The Return of the Genius Ranker’s Myth Warehouse - Chapter 99

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 99
Chapter 99
“Damn it. Even if they’re reserve knights, assigning orc extermination to a knight? Does this even make sense?”
The Empire possessed countless knight orders.
Among them, Cayden of the Golden Spear Knights, one of the most renowned orders, was in a foul mood today.
Originally, today was supposed to be one of the rare rest days for the knight order.
But he had been suddenly mobilized for orc subjugation near Labelt.
After spending the entire day crushing orcs, he finally finished and could return to the Imperial Palace.
“An Orc Lord appeared? That doesn’t make any sense?”
The reason for the sudden orc subjugation mobilization.
It was because of the Orc Lord.
An Orc Lord, no less.
Cayden, having received basic history lessons, knew of the Orc Lord’s existence.
But wasn’t the Orc Lord a legendary monster that appeared once every three hundred years?
Not only did such a monster suddenly appear now, but…
“And some unknown adventurer collapsed a cliff, fought the Orc Lord one-on-one, and defeated it? Are you serious right now?”
Some unheard-of adventurer had wiped out the Orc Lord and an army of thirty thousand orcs.
With the Orc Lord defeated, today’s mission was to subjugate the wandering orcs.
Moreover, this adventurer had apparently been recognized for their Achievement and was currently invited to the Imperial Palace.
“What kind of con artist is trying to deceive the Imperial Palace with such an absurd story?”
I was too dumbfounded to say anything more.
And how stupid must the higher-ups be to fall for such a scam?
That con artist deserved to be arrested immediately and executed for deceiving the Imperial Palace.
With such thoughts, Cayden headed toward the Stable.
“Phew. When I’m stressed, I really should go see our Alfredo.”
Alfredo.
A magnificent steed his father had given him as a congratulatory gift when he joined the Golden Spear Knights.
Though he hadn’t fully tamed it yet, it wouldn’t be long before he could gallop across the battlefield with Alfredo.
But then.
“Neigh!”
There were still people at the Riding Ground.
And one of them was riding a horse that…
“Dragonsteed?”
Cayden recognized the steed.
Dragonsteed—a renowned horse that no member of the Golden Spear Knights could fail to know.
After the previous captain retired, no one had ridden the legendary steed, yet someone was now galloping across the Riding Ground mounted upon it.
“How did they manage to tame it? I couldn’t even do it.”
Cayden recalled the past.
When he first joined the Golden Spear Knights.
He had entered the Stable and fallen head over heels for Dragonsteed’s appearance, desperately attempting to tame it.
A legendary steed once ridden by the previous Knight Commander.
How magnificent would it be if I could ride such a noble beast myself?
With that thought, I fed it every expensive delicacy imaginable, only to fail in taming it after being bitten on the head and kicked by its hind legs, suffering terrible injuries in the process.
Alfredo was a gift from my father, meant to console me after such a humiliating failure.
Yet now, someone was taming the Dragonsteed?
Cayden rushed urgently to the stable keeper and demanded answers.
“Hey! Who is that person? How is he riding the Dragonsteed?”
“Oh, isn’t it magnificent? It’s as if we’re witnessing the former Knight Commander in his prime….”
“Stop spouting nonsense and tell me who he is!”
“Ah! Oh, Cayden, you’ve arrived. You must have heard—the tale of the adventurer who defeated the Orc Lord.”
“The Orc Lord?”
I didn’t believe it at first either, but seeing him like this, I have no choice but to accept it. Isn’t it absolutely magnificent?”
Cayden’s brow furrowed sharply.
So this wretch was that con artist he’d only heard rumors about?
This con artist was spouting nonsense about the Orc Lord, ruining his day off, and now—not content with infiltrating the Imperial Palace—he was even eyeing the Dragonsteed?
All the irritation and rage that had accumulated throughout the day surged forth explosively.
‘Wait.’
Then.
A brilliant idea suddenly struck Cayden.
‘If I defeat this con artist, wouldn’t that benefit me regardless of the outcome?’
