Meanwhile, near the northern border between Chronotia and Zenobia.

It had already been three days of non-stop forced marches, but Zenobia was even farther than expected.

Jacob, the vice-commander of the Imperial Knights, glanced at the expressionless Dietrich throughout the expedition.

‘This is something, he doesn’t have a single human-like aspect.’

Most of the knights assigned to the expedition were exhausted from the schedule of moving without rest for days.

The weather also played a part in tiring them out.

With the sun getting hotter by the day, sweat flowed incessantly and irritation grew.

However, they couldn’t rest for the sake of the northern conquest expedition schedule.

Jacob was also so tired from the unreasonable schedule that he could barely open his mouth.

But that man.

The most likely successor to the Duke Delgado family, known as the Sword Demon, showed no signs of fatigue.

As if he weren’t human.

‘No, maybe he’s not human.’

They said he didn’t handle human swordsmanship.

‘Still, I’d like to see how well he wields a sword.’

As someone who handles swords, he wanted to see Dietrich Delgado’s swordsmanship at least once.

Even if it was from an Imperial Knight who felt inferior to the Hareon Knights, the knight order of the Delgado ducal family.

How much time had passed like that?

“Vi-Vice Commander. We’re approaching the last village before the border. How about we take a short rest there?”

At the desperate words of one of the knights, Jacob fell into contemplation.

Seeing the sun about to set over the horizon, it was clear it would soon be dark.

If they went further, they’d have to sleep on the roadside like yesterday.

Even Jacob, who had decided to set an example by taking the lead in difficult tasks as vice-commander, wanted to get some sleep in a comfortable place just for today.

He cautiously asked Dietrich, who had been silent all along.

“How about we rest in the next village and move again tomorrow, Young Master?”

“……”

No answer came back despite asking.

As expected, the Delgado family was arrogant.

No matter how much the Emperor’s support had fallen and imperial power had weakened due to the long war, the imperial family was still the imperial family.

‘How dare a mere ducal family be so arrogant.’

The Imperial Knights were the Emperor’s direct knight order.

It was unacceptable to casually disrespect the Imperial Knights.

However, this arrogant young master seemed to not even listen to his words.

“If we go a little further, we’ll see the Zenobian border. It won’t be a problem if we arrive tomorrow.”

If there was no answer this time, he thought he’d just proceed as he saw fit.

“Are you already whining about being tired?”

A scathing, mocking voice was heard.

Jacob doubted his ears for a moment.

Whining?

Did he not know that this was such a forced march that there was no room for whining?

The Emperor, wanting to put an end to the ongoing war with the Zenobian Empire, was impatient.

He wanted to occupy the north, which had been in a lukewarm state of war until now, as soon as possible.

The expedition team that departed from the imperial palace aimed to move without rest, check the political situation in the north, assess the number and weaknesses of the Zenobian Empire’s forces, and return immediately.

However, this schedule was humanly impossible.

So even if they reported to the Emperor, it was right to take a short rest.

This was the result derived from such reasonable logic, yet he called it whining?

Jacob frowned, unable to hide his displeasure.

“This is the best way for the efficient operation of the knight order. Please follow along.”

At Jacob’s almost commanding tone, Dietrich’s slender eyebrows rose.

Dietrich, who had been staring at Jacob with an expressionless face, nodded.

“Then do as you wish. The dogs raised by the Emperor all have terrible stamina.”

The Emperor’s dogs.

It was a blatant insult to the knight order.

Jacob’s teeth ground together, but he couldn’t lash out at Dietrich Delgado.

Instead, he clenched his teeth until they nearly broke, then spoke to the knight who had earlier requested a rest.

“There will be no rest. We’ll keep going straight on.”

“…Yes, sir!”

Jacob saw the knight’s face change to one of despair, but he couldn’t retract his order.

He couldn’t appear weak in front of the Duke Delgado’s son who looked down on and even ignored the Imperial Knights.

Like that, they reached the northern border the next day, dragging their sleepy and drooping bodies day and night.

There, the expedition team encountered unexpected visitors.

Dietrich swung his sword fiercely, leaving behind the knights who collapsed without even being able to use their strength properly right next to him.

It was too late to trace back where things had gone wrong.

He mercilessly cut down the man rushing towards his back.

Another member of the Chronotian Imperial Knights fell helplessly before him.

Did they know that death would be the end of the expedition that started with the Emperor’s greed?

‘They probably didn’t.’

To think he was cleaning up after the mess that stupid Emperor had made.

‘Should I kill him?’

