Radiant Dragon’s Otherworldly Reincarnation

Chapter 210. Let’s Go Back (2)

Let’s turn back time a bit…

Alex Rowensky, currently serving in the Royal Knightly Order of the Kingdom of Atronia, received a summons from the King.

And he wasn’t the only one who came.

“Gerard, Kalin, you guys too?”

“You too, senior?”

“Why did he call us?”

Those who had achieved commendable results in Arcana had successfully joined the Royal Knightly Order after graduating from the Academy.

Graduating from the Academy, participating in Arcana, joining the Royal Knightly Order…

In fact, because they were living in the same era as a monster who did ridiculously outrageous things, it was easy to lose perspective, but these three were also promising young men who were on the elite track.

Especially Alex, who was so excellent that he was already serving as a squad leader in the knightly order.

For the King himself to come and summon such individuals meant…

“It’s probably an important mission.”

“I think so too.”

“Hmm, I suppose so.”

The three felt a moderate amount of tension, but they were not crushed by the pressure.

It was natural for a knight to serve the country and be loyal to the royal family.

Moreover, carrying out the King’s command was an honorable thing for a knight.

A fiery loyalty and spirit blazed in the hearts of the young knights.

“Go and bring back my son-in-law.”

At least, that was until they heard these words.

“Your Majesty the King.”

“By son-in-law, do you perhaps mean…?”

The King placed a hand on his forehead as if his head was aching, sighed, and said.

“I’m telling you to bring back Patrick Schneider, my daughter Isabella’s fiancé.”

“……”

This was crazy.

This was insane.

This was unbelievable.

They couldn’t say they wouldn’t do it to a direct order from the King, but for them to follow an order, it had to be something that resembled an order, right?

Bring back Patrick Schneider?

Was that as easy as it sounded?

Why would he give such a difficult mission to young knights like them? Why?

“If he refuses by any chance, you may use force. I permit it.”

“……”

That was a permission that was not helpful at all.

So what if they used force?

‘Would that even work?’

‘It would just increase the number of times we get beaten up.’

‘Did we do something wrong?’

Seeing that the anxiety and dissatisfaction did not disappear from the faces of the three young knights, the King sighed and said.

“I know it’s a difficult mission. But you are the only ones who can do it.”

Then Alex carefully said.

“Your Majesty, it is an honor that you think so highly of us. However, there are plenty of knights in the royal family who are more skilled than us.”

Please give the mission to someone else.

He said it as politely as he could.

Although it was of no use.

“There are many excellent knights in the royal family, but you are the only ones who have a connection with my son-in-law.”

“Umm…”

“Even my son-in-law wouldn’t assault his direct seniors from the academy whom he knows, would he?”

“……”

He would. He does that.

The words rose up to his throat, but he couldn’t bring himself to say them.

In the end, the answer was already decided.

“We will accept the command.”

And so, Alex and the others accepted the grave mission of bringing back Patrick Schneider.

***

“Hmm, so that’s why you seniors graced me with your presence?”

Patrick, who had heard the full explanation, glared at the seniors in front of him and said.

“No, why are you trying to bring me back when I’m diligently carrying out my knight’s training? Why?”

At Patrick’s words, Alex, whose face was swollen, said as if he was dumbfounded.

“Do you have a conscience or not?”

“I probably do. I’ve never checked, so I’m not sure…”

“You crazy bastard! What academy student on their knight’s training goes around beating up 7-star knights from other countries?”

“Ahem!”

“Don’t act so proud!”

“Ah, why? It greatly enhanced the honor of the kingdom, which is a good thing, right?”

“Oh, is that so? You think you did well until the end?”

“Well, I might have made a tiiiiny little mistake…”

To Patrick, who was looking away, Alex said.

“You split Count Calvin Spike of the Kaisar Kingdom in half, didn’t you? Why did you do that?”

“He was rude.”

“And as a result, you also went to war with the regular army of the Kaisar Kingdom?”

“What was I supposed to do when they were charging at me?”

“And you also dragged the Tower of Truth into it? What did you do? You crazy bastard! Why did you drag in one of the three major powers?”

“Ah, that turned out well. My fiefdom and the Tower of Truth are now in an alliance.”

“Huh? An alliance? A fiefdom with one of the three major powers, the Tower of Truth? Really?”

As Alex spoke, he looked over at where Riman was.

Then Riman nodded his head, sending a look that said, ‘That’s what happened.’

Alex grabbed the back of his neck and said.

“You crazy bastard… What are you going to do if a fiefdom makes an alliance with an external power on its own? What if you’re accused of treason?”

“It’s fine. This is something I got permission for from His Majesty the King (by throwing a tantrum).”

“Oh, is that so? Then I heard news that you messed up the current king of the Yusef Kingdom after that. Did you get permission for that too?”

“……”

Did I go a little too far?

To Patrick, who was having that thought, Alex shouted as if breathing fire from his mouth.

