Chapter 55: Chapter 55

“I-I’m out.”

“What? You bastard, are you intending to commit treason?”

“It’s not treason… How on earth could we defeat that green-eyed knight?”

“He’s just one man.”

“That one man already tore twelve people to death! Would sixteen people be any different?”

“Do you have no pride as a gate guard? Aren’t you ashamed before our fallen comrades!?”

“Keep all that pride for yourself, brother. I want to live.”

The soldiers’ reactions were divided precisely in half.

Half believed that no matter what, they had to fulfill their assigned mission, while the other half backed away, saying there was no need to risk their lives standing against the renowned Shan Barendil.

Seeing this, Shan realized anew that Conrad had not yet completely seized control of the capital’s army.

Perhaps it might be different for the lords or knights under his command, or the retainers and mercenaries they had brought, but in the eyes of the capital’s guards, he was still merely one of the princes.

If the king had still been alive and well, they would have at least pretended to block him out of fear of future punishment.

“Fine. Those who won’t fight, step aside. I’ll kill only those who still retain the will to fight.”

As Shan spoke and took a step forward, the remaining eight men also dropped their weapons in the end.

It was uncertain whether sixteen men charging at once could win or not, so they had enough brains to understand that charging in with half of them giving up the fight was simply dying a dog’s death.

“Ugh…”

While walking along the wall according to Shan’s instructions, several of them sobbed aloud at the sight of their comrades’ corpses scattered everywhere.

After all, sharing the same duty as gate guards, there must have been those among them with deep bonds of friendship.

Watching them, Shan pondered briefly whether he could have passed through if he had tried persuading them with words from the very start.

‘No, that couldn’t have worked.’

Had he done so, the guards would have thought Shan was showing weakness because he couldn’t easily defeat them.

They would have joined forces with their comrades and tried to crush him with numbers approaching thirty, and facing that many all at once without a single piece of armor might have left him gravely injured somewhere.

Were he alone it might have been one thing, but in a situation where he had people to take responsibility for, he could not afford to take such a risk.

Once the gate guards who laid down their weapons backed off out of sight, the servants of the Weavers household who had been hiding hurriedly approached right away without even needing a signal.

This was thanks to Cheryn, who had been secretly watching with her spider and leading them.

“Let’s go out, quickly.”

“To actually open the gate single-handedly…”

Cheryn stared at the corpses scattered around the gate, as though it were hard to believe even after seeing it with her own eyes.

When she first heard the plan, she had opposed it, saying that no matter how impressive Shan was, breaking through a gate guarded by dozens of soldiers without armor was too dangerous.

Seeing this overwhelming combat prowess now, she could tell she had been wrong.

At that sudden thought, her heart ached.

If only Shan had not departed for the ogre subjugation and had remained in the capital, could Kagon have escaped safely without dying, or could the collision between the two have been mediated…?

While she gathered her bitter imaginations back, the others gathered the weapons left behind by the guards and strapped them to their waists.

For the place they were heading out into was the wilderness, where monsters might pounce at any moment.

Fortunately, to leave the city, there was no need to throw wide open the main gate, which was spacious enough for ten people to walk shoulder-to-shoulder.

A metropolis like this always had a small side door next to the main gate, most of which were barred from the inside.

After unbarring the door and exiting one by one, Shan, who had been guarding the rear, finally came out through the door.

When he turned his head, the slums and plains spreading beyond the walls of Hasra City came into view in the distance.

“Haah.”

“It’s dark. Feels like something might pop out right away.”

Unlike Shan and Cheryn, who felt relieved at having finally escaped the capital, anxiety washed over the faces of the servants.

No matter how relatively safe the outskirts of Hasra might be, was this not Pendia, the realm of monsters?

Setting aside Butler Tata, who had traveled to various places as Callion’s representative, the others had lived their entire lives inside the safety of the capital’s walls, so they could not help but be afraid.

“For now, let’s keep walking east. Walking until around morning should bring us to a fairly large village, where we can rest and recruit a priest to heal the Master.”

Shan explained the next itinerary to everyone, including Cheryn.

The village he mentioned was also a place Shan and Roden always stopped at when traveling back and forth between the capital and Shedil City.

In other words, staying there meant a high probability of reuniting with Roden on his return.

While walking east of Hasra together, Shan cupped both hands around his mouth into a funnel shape and shouted.

“Arwin!”

His voice spread across the dark plain.

A moment later, everyone showed startled expressions at the sound of horse hooves echoing from afar.

