Chapter 19

“I apologize, Your Majesty. I’m not dressed for a duel, and I didn’t make any preparations…”

“Oh-oh. Don’t talk weakly. Even if you fight in a suit instead of a uniform, you will wipe out all the fully armored people.”

It was a slightly mocking compliment that pretended to be a joke. However, because it was the Emperor’s word, laughter erupted everywhere.

“It is a good day. Why do you want to cast a shadow over the jubilant winner who didn’t lose any match, Your Majesty?”

Kael, who had not been harmed in the slightest, calmly answered the Emperor’s words.

The Emperor’s face hardened slightly at his words.

Kael was saying that if he competed with him, that winner would lose.

It wasn’t a bluff. That’s why it was even more powerful.

“Do you know? Maybe the unimaginable will happen.”

The Emperor smiled sarcastically and threw the last card that could draw Kael out.

“I am ordering you in the name of the Emperor. Step forward, Grand Duke.”

He couldn’t disobey an imperial order while all the nobles were watching.

Eventually, Kael slowly unbuttoned his uniform.

“Oh my!”

“Oh, my gosh.”

The exposed white shirt revealed Kael’s strong body and beautiful lines as they were, and exclamations of admiration erupted from everywhere.

However, no matter what he heard, Kael did not care at all and climbed up the podium in big strides.

“You should compete seriously. You can’t use a wooden sword in today’s highlight, can you?”

The rules of the contest, which consisted only of wooden swords to prevent injuries and accidents, were overturned at once.

The purpose became more and more clear.

Kael tried hard to suppress a burst of laughter.

It was ridiculous to see the Emperor continually struggling with a feeling of inferiority towards Kael.

“It is an honor, Your Grace.”

The winner spoke with politeness.

Kael just nodded once without saying anything.

“Let’s start the duel!”

The sooner it finished, the better.

Kael, who had received the sword, planned to finish it in one shot, aiming for the moment when the winner rushed in.

He didn’t care about the winner’s honor or anything.

“Yahhhh!”

As expected, Utah, the winner, rushed to Kael with a loud yell.

Kael took the blade with ease and immediately tried to target his neck.

‘… What was that?’

But Utah quickly changed his posture and immediately defended the spot Kael was aiming for.

“Haha. You must be surprised, Your Grace.”

When their swords clashed and their gazes met, Utah laughed loudly and provoked Kael.

Kael looked at Utah without responding.

‘I’m sure he’s not human. But I don’t know what he is.’

Kael was also feeling what Leo and Adeline had felt.

Utah was not a human being.

It wasn’t enough that he took Kael’s blow, but the speed with which he read the part he was aiming for and defended it was impossible for a human.

“I’ll finish right away, Your Grace.”

Utah, who pulled back his sword first, soon screamed and rushed to Kael.

The moment the swords touched again, Kael’s feet were pushed back slightly, to his surprise.

All the nobles who were watching were surprised and started screaming.

How can the great Grand Duke Inver be pushed back a little? It was something they never thought they would see.

But that was the last time.

Kael, who applied a bit more strength, immediately continued the counterattack.

He immediately found Utah’s weak point, who moved at a rapid pace that made him doubt his eyes, and aimed at it.

“Ugh!”

“Conceited rookies are boring.”

In an instant, the lead passed over to Kael.

Kael exchanged a few blows and immediately threw Utah’s sword flying.

Losing the sword he was holding, Utah dropped to the floor, and Kael took the sword to his neck.

It was Kael’s perfect victory.

“Wow!”

“G-Grand Duke Inver!”

Now that the victory was confirmed, he had to withdraw his sword; but instead of doing so, Kael thrust his sword into Utah’s left shoulder.

The nobles, as well as Utah, who had been stabbed, screamed. The Emperor also turned pale at the unexpected development and called Kael.

“What is your identity?”

“W-What do you mean, i-identity, ahhh! Aargh!”

“I’m not fooled by those screams. Tell me who you are and how you managed to get inside the imperial palace. Then I will let you go painlessly.”

Kael gave more strength to the sword that pierced his shoulder.

The Emperor shouted at him to stop, and the guard general approached him, asking him to stop, but Kael had no intention of moving.

“If you don’t intend to speak, I’ll cut your neck right away.”

“Hihihi…”

The moment Kael really tried to slit his throat, an unpleasant laugh came from Utah.

The countless gazes that were staring at Kael in astonishment quickly turned to Utah.

“Hahahaha! You’re pretty good. Pretty good.”

A creepy laughter burst out, and Utah’s voice changed.

Suddenly, his whole body wriggled, and his form began to change.

In an instant, the human figure disappeared.

Black scales covered his entire body, and giant wings rose from his back. Where there was a face, eight crimson eyes and countless fangs appeared.

“… A Corrupted.”

It wasn’t a human, it was one of the Corrupted. The Corrupted, who could turn into humans, entered the imperial palace.

‘I can’t believe I didn’t recognize it.’

Although it was because the Corrupted could take on various shapes, it was also because he had no idea that one of them would be in the capital.

The Corrupted only lived on the northern border. But how did it come to the capital, and even the imperial palace? It was extremely strange.

