Volume 2 Chapter 15 Moonlight That Pierces Dragon Scales I
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
In the training grounds of the Knights of the Sun, 2 knights appeared in the strategy meeting room, both with very distinctive appearances.
One was a knight wearing glasses.
The other was an enormous knight, nearly 3 meters (9’8) tall.
The knight with glasses had several brown bird feathers attached to various parts of his silver knight armor.
The helmet he cradled in his arms was similar, and when combined with his cape, the overall appearance suggested he resembled a bird──specifically, an owl.
He carried a magician’s staff with a large white gem on it.
With brown hair and white skin, he seemed to be from the West, but the faint scent of perfume wafting around him evoked the fragrance used in Azrael.
The other giant knight was──simply put, massive.
Not only was he tall, but he was also broad.
However, the width was mainly around his chest and hips, while his waist was tightly cinched.
If he removed all his knight armor, he would likely be almost entirely muscle.
He had curly black hair and a beard on his face.
His face resembled that of a dwarf.
But considering his height, one might actually think he was an orc.
He carried a massive hammer on his back.
In his large, calloused hands, he held a weapon wrapped in white cloth──likely a sword.
(What…?)
Kian frowned as he looked at the sword wrapped in cloth that the giant knight was holding.
Whisper, whisper.
A low sound, as if someone was having a secret conversation in hushed tones, could be heard.
(Is the sword… talking?)
Oswald had already stood up from his chair.
With that, Kian could no longer remain seated and quickly stood up, moving to the side.
In situations like this, it’s wise to step back and become a silent statue.
”Owl, and Renaud de Châtillon”
Oswald spread his hands, holding a glass and an apple.
In response to his welcoming gesture, the two knights did not look very friendly.
The knight called Owl, who wore glasses adorned with bird feathers, stepped forward.
”Oswald, is it true that you have ‘again’ provided financial assistance to Her Excellency Maribel?”
”‘Again’? …I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I serve Her Excellency with sincerity.”
”Don’t play dumb! I know very well that you’ve been providing financial assistance to Maribel for some time!”
The giant knight said this while crossing his arms.
His voice was just like a gong, perfectly fitting his image.
He continued, his mustache quivering.
”You are secretly getting close to a girl who knows ‘nothing about politics’, not even the ‘society’, aren’t you? I won’t allow any underhanded moves! Lord Ramsey!”
”I have no such intentions at all… Renaud, from the way you’re speaking, are you implying that you are, disrespectfully, aiming for the position of Her Excellency Maribel’s husband?”
”You’re aiming for it too, aren’t you, Oswald?”
The knight with owl feathers on his armor──Owl said that.
His voice was very quiet and rapid.
He nervously pushed up his glasses and stepped closer to Oswald.
”I have no interest in your ambitions. However…, you should not engage in immoral acts out of a desire for power. The judgment of the supreme god Azrael will come upon you.”
”Hah, this Azrael fanatic, get out of the way!”
The giant grabbed the owl knight’s shoulder and pulled him back.
He jabbed his thick finger at Oswald’s chest.
”Don’t buy the position of husband with money. It’s cowardly.”
”Renault will have to change his attitude eventually. But…, Oswald. Your recent actions are hard to overlook. Are you planning to make the Margrave financially dependent on you? You don’t intend to buy the position of lord of Izerland with money, do you? As a knight of justice, I will not allow such a thing.”
”Not allow?”
Oswald turned to the side, fiddling with the apple, and repeated that.
”Owl, are you threatening me with false accusations?”
”It’s not a false accusation.”
The brown-haired knight said quickly with a stern expression.
”In fact, just a moment ago, your aide rushed off to the fortress city on horseback. Were you not going to lend money to Her Excellency again? It’s unfortunate that she couldn’t teleport due to the barrier preventing teleportation.”
