The Leaping Knight Has Wings (2)
From the place where one Lion Wing Knight had torn apart the creature he had been waiting for, somewhere much lower. In the gloomy forest of the Lower World where a dismal night flowed, other Lion Wing Knights were also preparing for a similar task.
“Are you afraid, Assei?”
What the hell does Assei even mean?
The new recruit assigned to the Lion Wing Knights today could not answer. The Lion Wing Knights—the Human Federation’s final ultimatum and iron fist. The golden illusion of the battlefield’s elite was being shattered in mere hours. A rebuke flew from another knight behind them.
“Please stop calling the kids that, Till. Can’t you see the kid’s face is turning inside out?”
The recruit tried to let Till’s words slide past one ear. Afraid? Of course. How could I not be?
The knights lying prone in the night forest were scouting an heretic ritual. A group of people danced with strangely trembling bodies. A large bonfire burned in the middle of the dance, and a picture had been drawn on the ground with livestock blood. It looked like a scene from a ghost story at first glance. The recruit knight shuddered. He imagined the horrific slaughter that would unfold with the Abyss Cult he had only heard rumors about.
Thanks to his recognized skill, he had received orders to be reassigned from his regiment to the Lion Wing Knights. Yet the new recruit felt more fear than joy at having earned his wings. It was because of the rumors about the Lion Wing Knights he had heard from older soldiers. Fewer than half survived their first battle. If they lacked recruits, they attacked and kidnapped their own Federation troops. If meals were poor, they ate human flesh. When ordered, they had to hunt dragons bare-handed… Of course, seeing them in person, most of those were just wild tales.
And today was his first mission as one of those infamous Lion Wing Knights. Trembling, the recruit wondered if he would even survive. What if some of those villagers suddenly turned into dragons? No. They definitely would. The Lion Wing Knights’ operations were never ordinary.
However, the experienced veteran knights only felt pity for the heretics. This place was clearly within Federation territory, but being such a remote area not even marked on maps, the law had not reached it for a long time. In a place where survival was so desperate, whoever kept you alive was the king, and whatever spirit helped you was a god. Unfortunately, it was not a king or spirit who had first extended a hand to them, but evil beings. The terrible gods of the Abyss who came from beyond the night sky.
From the perspective of Federation soldiers, they were their own civilians. Of course, if they approached now and asked how they were doing, the villagers would flip their eyes and draw their swords, but until that happened, they could not simply charge in and subdue them.
“There’s no point telling those people with crazy eyes to stop this revival meeting. It means we need shock therapy before persuasion. So what should we do?”
“Uh…”
“The best way is to spin their rolled-back eyes in the opposite direction. We need to show them we’re stronger than those pathetic demon-worshipping bastards. From now on, burn this demonstration into your mind, Assei.”
The other knights let out suppressed sighs. Some even clenched their fists without realizing it. If there had been no risk of the ambush being discovered, they looked ready to beat the cultists senseless.
“Ah, Till. Please…”
“Leave him be. Once he gets himself killed doing that, we won’t have to watch anymore.”
The ritual was reaching its peak. The heretics were losing themselves in the fervor of the prayer meeting. The body placed on the altar before the bonfire twitched. It was the corpse of an unfortunate traveler who had rolled down the mountain slope into the village.
“The god descends.”
As the outsider’s corpse had proven with its death, this was a nightmarish basin that the living could not enter or leave. The slopes were high, and the only exit—the forest—devoured those who tried to escape. The god who would save us from this inescapable basin was coming. Born as a human child by borrowing a human body.
The village chief, his face smeared with soot, recited this while tears streamed down. Having spent decades trapped in these mountains where even farming was difficult, layers of fear and resentment must have piled up. When the outsider’s corpse spewed black tentacles, the old man let out a scream-like cheer.
“The god who will pull us out of this blood-soaked dirt pit is descending…!”
Immediately after, the corpse’s flesh burst and tore apart as an ominous form poured out. Pitch-black rope-like strands struck the ground and crawled out frantically. The Child of the Stars that emerged after completely tearing through the host’s skin stood up and looked around at the villagers with dozens of eyes. What those eyes held was not the gaze of a savior. It was the greed of a predator. A killing intent that crept up like wind from the mountain’s base. Just as the villagers, including the chief, instinctively stepped back, it happened.
