“Instead of blocking the way in useless places, just ride your horses around diligently. If you stupidly crowd together, that runaway fellow will never come and get caught.”
Meterion muttered in a cold tone as he surveyed the knights. His expression was even fiercer than when he’d been locked in a battle of wills with Hugo.
His gaze, seemingly thoroughly enraged, looked as if it could make the knight before him kneel in the dirt at any moment.
Of course, he didn’t go that far, but the casual act of tossing his burnt cigarette butt at their feet clearly showed his utter disregard for them. He approached one of the knights standing at attention, thrust his face close, and quietly issued a threat.
“It’d be better if you don’t catch my eye again. If you block my way once more, I’ll strip you of that precious uniform of yours.”
His fist, with only the index finger half-raised, pressed firmly into the knight’s chest with the knuckle. Unable to resist, the knight held his ground with only the strength in his legs, but eventually stumbled backward.
Although he quickly regained his balance and stood properly, the knight—gritting his teeth—didn’t dare confront him. Beside him were two other knights in the same posture, and behind them were colleagues who only rolled their eyes, unable to step forward.
Not much had happened for the situation to come to this. It was just that when the Council’s battalion commander committed rudeness right to their faces, they had merely mentioned, ever so slightly, the authority of the Imperial Knights, saying that even nobles could be punished.
But that was the knight’s life-changing, massive mistake. He had overlooked the fact that his opponent was Meterion Clinder, famous for his twisted personality.
An ordinary noble, no matter how much power they held, wouldn’t dare treat the Imperial Knights, who had the Emperor’s backing, carelessly. But for someone who constantly sneered even at the leader of the imperial faction, there was no way the mere grand name of the Imperial Knights could instill fear.
The petty authority the knight had brought up only served to provoke Meterion’s anger and couldn’t resolve the situation. The moment the knight finished saying that the Imperial Knights’ duties took priority, the floating cigarette smoke visibly choked his throat in an instant.
If it weren’t for his adjutant and the 3rd Battalion’s commanders all rushing out to restrain him, saying, “Please control yourself,” Meterion—muttering, “When a dog barks at a person, it needs to be disciplined”—would have, albeit briefly, seriously attempted to cut off the knight’s breath.
Recalling that killing intent, the knight, while maintaining a humiliating posture, had flames shooting from his eyes. Just then, the senior knight next to him elbowed the silent one. When he raised his head, Meterion was looking down at him coldly, as if demanding an answer.
“Ah... I’ll keep it in mind.”
The opponent was an aristocrat among aristocrats in the worst sense, filled to the bone with a sense of authority. Who would’ve known that accidentally provoking this notorious lunatic from the noble faction would lead to this disaster?
On the other hand, although he was part of the Imperial Knights, he was just a mere knight of unremarkable origin. It was clear as day who would be stripped of their position first if he dared confront him head-on here.
After the knight answered in submission and kept his head down, Meterion, having finished his ideological education with a fierce gaze, ordered the driver of the lead vehicle:
“Move out.”
“Ah, yes!”
The frozen driver answered promptly and started the engine again. Only then did Meterion return to the vehicle he had been riding in. The commanders of the 3rd Battalion followed behind him.
No matter what, the opponents were the Emperor’s faithful ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) watchdogs. Insulting them might be seen as challenging the Emperor’s authority.
However, Meterion’s behavior, which practically said “to hell with all that,” gave a sense of satisfaction to those who had struggled under difficult superiors. Who would’ve thought they’d see a radiant halo behind the battalion commander as he boarded the vehicle? It was indeed worth enduring for so long.
However, the commanders and members involved with various factions subtly kept an eye on the Commander, who had remained silent at the very back of the convoy.
There had been rumors that due to the recent unsettling movements of the noble faction, there was a mood in the imperial faction to refrain from conflicts. The 3rd Battalion Commander’s bold stance not only stemmed from his powerful family background but also lent credence to those rumors being true.
The member guarding the passenger seat of the lead vehicle only boarded last after confirming that all the commanders had gotten in. Then, firmly closing the car door, he glanced at the knight still standing outside the window as if being punished.