Dietrich forcefully suppressed his rising anger and pushed away another knight aiming for his neck.

“Ugh! K-Kill that bastard first!”

“No, how can such impossible swordsmanship……”

A swordsmanship that takes lives without any unnecessary movements.

It was truly a cruel swordsmanship without blood or tears, and the enemy corpses piled up like fallen leaves on the ground.

The Zenobian imperial soldiers surrounding him charged in, but it was futile.

Although he was facing an overwhelmingly large number of Zenobian imperial soldiers, Dietrich showed no signs of fatigue.

The Zenobian imperial soldiers pouring in endlessly seemed to have known about the expedition team’s arrival from the beginning.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have stationed so many troops in this remote area near the northern border.

‘Information must have leaked.’

The route the expedition team took wasn’t the usual path near the border.

It was an expedition to find another route that could catch the Zenobian Empire off guard.

The fact that they were discovered so easily meant there was a spy inside.

Pathetically, the Emperor didn’t know this.

Thanks to that, they were all in for a miserable time.

Dietrich swiftly sliced the necks of the pesky knights that kept coming at him.

It was a swordsmanship devoid of mercy, solely for slaughter, yet his sword aura was simply beautiful.

However, the number of Zenobian imperial soldiers swarming in was too great compared to the number of expedition team knights.

More than half of the Chronotian Imperial Knights were already dead or injured.

To make matters worse, as Dietrich was dealing with four soldiers rushing at him simultaneously, the handle of his sword slipped.

He had never had his sword break during battle before, so he looked down at his sword with a slightly bewildered expression.

At that moment, a Zenobian imperial soldier who had been stealthily approaching to target his back licked his lips.

‘This is the chance.’

The only opportunity to kill that monster-like man.

Who knows how many allies had died by his hand.

The counterattack that they thought would be an overwhelming victory was on the brink of failure.

“Die!”

Thwack.

A piercing sound followed by a violent burst was heard.

The sound announcing the approach of death rang unpleasantly in their ears.

Dietrich muttered irritably while shaking his hand.

“Don’t be so troublesome.”

As if he wasn’t already annoyed enough with his sword breaking.

The soldier who had tried to attack Dietrich blankly stared at the sword stuck in his stomach before collapsing.

‘When did this…’

The thought was brief, and death was long.

Dietrich glanced at the man who had fallen with the broken sword embedded in his stomach, then drew the sword he had kept at his left waist.

‘This isn’t why I brought it.’

When he stroked the sword handle adorned with a sparkling deep green jewel, the sword resonated with a humming sound.

Dietrich adjusted his grip on Harpe.

It was a treasured sword he had brought because there was no one he could trust in the Delgado mansion.

Of course, just one person.

‘Harpe. No, should I call her Heidi now?’

Except for Harpe.

However, Harpe couldn’t protect the treasured sword because she was working as a maid.

It was too dangerous to leave the sword at the mansion when the Duchess and the Council of Elders might be eyeing it covetously.

So he brought it, but he didn’t expect to use it like this.

Dietrich frowned at the sword’s energy that seemed to draw him in as soon as he grasped it.

The energy felt different from ordinary swords from the start.

If a normal sword’s aura depended on the swordsman’s ability, Harpe had its own aura just from the sword itself.

It was certainly an extraordinary sword.

However, Dietrich didn’t like the strange energy he felt upon grasping Harpe.

Slash.

Another enemy fell to Harpe’s fierce swing.

“You, you bastard!”

Dietrich, who had cut off the enemy’s breath without hesitation, clicked his tongue as he looked down at the blood-stained Harpe.

‘They call it the family’s treasured sword, but it’s rather disappointing.’

Although he didn’t know Harpe’s true ability, it was just a heavy sword.

At least it was usable in place of the broken sword.

He sighed and brushed off the blood-splattered uniform.

Now he was starting to get bored of this battle.

He wanted to finish quickly and return to the mansion.

When he got back, he’d have to complain to Harpe, who was nowhere to be seen, that this sword was defective.

He planned to protest that he didn’t like it.

It was obvious she would shout, ‘What! No refunds!’

Dietrich curled up the corners of his mouth in a smirk.

Jacob, who was desperately cutting down enemies beside him, witnessed Dietrich’s smile and was shocked.

A smile in a place reeking of blood.

Perhaps that man really wasn’t human after all.

Seeing his perfect swordsmanship skills up close made it even more so, to the point of being chilling.

Dietrich gripped his sword again and charged into the enemies pouring in like a tide.