Ch.197Free Knight (2)

Free Knight, Najin.

At the young man’s introduction, Jowell’s eyes widened. Jowell knew that name. In fact, he couldn’t possibly not know it. News of this rising star had spread even to the distant battlefields of the Outer Continent.

“Remember that guy who became the youngest Sword Seeker? What was his name… Najin?”

“How could I forget? A once-in-a-generation genius who became a Sword Seeker at 18.”

“I heard he earned two Stars at once recently.”

“Come on. That’s impossible. Even lies should be somewhat believable. Say something that makes sense.”

“……”

“……You’re not joking?”

He remembered having such a conversation with a comrade a few days ago.

The “Free Knight” part was unexpected, but Jowell thought that with such achievements, he deserved the title of Free Knight.

While recalling this memory, a gust of wind blew, ruffling Jowell’s hair. Forgetting to run, he instinctively looked back.

Did something just pass by?

Belatedly, Jowell realized that Najin had rushed past him. Najin was charging toward the horde of undead that had been chasing Jowell.

“Wait, you……”

Jowell reflexively reached out toward Najin.

He intended to stop him. True, this young man was an unprecedented genius who had earned two Stars at the age of 18, but he was still just a Sword Seeker like himself. There were too many undead for a single Sword Seeker to handle.

At least thirty undead.

Plus the magical beasts and monsters mixed among them.

It was definitely not an enemy a Sword Seeker could face alone. Jowell’s gaze wavered. Should he join? Should he jump in too? The knight in him screamed “yes,” but the human Jowell, stripped of armor and sword, couldn’t move readily.

While hesitating in this conflict, he soon realized that his concern was unnecessary.

Flash.

For a moment, Najin’s figure disappeared among the undead, then a brilliant light flashed. It was a light that couldn’t be obscured by the bodies of the undead. The moment that light flashed—

SLASH!

The undead bodies split apart.

In one breath, ten undead were cut in half. The bisected bodies split again, and again into quarters. By the fifth flash, the undead bodies had been shattered into dozens of pieces.

The sword light flashed several times per second. Each time it flashed, the fragmented undead collapsed.

Jowell’s eyes widened in disbelief.

What am I witnessing? This young man is supposed to be a Sword Seeker, isn’t he? To Jowell’s eyes, this was no Sword Seeker. Though he should be at the same level, Jowell could barely follow Najin’s movements.

Fast. Incredibly fast.

Not just fast, but every movement was efficient.

Normally, undead can only be killed by piercing their hearts, and they know this, so they desperately protect their hearts. When an undead, who was at least a Sword Seeker in life, focuses on protecting a single part of their body, breaking through that defence is no easy task.

Swish.

As if well aware of this fact, Najin didn’t bother trying to cut difficult areas. He sliced between joints, tore through calves, cut legs to disrupt balance, and then thrust his sword into their hearts.

The finishing move was a simple thrust—extending the sword forward and pulling it back. Against an opponent whose defense had crumbled, such an attack was sufficient.

And this entire process happened with incredible speed. If you missed a moment of movement, it looked as if the undead were being finely minced.

‘What is this……’

It took less than a few minutes for thirty undead and monsters to be slaughtered. Najin, who had literally ground the undead horde to pieces, lightly shook his sword.

“Whew.”

After exhaling briefly, Najin sheathed his sword.

Then he turned toward Jowell, but stopped midway to pick up Jowell’s sword from the ground. It was the sword Jowell had thrown away while fleeing.

Najin looked at Jowell.

A look that said, isn’t this your sword?

When Jowell slowly nodded, Najin gathered Jowell’s sword and the armor he had cast off and approached him. As he received them, Jowell couldn’t bring himself to meet Najin’s eyes.

“Ah, thank you.”

Because he felt shame and insignificance. Jowell’s eyes darkened as he looked at his dirt-covered sword and armor.

“Well……”

“I’m Najin.”

“No, I know your name. How could I not? Besides, I just heard it……”

Well then? Najin looked at Jowell as if telling him to speak if he had something to say. Finally meeting his gaze, Jowell’s lips trembled.

“I thank you for saving me. I am Jowell, a knight of the Nost unit guarding the northern border.”

“…The northern border?”

“Yes. The one bordering the Outer Continent.”

Najin made a curious expression.

Then, as if understanding, he nodded.

“Yes, pleased to meet you, Sir Jowell.”

“You… no, I’m sorry. What brings Sir Najin to a place like this? If you need any information or guidance, please don’t hesitate to ask. I’ll do my best to help.”

Even as he said this, Jowell felt insignificant.

Jowell knew. The young man before him had merely saved his life, wouldn’t expect anything in return, and probably didn’t need his help.

Nevertheless, Jowell deliberately asked Najin if he “needed” anything, if there was anything he could help with. His meager pride made him say such things.

