The True Knight
They were called a different form of monster from mages.
Occasionally, there were those born with extraordinary physiques, and such individuals always stood out in combat or war.
Then, if they caught the eye of the nobles and received a knighthood, and if they accomplished more deeds, they would be granted a fief and a title, becoming yet another noble.
The interesting part was that their robust constitution was usually inherited through blood.
Over time, the families they built became a special layer of nobility called ‘knight families.’
Naturally, the word ‘knight’ became more than just a title—it became a symbol of terror.
And so, a knight had sent a letter to Joseph, saying he wanted to meet him.
‘……Of course, Ogier had been a bit different.’
Joseph recalled the rural knight from Malešov.
But this Davie didn’t seem like the straightforward Ogier.
If anything, he seemed closer to Manir, who had faced the troll alone.
‘A glorious opportunity…….’
Just from reading the letter, it seemed this knight wanted to make some proposal to Joseph.
It might be best to go and hear what it was, but at least from the tone, it didn’t seem like hostility.
“Gibra, I need to send a reply. Find someone for me.”
“Understood.”
After sending Gibra, Joseph immediately took out pen and paper.
“…….”
Then, he paused.
‘Should I reply in this way too?’
Even though Joseph wasn’t a noble and hadn’t learned this before, it felt inappropriate to just scribble a reply.
He didn’t know much about the culture of the powerful, but thinking about his future life, it would be better to be careful.
‘This is troublesome.’
Joseph thought for a moment, then moved his hand again.
- Like the sea of Caladon sparkling as if shattered by the scorching sun…….
* * *
Before meeting Davie, Joseph went to find Dofnik.
The Silver Ice Merchant Guild dealt with ice distribution, so they had some contact with nobles.
Dofnik would know about Davie.
“If it’s Viscount Fabidia’s third son, Davie.”
Dofnik’s face lit up with interest when he heard Joseph’s story.
“The third son?”
“Yes, I haven’t actually met him, but I know he’s not that old.”
Nobles generally passed everything to the eldest son.
Viscount Fabidia was the same, and the third son Davie had been knighted by the viscount, but didn’t seem heavily involved.
In noble families, unless you’re the eldest, you have to find your own way.
“So, he invited me to the camp……?”
Joseph reflected on the letter.
Davie had invited Joseph not to the castle, but to a camp outside Caladon.
Although he had left the family, he didn’t have a territory, which was why.
“Ah, that might be different. Probably he was gauging the viscount’s reaction.”
“……Now that I think about it, the Fabidia family didn’t seem to like Caladon much, did they?”
“Yes. Since they send taxes directly to the royal court without passing through the territory, they wouldn’t like it even if they wanted to.”
Caladon was a large coastal city with a port, where huge amounts of gold flowed every year.
Even though it was in their territory, since they didn’t get the money, it was like a thorn in their side.
“Then, are they trying to hire me?”
“Wouldn’t they? Joseph-nim has already gone to Harbert Forest…… so the name of the mage Joseph has reached Davie’s ears.”
The name of the mage Joseph had already spread widely within Caladon.
However, he wasn’t from Caladon, and his fame was recent.
For Davie, who lacked power, it was a good contact.
“Do you plan to meet him?”
“Yes, I can’t refuse.”
Joseph had plans to settle in this area.
It wouldn’t be wise to cause trouble with a noble family ruling the territory.
“Do you know what kind of personality Davie has?”
“Um, I don’t know well. If it’s a larger entourage than ours, maybe, but…….”
Dofnik clicked his tongue in disappointment.
Joseph nodded.
At least, this was enough information.
At minimum, it meant there was no hostile reason.
‘To know more, I should meet him directly.’
* * *
After some time, Joseph set out from the castle with a carriage.
Since the purpose wasn’t extermination, only three private soldiers followed.
“If it’s a knight, is it like Baron Ogier?”
“Similar, but a bit different.”
“……Is that so?”
Joseph chatted with the soldiers while riding in the carriage.
Fortunately, he didn’t seem as tense as when meeting Ogier.
‘Whatever, get used to it.’
After traveling along the coast for a while, tents appeared in the distance.
Joseph scanned the tents and the neatly arranged surroundings.
Even though it would be troublesome, Davie had chosen to camp outside rather than enter Caladon.
As they approached the camp, soldiers came into view.
‘Not bad level.’
The soldiers mostly wore leather armor with metal pieces attached here and there.
No part was empty, and the leather was dark and thick, clearly felt even from afar.
When Joseph’s carriage approached, one soldier guarding the perimeter came forward.
He inspected the soldiers’ attire and asked cautiously.
“Are you the mage?”
“Yes.”
Derek answered, and he immediately nodded and opened the way.
As the carriage entered the camp, Harry appeared when the carriage was stopped at the edge.
“Lord Davie is waiting inside.”
Joseph followed his guidance into the largest tent.
There was a small table, and in front of it sat a man who looked like the owner of this place, Davie.
