Chapter 121
9ftgClang—!H3xclom
0shThe strong impact running through the sword made Gismond hold his breath.DSzjXGm
wTK7“It’s true that the more aura you have the better, but that doesn’t mean just having more is enough!”iNkbYr1
eYSSaClang—!4CT
qXAipThe chain of attacks that followed shattered the already unstable aura.lYLj
IN3LTzeMana overflowed, and a metallic taste of blood suddenly surged up his throat.pv4fKv6
BrT44ls“If you only increase the amount, the aura breaks easily like this. And the fact that your mana overflows with a single hit means you can’t even control it properly.”qmytNb
kyGThe knight facing Gismond lowered his sword. He looked at him with an expression of pity and contempt.VUHY
8iD57h“Since the young lady asked specifically, I was expecting something… but you’re completely useless. Did you steal herbs from some elixir field or what?”aQm
JMO“T-that’s not…”BEeiN6Q
yr0GgGismond tried to make excuses, stammering.mMj5erM
waCFcTBut on second thought, it wasn’t entirely false. Maybe it wasn’t from an elixir field, but he had taken elixirs from places where he knew they were kept.wXfWh
9Q4“Your swordsmanship is also crude. Looks like you’ve only been training for about three years.”tlWmAec
5Vo“But that’s because…!”0PA8B
opTYHIn truth, it had barely been a year. What had saved him were the experience and original memories of the body, which had allowed him to adapt quickly.jikLu5
Kl3fDvW“I don’t even know where to start with you. Why the hell did the young lady ask me for this…?”xupemX
XpKLvThe man, with scars all over his face, scratched his head in frustration. Fernan and Luina watched from a short distance.KxdArW
evcV“Are you sure this is helpful?”dpstc
YiTP“Of course.”Dxmdi
cYcgLuina calmly chewed a piece of chocolate and nodded.GSez
MRrcCRF“Harken might be rough with words, but he’s a talented knight. He’ll teach him well.”lnZNKIC
b67K“Doesn’t look like it… You said Harken?”9uJs
B5QYov“Yes.”AXA5
lD9E16Fernan knew him too.X5gzGDA
geB3qOne of the pillars of Bercheff’s knight training.5d1gOM
ITvHis skill was outstanding, but even more so was his talent as an instructor. Almost every famous knight from Bercheff had passed through his hands.zHqfZSV
IyXSWL“You assigned him too good a teacher. With a mentor of that level, someone like Gismond doesn’t even have the basics to make use of it.”aurijmj
a94MIKFernan knew Gismond’s situation perfectly.VnXK
132lqA possessed man who, until recently, had never held a sword.Y1GC
4hWN“But if he’s a senior at the Academy, how can he be that bad?”dNb4
xvVF5jLuina asked incredulously.gMX
lCdxqGismond Ert was a third-year student—soon to be fourth—and had shown notable results in the jousting tournament.ZEnWw
amm2NHObjectively, he was a swordsman of decent level.iXdcMLp
2t1“…Yes, that’s true.”SAT
XzPFdE3Fernan nodded, pretending to agree.teOOEfE
hHJoYUHe couldn’t reveal anything about the possession or the future.V9GMu
e3owaVL‘Well, if the teacher is good, he’ll know how to adapt to the student’s level.’Lj7RB
ZKEh1The problem was when you got a mediocre teacher; never with an excellent one.GzmSqmu
WkWProbably.fXQyYrk
lG4P7X“By the way, I heard you asked your father to search for the corrupts’ camp.”Uhf
8aDf“For Pellenberg to intervene, we need solid justification.”FcTmi
bNBZNOn“We believe the camps are farther north, or maybe farther east of the areas where the monsters used to live.”m4G
e60QjbIt wasn’t that the corrupts had taken over their territories.cHL
aMtMaC3Rather, they had settled nearby, and that forced the monsters to flee, which spread like a domino effect.vlL83L
2diBug7“It’s land unknown even to us. Preparing an expedition will take time.”ffl
agd7“I understand.”XDq
Usw“And I think you need to prepare too.”tBHuo6
7LT“Me?”vy8KwE
3Ja5zc“My father said, ‘If a brat who’s never left the northern walls suddenly enters the Demon Land, who’s going to take responsibility when something goes wrong?’”Any6vGo
fT3The Demon Land was the area beyond the northern wall, where no human hand had ever reached.ogWmi9b
KK5T“You didn’t need to repeat the quotation marks.”e6O
BZM“I actually softened it.”aiuJ
a8NoE8“I see.”61St1IK
