The Biography of Albrecht - Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Translator: Nezu

Editor: Daed

Albrecht stood before Elisa’s tombstone as he thought about his memories of her. Her breath, her touch, and her bubbly yet gentle personality. Her last words lingered in his mind.

‘Albrecht, I love you.’

Though the situation back then didn’t allow him to answer her, he still regretted not being able to tell her he loved her. He wanted to put a funeral wreath on the tombstone but winter made it difficult to find any decent flowers.

“Hey, I have to go now. Goodbye.”

After he had bid farewell to Elisa’s tombstone, he returned to Georg’s mansion.

Albrecht, who was now fully armed, hoisted all the items that he prepared for his trip onto the horse’s saddle. Georg helped him look for a blacksmith to repair his equipment.

The blacksmith told him that he couldn’t repair Siegfried’s Thunder Axe. He didn’t know what it was made of. However, even though it had scratches everywhere, its blade was still sharp; it  seemed as good as new.

Albrecht found this discovery mysterious since he had been using the axe to cut human flesh, bones, and armor—yet it remained sharp.

According to the blacksmith, it might be the work of a dwarf. Albrecht had heard the phrase ‘you sound like an elf or a dragon’ in this world a lot of times, but he had never heard someone mention anything about dwarves.

Albrecht mounted his horse. There were many people around him, wanting to see him off. Diego tried to convince him several times to leave next spring so he could travel by boat, but the boy wanted to leave as soon as possible.

The city of Roybeck somehow made Albrecht feel uncomfortable now. Though he did harbor feelings for Elisa, his affection for her made him lose his way and forget his friends. In the end, Elisa died tragically. Being in this city constantly reminded him of his ugly, foolish side.

“Someday. We’ll see each other again someday, right? You can come to Lucrezia anytime. If you don’t find me there then I’ll probably be in Vivar. You can always count on me if you ever need help. I’ll run to you even if I’m on the other side of the world,” Diego said with a forced smile, feeling the sorrow of saying goodbye.

“I’ll probably be in Kaltern later, though? Actually, I’m not really sure where I’ll be in the future. Haha. I’ll visit you if I don’t have anything to do.”

Albrecht folded himself inwards while on his horse to hug Diego. Elena, Martina, and Anna also came over to give him a hug. The four of them, together with Georg and the mansion’s workers, had come out to see Albrecht off.

It was now December; winter had long since arrived.

***

The area that Albrecht traversed was not as chilly as he had thought even in the middle of winter. Probably because of its proximity to the eastern coast, it carried an oceanic climate.

Kaltern was colder during the summer and warmer during the winter when compared to Korea’s weather. Incessant rainfall was also more common throughout the year than torrential rain.

Although this area’s winters were warmer than Korea’s, it wasn’t good for those who were camping outside. Without taking proper countermeasures against the cold, it would be easy to freeze to death at night while sleeping.

No matter how strong Albrecht was, even he was vulnerable to the cold.

When he woke up early in the morning, his body felt heavy and stiff. But soon, his body recovered quickly after moving and stretching.

The fatigue from travelling was not to be underestimated. Travelling itself was a drudgery; it made sleeping unpleasant and eating tiresome. It was also impossible to have the chance to take a bath…

Since Roybeck was located near the border between the North Continent and the Central Region, Albrecht decided to head southwest. He was now on the third day of his journey. When night fell, he went on a walk by the woods, looking for a place to settle down for the night.

‘If only I could find a big rock.’

One thing Albrecht discovered on his journey was that sleeping near a big rock was the perfect place for someone sleeping outside. Sleeping with his back against the rock at least covered his back from the cold. It was even better if there was a river next to it.

But there was no big rock in sight. Albrecht had no choice but to rest for now. He tied his horse’s reins to a nearby tree.

‘You’ve been working hard. Sorry.’

Albrecht patted his horse gently a few times before he began to collect branches and fallen leaves. He used the collected tree debris to make a fire with a flint.

Sitting with his back against the tree, he put on his hooded cloak. He looked at the fire, recalling his previous memories. Then he closed his eyes, hoping to fall asleep.

But then, minutes later, in the distance came the sound of someone approaching. Albrecht didn’t stand up; he only opened his eyes to check his opponent. Soon, a fully armed knight clad in, wearing chain armor and a surcoat appeared with a shield.

