‘Even if the opponent leads a hundred-thousand-strong army, there’s no need to fear.’
It might not be an army of a hundred thousand, but from Kassel’s perspective, the bandits surrounding him seemed as such. He’d considered the proverb, but acting unfazed in front of an arrow on full draw was near impossible. However, upon seeing the flustered knights by his side, Kassel found some reassurance.
‘It’s not just me who’s scared.’
Kassel quietly addressed the Rose Knights.
“Firstly, let’s heed their demands. If they intended to kill us, we would already be pin cushions.”
Hesitating, the knights dropped their swords to the ground. Kassel stretched his hand toward his sword tucked next to his horse, then paused. He hadn’t yet shown his blade to the surrounding bandits. Sure, he didn’t pull it out because he wasn’t adept at fighting, but it gave him a decent idea.
‘If the timing’s right, it might work.’
Unlike the other knights, Kassel didn’t discard his sword. Judging from the bandits’ silence, they seemed unaware.
“Now everyone off their horses. Keep your hands where we can see them.”
Falcon gave meticulous instructions.
Kassel obediently dismounted his horse, and the knights followed suit, albeit with reluctant expressions.
A knight, hands held up, questioned Kassel.
“Do you know of this Falcon character?”
“Heard the name a couple of times on our way here.”
“Then you also know that this isn’t a good idea, right? The bastard never left a hostage alive.”
“To my eyes, he doesn’t seem so.”
Despite his appearance, his speech and dignified actions made Falcon seem more like a noble than a bandit. By looks alone, that damned Tiger from yesterday was far worse.
One of Falcon’s underlings approached with a drawn sword, searched Kassel, and then the other knights. The blade was held meticulously to their throats, restricting any hasty resistance. They were well-trained and showed no fear of the knights.
Having confirmed their weaponless state, Falcon’s underling nodded at him. Falcon then gave an order.
“Kneel.”
“We cannot!”
One of the knights yelled out.
The other knights followed suit.
“The only one we kneel before is Count of the Red Rose.”
“You’re making me laugh! You’re saying you’ll kneel only to a Count, not even the King of Camort?”
There was a subtle anger in Falcon’s mocking voice.
Unyielding, a knight yelled back at Falcon.
“Dare a bandit like you discuss a knight’s honor? Kill us if you will.”
Kassel sighed first.
‘Now I can see why Falcon never left a hostage alive.’
Kassel was the first to kneel. The knights looked at him in surprise.
If the knights had known that Kassel was a miserable soldier who had disobeyed his father’s pleas not to leave their farming life, only to have participated in a single battle without any notable achievements, his action would have meant nothing. But for now, Kassel was a knight more famous than they were.
“What, what are you doing?”
A knight asked in a whisper.
‘What am I doing? I’m dangling by a thread, my life in the balance with a mere flick of Falcon’s finger. I must do as he commands!’
Kassel replied with an awkward smile.
“In Aranthia, we prioritize the honor we have to protect in the future over the honor of the past that we had to protect.”
To the knights, this seemed like a vague excuse, and their faces contorted in reaction.
His words, however, piqued Falcon’s interest.
“Aranthia?”
Falcon asked, stepping down from his horse. Kassel brought out his prepared statement.
“If you spared our lives, wasn’t it because you had something to say? Speak up. I kneeled because I wanted to hear it.”
“Do you speak as if doing me a favor? Are you trying to save face?”
Falcon approached, a broad smile on his face.
Kassel had his next words in mind.
‘Do you know who I am? I am the captain of the Wolf Knights of Aranthia. Let me go. If you don’t, I’ll kill all of you!’
And it was his plan to unsheathe the Sword of Aranthia that he hadn’t revealed yet.
But he suddenly felt uneasy. Would such a threat work on this man?
It might have worked on that Tiger fellow from yesterday. But he had a feeling it wouldn’t work on Falcon. The more they spoke, the stronger that feeling became.
“Saving face. Maybe, but…”
Kassel purposefully slowed his speech.
‘Falcon, this man, he doesn’t seem to be a bandit. Then this threat won’t work, will it? Hmm, if he isn’t a bandit, but he’s acting like one, does that make any sense?’
Kassel wet his lips and continued.
“If you’d prefer to call it saving face. Maybe what knights call honor is just another form of saving face?”
Falcon seemed amused. A bit of confidence returned to Kassel, and he added with a slight smile,
“Well, if something like saving face or honor is important to a knight like me, what’s important to a bandit like you?”
It was a reference to a line from a heroic epic: ‘What’s important to a king if an oath is important to a knight like me?’ In that story, the sage said, ‘What’s important to a king is the king himself’, and the great knight standing next to him said, ‘The king is the country itself, and the country is the people themselves’. The lines describing the weeping king in front of the kneeling knights touched him deeply.
