Under the red-tinted sky, a man with pitch-black hair walked slowly behind a forest so thick that no light could penetrate. Karina was startled when she saw the man's face.
'Jeremiah?'
Even seeing him here didn't feel real. There was no one around him.
'No way. You came here alone?'
As if answering her question.
"I came alone, as requested."
His low, muffled voice could be heard.
"Let her go."
"...!"
Jeremiah came here alone to save her. When she realized that, a small wave rose in a corner of her heart. His eyes met with hers from afar. He must have found Karina too, as a look of relief flashed across his once-icy eyes.
'But why are you making that face?'
To others, it might have seemed expressionless, but Karina could tell. Looking at his face he looked somehow sad, she felt an emotion she couldn't explain in words. She couldn't believe that Jeremiah had come to save her, but she was also paradoxically feeling a little bit of joy and a sense of relief deep inside.
Before Karina could even realize her feelings, the scarred man grabbed her arm.
"Ugh!"
He grabbed her with such force that she couldn't help but groan.
"It worked. Be glad. It seems like you still have some use left."
The man who whispered that in Karina's ear dragged her out of the cabin. Jeremiah's jaw clenched as he saw Karina being dragged out by the man.
"Welcome. I didn't know you'd actually come."
The man greeted Jeremiah with a smile.
"You said you would let her go if I came alone. Keep your promise."
"Oh, is that so?"
The man responded to Jeremiah's words with an indifferent attitude and acted like nothing happened. He was a piece of trash who had taken the Grand Duchess hostage to drag Jeremiah out in the first place.
'There's no way a guy like that would keep a promise.'
Karina asked Jeremiah questioningly.
"Why did you come here?"
"..."
Jeremiah, who had been silent for a moment, answered softly without changing his expression.
"If the Grand Duchess dies in a place like this, how will the people of the world view the Grand Duke's family?"
As if the face she saw earlier was an illusion, he spoke in a cold, businesslike tone.
"I'm glad you came. Thanks to you, my life will be saved for a while longer."
The man laughed at Karina as he spoke. At the same time, the assassins near the cabin also appeared.
'What.'
Karina was startled by the appearance of the black figures with their faces covered by hoods. The aura they gave her was ominous. The atmosphere was fierce, like a pack of wolves facing their prey. It was natural for Karina to feel that way. In reality, they were people Marquis Millainer had gathered with all his might to kill Jeremiah. Some for money, some to prove their loyalty, and some to defeat the Grand Duke of Colesburg and gain the reputation of being the strongest in the empire.
Dozens of armed men drew their weapons and surrounded Jeremiah. However, Jeremiah did not even blink.
"Do you think you can beat me like this?"
He said it as if it was absurd. Then the scarred man smiled crookedly and replied.
"I know a lot about the greatness of the Grand Duke of Colesburg. But you're still the same person, so you can't die, right?"
As soon as the man finished speaking as if it were a signal, the assassins rushed at Jeremiah. What they had prepared were deadly poisons that would kill with a simple touch, traps that would cut off limbs if caught, and a large amount of explosives to explode together if necessary. They planned to kill Jeremiah right here and there.
Bang! Bang!
With a loud noise of explosives exploding, thick smoke engulfed the surroundings. For a moment, Jeremiah and the assassins could not be seen because of the smoke.
Sshu sshu!
Clang! Clang!
Only the sound of cutting through the air and the sound of metal clashing flowed out chaotically. The scarred man who had been watching the situation crossed his arms with a lazy expression and spoke to Karina.
"Take a good look at it. You are the mistress of the Grand Duke's family, so you should see what your husband looks like at the end. Don't you think so?"
But.
Swish, swish!
With the sound of the sword being pulled from its scabbard, Jeremiah swung his sword, and all the smoke that had been blocking his vision was swept away. The sword, dyed red in the sunset, looked like it was stained with blood. Jeremiah walked forward with an indifferent expression, breaking through everything they had prepared.
"Ugh!"
"Ugh!"
With each step he took, the assassins rushing at him fell like fallen leaves. The weapons they threw fell in vain as if they were blocked by an invisible wall, and the explosions were not able to exert their full power due to his momentum. Even while dealing with and eliminating dozens of assassins, Jeremiah never looked away for a single moment. From the time he first appeared here until now, he had been walking while looking at only one person: Karina.
"Wh, what kind of monster is that..."
A scream of horror erupted from the mouth of the scarred man who had been leading the assassins.
"What are you doing! Why don't you activate it!"
As the man shouted, several of them, who had been waiting one step behind with their robes pulled down deep, began to chant magic spells.
