Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Blood that had run down Bestia’s nape dripped from the dagger onto the floor. It wasn’t simply meant to scare her — it was a question laced with a dense, murderous intent.

Cecil had every intention of slicing open her neck without hesitation, depending on her answer.

"……."

"Answer me."

From the moment she brought this woman in, she hadn’t let her guard down for even a single day while keeping an eye on her. But up until now, there hadn’t been anything noticeably suspicious.

And that was precisely why...

"What is your intent?"

...she was even more suspicious.

A human with Bestia’s face, who believed herself to be Bestia. According to what Lord Ran had said, it was that woman who had approached first.

Until now, she hadn’t shown the slightest sign of suspicious behavior. But if there was even the smallest indication that she posed a threat, Cecil had every intention of eliminating her right away. Even if that meant being reprimanded by Lord Ran afterward.

"...I don’t know. I have something I need to tell Ran Winterbell. That’s why I came all this way. But... I don’t remember anything. It was something really important..."

She wasn’t lying.

Cecil possessed the ability to tell whether someone was lying or not. It wasn’t some special power or magic — it was a skill she had acquired through countless experiences and relentless effort.

‘The young master probably knows this woman is a fake Bestia. And even so, he keeps her close... He must have his reasons, maybe even foresight to see the future. But still...’

Cecil was torn.

The Ran Winterbell of the past and the Ran Winterbell of now were completely different people.

That was why she believed there must be good reason and foresight behind the choices he now made.

After all, his actions so far had proven it.

Even so.

She was anxious.

It was because she had been watching over him not just as the “Ran Winterbell” of now, but ever since he had been the weak and incompetent “Ran Winterbell” of before.

Even if there was a greater plan behind it all, was it really right to leave a dangerous element — whose very nature hadn’t even been clearly identified — unchecked?

Wouldn’t this current complacency one day wrap itself around the young master’s neck?

These doubts tormented her.

"You can’t kill me."

"Why not?"

"You’ll regret it. You and Ran Winterbell, both."

"……."

"I don’t care if I die. But only after I say what I have to say."

Once again, it wasn’t a lie. Of course, there was always the possibility that this woman had undergone specialized training like Cecil had, and was highly skilled at lying. But that too was something for Cecil to judge.

At least to her eyes, this woman didn’t seem like someone who had gone through such training.

Cecil slowly lowered her dagger. For now, she had decided to keep watching a little longer. Part of it was because she trusted Ran Winterbell’s judgment, but honestly, there was something about the woman’s words that stuck with her.

— You’ll regret it. You and Ran Winterbell, both.

Regret.

That word carried a great deal of meaning for Cecil.

---

The next day.

As soon as I opened my eyes, I began preparing to leave. It was to go subjugate magical beasts.

There had been recent reports of frequent magical beast attacks near the borders of Winterbell’s territory. Of course, the North had always been home to many magical beasts, but thanks to regular clean-ups, this time of year was usually quiet...

Something was clearly different this time, as the beasts had grown more aggressive.

I had already dispatched the Winterbell knights beyond the territory, but upon hearing there were still many magical beasts left, I decided to go on the subjugation myself — partly to enhance Behemoth’s power, and also to help the trainee members improve their skills.

There were five months left until the friendly exchange event.

Within that time, I intended to shape these mercenaries into proper knights. My body had already been itching for some real combat, so I welcomed the opportunity. I intended to hit two birds with one stone.

The only participants in the subjugation were Legion and the Harlan Mercenaries. Cecil seemed like she wanted to come as well, but I chose not to bring her this time.

It was partly because of Attica and Bestia, but more than that, I felt like I had been showing her too much lately.

She had taken care of me since long ago, so I didn’t want to doubt her. Still, I couldn’t fully trust her just yet.

There were a few questionable points that made it hard to believe she had served me this long purely out of loyalty.

"Young Master! Let’s depart!"

"Right."

Drained from comforting Attica as she clung to me crying and wailing, I got into the carriage and set off.

Our first destination was Sirun Village, located on the outskirts of the territory.

---

A foul stench rose from the corpses of magical beasts scattered everywhere.

Splat!

Camille, who had just decapitated the last remaining beast, asked with her face covered in blood.

"Whew. Young Master, how many did you take down?"

"Six hundred and twenty."

"Looks like I’ve lost again."

After arriving in Sirun Village, we had spent three days and nights focusing solely on the subjugation. We minimized the time spent eating, relieving ourselves, and sleeping, and devoted everything to wiping out the magical beasts.

True to their Gold-ranked status, the Harlan Mercenaries displayed well-organized coordination.

Though they lacked individual strength to be called knights, their commander, Camille, led them with such skillful command that the pace of the subjugation grew faster by the day.

‘Both Legion and Camille are growing at an exceptional rate. They’re both incredibly talented.’

Camille was at the threshold of 6-star. Legion had already reached the level of a seasoned 6-star. The two often sparred with each other, and their rate of growth far exceeded my expectations.

"Here. Take this."

"What is it?"

"It’s good for your body. Just drink it without complaining."

Camille took the potion from me, frowned, and then gulped down the unknown liquid.

"Here. You guys too."

I handed potions to the other members as well.

