Chapter 114
Chapter 114
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 114
Chapter Title: Eden's Gates
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The Eden territory is also known as the "Land of Fog."
That's because a thick fog perpetually blankets not only the territory itself but the entire surrounding fortress district.
If you're picturing the kind of damp, moist fog that soaks your face, you'd be in for a surprise.
The fog here is dry and acrid, reminiscent of smog or smoke.
Perhaps because of the poor air quality, someone coughed—a hacking "cough cough."
As gazes turned their way, the mage who had coughed sheepishly lowered their head.
"Ah, damn this fog."
As Bazkal grumbled, the fog around them was indeed incredibly thick.
It devoured not just light but sound itself, leaving everyone on edge.
Walking for days through a place where something could lunge out of nowhere at any moment would fray anyone's nerves like this—it was perfectly normal.
In the midst of the silence, perhaps bored from the quiet march, Maroon spoke up first.
"Shall we sing a song or something? It's so dreary."
"I only know hymns when it comes to songs."
"You mean like a heroic ballad?"
Arsen shook his head at Rino and waved his hand dismissively while listening to the three knights chattering boisterously.
Rino cleared his throat with a "ahem" and said,
"We should stay quiet. Visibility is low, so we need to focus on sounds."
At his words, the knights instantly fell silent.
A few weeks after becoming a knight, Rino had already grown over two meters tall.
His combat skills were still somewhat lacking, so Arsen was personally teaching him, but his physical abilities had reached the level of an ordinary knight.
As such, his authority matched that of the other knights.
No, since he was taking on the role of leading the soldiers, he even held a slight edge among the knights.
"Come on, shh, quiet."
Anun playfully shushed them while pressing his lips together.
Silence returned, and they pressed on without stopping.
With Arsen at the center, the four knights formed a square formation.
Ready to respond no matter the direction of an attack.
How far had they gone like this when the fog finally began to thin?
This fog was a type of toxic miasma, unable to enter the purification zone.
As the fog lifted, revealing a wide view, the territory's outer wall came into sight.
"This... damn."
Someone's lament echoed surprisingly loudly.
It wasn't hard to guess why from the state of the outer wall.
Vines clung to it, the unmanaged barrier cracked in places here and there, and atop it stood a few soldiers in shabby leather armor, yawning.
It was a pitiful sight compared to the majestic walls of the ruin city they'd seen recently. Just this view alone spoke volumes about the territory's level.
At that moment, one of the soldiers spotted Arsen's group, and the top of the wall grew noisy.
Now quite accustomed to this, they stood still a short distance away, careful not to seem threatening, waiting for someone to approach.
Fortunately, it wasn't long before a knight leaped down from the wall and headed toward Arsen's group.
The knight rode a hefty, heavy-looking Jin shaped like a silver-gray ox.
No sooner had he dismounted than he asked an unexpected question.
"Pardon, but from which territory do you hail? It would have been better if you'd sent word ahead."
It was a reasonable question—Arsen's group included no fewer than five knights.
Arsen, Maroon, Bazkal, Rino, Anun.
Plus a bunch of mages and soldiers armed with clearly extraordinary relics.
To anyone, they looked like an elite force dispatched by some territory lord, not a band of wandering knights.
"I am Arsen from the distant east, Belluan. We're heading west, but we'd like to request a short stay in your territory."
The knight reacted with evident bewilderment to Arsen's words.
Only after some back-and-forth did Arsen manage to convey that they weren't knights from a neighboring territory but travelers from afar seeking temporary shelter.
To the request to stay in the territory, the knight replied that it was beyond his authority to decide and asked them to wait before leaving.
How much time passed? When he returned, he brought four comrades and a large number of soldiers.
Arsen could tell from the show of force during their talk that it was to avoid being intimidated—meaning the answer wasn't a favorable one, at least to his ears.
"The territory lord has permitted you to stay within the purification zone. However, we cannot allow you inside the walls."
"Make us camp on the roadside with perfectly good walls right there?"
Bazkal nearly shouted in outrage.
His fierce demeanor put the Eden knights visibly on edge.
Some of the soldiers behind them even subtly reached for their bows and javelins.
Arsen immediately raised his right hand to restrain Bazkal.
"Bazkal, enough."
"Yes, sir."
Bazkal backed off like a well-trained dog.
At a glance, the knights seemed deeply impressed that the relatively young Arsen had complete control over Bazkal.
In a calm, persuasive tone, Arsen said,
"We'll comply with staying outside for now. However, please allow a few of our group inside to trade for food and water. That shouldn't be too much to ask."
Arsen could understand the territory lord's position to some extent.
If he were in the lord's shoes, he wouldn't let five knights, ten mages, and a dozen well-armed soldiers roam freely inside either.
Ordinary territories had at most twenty knights, spread thin defending every corner. This force could deal a fatal blow by raiding the lord's residence outright.
