Chapter 26


    [Trantor – Kie]


    [Proofreader – Demon God’s male Disciple]


    [Quality Checker – Kawaii]


    Chapter 26: Fake Knight (1)


    What just happened?


    All the people in the room were looking at the two with bewildered expressions.


    As if they were about to shake hands, Guiume ckwing suddenly mmed his head into the ground.


    Everyone only saw what happened, but no one witnessed how it happened.


    ‘…Impressive.’


    Only one person, Karl Heimlich, was able to see what had happened. He had keenly observed the trick Damien had yed.


    ‘Using the opponent’s strength to subdue them.’


    As soon as Guiume ckwing grabbed Damien’s hand, he attempted to twist and break it.


    However Damien skillfully used that force to, instead, bring Guiume ckwing down to the ground.


    Technically, it meant that Damien was far ahead of Guiume ckwing in terms of skill.


    ‘It’s not just skills, his physical abilities are also much better.’


    If it was just a matter of strength, Guiume ckwing was stronger than stronger.


    However, in terms of agility and dexterity, Damien Haksen was far superior.


    That’s why Guiume ckwing ended up losing as soon as Damien Haksen used his technique.


    ‘He achieved this tremendous physical growth, in just these few days.’


    Karl Heimlich recalled the day he first saw Damien Haksen.


    He had a frail and weak body, which definitely did not look like the physique of a knight.


    But now, it was different, his muscles were nicely carved out, and his physique had grown significantly.


    ‘It seems like he haspletely absorbed the Bnce pills.’


    Damien Haksen was truly a peculiar knight.


    His skills were outstanding, but his stamina and mana were toocking.


    Topensate for these, he relied on techniques.


    But now, things had changed. He had somewhatpensated for hiscking stamina.


    Just that alone transformed the auraing out from Damien Haksenpletely.


    ‘If he can resolve the issue of insufficient mana, I can’t imagine how much stronger he’ll be.’


    Karl Heimlich thought that he wouldn’t encounter a monster like Michael Ryan Bloom again in his life.


    But now, he found himself facing another monster that isparable to him.


    Even as a high-ss knight, Karl Heimlich felt a shiver down his spine.


    “I was going to rip out your shoulder bone, but it seems to be intact? It is sturdier than I thought.”


    Suddenly, Damien Haksen looked down at Guiume ckwing and said,


    “But why are you so quiet now? Earlier, you were boasting about ripping off my arm.”


    Karl Heimlich couldn’t help but give a bitter smile at Damien Haksen’s mockery.


    ‘Skilled, indeed. But quite harsh in retaliating against his enemies.’


    Simr to the time when he fought Ernest Horowitz, this man Damien Haksen seemed to have a strong sense of justice, and takes revenge when he is wronged.


    ‘It would have been better if he had humility too.’


    Just as Karl Heimlich was feeling regret,


    “This… guy…”


    Guiume ckwing muttered under his breath. It was a voice filled with anger and hatred.


    “How dare you… bring such… disgrace to me?”


    Something like steam began to rise from Guiume ckwing’s whole body.


    It was a phenomenon unique to when mana was stirred inside someone.


    “This… brat… I’ll twist you to death!”


    Guiume ckwing shouted. At the same time, his mana exploded. Rough waves spread in all directions.


    “I’ll split that backbone right away!”


    Guiume ckwing roughly pulled out the axe strapped to his back, intending to swing it down towards Damien Haksen.


    Or rather, he tried to swing it down.


    However suddenly, a tremendous wave of mana spread from one side of the conference room. The air in the room was pushed out due to the massive wave of mana, creating a strong wind.


    Under that tremendous force, Guiume ckwing’s body stiffened suddenly.


    “How dare you wield your weapon in front of His Excellency.”


    Guiume ckwing’s head turned slowly, like a rusty hinge towards the source of the voice.


    On the Duke’s right side,


    A knight d in silver armor stared coldly at Guiume ckwing.


    “Do you wish to die?”


    Karl Heimlich’s two pupils gleamed ominously.


    “Impressive, indeed.”


    Damien inwardly admired Karl Heimlich’s momentum.


    ‘I was curious why one can bring weapons into the Duke’s presence.’


    ‘It was because he was there.’


    As long as Karl Heimlich was there, nobody had the confidence to harm the Duke.


    “Ugh…kk…uuugh….”


    Guiume ckwing had a face that seemed like he might die any moment, with cold sweat incessantly streaming down his face.


    No matter how famous he was, he was only a Low-ss knight. There was no way he could withstand the pressure of a High-ss knight.


    “For the sake of Lady Chelsea’s dignity, I’ll overlook this matter once. But remember, you won’t get a second chance.”


    Karl Heimlich slowly retracted his mana. Only then did Guiume ckwing get a chance to breathe.


    “There seems to have been a little disturbance.”


    p! p!


    .