Even after saying it, Jowell regretted it. I shouldn’t have said that. I should have just bowed my head in gratitude. Why did I do this? Was I embarrassed, as a knight, to receive help without giving anything in return?

Jowell’s expression darkened further.

And Najin.

“……”

Silently stared at Jowell.

Najin’s eyes narrowed. After a moment of contemplation, Najin waved his hand in front of Jowell. Then he snapped his fingers a couple of times in front of Jowell’s eyes.

As if checking for a response.

“Hmm?”

Jowell tilted his head at Najin’s strange behavior. Only then did Najin answer, “It’s nothing,” and smiled at Jowell.

“Sir Jowell? Do you happen to have any refreshments?”

“……Hmm, refreshments?”

“Food or drink. It’s been a while since I’ve eaten anything.”

“I do have some combat rations.”

“That sounds good.”

Najin nodded, then brought firewood from somewhere and lit a fire. Watching Najin, Jowell awkwardly sat down across from him.

2.

Crackle, crackle……

By the blazing campfire, Jowell warmed up combat rations and drinks. Though it was a meager repayment for saving his life, Najin seemed satisfied as he bit into a piece of jerky.

“This is quite tasty, salty but good.”

“You think so?”

“Yes, this too is quite……”

Jerky, dried combat rations, and soup. Savoring them as if they were a feast, Najin looked at Jowell.

“How long have you been in the Outer Continent, Sir Jowell?”

“About 1-2 years, I think.”

“Not very long then.”

“That’s right. I’m still a rookie. Unlike the other knights in my unit, I’m not used to life in the Outer Continent. I haven’t adapted yet.”

Jowell smiled bitterly.

“In fact, I feel like I’m wearing clothes that don’t suit me.”

“Don’t suit you?”

“I wear armor as a knight, this armor, which didn’t feel heavy on the continent, feels unbearably heavy here in the Outer Continent.”

The armor is heavy. Jowell had placed his armor—the one he had thrown off and Najin had retrieved—beside him, but he wasn’t putting it back on.

“May I vent a little? I feel guilty for taking up the time of such an excellent knight as yourself, but……”

“We’re both knights, aren’t we? Please, go ahead.”

“Thank you.”

Jowell exhaled deeply before speaking.

“To be honest, watching you earlier made me feel ashamed.”

Shame. Humiliation. And insignificance.

“You’re 18 years old, if I’m not mistaken, right?”

Flinch. Najin’s lips moved slightly before he nodded.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“You’re young. No, not young—you’re a child. I’m embarrassed to say that I’m 122 years old.”

The 122-year-old knight feels ashamed.

Of this situation where he’s venting to a boy a hundred years his junior, and of his own circumstances. To hide this shame, Jowell praised Najin.

“To set foot in the Outer Continent at such an age—that’s an impressive resolve. Honestly, I admire you.”

“Do you?”

“Of course! It’s also amazing that you’ve reached such a level so soon after becoming a Sword Seeker. You’re truly a heroic example.”

“Thank you for saying so.”

Jowell laughed and rubbed his arm.

“Though I pale in comparison to you……”

Looking at the blazing campfire, Jowell recalled his past.

“I too made quite a name for myself on the continent. I achieved some impressive feats. I even earned a Star and managed to have my name recorded in history books.”

That’s how it was on the continent.

On the continent, Jowell shone. He never felt insignificant or ashamed. He could proudly, with shoulders squared, call himself a knight.

“So when I volunteered for the Outer Continent, for this battlefield…… I thought I could shine here just as I did on the continent.”

He spread his arms wide and declared theatrically:

“Who am I? Sword Seeker, Knight of Drevy, Jowell! Before my young master, the next head of Drevy, I declared that I would live as a knight even here. That I would elevate the reputation of Drevy.”

But Jowell gave a bitter smile.

“Reality wasn’t so kind. In this land, I’m less than a common soldier. Far from shining, I’m getting stained and tarnished. Now I can hardly introduce myself as a knight of House Drevy in front of others. Instead of elevating the name, I’m tarnishing it.”

Crackle, watching the blazing campfire, he muttered.

“I’m afraid. I fear everything in this land. I fear the undead who don’t die even when their limbs are cut off or their heads severed. I fear the monsters that devour starlight. I fear demons, I fear the stars in the night sky, and I fear the transcendents who might appear before me at any moment.”

Jowell groaned.

“Above all, what frightens me most is that in this land, there is no such thing as a beautiful end.”

He pointed to the crumbled remains of the undead.

“Every time I think those undead might be my end, I’m overwhelmed with fear. I wonder if I should have met an honorable death on the continent, and I regret it every night.”

Jowell looked at Najin.

A young man who shone unlike himself.

“Just a little while ago, I said I would be the decoy in place of my comrades, I made such a grand statement, prepared for a grand finale……”

Jowell hung his head.

