Ch.6868. Toolung Harbor (5)

After the ‘duel’ between me and that wandering knight ended in my victory.

“The prophet, the prophet warned you to be careful…!”

“…I’m sorry. I had no choice if I wanted to win.”

“Even so, you should have been more careful, Gregory!”

“…You’re right, I have nothing to say. I’m truly sorry.”

Right after completely regenerating my left forearm that had been severed about 5 minutes ago.

I could only stammer and take the one-sided scolding from Sophia, whose tear-stained face was clearly visible.

Well, I did suffer an injury severe enough to lose an arm and have to regenerate it.

No matter how accustomed I am to injuries and pain, it wouldn’t be easy for a companion to watch such a sight.

“……..Please be more careful next time.”

“Yes, I’ll be careful.”

So after spending quite some time comforting the shocked Sophia, I was finally able to approach the wandering knight who had been my opponent in the ‘duel’ only after calming her down.

The knight who had collapsed on the ground bleeding profusely from his throat was being treated through the prayers of the priest who had served as the witness.

In fact, most of the knight’s external wounds, such as claw marks and stab wounds, seemed to have been treated already… Yet somehow, the knight’s condition looked serious.

“Priestess. How is he?”

“……..Not good.”

The priestess of Debona, goddess of healing and life, spoke to me calmly while healing the tattered wandering knight.

“All his internal organs are damaged. Even if he recovers, he’ll never be able to use magic again.”

“Is it that serious?”

I was surprised. Genuinely shocked.

For a priestess of the goddess Debona, known for granting exceptional healing powers to her servants, to not only declare treatment impossible… but also that the knight’s injuries would render him magically impotent for life?

Knowing how powerful the ability to use magic is in this world’s society, I could be certain.

This knight had essentially fallen even lower than becoming half-crippled.

I knew that the magic-poison modeled after hydra venom destroyed magical structures, but I never expected its effects to be severe enough to turn a perfectly healthy person into a magic-eunuch.

“Yes. ……Though considering his notoriety, I can’t help but think he brought this upon himself.”

“……Notoriety?”

According to what I heard from the adventurer I had mediated for earlier, this wandering knight’s character certainly didn’t seem good…

But for his infamy to be widespread enough for the priestess of the Debona temple to mention it?

“What exactly happened?”

So when I carefully asked the priestess.

After briefly looking at the knight she was treating, she began speaking with an attitude that somehow seemed prematurely aged.

“The wandering knight Denbil Bistro was infamous in these southern territories as a robber knight.”

“A robber knight?”

“……Yes, that’s what he was.”

Among knights who have been ordained in some way, those who are closer to criminals abuse the rights and power given to knights, as well as the trial by combat system, to commit robbery.

That’s why these unsavory knights are commonly called robber knights.

Despite having awakened their aura, these knights who go around robbing people are often hunted down by aspiring heroes (intermediate) who come after hearing of their infamy.

Or they end up dabbling in forbidden arts in their pursuit of power, converting to cultists, and then being publicly branded and eliminated.

But surprisingly, this robber knight named Denbil Bistro was an exception to these cases.

“….He was so strong that no one dared to hunt him down.”

“Indeed, he was strong.”

According to the priestess, Denbil Bistro was quite a powerful knight.

With exceptional combat ability even among intermediate warriors, combined with his unique fighting style specialized for duels.

He had reached a special position where no one could carelessly challenge him.

In fact, just being able to parry or deflect invisible slashes is quite impressive, and on top of that, his technique for minimizing wounds with light armor was also at an excellent level.

So, objectively speaking and setting aside his character, this self-proclaimed wandering knight’s skills were certainly considerable.

Well, now he’s just become a magic-eunuch.

“……..Very well, then I declare. As the rightful witness, the victory goes to Druid Gregory Aleinos.”

Anyway, after continuing our conversation for quite some time, the priestess declared my victory.

Through the priestess who had served as the witness, I was able to receive the appropriate compensation for this duel.

The reason I was able to challenge him to a duel was because that robber knight had insisted on maintaining the conflict despite my intervention as a mediator.

Perhaps because it’s an era where honor is so important that people would die for it.

Throughout Frankish society, there’s a culture of respecting each other’s honor, and the ‘mediator’ system is one part of this culture.

To avoid bloodshed in conflicts, it’s a culture aimed at resolving incidents amicably through the mediation of a legitimate third party…. But this madman went so far as to ignore such a mediator.

Therefore, I requested a duel, received approval, and by winning the duel, I was able to claim ‘spoils.’

‘…He really has nothing.’

Of course, even after stripping him of everything he owned, apart from some mythril fragments that were his equipment and a few gold coins, he had nothing.

……Truly, from beginning to end, he was just a pathetic robber.

※ ※ ※

And seven days later.

After finishing the Toulon tour that was enjoyable despite being slightly unpleasant due to an accident along the way.

The two druids safely passed through Toulon port, successfully summoned the Tarrasque, and began moving toward their destination, the Holy Empire.

The massive mobile otherworld, the quasi-living entity ‘Tarrasque of the Small Aleinos Forest’ may resemble the notoriously slow turtle, but it’s not actually that slow.

Due to its size, it can simply ignore complex terrain unless it’s exceptionally rugged, and thanks to being based on the amphibious swamp dragon, it can cross even deep rivers with ease.

As a result, while not incredibly fast, the Tarrasque boasts a reasonably good speed, allowing the two druids to enjoy a very comfortable journey.

“It’s peaceful.”

“……Indeed it is.”

Watching the fairies diligently harvesting honey from the flower beds under the direction of Fairy Princess Tristia, the two druids lazily conversed while lying on sunbeds.

Having placed the seafood purchased at Toulon port in a specially crafted magical refrigerator to enjoy over time.

The two were now enjoying a leisurely rest, reminiscing about their hectic past.

[Yaaawn……]

[………..zzzZzzZzZZZZ.]

While Robo yawned widely at the foot of Gregory’s sunbed.

Corin was deeply asleep, snoring while perched on a makeshift roost.

It was a sunny day with bright sunshine. The two were enjoying the lazy afternoon, occasionally sipping cool fruit drinks with never-melting ice.

[……..Grrrrrr?]

“Hmm? Oh, feeling good?”

The hydra, particularly pleased with the fish bought this time, was perhaps showing its reptilian nature.

Sprawled out under the warm sunlight enjoying a sunbath, it soon began to doze off, stretching its body.

Thus, as everyone was sinking into a drowsy atmosphere…

“……..?!!”

“……..What’s wrong?”

When Sophia suddenly raised her upper body from the sunbed, a startled Gregory carefully asked, and Sophia replied with an expression that clearly showed she had seen something alarming.

“Within the next hour, we’re going to clash with cultists in numbers large enough to form an army.”

“……..What?”

How many days has it been since the duel, and suddenly we’re going to clash with an army of cultists in an hour?

If it were someone else’s words, it might be dismissible, but the person who confirmed this premonition is none other than Sophia, the genius druid capable of ‘Observing Fate.’

Corin, who had been sleeping soundly on the perch, is now awake and flapping his wings, and Minerva is also calculating various variables by manipulating magical energy.

Robo, who was just sleeping until a moment ago, stands up and stretches his body, while somewhere in the forest, Astra and the shadow rat swarm reveal themselves to observe the situation.

A noticeable readiness for war appears among the fairies.

Even the hydra, which had been lowering its body to the ground, raises its massive form and stares in the direction the Tarrasque is heading.

“……..Let’s prepare, battle approaches!”

As Gregory said, everyone could feel it. The scent of war was definitely brushing past Gregory’s nose, Sophia’s side, and beside their animal friends.