EPISODE 12

Ever since the first trolls appeared, a monster party was held. We would encounter a monster, fight it, move on, then encounter another, fight it, and move on again.

There was also a wide variety of monsters. In addition to the green-skin types, I encountered some animal variants so bizarre-looking that they should be called chimeras rather than mutants.

Naturally, dealing with different types of monsters required different approaches, which made the situation chaotic. However, the real problem wasn't that monsters were pouring out. It was that I couldn't fight and had to watch while doing nothing.

The entire battle was intense, and just watching it made me feel restless to the point of frustration. Nonetheless, I had to endure it. Given the suspicions surrounding the knights, caution was necessary.

Everyone killed monsters without a moment's respite, and the sky quickly darkened. We set up camp before sunset, knowing that finding a suitable base camp in such a mountainous area would take time. Fortunately, we located a suitable clearing before it was completely dark and set up there.

Osel gathered dry branches from the forest and quickly built a campfire.

Putting aside the question of why a knight was so good at setting up camp, I couldn't ignore the fact that Osel's behavior contradicted everything I knew to be common sense.

Thus, I couldn't help asking, "There will be smoke. Is it okay?"

"It is fine. Most of the monsters at the mountain range's foothills are diurnal," Osel replied.

"So it isn't impossible," I commented.

"There is nothing more foolish than assuming something is 100% in the Jewel Mountains." Osel continued, "Of course, there are nocturnal monsters, but you don't have to worry about them."

"Why?"

"We will die the moment we encounter them," Osel answered.

Silence ensued.

Was this a scare tactic? I couldn't tell.

"We will keep watch. Young Master Luan, don't worry. Get a good night's sleep," Osel added.

"Of course. I hate waking up in the middle of sleep more than anything in the world." I added deliberately, as if giving a reprimand, "Don't be lazy. Stay vigilant. Do you understand?"

"I will be careful," Osel replied, his expression subtle.

He looked like he was swallowing something he wanted to say, but I ignored him and took out my bedroll. Unlike the other magic tools I had picked from the warehouse, the bedroll was ordinary. Still, the quality was good, and my body quickly warmed up.

After a tiring day, I grew sleepy fast. However, I had no intention of idling away the time.

I could pretend to snore, but this would be too obvious. As such, I just stayed quiet. With nothing else to do, I focused on circulating my internal energy.

How much time did I spend like this, I couldn't say.

Suddenly, I overheard a conversation not far away.

"Why don't you get some sleep too, Arjan?"

"It is okay," Arjan replied.

"Haha..."

Arjan is there as well.

She had laid out her bedroll but didn't look like she would sleep anytime soon.

I couldn't tell if it was because she wasn't tired or if she was just as suspicious of these guys as I was.

"Did you work at the main house? I can't believe I've never met anyone like you. That's a shame."

"Is that so?"

This annoying knight seemed to be called Victor. He looked sloppy and didn't seem like a knight at all.

I had felt the same way when I saw Osel and the other knights. To make matters worse, they had changed into lightweight clothing in preparation for the hike.

"How about having a meal together when we return to the main house? I know a great restaurant in the nearby city," Victor suggested.

Arjan said, "Thanks for the offer, but I'm going back to work right after this."

"I see."

It was likely annoying to respond, but Arjan answered sincerely despite her expressionless face.

I wanted to hear some more information, but it became increasingly difficult to listen to the monotonous conversation, which only made me feel sleepier.

Nevertheless, I endured it, trying to figure out what flaws they would reveal if I held on.

About an hour later, I changed my mind. I should just go to sleep.

This decision wasn't driven solely by my growing sleepiness.

There were two reasons.

First of all, I figured it was unlikely they would target me in the next few days.

I wasn't the only one with doubts. At least two knights were wary of me.

It was still the case now. I had been acting for an hour and could feel at least two people watching me intently. Though I couldn't pinpoint exactly who, I was certain of their gazes—and I had a strong hunch one of them was Osel.

