Barbarian in a Failed Game

Chapter 072: Rebellion (4)

“Hmm, that one over there? The barbarian the Duke mentioned.”

“Yes, that’s right. The very same barbarian who spread the curse in the North, known in Al-Lorenze as the Executioner. There are rumors that he’s the culprit.”

“Such a grand nickname. It sounds somewhat familiar… Oh, isn’t Sir Alvaro from that place? Do you know anything?”

“…No.”

“Quite stoic.”

“Enough with the idle chatter. It seems they are also prepared for something.”

Sir Rodrigo, who was informally regarded as the leader among the Duke’s knights, stopped the frivolous talk among them.

Though he was of relatively small stature and slim build, it was evident from the subtle respect the other knights afforded him that they considered him a formidable figure.

“Tsk. That fellow has grown stronger.”

Sir Martin, who had been teasing Alvaro from Al-Lorenze with a light tone, clicked his tongue briefly.

Until just a few weeks ago, they were knights of a marquess, but they had since become known as the Royal Guards of the Duchy of Elpellan. However, that hadn’t made them any stronger.

Of course, they did receive better treatment and higher-quality equipment-.

“If they’re at this level, perhaps even the true Royal Guards of the royal family would have to step aside.”

But the seasoned knight, who had served the Duke for half a century, exhibited an entirely different level of ferocity, as if he was a different person. Even before, he was considered one of the strongest among the Duke’s knights, but now he was simply in a different league.

Swallowing his doubts about the old knight, Martin turned his attention to the immediate situation.

Sir Rodrigo was approaching their target.

“As if to prove he’s the devil’s underling. You made quite the spectacle, barbarian… Still, if you surrender now, the Duke has promised mercy. He said he would forgive you if you reversed the curse you spread in the North.”

“What a generous mercy.”

Despite the clear sarcasm, Rodrigo didn’t show much reaction.

Martin thought it resembled a quiet fury. Cold and refined…

This loyal old knight wasn’t one to let insults to his lord slide with such grace.

“You refuse then.”

“You came here intending to do this from the start, didn’t you?”

The barbarian turned out to have a sharp tongue, which surprised Martin so much that he unwittingly whistled.

He immediately received a stern look from Rodrigo and had to nod in acknowledgment.

“So… What will you do? It doesn’t quite seem fitting for a knight of your stature to draw your sword first in such a situation.”

Cough, cough. After clearing his throat, Martin raised Rodrigo’s pride.

It wasn’t entirely flattery; knights typically put their honor and lord’s commands first and despised the idea of a disorganized rush to fight.

Especially after becoming the Duke’s Royal Guards, this tendency had grown stronger.

‘Hmm, who will step forward first? Himes is a cunning one, so he’ll wait. Perhaps Pedro or Flora, who pride themselves on their honor, might….’

“If possible, I would like to step forward. Sir Rodrigo.”

“Alvaro, you?”

Not only Rodrigo but also Martin showed surprise at Alvaro’s sudden willingness to fight.

After losing his lord in a mysterious incident and loyally serving his lord’s first wife, who eventually joined the ducal family, Alvaro had become a Royal Guard almost by default.

Yet, he had remained quiet, only involving himself in matters concerning the Duke’s first wife, until he suddenly expressed a desire to fight.

“You’re certainly capable. But don’t be careless. There’s no telling what kind of deceitful trickery he might use.”

“…There won’t be any. Not from me, at least.”

As Rodrigo’s brows furrowed with further doubt, the barbarian, who had been silently watching the exchange, spoke up.

“I wouldn’t call you cowards for attacking all at once.”

“Still as insolent as ever. Disgusting barbarian.”

“Do you know me? Because I’ve never seen a tin can quite like you before.”

“…Even your cheeky tongue is just the same as before.”

Wait, do they actually know each other? Martin quickly realized that this barbarian from Al-Lorenze, the Executioner, had a connection to Alvaro.

And it was a connection that seemed rather significant.

“Draw your weapon, barbarian. I will kill you and offer your head to our lord’s grave.”

