Chapter 88
When they charged towards Karl, the 70 knights were full of vigor.
Naturally, they believed they were the masters of this situation.
Whether he was the Knight of the Lighthouse or a Master, they thought such titles would be meaningless before these numbers.
Gossipmongers might say Masters are exceptions, but the charging knights didn't seriously believe such rumors.
They were individuals who had never properly met a Master in the first place.
“Keooook!”
After the sound of aura exploding a few times and weapons clashing several times, the surroundings filled with the sound of human bodies being severed and screams.
The knights who had started with high spirits had now turned into herbivores frozen before a beast.
Even though about 60 knights still remained, they couldn't easily charge towards Karl.
Snort.
The dark brown horse, half a head taller than ordinary horses, snorted and looked at the knights.
Its appearance seemed to mock them.
“Not coming closer?”
Even before 70 knights, there was no rise or fall in his tone.
Despite the sudden attack, no anger was contained within it.
Such an appearance of Karl instilled even greater fear in the knights.
“Uwaaaaaaaaah!”
One knight, feeling fear under Karl’s indifferent gaze, screamed madly and charged forward on his horse.
The sword of the knight on horseback fell towards Karl, and simultaneously, 5-6 knights who had been frozen in fear charged, aiming for Karl’s rear.
Two knights with spears aimed for Karl's horse from the rear, while the remaining four aimed for Karl's torso from the sides and front.
[Karl Meyer Style. Fifth Form. Falling Flowers]
Like falling petals, aura scattered and flew in all directions – front, back, left, and right.
As his mastery matured, Karl's ability to utilize aura became incomparably more refined and faster than before.
As the fluttering petals grazed the necks of the knights trying to thrust their spears towards Silver, blood burst forth, and the knights fell from their horses.
“…”
The only difference from the beginning was that Karl's entire body was now covered in the blood of those who had charged him.
Gulp.
At the overwhelming and terrifying sight, Knight Commander Kusta swallowed unconsciously.
Just like his Adam's apple, the Maltia Knights were also agitated.
“Commander… I think something is wrong.
That man seems to be the Knight of the Lighthouse…”
Those who had lost their reason, filled with the overwhelming fervor of the group, began to come to their senses at the sight of Karl covered in their comrades' blood.
Titles like Knight of the Lighthouse or Knight of Salvation were merely recent appellations Karl had received.
Anyone more interested knew his earlier title as well.
Ghost of Chevalier.
They keenly felt why Karl was given a title so contrary to Knight of Salvation or Knight of the Lighthouse.
“How long do you plan to stay like that?”
Commander Kusta, seeing Karl, couldn't bring himself to charge forward on his horse.
‘It surely wasn’t like this…?’
Unlike the other knights, Kusta had met a Master before.
He was superhuman, but not an overwhelming presence like the Karl before him now.
Although the knight he met had just entered the Master realm, the difference from the Karl before his eyes now was too stark.
“I apologize!
Sir Karl!
I have committed a crime worthy of death!”
Kusta dismounted like lightning and apologized.
The hesitant knights were actually relieved by the commander’s apology.
Since they didn't dare charge further, no one considered the commander cowardly or humiliating.
However, the expression on Karl's face receiving the apology was strange.
He was merely looking at Kusta with emotionless eyes.
“S… Sir Karl.
We never imagined things would turn out like this… We just thought we couldn't simply overlook it since our subordinates were attacked!”
He earnestly pleaded his case.
At his desperate effort, the members standing behind him prayed that Karl would empathize even a little with the commander’s story.
“I mean it!
If we had known it was Sir Karl, do you think we would have dared to commit such a mad act?”
He had already knelt down.
“Please forgive us just this once.
If you spare our lives, we will repay the mistake we committed somehow!”
He shouted, pressing his head firmly against the ground.
Seeing this, the other knights also dismounted and politely clasped their hands together.
“Is that so…”
As a word close to affirmation flowed from Karl's lips, the commander, head bowed, silently smiled where Karl couldn't see.
“Please grant leniency just this once.
The knights behind me only followed my orders and are without fault.
If you grant leniency, I will somehow repay Sir Karl!
Please forgive us just this once!”
Lifting his head, Kusta spoke as resolutely and tragically as possible.
Seeing him, Karl slowly began to walk towards him.
‘He must be a merciful knight as the rumors say.
What a relief.’
Unable to read emotions like anger or fury in the approaching Karl’s expression, Kusta inwardly sighed in relief.
Just as Karl approached right in front of him, Kusta intended to bow his head low to beg for forgiveness.
Just as his head slowly descended towards the ground.
Slice!
Thud!
A cutting sound was heard.
“…!”
The eyes of the other knights widened, and his head rolled on the ground.
Blood gushed out, but not a single person could charge towards Karl.
