Chapter 30 ─ Eight Great Knights

The Walt Empire is a country known as the nation of war. A group of enemy tribes united due to the expansion of small kingdoms that expelled them from their lands. Therefore, they had to unite to face them.

There were twelve tribes which, having created a small country, had the obligation to have a ruler, so they decided to hold an election. They killed each other, and the survivor would be the total ruler.

Due to that massacre, the king decided to turn his country into an empire as he had the vision of taking over the world. Over time, that nation became a country of mercenaries as they fought for money, at the same time managing to obtain contacts from all over the world. That small nation was a formidable enemy.

That is why in this generation, a new generation of mercenary warriors emerged. They call themselves the Eight Great Knights.

The commander of them, a tall man with brown hair, green eyes, and a goatee named Lambton, looked at the unexpected situation that occurred.

(The knife he threw grazed my ear.)

(His words after throwing the knife were like a bucket of cold water falling on you suddenly.)

(I had never seen this boy. I came because I aimed to eliminate the commander of the Crimson Knights, but for someone not only to know who I am but to show they knew I was coming here.)

Lambton looked at his companions. They were both drinking while Regulus kept talking.

"It's useless to pretend ignorance."

"I'm talking to you."

"What...!"

Lambton thought Regulus had confused him with someone else. But his words increasingly confirmed that it was him he was referring to.

(This is bad.)

(Does anyone else know?)

(I can't rule out any possibility now.)

(The plan needs a slight change.)

He took a ring from his pocket and, after putting it on his finger, brought the gem close to his mouth.

"Erzeberg, can you hear me?"

"…"

There was a slight response in the earring in his left ear.

"I need you to come here."

"…"

"Okay, I have to take care of this. Continue with the plan."

Lambton stood up and walked straight toward Regulus. But, what was the reason for his behavior? That was simple.

Returning to a few minutes before Lambton arrived and Gram left, Regulus's head was a mess.

(Guh. I was ridiculed, and the worst thing is that I ended up looking like Russell was superior to me.)

(Well, let's not be negative.)

(I will find a way to see the king again and get him to praise me.)

(But how?)

After thinking about it for a while, Lambton entered the place. Then Regulus had an idea.

(I know!)

(I'll find the worst group of bandits. Then I'll face them.)

(Fufufu. I'll practice my lines for when the time comes.)

(I'm a genius!)

Regulus began to practice, not realizing he had a knife in his hand and threw it. Obviously, without hostility and by accident, he said his lines and sat down. Then Lambton passed near him.

"Let's go."

"... Excuse me?"

Suddenly, a mysterious person stood next to him. Regulus had no idea who he was. Lambton repeated.

"Let's go. We'll go somewhere else."

"Why should I go with you?"

He was still a bit drunk but aware of his actions. Lambton showed his sword hidden under his clothes. It was small but could get close. Regulus, seeing it and in a completely altered mental state, thought.

(Does he want to rob me?)

(Seriously?)

He thought about it for a while and then smiled.

(A beating to this thief would be good.)

He got up from the table laughing at him.

"Fufufu. You were safe before arriving, but if you so desire to suffer, I will grant your wish."

Tyler asked when he saw him leave.

"Regulus-kun, where are you going?"

Regulus turned and then raised his thumb.

"No problem. I'll be back soon."

They left the place. Tyler was puzzled, but Russell told him.

"Leave him. I also noticed he had a weapon. He surely wanted to rob him and wants to get rid of his accumulated anger."

"Really?"

Tyler didn't realize it, thinking it was because of the alcohol. After drinking again, he realized something. A huge man with pale skin and a shaved head entered the place.

He measured 2.5 meters, and on his back rested a sword almost the same size as him. Suddenly, Russell reacted and grabbed Tyler to jump.

The noise was so loud that people got scared and started leaving while screaming. The drunkenness was wearing off for both of them. Tyler was surprised to see the big man.

