The Count's Gun-Shooting Scoundrel-Chapter 28

Splat!
Another man's head exploded.
Bang-!
“What the?”
“Was there a magician?”
The men were bewildered.
Perry didn't miss the opportunity and swung his sword at them.
Not to be outdone, Dark also put Porshe down and charged at the men.
“These bastards!”
The men quickly blocked the attacks with their swords and launched a counterattack.
Slash!
“Aaargh!”
Perry screamed and collapsed.
Dark managed to dodge their attacks, but he was barely parrying the fierce onslaught.
“Damn it!”
Dark swung his dagger wildly and shouted, “Captain!”
One of them said, “I'll take this one, you get him!”
“Got it!”
Two of the three rushed toward Arthur.
As the men charged, Arthur gripped his Kukri tightly.
“I'll kill you all.”
He increased his speed and ran toward them.
“Die!”
The men swung their swords.
Arthur parried their swords with his Kukri and dove into the chest of one of them.
“You first.”
He struck upward powerfully into the man's armpit with the Kukri.
Then he quickly turned, blocking the other man's attack while simultaneously thrusting with all his might.
“Keuk!”
The Kukri lodged in the man's neck.
He then turned back again and threw an elbow strike.
Thwack!
The man's face snapped to the side as he collapsed to the ground.
Arthur mercilessly slammed his Kukri down into the fallen man's neck.
Having dealt with the two in an instant, he ran toward the man attacking Dark.
Seeing Arthur approach, the man quickly swung his sword at him.
But the attack missed, and Arthur, who was already right in front of him, was thrusting his Kukri.
“What the…”
Thwack!
It struck the man in the face.
Arthur looked at Dark, who had been driven to the brink of collapse, and asked, “Are you okay?”
“Yes, *huff, huff, huff*.”
Dark answered, panting heavily, and ran to Perry.
“Are you badly hurt?”
“N-no… I can manage.”
Perry stood up with Dark's help, but blood continued to flow from his side.
Arthur glanced at Perry for a moment, then went to Porshe and Ramni to check their condition.
Both were bleeding heavily from their severed ears and were unconscious.
He had to get them to Millerf quickly before their condition worsened.
“Dark, you take Perry.”
“Then the other two…!”
Dark's eyes widened.
Arthur slung Porshe over his shoulder and lifted Ramni under his arm, then stood up.
He himself was not in good shape, with injuries all over his body.
Where did he get such strength?
“A-are you sure you'll be okay?”
“Don't worry about me. Just run with all your might.”
“Y-yes, sir.”
Dark carried Perry on his back and ran with all his might. Arthur followed behind, gritting his teeth.
***
As the sun began to set.
Millerf and Skevin stood on the castle wall, looking toward the border with Aslan.
“Please, let everything be alright…”
“The Young Master will be fine.”
“It seems you aren't worried, Millerf.”
As Skevin looked at him with a puzzled expression, Millerf gave a meaningful smile.
“Why wouldn't I be worried? Of course, I am.”
“But?”
“It's about trust. Isn't that why you, Sir Skevin, are here with me?”
“That's true, but…”
Skevin, in truth, wasn't sure if his decision had been the right one.
When Arthur said he was going after the enemy, he should have stopped him somehow.
But perhaps because of what Arthur had shown him so far, he felt an inexplicable urge to follow his words.
Moreover, the Knight Order had also begun to follow him, and he judged that stepping in to stop him now might have a negative impact.
So, while he had followed the order to wait at the castle, he grew more anxious as time passed.
Ominous thoughts kept creeping into his mind.
Millerf fully understood how he felt.
“Don't worry. The Young Master will return safely.”
“He must.”
Just as Skevin nodded grimly, he saw someone running in the distance.
“What's that?”
Skevin strained his eyes to get a better look, but the distance was too great.
Millerf quickly cast 'Hawkeye' magic.
At that, Skevin's eyes shot wide open.
“It's the Young Master!”
“Let's go quickly.”
Millerf cast Feather Fall magic and descended from the wall with Skevin.
The guards at the castle entrance saw someone running from afar.
“Who is that?”
They looked intently ahead and were startled.
“It's the Young Master!”
One of them quickly blew an emergency horn.
Simultaneously, Millerf and Skevin descended from the sky and hurried toward Arthur.
***
“Just a little more strength!”
“*Huff, huff*, I can still hold on! Over there…”
Dark spotted Skevin and Millerf running from the castle.
At the same time, the tension left him.
“Damn!”
His legs gave out, and he collapsed on the spot.
Arthur also spotted the two and stopped.
“*Huff, huff. Huff.*”
It felt like his heart was going to explode.
He unconsciously plopped down on the ground.
He had been running at full speed for about an hour while carrying two people.
His body was not in a normal state, with injuries all over from his fight with Yakim.
It was truly amazing where this strength had come from.
“Young Master!”
Skevin ran over with a grave expression.
Millerf’s staff began to glow brightly, as if he was preparing to cast a spell immediately.
After a moment.
The two arrived and first checked Arthur's condition, asking, “Are you alright?”
Arthur nodded and said to Millerf, “Please.”
“Please wait a moment.”
Millerf chanted in runes and cast 'Group Heal'.
Recovery magic spread over everyone there except for Skevin.
The bodies of Arthur and the others glowed brightly.
