Ch.35Reconnaissance (2)

Corin Lanster, the attendant of ‘Lord Camille de Alzar,’ the next Baron of Alzar.

He was the current head of the Lanster family, an excellent knightly house that had pledged fealty to the Alzar barony for generations through a familial vassal contract.

Among the various forms of vassal contracts in this world, the one between the Lanster family and the Alzar house was a ‘sacred contract’ passed down through bloodlines.

Because of this, Corin Lanster was in a situation where the object of his service and loyalty had been predetermined from the moment of his birth….

In such circumstances, it would have been stranger if the young Corin Lanster hadn’t harbored any resentment.

No matter how much this world operated under a feudal social order based on status, how could a young man accept the fact that he was destined to live as someone’s subordinate from birth?

Moreover, Corin Lanster had reached the intermediate level of warrior mastery at the remarkably young age of 20.

Considering that ordinary knights typically establish their foundation and successfully awaken their aura between their late twenties and early thirties, his aptitude was sufficient to be regarded as a talented individual who worked hard, if not quite a genius.

Given these circumstances, how could someone who had made his own way and could work with respect anywhere possibly develop loyalty toward a 10-year-old child he had never met before?

While he might have felt differently about the respectable Baron Hugo de Alzar, it was inevitable that Corin Lanster, still suffering from an unusually prolonged adolescence, would be dissatisfied with this arrangement.

He simply endured it regardless of his personal preferences because his family held a manor within the Alzar territory as vassals, and as the head of the family, he needed to provide for his relatives.

Therefore, Corin had been dreaming of a future where he would watch for an opportunity, wait for his talented younger sibling to awaken their aura, pass on the position of family head, and finally gain his freedom.

…That was how it should have been.

There were several things Corin had learned while serving as the attendant (secretary) and effectively the knight in charge of this boy, Camille de Alzar.

One of those things was that the heir to the Alzar barony was far more diligent than he had expected.

Despite holding a life peerage (a non-inheritable noble title), the boy diligently studied what he needed to learn as a knight—a member of the social elite—and endured harsh training without a single complaint, despite being only 10 years old.

For Corin, who vividly remembered how immature he himself had been at 10, the impression he received from the boy was profoundly moving and refreshing.

Additionally, Camille’s overwhelming talent was extremely impressive to Corin.

‘…Is this what true talent looks like?’

When a 10-year-old child demonstrates skill comparable to a fencing instructor who has devoted their entire life to swordsmanship, what thoughts would most people harbor?

Some would naturally feel ugly jealousy at his precocious abilities, but wouldn’t most people feel awe at seeing someone who had already transcended a realm that seemed utterly unreachable?

After all, jealousy is an emotion one can only feel toward those considered equals; one cannot even dare to envy a being of an entirely different ‘caliber.’

But ultimately, the decisive moment that led Lord Corin Lanster to respect Camille de Alzar as both a knight and a baron was when the boy awakened his aura at the mere age of 13 while repelling a ‘zombie troll.’

The feat of confronting a large undead creature—a zombie troll that, while on the lower end, was still firmly classified as intermediate-level—with a low-level body, and ultimately vanquishing it through aura awakening.

The impact was so powerful that for a while, this tale of ‘giant slaying’ spread throughout the Western Continent through troubadours—medieval influencers and multi-entertainers.

Of course, Corin Lanster was somewhat shocked upon hearing about the aura awakening, but his shock had nothing to do with Camille awakening his aura at the age of 13.

Given the boy’s overwhelming martial prowess from such a young age, awakening his aura at an early age was practically a foregone conclusion.

Rather, what truly shocked him was that a mere 13-year-old child had faced an intermediate-level threat (zombie troll) to save four innocent serfs.

Unavoidably, human lives carry different values, and had Camille abandoned those serfs and fled, the matter would have been settled with just some gossip circulating.

Yet despite this, he risked his life against a superior enemy for the sake of serfs who were treated like livestock in some territories….

It wasn’t particularly strange that Corin Lanster’s evaluation of Camille—who displayed actions straight out of once-popular (now outdated) chivalric literature—skyrocketed immediately.

To the extent that even the once rebellious Corin thought he might genuinely pledge his loyalty to Camille.

And then….

“Corin! Corin! It’s an emergency!”

As Lord Camille de Alzar, the one to whom he had pledged loyalty and served, urgently shouted while approaching, Corin Lanster snapped out of his contemplation and brought his mind back to reality.

“Lord Alzar? What’s the matter?”

“Cultists, cultists have appeared! Goblin cultists!”

“…What?”

And that answer was sufficient to jolt Corin’s mind, which had been taking things lightly, back to reality.

※ ※ ※

In truth, considering the evil nature of goblins, one might find it surprising, but…

Contrary to expectations, goblin cultists don’t exist in great numbers in this world, and naturally, there are reasons for this trend.

If one were determined to list them all, there would be dozens of reasons, but if forced to choose just one… it would probably be ‘because goblins are too weak.’

Typically, cultists gain power by offering something to the entity they worship or contract with.

But goblins as a race are so weak that all they have to offer is themselves, and what could possibly be accomplished by offering the soul or body of a mere goblin?

Additionally, while it can’t be denied that demons or outer gods sometimes take interest in beings of this world first, for such entities to take interest, the being in question must possess a certain degree of power.

No matter how responsive and excellent these outer gods or demons might be to the wishes sent their way, none would take interest in mere vermin unless on a momentary whim.

…Of course, exceptions do appear with surprising frequency, but most are either beings with exceptional potential or long-term pawns in some plan.

Anyway, knowing these reasons why the proportion of goblin cultists must be low, he seemed to understand after seeing the ‘heavily armed goblin corpse’ I brought and the ‘heretic’s mark’ branded on it, despite initially showing some doubt at my words.

“This is….”

“Yes, it’s the symbol of Ba—… ‘a demon.’ The indelible mark branded on the body of a cultist who has sold even their soul.”

It would be stranger not to believe, considering the mark on the goblin corpse that instinctively evokes revulsion and discomfort by its mere form, and the fact that the corpse was so well-armed it was hard to believe it was a goblin.

“…What would you have me do?”

To Corin, who seemed ready to follow my judgment without any doubt as he always had, I spoke with a calm tone but with the confidence (certainty) of a leader.

“Corin. As always, I need you to protect the village.”

“You intend to… go alone?”

“Yes. You and I are the only real combatants in this village. What would happen if we both left and an attack occurred?”

“…The worst would happen. I understand.”

I declared my intention to move alone, citing the practical reason that an intermediate-level fighter was needed to protect the settlement in case of emergency, plus the fact that realistically, no one besides me would be of any help anyway, but…

…In truth, there was another reason.

The indelible ‘heretic’s mark’ that appears somewhere on the body when one sells their soul to the outer god or demon they serve, losing their autonomy.

The shape of this mark varies depending on which entity the soul was sold to, and the mark branded on this corpse I discovered…

Bore the symbol of Beelzebub, the evil Fly King of ‘Gluttony.’