Chapter 7
Chapter 7
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Advent
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The teleportation circles, spread like a spiderweb throughout the Demon Realm, were as varied in size and shape as they were in number.
Ingong, who had closed his eyes amidst the blue light that flared as the Demon King's Castle's teleportation circle activated, slowly opened them to a new sensation just a few seconds later.
Beyond the blue light, which had yet to fully dissipate, a continuous stretch of gray lingered like an afterglow.
The teleportation circles managed by the Demon King's Castle were required to secure a space of a certain width or more without pillars, in preparation for any potential teleportation failures.
This place, the interior of a stone tower, was no different; an entire floor served as the teleportation circle.
“We’ve arrived?”
“Yeah.”
Ingong gave a simple reply to Karak, who was blinking and looking around, then turned toward the entrance to find the person sent to meet them. Sure enough, a female soldier soon appeared before him.
“Greetings to His Highness, the Ninth Prince. I am Ranger Karma, assigned as your guide.”
The woman spoke briskly, striking the formal salute of the Demon King’s Castle soldiers—right fist placed over the left side of her chest.
“Ah, right. Nice to meet you. I’m Shutora.”
Ingong found himself returning the greeting somewhat awkwardly. It was because of the appearance of the woman who had introduced herself as Karma.
Her black hair, tinged with brown and just shy of her shoulders, her pretty face that looked to be around twenty, and her well-toned body wrapped in leather armor were all ordinary. No, she was actually quite pretty. But below her thighs, things were a little different. Her legs resembled those of a horse, and instead of normal feet, she had hooves. Looking closely, he could see a horse’s tail at her rear as well.
‘Wait a minute. Is this what satyrs look like?’
A type of beastkin with a human upper body and some part of the lower body—usually the two legs—of an animal.
Satyrs usually had the legs of deer or goats, so having horse legs was not very common. He didn't think he'd seen many in *Knight Saga*.
Ingong searched his memory for a moment before shaking his head and focusing on the present. What mattered now was not the rarity of the race of the woman—Karma—before him. With Karak the green-skinned orc standing right behind him, there was no reason to be surprised by the sight of a fantastical race.
“I’ll be in your care for a while.”
As Ingong offered a practiced, friendly smile, Karma smiled back. Her smiling face suggested a pleasant personality.
“I’ll be in your care as well.”
Karma naturally returned to a normal posture and stood still, as if waiting for something. The impatient Karak asked.
“What’s the matter?”
“Um... are there no more private soldiers?”
Karma asked, glancing behind Ingong and Karak with a look of confusion. A prince arriving in the borderlands for a mission with only a single orc as an escort was, by any measure, an unusual situation.
But it was reality. Ingong smiled wryly and said.
“For now, it’s just the two of us.”
In truth, Ingong had intended to form a private retinue. His merit level had risen considerably, and he had the reward money from the Merit Bureau, so it was certainly possible. In the first place, the reason he had been so eager to meet the children of the concubines was to incorporate them into his forces as commanders.
But Ingong was short on time. The mission had been assigned so suddenly that he hadn't had the chance to assemble a unit.
“Understood. Then we shall depart immediately.”
Though she seemed momentarily flustered by Ingong’s statement that it was just the two of them, Karma quickly smiled again and led Ingong and Karak on.
As they descended one floor from the teleportation level, a few people who appeared to be the circle’s administrators approached Ingong with greetings. After responding to them appropriately and receiving some necessary supplies, Ingong left the stone tower at once.
The dracos Felicia had gifted him were truly well-trained. Ingong had learned Draco Riding Level 1 the moment he mounted one, but even if he hadn’t, it seemed travel would have been no trouble.
“Whoa, this thing seems pretty strong, huh?”
Karak, mounted on his draco, exclaimed in admiration. At over two meters tall, Karak alone had to weigh well over a hundred kilograms, and he was carrying a large pack on his back besides. Yet the draco showed no sign of strain.
Karma also smiled in admiration.
“I’ve only heard stories of the dark elves’ dracos; this is my first time seeing them in person. They seem even more resilient than the rumors say.”
“This is my first time riding one, too. Are you going to walk?”
Karak asked, looking around Karma. She smiled brightly once again and replied.
“I have these two legs, so you don’t need to worry.”
It seemed her horse-like legs weren't just for show.
Below the stone tower, which sat high on a hill, a wide-open plain stretched out endlessly in all directions. Karma led the party at a light run, while Ingong and Karak entrusted themselves to their dracos.
The prairie wind was cool and dry. As his gaze drifted into the distance, Ingong unconsciously reached up to touch the necklace at his chest.
The Dark Elf's Tear.
A powerful magic treasure that protected the wearer's mind.
It had no other special abilities, but its defense against mental magic was so outstanding that it had been a favorite item in *Knight Saga*.
‘Though the way to get it was completely different.’
The Dark Elf’s Tear was an item that could be obtained by killing Felicia in the Day of Massacre battle. To think he would receive that very item as a gift from Felicia herself.
‘Come back safe and sound.’
Felicia’s voice echoed in his mind. It was as warm as the body heat he had felt when they embraced.
Chris and Caitlin weren't the only ones whose relationships had changed. Felicia, too, was now a powerful ally, not an enemy.
‘The Day of Massacre.’
It was no longer just his own life on the line. The lives of Chris, Caitlin, and Felicia were at stake as well. He wanted to protect the three of them.
‘Well, I’d better take care of myself first.’
Besides, while it made sense for Caitlin or Felicia, the thought of protecting Chris made him laugh despite himself. Unlike the seemingly delicate Caitlin or the actually delicate Felicia, Chris was a man of monstrous strength, packed with muscle. He seemed more suited to be a shield than someone to be protected.
