In the valley bathed in a crimson sunset, the thunderous sound of hooves echoed along the riverbank.
“Relax your body!
Use your waist and pelvis to absorb the impact!”
Two horses were running side by side.
One galloped steadily, while the other swayed unsteadily.
“Horseback riding is all about rhythm!
Move your hips up and down in time with the horse’s pace!”
A powerful wind battered Yohan’s face.
Even as he raced along without a moment to spare, he focused on Gaf’s voice coming from beside him.
‘Ride to the rhythm?
Easy for you to say.’
This was Yohan’s first time on horseback.
Gaf had given him a rough lesson before he mounted the horse, but theory and practice were completely different.
He couldn’t turn the horse or control its speed.
It would be a blessing if he simply didn’t fall off.
Yohan clung tightly to the horse’s back like gum, desperately trying not to fall.
“Straighten your upper body a little more!
If you’re tense, the horse becomes nervous too!”
It was a difficult command, but he had no choice but to follow it somehow.
At this rate, he would fall off, and his frail human body wouldn’t be able to withstand the impact.
Yohan slightly lifted his waist.
His field of vision opened up.
The horse’s mane was whipping wildly in front of him.
Clutching the mane and reins tightly, he kept his eyes fixed ahead.
“That’s it!
Now match the rhythm!”
Following the impact generated by the galloping horse, Yohan moved his pelvis up and down.
It wasn’t easy, but he began to understand the rhythm.
He was gradually getting used to it.
Gaf, riding beside him, muttered quietly.
“Not bad.”
Beginners often fell even while trotting or moving at a moderate pace, but Yohan was beginning to maintain his balance even as he increased his speed.
For his first attempt, he was doing remarkably well.
Yohan smiled brightly.
‘I’ve got the hang of it.’
As his tension disappeared, a rush of exhilaration filled him.
The wind that had been battering his face now felt pleasantly refreshing.
Just as Yohan was about to spur the horse onward, Gaf shouted.
“Enough!
That’s far enough!
Rein the horse in!”
Accidents happened when one let down their guard.
He needed to suppress his excitement.
Gaf pulled on the reins and made a soothing sound.
Yohan followed him, gradually slowing down.
The thunderous sound of hooves slowly died away.
Silence descended.
The halted horses snorted, white breath escaping their nostrils and scattering into the sunset.
Yohan panted heavily before speaking.
“Not bad for my first time, right?”
“You’re still clumsy.
Practice from time to time.”
Yohan gave a small chuckle.
“Your teaching is surprisingly useful.”
“You know how to compliment people?
I didn’t know that.”
“It’s just that you haven’t done anything worth praising until now.
I’m not stingy with praise.”
“I don’t care about your evaluation.”
“That’s a foolish way of thinking.
Feedback between partners is vital.”
Gaf furrowed his brow.
“Partners?”
“Yeah.
Partners.”
A look of displeasure flashed across Gaf’s face.
Yohan shrugged.
“We’re moving together toward the same goal.
We’re not friends or comrades, so wouldn’t it be appropriate to think of us as partners?”
Being partners with a half-demon was extremely distasteful to Gaf, but he couldn’t really argue with that.
From Taharan Village until now, the two of them had handled most things together.
Things probably wouldn’t be much different going forward.
Gaf let out a deep sigh before speaking.
“Partner or whatever, since we’ve agreed to work together, I should at least hear your plan.
What exactly are you intending to do?”
Come to think of it, Yohan hadn’t explained anything to Gaf.
He had merely told him to come outside the city gates.
“I was planning to tell you anyway.
There are three things we need to do.”
Gaf needed to know his role as well.
If he took on the mission without knowing anything, he might ruin everything.
“First, we’re going to kill Kryl.”
“He’s traveling with the pilgrimage group.
An assassination is impossible.”
Yohan shook his head.
“Do you think Kryl will follow the pilgrimage group all the way to the royal capital?
