Chapter 661
Erzebet had never been told in detail about the Grand Duke’s abilities, but instinctively, she realized it.
That this was a crisis.
The hair across her body bristled, her senses fully awakening. She didn’t need to see it with her eyes to feel the vicious force rushing in from afar.
Paseuk—
The skin of her face peeled back, and her undead’s trademark violet eyes gleamed. Another eye opened on her forehead. Her perception expanded, and time itself slowed drastically.
She had to protect her master.
From her sleeves, spider webs shot forth, barring the way before Simon. Almost at the same moment—
Kwaa-ji-jik!
The inn’s wall shattered, and a pitch-black line, as though it had taken the form of death itself, came rushing toward Simon. Erzebet’s eyes could see it clearly.
Death, closing in on Simon.
Srrrk—
The spider webs spread seamlessly in front of Simon, and the black death struck against them.
The once-slack webs snapped taut in an instant.
Though she had braided multiple strands together, they failed to slow the oncoming death even a fraction.
Tik—
One strand broke.
Tik—
Titik—
A second, then a third strand snapped.
At this rate, it was dangerous.
‘I must!’
Kiiiiiiiiiiiing!
All her eyes flashed at once.
‘I must protect him!’
From her entire body, dark-blue Darkness burst forth like an explosion. As the Darkness surged like waves into the webs blocking death, their form and color transformed, swelling in volume.
Kigigigigik!
Miraculously, the webs grew stronger. The two remaining strands managed to momentarily slow death’s advance.
[Haaaaaaa!]
She yanked her arms back. Freshly spun webs wrapped over the arrowhead of death like a net, at the same time latching onto the target mark drawn upon Simon’s abdomen.
“Ghhhk!”
Almost simultaneously, Simon grasped the arrow with both arms.
Kwaa-jik!
The inn’s floor beneath his feet instantly shattered, wooden shards spraying up and scoring a red line across his cheek.
“Grrrrhhhk!”
Simon gritted his teeth and braced his legs.
Thanks to Erzebet’s strong webs, he had avoided a fatal piercing wound. He thought perhaps he could withstand it with strength alone, but—
Kwakwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!
The output was on a whole different dimension.
Simon’s body was pushed back mercilessly. He smashed through the inn’s wall with his back and still continued sliding backward. His legs, loaded with Darkness, gouged deep tracks into the ground.
“Master!”
Paaeng— Paeng—
Sensing the peril, Erzebet flung her arms out again in desperation. Countless webs poured out, lashing onto Simon’s shoulders, back, and legs.
Kkeek!
Assuming a stance as though to pull, Erzebet spread the webs outward, anchoring Simon to the nearby northern houses.
Kwakwa-kwa-kwa!
But though the speed was slowed slightly, Simon’s body still kept sliding endlessly.
Dozens of dwellings bound to her webs collapsed in ruins, roofs torn off, pillars ripped whole from the earth. The cries of frightened people filled the air.
Every building nearby was being demolished.
‘Damn it!’
Coming to his senses too late, Simon spat blood from his lips and shouted.
“Feer!”
The moment the subspace opened, Feer leapt out as though waiting. Instantly, it transformed into Bone Armor, attaching firmly to Simon’s legs and back.
Then, Simon and Feer exerted their strength together.
Kwaa-aaang! Kwaa-ang!
Even as Simon was shoved back, he smashed through wall after wall with his back, breaking into new structures one after another. One house, two houses, three houses—the scenery changed every time he was hurled back. Indoors, outdoors, repeating in flashes.
Simon shouted:
“Everyone, run away!”
Urrruru! Kwa-kwakwang!
Chaos erupted. Worst of all, Simon’s body was being hurled straight into the night market street, narrowly missing collisions with the crowds.
His legs dug trenches into the ground. Simon ground his teeth and looked back over his shoulder.
“!!”
There, a toddler no more than two or three sat plopped on the ground, giggling as it played with mud and snow.
“Run!”
Simon shouted, but the child was too absorbed in its snowman. No parents were in sight nearby.
