The Wandering Knight Approaches the Berg Kingdom
Ion shot upright in bed.
A wide bed. The witch Lina lay there, sound asleep. Right beside her, Lotte had climbed up as well, drooling happily in deep slumber.
Ion glanced down at his own clothes. Nothing was out of place. He let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Pretty women were nice, but he had no interest in anything he couldn’t handle. And the witch Lina was both unpredictable and completely beyond his ability to manage.
Ion walked over and opened the wooden window. A crisp, cold wind rushed in, carrying with it the surrounding landscape.
The walking cabin was still moving. The swaying up and down felt far steadier than it had at the beginning. He had expected to feel seasick, like he was on a ship, but surprisingly he had adapted quickly. It actually felt comfortable now.
At first glance the movement didn’t seem fast, but watching the scenery whip past told a different story. It was moving faster than a horse at full gallop.
“We should reach the edge of the forest around the time you finish breakfast,” Lina said.
She had woken up at some point and now stood beside him. With a sharp snap of her fingers, flames roared back to life in the cooling hearth.
Ion was envious of that kind of casual magic, but what he envied most was this walking cabin itself.
“Could you take me all the way to my destination?” he asked.
“I cannot leave the forest. This magic is only possible because the forest itself understands and permits it.”
“The forest understands?”
Did the forest have a will of its own? It seemed magic wasn’t something one could wield with pure personal power alone.
“All magic is like that,” Lina explained. “Without something willing to lend its strength, nothing can be done.”
She gestured toward the table.
“Eat.”
In the time it took her to speak, the table had filled with warm bread and a steaming bowl of stew. Magic really was something he would never fully understand.
Lotte, who had woken at the scent of food, trotted over wagging its tail and rubbed affectionately against Ion’s leg. He gave the big red wolf a few strokes, then sat down at the table.
Ion tore off a piece of meat for Lotte, ripped some bread, dipped it in the stew, and asked, “What happens if we fail to reseal it?”
“Fail?”
“Just asking. I’m curious what kind of consequences there would be.”
“Hmm…”
Lina, who had been nibbling on dried fruit while he ate, thought for a moment before answering.
“To put it simply, a seal is like an incredibly long and complicated contract. The final signature at the end is what actually binds it.”
“Signature?”
“Yes. But this signature has grown so old that the ink has faded. We’re simply rewriting it. Even if we fail to reseal it, nothing catastrophic will happen as long as the signature hasn’t completely vanished.”
“And after it completely disappears?”
Lina smiled as she chewed another piece of dried fruit.
“That is something even a young witch like me cannot know. At that point, others far greater than I will have to step forward.”
“Doesn’t that same logic apply to me? It sounds like even a knight of my level should still be able to hold the line for now.”
Lina gave a small shrug and smiled. It was as good as admitting he was right.
Ion knew he was fairly strong, but he was not strong enough to shake the entire world by himself.
“Sir Ion, you are powerful, but you are still only one person. The situation has not grown serious enough yet that a single individual cannot handle it. In fact, the current state of affairs is actually preferable.”
“If the appearance of the Infected isn’t considered serious, then what exactly would qualify as a serious situation?”
“Something I cannot even begin to imagine. Even a single Demon of Greed would be enough to doom the world.”
“Are there that many sealed demons?”
It was hard to believe the current situation wasn’t considered serious. Each Infected was individually powerful, but the real danger lay in how they spread their corruption and created more of their kind. And yet she claimed that wasn’t serious.
“I only know a very small portion of the whole. The Demon of Greed is said to be one of the seven great demons, but there are likely far more than that.”
“Who in the world sealed and bound such beings?”
“The ancient heroes. It was an age when people wielded weapons like the one you carry now—Pain.”
Ion’s hand brushed over the scabbard of Pain at his waist.
The age of heroes, when weapons like this were being forged and used in great numbers, must have been a time of unimaginable suffering, an era when countless demons ran rampant across the world.
“They say much of the ancient legends and knowledge has been lost. What happens if those demons begin to appear again?”
“As I told you, I am still a young witch. I do not know.”
“Hmm…”
When she said it like that, she really did seem young. But he had no idea whether her standard of “young” was based on human lifespans or on the much longer-lived races like dwarves and elves.
“In any case, I don’t like the idea of more Infected appearing and the situation growing worse.”
“Neither do I.”
Lina nodded and continued.
“This request—if one can even call it that—will grant you a suitable reward if you overcome the trial.”
Ion tapped the scabbard at his waist.
“Something like this Pain?”
“I cannot say what form it will take. It could be a weapon, an object, a person, or even money.”
“Understood.”
Ion finished the rest of his meal and washed it down with beer.
·
·
·
—Creak.
The wooden floor of the cabin slowly lowered.
At the edge of the forest, a campfire had been lit. Beside it, the frost mountain goat Niel was peacefully grazing.
—Meeeeh!
Fresh blue grass grew only in front of Niel. The goat looked up at Ion as he descended and bleated happily.