    The Duke drew attention by pping his hands.


    “It would be best for sir Damien Haksen to continue holding the position of the representative of the Duchy in the duel. Personally, I find sir Damien more reliable than Guiume.”


    The duke got up from his seat and started to leave the room.


    “Your Excellency! This was an unfair match!”


    Someone shouted towards the Duke. It was none other than Ernest Horowitz.


    “Sir Guiume ckwing hasn’t fully recovered from the fatigue of his journey. This was a much more favorable match for Damien Haksen!”


    Ernest Horowitz defended Guiume ckwing. However, not a single person in the room paid attention to his words.


    “Regardless, this duel took ce with Guiume ckwing’s consent, right?”


    “To say he lost due to the fatigue of the journey is too feeble of an excuse.”


    Amidst the voicesing from everywhere, Ernest Horowitz’s face turned bright red in embarrassment.


    “Above all, Sir Guiume ckwing is a knight who uses weapons! You can’t properly assess his skills when he just fought with bare hands!”


    But he shouted stubbornly, without yielding.


    “Sir Ernest’s words are correct.”


    Then, as if waiting, Chelsea Goldpixie spoke up.


    “This is not a childish prank; I believe it’s right topare the skills of the two knights through a formal duel.”


    “Even if you say that, I doubt the oue would change.”


    The Duke’s response was somewhat dismissive. She bit her lip.


    “Your Excellency! That’s too hasty a decision! Sir Guiume ckwing is already a renowned knight from abroad…”


    “Chelsea, stop forcing it.”


    The Duke cut her off sharply.


    “Your Excellency!”


    “Stop boasting about your ipetence to me.”


    With that cold tone, not only Chelsea but also the other people in the room couldn’t help but be surprised.


    “…He hasmitted a grave offense.”


    Chelsea Goldpixie hastily apologized and stepped back.


    “Your Excellency, may I say a word?”


    At that moment, someone raised their hand.


    “I will ept Lady Chelsea’s proposal.”


    Upon Damien Haksen’s words, everyone’s eyes widened.


    In truth, there was another reason why Damien Haksen epted the duel.


    ‘I definitely sensed dark manaing out from Guiume ckwing.’


    When Guiume ckwing unleashed magical power, Damien Haksen could clearly feel it.


    It was the dark magic operating within his body.


    It was so thoroughly concealed that even Damien Haksen had to examine it closely.


    ‘I never thought I’d see a fake knight so quickly.’


    Fake knights.


    A nickname for knights who had be stronger through the rituals performed by dark mages.


    Fake knights obtain high physical abilities and abundant mana through dark magic, making them so strong that they were considered the best in their stage.


    However, the drawbacks of using dark magic were substantial.


    Firstly, they had to pay for the dark magic with their own lifespan. As far as Damien knew, there wasn’t a single fake knight who survived for more than five years after the ritual.


    That wasn’t the only issue. Dark mages secretly cast a subservient dark magic on the knights during the ritual.


    As a result, fake knights had to spend their lives as ves to dark mages in exchange for gaining mediocre strength.


    ‘Fake knights are like ticking time bombs. They are about to explode soon.’


    Fake knights were soon reaching the end of their ropes.


    The church conductedrge-scale search operations, capturing all fake knights and executing them.


    In the case of a Duke, he couldn’t be free from the church’s search because of Lady Chelsea’s involvement.


    ‘The church’s searches are relentless and brutal. We’ll undoubtedly suffer significant losses.’


    The situation wasn’t looking good from Damien’s perspective, as he aimed to use the Duke to restrain Marquis Ryan Bloom.


    ‘I have no choice. I have to use my power a bit.’


    In reality, intervening for such practical reasons was not his primary motive.


    ‘I can’t just stand by and watch those filthy cockroach bastards crawling in front of me.’


    Damien hated dark mages to the point that he wished for their extinction if possible.


    ‘Should I just expose them right here? No, it’s too risky for that.’


    Damien’s goal was to maintain peace in the Duchy.


    Therefore, he needed to find out how deeply Lady Chelsea was involved in this incident.


    “Is Sir Guiume ckwing proposing a duel?”


    The Duke asked, lookingpletely bewildered.


    “Since it seems they didn’t quite understand the situation from their side, it wouldn’t hurt to ept it.”


    “If it’s a request from Sir Damien we can’t refuse it. I’ll permit the duel.”


    The Duke readily granted Damien’s wish.


    “All of you, listen up. Tomorrow, we’ll choose the knight who wins in the duel as the representative.”


    At that deration, a sense of relief appeared on Lady Chelsea’s face.


    “Bute to think of it, even if Damien Haksen wins, he won’t gain much. After all for him he’s just defending his position.”


    The Duke fiddled with the ring on his finger and opened a spatial gap, he pulled something out from it.


    It was a small ss bottle containing a light-blue liquid.


    “Do you know what this is?”


