The Returned Sword King Decided to Become a Tyrant Episode 46
Leap or Elimination (2)
A glass of beer so cool it could be felt across the table proudly appeared.
George stared blankly at the hot chocolate placed in front of him, then opened his mouth with a blank expression.
“… … So, who is that person?”
A friendly drinker who moves from table to table and always starts a toast.
From his hair color to his eyes, he looks like a man you could see anywhere.
Moreover, George had memorized the faces of not only the nobles but also their aides.
The fact that George doesn’t know this means that he is at least not a noble.
My superior was on friendly terms with the commoners too… … .
While the guy was thinking that, Albedo approached him, emptying a huge mug of beer she had gotten from the table next to her in one gulp.
“Whoa! As expected, the beer at this store is still carbonated!”
“… … .”
“Hmm? Oh, excuse me. Didn’t I introduce myself?”
moment.
A strange movement of mana occurred around Albedo.
A flow so strange that even magicians who are sensitive to the movement of magical power cannot notice it.
Suddenly, the face of the ‘ordinary man’ that George had seen disappeared without a trace, and in the noisy atmosphere, the face of the ‘Second Prince’ that he knew well appeared briefly.
“2nd King… … .”
“fizzle.”
“… … .”
It was a face that changed for a split second, but George couldn’t have missed it.
“Oh, I know your identity, so you don’t need to introduce yourself.”
“… …Is that so?”
“I heard you’re going to be your older brother’s assistant in the future? I heard it directly from your older brother. I guess you’re quite capable? He seems quite proud of you.”
“It’s a useless sentiment, Albedo.”
I dismissed the guy’s antics and took a swig of my beer.
I thought George’s presence alone was loud enough, but it seems the real noisemaker is someone else.
As I was about to take a sip, George asked a question with a puzzled look on his face.
“But how did you know our true identities?”
The perception-depriving artifact on his waist was still functioning without any problems.
Even though its effectiveness is halved in narrow spaces, it is not an artifact that is so useless that its identity can be immediately detected.
Of course, the answer to that was simple.
“Just as there are ranks of power, there are also ranks of magical power.”
Especially if it was something like an artifact that only output a fixed wavelength using magic stones, it was very likely that it would be useless in the face of a higher-ranking power.
It’s not that it’s not useful; it’s just that it doesn’t work at all.
… … Exactly, just like now.
Albedo smiled and nodded at my short explanation.
“Correct. That is a perfect explanation.”
Although he was born with the destiny of being the second prince of the country of knights, he was a special breed who had a greater talent for magic than swordsmanship.
Although he only carried the sword around for show, his magical skills were truly genius.
“But why are you here, brother?”
“I left the temple.”
“A place like this? Are these fancy stores your style? It’s surprising.”
The guy said that and glanced around.
It is certainly a place that cannot be passed over with the excuse that one simply left the temple.
In other words, it also means that it is not a suitable place for the second prince to be.
“Then why are you guys in a place like this?”
“Well, I like the free-spirited atmosphere of a mercenary. I sometimes stop by when I don’t have any plans.”
“… … I see.”
I responded appropriately and raised my beer mug.
It was a simple conversation, but I felt my heart move by the relaxed atmosphere.
‘… … It feels refreshing.’
As I had suspected before, my mind was gradually becoming accustomed to my twenty-year-old body.
I became aware of this on the day I returned from my mission to the Galder Plains. It was then that I felt a sense of relief and comfort in a familiar space.
A feeling that is clearly different from the temporary longing I felt when I first returned, or the feeling of choosing beer.
It’s a dull feeling I’ve never felt before, even after fighting in countless wars.
‘Come to think of it, I think I felt a similar sense of discomfort when I returned from the land of the barbarians.’
And this was undoubtedly an adaptation taking place with the body as the foundation.
Perhaps, as I had guessed in my heart, it is a story about a spirit appropriate for one’s age.
I stared at the Prince’s ring on the hand that was holding the beer mug.
‘Getting used to my twenty-year-old body, ra… … .’
It wasn’t a bad feeling.
In a way, it was a story about how the gap between the ‘me’ before the regression and the ‘me’ now began to decrease.
