Chapter 64 - Old Ways Carried On (2)

A valuable existence is bound to shine anywhere.

"There it is! Hurry up and herd it!"

"This one's a real pain in the neck!"

And everyone naturally covets a shining existence.

"...!"

Beneath a night sky of the exact same color as itself, a single pitch-black horse was fleeing.

Having handed over the duty of herd leader, it had come seeking the boy by chasing the memories of that day, but the greed of humans desiring to possess a shining being was blocking the path of the creature trying to move forward.

Lassoes imbued with ominous spells were flying toward the pitch-black horse.

From all directions, from everywhere.

A wider world might guarantee the possibility of reaching higher heights, but the boy who had fought the Death Worm alongside it that day was not here.

Thus, the pitch-black creature had no choice but to bear all of this alone.

NEIGHHH-!

Beneath the risen moon, the crying sound let out by the pitch-black horse echoed out.

* * *

Under the bright summer sky, a cart fully loaded with hay was passing through the plains.

An old man with a straw hat pulled down low, and a boy yawning next to him.

And even a young man with a long chin driving the horse while carrying them in the cart.

Huddled together in the small cart, their appearance seemed far removed from things like knights or swords.

"How far are they going?"

"All the way to Varna."

"But is it really okay for us to just lie here like this?"

"I told you, it will find us on its own."

The party was currently quietly trailing behind a merchant caravan heading to Varna.

According to the testimonies, the horse presumed to be a ghost horse was not only swift, but whenever there were people riding in carriages or carts, it would always watch and check from a distance.

"It's a creature with a clear intention. It's definitely no ordinary horse."

"..."

Listening to the old man's words, the memories of that day naturally surfaced in Vlad and Got's minds.

The foggy village, the headless man. And the ghost horse he was riding.

They just felt extremely uneasy, wondering if that ominous trace had followed them all the way to Soara.

"The sky is nice. The wind is blowing, too."

Aside from their worries, Lamund seemed to like their currently leisurely moving situation.

He pulled out a piece of hay from the load, put it in his mouth, and playfully began to chew on it.

"How long has it been since you started using aura?"

"About three months, I think. No, maybe four..."

"And you first drew it out in Deirmar?"

"Yes."

"Hmm."

Looking at the boy's back shining through the gaps of his straw hat, the old man fell into thought.

Their original purpose for coming out here was to investigate the unidentified horse, but honestly, it didn't matter if they couldn't find it.

After all, the biggest reason Lamund was staying in Soara was simply the boy in front of him.

He merely intended to stay by Vlad's side during the few days of searching for the horse, observe him, assess him, and teach him something if he found him admirable.

"Three months is a bit fast."

"What is?"

At the boy's question, Lamund took off his straw hat and met Vlad's eyes.

"Your aura is thick compared to when you awakened it. Though it is strange that you haven't found your own color despite that."

"..."

When the topic of aura came up, Vlad began to listen closely to the old man's words without showing it.

Jager and the voice always emphasized the basics, rarely giving the boy much instruction on aura.

He had simply moved forward, realizing things on his own.

"Aura is the concrete manifestation of one's imagery. Not finding a color means your world hasn't been specified yet."

"How do I find my color?"

Lamund couldn't help but smile as he looked at the boy's blue eyes.

'Still, I shouldn't tell him too much.'

'Jager probably has a direction in mind for him.'

"Try to reveal yourself to the outside world a bit more. Don't just hide so much."

"What does that mean."

After pondering Vlad's question for a moment, Lamund opened his mouth, thinking this much would be fine.

"Try making a device to drag the world inside you to the outside. Knights call it a key."

"A key?"

At the unfamiliar word, Vlad's eyes moved astutely.

Lamund found it admirable how the boy was trying to pick up even a single word he said.

"It's nothing special. Have you seen the knights you've met so far use aura?"

"I have."

"Did those people just use aura outright?"

"... Do they use it differently then?"

"Your observation skills are a bit lacking."

Leaning his back against the hay bale, Lamund smiled meaningfully at the boy and spoke.

"Think about it. Didn't they take some specific action before calling up their aura?"