Absolutely not.
Eventually, they’ll have to split up.”
“When Kryl parts ways with the pilgrimage group, that’s when we ambush him?”
“Something like that.”
“All the nobles of the kingdom will turn against us.”
News of Kryl’s death would spread far and wide.
Anyone could tell that Baron Miatro’s family was behind the assassination.
Even without evidence, the circumstances would point overwhelmingly toward them.
A family that invited guests only to kill them.
People would stop visiting their territory, and the baronial family would slowly wither away.
For Yohan, who needed power and influence, such an outcome was unacceptable.
Yohan spoke.
“That won’t happen.
I have no intention of taking the blame.”
“Do you have a way?”
He always had a solution.
And this time was no different.
“Of course.
Your role is important.”
“Tell me.”
“Kryl has elite soldiers accompanying him as escorts.
About ten of them, I’d say.
Not a single one of them can be left alive.
We can’t have any witnesses.”
Yohan pointed toward the knight Reil.
“With Reil, it should be more than possible.”
A knight capable of wielding Aura and a legendary mercenary captain.
With the two of them together, wiping out a dozen able-bodied men should be easy.
Gaf looked at Reil.
“I’m not sure how useful he’ll be.”
For some time now, Reil had completely lost his sense of self.
Gaf hadn’t been given a detailed explanation about it, but he suspected that Reil was Yohan’s handiwork.
“His combat skills have certainly declined somewhat.
But his physical abilities are still intact.
He’ll be more than enough help, so don’t worry too much.”
“Is that all I have to do?”
“There’s one more important task.”
“What is it?”
Yohan spoke with a resolute expression.
“Subdue Kryl, but never kill him.
If possible, don’t even leave a minor scratch on him.”
“He’s a formidable warrior.
Fighting him while holding back is quite a difficult order.”
It would have been easy for the Gaf of the past, but he no longer had a dantian.
Unable to wield Aura, he would have to fight while carrying an additional handicap.
“Impossible?”
“I said it would be difficult.
I never said it was impossible.”
“That’s the first thing you’ve said that I actually like.
You’re rather dependable.”
“This is the second time your praise has made me uncomfortable.”
Yohan chuckled.
“Get used to it.
From now on, the only beings left to praise you will be demons or witches.”
Gaf would no longer receive blessings from gods or humans.
He would spend the rest of his life living beneath the curses of everyone.
It was something he had already prepared himself for.
He spoke impassively.
“Enough with the useless talk.
Just get to the point.
Is there anything else I have to do?”
“Regarding Kryl, that’s it.
As for the Shaperia matter, let’s deal with Kryl first and discuss it afterward.”
Gaf nodded and mounted his horse.
Reil climbed onto the horse behind him.
“Then let’s go.
You should ride too.
From what I saw earlier, you need more practice.”
Yohan looked up at the sky.
“The sun is setting.”
The sunset was being swallowed by darkness.
Even the last streak of light hanging over the distant ridge disappeared.
Night descended.
Yohan murmured quietly.
“There’s no reason to ride a horse anymore.”
At the same time, his skin dispersed into black smoke.
In the place where the human had disappeared, a horrifying monster revealed itself.
An ominous voice settled over the valley.
“Come to the edge of the valley.
That’s where Kryl and the pilgrimage group will part ways.”
A pair of enormous wings spread wide.
The startled horses snorted violently.
“I’ll get there first.”
The demon took flight.
The red glow spilling from his crimson eyes left a trail of afterimages behind him.
Gaf looked up at the night sky in bewilderment.
Beneath the full moon, a pitch-black silhouette crossed the night sky.
***
Crackle, crackle. New chapters come out on g.com first.
The pleasant sound of a campfire burning filled the air.
Three sturdy men sat around the fire, engaged in conversation.
“After seeing it this time, taking possession of the territory will be a problem as well.
When I think about the offerings we’ll have to hand over to the Church, it makes my stomach turn.”