Perhaps this means that I don’t have to rely on this ring to determine my identity as the First Prince.
… … And yet.
The spirit of the Sword King imprinted within me still remains. It is a form of ‘self’ that is so certain that it does not change with the mere age of the body.
So there was no need or thought to wander around looking for the source of emotions I didn’t even know about.
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No matter what my body is like, my spirit will finally maintain my form.
“… … To put it badly, it means that you are losing your mind.”
“yes?”
“It’s nothing.”
I tried to mumble and lift my beer glass again.
That was when.
Clank-
The tightly closed door of the inn opened and a gaunt man came into the store.
The innocent impression, the copper-colored skin typical of southern continent people, and the silky, flowing clothes that scholars usually wear are very similar to the impression of someone I’ve heard of.
That was him.
I nodded to George, who pushed up his glasses and narrowed his eyes.
‘You showed up sooner than expected.’
El Bardo.
An unfortunate scholar who committed suicide due to continued research failures after becoming a debtor, and an inventor who was once called a genius.
It was my first time seeing it in person, but it was exactly as I had heard and known.
But unfortunately, it wasn’t just George and I who were waiting for him.
“We finally met.”
“Eek… … !”
The group of ash-robed men who had been quietly drinking in the corner got up from their seats and began to approach him.
It’s not that I waited with good intentions without asking.
The guys lowered their voices threateningly and spoke in a spitting tone.
“I had a hunch, but it turned out to be a place like this.”
“Ah, no… … !”
“Well, if it weren’t for here, there’s no way a guy like you could escape our pursuit.”
The scholar quickly turned around and tried to leave the inn.
But the movements of those grabbing his arm were even faster.
Bam-!
“Hey, don’t do that.”
“How great would it be if you just handed over the research results like that?”
“But that research is something I have devoted half my life to… … .”
“Shut up. He’s looking for you. If you don’t want to die, keep your mouth shut and follow me.”
Looking at that sight, it’s clear what they’re after.
It must have been designed that way from the beginning.
George, who had been watching the situation, whispered softly.
“Are they the debtors that were in the report?”
“okay.”
Actually, I noticed it from the moment I came here.
They continued to quietly stare at the entrance, splitting into three groups and guarding a possible escape route.
Moreover, the dirty method of forcing people into debt and taking their research materials was, as expected, a method used by ‘those guys.’
‘You came at just the right time.’
At that moment, George, who was shaking his head here and there as if he had discovered something interesting, said.
“But, can I just stay still like this? It looks like I’m going to be dragged away like this.”
“I have to save him.”
Anyway, if we leave this situation alone, the situation we were worried about will come true, and the future will once again flow as before the regression.
The purpose of this temple was to prevent that.
……but.
“I don’t think it will be my turn to step forward.”
“yes?”
“Hey guys.”
Suddenly, the wind blows.
The mana in the air was so intense that it felt like a storm was about to strike, and to be exact, the area around the man approaching them was the only safe zone.
Man. Albedo Esteban smiled leisurely at the group surrounding the scholar.
“It looks like you’re trying to forcefully drag someone who obviously doesn’t want to go, but even though this is a gray zone, blatantly kidnapping someone is out, right?”
“What are you?”
“Me? I’m just a passing drinker of justice.”
The boy answered cheerfully and placed his hand on the captured scholar’s arm.
Then, the guy who seemed to be the leader of the group gave an order with a small nod.
“… … Tsk. Take care of this before it gets any noisier.”
“yes.”
The robed men rushed towards Albedo in an instant. As if they didn’t care about the others, they pulled out sharp knives from their bosoms.
At that moment.
“Ugh!”
“Ugh!”
“… … ?!”
Suddenly, the robed men who had been rushing towards them started fighting and fell to the ground.
I fainted from the faint waves that came without any warning or hint.
Of course, even in that situation, Albedo just shook her shoulder lightly as if nothing had happened.
“Phew. Let’s talk about it, let’s talk about it.”
“You, what the hell are you… … That wave just now… … .”
The man who had ordered the sudden change to be suppressed began to look around in a panic, his eyes wide open.
It was because I didn’t notice the cause of the strange phenomenon even though I was nearby.