"Huh? It can't be. What's he doing here?"

"Gyahahaha. It's been a long time, Nicks."

Russell asked him.

"Do you know this guy?"

Tyler nodded after standing up and taking a combat stance.

"He is one of the Eight Great Knights of the Walt Empire, the God of War Erzeberg."

"The God of War, you say?"

"Do you also know him?"

"Of course not. I was just amazed at how childish that name sounded."

"What kind of adult with emotional problems would give himself that nickname?"

Tyler quickly looked at Erzeberg, who heard everything, and couldn't believe the humiliation he received.

"I will kill you both."

Veins projected on his forehead, and he quickly wielded that large steel plate he called a sword with one hand. It wasn't the only fight starting that night.

◇◇◇

In the library, Shannon and the others were looking for books for Alice. Suddenly, she stood up and grabbed Luvia by the hair.

"Huh? What's happening?"

"Let's go."

"But where?"

"I'll tell you in a moment."

They both walked and entered a room where there was no one except for a large armchair. The door suddenly closed and disappeared.

"Huh? What happened?"

"I know you're here, show yourself."

Suddenly, a laugh came from the armchair.

"Kyahahaha. I didn't think there would actually be someone daring to walk into a trap after detecting me."

"You are fascinating."

A girl jumped from the armchair to the floor, her clothes similar to a witch's and her hair green like her eyes.

"I don't know if you're very stupid or very naive."

"It doesn't matter. They asked me to kill this group, but I can smell that you are the one with the greatest magical power of all present."

"Hey, don't you want me to turn you into my doll? I'll take good care of you and comb your hair every day."

"It's a great offer."

Alice spoke and silenced the girl.

"Shut up. You're annoying. You're unbearable. I can't stand children. It disgusts me to think that you thought your garbage spell that could be seen from miles away was something first-rate in your head."

She drove the last nail into the girl's ego.

"The worst of all is that you pretend to be a girl when you're just an old woman who uses magic to steal magical power from women."

"What...!"

"…!"

Luvia and the "girl" reacted to her words.

"I can know things just by analyzing someone's magical power. For example, your name is Saltherine, and you are 43 years old."

"At 27, you were disappointed you couldn't get a boyfriend, and at 35, your body started to get old."

"It was only at 41 that you got the idea to take notes from an old book on how to be young."

"Am I wrong?"

Saltherine was silent, raised her face, and her face was red as a tomato covered with blood vessels.

"I'll kill you!"

Said Saltherine, but Alice didn't care.

"Luvia, I brought you here for a reason."

"To help you?" said Luvia, and Alice showed her a slight mockery.

"Of course not. I wanted to show you what releasing burning magical power is since you asked me to show you how strong my power was."

"First, look at this. Perfect Cube."

The place was covered with a pink cube that disappeared immediately.

"This is a level 5 spell, but it's enough to reinforce that old woman's spell."

"Observe everything I'll do and memorize it."

"U-Understood."

Saltherine, angry, pulled out a wand similar to a long, bony finger.

"I'll kill you both here and now!"

◇◇◇

"Kyah!"

Mary was thrown into a cell along with another group of girls. Why did this happen to them? thought Mary.

They were just shopping when suddenly they were kidnapped by some mysterious men and brought here. Mary asked Rose and Julie if they were okay.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

"Uwaah! This is not what I imagined when I went out with you."

"You too?"

"Kyah!"

Julie screamed at the mysterious voice from the back. There were Esther and Cloe. Rose immediately went to see her.

"Esther-sama? What are you doing here? No. Are you okay?"

"Rose. I'm fine."

"We were leaving the academy when we were kidnapped. Cecil was still inside the academy, so she's safe. She must have seen what happened and alerted my father."

"I see," commented Rose.

She looked around and asked herself.

"What is this place? Is it inside the capital?"

Esther spoke without energy due to the strong smell of the place.