At his subordinate’s words, Kryl chuckled.
“Offerings are hardly an issue.
I can pay as much as necessary.
The Miatro territory is worth that much.”
The subordinate spoke cautiously.
“Is there really some treasure buried somewhere in the territory?”
According to legend, the Baron Miatro family had once been the kingdom’s treasury.
Gold and silver treasures, ancient holy relics, and the world’s treasures—including the now-lost Third Holy Grail—were said to be sleeping there.
The moment one possessed the territory, they could seize enormous power and wealth.
That was a story that might have held true two hundred years ago.
The Miatro territory of the present was nothing more than a remote backwater.
Its glorious golden age had faded, and not even its former grandeur remained.
In this era, no one believed in the baronial family’s legend anymore.
Kryl spoke.
“I don’t know either.
Even my father, who was the head of the family, didn’t believe the legend.”
“Then why do you want the territory?
I don’t understand.”
“Count Staviana was different.
There was a time when he persistently questioned me about the structure of the lord’s castle.”
The subordinate’s eyes widened.
“If the Count was interested, doesn’t that mean he had solid grounds for it?”
“That’s right.
The Count isn’t the sort of man who acts without being certain.”
“Then you made a deal with the Count?”
Kryl nodded.
“He said he would support my claim to the succession if I allowed him to investigate the entire territory.”
A look of disappointment crossed the subordinate’s face.
“Don’t tell me the condition was that you’d hand the treasure vault over to the Count if it was discovered?”
“I thought he would demand that as well.
But he didn’t.
The Count wanted only one thing.”
“What was that?”
“The Third Holy Grail.”
The subordinate slapped his knee.
“You’ve made quite the profitable deal!”
The Holy Grail could only function properly once all seven cups were gathered.
A single Third Holy Grail was useless on its own.
“It’s too early to celebrate.
We’re still wandering around, and the treasure vault hasn’t even been found.”
The subordinate wore a sinister smile.
“You saw their condition, didn’t you?
The castle is practically ours already.”
The baronial family’s walls hadn’t been maintained for a long time, and there was nothing remotely normal about their army.
If war broke out, it looked as though farmers holding sickles would timidly line up on the opposing side.
There was no contest from the outset.
Kryl more or less agreed with his subordinate’s assessment, but there was one thing that bothered him.
The bastard.
He found it difficult to understand where that boy’s confidence came from.
‘My nephew was certain of victory.’
It was too strange to dismiss it as youthful recklessness.
The boy was far too mature for his age.
His reputation within the castle was strange as well.
To take control of everyone from the very first day he entered the castle and make that hot-tempered baron grovel before him…
The boy clearly possessed something extraordinary.
“What are you worrying about so much?”
His subordinate’s voice broke Kryl out of his thoughts.
“I’ve been thinking too much.”
The subordinate chuckled.
“That’s because we’re on the verge of something big.
Even if something unexpected happens, don’t we have insurance?”
Concern flickered across Kryl’s face.
“If you mean Reil, I haven’t even seen the tip of his nose.”
“He’s probably off chasing women somewhere again.
Isn’t that what he’s always like?”
“A month of chasing women, huh?”
It had already been a month since Reil, whom they had planted as a spy, had disappeared without a trace.
There were even rumors that he had recently begun acting as though he had lost his mind.
When the concern failed to leave Kryl’s face, his subordinate sighed.
“Unnecessary anxiety will ruin the job.
Get some proper sleep and clear your head.
I’m going to relieve myself.”
The subordinate stood and walked toward the bushes.
Rustle, rustle.
The sound of him undoing his trousers could be heard.
Kryl frowned.
“Go a little farther away and…”
Slash.
Instead of the sound of a strong stream of urine, a chilling slicing sound rang out.
Kryl looked toward the bushes.
Something came rolling toward him and bumped against his feet.
“What the—!”
It was his subordinate’s severed head.