As the sunset and the earth spiders settled down, the lively atmosphere returned to the camp that had been stretched out.
The soldiers and knights, who had been resting, quickly armed themselves and gathered together. Ivan and his companions also followed behind Jil Ber.
Step by step, the soldiers, who had been gathering in groups of three or five, suddenly merged into one footstep. It was a perfect military discipline and training condition.
The newly recruited knights naturally dispersed and strolled on horseback outside the military forces. The agile movements of the soldiers, defending the flanks, seemed as smooth as flowing water.
Their high morale might have been a matter of course. After all, their commander at this moment was Jil Ber de Etarique.
Excluding Maximilian from this land, he was the strongest man and the pinnacle of all knights. The weight of the name “Patriotic Sword” bore down on him.
“Not bad, huh?”
Jil Ber looked at Ivan and smirked. It was quite annoying to see him showing off, but this time, there was no choice but to admit it. It was impressive.
Especially when recalling the battlefield before the existence of elite forces, it seemed even more so.
If one were to recall the frontline just before the brink of destruction, where there was no time to train and deploy soldiers, this might as well be considered a change brought about by peace.
Not elite soldiers seasoned by combat experience, but elite soldiers nurtured through systematic training and regulations.
“It must have taken a lot of effort.”
“But it had to be done.”
Jil Ber smiled satisfactorily. With a gaze that even conveyed affection, he scanned the troops following him once.
“The 1st Division of the Eastern Front doesn’t have time to train steadily, do they? They can’t afford to leave the border unguarded. And as for the other forces…”
“Yeah, the retainers of each noble.”
“Right.”
Tylesse maintained a feudal system, with substantial numbers raised in each territory according to the discretion of each noble.
If there were a royal summons, they would naturally become the nation’s soldiers. However, in any case, this was nothing more than a conglomeration of various troops and units.
In such circumstances, Jil Ber had to focus on training the capital defense forces. This legion, prepared since before the death of the demon king, had only now reached this scale.
It took tremendous effort just to secure resources for them. After all, an army is a group that consumes money just by breathing.
“How’s Krasilov? Still better off here than there?”
“Are you trying to extract information about our country from an intelligence agent?”
“Hahaha!! Looks like jokes have increased a lot since you died!”
Jil Ber laughed heartily. Isabelle, who approached him, asked softly.
“Your Grace, um…”
“Uncle.”
“But, but right now there are too many people…”
“Uncle.”
“Jil Ber, uncle…”
“What are you curious about, my Bella?”
“I’ll, I’ll go crazy.”
Isabelle clutched her forehead and spoke with a barely audible voice.
“Leading soldiers of this scale, um, what. Don’t you give a departure speech or something?”
“A departure speech?”
Jil Ber burst into laughter and then soberly replied.
“That’s necessary when departing.”
“Excuse me?”
“We’re hunting right now.”
His confident face was so annoying.
Ivan sighed softly and turned away.
Under the torches held by each soldier, the army following them shone brightly. Well-maintained armor gleamed red under the torches. Step by step, they walked, facing forward.
There was no sign of worry or doubt. Despite being ordinary infantrymen who could disappear in the hundreds with a single breath of a dragon, they showed no fear.
Jil Ber walks.
Duke Etarique leads the way.
Since the Patriotic Sword protects this country, every step he takes following him is for the defense of this nation.
These soldiers marched forward as if it were a matter of course. With unwavering posture and disciplined steps.
Yes, it’s impressive. Ivan nodded. Just by nurturing such elite forces in such a short time, one could understand Jil Ber’s abilities.
“Oh, are the others the same?”
“The others?” (Isabelle)
“Well, aren’t there. Those assassins your country churns out. The ones Enrique raised… Gah, do you know how terrifying your seniors were at that time?” (Jill Ber)
“Hmm.” (Ivan)
Ivan turned his head as if he didn’t want to answer.
Jil Ber, facing forward, didn’t notice his expression. He spoke with a voice mixed with laughter.
“Ah, is that why you haven’t gotten married yet? That pretty lady… La… Lahel?”
“Laella.”
“Oh, right! That’s it! The lady you liked.”
At his words, the entire party stiffened.
Uncle Ivan, liked someone?
Ivan turned to Jil Ber with a dry face. Jil Ber only then realized the situation and flinched.
“She’s dead.” (Ivan)
“Sorry… I see you’ve been active again, after hiding and pretending to be dead… so…”
“They are dead, Jil Ber. All of them.”
“…I apologize. Ivan. I was rash.”
At Ivan’s words, the group fell silent. Clatter, clatter. The sound of horses’ hooves pounding the ground continued.
In the silence that finally came, Ivan quietly sighed.
Every wound eventually heals over time. If it’s a wound that won’t kill you, it will eventually get better.
Scars, however, never disappear.
Therefore, when Kim Sunwoo remembered those days, he couldn’t control himself. Ivan understood his feelings.
Laella Cherenovika, the woman who loved roses, was Kim Sunwoo’s first love.