“Tiiiiii-!”
Only seconds after landing, the Child of the Stars vomited a bucketful of blood from the shock. A javelin that had flown with tremendous force pierced the monster’s body in one strike. Rather than piercing, “shattering” was the more accurate description. The monster’s appendages scattered in all directions from the impact. The old chief’s face froze like a stone statue.
“What is this…?”
“-iiiiiiil!”
Someone came running like the wind along the javelin’s trajectory. The massive form of a heavily armored knight soared as if flying through the sky, then kicked the Child of the Stars with all his might. None of those who witnessed it would know, but it was a scene quite similar to an event that had occurred in a corner of the Heavens that day.
The old man’s long-held dream was buried in the altar’s flames along with the monster whose breath had been cut off. The chief rolled his eyes back and fainted. The Lion Wing Knights who had been calmly watching the scene offered calm commentary.
“Crazy bastard.”
The villagers accepted the recommendation to relocate to safe land. Not because of Till’s passionate persuasion, but because of the shock that a ritual they had prepared for years had been crushed in just two exchanges. The followers, unable to erase the javelin throw and kick from their minds, were quietly led away by the soldiers who appeared behind the Lion Wing Knights.
“The deep forest is full of monsters. We cannot go there.”
“We’ve caught and killed all the visible scum and cleared the path, so you can rest assured. The Federation army will escort you.”
“Could it be… finally… our hometown…?”
While comforting the villagers one by one as they trudged past, Till suddenly turned to the new recruit with an arrogant expression.
“This is the power of the Till-Jump. Think you can follow it, Assei?”
“Huh? I…”
A fellow knight’s gauntlet grabbed Till by the scruff of the neck. The grip tightened until Till let out a pained groan.
“Aagh. I surrender, I surrender.”
The knight who had instantly silenced the nonsense struck the back of Till’s head once and grumbled.
“They were people living in harsh terrain with little outside contact. They probably rarely ate travelers. They’ll likely help with farming at a monastery to recover their minds and bodies, then be dispersed by family units to various cities. How was your first field experience, rookie? This is how our work goes. At the front lines against the Abyss—”
“That technique just now… will I be able to do something like that someday?”
The knight looked at the new recruit with despair in his eyes. Fortunately, the recruit had not emptied his brain like Till had. What surprised him was purely Till’s skill. That precision, power, the strength and timing of the leaping kick. The illusion of the Lion Wing Knights that had briefly crumbled within him was once again shining atop the altar.
Till placed a hand on the recruit’s shoulder and comforted him.
“It’s fine even if you don’t think you can follow it right away. Among all my successors, only one has perfectly mastered this technique. That’s how difficult it is…”
The atmosphere suddenly grew stiff at those words. Sensing the chill, the recruit looked around.
“Hey, shut your mouth, Till. Don’t go fishing for sympathy again.”
When one of the winged knights warned him, the knight holding Till’s head by the scruff twisted his lips.
“Talking about difficulty. If your conscience hasn’t rotted off, you should speak properly, Till. The only thick-faced bastard who could follow that is Nathan.”
“Hey!”
“What, you brats. If he’s been declared missing in action, we can’t even say his name anymore? Hey, rookie chick, listen carefully since it’s about your senior. There was a guy named Nathan who was pretty amazing in many ways. In just three years, he wrote all sorts of legends and left!”
“Don’t just say ‘left’ as you please, Quena.”
The massive armor sitting in the back issued a warning. Even while seated, he gave off an imposing presence that made one feel looked down upon. With his face hidden by a solid helmet, including the horns attached to it, he was a giant who must have been at least three meters tall. Yet the knight named Quena showed no fear and sneered.
“What are you going to do if I say he left, Captain Kan? Going to dock my pay again?”
That giant is the captain? The new recruit’s eyes widened. Not an ogre they drag around for combat?
