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Pak!
“Keugh!” The big soldier groaned in pain and eventually collapsed. The soldier's iron armor looked horribly crumpled, as if it had been repeatedly struck by an iron hammer.
“...Did you kill him?”
“I don’t think so?” Cain shrugged and dusted his hand off.
“There will be serious consequences if you can't rein in your strength.”
“How about you? Is it alright for a renowned Holy Knight like you to beat people up like this?”
“If you have a dog that just won't listen, a stick is the best medication.”
Cain cracked a grin when Christian showed him the wooden stick.
“So far, this has been a very enjoyable day for me. Let’s see, I think about a hundred of Swallow’s dogs were successfully beaten up by your wooden stick?”
“You took care of half of them, Sir Cain.”
“Tsk, I already know that you’re a stuffy Holy Knight; you don’t have to be that accurate and detailed about it.”
Cain clicks his tongue and tutted as he glanced around.
The soldier he’d just knocked over was, of course, the final one. It had taken less than five minutes for them to beat up a hundred soldiers.
“There!”
The two knights jumped at the sound of a cry from the other side of the gate.
“...That’s a lot.”
“It seems like its ten times as many as the previous group. What should we do now?”
“We don’t need to worry since our work is already done.” Christian turned to look behind him.
Several of the iron bars from the cages were broken in half, and there were more lying on the ground.
In fact, even the slave traders had been caught off guard. When they heard Cain say, “Move, and you die,” they became petrified and hadn’t moved even as all the slaves they had worked so hard to catch scampered away in front of their eyes.
“I think we’ve bought them enough time.”
Cain smiled.
“I think it’s about time for us to make a break for it?”
“After causing all this ruckus?”
“What is the issue here? Not only did we not murder anyone, but no one has any idea who we are.”
“If we escape now, it will just be easier for the slaves to be caught,” Christian said with a serious expression.
“Exactly
 That’s why we’re going to be the decoy.”
“Huh?” Christian let some of his bewilderment show on his face.
They had just been talking about running away, and now the conversation had turned to being a decoy. The situation was just so absurd!
“We don’t need to make it all that complicated.” Cain raised a finger and pointed. “There.”
Christian lifted his head and turned to look. He blinked, his eyes abruptly widening.
“You mean
 into Erhaim?”
“A lot of people there are waiting anxiously for us.”
“My God, who—”
“A head-first charge is my master’s favorite way of doing things,” Cain said, glancing at Christian. “Of course, our plan is to quietly hide somewhere.”
“Spread out and surround the area!”
Cain spotted the Swallow reinforcements coming from a safe distance and made his move.
“If you have no problem with that, then let’s go! It will be troublesome if the Ice Emperor shows up.”
“Duke Eima
” Christian let out a groan and shook his head. “I mean, I truly wonder how his head is still attached.”
Cain walked away with a grin on his face.
“That's what I was wondering as well.”
***
Despite the historic five million people killed in the Continental War, the center of Erhaim was a bustling hive of activity as always.
The bustling crowd was due mainly to two groups.
“Iron swords made by a dwarf slave; buy them here!”
“A tea made from tea leaves from the Elf Forest! It boosts your concentration! Come get the last stock!”
“Slaves from Dria Kingdom are available here! Tell us your preferences so we can customize a product based on gender, age, and intended use, just for you!”
A quick look at "pawread dot com" will leave you more fulfilled.
Cain, who had his head covered by a robe, stared dumbfoundedly as voices washed over him one after another.
“This is the black market? This is completely different from the black market I was imagining...”
“It’s just a name for convenience now since it’s been named like that for a long time. This is a legal business the government runs now, so it’s not a black market anymore.”
“So, does that mean that the world has gotten better
?”
Cain began to remove his hood.
“What are you doing? If anyone sees you—”
“Who’s going to look at me?”
“It’s still possible!”
“Unlike you, who seem to take such pride in your face, my face is so unremarkable that nobody seems to know who I am.”
Cain’s face was soon showing through his robe.
He was in his mid-thirty years now. There were indeed no noticeable features to his face, just a face framed by brown hair. Just as he said, he had an unremarkable face that could easily be anyone they passed on the streets.
But if the people of Erhaim found out who he was, they would be completely blown away.
“We’re supposed to meet here.”
Christian's eyes widened in surprise.
“You choose this crowded plaza to have your meeting?”
“Because it’s darkest right below the lighthouse.”
“Under the lamp.”
“Same thing.”
“Sir Cain, you are far too reckless. We're smack in the middle of hostile territory here. Do you want to undo all the work you've done up to this point?”
The volume of Christian’s voice must have been too loud because the people walking past them gave him an odd look.
“Oh
” Christian lowered his head in shame after realizing his error.
Cain beamed at him innocently.
“Let's not get too rigid here; a little wiggle room would be nice.”
“Can I ask you a question? About earlier: Viscount Harry of Avalon is—”
Cain nodded before Christian could complete his sentence.
“Yes. That’s my family name.”
“...Are you alright?”
Christian wasn’t asking if Cain wanted revenge. Christian knew better than anyone else that it was an act that wouldn’t last long. He was just curious about what would happen to her. That was all there was to it.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“...What?”
“I gave up my identity and my family on the day my master vanished,” Cain said.
Christian closed his mouth as Cain’s determined words rang in his head.
