The dead of night.
An intruder, having picked the lock and entered the house.
"..."
There were two options.
First, verbally reprimand him and ask why he had snuck in.
And the second...
"...I hope you're ready to die."
Express my anger physically.
There was no need to think twice about how a barbarian would react to an intruder.
Squeeze.
I tightened my grip on his throat.
It was a natural response.
A barbarian confronting an 'assassin'.
"Did the Marquis send you to kill ?"
"...G-guh...!"
He struggled to speak.
"...N-no... Let's talk...!"
It was obvious what he was going to say.
That he had no intention of killing .
And it was probably true.
He wasn't ard when he entered the room.
And the Marquis had plenty of other ways to get rid of if he really wanted dead.
I didn't deny that.
But...
"I don't talk to those who try to kill ."
I couldn't let him off the hook that easily.
Go to sleep.
I'll get my compensation from your father.
Squeeze.
I tightened my grip, cutting off his air supply, and then punched him in the stomach.
Thud!
His back arched like a shrimp.
"Ugh—!"
Wow, he's still conscious?
Then one more.
Thud!
"Ugh—!"
He's tough for a knight.
Should I just knock him out?
I was about to aim for his jaw when...
"Gah—!"
He drew his sword, sensing the danger.
It was a small dagger, similar to the one I used to cut jerky. But size didn't matter when it was in a knight's hand.
Whoosh!
A blue aura enveloped the dagger, expanding its size.
Swish!
The dagger, infused with aura, shot towards my wrist like lightning. He couldn't free his neck, so he was going to cut off my hand.
It was understandable.
Most knights believed that any obstacle could be overco with a sword.
「Character has cast [Iron Fortress].」
「[Evolved Hide] effect is increased by 1.5 tis.」
I quickly activated my skills.
And the aura struck my wrist.
But...
Clank!
The aura barely pierced my skin, stopped by my bone.
"...!"
His eyes widened in shock.
It was the sa expression I had seen on the Blood Knight's face.
Why wasn't it cutting?
Knights, accustod to their aura slicing through everything, couldn't comprehend this phenonon.
But I wasn't going to explain it to him.
"You were hiding a weapon."
Blood dripped from the cut on my wrist.
But I didn't let go of his neck.
"You really are an assassin."
He couldn't even shake his head in denial.
His Strength wasn't high enough to overco my grip.
His eyes widened in terror...
Whoosh!
...and then my fist connected with his jaw.
Crack!
Now, let's go.
______________________
I dragged the unconscious Marquis's son out of the room.
But I encountered a problem.
'How do I find the Marquis?'
I didn't know where he was.
I couldn't wake this guy up and ask him...
Drip, drip.
Damn, I want to et the Marquis before the cut on my wrist heals...
But I didn't have to think for long.
A strong body ant a simple mind.
'Let's just go outside.'
I was currently staying in a guest house east of the main building.
I walked through the empty hallway and headed for the stairs.
The servants, who were everywhere before, were nowhere to be seen.
It ant the Marquis had ordered them to stay away.
'Well, at least the 1st floor is still active.'
The entrance hall on the 1st floor was brightly lit.
Even though there were no observers, one of the servants standing guard scread as soon as she saw .
"Aaaaah!"
Was she a human alarm?
"What's going on?!"
The scream alerted the knights guarding the main gate, and they rushed inside.
There were four of them.
"Lihen Schuitz...! What are you doing?! Who is that?!"
They didn't recognize the Marquis's son.
Maybe I shouldn't have hit his face...
"He's wearing our family crest."
"Even if he's a guest, you can't just attack him!"
"Release him and surrender!"
They surrounded , their swords infused with aura.
It was a scene that would make any ordinary explorer tremble in fear.
And they knew it.
That's why they were so confident.
"This is your last warning. Surrender and await the Marquis's judgnt."
"What if I don't?"
"...We'll have to use force."
"Really? Then try it."
I shrugged, and they frowned.
As if I had made a foolish choice.
Thud.
I dropped the Marquis's son on the floor and drew my Demon Crusher.
