Chapter 66
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 66
Chapter Title: Interim Summary
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Once Roginin's mouth had opened, it wasn't about to shut anytime soon.
"The second trial was—."
Was he seriously going to keep talking?
He wasn't even thinking about the agony of his listeners.
A sparring match would have been preferable.
"It involved fighting a succubus and winning to claim the illusory horns of a demon as a reward. Of course, actually encountering a real succubus is rare, so we fought in an imaginary world conjured by the Grand Elder's sorcery. But this succubus cast a curse of lust, and before I knew it..."
Ugh, so boring.
I barely stifled a yawn when Roginin tilted his massive head.
"Are you listening?"
"Huh? Yeah, of course I am. So, that succubus made you have a wet dream or something?"
"Pardon?"
"Figured as much. Hope you pass the next one. A Holy Knight of all people getting caught in a mental attack?"
Drowsiness was crashing over me, so I rushed to wrap up the conversation.
Roginin bowed deeply at the waist.
"Thank you for your guidance."
"Whatever. Get some rest. Oh, right—the trials come from oracles delivered by the Saintess, yeah?"
"Yes. So no one knows what they'll be."
"Got it. Rest up. And take care of that guy over there. Aren't you two inseparable?"
I pointed at Steron, still sprawled out.
Hama had licked his armor so thoroughly it gleamed like new.
As I headed toward Ibu, my thoughts wandered.
'For now, the Hellite Saintess doesn't see me as an enemy. As the Holy Knight Captain, I'm curious about stuff like Goldni too. But do I even have a reason to go through these trials? Toolsep makes me plenty strong already. Doesn't seem like the effects will wear off anytime soon.'
I activated Blue Eye and checked the flat map view.
What had only shown distances I'd cover in three days of jogging yesterday now stretched several times farther.
'Brad Kingdom's mostly in view now. That looks like a marketplace?'
No one was heading toward the fortress from five days out.
Still safe for now.
'That dense forest feels off somehow.'
Trees in the woods were swaying wildly, dust rising in clouds.
I should scout it out soon, just in case.
Ibu was swallowing meat whole without chewing.
"You eat that by chewing it, you know."
"Ah, fuck. I'm hungry, I tell ya—."
I asked Erakins, who was beaming like a proud dad beside her.
"How much has she eaten?"
"You've fed her... all of it, sir. That's the last of the meat."
The jerky and fresh meat we'd gathered over three days? Completely demolished.
Where did all that go in her slender frame?
Maybe Ibu's stomach was some kind of dragon-sized subspace.
"Fuck. Eating for free makes me smell fishy. Urp—."
"Couldn't you at least grill something for a kid who just woke up? Feeding her raw meat? You guys have no tact."
"S-Sorry, sir. She shoved it in before we could stop her... We'll cook it next time..."
I ignored Erakins groveling in front of Ibu and rounded up the bandits.
"We're holing up here for a while. But we've got nothing to eat tonight. They say there's an armory in the fortress. Scour it for bows and weapons first. Then go hunting. Pigs, chickens, cows, potatoes, fruit, roots—gather anything edible and be back by dinner. Kruk leads, Sergei stays to watch the unconscious ones. Move out."
"Yes, sir!"
I had a bad feeling watching the bandits head out for supplies.
"No looting."
"Yes, sir!"
"Aw, boss. We're not bandits."
What the hell, bandits.
"Don't go too far. Watch out for deep woods."
"Heh heh, boss. We're not kids."
That's exactly why I'm worried.
I had no idea why I was fretting over these guys, but I was.
I had Erakins lead me on a tour of the fortress.
Sergei would explain things once the passed-out guys woke up.
They might get pissed and jump Steron, but that wasn't my problem.
'Hah—such a grand castle. I've really made it.'
It looked massive from outside, but inside? A whole new level of awe.
'Castles are something else.'
I thumped the walls solidly, stomped on the bridges linking the ramparts and buildings to test them.
"Well built."
"You've probably seen bigger traveling the continent, but for sturdiness, this one's top-tier."
I could feel Erakins's pride.
A carpenter building a stone fortress? Guess carpenters aren't just woodworkers. Man, I'm so ignorant.
From the high walls, the fortress's layout lay bare.
Stone buildings sprawled around a central tall tower, with a dry creek bed running through the middle.
"Tons of buildings, huge grounds. Could house an army and hundreds of thousands of civilians."
Bigger than the western border city.
If besieged, you'd need tens of thousands on the walls to defend.
The sheer size would require multiples that to surround it, though.
Not my concern.
An impregnable fortress.
Thick, towering walls—let the besiegers suffer, not me.
'If we smash siege engines and block destructive magic, maybe we could hold.'
