Ch.3030. Evernote (4)

“I’ll be seeing the scenery outside the castle before I even get to properly look around inside.”

At my muttering, the horse snorted and stomped as if in response. I stroked the horse’s shoulder, then mounted it with a swift leap after placing the saddle. With me as the last one, the patrol team for Zone 1 was ready. Me, George, Daphne, Marianne, two soldiers from Evernode, and Duke Quenore. While the hero party members were checking their equipment, the northerners stood outside the stable watching us prepare.

“Beyond the outer walls will be a different world from the path we’ve traveled so far. Consider that to be the true face of the North.”

George said. The most noticeable part of his armament was, of course, his massive round shield. It was like a small fortress wall forged with rare metals. In his right hand, he held a morning star that matched that image perfectly.

“You’ll probably encounter quite a few monsters you’ve never seen or heard of before.”

“I suppose so. Monsters not commonly seen around the royal capital would be white wolf packs, trolls, ravens, and wild deer? Though that deer fellow would be hard to spot, so I’ll exclude it.”

When I rattled off this information, George’s eyes widened like saucers in genuine surprise. Somehow, he seemed even more shocked than when Daphne awakened her magic or when I showed him the first stage of the Holy Sword. I chuckled at his dumbfounded expression.

“We should still be wary of the most dangerous one, the ‘Crawler.’ With Duke Quenore accompanying us, nothing should pose much danger, but to make a good impression, we should be vigilant about such hidden threats, right?”

George’s mouth opened even wider. He seemed truly at a loss for words now.

“Wait… Ilroy. Since when did you know such details…? I don’t recall telling you such specific information.”

I shrugged and lightly kicked my horse’s side. George was so surprised that his gaze couldn’t keep up with my moving horse.

“Just being prepared.”

“…What the…”

George was now showing a bewildered smile. Daphne approached me with a puzzled expression. She was wearing an extra winter coat with a fluffy fur hat.

“There are monsters I’ve never heard of before.”

“There are many unique ones. That means we need to be careful when facing them. Marianne, come over here for a moment, I have something to tell you too.”

I briefly explained to the two of them about the characteristics of northern monsters, how the northerners hunt them, and what roles we should play in this patrol. Both of them didn’t ask many questions, so they didn’t seem particularly concerned about how I obtained this information.

After informing Daphne and Marianne, I called out to George, who was standing dazed in the stable. Since he claimed to have experience in northern deployments, he should be able to coordinate well with just a few words. George shook his head vigorously as if trying to shake off his helmet, then mounted his horse and followed behind me. Duke Quenore turned his horse’s head without delay as soon as George came out.

There was no time wasted on inspections at the outer wall. The soldiers, upon seeing the Duke approaching, bustled about preparing to open the gates. The knight assigned to patrol Zone 1 with the Duke commanded in a resonating voice:

“Open the gates!”

Without a moment’s delay, the portcullis began to rise with a creaking sound. Beyond the bars that had been blocking our view, a long path stretched out. We followed the Duke, who led the way.

The path connected to a gentle slope, continuing from the vast, flat plateau we had traveled on. The slope seemed to be the lower jaw of a mountain that had been eroded and smoothed by snowstorms and rain over many years. Looking to the left, I could see mountain ranges forming high and low ridgelines. And everything spread out before us was covered in vast coniferous forests with pitch-black canopies. Looking back, Evernode’s fortress felt like a boundary separating this landscape from the previous one.

“This is magnificent.”

I expressed my unfiltered admiration. When I heard “the North,” I had only imagined a place completely covered in snow during winter, but seeing the summer landscape after the snow had melted was a fresh shock. When Aryen came to the North in the original work, it was winter. The North is greener than I thought. I took a deep breath, inhaling the intensified northern air.

“[It’s been a while since I’ve seen this landscape.]”

The Holy Sword’s appreciation came through as well. I wonder if the Holy Sword had been active in the North before.

“[Is there any place in this world I haven’t been? The North in summer is no exception.]”

The emphasis on “the North in summer” suggested that the Holy Sword found this scenery quite impressive too. As I was staring at the northern landscape with a blank expression, Duke Quenore approached from the side.

“People think Evernode is made only of snow and ice.”

The Duke’s voice carried unmistakable pride.

“How many of them have spent a full year in the North?”

He had reason to be proud. I nodded in acknowledgment. Looking at my companions, they all wore similar expressions. If I looked in a mirror, I’d probably have the same face. The Duke waited for me to take in the scenery before setting off again.

“Patrol Zone 1 begins from here.”

Where the coniferous forest began. Duke Quenore gestured toward the forest leading inward.

“The zone extends from here to where you can barely sense the boundary line. When you reach where you can feel the boundary, mark the patrol zone and check how close they’ve gotten.”

Though I already knew this, I quietly listened to Duke Quenore’s words.

“Check for any other anomalies and thoroughly eliminate any monsters encountered along the way.”

The Duke made this brief announcement and was about to head toward the forest when he narrowed his brows at our formation. It wasn’t so much disapproval as puzzlement, with an expression that seemed to say “surely not…” Yes, it’s exactly the reason you’re thinking.