”Even if I were providing her with financial support, it would be out of goodwill. You don’t believe that? But what I can’t believe, Owl, is your sense of justice that wants to control everything I do. What do you gain by criticizing my actions, or those of Renault and the other knights?”
”It’s not about profit and loss. It’s simply about whether it’s right or wrong. To me, Renault de Châtillon seems like a potential criminal who will eventually commit a grave sin. Do you understand? What you are trying to do is an act of usurping the throne of this border kingdom! It is not something that loyal knights like you should be allowed to do.”
”Hah, I don’t need your permission!”
”We have a guest here. Can you please stop?”
Oswald said as he downed his drink.
He continued.
”Renault, I understand your complaints. Let’s discuss this thoroughly later. I would appreciate it if you could understand that I am a knight of goodwill. …Owl, I don’t quite understand what you’re saying. Can you please stop bothering me?”
”This is getting ridiculous. As a loyal knight of Maribel──”
”Owl.”
”As a loyal knight of Her Excellency Maribel, I am merely pointing out the usurper of the throne. Don’t you understand what I’m saying? Then do you not realize what you are doing? Not just me, but even Renault de Châtillon thinks you are sending bribes to Her Excellency. You are sending the temptation of money to the pure and innocent Her Excellency──”
”…Owl…”
”Sending the temptation of money! By forcing the surrounding sycophants to use it, you are trying to create an unpayable debt for Her Excellency. When Her Excellency comes of age, do you plan to demand repayment for the money you lent in the past? If you kill all the sycophants you were dealing with and pretend to be an uninformed third party──”
”Owl!”
Oswald’s repeated words clearly contained irritation.
A disturbing magic power rose from the golden-haired youth with a shaved side.
In the next instant──.
It felt as if the temperature in the room had suddenly risen.
”…!?” “No!”
It was not just Kian who instinctively went into a combat stance at the overwhelming magic power.
The giant knight did the same.
He moved with surprising agility, leaping back from the doorway and reaching for the hammer on his back.
(W-What is this…!?)
He widened his eyes.
A massive amount of magic power was released from Oswald, who was standing with a glass in hand, and it burned like a flame around his body.
It was not just an illusion.
The dust and dirt that had been flying around him seemed to have caught fire, making a high-pitched crackling sound, and sparks were floating in the room.
”──!”
With a rustling sound, the figure of the knight with an owl-like appearance disappeared.
In an instant, he had leaped to the stone plaza outside the strategy room.
And for some reason, the floor where he had been standing was red-hot, emitting white steam with a sizzling sound.
”Owl, you know that the ‘Knights of the Sun’ have an iron code, don’t you?”
Slowly, Oswald turned his body towards the doorway.
”Meritocracy. Follow the strong. It’s fine to wave around some vague sense of justice, but power is always necessary for the execution of justice. If you want to complain about my actions, I’d like you to first overpower me with your strength.”
”…”
The owl man hesitated.
The young man with golden hair twirled the apple in his hand with his index finger.
In an instant, a white slash of light flashed.
Oswald was now holding a knife in one hand.
In his hand was a quartered baked apple, emitting a delicious aroma.
As he took a step towards the doorway, the knight with brown hair, dressed like an owl, retreated cautiously.
”Tsk…”
”What’s the matter? Are you going to do it or not? If you want to prepare for a duel, I can order my subordinates to do it right away.”
Oswald spread his arms wide as if to welcome.
The owl-like young knight glared at the blond knight for a while in a low stance, but eventually, he returned the magician’s staff he had been holding to his back.
As he put the staff back, the muscles in the brown-haired young knight’s arms creaked.
It seemed he was literally suppressing his anger.
He twisted his lips into a sneer and spoke quickly while still glaring at Oswald.
”…I’ll let it slide for now. The current time is 9 in the morning. Challenging you between now and noon would be the height of foolishness. The next time you lend money to Her Excellency, I will challenge you to a duel around the time the stars come out. At that time, I will drill the morals of knighthood into your head.”
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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