As soon as Luke finished raising the funds, he prepared to leave. The Count was startled by the excessively quick preparation.
“Isn’t that in too much of a hurry? At least leave after the weather gets a little warmer.”
“The climate is warm enough for me. If you go around for training, spring will come soon.”
Even before returning, Luke had lived as a commoner hunter for 15 years. I have experienced the harshness of winter many times before.
As a nobleman, there was nothing difficult about traveling to Korea with all his tools. Not to mention, there are many inns along the wide road.
“The journey itself is not difficult. So don’t worry too much.”
“Uhm, that’s true.”
The count couldn’t hide his concern, but said nothing more. It is an activity of an ascetic knight that he himself has done.
I already knew that Luke’s words were true. But as a father, I couldn’t help but feel concerned.
‘It’s not that I don’t know my father’s heart, but I don’t have time to be late.’
Luke muttered to himself as he reassured the Countess. Reyda, who gave such a desperate oath of loyalty.
If he had successfully fed the elixir to someone he was trying to fix, he would have contacted him. But still no news.
‘The fact that contact was cut off even though it should have been resolved immediately means that there is a problem.’
I had doubts before, but now I am almost certain. Isn’t the timing also coincidental?
It was necessary to go west as soon as possible to check the situation. After a few days, Luke was ready to mount the horse.
Luke was followed, of course, by his vassals Bruno and Max.
“Father, it is still sunny. Please go in quickly.”
“done. Can’t you even see me off in this weather?”
Count Leonard escorted Luke to the outside of the castle gate. In that unusual scene, the villagers came out as if curious and watched Luke and his party leave.
The Count breathed white and handed over a bag of gold coins from his bosom.
“Use this for travel expenses.”
“thank you.”
“no. Rather sorry If you weren’t an acolyte, I would have given you more.”
An acolyte’s activity is not an easy-going journey. Rather, it was more of a journey of overcoming discomfort and hardships and helping people.
If you go comfortably with a lot of money, that meaning will also fade. At least the Count thought so.
“This is enough for me.”
Luke smiled as if he understood everything. I understand so well that I have already prepared the back money.
“Then I will leave.”
“Please be careful.”
“Do not worry. I will come back safely in a year.”
After exchanging final greetings, Luke turned around and left. Watching Bruno and Max follow, the Count muttered to himself.
‘It’s going to be a tough trip. But if it’s you, you’ll be able to overcome it.’
It’s not just about helping people. Eating, sleeping, and moving would be painful in itself. Even Luke, who has lived his life as a hunter, is no exception.
Living in one’s own house, eating and sleeping, and wandering aimlessly for nearly a year are two completely different matters.
‘Cheer up, son.’
Looking at the back of his son, who was leaving without much travel expenses, the count turned around. Feeling proud to see his son walking on a thorny field road.
Bruno saw the count’s disappearance in front of the castle gate and said.
“What are you going to do now?”
“First of all, we have to get out of the Bernstein family’s territory.”
This whole area is the territory of the Bernstein family, so it will take five full days to get out. Until then, I will suffer.
Even if the Count doesn’t investigate Luke, there will be someone watching over the party. In order for the line of sight to disappear completely, you must arrive at another territory.
“I’m going to sleep for about five days and chew beef jerky.”
“After that?”
“What do you ask? I should go to a high-class inn and eat a dish with plenty of spices, without staying overnight.”
If you can go comfortably, go comfortably. It was Luke’s motto from before returning.
* * *
It was only the first five days of a life worthy of an ascetic knight. After that, I moved comfortably along luxurious inns and big cities.
Of course, there was nothing to say that it was hard work except for the consumption of stamina while moving.
“This sausage is delicious, but would you refuse to tell me the secret?”
“The seafood soup is also killer. Let me do more of that.”
“The food is good, but the alcohol is bad.”
The three of them enjoyed the food that was brought from the room on the second floor of the inn. The count’s meal was also excellent, but there are foreign tastes outside the country.
After emptying the entire plate, Bruno said, removing a piece of meat stuck between his teeth.
“By the way, Lord, it’s comfortable for us, but can we continue like this?”