‘Please, let him not have read that epic.’
Kassel waited for Falcon’s reaction.
“What are you trying to ask?”
Falcon tilted his head as if he didn’t understand.
“So what I’m saying is, why are you sparing us right now if you’re just a money-hungry bandit or someone who despises the knights of the nobility? Besides, why are you irritated by the mention of being a knight?”
Kassel had two motives for his words. One was genuine curiosity about the other’s intent. The other was to keep his own identity hidden. It was meant to insinuate that he, in his dirty clothes of a crude minstrel present here, was actually a knight.
“Don’t get cheeky and ask such questions to the boss!”
A bandit wielding a sword next to him narrowed his eyes as if about to strike. Other bandits surrounding them also wore angry expressions. Falcon, however, looked serious.
“Did I flare up?”
“Did you not?”
“I am not sure. Did I?”
Falcon asked another subordinate next to him. The man was flustered and didn’t answer.
Kassel spoke instead.
“On my way here, I heard your name a few times. They say you’re a band of bandits who even attack the military! Attacking the military? Who would do such an inefficient act? If someone asked me to be a bandit here, I would attack the spice traders moving from Carnelock to Irophis.”
As Kassel finished, he bowed his head.
“If you’re not just a fool, do you have another purpose?”
Falcon shrugged his shoulders.
“Huh, spice traders? That’s a good idea. So what about it?”
“Your subordinates are different from the bandits I met yesterday. They’re well trained. Unlike those guys from yesterday, I had no chance to act. What was his name, Tiger or something?”
“Tiger? Is that guy still lurking around here?”
“He’s around. He was talking about you, something about getting revenge on you because you caught him once?”
“So how did you deal with him?”
“I was surrounded by a few of them threatening me at once, so I had no choice but to kill them all.”
Falcon nodded, seeming impressed.
“Well done. I was planning to get rid of him if I saw him again.”
The lies started to take shape as he chattered to avoid silence. But if one assumption broke, he would lose his life here.
‘Falcon can’t just be a common bandit. He must not be. If he is, he’ll just say, well done, now die, and kill me.’
Despite his inner torment, Kassel maintained a calm exterior and asked.
“So who are you really, Falcon?”
“If I answer what you mean by that, I would be declaring myself a regular bandit. It seems you’re no ordinary person yourself. Shouldn’t you reveal who you are first?”
Falcon scrutinized Kassel’s attire and finished speaking.
“You may appear a bard, but your eloquence is rare for one of such low status.”
“If I’m to worry about how others judge my status, I might as well confess to being an ordinary bard. A status one would not believe if told, and I myself have no confidence in convincing you with this attire. Check the sword hanging on my horse.”
“Didn’t I tell you to put down all weapons?”
Falcon spoke with a tone suggesting he was irritated that his orders weren’t followed.
“We were not in a relationship of trust to begin with. You drew your bow without offering a chance for conversation. I had no obligation to listen to you.”
“Obligation? That was an order. This can’t be taken lightly, friend. Who knows what lies you’ll concoct if you don’t comply with what I ask?”
Every word from Falcon was clear in its intention, assertive. His question was simply thrown in an attempt to navigate a crisis, but Kassel became truly curious about who Falcon might be.
“Well, then I apologize for that.”
Kassel shrugged his shoulders and slapped his knee.
“But can we stand up and talk now? I’m not used to this posture.”
“Fair enough.”
Falcon agreed, ordering his subordinate to examine Kassel’s words. The subordinate, who had been aiming a sword at Kassel’s back, fetched the sword with a disgruntled expression and handed it over to Falcon. Falcon examined the sword with a keen eye and grimaced.
“What a piece of work.”
Falcon uttered cheerfully as he drew the blade. The black blade reflected the sunlight. On second thought, it was the first time Kassel had laid eyes on that black blade as well.
“Was it ten years ago? The captain who led the Wolf Knights of Aranthia possessed a legendary sword with a black blade that anyone could recognize at a glance. The young knights these days might not know, but there was a time when everyone knew, even to the point that there were men pretending to be him by carrying around swords painted black. Unless it’s all mere rumor or my eyes have become as useless as a fish’s in recognizing a good sword, this is the legendary sword that killed Welch from the Excelon Knights.”
Kassel was the one surprised by the revelation.
‘So Welch fell to that sword.’
As Falcon sheathed the sword again, he asked,
“Do you intend to slash us all with your legendary swordsmanship after I give back the sword, Captain Wolf?”
“Hardly. I’m not that confident.”
