Ch.386EP.80 – The Knight Sets Out on a Journey Once Again (4)

– “If possible, don’t provoke that knight, Amos. Your unnecessary provocation might put you in danger instead.”

…The [Torn Wings] had presented plans to either recruit or eliminate the knight who was banished from Pendragon, and none other than Amos was assigned to this mission.

Amos, the Grand Sorcerer who could manipulate even the laws of causality.

They were confident he would produce results one way or another.

However, there was one person in the Torn Wings who tried to stop their actions—none other than the [Prophet], who was known by countless names including the Sage of the Torn Wings and the Military Strategist.

He had warned them.

A warning that if they provoked the knight, they might be the ones in danger…

But at that time, Amos had said:

– “Unnecessary worry, Prophet. Though not at your level, I too have a decent mind, and I’m not foolish enough to invite trouble upon myself.”

He had rebelled against the Prophet who treated him like a child left by the riverside, saying it was needless concern.

Insisting that he wasn’t so weak as to need such worry.

‘…It was a delusion.’

Hissss…!

Though his body smelled of burning as lightning struck him, Amos’s magical power maintained its robustness, unshaken by mere lightning.

But while his body remained intact, his mind was pushed to its limits.

‘Intoxicated by power, I’ve done something stupid. I was foolish enough to underestimate my opponent and overestimate myself. What an incredibly stupid thing I’ve done….’

How foolish.

What was the point of living 80 years? What was the point of being called a Grand Sorcerer?

‘I’ve only made foolish choices.’

He shouldn’t have come to Bulkan from the beginning.

He shouldn’t have fought in an environment unfavorable to them, and rather than provoking him, if he had conversed respectfully, he wouldn’t have been cornered like this.

“Amos, are you alright?”

“…No, I’m not.”

“I thought so. …So, what will you do?”

Crack, crackle!

Kudan’s body began to transform grotesquely.

The eggs existing inside his body were hatching, turning him into something beyond human.

“Shall I kill him?”

“……”

“Just give the order, Amos. The interference from Bulkan is annoying, but you have plenty of ways to endure it, don’t you?”

Hissss!

– Hell Demon Energy.

A wicked energy that could be emitted by hellish demonic beings from the netherworld poured out from Kudan’s body.

Bulkan’s lightning howled as if it would kill Kudan at any moment, but Kudan paid no attention to it.

He had strong faith that Amos would block Bulkan’s anger.

“……”

…Amos was deeply troubled emotionally.

Yes, as he said, if he was determined—that is, if he was willing to sacrifice his companion—it would be possible to break through Bulkan’s anger and fight that knight.

However.

“Stop it. That knight alone is dangerous enough, and we don’t have the strength to handle the Mercenary King as well.”

“That’s true, kuhehe.”

“…Return to your original form, that’s an order.”

“Kuhehe!”

Just looking at Kudan laughing grotesquely, he could tell.

His mind was already possessed by the Hell Demon Energy, no longer in his right mind.

‘It must be due to the Spirit Energy.’

The sacred spirit energy emitted by the spiritual mountain must have triggered the Hell Demon Energy.

As Amos tried to calm him down…

-CRASH!!!

“Where do you think you’re spreading that filthy smell, you spell-casting bastard!”

Crunch!

“Kuuugh….”

“……”

Before Amos could stop him, the knight had already moved and struck Kudan’s crown.

…But what shocked Amos wasn’t the fact that his companion was being rolled around on the ground pathetically after being attacked.

‘I… missed his movement?’

The shock came from the fact that he, of all people, had missed the movement.

‘Surely he wasn’t this good before?’

That knight left Pendragon three months ago.

And three months ago, the knight had clashed with the Brass Knights, so they had roughly gauged the knight’s combat ability.

That’s why Amos thought it wasn’t impossible to subdue the knight.

Although there would be sacrifices…

But now, Amos was certain.

In just three months…

‘He’s grown. More than we knew…!’

How could he have become like this in just three months?!

Amos couldn’t understand it at all.

“…Yes, that’s how you use a domain, young colleague.”

Caesar smirked and mocked the astonished sorcerer’s face.

“Someone who sweats every day without fail cannot possibly remain in the same place.”

Like a proper spell-caster, he seemed not to know such basic things.

* * *

Crunch!

Ihan stomped hard on the neck of the mage who was emitting an unpleasant energy, as if trying to crush it.

He really disliked how arrogantly the mage had shown killing intent.

At that moment.

“Stop it. Are you planning to start a war?”

“You were the ones who rejected my kindness first and threatened me.”

“…I apologize for that.”

“Then why did you do something you’d have to apologize for?”

“……”

Crack…!

“When someone shows goodwill, you should be grateful for it. How do you think it feels when you treat it like a right? Huh? Answer me, old sorcerer.”

Ihan glared at the blind sorcerer.