And at that mont...
Tadat.
They exchanged glances and charged at .
How kind of them.
Boom.
I stomped on the ground, and a whirlwind erupted.
「Character has cast [Eye of the Storm].」
I didn't combine it with [Transcendence].
It was more efficient to use it normally in a group fight.
Whiiiiiish!
The knights were swept towards by the powerful wind.
They swung their swords, their aura easily slicing through my armor.
"Uwaaaaaaaaah!"
But I didn't bother defending.
I just swung my hamr, again and again.
I was a damage-tank barbarian.
If we traded blows...
I would win in the end.
Swish.
One of the knights charged at , swinging his sword down.
But I didn't dodge or block.
Slice!
The blade sank deep into my shoulder, almost reaching my collarbone.
Crack!
I smashed his temple with my hamr.
And at that mont...
Slice!
Another knight slashed at my ankle.
'He went for my Achilles tendon, that bastard.'
I stumbled, but my tendon wasn't severed.
So...
Shift.
I quickly regained my balance and kicked him in the face with my other foot.
Boom!
He flew back and crashed into a pillar.
Then I heard a thud from behind.
Crack!
Yeah, he stabbed .
「Piercing damage reduction: 75%.」
It didn't even hurt.
"H-how... are you...?"
What? Does he have sothing to say?
Crack!
I elbowed him in the jaw.
He couldn't even shake his head in denial.
Whoosh!
The last knight charged towards , his sword glowing with a golden aura.
'He's aiming for my neck.'
I blocked it with my shield.
And...
"...Ugh!"
I kicked him in the stomach.
Swaaaaaaaaaa.
The whirlwind subsided.
"..."
The room was silent.
We had traded blows, but the winner was clear.
I was still standing, while they were all on the floor.
"Ugh...!"
Two of them were still conscious.
The one I had kicked in the stomach seed fine, but the one I had hit in the temple might be dead.
'Did he use a defensive skill?'
The knight who had been hit in the head stumbled towards the open gate.
"B-backup..."
Wow, he's dedicated to his job.
Whoosh!
I used [Transcendence] and [Eye of the Storm] to pull him back and then knocked him out with a headbutt.
'I can ask him where the Marquis is...'
I crouched down and grabbed the other knight's head, turning it towards .
"I have a question—"
"Ptoo!"
...He spat a mixture of blood and phlegm in my face.
It was disgusting.
I had always been the one spitting, so it felt even worse.
I endured the urge to punch him and asked again,
"Where's the Marquis?"
"You'll... follow ... eventually."
He was already resigned to his fate. It seed pointless to ask him anything.
So...
Boom!
I knocked him out with a headbutt.
'What should I do now? Should I go outside?'
There might be mages out there...
And I didn't want to cause any more trouble.
I just wanted to talk to the Marquis.
Should I wait for his son to wake up?
Swoosh.
As I was contemplating my options, I sensed soone approaching from the open gate.
I looked up and saw the Marquis standing there.
"..."
I slowly stood up.
"...I guess I don't have to go looking for you."
_____________________
The Marquis was wearing the sa casual clothes as before.
It ant he hadn't gone to bed.
Maybe he was working late...
But...
I had a hunch he was waiting for .
The knights surrounding him were a dead giveaway.
Swoosh.
As I stood up, the Dragonkin woman next to the Marquis reached for her sword.
"Stay back."
"...Yes."
She imdiately obeyed his order.
I observed her carefully.
She wasn't a knight.
Aura was exclusive to humans.
'A Dragonkin.'
Her eyes had the characteristic reptilian glow.
And then I looked at her equipnt.
And...
'Holy shit.'
I recognized the sword she was wearing.
'No. 19 Ignixen Dragon Slayer.'
A transformation-type longsword that amplified physical damage and could convert it to magic damage.
It was my counter, especially with my incomplete magic resistance build.
'I've never heard of her...'
If her equipnt reflected her skill, she must be one of the strongest in the city. And Dragonkin were rarely weak.
"..."
A brief silence followed.
