Chapter 72: The Empire’s New Star

Trevor Warren had been a promising talent since childhood.

It was because he showed exceptional aptitude not only in aura but also in swordsmanship.

Count Warren spared no support, declaring that a person who would finally bring glory to the family had been born.

One could tell just by the fact that the third son had overtaken his brothers to become the heir.

But perhaps the excessive expectations had become poison?

As the days passed, Trevor engaged in all sorts of eccentric behaviors.

Wasn’t he doing it even now?

Ambushing the emperor’s cousin and a duke, no less.

If someone shouted that he was crazy, he would probably reply like this.

“We all fight and brawl as kids when we grow up. What, are you going to punish me for that? When I might become the next Grand Master?”

In reality, Trevor possessed the skill to steamroll most aura masters.

And at only mid-20s, at that.

If such a talent couldn’t be utilized, it would be an enormous national loss.

Moreover, how much merit had he accumulated so far?

His exploits in the war with Delriat were immense.

To the extent that there was talk of seating him as governor-general.

But reality was different.

“Trevor Warren? That willful fellow? Well, his skills aren’t bad.”

“But you can’t compare him to His Grace Duke Carius, can you?”

“Of course, the Berserker of the North is far superior.”

“Isn’t he the one who held off 500,000 barbarians with just the shabby Northern Legion?”

“Moreover, he expanded the territory enormously. Delriat? It’s too tiny a land. And it’s a desert with no real use.”

This was the evaluation from the social elite and the public.

It was true that Trevor was outstanding, but there was an insurmountable fourth-dimensional wall.

The massive mountain called Abel Carius.

“I’ll defeat you and prove it to everyone. That I, Trevor Warren, am superior!”

Shriiing—!

His unique swordsmanship, infused with extreme variations, unfolded.

It had already been blocked twice before, but Trevor gained confidence.

He’d only wielded it lightly, yet he could feel Abel struggling.

If he went all out, he felt he could win easily.

The sword strike, tracing a serpentine trajectory, headed for Abel’s left thigh.

It seemed to aim for the side or armpit, but plunged straight down instead.

‘Got him!’

The opponent clearly hadn’t reacted properly.

Soon, the blue-tinged aura would tear the opponent’s body to shreds.

But then, an incomprehensible sound rang out.

Thuuung!

“Huh?”

Wasn’t this the feeling of pounding on an iron plate?

It was exactly the noise you’d get from hitting plate armor with a blunt weapon.

But no matter how wide he opened his eyes, he couldn’t find anything amiss. Abel Carius was only wearing a thin overcoat in Delriat style.

There was no way he’d padded iron plates underneath.

Moreover, bare skin was visible through the torn clothes.

“What the hell is going on?”

The result was so unrealistic that confusion filled his mind.

But only for a moment—Trevor soon continued his swordsmanship like flowing water.

If once didn’t work, try twice, three times.

As he swung the sword relentlessly, the frequency of hits increased exponentially.

In a short span, he’d already landed five effective strikes.

Thudududung!

But again, only the sound of pounding iron rang out, and the opponent was astonishingly unscathed.

Moreover, as if feeling no pain at all, he was even wearing a faint smile.

“No, how the hell is this a person!”

Trevor Warren swung his sword like a madman.

By now, his aura had surpassed maximum output.

He’d lost self-control and drawn out power beyond his limits.

This allowed him to unleash transcendent force in an instant, but it would result in severe internal injuries.

If unlucky, he might become crippled forever.

Even so, Trevor gave it his all.

‘There’s no way I can’t surpass this guy!’

He’d lived a life superior to anyone, called the empire’s new star.

And that nickname wasn’t just given lightly.

It was bestowed directly by the empire’s greatest master, the Sword Star Jerome Castro.

Saying his talent shone that brightly.

Wasn’t the opponent just someone who read lines in court?

Even if he’d made a name in the past, now he was just an ink-slinger.

‘His skills were definitely mediocre. He couldn’t even respond properly to my swordsmanship?’

It just didn’t make sense for a human body to withstand aura.

Though Trevor wore a disgusted expression, he didn’t break his fighting spirit.

He seemed to think there must be a weakness somewhere.

“Haaah! Die!”

“Tsk tsk! You’re far from ready.”

Finally, Abel Carius opened his mouth.

He clicked his tongue and charged straight into Trevor’s onslaught.

Completely disregarding defense.

Thudududung!

Countless sword strikes pummeled his body, but Abel paid no heed.

He simply raised the Communication Rod, enveloped in red light, and swung it concisely.

Paaak!

It was an utterly ordinary strike, but the effect was tremendous.

As the hammerhead drove into his temple, Trevor Warren’s movements halted abruptly.

The attack had landed precisely on a vital spot.

As he staggered and braced against the ground, Abel Carius’s foot came into view.

In that brief hesitation, a follow-up attack was already incoming.

Crack!

Soon, Trevor’s head snapped back, and his eyes glazed over rapidly.

“Gruk! So this is why you’re called the Berserker of the North…….”

I shrugged as I watched my collapsing opponent.

‘That’s not it.’

The reason Abel was called the Berserker of the North was very simple.

It was because he went out to the battlefield every day and swept away the enemy forces.

No prisoners were ever taken if they encountered him.

He killed opponents no matter who they were.

But Trevor Warren seemed to have misunderstood a bit.

