Chapter 30

# Chapter 030

The horse and carriage had miraculously survived.

Since they needed to transport Vernon's body, it was decided that Meave and Miguel would drive the baggage cart.

The sight of the armored knight sitting in the baggage cart was far from impressive, but Meave didn't care.

The group left the Graveyard Forest and stopped briefly at a crossroads.

The farewell was simple.

"Wait for us in Agel Rahn, Ian."

"We'll meet again."

That was all the greeting.

Ian and Meave parted ways, heading towards Ondel and Agel Rahn, respectively.

Philip, who had been glancing back until the carriage was out of sight, said:

"I'm worried if Miguel can properly take care of you, my lord."

Ian chuckled.

"Are you worried about yourself?"

"Of course not. I'll do my best, not just because you asked, but because it's my duty."

"It will be different from serving a knight in many ways."

"That's probably what you want me to experience. Don't worry, I'm prepared."

Right, seeing is believing.

Ian shrugged and urged his horse forward.

It had been comfortable with the paladin's protection, but now the true face of the Dark Age awaited him.

***

Night. Darkness once again enveloped the world.

Because Ian didn't allow the lighting of a torch, Philip gradually moved closer to the horse's side.

"Still... wouldn't a torch be okay?"

"It's not okay. Did you forget last night?"

Ian snorted and dismissed the idea.

It had been comfortable with a large group, but now, with just the two of them, lighting a torch would be like walking with a neon sign.

Starving monsters would go crazy.

Of course, they weren't weak enough to be defeated by Agel Rahn's monsters.

The best strategy was to avoid troublesome and exhausting situations altogether.

Just last night, they hadn't slept well because a few goblins had found them by the campfire.

"Since it's not that dark, stop complaining and find a good place to camp."

Moreover, Ian thought this level of darkness was manageable.

"It's not that dark...?"

Philip turned his bewildered gaze.

A night without a proper moon.

"I'm sorry, but I can barely see anything."

"......?"

Ian's brows furrowed.

As he scanned the surroundings, he eventually scratched his chin.

'Is it because of the Chaos Era...?'

His vision was unusually clear even without magic.

Of course, he had no intention of letting Philip light a torch.

"Just keep walking. It's a good time to get used to the darkness."

"...Yes."

Silent progress continued.

Philip, who occasionally flinched at the intermittent sounds of eyes and wind, suddenly widened his eyes.

"My lord, do you see that?"

He pointed into the darkness.

Ian nodded.

Irregular light.

Between the trees and bushes, there were people with a campfire.

Ian could even see their figures through the firelight.

Five adult men.

"Shall we go? It would be more comfortable to spend the night with them, wouldn't it?"

Philip's eyes sparkled as he asked.

"Hmm..." Ian scratched his chin and looked down at him.

"If you want to. Let's go."

"You made a good decision!"

Philip quickened his pace, fearing Ian might change his mind.

As they approached the campfire.

"Stop!"

A shout rang out.

Two men, hiding behind trees, aimed their flails.

Though Ian found their aim laughable, Philip ducked in alarm.

"We are travelers passing through!"

"So?"

"We were wondering if we could spend the night with you. Is it okay to join you?"

The two men with flails looked towards the campfire.

A man sitting on a small rock, sipping his drink, nodded.

"Come closer slowly."

Philip, who seemed relieved by the man's friendly response, approached the campfire.

As they got closer, tension appeared on Philip's face.

Not only the two with flails, but all five were armed.

The leader, who seemed to be the one-eyed man, had a white, blind eye.

"You're not ordinary travelers. Sit down. We have plenty of room."

Ian and Philip were alternately observed by the one-eyed man, who then smiled broadly.

"You seem like mercenaries."

"You look like them too."

Ian sat down by the campfire.

The one-eyed man laughed.

"Most people who camp out at this hour are like us, earning a living by the sword, right?"

Philip, who had tied the horse to a tree, sat next to Ian.

Relieved by the one-eyed man's friendly response, he leaned his shield and sword against his thigh.

"Thanks to you, we'll sleep more comfortably tonight. As a token of gratitude, we'll share some food."

"That's a pleasant surprise. I'll enjoy it."

