Chapter 12
Chapter 12
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 012
Chapter Title: Now's the Perfect Time to Sponsor
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Crossing Solroad Fortress, the gateway defining the border between the Libert Kingdom and Pendia, didn't require any special procedures.
To begin with, relations between the two kingdoms weren't particularly hostile, so the fortress's strategic value lay more in controlling the monsters crossing over than in defending against Pendian invasions.
However, instead of passing straight through the gate, Roden entered the fortress proper and booked a room at an inn, where he unpacked their belongings.
Shan gawked around the large inn like a total country bumpkin—it was his first time seeing one.
"Whoa..."
The inn had quite a few guests, most of them looking like armed mercenaries. They were probably heading to Pendia after hearing about the war in Libert.
After an early dinner at the inn's first-floor tavern and restaurant, Shan and Roden headed to the shops inside the fortress before sunset to take care of business.
As a trading hub between the two kingdoms, the fortress naturally had places to buy and sell goods.
"What are we shopping for?"
"We've only been through backwater villages so far, so I haven't picked anything up. Time to get some armor at least. Proper clothes would be even better."
Shan was still wearing the clothes given to him by the Altoin circus troupe. His original outfit had been shredded by Peonil's spear and soaked in blood, making it unwearable.
The troupe naturally had no other kids his age—conversely, dwarf Boldot's clothes were too small—so the hand-me-downs were baggy and oversized. He needed something new to change into, especially if it got bloody or torn again. A few extras wouldn't hurt.
Anyway, it would be days before they reached a major city after crossing into Pendia, so they needed to resupply now. If not for the clash with Peonil, they could've handled this back in Vito City.
After checking several shops, Shan ended up with clothes that actually fit, high-quality leather gloves and boots, and a hat to block the sun. He also bought arrows and a spear of decent length.
Finally, back at the inn, he called a barber for his first proper haircut ever. They trimmed his shaggy mop—which had grown down to his shoulder blades—short to just below the nape, washed it with soap, applied oil, and slicked it back. He looked surprisingly presentable.
Before, he'd seemed like a scruffy urchin trailing a burly knight. Now, he at least passed for a young squire. Staring in awe at his reflection in the foggy mirror, Shan heard Roden chuckle and nod from behind.
"Now you actually look the part."
Shan wasn't some drop-dead gorgeous pretty boy, but for someone who'd survived on the streets, his features were surprisingly even, and his teeth were straight. His big eyes with slightly drooping corners gave him a gentle, puppy-like look—hardly ideal for a warrior, but with his freakish skills, who cared?
"Feels weird having someone else cut my hair."
"How'd you manage before?"
"Just hacked at it with whatever knife was handy."
No surprise there—that mess couldn't have come from anything else. Roden let out a sigh every time he heard about Shan's grim past; it always left a bad taste.
"From now on, get a barber. It's way easier."
"What about you, Roden? You can't use blades."
"I've got my ways. Don't worry about it."
Curious, Shan pressed until Roden demonstrated: he used blunt-nosed shears to trim his own hair and beard. The precision on spots he couldn't even see was impressive.
Maybe it was arriving early and resting well in a nice room, but the next morning, they felt refreshed. After fully clearing the gate, Roden looked visibly relieved.
"Phew, Pendia at last! I missed the smell of home."
Shan didn't point out that crossing one gate couldn't possibly change the air that much. Spending time with Roden had finally taught him a smidge of tact.
But that afternoon, as the sun began to dip and their stop for the night drew near, Shan truly felt how different this land was from Libert.
"Roden."
"Yeah?"
"Something's up ahead."
The creatures were trying to sneak up, but they couldn't hide the rustling bushes, footsteps, or pungent fishy stench. As Shan drew his sword and pointed, they realized they'd been spotted and charged out with guttural shrieks.
"...Water Ghosts!"
Roden yelped in surprise and snatched the mace hanging from his saddle. The monsters looked like twisted, hideous monkeys with mossy green hair, pallid skin, and razor-sharp teeth and claws. They'd probably crawled out of the nearby swamps.
Leaping from his horse, Shan sliced the throat of the first lunging Water Ghost and pierced the second's chest with a thrust.
Their wrinkled, leathery skin could deflect most blades, but Shan's sword cut through like soft cheese. Unlike normal blood, theirs was an eerie pale blue.
He dispatched the two attackers in seconds, then glanced back to see one of Roden's foes shatter and fly apart with a boom—the merchant had swung his mace upward from below.
"You dare!"
Come to think of it, this was the first time Shan had seen Roden fight for real. Unlike Shan, he stayed mounted, gripping the reins in one hand while maneuvering the horse to chase a fleeing one and smash its skull. It crumpled without a scream.
With four down in a flash, the remaining two or three watching from nearby bolted into the brush. After a tense minute with no further signs, the pair finally relaxed.
