Ambush (1)
Ambush (1)
In the red dusk of the valley, the sound of hooves roared along the riverbank.
“Loosen your body! Absorb the impact with your waist and hips!”
Two horses were running side by side.
One was galloping stably, while the other wobbled precariously.
“Riding is about rhythm! Move your hips up and down in time with the horse’s speed!”
The strong wind struck Johan’s face sharply. Even while riding desperately, he paid close attention to Gaf’s voice beside him.
‘Ride with the rhythm, huh? Easier said than done.’
It was his first time riding a horse. He had received a rough lesson from Gaf before mounting, but practice was completely different from theory.
He could not control direction or speed.
He was lucky not to fall off. Johan clung to the horse’s back like gum, desperately trying not to fall.
“Keep your upper body straighter! If you’re tense, the horse will be uneasy too!”
It was a difficult instruction, but he had to follow it somehow.
At this rate, he would fall, and the fragile human body would not withstand the impact.
Johan lifted his waist slightly.
His field of view widened. The horse’s mane fluttered in front of him.
Gripping the mane and reins tightly, he focused on the path ahead.
“That’s it! Now match the timing!”
As the horse’s gait caused him to bounce, Johan moved his hips up and down in rhythm.
It wasn’t easy, but he could understand the timing.
Gradually, he grew accustomed to it.
Gaf, riding alongside him, muttered softly.
“Not bad.”
Most beginners would fall off even at a trot or slow gallop, yet Johan began to maintain stability while picking up speed.
He was doing remarkably well for his first time.
Johan smiled brightly.
‘Got it.’
As the tension faded, exhilaration filled him.
The wind that struck his face now felt pleasant.
Just as Johan was about to spur the horse further, Gaf shouted.
“Enough! That’s far enough! Stop the horse!”
Accidents happened when one let down their guard.
He needed to suppress the exhilaration.
Gaf pulled the reins, making a ‘whoa’ sound to calm the horse.
Johan followed him, gradually slowing down.
The loud clatter of hooves slowly died down.
Silence returned.
As the horse, now stopped, snorted, white breath scattered in the dusk.
Breathing heavily, Johan spoke.
“Not bad for a first time, right?”
“It’s still clumsy. Practice regularly.”
Johan let out a small laugh.
“Your teaching isn’t half bad.”
“You know how to give compliments? Didn’t expect that.”
“You simply haven’t done anything worth praise until now. I’m not stingy with praise.”
“I don’t care about your evaluation.”
“That’s foolish. Feedback between partners is vital.”
Gaf frowned.
“Partners?”
“Yes, partners.”
Displeasure flickered across Gaf’s face. Johan shrugged.
“We have the same goal and are moving together. We’re neither friends nor allies, so think of us as partners.”
Partnering with a half-demon was unsettling, but Gaf could not refute it.
Since Forn Village, they had handled most things together.
And it would likely remain the same.
Gaf let out a deep sigh.
“Partner or whatever, since we’ve decided to do this together, I need to hear your plan. Just what are you planning?”
Now that he thought about it, Johan had explained nothing to Gaf. He had only informed him to show up at the castle gates.
“I was going to tell you. There are three tasks.”
Gaf needed to know his role. If he handled the mission in ignorance, he could ruin everything.
“First, we will kill Krill.”
“He’s moving with the Pilgrimage Group. Assassination is impossible.”
Johan shook his head.
“Do you think Krill will follow the Pilgrimage Group all the way to the capital? Absolutely not. They have different destinations. They will have to part ways eventually.”
“So we’ll strike Krill when he separates from the Pilgrimage Group?”
“Something like that.”
“Every noble in the kingdom will turn against us.”
News of Krill’s death would spread quickly.
Everyone would assume that Miyatro Barony was behind the assassination. Even without evidence, the circumstances would be too clear.
A family that invited a guest only to kill him. People would stop coming to the territory, and the barony would slowly wither away.
For Johan, who needed power and influence, such a development was undesirable.
Johan spoke.
“It won’t happen. I have no intention of taking on such infamy.”
“Do you have a way?”
He always had a solution.
This time was no different.
“Of course. Your role is important.”
“Tell me.”
“Krill is moving with a guard of elite soldiers. About ten, perhaps. Not a single one of them can be left alive. We can’t have any witnesses.”
Johan pointed at Knight Rail.
“With Rail alongside you, it will be possible.”
An aura-wielding knight and a legendary mercenary captain. The two of them could easily take down ten men.
Gaf looked at Rail.
“I’m not sure if he’s of any use.”
At some point, Rail had completely lost his will.
Gaf had never received a detailed explanation, but he suspected Rail was Johan’s handiwork.
“His combat skills may have dropped somewhat. But his physical capabilities remain intact. He will be of help, so don’t worry too much.”
“That’s all I have to do?”
“There is still the most important task.”
“What is it?”
Johan spoke with a firm expression.
“Restrain Krill, but do not kill him. If possible, do not leave even a small scratch on him.”
“He’s a formidable warrior. You’re asking for a tough fight, telling me to go easy on him.”
In the past, it would have been easy for Gaf, but now he no longer had his dantian. He could not use aura, and now he would have to fight while handicapped.
