I Am a Ruined Noble of a Ruined Kingdom

Chapter 25: The Empire's White Knight

"Just what method did he use to come this far in such a short time?"

Today was the fifth day of chasing Charles. The sun and moon had already taken turns crossing the horizon several times, taking the time to recharge.

"Five days... It's already been five days."

Realistically, it was a period where we had missed the golden time by far. The only comforting part was that it was unknown what they were plotting by using Charles. At least, it wouldn't be a one-dimensional hostage situation like a threat with her life as collateral.

I hadn't stopped sprinting even once during that time. Even though I had been running non-stop at a speed where the surrounding scenery quickly changed, I still couldn't grasp Zicharun's location.

I was running, relying on another function of the body that Netionpies had engraved, but I was honestly feeling uneasy.

"Besides, this familiar scenery..."

The scenery stretching out like afterimages and retreating subconsciously reminded me of a pure white back view. I constantly recalled the owner of the pure white back view. The image that appeared clearly as a result of my efforts was a woman with a familiar yet chilling impression.

'Iruealfi!'

I gradually began to remember. The figure of the white knight who fearlessly gave her back and strode forward towards the heinous Netionpies, even if the details were different. Her afterimages were melting into every path, demanding that I reflect on the past that had become a memory.

'This is unsettling.'

It wasn't that the journey with Iruealfi was unsettling. If I continued to see familiar scenery like this, the next place would be a village where I learned about Iruealfi's tastes.

'Who would have known that the terrifying boss would burst out laughing at dad jokes.'

Sitris Village.

I set foot in the village where I had my first dinner with Iruealfi in a short time. Every time I bounced around on the roofs to avoid people, an unusual murmur entered my ears.

It was inevitable that I would attract attention because I was moving beyond the limits of humanity. After regaining my senses for a while, the houses in Sitris Village had already become as small as toys, and the villagers looked like dots.

What I felt as I entered the lush forest path was a handful of unease. The passing geography was familiar, and the direction that my intuition pointed to was blatant.

The unease that I had thought might be the case became a reality half a day later. An iron gate, imitating grotesque rocks spread out like wings, was captured in my vision.

"Why does it have to be the Great Cavern? Does it make sense? Is there something special..."

What was even more unexpected was that while Zicharun's aura was vivid, no one else's presence was detected at all. This meant that not even a minimum of security personnel were deployed.

'It's either one of two things. Either Charles isn't there and only Zicharun is there, or if only Zicharun is there, security personnel aren't needed.'

Attaching a mediocre force to a asymmetrical power like Zicharun would rather reduce efficiency. In particular, Zicharun, whose wide-area skill was his signature, was not suitable for cooperative combat with allies. Iruealfi's raid in the original story was an extremely exceptional case.

Perhaps the remaining personnel were plotting something in another location.

'There are few people who can match Zicharun throughout the original story, so it's not strange.'

But if Charles isn't there, the story is different. Zicharun would be tied up, and it would be a huge waste to miss Charles. In fact, what I can track isn't Charles but Zicharun.

I sincerely prayed in my heart that it wasn't the former case.

"If Charles isn't there, I don't care if he's the main character or not, I'll grab him by the hair and beat him up...!"

I'll do something unimaginable and win.

◇

Three days before Nephi's point of view.

"Haa."

Iruealfi's warm, self-deprecating breath permeated the air. She was strolling through the garden to calm her troubled mind.

Since collapsing in Miren's room, she had been bothered by the terrible nightmare. The resentment and hostility, like thousands of needles piercing her skin densely, still tingled as if there was a lingering afterimage.

What about the hair dragging on the floor? Her vision was poor and she accidentally stepped on it, and it broke off powerlessly without feeling any pain.

She could tell what a miserable state she was in even without a mirror.

"Ugh! Seriously, what is it... It doesn't disappear from my head?"

It didn't change anything even if she grabbed her temples with both hands and shook her head from side to side. Only her soft and bouncy hair sharply brushed her arms.

Even so, the last thought she had heard in her dream constantly lingered in Iruealfi's mind.

[Protect it.]

"Is it to protect daily life? No, there's no reason to worry about a dream in the first place. ... There isn't, but why am I like this...?"

Iruealfi blankly blurred her focus on the empty air.

It's clear.

Perhaps it was because her body, which had already transcended cold and heat, had become dull, but it was probably hot. It was the season for that.

Let's empty my mind. If I look at the transparent and blue sky without a single cloud, I'll definitely be able to forget.

'Mwooong...'

Mwooong...

I feel like my mind and thoughts are being purified. Let's stay like this, just for a little while. Yes, just a little bit more in the future.

What brought Iruealfi back to her senses, who was giving up on everything and escaping from reality, was a huge upheaval.

