Chapter 507
Chapter 507: I Will Question the King. (5)
At Count Palantz’s duel challenge, Ghislaine nodded.
“A duel, huh… I’ll accept.”
Count Palantz bit his lip at Ghislaine’s arrogant words. But having been given a glimmer of hope, he was able to swallow the provocation.
That punk has gained a bit of fame lately, but he didn’t think Ghislaine was of a level to beat him.
He’d been vying for the top position in the kingdom long before that brat made a name for himself.
Belinda whispered beside Ghislaine.
“Just push him aside. Why bother accepting?”
“I want to set a record.”
“Record? What kind of record?”
“Occupying the capital without shedding a drop of blood. Doesn’t that sound worth the try?”
As a man, such an achievement was hard to resist. There was no need to deliberately do it, but there was no reason to refuse when he could.
The royal knight order was famous for its high standards. While the numbers were drastically in his favor, he couldn’t guarantee that no knights or soldiers would get hurt in the process.
As Ghislaine waved his hand, everyone stepped back to make space. The royal guard and the royal knights did the same.
Belinda shook her head, aware of Ghislaine’s reckless personality.
“Who can stop him, anyway? At least the other soldiers will be safe.”
The implication in Belinda’s words was clear: she believed Ghislaine would undoubtedly win.
At her comment, Count Palantz exhaled sharply. The two of them were annoyingly relaxed to the point he felt like killing them.
“Arrogant fools… Do you see me as a joke?”
“Well… not exactly hilarious, but I don’t think I’ll lose.”
“Sure, you were famous for your arrogance. Today, I’ll teach you a lesson.”
Swoosh!
A shimmering aura blade erupted violently from Count Palantz’s sword.
Seeing this, Ghislaine too squared his stance and taunted back.
“Let’s see if your claim of being the ‘second strongest’ in the kingdom holds up.”
“You brat!”
That remark was the one Count Palantz hated most. He had always been overshadowed by Count Valzac, regarded as the second strongest.
Of course, he refused to acknowledge it. He firmly believed that if he fought for his life, he would surely win.
He just needed to show how strong he was at this moment.
Boom!
Count Palantz’s sword came crashing down towards Ghislaine’s head like a lightning strike. He meant to push forward without giving him a chance to breathe.
Clang!
With a clash!
Ghislaine raised his sword to block. At the same time, a black energy began to envelop his body.
Count Palantz’s sword quickly aimed for Ghislaine’s side. It lacked flair but was fast and resolute, as befitting a knight’s sword.
Clang!
Once again, the swords clashed. However, Count Palantz was unfazed and immediately repositioned his blade, targeting lethal spots to inflict damage on Ghislaine.
“My skills are superior!”
Count Palantz genuinely believed this.
He’d heard quite a bit about the renown of Count Penris. Considering his age, he could rightly be called a genius.
However, being young was bound to be a weakness. No matter how victorious he had been in war, he lacked the experience for one-on-one combats.
“Young blood and bravado end here!”
There was no way Count Penris could withstand his relentless onslaught.
He was convinced of this, yet…
Clang! Clang! Clang!
“What is happening?”
His sword was increasingly being blocked with ease. The opponent showed no signs of struggling. In fact, the counterattacks coming back were terrifyingly powerful.
Even though he tried to attack more aggressively, he found himself being pushed back further and further.
“What the…”
In shock, Count Palantz’s hand began to tremble. His stance was faltering while the opponent’s sword continued to advance undeniably strong.
Clang! Clang! Boom!
Barely managing to block Ghislaine’s sword, Count Palantz suddenly lost his balance and exposed his chest.
Slash!
“Urgh!”
Count Palantz’s armor was sliced open, and blood gushed from his chest. He barely retracted his body, gasping and looking stunned.
“How… how can you be…?”
Whether skills or strength, nothing about him matched the opponent. It was hard to believe that this young man had risen to such a level above him.
Ghislaine, with his red eyes glowing in the black energy, said:
“You’ve never really fought, have you?”
“What… what do you mean?”
“The rumors were true—you rose to Master status in a greenhouse without a real fight. It seems you didn’t even train properly afterward.”
“You brat…”
Count Palantz gritted his teeth in humiliation.
He had been exceptionally talented since childhood. Wasn’t that why he received the Dragon Heart from the royal family and became a master?
But it was true he had become complacent and neglected training. After all, he believed no one in the kingdom could beat him.
As a master who was one of only two in the kingdom, it was only natural. If he had known that superhumans would rise like this in turbulent times, he might have lived differently.
“Laziness has brought about this shame.”
Seeing Count Palantz’s distorted face, Ghislaine shook his head.
