Chapter 449

"My grandfather personally carved this gate with a sword. Cool, right?"

When Oara spoke, Enkrid added a suitable comment.

"I see."

"I miss my ex-husband."

"...Suddenly?"

Oara always came out with unpredictable statements. She seemed like an impulsive person. Based on her actions so far, she didn’t seem like someone who made plans.

"If I kill that ex-husband, the magical realm will be over."

It was an incomprehensible story, but Enkrid responded nonchalantly. His experiences with Rem and others had prepared him for such things.

"Does your ex-husband live in the magical realm?"

Oara laughed loudly at his calm question. This was the first time someone had responded this way.

"Oh, it’s just a guy with the same name."

Roman, who had approached without him noticing, spoke up. The short-haired blonde also came over, holding a bottle of alcohol and a metal goblet. A few drinks were passed around.

"What’s this? I want some too," Rem said as he appeared.

"Sure."

Oara nodded.

The usually stoic barbarian only quietly listened as he puckered his lips.

Oara did most of the talking.

They sat carelessly on a tree stump, using it as a table. Perhaps because the weather was nice, nothing felt uncomfortable.

The wind was cool, and the alcohol was just right.

The snack was only jerky, but it wasn’t bad.

"It’s a guy named Jericks."

After hearing the explanation, Enkrid thought it was a bad taste.

Why would anyone give a name to a monster living in the magical realm?

But it wasn’t something he had to question, so he didn’t add his complaints.

This was during Oara’s squire days.

She had fallen in love with a man and wanted to get married and live together, but he suddenly developed a wanderlust and left.

He was apparently a very handsome minstrel.

Oara proudly said she was the one who made her face known.

Enkrid almost asked if that was something to be proud of but refrained.

"A man should look like me."

Roman said, and Rem nodded in agreement, but Oara pretended not to hear.

"That bastard is the reason I became a knight."

If that was a reason to become a knight, Enkrid thought he might get dumped a thousand times.

Of course, Oara’s reason for becoming a knight wasn’t because of a foolish fiancé.

It was said that after Jericks, he went on to break the hearts of dozens of women.

The story continued for a few more sentences, and at times, they paused to finish their drinks.

It wasn’t a strong drink, just the right kind to sip and relax.

The cool, non-humid breeze after a few days, the beautiful view beyond the eastern wall, the conversations, and the alcohol all made for a wonderful night.

"I’m going to sweep away that magical realm before I die."

Oara suddenly said, and to Enkrid, it sounded like this:

She would finish off the magical realm before she died, even if she died in the process.

It seemed to carry a strange meaning, and Enkrid interpreted it that way, but Oara stood up, shaking off the dirt from her bottom.

"Sleep well."

With those words, she and the two junior knights left.

"That woman seems like she’ll rush into the magical realm any moment now," Rem said, noticing the same thing Enkrid had.

"Probably."

But could the magical realm be closed just because someone wanted to?

Would it be as simple as killing the central monster?

Would that make the monster easy to deal with?

No, it wouldn’t.

If it were that easy, they could have already armed themselves, entered the magical realm, and sliced through its neck.

So, it seemed like Oara was waiting for the right time.

And it seemed she was hoping that time would come quickly.

It wasn’t something to think about right now.

Enkrid stood up and dusted himself off. He quickly washed his body at a well near the house where they were staying.

When he finished, he saw Dunbakel lying in bed for several days without bathing.

His boots were covered in dirt, and his clothes were clearly messy. He was completely naked, wrapped in a thin blanket.

Dunbakel opened his eyes when he felt Enkrid’s gaze.

"Want a hug?"

"Shall I wash you?"

"I’m sleeping. I’m sleeping," Dunbakel said, squeezing his eyes shut.

Today was a good day, so Enkrid decided to save the scolding for tomorrow.

That was a relief for Dunbakel.

"You seem to be in a good mood," Lua Garne, who had become an expert at reading Enkrid’s expression, said. She was lying down after finishing her meditation.

