Chapter 174

Chapter 174: Let’s Head to the Capital

In front of Daphne Castle.

A procession made up of carriages, horses, and people stood ready.

“Father, Brother, please have a safe trip.”

“Yes, and you stay well while we’re gone.”

As Malion and the retainers saw them off, Viscount Cobalt, seated on his horse, nodded with a pleased smile.

Then Malion narrowed his eyes and quickly turned his head as he spoke.

“Brother… please, for the love of everything, watch what you say. If you so much as slip up in front of His Majesty the Emperor, it won’t just be your head on the line—it could be the entire house’s.”

“What, you think I’m an idiot? I’ll handle myself just fine.”

When Hardin waved a hand dismissively and answered casually, Malion approached him with a cheerful smile—only to grab him roughly by the collar.

“I’m not joking here. You have a record, remember? A record.”

“A record of what?”

“You’ve already forgotten what you did in front of Princess Medeia…?”

“Oh come on, the Emperor and the Princess aren’t the same.”

Malion shook his head with a vacant expression, as if to say there was no point in arguing further.

“Just… please come back safe and sound.”

“Alright.”

And with that bit of banter, the farewell came to an end.

“It’s about time. Let’s get moving before we’re late.”

“Yes, sir!”

At Viscount Cobalt’s command, the procession headed toward the capital.

Watching them disappear into the distance, Malion raised a hand and called out.

“Travel safely!”

And as they completely faded from sight—

‘Please… may it bring good results.’

A mixture of hope and worry crossed Malion’s face.

---

In the middle of the Daphne procession heading for the Imperial Capital—

“Nnngh, why exactly am I being dragged along for this?”

A kid—no, a halfling—sitting on the back of Manton’s horse puffed out his cheeks in protest.

Jerry. A thief forcibly inducted into the knight order by Hardin.

At that, Manton turned his head slightly and replied.

“If you have complaints, direct them to the Young Master. I’m just following orders.”

“Ha… that guy? He’s not someone you can reason with. What exactly is he planning to do by bringing me along?”

Jerry grumbled with clear discontent in his voice.

Then Manton narrowed his eyes, and a chilling blue light flared within them as he spoke.

“Jerry. Even if you’re new, there are lines that must be respected.”

“What lines?”

“The Young Master… is my lord. But he’s your lord too.”

Shiver!

Was it the force of those words, or the low, heavy tone of Manton’s voice?

Whatever it was, Jerry flinched at the intensity and replied with hunched shoulders.

“Ah, yes… I-I’m sorry.”

What the hell is with these people?

‘Their loyalty to that Young Master is even stronger than I thought.’

After nearly a month since being recruited—no, kidnapped—into the Daphne Knight Order,

Jerry had come to realize this place was unlike any noble household he’d ever known.

– Nooo! What in the world do you think you’re doing, Young Master?!

– Just shut up and do what you’re told already!

The knights treated the Young Master, Hardin, with a shocking lack of formality…

– Faster, faster!

– H-heeegh, h-heeegh! This—this is supposed to be training?!

…and unlike ordinary knights who focused on mana cultivation and standard drills, these ones trained their bodies to an extreme degree that bordered on the insane.

It was nothing like the knight orders Jerry was familiar with.

But more than anything else, the strangest thing was…

‘They act like they hate the Young Master, but there’s this weird sense of loyalty mixed in.’

When the knights were among themselves…

– Isn’t it about time some spirit came and dragged that guy away?

– Haah… if only a bolt of lightning would strike him down or something…

It was a daily occurrence for them to complain endlessly, cursing Hardin to death or worse.

But whenever Jerry tried to join in on those conversations—just like what happened with Manton earlier—they’d turn deadly serious.

Saying things like he shouldn’t insult his lord, or that he didn’t understand anything yet.

‘That guy might be strong, sure…’

Jerry couldn’t deny Hardin’s swordsmanship. He had seen it with his own eyes—whether it was clearing out dungeons or clashing evenly with the Pirate Empress Redrose.

But even with that, it didn’t explain everything.

