Chapter 43
*Whisper, whisper.*
Soldiers whispered secretly as they watched Killavan pass by.
A coward who fled the battlefield.
A thief who stole command after the fact.
Various such rumors circulated, but the current hot topic among the soldiers was something else entirely.
"Lord Kallias..."
Is planning to kill Killavan.
Such an unfounded rumor was spreading far and wide.
With orcs potentially invading at any moment, how could they afford to have discipline crumble over such frivolous talk?
A commander ought to immediately roar out orders and restore discipline; that was part of their duty.
However.
Killavan could not do so.
"Lord Killavan. Shouldn't you take measures? Otherwise, you should teach that scoundrel a lesson..."
One of the knights following Killavan offered his counsel, but Killavan paid it no mind.
"That is his scheme. If we get entangled unnecessarily, things will only flow exactly as he intends."
"Ah, I see."
But though he said that, Killavan was not without his own worries.
Who could guarantee that that scoundrel wouldn't flip his lid and launch a surprise attack while he was sleeping?
If he were to disappear, the next patriarch would be Kallias.
With greater legitimacy than himself!
"Your complexion does not look good."
"Ah, I couldn't sleep, so I reviewed documents until morning. I'm a bit tired."
True to his words, Killavan's appearance was far from good.
Dark circles sagged down to his cheeks, his eyes were bloodshot, his skin was flaky, and even his lips were chapped.
"But you can't just sit still like this, can you? If he truly is after your life, Lord Killavan..."
"Of course, I have no intention of just watching. That's why I stayed up all night yesterday."
"Then..."
"I've decided to form a special detachment."
A unit that operates separately from the main force, with Kallias as its captain.
"Those orcs can't keep camping out in front of Jayvarsh like that forever. The most important thing is food."
Though they were currently securing food through hunting and foraging in the nearby bushes, there was a limit.
That went for Jayvarsh, which was defending the castle, as well, but the orcs would require even more food than humans. They needed to feed the magical beasts they brought with them, too.
Regardless, their supplies would arrive, and forming a special detachment to intercept or even just hinder them would be a great help.
Of course.
There was a limit to how many soldiers could be smuggled out of the castle right now, and it had to be a small number so the enemy wouldn't notice.
The perfect fit for that was Kallias's knight order.
"They're a ragtag bunch that can't even be called a knight order, but a commander ought to know how to use what they have."
If they succeed, good. If they fail, even better.
He wouldn't have to see that eyesore of a man anymore and could dispose of him legally.
'To get revenge on Elberton, that guy is quite an annoying obstacle.'
Exterminate the orcs as soon as possible.
Take the opportunity to kill the ailing Elberton and become the lord of Jayvarsh.
For a long time.
He couldn't let the grand scheme he had prepared be ruined by a single scoundrel.
"Summon the knights."
The war has only just begun.
* * *
Behind the temporary barracks.
Kallias was spending time with Emily.
*Clang! Clang!*
"Yes, you're doing well."
He had been training alone, ignoring the summons order. It was only natural that he would end up sparring with Emily, who had shown up holding Lucen, the sword he had given her.
"Like this?"
"Yes."
*Clang!*
Loud sparks flew.
'It's only been two weeks since she pierced the Holy Blood.'
For that timeframe, the amount of divine power she had made her own was quite considerable.
Furthermore, the technique she used to manipulate it and the idea of condensing it into one were heading in a decent direction.
Emily was a sword genius to the point where it was hard to believe she was only a ten-year-old girl.
She already possessed the skills to easily hold her own against most knights.
By accepting and absorbing the experience of actual combat and the occasional advice thrown her way by Bernard and Kallias, sharpness and softness were already coexisting in her sword strikes, forging a sword style of her own.
Of course, it was still a sword that needed honing, but it was obvious she would become a remarkable knight in the near future.
"Haa, huu... How is it?"
"Usable."
But contrary to his thoughts.
The words spilling from Kallias's mouth were excessively monotonous.
He should have at least offered a word of praise.
But for some reason, that was very difficult.
Would she become arrogant over a single word of praise from him?
Thus, with various thoughts worrying him that she might get hurt on the battlefield, every word became cautious.
Because of that, the words spoken were concise, enough to dye her expectant, sparkling eyes with disappointment.
"The sword... thank you."
"It just became unnecessary for me."
"I still like it."
Kallias's nose twitched.
The atmosphere from their sparring instantly turned warm.
That warmth felt quite awkward.
"What's that around your neck?"
"This? It's a horn made from the one-horned beast we caught last time. Cool, right? When the war starts, I'm going to blow this. The sound is pretty grand and amazing. Wanna hear it?"
"...."
Seeing Emily proudly caress and boast about it, he was unsure of what to say.
Why didn't the scoundrel trait activate at times like this?
Emily, too, was of Jervan's blood.
'Still, maybe I don't want to show my daughter a scoundrel's side.'
Truly hard to understand.
It was then.
A presence approaching nearby was caught by Kallias's senses.
"What is the matter, old man?"