“what?”
“What do you mean being an ascetic knight, isn’t it too comfortable?”
It is said that if your tail is stepped on like this, you will only be criticized. Luke wrung his hands and chewed the meat, swallowing it.
“Anyway, there is no one to help in the eastern and central regions. The eastern part is stable, and the central part is held tightly by the imperial palace, so what?”
Speaking of an incident, it was about the lord himself having an accident, but that wasn’t something an ascetic knight would do in the first place.
What do you say when the lord is rambling on his territory?
“But not West and North. It’s still a mess there. This luxury ends the moment you enter the West.”
There is a calm before the storm in the north, but in the west there is chaos even before the incident.
You may even have to be prepared to face another nuisance before you face Rey.
“So enjoy it while you can. Because this is over now.”
“Well, if that’s the case… … .”
Bruno nodded and lay down comfortably. There was nothing wrong with what the lord had said so far.
If so, what you said now must be true.
* * *
“… I thought so, but this is gross.”
“Are you out again?”
“Yes, although the number is small.”
Bruno frowned and looked at the darkness in the forest. Several pairs of yellow eyes were watching Luke and his party.
Warg. A hyena-like monster, it would attack and kill weak-looking prey in groups.
“Can I kick you out?”
“There are five of them, so all you have to do is threaten them.”
Bruno slowly raised the bars and stood up. And after glaring at the wargs for a while, he swung his spear at the tree with all his might.
Kwaaang.
-Kieek… … !
As the beautiful tree shook with the impact, the group of Wargs who were watching were terrified and scattered. He realized that he was not the target to dare to hunt.
Max grumbled as the presence disappeared in the darkness.
“I’ve heard that monster damage is extreme in the west, but this far exceeds my imagination. To have met five times on a well-maintained road.”
Monsters and beasts are extremely sensitive to invading their territory. But on the other hand, the human realm is also not allowed to enter.
He knows that if he snoops, he too could die. However, there are five groups of monsters encountered on the road, which is strictly human territory.
“Are you usually attacked like this often?”
“No, anyway, this is an anomaly.”
Luke has never been to the East, West, North, or South. The frequency of monster appearances in the West was known right away.
It is true that monsters appeared frequently, but the frequency of monsters appearing now was excessively higher than usual.
‘Something happened.’
I don’t know if it’s related to the extinction of the five families, but it’s clear that the West isn’t normal.
“My lord, what are you going to do?”
“what?”
“Homelessness. Do you intend to continue?”
Luke clicked his tongue. After entering the West, the party continued to stay homeless without stopping in a city or village.
It was to avoid a troublesome request until he met Ray. Because of his status as an acolyte, he couldn’t refuse if asked.
‘Besides, in a situation where monsters are popping out like this, there’s no way there’s no request.’
It was obvious that he would ask for a beast or monster eradication that would be difficult to deal with in all likelihood. And it would be too late to visit the Winslow family.
The problem was that they could not guarantee their safety if they continued to be homeless.
“Let’s hold out for just two more days. If I can’t reach the Winslow family after two days, I’ll look for the village then.”
“All right.”
Max sighs and lights a campfire. Since it was already late for bed, I thought of taking a break while warming myself by the fire.
Just then, a shadow shimmered in the distance.
“Who is there? If you don’t mind, I’d like to warm myself up by the fire for a while.”
The tone itself was easy-going, but the aristocratic atmosphere was oozing out of it. Luke glanced back at Bruno and said.
“who is this?”
“It is a knight. There is no company, you are alone.”
After confirming his identity, Luke nodded and shouted.
“There is a seat, so come over here.”
“Thank you!”
The shadow approached with an excited voice. As they approached the campfire, the light stripped the shadows of those approaching them.
From noble mtl dot com
What appeared was a young knight, now in his mid-20s. The knight quickly sat down and warmed himself up.
“Ugh, I guess I’ll live a little longer now. I almost froze to death.”
“Have you not prepared for homelessness?”
“There were tools to make a campfire. It would have been better if I hadn’t fallen to the attack of the monsters.”
