North of the Mountains (4)

Arthur spread out completely, unable to be awoken by even Mietsu. With a sigh, Mietsu lifted Arthur up and brought him to his room on the second floor. After leaving Cel in Isiel’s room and Arthur in the one he would share with Kleio, Mietsu returned to the table where Kleio was waiting alone. The pub owner had cleared up all the dishes, and only the dull scarlet light of the fire fluttered in that empty hall. Kleio was tired himself, but he wasn’t in the mood to sleep yet.

‘I thought he would stick by his side, but things are coming back to me.’

In the end, Kleio explained what had happened to Mietsu on Arthur’s behalf. Looking at Arthur and Isiel’s attitude, Mietsu also seemed to know of Arthur’s plans. Since he was trustworthy, he didn’t hide Pierce and Aslan’s collusion, delivering it as it was.

Mietsu, who searched the bar cabinet for a new bottle, hurriedly tore off the beeswax stopper and filled his cup. He emptied it without snacks as he stared at the fire.

“What do you think of Pierce Klagen?”

“What do you want to know? I don’t see him differently from others.”

“I haven’t been to the capital for more than twenty years. Well, what do people say about him these days?”

“No one says good things. They are all overwhelmed by his position, and they can’t face him head-on.”

He was the one who pursued only the spirit of this world without any honor or face, which follows power unreservedly without any children to pass down that authority to. When he shared Dione’s comments, Mietsu had an expression that seemed like he wanted to drink the entire bottle at once.

“Besides, his mustache doesn’t look good, but he waxes it up, so there are often people ridiculing it in -Clarion-.”

“-Clarion-! Ha, he is very notorious.”

“Right. He’s a person who makes even Professor Rosa Pehite angry. Ms. Rosa pulled her sword to stop him when he injured Arthur…”

“I know, I know. Whoa.”

For a while, the only sound to be heard was Mietsu pouring more alcohol. The fire cast dark shadows over his face, giving Kleio a sense of familiarity as he examined the man’s tight-drawn lips, high nose, and deep eyes. Mietsu calmed his mind while Kleio recalled why he felt familiar.

“Then, have you heard that he forgot his title?”

“I listened. Besides, his title was forgotten by all.”

“Damn, right. So, do you know why the hell he’s that bad?”

Upon hearing Mietsu’s question, Kleio felt a flash of intuition.

‘Mietsu is either a noble or a person in a key position, as much as he knows personally about Pierce.’

Viscount Kision was an honest, but not foolish, figure, and this was a human enlisted as the teacher for his daughter. His long hair was muddy, and his roughly grown beard was in a similar state. His robes were loose and worn out, but it was camouflage. The man’s rough hands were clean under the fingernails, and his manners during the meal were clearly of a well-educated person.

‘He can’t change his attitude even though he can disguise his appearance.’

As could be seen from Arthur and Isiel, he had turned their bodies into living examples of the swordsmanship textbook. Those weren’t postures that could be accomplished with a year or two of training. Rather, it was impossible for a person who couldn’t use a sword properly to pass on that skill to their disciples.

‘Their teacher couldn’t be a nameless mercenary or some random guy who only knows how to wield a sword. So, what else does he know about the knight commander?’

Pierce Klagen had been attached to Aslan in the last manuscript at the decisive moment of the war. The fact that the Defense Force’s knights joined the second prince had been a big blow to Albion.

‘If this guy could give me a clue to stop Pierce…’

Kleio felt his mind blurring from fatigue and drink as he came up with the answer Mietsu was waiting for.

“…Perhaps because of the taboo of the covenant?”

The teacher’s thick eyebrows wiggled as he heard an answer he didn’t expect.

“Right… At one time, everyone knew his title. But no one remembers it now, and the records are lost. Wet, worn, or torn. They can’t even be restored with magic. We’re in the era of progressing science, yet we still have these oddities.”

Gulp.

“Asel, let me ask one question. Did you make a [Covenant] with Arthur like Isiel?”

“No.”

“You’re smart. I sincerely tried to stop Isiel, but she’s stubborn as a rock.”

The sanctions of the covenant were weaker than the magic formula of [Commitment] or the ether imprint contract, as it didn’t ask for life in return. Nevertheless, Mietsu treated it as if it were some nasty curse.

“Do you think they will betray each other’s [Covenant] or fail to fulfill their will?”

Thump.

“Do you know when [Covenant] first appeared?”

“I learned it originated from the oath of absolute loyalty received by the king from the honorable Knights of the Round Table.”

Kleio recited what he learned in his classics class. When it came to moments not directly described in the manuscript, Kleio knew nothing more than the average student of Albion. At this point, Kleio figured if he hadn’t ended up here as a student, there would’ve been a lot of trouble.

‘I didn’t think of it when I was reading it before, but it feels like there should be more of a prequel.’

“Loyalty? Honor? Fuck it. The essence of the covenant is a leash bound by ether.”

“Wouldn’t it be indispensable for knights with such power to not cross any lines?”

[Covenant] was an essential component of knighthood, and it was praised as honorable. In a class society, honor was a privileged virtue few had. Only those who were nobles or outstanding could obtain it.

