Chapter 20
Chapter 20
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Pledges of Fealty
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Byron gazed at the second son of the count’s family with eyes full of awe.
“Arrest the lord!”
“Yes! Sir!”
“You, go and capture the officials who fled and bring them here.”
“Yes, sir!”
He had come to solve the disappearance cases occurring in the area near Gavia.
“Have you secured all the evidence of corruption you found?”
“Yes! We’ve moved it all and are keeping it in a secure location.”
Not only had he vanquished the necromancers responsible for the disappearances, but he had also become the savior who liberated Gavia from the lord who had ruled with tyranny for so long.
“And…”
The soldiers moved with haste.
Amidst them, a man covered in dirt, as if he had been rolling on the ground, was dragged away.
The opportunists who had followed the corrupt and tyrannical lord had fled at the first chance, and the townspeople, eager to vent their frustrations, had readily helped the soldiers.
The resulting commotion filled the air with all manner of shouts and noise.
“Lord Julius! We’ve successfully captured the fleeing treasurer.”
“Is that so? Make sure to get a confession from him about falsifying the ledgers. And… hmm?”
Byron calmed his trembling heart and approached the man at the center of it all.
“Young Master.”
Julius greeted him as he approached, as if his timing was perfect.
“Sir Byron.”
“Young Master Julius. Thank you so much for liberating Gavia, which has suffered for so long.”
Just yesterday, the people of this domain had no choice but to endure their oppression. But now? Looking around, there wasn't a single person without a smile blooming on their face.
“Sir Byron, please don’t say such things. This was my duty as a son of the count’s family.”
“No, it is not.”
Byron shook his head.
How could that be true when there were so many wicked nobles in the world? There were countless nobles who didn’t even see commoners as fellow human beings.
That was why, at first, he hadn’t held any expectations for Julius.
If the noble governing Gavia was like that, how different could the noble who ruled this land be?
That was what Byron had thought.
That he would be no different.
That they were all the same.
Coupled with his infamous reputation as a scoundrel, there was no room for even a sliver of hope.
However.
‘He was different.’
Upon hearing an outline of the incident, he had immediately uncovered the truth, and he hadn't shielded Gavia's lord just because they were both nobles.
His habit of staring into space, lost in thought, was already well-known to those around him.
‘Yes, this is the one.’
He recalled his own conviction.
‘I decided to become a knight.’
Because he couldn't become a true knight who used prana, he tried to at least act like one.
Generally, one could be recognized as a knight whether they used mana or prana, but the perception was different.
That was why, despite using mana, he tried to become a true knight.
Now that someone he could truly follow had appeared, was it right to remain idle?
‘Rumors really can’t be trusted. To think they would disparage such a person as a scoundrel…’
You truly had to meet someone to know them. The nasty rumors that had spread through the domain had to be someone's conspiracy.
Before he knew it, Byron was bowing his head to Julius.
“Thanks to you, Young Master, many people can now dream of a future.”
At first, he had been worried when he heard the young master was going to help the city.
But he witnessed his character as he advanced, defeating the necromancers, and saw his formidable martial prowess, unbefitting of his age, as he entered battle.
And now.
“May I have the honor of serving you, Young Master Julius, as my lord?”
He saw how he genuinely cared for the people of his domain.
“Yes.”
Julius replied with a delighted face, as if he had been waiting for this.
He tried to maintain a solemn expression, forcing back a grin, but a smile still emerged, unable to contain the ensuing satisfaction.
Finally.
‘I’ve recruited Byron.’
Byron, the Knight of Order.
The only person who, despite using mana, was admitted into the Berserk Knight Order—the most prestigious knight order on the continent, which only accepted knights who wielded prana.
He had given up on finding him due to his unclear past, but to think he was here.
“Byron, I grant you permission to become my knight.”
He had put in a great deal of effort to recruit him.
He had acted the part that suited Byron's ideals, and when Byron subtly tested him with questions, he had given the answers he would want to hear.
In the process, he had also solved a quest, captured a corrupt lord to enhance his reputation, and succeeded in achieving a great feat.
Julius laughed heartily as everything proceeded without a hitch.
“I look forward to working with you.”
Completely unaware.
* * *
Allen left the cave and reunited with the party he had separated from.
They were waiting with a few soldiers in front of the cave.