She, who had been aimlessly craving the empty air, jumped up from her seat at the sudden roar.

Kwaang-!

"Hut!"

Iruealfi's hand instinctively reached for her ceremonial sword. At the same time, she stepped on a support and quickly climbed the spire to check the source of the roar.

Iruealfi couldn't help but be shocked.

Red flames and smoky black smoke were simultaneously rising from all directions of the capital - Eldrion.

"How!"

That was the first thought that came out.

No matter how secretive the enemies are, there's a limit. Enemy forces simultaneously rising in four directions, east, west, south, and north, of the capital, where security levels were reinforced just in case?

It was impossible. It was an achievement that neither Iruealfi herself nor Nephi could do.

"It's not the time to worry about this and that...!"

Iruealfi quickly gathered all the forces of the Imperial Palace. She was the only person besides the Emperor who could issue orders equally regardless of affiliation in an emergency situation.

That was the position of the Nelphrugia Knights Commander. She had the power to exercise authority close to unlimited if necessary as the Emperor's escort captain.

The knights gathered in front of the main palace were dense. It was a possible sight because they had gathered as much force as possible to the Imperial Palace in preparation for an emergency.

They stared at Iruealfi with stern expressions without saying a word. Iruealfi also opened her mouth in a stiff tone.

"From this moment on, the four knight orders will be controlled by this commander."

It was a short word, but the impact was considerable. Murmurs flowed out from the other knight orders except for the Nelphrugia Knights, where Iruealfi was the commander.

She continued without caring.

"Unfortunately, there is no time to say anything grand. From now on, all the forces of the Imperial Palace, regardless of rank, will subdue the rebels trampling on Eldrion. In addition, the field commanders will temporarily appoint the four commander-level people gathered here, and the Nelphrugia Knights will be divided equally among the four commanders to receive orders."

"Yes! I understand!"

It was mostly an answer from the Nelphrugia Knights side.

The knight orders gathered in front of her were four, excluding Nelphrugia. The remaining four knight orders maintained a relatively lukewarm attitude, and passive answers flowed out like mosquito sounds.

Just as Iruealfi's brow was about to narrow, one of the commander-level personnel took the lead and spoke.

"If we all go out, there will be no manpower to protect the Imperial Palace."

"There is manpower."

"The knights gathered here are the total force of the Imperial Palace."

"I will, personally, protect the Imperial Palace."

"Ha!"

He couldn't help but laugh to himself.

The name of the man who laughed was Legett. He was the commander of the Iajis Knights, who guarded the Imperial Palace. Legett thought that Iruealfi's mind had collapsed due to panic.

'Has that woman really gone crazy? The Imperial Palace is so big, and she's going to take care of it alone? There's a limit to absurdity.'

It was a statement that had its own logic for Legett. As the chief officer of the knight order in charge of guarding the Imperial Palace, he knew better than anyone how vast and complex the Imperial Palace was.

Take care of that Imperial Palace alone?

Perhaps she was afraid of being hit by a blind sword and dying in Eldrion. Legett inflated all sorts of imaginations.

He secretly sneered at Iruealfi's fingertips trembling slightly. It seemed like an act of acknowledging that his guess was correct.

The point at which he realized that it was a complete miscalculation came quickly.

"Legett, does this commander seem ridiculous to you?"

"No, not that far..."

Even while speaking intimidatingly, Iruealfi had to admit it. From their point of view, she was no different from a ridiculous clown.

Her martial power had been thoroughly hidden by the Imperial Decree, and she had spread the nonsense rumor that she had been seriously injured during a mission because of rumors of romance. At the Fayta Dukedom, she had only paced back and forth because of the people who would be swept away by the aftermath of the attack, and the Nelphrugia's vice-commander had committed suicide not long after being detained.

She was a masterpiece made by boiling down mistrust and disgrace.

"..."

Iruealfi closed her eyes. It was to organize the thoughts that were popping up one after another.

Eldrion is rapidly being stained with chaos. There are also quite a few nobles who have established themselves in the capital. The reason they stay in the capital rather than their territory is because of their trust in the Imperial Family. She couldn't let their beliefs plummet.

Above all, she was worried about the powerless people. Innocent people who don't have the power or wealth to protect themselves are suffering.

She finished thinking in a short silence.

"... Then, I will prove it so that it is not ridiculous."

"Yes? Why suddenly..."

Are you talking nonsense?

While Legett was swallowing his words, Iruealfi drew her ceremonial sword.

Sreung-

The silver-white blade reflected the sunlight and shone beautifully. At that moment, Legett unknowingly reached for his beloved weapon.

He thought that Iruealfi had drawn her sword to show an example of insubordination. But Iruealfi's gaze was fixed on Eldrion, not Legett.

