#When they returned, the family was ruined (88)
Nearly four hundred knights gathered at the Great Hall. They were thrilled by the sight before their eyes.
‘What the hell is this…’
What happened?
Even though I witnessed it with my own eyes, my mind did not accept this fact.
No, to put it a little more precisely.
I couldn’t accept it.
The sight before my eyes was so shocking.
Thirty of the best knights from the five collateral families rushed at him, and in less than ten minutes, they were all lying on the floor of the training hall.
And that too with my eyes closed. The same was true for Rayman, the leader of the 1st Division, who rushed forward with confidence.
A peacock standing alone.
His feet were exactly in the same position as before. The knights were completely subdued without even moving a single step.
A grand dance hall filled with silence.
The recently recruited knights of the 5 collateral families were trembling as they looked at the duke.
Sky above sky.
He really was like that.
“Attack everyone. “I will give you my life.”
When the duke said those words.
How much I internally laughed at him, calling him arrogant and mad.
But those feelings have long since disappeared as if washed away.
‘The duke…’
was never an arrogant person.
He only showed actions that he could show because he fully understood his own abilities, not out of petty pride.
At this moment, the knights gathered in the Great Hall fully recognized the duke.
And I completely understood what he said.
“You guys are so lucky.”
It was like that.
They were really very lucky.
Skills and talents.
These two things made it possible to serve as a lord a man of incomparable heights.
Ethan looked at Nerian.
The leader of the Dragon Slayer Order.
He was a knight who fully understood his actions.
“Get these guys away.”
“ancient!”
Nerian responded vigorously and moved the dragon slayer to pull the stunned knights away.
“next.”
With that said.
The dragon slayers, including Nerian, began to surround Ethan.
As before, the number of people was thirty.
The dragon slayer’s eyes were shining brightly.
‘This time, the head of the family…!’
Having Ethan in the circle and making him move his steps even once.
This was one of the familiar training methods for them.
The knights, including Nerian, strengthened their resolve.
Although there has never been a single success so far.
So, if you go into battle thinking you will fail, the head of the household will be surprised.
“Do you know what the most important thing in battle is?”
“That’s guts.”
“So, always walk around with your chest proud.”
Words thrown out casually.
However, the Dragon Slayers fully understood how important these proverbs contained.
Because that’s what it was.
The momentum of the Dragon Slayer was not abating at all.
“Let’s begin.”
The moment Ethan finished speaking.
Just like before, the thirty-year-old knight started rushing towards him.
* * *
Boom!
bang!
The knights, including Rayman, began to open their eyes one by one due to the harsh noise coming from around them.
The knights frowned at the throbbing pain in their necks.
‘What happened… Ah!’
Soon, a memory came to their minds.
Duke of Ethan.
Everyone attacked him together.
Soon, the knights, including the 1st Division, began to fall, and the battle came to an end when Rayman, who had held on until the last moment, closed his eyes.
The knights swallowed their saliva.
Duke of Ethan.
He didn’t take a single step.
‘…It didn’t move.’
Overwhelming skill difference.
It was to the point where I thought that the phrase “sky above the sky” was a perfect fit.
Soon the knights turned their gaze towards the source of the noise.
There, as before, thirty knights were fighting against the duke.
‘…Dragon Slayer?’
Knights whose entire bodies were uniformly dressed in black equipment. The authors were a ‘real’ dragon slayer who had previously learned their skills from the duke.
Even though their reputation has been skyrocketing in recent years.
All the knights who attacked Ethan were implicitly ignoring them.
Starting with Baron Kargath.
At best, the main personnel were just people recruited from self-authorship.
Baron and Viscount.
And even the count.
Titles among nobles were not given out for nothing.
Starting from the size of the territory that belongs to each title, to the number and quality of knights.
It wouldn’t be strange to say that it was on a completely different level in every aspect. Even though I learned the technology from the Archduke, I thought there was no way the essential level would change.
however.
The sight I see now is completely different from what I expected.
‘Obviously…’
Clearly, the dragon slayer who was facing the archduke in front of them was not that big of a level difference from them.
Some knights had such low mana that they thought they could overpower them.
nevertheless.
The knights opposing the duke were continuing a tense battle.
A sword strike that flows like water.
The thirty knights supported each other as if they were one body, and as their attacks continued, the Duke’s hands and feet were moving quite dizzyingly.
The duke’s face was decidedly different.
Unlike the ones where they knocked themselves out and knocked them out as if they had no interest or fun.
The current duke was swinging his sword with a smile on his face as if he was quite happy.
Sum of ten.
Twenty sum.
The skirmish continued.
While the fallen knights were frantically examining the scene.
The knights of the Dragon Slayer fell to the floor one by one.
However, even as they fell, the venom in their eyes did not go away one bit.
I tried to swing my sword even once more, as if I was going to somehow make the duke’s feet move.
Looking at that scene.
The knights felt ashamed.
How were they?
The duke’s overwhelming ability made them panic, like a flock of sheep attacked by a tiger, and they moved their hands and feet dizzyingly before falling down.
‘A real dragon slayer….’
They were different.
If only they were a flock of sheep.
The dragon slayer was like a pack of wolves.
A pack of wolves baring their teeth and growling while looking at a lake much larger than themselves.
It was a very different appearance from when he was intoxicated with his own strength and boasted that he was superior among the flock of sheep.
‘…That’s why.’
The knights remembered the duke’s question.
“Are you satisfied with your own skills?”
“It’s not enough. “It’s not enough.”
The reason the duke answered that way.
