"Hahahaha…! Look at how foolish and naive you are, Atreus…!"
Arod's mocking laughter rang out.
He felt he had the upper hand because his fifteen magical warriors managed to trap me and were ready to attack me.
It crossed my mind, why did Arod have magical warriors?
Yet my warriors couldn't use magic at all; they relied purely on their armor, swords, and physical strength.
"Leysha, why can Arod's warriors use magic?" I asked, still staring at Arod and his troops.
"They aren't ordinary knights… but knights with magical weapons… they are Rune Knights, Baron," Leysha replied.
"Rune Knights…?"
"Yes, Baron. Knights skilled in using magical weapons. Although they don't use pure magic like wizards, their magical abilities are quite deadly."
"They're same from the knights I fought at the dam?"
"I think so, Baron Atreus… they possess the same skill in using magical weapons and ordinary knightly weapons in general."
Now I understand why Arod has these Rune Knights.
Most likely, Arod is affiliated with a Baron or Baroness outside of the Vermillion family.
And his betrayal this time is clear evidence that he's targeting me.
"Why are you daydreaming, you bastard?! It's good that you're sleeping paralyzed like a dying man, it's only a matter of time before you die and I take Leysha from you! You're just courting death by daring to oppose the Baroness! Everyone! Attack them!"
Arod's shout immediately mobilized ten rune knights in front of him.
Five of them used ice arrows, and the remaining five used fire arrows.
The ten arrows shot out sharply, intending to strike me mercilessly in the head.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Fortunately, Leysha's magical shield managed to withstand it all, though it cracked.
"Tch, low-grade magical shield! You're wasting your time and energy protecting your lousy Baron, Leysha!" Arod exclaimed confidently.
And sure enough, the cracks in the magical shield grew wider.
"Hold on, Leysha. Let me counterattack!"
I called out, unleashing a powerful magic wind that pushed away and instantly knocked all fifteen of Arod's warriors away.
But they still held on, especially Arod, who quickly got up and pulled out a dagger hidden under his coat.
"A weak blade like that doesn't seem like a threat…", Leysha thought confidently.
But I had a bad feeling.
The blade with the blue gem at the tip of its handle seemed to have the opposite reaction to the magical aura I was used to.
Arod threw the dagger at Leysha, but Leysha remained calm and confident, believing her magical shield was more than enough to withstand it.
"Leysha, watch out!"
"Ba-Baron…?!"
"STAB!"
No one expected Arod's blade to penetrate, strike through easily, into Leysha's magical shield.
Before the knife could pierce Leysha's chest, my right hand caught it, causing it to pierce my right palm hard.
"Tch…!"
"Baron Atreus…!"
I knelt down, feeling weak, as if something was flowing through my body from the knife.
This pain wasn't just a simple stinging wound, but a wound caused by a special seal that stopped the flow of my magic!
I'm no unable to use my elemental magic!
"Hah…! I knew you could read it, brat! I knew you were a quick-thinking genius, but you're weak when it comes to those you love! My plan to seal your elemental magic worked! You two won't win against me now!" Arod exclaimed proudly.
"B-Baron Atreus… I-I'm sorry…! If only I hadn't rashly underestimated that knife, you wouldn't be like this…!" Leysha used healing magic to heal the wound from the knife, but it wasn't strong enough to remove the seal from this cursed knife.
In the midst of his despair, Arod summoned all his soldiers.
They simultaneously used a combination of fire and wind magic to cast an explosive spell that could destroy not only the magical shield, but also Leysha and me.
"There's no time, you damn brat! You're going to die, and the Vermillion Territory will be mine!" Arod shouted arrogantly, seemingly gaining the upper hand.
Despite Arod's arrogance and Leysha's concern, I smiled.
I even chuckled at Arod's arrogance.
"B-bastard…! Why are you laughing like a fool, you spoiled brat…?! Are you crazy…?!" Arod snapped, confused and annoyed.
"Yes…! I may be crazy to still be laughing in this madness, Arod…! But I'm not crazy enough to admit you've already defeated me!" I exclaimed firmly.
"What are you—"
SMACK!
Suddenly, a swift punch from a tall, burly, red-skinned man shot out like a rapid-fire bullet, knocking one of Arod's soldiers to the ground, knocking him to the ground.
Arod and his fourteen warriors gaped in disbelief to see one of their comrades fall with just one punch.
And that punch came from Rhaevor.
"Spirit Rhaevor…?! Y-y-you can control him…?!" Arod exclaimed in disbelief, his face growing increasingly pale.
"Yes, and Rhaevor is at his peak! Come on, Rhaevor! Don't hesitate! Slaughter them all!" I shouted loudly.
"AAHH! HELP…!"
"STOP THAT BARBARIAN…!"
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!
The sound of heavy blows and kicks, along with the shattering of bones, sent a shiver down everyone's spine.
I smiled with satisfaction as Rhaevor managed to land a single spinning kick that struck three soldiers at once.
Even the soldiers who had already used their earth magic to form stone shields were instantly knocked down by Rhaevor's single powerful blow, which shattered their stone shields and armor.
At first, I doubted Rhaevor could survive when the remaining rune knight unleashed his fire magic, but Rhaevor remained standing.
The fire magic I thought would incinerate Rhaevor proved ineffective.
Rhaevor ended his attack by grabbing the two remaining rune knights by the head and squeezing it until it cracked, killing them instantly.
Truly cruel!
Arod, panicked, immediately distanced himself, but Rhaevor was far faster.
A single punch from Rhaevor struck Arod in the stomach, causing him to curl up in pain, clutching his stomach, and vomit blood.
The situation returned to normal.
The earthen rampart that had previously confined Leysha and me collapsed on its own, as the rune knights fell.
"Good job, Rhaevor. Now stop and wait for my next instructions," I commanded quickly, causing Rhaevor to stop before he could crush Arod further.
Leysha and I walked over to Arod, whose body was crushed and helpless, staring at me with utter fear.
"From the moment you met me, I knew you had evil intentions, Arod. I played along with your game, but unfortunately, my plan was far superior to your lowly ploy," I said lightly.
"P-please forgive me, Baron Atreus... I made a mistake... I beg your forgiveness...", Arod pleaded, prostrating himself and kissing my feet.
"Don't forgive him, Baron Atreus. He's an evil man who will use any opportunity to bring you down!", Leysha whispered, warning me.
"If you want forgiveness... why don't you ask the people you've wronged in the north?" I asked sharply.
Arod was silent for a moment, still processing my question.
But his expression gradually turned to panic as he saw the evil intent hidden within those words.
"P-PLEASE, BARON Atreus...! I BEG YOUR MERCY AND KINDNESS…! PLEASE...!"
I ignored Arod's ranting.
Rhaevor dragged Arod to the northern residential area.
The public execution will take place soon!