The Bastard Swordsman Of The Imperial Guard [EN]: Chapter 44

The Empire Guard’s Thug Swordmaster – 44

Test [This is the free episode.]

Morning of the 4th day of the Ascension Festival.

Rael stood in the front yard of the orphanage, feeling the cool morning air.

The thought that the black mages’ rebellion would happen today filled him with unnecessary tension.

‘I can’t know the exact time of the attack… Should I take Carlson with me for now?’

Carlson was off duty today, but he ran out early in the morning, saying he was going to get some chicken skewers.

Rael was planning to take Carlson to the south of District 2 when he returned.

He felt that even a small contribution could help, and he wanted to eliminate at least one more black mage.

“R, Rael hyung-nim!” [Hyung-nim is a Korean term used by younger males to address older brothers or close male friends.]

“Carlson. You’re here.”

Just in time, Carlson returned.

Rael looked at Carlson, who was running in urgently.

The guy who said he was going to get chicken skewers didn’t have any in his hand.

“Hyung-nim! It’s a disaster! They say black mages have appeared in District 2! We need to go quickly!”

“…What? Tell Captain Rein right away!”

“Ah! Yes!”

Rael frowned as he watched Carlson run to Rein.

‘An attack already. It’s faster than I thought.’

Although the exact time wasn’t properly described in the original work, he expected it to be after lunch at least.

That’s because that’s when people gather the most, and the festival is liveliest.

Tuk- Taktak-

At that moment, as Carlson ran to Rein,

Several beggars approached Rael, banging on their bowls.

It was an emergency signal.

Rael walked towards the beggars.

“R, Rael-nim.”

“Yeah. Is it a black mage attack?”

“That’s right! How did you know…?”

“Hey. You’re late. How can guys who only get information on the streets all day be later than my friend who went to buy chicken skewers?”

Rael squatted down in front of the beggars, tapping their bowls and shaking his head.

If it were the Beggars’ Sect in a martial arts novel, they would have already run over with their lightness skill [Qinggong or lightness skill is a technique in martial arts novels that allows practitioners to move swiftly and lightly.]… These guys were 2% short.

“We, we’re sorry. Did you also hear the information that Perma of the Blue Magic Tower has started killing black mages?”

“…What are you talking about? Tell me in detail.”

Rael looked at the beggars belatedly.

*

Amidst the festive music and the happy laughter and applause,

Koo-oong-!

A sudden roar filled the festival.

People who were startled looked around for a moment.

Squeak-!

Suddenly, the main gate of the Imperial Academy opened.

The sudden movement drew people’s attention.

Step. Step.

People wearing black robes from head to toe slowly walked out from inside the academy.

The knights around them reacted first to the ominous energy and faint magic emanating from them.

“A, an attack! It’s an attack!”

“Black mages! Prepare for battle!”

Sreung-!

The knights guarding District 2 drew their swords without hesitation.

The Geronimo Knights.

A small knight order in the capital, they were guarding the south, which was considered the safest during the Ascension Festival.

“Magic, I can feel magic!”

“Damn it! They’re even accompanied by undead! Evacuate the nobles first!”

The captain of the Geronimo Knights, Cedric, drew his sword and stepped forward.

In this sudden situation, the nobles were the ones who needed to be evacuated first.

“Khehehe.”

A nasty laugh leaked from the black mage’s mouth.

This attack was a long-prepared assault.

They weren’t a force that could be stopped by mere knights.

“Trample them.”

Corpses began to walk out from behind the black mage.

Hundreds of black mages and the undead following behind them were a very terrifying sight.

The people who were enjoying the festival scattered in all directions in panic.

Some people collapsed, suffering from the magic of the black mages and undead, but most were able to escape.

“Let them run away. The goal is chaos.”

The reason why the black mages revealed themselves like this was to make people run away.

The rumors and chaos they spread around as they fled would hide their real goal.

Hwaaa-!

As the black mages raised their hands high, black light burst out above their heads.

The magic power that darkly covered the sky spread over District 2, centered on the black mages.

“Damn it…! Attack! Hold on until reinforcements arrive!”

The captain of the Geronimo Knights, Cedric, glared at the black mages and gnashed his teeth.

The difference in power was clear, and they were opponents that could never be stopped with the forces here.

Woo-oong-

Cedric raised his sword energy even knowing that.

