Chapter 165
Chapter 165
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 165
Chapter Title: Old Story, Knights and the World Tree (3)
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"Just let us go by ourselves, can't we?"
"We might die."
The count replied to my words in a serious tone.
"It's not for nothing that the Swordmaster is preparing to head there."
"Why is he doing that?"
Kyle set down his utensils and asked.
We had originally planned to leave as soon as the rain stopped, but the count held us back. He offered us a room we wouldn't dare dream of and dinner, then insisted we stay the night. We tried to refuse, but Ray held us too, so we ended up joining for breakfast as well.
We weren't the type to sit at a table like this—we were the ones meant to stand guard and watch over such seats.
I cut into some unidentifiable food—duck heart or liver, maybe—and waited for an answer.
Ray had stopped eating too, watching his father intently.
The count spoke.
"They say the contamination is severe."
"Contamination?"
"No unit that went there has returned intact."
The count gave a brief rundown of the details.
For starters, the source of the Magical Beasts continually pouring into the count's territory seemed to be the cursed manor. Unknown creatures kept crawling out from there.
There were even Magical Beasts that Beast Tamers couldn't tame mixed in. Something that produced Magical Beasts must be dormant inside the manor.
But that wasn't the core issue.
Behind the manor lay a densely overgrown forest so thick that sunlight couldn't penetrate, and within it was a zone severely contaminated.
Something born in that zone seemed to have taken root in the manor.
"I heard Sir Kisis is heading past the manor into the contaminated forest. You all stop by the manor and deal with whatever's inside."
It was a pretty reasonable division of tasks.
We didn't yet have the skill to resolve contamination. That was originally the priests' and Saintess's job. I'd heard rumors that Swordmasters could "cut away" contamination.
In any case, it was a rational order all around.
"Understood."
I agreed readily and prepared to depart.
I understood, but the idea of dying from contamination felt like too much exaggeration.
At the time, I chalked it up to the count's overprotectiveness and didn't think too deeply about it.
Not until I saw Sir Kisis's unit, fully prepared to set out.
***
"Hilde."
Kisis spotted me and grinned slyly.
"Has your hair gotten longer?"
Well, hair keeps growing...
It seemed like a question that didn't need answering, so I just stared at him blankly. The man, lounging long across the carriage seat, grinned roguishly.
Kyle didn't hide his irritation.
As he clicked his tongue and tugged at my collar, Ray bowed politely.
"Sir Kisis."
"Ah, it's been a while for you too. You've been working hard, huh? Your skills have improved a lot since I last saw you."
"Thank you."
"Rest easy, Sir Kisis. We'll let you know when we arrive."
"Where you going? Get in."
Kyle was smiling as he pulled me, but Kisis sat up.
He gestured for us to come inside.
I watched Kyle suppress his annoyance with a fake smile.
"We appreciate the generous offer, but we're more comfortable on horseback."
"You might be. You two silver-hairs, hop up quick."
"I'm fine too."
Ray replied gracefully.
He'd once idolized Kisis so much, but at some point, the object of his admiration had changed. Now Ray didn't tense up excessively around Kisis. Maybe because he was in the western unit and saw him too often. Kisis's whims were beyond prediction, after all.
Kisis didn't take offense at Ray and Kyle's responses.
He must have expected them. I was about to open my mouth to refuse too when the platinum blond suddenly said,
"You wanted soup, right?"
I beamed and climbed into the carriage.
"Hey."
Kyle shot me a look of utter disbelief.
"You're just going along with it that easily? Cultivate some principles."
"There are no principles in the face of that soup."
"I told you I'd ask the cook to make it for you."
Ray said in a tone of disbelief.
He occasionally let slip his noble upbringing like this without realizing it.
"You flat-out refused back then, so why now?"
"Asking the count's cook for something like that felt awkward..."
And the soup made by the cook Kisis knew was the real deal.