And the reason why they are now showing them another sparring match.
I had no choice but to realize it for sure.
‘Clumsy conceit.’
So that we can completely shatter it and think about ourselves once again.
The duke had given him an opportunity.
Rayman held his sword tightly.
‘…It was truly insufficient and foolish.’
What followed immediately was a desire for strength.
‘…I said it was a dragon slayer sword.’
If only they could continue their training under the duke while learning it.
Thus, if you gain a deeper understanding of strength and technique.
I didn’t know if I could move towards a better state.
No, I will move on.
If you train under a master like that, it would be rather strange not to be able to move up.
After the sparring was over.
Ethan, who still hadn’t moved a single step, approached the thirty knights.
The duke looked into the eyes of the knights, including Rayman, and smiled.
“The eyes look more useful than before.”
“….”
I lowered my face in shame for a moment. The knights raised their heads and looked at the duke.
“…I understand what the Duke meant. “I’m sorry about earlier.”
“done. Come out to the grand banquet hall tomorrow. “We will conduct joint training.”
“…yes!”
The knights’ eyes sparkled.
Duke of Ethan.
New lord.
Because he accepted them.
* * *
Boom!
bang!
The sound of swords clashing rang out through the grand banquet hall.
Myers.
He looked at Ethan while holding his sword and shield.
He smiled bitterly.
‘…I thought I had grown to some extent.’
It certainly was.
Nerian is a 6-star knight and the leader of the Dragon Slayer Order.
Even during his attacks, he was able to not only defend himself but occasionally deliver sharp blows through his shield.
It was an achievement achieved by reaching the end of Iron Man, the second stage in the cycle.
But why?
Are you saying that you can’t even see any gaps in the older brother in front of you?
Despite being praised by those around him for having a natural talent for shielding.
Ethan’s attacks were always difficult to block or avoid.
Huh!
The moment the great sword passed by.
As if brushing his hair wasn’t enough, a solid line appeared on his forehead.
‘My brother was really…’
a monster.
It seemed like he couldn’t express his brother’s talent with any praise he could think of.
At that time, the great sword was thrown out once again. Myers hastily raised his shield.
A huge shield covered in a thick layer of flame.
bang!
The moment when the dark red flames overlaid on the shield collided with the pure white flames.
Myers was sweating profusely.
A strange feeling, as if my soul was being sucked out.
It was a sensation I felt every time the white and black flames collided.
“Keep your wits about you and keep your spark.”
Myers quickly nodded at his brother’s cold words. He raised black flames like crazy.
‘Cleanup operation.’
This was a sparring match, but it was also a piece of work. Work to turn dark red black salt into pure flame.
It wasn’t just the two people clashing swords.
Four hundred dragon slayers.
Because they were all engaged in one-on-one sparring, which was part of the ‘joint training’ routine.
Myers looked at his black flame.
Within the past week.
The dark red flame was gradually fading in color.
Now, even if I recite the rhythm of my breath and create flames, the dark red color is barely visible.
The power of white flame that purified even Theron’s black flame. It was fully demonstrated through a week of joint training.
“done.”
Ethan nodded.
If you purify your negative emotions to this extent.
Now you will be able to create pure flames even if you train yourself.
“Heo-eok… heo-eok.”
I handed a book to the guy who was sitting down and sweating profusely.
“This is the way you should practice from now on.”
“This is…”
“It’s a book that explains how to make white flame bloom. “Continue practicing by imagining pure fire in the way written in the book.”
Establishing the nature of fire in your own way.
It was an essential training method for Myers, who was just about to pass the second stage of the cycle.
“brother. “Are you going somewhere?”
Giving him a book so he could practice on his own meant that Ethan could be absent.
“maybe. I plan to restore my new sword. To do that, we will need to find the necessary materials.”
“…a new sword?”
“okay. Because it is rare to have a sword that can withstand white flames. “Someday, if you make white flame bloom, I will gift you a sword and shield.”
“…huh. “I’ll be training hard until then.”
Ethan nodded.
If the day came when this guy showed his anger, I felt like it would be a good idea to leave him behind.
That’s how much Myers has grown. Skills, attitude, and even height.
‘It must be well over 2m.’
As I watched it grow, it seemed like it would happen.
‘The maintenance of the knights has been completed to some extent.’
The techniques to be taught to the dragon slayers had already been prepared in a book. All they needed was time.
‘The same goes for urban development.’
From normalizing the duchy to the development of the city.
None of this was something that could be achieved overnight.
‘Still, at least the foundation has been laid.’
He laid the foundation for urban development by dispatching administrators to the territories of the 10 collateral families.
Officials flocking towards the duchy.
There are Frexian, Elena, and Sylvia who can be said to be masters of internal affairs.
‘I’ll take care of it.’
It was like I was able to take some time off.
Ethan returned to the office and immediately called Ilia and Melaisis.
The two wizards entered the office, and their eyes immediately fell on Ethan’s waist.
That’s because there was a tree branch hanging there that you don’t normally see.
That too for a while.
“…!”
The two wizards’ eyes widened.
It was an item that gave off only a very faint scent of mana.
That alone gave a surprisingly refreshing feeling.
At first glance, it was an unusual item.
“What is that?”
“It is the branch of the world tree and the handle of the sword.”
“…the handle of the sword?”
Ilya, who was tilting her head, asked with wide eyes.
“Are you sure you mean the handle of the divine sword Dranion?”
“okay.”
Divine sword Dranion.
What I had to do from now on was to find a way to restore this divine sword.