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Ingong took the opportunity to open his inventory window and look at the items he had recently acquired. The rewards from the Merit Bureau for achieving a new merit level were at the very top.
‘It’s surprisingly reasonable.’
Naturally, the Merit Bureau’s system was designed to give better rewards for higher merit levels. But that didn't mean the rewards at lower levels were all bad. Even if they weren't expensive or rare, they provided items essential for missions.
Health recovery potions, mana recovery potions, a tent for sleeping outdoors enchanted with a protection spell, and a sleeping bag with a temperature-preserving spell.
His current merit level was 5, so after completing this mission, he should be able to receive proper equipment like a sword or armor.
‘Will my merit level be around 7 when I get back from this mission?’
The Cassius subjugation was one of the Merit Bureau’s typical repeatable quests. Since it could only be done once a year, its frequency was low among repeatable quests, but in exchange, the amount of merit points one could accumulate at once was quite substantial.
‘Come to think of it, weapons are a problem.’
Cassius was a four-legged magical beast resembling a giant wolf. If he were fighting it head-on, he could just use Earthquaker and engage in close combat based on his Beast Fist, but this mission wasn't premised on a one-on-one duel.
It was a battle of packs.
Moreover, his side’s pack consisted of centaurs, known as the perfect cavalry. If he were to fight on a draco to keep pace with them, he would need a long weapon.
‘A sword would be the standard choice, but since it might be similar to mounted combat, a spear might be better.’
He had a whole arsenal of weapons he’d taken from the dungeon where the Anvil that Births Thunder was, so he had a variety of weapons, not just swords and spears but axes and crossbows as well.
Thanks to the Power of Conquest and Protagonist’s Body, once he started learning a weapon, a few days would be enough to bring his skill to a certain level.
‘I should discuss it with Karak, so let’s not decide too hastily.’
Ingong deactivated the inventory window and looked ahead. An unfamiliar landscape was now unfolding before his eyes.
&
The Anger Plains were so vast that it would take at least two days of riding to reach the centaurs’ settlement. So, instead of pushing themselves, the party began to prepare for camp in the early evening.
As a local, Karma, their guide, knew several good camping spots. The place she chose was sheltered from the wind by a low hill, and from the various traces of camping left behind, it seemed to be a frequently used spot.
Dismounting his draco, Ingong activated his inventory window and reached into Karak's bag. Just as lies become more natural with repetition, he now looked as if he were genuinely pulling items out of the bag.
As he smoothly pulled out the camping set and tent from the Merit Bureau, followed by various other necessary items, Karma’s eyes widened in admiration. At first, she was surprised to see a prince personally taking out supplies, but soon her surprise shifted. An amount of goods that made her doubt the bag's capacity was pouring out.
“Wow, it’s incredibly strong.”
To think it had been carrying a bag filled with so many things.
As Karma expressed her pure admiration, Karak’s eyes quickly darted around before he shrugged and said.
“Hmph, I’m quite the strong one.”
Ingong's inventory was a secret to be kept until a knife was at his throat. Karak even gave Ingong a little wink, as if to ask if he wasn't being natural. But his concern was misplaced.
“No, I mean... the draco.”
After all, it was the draco that had carried both Karak and the luggage this far.
As Karma spoke awkwardly, Karak awkwardly averted his gaze, and Ingong just laughed openly.
Once the tent was pitched and a campfire lit for dinner preparations, the atmosphere became quite pleasant. With plenty of ingredients stored in the inventory, Karak prepared a rather luxurious meal for camping—a stew with chicken.
“Here, eat up.”
Like the gruff but kind man he was, Karak generously filled Ingong’s bowl first. The sight of the hot steam rising from it was enough to make one’s mouth water.
“Thanks for the meal.”
Just as Ingong said this and was about to take his first spoonful, a vibration traveled through the ground. It was faint at first but grew stronger in an instant, and a loud noise was heard from afar. The dracos, which had been calm, also sensed the disturbance, looking around and letting out low growls.
Ingong quickly swallowed a mouthful and set his bowl down, while Karak swapped his ladle for an axe. Karma scrambled up the hill and shouted as she looked in the direction of the noise.
“It’s the Cassius!”
Could this also be some kind of protagonist perk?
Ingong equipped Earthquaker on his right arm.
&
“How many of ‘em are there?!”
Karak, axe in hand, asked Karma, who was lying flat on the hilltop. Karma, narrowing her eyes as she stared ahead, shouted in a panicked voice.
“Seven? Ten? There are centaurs, too!”
It was a report that didn't immediately make sense, so Ingong climbed the hill himself. As soon as he spotted the group galloping in the distance, he opened the mini-map.
‘A group of centaurs and Cassius. Are the centaurs being chased?’
The distance made it hard to be certain, but there were five lightly armored centaurs and about ten Cassius.
The Cassius was a magical beast that looked like a wolf with deer antlers on its head. However, it was much larger than a wolf; a fully grown male was almost the size of a horse.
Karak, who didn't have a mini-map, squinted one eye at the scene ahead, then turned to Ingong and spoke quickly.
“Looks like a scouting party. They must’ve run into the Cassius while coming to meet you, Prince. Looks like two of ‘em are already down.”
Centaur scouting parties usually consisted of seven members. Since there were only five centaurs in sight, two must have already lost their lives.
Even now, the centaurs and Cassius were approaching Ingong's party. Karak looked to Ingong for a decision.
“What’s the plan?”
Fight alongside the centaurs, or flee?