"Whew, this isn't how I wanted to feel the homecoming."
"I'd heard there were tons of monsters, but seeing it for real... How do normal people even live with this?"
He wondered how untrained commoners could stand against such beasts. Those Water Ghosts had moved as fast as any predator—and Shan and Roden had handled them handily only because they could.
Roden's answer was straightforward.
"That's why folks who can't fight don't wander outside. Honestly, it's not that different in Libert—just bandits or wild animals instead of monsters."
As he spoke, Roden taught Shan how to extract the Water Ghosts' teeth. Unusually, their teeth connected straight from the root to the jaw, so you slit the chin and philtrum, peeled it open, and yanked—them right out.
"Aren't their teeth and claws scary, though? Sharp as any blade."
"Anything not made of metal is fine. No idea why... Anyway, collect these whenever you can. They're valuable alchemy ingredients—and carrying them proves we're not just armed idiots wandering around."
"Proves?"
"That we're the real deal."
Pendia had originally been the eastern frontier of the old Arman Empire, a shield against monsters pouring from the Demon Realm.
Even now, the region revered personal prowess and placed great value on monster hunting—not just for honor, but because it directly improved their harsh living conditions.
Shan felt this firsthand upon entering a small village of a hundred or two residents, ringed by a wooden palisade. The locals welcoming them gaped at the teeth dangling proudly from the saddle.
"Oh, no way...?"
"Water Ghosts we ran into before the village. Real pains."
"A young woodcutter got dragged off by them just recently... We can't thank you enough."
The village chief expressed profuse gratitude and offered his own home as lodging. The horses neighed contentedly, munching feed with beans instead of plain grass.
Unlike the chief's warm hospitality, though, Shan didn't appreciate the villagers whispering about his faintly glowing eyes.
What's the point of coming to Pendia if it's the same as back in Libert?
When he mentioned it, Roden looked awkward.
"Can't be helped. Like I said before, western Pendia is Old Faith territory. They won't outright trash you like in Libert, though—it's illegal."
True to his word, the villagers eyed Shan with distaste but didn't hurl insults to his face. Maybe the sword at his hip and Water Ghost teeth helped.
After a night at the chief's house, the pair pressed east, ever east.
Pendia's reputation as monster territory was well-earned. Just as foxes, boars, deer, and wolves roamed beyond the mountains of Shan's Libert homeland, monsters were as common here as wildlife.
From the initial Water Ghosts to emaciated lesser vampires baring fangs, ghouls puppeted by brain-eating maggots rising from corpses...
Fortunately, monsters didn't always attack on sight. The less aggressive or well-fed ones ignored the pair and passed by, so they conserved their energy.
Lowly goblins, everywhere you looked, shrank back at Roden's bulk and didn't dare approach. If Shan had been alone, he'd have fought them twice an hour, bloodying his blade.
Three days after leaving Solroad Fortress, they reached a sizable city teeming with thousands. Like other Pendian settlements, it was walled, though stone only at the base—the upper parts were wood, due to scarce good stone nearby.
"This is Oblros City. Means we've covered over half the way to the capital."
"Already?"
"Pendia's capital is pretty far west in the kingdom."
The reason was obvious: the Demon Realm, source of the monsters, lay east. An eastern capital risked being overrun by a powerful beast.
They slipped the gate guard a silver coin and passed through. Shan noticed an intricate engraving inside the gate, with a glowing gem at the center.
"Roden, Roden."
"What?"
"What's that?"
"That? Oh, a magic circle and magic stone?"
Roden muttered that Shan probably hadn't seen one before and explained.
"Heard mages use them to enchant items. Don't know the details, but on walls like this, they probably reinforce them. Any decent fortress or city in Pendia has one per gate."
Magic stones came mostly from monsters near the Demon Realm, so Pendia enchanted its gates with magic. Other kingdoms, short on mages and stones, used priests for holy blessings. Every city and fortress they'd passed—unless tiny or poor—had such protections.
"Without them, some huge monster could smash the gate—or a skilled knight charge it down on horseback."
"Ah."
Thinking back, yeah. That glancing blow from Peonil hadn't just torn skin—it'd flayed him open, pulped over ten soldiers, and sent them flying. A wooden gate would've been kindling.
As they dismounted and led their horses—riding was banned inside the city—Shan spotted something else astonishing.
An Altoin?
A woman with goat-like curved horns atop her head walked casually down the street. Shockingly, the locals treated her no differently—no scorn or wariness.
Just indifference, like any other passerby.
A bit farther, he saw Altoins everywhere: laborers, barkers, even blacksmiths. Seeing them integrated normally with humans was as shocking as first encountering the circus.
"This place really has a ton of Altoins."
"Compared to other countries, yeah. And this is still the west—east Pendia has way more. Probably one in every twenty people."
Even with those numbers, no Altoin knights meant the barriers to the upper class were sky-high.
