Chapter 8: Chapter 8

“Wow…”

Watching the knights’ mounted charge, Shan perceived the true nature of the ‘spirit’ Roden had explained for the first time.

This was because a destructive power that could not possibly come from such size and speed burst forth from the spear tips.

This was a force belonging to an entirely different realm from Shan’s unique body control techniques.

If his own technique was efficiently utilizing muscle to stretch physical capabilities to their limits, that force went even beyond that, coming close to distorting reality itself.

The shield wall breached by the knights collapsed completely before long under the penetration of the infantry unit.

Seeing the balance of a battlefield where hundreds faced off shift through the power of a mere four individuals was sublime, even magnificent.

Shivering at that reality only for a moment, Shan’s eyes darted quickly, reading the changing flow of battle.

As their vantage point happened to overlook the area like a god looking down on mortals from the heavens, it was easy to perceive the shifts.

“They are surrounded.”

“What?”

“Those knights are in danger.”

Roden, who had been narrowing his eyes in fear at the bladed weapons overflowing everywhere, realized that fact a step too late only upon hearing Shan’s words.

While the knights who had gallantly breached the shield wall attempted to fall back to their own formation, an enemy unit bearing long spears blocked the pathway, and from the opposite side, knights from the opposing faction charged forward holding their spears ready as well.

Their number was five, one more than their opponents.

While the knights who had charged earlier wore red tassels on their helmets, blue tassels hung from the helmets of these opponents.

Outnumbered, having broken their spears in the initial mounted charge, and having lost their speed, the outcome was obvious.

Two of them somehow caught the spears with their shields and evaded the spot, but one could not endure and fell from his horse, while the last was pierced straight through the chest by a spear and tumbled over.

One of the surviving knights looked at the two and shouted urgently.

“Dorian! Solem!”

“It’s too late! We have to escape by ourselves!”

“Damn it!”

The two red knights who endured the attack scattered, drawing swords and hammers in place of their broken spears, and escaped while cutting through the enemy lines.

While the blue knights gave chase, the unhorsed knight regained his senses and stood up, but he was already surrounded by infantry.

“Surrender!”

“You… commoner scum, how dare you…!”

The last remaining knight drew the longsword from his waist as if refusing to be captured tamely.

Indeed, his skills were remarkable enough to be worthy of the title of knight.

Each time he swung his sword, the bodies of surrounding soldiers were sliced through along with their armor, and attacks targeting him were deflected at an angle using his plate armor to minimize damage.

Left alone, he possessed a momentum that looked capable of defeating a hundred or even a thousand enemies single-handedly.

However, his desperate struggle was short-lived; as the knight rampaging about grew abruptly sluggish from exhaustion, several soldiers nearby threw nets over him.

The knight succeeded in severing a couple of them, but his leg got caught in a net strand he failed to spot, causing him to fall over.

“Kugh!”

“We got him! Pull!”

As Shan watched the knight thrashing under several layers of nets smothering him from above, Roden patted Shan’s shoulder from behind.

“Let’s run.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s wrapping up. Count Balik’s side won this battle. If we stay and get caught by them, they’ll pin all sorts of excuses on us like being spies for Duke of Morayen and commit atrocities. Victorious armies are always like that.”

Hearing those words, Shan widened his view again and realized that the army of ‘Count Balik’ Roden spoke of was the side with the blue-tasseled knights.

Having lost track of the fleeing red knights after pursuing them, they launched a surprise attack from behind on the infantry unit that had been digging deep into their formation, isolating them; sensing defeat, the soldiers began fleeing without heeding their commander’s shouts.

Shan and Roden also immediately descended the hill and ran toward the east.

Fortunately, thanks to a fair distance between them, they did not encounter Count Balik’s pursuit force chasing the remnants of the defeated army.

After moving at a near-running fast pace for tens of minutes, Roden exhaled roughly and stopped walking first.

“Haa, this should be safe… I thought it was at most an attack by monsters or bandits so I went to help, but who knew they were waging a war.”

