༺ A Person Would Die If Kicked By A Horse ༻
The Third rolled backwards on the ground, deftly dodging a ferocious horse’s attack by a paper-thin difference.
The horse charged with an ominous ferocity that was almost palpable. If the Third had been any slower in response, it was certain that his shoulder would have been crushed under the wrathful horse’s pounding forehooves.
However, it was too early to let out a sigh of relief. The Lion Horse, having missed the critical strike, appeared disgruntled as it pawed at the earth, swiftly continuing its pursuit.
‘Black Shadow Qi Arts!’
A black energy swirled up from the Third’s whole body. The aura of the Black Shadow Qi Art wrapped him in a curtain of darkness, yet the Lion Horse’s mane still eerily waved, pinpointing the Third’s location.
The Third’s eyes bulged with surprise as he realized the mane’s ability too late.
‘Is it reading the wind with its mane? To think it is such an ability. A steed of that caliber is rarely seen, even in the days of the kingdom…!’
It couldn’t be helped. He wanted to subdue the horse with minimal injuries, though. After all, he still needed to use it.
The Third drew a throwing knife from his clothes. As he fully infused the blade with Qi, it emitted a black aura and melted into the surrounding darkness.
The Third flung invisible knives in the dim street.
“A mere beast dares!”
One stab of the knife should subdue the horse. The blade that flickered in the darkness flew towards both horse and rider. Even one surrounded by Qi Deflection wouldn’t escape unharmed, and a beast that relied only on its innate strength would inevitably cry out in pain.
However…
Ting.
Along with a weak clang, the dagger bounced away. The Third’s eyes widened in surprise.
In the blink of an eye, a tough and durable cloth armor had enveloped them. From the rider to the horse, all vital points were covered.
This was fully possible. The Third was well aware of it. After all, there were packets in the Military State.
However, what astonished the Third was something entirely different.
‘There is… not a single scratch on the cloth? Despite the dagger infused with Qi?’
If the Third knew the identity of his opponent, he might have nodded in understanding.
He was facing none other than the greatest holding company of the Military State, as well as the 3rd Seamless Cloth who collaborated with the nation in making the famed combat arms that made the State what it was today. He was facing the Weaver, Sephier Bakiya.
Both in name and reality, she was undisputedly the supreme alchemist and tailor of the Military State.
To call the garment she had lavishly produced from her resources a mere cloth would be an insult to the magnificence and reputation built under the name Seamless Cloth.
Yet, It made sense that the Third felt wronged as he had no idea about all these facts.
Peto shrugged as he spoke.
“President takes good care of employee welfare, you see.”
After those words, a mask-like visor enveloped Peto’s face. They were clothes that fully covered his body, something only possible by packets.
Though he was clad only in this cloth armor, Peto’s appearance lacked nothing in embodying the Second Advent of the Knights of old.
Brandishing a riding crop instead of a lance, Peto aimed it at the Third and spoke.
“Peto Tinheart of Schevali. I hereby… Ah, shit! Old habits die hard! This is why I shouldn’t carry a weapon!”
Peto stretched out his whip, shuddering at a long-standing habit which he acquired from life as a squire. The whip lashed down on the Third who had moved back to dodge the horse.
The reason why knights once ruled the world; those incarnations of violence wielded strength while riding on top of the creatures which were much faster and stronger than humans themselves.
The only one who could confront a knight who was cloaked in expensive armor and fortified by Qi Arts was another knight.
“Keuk…!”
The Third managed to evade attacks a few more times, employing Stealth Techniques frantically, but the opponent was a relentless horse. Even with a rider on its back, the Lion Horse crashed its hooves into the concrete and twisted its robust body as if completely disregarding the concept of inertia.
The rider, wielding a whip, was far too burdensome to merely brush past. It was not due to fear of the whip itself, but because, if grabbed by it for even a second, he would get trampled beneath ruthless hooves.
“Horse, if only there wasn’t this horse…!”
It was the Third’s mistake of underestimating the opponent’s skill, or to be more precise, the capabilities of the opponent’s equipment.
But wasn’t there nothing he could have done? Since the decline of knights, the breeding of fine steeds had waned in the Military State and those packets were invisible until engaged.
