Chapter 47: Chapter 47

As Cheryn approached, everyone around including Shan stood up from their seats and bowed their heads.

Glancing over them once, she spoke to Shan.

“It has been a while, Sir Shan.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Shan was flustered by Cheryn suddenly coming over to talk to him.

Roden had clearly told him that it would be better to pretend not to know each other well here.

Cheryn reached out her hand to Shan first and proposed.

“I would like to hear about the heroic exploits you have achieved in the meantime, but the banquet hall is a bit crowded. Would you care to stroll outside for a moment? There are many mysterious exotic plants in the royal garden.”

“It is an honor.”

Shan hesitated for a brief moment before signaling his assent and taking Cheryn’s extended hand.

As the people around watched with wide eyes, the two rose from their seats and headed toward the door of the banquet hall.

“Your Highness, what on earth is…”

“Ahem, do not whisper. Even that is a bit too much.”

When Shan tried to whisper into her ear, Cheryn lightly pulled her body back and held out a hand to stop him.

Although he did not know what was excessive, Shan kept his mouth shut for now.

Just then, a young lady fluttered her flowing platinum blonde hair and cut in front of them with quick, short steps.

“Cheryn!”

The eldest daughter of the Kingdom of Pendia, Cassia, glared at the two with large, lake-blue eyes.

She seemed to be trying to give an intimidating impression in her own way, but because her features were so gentle, it was not very effective.

“No matter how young an unmarried lady is, she shouldn’t just go around holding a man’s hand! Besides……”

Muttering so, Cassia glanced at Shan’s face and said softly.

“……He’s an Altoan, how dangerous.”

Her tone implied that if the two went out into the garden together, Shan would instantly turn into a monster and tear her apart.

At this, Cheryn laughed in disbelief.

“There’s no need to worry needlessly, Sister. We’re just going to stroll through the garden and talk a bit.”

“If the two of you walk through the garden together, strange rumors might spread!”

“There are escort knights beside us. Still, if you’re really worried, would you like to come out and watch together? Honestly, you were feeling suffocated just staying in the banquet hall too, weren’t you, Sister?”

“That’s……”

Cassia, who had been hesitating, nodded gloomily as Cheryn smiled brightly, agreeing to it.

Although Cheryn was three years younger, it looked as though their ages were completely reversed.

*

Shan and Cheryn stepped out into the garden outside the banquet hall, accompanied by four royal knights and Princess Cassia behind them.

Just as she had said, the royal garden was filled with all sorts of bizarre plants that Shan had never seen before in his life.

Since it was gradually becoming autumn, there were not many flowers in bloom, but even the shapes of the left and stems appeared exotic, making them look mysterious.

By the time a suitable distance had grown between them and the following escort knights and Cassia, Cheryn whispered in a low voice.

“I apologize on Cassia’s behalf for acting so impolitely. I’m truly sorry.”

Perhaps because it was just the two of them speaking, Cheryn’s tone had shifted to one that felt as though she had dropped her dignity to some extent.

Shan also spoke in a comfortable tone to match her.

“It’s fine. I’m used to it.”

“I don’t mean to defend her just because she’s my sister, but she isn’t a bad person. It’s just…… she’s a lady who received the Old Faith’s education far too faithfully. She thinks that an Altoan is something like a half-breed between a monster and a human.”

“It seems you get along better than I thought.”

He had thought until now that she hated all of her family members, but no malice could be glimpsed in Cheryn’s tone as she defended her.

Indeed, thinking carefully about it, while she usually fiercely cursed her two older brothers, she used to spare her words regarding her only sister.

“Still, she’s the only one who can be called family at least. Every day she nags at me to throw away strange administrative duties or magic and faithfully receive bridal training instead, but even so, she says it in her own way wishing for my well-being.”

“Bridal training?”

“Doing embroidery or something like that.”

Cheryn glanced at Cassia and shared a few stories about her sister.

Because Cassia kept trying to stop her from learning magic, she played a few pranks to terrify Cassia so she wouldn’t even come near the Magic Society, or how she comforted Cassia when she came over and wept all night long after her engagement with the prince of the Ajun Kingdom was broken off.

Shan listened to Cheryn’s stories before bringing up the topic he had intended to ask about earlier.

“By the way, is it fine to be together openly like this? I heard it would be better to act like we aren’t that close here……”

“To be honest, I didn’t want to do this either.”

Cheryn, speaking as if letting out a sigh, immediately added, as though expecting that Shan would not understand what she meant.

“Because you reacted far too sensitively just now when Elvin cracked a crude joke about me. If I don’t show a certain degree of favor here, only you will look like an odd person.”

“Is that how it is?”

