Chapter 441: Proof of Existence (29)
Chapter 441: Proof of Existence (29)
The day of the caravan’s departure finally dawned.
Though his true intentions remained a mystery, Perry readily agreed to let us accompany them. In fact, he went as far as to say it was a good thing, as it gave him an excuse to persuade Ria.
It was news I had already heard.
Perry had previously invited Ria to join the caravan. Ria was currently in possession of a massive quantity of Demonic Beast corpses, and it seemed he wanted her to travel with them to the Shylock Merchant Guild’s headquarters to discuss various business opportunities.
It was a plausible enough excuse.
Ria clung to my arm, a playful smile dancing on her lips.
“Are you jealous, by any chance?”
“Not really,” I replied, my voice uncharacteristically dry.
I wasn’t sure how she interpreted that, but Ria let out a soft giggle.
“You’re so transparent… Don’t worry too much, Oppa.”
Her lips brushed against the shell of my ear. A moist whisper soaked into my eardrum.
“Because I’m not going anywhere.”
Regardless of her words, all that escaped my lips was a faint, troubled groan.
My eyes flickered around the area. The rest of the group was already busy preparing for departure.
Celine and Yuren were deep in conversation, each carrying their own packs, while Senior Elsie stood with a sullen expression, enduring a long-winded lecture from Sir Reynold.
It looked like she was suffering in a nagging hell.
It seemed I needed to go help her.
As I took a step forward, the corners of Ria’s eyes curved into a peculiar arc.
“Hmm, do you still have someone left to say goodbye to?”
“I feel bad for Senior Elsie. He’s been at it for an hour already.”
Ria, who still had her arm draped over my shoulder, let out another curious hum.
But it was only for a moment.
As if she had no choice, Ria gave me a bright smile and pulled away. However, a hint of lingering dissatisfaction was visible in her gaze.
“You’re really too soft on Miss Lainella, Oppa.”
“She’s pretty, isn’t she?”
Ending the conversation there, I trudged toward Senior Elsie. She had her eyes squeezed shut, looking as though she had reached her absolute limit.
Her patience was clearly at its breaking point.
I decided to intervene before a family feud broke out.
“And another thing I learned during my days as a mercenary is to never trust people blindly—”
“Sir Reynold.”
At my low call, the middle-aged man’s blue eyes turned toward me. His gaze remained characteristically stoic, but I didn't miss the flash of light that flickered across his retinas for a split second.
It seemed I had become a somewhat welcome guest.
“Ah, you’ve come, nephew-in-law? Perfect timing. I was just about to explain the precautions one must take when escorting a large-scale caravan…”
Of course, Sir Reynold’s wish went unfulfilled.
Taking advantage of the opening I provided, Senior Elsie attempted a desperate escape.
“Th-then you two talk! I’ll be going now!”
“Elsie! Elsie! Where are you… Sigh, I can’t stop her.”
Sir Reynold initially tried to catch her, but realizing it was futile, he let out a long sigh.
I smiled as I watched the two, who had clearly grown closer.
“Let her go for now. Sometimes, a single experience is more important than a hundred words, wouldn’t you agree?”
“That is true, but…”
His voice trailed off, leaving a strange lingering note. Fearing that the leftover nagging might be redirected toward me if I left it alone, I quickly changed the subject.
“By the way, I heard you’re going to pursue that black-haired girl?”
“Hmm? Ah, yes… that’s right. After all, I still have an unpaid debt to settle.”
At the same time, as if suddenly remembering something, Sir Reynold rummaged through his coat. After a moment, a small bead appeared in his hand.
“Contact me if you happen to come across any information related to her.”
“What is this?”
Despite my puzzled question, Sir Reynold simply waved his hand as if it were nothing.
“Think of it as a talisman. Well then, I leave our Elsie in your hands.”
With that final farewell, Sir Reynold departed without hesitation.
He was a man like the wind, no matter when I saw him. His exit was just as free-spirited as his entrance.