After glowing for a long while, starting with Arthur, Dark and Perry recovered, and Porshe and Ramni regained consciousness.
“Ugh…”
“Ugh…”
Perry looked back and forth between Porshe and Ramni and said, “Hyung! Are you okay?”
“Ugh, where…?”
Porshe grimaced and looked around.
Then he spotted Arthur, and as if realizing something, his eyes reddened.
Ramni, also bewildered, saw Arthur and began to cry.
“Y-Young Master…”
As the two tried to get up and kneel on one knee before Arthur, he approached and hugged them. Then he said in a low, somber voice, “I'm sorry. I should have been more careful.”
“Young Master…”
The moment they heard those unexpected words from him, something hot surged from deep within their chests.
Hot tears streamed down their faces. They then buried their faces in Arthur's chest and sobbed.
“*Sob, sob.*”
“*Sob*, we’re sorry.”
A wave of guilt washed over them for failing their mission and for being the only ones to return alive, having lost their comrades.
Arthur understood their feelings better than anyone.
It was an emotion he felt every time he returned alone from the battlefield.
At a time like this, there was nothing he could do for them but quietly pat their backs.
Watching them, Skevin felt a surge of anger toward the enemy.
Millerf felt the same, yet he was once again surprised by Arthur's actions.
He had met countless lords so far, but none had treated their soldiers like Arthur.
The only person who came close would be ‘him’.
The current ruler of the Oscar Empire, Ruan Barotas.
He had unconsciously compared Arthur to the Emperor.
‘Indeed, he is of a different caliber.’
***
“Really!”
Madeline shot up from her seat at the news of Arthur's safe return.
A few hours ago, when she heard he had rushed off to the enemy in a rage, she felt like the sky was falling.
But she was shocked to hear that Millerf and Skevin, who should have stopped him, had followed his orders.
When Millerf came to her and tried to reassure her, telling her to trust him, she couldn't hide her bewilderment.
However, knowing that he had inherited Teheran's legacy was a small comfort.
She believed that immense power would protect him.
“So, where is Arthur now?”
“He is in a meeting with the officers in the Knight Order's barracks.”
“Then tell him to come to me when he's finished.”
“Yes.”
As Leusanna left, Madeline sat down in her chair.
She opened a desk drawer and took out a box the size of her palm.
It bore the marks of a long time.
She looked at the box and thought of Count Malcolm.
‘Since he has inherited his legacy, I should give it to him, right? But I don't know if this is the right decision.’
Worry filled Madeline's face.
There was another person thinking of Arthur just as much as she was.
It was Aild.
Aild was on his way to see Arthur, having heard that he had returned after rescuing the captured soldiers.
The castle was buzzing with talk of him, and everyone, including himself, held him in awe.
Arthur had become strong enough to not only subjugate Orcs but also eliminate a formidable monster like an Ogre by himself.
The knights had also begun to follow and respect him.
From now on, the House of Count Julius would revolve around him.
But he, the one who was supposed to lead the family, had nothing he could do.
Although Wesley had passed on the ring, the symbol of the family head, to him before he died, no matter how much he thought about it, it was right for Arthur to have this ring, not him.
After much deliberation, he had finally made his decision today.
When he arrived in front of the Knight Order's command barracks, a knight bowed his head respectfully.
“He's inside, right?”
“Yes.”
Aild nodded and went inside.
In the barracks, Arthur, Millerf, Skevin, and other officers of the Knight Order were gathered for a meeting.
Arthur tilted his head, wondering why Aild had appeared here.
“What brings you here?”
“I heard you were back.”
Aild approached with a smile.
Arthur looked puzzled at his unusual behavior.
Aild looked at everyone and said, “I'm sorry for interrupting an important meeting. It will only take a moment, so please bear with me.”
“It's quite alright. Please speak freely.”
Millerf smiled benevolently.
Aild went and stood before Arthur, then took something out of his pocket and held it out to him.
‘That's!’
Skevin's eyes flashed as he saw the ring, the symbol of the family head.
Millerf, on the other hand, realized why Aild had come and watched the situation unfold.
Arthur also knew what the ring he was offering signified.
Therefore, he stared intently at Aild and asked, “What's the reason?”
“Because it suits you better than me.”
“Is that the only reason?”
“To add another reason, it's because I think you can make the Grada territory prosperous and strong.”
“Hmph.”
When Arthur chuckled, Aild grinned back.
“Go on, take it.”
“But I have no intention of just taking it.”
“What?”
Aild's face contorted.
Arthur thought for a moment, then with a solemn expression, he met the eyes of Aild, Millerf, Skevin, and everyone else in the barracks one by one.
Then he said in a firm voice,
“I promise. I will make this a place that no one can dare to look down on. And my people, those who follow me, will not be oppressed by anyone and will enjoy happiness and peace. This is the condition for my acceptance of this ring.”
“You…”
Aild's gaze wavered uncontrollably.
It wasn't just him; an overwhelming emotion welled up in the chests of everyone present.
In their beating hearts.
A dormant aspiration was awakened.
At the same time, a firm belief in Arthur was born deep within their hearts.
As if by silent agreement, they all knelt before Arthur and bowed their heads.
Millerf, too, bowed his head with the utmost respect he could show.
Arthur slid the ring onto his finger and clenched his fist tightly.
“I will never disappoint that faith.”