Pafnarmear leaned back in his chair, leisurely flipping through the reserve supply report. After saving and conserving resources in preparation for a prolonged war, they had reached a point where no additional supplies would be needed until their return to the homeland.
“Must be disappointing, huh?”“What are you talking about?”“Isn’t that how the Knights of the Round Table from the Dane Kingdom usually are? Showing off their bravery in battle to leave behind a great epic.”“Ah, of course. Leaving behind an epic is important.”
Pafnarmear looked at Ludwig, who was mocking him with a stoic expression. Phaeirn had long been a rival of the Dane Kingdom, and Ludwig always tried to provoke him at every opportunity.
Pafnarmear, seemingly uninterested, shifted his gaze back to the report and said,“This expedition will also become a great epic.”“There wasn’t a single battle. Just a tedious search operation.”“What did your country hope to gain from this expedition? The Empire’s favor? You’ll get it. Since we provided support when the Empire needed it, there will surely be diplomatic exchanges.”“Then what did you hope to gain?”“The Empire’s indifference. And the safe return of our people. We achieved both. Not a single soldier fell in battle, which is a huge victory for the kingdom. The Empire won’t be able to speak against us. After all, we did send troops.”
Pafnarmear flipped through the report as he spoke. Ludwig bit his lip slightly and narrowed his eyes. This rock-solid man, despite his young age, didn’t falter under any provocation.
The plan to suppress and break the spirit of the young commander from a rival country was hitting a major snag. But Ludwig had another way to provoke him.
“Then I guess I’ll have to go see that woman named ‘Abel.’”“…Do you have business with her?”“Well, I can make up some business…”“She is a distinguished guest of our homeland. If you disrespect her, I won’t forgive you.”Gotcha. Ludwig smirked as he looked at Pafnarmear, who was glaring at him.“You won’t forgive me? Are you challenging me to a duel?”“I could also have you court-martialed.”“On what grounds? For harassing an unaffiliated civilian woman in the military camp? Can you even punish a knight commander of a nation?”“…I’ll give you what you want.”
-Swish.
Pafnarmear closed the report, grabbed the longsword leaning against his chair, and stood up. Ludwig sneered and gripped the hilt of his sword.“No need to throw down a gauntlet, right?”“Let’s head to the training ground. I’ll show you what a Knight of the Round Table is.”“That’s just a title, young man.”
A sharp tension flowed between them, as if a sword fight could break out at any moment. Pafnarmear narrowed his eyes and glared at the middle-aged Phaeirn nobleman with a mustache.
Chances of winning? Not great. Even though Phaeirn was in decline, it was still a powerful nation, and Ludwig was the commander of the Royal Griffinknights, one of the strongest in the country.
But morally, honorably, no—emotionally. Pafnarmear desperately wanted to defeat this middle-aged man. At that moment, the tent door opened.
“A Knight of the Round Table is not just a title. It represents honor, morality, integrity, and chivalry.”“…Abel?”
Abel, who had entered the tent, smiled softly and approached Pafnarmear. With her cold, slender hands, she took the hilt of the sword from his grip.“Young knight. The strength of a Knight of the Round Table doesn’t necessarily have to be the greatest. But…”Her blue eyes sharply glared at Ludwig. Ludwig, with a sly smile, was eyeing her up and down.“…their honor must be an idol for all, and their nobility must be a moral standard for all. So, you don’t need to stain your sword with blood.”“Are you saying you’ll fight in his place? With that delicate… woman’s body?”
As Ludwig sneered, Abel smiled gently.“Physical strength or weakness is just the minimum requirement for martial prowess. It can’t be the standard. I will teach you about the true meaning of martial arts.”“This is getting interesting! Commander! Don’t regret this! I never thought a distinguished guest of your country would be such a crazy woman! Hahaha!”
Ignoring Ludwig’s laughter, Pafnarmear carefully held Abel’s shoulder and whispered in her ear.“Grandmother, please don’t kill him.”“Shouldn’t I?”“There are international concerns.”“Hoho. I wasn’t planning to kill him anyway. Just a joke. I just want to… teach him a light lesson.”“Thank you, Grandmother.”
Pafnarmear bowed his head to Abel. His expression showed that he didn’t even consider the possibility of her losing. Ludwig, dumbfounded, stared at the two of them.
Abelesas, the legendary guardian dragon who taught swordsmanship and chivalry to King Dane, the Knight King. Pafnarmear couldn’t even imagine her losing.
-Squelch.
In the distance, though not too far by Diemonica’s standards, the military flag of the Eastern Kingdom Alliance was waving. There was no need to torment the horse that had galloped such a long distance.
Fernandez, with his hood pulled low, began to make his way toward the alliance’s camp.“Halt! Identify yourself and disarm!”
How long had he walked? A loud voice came from the watchtower. A tired-looking soldier was looking down at him. Fernandez slowly pulled back his hood and looked up at him.“Diemonica Angelo, from the Inquisition Office. I’m here to report my return from a mission. Where is the Church’s tent?”“Ah, you’re a priest? Oh, just a moment. The inspection process has become quite complicated. Do you have anything to prove your identity…?”“This is all I have right now…”
-Clink.
A small rosary with a keyblade carving dangled from Fernandez’s hand. It was unmistakably an authentic Church rosary. The soldier opened the camp gate and shouted.“Come in and warm yourself by the campfire, Father. I’ll fetch the responsible priest right away!”“Take your time.”
No need to rush. Fernandez sat on a wooden chair and warmed his hands by the campfire. The rain continued to pour relentlessly.
The rainwater, symbolizing new life, was soaking into the cursed, dried-up land. Fernandez could now see wild grass wherever he looked. The Great Wilderness was reverting to its ancient state, from the time of the Asit Empire.
The Curse of the Great Demon was dissipating from the land. But…
‘Where did its divinity go?’
The divinity that the demon had accumulated by devouring numerous ancient gods. It must have been corrupted and weakened, but where did such powerful divinity disappear to? Fernandez couldn’t shake the unease.
-It must have been used to revive Kadán.
‘Kadán only took his share. He knew that taking more would distort his essence. The rest, specifically the divinity symbolizing ‘death,’ has disappeared. Along with a few others…’
This had been the question plaguing Fernandez’s mind for days. Even if the other divinities were being consumed to cleanse the curse of this Great Wilderness, there was still something missing. The mystery lingered, unresolved.
