160. Tower of Trials, Floor 54 (2)
Patrolman.
Usually a post assigned to apprentice soldiers of the Holy Kingdom.
They had almost no combat experience and had only learned basic swordsmanship and shield defense.
So they were only responsible for basic city security.
Then, once they gained experience, they would participate in war.
"What is going on here!"
Rattle, rattle!
Along with the clinking of armor, three patrolmen came running over.
While Baek Jinwoo and the clerk were causing a commotion, the restaurant owner had sent a messenger to call them.
The clerk, who had immediately dashed outside, pointed accusingly at Baek Jinwoo.
"T-that man ate food without paying! Arrest him at once!"
The patrolmen's gazes turned toward Baek Jinwoo.
Among them, the one who looked like the senior stepped forward.
"Is that true?"
"Yes."
"...Yes? It's true?"
The patrolman tilted his head.
Wouldn't people normally deny it here?
If it was true, all he had to do was pay.
"Ahem, in that case, please come with us quietly. You will have to come with us and undergo a formal investigation. In Lumentia, dining and dashing is strictly forbidden."
"Forget the investigation."
Swish.
As Baek Jinwoo lightly tilted his head, HunGyo drew his sword.
Shing!
When HunGyo's sword flashed with a sharp metallic sound,
"W-what!"
"He drew a sword!"
"Who the hell is that man?"
The onlookers in the restaurant all stirred in alarm.
Shing, shing!
The patrolmen also drew their swords all at once.
"W-what are you doing right now!"
"Don't make this bigger than it has to be!"
The surroundings were engulfed in chaos in an instant.
Some hurriedly left the area, while others backed away and watched the situation with eyes full of curiosity.
And then.
Thud!
HunGyo's blade stabbed into the patrolman's abdomen at tremendous speed.
"Y-you lunatic!"
One soldier at his side, startled, raised his sword, but.
Thud!
This time, the hilt of Aso's sword accurately struck the back of his neck.
A perfect pressure-point strike!
Thump, thump!
The speed at which the two soldiers collapsed was instantaneous.
'A-amazing skill!'
As the frightened senior soldier stood there at a loss, Baek Jinwoo smiled softly.
"Go bring someone stronger."
"W-what do you mean by that?"
"Whether it's a knight trainee, a Paladin, a Commander, a Royal Guardian, or a Champion... just bring them all."
Baek Jinwoo listed the Holy Kingdom's military forces in order.
Whatever it was.
From now on, they had to show them.
That we're insanely strong.
That we're resources who can be more than helpful in the battle against Asmodeus.
That was the only way the Holy King would move.
* * *
"T-this is terrible!"
The rumor spread quickly.
"Some thugs are causing chaos inside the city!"
"Chaos?"
Alexion, a Paladin of the Holy Kingdom, looked coldly at the soldier before him.
"You came to me because you couldn't even deal with a single thug?"
"...They're not ordinary. At first, we sent three patrolmen, and then we sent ten more, but they were all defeated."
Ten patrolmen.
If it was only that much, knight trainees would be enough to deal with it.
'But if they came all the way to me.'
Did that mean the thugs were even worse than that?
As Alexion silently watched him, the soldier hurriedly continued.
"We sent soldiers with war experience again, and even deployed five knight trainees. But... they couldn't even touch the hems of those thugs' clothes. Two swordsmen, one monster using a scythe... and there's also an elf swinging something like a staff, but their skill is far from ordinary. It's almost like looking at a Champion..."
"Enough!"
Alexion cut off the soldier.
"How dare you speak that sacred name so lightly."
"I-I apologize."
A Champion was the Holy King's warrior.
Just as there was a Commander above a Paladin, there was a Champion above a Royal Guardian.
The Champion was the greatest being in Lumentia, regarded as one who had received the blessing of God.
"So even five trainees couldn't lay a hand on them?"
"That is correct."
"Hm."
Alexion's gaze sharpened.
Then the situation was quite serious.
'How dare they.'
To think they would dare stir up trouble in the Holy Kingdom.
The kingdom's prestige truly was not what it used to be.
After shaking his head briefly, he slowly rose from his seat.
"Lead the way."
Grasping the sword at his side and a white shield in his hands, he added,
"This does not seem to be a simple quarrel, so I will step in personally and settle it."
He could not just leave those who had violated the kingdom's law alone.
* * *
'Ho.'
Baek Jinwoo lightly tilted his head.
'A Paladin already?'
A Paladin was a holy knight.
The Holy Kingdom's main force against monsters and demons!
This world definitely felt like it had been buffed about ten times more than the game...
'His stance is perfect.'
The arm holding the shield was fixed solidly, and the hand gripping the sword was steady without the slightest shake.
If the Holy Kingdom had hundreds of resources like this, they would definitely be quite helpful.
"You bastards..."
Alexion, lowering his sword, bit his lip and muttered,
"So you are the thugs causing all this chaos?"
And at the same time.
Swish.
He turned his head and looked over each of them one by one.
A man holding a sword.
A little girl holding a sword.
And a master holding a scythe.
'What is this?'
It was the first time he had felt uneasy about opponents before even fighting them.
'I can't gauge their skill at all.'
But.
A warrior's spirit could not break before even properly crossing blades.
Just as Alexion steadied himself and was about to raise his sword.
—Aso.
HunGyo opened his mouth.
—Hm?
—You try fighting that one.
—Me?
