Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: An Old Grudge (2)
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After the incident in the mountains, the gazes of the Royal Knights, who already saw me in a poor light, turned even more hostile.
No one said anything to my face, thanks to the fact that I had safely protected the Crown Prince, but one would have to be a fool not to notice the animosity in their eyes.
It seemed they found it utterly distasteful and unsettling that I, the one who had proposed a foolish wager that ultimately led to the Madosa’s attack, was now sticking so close to their master.
From the looks of it, they believed I had sweet-talked their master with all sorts of honeyed words while they were away.
The Crown Prince repeatedly tried to reason with the Royal Knights, emphasizing that he was the one who had accepted the wager and that safely transporting the chimera's corpse was essential.
He even defended me, calling me an indispensable talent for the empire.
The problem was that in the process, he spouted all sorts of incomprehensible nonsense about the previous emperor, dreams, and benefactors.
“Ha. I can’t tell if he’s doing it on purpose or if he’s just that dense.”
It backfired.
Thanks to him, I became a vile being who had bewitched the Crown Prince with sly methods.
To the Royal Knights, I was a wholly detrimental sycophant, a wicked vassal who had clouded the monarch's judgment.
Lucas saw me that way, too.
Unlike me, who felt a great deal of internal closeness to him due to our past life connection, he was desperate to tear me away from his master.
For some reason, that stung, and I’d sulk by myself, but I also felt a secret sense of relief.
If they had known that I had deliberately led the Madosa on a circular chase through the mountains in an attempt to “clean up,” it would not have ended with just glares.
Recalling Lucas's endless lectures on the traditions of the Royal Knight Order, it wasn't hard to imagine what would happen if they learned the full story.
—Behead the wicked vassal and then take one's own life to deal with the aftermath.
It was the time-honored and proud tradition of the Royal Knight Order for dealing with wicked vassals who ran rampant behind the shield of the monarch’s favor.
In such a situation, the Crown Prince’s excessive favor toward me was certainly a burden.
The more favor and attention the Crown Prince showed me, the stronger the Royal Knights' animosity grew.
There was no telling when the Royal Knights might decide to carry out their time-honored tradition and pride, the ‘wicked vassal execution ceremony.’
Therefore, I started avoiding the Crown Prince.
Besides, I had something else to do.
“Knight Johanna.”
I sought out the Yuhyeolmogi Knight, Johanna.
She had been with us since the west and was the only knight to escape injury during the Madosa’s attack.
When someone expressed suspicion about this, she answered nonchalantly.
In the event of a worst-case scenario, shouldn't there be at least one person left to deliver the news?
It was hard to condemn her as a coward when she said it with such confidence.
I had felt it before, but she was certainly a different breed from the other rigid knights.
That wasn't a bad thing.
Right now, I needed someone with an open mind, not someone with nothing but chivalry in their head.
Especially Johanna, who was so flexible she was almost cunning, made for a perfect conversation partner.
“Amazing. To think you came up with that while being chased by such a formidable foe.”
As expected, Johanna’s eyes sparkled as she listened to my story.
She fully sympathized with the advantages of controlling the mountain pass.
“I should go at once.”
Realizing that the effort required for the Giftrang to seize the mountain pass would only grow with time, she immediately rose from her seat.
“Just a moment.”
I stopped her as she looked ready to depart for the west that very instant.
Then, I handed her a letter I had prepared in advance.
It was a letter that roughly summarized the things that must be done and the things to be avoided to seize control of the mountain pass.
“……!”
Johanna’s eyes widened as she skimmed the contents on the spot.
“I think I understand why the family head showed so much interest in you.”
When she finally spoke, her eyes were filled with admiration.
“I have received the letter and will deliver it to the family head.”
As she put the letter away, her movements were so careful it was as if she were handling a treasure that must never be lost.
“Little squire.”
After finishing her preparations, she called out to me.
The expression she wore was different from before.
It wasn't her usual exaggerated, playful face, but a serious and resolute one.
“Whenever you need me, send word. No matter when or where, I will surely come. I swear it on my star.”
For me, who had already received the Gaecheondan, it was an excessive reward.
It wasn't something that warranted such a repayment, but once again, I didn't refuse.
Anton, Grita, and now Johanna.
Why were all the connections I made in Komrat so alike?
They were all eager to give without holding back.
In any case, Johanna left for the west that very day.
The rest of us enjoyed our time in the central region.
“Honestly, I thought, how great could it be beyond the mountains, but……”
“Well, now I understand why the people beyond the mountains look down on the west.”
“Can we really establish ourselves in a place like this?”
The Forsaken Hounds were completely intimidated by the overwhelming presence of the central city.
If a city on the outskirts was like this, they couldn't even imagine what the true center, where the imperial capital was located, would be like.
They were half right and half wrong.
It was true that the closer one got to the imperial capital, Gesentium, the larger the cities became.
However, to say that the city we were in now was just some run-of-the-mill place on the edge of the central region would be incorrect.
「Sodian」
A city more famous by its nickname, the Empire's Furnace, than its actual name.
Most of the metal mined from the vast veins at the edge of the mountain range passes through here.
Countless blacksmiths settled here to get first pick of the quality iron, and the fine weapons they crafted were then distributed throughout the empire.
Not only did great merchant guilds frequent the city, but knights and squires seeking to acquire arms for themselves also wore down the thresholds of the city gates.