With the dracos, they had a high chance of escaping if they moved in a different direction from the centaurs. But Ingong shook his head. If they abandoned the centaurs here, this mission would be a failure from the start.
“Time for a little madness.”
They would fight. But not just any fight.
Having made his decision, Ingong quickly explained his plan to Karak and Karma.
“They’re heading straight for us!”
Though less than ten seconds had passed, a lot had happened in that time. Karma, lying flat on the hill, gritted her teeth and watched the front. The distance had closed so much that she could see the urgent expressions on the centaurs' faces.
Below the hill, Ingong and Karak were mounted on their respective dracos, taking deep breaths. Karak asked one last time.
“Are you really gonna do it?”
“I really have to.”
“It was a short acquaintance, but it’s been fun.”
“We’ll be seeing each other for a long, long time.”
There was no time to exchange jokes and grin. Karma shouted like a thunderclap.
“Now!”
“Don’t die!”
Karak’s orcish war cry drowned out Karma’s shout. At the same time, the draco carrying Ingong kicked off the ground.
The greatest feature of the dracos, which the dark elves used instead of horses, was their explosive instantaneous speed. Though it lasted only a few seconds, a draco could run several times faster than a horse.
Ingong unleashed the draco’s speed from the very beginning. The draco charged up the hill at a terrifying pace, its leap like a flight.
Now, the centaurs and Cassius could see Ingong. Their ears had first been caught by Karak’s war cry, but now, without exception, they all saw Ingong and his draco, and instinctively slowed their pace. But even then, the draco did not stop.
‘Break through!’
The draco Felicia had given him was nothing short of a divine beast. It understood Ingong’s command perfectly, carving a precise path even at its terrifying speed.
The draco carrying Ingong cut through the space between the centaurs and the Cassius from the side. The sudden intrusion made both the centaurs and the Cassius flinch, and Ingong, who had planted his feet on the draco’s saddle, launched himself toward the Cassius he had been tracking since he checked the mini-map.
‘That one’s the leader!’
In a pack of Cassius, which lived in groups, there was always a leader. Even when pack hunting, there was one that commanded the others.
‘How to spot the leader? Obviously, it’s the biggest one!’
The leader Cassius was even larger than a horse, making it easy to spot. Plus, its large size made it a good target to cling to.
The moment Ingong clung to the leader Cassius’s neck, the now-riderless draco shot through the pack and out the other side.
Only a few seconds had passed. Ingong didn't stop. He had to land a decisive blow in the brief moment the Cassius were too stunned to react properly.
“Kuaaang!”
The leader Cassius let out a roar and threw its head back. Ingong clung tightly to it with his left arm and both legs, pulling back his right fist.
‘I’m betting everything on this one blow!’
He would finish the leader Cassius in a single strike.
He was confident. He had already shattered an orc’s head during the Red Lightning Tribe subjugation. The biggest challenge of this operation wasn’t smashing the beast’s head, but clinging to its neck.
Ingong gathered all the aura in his body into his right fist. He would use the Fist of Explosion, a technique from the Divine Beast Fist. It was a beautiful technique that slammed ignited aura directly into the enemy's body. Though it consumed a great deal of aura, it was the most powerful attack Ingong could currently unleash.
Breath control, aura concentration, all that remained was the ignition of the aura!
His body perfectly remembered the technique he had practiced countless times. The moment Ingong threw his punch, a pure white aura flashed.
So far, so good. It was just as he had practiced. But the moment the technique was complete, an anomaly occurred.
Earthquaker.
The gauntlet imbued with the power of the Earth Dragon Enkidu.
It amplified his aura. It doubled the technique’s destructive power!
*KABOOM!*
With a tremendous roar, the leader Cassius’s head exploded. Its shattered skull flew apart with blood and flesh. It was as if its head had been erased from the world.
The body of the leader Cassius, its head suddenly gone, collapsed limply, and the other Cassius, who had been running awkwardly, were too shocked to react properly. A few even tumbled over in the middle of their stride.
Ingong was just as shocked. He knew he had gotten stronger since the battle with the Red Lightning Tribe, but he hadn't imagined it would be to this extent. Moreover, it was his first time using Earthquaker in actual combat, so he had never imagined it would amplify his aura.
‘Isn’t a single blow like this almost on Caitlin’s level?’
Ingong recalled Caitlin’s strike that had made an orc explode during Felicia’s rescue, and swallowed hard. He instinctively looked down at his right arm, clad in Earthquaker.
‘I can do this.’
He could. It wasn't just the Fist of Explosion that had grown stronger. His Beast Fist and Aura levels were 5 and 6, respectively. He was incomparable to when he had first joined the battle against the Red Lightning Tribe.
Ingong breathed. He circulated his pure white aura, raising his physical abilities, which were already several times stronger than an average Villager A, to another level.
‘Here I go.’
Ingong kicked off the ground. Only a few seconds had passed since the leader Cassius’s head had exploded, so there were several Cassius still in shock nearby.
If there was one word to describe Beast Fist, it was explosive power. Like a draco in a frenzy, Ingong closed the distance to a Cassius in an instant and slammed a punch into its side. The aura exploded, and another Cassius was sent tumbling to the ground.
Ingong didn't spare his aura. The moment he killed the leader Cassius in a single blow, this fight was as good as over.
“Kuraha!”
Karak charged toward the Cassius pack, letting out an unidentifiable war cry. He couldn’t shatter a Cassius in one hit like Ingong, but the massive battle axe he wielded was threatening enough on its own.
The centaurs, finally grasping the situation, also raised their weapons and launched a counterattack, causing the Cassius to lose their will to fight. As if their earlier aggression in chasing the centaurs had been a lie, they tucked their tails and began to flee.
