Chapter 105:Battle of Schafendorf (6)

The night before, when the pure white northern night was painted black.

Keldric quietly glanced at Lord Rutger, who was sitting and warming himself by the fire.

Lord Rutger had said he had something to tell Keldric, but after bringing him to his tent, he hadn’t said a word.

In the end, Keldric stared blankly at the flames. A fire built in a pit dug to prevent it from spreading to the tent. He became lost in the mesmerizing, flickering crimson light.

“I’ve been following my father to the battlefield since I was twelve.”

Eventually, Lord Rutger was the one to break the silence.

“At dawn, my father would come to wake me. He would say we had no time to rest.”

“When I was twelve… the North was very turbulent.”

Keldric listened silently to Lord Rutger’s words. As the night deepened, the fire inside the tent burned even brighter.

“As the son of a knight, and as a squire, I could not defy my given destiny. Nor did I want to.”

If one grew up as a knight, one could not defy that destiny. That was the way of the world.

The nobles and knights of the Empire drew their swords against each other. Within the confines of the Empire, they fought to claim even a small piece of land.

Since land was divided and passed on to others, the mindset of a knight living in this difficult world was immeasurable.

All the more so if that knight was as thoughtful as Lord Rutger.

“I experienced my first battle in Kamnon. And it was there that I met your father… Lord Volpen.”

Keldric, who had been staring at the fire, suddenly raised his head. Again, his father, again the story of Lord Volpen.

Since Keldric had left Carlton Village, he had heard countless stories about his father, Lord Volpen.

Baron Yaben had mentioned it in passing, and even Lord Werner, the ‘Raven,’ had told stories about Lord Volpen.

‘Lord Volpen was a great knight. As the only son of his family, there was no problem with his succession, yet he was a man who insisted on going on expeditions he didn’t need to.’

Lord Werner’s story lingered in Keldric’s mind before fading away like mist.

It was like a spark leaping from the bonfire. The complex web of thoughts deepened further.

In Lord Rutger’s deep eyes, which were watching Keldric, the embers were reflected.

“Lord Keldric. There are few things I know about you, but I know this much.”

“What is it?”

“Your father was a great knight, and you are no less….. no, even more outstanding than him.”

Lord Rutger poked at the firewood with a fire poker. Dark sparks flew, meeting the cold air.

“I saw you fighting today. You fought as if you knew no fear.”

“Hmm.”

“And that is the same impression I had when I first met Lord Volpen.”

The more he heard, the more perplexing it became. Keldric thought of Lord Volpen’s appearance.

In his prime, he was vigorous and certainly showed the qualities of a knight, but from the time he began to suffer from illness, he was emaciated and looked like a half-corpse.

Lord Volpen, who strictly educated Keldric. Lord Volpen, who didn’t give Keldric much attention in everyday life.

Lord Volpen, who cherished Hilmer and Fritz. Lord Volpen, who mourned the loss of Keldric’s mother.

And Lord Volpen. The memory of when he first taught Keldric swordsmanship.

‘Grip the sword tightly. If you swing it mindlessly with only strength, the sword will soon be damaged.’

‘Yes, Father.’

…Keldric. If you have taken up the sword, do not consider me your father from then on.’

Keldric’s hand was already on the longsword at his waist.

The pommel, shimmering with the flickering flames, reflected Keldric’s face.

‘Do not consider me your father.’

Lord Volpen had said that habitually.

It was a phrase that Keldric could never forget, even now that he was eighteen years old.

True to his words, yes. Keldric still did not think of Lord Volpen as his father.

Biologically, Lord Volpen may have been his father, but Jacob was the one who raised him as a father.

“Lord Keldric. You are indeed Lord Volpen’s son. The fearlessness, the progressive attitude that always strives for something higher.”

“…”

“That’s why I seem to have higher expectations for you without even realizing it.”

Keldric nodded without answering.

Things about Lord Volpen that he had momentarily forgotten suddenly sprang to mind, and his complicated mind was not easily organized.

“Lord Keldric.”

Lord Rutger’s hand rested on Keldric’s shoulder.

From the rough hand, one could feel the rugged life of a man who had lived a rough life.

“In tomorrow’s battle, may I have even greater expectations for you?”

Keldric looked into Lord Rutger’s eyes. Despite having met only recently, Lord Rutger’s eyes were filled with trust and expectation.

As expectations rose, so did the threshold to meet them. The disappointment upon failure would also surge accordingly.

“…Is it something that must be done?”

“It is something that must be done. In order for us to win, absolutely.”

“Is it something that no one but me can do?”

“There’s no one else… that readily comes to mind.”

However, if it was something that Keldric absolutely had to do.

“I’ll do it.”

Keldric had no intention of backing down. If someone else could step forward, there would be plenty of time to consider.

