A knight is someone who understands honor.
Though Nunes had heard this phrase countless times since childhood, he struggled to grasp its meaning.
For a child, it was an abstract concept too complex to comprehend.
What does honor mean to knights? Is it about becoming stronger? Or living a virtuous life?
They sing praises of honor, yet no one clearly explains it.
In fact, he couldn't even ask.
A knight, by definition, should know honor; not knowing it would mean one is not a knight at all.
As a young boy, Nunes wandered through this confusion.
He neglected his sword training, unable to understand why he needed to train or why he should become strong.
It wasn't until he randomly encountered an elderly investigator that he found his answer.
—"Honor is about upholding justice. It's about not turning a blind eye to injustice and resisting evil. To do that, you must first become strong."
That single statement changed the course of Nunes's life entirely.
It was then that he decided to give up being the heir of the Colt family and instead become an investigator.
He would travel across the empire to confront injustice and resist evil.
That was Nunes's honor.
"Uaaaaah!"
His body ignited with blue mana.
The brilliant mana blazed as if it would consume him whole.
This was "Berserk," far exceeding his limits.
Even Merlin couldn't help but feel alarmed by such an overwhelming aura.
'Where is that energy coming from?!'
There are things one can sense without fighting. As one's level rises, these perceptions become clearer.
Nunes's energy had surpassed Merlin's by leaps and bounds.
'Damn…!'
Thick droplets of sweat trickled down his spine as he felt an unfamiliar sense of danger after a long time.
In that moment, Nunes sprang forward at Merlin, who was momentarily intimidated by the overwhelming pressure.
—Boom!
"Ugh!"
A crude downward strike.
Merlin barely managed to block it, but it felt like he had been struck by a massive hammer, leaving him reeling.
The ground beneath him cracked up to his ankles as his center of balance wavered.
"Die!"
Nunes continued his relentless assault with a horizontal slash aimed to cleave him in two.
Merlin raised his sword vertically to defend but was sent crashing into the wall from the force of the blow.
"Cough!"
—Swoosh! Crash!
As Nunes approached the fallen Merlin, he gripped his sword in reverse and plunged it downwards.
The blade embedded itself in the ground up to the hilt.
Miraculously rolling away just in time, Merlin narrowly avoided having his heart pierced.
Withdrawing his sword effortlessly, Nunes glared at him. Merlin felt himself freeze in place.
"You're quite good at dodging. Who's the rat now?"
"...!"
"You won't dodge this one."
Nunes drew more mana into himself.
The blade glowed ominously red before shifting into a shimmering blue light.
Merlin knew all too well that this next attack could be lethal.
"Lord Jed!"
Just as he was about to swing his sword down,
From below the stairs, a throng of outlaws surged in.
Caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, Nunes halted in shock with wide eyes.
"Get down now! You'll be swept up in this!"
"Kuhehehe!"
Merlin was cunning. He wouldn't let such a golden opportunity slip away.
Seeing Nunes momentarily hesitate, he seized the chance and grabbed Maldini at the forefront with a sly grin.
"Ha ha ha! I can't die alone! Let's see if our junior investigator can kill innocent people!"
"You coward…!"
Using his sword would mean killing not just Merlin but also the outlaws around them.
Nunes stood frozen, unable to act in any direction.
Even as he hesitated, his mana continued to deplete explosively due to "Berserk."
"Stop now! This is beyond your limits!"
-----------------------------------
"Damn it!"
At that moment, Jed shouted from behind.
If Nunes continued to maintain his Berserk state, he would surely die.
Having been closely monitoring the situation, I was certain of this—the flow of mana was becoming increasingly unstable.
"I'll handle this, so stop now! It's really dangerous!"
"But you're hurt too! How can you deal with him? If we don't do it now, we won't catch him! Don't hold me back!"
Trying to steady himself, Nunes tightened his grip on his sword and glared at Merlin.
Under the darkening sky, only Nunes' blue mana blazed within the building.
Jed checked outside the window and then looked back at Nunes.
"I have a plan. Trust me."
"...."
Nunes knew better than anyone that using any more power would put his life at risk.
He stared intently at Jed.
A gaze filled with conviction.
"Really? You have a real plan? We need to deal with that guy while saving the bandits."
"Absolutely."
"...."
Though they hadn't spent much time together, Nunes knew that Jed was a good guy.
While he lacked a bit of common sense, he was different from other mages as rumored.
"…Alright."
After a moment of hesitation, Nunes finally withdrew his mana.
"Ha ha ha! Have you ever seen such foolishness? Throwing away a golden opportunity!"
As soon as the intense energy dissipated, Merlin laughed triumphantly.
It was truly pathetic.
What were these fools hesitating for?
In this world, it's either eat or be eaten.
Thud!
"Gah!"
Merlin discarded his hostage and charged straight at Nunes.
He intended to kill him before using any magic again.
But—
"The Night Cougar is not something you can handle!"
Growl!
"?!"
A chilling voice echoed, and something black leaped into Merlin's line of sight.
It was the creature summoned by Jed.
The Black Cougar's sharp claws targeted Merlin directly.
Slash!
Thud! Clang!
Crimson droplets sprayed everywhere.
What Merlin saw was flesh clinging to the Cougar's claws—someone's flesh.
It didn't take long for him to realize it was his own right arm.
"Uaaaah!"
His unfocused eyes fixated on the severed arm that flew away with the sword.
In an instant, blood gushed forth like a fountain, and pain arrived a moment too late to paralyze his brain.
Merlin collapsed to the ground, screaming in agony.
"My arm…! My arrrm!"
Merlin crawled as if possessed and grabbed his severed right arm.
