Chapter 36
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: No Choice But to Live as a Fugitive
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Requiya seemed to think that my identity and location had been exposed because of my own loose tongue.
"Don't worry about it. It's not your fault."
I had blabbed about being a Holy Knight myself.
And what good would it do to point fingers at my own side over something that's already happened? If it were the enemy, I'd hunt them down and kill them, sure.
We had stayed in the city far too long.
Long enough for someone to have tipped them off, no doubt.
"Who do you think it was?"
Requiya asked, his face etched with anxiety.
"That's not the important thing right now. Figuring out who it was would be damn near impossible anyway."
"You're right, but..."
Requiya nodded, though his expression remained uneasy.
"We're leaving. If we planned to stick around, we could raise hell trying to find the culprit, but we've already got what we came for. For the city's sake, it's best if we just disappear."
"I'll follow you."
I exchanged a glance with Suhes.
"Kalruk, get going now. Don't worry about us. What we contribute to Fiore is too valuable for them to attack us over it."
"If anyone asks, tell them we headed to Brad."
"Then it looks like you're going toward Hellite instead of Brad. Smart thinking."
"Let's go, Requiya."
We left the city right then.
Back to being fugitives...
I had no idea of the exact size of the army that had mobilized to catch us.
I hadn't asked a single question when we slipped out of the city, not wanting to cause even the slightest harm to it.
"It would've been nice if we'd at least gotten horses."
"Do we have money to buy horses?"
"Hahaha, with this money, we couldn't even afford a single horse leg."
So we kept walking.
I had originally planned to stop by a weapons shop and pick up a sword, but I gave up on that idea early.
While we were in the city, I checked out a few places, but the quality was abysmal.
This lever I was used to wielding worked just fine as a staff and was far superior as a weapon anyway.
"Who would've thought we'd be walking this road again."
"Yeah, tell me about it."
Our route to Fiore had suddenly changed, forcing us to backtrack the way we'd come.
We walked briskly, but they were on horseback—they'd catch up soon enough.
"Won't the city guard fight them?"
"They won't. We're practically shoulder-to-shoulder allies; no need for them to pick a fight."
"True. A border city like that takes the hits from bandits and monsters on behalf of the kingdom, so they can't afford to discard it."
"And with us already gone, why would the guards risk their lives fighting for nothing?"
Only then did Requiya's face brighten, as if a weight had lifted from his mind.
'A demon worrying about others.'
I knew better than to judge by the values of my old world, but it still felt fresh every time.
How many hours had we walked?
I blinked to expand my field of vision.
Blue Eye revealed a wide area centered on me.
The city gates came into view.
'About a hundred cavalry.'
The Fiore army had arrived at the city gates. Warriors draped in cloaks over iron armor, all mounted on horseback.
I couldn't hear their voices.
There was Fred, shrugging nonchalantly—he was buying us time.
But even if he meant well, he couldn't lie outright.
Fiore would retaliate if the deception was uncovered.
I'd even told him to report that we'd gone toward Brad...
Finally, Fred nodded and pointed in the direction we'd left.
"Slow down a bit."
"Got it."
We had to leave tracks on purpose.
For the border city's sake, so no retaliation would come their way.
So we made our footprints clear as day, heading toward Brad.
I explained my thinking to Requiya, and his face paled again.
"We might actually get caught."
"We'll veer into the forest a little farther on."
There'd be nothing more foolish than facing cavalry on open plains.
The Fiore army began to move.
A man who looked like the prince, one who seemed like the commander, two aides, and someone in a red hood.
These five rode at the front.
The prince wore a fur coat.
"Is that Prince Reyes, you think?"
"No idea. But something tells me it's not."
Seeing such a broad area was undeniably useful, but since it was a top-down view like a map, faces were impossible to make out.
Especially if it wasn't someone familiar like Fred.
The prince-like figure even wore a fur hat.
"I thought Reyes had frozen to death in the mountains. That's why I let him go—hoping he'd die in terror, without anyone to help or rely on."
"I figured as much. Harsh terrain. A guy stripped of his cold-weather gear had almost no chance of making it back alive."
From what Suhes had told me, Reyes was a bastard son.
Some merchant's grandson whose daughter had been married into the royal family using wealth and ambition.
Either way, Fiore's royals had little love for Reyes. That's why a prince was out treasure-hunting like some adventurer and ended up meeting me.
"But are you really planning to fight an army?"
"Why not?"
The commander and aides were probably on par with the prince's escorts from Negaf Arron, but the regular soldiers clearly wouldn't be.
Plus, I'd grown stronger since that desperate fight in Negaf Arron. Comparing us was almost insulting.
"You've gotten stronger too."
"Yeah. All that pickaxe swinging bulked me up."
Requiya grinned sheepishly.
But the thought of possibly fighting an army darkened his face again.
"I'm not saying we'll definitely fight."
"Good."
Confusing confidence with recklessness was a sure way to die.
I'd spoken boldly just to reassure Requiya.
"See that rocky path up ahead?"
"Yeah, I see it."
