‘No wonder I had such a restless night.’
The moment Yujin heard Baneul’s introduction, he clicked his tongue inwardly. The world was vast, and with that, powerful people roamed the streets freely, but who would have thought that the pile of dung he stepped on today would be hiding a thumbtack?
[Why all the fuss over a Freedom Knight?]
He answered Illu’s question briefly.
‘They have exceptional abilities but refuse to be controlled by the Empire.’
They come from all walks—politicians, artists, legal experts, and warriors. But what unites them under the name Freedom Knights are two things. They each show extraordinary talent in their respective fields, and ‘without exception, they all despise the Empire.’
Among the Freedom Knights, some truly hate the Empire. Others don’t hate it but refuse to be controlled. In the end, they are troublesome bastards who refuse to heed the commands of the Emperor, the Empire’s supreme ruler.
[The Empire is strange. Wouldn’t it be simpler to just eliminate them all?]
‘Is that easy?’
[What could be difficult? The Emperor has Immortals as his elite force.]
As Illu pointed out, the Empire does have the dire trump card of Immortals. These assassins, who never die, serve to remove dangerous elements, and their service is the foundation of the decades-old pact between the Royal Family and this side.
‘But the reason the Freedom Knights are left as they are isn’t because they’re difficult to eliminate.’
[Then?]
Because the moment they’re wiped out, the existing political order would be overturned, causing a backlash. Fifteen years ago, there was a major incident that almost set the Empire back to the era of the Demon King’s descent from a hundred years ago.
It was when the Greenskins—Orcs, Goblins, and the like—marshaled a massive army from the Demon Realm and descended, called ‘The Green Tide.’
The trigger was the assassination of an Orc chieftain. He was the leader who unified the scattered Greenskins after the Demon King’s subjugation, and, claiming autonomy, had been designated a Freedom Knight by the Empire.
[So they assassinated him using you, and the whole country nearly turned upside down?]
‘Exactly.’
Since then, the Empire watches the Freedom Knights closely but tries not to assassinate them. Because the moment they do, the side effects may be worse than the intended effect. Of course, if their threat becomes too great, they will be removed even if the side effects must be borne.
[So you’re saying the man in front of us is strong?]
‘Of course.’
Freedom Knights, whose trade is dealing in human lives, naturally excel in combat, which is why they were appointed Freedom Knights. These are categorized as Martial Type Freedom Knights, and their combat power surpasses even regular knights.
If regular knights couldn’t suppress them, why else would they be Freedom Knights Naturally, their personal combat ability ranks among the very top in the industry. Well, of course, they still wouldn’t match the elite like the Empire’s Seven Swords.
‘He’s not someone to be underestimated.’
In other words, they’re a nuisance to face.
[You say nuisance like you think you can beat them?]
‘Are you serious?’
How do you beat someone who doesn’t die? In a prolonged fight, the one who never dies will win in the end. Of course, it’s best to finish quickly before it gets to that.
[So “nuisance” means there’s a risk of dying at least once or more, right?]
‘You’re quick.’
It’s not that I’m quick, it’s that we share the same thoughts. Anyway, if the man in front is a Freedom Knight, calling him a nuisance is fair. If you let your guard down, you could lose ‘one’ life easily.
‘But right now, we’re inside a shop.’
Looking around, blades were displayed all clustered together. If we go wild here in this cramped shop, half the place will be wrecked. Then the shop owner will close up that day, and we’ll have to pay damages.
‘I don’t want to get involved in troublesome matters.’
So he suggested to Baneul, who was standing off against him.
“Fighting here is way too cramped. Shall we take this to the alley?”
“Huh?”
At that suggestion, Baneul gave a baffled look.
“Aren’t you a bit too relaxed standing before a Freedom Knight?”
The existence of Freedom Knights was well known among the public.
‘They’re treated like heroes and such.’
But the public didn’t know the full story behind Freedom Knights. Only the fact that they were as strong as knights was common knowledge. Baneul expected the opponent to be tense given those circumstances.
“Why cause trouble among people who know each other?”
“Huh?”
His mocking tone narrowed his brow. From his tone, it was clear he wasn’t an ordinary person. That intuition quickly led to a deduction, which he voiced as a question.
