CHAPTER 64 - PART 2

A woman who never breathed, never touched the ground.

A being that is free from God and not subject to the laws of the world.

"....."

She closed her eyes, recalling the blue eyes of the boy.

And someone's soul etched into the left eye of that boy.

It was a luminous soul, yet marked by cruelty, undoubtedly someone who had used an ancient technique.

"The old ways are stirring," the woman thought to herself.

The time has come.

Turbulent times. A time when cracks begin to appear.

Such times would be ideal for people like them, living on the edge of the border.

The woman had waited for this time for a long time.

"...My knights may take whatever they find pleasing among what lies ahead."

Still with her eyes closed, the woman pointed with her finger into the darkness.

In the direction her finger indicated, there were still faces dripping with blood.

Faces in agony, faces in shock, or faces filled with terror.

The faces of Baron Utman's knights were there.

"For now, let them serve on this land."

"Understood, Lady Lakshma."

The headless knights, waiting for her in silence within the darkness, bowed their heads towards their mistress.

Baron Utman had paid the price.

His only son had returned from death, and as the price for that, the city of Mosiam embraced darkness.

Darkness seeps in everywhere.

And it always seeks an opportunity.

Just like the woman with her eyes closed right now.

Tonight, the night sky that approached Mosiam was darker than usual.

※※※※

Vlad looked at the woman facing him and thought.

Her eyelashes are quite long when you look closely.

Her eyes were of the same color as Oksana, yet they portrayed a completely different feeling, which made observing her all the more interesting.

"So you got sucked into a black hole that suddenly appeared?"

"Yes."

Yustia's harsh tone and facial expressions were reminiscent of a scene from an interrogation, but her attitude toward Vlad was actually very considerate.

After all, it was the blond-haired boy who dealt with the headless knight while they were lying in the half-collapsed church, relying on a faint barrier.

It was only natural to want to take extra care of the boy who had done his best.

"Please explain in more detail."

Although she asked in a stern tone, Yustia handed him a sweet tea with her hands.

Their first meeting was the worst, but having survived the battlefield akin to death together, the two were now comrades.

"So, I climbed up to the bell tower and broke the emblem. Then, that bastard got angry, and..."

Vlad, encouraged by Yustia's consideration, once again began to describe the events of that night in detail.

The boy, the last witness and survivor of the headless knight, was the person who held an important clue to explain this situation.

In other words, it also meant that there was no solid evidence to replace the boy's testimony.

"The battle was too intense. Just deflecting the blows from that guy's swinging sword was difficult enough."

The scene recreated through close investigation was truly gruesome.

This is because there were traces of another person who had suffered pitifully in the face of one person's violence.

The Holy Knights, who discovered someone's miserable struggle among the chaotic mix of footprints, applauded in respect for the boy on the spot.

No one had thought that the boy, who was just a squire, could overwhelm the headless knight.

"Then suddenly, a black hole appeared from the ground. It sucked in the headless knight like the mouth of some giant beast."

Yustia listened intently as Vlad's testimony skillfully blended truth and falsehoods about that day's events.

Having grown up alongside prostitutes who lived by their eloquence, Vlad's storytelling was quite convincing.

"And then he vanished. I'm not that old, but it was a sight I'd never seen in my life."

"Hmm."

Yustia became lost in worry as she listened to Vlad's testimony, which sounded like gibberish but contained everything.

"Oh! And he seemed to be calling out some names."

"Some name? What name?"

Yustia, who was thirsty for even the slightest clue, looked at Vlad, who was tearing his hair out trying to remember, with wide eyes.

"Oh, I can't remember. My head's all foggy."

"Wait. Maybe if you eat something, it'll jog your memory."

Yustia swiftly grabbed a nearby fruit and began peeling it at lightning speed.

Though there was not a single visible crevice to dig into, Vlad couldn't help but make a subtle expression as he watched her, now innocent-looking, in her current state.

"Rama... What was it... Ramashtu?"

"Ramashtu?"

"Yeah, that's it. Ramashtu, I think."

Upon hearing Vlad's words, Yustia suddenly stopped in her tracks with a rigid expression.

Unknowingly, her grip tightened on the fruit she was holding, leaving deeper marks on it.

"...Right. Thank you for your cooperation."

Yustia set down the fruit she was peeling and stood up.

"San Rogino will not forget your valor on that day."

"...Yes."

"Rest."

Watching Yustia hastily leave after her brief words, Vlad remained seated with a blank expression.

In this respect, Yustia's firmness was evident, and Vlad couldn't seem to grasp her as a person.

But still, it was fortunate.

Everything had passed without incident.

[Thank goodness. Because she doesn't doubt you.]

"I heard the size of the foot was the same. Even if you're like me, you're confused."

Here was a boy who used common sense and prejudice as a shield to give false testimony to a faithful holy knight.

Although he had lied, the information he contained was true, so Yustia's efforts would not be in vain.

"If you're going to peel it, peel it all before you leave."

Vlad casually picked up the fruit Yustia had left behind and took a bite out of it in one go.

"...Sour."

The fruit, only half-peeled, had her taste in it.

※※※※

The next morning.

After faithfully completing all investigations, Yustia and the Holy Knights bowed their heads as they saw off the group leaving the village.

Though they held a certain pride, being close to God, the actions of the Shoara investigation team in this village were undoubtedly commendable.

Even now, there were Holy knights extending handshakes to the boy in recognition of his efforts.

"Our San Rogino will not forget your courageous decision."

"...Then please speak a bit more carefully. Because the mayor I'm currently serving is a very strict person."