The Marquis broke the silence.
"Shall we move to a different location?"
"How can I trust you?"
"Hmm, then let them leave."
The Marquis nodded, and the knights escorted the unconscious bodies away.
And...
"Everyone except for Ms. Raviyen, leave the mansion."
He dismissed all the other guards.
Only the Dragonkin woman remained.
Even with her present, the Marquis didn't hesitate to call my na.
"Viscount Yandel."
"..."
"I know why you did this. You must have misunderstood sothing."
Misunderstood...
He must have been surprised.
He probably didn't expect to react this way, even if he knew I wasn't an evil spirit.
Especially not in his own mansion.
But I wasn't going to be considerate.
"You sent an assassin to my house and now you're talking about misunderstandings? You're shaless."
"That's why it's a misunderstanding. I just wanted to confirm if you were an evil spirit."
"...An evil spirit?"
I had known his intentions all along, but I feigned ignorance.
And added a touch of anger.
"...Are you saying you suspected of being an evil spirit?"
I glared at him, and he calmly nodded.
"It's better to be sure. You know that evil spirits are summoned to a gathering every 15th. And they're completely vulnerable during that ti. I just wanted to confirm if you were conscious or not."
"...And?"
"I've confird it. You're not an evil spirit."
I sighed in relief.
That was one of my main goals for coming here.
"Then why did you send your son?"
"I thought... he would be able to handle it even if you woke up."
"Handle it...?"
"First, I didn't expect you to cause such a commotion. And second, I thought he would be able to adapt to the situation."
In other words, he thought his son would be able to subdue if things went wrong.
"Didn't you think he could die? He's your only son."
"He'll only grow weak if I coddle him."
That was his parenting style.
It was a bit unsettling, but I could understand.
"So, now that the misunderstanding is cleared—"
"Just because the misunderstanding is cleared doesn't an the resentnt is gone. And besides, it's not like everything is cleared up."
"...?"
The Marquis frowned as I cut him off.
What? I can't even speak my mind?
"Look at this."
I showed him the cut on my wrist.
It was almost healed.
"Your son did this."
"...He attacked you?"
"He tried to kill as soon as I started talking."
"That's... I'll discipline him properly."
"What about my compensation?"
I showed him the other injuries I had sustained while fighting the four knights.
They were minor compared to the injuries the knights had suffered...
But the Marquis chuckled and gave the answer I wanted.
"It was our mistake. We'll compensate you accordingly."
Okay, that was enough.
"Now, can we talk? I'd like to hear about the second condition you ntioned."
"Alright."
I nodded, and the Dragonkin guard summoned a chair from her subspace pocket.
It was a luxurious and comfortable chair.
Wow, she carries that around in her subspace pocket?
Nobles...
"I'm getting old, and my body isn't what it used to be. Do you need a chair too?"
"I'm good."
"I see."
"So, what's the second condition?"
The first condition was participating in the war.
What was the second?
"Before I tell you that, I have one more question."
The Marquis dodged my question and asked his own.
Damn, I couldn't refuse.
"Go ahead."
"Your son aside... the four knights you fought were quite skilled."
Were they?
It didn't feel that way since I had defeated them before they could even use their skills.
"So?"
"I'll be direct."
The Marquis asked,
"How strong are you?"
It was a strange question, but it made sense.
He didn't know my true strength.
He was just planning to use my reputation in the war.
"Hmm, it seems like a difficult question for you."
"Not really."
It wasn't difficult, just hard to answer.
How do you asure strength?
It was relative, just like ti. You needed a point of reference.
For example...
"Her."
I looked at the Dragonkin guard, and the Marquis's eyes widened slightly.
"You're saying you can defeat her?"
I shook my head.
"No."
I wasn't sure.
I had never fought her before.
But I didn't hesitate to answer the Marquis's question.
"I'm strong enough to break through her and crush your skull."
Was that a satisfactory answer?
It seed like it.
"..."
The Marquis, who had always been calm and composed, flinched.
And...
"...You're even more insane than I thought."
The guard's exclamation was proof.
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