He thought Falcon would return the sword after that statement, but instead, Falcon stuck the sword by his side.
“Though it’s a bit late to ask, I can’t help but inquire. What brings you to Camort?”
“I’m not here for any foul play.”
Falcon stared at Kassel for a moment. It was a powerful gaze, as if piercing through all lies.
“We seem to be in need of a lengthy discussion. Will you follow me if I invite you?”
“Very well.”
‘What’s so good about this!’
Kassel felt like crying. But the offer was one he couldn’t refuse.
“What about the rest?”
One of his subordinates asked. The knights of the rose seemed shocked, as if he had just asked ‘how shall we kill them?’
Kassel preemptively spoke.
“These knights don’t have any direct relation to me. We just happened to meet in the village, so there’s no need for them to accompany us. Let them go.”
“Is that an order?”
“More of a request, naturally.”
Falcon didn’t think for long and spoke.
“Let them go.”
Falcon rode off first. Without a moment to feel relief, Kassel climbed onto his horse and looked back at the knights who had lost both their weapons and horses.
“Return to your stronghold.”
“Do you plan to go alone?”
One knight murmured.
“Let’s draw our swords together, even now!”
Kassel was rather frustrated with their actions.
“No, why risk your lives after just being spared? I’m not going to fight.”
Another knight then whispered, glancing at the bandits.
“Just wait a bit. We can bring reinforcements in half a day.”
“There’s no need.”
“You’re a guest of the Kingdom of Camort. We cannot ignore this.”
At these words, Kassel felt a sudden wave of emotion.
“It’s an interesting world. People who wage war and ignore their own citizens to protect, but insist on protecting a knight from another country who says he doesn’t need it.”
The three knights looked utterly shocked.
‘Would they have looked like this if Farmer Kassel had said this?’
Kassel tasted more bitterness than satisfaction from their stunned reactions.
“I might be young, but I’ve seen such things too often. Stop worrying about me and go. I can’t take responsibility for your lives beyond this.”
“We’re shamed, Captain Wolf.”
The knights suddenly knelt before Kassel on their horses.
“My name is Pavi. I may serve under Count Godimer now, but I have always dreamed of becoming a true knight. I hope to meet you again and realize my dream.”
“My name is Millen. I will never forget the courage you showed today.”
“My name is Nischel. You have taught me the true honor of a knight.”
Kassel was taken aback.
‘What did I say to deserve such reactions?’
Though Kassel wasn’t familiar with the etiquette of the Rose Knight Order, there was no chance he’d bow his knee simply because he was a captain from a foreign land. There was no protocol in any country’s knight order that demanded bowing to anyone who wasn’t the sovereign. Even in an order as strictly disciplined as Irophis, they were taught not to kneel before anyone, barring the king, unless they were to be beheaded. And to someone who was merely on horseback?
“Rise. I am… not your ruler.”
Kassel spoke bluntly. Yet unable to hide his startled expression, he quickly turned and followed the bandit.
‘Since yesterday, I’ve been continuously committing blunders.’
Kassel could only worry about what lay ahead.
☆ ☆ ☆
Falcon led Kassel to his hideout. It was a plain village that couldn’t be described as the ‘den of a colossal bandit group feared by even the Knight Order.’ Kassel was surprised by its ordinary appearance, having expected a secret space hidden within a rocky cave or a fortress with pointy walls.
He had thought the place would be brimming with rugged men, but there were women carrying on with their everyday lives and children at play. There were fields being cultivated behind the village. The land was good, and there was plenty of space. Seeing as they were farmers, that was the first thing he noticed. It was a self-sufficient village.
A white quilt on the clothesline fluttered in the wind. Black mushrooms were drying on the roofs, and white smoke floated into the air from the chimneys. The flowers and trees were well-tended at the front of the village, and it was so beautiful that it seemed the town beautification committee might come rushing to meet the village head.
After the constant preparation for war, the ordinary village with its human residents was heartwarming. It felt like returning to Lurun Village.
“It feels like home.”
As Kassel spoke almost unconsciously, one of Falcon’s subordinates, who was guiding him, proudly explained.
“It took a whole year to properly establish this village. We don’t call this place a hideout. We call it ‘home.'”
“Aren’t you afraid it’s too defenseless in case of an attack?”
Kassel asked.
“Sometimes it’s safer this way. We’re prepared for that kind of situation. After all, we’re not fools who don’t know how to fight.”
There were two young men, lounging like rogues at the entrance of the village. But as soon as Falcon approached, they stood at attention and saluted like soldiers. It was clear they had been deliberately maintaining a relaxed façade.
