The Burned Village
Five days later, Dvalin arrived at the Yetev Estate and immediately lit a fire to begin repairing Ion's armor.
He hired two human blacksmiths, Boba and Ilya, to work on Ion's armor alongside him while also traveling around to gather people.
Since they would need to haul a great deal of cargo to the mine, he recruited many workers and frost goats, and purchased supplies.
Twenty days later, Ion received the finished armor from Dvalin.
“It's black?”
Ion's plate cuirass, gauntlets, pauldrons, and greaves had all turned into a matte black armor that didn't shine.
“I increased the hardness while also improving its elasticity. Minor scratches or dents should recover quickly.”
“Does that mean it absorbs impacts as well?”
Dvalin shook his head.
Yet his eyes, fixed on the black armor resting on the workbench, were filled with pride.
“Nothing that grand, but there should be a slight effect. Noticeable effects require magic, and there are no such blacksmiths left anymore. Only ancient relics like your sword can achieve that.”
“Few people can create even a minor effect. Thank you.”
Simply raising the hardness of existing armor was already difficult without a skilled craftsman.
Yet Dvalin had mixed in other metals to add elasticity as well.
Normally, something hard cannot be soft, and something soft cannot be hard.
Magic was usually required to make it possible, but Dvalin had done it without any.
“I made it black to match your sword. It might stand out a little in this snowy place, but it should be enough to instill fear.”
“Yes. I like the color as well. Much better than shiny armor.”
“Haha, I'm glad to hear that.”
Ion didn't know about other knights, but for him, black armor that let him approach enemies without being noticed was far preferable to anything flashy.
Since he wasn't planning to settle in the snowy north, he could tolerate drawing a bit of attention here.
“Where do you plan to go next?”
“I came to the north to see the Ice Wall. I'll head further north.”
“As I said, it's a magnificent natural wonder, but that's all it is. Go take a look and come back.”
“Yes. Understood. Please take good care of my horse, Yan.”
“I will. Don't worry.”
While Ion had been away with Dvalin at the mine, Yan had eaten and rested well, putting on a lot of weight.
Since Dvalin occasionally exercised him as well, Ion felt he didn't need to worry about the horse's care.
The next day, Ion left the Yetev Estate riding the frost goat Niel that Dvalin had given him, accompanied by Lotte.
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To reach the Ice Wall, they would have to cross several mountains.
Ion chose a more gradual route, heading northeast instead of straight north.
For eleven days, they traveled peacefully along the white snow-covered paths.
Though it was cold, the forests were filled with small trees suitable for making fires, and frost rabbits roamed about, so they had no major difficulties with food or rest.
There were also goblins in the smaller forests.
Unlike the goblins of the central or southern regions, the frost goblins had bluish-gray skin. Living in such a harsh environment, they were slightly larger and more ferocious than other goblins.
However, their numbers were few. After Ion dealt with several of them, they screamed and fled.
Other than that, the journey was truly peaceful.
While preparing to sleep after lighting a campfire at night, Lotte raised her head, and yellow dots appeared on Ion's map.
Torches could be seen approaching from a different path than the one Ion had taken.
Six yellow dots showed on the map. Their movement stopped, and shouts rang out.
“We are patrollers! We are just passing through, so do not be afraid!”
The torchbearers resumed walking and soon revealed themselves as six patrollers. They stopped short upon seeing Ion by the campfire.
“Oh my, it's a knight? Pardon the intrusion.”
“It's fine. You may pass.”
The six began to move on but paused to examine Ion's armor.
The armor, painted in a matte black rather than a glossy finish, must have looked unusual.
After exchanging glances among themselves, the lead patroller smiled and spoke again.
“Sir Knight. We were passing by when we saw the campfire. It feels even colder tonight. We're shivering, so would it be all right if we warmed ourselves for a moment?”
Ion sighed as he looked at the greedy patrollers.
“If you're truly cold, I'll allow it. But if you're thinking of anything unnecessary, you'll regret it.”
“Heh, unnecessary thoughts? We're patrollers working to maintain safety in this region.”
“If that's truly what you're thinking, there won't be any problems.”
Instead of sitting around the fire, the patrollers stood and rubbed their hands together to warm them, their gazes blatantly fixed on Ion's armor.
