fugitives (2)
I have never felt awe in my life.
The one who was praised was always himself, and this was a truth that never changed from the moment he encountered swordsmanship.
Because he was born with a talent different from others.
But it wasn’t the man.
“Did something happen while we were gone?”
“… … uh? What did you just say?”
Vice-captain Roder, who was carrying out a search operation with the knights of the late corps who joined last night, showed an uncharacteristic lack of concentration.
It was like that even today.
It was normal to stare blankly into space, and sometimes muttered something with a serious expression.
A look of concern crossed the knight’s face as he watched.
“Did you at least receive a burdensome order from His Highness the First Prince?”
“That’s not it… … .”
“hmm? Then the battle with the barbarians must have been very difficult. You must be exhausted.”
“… … Whoa. Quite the contrary.”
How much better it would be… … .
Roder silently shook his head, recalling the memories of the past.
The ground, which was thought to be infinitely gray, was stained red with their blood, and the pieces of meat that fell to the ground were so numerous that it was difficult to find out who belonged to them.
okay. The ghosts who lay there were enemies who threatened them.
Even so, Roder’s body was shaking uncontrollably.
-Unbelievable… … !
When I took off the helmet that didn’t splatter a single drop of blood, the brilliant silver hair fell like a picture.
The bloody eyes hidden inside the helmet showed no emotion other than boredom.
Why not?
Without an inch of process, everything happened at the hands of that man.
The knight’s mouth dropped open as he listened to the story.
“… … That means yes.”
“At least the highest level of sword expert. perhaps… … More than that is clear. We were not even given a chance to hold a sword.”
“Well, then, isn’t it a higher level than the captain?”
“… … Maybe it will.”
Unlike the first time when it was gibberish, now it is clear enough to be firm. Still, he nodded cautiously.
And his actions to express that were also wrong.
To simply judge Prince 1’s skills, he didn’t even feel a clue to gauge his skills.
“Even while cutting down hundreds of barbarians during the time until the second generation arrived, the first prince kept the same expression as he did at the beginning. As if there is no inspiration at all.”
“… … .”
“For him, being a barbaric warrior was just such an existence.”
A small part of the passing process that does not even become an obstacle.
But to be treated like that… … They have been a representative risk factor that has threatened the safety of the northern continent until now.
To the extent that several subjugation teams had to be organized. To the extent that it resulted in so many sacrifices… … !
It must have been… … .
“Maybe we didn’t need the help of our knights in the first place.”
The common sense I knew and the truth I saw with my own eyes were entangled, so I was sure even in the midst of confusion.
The fact that they could have been nothing more than a deck to convince the king.
It wasn’t until half a day had passed that I realized such a reality.
“That’s why the knights who belonged to the advance party had such expressions… … .”
The knight nodded his head in agreement, thought for a moment, then spoke.
“If so, why did you come to this place, even acting that way? Even if you reduce the number of barbarians, there will be a limit to the number in the end… … .”
“If you think about such a superficial reason, it must be meaningless.”
Roder dismissed it with a stern expression.
Because there was no way they could understand the thoughts of the ruler who had already been completed.
Even if it was the Knights of the Sun, who were feared by all knights.
… … The moment I thought so.
Click!
-Here, I found the trace you said!
I heard an urgent magic communication from a certain knight.
* * *
“this is… … It looks like someone hid it.”
George held out his head, adjusting his glasses.
Pickaxe and hard hat. And even something that looks like a cart.
The dust of the desolate land was artificially covered and the true meaning was hidden, but the shape was clearly close to a mining tool.
“Are you going to discover a vein of ore locally now?”
“… … .”
“Heh, living and living, I have come to see all the ores of the polar regions. Should I write a paper related to it with Mithril?”
It’s useless nonsense.
I got off my horse and, without saying a word, flicked my finger.
From noble mtl dot com.
What came to me was Roder, who was lying flat.
“Yes, Your Highness. Did you call?”
“Leave the Sun Knights here, and only you follow. Tell the others to activate the magic orb immediately if the enemy comes.”
I said only that far, and dragged George, who was squeezing his calf from a long ride.
“Ah! wait a minute!”
The guy who had been screaming at the movement without a chance to rest soon jumped around hesitantly and asked a question in a voice so low that only I could hear it.
“Why is that person saying that again?”
“What are you talking about?”
“That stiff-necked guy. The vice-captain or something.”
George arrived here with the second party in charge of supplies and scouting.
He probably didn’t know what had happened so far, but he seemed to have sensed the strange atmosphere that permeated the Knights.
I replied nonchalantly.
“Looks like you’ve developed a sense of reverence for the first prince.”
“… … Do you mean by now?”
“I don’t know.”
As the guy said, the Sun Knights leaving Esteban didn’t move obediently from the beginning.
Perhaps he was given the command of the knight commander to act like that.
Because I couldn’t trust my command, which had no results in the sudden recruitment of personnel without consultation and the sudden departure to the north.
still.
‘Even on the battlefield, not trusting your boss, that’s not the same story.’