Clenching his eyes shut, he summoned every last ounce of Darkness.
‘Stop, stop, stop, stop!’
The will of a Legion Commander surged forth.
Feer’s Bone Armor blazed with power, Erzebet’s webs strained tighter than ever.
‘Stoooooop!’
Kagagagagagak!
Thud!
Something smashed against his leg with a crunching sound—
And the black arrow’s Darkness dissipated.
“Huuk!”
Simon collapsed to his knees.
“Huff! Huu! Haaa! Haaa!”
Sweat poured like rain as he gasped for breath. He turned to look back.
The snowman the child had been making was smashed against Simon’s foot.
“?”
Blinking, the toddler looked up at him, eyes welling with tears. Then—Waaah!—the child burst into wailing sobs.
“...Ha, haha.”
Simon let out a weary laugh, cradling the crying child tightly in his arms.
“I’m sorry. You were surprised, weren’t you? I’m so sorry for breaking your friend.”
He soothed the child, patting its back. In the distance, the parents—arms flailing, groceries dropped—came running in tears and snot.
And then—
“......”
Thud!
The Rider who had guided the Grand Duke’s arrow toward Simon collapsed to the ground, face vacant.
“...Im—”
It was an absurd sight.
The Grand Duke’s Arrow—able to pierce monsters the size of mountains in a single strike.
The North’s ultimate symbol of destruction.
“...Insane.”
It had been blocked.
And by a human, no less.
His trousers grew wet with fear.
“How could something like that be poss—”
As he muttered blankly, a boot came into his view.
Bbaok!
Erzebet’s boot came down on his forehead, and his consciousness was snuffed out.
* * *
In the North and in Bilkenos, a new legend was born overnight.
The boy who blocked the Grand Duke’s Arrow.
The northerners treated the long gouges Simon had carved into the ground while holding back the arrow as though they were holy relics, circling around them again and again like pilgrims on a sacred tour.
“It’s a miracle, a true miracle! Isn’t this the first time the Grand Duke’s Arrow has ever been stopped?”
“And by an outsider, no less!”
When a carriage driver tried to pass over Simon’s footprints, the northerners erupted in fury, shouting at him to turn back.
The Spirit of Winter had lent its aid.
The ancestors of the North had been watching.
Amidst the many tales spreading about this incident—
‘Ugh…’
The very one who had carved the legend lay bedridden, eyes moist with tears.
His stomach was bound tightly in layers of bandages.
—Commander? Ah~
Erzebet fed him porridge with a sly smile, letting him rest all morning. He only managed to drag himself to the Grand Duke’s castle past noon.
“Hohoho! The entire North is abuzz with stories of the Young Lord!”
As soon as he entered the castle, the butler Godrick greeted him with a wide grin.
His attitude was entirely different from when Simon had first arrived. Even the title had changed—he now addressed him with the utmost honor, as ‘Young Lord’.
Simon scratched the side of his head and replied in a dry voice.
“Is… surviving after being hit by an arrow really such a big deal?”
“Of course! There has never been a precedent of anyone surviving the Grand Duke’s Arrow!”
“Oh my, are you alright? I heard the rumors.”
Grayson, the milkmaid who delivered fresh milk to the castle daily, came running over. She shoved a jug of milk into Simon’s arms with an overly friendly smile.
“Your bones aren’t broken, right? Here! Reindeer milk is supposed to be great for the bones.”
“Uh, th-thank you… I’ll drink it well.”
Hugging the jug, Simon trudged up the stairs and arrived before the Grand Duke’s office. He knocked lightly on the door with the back of his hand.
“It’s Simon.”
“Enter.”
When he opened the door, he found the Grand Duke once again in an indecent training posture.
Today, she was balanced upside down on her fingertips, supporting her entire body weight. Judging by the Darkness swirling around her, she had even increased the weight.
Simon sat down quietly, waiting for her training to end.
Soon, she finished, wiped her forehead with a towel, and grinned.
“The quiet North has become noisy ever since you showed up. Everyone speaks of nothing but you.”
Simon gave a sheepish smile.
“It just keeps happening somehow.”