‘Well, if you name it that way, it makes it easier to control the knights and wizards; it’s a smart design.’

“You’re a powerful wizard, but you’re thinking from the standpoint of ordinary people. I know why Arthur likes you, but… why? have you ever wondered if the one who holds those reins should be the king?”

He hadn’t. Jungjin hadn’t formed a [Covenant] with Arthur in case he forgot about his previous life; there had been no greater meaning. Kleio had no response, so he only served the cups.

“[Covenant] is actually a transformation of a curse. The conquering king didn’t give a place on the round table to vassals who rejected it, so it was forced.”

Those who graduated from the Defense Force’s school couldn’t escape it either if they were ordained as wizards or knights.

“Think about it. Even if the king who originally swore it dies, it won’t be cut off. It’s like the treatment reserved for the old slave class that was abolished.”

“…I see. Contrary to popular perception, it is by no means a sublime act.”

“The conquering king, Leonid the First, was a cruel and cold person. That’s the essence of a knight with an etheric sword, the first swordmaster, and the emperor that faced demons.”

From ancient times to the modern, the kingdom of Albion was founded during the decline of the holy empire that ruled the Dernier and Chentrum continents. Before Leonid the First’s ascension, Albion was only one of several provinces along the banks of the Tempus river, a frontier of the holy empire. Numerous kingdoms had lived in the territory that was now Albion’s. However, the Door of Mnemosyne opened, and the empire was destroyed by the demons arriving from all over. Leonid the First was born in a difficult situation where the kingdoms were collapsing. It took him twelve years for the heir of a barren province to annihilate the beasts and conquer the territory across the west bank.

“And finally, the king was like a disaster. Before, there were swordmasters in every country like now; there was none to stop him. Historians judged he would’ve united the entire continent had he lived for five more years.”

“Yes, I heard so.”

“How sublime it would be such a man’s wife had an affair, and the etheric taboo was created out of anger at his knight.”

“…An affair? It’s really the first time I’m hearing about it.”

“It’s a secret few know, and the real reason Tristein Manor is stuck here. Because Lancelot Tristein coveted Queen Isolt, he had to prove his sincerity to Leonid the First until death. He was bound by the [Covenant], unable to leave the north out of fear.”

‘Tristan, Isolde, and now Lancelot? Ha, it’s obvious where the author drew inspiration from.’

“Moralt wasn’t the only beast that appeared a thousand years ago. There was also a giant black snake, Pyton, that the Duke of Tristein couldn’t kill.”

“!!!”

Kleio, who had been determined to find out what Mietsu really knew, decided to correct his stance.

‘Pyton is a beast from the last manuscript. It’s a flying reptile…a boss that Arthur’s party managed to catch and kill after it woke up.’

Kleio revised his evaluation of Mietsu from a background character to a major NPC.

‘There were no meaningless people who appeared in the manuscript.’

“…If so, did you come to this place for that reason? To stop Pyton?”

“I just came for money.”

He knew even without turning on Perception, as Mietsu wasn’t a skilled liar.

“Anyway, I explained all that about [Covenant], so you understand why I tried to stop Isiel?”

“Yes, enough. And Isiel would’ve done so even if she had heard all of that.”

“You knew very well. She’s stubborn and committed.”

“The two of them will remain like that. Even knowing that, are there none who reject the [Covenant]?”

“Most people don’t know the forbidden fears it holds. The knights of Absalom the First were forsaken by the king himself.”

“But there are a few who have lost their memory since then.”

“Yes, from the slaying of King Edward.”

Mietsu’s explanation was fairly detailed. The knights who betrayed Edward and chose Philippi had lost their memories due to their breaking of the [Covenant]. However, the lost memories to person.

“There were a lot of minor incidents, like forgotten pet names or losing interest in hobbies. It didn’t seem like a big deal. At the time, the knights of our generation realized that the covenant isn’t absolute bondage. They can change the king, and the covenant won’t take their lives.”

“Aren’t the knights well aware of that?”

Those active knights had made a new [Covenant] with King Phillipe.

‘Isn’t that an issue?’

Kleio’s question was resolved right away.

“The knights make fun of the [Covenant], but what about it? Sir Pierce behaves as he has never heard of loyalty, and Duke Cruel listens to the queen’s orders instead of the king. It is very strange for the people of Albion.”

“According to your words, there is no reason for the king to have the right of [Covenant].”

“No. On the contrary, things might be driven out of control. That’s dangerous. The effects of forgetting and loving memories aren’t immediately apparent. At first, it seems like a small price…”

Mietsu told more stories of the knights he had questioned. Some slowly lost the things they had memorized since they were five, and some even forgot their names and parents.

“But because it took place slowly, many had retired before that terrifying ending found them. Now, there must be few knights aside from Pierce left who were there.”

At that moment, there was only one thought in Kleio’s mind.

‘Did [Covenant] change Pierce?’

“Pierce Klagen was the justest knight in the country before that. He was a man who could claim to be a villain if it were for the right reasons. Isn’t it amazing?”