Within the country of the âholy knightsâ, only seven have reached the apex.
Every single one of these seven had their own peculiarities, but they were all strong enough that they couldnât ignore one another.
The Knight of Destruction, Zelkov; The Iron-armed Knight, Gowen; the Knight of Storms, Gulland; the Twin-Swords Knight, Vald; the Ripper Knight, Sivara; the Sharp-Eyed knight, Jize; and the late Lightning-Fast Knight, Gene Marlon.
A mad man loved by the gods, an old veteran used to war, a peak existence among adventurers, a traveler from the east⊠Their origin and purpose were as varied as their personalities, but there was one thing they had in common, they held the peace of the country in their hands.
On their back, they carried the soldiers they led and the countless citizens that they protected.
Of course, they knew this fact well, and it was because of that that King Ashtal named them holy knight and gave them honor and wealth befitting that of the kingdomâs guardians.
ââŠI donât like it.â
Gullandâs animal-like instincts were tingling.
He didnât know why, but for some reason, that merchant that was bothering Reshia was nowhere to be seen.
As Gulland left his seat, he left the ballroom and went outside, to walk under the tranquil sky of the night god lit by the red light of the moonlight goddess.
Sounds of the feast grew more and more distant as he walked, then he heard something.
That something drew Gullandâs attention.
It was the sound of grass being grazed; the sound of a personâs voice being forcefully stifled. For someone like Gulland who was used to the quiet of the snowy battlefield, the castle was irritatingly noisy.
His ears honed by combat, Gulland walked toward the source of that sound.
âOh, how cruel my dear saint, how cruel⊠How could you hurt this oneâs fragile heart?â That annoying merchant from awhile ago said with ragged breath as he approached Reshia, who was currently being held by a man covered in black, the merchantâs escort perhaps.
The man in black noticed Gullandâs footsteps, but the merchant was oblivious.
The merchant extended his hands toward Reshia, caressing her slender cheeks that were as smooth as clay.
âAhh⊠AhhâŠâ The man moaned.
As his hands caressed Reshiaâs cheeks like a slug, desire took him, and he jumped to embrace her, butâ
âThatâs enough, scum,â a voice suddenly resounded from behind him, causing him to freeze in his tracks.
When he turned around, his eyes almost fell out of their sockets when he saw Gulland standing behind him with his arms folded.
âK-K-K-Kill him! Sigmund!â The merchant commanded.
The black guard immediately threw Reshia away and drew his dagger.
As Reshia fell to the ground, unconscious, Gulland snapped his tongue.
âWhat an unnecessary mess Iâve found myself in.â\nAs Gulland muttered to himself, the black guard swung his blade at Gullandâs throat.
âHmph,â Gulland haughtily said as he dodged the black guardâs sword by a hairâs breadth.
At the same time, he caught the black guardâs arms, keeping him from moving.
âWeak,â Gulland said.
With no room to run, Gullandâs fist descended freely on the man.
There wasnât even a sign that Gulland was about to make a move. He just swung his fist like a beast attacking its prey, sending the black guard flying into a wall.
With no way out, the black guard reached for his own armor.
âWhat are youâŠâ Gulland asked when the black guard suddenly threw his armor at him, causing his vision to move away from the black guard for a moment.
When he looked for the black guard again, all traces of him were gone.
âHe ranâŠâ Gulland muttered, then he turned to the merchant.
âE-EeekâŠâ The merchant cried as Gullandâs eyes bore into him.
Gulland knocked the merchant out, then he carried both him and Reshia.
ââŠWhat a pain,â Gulland complained.
âGAU, GUUUU!â Gastra barked when Gulland entered Reshiaâs room, but Gulland ignored him and left Reshia on her bed before leaving.
ââŠLord Holy Knight, huh,â Gulland said as he became unnecessarily sentimental, then he closed the door behind him and sat in front of it.
He didnât feel like returning to the feast, so he figured he might as well wait here in the silence of the night god.
Gi Ji Arsilâs report had finally arrived.