He had to die for the empire.

That was chivalry.

“We will help too.”

At that time, the academy students who came out to see the Ascension Festival as a group approached Cedric.

Cedric shook his head and pointed to the rear.

“You guys help evacuate the nobles from behind! We don’t need the help of youngsters who haven’t even graduated from the academy yet!”

Cedric gritted his teeth and refused the youngsters’ help.

He couldn’t let the future of the empire die in a place like this.

And, in reality, their strength was likely to be of no help.

“No.”

Hwaaa-!

At that moment, sword energy bloomed on the sword of the red-haired swordsman at the head.

“S, sword energy?!”

Cedric’s eyes widened.

Attending the academy meant that he was still in his early 20s.

But sword energy, not sword aura?

The knight couldn’t understand the situation before him.

“My name is Lucas. We can stop them if we work together. Sir Knight Commander. Please believe us.”

“…”

Cedric turned his eyes to the students behind Lucas.

They all had eyes that said they could fight, unlike ordinary students.

‘Maybe… we can do it.’

Cedric gulped as he saw Lucas’s power.

The war to stop hundreds of black mages who attacked the Ascension Festival.

Perhaps, he might be standing in the middle of history.

“The Geronimo Knights will take the lead. The youngsters follow behind!”

“Woo-oh!”

Cedric and the Geronimo Knights, who were prepared to die, rushed forward.

Even if they died, the future of the empire would shine more brilliantly.

And, at that moment.

Kadeudeudeudeudeuk-

With an unpleasant sound like scraping an iron plate with a knife, the black sky began to crack.

“Huh?”

Cedric raised his head and looked at the sky.

The black magic that hundreds of black mages had unleashed at the same time was being torn apart lightly.

It was a phenomenon that he couldn’t understand with his common sense.

“H, black magic…”

The black mages were also surprised.

They widened their eyes as they looked at the torn great magic.

“Trash has set foot in the empire.”

Step. Step.

A man walked leisurely into the festival, which was filled with silence after seeing the cracked sky.

The starlight robe and overwhelming magic that only those who represent the Blue Magic Tower can wear.

Anyone living in the imperial capital knew his name.

The strongest mage on the continent.

Perma, the Master of the Blue Magic Tower.

“The sin of disturbing my enlightenment will not be light.”

He distorted his expression and glared at the black mages.

It took him three days just to establish enlightenment after seeing the dragon’s magic. The arrangement was finished a little while ago, and he was just about to embody it.

However, the nasty black magic felt from the outside made him unable to concentrate at all.

Perma suppressed his anger and raised his magic power.

Enlightenment does not come easily to great mages like Perma.

That’s why he had to maintain the space where he met ‘that person’ as it was.

“I’ll kill you in 10 minutes.”

The empire’s strongest mage stood in front of the black mage army.

*

“Hyung-nim! Let me go with you too!”

“Follow me quickly!”

Rael ran to the south of District 2 without paying attention to Carlson.

The Ascension Festival was completely devastated.

The commoners were already nowhere to be seen after the news that black mages had appeared, and some nobles were looking around with their knights.

“Damn it. I can’t believe the south was breached… How did they break through the academy’s ironclad security?!”

“…”

Rael lowered his head at Rein’s words, who was sticking close to him.

No matter how strong the academy’s security is, the reason it’s breached is… because this world is an academy novel.

That was the truth of the world that only he knew.

“H, how is that guy running at the same speed as the captain?”

“Haha. My hyung-nim is a bit amazing.”

Rael ignored the conversation he heard from behind and ran to the south of District 2.

Unlike Rael’s expectations, District 2 had few traces of battle.

“Amazing magic power… Is this Perma? Returning as soon as the battle ended is also like his personality.”

“…I guess so.”

Rael stroked his arm, feeling Perma’s magic power.

The lingering scent of magic power left on the scene was enough to make his skin tingle.

‘The Blue Magic Tower intervened, so it ended much cleaner.’

In the original work, there was enormous damage to the commoners, one knight order was annihilated, and academy students died.

But thanks to Rael placing the Blue Magic Tower in the south, the damage was noticeably reduced.

Rael looked around with a satisfied face.

“…Who are those guys?”

In the corner of the scene, students wearing academy uniforms were seen walking around.

The students, who were supposed to be heroes protecting the city, were diligently helping with the cleanup.

