Beyond the Throne: The Monarch's Return

Ian took the stance of swordsmanship, holding the stick with both hands and aiming the tip at his opponent. Johnson, the supervisor, burst into laughter at the sight.

"Puhaha! You think you're a knight!"

It wasn't just him; even the serfs around agreed.

"I guess you had a dream of becoming a knight sometime last night."

"He thinks he's a real knight. I've seen it somewhere."

"It's going to hurt a lot if you get hit like that. Even now, pray to the supervisor, you son of a bitch!" One of the gang members shouted.

It was natural. Currently, Ian was in poor shape, holding a stick that might break at any moment. Johnson, on the other hand, was in a completely different situation.

"This fist is enough for you!"

Johnson had a bigger stature than most adults due to his good diet. If you put Ian next to him, they would look like a giant and a little boy. The problem wasn't just the size.

"The supervisor is a person who has made achievements with this great swordsmanship in the past!"

"Yes! He learned the sword from the knight himself!"

"Why don't you pray for it now? Maybe it can end with just one leg!" A soldier cheered for Johnson, who had already made a name for himself. It was natural for his gang to cheer for him.

But for Ian, it was all the same. How to catch your breath before you fight, the posture before going at the opponent.

Ian's eyes shone as he breathed out slowly. Johnson bit his lip, displeased by the sight.

"If you get even one hit, I'll exempt you from serfdom for today!" Johnson taunted.

As Ian was about to open his mouth to say something, Johnson's fist flew at him—a lethal attack aimed at the slightest distraction. Ian felt the fist was like an attack knights used to throw under the guise of practice. He didn't know why, but unlike before...

'I can avoid it.'

Everything seemed as slow as slow motion. Ian avoided Johnson's fist while drawing a big arc with the stick, using the power and inertia of the other person.

Puck!

He hit Johnson on the leg with a shaky posture. Johnson's jaw slammed to the floor in an instant.

"Cough!"

That wasn't the end of it. Ian drew another arc as if dancing, then put his weight behind it and hit him from above.

Bang!

The goal was Johnson's head. Johnson's head slammed into the ground with a sudden shock. He couldn't even scream at the shock. And he didn't expect Ian to struggle before.

"What the… what the hell happened?"

"Johnson was a soldier! But how could he lose to Ian the serf!"

"This is ridiculous! It's a scam!"

People prattled on, falling into shock. But Ian didn't even care about their reactions.

"Ugh…"

Far from being nervous, he approached Johnson, who couldn't even lift a finger due to the great pain. Then he pressed his Adam's apple down with the stick.

"Cough!"

Johnson couldn't even open his mouth properly. Shame and suffocating pain blocked his mouth from uttering a single word. Ian spoke quietly to Johnson.

"Are you done?"

"···"

Of course, Johnson didn't say anything. He shook his head quietly as if he knew it and seemed to ask him not to hit him anymore. Ian clicked his tongue and slowly lowered the stick.

'It's a basic skill at best.'

It was a movement simple enough to fit the body of a small child. But it seemed like that was enough for Johnson.

'Well, that's not what's important right now.'

Ian rolled his eyes and smiled.

"You said I'd be excused from serfdom if I hit you once, right?"

"···!!"

"I've knocked your ass down. I'll take a break now, then."

"···"

Johnson, the supervisor, shook his head and said nothing. The surrounding serfs buzzed at the sight.

"You're really going to rest?"

"We're still a long way from finishing the festival's preparations. If we're short on even one hand—"

"It's not possible. Mr. Johnson. No!"

Everyone was about to stop Ian from leaving, but it was only for a while.

"Wouldn't it be better to start working now? It is time for the Lord to come soon."

Ian's words brought everyone to their senses.

"Mmm… that's right. The Lord will come soon."

They began to scramble away while glancing left and right. Ian turned around as well.

"I'll be off then."

He didn't even care about Johnson anymore.

'I don't know why I was so afraid of him when I was young.'

He's just a little bigger than others. That's all. The old Ian got scared after just having been hit a few times.

'It's more important to find the relic than bother with this guy.'

It was a relic of his mother and a must-have item before he set off to the Duke's castle.

'Before the Duke's knights come to find me, I must find it first.'

