Chapter 15.2: ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ก๐จ๐จ๐ (๐๐)
Successfully burrowing into Karamafโs embrace, Johan swung his longsword with all his might. The longsword screamed as it was about to shatter, emitting its death throes.
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โ๐๐ช๐ฅ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ข ๐ฎ๐ช๐ด๐ต๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ?โ
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Despite his success in burrowing in, such a thought crossed Johanโs mind.
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The longsword wasnโt a weapon that could cut through anything. Its cutting power greatly diminished in front of armor, especially if the opponent was wrapped in full plate armor.
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Johan was doing the opposite of what he had learned.
ใ คHowever. . .
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Strangely, he felt a confidence that he could do it. It sounded crazy, but the moment he saw Karamaf, he had an intuition that he could dive in and cut through. It was like having the confidence to cut a rock with a twig. It was not something he could explain to others.
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๐๐ช๐ฎ๐๐๐ณ๐ข๐ง๐ โ
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Johanโs arms swelled further, displaying tremendous strength. It was a strength Johan himself couldnโt have imagined. Unknown to him, he had hardly ever used his full strength. There had been no need to exert himself fully before.
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The moment he exerted his full strength, the longsword, weighing at most 1~2kg, transformed into a giantโs greatsword.
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And with a loud crash, everything in front was shattered. Blood splattered. Karamafโs armor was ripped apart, and his torso was nearly severed.
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โGah!โ
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A scream flowed from inside the helmet. Karamaf seemed more shocked by this unbelievable situation than the pain. Due to the shock and pain, Karamaf couldnโt properly bring down his raised arm. He missed his chance for a counterattack.
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Johan raised his fist like a lion. He felt that the longsword he was holding had shattered. The blade was split, and the crossguard crumbled under Johanโs strength. It was regrettable, but it didnโt matter. Johan thanked his faithful friend, the sword, for its service and swung his fist.
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With a dull sound, blood splattered from Johanโs fist, and Karamafโs head snapped back. It was natural for his fist to be injured, having struck a metal mass with full force.
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However, such an attack was enough for the wounded Karamaf. He dropped his weapon and fell backwards. Johan quickly climbed on top of Karamaf. To a swordsman, martial arts were as important as swordsmanship. Honestly, Johan was more confident in grappling or martial arts than in swordsmanship. He had trained to the bone in them even before coming to this world.
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Johan grabbed Karamafโs helmet with both hands and exerted strength. With an unbelievable sound, the helmet made of unknown metal tore apart.
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Then, a cold-faced elf was revealed. Handsome but bloodied, he glared fiercely. Karamaf spat out blood and growled.
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โDid Gessen. . . give birth to a monster. . .!โ
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โYouโre one to talk, coming into someoneโs fiefdom, killing, and burning everything.โ
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โHow on earth did the ancient Empireโs arm. . .โ
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โEnough, die, elf!โ
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Johan had no intention of talking to Karamaf for long. His fist struck down on Karamafโs face. Even a great knight like Karamaf couldnโt withstand such an attack in an unprotected state.
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Karamaf, counted among the finest knights of the Holy Empire.
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It was a disappointingly anti-climactic end for such a knight.
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๐๐ก๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฉ! ๐๐ก๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฉ!
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As if to confirm the kill, Johan repeatedly pounded Karamafโs face. The head was smashed beyond recognition.
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โPhew. . .โ
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Only after cutting off the opponentโs breath could Johan finally take a breath. Then the muscle pain and fatigue rushed in. It was due to exerting full strength. The fight had ended quickly, but the burden Johan felt was no joke. He had plunged in, keeping every nerve in his body sharply focused.
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โ. . .What do I do now?โ
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Johan looked down at what was once Karamaf, muttering to himself.
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He hadnโt realized during the fight, but after it, he felt a great sense of loss. Karamafโs plate armor was ruined, with a shattered breastplate and a torn helmet. It was certainly unwearable now.
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โ๐๐ฐ. . . ๐ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ฏโ๐ต ๐ธ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ ๐ช๐ต ๐ข๐ฏ๐บ๐ธ๐ข๐บ.โ
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The plate armor was obviously associated with its owner. If Johan wore it or tried to sell it, he would likely face serious trouble.
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So, what to do?
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โ๐ ๐จ๐ถ๐ฆ๐ด๐ด ๐โ๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฃ๐ถ๐ณ๐บ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ฅ๐บ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ณ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฐ๐จ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ.โ
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If he disposed of the body in a corner of this forest, nobody would know Karamafโs whereabouts. Who would suspect that Karamaf had been killed by Johan? There might be some commotion for a while, but it would settle down if they couldnโt find him.
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Then, no one would be pursuing Johan. The Aitz family was already finished; who would continue chasing after one son?
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Here in the Empire, the organization and administrative power were not particularly strong. Even the Emperor was more like a powerful feudal lord with special privileges than a true emperor. He had little power over those not directly under him. There was neither the capability nor the reason to continue chasing any possible survivors of the Aitz family.
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โ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฃ๐ข๐ด๐ต๐ข๐ณ๐ฅ. . . ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ธ๐ข๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ด๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ด๐ด?โ
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Johan spat and ground his teeth against the Emperor he had never met. It was hard to fully understand from what he had heard. But he could guess that the Aitz family had been unfortunately framed for something.
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Sir Gessen had been seeking other nobles to make feudal contracts. He would fight when needed and, in return, receive land or money. A knightโs feudal contract was similar to a mercenary agreement.
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It might have been better to gain a few more lords and rise in status than to manage a hopeless fiefdom. There was no rule that feudal contracts had to be one-to-one. If capable, serving multiple lords was possible.
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Had that angered the Emperor?
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He neither knew nor needed to know. After all, Johan was now planning to flee, abandoning the name of the Aitz family.
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Johan began to dig. He was burying Karamaf.
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โ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฐ๐ฅ.
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โ. . .You again?โ
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Johan turned his head with a weary look.
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There was the black wolf.