Turning Chapter 1148

Chapter 1148

"I'm sorry, Nathan. I knew you were worried about troubling our guest, but even knowing that, I couldn't hold back. I thought I'd just make one request and withdraw..."

"You don't need to apologize. It's partly my fault for not speaking more strongly even though I knew your nature, Sir Welliven."

"That's why I'm saying I'm sorry..."

The conversation between the two men, who were talking like father and son, was interrupted by another boom from the training ground.

Turning his head, Welliven let out a sigh mixed with awe and regret as he saw knights falling in all directions and Yuder who had swiftly retreated from his original position.

"Ah... I missed it while talking."

"What a shame, it was a splendid scene."

Kishiar, who had been watching the sparring with his gaze on the training ground, added mischievously.

"The knights almost succeeded in attempting 8-person joint tactic number 13, but Yuder broke through it with just a dagger and one fire explosion, then gracefully slipped away using wind power."

"Joint tactic number 13... wasn't that formation created based on facing giant monsters?"

Nathan Zuckerman muttered with his brow slightly furrowed. Though his face appeared almost the same as usual on the surface, Kishiar and Welliven who knew him well could tell this was quite an astonished attitude.

"That's right. It was indeed a formation created to prepare for giant monsters, selected based on the standard of 'being able to destroy a house with just ordinary movements.'"

Kishiar answered with a grin, then asked Welliven.

"Has the sparring been proceeding like this the whole time?"

"Like this, you mean...?"

"This situation where they use joint tactics and Yuder breaks through them."

"Ah, no."

Welliven shook his head.

"It's true that we started with many-against-one melee from the beginning at Baron Aile's suggestion, but at first the knights were quite hesitant, unable to adapt to the fact that they had to face an esteemed guest. At that time, many just charged in as if it were one-on-one."

Welliven said that most of the knights who had now fallen and gone outside the boundary were those who had been dealt with then.

"It was truly amazing. He subdued and knocked out those who charged in so easily."

After several were dealt with that way, the knights felt a sense of crisis. From then on, though they were still in a surrounding position, they stopped attacking one by one in order and instead many rushed in simultaneously from various directions. An ordinary person would either be overwhelmed by such a situation itself, or have difficulty properly grasping those targeting their back or blind spots, but Yuder was not like that at all.

He handled the knights even more easily than before, as if he had eyes on his back. When they charged in thinking it was a blind spot, a dust wind suddenly rose and struck their faces, and taking advantage of that opening, a sword and fist carrying hot flames flew in accurately targeting dangerous vital points. Anyone who hesitated even for a very brief moment there was finished. Yuder very effectively used those who lost their balance or fell from his attacks to entangle the feet of other knights. With his seemingly insignificant light movements, the knights instantly became tangled with each other and rolled on the ground, or had to be careful not to accidentally attack their allies. It was truly utter chaos.

"It seemed like having many trying to catch one was a weakness rather than an advantage. He seemed like someone for whom blind spots don't exist. He toyed with our people as if dancing - if I weren't the captain, I would have thought this was a pre-arranged performance. Hoho."

Even when catching monsters they hadn't experienced this - against a single human who hadn't even revealed all his abilities, Peletta's elite knights were helplessly rolling around. Unlike the disheveled knights, Yuder was utterly relaxed as if he had done this thousands of times, and didn't hesitate to provoke their pride, saying 'I expected more from the knightly order the Commander created before the Cavalry, is this all?'

His provocations strangely had a way of touching deep inside people's hearts. Even though there were many knights who wouldn't bat an eye at ordinary insults due to accumulated experience, the moment they heard Yuder's provocations they gritted their teeth and rose with burning fighting spirit. It was amazing how he could make people so indignant without using a single dirty word.

"Around that time, the atmosphere of the remaining knights began to change completely from the beginning. How should I put it..."

"Only rage remained and they began treating their opponent no longer as a 'noble person' but as a 'real enemy that must be dealt with.'"

