episode_0073

The peaceful early days of the new year, when families would gather around the fire, were uneasy from the start.

The new year, which began with the Emperor kneeling before the Pope in a once-in-a-lifetime event, sent shockwaves throughout the Empire.

After capturing the attention of the world, about three months passed without any major incidents.

Those who were originally uninterested in the complexities of the world gradually forgot about it. Their worries were more about the daily grind than the intricate power struggles.

But the nobles who were unconcerned about such worries closed their eyes and ears, waiting for just one piece of news.

Despite the vitality of spring blossoming everywhere, the atmosphere among the nobles was cold and heavy. Beneath the surface, numerous alliances and betrayals were taking place.

The world seemed peaceful, and finally, as spring approached, the days began to warm.

Merchants carried their goods onto the streets, hoping for a year without any trouble.

And then came summer.

A fact that everyone had forgotten finally resurfaced.

“It is time at last. Let us drive out the cunning and corrupt traitors! For our Emperor!”

“Let us crush the illegitimate alliance that has gathered without reason. They will be like candles in the wind before our bravery!”

The armies of each faction gathered and set out.

Those who had been interested in the dynamics between the nobles and the Emperor sighed, realizing that the time had come. However, most of them watched the Empire being engulfed in civil war without understanding the reasons behind it.

An unjust war…why? Unanswerable questions lingered in their minds.

But regardless of their confusion, events had already been set in motion.

Merchants who had not received answers to their prayers cursed and either retreated from the conflict or took longer routes, while those who had been quick to react began selling off their stockpiled weapons at a bargain.

Travelers found themselves stranded in remote villages or cities, unable to return home or reach their destinations.

The world was once again plunged into chaos.

And amidst the chaos, there were those who thrived, namely the opportunists.

Bandits, thieves, rogues, pirates.

Emerging from the collapsed security, they wreaked havoc across the Empire.

The soldiers who were supposed to control them were either taken away by the nobles to protect their homes or used to target the Emperor, making it seem unlikely that the situation would be resolved.

Nevertheless, someone had to do something. If no one else would, then it had to be me.

I had made a promise to myself, and to the girl.

“Kyeong, are you ready?”

“Let’s go.”

As I watched the approaching dots on the sea, I put on my helmet.

It was time to act.

*****

In the southern region of the Empire, there were a few famous specialties.

If you were to ask people to name them, the first thing that would come to mind was wine.

Due to the cold weather in the north, grapes did not grow well and fermentation was difficult.

While it was not exclusively produced here, the best quality wine could be found by heading south.

Next on the list was olives. They could be chewed when feeling peckish, but more importantly, they could be pressed for oil to use in lamps.

For those who stayed up late into the night, they were an essential companion.

While the first two were easily answered, if you were to ask what else was there, most would simply shrug.

After all, a specialty should have a unique characteristic that can only be found in that region. But there were no clear candidates.

A person with some insight might say that there are academic materials produced in universities, but it was ambiguous to call this a unique product.

However, there was another specialty product mainly found in this region.

The merchants handling this specialty product would often say, “Thank you, truly thank you!”

“Praise be to God! We thought they were selling out without a word.”

Here, they were called pirates, targeted for suppression for capturing people and making them slaves.

But as you go further east to the land of the heretics, pirates become merchants, and slaves become specialty products.

The empire’s southernmost point was characterized by calm and warm seas.

Often referred to as the weakest sea compared to the rough seas of the north, the environment allowed numerous merchants to thrive by shuttling in and out of the port.

But growth meant money, and who wouldn’t have a group of people desiring money.

“If you don’t want to die, hand over everything you have!”

“Pirates? Why are pirates on land?”

“Ring the bell! Gather everyone in the village!”

Plundering ships on the sea relied somewhat on luck and was also dangerous.

So occasionally, these pirates would come ashore.

And if it’s land, isn’t it the domain of knights?

I spurred my horse forward. The clattering sound of hooves caught the pirates’ attention, and soon shouts erupted from somewhere.