They were cautious, unlikely to make a move in the next day or two.

The second reason was Arjan. She showed no intention of sleeping and seemed just as wary of the knights as I was.

They could be working together to deceive me, but I found it unlikely. My past life's miserable experiences had taught me exactly what kind of person Arjan was. She couldn't be intimidated or manipulated. An upright woman, she would sooner bite her tongue and die than do anything wrong.

Crucially, the knights didn't welcome Arjan's company from the start.

After reflecting on all this, I gradually relaxed my body.

My first day in the mountains passed with a sense of tension that had finally eased.

***

The next day, I woke up at dawn.

Nothing like being bound or injured had occurred.

I kept pretending to be asleep while scanning my surroundings. I spotted a knight standing guard, watching the dying campfire.

Arjan sat a little further away, her complexion looking fine despite having stayed awake all night.

She seems to be used to staying up all night.

Perhaps she had been trained to maintain her physical condition without needing sleep for a few days.

I had felt it from the moment she beat me, but Arjan wasn't an ordinary butler.

Something about the situation was both funny and annoying.

The knights were one thing, but I couldn't help but worry about Arjan.

In addition, why had the family head summoned me?

I had left the mansion without giving it much thought, but this was a better choice than disobeying the family head and running away.

Two more days passed, yet the knights had shown no suspicious behavior.

Meanwhile, no monsters had breached the battle lines, and the strange, watchful stares had vanished. It was as if they were asserting that the events of the first day were nothing more than a coincidence.

So, was the sense of unease I had felt on the first day merely an illusion? Had needless paranoia taken root, making me delusional?

I could have thought so if my personality were less twisted. As such, I was still suspicious of these guys.

Somehow, they seemed to notice my discomfort and only showed me reasonable things.

This psychological battle eventually turned into one of persistence. The person with more mental fortitude would win. I was certain they weren't as convinced as I was.

Osel finished killing a monster and approached me. "Young Master Luan, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. By the way, Sir Osel, the members..." I paused.

"Yes?"

At this point, I felt like I was throwing a rock into a lake. "Can't they fight with a bit more dignity?"

Osel blinked, looking dumbfounded, before asking slowly, "What do you mean?"

"Every time a battle ends, my nose hurts from the stench. The knights are covered in flesh and blood after fighting the monsters," I replied.

Osel remained silent.

"I had a certain image of the Fang Knights—one of the two wings the Badnikers take pride in. Your reputation echoes throughout the empire, yet after witnessing you in battle, how should I put it? This performance feels somewhat shallow."

Osel attempted a smile, but it felt forced. The man who would usually speak his mind kept his mouth shut.

I muttered to myself, "Is this a difficult issue...? In reality, dignity is something born of one's character. I hope it doesn't tarnish the Badniker name."

Wow. I found this statement repulsive, even though I had uttered it. The destructive impact of the same words could vary drastically depending on who said them.

How many people could keep their composure upon hearing these words from Luan Badniker, a rascal treated as an abandoned child even by his family?

Since then, I frequently got under the skin of Osel and the knights.

"I think we need to reorganize the formation. It isn't efficient."

"Ah, let's take a break for a bit. My leg hurts."

"What is this stew? Is it pork porridge? No, I can't eat this. Even boiling some damn tree bark would taste better than this."

I expressed the last complaint with sincerity, making it a bit longer.

As I annoyed them with my words, I couldn't help but recall Fourth Senior Brother's advice. "It is hard to find someone's weak spot, but it is simple to exploit it."

At first, Osel seemed to maintain his composure. Eventually, he could no longer maintain this facade. His responses became increasingly insincere, and later, he started pretending not to hear me at all.

However, there was one attack that worked best.

"I can't stand watching such a shallow performance," I muttered.

The knights' expressions changed at my words.

I am starting to understand how to exploit a person's vulnerabilities.

Most members of elite knight groups came from good families, but not all.

Some commoners would join the ranks, though these particular knights weren't commoners.

