The Burden of Chivalry

'Coming from you, that sounds a bit...' Why was he acting like this now after all the scams they had pulled together in the name of Archisus?

'But he does have a point.'

Being able to control cold had far more uses outside ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of combat.

It meant he could control ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the weather of his territory!

Unlike a certain country with an absurdly high annual temperature range that steamed people in the summer and froze them in the winter, he could ensure a comfortable life all year round, season after season!

Surprisingly, this kind of thing was crucial in Pan-On. The crops and rare herbs you could cultivate varied entirely based on the weather. For farmers, the weather of a territory was of paramount importance!

Fortunately, while The Valley had a bizarre terrain, its weather was actually quite pleasant. There was plenty of abandoned land too. If that weren't the case, the farmer NPCs would have had no reason to come and settle there in the first place.

And it wasn't just the farmers who cared about the weather. Players did too. Players were human, after all; they preferred warm or pleasantly cool areas. Very few would willingly set up camp in a place that was either stiflingly hot or bone-chillingly cold.

Besides, such extreme lands were usually dangerous in more ways than one!

Just as no player would ever dream of pioneering a territory in Frozeland to the far north of the continent, people naturally flocked to places with good weather.

'It would have been so nice to have a castle like this back when that cold wave swept across the continent.'

That was the time Cain had gone to Frozeland to find an Authority and accidentally triggered a massive cold wave across the entire continent! The continent had been thrown into utter chaos back then. While not quite as devastating as a plague, it had still been an incredibly severe crisis.

No matter what anyone tried to farm, the only notifications they got were: "Froze to death! Froze to death!"

The farmer players had been so desperate back then that they had even traveled all the way to The Valley, hoping to borrow the power of Archisus!

'Yeah, yeah, thanks. But it really is a shame.'

How amazing would it have been if he had possessed this castle when the cold wave hit? He could have squeezed out several times more profit than he actually did.

'Thanks... Wait, what?'

Tae-hyun froze mid-reply. It sounded like a warm, comforting sentiment at first, but when he actually thought about it, it was incredibly chilling!

'Damn. Even Sadiq's Authority isn't enough? That useless bastard Sadiq.'

If Sadiq had heard this, he would have clutched his neck in outrage! Up until now, the only reason Tae-hyun had been able to run rampant in Furneus's domain was entirely thanks to Sadiq's Authority, but this particular Apostle and his guardian spirit possessed absolutely zero conscience.

"Hmm... If I knew it would come to this, maybe I should have tried harder to gather more of Sadiq's Authorities. I just ignored them because they didn't seem all that useful."

'...Is that really a proverb?' Tae-hyun actually felt a tiny bit of pity for Sadiq.

'More importantly, Carbanog. If I can get close to the Frost Core, will I be able to control it?'

'True. I've reached the Advanced rank in my magic skills, and I do have various Authorities...'

The problem was getting close to it.

'It's not like there's no way.'

The Soul Reliquary! If his own Sadiq's Authority was lacking, he could just borrow it from the Soul Reliquary. The Holy Knights and Archbishops of the Sadiq Church stored within would surely possess far stronger Sadiq's Authorities than Tae-hyun currently did!

'The Fire Magic Beast looks like a good option.'

Just looking at it, it seemed perfect for resisting the cold!

Having finished his calculations, Tae-hyun backed away. There was no need to force himself to use the Frost Core right now. Simply figuring out what the item was was enough.

'I'm going to steal it and run anyway, so I'll have plenty of chances later.'

Tae-hyun contacted his party members back at the fortress. Once the construction was complete, it would be time to make their escape!

"Uh..."

"So... you're saying we have to break through that?"

Tae-hyun's party members gasped in horror at his words. Two incredibly proud Demon Dukes were currently locked in a death match, and they were supposed to head straight toward them?

-Ah. Right. Then I'll pull the castle... No, wait. Dragging the castle over there would be too dangerous.

Tae-hyun hesitated. If Furneus spotted them, his hard-earned fortress might get obliterated in an instant. He couldn't take that risk!

-Then what do we do?

-You'll just have to sneak over carefully. Cain, I'm counting on you.

-......

Receiving Tae-hyun's whisper, Cain had to desperately hold onto his slipping sanity. Don't lose your mind! Keep it together!

"Ugh... Argh... Groan..."

As Cain groaned in sheer agony, the players gathered at the fortress began to whisper among themselves.

"That's the Cursed Black Knight of the Erangs Kingdom, right? Why is he acting like that?"

"Is there some kingdom-related quest going on? Should we go ask if we can join?"

"That's a great idea! If we rack up enough contribution points, we might be able to learn an Arcane swordsmanship skill!"

The reputation of the mysterious Black Knight, Cain, had inflated to an unimaginable degree. Once a rumor started, it had snowballed completely out of control!

Regardless of their chatter, Cain diligently forced himself to map out a plan.

"We can borrow the Shadow Elves' cloaks... and where did those rankers die again...?"

Watching him grumble while meticulously planning, the rest of the party looked on in admiration. You've really grown, Cain!

In truth, with the party's current strength, they were more than capable of slipping past the demons to reach the castle. They had the assistance of the Shadow Elves, and the Black Dragon Heuk-heuk—who possessed Sadiq's Authority—was also there to help. It was as if their two biggest hurdles had already been cleared!

Even so, it was impossible to completely shake off their dread. Ominous rumors were already circulating among the players in the fortress.

"What if a Demon Duke comes this way?!"