Its unique, distinctive aroma. It was a love-it-or-hate-it dish—some couldn't stomach it, while others couldn't get enough. I was in the latter camp. I could eat it every day and never tire of it.
Kisis grinned as I sat across from him.
"Wise choice. I'll have them boil it up the moment we stop."
Just then, the door to another carriage burst open.
I blinked and looked at the one who'd opened it.
Wavy red hair.
"Ah, is this the one playing my double?"
A seductive voice rang out.
I blinked again, observing the owner of the red hair.
She had a pure, innocent face that didn't match her seductive voice. Translucent skin, clear and large eyes. A fine linen veil perched atop her head.
The Saintess.
I knew it the moment I saw her. She was apparently heading with Kisis and us to purify the contamination.
Of course. It would be far more effective with a Saintess accompanying than just priests.
But what was this about a double?
"Right."
Kisis pointed at me and smirked at the Saintess.
"Your hair lengths match nicely too. This one's going in drag."
"Pardon?"
What was he talking about?
"Why do I have to go in drag?"
"We got intel about a group targeting the Saintess. We're taking two carriages, but we can't just honestly put the Saintess in the Saintess's carriage. You'll stand in for her in here."
"Me?"
"I can't assign someone without the skills. Some poor maid could get shot dead by an arrow."
"But me?"
There are plenty of female knights!
Kyle, who'd been scolding me for lacking principles, was now leaning against the carriage, holding back laughter. Ray was gazing at the sky, marveling at his own wise decision not to board.
Kisis grinned.
His violet eyes curved long.
"Unfortunately, no female knights this time. Plenty of female priests, though."
"Female mages."
"Just Cecil, and she's my personal watcher."
"It's a bit embarrassing to say it myself, but don't you see my muscles? I'm not small in height or build—this isn't a body that can pass for a woman."
"You'll be inside the carriage anyway."
Kisis chuckled as he looked me up and down.
"No one will see below your face. Only your collarbone shows through the window. Wear the Saintess robes, veil over your head. The robes hide your silhouette, so the muscles will be covered."
"The Saintess robes won't fit."
"It's fine. We have large sizes."
The red-haired Saintess smiled brightly as she said it.
I was speechless.
I blankly alternated glances between Kisis and the nameless Saintess, then turned to my friends.
I hadn't expected it, but sure enough, they had zero intention of rescuing me. They were barely holding back laughter, eagerly watching my plight.
Those guys were utterly useless in my life...
...Huh?
Wait.
"It's curly hair."
"What?"
I pointed at Kyle, who blinked.
Keeping my eyes fixed on him, I said,
"You have long curly hair. Shouldn't he be the double? He matches the Saintess perfectly with that long curly hair."
"Who do you mean?"
"The knight across from you."
"Oh my."
The Saintess, who had bowed her head to look at Kyle, covered her mouth with her hand.
I was speechless as a faint blush rose on her pure face.
No.
"Is this the knight coming with us?"
"Ah, yes."
Kyle nodded slightly and greeted the Saintess.
"I'm Kyle."
This is insane.
I watched in stunned silence as the pure Saintess circled the carriage to stand before Kyle. Ray face-planting into the carriage to stifle his laughter didn't even register anymore. Only the shyly smiling Saintess striking up conversation with Kyle, and Kyle elegantly responding.
They'd completely forgotten about the double business and were exchanging names with smiles.
What are you two doing?
Kisis sneered.
"Look like it's gotta be you, huh?"
"Ha."
"I'll pick a pretty one for you."
The world is unfair.
In the end, I did the drag with a soulless expression. Maids swarmed me all at once to dress me up. Veil over my head, gloves on, Saintess robes. I hid my black ones underneath, and sprayed perfume to mask the sand and blood on my body.
Meanwhile, Ray laughed out loud, and Kyle smirked while watching me and chatting with the Saintess.
Kyle even gave her a faint smile and said,
"Don't worry. I'll protect you safely to our destination."
