Chapter 270 – Underground Brawl
Clang!
The sword blade hit the wall and rolled away. As expected, his skills were extraordinary, matching his appearance. The gang’s eyes followed the sword, causing them to miss Ian’s eyes turning golden.
Timothy roughly rolled up his torn sleeve, then tried to pick up the fallen sword from the floor.
“F-fuck! Don’t you know there’s no defense against a group attack?”
“Go forward! Push! You bastards, he’s picking up the sword!”
“You take the lead! G-go on!”
“Hurry!”
A first strike with the gang. There’s no greater truth in the world of ruffians. They all rushed in before Timothy could properly take his stance. Shouts erupted here and there to hide their tension and heighten their excitement.
“Uwaaaaah!”
“W-wait. The sucker’s eyes...”
“Get him! Kill him!”
The narrow, long corridor. In a sealed space without a single window, Timothy and Ian were cornered. Timothy advanced step by step, scraping the floor with the tip of his sword. Three steps before the clash, two steps, one step...
“Wait! I’m telling you, the sucker’s eyes are strange!”
“Uwaaaah! Let’s go!”
Ian, who had been watching from behind, turned his head and opened his eyes wide. Sucker? For a moment, he thought he had misheard. It was the first time in his life he’d been called that. Rather than anger, Ian smiled incredulously, finding it refreshingly absurd.
Tap tap tap!
“Hyaah!”
The man at the forefront swung his sword widely as he rushed at Timothy. Given its large surface area, it was bound to hit somewhere even if swung carelessly. Just as he complacently thrust the sword tip forward-
“Huh?”
Clang!
As Timothy deflected it with his sword, the overwhelming difference in strength could be felt through the locked blades. The man’s arms trembled. He tried to strike down, but it was futile.
Timothy easily applied force and pushed the man against the wall. The blade kept rising towards his neck. He turned his head to ask his companions for help, but this caused his strength to falter, and his neck was cut.
Slash!
“Aaaaargh!”
Once by his own sword, and once again by Timothy’s. The man who was cut twice in an instant clutched his neck with both hands and fell forward.
Timothy raised his sword and warned in a low voice.
“Clear the way.”
But it was too late to turn back. Youthful bravado had rendered rational judgment impossible, and the sounds from the stairs above only fanned the flames. Their gang members were continuously rushing in to provide support. Those at the front simultaneously pounced on Timothy.
“Die!”
Slash! Clang!
Slowly, but surely. Even if it meant being pushed back, Timothy focused on each strike. As he gradually moved forward, the gang’s momentum also surged.
“It’s okay! Keep pushing!”
“Fuck! Uwaaaaah!”
With five or six swords coming at him simultaneously in the narrow corridor, Timothy’s breathing became slightly labored. At this rate, even if he cut down all of them, he wouldn’t be able to leave due to the pile of corpses.
At that moment, an unexpected attack came towards Timothy’s ear.
‘Ah.’
The other ear will be cut off too. Just as Timothy thought this, Ian quickly condensed and released his magic. The strong impact sent the nearby enemies flying backwards.
Boom! Bang!
Crash!
“Aaaagh!”
“W-what was that just now?”
“What’s going on? What’s happening up front? Ah, I can’t see.”
“Suddenly pushing and shit.”
“Shut up! It, it, it seems to be magic!”
Those at the front all stopped at once. Those at the back were in an uproar, but they couldn’t move carelessly. A mage, they said. Aside from having no chance, there was a high possibility of him being associated with the Imperial Palace.
Timothy relaxed his lowered stance and turned to look at Ian.
“...Thank you, but the building will collapse.”
“I said I’d be gentle, but it is a bit concerning. Still, it’s better than having a diplomat’s ear cut off. Wouldn’t the king be curious when you return home?”
Debris dust fell from the ceiling due to the recent impact. If the building were to collapse underground rather than above ground, wouldn’t that be even more troublesome?
Boom! Thud!
Sure enough. From the opposite end of the corridor, in the arena, the sound of something collapsing could be heard. The floor they stood on and the walls shook violently. The gang members flinched and turned their gaze to the back.
Crash! Bang! Clang!
“Yes. What is it, Delegate Timothy?”
“...Is this person really your friend?”
Didn’t he refer to Beric as a friend earlier inside? No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t believe it. Setting aside the difference in class, the worlds these two lived in seemed completely different.