“…You’re not a knight, are you?”
Freedom Knights instinctively hate knights.
‘What a fierce look in his eyes.’
Knights were essentially the Empire’s emergency troops meant to suppress them, so from the moment one became a Freedom Knight, they naturally harbored a hostile distrust toward knights. Why would they trust a hound meant to hunt them?
“I’m not a knight.”
I’m not even comparable to those so-called knights. Even the Empire’s Seven Swords can’t defeat me. Strong people exist even without the title of knight.
“Then what are you? There can’t be many who know the true meaning of Freedom Knight.”
Baneul asked while assuming a combat stance. Knowing the true meaning of Freedom Knight despite not being a knight raised his suspicion even further.
‘Time to fight soon.’
Since the opponent wielded a dagger, I’d respond with my specialty—dagger techniques. Instead of answering, I pointed my finger toward the weapon shop’s display case.
Whirr!
With a flick of my finger, the dagger connected by a thread of mana flew to me.
Clack!
The blade flew out from the display and landed in my right hand as if sucked in. The grip felt good—this would be useful in the fight. Spinning the dagger in one hand, I said to Baneul,
“Enough useless talk… you know what this is about, right?”
Among us, conversations are better carried out with blades.
“…Hng!”
He finally stepped outside the weapon shop. I followed, stepping into the alley. Now that we were on open ground, tension filled the air.
‘A proper level of tension.’
This is how it should be in a fight. Baneul took up a stance with twin daggers again. The left hand’s dagger was reversed grip; the right hand’s was standard.
‘Are the relics’ functions different?’
If they were identical daggers with no functional difference, there’d be no need to hold one reversed. In fact, holding a dagger reversed is inconvenient and reduces tactical flexibility. Insisting on that stance isn’t just a habit.
[Could it be due to the relic’s function?]
‘Exactly.’
Though I don’t know the exact relics, I could sense an aura radiating from both daggers, like the fighting spirit emitting from Baneul. Relics are mysterious tools that generate mana themselves, so they also emit energy.
“…Here I go.”
Baneul stamped the ground at those words. Planning to move at high speed again and aim for a fatal strike? I had already enhanced my vision, so this time I could track his movements.
Ting!
A silver flash suddenly flickered in Baneul’s hand.
“Hm?”
Instinctively, I tilted my head to the right.
Swish!
As I moved, I felt the cold sweep of a dagger passing my neck. He wasn’t simply aiming for a vital spot by throwing the dagger.
‘It’s a blind spot!’
I threw my right-hand dagger along the predicted path.
Clang—!
The metallic sound echoed through the air. Baneul’s dagger, aimed at my carotid artery, was deflected. He retreated slightly and retrieved the deflected dagger.
“You can block that too? What kind of person were you before?”
“If I had to say, a thief.”
“That’s nonsense.”
Baneul shook his head and charged again. Now with only one dagger in hand, what would he do? I also brought my dagger forward in a defensive stance.
Snap!
At about a step’s distance, Baneul’s bare hand reached out. His fingers curled like a hook, clearly preparing to snatch something. If I were caught, I’d be trapped in Jujutsu and hard to escape.
Swallowing my breath, I moved two steps left and leaned back to avoid having my clothes grabbed. But despite my evasive move, Baneul’s action did not change.
Tat-tat-tat!
‘Is he going past me?’
He dashed forward, ignoring me. Wasn’t his original intent to lock me in Jujutsu? Turning my gaze toward his direction, I soon realized his actual goal.
‘To retrieve his dagger!’
I saw the dagger lying on the ground far ahead. Could it be that the outstretched hand earlier was just a feint? He anticipated my guarding and evasion and made a path for it?
“Where do you think you’re going!”
With my empty left hand, I pulled out shurikens and threw them.
Chak-cheng!
But Baneul spun his body to deflect the flying shurikens, and using the momentum, grabbed the remaining dagger from the ground and leapt up. He flipped two somersaults in midair before landing again.
“Impressive.”
I was impressed by how he used psychology to open a path. Judging by the acrobatic movement, his body’s range of motion must be excellent. If so, the techniques he uses will be complex, making him a difficult opponent.
