CHAPTER 103

A dusky dawn with the darkness not yet gone.

Josef, who entered his office earlier than usual, pulled back the curtains with familiar movements.

As the curtains parted, a familiar scene came into view.

A city blanketed in white snow.

Just the sight of Shoara, whose presence alone sent chills down his spine, made Josef cross his arms and take a step back, gazing out the window at the scenery.

"He must be leaving by now."

Anyone intending to embark on a journey would have to depart now to reach their next destination before sunset.

Though Josef didn't know exactly where that destination might be.

"······."

He could have given Vlad a mission before his departure or arbitrarily chosen a destination for him, but Josef deliberately refrained from doing so.

He believed that Vlad, who had spent his entire life obeying others' orders, needed an experience of moving based on his own thoughts at least once.

"A knight bearing his own flag... Truly a sight I haven't seen in a long time."

Though Vlad was leaving Shoara in the form of exile, he would be reviving an old tradition of the North.

A knight embarking on a journey solely for the sake of his own honor.

It was one of the old traditions that could only be found in the generation of his grandfather, not even his father's.

The gates of Shoara were opening to welcome the day from afar.

Though not visible from here, at this moment, there would be a knight bearing his own flag stepping out.

A knight born in Shoara and raised by Bayezid.

His name was Vlad of Shoara.

※※※※

"······He's not coming."

Vlad, with his collar pulled up to his neck, watched as the gates opened along with Noir.

In the cold winter, at a time when even merchants and travelers wouldn't move, Vlad was the only one waiting for the gates to open.

Hiiiiing-

"What's all the fuss about being cold for someone who used to live outside?"

Noir, already accustomed to the comfort of the cozy stable, didn't seem to appreciate stepping out into the cold now, tossing his head in protest, but now was not the time for such luxuries.

Now was the time to find his original resolve and stand firm against the snowstorm.

And that attitude wasn't just for Noir; Vlad needed to remember it as well.

"Let's go."

A black horse begins to move forward with a slight urging.

The small flag hanging behind the saddle started to flutter in the cold wind.

"······."

As Vlad took steps forward atop Noir, he thought that perhaps now was the appropriate time to leave.

He had goals he dreamed of achieving in the city of Shoara.

Goals like wielding a sword and becoming a knight.

But now that he had accomplished those dreams in this city, it was time to look up and move forward toward a broader world.

"Captain! Wait!"

Vlad, who was recalling old memories, heard a voice calling him from behind and turned his head.

"Let's go together!"

A man came charging down the early morning street with noisy hoofbeats.

It was Gott, Bayezid's stablekeeper.

"Finally got it right, huh?"

"You're late."

Vlad smiled subtly at Gott, who was panting beside him.

"It's not that late. You haven't even left Shoara yet."

Though out of breath, Gott didn't hesitate to respond.

Truly a demeanor befitting a former con artist.

"You thought you could keep up?"

"I couldn't help but feel a bit left out."

Gott puffed out his chest and spoke confidently to Vlad.

"I've invested in you since the old days, you can't just throw me away like that."

Investments always come with risks.

And Gott knew well that people like him, who were at the bottom of the ladder, did not easily come across even dangerous opportunities worth risking their lives on.

"I heard you even bought a ship for your friend Harven, right? Am I getting something like that later?"

"I saw what you're doing."

It was the usual evasive response from Vlad, but Gott just nodded, knowing Vlad wasn't one to be straightforward.

"But where are we going?"

In response to Gott's question about the destination, Vlad took a deep breath and looked out at the snowy field ahead.

"······It's not exactly decided."

The current Vlad was shaped by two contracts.

One is Josef's contract to offer his faith along with his sword.

And the other was a contract with the voice promising to find his name.

"I'm thinking of heading east for now."

There was a world the voice had shown him for the last time.

A vast field of wheat, a maple tree swaying gently in the quiet breeze.

And the voice had said it had seen that tree.

"There's something I need to find there."

In response, Vlad raised the scabbard and looked at Alicia's amber stone embedded in the end of the handle.

Now, there was nothing left of the voice but faint shadows, but Vlad was the only one who could recognize the last traces of the voice.

"Now let's go."

The dutiful knight left behind the object of his oath of loyalty and moved forward to keep another contract.

A swindler and a knight were leaving Shoara.

What saw them off was a wine glass held by a noble man and a pillowcase soaked by a red-haired girl with the sadness of parting.

※※※※

Dobrechti.

Located in the northern part of the central region, this land was ruled by the Dalmatia family and mainly engaged in barley farming and forestry, making use of the cold climate.

"What's this about another sabotage incident?"

And what does it mean to mainly engage in barley farming and forestry?

"Why are you messing things up just as soon as barley seeds are sown!"

It meant that it was a poor territory with no notable industry.

And, fittingly with its circumstances, Dobrechti was also a poor territory without a city worthy of its name.

"Even when soldiers are stationed on guard all night, by morning..."

"Don't make excuses in front of me!"

The knight commander spoke at length about the failure.

Watching him, Baron Dalmatia did nothing but fan himself, apparently trying to cool down his rising anger.

"...You should know. If we can't even sow seeds at this time, we'll all starve to death come spring."

"Yes, my lord."

"Those who know that!"