“That’s right. It’s troublesome, but that’s how this world originally is.”

The ideal response in that spot earlier would have been to gloss over it by saying something like ‘It is difficult for me to say anything about that.’

However, a mere knight-errant like Shan had openly confronted the prince, which was an overreaction by anyone’s standards.

Unless, just as Elvin had mentioned earlier, Shan harbored an unrequited crush on the princess.

“Elvin probably would have badmouthed you behind your back once he left this place. Saying you picked a fight over a little joke about his younger sister, he would have made you out to be a fool driven mad by a woman, unable to tell right from wrong as you pounced on her older brother.”

Therefore, for the sake of Shan’s honor, Cheryn decided to stage this like a fresh play of juvenile romance between a young boy and girl.

That way, his losing his temper earlier would become something people could laugh off, thinking, ‘Well, that makes sense then.’

Of course, playing at romance with an Altoan boy would worsen her own reputation a bit more, though.

Having heard the story, Shan lowered his head with a gloomy expression.

“……I am sorry that you were put in a difficult position because of me. I should have held back.”

“There’s no need to be sorry. Honestly, you held back far better than expected, didn’t you? I was on edge thinking you might punch Elvin right then and there or challenge him to a duel.”

In truth, Cheryn actually felt a slight disappointment in the fact that Shan had not reacted even more fiercely.

Wondering if she was not yet a person worth getting that angry for, unlike Roden.

Of course, this was her misconception.

Shan’s merely expressing moderate anger on the spot was simply because he had not properly realized how insulting Elvin’s words were.

Furthermore, it was also thanks to having developed self-control from past experiences where acting impulsively nearly led to trouble.

If he had clearly realized in what manner Elvin was insulting her, Shan would have challenged him to a duel right then and there.

Of course, had he done so, he would have faced ridiculing comments asking if the two were truly engaged.

“It’s troublesome to touch Elvin right now. Because of this monster invasion, the western lords have come up to the capital, tilting the power balance toward Conrad. Honestly…… it’s already a pretty precarious situation.”

“That must be why you have been busy lately as well.”

“That’s right. Arbitrating the conflict between the two every single day behind the scenes requires more hands than I have.”

If not for her invisible hand, the capital would have been drenched in blood long ago, Cheryn said with a fed-up expression.

“It would have been convenient if that damn father of mine held on for just a few more years. Haa……”

Originally, her plan was to expand her realm behind the scenes and rise as a third pillar while her two older brothers fought over their ailing father.

However, contrary to her initial expectations, the King weakened far too quickly, and the princes acted excessively hastily.

If a clash broke out right now, regardless of who won, all of Pendia would end up in ruin.

“If it were up to me, I’d want to tell you not to go on something like an ogre subjugation either. It feels like something is bound to happen during that time.”

Cheryn lamented that the reason she had painstakingly worked to bring Shan to her side was that she needed a hand to guarantee her safety in such a situation, yet just when it was time to use it, he was leaving the capital.

Even so, she could not force Shan to remain in the capital.

Unless he were a vassal knight bound to her, asking him to discard an opportunity to claim honor (which was more important than life itself) to prepare against a risk that might or might not occur was an unreasonable demand.

Listening quietly, Shan replied calmly.

“Then I won’t go.”

“Oh, you’ll do th… Wait, you aren’t serious, are you?”

About to chime in with an amused chuckle, she asked in surprise as Shan assumed a serious expression.

Shan answered with eyes completely devoid of pretense, just as he had in the past.

“I am serious, of course.”

Becoming the main figure of the ogre hunt to gain honor as a knight, and testing his limits against a formidable adversary.

Both would be great joys to Shan, but neither was important enough to risk a friend’s safety.

If Roden had been in potential danger and Shan was told to go on the ogre hunt despite that, he would have refused just the same.

Even if he ended up carrying the stigma of a coward and his honor as a knight fell to the ground as a result.

To Shan, his own dreams and ambitions could never take precedence over a friend’s life.

“Honestly, you are……”

Realizing that Shan was sincere, Cheryn shook her head as if dumbfounded.

For some reason, a ticklish feeling welled up in her chest, and laughter bubbled up of its own accord.

“I appreciate the sentiment, but go ahead and participate.”

“You said it was dangerous.”

“I’ll have to handle that. My plan requires Sir Shan, the great knight who hunted even an ogre, not Sir Shan, who ran away in fear before an ogre hunt.”

Saying that she could deal with a certain degree of danger on her own, Cheryn smiled with confidence.

“Still, can I trust that you’ll come to help if I’m in danger?”

“Of course.”

“Right, that answer alone gives me strength. Thank you.”