“Ahhhhhh!”

“Your Majesty! Everyone, protect His Majesty! Take His Majesty to safety!”

When the Corrupted revealed its hideous appearance, the garden became chaotic.

The guard general yelled to protect the Emperor, and the surprised nobles let go of the dignity they are always so concerned about and ran around.

The Emperor was no different. Somehow, the confidence that recklessly pushed Kael and Utah together to spar disappeared. He was looking at Utah, who had revealed its true self, with fluctuating eyes, encroached on by fear.

“Kill that monster! Right now…”

“Stop!”

As the imperial guards were about to rush at the Corrupted, Kael stopped them.

“When the blood of a living Corrupted who has revealed its true form splatters, it melts away bones and flesh. If you can’t kill it right away and only raise its anger, the damage will be even greater!”

“T-Then, h-how…”

“Do you have a spear? I’ll take care of it, so go down and protect His Majesty and the nobles.”

“B-But, Your Grace! Such a dangerous…”

“Just give me a spear and go down!”

“Y-Yes!”

Kael quickly gave orders to the palace soldiers, then threw the spear he had been handed over to the wings of the Corrupted.

It was to prevent him from flying around the garden.

With a loud scream, the Corrupted fell down, and a large amount of blood poured out.

“Y-Your Grace.”

However, contrary to his explanation a while ago, Kael, who had become covered in the monster’s blood, was fine.

Nothing melted away.

“Aaaaargh!”

“You’re really noisy.”

The Corrupted rushed straight to Kael, and he stopped it with his sword.

He had to finish it quickly before it could bleed any more.

Kael grabbed his sword and aimed at the monster’s heart with a neat movement.

Each of the Corrupted had their hearts in a different location. He had to quickly find out where it was.

Kael stabbed the possible locations one by one.

But only blood and screams poured out. It wouldn’t stop breathing.

“… The head.”

Suddenly, one spot grazed Kael’s mind. Without hesitating a bit, he jumped as if he were flying and thrust the sword in the middle of the monster’s head.

“Krrrrrrrrgh! Arghhh!”

The screams of the Corrupted, who seemed to tear his ears, echoed.

The monster, who twitched loudly a few times like he was struggling, soon lost its breath.

Kael immediately checked the blood on the floor. The black blood was turning red like that of humans. It was proof that the Corrupted was completely dead.

“Ugh…”

After completing his final check, Kael finally took a breath.

“…”

After the fierce battle as if he was in the middle of a battlefield, he finally felt the atmosphere in the garden.

The Emperor, the nobles, and the soldiers around him were all looking at Kael, terrified.

As soon as the monster’s wings were pierced by Kael’s spear, the nobles who were scared to death and fleeing stopped and watched Kael’s battle. The same was true of the soldiers.

Kael’s swordsmanship when facing the Corrupted in its human form was not that spectacular.

After seeing him face the monster, everyone realized.

When dealing with humans, the power Kael uses is only as much as a fingernail, or even less.

“Are you all right, Your Majesty?”

“I-I’m fine. I’m r-really f-fine. R-Really. Ugh.”

Kael looked at the Emperor, and the Emperor hurriedly replied, as if he had seen a monster.

He saved everyone’s lives at best, so the gaze of fear and disgust that followed it was enough to hurt him, but Kael was just calm.

He was calm as if he was very familiar with this kind of situation, as if it had not happened just once or twice.

Kael didn’t care. He didn’t care what kind of monster they saw him as.

Then, he remembered Adeline.

‘… Adeline.’

As he was about to turn his head to see if Adeline was alright, he noticed his shirt, which had changed color from being soaked with blood.

Adeline also had never seen Kael like this before.

There was no way she would be watching him with a normal gaze, when he was covered in blood.

‘… That’s weird.’

Curiously, as he thought about it, there was a slightly bitter taste in his mouth.

Kael laughed, wondering if it was that big of a deal, picked up his sword, and tried to get down from the podium.

But at that moment, he heard the sound of shoes approaching him.

It was Adeline.

Adeline was walking towards Kael.

“… Adeline?”

With each step, the skirt of Adeline’s light blue dress was dyed with blood.

Surprised, Kael approached her and tried to stop her.

Then he stopped again.

Right now, Kael was the same as the floor, covered in blood. If Adeline touched him, she would be stained with the same blood.

“Please don’t say anything like the blood is dangerous. I know too that the blood of the Corrupted is only dangerous until they stop breathing.”

Unlike Kael, who had stopped, Adeline continued to approach him and finally stood in front of him.

Adeline slowly captured Kael in her eyes.

His whole body was a mess because he got covered in blood from the fight with the monster.

Even the face that looked like a painting was covered in blood.

It was a perfect sight for a normal lady, or a normal person, to run away in fright, but Adeline was different.

She reached out and wiped the blood off Kael’s face with a white handkerchief.

“Much better.”

“…”

“As expected, white or blue suits you better than red,” Adeline said, as soon as his white skin reappeared.

It was really nonsense.

To the point that both Kael, who was listening to it, and Adeline, who said it, laughed.

But for Kael, it was the most perfect consolation.

An absolutely perfect consolation for this whole situation.

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