Reborn As Noble Chapter 1260: Screams and Crumbling Walls ( 1260 )

"We don’t know, Sire. Perhaps it’s just the wind passing by," Lurzan declared with a dismissive, arrogant shrug, making light of the sound.

Mulkas smirked, tilting his head anew as a distant explosion reverberated.

"Did our units have training nearby?"

Bankar let out a chuckle. "Perhaps they’re just excited, Sire. Maybe they’re testing out the new cannons and flintlock muskets that arrived yesterday."

"Good. This means our soldiers are growing stronger with the new weapons." Mulkas’s gaze returned to Bankar. "So, did you send one of the flintlock muskets to our local blacksmith? Perhaps there’s a way to improve it further?"

"Already done, Sire. The local blacksmith has been handsomely rewarded. He’s currently disassembling and reassembling the musket, studying its mechanism to find a way to replicate or improve it. With enough time, we might be able to produce our own muskets without relying on Viscount Dasmen’s supply."

Mulkas nodded, content. "Good. We need every advantage we can get. If he can improve the design, we’ll mass-produce it and give our soldiers an even greater edge."

Just as they were about to continue their celebration, the explosion sounds grew louder. Countless blasts echoed from the distance, accompanied by screams and the distinct whirling sound, now much closer than before.

"Harghh! What is it now!?" Mulkas barked, his voice laced with anger.

"Lurzan!"

"Yes, Sire?"

"Go check what’s happening!" Mulkas commanded. "And if those idiots are playing too much with the flintlock muskets or cannons, I’ll have them punished! I don’t want our celebration ruined by their childish games!" Mulkas growled, his mood souring from the loud disruptions.

Lurzan smirked and stood up, grabbing his already reloaded flint musket and placing it casually on his shoulder as he walked toward the door with an arrogant, swaggering step.

But he paused when the door suddenly burst inward.

A knight clad in gleaming golden armor stood at the entrance, dual golden mana guns held firmly in both hands, a golden cape flowing majestically behind him. His full helm was golden, his presence commanding and imposing. He kicked the door open, crushing it off its hinges.

"What’s up, assholes?"

Mulkas’s eyes widened in a mixture of shock and fury.

"Who are you?! Don’t you know this place is an official military headquarters? You dare trespass here without permission?"

"Eh?" the golden knight tilted his head, his voice echoing from within the helmet. "Did I arrive at the wrong building?"

He shrugged, glancing at the piles of gold scattered around the room. "Well... wrong or not, you all will die here."

Mulkas gritted his teeth and pointed a trembling finger at the golden knight, barking a command.

"Shoot him!"

All the officers raised their flintlock muskets and fired at him, but not a single bullet managed to scratch his armor. The golden knight stood unmoving, his armor gleaming under the barrage of shots.

"Ahh~ Now you shot first. I was going to... you know... spare all of you." Javier’s voice chuckled through the knight’s speaker, calm and amused. "But since you attacked first..."

The golden knight’s eyes gleamed as they fixed upon the piles of gold.

"Well... let’s just say... rest well, traitors."

The golden knight raised both of his dual golden guns and began firing with precise accuracy. Each shot found its intended mark, a single bullet directed to the head for every officer in the room. Bodies dropped one by one, thudding heavily against the floor.

Mulkas attempted to scramble away, but two shots rang out, striking both of his feet. He collapsed to the ground with a scream of agony, clutching his shattered ankles as the golden knight calmly stepped over the fallen bodies, advancing toward him.

"Oooh~ What’s with the scream, traitor? Hmm?"

"How dare you trespass and attack a military headquarters! I am General Mulkas of the New Mathrias Army! You will pay for this insolence!" Mulkas snarled through gritted teeth, his arrogance undeterred by the searing pain.

"Oh? Who?" The golden knight pulled out a blank piece of paper and swiftly drew a crude, funny wanted poster, a gold reward scribbled beneath it. "I’m a bounty hunter, you know... Ah, more precisely, a traitor hunter."

"How dare you, a lowly mercenary, defy me! I am a General!"

"Well... not so much for a general rank anyway. Compared to Armand’s General Hesbeirn... ah, no... even compared to Armand’s guards, you’re far weaker."

"A... Armand?" Mulkas stammered, his eyes widening in disbelief.

"What’s with the surprise? Didn’t you recognize this emblem here?" The golden knight gestured proudly at his pristine golden armor.

"W... what?" Mulkas stared, confusion and fear mingling within his eyes.

The golden knight tapped his helmet with his knuckle. "Oopsie. Forgot this one doesn’t have the Armand emblem, since I’ll be using it for... well..." He chuckled. "You don’t need to know."

Mulkas clenched his jaw, his voice laced with a tremor. "My soldiers will be pursuing you shortly!"

"Ah... I doubt that very much." The knight clad in gold lightly tapped his helmet's chin with a single finger. "My father's directive is unequivocal: ANNIHILATE ALL TRAITORS, LEAVING NONE UNDISTURBED."

Mulkas's eyes dilated, wide with unadulterated dread.

"Ah~ Fret not. While I long to dispatch you right here, right now... my father's decree is paramount, and I certainly wish to avoid his displeasure, wouldn't you agree? Should I defy this command, I am positive he would subject me to an agonizing training regimen with him. Therefore, I'd prefer not to."

"W... Who precisely is your father?" Mulkas inquired, his voice quivering.

"Eh? I neglected to mention it?" The knight straightened his posture, placing both hands squarely on his hips.

"His name is GARIUS. DE. ARMAND."

He stooped forward, his tone chillingly clear.

"To be more precise, the Sovereign King of the Armand Nation."

Javier emitted a soft chuckle, observing the sheer panic unfurling across Mulkas's countenance.

"Aw~ Cease that expression. It's not as if I'm vexed by your failure to address me as YOUR HIGHNESS."

Javier flashed a grin, his gaze fixed on the crimson ichor seeping from Mulkas's injured legs.

"Ooh~ This is suboptimal. Should you perish here, my father would surely admonish me~ And I absolutely detest incurring his wrath, you understand~ He'd inevitably remark something to the effect of..." Javier emulated his father's resonant, commanding voice. "'Did you presume yourself invincible now? How about a parley with me? Hmm?'"

The golden-adorned knight embraced himself with both arms, feigning a dramatic shiver. "Wuuu~ I'd much rather abstain. It's excessively tedious, draining, and I never emerge victorious anyway."

With a sharp snap of his fingers, a syringe materialized in his grasp, accompanied by a small vial containing a luminous fluid.

"Ah~ For the present moment... we ought to stem the flow."

He reached toward Mulkas's leg, securing it firmly within the knight's formidable grip. Mulkas emitted a pained cry as Javier administered the glowing liquid into the wound.

"Ah... It pains you? 'My apologies.'" Javier taunted, his voice saturated with mockery.

The hemorrhage abated, eventually ceasing altogether.

"Ah... I had forgotten. I could employ restorative magic, but..." Javier derided. "That would grant you the ability to abscond, and that would precipitate considerable inconvenience for me, you comprehend~"

Mulkas's eyes widened to their fullest extent in abject terror. From outside, distant cries, the sharp crack of firearms, and the thunderous roar of explosions could be perceived, intermingled with the groaning collapse of fortifications and rampart structures. The death knell of his army resounded in the backdrop.

"Well... this is the consequence of betraying your liege," Javier mused with a dark chuckle.

"Particularly when the liege presides as a benevolent, just sovereign."

He bent down, his voice descending to a chilling whisper.

"And when he happened to be... an ally of the ARMAND dynasty."

( End Of Chapter )