I Became a Dark Knight the Empress Is Obsessed With

198 – Side Story: Afternoon in Freesia – (6)

WHACK! SHACK!

The sword was swung faster than sound.

A silver line divided the space, and the snowstorm pouring down from that line split and swirled.

The one who got caught up in this had his upper and lower body separated as if he was being sucked in, and the two who were lucky enough to cross swords had their wrists cut off.

However, most of them were able to evade Fried’s sword strikes by flying their bodies.

visor!

And then, taking advantage of that gap, a sword blade comes in. Raising his sword to block the attack, Fried bends his knees and leans back.

Then, numerous daggers flew and stabbed him, parting his hair slightly.

Milia, who was watching this from a distance, took a deep breath.

It’s not just a simple kill. Every reaction is fast and accurate.

What this points to is clear.

“Are you using mana… …?”

Mana management is said to be the exclusive domain of knights.

Those assassins were doing this.

Each of them is of the level of a knight, and judging by their movements, they have long since abandoned the label of apprentice knights. How could an apprentice knight handle Fried’s sword?

The fact that they cut off the arm of Lyanna, a vassal of Elvendel, suggests that they are not mere assassins.

“… …Imperial Knight level.”

I think that was right.

Fried also distorted his face as if he was thinking the same thing as Milia.

Kkakakak!

The swordsman who had come through the snowstorm swung his sword. It was a quick and sharp attack. He was a well-trained swordsman.

The moment Fried barely manages to catch it with great effort, another knife and dagger are stabbed in from outside his field of vision.

With no other choice, he turned around with his sword facing him. The blade that had been in a standoff swept across his shoulder, spraying blood.

“Ugh.”

Well-trained assassins will attack together, using their mana.

Even if he was a Guardian Knight, it was impossible for him to receive all of this alone.

“… … What should I do… … .”

Milia chewed her lips.

I would have liked to run out and join them, but Millia currently had no fighting power.

Even if I swung my sword, I wouldn’t be able to inflict even a single wound. Since the assassins were using mana, I had no chance of winning without being able to use mana.

Finally, she turned her head and shouted at her assistant professor.

“… … Merta! Support!”

“Yes, yes!”

Merta, who had been frozen in place for a moment when the enemy was revealed, suddenly came to her senses when she heard the shout. She took a deep breath and swung the staff in her hand to cast a spirit spell.

Phaaah!

The Lieutenant Wind Spirit created a whirlpool, and the blizzard that had been obscuring the vision for a moment cleared.

Only then could I clearly see the sight of the people surrounding me.

A white cloak suitable for a snowy field, with a hood with protruding ears.

“Are you really a noble?”

“… … .”

“I don’t think you would have thought about it and acted on your own. There must have been someone behind it.”

silence.

Fried continued speaking without paying any attention.

“If you tell me honestly, I will spare your life.”

Fried nudged Ernst, but they walked slowly forward without responding.

It means that you won’t even communicate.

“Well, I guess it won’t work.”

“Sir Fried! For now, it’s better to take refuge!”

“No, it won’t work.”

Fried shrugged.

“Even if I’m okay, what are you going to do, Millia? Can you run away? With that body? Against assassins who are wrapped in mana?”

“that…….”

“Don’t say anything like ‘I’ll leave you like before.’ Just keep quiet. I’ll take care of everything.”

Fried arrested Ernst again.

The assassins seemed startled by the action and stopped moving.

Either way, Fried smirked as he looked at Millia.

“It wasn’t something I wanted to do… … But as I practiced, I acquired various tricks.”

Fried placed his hand on the wound on his shoulder. The blood that was still flowing soon became a sticky current that wrapped around Fried’s hand.

At the same time, a cloud of blood began to spread from the cross-section of the corpse that had been cut down.

“If the church saw it, it would be a death sentence, but… … Even the Creator, who was so good, wouldn’t be able to see through this blizzard.”

Fried muttered as he twisted his raised hand.

―――Pubberbuck!

A thumping, booming sound echoed throughout the land.

An explosion occurred from the severed body and the cloud of blood forming on the hand.

Thorns made of blood spread out in all directions from the epicenter. Deep scars were left on the trees, and the cracked snowfields turned red.

After the storm passed, the area was left in ruins.

however.

“Hmm… … . So you’re really a mana user? Things don’t always go as planned.”

There were no deaths. The assassins managed to block the explosion by crouching down and raising their swords that had been channeling mana.

Fried sighed.

If it had been a normal assassin, their entire bodies would have been torn apart by the explosion just now, but these people were closer to knights than assassins. They could block even faint explosions by simply wrapping themselves in mana.

“I’ll admit it. You guys are pretty tough.”

As if responding to Fried’s words, I thought I heard someone laughing while I was killing some people.

But the corners of his mouth slightly lifted.

“But do those who are supposed to be living off the land have such poor sense?”

“… … .”

“If that isn’t blood on your sword, then what is it?”

At those words, the assassins blankly looked at the sword that had blocked the explosion.

Black blood clung to the sword like jelly, and the clot began to move and squirm like a living organism.

“This is what I was aiming for.”

Fried unclenched his fist.

At the same time, the blood stuck to the sword transformed into a sharp awl shape and pierced the front of the head.

The sight of the heads of nearly a dozen assassins being pierced was truly a horrifying sight.

Blood flowed like a waterfall, and in an instant the snowfield began to turn bright red.

“… … What, what happened?”