I had no intention of blaming anyone.
It was natural for me to take care of my own life in a position where I was dragged by a higher order, and I did not need their cooperation either.
But going against my orders was a different story.
“Well, I can’t act like myself anymore, but.”
George trembled at the cool reply that slipped through his thick coat.
“… … Something must have happened.”
“nothing. I just moved the way I did before.”
No matter how you feel or act in the process. It was their job and I didn’t want to bother.
My duty in this land is to extract the maximum benefit from the minimum movement. Because it was nothing more and nothing less.
In the meantime, we came to the end of a gorge blocked by a steep cliff.
Aside from the majestic sight, it is an absurdly vast and empty space to be called a destination.
I stretched out my hand to stop the party, and began to analyze the aura I sensed by touching the wall.
“It’s fantasy-type magic.”
“yes? It’s a cliff no matter how you look at it?”
“If the likes of you could tell them apart, it wouldn’t have been called fantasy magic.”
Hmm.
Then, after removing his hand from the wall, he slowly crossed his arms.
My butt hurts.
Of the three cliffs blocking the gorge, only one would be the path leading to the true destination.
However, all three of them feel the energy of magic.
No matter how sensitive the senses were, it would be difficult to find the right path unless you were a wizard.
‘Should I destroy all of them?’
… … no.
I sighed, trying to clear the thoughts from my head.
It was a story that was close to impossible to even protect others from the collapsing cliff.
‘As expected, it can’t be helped that the situation changes over time.’
In the past, such barriers did not exist.
If he had known, he would have refused to bring only the knights.
It was my mistake for not imagining this situation.
If only there was a little clearer hint… … .
Just as I was thinking about it with my chin resting on my chin, an unexpected voice flowed into my ears.
“hmm? This cliff face looks a little unnatural.”
“… … .”
“Look at this. Only this side maintains a soft texture as if it had not been shaved.”
I turned my head in the direction the voice came from.
Then, slowly. Very slowly, I enjoyed the ‘softness’ he spoke of.
Hmm, indeed… … .
“… … Did you say Roder Calver?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“You have great eyesight. It is correct.”
“Yes? Hey, it’s an honor!”
You won’t know unless you look closely.
No, it was so elaborately decorated that I couldn’t tell even if I looked closely.
If he hadn’t said it, I wouldn’t have felt the slightest discomfort.
“… … Is it a level of talent that will allow you to rise to the position of vice-captain?”
When it comes to competing swordsmanship, if there’s anything you need the most, it’s neither strength nor speed.
An opportunity to create a gap.
And the only way to create an opportunity was to watch the opponent’s moves and anticipate their next move.
In that sense, his keen eye could be said to be the most necessary skill for swordsmanship.
I bit George, who was still tilting his head in puzzlement, and delivered a warning to the two of them.
“Notice. And stay calm.”
“… … ha. Are you talking nonsense again?”
A resigned George scratched his head and straightened up.
More than I said that way. Because I knew better than anyone that somehow something was going to happen.
Either that or not, I swung the sword containing the aura as if to cut out the enemy, anticipating the fun scenes that would unfold.
OK.
Clink-!
“omg!”
“… … her!”
A small crack formed in the air, and the entire cliff collapsed.
Suddenly, what I thought was a cliff disappeared, and a civilization full of strangely styled stone buildings appeared.
He didn’t forget to personally talk to George, who was laughing while hesitating.
“The aide’s seat must be crying.”
Then, he moved his steps inside the civilization.
However, George seemed to have a lot to say.
“No matter how you look at it, it doesn’t look like a mine, right?”
“You are free to think, but unfortunately, this is the land of different races.”
“… … Heterogeneous?”
George continued, groping for the knowledge of the different races that had only been passed down in legends.
“I know it has been passed down among scholars that the heterogeneous race has been wiped out on the continent… … .”
“It’s just speculation. Human knowledge is, after all, the level of what they see and hear. There are no exceptions.”
“… … And His Highness the 1st Prince found something like that.”
The guy’s questioning gaze is stuck in the back of the head.
I was told how I knew that, but I didn’t feel the need to explain and stayed silent.
It was a difficult story to explain why I came to the North by itself.
at that time.
thud!
A hammer flew in from somewhere and was driven into George’s foot.
At the same time, Roder drew his sword, but George didn’t care and just split the thread.
“What does calm mean?”
“It’s not like that.”
George looked curiously at my feet in the dust.
It wasn’t even a claw, it was a metallurgical hammer whose head was over a span.
“… … her.”
If we were a little closer, something great would have happened to the extent that the slightest fluttering of the feet would have become a charming act.
George, who had been tapping the hammer like that, turned his head in the direction he had given him the hammer.
“Humans! What are you doing in this land!”
“… … Dwarf?”
I washed my eyes and checked again, but there was no difference.
The short men, holding a hammer the size of their heads in one hand and revealing their splayed upper bodies… … It was definitely a dwarf that only appeared in legends.
It wasn’t just an illustration, it was a dwarf that actually existed.