Chapter 78

The Knights of Lihines had special conditions.

The two-member knights, the duke’s daughter and the marquess’ restraints, strong men who lacked actual combat experience, and the reason why they came to the remote area on their own.

There was no choice but to stand out unconditionally, and even mediocre soldiers would be interested in the two.

‘There aren’t many people, so it must be easy to manage.’

Baltz had no intention of treating the Knights of Lihines as if they were subordinates.

I was just trying to help as a helper with expectations.

It happened to be related to other Cetinos quasars, so I was able to put forward a plausible justification.

‘The marquis family is also burdensome, but if the duke family is added… … .’

Even the marquis could not be treated carelessly by the nobles.

It was ranked second among the five titles, and even that number was not many.

In addition, the title of duke, which only existed in two, was added, so the lords of the castle would surely be aware of the two.

‘If it were guys who only believed in titles, I would have ignored them… This is a different case.’

Nobles usually consider themselves superior, and treat non-nobles with contempt and persecution.

The royal family was like that too, and the commoners always just bowed down and looked up to them.

However, the Lihines Knights tried to fight back as soon as the Witchbeast appeared, and in the end the battle ended with no casualties.

‘I probably went out without getting paid.’

Since it was a flying beast, casualties were bound to occur even if it was dealt with quickly.

Nevertheless, the Knights of Lihines produced results that were close to miraculous.

Of course, luck would have followed, but shouldn’t we respect that mindset?

‘How far did you see silver and blue?’

Since the blue sage is still raising disciples, a wizard like Hanette Adelaira could have appeared.

However, the silver phantom thief was finally trying to recruit his first student, so it couldn’t be seen as a coincidence.

He must have found something beyond his abilities in Shion Reggieard.

‘It’s good to recommend, but… I should be here.’

Balz was acting as the knight commander of the Caberdron Knights and the deputy commander of the frontline dispatch unit.

The commander of the front line was set aside, and he was only traveling around the remote areas as a reinforcement with his knights.

Of course, depending on the situation, it was possible to temporarily operate additional troops using the power of the Setinos Quasar.

‘When the letter arrives, it may not be in Teroden Castle.’

In the first place, no one knew the reason why the Knights of Lihines were founded and the purpose of coming to the remote area.

He is currently staying in Terroden Castle, but he could have moved to another castle soon.

Maybe he will come to the Allied Castle where he is, but he didn’t know when that time would be.

‘If you send a letter to all castles, you will get attention. It’s difficult.’

As a Setinos quasar and a knight, he always had to remain neutral.

If the beliefs were scattered now, not only the lord of the castle, but also many soldiers would have suspicions.

This issue had to be dealt with secretly and quickly.

‘… I’ll have to figure out the location of the Lihines Knights first.’

I didn’t really want to look good for anyone.

They were just young talents and children of aristocratic families, so they were just trying to prevent any misfortune.

If either of them were injured, the perception of the frontier area could change even more negatively.

‘This is an opportunity.’

Whether he was conscripted or volunteered to join the army, he did not want to come to the outskirts.

If you do it wrong, you could get injured or, if you’re unlucky, you could die on the spot.

At least this amount of troops was maintained because they were forced by the kingdom’s laws and given appropriate salaries.

‘If things go well, there will be many people who want to come to the outskirts.’

Two young aristocrats set up a ball in a remote area and return safely.

This fact alone could have interested nobles and commoners alike.

If the troops were to increase along with the momentum, they would be able to defend the kingdom of Alain more firmly.

‘… I’ll have to speak to the commander. Could you help me?’

* * *

The road to the Nakmor Castle, the outskirts of the Alain Kingdom.

Shion and Hanette hurriedly finished their breakfast and left Terroden Castle.

He was sufficiently familiar with the topography of Terroden Castle, and no monsters appeared other than wyverns.

Seongju said to stay longer, but there was no reason to waste time.

‘Hanet has gotten a lot stronger too.’

Shion had been watching Hanette ever since she saw the mage judge.

Her eyes often turned golden yellow, and Hannette gradually got used to the atmosphere.

As a result, the color of her eyes changed every time she used magic, and her senses and skills in dealing with magic were even sharper.

‘… Why don’t you communicate with the demonic sword?’

The signs had already been revealed, and he even obtained the qualifications to use the magic sword.

However, Hanette still didn’t feel anything and couldn’t figure out the location of the magic sword.

Where and how did it go wrong?

‘If I qualify, I’ll have to communicate with the demonic sword.’

No matter what you do, that fact doesn’t change.

Only the time when Hanette communicated with the magic sword was different.

If there is a problem, shouldn’t we only look at one possibility?

‘There is a mixture of correct and incorrect contents.’

Even Shion couldn’t find an answer to this part.

If Hanette really died, it means that the contents related to him are lies.

