Chapter 126
A few minutes ago.
Gabor.
A small village on the outskirts of the country, one you could find anywhere.
The villagers lived by chopping wood, farming, and hunting.
Just an ordinary village.
However, the fact that it was located in a region where the Empire and the Principality met, and that there was a massive forest and swamp nearby.
That was what made the village a gathering place for mercenaries and vagabonds.
As soon as I entered Gabor, I ordered food to appease my hunger.
A little salad and stew.
And I wanted to order lamb steak, but a small village like this didn't have such things.
They could at least raise sheep, but all they had was venison.
Even that wasn't something I could afford to be picky about, so I ordered and waited quietly.
"Hey, mister."
As always, annoying bastards who didn't know their place approached.
Honestly, I was a bit tense wondering if they'd babble something about being a demon of lust again, but fortunately that wasn't the case.
"Looks fancy? Must have lots of money? Ordering deer steak here. Keuk."
"Mister, you a pilgrim? Or what, wearing a pure white robe. Showing off now, are you? Saying you've got money."
"Just asking to be robbed, that's all. Kyakya!"
Three baldies. Two hairy ones. Five in total.
And the ones watching and sizing things up...
'About fourteen or so.'
Callius thought.
That he'd have no choice but to eat while smelling blood.
"Hey, are you ignoring us?"
A vagabond approaching while slapping a short spear against his hand.
"Hah."
Callius snatched the short spear from the bastard in one motion and threw it.
Squelch!
Without even managing a single scream, the vagabond's heart was pierced and he disappeared through the tavern wall. One baldy immediately collapsed.
Thud.
Silence filled the tavern.
But that was only for a moment.
"This bastard!"
They all rushed in at once.
Can't use a sword.
So Callius took out the soldiers' morning star from his subspace.
Also known as a morning star.
A blunt weapon covered in sharp spikes.
He swung it methodically.
Squelch! Thud! Bang! Smack!
Blood and brains scattered in all directions.
The skulls of the two baldies and two hairy ones who jumped in burst instantly.
Cruel and merciless hands.
The movements of the vagabonds who were about to stand up and charge froze like stone.
But Callius had no intention of letting them go. He struck down even those who had just emitted killing intent like lightning.
Fighting was originally about momentum.
Once you set an example, the rest wouldn't dare even approach.
And so, a short while later.
"Your food is ready."
"……."
The innkeeper set down the food without even blinking at the corpses.
Not even giving them a glance as if it were a common occurrence—his inner cultivation was quite remarkable.
Callius set down the morning star and picked up a fork and knife.
First, a palate cleanser with soup and salad.
Then a little stew. And he elegantly cut the deer steak and took a bite.
It had a bit of a gamey smell, but it was edible.
'About 3 out of 10.'
He thought of the earth dragon roast he had eaten in the north. For the earth dragon roast, given Callius's personality, an exceptional score that shouldn't exist.
He had given it an 8.
The jaw-dropping tavern's deer steak.
Originally, he wouldn't have eaten it even if they paid him, but it couldn't be helped.
The food in his subspace was better saved for emergencies.
"Still, the stew is decent."
The stew was about a 4.
Clatter.
While tasting the food, the gatekeeper from before appeared, set down some money, and withdrew.
He wondered what it was about but soon understood.
'So they had a conscience.'
Must have overcharged him.
Since their gang was beaten to a pulp, they must have been afraid. It didn't matter, but just sending him back didn't sit well with him.
"Hey."
"Yes?"
"Clean this up."
"Ah... me?"
"……."
"Ah, I should clean it up! I should clean it up. Haha!"
The gatekeeper ended up cleaning up the surroundings, and before Callius approached a figure wrapped entirely in a robe.
'Iron smell.'
And the smell of grass and flowers.
Perhaps because his sense of smell had grown acute from the meat and stench of blood, he caught it more clearly.
If he were Xenos of the Gradas family, he could be certain, but Callius was not Gradas but Jervan.
He couldn't be certain.
Since they were the ones who approached, he decided to observe the situation first.
"May I sit?"
"As you please."
Thud.
A short man who sat down with enough force to make a thud, and the one standing next to him sat down lightly in contrast.
Callius's suspicion was hardening into certainty.
"Innkeeper! Beer here! Want one too?"
"I'd prefer wine."
"I want liquor."
"Wine and liquor here! And some food to go with it!"
Beer, wine, and liquor were quickly placed on the table.
When the food arrived, the man with a rough voice and large, clumsy hands shoveled down the food and beer.
The one with thin hands picked at the salad and stew before downing a whole bottle of liquor.
Callius took out the Grail of the Defeated God from his robes and poured himself some wine.
Only after filling their stomachs adequately did they set down their utensils and open their mouths.
"Thanks. Had a good meal because of you. Let me express my gratitude! I'm Aldu. And this is Serenaji."
"I'm Serena."
"...Callis."
This meal. Thinking 'Was I the one paying?' Callius was quite displeased.
He wondered what kind of beggars these were, but he had to at least hear them out.
As he remained silent, the man named Aldu looked at Callius with interest and spoke.
"You're not from the Principality, are you?"
A sudden, sharp question.
He was momentarily surprised but didn't show it.
"That's absurd. Saying a pilgrim of the Principality isn't from the Principality. Is this how you repay my goodwill—with rudeness?"
He subtly stirred up killing intent, but Aldu pulled up the corners of his bearded mouth.