mr9kkFernan accepted it without complaint.VNd
HimG97r“And besides, he said he doesn’t want to bear the pressure of worsening relations with Pellenberg.”UYwe
XGkGN“So a contract would suffice? One where I declare that even if I die, Bercheff won’t be held responsible?”zL1SGP
BtVW8CG“Yes. And also, you have to come with me on a reconnaissance beyond the wall.”iguB7MY
x4Uk‘A preliminary trial? Doesn’t sound like a trap to mess with me.’H3i
kBhLIt was true—he had never gone beyond the wall.Dlv1VT
KVpgbyJFernan knew nothing about what lay in those lands where life and death were decided in seconds.hY217
kne‘Well, except for Andromalius, but that’s different.’8eo
GYinz“Alright, I’ll go.”hmAAxi3
jQ38He accepted Luina’s proposal.AUaba
1PK8It was true that Fernan would never have set foot in those lands if not for being involved in the demon issue.vvg
auu“When?”TMIfAJ
wLRoLY“Tomorrow. You don’t need to prepare anything, just bring your body.”g97pNf
OZPRGnS“Seriously? That’s suicide.”dnDd9G
RvgshA merchant walking into hostile territory unprepared was asking to die.49Sa
kcdBIt didn’t matter if Bercheff assigned escorts; in the end, everyone had to protect themselves.zqQ
7rl8gEjBoom.5sSpkM
ZBuzx‘Although I have Wooden.’XBz7wUK
gxEUy06Yes, he would never leave behind the ego golem he had created.EnJsNe
es5MJl“And what do you think?”eMNu4
AQg3d“About what?”5jt
B5gwa“About the Demon Land. Do you really think there’ll be corrupts there?”eCj
lKr8U“Yes.”Yut5X
PYaKRoOf course there would be.1LazY
QWNNo prophecy was needed to know that—the recent findings in the north confirmed it.BZ55
qkbuD“And how many?”pcyc6
HSsM0That was the question.idMWhcT
ZgY9zk“Will it be something like the Taklakan Desert? Or like the Academy?”TeiL
VmTrThey had no idea about the scale or the kind of creatures.HlCw5
7omp“If it’s just corrupts, it’ll be dangerous but not impossible.”NuJ
KShQmxThe count himself would march with them. If they were just cultists in mass, they could make it out alive.sBD
HYBEE2“But Luina… what if it’s not just that?”6p1MM
65AaGm“You mean there could be demons? That’s not easy. At the Academy, they only managed it by using branches from the World Tree…”KTD2ba
uFF“It’s been over ten years since Bercheff was ravaged, Luina.”wlNE7Hf
Muzru3Fernan interrupted her.gVMA82v
8gf“Do you know how many people died? How many monsters? How many animals? Can you count them?”xNFSrvn
3vdaJNo. They were countless.rI1
xmNoA3“The corrupts appeared more than ten years ago. And since then, monsters haven’t stopped attacking the walls. Do you think all that blood and death wouldn’t be enough for a demonic ritual?”Dnm
4LB51Hd“…What are you getting at?”Ppa58
EHSzIt wasn’t that she didn’t know.dh1cZN
HVhShe just wanted to understand why Fernan was saying it now.dLyR
N5NCZ5“As you know, demons freshly summoned are weak due to the dimensional barrier. Andromalius was killed by mere students, right?”8YSm1lo
GyigvYes, even if one of them was Aint Armian, destined to become a Royal Knight.jqZWoa
UBzriIn the end, they were still students.vTKl
vi5g5And yet, Andromalius fell.Ed3c
1LFCPC“But a demon summoned over ten years ago, that has devoured blood and life for so long, would be different.”YUXF6
TkOzfAnd this time, Aint Armian wouldn’t be there to weaken it.LVjbAM
PT16L“If such a demon were in the Demon Land…”CQ2
UTkhv“Fernan. You were the one who said we should go confirm. Could you get to the point?”5UWK6
9DTfNtI“That’s what I’m saying—let’s go, but with maximum security.”6oUSr
MTTRWcoIgnoring the danger wouldn’t make it go away.9oF
fUrgQvT“And what do you call maximum security?”t2ErFa
rC8ezJClack.EYKdPiC
iC6Fernan slid a paper forward.9R2fn
elhGN【Mercenary Mission Contract
Party A: Fernan Pellenberg … Party B: …】buXrcg
D2ZxGxEIt was a standard contract from the Mercenary Guild.ACjp
2uUjoC“…And this all of a sudden?”WFDAx8
9aWj“Read it to the end.”km34L
7CzGVLZLuina checked the name of Party B.pjJqP
NC9Y8“…What?”NCQ
QsNQHer eyes widened.j7f4Peq
HIJdXu“Seriously…?”D8hqaC
CPcpUy“Yes. I plan to hire him for this expedition to the Demon Land. And I’ll cover all the costs.”GEQoA
