“Ah, don’t look at me with such a murderous gaze. Otherwise, I can’t guarantee that this old Duke won’t suffer a little.”
“Isn’t that right, Sir Grey Knight, or should I say—Sword Saint?”
In front of Wald, the black-robed freak let out a sinister cackle, his hand gripping the still-unconscious Duke Holz.
This situation is dire… Wald thought.
Just moments ago, the singing and dancing banquet was assaulted by cultists.
The castle’s magic circuits had been cut, plunging the entire manor into darkness.
The nobles present were left at a loss. No one had expected these cultists to be so brazen, launching a terror attack at the Second Prince’s banquet.
Not every noble possesses fighting prowess. Most of them simply need to learn how to manage their family; magic and martial skills are usually just hobbies.
Having great power is certainly beneficial—it lets you win more—but even without it, they remain respected lords and ladies.
A dozen black-robed figures had taken control of the hall. In the pitch dark, several noble ladies began to cry under the pressure, breaking down in sobs.
The space was too cramped. Whether it was Duke Holz or Wald, neither could unleash their full strength, restricted at every turn… Yet the black-robed assailants seemed made for such an environment.
Jack had no battle aura. With a soul too fragile, he didn’t even possess mana. His body was packed with alchemical prosthetics, powered by prepared magic crystals.
He’d set his own functions to the bare minimum to infiltrate, and every prosthetic was prepared for this very moment.
He bypassed Duke Holz’s psychic senses and took him hostage.
Second Prince Felix refused to give in, drawing his sword and meeting the cultists with his golden-level swordsmanship.
Though he too was eventually subdued, the nobles present all held a good impression of him.
To Wald, the situation was clear: the dignified Sword Saint was unable to act, while cultists mocked him right to his face.
“What exactly do you want?”
“My goal? Of course it’s just for fun. Why argue with a madman, Sir Grey Knight? I just love seeing you like this—clearly wanting to kill me, yet having no choice but to negotiate patiently.”
Wald was burning with anger.
He took a deep breath, fingers rubbing the ring tucked in his chest, regaining his composure.
That ring bore a prophecy spell.
El Regis was in no danger; Her Highness’s life-saving mechanism hadn’t been triggered. That was why, despite sensing the fierce battle outside the castle, he hadn’t gone to assist.
He had no idea what the Second Prince was scheming, to let cultists put on such a grand performance with him.
Wald knew that he simply needed to complete the mission given by Her Highness; best not to meddle in anything else.
Her Highness had foreseen that the Second Prince would make a move at the banquet, but she hadn’t expected him to make such a spectacle of it.
In that case, this cultist must have appeared solely to keep Wald busy, an elaborate distraction…
At this moment, the entire venue was under control, the cultists held all the advantage. The other nobles with the ability to resist dared not act rashly…
The ladies’ gentle sobs now became pitiful wails, making the tense atmosphere even more oppressive, reminding everyone that they were shrouded in the shadow of death.
A dozen black-robed figures stood by the hostages, cold and mechanical.
What now? As a knight, Wald wanted to protect everyone. But if the time really came, he’d have to abandon the fantasy of saving all the hostages. El Regis’s life held the highest priority.
Disperse.
He could only bet that the freak wouldn’t actually make a move.
He wasn’t Saoirse—he couldn’t gamble with human lives, nor could he calculate every move.
“What’s wrong, Grey Knight? Smile for me, why be so serious?”
Jack continued in his synthetic metallic voice.
Wald’s grip on his sword hilt tightened even further, already strong enough to crush stone, veins bulging.
Damn it, isn’t there any other way…
A pulse of magic surged, so fast that Wald could barely react.
In an instant, a deafening blast tore through everyone’s eardrums, so sharp and high-pitched that the whole world seemed to fall silent.
When everyone came to their senses, a bolt of lightning slashed through the hall, leaving a scorched black scar on the floor. The black-robed figures turned instantly into inky smoke.
“The feel’s not right… Seems your companions weren’t even real people.”
Karen’s right hand gripped a wolf-fang dagger, her entire body crackling with electricity, a wild grin on her lips.
The heir of the Duke of Fitziat… For a moment, Wald saw the shadow of that great duke.
