The Immortal Knight Episode 7

"Let's get you treated first. I assure you, you will be rewarded for your efforts today."

Mongclay had no choice but to acknowledge that Rian had saved them from annihilation.

He still couldn't understand how Rian Keide had returned alive from the Dandelion Plains.

'You'll do anything to survive.'

It was only natural for humans to crawl into a pile of corpses if it meant staying alive.

What good were honor and pride when you were dead? It was more human to survive in disgrace than to die for them.

And was Rian Keide even in a position to be criticized?

Even if he had failed to protect his superior, turned a blind eye to the deaths of his men, and returned alone.

He killed a Mage. Thanks to him, most of the Imperial Army was submerged, and the besieged allies survived.

He deserved to be hailed as a hero!

'Of course, I played a big role in quickly seizing the moment of reversal and turning the crisis into an opportunity. It's only right that I, the hero, and Rian Keide, the sword I wielded, be recorded in history.'

Wasn't he already a figure who had caused a stir in the kingdom for a while, being called the Child of Curse?

Wasn't he also famous for causing Ellen Cade to lose her Aura due to the curse?

Receiving praise as the hero's sword would be an excellent benefit for Rian Keide as well.

'Count Mongclay Brown turned the curse into a miracle and overcame the crisis of the Battle of Dandelion Plains.'

'He saw through the Imperial Army's trickery with elite soldiers and Mages, and had Rian Keide achieve a victory of reversal.'

By promoting it this way, the defeat in the Dandelion Plains could be packaged as a victory, so both could benefit in a good way.

Would Rian Keide object?

Not at all.

Even if he became a Baron from a commoner, he was still an adopted son of a retired low-ranking knight.

He had no backing to listen to his complaints, so it would be more advantageous for him to swear allegiance if he could shed the stigma of the curse through this.

'The reward for this victory should be just raising his rank by one and giving him a bonus.'

No matter how much he eliminated a Mage, the criticism of surviving alone on the battlefield could not be ignored, so that would be appropriate considering the soldiers' backlash.

In any case, the priority now was to deal with the remaining Imperial forces and secure a definite victory.

"Then. I'll call you as soon as the situation is sorted out."

Mongclay said that, mounted his horse, leaving Rian, who was giving a military salute. The escort followed him.

Thump-. Thump-.

Rian limped across Trevor Bridge, filled with corpses.

'I've bought some time, I guess.'

The worst-case scenario was being thrown to the Inquisitors, being involved with surviving alone in the plains and the past.

"That's awful."

In a situation where he couldn't die anyway, he would be tortured with talk of a witch's curse, Black magic Spells, and the like.

He might be thrown into the dungeon of Aria's Order and suffer the pain of death and the curse of regeneration repeatedly.

Until he met complete death!

So, he could easily overlook the commander's attitude of wanting to put a spoon on the achievement of killing the Mage and reversing the tide of the battle.

'Still, leaving the wounded like this is a bit... Is it because I looked too nonchalant?'

He wasn't asking for support, but after all, wasn't he the benefactor who saved his life? Even if the extent of the injury didn't seem severe, he just left like that.

Of course, that attitude was the nature of Mongclay, the cunning and resourceful commander.

Rian thought so and crossed Trevor Bridge indifferently.

Thud-. Thud-.

He crossed the bridge, passed through the narrow plain, and climbed up to the hill where Mongclay was observing the battle situation.

In the process, he felt that the wounds he had inflicted on himself had healed, and he noticed that the thigh pain that had made him limp had also eased considerably.

'Hmm. It seems I'm not completely losing my regenerative ability.'

Compared to the extraordinary regeneration ability shown when he was on the verge of death, it was a recovery at the level of baby steps.

But compared to ordinary people, it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was clear that he had a rapid recovery rate that could be said to have received Divine Healing from a priest.

'I can't go to the medical tent in this state.'

There was no reason to visit the medical tent in his current condition. Rather, it would only raise suspicion as to why he was fine.

So, Rian, who had arrived at the allied camp, moved to the place he had to visit after treatment.

It was a camp for supplying supplies, made on top of a cart of weapons.

"I'd like to get some armor and weapons."

Rian spoke to the soldier who was organizing the weapons inside the camp without mentioning his rank or name.

"Huh?! Riki... Squad Leader...?!"

A soldier with ordinary brown hair and big eyes recognized Rian.

It was Benjamin, a supply unit soldier who was friendly enough to call Rian by his usual nickname.

Even though he recognized Rian, his eyes shook as if he had encountered someone who shouldn't be in front of him.

With his small physique, youthful face, and even shaking eyes, he seemed to be enough to stimulate women's protective instincts.

"Benjamin, I'd also like a wet towel. As you can see, I'm a mess."

Rian only asked Benjamin for what he needed, lightly ignoring his half-crazed expression.

Benjamin swallowed hard, holding on to his mind that had almost been separated, and said to Rian.

"I thought you were dead! The soldiers who suddenly retreated said that the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd companies were annihilated..."