Tears streamed down his face as he stared blankly at it—lifeless and detached.
He raised the still-gripping sword of his right arm toward Jed's shoulder as if believing that somehow pressing it against him would reattach it.
In a daze, as he tried to fit his arm back in place, he suddenly felt a chill and slowly turned his head.
Emerald-green eyes were staring down at him, licking their lips hungrily.
"Y-You're the Dark Beast?!"
"Don't despair too much. Your body will end up like that soon enough."
"What…?"
Jed slowly rose from where he had been seated.
His red eyes glowed ominously in the darkness.
Merlin trembled like a leaf in an unending fear.
He wanted to kneel and beg for forgiveness, but it was already too late.
"Feast to your heart's content. It's a gift for you."
Roar!
The Cougar responded to Jed's voice.
It sprang forward like a spring-loaded trap, unleashing an unimaginable scene of brutality.
The bandits not only wet their pants but also had to cover their ears against the horrifying sounds echoing around them.
"Ugh!"
It wasn't just the bandits trembling in fear; even Nunes, watching from relatively close by, felt nausea rising and vomited uncontrollably.
Moments later, when the Cougar turned away after finishing its meal, only a few droplets of blood remained—nothing else could be seen as evidence that a person had ever been there.
It was hard to believe anyone had existed in that spot at all.
"D-Don't come near me!"
Screaming in terror, Nunes cried out.
The image of him overwhelming a 7th Circle knight had long since vanished.
As the Cougar huffed past him, he crumpled down in fear.
--------------------------------
"Good job."
Grrr!
Kugger, passing by Nunes, lay down in front of Jed like a well-behaved cat.
Everyone watching gasped in astonishment, but Jed simply patted Kugger's head with ease.
"How… how is that possible?!"
"Jed is the master of the black beast! It's become his summon!"
"That's impossible! I've heard that summoning a lord is out of the question…!"
In an instant, Kugger had emerged to devour Merlin and then turned to Jed with affection.
The entire sequence unfolded in a heartbeat and was utterly absurd.
As Kugger's presence filled the corridor, everyone stood with their mouths agape, while Jed maintained eye contact without a hint of concern.
"Wow, you're really strong. I look forward to working with you."
Grrr!
How did that young boy become the master of a black beast?
A surge of emotions washed over me—fear and awe.
Only after Kugger returned to Jed's ring could they finally exhale the breath they'd been holding.
Thanks to Kugger, the battle ended smoothly.
Outside the building, Oned had even managed to capture the mayor.
I had intended to catch him anyway, but this was resolved in record time.
I felt good about finishing earlier than expected, but I still had to address Oned.
"Who are you? Why are you doing this?"
"That is…"
"If you don't tell me the truth, I'll have no choice but to hold you accountable."
As I pressed him, Oned stepped closer and spoke in a hushed voice.
"I'm a member of the Black Guard. I was ordered to assist Lord 7."
"What?"
The Black Guard? Oned is part of the Black Guard?
I was honestly quite taken aback.
What on earth is this organization? Were they gathering evidence for my sake?
"Truly, it exists everywhere yet nowhere at all. What an impressive organization."
"…"
"So your lord ordered you to assist me? What's the reason?"
"I cannot say. We simply follow orders without questioning them."
A chill ran down my spine involuntarily.
Le Mans is a small town in the north. How could I have anticipated that the Black Guard would be involved even here?
This meant they had infiltrated while hiding their identities for a long time. They must have gained complete trust from the mayor.
"…That's truly astonishing."
The more I thought about it, the more impressive it became.
In reality, it's easy to say; executing missions without revealing one's identity is incredibly difficult.
The thought that they lived as if they were completely loyal to the mayor while secretly collecting evidence made me admire them even more.
'The Black Guard.'
Until now, I hadn't considered them important.
I had focused more on raising my magical stats and building my own power.
I thought as long as they didn't interfere with my work, it didn't matter.
'If I could just make them part of my forces…'
That would be an even greater benefit than acquiring an army of celestial beings!
It might be impossible since they are under the lord's command, but I can't ignore them entirely.
After all, you never know what might happen.
"Is Robin attached to me?"
"I'm not sure."
As expected, he wasn't going to give me a straight answer.
But that's fine. Given the circumstances, it's highly likely he is attached to me.
The Black Guard is the invisible hand of the lord. Their assistance means they are paying attention to me.
'Then the leader of the Black Guard must be directly involved.'
I glanced around.
The thought that someone might be watching me from somewhere made me feel uneasy, but then again, that's just how the Black Guard operates.
'What an interesting family.'
I'm starting to like Arahan more and more—this could be a problem.
A family that opposes the emperor. They have an extensive information network that knows no bounds and a powerful magic organization that can rival any other mage guild.
'I also like their red eyes.'
Having a distinctive presence is a great advantage.
Look at this; as soon as I shifted my gaze, people lowered their eyes away from me.
No wonder there's no sense of superiority among those of Arahan bloodline!
"Jed…?"
"Why are you suddenly being so formal? Are you feeling unwell?"
Nunes approached, wiggling his fingers.
What's gotten into him now?
"Haha… I think I've been too rude lately."
"Stop babbling and act like you were before. You're giving me chills."
"Should I really?"
Could it be because of the black Kugger? He looked terrified earlier.
Well, it would be abnormal not to be scared upon seeing Kugger!
Thinking back on it, Kugger could only be contained because of "Bazzle's Summoning Ring."
This ring was taken from Arahan's vault.
It's not just my mood; there must be a reason why I'm growing fonder of this family called Arahan.
Am I also starting to blend in with Arahan?