Moreover…
‘To think that a horse would wear armor with a packet…! Without that, this mere beast would be nothing!’
Was it perhaps because he kept having distracting thoughts? The Lion Horse had approached within arm’s reach in the blink of an eye.
As if to boast that it finally got him, the Lion Horse chuckled triumphantly and rammed the Third with his head and shoulders.
“Urgh…!”
The Third leapt backward, diverting the force, yet the shock still coursed through, twisting his entire body like a piece of laundry. If he hadn’t covered his entire body with Qi, his bones would have been broken.
Even while he was flying, the Third masterfully pulled off his cloak and twined it around the horse’s head. As the startled horse paused briefly, he took this chance to gracefully rebound onto the top of a nearby lamppost.
Peto, frustrated like a dog losing its chase, looked up. The lamppost was quite high, so even though the whip might reach, it wouldn’t inflict much damage anyway.
After ensuring his safety, the Third retorted through gritted teeth.
“You won’t get away with this. Next time, I’ll come when you’re unprepared.”
Though it was a stern warning from the Shadow, Peto just found it absurd, as he was the one who was thrusted into battle, contrary to what he wished.
“Hey uh, sorry, but it’s not like I came prepared for a fight myself, you know? My life’s always been a series of unexpected events.”
“Just like the baby that Mrs. Sister-In-Law had?”
Another voice emerged from the dim street.
***
It’s a busy, busy time.
I had contacted Shelter to take the kids away and sent an errand boy to Family, telling them to get ready for a fight. Those two have their own strength, so they wouldn’t be easily overcome.
Haaa. From the role of a nursery-school teacher to a meerkat on the lookout…Once someone got to know me, who could possibly be as kind of a neighbor to them as me? I wish the Military State would promptly bestow upon me an Order of Brave Civil Merit for my dedication.
Anyway, the work was done and all that was left was to check on Market. That place was way too worrisome, you see. Unlike Family and Shelter, it was ripe for intrusion.
If they wanted to fight with the Transportation Union, it was none of my business, but dealing with those Shadows was a whole different matter.
Alright. Let’s check out Market now. Having roughly taken care of the other areas, I headed the automaton carriage towards Market.
“Running around here and there with the Captain really paid off.”
It was a meaningful time exploring the Military State with the Captain. Although I couldn’t read a Penumbra who was said to be at the level of executives, I could at least guess their goal from the memories of their messengers or points of contact.
As expected, they aimed for Market, Shelter, and Family; organizations that each represented a unique type of power and operated in the back alley of the Military State.
The Shadow, unwilling to share the pie, planned to use the discontent simmering in the back alleys as the gunpowder that would blow up their rivals in one fell swoop.
However, I was the kind of person who struck a match at the sight of gunpowder, you see. So, I just lit the fuse that was meant to burn slowly, causing an early explosion.
And the result of that was this. Not a conflict orchestrated by the Shadow, but true chaos where raw, true desires clashed with each other.
If all of you wished to dive into the frying pan that was conflict, just jump into the fire while you’re at it. Do it by your own will, instead of being played like a puppet by someone’s ulterior motives.
I muttered to myself as I headed to Market.
There was a commotion up ahead. When I poked my head out to see what was going on, I saw Senior Peto, skillfully mounted on his horse, engaging in a fierce battle with a Penumbra.
Senior Peto, who’d given me sincere advice back at the host bar… If it wasn’t for the fact that he had been chased out for getting into a relationship with a widow so soon after her husband’s passing, maybe his words would have held more weight.
Regardless, Senior was fighting well. Although he used to act as if he had PTSD whenever the topics of knights and squires came up, it seemed his experience in brawling over complex romantic entanglements hasn’t gone to waste.
In truth, it was the horse that was fighting more skillfully than Senior, but still. Even as the horse reared and bucked wildly, Senior managed to stay mounted and kept his focus on his adversary.
Taking into account the 2 vs 1 and the equipment at hand, Senior’s side had the advantage. Moreover, Senior was mounted on a horse; not just any horse, but one clad in armor.
.
Just as I expected.
The horse rammed the Penumbra with its shoulder.