Arwin, clad in barding, cut through the darkness and approached Shan.

“You were waiting! Thanks… gagh.”

Shan, who opened his arms wide to welcome Arwin, was rammed in the chest by her iron-plated head and tumbled to the ground.

Arwin huffed, stamping her hooves (caked with blackened, dried blood) against the ground to express her dissatisfaction.

“Sorry. I was a bit late, right? Still, I tried to come as fast as possible. Please forgive me.”

As if coaxing a sulking lover, Shan repeatedly flattered her and appeased her by scratching below her neck, her favorite spot.

Only after he showered her with praise for quite a while did Arwin snort as if to say ‘don’t ever do that again’ and forgive him.

Shortly after letting out a sigh of relief, Shan realized that Cheryn was looking at him from the side with a strange expression.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Um, no. Just…”

Cheryn was about to say that he was acting as if he were coaxing an actual person rather than a horse, but shut her mouth, fearing her words might sound sarcastic.

It would be hard to explain if asked why, but… Shan’s affectionate behavior toward Arwin somehow bothered her.

“You get along well with your horse.”

“They do say a horse is a knight’s companion.”

While answering, Shan took out the weapons and armor loaded on Arwin’s pack and put them on.

Thanks to receiving help from one of the manservants, he was able to put on his plate armor without difficulty.

“Phew…”

When he had first worn this armor, it felt overwhelmingly awkward, but now it felt reassuring instead.

Fully armed as he was now, even if fifty enemies like the guards he fought earlier came at him instead of thirty, he had nothing to fear.

Of course, once the number reached three digits, it would be quite troubling due to stamina issues if nothing else.

Fortunately, because a significant portion of the luggage they brought could be loaded onto Arwin’s back, the group’s hands became considerably lighter.

Now four men were to take turned carrying Callion.

Shan peered through the pitch-black night field with his glowing eyes, gauging the speed at which they were moving.

At this pace, it seemed they could arrive in front of the village in roughly five to six hours.

Since these people were not accustomed to such a forced march, they would have to rest a few times along the way, but…

“Haah.”

While he was thinking about the upcoming schedule like that, the sound of a sigh came from beside him.

Along with it, Cheryn, who was walking at the head of the line, looked up at the sky and then turned back to Shan to speak.

“Ah, sorry… Just… I was wondering what will become of this country in the future.”

As expected of royalty, she seemed to be worrying over things on a much grander scale.

Unlike Shan, for whom it was enough if he himself, those around him, and at a slightly broader scope, his fellow Altoans lived well and fed well.

Shan glanced at the servants following behind and asked in a low voice.

“You’re going to Palles Territory now, right?”

“Yeah. Now that things have come to this, there’s no choice but to use my maternal uncle’s fiefdom as a base to raise troops.”

The moment she failed to prevent the collision between the two princes, all the grand strategies Cheryn had previously envisioned were effectively shattered.

Now, an era had arrived where literally only strength could decide everything.

And Cheryn possessed the means to acquire such strength if she so made up her mind.

By utilizing the technique of compressing and dividing mana stones that she monopolized, Count of Palles would be able to secure a powerful military force in short order.

Of course, the fatal flaw of lacking proper knightly forces still remained, but…

“What do you plan to do?”

“For now, I plan to join up with Roden and discuss… wait.”

“Huh?”

“Everyone, stop!”

At Shan’s command, everyone walking behind came to a halt.

Shan, who had quickly pressed himself down to press an ear to the ground, stood up and spoke.

“Someone is pursuing us. Cavalry, probably three to four in number.”

“Cavalry…!”

If the opponent came on horseback, there was no way to escape on foot.

Shan immediately unloaded the baggage on Arwin’s back, mounted her, and spoke to Cheryn.

“Prin… Sister Ryn, please lead the people. Just keep walking straight along the road.”

“Understood.”

Even so, excluding Shan, Cheryn was the strongest among the party right now.

Even though the era of magic had waned, an archmage of her caliber was rare.

Cheryn nodded as if to live up to Shan’s expectation.

*

Mere tens of seconds after spurring Arwin into motion, people approaching from afar came into view.

Three horsemen, each carrying a torch…

Judging by their attire, the knight among them was only the single figure leading the way.

The two behind seemed to be squires or simply mercenary horsemen.

‘Sending just one knight when knowing who they’re pursuing?’

Pondering for a moment whether Marquis Abel himself had come, Shan looked at the opponent’s build and realized it was at least not that fellow.

