The Count's Gun-Shooting Scoundrel-Chapter 72

Click.
Arthur opened the door and stepped into the barracks.
The man closest to him stirred slightly at the moonlight filtering through the gap in the door, then turned his back.
Arthur watched silently, suppressing his presence as much as possible, and walked forward.
On either side of the path, Lannister Knights lay in deep sleep.
It was when he had reached the end of the barracks and was walking back towards the entrance.
He sensed a presence behind him.
“Who’s there?”
Someone lunged forward with a chilling voice.
Arthur quickly spun around, deflecting the incoming punch with his hand while simultaneously ramming his shoulder forward.
Thud!
The man flew backward.
Bang! Knights uniformly sprang to their feet with a shout.
“Intruder!”
Peeep!
They blew whistles and charged at Arthur, showering him with attacks.
Arthur moved swiftly, dodging and counterattacking.
One of them yelled, “Block his escape!”
The men uniformly blocked the path, completely sealing off the entrance.
From behind, more of them blocked the way. Then, they rushed in from both sides, throwing punches.
Sharp attacks flew from all directions.
But for Arthur, who had activated his heightened senses, they posed no threat.
He calmly dodged and counterattacked.
As a fierce exchange of blows unfolded, some brought out Black Spears and thrust them without mercy.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
They flew with terrifying speed.
Arthur judged that blocking or deflecting them with the edge of his hand was impossible. He quickly spun around, blocking them with a kick, then rammed his shoulder into the man in front.
Thud!
The man flew backward, tangling with his comrades, and an opening was created.
Arthur bolted towards the entrance like lightning.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
The man leading them quickly charged, delivering a kick.
Arthur swiftly dodged and threw a punch.
The man also evaded the attack, then launched another kick.
The kicks flew continuously in mid-air, similar to Taekwondo’s ‘Narae Chagi’ – a consecutive kick.
‘What the…’
Arthur was slightly surprised.
He dodged one kick and blocked the rest with his raised arm.
Thwack! Thwack!
A heavy impact resonated through his arm.
The man swiftly closed the distance to Arthur’s chest and launched a knee strike towards his chin.
Unlike other Knights, this man knew how to use his legs freely.
But when even that attack failed, the man’s face hardened.
‘He dodged even this attack?’
While the man hesitated for a moment, Arthur quickly charged and delivered a front kick.
“...!”
His eyes widened at the lightning-fast attack.
The man quickly crossed his arms to block.
Thump!
With a dull sound, his face contorted.
‘What kind of power is this!’
Arthur nimbly stepped and delivered a kick like a flash of lightning.
Thwack!
After striking both thighs once, he pushed off the ground, jumped, and delivered a back kick.
Thwack-!
“Ugh!”
The man flew into the air and fell backward.
Thump!
While everyone stood dumbfounded, Arthur swiftly escaped out of the barracks.
“Catch him!”
“Don’t let him get away!”
By the time they rushed outside, the intruder had vanished like smoke.
“Damn it! He got away!”
“Who the hell was that intruder?”
As everyone wore serious expressions, Bakun, who had fought Arthur one-on-one, came out clutching his stomach.
He still looked pained, as if the shock hadn’t worn off, and looked around.
“Are you okay?”
“Let’s get you to the infirmary.”
As his comrades approached to help him, Bakun shook his head and stared intently at something.
Everyone’s gaze followed where he was looking.
The Giant Wolves were sleeping peacefully.
Only then did everyone wear puzzled expressions.
“Huh? Now that you mention it, why are those guys just staying put?”
“Yeah. They should have sensed the intruder. Even if they didn’t, we blew the whistle.”
“Why were they just still?”
Everyone’s faces were full of questions.
Arthur silently watched the scene from the roof of the building opposite.
He then etched the faces of Bakun and a few other men he had fought into his mind.
After that, he moved to where the Horkamun Tribe was gathered.
Unlike other Knight Orders, they did not reside in barracks but lived in tents pitched in the open ground behind the castle.