—Yes, he should be fine as your practice opponent. Haven't you been a little short on real combat experience lately?
—Hoooh, he's that strong?
Alexion's eyebrow twitched.
What were they talking about right now?
Against him, a Paladin, what?
A practice opponent?
To become a Paladin, one had to train for more than twenty years as a trainee.
One had to participate in countless wars, and only after finally receiving the Holy King's recognition could one bear that title.
He was a true veteran among veterans.
"What arrogant bastards."
—Then I'm really going?
"Y-you!"
Just as Alexion's face was about to twist in fury.
Tap!
With the sound of the air splitting, something brushed past his abdomen.
Drip.
It was only after it had already passed behind his back that he realized it was the sword of that little girl holding the blade.
'What was that?'
He hadn't even seen it properly.
—Incredible speed!
Fighting with a Lamba buff is kind of cheating.
Aso smiled faintly.
—But the situation is what it is. I was trying to be fair, so that was just a greeting. So you should wake up too and fight seriously. Don't go claiming later that you let your guard down.
Alexion could not understand.
What was this?
How could a human possess such speed?
'If this had been a real battle... would I have died just like that?'
Alexion felt a chill run through his insides.
Only then did he remember. The soldier had come and said it.
That the opponents were causing a disturbance.
'He never said they had killed any soldiers or trainees.'
They had all been subdued.
It was obvious they were acting like this for some reason.
"...What is your purpose in causing this disturbance here?"
Alexion instinctively turned toward Baek Jinwoo.
Anyone could tell that he was the leader of this group.
There was also a blonde woman, a white-haired old man with a staff, and a giant white tiger, but...
In the end, they too were merely watching the situation from behind Baek Jinwoo, who stood there with his arms crossed.
"Nothing much."
Baek Jinwoo shrugged.
"I've been saying it this whole time. Hasn't it gotten through to you yet?"
".....Gotten through?"
"I said bring them all. Whether it's a Paladin, a Commander, a Royal Guardian, or a Champion."
"You insolent bastard!"
For a Paladin, that was unavoidable.
They revered Commanders and Champions as sacred beings.
They were outraged and disgusted even by the mere fact that someone unrelated dared to put those titles in his mouth.
Paladin Commander (S-rank).
And Champion (S-rank).
Those two were currently treated as the only heroes capable of standing against Asmodeus!
"I was going to try talking this through, but clearly that won't work!"
Tap!
Alexion, agitated, kicked off the ground.
'Knew he'd do that.'
Baek Jinwoo nodded as if he had expected exactly this.
No matter how he thought about it, these guys—they weren't holy knights.
They were just berserkers.
The kind who would come charging in just because someone slightly insulted or touched on the people they respected.
Well.
Religious zealots being the norm in medieval times was nothing unusual.
And in this world, there was even the concept of divine power visibly existing right before one's eyes.
There were demons too.
—How dare you come at my dad!
Claaang!
Alexion's sword strike was blocked by Aso.
Whoooosh!
At the same time, an incredible flurry of follow-up attacks burst forth.
"Hup!"
Alexion sucked in a breath and widened his eyes. At the same time, instinctively, he thrust out his holy shield.
Paladin.
Holy Shield.
Holy Shield!
The blessing of light covered his body.
Fwaaaaash!
The repelling force was so fierce that even Aso's sword, which had been stabbing again and again, was pushed back.
—Ugh!
At this rate, the meaning of her increased attack speed disappeared.
"Hyaaaah!"
Alexion raised his sword again and thrust swiftly.
Paladin.
Judgment of Light.
Judgment of Light!
The holy radiance emitted from his sword shot toward Aso. An immense divine power burst out through the blade.
'Oh.'
Baek Jinwoo admired it.
Remember that?
Kang Geonho's summon, Paladin (A-rank) and Black Knight (A-rank).
That Paladin is exactly what they are.
'Of course, the Paladin here looks about ten times stronger than Kang Geonho's.'
Anyway.
That meant it was a very familiar skill.
Kugagagagaga!
The sacred light was almost like a sword aura. It flowed like a river, trying to sweep Aso away with savage force.
Tsk.
But.
With a slightly annoyed voice, a flash of light burst forth.
At the same time, the incoming Judgment of Light was deflected in all directions and completely shattered.
"Ghk!"
Feeling an overwhelming force through his wrist, Alexion lost his balance for an instant and fell.
Thud.
As he sat collapsed on the ground, the figure of the little girl came into view above him.
—Ah, that was way too simple.
Aso shook her head with a disappointed expression.
To a genius like her, it must have looked like a truly shabby strike.
—Even if it's powerful, so what? It's just a thrust. If you thrust like that, you could do it a hundred times and still never land a hit.
"W-what?"
—Anyway, just now, you didn't listen to Dad and attacked right away, didn't you? How cheeky!
Alexion could not understand what the girl was talking about.
'What was that just now?'
She hadn't used any particular technique. Just one tiny bit of force had diverted his thrust, and all the power in his sword had collapsed into nothing.
Just like he himself was now, sprawled on the ground.
The swordsmanship he had forged through blood, sweat, and effort for more than twenty years had been blocked by a girl who did not even look thirteen.
—Then take a beating for a bit!
"....?"
HunGyo said this. People who still don't understand even after being told are no different from beasts, and for beasts, the rod is the best medicine.
What does that even—
Alexion's eyes filled with confusion, and with a grin, Aso charged at him without hesitation.
Holding up not the blade, but the flat of her sword.
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