“Young Master!”
“Young Master Allen.”
It seemed Linbelle and Inellia had escaped the cave safely. He had destroyed everything in sight on his way in, so getting out must have been easy.
Linbelle approached him and bowed her head.
“Thank you, Young Master.”
Her eyes were swollen.
“Thank you for saving my mother.”
She bowed her head several times.
Allen didn't refuse her thanks. This was likely her own way of atoning.
‘Her expression has improved.’
It was a little different from when he saw her in the city, but it was better than her expression when she was with Francisca.
When he turned to Inellia, she gave him a bright smile and bowed her head just the same.
“Thank you for saving my daughter and me.”
She, too, was smiling just like Linbelle. But upon closer inspection, her eyes were also red.
Allen felt a complex mix of emotions—the satisfaction of having achieved his goal here, and the bitterness of not being able to prevent all harm.
“Of course. I expect you to assist me well from now on.”
“Yes, absolutely! I’ll work really hard!”
“Good.”
First, I need to correct her way of speaking, and she’ll need to learn some etiquette.
Allen, thinking thoughts that would make her cringe if she heard them, asked about the whereabouts of the rest of the party.
The fact that only a few soldiers were here meant the battle was over.
“Where are the other soldiers? And Miss Francisca?”
“That lady is…”
Inellia gave a troubled smile and looked toward the other side of the forest.
Allen’s expression hardened. Did something happen? He looked at the soldiers, and their faces were also grim.
“Is the battle not over yet?”
“No, the battle is over… It’s just,”
Seeing her trail off, Allen looked at Linbelle, who seemed nauseated as if recalling something unpleasant.
When Allen turned his head toward the soldiers, one of them, a senior soldier, quickly approached and opened his mouth.
No.
“Young Master Allen, the other soldiers are…”
He was about to.
“Aaaaaaaargh!”
Before the soldier could explain the situation, a scream echoed from the forest. Allen quickly moved toward the sound, and the two women followed with reluctant expressions.
The soldiers also looked unwell but quickly followed behind Allen.
Puzzled by their reactions, Allen headed toward the source of the sound. The screams grew louder as he approached.
“P-please! Aaaaaaaargh!”
“Stop, stop killing me. Human! Me… Gaaah.”
As he drew closer, Allen’s expression turned strange.
‘Don’t tell me…’
When he finally arrived at the location, he saw it.
A three-meter-tall chimera, its arms and legs severed, was writhing on the ground. Unlike its once-imposing self, it was now a pathetic sight with a horn and one of its eyes plucked out.
And the one who had caused this state turned her head.
“Oh my, Young Master. Did you take care of the chimera master?”
She casually wiped the green blood from her cheek with her sleeve and approached him.
The remaining soldiers, who were on standby just in case, had all turned pale.
“…Yes, but that thing is…”
“No! Master is not dead! Master! If you can hear me, please help this faithful servant… Aaaaaaaargh!”
As Allen’s words were cut off, she frowned and thrust her hand into the creature’s torn belly.
“My, how rude of it to interrupt… It just won’t listen. My apologies, Young Master.”
Allen accepted her apology with a queasy expression.
As far as he remembered, this chimera named Regnol was quite arrogant.
So what was this scene before him now?
“Stop, stop! Don’t show me my own organs! Oh, my master! Please! I know you’re alive! Please, please help me!”
“It still hasn’t learned its lesson.”
Linbelle, unaccustomed to such sights, looked like she was about to be sick.
Inellia watched the scene without any emotion. It was a sight she had seen many times before. It might affect her daughter, but it had little impact on her.
After tormenting Regnol for a while, Francisca finally wiped her hands and stood up once the creature fell silent.
At her movement, the soldiers hastily took several steps back.
“…Is there a reason you haven’t killed it yet?”
“One reason is its continuous regeneration, and the other is…”
She gave a very mage-like reason, pointing at the chimera.
“For magical research. It has significant similarities to a school of magic I’m studying, so there were things I needed to investigate.”
She shrugged.
Allen understood what she was saying.
What was so strange about a mage acting for the sake of knowledge?
The school of magic she used was one she herself would establish in the future.
Therefore, unlike her future self, her current, incomplete self seemed to be refining her system by absorbing various forms of knowledge. Allen smiled at her answer.
“In that case, I believe this will be of great help.”
