Crackling. Campfires lit by the knights throughout the forest campsite blazed fiercely.
Night is the time when monsters grow stronger. Moreover, the ones that appeared this time were flying creatures. Since they could strike from above at any moment, the Knights quickly detected their approach and lit bonfires all over the campsite so that they could light their bows in case of emergency.
“Is it really necessary to go this far? You caught two earlier today, didn’t you?”
A young knight, who had not been in the company for long, grumbled as he threw more firewood into the bonfire.
“Anyone listening would think you caught those two easily. Honestly, you’re the one who caught them all, Grand Duke?”
“That may be true, but...”
The new recruit recalled the battle he had experienced earlier in the day.
Not long after entering the forest, a black shadow appeared in the sky, and the Knights all assumed a defensive posture and gazed at the heavens.
“It appeared!”
The knights looked up at the sky and swallowed hard in tension at the sight of the hideous monster. Monsters are creatures that cross over from another world whose location is unknown. For this reason, they often take on forms that cannot be understood by the common sense of this world.
The thing flying above his head was like that as well. It was a moving creature, yet he could not see eyes, a nose, or a mouth. All he could see was a pitch-black body, like a burnt corpse. The monster, which looked as if wings had been stuck into that corpse, had wings of all kinds—size, color, and even number. Some had six, others three. On top of that, it had as many as six arms resembling human arms.
The knights, seeing the monster for the first time, broke out in a cold sweat at its strangeness.
As if realizing that the Knights were not easy humans to deal with, the monsters circled around the forest, making bizarre sounds.
“Everyone defend!”
As Cedric shouted, the knights shielded themselves with their shields and followed the monster's movements with their eyes. Just then, one monster descended rapidly and launched itself at a knight's shield. It was a monster roughly the size of an adult man. Having fallen from the sky at high speed, the impact was tremendous.
“Heh!”
The moment the knight who had collided was pushed backward and rolled, another monster floating in the sky swiftly descended toward the rolling knight. It was intended to attack while the knight had dropped his shield.
Kyaaaaaaak!
However, a terrible scream echoed through the forest before the monster's claws could snatch the knight.
“Grand Duke!”
The severed arm of a monster lay beside the knight, and after blocking the monster's blood with his thick cloak, Callion shouted toward the knights who were in a defensive stance.
"Shoot the arrow!"
Then, those with bows loaded their combat bows, which had been maximized for lethality, from under the shields of the surrounding soldiers and shot at the monsters in the sky. Realizing that there was a means to attack them, the monsters scrambled high into the sky. However, one of them, a monster with three wings, was unable to gain proper speed and was struck in the wing by an arrow, falling to the ground.
Thud!
It fell with a loud crash, and its arms and legs were grotesquely bent, as if broken. As the knights approached to surround it, the monster let out a rough roar and threatened them.
“Damn it, what a hot-tempered bastard.”
Cedric ran his hand through his hair in annoyance at the sight of the rampaging monster. It was a very energetic creature, perhaps because it had only recently crossed over to this world. If they were really unlucky, they might end up facing it for more than a day.
Cedric pondered which of the two monsters that had fallen to the ground he should subdue first. However, a few seconds later, that was a useless dilemma. Callion, having dodged the monster's blood, nearly kicked the knight rolling on the ground aside and then proceeded to sever the neck of the monster that had fallen first.
Crunch!
The sharp blade tore through the monster's hide, dug into its muscles, and shattered its bones.
Cedric could tell from Callion's merciless attitude.
'You seem to be in a terrible mood right now.'
Of course, he could guess the reason.
'If you can't guess after seeing that in the morning, you're truly blind.
Cedric truly wanted to die when he stood in front of Callion's room door to report the appearance of the monster. He was well aware that Callion and Erna had been spending the night together lately. After all, the wound visible beneath Callion's collar was caused by human fingernails.
Moreover, recently, Callion had returned to his quarters with absolute precision. Of course, he had always been the type to act decisively, but whenever there was business for the Knights, he would stay late and pester the knights; however, all of that had now disappeared. And Cedric knew very well that this was to be with Erna.
But since Cedric had been knocking on the door since morning, there was no way he would be in a good mood. Sure enough, Callion, wearing only a bathrobe, had his body covered in red marks.
Upon receiving Cedric's report, Callion ordered preparations for departure with a look of genuine annoyance. It was the first time this had happened. Usually, Callion was the first to step forward and participate in the subjugation, so to see him openly display such annoyance was unbelievable.
'Isn't this... dangerous?'
However, one could not say that a husband falling for his wife was dangerous. As they left the Grand Duke's castle, the only order Callion gave Cedric was just one.
