The 9Th Class Swordmaster: Blade Of Truth [EN]: Chapter 250

177. The Duchy Civil War (15)

“Cahill……”

Anthem Howard muttered the name as he stared at the man who had appeared before him.

“You… You’re not with Moon Ether?”

Therix asked.

“I know their leader. Guiltian [likely a reference to the leader of Moon Ether]. He’s power-hungry but skilled enough that I remember his face, and I would know if someone like you was among them.”

Cahill chuckled at his words.

“Guiltian? He’s certainly greedy, but I wouldn’t agree that he’s skilled. If that’s the standard for knighthood in this duchy, then its strength is obvious.”

“……”

“I know the duchy’s strength comes from its Wyverns and Golems, but that also means you’re nothing more than paper shields without them, right?”

“You crazy bastard.”

Swoosh……!

Ice Claw, Cahill’s sword, roared sharply, resonating with its cry.

Feeling the aura of death within the pure white chill, Therix looked at Cahill and said.

“So you’re the Cahill they speak of. If everything Sir Fran said is true and you’re behind all this, then finding common ground for negotiation will be easy. I’ll just take your head back with me.”

“Will you, now?”

Clang, clang, clang―――!!

As Cahill’s blade cut through the air, explosions seemed to erupt around Therix as the attacks landed.

“Kugh?!”

He didn’t stop his assault, kicking off the ground as he relentlessly pressed his attacks.

Therix’s thick armor began to crack under the barrage of blades.

“You…!!!”

Whoosh……!!

Therix poured mana into his hammer and swung it with all his might. The tent’s pillars collapsed with a tremendous gust of wind.

“You’re good at getting away.”

Clearing away the collapsed tent, Therix spat and glared at Cahill.

‘As expected… If it’s Sir Therix, he can handle that guy…!’

Fran clenched his fists, watching the two with anticipation.

[Use me.]

At that moment,

A sweet voice echoed in Cahill’s ear.

Blue serpent scales appeared and disappeared on his left arm, and the Aein Trigger [likely a magical artifact or ability] embedded in the back of his other hand flickered with flames, as if drawn to that power.

Crack―!!

He tightened his grip on Ice Claw.

The aura of Mael [likely a powerful entity or force] within him was pushed back by the powerful mana erupting from his mana core.

‘Shut up.’

Cahill said, never taking his eyes off Therix.

‘You are a power subservient to me. I will use you when I need to. You have no right to tell me what to do. You shouldn’t forget what I’ve said. I still don’t trust you.’

[Even after confirming Agnel’s scabbard inside the box, you still say I’m not on humanity’s side?]

‘I don’t know. I still lack information about the Blader [likely a reference to a specific type of warrior or entity]. I don’t trust anything unless I’m sure of it.’

[Well, this is a losing proposition… Someone even revealed the secret of the Platinum Dragon.]

Though he couldn’t see it, Cahill could sense Mael shaking his head in disappointment at his response.

‘Even if you don’t want to, I’ll use you if I need to. Do you think I can’t defeat someone like him on my own?’

Cahill took a stance.

‘Or are you hiding something else?’

[There’s nothing like that. I only said it because there’s no one more foolish than someone who doesn’t use the power they have.]

‘That’s something to confirm later.’

As soon as he finished speaking, Mael’s aura couldn’t overcome Cahill’s mana and began to recede.

‘If you want to be even a little helpful to me, gauge your opponent’s level before speaking. Don’t lower your own value. Otherwise, it looks like you have ulterior motives.’

[……What?]

‘I defeated you. Do you think I need your help to catch someone like that?’

Cahill scanned his surroundings.

The Drakes around the camp roared fiercely, but a few dozen of them couldn’t withstand the onslaught of 10,000 invading foreigners.

Even with harpoons piercing their wings and nooses around their necks, the Drakes roared and resisted, but one by one, they began to be subdued by the foreigners.

‘It’s slowly coming to an end. It was just to buy time.’

In an instant, Cahill’s body disappeared.

Flash―――!!

No one there noticed Cahill’s change.

They sensed the momentary explosion of mana, but they couldn’t see his movements, his actions, anything.

It was as if time had stopped.

It was a speed so extreme that it couldn’t even be felt.

Click―

He didn’t know when it had been drawn, but Cahill rotated his wrist, drawing a semicircle as he slid Agnel [likely a powerful sword], which he held in his hand, back into its scabbard.

Therix’s eyes shook.

Splat……!!

His eyes belatedly followed Cahill’s Agnel, but he couldn’t even confirm whether his blood was on the blade that had already entered the scabbard.

That meant,

He didn’t even know how his death had come about.

“You n……!!!”

Therix shouted at Cahill.

Then, he raised his hammer above his head with all his might.

“Cough…… Cough!!”

But at that moment, his scream was cut short, and his arms, which had been raised to strike, trembled.

“Huh?”

He staggered and dropped the hammer.

The heavy hammer fell with a thud―!! raising dust as it crashed to the ground.

Crack…… Crack, crack…….

Therix stared ahead with disbelief, catching the blood that flowed out with his palm.

He clutched at his neck.

With an unpleasant sound of flesh tearing, red blood continued to gush out through the opened skin.

“Ugh…… Ugh…….”

As if he couldn’t even make a sound, Therix repeatedly vomited blood.

He looked at Cahill with eyes full of injustice, as if unable to accept reality.

Thud―

At that moment,

Blood soared to the ceiling of the tent. Red blood splattered on the tent, and something fell to the floor.

“……!!”

It was,

Therix’s head, severed while still clutching his neck.

He died with his eyes wide open, as if unable to accept his death.

“Hmm.”