“Karaha!”
Karak roared again at the fleeing Cassius. Instead of asking what that sound was supposed to mean, Ingong lightly shook his right arm and turned to the centaurs.
As Karak had predicted, they were a scouting party, clad only in light leather armor, and their expressions were a complex mess. The excitement of battle, the thrill of having survived, and the uncertainty of not knowing who the figure before them was all mixed together chaotically.
Ingong immediately identified the leader among the centaurs. He was easy to spot with the blue armband on his right arm.
“I am the Ninth Prince, Shutora.”
The moment he spoke those short words, a roar erupted from the centaurs.
&
“That was truly amazing! Amazing!”
Karma shouted repeatedly, her face flushed with excitement. Her eyes were sparkling, reminding him of Caitlin.
‘Is she doing well?’
It hadn't even been a full day since they parted, so her face and voice were still vivid in his mind. After his sudden reminiscence of Caitlin, Ingong returned to reality.
“Prince, wipe your face.”
Karak, ever prompt, handed Ingong a dry towel. He had introduced himself as Ingong's adjutant, gaining some authority among the centaurs, and was already giving simple orders.
Two of the centaurs were butchering the dead Cassius, while the other three helped Karak dismantle the tent and pack their belongings. They were relocating their camp.
Karma, who had been jumping up and down in excitement, was also preparing to move to the new campsite, so Ingong finished wiping his face and mounted his draco.
“Whoa, whoa, there, there. Good boy. I’ll give you plenty to eat when we get to the new camp.”
Though it looked like a snake that would only eat live prey, the draco was actually an omnivore. A few chunks of the Cassius meat from today's hunt would do nicely.
“Prince, we’re ready to leave.”
Karak said, carefully holding a small, lidded cauldron. It seemed he planned to start cooking again as soon as they moved.
“The nearest campsite is about a twenty-minute ride from here.”
Karma announced briskly, her eyes still sparkling. Ingong set the party in motion, then guided his draco over to the centaur scout leader.
“You said your name was Swift Wind?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Swift Wind, the centaur with the armband, replied quickly to Ingong's call. Though not as sparkling as Karma's, his clear eyes held a sense of overwhelming emotion.
‘Ah, His Highness the Prince remembered my name!’
—Ingong guessed that was the sentiment, then cleared his throat to dispel the delusion and asked in a rather dignified tone.
“Can you tell me the situation in detail?”
In the chaos right after the battle, he had only managed to catch the name and the fact that they were a scouting party. Swift Wind spoke as quickly as his name suggested.
“We were scheduled to escort Your Highness, the Ninth Prince, tomorrow morning. We were scouting the surrounding area to ensure the safety of your route when we encountered the Cassius pack.”
Swift Wind's face suddenly darkened. His thoughts had likely turned to his fallen comrades.
Ingong let out a long breath, as if sharing in the sorrow, then asked again.
“Have the Cassius already come this far south?”
The Cassius subjugation quest on the Anger Plains primarily involved joining forces with the centaurs and defeating the Cassius as they moved south from the north. In other words, at this point in time, the Cassius should have been much further north.
And yet, a pack of Cassius had appeared. And here, of all places, slightly south of the centaurs' settlement.
Swift Wind replied with a somewhat anxious look.
“It doesn’t seem like the entire host has moved south. However… it appears the Cassius are moving much faster than in previous years.”
Different from before. Just hearing that much was enough to give him a bad feeling.
“I knew it. No way a job from the Demon King would be ordinary.”
Karak, who was following beside Ingong, added a comment as if to reinforce the foreshadowing.
‘So what I feared has come to pass.’
Of course, he didn't think the Demon King could have predicted this exact situation. But as Karak said, if a mission from the Demon King had been perfectly ordinary, that in itself would have felt strange.
Ingong nodded unconsciously and looked at Karma, who was leading the way, before saying.
“Let’s eat as soon as we arrive.”
“Don’t you worry. We do all this to live and eat, don’t we?”
Karak grinned and lightly tapped the cauldron he was hugging like a treasure.
And the next afternoon, Ingong arrived at the centaurs' settlement.
&
Centaurs, with the upper body of a human and the lower body of a horse, were often compared to the perfect cavalry.
The mobility and charging power of a horse.
The brain of a human to understand and follow orders from above, and two arms to wield weapons.
The advantage of height that comes with being cavalry.
Ordinary cavalry, being a combination of two different creatures, a human and a horse, could never perfectly combine these three strengths.
But centaurs were literally one with their mounts. They not only embodied all these advantages but could also create a synergistic effect.
The centaurs in *Knight Saga* were similar. But there were some differences from what he had imagined while playing the game.
For one, they were smaller than he expected.
Their upper bodies were almost the same size as a human's, but their lower bodies were different. They were definitely smaller than the warhorses ridden by heavy cavalry.
‘Then again, if it were a human torso attached to a real warhorse, that would be inconvenient in its own way.’
Besides, smaller didn't mean they were the size of ponies. Swift Wind, running beside Ingong, was only slightly shorter at the shoulder than Ingong on his draco.
Ingong turned his gaze forward again. In the distance, he could see the centaur settlement.
As nomads, centaurs used large, portable tents for shelter instead of houses built of stone or wood. Because of this, from a distance, the settlement looked more like a military encampment than a village.
‘They said the satyrs live with them, too, right?’
Ingong’s gaze shifted back to the back of Karma's head, who was leading at the very front. Bouncing along lightly, her lower body wasn't entirely horse-like like the centaurs, but only her two legs, so her height was only slightly taller than an average human.
