Surviving as a Knight in a Trash Game

Chapter 146

Born as a pure-blooded descendant of the Elven King, he had lived in hiding for hundreds of years.

How long had he endured and waited, hidden among the chaotic humans, for the world of elves to come again?

Mikhail had slowly, very slowly, planted seeds of chaos in the human world.

Everything was proceeding smoothly, and he believed that if things continued this way, the world of elves would arrive soon.

However.

Due to a single human, Mikhail’s plans began to shatter.

Karl Reitz Arthur Meyer.

That human, hailed as a hero appearing in the present age, had shattered Mikhail’s meticulously laid plans from beginning to end.

In the midst of it all, the demon Gremory, whom he had barely managed to summon, did not respond to his control at all.

The demon’s duty written in the summoning ritual book?

Such things had no effect whatsoever.

The demon only moved as it pleased.

Thus, Mikhail lost many of his kin and went into hiding for a while.

“Is today finally the day?”

“Yes, Master, it is today.”

After focusing all his capabilities and biding his time, Mikhail finally rose.

Today was the day to exact proper revenge on that Karl Meyer.

Confirming that Karl had left for the northeast, Mikhail and the elves infiltrated the Arthur Domain.

The explosions set off outside were meant to divert their attention; what they truly desired was the human woman named Anne, presumed to be Karl Meyer’s lover.

Breaking through the explosions heard from all directions, Mikhail finally reached the place where Karl’s woman, Anne, was.

Kwaaaaaang!

As befitting that Karl Meyer’s woman, the crazy wench had installed explosives in her own room.

But, it was fine.

She would be captured by him anyway.

Just as he arrived in front of Anne and thought he could finally exact revenge on Karl.

“Keok…!”

‘Why…? How?’

Mikhail realized that his body was dangling in the air.

And also that he couldn't breathe.

“Kiddo, if I went by my feelings right now, I’d want to tear you apart right here. But this big sis still has so many things she wants to do, so today I’ll just end it by taking those two ears of yours.”

Chwaak.

Blood suddenly spurted.

And the ears, the symbol of an elf, disappeared from Mikhail.

Whether some magical trick was used, no blood flowed from the severed ears.

But the shocking sight made Mikhail lose his mind.

‘My ears…?’

After the absurd situation, where he didn't even feel pain, passed, Mikhail only then felt the pain exploding from both sides of his head.

“Kuaaaaaah…!”

Mikhail, who had briefly rolled on the floor, shot up, threw a few jewels from his bosom, and snapped his fingers.

It was the strongest attack Mikhail could muster.

If the jewels exploded, they had the power to obliterate this hotel without a trace.

Tuduk.

“How…?”

“Kiddo, what on earth do you take me for?”

The demon laughed, and Mikhail’s magic did not manifest.

Yes. This being was a demon.

The progenitor of magic, the source of magic itself.

God had abandoned the elves.

“We are finished….”

As his spirit broke, his body collapsed with it.

He laughed hollowly at the utter futility of the current outcome, finding it absurd.

“Your methods were the problem.”

Just then, a voice was heard from behind.

“Marc… Why are you?”

“This is my new home.”

“Betraying your own kind… and clinging to humans… Filthy blood can’t be helped, I see.”

“Well, I don’t know if Sir Ricardo, or I, were ever truly your kin.”

“The elves may not treat you warmly, but at least we don’t stab you in the back. However, humans are different. They will someday plunge a dagger into your back.”

Yes, perhaps, as Mikhail said, Marc might also be betrayed.

The life of a half-elf, half-demon was, after all, a life that could never truly belong anywhere.

However,

“That may be so, but for now, I intend to trust them. Not the human race, but the person named Karl Meyer. And in the future, I plan to create a home here for my kin to live.”

“Crazy talk. How many humans have died at our hands? Do you think humans will accept elves?”

“Far more humans have died at the hands of other humans. Yet, they still gather together again.”

“….”

Although Marc was half-elf, half-demon, if one traced his lineage, royal blood flowed within him.

At the words that such a person intended to live under a human, Mikhail felt a surge of anger, then a feeling of utter futility.

“….”

The demon who rendered him powerless, and the knights of the Arthur Domain who had gathered by now.

“…Heaven has abandoned the elven race.”

With a hollow remark, Mikhail threw a bead from his bosom onto the floor.

With a momentary flash of smoke, Mikhail and the few remaining elves disappeared from the spot.

For some reason, Gremory did not stop the fleeing elves.

***

“Why did you let them go?”

Anne, who had approached Gremory’s side, asked.

“Well, I don’t really know myself.”

At Gremory’s gentle smile, Anne pouted her lips.

Though she was friendly like an older sister, when Anne met her eyes, which held an unfathomable depth of time, she unknowingly fell silent.

“Letting him live will be better for your man.”

“He’s not my man yet, is he?”

“What, at this point, he’s practically your man. Even the kids around here seem to think so, don’t they?”

As Gremory scanned the surroundings and looked back at Anne, even she, who was usually never flustered, averted her gaze here and there, looking slightly embarrassed and shy.

That sight was so cute that everyone chuckled.

“Ah… Shall we play an interesting prank?”

Gremory, full of mischief, threw out a suggestion to those present, and not only those present but all the people in the Lord’s castle who heard their story decided to join her plan.

And that soon spread to the entire domain, and a grand domain-wide prank against Karl was quickly concocted.

***

Karl, who had been surrounded by numerous undead, had somehow broken through the vast number of corpses and was rapidly riding his horse at the forefront.

‘The quality of the undead is not high. That level is manageable enough for the northeastern nobles alone.’

Many things were different from last time.

The main force, the elves, were nowhere to be seen.

