I Became the Father of a Degenerate Emperor

Episode 20. The rat became as quiet as the dead.

Episode 20. The rat became as quiet as the dead.

A dark forest road where even the moonlight is hidden.

And countless savages popping up from all sides.

I could tell in the dark because of the breathing and the hum.

It wasn’t enough that the savages filled the forest road, and that they were lined up in an endless line.

By the time the torches were lit, Ensus was completely surrounded.

There was no retreat.

And I didn’t know when or where the attack would come.

En Suss took a close look at the savages surrounding him, holding the hilt with both hands.

There were men, women, the elderly and even children.

The savage army seemed to have no restrictions on gender or age.

Ferocious gazes, each holding a large weapon, with a fishy smile.

The eyes that shook to live and the motionless gestures.

It felt like being surrounded by a group of monsters hunting for prey.

Then one of the barbarians frowned.

“The guy who looks corrupt is not tasty.”

With that as the starting point, the people next to them began to open their mouths one by one.

“You better not be vigilant. That silver hair is from the Brighton or whatever the king said.”

“Ah, those who say they use sword skills? Certainly, Runedol is stronger than you. Kuk-kuk.”

Someone licked his lips.

Galjjak-

“A guy like that needs to make thick broth and boil it into soup.”

“No, sticking it on a skewer and grilling it crispy is the best.”

They were talking awkwardly and giggling.

Unlike them, who looked excited, Ensus was brooding over despair.

Because the number of barbarians was too great.

‘…… Perhaps the main force of Barbarus. There must be Domtar somewhere here.’

If they returned to the Protezion, the fall would be unavoidable.

After a while, the savages suddenly became quiet and hurriedly moved left and right. Everyone’s face was terrified.

Through the divided crowd, a man walked out at his leisure.

“Silver hair…… You must be the eldest son of the Duke of Bright, right?”

A very arrogant tone. That gaze also felt like the absolute strong looking down on the weak.

Although it was quite small, there was something in its eyes that overpowered others.

“Who are you?”

Without answering, he walked right in front of Ensus.

He only looked small compared to other savages, but he was actually similar in height to Ensus.

Perhaps he didn’t like the question, his complexion was full of displeasure.

“You never gave permission to speak?”

As soon as he finished speaking, his fist flew and lodged in Ensus’ abdomen.

Hook!

It was as if he had hit the sword-bearer with his fist.

It was an impossible act if he had no absolute confidence in his own strength.

“The only thing that saved my life was out of necessity.”

Ansus felt completely turned inside out. The pain was so great that he almost lost his sword.

One thing was certain, the opponent in front of him was much stronger than himself.

As far as he knew, only one savage was this strong.

“Kuh…… You are the one, Domtar-kun.”

“I wanted to use it as a messenger, but shouldn’t I have chosen someone else? Your tone and expression are too cheeky.”

Soon after, Domtar’s fist flew into the face of Ensus.

Puck!

It was such a fast and strong attack that Ensus couldn’t react at all.

Behind the stone-hard fist is a terrifying expression of hatred.

Ensus seemed to stiffen from the brutal life.

So, naturally, he had no choice but to think of death.

‘For me now, it would be difficult to get out of here alive.’

But when he died, even if he died, he wanted to do something and die.

‘Anyway, the commander of the imperial knights will soon come to Protezion. If I could cut off even one of his arms here…….’

Things were sure to get better.

But he couldn’t even react to his fists, so I wondered if it would be possible to cut his arm.

‘I should at least try.’

Actually, even if I was lucky enough to cut off Domtar’s arm, I still had concerns.

No matter how sword master you are, the mana you possess is not infinite.

It was impossible for the leader of the knights alone to stop the savages, who were likely to number at least in the tens of thousands.

If the savages keep attacking and depleting mana, the sword master will also degenerate into a normal person with a slightly better body.

Of course, there were ducal knights and soldiers, but things wouldn’t be much different in front of a huge number.

In the end, I couldn’t stand it for long, and everyone was going to become a piece of meat side by side.

But even so, I couldn’t give up like this.

‘If you’re going to die anyway, you have to choose the best you can.’

Ensus decided to cut off Domtar’s arm, even risking his life.

But even that heroic determination couldn’t overcome the fear of him.

Domtar also said with a tone that he did not know the feelings of Ensus.

“I understand in my heart, but it would be better to put the sword away for a while.”

Even when Dom Tar put a hand on his shoulder, En Suss couldn’t move at all.

It was because the moment I saw the thick red aura, my body froze.

‘…… A much stronger being than expected.’

The trembling limbs were desperately sounding the alarm.

‘It would be impossible to even brush.’

Domtar asked him with a nonchalant expression.

“So, who was the guy who stabbed me in the back of the head?”

Ensus didn’t answer.

“Is this your father?”

Sometimes in life, there are times when there is no better answer than silence.

For Ensus, now was such a time.

“It’s a good thing to know how to save words. At least that means it’s not trash that betrays its owner. Not bad. Do you like it.”

Domtar whispered in Ensus’s ear.

“I’ll send it to you, so tell your owner clearly. I, Domtar, will visit you soon. I’m withdrawing now due to urgent matters, but when I return, the gates should be wide open. Otherwise, I will give everyone a taste of the pain of being eaten alive.”

Dugdak! Dugdak! Dugdak!

Thus, Ensus managed to save his life.

*

Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding!

An urgent bell tore through the morning air.

It was to announce the appearance of the enemy.

All over the city, knights were shouting and hastily assembling soldiers.

