Chapter 19 : Chapter 19

Chapter 19. Fang (2)

The western continent was a place where strife never ceased. A land of bloodlust where war still broke out at every opportunity. At the heart of such struggles lay the 「Iron Kingdom of Cherville」.

A kingdom that upheld the logic of the strong devouring the weak and loved battle. The blood of its people carried that of a warrior race, and thus, when hunger struck, instead of farming they would pick up blades to plunder and rob as a way of life.

In the Iron Kingdom, no matter which mountain one went to, bandits could be found, and if one wandered alone at night, it wasn’t rare to encounter robbers. They could even boast of it as a specialty of their kingdom.

Among the countless overflowing bandit gangs, there was one particularly notorious group.

“Some knight bastard was blocking the entrance to that backwater village, I hear.”

“That’s what I said.”

“Not some vagrant beggar knight from the Free City, but a real knight bastard?”

The bandit gang, the 「Red Wolves」.

“Yes. He wasn’t just some nobody, sir! He even gave his name. Said it was Fetel. From the looks of him, he seemed like he came from some prestigious knightly order—”

Among the many violent gangs, the reason why the 「Red Wolves」 had gained such infamy was singular.

“Hm, is that so. Then those rumors about a plague or a black magician were false. It was just one knight bastard all along.”

“Wh-what should we do?”

“Let’s go. We must avenge our fallen men.”

The leader of the 「Red Wolves」.

“It’s been a while since I’ve had a good slash.”

All because of one man whose skill didn’t belong in such a backwater place.

“I absolutely hate these damned knights.”

***

Fetel handed me a warm cup of tea and began to speak.

“The intruder I cut down claimed they were from the 「Red Wolves」 brotherhood.”

“That sounds like a name a knight order would use.”

“Yes, precisely. To be honest, the first time I heard it, I was deeply offended.”

Combining a color and an animal was the traditional method knights used to name their orders.

Famous examples included the 「Blue Lions」, the 「Black Lynx」, and the 「White Serpents」.

“For mere bandits to dare mimic the naming of knight orders… If the knights from my city or those honored knights from the capital had heard, they’d have immediately gone to crush them. That’s how much weight such names carry. Cough.”

Fetel let out a dry cough, excused himself, and took a sip of tea.

“But still, cough, for them to brazenly parade around with such a name… it may mean their group is larger than expected, or perhaps rather powerful.”

“Why do you think so?”

“Because by using such a name, even if needless trouble comes their way, cough, it might mean they don’t care.”

Fetel’s words had credibility.

There was no harm in being cautious.

No matter how much of a backwater this was, the Iron Kingdom was the kind of place where it wouldn’t be strange for some monster to suddenly appear.

“By any chance, did you hear of any peculiar traits about them, or the location of their hideout?”

“…Why are you asking so much detail? Don’t tell me, young lord, you’re thinking of going alone to wipe them out?”

I only gave a sheepish smile at Fetel’s question.

Seeing my expression, his voice rose sharply.

“Do not even think of such reckless action! Do you know where you are? It would be far safer to hold out here even if they attack us someday!”

“……”

“And if they’re just a bandit gang copying knightly traditions and spouting such names, then word will reach an actual knight order, and they’ll come to exterminate them. There’s no reason to—cough, kehek!”

Fetel’s fervent words were cut off by a bloody cough. This time he couldn’t brush it off as before, hacking repeatedly with his face paling visibly.

“Are you all right?”

“To be frank, not really.”

He let out a slow breath, wiped the sweat from his brow, and with a subdued voice, almost as if to entrust me, he spoke.

“My condition is too poor. I should go inside and rest.”

“Please rest well.”

“…Young lord, do not do anything foolish. It is truly dangerous.”

Fetel glared at me like a parent watching a child at the riverbank. Then, in a grave tone, he added one last warning.

“Young lord, you still don’t know just how cruel and dangerous the bandit gangs of the Iron Kingdom are.”