The village folk greeted Falcon with undisguised smiles as he returned on horseback. No one seemed to view him as a bandit leader. Falcon too reciprocated the greetings, and children followed in a line after Falcon’s horse. There were even audacious little pranksters who dared to jest with Falcon. One of the bandits accompanying him reprimanded the boy, but it was merely a scolding warning of the dangers of getting too close to the horse.
He seemed like the village’s favorite uncle to everyone.
Suddenly, Luchi crossed his mind. His ostentatious display of armor, boasting the title of a knight. It seemed enviable and cool back then, but on retrospect, it wasn’t knightly in the slightest. Without the armor and the red rose emblem, he was no different from the village nuisance of the old days. His habit of harassing women remained, as did his propensity for drinking and causing fights by overturning tables. The only change was that no one could reprimand him now, thanks to his knightly status.
Luchi had been like that since childhood. Kassel had been on the receiving end of his misbehavior several times. The only option left was to ignore the thug, given there was no way to deal with a strong bully leading a gang. Strangely enough, when Kassel gave up resisting, the torment ceased.
He didn’t know why, but it was indeed a welcome relief.
‘He doesn’t show off.’
Recalling the recent situation, Falcon had suppressed the knights without threatening, and controlled his subordinates without coercion. Somehow, he had managed to win the villagers’ favor.
Kassel had experienced a similar atmosphere just once before. It was when the knights from the Excelon Empire came to the village of Lurun. They didn’t make any threats or show off; they simply spent a night and left. But within that short period, they transformed the villagers’ fear into awe.
Kassel recalled those knights as he watched Falcon’s retreating figure.
Falcon and his men entered the meeting hall located in the farthest part of the village. The village’s young men, who had been preparing their horses, shot Kassel a look as they led the horses to the stables. It was uncomfortable and scary, even though he hadn’t been directly threatened or tied up anywhere.
The round meeting hall was quite spacious. Various types of weapons and shields hung on the walls. Falcon hung his massive sword on the wall and sat down on one of the chairs. The other bandits followed suit, taking their seats at the table one after another.
“Why don’t you take a seat?”
Kassel sat down at the very edge. Dozens of eyes turned towards him. Fortunately, there was no malice in Falcon’s gaze.
‘That would be scarier.’
Falcon asked him,
“How do you find my village?”
“The fact that there’s such a pleasant village in Camort alone is delightful,” Kassel replied.
Kassel decided to treat Falcon with a bit more respect.
Falcon asked with his usual tone,
“How can you tell if it’s a good place to live just by looking around? I was asking about the village’s outward appearance.”
“In times of famine like now, when the nobles are gouging food and taxes, followed by the tyranny of officials, isn’t it good enough to eat well and live? From the looks on the villagers’ faces, it seemed like they eat well.”
Eating well is good living! This was a realization he had during training in the army. In that regard, Lurun Village was indeed a good place to live.
“Well, we don’t pay taxes for obvious reasons. Does Aranthia not have such villages?”
Falcon asked with a loud laugh.
‘Is he saying that to test me, or is he just curious?’
With sharp glances flying around him, he was afraid that any stray thoughts might reveal his true feelings, so he dismissed them. It was necessary to forget that he was lying.
“Can Aranthia be considered any better than other places? There are villages untouched by the royal family, where the tyranny of officials is as severe as in Camort, and there are many bandits. There aren’t many such regions, right? At least you wouldn’t have to worry about being attacked by bandits here.”
At the mention of bandits, Falcon’s brow furrowed for a moment.
“It sounds like you’re categorizing me as one of them.”
“While you may not be an ordinary bandit, but essentially you can’t deny it, right? Isn’t this village also built with the blood and money of the people you’ve looted?”
“You don’t beat around the bush.”
“I apologize. I’m just saying whatever comes to mind because I’m scared right now.”
The bandits murmured for a moment. Falcon crossed his arms and gave Kassel a once over.
“Before I continue what I was saying, I wanted to ask about the situation earlier. I had no intention of sparing you, including those impudent knights. It’s not a good idea to spare them. They’ll never kneel, and if you ask them to, they’ll fight, and then I’d have to kill them while preserving their last dignity. But because of you stepping up, I couldn’t kill them.”
Falcon pointed at Kassel as he spoke.
“Of course, I almost committed the disgrace of killing a precious guest from Aranthia. Were you confident? That I wouldn’t kill you?”
“I wasn’t confident. I just believed that we could somehow communicate.”
“What if your judgement was wrong? What if I was a fatso who loved fighting and banditry like Greydog?”
Instead of answering, Kassel smiled faintly, unfolding the scenario he had thought of since he first hid the sword.
