Knights, Let’s Smash Them

98 – I’ll beat you too (2)

Puuu—!

The eyes of the commoners working in the nearby farmland are drawn to their majesty as they advance towards the free city of Monterto, waving a flag featuring a roaring black lion.

The Imperial Black Lion Knights.

Not only in the empire, but also in the entire continent, the weight of its reputation is definitely one-top.

As a result, the name of the captain who led the knights had no choice but to have a reputation even in such outskirts.

“Look over there! It’s the golden lion, Lady Levia!”

“My God…… The real thing is more beautiful than rumors.”

Levia Irtarte.

She drove her horse slowly, unconcerned with the exclamations of commoners heard from everywhere. She had no reason to express her displeasure or be elated.

She said that she is beautiful. Isn’t it a matter of course?

I am praised as the golden lion Levia, the leader of a group that leads the best beasts in the empire, and the owner of a force that no one dares to touch.

It wasn’t even in the capital, and there was no need to react to the reactions of the commoners in the county’s outskirts.

From untouchables to upper nobles. Levia became an example for them all, and was a model of an honorable knight.

Such compliments were not particularly special for her, a person who has been proud since her birth.

After crossing the hill that rose so steeply, the walls of the city abutting the northwestern part of the capital of the Boliver Empire appeared.

“Captain, this is Monterto.”

“Um.”

At the words of the rider heavily armed with black armor, the beautiful blonde female female nodded her head.

Except for the Duchy of Hebron, it is a territory in the north that is not very well known and does not need to be known.

Nevertheless, even Levia had heard the name of the city of Monterto a few times.

Of course, I had only heard of it, but this was my first visit.

Even if the incident of Arachne attacking Petra Bastian, the head of the administrative department, and her two squires, there wouldn’t have been any reason for her to wander around here.

“What is famous here?”

“A dish made with goat meat and milk from the north is famous. In addition, they said that a new food called ‘chicken’ has been heard in the capital recently.”

“Chicken?”

“I heard it was fried chicken, but that…… Why are you there Black fox, horse. They say the dish was invented by the black fox himself together with famous chefs from all over the country.”

Levia’s eyes narrowed at the word black fox. Because it was a nickname that I couldn’t forget even if I tried to forget it.

A cheek that had never been slapped before was slapped in front of the knights and administrators of the Order.

It wasn’t that I couldn’t react.

I didn’t know that he would slap me on the cheek, so I just showed a stupid reaction without realizing it.

“Was this the territory where he was newly appointed administrator?”

“Yes, this is Count Rupel.”

“I wondered why the head of the administration was here…… I must warn you firmly not to go near him any longer.”

Tsk, Levia clicked her tongue.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t stand to see him hanging out with a former administrator who insulted him.

If the administration of the knights had not been paralyzed and it had not been for the crown prince who actively defended Luvern, he would be a criminal who would wear a hat even if he was thrown into the knights prison for insulting right now.

I can’t allow such a man and his knights to be close.

“Anyway, the administrators can’t understand everyone’s thoughts.”

Because I can’t even fight properly, I’m going around places like this, so I’m being subdued by a monster the size of Arachne.

Of course, the reason Petra, the head of the administration, visited this place was purely for the management of the dungeon near Monterto, and he had simply encountered the black fox, Luvern Alroy, by chance.

That fact didn’t matter to Levia.

I didn’t even need to know in the first place.

So the Black Lion Knights entered the gates of Monterto.

***

The baron’s mansion in Monterto was full of a strange atmosphere. Even empty words are not good air. It was also because of the enmity that swirled between the small lord and administrator of the Snow Leopard Knights, Lubern Alroy, and the leader of the Black Lion Knights, Levia Irtarte.

Except for Cianne and Petra of the Snow Leopard Knights, who are somewhat aware of the situation.

Not everyone present could understand why permafrost had formed between the two of them.

“That…… Shall we start the meeting right away?”

In the midst of her suffocating silence, it was Lilia, the princess of the Duchy of Hebron and the commander of the 2nd Division of the Wolf Pack Knights, who spoke out.

Since Arachne’s attack was only in Rupel’s territory, there was no reason for the princess of Hebron from the neighboring territory to attend this event.

As three of Arachne’s victims turned out to be peddlers who had made a contract with the Wolfpack Knights.

Even in the pack of wolves in question, we had to dispatch personnel to hear the truth.

