This Bastard is Too Competent

Nathan the Swift.

The fastest knight whose astounding speed was said to even leave afterimages.

Ian now understood how that moniker came to be through this secret.

“He… He’s coming!”

“He’s gone again!”

It was because he was experiencing it himself.

Ian disappeared and reappeared in a flash, slashed a soldier, and disappeared again.

Zoom!

“Aaaargh!”

“Where is he! Where is he!”

The enemies hastily looked around with swords raised. It was like dealing with a ghost, appearing and disappearing in the blink of an eye.

That was how great the speed was.

Of course, Ian was also incredibly surprised.

‘Is this the world Sir Nathan sees?’

No, it was far greater than that.

It wasn’t just fast. In the suspended world, Ian could see and sense everything. It was because he was in a state of merging with the power that slowed the world down from normal the moment he took up his sword.

‘I just took one step.’

Ian’s body went beyond dozens of steps as he mowed down the enemy.

When the enemy’s sword was about to touch his body.

Whiik!

“He slipped past again! This loach!”

“Watch your backs! He will show up again!”

“Besiege! Surround him so he can’t escape!”

Ian was already slashing another enemy in the distance. No matter how hard the enemies tried, it was of no use.

Zoom!

“Aarghh!!!”

It was as if there was one more Nathan.

But it wasn’t 1 + 1 = 2.

The synergy between the two was beyond that.

Even Fiosen and Galon, who were in charge of one side, couldn’t help gawking and lowered their swords to the ground.

“Say, Galon, am I dreaming now?”

“I… don’t think so, from what I can see with my own eyes.”

Their reactions were understandable.

Oath was an incredibly special power.

It was a unique characteristic a knight possessed which could be described as his own essence.

Even if the same sentence was expressed, the effect and nature would all be different.

The same principle worked for twins.

In the case of the continent’s famous identical twin knights, they made the same Oath, but they were called “Rainstorm” and “Thunderbolt,” respectively.

‘No one has an Oath with the same effect as that.’

But that rule had been broken. This was something that could never have happened.

Besides, what Ian displayed now looked like…

“It looks like there’s one more Nathan. It is not quite a pleasant feeling, but it’s very reassuring.”

“Hmm…”

“But in some ways, it seems more sophisticated than Nathan’s? It’s the same, yet it’s like a completely different Oath.”

Just then, Galon noticed something.

“No, it’s not just the Oath, Fiosen. Look over there.”

“Huh?”

At that moment, Fiosen’s eyes widened.

It was because of the teamwork between Ian and Nathan. No, not just him; everyone was surprised by the collaboration between the two.

Nathan blocked, Ian stabbed.

When Ian misled the enemy, Nathan slashed them.

At first glance, it seemed ordinary, but it was different from the point of view of the people who actually witnessed it.

It was a level of teamwork that was barely reachable by veteran knights who had worked together for decades. They were acting as if they were reading each other’s thoughts.

It was such teamwork they could never imitate even if they wanted to.

It was as if a conductor named Ian immaculately used a player named Nathan.

‘No, isn’t Nathan being led by His Highness?’

Galon was right.

In fact, Ian felt that way now.

‘Sir Nathan’s Oath is responding to my Faith.’

Thanks to that, Ian was able to accept Nathan’s everything.

Even the memory of when he first made his Oath in the past flashed past. Ian began to learn everything one by one, as if awakening the hidden power in Faith.

It was simply unbelievable from the viewers’ point of view.

Fiosen, in particular, who was in charge of the discipline of knights and soldiers as Lavaltor’s successor, urgently asked.

“What kind of training did he receive from Nathan? How can they work together seamlessly like that?”

“…”

Fiosen looked at Galon with a heated gaze, begging him to spill the secret, not even thinking about Nathan’s outstanding talent.

But Galon couldn’t answer.

The reason was simple.

‘Nathan has never given His Highness such training before.’

Nathan had never practiced any coordinated moves with Ian. He might have taught him stances or sword techniques, but they even had never crossed swords against each other.

At this point, even Galon’s eyes shook.

‘But just how did he…’

Not only did he fight in perfect harmony with Nathan, he even used his Oath.

Not to mention what Galon once heard from Nathan.

“Fast? Man, don’t get me started. Do you know how hard it was for me to adjust to this Oath? It took me years just to walk properly!”

Even to this day, Nathan was secretly training every night so he would not forget that sensation. It was such an intractable Oath.

So, it was only natural that Galon’s face hardened.