"Hey."
I, slouched grumpily in the carriage, chucked a glove at Kyle.
"The one you need to protect is me."
"Of course."
Kyle smoothly replied, turning toward me.
Then he looked at my completed drag and laughed heartily.
"I'll protect you for sure. You're pretty, after all."
I want to go home.
But once again, that wish didn't come true. I was the only one dissatisfied with the situation. No one cared to heed my exhausted complaints.
The drag was done, and the carriage set off for the contaminated manor carrying me—veiled—and Kisis. Surrounded by elite guard knights.
Where exactly did things go wrong?
I kept thinking that right up until we started responding to the ambushes pouring down on the road to the manor.
***
Ray, Kyle, and I killed the source of the contamination in the manor.
A massive pterosaur, covered in black parasites, was huddled in the manor. That was spawning the Magical Beasts. We climbed to the fourth floor of the beast-filled manor, defeated it, and dusted ourselves off as we exited.
Then we headed straight for where Kisis was.
The dense forest behind the manor.
A place thick with the choking scent of heavy grass.
Pushing through it, we found Kisis, all traces of amusement wiped from his face.
The praying Saintess and priests.
And the contamination staining red before them.
"Ah."
It was a gruesome sight.
We stopped in our tracks, speechless. We didn't need to ask which zone was contaminated.
The fresh greenery was gone, replaced by red. A sinister hue that stabbed at the eyes. Oddly, it evoked the red of living muscle.
That color covered the ground and trees, writhing slowly.
"The World Tree's roots are contaminated."
Kisis spoke without turning to us, lost for words at the bizarre scene.
"You feel it, right? That's the World Tree's roots."
I did.
The heavy presence of the World Tree. It was so vast its roots reached far. That's why people sometimes encountered them unexpectedly. This place must have roots passing through, with some protruding above ground.
Roots covered in red veins like blood vessels.
Ray furrowed his brow and bit his lip hard. Kyle grimaced and muttered a quiet curse.
I let out a long breath.
"Why is this happening?"
"Don't know."
Kisis replied coldly, eyes fixed on the roots as he added,
"But this is definitely the cause of the recent anomalies."
The sound of prayer echoed through the forest.
Overlapping prayers resonating. Strangely, prayers that would normally feel holy sent chills down my spine.
Because my vision was drowned in red?
Ray looked at Kisis with slightly bloodshot eyes.
"Is it like this elsewhere too?"
"Probably. Fortunately, the contamination isn't spreading fast. We can keep up."
"Can it be purified?"
"This combination has succeeded in purification every time."
Kisis murmured, staring at the roots.
Without any intent to activate his Heavenly Eye.
But oddly, his eyes seemed not fixed on the roots, but lost in thought.
"We'll purify it every time, so no problem."
His tone was like he was telling himself.
"It'll be fine for a very long time."
His words proved true.
In fact, quite a long time passed without us realizing the danger of the contamination.
***
A long time passed.
Not a short span. We went through a lot in that time. We went to suppress a rebellion and Kyle nearly died; the count's family was framed and Ray nearly faced execution. After I used the 'Inhalation' technique, my comrades found out I had seizures almost every time.
Ah, we caught a dragon too. We found a legendary secret sword that had become legend, easily obtained moonstone pomegranate, and when the 'Inhalation' technique went berserk, turning the World Tree's offspring into a demon, Kisis and I subdued it together.
Through all that, the three of us walked the path of the sword amicably.
Meaning we earned the title of Swordmaster.
And the rank of Knight Commander.
Though only Kyle and I got that rank.
The important thing was that so much time had passed, and I had more to lose now.
"Captain!"
I had subordinates.
I tossed back my silver hair whipping in the wind and turned my head.
To see my subordinates running urgently toward me.
"Emergency summons!"
"Nol."
I called the names of those rushing over and grinned lazily.
"Ivon. No need to run."