“......What kind of bullshit is that?”
Concealing the jolt in his chest, Leo calmly asked in return.
-I mean the task you gave me at the stable. It was almost as if you expected merchants like those bastards to show up when you asked me about it....
“Slaves from the Tantra Tribe are captured all the time. That’s why those Tantra bastards are always itching to tear our house apart. I simply thought we should use this opportunity to stop it.”
Leo answered without hesitation, smoothly extricated himself from the suspicion, and smiled.
However, his smile vanished at what Igrit said next.
-Fine. Let’s say that explains it. You might be an illegitimate son, but you’re still the Head of House’s son. But tell me. You remember my former master, don’t you? That black bastard who kept hissing.
“Of course I do. I rarely forget the faces of bastards I’ve killed.”
-Then you must know what its mission was too.
“It went around spouting that idiotic nonsense about hunting down one who has defied the will of Heaven, didn’t he?”
-Yeah. But that’s you.
“It’s not me.”
-It only managed to say a few coherent sentences back then. One of them was, ‘That’s him. I must capture him.’
The moment Igrit finished speaking, Minatos glanced sideways at Leo.
“That’s not true.”
-Of course not. I trust you, Leo.
After reassuring Minatos, Leo looked at Igrit.
“You believe what that lunatic said?”
-Ah...... Well, not really.
“He was lying. Regression makes no sense.”
-Yeah...... I suppose it does. But remember one thing.
“What?”
-There are still three more black bastards like the one you killed.
Leo frowned at Igrit’s words.
There were more Death Knights?
“There are three more?”
-Yeah. I’ve met them before.
“When?”
-It’s a long story.
“Tell me. We still have some time before we arrive anyway.”
-You told me to sleep earlier!
Igrit let out a rough, disgruntled snort before slowly beginning its story.
Igrit didn’t remember its birth.
By the earliest point in its memories when it had become self-aware, it was already living freely and wandering through a forest.
Then Igrit was captured by a Death Knight.
The place it was taken to was the ‘Boundary Between Life and Death.’
Igrit said it had met the Death Knight’s three companions there.
-Those bastards guide souls to the afterlife or hunt down anyone who disrupts the Boundary Between Life and Death. My master came to capture you, so I was curious. That’s all.
“That’s not what happened. You believe a bastard who couldn’t even speak and only hissed and went SCREEECH-? Honestly, there’s something strange about you too.”
Igrit answered indifferently.
-Fine. I don’t believe it anymore. You answered my question, and that’s enough. I’m going to sleep, so wake me when we arrive.
Minatos frowned at Igrit as it closed its eyes, then quietly flew onto Leo’s shoulder.
-Should I drop this bastard from here?
“Try to get along with it. All right?”
-Yes...... If that’s what you want, Leo, I’ll try. Ugh...... That arrogant carrot-brained moron. You should rest too, Leo. I’ll wake you later.
“Okay.”
At Minatos’s words, Leo also slowly closed his eyes.
How long had they been flying?
-Aaaaaagh! It stings!
Leo opened his eyes at Igrit’s shriek.
-What the hell are you doing, kid?!
-Wake up, you carrot-brained moron!
-My tail’s burned, you stupid bastard!
Minatos had used the power of lightning to jab Igrit in the rump and wake it up, allowing Leo to wake up as well.
“We’ve arrived.”
Igrit had been growling at Minatos, but at Leo’s words, it looked toward Kongd Village in the distance.
Then it quietly spoke.
‘You said we were going to a village. Isn’t that a battlefield?’
***
“Hahaha! I hear some killer merchandise came in today?”
“Yeah! I heard too! When does the auction start?”
“Six tomorrow evening. They’re holding it in the village’s central square. But what good does knowing that do you? You’re broke.”
“Do I need money just to go? I heard it’s a barbarian. I can at least take a look, can’t I? She might even like me!”
“Hahaha! That’s the funniest thing I’ve ever heard. Who would like an old, retired, drug-addicted mercenary. The cause of his retirement isn't stated?”
“What did you say, you bastard?! You got something else to say? Huh?”
KABOOOOM—!
A fight broke out between two retired veterans in the tavern.
If this had happened in a tavern in an ordinary village, the patrons would have screamed and fled outside, tried to stop the fight, or reported it.
This place was different.
“I’m betting on that one!”
“Hoho! I still think the drug addict has the advantage.”