Not just the one-eyed man, but the other mercenaries also raised their cups in thanks.

Ian glanced around and said:

"It seems you had a tough job."

"You have a good eye. Yes, we did."

The one-eyed man laughed.

Philip finally noticed the bandage on his arm. The others also had bandages on their shoulders or legs.

"It must have been a formidable monster."

"It was a nightmare. It was nothing like what we heard in Ru Sad."

"You crossed two borders?"

"Yes. We thought the high reward was worth the trip to a remote village. Damn, even with a daytime ambush, we lost three men and barely caught it. It was worth the money, though."

The one-eyed man shrugged and added:

"Still, with the head, we'll be sitting on a pile of gold when we return."

The mercenaries chuckled.

Suddenly, a box on which one of them was sitting started to shake.

A faint sound, like a groan or a cry, spread from inside.

Philip's eyes widened, and Ian casually said:

"You captured it, I see."

"That was the requirement. This is also a sealed box we received from our employer."

The one-eyed man looked at Ian.

"What about you? Are you returning after completing a job?"

"Something like that."

Ian nodded, and Philip added:

"We're coming from the Graveyard Forest."

"Graveyard Forest...?"

"Oh, you don't know. It's a forest shrouded in mist. We... well, killed a monster there."

"Two of you? You must be very skilled. Indeed..."

The one-eyed man glanced at Ian's waist.

"The sword you carry is not ordinary."

"Of course. This sword, for example-"

Philip, about to boast, closed his mouth at Ian's cold gaze.

Ian, looking away, said:

"It's a reward from a job."

"Hmm... I see. I understand. Since we've met, let's have a drink."

The one-eyed man nodded to his subordinate.

Taking out two wooden cups, he poured the drink and brought them over.

Ian took a sip from the cup he received.

"Good."

"It's fine. We may be poor in other things, but we don't skimp on drinks."

The mercenaries laughed, raising their cups.

Philip, who had laid out the jerky by the fire, also picked up a cup.

Ian gestured at that moment.

"Bring me the cup."

"Excuse me...?"

"Even water has a hierarchy. Put it in front of me."

"...Yes."

Philip dejectedly placed the cup in front of Ian.

The one-eyed man laughed.

"You're tough on your subordinate."

"He's not a subordinate. He's a young man with much to learn."

The one-eyed man gulped down the drink and raised Philip's cup.

"A man who doesn't know the basics."

"Hmm? What basics?"

"Simple things. Like not accepting food from strangers."

"......"

The one-eyed man's eyes twitched.

Ian, who had taken another sip nonchalantly, spoke.

"Philip, look straight ahead."

Philip, confused by the command, instinctively looked forward.

"Take care of the two in front of you."

"Excuse me...?"

As Philip tilted his head, the men's eyes turned cold.

The one-eyed man's face, which had stiffened for a moment, broke into a grin.

"Two? Hahaha... just two? You'll take on the rest?"

"Yes."

The men, following the one-eyed man, chuckled.

"What a funny joke."

"Why? Can't you?"

"Of course not."

"Because I drank the poison?"

The one-eyed man shrugged and laughed.

Only then did Philip's face show shock.

Ian, putting down his cup, looked at the one-eyed man.

"Shouldn't you be wondering why I'm still fine?"

"Maybe the poison hasn't fully taken effect. What you drank could knock out an elephant."

"Have you ever seen an elephant?"

"Have you? Haha...?"

The one-eyed man's laughter gradually faded.

Because Ian's gaze was too calm.

From experience, he should have been vomiting or sweating profusely by now.

Just as his smile was about to freeze.

Pfft!

Ian lunged and slashed with his left hand.

The rarely used dagger drew a red line across the one-eyed man's cheek, eye, and forehead.

"Aaaah! My eye!"

The now blind one-eyed man screamed and fell.

His subordinates, who had just picked up their cups, stood up in alarm.

But Ian had already thrown the dagger he had used.

Pfft!

"Aaaah!"

The dagger deeply embedded itself in one man's arm.

"Damn it...! Kill him!"

"Die!"

The remaining three men lunged at once.

Coincidentally, the two Ian had pointed out ran towards Philip.