“I'm Kiril, a patroller. I'm the most senior among us.”
“I'm Ion.”
“As patrollers, we are tasked with maintaining safety in this region.”
“I know.”
“I don't think I've seen you around here before.”
“This is my first time here, so that makes sense.”
While Kiril and Ion conversed, the patrollers slowly moved to surround Ion.
“So… you'll have to come with us to our fortress.”
Ion could see their movements clearly through the map even without looking.
Even without it, the patrollers made no effort to hide the fact that they were surrounding him.
Wearing such valuable-looking armor, they probably intended to search him for money.
Ion sat before the campfire, stroking Lotte who lay beside him, and let out another shallow sigh.
Why cause unnecessary trouble when they could have simply warmed themselves quietly and left?
Ion gave them one more generous warning.
“If you've warmed up, leave quietly. Then nothing will happen.”
Kiril and the other patrollers chuckled.
“Hearing you say that makes you seem even more suspicious. We'll have to conduct a search right here!”
At Kiril's signal, the patrollers drew their swords and charged.
Ion sprang to his feet and swung his sword in a wide arc.
The flames of the campfire were cut first and scattered in all directions, but the sword reached the patrollers before the sparks did.
Clang! The patrollers' swords were severed, followed by their bodies splitting apart as blood sprayed.
“Aaaagh!”
After slaying the giant spider, Ion's strength had increased, and with his sharpened senses, his movements had become slightly faster.
Ion's Pain sliced through the patroller's sword far more smoothly than expected.
A sword flew at him from behind. Ion turned and blocked it with his armor.
Clang! The sound when the blade struck his cuirass was different from before. Even when blocked, the impact felt reduced.
Ion swung his sword again in a fluid motion, cutting through both the incoming blade and the gambeson beneath it.
“Ugh! He cut the sword!”
“R-run!”
Kiril panicked and tried to turn, but Lotte's powerful jaws clamped down on his calf, sending him sprawling.
“Aaaagh!”
In an instant, five lives were extinguished. Kiril, his head the only part left protected, bled from his limbs after Lotte's attack.
When Lotte stepped back, Ion drove his sword into Kiril's chest without a word, ending his life.
They had come for nothing and died for nothing but their own greed.
Ion searched the patrollers' belongings.
Surprisingly, they carried a large amount of money.
It seemed as though they had robbed somewhere.
They couldn't stay here with the corpses, so they would have to move a little farther and make camp again.
Ion woke the sleeping Niel and relocated.
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*
They traveled until dawn, rested briefly, then continued ascending the northeastern mountains.
The frost goat Niel showed its true worth when climbing mountains.
Carrying Ion, it ascended steep slopes without hesitation, saving them a great deal of time.
Even when a gentler path wound around the side, they simply climbed straight up.
Ion had heard there was a small village midway up the mountain and planned to spend the night there.
After climbing diligently to the middle of the mountain, they arrived at the village as the sky began to darken.
Ion dismounted and walked through the village.
The wooden palisade and buildings had been burned black and reduced to ash. No people appeared on the map, and no corpses were visible either.
The villagers had apparently managed to escape.
Or perhaps not yet.
Ion had intended to stay for a day, but the situation left him at a loss.
Judging by the ashes and the snow piled atop them, the fire hadn't happened long ago.
The smell of burning made it difficult to stay nearby.
Ion led Niel and Lotte out of the village when Lotte's ears perked up at a sound. Ion's own ears caught the noise of frost goats climbing the mountain in the distance.
Moments later, yellow dots appeared on the map.
—Meeeh!
With his sharpened senses, his eyesight had naturally improved as well.
It was just turning to evening, and with the light behind them, their clothing caught his eye first.
Ten people approached on frost goats. At the front, two knights in armor stood out.
One wore ordinary armor, while the other was clad in white. It wasn't merely painted white but crafted from ore mixed with metal, just like Ion's own high-grade armor.
When they stopped in front of him, Ion recognized familiar faces among those behind.
Igor, the former patroller from the bandit village near Bolda Fortress, and Silvio, the priest.
The remaining six looked more like ordinary villagers than warriors.