Probably because I’d shown such an overwhelmingly dominant display just now.

‘Even halved, it’s not completely useless, huh?’

The drop in attack power was definitely noticeable.

But as long as I could strike accurately, it didn’t seem to matter much.

Wasn’t it highly successful just now?

Ignoring the opponent’s attacks and going in for a vital hit!

No need to struggle to create openings.

“Convenient and nice. I should use this often.”

I smiled in satisfaction and looked around.

Knights scattered here and there, severely injured.

And Cordell McNeil standing alone awkwardly.

He was sheathing his sword with a pale smile.

Shrrrng!!

“Ah! Are you finished?”

To handle over a dozen knights alone, this guy was no ordinary either.

And without killing them, at that.

I looked at Cordell with interest and shrugged.

Meaning it was no big deal.

“Yes, he lived up to his name. He was troublesome enough.”

“As expected, Your Grace Duke Carius is the greatest monster I know.”

Is that a compliment? Or an insult?

Leaving Cordell McNeil’s incomprehensible nonsense behind, I immediately returned to the carriage.

To find the coachman who’d hidden somewhere.

“Brandon?”

“Oh! Your Grace, I’m glad you’re safe.”

“I’m always fine. Are you unhurt?”

“Yes, I camouflaged myself well to stay out of the way.”

Brandon had bushes stuck here and there on his clothes.

Delriat-style overcoats had plenty of spaces to attach things.

They were baggy and the fabric was dense.

Like that, it gave off a natural ghillie suit vibe.

“Well done. Good sense.”

“You’re too kind. If I lack combat skills, I have to master survival techniques like this.”

“Could you help me for a bit? We need to load those guys too.”

“Transporting criminals, eh! Leave it to me!”

Brandon dashed toward the fight scene.

He seemed oddly excited.

Somehow, I felt he’d do well if given a job in the capital security force.

I moved my steps while entertaining such silly thoughts.

Taking Trevor Warren and the Western 1st Legion knights wasn’t difficult.

They’d come here fully prepared to begin with.

There were two carriages loaded with months’ worth of food and camping supplies.

After discarding useless items and organizing, it looked like a proper escort convoy.

The problem was there was no one to drive the other two carriages.

“No choice. Let’s each drive one.”

“Pardon? Even Your Grace?”

“I’ve ridden horses well enough—what can’t I do? Just teach me how.”

“Oh dear! Such an honor.”

“No need to feel burdened.”

“I’ll teach you with all my heart.”

Driving a carriage wasn’t that hard.

Honestly, easier than horseback riding.

Plus, with Brandon leading, I could just follow leisurely.

The issue was Cordell’s slow learning pace.

“Ugh, why isn’t this working?”

“It worked fine for me. Just give the set commands. They’ll understand most of it.”

“That’s the hard part.”

“You’re not pretending to be bad, are you?”

“E-eh! What do you mean!”

Seeing him visibly flustered, he must really hate it.

As a Black Agent of the imperial guard knights, he’d handle all sorts of dirty jobs, right?

It was odd that he was hopeless only at this.

After veering off course five or six times, Cordell’s face turned beet red.

“If there’s one thing I’m bad at, it’s driving carriages.”

“Why?”

“Had a big accident as a kid.”

“Oh! You must have been hit by a carriage.”

“No. I crashed it? Into my father’s expensive statue. I got such a scolding that now carriages make me nauseous…….”

Hearing the absurd reply, a thought suddenly occurred to me.

‘Ah, this guy’s a lunatic on par with Trevor, huh?’

In terms of slickness, he was far worse.

After a few reprimands, Cordell managed to drive somewhat.

If not for the whining, he could’ve done it earlier.

We slowly moved along the trade road toward the empire.

As we trudged on for a while, a loud noise suddenly erupted from behind.

“Uwaaah! Aaaah!”

Everyone stopped the carriages in surprise at the sudden scream.

Turning back with baffled expressions, we saw Trevor Warren throwing a fit.

Flailing his limbs like a tantruming child.

“Ha…….”

They said he was quite the madman, and sure enough, he went berserk right after waking.

With no choice, I immediately climbed into the cargo bed.

Then came the enraged shout.

“Untie this right now!”

“Why should I?”

“No matter if you’re the chief justice, you can’t detain us. Whatever crime, it has to go to the military court!”

I thought it was just nonsense, but surprisingly, there was some basis.

It wasn’t entirely wrong.

Imperial knights naturally had to face military trial.

But he knows one thing and misses two.

I flashed a meaningful smile and reached into my bosom.

Flinch!

Thinking I’d hit him with the Communication Rod, Trevor shuddered.

The earlier blow must have hurt quite a bit.

But I had no intention of hitting him to begin with.

I just pulled out the imperial law book I always carried.

“Here, read it.”

“Private citizen’s arrest of a flagrant offender? What’s that got to do with me.”

“No, five lines down. What does it say?”

“‘If the flagrant offender is military personnel, compare security force investigation and military prosecution investigation’?”

“The security force investigation comes first, right?”

“So?”

“It means you have to go to the security force first. So shut up and stay quiet.”

Swish!

I drew the Communication Rod as I spoke.

“Please resist. Hitting you earlier felt good on the hand.”

“……”

Trevor Warren finally shut his mouth.

Oh, he listens well.

This is why a person needs both literary and martial prowess, right?