However, he could guess why the opponent had come alone with such confidence.

A full suit of armor exquisitely sleek like a work of art, just like the one he had seen when meeting Cheryn for the first time…

And the warhorse he rode possessed long, shapely legs that gleamed like metal, just like Arwin.

A Mount Horais warhorse… likely one of Arwin’s relatives.

Circumstantially, the opponent’s identity was certainly a royal knight.

Those knighted directly by the king, regarded as the most formidable warriors in this country…

‘Why?’

Once he realized the identity, he grew even more bewildered as to why this knight was pursuing them.

When one skilled warrior of that caliber would be precious for contending against Prince Elvin in the future, was it really worth investing this much just to catch a single escaped Altoan knight?

Unless Princess Cheryn’s presence had been exposed.

While Shan was feeling puzzled, the royal knight who confirmed Shan’s presence came to a halt about thirty meters away instead of immediately charging to attack.

“Shan Barendil?”

“That’s right. And who are you?”

“A lowly Altoan daring to use the name of Great Emperor Baren… you have no shame.”

The opponent launched into a personal attack right after being asked for his name.

Before Shan could even argue, the royal knight raised his visor.

A man who looked to be in his mid-to-late twenties spoke with an expression filled with contempt and rage.

“I am Kamad of House Entor. I offered my spear to Gizel III, and now I pledge my loyalty to his eldest son, Prince Conrad.”

“Did the prince order you to come kill me or something?”

“No. Pursuing you was entirely my own choice. I wanted to kill you whenever I got the chance.”

Why would a fellow he had never met in his life want to kill him?

Could it really be merely because he was an Old Faith believer who despised Altoans?

The reason became clear through the words that followed.

“I have to verify for myself whether your skill is truly something one shouldn’t fight against, as Master said.”

“Were you a disciple of Sir Darkal as well?”

“Don’t lump me together with you, it disgusts me. You are nothing more than a toy Master made out of boredom.”

Sir Gowell had mentioned before that there were also those who, upon receiving Sir Darkal’s letter, actually envied or hated him.

It seemed the royal knight before his eyes was precisely such a case.

Apparently, having happened to be near the east gate, he rushed over on a whim after hearing news of Shan’s appearance.

No wonder he had arrived far too quickly to have ridden all the way from the royal palace.

“You need not worry. The mercenaries beside me were brought only to testify to your death. A wretched Altoan scum has dared to enjoy undue fame, so it is time you paid the price.”

Still, sharing the same master, Shan had hoped to resolve things through words if possible, but judging by the fellow’s tone, there seemed to be no room for dialogue.

However.

“May I ask just one thing?”

“A bastard bound for hell asks for much.”

“How did you track me down?”

There was more than just one or two paths leading from Hasra’s East Gate to other cities or villages, so he was curious about the exact method used to pursue them.

For there was no guarantee that another pursuer would not use that very method to come after them.

Kamad wore an expression as if asked something trivial, yet surprisingly answered with sincerity.

“The only place you could possibly head to is Shedil, so I picked the fastest route leading there. If I hadn’t run into you, it would’ve just been bad luck.”

Shan had no intention of going all the way back to Shedil, so it was truly a case of stumbling upon a mouse while stepping backward.

As Shan burst into an absurd laugh, Kamad lowered his visor.

“The night is short. Enough with the idle chatter.”

“Fine.”

As though communicating without words, the two knights quietly veered sideways to widen the distance before simultaneously charging at each other.

Watching his enemy charge toward him, Shan inwardly voiced an exclamation of admiration.

‘Oh…’

Kamad’s horse was large and swift, fitting for a Mount Horais warhorse.

Compared to Arwin, who reigned as a tyrant among her siblings, it fell somewhat short, but it was still vastly superior to ordinary warhorses.

And its rider, worthy of the steed, held his lance aimed directly at Shan without the slightest tremor.

Truly fitting for a royal knight, Kamad’s lance technique was cleaner than anyone Shan had ever seen.

Even compared to Feonil Alten, he was at most a half-step below.

‘His lance is longer. I’ll have to deflect it while attacking.’

Unlike Shan’s spear, which had been slightly shortened to be used for purposes other than jousting charges, the opponent’s lance was a perfect mounted charge lance exceeding four meters in length.

The moment Shan blocked the incoming attack with his buckler, light shimmered from the lance and an explosion erupted at its tip.

“Ugh!”