“Is that red hair the rising star of this class? His name was Lucas.”

“Yes. He hasn’t even graduated from the academy yet, but he’s already at the beginning of the Graduate level.”

“Indeed, there are many talented people in this class.”

Rein nodded.

Even a week ago, he would have wanted to recruit such talent no matter what, but now he felt at ease.

He had Rael.

“…Captain Rein. He’s at the beginning of the Graduate level. Don’t you think that’s amazing?”

Rael listened to Rein and the knight’s conversation and spoke to Rein.

It was because the protagonist’s treatment didn’t seem very good.

“Rael. You shouldn’t say that. Not to mention you, even Carlson would be able to do that if he used divine power. The fact that you guys got stronger without the academy’s education means that your talent is even better.”

“……”

Oh.

The protagonist should start getting attention from this incident…

It feels a bit twisted.

‘The beginning of the Graduate level… Well, he’s definitely strong.’

The protagonist will encounter many opportunities in the future.

He will meet the soul of a dead dragon and awaken magic, be noticed by the church and awaken as a hero and receive the holy sword, and discover the swordsmanship of the Thousand Slaughter Sword Lord in a dungeon he accidentally visited.

Only 10 years are left until the protagonist becomes the strongest on the continent.

‘…10 years left?’

It was quick when I saw it as a novel, but now that I’m in this world, 10 years seemed too far away.

‘Still, he’s the protagonist, so he’ll do well on his own.’

Either way, the demons will break the truce in a few years.

The protagonist will be able to do it.

“Hyung-nim. I’ll go to the knight order.”

“Okay. Go to Gaia-nim.”

Carlson joined the Silver Cross Knights, and Rein joined the Rein Knights.

The knight orders had a lot to do, such as taking care of the nobles or putting the black mages that Perma had saved in prison.

Meanwhile, Rael looked around alone.

It was to check if he had missed anything.

Rael looked at the traces of the black mages that Perma had dealt with in less than 10 minutes.

Most of them were dead, but some were said to have been captured alive.

‘…There seem to be too few undead.’

Suddenly, Rael felt something strange at the scene of the battle.

Compared to the corpses of the black mages that Perma had killed, there weren’t that many undead.

At most, about 100.

The number was even smaller than the corpses dug up from the Second Cemetery.

Assuming that other cemeteries were also dug up, there should have been several times more.

‘Undead are the most important attack for black mages, so why?’

Undead are monsters that have overcome death by being injected with magic power.

It was a troublesome enemy that couldn’t be killed with an ordinary sword; you had to sever their head with sword energy [a technique that channels magical energy into a sword to enhance its cutting power].

In the original story, the undead’s attacks were described as the most annoying.

Even if Perma had stepped in, if hundreds of undead had spread in all directions, it would have caused significant damage.

‘The original story I know is different,’ Rael thought.

Rael felt an ominous premonition and looked around.

Again, the original story had been twisted somewhere.

‘Where exactly did it go wrong?’

No, actually, there’s no need to find the cause.

After all, the cause of the butterfly effect [the idea that small changes can have large, unpredictable consequences] would be Rael.

The real problem is where those undead are.

‘Since the corpses in the cemetery have disappeared, the undead definitely exist.’

Rael’s heart began to pound.

He pondered to find the cause of the ominous feeling his senses were screaming about.

‘Has the black mages’ attack not ended yet?’

There might be additional attacks, but the possibility is small.

The southern part of District 2 was attacked because of the Academy’s uniqueness, and other places are heavily guarded by the Knights.

If there had been an attack, a signal would have already arrived.

‘Then… were they trying to attack somewhere else?’

Undead are the strongest means of attack for black mages.

In the original story, they used the undead to attack the central part of the Heavenly Festival.

The most important place in the Heavenly Festival.

‘A place more important than the center of the Heavenly Festival…?’

At that moment, information flashed through Rael’s mind.

[That’s right. The party venue’s location is strictly confidential and guarded by the Imperial Carmen Knights. It’s the safest place in the Empire.]

The place where nobles and royals enjoy the Heavenly Festival is the party venue guarded by the Carmen Knights.

That place must be thoroughly concealed.

[Make way! The Second Princess is passing by!]

However, the Second Princess, heading south, deliberately called out her name as she walked.

The bloodline of the royal family is like a god.

Even with the protection of the Carmen Knights, exposing their location is absurd.