Merta broke the silence.

“It’s blood magic.”

“*hic*.”

Milia let out a small breath.

I can’t quite understand what happened before my eyes. With a single gesture, dozens of imperial knight-level troops were wiped out. What else could this be but a monster?

Milia looked at Fried, who was raising one hand in triumph, with a pale expression.

“… … .”

And I was surprised again.

The emotion on Fried’s face was unmistakable joy.

Fried was laughing heartily, as if his mind was captivated by the splattering blood.

Is it because of our instinct as blood relatives? Or is it nature?

Whatever it was, Millia unconsciously felt fear.

That’s why I spoke a little louder.

“… … Sir Fried.”

When Millia called his name, Fried seemed to come to his senses and shook his head.

“Oh, oh, oh. I told you. I’ll take care of everything.”

His smiling expression was, as usual, as usual.

Milia also smiled faintly, sweeping her chest.

*

“These people are snow elves.”

A few minutes later, Milia was collecting clues while cleaning up the scene that had been swept away by blood magic.

As soon as the robe was taken off, the first thing that was visible were the snow elf’s characteristically white, vertical ears.

As expected, the assassins were all natives of Eisenward.

“It’s highly likely that it’s a snow elf lottery file like Arranion.”

“… … Hmm.”

“Should we view them as a kind of rebel group?”

Milia hardened her expression and examined the assassins’ robes.

I looked for something like a letter conveying the order, but I couldn’t find anything.

“It’s been a while.”

“What is it?”

“This isn’t the first time we’ve been attacked by snow elves.”

“……sighe.”

Milia nodded.

I remember being attacked by Aranion’s private soldiers on the way to Iscoval’s territory.

Even back then, I used to search their pockets like this.

“by the way.”

Millia looked up and looked at Fried.

It was because I remembered what he had said during the chaos.

Obviously.

“Sir Fried, have you noticed this attack?”

“… … .”

“You said it was a rumor earlier. What did you mean by that?”

Fried scratched the back of his head, and answered reluctantly as Millia continued to stare.

“I heard from your sister. The Snow Elf Lottery is after the Manwol Flower. It seems like there’s a powerful figure behind it.”

“… … Are you telling me that now? And you heard it from your sister?”

I still remember the way Seira gave me the invitation as if telling me to take a breather.

But the thing is, I actually told Fried about it.

“Sister… … No way… … .”

He knew that Fried would come to Eisenward and that the Snow Elf lottery party would attack.

In other words, the invitation given to Milia was clearly intended to be a headache.

“… … Ugh.”

Grit your teeth.

When I got the full moon flower and went back, I planned to put a solar blast on that pretty face.

“I’m sorry. I had no intention of hiding it. In fact, Eisenward was practically an enemy. Even the Ice Palace had ears to hear. And above all, it wasn’t a certain fact.”

“… … .”

Milia took a deep breath.

His judgment was also sound in some sense.

In the Ice Court of Eisenward, Saelar, a pro-Imperial figure, sat as the Archduke, but his cabinet did not.

“But well, this makes it certain.”

“What?”

Fried slowly came in front of Milia, knelt down, and picked up Salsu’s severed wrist.

Sticky blood flowed out.

Fried used blood magic to make the drop of blood float in the air.

“These guys didn’t learn how to use mana. They had it injected into them.”

“… … You’re getting an injection?”

“Yeah. I literally got injected. I felt it the whole time we were fighting, but the blood flow was weird. All of these guys are modified humans, no, modified elves.”

Milia opened her eyes wide.

Of course, knights also learn about mana management through elixirs and magic infusions at specialized institutions.

But that is only like pouring water into a clogged well. The intention was to awaken the use of mana through that feeling.

As Fried said, it was impossible to instill a sense of mana management in common sense.

“How on earth is that possible?”

“What would it be? Of course it’s the full moon flower.”

“… … .”

Milia shut her mouth.

Full Moon Flower. A legendary flower. A treasure that can increase the mana concentration of an area by dozens of times just by blooming.

If you use the elixir made from the full moon flower, it wouldn’t be impossible to artificially create a knight.

“He already has the full moon in his hands. And he intends to use it to his advantage. Perhaps this bad weather is all under their control.”

“Then what should we do? How about contacting the royal family?”

“Then it’s late.”

He sighed deeply and looked north.

“We must eliminate the buds of rebellion in advance. Let’s kill the ones behind it.”

“… … .”

“Yes. It will be very dangerous, just as you think. You can go back if you want. We won’t be able to fight together, right?”

Fried said so, but Milia shook her head.

“You want me to just leave the full moon behind? Do I look like I would do that?”

“Of course not.”

“That flower is mine.”

He declared confidently, raising the corners of his mouth.

Fried chuckled at that expression.

“Why? Are you on the left?”

“Not at all. Rather, it’s so predictable that it’s discouraging. I knew you would do that.”

“What on earth do you think I am?”

When Millia muttered in a loud voice, Fried simply shrugged.

And after a while, he opened his mouth while looking at the northern passage created by the earth spirit commanded by Merta.

“Then let’s go.”

“yes.”

However, as he was getting up, Fried suddenly remembered something and cautiously met Millia’s eyes.

“What now?”

“Let me ask you one favor.”

“ask?”

Fried opened his mouth slightly. His long, protruding canines gleamed.

“… …Milia, let me suck your neck.”

“… … .”

A cold silence fell over the forest.