Ch.278EP.62 – What is a Knight’s Cause to Fight? (1)/Title Revised

Splash!

A trout leaped from the river water.

As if rejoicing that the fog had cleared and the sun rarely shone through.

But the trout, no, to be precise…

Splash! Splaaash!

The trout began to leap because he was gradually dipping his feet into the water.

Was this the survival instinct of living creatures?

The trout were struggling to survive in their own way, and he could only tilt his head in confusion.

“What’s wrong with these things?”

Having no intention of threatening the trout, he didn’t understand why this was happening.

He merely furrowed his brow slightly, wondering if the trout had collectively gone mad.

But soon.

Boom!

“Ah, so that’s why.”

He figured the reason the trout were going crazy was because of the battle taking place in the distance.

Even though they were quite far from the battlefield, seeing them react this strongly made him think an incredible battle must be raging.

Yet despite knowing such a battle was occurring.

“Should I catch one and eat it as sashimi?”

He remained leisurely.

It wasn’t because he didn’t understand the gravity of the battle.

He simply ‘believed’ in them.

After all, they had earnestly crossed swords and shields, and he had taught them personally.

‘It’s needless worry.’

They were strong.

Strong as individuals, and dozens of times stronger when moving as a group…!

It was rare for him to hold others in such high regard, so his trust was strong, and thus he felt neither worry nor anxiety.

If anything, he only regretted not being able to punish that damned pervert with his own hands.

But one must quickly let go of lingering attachments.

‘I’ll do what I need to do.’

Swoooosh!

Having reached a depth where there was no place to stand, he was now swimming in front of a waterfall.

The waterfall was quite a spectacle even from a distance, but approaching it up close revealed its extraordinary grandeur.

Though cute compared to massive waterfalls that drop hundreds of tons of water, it could still easily swallow a person whole if they weren’t careful.

“Well, it’s pretty nice.”

However, for someone who bench-pressed 1,000kg daily and had withstood even greater pressures, it wasn’t particularly impressive.

If there was a problem…

‘Free diving isn’t exactly my specialty.’

With a wry smile, Ihan took a deep breath and dove under the waterfall without any equipment.

The world that had seemed infinitely bright thanks to the sunlight suddenly turned dark.

Darkness where even light couldn’t reach immediately enveloped him, and while most people would tremble with fear of such pitch-black darkness, Ihan continued diving silently.

Though there was no light, his eyes shone as if containing starlight.

And so he…!

“Puahh!!”

*Cough, cough!!*

…learned firsthand that diving isn’t for everyone.

* * *

Drip, drip…

“Well, succeeded on the fourth try…”

Ihan had finally succeeded in diving.

About 350m?

Considering the world record is around 130m, one might wonder if this is even humanly possible, but it was only possible because of his ridiculous lung capacity and skin and bones tougher than metal.

Nevertheless, the reason he had to try four times was probably because he was a diving novice?

But the key point was that despite being a novice, he had succeeded, and Ihan slowly got up, shaking off the water.

‘But it really was here?’

The guy who had transitioned to being a bomber had been confident, but Ihan never imagined that a secret chamber would exist in such a simple place.

No, is this hiding place too sloppy…

‘Ah, it’s not really sloppy, is it?’

Even if one knew that Modred’s secret chamber was under the waterfall, diving 350 meters wasn’t generally possible.

To reiterate, Ihan’s physical abilities weren’t just limited to tough skin and bones; his internal organs were also tough and sturdy, making such a dive possible with his bare body. Without that, reaching this depth would be nearly impossible even with cutting-edge equipment.

Especially while withstanding the pressure and flow of the fierce waterfall…

It was something only Ihan could do, and thus only Ihan could discover.

However.

“…How did they build this?”

He was amazed that someone had even come this far.

The fact that there was such a large oxygen-filled space here.

“I don’t know how the structure works, but it’s really fascinating…”

There seemed to be a breeze, and Ihan was certain that there must be an entrance to this underground space from the surface.

…Which made him wonder if he was an idiot for taking this shortcut out of stubbornness.

“Hmm…”

Just as self-doubt was beginning to set in, fortunately, there were beings that ended Ihan’s concerns.

[Grrrr!]

[Grrrrr…!]

“…Do the grand nobles raise these things in their secret chambers too?”

What suddenly appeared were ‘wild dogs.’

Not actual wild dogs, but creatures clearly infused with magical properties, making them magical beasts.

They resembled Dobermans but were about twice the size of normal ones, with all the cuteness or coolness of the breed gone, replaced with pure ferocity.

“Hellhounds?”

Or by another name.

Thud!

[Kahaaaaak!]

They were also known as Hellhounds.

A pack of about thirty hellhounds spotted Ihan and immediately charged at him, digging in their paws.

Baring their savage, saw-like teeth to tear him apart, they…

Clang!