“Why is the heavy warrior with a shield at the front of the formation, while the hero, you, and the spear warrior are at the very back? Wouldn’t it be more reasonable to stand behind the mage, at the rear of the formation, to prevent ambushes?”

I shrugged.

“If we were patrolling another region, I would have done so, but this is the northern forest. It’s only natural to place the most agile members at the back, isn’t it?”

“…And the reason for that?”

I glared at the deep forest. The sky was clear with the sun shining brightly, but the air was chilly, and the forest ahead was deep and dark. When watching the forest from a distance, it had seemed merely beautiful, but approaching it now, there was a creeping eeriness.

“We’re being cautious of the ‘Crawler.’ They’re as powerful as ash bears, but more cunning than ravens and faster than mountain hares. And they usually silently follow their prey from behind before ambushing.”

I nodded toward Daphne.

“To protect the mage, who is vulnerable to ambushes, it’s right to place at least two people who can quickly respond to surprise attacks at the rear. There’s no need to scout from the front line, and we can trust the heavy warrior to keep watch ahead.”

What had been suspicion in Duke Quenore’s eyes turned to surprise as his suspicions were confirmed. Though he quickly returned to a neutral expression.

“…You know quite a lot.”

“I didn’t waste my time as an adventurer before becoming a hero.”

I mean, I didn’t waste my time reading the novel. I enjoyed the Duke’s deliberately nonchalant reaction.

“Let’s begin the patrol. Always be vigilant of your surroundings.”

And so, we headed into the forest that devoured both light and shadow.

==

When Quenore first started conversing with the hero, he found it unexpected. The hero’s calm demeanor and intellectual presence contradicted the rumors he had heard. And when the boundary line was mentioned, he was quite surprised. While the northern boundary was fairly well-known, not many people knew it was gradually approaching.

‘Well, I suppose it’s natural for a hero to know this much information.’

But the surprise was brief. Perhaps he had underestimated the hero based solely on rumors. Even when he deliberately made provocative remarks during their conversation or didn’t restrain his agitated soldiers, the hero let it slide as if already aware of everything.

Quenore mentally erased several rumors about the hero.

“To protect the mage, who is vulnerable to ambushes, it’s right to place at least two people who can quickly respond to surprise attacks at the rear. There’s no need to scout from the front line, and we can trust the heavy warrior to keep watch ahead.”

And the next day, the hero, whom he had brought along on patrol to test his battlefield performance, prepared as if he had been on patrol many times before. If the hero had simply proceeded with a standard, stable formation, Quenore would have accepted it without question. But the hero calculated the patrol type and risk factors, arranging the formation meticulously. And in the process, revealed fragments of extensive knowledge about monsters.

‘…It seems he’s not someone to be taken lightly.’

More rumors about the hero were erased from Quenore’s mind. Additionally, his evaluation of the hero was adjusted upward.

But the hero’s true capabilities didn’t end there.

“Hero, can you identify that monster?”

“It’s a white wolf pack. George has mentioned them a few times. If we take too long, more will gather, so it’s best to quickly dispatch them.”

And at the hero’s command, the silver-haired woman who had been expressionless and silent swept away the white wolf pack with her spear. Her spear technique was fast and powerful enough to surprise even Quenore.

Of course, while the spear technique was impressive, what was most unexpected was the deep bond and coordination between the hero and his companions. The way he discussed strategy with the heavy warrior George, how the mage looked at the hero, how the spear wielder followed the hero—it made Quenore question whether the conflict with the previous companions was entirely the hero’s fault.

They had dismounted briefly to survey the surroundings. The hero was looking at unnaturally fallen trees.

“It seems a troll has appeared nearby. The ground is violently dug up, and several healthy trees have been broken and fallen. We should proceed with caution.”

He was accurate. The hero’s sharp gaze seemed to be tracking the traces. And not long after the hero’s warning, a troll appeared and roared. Was this information also passed on from that knight, George?

“…A troll has appeared. Can you take it down, hero?”

“I won’t answer that question due to what I said earlier. But I’ll go and handle it.”

Without hesitation, the hero drew the Holy Sword and lunged forward. Though not as fluid and skilled as the spear wielder’s movements and techniques, he fought the troll efficiently.

He dove into the troll’s reach as it swung its large arms, and with one strike, pierced the relatively weak joint of its hind leg. While the troll staggered, the hero leaped to the opposite leg and half-severed the troll’s ankle. He was ensuring the creature couldn’t maintain balance by targeting different wound sites.

The hero then jumped onto the back of the howling, struggling troll. The Holy Sword’s blade sank deeply between the troll’s hide.

“Much more than I expected…”

Is that not particularly strong? How many people could face a troll like that single-handedly without using aura? And that wasn’t the strength of a knight, but rather the strength of an adventurer based on intuition and experience. Whether it would be enough to defeat the Calamity and save the world remained to be seen, but it was certainly enough to move the hearts of Evernode’s soldiers.

“Where on earth did all those rumors come from, and why?” muttered the knight who had approached Quenore’s side.

“…I wonder that myself.”

Slash-!

The sound of a blade cutting through fabric echoed, and the troll’s head was split in two.