This Bastard is Too Competent

Chapter 100: Black Eyes

Chapter 100: Black Eyes

Galon was doubting his own eyes.

He had no choice but to do so.

“I really didn’t expect they would actually come rushing this way, as His Highness said.”

He was alarmed by the enemy’s forces coming from the front.

“Those are undoubtedly Bahara troops.”

Nathan furrowed his brows at Galon’s words.

“Why did we leave the castle if it would only end this way? If we fight as is, we will be at a disadvantage, right?”

It was no wonder he thought so.

It was the Molar Castle they occupied at best. It might be less important than the royal castle, but it was still worth fighting for.

And regardless of how many troops there were, there was a huge difference between having a wall and not having one.

It all boiled down to making use of the traps while on the defense.

“By now, the Second Princess and Lord Huntill might have worked their magic again.”

It was all the more so because they had to prepare for the damage at this rate.

According to the scout’s report, the number of the enemies outnumbered theirs.

The problem wasn’t just in the number.

“It doesn’t look like there are just one or two banners. It seems that several units are moving together.”

“I can see banners with animal insignias like bear, tortoise, and lynx…”

At those words, Olak’s face visibly hardened.

“They are my father’s vassals, but they will never move from Balrog. Why…”

According to Olak, they were among Bahara’s elites, those who were in charge of Balrog’s defense. Under normal circumstances, they would move only when Bahara’s fate was under threat.

They were not even made up of just one or two people.

“Seems like they’ve mobilized all the troops down to the last man to defend their tribe.”

The other side was different in number, quality, and determination.

“They must have come with the resolve to fight until the last blood.”

At Nathan’s remarks, Fiosen looked at Ian with a tense face.

“If we were to end up fighting on the plains, a lot of blood may be shed. We better return to the castle…”

He meant to say that if they had to fight, they might have to brace themselves to lose their lives.

That this would eventually turn into an all-out war.

But it was then.

“Everyone stay here. I will deal with them.”

“!?”

Ian got off Blue Emperor and started to walk while holding the banner.

All the knights immediately blocked him as he headed straight toward the other side of the bridge, much less while bringing a small chair in one hand.

“Are you out of your mind? What do you mean you’re going to block that great army!”

“Did you forget that I have the Great Warrior banner? We can’t get to Balrog unless we break through them anyway, so I will subdue them and advance to Balrog without sacrificing the soldiers.”

The knights stared at him speechlessly.

Of course, his fighting Yamanta before was as shocking to them.

“Anyway, that’s not okay. This is nothing like back then!”

“There is no guarantee that the enemies will fight meekly.”

“Fiosen is right. What if there are people who ignore the banner?”

“The reason Yamanta fought against Your Highness must have been because of the unfavorable situation.”

“Ahem!”

Yamanta cleared his throat as if to hint had been listening in as well.

But nobody cared.

Ian calmed down the knights. He understood well what they felt.

“Trust me once more, as you have always done.”

Yet, the moment he was reassuring them.

Nathan, his face devoid of its usual playfulness, spoke with all seriousness.

“We trust you, Your Highness. That’s why we beg you not to try to do it alone. Please share the burden with us.”

“!?”

Everyone froze in surprise.

Their reactions were understandable. Nobody in their wildest dream ever expected Nathan to be the one saying that. But they seemed to be of the same thought. Everyone looked at Ian with burning gazes.

Now that it had come to this, he couldn’t help it.

“All right. Then, this time, I will accept the knights’ help.”

“Well thought out!”

“Just put your faith in us!”

The knights cheered at Ian’s permission.

However, Ian giving them permission was not simply due to the knights’ will.

‘It feels strangely ominous.’

He wasn’t sure what it was.

Everything had been going well so far as he thought, all thanks to his previous life memories.

But this time, something was different.

Ba-dump ba-dump ba-dump!

Faith was pounding wildly.

Something like this had never happened before, so Ian was perplexed.

Therefore, he needed to be prepared just to be safe.

“Please do this instead.”

Ian whispered furtively.

However, the knights’ expressions gradually changed to one of shock. It was because Ian’s request—no, order—required a great deal of resolve.

The knights exchanged glances with each other.

And then.

“We will do it. No, we will definitely make it happen.”

That was what happened.

Now Ian was standing in front of the bridge, the banner held high in his hand.

***

“Everyone, halt!”

Ukam, one of the twenty-five chieftains of the Kingdom of Bahara, raised his hand. All of the rushing Bahara soldiers suddenly came to a halt.

It was inevitable.

“Who the hell is that kid!”

“The Great Warrior banner! What is his identity?”