Apparently, the opponent’s lance was a magic weapon as well.

Even though he had blocked it right at the center, Shan felt the axis of his shield warp from the aftermath of the explosion.

Even while taking that impact, Shan’s spear did not waver and extended straight toward the opponent’s neck.

Unlike during jousting matches, it was a strike imbued with the fighting spirit of penetration, filled with the intent to kill.

Yet amazingly, Kamad accurately perceived Shan’s attack and raised his shield to block it.

It was the sharpest reflexes Shan had seen among all knights he had met so far.

“Not bad!”

As they brushed past each other, Kamad spoke in a voice mixed with admiration and derision.

In an ordinary jousting match, both sides would retreat far apart to regroup before starting a second clash, but this was a life-or-death real battle.

Almost simultaneously, both knights turned their horses close together, cast aside their spears, and drew their swords.

Just like the Guardian of the East, nameless magic swords struck each other, scattering sparks.

“Ugh!”

Kamad groaned from the mighty fighting spirit imbued in the sword and the magic enhancing the slash.

Even amidst that, his skill and reaction speed in parrying Shan’s sword strikes that curved in like snakes were astonishing.

Certainly, the royal knight before him was the most formidable combatant Shan had fought to date.

While Lug was superior in overall physical condition, this man was far ahead in terms of reflexes.

Furthermore, Shan could feel that his technique in handling steed and weapon had been raised to the absolute limit through blood-sweat effort atop natural talent.

Not only was he stronger than all the knights of the ogre subjugation force combined, but he was also likely among the top powerhouses even among the royal knights.

“Kugh…”

However, even such a powerhouse found it difficult to defeat the current Shan.

Although the opponent was far superior in build, Shan overwhelmed him not only with technique and speed, but with raw power and force as well.

With continuous sounds of metal rupturing, parts of the full suit of armor Kamad wore fractured.

As taught by Sir Darkal in the past, when Shan thoroughly preempted every option available to the opponent and pressed down relentlessly, Kamad’s breathing faltered.

Meanwhile, following their riders’ wills, the two Mount Horais warhorses moved forward and back, sometimes left and right, repeatedly widening and narrowing the distance between them.

When Arwin opened her jaws wide with a ferocious expression, attempting to bite, Kamad’s warhorse shrank back and yielded ground.

If not for the barding thoroughly covering even its head, Arwin would surely have bitten off a piece.

The duel between the two knights that lit up the night ended far more anticlimactically than expected.

This was because Kamad, having allowed multiple heavy blows, lost his composure and swung a strike loaded with excessively fierce fighting spirit.

The resulting exhaustion naturally followed.

Not missing the slowdown in speed, Shan immediately slid up along the opponent’s blade and thrust into his neck.

It was a maneuver akin to a secret technique passed down by Sir Darkal in the past.

“Khk, keugh.”

Having his windpipe cleanly pierced, Kamad opened his mouth to say something, but all that came out was gushing blood.

Looking down at the royal knight falling limply from his horse, Shan turned his gaze to the two horsemen who had accompanied the fellow.

They were already fleeing toward Hasra at full speed from the moment Kamad’s neck was pierced.

‘Chasing them… is better avoided.’

No matter how fast Arwin was, their horses were reasonably good as well, so pursuing them would take quite some time.

Shan looked down at the fallen Kamad, swung his sword, and cleanly severed his neck to end his breath.

Then, after brief deliberation, he quickly cut the straps of the armor and retrieved the half-damaged plate armor and gear.

For the victor of a duel between knights to take the gear of the vanquished was an ancient tradition, making it legitimate spoils.

When he loaded his spoils onto Kamad’s warhorse, the creature whinnyed mournfully and drooped its head low.

Apparently, it had formed a rather deep bond with its master.

Because killing the master and taking the horse felt quite strange, Shan hesitated briefly before grabbing its reins while mounted on Arwin.

“Come on, follow this way.”

Fortunately, Kamad’s warhorse offered no further resistance and moved along behind Shan mounted on Arwin, even while neighing sorrowfully.

As both horses were somewhat exhausted from the fierce combat just prior, Shan rode along the road at a moderate pace.

A short moment later, sharp screams rang out ahead amidst a commotion.

“Kyaah!”

“Fall back!”

Letting go of even the reins he was holding, Shan urgently spurred Arwin forward.

Far in the distance, beneath the brightly shining moonlight, the servants of the Weavers family were seen surrounded by a pack of monsters.