CHAPTER 285: THE UNYIELDING ARCHDUKE

The battlefield was filled with mixed emotions.

Catherine, Billford, and Diline, who were hurrying behind Siana and Seid, felt a deep sense of despair.

Siana, on the other hand, was elated, brimming with confidence in her impending victory.

Seid, however, was filled with regret and a faint sadness.

"Stop that, Master!" Siana ordered Carl once more.

But this time, her voice lacked the rich, honey-like quality it had before.

It was merely her original voice now.

She had too many orders to give Carl in this short moment. Rather than mumbling multiple commands, she intended to engrave a curse of obedience upon him just once.

First, they would stop Jaren, seize control of the battlefield, and then massacre all the Tumaris prisoners.

Carl would accept death, regain the power of the book and the black tongue, and then they would go to war once again with Carl leading at the forefront.

In Siana’s mind, she envisioned the burning landscape of Tumari.

She would pour oil onto the mighty Arban River, once covered in lush green foliage, and set everything ablaze.

At the heart of this vast desert nation known as Tumaria, she would ignite thousands of years of human history.

As Carl ran at full speed, his pace gradually slowed until he came to a complete stop.

Jaren, currently deaf and unable to communicate, saw Carl reach out and gesture for him to stop.

Confusion spread across Jaren’s face.

He couldn’t grasp the situation. The only things he could feel were the scent of blood, the thundering of horses’ hooves, and the cold night wind.

But as he saw Siana and Seid behind Carl, along with Carl’s knights charging toward him, he began to piece things together.

’...Really?’

Jaren had been suspicious from the very beginning.

Given the circumstances, it appeared that Carl had been attacked by Siana.

No, he was certain of it.

Yet, Jaren still couldn’t imagine His Majesty the Archduke submitting so obediently to a woman of such low status.

No—was he truly obeying her now?

’Should I stop? If I attack, I could use him as a shield or kill him. But really? That Carl Felt Hardion?’

Jaren was still running, but his feet slowed slightly as countless thoughts raced through his mind.

Then, he hesitated, lowered his weapon, and cautiously approached Carl, who had come to a halt.

Even in this moment, Jaren felt no despair or sorrow.

After all, he was not a loyal knight of Carl like Catherine or Billford.

Rather, he had always desperately wished that Carl would simply disappear from his life.

Now, he only felt that things had become a bit more complicated.

Above all else, his mind was too clouded with suspicion and unease to feel any sympathy.

Carl stood tall before Jaren, gazing at him with clear green eyes.

Then, his stern lips twisted into a sly smile.

"...This fucking—"

...You fucking insolent brat of an Archduke.

Jaren couldn’t bring himself to say that aloud in front of Carl. After all, he was still the Archduke.

But when Carl looked at him with that smirk, Jaren swallowed his curse—only to burst into laughter instead.

Even in this state—his body battered and bruised, locked in combat with the Master—he was laughing.

This world was truly ridiculous.

Kwaaaaang!

Jaren sprinted past Carl in an instant, charging toward Siana and Seid.

Behind him, Carl followed closely!

"What...!"

"Hm!"

Siana, who had been certain of victory, was stunned, while Seid instinctively chose to retreat.

Yet, he never imagined that Siana’s black tongue would fail. He was a fraction of a second too late to react.

’How?’

Seid locked eyes with Carl, who was staring straight at him, and felt a question forming in his mind.

A sense of relief welled up inside him, though he dared not show it.

A faint smile threatened to appear.

"Carl! Stop him!"

"It’s no use. It didn’t work."

"Why...! Why?!"

Seid answered calmly as Siana screamed, unable to accept the situation.

But in the face of near-death danger, she quickly regained her composure.

"Run away!"

"That will be difficult."

"Then capture Carl! If that doesn’t work, kill him and take his body!"

"Yes."

At Siana’s command, Seid turned and aimed for Carl.

If he could capture or kill Carl, he would likely turn him into a puppet, just as he had been made into one.

’It won’t be that easy, Siana.’

Seid calmly assessed the odds.

Jaren was gravely injured.

Seid himself, an assassin forced to fight while protecting Siana, was already greatly fatigued.

Even if he could handle over half of the opposition, there were still other knights.

And Carl, who was looking straight at him, might not be so easy to deal with.

’Alright, come.’

Seid nodded heavily, watching from the shadows as Carl approached.

But the next moment, Carl did something even Seid hadn’t expected.

"What are you doing...!"

"What are you doing...!"

What the hell are you doing, you crazy bastard?

Jaren was the one who almost shouted that.

Carl, who had been running behind Jaren for protection, suddenly shot out from Jaren’s left side at incredible speed, overtaking him.

Jaren, severely injured, couldn’t react in time.

Now, he was left facing Seid alone while Carl lunged forward.

Seid’s eyes widened in surprise.

At first, he thought the young Archduke had made a reckless mistake in his excitement.

But when he looked into Carl’s unwavering, emotionless eyes, he realized his worry was unnecessary.

’This guy... he’s cold.’

Even more so than Seid, who had been raised in the shadows of the Hadad cult, Carl seemed utterly devoid of human emotions.

Just from the way he looked now, he appeared as if he felt nothing at all.

And a man like that would never make a mistake in the heat of battle.

Seid knew this better than anyone.

So, without hesitation, he swung his sword to kill Carl.

’What will you do now, Archduke Carl?’

This was getting interesting.

Since he couldn’t move as freely as he wanted, he might as well enjoy the spectacle.

And Carl did not disappoint.

Kagagagagak!

A bright flash erupted as the mana blade clashed with Carl’s swords.

Siana, watching from a distance, couldn’t even comprehend what had happened.

The next moment, all she could see was Carl’s sword stopping Seid’s mana blade!

"Excellent!"

He is indeed the man my daughter chose!

Seid’s admiration echoed heavily beyond the shadows.

Carl had stopped Seid’s horizontally swinging mana blade by crossing his two swords like scissors.

If he had blocked it normally, his swords would have shattered, and his head would already be rolling on the ground.

But in that fleeting instant, Carl made the smallest possible angle between his swords, pushing with his right hand while simultaneously raising his left-hand sword in the opposite direction.

To compensate for his inevitable lack of raw strength, he even supported the sword with his left arm.

Against a mana blade, the weapon of an ordinary mana user was no different from a rotting branch—useless.

Yet, Seid had swung his sword honestly, without unnecessary flourishes.

And Carl had responded in kind.

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