The two knights’ gazes clashed. The flail in Quena’s lowered fist clinked. A heavy pressure hung between them like crashing waves. Even without openly displaying killing intent, it was hard to endure. As the atmosphere seemed ready to erupt into a fight at any moment, the recruit swallowed hard. However, the captain only snorted, and the subordinate soon lowered her tail, perhaps embarrassed at having sharpened her blade.
“Damn it, always docking pay.”
Soon the knights mounted their horses to return. A knight approached the still-disoriented recruit from the left.
“Sorry you had to see that ugly sight, rookie. What’s your name?”
“Liam Hesse.”
“From a famous swordsmanship family in the western region. I’m Izelto. Don’t dwell too much on what just happened. It’s like parents blaming themselves when something happens to their child. Even knowing it’s not each other’s fault, they can’t control their anger.”
Liam nodded. He already knew that two senior knights had gone missing. He also knew they were much younger than Liam, who was twenty-five this year. Some of the knights had fallen into despair at the news of their younger siblings, while others had shouted that Aspen and Nathan would never die, asking how they could say such things when they knew who those two were. And the tales of valor they told as evidence were endless.
“I thought I had been born with tremendous talent. But the world really is vast. Those who could send off a monster of that size with one thrust, the two people they praise until their mouths go dry… just how exceptional were those knights?”
And if even such people can go missing so meaninglessly during an operation, what kind of life do the Lion Wing Knights live?
Liam swallowed the rest of his words. Izelto shook his head with a smile.
“Their martial prowess is excellent, but you don’t need to be too conscious of it. The stories you’ve heard these past few days are quite exaggerated. They just need to believe that the ones they cherished so much couldn’t have met with misfortune. No matter what happens, both of them will return safely.”
Many among the Lion Wing Knights were descendants of martial families, so it was common for them to have lost a family member or two. There were probably quite a few who overlapped their siblings or children with those two.
“I think it’s unnecessary fuss. They’re not the type to go missing on a simple reconnaissance mission. It’s not like one or two have disappeared for a while only to return. So don’t worry about it.”
“It’s a bit of a shame. I wanted to meet them at least once.”
“Who?”
“The famous Aspen Peres. How many opportunities would there be to face a knight of the Peres family?”
His tone carried a hint of reverence. It was understandable—the Peres family was the object of admiration for many martial artists. They had achieved all sorts of legends through their heroic sacrifices in the war against the Abyss. If he were told that such a Peres had turned their back on the Federation and fled entirely, how would the recruit react? Izelto decided not to tell him. He might fall off his horse in shock.
“I was also curious about the knight named Nathan. I heard he was a commoner volunteer like me. Even though he was past the appropriate age, he was exceptionally selected based on skill alone…”
“That guy is from the northern Nodin tribe. Like me.”
Despite Izelto’s consideration, Liam nearly fell off his horse. It was because the massive ‘Captain’ had approached from the empty right side. Captain Kan, who had been loaded onto a large cart because his horse could not handle his size, thrust his solid iron helmet without a visor in front of the recruit.
“Among the northern tribes, the Nodin have the most extreme tendencies. Occasionally, when a child with black hair and blue eyes is born, they raise them with utmost care as a candidate for clan king. Then they make them fight each other until only one remains.”
Why is he suddenly doing this? Liam swallowed the question. The horned helmet and breath drew closer. He desperately needed Izelto’s help, but Recruit Liam could not even bring himself to glance toward Izelto. Izelto simply gazed quietly at the recruit. His cheeks twitched as if he were holding back laughter. Abandoned in his predicament, the recruit felt deep resentment.
“The child whose hair has turned completely white before long has become an incomparably powerful warrior. Then the Nodin enthrone him as king. And under his leadership, they begin invading rival kingdoms. To show the cowards warming themselves in warm lands who the true masters of the world are. We call those candidate children Beseni, the Hundred Ghosts.”
“Kan, that’s enough. If the recruit soils himself on the saddle, won’t the horse hold a grudge?”
At Izelto’s mock-serious joke, the giant squeezed himself back into the cart.
“…If you have any other questions about the guy, ask me directly. The others are still on edge.”
“Understood.”
“The Captain wasn’t trying to scare you, Liam. It’s just that he’s so large that even ordinary conversation can inspire fear.”
As if wounded, Kan turned his head.