“Didn’t I willingly surrender my sword to you? If some bloated brute who simply loved fighting surrounded me, I might have resorted to other methods instead of a conversation. But against mere minions of a minor character, numbers alone may not have guaranteed their victory, wouldn’t you say?”
Kassel’s statement elicited an unexpected reaction. The crowd was stunned, while Falcon wore an exasperated expression.
“So, you were planning to fight against a force of fifty?”
‘Did I exaggerate too much?’
With no way to backtrack, Kassel replied calmly.
“Of course, although it would have been impossible to win against your subordinates.”
Murmurs of discomfort rose from all around. Falcon raised his hand to calm everyone.
“What did you say your name was?”
Lying about his name on top of all the other lies he had already told seemed to be a burden. Kassel decided to tell the truth.
“Kassel.”
“No matter who you are, you will receive no honorifics in this village. But for now, I will commend your recklessness and audacity. Now to the main question.”
“If it’s a question I can answer.”
“Why have you come to Camort?”
“The answer to that question is the same. I’m not here to cause harm, and I cannot reveal my true reason.”
“A response that makes me want to verify if your audacity is genuine.”
Falcon’s visible smile was both brutal and full of confidence. Kassel tried to appear nonchalant with a smile, but it rather accentuated Falcon’s confidence, causing him to falter. Still, he didn’t avert his gaze.
“If it came across that way, I apologize, Falcon.”
Kassel swiftly apologized with a nod and quickly posed his own question.
“But why ask such a thing? Considering you’re just a bandit.”
“What did you say?”
“If you’re simply a bandit, you should be focused on stealing people’s money, raiding villages, and killing innocents. My purpose here is directly related to the Kingdom of Camort. It’s a classified matter. Why would you care about a conversation that would put you in danger if you knew about it?”
Suddenly, one of Falcon’s subordinates shot up from his seat. He slammed a sword, as tall as a man and curved like a crescent moon, into the ground and shouted.
“You seem to have a lot to say, show-off. Just shut up and answer Falcon’s questions.”
“I am conversing with Falcon, not everyone in this room. Unless you’re answering for him, step aside.”
Kassel replied dryly and turned to Falcon, who remained silent.
“Sit down.”
Falcon commanded, then spoke to Kassel.
“It would be wise to refrain from making remarks that provoke my subordinates, Kassel.”
“If I intended to use my sword, I would have fought alongside the Rose Knights earlier. I didn’t realize my words would be so provocative. I will be more cautious with my speech.”
With a nonchalant air, Kassel crossed his arms, leaned back in his chair, and asked.
“So, why did you ask about my purpose in Camort?”
“Simply put, I have a duty of loyalty to this country.”
“Well, then I’ll just say that Aranthia sent me for the Kingdom of Camort.”
“Should I believe it’s not to assist one of the Counts?”
“Doubt has a way of turning even a bird in flight into a carp.”
Kassel met Falcon’s intense gaze unflinchingly. This was nothing compared to the strange comparison of the experience of standing up to his father’s glare, questioning, ‘where did you sell that sack of wheat?’
“Have you eaten?”
At Falcon’s odd question, Kassel laughed.
“Perhaps there was a meal prepared for me at the camp you demolished.”
“Sorry about that.”
“Did you kill all the soldiers there?”
“Only those who resisted. The rest were stripped bare and thrown into the wilderness. They’ll have to walk barefoot for half a day to get home. Let me make up for it by treating you to a meal.”
As Falcon signaled to a woman standing outside the lobby, food was quickly prepared.
The meal was served right there. The bandits, who had up until now been displaying a disciplined military-like stance, scattered freely to eat once the food was ready. While not luxurious, there was plenty of food and meat, hard to come by at this time. The women who served the food naturally sat next to the men to join the meal.
Despite not feeling hungry due to the tension, he consciously picked at the food, thinking he should eat. Someone sat down next to Kassel, who was not seated by anyone. Unconsciously, Kassel pulled his chair to the side to avoid the person sitting down.
She was a woman, probably ten years older than Kassel. She had an attractive face with wrinkles neatly set around her eyes, but her indifferent gaze felt cold. Kassel, chewing on meat, looked at the woman who, resting her chin on one hand, stared back at him.
“What is it?”
Kassel asked.
“I heard they brought in a swordsman who had defeated our village’s warriors, so I came to see.”
The woman openly felt Kassel’s arm.
“Indeed, you’re small in stature but your muscles are impressive.”
‘While living everyday with restricted meals and just enough farm work to not be tormented, one can naturally have this body.’
Kassel held back a sarcastic joke.
“My name is Janie.”
“I’m Kassel.”
“Your face is too good for your clothes.”