“Roden, you can’t fight if the enemy is holding a sword.”

“I had you with me. If I were alone, I would’ve been too scared to go.”

Shan did not understand why they had to go out of their way to save people attacked by bandits, but he brushed it off with a tilt of his head.

This was because what interested him more right now was the majesty of the knights he had seen in the battle earlier.

“Knights are impressive, but they’re also weaker than I thought.”

At first, until they smashed the infantry’s shield wall with their mounted charge, they had seemed like the most powerful beings in the world.

The ‘spirit’ they displayed as one body was so intense that it seemed capable of piercing and killing even a dragon.

However, once surrounded by enemies, losing their speed and mounts, the unhorsed knight was not as strong as expected.

To the point where Shan felt he could win right now in a one-on-one fight holding just a single sword.

Seeing Shan’s somewhat disappointed expression, Roden smiled and spoke.

“The world is structured more elaborately than you think. If knights could cut through hundreds of ordinary soldiers alone like slicing straw, no one would raise armies. And knights wouldn’t have any reason to obey kings and nobles either.”

“Ah.”

“Besides, it was also the knights who ended the battle in the end, wasn’t it?”

True enough, Count Balik had ultimately overwhelmed Duke of Morayen because his knights attacked the infantry unit from behind.

Strictly speaking, the battle earlier was decided by which side utilized their knights more efficiently.

“In the first place, as I said before, a knight’s true duty is ultimately defeating monsters. That’s also what we’re going to do in Pendia.”

“Monster hunting, right?”

“Yeah. If they’re the opponents, I can exert quite a bit of strength too, so as the two of us tour the east together defeating monsters, we’ll be able to build up fame. Before long, we might even receive knighthood from a fairly prominent noble.”

Having said that much, Roden hesitated for a moment before adding.

“Hmm, I’m mentioning this because it feels like I’m only talking about sweet things, but it won’t be as easy as it sounds. The fact that Pendia has less discrimination against Altoans definitely doesn’t mean they’ll treat you like ordinary Westerners. You get what I mean, right?”

“I know.”

“Still, since it’s you, you can do it, so don’t lose confidence.”

Shan thought such discrimination was nothing.

Well, whenever someone picked a fight, cutting off their wrist or something would shut them up.

Had Roden been able to read that thought, he would have let out a deep sigh.

*

Half a day after leaving the battlefield, the two were finally able to find an ordinary farming village.

The farmers who rushed over upon hearing that armed men had arrived quickly bowed their heads upon seeing Roden’s imposing appearance.

“So, you’re saying I just need to follow that road straight ahead?”

“Yes, Sir Knight. If you go now, you will probably easily reach the city before sunset.”

“I told you to leave off the ‘Sir Knight.’ Here’s payment for pointing out the way.”

As Roden flicked half a cut silver coin with his thumb, the farmer gasped and greedily gathered up the money that fell onto the ground.

Walking past him, Shan asked Roden.

“You really emphasize that you’re not a knight.”

“It’d be troublesome if someone picked a fight over it by mistake. Impersonating a knight is a serious crime. It’s challenging the authority of the kings and nobles who appoint them.”

However, denying it too eagerly made a person look cheap, so acting like ‘a knight who pretends not to be one due to circumstances’ was Roden’s own strategy for navigating the world.

As the farmer had said, the city revealed itself before long.

Shan let out a soft exclamation of “Woah” at the sight of stone walls he had never seen in his life.

“Fascinating, isn’t it?”

“Super!”

The city of Vito they arrived at was a fortified city surrounded by walls about the height of two or three adult men, or around four meters high, following the unit Roden had taught him not long ago.

Yet for some unknown reason, the city gate was firmly shut, and below the walls stood lined-up tents, wagons, and crudely built structures.

It appeared to be a procession of people who had come to the city but could not enter.

“The gate is closed.”

“Probably because of the war. Since it was happening not far away… If we’re unlucky, we might have to stay outside as well.”

Roden spoke regretfully, but Shan, who had inwardly felt reluctant to enter the city, was actually relieved by those words.