The knight, who was warming up, was surprised to see Luke’s face closely.
“Are you pretty young? Are you an apprentice knight at that age?”
“An attendant. He came here from the East not too long ago.”
“Hey, in the world these days, a trainee. Who are the people behind you?”
“One is my servant, and the other is my vassal.”
“aha.”
The knight nodded his head and looked at the three curiously. It seemed strange to be an ascetic knight, and it seemed that he was hungry for conversation.
“Then you are new to the West.”
“exactly.”
“There will be no shortage of work. We always need people here.”
The knight who was talking looked at Luke as if he had suddenly remembered it.
“I haven’t even made a statement yet. Knight Berick Winslow.”
“… Winslow?”
Bruno asked stupidly from the side. Knight Beric nodded indifferently to Bruno’s reaction.
“exactly. It’s a strong family in the West. But don’t be too intimidated. ‘Cause I’m a bastard I’m in a position where I only occupy a low-level knight position.”
Apparently, he accepted Bruno’s reaction as the family’s reputation. Luke winked at Bruno and Max to keep them quiet before opening his mouth.
“Luke Bernstein.”
“Bernstein? Bernstein of the Red Dragon?”
“Right.”
“… … .”
When Luke agreed, Beric fell silent. The smile from earlier had completely disappeared. Beric’s hardened face lit up in the light of the bonfire.
Despite Beric’s reaction, Luke continued to speak casually.
“The Winslow family is just fine. Do you know the article Ray Winslow?”
“… How do you know its name?”
“How do you know, you know because it’s my knight.”
At the mention of my knight, Beric flinched.
“What do you mean my knight?”
“It means a knight who swore an oath of allegiance with a lifelong contract.”
“Heh, heh heh. Then really… … .”
At Luke’s words, Beric smiled dejectedly and rolled his eyes. It seemed quite confusing.
“Ask me again. Do you know the article Ray Winslow?”
“He is dead.”
“If you can’t even lie, don’t try to do it.”
Luke snorted at the immediate answer. It was clear that he didn’t want to see her. Beric, who rolled his eyes here and there, closed his eyes tightly.
“Couldn’t you just go?”
“If you don’t want to answer, don’t. I was on my way to the Winslow family anyway.”
“Whoa!”
At Luke’s words, Beric opened his eyes again. And Beric, who put his hand on his waist for a moment, threw something in an instant.
Cheer up.
“What, what!?”
“… … !?”
Luke and his party couldn’t react properly to something that suddenly approached like a spider’s web. When he came to his senses, his upper body was already tied up.
Beric muttered as he looked at the party bitterly.
“It’s a magic tool imitating an old relic. It’s something made by nerds. It is said to be used to catch and capture opponents.”
“We welcomed you as a guest! But are you going to break the customs of hospitality!”
Customs of entertainment. It is a tradition that when a host greets a guest with courtesy, the guest must also show loyalty to the host.
Commoners may not know it, but it is an extremely sacred tradition for nobles. Beric said firmly to Luke, who was protesting.
“It’s a shame. But I can’t help it either. I can’t let you guys take Ray.”
“What are you thinking?”
“I’ll take you to your family, or I’ll move you to another city for a while. I’ll release you when I’m done.”
“What is that ‘job’?”
“You will find out later.”
He didn’t seem to want to talk about it any more. Beric moved closer with a scabbard to stun the three of them.
“Are you going to come out like that?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Bruno, break it down and get out.”
“yes!”
As soon as Luke’s order was given, Bruno tried to break the magic tool that bound his body with all his might. Beric looked at Bruno and shook his head.
“It is nonsense. The magic tool’s strength is similar to that of a chain. A person who can break chains with his bare body… … .”
Quadd deuk.
“… Are you there?”
As the smashed magic tool fell to the floor, Beric opened his mouth with a sad expression. Bruno, who broke the restraining ball, loosened his shoulders and said.
“Master, what shall we do?”
“Just lose enough to not die.”
“Now, wait… … !?”
Bruno’s fist flew towards Beric, who was about to step back. For a while, screams resounded incessantly on the roads of the West.
Wkwk