“I’m dressed this way because I’m on a secret mission.”
Even after saying it, Kassel found it amusing.
“But there’s no need for that now, is there? Follow me after the meal.”
Kassel was taken aback by her fearless approach and looked to Falcon, who was unfazed, busying himself with sprinkling herbs on a large hunk of lamb.
‘Perhaps it’s for the best. I am not one to keep secrets for long. Let it be out.’
Kassel asked, “Isn’t there somewhere I can wash up?”
“Follow me.”
With surprising boldness, Janie took Kassel’s hand and helped him to his feet. He was pulled up with a gentle force that felt almost magical. A sudden thought made Kassel pause and turn back to Falcon.
“When will I get my sword back?”
Falcon, meat lodged in his mouth, replied, “When you tell the truth.”
Kassel felt a sudden lurch in his heart.
“Clean up and come to my room later, Kassel. We’ll finish our conversation there.”
Kassel nodded and followed Janie, almost fleeing the scene.
The crisp outdoor air was strangely refreshing. He realized just how stifling the room’s heat had been, how he’d sat there with a heavy heart.
‘Tell the truth? Has he noticed I’ve been lying? Or is there another reason?’
Janie stood before a pavilion that overlooked the entire village, waiting for Kassel. She gently swept her hand over the scene of villagers going about their daily lives and said, “All the people here were refugees once.”
“Refugees?”
“Falcon saved us.”
The villagers passing the pavilion wore smiles, their steps light. Their clothes were clean, their roads well-maintained. Compared to the many impoverished villages he’d seen while traveling with the army, it was like heaven.
“Some villages were completely pillaged by the armies of Counts, others by bands of bandits. As you might not know, when something like that happens, it kills the very existence of the village. The people survive, but the village loses its life. Women are violated, men lose their lives, children are robbed of their dreams, and elders have their lifework stolen away.”
Janie took a deep breath before continuing, “Falcon, he gathered the people who’d survived but had lost their spirit, and he created this village.”
“So that’s why people follow Falcon so devoutly.”
“Yes. By the way, I overheard you outside, you are quite something, aren’t you? Standing up to our leader like that after being captured.”
“Is that so? I didn’t seem like a scared chick to you?”
“I’ve seen plenty of remarkable people who can’t utter a word in front of Falcon. You’re either more impressive than them or you don’t understand how terrifying Falcon can be.”
“Guess I must be the latter then.”
Kassel nodded awkwardly with a forced smile.
“What do you think of our leader, from your perspective?”
“A righteous rebel concerned for the kingdom? But if he truly is concerned, he should be the first to step forward. These minor acts of rebellion, from a broader perspective, are no different from banditry.”
He started quoting theories of politicians who were concerned about the country and poems about righteous rebels. However, Janie gently laughed and shook her head.
“If Falcon were to start a war under the pretense of saving the kingdom, where should the people of this village live?”
Kassel had nothing more to say.
‘I’ve just repeated the very nobility I criticize.’
☆ ☆ ☆
Janie’s home was a small house not far from the guild.
Janie, handing him a towel, led him to a bathroom with a wooden tub filled with warm water.
“It’s small. But the tub in my house is the best in the village. Even Falcon often uses it. I’ll leave some new clothes by the door later. Those clothes of yours should be thrown away.”
As Kassel began to undress, he noticed Janie still standing at the bathroom door, hands neatly folded in front of her.
“Can I close the door?”
“If you’d like, I can scrub your back.”
“I’ll pass.”
Ignoring her amusing persistence, Kassel closed the door. As he disrobed and sank his body into the water, he felt a rush of blood to his head and an intense pleasure. He couldn’t remember the last time he had bathed.
“I’ll leave the clothes outside the door. Fortunately, my husband was about your size.”
Janie’s voice was heard from outside.
“Thank you.”
Kassel leaned his head back against the edge of the tub. As his body relaxed, his concerns poked at his mind once again.
‘I’ve come this far, what now? How do I get out of this village?’
Falcon’s last words had been nagging at him terribly.
After cleaning himself and cautiously opening the door, he found the living room empty. Kassel picked up the clothes Janie had left and retreated back into the bathroom.
It was not cheap clothes one might expect in a rural house. Kassel, who had never worn such clothes in his life, finally managed to button up the shirt after much struggle. Adjusting his trousers and stepping out into the living room, he found Janie waiting with a smile.
“Fortunately, they fit perfectly. Come here. There are more buttons in the back. It might be difficult to wear, it’s different from Aranthia’s knight uniform.”
“Was your husband a knight?”
“He used to be. There, all done.”