Just looking at it, didn’t it seem hard to escape if a fight broke out after getting trapped inside?

While looking around out of curiosity for a moment, what caught Shan’s eye was a man with a peculiar appearance whose hair was half black and half blonde.

“Now, now! Look over here! A special show for today only! We have a toad-man who breathes fire like a dragon, a dwarf with trees growing from his body, and a fairy lady who flies in the sky! Come to the red tent! Admission is just two silver coins!”

What he was promoting was none other than a traveling troupe.

An occupation that showcased all sorts of marvelous talents or goods from distant lands while collecting admission fees.

It seemed he intended to do business targeting those staying outside, unable to enter the city.

Back when Shan lived in Willow Village, such troupes used to pass by once every few months or years.

Of course, he had naturally never gone inside a tent to watch a show, but he recalled how even a puppeteer playing with puppets outside to kill time had been incredibly fascinating.

“Roden, can’t we watch that?”

“Hmm? I’d rather not… Places like that often do dagger throwing.”

“Ah.”

“Well, it’s not like you’ll get hurt walking around by yourself. Here’s money, so don’t lose it. I’ll look around for a place to stay tonight, so let’s meet in front of the city gate when it’s over.”

“Got it!”

Receiving a few silver coins, Shan excitedly approached the red tent straight away.

Midway, seeing a large doorkeeper standing firmly in front of the tent, he stopped in his tracks and widened his eyes.

“Uh…”

The doorkeeper was a young man with unkempt brown hair and a thoroughly plain face, looking like someone commonly seen anywhere.

Even so, what surprised Shan was that feathered horns sprouted where his two ears should have been.

Seeing Shan frozen in place, the doorkeeper grinned and spoke affably.

“It’s alright, young guest! Not every Altoan is a human-eating monster! Did you come alone?”

Surprised for a moment by the presence of a fellow kin met for the first time in his life, Shan calmed his heart and cautiously handed over the silver coin.

It seemed the doorkeeper thought Shan had stiffened out of fear upon seeing the foreign appearance unique to Altoans.

Fortunately, the red tent had a large opening in its ceiling, so there was no need to worry about his eyes glowing.

Every time his shoulders brushed against other people, he felt like drawing his blade, but Shan tried to soothe his heart with deep breaths.

After remaining mixed among the audience for several minutes, the show began before long.

The man who had been promoting outside earlier announced in a clear voice what kind of show would unfold.

“Now, the first thing we present is the fire-eating man! This friend here can spew an immensely grand fire through Altoan magic!”

“Woah!”

While several people let out exclamations of awe, some complained that anyone could imitate breathing fire using strong alcohol.

A short while later, an Altoan with red carapaces sprouting on both cheeks brandished a small torch this way and that before taking a deep breath.

The cheeks that looked like carapaces swelled several times larger in an instant, and as he blew out his breath, flames soared as if to pierce the sky.

“Woah!”

“It’s my first time seeing fire reach that far…”

“And he didn’t even use alcohol?”

“The priest was right when he said Altoans are all monsters.”

The performance that followed was also full of marvelous sights.

A dwarf even shorter than Shan grew three small trees on his back, while a young lady wearing shiny butterfly-like wings on her back moved back and forth across several ropes as if flying through the sky.

When a woman full of sharp teeth like a wild beast opened her mouth wide toward the audience and roared, several children burst into tears.

As the entire performance ended amid astonishment and cheers, the host bowed his waist with an exaggerated posture to offer his respects.

“Thank you all for watching! There will be a performance tomorrow as well, so once the city gate opens, please spread the word about our Altoan Monster Troupe!”

Even while the spectators who finished watching dispersed, Shan stared blankly at the empty stage.

The feather-horned doorkeeper who had been blocking the entrance came inside to tidy up, and upon seeing Shan, he spoke.

“Young guest over there? We need to clear out now… Ah! Don’t tell me you’re one too?”

At his welcoming tone of voice, Shan only then realized that the inside of the tent had grown darker than before as the sun set.