I watched his retreating figure for a while before shaking my head and turning away. Even as I scanned the surroundings, the person I was actually waiting for failed to show.
It was the Saintess.
As if she didn't even want to exchange greetings, the Saintess was absent from the group seeing us off. I couldn't help the bitter feeling that welled up inside me.
Even though I had asked Yuren to explain the situation, it still ended up like this. For a moment, I wondered if I had been too harsh, and a pang of regret washed over me.
But it was already too late.
Any lingering resentment could be cleared up once I returned. Just as I was about to take one last look at the orphanage, a certain little boy caught my eye.
It was the boy who had asked me to save his younger sister.
After a moment’s hesitation, I walked toward him. I figured this was a good opportunity.
His tear-rimmed eyes looked up at me, the scenery reflected in his pupils wavering.
Thump. I placed my hand on the boy’s head.
“Don’t worry too much. Everything will turn out fine.”
“R-really?”
I nodded firmly. Then, I pulled a silver rosary from my coat.
“In exchange, I have a favor to ask… Could you give this necklace to the Saintess?”
Even at a glance, it was an expensive-looking item. The boy’s eyes widened at the sight of the silver necklace, the likes of which he had never seen before.
“H-how can I take something so expensive…”
“Because I trust you.”
Flashing the most harmless smile I could muster, I patted the boy’s shoulder twice.
“So, you trust me too. A great knight never lies, you know.”
I wasn't actually sure if this boy even dreamed of becoming a knight.
But that didn't matter.
Leaving behind the boy’s dazed expression, we set out on our journey once again.
*
The journey with the caravan was peaceful.
It was exactly as expected, nothing more, nothing less. The scale of the personnel was large, and the procession was escorted by powerhouses who were clearly formidable at a glance.
Even Demonic Beasts would be intimidated. There were no bandits bold enough to mess with a group like this.
Of course, several incidents did occur over the few days.
My companions and I set up camp separately from the merchants. We didn't want to cause any unnecessary friction.
Because of that, we often spent the nights bonding with each other.
For example, we played a quiz game about me under the pretext of seeing how well they knew their comrade.
Celine and Senior Elsie were particularly enthusiastic.
The two, their competitive spirits ignited, solved the difficult questions one by one. However, due to the difference in the years we had spent together, Celine inevitably held a slight advantage.
Celine grew boastful, while Senior Elsie gritted her teeth in frustration.
The atmosphere between the two shifted completely because of the next question Yuren posed.
“Alright, then, for the final question. How big is Ian’s thing— Gack!”
He had made the statement with a refreshing smile, but it was far too prone to being taken as sexual harassment. I had to practically lunge across the ground to kick Yuren in the ribs.
But it was already too late.
Celine and Senior Elsie’s faces were flushed bright red. I could almost see the hallucination of steam rising from the tops of their heads. To make matters worse, Yuren had the audacity to look indignant.
“It was just getting interesting! Why are you kicking me?!”
“Are you insane? Why would you ask that as a question?! Who on earth would even know the ans—”
It was then.
Senior Elsie, her face red all the way to her earlobes, timidly raised her hand.
Everyone, including Yuren, froze instantly. In the silence, Senior Elsie cautiously spread her hands apart.
“…A-about this much?”
Yuren stared blankly, looking back and forth between Senior Elsie and me.
“You—you son of a bitch! How dare you cheat on my sister?!”
He began throwing punches at me, his neck veins bulging.
In the end, I had to frantically scramble to make excuses.
“Hey, no! It’s a misunderstanding!”
But with a furious Celine joining in shortly after, I couldn't escape being the group's punching bag for the rest of the night.
The next day, Ria looked at my face, where the bruises hadn't fully faded, with a dubious expression.
“…I guess you had a fun night?”
“I suppose.”
Ria’s jealous gaze darting toward Celine and Senior Elsie was an added bonus.
Of course, the fun times didn't last long.
Our true mission began once we split off from the merchant guild midway.
Ria even went as far as to provoke me as she followed the guild.