It was because a little boy was guarding the bridge over the river with a banner that looked somehow familiar.

Then Ukam’s eyes shook.

“A blood-soaked tiger? No way, that banner!”

He checked the banner’s features with his own eyes.

The four chieftains who were moving with him also flinched.

“Isn’t it Prince Olak’s banner?! That’s the Great Warrior banner!”

“Who the hell is that kid with the prince’s banner? No, more than that, where is the prince!”

Everyone fell into confusion.

It was no wonder they reacted so.

The chieftains here were all those who followed the previous king and Olak. They didn’t even know if he was alive or dead now. This naturally gave them a big headache.

However, no one came forward to ask.

There was a reason for it.

“That forest behind the bridge. Isn’t it suspicious?”

“Certainly… the branches are moving. Seems like they hid soldiers there.”

Surely, this was the only bridge to cross the river.

However, the terrain was dangerous if they ever got surrounded. If that little child was bait, the damage to the soldiers would not be light.

Ukam’s face, the representative of the chieftains, hardened.

‘It would be tough if we lost our troops here.’

It was then.

“Standing around even after seeing the Great Warrior banner?! Are there really no men in Bahara?!”

Ian’s powerful cry resounded throughout Bahara’s ranks.

Everyone from Bahara’s side, including Ukam, flinched.

‘This kid?’

‘Chief! Say something!’

‘Are you saying Bahara warriors are getting cold feet and cannot move because of that midget!’

The chieftains were equally embarrassed by the resentful expressions of the subordinates.

Bahara people valued tradition. It was their bounden duty to fight so long the opponent came with a banner.

They were against a kid, so it shouldn’t take much time.

There was one problem, however.

‘What if this is a trap?’

‘What if they fire arrows from that forest or, even worse, have a siege weapon?’

‘That little boy could be the bait!’

Unlike Bahara, who highly valued tradition, Kaistein did not know their culture.

‘It must be a trap. There’s no way they know the meaning of the banner.’

‘We must consider the damage to the soldiers first…!’

But then Ukam glared at some people hiding among the soldiers.

‘Kaistein’s troops are right in front of our nose.’

Judging from the direction they came, they must be the ones who took control of the Molar Castle.

‘If I see those guys and avoid them, those f*ckers will kick up a fuss.’

What he was glaring at were those sent by the usurper king, Arak.

They were monitoring the chieftains who were in the pro-Olak faction. Of course, monitoring them would not do anything, but it was unsettling all the same.

In the end, Ukam had no choice but to signal one of his subordinates.

“Go teach that kid a lesson and come back.”

“Yes, Chief!”

He didn’t know what happened to their precious Prince Olak, but he had to get back Prince Olak’s banner anyway.

The banner with the blood of the royal family especially resonated with their hearts. He couldn’t afford to leave it behind when they were certain that it was genuine.

Meanwhile, Ukam gnashed his teeth at the watchers.

‘I don’t know why you drove us here, but that will strangle you, Arak.’

Once they found Prince Olak, things would naturally be a breeze.

He planned to stage a treason, no, return the crown to the rightful king.

‘Kaistein or whatever it is, I will deal with it all.’

But what’s this?

Thud!

“I, I lost.”

His warrior was defeated by the little boy in front of them.

That warrior might be of the lowest rank, but he was still a reputable warrior from Ukam’s tribe. He possessed skills good enough to never be beaten by a kid like that.

Conscious of the other chieftains’ eyes, Ukam yelled out to him.

“What are you doing under the Great Warrior banner! Stop playing around, Unan!”

“I-I am not playing around. I’m fighting seriously.”

“What?”

It didn’t end with him only.

Even after Unan, some warriors from other tribes bravely stepped out.

Thud! Thud!

“I, I lost…”

“I surrender.”

One by one, they fell to their knees.

No, after being defeated, they stood behind Ian as if it was only natural.

In the blink of an eye, the number had already exceeded 10.

The chieftains were perplexed.

“How the hell did this happen?”

“We have to hurry up and find Prince Olak. We have to take our time like this.”

“Do we have no proper warrior? We need to stop that brat from getting more swollen-headed.”

That being said, they couldn’t step out to face that brat from the get-go. They also had their own face to uphold.

It was when he was contemplating whether he had no choice but to issue the order to advance.

“Huh?”

One of the chieftains recognized someone from across the river.

And when he saw him, his expression took a complete change.

“Oh my god…! That man!!”

They doubted their own eyes.

It was Prince Olak, the true successor they had been looking for.

Because of that, Ukam looked over in shock.

He couldn’t comprehend how their prince could be with Kaistein.

