The Bastard Swordsman Of The Imperial Guard [EN]: Chapter 46

The Imperial Guard’s Thug Swordmaster – Episode 46 (46/105)

< Connections >

The Second Imperial Princess.

Yuri narrowed her eyes, trying to understand the sudden situation.

First, a man in a bizarre mask had saved her from the Undead.

She was truly grateful to him and was planning to give him a generous reward that she could afford.

‘Why are they…?’

But… the sudden appearance of the Carmen Knights was the problem.

They didn’t even look at Yuri and started attacking Raelle.

“W-Why are the Carmen Knights attacking that person? He helped us…”

Isabel was just as bewildered.

She couldn’t understand the Carmen Knights’ actions either.

“Carmen Knights! What are you doing!”

Yuri called out to the Carmen Knights, but they ignored her and surrounded the man in the bizarre mask.

“…”

Yuri fell into thought as she looked at the unresponsive Carmen Knights.

She slowly looked around.

The Undead and black mages that had attacked the party hall.

And the Carmen Knights who appeared belatedly after the masked man had killed all the Undead.

A strange dissonance was felt in the series of events.

‘The Carmen Knights cleaned up the Undead and black mages that attacked the party hall… But if they were alive, why didn’t they show themselves until now?’

The Carmen Knights only appeared after the masked man had dealt with the Undead.

And immediately began attacking the masked man.

Yuri stared intently at the Carmen Knights.

She had many blessings on her body, so she could read the degree of murderous intent directed at her.

‘…Are they targeting me?’

The Carmen Knights harbored murderous intent not only towards the masked man but also towards Yuri and Isabel.

‘Why?’

Yuri felt bewildered and looked straight ahead.

She couldn’t understand this situation where the Carmen Knights, the Imperial Knights, were targeting her.

“…Isabel. What do you think we should do?”

“W-We should stay still, shouldn’t we? For now… I think it’s best to listen to the Carmen Knights.”

Isabel trusted the Carmen Knights.

They were knights loyal to the Empire and the Imperial Family.

If the Carmen Knights attacked that man, it meant that the mask was a bad guy.

‘No.’

Yuri shook her head.

She didn’t know who that man was.

But what she had to believe in wasn’t the Carmen Knights.

It was that man.

*

Thud. Thud.

Raelle moved his steps, his sword hanging limply.

The abdomen where the sword had been stuck hurt terribly, but it was bearable.

Raelle walked towards the knight who had initially torn his shoulder.

The guy named Gilbert had his head chopped off, and the guy named Andrew had a hole in his chest.

“You’re the only one left.”

“Kuh, uh. Ugh…”

Douglas trembled and raised his head.

‘T-The Captain Gilbert… being defeated by a Sword Expert…’

It wasn’t strange for a knight to die.

In fact, Douglas had lost countless comrades on the battlefield.

But he couldn’t imagine that Captain Gilbert, of all people, would die to a guy like that.

He was a seasoned Graduate. He knew how great that level was, so the shock was even greater.

“Ugh, kuh…”

Douglas stared at the man’s eyes visible beyond the mask.

The eyes of someone who had killed countless people.

There was no chance of survival even if he begged the guy for his life.

“Y-Your Highness! Please save me!”

Therefore, he shouted to the Imperial Princess.

He knew that this man had tried to protect the Imperial Princess, so it was his last struggle.

“I am Douglas of the Carmen Knights! Please save my life!”

Douglas and the other two’s goal was to kill the Imperial Princess, but they hadn’t been caught by the Imperial Princess yet.

There was an excuse that they ignored the Imperial Princess’s words because they were focused on the battle.

There was still a chance to live.

“Yuriel-nim. The Carmen Knights…”

Isabel entrusted the decision to Yuri.

She wanted to trust the Carmen Knights, but in the end, Yuri was the one who made the decision.

“…”

And Yuri shook her head.

It meant she would ignore him.

“Y-Your Highness! I am the Carmen Knight of the Imperial Family!”

Despair settled in Douglas’s eyes as he looked at the Imperial Princess.

He shouted to somehow turn the Imperial Princess’s heart, but Yuri never turned her head.

“…The bastard who didn’t even answer earlier is acting up now.”

Raelle chuckled and raised his sword.

Fortunately, Yuri was quick-witted. She seemed to have read the strange circumstances and realized that the Carmen Knights’ target was herself.

