The Third Son of a Medieval Knight Family – Chapter 101 – Knight of Ascension (36)

Author: Dawn

Tumen threw the short spear he was holding once more.

Then without even looking at his opponent, he leaped down from his horse and approached Lukovich, shouting.

“Fortunately, I wasn’t too late. Phew.”

“…Tumen! How did you get here…?”

“Things over there have been roughly sorted out. You should have seen Lord Viktor cutting off the enemy commander’s head, hahaha!”

Tumen laughed heartily while examining Lukovich’s condition.

Though there was quite a bit of blood from his head, fortunately it didn’t seem life-threatening.

“I see… thank you. I nearly died there.”

“Haha, your disappointed expression when you realized it wasn’t Lord Viktor was a bit amusing.”

“How did you even hear that…? More importantly, Alisa is in danger. She seems to have been hit by arrows.”

At Lukovich’s quick change of subject, Tumen went along with it.

He looked around with a serious expression.

“Alisa…?! Where is she now? She’s already weak, so we need to treat her quickly…”

“Pathetic fool. Do you even know what you’re doing right now?”

As an eerie voice echoed in his ears, Tumen’s face quickly hardened.

“…Lord Lukovich. Please find Alisa and retreat to the rear.”

“Hey, you…”

“Our right wing is striking the enemies’ flank hard, so those bastards must be quite flustered. Lord Viktor will arrive soon, so I’ll hold this position until then.”

Lukovich perked up his head.

Indeed, the atmosphere of the battlefield had changed.

He could see their allied forces, who had been at a disadvantage, gradually pushing back the enemies.

They hadn’t missed the opportunity created when the right wing struck their flanks.

“The wounded should withdraw. You must receive treatment on the way.”

“…I’m counting on you.”

Lukovich slowly crawled toward where Alisa had fallen while looking back.

Tumen’s face looked more serious than he had ever seen it.

‘Could it be…’

He realized something and ended up startled.

He had been thinking that the large-built man’s face resembled someone, and only now could he finally figure out who it was.

‘Damn it… first let me do what I can.’

However, such realization was useless for the moment.

Lukovich began slowly crawling forward again.

First, he had to rescue Alisa.

Tumen glared at the man before him.

The man’s face, pulling out the short spear from his shoulder while making all sorts of grimaces, was utterly vicious.

He ground out his opponent’s name through gritted teeth.

“…Vashi!”

“You’ve become quite insolent during our time apart, Tumen.”

The man, Vashi, brushed off his shoulder and spoke.

“How dare you wound me?”

“Brother, this sheep-like bastard… finally tracked me down here?”

“…Ha.”

The brothers glared at each other.

There was no trace of warm brotherhood or affection between the two.

Vashi raised one corner of his mouth in a cold smile.

“Since when did you become able to give me such looks? Kneel, Tumen.”

“I’m no longer your lackey from before. Don’t order me around – it’s annoying.”

“…Your arrogance pierces the heavens. Did that lowly mother of yours teach you such things?”

“…”

As Tumen’s face contorted with rage, Vashi continued even more coldly.

“She sacrificed that wretched body to teach you the lesson of not opposing me… yet you’ve forgotten even your mother’s grace and dare defy me again?”

“…Vashi, you bastard…!”

Though Tumen glared at his brother with bloodshot eyes full of rage, Vashi only snorted.

“Bringing shame to the clan’s honor, bringing shame to father’s name, and now daring to defile even my mercy with that filthy mouth. You’re a disgrace to the White Deer tribe.”

“…Keh, when did brother ever acknowledge me as a family member? Maybe that’s why father didn’t fully elevate you to the heir position!”

“…You!”

Vashi’s voice dropped even lower.

Even at that murderous voice that seemed to rise from an abyss, Tumen paid no heed and continued speaking.

“Yes, I thought someday I might face your army. Finally, today is that day.”

“Tumen, you’d better abandon any thoughts of returning home alive…!”

As Vashi growled and pulled out a horn from his bosom to blow it, the black-armored warriors scattered around began slowly surrounding Tumen.

However, Tumen remained unshaken.

“At first, you know, I really almost died. My ankle was shattered, and I thought, ah, this is my end.”

“What are you babbling about!”

“But then, seeing how things turned out this way, well, life is truly unpredictable.”

“…Even if you lament your fate like that, did you think I’d show mercy? Seize him.”

The warriors approached with weapons drawn, but Tumen’s words continued.

“Brother, have you heard about the great king of the steppes who will soon appear on this land? I learned a few things from that person.”

“…?”

Tumen drew out the last short spear he had received from a knight.

Then, before the startled warriors could rush at him, he hurled the spear.

“Gah!”

“No time for idle chatter! Vashi, you sheep-like bastard, how dare you mention our mother? Eat this and die… urgh!”

The warriors who rushed in instantly beat him to pieces, but Tumen still smiled.