—Creak. Creak.
The wooden floor set Ion and Lotte down gently, then rose back up into the cabin. Once it had retracted, the entire structure turned and began walking back into the forest.
—Thud. Thud.
The walking cabin disappeared into the trees even faster than it had approached the day before.
Ion watched it go for a moment, shook his head, and turned away.
He scattered dirt over the campfire to extinguish it, gathered the grass Niel hadn’t finished eating, loaded it onto the goat’s back, and climbed up himself.
“Let’s go meet the King of the Dwarves!”
After stepping down from the walking cabin, Ion headed east.
He had slept only one night, yet it felt as though the cabin had covered a distance that would have taken three or four days on horseback. The comfortable journey had completely washed away his fatigue.
After that, he rode Niel across a vast plain covered in snow and ice. They hunted frost rabbits in the occasional small groves they passed and ate them along with long-lasting dried fruit and dry biscuits.
His only real worry had been Niel, who needed to graze. But as a creature native to these cold northern lands, the goat had no trouble chewing even tough tree bark. Of course, Ion and Lotte made sure to find softer leaves and fresh grass for their companion whenever possible.
The large island at the far right edge of northern Norberg was Berg—the kingdom of the dwarves.
Though called a kingdom, it consisted of little more than a single city built around a royal castle. Ion had never been here before, so he didn’t know the details, but he had heard that not many dwarves actually lived inside the castle itself.
Most dwarves lived in tightly knit clans and felt little loyalty to the kingdom as a whole. The reason a king and a kingdom still existed at all was tied to some event in the distant past—something related to the Ancient Covenant. That was all Ion knew.
The Eastern and Western Seas flanked the continent. Travel on the nearby seas within a few days’ distance was permitted, but no one was allowed to venture onto the distant oceans that took more than ten days to reach. This too was part of the Ancient Covenant, yet no one alive seemed to know exactly what the covenant truly was.
Since no one who sailed into the far oceans had ever returned, no one dared to go.
And Ion had never had any reason to head out to sea. That had been true in his previous life, and it remained true in this one.
After traveling east for twenty days, he finally stood before the sea.
The dwarven kingdom of Berg lay across the water. It would take half a day by ship to reach it. There was little traffic between the mainland and the island, and since this wasn’t a proper port, no ships were in sight.
But there was another way to reach the dwarven kingdom.
Ion rode Niel along the coastline until he found a stretch of sea where thin sheets of ice floated together. He dismounted and walked closer.
The seawater gently lapped at the floating ice. In the freezing temperatures, the thin sheets drifted atop the waves, bumping into one another. Although the moving water made it hard to see clearly, something transparent stretched across the sea.
When he stepped on it with his foot, it was solid.
He didn’t know when it had been built, but this was clearly a bridge made by dwarves. It didn’t seem like it had been made out of fear of invasion—after all, even allies would have trouble seeing it. He couldn’t tell whether this was some strange dwarven sense of humor or simply a way to show off their craftsmanship.
Either way, it was a transparent bridge that was both difficult to find and difficult to cross.
Knowing what it was, Ion stepped onto it without hesitation. Lotte, however, sniffed at it cautiously, lifting one paw and then the other, clearly hesitant. Still, the wolf eventually placed its paws on the surface.
Niel, on the other hand, refused to move an inch.
—Meeeeh!
It was only natural for the goat to be afraid. Frost mountain goats were incredibly sure-footed on rugged mountains, but the sea was completely foreign. And the fact that the bridge was invisible only made it worse.
Even Ion wouldn’t have been able to walk across so easily if he hadn’t known it was a solid bridge.
But he couldn’t just leave Niel behind.
He tugged on the reins and tried to coax the goat, but Niel wouldn’t budge.
—Meeeeeh!
There was no other choice.
—Meeeeeee!
Ion simply lifted Niel into the air. His strength was more than enough. The goat panicked and flailed its legs, but Ion ignored it and stepped firmly onto the transparent bridge.
—Meeeeh…
Once they reached the middle of the sea, Niel froze completely, unable to move or make a sound. Ion continued walking without pause while Lotte followed cautiously behind.
After walking for quite some time, he finally set the now-quiet goat down—whether from acceptance or sheer terror, he couldn’t tell.
At first Niel trembled violently, but once Ion took the reins and led the way, the goat followed. The dwarven bridge was terrifying, but it was wide enough on both sides that there was no real danger of falling off.
They walked without rest. By the time they reached Berg, the sun had already set.
Although they had entered dwarven lands, the scenery was not much different from the northern mainland. Since it was night, Ion gathered wood, lit a campfire, and settled in.
The next morning, he saw that a proper road lay ahead. Snow had piled up on the ground, but a stone path ran beneath it. The boundary stones along the road protruded just enough to show where the path was, even under the snow.
They followed the road comfortably.