“I performed the bare minimum of what was expected of a human being. I don't care about my nation, my family, or anything else.”
Cain clenched his fists with a sudden surge of power.
“Because I don't deserve it,” he said, “having failed to defend my one and only master.”
“Sir Cain
”
Christian murmured with a sad expression. Then, he cocked his head to one side.
The reason for this was the abrupt increase in noise. The marketplace had its usual noise, but now, it had become exponentially louder.
“Everyone, please assemble! I have brought you a masterpiece the likes of which you will never see again in your whole life!”
“What, what’s that?”
“This. This is the Astro Merchant Group’s banner.”
“Oh, that’s why. No wonder their guards look extraordinary
”
Cain froze as the people's words echoed in his head.
“The Astro Merchant Group? One of the three merchant groups on the continent?”
“Yes. Astro Merchant Group is quite famous in Erhaim as well. The size of the three biggest merchant groups in the Empire is no joke, but the three biggest on the continent
?”
Cain laughed uncontrollably.
“Someone can always benefit from a crisis. The war had the greatest impact on the merchant class, and that’s the undeniable truth.”
The two knights continued to chat in the midst of the hubbub.
The Astro Group’s auctioneer seemed to sense that the time was right and raised an item with great vigor.
“Last winter, before the renowned Hertonia passed away, the 99th weapon was completed.”
“...!”
The incredulous onlookers' ears perked up at the auctioneer's voice, which seemed to be amplified by some sort of device.
Renowned Hertonia. Furthermore, the number 99. Those two pieces of information were enough to stun everyone present.
“He-Hertonia? Is he talking about that Hertonia?”
“Oh my God, it was said that when Hertonia was young, he made the prototype of that; to think that this is the 99th and maybe the final version—”
“To think the day would come where I would be able to see a weapon crafted by the greatest weapons master of the time with my own eyes
”
One of the observers cocked his head curiously.
“But that’s
 a spear?”
The expressions of the observers immediately changed to ones of deep doubt.
The pure white spear, without a single scratch, was much longer than the average spear. It had a perfect ratio between the spearhead and the shaft, and the pointed tip glistened in the sunshine.
Cain seemed to be possessed as he looked at it.
“That’s amazing,” Christian remarked.
“...What?”
“The weapon my master was wielding was Hertonia's 98th, by the way.”
“Huh?” The look in Cain's eyes changed dramatically. “The one used by the God’s Knight?”
“Yes. He was a close friend of my master. I’ve met him before. He claimed to have been inspired by something he saw in his old age, but I didn’t know that it was a spear.”
Cain's thoughtful grin steadily broadened as his mind continued to work.
“This shift in opinion in the people of Igrant must mean something significant,” Cain spoke happily.
“...Hmm?”
“Is there anyone who would dare to think of a spear as a piece of trash and a mere infantry weapon?"
Christian shook his head without stopping to think about it.
“You’d never do that unless you were crazy.”
“So, in the end, its master has already been determined, no?”
“No way
”
Instead of hesitating, Cain took a step forward.
“Master will be nineteen soon. He’s not with me right now, but shouldn’t I be ready? After all, I’m his first knight.”
Christian smiled bitterly.
It had been three years since the master and servant last saw each other. Cain remained steadfast throughout that time span, despite the fact that his master’s whereabouts were never established.
By this point, Christian had developed a healthy dose of curiosity.
He had never met a man like Joshua Sanders—a man with a lot of rumors following him around. Christian couldn’t help but wonder what he really looked like.
“Let's get this auction going! The starting bid is ten thousand gold. Doubt this will happen, but if no one starts bidding, then this auction will be postponed.”
The auctioneer’s shouts brought on a fresh swell of murmuring from the crowd.
“No one could possibly be carrying so much cash.”
“Maybe if it was a sword, but for a spear
”
“But that’s why it’s better. Don’t you know that these days, a spear is more popular than a sword?”
“That’s only for weaklings like us. Renowned knights from prestigious families still use swords.”
“Tsk, that damn pride of yours. Are you only going to come to your senses after seeing the Hero King again?”
“How much do you have right now?” Cain inquired as he listened to the crowd’s murmur with half an ear.
“Are you planning on buying it?”
“Just tell me.”
“Even if I searched every pocket, I think I have on me a thousand gold at most.”
“So when we combine them
 a thousand five hundred gold?”
Christian looked like he found the whole situation ridiculous.
“That’s nowhere enough.”
Christian looked at Cain and let out a breath. The bigger man looked disappointed.
Christian didn’t want to do anything that could attract more attention to them.
“We don’t have time. Let’s go about our business and then go. Where’s the person you’re going to meet?”
While Christian spoke, the auction was moving right along.
“Ten thousand!”
“Fifteen thousand!”
“Eighteen thousand!”
“Oh! Twenty thousand! Twenty thousand gold!”
Christian looked over at Cain. Cain still looked longingly at the spear. Christian was about to say something when a voice shouted, “One hundred thousand gold!”
“...!”
Christian’s breath caught in his thought.
“All cash.”
“Who
 Who is that—?”
“We don't need to go hunting for the person we’re meeting anymore,” Cain was quick to respond when he heard the voice.
Christian paused.
“What do you—?”
Cain gave a wide grin and started to walk about toward a person whose head only came up to his chest.