"What... is she trying to do?"

"Just watch quietly. We're curious too."

Someone from the Nelphrugia Knights intervened. Legett glared at him, offended by the impudent words of a mere private, but he soon closed his mouth. The glint in the eyes of the Nelphrugia Knights wasn't ordinary to rebuke.

It was like the eyes of a child anticipating a long-awaited scene in a play.

"It's just a vague guess, but we know. This commander's true worth."

Anyone in the Nelphrugia Knights knew.

That she had never put her heart into training even once. That she was the sole survivor of the Chainreach phenomenon. And... It was just a conspiracy theory, but the rumor that she had suppressed the Chainreach phenomenon.

But rumors were just rumors. There were many pros and cons even within the knight order. Then, now, the prelude to the unveiling of her true form, which was like the silhouette of a shadow play, was approaching.

'Just this once. I will disobey the Imperial Decree for the first time, Your Majesty.'

Iruealfi jumped to the top of the Imperial Palace in an instant. It was an unbelievable elastic movement. The knights exclaimed with admiration just from that. But this was just the beginning.

All the people who existed in the Imperial Palace that day witnessed a scene that they could never forget.

Cheok.

Iruealfi's knees were slightly bent, and her lower body firmly gripped the ground. Her right hand and left hand, which were handling the ceremonial sword, crossed each other and fluttered with blue energy.

"One Sword Startles the Stars."

The ultimate slash itself becomes the concept of a phenomenon. An offensive that transcends recognition is her true worth. It is the wondrous power of a woman with the future of a Destroyer.

Compress the energy gathered like mist while surrounding the sword, compress it again. She internalizes it to the limit until the silver-white ceremonial sword becomes the color of the lake released into the sky.

Wielding that vast amount of energy is instantaneous.

Paaat!

Finally, her sword drew a trajectory.

Saaaaa...

It was quiet.

The wind, the bushes, and the humans all closed their mouths as if they were practicing silent meditation.

In the world that had become a void, only Iruealfi's ceremonial sword quietly hid itself in its scabbard.

Sswaeeeek!

A belated tearing sound belatedly resounded.

And everyone in the Imperial Palace, as well as in the capital, took note. A bizarre phenomenon that defied the laws of nature.

Crack, crack!

Iruealfi's slash belatedly left a straight afterimage in the clear air. It was a huge sword mark that was almost dividing the sky of the capital in half.

"What is that...!"

"Is this really possible for a human being...?"

"Am I... seeing things...?"

Hwioooooo!

At that moment, along with a storm-like updraft, the fire demon that had been engulfing the capital in red soared upwards as if being sucked into the sky in a huge whirlwind.

The huge pillar of fire disappeared in an instant as soon as it touched the afterimage of the slash.

[Iruealfi-style Horizontal Slash - Heaven Split.] It was a nightmare-like pattern that frustrated countless Eldchain players with death regression.

The afterimage of the slash that Iruealfi left behind was the result of cutting through the concept of space. In that way, the afterimage created a temporary vacuum in the air, thanks to which the fire demon soared up as if being sucked in.

Iruealfi jumped down from the top of the Imperial Palace without hesitation and looked down at the knights indifferently.

"Is it okay now?"

"... Yes?"

"Does this commander still seem ridiculous?"

"No, that's..."

"If you understand, march out. Right now!!!"

At Iruealfi's roar, Legett answered as if possessed.

"Hut... I understand! Ri, right now, the Iajis Knights will sortie to the capital!"

"Damn it, we're going to the capital too!"

"March out!"

Once the tide had turned, the knight orders all rushed to the capital. While most of the knights were running with bewildered expressions, the members of the Nelphrugia Knights had somewhat triumphant faces.

When the vice-commander caused a major accident, they thought that they would have to live with their eyes on the ground for the rest of their lives. But the achievement shown by the commander, Iruealfi, made the vice-commander's betrayal a trivial act.

In fact, the members of other knight orders were glancing at Nelphrugia with envious eyes.

"Commander Yustiha is really crazy... Are the Nelphrugia kids always training under someone like that?"

"It's a little scary, but I'm jealous..."

Many of them had joined the knight order because they admired strength regardless of their status. It was not strange to be attracted to a strong superior.

In their conversations, the Nelphrugia Knights all had the same thought.

'They would be horrified if they knew that our commander's sword is literally a decorative ceremonial sword without a blade.'

It was just a ceremonial sword that was forged by a famous artisan and was tremendously sturdy.

It would be an undignified act for a low-ranking person to blabber about the fact that the commander doesn't reveal.

The Nelphrugia knights, who were mysteriously energized even though it wasn't something they had done, were.