I was on top of the castle wall, looking at the vast meadows of Florente.

Open golden fields under a blue sky.

The morning air permeating into the lungs is infinitely refreshing.

It looked richer and more peaceful than ever.

If it weren’t for the swarming savages.

Dom Tar, who had calmed down the civil war, had returned with his large army.

Of course, Protejion was fully prepared to welcome him.

Henri Carso, who became chancellor, moved quickly and sent thousands of reinforcements, and Max, the commander of the imperial knights, had already arrived, so preparations to face the barbarians were in perfect condition.

Soon after, Max led ten knights up the wall.

“Your Majesty.”

Max was fully armed with shiny armor. A long greatsword was also slanted behind his back.

Chuck!

Knights following Max on one knee and bowing down.

There were men and there were women.

Heavy armor or light armor.

They wore different armors and different weapons, but they were the same in that they wore red cloaks.

That cloak was the cloak of the Imperial Knights.

Its pupils were embroidered with gold thread, and in the past, it is said that just seeing this cape on the battlefield made enemies tremble.

“Everyone, please reap an example.”

Even though there are only ten knights now, that doesn’t mean their power is weak.

Aside from Max, there are two knights who can use Aura. Of course, I wouldn’t be able to keep the aura for very long.

The other 8 couldn’t use Aura yet, but they could use sword skills freely, so there shouldn’t be enough to deal with barbarians.

Actually, I was lucky in many ways.

Because the worst was avoided.

The worst situation I envisioned was that Domtar did not go to end the civil war and immediately returned to Protezion.

If that had happened, we would have faced a very serious crisis.

Of course, I prepared a plan B for such an occasion, but fortunately that did not happen.

Anyway, from now on, Domtar’s life was in the palm of my hand.

I turned around and looked straight ahead.

A cloud of dust clumps in the distance.

The savages were running at breakneck speed.

It was a ferocious force that made my hamstrings tingle just by looking at it.

“Your Majesty!”

Soon after, Ensus ran over the wall.

“Please give the order to retreat as soon as possible. If we continue like this, we will be annihilated!”

For several days already, Ensus had been bothering to retreat whenever he had a chance.

When he met Dom Tar, he was probably heartbroken by his strength.

Max, who was next to me, said in an angry voice.

“Ansus, you stupid bastard, what kind of nonsense is that with the enemy right in front of you? Don’t let the morale of the other soldiers drop and get out of here!”

“The size of the enemy is at least in the tens of thousands. That means that each and every one of them is like a monster who can withstand the ranks of soldiers. It’s just dog death. We must abandon this place right now and retreat.”

“As a servant of His Majesty, if one’s life falls, one should be able to commit one’s own death. How could the one who would become one of the six wings be so weak? The future of the empire is bleak indeed.”

While the two of them continued to aghast, I just kept my eyes on the front, holding my secret bow.

Not long after, the barbarians arrived in front of Protejion.

They started to stand closely together, lined up with fives.

There were so many of them, I felt stuffy just by looking at them.

All barbarians were equipped with large weapons such as battle axes and halberds.

There were some with spears or swords, but no bows.

Thump! Thud! Thud!

Soon, tens of thousands of barbarians start stamping their feet all at once.

Every time the heavy sole strikes the ground, a dusty wind rises.

The menacing beat creates a sense of tension and begins to eat away at people’s hearts.

Because of that, the sighs from behind couldn’t stop.

The soldiers and knights were frightened by the high morale of the savages.

Among the savages who kept stamping their feet, a man with twin swords at his waist walked out leisurely.

Soon after, he continues with a booming voice.

“I am Domtar, the King of the Kingdom of Barbarus. Crashing Kratus, do you have the courage to stand against me!”

The voice must have been loaded with mana, and that voice resonated like thunder.

“Those who are confident, come forward!”

It was to believe in one’s own strength and apply for a one-time battle.

“Wow!”

Something like a beast’s roar broke out among the savages, but on our side it was infinitely quiet.

Infuriated by that, Max asked me to participate.

“Those monsters…… Your Majesty, I will go. I’m going to paint the dome tarn or something at once and come back. Please let me go.”

I just nodded my head slightly, and Max jumped off the wall straight down that road.

Thump!

As Max strode forward, Dom Tarr began to move his steps too.

Brave or reckless, Domtar came very close to the wall without hesitation.

Of course, no matter how many arrows the soldiers fired, they would never hit him.

But I am different.

Because there is a secret palace.

Domtar stands face to face with Max.

Kung! Kung! Kung!

The savages started stamping again, as if telling them to start fighting.

As the two grab their respective weapons, the excitement builds up and the tempo starts to pick up faster and faster.

At that moment, I lifted the secret palace.

And then I spoke to Duke Bright, who was next to me.

“Prepare for a sortie.”

Whether the astonished duke answered or not, I pulled the string of the secret palace all the way.

Kwaaak-

I aimed at Domtar’s head with my trembling arms.

He didn’t even know that all his nerves were focused and aimed at Max.

He was probably the one he was.

I could see or hear the arrows as they flew, so there was no doubt that I would have been able to avoid it even if it was late.

However, the arrows of the secret palace cannot be seen or heard.

Kung! Kung! Kung!

“Kill!”

“Domtar! Domtar!”

Amidst the heightened savagery’s foot clouds and cheers, the vigil’s demonstration slipped out of his fingers.

To blame!

After shaking off the tightness she had been holding back, she trembled as if she was cool.

It was said that he did his best to send it off.

And,

Push-

The barbarians’ camp became silent for a moment, as if a mouse had died.