If this con artist truly was a fraud as Cayden suspected.
Then Cayden, who defeated the con artist and exposed his deception, would become the knight who saw through the swindle.
Conversely, even if it seemed impossible, what if this con artist had actually managed to defeat the Orc Lord through sheer luck?
Then Cayden would become the knight who defeated the adventurer who slew the Orc Lord.
Either way, it would prove the adventurer’s achievements were nothing special, or demonstrate that Cayden’s strength surpassed even that of the Orc Lord’s slayer.
“Hehehehe.”
Delighted with his own flawless plan, Cayden approached the adventurer who had just finished his ride.
“Are you the adventurer called Mir?”
He could vent his stress by beating up this adventurer he despised.
A golden opportunity to prove his worth—the strength of the youngest member of the Golden Spear Knights, so long dismissed and underestimated.
“The adventurer spreading baseless rumors about slaying the Orc Lord?”
How could he possibly let such an opportunity slip away?
* * *
A knight appeared suddenly, issuing a challenge.
To anyone watching, it was clearly the tone of someone picking a fight.
I had just learned the Riding Skill and was in excellent spirits.
I was about to respond to this stranger’s provocation.
“What seems to be the matter?”
Lugard stepped forward and responded to the knight on my behalf.
“As a knight of the Empire, I cannot overlook a con artist spreading lies about slaying the Orc Lord.”
“I can personally vouch for Mir’s accomplishments.”
“And how exactly would you do that?”
“I conducted operations alongside Mir and witnessed with my own eyes as he defeated the Orc Lord.”
“Ha! And who are you?”
“Second Subjugation Commander of Labelt, Lugard.”
I had assumed the Second Subjugation Commander was a fairly high-ranking position.
But judging by their exchange, the status of an Imperial knight seemed far more elevated than I’d anticipated.
Just looking at their ages—Lugard appeared at least a decade older—yet he was being addressed in such a manner, which spoke volumes.
“Ah, I’ve heard about that! There was a senior who got expelled from the Knight Order and joined the Subjugation Expedition. So that was you?”
“It was a voluntary withdrawal, not an expulsion.”
“Voluntary withdrawal? Please. You were clearly cast out for lacking the skill. Why, does it bother you? Did you really think I’d treat someone expelled from the Knight Order as a senior?”
I had expected Lugard to handle this with grace.
But from what I could see, this person had no intention of backing down.
It was clear they’d come looking for a confrontation with their mind already made up. There was no way gentle words would send them away.
Lugard maintained his composure even as the knight provoked him, attempting to dismiss them without losing his temper on my behalf.
“Why are you suddenly picking a fight?”
“…Mir.”
“It’s fine.”
I had no intention of simply listening any further.
Lugard tried to stop me, but I wasn’t about to sit quietly and accept insults.
“A fight? I told you—I can’t let a fraud like you walk free.”
“Are you saying my defeat of the Orc Lord is a fraud?”
“Of course it is. Deceiving the Imperial Palace with such an absurd lie—you deserve to lose your head for insulting the throne.”
“What basis do you have for calling it fraud? I have plenty of evidence and proof.”
“Evidence and proof? Ha, you think dragging in this one commander counts as evidence? It looks like you two cooked this up together. That won’t work on me.”
Yet they themselves had neither evidence nor grounds.
They seemed remarkably convinced of their own theory.
It appeared they would never believe anything I or Lugard said.
“No, my true witness is the Capital Defense Commander.”
“…The Capital Defense Commander?”
“The Wyvern Knights were there as well.”
How would they respond to this?
Regardless of the commander’s rank, it was incomparably higher than a mere knight’s.
Honestly, I wasn’t even sure if a single knight had the right to dismiss a commander.
Moreover, the Wyvern Knights—weren’t they the most prestigious order in the entire Empire?
Thinking this should convince them, I deliberately mentioned both names.
The knight seemed momentarily flustered and appeared to back away.
“Ha, so you really did plan this fraud carefully. I don’t know how you managed it, but it won’t work on me. None of this makes any sense to begin with.”
