Chapter 10

# Episode 010

"…We need to wash together."

He said, regaining his composure.

Mebu averted her gaze and replied,

"It's fine as long as I don't see. It doesn't matter."

To use this again.

"I was saying I can't be sure of that."

Mebu laughed briefly, as if thinking it was a joke.

It was the first smile Ian had ever seen on her.

After the battle and the verbal sparring, she seemed more at ease.

"I'm tired too. We need to save time. We have a long way to go tomorrow."

Mebu added, calmly starting to take off the opposite elbow armor.

"Well… that's true."

Ian, who had been smacking his lips, finally untied the last of his leg bindings.

There was no more conversation.

Only the sound of armor being carefully removed continued.

"Ah, are you going to wash too, sir?"

Philip finally returned.

He had washed his hands and arms and was carrying a cloth soaked in water.

He quickly approached and took the breastplate Mebu had taken off.

"Always grateful, Philip."

"It's my duty, sir."

Philip carefully placed the breastplate down.

Then he looked at Ian with a passionate gaze.

Ian nodded slightly.

Philip, who had quickly approached the leather armor, stared intently at the bundle next to it and added,

"Once it's clean, should I apply oil too?"

"Do so."

You really have a loyal servant.

Ian suppressed a snicker and stood up.

Mebu, now dressed in a red quilted outfit, also stood up.

Without her armor, she was about half a head shorter than Ian.

"I saw the water was a bit wider upstream. It will be more comfortable to wash there, sir."

Philip added, holding the armor.

He also looked as if it didn't bother him.

"Understood. Let's go. Come, Ian."

Mebu nodded and strode forward.

"……"

This is how things are here.

I thought I had adapted to this world.

Feeling a rare modern human confusion, Ian moved forward.

As Philip had said, the stream widened a bit further upstream.

The moonlight, peeking through the dark clouds, shattered on the surface of the water.

It was a rare, serene, and peaceful scene in this world.

"Maybe it's better if you go in first."

Mebu, who had been walking silently, suddenly spoke.

Ian scratched his nose and stopped.

"Understood."

"I'll go a bit further upstream."

Mebu moved away.

…Feeling like a barbarian.

Ian smacked his lips and took off his clothes, then stepped into the middle of the stream.

The water was shockingly cold, but it made him feel more alert.

The center was deep enough to submerge his thighs, so Ian knelt and immersed himself.

The stickiness and discomfort on his body gradually washed away.

Chamber.

Soon, another sound of water followed.

Mebu must have entered.

She was closer than he thought.

…What can I do about being aware of this?

Ian splashed cold water on his face and silently washed his body.

Only the sound of water continued.

"There's something I didn't ask earlier."

Suddenly, Mebu spoke.

Ian, who was wiping the blood from his shoulders, chest, and waist, replied,

"Speak."

"Are you hurt anywhere?"

You're asking so quickly.

Ian chuckled and replied,

"No. How about you?"

"I'm not either. Impressive. You fought a werewolf and didn't get a scratch."

"Got lucky."

"No way. I saw you fight. It's hard to describe…."

Mebu, who had been choosing her words, added,

"Unique. There's no set form. More practical than a knight like me."

"You're making it sound complicated."

With a casual answer, Mebu quickly added,

"That's not what I meant."

"I didn't mean it that way either. It's true that I have no foundation. I've never properly learned."

A short breath passed behind him.

"Your jokes are funny. Since earlier."

They're not jokes.

"Your attitude with Philip is the same. You're definitely not an ordinary mercenary, Ian. …Well, nowadays, it's not uncommon for a freeborn noble to become a mercenary."

Ian's hand, which was scrubbing his back, stopped.

"Noble-born…?"

"A mercenary can pretend, but the wisdom and insight in your words can't be hidden."

What nonsense.

"I'm from the streets, really."

With Ian's answer, a faint breath followed.

Ian realized it was the sound Mebu made when she smiled.

"If you don't want to talk about it, I understand. Think what you will."

Now I want to ask if you're joking.

Ian finally let out a hollow laugh.

Of course, he understood why Mebu had such a misunderstanding.

In a world where most people can't even read, Ian, as a modern human, inevitably seemed well-informed.

And here, that alone could be proof of noble blood.

Knowledge and culture were almost exclusive to the nobility.

Mebu's calm voice continued,

"Everyone has a story they don't want to tell."

"Do you have such a story, Lady?"

Ian asked suddenly.

More out of concern that the misunderstanding would never end than genuine curiosity.

As expected, Mebu's words faltered.

Finally, it was quiet.

Just as Ian was about to finish washing,

"…I can't say I don't."

Mebu said in a low voice.

"I am not a woman of the Liurel family, but a messenger of Tir En and a sword of the kingdom."

I didn't expect an answer.

Ian smacked his lips uncomfortably.

It seemed the floodgates had opened.

But he had no intention of listening to a story he wasn't curious about.

"I have a question I didn't ask."

Ian caught the end of her words.

"What kind of god is Tir En?"

He wanted to clear up the doubts he had been harboring since the topic had opened.

Mebu was a messenger of Tir En.

A messenger is one who wields a fragment of divine power, blessed by the gods.

Naturally, the greatest power she possessed was that divine power.

Since she might become an enemy someday, he wanted to know it well.

It would be even better if he could find a way to deal with it easily.

Just because he didn't think he would lose didn't mean he had to choose a direct approach.

"Are you asking seriously?"

Mebu asked.

Ian shrugged.

"I'm not close to the gods. I've only heard the name."

In the world of Aquilonia, there are many gods.

So unless players seek them out, the names and meanings of the gods are not explained.

Tir En was the same.