Wald had heard that the Fitziat family produced a genius, and everyone had high hopes for him, hoping he’d rival the legendary “Thunder Grand Duke,” the “King’s Right Hand.”
Now, it seemed the rumors were true…
The situation had turned. Jack was now isolated and helpless. Karen’s intervention greatly eased the oppressive mood, reigniting hope in the nobles’ eyes.
Felix’s expression darkened, but no one could see it.
“Incredible. Even I couldn’t react in time. What was that move just now? Did time slow down? Was that the Eastern Grand Duke’s secret technique?”
Jack showed no panic, his mouth still running.
He still held his trump card—Duke Holz.
“Looks like you still haven’t realized your situation… Mr. Cultist,” Karen said.
“My situation? What can you possibly do to me? I’m really curious myself.”
Jack shrugged, not taking Karen’s words seriously at all.
Suddenly, his chip received a transmission.
In his mental space, Jack spoke up first: “Hey? Knight, you guys finished already? I was hoping to play a bit longer.”
A brief silence—Taiwen hesitated, not sure whether to tell him the harsh truth.
“Bad intel, Jack. We ran into an unexpected enemy—a single elf. She traumatized Ude so badly we had to pull out. You’re on your own now.”
What?
Jack’s face showed, “What the hell is this guy saying?”
“What do you mean ‘you ran into an elf’? Answer me! Knight! Are you telling me that, even with you and that stupid dragon, you still couldn’t catch a mere count’s son!?”
“I swear, I…”
Before Jack could unleash his curses, Taiwen quickly cut the connection.
“Damn it, a bunch of useless fools!” Jack cursed under his breath.
Still, as long as he held onto Duke Holz as a bargaining chip, he figured he’d have a good chance of escaping…
But at that moment, Karen and Wald attacked simultaneously—blades and lightning entwined, assailing Jack.
Hiss—wait, are you all just going to ignore the old Duke? Bunch of maniacs, none of this makes any sense!
Jack cursed inwardly. His prosthetics activated, and the world seemed to slow, even his own movements left a trail of afterimages.
He narrowly dodged the assault and shouted, “Duke Holz is in my hands! If you want him alive, do as I say!”
“Is that so? Then take another look at your hands.”
A cool and elegant woman’s voice rang out.
My hands?
Jack looked down. The old Duke’s weight was fading, dissolving into an afterimage.
Transferred? How was that done?
Aurelia withdrew her short dagger.
“Afterimage”—inscribed with the concept of “Fleeting.” Its effect was to create a substitute and shift it through space, as long as the subject’s mind didn’t resist.
Jack suddenly smiled in resignation.
“Can we negotiate?”
His answer was Wald’s sword, slicing past his neck and leaving a smooth gash in the castle wall.
“Now it’s my turn to laugh, damn cultist.”
After holding back for so long, Wald could finally unleash his emotions.
Jack gritted his teeth. “I still have backup hidden energy. If I activate it, I can cause an Explosion Spell-level blast. None of you here will come out unscathed.”
An Explosion Spell was high-tier magic. While it didn’t make sense to discuss magic’s strength apart from a mage’s qualities, it still spoke to how powerful Jack’s trump card was.
Seeing Wald hesitate, Aurelia quickly said, “Don’t worry, I have a way to deal with that. Our top priority is handling that man.”
So they’ve set their sights on El… She had to make them pay!
Wald no longer hesitated, charging with his sword.
Jack seized the moment, blasting a surge of magic from his feet using his internal magic circuits, launching himself into the air.
No way—never mind that the Second Prince was still here, his own life was far too precious! To him, even ten thousand noble lords couldn’t compare to his own survival.
Hehe, I want to live!
Wald responded by unleashing his own battle aura, wind elements underfoot, his speed no less than Jack’s.
“From here on out, this has nothing to do with us… My mana is only at golden level. Against enemies of this caliber, I’m nowhere near a main force,” Karen said, her tone now relaxed.
At least, the deadly crisis had been resolved, right?
“Where’s El? I don’t see him.”
“He’s been sent back. From here, the Godefiel family will support the extermination of the Demon Cult with all their might.”
“Is that so… Women really are terrifying…” Karen muttered the last part softly.
The nobles present were immersed in the joy of being saved, crowding around Karen and Aurelia to greet and thank them.
No one noticed the Second Prince’s gloomy expression.