‘He just doesn’t have the weight of someone you’d want to serve as your lord. That gravity.’

Thanks to the nature of the household he had once belonged to, Jerry had seen many who were once praised as great leaders.

And that was exactly why Hardin’s easygoing, almost airheaded demeanor just didn’t sit well with him.

‘It doesn’t make any sense. None at all.’

Same went for this guy Manton. And that guy Beryl too.

With skills like theirs, they could’ve joined another noble house—or at the very least, made serious money as adventurers.

Just as Jerry was lost in thought while they traveled along a narrow hillside path—

“Wahahaha! Hand over everything you’ve got!”

“Good day, my fine nobles! What a pleasure it is to meet you!”

Hearing the footsteps and obnoxious laughter from nearby, Jerry turned his head.

Sure enough, it was a bunch of thugs with “bandits” practically written on their faces, surrounding the procession in a loose circle.

They’d likely assumed the group was small in number and decided it was a good time for an ambush.

“Siiigh. Just how many damn bandits are out here?”

Hardin muttered in annoyance as he dug a finger into his ear.

“Hey, brat! This ain’t the time to act all laid-back, you know who we are?! We’re the rulers of this region, the Crimson Fiends! Our band’s got more than five mana users!”

“Even if you lot know how to swing swords, you’re all as good as dead, you hear?!”

The bandits sneered confidently, their expressions smug and mocking.

And then—

“L-Lord Gadolph. Are we… going to be alright?”

“W-Well… who knows?”

The servants riding in the supply wagon turned pale as they looked toward Gadolph, who himself gave a half-hearted answer, his face just as ashen.

At that moment, Hardin turned his head back and called out.

“Hey, Manton, Jerry.”

“Yes?”

“Yes, Young Master.”

When the two responded, Hardin jerked his chin toward the bandits.

“You two handle these guys.”

“Understood!”

“Huh? Just the two of us?”

Manton nodded immediately, while Jerry pointed at himself in disbelief.

“Then who else is gonna do it, me? Don’t you agree, Father?”

“Well, I suppose we could help if need be…”

“Nah, can’t have that. Gotta make sure the kids don’t get spoiled.”

Spoiled? Was this seriously the time to be talking about discipline?

Jerry’s eyes went wide in shock.

“Quit your yapping and die already!”

“Ha! Bunch of idiots!”

The bandits drew their swords and charged forward.

And then—

“Alright, off you go.”

“Huh? Huhhh? What are you doing, you crazy knight?!”

Manton grabbed Jerry by the collar and effortlessly lifted him up…

Whoooosh!

“Waaaah! You lunaaaatic!”

…then hurled him straight into the middle of the bandit pack.

“They’re heading this way!”

“Kill them aaaaall!”

Below, the bandits stood ready like starving beasts, licking their lips in anticipation.

And so…

“Damniiiit!”

Jerry quickly pulled a dagger from his waist—

Fwhip! Fwhip!

“Guh-heugh!”

—and flung it with precision, striking the bandits in their foreheads, eyes, and other exposed weak points to clear a landing spot.

As he landed and rolled across the ground—

“Why you little brat!”

Nearby bandits charged at him, their eyes glowing blue.

‘Mana users!’

Should he block? Or would dodging be better?

As Jerry swiftly entered a combat stance, calculating his next move—

Crunch!

“Kyeheeeck!”

A shadow burst in from the side and crushed a bandit in one blow.

“Focus and move properly!”

Standing there was Manton.

With just one strike, he had taken out a mana user—bandit or not.

Jerry grit his teeth and shouted.

“Fine, I got it!”

“You take the left! I’ll cover the right!”

Damn it, why are they putting me through this?!

With a scowl etched deep into his forehead, Jerry dashed forward.

Smash! Crack!

“Aaaaagh!”

Rolling here and there, Jerry tore through the bandits with speed and precision.

“Hrrrk!”

“M-Monster! He’s a monster!”

Meanwhile, Manton carved a direct path through the enemy, smashing them apart with raw force.

Watching this unfold, Hardin clapped his hands with a wide grin.