“After that, where did you go? Evergreen? We had to camp on the outskirts and wait continuously because we couldn’t chase you any further after you entered the forbidden zone.”

“Is that my fault? What?”

“Shut up and confess. What other trouble did you cause in there?”

“I didn’t cause much trouble. Do you think I’m some guy who only causes trouble all the time?”

He had instigated a coup d’état among the Elven race, changed the government, and then lent a hand in subjugating the Dark Elves. After the primordial tree, the World Tree, withered, he had accepted its seed within himself, annihilated the Demon who was secretly manipulating the Elven race from behind the scenes, and appointed a king for the Elven race, encouraging them to migrate entirely to his fiefdom.

It seemed that by Patrick’s standards, this wasn’t much trouble.

“How can I trust you? How!”

Alex beat his chest and said as if frustrated.

He went on a rampage, saying to Patrick.

“It’s only natural for His Majesty the King to be horrified when you go abroad and pick all sorts of fights and cause incidents.”

“……”

Patrick looked at a distant mountain and thought.

‘Did I go a little too far?’

You think?

***

Patrick, who had heard Alex’s long-winded explanation, was quietly arrested.

Well, if passing out drunk and snoring could be called an arrest.

Still, the personnel escorting Patrick did not let their guard down.

Although the person they had to arrest was lying with his head on the lap of a stunning beauty, muttering in his sleep, his danger level had to be assessed as the highest.

‘Though I wonder if that has any meaning.’

Alex chuckled with a world-weary expression.

In fact, he had some expectations when meeting Patrick after a long time.

What would he be like?

He wondered how his junior, who had gained fame throughout the continent since winning Arcana, would have changed.

Perhaps he would have a heavy presence and a dignity befitting a rising star of the continent ingrained in him?

He had such expectations, but…

‘He hasn’t changed at all.’

“He’s a very consistent guy.”

It was absurd, but also nice to see.

Just then, someone approached Alex’s side.

“Senior Rowensky. This is your share.”

It was Princess Isabella who brought soup in a tin cup.

As she brought the soup herself, Alex stood up as if it were a great honor and received the cup.

“It is an honor, Princess.”

Then Isabella chuckled and said.

“I’m still an academy student. So you can call me a junior.”

“……”

“Is something strange?”

“No, it’s just that…?”

Alex said with a dazed expression.

“You’ve changed a lot, Princess.”

“I have?”

“Yes. You’ve become much brighter. You also seem strangely refreshed.”

Alex remembered her from when she first enrolled as a first-year.

She was proud and beautiful.

But she was also cold and dark.

If you were to compare her to a flower, would it be a dark red rose that hadn’t fully bloomed?

Alex, the son of the Rowensky family, knew the general situation.

A powerless princess with no background.

If she grew up like this, she was destined to be sold off in the marriage market as a gift to a distant foreign country or a suitable noble. That was Isabella.

Ordinary royalty is educated to accept and embrace this fate, and they grow up that way.

But she did not.

To create her own place with her own strength, she took up a sword and swung it until her hands bled.

That image of her…

“Was beautiful.”

It was a word that slipped out unconsciously.

“Pardon?”

When Isabella asked what he meant, Alex was momentarily flustered. But…

“I’m talking about you, Princess.”

“……”

He just straightened his chest and calmly spoke his true feelings.

“You are as beautiful now as you were then.”

At Alex’s words, Isabella smiled as if slightly embarrassed and replied.

“Thank you.”

“Did you know that I liked you, Princess?”

“…Yes. Well.”

You’d have to be a fool not to know.

It was a rumor that had spread throughout the entire Knight Faculty.

Alex hastily continued.

“Ah, just in case, I’m not trying to make a move on you. My life is precious to me, you see.”

“Pfft…”

Seeing Alex draw a clear line, Isabella nodded her head and smiled.

Originally, there were many men who had courted her at the academy.

That was before she had the title of someone’s fiancée.

Courting Patrick Schneider’s fiancée?

There were no heroes who would challenge such a terrifying challenge.

However, the reason Alex was revealing his feelings now was to clearly sort out his own heart.

“I recently got a fiancée myself.”

“Oh? Really?”

“Yes. She’s a girl I’ve known since childhood, like a younger sister. I knew she had feelings for me, but I just thought it was a child’s stubbornness and saw her as cute…”

Alex chuckled.

The girl he had only seen as a cute younger sister had suddenly become a proper lady and confessed her feelings to him.

At that time, Alex was surprised at himself for accepting that confession as if he were possessed.

“Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

The two tin cups clinked lightly.

And Alex said.

“Although it was for a short time, it was an honor to be able to love you. I wanted to say that.”

And he was also about to say, I’m glad you seem happy now, but…

Hmm, he decided not to.

‘It’s jealousy, isn’t it?’

Admitting that she had become much brighter and happier after getting engaged to that ruffian was, for some reason, unfair.

