episode_0023

In the past, the mountains in the Korean peninsula were teeming with tigers.

They were often drawn out by all sorts of folk tales and legends.

And there was a tiger that blocked the road and demanded a rice cake.

In this medieval world, this could be localized as a highwayman. However, unlike tigers, golden slaves demand money instead of rice cakes.

“Stop, stop! If you give up everything you have, I won’t kill you!”

“Ricia, close your eyes.”

“Yes.”

“You didn’t hear me? Get off your horse right now-”

Without much thought, I got off the horse’s back, drew my sword, and slashed diagonally.

There weren’t many bandits who dared to attack an armed knight, but those who believed in numerical superiority or overestimated their skills would often do so.

The bandits who were approaching with their swords raised from a distance, mocking the futile attempt, seemed to sense that something was wrong as their comrades fell one by one.

But leaving a rear guard would be foolish. I dealt with them one by one with care. And for Ricia’s mental well-being, I only chose valuable items to take and left.

Magic is indeed impressive. Even if some wizards are wanderers, their skills are enough to be considered the gods of the battlefield… or at least their right arms showed potential.

Thanks to this, whether in the mountains or in the fields, we were able to smoothly resolve any encounters with bandits. During the journey that lasted over a month, neither the girl nor I suffered any major injuries.

We set off in spring and now we were looking at summer.

And finally, we were not far from entering the Papal States, ruled by the Pope, outside the empire.

“How far have we come?”

“We’ve crossed more than half. We’ll be entering the Papal States soon.”

“Are the Papal States different from the empire?”

“The language is a bit different, and the culture as well. But it shouldn’t be something we need to worry about.”

Once we entered the Papal States, there was a university a little further ahead. I might part ways with Ricia there and head to the Papal Palace.

At this rate, we should be able to arrive by early autumn.

Assuming nothing goes wrong, once we enter the region under the influence of the Papal States, the security on the road should be stable, and there shouldn’t be any major incidents.

On a warm and cozy morning, while thinking about this, we were able to arrive at the bustling commercial city of Filah.

Located at the crossroads between the Papal States and the empire, it was a place where merchants were bustling, reflecting its scale and prestige.

And shortly after entering the city, I realized that I was not in a great merchant city but in a chaotic scene of turmoil.

“Identify yourself!”

“What right do you have to speak to me like that? And what can you do?”

“What can we do? We’ll show you right now!”

It was time to start the lively morning.

Armed knights, clergy, and soldiers were entangled in a fierce fight in the square.

“What’s going on?”

“It doesn’t seem like something worth watching. Let’s find an inn.”

In the escalating dispute, words like faith and honor, knights and the church were heard. Whenever all these elements were involved in a conversation, trouble would usually arise.

I had a feeling that my schedule would be delayed.

*****

I took Ricia away from the chaotic scene, far from anything bright and wholesome.

When the noisy voices ceased, I went to a nearby stall to grab a bread roll and asked, to assess the situation.

“We just arrived in Filah, is there anything going on?”

“Ah, you’re talking about the recent incident on the streets.”

“Yes.”

“A council was held here recently. And it was decided to make an oath mandatory for all nearby knights.”

Oath, the oath.

I pondered on what that word meant, and soon enough, I could recall what it signified.

The church harbored a persistent obsession with peace.

Unable to shake off the thought that the whole world was out to plunder and exploit them. It wasn’t baseless paranoia for the church. It was common knowledge that churches, with their relics, offerings, and various artworks, were the most attractive targets for looting.

Of course, it would be easier to exploit the common folk, but knights, despite their rowdy nature, were not cowardly bigots. So, the church became a target as well.

But in this age, the last bastion of morality, Lavend, did not engage in such acts. He simply received his designated rewards honestly.

The church struggled greatly with this issue, but fortunately, the intellectuals of this era, the clergy, gathered and came up with a solution.

“The misdeeds of the knights have gone too far. How do we resolve this?”

“We just need to make them stop fighting.”

“If we could do that, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. We need a specific solution!”

“What about making them swear an unbreakable oath?”

They decided to have the knights write an agreement stating that they would not engage in looting, unauthorized land occupation, or challenging passersby to duels and taking money as spoils. Surprisingly, there were knights who engaged in such activities, hence the existence of these clauses. Safety regulations were meant to be followed after all.

In any case, they shortened this to an oath.

With civil unrest looming on the horizon, it seemed that public safety was deteriorating along with the uncertain times.

Therefore, interest and demand for the oath were increasing. It seemed that Filah had resolved to make it mandatory in the council.

One must know how the world works, so I gave a brief lecture to Licia.

And while wandering around looking for an inn in the midst of a brawl, Licia asked me.

“Isn’t it just signing a few lines of text?”

“That’s right.”

A contract was something that would be broken if one could bear the consequences. And breaking contracts was a knight’s specialty.

In this wild medieval era, there was no restraining authority or established laws, so contracts were often unilaterally voided.

“What happens if it’s broken?”

“It will have consequences.”

Hence the extraordinary measures. Refusing the oath would lead to consequences, as would breaking it.

The heavy punishment for wielding violence indiscriminately was the annulment of human rights.

And if I were to make a confession, I had not taken the oath myself.

Of course, growing up around Bolle meant that we could overlook things without much concern. But in a foreign land where there was no connection, that wouldn’t fly.

I didn’t know what had happened to spark such fervor.

But judging from the commotion in the square earlier, it was clear that the city was caught up in an oath frenzy. And I couldn’t help but wonder if it would sweep me up as well.

It was no wonder the city guards had asked if I had taken the oath when I entered the city.

I didn’t bother with obvious lies that would easily be exposed, and as I watched the guard carefully noting the fact, I couldn’t help but anticipate what was to come.

If I were just an ordinary knight, it might not matter. But I was confident that I would be asked to take the oath.

It’s a bit presumptuous for me to say this, but recently, I’ve started to make a name for myself again.

More accurately, I’ve started to twist myself in knots to make a name for myself. For a freelance knight like me, reputation is everything.

So, I decided to show a bit of my heroic spirit by roughly identifying the identities of the bandits I met, informing the nearby village of the items that could help identify them, and sharing some seasoned heroic tales.

The story package containing the content of me using excellent tactics to surround and annihilate up to 50 bandits alone delighted those who had nothing else to enjoy.

And for those who considered giving nicknames a lifelong stamp of fate, this was an opportunity not to be missed.

It was a crucial opportunity to change my nickname. That’s why I decided to take the lesson from my experience in Volle and push for an even cooler nickname this time.

“I have a favor to ask. Could you… call me ‘Black Knight’?”

“Of course. ‘Glowing Sword’.”

“Glowing Sword! Glowing Sword! Glowing Sword!”

“Come on.”

It seems a bit off from the start, but it’s not too late to turn back. Probably.

Where did it go wrong? Was it from the moment I started showing off to the people in every inn I visited, telling them to come and see something amazing under the dimly lit table?

Anyway, regardless of the direction, it was clear that my efforts to become famous were not in vain.

As I pondered who to show the Glowing Sword to while staying in a room at the inn and going down to the first floor, Filah’s subtitle suddenly came to me and started chattering like this.

“Are you the one called ‘Glowing Sword’?”

“I don’t really want to, but… what’s going on?”

“Getting to the point, are you interested in peace?”