But if it was something that only Keldric could do, then it was something that no one else could accomplish, no matter who they were.

“…Lord Volpen would be pleased.”

He felt not even a shred of good feeling from his father. Even if Keldric felt competitive with Lord Volpen, who had already passed away, there was nothing to gain.

However, there was one thing Keldric should not forget.

‘There must be something that only I can do.’

There was definitely something that only Keldric could do.

And Keldric upheld the cause. He walked his own path of chivalry.

There was not a single reason for Keldric to refuse an action befitting that chivalry.

“So, what do you want me to do?”

Lord Rutger adjusted his posture. His eyes, which seemed somewhat cold, were filled with seriousness.

Keldric also hardened his expression. The slightly warm air inside the tent became even heavier.

“In the cavalry charge tomorrow, I want you to immediately take care of the mage.”

“Alone?”

“I will accompany you. If you charge, Lord Gerhard will surely rush in. I will stop him.”

Keldric recalled the battle during the day and estimated the mage’s location.

A little away from the Military Camp. There were some flimsy fences that they had set up as palisades, but they could be avoided if they were careful.

“And then?”

“After dealing with the mage… we’ll have to defeat Lord Gerhard and immediately strike from behind. We must completely break them down.”

Lord Rutger drew a picture on the dirt floor with a wooden stick. The enemy’s forces, and the allied forces.

“If the knights open a gap first, you and I will immediately break through and run to where the mage is.”

“Lord Rutger. What if the enemies attack our mage as well?”

“Don’t worry about that. Our mage will move with us.”

Move with us? Keldric tilted his head subtly. There were one or two suspicious points.

However, as the stick in Lord Rutger’s hand moved more smoothly, Keldric’s expression gradually hardened.

“Lord Keldric.”

“This is…”

“You and that mage must do it.”

Lord Rutger pointed to a knight and warhorse. There was not only a knight riding there.

“I ask you.”

“…”

Behind the roughly drawn knight, there was another person wearing a robe.

It was Keldric and Alyssa.

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“Alyssa! Hold on tighter!”

“Eeeek!!”

Alyssa let out a bizarre scream. Regardless, Keldric focused on driving Avelin.

Avelin, carrying two people, galloped powerfully. Even though Keldric was already heavy, and Alyssa was added on top, Avelin, who was naturally strong and of good blood, was able to handle it easily.

However, enduring on horseback was entirely up to the rider.

Each time Avelin took a large step, Alyssa’s body shook violently up and down.

Naturally, Alyssa had no choice but to hold tightly to Keldric’s log-like waist. Even that was at a level where she could barely interlock her fingers by hugging him with all her might.

Thanks to that, they were in a rather embarrassing, clinging position, but neither of them cared about that.

“Wh-why! Why me! Kyaaak!”

“Lower your head! Bury yourself as much as possible in my back!”

“I’m trying!”

Shouts from the soldiers flew from all directions. Inside the tin-like helmet, Keldric’s widened navy blue eyes rolled busily.

If Alyssa was left in the Military Camp, the knights of Baron Gottfried’s army would definitely be desperate to capture her.

No matter how poor the cost-effectiveness, magic was a variable that could massacre many people from a distance.

However, they couldn’t spare a knight to protect Alyssa.

In a battle where Keldric and Lord Rutger were temporarily absent, if another knight was missing, the main force would be in danger.

Lord Rutger had a change of heart here.

Keldric, the knight with the greatest martial prowess, would take Alyssa with him!

That way, Alyssa would not be attacked.

However, the problem was that Keldric had to break through the enemy lines while also considering Alyssa’s safety.

“Get out of the way!”

“A, a knight!”

“Dodge!”

However, even that was not so difficult.

Baron Gottfried’s army was already unable to come to their senses due to the knights’ sudden attack. Rather than responding, the instinct to survive blew away their competitive spirit.

Some veteran mercenaries were barely gathering their forces to respond, but the existence of knights made even that useless.

“Kill them all!”

“For the honor of Lord Tomar, who fell first!”

Three knights, including Lord Henri, rampaged through the mercenaries.

The enemy knights belatedly spurred their horses and rushed over, but they were far too late.

“Alyssa!”

“Ugh! I, I’m ready!”

“Blow them away right now!”

In an instant, Keldric felt a warm energy on his back.

Sparks flew in the wind, and the presence behind him emitted a bright light in an instant.

The sound of Alyssa muttering something tickled Keldric’s ears. An unknown force enveloped the battlefield, following Alyssa’s

gestures.

Whirr!

And flames soared.

The hot flames indiscriminately devoured friend and foe alike, but it was a different story if it was in the middle of a crowd of enemies.

“Kuaaak!!”

“Roll in the snow!”

“Fire! It’s fire!”

Crimson flames soared everywhere.

