high, there was no reason to refuse.

Raul had anticipated this outcome, but…

‘I didn’t expect even Father to support the knightly duel.’

He felt a tad disappointed. Nevertheless, the knightly duel was set. Newly ascended masters wanted to showcase their skills to the world, and the family heads sought to elevate their family’s honor.

“If we’re going to win the war anyway, a little diversion isn’t bad.”

With the Sword Saint’s nonchalant remark, Raul had no choice but to yield. And so began the ‘Master’ knightly duel.

The third duel was already underway. The previous two duels had ended in defeats for the alliance forces.

The masters from the Greer Marquisate and the Templeton Duchy had consecutively lost to a master from Marquis McNeil’s side.

Fortunately, no lives were lost. Continuing to attack a defeated opponent who had declared defeat would be a disgrace to a knight’s honor.

‘Of course, in reality, it was to prevent provoking the masters on our side and to keep the duels going.’

That didn’t mean the defeated master went unscathed. In duels between beginner masters, the skill levels were nearly equal, so aura manipulation and the amount of aura determined the outcome.

The loser ended up with internal injuries to their mana circuits, making it difficult to use aura for some time.

‘Tch, it was obvious this would happen….’

Raul sighed, shaking his head. Had it been a pure skill contest, the outcome could have been unpredictable. But the trump card hidden by Marquis McNeil’s masters, was the ‘Emperor’s Brand.’

Or more accurately, a tattoo enhancement technique derived from it. Probably modified with safety measures due to known side effects, but…

‘…The effect is undeniable.’

Since the base was the Emperor’s Brand, no matter how it was altered, freeing oneself from the curse was difficult.

Countless knights in his past life had already proven that. But not knowing this fact, they would confidently use it now.

Thus, two of their masters had fallen, and currently facing the enemy master was one of the Templeton Duchy’s knight commanders, Vinsith.

Indeed, Vinsith was more skilled than the previous masters and was continuously pushing the Marquis’s master back.

“I concede.”

After a brief clash, the Marquis’s master quickly declared his defeat.

“Waaaah!”

The soldiers cheered for their first victory, but Master Vinsith’s expression wasn’t that bright.

‘He clearly had energy left, yet he conceded so easily….’

As a result, the Marquis’s master returned without any substantial injuries, having only expended some mana.

“Look at that sly trick!”

Josh clicked his tongue.

After three duels, two of their masters were out of commission, while the Marquis’s side had lost nothing significant.

It might have been a shallow tactic, but the Marquis’s side undoubtedly gained an advantage.

Three more duels followed.

The score was 2 to 4.

The Marquis McNeil’s side was dominant.

Moreover, even their two victories were practically forfeit by the Marquis’s side, making the battle seem one-sided.

And when a new master from the Marquis appeared, Raul’s brow furrowed.

‘You’re coming out openly, then?’

The opponent was not a master from the Marquisate but rather an imperial master.

A faint dark energy emanating from his body confirmed it.

Thwack!

“Damn!”

For the first time, blood was shed.

Master Repork of the Randal household had his thigh half-split.

“How laughable. Is there no one with the guts to stake their life in a duel?”

The so-called master from the Marquisate, who had broken the implicit taboo, shouted with a haughty expression.

The energy he briefly exuded was,

‘At least intermediate-level master and above.’

Noticing this, everyone’s faces hardened. Officially, the only known intermediate-level masters were the Sword Saint and Count Randal.

But sending the Sword Saint or a noble family head to face a nameless knight was beneath their dignity. The opponent likely knew this, which is why they were provoking so blatantly.

“Is there no one? Hmph, then how about you, Count Melvin! Is the head of the renowned Ashton County, part of a prestigious martial family, afraid to face my sword?”

“……!”

For a moment, the command center, filled with noble heads and masters, was in an uproar.

‘So this was your true aim?’

No wonder they had proposed a knightly duel despite being outnumbered in masters. Clearly, the overall commander of the alliance was the Sword Saint.

But who was the most crucial figure? It was, of course, Count Melvin de Ashton.

Not only had he mobilized the most knights, but he also commanded a staggering fifteen superhumans. (The First Viscounty was, outwardly, a territory under Ashton County.)

Furthermore, it was known that he had ascended to the rank of master less than half a year ago.

‘Defeating Father to demoralize our forces? Or maybe they plan to capture him as a prisoner. How amusing.’

What did a mere intermediate-level master think he was doing by provoking anyone?

“How ridiculous.”

“What a fool.”

“Challenging the Count? He’s a hundred years too early for that.”

The knights of the Ashton household and the First Knights, who knew Count Melvin’s true capabilities, wore expressions of disbelief.

They crowded around the Count and Raul, shouting.

“Let me go! I will crush his arrogance!”

“I will go! How dare he challenge the head of our house!”

Of course, even though the enemy called him out, having Count Melvin actually step forward wouldn’t be appropriate. Someone needed to punish the enemy in place of the insulted head.

If the enemy aimed to unsettle their knights, he had succeeded. The wide-ranging provocation had caused the knights to lose their composure.

