Chapter 110. The Mad Delinquent (2)
The clash between Adrian and Ellen.
The outcome of that clash was as follows.
Smack! Baaam!
The brutal beating continued.
Everyone trembled, unable to conceal their astonishment. The sight caused cognitive dissonance. After all, Adrian was not the one being beaten like a dog.
Ellen was the Deputy Commander of the Royal Knights.
He was a genius knight considered certain to reach the Master realm within the next five years.
He was one of the most powerful individuals in the Kingdom of Vatenberg.
Yet that very same Ellen was being reduced to a bloody pulp. And his opponent was none other than Adrian, the delinquent of a count’s house.
....They simply could not accept the reality unfolding before their eyes. The Royal Knights could only stare blankly at the merciless violence.
“Wh-What are all of you doing?! Kill that delinquent bastard immediately!!!”
Only after Walter issued his command did the Royal Knights snap back to their senses.
Although fear and terror had stiffened their bodies, they refused to be overwhelmed.
The Royal Knights were the kingdom’s most elite order. They existed on a completely different level from ordinary knights. No one in the kingdom could oppose the Royal Knights.
“Don’t rush in recklessly! Maintain formation!”
The knight at the front shouted.
The Royal Knights coordinated their movements perfectly and attacked in unison.
They resembled a torrential storm, but—
“Wh-What is this...?!”
“Aaaargh!”
No matter how violently the storm poured down, the sea could not be drenched by rain.
Adrian subdued the Royal Knights in an instant.
Ellen, one of the kingdom’s strongest individuals, and the Royal Knights, renowned as the kingdom’s finest order, were all sprawled across the floor.
....Walter could not accept it.
“H-How...?”
How could a mere delinquent from a count’s house accomplish this?!
“Y-You...!!”
Walter picked up a sword that had fallen to the floor.
At that moment, Adrian’s eyes settled upon Walter—
Walter realized that he had been laboring under a grave misconception.
Adrian….existed completely beyond common sense. He was a goddamn delinquent who had transcended common sense itself!
‘I-I’m going to die!’
Craaaaaash!
A deafening roar shook Walter’s entire body.
However, no impact reached him.
When he opened the eyes he had squeezed shut, Adrian’s face was directly before his own.
“Your Highness, a blacksmith I know also said this.”
Adrian’s eyes gleamed sharply. That gaze spoke for him.
“To a man holding a hammer, everything in the world looks like a nail.”
If Walter ran his mouth again, it would not matter whether he was a prince or anything else. Adrian would drive Walter’s head into the wall like a nail.
After finishing his warning, Adrian turned his back.
He was completely defenseless. Nevertheless, Walter could not summon the courage to swing his sword.
At some point, the legs of his trousers had become soaked. A large yellow puddle was forming beneath him.
* * *
After warning Walter, I turned away—
◆The duration of the Transcendent Skill, Berserk [B-], has ended.
◆The rank of Promote Metabolism [B-] has been restored to [C+].
◆The effects of the Super-Combination Skill, Accelerated Heartbeat [E], have ended.
The duration of Berserk [?] had ended at the perfect moment.
It was regrettable that I had consumed the Sanity I had worked so hard to accumulate, but....
‘They were troublesome opponents.’
The Royal Knights were still the Royal Knights.
Ellen’s abilities, in particular, were by no means insignificant. In truth, my ordinary abilities were not enough to overwhelm Ellen.
Even after activating Berserk [?], I should not have been able to dominate him to this extent.
However, expanding my joints’ range of motion through Slime Cell [B-] had pushed my movements and attacks beyond the limits of humanity.
Furthermore, Assimilation [C+] prevented them from visually detecting me, making my position and movements completely unpredictable.
‘It’s certain now.’
I had surpassed the Predator from my previous life.
When I dismissed the messages, the Palace hall, which had been reduced to complete chaos, entered my view.
No one had died, but it resembled the middle of a battlefield.
Ellen had been reduced to a bloody pulp. The Royal Knights were sprawled across the floor. Walter had wet himself.
Even Edmund, the Royal Palace Chamberlain, had no idea what to do.
“Wh-What in the world...?”
The Royal Palace Chamberlain occupied a position similar to the king’s secretary or closest aide.
His role resembled Bernard’s position within the White Wolf County.
However, because he served a king rather than an ordinary lord, he held the rank of Count.