"No need to act. I've dealt with plenty of Principality bastards. Your morning star didn't have the cruelty characteristic of the Principality. Callis, if you were truly a Principality pilgrim, it wouldn't have been just the skulls of those who attacked you that burst—their entire bodies would have been torn apart by the morning star."
Serena also nodded in agreement as she gulped down her liquor.
"The Principality is originally like that."
"……."
He had nothing to say to that.
It was a fact he had overlooked.
Actually, he had never been associated with morning stars before, so it was something he hadn't properly experienced.
When Callius said nothing, Aldu stroked his beard protruding from his hood as if with conviction.
"So then, what's the reason for impersonating the Principality and carrying a morning star despite not being from there. Because you're from the Empire? Can't be. This is the Empire, so why? Think simply and the answer comes out that you're neither Empire nor Principality."
"Hmm. Then what do you think?"
"Your skills have surpassed a certain level. Power, speed. Both are flawless, and you even possess refinement."
A satisfactory answer.
'Especially the part about having refinement and dignity—that's quite pleasing.'
He hadn't mentioned dignity, but Callius thought so.
"The hand holding the knife and the skill of cutting meat were extraordinary. You must be a pilgrim of the sword."
Quite impressive deductive reasoning.
Callius was inwardly surprised.
He hadn't expected them to possess such insight.
They had deduced from tiny clues and reached the correct answer.
Wasn't that interesting?
But he didn't want to answer obediently.
Because that too was not perfect.
"Who knows. That's uncertain. Whether I serve the axe, the scythe, or the ram."
"Hehehe, rather that would be even better. As long as it's not the spear or morning star, we warmly welcome you."
'Damn.'
I was had.
Aldu laughed out loud, and Serena was whispering to order another bottle of liquor.
His identity had been discovered, but he didn't particularly feel bad about it.
"Would you like to do a job with us?"
"A job?"
"As you can see, we're pilgrims too. And so are you. But seeing you pass this road, you must be heading to the Holy Land?"
"Yes."
"If we could travel with a skilled person like you, it would be as if we received a god's blessing. How about joining us? We're in the same boat anyway, and it seems you would have figured out our identity long ago."
That was true.
Aldu was a hammer. Serena was a bow.
An uncommon combination, but the two were different races who served the hammer and the bow.
A dwarf and an elf.
If it wasn't the spear and morning star served by the Empire and Principality, which currently held the greatest influence on the continent, there wasn't much hostility between pilgrims.
Even now, somewhere on the continent, it was quite common for different pilgrims walking the path of pilgrimage to briefly travel together.
However.
'Do I have any need for that?'
What was the reason he left all the knights of Carpe behind in the first place?
Callius had embarked on the pilgrimage alone to carry out his convictions and justice.
He said it a bit grandiosely, but to put it lightly, since he planned to wander all over the continent, being alone would be more comfortable.
Unless there was some need, with his thug characteristics gone too, wandering leisurely alone was more comfortable.
"If you're recommending we travel together because of the road to the Holy Land, I decline."
"Hmm... The reason?"
"Because there's more to lose than to gain."
Of course, that was the superficial reason.
Callius actually knew these people.
Thus he felt the need to draw out the truth of why they were trying to pull him in.
'If my memory is correct, these are the ones who would later be called heroes of the continent.'
Of course, that wouldn't happen for at least another 6 years.
Honestly, from Callius's perspective, there was nothing wrong with forming a friendship with them.
Even though they were just pilgrims now, their potential was exceedingly high.
So he was curious.
Why such powerful ones among pilgrims were recommending he travel with them.
Why they needed power.
Since many routes had already changed, testing the waters before crossing was the safest approach.
"Hmm..."
Aldu looked at Serena and swallowed a groan, while she silently swallowed her liquor.
They seemed troubled, not expecting Callius to refuse so firmly.
Just as he thought he should drive the wedge deeper, Aldu opened his mouth.
"Actually, we have another companion."
"That companion is?"
"That's also the reason I want you to travel with us. He's gotten into quite a predicament."
At Aldu's words, Callius's expression became peculiar.
* * *
A deep, dark forest.
There were those looking up at the sky bleakly, relying on the moonlight.
Their bodies were covered in scales, and horns sprouted from their heads.
Their eyes were those of reptiles, but in each of their hands was a spear.
"We are the descendants of the dragon."
"But we were robbed."
"Our god, our spear. And the land we built!"
Thump! Thump! Thump!
As if in solidarity, those holding spears pounded the ground.
"How long must we live relying on the moonlight."
"How long must our spears point at the innocent sky and earth!"
"We...!"
How is it that.
"We cannot stand proudly!!"
Thump! Thump! Thump!
"We have the right to reclaim what was taken from us!"
"It makes no sense that the descendants of the dragon must live trampling on wretched land."
"We shall pierce with our spears."
"The execution is in one week!"
"Brothers, let us reclaim what was taken!"
Thump! Thump! Thump!
"Let us reclaim our lives!!"
Thump! Thump! Thump!
"Let us show the power of the dragon race to the shameless Empire!!"
Thump! Thump! Thump!
In the midst of the dragon tribe who had made a desperate resolution, there was one mixed among their kin looking at them with pitiful eyes.
He was Aldu and Serena's comrade, a pilgrim of Ractus who had been appointed as the new tribal chief of the dragon tribe.
A dragon kin who had inherited the strongest power of the dragon tribe, yet bore the stigma of being a fugitive.
'The old folks are making a ruckus because they want to die. I want to live... how do I escape?'
His name was Philomatur.
Also known as Tail-cutter Philo.