While it might lack the splendor of other cities in the central region, its vitality was among the top in the empire. That was Sodian.
It was no coincidence that numerous martial families, including the Gaznae, who vied for the top spot among the Eight Great Families, had established themselves in Sodian.
In other words, you couldn't treat it as just another peripheral city simply because it was geographically located on the edge of the central region.
“By the way, the head of one of the Eight Great Families must be incredibly strong.”
The mercenaries' conversation, which had been about the city, naturally shifted to the head of the Gaznae family.
「The Knight of the Iron Wall」
「Master of the Divine Sword, Manwol」
「The current head of the Black Moon's Gaznae」
「The most likely next Ascendant」
The many names that described him poured out.
But the one mentioned most often was…
“They don't call him a Zodiac Knight for nothing.”
Knight of the Twelve Houses of the Imperial Capital, the name Zodiac Knight.
「Zodiac Knight」
Not an actual knight order, but an honorary title given to the twelve strongest knights in the empire.
“They say the best of the Zodiac Knights is the Black Knight, Navian Gaznae.”
Navian, the head of the Gaznae family, was known as the strongest among the Zodiac Knights.
And the Navian I had seen was indeed a knight worthy of that title.
He was a true monster.
So much so that he shocked someone who had grown thoroughly desensitized while living with a genius knight who had ascended on his own in a past life.
So much so that he made a certain Madosa, mad with appetite, retreat of her own accord.
I recalled his imposing presence in the mountains.
‘Nameless Madosa.’
The knight's voice, which had been calm even in the face of the Blue Tower's monster, echoed in my ears.
* * *
“Nameless Madosa.”
The Black Knight, a greatsword slung across his back, spoke.
“Just as you showed restraint and spared the lives of the knights, I too shall show you mercy.”
No one could object to the knight's words, speaking of granting mercy to a traitor who had dared to attack the Crown Prince's procession.
It was only natural.
The one who dominated this place was not the Madosa, nor the Night Watch.
It was not the Crown Prince either.
It was the current head of the Gaznae family.
A transcendent being whom the emperor himself had sought to grant the title of Lord and keep by his side.
Navian Gaznae was the master of this place.
“You're strong.”
The Madosa’s eyes gleamed.
It was the face of someone whose appetite had been stirred for the first time in a long while.
But that was only for a moment.
“I’d have to give up an arm to face you.”
Her face quickly turned sullen.
“An arm isn't too dear, but with just one arm, it would be hard to take what I want.”
Running while carrying someone in a fight would be impossible.
The Madosa’s gaze briefly shifted to a spot behind the Black Knight.
An affectionate, almost sticky gaze.
“Unfortunately, that's all for today.”
Flinch.
The small boy whose eyes met hers trembled.
“Goodbye.”
With a promise for next time, the Madosa retreated.
“Ah. We should have caught her.”
As everyone else sighed in relief at the great enemy's departure, someone grumbled.
The Black Knight’s gaze followed the voice.
The young boy, upon whom the witch's gaze had lingered at the last moment, was there.
“Ah, uh. Sorry. But we really shouldn't let her go like that.”
Even under the gaze of a transcendent being that even the Royal Knights found daunting, the boy stubbornly spoke his mind.
Going on about how the harm she would cause to the world would be immense if they let her go, how she would grow stronger and surely return if they didn't eliminate her when they had the chance.
He endlessly listed the reasons why the Madosa should be executed on the spot.
“For all your spirit, you're a timid one. And talkative.”
The Black Knight couldn't help but cut him off.
Only then did the boy realize his mistake and shut his mouth.
But the Black Knight did not take his eyes off the boy.
“Uh, um.”
The boy averted his gaze, his eyes darting about.
Swivel, swivel.
His busily rolling eyes were just like those of a scheming strategist.
A type the Black Knight did not favor.
Normally, he was a child who wouldn't have earned a second glance.
But this time was different.
He had heard the gist of the story on his way here.
A formidable enemy that even the Royal Knight Order chose to flee from rather than confront and defeat.
When he heard that a young squire and the Crown Prince were being chased alone, the Black Knight had naturally assumed the worst.
Though he did not desire the position of Lord, he had come here intending to uphold his loyalty to the emperor by taking the beast's life.
But surprisingly, the Crown Prince was safe.
A Madosa would have senses incomparably sharper than an ordinary person's; how on earth did they manage to shake her pursuit?
It was interesting.
But that was as far as it went.
It wasn't something that could hold the attention of a knight on the verge of Ascension for long.
If left alone, the Black Knight’s interest would have quickly faded.
“While I am most grateful for you rushing here in the nick of time to save our lives,”
As he stared intently, the Crown Prince, who had been standing back, stepped forward and shielded the boy's body.
“Is it not rather un-knightly to covet something that already has an owner?”
His legs were trembling from days of being pursued, his strength depleted, yet he stood his ground, his desperation palpable.
He looked as though he had sprung forward in terror that someone might snatch his precious treasure.
A strange light flickered in the Black Knight's eyes.
Royalty had an extraordinary attachment to treasures.
And this didn't just refer to valuable objects.
Their obsession was strongest when it came to people.
The makings of a Dragon Knight.
For a royal to react this way to a boy…
His fading interest in the child rekindled.
Stronger than before.
“I don't think it's quite at that stage yet. Are you not perhaps getting ahead of yourself?”
After all, what belongs to another always seems more desirable.