Chapter 22
Orphin de Liophen.
She was a knight who sought honor.
As most children of Karpe did, she grew up hearing of Zerban's great renown.
Thus, she became a knight and knocked on Zerban's doors.
Even with a woman's body, she was a promising knight, so she easily swore her oath of fealty and dedicated her sword to Zerban.
She would gladly dedicate her life to the North, and to Zerban.
So she swore, and so she devoted herself.
However, the North was harsh.
Endlessly swarming magical beasts and an enemy army watching for an opportunity.
But precisely because of that, it was honorable.
It was protecting Zerban on a small scale, and the country on a large scale. Pride took root in a corner of her heart.
Even born a woman, she chose to live as a knight.
What could be more honorable than this?
She was satisfied with her choice.
Of course, until she met Zerban's scoundrel.
Callius.
"Keugh!"
Clang- Clang!! Rumble!
Tremble, tremble.
‘It's heavy.’
The weight of each and every strike is extraordinary. The hand receiving his sword trembles violently. Before she knew it, her gauntlet was soaked with blood from her torn palm.
Drip, drop.
The red blood flowing from her torn palm seeps into the cold snowfield.
"Haa, haa..."
Cold air seeps into her lungs.
But in contrast, her whole body exudes hot sweat.
"Hoo-"
She had heard the rumor that he became a Pilgrim.
So she had expected something.
However, Orphin was deeply disappointed the moment she saw Callius.
The quality of his divine power and his outward aura were insignificant.
No matter that he became a Pilgrim, Callius was still Callius. A scoundrel of the century. A useless lump of filth.
A being whose very existence was close to a sin.
But because of that, she had sighed.
She had also pitied him.
Because he was still useless.
So she brought up the past.
If he showed even a little remorse towards her.
If he apologized and said he was sorry.
She decided to forgive him, saying it was just a childhood thing. Even if he had tarnished her honor, wasn't it just a story from their childhood?
It was an old memory, but she resolved to forgive him if he apologized sincerely.
But.
He was indifferent to the story of the past. As if he didn't even remember, he showed no interest at all.
She had decided to forgive him, but it was true that a corner of her heart felt heavy.
Still, she inwardly felt relieved, thinking, "As expected."
He was still irredeemable trash, and Orphin was fine with that.
So she drew her sword.
"But why!!"
Clang-!
Why! How can he wield such a heavy sword with that tiny, ant-like amount of divine power!
Orphin couldn't understand it.
Her former master, standing before her with a sword and an expressionless face.
Callius von Zerban.
She doubted whether he was truly the fool of fools she had known.
‘He's different.’
He was not the man she knew.
He was not the immature noble son who couldn't even hold a sword properly.
His gaze was sharp.
Yet there was no emotion on his face.
An expression so utterly devoid of emotion.
"……!"
Because of that, Orphin was outraged.
She felt completely ignored.
As if saying he had no emotions to waste on the likes of her. Unlike hers, his sword was not aggressive, seeming to carry such a meaning.
However, his sword steadily received her attacks and used that force against her, swinging back with even greater power.
Clang-!
She had clearly thrust her sword at him, but before she knew it, the tip of her sword was pointing at the sky, and then at the ground.
The sword fight she thought would end in a few exchanges approached the dozens, and nearly the hundreds.
"Haa- Haa- Heup!!"
Her muscles cried out in fatigue, and her breath rose to her chin, making it feel like her heart would explode.
Even as she constantly let out white puffs of breath, the scoundrel before her only watched with tranquil, ash-gray eyes.
Gnash.
Fury filled her throat.
"Huaaaaah-!"
She squeezed out every ounce of strength she had, focusing her divine power into her sword.
The sword aura blooming with light fluttered, cleaving across the snowfield piled up to her knees.
This would work.
This would surely reach his body.
Whoosh-!
But at that moment.
Whoosh- Clang-!
The silver sword trajectory visible in that instant filled her eyes with light.
Swish, thud!
The sword left her hand and crashed into the ground.
At the same time, his sword aura was torn to shreds and fluttered like petals in the air.
"Ah."
The petals of sword aura fluttered.
The silver petals sparkling in the shattered sunlight were indescribably beautiful.
Realizing her knees had bent of their own accord, Orphin let out a hollow laugh.
Before her, Callius's ruthless ash-gray pupils were revealed.
A perfect defeat. It was Orphin's defeat with no more room for excuses.
"Kill me."
The nape of the bowing Orphin was exposed in utter defenselessness.
Shring.
Callius's sword was directed at Orphin.
Orphin sensed death.
But.
Slash-!
Flinch.
What he cut was not Orphin.
It was a giant white snake.
The head of a huge, pure white snake, as large as a python, rolled across the snowfield.
"It seems they flocked because of the smell of blood."
Callius, having sheathed Lucen at his waist, calmly headed somewhere.
"Where are you going! Without finishing this!! Are you going to tarnish my honor again!"
She screamed, but the response that returned made Orphin's mind go blank.