“I don’t understand why everyone’s so afraid of the Nodin. The northern disturbances are ancient history now. They’ve declined because they only waged war without farming, and they can’t gather enough numbers to attack anywhere.”
“Do you really think people are afraid because they’re Nodin? Captain, you need to change your physique, not your origin.”
“Shut up.”
The golden age of the ancient Nodin tribe, or Nodlob people, had faded along with the era of kingdoms. There was no reason for Liam, a Federation citizen living in modern times, to be afraid. However, if it was someone from those notoriously sturdy northern barbarians, Captain’s enormous size was somewhat explained. The countless rumors about the teenage knight Nathan—who supposedly brought dwarves into the human Federation, strangled a dragon’s neck, and more—also made sense now.
Liam swallowed and carefully asked, “Black hair and blue eyes… Does the knight named Nathan look like that? It seems like I’ve seen him somewhere…”
Liam hesitated. He remembered participating in a victory parade near Baylard three years ago. When it was the Lion Wing Knights’ turn in the ripe parade, even from afar he could see the commotion among the knights. A black-haired, blue-eyed boy and a red-haired female knight grabbing each other by the hair…
While Liam stood dazed by the realization that he had already seen them, the giant let out a deep sigh.
“Yeah. The Nodin people say it’s a mark of kingship or whatever, but to me it just looks like proof they were born to cause trouble. I don’t know if an appearance resembling prophecy makes him a chosen one, but he certainly caused plenty of incidents. Who knows what kind of trouble he’s stirring up now.”
“Uh… There’s a hint of camaraderie mixed in with your concern.”
Though the Federation was a union of kingdoms that had abandoned their royal status, discrimination existed subtly depending on culture and race. Minority groups in the Federation who did not come from kingdoms tended to band together based on their origins. It seemed Captain was no exception.
Kan nodded gloomily. To Liam’s eyes, even that simple gesture looked like a mountain moving.
“Yeah. Half is camaraderie, and half is worry because I know him well as a fellow tribesman. On one hand there’s a well-mannered young knight, and on the other there’s a troublemaker who wants to throw other people’s money pouches into the river on a whim. One day he seems willing to endure any humiliation for a greater cause, but another day if something doesn’t sit right with him… he believes in smashing the heads of people he doesn’t like and running away. Even to another Nodin, he has a terrifying side.”
“Sometimes it feels like we forcibly dressed a beast cub in the refinement of civilization.”
Izelto added, “It’s practically his calling as a Lion Wing Knight. Since he mainly deals with non-humans, no violence he commits is a crime.”
“Even if he hits a person, once the job is done he can run away at full speed to find the next mission. That’s how it’s been so far. I hope he’s somewhere he can run away to right now. With that personality, he’s bound to clash with someone. Who knows, he might have already smashed someone by now.”
“It sounds convincing, but… what use is being scared in advance, Captain? Nathan will handle things well on his own.”
----------------
If Nathan could have overheard the voices from the Lower World, he would have been quite surprised. Because he really had just smashed someone satisfyingly. His seniors knew Nathan too well. The pieces of Cada’s meat scattered from their long journey were proof. The fat clung stickily to Nathan’s boots with every step.
“Damn bastard. He completely ruined my coat. It’ll cost a pretty penny to clean off the blood. That aside.”
Prince Mornid did not hide his surprise at all.
“To think you’d appear here. I can’t help but admire it. You’re that Sapiens, aren’t you?”
“What do you mean by ‘that Sapiens’?”
“The vicious one who, even after having his arm cut off, bit the arena owner’s ear instead of losing spirit. The one with monstrous strength that didn’t lose even against the executioner twins or the chimera. The one who escaped from the harbor on a whim, and the security officers still can’t get a lead on his whereabouts after several days. Who else could it be but you? I can tell just by looking. Thanks, Sapiens. Thanks to you, business is booming. You’ve ruined a promising source of funds.”
Even though Cada’s remains had splattered all over his leather coat, the man before him was overflowing with composure. His height was strangely large, mismatched with his neat appearance. Nathan had to look up at him for quite a while.
“You’ve strung quite a lot of praise in front of my name. Add this persistence in chasing me all the way to this ruin as well.”
