Ch.211EP.47 – Knights’ Night March (5)

Have you ever accidentally disturbed a beehive when you were young?

Then you’d know.

How normally docile bees can become so fierce and vicious when angered.

How truly terrifying the gentle ones can be when they’re enraged.

Dong, dong-!

The warning bells of the temple rang in succession.

It was an alarm signaling intruders, and the footsteps of priests and nuns moved in perfect unison throughout the Grand Temple.

“Apostates! Find the apostates!”

“Inquisitors, Holy Knights, move immediately! Contact the monks quickly too!”

“…The monks? They won’t move…”

“Ah, tell them it’s a crisis for the temple!”

A powerful sonic boom resonated throughout the Grand Temple.

No one failed to hear it, and priests who normally never showed anger or impatience in any situation were now gritting their teeth.

The atmosphere had already been tense lately, and now the Grand Temple itself had been breached?

This couldn’t possibly be overlooked, and even the monks who never interfered in temple affairs would have to be called in.

As countless people gathered, those holding torches displayed hostility like enraged Spartan soldiers, and in this moment…

“They’re scarier than mine.”

“Priests are terrifying when angry.”

“Get caught and we’ll be burned alive.”

Even the fearless champions couldn’t help but shrink back in terror.

It happened on a moonlit night.

* * *

“…Why did you have to charge in like madmen and make things this bad?”

Ihan scolded the two guys in the narrow emergency passage they had barely found.

He normally never blamed others, but he was primarily angry because they had gone through so much trouble to infiltrate the Grand Temple only for the situation to turn out like this, and yet…

“Hmph, what was I supposed to do about your suspicious appearance?”

“I sensed your formidable aura and thought I’d subdue you first. Don’t be upset. It was just a friendly greeting between men!”

…The complete lack of remorse was what secondarily made his blood boil.

‘Ah, I want to draw my sword.’

Now I understand why violence persists even in advanced civilized societies.

It’s because they’re full of people who make you want to clench your fists like this.

‘Should I beat these guys up and surrender to the priests?’

They might show leniency then-?

Ihan was seriously considering it when, as if reading his thoughts, the two idiots spoke in turn.

“Calm yourself. Picking a fight would only harm a rogue like you.”

“I never shy away from combat, but we must restrain ourselves now, haha!”

“…Your pretending to be rational now is what irritates me most, you fools.”

These half-demon guys were probably the intruders the priests had been chasing before meeting him.

Already caught yet pretending to be rational…

Especially…

“For someone who acts so superior, you got caught pretty quickly.”

“…I’m already irritated because of him, so please stop bringing that up.”

“Irritated? At your age, that’s not good. Be careful, such things can become illness.”

“……”

…For a moment, Ihan felt he could read the spearman’s mind.

‘He looks like he wants to kill that guy.’

I know that feeling.

Though just a guess, the reason the stealthy spearman was discovered must be connected to that big guy, and he probably wants to impale him with his spear right now.

‘I know that feeling.’

From their first meeting to the incident in the tunnel.

Having experienced what kind of person Maximus was through a series of events, he could guess what the spearman had gone through and felt a bit of sympathy.

It was an unexpected sense of shared suffering, and for the first time, Ihan…

“…How did you end up involved with him?”

“…Damn it all.”

He patted the spearman’s shoulder comfortingly, and the spearman frowned intensely while grabbing the back of his neck.

He was truly experiencing what it meant to be sick with anger.

* * *

“……”

Silence fell for a moment.

They hadn’t explicitly agreed to be quiet; there was simply nothing to talk about.

After all, what should he say first?

Should he bluntly ask, ‘Why are you here?’

‘…That’s ridiculous.’

The fact that all three of them were hiding so quietly already indicated that none of them had infiltrated the Grand Temple for legitimate reasons.

Therefore, rather than creating an uncomfortable atmosphere with unnecessary words, it was best to maintain silence and wait for things to quiet down outside before parting ways at the right moment.

However…

“…You’ve grown stronger.”

“?”

“If not for this situation, I’d seriously want to fight you.”

“…I’ll pass. Especially with you, I absolutely won’t fight.”

“Huh, have you forgotten our fierce battle that day? Wasn’t it enjoyable for both of us?”

“…You crazy bastard.”

What a shameless guy.

Ihan felt a sudden headache when Maximus mentioned their fierce battle in the tunnel.

Just remembering that day naturally caused this reaction.

‘I was such an idiot…’

Yes, he had certainly engaged in that fierce battle with him as if possessed, but in retrospect, that confrontation was clearly “an epic act of stupidity.”

Why on earth did he do such a thing in the heart of enemy territory…

Even Nol wouldn’t have done something so thoughtless, and the fact that he had been an even bigger idiot than Nol (by Pendragon standards, this was a tremendous insult) made him kick off his blanket even in his sleep.

A dark history.

That was the appropriate name for it.

And…

“Fierce battle?”

“……”

Of all people, the one he least wanted to discover his dark history reacted.

As far as he knew, this guy was sharp and quick-witted, and additionally-

“Ha, seems you two had some fun in the tunnel.”

…He knew a lot too.

The guy had apparently gathered and calculated information from his conversation with Maximus, and now wore a sneer.