Edmund had witnessed every kind of political conspiracy and scheme at the heart of the royal family. He was a veteran who had been through every kind of battle imaginable, whether on land, at sea, or in the air.
However, perhaps this was the first time he had experienced such utter madness within the Palace.
“Uh…. Uhhh...!!”
Edmund lost the ability to speak.
His face was pale, and his unfocused gaze wandered through empty space. Overcome by a silent shock beyond mere astonishment, Edmund stood frozen in place.
Even the Royal Palace Chamberlain could not conceal his disbelief.
In other words, resolving this insane situation would be extremely, extremely, extremely difficult.
‘The Monarch of Darkness might personally intervene.’
It might reveal itself and use the Authority of Oblivion to erase this entire incident as though it had never happened.
What would I do then?
I would observe the Monarch of Darkness.
In fact, that was exactly what I wanted.
Neither outcome would place me at a disadvantage.
Regardless of what scheme they attempted, everything would ultimately remain within the palm of my hand.
‘Now, what will you do?’
The darkness concealing the Monarch of Darkness was already being torn apart.
Before long, the metallic clattering of colliding armor sounded from the far end of the Palace corridor.
A group of knights approached while maintaining a perfect formation.
“By royal command, we will arrest the person responsible for this disturbance! Any resistance will result in immediate execution!”
They were Royal Knights who had come to arrest me. Since I had caused a disturbance inside the Palace, it was only natural. I had no particular reason to cause another disturbance against them.
“I will not resist.”
I obediently raised both hands.
At that very moment,
“Absolutely not!”
A sharp cry suddenly rang out. Seraphia leaped in front of me.
She positioned herself between the Royal Knights and me before spreading both arms wide.
Her ruby-red eyes began glowing pure white.
Crackle—!!
An explosive wave of intense cold engulfed the Palace in an instant.
The marble floor froze solid.
Sharp icicles formed across the ceiling and walls. White frost covered the armor of the Royal Knights. Their weapons became frozen lumps of metal that could no longer be drawn.
And then, Seraphia stood surrounded by swirling ice crystals resembling snowflakes.
“I won’t let you arrest my Big Brother!!”
The biting cold spread into every corner of the Palace—
‘Iliana, what the hell did you make?’
I closed my eyes and swallowed a sigh.
* * *
The news of the sudden disturbance within the Palace spread in an instant.
Nobles from every region had already gathered in the capital for the royal social season.
Rumors, by their very nature, spread even the smallest incident like wildfire.
“Have you heard the news?”
“News? What news?”
“The incident that occurred inside the Palace yesterday!”
The incident quickly became the subject of noble gossip. The rumors spread with extraordinary speed.
Once the nobles heard the entire story, they all displayed the same reaction.
“Wow!”
They exclaimed in astonishment.
“He really is a goddamn delinquent!”
There had never been another delinquent quite like him. Adrian White Wolf, the infamous delinquent of a Count’s house.
There was no one in the Kingdom of Vatenberg who had not heard the rumors about him.
However, this disturbance inside the Palace was on an entirely different level.
“I heard the target of the disturbance was Prince Walter.”
What kind of delinquent would dare threaten a prince?
And inside the “Palace”, no less.
This was the act of the greatest delinquent among delinquents. It was an act of madness only a goddamn delinquent could commit.
“Did a scion of House White Wolf truly do such a thing?”
“That is what I heard. Apparently, Sir Ellen was severely injured because of it.”
“By Sir Ellen, do you mean the Deputy Commander of the Royal Knights?”
“Are you saying that delinquent defeated Sir Ellen?”
“Is that….even possible?”
The unbelievable rumor rapidly swept through noble society.
However, there were far too many witnesses for anyone to deny it. Palace maids and attendants had been present.
The rumor gained even greater credibility when people learned that Edmund Harens, the Royal Palace Chamberlain, had personally witnessed the incident.
Therefore, wherever the story was told,
“Wow!!”
Before the shock of the first story could fade, another story followed.
“How powerful was his younger sister if even the Royal Knights couldn’t move against her?”
“This isn’t something that can be dismissed as a simple disturbance.”
“What are all of you discussing so excitedly?”
The rumor grew increasingly exaggerated as it spread. And wherever the story was told again—
“Wow!”
People cried out in amazement. No, they cried out in shock.
“Did Sir Ellen truly suffer such a defeat?”