I nearly said what I should not have.

Swallowing down the words rising in my throat, I only waved with a smile.

What I almost blurted out was simple:

‘As if a bandit gang could be crueler or more dangerous than a Swordmaster.’

I had already survived the most terrifying and merciless calamity this continent had ever seen.

“Cough, cough!”

Fetel hobbled toward his bedding, and from somewhere, Seol Yoon appeared, quietly supporting his faltering steps. He was startled at first, then gave a faint smile.

“Thank you.”

“…It’s nothing.”

In a low, almost inaudible murmur, Seol Yoon said, with a faintly somber tone,

“I just can’t ignore someone who’s hurting.”

Watching the two neighbors walk away, I turned to Liam. He was staring at me intently.

“So, when do you think we should depart?”

「This evening, right away.」

I felt sorry for Fetel, but my master’s orders came first.

“Then we must prepare.”

I shifted my gaze to the back of the village.

There stood a mountain.

***

The southern Verdí region of the Iron Kingdom was a land of clustered mountains. Rugged terrain carved as if hewn down, with scarcely any flatlands. With little population and the capital’s indifference, it was left undeveloped.

Thus Verdí remained almost wild. Even bandits abandoned it, saying there was nothing left to plunder.

The winding mountain paths and the complete darkness after sunset turned the place into a labyrinth. For that reason, even the 「Red Wolves」 gang members disliked it.

“Shit, why’s the boss fixated on this backwater?”

“You know he’s eccentric. Maybe he’s intrigued by the sinister rumors around the village lately.”

“Villages in the sticks always have weird rumors. Probably just bards craving attention or drunkards spouting nonsense!”

The men spat phlegm with disdain.

“No food, no women, no beer in this shitty countryside—why the hell are we here?”

“That last village was great though. All the men drafted for war, only women left behind. Should’ve settled down there.”

“Heh, had we stayed, I’d have had over ten wives. Just like Count Steel.”

They pressed forward, barely fending off the darkness with their torches. The jagged mountain paths quickly drained their stamina.

“I just want to leave this cursed village and move on.”

“Exactly. What does the boss see in this place?”

Traveling the mountains after sundown was no easy feat. Even seasoned rangers tread cautiously in Verdí, so for untrained bandits, moving skillfully through such terrain was near impossible.

“Cold as death. Does the weather always shift like this at night?”

“Fucking wretched backwater.”

They trudged along, torchlight pushing against the night.

Which is why they failed to notice.

“Hey, why’s the kid so quiet? Feels like only us two are talking.”

That the once noisy voices were dwindling.

“…What the hell, why aren’t you answering?”

That those dwindling voices had now been reduced to just one.

“Are you screwing with me? You bastards know I hate this kind of joke!”

Only one man’s voice echoed down the mountain path. He stopped dead, trembling at the inexplicable silence.

“…Guys?”

Sensing dread, he turned his torch backward.

And then—

“Uh—”

The comrades following behind him lay sprawled across the dirt as if asleep. He stared dumbly at them. Their eyes were wide open, mouths agape, each throat pierced in the same spot, blood pouring in thick, sticky streams—

“Wh-what the hell—ugh!”

His muttering in panic cut off abruptly as his body suddenly lifted into the air.

A ghost? Or a beast’s ambush?

Before he could comprehend, his body slammed into the ground, pain searing through his ankles as his tendons were severed. The unfamiliar agony nearly tore a scream from him.

“Shh.”

But something smothered his mouth. A hand. Not a ghost’s, not a beast’s, but a person’s.

“Pathetic. Walking this mountain path without even guarding against ambush.”

Overwhelmed by pain, he was completely subdued. The assailant had cut his tendons, pinned his chest with a knee, and pressed his wrists with some unknown tools. Most crucial of all was the fang-like dagger.

Out of the darkness, the attacker had appeared, pressing the blade against his throat. He felt death’s cold edge against his skin.