The walls of the human fortress ran 10km long. It was so long, I couldnât help but wonder from where and how they managed to procure all that stone in such a short time, but even more surprising was the height of the walls.
The walls were over 3 meters tall. Moreover, people could walk atop it.
That meant that the walls werenât just long and high, they were also thick.
It should be safe to assume that the castle walls are arranged in a circle. As for whatâs inside, itâs probably either defensive facilities or a town.
According to the report, there were also things similar to shields placed near the exit leading to the human territory.
They are probably meant to obstruct oneâs vision and stop an attack, but thatâs something to think about another time. Right now, I should focus my attention on the human fortress.
The humans have gone far and beyond my expectations.
Walls 3 meters high coupled with several defensive facilities. Attacking the human fortress does not seem like an easy task.
Beyond the forest is a flat land. There might be a hill or two out there, but there shouldnât be anything taller than the human fortress.
âA shield thrust before us, huh.â
Should we capture it despite the cost? Or should we just ignore it?
To begin with, my goal isnât to capture the fortress but to defeat the human kingdom.
The human villages shouldnât all be that big.
âShumea, thereâs something I want to ask,â I said.
Shumea has been training with Felbi ever since recovering.
âHmm? About the human villages?â She asked, puzzled.
âGi Jiâs report came in just awhile ago. Apparently, thereâs a large fortress right in front of the fortress.â
âThatâs probably a colonial city,â Shumea said.
Oh? It seems to be famous.
Things finally made sense after listening to Shumeaâs explanation. It seems these so-called âcolonial citiesâ are bases the humans build to begin an invasion. With it working with the city behind it, it is certainly a threat.
I thought it was a shield, but it turns out, itâs actually a spear meant to drag us into a war of attrition.
It would be great if the humans could fight among themselves, but thatâs obviously too much to hope for. After all, theyâre all united as one race fighting against monsters.
Not to mention, the person leading them is that general. I canât expect them to make much mistakes.
Weâll have no choice but to take them by surprise from behind.
We have to use something unexpected, something they havenât thought of, a method beyond their wildest imaginationâŠ\nâŠUnfortunately, nothing really comes to mind. The blessing of the goddess of wisdom isnât something that comes just because one wants it. Well, Iâll just take my time.
Iâll have to pull out that card to gather information and steal a march on them.
âShumea,â I called out.
âWhat is it, Boss?â She asked.
âDo you want to go out of the forest?â I asked.
Shumea looked at me with a shocked face, then she made a difficult face and said, âplease donât ask difficult questions.â
âItâs not really difficult, though. Do you want to go or not?â
âYou sure make it sound simple, Boss. I hope you havenât forgotten that Iâm a slave.â
âFormer slave,â I corrected.
Shumea scratched her head. âWell, yeah, but⊠Damn it! Honestly, I really want to go out! But, itâs just⊠you know⊠kinda scary?â
At first, excited, then meek as a lamb. Even Shumea seemed embarrassed at how cowardly she was acting, as a blush could be seen on her cheeks.
According to her, slaves who have lost their master will become the slave of whoever catches them, so weâll have to do something about her identity as a slave.
âIt should be fine as long as we give you a new master,â I said.
âW-Wait a moment, Boss. Goblins are no good,â she said.
Naturally, but at least, sheâs catching on. Good, that will make this quick.
âObviously, especially since the master himself will also need some identification,â I said.
âWell, yeah, but do you have someone like that?â She asked.
âYes, the only question is whether that person will agree or not. And even if that person does agree, the fortress probably wonât rest easy knowing who it is weâre placing our hopes on. But after that, everything will hinge on you,â I said.
âI owe you a lot, Boss, so donât worry. You can definitely count on me,â Shumea said as she laughed.
Now, all thatâs left is to pick out the master.
After sending a messenger to her, she finally appeared before me.
âAre you serious?â She asked.
Yes, it was none other than Pale Symphoria. The green light reflecting from the trees of the forest illuminated her and Selena as they looked at me.
When it came to healing secret medicines, being bathed in light was quite effective.
