Chapter 29
Chapter 29
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Arrival at Ilen Citadel
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Please take good care of me.
Unlike Belluan's eastern region, which consisted of violet soil and bizarre forests, the southern region boasted an entirely different alien landscape.
Endless hills dotted the dry, desolate gray plains.
With poor visibility and footprints that barely lingered, it had the drawback that once separated, regrouping was incredibly difficult.
Today's campsite was a hilly area with a few small trees that could serve as a place to rest.
"We'll rest here today!"
"Yes!"
This expedition was far harsher than the ones Arsen had joined in the past.
They carried only enough water and food for the mounts, replacing tents and such with a single sleeping bag made from magic beast hide.
It was possible only because they planned to rely entirely on the citadel for long-term resupply.
Any magic beasts they encountered en route were hunted only if they were faster than the lizards; slower ones were simply charged through or avoided.
Naturally, without cargo lizards or wagons, they couldn't haul heavy beast corpses, so meals consisted solely of pre-packed dried rations.
The dawn-to-dusk non-stop march pushed even the well-trained squires to their limits.
Unsurprisingly, it was beyond what Eloise—who had been tempered only by blacksmith work and was venturing outside for the first time—could endure.
"Eli, you okay?"
"Yeah..."
Her response came in a voice so faint it was barely audible, like she was on the verge of death.
Arsen dismounted Jin onto its knees, then carefully lifted Eloise from in front of him and set her down.
Completely exhausted, she dangled limply without resistance.
"Can you walk?"
"Of course... hee..."
He set her down briefly at her insistence, but as expected, her legs wobbled the moment her feet touched the ground, clearly about to give out.
In the end, Arsen picked her up again and settled her in a secluded corner of the campsite, leaning against a tree stump.
A groan like a dying animal rose from below.
"Skip dinner?"
"Nothing's going in right now..."
Only after tucking the sprawled-out Eloise into a sleeping bag did Arsen stretch his joints to relieve the stiffness.
As a physically superior knight, he wasn't utterly drained, but he wasn't immune to fatigue either.
Even matching the lizard's pace had consumed no small amount of mana to keep Jin running all day.
As Arsen arched his back with a series of cracks and pops, a knight approached and spoke.
"Feeling alright?"
"Ah, Sir Palato."
Palato plopped down beside him on a log, letting out a groan as he patted his back.
His armored body just made metallic clangs, of course.
"I'm getting on in years, it seems—even this kind of march is tough. How's the young lady?"
At Palato's words, Arsen couldn't help but glance at the knight's increasingly receding hairline.
A few wrinkles had formed on his face and his beard had thickened, but the simplest indicator of Palato's age was his head.
Now entering his forties, Palato was already half-bald.
Arsen politely averted his gaze from Palato's scalp.
"She says she can't eat dinner. What about you, Sir Palato?"
"I'm eating now. Join me?"
"Sure."
They shifted slightly and unpacked their food.
A meager spread of dried meat, fruit, cheese, and hardtack—but it would have to do.
The fortunate part was that unlike ordinary folk who had to soften hardtack by soaking it in water or saliva, knights could chew the rock-like stuff straight.
For a while, the sound of the two knights crunching what sounded like stones echoed between them.
"I'd guessed at your talent, but seeing the results fills me with emotion. To be selected for this expedition at such a young age."
"You're too kind."
"Too kind? Among the eight knights chosen, you're the only young one besides yourself."
As Palato said, of the eight selected knights, the other seven—all veterans in their late twenties or older.
From Ramun Knight, considered the estate's finest, to Palato, Yutin, and the others—all renowned powerhouses in the territory.
Zenovia, who was close to Arsen, had the skill but regrettably couldn't join due to a finger injury from a recent spar.
Even accounting for circumstances, for a freshly knighted rookie like Arsen to rank in the top eight was no ordinary feat.
Moreover, Arsen's skills placed him far from the bottom among them.
"If you put it that way... Sir Palato, you're no spring chicken yourself, yet you're still in top form."
"My peer Ramun is still going strong—how could I act like some old fogey alone? Well, when you surpass Ramun, I suppose I'll retire."
Arsen gave an awkward smile at Palato's bold words and popped a strip of jerky into his mouth.
Palato glanced at Eloise lying a short distance away and posed a question.
"So, when do you plan to marry the young lady?"
"That's sudden..."
It was a tricky topic for Arsen to answer.
In truth, they were seen as implicitly engaged within the estate, and Arsen did feel some sense of responsibility toward her.
But whether from raising her like a daughter since she was so young, or viewing her from the perspective of someone older, his feelings for Eloise were closer to those for a young niece than a lover.
"The Estate Lord is getting on in years himself. The knights are all pondering which side to back. One wrong alignment, and you could get booted to a citadel."
Over ten citadels ringed the Belluan estate, each lorded over by a knight.
Naturally, most knights preferred serving in the infrastructure-rich estate over barren outposts that offered only command as a perk.