‘And… the undead that disappeared to attack a place more important than the festival.’

The problems he dismissed, thinking the princess wouldn’t be attacked, began to fit together one by one.

Only then did Rael recall the party venue in the south.

If there’s a place more important than the Heavenly Festival, it’s only the royal family.

“…Ah, shit.”

The center of the golden lifeline he had barely grasped was in danger of being severed.

*

The Second Princess. Yuriel von Grandia.

She looked down at the party venue with an expressionless face.

This boring party was already on its fourth day, and no one was looking for her today either.

It was a repetition of a boring daily life: sitting still without any conversation and then returning.

“Undead! Undead in the party venue…! Aaaagh!”

“…Undead?”

However, the boring party met a conclusion she hadn’t imagined.

“Ugh, ughaaaagh! Damn it! Run away!”

“Carmen Knights! Where are the Carmen Knights!”

The music of the orchestra and the laughter of the nobles that filled the party venue disappeared, and terrible screams were heard.

It was a sudden attack by undead and black mages.

– Skreeeeech

– Crack- Heeheehee

The undead, forcibly moving with injected magic power, began to attack the Carmen Knights guarding the party venue.

A Carmen Knight member slashed at the nearby undead and shouted.

“Maintain formation!”

“Damn it…! Push harder!”

The party venue was instantly plunged into chaos.

The nobles tried to escape in the confusion, but there was nowhere to run as they were surrounded by undead on all sides.

Despite the Carmen Knights’ desperate fight, the nobles couldn’t avoid the undead’s grasp.

“Y-Yuriel-nim [term of respect]. You must escape quickly.”

Isabel, who was next to Yuriel, fidgeted and urged Yuriel.

The Carmen Knights were blocking the undead, but it seemed impossible to prevent the nobles from being harmed because there were too many undead.

“Cough, cough… Save me, save me…”

“Do you know who I am! Baron Lihan of the Carmen Empire!”

“Carmen Knights! Kkyaaaaak!”

Ten undead pounced on one noble.

Tearing at their skin and stealing their life force.

Yuriel frowned at the gruesome sight.

“Isabel. Where are the Carmen Knights?”

Yuriel said, assessing the situation around her.

The place where she was was a higher platform than the other party venues, but now she could hardly hear the nobles’ groans.

It wouldn’t be long before the undead reached Yuriel.

“…I think they’re fighting the undead.”

“Then, what’s our way to escape?”

Yuriel and Isabel were on the platform of the party venue.

There was nowhere to avoid the undead surrounding the platform.

“It’s dangerous, but we have to escape. We’ll only die if we stay still.”

“…Okay.”

Yuriel turned her body and looked down.

The Carmen Knights who were fighting the undead were nowhere to be seen, and more than 100 undead were still left, eating the nobles.

“I’ll escape if I see an opening. Yuriel-nim, follow behind me.”

Isabel wore a sword scabbard in preparation for any possible situation.

She was a high-ranking noble before she was a maid, so she had basic swordsmanship skills.

– Creak. Crackle.

– Groan. Grooo…

Soon, the undead began to climb onto the platform.

“…”

Isabel’s hands trembled as she saw the undead climbing onto the platform.

Pale skin and a body with traces of decay.

A disgusting being that was rotting away but still chasing after human life force was slowly approaching.

“Gaia-nim [a deity]. Please grant Yuriel-nim grace…”

Isabel’s strength was not enough to kill the undead.

She didn’t care if she died.

However, she was so angry that she wasn’t of great help to the Second Princess.

‘…There’s no opening.’

Yuriel narrowed her eyes as she looked at the undead.

Isabel lacked the skill to clear a path, and so did Yuriel.

‘Have the Carmen Knights already been annihilated…?’

The nobles who were attacked by the undead and their escort knights had already been dead for a long time.

If even the Carmen Knights had died to them, it was impossible for Yuriel to survive.

“…”

Yuriel narrowed her eyes as she looked at the undead.

As death came so close, she felt more futility than fear.

It was a trashy life that ended up dying without doing anything for the empire.

“D-Die! Die! Kyaaaaak!”

Isabel gritted her teeth and swung her sword, but the undead didn’t even pay attention to her and advanced forward.

She eventually began to be surrounded by the undead.

“Isabel. I’m sorry for being the maid of a princess like me.”