"Shouldn't we get the hell out of here? It doesn't look that far away."

"I thought Kim Tae-hyun would take care of it..."

"Since Kim Tae-hyun built this fortress, surely he has some kind of plan, right?"

"Y-Yeah, probably?!"

Of course, the party members knew all too well that there was no such plan. Tae-hyun was only human; how could he possibly control every single variable in the Demon Realm? If things went south, their only option was to run.

"Phew. I think we're mostly ready to—"

"Absolutely not!"

The one holding Cain back was none other than the 4th Prince. He was already trembling in terror just being in the Demon Realm; if Cain left him, who would protect him?

"Hey, you have the kingdom knights right there!"

Though few in number, the kingdom knights were powerful, high-level NPCs armed with expensive equipment. On top of that, they were fiercely loyal! They were far better bodyguards than Cain.

But in the eyes of the 4th Prince, Cain was vastly superior.

"How can I trust weaklings like them?!"

"......"

"......"

The knights standing behind him wore sour expressions. They turned their glares toward Cain.

'What did I even do?!'

Cain felt a surge of indignation. Hey, the 4th Prince is the one who said it, not me! Why are you blaming me?!

But the affinity had already dropped, and there was no taking it back. Feeling the knights' burning glares, Cain tried to reason with the prince.

"Look, I absolutely have to go."

"I said no! Send the others! If you are my knight, you must protect me!"

"You're my lord, yet you dragged me to this godforsaken Demon Realm, and now you're whining?! Who do you think I'm doing all this for, you brat?!"

Cain grabbed the 4th Prince by his collar. Who was the one suffering through all this hell in the first place?!

"Y-You...!"

"What an insolent, violent, wicked scoundrel!"

The knights trembled with rage. Regardless of their reaction, the 4th Prince clung to Cain like a stubborn water ghost, refusing to let go.

"What if the demons attack while you're gone?!"

"If you fight alongside the people here, you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠can hold them off!"

"As if!"

"Urgh..."

Cain couldn't find a retort. The players gathered here were indeed the cream of the crop. To even set foot in the Demon Realm, they had to be high-level players at the very least, and many of them were rankers! Even with elite parties dispatched by various top guilds present...

'Honestly, none of them inspire a shred of confidence!'

In the Demon Realm, no amount of experience or party synergy mattered. Everything was unprecedented, and the trials they faced transcended imagination. This was a place where elite parties were wiped out as easily as a group of complete novices!

"I will give you a fief! I will grant you a fief, so please do not go!"

"U-Uh, wait, what...??"

Cain blinked in disbelief. Was obtaining a fief really this easy? He thought you had to at least defeat one of Sadiq's magic beasts or assassinate a king to barely qualify for one! The reward was so incredibly easy to obtain that it actually made him suspicious!

Cain was about to blurt out, "Yes! I will gladly accept!" but he froze.

'If I accept the fief right now and fool around instead of bringing them over, Kim Tae-hyun will literally murder me, won't he...?'

The rest of the party was waiting for him!

Swallowing his tears, Cain spoke.

"I... I cannot!"

"Why?!"

"I... I am not a man who alters his resolve for the sake of mere material rewards!"

"!"

Cain swallowed his tears internally and pressed on. Since things had already turned out this way, he might as well go out in the most magnificent way possible!

"The reason I must go now is to stop those demonic fiends, 4th Prince! In the face of the duty I must fulfill, a reward like a fief holds absolutely no weight!"

"Ooh...!"

Cain had chosen the absolute perfect words to strike a chord with the knights! Looking at the system messages, Cain let out a quiet sigh of relief. He had just spouted whatever random nonsense came to mind, but the knights seemed deeply moved.

Even the 4th Prince looked slightly touched. To think there was a knight who would refuse a whole fief just to carry out his duty! In a world where chivalry was dead, such a heartwarming tale actually existed.

"Your Highness. Since it has come to this, we must let that mon... excuse me, that knight go."

"Indeed. A knight has his duties! As Your Highness's personal escort, you must place your trust in him."

"Sob... If that is the case, I have no choice. You must return to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠me safely."

"You can count on me."

After giving his reply, Cain suddenly froze. Wait... Once he left, did he actually have to return to this fortress?

'...T-They'll all come back with me, right?'

"You absolute, brainless idiot!"

Tae-hyun clutched the back of his neck. After narrowly avoiding the two Demon Dukes who were currently trying to incinerate the world, the party had finally arrived at the castle. Cain had explained everything that had transpired... and Tae-hyun was now on the verge of a stroke.

"Hey! You should have taken the fief in that situation, you moron!!!"

"W-Wait, shouldn't you be praising me for working so hard to complete the task you gave me instead of worrying about a fief?!"

Cain felt incredibly wronged. He had genuinely thought this was his moment to be showered with praise!

"You lunatic! You should have at least asked me first!"

"I was afraid you'd yell at me if I asked..."

"Arghhhhh...!"

Tae-hyun slapped his forehead. To think he had kicked away the easiest opportunity to obtain a fief in the history of Pan-On!

"If you get a chance to acquire a fief, you take it, no questions asked... Oh, my aching head..."

"C-Can't I just get it again later?"

Seeing Tae-hyun in such physical agony, Cain finally seemed to realize just how monumental of an opportunity he had thrown away.

"...Let's pray that you can."

"Tell me I can get it!"

"I don't know, you idiot! The opportunity is already gone, what do you want me to do about it?"