'There were wizards too?'
Karina frowned. Now, they're even mobilizing magicians.
'It seems like Father has really made up his mind this time.'
But she wasn't too worried. Jeremiah would be no match for anyone who came. Even if the imperial army came at once, his martial arts were on a whole other level, so much so that he could easily deal with them. Known as the strongest swordsman, it was safe to say that no one in the empire could oppose him.
While Karina was lost in thought, the magicians activated their magic. A huge magic circle appeared beneath Jeremiah's feet and glowed. At the same time, two large men carrying bags filled with explosives quickly closed in on Jeremiah, blocking his front and back.
Immediately after.
Boom! Boom!
"...!"
There was an explosion, louder than the first one she had heard. White smoke and sandstorms blew fiercely. They grabbed Jeremiah and tried to blow him up.
"These... crazy guys..."
Karina gritted her teeth in disgust. Still, she opened her eyes with difficulty and looked ahead to check if Jeremiah was okay. However, contrary to her guess nothing would happen.
"Uh?"
Jeremiah had a wound on one arm, and it was bleeding profusely.
"...?!"
Karina's eyes widened in surprise. It was hard to accept that he was injured.
'He was the one who came back
unscathed during the demon wave without even a single scratch? Was he really hurt?'
Karina looked at Jeremiah with trembling eyes without realizing it. His eyes that met hers were deeply sunken, making it impossible to know what he was thinking.
***
While Karina was in shock, the scarred man standing next to her was in deep agony with the opposite meaning. The man muttered anxiously as if chewing.
"I knew that you were strong because it was painful to hear, but I didn't know it was this much."
It was beyond his imagination.
"How can I catch a crazy guy like that...!"
The man who had used all the traps and secret weapons prepared was swearing and grumbling. He doesn't know about other things, but since the Grand Duke was caught in the magic they prepared last, he thought that even if he was the Grand Duke of the North, he wouldn't be safe. The plan to tie Jeremiah's feet with a magic circle and have the two giants, who were filled with explosives, try to blow him up at the same time was the most crucial and desperate move among the traps they had prepared.
However.
'You're fine!'
The man gritted his teeth. As he had expected, Jeremiah should have died from his entire body exploding.
'But all he got was a little bit of blood on his arm!'
Naturally, an injury of that magnitude did not catch the man's eye.
'Isn't this already at a level that cannot be solved by human power?'
The man swallowed his irritation and chewed his lips.
'Use my daughter as bait to draw out the Grand Duke. If he just comes out, our plan will be no different from a success. If we take Karina hostage, he won't be able to do anything.'
The man complained, recalling what the Marquis had said.
'You can't use any strength! You're talking like a dog.'
In the first place, the opponent was not someone who could be affected by such ordinary methods. It was the same even now. Jeremiah was steadily killing the assassins who were flying around outside as if he were catching bugs.
'Fuck.''
The scarred man swallowed dry saliva. If things continued this way, he would soon be thrown over there and become a cold lump of meat, just like those who had been turned into pieces of meat.
A cold sweat ran down his back from the eeriness. As expected, Jeremiah began to walk towards the man as the remaining assassins were too scared to come near.
"Since it has come to this..."
The man, who was looking for an escape route, suddenly grabbed Karina and held a knife to her neck.
"Stop! Don't move! If you come any closer, this woman's life will be lost."
"..."
Surprisingly, Jeremiah, who had never
stopped before, stopped walking.
'It seems the Marquis was not completely wrong, seeing as he was able to find an opening by taking the Grand Duchess hostage.'
When the threat worked, the scarred man regained his composure and became haughty. He raised one corner of his mouth and grinned.
"You're quite the answerer. I didn't know you'd be this much trouble."
Jeremiah warned the man, who was snickering and giggling, with a murderous air.
"Put that knife away."
"...!"
For the first time, he showed his emotions clearly. It was a terrifying gaze that seemed capable of killing a person with just a glance. The scarred man flinched for a moment at that chilling aura. However, as if nothing had happened, he immediately straightened up and crumpled his expression into a fierce expression.
"Don't be silly! If you don't behave, this woman will die. Do you understand?"
The man let go of his guard and shouted again at the assassins who were hesitating around him.
"Hurry up and handle it!"
At the man's shout, the assassins slowly approached Jeremiah, keeping an eye on him.
"If you don't want to see the Grand Duchess die, don't rebel and just stay still."
The man gave the order with a victorious smile. But Jeremiah remained motionless, his eyes fixed on Karina, whether they came closer or not. Just once more.
"Can't you hear me?"
He warned in a lower voice than before.
"Put that knife away."
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