Chapter 11

# Chapter 011

After emerging from the forest, the group ascended a hill along the main road.

They stopped when they reached the top of the hill.

"Rusola..."

Philip sighed.

His gaze was fixed on the village below, now reduced to ashes.

"...I didn’t expect it to be such a mess right away."

Ian spurred his horse and muttered.

His eyes swept over the village.

The remains of buildings that had burned or collapsed.

It was a small, unremarkable village where perhaps a hundred people lived.

"Perhaps it was a bandit raid. Or maybe the wolves we encountered were the culprits."

Philip said in a somber voice.

Ian replied indifferently.

"Wolves don’t set fires."

Philip turned to look at him.

"Then, do you think it was the work of bandits?"

"Hmm…."

"If that’s the case, it’s unforgivable."

Before Ian could respond, Maeve interjected.

"To trample the people’s homes so brutally…"

Her voice carried a hint of anger.

You’re suddenly getting worked up.

Ian glanced at her and realized she was genuinely outraged.

Well, she is a paladin who truly pursues justice and honor.

In this dark age, that means she will inevitably get entangled in all sorts of dirty situations, like now.

Probably in the game, she wasted time on such matters and ended up not finding the dark mage.

Despite his thoughts, Ian slightly curled the corner of his mouth.

"Would you like to find out what happened?"

He was secretly hoping there might be a quest.

There was no reason to stop her from taking the lead. No reason to worry about wasting time.

"Of course, if we can…."

Maeve nodded.

Ian clicked his tongue inwardly.

"Think it over, my lord."

Philip urgently interjected.

Maeve turned to look at him with a doubtful expression.

"What did you say, Philip?"

"I am deeply saddened by the tragedy that befell this village. However, we face a significant issue that concerns the safety of the kingdom."

Ian’s eyebrows furrowed involuntarily.

This guy always ruins things just when they’re going well.

"We don’t have much time left. If my lord fails to dispel the darkness that has befallen the kingdom, the next time it might not be just a village, but the entire kingdom that turns to ashes."

Philip, despite the cold sweat trickling down his face from the two of them, firmly finished his words.

"...You’re right, Philip."

Maeve finally replied.

While Ian was inwardly clicking his tongue.

"Passing by such a scene is not something a knight of the kingdom or a paladin of Tir En can do."

Maeve’s voice, steady and unwavering, continued as she turned her gaze to the village.

Ian’s frown smoothed out.

Indeed, a knight who values honor.

In contrast, Philip, who was at a loss for words, bowed his head.

"If that is my lord’s will… Just don’t spend too much time. The sun will set soon."

"I understand. I will keep your advice in mind."

Ian interjected at that moment.

"Don’t worry about the time."

"…?"

Philip and Maeve turned to look at him.

Ian, looking directly into Philip’s eyes, added.

"I think we can find out quickly."

At his cold gaze, Philip flinched, and Maeve asked.

"Do you have a plan?"

"Nothing special."

Ian replied in a softer tone, extending his hand.

"I think we can just listen directly."

"Listen…?"

Maeve’s gaze followed the direction his finger pointed.

Beyond the ashes.

Near the opposite side of the village on the main road, dull figures similar in color to the desolate land were moving.

Ian’s words were right; they were people.

"To have discovered them."

Maeve marveled anew.

Observing the figures calmly, Ian continued.

"Four armed men. Three are digging, and one is by the road. There’s something stretched out next to him. It looks like a corpse."

A suspicious situation.

Maeve asked in a cold voice.

"They’re burying the bodies. Are they the culprits?"

"I don’t know."

Ian shrugged and added.

"But if we catch them and interrogate them properly, we can find out what happened in the village."

"…Understood."

Maeve, with a determined expression, nodded and lowered her visor.

"I’ll leave the interrogation to you."

She spurred her horse and charged forward.

"Sure, I’ll handle it."

Ian replied calmly, watching the knight’s retreating back.