“Ah, what should I do? Lord Perry has been showing a lot of interest in me lately. It’s so troubling, when I only have eyes for one person…”
She kept glancing at me, checking my reaction.
A dry laugh escaped my lips.
“Stop talking nonsense and just go.”
“Hmph, Oppa is an idiot!”
Sticking her tongue out at me, Ria hurried after the caravan.
Our tracking began from that moment.
The journey of following the procession while holding our breath was arduous. It would have been even harder if not for the support tools.
Even so, Yuren still looked skeptical.
“Is that spell scroll really effective?”
“I told you, it’s an item from the Imperial Intelligence Agency. If you cast it on a specific object, you can track its location for at least two weeks.”
And it was just as expensive as it was effective.
But that wasn't my concern. The Imperial Household had more money than they knew what to do with, anyway.
By the time the red sun was hanging over the mountain ridge, Celine and Senior Elsie were taking a short rest due to the forced march of the past few days. Only Yuren and I were continuing the pursuit.
A faint presence could be felt in the distance. It was Perry and his group.
Yuren and I were more tense than ever. The path Perry’s caravan was taking was gradually narrowing.
There was no reason for a merchant guild to avoid the main road.
They would only enter such a narrow path if there was a specific reason to do so.
I was truly curious about what that reason was.
However, as the caravan entered the secret path, it was only natural for their security to become extreme.
Yuren and I had to quietly watch the stalled flow of the caravan. It had already been several hours.
Unable to bear the boredom, I spoke to Yuren first.
“…I wonder if the Saintess is doing well?”
Yuren let out a hollow laugh, as if he found the question absurd.
“We increased the escort significantly, so she should be fine. My sister is someone who receives a lot of God’s love, after all… We should worry about ourselves instead.”
I was about to nod in agreement when a sudden question occurred to me, and I looked at Yuren’s face.
That indifferent expression.
It was a face that didn't show a shred of respect or awe. He was the complete opposite of the Saintess.
Whenever the Saintess spoke of the Heavenly God, she displayed deep faith.
“Hey, are you really a Holy Knight?”
At my joke, Yuren tapped his scabbard with his finger.
“Want to find out? I’ll show you the Swift Sword Technique they call ‘Siendel’s Lightning.’”
“No, no… Come to think of it, you don’t even use words like ‘Immanuel’ much. You’ve never really talked about the doctrines of the Heavenly God Religion either.”
Yuren looked overtly bored by my follow-up questions.
His eyes fixed once again on Perry’s group in the distance.
“Ian, for an orphan… surviving is very hard.”
His tone was the same as always, but strangely, the confession felt heavy.
It was something I had heard before.
Had the Saintess said something similar last time?
“They go missing and disappear all the time. Where do you think all those children went? Since I was a child, I hated the fact that I was an orphan more than I could bear.”
“Does that have something to do with your faith?”
“Of course. If you resented the world, would you want to thank God?”
It made sense.
I chose silence over a rebuttal. Meanwhile, Yuren’s lament continued.
“Very few people can do that. People who are mentally strong and unyielding… like my sister.”
Yuren’s pupils grew hazy with nostalgia. His vision was likely wandering somewhere in the past.
“My sister said she would create a world where orphans like us don't have to suffer. It was impossible for me, but I thought it might be possible for her.”
“And?”
“I’m just asking you to consider my sister’s position too.”
With that, Yuren slowly stood up. I also sent a sharp gaze toward the distance.
They were finally moving.
“Sacrificing the few for the greater good… sometimes, it’s an unavoidable choice.”
Instead of answering, I snapped my fingers.
A faint vibration traveled through the strings of mana laid out on the ground. It meant the signal had successfully reached Celine and Senior Elsie.
“…I can certainly relate to that.”
The caravan continued.
Deep, deep into the forest, a secluded hut came into our view.
“For the sake of the world, I think those guys need to die.”
A scent of blood, sharp as a needle, pierced my mind.
It was the Dark Cult.