Janie, placing her hands on her hips, inspected Kassel from head to toe. With a somewhat dissatisfied look, she adjusted his wet hair a few times before she finally gave a satisfied smile.
“I thought you would be a handsome man if you dressed well, and I was right. You didn’t shave?”
“I didn’t have a blade.”
In truth, he had left his beard because he thought he’d look too young without it.
“Well, it suits you in its own way.”
Kassel drew confidence from Janie’s self-assured smile.
Despite being a woman over thirty, she was more beautiful than Janette back in her hometown, who was barely in her twenties. She wasn’t haughty like Janette, who tried to imitate the nobility. She didn’t embellish herself with jewelry or makeup like a countess he had once seen, but she seemed more noble than them all the same.
If her husband was a knight, Janie must also have been from a high-ranking household in the past. Regardless of her current attire or position, her emanating dignity was subtly distinct.
In that moment, Kassel was struck with fear.
‘Right. Dignity! That’s what I lack.’
It was this, the underlying cause of the unease that had struck him during his bath.
“A sword would suit you well.”
Janie took down a sword hanging from the wall and buckled it around Kassel’s waist herself.
“No one will doubt you’re a knight now, not with this and your outfit.”
Even though she probably didn’t mean anything by it, Kassel flushed in embarrassment.
“Shall we go meet Falcon now?”
“Falcon?”
“Didn’t you say you would meet him before leaving?”
“That’s right. I did say that. I guess the bath was so refreshing I forgot.”
Kassel responded in a joking tone, but his jest fell flat.
‘Dignity that shines through. Yes, Falcon probably recognized who I really am through that!’
Kassel unbuckled the sword from his waist. For some reason, the sheath bore the emblem of the royal family.
“Where can I find Falcon?”
“Just go back into the dining hall. The door at the back of the lobby leads to Falcon’s room. Everyone else has gone to bed. They had a tough battle yesterday, after all.”
Kassel left Janie’s house. No one paid him any attention. He could have run away right then and there, and no one would have stopped him. The only problem was, Falcon still had the sword.
‘I don’t need to reclaim it myself, do I? I should find the White Wolves. Tell them the truth. They’ll take care of it then!’
But Kassel couldn’t muster the courage to run away. Furthermore, he had no confidence in convincing the White Wolves of the truth.
‘Just get the sword back and run.’
In the dining hall, only a few people were cleaning up. The rest of Falcon’s men were nowhere to be seen. They didn’t pay much attention to Kassel.
Finding Falcon’s room wasn’t hard. There was only one room in the dining hall. After a moment’s hesitation in front of the door, he knocked. Falcon’s voice called him in from inside.
‘Have I come too unprepared? How should I handle this?’
Kassel opened the door.
Falcon’s room was small enough that it appeared cramped with only a bed, a bookshelf, and a table strewn with maps. Various kinds of weapons, devoid of any decoration, shone on the walls. Based on the hand marks on the handles and the notches or broken marks on the blades, these were items used in practice.
Falcon was sitting on a chair, swirling the transparent liquor in his glass with one hand. He looked rather adept at it.
“You look much better in clothes. That bard attire was really the worst,” Falcon shrugged his shoulders and said.
“Janie gave it to me. Not sure if I should have accepted it.”
As if he already knew, Falcon nodded his head and spoke.
“You should treasure it. That clothing is probably a memento of Janie’s husband.”
“Memento?”
Kassel asked, his expression resembling that of someone who had just committed a crime.
“She didn’t tell you?”
“She did speak in the past tense… Can I ask about the knight’s family?”
“He was part of the royal knights of Camort. I was the captain.”
Kassel nearly screamed in surprise.
“Surprised, huh? From which part?”
Falcon, who had earlier been managing his subordinates, was softer in both his tone and his demeanor. Maybe it was due to the alcohol, but his sharp tone had disappeared.
“Both. But I can’t easily grasp the image of a Camort knight… Honestly, I’ve never seen one or heard stories about them. If I were to speak honestly, I might have guessed that you had a high-ranking position in the past. But I was more surprised about Janie’s identity.”
At this, Falcon laughed heartily.
“Normally, if someone was in front of the royal knights, they would be intimidated.”
‘No, I am intimidated.’
Kassel cleared his throat and spoke.
“May I sit down for a bit?”
“Go ahead.”
Falcon took a sip of his drink, and Kassel took a seat.
“You look a bit younger after washing up. Twenty-five? Twenty-seven?”
“Something like that.”
He couldn’t say that he was a few years younger than that.
“I was almost forty when I became the captain of the royal knights. If you’re a captain at that age, you must be extremely talented. Master Quain isn’t that old either, right?”
“Well, that’s true. But first, tell me about Janie’s husband.”