– Gurgle-

– Groooo.

Yuriel closed her eyes as she watched the approaching undead.

Doo-geun Doo-geun- [Heartbeat sound effect]

She felt a headache.

It was as if all the blessings on Yuriel’s body were being torn away.

‘Can I kill them all before Isabel dies…?’

Doo-geun Doo-geun- [Heartbeat sound effect]

Yuriel felt her pulse quicken and tightly closed her eyes.

“Y-Yuriel-nim…! No!”

“…!”

Yuriel was startled and opened her eyes at the touch of Isabel’s hand grabbing hers.

She, who should have been covered in undead, had already come to Yuriel’s front.

Ta-dat- [Footstep sound effect]

Yuriel looked at the man blocking the undead in front of them.

Every time his sword moved, the undead noticeably decreased.

“Who is it…?”

Yuriel tilted her head as she looked at the man’s face.

A white background with a red dot… a man wearing a bizarre mask.

*

The next emperor, Yuriel, is an important figure even in the original story.

Without her tremendous leadership, this idiotic empire might collapse at any moment.

On a small scale, it means the disappearance of an orphanage, and on a large scale, it means the disappearance of a giant umbrella that protects the human race.

‘Fortunately, I’m not late.’

After hearing about the party venue the Second Princess was heading to from the beggars of Bagger.

Rael ran like crazy.

He didn’t forget to wear a Gaksital mask [a Korean mask associated with a vigilante figure] in case there were people who would think strangely of seeing his face.

And he was able to save Yuriel just before she died.

“I don’t know who you are… but thank you for saving me.”

Rael looked at the woman thanking him.

She must be her exclusive maid.

She was blocking Yuriel while expressing her gratitude.

“Please escape immediately. This place is dangerous.”

Rael replied without paying attention.

It’s natural for her to protect the princess.

“If it’s not too much to ask, could you show us your face? The person you saved is the Second Princess. The empire will give you a great reward.”

“…”

At Isabel’s words, Rael quietly looked around.

In fact, it’s not difficult to show his face.

It was an opportunity to properly imprint his face on the golden lifeline.

‘But it’s more important not to show my face to the enemy.’

Rael trusted his senses.

He had killed all the undead, but he felt that the danger had not completely disappeared.

‘Where are the Carmen Knights who killed the black mages?’

He could see the corpses of the Carmen Knights everywhere in the party venue.

However, there were many awkward points to think that the entire Knights had died together with the black mages.

“…”

In the first place, the situation itself, where Yuriel and her maid were separated from the Knights, was too strange.

The mission of the Carmen Knights is to protect the princess and nobles in the party venue.

‘But all the nobles are dead… and only the princess barely survives?’

The Carmen Knights complete their mission even if they die.

Even if black mages appeared, there was no way the Knights would abandon their mission and leave their posts.

They had to prioritize protecting the royal family and nobles.

Even if they died, they had to block the undead in front of Yuriel and die.

‘…They’re not protecting Yuriel?’

At that time, a hypothesis flashed through Rael’s mind.

He might have been thinking wrong from the beginning.

What if the death of the Carmen Knights was a disguise and they were carrying out their mission well?

What if they were simply… hiding for a moment to deal with a sudden unexpected situation?

Doo-geun- [Heartbeat sound effect]

His heart beat faster.

Rael instinctively drew his sword.

Chaeeng-! [Sword clashing sound effect]

His body reacted before Rael’s head to the approaching sword.

“…What the fuck.”

Rael spat out a curse, blocking the sword aimed at his neck.

It was a surprise attack.

Tak- Tak- [Footstep sound effect]

Three knights surrounded Rael.

The knights emitting killing intent towards him had the mark of the Carmen Knights engraved on their chests.

Rael chuckled as he looked at them.

‘I knew something was strange.’

As he expected.

The Carmen Knights’ goal was not to protect Yuriel.

…It was to make sure Yuriel died for sure.

“Yeah. You bastards. Let’s see who wins in this fucked up world.”

Rael laughed instead.

For the Carmen Knights to try to kill the royal family, he had no idea where or how this world had gone wrong.

To survive, he couldn’t stay still any longer.

Rael infused magic power into his sword.

Sharp sword energy swirled around his sword.

“I can finally test how good I am…”

How much Rael’s position is in this world.

Whether he really has talent.

It’s a day to know properly.