‘The next Emperor has to do this much to make it worth helping.’

Stab-

Raelle stabbed Douglas’s neck without hesitation.

“Keuheok. Eoeok…”

He felt the unpleasant sensation of life being cut off at his fingertips.

Raelle felt Douglas’s breath stop and slowly pulled out his sword.

“Ha, fuck. That really hurts.”

Raelle tightened the straps that tied his leather armor even more.

Since there was no bandage, he had to do first aid like this as a last resort.

It was stuffy to breathe, but the pain was reduced a little.

‘Now it’s for real.’

Raelle, who had tightened the straps, turned his eyes to the two women.

Yuri was looking at him with a calm face, and the maid stood in front of her as if to protect her.

“I-I am grateful that you helped Yuriel-nim. But you cannot approach the Imperial Princess unless you reveal your identity…!”

Isabel blocked Yuri’s path with tension.

It was true that he had saved them from the Undead, but she couldn’t completely trust him, who had killed the Carmen Knights.

“Isabel. Stay still.”

Yuri pulled Isabel’s hand and stepped forward.

Unlike the Carmen Knights, she didn’t feel any murderous intent from him.

“Thank you for your help.”

Yuri stepped forward and bowed slightly.

“…”

“My name is Yuriel von Grandia. I am the Second Imperial Princess of the Carmen Empire. I want to repay the benefactor’s help.”

“Yuriel-nim…!”

Isabel was startled and stood next to Yuriel.

The words of the Imperial Family contained the pride of the Empire.

Even if it was someone who had saved their life, the Imperial Family could not directly express their gratitude.

“If it’s not too much to ask, I would like to reward the benefactor. You don’t have to show your face, so please allow me to repay you.”

“… Hmm.”

Raelle pondered for a moment as he looked at Yuri, who was thanking him.

Was there any reason why Raelle’s face shouldn’t be known to the Second Imperial Princess?

‘I can’t think of any.’

Perhaps this action could lead to another butterfly effect [a small change that causes much larger changes].

But Raelle had already intervened in the flow of the world.

The butterfly effect cannot be predicted or prevented.

Knowing that, Raelle should live a little more for himself.

Swish-

Raelle took off his Gaksital [a traditional Korean mask] without hesitation.

He felt a strange emotion and greeted Yuri.

“Um, hello. Yuri.”

“Huh…?”

Yuri’s eyes widened.

The person she never expected to be here was standing there.

“Y-You are…! I definitely, definitely thought you were a bad guy…”

Isabel was just as surprised.

The crazy man who hit on the Imperial Princess and then switched to an elf was standing in front of her.

“…?”

Who is this woman who acts like she knows me?

Raelle glanced at the maid for a moment and turned his head.

What was important was not the maid but Yuri.

“Raelle… Raelle-ssi? Why are you here…?”

Yuri couldn’t hide her embarrassed feelings.

Raelle.

She had grasped some information about him.

A unique guard who quickly adapted to the magic and energy of the Demon King, and a kind person who took care of the orphanage where she was born and raised.

She had seen him beat up Reina-ssi and the mercenary group… but even so, his usual life made her feel that he was a good person.

‘Raelle-ssi is stronger than the Carmen Knights…’

It was surprising that Raelle was here, but it was also surprising that he was so strong.

It wasn’t something an ordinary guard could do to defeat three Carmen Knights alone.

“Raelle-ssi. Can you tell me why you are here…?”

Yuri couldn’t understand this situation no matter how hard she thought.

That’s why she asked Raelle.

The fact that he had revealed his face meant that he was willing to talk.

“Let’s get out of here first. It’s dangerous here.”

“Ah, that’s right. Let’s go to a safe place first…”

Thud. Thud.

The moment Yuri nodded.

Heavy footsteps began to be heard from the front gate of the party hall.

The sound of solid heavy armor shaking up and down was heard regularly.

It was the sound of the Knights’ formation moving.

“… Those bastards are coming in groups now.”

Raelle bit his lip as he looked at the approaching Carmen Knights.

At least 50 or more.

It seemed that they had headed straight here from District 1 after the black mage’s attack.

‘That’s too many, isn’t it?’

Raelle frowned and swept down the leather armor that was tightening his wound.

His strong body meant that the pain wasn’t severe, but he wasn’t in a condition to fight.