“But I was gripped by fear. Screaming like a coward, throwing away my armor and sword, I became not a knight but a mere coward. Truly disgraceful.”

When he raised his head again, envy gleamed in Jowell’s eyes. Perhaps it was also inferiority.

“I envy you, Sir Najin.”

“Me?”

“Yes. I too wanted to be a shining knight like you, a hero who makes his presence known even in this Outer Continent.”

Hearing those words, Najin was considerably taken aback.

It was something he had never imagined.

Come to think of it, though he had risen to a position worthy of admiration, Najin had no awareness of it. Najin had always looked only forward, only upward, never turning back.

“I wanted to be a hero like you.”

But looking back.

He had already become someone’s dream and goal. This fact struck Najin as strange.

“That’s… a bit unfamiliar.”

“Unfamiliar? What do you mean?”

“Actually, I envied knights with titles like Sir Jowell. That was my dream.”

Jowell blinked.

“Me?”

“To someone crawling at the bottom like me, all knights seemed to shine. Of course, there were some knights devoid of honor… but Sir Jowell is different, right?”

“That’s not true. Didn’t you see? How I screamed like a coward and ran away.”

“So what if you screamed a little?”

Najin shrugged.

“Buying time for your comrades. Becoming bait and running away…… isn’t that a noble choice?”

“That was just me wanting a glorious end.”

“A glorious end. If you acted that way because you wanted a knightly end, that makes you even more of a knight. Don’t you think?”

Jowell exhaled.

“Didn’t I look disgraceful?”

“Not at all. Not in the slightest.”

“I ran away after removing my armor. In the final moment, I thought what value could honor and pride have. I doubted the value of knighthood.”

“What value is there in blind faith? It’s valuable precisely because you doubt, question, yet cannot give up.”

“Valuable because you doubt yet cannot give up, huh.”

The old knight pondered the young knight’s words.

“Good… truly a good expression.”

He smiled bitterly.

“I should be the one teaching you, having lived a hundred years longer, yet I’m the one receiving wisdom.”

“Is there really a hierarchy in learning?”

“That’s also true. Thank you for listening to an old knight’s lament. It’s made my heart a little lighter. May I ask one last thing?”

“Of course.”

“Sir Najin, that is… in the eyes of a Free Knight, a knight among knights, how do I appear? Can I still call myself a knight?”

Crackle, the campfire blazed fiercely.

Looking at Jowell’s eyes reflecting the flickering flames, Najin smiled.

“Of course. You are absolutely a knight.”

“Hahaha! To be acknowledged by my hero. Thank you. That makes my heart a little lighter.”

Jowell burst into hearty laughter.

“I feel bad for taking up so much of your valuable time. I should start packing up……”

“Sir Jowell.”

Najin called out to Jowell as he was about to stand up. Najin’s platinum-colored eyes gazed at Jowell.

“You said you fear what comes after death?”

“Yes. Becoming an undead, forgetting myself and turning into a beast—it’s terribly frightening.”

“I’d like to ease that fear a little.”

“How would you do that?”

Najin clenched his fist and then opened it.

In his hand, five stars were orbiting.

Challenge, Dragonslayer, Penetration, Unyielding, and.

“Mourning.”

The Star of Mourning.

“That’s the name of one of my Stars.”

“Mourning, as in carrying a corpse to its grave?”

“Yes, it also means guiding the dead to where they should go.”

“Haha. Just like the ferryman of the underworld.”

“The job is similar, I suppose. The difference would be…… decorating the final moments.”

In Najin’s hand, the Star of Mourning glowed softly. Jowell found himself staring at it absently. It emitted a comfortable, warm, and soothing light.

“Sir Jowell.”

“……”

“Knight of Drevy, Sir Jowell.”

“Ah, yes. Did you call me?”

“I’d like to move you.”

“Me? Where to?”

“To where you should rightfully close your eyes.”

Jowell tried to understand Najin’s words.

Move me? Why? What does this mean? Something, something didn’t add up. It felt like gears turning out of sync. Come to think of it, something was strange.

‘Stars, five, why? Wasn’t it two? Just days ago, I heard this young man had earned two Stars, but?’

A sense of dissonance. Frowning, Jowell suddenly looked at his own hand. Then his eyes widened.

The hand he saw was rotting and decayed.

Not the hand of a living person.

“……”

Jowell’s eyes trembled. Blinking, he looked at Najin. Najin was holding the Star of Mourning in one hand, while pointing at Jowell’s face with the other.

“You can remove the mask now.”

Jowell felt his face.

“You don’t need to hide behind that anymore.”

There was a mask on his face.

A ridiculous clown mask.

As he touched the mask that hadn’t fully adhered to his face yet, Jowell couldn’t help but laugh.

Ah, Jowell sighed.

“I see.”

Jowell smiled bitterly.

“I was no longer among the living.”