Nathan wiped the blood off his two-hander by stroking it, then glanced behind the man. Trapped within an ice block as thick as a castle wall was Nili’s silhouette. Turning back to the man with the same hair color as Nili, Nathan took a defensive stance.
“I’ll give you one last chance. Give up on your sister.”
“What?”
“Fifteen years. Your sister said she spent fifteen years running without sleeping or eating properly. Living as a fugitive for that long couldn’t have been enjoyable.”
“I had fun. So what?”
“Release your sister and swear you won’t interfere in her life from now on. And sincerely apologize for the injustice you inflicted on us in your territory. This is the knight’s final warning.”
“What the hell are you barking about, suddenly appearing like this?”
“You don’t like it?”
“If you were in my position, would you say ‘Oh, I understand,’ you ground-dwelling beast?”
“Then the conversation will be quick. From now on, I’ll mince you into ground meat. Any last words?”
Mornid dramatically struck his forehead in disbelief.
“You’ve probably heard this countless times from the thugs while passing through the sewer district, but let me ask too. Do you know who I am?”
“A kin-slaying hopeful. A bastard no matter how you look at it. Any other notable characteristics I should know about?”
“You seem to know roughly. After making me your enemy, how exactly do you plan to handle the aftermath?”
Nathan glanced behind the man again. A child who had lost hope was trapped in a cold cube. To Nathan’s eyes, which knew no magic, she looked as if she might already be dead. In the worst case, Nili’s time might have run out.
End this as quickly as possible.
If someone was in such a predicament, anyone who was still human would want to help. Instead of blocking those who came to help. The long-eared one’s common sense seemed to operate on different principles from humans. Facing the long-eared figure before him, Nathan approached with his sword raised.
“I didn’t make you my enemy. You people made me your enemy and brought things to this point. So check after you’re dead.”
“How do I check if I’m dead?”
“I’ll periodically visit your grave and dig up your coffin. I’ll attach a quarterly report inside the lid, so take your time reading it. You’ll have plenty of time from now on.”
Mornid laughed heartily and drew the sword from his back. It was a longsword as long as Nathan’s two-hander. Yet because of Mornid’s height, the proportions made it look like an ordinary longsword.
“We’ll see. I bet the one going into the coffin will be you. Of course, I won’t bother writing any reports. I’ve never met a worthy opponent in my life—”
Mornid, who had been speaking with a relaxed attitude, suddenly swung his sword. Nathan, who had tried to deflect it with a parrying hook, quickly retreated. The power from his physique was terrifying.
“—until now.”
His strength is like a bear’s.
It seemed he should not fight at close range. Nathan approached slowly. Smiling, Mornid brought his sword down even more powerfully. A fierce attack that resolved all openings with brute force. Nathan had to use both arms to block the sword. But the next moment, Mornid’s smile melted away. Nathan’s entangled blade seemed to spin once…
“Oh, that’s like magic.”
It dug straight into Mornid’s shoulder. Having hooked the enemy’s sword with the parrying hook, Nathan thrust his blade forward like an arrow. A downward strike can never defeat a thrust. Father’s words.
The sword spun half a turn nimbly. Mornid’s intention to recover his sword was blocked by the angle of the parrying hook that had gone ahead. Before he could react, the sword was at his neck.
Hisss.
Without hesitation, Nathan tore open the man’s throat. The elf staggered back, clutching his exposed inner skin in confusion. His broken fighting spirit and balance. From now on, the opponent was defenseless. Nathan slashed like a beast. In one beat, the enemy’s body was torn in two places. Ribs, liver, thigh avoiding the wary swing. Next was the hand holding the sword. You should know what it feels like to lose a wrist too.
The moment the enemy opened his mouth to scream in pain, the next target appeared. The throat. The sword aimed beyond the Adam’s apple instantly pierced through the back of the head. The deeply thrust blade smoothly withdrew the next moment.
“You said you’ve never met a worthy opponent? Now you’ll be satisfied.”
Nathan shook the flesh off his recovered blade. The son of the Winter King collapsed without even screaming.
“You should have prayed never to meet one in your lifetime.”