I didn't know it was that bad!

　A man runs through the forest of the magical Caucasus.
　Panting and heading out of the forest is the man who was once known as the Marquis of Olguin.

　I had misjudged him.
　No, he hadn't been able to see through it.

　He knew that the Magician of a Thousand Swords was a man of exceptional ability.
　Even the former marquis was born of a military gate.
　Furthermore, he had been registered in the military since his teenage years and had established numerous military achievements that made him a major figure in the military.

　In the process, he has seen many talented people.
　That's why he was confident in his ability to see through opponents with dangerous abilities, whether they were allies or enemies.

　Certainly, the sorcerer of a thousand swords was strong.
　Even though he was a sorcerer, he was so strong that he had won the Fuyo Cup (Lotus Cup) with his swordsmanship alone.
　However, with 200 elite soldiers that he had recruited with the help of Marquis de Trier, even if he was the winner of the Lotus Cup, he would not be able to stand a chance. That's what he thought.

　However, the overwhelming power displayed by the Thousand Swords Magician far exceeded the former marquis' expectations.
　A single person had crossed over more than a hundred elites at the same time, and the attack of a monk soldier who was willing to lay down his life was only lightly wounded.
　He had succeeded in wounding the twins and his fellow women as well, but the battle from then on was one-sided.

　A true overrun.
　The story of how they were overwhelmed against a thousand horsemen in an imperial battle is probably not an exaggeration.

'We must change our response: ......!

　The former marquis finally realized that this was not a good opponent to take on head-on.
　He would have lost his child soldiers, and the mighty mercenaries, the monk soldiers, and the troops borrowed from Marquis Tria would probably have been wiped out.
　He had caught Father Blessed Ear Priest running away at the same time as him at the edge of his vision, but he had gotten separated while running through the forest, and now he didn't know if he was alive or dead.

　But I am still alive.
　There are many lost pieces, but as long as I am alive, I can start over any way I want.
　The problem was how to persuade his son, the current marquis, to come to terms with his son's death, and whether he would be able to get out of this forest, which was currently dangerous, in one piece.

''If we get this far, we can go to ......

　His heart, beating so hard that it looked like it was about to explode, pleaded for his body to rest.
　The former Marquis stopped and leaned against a large tree nearby and caught his breath as he looked down at the ground.

''Which way is King's Landing ......?''

　A voice answered that question, mumbled without expecting a response from anyone.

'What does it matter either way?　It's a place that won't be around for you again anyway.

Nah!

　When the former marquis looked up with astonishment, he saw a black-haired boy with an intense hostile light in his eyes, despite his cool face, standing there.

''Se, the magician of a thousand swords ......!　When did that happen?!

Hey, don't run.

　The sky-blue sword swings at the former marquis' nose as he reflexively tries to duck.

''Hee.''

　The former marquis lost his stance and fell on his buttocks as the blade grazed him in close proximity.

I'm not going to be able to get away with it. I'm not going to be able to get a good idea of what I'm talking about.

What are you talking about?

　Realizing that the other party has no immediate intention of appealing to force, the former marquis, despite his dismay, decides that there is room for negotiation.

"You're not going to keep us in the dark, are you?

'There must be a misunderstanding!　I have no choice but to respond to the Church's request to send men into battle!　It is the Church that is leading this defeat!　I wasn't always keen on it myself!

So?

I'll have your back. The Marquesses of Olguin.　If the Duke of Nilesteria and our princes have a standoff, the only thing in the kingdom that can stand against it is the royal family. What do you think, isn't that the best backing?

Are you an idiot?　You've been so blatantly hostile, and now you want to take him under your wing?　Do I look like such a softie to you?

Are you trying to make an enemy of the Marquesses?

You chose to be my enemy and you chose to be my enemy. You chose to be my enemy. I have a limit to my patience. If I don't do something about it, I'm never going to be able to do anything about it.

　With a face that had lost its expression, the Thousand Swords Magician spoke a series of words indifferently.
　The only thing that spoke volumes about his feelings was the strong gleam in his eyes that seemed to burn the former marquis.

''I am ......, I am the Marquis!　It's not like your stray dogs!

'Isn't there another person now, the Marquis of Olguin?

''Gulp. ....... Yes, but it's still from the Marquess family!　You're too nasty for your filthy mercenaries to lay a hand on a nobleman!　This will never be tolerated!

"Heh, 'I won't forgive you'." ......

　Laughing through his nose, the Thousand Sword Magician asked the former Marquis with a mouthful of smile.

''So?　Who wouldn't allow it?

'The country, the royal family, and all the other nobles!

'The Royals?　The other nobles?　Where do you expect to find such a thing?

　After looking around purposefully, the Thousand Swords Magician continued to speak.

''I don't even remember belonging to a country, and this isn't the territory of the Kingdom of Naglas in the first place. It's the Forest of Causus.''

I mean, if they knew how much they hurt me...

Who's going to tell you that in this situation?

Na......

　The former marquis stopped thinking for a moment at the question that was interrupted by his own words.