To such an Alex, Isabella smiled and said.

“Senior.”

“……?”

Isabella looked straight at Alex and said.

“A promising young genius like you held feelings for me. This will also become a proud memory for me. So…”

“……”

“Thank you. Please be happy.”

At Isabella’s bright smile, Alex bowed his head respectfully.

It was fine if the emotion in that smile wasn’t affection.

It was fine if the person she would smile for her entire life was not him.

If he could remain as a fond memory in her memories, that alone was enough to repay his heart.

***

“Hooooo…”

Patrick let out a long breath to relax. And he looked at the ultimate enemy before him.

“What are you doing?”

“……”

“Don’t be scared, just come at me.”

Hmm, I hate to admit it, but he’s obnoxious.

Long black hair, a body wrapped in a red robe, and a gaze mixed with arrogance and madness.

The opponent before him was undoubtedly the ultimate enemy.

Radiant Dragon Great Master Jin Cheon.

Patrick flew towards that powerful enemy without hesitation.

[ Twin Dragons Eight Sword Forms: Third Form: Flashing Dragon Strike ]

His most confident attack.

Therefore, the technique he used the most and trusted the most.

For Patrick, the Flashing Dragon Strike was such a technique. But…

“Slow.”

[ Twin Dragons Eight Sword Forms: Third Form: Original: Flashing Dragon Strike ]

The Flashing Dragon Strike of the Radiant Dragon Great Master Jin Cheon, which started later, collided head-on with Patrick’s Flashing Dragon Strike.

Kwaaaaaang!

“Kuk…”

He was inferior in both speed and power.

Patrick gave up on fighting with force and tried to retreat far back to correct his posture. But…

“If you’re scared, you should die, right?”

The Radiant Dragon Great Master Jin Cheon, who had already penetrated his defenses, followed up with the next attack before Patrick could even get into position.

[ Twin Dragons Eight Sword Forms: Fourth Form: Twin Dragons Wild Dance ]

In the face of the storm of countless slashes, Patrick hurriedly responded with the same technique. But…

Kwang! Kwangkwang!

His own sword was lightly shattered.

Before even discussing the understanding of the sword path or speed, the power was just too different.

Patrick’s Aura Blade could not withstand the vicious power of that Radiant Dragon Great Master.

“This is the end.”

And dozens of slashes flew at the defenseless Patrick’s entire body, cutting him into pieces.

That was the last sight Patrick saw.

***

“Tsk.”

Patrick, who had opened his eyes, clicked his tongue lightly.

And he wiped his forehead, which was dotted with sweat, and said.

“Still a long way to go.”

Since it was training in his mindscape, he had set the standard quite strictly.

He had fought while remembering the prime days of the Radiant Dragon Great Master Jin Cheon as he knew him.

But even so, it was too one-sided.

It was unavoidable.

No matter how much experience and memories were passed down, the training periods of the Radiant Dragon Great Master Jin Cheon and the Double Dragon Patrick Schneider were different.

From inner energy to the degree of skeletal growth, everything was bound to be different.

Until now, Patrick had been aware of this problem but had not paid much attention to it.

Because he thought that his current strength was enough to carry out his will.

When he saw the Sword Saint at Arcana, he was surprised, but also disappointed.

‘This is all the continent’s strongest has to offer?’

If the goal is low, the motivation to strive for it doesn’t arise.

That was the human heart.

Even the great prodigy Patrick Schneider was like that. But this knight’s training journey was enough to change Patrick’s thinking.

The regular army of the Kaisar Kingdom was stronger than he thought.

Although their level of martial arts was low, it was quite tricky when 7-star knights, accompanied by mages and heavy-armored knights, formed a formation and pressed him.

On top of that, considering the destructive power of the mages’ attacks…

‘It was amazing.’

That wasn’t all.

A brat who awakened on his own and unleashed the Emperor Sword Form appeared out of nowhere.

A Demon came picking a fight, emitting a vicious Demonic Energy.

The knights of the Pangemonia Continent were at a lower level than the martial artists of Jianghu.

But the entire military power of this continent was not necessarily inferior to the Murim of the Central Plains.

‘I underestimated this place too much.’

That was the biggest lesson Patrick learned through this knight’s training journey.

And crucially…

‘The Walking Calamity… Black Tortoise.’

An enemy against whom he could not guarantee victory with his current self.

And what was troublesome was that the World Tree had talked as if it was his natural destiny to fight that monster.

In the end, the conclusion was reached.

‘I lack strength. As I am now.’

He had to become stronger.

It was a cliché, but that was the conclusion Patrick came to.

Although it was a knight’s training journey, he hadn’t seriously thought he would gain anything from it, but just reaching this conclusion was value enough.

A clear goal had been set.

So it seemed that this was enough for the knight’s training journey for now.

Patrick, who had reached a conclusion, said with a faint smile.

“Let’s go back.”