I Was Reincarnated as a Mob Noble, and I Swear I'll Protect the Villainess Who Got Married Off to Me No Matter What ~To Dodge Our Total Downfall, I Went All Out Training My Trash Skill [Super Recovery] Through Crazy Hard Work, and Before I Knew It, I Could Totally Wreck the Game Protagonist Who Condemned My Wife Easily - Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Beating the Strongest Knight with the Trash Skill [Super Recovery]

Valeria’s face turned bright red in an instant.

Not just that—her fists clenched tight, and her whole body started shaking like she was trembling all over.

I’d just shot back with that “I’m the guy who’s gonna be your husband” line even after she called it a formality, so maybe she was pissed?
Did the gamble flop? Reality doesn’t work like in games, huh…?

But the die was already cast.

I kept pushing, talking fast to convince her.

“First things first—let’s grab some food together! Looking at you, you haven’t eaten properly in forever, right? The kitchen guys make killer food, so lemme treat you to the good stuff!”

“…Looks like you don’t even understand your own position.”

Valeria snapped her fingers, and the driver helped her sit back down on the carriage steps.

“I don’t recognize you as my husband or anything. If you don’t step aside quietly, you’re gonna regret it.”

The driver pulled his sword from the sheath without a word.

Just from the way he stood—total confidence—I could tell this guy was a serious sword master.

“This is Gawain, captain of the Schwarz Ritter knights. My most loyal retainer, and an A-rank undead monster—the [Death Knight].”

Valeria puffed her chest out proudly as she said it.

Death Knight, huh?

That’s a monster strong enough to match a full army company—about two hundred soldiers.

And since he was one of the strongest knights when he was alive, his power’s gotta be off the charts. Probably straight-up one-man-army level.

“You got a trash skill and can’t even get sent to the front lines, right? A dropout like you has zero chance. Step aside.”

“Young master Zenon, don’t do it!”

Felix came rushing back, face pale as a ghost, and jumped between me and Gawain.

His expression screamed he didn’t think I could win.

“Felix, it’s fine. Back off.”

“What are you saying!?”

Felix yelled like he couldn’t believe it.

“A Death Knight isn’t just any undead! He kept all his sword skills from when he was alive—and now he’s immortal and even stronger!”

“…Yeah, I know.”

I slipped past Felix and stepped right up in front of Gawain.

“But I’m not backing down. I’ll say it again—I don’t want you to die, Valeria.”

After blurting out that embarrassing line earlier and bombing, something finally clicked inside me.

This time it wasn’t some otome game copy-paste. These were my real feelings.

“I’m gonna save you no matter what. So just chill and rest till tomorrow!”

“…!”

Valeria’s beautiful amethyst eyes went wide—she looked totally shocked.

If it was gonna come down to fists—or swords—honestly, that worked better for me.

In this rough-and-tumble Greivan border count house, fights break out all the time.

Talking with a sword between guys felt way more natural to me than trying to sweet-talk a girl.

“…Hmph. If you think I’ll go easy on my fiancé, you’re way too naive. Gawain—take him out by force!”

“Please step back, young master Zenon!”

Felix still tried to stop me. He was dead convinced I’d lose.

But I’m the guy who mastered every combat part in this game. As a self-proclaimed “KimiKoi” master, I knew the Death Knight’s weakness.

A-rank monsters and below always have some kind of weak spot.

I pulled off my glove and tossed it at Gawain.

That’s the proper way to challenge a knight to a duel.

“Are you insane!?”

Valeria looked completely stunned.

“Felix, be my witness. Right now I’m challenging Gawain, knight of Lady Valeria Asphodel, to a duel!”

“Y-Young master…!”

Interrupting a duel would disgrace any warrior. Felix bit his lip hard and stepped back.

“If it’s force you want, bring it. Valeria—if I win, you rest quietly till tomorrow. Deal?”

“…This is suicide. Do you even realize what you just did!?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I said I can use the same [Miracle of Healing] as the saintess, right? Then watch—I’ll show you with my own body!”

I raised my sword high overhead.

This was the Greivan-style “Heaven Stance”—pure offense, zero defense.

After doing this stance tens of thousands of times, my heart weirdly settled the second I took it.

In this world, I’m the “Sword Saint’s son” who’s poured everything into the blade. All that hard work I’ve built up—it’s never gonna betray me. I believed that.

Plus…

Thanks to breakfast, maybe some of the blood I lost had come back, ’cause my body felt flooded with power like never before.

[Super Recovery] rebuilds injured parts stronger than before.

All that Heal training—puking blood and hurting my insides over and over—must’ve jacked up my heart and lungs like crazy.

Right now, I was dead sure I could land the strongest hit of my life.

“This is a proper duel between me and Gawain. If I die, no complaints—and nobody else gets to complain either. You cool with that too, Gawain!?”

“Wait! I have no intention of taking your life…!”

Valeria tried to stop it, but Gawain’s killing intent cut her off.

No knight worth his salt backs down from a duel challenge.

She’d probably figured a little threat would make me fold.

Too bad. I’ve already decided—I’m flipping this doomed fate no matter what.

And I’ve got solid odds.

“I’m gonna beat the empire army. And to do that, I need you to accept me, Valeria!”

“…!”

Valeria froze like she’d been struck by lightning.

“I want you to be on my side—my partner in all this, my fate-bound ally!”

If we lose to the empire, both of us are toast. We’re literally in the same boat. So why wouldn’t we team up?

“Fate-bound… partners? Y-You’re going that far just to make me accept you as my husband…?”

She muttered something under her breath, but it was too quiet to catch.

“Come on, Gawain!”

The second I called it, Gawain’s huge body exploded forward.

A god-speed step so fast it left sound behind. Yeah, the Schwarz Ritter captain title wasn’t for show.

But I didn’t flinch.

My whole focus—every ounce of strength—went into swinging at one single spot: the side of his neck.

Monsters have weak points. For a Death Knight, it’s the neck. Hit there, and the game’s designed to deal massive damage.

Of course, landing a hit on a strong monster’s weak spot is insanely hard…

“Young master!?”

Felix’s scream.

Our swords crossed.

Burning pain ripped through my right shoulder. A sickening feeling of bone snapping, and fresh blood sprayed.

“Haaah!”

But I ignored it and slammed my full-power strike down.

Yeah—right now I’ve got [Super Recovery]’s regen.

It’s a passive that kicks in automatically on me—no need to cast Heal. It heals insane internal damage in seconds.

That’s why I could go full meat-shield, bone-breaker, throwaway style.

A dull thud—Gawain’s head flew off into the air.

My counter hit the weak point dead-on.

“Eh!?”

Valeria’s stunned voice rang out.

“…I win!”

I pointed my sword tip at Gawain’s fallen body. Even undead, he tried to get up—but I’d sealed his movements completely.

Cutting off the head and pinning him like this? No one could argue the winner.

“Th-The winner… young master Zenon…!”

Felix announced it in a shaking voice.

It was a razor-thin fight.

I used my sword like a crutch and dropped to one knee right there.

“Why can you still move!? That shoulder wound…!”

Valeria’s eyes popped wide in total shock.

No surprise. My right shoulder—torn flesh, shattered bone—should’ve been gushing.

But the bleeding had already stopped.

A faint glow leaked from the wound, and right in front of her, the injury closed up fast.

“…Regen stronger than an undead!? Who—what the hell are you!?”

I forced a grin through the pain.

“This is the power of my skill [Super Recovery]!”