　This is the forest of Caucasus, which is infested with dangerous beasts.
　Only daredevil explorers and mercenaries who come here on request are the only ones who set foot in the forest.
　Naturally, their numbers are few and far between, and it's not every day that you encounter a human in the forest.

　Only the former Marquis and the Thousand Swords Sorcerer were present here.
　Even if the Thousand Swords Magician had put his hands on the former Marquis, if he himself didn't speak of it, there would be no one to tell him the truth.
　With that thought in mind, the former Marquis finally understood the position he was in.

　A nobleman is a powerful man.
　But it is a deceitful strength that man has given to man.

　It is laws, customs and traditions that protect the aristocracy.
　It is power, authority, and wealth that are the weapons of the aristocracy.
　But all of these things are only possible with the backdrop of people and the human society they create.
　In this situation where there is no society, let alone a third party, it is meaningless.

Finally you realize. This is not your mansion, nor is it a human settlement. This is not even a man's home. You may be a nobleman, but what use is that here?

　The former marquis is astonished at the words he is confronted with.
　As an aristocrat by birth, he is only aware that a nobleman is a person who has power and should be respected by others, while a commoner is an unconditional follower of the nobility.

　In fact, that was the world he had lived in all his life.
　Estates, courts, societies, and even armies are at their root organizations composed of human groups.

　The former Marquis was isolated for the first time in his life.
　A space where, besides himself, only people who wanted to kill him existed.
　When the thought of this occurred to him, it was the first time fear arose in the former marquis.

''Wow, my bad: ......''

　The words of apology came out of his mouth as if they were spilled.

'I'm ...... sorry. As such, I apologize. I also fully admit that I was wrong in the Fuyo Cup. I swear that I will never touch it in the future. I will also urge the church to drop its heresy accreditation.

　He turned to the thousand-sword sorcerer and put his head to the ground, which had never been lowered against a commoner.
　As a nobleman, this was the greatest disgrace, but his survival instincts outweighed it.

''So ...... help me. Please, just save my life .......

It's too late for that. I'm not at a stage where I can apologize for anything. Besides, I'm not too good at trusting your word.

　Not listening to the former Marquis's plea for his life, the Thousand Swords Magician stabbed a swing of his sword into the ground and retreated a few steps.

''But I will only give you the possibility to spare you the apology you just received. Take your sword. I have no taste for tormenting an unresisting human being.

　Knowing that the opponent no longer had any intention of missing us, the former marquis' instincts commanded him to fight.
　The emotions that emerged instead of fading fear filled my chest with anger and humiliation.
　The former marquis raised his head and stared at the thousand-sword sorcerer with a piercing expression.

''Ku......, you stray dog.

　He picked up his sword and stood up, and the former marquis used his momentum to slash at him.

''Die, boy!''

　Although he is now an old man and has retired from the front line, he is still a person who has been a member of the military for over thirty years since his youth.
　Of course, being a high-ranking aristocrat, he has little experience wielding a sword in the front line, but he has never lacked for training, even after he became a commander.
　If it is against ordinary mercenaries, it has the power to compete with them on an equal footing.

　However, it was still a bad opponent.
　The moment the thousand-sword sorcerer made a single swing of his sword into a sideways swipe, the sword the former marquis was holding snapped in half with a hard sound.
　The right hand, which had been flicked by the momentum of the sword, felt a sharp pain in the next moment.

''Guaaaah!''

　A sword was growing in the former Marquis' right hand.
　No, it just looked like it.
　A sword that had come from somewhere else, a swing of a sword had pierced the former marquis's right hand and sewn it to the trunk of a large tree.

I would have chopped off your head if you had only targeted me alone, but you have done me a lot of favors. It's a good thing that you're not the only one who's tried to kill you and then robbed you of your future as a young lady.

　The words of the magician of a thousand swords fell on deaf ears of the former marquis.
　When the former marquis instinctively tried to pull out his sword with his left arm to get rid of it despite the intense pain, the sword was now thrust into his right thigh.

''This is for the injured Filia.

　Faster than he could understand the intense pain that was sprinkled over him, another sword pierced his left shoulder further.

'And for Liana.'

　The two swords that newly pierced his body sewed the former marquis to the trunk of a large tree, as well as his right hand.

''Igiiiii!''

'I wish I could give you a longer taste of regret, but I can't take it too long. There's one more person who has to catch up.

　With tears streaming down his cheeks and a sniveling, undignified face, the former marquis desperately begged for forgiveness.
　This is no longer the man who was one of the kingdom's greatest aristocrats, but a man who had abandoned his shame and reputation to escape pain and suffering.

"Ta, help--

I told you. You can't do that now.

　The merciless voice of a thousand-sword sorcerer overlaps with the voice of a pitiful man calling for help.

　In the hazy vision of tears, the sword swings sideways at the former marquis' neck.
　In the next moment, the former Marquis' vision slowly crumbled as he tilted, and soon all was enveloped in darkness.