“…Though I have no idea whose grave you’re talking about, I’ll just say it’s impossible.”

“Charge─!”

Even from a distance, the chilling hostility was so intense Martin flinched in alarm.

It seemed the other knights felt the same way. Then, the barbarian lifted an axe in his hand, and Alvaro vanished from sight. He moved that quickly.

With a thud, Alvaro, his body strengthened by the aura, appeared right in front of the barbarian. Martin was surprised that Alvaro had been hiding his full strength and was utterly shocked by what followed.

“Is this the power of a demon…?!”

Flora, the only female knight among the dukes’, exclaimed with a strained voice, and Martin nearly found himself nodding in agreement.

Incredibly, the barbarian managed to block Alvaro’s aura-wrapped sword with just an axe and without showing any sign of strain. In fact, he counteracted with a twist of the axe handle, easily diverting the sword.

“Gasp!”

However, Alvaro, revealing his full power, was not to be underestimated.

With a twist of his wrist, he blocked the barbarian’s maneuver and, wrapping his gauntlet with aura, swung it like a whip. Boom!

A heavy shockwave followed, pushing the barbarian back, leaving a long furrow in his wake.

There, Alvaro slashed down with his sword, far too distant for a normal strike, but for an aura-imbued knight, it was well within reach.

The aura stretched forth, directly aiming at the barbarian, its size so large that Martin, watching from behind, was taken aback.

‘Impressive.’

It was an honest admiration. Even Martin himself couldn’t have managed such a powerful aura strike in such a short time. The barbarian, even with demon powers, seemed to be at his end….

“Ah, I remember now.”

That’s when the barbarian, wearing a strange smile on his face, spoke up.

“The one who prattled about truth and got beaten down by the Guild Master.”

“Shut─up─!”

It was a storm of aura. The currents of aura emanating from Alvaro’s enraged sword seemed like they would completely swallow up the barbarian.

For a race unable to wield mana, this was akin to a death sentence.

The barbarian’s response was straightforward. Swinging his axe with all his might several times, he fended off the aura.

It was unclear to Martin how that was even possible, but it seemed like a trivial matter for the barbarian.

“You did improve a bit, didn’t you? Last time you were utterly pathetic.”

Alvaro responded to the blatant mockery with another surge of aura.

But it was different this time. The aura around Alvaro’s sword formed a vortex, gradually shaping into a massive greatsword, at least twice his size.

This time, the barbarian couldn’t simply stand and take it, opting to retreat.

The giant aura greatsword smashed into the ground, leaving a deep scar and charged directly towards the barbarian.

Scrunch. Crash──!!

A series of sounds too grand to be believed to be made by a human-crafted sword echoed.

Armour crumpling and rocks shattering under the consecutive sword strikes left the barbarian helpless and completely on the defensive.

“It’s more underwhelming than expected. To think a servant of demons, a barbarian, would be this challenging. Is Sir Alvaro that strong.”

“Indeed. To think Sir Alvaro was this powerful. I doubt I could have lasted long.”

The upright Flora and the sly Himes discussed loudly, prompting Martin to shake his head.

‘That’s not it.’

Alvaro, at his full power, is strong. But the movements of the barbarian were also beyond ordinary.

Martin watched the duel between the two superhumans with a serious gaze.

Crack! Boom─!

The barbarian, with agility belying his size, dodged all of Alvaro’s strikes, reducing the impact with a diagonally held axe and leveraging the push to regain distance.

Then, pulling a dagger from his belt and throwing it, despite the unstable posture, he accurately aimed for a seam in the armor.

Though Alvaro blocked it with his aura greatsword, rendering it ineffective, Martin paid attention to the barbarian’s throwing technique.

‘Barbarians are usually said to rely on superior physical capabilities or instinctual combat skills alone. But this one…’

The ability to minimize impact by fitting the axe into the path of the sword strikes with improvised skill and precision. And above all-.

“This should surprise him too. Though defeating him seems unlikely.”

