Chapter 9: Attack (1)

The carriage was silent, where not a single word was exchanged.

Adele sat across from me, resting her chin in her hand, staring out the window. The only one fidgeting was her maid, Lily, seated beside her.

Trying to talk to her in this situation wouldn’t get me a proper response. Is it because Adele is creating this kind of atmosphere?

Could it be that she found out I was lying?

Even if that were the case, I can’t quite figure out how she might have discovered it.

‘...What a headache.’

With a sigh, I turned my head to look out the window, feeling a slight twinge in my head. The view outside showed a round moon rising in the night sky, partially obscured by dark clouds.

It was a scene straight out of an old historical drama. Perhaps Adele was entranced by the view outside for that reason. As I thought about it, a slight drowsiness crept up on me, likely from the wine I drank earlier.

Did I drink more than I realized? I can’t believe this body is such an alcohol lightweight. Just three glasses of wine, and I’m already feeling tipsy.

In my past life, I could down three bottles of soju without flinching. I even vividly remember the time I foolishly tried to tackle four bottles during my freshman year of college and ended up throwing up everywhere.

As that nostalgic feeling hit me, the wave of sleepiness followed, and just as I was about to close my eyes, I heard Adele’s breathing.

“Hoo...”

A painful sigh echoed from her, snapping me out of my drowsiness as I quickly dispelled it with mana. Adele’s pupils had contracted slightly and were trembling.

It was clear.

She had just regressed.

‘She regressed... without any sign?’

I had almost fallen asleep, confirming that there was no presence around us. I was confident I would notice the slightest movement near me and wake up immediately.

‘...A skilled one, perhaps.’

I forcefully roused the mana circle within my body.

-Vwoom…

The cool sensation filled my body, making it feel as if it hummed with energy.

“What’s going on, Adele?”

“...We’re surrounded.”

Her answer was almost instinctual, and for a brief moment, she looked at me with eyes that seemed to say, “Oops.” Did she think I wouldn’t believe her? If I were the original Abel, I probably wouldn’t have trusted her words.

But I am Abel now.

“...How many?”

“Do you believe me?”

“No. I’m just preparing for the worst.”

Adele looked at me, a little disappointed, but soon opened her mouth.

“There are six. They’re at the level of Sword Experts.”

Sword Experts.

One step below Sword Masters, and only 1% of knights reach that level.

If they’re that skilled, it’s no wonder my future self failed to handle them properly. I suspect they’re connected to the royal family...

‘...No, the royal family wouldn’t act this overtly.’

Then, the only possibility left is...

‘...That fool of a man.’

I clicked my tongue and stood up.

-Bang!

The roof of the carriage was ripped right off. At the same time, six men, cloaked in black, appeared. They were members of the Crown Prince’s personal guard, knights who followed only the Crown Prince’s orders.

They were mid-level knights of the Golden Lion Knights.

‘The carriage... is done for.’

The coachman was nowhere to be seen, only a blood-soaked driver’s seat remained.

Of all times, they chose to attack while Evan wasn’t here. No, it’s more likely they timed their attack precisely because they knew he was absent.

Moreover, they wouldn’t have attacked knowing I, a duke, was inside the carriage... meaning they probably assumed I wasn’t here. Did they think a duke would ride in such a low-grade carriage? Were they naive or just rational in their thinking?

As I mulled over these thoughts, I turned to Lily.

“Your name is Lily, right?”

“Y-yes! Yes!”

“Have you ever worked as a coachman?”

“I-I have... My father was a coachman...”

Lily answered with a trembling voice.

Of course, I knew this from the original story. Her father being a coachman was common knowledge. But telling her to drive the carriage out of the blue might make Adele suspicious, so I chose my words carefully.

“Then, you should leave first.”

“But... what about you, Your Grace...?”

“No, Abel! They’re too strong!”

How badly must my future self have lost to these men for Adele to react this way? I think it’s best to refrain from drinking at future banquets.

“Trust me, Adele.”

I smiled lightly at her, and though she hesitated for a moment, she eventually nodded. Perhaps she was preparing to regress again if something went wrong.

But, of course, nothing would go wrong. I won’t let it.

“...Okay. Be careful, Abel. Let’s go, Lily.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Lily took the reins and grabbed the whip next to her, urging the horse forward. It seemed they only killed the coachman, likely intending to seize the horses later.

Maybe these knights followed a ‘no-kill’ policy. Though, being knights of the royal family, that was highly unlikely.

There was only one possible explanation left.

They were confident they could capture me quickly and catch up afterward. It seems that now, with the original Abel hiding his identity as an Archmage, even these mere insects think they can act out.

“I guess they think I’m easy prey.”

Even the thought of Adele witnessing me struggling against these pathetic knights filled me with displeasure.

-Thump.

My heart pounded as mana surged into my hands.