It was a fierce look that said, ‘If you move your fingers, no, if you roll your eyeballs, I’ll break your neck first!’—and the sorcerer raised both hands and shook his head.

“…What do you want?”

The sorcerer was perceptive.

Instead of apologizing, he moved on to practical matters.

Ihan liked that very much.

He didn’t want to waste time on unnecessary talk either.

“If I asked you to tell me the location of the Blood Crusaders’ headquarters, would you tell me?”

“……”

“Yeah, I guess that would be difficult.”

“Of course—”

“Then which direction is it? East, west? Or north?”

“!!?”

“…Hmm, now that I look at it, are they hiding everywhere?”

“S-stop it…”

The sorcerer’s face turned pale again, and Ihan shrugged his shoulders.

Yes, it might be possible to find out everything if he really wanted to, but it wouldn’t be good to keep cornering him.

He might lose this old man who was a good source of information.

So Ihan decided to let this matter go and asked one question.

“…Do you know that large numbers of monsters have been gathering in this area recently?”

“……”

“Well, monsters forming groups isn’t unusual, but I saw a group of ogres a few days ago. A large group at that.”

More than a thousand ogres were moving in a group, and fortunately, Ihan had broken all their necks, but this was an anomaly.

After all, ogres weren’t monsters that typically formed groups.

There’s a reason they’re called “Mountain Lords.”

Like tigers, they don’t form groups but rule over mountains.

If Ihan hadn’t eliminated them, the ogres would have undoubtedly destroyed villages or cities and devoured everything.

Livestock and crops, of course, and…

‘…People too, all of them.’

That’s why Ihan was curious.

About why such a situation suddenly occurred, and he thought the sorcerer might know the reason, and if the sorcerer was involved…

‘I’ll eliminate him by any means necessary!’

Hiss—!

He was filled with the determination to kill not only the spell-caster but also the sorcerer before him, and in the face of the intense pressure reminiscent of deep-sea pressure, the sorcerer’s expression hardened.

And then…

“…At least, we haven’t tampered with the monsters.”

“……”

“…It’s the truth.”

The sorcerer spoke as if making an excuse, and while one might feel sympathy for an old man making such a pitiful expression, in Ihan’s case:

“Useless sorcerer.”

“……”

He just scolded the incompetent sorcerer like a strict mother-in-law.

* * *

…The blind sorcerer and the mage left Bulkan.

No, it would be more accurate to say they fled in terror.

– …Further conversation would only bring disadvantages.

In reality, they left pathetically without even properly achieving the purpose of their visit.

But there was no pity for them.

Rather:

“Haha! That’s so satisfying!”

It was extremely gratifying.

Caesar gave his praise.

“Hoho, they say the pen is mightier than the sword, and that’s exactly it!”

“It works because I’m strong with the sword too.”

“That’s the truth!”

As Ihan said, it wasn’t achieved by eloquence alone.

If Ihan’s combat power had been weak, they would never have left so obediently.

“But I’m a bit surprised. I thought someone like you would not just send them away with words, but chase after them to kill them.”

“What do you take me for…”

“Am I wrong?”

“…No, you hit the nail on the head.”

Yes, as he said, Ihan still wants to pursue and kill them.

Nevertheless, the reason he’s not chasing them is…

‘I shouldn’t cause more trouble for Bulkan.’

He is, after all, a tenant.

No matter how generous the landlord is, if he starts treating that kindness as a right, he would have no grounds to complain if he gets evicted.

In that sense, Ihan had no intention of treating rights as favors.

Additionally:

“Was that Grand Sorcerer strong?”

“Of course he was strong. But the tricky thing about sorcerers isn’t their apparent strength, but the sorcery they’ve hidden away.”

Yes, he wasn’t confident that he could end the fight with them casually, and it wasn’t just the Grand Sorcerer…

‘That spell-caster, he wasn’t ordinary either.’

Kudan, was it?

Though he subdued him easily, somehow the one who seemed more dangerous to Ihan than the blind sorcerer was that spell-caster who looked like he had been fused with insects.

A person who emitted an infinitely dangerous smell.

It would have been possible to eliminate him, but…

‘At least not here, not now.’

Because the spiritual mountain might be reduced to ashes.

“Tsk, I guess I need to end my farming life now.”

Ihan grumbled.

Once the mosquitoes start swarming, peaceful life is as good as over.

“You can farm when you’re older. When you’re young, you should travel around a bit. In that sense, why don’t you try being a mercenary?”

“??”

“If you join now, I’ll hand over the position of leader of the Wolves of the Wilderness, and as a bonus, I’ll give you the position of overall leader of all mercenaries.”

“…That’s not even a buy-one-get-one deal.”

“So, will you do it?”

“I’m not buying.”

“…Oh well.”

Mercenary King Ihan…

‘Doesn’t that sound off?’

It doesn’t suit him at all.

…Ihan truly thought so.