“So the tunnel collapse was because of you two.”

“…It wasn’t really my fault, it was just ready to collapse anyway.”

“But you two delivered the final blow, right?”

“……”

“What a spectacle. Do you enjoy such antics in enemy territory?”

“…Ahem.”

There was nothing to say to that.

However,

“Haha, what is there to be embarrassed about! We fought fiercely then, risking our lives! It was an intense battle that elevated our spiritual caliber, a duel that surely impressed both the Silver Dragon and the Lion King! Our heroic tale must have delighted even the heroes of Avalon! Uahahaha!”

Maximus, exuding pride rather than mere confidence, laughed heartily.

Should this be called boldness, or perhaps the way of a warrior…

‘Talking with this man makes me feel relatively normal.’

Just as he was thinking this…

“Come to think of it, Wolf, I heard you also had a fierce battle with my friend in the Empire. I heard you fought against a Tower Master who committed unforgivable sins? Splendid!”

“!!?”

“Friend? Me and you…?”

Somehow the reactions were misaligned.

While Ihan reacted sourly to the word “friend,” Lac seemed to freeze at the revelation of his actions.

Indeed, the battle with the Tower Master was a secret known only to a select few.

And having such actions exposed…

“…The North’s intelligence network is not bad.”

“I only know what I know.”

It was certainly cause for heightened vigilance, and Lac’s expression hardened, but Maximus shrugged as if he hadn’t mentioned this to raise the wolf’s guard.

“Don’t be so wary. I’m merely expressing my admiration. And I only know that you defeated the Tower Master, not the details. My nephew was tight-lipped about it.”

“I’ll choose to believe that for now.”

“My, how suspicious you are.”

It’s probably not a lie that the Dark One kept his mouth shut.

The poor relationship between the Dark One and the Grand Duke is quite well-known.

Recognizing this fact, Lac raised his guard, and Maximus…

“Don’t glare so much. I’m not mentioning this to showcase the North’s intelligence capabilities, but to gain your trust.”

“Trust? At this point?”

“When it was just the two of us, I also heightened my vigilance, not knowing when you might stab me in the back. But now, my friend is here. A powerful warrior that neither you nor I could guarantee victory against…”

“……”

The two knights’ gazes naturally turned to Ihan, and he scratched his cheek.

This atmosphere…

‘Why do I suddenly feel like I’ve been chosen as the group project leader?’

Ihan wanted to escape from this place.

* * *

…They say ominous premonitions always come true.

“How about we cooperate? Our objectives seem similar.”

“Do you even know what I’m trying to do?”

“Hmm, planning to steal a holy relic, aren’t you?”

“……”

“Given your personality, holy relics, or rather indulgences, would feel like shackles to you. They’re evidence of entanglement with the temple, after all. So I thought you might be targeting a holy relic. Am I wrong?”

“You’re sharper than you look…”

“How flattering.”

“It wasn’t a compliment, I was being sarcastic, sir.”

Indeed, those at the knight commander level aren’t just physically strong; they can also use their brains to some extent.

‘…That gentleman’s problem is that he deliberately doesn’t use his brain.’

A man whose body is so exceptional that he doesn’t need to use his head, but when he actually does think, he’s extraordinarily sharp.

That was Maximus.

“…It’s impressive that you figured out my objective, but neither you nor him are after holy relics, right?”

Though he talks about cooperation, from Ihan’s perspective, their objectives were all different.

What use is cooperation when goals don’t align?

To this question…

“As it happens, they seem to align.”

“?”

“Look at this.”

“??”

A silk pouch…?

Ihan was puzzled by Maximus suddenly producing a pouch, but when Maximus turned it inside out…

Thud.

…A crumpled note fell out, and he could clearly see the writing on the paper.

[‘If you follow the knight who ‘hates’ and ‘has killed many’ wizards in the world, you might achieve your goal.]

…What is this? This sentence that seems to point to a specific person?

“What is this?”

“It’s a strategy written by a sorcerer descended from witches. He told me to take out one note each time I entered the temple. Once when entering, twice when in danger of being discovered, and finally when I met you two, and this is what was written.”

“……”

“I wondered what it meant, but when I met you, I understood. The sorcerer’s strategy is truly mysterious, haha.”

“…What nonsense is this?”

What, is that supposed to be some kind of mystical stratagem?

‘He’s talking nonsense. How could such a thing exist?’

Ihan gave the spearman a look of disbelief, as if seeking agreement.

Don’t you think this guy is crazy?

“A-Amazing! I wondered what the North was hiding, but you have a strategist skilled in sorcery by your side! The North is truly dangerous.”

“……”

…That one isn’t normal either.

Seeing the guy nod in agreement when he sought validation, Ihan thought again.

He wished they would all just disappear…

*

*

*

“Is it true? He’s coming here?”

“Yes, if what he said is true.”

“…How strange, I thought he was dead.”

“He must have deceived even us completely.”

“Hmm, I can’t wait to meet him.”

Sling.

“So I can tear him apart with my own hands.”

“You’ll have your chance.”

They wore sinister smiles.

Soon their prey would walk into the tiger’s den on its own, or rather…

“Number 8, I wonder how that cute one has grown.”

They eagerly awaited their former cute colleague.