I will try my best to finish as quickly as possible and return. But...
Cedric sighed as he watched the monster fly away into the distance.
It looks like they won't be able to go back early.
After dealing with the last remaining monster, the Knights hung its corpse nearby. Having confirmed that these monsters shared a sense of camaraderie, they took this action specifically to lure back those who had fled.
Recalling the battle of the day, the new recruit gazed at the night sky with a slightly fearful expression. Just then, a presence was felt from behind, accompanied by a rustling sound.
The knights standing by the campfire with the newcomer immediately drew their swords and glared at the source of the sound. However, they soon sighed and lowered their weapons. The approaching sound was unmistakably human, and moreover, it was the sound of a civilian. Otherwise, there was no way it could be this noisy.
Sure enough, not long after, several people emerged from the forest path. Cedric, who was standing in front of the knights, sighed as soon as he saw the people. The visitors to the campsite were the village chief and residents from a nearby village.
"Oh my, knights!"
As soon as the village chief saw the knights, he ran over with a welcoming look on his face. Looking behind him, he saw young men holding swords in clumsy stances, which they considered their weapons, and a woman wearing flashy clothes that did not suit the night forest.
'I can tell just by looking.'
It was a common occurrence for the administrators of nearby villages or cities to bring their own children to visit when setting out to hunt monsters. Even so, the visit was on the late side today because they were in the forest. When staying at the lord's mansion, they usually came as soon as dinner was over.
'Let's see, the one holding that useless ornamental sword must be the son, and the woman in the splendid clothes must be the daughter.'
The son will surely beg to be let into the Knights, and the daughter will say she wants to comfort Callion by his side.
'Wait, why isn't our Order's discipline known?'
Having a relationship with a person at the mission site results in expulsion, and if it is determined that the relationship was formed under coercion, the penalty is death.
Of course, if one truly felt that a person was meant to be, there was no problem in inviting them to the capital, formally reporting to the Knights, and then dating. However, because the fact that they had invited someone in accordance with the rules was completely omitted, and only the fact that the Knights formed lovers at their mission sites became known, there were many who harbored such futile thoughts.
“What brings you here? I told you to refrain from going out as much as possible until the monster extermination is over.”
"Oh dear, I remember clearly. However, seeing how hard you knights are working, how could we possibly just sit idly by? We came to offer our humble support. I know you must be feeling a bit hungry, so I brought some food as well."
Why don't they understand that staying put is actually more helpful? Furthermore, the Knights do not eat outside food except when absolutely necessary. After all, you never know what might be in it.
Just as Cedric was about to approach, thinking he should send them back before they upset Callion, a low voice was heard from behind.
“What’s going on?”
At the sound of Callion's voice, Cedric pressed his fingers to his forehead. Sending him away quietly was out of the question.
As Callion approached, the village chief's daughter hurriedly went in front of him and greeted him. She seemed to have tried to look elegant, but it was an incredibly clumsy way of greeting.
"Greetings, Grand Duke. I am Freya, who greeted you this morning."
“I asked what was wrong.”
Freya flinched for a moment at Callion's still cold demeanor despite her greeting, then bowed even deeper.
In fact, Freya was confident. She was known as the most beautiful woman in the village. The men in the village would easily grant whatever she asked with just a single smile. Recently, a wealthy merchant from a neighboring large city had been continuously proposing marriage to her along with gifts, so Freya's confidence had reached its peak.
Meanwhile, when Callion stopped by the village this morning while out hunting monsters, Freya thought to herself that she would capture Grand Duke Callion. She knew she wouldn't be able to take the position of his wife since Grand Duke Erna was there, but with such looks and a body, she would surely be happy even in the position of a lover.
'Besides, you don't have a child yet, do you?'
Although she does not know the exact circumstances, the Grand Duke and his wife had been married for over ten years without having any children. This was proof that their relationship was not harmonious. In that case, couldn't she perhaps win the heart of that Grand Duke, who is with a wife he does not love? If she were to bear him a child, he might cherish me even more.
Freya looked at Callion, harboring a tremendous delusion.
"Ah..."
It was a face that naturally elicited exclamations of admiration. The shadows cast on his face whenever the bonfire flickered added a seductive allure to his already handsome features. His tall stature and sturdy build suited him more as a Knight Commander than a Grand Duke, yet his ceremonial robes, unblemished despite having fought in fierce battles, and his neat, cool face exuded the arrogance characteristic of those accustomed to dominating and commanding others.
'I suppose I’ll be ordered to go back immediately.'
It was the moment Cedric was about to cover his ears, bracing himself for Callion's roar.
"Would you come closer for a moment?"