Mid-conversation, Shan realized Roden was bypassing perfectly fine inns. He finally stopped at a mansion deep in the city.
"Where's this?"
Shan, who'd never seen such a grand building, gaped at the high walls and statues atop them.
"House of someone I know. Better than an inn—and I can catch up on local news."
Roden knocked firmly. A servant peeked out, flinching at the intimidating sight.
"Who is it?"
"Tell Mr. Povab that Roden Webers is here."
"Webers...? P-please wait a moment!"
The servant vanished in shock. A minute later, a middle-aged man burst out, dressed hastily, practically tumbling in his haste. He addressed Roden with unexpected familiarity.
"Young master! Where on earth have you been? It's about time you came back!"
"Wandering's a young man's prerogative, Uncle."
Roden flashed a boyish grin that suited his age. The man deflated, then laughed.
"Do you know how worried the master has been since you vanished? I still get letters every three days asking to notify him if you're spotted."
"Apologize to the other uncles for me."
"Nonsense. Thinking of the master's grace, we're the ones who should apologize. More importantly..."
Calming down, the man noticed Shan behind Roden. Roden shrugged.
"Oh, right—introductions. Shan? This is Povab Collogia. He has a monopoly on jewel trading in Oblros City."
"Too kind. I'm just a modest jeweler, thanks to the master's favor."
Povab humbly turned curious eyes to Shan.
"And this is Shan, the friend who made me give up my knightly dreams."
"Give up knighthood? How?"
As Kalion's top jeweler and right-hand man, Povab knew Roden's burning ambition for knighthood—enough to run away vowing to return a great knight. Yet Roden's gaze held no resentment toward Shan.
Puzzled but brief, they entered the house for a proper talk. Leaving guests at the door in plain sight was rude.
Inside the gate, Shan gaped at the mansion hidden by the walls.
"Whoa..."
Dozens of glass windows—rare even in grand homes—gleamed on the facade. Smooth stone and wood formed the walls. No wonder Roden skipped the inns.
In the opulent parlor, a neatly dressed maid served tea. It screamed nobility.
Shan blew on the hot liquid, sipped, and grimaced.
"Hot."
"Get used to this stuff. Knights need some culture. Not full noble polish, but enough."
Povab's curiosity grew at Roden doting like an older brother. Unfazed, Roden sipped his tea and recounted events.
His despair and rage at his cursed constitution, leading to running away. Then, at the end of reckless wandering, meeting a monstrous boy in a rural village across the border...
Povab's jaw dropped at the tale of an untrained boy butchering over a dozen elite mercenaries. By the time Roden described clashing with Black Spear Peonil and surviving with mere wounds, the jeweler's eyes went blank.
It mirrored Shan's awe at the mansion moments ago.
"G-Good goddess... Even so, that's..."
"Hard to believe without seeing it, right? I was the same. But living with him showed me: the world has talents that defy reason."
Roden stated firmly that by manhood, Shan would surpass Pendia's strongest knight, Protector Duke Abel Marquis. History's mightiest knight-in-the-making was ripe for sponsorship—even if Roden himself hadn't witnessed those feats firsthand.
Povab looked half-skeptical after the full story.
"From anyone else, I'd call it madness. But from you, young master... I can't dismiss it."
"Planning to introduce him to Father in the capital. Can't support him properly alone."
A knight needed armor, weapons, a fine warhorse. Magical or blessed gear was beyond Roden's pocket change.
Shan needed training more than gear: a proper master for knightly discipline and presence, etiquette and upper-society culture. Networking with promising squires and nobles was a bonus. For an Altoin knight, overwhelming skill was baseline—other factors abounded.
Povab hummed thoughtfully.
"I believe you, young master, but the master... You know he doesn't trust hearsay without seeing it himself."
"I've heard that since childhood: 'Judge for yourself. Don't leave thinking to others.'"
Roden grimaced, reciting his father's motto. He had ideas to convince his stubborn sire but hadn't settled on one.
Then, Shan, who'd been quietly sipping tea, spoke up.
"Any strong monsters nearby?"
"Strong monsters... you say?"
Perhaps out of respect for Roden's guest, Povab used honorifics even with the younger boy.
"Yeah. Something that'd make Roden's father think, 'Whoa, what a beast! Can't not back this kid!'"
"Shan, that's..."
"You said Pendians respect you if you show proof of killing strong monsters. I don't want charity from Roden's dad—I want respect."
Shan met Roden's eyes steadily with his vivid green ones.
Povab watched, then chuckled.
Not just a fighter... He's got backbone. No ordinary kid.
From Roden's tale and demeanor, Shan seemed a total street rat, utterly uneducated—yet he was shockingly mature and proactive. Most would lean on Roden like a guardian.
And conveniently, the city had just the problem Shan sought.
"Funny you ask—there's a monster stirring trouble around the outskirts lately. Ever heard of trolls?"