“Defend His Excellency!”
The captain was rushing to my aid, but I quickened my pace toward the enemy soldier. If anyone needs defending, it’s not me. I can handle this.
“Uroooooh!” The man roared as he charged toward me, then thrust the spear forward.
I sidestepped his attack at the last moment. Then, with the back of my armored left hand, I deflected his spear while it was still in motion. With my opponent left open, I plunged my own spear into his abdomen. Our combined momentum as we charged toward each other helped my weapon penetrate deep into his body.
“Ghh...” With a muffled groan, the man slumped forward.
I’d expected him to be wearing chain mail, but I’d felt little resistance as I’d driven in the spear. He was wearing no more than thick cloth. Even a soldier with a comfortable post within the castle should’ve known not to take war so lightly.
I pulled my spear free. “A commonplace spear bearer. He’s nothing.”
The man grasped at his abdomen with both hands. He’d completely given up on holding his weapon. It was a disappointing show for someone who’d come at me with such enthusiasm. Soim had taught me never to let my guard down, even when an opponent had collapsed to the ground—a great warrior would go on fighting even after being thrice impaled.
“Let’s keep moving. I don’t want to waste more time.”
I made my way to the sixth floor amid the sounds of soldiers’ weapons clashing vigorously.
When I reached the corridor leading to the dining room that I’d once walked through with my parents, I paused. There was blood everywhere.
The first thing that caught my notice were the wounded Ho family knights slumped on the floor. It looked like they’d retreated from fighting up ahead. There were five of them. Twenty more knights were standing farther along the corridor, but they’d come to a complete halt.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
The knights looked at me in surprise as they saw me approach from behind. It was as though they’d never expected me to venture this deep into the building.
“Your Excellency! Th-There’s a powerful knight defending the corridor!” The man who answered was repeatedly glancing back at whatever lay beyond him.
So they’ve got someone special here?
“Clear the way,” I ordered.
“But...”
“I said clear the way!”
The knights reluctantly parted to make a path for me.
As I moved forward, I saw a huge man standing in the corridor. He was best described as a great mass of muscle. His body, which had to weigh three times as much as any ordinary man’s, was covered in plate armor that must’ve been made especially for him. He was tall too. Overall, his build was radically different from mine. He held a battle-axe in each hand.
The axes were clearly designed for combat. Each had just one ordinary blade, but also a thick conical point at the top that was ideal for stabbing an opponent, and similar sharp point on the side opposite the blade. Such weapons required no skill to wield. If flailed around with enough force, any part that made contact with an opponent would pierce them.
He didn’t look like a knight to me.
The huge man had already cracked the skulls or opened the abdomens of five or so knights, whose bodies were strewn across the floor.
Though the corridor wasn’t particularly narrow, it wasn’t an ideal place to swing a spear. His axes, meanwhile, were short enough that he could wield them with ease. To make matters worse, we were all dressed in light armor because we’d been riding eagles.
We were at a major disadvantage. This was an opponent I would’ve rather avoided. I could guess who he was.
“Bronx the Breaker?” I asked. “They’ve got you defending a princess? You’ve really moved up in the world.”
I’d never heard anything about him wearing plate armor, but everything else matched what I knew.
“Ngh... You know my name, knight? Ah... I’ll bet you’re that Yuri.” He spoke surprisingly slowly.
“Yeah, that’s me.”
Bronx the Breaker was one of the witches’ most feared minions, known to every merchant in the royal capital. Though he wasn’t an assassin, he was hardly a stranger to violence. His usual duties involved barging into stores and destroying everything they contained at the command of a witch while store owners threw themselves at his feet and begged him to spare their livelihood. If he was under orders not to kill the owner, he’d ignore them completely, otherwise he’d cleave their skull. Guards proved useless against him—he could use his overwhelming strength to cast them aside with one hand without pausing in his complete rampage.
From what I’d heard, he served the Charleville family. Since his visits sent such a powerful message, though, the other witches would hire him too. His name was known throughout all of their territories. His notoriety was so great that nothing he could do would increase it.
Now here he was, tasked with protecting their princess—or should I say their queen?
The world would be better off without him.
“Ngh... Always wanted to smash up your place... Never got asked to do it.”
If he’d targeted Ho Company, a battle between him and the soldiers standing guard outside the Ho residence would’ve ensued.
“Just to check, you’re not going to stand aside for us, are you?” I asked.
“No chance. I wanna fight you so bad.”
Bronx the Breaker rubbed together the axes he held in each hand with a series of metallic scraping sounds. I could only see his eyes through the large helmet on his head, but I sensed he was licking his lips. He was eager for a fight.
“Your Excellency!” a subordinate behind me cried. “It’s too dangerous! Please stand back!”
That was when Bronx came at me, as if some instinct had warned him that his prey might escape if he hesitated.
In what looked like an attempt to keep me trapped between his massive body and my own men, he loomed over me menacingly and swung both of his axes. He looked like a bear about to seize its prey.
Boom!
The explosion that shook the corridor felt wholly out of place.
I’d drawn the pistol holstered on the back of my belt. After taking rough aim at my target, I’d fired from the hip. The high-caliber gun’s recoil felt like it had almost ripped my arm off.
The lead bullet hit Bronx from close range, tearing a hole through his armor’s chest plate.
“Urooogh!”
Bronx couldn’t help but stagger backward half a step after being shot in the chest, but then he took another step toward me.
Before he could take another, I stabbed him with the spear I held in my other hand. It passed through a small gap in the plates around his neck.
“Guohhh...”
Even as his throat filled with blood, Bronx somehow managed one more step forward as he swung his axe.
My spear sank deeper into his throat as his weapon weakly connected with my forearm. It was a powerful shock, but not enough to break the bone. The axe merely scraped the surface of my leather armor before falling away.
Bronx the Breaker collapsed toward me, and I found myself unable to support his weight with my spear. I directed his weight sideways, pulled my weapon free, and stepped to the side to avoid being crushed by his body.
Crash! The thud we heard as his body hit the floor seemed too loud to have been caused by a person falling.
He hadn’t gone down easily. He was a crude and unruly man, but I’d felt the power he’d emanated in battle. I wouldn’t go so far as to say he’d earned my respect, but there was no denying his strength.
Behind me, the knights had watched with wide eyes. “Your Excellency!”
It was a good thing I’d decided to bring a pistol. Even I wouldn’t have known how to deal with such an overwhelmingly strong opponent otherwise. It had been a decision inspired by my memory of the fight I’d had with Canka. For a long time, I’d wondered how best to deal with opponents like him. It seemed I’d found my answer.
“There won’t be any more like him ahead. Head up the tower and raise the flag like we planned. And remember—the Ho flag should be below the royal family’s.”
“Yes, sir! As you command!”
Carla would be in one of the rooms up ahead. I owed her a visit.