Contrary to expectations, Callion called Freya forward. At the command, Freya smiled brightly, and Cedric stared at Callion with his mouth agape. Callion had never once ordered a woman to come closer in this manner.
'S-surely not...?'
At this unprecedented event, Cedric's eyes trembled uncontrollably.
Cedric turned around. The knights standing behind him were also staring at him with wide eyes, astonished by this unprecedented event. He could see some of them already whispering amongst themselves.
'I thought he was smitten with Erna, but was he just infatuated with women?'
Cedric's face grew increasingly pale.
Callion simply stared intently at Freya, who stood before him, without paying attention to the others. As Callion looked at her, Freya seemed to gain more confidence; she approached him, deliberately emphasizing the cleavage of her chest.
"Oh!"
Then, with acting skills so terrible that anyone could tell, he pretended to fall and clung to Callion.
“I’m sorry, I’m so scared thinking there might be monsters nearby.. I can’t put any strength into my legs...”
Even the knights let out a sarcastic laugh at Freya’s determined words, “So hurry up and take me to your tent.” It was the moment they stepped forward to stop Freya, thinking it had been a long time since they had seen such a classic and childish approach.
"Is that so? Then you would be best to go home and get some good rest."
A cold voice was heard from behind everyone. Startled by the sudden voice, everyone in the campsite turned around. Then, Callion, who had looked in that direction just like the others, stammered his words as he spoke.
“Er.. na?”
Standing there were Erna, smiling coldly, and Orpheus, whose face was as pale as Cedric's.
Night is the time when monsters grow stronger. Moreover, the ones that appeared this time were flying creatures. Since they could strike from above at any moment, the Knights quickly detected their approach and lit bonfires all over the campsite so that they could light their bows in case of emergency.
“Is it really necessary to go this far? You caught two earlier today, didn’t you?”
A young knight, who had not been in the company for long, grumbled as he threw more firewood into the bonfire.
“Anyone listening would think you caught those two easily. Honestly, you’re the one who caught them all, Grand Duke?”
“That may be true, but...”
The new recruit recalled the battle he had experienced earlier in the day.
Not long after entering the forest, a black shadow appeared in the sky, and the Knights all assumed a defensive posture and gazed at the heavens.
“It appeared!”
The knights looked up at the sky and swallowed hard in tension at the sight of the hideous monster. Monsters are creatures that cross over from another world whose location is unknown. For this reason, they often take on forms that cannot be understood by the common sense of this world.
The thing flying above his head was like that as well. It was a moving creature, yet he could not see eyes, a nose, or a mouth. All he could see was a pitch-black body, like a burnt corpse. The monster, which looked as if wings had been stuck into that corpse, had wings of all kinds—size, color, and even number. Some had six, others three. On top of that, it had as many as six arms resembling human arms.
The knights, seeing the monster for the first time, broke out in a cold sweat at its strangeness.
As if realizing that the Knights were not easy humans to deal with, the monsters circled around the forest, making bizarre sounds.
“Everyone defend!”
As Cedric shouted, the knights shielded themselves with their shields and followed the monster's movements with their eyes. Just then, one monster descended rapidly and launched itself at a knight's shield. It was a monster roughly the size of an adult man. Having fallen from the sky at high speed, the impact was tremendous.
“Heh!”
The moment the knight who had collided was pushed backward and rolled, another monster floating in the sky swiftly descended toward the rolling knight. It was intended to attack while the knight had dropped his shield.
Kyaaaaaaak!
However, a terrible scream echoed through the forest before the monster's claws could snatch the knight.
“Grand Duke!”
The severed arm of a monster lay beside the knight, and after blocking the monster's blood with his thick cloak, Callion shouted toward the knights who were in a defensive stance.
"Shoot the arrow!"
Then, those with bows loaded their combat bows, which had been maximized for lethality, from under the shields of the surrounding soldiers and shot at the monsters in the sky. Realizing that there was a means to attack them, the monsters scrambled high into the sky. However, one of them, a monster with three wings, was unable to gain proper speed and was struck in the wing by an arrow, falling to the ground.
Thud!
It fell with a loud crash, and its arms and legs were grotesquely bent, as if broken. As the knights approached to surround it, the monster let out a rough roar and threatened them.
“Damn it, what a hot-tempered bastard.”
Cedric ran his hand through his hair in annoyance at the sight of the rampaging monster. It was a very energetic creature, perhaps because it had only recently crossed over to this world. If they were really unlucky, they might end up facing it for more than a day.
Cedric pondered which of the two monsters that had fallen to the ground he should subdue first. However, a few seconds later, that was a useless dilemma. Callion, having dodged the monster's blood, nearly kicked the knight rolling on the ground aside and then proceeded to sever the neck of the monster that had fallen first.