Excluding the rare few who volunteered, citadel lords were typically those guilty of moral failings or political losers.
"It's not like this doesn't hit home for you, right?"
"True enough."
Arsen's father Lenoc's story was tied to this too.
Lenoc had been a key figure supporting the current Estate Lord Nut's younger brother, and after Nut claimed the seat, he'd been exiled to the easternmost Krata Citadel.
No guarantee the same wouldn't happen again.
"For my part, I'd rather back you over the young masters... Lately, it seems the Estate Lord has been summoning you privately quite often."
"No need to back me specifically. My goal is just to live peacefully in the estate. Hard to say more, but the Estate Lord already has suitable plans in place. No need to worry—just stay neutral."
He could have mentioned the second son Ridat as the heir, but loose lips sink ships.
Someone might overhear, or Palato might let it slip while drunk, so Arsen held back.
No telling what Deroy might do if he caught wind.
Palato lowered his voice to a whisper at Arsen's words.
"If that's how you see it, fine... but keep this in mind. Rumors say Ramun's been up to something suspicious lately. Word is he's been meeting outsiders beyond the estate. No one dares confront him about it, of course."
Arsen turned to glance at Ramun, sitting aloof in the distance.
Ramun was the uncle of the Estate Lord's second son, Ridat.
"I thought you were the closest to Sir Ramun in the estate, Sir Palato."
"People say that since we're peers, but honestly, I just talk to him more than most—not that close. Strictly speaking, no one shares deep bonds with Ramun. He's such an isolated fellow."
Arsen had been a knight in the estate for years, yet he had no memory of profound conversations with Ramun.
Occasional spars and pointers, that was it.
If Kamin avoided mingling due to innate shyness, Ramun mingled but shared no emotions.
Even so, Arsen had assumed Palato, his closest ally, shared some human rapport—leading him to click his tongue lightly.
'Unnecessary meddling... Telling him Ridat will inherit anyway wouldn't convince him, huh?'
He considered warning him to stay put and avoid suspicions, but as a competitor himself, his words wouldn't carry much weight.
He made a mental note to casually mention it to the Estate Lord upon return, then shoveled the rest of his rations into his mouth.
Just then, Palato finished his last dried apple, spitting out the seeds.
"All done. You'll stay with the young lady, I take it?"
"Yeah."
"Wouldn't want to cramp young lovers' style—makes me the clueless old geezer. See you tomorrow."
Palato grinned slyly, waved, and rose first.
When Arsen returned after brushing off, Eloise had already spread his sleeping bag next to hers and was waving her hands around.
She seemed to have recovered a fair bit during the break.
"Feeling better?"
"Huh? Yeah. A short rest did wonders."
"No dinner?"
"Not tonight... I'll eat big tomorrow morning."
Eloise kept extending her hands in all directions, waving them about.
Each time, faint lights flickered.
"What're you doing?"
"Hang on, almost... There!"
As a final white glow flashed lightly, the air around Arsen changed.
The chilly late-autumn air warmed to a balmy late spring, and the stench that always assaulted his nose at inopportune moments vanished.
A translucent-lined cube enclosed several meters around them.
"Until tomorrow morning, it'll keep the warmth in and smells out. It'll signal if anything weird approaches too. How's that?"
"...Impressive."
Arsen wasn't deeply studied in magic, but as the estate's longest and closest contact with a mage, he had some knowledge.
He knew sustaining such a complex spell from evening to morning wasn't commonplace.
With no campfires at night since the festival incident years ago, blocking the cold alone made this spell invaluable.
"Plus, I magicked the sleeping bags! They'll feel like a plush bed."
"Even that's possible?"
"Luden taught me. Said it's essential for outings."
"Amazing—you've mastered everything he taught."
At Arsen's praise, Eloise beamed and wagged her finger.
"Ahem, that's the level of my magic skills."
"Yeah, truly splendid. For real."
Arsen patted her smug head with his palm.
With a beaming Eloise beside him, Arsen glanced around.
If cast wider, the whole expedition could rest easy, but he doubted her capacity—or their desire.
Even Palato, a friend, avoided getting too close to her.
Eloise didn't seem keen on magicking others anyway.
'No choice.'
Thus, Arsen neatly shelved any moral qualms about resting easy alone.
Just then, Eloise yawned hugely, mouth splitting wide.
"Sleepy? Go ahead, Eli."
"You?"
"First watch."
"Got it... Night..."
Eloise slipped into her sleeping bag like a cat, or liquid seeping in.
Arsen settled against a nearby tree, careful not to exit the spell's range.
Sun had just set—too early for sleep—so folk passed time with torchlit games or chatter.
Arsen eyed Ramun, sitting apart in meditative pose, eyes closed.
His lofty warrior vibe didn't scream schemer, but Palato's words lingered, tainting even that suspicious.
A week later, the expedition finally arrived at Ilen Citadel.