Lacking the confidence to fabricate lies about someone he hadn’t even seen, Kassel changed the subject. Thankfully, Falcon didn’t probe deeper.
“Meorix. He was an incredible knight. Much greater than a no-good captain like me! We first met as enemies. I was part of the Excelon Knights when Lontamon was trying to take over ArcLand, and Meorix was a knight of Camort defending the fortress.”
“Excelon?”
Since meeting Falcon, Kassel revealed his feelings more than ever before. The aged knight from Excelon, the one who could summarize all of his childhood dreams about knighthood, sat right in front of him.
“Don’t look so surprised. I’m not startled, you don’t have to be either.”
Falcon put down his drink, leaned back in his chair, and started to reminiscence about the past.
“It was just before the King of Camort was about to sign the surrender document. The moment General Gilter, the pillar of this country, died at the hands of Captain Welch of Excelon, the war was practically decided. The rest of it was a mere war of attrition fought over a king. The main force of Lontamon had already set its sights on its next target, Carnelock, while only one battalion of Excelon that I was part of attacked Normant.”
Falcon’s eyes were already lost in the past.
“Compared to the many battles that had taken place at the time, it was a trivial skirmish. The king’s knights were few in number, and we were instructed to swiftly secure the surrender document from the king and promptly rejoin our main force. However, the battle drew out when one of Camort’s knights killed our battalion commander.”
“Was that Meorix?”
“Yes. He took advantage of the Excelon Knight Order’s focus on honor and combat, knocking us down one by one in single combats. Impressive, wasn’t it? I would have given up in no time. When he fought me, he had already lost his vigor, and I managed to capture him easily. But I didn’t kill him… perhaps it seemed a waste to do so?”
Falcon continued his story with a smile.
“I asked him later. Why did he fight so desperately? He would have been spared had he surrendered. Then Meorix said this. He had heard that the Excelon Knight Order was a wicked demon that preyed on women and children, and he had to protect his newly wedded wife.”
Suddenly hearing the account of that time’s battles from the very mouth of one of its participants, when he had only read about them in text or heard them through stories, Kassel found it utterly bewildering. Moreover, a knight from Excelon! He should be hearing such stories with a heart thumping in anticipation since the day before, gripping his sweaty palms with excitement, but having to listen to it with feigned disinterest, Kassel felt disappointed.
“Many things happened in between, but after the war ended, I formally sought asylum in Camort and became a knight, and Meorix and I became close friends. It was a mad thing to do when you think about it. A knight from the enemy knight order coming of his own will to become a knight. Some of the advisors argued for my execution, but astonishingly, the knight order accepted me.”
“You fell for the knight named Meorix then?”
“I can’t deny that.”
Falcon continued, grinning again.
“But once I became a knight of Camort, I had intended to be loyal to Camort. But after the death of the Duke of Sheffield, Camort fell into chaos. The king who had relied on the Duke lost his strength, and in that gap, the two damned Counts began to wage war. The reason for the war is even funny…”
Kassel didn’t know the exact reason why the two Counts had started the war. He had perked up, expecting to hear a good story, but Falcon changed the subject. He missed the timing to ask again.
“The important thing is the people living in that land. The two Count bastards forgot that fact. I told the king several times to increase his military power, but perhaps because I was from Excelon, I was rather deprived of my knighthood. Meorix, who had been hesitant, also followed suit. The captain’s position was passed on to Francis, but he lacks experience and won’t be able to handle the current tumultuous political situation.”
Falcon, reminiscing about decades ago like an old man, stared at the wall before concluding his story.
“Since then, I’ve wanted to solve this problem on my own and tried various things, and ended up here. As a bandit.”
“I apologize, Falcon. I insulted you with short sight.”
“I don’t mind.”
Falcon, resting his chin on the hand that held the cup, looked at Kassel.
“But as time goes by, I’ve been increasingly curious about your identity.”
“What do you mean?”
Kassel tilted his head and asked.
“You’re not a knight.”
‘Here it comes.’
Kassel took a moment before asking.
“If I’m not a knight?”
“I don’t know. At least you’re not the kind of swordsman I know. I’ve never seen or heard of a gentle knight like you. Or are you such a ridiculously strong person that you could easily bring me to my knees without any trouble? No. You’re someone who has never been a knight. How did I know? Your stride. Your hand gestures.”
Falcon pointed at the sword of Aranthia on the table.
“And the way you handed me this sword. It’s too awkward. Every single thing was the behavior of someone who has never learned the sword.”
Kassel couldn’t answer. He was suddenly taken aback and unprepared for such a question.
“Answer me, Kassel. Who are you?”
–TL Notes–
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