Unlike when she used magic from afar, this time it was almost right in front of them, so they couldn’t avoid it.

With hot fires burning in various places in Baron Gottfried’s army formation, the battle situation seemed to be tilting slightly.

The gap that the knights had opened was not easily filled, and soldiers fearlessly rushed through the wide gap.

In addition, with Alyssa’s close-range magic causing flames to soar that they couldn’t even avoid, the formation was truly shattered. Screams and shouts rang out everywhere.

This chaos would subside once the knights began to clash with each other, but Keldric didn’t care.

“Alyssa! Hold on tight!”

“What, what again—!”

Crack! Crackle!

Blood and steel splattered. The snow that Avelin had roughly dug up was carried by the north wind and scattered wildly.

Alyssa, clinging tightly to Keldric’s back, saw the scene clearly, trembling with fear.

“Heeup!”

Bang!

Keldric’s longsword swept around as if running amok. An approaching mercenary grabbed his neck and fell, while the chests of

three or four soldiers who had rushed in with spears were torn apart.

“Watch out!”

“Kyaaak!”

Clang!

Several small sparks scattered, and Alyssa’s eyes squeezed shut. Simultaneously, the arms wrapped around Keldric’s waist tightened.

A soldier, having mustered his courage, thrust his spear, aiming for Alyssa’s side, if only for a moment.

However, it was deflected by Keldric’s longsword. In Keldric’s eyes, a thick rage transformed into murderous intent.

Thwack!

The longsword, held in reverse, was akin to a mace.

The soldier who had thrust his spear at Alyssa was struck in the head by the pommel of Keldric’s longsword and died instantly.

“Hiek…”

Alyssa stared with fearful eyes at the soldier’s helmet-crushed head. Regardless, Keldric rushed forward, heedless.

Protecting Alyssa, breaking through the soldiers, dealing with the approaching mercenaries. It was truly a living hell.

Thanks to Keldric’s efforts, Avelin dashed forward unhindered.

As if entrusting herself to the harsh north wind, Avelin moved fluidly and unreservedly, dodging spears and swords, weaving through the gaps.

Before long, the formation of people thinned, and gaps appeared.

‘We broke through!’

The formation was completely breached. Following the path of Keldric and Lord Rutger behind him, the enemy lines were split in half.

Lord Rutger, who had been following behind, spurred his horse alongside Keldric. He wiped the blood from his helmet and shouted.

“Sir! Over there!”

Amidst the frantic riding of Avelin, Keldric’s gaze followed Lord Rutger’s finger.

A familiar horned helmet, and a large build.

It was Lord Gerhard. He was so flustered that he was fumbling with his helmet, which he hadn’t even put on properly, as he rushed towards them.

“Lord Rutger!”

“I’ll take him!”

Lord Rutger kicked the flanks of his warhorse, meeting him head-on. Lord Gerhard, who had been charging forward, naturally engaged with Lord Rutger.

Thanks to that, Keldric could fully concentrate on his target.

“The mage!”

“T-that way!”

Alyssa pointed with a trembling hand towards a certain direction. Keldric’s blood-splattered helmet turned sharply.

Ahead, halfway up a slightly sloping hillside.

A middle-aged man in robes, the mage, was there.

The mage’s eyes met Keldric’s. Keldric did not hesitate.

“Avelin! Let’s go!”

Avelin responded by kicking off the ground powerfully. The distance to the mage closed in an instant.

At this moment, Keldric completely entrusted himself to the wind.

The mage, who had been preparing a spell, hurriedly turned around. Three steps until then.

Several soldiers with spears rushed to the mage’s side. Five steps until then.

Keldric lowered his longsword towards the ground. Ten steps until then.

When Avelin had dashed ten steps, Keldric was able to face the wide-eyed mage.

A mage with a well-groomed beard. Between the deeply pressed robes, something was shining slightly yellowish…

‘…Flame?’

Even as he reflexively swung his longsword upwards, Keldric’s pupils dilated.

That thing flashing on the mage’s forehead was a flame insignia that was all too familiar.

Swish-!

But the longsword had already been unleashed, and it cleanly sliced from the mage’s chest to his forehead.

The mage of Baron Gottfried’s army was dead.

His body, spurting hot blood, collapsed powerlessly onto the cold snowfield.

“Alyssa!”

“Y-yes!”

“Hold on tight!”

“A-again?!”

Keldric immediately turned his horse around. Then, he rushed towards the place where Lord Rutger had charged.

Killing the mage was important, but it would be a disaster if Lord Rutger died or Lord Gerhard was allowed to escape unscathed.

“Avelin! Faster!”

And Keldric had no intention of giving up the victory he had worked so hard to achieve.

He would definitely win.

That determination ignited a fire in Keldric’s heart.