Chapter 18
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Dumfries (1)
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Clop clop!
The carriage, which had been racing along a rural road in Northway before full spring had arrived, gradually slowed as it neared a point where the path split into two forks.
"Whoa, whoa!"
At the fork, Brick reined in the horses and brought the carriage to a halt.
Thud!
"Please step down."
As Brick opened the door, the two girls hopped out as if they'd been waiting for it.
Both had pale, ashen faces.
The horses carrying Blake and Lindelmann came to a stop behind them.
"Welcome!"
From a small pub building set between the forks, a boy who looked like the stable hand dashed out.
"They've come a long way, so they must be tired. Give them plenty of water and feed. We might leave soon, so hurry up."
Brick pressed a few copper coins into the boy's hand as he spoke.
"Yes, sir! Don't worry about a thing, customer!"
The boy bowed his head and led the carriage and horses away with practiced ease. The group headed into the pub.
It was a place with decent foot traffic, but since it was still early—before lunchtime—there were hardly any customers.
"Welcome. Will you be having a meal...?"
"We're just stopping for a short rest. Bring some simple snacks, drinking water, and a bottle of mild grape wine."
The group took seats on the second floor with the best view of the road.
"Here you are."
The quick-witted owner brought the water first, and the two noble girls gulped it down shamelessly.
"Haa."
Mia set down her glass, somewhat relieved, and pressed a hand to her chest.
But Christine still looked uneasy, trembling faintly as she kept glancing down the road.
Then Christine's eyes met Blake's.
"Eek!"
She flinched back in shock, her face as if she'd seen a ghost.
And it was no wonder. For a delicately raised girl like her, the brutal and terrifying scene from earlier had been a first.
He had turned dozens of men into bloody messes without batting an eye, and she couldn't see him as the same kind of person as herself.
The horrific screams Jude had let out still seemed to echo in her ears.
But Blake appeared utterly unperturbed by her reaction.
To be precise, he wasn't paying her the slightest attention.
"Please forgive her. She's a delicately raised young lady, so it's her first time seeing such a sight."
Brick stepped in to apologize for Christine's rudeness.
"......"
Blake made no reply, merely giving a faint nod.
His business with them was done. Once the horses recovered, he planned to leave immediately.
"Thank you."
A small, trembling voice.
Blake's gaze flicked toward it. The speaker was Mia.
"Thank you for... for saving us."
Mia looked at Blake with eyes full of complex emotions.
As their gazes met, her pupils shook even more.
"That fight wasn't to save you."
Blake replied coldly.
The curiosity that had filled the little girl's eyes just yesterday was completely gone.
And in its place rose the familiar emotion she'd seen so often before leaving the fortress.
Fear.
The deep terror the Gray Mountains folk had shown toward him was etched into her ceaselessly trembling eyes.
"Even so, the fact remains that we're safe thanks to you. Thank you, Blake. It's just... even after the fight was already decided, was it necessary to go that far? I'm a bit puzzled."
Brick hesitated for a moment before cautiously continuing. But he didn't know Blake well yet.
"Puzzled? So should I have held back and just killed them instead?"
"......!"
With no response from Brick, Blake took it as confirmation and pressed on.
"Based on the information I've gathered so far, leaving Jude Hamilton intact would have dragged us into even bigger trouble. So I needed to make sure he couldn't come after us again. Half-hearted intimidation wouldn't cut it—I judged it was better to do it thoroughly. Are you saying there was a better way than that? Besides just killing him outright?"
The moment those words landed...
Lindelmann, who had known Blake a bit longer than Brick, and Brick, who had sharp instincts for people despite only meeting him two days ago, both realized almost simultaneously what kind of man Blake was.
Blake was a being who couldn't—and shouldn't—be judged by their common sense.
The standards by which he thought and acted were utterly detached from the world's norms.
Fighting and battle.
A discharged soldier like Blake operated solely on those terms.
How efficiently he could fight, eliminate enemies, and decisively turn battles in his favor—that was all that mattered.
That was why he'd left the already defeated Jude in that state.
He needed to ensure the man could never pursue him again, but killing him would be a problem.
So he'd crushed his right arm and stomped his instep.
As he himself said, it was the surest, most efficient choice.
"Ah, no, no. You're right. I spoke out of turn."
"......"
Blake silently stared at Brick for a moment after his reply, then turned his gaze back to the window.
An odd silence descended.
A moment later, Lindelmann cautiously broke it.
"A-anyway, shouldn't we discuss what to do next?"
Brick nodded lightly, understanding the implication.
"That's exactly why I suggested stopping here for a rest. After what we did to the Credo Swordsmen Corps, there are bound to be consequences."
"Of course there will be. He turned nearly twenty of their men into that state—who would just sit still for it?"
"Sir Zaroph is already committed to joining us for the honor duel with the Lancaster Family, so that's fine. But now Blake, who's completely uninvolved, is tangled up in it too... I have a feeling things are going to get very troublesome from here."
Brick subtly gauged Blake's reaction. As expected, Blake's eyes turned toward him.