Because he had clearly seen with his own eyes the short spear embed accurately in Vashi’s chest and him collapse.

“Ptui, I always wanted to kill you with my own hands someday. Farewell, brother.”

One warrior grabbed Tumen’s hair and shook him.

“Don’t think you can die peacefully!”

“Keheheh… still, I’m the Grand Chief’s son – isn’t this treatment a bit harsh?”

“Shut up.”

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

Merciless violence poured down, and without a chance to resist, Tumen’s face was horribly transformed.

His teeth broke, his face swelled up, and blood burst out in all directions, but the violence never stopped.

“Gahh, gahhh… aaahhh!”

“Don’t let the principality scum get close. Check Lord Vashi’s condition.”

The warrior who had been beating Tumen gave cold orders.

At his words – he held quite a high position even within the guard unit – the warriors began moving busily.

“…Lord Vashi, he’s still alive!”

“Tch… damn it, just a long-lived bastard, gaahhh!”

“I told you to shut up. Hey, carry Lord Vashi. We’re retreating for now.”

“Yes!”

“Take this one too. Lord Vashi will want to deal with him personally.”

He threw the unconscious Tumen to the ground and looked around.

Things weren’t going as smoothly as initially thought.

‘Who would have thought we’d be pushed back. Was the main force collapsing too quickly the mistake?’

He analyzed the battlefield coldly while turning his horse.

No matter how strong the guard unit was, once surrounded on both sides, only a dog’s death remained.

It seemed part of those who had smashed the main force had arrived first, and if the rest came crashing into the entangled guard unit again, victory would truly be uncertain.

They had to retreat and regroup before that happened.

‘So the principality bastards were hiding a trick or two.’

The warrior’s thoughts ended there.

“L-look over there.”

At his flustered subordinate’s words, he unconsciously turned his head in that direction.

Whoosh!

And the warrior who took an arrow to the face in an instant toppled backward.

“Get down, it’s enemy fire!”

“Hurry and load him! We have to retreat!”

The remaining ones moved busily, but the arrow barrage was more persistent and sharp than they had thought.

“Urgh…!”

“Put the corpse on your back! Use it as a shield!”

Thud! Thud!

Though weaker than the principality’s crossbows, the precisely flying arrow rain left them unable to easily collect themselves.

“Where the hell from…!”

The black-armored warriors looked around urgently.

The chaotic battle was still ongoing, and the relatively outnumbered guard unit couldn’t utilize their advantages and were gradually being pushed back.

Their cruel and emotionless appearance no longer instilled fear in their opponents, and the guard unit’s proud swift mobile tactics were also blocked by enemy cavalry.

The warriors tried to calm their increasingly anxious hearts.

If they got caught here, they might truly suffer unbearable damage.

But no matter how much they searched, they couldn’t see the figures of those shooting arrows.

“Now! The attack has stopped! Retreat, let’s retreat!”

“Who said you could retreat?”

“…?!”

The warriors looked to the opposite side in surprise at the voice clearly audible in their ears.

Despite still being quite far away, that voice was ringing out as clearly as if shouted directly into their ears.

“Just one person?”

A blood-covered knight was spurring his sweating horse as he rode toward them.

A warrior stared blankly at that sight and muttered.

“What the hell is that bastard…”

And those were the warrior’s last words.

Boom!

With a sound like a drum bursting, as the warrior’s head flew off completely, those around him flinched and opened their eyes wide.

“What the hell…?”

“It’s a spear! That bastard threw a spear!”

They were bewildered looking at the spear that had not only pierced through one warrior’s head but embedded itself in an innocent horse’s torso behind him.

‘That spear… the one that brat was using earlier…’

‘What kind of power…!’

Though it was the same weapon, the power was on a completely different level.

Those who could fight emotionlessly even when comrades burned before their eyes now began to clearly waver.

“…Don’t be afraid. It’s just one guy.”

“Let’s finish him quickly and withdraw. If we accumulate more damage, it’ll be dangerous.”

Trying to calm their shaking hearts, the warriors all spurred their horses.

Horn sounds signaling retreat echoed, and the black warriors struggling in various parts of the battlefield rejoiced.

“Retreat order!”

“Damn, finally… principality vermin, just wait. Next time I’ll definitely chew up your guts.”

As one warrior who had been bleeding and sweating shouted, the man facing him sneered.

“A lowly maggot has quite the mouth. Would you learn some manners if I tore that mouth of yours?”

“…You bastard…”

Krupin clutched his bleeding side and spoke boldly.

“Do you bastards think you can actually escape?”

“Oh yeah? If you want to die that quickly, I’ll kill you here.”

The warrior raised his weapon, but Krupin didn’t care at all.

He only deepened the sneer at the corner of his mouth.

“How about taking a look behind you before talking?”

“…!”