“Ahaha! Let’s see how it turns out!”
Instead of screaming in fear, the patrons cheered. Far from reporting the fight, the tavern owner was the first to offer everyone a wager.
‘This place is truly insane.’
Leo, the only person who had remained seated amid the commotion, muttered inwardly with his robe pulled low over his head.
‘It’s even worse than Ril Village.’
Leo had smiled bitterly when Igrit first said it couldn’t tell whether this was a village or a battlefield.
He had never visited Kongd Village in his previous life, yet it somehow felt familiar.
That was because incidents occurred here without end, and news from the village reached Valantes Castle nearly every other day.
‘I always wanted to visit at least once. I didn’t expect it to happen like this.’
He had planned to come here at least once after taking up his post at the fortress.
He wanted to identify the village’s problems and remake it into something new.
But around this time in his previous life, the Tantra Tribe had attacked and erased the village without leaving a trace.
It had been a tragedy in which even innocent residents and children were massacred.
It must never happen again.
‘I absolutely won’t allow it this time.’
Leo repeated the vow inwardly and clenched his fist.
-Leo. I found them.
The fight between the two retired mercenaries ended with the drug addict’s victory.
The moment the winner was decided, Minatos appeared.
‘Where are they?’
-They rented an entire shabby inn near the village’s northern gate.
As soon as they arrived at the village, Leo had instructed Minatos to find the bastards holding the Tantra Tribe slave.
In less than an hour, Minatos had located the inn where they were staying.
‘How many guards are there?’
-Hmm...... A pathetic-looking mercenary band is guarding the place. There might be around fifty of them.
‘That’s all?’
Leo felt suspicious.
The Tantra Tribe was hostile toward the kingdom.
Moreover, they were extremely difficult to capture, which made people even more enthusiastic about acquiring them.
As a result of that enthusiasm, Leo knew they commanded incredibly high prices.
Yet there were only fifty mercenaries?
Of course, that would be more than enough in Kongd Village, but....
-The bastard who looked like their commander had this conversation with one of his subordinates.
‘A conversation?’
-Yes. The subordinate asked, ‘What if the barbarians invade because we provoked them for no reason?’ The commander answered, ‘That’s for those high-and-mighty nobles of House Valantes to worry about. We only need to collect our money.’
Those sons of bitches.
Because of what you did, the innocent women, children, elderly, and infirm of Kongd Village will be massacred.
When Leo clenched his fist, Minatos watched his reaction and cautiously spoke.
-Shall I turn them all into well-done steaks? Or we could bury them alive. Maybe water torture....
Leo shook his head at the chilling suggestions coming from Minatos.
‘Let’s wait until dark.’
Minatos had called them pathetic, but fifty men wasn’t a small number.
A group of that size would be composed of hardened old hands who had spent years in this trade.
If a battle broke out against them, it certainly wouldn’t end with a minor disturbance.
That was especially true in a tiny village like Kongd.
‘I need to conceal my identity.’
It would become quite troublesome if rumors spread that a Young Master of House Valantes had intervened to rescue a barbarian slave.
-Ah, I heard they’re going to display tomorrow’s merchandise in the village center soon.
‘Really?’
-Yes. It seemed like many people doubted whether they actually had a barbarian.
‘Let’s go take a look.’
Leo had already been wondering about the condition of the Tantra Tribe girl he needed to rescue.
***
‘That bastard is the commander you mentioned?’
-Yes! That’s him.
He looked more like a mercenary than a Head Merchant.
‘So they work as mercenaries while capturing slaves to sell.’
Leo’s expression hardened as he stood among the enormous crowd gathered in the central square.
“Now! This next slave is a strong one! Allow me to introduce....”
As the slaves appeared one by one, Leo closely observed the spectators in the front row whose eyes were gleaming.
‘They must be underlings.’
They were the underlings of high-ranking nobles who had come to purchase slaves.
They were dressed like ordinary commoners, but heavy-looking purses hung from their waists.
Several bastards who appeared to be guards were also positioned around them.
Most tellingly, they wrote something on parchment and watched with greedy, glittering eyes whenever a slave appeared, making them easy to identify.
“Now, our next offering is the merchandise you have all been waiting for!”
“Ooooh!”
“It’s finally coming out!”
“Waaaaah! Let’s see it!”