pGQ84bWell, technically Pellenberg would.GtBlXg
fc15N88“Will he accept?”zktzkbU
D3HXO“They say he’s hated the cultists ever since he nearly lost his disciple. If he now suspects this involves demons, even more so.”YnCSy02
WKrPFernan had planned to use him at another time, but—pY7D96
6Vuf“Turns out he’s right here. He probably thought the north would be more favorable for finding cultists.”scRi
u2LSK“But… will my father allow it? I doubt he’ll like it.”s44
jROAh7MIt was hard to have two tigers on the same mountain.SFH3Z2
A59That the Count of Bercheff himself would accept help from the King of Mercenaries could be seen as a humiliation—a sign of his own inadequacy.wR77kz
qZya“That’s why.”U1x
rBITZwE“Huh?”weLJy
SQ0CdFernan firmly grabbed her shoulders. The sudden contact made Luina blush slightly.6PBt
7H5lwMg“That’s why I’m telling you first. Convincing the Count is your job.”RWof6qo
F6T3eIj“…What?”sXDp
dbt“We’re a team, right? Everyone does what they’re good at. I handle the contract, you convince your father.”dt7Hhc
VJzuNk“……”OaF
aguUK“I don’t want to die over something stupid. I haven’t even spent all the money I’ve made.”8Zj0M1
hl3fkLuina frowned.pY4FmY
mVx“Also, Hyde already went to deliver the contract. It’s easier to ask forgiveness than permission.”KAPMh
F4U865“WHAT…?!”dnVv
lv3uVwaBefore she could reply, Fernan fled the room.294F6
xpRXB27***DDDxCyE
ZtZVjUAlbinos Bercheff.gzVtq4
LUEGs5LThe current head of House Bercheff, who was rebuilding the lineage that had almost been destroyed by a monster wave unprecedented in history.8CY
M22MgrTHe was one of the rare ten Royal Knights in the world, and, true to his power, had immense pride.6fZ5Ij
zutjmAccepting Pellenberg’s investment wasn’t exactly what Bercheff would usually do—but he could tolerate it.j3mP
wDs9EkNot doing so would mean facing a far worse future.Q3BSU
q4l07But bringing in another tiger—that was another matter entirely.5eW
jTM[Father. The Demon Region is a dangerous place, one even you have never entered. There may be dozens or even hundreds of cultist bases there. And they may have even summoned demons already… (omitted)…]whA
eDvj46This was an entirely different story.XXv93a7
KTgSIt was like saying that Bercheff, the thing he did best and had protected for over a thousand years…XPeKFa2
uABMcm[…Not because of any lack of skill on your part, but simply out of caution for the worst-case scenario… (omitted)…]Rrv8M
GBwF…Wasn’t enough.Gec
KyfOXThat meant disregarding him.LTJ8
DArqMaybe some would say it was just a matter of pride.MZAWCA
ixx7But protecting that pride and maintaining honor was what defined a noble.mR7MXGq
xTJ2Yi“…So she just left a letter and took off?”Qpv
iYdrxEb“Sometimes written words weigh more than those spoken in person.”AP9
Oexy“……”NTD
jW9L4K“……”3RjMPs
rKXxHad Luina always been this irresponsible? Fernan recalled that the first time he saw her, she hadn’t been like this.dDolCZM
jl8Kl0Fernan let out a dry laugh.XI6
1UxLsrt“Running off in the night with the daughter and leaving only a letter… I can’t even imagine what the Count must think of me.”wI7i
bVf6oAt that moment, the two of them were riding across the still-dark plains before dawn.jWh00G0
nE2x“Don’t say nonsense. This isn’t a midnight escape, it’s a dawn patrol. And besides, it’s by my father’s order.”Uf7qS
FT3OzAnd they weren’t alone.zbT86T
ftfOn“And also, wasn’t it he himself who asked you to deliver the message? I did my part.”lT8
y5oMarching with them was the White Lion Order, Bercheff’s most powerful knight force.ndujzN
8Mgft6e“Even if it were a midnight escape, we would keep the young lady’s secret for her sake.”6KUC
AJDsR2E“Sir Gellen, that’s not funny.”iYaWe
pj8Vk3hLuina shot him a glare and spurred her horse to ride ahead faster.ZyG
1yXQRqv“Let’s go together, young lady!”8EsgcV6
EAhQDz“I’m a knight now! Address me properly!”lHQwrC
OkbWHbQThe knights sped up to catch her.NgZI
dDphQq‘I can’t even imagine how the Count will react when he finds out about this…’qXHoHK
wXiThinking that, Fernan picked up the pace to avoid falling behind the group that was already pulling away.Z24m1Mu
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