"We'll head into the forest from there."
"A feint. Understood."
We climbed into the forest and settled in a spot with a good view of the road.
It was already afternoon, so we chewed on jerky while waiting for the army.
Hama rummaged through the forest leaves, found some edible sprouts, and munched them one by one—nom nom.
Guuuu—.
I wish you'd keep that tongue inside your mouth.
You're not a dog—why walk around with it lolling out?
As we filled our bellies, the ground began to rumble.
"Whoa, whoa!"
The commander raised his sword hand, signaling a halt.
Just from how orderly they slowed, you could tell it was a well-trained force.
"Your Highness, the tracks end here."
"What do you think?"
The prince's voice and profile were nothing like Reyes's.
Reyes had looked older than me, but this prince was practically middle-aged.
"Requiya, any idea who that guy is?"
"The first prince. I've seen him from afar. Arrogant type—got command of the military from the king in his youth."
"That explains how he brought elites like these. With military authority in hand."
"Makes sense."
The commander, prince, and aides murmured in conversation.
It was quite a distance, but I had no trouble hearing them.
I relayed what I'd heard to Requiya.
"They're talking about the border city. Doesn't seem like they think he lied."
"That's a relief."
"No mention of Reyes or revenge at all. Looks like they believe he's dead."
"Then I'm even more curious why they're chasing you, Captain."
"I have a pretty good idea. They're blabbing about Negaf Arron and the Mad Star, after all. Their reaction will confirm it."
I shared my thoughts and deductions with Requiya.
"The birds that followed me vanished completely, save for a few bats. What does that tell you?"
"The birds don't want you in danger."
I nodded.
The birds were Hellite's messengers. Even if they wanted to punish me, Hellite would do it themselves.
They were confident they could take me anytime and had stayed in a city beyond Hellite's reach, so no Holy Knights had been dispatched to arrest me.
"From their talk, it doesn't sound like someone in the city snitched either. If they're chasing me just because I'm a Holy Knight from Negaf Arron."
"I see."
"That leaves only divination or sorcery as suspects."
Requiya pondered briefly, then his eyes widened in realization.
"You mean they're connected to Charles? They knew about your great Insight Ability, tracked your movements, and learned you were in the city."
I nodded at Requiya.
"That's the only thing that fits."
"Impressive."
"Nothing special. But there's one thing you need to check for me."
"What is it?"
"The bracelet. Can you tell if it's trackable?"
Requiya shook his head.
"It used to be possible, but now that it's bound to you, Captain, it's meaningless."
That clinched it, then.
They'd gotten info from Charles.
I thought it was 'clear' because nothing else fit, even if it wasn't ironclad.
I turned my attention back to the Fiore army.
The commander was mostly the one barking orders at the soldiers.
"It's been over forty days since Hellite's Star fell."
He was referring to Luke entering his trials.
While in the western city, I'd often heard tales of the Mad Star bursting with light.
Probably describing Luke's soul departing his body to enter the trials.
"This is our chance while his power is weakened! Heaven itself gave us the opportunity of that star-less wretch stepping onto Fiore soil!"
That was how people were interpreting it.
Luke Seid had lost the star's blessing and weakened.
They believed what they wanted and spun tales accordingly—Holy Knights must be pretty mystical figures all around.
"The time has come to capture him and prove our loyalty to Drauven!"
Well, well.
Hearing that from these elite-looking troops made it clear Fiore was a vassal state of the Drauven Empire.
"Did you know about that?"
"They didn't advertise it openly in front of the people, but I knew the vibe. Rumors swirled about sending envoys with surrender documents, princesses, and treasures. Better to capitulate before Drauven—right on our border—invades, to hold onto power."
Hmm. Requiya wasn't dumb; it sounded spot-on.
That explained why they were after me.
Same reason as the Red Dragon Knights.
My heart.
I couldn't hand it over, and I had no intention of dying quietly, so no choice but to keep living as a fugitive.
"Who's the one in the red cape?"
I shook my head.
He hadn't spoken once, wore a black mask hiding his face.
Male build, that was all.
"They're gonna fan out and search. Time to move."
"Right behind you."
I'd already checked the area with Blue Eye.
A bit farther up this forest led to a narrow mountain path—take that, and it's toward Brad.
'Brad might not be safe either, though.'
Brad was a smaller kingdom than Fiore.
Fred said it was well-fortified.
Canyons to the north, rugged mountains to the south, thick, high walls on the cliff-like eastern and western gates, making defense advantageous.
"Know anything about Brad?"
"Just that it's a small country. Never been. Too busy scraping by..."
"Got it."
I stuffed Hama into my backpack and we hurried up through the forest, finally hitting the trail.
I couldn't help thinking: if I'd gone straight to Brad after descending Negaf Arron, maybe I wouldn't be on the run like this.
But that was water under the bridge.
'Then I wouldn't have gained the magma power. Wouldn't have met Fred either.'
No regrets, since there were gains.
"This trail's way better than bushwhacking."
"Then let's pick up the pace."