Not anymore. She’s dead, can’t come back, and he’s no longer Kim Sunwoo.
So it’s okay. There are already enough scars on his body. These scars aren’t worth counting. Memories brought by old scars are just records of a numb past.
So….
Ivan suddenly noticed that the hand gripping the reins was trembling white and quietly loosened his grip. There was a sound of bones clattering.
After loosening his sore hand, he grabbed the reins again. Now there was no trembling in his hand.
The legion approached the Bernini Mountains.
*
As if they had done it more than once, the soldiers naturally scattered on the slopes of the Bernini Mountains. Each battalion of about a hundred men headed toward different sides of the mountain.
“We won’t move separately.”
“Oh, really? Hmm… then take this.”
When Jil Ber nodded, a lieutenant approached and handed over a cylindrical rod. A signal flare. They stuck to traditional methods. Ivan silently put it away without saying anything.
“You know how to use it, right? If you spot a dragon, just shoot it into the sky. All troops will gather within 30 minutes.”
“I understand.”
“And about earlier…”
“Enough.” (Ivan)
Ivan shook his head. It was pointless. It wasn’t intentional, and it wasn’t something to keep in mind before battle.
Instead, he quietly reached out his arm. Jil Ber smiled coolly and extended his arm in return.
The two clasped each other’s forearms tightly and parted ways.
“Good luck.”
Ivan nodded his head and gestured towards the group. With stiff expressions, the party followed Ivan up the mountainside without a word.
*
Thanks to the silence maintained by the talkative children, Ivan was able to start his search smoothly.
It wasn’t a search for the dragon’s location. Since dragons were inherently massive creatures, they would inevitably be discovered in the extensive search with numerous encirclements. Up until now, it was probably because of Jil Ber’s lack of enthusiasm, but today was different. As there was a need to hunt quickly, Jil Ber would no longer delay.
Saying that all troops would gather within 30 minutes was meaningless. The moment the signal flare was launched, Jil Ber would come running within 10 minutes, and once he swung his sword, that would be the end of it.
It was like picking up a fallen coin from the ground. With both the Capital Defense Army and the Eastern Knights together, it was safe to say that Jil Ber was invincible.
So.
‘I’m looking for the Count’s spy.’
If putting the dragon in these mountains was the strategy of the viscounts, there was no way there would be no surveillance on Jil Ber. And at the moment Jil Ber left the mountains alive, all the viscounts’ plans would collapse. In that situation, it was highly likely that the surveillance role would have some sort of “assassination means.”
Ivan was feeling a kind of satisfactory anticipation.
What kind of means, what kind of unimaginable way would they have thought of to deal with Jil Ber?
What was the reason they thought it was possible? And whose plan was it? Perhaps, and with a high probability, it could have been Alexandre’s scheme.
Since it was his taste to unite with demons and instigate nobles to rebellion.
Perhaps they could pursue Alexandre along this thread.
Perhaps, they didn’t even realize they might end up doing something utterly meaningless.
Revenge, a meaningless act. Lighter and more worthless than a flower offered at the graves of the dead.
Ivan climbed the mountainside contentedly, surveying his surroundings.
*
Someone uncle Ivan liked?
Isabelle was lost in thought on horseback. She slowly swayed her body in time with the clattering of hooves, biting her lip.
Elpheira and Ecdysis, who were by her side, were no different. The three of them were staring blankly at Ivan’s back as if their souls had left their bodies.
Parting due to death, it’s unfair.
It’s something you can never forget or erase. It’s an ever-present feeling that never fades. No matter how hard you try, even if you could take that man’s place for a lifetime, it’s an unrequited pursuit.
Was that why? The reason why, despite all efforts, he never once looked their way.
When the three of them were in a gloomy mood, Oscar quietly brightened up.
‘He’s a role model for knights.’
His dedication to his deceased lover. Despite having such abilities, he remained indifferent even when so many women actively pursued him.
The virtues of purity, integrity, and chastity were not exclusive to priests. Knights who performed chivalry were somewhat akin to guides, not much different from priests.
Especially for the Eastern Knights who pursued the old ways of chivalry. It was a structure where admission was permitted only after pledging loyalty, duty, purity, and chastity.
As a disciplined knight of the Eastern Knights, Oscar looked at Ivan with renewed eyes.
“Guys, now’s not the time to worry about that.”
Eugene sighed as he looked at them.
Although they looked like young ones around the age of 20, it was futile. If they wanted to be by their brother’s side, surprisingly, they had to prove their “usefulness.”
I don’t know who thinks like that, but for now….
“I need to become useful.”
Eugene sighed deeply and opened the status window. Manipulating it to make profiles of all the approaching individuals pop up at any moment. He would give these kids some tips later, but for now, he had to focus on the task at hand.
As his Big Brother said, if spies or watchers approached, the status window would detect them faster than the human eye.
As he had reflected before, Eugene’s status window was nothing short of the best early warning system.