Amid the turmoil, the Penumbra absorbed the impact by leaping backward and then, by utilizing the recoil, deftly jumped atop a street lamp.
Hm. What should I do? Should I just smash him with an automaton carriage?
No, no, he would just dodge by jumping away. Moreover, if we collided, I would be the one who ended up hurt anyway, so that would be a loss.
Alright. My decision was made. I disembarked from the automaton carriage and approached cautiously. Then, I extended my left hand and drew out a card.
The 3 of Diamonds, Horn Bow.
I bent the card slightly between my thumb and little finger while the other three fingers gently wrapped around its body. I then channeled mana into it, initiating an alchemical transmutation.
The card grew, maintaining its bent shape. The card, once as soft as a flexible sprout, gradually hardened as it grew, until it became so rigid that it was difficult to even pull on.
The Third, who had failed to notice that I was now aiming a bow, spoke to Senior.
“You won’t get away with this. Next time, I’ll come when you’re unprepared.”
“Hey uh, sorry, but it’s not like I came prepared for a fight myself, you know? My life’s always been a series of unexpected events.”
“Just like the baby that Mrs. Sister-In-Law had?”
Oops. It just slipped out.
Well, it didn’t really matter anyway.
A widow got pregnant just one week after holding the funeral of her husband, so Senior, whose morality was questioned, resigned and ran away. But was it really my business to know how much of an uproar that scandal caused?
The only thing that mattered now was whether I could hit that or not. That’s it.
This was a card that transformed into a state where an arrow was pulled back at maximum force from a bowstring by using a winch. The moment the transmutation was complete, it would regain its full elasticity and shoot the arrow.
I had already zeroed in the scope, so as long as I positioned myself accurately, one shot would guarantee a hit, as well as a mortal blow.
In fact, it was more akin to a pre-pulled catapult, but the form resembled a horn bow, so.
“A person who lacks talent like me should at least prepare thoroughly.”
After I had finished aiming, I muttered to myself as I completed the transmutation. In an instant, I felt an illusion as if a massive wall was pushing against my left arm.
With a Thunk, there was a sound of something being pulled.
｢An arrow? But Qi Deflection can be used for mere arrows…｣
Yeah. That’s right. That damn Qi Deflection. No matter how taut I drew the arrow with a winch, it won’t inflict serious damage on you.
As long as Qi Deflection was present, arrows and bullets would be less effective than if they were fired underwater.
However, my target isn’t your body.
It’s the lamppost.
The arrow pierced through the neck of the lamppost.
While the alchemic steel that made up facilities of Military State might withstand some tremors, they were vulnerable to sharp objects like arrows. The lamppost, broken right in the middle, started falling down feebly.
Regardless of Qi Deflection or anything else, Mother Earth pulled everything down equally. The Third, who had momentarily lost his support, was no exception to this law of gravity.
And right beneath, an angry horse was present. Almost as if it had been waiting, the Lion Horse planted its front hooves into the ground and twirled its body. Its strong hind leg aimed for the Third.
“N…!”
The Third attempted to quickly twist his body in midair to avoid it, but Senior’s whip came flying in at just the right moment. The body entangled in the whip momentarily froze in midair.
And above it, the horse’s hind hoof was forcefully driven in.
The Crack was reminiscent of the sound of a sculpture shattering. Under the overwhelming impact, the Third’s body was sent hurtling through the air.
Unlike arrows, the kick of a horse’s hind leg could not be defended against with Qi Deflection.
The Third Half Penumbra went flying with his eyes rolled back.
This should reduce the number of those who are called Penumbras. Yep, just as I thought, there were way too many of these miscellaneous bastards.
Senior, who had a first-class seat in witnessing a scene of a person being hit by a horse, muttered dazedly.
“…You fucker. I meant that marriage was the part that wasn’t in the plan. Don’t say such things in front of my kid.”
“Say that after you let me have a look at your kid. Speaking of which, how about we go for a visit now?”
“Nope. Don’t come. Even I am aware enough to treat my daughter preciously…”
The card that had served its purpose slowly returned to its original form. On the reverted card, only the number 3 was printed and the shapes of diamonds arranged in a vertical line were gone.
While I was casually having a chat, the door to the carriage swung open.
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