The Rural Knight
After the commotion had subsided, the soldiers eventually managed to capture the wild boars.
A knight, eyes sparkling as he gazed at Joseph, approached on horseback as if he had been waiting.
As the distance closed, his face came into view.
He appeared to be between a young man and a middle-aged man, a bit older than Joseph.
“…….”
He scanned Joseph from head to toe.
His worn shoes, the stained robe, and finally his gaze landed on the staff.
“……Are you a mage?”
His tone was oddly higher than when he was giving orders to the soldiers.
“Yes, my name is Mage Joseph.”
“I am Baron Auger. I rule over a small fiefdom to the southwest of here.”
Joseph bowed slightly in greeting.
At the same time, he quickly thought.
‘What are soldiers doing in a place that isn't even his own fief?’
It didn't look special, but Auger had proper equipment.
The soldiers were also wearing armor and holding spears, looking decent.
But why were they fighting wild boars here was a bit puzzling.
“It wasn't intentional, but we received help.”
“It was just by chance.”
Joseph bowed as if nothing special.
This was the first time he'd met a knight, and one from nobility at that.
He didn't want to upset his pride.
‘Knights are said to be incredibly powerful.’
He'd heard knights receive special education from childhood.
They were on a different level from mercenaries who ate with their swords.
‘A knight's difference could change the outcome of a war.’
The count's knights were facing the fire mage on the northern front.
Joseph glanced at the knight and the soldiers.
It was a bit different from what he imagined, honestly looking a bit shabby.
‘Well, I can't judge by appearance alone.’
Auger nodded at Joseph's words. He looked at Joseph for a moment before speaking.
“By any chance, was that magic just now?”
“Excuse me?”
“The attack on the wild boar.”
“Yes.”
“Can you show it again?”
“……?”
Joseph stared at Auger's face at the sudden request.
He wondered what his intentions were.
Then Auger blushed slightly and averted his gaze.
‘He seems to have seen magic for the first time.’
Joseph waved his staff without hesitation.
It wasn't difficult.
“Oooh…….”
The orb that appeared in the air made Auger stare blankly before turning back to Joseph.
“Y-you are heading to Valois Castle?”
“Yes.”
At Joseph's answer, his eyes sparkled as he continued.
“I'm also going to Valois Castle!”
“……?”
‘What is this?’
He cleared his throat and added.
“If it's okay with you, would you like to go to Valois Castle together?”
“Together?”
Joseph looked at him for a moment, then looked back at the soldiers behind him.
The wagon was loaded with supplies for camping, and their faces didn't look particularly haggard.
There were about ten of them, each wearing armor and spears, and the flag of a noble was flying, so no one could easily block their path.
‘It doesn't seem bad…….’
He had been traveling alone for a while and was quite tired.
Honestly, traveling alone and camping was quite tiring and dangerous.
He didn't know why they were hunting wild boars here, but following the line would be much safer.
Moreover, the reaction suggested that this knight was curious about him, so he might be able to reach the castle comfortably.
“I understand. Even though it's a great magic…….”
“Good! I'll prepare a place right away!”
“……?”
Before Joseph's words were finished, Auger answered quickly.
Then he turned his horse and started urging the soldiers to prepare a place for Joseph in the wagon.
‘Good, it worked out well.’
Joseph followed Auger into the line.
The soldiers glanced at Joseph's sudden joining.
But no one questioned Auger's choice.
They probably didn't have the position to object.
“Dissect the wild boars and take the meat!”
After the wild boars were dissected, the sun had set, so they decided to camp there that night.
A bonfire was lit, and food was distributed.
It was soup made with the wild boar caught during the day.
‘Wow…….’
Joseph was amazed by the changed environment.
He could light a fire and eat warm food.
Moreover, the soldiers took turns on watch, so he could sleep comfortably.
It seemed like a comfortable journey for the first time in a long while.
“Here it is.”
At that moment, a burly soldier approached and handed soup to Auger and Joseph.