“Is it impossible?”
“I said it would be difficult, not impossible.”
“That’s the best thing I’ve heard from your mouth so far. Quite reassuring.”
“Compliments are the second most uncomfortable thing for me.”
Johan let out a small laugh.
“Get used to it. The only ones left to praise you now are demons and witches.”
Gaf would no longer be blessed by gods or humans. For the rest of his life, he would live under the curse of all.
He had already accepted that.
He spoke calmly.
“Enough useless chatter. Get to the point. Do I have more to do?”
“For Krill, that will be all. We will discuss Shaferia after we deal with Krill.”
Gaf nodded and mounted his horse. Rail climbed on behind him.
“Then let’s go. You should ride too. Looks like you still need more practice.”
Johan looked up at the sky.
“The sun has set.”
The dusk was swallowed by darkness. The last beam of light hanging on the distant ridge disappeared.
Night fell.
Johan murmured quietly.
“There is no longer a reason to ride.”
At the same time, his skin scattered into black smoke.
In place of the human, a horrifying monster revealed itself.
A grim voice settled in the valley.
“Come to the end of the valley. That is where Krill and the Pilgrimage Group will part ways.”
Huge wings spread out to either side.
Startled, the horses neighed violently.
“I will arrive first.”
The demon took flight.
The red glow from its demonic eyes trailed behind it like an afterimage.
Gaf looked up at the night sky with a bewildered expression.
Under the full moon, the black figure cut across the night sky.
***
Crackle, crackle. The sound of the campfire burning was pleasant to the ear.
Three men sat around the fire, chatting.
“After seeing it this time, even owning a domain is a problem. Thinking about the donations the Order will demand makes my insides churn.”
At his subordinate’s words, Krill let out a small laugh.
“Donations are no issue. The Miyatro Territory is worth that much.”
The subordinate spoke cautiously.
“Is there really a treasure buried somewhere in the territory?”
According to legend, the Miyatro Barony was the kingdom’s treasury.
Gold, silver, jewels, ancient holy relics, and the now-lost Third Holy Grail were said to sleep there.
Owning the domain meant obtaining immense power and wealth.
That was a story from 200 years ago.
Now, the Miyatro Territory was nothing more than a rural backwater.
Its glorious golden age had long passed, leaving nothing behind.
In this era, no one believed the barony’s legend.
Krill spoke.
“I don’t know. Even my father, who was the head of the family, didn’t believe the legend.”
“Then why do you desire the domain? I don’t understand.”
“The Count of Staviana is different. Once, he questioned me in great detail about the structure of the lord’s castle.”
The subordinate’s eyes lit up.
“If someone like him took an interest, it must mean there’s definite evidence, right?”
“Correct. The Count is not one to act without certainty.”
“Then did you make a deal with the Count?”
Krill nodded.
“He said he would support my succession rights if I allowed him to search the entire domain.”
Disappointment crossed the subordinate’s face.
“So, if a treasure vault is found, you have to hand it over to the Count?”
“I thought he would demand that, but he didn’t. The Count only wanted one thing.”
“And what is that?”
“The Third Holy Grail.”
The subordinate slapped his knee.
“That’s a profitable deal!”
The Holy Grail required all seven cups to function. The Third Holy Grail alone was useless.
“Don’t get excited yet. We’re still wanderers, and the treasure vault hasn’t even been found.”
The subordinate gave a sinister smile.
“Did you see their state? That castle is practically ours already.”
The barony’s walls had not been maintained for years, and the army was in disarray.
If war broke out, the opposing side would be little more than farmers with sickles, timidly standing in line.
It would not even be a fight.
Krill roughly agreed with his subordinate’s assessment, but there was one thing that bothered him.
The illegitimate child. He could not understand the boy’s confidence.
‘That nephew was certain of victory.’
It was too suspicious to dismiss as mere youthful bravado.
The boy was far too mature for his age.
The rumors within the castle were also strange.
From the first day, he had seized control of everyone, even making the hot-tempered baron bow his head. Clearly, the child possessed something special.
“What are you thinking so deeply about?”
His subordinate’s voice pulled him from his thoughts.
“I just have a lot on my mind.”
The subordinate let out a small laugh.
“It’s because we’re about to do something big. Even if something unexpected happens, we have insurance, don’t we?”
A hint of concern crossed Krill’s face.
“If you’re talking about Rail, I haven’t seen even a trace of him.”
“He’s probably off womanizing somewhere. Isn’t that the kind of man he is?”
“A month of womanizing, huh.”
It had already been a month since Rail, whom he had planted as a spy, had disappeared.
Rumors were that he had been acting like a man who had lost his mind.
As the worry did not leave Krill’s face, the subordinate sighed.
“Needless anxiety will ruin everything. Get some sleep and clear your head. I’m going to relieve myself.”
The subordinate stood and walked toward the bushes.
Rustle, rustle.
The sound of unfastening trousers was heard.
Krill frowned.
“Go a bit farther—”
Swish.
Instead of the sound of a stream, a chilling slicing sound followed.
Krill looked toward the bushes.
Something rolled out and bumped against Krill’s foot.
“What the—”
It was the severed head of his subordinate.