Evernode (4)
"Looks like I'll be seeing the sights outside the castle before I even get a proper look inside." At my mutter, the horse snorted as if in reply. I stroked its shoulder, adjusted the saddle, and lightly vaulted onto its back.
With my mounting, the patrol team for Patrol Zone 1 was fully prepared. It consisted of me, Georg, Daphne, Marianne, two Evernode soldiers, and Grand Duke Quenor. While the Hero's party checked their gear, the northerners watched us prepare from outside the stables.
"Once we step outside the outer wall, it'll be a completely different world from the path we've traveled so far. You can consider everything beyond that point to be the true North," Georg said. The most eye-catching part of his gear was, without a doubt, his massive round shield. It was a piece of armor akin to a miniature fortress wall, reinforced with rare metals. In his right hand, he held a morning star that perfectly matched his rugged image.
"You'll probably run into plenty of monsters you've never even heard of or seen before."
"I suppose so. If we're talking about creatures rarely seen near the Royal Capital, it would be white wolf packs, trolls, ravens, and maybe the Mad Deer? Though we can probably exclude the deer since they're quite rare." As I rattled off the names so casually, Georg's eyes widened to the size of saucers in genuine shock. For some reason, he looked far more stunned now than when Daphne had awakened her magic, or when I had drawn the Holy Sword and unlocked its first stage. I chuckled at his dumbfounded expression.
"Still, we should watch out for the 'Crawlers,' as they're the most dangerous. Not that anything could truly threaten us with Grand Duke Quenor accompanying us, but if we want to leave a good impression, it's only right to remain vigilant against those hidden threats, don't you think?" Georg's jaw dropped even further. He seemed completely at a loss for words.
"Wait... Elroy. Since when did you know so much...? I don't recall ever telling you about them in such detail." I shrugged and lightly nudged my horse's flanks. Georg was so stunned that his gaze couldn't even follow my moving horse.
"It's called being prepared."
"...What on earth?" Georg let out a bewildered laugh. Daphne rode up beside me, her expression a mix of curiosity and confusion. She was bundled up in a winter coat with a fluffy fur hood.
"Those are monsters I've never heard of before," she noted.
"There are many unique ones here. And because of that, there are specific things to watch out for when fighting them. Marianne, come over here for a second. There's something I should tell you too." I briefly explained to the two of them the characteristics of northern monsters, how the locals hunted them, and what our roles should be during this patrol. Since neither of them was the type to ask many questions, they didn't seem to care much about how I had acquired this information.
After briefing Daphne and Marianne, I called out to Georg, who was still standing in the stable with a dazed look. Since he had experience being stationed in the North, a few words would be enough to get him in sync with us. Georg shook his head vigorously, as if trying to shake off his helmet, then spurred his horse to catch up behind me.
The moment Georg emerged, Grand Duke Quenor turned his horse without delay. There was no wasting time with inspections at the outer wall. As soon as the soldiers spotted the Grand Duke approaching, they scrambled to prepare the gates. The knight assigned to patrol Zone 1 alongside the Grand Duke bellowed in a resounding voice:
"Open the gates!"
Without a single second's delay, the iron portcullis began to creak slowly upward. Beyond the bars that had blocked our view, a single path stretched out into the distance. We spurred our horses, following the Grand Duke as he led the way.
The single path connected to a gentle slope, continuing from the vast, flat plateau we had traveled across to get here. The slope seemed to be the lower jaw of a mountain, worn down and smoothed over the ages by blizzards and rainstorms. Turning my head to the left, I saw mountain ranges stretching out in a series of high and low ridges. And everything laid out before us was covered by a vast coniferous forest that cast a dark, heavy canopy. Looking back, the fortress of Evernode felt like a boundary line dividing this landscape from the world we had left behind.
"Now this is a spectacular sight," I murmured in unfiltered admiration. When I thought of the North, I had only pictured a landscape entirely buried under winter snow. Seeing the summer scenery with the snow melted came as a refreshing shock. In the original novel, Aryen had visited the North during the winter. The North is much greener than I thought. I took a deep breath, inhaling the crisp, rich scent of the northern air.
The Holy Sword's voice echoed in my mind. Had she also been active in the North in the past?
The way she emphasized "the North in summer" made it clear that she, too, found this scenery deeply memorable.
As I stood admiring the panoramic view of the North with a dazed expression, Grand Duke Quenor rode up beside me. "People think Evernode is made of nothing but snow and ice," the Grand Duke remarked. There was an unmistakable pride in his voice. "But how many of them have actually spent a full, uninterrupted year in the North?"
He had every right to be proud. I nodded in agreement. Looking at my companions, they all wore identical expressions of awe. If I were to look in a mirror, I probably looked the same. The Grand Duke waited for me to finish taking in the scenery before setting off again.
"Patrol Zone 1 begins here." At the edge of the coniferous forest, Grand Duke Quenor gestured with his chin toward the deep woods ahead. "The zone stretches from here to the point where the Boundary Line is barely visible. Once we reach where the Boundary Line can be felt, we will mark our patrol zone and check how close they have approached."
Although I already knew this, I listened quietly to the Grand Duke. "We will also check for any anomalies and thoroughly eliminate any monsters along our path." The Grand Duke gave a brief briefing and was about to head straight into the forest when his brow furrowed as he looked at our formation. It wasn't a look of disapproval, but rather one of confusion, as if he were thinking, Could it be...? Yes, it's exactly what you're thinking.