"Thank you, Captain!"

"Thank you, Young Master!"

"Ugh! What is this?! It smells like someone’s armpit..."

The potion they drank was a tonic I had personally brewed.

Compared to the tonics I had taken before, its effects were rather minor — but only because the tonics I had taken were absurdly effective.

Because it was a special tonic made using the Poison King Basilie’s formula, simply taking it regularly would be of great help to people at their current level.

Behold.

That’s how serious I was about this.

So hurry up and grow strong — I want you all to become my loyal knights.

Thwack!

I smacked the back of the head of a mercenary named Jameson, whose armpit stench was especially foul.

"Drink it all! Every last drop!"

Big-Nosed Mercenary next to him snickered at the scene.

"Yeah, you bastard. Just listen to the captain already!"

This time, Camille smacked the back of Big-Nosed Mercenary’s head.

"It’s not captain, you bastard, it’s Young. Mas.ter. How many times do I have to tell you? We’re not mercenaries anymore — we’re the provisional knight order! Which means everything that comes out of your mouth represents our knight order now!"

Honestly, I didn’t think Camille was in any position to be lecturing others, but since it felt satisfying, I didn’t bother saying anything.

Legion, who had been keeping an eye on the surroundings, walked up to me and said,

"Young Master. I believe this area has been completely cleared."

I closed my eyes and extended my sense of energy.

Shaa—

Mana spread out like a net, covering the entire surrounding area, but I could no longer sense any traces of magical energy.

Well, after the suffering we went through for several days, it would’ve been stranger if there were still monsters left.

"Seems like it. Let’s head back. Good work, everyone."

"Yes, sir!"

...

...

...

When we arrived back at Sirun Village, the village chief came running over, panting. Behind him, the entire village had lined up to welcome us.

"Oh, Lord Ran! You’ve worked so hard! I don’t even know how we can repay this debt..."

"Protecting the people of this territory is also part of Winterbell’s duty."

"...Still, we never imagined you’d personally come out here like this. Thanks to you, everyone in the village is smiling again! Thank you so very much!"

The chief looked genuinely delighted, and for some reason, it gave me a strange feeling. Memories of my time in the Hero’s Party started to resurface.

— Thank you, Hero!

— Great Mage! Thank you so much for saving our children!

— May the blessings of the gods be with you, brave ones!

The most satisfying memories from that damned Hero’s Party.

It was the heartfelt gratitude from the people whose homes we had protected.

"I figured you might be hungry, so we tried to prepare some food... We’re sorry. This is all we can offer... We’d be grateful if you would eat comfortably!"

"The thanks should come from me. Thank you."

With the magical beast problem resolved, the village was in a festive mood. At first, the villagers had seemed a bit wary of us, but now it was clear they were treating us much more warmly.

‘I still haven’t gotten used to this. It’s not like the Winterbell Ducal Family is some sort of religion...’

Outsiders trembled at the mere mention of the name Winterbell Ducal Family, but it was different for the people of the territory.

They took immense pride in being citizens of the Winterbell domain. They felt gratitude, respect, and a deep sense of honor toward Winterbell.

That respect, in fact, was so overwhelming it caught me off guard.

"For the Winterbell Ducal Family!"

"For them!"

"For the Wolf of the North!"

"For the Wolf!"

"For the great King of the North!"

"For the King!"

At some point, the drunken village chief had squeezed in among the mercenaries and was repeatedly proclaiming the greatness of Winterbell. My provisional knights were joyfully joining in, echoing his words.

They too were wolves, like us.

"Young Master! What are you doing over there by yourself? Come, have a drink with us!"

"...Ugh. What’s that smell? Trash? Where am I?"

Jameson — the one with the unforgettable armpit stench — called out to me with a flushed face. Next to him, Big-Nosed Mercenary, completely wasted, had buried his nose in Jameson’s armpit.

I let out a small laugh at the ridiculous scene and joined them for a drink. When I poured a drink for the village chief, he burst into chicken-dropping-like tears and told me how glad he was to still be alive.

And so, we drank beneath the night sky until dawn, using the stars as our side dish, and only then returned to our respective lodgings.

‘It’s been a while since I drank like this. Just how long has it been…’

In my previous life, such drinking sessions were common, but thinking back on them now, they weren’t exactly fond memories.

‘Damn bastards.’

Once back at the inn, I headed to the room at the very end of the second-floor hallway.

I had barely managed to refuse the village chief’s desperate pleas for me to sleep at his house and secured a room at an inn instead.

To someone used to camping outdoors, a luxurious bed wasn’t much different from a flat floor.

I sat on the bed and circulated mana throughout my body, sobering up a little, then lay down to sleep.

As I did, I began mentally laying out my upcoming schedule and organizing the unsolved questions one by one.

The reason Bestia and Saladin betrayed me and my comrades.

Why Cecil had stayed by my side all this time.

The identity of the woman with Bestia’s face.

The bastard who had poisoned my lower body.

None of these were easy problems to solve, but I didn’t stop. There was no better method for falling asleep than to wrestle with such questions before bed.

And just as I was drifting between reality and dreams—

Creak.

The window opened, and a visitor arrived in the night.