The Extra's Return

From the start, I already had the plan to kill Daniel. However, it was obvious that I couldn't do that when we were still in the mansion.

Therefore, this is the chance I get to finish what I should have done. I don't want the root of hatred in Daniel to continue to plague me like a parasite in my life. Especially when I dream of a relaxed, comfortable, and free life without any burdens.

But….

Clang!

Sparks appeared when the sword I was swinging was blocked by a warrior's blade. The soldier appeared and blocked my attack so quickly that I was forced to retreat backward.

I wasn't absolutely surprised by the appearance of the soldier blocking me. For a noble's son, at least it was only natural to have a bodyguard.

Unlike the other warriors who wore headgear, the warrior who parried my sword showed his face proudly. Not to mention the shiny iron armor that he was wearing, it looked very conspicuous compared to the other warriors.

With just that difference, I knew that he was no ordinary soldier, but a knight. The title of a knight had a different meaning from the title of an ordinary soldier. Knights are titles given to those who have faithfully served a noble family from generation to generation. And of course, knights had their own standard of strength.

"I once heard that the second young master had surprisingly excellent swordsmanship, but I didn't expect that to turn out to be true. Where did you learn that swordsmanship from?"

He said proudly. His chest puffed out to show that he was a knight.

I just frowned when I saw his face closely. From his face, he looked like a man in his 50s. I had the feeling I'd seen his face somewhere, but I forgot.

"This is indeed very unfortunate, but I have received an order from my lord to capture you. So, you might as well give up and let us arrest you, Young Master."

"... I refuse."

"Why did you refuse? You didn't even need to run away from home after losing to Jullian. After receiving your attack, I realized that you have the skills to handle the sword. If you keep practicing, you can at least defeat a Beginner-level Warrior."

"Thank you for your good intentions, Mister Knight. But I still refuse."

Do I look like I ran away from the mansion because I lost against Jullian? It might look like that from an outsider's perspective.

I don't think anyone knows the real reason I left the Warwick residence.

"Since you keep refusing my advances, I think I need to use force."

He stepped forward and attacked, but he still didn't use Mana, so I was still able to defend myself easily.

In the middle of a sword fight, suddenly, a skill I didn't expect activates and makes me frown.

[Skill Memorize - Active.]

I didn't expect the Memorize skill to suddenly activate. I remember that the effect of this skill is to bring up a memory that I forgot. In that case, the person in front of me must be someone I've actually interacted with, or at the very least, she's someone I've seen.

Holding my head, which felt a little dizzy, I started to remember.

It felt really weird like there was a clip in my head spinning automatically. The clip shows a scene of an old man in a slum. When I watched it, indeed the face of the old man in the slum and the face of the knight in front of me felt similar.

But that's not what made me frown a little, but rather what the old man was talking about.

The expression he showed and the tone of voice he used when he spoke looked like a madman, so everyone passing by would pay attention to him, just like I used to.

'Maybe that's the reason I can forget about it.'

The story he tells is indeed very important, namely about the destruction of the Warwick family.

However, at that time, I was free from the grip of the Black Box organization and I became an adventurer. I did hear some people talk about the collapse of the Warwick noble family, but I didn't think much of it.

To be honest, I never thought the Warwick family was important. In the past, I only thought that the Warwick family was a temporary shelter, so I didn't care when the Warwick family was destroyed.

Moreover, the destruction of a noble family was a natural thing at that time. So, I never investigated what, how, or who was behind the collapse of the Warwick family.

"... Haaa. I see."

I can only sigh. Who, why, and how could the Warwick family be destroyed? The answer to that question I got through the Memorize skill, or rather, from the mouth of someone who was considered a crazy old man.

All of that was useful information, but even so, my regression could turn all that information into ashes, so I needed to be careful how I acted.

After all, I have no intention of stopping the destruction of the Warwick family.

As I focused on contemplating, the confident voice of the figure I indicated to be the Vice Knight Captain, Trusty, woke me up.

"You have to focus when fighting, Young Master."