Swish-

Raelle put on his Gaksital again for now.

Yuri was okay, but he didn’t want to show his face to those guys.

Thud. Thud.

Thud.

The newly appeared Carmen Knights glared at Raelle and stopped in front of Yuri.

And at the same time, they knelt down.

“I am Belen, the captain of the 1st unit of the Carmen Knights. I have come to escort the Second Imperial Princess.”

“Belen…”

Yuri nodded at the familiar face.

It was the 1st unit of the Carmen Knights, where the most loyal to the Imperial Family were gathered.

Fortunately, she didn’t feel any murderous intent from them.

They had really come to save Yuri.

“I apologize for being late. I am glad that you don’t seem to be hurt. From now on, we will escort you to the Imperial Palace.”

Belen put his hand on his chest and stood up from his seat.

After paying his respects to the Imperial Princess, he turned his head and glared at the man in the bizarre mask.

“Who are you? How dare you stand in front of the Empire’s future with your face covered? Reveal your face.”

Belen looked at Raelle and put his hand on the sword hilt.

He was about to draw his sword at any moment.

“Belen. This person saved me from the Undead when the Carmen Knights were not here. He is not someone to treat like that.”

“… You were the Imperial Princess’s benefactor. I apologize for my rudeness.”

Only then did Belen look around.

He hadn’t even properly checked the party hall because he was thinking about saving the Second Imperial Princess.

There were many Undead with their heads cut off in the party hall, and there were also corpses of the Carmen Knights.

The news that they had been attacked by black mages was true.

‘… Gilbert?’

And he also saw the captain of the 3rd unit, who was in charge of guarding the party hall.

He was a man who was evaluated as lacking to be in charge of the 3rd unit, but he was in charge of the 3rd unit by order of Commander Gideon.

‘Gilbert died to the Undead?’

Gilbert was less skilled than Belen, but he was a seasoned Graduate.

He wasn’t skilled enough to struggle against the Undead.

“…”

Belen examined Gilbert’s severed head.

It was a trace of being cut off by a sharp sword.

‘It’s not the Undead.’

The culprit was not the Undead.

The same was true of the Carmen Knights members near him.

It wasn’t the Undead who killed these three.

It was a swordsman who used sword energy.

“… Sword energy, huh.”

Belen turned his head and looked at the masked man.

His sword was stained with red blood.

It was bright red blood that didn’t flow from the already dead Undead.

“I’m sorry. If it’s not too much to ask, can you show me your face?”

Belen looked at the man and asked carefully.

“Belen! This person saved me!”

Yuri stood in front of Raelle as if to protect him.

She hadn’t heard Raelle’s circumstances yet, but the fact that he had put on his mask again meant that he didn’t want to reveal his face to the Carmen Knights.

“Yes. I trust the Imperial Princess. That’s why we need to investigate more thoroughly and give a reward. This is the rule of the Carmen Knights.”

Belen continued, looking at the Second Imperial Princess.

What he was loyal to was the Imperial Family, but he couldn’t ignore the evidence he saw.

The guy was a murderer who killed the Carmen Knights.

This was a different matter from saving the Imperial Family. He had to investigate thoroughly and reveal the truth.

Perhaps this guy was the villain who was targeting the Imperial Princess.

‘This is fucked up…’

Raelle bit his lip and looked at the front gate where the Carmen Knights had entered.

‘Not yet? They still haven’t come?’

It seemed like quite some time had passed, but the people he was waiting for hadn’t come.

“Even the Imperial Princess cannot violate the legitimate procedures of the Carmen Knights. Once the investigation is over, there will be no problem…”

Clack- Clack-

At that moment when Belen was continuing his words, the sound of beggars’ bowls was heard.

Raelle smiled without realizing it at the password, ‘Sorry for making you wait.’

It was the sound he had been waiting for.

“…You’re late. Should I really teach you guys some acrobatics.”

Raelle wasn’t an idiot.

He didn’t run all the way to a place like this without any insurance.

“Hmm?”

Belen turned his head at the approaching momentum.

About a hundred people were approaching this way.

“That’s…”

Belen frowned and read their affiliation.

“The Rain Knights and the Blue Magic Tower? Why are they…?”

From the front gate of the party hall, the Rain Knights and the mages of the Blue Magic Tower were walking in.