“Yes, yes! Let’s get started!”

After Lilia Hebron and Xianne, Lubern Alroy stood up and began to explain the incident as if he had no choice.

“First of all, as a result of our own investigation, the being that we, the Snow Leopard Knights, dealt with was not Arachne, a mere upper-middle-class monster.”

“Isn’t that Arachne?”

Lillia asked again, and her dark-haired magistrate took out a round orb-like object from her pocket. A sphere the size of the palm of your hand, painted in pitch-black with no luster.

“That… ….”

“This is Corruption Heart.”

At the words he uttered resolutely, a murmur erupted from all over the place.

Corruption Heart.

Because it was an artifact mainly used by warlocks, the main enemies of knights and traitors to mankind, when they used wicked magic.

The problem was that it was much larger than a normal corruption heart.

“Arachne, who attacked the people of Baron Kirten, including Petra Bastian, was a Chimera. Arachne’s body was grafted with the carapace of a beetle-type monster, the ‘Dragon Beetle’, and underneath was attached the wings of a sound cricket that uses powerful sonic attacks.”

An artificial monster created by mixing three completely different types of monsters.

Fusing monsters to create a new type of monster, if the conditions are right, if you use a corruption heart that can make even a dragon obey, it’s possible and more than enough…….

There was still one indelible question in everyone’s head.

Why the hell?

Of course, Arachne is a high-middle level monster, so it’s a tough opponent to defeat with just one normal knight.

However, that meant that two or more knights could be enough to subdue them.

I don’t know if it’s Arachne’s elite entity, the Arachne Queen. He was thinking that it was too much to use for fusing a few types of insect-type monsters into a mere normal Arachne.

Because Luvern Alroy was well aware of that fact, he was able to come to a certain conclusion after much thought.

He thought it was a golden opportunity to express his opinions only now, when the representatives of each order of knights had gathered.

“I think this chimera monster is a prototype.”

“You mean the prototype?”

Lubern Alroy continued his explanation.

“As you all know, Corruption Heart doesn’t actually refer to a specific artifact. A core made by crystallizing mana contaminated by black magic. That’s why the shape and function are different.”

There are Corruption Hearts that create dungeons, and there are Artifacts that create new monsters or recombine as of now.

I remember that there was a kind of Corruption Heart that turned normal humans into undead just by touching them, or that was installed underground and absorbed the vitality of city residents.

But that’s why Corruption Hearts are basically unstable.

It took quite a bit of trial and error to get it to work properly.

This was also the reason why warlocks were tracked down and captured by the Knights or the Emperor’s Office before they could achieve their will.

The need for ‘offering’.

Corruption Hearts are not items that can be made by any blacksmith striking a few hammers like armor or swords.

Since it is a vessel that inevitably contains unclean energy, a pure heart that can withstand that energy was needed.

It was a common method of black magicians to make up for the supply and demand of such materials by kidnapping innocent citizens or illegally purchasing slaves.

In the process, the tails of most warlocks were caught.

However, if it is an experiment based on monsters, there is no need to kidnap humans.

Rather, since it is an unclean being from birth, it goes well with Corruption Heart.

“It literally means a test subject. This Corruption Heart wouldn’t have been made perfectly either.”

“That thick and powerful corruption heart is incomplete?”

From noble mtl dot com.

Levia, who had always had a sullen expression on her face, opened her mouth.

Sian Ne showed a slight displeasure at her disrespectful tone, and Lilia also looked a little surprised.

Although he was once a boss at work, he is currently an administrator and lord of Baron Kirten who works for a completely separate knights order.

Even if you don’t get along well, it’s your duty to keep the courtesy of a knight.

Because she didn’t even follow that rule.

‘That’s right. There’s no such thing as cheap.’

Lubern thought the same and answered in a brusque voice.

“Yes.”

“So you mean there is a separate finished product?”

“I guess so.”

He added, putting the Corruption Heart in question back into the bag.

“So, I have asked one of my best friends to investigate the matter.”

A best friend?

Just as the knights gathered in the conference room were about to question who it was.

The door that had been firmly closed suddenly opened, and a shiny forehead appeared.

“Luvern Alroy!!”

“You arrived just in time.”

A close friend of Alroy in Luvern, and a renowned researcher of the Larva Ecoregion who was dispatched to investigate a sub-dragon that has now appeared in Bordova.

It was Bernard, the space wizard.