"Before being kidnapped, I saw a tattoo on the shoulder of one of the kidnappers. It had the shape of a black rose, no doubt about it."

Rose was surprised.

"Huh? Does the Black Rose really exist? I thought it was a rumor."

"It is a rumor to calm the public, but they do exist."

Rose was trembling. "That means... we'll be sold as slaves."

Julie screamed again, and Mary tried to escape by kicking the gate but couldn't. Then a short man with red hair and a scar on his cheek approached.

"Stop doing that. These bars are resistant since this place was designed to withstand earthquakes."

The man, holding a drink in his hand, introduced himself.

"I am part of the Eight Great Knights. I am Aldrake the Stealthy."

"Be grateful, girls. You were going to be killed, but thanks to my intervention, I convinced the boss, and you'll be sold as sex slaves."

"Hahaha."

The girls were horrified to hear that. Aldrake left while shouting.

"Hey! Where the hell is Donner? Is he slacking off again?"

They were all scared due to their tragic situation. Mary immediately thought of her mother and her boyfriend.

(Regu-chan. Save me.)

◇◇◇

After being taken to a place on the outskirts of the city, Gram was cleaning his hands.

"Is that all you can do?"

Of the three individuals, only one was still alive. The other two were frozen on the ground. The survivor had hair shaped like a melon, and his eyes were blue. He was chewing spinach he found in the place.

"That's why I said these guys only got in by influence. You defeated them as soon as we arrived."

The two frozen men were a pair of twins who grew up on the battlefield. The older one was named Elion, and the younger one was Ilion. They were a dangerous combo and both occupied the last position of the Eight Great Knights, while the blue-haired man named Sanzon occupied the fourth.

"You did me a favor. Those guys were talkers who wouldn't shut up."

"If you hadn't killed them, I would have done it here."

"Anyway, let's begin."

"That won't be necessary."

Gram approached Sanzon and then touched his shoulder.

"You will die here."

He was frozen in seconds.

"I must report this to the commander immediately."

She prepared to return, but then heard a strange sound. The ice melted. At the same time, strange black spots appeared on Sanzon.

"Are you leaving?"

"Are you leaving... thinking you killed me?"

"You are an annoying bitch, and I hate bitches like you!"

"I will kill you and make sure you suffer before you die!"

Gram couldn't understand how this was possible.

◇◇◇

(Where are we going?)

Regulus followed Lambton to a remote place. He thought he was going to rob him in a corner, but they ventured into a forest. The drunkenness began to wear off, and Regulus remembered what he did.

(I remembered everything!)

He recalled throwing the knife and then saying strange things to the man in front of him. He shouldn't care about it, but because it was his fault and he was having weird ideas in his head, the shame of running away or apologizing was so great that he didn't know what to do.

(What do I do?)

(This guy is probably angry.)

(He doesn't look strong. But he could be a relative of someone important.)

(He could even be a relative of the king or a knight like Tyler.)

(What do I do? Do I apologize?)

(No. I'll run away and pretend it never happened. That's what I'll do.)

He turned around and before he could start running.

"We're here."

Lambton said.

"Where are we?"

Regulus asked.

"Look at the bottom of the ravine."

Regulus was surprised and thought the worst.

(He wants to kill me!)

(This guy wants to kill me and throw my body to the bottom.)

(It's okay. It doesn't matter anymore, I'll kill him here and now.)

Regulus approached and saw something strange.

"What is that!?"

He was surprised to see a large army at the bottom of the valley.

"I bet you didn't plan for this."

Regulus was terrified seeing it.

(How the hell was I supposed to imagine something like this, you big idiot?)

He had no idea what was happening.

_________________

There won't be fanservice but faces of the enemies so it won't be wasted.

Aldrake

https://overlordmaruyama.fandom.com/wiki/Succulent

Sanzon

https://jojo.fandom.com/wiki/Ghiaccio

Lambton

https://bleach.fandom.com/wiki/Shūsuke_Amagai