The group gathered at early dawn.
As autumn approached, the days had noticeably shortened. And the city was still subrged in a dim shadow.
Dale, along with Harkin, Esther, and Harty, arrived at the designated eting place.
The client and their party were already waiting there.
Upon spotting Dales group, the servant hired by Dale shouted,
Ah! Youve arrived. Weve been waiting for you.
The servant hurried over and pointed to a young man standing nearby.
This gentleman here is our young master.
He was a young nobleman. His blue eyes were sparkling with vitality and his light curly hair was neatly swept to the side.
His firmly closed lips gave him a sowhat stubborn look.
The young nobleman extended his hand to Dale.
Pleased to et you. Ive heard much about your exploits.
Dale.
Ernst of the Thyssen family.
Dale reached out and took his hand in return.
Feeling the firmness of the handshake and noticing the sword at the young mans waist, Dale thought to himself,
He must be quite skilled.
He seed to have undergone considerable training as a knight.
At that mont, Ernst spoke up.
I should ntion beforehand that I pride myself on my broad views.
?
So whether you are a savage and cruel heretic or a lowly rcenary, it doesnt bother in the slightest. I hope youll feel comfortable around .
Hmm, I understand.
Dale didnt know what to say so he just nodded his head.
Did the servant say that he is a bit peculiar?
Just like the servant had ntioned, Ernst certainly seed a bit different from the typical young nobles. Whether this was a good or bad difference remained to be seen.
Ernst then proceeded to greet Harkin as well.
Pleased to et you. As I ntioned before, I view everyone without prejudice, even if theyre lowly rcenaries.
Ah, right. Thank you.
Harkins eyes twitched at the ntion of lowly rcenary and he was quickly left behind as Ernst shifted his gaze to Esther for the last introduction.
But his eyes widened in surprise.
Good heavens.
Whats wrong?
When Esther asked that, Ernsts face turned red. He hurriedly straightened his clothes and lowered his voice deliberately.
P-Pleased to et you, Priestess. May I have the honor of knowing your na?
Taken aback by the sudden shift to formal language directed solely at her, Esther tilted her head in confusion and replied,
Its Esther.
Goodness, even the na is beautiful.
Huh?
I look forward to our ti together, however short or long it may be.
Ah. Yes.
Ernst offered his hand for a handshake, but Esther pretended not to see him and looked away. For so reason, she felt uncomfortable holding his hand.
Ernst held his hand out steadfastly as if waiting for Esther to do the sa, but his servant quickly approached.
Young master, we must be going. Any further delays could complicate our journey.
It cant be helped.
Ernst nodded his head and exclaid.
Lets set off at once!
The soldiers accompanying him responded in unison.
Yes!
They divided themselves into groups of five and boarded three carriages.
Dale and his party climbed into the second carriage, finding themselves in the company of Ernst and his servant.
The role of coachman was taken up by Harkin. The servant had offered to drive, but Harkin insisted stubbornly that he would do it.
He seed sowhat reluctant to be in Ernsts presence.
The carriage was reinforced with thick planks that seed capable of easily deflecting arrows and it rattled forward as it went.
The walls of Irene and the slums quickly receded into the distance.
After they left the city behind and the carriage rolled onto the main road, the servant broke the silence.
Ill explain the plan once again, just in case we have differing understandings.
After pausing and looking around, the servant continued.
Our main objective is to resolve the chaos in the northwest. The northwest is currently facing two significant issues. One of them is the overflow of monsters.
The winters in the north were harsh.
Surviving the winter in the northern regions ant constantly battling against death and nature itself.
This was a reality for beasts, humans, and monsters alike.
To endure the long, cold winter, it was important to stockpile food or fatten up in preparation for hibernation.
So when autumn arrived, monsters would descend from the mountains in search of food.
Every few years, the number of monsters coming down would beco so great that it caused significant trouble.
The issue this ti is compounded by an additional problem: the rise of the undead. Its not uncommon for the undead to rise naturally, but this ti, the rate at which corpses rise is too fast and the range is too wide. The types of undead rising are also particularly unusual. In other words.
Soone is deliberately raising the undead?
The servant nodded his head in affirmation.
Our current theory is just that. The task bestowed upon us by His Majesty involves quelling the chaos in the northwest. Hence, if we can eliminate the source of the undeads rising, we believe we can claim victory. As for the monsters, well, thats always been an ongoing issue.
Ernst nodded his head in satisfaction at the servants crisp explanation.
However, Dale raised a concern.
Is that really okay?
What do you an?
You must have seen it at the award ceremony. The nobles are forming alliances and moving together.
There were dozens of soldiers included in their forces.
The 15 people here were certainly a considerable force, but they were clearly insufficient to win the trial on their own.
Dale had thought they might be planning to wait for the right mont to seize an advantage, but then he wondered
Do you really intend to win this trial?
Following Dales question, the servant glanced subtly at Ernst for his reaction.
Ernst cleared his throat before responding.
I have no interest in the position of commander of the imperial guards.
?
My journey to the northwest is motivated by the suffering of its people, not by personal ambitions for power. This is the duty I owe in return for the privileges Ive enjoyed under the title of nobility.
In essence, he was saying he had hired rcenaries and led his familys soldiers out of pure benevolence.