Blake stared at Brick with impassive eyes and slowly parted his lips.
"What do you mean?"
His voice was drier and more parched than the northern winds, sending an involuntary chill down Brick's spine.
But Brick steadied himself with a deep breath and continued.
"By going with Sir Zaroph to the White estate, we fulfill our original goal of securing proxy knights for the honor duel. The Lancaster Family can't object anymore. They have no choice but to face us now."
"......"
"So, whose way do you think the Lancaster Family's wrath will turn to? No matter the circumstances, won't it go to the one who interfered in their business?"
Blake nodded, staring straight at Brick with those impassive eyes.
"Go on."
"Even without any incidents along the way, it'll take about six days just to leave Northway. But by noon tomorrow at the latest, not only Baron Lancaster but also six factions he's directly or indirectly allied with—like the Credo Swordsmen Corps—will have reports on you."
"Ah......"
Lindelmann watched Blake warily with darkened eyes.
But Blake showed no reaction, and Brick wet his dry lips with a sip of water before continuing.
"Above all, the Credo Swordsmen Corps still has John Credo himself, three knights, and over twenty swordsmen left. The other factions each have around forty or fifty men. Starting tomorrow, you'll be facing armed forces double the number you met today—every single day."
Gulp!
Lindelmann swallowed hard without realizing it.
But the man himself, Blake, spoke lowly with no change in expression.
"Doesn't matter. If they're around the same level as the ones today. Though I won't be letting the next ones live like I did these."
"......!"
The image of him turning the Credo Swordsmen Corps into bloody pulp, shattering Jude's shoulder and instep, flashed back, sending chills down their spines.
He'd caused that horror without even intending to kill. If he resolved to do so—what terrors would unfold?
Just imagining it brought cold sweat, but Brick forced a calm expression.
"Impressive confidence. But not all of them will be like the Credo Swordsmen Corps, and they're no fools—they'll come prepared next time. And even if you beat them all, it might take a fortnight just to exit Northway. That's the key point, isn't it? Plus, the trouble doesn't end there. Do you know the Iron Family by any chance?"
"Iron? You don't mean that Iron, do you?"
It was Lindelmann, not Blake, who asked with wide eyes.
"Yes, that Iron. One of the Empire's Seven Great Lords, the sole lord of the North—Count Iron's family."
After answering Lindelmann, Brick turned back to Blake and continued.
"Lancaster is one of the five vassal families under Count Iron. Do you think the North's only lord will sit idly by while his vassals suffer such humiliation?"
"No way he would......"
Brick nodded at Lindelmann's trembling voice, not Blake's.
"Exactly. If Lancaster requests it, he'll step in, if only for appearances. But what if you take down even the knights or swordsmen sent by Count Iron? It stops being a mere face-saving gesture. The Count's family will get directly involved. And then you'll be living like a wanted man the entire way through the North."
Brick finished and looked Blake straight in the eye.
He figured this much would get the point across...
But the words from Blake, who had listened silently, were utterly unexpected.
"And if... I beat even them?"
A low growl like a beast's.
"......!"
Brick felt a sharp twinge in his chest.
The expressionless giant before him had just declared he'd stand alone against the North's lord, Count Iron's family.
'Is he serious? Or just testing the waters?'
Probably the latter. No sane man would mean it.
Yet Brick's heart pounded, forgetting his age for a moment.
As a man walking the path of the sword, he suddenly wanted to see this man face the great lord's vast forces alone—even if he couldn't stand beside him, he wanted to cheer him on.
But Brick shook his head quickly.
This wasn't the time for such sentiments.
He was a knight sworn to a family first, before being a swordsman. To uphold that oath, he needed this strong man's power.
"Even if you overcame even them, I can say with certainty it'll take over a month just to cross the North. From what I hear, you need to traverse the central regions and cross the sea to a southern area within three months. If the North alone takes that long, arriving on time will be quite the headache, won't it?"
Brick ended with a statement disguised as a question.
There was some exaggeration, but no outright lies.
Count Iron's family commanded four or five houses like Lancaster.
And Lancaster had several minor houses like the Credo Swordsmen Corps under it.
In other words, even without the count's core forces, hundreds of men could pursue Blake.
Moreover, the Iron Knights alone included at least twenty elites who could fell someone like Jude Hamilton in under ten exchanges.
Especially if their captain—who rarely appeared—brought even two or three vice-captains, Blake wouldn't escape the North unscathed.
Because...
'One sword can never withstand many.'
Recalling the harsh maxim that shattered the romantic dreams of wandering swordsmen in this era, Brick awaited Blake's response.
"......"
Blake gave no reply.
With the man himself silent, an awkward quiet settled in.
"So."
Blake, who had stared at Brick with a blank gaze for a while, finally spoke.
"What's an efficient way for me to leave the North within my original timeframe?"
Blake's question cut straight to the core. Brick sensed his intent had landed more than halfway and replied with an even more serious expression.
"Stand with our White Family and join the honor duel."
"......"
Blake's thick eyebrows twitched faintly.
(Continued in the next part)