The road did not run straight. It curved gently through safe, level ground, avoiding the sheer cliffs and narrow canyons. Even so, the path remained wide enough for two carriages to pass side by side without ever narrowing.
It wasn’t just an ordinary plain. Even when the road passed through canyons that widened and narrowed, the width of the path stayed perfectly consistent. That meant someone had either carved through mountains or moved massive boulders to maintain it.
After traveling along that beautifully maintained road for a full week, Ion finally stood before a magnificent castle.
Every fief he had seen until now had a wooden palisade or stone wall enclosing a village, shops, and homes, with the lord’s castle at the center.
But here in the dwarven kingdom of Berg, there was only a single grand castle connected to the main road. It was slightly larger than the average lord’s castle, yet far too small to be called a royal palace.
It was clean and perfectly symmetrical. Intricate, beautiful patterns had been carved into the bricks, making it ornate without being gaudy. As expected of dwarven craftsmanship, whether large or small, every detail showed the touch of a true artisan.
Ion walked up to a small door beside the castle’s drawbridge and knocked.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
There was no answer, so he kept knocking. After a while, a small viewing slit in the center of the door opened with a clack.
It was positioned at about waist height. Ion had to bend down to meet the eyes staring out at him.
“Who are you? What do you want?”
“I am Ion Rise, a free knight from the central Badfeld Kingdom. I have come to meet the King of the Dwarves.”
“No outsiders are allowed inside right now! Leave at once!”
“I bring word from a witch that the seal holding back the Demon of Greed is breaking! This is an extremely important matter. Please inform His Majesty at once!”
“…”
The guard seemed to need a moment to process what Ion had said. Then his brow furrowed.
“What nonsense are you spouting? Outsiders are not permitted! Go away!”
“This is a serious matter! Ask someone inside if you must!”
“Enough! Begone!”
The viewing slit slammed shut with a bang.
Even to Ion, the story sounded absurd. It didn’t seem like the door would open anytime soon. He would simply have to wait.
He gathered the branches he had collected on the way and piled them against the castle wall, then lit another campfire. The wall blocked most of the wind.
While warming himself by the fire, he grew hungry. He hung a pot over the flames, melted some snow, crushed hard biscuits into it, and added shredded dried meat to make a simple porridge.
He ladled some into a wooden bowl to cool for Lotte, gave Niel fresh grass, and only after watching the wolf eat did he finally eat the rest himself.
Once his hunger was satisfied, he knocked on the door again. When there was still no response, he pitched a tent beside the castle wall.
He was beginning to think he might actually end up sleeping here when the viewing slit opened once more.
Ion bent down again and met the eyes staring out. This time it was not the same dwarf guard from before. It seemed someone had indeed been called.
“I am Osmon, the seneschal.”
“I am the free knight Ion.”
“What exactly did you hear from this witch?”
“That the seal restraining the Demon of Greed is breaking. I must inform the King of the Dwarves immediately.”
“…”
A short while later—
Clank! The door opened.
It was difficult to judge a dwarf’s age by their beards, which were almost always thick and full. But the difference in age between the guard and the seneschal was obvious. The guard’s beard was still mostly dark, while half of Osmon’s beard had turned pure white.
The seneschal quickly looked Ion and the following Lotte up and down. His gaze slid across Ion’s armor before stopping at the sword hanging at his waist.
“Follow me.”
As Seneschal Osmon turned, the guard beside him spoke to Ion.
“I’ll bring the mountain goat inside for you. Go on ahead.”
“Thank you.”
Ion nodded and followed Osmon.
Even before entering the castle proper, the wind inside the grounds had died down considerably, so it wasn’t cold. The moment they stepped indoors, a pleasant warmth enveloped them.
It wasn’t the simple heat of a fireplace. Glass panels were visible high on the walls and ceiling, suggesting the dwarves had designed the building to capture and retain sunlight to warm the interior.
As they walked through the castle, Ion noticed there were almost no people. He had heard that there weren’t many dwarves living here, but he hadn’t expected so few. The place felt almost empty.
Yet the castle was spotlessly clean. He wondered who could possibly be maintaining it so well.
Creeeeak.
A massive door opened, revealing a wide audience chamber.
At the far end, a single dwarf sat upon a large, ornate throne. His eyes were sharp and piercing.
The seneschal stopped in the center of the room with Ion and announced in a clear voice:
Ion stepped forward and bowed his head.
King Nidhogg Yuripa gave a small nod. Just like the seneschal had done, he looked Ion over from head to toe, his gaze lingering first on the armor and then on the sword at Ion’s waist.
Then he spoke.
It seemed he had recognized Pain.
To Ion, the sword didn’t look all that distinctive, but apparently dwarves could tell what it was just by looking at the hilt and scabbard.
“It is.”
Drawing a weapon in front of a king was normally forbidden, but since the king himself had asked, there was no reason to refuse.
Ion nodded and drew the sword.
“Of course.”
—Shing!
The moment Pain was revealed, King Nidhogg’s eyes blazed with intense light.