Not a sudden thought.
'A fortress bigger than a city...'
I wanted the bandits to settle here long-term.
The idea hit me first sight, eyeing the surrounding plains.
"What's that building? Stables?"
"Barracks."
Ah, barracks.
So huge I thought it was for cows. Judging by my world's standards. What a narrow-minded Holy Knight I am.
"Ten blocks on each side."
"Ten blocks..."
"Each holds over a thousand. That wide one like a crown at the west end? Main barracks. Over twenty thousand capacity. Probably the largest on the continent."
What fortress is this? A military base.
Ah, fortresses are military bases?
"Built for waging war, looks like."
Erakins blinked and scratched his beard, as if he didn't know that far.
"Hiccha—hiccha—."
Bored with no more food, Ibu smacked her lips and bounded up stairs several at a time.
Her light steps matched her airy frame, cape fluttering.
Groooowl—groo—groo—.
Hama, now buddies with her, trailed along.
Guess beasts stick together.
I paused.
The dim-witted dragon and short-legged beast crested the final stairs where I waited.
Only then did I point elsewhere.
My finger aimed at the white tower in the fortress center—the tallest building.
"Erakins, that's the fortress's heart, right?"
"Yes. Central tower."
Built for high-ranking folk and essential admin staff.
Each floor had quarters and facilities; elevators hauled food and water to the top.
Rope-operated manual ones, so needed workers, but they'd do for show at least—no real hassle for upper floors.
We checked the watchtowers along the wall curves too.
Not as tall as the central spire, but dizzyingly high.
Ibu shaded her eyes with a hand, scanning all around.
"Oho—fuck. View's amaaazing."
"Yes. South watchtower overlooks Brad Kingdom; north one sees Fiore Kingdom."
Ibu cocked her head like a chick spotting shiny gems. No matter how I looked, her every move was miles from any dragon I'd imagined.
"Fuck. Awesome."
"Huh? What's up?"
I wished she'd drop the swearing before her name. At this point, with expectations for Ibu dashed, it was my last tiny hope.
"This is my house, right? Yeah? Fuck. Say it is."
Her axe-waving plea had a unique flair.
"Sure. You've lived here alone forever, so it's yours."
A sleep-only house, but not wrong.
In my world, home was mostly for sleeping too.
Me and my peers spent days at work.
Excluding shut-in jobless loners.
"Ehehe—great. Ibu's house."
If Ibu was happy, fine by me.
"Fuck. Gonna smash those Drawn fools and live here."
"Sounds good. Ibu's got plans."
"Fuck. Gotta get married too."
"You really want marriage that bad, Ibu?"
Worlds differ, cultures and views too, but Ibu treated it like my parents' or grandparents' generation—expected.
For me and civilized friends, it was optional. Her mindset felt fresh.
"Fuck. Gramps and Granny's wish."
Ah, family backstory.
Dutiful daughter, huh.
"Not yours?"
"Fuck. Can't say no. Ehehe—."
But who would marry her?
Her condition's wrecked, only skill's swearing.
'Eh, she'll figure it out.'
A massive, sturdy, cool fortress.
Not a place for me to stay.
"I'm leaving."
"Fuck! Why!"
Shit, startled me.
Ibu bellowed; Hama toppled backward.
I nudged Hama's butt with my foot to help it up.
"Gotta go, so I'm going. Lots to do."
Piled-up tasks already numbered plenty.
Rushed too hard, now buried in work.
Time for a midpoint tally.
Help Requiya and Fred.
Distance from Red Dragon Knights and pursuers.
Pursuers weren't real yet, though.
But info on me? No secret.
Fiore guards chasing proves it.
At least no worry about Hellite hauling me for righteous torture.
Saintess neutral toward me.
Winter comes, hide-and-seek from Ruler of Frost.
'Considering the Queen's threat, maybe pass the trials.'
Stronger never hurts, but no rush.
One thing I'd overlooked.
Winter nights, hiding Silver Star means trials are mandatory.
Scraping by on Toolsep now.
When it fades, rely on Divine Power.
Means build Divine Power to counter Toolsep depletion.
'Sigh. So much to do, can't clean it up neat.'
Still, I'd sorted my thoughts and shared with Ibu.
"Not leaving right now. Staying a bit to train, guide the bandits. Could leave anytime, but reasons not to."
"Because of Starlight?"
Her "Starlight" from earlier meant Silver Star.
"Yeah? Promise, right?"
"Right. Exactly."
Could Silver Star see the world while sleeping?
I doubt it.
Just replaying my memories, probably.
I want to see it with Silver Star.
Promised to show her the world.
'That's what I can do for her, the loyalty I can keep.'