Episode 52: The Scheme (2)
”…This is what happened today.”
Olivia recounted everything that had transpired to the two men.
“Brother…”
Abel looked at Damian with a face full of fear. The count and the middle class had joined forces, targeting Damian’s life.
“We need to flee immediately. If we stay here, your life is in danger!”
Unlike the panicked Abel, Damian remained calm.
“Jacques Noir… I had a bad feeling about him from the start. I didn’t expect him to pull a stunt like this.”
Things had seemed to be going smoothly, but Jacques Noir had thrown a wrench in the works.
“The Copperhead Count is no different from his past self. To think he’d resort to murder just for the benefit of his family.”
It was clear now that his seemingly good nature was all an act. In reality, he was a ruthless man willing to do anything for his family’s gain. He was even more despicable than Damian had heard in his previous life.
“How should I handle this?”
Honestly, Jacques Noir wasn’t much of a concern. He might be a tricky opponent, but Damian was confident he wouldn’t lose.
“If I kill Jacques Noir, it’ll become a huge hassle.”
Currently, Damian was known as a prodigy who had reached the level of a low-class swordsman in just a short time. If he were to defeat a middle-class opponent now, rumors would spread that he’d reached that level in mere months. The world would become a bothersome place for Damian Haxen.
“But how do they plan to kill me? They don’t have a method, do they?”
Even if they taught him techniques, mastering them would take time, and even with elixirs, absorption would take days. If they had a way to defeat Damian Haxen in just one day…
“It must be black magic.”
Unlike other forms of magic, black magic was specialized in such things—cursing others, causing disease, and bringing misfortune. There was nothing quite like black magic for killing or ruining someone.
Since Jacques Noir, a knight, wouldn’t know black magic, he would likely use a magic tool imbued with it.
“If they’re planning to use black magic… there’s no need for me to engage them directly, is there?”
There were those in this world who despised black magic and would erase it on sight.
“I’m also curious about the mana cultivation technique Jacques Noir promised to hand over to the count.”
Damian was currently researching to create his own mana cultivation technique. If he could get his hands on the technique used by a master class, his research would progress much faster.
“We’re not running away.”
“What?”
Abel exclaimed in surprise at Damian’s words.
“Brother, Jacques Noir is a middle-class swordsman! Even for you…”
“Don’t worry. I have a plan.”
Damian said with a smirk. Abel still looked uneasy.
“I’m going out for a bit. You stay here and comfort the lady.”
“What?”
“She must be quite shaken after hearing all that talk about killing. She’ll need some comfort.”
“Are you serious?”
Abel asked, glancing at Olivia. She wore an expression that seemed to say, “What nonsense is this?”
“Sniff… It was so scary.”
But when Damian gave her a look, she immediately started pretending to cry.
“My lady…”
Abel was at a loss for what to do.
Leaving the two behind, Damian stepped outside and called toward the adjacent tent.
“Victor, are you awake?”
“No, sir. I’m coming out now.”
Victor emerged from the tent, yawning.
“What can I do for you, sir?”
“I need you to do me a favor.”
“At this late hour?”
“Yes, you’re the only one who can do it.”
Damian whispered something into Victor’s ear. Victor’s eyes widened in shock.
The final day of the jousting tournament dawned.
The stands were more crowded than usual, with even some nobles standing at the back due to a lack of seats. It was no wonder—the last event was the team competition, the most popular of the tournament.
“Now, let me explain the rules for today’s match!”
A knight from the Copperhead Count’s house shouted to the knights in the waiting area.
“This team competition will be different from before. It will be conducted as an individual match!”
The participants began to murmur among themselves at the knight’s announcement. The team competition had been changed to an individual match, breaking the usual rules. Such a match could easily become tedious, so both participants and spectators were curious about the reason behind the change.
Soon, most people realized the intention.
“The one who defeats the most competitors will be the winner of this tournament!”
The knights rolled their eyes, scanning the other competitors.
“How blatant.”
Damian thought, sensing the hostility directed at him from all the knights. Some exchanged glances, and it wasn’t hard for Damian to guess their plan.
“So, they’ve formed an alliance to take me down?”
It was an unfair tactic, but Damian had no intention of reporting it. A few knights joining forces wouldn’t be enough to stop him. Unless they all teamed up, that is.
“The match will begin soon. Prepare yourselves.”
The knights gathered their weapons and mounted their horses. Damian took the lance Victor handed him and mounted his horse.
“Let’s do our best today.”
He patted the horse, which snorted in response.
“Then… let the match begin!”
The doors of the waiting area opened, and the knights charged into the arena.
The knights spread out across the field.
“Go, go! You can do it!”
“Sir Alonso! Show them the might of the Alter Barony!”
“Damian Haxen! You can do it!”
The crowd cheered enthusiastically for the knights. But the knights had no time to acknowledge the cheers, their faces tense as they eyed each other.
“Now, who will come at me first?”
Damian scanned the knights’ gazes and killing intent. Then, he noticed something strange.
Most of the knights were glaring directly at him.
”…Huh?”
Even Damian couldn’t help but be taken aback.
“Let the final match begin!”
As soon as the count’s voice rang out, the knights charged at Damian from all directions.
Watching the knights close in from all sides, Damian let out a dry laugh.
“I didn’t expect them to actually form an alliance.”
Technically, not every knight had conspired together. Groups of knights who were already acquainted had formed alliances of five or six. The problem was that all these alliances had the same target: Damian Haxen.
“Isn’t it a bit disgraceful for knights to act like this?”
Damian taunted, but the knights showed no shame.
“If we let you win, we’ll be mocked for just standing by!”
“It’s better to do this than to be ridiculed for letting you win!”