Even after hearing the names of the Capital Defense Commander and the Wyvern Knights, they had decided not to believe me.
“An Orc Lord appeared, and you defeated it alone? Your fraud will be exposed soon enough.”
“So?”
“That’s why I, Cayden, a formal knight of the Golden Spear Knights, will punish your crimes here and now.”
“What right do you have?”
“Didn’t I tell you? I’m Cayden, a formal knight of the Golden Spear Knights! That’s who I am! And another thing—what gives you the confidence to speak informally to me from the start? To a knight of the Imperial Palace?”
“Because you spoke informally to me first.”
“You fraud…!”
As expected.
This man was beyond reasoning.
Right, I hadn’t expected our conversation to resolve anything anyway.
“So what are you getting at? Stop wasting time with your mouth and get to the point.”
“You fraud, now that I see you’re serious, this is really…!”
“If you’re just going to talk, I’ll be on my way.”
“Wait!”
Cayden, a formal knight of the Golden Spear Knights.
He placed one fist over the Golden Spear emblem engraved on his left chest, then pointed at me with his other hand and spoke.
“Follow me to the Training Ground. As a knight of the Golden Spear Knights, I, Cayden, will punish your crimes!”
* * *
After the knight Cayden challenged me to a duel.
I quietly followed him to the Training Ground.
Lugard tried to stop me, offering to handle the matter himself.
“It’s fine.”
I stopped him first.
I was bored anyway, and I was curious about the level of the Empire’s knights.
There was no harm in accepting a duel.
The Golden Spear Knights’ Training Ground wasn’t far from the Riding Ground.
As soon as we entered, I could see several knights training even in the dead of night.
“Cayden, what’s this about?”
“Nothing serious, senior. I’m simply executing justice as a knight.”
“…What nonsense is that?”
“Please consider this a formal duel for now.”
A senior from the same knight order spoke to Cayden, but he deliberately avoided mentioning the Orc Lord or words like “fraud.”
Probably because he didn’t want to lose the credit he’d gain from defeating me.
He was likely planning to hide the information for now and reveal the truth the moment he defeated me.
“Come on, stand up! Out of consideration for the difference in our levels, I won’t use a real sword.”
Clack.
I caught the wooden sword Cayden threw with one hand.
Wooden swords and wooden spears for knights were scattered throughout the Training Ground, proving its purpose.
There were even several wooden swords embedded in the ground around Cayden and me.
“If you really defeated the Orc Lord, the legendary sovereign of the orcs, you won’t lose to me. Isn’t that right? If you lose to me alone, that would be proof that you’re a fraud!”
Absurd nonsense.
It was such nonsense that even Lugard, standing right behind me, frowned in disapproval.
Honestly, it wasn’t a provocation I needed to accept, but I was curious to test the knights’ abilities anyway.
“Fine. If I lose to you, then the Orc Lord I defeated must be weaker than you.”
“You refuse to admit your lies to the very end! And now you’re insulting the Golden Spear Knights themselves!”
“When did I? I was merely commenting on your skill.”
“I am the Golden Spear, and the Golden Spear is me!”
He seemed to have spoken with such pride.
Yet the ‘senior’ knights around him appeared to be frowning at his words.
Though he seemed oblivious to it.
“Right here, right now! I shall expose your lies with my own hands!”
With those words, Cayden charged toward me.
Wasn’t there supposed to be proper etiquette between knights in a duel—exchanging greetings first and all that?
I wondered if this was how knights’ duels actually proceeded, so haphazardly, but since I was already prepared for combat, I launched a preemptive strike immediately.
– Using skill ‘Throw’.
My preemptive strike was none other than a throw.
The item I threw was, naturally, the wooden sword I held in my hand.
He was caught off guard, apparently never expecting me to throw a wooden sword.
– Using skill ‘Black Serpent Shadow Dance’.
I glided forward swiftly toward him using Black Serpent Shadow Dance, and
as I snatched up the wooden sword that had been planted in the ground,
– Using skill ‘Black Insect Flash’.
Thud!
I drove it into his chest.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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