Cheryn lightly tapped Shan’s chest with her fist twice before suggesting they head back to the banquet hall soon.

She explained that since there were people who occasionally committed unseemly acts in the garden, staying out too long would not look good even if there were onlookers.

As they walked back to the banquet hall together, Shan looked at Cheryn getting nagged by Cassia and suddenly realized the true nature of the sense of dissonance that had come to mind.

‘But how did she hear the conversation between Prince Elvin and me?’

The distance between where the princes and princesses were and the table where Shan sat was over thirty to forty meters.

Furthermore, since everyone was noisily chatting, any ordinary sound would have been buried once the distance exceeded ten meters, so keen hearing alone could not account for it.

‘Is it magic that amplifies sound……?’

Magic truly was marvelous, Shan thought as he walked behind.

*

The day after the banquet ended, the subjugation force gathered to slay the ogre finally set out.

Nobles and knights with faces steeped in hangovers from partying hard the previous day shouted orders in all directions.

As a knight-errant, Shan became a commander directly hiring and leading a mercenary unit.

Of course, as always, most of the administrative duties were scheduled to be handled by Roden as his adjutant.

Fully armed, Shan looked at the thirty mercenaries standing before him.

With horns sprouting, small wings attached, grotesquely shaped limbs, or beaks attached, possessing all kinds of peculiar appearances, they stood out overwhelmingly even within the subjugation force of over a thousand men.

That was because every single one of them was an Altoan like Shan.

As such, deep feelings of envy along with tension filled the eyes of the mercenaries looking at Shan.

“This is the first time we have all gathered together in one place.”

“Yes, that is correct!”

Shan intentionally imitated the overbearing tone that Roden or Cheryn used to employ.

Regrettably, because his voice had not fully cracked yet, it was difficult to evoke dignity with his youthful voice, but the mercenaries did not dare laugh at it.

It was thanks to the reputation and achievements Shan had built up until now.

That naive-looking boy before their eyes was the champion of the jousting tournament and a hero who had hunted a cockatrice, a high vampire, and a troll.

Among the dozens of knights gathered in this subjugation force, in terms of achievements accumulated, few stood ahead of this boy.

“I believe you know well without me having to explain why I hired you.”

“We believe it is because we are Altoans!”

The one who answered thus was Kob, an Altoan mercenary he had met during the troll hunt in the past.

Unlike in the past, he observed strict etiquette toward Shan, who had become a knight.

“Yes, you are Altoans. So am I. And among this vast crowd, I am the only Altoan of the knightly class.”

The Altoan mercenaries strained to listen attentively, taking Shan’s words to heart as if they were a divine revelation.

Shan, who had paused for a moment to recall the script written for him by Roden, barely managed to conclude.

“Therefore, I shall protect you from all sorts of unreasonable treatment that stems from being Altoans. In return, you must offer your loyalty to me, your protector. Do you understand?”

“We understand!”

“While employed, observe discipline as members of my army, stand shoulder to shoulder with your comrades against the enemy, and do not retreat. I will accept terminating your contract right now, but anyone who fails to do so on the battlefield will be beheaded. Do you accept this?”

“We accept!”

The shouted of the Altoan mercenaries were so loud that he could feel people nearby turning around to look.

Generally, mercenaries and knights shared a contractual relationship, so even in a command-and-obey dynamic, instances of responding so enthusiastically were quite rare.

“Good. Then let us join the main body. Move out!”

Nodding as he finished his address, Shan put on his helmet and mounted his horse.

Shan and the Altoan legion took their place slightly behind the middle of the long, stretched-out column.

Along the marching route, Shan subtly asked Roden, who was riding his horse right behind.

“Was it all right?”

“Not bad.”

“Phew.”

Although he had experienced it once before during the vampire hunt, gathering people and acting like a commander was something he could not get used to at all.

Though it was something he would have to become accustomed to as a knight in the future.

Whispering so, Shan called out to the lanky knight riding his horse a short distance away.

“Let us ride together, Sir Lug.”

“Ah, yes!”

At Shan’s call, Lug approached Shan’s side with a delighted expression.

Unable to hire mercenaries due to financial constraints, he had joined the subjugation force with just his squire, and after gladly accepting Shan’s suggestion to travel together, he was sticking by his side.

“You are truly remarkable. To hire thirty mercenaries despite being a knight-errant!”

“The vampire byproducts hunted last time fetched quite a bit of money.”

Naturally, the price of mercenaries varied depending on what their purpose was.

And because ogre subjugation belonged to a fairly dangerous category of work, its price was correspondingly steep, so even average lords could not mobilize as many mercenaries as Shan.

Of course, there were a few more hidden reasons why Shan was able to command this many mercenaries.

