episode_0187

Robert seemed to recognize his name. His unfocused eyes visibly narrowed slightly.

But soon enough, his eyes widened again. Then he bowed his head deeply, like someone who had committed a sin.

“……”

“Were you alive?”

He knew that Robert had died. He had been leading the tribute convoy when it was ambushed by bandits, and the bandits had confirmed his corpse. His death had also been announced in Deseo. One day, amidst pouring rain, Tia had watched his funeral, weeping uncontrollably.

Was the man in front of him a ghost? To be a ghost, Marie had clearly pointed him out, and many people were keeping their distance, not wanting to be near this gloomy knight. Had he been resurrected? Like me? What in the world happened?

However, the person who could answer me remained silent. He was slowly crumbling under the influence of the alcohol, unable to control his body.

I sat in front of him and urgently asked. “Do you know?” “……” “Tia. Tia Anshier. You’ve heard of her, haven’t you?”

The moment Tia’s name came up, his blue eyes flew open. He looked up at me frantically, as if he had momentarily regained his senses. Then, reeking of strong alcohol, he asked. “……What is it?” “I’m looking for Tia. The girl you met with the tribute convoy.” “Pfft—! Haha… Hahaha.”

The knight let out a laugh. It didn’t seem like he was laughing at my words. As if drunk, muttering in his sleep to some hallucination he saw when his eyes were closed. Weakly yet sadly, he laughed. “……Gone.” “Yes?” “It’s, all over.”

He gripped the wooden cup as if to crush it. Then he tipped the last drop of sloshing liquor from the bottom into his mouth. His Adam’s apple throbbed, moving desperately. As if to get even more drunk. As if to collapse this strong body and forget everything. The knight drank the liquor.

Thud!

A loud sound was heard. What fell onto the table was not the cup, but Robert’s huge body. The inn instantly became silent.

“Sir Knight?”

Robert, who had been silent for a long time, spoke with pressed lips. “Not… a knight.” He repeatedly muttered that he was not a knight. “I who… protected nothing… am… not a knight…” His wish to forget finally came true. The knight closed his sharp eyelids and fell into a deep sleep, snoring loudly.

In the end, I couldn’t get anything out of Robert. Why he, who was believed to be dead, was alive and well, sitting in a shabby inn drinking alcohol. And why he was saying he was no longer a ‘knight’ in such a miserable state.

“……”

Should I take him to an empty room and leave him until he sobers up? Normally, that would be the proper thing to do. But… when I spoke Tia’s name to him. The inexplicable burst of laughter and the reason he said ‘gone’ made me too curious.

Slowly.

I slowly reached out and took Robert’s hand. His sturdy forearm felt like lifting a heavy iron lump. Holding his hand, I summoned the vision of his memories. The events that happened to Robert after the tribute convoy.

* * *

“Does losing to a girl vex you so much, Alan?” One evening during the tribute convoy’s journey. Two men sat in the tent. They were Robert and Alan. Alan was the squire he took with him. He was also a remarkable disciple who had eagerly volunteered to accompany him on the tribute convoy expedition to train.

“…Yes, Sir Robert. But I feel anger not towards the girl, but towards my own meager skill.” A few days ago, a duel had unexpectedly taken place. Alan’s opponent was none other than a young girl. Alan had lost to her. Although he hadn’t yet received his knighthood, it was still a deeply humiliating matter for a robust 19-year-old man to be defeated in a duel against a mere girl. As if that defeat had become a grudge, Alan devoted himself to sword training every night.

“Don’t take it too much to heart. You already possess excellent strength and swordsmanship.” “Sir Robert trusted me and entrusted me with the duel. By my defeat, I stained that honor. Even now, I cannot sleep peacefully at night.” “Alan. That child is of a different origin.” “Yes?” “In that era of many wars, there was a man known as a legendary swordsman.” Robert tilted his cup. “Bin Carlos… The moment I saw that girl’s swordsmanship, I knew it. She is undeniably a disciple of Sir Carlos. There’s no other reason for your defeat. It was the complacency that arose from facing a commoner girl with a sword that defeated us.” “I understand your words. Still, I will become stronger. I realized my own arrogance through this duel.” “Indeed. There are still many extraordinary individuals in the world whose abilities are unknown.”

At his disciple’s admirable eagerness to train, Robert felt the urge to give him a gift. “Very well. Alan, if you need it for your training, you may use my gear.” “Yes? Are you serious?” “Indeed.”

Alan’s somber expression brightened. His lips trembled, almost visibly, as he tried to contain the joy welling up in his chest. Squires usually received very small stipends, making it impossible for them to acquire good quality equipment. But to be allowed to wear the knight’s armor of the ‘Robert household’, which was quite famous in Deseo! It was an extraordinary privilege.

“Sir Robert… I… I don’t know what to do with myself.” “Hahaha. I don’t know if my armor will fit your body well, but go and try it on.” “Yes! I’ll be right back!”

Alan, his face beaming with joy, hurriedly left the tent. Robert watched him fondly and mumbled. “I feel good for some reason.” He could feel his own heart softening. It wasn’t due to the alcohol. It was because of that commoner girl, who brought a contented smile to his face just by imagining her. Tia Anshier. Ever since he met that child, he had wished for this tribute convoy expedition, which he had wanted to end quickly, to proceed as slowly as possible. He had never felt such excitement in his heart before. What could that pure and beautiful girl be doing now? He had invited her to the upcoming dinner, so he should guide her well so she wouldn’t feel too burdened. It was with such a fluttering heart that he was waiting for the dinner.

