Chapter 69
“You’ve brought many people I haven’t seen before.”
“My family grew on the way back from my hometown. They are all individuals with long careers, so they can be assigned to suitable positions.”
“Oh…! If Sir Karl says so, then I can trust and entrust them.”
Not just anyone, but experienced and skilled gamekeepers, stable masters, and head maids were precious personnel that even nobles couldn't easily find without connections.
“Appointing Hans as the castle’s steward would be a great help.”
“…Isn’t he a guard knight?”
The sharp-eyed Count Vito recognized Hans' skill at once.
“He says he wants to stop holding a sword.”
“I shall do as you say.”
Even after becoming a Margrave, Count Vito maintained the same attitude towards Karl. Even when Karl said it was alright to speak informally now, he stubbornly maintained an extremely polite attitude towards Karl.
“You are the benefactor who saved my life twice. Besides, if Sir Karl hadn’t been here, I wouldn’t be in this position either.”
Even Karl shook his head at his stubborn insistence on using honorifics.
Karl thus entrusted the people from the Meyer domain to Count Vito and went up to his office.
‘Where should I go now?’
After bringing down Count Calido, the quests had become quiet.
Would a quest appear if I just stayed still? No way.
Even though he had received some help recently, Karl fundamentally didn't trust this system.
Since I came straight west, should I try going north once?
Looking at the situation, it seemed like he was destined to travel around the continent anyway.
Karl thought it might be fine to just set off aimlessly towards a place he hadn’t been.
‘If it’s the north, isn’t that the territory of the Alcantara Knights?’
Among the numerous knight orders on the continent, they were one of the largest, and they didn't bother hiding their desires behind grand justifications. Rather than evil, they were a group faithful to their instincts.
Since they were honest about their desires, many among those living in the north were rough individuals.
“Sounds interesting.”
Since becoming alone, Karl had wandered the deserts of the East Continent, so there were many places in the West Continent he hadn't visited.
For the first time since coming to this continent, Karl felt a sense of excitement.
After a short period of tidying up and resting, Karl once again began to familiarly load his belongings onto Silver’s saddle.
***
“Are you leaving?”
Karl nodded in response to Count Vito’s voice, filled with disappointment.
“I’ve stayed long enough. Still, thanks to you, I now have a place to return to.”
“Your expression has changed a lot.”
“It’s thanks to the Count.”
The Count smiled faintly at Karl.
“Please come back anytime. This place is Sir Karl’s home.”
“…I will.”
Karl mulled over Count Vito’s words for quite some time. A place to return to. Home. It was a warm word he hadn’t heard in a long time.
Karl thus turned his steps. It was true he now had a place to return to, but not now. Now was the time to move.
Thus, Silver, carrying Karl, moved with rhythmic steps. For the first time in a while, Karl lay on Silver’s back and looked up at the sky.
“Let’s go wherever we feel like. If we keep going, something will turn up.”
The sky was clear, and Karl, setting out on the road after a long time, felt good. Until the sudden rain hit.
Shwaaaaaaaaaa!
About half a day after setting out, the rain that started began to turn into a downpour, filling everywhere with water. He needed to find shelter from the rain.
Karl looked around and found a natural cave to take shelter in.
Tadak. Tadak.
Upon entering the cave, he saw a previous occupant was already there.
“Oh…!”
A thin, sharp-sounding voice.
“Hmm?”
There, a red-haired woman sat by a campfire, soaked from the rain. Karl and the woman, whose gazes met, stared at each other for a while.
“I didn’t know there was a previous occupant.”
“It’s alright.”
The woman who arrived first offered Karl a seat with a nonchalant tone.
“These things are common when you travel for a long time.”
Karl tilted his head at her calm words but agreed.
“…Is that so? Anyway, thank you.”
Thanks to the campfire the previous occupant had built, Karl could also wring out his wet clothes, take them off, and sit by the fire.
“Judging by your attire, you seem to be a knight. You have many scars.”
Her tone and attitude, casually shifting to informal speech, were laced with interest and various experiences.
It seemed she was traveling this world alone as a woman.
Whatever her background, it was suicidal if she couldn't wield a weapon herself and protect her own body.
“Is that so?”
Replying calmly, Karl took out food from the subspace and placed it near the campfire. Then, he familiarly put ingredients into a pot and started cooking stew.
After waiting silently, he ladled the finished stew into a bowl and handed it to the woman.
“Wow, thanks to you settling in first, I’m eating very well?”
“It’s the price for the fire.”
As the finishing touch, Karl took out a bottle of liquor from the subspace.
“Whoa…”
Her eyes sparkled upon seeing the liquor. She seemed to really like alcohol.
Karl filled a cup to the brim and handed it to her.
“Stella. As you might have guessed, I’m a mercenary.”
She spoke, slightly grimacing after swallowing about half a cup of the strong liquor.
“Karl, a Free Knight.”
At his words, her gaze flickered slightly before returning.
“So, where are you heading?”
“First, I thought I’d go to Lunasel.”
“What are you going there for?”
“Travel.”
The woman stared intently at Karl. In the small space lit by the campfire, the gazes of the two met. A few more drinks were exchanged.
The next day, Karl woke up after a good sleep to find that the woman who had been beside him was already gone. She was a peculiar woman.
‘She was quite skilled too.’
She definitely wasn't an ordinary mercenary.
Her demeanor was closer to that of an assassin than a mercenary.
Stella, she had said.
His body ached here and there from sleeping on the cold floor last night.
“Guess I should continue on my way.”
Moving towards the cave entrance, Karl approached Silver near the opening.