Damian’s overwhelming performance had left little room for the other knights to shine. Some nobles had even mocked the knights, calling them wooden puppets. For this reason, the knights had decided to swallow their pride and target Damian Haxen.
“We can’t let you take first place in this tournament!”
“I swear on the honor of the Malta family, I’ll hinder you!”
“I vow on the name of the Saintroller Viscountcy to bring you down!”
The knights closed in, weapons raised. Blades rained down from all sides.
“Shouting your family names while doing this… Have they all lost their minds?”
Damian clicked his tongue inwardly.
“Well, at least this makes it interesting.”
He let go of the reins, but it didn’t matter. Damian could control the horse with his mind alone.
“Let’s go!”
The horse kicked off the ground, charging toward the weakest point in the encirclement.
“Damian Haxen is coming!”
“Knock him off his horse!”
The knights brandished their lances. The sight of armored knights charging was intimidating.
Unlike Damian, who was lightly dressed, the knights wore full armor. They also wielded long lances, unlike Damian’s short one. A collision would clearly favor the knights.
But Damian didn’t stop. Instead, he urged his horse to go even faster.
Two days of riding had deepened his understanding of the horse’s body and the concept of ‘man and horse as one.’ Thanks to this, Damian could now perform another feat.
He infused the horse with magic. The magic strengthened the horse’s muscles, leaving clear hoofprints on the ground with each step.
“Huh? What the…?”
“Whoa, whoa!”
The knights’ faces filled with confusion at the unusual sight.
“Stop…!”
With a thunderous crash, the knights and their horses were sent flying. The knights tumbled to the ground.
“Ugh… What on earth is that horse…?”
“We must… stop Damian Haxen…”
The impact was so shocking that the other knights forgot they were in a match, staring at Damian Haxen.
“Th-that…”
“How on earth…?”
Then, the horse carrying Damian turned around. It pawed at the ground with its hooves, like a bull ready to charge.
“Th-that…”
“Surely not…”
A sense of foreboding filled the knights’ minds.
Sure enough, the horse charged at the knights once more.
“Dodge!”
“Don’t face it head-on!”
The knights scattered in a panic, but the horse moved faster than they could flee.
“Aaah!”
“Ugh!”
With a thunderous crash, three more knights and their horses were sent flying.
“Here it comes again!”
Every time Damian Haxen charged, knights were thrown off their horses, tumbling to the ground.
“Surround him! Don’t give him any space! If you do, he’ll charge again!”
One knight, thinking quickly, tried to block Damian’s path to prevent another charge.
But this time, the horse ducked its head and rammed forward, sending the knight sprawling to the ground with his horse.
“I’ve got him from behind!”
A knight appeared behind Damian, but the horse kicked out with its hind legs, sending the knight flying with a blow to his breastplate.
“What on earth is that…?”
A knight who had fallen early in the chaos muttered from where he lay on the ground.
“It’s not a horse; it’s a monster.”
Indeed, the horse Damian rode seemed more like a beast, rampaging with incredible speed and power. Its massive size, typical of a warhorse, only added to its intimidating presence.
The knights couldn’t even swing their weapons at Damian; they were simply knocked aside by the horse.
As a result, within less than an hour of the jousting tournament’s start, most of the knights had been eliminated.
“Wow! Damian! Damian!”
The nobles cheered, calling out Damian’s name. Though many jousting tournaments had been held, none had seen such a display of horsemanship, and the crowd was ecstatic.
Damian halted his horse, basking in the adulation.
“Sometimes, this kind of attention isn’t so bad, is it?” he asked, patting the horse’s head. The horse seemed to understand, nodding its head up and down.
But not all the knights had been defeated.
“Damian Haxen!”
A voice rang out from one of the remaining knights, amplified by magic to echo across the entire arena. The nobles in the stands fell silent, turning to look at the knight who had shouted.
“I am Jackson Cutter, the Monster Slayer!”
The knight pointed his longsword at Damian Haxen as he spoke.
Damian looked at Jackson Cutter, a smirk playing on his lips.
“So, you’re finally stepping up.”
He turned his horse to face Jackson Cutter, who continued to shout.
“Others may not know, but I do! I know what a scoundrel you were in the past!”
Damian was taken aback by the unexpected accusation. Was Jackson out of his mind, hurling insults in such a public setting?
“I don’t know how you managed to improve your skills, but your arrogance is disgusting!”
Jackson Cutter raised his weapon high.
“I, Jackson Cutter, the Monster Slayer, will expose your true nature!”
‘This is my last chance.’
As he charged on horseback, Jackson Cutter thought to himself.
‘Today, I will defeat Damian Haxen and earn my fame!’
Though he felt ashamed that it wasn’t his own skill, Jackson Cutter pushed the thought aside. If he could just get revenge on Damian Haxen, he was willing to cast aside his pride.
‘I’ll make you pay for underestimating me!’
Jackson Cutter swung his sword, aiming for Damian Haxen’s face.
Just before the blade could connect, Damian turned his head, effortlessly dodging the attack and grabbing Jackson Cutter’s wrist.
More precisely, he grabbed the bracelet on Jackson’s wrist.
“So it was dark magic after all.”
Jackson Cutter’s blood ran cold at those words.
“W-what are you talking about…?”
Damian squeezed, and the bracelet shattered. Black magic burst forth, visible to all.
The spectators’ eyes widened in shock.
“Dark magic!”
They cried out in horror.
At that moment, hooded figures rose from the audience.
They leaped over the stands and descended into the arena, pulling back their hoods to reveal pristine white uniforms.
The crowd gasped again, recognizing them.
“They’re paladins of the Order!”