First of all, some of them were mercenaries belonging to the Brotherhood hired at a relatively cheap price under Roden’s instructions, and financial support from the Weavers family had also been added.

“By the way, wouldn’t Sir Lug also have sufficient money? Being a vassal knight of a prince, nominally speaking……”

Royalty paid a considerable stipend to their vassal knights, if only for the sake of their dignity.

No matter how little Lug was held in high regard under Elvin’s command, he couldn’t have lacked the money to hire a few mercenaries.

In response to Shan’s question, Lug spoke with an embarrassed expression.

“Ahaha, that’s…… because after buying a horse and armor, I hardly had any money left. I barely managed to enchant my weapons and armor with magic as well.”

Lug did not have a particularly burly build for a knight, but because he was so tall, his body weight was quite heavy.

It seemed that a warhorse large and well-trained enough to bear him, along with custom armor requiring far more metal than others’, was extraordinarily expensive.

“So I hope a good outcome comes out of this hunt. Then His Highness might also……”

The swallowed words he failed to finish were likely along the lines of paying more attention to him.

Shan encouraged Lug, saying he hoped it would indeed turn out that way.

Afterward, a tedious march continued.

The appearance of the subjugation force advancing toward the east was perfectly described by the word disorderly.

Even a swarm of ants would probably move far more systematically than this.

Without a clear commander, over a hundred lords and knights were dragging along several thousand troops they had individually hired, so it could not be helped.

As they advanced, those who had not properly prepared provisions quietly slipped away, only to return after ‘requisitioning’ supplies from small roadside villages.

Fortunately, the Altoan legion led by Shan did not need to do so, thanks to Roden having made thorough preparations in advance.

Perhaps finding such a leisurely appearance displeasing, mercenaries nearby occasionally picked fights with the Altoan mercenaries.

Those who jabbered about how it stank because the Altoan bastards were clustered together froze when Shan rode Arwin over.

“Altoans stink, is that so? Do I stink as well?”

“T-That’s not it. I……”

“Piss off before I strike you down for insulting a knight.”

At Shan’s phrasing of subtly twisting an insult against Altoans into an insult against himself, the mercenaries fled in terror.

With Shan protecting them just as promised beforehand like this, it was a natural course of events for the Altoan mercenaries’ favor toward him to grow.

Moreover, as Roden the adjutant commanded with thorough consideration so there was no discomfort in every aspect from meals to sleeping quarters, it was far more comfortable compared to general mercenary work.

After eating, several of those gathered together and chatting brought up such stories.

“I didn’t know having a employer who is also an Altoan would be this comfortable. Those Westerners were always trying to stiff us of our money at every turn.”

“I wish we could become exclusive mercenaries like this. I wonder if Sir Shan would accept long-term employment?”

Unlike mercenaries hired as needed from time to time, there were also mercenaries hired on a long-term basis by a specific knight or lord.

Usually, contracts were formed based on trust built over a long time between each other, and although the revenue was a bit lower compared to short-term hiring, quite a few preferred this side since money came in steadily without off-seasons.

However, since they might run away midway, individual-level contracts were rare, and sizable mercenary bands rooted in historic mercenary villages and the like mainly formed such contracts with high nobles.

In any case, as a mere knight, it was certain to be difficult for Shan to make long-term contracts with multiple mercenaries, even if the scale was small.

“I hope Sir Knight gets promoted and becomes a lord or something.”

“An Altoan lord? Dream on.”

The mercenaries chattered among themselves before snickering in disbelief.

Among them, a few mercenaries (those originating from the Brotherhood) exchanged glanced while looking at each other.

*

From the capital Hasra to Shedil City took half a month at an average person’s walking pace, or about ten days for a skilled warrior.

The subjugation force arrived in front of Shedil City on the twelfth day, right around the midpoint.

On a hill where Shedil City could be seen far off in the distance.

The subjugation force, marching while dragging their blistered feet, ground to a halt without anyone needing to say so first.

It was because they happened to spot the monster army arrayed right in front of the city.

“Seriously, it’s nothing short of a whole army……”

A murmur from one mercenary represented everyone’s feelings.

The pompous momentum boasting who would dare oppose them now that such a number of knights and soldiers had gathered was nowhere to be found.

That was how violent a momentum emanated from the hundreds upon hundreds of monsters besieging Shedil City.

‘That’s the one.’

Mounted on Arwin as he looked down at the monster army, Shan’s gaze landed on a creature that jutted out prominently among the diverse monsters.

A reddish-brown skinned giant beside which several trolls looked like young children.

The ogre was looking toward the walls of Shedil City with momentum like that of an emperor.