There were knights who occasionally shouted or prayed to his name, but as a mage, Ian had little to do with him, and he was not a significant name in quests or stories.

"…Well. You're right. He's not an easy god to serve. Tir En is the god of condemnation. The second daughter of the shining Lu Solara and the sword that punishes sin."

Mebu's voice became solemn.

"Therefore, as his messenger, I cannot lie or turn a blind eye to sin. If I lose the favor of the god, the blessing will also disappear."

"Must be tough in this era."

Ian nodded and added casually,

"Moreover, if your first name is like that, your other names must be even more impressive."

"Other names? Of course."

Mebu's voice had a hint of laughter.

In a world where betrayal and corruption are major themes, nothing is absolute in Aquilonia.

Not even the gods.

Just as the name of the god of light, Lu Solara, is revered.

Ian asked,

"What are they?"

A calm answer followed.

"Revenge."

"……!"

"Cutting sin is ultimately acting on someone else's revenge, and sometimes it becomes the target of revenge itself. The other name for condemnation is revenge. Just revenge is protected by Tir En."

"Is that so…."

Ian's eyes flickered.

He finally understood the secret of the bleeding avenger in the game.

'The messenger of condemnation became the messenger of revenge.'

It meant that if he could weaken the messenger's power, it would be much easier to deal with her.

Paladins have formidable combat power, but they also have many restrictions.

Even the weakness he had just revealed himself.

'If so…'

But Ian didn't decide immediately.

'Maybe the avenger's grudge that appeared later was also a power of Tir En.'

The bleeding avenger was not a one-time mid-boss.

He reappeared as a vengeful spirit and delivered a surprise attack to the final boss of Chapter 1.

The spirit immediately disappeared, but the boss's health and all stats dropped to less than half.

Of course, even in that state, it was quite difficult to deal with.

'Fighting without the spirit would be even harder.'

Ian clicked his tongue softly.

Choosing one meant giving up the other, which wasn't really his style.

'…I need to observe a bit more.'

There might be a way to avoid giving up anything.

When he reached his conclusion,

"Which god do you serve?"

Mebu added suddenly.

Ian stood up abruptly and said,

"No one."

"You don't serve any god?"

"That's right. I never will."

Perhaps, or rather, it was probably them who brought me to this world.

I don't know how mere data fragments became real, but

Given that they are the most likely culprits for all this misfortune, he had no intention of serving them as deities.

"…You have a story too, it seems."

Ian walked to the shore without answering.

As he wiped the water off his body, Mebu's calm voice reached his ears.

"But surely, there is a god watching you at this moment. Ian. Perhaps they are already coveting you."

Ian looked up at the night sky.

The moon and stars twinkled through the scattered dark clouds.

As if watching him.

Pointing his middle finger at the sky, Ian said,

"I'm hungry. Let's go have dinner."

***

When morning came, dark clouds covered the sky as if by magic.

Philip, who had fallen asleep immediately after finishing his meal, continued to talk about the werewolves the next day.

Since there was nothing else to do while passing through the forest, after a few hours of his rant, Ian reluctantly spoke.

It was a rather bland story, just about how the werewolves attacked and he cut them down with his sword.

"Sir, you don't exaggerate your expertise. I've definitely realized that."

It seemed to have a different impact on Philip.

"The story of you subduing the kobold tribe was also much smaller than the rumors suggested."

"It wasn't a tribe, just a mountain camp. It was a battle, not a subjugation."

Ian corrected, but Philip, who was walking ahead, didn't even acknowledge it.

"Werewolves. I've never seen such a monster before. Well, just the head, of course."

What a great monster.

Ian replied indifferently,

"There are many in the south."

"No. There are almost none in the border areas. The southern garrison regularly exterminates them. When pirates try to invade, they can't fight monsters too, can they?"

Philip shrugged and added,

"I came to the south about 6 or 7 years ago. It was quite peaceful then. So even when I heard that the kingdom was overrun by monsters, it didn't really sink in."

"It will sink in now."

"To be honest, it still hasn't. We've hardly encountered any on our journey."

Ian's brows furrowed.

"Hardly…?"

"Yes. Even after entering the barony, it was quite peaceful. People looked hard-pressed, but that was because they were preparing for war, just like in the south. The first real monster I saw was that werewolf."

"……"

That can't be.

Ian's brows furrowed even more.

He had encountered hundreds of monsters since he set foot in Agel Lan.

Even though it was a game setting, he had been surprised several times that the country could still function with so many monsters.

"It's true."

Mebu, who had been listening silently, said.

"Philip didn't believe in the existence of black mages either. Even after entering the Rimon barony, the only monsters we encountered were a few goblins and kobolds."

How lucky can you be?

Ian, who had been blinking, suddenly realized something and looked at Philip again.

"If you came from the south to the barony, did you follow the main road the whole time?"

Philip nodded quickly.

"Yes. I traveled through large and small towns from Falk Castle."

"Huh."

Ian finally let out a hollow laugh.

The city he had arrived at after leaving the swamp was Falk.

That's where he started to act as a mercenary.

Like other lords in this world, the Baron of Rimon was only interested in money and power.

As a result, even with a lord, the city's security was a mess.

Ian solved the city's problems for money and moved to the next town along the main road.

By killing the monsters in the towns and on the main road he passed through, he had inadvertently made Mebu and Philip's journey peaceful.

"I was paving the way for you…."

Ian, who had been musing, turned his gaze.

In the distance, the edge of the forest was visible.

Philip asked,

"What do you mean by paving the way?"

"Your good days are over. Philip."

Ian, who didn't turn his gaze, added as he moved forward,

"The kingdom is a mess, much worse than you think."

"……?"

Philip realized the meaning of his words in less than half a day.