Vol 5: Chapter 10
As Zerry-san said, trying to traverse the forest at night was a terrible experience.
Even【Night Vision】skill wouldn’t work in the almost absolute absence of light. Therefore, if I used【Light Magic】to produce a flash every few seconds, I can save on mana and should be able to traverse without problems by capturing a screenshot of the surroundings with World Ruler’s Perfect Memory.
However, in reality–
「Uwaa!?」
The second the next flash went, I saw a bat flying straight at me.
「Uhiii!?」
I almost fell into a hole on the ground hidden by the shadows of trees during the flash. And so, I decided to add echolocation into my traversal. I ran while clicking my tongue to emit sound waves and analyzed the reflected sound waves with【World Ruler】to get a more accurate grasp of the environment. It was exhausting.
But thanks to that, I was able to traverse through the forest without any major injuries. Though, my whole body was muddy.
「…I have finally arrived.」
Wide grasslands spread before me, with four small hills in a line. Three of them were fenced and set up with barracks. However, the reason why I did not sense as many people compared to the number of barracks was probably because many of them were out in battle.
「—So that’s the Red Gate, huh.」
I peeled off the leaves stuck to my forehead and started walking. The sky beyond was surrounded by dark clouds, with the red crack still there. Even with【Eyesight Enhancement】, I could only see a little. It seems that monsters were still falling from the sky in large amounts.
「Well then, what should I do first? …I’d like to join up with Silver Balance if possible. According to Zerry-san and Yua-san, there is a place where most merchants gather and do business. Perhaps I can learn something if I go ther–」
It might have been possible to sneak into the barracks, but there was a high possibility that I could be found during the day. So, I thought it would be better to walk in the open.
「You there, stop.」
I heard a sharp voice from behind.
I turned around and saw five people on horseback looking at me.
Everyone wore the same equipment – well-polished silver chest armor, and protectors for shoulders, elbows, knees and ankles made of the same material.
The combat uniforms based on white, red and gold without a doubt belong to the knights of Saint Knight Kingdom.
They displayed their identity in an easy-to-understand manner.
『He who is a Knight, must be beautiful even in death』is their motto, or even their national policy.
Even the ones who had beards trimmed it to extreme precision.
The one who called out to me seems to be the person in the middle of the five.
He had clear, green eyes. His long hair, which was also deep green, was tied behind. With his slender chin and a tall nose, he would look like a noble woman if dressed in women’s clothing.
Well, probably because of training and marching, his skin was tanned. So he would probably need a little bit of make-up together with the women’s clothing.
「Why do you look so dirty? Who are you?」
The knight who could very likely be mistaken for a woman—a beautiful woman, to boot—seemed to be in his teens. Perhaps he holds the highest rank among the five since he was the one who was asking the questions while the guys who seem to be about twice his age were silently holding the swords on their hips.
「Please forgive me for my dirty appearance. I ran through the forest all night.」
I knelt down to one knee and bowed my head. This was the etiquette I learned while escorting Lady Eva.
Probably because I had mastered Kruvan Holy Kingdom’s manner of respect, I heard a gasp of admiration from one of the bearded knights. I sensed the young commanding officer raise his hand slightly to his men from the movement of the shadows. They have reduced their vigilance a little.
「And who are you?」
He asked, once again, with a voice too clear for a man. Without【World Ruler】, I might have misunderstood that he was a woman – because he looks quite neutral.
For a moment, I wondered how to identify myself to them. They may know the name Silver Balance as it is the name of the adventurer party who has captured one of the “Labyrinths of 9 Emotions”. However, Yua-san said that Lulusha-san has been arrested and that Silver Balance was in a bad position.
If so,
「An emergency messenger from Border Earl Mule of Kruvan Holy Kingdom to Earl Sillys.」
I will have to borrow their names.
「…Border Earl Mule?」
Their presence has changed.
…Eh? Did I say something bad? Or are they just in awe to hear the Border Earl’s name? Ahhh, it could be either since it’s the Border Earl, after all!