Cahill watched Therix’s death without any emotion and raised his head.

‘Unbelievable….’

Fran watched the scene, unable to hide his shock.

What kind of man was Therix?

Even though he wasn’t a Sword Master, he was the leader of the Wyvern First Division, who had subdued the most ferocious Flame Dragon-blooded Drakes with his immense strength.

Although he might be lacking in technical skill, his strength rivaled even Gordon Fabian, who was said to possess the greatest power among Sword Masters.

But Cahill had casually beheaded him.

“Even the fiercest attack is useless if it doesn’t hit.”

Cahill said, as if reading Fran’s thoughts.

But simply avoiding attacks wasn’t enough to defeat an enemy.

You needed power that surpassed your opponent.

Therix was one of Fran’s swordsmanship teachers. He was by no means an ignorant brute who only possessed brute strength.

The fact that he couldn’t even touch Cahill’s clothes meant that Fran couldn’t even begin to fathom the extent of Cahill’s skill.

‘Is he really… a Sword Master who has surpassed the wall of the 6th class [likely a ranking system for power or skill]?’

The overwhelming pressure he had felt in Korb.

It wasn’t just a vague fear that he alone had felt, but a clear result in front of his eyes—the murder of a knight—Cahill’s strength had become a reality that could no longer be denied.

‘At this rate, the Wyvern First Division will be annihilated… Then who on earth can stop that guy?’

Shudder…… Shudder…….

Fran felt his hands begin to tremble.

He suddenly felt like his mind was going blank.

He desperately searched his pockets, but remembered that he had already taken all of his remaining medicine.

“Damn it…….”

Clutching one fist, he bit his lip with a pale face, looking uneasy.

“Your Highness…….”

Anthem, looking worried, placed his hand on Fran’s shoulder, who was now trembling all over. Fran irritably shook off his hand.

“Could this be your doing as well?”

“Pardon?”

“You and I are the only ones who know about Cahill. Moreover, you were the one who pushed for today’s secret meeting.”

Anthem was speechless at Fran’s words.

“Not only that, but you didn’t want me to give up the war. Are you also planning to make me a puppet?!!”

Watching Fran grab his collar and shout, Anthem instinctively knew that something was wrong.

“Oh, misunderstanding! How could I… How could I ever commit disloyalty to Your Highness!!”

“Shut up!”

Fran pushed Anthem away and stood up.

“Kugh?!”

He stood up, clutching his temples and staggering. The veins on his forehead were visibly bulging, and the blood vessels in his eyes turned his eyes completely red.

“Your… Highness?”

Anthem stammered, seemingly flustered by his sudden change.

“The medicine, where is the medicine…….”

Fran, his hands trembling, searched his pockets again, even though he knew the medicine bottle was already empty.

“……”

Cahill watched Fran for a moment, gave a bitter smile, and stuffed Therix’s severed head into a cloth bag.

“Hashir, this is a gift to send to Tuli. Keep it well so it doesn’t rot.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll tell Liliana. She probably has some poison that can prevent decay.”

Hashir, who had appeared from the darkness, took the box from him and said.

“How long until it’s finished?”

“The resistance of the Wyvern unit in the enemy camp is stronger than expected, so it will take some time. It’s not like we’re killing them, but capturing them…….”

“Is it difficult?”

Hashir gave a faint smile at Cahill’s words.

“No, it’s fortunate that we attacked before the Wyverns could flap their wings and take off, so most of them are still grounded. The scary thing about Wyverns is only when they’re in the sky. They can’t exert their full power now, so it’s enough. The foreigners are skilled at hunting anyway.”

“Good. What about the follow-up unit?”

“Report that they have departed. They are currently flying over the western sky.”

Cahill nodded at Hashir’s report.

“How many troops are there?”

“The number of Drakes flying in the sky is about half the strength of the Wyvern unit, and there don’t seem to be any additional Wyvern units. However, all 4,000 enemy troops maintaining the front line in the midstream of the Vinfredo River are also moving south.”

The Duchy’s Wyvern unit consists of 8 squads of 5 Wyverns each, which are called the 1st Division.

Only perfectly trained Drakes are used, but even so, the Drakes are still violent and sensitive.

If there is anyone other than their recognized master, they are likely to run wild, so they do not keep the Wyvern unit together with ordinary soldiers.

Therefore,

Before engaging in battle, the Wyvern unit is divided into 4 squads each, stationed in the front and rear, based on the main camp.

The rear troops that Hashir mentioned were naturally the remaining troops of the Wyvern First Division behind the main camp.

In other words,

That meant that 20 Drakes were currently flying towards them.

“Well, that’s the number I expected. Then I’ll proceed as planned.”

“Yes, I understand.”

* * *

Whoosh―――!!

Swoosh――!

The standard-bearers of the Wyvern First Division whipped their Drakes, increasing their speed as they cut through the wind.

“An enemy ambush……!! How despicable!!”

The vice-captain of the Wyvern First Division was hastily leading the entire unit, caught off guard by the sudden battle.

But he couldn’t shake off the unease as he gazed at the black smoke rising from the red flames in the distance.

“Reporting in!! Enemy forces spotted in front!!!”

It was then.

The leading knight, wearing goggles, shouted.

The vice-captain hurriedly looked down at his subordinate’s cry and shouted.

“Enemy forces?!”

But there was only the darkness and the densely growing trees around them, and no movement of soldiers could be seen.

“Where?! Is it an ambush?! What’s the scale?!”

The vice-captain shouted in a hurried voice.

“That’s…….”

At that moment, the knight hesitated at the vice-captain’s question, pointed forward with his hand, and shouted.

“There, there’s only one person!!”