Their lifestyle, long accustomed to camping, meant they were gradually adapting to change.
Because of this, they reacted very sensitively to even small noises, and though it was the time for deep sleep, they were all awake.
“Shouldn’t we go check?”
Bukas approached Alteon.
“It seems to have settled down, so maybe it’s over?”
“What the hell happened?”
“We’ll hear about it in the morning.”
Alteon turned around and gestured to his comrades as if it were nothing.
It was just as the men were about to enter their tents.
“What the- who’s that guy?”
At Bukas’s words, Alteon turned back around.
From the dimness, a man in black attire was approaching very calmly.
Appearing at this hour, even masked, he likely didn’t have good intentions.
“Interesting.”
Alteon curled the corners of his mouth, far from feeling nervous.
Bukas smiled with his eyes and nodded.
“I guess that commotion was probably because of him?”
“And he just had to escape our way.”
Alteon cracked his neck from side to side and clenched his fists.
“Heh heh.”
The men who had been about to enter their tents smirked and blocked Arthur’s escape route.
‘Just as I expected.’
There was a reason Arthur didn’t go to the Phoenix or Defen Knights but came here.
He had assumed that these men, who lived camping unlike the Knight Orders, would react instantly to even the slightest sound and would all be awake.
When he first met them, he hadn’t been able to properly assess their skills due to fighting Blizan.
He had watched them train in the training ground during the day, but there would certainly be a difference from how they performed in actual combat.
Thus, he thought now was the right time to gauge their abilities.
‘Those guys first.’
Arthur shot towards Alteon like an arrow.
‘What the-’
Alteon was inwardly flustered, seeing that the man’s movements were unusual.
In an instant, he was right in front of him and threw a punch.
“Damn it!”
He crossed both arms in an X-shape, blocking the punch aimed at his chest.
Thump!
“...!”
The impact was so strong that he felt it in his bones.
He hadn’t felt a shock like this since Blizan.
Next, a kick flew towards his face.
“Damn it!”
He hastily raised his arm.
Thud!
He barely blocked it, but the impact was so great that his upper body reeled, forcing him to one knee.
“Alteon!”
Bukas drew a dagger from his waist and charged.
Swish!
With a sound of cutting air, the dagger flew, aiming for Arthur’s heart.
“Oh!”
Arthur lightly deflected the dagger with the edge of his hand and closed in on Bukas’s chest.
Thwack!
“Ugh!”
Bukas received a blow to the chest and collapsed.
As the squad leaders were taken down in the blink of an eye, the men’s eyes widened, and they all charged.
“Kill him!”
Punches and kicks flew from all directions.
It was similar to the Lannister Knights’ attacks earlier, but the movements and the murderous intent they exuded were different.
They were more agile and nimble, and a raw, primal murderous intent, like that felt from wild beasts, pressed down on him.
‘Not bad.’
These were the kind of men whose murderous intent would instill fear in enemies.
Arthur dodged and blocked their attacks, then counterattacked.
A tense, one-against-many battle unfolded.
After about ten minutes had passed.
Knights, along with sentries, came into view in the distance.
‘Time to go?’
He quickly leaped over the wall and escaped the area.
A moment later.
Knights stormed into the Horkamun Tribe’s residence.
“Where is he?”
“Where did he go?”
Bukas, who was lying on the ground, grimaced and pointed at the wall.
“Don’t let him get away!”
The Lannister Knights uniformly rushed towards the wall.
One of the Defen Knights approached Alteon.
“Did you get hit too?”
“Hit? Me?”
Alteon glared at him, eyes wide.
It was Huruma, a Defen Knight of similar build to himself. He was a man who, despite his size, used a sharp mind to deal with enemies.
“You’re asking that, so I guess you got hit by him?”
“I was just messed with.”
“A prank?”
A question appeared on Alteon’s face.
Huruma silently watched the Lannister Knights leap over the wall.
‘Who the hell was that?’