Philip’s polite voice followed.

"My lord always has a plan. I was too short-sighted."

Oh, thanks to this, I got some quality time with this guy.

Ian looked at Philip again.

With the same cold gaze, Philip’s shoulders stiffened, and Ian said.

"If you keep interrupting when I’m talking, you’ll end up with a shorter life, Philip."

Philip forced a smile.

"Ha ha, another scary joke…"

"Want me to shorten your tongue first?"

Philip’s mouth snapped shut.

Ian adjusted his reins.

"I’m going first. Follow me."

"…Are you going to chase after them right away?"

"If I’m late, they’ll all be killed by Sir Liurel."

Most fools in the dark age have a remarkable talent for shortening their lives.

"Then, should I ride with you-."

Ian didn’t listen and charged forward.

***

The three men were moving according to their roles.

One was digging with an old shovel, another was assisting with a dagger, and the last one was tamping down the earth in a nearby hole with his foot.

Their roles were different, but their expressions were all equally grim.

"Do it properly, you brats."

The last man, who had been watching their lackluster efforts, finally spoke.

He was the leader of the group, Miguel. He had a dirty beard and a scar on one side of his face, as if he had been hit by a bear.

He fiddled with the crossbow slung over his shoulder and looked at the bodies laid out next to the hole.

"Why is it taking so long to dig just six graves? Hurry up. The sun will set soon."

"…."

The men’s faces became even more grim, but no one dared to argue.

One of the graves was dug by Miguel alone, and he did it much faster and more perfectly than the others.

"Don’t do it half-heartedly. I told you, didn’t I? I didn’t sleep well last night."

The men sighed and started moving at his continued nagging.

Miguel clicked his tongue, watching their unchanged efforts.

He could see that they were inwardly grumbling about how much they were suffering because of a mere dream.

It was proof that they were inexperienced and unskilled.

Veterans who had lived by the sword didn’t take minor superstitions and omens lightly.

Of course, he was particularly superstitious.

"Having to deal with such scoundrels, my fate is truly wretched…."

Miguel’s muttering suddenly paused.

His ears perked up.

He heard the sound of hooves.

It wasn’t a hallucination.

Miguel gripped his crossbow and turned to look at the village where the sound came from.

Even from a distance, it wasn’t hard to identify the source of the sound.

"…!"

A fiercely galloping warhorse. A shining suit of armor on its back. And a blue-tinged sword.

Everything was clearly visible.

"Such madness…."

A sigh escaped Miguel’s lips.

"Why, again. Aren’t you doing it properly?"

"It doesn’t seem like you’re talking to us. Eh…?"

The men digging the earth also turned to look at his expression.

Their confusion was short-lived.

"Is that…? Could it be?"

"A knight…? Why suddenly?"

They, too, looked bewildered.

The sight of a knight with a blue glow in his hand galloping towards them in the sunset was that surreal.

"…It seems we’re in trouble."

Miguel was the first to grasp the situation.

He immediately aimed his crossbow forward and shouted.

"Everyone, get your bows or something. Hurry!"

"That, that’s crazy, boss! We should run!"

"What with? Stop talking nonsense and do as I say, you brats!"

Only then did the men awkwardly pick up their crossbows and bows.

"Aim at the horse! And don’t shoot! Not until I say so!"

Miguel barked at them, who were trembling.

As soon as they took their positions, the knight’s voice echoed loudly.

"Drop your weapons and kneel!"

Before Miguel could be surprised by the female voice, he turned to the knight and shouted with all his might.

"Give us a reason! If you don’t, we have no other choice!"

The knight’s gender was irrelevant now.

Self-proclaimed knights were common, but a properly appointed real knight was a rare and terrifying presence to thugs and mercenaries.

A knight’s mercy was only somewhat effective for commoners, not for them.

And Miguel was certain that this was a real knight.

If they fought, they would surely die.