With barren land and a cold climate, in Dobrechti, where dense forests and barley fields were all that was there to rely on, ignoring and glossing over the current crisis was not an option.

"But with only soldiers..."

"If we're short on troops, then recruit the locals! It's no use starving them to death when they're already starving!"

Shaking his chubby cheeks, Baron Dalmatia began to berate the knight commander who had come to report, throwing things around him in frustration.

Any lord, faced with a rigid knight who couldn't adapt in the face of a crisis, would have no choice but to express their anger like this.

"Oh, dear..."

But what could they do?

The Dalmatia family could only gather such knights, being a poor family unable to recruit any others.

"We must gather all available troops, even if they're not enough, and defend the barley fields! Surely it's the work of monsters lurking in the forest!"

"Understood, my lord."

Winter wasn't just a season of hunger for humans.

Winter was the season when monsters also had nothing to eat, when the fruit on trees and the grass to chew disappeared.

Though he doesn't understand why they only eat the seeds sown in fields, the important thing was to prevent this crisis.

"Should I at least hire mercenaries for this?"

In the empty office, Baron Dalmatia let out a sigh of frustration.

As he approached the window, he saw the sight that he saw.

The forest of Dobrechti densely surrounds the estate.

Although it had been expanded a lot for land clearing after he became a lord, the forest that had been there before the Dalmatia family was established still seemed to be dark even though it was midday.

※※※※

"...Pepper, salt, jerky, what's this?"

"A pilgrim's certificate."

In the darkening forest, where the sun was beginning to set, Vlad sat, busily nibbling on twigs. He responded casually to Gott, who had pulled out a piece of paper.

"Just need to register at any church. It's signed by Priest Andrea."

"Why not do it in Shoara?"

Vlad's hand, which had been nibbling twigs, stopped abruptly at Gott's question.

"Oh, uh, right. Sorry."

If he had submitted this document at a church in Shoara, there would have been no need to bring it all the way here. The problem was that Vlad had kept his distance from the church to the extent that he couldn't mix words with it.

"Alright, got it. I understand. This one's on me."

Gott was searching through his luggage again, avoiding Vlad's harsh gaze, but gritted his teeth when he still couldn't find the item he was looking for.

"But how could you forget to bring a simple flint? I can't understand."

"..."

In response to Gott's angry words, Vlad's hands, which had been momentarily paused, began to move again swiftly.

"...I was busy last night."

Naturally, he would have been busy. Those who were originally well-off were even busier at night.

"Even you brought only a cheap flint."

"At least I brought something!"

Gott angrily pointed at the wreckage around Vlad.

The shattered remnants of flints scattered around.

They were all brought by Gott.

"You've got quite some strength. You smashed them all."

Vlad was not inexperienced enough to not be able to start a fire.

If anything, he was more accustomed to such things due to his rough life.

"But luck is really against us. Is everything defective?"

However, ultimately, all the flints Gott brought were smashed, and he failed to bring the one essential flint for camping. So, there was nothing he could say.

It was clear to anyone who was at fault in this situation, so in such cases, one could only sit quietly and tend to the embers.

"Ugh."

"Why'd you stop? Aren't you going to start the fire?"

Gott opened his eyes as he saw Vlad suddenly throw away the branch he was rubbing, but Vlad had already picked up the sheath of his sword instead of the branch.

"Why, why are you suddenly..."

No matter how deep their bond was, Vlad was still a knight.

The force with which Vlad held his sword was completely different from when he was nibbling on twigs earlier.

The trembling in Gott's voice was evidence of that.

"I'll rub it. Captain."

"It's fine."

Vlad, who spat roughly on the ground, quietly stood up with his sword.

"Captain, I'm sorry..."

"I'll go fetch some embers."

At Vlad's sudden words, Gott began to look around without even realizing it.

In the winter forest where darkness was beginning to fall, the laughter of men and the rustling of leaves could be heard.

"Oh, it seems the young master has sharp ears."

"If you realized, you should have run away. What were you hanging around for?"

About twenty men were gathered.

On the winter journey, one had to be careful not only of the cold and monsters but also of encounters like these.

"Even if it's sold anywhere, it'll fetch a good price."

"Where did you come from, young master? If you mention your parents, we might be willing to let you go for a fair price."

A group where only two were moving.

Among them, one seemed as fragile as a freshly plucked chicken, and to the eyes of bandits, there might not have been a better prey.

"Hey, guys. Let me borrow some ember."

"Huh?"

However, the blond young man facing the bandits didn't cower. Instead, he smiled brightly as if things were going well.

"What's this madman saying now..."

The bandits, with bewildered expressions and menacing gestures, were about to speak, but they fell silent when they saw the gleaming item under Vlad's cloak.

A shining suit of armor.

It was a cumbersome item for a mere youth to carry around.

"Borrow some embers. And..."

Of course, if he was from a well-to-do household, he might be able to afford wearing it.

However, just calling him a naive young master wouldn't do justice, as his presence, starting from his blue eyes, seemed rather formidable.

"Give up everything you have. You brats."

A fierce grin began to form on Vlad's face.

The Vlad of the past was always hungry, always craving. And now, the blond young man venturing out into the world was just as hungry as he was when he was a boy.

"I'll take care of your pride."

One thing he decided to do after leaving Shoara.

It was to rediscover his original intentions.