“That’s about Tenant’s level.”
Being a master didn’t mean he could be looked down upon so easily, but he surely wasn’t a match for the formidable foes he had faced till now.
The lack of real battle experience was painfully evident. Sitting in the glorious position of the royal knight commander, he had no doubt neglected his training.
“There’s nothing more to see. You can’t compare to Count Valzac. Speaking of which, even when I was looting goods, I reacted slower than Count Valzac.”
“Shut up!!! How dare you say that!”
Furious, Count Palantz lunged at Ghislaine once more. He poured every last ounce of his life force to unleash a massive aura blade.
Even if he had to die right now, he needed to wash away this humiliation.
Ghislaine, too, summoned more black energy and faced the incoming attack.
Boom!
An intense shockwave spread out, beginning to destroy the surroundings.
Crash!
Every time their swords clashed, and with every step they took, the ground cracked. A storm of mana erupted, threatening to engulf everything.
Onlookers struggled to even open their eyes as they pulled back in fear. They had no idea what would become of them if they got caught in that terrifying energy.
Boom! Boom!
Screech!
Ghislaine’s sword of black energy roared with greater intensity. He couldn’t help but stifle a laugh.
“Indeed, a master is a master.”
Count Palantz was drawing from his life force to the point his hair turned white. As he did this, the strength behind each strike was tremendous.
Just how tremendous…?
“My body is loosening up. Now, this is feeling more reasonable.”
“Shut up! You insolent fool!”
“A prideful man who isn’t even a true knight.”
“You brat!!!”
Count Palantz swung his sword wildly with a face twisted in rage.
He couldn’t prevent the king’s tyranny, instead helping it under the pretext of loyalty, leaving him with no words to rebut even after such humiliation.
In truth, Ghislaine didn’t consider him a knight. He was just a strong beast wearing the guise of one.
The two battled for quite a while. But it was obvious to anyone watching that Ghislaine had the upper hand.
Count Palantz, who was exhausting his life force, was tiring out at a faster rate than Ghislaine, who had amplified his strength.
Ultimately, Count Palantz, who was now sluggish and covered in wounds, crumbled.
“Guh… that brat…”
Collapsed, Count Palantz looked furious. Ghislaine slowly brought his sword to his neck.
“After spending all that energy before you die, you won’t have any regrets, right?”
“How dare you… the royal knight commander… this traitor…”
Ghislaine said to the white-haired Count Palantz, who was glaring at him.
“What a waste of the Dragon Heart. You!”
Swish!
In an instant, Count Palantz’s head flew off. His eyes were still twisted in rage.
The royal knights watched Count Palantz’s rolling head and bowed their heads. The royal guard, following the commander’s orders, dropped their weapons and laid down on the floor.
“Arrest everyone. We’ll investigate and punish or recount as per their crimes.”
At Ghislaine’s words, the Penris soldiers boldly marched forward and tied them all up.
Immediately, cheers erupted from the crowd.
“Wow! As expected of Count Penris!”
“The royal knight commander was no match!”
“Count Penris is the strongest!”
Those who had witnessed the magnificent spectacle cheered as if they had won themselves.
Bishop Porisco approached Ghislaine, emitting divine power.
“I will heal you, Count.”
“No need; I’m not injured.”
“Ah, just accept it quietly. You look good right now. You really fight well. I thought you would win.”
Porisco whispered with a kind smile. The image of the victorious hero being healed by the priest was indeed a fine scene.
As two figures rumored to be saints stood together, the cheers of the crowd grew even louder.
With Count Palantz now down, there was no one left to block their path. Ghislaine and the Penris knights boldly entered the royal castle.
Most people in the castle had already fled. Those who couldn’t escape were all lying face down on the floor.
Ghislaine ignored them and headed straight for the king’s quarters.
Boom!
He simply kicked the door in, and a terrified Berhem had hidden behind his attendants. Marquis Domont stood beside Berhem with a solemn expression.
After briefly scanning them, Ghislaine said,
“Marquis Domont, I’ve heard you summoned the Salvation Society.”
“It was to treat His Majesty. It was also his command.”
“Don’t make excuses. Do you think I don’t realize your ambition to seize power at the opportunity?”
“…”
“You’ve enjoyed it for a brief time, so you must not have any regrets.”
Hidden beneath the king’s tyranny, Marquis Domont had wielded incredible power alongside the king.
He not only received territories but had also embezzled state finances into his family’s wealth. He was the one who orchestrated the siphoning off of military supplies.
He had become a noble with immense power that he had long desired. Though it was merely a fleeting dream.
