Act 42

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“Sigh, it seems like a trap, Master Joshua.”

What?

A knight who activated a barrier upon sensing someone’s presence showed a look of panic.

“A trap, you say? What on earth are you talking about?”

Joshua, who was completely convinced that Julian had returned after completing his mission, furrowed his brow slightly.

“Explain yourself properly.”

“It seems like Julian knew we would come and set a trap for us. It’s clear that our information leaked somewhere…”

“Shut up!”

Joshua, glaring at the knight with wide eyes, shouted with an elevated voice.

“There’s no way the information could have leaked! Tell me why you think we fell into a trap!”

“The moment we activated the barrier to disrupt the mana flow…”

Gulp.

The knight, swallowing his saliva, continued.

“Someone else, aside from us, appeared in the mansion in large numbers.”

“Large numbers?”

“Yes.”

At the mention of “large numbers,” Joshua bit his lip hard.

No one else lives in Julian’s mansion except for him.

Since the servants do not work late hours, by this time, the mansion, terribly large and quiet, should only have Julian in it.

And suddenly, there are signs of many people’s presence?

‘Especially today.’

Right now!?

Joshua began to understand why the knight accompanying him guessed it was a ‘trap.’

An unexpected event, which would not usually happen, had suddenly occurred.

“Master Joshua, what will you do?”

The knight, uncharacteristically shrinking in his posture, asked.

‘This damn guy, if he returns, it would be best to dismiss him.’

Thinking this, Joshua opened his mouth.

“Even if it’s a trap, it doesn’t matter. Because today, I’m going to kill Julian.”

Looking at the knight still trembling with fear, Joshua smirked.

“Since the barrier is activated, Julian is in a weakened state. The only change from the original plan is that while I deal with Julian, you guys will take care of the others.”

For the purpose of proving to the world that he is more capable than the infamously known ‘Julian’. There cannot be any setbacks in the plan. No, there shouldn’t be.

“Where are they now?”

“In the corridor outside the living room where we are.”

Perfect.

Muttering to himself, Joshua got up from the sofa. If necessary, ‘using the horn’ would suffice, so there’s no chance of failure in this plan.

“Before they make a move from there, we’ll strike from here.”

Clang.

At Joshua’s command, the knights and soldiers all drew their swords at once.

Simultaneously, the knight closest to the entrance kicked the door open and burst out.

“Perhaps, they might be waiting on the other side… Ahh!”

A panicked shout came from the corridor.

Ignoring it, the sound of swords cutting through the air was heard.

Joshua likewise moved outside of the living room. What caught his eye were men with suspicious looks, their faces hidden by robes.

At a glance, these were not ‘ordinary’ individuals. They must be those who engage in dirty deeds for a living. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be serving as Julian’s underlings.

“To work under such trash, you are all dishonorable swine,” Joshua spat out with a venomous voice.

William, who was looking over a fallen comrade, widened his eyes at Joshua’s sharp words like a dagger.

“Who are you to say such things…!”

William, responding with a heightened voice, began to gather mana into his staff, despite the barrier in place that disrupted the flow of mana. Being able to cast magic under these circumstances meant he was a wizard of high caliber.

“Master, he’s a third-tier wizard or higher.”

A knight by his side noted this.

“Even so, the barrier should weaken his powers. Take care of it.”

“Yes, Master.”

At Joshua’s command, his knights and soldiers charged at the men in robes.

In the dark of night, the clash of steel sparked flames. Watching this scene, Joshua scanned his surroundings.

‘Where is Julian?’

If this was the detestable ‘trap of the laughing execution stand,’ it would be normal for him to show himself. However, despite searching high and low, Julian was nowhere to be seen.

“Ah, ah!”

Clang -!

It was then. The knight who first kicked open the door was flung out through a window with a violent groan.

Startled, Joshua observed the knight’s body. Clearly affected by magic, the sight of him embedded in a tree with significant burns was undeniable. The problem was the power behind it.

“Despite the barrier, to have this much power…?”

Hearing the knight’s bewildered soliloquy, Joshua once again swore to dismiss this knight if they ever returned to the mansion.

***

“Ugh…!”

As searing flames grazed his side, Joshua scowled.

He glared at the wizard in front of him with sharp eyes. Despite the barrier disrupting the mana flow, this wizard could still use a few offensive spells.

As the knight had mentioned earlier, it seems true he is at least a third-tier wizard.

“Cough, cough…”

Of course, the barrier was not entirely useless. Perhaps due to the strain of using magic, the wizard’s mouth was filled with traces of coughing up blood.

Despite the wizard’s precarious appearance, Joshua could not easily close the distance. The spells, if allowed even once, could be fatal, and he could end up like the soldiers lying around him if he took the hits directly.