But they couldn’t just run away.

Distracting the horse was one thing, but running away would be like admitting guilt.

Especially next to the pile of bodies in the village reduced to ashes.

"Stop! We haven’t done anything wrong!"

To avoid being caught off guard, they had to appear confident.

So far, things were going according to plan.

"Hi, hiik…!"

But the problem arose from the other side.

As the sound of hooves began to shake the ground, one of the men couldn’t withstand the pressure.

Piiing-!

A familiar sound followed.

The sound of a crossbow being fired.

"…?!"

What madness?

Miguel’s eyes widened.

His gaze followed the bolt, which was flying towards the horse with uncanny accuracy.

And even more astonishingly, the knight deflected the small, fast bolt with her sword.

Pak-!

With ease.

"What, what kind of monster…!"

The man who fired the crossbow was shocked, dropped it, and stood up.

"I’m running! This is madness!"

The sound of running footsteps followed.

Miguel, who had just regained his senses, turned his head.

"Stop right now, you stupid-!"

Before he could finish his shout.

Flash- Thud-!

A blue flash appeared behind him.

In the blink of an eye, it swept across the back of the fleeing man and disappeared.

The upper body, cut off, spewed blood and entrails.

Thud.

And the lower half, still taking a few steps, finally collapsed.

The remaining two men turned pale and froze.

"We’re doomed, damn it…."

Miguel, who had been muttering, finally whispered.

He didn’t feel any sorrow for the dead man.

If anything, he wanted to bring him back to life and kill him himself.

Not only did he disobey orders and attack, but he also tried to run away and abandon his comrades.

"Drop your weapons and kneel!"

A thunderous command echoed.

"Damn it."

Now, the only option left was to surrender.

Miguel quickly knelt.

'If this doesn’t stop him…'

He subtly massaged his ankle.

Like many others, he had a last resort for survival.

It could only be used once and wouldn’t kill the knight, but it would allow him to escape.

Miguel listened intently to the sound of hooves.

Fortunately, the worst-case scenario didn’t happen. The knight’s charge slowed down and finally stopped in front of Miguel.

Even so, he couldn’t breathe a sigh of relief.

The knight still had her sword in hand.

A blue glow hovered above his head.

A chill ran down his neck.

"I know the situation looks suspicious, my lord."

Miguel managed to speak.

"But we haven’t done anything wrong. If you give us a little time, we can explain everything."

"I’ll hear your explanation later."

A cold voice replied, clearly not believing him.

"A specialist in interrogation will arrive shortly."

Miguel’s head snapped up.

"Specialist?!"

A cold, murderous intent pierced through the visor of the helmet.

"Questions are not allowed."

"Yes…!"

Miguel immediately bowed his head and clenched his eyes shut.

Sure enough, another sound of hooves made him feel dizzy.

A specialist in interrogation was essentially a specialist in torture.

They would make even the innocent confess, and if he survived, he would be crippled for life.

'Should I go all out? Now…?'

As Miguel fidgeted with his fingers, the dream from last night flashed through his mind.

The grim reaper chasing him. The river of the dead he faced after running. And the boat floating just out of reach.

'How can I get on? Go all out? Endure? Damn, Ro Logis.'

While Miguel was conflicted, the sound of hooves approached.

Miguel cautiously lifted his head.

The figure of a death rider on a fine warhorse slowly came into view.

His gaze passed over the gray greaves and leather armor, and finally, when he saw the face.

"It, it’s Ian…?"

Miguel’s eyes widened.

"It’s Ian Hope? Is it you?"

"…."

Ian’s gaze finally turned to Miguel.

They exchanged a glance, but that was it. With a slight raise of one eyebrow, Ian stopped his horse next to Maeve without a word.

"It’s me! Miguel! Hunter Miguel! A mercenary!"

Miguel stammered.

"You often saw me in Balksi, especially in the taverns!"

At this point, the knight, Maeve, also turned to