"It was just a spar. Do you take an opponent's life over a mere spar?"
Saying so, he leisurely disappeared somewhere into the White Forest.
Staring blankly in the direction he disappeared, Orphin eventually rose from her spot and gripped her sword.
"...It was just a spar."
Smiling bitterly, she joined the knights who had come looking for her.
"Has he left?"
"Yes."
"What did he do? You don't look so well, Captain."
"It's nothing."
Just....
"We just had a little spar."
Various emotions rose and faded on Orphin's face.
But his swordsmanship, only his swordsmanship, would not leave her mind.
‘Did he... hide his skill?’
Unable to understand, Orphin led the knights toward Jaybarsh Castle.
* * *
A dark night.
Having spent a day and a half hunting magical beasts in the White Forest, Callius arrived at a small inn near the border.
He looked for Bernard, but he wasn't there.
He had only encountered the uninvolved Orphin.
Snore-!
The guy's snoring vibrated from outside the quarters.
Bang-!
Opening the door, Brans was sleeping in bed, snoring.
Callius's eyes turned icy cold.
The White Forest was quite a dangerous place, so he thought taking Brans would be troublesome and told him to rest here.
But seeing him resting so comfortably was a truly unsightly sight.
He had just returned from fighting bloodily with magical beasts in the snowstorm-swept White Forest, and this servant was sleeping so comfortably?
It really pissed him off.
"Brans."
A heavy voice called him.
But there was no movement even when called.
Rather, he snored even louder, announcing that he was deeply and joyfully asleep.
Callius's patience reached its limit. He immediately kicked Brans, who was sprawled across the bed sleeping.
Thud- Thump!
"Ugh! Who the fuck!"
Startled, he screamed, but standing before him was Callius, with snow piled on his head and shoulders.
"Oh my, m-my lord, have you arrived!"
Brans immediately bowed his head.
Callius's gaze was not only chilly but felt like it could pierce his skin.
Brans bowed his waist to the floor and stepped aside.
"Why is there only one bed."
"A-ah, that's. W-well, there were no other rooms available, you see."
"We're near the border, and there are no rooms?"
Rooms should be overflowing, so why.
When he asked, Brans scratched the back of his head as if he understood and answered.
"A-yes. I also thought it was strange, so I asked... They said it's because tomorrow is the hunting day."
"Hunting?"
Plop-
Sitting on the bed, Callius stroked his chin and thought.
"I see. It seems to be that time of year."
"Did you know?"
"It's nothing special. It's because their breeding season is approaching."
The breeding season of magical beasts.
Giving birth requires a lot of nutrition, and the nutritional supplement method for magical beasts is mostly eating humans.
It refers to leading a large-scale military force to hunt in order to prevent the magical beasts of the White Forest from coming down to the civilian settlements.
"It's one of the few paths to success for wandering knights each year, so it seems there are no seats."
The final destination for wandering knights with ambiguous backgrounds or those seeking honor is usually the North.
However, Zerban's prestige among swordsmanship noble houses is so high that it is not a family anyone can enter.
That's why they host a hunting tournament.
From the Zerban family's perspective, no matter what, there is more to gain than to lose.
"What would you like to do for dinner? Considering the amount you eat, my lord..."
"I'll have to eat in the dining room. Is it prepared?"
"Yes, I gave them a heads-up in advance."
"Then let's go."
"Yes sir! I will guide you."
There was no need to guide him.
It was a three-story inn.
It wasn't that large in floor space, so just going down to the first floor led straight to the dining room.
"Innkeeper, bring out the food as I mentioned earlier!"
"Aah, I'll get it ready."
Maybe because it's a northern inn.
The innkeeper's impression was also out of the ordinary.
He was bald, but the scar on his face and the trained muscles on his arms were quite something.
Callius sat down after briefly scanning the people already eating in the dining room.
‘How annoying.’
The people here were mostly knights present to participate in the hunting tournament.
Because of that, they were needlessly fighting for dominance with their auras against each other.
Perhaps because his hood covered Callius's hair color and eyes, they seemed to think he was a knight they had to compete with as well.
With the auras of knights bursting out in the narrow dining room, it was pointlessly exhausting.
‘They're not knights, but thugs.’
It seemed they had too much energy.
Seeing them acting like that already.
"Oh, our food is coming out over there."
"...Not bad."
Having watched closely by his side for a while, Brans knew Callius's portion size well.
The innkeeper placed dozens of large plates on the table.
On the plates, various generous amounts of meat were arranged by cut.
And the main dish.
Thump-!
In the center of the table, some unknown beast was roasted whole.
"It's the North's specialty, roasted Earth Dragon!"
"Ooh-!"
"Hmm."
He was worried about whether there would be anything to eat in such a small inn, but that was a misconception.
A roasted Earth Dragon.
It was just a lizard-like creature, not a real dragon, but still.
Callius's lips curved into a round shape.
He soon picked up his fork and knife, cut the hind leg meat of the roasted Earth Dragon, and took a bite.