"Action?"

Upon hearing the old man's words, Vlad furrowed his brows and began to ponder.

Whenever other knights called up their aura, it was always in urgent situations, so he never had the leisure to observe properly.

However, listening to Lamund's words brought to mind a few scenes.

"Clashing a sword and shield together..."

Pablo, the knight who had guided him onto the path of aura.

He had struck his sword against his shield and asked for the boy's name.

The resonance from that time was still fresh in Vlad's ears.

"Mm, and?"

Rutiger Bayezid, who had cut down the Death Worm.

Like an active volcano, it seemed he had flicked his sword with his finger.

Since he saw it from a distance, he couldn't be certain, though.

"And..."

And the knight of blue moonlight, Godin.

The very first master of aura the boy had seen.

"... Would kissing the sword also be for that reason?"

"It could be. By performing a specific action, they intensely recall their own world."

That was what a key was.

It was a tool and something like a ritual to throw open one's imagery world wide.

"I just use it, though."

"That's why it's shoddy."

Vlad didn't really have anything to say to Lamund's reply.

Compared to the aura of other knights, his own aura only emitted a faint light, after all.

"Jager would have naturally taught you when the time came, but it won't hurt to start thinking about it now."

A ritual to throw open the world wide.

Since it was a technique that only knights whose worlds were firmly established could use, it might still be a long way off for the boy to utilize.

Sensing the realm of other knights visible far in the distance, Vlad felt a corner of his chest grow stuffy and raised his hand.

["Duck!"]

"Duck!"

"... Huh?"

Hearing the sudden warnings, Vlad unwittingly lowered his head.

THWACK!

"Eh?"

Letting out a dumb sound, Vlad turned his head toward the noise.

There, he saw Lamund holding an arrow that was trembling slightly.

"Things never just go smoothly, do they."

The look in Lamund's eyes, shining through the straw hat, began to turn fierce.

"It's an ambush!"

"It's bandits! Everyone be on guard!"

The advancing procession came to a halt.

At the same time, shouts echoed out from all over.

And there were arrows flying in from the hill.

"Overturn the cart!"

"In which direction!"

Lamund quickly pinpointed the direction the arrows flew from and pointed with his finger.

"Detach the horse! Make sure you hold onto it so it doesn't run away. Coachman!"

"Huh? Yes!"

Despite the sudden turn of events, Lamund swiftly assessed the situation and began giving orders to Vlad and Got.

At his incredibly natural and quick response, Vlad and Got were able to quickly find their places.

"What is it? Bandits?"

"... Looks like they're more troublesome than those guys."

Vlad had asked this while peeking his head out toward the direction the arrows had flown from.

Men, numbering at least twenty, were sitting on horseback atop the hill.

Unfamiliar styles of leather clothing and hairstyles, and tattoos completely covering their faces.

And even the bizarre shouts they were ceaselessly letting out.

"They're barbarians."

"Barbarians?"

As the unexpected word popped out of Lamund's mouth, Vlad couldn't help but make a puzzled expression.

THUD-!

In that moment, an arrow lodged itself right next to Vlad.

"..."

The barbarian man holding a bow on the hill far away.

Vlad felt as though he had locked eyes with that man.

Two people with beast-like eyes were staring at each other.

* * *

Carriages burning with acrid smoke, and the roaring shouts of mercenaries screaming at the top of their lungs.

"Damn it!"

And the flying arrows.

Looking at the arrow trembling as it stuck in the ground, Vlad quickly used the cart as cover and began to observe the situation.

'I never thought things would turn out like this.'

"Why are barbarians here?"

"..."

If they were people of the North, there was no way they wouldn't know of the barbarians said to live beyond the northern borders.

The fact that there were people living by establishing their own territory while rejecting the teachings of the church was something Vlad was well aware of, too.

"But this is Bayezid County. No matter how far we came, it's only a day's journey from Soara."

"Tell me about it."

However, the problem was that this was Bayezid County, and it was a region located much further south than where barbarians usually appeared.

Even the highly experienced Lamund was merely biting his lip in contemplation, as if this was his first time dealing with such a matter.

