Chapter 120
After the Revenge
Karsian’s voice had an unusual power. He wasn’t even in his own mind, but his commanding tone made people follow him without thinking. It was a voice full of authority and pressure.
The royal knights, who had been hesitating like nervous children, suddenly narrowed their eyes and boldly stepped toward Duke Astria, grabbing him by the shoulders as if to lift him up.
With a broken arm, the Duke could no longer resist, or so they thought. But unexpectedly, they were pushed back by a powerful force.
“Ugh!”
One knight was so forcefully pushed that he fell flat on the ground.
Duke Astria, having knocked down the knights by himself, stood firm once again.
“You filthy bastard, how dare you—!”
He glared at Karsian, breathing heavily. The Duke of Astria had never been forced into surrender in his entire life. He had always been the one to dominate others, to make them bow to him, and he was sure that nothing would change for him in the future.
However, the experience of being overwhelmed by Karsian, the Duke of Royster, had shaken him deeply.
“Give up peacefully!”
The knights rushed at him again, but even in his injured state, the Duke moved quickly, dodging them. In a flash, he twisted one knight’s arm, knocking him down, and shoved another aside.
They couldn’t defeat him with their bare hands. The knights realized this too late, but they couldn’t draw their swords. They feared the consequences of doing so and could only nervously look away.
Then, there was a sudden cold sound.
The sharp blade of a sword gleamed in the dim light. It was the Duke’s sword.
The tip of the blade was aimed not at the knights, but at Karsian. The knights, caught by surprise, stepped back in shock.
“W-Wait, Duke Astria! What are you doing…? His Majesty will not overlook this!”
The mention of the Emperor made the Duke’s gaze even more determined.
His drastic action was like a mouse daring to bite a cat.
Duke Astria knew very well that he was in a tight spot.
Whether Eleanor died and he was blamed for murder, or if she miraculously survived and it was classified as attempted murder, his contract with the Duke of Royster would be broken, and the blame would fall on him.
With no legitimate heir and a head of the family facing murder charges, the Astria family would face financial ruin.
That could not happen.
Absolutely not.
‘What have I sacrificed to bring this family to where it is today? How can I let it fall?’
The thought of silencing everyone by killing them crossed his mind. If he made it look like the work of an assassin, he could cover everything up.
The brutal thought lingered in his mind, though he knew it was unrealistic.
Duke Astria tightened his grip on the sword’s hilt. His shaking body calmed down, and his cloudy eyes sharpened with focus.
Even though he was getting older, a general is still a general. His body, having survived countless battles, still remembered the feeling of taking another’s life with a sword.
Even though Karsian, the Duke of Royster, was famous for hunting monsters, he was still an inexperienced man when it came to fighting humans. Fighting monsters and fighting people were different.
The Emperor’s knights were nothing to worry about.
Having made up his mind, the Duke lunged forward.
Whoosh!
The sharp blade cut through the air, heading straight for Karsian’s neck. The speed was so fast that it was almost impossible to follow with the eyes.
Karsian stepped back just in time, narrowly avoiding the strike. But before he could steady himself, the attacks kept coming.
Swish, whoosh! The blade came at Karsian with terrifying speed, grazing dangerously close to him.
The Duke’s eyes narrowed in frustration as he watched Karsian narrowly dodge.
The man was quick. Much quicker than he expected. His reputation seemed exaggerated.
‘If I wait for the right moment, I can kill him.’
The Duke’s eyes flashed with anger as he swung his sword horizontally, aiming for Karsian. But just as the Duke thought he had the perfect opening, Karsian vanished from his sight.
‘What…?’
The Duke panicked and quickly looked down, but by the time he found Karsian again, Karsian had already entered his guard, closing in.
Wham!
With a heavy thud, Karsian’s fist collided with the Duke’s stomach.
The Duke didn’t even scream, only letting out a strangled gasp, as if a stone had struck him.
It felt as though Karsian’s fist had pierced his belly. His body bent forward, and the grip on his sword loosened.
Despite the tremendous force of the blow, the Duke refused to let go of his sword. Even though the impact should have knocked him out or killed him, he didn’t give up.
Karsian, however, was relentless. He didn’t need to use his sword.
With a swift kick, Karsian struck the Duke’s wrist. Crack! The sound of bones breaking echoed as the Duke’s arm fell limp, and his sword, decorated with the family crest, fell to the ground.
At this point, the fight was over.
With one arm useless and his other wrist broken, the Duke was no longer capable of fighting back.
The Emperor’s knights, relieved by this, watched as Karsian took a moment to glance at Eleanor, still in Ernst’s arms.
Her blood-soaked face made Karsian’s anger flare up once more.
“Duke, now we…”
The knights tried to speak, but before they could finish, Karsian punched the Duke’s face again.
With a sickening crunch, Karsian slammed his fist into the Duke’s nose. The Duke’s body flew backward and hit the ground.
“Gah…!”
The knights were in shock, gasping in disbelief.
Was he dead? Another knight quickly added, “He’s still alive, but…”
Luckily—or perhaps unluckily—the Duke was still breathing but unconscious.
Karsian let out a bitter smile as he stared at the fallen Duke.
His anger only grew.
The great warrior, Duke Astria, couldn’t even withstand a few blows from Karsian.
‘How could you, with your so-called perfect training…’
Karsian clenched his blood-soaked fist tightly. Guilt, regret, anger, and desire swirled within him, but for now, there was nothing more he could do.
The knights hurriedly bound the Duke, and soon after, the emergency signal was seen, and people rushed over.
The doctors, who had been alerted, looked at Eleanor in disbelief.
Karsian exhaled a deep breath.
Now, it was time to deal with the aftermath that Eleanor had left for him.
***
Meanwhile
Emperor William IV stood in front of the rowdy nobles and the bound Duke Astria, speechless for a while.
The fact that Eleanor was in danger and possibly dying at the hands of her own father was shocking enough. But what shocked him even more was the sight of Duke Astria.
He was covered in dirt, his once proud face swollen and battered, unrecognizable.
William IV had known Caleb Astria since he was a child. From the very first time they met, Caleb had always maintained a level of perfection that even the Emperor could never match.
Before obtaining Alchestis’ wealth, and even after the tragic death of his beloved wife, the Duchess, Caleb Astria had always been a cold and perfect figure.
To see him like this now… William IV couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
According to the knights, it was Karsian Royster who had brought him to this state. The Emperor almost wanted to applaud Karsian for what he had done.
“Everything is a misunderstanding, Your Majesty! How could I possibly harm my own daughter?”
The Duke, who had just regained consciousness, still managed to speak with a strong, commanding voice despite his broken body.
“My daughter attempted to kill herself just because she didn’t want to become the lover of a man she didn’t love. It was a childish act, and I ask you to forgive her, but Royster Duke should be punished severely for threatening my life, breaking my arms, and even attempting to kill me!”
The Duke’s voice was filled with genuine sincerity and desperation, making even the royal guards question if they had made a mistake in their judgment.
The nobles, who were watching, murmured, some even sympathizing with the Duke.
‘The Emperor will side with me. After all, he cares for Arlo.’
He knew that the Emperor would support him, but there was one thing he didn’t realize.
“…I’ve heard that you threatened the Duke…”
The Emperor’s voice was cold.
The Duke froze. The Emperor wasn’t talking about Arlo, but the other son he had lost, the former Crown Prince, Harrison.