“Would you please clear that away?”
The member gestured with his chin toward the barricade in front. The knight, who had been watching Meterion, turned his head and glared at the other with a fierce look.
It seemed the phrase “clear that away” had offended him, but the knight walked steadily toward the barricade without any retort.
Soon after, he began to manually push and clear away the obstacles placed in the middle of the road one by one. The member, with a smile on his lips, pressed the transmit button and quickly reported:
“We’re departing.”
The convoy, which had been stopped for a while, started their engines all at once, taking that voice as a signal. The knights silently watched with expressionless faces as the convoy departed, raising dust and following each other’s tails.
“That son of a bitch... I’ll settle this later.”
The knight who had been dealt with severely by Meterion muttered as if to himself, chewing his lips. The other knights around him each glanced at him once, hearing the hatred-filled voice squeezing through clenched teeth.
“Hey. Watch your mouth. It’s not over yet.”
The senior knight, also the highest-ranking among the group, threw out a word of advice. It was ironic, coming from the one who had first stopped the vehicle but couldn’t utter a word in front of the Council’s battalion commander. His half-baked advice only stirred rebellion in the knight, carrying no weight at all.
But at that moment, a sudden horse’s neigh rose from the undergrowth. Soon after, an armed knight on horseback suddenly emerged from behind a tree.
Appearing with leaves stuck all over his armor, he looked back at the already departing convoy with a bewildered expression.
Then, spotting his colleagues nearby, he jumped off the saddle and hurriedly approached them.
His shoulders, heaving hard, showed he had ridden quite a distance. He approached the highest-ranking knight in the group and whispered something in his ear.
“...What?”
Meterion’s eyes caught the sight of the guy who had blocked the lead vehicle looking surprised after hearing something.
However, as if deciding not to pay any more attention, he drew the curtain and leaned back in his seat at an angle. He stared through the windshield as they passed the checkpoint, furrowing his brow sharply at one point.
“We’ve been properly used.”
“Pardon?”
The member sitting in the passenger seat reflexively asked, but Meterion didn’t answer and only closed his eyes.
The knight outside the window looked at the continuing procession once, then lowered his voice and asked his subordinate who had brought the urgent news:
“So, it’s certain he’s not here?”
“I’m not sure about that, but for now, leaving half behind and moving—”
“Ha... really now.”
He irritably scratched the back of his head and looked back at his subordinates. After counting them off on his fingertips and splitting them into two groups, he instructed the knights:
“The four of you, follow them without being noticed once these guys pass. The rest go in the opposite direction.”
After a brief exchange about the situation, they nodded and hurriedly mounted their horses. All but four turned and started galloping in the opposite direction of the convoy.
The Council members inwardly sneered at how easily they retreated, making the name “checkpoint” seem meaningless.
Meanwhile, the vehicle guarding the very end of the escort cars, right in front of the wagon train, suddenly wrenched its steering wheel to the right, blocking the knights’ path.
Screech—
As the front bumper thrust forward threateningly, the startled horses neighed and reared up on their hind legs.
“Oh, fuck, really!”
The knight, already in a foul mood because of Meterion, cursed in frustration as he hurriedly tried to regain his balance. The driver flashed the lights as if apologizing, then turned the steering wheel again to continue on their way.
The knight rolled his eyes, muttering about what kind of jerk would do that, but being equally in a hurry, he tightened his grip on the reins and diligently spurred his horse on.
Delua, riding inside the car, chuckled as she looked at the driver’s back.
“That’s pretty gutsy.”
It was clear he had interfered on purpose. The driver didn’t respond, only shrugged.
“Is it okay to leave them like that?”
She turned her head toward the rear and blankly stared at the knights moving away from the “two people.” After a moment of silence, the driver glanced at the rearview mirror, then looked away again without answering.
Delua manipulated fallen leaves on the ground to follow the knights. The leaves, whirling like a vortex, slipped neatly into the gaps of their armor joints.
Occasionally, they would fly up, pretending to be windblown. The fluttering leaves mercilessly poked at the eyes visible through the helmet gaps.
Only after seeing one knight fall from his horse did Delua turn to face forward again.