“I heard you took an arrow. How’s your body holding up?”
“In the morning I thought I might die, but by afternoon it became bearable.”
“I see.”
She turned her gaze out the window, then motioned her chin for Simon to look.
“?”
Simon stood and followed her gaze outside—
And gasped.
“Ah!”
On a tall pole beyond the castle walls, the severed head of the Rider who had guided the Grand Duke’s Arrow toward him was mounted.
Northern crows cawed as they swooped down, gouging out the lifeless Rider’s eyes.
“You mean… he was executed…!”
“Yes.”
The Grand Duke’s voice was calm.
“I beheaded him. His subordinates were stripped to slavery, worked to death, and will serve as bait for monsters.”
Though Simon himself was safe and no civilians had died, it still seemed a harsh punishment. But the Grand Duke’s expression was icy.
“We are at war, and discipline is above all else.”
She clenched her fist tightly.
“In the North, dueling is an honored tradition, and I allow my warriors to fight freely. But for a defeated Rider to disgrace himself by luring my arrow for personal reasons?”
Bang!
Her fist slammed into the wall, cracks spiderwebbing as the entire castle trembled.
“He deserved to die a hundred times over.”
When a Rider raises a flag, the Grand Duke fires her arrow.
It was an absolute, sacred rule of the North. No Rider had ever abused the signal for personal reasons.
Of course, she had sensed her arrow was heading toward the city and had controlled her power accordingly—but she had trusted the Rider, and so had let it fly.
And to have that trust betrayed, it was clear she found it intolerable.
Currently, she had placed all Riders under suspension. Sitting cross-legged on her chair, propping her chin on her fist, she sighed deeply.
“There’s no time to waste on trivial matters. You’ll be joining as well.”
“Joining what?”
She pointed down.
“The Northern Strategy Council.”
* * *
Inside the Grand Duke’s castle, a grand council chamber had been prepared.
At the massive round table, the Grand Duke sat in the center. Around her, men of various, distinctive attire sat at intervals.
Simon observed from a little distance.
‘So these are the generals…’
The North’s military hierarchy was simple: Warriors, Riders, Generals, and at the very top, the Grand Duke.
Of course, there were intermediates such as ‘senior warrior’ or ‘veteran Rider’, and even within generals, ranks like ‘Grand General’. But broadly speaking, these three divisions defined it.
Everyone present now was at least of general rank—commanders who could lead entire armies.
‘Strong…’
The difference from the Rider he had fought earlier was astronomical.
All of them had opened their Cores, battle-hardened veterans of countless wars—warriors of kingdom-level might at a glance.
“Who’s this boy?”
One general gestured with his chin toward Simon. Across from him, a red-bearded general smirked.
“Must be the one who blocked the Grand Duke’s Arrow.”
“Interesting!”
Their gazes were half-curious, half-wary of the outsider.
Just then, Godrick the butler came rushing in, dragging an extra chair. One of the generals scowled.
“Godrick. You’re giving this brat a seat in the council that decides the North’s fate? Just because he took a stray arrow—”
“Have you finished your chatter?”
The Grand Duke’s cold voice cut in. The generals stiffened and closed their mouths. She gestured for Godrick to place the chair.
Drrrk.
Simon found himself seated at the round table.
Not only that—
‘Ah.’
It was right beside the Grand Duke.
A few generals glared daggers, their gazes tinged with spite and jealousy. One even clicked his tongue in disapproval.
“Grand Duke, who is this child?”
Grand General Ganiro, the most powerful figure after the Grand Duke herself, posed the question.
“This one?”
The Grand Duke casually draped an arm over Simon’s shoulders and pulled him close for everyone to see.
“Pay your respects. This is my new disciple.”
The word disciple left the generals slack-jawed.
Grand Duke Jin Arskalt was infamous for keeping no personal ties. And yet, a disciple?
Simon squirmed in embarrassment, but the Grand Duke chuckled and ruffled his hair.
“This child will play a crucial role in the coming plan.”
Superb.
When are we getting more free chapters?
Thanks for the new chapters