The centaurs relied on the satyrs for tasks that were difficult for them due to their size, and the satyrs entrusted their defense to the centaurs. It could be called a symbiotic relationship.
“I’ll go on ahead and deliver the news!”
Karma glanced back, shouted to Ingong, and then picked up her pace. Even though she had horse-like legs, she was still a bipedal human, yet her stamina was truly remarkable.
Karak rode his draco up beside Ingong and said.
“Prince, looks like they’re about ready on their end, too.”
Just as Ingong's party had seen the centaur settlement, the centaurs in the settlement had seen them. Centaurs were gathering at the entrance of the wooden palisade that served as a fence, much like a military camp.
‘The centaurs of the Anger Plains…’
There were four centaur tribes residing on the Anger Plains. The most powerful among them was the Fierce Flame Tribe, and its chief also served as the great chief overseeing the other three tribes.
The great chief’s name was Fierce Eye.
He was a figure that any player who had gone through the Demon Realm arc of *Knight Saga* would have encountered at least once.
‘Though as an enemy, not an ally.’
Fierce Eye didn't belong to any particular faction, but he disliked Zephyr. Therefore, in the Day of Massacre event, no matter which of the Demon King's children was left standing, he would join them to oppose Zephyr.
‘He was a stubborn old codger.’
Just as his name suggested, his eyes were incredibly fierce. He was so consistently blunt that it was difficult to even have a proper conversation with him.
‘In the game, he was literally an unrecruitable character… but maybe it’s different here?’
Even though a battle wasn't imminent, a strange fighting spirit arose within him. Hadn't even Chris and Caitlin, who were practically mid-bosses, become his allies? There was no reason he couldn't do the same with Fierce Eye.
“Those are eyes burning with ambition. Hot, hot.”
Karak muttered under his breath, and Ingong ignored him.
And after about five more minutes, the party finally arrived at the Fierce Flame Tribe's settlement, where they were met by a group of centaurs.
“I am Fierce Eye, the Great Chief.”
He didn't need an introduction. The man standing in the center of the centaur group was enormous. His lower body was larger than most warhorses, and his upper body, draped in a large Cassius hide, had shoulders so broad they looked like a plain.
But what stood out most were his piercing eyes. It felt as if those eyes could crush a person with their gaze alone.
Indeed, Swift Wind and the other scouts were avoiding Fierce Eye's gaze, looking at the ground or turning their heads to some random spot. Karma was much the same, silently staring at the ground.
But Ingong was different. Hadn't he withstood even the gaze of the Demon King himself?
“I am the Ninth Prince, Shutora.”
As Ingong met Fierce Eye's gaze directly, Fierce Eye's eyebrow twitched slightly. He looked down at Ingong with a blank expression and added another word.
“You’ve had a long journey.”
The intonation was the same as before, but the feeling was different. Ingong grinned once and considered offering a handshake, but it was awkward in a different way than with Bandal. It was strange to offer a handshake while mounted on a draco, so he simply met Fierce Eye's gaze and spoke.
“I’m sorry to rush you, but I’d like to hear about the situation. As you know, the scouting party encountered a pack of Cassius. I fought them as well. It seems the situation is not to be taken lightly.”
Two of the five scouts had departed ahead of them yesterday, so Fierce Eye must have heard about the Cassius pack.
Fierce Eye stared at Ingong silently for a moment, then spoke in a low voice.
“This way.”
As Fierce Eye turned and led the way, the centaurs were taken aback but soon went about their duties. The scout leader, Swift Wind, bowed to Ingong and withdrew with his scouts, while the centaurs who had been standing around Fierce Eye formed an honor guard around Ingong.
Ingong, accompanied by those centaurs, Karak, and the still-brisk Karma despite her lower eye level, followed behind Fierce Eye.
The place Fierce Eye led him to was, as expected, the great chief's tent. The ceilings of the tents were already high due to the centaurs' physical characteristics, but Fierce Eye's tent was particularly lofty. It felt like entering Bandal's tent.
It seemed inappropriate to ride the draco into the tent, so Ingong dismounted. With his eye level suddenly dropping, he felt like a dwarf in a land of giants.
“I will wait here.”
Karma bowed and waited at the entrance, and the centaurs escorting Ingong also stood guard around the tent.
Ingong swallowed nervously and entered the tent with Karak.
“The Anger Plains.”
As soon as Ingong entered, Fierce Eye pointed to a large map on a table and spoke. Fortunately, perhaps because there were satyrs in the centaur camp, the table wasn't excessively high.
As Ingong took his place at the table, Fierce Eye, who had picked up a long pole, pointed to various spots on the map.
“This is our Fierce Flame Tribe. Next to us are the Fierce Wind, Fierce Rain, and Rough Night Tribes, in order.”
The distance between the four tribes was greater than he had thought. It might be manageable for adjacent tribes, but for those at opposite ends, it would take a significant amount of time to travel between them.
Fierce Eye then pointed to the north.
“In a normal year, the Cassius pack would be around here. But the scouts encountered them much further south, over here.”
In terms of just north and south, it was even lower than the Fierce Flame settlement.
“I have sent out scouts to survey the area. There is an opinion that it might not be the entire host that has come down, but rather a part of it that has lost its way.”
The Cassius, who appeared annually around this time, numbered in the hundreds. If a number that large had all descended at once, the centaurs couldn't possibly have failed to notice.
“We need time to gather information. Please wait. In three days, the warriors of the four tribes will gather in one place. Then, wherever they are, we can defeat them with our combined strength.”
His speech was a bit gruff, but his explanation contained all the necessary information. Ingong nodded.
“I understand. I will wait.”
