The sun shimmered beyond the horizon, casting its light over the land.

Clang, clang, clang!

As the sunlight illuminated the world, a group encircled the detached palace.

A banner bearing the emblem of a roaring silver lion fluttered in the breeze—a symbol Theo recognized all too well.

“The Iron Lion Knights.”

The second-most prestigious knight order of the Imperial Palace.

At the front of the group stood a man clad in intricately armored steel, evoking the image of a lion’s mane with his helmet.

“Traitor to the Empire! Theo Ragnar, come out at once!”

The booming voice of the knight commander echoed across the area, its reverberations piercing the morning air.

The noise stirred the citizens from their slumber. One by one, they emerged, whispering among themselves.

* “A traitor to the Empire?”

* “Ragnar? Isn’t he the Grand Duke of the North?”

* “Treason? Could it be regicide?”

For a Grand Duke to fall from grace, the charges had to be extreme—treason or the assassination of the monarch.

If they wanted to, the knights could have ambushed Theo to make the situation more complicated.

Instead, they sought a public spectacle.

“Bring them forward!”

At the command of the Iron Lion Knight Commander, one of his subordinates rushed behind the formation. Moments later, a group of captives was dragged forward, bound in chains.

Their bodies bore no unscathed parts—men and women alike were covered in wounds.

Though Theo didn’t know them personally, it wasn’t difficult to deduce who they were.

They were likely the staff employed at the Ragnar estate in the capital.

A nauseating sensation churned in Theo’s stomach.

“I thought I’d forgotten…”

Memories of an old nightmare resurfaced.

That fateful night before his regression—the night when his household was mercilessly slaughtered.

The cold lifeless bodies, the hollow eyes filled with despair—they all came rushing back.

It felt as if he were reliving that day. The captives before him overlapped with the faces of his former retainers.

“Pull yourself together.”

Lodbrok placed a firm hand on Theo’s shoulder, grounding him.

Only then did Theo realize he was drenched in cold sweat.

Swallowing down the rising nausea, Theo forced himself to focus on the captives.

“I can still save them.”

This time was different.

He wasn’t powerless anymore.

This time, he could protect them.

“Loddy, I’ll need your support.”

With that, Theo launched himself out of the window.

Lodbrok, watching Theo’s figure dart forward, chuckled softly and extended his hand.

Stealth magic was useless in such a situation.

Feeling the powerful wave of mana emanating behind him, Theo smirked.

“If this is the scenario they’ve set up, I’ll play the part to perfection.”

Boom!

When Theo landed, the ground beneath him cracked and caved.

Dust billowed in the air, and the sheer force of his presence left both the Iron Lion Knights and the gathered crowd in shock.

* “M-Monster!”

* “Run for your lives!”

The citizens scattered in a panic, while the Iron Lion Knights, drenched in cold sweat, raised their swords and spears against Theo.

“What exactly are the charges I’m being arrested for?”

Theo’s cold voice rang out, his killing intent sharpening into invisible blades that cut through the air, aimed squarely at Igor, the Iron Lion Knight Commander.

“Are you willing to surrender?”

Igor scoffed, drawing his sword with a disdainful smirk.

“You are accused of assassinating His Majesty, the Emperor. You’ll be tried for your crimes, and as a gesture of respect for your rank as Grand Duke, you’ll be granted a fair trial. Surrender quietly.”

The Knight Commander’s tone was indifferent, his smirk unbothered.

Theo instantly understood—the Iron Lion Knights had fallen under the sway of the Grand Duke.

It was the only explanation.

No knight, especially one sworn to the Emperor, would remain so emotionless upon learning of their liege’s death.

It was as if Igor had anticipated this outcome all along.

“When did the Second Imperial Knights become the Grand Duke’s lapdogs?”

“Say what you will. If you surrender quietly, the hostages will be released immediately.”

Igor’s shameless reply was like poison, and his calm demeanor only confirmed Theo’s suspicions.

That morning, as he gazed upon Emperor Horik’s lifeless body, Igor had made a choice.

The Emperor’s downfall had been inevitable—whether by deposition or assassination.

To Igor, today was merely the day that destiny had played out.

“If it’s for the sake of protecting my family, I’d sell my soul to the devil.”

Believing resistance against the Grand Duke would lead to his family’s annihilation, Igor had feigned cooperation with Felix while secretly aligning with the Grand Duke.

For Igor, today’s arrest was just another task—its truth or falsehood held no significance.

“And if I refuse?”

“Then their blood will stain the earth.”