Splatter- Meat juice splashed in his mouth.
The hind leg meat of the Earth Dragon, called the dragon on the ground, looked tough because of its dense muscles, but it wasn't like that at all.
Rather, it was chewy and deeply infused with the sauce's seasoning, making it incredibly flavorful, much like eating pork trotters.
"Not bad."
Callius elegantly sliced and ate the roasted Earth Dragon with his knife.
"But fellas, you can finish all of this, right? I don't really like my food being left behind."
"What do you take our lord for! He eats like he has a cart full of beggars in his stomach! We can order more, so brace yourself, innkeeper!"
"Brans."
"Yes, my lord! Shall I order more?"
"Would it be better to tear that mouth open or pull out that tongue? You choose."
"Is there an option where I just keep my mouth shut...?"
The innkeeper laughed heartily.
"I'm sorry, but please bear with it. We're out of ingredients with what we just made."
"This is enough."
"Then that's a relief! Haha!"
The innkeeper laughed cheerfully and headed to the lobby.
Creeeak....
"Innkeeper, give me a meal."
It was a customer.
A large man with a greatsword on his back.
He was a skilled fighter at first glance, and looking at the marks engraved on his armor, one could tell he was quite a belligerent man.
"I'm sorry, but meals are over."
"Then what's that."
"That was the last. Sorry, but you were a step too late. Even if I wanted to give it to you, we can't make it because there are no ingredients."
The innkeeper spoke as if he was sorry, but didn't really look it.
The man's eyes moved from the innkeeper to Callius's party, who were eating enough to break the table legs.
Thud, thud. Creak.
Every time he walked, the wooden floor groaned and creaked.
Thud.
"What's your problem. Can't you see our lord is eating!?"
"Back off, servant."
"What!"
Smack-!
The knight's fist sliced through the air.
"Uwaak!"
Crash-! Brans fell and smashed the table, unable to get up.
However, Callius, who was eating the roasted Earth Dragon, didn't care.
He elegantly ate all the hind leg meat with his fork and knife, and now the forelegs and the special cuts of the roasted Earth Dragon—neck meat and breast meat—were left.
And lastly, the cheek meat.
The cheek meat attached to the head was a special cut of the roasted Earth Dragon.
It was the part he was looking forward to the most.
"I was so hungry, you see. Since we're at it, let's eat together."
Crunch.
The guy immediately grabbed the Earth Dragon's head with his hands, tore it off, and started chewing it bone and all.
Callius's fork stopped.
"Oh, innkeeper. Your skill is quite something! This is really delicious!? Especially this, the cheek meat is absolutely amazing!"
A thick killing intent gathered in the eyes looking at him.
Perhaps captivated by the taste of the roasted Earth Dragon, the large knight cleanly picked the head meat clean and reached out again.
It was a movement to tear off the foreleg.
At that, Callius's fork flew through the air.
Stab-!
"Kuaaak!"
The fork pierced the back of the knight's hand.
"Y-you crazy bastard...!"
"If you want to die, pull it out. The moment you do, your head will fly off."
Facing those chillingly cold pupils, the knight's Adam's apple bobbed up and down.
Unable to pull out the fork or grab his greatsword, he stared at his hand pinned to the table in an awkward posture.
But the pain made him forget his fear.
"You son of a bitch!"
Pop! He pulled out the fork and reached for the greatsword on his back.
But Callius was a step faster.
The knife in his hand moved.
Clank-!
The knight's armor fell with a thud.
The guy panicked for a moment and froze with his hand on the hilt of the greatsword behind him.
Callius was about to slit the knight's throat with the knife, but he didn't.
"……."
He merely cut the joints of the armor, and because of that, the massive thing he was wearing fell to the floor.
The reason was that an old man behind him was pulling his arm.
Thud-!
Cold sweat dripped from the chin of the knight who fell on his backside.
"Tsk tsk tsk- Your filthy temper is still the same, I see."
"W-why are you laughing! My neck almost flew off just now because of you, old man!"
"It didn't fly off, so it's fine."
By then, Callius had no choice but to stop eating. The unpleasant mealtime suddenly didn't matter at all.
Plop.
Sitting down, the old man faced Callius and clicked his tongue at the table still full of food.
"You still have to eat until the table legs bend to be satisfied, I see. Did you get more money in the meantime? Did you extort it from the daughter of the Volivian family again?"
But immediately after. Callius's sword struck across the dining table like a swooping hawk.
Clang-!
Screech, screech!!
Sparks scattered brilliantly.
"Oh ho, a fine sword!"
The old man's sword, which had received Callius's sword while sitting at the dining table, revealed itself.
A red blade symbolizing a Heroic Sword.
In contrast, the blue lightning flowing along the sword body flashed eerily.
"Just like the sword you're holding."
He was the master of the Blue Lightning Sword, Rakan, and the North's only Paladin.
"Bernard."
It was Bernard of the Blue Lightning.