The presence was Bernard.
"Why did you refuse the summon order?"
"I didn't want to go."
"Alright, thanks to that, you and your knights have been assigned to a special detachment."
Kallias's lips twisted as if he understood perfectly.
"Exactly what I wanted."
"Crazy bastard. Did you want to die that badly? Or do you not know that disobeying orders in wartime is immediate execution?"
"I know."
"And you still did it, knowing that?"
"Because you couldn't kill me anyway."
"...Seems you do have the brains to bluff."
Killavan cannot.
Even if he tried to enforce discipline like that, if Kallias acted out, it would only further damage his own reputation.
Killavan couldn't do anything about Kallias, who possessed the legitimate bloodline, anyway.
No matter how much of a cast-out scoundrel he was, Kallias was still of Elberton's blood, the son of God who had devoted himself to the Order.
"What are we supposed to do?"
"See for yourself."
*Swish.*
*Tap.*
Gray eyes moved quickly.
Emily, seemingly curious as well, stood on her tiptoes and chattered, asking what it was.
The parchment read as follows:
"It says to steal their supplies."
"Um... Isn't that a good thing?"
No matter how outstanding her talent with the sword was, she was still a child in this regard.
"A good thing, indeed. A perfect thing for dying."
What did it mean to defend a castle?
It meant being isolated.
The orc army was camped right in front of the castle gates, ready to start a war at any given opening.
And yet, they were to sneak out of the castle, avoiding their eyes, to destroy or seize their supplies?
It was no different from telling them to go outside and die.
A good thing if they succeed, and a good thing if they fail.
"When the gates open briefly and we launch a surprise attack, the special detachment will draw their attention and advance north."
It meant they were to act as bait and disperse their attention.
It was no different from telling them to die, but he didn't really mind.
It was what he wanted from the start.
Inside Jayvarsh, the scoundrel trait kept surging up, making it hard to control.
It would be more comfortable to go out and act separately.
If he made a mistake, it would be a perfect way to die.
But the war was just beginning anyway.
'It's about time to slowly wrap up the quest, too.'
Kallias gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist tightly.
To make the quest reward S-Rank, a special condition was needed.
'The Orc Great Warrior.'
The battle with Keltuk was not over yet.
If they crossed paths this time.
He would truly put an end to his match with that guy.
"Are you coming with us, old man?"
"I can't. I have a separate mission assigned to me."
"I expected as much."
Killavan wouldn't just leave a powerful paladin like Bernard alone.
The decisive battle was in three days.
Kallias was already starting to look forward to it.
* * *
Three days later.
Kallias spoke calmly to the knights looking at him.
"Those who want to live, stay. Those who want to die with me, follow."
That was all.
Kallias headed toward the closed castle gates.
But his knights followed Kallias without a single inch of hesitation.
"Seems he has people's favor. Don't you think?"
"Indeed. For a scoundrel."
Striding over to Kallias's side at the vanguard, Killavan saw the knights standing behind him.
Through large and small battles, the wandering knights of the White Forest had become proper knights.
True knights possessing boundless faith and loyalty toward Kallias.
Killavan looked at such knights with displeasure and twisted his lips.
They were going to die anyway.
No need to think further about it.
"Open the gates."
"Open the castle gates!"
"Open!"
*Rattle!*
The pulleys were moved by the soldiers, and the ironclad castle gates began to open with a roar and vibration.
What lay before them was a wave of green standing by.
Kallias drew his sword without hesitation. Killavan did the same.
"You said you'd kill me, but now it looks like you'll be the one dying soon."
"That's something we'll know only after time passes."
Had he forgotten his own situation?
How could he be so calm, knowing what kind of mission he had received?
Killavan clenched his lips tightly.
*Bwuuuuuu—!*
The horn made from the one-horned beast produced a loud and grand sound.
The horn announcing Kallias's sortie.
"Good sound."
"Right? It's Emily's horn."
"Emily?"
For a face heading into a battlefield where he might die, it was a bright expression.
As Killavan was wondering who Emily was, the figure of a young girl caught his eye.
Holding a horn in her hand.
"You were still alive."
He thought she had been ground under the carriage wheels.
"Expect it, Killavan."
"To what?"
Kallias, marching out the castle gates, spat out at him.
"The day I leave these castle gates again, and return to this place once more."
That day.
"Will be the day your head falls."
*Gulp.* Unknowingly swallowing a dry gulp, Killavan forced the corners of his mouth up.
"Die a heroic death. You're still of Jervan's blood, so I'll at least give you a knight's funeral. Though I'm not sure if your corpse will be intact."
His sneering figure looked ridiculous.
Kallias looked at him with an emotionless face and spoke.
"Survive to the very end. I will be the one to cut off your head."
*Taah!*
Fresh blood sprayed in front of Kallias as he advanced, his red cloak fluttering.
The sprayed fresh blood was green.
A fountain of orc blood splashed.
A moment later.
In front of Kallias, who was taking a wide detour while being pursued by the orcs.
A giant Great Warrior blocked his path.