Commoners wouldn't be so sensitive to the word shallow. They had likely heard such criticism countless times before reaching their rank.

Are they illegitimate children?

Even if that weren't the case, they were likely individuals who hadn't been well-treated by their families—half-learned in etiquette, caught in a love-hate relationship with the concept of nobility.

For people like them, the word shallow was a weak point.

I had wondered why the provocation worked so well. Now, I understood. People like me—an idiot who caused accidents despite being born into a prestigious family—must be the most repulsive sight to them.

Of course, there were some unanswered questions. Even if they were illegitimate children, why were this knight group's members so hostile toward me?

I turned my head, pretending I hadn't seen the knights' expressions, but in the process, I accidentally looked at Arjan.

Her complexion told a different story. Her eyes were bloodshot, with dark circles beneath them. It was a subtle change, one that most people wouldn't notice unless they were particularly perceptive, but I caught it.

At that moment, Arjan noticed my gaze and looked at me.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yes." Her voice was also hoarse.

Had the knights realized that her condition was bad?

I weighed the situation—the knights' hostile stares, Arjan's condition, and the murderous look they had exchanged just moments ago. Quickly, I reached a conclusion.

"We will rest here for tonight," Osel announced from the front.

I heard his words and glanced up at the slowly darkening sky.

It was happening tonight or tomorrow at the latest.

***

Arjan's head felt heavy, and her eyelids felt even heavier. It was as if the warm campfire was gently coaxing her eyes to close.

With effort, Arjan focused her gaze and forced herself to stare at the flames.

She then asked herself how many days she had been in the mountains.

Four days.

She quickly came up with an answer, but the fact that she couldn't think of it for a while was unsettling.

Arjan had been taught to always know exactly what was happening around her, no matter the situation.

In this case, the situation referred to three elements: the time, the place, and her current state.

It flustered her to realize that she had no firm grasp of any of them.

Have I become dull?

Arjan stared beyond the campfire, her face blank.

Four of the five knights were asleep while the fifth stood watch.

She was currently leaning against a tree with only a blanket over her. Her eyes were half-closed, so at first glance, one would think she was asleep.

In reality, she had been pretending to sleep for four days in front of them. She wouldn't have a clear answer if anyone asked why she had chosen to endure this, making herself suffer. Sometimes, she wanted to trust her gut instinct more than logic, and this was one of those times. It was a sign she shouldn't ignore. This instinct had saved her life more than once.

No matter what, this reason is insufficient to keep me awake for three days straight. Every time this happened, she grew frustrated with her clueless self and wondered whether she had done this for nothing.

Was she overly suspicious? After all, they had come with a letter from the Iron-Blooded Lord. No one in their right mind would impersonate his name. Fearless or brave, perhaps, but that wasn't the point. She knew how miserable the end would be for those who tried.

Her eyelids were too heavy now.

Arjan realized that this was the limit. Even a small nap would suffice. She needed to rest, at least for a little while. However, she didn't let her guard completely down. She kept the blanket loosely wrapped around her body and lowered her head slightly.

It was unclear whether she was asleep or simply watching the campfire.

In addition, for the past four days, no one had come near her except Victor.

Victor had taken the first watch tonight, and now he was asleep, meaning there was no immediate danger.

Given these circumstances, Arjan's vigilance began to wane. Her accumulated fatigue slowly turned into sleepiness.

***

The night wore on, and the forest grew increasingly silent.

The crackling of the campfire was unusually distinct in the clearing, where even the sounds of insects had faded. The fire's momentum started to weaken despite the absence of wind. There simply wasn't enough wood left to keep it going.

Osel, on guard duty, was aware of this. The once-roaring fire was about to die out, and firewood lay within arm's reach. Instead of throwing firewood into the fire, he muttered dryly, "She was persistent."

The words served as the signal. The knights in the bedrolls quietly rose and responded.

"That's right."

"I don't think she's an ordinary butler."

"It doesn't matter."

Still focused on the flames, Osel commanded, "Kill."