Former General Is Undead Knight

Volume 3, Chapter 35: Gentleman of Death, Tony Lair?

Following Tony Lair’s order, the six children split up. They drew closer, trying to surround Lambert.

「…Stop at once. Although he may be forcing you to do this, you’ll definitely die as long as you hold those swords.」

Upon hearing Lambert’s remark, one of the children’s gaits obviously faltered.

Depending on the degree of favorability from Tony Lair, there was a difference in each of their mental restrictions.

Although Tony Lair’s brainwashing wasn’t so weak that it would stop just by a remark from a third party, it was enough to make them falter for a moment.

For that reason, a gap appeared for a moment in the seemingly impeccable formation.

One of the youths leaned forward as he rushed toward Lambert.

「Good, Robic. I’ll give you a reward if you survive this ordeal.」

Tony Lair laughed merrily as he spoke.

The youth who rushed toward Lambert was Tony Lair’s favorite, Robic.

As he looked at Lambert’s situation, Tony Lair spread his arms.

「Devil’s claws, dwell in my hand.」

His white gloves tore apart as 10 purplish-red claws grew from the tips of his fingers.

「Consider this an honor since, most of the time, I only use dolls.」

Devil’s claws were armament-type spells that converted mana into crystals. After doing so, the resulting crystals were equipped on the skin of the user.

They weren’t normal claws either. The claws had extremely deadly poison that could kill their target with a single graze.

In truth, the poison allowed Tony Lair to disrupt the flow of mana in the target’s body.

At first, the victim wouldn’t be able to use their spell. After experiencing discomfort that assailed their entire body, they would be rendered completely immobile.

A normal person would die in three minutes.

Tony Lair’s tactic was to use a counter-balancing sword that would suck its wielder mana to cause an explosion. He would rush in to deliver the coup de grâce with his devil’s claw while the other party was dealing with the aftermath of the explosion.

‘That guy would be shaken by someone’s death. Still a greenhorn. He’s undoubtedly an extremely powerful swordsman, but… As long as he kills a slave, his mind will surely be shaken, resulting in an opening—an opening for me to finish him off.’

Tony Lair’s slaves were young, but their flesh had been strengthened with forbidden spells and drugs. As such, their physical strength far surpassed the normal threshold.

Robic, the youth who rushed in first, was his most excellent specimen.

「…I see, in terms of speed alone, you’re faster than Kreuz.」

Lambert pulled his greatsword and struck Robic’s wrist, trying to disarm the latter.

Because the impact of Lambert’s strike was too strong, Robic ended up being thrown back and falling on his rear.

Robic’s emotionless eyes flickered for a moment, and then he shut his eyes tightly.

「…I will die painlessly, huh.」

At that moment, the engraved magic circle on the sword’s blade shone.

‘Disarming it isn’t enough since the child is still going to be swallowed by the explosion…’

Lambert jumped ahead and stood in front of Robic, who was crouching on the floor, to protect the latter from the explosion.

Lambert’s back became a wall that blocked the flames from the exploding sword.

「W-why…」

「You’re… safe. I’ll protect you guys.」

Tony Lair closed in upon seeing that.

「…How naive. As if you’re someone who never crossed the line. Unfortunately, this isn’t a place where someone as naive as you will survive!」

Tony Lair was going to swing his arm down, but he felt a chill running down his spine right at that moment.

He twisted his body, doing backflips as he retreated to dodge the rubble that was sent flying by Lambert’s kick.

He was forced to do that since Lambert did something that betrayed his expectations.

He landed on his feet, wiping the cold sweat on his forehead.

‘I thought that was the perfect time for an ambush. But I’m seriously going to be mowed down by his sword if I enter his range. Just what the hell was the killing intent from before…?’

At that moment, Tony Lair noticed the pain coursing through his right wrist.

Upon looking down, he saw a puddle of blood beneath his feet. His wrist had already been severed till he could see the bone.

「S-since when did…?!」

When he performed that irregular movement, his wrist had entered into the range of Lambert’s greatsword for a moment.

「…And you said that my naivety would kill me today.」

Lambert turned around and looked at Tony Lair.

「I made a promise with my lord to become a strong swordsman who could carry my ideals—even if I had to live through hell… Naturally, this was all a means to the end goal of unification.」

Tony Lair’s line of sight finally met Lambert’s. At that moment, his body was trembling like that of a newborn fawn. He fell on his rear.

At that moment, he saw his severed hand in the corner of the room.

「And a lowlife like you, who uses cowardly tactics like that, has no right to preach to me.」

「A-A-ALL OF YOU, JUMP AT HIM AT ONCEEEEEEE! EXPLODE… YEAH! KILL HIM WITH EXPLOSION!!」