“……”

Alan, who said he’d be back quickly, was taking longer than expected. Perhaps the equipment didn’t fit him well. Robert decided to check later and left the tent first to go to dinner.

Quietly.

The moment he inhaled the cool night air, Robert’s eyebrows twitched slightly. He turned his head sideways. For some reason, the mountain’s shadow felt particularly ominous today. It was like being on a battlefield. He felt a strange sensation, a prickling on his back and the nape of his neck, as if enemies were ambushing in the dark mountains. The moment the thought that something ominous was about to happen crossed his mind.

“Bandits—!!”

His premonition, as keen as a beast’s, proved true.

Shrieking—!! Swish—!

The screams of people, and countless flaming arrows flying. The carts of the tribute convoy, which he had led and protected for a very long time, were burning and being brutally destroyed.

“Sir Robert! It’s a night attack!” The soldiers frantically searched for him. It was an attack no one had expected. Everyone, with bewildered faces, waited for Robert’s command. He had heard that the bandits of Mesrod had all been wiped out long ago. This path had become safe enough for many merchant groups to travel along it now. What had happened?

“Mount your horses immediately! Protect the tribute convoy!” “Yes!”

There was no time to think. Robert immediately ordered his attendant to bring out his horse. Then he mounted the horse without even donning armor and galloped vigorously.

Tooooot—!!!

He blew the horn. It was a warning for the innocent people who were still unaware of the situation to flee immediately. With every hoofbeat, fallen figures appeared one by one on the dark ground. They were those hit by arrows or killed by axes. Robert had seen countless corpses on battlefields. There was no need to look at those who had already breathed their last. He needed to find the bandits rampaging in the darkness quickly. The moment he was about to snatch the reins with that thought. A woman’s corpse appeared beneath his feet.

“……!”

He didn’t know who she was. She might have been a courtesan following the tribute convoy. But the moment he saw it, his heart pounded rapidly, and a thought he had momentarily forgotten surfaced. Tia. …Where is Tia?

“Graaaaagh!!” “Sa-save me!”

He saw a bandit screaming and wildly killing people. Robert quickly rushed forward and accurately struck the enemy’s neck. It wasn’t just one. There were many. It was hard to judge with people mixed up, but considering the scale of the damage, it was by no means an ordinary bandit group. He continued to go deeper. He killed every enemy he saw, but he himself didn’t know where he was going.

“Tia… Please, please be alive.” At some point, Robert had begun searching for Tia. His eyes continuously scanned the darkness, looking for the girl with red hair. After endless running. Robert realized that he had now entered deep into enemy territory. There were no more fleeing people, only the remaining ones loitering near the burning supply carts. They were all bandits. Roughly over thirty troops. The sturdiness of their equipment and this meticulous and swift attack… were undeniably on par with a well-trained unit.

Swish—!

Suddenly, a sound tearing through the air brushed past his ear.

Thwack!

An arrow pierced Robert’s shoulder. “Ugh!” Due to the strong impact, he dropped the sword he was holding. His unarmored body was too vulnerable to the arrows fired by the enemies. Now he had no weapon to fight with. All he could do was get as far away from the enemies as possible. Holding his arm, which felt like it was about to fall off, he hastily fled.

“Chase him!”

By then, the bandits had seized horses and began pursuing him. The moonlight shining down at such a moment felt merciless.

Swish—!

Several arrows continued to fly. Fortunately, his beloved horse galloped at an incredible speed, gradually widening the distance, but it was difficult to hope that this luck would continue. It was then. A horse came galloping towards Robert. It was none other than a knight wearing his armor.

“Alan?” “I will go.” “No! Over there are the enemies…” “Thank you for everything, until now.”

Alan, with those last words, quickly passed by Robert. The sturdy young man’s back instantly disappeared into the darkness. He knew what he had to do. “It’s Robert!” The bandits shouted his name. His long-held suspicion was confirmed. The bandits hadn’t come to plunder this tribute convoy. The fact that they recognized Robert’s armor immediately meant they had come to kill him from the beginning. The bandits began to chase Alan. The sound of the pursuing hooves faded into the distance.

* * *

The injured Robert headed for Gordburg. The Lord of Gordburg initially didn’t recognize him. With a broken arrow stuck in his shoulder, covered in blood, his appearance was utterly unlike that of the ‘cold knight.’ But when it was confirmed that he was indeed Robert, the Lord fell into great shock. Because that also meant the tribute convoy had been annihilated.

“What in the world happened, Lord Robert?” “What we feared has come to pass.”

The bandit ambush was certainly unexpected. It was so secretive, swift, and meticulously planned that their mastermind might never be discovered. But by chance, Alan had been wearing his armor at that time, which allowed Robert to survive. As the one who witnessed all these events. A heavy choice was given only to Robert. A cruel choice that might turn the entire nation into a battlefield.

He closed his eyes. “……” Alan and Tia were dead. Though their bodies couldn’t be found, there was no hope that they were alive somewhere either. There were not many choices for a knight who had lost both friendship and love. Robert swallowed a bitter gulp and slowly opened his eyes. “The King… has betrayed us.”