The warrior who unconsciously turned around had his mouth fall slightly open.

“What the hell is that…”

Storm.

It was a storm.

In the storm created by a single knight, his comrades were melting away.

A long bloodline cutting through the black wave moving toward the retreat point was all too clearly visible.

It was a path of blood bursting forth as the knight slaughtered warriors.

“…Impossible…”

His pupils, which had become unblinking at most things due to the witch’s sorcery, grew larger and larger.

Finally, the knight broke through the wave and revealed himself.

Had it come off during battle? His exposed bare face was covered in blood, but it didn’t seem to be the knight’s own blood as he appeared fine.

His blood-soaked hair fluttered, and his rock-hard face was striking.

As the knight looked this way, the warrior unconsciously stepped backward from the soul-crushing shock.

Ghost fire.

The knight’s eyes cutting through the battlefield burned intensely.

The knight, Viktor, looked at the warrior staring up at him with fearful eyes, then turned his head disinterestedly and spoke.

“Sir Krupin, you’re injured. Can you still fight?”

“…No problem, Sir!”

“Good. Stay by my side.”

“Ah, Sir. That bastard…”

As ghostly eyes flickered and looked at him, the warrior felt as if his breath had stopped.

“…Leave him be. There’s no time to deal with those who’ve lost their fighting spirit one by one.”

“Yes! Hey, maggot. Know that you’re lucky.”

The two knights soon turned their horses and disappeared, but the warrior just sat there sweating coldly.

It felt as if the fog that had been thick and opaque in his head had cleared.

“…I-I’m alive…!”

Clutching his trembling body like an aspen leaf, the warrior muttered quietly.

Until just moments ago, he had feared nothing, and now that seemed absolutely insane.

“What the hell is that knight…”

The black wave split in two was being swallowed up by the new crowd of people who had come running after the knight.

As if to drive a wedge into it, he could clearly see the two knights reversing to smash the rear.

Finally, the warrior couldn’t help but utter a word.

“Monster…!”

Viktor examined the blade of his axe.

The trusty companion that had faithfully performed its duty on battlefields for so long seemed to be reaching its limits.

“…Phew.”

Sighing, Viktor looked around.

The black wave had long since shattered like hitting a reef.

Only a few survivors remained.

Even before Viktor’s cavalry charged in, those who had been surrounded and beaten by the left wing, center, and part of the right wing were already reduced in number.

And when Viktor’s cavalry appeared and crashed into them just as they attempted to retreat, driving a decisive wedge, the guard unit completely collapsed.

The famous guard unit that had terrified all their opponents, who knew no fear, was no more.

Those remaining were nothing but cowards trembling as if they had just awakened from a dream.

Viktor looked indifferently at the mercenaries who were strictly guarding them while pouring out mockery, then turned his head.

Though the Grand Chief’s counterattack for disturbing the beehive had been fierce, they had managed to defend successfully without as much damage as expected.

On the other hand, they had gained much.

Now even the Grand Chief would have to shrink back.

Quite a lot – no, honestly speaking, a considerable number of warriors had been sacrificed in this single battle.

With their troop numbers clearly inferior to the principality, they would have to be cautious in future movements.

Additionally, they had succeeded in absorbing some warriors.

Even though they had successfully repelled the attack, in a situation where they had suffered greater damage than any the vanguard had taken so far, the addition of capable troops was welcome.

Viktor looked bitterly at the corpses of mercenaries and steppe warriors scattered everywhere, then turned his head.

A trace of worry crossed his face.

‘I wonder if the others are alright.’

“Sir!”

“…Ah, Sir Krupin. How’s your body?”

Krupin, who had been limping around nearby, tapped his bleeding side and smiled.

“Haha, a wound like this is nothing.”

“…That’s fortunate. You suffered much because I arrived too late.”

“No, no Sir! Please don’t say such things!”

Krupin shook his head vigorously, denying Viktor’s words.

“Without you, Sir, this battle would have been difficult to win. It’s frustrating to say this, but those bastards… they really fought well. The main force wasn’t pushed back for nothing.”

“…Indeed, they were different from those we’ve met before. We’ll have to be even more careful from now on.”

At Viktor’s serious words, Krupin nodded as well.

“Well, now the vanguard won’t have to face them alone, right? This battle will likely maintain a lull between both sides for the time being.”

At those words, Viktor’s eyes widened slightly as he looked at him.

“Sir Krupin. Your insight into battlefields has improved?”

“…I’m sorry. I just repeated what Sir Mikhail told me.”

As Viktor stared at him, Krupin blushed and changed the subject.

“More than that, how is their condition?”

“Their condition?”

“Those… your slaves. Are they in serious danger?”

At words hard to believe had come from Krupin’s mouth, Viktor smiled slightly.

“Shall we go see together? I was thinking of stopping by anyway since I have business with Father.”