‘Indeed, it's good.’
Eating warm food instead of dried meat for the first time made his body feel refreshed.
Auger, sitting beside him, looked at Joseph with a pleased expression and spoke.
“What brings you to Valois Castle?”
“To learn magic.”
“Magic? Isn't that different from what I saw earlier?”
“Yes. It's probably a big city, so there must be something to learn.”
“That's right, Valois Castle is indeed very large.”
Auger nodded.
He asked Joseph various things besides that.
Most of the questions were related to magic.
Joseph answered with things others might know, but Auger nodded and seemed satisfied.
“Baron Auger, what brings you to Valois Castle?”
At Joseph's question, the corner of Auger's mouth lifted.
“To participate in the territorial war.”
He said he was going to participate in the war happening in the north of Valois territory.
“But Count Valois doesn't accept just any knight. Only those who have proven their strength can go to the battlefield.”
Then he started rambling as if he were excited.
To Joseph's eyes, he looked more like a rural young man than a knight.
‘It's different from what I thought.’
The knight Joseph imagined were men overflowing with dignity and immense power.
But the Auger in front of him was honestly far from that.
“By chance, I heard that around Valois Castle, there's a call for someone to exterminate the demonic beasts. I plan to participate here first to make my name known.”
In other words, to make his name known.
‘To exterminate demonic beasts…….’
Joseph recalled the events of the afternoon.
Auger's soldiers had caused a ruckus catching a few wild boars.
Honestly, the wild boars were big, but planning to exterminate demonic beasts with soldiers who couldn't even catch them seemed absurd.
“……Baron Auger, have you ever seen a demonic beast?”
“Not yet. But I've heard a lot about them.”
“…….”
“Have you seen a demonic beast?”
‘……Have you seen a demonic beast?’
Joseph recalled the black beast that had given him the holy relic and the ogre that had caused chaos.
‘This guy, if he sees a real demonic beast, he'll be in trouble.’
But he didn't want to break the mood by bringing up such things now.
“……I haven't seen a demonic beast either.”
“That's good. If you have any questions, ask away. I know a lot because I've heard a lot.”
“I understand.”
Joseph nodded a few times and answered appropriately.
Then he brought the soup to his mouth again.
‘When in doubt, pretending to be uninterested is the best.’
He didn't want to explain to Auger how terrifying demonic beasts are or how naive it is to have such dreams with good intentions.
Honestly, even if he explained, Auger probably wouldn't understand.
‘One has to experience the harsh reality directly.’
Joseph decided to keep his mouth shut and eat the warm soup.
At that moment, a slight silence followed, and Auger let out a small sigh and spoke.
“So, but…… If it's okay, can I ask for a small favor?”
“……What?”
‘Not to join the extermination, right?’
Joseph had no honor.
If it was necessary, he would have to take risks, but jumping into battle just to make a name seemed foolish.
But Auger's words were a bit different from what Joseph thought.
“Can you show my soldiers what it's like to fight with magic?”
“Excuse me?”
Joseph's puzzled expression made Auger scratch his cheek awkwardly and continue.
“From what I saw today, my soldiers' level is actually quite poor.”
He had a candid face, not one that would think he was a proud noble.
“Our family only recently received the title. My predecessor was a land lord ruling a large territory. He received the baron's title after being recognized by Count Valois, but that's all.”
“I see.”
‘So that's why he was so shabby.’
It was immediately understood upon hearing the story.
In a way, he wasn't even a proper noble or knight.
Joseph understood his desire to make a name.
“If you help, I'll give you sufficient compensation as I can.”
Auger said this and took out a pouch from his pocket.
He wondered when he had prepared it, but the jingling pouch looked quite heavy.
“I heard that Count Poner in the north has a great mage. We don't know what it's like to fight a mage. If you show us your fight, it will definitely help.”
Joseph recalled his own pouch situation.
He had stayed with the guild for a while, but there wasn't particularly any profit.