Watching new flesh sprout from the creature's severed arm, he materialized one of the two threads connected to it.
“This is…!”
She stared at it with eyes full of curiosity before rushing over.
“Don’t tell me.”
“It’s the contract bound to that chimera by its True Name. Perhaps because its original spiritual essence was low, it must have held feelings akin to worship for the chimera master.”
That would also explain why the creature had been calling out for the dead Dvergr. Allen’s eyes fixed on the thing writhing like a worm.
“It probably thinks the chimera master is still alive for that same reason.”
Her eyes shining at his explanation, Francisca quickly spoke up.
“Young Master, could you perhaps give that chimera to me? A suitable price would be…”
“Yes, you can have it.”
Perhaps surprised by his ready agreement, she blinked rapidly.
“You helped me without asking for anything in return. Why wouldn’t I be able to give you this?”
That had been his plan from the moment he obtained it.
There were many uses for that chimera. It could be used as a guard, and if not, it could serve as an arrow-fodder or a means to disarm traps.
But if he could repay his debt to her with this…
‘It’s a price well worth paying.’
Besides, it wasn't particularly useful to him.
Its hideous appearance, its evil nature…
‘A demon?’
Allen recalled one of his hypotheses about his regression.
The possibility that his regression was related to a demon.
‘Hmm… but it lacks the characteristic sticky feeling of a demon…’
Feeling a sense of dissonance, different from what he had felt when he faced a demon directly before his regression, Allen paused.
“Young Master?”
“Ah. It’s nothing.”
Before she could sense anything was amiss, Allen cut off his thoughts and connected one of the two threads linked to him to her.
‘I can just ask her to check it separately later.’
What was different, and where did he feel this dissonance?
It was something he could find out.
The moment Allen connected the thread to her, the creature, as if sensing something was wrong, began to convulse violently, its limp body thrashing.
“No! No! This, this is… No, no, no, no! Master! Help me! Please! Please!”
As Regnol went berserk, Francisca snapped out of her daze and stared blankly at the thread connected to her.
“For now, I will execute a temporary transfer of the contract. Lord Prindal is well-versed in contract-based systems, so we can ask him to make adjustments later.”
He flicked his hand simply.
A complex string of characters shot out from Allen’s body and instantly wrapped around the thread connecting her and Regnol.
He wore a subtle expression as he felt the effect of the contract from the thread.
‘The restrictions were never very strong to begin with.’
At most, it just prevented it from leaving a certain area.
That would explain how Inellia was able to defy him while still bound by a True Name contract.
“Wow… so that’s magic.”
Linbelle, her face pale, let out a dazed exclamation of wonder.
Perhaps it was their first time seeing magic up close, as the soldiers also stared blankly at the scene, mesmerized.
Allen continued his work, ignoring their gazes.
As he traced something in the air as if writing, the characters wrapped around the thread burst and were sucked into Regnol’s head.
“Aaaaaaaargh!”
Using sheer core strength, Regnol raised its torso and slammed its head against the ground.
*Thud! Thud! Thud!*
The characters also burst and were absorbed by Francisca. She tensed for the pain she expected to come, but contrary to her expectations, there was none.
When she turned her head, Allen smiled slightly and asked playfully.
“I wouldn’t cause you any harm, would I, Miss Francisca?”
She quietly glared at him.
“…Do you feel good for tricking me?”
“My apologies if you were offended. You just seemed so tense.”
As Allen shrugged, Francisca let out a sigh.
It was true that Regnol’s agonized state had made her tense up. His joke brought the dazed soldiers back to their senses.
While they talked for a moment, the magic worked smoothly, and after a short time, Regnol approached her with an emotionless expression.
To be precise, it ‘crawled’ to her.
“From this day forward, I offer you my all. My new master.”
She seemed quite pleased with the sight, smiling cheerfully.
“…Fufu, I’m looking forward to my research time now.”
Regnol had ultimately become Francisca's subordinate, and Inellia had been safely rescued.
“It’s all over.”
The chimeras that attacked the city would have all been dealt with by now, and the ones that attacked them had also been defeated, leaving only the cleanup.
Allen stared at the cave for a moment with an unreadable expression before a voice from ahead brought him back to his senses.
From behind, a desolate wind blew, quietly wrapping around him.
“We’re going back.”