They probably intended to eliminate the weaker one first.

Ian ignored them and watched the one coming at him.

The man, who had leaped from a distance, swung his sword with all his might.

Ian drew the Sword of Judgment.

Clang!

The opponent's sword broke upon impact with the Sword of Judgment.

"Huh?"

Just as the man looked stunned.

Crack!

The Sword of Judgment pierced deep into the man's neck and chest.

Blood spurted from the split body a moment later.

Ian kicked the dying man away and pulled out the dagger from the arm of the man who was staggering, then moved towards him.

"Stay back...! Stay back, I said!"

"From what I can see, you've done this more than once. The people you've killed probably said the same thing."

Ian, speaking in a flat tone, stared intently at the man's eyes.

"Were you not there when they said it?"

"Damn...!"

Pfft!

The sword pierced the man's chest as he lunged.

Ian pulled out the sword, and the man, gasping, collapsed.

Blood splattered on Ian.

...I can't be as clean as Meave.

Thinking this, Ian picked up the dagger the man had dropped.

Philip, who had been struggling with the other two, managed to create some distance at that moment.

"My lord! If you're done, help me! I'm going to die!"

The two men facing Philip finally showed shock.

Even if the leader was screaming, the fact that two of their comrades were dead in such a short time was alarming.

Ian, who had glanced at them, shrugged.

"I don't want to."

"......?!"

"You... don't want to?"

Philip, like the two bandits, widened his eyes in surprise.

Ian, wiping the blood off the Sword of Judgment, said as he sheathed it:

"I told you to take care of those two."

"But, but-"

"You two, think about it. If you attack me, you die. If you run, you die. So fight him."

"Then, will you... spare us?"

Ian shrugged.

"You should ask that after you win."

"My lord, are you serious-"

"Die!"

"Ah!"

Philip's voice was drowned out by the shouts of the two bandits.

Shouts and screams. The sounds of swords and shields clashing continued fiercely.

But Ian didn't even glance at them as he moved.

Of course, it wasn't because he disliked Philip or wanted him dead.

Philip was clueless and cowardly, but he was unusually diligent and loyal among the humans of this world.

However, it was a different matter to have to watch his back throughout the journey.

As long as they were together, Philip had to pull his own weight.

He was more capable than he looked, so he should be able to handle two injured, mediocre mercenaries.

'If he dies to such scum, it's better to die now.'

Ian approached the blinded leader.

The man, despite his pain, was crawling to escape.

Pfft!

The dagger embedded itself in the man's hand.

"Aaaah! Bastard!"

The man, clutching his wrist, screamed.

Ian, standing right in front of him, snorted.

"You were the one who gave the poison first. If you wanted to kill someone, you should have been prepared to die yourself."

The blinded man, in a hurry, said:

"We didn't mean to kill...! We just wanted to knock you out! We were only going to steal your belongings!"

"Is that so?"

Ian, turning around, picked up the cup Philip had given him and returned.

He then grabbed the dagger embedded in the man's hand.

"Ah, aah...!"

The man screamed as Ian twisted the dagger.

Ian poured the drink into the man's open mouth.

"Choke, choke...!"

The man, who had swallowed it by reflex, showed a look of horror.

Ian smiled.

"You said you just wanted to knock us out? If that's true, I'll spare you."

"Damn you, choke...!"

The man's face quickly turned red.

After writhing in pain for a while, he finally spat out blood and went silent.

"Would have been easier if you had told the truth."

Ian clicked his tongue and muttered.

He felt a slight tingling inside.

It was a strong poison, but not strong enough to overcome Ian's resistance.

To survive the enemies in Chapter 4, Ian had raised the common skill, Primordial Resistance, to level 3.

While it was a secret to be immune to most status effects, the investment remained the same.

As Ian wiped the recovered dagger on the blinded man's clothes, he heard a sound from behind and turned his head.

"Hmm."

One of the bandits was falling, spraying blood.

Philip, who had defended against the attack with his shield, delivered a fatal counterattack.

That's more like it.

Ian sat on the rock where the one-eyed man had been sitting by the campfire.

"Too bad there's no popcorn."

He leisurely picked up the jerky in front of him.

While watching the ongoing battle.