I would be lying if I said I didnât have my doubts. She wasnât like Gi Ga and the others who have sworn fealty to me. She also wasnât someone like Shumea who couldnât betray me because of her circumstances.
The demihumans and the elves might both be our allies in this war against the humans, but their positions were vastly different from each other.
âI donât understand⊠You are not a fool. Surely, you must realize that I will betray you,â Pale said, startling Selena.
Having that said straight to my face, I couldnât help but wryly smile.
âThe elves wonât be enough to fetter me,â she said.
âI figured that would be the case,â I said.
âThen why?â She asked suddenly, and I honestly replied.
âDo you think what you know can hurt us?â I asked.
âHumans can have a broader outlook because of the knowledge they possess. It is, therefore, a kingâs duty to give one the opportunity to ascertain the truth,â I said.
Puzzled, Pale asked. âAre you saying youâre giving me time and opportunity?â
This woman, Pale Symphoria, wasnât someone who would turn to my side so easily, but after coming here to this fortress, she has started to change. After all, she has seen our way of life. That alone is enough to change the one truth she has held all this time⊠We are not monsters.
Iâd love to know what she thought when she realized that, but while it probably wasnât at Felbiâs level, it must have still caused a world-shaking change of her perspective.
Iâm going to use this as an opportunity to pull this genius into my army.
âConfident, arenât we?â She said.
Itâs a risky gamble, but I canât just wait for her feelings to change naturally.
Pale, I donât know if you truly havenât noticed it or are simply feigning ignorance, butâŠ
When you fought me in the battlefield back then, you were smiling.
Youâre happiest when leading an army in a battle of life and death.
I donât know if itâs hunting monsters that you find fun or having power in your grasp, but regardless, I have chosen you.
âOf course, if you refuse, thereâs nothing I can do,â I said.
âPlease let me think a bit,â Pale said.
Selena looked at her with a tinge of displeasure.
The next day, Pale agreed. Selena would be coming with her and she also recommended Felbi to act as an interim between Shumea and me.
Like this, the party of three elves and one human set out into the world of humans.
That was a memory of the time when he still believed in the illusion called happiness.
A memory tinged with the red of blood and shame, and remorse for icing.
No matter how hard he cried or flailed his arms, that was a memory in the past he could never reach.
The village he lived in was a small village.
It was a village of 100 people surrounded by a fence that kept the monsters away. It was a small peaceful village where everyone knew each other.
Life as an adventurer had its risks, but it paid well, allowing him to have a small fortune.
He had a fiancée. He had a mother, who though old, was cheeky. He had a cute younger sister.
Though he wasnât rich, he was happy.
But one day, that happiness was destroyed.
A horde of monsters attacked his village.
As a young man, he flailed his arms and mustered every little bit of strength he could, but struggle as he tried, in the end, the monsters broke through and killed the men who fought.
As for the women, they wereâ
He stretched out his hand, but his blood-stained hands couldnât reach themâŠ
Suddenly, his consciousness became detached⊠Detached from that dream heâs seen countless times.
The sun of the fragrant spring shone on him, bringing him into a warm embrace that lulled him into a deep slumber.
In that deep slumber, there were no nightmares.
When the sunâs rays fell on his closed eyelids, he finally woke up.
He clicked his tongue upon realizing that he had fallen asleep, then when he saw a blanket on him, he became confused.
The door to the spire had already been opened, the insides empty like that of a snakeâs shed skin.
Picking himself up, he went to the terrace of the castle and looked down on the city.
Crowds had gathered to wish the saint farewell.
âSaint, huh? What a load of bull,â he spat, then he left to prepare for his return to the north.
He would not waver because of something like this. He was a holy knight, an existence who slayed monsters and protected the people.
It was just that his eyes couldnât help but follow after the saintâs leaving figure.
The crowds showered her with cheers, and just a little, she tried to wave back.
A cheap hair-clip could be seen attached firmly on her hair, but no one except for some boys by the corner of a street, noticed it.
163 days until the battle with the humans.