In truth, there was nothing more to press for. It wasn't as if a pack of Cassius had appeared right before their eyes.
With the conversation concluded, Ingong and Karak looked at Fierce Eye, and Fierce Eye looked back down at Ingong.
A truly subtle silence. But fortunately, it wasn't long.
“Ninth Prince.”
“Yes?”
When Ingong replied, Fierce Eye’s eyebrows twitched a few times before he asked in the same tone as before.
“Is it true you shattered a Cassius’s head with a single punch?”
“Yes, why?”
Fierce Eye, again, did not answer immediately, but twitched his eyebrows a few times before replying.
“Just asking.”
Karak’s eyes narrowed, as did Ingong’s.
‘I think I get it now.’
His eyes were definitely intimidating. His speech was gruff. But that eyebrow twitch was definitely not out of displeasure.
Ingong spoke in a deliberately cheerful tone.
“It’s a technique from Beast Fist. I can show you later if you want.”
It was actually a technique from the Divine Beast Fist, but Beast Fist had something similar.
Fierce Eye’s eyebrows twitched again.
“I will look forward to it.”
It was the same tone as before, but to Ingong, it sounded quite pleasant.
&
Upon leaving Fierce Eye’s tent, satyrs were waiting among the centaurs. Unlike Karma, these satyrs had the legs of goats. They bowed to Ingong and then guided him to the lodgings where he would be staying.
Ingong’s tent, located near Fierce Eye’s, had a ceiling that wasn't too high, likely intended for satyrs. The floor was covered with several layers of colorfully patterned carpets, and the walls were lined with multiple layers of thick fabric. It had a cozy atmosphere at a glance.
After the satyrs left, Ingong sat down in a suitable spot. Karak, who entered the tent a moment later, sat down beside him and said.
“It seems fifty centaurs will be assigned to you, Prince. You can rest today, and they’ll introduce them to you tomorrow morning.”
The number of warriors in the Fierce Flame Tribe was estimated to be around three hundred, so fifty was not a small number. Moreover, each centaur was a cavalry unit. This was a level of treatment far beyond being assigned thirty orc warriors.
In such dispatched missions, the children of the Demon King often played a supplementary role rather than a leading one. In the Red Lightning Tribe subjugation, it was Bandal, not Chris, who led the main force of the expedition.
“Is Karma staying with us?”
Ingong asked, looking toward the tent entrance. Karma hadn't come inside, but she had accompanied them to the tent.
Karak nodded.
“You can think of her as being in a similar position to me. She’s assigned to you, Prince. It wasn’t obvious because Prince Chris and Princess Caitlin had their own soldiers, but they also had local warriors attached to them in adjutant-like roles.”
“Hmm, is that so?”
Then maybe he could try to recruit her to his side, like Karak.
He hadn't yet confirmed Karma's combat abilities, but he certainly knew of her running ability and what could only be described as incredible stamina. She would be useful as a scout or a messenger under his command.
“Your ambition is burning brightly today.”
Karak said, shaking his head. He was surprisingly perceptive. Seeing a good opportunity, Ingong asked Karak.
“What do you think of Fierce Eye?”
He wasn't asking about his personality. Karak, who could understand a hint, immediately gave the correct answer.
“To me, it looked like he took a liking to you, Prince.”
“You think so too?”
So the eyebrow twitch was a sign of friendliness. Seeing Ingong's happy expression, Karak chuckled.
“First General Bandal, and now him. You seem to be quite popular, Prince.”
“It’s all thanks to my virtue.”
How could he get Fierce Eye to join him? Should he defeat him like he did Bandal?
“That’s enough nonsense. Get some rest. I’ll find out more about the situation here before dinner.”
A competent man's words. Perhaps meeting Karak was the greatest fortune of all.
“Alright, work hard.”
“See you later. If I’m late, don’t wander around alone. Take Karma with you.”
Karak, considerate to the end, stood up and left the tent. Ingong watched him go for a moment, savoring the afterglow, then straightened his posture. With Karak out working, he couldn't just stretch out his legs and rest.
‘I need to get stronger.’
The fact that Fierce Eye had shown favor to him was, after all, because he had defeated a Cassius in a single blow. Considering the future, it was best to train whenever he had the chance.
‘Divine Beast Fist.’
Closing his eyes comfortably, Ingong began to circulate his aura.
&
Ingong's aura was pure white. That pristine whiteness was both light and a stream of water.
Ingong guided the aura, and the aura, in turn, guided Ingong. The flow of aura was so natural that there were no blockages or tangles.
Conquest.
A white-haired woman wearing a golden crown. Her red and blue eyes.
Ingong's aura showed an anomaly. The flow, which had been aloof as if detached from everything in the world, sensed another current.
A voice echoed in Ingong's mind. The slender voice was not that of the white-haired woman. It was a voice that came not from the depths of Ingong's soul, but from outside.
It wasn't Karak or Karma. It was something other than a physical voice.
Ingong slowly opened his eyes. Darkness was before him. But this darkness was different from the deep of night. Amidst the pitch black, he could see the scenery inside the tent. Everything that came into his sight shimmered like a flame.
Ingong swallowed dryly without realizing it. He wasn't dreaming. His mind was clear.
Then what could it be?
Ingong, who was about to call out for Karak, stood up. Beyond his still-shimmering vision, something seemed to be beckoning.
A voice.
Someone was calling him.
Ingong steadied his breath. Along with his white aura, the Power of Conquest arose and enveloped him. It was as if it was trying to protect him.
Who was the other party? For a moment, Ingong looked at his right arm. Earthquaker, which should have been safely stored in his inventory, was equipped on his arm. It emitted a red and yellow light from between its black iron plates, as if growling.