Terror consumed him. He saw his dead comrades in his mind’s eye.

“No better than the fools who came after me before. Still, it won’t hurt to be cautious.”

The voice was unmistakably youthful. The attacker picked up the dropped torch, its flames illuminating his face. He was a boy.

A delicate face like a flower raised in a greenhouse, perhaps fifteen at most. Yet the man couldn’t sneer ‘brat still wet behind the ears.’

Because the boy’s eyes were cold—cold as the assassins of the Free City. Eyes so chilling that one might believe he was staring at a ghost.

“I have questions.”

The boy glared at him. Only then did the man realize his mouth was no longer covered. His head spun. Death’s grip closed around his throat.

“Where is your gang’s hideout, how many members do you have, and among them, who is the most dangerous… Tell me everything you know.”

His voice was ice. The man stammered.

“I-I-I’ll be killed if I tell!”

“You’re going to die to me anyway.”

“Sob, b-but then the boss… the boss will kill my family too!”

He wept, his voice shaking.

The boy pressed further.

“Boss?”

“Y-yes! Our boss is a monster!”

The man wailed. This strange boy terrified him as much as the corpses of his comrades. He feared dying just as pathetically.

Yet more than the boy, he feared his leader. The boss was bigger, crueler, inhuman—no ordinary man.

Desperate, he choked out the truth.

“Our gang leader… is a deserter knight.”

***

Night fell.

By the campfire, Fetel, dozing off, was awoken by a slender hand.

“Knight, wake up.”

Once, he would have woken at the faintest sound, but his illness had dulled his senses.

Wiping drool, rubbing his eyes, Fetel saw the girl the young lord Arhan had brought—Seol Yoon.

“…What is it?”

Half-asleep, he caught her grave expression. Alarmed, he quickly rose. She said,

“A guest has come.”

“Damn. My condition is poor.”

“You don’t need to worry about that.”

Not worry? What did she mean? Seeing his puzzled face, she added,

“You couldn’t have beaten them even if you were healthy.”

Fetel almost chuckled. Once, he too had been a knight not to be underestimated. Though he hadn’t surpassed the wall of the 「Sword Runner」, his efforts had earned him respect…

“Ah.”

“Am I wrong?”

But the moment he arrived at the village entrance with her, he realized she was right. There stood a knight order.

Silver-helmed, armored head to toe, mounted on trained steeds—judges. Fetel limped toward them and asked,

“What brings such honored guests here?”

Their reply was curt.

“To kill a runaway dog.”

A runaway dog.

There was only one thing knights called that.

A deserter knight.

A knight who forsook honor more precious than life. The orders never forgave deserters.

Sensing the grim air, Fetel demanded explanation. The leading knight spoke.

“The runaway dog is posing as a wolf, gathering filthy village worms. To make matters worse, he used the sacred tradition of naming knight orders for his bandit rabble. We were shamed—mocked by capital knights who claimed they had been beaten by this runaway dog.”

“……”

“They say he calls them the 『Red Wolves』 brotherhood. We’ve had reports of activity in this region. If you know anything, we expect cooperation.”

Filthy bandits, knightly tradition, the 「Red Wolves」.

The moment those words combined, Fetel’s eyes widened.

He recalled his own earlier words:

‘If they’re just a bandit gang mimicking knightly traditions, then sooner or later a knight order will come to crush them.’

He had only spoken of the possibility. Yet it had become reality. Perhaps even more dramatic than he’d imagined.

“Speak. Anything at all.”

These were not knights who had come merely to wipe out bandits. They had come as judges, cloaked in righteous fury.

And knights who bore cause and wrath were fearsome indeed. Fetel knew that all too well.

And one more thing stood out.

The man at the forefront, their leader.

“Cooperate while I’m still asking politely.”

From his back sprouted a small yet unmistakable pair of wings.

The meaning was clear.

“My patience is gone.”

A 「Sword Runner」.