Behind him, several soldiers stood as guards.
‘……More formal than I thought.’
Joseph thought, quickly scanning the surroundings.
Recalling, he had met nobles a few times before, but this was the first time entering such an environment.
“Mage, you have arrived!”
Davie, with thick eyebrows and piercing eyes, stood up from his seat.
However, his build was much larger than expected.
It was hard to believe the person who sent the elaborate letter was this.
“I am Joseph.”
“I am Davie Fabidia.”
They shook hands, and Davie guided Joseph to an empty seat.
Before they could say much, servants carrying food entered the tent.
‘……What?’
While Joseph was slightly surprised by the sudden influx of servants, they quickly filled the table with food and left.
“Let’s eat first!”
Davie lifted his glass without hesitation.
Looking beside him, Joseph’s glass was already filled with wine.
“……?”
It was quite different from the nobles of Valois territory.
Feeling something strange about the unfamiliar atmosphere, Joseph lifted his glass following him.
At least, it felt like he was trying to treat him well.
‘……I hope there’s nothing dangerous in it.’
A slight suspicion arose, but it was close to overthinking.
If it were a merchant trying to intimidate Joseph, maybe, but a noble wouldn’t attack Joseph like this.
In fact, Davie himself downed the wine in one gulp and started devouring the food in front of him.
“Does it suit your taste?”
As Joseph slowly ate the food, Davie asked.
“Yes, it’s very delicious. It feels quite fresh.”
Joseph answered with etiquette, but the quality of the food was genuine.
It wasn’t something easily made in a camp, unlike Caladon or other castles.
“That’s right. The Fabidia family has many ports, so ingredients are easy to obtain.”
“Impressive.”
Davie continued to boast about his family, seeming to have strong pride.
Joseph just ate moderately and chimed in.
As Joseph responded well, Davie became even more excited, gulping down the wine served by the servants.
‘……What…… Is he a horse?’
While chugging wine without stopping, he looked so composed.
Watching this, Joseph inwardly admired him, but then Davie started to reprimand the servants.
This was the signal to bring up the main topic.
Joseph set down the wine he was drinking and faced him.
“You seem much more composed than the rumors suggest, mage.”
“Rumors?”
Joseph’s expression was one of surprise, and he smiled.
“Don’t pretend not to know. Your name has spread throughout Caladon.”
It wasn’t rare for a new person to appear in Caladon.
But because of that, standout individuals spread rumors quickly.
“It reached even my ears near Caladon.”
“Flattery.”
“Hahaha!”
As Joseph humbly answered, he burst into laughter.
“The mage is, well, rather than being a mage, you have the temperament of a noble. If it were a mage, something…….”
He shrugged his shoulders after saying that.
It was easy to guess what Davie was trying to say.
“Mages are also people. People have different temperaments, don’t they?”
“That’s true.”
Joseph’s words made him raise one eyebrow and nod.
“So, what is the reason you wanted to meet me today?”
Then, Joseph brought up the main point first.
He felt like he had been circling the topic.
“Direct and to the point. Good. The reason I invited you is because I have a proposal.”
He downed the remaining wine and continued.
“I would like you to join me in subjugating the dungeon.”
The word “dungeon” made Joseph look surprised.
“……A dungeon?”
“Yes. I heard that the mage recently led mercenaries to subjugate the Harbert Forest.”
“Yes, that’s true, but…… it wasn’t for honor or any other reason.”
“You know that of course. Where else in the world is there such an altruistic human?”
He chuckled and continued.
“The reason I’m making this proposal is not simply because I subjugated it. I heard that no one died in the Harbert Forest.”
The Harbert Forest was an area of demonic beasts that the Fabidia family and Caladon didn’t properly manage and had abandoned.
No one died after going there.
That alone was enough to prove the mage’s ability.
“……That was only because I only went around the outskirts of the forest. I didn’t enter the forest.”
“My subordinates died after going around the outskirts.”
“…….”
At those words, Joseph’s words stuck.
Suddenly, the camp where the worm-like demonic beasts were lurking came to mind.
“Well, honestly, their deaths were their own fault. They went into a place where they were told not to.”
He seemed unconcerned about his subordinates dying.
“Since you safely passed through such a place, I want your help.”
“…….”
At Harbert’s words, Joseph fell silent.
He roughly understood why he was looking for him.
Probably, he wanted to use his power to subjugate the dungeon and raise his own name.
Furthermore, using that fame to catch the eyes of high nobles.
It sounded plausible as a wandering knight, but in reality, he was like a wandering mercenary.
It was no different from Joseph, who had been wandering until recently.
The difference was that Joseph didn’t want to get entangled in political issues, while he actively wanted to dive into such a society.
Since he was born a noble and raised that way, his values were different.
‘Well, I don’t need to know about such intentions.’
What was more important to Joseph now was something else.
“If I participate in the dungeon subjugation, what can I receive?”