No matter how he thought about it, these were people with no reason or benefit to come all the way down to Bayezid County.

But it had already happened, and now was the time to come up with countermeasures.

SHING-

"I thought we were finally getting an easy trip."

Grumbling that his life was definitely twisted somehow, Vlad drew his sword.

Lamund also drew his sword and gave Got an order.

"Coachman. Saddle the horse. We need a horse to fight back against those guys."

Lamund was already thinking of how to overcome this situation.

The deep wrinkles etched into his forehead showed that their current situation was anything but easy.

"Aside from a few warriors, they aren't folks who would dare face a knight. We just need to kill their unique barbarian mobility."

It was said that barbarians were with horses from the moment they were born.

At Lamund's words saying that everyone, regardless of age or gender, was an outstanding cavalryman, Vlad could only bite his lip.

Because anything related to horses was one of the painful weaknesses the boy possessed.

"Listen well! We don't want to kill all of you either!"

The barbarians, who had been threatening the procession by firing arrows for a good while, were now coming down the hill while applying pressure with roaring shouts, as if the time had come.

"If you just pay the toll, we will spare your lives!"

"..."

Amidst the silenced people, a man looking like a merchant raised his hand and shouted.

He was the master of the merchant company leading this caravan.

"We will pay the toll! Please stop the attack!"

Hearing the merchant's words that sounded just like a declaration of surrender, the corners of the barbarians' mouths began to curl up.

"How much do you wa—"

"All the cargo you have!"

Looking at the flustered merchant master, the barbarian leader shouted loudly.

"Leave empty-handed! If anyone holds anything in their hands, it'll become your toll for the afterlife!"

The barbarians loudly celebrated their premature victory while circling the procession.

The merchants were completely flustered by the barbarians' excessive demands, and the few mercenaries hired to protect the caravan only smacked their lips with wavering eyes.

Would they really let the people go quietly even if they left their cargo behind?

"... I don't like those bastards."

"I tried to like them too, but it didn't work out."

None of the party had expected things to flow like this.

However, life was always a succession of unpredictable events, and there were times when one just had to silently endure the trials that hit like a typhoon.

Now was exactly such a time.

"We came to catch a horse, and now what is this."

Just as Vlad never expected things to turn out this way, the approaching barbarians wouldn't have expected this party to be here either.

Vlad quietly closed his left eye and listened to the approaching sound of horse hooves.

"Get ready."

"Yes."

A retired knight and a boy who wanted to become a knight.

Even if neither were currently active knights, the swords they held had that much power.

The only problem was that their power wouldn't reach the opponents.

Unlike Lamund, who grabbed the horse's reins and prepared to sprint out, Vlad was only given one chance.

The single moment they approached the procession.

That would be the only chance given to the boy who could not ride a horse.

"Huu..."

Vlad quietly caught his breath as he waited for the men approaching with boisterous noise.

However, the weakness the boy possessed was not simply limited to his inability to ride horses.

NEIGHHH-!

"Something's there-!"

"The horses are spooked!"

"Damn it!"

Waiting quietly for the barbarians, Vlad felt that things were ruined as he watched them suddenly come to a halt.

In the end, the bizarre aura he still couldn't control had heavily dragged him down by the ankles.

"Go out! Now!"

"Goddamn it!"

They hadn't approached as close as intended, and they hadn't even dismounted from their horses.

But they couldn't wait any longer, so if they wanted to swing their swords, it was now or never.

Though his body was old, Lamund spurred his horse and sprinted out like lightning.

His entire body was already covered in a shining aura.

"What are they!"

"Turn the horses around! Open the distance!"

Seeing the two charging at them with an unusual momentum, the barbarians tried to back away, but Lamund had already reached them.

"You bastards! How dare you, do you know where you are!"

Stopping the barbarians with a thunderous roar, Lamund began to swing his sword fiercely.

Since they were bastards disturbing the land he had devoted his life to protecting, not a shred of mercy was needed.

Red blood began to spurt over his old sword.

"It's aura!"

"Why is there a knight here!"