“Do they think they can subdue me and still have time to chase her down? Such arrogance.”

If I were the original Abel, maybe I would have lost. He had a tendency to look down on knights, believing that a mere flick of his hand could bring them down since he was an Archmage.

But I am different.

“I’ll crush that arrogance.”

A white aura began to gather in the air. The knights, weapons in hand, charged at me.

“Spell deployment.”

White magic circles began forming in the air. The aura gathered around them, quickly taking the shape of a massive hammer. Upon seeing this, the knights hesitated, their movements changing.

“Strike.”

With my incantation, the giant hammer swung.

This is my personal modification of spatial magic.

By using spatial magic to form a weapon and wielding it like a blunt object, it’s a highly effective method against knights who excel in close combat.

-Boom!

“Ugh!”

One knight, unable to dodge in time, was struck directly and sent flying into the distance. Even if he didn’t die, he’d surely be critically injured.

No matter how extraordinary a Sword Expert is, their physical endurance isn’t much different from that of a regular knight. The only difference is the strength of the aura they wield.

Even after one of their comrades was knocked away, the remaining knights did not break formation. Were they determined to fight to the death?

“Spell deployment.”

The white aura gathered again, forming an even larger hammer than before. The knights who were charging toward me came to an abrupt halt.

“You won’t dodge this one.”

Using space as a weapon is fundamentally different from wielding a conventional one.

Any weapon, no matter how sharp or fast, takes time to swing. Even a Sword Master can’t escape that law. But spatial magic works differently.

If I wished, I could strike before the knights even realized what was happening. The earlier strike was a warning, with its force deliberately controlled.

But if they ignore my warning, there’s only one course of action left.

“Strike.”

Punishment.

-Crash!

The hammer smashed down, driving the knights into the ground. They managed to use their aura to defend themselves in that brief moment.

Even a ruined Sword Expert is still a Sword Expert, I suppose.

Still, they won’t be able to move for a while. I used about half of the mana I had left in my body, so the blow should’ve been powerful enough.

As much as I wanted to kill them, that would complicate matters too much.

These knights are likely acting on the Crown Prince’s private orders, meaning they’ll try to cover up this whole affair. They’ll claim their injuries were caused by an accident during their mission, so it’s better to leave them be.

“...What a bother.”

The exhaustion I’d been holding back hit me all at once, likely because I hadn’t used this much mana in a long time. Not to mention, the fatigue from staying up two nights straight preparing for the engagement party was catching up to me. The drowsiness was overwhelming.

‘...Time to head back.’

I began drafting a magic circle, circulating the remaining mana in my body. This was the most basic form of spatial magic—teleportation.

-Vwoom...

A hum resonated in the air as a white magic circle appeared above me. With the remaining half of my mana drained, the scenery around me changed in an instant.

What I saw was a white bed.

‘...Wasn’t my bed black?’

Come to think of it, I had set the coordinates to Adele’s room to ensure her safety. I must’ve been so exhausted that I made a mistake with the teleportation coordinates.

‘...Forget it. Let’s just sleep.’

Unable to fight off the overwhelming drowsiness, I collapsed onto the bed. Before my thoughts could even finish, consciousness slipped away.

***

As soon as I arrived at the Duke’s residence, I went straight to find the head butler.

If there was anyone who could mobilize the knights for Abel, it would be him. Since I wasn’t officially engaged to him yet, I didn’t have the authority to command the knights myself.

I was about to move when Lily rushed over to where the maids were gathered and shouted.

“Where’s Sir Allen? Where is Sir Allen?”

The maids seemed startled by her outburst and stood frozen, staring at her in confusion. Finally, one of the more composed maids answered.

“Sir Allen should be in the study.”

“Thank you.”

Lily nodded at me, and I nodded back before running toward the study.

Time was of the essence.

Six Sword Experts.

Before the regression, I had been kidnapped by those six. And that, too, before Abel even woke up.

Even when he did wake up, he was completely overpowered by them, unable to put up any resistance.

The thought of what could have happened if I hadn’t regressed still gave me chills.

I burst through the door of the study, and there was Allen, going through paperwork. Without a second thought, I shouted.

“Allen! Abel is in danger!”

“…Are you talking about the Duke?”

He tilted his head slightly, as if he had misheard me, but then, as though understanding something, he spoke.

“I see. It seems you don’t know yet.”

“...What do you mean...?”

“Lady Este.”

Allen’s face turned serious as he continued.

“The Duke is an Archmage. Am Archmage with power rivaling that of a Sword Master.”

“...An Archmage?”

I had heard of it before.

A title given to mages who had reached the pinnacle of their abilities.

Was Abel truly an Archmage?

But... if that’s true, then how did he get overpowered by knights who were only at the level of Sword Experts?

‘...Could it be?’

Was it because of me?

– – – The End of The Chapter – – –

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