"Wait a moment, Vice Knight Captain Trusty. I want to ask you one question. Are you really going to close your eyes?"

"It's surprising to see that you know me. But what do you mean by that?"

It couldn't be helped that he was confused by what I said. Then, I just need to say straightforwardly.

"Hasn't there been something strange lately about my father's character? He seems like a fickle, angry person, and seems like someone else. If you think about it deeply, I'm sure you'll understand what I mean."

"Stop your disrespectful remarks towards the Lord I serve."

"...."

Now, I know the reason why he could look so desperate when the Warwick family fell. Judging from the sudden anger that erupted when I insulted Baron Warwick, he must be a very loyal knight.

He frowned, readied the sword in his hand, and let out a sizeable Mana explosion.

[Skill Amplification - Active.]

[Hear of Everything Skill - Activated.]

Before he could attack me, I activated several skills including the Amplification and Hear of Everything skills.

Considering it was my first time activating all the skills I could activate simultaneously, this would indeed be a bit of a strain on my body. So, it wouldn't be strange if Mana's consumption would be very high.

"Ugh!"

Like it or not, I felt a pretty big burden all over my body. Some say that the internal energy, aka Mana, within a person must be in balance with the user's physical strength, and that seems to be true.

But thanks to that, I managed to withstand its attacks. I used the Hear of Everything skill to read his Mana flow. Meanwhile, Swordsmanship skills, Amplification skills, and Strengthening skills to withstand attacks and counterattacks.

"...Are you angry that I tried to make you lose your allegiance towards my father?"

"Shut up! Why do you even dare to speak ill about your own father?"

I think his brain is too loyal to Baron Warwick. In fact, because of that loyalty, he will regret it. Well, I don't really have any intention of saving this fellow from the regretful fate he will later fall into.

At the very least, I've planted seeds of suspicion in his head. Whether it blooms or dies, that's none of my business anymore.

"Kuk. Since when have you been able to use Mana?"

"Is this the right time to be surprised?"

He looked surprised as I held back each of his attacks. Seeing that he had used Mana from the start, he was definitely serious. However he only attacked the non-vital parts of my body, so clearly, he only intended to paralyze me.

Clang!

Tsuk!

For that, I managed to land a stab through his breastplate.

Crash!

When I drew my sword, a small amount of blood stuck to the tip of my sword, indicating that my attack had successfully injured him.

He looked speechless as he wiped the blood on the armor covering his chest. His face was dark. Was his pride hurt from getting hurt fighting me?

"Hah... I shouldn't be angry. Originally I never thought that I would be forced to use this skill. For the last time, I advise you to just give up, Second Young Master."

"I also suggest that you give up persuading me, Mister Vice Knight Captain, Trusty."

After hearing my answer, a powerful aura suddenly appeared around his body. Is that a killing aura? I think so. However, I just smiled.

The killing aura emitted by a knight who upholds loyalty without ever doing anything dirty? Pfftt~ it can churn my insides because that is too ridiculous.

"What you're laughing at?"

His eyebrows twitched as I tried to hold back a laugh.

"Well, it's funny to see the way you intimidate opponents."

I don't mean to offend, but I'm just being honest. Understandably, I've felt the killing intent of a true demon before, so it's only natural that I laugh at the killing intent he emits.

Seeing the veins in his temples getting bigger, he seemed to be getting more and more annoyed.

"Fine. I won't hold back anymore. Maybe you'll lose one of your limbs. So, don't blame me later, because I already gave you a warning."

With an increasingly serious expression, he raised the sword he was holding as if he was about to use the ultimate move.

Since I was still using the Hear of Everything skill, I could tell his Mana movement. His mana began to concentrate on the sword he was holding. Slowly but surely, high-pressure Mana began to envelop his sword until it emitted a light color.

Now, even using the naked eye without using the Hear of Everything skill, I could see the glint all over the sword's body.

"Sword Aura!"

He said the name of the skill he spat out quietly.

Seeing that phenomenon, I just narrowed my eyes.