This was clearly a ruse created to lure Karl.

Dudududududu.

Karl, who had broken through the undead encirclement and ridden almost without rest or food, soon arrived at the Arthur Domain.

“Woah, woah….”

The Arthur Domain, which he had reached as quickly as possible, had a strange atmosphere.

It was as if the entire city was submerged in sorrow.

Although the city was not in a state of combat, Karl, due to that peculiar darkness, somehow moved more cautiously.

“Greetings to the Lord….”

At the guard’s somewhat gloomy voice, Karl sensed that something had happened.

“What happened while I was away?”

“…The elves attacked. Fortunately, we repelled them, but… Lady Anne….”

“…Why Anne?”

As the guard hesitated, Karl’s expression noticeably hardened.

“You should go to the castle.”

Dudududududu.

Karl, spurring Silver, who had run relentlessly until just a moment ago, once more towards the inner castle, passed through the corridors with quick steps.

His pace was so fast that it would have looked like he was running if seen from the side.

“My Lord…?”

“Anne!?”

Rogério showed a grave expression in front of him, who, unlike usual, uttered a single word sharply as soon as he arrived.

“Over there….”

Rogério’s hand pointed towards Karl’s bedroom.

Karl, who quickly headed to the bedroom, unknowingly stopped in front of the door.

A serious injury?

The reactions of those around him were unusual.

On his way, he heard that the damn elves had deliberately targeted Anne.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

His heart pounded like never before.

Since when?

Karl realized that he had been relying on her for many things.

Click. Creeeak.

The door slowly opened, and Karl cautiously stepped into the room.

Thud. Thud.

Unlike a moment ago, this time his steps were infinitely slow.

Why did that short distance feel so far?

Karl, without realizing it, constantly wished that nothing had happened to her.

When he reached Anne, who was lying down, Karl fought back the feeling that his legs might collapse at the sight of Anne’s bloodless face.

“…Why are you like this.”

The woman who made him think that perhaps he wasn't a stranger in this world.

Seeing such a woman lying with a face devoid of blood because of him was a feeling hard to put into words.

“Why….”

Karl slowly approached her side and gently sat down beside the bed.

And he slowly clasped her cold hand.

His hand, which usually spoke little and said little, trembled.

Because Karl was someone who rarely expressed himself much, his current appearance struck even harder.

At some point, many people had gathered in Karl’s bedroom.

Kelvin, Bastien, Nigel, Definir, Kelvin, Sancho, and others who could be called Karl’s people had all gathered.

No one could open their mouths in the solemn atmosphere where Karl held Anne’s hand tightly with his eyes closed, and not even a small sound emerged.

-Um… Shouldn’t someone say something by now?

-I think we’ve gone a bit too far?

-…I think we’re in big trouble.

Facing the serious atmosphere of Karl, those standing behind him communicated with lip movements.

Someone should have said it was a prank, but no one did.

“What’s this? Why is the mood like this?”

Just then, through the open window, a woman of otherworldly beauty entered, holding a bouquet of flowers.

“….”

The gazes of the red-haired woman, Gremory, and Karl met in mid-air.

“….”

For a moment, Gremory gave an awkward smile and scratched the back of her head.

Why was that demon standing here holding a bouquet?

Come to think of it, there was more than one strange thing.

At that moment, Karl’s gaze momentarily shifted to the people lined up behind him.

“….”

Once again, an awkward air flowed between them.

“Well… I thought someone would have said it was a prank by now, right?”

At Gremory’s awkward remark, everyone once again fell into a deep silence.

“Get up.”

At Karl’s emotionless voice, as cold as the north wind and snow, Anne, who had been lying with a cold, bloodless body until a moment ago, shot up.

“That… no… I didn’t mean to… Gremory unni over there….”

Anne, almost on the verge of tears, hurriedly made excuses and desperately looked around for help from the others.

However, no one was there to help her.

“Ahem, hem… I think I’ll go check on the delayed city development plans now….”

Marquis Nigel, who was incredibly quick-witted, left first, and following his friend, Marquis Bastien disappeared from the spot in an instant.

Following them, people streamed out one after another.

Gremory, tossing the bouquet next to the two, leaped out the window.

“I’ll come back later too.”

“….”

Thus, everyone disappeared, and only the two of them remained in the bedroom.

A long silence flowed between them.

“I’m sorry… Gremory unni suggested we play a little prank….”

Anne, fidgeting and with her head bowed low, apologized only after everyone had left.

Thud thud.

Whump.

She, who had her eyes tightly closed and head bowed low, expecting to be scolded by Karl, was startled by the sudden warmth and shot her head up.

“Not twice.”

Black pupils of unfathomable depth were staring intently at her.

“Yes… I’ll never play such a prank again.”

Even after her answer, Karl held her quietly for quite a long time.

***

“Isn’t this going to cause a huge mess because of a silly prank?”

The people who had left Karl’s bedroom did not return to their respective homes but gathered in the corridor, holding their breath and straining their ears to hear what was happening inside the room.

Gremory even went so far as to use magic so that no presence would be felt, eavesdropping on the situation inside the room.

“Isn’t this all because of Lady Gremory?”

Marquis Nigel, who now knew that Gremory was a demon, spoke politely to her, who looked like his granddaughter.

“Hey, old man, you have no patience. Just wait a bit. This kind of thing ends quickly.”

Even when she spoke rudely, the two white-haired old men couldn’t even open their mouths.

As several people were thus listening intently at the door, the sound of Karl hugging Anne was heard.

“Oh…!”

As people exclaimed in admiration and their gazes turned to Gremory, she threw a remark with a grinning expression.

“See, I told you, this works.”

Thus, a few days later, the Arthur Domain officially had a mistress.