Igor and Silvio recognized Ion but didn't greet him immediately. Instead, they spoke to the knights.
Naturally, the knight in white armor appeared to be the leader of the two.
After speaking with the knight, Igor and Silvio dismounted and approached Ion.
“It's good to see you, Sir Ion!”
Igor's face, smiling as he greeted Ion, looked brighter than before. Silvio looked cheerful as well.
“Good to see you too. Priest Silvio. You as well, Igor.”
“Yes. What brings you to this village?”
“I was passing through on my way to the Ice Wall and planned to stay the night. But when I arrived, this is what I found.”
“Ah, I'll explain that.”
Igor stepped forward and cut in. Ion nodded.
“We traveled west with the villagers to the Langer Estate and settled in a nearby village. Then the priest and I left. I felt I wasn't helping the village, and…”
“I felt my calling still remained, so I came along.”
Igor nodded and continued.
“Then we met the prince.”
“The prince?”
“Yes. He's a descendant of the Rurik Kingdom, which existed when Norberg was divided into several countries long ago. The Rurik Kingdom was unified into Norberg several decades ago.”
“I see.”
Norberg had a history of multiple kingdoms rising and falling. Whenever monsters descended from beyond the Ice Wall, the weakened factions would unite, only to splinter again once stability returned.
The Rurik Kingdom was one such nation.
“The prince has been fighting patrollers who torment the people, and we joined him.”
“Understood. But how did you end up at this village?”
“That… Let's discuss it together for a moment.”
Igor pointed toward the prince and the knight.
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*
“I am Alexei Rednikova. Currently, I am a free knight.”
“Free knight Ion Rise.”
Alexei, clad in white armor, was a handsome blond man in his mid-twenties.
He looked exactly like the prince from some kingdom in stories, just as Igor had described. Since Alexei had introduced himself as a free knight, Ion could treat him as a fellow knight.
However, the middle-aged knight beside him cleared his throat in displeasure.
“Ahem. I am Viktor, knight to Prince Alexei. Though the prince calls himself a free knight, he is the rightful heir to the Rurik Kingdom!”
“Since he introduced himself as a knight, I'll respect that.”
Viktor seemed to be Alexei's bodyguard knight, but Ion saw no need to indulge him.
Alexei intervened to calm the situation.
“Haha, Sir Viktor. Even being called a knight when I am but a descendant of a fallen kingdom with nothing left is already a blessing.”
“Ugh… Understood.”
Alexei gestured toward Igor and Silvio.
“Igor, Silvio, and the others came here because we received word that this village needed help.”
“Where did the villagers go?”
“It seems they were abducted and taken to the Carlo Fortress, ten days from here.”
“The villagers were kidnapped? For what reason?”
“They capture free people and refugees and treat them like slaves. They use them for menial labor, and when monsters descend, they use them as bait.”
“Bait…”
Ion's eyes darkened.
The village where Igor had lived had also been targeted by patrollers planning to use it as monster bait.
Patrollers existed to protect against monsters.
But if they sacrificed free people and refugees to stop monsters, what meaning did that have?
It seemed they were obsessed only with fighting and defending.
Moreover, the patrollers Ion had just killed had carried more money than expected. It was likely loot from raiding villages like this one.
At this point, they weren't protecting anyone.
Something had gone terribly wrong.
Alexei looked at Ion, deep in thought, and asked seriously.
“So we were on our way to rescue them. Will you come with us?”
“Is your only goal to save the captured free people?”
“Honestly, no. As the prince of a fallen kingdom, I intend to gather people and build my own forces. I will only accept those who follow me willingly, like Igor and Priest Silvio.”
Ion appreciated that Alexei hadn't claimed he was helping purely out of altruism.
People without desire had admirable convictions but tired quickly.
Ion believed a bit of personal ambition mixed in was preferable.
“Igor and Priest Silvio told me you are a very strong knight. I can't ask someone like you to help without compensation. After we rescue the people, I'll provide ample reward. What do you say?”
Ion already had plenty of money.
Besides, he didn't like the patrollers' practice of using ordinary free people as bait.
If he could rescue people from them while also earning money, he had no reason to refuse.
Ion nodded in acceptance.
“Very well. I'll help until the free people are rescued.”