***
“Young Master!”
Andrew rushed in while Arthur was looking in the mirror, tidying his clothes.
“What’s wrong so early in the morning?”
Andrew caught his breath and replied, “There was an intruder in each of the Knight Orders’ barracks last night, sir.”
Arthur, who had been looking at the mirror, stopped and looked at Andrew.
Andrew, meeting his gaze, swallowed and continued, “Fortunately, there were no casualties, sir.”
“What about the dungeon?”
“No issues there. It seems he only appeared in the barracks where the Knights reside.”
“I should go check myself.”
Arthur, feigning complete ignorance, left the room with Andrew.
Exiting the castle and entering the training ground, Knights were lined up.
Seeing the Vigilantes at the back, it seemed all the Knights in the castle had gathered.
Hellot stood on the platform, looking at them with a serious face.
Arthur decided to listen to what he had to say first.
Hellot looked alternately at the Knight Orders that had been attacked by the intruder yesterday and asked, “Was there only one intruder?”
A heavy silence fell over the training ground.
“At least 50 men were stationed in each barracks he infiltrated, yet he got away.”
Everyone hung their heads, looking ashamed.
Hellot furrowed his brows and said firmly, “All Knight Orders, including the Phoenix Knights, who failed their patrol, will participate in training without exception.”
The Knights obeyed his command without a peep.
While Hellot was explaining the training schedule, the Knight Commanders appeared, having just finished their meeting.
Seeing Arthur standing at the entrance, they approached and respectfully bowed.
Arthur looked at Drakan, Hectro, Alteon, and Adlan one by one.
“So, there was an intruder last night?”
“Yes, sir.”
Hectro replied, and Arthur continued, “Considering there was no damage, it’s highly likely he didn’t get what he wanted. He might appear again tonight.”
“We plan to have 24-hour emergency standby teams. If he shows up this time, he won’t escape.”
“You’re full of confidence.”
“We defeated a large army; why would we fear a single intruder?”
Hectro was brimming with confidence.
“Then, keep up the good work.”
Arthur said only that and left the area.
They believed his departure without reprimand meant he trusted them.
“We’ll find out who he is tonight.”
Drakan’s eyes gleamed sharply.
At the same time, Alteon tightly gripped his massive mace, recalling the man.
“Just let him show his face in front of me again. I’ll break his legs.”
***
After leaving the training ground, Arthur ascended to the castle wall and looked towards the West Mountain Range.
The defensive wall wasn’t visible yet, but it would be clear once completed.
The main entry points for monsters had been blocked, and in an emergency, he could receive immediate s.
If that happened, it would buy them time to respond to their attacks.
Moreover, his own abilities were continuously upgrading.
‘If I can just get that...’
As a determined expression settled on Arthur’s face, he sensed a presence behind him.
‘Just in time.’
He turned around to see Dark standing before him, bowing.
“You were here, sir.”
“On patrol?”
“Yes, sir. After discussing the intruder incident last night with the Knight Commanders, we decided that we would take over patrol duties during training hours.”
“Gather the men, I have something to tell them.”
“Now, sir?”
Dark was surprised.
The Arthur he knew would never give such a command during an emergency.
But his face, far from being serious, held a meaningful smile.
‘What’s with that reaction...?’
A lightning bolt of understanding flashed through Dark’s mind, who had been wearing a puzzled expression.
Arthur, seeing the gleam in his eyes, curled the corners of his mouth and said, “I’ve prepared a special training for you all.”
“Yes, sir.”
Dark swiftly descended.
Hoo-ah!
Hoo-ah!
In the training ground, the Knights’ shouts echoed powerfully through the sky.
The sound was strong and intense.
But unlike usual, a fierce venom could be felt in it.
It seemed to contain all their anger towards the intruder.
However, those who hadn’t experienced the events of yesterday were still full of arrogance.
And these were the very men who should have been most cool-headed and tense.
Arthur’s eyes gleamed ominously.
‘Such petty arrogance...’