But once the military force to support that power vanished, the power dissolved into thin air.
Marquis Domont hadn’t truly expected to crumble so easily. Up until the duke family arrived, he believed the kingdom’s army would fight properly.
With a trembling voice, Marquis Domont said,
“I surrender. Please judge me through a proper trial and procedure.”
“A proper trial? Procedure?”
Ghislaine looked incredulous. Where was there any talk of a proper trial and procedure? He had already filled the capital’s high judges and all the officials with his own people.
Most of them had already fled. It was impossible to think of a trial or anything else.
As Ghislaine approached Marquis Domont, he said,
“You’re pulling tricks now that it’s time to die. Did you create this mess through proper procedures in this country?”
“You’re a traitor too!”
“That’s right. What do you expect from a traitor?”
“…But now, it’s all over, isn’t it? As a noble of the kingdom, you should uphold the law.”
“Sure, if you want it that way, I’ll give you a trial.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Ghislaine grabbed Marquis Domont’s neck.
“Ugh!”
“As commander of the Northern Army, I’ll execute you on the spot according to military law.”
Siphoning off supplies meant for the army was enough reason to punish him. And as commander, he had the right to execute punishments in wartime.
“Ugh… wait! You are the commander of the Northern Army, not the—”
Thunk!
Before Marquis Domont could finish his sentence, Ghislaine’s sword pierced through his abdomen.
“Cough…”
Seeing Marquis Domont dropping blood, Berhem screamed.
“Chamberlain! Chamberlain!”
Crawling over, Berhem checked Marquis Domont’s body. But Marquis Domont had already turned into a cold corpse.
Shaking in fear, he watched Ghislaine, who stood with a bloodied sword.
Berhem could no longer rage as he once did. The only thing he could do was plead.
“L-Let me live. Don’t kill me. I’ll forgive the treason.”
“…”
“I-I’ll give you the title of Duke and the land of the royal family.”
“…”
As Ghislaine quietly stared at him, Berhem panicked and exclaimed.
“I’ll give you all the royal treasures! I’m saying I’ll give you whatever you want!”
Ghislaine didn’t respond but glanced over at Bishop Porisco. Porisco approached him with hurried steps.
“Listen well, tyrant!”
“What?”
“I, Bishop Porisco of the Juana Sect in the Ruthania Kingdom, speak on behalf of all priests still in the capital!”
“What… What do you mean…?”
Berhem looked dumbfounded.
All the priests in the capital had either fled or been captured and killed. Why was he saying he represented all the sect’s priests?
Berhem had never imagined Porisco would still be here.
With a solemn expression, Porisco continued.
“The archbishops and bishops from the four major sects in the capital have unanimously decided to strip you of your claim to the throne and excommunicate you! You are no longer a king!”
Porisco was the only priest remaining in the capital. So even if he claimed to be head bishop, it was not wrong.
The head bishops of the sects had also fled, so there was no one to argue against Porisco’s claim.
‘I’m happy.’
He had finally taken the seat of the archbishop that he had longed for and had once failed to obtain. The same went for the title of saint.
He could truly be regarded as a model of human victory.
With the declaration of revoking the king’s rights, Berhem raged in wrath.
“Who do you think you are to take my rights away! I am the king! I am the king!”
Porisco didn’t want to get into a shouting match.
“The heavenly right to rule came from the heavens, and the tyrant must repent before the goddess! This is a matter recognized by all the sects! The new king will be Marquis Perdium!”
“Shut up! I cannot accept this!”
The four major sects were religions that ruled the continent. The sects had the authority to excommunicate a tyrant king and strip him of his rights.
While it was just nominal authority and often went unmentioned, it became incredibly useful in situations like the current one.
It could provide strong justification for Zvalter, who had instigated the rebellion.
Porisco looked down at Berhem as he flailed and couldn’t help but sneer.
‘What can you do?’
The scales of power had already tipped. There was nothing Berhem could do now.
Realizing this, Berhem immediately grabbed Ghislaine’s pant leg and wailed.
“Let me live! Just spare my life! I don’t want to die like this! I want to live even as a slave!”
The gruesome display made Ghislaine furrow his brow. Was this for the sake of a man who had caused so much trouble for Marquis Branford and the other nobles?
He understood the desire to want to live. However, the sins he had committed were far too great.
For the new era to take shape, Berhem needed to die now. The king of the old era was merely an obstacle.
But before that, there was something he wanted to ask.
Slowly pulling out a necklace, Ghislaine spoke.
“Tell me about the Shadow Knight Group. Also, about this sacred relic.”
Even if he was to kill him, he wanted to satisfy his curiosity a little.