‘Was the legend of the First King, the Royal Roader, true?’

He recalled a legend he had heard from an old knight in the past.

Using his knight’s Oath.

Strengthening his knight’s Oath.

And offering a new path for his knight.

The Royal Roader, the lord of knights, said to be the master of all Oaths.

Galon recalled bursting into a laugh when he said that the Oaths that existed initially originated from him. And at the same time, he began to look at Ian with eyes burning with excitement.

He was overwhelmed with emotion at how great the person he served was.

***

“R… run away!”

“They are monsters! Monsters we can never be dealt with!”

Hundreds of soldiers fell to the two in a matter of seconds, plunging the soldiers into extreme fear. It was even to the extent that the brainwashing was undone at once.

The soldiers tried to run away without looking back. f(r)eewebn(o)vel.com

But it was useless.

“Besiege the enemies!”

“Yes!”

At Ian’s command, the soldiers surrounding Bahara’s troops moved. Bahara soldiers, whose number had already been decimated, were trapped in a siege.

Even if they wanted to escape, sharp spears and shields blocked them.

Ian and Nathan were in the front, while two terrifying knights were heading their way with their swords drawn.

All Bahara soldiers raised their hands.

“S, save me!”

“I will surrender! So please…”

They started screaming that they would cease the fight anymore.

Seeing that, Ian shouted.

“Those who surrender will be spared! Everyone, drop your weapons!”

With that one order, it was over.

Clank!

Bahara’s soldiers all threw their weapons to the ground. In an instant, more than 10,000 soldiers gave up their will to fight.

“Take in those who surrender, and treat the wounded. We must not let a single person die!”

“We will obey your order!”

Fortunately, no one died because the two knights meticulously avoided fatal injuries. As such, the battlefield was quickly sorted out.

Meanwhile, the chieftains regained their consciousness after being treated by Fiosen and Galon.

“Th, thanks. No, thank you.”

“How should I repay this favor?”

The chieftains were restless.

They had declared they would go under Ian’s banner of their own volition. But they never expected that their fellow tribesmen would attack them under another party’s manipulation.

Of course, they dared not lift their heads out of shame due to this.

However, Ian calmly smiled.

“There’s no need for thanks in saving my own people.”

“B, but…”

“Don’t you have something to be done before that?”

“!?”

The chieftains tilted their heads.

They couldn’t possibly hold the banner ceremony in this situation.

Then, Ian pointed in a direction.

“Then… What about those people?”

“They…”

They were people sent by King Arak. As many as ten people were hiding among the soldiers. However, Ian and the chieftains clearly remembered.

Back then, they shouted at the soldiers.

‘And at their command, the soldiers’ eyes turned black.’

They were the culprits behind this.

Of course, the chieftains couldn’t look at them with warm eyes.

The same was true for all the other soldiers of Bahara. All of them sent a glare bursting with killing intent.

The culprits broke into a cold sweat.

“D, don’t do this. We are the messengers of King Arak! If you disrespect us, His Majesty will…”

But Ian turned a deaf ear to them.

Flick.

Instead, he beckoned.

As if telling them to hurry up here and kneel. Then he said one more thing.

“First come, first serve.”

“?”

“For the rest, I will only send back the head.”

“!?”

Everyone froze at Ian’s words.

***

“Long live the First Princess!”

“Honor to the Supreme Commander! Victory to Kaistein!”

The soldiers cheered at the First Princess.

It was because they succeeded in defeating Bahara and taking over the castle despite the major damage. Many were wounded, but they only suffered a few deaths. It was all thanks to the First Princess’s excellent strategy and military art.

It was a speed that could not even be compared with her previous life’s self.

Marquis Adelas, who was in charge of the staff, approached with a happy smile.

“Congratulations, Your Highness. Now, there is only one step left until Balrog.”

“…”

But the princess remained silent. Instead, she was just looking ahead, her face stiff.

It was inevitable.

‘I can’t beat the youngest with this much merit.’

The important thing for the First Princess was to become the main character of the Northern Expedition.

She honestly was confident until she prepared for the Northern Expedition.

The Second Prince’s connections.

The Third Prince’s armed forces.

The Fourth Prince’s erudition.

The Second Princess’s political prowess.

Unlike her siblings, who excelled in their respective fields, she was an all-rounder. It was because three great nobles, including Adelas, and dozens of nobles were loyal to her.

The force they supported was by no means weak, and it easily outnumbered those of her other siblings.