He was a middle-aged man with reddish brown hair and a thick beard. His eyes were calm.

“Are you the Knight King?”

“So?”

“That’s a nice title. ‘Knight King’.”

Albrecht watched him intently as he asked, “You have any business with me?”

“I came here to kill you.”

“Alone?”

“Yeah.”

Didn’t he know me? Or maybe he’s a hired knight who came from afar so he doesn’t know anything about Roybeck’s current situation? Anyway, so what?

“Did Gachelin send you?”

“Yeah.”

“Hoh, is it alright to reveal your employer like that?”

“It’s an assassin’s job to protect their employer’s details. But I’m a knight. If I were an assassin, I would’ve waited for you to sleep first before attacking you.”

Albrecht also thought that the man was indeed a knight. He stood up, taking his shield and axe as he did so. Then he said, “There’s no need anymore for introductions then.”

The other knight drew his sword. No more words were needed between the two knights.

The knight lowered his stance and brought his shield forward. When Albrecht saw his posture, he had a gut feeling that the man was an expert. There was a difference in their posture even when they did the same thing.

Albrecht became slightly nervous after he put his shield forward as well. When the knight slowly crept closer, he thrust his sword forward from below. Then he jumped back and his sword changed direction. It slid down the top of his shield like a snake, headed for Albrecht’s face. Even Albrecht almost couldn’t respond to how natural and fast the man’s movements were.

Albrecht quickly raised his shield, lowered his head, and pushed the knight’s sword away. At the same time, he raised his axe and swung it firmly.

Usually, whenever his attacks were blocked by a shield, his opponent’s shield would break after his arm dropped.

Yet when he looked at what happened in front of him, he didn’t feel his axe touching anything. Instead, it made a vibrating sound and merely struck the space in front of the knight.

‘The fuck was that?!’

Albrecht knew about the art of drawing a shield but he had never imagined such a perfect execution.

The other knight was equally surprised. His execution was obviously flawless, but he felt his arm go numb. Normally, if the opponent had an opening, he would swiftly take advantage of it. But this time, he couldn’t.

The two knights stood face to face while admiring each other. Albrecht threw his shield onto the ground and held his axe with both hands. He had flung away his shield without hesitation because he thought he would have no chance of winning if he continued to fight with it.

He was confident that a weapon wielded with both hands was faster and stronger than any other weapon.

But was it really? Or did I just come up with that conclusion after all my experience in this world?

He was obviously in danger. Albrecht had once thought that because he was too strong, it was impossible for him to die, even more so in a one-on-one situation.

However, this current situation he was in was different. He had to put his life on the line. His heart was beating wildly in excitement.

‘With or without that shield technique, I’ll bring you down.’

Albrecht lowered his stance and approached slowly first. As soon as he raised his axe, the other knight immediately rushed in. Albrecht swung his axe with both hands but was startled with his enemy’s action. His opponent didn’t drop his shield and seemed like he was ready to give up one of his arms to come closer to him. The knight immediately thrust his sword forward towards Albrecht’s head.

Albrecht’s axe touched the shield but the knight’s sword came close to his face. At that moment, Albrecht leaned back, trying to avoid the blade.

The axe broke down the shield, and the force broke his opponent’s arm. But he lost his balance, which weakened his strength. The knight swung his sword almost immediately. It touched Albrecht’s left jaw, went above his lips, and reached just below his eyes.

A flash of lightning appeared the moment the knights crossed each other.

The knight staggered from the impact, its force traveling down to his arms and ribs. He forced himself to stand properly but he couldn’t.

Albrecht quickly appeared at his side and kicked the knight’s sword. The man’s other arm broke and he dropped the sword. The knight fell to his knees and looked up at Albrecht.

With blood dripping down his face, Albrecht told him, “It was a great duel, knight.”

The knight grinned. Then his head fell.

Albrecht shuddered as he looked at the decapitated knight. The man must have practiced martial arts all his life and had experience in combat. He risked his life without hesitation to have a chance at winning. But so did Albrecht.

Both sides engaged in battle, knowing full well that they had to fight for their lives. And Albrecht won. He didn’t know how to describe and where to compare the feeling he felt. It was nothing but thrilling.