Rian took a pen from the table on one side of the camp and wrote down the necessary equipment on the weapons management ledger made of parchment and handed it to Benjamin.

It was along with the answer he would give him.

"The goddess of luck licks my feet, so she licked me sincerely."

"Ha... Haha..."

Benjamin forced a smile at Rian's joke and exchanged the water-soaked towel and the management ledger document.

Swish-. Swish.

Rian wiped off the blood clots and grime on his body.

Benjamin sorted out the supplies and quickly found the ones that fit Rian among the high-quality weapons that were sorted separately.

Clang-.

He put the found weapons in front of the table and watched Rian washing away the blood.

'Hoo... Was I really lucky?'

The towel turned red.

The scars of battle and training carved on Rian's body, sculpted by constant training, were clearly revealed.

But there didn't seem to be any recently made scars among them.

He heard that the enemy's encirclement was so strong that they couldn't even think of breaking through.

He also heard that the Imperial Army's elite soldiers were mixed in, so a quick retreat was wise.

To survive in that.

'Unless you hide in a pile of corpses...'

But was Rian Keide that kind of person? There was no way.

He was a meticulous man who personally chose useful weapons for his men.

No matter how good his skills were, they were useless without the support of weapons.

Above all, wasn't he a man who took the lead in battle, spending most of his salary on exchanging weapons?

He was definitely not the kind of person who would hide in a corpse to prolong his life.

Benjamin asked Rian, who was wearing armor and wearing a Longsword and three Throwing Knives for throwing on his sword belt.

"What really happened?"

"I was lucky."

Rian still brushed off Benjamin's question.

"No... Really! Huh?!"

"......"

Persistent guy.

Rian thought that if he tried to gloss over it, Benjamin would hold on to his pants ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and keep asking until his questions were answered.

He fought and fainted.

He survived covered in corpses.

While the enemies were focused on chasing the allies, he disguised himself as an enemy and crossed the road of death to return alive.

He didn't bother to say that he killed a Mage. Because then he felt like he would have to tell the story about it and he wouldn't let go.

"Ah... You really licked the goddess's feet..."

Benjamin still couldn't believe it, but he had no choice but to believe it.

When he thought about it, it was something that could have happened. Furthermore, he could have requested a return to Northheim under the pretext of injury, but he was equipping himself to go back to the battlefield.

"Then. I'm busy."

"Ah... Yes! Come back safe!"

Benjamin saluted Rian, who was leaving the camp, and saw him off.

Thud-.

Rian, who had left the supply camp, moved towards his next destination.

Originally, he should have been treated at the medical tent, but there were no wounds to treat.

However, there was also no barracks to wait in until Mongclay's next order.

Return to Northheim?

That was also not in Mongclay's orders.

Usually, if the injury was severe, he would return to the base where he was stationed.

Mongclay didn't give such an order for some reason.

For a moment, he was almost consumed by the loneliness of losing his way.

Thud-.

It didn't make sense for a soldier in battle to have nowhere to go.

The moment he came back alive, wasn't his path already decided?

The place where the spirits of his followers stayed. The place where he had experienced death and came back to life.

Rian judged that the Dandelion Plains was the path he had to take now.

'At least I have to take care of them with my own hands.'

Later, the cleaning crew would take care of it.

Rian didn't want to watch from afar as his men were taken care of.

And above all.

The war was still going on.

War doesn't end until it's over.

The Imperial Army might not retreat like this and counterattack with another reversal.

'Gerard, was it?'

His last gaze was still burning with fighting spirit.

The agility amplified during the body's recovery also sensed his fighting spirit in his bewildered eyes.

'It was also a look that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠said he would definitely take revenge.'

So, he had to catch up with the main force quickly. He would meet him again in some way, so he had to give him a gift in return for giving him his first death.

Thud-.

Rian walked towards the stable keeper who managed the Express Horses.

It was when the sky was burning red.

Five Express Horses for Express Horses were tied to stakes in the green meadow, grazing.

The stable keeper who managed those horses was dozing off on one side, as if the war was not his ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠concern.

"I'm Rian Keide, the 1st Squad Leader of the 3rd Company. I need a horse to join the main force."

"Huh? Ah. Yes?! A horse? Ah-! You need a horse?!"

The stable keeper, who was quite embarrassed by the sudden visit of his superior, hurriedly got up, grabbed one of the saddles around him, and ran to the horses tied to the stakes.

Then, he put a saddle on a brown horse with a suitable size and sleek lines.

It was then.

Clatter-! Clatter!

From afar, a group of five was riding towards them.

Judging by the direction, it seemed like they were coming from Northheim.

'Rangers?'

Since a large-scale battle was also taking place in the Twin Canyon, they might be running to report the battle situation there.

Rian waited for them to approach.

The stable keeper was untying the rope tied to the stake to hand the saddled brown horse to Rian.

In the meantime, one of those who had ridden the horse breathlessly shouted.

"Hey-!!! Where is Lord Mongclay?! Tell him that we have come to deliver urgent news. We are disciples of Knight Sion!"