Flustered at the sight of the shining Lamund, the barbarians snatched their reins and hurriedly began to change direction.

"Where are you going, you sons of bitches!"

Though later than Lamund, Vlad sprinted out with his distinct agility and latched onto the closest barbarian.

["Aim for the horse!"]

Following the voice's advice, he sliced the horse's knee, and the barbarian riding on top lost his balance and began to totter.

"Get down here!"

Pain and fear.

Struggling to escape from everything Vlad was inflicting, the horse began to thrash around wildly without caring for its rider, and the boy aimed for that opening to quickly snatch the barbarian riding on top.

"Keugh!"

"Laugh like you did before! You bastard!"

Adding in the price for making him run over looking so ungraceful, the unadorned sword flashed.

A howling horse and bursting droplets of blood.

The barbarians' momentum began to falter due to the two who had suddenly jumped out.

"Go back, Vlad! Go and protect the people!"

It was a half-failed ambush, but the two men had successfully dealt a blow to the barbarians using their abilities.

"Kyaaaah!"

"No! No!"

However, the caravan stretched out long, and the only ones fighting back against the barbarians were the two people, Vlad and Lamund.

Because the mercenaries were running away, using the wailing people as sacrifices.

"Those sons of bitches."

Vlad spat out a low curse at the fleeing mercenaries, but it couldn't be helped.

Merely mercenaries, they had no reason to risk their lives in such a disadvantageous situation.

"Captain!"

At least Got was holding a sword and putting up a hard fight, but he was a man skilled in grappling, not someone proficient in wielding a sword.

Blood and screams were running rampant everywhere.

["Slowly solidify your territory. You cannot protect everyone here."]

'Goddamn it...'

The voice was right.

The tip of Vlad's sword couldn't stop the barbarians who relentlessly struck and pulled away.

It might have been different if he were riding a horse and moving like them, but Vlad was just a person rooted to the ground.

"Goddamn it all!"

Get down here and fight.

Stop your cowardly hit-and-runs.

However, as if mocking the boy's thoughts, the barbarians swarmed like bees, ceaselessly clinging to various parts of the procession to plunder, kill, and wound the people.

Horses and mobility.

The people, trampled by the unique tactics of the barbarians, could only scream their death throes and collapse.

"Mom... Mom."

A bloodied father grabbed and embraced his ruined child rolling on the dirt ground.

Looking at that gruesome sight, Vlad hurriedly searched for Lamund, but the old man was in a difficult situation all the same.

The horse Lamund had dragged out was a packhorse, and with just that, he couldn't stop the nimbly moving barbarians.

Rather, it should be considered incredible that even in such adverse conditions, Lamund managed to tear away the man who looked like the barbarians' leader and drive him outside the procession.

The boy couldn't help but feel enraged at himself for being forced into helplessness once again.

The appearances of the world were diverse.

Too high to reach, too massive to bear, and too fast to catch.

Feeling the various limits rushing at him, Vlad bit his lip.

It had turned out like this again.

NEIGHHH-!

In that moment he could not bear entirely on his own, a sound reached Vlad's ears.

"...!"

It was a sound he hadn't heard in a long time, but one he could recognize all at once.

"What's that!"

"It's that thing!"

"It slipped away back then...!"

A single black dot that started from far away.

However, in the blink of an eye, there was a presence pushing through the barbarians and approaching.

Vlad realized that the pitch-black eyes galloping over right now were searching for him.

"Over here!"

Sunlight glinted off the unadorned sword held high in the air.

Look, I am right here.

The boy who could not move and the horse that had to dodge lassoes recognized each other.

"...!"

The pitch-black night passing by quickly mounted a single star upon itself.

Looking up at his newly elevated line of sight, Vlad unknowingly reached out his hand just like that day.

The flow of air slipping through his fingers was speaking.

"Let's go!"

NEIGHHHH-!

That they could run now.

That they didn't have to hold back anymore.

The unadorned sword, which had lost its way, was raised straight up.

The world flowing in the left eye the boy kept closed.

A single white horn standing fluidly atop the pitch-black horse.

At the end of the limits they each possessed, the two worlds began to connect.