Kishiar accurately mentioned the part that Welliven had been unable to find polite words for, while wearing a fresh smile.

"Ah, yes. That's right."

"Is that when it became like the current atmosphere?"

"Yes."

Through Yuder's provocations, the knights re-awakened to who they were. What kind of people were the Peletta Knights? What was familiar to them wasn't the random fighting they had been doing until now. They began to recall one by one the tactics they had thoroughly learned and practiced since joining.

Most of those were tactics created for facing monsters rather than people, but what did that matter?

The being the knights were currently facing was more fearsome and powerful than any monster. Then there was no reason they couldn't use tactics meant for monsters.

Several knights stepped forward and gathered the remaining members. From then on, it became a repetition of monster tactics created by Kishiar and superhuman breaking through by Yuder Aile, like now.

"...So in other words, it was intentionally led to this."

Nathan Zuckerman, who had heard the whole story, muttered lowly. Kishiar nodded with an extremely pleased face.

"Yes. Pushing the knights to their limits to make them instinctively realize their lacking and strong points, and naturally distribute roles accordingly. It happened in the Cavalry too."

When facing an opponent they cannot defeat through individual combat, people naturally learn cooperation. In the case of Cavalry members, this process took a very long time because they had such diverse abilities, but the Peletta Knights were already naturally deploying joint tactics with just one sparring session because they had years of experience working together.

The roles had somehow become divided between knights who chose and commanded tactics, knights who charged at the front according to those choices, and knights who supported them, with everyone doing their best in their assigned roles. Everyone was trying hard enough to surpass their limits with just one goal - to land even a single hit on the enemy called Yuder Aile.

They were so focused that none of them even noticed their lord had arrived.

"Aaaagh!"

Several more knights flew through the air with screams. Still, looking carefully, none of them had serious injuries. Though they knew they could be comfortable just by going outside the drawn line, the knights unhesitatingly rejoined their allies even crawling and gripped their swords again.

Meanwhile, Yuder showed the leisure to discard his broken dagger, instantly spin several times in the air to grab some throwing knives, and return to his original position. Nathan Zuckerman, who had been quietly watching that sight, gave his evaluation.

"From what I can see, it seems Sir Aile is waiting until just before the tactics would properly take effect before breaking through."

"Right. He seems quite satisfied."

"...Pardon?"

Welliven blinked as if he had heard something unbelievable.

"Satisfied... you say? Looking at his expression, I thought rather the opposite..."

"Haha. What are you saying, Welliven, when his enjoyment is so visible even from here."

The old knight heard his lord's words and looked at the sparring ground again. Yuder was dealing with knights charging in according to tactic number 15. He accurately threw two throwing knives to meet the sword blades of two knights charging at him, and taking advantage of the gap when the swords' directions were deflected, he launched his body into the air. His figure mercilessly trampling the knights' crowns and jumping far to create distance made the remaining knights shudder and shout. It would be no exaggeration to say he looked like a demon of torment.

Anyone could clearly see that Yuder Aile was not smiling through all this. Rather, just looking at the aura he was emitting, he was utterly cold as if the Peletta Knights were his mortal enemies, yet they spoke of enjoyment.

'...Is it really... enjoyment? That?'

"Look carefully. Just now when he launched his body, the bottom part of his outer clothes was torn."

Kishiar happily explained to the old knight who found it completely difficult to understand. Only then did Welliven notice that part of the fluttering hem behind the jumping Yuder was torn in several places.

"Ah, yes. That's right."

"It was torn while breaking through and escaping from formation number 13 just now. Having clothes torn is almost the same as an injury in real combat."

"...Is that how it is?"

"For Yuder."

Kishiar replied with conviction.

"So it's worth being happy about. He must have realized the opponents' skills are gradually rising."

At this moment, Welliven somehow felt that only his lord fully understood this incomprehensible strong one called Yuder Aile. It was truly a strange feeling.