However, anyone with even a little bit of knowledge of magic would have noticed that in that split second, a huge storm had swept through the inn.
“Well, I don’t know about that. How about looking behind you for now?”
“Back… …? Huh!”
Before I knew it, I was behind him, reaching out my hand towards his neck.
Unlike the fact that I couldn’t figure out what the wave was, I couldn’t feel any movement, as if I was encountering a ghost.
But there was no time to dodge or counterattack.
“… … .”
Pulsuk-
“Wow.”
Just by touching the back of his neck with his fingers, the leader of the men fell down with astonishing ease.
This is because the flow of energy was artificially blocked by injecting aura into the blood vessels.
The side effects may be severe, but it won’t matter.
I looked down at the body of the guy lying on the floor and said,
“That old fart is still there, Albedo.”
“What is it?”
Some have described him as a scoundrel who has abandoned even the most basic duties.
But the way Albedo looks to my eyes. Even before the regression, and even now, she is the freest and most dignified person of all.
He was able to be friendly even to people he met for the first time, and he had a contradictory personality that did not overlook injustice even though he had no sense of justice to show for it.
Perhaps his personality itself is his greatest talent and weapon.
“You really do use interesting techniques, bro. Do you have any business with these guys?”
“no.”
After shaking my head, I approached the scholar who was sitting on the floor with his legs giving out.
He must have noticed me approaching, but he stood there blankly for a while before hurriedly getting up from his seat and trying to lower his head.
however.
“Ah! Thank you. I don’t know who you are, but thanks to you two… … .”
“El Bardo.”
“How, how do you say my name… … No way.”
The moment my name was called, my body began to tremble uncontrollably, as if I was imagining something unsettling.
“… … Have you come to catch me?”
“Raise your head.”
“No, I can never give you the results of the research! I don’t know how you even knew about it… … .”
“I don’t give orders three times. Raise your head.”
“Yes, yes… … .”
El Bardo’s body moved on its own at the command that was more oppressive than any threat.
It was such a quick action that my muscles moved involuntarily.
I stared at the sight and slowly opened my mouth.
“I know that your circumstances are not good. I also know the methods of those who made you take on a huge debt under the pretext of investing in research.”
“… … !”
“At first, they must have cleverly manipulated the ledgers and framed him for embezzlement. Then, they threatened him by citing the clause in the contract and demanding a penalty if he did not want to be expelled from academia?”
“How, how about that… … .”
He gave a blank affirmative answer, although it wasn’t a definite answer.
Of course, by the time you realize it’s a scam, it’s already too late.
Perhaps things were off from the moment he received the money. There was no way a scholar who was ignorant of the ways of the world could overcome the tricks of those ‘guys’.
At that moment, the voice coming out of my mouth made his mind flash.
“Do you want revenge?”
“… … !”
To those who lured naive scholars into astronomical amounts of debt.
To those scumbags who threaten to give up the knowledge they have studied their entire lives in exchange for forgiveness of that debt.
He asked if I really wanted to get a fair trial.
“Look, if you say revenge… … .”
“Don’t think too highly of it. I am only achieving one of my goals, and it will be a form of revenge for you.”
Soon, he brought his head closer and whispered softly.
“I will personally clear your name.”
“… … .”
El Bardo’s lips were tightly shut
Even if he didn’t have the title of scholar, I would have been able to fully accept the meaning of the word.
Especially if it’s said by an unknown man.
“I… … Are you really trying to help me, a complete stranger? I haven’t received a single penny of support in recent years because I haven’t achieved any significant research results… … .”
“Such achievements are not a factor in determining my actions.”
Change your fate between fragmented and disconnected pieces of future knowledge.
That’s why I came here.
“… … I will. What should I do?”
“It’s simple.”
My gaze then turned to the table where I had just been sitting.
George reluctantly swallowing his hot chocolate, and Albedo watching the situation with interest.
finally…….
“Ugh… … Ugh… … .”
Even the appearance of the leader of the gang who was released from subjugation and came to his senses belatedly.
I held the guy’s neck with my cold hands and whispered quietly.
“Guide me to where your enemies are.”
