Chapter 442 – Loose Ends.

Roland paused mid-step, his hammer still ready to strike while Elythaes’s words hung in the air. The Baskerville Knight’s eyes widened as he came to some sort of realization and his face was a mix of disbelief and anger.

“…are you actually…?”

A question was thrown and it indicated that his opponent knew something. His face had been revealed and there was an implication that came with it. He had never met this person without wearing his suit of armor nor did anyone know how the missing Arden sibling.
However, there was one particular thing about his family that set it apart from the others. It seemed that their father’s genes took over when it came to male offspring but when it came to females, they took the mother’s side of the family. This was also the reason why his brother Robert, instantly recognised him a few years back.

“Y-you’re one of them, right? Y-you must be Robert? Now this all makes sense…”

It seemed that this man had come in contact with his family members and this was not anything out of the ordinary. The Baskerville Knight family in a way took over the responsibilities of the Arden estate that was previously also one of Castellane’s guard dogs. Even after Wentworth Arden rose to his position of proper nobility, the Baskerville Knights continued to maintain a close relationship with them due to their shared history of loyalty and service.

When he was between the ages of five and ten, he had witnessed them as well and through those exchanges, he came to know of the three Cerberus Knights. It wasn’t strange to assume that this person had seen either his eldest brother Reyner or the second Edwin. He didn’t seem to know Robert at all but the resemblance was there and it seemed that his identity as one of the Arden’s had been exposed.

“No, how could you be Robert… this strength… Not even the firstborn was this capable… could you be…”

“What does it matter who I am?”

Roland stopped for a moment but then resumed his approach. He knew why Elythaes was confused as Roland’s power was just too high. At most, he could assume that he was some bastard who had been born before Reyner. It wouldn’t make sense for Robert to be strong enough to take out the Cerberus trio on his own.

“No wait! If you’re from the Arden family please reconsider! Do you want a war to break out between the families? Do you think you can win against the Castellane house?”

Roland paused once more but his hammer was still clenched tightly. The mention of potential conflict between the Arden and Castellane families made him contemplate the issue. It was true that any action he took here could have negative repercussions, not just for himself but for his family as well. He had raised his hand in opposition to Viola Castellane and already killed some of the Baskerville knights with Andreas being the most prominent one. While the other side started the conflict, some might say that he had overreacted.

“You tried to murder me and Lucienne Arden as well, now that you are defeated, you seek a truce?

Elythaes struggled to rise from the swampy ground, but he seemed to be trying to make amends.

“Please my friend, think about it. I had no choice in this matter… I’m sure that you understand, people like us have no choice in these matters, I was just following orders.”

Roland’s expression remained unreadable as he listened to Elythaes’s plea but his mind was racing. There were potential consequences of continuing with his actions now. He understood the balance between the noble houses and how they would probably not let this issue rest so easily. It would be clear to the Castellane household that he was the man responsible for all of this.

‘But what are the other options here? If I let this bastard go, he will report all of it and they might just come back with more forces or even hire an assassin…’

If one strategy didn’t work it was useful to use another. While it was true that the Baskerville and Castellane families would probably back off for a moment, they would hold a grudge. The issue could potentially be dropped as it would put the other families in a bad light, the only thing that nobles feared than the higher nobility was bad rumors. There was a possibility that they would halt their advances and even issue a public apology. However, after the overreaction he witnessed today, Roland wasn’t sure if they would honor anything.

“I understand your predicament but it doesn’t sound very genuine when you’re just trying to distract me, did you think I wouldn’t notice?”

For a moment he did give it a thought, revealing himself could potentially have this whole thing end without any future bloodshed. While he didn’t see the Castellane family apologizing for this issue, it was possible to make amends and form some type of binding contract that would safeguard his sister. Both sides would come to some kind of agreement and let things rest but it wouldn’t be so as the surviving Roman had been lingering in the background.

“Shit…”

Roland had managed to rip off this man’s arm but he was still a tier 3 class holder. With enhanced bones and internal organs, even without an arm it was still possible to move around. People at this tier had advanced from being regular humans and were closer to monsters.

“It seems that you wish to negotiate with your swords raised?”

“…”

Roman didn’t reply as he used his legs to toss himself in Roland’s direction. His body was fast but his movements lacked finesse due to the missing arm. Despite this, he managed to close the distance between them surprisingly quickly. With his remaining hand, he wielded his sword with murderous intent and attempted to aim it at his exposed throat. However, Roland had already seen this movement thanks to the mana phantom and before the strike could connect, it was sidestepped.

His opponent tried to quickly gather himself but it was too late. His Overlord’s Might skill was still in effect and it gave him a clear advantage over this injured knight. He bashed the man with his shield to knock him off balance, then followed up with a swift strike from the spiky side of his hammer.

While the man was wearing some armor, he was still able to puncture through it. Then through this opening, he directly injected a large quantity of magical energy into the man’s body. Even though he was a tier 3 class holder, his insides started to rapture. Roman convulsed in agony as his insides were liquified in an instant. His body flew into the distance and landed in a shallow puddle filled with swamp water. There it started spasming before his life finally came to an end.

Elythaes had managed to gather himself off the ground but his legs were shaking. He found himself surrounded by a large group of golems that had managed to restore themselves. All of them were pointing their eyes and cannons in his direction.

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“Wait… WAIT! Do you really want to start a war that you can’t hope to win between the families? Think rationally!”

“Oh, I am quite rational. What war? What families? You assume that I’m part of the Arden estate, but am I really? What proof do you have?”

“What?”

“… and if I was, I would be quite justified in defending my sister’s honor, wouldn’t I?”

Roland pointed at the man with his hammer which was already glowing. The large group of golems did the same as they aimed at the injured Knight. Soon a salvo of beams exploded from all directions, all aiming at the lone knight in the middle. While he tried to evade them he found himself unable to due to the sheer volume. Yet, they were nothing more than distractions with the glowing hammer being the true ray of death.

“No please, spare me, I swear to keep silent about everything that happ…”

The man cried out in pain as multiple energy bolts bounced off his body. Due to his tier 3 prowess, they just created shallow wounds and pain. However, eventually, a bright flash ended him as Roland’s swirling attack connected with the man’s chest cavity and drilled right through it.

The dungeon fell silent once more, the only sounds echoing through the cavern were the crackling of fading magic and the distant drips of water. Roland stood amidst the aftermath of the battle, his expression quite solemn. The Cerberus Knights that were famous within this region lay defeated and their bodies were without any signs of life.

After taking a deep breath, Roland let the tension drain from his muscles. Despite this victory, he couldn’t shake the feeling of unease. The consequences of his actions could be dire as the men here were important figures within the kingdom. Their disappearance would be noticed and many new foes could appear on the horizon.