Lua Garne prayed for the god of Frokk a few times a week, and today seemed to be one of those days.

If not, she would have come out and joined the conversation, sipping a drink.

Lua Garne enjoyed interacting with humans, especially Enkrid.

There was enjoyment in watching, talking, and doing things together, so there was no reason not to enjoy it.

From Lua Garne’s perspective, that was the case.

"Do I look like it?" Enkrid replied, nodding. It truly had been a good day.

Enkrid answered and lay down. Drowsiness swept over him. With the thought that today had been a lucky day, he quickly fell asleep.

And not long after, he woke up.

It wasn’t the usual time he woke up. It was before midnight.

Screech!

A scream echoed in the distance. It wasn’t human; it was clearly the scream of a monster.

***

"Enjoy this as well."

In his dream, the boatman appeared, though for a very short time.

Though it was hard to tell the passage of time, it felt like that in the moment.

Enkrid immediately jumped up at the sound of the scream, grabbed his sword, and began gearing up. He started with his armor, then moved to his daggers, three swords, shield, and spear.

"What’s going on?" Rem also woke up and began gearing up at the same speed as Enkrid.

Dunbakel and Lua Garne were the same.

When they stepped outside, they saw a commander leading twenty soldiers.

All were armed with longbows, and at their waist were short swords, axes, or clubs wrapped with metal tips.

"Did the noise wake you up?" the commander asked, raising his fist, signaling the soldiers to slow their pace.

The soldiers seemed too calm.

Enkrid thought for a moment before answering.

"An odd scream."

It was a strange scream for a monster.

"It’s probably the scream of a spider. Recently, these spider bastards have been multiplying, and something’s probably gone wrong in the magical realm," the commander replied nonchalantly. This wasn’t the first time something like this had happened.

Hoo-hoo.

From a distance, the sound of an owl hooting was also heard.

"It seems like the owlbears have come too," the commander said, still calm and collected.

"Well," he added, raising his right hand in a military gesture and signaling his soldiers to move.

The soldiers’ steps quickened slightly without breaking formation.

Enkrid followed behind them.

"They’re calm," Rem said from behind.

"Wouldn’t you expect that? This is the border of the magical realm, and these kinds of fights are part of their daily routine," Lua Garne added. Enkrid looked up and saw two moons above him. Clouds were starting to gather, and they seemed to be covering the moons soon.

It was going to get dark quickly.

As he walked, they soon reached the western city gate.

"Well, there," Dunbakel said, walking closely next to Enkrid.

"Why?" Enkrid asked.

Dunbakel’s nose twitched repeatedly. She had smelled something strange, not exactly a smell, ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) but more like a signal.

It was a scent she had only been able to detect since childhood, something that had once made others call her a liar.

Beasts used scents as signals, much like humans used sounds, but most couldn’t understand it.

Sometimes, certain monsters used scent as a form of communication, just as humans used sound.

It wasn’t that no one else could smell it; it was just that Dunbakel was the only one who could.

She had learned not to speak of it after being called a fool in the past.

‘Should I say it now?’

Enkrid’s gaze landed on Dunbakel. It was the same as usual. The eyes of a madman, determined and moving forward.

If he were to voice his concerns now, what would this man say?

“Whether you believe it or not doesn’t matter. If I want to say something, I’ll say it.”

Dunbakel, receiving an imaginary word of encouragement from Enkrid, spoke up.

“There’s something about them, those who use scent as a signal.”

Dunbakel spoke, and Enkrid didn’t ask further questions. He accepted only the necessary information. He didn’t bother verifying the truth of Dunbakel’s words.

For now, he believed it. She was one of his people. If he didn’t believe her, who would?

Dunbakel, reassured by Enkrid’s attitude, continued, and Lua Garne added her thoughts.

"It’s not uncommon for monsters to communicate with each other."

This was an answer drawn from Lua Garne’s extensive experience.

Kiaaa!

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

At that moment, a crow flew overhead.

Its cry was more like a terrifying scream.

It almost sounded like something was fleeing.