His assets were still just the money he had gathered from Bari village.
‘Even so, I needed money…….’
“I understand. Then…… Shall I have a duel with someone?”
Auger nodded with sparkling eyes.
“Yes. Are you okay with that?”
Joseph glanced around at the soldiers.
Compared to the bandits they met in Bari village or the mercenaries hired by the Roph Merchant Guild, they looked much lower level.
‘With that level, it shouldn't be a big injury.’
When Joseph nodded, his expression brightened.
He immediately called the soldiers and said he would gather them to pick someone for the duel with Joseph.
Some had bad expressions, but when Auger looked at them, they immediately lowered their heads.
‘Indeed, it's a mess.’
No matter how much complaint, they couldn't manage their expressions in front of their superior.
“The duel is tomorrow. Who will do it will be discussed before noon.”
The next day, at dawn, Auger immediately prepared for the duel.
An open field near the camp.
The soldiers formed a circle around the place where the wild boars had rampaged.
When Joseph came out to the center, all eyes focused on him.
‘This is more burdensome than I thought.’
Looking around, Joseph's expression entered the soldiers' faces.
Some scowled at Joseph, others stared in wonder.
Between them, someone walked out to the center.
Upon closer look, it was the burly squire who had brought soup to Joseph the previous day.
“Baron Auger's squire, Arke.”
He was wearing fine quilted armor, holding a leather-covered shield in his left hand and a mace in his right.
However, his momentum seemed more like coming to kill Joseph seriously rather than a duel.
‘……?’
Arke lifted the corner of his mouth and tapped the mace on his shoulder.
He looked more like a back-alley thug than a knight's squire.
“Pleasure to meet you.”
“The same.”
Arke bowed once and took a stance.
Joseph nodded back and put a bit of strength in his hand holding the staff.
Auger watched for a moment before speaking.
“The duel begins!”
Joseph gathered mana and immediately created an orb.
When the orb appeared, Arke lowered his body and tilted forward slightly.
‘Let's check first.’
The soldiers' level from yesterday wasn't high.
But he didn't want to be careless.
Even if it was a duel, he didn't want to get injured by being too reckless.
Whip-
He lightly swung the staff, and the orb shot out quickly.
At the same time, Arke jumped back.
Even with quilted armor, it was quite heavy, but his reaction was faster than expected.
He held the shield obliquely and twisted his body when the orb touched the shield.
He seemed to be trying to deflect it, having seen the power to catch a wild boar in one hit.
Joseph prepared the next orb accordingly.
“Uwaaak!”
But at the sudden scream, he flinched.
Arke had screamed and been thrown away as is.
‘Eh?’
Arke flew and rolled on the ground.
He hit his chin on the shield he was holding, and his lip was even cut.
“Ar-are you okay……?”
Just as Joseph was about to ask, he immediately stood up and turned towards Joseph.
His face was full of bruises, and blood was flowing down from his forehead.
“Th-that was amazing!”
He could see him clenching his teeth.
There was poison in his eyes.
It seemed he had no intention of giving up.
“…….”
Joseph glanced at Auger.
If he continued like this, the opponent might get seriously injured.
But Auger nodded slightly at Joseph.
It meant to continue.
“…….”
“Uwaaaaa!”
Arke shouted.
He ran towards Joseph.
A single attack.
Arke seemed to have run out of patience with just one attack.
‘I have to end it quickly.’
Joseph let out a small sigh.
At the same time, he recalled the orb that had thrown Arke and aimed at his back.
Arke, whose gaze was fixed on Joseph, didn't see the orb flying from behind.
The orb pushed up his right leg from behind as if kicking it, and his body floated into the air as if rotating.
Paaak-!
Arke hit the back of his head on the ground and fell with a thud.
Dust rose.
When he opened his eyes, the orb was spinning in front of his eyes.
“……I lost.”
When Arke, facing the orb, admitted defeat, a big sigh of admiration came out from the surroundings belatedly.