‘Damn it, just fall already…!’

Around them lay warriors alongside trails of blood. Only this wizard and Joshua remained standing. However, Joshua could not easily use ‘the horn.’

‘This is my trump card for dealing with Julian.’

Alphas had handed it to him, making it clear that it was a ‘consumable’. In a situation where Julian had yet to show himself, it couldn’t be wasted on catching mere small fry. The purpose of stepping into this mansion was to cut off Julian’s breath of life. As a result, the stalemate in the battle showed no signs of resolving.

‘Damn it!’

The prolonged fight blurred Joshua’s vision due to the accumulation of fatigue in his body. Of course, the other side was in the same condition. The continuously cast spells were starting to show their limits, and due to the adverse conditions of forcing magic use, the wizard’s pupils began to lose focus.

In that moment, as the wizard tried to wipe the blood from his mouth to maintain consciousness, ‘Now is the time!’

Joshua didn’t miss the exposed vulnerability, throwing a flowerpot to distract the wizard’s gaze before quickly closing the distance and rushing at him.

“Ugh…!”

The wizard, seeing Joshua charging, panicked and attempted to cast magic with his staff, but the flowerpot he had thrown distracted him, causing him to miss his timing.

Seizing the opportunity, Joshua swung his sword sideways, knocking the wizard’s staff aside, and then kicked the man in the stomach, knocking him down.

“Damn you.”

With his sword at the fallen wizard’s throat, he spat out curses.

Even with a barrier disrupting the mana flow, the wizard had been able to use magic, demonstrating a level of mana control that suggested he was at least a fourth-tier wizard. It was lamentable that someone with such talent was reduced to being a lackey for the cursed Julian.

“A piece of garbage without honor… Daring to block my path?”

“Ugh, ack!”

“How much did Julian pay you? Five thousand nars? Ten thousand? You dog, you never imagined that would be the price of your life, did you?”

“What… what!?”

As Joshua mocked him, he pressed down on the wizard’s solar plexus with his foot.

Crunch─!

“Ah… ah! Wait a moment!”

Ignoring the wizard’s groans, Joshua put more force into his foot, intending to crush his ribs.

“I… I’m not… employed by Julian!”

Joshua, shocked and pressing down harder, glared at him.

“Who’s going to believe such an absurd lie? You’re just a piece of trash without pride.”

“Ugh! Ah, ah! It’s true! I… ugh. Came to ambush Julian today… ack, ack. Not hired by him!”

“Really? Well, it doesn’t matter. You interfered with me, so you deserve to die.”

Despite the wizard’s continued words, Joshua looked suspicious but ignored them. The fact that he had disrupted Joshua’s plans was undeniable.

Joshua, gripping the handle tighter, was about to swing his sword at the fallen wizard.

“Oh, oh, oh…”

Hesitation.

At a voice not far away, Joshua halted his sword and turned his head. There stood the cause and origin of this entire incident, and the owner of the now chaotic mansion, ‘Julian Crypart Frason’, smiling with his usual twinkling eyes.

‘When exactly…?’

Despite being exhausted from dealing with the wizard sprawled on the floor, Joshua’s sharpened senses hadn’t dulled to the point of missing the surrounding sounds.

‘How? I didn’t sense any presence at all?’

Despite his heightened sensitivity from the battle, Joshua hadn’t felt Julian’s approach. This fact left him unable to hide his astonishment. Not detecting his approach was, in itself, proof of the difference in their levels.

‘This monstrous guy…?’

It was natural for the once arrogant Joshua to have such a thought.

Seeing the broken pieces of the pot and the orchid scattered about, which Joshua had thrown to distract William, Julian commented with an impassive expression, “The orchid pot… is broken.”

Gulp.

Leaving Joshua with his thoughts, Julian knelt down and gently touched the soil of the broken pot with his hands.

Joshua glanced at the box containing the horn and then shifted his gaze back to Julian.

‘Even so, the barrier should prevent him from using much of his aura. Then, we can settle this with pure swordsmanship!’

The doubt of whether he could win.

The fear bubbling up from deep within him.

Suppressing it as much as possible, Joshua gripped his sword tighter and prepared for battle.

“It was a cherished one, so it does hurt a little.”

Softly.

Julian, who brushed his hand over the broken pot and stood up, let a handful of soil spill through his fingers.

Joshua had no way of knowing what story this pot held or what emotions Julian harbored towards it. But one thing he could say for certain was,

‘…It’s impossible.’

Realizing that merely disrupting the flow of mana wasn’t enough to block Julian’s ‘aura’, Joshua was astounded by the phenomenon before him.

As Julian stood up, a bluish aura began to shimmer behind him.

“It seems you’re in need of some lessons in manners.”

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