After around ten slaves had been introduced, the day’s final offering—and the moment Leo had been waiting for—finally arrived.
“A fresh catch brought in only a few days ago, still warm! A young slave from the Tantra Tribe!”
At the man’s introduction, a cart appeared, and the black cloth covering it was removed.
A small girl dressed in rags was huddled in a corner, trembling violently.
“Look at that damned barbarian!”
“Let’s just kill her!”
“Execute her publicly right here!”
“Burn her alive!”
Food and garbage flew toward the iron cage amid a torrent of vicious curses.
“Everyone, stop! Do not soil my property!”
At the man’s booming shout, the mercenaries hidden throughout the crowd dragged away those throwing things.
Once the crowd settled, the bastard continued.
“Hahaha! Make sure you bring plenty of gold coins tomorrow. Instead of the usual kingdom native, an exotic young girl of the Tantra Tribe....”
‘Those bastards...... I’d like to chew them to death....’
Leo ground his teeth as he watched the Head Merchant smile brightly and casually say things too vile to utter aloud.
-Shall I blow them all away and rescue her now?
At Minatos’s words, Leo’s gaze turned toward the Tantra Tribe girl trapped inside the iron cage.
Seeing the girl covered in filth and trembling in terror made him want to wipe them all out immediately.
But it wasn’t time yet.
‘We have to wait.’
The Head Merchant finished his speech with a beaming smile, and the iron cage containing the girl was covered with the black cloth once more.
“Now! Come back tomorrow, everyone! You have all seen the merchandise, haven’t you? Hahaha! I cannot wait to see how much wealth this girl brings me!”
Leo muttered inwardly as he watched the bastard shouting in delight.
‘Wash your neck and wait for the blade.’
Leo turned away within the crowd.
-Where are we going, Leo?
‘To hold a strategy meeting.’
Leo answered briefly and strode away.
A short while later....
-We’re holding a strategy meeting in a stable that reeks of horse manure?
‘Igrit’s feelings will be hurt if it hears you.’
-Let them be hurt. It’ll cheer up as soon as you give it a carrot anyway.
NEEEEIGH-
NEEEEEIGH-
As they approached the stable, they heard the horses neighing.
-Ugh...... I hate that sound.
Leo smiled at Minatos, who was covering their ears, and entered the shabby wooden stable.
The moment he stepped inside, Igrit’s hearty laughter rang out.
-Hahaha! You’re back?
‘What’s so funny?’
-Nothing much. Those bastards were complaining about their master, so I was listening.
‘Complaining about their master?’
-Yeah. Hahaha! See those two white horses over there? They pulled an incredibly heavy wagon all the way here. Hahaha! So I told them, ‘I flew here.’
Leo frowned at Igrit’s words.
‘You’re certain those bastards can’t talk to their master, right?’
-Of course. Haha! Not just anyone can possess an ability like this! By the way, their master....
‘Listen to me first. There’s something you need to do tonight.’
Igrit scraped the ground with a hind hoof before answering.
-Whatever it is, just tell me!
‘When you leave the stable later, wait at the northern gate. Once I bring the Tantra Tribe kid out, carry her to the forest near Rutoa and wait for me there.’
-What? That order is easier than eating and taking a shit.
‘Right? I’ll make sure you get your carrots later.’
Igrit shook its head from side to side.
-You’ve already figured me out completely. Damn it....
‘Wouldn’t it be stranger if I hadn’t when all you ever ask for are carrots?’
-By the way, Leo. The owners of those horses are rather interesting bastards.
Leo nodded at Igrit’s words.
‘All right. Finish what you were trying to tell me earlier.’
-Those horses belong to the mercenary band that kidnapped the Tantra Tribe girl.
‘Oh, really?’
-Yeah. But I heard that the girl they kidnapped is the Priestess.
Leo’s heart sank the moment he heard that.
-And I heard that the wagon those horses pulled is carrying something called ‘Dragon Scale.’ What is that? It isn’t an actual dragon’s scale, is it?
At the revelation that followed, Leo’s furrowed expression relaxed, and he slowly spoke.
‘The mission has changed.’
-You’re changing things however you please again.
‘Don’t just get the girl out. Take the wagon with you too.’
The name had been unexpected, but Leo definitely knew it.
Dragon Scale was a legendary mineral that surpassed even Black Steel, which was said to be the strongest steel currently in existence.