    The Duke asked as he jerked the bottle. Damien Haksen and the other people had no clue.


    “It’s an Elixir of Mana Crystalization.”


    But the moment the Duke mentioned the name, everyone couldn’t help but be shocked.


    It was one of the legendary elixirs created by the leader of the Alchemist Association, Azort Archaeus.


    An elixir made by further purifying the mana extracted from young magic spirits.


    In reality, the amount of mana one could obtain from the Elixir of Mana Crystalization was not that significant—roughly equivalent to ten years’ worth.


    The real efficacy of the elixiry elsewhere. It significantly increased mana sensitivity.


    With heightened sensitivity, not only does the ability to manipte mana increases, but the natural recovery speed also increases significantly.


    Because of this unprecedented efficacy, it boldly imed a spot in the Empire’s Top Twelve Elixirs that one must take without fail, as dered by the Imperial Swordmaster.


    “Let’s present this elixir to the one who wins in the duel tomorrow.”


    The Duke’s deration caused a stir among the people.


    Saying this the Duke dismissed the people in the room.


    Firstly, Chelsea Goldpixie left the conference room with her entourage, including Ernest Horowitz.


    The attendants also started to leave the room one by one. Damien also tried to leave the conference room, mingling among the attendants.


    “Sir Damien, wait a moment.”


    The Duke grabbed Damien, who turned back with a puzzled expression.


    “Hasn’t the longsword you were using been damagedst time because of Sir Ernest?”


    “Yes, that’s correct.”


    “So, you don’t have a weapon to use in tomorrow’s duel?”


    “I n to use a training sword.”


    Damien replied nonchntly. With his skill, he could easily defeat Guiume ckwing barehanded.


    “That won’t do.”


    But the Duke shook his head.


    “For a knight, their weapon is like their face. Using a training weapon in a public event like a duel is the same as smearing dung on your own face.”


    The Duke’s words made sense. There was a reason why knights took pride in wielding noble swords.


    “Moreover, you can’t use a training weapon when dueling with Micheal Ryan Bloom, can you? There’s a workshop managed by the Duchy for external use. You can get a sword from there.”


    Surprised, Damien asked the Duke.


    “Is that really true?”


    “Whether it’s true or not, I’ve already told you. Feel free to use it whenever you want.”


    Damien felt his chest swelling.


    If it was a workshop managed by the Duchy, the quality of the weapon would undoubtedly be exceptionally high.


    Being able to spar with weapons made there – any knight would be delighted.


    “Thank you, Your Excellency.”


    Damien expressed his gratitude to the Duke, who waved it off as if it were nothing.


    He then summoned an attendant to guide Damien to the workshop.


    Following the attendant, Damien arrived at the workshop


    He couldn’t help but marvel at the sight in front of him.


    “It’s truly amazing.”


    The walls were high and long. Smoke was rising from five chimneys.


    He had never seen such arge workshop in his life.


    “This is a workshop carefully created by the Duke. He recruited several renowned cksmiths from all around the world, establishing a solid foundation. It’s a ce exclusive for knights affiliated with the Duchy.”


    The steward proudly introduced the workshop.


    Unable to wait any longer, Damien opened the workshop’s door and entered.


    Inside, many cksmiths were wrestling with pieces of metal in front of the forge.


    “Hmm? Who’s visiting?”


    “Looks like someone from the Duchy”


    Some cksmiths nced at Damien and the attendant.


    “I came by the Duke’s order. I’m here to get a sword fitted for this young knight beside me.”


    At the attendant’s exnation, the cksmiths buzzed with excitement.


    “If it’s the Duke’s guest, we can’t be careless.”


    “Captain! Where are you? This is something the Captain should handle!”


    Among the cksmiths, a short and stocky man walked forward.


    “I’m called Brody. I’m in charge of this workshop.”


    Brody spoke as he approached.


    “Pleasee this way. I’ll guide you to the weapon storage.”


    Damien and the attendant followed Brody into the inner part of the workshop.


    Once inside the storage, Damien couldn’t help but be amazed again.


    “It’s impressive.”


    Perfectly crafted weapons hung everywhere. Not a single onecked in quality.


    Excited, Damien explored the storage. He examined each weapon closely.


    “Hmm?”


    While admiring the weapons, something peculiar caught Damien’s eye.


    ‘Nice.’


    Among the weapons, he noticed a peculiar item.


    Externally, it resembled a longsword.


    However, the de was slightly longer than a typical longsword, and the center of the de was hollow.


    Two de edges extended from the hilt, converging into one at the tip.


    To anyone, it seemed like a design that might raise doubts about the durability and performance of the sword.


    ‘Look at this.’


    But Damien’s reaction was different.


    ‘Why is the Sword fanatic’s weapon here?’


    [Trantor – Kie]


    [Proofreader – Demon God’s male Disciple]


    [Quality Checker – Kawaii]