And yet, this was all she had.

‘After capturing the impregnable Molar Castle, the youngest must have arrived at Balrog by now.’

That wasn’t all.

Ian subdued Yamanta, the lord of the Molar Castle, and made him his military commander. The castle’s forces were entirely made up of their own.

Was that all?

Dragon’s Contractor.

Master of the Crystal Palace.

The person whom the crown prince of Cantum served as his older brother.

What Ian had accomplished so far were only things she dared not follow.

She was overcome with a sense of defeat as well as shame.

And thus, the First Princess ordered Marquis Adelas.

“I will depart right now. Get the soldiers ready.”

“Pardon? You don’t take a rest? The battle has just ended…”

Even the best soldiers needed rest to use their strength to the fullest. The fatigue of the soldiers had accumulated too high due to the continuous battle.

However, the First Princess shook her head.

“Still, I can’t help it. We need to get there as early as possible before the youngest gets all the merit.”

“Hmm…”

This time, Marquis Adelas groaned.

He knew that the princess’s words were not wrong.

‘Our aristocratic faction has poured uncountable resources onto this. We can’t let the Seventh Prince hog all the credit.’

His concern was only natural.

Since the Northern Expedition was a competition mission, it was impossible to leave out the land distribution in the conferment of honors.

This was because the more the Seventh Prince was active, the less they would have.

Thus, Marquis Adelas nodded.

“I will prepare at once, Your Highness.”

Although the soldiers were exhausted, they were forced to move on command.

The moment the First Princess and Marquis Adelas were about to advance to Balrog, the heart of Bahara.

A monster appeared in front of them.

Graaaaahh!

It was a monster with its entire body black, including the eyes.

The soldiers raised their spears and shields.

“Protect the First Princess!”

“Deal with the monster!”

But it was futile.

However the monster had come to be, spears didn’t work, let alone arrows.

Once the weapons were about to touch its skin.

Clang!

They bounced out with a loud bang.

At that time, the knights who were beside the First Princess stepped forward with hardened faces.

“We will take care of this.”

“Lord Elven! Lord Harlow!”

They were knights with Oath of Penetration and Oath of Slashing, respectively. This was a powerful card that the First Princess trusted more than anything else. However, the faces of the First Princess and Kaistein soldiers paled in the next second.

“H… how?”

“The best knights of our legion!”

It was because the knights who had just confidently stepped out became cold corpses.

The knights were undoubtedly strong, but that monster was on a whole nother level. But the knights’ death was not the biggest problem.

Bang! Crack! Boom!

The monster went berserk.

The knights and soldiers, as well as the sturdy castle wall, collapsed instantly at its tyrannical touch. The First Princess’ solid position began to crumble like a sand castle.

Marquis Adelas issued orders to his soldiers in a fluster.

“Wh-where are the siege weapons! Take it down somehow!”

“F, fire!”

Bang!

However, the monster continued to brutally crush the soldiers without taking a single wound from any of the attacks. In no time, hundreds and thousands of soldiers fell under its rampage and became corpses.

The First Princess had to quickly make a decision.

“R, retreat!”

“We can’t take it down! All disperse! Go back to the castle and face it!”

Merit was important, but life was as precious.

The First Princess gritted her teeth.

‘We still have the knights.’

But she didn’t have the confidence to knock it down.

That was how terrifying that monster was. Moreover, the monster was chasing after them, baring its teeth into a grin as if it were having fun. At this rate, it was dangerous to reach the castle no matter how.

Just then, Marquis Adelas shouted in horror.

“Y, Your Highness! The monster is coming after us!”

The opponent was a monster that could not be taken down by swords, spears, or arrows.

The only thing that worked was the swords of the knights using the Oath.

‘But we need a knight faster and stronger than that monster.’

Among the knights she knew, the closest was two.

The Third Prince Louis and the Seventh Prince Ian. If it was with their strengths and knights, they should be able to stand up to that monster.

Among the two, only one was the closest.

Thus, the First Princess cried out as she ran away as if she had no other option.

“Contact the youngest right now!”

“W, what should I tell him, Your Highness?”

“…”

The First Princess closed her eyes tightly.

There was only one thing she could do now.

“A, ask for help. He may take the credit. Please help me.”

It’s practically a declaration of defeat.

But she wasn’t even sure if she could survive until then.

Graaaaaahh—!!

The monster was getting closer and closer.

With clenched teeth, the First Princess spurred her horse.

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