“Nice! That’s it! Just like that! Good!”

Like a kid enjoying a circus performance.

Cobalt let out a sigh and asked—

“Hardin, wouldn’t it be better if we helped out too?”

“It’s fine. This is a kind of training, after all. They need to get used to fighting together.”

“…If you put it that way, I suppose I can’t argue.”

And so, another ten minutes or so passed.

“Huff… huff… damn it.”

“Fuuuuh…”

All around them, the corpses of the bandits were piled like a mountain.

Jerry and Manton, soaked head to toe in blood, gasped for breath.

As the situation finally began to settle—

“Good work, Jerry.”

“…Phew, yes.”

Manton extended a hand, and Jerry took it to pull himself to his feet.

His expression was blunt, though something about it also looked awkward, almost embarrassed.

“Ahhh, good stuff, good stuff. The two of you getting along so well—it’s a beautiful sight to see.”

Hardin, who had been watching, grinned as he spoke.

“Getting along… is not what I’d call it.”

“I’d have to disagree as well, Young Master.”

At that, both men let go of each other’s hands almost simultaneously.

Hardin shrugged and said,

“That so? Well… might be a good idea to start getting along from now on.”

“Why?”

“Why’s that?”

“You’ll see soon enough.”

Hardin gave a snort and flashed a mischievous grin.

‘T-This is ominous…’

‘What is he planning now?’

Jerry and Manton exchanged glances, their faces painted with a sense of dread.

---

The journey toward the capital continued.

“We’ll camp here for tonight.”

“Yes, my lord!”

Sometimes they camped out under the open sky, and other times they stopped by nearby villages or towns to rest or resupply.

If there had been anything even slightly out of the ordinary…

“Oooh, the village of Bilojin. It’s been a while.”

“Hm? You know this village well, Hardin?”

“Of course, I know it very well. The wine here is to die for. Innkeeper! A round of your best wine, please!”

“…You’ve been here before?”

It would be the fact that every time they passed through a village or town on the road to the capital, Hardin seemed to know far too much about the place.

Aside from that—

“It’s an orc raid!”

“Damn iiiit!”

—the law and order of the Fabian Empire turned out to be far worse than expected.

Monsters and bandits attacked them practically every other day.

To the point where—

“What the hell is the Imperial Court even doing if they can’t get rid of scum like this?! Hahhh… hahhhh…”

“This is… far tougher than I thought it’d be.”

Manton and Jerry, who were the main ones handling the threats, looked worse by the day, with shadows under their eyes growing darker and darker.

As the daily fights became routine—

“Jerry! On your right!”

“Got it!”

By now, it had become clearly visible how well Jerry and Manton moved in sync whenever they crossed blades.

And so, on yet another day after finishing a routine monster subjugation—

“Good work, Jerry.”

“You too.”

Manton handed over the water flask at his waist, and Jerry accepted it with a small grin before guzzling it down.

That’s when he felt a gaze from behind.

“Uhehehehe…”

Hardin, hand over his mouth, was staring intently at them with a suspiciously gleeful smile.

“What’s with that face?”

Jerry furrowed his brow in irritation as he asked, and Hardin replied—

“Looks like things are going just as I said.”

“What is?”

“You two. You’ve gotten pretty close during this trip.”

“Ugh, not that again. When did I ever…”

Jerry let out an annoyed sigh, but he didn’t finish the sentence. Instead, he just dropped his shoulders and said—

“Whatever. Think what you want.”

“Sure, sure.”

And so their “pleasant” journey continued, and about a month had passed.

It was during the time when Daphne’s procession was making its way through a tall mountain pass.

“My lord! Over there… I can see the capital!”

“Oooooh, we’ve finally arrived.”

At Gadolph’s shout, Cobalt, looking down the mountain path, answered with shining eyes.

Off in the distance, a vast city with towering walls came into view.

A massive city with a giant statue of a knight at its center.

The capital of the Fabian Empire, and the land where, long ago, an ancient knight defeated the first Demon King—Pavillonia.