Sotis, a claim so outrageous can paradoxically inspire trust.
Dale looked into Ernsts eyes.
They were confident eyes without the slightest wavering.
Could he possibly be sincere?
The servant beside him shook his head in disapproval. It seed his thoughts diverged slightly from Ernsts.
It seems Im looking at a naive young noble after all.
And another naive soul. Esther exclaid with a bright expression.
What a wonderful idea! Surely, the goddess would rejoice in Sir Ernsts actions!
Ernss cheeks were now tinged with red and he shyly turned his head away.
Ahem, ahem. Such praise is truly embarrassing.
As the two talked, Dale quietly asked the servant.
Is this really alright? I hate to say it, but it feels like Ernst is dreaming a bit too much.
Of course, its not alright. But we had no choice. Without us, he would have rushed off to the northwest on his own.
The servant swallowed hard before continuing.
Once we reach the northwest and he faces the harsh reality, perhaps his enthusiasm will cool down. Then, he might give up this hero act.
Hero act.
Though a bit harsh, Dale found himself agreeing with the term.
This one might not last long.
Those who fight for money or profit were normal. At least they were grounded in reality.
But those who enter the fray for ideals often face a higher likelihood of death.
The servant said,
We didnt hire you for a hefty sum without reason. Should anything happen to or the other soldiers, please ensure at all costs that the young master is returned safely to his family.
Dale nodded his head in agreent.
Understood. But should I deem the situation truly dangerous, youll need to follow my lead.
Ill do my best to persuade the young master then. If necessary, I might even have to knock him out.
Fortunately, the servant and Dale saw eye to eye on this point and they reached an agreent.
Since their imdiate tasks were essentially the sa, there was no need for further discussion.
Maybe this will all be over sooner than expected.
People of that sort tend to lose interest quickly. Once they realize reality isnt as rosy as their ideals, theyll likely turn tail and run.
Then, perhaps I can receive one more request.
Should the client pull out amidst the unresolved chaos in the northwest, Dale might find another client.
It was a no-lose situation for him.
After reaching an agreent, Dale took out a book from his bag.
It was a compilation of tales about heroes, more detailed and specific about each heros exploits compared to the general overview he had read previously.
Dale intended to start with the exploits of the character known as the rcenary King.
Ernst who had been eagerly trying to continue his conversation with Esther noticed this.
Wait, can you actually read?
Ernsts eyes wavered.
Dale asked,
Is it that surprising?
No, its just heretics, and especially dark knights, are said to be far removed from words and books
Didnt you say sothing about not having prejudices earlier?
Uh? Oh, right. Hahaha.
Esther chid in,
Sir Dale is different from other heretics.
For so reason, Esther looked quite proud of herself.
Ernst could only awkwardly scratch his head.
Ignoring the reactions of the two, Dale opened his book and began to focus intently.
Watching him, Esther pulled out an old bible and asked Ernst,
Sir Ernst, dont you like reading?
Ahem. Ahem. Thats not the case. I always carry a book with wherever I go. Books are nourishnt for the soul, after all!
Ernst extended his hand to his servant.
Give it here.
What do you an?
Just hand a book I enjoy reading.
The servant whispered back,
What are you on about all of a sudden? Youve only ever read knightly tales and novels in your life!
Just give any book for now!
Ignoring the twos bickering, Dale continued to read the book.
He was planning to take it easy since they had at least a weeks journey to their destination in the northwestern region.
However, Dales reading was soon interrupted.
The carriage ca to an abrupt halt.
Whats the matter? Why have we stopped?
Harkin said in response to the servants question.
It seems we need to check this out ourselves.
The group got out from the carriage.
And then Esther covered her mouth with both hands in shock.
MyMy goodness.
Bodies were scattered haphazardly along the road.
At least ten people had died.
Two carriages lay wrecked, and blood was splattered everywhere.
Dale found a blood-soaked banner lying on the ground on one side.
This is
It was the sa emblem they had seen on a carriage they passed on the road yesterday.
Esther murmured,
Could they have been attacked by bandits?
Dale shook his head.
No.
There were few bodies hit by arrows and most had died from deadly sword wounds.
Each wound was clean. It seed like the result of superb swordsmanship that was far too sophisticated for common thieves.
Harty who was standing nearby circled the bodies, then turned his head towards sothing and growled.
Seeing this, Dale also looked up and said,
Everyone, get ready.
Before long, the culprits behind this carnage erged from the thicket.
Twenty well-ard knights and soldiers appeared.
They didnt seem to have any intention of hiding as they confidently approached them while holding blood-stained swords.
Among them, one knight spotted Dale and his face lit up with recognition.
Ah?
It was, quite coincidentally, the sa young knight who had picked a quarrel with Dale at the award ceremony.
The knight shouted with joy.
It seems the gods favor . They actually granted another encounter with this insolent wretch!
The other knights smiled viciously as if eager to join in, but the knight waved them off.
This one, I can handle alone.
Then he pulled out his sword and spoke to Dale.
Let make it clear, the only reason you werent slain last ti was because of the knight commanders intervention.
Dale also drew his cursed sword and muttered.
What a coincidence.
His thoughts mirrored the young knights exactly.
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