But about eye color and a few changes, everything was in sync.

‘Did you guess it by chance? how do you match that? Or maybe it was alive all this time, but partially changed… … .’

“Did something bad happen? Is that why you came out of the castle?”

Harnette turned her head and spoke cautiously.

Shion usually had a lot of thoughts, but after coming to the frontier area, it seemed that his frequency increased even more.

I wanted to help in any way, but there was nothing I could do.

“No, I just have a lot to think about.”

“What were you thinking?”

“Well… I was thinking about where to go to the next castle.”

“Weren’t we going to Nakmor Castle?”

“It’s the castle you’ll go to after Nakmor Castle.”

“Why are you thinking about that already?”

“That way, my sister and I can travel safely. There’s no point in wandering around without a plan.”

“You see this as a trip?”

“It is a trip to gain experience. You can’t always be here, can you?”

“… If it’s okay with you, you can stay here longer. I do not care.”

Hannette answered calmly and looked around.

The frontier area was a dangerous place, and soldiers were still dying.

I felt a little bit of fear, but I didn’t give in to it.

Because there was someone I could trust right next to me.

“Can’t stay long. Shouldn’t we reorganize and come back later?”

“Why do you think you can come back?”

“You founded the Knights, right? It’s not that I don’t have enough money… Ah, if it’s because there are no knights… … .”

“What do you think will happen when we return to the capital?”

“uh… would you like to say hello? I’m going to tell you to rest because you’ve worked hard for a while… In addition… … .”

“There will be talk of setting a wedding date.”

“… … .”

Shion swallowed the silence and nodded slowly.

Obviously, we decided to extend our engagement by another six months, but that promise could change at any time.

It would be more important to promote the relationship between families than to look after their own circumstances.

Given the right circumstances, Robbins and Fried would quickly end their marriage.

“What do you think will happen after you get married?”

“Troublesome things will increase. Having to live in the same room is a bit inconvenient… … .”

“Will there be a voice telling me to have a baby?”

“… I guess so.”

After marriage, another family is set up, and the meaning of a family expands.

In other words, a couple was created, and the fruit had to be produced accordingly.

In particular, if they were involved in an arranged marriage, they were bound to be even more pressured.

“Do you want to go back like this?”

“Wouldn’t it be better to go back a little later? I think I should make more reasons.”

“Can’t you last long with that alone? After all, you have to get married, right?”

“… I’ll have to think about it.”

Shion laughs awkwardly and tilts his head.

Hannette watched the scene quietly, then opened her mouth again.

“I have a good method.”

“uh… How?”

“… Let’s run away by ourselves.”

“what?”

Shion hurriedly lowered his voice and glanced behind him.

The knights were chasing him and Hanette with a slight distance between them.

Seeing no response, it was as if he hadn’t heard what Hannette had to say.

“after… sister. Are you serious?”

“I’m not serious… I just want to think about it.”

“You should never do that. Neither you nor I can handle it.”

“If you run away from here, you won’t be able to catch me? Can’t we do anything well with our skills?”

“It is not a matter of doing well or not. You can’t leave us alone, can you?”

“You can go somewhere else.”

“It doesn’t matter. The family doesn’t know if we ran away or went missing.”

“You mean you can be mistaken?”

“And then I can’t do anything. They’re going to release soldiers in all areas, but there’s no way we won’t get caught, right?”

“Wouldn’t it be fine to run away?”

“Are you going to run away for the rest of your life? Do you want to fight the soldiers? What can we do without support in this situation?”

“Like the other Templars… … .”

“Isn’t that okay? I can’t do anything if I keep being chased.”

“You don’t believe me? I think I just need you by my side… … “

“… … ?”

Shion loses her words for a moment and meets Hanette’s gaze.

Harnette was showing a sad expression with a pitiful look in her eyes.

Shion seems to be caught up in the atmosphere, but soon comes to his senses.

“That… It’s not that I don’t trust you. Let’s face reality. Isn’t there anything good to grow your work?”

“Are you afraid too?”

“Why do you think I won’t be scared?”

“Yeah… Because you’re good.”

Harnette gives off a bright smile and sinks into relief.

Shion was feeling the same fear as he was, and he wouldn’t act recklessly because of him.

I didn’t have any intention of testing it, but I wondered if I was more than happy because I felt a sense of kinship.

“You are just like me… thank god.”

Shion feels a strange resonance from that voice and forgets to even breathe.

My toes felt numb, and my arms seemed to tremble little by little.

Even though my heart was pounding, I wondered if I could hear the sound of my heart as loudly as possible.

‘Nothing is the same. I can’t do anything without the magic sword… … .’

Shion slowly stretched out her hand toward Hanette.

Then he gently touches his right cheek and gazes at her comfortably.

When will I be able to see that smile again?

‘Hanet… Are you liking it?’