To prevent that, they'd need at least six to eight knights and dozens of soldiers to watch Arsen's group—an inconvenient and risky endeavor. Far easier to just keep them outside the walls.
Of course, considering the resentment that might breed, it wouldn't be entirely worry-free.
"Fine. One knight, five soldiers. No further. Mages are absolutely forbidden inside, of course. And once in, you move only under our supervision."
As he spoke, the knight glared sharply at the mages.
Evidently, this territory wasn't particularly tolerant of mages either.
"Understood."
It wasn't an unreasonable demand, so Arsen nodded in agreement.
Perhaps expecting resistance, the knight's tense, rigid expression softened.
Mumbling to himself, his voice mixed relief and surprise.
"Glad you're reasonable folk."
* * *
Though they couldn't enter inside the walls, being able to rest within the purification zone after so long was significant in itself.
Even the inn they'd stayed at in the ruin city had been outside the zone, exposing them to toxic miasma the entire time.
They could escape it briefly when shopping in the inner district, but those who hadn't joined had endured over a month of constant exposure.
While setting up camp, Anun whistled contentedly as he planted a pole on the outskirts.
"You seem pleased."
"Of course! This is how much peace of mind it brings on a journey—I want to take one back to Elta for sure."
What he was setting up was a pole for hanging the sentinel lantern they'd bought in the ruin city.
This magical alarm, when directed and activated, would emit a strong light and loud noise if anything larger than a certain size approached, alerting to intruders.
Of course, you couldn't skip night watch relying solely on it, but in fog-shrouded places like this with limited visibility, it was incredibly useful.
No one could sneak past its magical detection even if unseen by the naked eye.
"Then I'll leave it to you. I'm heading inside to handle some business and come back."
"Of course."
Only one knight could enter the territory, and Rino had volunteered first for the trading.
In case Arsen or the others went in and the locals suddenly attacked, he would take the risk himself.
Appreciating the sentiment, Arsen declared he would go personally.
Officially, because he was the strongest and could escape most easily; the hidden reason was to fulfill Elder Lattis's request.
"Be careful—though saying that is almost funny. If trouble starts, they'll be the ones in danger."
Anun laughed as if it were a amusing joke.
* * *
Shouldering two spatial expansion bags with the soldiers, Arsen entered the territory.
Whether due to his mysteriously glowing relic armor, the black lion that looked like a true magic beast yet oddly inorganic, or simply being a foreign knight,
All eyes turned to Arsen.
"I hope you won't move about freely. For both our sakes."
Ignoring the unwelcome stares, one of the escorting knights warned threateningly midway.
The soldiers tensed slightly at his words, but Arsen smiled leisurely and said he would comply.
Even with his stamina issues preventing him from sweeping the whole territory alone, he was confident in extracting himself.
Arriving at what looked like a plaza, they found water and food already piled up, as notified ahead.
A man who appeared to be an administrator, holding what looked like a clipboard, bowed slightly to Arsen.
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Roil, in charge of trading."
"Arsen of Belluan. What are the terms?"
"I heard you came from the ruin city side..."
Roil wanted to trade in the gold coins used there.
Since ruin city merchants occasionally visited Eden territory, their currency was convenient for transactions.
Arsen had no reason to object, as it let him offload remaining gold anyway, so the deal proceeded smoothly.
Arsen had the soldiers thoroughly check the food and water quality before paying the requested amount in gold.
With the trade concluding without issue to both sides' satisfaction, Arsen turned to the knight.
"There's a place I'd like to visit briefly."
"Where to?"
The knight's face was full of reluctance as he replied.
For him, Arsen finishing the trade and leaving smoothly was ideal—no complications meant no blame.
Thus, Arsen calmly pulled a few gems from his pocket and handed them over.
"What's this?"
"Nothing troublesome. An acquaintance from this territory asked me to pass on regards to his family. I'll go alone. These friends here will head straight back to camp with the goods."
The knight scratched his head in thought at the proposal, whispered with his comrade, then nodded.
But with the condition that he and his partner accompany him.
From attaching that condition, they apparently believed the two of them could easily subdue Arsen if needed.
A knight from somewhere like Belluan would scoff at gems for a backroom deal, but as seen outside, Eden's circumstances weren't affluent.
Watching Arsen's soldiers head back to camp with the local soldiers, the knight asked,
"So, where are you planning to go?"
"South side of the territory. Looking for an old woman named Nidea."
"Nidea? Hmm, I'm from the south myself."
Mulling the name briefly, the knight nodded.
"Nidea, Nidea—common name... If she's old, I think I know who. Vaguely remember where she lives too. But did that family have anyone who left for outside?"
"Who knows, I wouldn't know the details."
As Arsen brushed it off, the knight tilted his head momentarily before shrugging it away.
"Well, not like we're close. Follow me. I'll guide you."