‘The only one who could cleanly handle this would be Sir Philip, perhaps?’

Many potential challengers came to mind, but this duel couldn’t end in a draw. Raul turned to look at his father.

At the same moment, Count Melvin turned and met Raul’s gaze, nodding at him. It meant he was entrusting the matter to Raul.

“Everyone, calm down. Philip!”

“Yes, Master!”

Philip gripped his sword hilt with a confident expression and approached.

“Watch my back.”

“Uh…?”

Clop, clop, clop.

Raul rode towards the battlefield.

‘That arrogant imperial scum needs to be dealt with properly.’

It wasn’t just the knights who were affected by the provocation.

***

“Count Melvin de Ashton’s third son. Owner of First Viscounty and master of the First Knight Order, Raul de Ashton.”

“What’s this? A brat? Is the Count of Ashton hiding behind his sniveling son?”

Clearly aware of Raul’s identity, such remarks were intended to undermine the soldiers’ morale and provoke Raul into losing his composure.

“Tsk tsk. I alone am enough to deal with a rat coveting another’s granary. A so-called knight of the Marquisate who can’t even reveal his origins!”

“What nonsense is this! I am Kershart, the chief knight of the Marquis McNeil’s Chainaxe Knights!”

“How ridiculous. Do you take us for fools, not knowing a member of a noble house of renown like the Marquis McNeil? If you truly are a knight of the Marquisate, yell this out loud: The Emperor of the Cranen Empire is a son of a btch!”

Raul’s words made Kershart’s face turn red with anger.

“Why? Can’t do it?”

“Why is the… the Emperor suddenly being mentioned here?”

“Really? You should know that better than anyone, shouldn’t you?”

With a slight gesture from Raul, the First Knights and the troops shouted in unison.

“The Emperor of the Cranen Empire is a son of a btch!”

Kershart, unable to contain his rage, charged forward.

“You insolent little shit! I’ll cut out that disrespectful tongue of yours!”

“I knew you would.”

Boom!

The battlefield vibrated with the impact of auras clashing. Kershart wielded the Marquis McNeil’s signature weapon, the battleaxe. Raul drew his longsword and unfolded ‘Infinity Sword’.

Clash! Clang! Boom.

The battle was one-sided. Kershart, who was not using his main weapon but imitating a knight of the Marquisate, couldn’t properly handle Raul’s sword.

Crackle. Thwack.

Raul’s aura penetrated the gap in the large axe blade, leaving a long mark on Kershart’s power armor and crushing his shoulder guard.

Wriggle.

Kershart’s shoulder muscles twitched with a new movement but soon returned to their original flow.

“Are you sure you’re okay? Not showing your true skill might mean death here.”

Raul whispered softly as he leaned in close.

“Stop your nonsense. If you think you can take me down with that, you are greatly mistaken!”

However, contrary to his words, he threw away his battle axe and equipped the longsword at his hip and a buckler on his back.

Clang! Shing!

The renewed duel indeed showed smoother exchanges than before. The advantage of wielding his primary weapon became apparent.

However, a murmur spread among the knights and leaders of the alliance forces.

“…That’s Imperial swordsmanship, isn’t it?”

“The way he uses the shield is entirely different.”

“Why is a knight of the Marquisate using Imperial combat techniques?”

Kershart tried to conceal the Imperial influence, but all the seasoned knights of the kingdom were gathered here.

They couldn’t help but recognize the swordsmanship of their primary adversary, the Empire.

“Does this mean the rumors of the Marquis colluding with the Empire are true?”

“That’s quite a leap. It might just be a tactic using Imperial swordsmanship to catch us off guard.”

“But even so….”

It was a highly risky situation. Although it had improved somewhat, the fact remained that Raul was seizing the advantage.

It even seemed like Raul might be deliberately going easy, as an indescribable gap could be sensed between them.

“You don’t seem to value your life much. In that case, I should treat you accordingly.”

Raul’s demeanor suddenly changed.

Clang.

A legion of weapons sprang from behind him, and as Regnator activated, pure white wings spread out.

Simultaneously, a radiant aura enveloped the battlefield, eliciting thunderous cheers from the alliance forces.

“Waaaah!”

“It’s the Emissary of God!”

Raul, leaping from his horse and hovering mid-air with white wings spread, exuding a holy aura. It was not implausible to call him the Emissary of God.

‘W-what…!’

Kershart felt suffocated by the divine presence surrounding him. The dark energy hidden within him went berserk, reacting violently to the holy power.

‘Damn, if this keeps up….’

Regretfully, he would have no choice but to declare defeat and retreat. Though it would mean going back on his own words, honor was merely a product of the kingdom’s nobles’ luxurious games.

“Er…?”

But what was happening?

Kershart found he couldn’t open his mouth to declare defeat. Something seized his jaw tight, preventing him from speaking.

“Surrender is not an option. Just like you said, let’s fight to the end for our lives.”

Raul, smiling down at him, made Kershart’s spine tingle with dread.

(To be continued)