Thanks to his unique night vision capability, when he was daydreaming, there were times he occasionally failed to distinguish whether his surroundings were bright or dark.

“That’s right.”

“It’s been a while since I met an Altoan other than us. Are your parents nearby?”

“No… but there’s someone similar.”

“I see! That’s a relief. Uncle Roxy! Did you know this kid here is an Altoan too?”

The one called Uncle Roxy was the man with two hair colors who promoted the troupe outside and served as the host inside.

Tidying up top on the stage, he looked at Shan curiously and replied.

“Hmm? No, not at all.”

“He seems to have a constitution where his eyes glow at night. I didn’t notice at all when I saw him earlier.”

“Occasionally there are kids whose nature isn’t obvious on the outside. Like me.”

At those words, Shan looked at him with a slightly surprised expression.

Aside from his unusual hair color, Roxy was the very picture of an ordinary Westerner to anyone’s eyes.

“Are you an Altoan too, mister?”

“This hair color is natural for me. Though I lie and say I dyed it when I have to pretend not to be an Altoan.”

Roxy grinned and ran a hand through his hair.

While they conversed, the Altoan troupe members resting in an adjacent tent also walked out one by one, wondering if something had happened.

Before he knew it, Shan was surrounded by them and bombarded with all sorts of questions.

“Who gave you that sword at your waist? It looks really nice.”

“I got it by chance.”

“What brought you here? They say a war is going on nearby, but surely it’s not because of that, right? You’re too young to be a mercenary.”

“Wow, your eyes are so pretty… Can you look over here? Yeah, like that. They really look like emeralds.”

As two or three questions poured out every time he answered once, he was at an utmost loss.

Even so, this kind of attention did not feel unpleasant.

Conversations with those who regarded him as one of their own (different from Roden) somehow made his chest tickle.

According to what he learned while chatting, the members of this Altoan troupe were all one family.

The doorkeeper Fenn was the older brother of Debbie who had butterfly wings, and their father, the dwarf Boldot, was the older brother of troupe leader Roxy.

Kete, who possessed sharp teeth, was the mother of the siblings and Boldot’s wife, while Hosu, who breathed fire, was her younger brother.

“But for a family, no one looks alike at all.”

“Originally, Altoan traits are rarely passed down from parent to child. Though it’s said to happen very rarely.”

“Ah.”

Shan learned for the first time that his vague imagination of his glowing green eyes being inherited from his parents was wrong.

If those words were true, finding his parents would likely be truly impossible.

In truth, he didn’t particularly feel like searching for them anyway.

While chatting, when Shan’s purpose was mentioned, everyone widened their eyes in surprise.

“Becoming a knight?”

“No way!”

“Roden told me so. That if it’s me, I can easily become a knight in Pendia.”

“Hmm, I’ve never been to Pendia myself, but that’s a story I can hardly accept…”

Roxy, the troupe leader of the Altoan Troupe, frowned and spoke in a cautious tone.

“I don’t want to speak ill of your guardian, but honestly, it’s a bit suspicious. Supporting an Altoan child who isn’t even family to such an extent is hardly plausible. If it were me, I’d have thought he intended to sell you off to a distant country without a doubt. Would you rather travel with us instead? Despite how we look, our earnings aren’t bad at all. Since we don’t take ordinary people, we’re quite short-handed too.”

Roxy’s words sounded fairly good.

Because the Altoan community he met for the first time in his life was very kind and seemed like good people.

However, Shan had already harbored a dream (an ambition) upon meeting Roden.

This grew a bit larger upon watching the knights earlier today.

Because he had gained the conviction that he could do even better than them from earlier.

At Shan’s refusal, they felt regretful but nodded their heads.

“I hope things go well for you.”

“Could you maybe even become a lord later and welcome us in?”

“That won’t be difficult.”

After giggling while talking like it was a joke for a moment, the troupe encouraged Shan, wishing that he could become a splendid knight according to his ambition.

That heart alone seemed to warm his chest.