Yustia could only respond with silence to Gregory's jesting remark, which sounded more like a warning.

As a Holy knight who always had to speak the truth before God, she couldn't afford to omit the name of Bayazid's Gregory in this matter.

"Although I cannot tell a lie, I will do my best to consider Sir Gregory's position."

"I just wish you wouldn't do it in the first place."

"...Sorry."

The group, who had recovered their energy with the holy power of the Holy Knights, was making final inspections and waiting for Gregory's departure signal.

Yustia's green eyes lingered on a small flag the boy was carefully folding.

".....Vlad had the flag."

"He is a squire that Bayezid is paying attention to, which appeared after a long time. We should handle it with care."

Upon hearing Gregory's words, the surrounding knights nodded in agreement. It was reasonable to pay attention to someone with such courage.

"We'll take our leave now."

"May the grace of Saint Rogino be with you all."

After bidding farewell to the Holy knights, Gregory signaled, and Gott took hold of the reins.

Heeey-

The group moved forward with a modest cart instead of the burnt carriage.

Although they had lost the carriage, they had gained the favor of the Northern Parish of San Rogino.

They didn't know when they might need it, but surely they could expect help at some point.

"Are you okay?"

"I can manage."

"If you're uncomfortable, speak up. It'll be troublesome if you get hurt for no reason."

Still feeling the effects of the voice, Vlad settled himself at the end of the borrowed cart.

The reality of constantly riding in a cart was unsettling, but since he couldn't ride a horse, there was no other choice.

"The fog is clearing, it looks nice."

"It's supposed to be sunny here. It was all because of him, after all."

Gregory's words provided some reassurance to Vlad.

It would be better for Anna to be buried in a sunny, open village rather than somewhere in the dark back alleys of Shoara.

As they left the fog-filled village, people at the entrance waved goodbye to the group heading to Shoara.

Among them, Vlad spotted the child who had given him the flower ring and waved back gently.

The boy, swaying on the shaky cart, lifted his head to gaze at the sky.

The sky, filled with drifting white clouds, was a deep blue hue.

"Nice."

He sincerely hoped Anna would find warmth in this place.

Blessed by the Holy knights and bid farewell by the villagers, the returning group felt lighter as they headed back to Shoara than when they had arrived.

※※※※

Shoara's mayor's office bathed in sunlight.

Josef, the owner of the place, was pouring tea for the elderly man seated at the reception table.

Although he was dressed in shabby clothes, he had a unique look in his eyes.

"When did you arrive here?"

"It's been a while since I arrived. About two days."

"I would have come to greet you immediately if I had known."

Josef poured tea with a neat demeanor, and the elderly man watched him with a pleased expression.

The frail child who seemed on the brink of death not long ago had grown so mature. The old man felt proud to have contributed even a little to this change.

"Even now, I'm just the lowest of the low. How can I command you to come and go?"

When he saw Josef, he was referring to him as 'young master' rather than 'mayor', but not only those who were listening but even Zayar who was next to him were ignoring it without saying anything.

The elderly man drinking tea had the authority to address Josef as "young master" wherever and whenever he pleased.

"Right. Where is he?"

Knowing the old man's impatient nature from a young age, Josef chuckled and replied even before the tea cup was lowered.

"I sent him on a mission. He's been dispatched to Baron Utman's estate, so he'll be back with a report soon."

"Oh. Already on a mission even though he is a squire."

Hearing Josef's words, the elderly man's eyes lit up, and he nodded.

Perhaps this boy might prove useful after all.

"In fact, before coming to Shoara, I stopped by Sturma to meet the head of the family. I only had one ducat left, so I wanted to wrap things up."

[T/L: "두카트" (Ducat) typically refers to a type of gold coin that was used in several European countries during medieval and early modern times. It was a currency unit often used for trade and transactions. While the value of a ducat could vary depending on factors such as time period and issuing authority, it generally represented a standard unit of currency, typically made of gold.]

Josef and Zayar flinched at the mention of "one ducat."

Was that the intention behind coming here?

"The squires there are all a bunch of dim-witted fools. How did they all end up bearing the Bayezid's name?"

The old man, who had turned his head with a dismissive click of his tongue, remarking on the lack of capable young men these days, now addressed Zayar.

"Is your squire any different?"

"...Well, he is probably better than those fools."

"Seems like the grumbler has something useful to say."

Zayar, referred to as a grumbler, clenched his lips shut in response to the old man's remark.

But what could he say? In his prime, he had shown the old man every possible aspect of himself, so he had nothing to say.

"I hope this lad Vlad grows on me. If he turns out like that Sobanin fellow, relying solely on his parents' reputation and acting all high and mighty, even if he's your squire, he'll get a good thrashing, young master."

"My squire has no parents."

Josef offered pastries to the old man with a smile.

"He grew up in the back alleys without parents, crawling up here on his own strength."

"Oh..."

Understanding the old man's intention in coming here, Josef tried to keep him interested as much as possible.

Josef's story about the typical starting point of self-made success would surely appeal to the old man's nostalgia for difficult times.

"You need not reward me with a ducat, just teach that guy a lesson."

"Well, if the young master insists..."

Chewing on the offered pastry and stroking his beard, the old man pondered.

Josef glanced at the flag stuck behind the old man.

"Of all the young men I've seen recently, none have pleased me."

Although it was small and old, it looked like it had been handled with care and was clearly similar to the flag that Josef had given to Vlad.

"Since you have requested it, I'll take a closer look, young master."

Stroking his proud goatee, the old man stalled while fiddling with the flag.

The old, worn flag bore over ten emblems, each representing the honor earned by its bearer over the years.