Strike 100

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Barad, seated in the audience chamber, was feeling conflicted.

A falcon had flown away an hour ago.

It was a message hawk sent to his close friend, Hyun-soo.

He had not sent the message hawk to ask Hyun-soo to find a way to save Bella.

Barad, the Sword King, had no one else but Hyun-soo and Bella with whom he could openly share his thoughts.

‘No matter how much I struggle, it’s futile…’

The Sword King Barad had sent several message hawks to the Church of Ares.

Claiming that we needed the prayers of a saint.

Of course, the kidnapping of the saint was kept a secret, so no response had come.

At that moment, Duke Luckburg and the nobles following him were entering the audience chamber.

“Your Majesty.”

Luckburg and the nobles. 

They were the ones who were covetously eyeing the position of Sword King Barad.

Luckburg and the nobles exchanged a few words of greeting with Barad.

Then they got to the point.

“I have heard that Knight Commander Bella will die within a few days. I cannot fathom how heartbreaking and sorrowful this must be.”

A shallow moan escaped from Barad’s lips.

“I, too, have sought advice from various places to save Lady Bella. But no priest of any doctrine could cure a woman dying of such a disease.”

Luckburg knew exactly how Barad felt.

He was also using his intelligence network to understand the current situation.

“Your Majesty, you know we cannot seek the help of the saint.”

Barad did not respond.

“It is a reckless endeavor. The Church of Ares is much larger and more powerful than our small kingdom of Goyard. Moreover, the saint herself has a name as noble as yours.”

Regret filled Luckburg’s face, though not his voice.

“Also, the saint’s prayer is a special power that can be invoked only twice in a lifetime. It can even revive the dead. It’s unlikely that the saint would use such power for a mere knight. It would be better used if the emperor of the empire were ill.”

All were valid points.

Since they were all valid, Barad had nothing to say in response.

“I have heard that Your Majesty has sent letters several times. I also know that you received no reply. It’s a sad affair. It’s lamentable that our kingdom of Goyard is losing such a talented individual.”

A once-in-a-century swordsmanship genius.

There were only two such individuals in the kingdom of Goyard, one being Barad and the other being Bella.

“…Your Majesty, you must make a decision. Accepting the death of Knight Commander Bella and naming me as your successor would calm the restless hearts of the people.”

Barad had been naming Bella as his successor.

Of course, it was not official.

It was to silence Duke Luckburg and the other nobles.

Currently, there were dozens of successors in his heart.

Among them, one.

Recently, one who had particularly captivated his heart.

‘Hyun-soo cannot be the successor.’

Luckburg’s eyes sharpened like a hawk’s, noticing him.

The castle was full of his spies, unknown even to Barad.

“How can an outsider, and merely a blacksmith at that, be considered for succession?”

The nobles seemed to agree as if hearing it for the first time.

“Please, kill me instead!”

“How can a blacksmith be named the successor in the land of swords!”

“It seems like the outcry of the people can be heard!”

It was perfect.

Luckburg raised his hand to silence them.

“Duke Velo says it would be fine to grant him a suitable title.”

Barad realized.

Today, Luckburg intended to eliminate all his successors here.

One was Bella.

One was Hyun-soo.

He aimed to pull out all of Barad’s teeth.

To prevent him from holding even a minor title.

That meant leaving him as a commoner.

Making it impossible to replace Bella as his successor.

“The people might rise up upon hearing the rumors. That a commoner has been designated as Your Majesty’s successor.”

Every sharp word was aimed at contemplating Barad.

“If he accomplishes something that everyone here can acknowledge, then the people might be persuaded as well.”

Luckburg pressed on.

“I would like to meet this Hyun-soo.”

It was clear he intended to dismiss Hyun-soo from this gathering as well.

Then, a response arrived.

A sparkle appeared in Barad’s eyes as he read the message.

He was composed, without a hint of wavering.

And Barad, with calm eyes, said, “Very well, since Hyun-soo will be arriving here, let’s wait and see.”

“I am curious to see what kind of person this Hyun-soo, whom Your Majesty trusts so much, is.”

Of course, it was just talk.

Then,

Barad sensed unidentified presences.

His sense was special, differing from that of ordinary people.

‘Assassins.’

Several assassins were hiding in the ceiling.

These weren’t men hidden by Duke Luckburg and the nobles in front.

The Kingdom of Goyard was a small vassal state, and there were many who wished to subdue it.

Thus, such incidents were quite frequent.

Barad quickly wrote a response to Hyun-soo.

A falcon took off swiftly.

***

The Red Dragon Squad was a group of assassins raised in the Kingdom of Praha.