“I heard he disappeared, why is the Bolle plague here!”

“Wasn’t he supposed to be dead somewhere?!”

“I’ve never experienced death.”

Any pirate, the ruffians of the sea, must be caught as knights, the ruffians of the land.

It had been a long time since I heard the name, but the Bolle plague, resplendently reappearing.

I rode my horse towards the coast, rushing towards the pirates swarming like waves, and with armor as thin as the warm weather, I couldn’t withstand it.

There was no strategy to speak of. Charging into the enemy lines after a charge was cliché, but history had proven its effectiveness.

The three elements that make up a knight.

The mobility of the horse, the might of the sword, and the defense of the armor.

Despite being called the pinnacle of military might of the era, these characteristics were nullified by the word “sea.”

Armor and swords rusted in the salty sea breeze, and horses couldn’t run on water.

On land, knights who ruled as everyone’s nemesis sadly couldn’t match the strength of the pirates.

It had to be acknowledged. Knights on the sea were powerless.

But from the moment they crawled onto land, the story changed.

“So, have you heard of me?”

“The Bolle… plague…”

“It’s been a while since that name was heard.”

Before even stepping over the threshold of the village, the forty pirates were trampled without power and groaned on the ground.

I watched as the village guards came out late and tied them up one by one.

Even if they were pirates, not all pirates were the same.

Some simply plundered ships at sea and made the people inside slaves, but there were also larger factions aiming for a bigger score.

They were planning to raid the monastery where all the money from the village and city gathered. Plundering ships in the open sea was risky, and the income was not stable. And once they plundered, it was easy to escape.

Plunder and immediately flee on a ship. Haven’t we seen this repertoire somewhere?

Sure enough, after the battle ended and I carefully checked, the faces were familiar.

If my memory serves me right, they would have been dressed in full-body hairy clothes in the north, with only their dark faces visible.

But their faces were clearly those of savages, but their clothing had become thinner. The ones who used to perform coastal tours in the north were now coming down to these southern regions to plunder.

I finally understood why my old nickname came out of their mouths. Their enthusiasm and momentum for looting were truly remarkable, but my admiration stops here.

“What are you all doing! Get up and walk right now!”

“Damn it!”

I rounded up the summer edition barbarians who had raided the coast and sent them off to the nearby city one by one.

There was one person approaching me. It was the village magistrate.

“Thank you, sir knight. Thanks to you, we were able to overcome the crisis.”

“It’s thanks to you for letting me know in advance that they were coming to loot. If it had been any later, I wouldn’t have been able to do anything either.”

“Indeed, Sir Knight’s reputation seems to be well-deserved.”

“That’s a nice thing to say. Even if I repelled the attack, there are probably some injured people, so I should go and take care of them.”

“Oh, Sir Knight, are you alright? Shouldn’t you receive treatment?”

I looked at the area the magistrate was pointing to.

As always, I was wearing sturdy armor, but a little blood had seeped through and stained my outer garment.

It wasn’t blood from the enemy. The sharp pain clearly indicated that it was my own wound.

Perhaps I had been hit in the blind spot during the earlier charge. My overheated mind from battle had somewhat regained its composure.

“…This should be fine if I get treatment at the church. I’m not worried.”

“Understood. Then I will go check on them first. May the gods bless Sir Knight’s future!”

I nodded to the magistrate, and after he completely disappeared, I took off my helmet and fell into thought for a moment.

The black blood was sticky, but I didn’t lose my composure.

It was undoubtedly a sword that could be called a masterpiece, and if it even sparkled, it would make anyone fall in love with it.

But as the one using it, I could tell just now.

The sensation was different from before. The feeling of cutting through had a slight sense of foreignness, which was definitely not a delusion.

There is nothing eternal in this world by nature.

No matter how outstanding an adult is, they return to dust in front of time, and even the most powerful relic becomes nothing but a trinket.

It had been already a year since I had been living by clearing out the nearby bandits and pirates.

The effects of the magic bestowed by Lycia were gradually, but surely, diminishing.