“Ah, why! You just don’t know, but I’m, you know, despite how I look, huh? I’m quite something!”
Despite how he looked, he wanted to boast about something, but there was nothing to say. That he eats well? Sleeps well? His fighting is extraordinary, but he’s not the best yet. He lost to Jeirutt and was beaten by the black armor, after all.
In place of the speechless Beric, Ian smiled brightly.
“I wish I could deny it too.”
***
“Why are there so many people? Was it like this earlier?”
Jin, Romandro, and Xiaoshi sensed the markedly changed atmosphere of the street. When they parted with Ian, there wasn’t such a large crowd, and above all, weren’t they all in a half-dazed state?
But now it was chaotic, instinctively making them sense that something had happened.
“That’s right. There are many carriages too...”
“It’s the guard.”
“Isn’t that the alley Brother Ian went into?”
“Let’s go take a look. Xiao, guard him well.”
“Yes. Understood.”
“Excuse me for a moment. I’m going forward. Oh, thank you.”
As Romandro parted the crowd, Xiaoshi picked up Jin and followed behind. The closer they got to the inside, the more filled it was with bustling commotion.
At the center was a dilapidated building. Guards were gathered in large numbers, carrying out severely injured people. Jin, sitting on Xiaoshi’s shoulder, spotted Ian.
“Brother Ian!”
Ian, who had been talking about something with the guard captain, heard Jin’s voice and turned his head. At Ian’s direction, the guards controlled the crowd to make way.
“Jin, did you look around the park well?”
“Yes, Brother. The time was up, so we came to get you. But what is all this...”
“Young Master Jin! Do you have any bread left? I’m hungry!”
“Beric?”
Jin was startled to find Beric covered in blood while trapped in an iron cage. What on earth happened? Sensing his worry, Beric waved his hand with a smile.
“It’s fine, it’s fine. This isn’t my blood.”
“Beric, you fool! Your stomach wound hasn’t healed yet! What kind of trouble did you cause?!”
“I didn’t cause any trouble! Wow, that’s unfair. Do you have bread?”
Romandro rubbed his forehead as if dizzy from Beric’s words. Ian whispered something to the guard captain, who saluted formally before returning to the cleanup scene. To retrieve the key to Beric’s cage and his black sword.
“There are too many eyes and ears here, so I’ll tell you when we get back. And...”
“Hello.”
It was Timothy. Jin slowly opened his mouth and looked up at him. Up close, his aura was even more impressive.
Timothy knelt on one knee to meet Jin’s eyes. Among Ian’s companions, there was only one person who came to mind when thinking of a silver-haired, blue-eyed child.
“I am Timothy Ovia. I’m truly embarrassed to meet you like this. If you allow, I would like to formally pay my respects in the near future.”
Jin nodded unconsciously. It was a brief greeting, but in the current situation with all eyes on them, it was the best courtesy he could offer. Ian took Jin’s hand and addressed Timothy.
“Well then, Delegate Timothy. We’ll meet again.”
“Yes, Lord Ian.”
Ian gave a look suggesting he should hurry and leave. He had arranged for Timothy not to be questioned by the guards.
Timothy put on his robe and disappeared into the crowd. Ian watched his retreating figure until the end, and Jin observed Ian.
“Brother Ian.”
Ian turned his head with a smile as if asking what was wrong. At that moment, Jin’s subtle senses stirred. Had there ever been a case where Lord Ian smiled like that at someone he was meeting for the first time? He wasn’t sure.
“Have you met Timothy before?”
“...No. Why do you ask?”
Ian was born and raised in the border region and had only recently arrived in the capital. Even Jin, a prince, was meeting him for the first time, so how could he have met Timothy before? Ian denied it, but Jin somehow felt uneasy.
“Just... It seemed familiar.”
“It’s probably because you’ve seen his portrait.”
“...I see.”
“Let’s go back first. I’ll explain when we get back.”
Ian patted Jin’s shoulder as he stood up, and Jin nodded in agreement. Suddenly, the child tugged on Ian’s hand.
“Oh! Are you not hurt anywhere? Beric is covered in so much blood...”
Suspicion is suspicion, but worry is another matter. Jin’s question deepened Ian’s smile.
Ah, was it just a misunderstanding after all? Not goodwill towards Timothy, but just being in a good mood? Jin smiled along, making a slight dimple.