Operating throughout Praha and various parts of the continent, the assassination success rate of this Red Dragon Squad was extremely high.

Brock, the vice leader of the Red Dragon Squad, led nine assassins to infiltrate and assassinate Sword King Barad.

The Kingdom of Goyard and the Kingdom of Praha had 

such poor relations that war could break out at any time.

Each kingdom was a threat to the other.

Vice Leader Brock signaled his hidden members in the ceiling with his hand.

‘Wait.’

Today, it seemed Barad had many unwelcome guests.

At least, the Red Dragon Squad intended to wait until all the nobles had left and night fell.

Brock smiled.

‘Is it just a rumor?’

It seemed Sword King Barad had not noticed them yet.

Of course, their hiding was special and remarkable.

They had been trained solely in concealment and assassination.

Perhaps that’s why they thought it natural that Barad hadn’t noticed them.

But that was mere arrogance.

***

Until Hyun-soo arrived, Luckburg and the nobles sat in the VIP room, making small talk.

“Level 120, you say?”

One noble, hearing this for the first time, wore an incredulous expression.

“No way, such a person…”

A noble supporting Duke Luckburg, Lang, was beyond astounded.

What had started as mere agreement with Duke Luckburg’s words had now become sincere belief.

“I can imagine the spectacle already.”

“How could a blacksmith possibly become the successor to 

His Majesty Barad?”

The image of Level 120 foreigners, donning shabby armor and wielding unremarkable weapons typical of commoners, flashed through their minds. 

They looked like they had just graduated from being novices, still appearing clumsy and inexperienced.

They were nobles.

“Oh dear, a word from me and off goes the head, it seems.”

Duke Luckburg laughed upon hearing this.

“A good idea, indeed. If there’s even a small flaw, we could use it as a pretext to bring him down.”

Clumsy foreigners.

Their vulnerabilities were all too numerous.

Then,

“It’s been reported that the foreigner, Hyun-soo, has arrived.”

Luckburg and the nobles quickly made their way to the audience chamber.

It was now certain that they could proceed with their plan.

‘Clumsy foreigners…’

Duke Luckburg was pleased.

He pondered how to best torment him.

Entering the audience chamber and approaching the king, he looked down the corridor.

Thud, thud.

From around the corner of the corridor, the sound of several footsteps could be heard.

Then, the faces of Duke Luckburg and the nobles turned pale.

Whoosh-

Suddenly, a whirlwind blew, violently hitting the windows.

An unknown oppressive force weighed down on them, a bitter scent of blood tickling their noses, and dozens of windows on both sides of the audience chamber shook violently.

Rattle, rattle, rattle-

Something was coming.

And Luckburg remembered a servant’s words from the past.

‘When you face the calamity of the Calamity Cult, strange things happen. The scent of blood tickles your nose, and the surroundings become chaotic as if a storm has arrived.’

With that thought, Luckburg’s priorities shifted.

Not who becomes the successor was the issue.

The most evil Calamity Cult in the world!

That calamity might be coming here.

Shivering, Luckburg wanted to shout,

‘The calamity is coming!’

No matter how much he coveted the throne, this was a different matter.

And the only one who could save them here was the Sword 

King.

But he was trembling like a leaf, unable to speak.

Then, a man wearing a long, rain-soaked, brown coat turned the corner.

With each step he took, it seemed as though black currents swirled around his feet.

The mark of calamity engraved on the chest of his robe.

He wore the coat of calamity but was not the calamity itself.

And there was something even stranger.

About a dozen people, cloaked in tattered robes, walked alongside him, entering the audience chamber.

“Your Majesty.”

“Hyun-soo, you’ve finally arrived.”

“A long journey, I see.”

One of those cloaked figures, drenched by the rain, pushed back her hood to reveal the light of the world. 

She smiled brightly.

“I had to come.”

Luckburg and the nobles found themselves stepping back unwittingly.

Those who had pushed back their hoods alongside her,

The ten most formidable paladins of the Church of Ares, and the woman who revealed herself.

The most noble being in the world, Saint Aria.

Knowing the answer, Barad still asked, “Why did you have to come?”

“My benefactor, Hyun-soo, called. I had to come.”

Luckburg realized.

‘No…!’

They had said it themselves. 

He must achieve a deed worthy of recognition by the people.

And now, he had achieved it.

He saved the lives of eight of the kingdom’s most noble aristocrats, and beyond that, he saved the king.

The murmurs of the people could be heard.

‘He saved the king!’

‘Not just that! He saved eight nobles!’

‘Ah, a hero for our troubled times!’

Yes, Luckburg was certain of one thing.

‘Today, he will become a noble.’

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