「Do you have anything to prove it?」
「Yes. I shall remove my sword.」
I took off the dagger fixed to my waist belt, put it on the ground and went back 3 steps.
The dagger I originally received from the Border Earl was quite damaged. So during the two trouble-filled days I spent in the border territory, the Border Earl gave me a new one. I thought he was being quite lavish… but he apologetically said, “It’s natural since you worked so hard for the sake of my house”.
Apparently, he doesn’t have money to give but he does have a lot of weapons to give.
「Wilhelm-sama, I shall appraise it.」
「Alright.」
The bearded knight got off his horse and approached closer to inspect the dagger I placed on the ground.
The first dagger was gorgeously decorated, but this time it only had a plain decoration. And the blade was thicker and stronger, but heavier.
“House Border Earl Mule” was engraved inconspicuously on the scabbard. The knight seemed to have difficulty finding it, but when he finally found it–
「This style of engraving which doesn’t care to make its name known without mistake belongs to the “Border Tyrant” of House Mule. First and foremost, I don’t think anyone would use the Border Tyrant’s name for deception. If discovered, the mad horses of House Mule would chase that guy to the ends of the world.」
…Border Earl, are you really that scary!?
It is true that the brawny gorillas–excuse me, the vassals, pestered me for a match with brutal-looking weapons in hand like mad horses.
I don’t think I could have beaten them if I had fought without magic. Strength from muscle training is just way different.
「Well, then, does that mean that you are also a skilled fighter despite your appearances?」the commanding officer, Wilhelm, asked.
I spied a glint in his eyes.
……Hmm?
「Indeed. That House will not send forth a child without muscles as a simple messenger. He said that he had passed through the forest without hesitation, but a simple child should not be able to traverse through the forest at night.」
It bothers me to be treated like a child, but more importantly, the situation seems to be taking a sour turn.
「Which means…」
Wilhelm started, intently staring at me while I fastened the returned dagger back to my waist belt. …How scary.
「Johann. Who is this person?」Wilhelm asked
「…I can’t tell just by inspecting the dagger.」the bearded knight replied.
–Come again?
「I see, I see. Then you will have to prove yourself with your own hands.」Wilhelm said.
「No, please wait. Didn’t you confirm it just a second ago?」I said.
「Are you implying that the knights of Saint Knight Kingdom are lying!?」the bearded knight yelled. …How scary.
「No need to raise your voice so, Johann. You there. If you are indeed a man belonging to House Border Earl Mule, you must be quite strong. Which is to say, have a bout with me and show me your strength. That much should be fine. I will take the responsibility to escort you to Earl Sillys.」
Ahh, my head hurts. Are these guys the same as the Border Earl’s vassals who wanted to fight?
「No, I don’t have that kind of time.」I said.
「You don’t have confidence? Ah, but no, you said you ran through the forest all night. Then I shall lend you a bed of ours. We will even give you some food to eat.」
「No, like I said, I’m in a hurry.」
「Are you refusing the offer of the knights of the Saint Knight Kingdom?!」
Man… this bearded knight is really annoying.
「Alright. Let’s do it right away.」
I stopped kneeling and stood up.
「Oh! Then I shall–」
「No, Wilhelm-sama. I should be the one to–」
「What are you saying? This is a chance to fight a man from House Border Earl Mule! I should be the one to do it.」
「No, I am already off my horse.」
「Hey now, Johann. Didn’t you get to touch the Border Earl’s sword?」
They kept bickering back and forth.
Haa…… I shouldn’t have brought up the Border Earl’s name.
「Please decide quickly. Shouldn’t it be fine if all of you came at me at once?」
When I said that, everyone stopped moving.
「What… did you just say?」
Wilhelm’s eyes gleamed.
「I’m telling you to stop wasting time and come at me quickly. Or are the people of the Saint Knight Kingdom scared of a little boy?」
I beckoned with my right hand.
「You can signal the start of the match at any time. I am ready.」