“This will sting a little.”
Saying so, Karl drew a small amount of blood from Silver and smeared it onto the ring he had received from the Druid last time.
It was something he had always thought about.
Since it was said he could command five animals, Silver was an intelligent and outstanding horse. A creature worthy of being counted on one hand.
[Tameable Pets (2/5)]
[List of Owned Pets: Condor, Silver]
It was simple.
Still, the strange thing was that rubbing the ring gave him a feeling of being connected to Condor and Silver by some invisible thread.
“As always, I’m counting on you from now on.”
Phwrwrwrwr.
Silver shook his head and snorted as if annoyed.
“Honestly, what a cunning fellow.”
Karl shook his head and mounted Silver’s saddle.
“Let’s get going.”
***
Karl leisurely rode his horse and arrived in Lunasel. The first thing he did upon arrival was to find an inn.
“Beer, and roast duck too.”
Karl tasted the beer and roast duck brought by the innkeeper and frowned.
The moment this world, which he didn't entirely dislike anymore, occasionally became disagreeable was when this lukewarm homemade beer didn't suit his palate.
“Ah, seriously! I said no, didn’t I? Huh?”
“I told you things will be different once you go! Sir Boritz of the Alcantara Knights is calling for you.”
“Alcantara or whatever, I don’t know, and I said no.”
“….”
A familiar voice came from somewhere.
Turning his head, he saw the red-haired woman arguing with a group clad in armor.
‘If she was going to do this, why bother leaving first.’
If their destinations were the same, couldn't they have moved together?
Karl thought there must have been a reason she left first and turned his head away from the brewing trouble.
She’s a skilled fighter, she’ll handle it herself.
“Karl!”
Without answering, Karl tossed the remaining beer into his mouth and grimaced once more.
Even the dry roast duck was terrible.
“Kaaaaarl! Kaaaaaaaaarl!”
At that sharp cry, Karl finally stood up.
“Huuuh…”
No one heard the low, deep sigh.
“Who are you? Are you Karl?”
“Yes, but I’m not involved.”
“Then why is this woman shouting your name like a mad person?”
“I don’t know either.”
At Karl’s plain answer, the men who introduced themselves as knights of Alcantara frowned.
“Aish! What are you talking about after spending the night together!”
Shouting thus, she had already hidden behind Karl.
“What are you doing?”
“Can’t you see? A delicate woman hiding behind a Free Knight.”
“Unless they’re fools, they’re… targeting me…”
They were all rushing towards Karl. The fact they hadn't drawn their weapons left some room for consideration.
“Please handle this well.”
She vanished just like that. No matter how you looked at it, her movements were the skills of an assassin or a thief.
Anyway.
Karl shook his head, looking at them approaching almost right in front of him.
A moment later.
Buskets, momentarily airborne after being kicked, couldn't understand the current situation. They were members of the Alcantara Knights.
Under the orders of their team leader, Boritz, they had tried to take one person away, and now they were being beaten up by some strange knight and flying through the air.
Buskets, having fallen back to the ground, didn't get up immediately but quickly scanned the surroundings.
The five members he had brought were already rolling on the floor.
What on earth was happening.
Besides, the name Karl sounded familiar somehow.
The name Karl isn’t that rare….
Thinking that far, he shot up to his feet.
“Karl…! Knight of the Lighthouse!”
His face contorted.
Knight of the Lighthouse!
Not long ago, Sir Haz, the 7th Knight Commander of Alcantara, had returned defeated.
“Aren’t you one of those Holy Knights! What are you doing here!”
Buskets shouted, greatly excited as if he had discovered something tremendous.
“I don’t belong to the Holy Knights, I’m just a Free Knight. I just came here thinking I’d travel a bit.”
“Impossible, why would someone as famous as you come to a rural backwater like this!”
While travel itself was uncommon in this era, it was certainly a region that outsiders didn't visit without reason.
“It’s truly a trip without purpose.”
“Was that woman earlier also part of a ploy to deceive us!?”
Right now, Buskets wasn't listening to anyone. Having already greatly misunderstood Karl, he was perceiving everything through biased lenses.
“To think I’d fall into the wicked scheme of a cunning person and die…!”
Buskets lamented.
“Cut me down quickly!”
He spoke in a tragic voice, but Karl shook his head.
“As long as you don’t draw your sword, I have no intention of killing you.”
“…?”
“Why on earth did you think I would kill you?”
“Well… aren’t you the Knight of the Lighthouse.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“…Uh.”
“…Isn’t that right?”
He still got up slowly with suspicious eyes.
“Then… is it really alright for me to go like this?”
“Go on.”
He nodded, gathered his subordinates, and left the place.
“What is this…”
Sitting down again, Karl forced himself to eat a few more pieces of the tasteless roast duck.
***
“Karl Reitz Meyer came here?”
Boritz, an Alcantara team leader-level knight, fell into thought looking at the beaten-up Buskets.
“Why would he come to Lunasel?”
“He said it was for travel, but that doesn’t make sense. Who comes to Lunasel for travel?”
“Indeed, it’s unlikely someone would come to Lunasel for travel. There must be another purpose. I will report this upwards for now. That the Knight of the Lighthouse has come to Lunasel. That his purpose is unknown.”
They couldn't believe Karl's claim that he came for travel.
“Keep a close eye on him, and also look into that red-haired woman. She is definitely connected to Karl.”
In any case, a mere squad deployed to this backwater couldn't do anything about Karl immediately, and if he didn’t cause any trouble, there was no justification to draw swords.