[Keeeng…!?]

…broke their teeth.

All of them that had charged.

“What a waste of size, you lot.”

Ihan clicked his tongue, not even feeling the need to dodge.

They might look impressive, but could they chew through rock with those?

They were still hanging on, trying to bite his body, but they couldn’t inflict even a single wound. Ihan’s eyes met those of a hellhound still clinging to him.

Despite their fierce appearance, they were still dogs with moist eyes.

They looked almost as if they were begging for mercy, but Ihan…

“-Acting pitiful after exuding such killing intent, who would fall for that?”

Crack!

He separated their heads from their bodies in one go.

* * *

The inside of the secret chamber mysteriously formed an ecosystem.

There weren’t trees or grass, but countless glowing mosses and mushrooms were visible, along with magical beasts like the hellhounds whose heads and bodies had just been separated by Ihan.

He guessed they were probably summoned by the evil energy floating in the secret chamber.

It wasn’t a particularly strange phenomenon.

Just as undead are sometimes created by evil or death energy, magical beasts can multiply from animal carcasses that happen to flow in from outside.

…Doesn’t that make them more like bacteria or mold?

That’s correct.

‘Come to think of it, they are like mold.’

The worse aspect compared to mold is that as these creatures multiply, they use each other as sacrifices to birth even stronger magical beasts.

In other words.

[Grrrrrr!]

[Kahaaaaak!]

Things like that are born.

A dog with two heads howled.

A magical beast that looked overwhelmingly stronger than the hellhounds growled, and Ihan was reminded of something.

“Orthrus, was it?”

Working as an instructor, he delegated most tasks to his assistants, but there were still many books he had to read or be familiar with.

He seemed to recall seeing it in a book called <Encyclopedia of Magical Beasts>.

A magical beast ranked among the upper-tier dog-type magical beasts along with the three-headed dog.

…But why was it classified as an upper-tier magical beast?

‘Should have read it more carefully.’

Ihan reproached his past self for only skimming through it.

It would have been good to read it properly.

But isn’t regret always too late?

[Kraaang!]

Orthrus let out a loud howl.

Kuwoong!

The beast’s howl was so powerful that it shook the entire secret chamber.

The howl filled with killing intent was powerful in itself, and Ihan half-opened his eyes.

[Grrrr!]

[Ssssss.]

Orthrus seemed to sneer.

It appeared to misunderstand that Ihan was frightened by its howl, and Orthrus’s two heads and snake-like tail glistened as if eyeing its prey.

What could be felt in those blood-red eyes was ‘hunger’, and Orthrus had identified Ihan as food.

And for Ihan, who had guessed the magical beast’s thoughts through its red eyes:

“Wow, I can’t believe this ridiculous bastard.”

He was utterly dumbfounded.

Was it really being confident with just that?

A howl?

Don’t make him laugh. How could that be called a howl, and how could it possibly instill fear in its prey? He couldn’t understand it at all.

Because if you want to talk about a howl…

“-Hey, you mongrel. Watch carefully. This is how you howl.”

[Krung?]

“Haah─!”

Ihan inhaled and thought.

Come to think of it, it had been a while since he’d let one out.

None other than…

[[AAAAAAAARGH!]]

BOOOOOOM-!!

A lion’s roar.

A thunderous roar, more massive and intense than that of a high-tier magical beast, filled with enough spirit to shatter rocks, shook the secret chamber.

*

*

*

Boom!

The effects of the earthquake weren’t limited to just one place.

It affected the entire ecosystem in the secret chamber, and this…

“…What is that sound?”

It also affected the warriors who had been surviving in this cave for a long time.

“It seems a new high-tier magical beast has been born, my lord.”

“Sigh, Orthrus alone is giving me a headache,”

“But wouldn’t it be good if they fought and injured each other?”

“…However, if one survives and devours the other, it would become a disaster.”

“……”

His insight was correct.

As he said, these high-tier magical beasts grow stronger by devouring magical beasts equal to or stronger than themselves.

Especially if Orthrus evolved into an even higher being, dealing with it would become even more troublesome.

Therefore.

“Felix.”

“Yes, Head of the Family.”

“You’ll have to suffer a bit. I don’t care which one wins, but seize the opportunity to end the wounded magical beast.”

It was actually a dishonorable order.

Not fair and square, but to take a life in a cowardly manner.

Others might exercise their right to refuse such an order, but…

Thud!

“I, Felix de Modred, will follow my lord’s orders!”

This didn’t apply to the man called Felix.

“Hmm, are you sure you understood correctly?”

“Yes!!!”

“…You can speak quietly.”

“Understood-!!!”

“Hmm….”

The family head’s face showed distrust toward the loyal knight.

As if he trusted the warrior’s skills but not the mind behind those clear eyes.