Somehow, he knew. Having made up his mind, Ingong took a step forward, and with that single step, the surrounding scenery changed. Ingong was standing not inside the tent, but on a wide plain.
The sky was black, and everything around him shimmered. And before him, hair the color of the green plains swayed in the wind.
She was a beautiful woman. Her hair was very long, and the two eyes set in her white face were a mystical green. Like the white-haired woman, she did not look human.
Earthquaker, which had acknowledged Ingong as its master, once again emitted light. Ingong had never seen the woman before, but he could guess what kind of being she was.
She spoke to Ingong.
“I am a fragment of Ainkel. There is something I wish to say to you, who possess the power of Enkidu.”
Watcher Ainkel. One of the six dragons said to possess god-like power!
She took another step toward Ingong.
&
In the world of *Knight Saga*, there existed six Elder Dragons.
Though they were described as possessing god-like power, the players of *Knight Saga* treated the Elder Dragons as little more than background lore. The reason was simple: among the six Elder Dragons, only one, Guardian Quian, had a direct impact on the game.
‘And even then, he only appears indirectly in the Human Realm arc.’
Guardian Quian, also known as the Saint Dragon, was a powerful supporter of the Hero, Locke. It was Quian who gave Locke the "Hero's Sword," the strongest sword in the Human Realm, and it was he who introduced Locke to the best masters.
The other five Elder Dragons were, at best, mentioned occasionally in item descriptions like the Anvil that Births Thunder.
Elder Dragons.
Beings that could never be encountered in *Knight Saga*.
And yet, he was gradually making contact with them.
The gauntlet Earthquaker, containing the great power of Enkidu.
Watcher Ainkel, who had revealed herself to Ingong.
Why? And what did Ainkel want to say?
Snapping back to his senses, Ingong focused on Ainkel. Dressed in clothes made of woven green leaves and stems, she now appeared to be in the form of something other than human. Her pointed ears peeked out from her green hair, and deer-like antlers sprouted from above each ear.
“I am a fragment of Ainkel. A shard of her that sleeps on the Anger Plains.”
Her voice was as beautiful and mystical as her appearance. But its content was rather unsettling.
A fragment, not the real person. And the expression "sleeps."
As if reading Ingong's thoughts, or perhaps just guessing, the woman before him—the fragment of Ainkel—slowly nodded.
“That is correct. Watcher Ainkel is already dead. You may call me a lingering trace left in this world by her powerful will.”
Was the reason she didn't appear in *Knight Saga* because she was already dead? But for what reason would an Elder Dragon die? Could it be that she died of old age?
In the past, he would have dismissed such a story, but after witnessing Enkidu, even as a vision, he couldn't. He couldn't imagine a being as vast as a mountain simply dying of old age.
But the fragment of Ainkel seemed to have no intention of speaking further about Ainkel's death.
She furrowed her brow in a troubled manner and said.
“There is no time. My encounter with you is a miracle born of layered coincidences. I was able to find you because the weapon of Enkidu that you possess manifested its power, because you moved in a direction close to me, and because you answered my call. That is how this meeting came to be.”
She seemed to be talking about the moment Earthquaker amplified Ingong's aura.
“I am a fragment of Watcher Ainkel’s soul. Over a long period of time, I have become the guardian spirit of the Anger Plains. The children of the Anger Plains call me Green Wind.”
‘Green Wind!’
Ingong knew that name. It was one of the nature spirits to whom the centaurs and satyrs offered prayers. According to the lore of *Knight Saga*, it was because of her that the Anger Plains maintained their verdure.
The fragment of Ainkel—Green Wind—took another step closer to Ingong. At that, the surrounding scenery changed once again.
A small temple made of stacked stones stood in the middle of the plain. It was an unpretentious place, with no one tending to it, where passersby would simply offer their own prayers and leave.
“This is my home. And there lies the fragment of Watcher Ainkel that became my source.”
As if in response to Green Wind's words, a red and yellow light once again flared from Earthquaker on Ingong's right arm. Green Wind looked straight into Ingong's eyes and said.
“Monsters from the north are heading toward my home. They will destroy my home and devour my soul. If that happens, the Anger Plains will lose their green. My children will also be in great danger.”
“Are you talking about the Cassius pack?”
Ingong asked, speaking for the first time. Green Wind shook her head violently.
“Not just them! It is different from before. There are others who have come down with the Cassius.”
Green Wind wrapped her arms around her own shoulders. At that, the surrounding scenery changed once again. Among the fiercely barking Cassius, huge, black monsters were running. Their heads were like those of mountain goats, and their upper bodies were like ogres. Like centaurs, their lower bodies were four-legged beasts, resembling giant reptiles.
It wasn't a simple vision. These were beings that were actually moving at this very moment.
“My children alone cannot stop the threat from the north. But you are different. You, who have already obtained the power of Enkidu, will be able to gain power from the fragment of Ainkel. With that power, please stop the threat from the north. Please save the Anger Plains and my children.”
A sense of desperation crept into Green Wind’s previously rigid voice. Shedding a single silver tear, she grasped Ingong's hand.
“There is no time. They are already on their way. You must hurry.”
Ingong's consciousness momentarily soared high into the sky. Looking down on the Anger Plains through Green Wind's eyes, he could see the location of the small shrine and the path of the monsters descending from the north at a glance.
“May the blessing of the wind be with you.”
Green Wind lightly kissed Ingong's forehead. And at that moment, everything around him dissolved into light.
“Prince!”
Ingong’s eyes snapped open. Before him were Karak and Karma. He was inside the tent, lit by a lamp.