“With this, I shall forgive the harsh and illegal taxation and the attempt to kill me.”
The moment the word 'forgive' came from his lips, they forgot even their desire for revenge for their commander.
Clip, clop.
The horse Karl rode gradually moved away from their sight.
“Hoo…!”
Around the time he completely disappeared from the knights' view, a sigh burst from someone’s lips.
“…What should we do?”
***
Leslie, once the Vice-Captain of the Alcantara 1st Knight Brigade and now its Knight Commander, arrived at the Maltia Knights' manor under orders from headquarters.
“Hmm… What is this?”
“These are the tributes we have embezzled over time using the name of the Alcantara Knights.”
“…I can roughly guess.”
Diogo explained everything that had happened to the nodding Leslie.
“Sir Karl?”
“He already left several days ago.”
Leslie nodded his head.
“How was he?”
“What… Do you mean…?”
“How was it meeting Sir Karl?”
“…It was frightening.”
Leslie nodded once more.
“It would be, if met as an enemy.
Is this the money collected from the cooperating knight orders until now?”
“Yes, it is…”
“Return it.”
“Pardon?”
“I said return it.
Anyway, we only need to receive the fixed amount.
We don’t desire more wealth.
And… You said Diogo, right.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“You’re quick-witted.
If anything similar happens nearby, let us know.
We will take action.”
Diogo cautiously observed Leslie, who had finished speaking.
“…Is there… nothing else?
What price do we have to pay…”
“With dozens dead and even the commander killed, consider the debt paid.
However, we will continue to watch, so show a better side from now on.”
“…I will do my best.”
Leslie believed Karl must have had a reason for sparing them.
And in his mind, he recalled the image of Karl who had come to save them in the past.
***
Three months had passed since leaving Ulstein, the city of mercenaries.
During that time, Karl acted according to his conscience while heading north.
Sometimes, when encountering bad people, he dealt with them appropriately, and when meeting bandits, which were overflowing in the West Continent, he subjugated them.
He helped pitiful people he met and always stopped by taverns to drink the night away.
The three months that passed like this allowed Karl to feel a very important daily life he had forgotten.
There were no missions, but Karl didn't mind that at all now.
After traveling north for quite some time longer, Karl arrived at a domain located almost at the very edge of the northwest.
The name of this domain, which most West Continent traders probably hadn't even heard of, was Schwerin.
Located at the continent's edge and known for its high self-sufficiency rate, it wasn't well-known, but the domain's scale wasn't particularly small, with a population said to be around 3,000.
Considering that large domains or cities had populations around 50,000, it was a small scale, but still, 3,000 people placed it somewhere between a minor domain and a medium-sized one.
Upon entering the village, the residents' expressions were universally bright.
Somehow, there seemed to be more vitality in people's faces here than elsewhere.
“Strange.”
But strangely, there's a feeling of dissonance.
Although the cheerful faces of the domain residents were clearly a good thing, the peculiar atmosphere pervading the entire domain was slightly different from the places passed through so far.
Looking around here and there for a moment, Karl first sought out a tavern, as usual.
There were several taverns in the village, and he arrived at one recommended by a passerby.
Creeaak.
As always in such remote domains, newly arrived strangers were viewed with caution.
This was even more so if the stranger who opened the door and entered was armed with armor and a sword.
In a dangerous world where blades could flash anytime, anywhere, being wary of armed individuals was perhaps natural.
Ting!
The owner, who had been watching Karl with the same gaze as the others present, suddenly recognized the object flying from the stranger's hand as a gold coin and completely erased his previous wariness.
Did it matter to a merchant whether someone was a stranger or a local?
“What would you like, Sir Knight?”
At the owner’s extremely courteous attitude, Karl chuckled once, then swept his gaze around.
“The same roasted pork as that one, please.
As for drinks… not beer… I’ll have whatever you recommend.”
“I’ll make it as delicious as possible!”
The owner disappeared like the wind, and Karl observed the faces of those inside the tavern.
As expected of a domain in the remote regions, there were no figures who looked like outsiders.
Even mercenaries rarely came to places like this due to the lack of requests.
“So yesterday you said such…”
“That’s not what I meant, it means this.”
“The most important part of yesterday’s words was!”
Sitting down and raising his cup, he focused on the conversations of others.
And Karl felt he understood the source of the sense of unease he had felt upon entering this domain.
‘They are talking about someone’s teachings.’
Synthesizing the stories he heard, they all converged on one thing.
A certain religion.
At the same time, he realized there were hidden tattoos on the villagers' bodies.
The pattern, left like a mark, was something Karl had seen before.
‘Gullveig.’
A groan escaped Karl’s lips involuntarily.
[Quest: Uncomfortable Truth]
Along with that, the mission window popped up.