In the future, his mother's belongings were in the hands of other nobles. Ian didn't know how they got their hands on it, but it was the first thing asked for the succession to the throne.

'Considering that I was despised by the King and the nobles for its absence.'

It wasn't just that.

'When the knights come, it'll be hard to find the relic.'

Ian quickly returned to his accommodation.

"Mr. Johnson, are you all right?"

Johnson could not come to his senses.

'I-I can't believe I lost to Ian.'

It didn't make sense. Ian was nothing more than his sandbag. He was a good serf to beat a few times when he was bored or to switch his work. But he didn't expect Ian to rebel like this.

'No, it's not just rebellion.'

Gnash. Being disgraced in front of other serfs was a different matter. Johnson's dignity as a supervisor was bound to crumble.

'This isn't going to work. I have to deal with him.'

Otherwise, the serfs would have their way. How dare he humiliate him in front of them. It was then.

"Mr. Johnson! I'm back."

It was the serf who was sent to kick up Ian's back. As soon as he arrived, Johnson's eyes sharpened.

"Where is he? He didn't seem to have gone to his room."

"Well, he is rummaging through Mr. Johnson's room! I think he was looking for something, but…"

Johnson stroked his chin.

"He must be looking for his mother's keepsake."

"Pardon? Oh, yeah! That's right. How do you know that?"

Johnson grinned instead of answering. How could he not know? In fact, he was the one who stole Ian's belongings. Sometimes, when he checked the serfs' bags, he would find valuable items. Ian's belongings were worth a lot, even though he was initially going to use them on an expensive drink in a good bar.

"Kukk. I have a better idea." Johnson's eyes gleamed insidiously.

Sure enough.

"Where is the Lord?"

"Since he's inspecting the Harvest Festival… maybe he's at the town hall side?"

"Good, that's great."

"What? What do you mean?"

Johnson only laughed and took out Ian's belongings. He couldn't knock him down head-on, but it's a one-on-one problem.

"A kid pretending to be a knight. Can you stand properly in front of the Lord's soldiers?"

'You're just going to die struggling.'

Well, he didn't know that that brat had learned from the knights who had experienced the battlefield.

'It seems like this time, he wants to catch the Lord's eyes and make a career out of it.'

Johnson hurried out of the supervisor's room. Fortunately, the Lord was someone he communicated with very well.

"You're just a poor bastard, you don't even know who you are messing with."

Johnson's eyes gleamed with life as he hurriedly headed to the town hall.

"Where the hell is it?"

Ian, who was searching in Johnson's room, narrowed his brows.

'I thought Johnson would have hidden it here.'

He was a guy who usually went through the belongings of the serfs and used them for his cigarettes or alcohol if there was anything useful. Such garbage that would steal even his one and only mother's belongings. That's why he searched in his usual safe, but he couldn't find it no matter how hard he looked.

'Don't tell me he's carrying it around.'

Well, the chances were high. Ian didn't know because it was worn out at that time, but now that he thought about it, it was of high quality as it belonged to the royal family.

'I'm sure. By this time, it has already been sold.'

That's why he couldn't find it himself in the past. Thanks to Johnson, his score in the knights' eyes was greatly reduced. It was only natural.

'I cried because I couldn't find my belongings.'

The knights frowned at his pathetic appearance and shoved him into a wagon when he asked for more time to find it. Of course, this time he had enough time to calmly search for the relics, but…

'In the past, the knights reported to the Duke that I had no possessions through the carrier pigeon.'

He was only able to figure out that it was also missing because the knights who had come to pick him up first asked about the relic.

Anyway, it wasn't good.

The first question he heard when he first met the Duke was why he lost it. Ian didn't know back then, but now that he thought about it, it was his first fight with the Duke.

'The knights are coming soon. I have to find the relic before they come.'

Eventually, Ian no longer searched the room.

'Tsk. I'll have to find a place where he might have sold it.'

Well, it wouldn't be easy.

It was at that time when Ian started to move with clenched teeth.

Creakk.

The door suddenly opened. Ian frowned at the sudden light pouring in.

'Is it him?'

But soon Ian was surprised. He had no choice but to be surprised.

"Are you looking for this?"

The man held a familiar pocket from Ian's memory in his hands.