Instead of answering Karak, Ingong looked down at his right hand. In place of Earthquaker, a small piece of wood emitting a faint green light was clutched in his hand.
“A relic of Green Wind.”
Ingong muttered to himself, then quickly activated the mini-map. Even for places he hadn't been to, he could see a rough outline.
The small shrine was located to the northeast. According to the vision he had seen at the end, the Cassius pack was making a wide detour to the east before heading south, so it was natural that the centaurs hadn't noticed.
As Fierce Eye had said, the centaurs were watching the due north direction, where the Cassius usually descended from.
Roughly estimating the distance, Ingong swallowed hard. As Green Wind had said, he had to hurry.
“Get up, Karak. Prepare to fight. We need to go to Fierce Eye right now.”
Karma blinked in confusion at the sudden words, but Karak, Ingong's knight, was different. Without a shred of doubt, he shot up from his seat and sprang into action.
Following Karak, who strode out decisively, and Karma, who was swept along, Ingong emerged from the tent and looked up at the sky. It was late afternoon, nearing dusk.
“Fierce Eye is in his tent. Go with Karma. I’ll get the dracos and follow.”
At this point, Karma no longer showed any signs of clumsiness. She headed for Fierce Eye's tent, a step ahead of Ingong.
“Your Highness?”
The centaurs guarding Fierce Eye's tent were surprised by Ingong's sudden appearance, but he had no time to deal with them one by one. Entering the tent directly, Ingong faced Fierce Eye and said at once.
“There has been a revelation from Green Wind. We must march out immediately.”
Instead of giving a long-winded explanation, he held out the relic of Green Wind. Fierce Eye's eyebrows twitched as he took the small piece of wood.
The centaurs and satyrs around Fierce Eye also recognized the power of Green Wind emanating from the relic. One of them let out a bewildered voice.
“H-how.”
He didn't need to hear the rest. *How did a revelation from Green Wind come to an outsider, the Ninth Prince?*
But it was a reality that had already happened. Fierce Eye returned the relic to Ingong and asked.
“Where must we go.”
“Great Chief?!”
The centaurs cried out in surprise. The promised day of departure was three days away. The warriors of the four tribes had not yet all gathered.
But Ingong, looking only at Fierce Eye, replied.
“There is a small shrine to the northeast. We must go there. Green Wind is in danger.”
Fierce Eye knew of the shrine to the northeast. He had never considered it an important place, but he cast aside his doubts.
“I will trust the Prince.”
Fierce Eye had made his decision. The centaurs who knew him well, instead of shouting further, ran out of the tent and blew their horns. It was the signal to march.
Ingong left the tent with Fierce Eye. From a distance, Karak came running, leading two dracos.
“Prince!”
Ingong, having equipped Earthquaker on his right arm, immediately mounted his draco. Karma guided him out of the settlement.
The situation was developing rapidly. It was a situation he couldn't have even imagined when he first left the Demon King's Castle.
A mission given directly by the Demon King.
Did the Demon King, Mitra, know that things would unfold like this? And if he did, why did he choose Ingong over the other princes or princesses?
And there were a few more questions.
Why were the Cassius suddenly acting like this? How did the monsters from the north know about the true sanctuary of Green Wind, a place even the centaurs were unaware of, and how did they know to attack it?
There was something. There had to be an answer that would connect all these questions.
Ingong cut off his thoughts. True to their name as the perfect cavalry, the centaurs had prepared for departure in an instant. As they had to move quickly, they had taken no supplies other than their weapons.
Fierce Eye personally blew a great horn. Ingong and the three hundred centaur riders began to run with the sun at their backs.
&
The mobility of the centaur unit, composed entirely of cavalry, was truly tremendous. Ingong, who had experience marching with an orc infantry unit during the Red Lightning Tribe subjugation, felt the stark difference in mobility between cavalry and infantry.
Time passed even as they ran frantically, and dusk was approaching. Karma, the only infantry in the unit, was drenched in sweat but kept up with Ingong without falling behind.
The centaurs, born and raised on the vast plains and accustomed to looking far into the distance, almost all possessed extraordinary eyesight. Those running at the front spotted the small shrine, unusually enveloped in a faint green light, and the Cassius pack rushing toward it from a little further away.
“Oh, my goodness.”
“By Green Wind.”
Those who had harbored doubts even while moving under the great chief's command let out laments. Some of them couldn't suppress their impulse and looked back at Ingong.
Fierce Eye remained calm. He gradually reduced the centaurs' marching speed and counted the number of the Cassius pack.
Roughly four to five hundred. Moreover, mixed in with the Cassius were monsters they had never seen before.
Outnumbered and facing an unknown enemy, they would normally avoid a fight, but this battle was not one they could avoid.
“Prince, they too are surprised by our appearance.”
Fierce Eye spoke in a low voice and came to a complete stop. It was for a final breath before battle.
Ingong also saw the Cassius pack. He recalled the words of Green Wind.
She hadn't just told him to fight. She had told him to take the power remaining in Ainkel's fragment and repel the threat from the north.
There was something in the shrine. Having made his decision, Ingong said to Fierce Eye.
“I will go to the shrine. Don't let them get near it.”
They had talked roughly on the way, so Fierce Eye didn't ask any more questions. He took out a bow instead of a spear and said to Ingong.
“I will give you nine riders. I wish you good luck.”
A horn sounded among the centaurs. Fierce Eye and the other centaurs began to run diagonally, as if to bypass the small shrine, while Ingong headed straight for it. Karak, Karma, and nine centaur riders followed behind him.
As if in response to the horn, a great roar erupted from the Cassius pack. In the sky, the twilight was spreading.