"Why is the heavily armored shield warrior at the very front of the column, while you, the Hero, and the spearwoman are at the very rear? Wouldn't it be more logical to place yourselves behind the mage, at the absolute rear of the formation, to prevent any ambushes?"
I shrugged. "If we were patrolling any other region, we would have done so. But this is the northern forest. It only makes sense to place the most agile fighters at the rear."
"...And why is that?"
I stared into the depths of the forest. Though the sun was shining brightly in the sky, the air was chilly, and the woods ahead loomed deep and dark. When viewed from afar, the forest had seemed merely beautiful, but up close, a creeping dread slowly slithered up my spine.
"We are guarding against 'Crawlers.' They are as powerful as grey bears, but more cunning than crows and faster than fleeing hares. And they usually stalk their prey silently from behind before launching a surprise attack." I gestured toward Daphne. "To protect a mage, who is inherently vulnerable to ambushes, it is only right to place at least two people at the rear who can react instantly to a sudden assault. There is no need for us to be at the front just to scout the path, and we can trust even a heavy warrior to keep an eye on what's ahead."
Seeing his suspicion confirmed, Grand Duke Quenor's eyes shifted from doubt to astonishment, though he quickly masked it with his usual expressionless face. "...You know quite a lot."
"I didn't spend my days as an adventurer before becoming the Hero in vain." Meaning, I didn't read that novel in vain. I thoroughly enjoyed the Grand Duke's attempt to maintain his composure.
"Let us begin the patrol. Keep your guard up at all times." And with that, we plunged into the forest that swallowed both light and shadow.
When Quenor first spoke with the Hero, he had found him to be quite unexpected. The Hero's calm demeanor and intelligent air were a stark contrast to the rumors Quenor had gathered beforehand. Furthermore, he had been quite surprised when the Hero mentioned the Boundary Line. While the northern Boundary Line was famous, very few people knew that it was gradually creeping closer.
No, perhaps it is only natural for the Hero to possess such information. But his surprise was short-lived. Perhaps he had simply underestimated the Hero based on rumors alone. Even when Quenor had deliberately said things to provoke him, or when he had refrained from reining in his hostile soldiers, the Hero had brushed it all off as if he had already foreseen everything. Quenor mentally crossed out several rumors regarding the Hero.
And the next day, the Hero—whom Quenor had brought along on the patrol to test his capabilities in the field—prepared as if he had patrolled these woods dozens of times. Had the Hero simply marched in a standard, safe formation, Quenor would have let it slide. Instead, the Hero meticulously organized their positions, calculating the specific type of patrol and the potential hazards. In doing so, he revealed glimpses of an incredibly rich knowledge of monsters.
...He is certainly not someone to be taken lightly. Quenor erased a few more rumors about the Hero from his mind. Consequently, his evaluation of the Hero was adjusted upward. However, the true depth of the Hero did not end there.
"Hero, do you recognize those monsters?"
"A pack of white wolves. Georg has mentioned them a few times. If the fight drags on, more of them will gather, so it's best to dispatch them quickly." At the Hero's command, the silver-haired woman—who had remained expressionless and silent the entire time—swept through the white wolf pack with her spear. Her spearmanship was so swift and powerful that even Quenor was astonished. Of course, while her skill was impressive, the most surprising aspect was the deep coordination and bond between the Hero and his companions.
The way he discussed strategy with the heavy warrior named Georg, the way the mage looked at the Hero, and the absolute devotion with which the spearwoman followed him made Quenor question whether the conflict with his former companion had truly been the Hero's fault.
While they had briefly dismounted to inspect the surroundings, the Hero stared at a tree that had fallen unnaturally. "It seems a troll has appeared nearby. The ground is violently torn up, and several healthy trees have been snapped and knocked down. We should proceed with caution." He was entirely correct. The Hero's sharp gaze seemed to trace the creature's tracks. And not long after the Hero's warning, a troll emerged and roared. Had he received this information from the knight named Georg as well?
"...A troll has appeared. Can you defeat it, Hero?"
"I won't give you a verbal answer, considering what I said to you before. But I shall be right back." Without hesitation, the Hero drew the Holy Sword and leaped forward. While his movements were not as fluid or practiced as the spearwoman's, he fought the troll with effortless efficiency.
Slipping inside the reach of the troll's wide swings, he pierced the joint of its relatively weak hind leg with a single thrust. As the troll staggered, the Hero leaped to the opposite side and sliced halfway through its other ankle, deliberately targeting different areas to destroy its balance. Then, stepping onto the back of the thrashing, howling troll, the Hero vaulted upward. The blade of the Holy Sword plunged deep through the troll's thick hide.
"He is far better than I thought..." And he claims he isn't that strong? How many people could face a troll single-handedly like that without even using Aura? Moreover, his strength was less like that of a formal knight and closer to that of an adventurer, relying heavily on instinct and experience. Whether it was enough to defeat the Calamities and save the world remained to be seen, but it was more than enough to stir the hearts of Evernode's soldiers.
"...Where on earth did all those rumors come from, and why?" muttered the knight who had approached Quenor's side.
"...Indeed."
Squelch! The sound of a blade tearing through flesh echoed, and the troll's head was split clean in two.