As Igor’s words fell, the knights turned their blades toward the hostages.

Whizz!

Suddenly, flashes of light burst from behind Theo, accompanied by a piercing sound as objects tore through the air.

“Gah!?”

“M-My hand!”

“Ahhh!”

The flashes struck the knights poised to execute the hostages, causing their weapons to clatter to the ground.

“What… is that?”

Four daggers, identical in design to broken swords, hovered around the Ragnar staff as if shielding them.

“Stripping you of your lives would be a knight’s duty for abandoning your pride. But I’ll grant you one last chance.”

Shing.

Theo drew Caliburn and pointed it at Igor.

“Not that it matters anymore.”

Despite Theo’s warning, Igor showed no signs of wavering.

His gaze was filled with self-loathing.

“They must be holding his loved ones hostage.”

Using hostages to control the military was a brutally effective strategy.

Realizing persuasion was futile, Theo abandoned the idea.

“I’ve deemed capture impossible. Proceeding with immediate execution.”

Igor’s eyes turned cold as his voice grew ominous.

At his command, the hundreds of knights simultaneously unsheathed their weapons.

“Kill the Ragnar retainers!”

As Igor’s order resounded, the knights began advancing toward the hostages.

Boom!

Suddenly, the sky darkened, as if overshadowed by storm clouds.

But it wasn’t the weather. The knights quickly realized the oppressive force was something else entirely, and their faces turned ashen.

“Aahhh!”

“M-My body!?”

“Gravity magic?”

“Where is it coming from!?”

Clang, clang, clang!

Weapons fell to the ground as Lodbrok’s magic lifted the ten Ragnar retainers into the air.

Theo and Lodbrok used the moment to escape, taking the hostages with them.

“How many days will we need to flee?”

“First, we’ll secure a safe location for them. Then we’ll regroup with Felix.”

“I doubt that place will be much safer.”

The streets were already crawling with knights. Felix’s estate was unlikely to be any different.

“Until then, we’ll have to break through by force.”

Theo adjusted his grip on Caliburn.

“There’s Theo Ragnar!”

“Kill him!”

Recognizing Theo, the knights rushed forward.

Meanwhile, Felix, along with the Ragnar retainers, had gathered at an underground base located on the outskirts of the capital.

It was a secret stronghold Felix had established when he resolved to stand with Emperor Horik, known only to him.

Though he had ventured into the streets to retrieve Theo, the Iron Lion Knights had already flooded the capital.

“Igor… Ascold…”

Felix seethed, muttering the names of the knight commanders under his breath.

He hadn’t expected them to forsake the Emperor and choose power instead.

It was a disgrace to their honor as knights, and Felix was enraged at himself for ever considering them comrades.@@novelbin@@

“Commander, what’s the plan?”

Gaffel approached Felix with a worried expression.

Fighting two knight orders simultaneously was impossible.

The disparity in forces was immense, and both Igor and Ascold were fighters on par with Felix.

Even if Theo was strong, a lion could still fall prey to a well-coordinated pack of hyenas.

“We focus on extracting Theo. Gather the archers.”

At present, that was their best course of action.

Felix could only hope the Ragnar forces would arrive soon.

“Yes, understood.”

As Gaffel left to gather the archers, Felix scanned the streets.

“Kill him!”

The commotion began with a shout.

The source of the chaos was unmistakably Theo.

Felix caught sight of him sprinting through the alleyways, sword in hand, as knights formed a defensive formation to stop him.

“This is dangerous!”

A phalanx of knights clad in plate armor was a formidable blockade, even for a mounted force.

Charging into it alone was practically suicide—or so common sense dictated.

Boom!

A deafening explosion shattered that notion.

Felix blinked in disbelief as his understanding of the situation crumbled.

“…”

Steel shields flew into the air, and with every swing of Theo’s sword, heavily armored knights were launched skyward.

The scene before him was nothing short of absurd.

“Is he even human…?”

The words slipped from Felix’s mouth as he struggled to comprehend what he was witnessing.

Theo wasn’t using magic or channeling aura.

Pure strength alone allowed him to obliterate the knights’ defensive formations as if they were nothing.

“Commander, what in the world is that…?”

Even Gaffel was left speechless, his jaw agape as he watched.

“…Wait at the three-way intersection. I’ll draw them in. Once they’re in position, unleash the arrows all at once.”

Following Felix’s orders, Gaffel moved swiftly.

Felix’s gaze returned to Theo.

“He might not even need our support.”