‘A hostage? Or is the prince on one side with them?’

He might be getting help to overthrow Arak.

Of course, looking at the situation, it didn’t seem like the prince was being held hostage, but…

‘If that’s the case…’

It might not be a bad idea to have the warriors defeated like this and hand over the cause to attack Arak to that brat.

So, he asked.

“Who is that red-haired kid?”

“Looking at the clothes he is wearing, he looks like an aristocrat, but…”

“Is he royalty?”

“Huh, nonsense. I’ve never heard of Kaistein royalty having red hair.”

That said, they knew about the legend of the First King of Kaistein.

It was because Bahara’s first great chieftain and he were like brothers. They fell out due to a certain incident, but they had shared a lot of history with each other long before that.

In any case, as the chieftains believed it was Prince Olak’s plan and contemplated joining in.

Shhh—

A streak of black light began to spread in the eyes of the chieftain next to him.

***

Thud!

“I, I lost.”

Another warrior fell.

Ian wiped away the sweat as he steadied his rough breath.

“Phew. It’s pretty tough.”

Unlike the first people he easily defeated with one move, now there were a few strong guys. That alone already numbered thirty.

Still, he had to do it.

‘I’ve bought enough time…’

But he had been continuously sensing this ominous feeling for some time.

Just what was going on?

His heart was thumping so hard, and it wasn’t a pleasant feeling.

However, that wasn’t what mattered now.

“Next!”

At his cry, a man who seemed to be a little higher in class came out.

This time, it was at the rank of unit commander.

‘Is it time to show off my full abilities from now on?’

He might have to use Faith, like the time he dueled with Yamanta. He didn’t know how many more he would have to deal with coming ahead.

As Ian was thinking so.

“Stop!”

“!”

The enemy’s leader, who had only been watching so far, stepped forward.

“Who are you to raise Prince Olak’s banner?”

He looked curious.

But Ian wasn’t kind enough to give away the answer.

“As a man of Bahara, you don’t even know the Great Warrior banner! The important thing now is not who raises the banner but how to fight the duel!”

“Hmm…”

“Don’t just talk and raise your sword, nameless warrior of Bahara! If you’re so curious, you’ll have to beat me and ask!”

Ukam’s gaze changed at Ian’s words.

But he didn’t attack him right away.

“It seems certain that the prince trusted you and entrusted the banner to you. If so, it would only be right for me, the prince’s faithful vassal, Antum, to follow you.”

“What?”

A completely unexpected development unfolded.

Even Ian was taken by surprise.

It was natural.

‘You’re going to follow me without fighting?’

But he really didn’t seem to be joking.

“All get off your horses! This is Prince Olak’s representative! We will follow him from now on!”

That wasn’t all.

“I am Lacon! I agree with Chief Antum!”

“I, Olegan, agree too!”

“I…”

“…”

All the chieftains, each with their own banners, raised their hands.

Although Ian didn’t quite understand what led them to this decision.

‘You mean you’ll come under me anyway?’

It seemed things would go smoothly thanks to them.

To think that five out of twenty-five chieftains would follow him.

It was when Ian thought that this Northern Expedition might be easier than he thought.

Antum curiously asked.

“So, the man we are going to serve from now on, what is your name?”

“I’m Kaistein’s…”

It was then.

“Aaaargh!”

One of the chieftains who identified himself as Lacon screamed in agony.

No, it didn’t stop at just screaming.

“Lacon?”

Lacon unsheathed his sword and stabbed Chief Antum right in the chest.

Shruaak!

“Cough!”

Antum fell off his horse.

Seeing that, Ian’s body instantly froze.

It was for no other reason.

‘This…’

He felt a sense of déjà vu at how he had been stabbed in the back by Duke Garcia in his previous life.

Then the other chieftains shouted.

“Lacon! What the hell is this!”

“Aren’t we vassals following Prince Olak?! We are on the same side!”

As the chieftains were about to snatch Antum out of Lacon’s hands.

Stab!

Another appeared and stabbed Olegan in the back.

It didn’t end with that.

Shluck! Squelch!

Blood gushed out from the chieftains as they all slumped, dying at someone’s hand.

At that moment, Ian could see it.

‘Black eyes?’

It felt like he had discovered the identity that had given him the ominous feelings all this time.

But that wasn’t the point.

“Strike!”

“Kill him and Olak and take the supplies! His Majesty Arak wishes the heads of these two!”

It was because Bahara’s soldiers, whose eyes were dyed black, started rushing toward him.

Right at that moment.

Fweeet—!

Ian whistled with all his might.