“How could a delinquent defeat one of the kingdom’s strongest fighters?”
“That wasn’t the end of it. Apparently, his younger sister also crushed the Royal Knights.”
“....What? What are you talking about now?”
Exclamations of amazement and astonishment erupted.
Then came the shock.
“N-No....”
“What kind of delinquent family is this?”
“The sister truly takes after her brother!”
“But aren’t they completely unrelated by blood?”
“I believe so. As far as I know, the younger sister was adopted.”
In any case—
“Of all people, he chose to threaten a prince.”
“He will undoubtedly pay the price.”
“I heard they are currently imprisoned in the Palace’s underground dungeon.”
“Both of them?”
“Yes. Apparently, the brother asked them to arrest only him, saying that he would assume responsibility for his sister’s crime as well....”
“It seems his request was ultimately denied.”
“Even so, he tried to protect his sister until the very end.”
The story eventually reached the ears of numerous young noblewomen who had come to attend the royal social season—
“My goodness!”
Their admiration, excitement, and exhilaration erupted simultaneously.
“Isn’t he incredibly admirable?”
“Even after such a terrible incident, he still tried to protect his younger sister....”
“And she isn’t even related to him by blood!”
“The rumors called him a delinquent, but perhaps he is actually warmhearted and responsible inside?”
“How wonderful...!”
The rumor had now spread beyond control, becoming something far greater than a simple incident.
Under those circumstances, the streets of Vatengart became even more chaotic.
“Prince Walter is a bed-wetter!”
“He peed himself because he was scared of the delinquent!”
Children turned the rumor of Walter wetting himself disgracefully into an even greater joke.
“I heard Prince Walter insulted him terribly....”
“Perhaps Prince Walter was also at fault?”
Others cautiously questioned whether Walter had brought the incident upon himself.
“That was practically treason!”
“The capital’s stability will soon be shaken. Secure the necessary supplies in advance!”
Merchants moved according to the changing political situation.
Every class and social group interpreted the incident differently, throwing the entire capital into turmoil.
However—
“Why hasn’t the royal family made an official announcement yet?”
The royal family itself remained completely silent.
Beyond the window, the Palace appeared perfectly peaceful.
That tranquil scenery stood in stark contrast to the confusion Queen Marceline was currently experiencing.
“I warned him to watch his behavior....”
However, the incident had already occurred.
She needed to resolve it.
Queen Marceline calmly closed her eyes and sank into thought.
Adrian had been known as the delinquent of a Count’s house. The rumors had now spread beyond control, transforming him into the “Mad Delinquent”.
However, that was not what had actually happened. He had thoroughly crushed only Ellen and the Royal Knights.
He had not touched a single hair on Walter’s head.
Furthermore, Walter had subjected him to insults too vile to repeat.
Since Edmund, the Royal Palace Chamberlain, had testified to those facts, she could neither deny nor falsify them.
In other words, Adrian’s actions had not been impulsive. He had acted after meticulously calculating and assessing the situation.
That was precisely why Queen Marceline had even less idea how to resolve the matter.
Should she reprimand Walter?
Or should she severely punish House White Wolf and restore the royal family’s authority?
What if she simply backed down?
The royal family’s authority would not merely fall—it would collapse completely.
This was an especially sensitive period because of the dispute over the royal succession.
She was currently consolidating her position by recruiting various noble factions.
If she failed to uphold the royal family’s authority, she could lose a significant portion of her supporters.
She might even end up strengthening the position of Leon, the First Prince.
In truth, the rumor that Walter had disgracefully wet himself had already dealt him a considerable blow.
But what if she punished Adrian and Seraphia?
The matter would escalate, making the situation even more complicated. That would cause severe disruption to the royal social season.
Furthermore, this was not a matter she could resolve by punishing Adrian alone.
Seraphia, the young lady of House White Wolf, had also been involved in the disturbance.
If Queen Marceline held anyone accountable, she would have to punish both of them.
But that….could never be allowed to happen.
She could neither act nor remain passive. She considered the situation countless times, thinking and agonizing over it.
She searched for solutions, analyzed the circumstances, and explored every possibility.
She deliberated, calculated, and reflected repeatedly. She reviewed, organized, and supplemented her thoughts.
Ultimately, she reached only one conclusion.
Grit!!!
Queen Marceline could do nothing except grind her teeth.
No comments yet. Be the first to leave a review!