“Arghhh─!”

What surprised him most was the barbarian’s cunning tongue.

Having heard that most barbarian could barely speak, this one provocatively taunted Alvaro in fluent kingdom language.And how terribly sharp-tongued he was, it made one wonder if it was really Alvaro, known for his lack of emotional disturbance, reacting so violently.

“What should I do…?”

Martin caressed the sword hanging at his waist, wetting his lips.

“It’s more sluggish than I thought. The barbarian’s party doesn’t seem inclined to make a move either… I don’t know what they’re plotting, but I hate how this is dragging on…”

“Cough!”

Despite his efforts to suppress it, a moan that couldn’t be held back caught Martin’s attention. It had burst out from Alvaro’s mouth.

Alvaro, stepping back hesitantly, had a dent in the chest plate of his armor.

It was the result of Khan’s fist, striking precisely in a moment of vulnerability, as he continued to attack, carried away by his emotions.

“Damn, that’s tough.”

Martin thought he didn’t understand the extent of the barbarity of his own action.

The armor that knights equip offers significant protection in itself.

Even a normal spear or sword could hardly produce more than a slight shock against it.

Moreover, knights who had reached a certain level could thinly coat their armor with aura.

Already sturdy, the armor under the protection of aura became an absolute fortress.

Above all, all the knights of the Duke were wearing armor engraved with protective spells.

He had crushed it with his bare fists?

It wasn’t something that could be done simply with a strong physique.

Even the great warriors of the Black Wing Duke and the famed Green-skin brutes would find it difficult.

‘The power of a demon…!’

Yes. That was clearly proof of borrowing the power of a demon!

Having been dubious up until now, Martin was now convinced that this barbarian truly was a minion of a demon.

Swoosh-.

There was no room to worry about a one-on-one duel or the honor of a knight.

Martin may have been mediocre in both swordsmanship and physical training among the knights of the Duke, but the area he was confident in was fully revealed.

Martin, who had been watching the situation from a distance, unknowingly stepped forward.

With aura exploding from beneath his soles, Martin’s form accelerated instantly, appearing behind Alvaro, who was being pushed back by the impact.

It was an insane acceleration. Martin closed the distance in an instant, following the motion he had prepared and thrust his sword forward.

Having realized the presence of an intruder to the duel, Alvaro tried to say something, but Martin’s sword was much faster.

‘I’ll take at least one of his arms!’

As usual for minions of demons, when cornered, they resort to desperation, calling on their master for strength. Martin aimed to gain the maximum advantage from the initial surprise.

Martin’s sword stabbed forward with explosive speed. The barbarian, seemingly unable to react, was in the midst of swinging his axe at Alvaro.

It was a success. Martin cheered within the accelerated time.

“Just as I thought. Honorless tin cans.”

What? Martin had no time to react.

Suddenly, a bright light exploded from below. Before he could realize it was a magic circle, an intangible force shoved Martin strongly, causing the trajectory of his sword to veer off, piercing empty air.

Bang─.

The after-sound followed belatedly.

Without even a moment to feel dismayed, Martin twisted his waist, planning to strike the barbarian down from mid-air.

“Watch out there.”

Then, the barbarian smirked vilely.

Martin swung his sword in a large arc, not at the barbarian, but toward his own side. Clang…!

It was a throwing spear. Despite being reinforced with aura or a magical device, his hand went numb.

Martin instinctively stared in the direction the spear came from, but swiftly realized it was already too late to turn his attention back to the barbarian.

“Let’s see how you like the taste of an evil axe.”

The sight filled between the openings of his helmet, the barbarian’s axe was right in front of Martin’s nose.

There was no scream. A sound similar to chopping wood was heard, and the barbarian’s axe deeply embedded into Martin’s face, turning the knight of the Duke’s Royal Guard into nothing more than an axe stand.

“……”

“……”

The knights watched the scene with dumbfounded eyes.

The barbarian let out a scoff at the fervent stares.

“Is it because it’s a demon’s axe? The performance is exceptional.”