This was when they arrived at the western city wall.

"Fire!"

As Enkrid had expected, the soldiers on the city wall had drawn their bows and were firing in unison.

With the city wall and knights and squires, this kind of battle was to be expected.

"Arrows ready!"

"Don’t shoot, wait! Wait!"

"Only fire the fire arrows! Secure the line of sight! Secure the line of sight!"

The commander’s shout rang out.

The surroundings were dark. It was midnight, after all. The torches cast red light, creating shifting shadows on the city wall.

It almost looked like the shadows of beasts were approaching.

Enkrid climbed the stairs after reaching the city wall.

He saw soldiers carrying bundles of arrows climbing the narrow steps.

Their steps were quick but not hurried. They moved calmly.

"This shouldn’t be much of a problem," Rem said.

Enkrid didn’t answer, only observing the situation.

When he reached the top, he saw the commander shouting, his veins standing out as he barked orders.

"Fire!"

At the commander’s second shout, the sound of bowstrings being released rang out.

More than twenty archers let their arrows fly.

Whoooosh!

The arrows arced through the moonlight, falling toward their target.

With the help of the moonlight, Enkrid saw a mass of crawling spiders in the distance.

They were as large as humans. Naturally, they were monsters.

"Giant spiders," Lua Garne said.

Although it was Enkrid’s first time seeing them, he recognized them as monsters.

But didn’t giant spiders usually only grow to knee-height at most?

Enkrid assessed the size of the spiders.

From the city wall, they looked small, but in reality, they were much larger. The spider’s head was nearly at waist height.

Enkrid continued to observe the spiders.

"Are they here?" Oara’s voice called out. She stood atop the wall, arms crossed, watching him.

Enkrid moved closer to her.

"Looks like sleep is out of the question?" she asked.

"It seems so."

Despite the alcohol, there was a slight sense of fatigue. Anyone would feel it if they didn’t sleep when they were supposed to.

It was the same for Oara.

Knights are those who surpass their limits, but that doesn’t mean they don’t need sleep or food.

They were people who killed well, not people who lived without eating or sleeping.

Enkrid acknowledged that.

But this wasn’t too bad.

If it came down to it, he could probably stay awake for two days and still pretend to be fine.

There might be a slight imbalance when using his sword, but for now, he didn’t think that would happen.

Wouldn’t a knight be even more capable?

Enkrid glanced at Oara’s face. There were dark shadows under her eyes, bloodshot eyes, and her skin looked dry.

She looked like a peasant woman who had just returned from working in the fields. Her face showed signs of fatigue.

Was it really just a few low-alcohol drinks? Or was it the lack of sleep?

Wasn’t it a bit much for that?

"Today was supposed to be the day of rest," Oara muttered. A necklace symbolizing her faith swayed near her chest.

Even in the dark, the blue jewel glowed faintly.

Enkrid’s thoughts accelerated.

Sabbath, knight, magical realm, dreams, Jericks, back to the magical realm, Thousand Brick, Roman imitating the knight’s sword.

"I’m going to sweep away the magical realm before I die."

The words he had heard before closing his eyes seemed to stick in his mind.

"Does it hurt anywhere?" Enkrid asked.

At that, Oara blinked several times.

"Hmm?"

"Isn’t it?"

Enkrid had great instincts when it came to reading people, and Oara realized that although Enkrid appeared indifferent on the surface, he was observant and persistent.

"You’re sharp. Even Roman didn’t notice it for half a year," she said.

Despite his outward appearance, Roman was also meticulous, but it took him a long time to notice such things. Oara had been good at hiding it from him.

She subtly spread her cloak to block another soldier’s gaze and lifted her outer clothing. She wasn’t wearing any armor beneath.

Under the soft fabric, Enkrid saw the blue veins bulging on her stomach.

"It’s poison," Oara said.

With her words, the clouds that had been slowly moving earlier covered the moon.

Darkness descended.

Fwoosh.

The wind blew, making the torches flicker as Oara’s shadow seemed to rip apart.