“This is my livelihood, after all. I’m still a Freedom Knight.”
Baneul twirled the twin daggers again before gripping them. Like before, the left was reversed grip and the right was standard. But this time, something felt different.
‘The fact that he deliberately threw one dagger to retrieve it again means,’
There is a trigger hidden in those actions to activate the relic’s power. And that sequence had already completed the trigger activation, meaning now he would attack with the relic’s power on his side.
‘I’m curious to see how he’ll use it.’
This was still a stage worth engaging.
“This will be a little different from before.”
True to his words, Baneul’s aura changed. His mana surged, and the energy he emitted fluctuated violently, making the surrounding air feel heavy.
Thud!
With the sound of the ground cracking, Baneul launched himself forward.
‘Fast!’
Even with enhanced vision, I could barely see his afterimage. To an ordinary person, this fight would look like a flash of light. Hurriedly switching the dagger to my left hand, I swung upward.
Clang!
The blades clashed, sending a shockwave reverberating. Nearby glass windows shattered from the impact.
‘This guy’s aim is impeccable!’
But there was no time to think further. While my left-hand dagger blocked the attack, the dagger in Baneul’s left hand moved.
Whirr!
It spun upright.
‘Hmm?’
The tip gleamed ominously.
‘Danger!’
I hurriedly slashed downward to deflect Baneul’s dagger. Stepping forward with my left foot, putting weight on the right, twisting my waist, I shifted my center of gravity forward.
Thud!
I rammed my shoulder into Baneul’s solar plexus.
“Ugh!”
He flew backward from the body check. Because of that, his other dagger’s tip pointed awkwardly elsewhere, and soon its tip began to glow intensely, dazzlingly bright.
Bang!
The alley echoed with the impact sound. The wall of a nearby building, along the dagger’s aim, was scarred. It looked like a giant sword had pierced it, leaving a massive wound.
‘Is that the power of the relic?’
The cut on the wall was surprisingly clean. Such a clean cut is the cross-section of sword energy forged by mana into a blade. The twin daggers probably released sword energy as a form of attack.
‘The reason he had to throw one dagger first is because’
The impact of the dagger hitting the ground was absorbed to activate its power. Perhaps the relic’s power triggers by using the shock as its source. If so, it would be more effective to absorb and deflect the blow rather than block head-on. Dust and debris trickled from the damaged building.
Fortunately, there was no one inside, so no casualties, but if this fight continued, this entire area would be destroyed.
“Tsk… that hurts…”
Baneul rubbed his shoulder where I had hit and stood up. Despite appearances, he seemed to have decent durability. He handled the relic’s power well, and his combat skills were respectable.
‘He’d be perfect to put to use.’
I already had five children to manage alone. Having someone strong like him as backup wouldn’t be bad.
“Hey, you’re Baneul, right?”
“Hmm? Why all of a sudden?”
“I can’t just be the one taking hits here.”
I leveled my dagger at him again and made a proposal.
“If I win, you come under my command.”
“What?”
The assassin looked dumbfounded at the proposal. Offering work to the assassin who came to kill him must have seemed like nonsense caused by a head injury in the middle of a fight.
“I’m heading to the Demon Realm soon.”
Yujin explained, seeing the question mark on his face. He would enter the Demon Realm soon and needed to take the children with him. Since there were five kids, it would be hard to manage them alone.
“Uh, so what… that’s your problem.”
Feeling uneasy, Baneul stepped back. He probably sensed that if he got involved, he’d suffer later. I took a step forward in case he tried to run.
‘If a slave runs off, I have to catch him again.’
He had good durability and stamina, and could handle fighting like several people. I couldn’t let such good labor slip away easily. Smiling broadly, I said to him,
“So basically, I’m proposing a bet.”
Clang!
I tossed the dagger I’d been holding aside. Having decided to catch that assassin, there was no reason to play around anymore.
‘I’ll show you the overwhelming difference in skill.’
Baneul raised an eyebrow upon seeing the thrown dagger.
“What are you trying to do now?”
“What else…”
I pointed my thumb toward my neck, indicating the seriousness of the situation.