Crunch!
The sharp blade tore through the monster's hide, dug into its muscles, and shattered its bones.
Cedric could tell from Callion's merciless attitude.
'You seem to be in a terrible mood right now.'
Of course, he could guess the reason.
'If you can't guess after seeing that in the morning, you're truly blind.
Cedric truly wanted to die when he stood in front of Callion's room door to report the appearance of the monster. He was well aware that Callion and Erna had been spending the night together lately. After all, the wound visible beneath Callion's collar was caused by human fingernails.
Moreover, recently, Callion had returned to his quarters with absolute precision. Of course, he had always been the type to act decisively, but whenever there was business for the Knights, he would stay late and pester the knights; however, all of that had now disappeared. And Cedric knew very well that this was to be with Erna.
But since Cedric had been knocking on the door since morning, there was no way he would be in a good mood. Sure enough, Callion, wearing only a bathrobe, had his body covered in red marks.
Upon receiving Cedric's report, Callion ordered preparations for departure with a look of genuine annoyance. It was the first time this had happened. Usually, Callion was the first to step forward and participate in the subjugation, so to see him openly display such annoyance was unbelievable.
'Isn't this... dangerous?'
However, one could not say that a husband falling for his wife was dangerous. As they left the Grand Duke's castle, the only order Callion gave Cedric was just one.
I will try my best to finish as quickly as possible and return. But...
Cedric sighed as he watched the monster fly away into the distance.
It looks like they won't be able to go back early.
After dealing with the last remaining monster, the Knights hung its corpse nearby. Having confirmed that these monsters shared a sense of camaraderie, they took this action specifically to lure back those who had fled.
Recalling the battle of the day, the new recruit gazed at the night sky with a slightly fearful expression. Just then, a presence was felt from behind, accompanied by a rustling sound.
The knights standing by the campfire with the newcomer immediately drew their swords and glared at the source of the sound. However, they soon sighed and lowered their weapons. The approaching sound was unmistakably human, and moreover, it was the sound of a civilian. Otherwise, there was no way it could be this noisy.
Sure enough, not long after, several people emerged from the forest path. Cedric, who was standing in front of the knights, sighed as soon as he saw the people. The visitors to the campsite were the village chief and residents from a nearby village.
"Oh my, knights!"
As soon as the village chief saw the knights, he ran over with a welcoming look on his face. Looking behind him, he saw young men holding swords in clumsy stances, which they considered their weapons, and a woman wearing flashy clothes that did not suit the night forest.
'I can tell just by looking.'
It was a common occurrence for the administrators of nearby villages or cities to bring their own children to visit when setting out to hunt monsters. Even so, the visit was on the late side today because they were in the forest. When staying at the lord's mansion, they usually came as soon as dinner was over.
'Let's see, the one holding that useless ornamental sword must be the son, and the woman in the splendid clothes must be the daughter.'
The son will surely beg to be let into the Knights, and the daughter will say she wants to comfort Callion by his side.
'Wait, why isn't our Order's discipline known?'
Having a relationship with a person at the mission site results in expulsion, and if it is determined that the relationship was formed under coercion, the penalty is death.
Of course, if one truly felt that a person was meant to be, there was no problem in inviting them to the capital, formally reporting to the Knights, and then dating. However, because the fact that they had invited someone in accordance with the rules was completely omitted, and only the fact that the Knights formed lovers at their mission sites became known, there were many who harbored such futile thoughts.
“What brings you here? I told you to refrain from going out as much as possible until the monster extermination is over.”
"Oh dear, I remember clearly. However, seeing how hard you knights are working, how could we possibly just sit idly by? We came to offer our humble support. I know you must be feeling a bit hungry, so I brought some food as well."
Why don't they understand that staying put is actually more helpful? Furthermore, the Knights do not eat outside food except when absolutely necessary. After all, you never know what might be in it.
Just as Cedric was about to approach, thinking he should send them back before they upset Callion, a low voice was heard from behind.
“What’s going on?”
At the sound of Callion's voice, Cedric pressed his fingers to his forehead. Sending him away quietly was out of the question.
As Callion approached, the village chief's daughter hurriedly went in front of him and greeted him. She seemed to have tried to look elegant, but it was an incredibly clumsy way of greeting.
"Greetings, Grand Duke. I am Freya, who greeted you this morning."
“I asked what was wrong.”
Freya flinched for a moment at Callion's still cold demeanor despite her greeting, then bowed even deeper.
In fact, Freya was confident. She was known as the most beautiful woman in the village. The men in the village would easily grant whatever she asked with just a single smile. Recently, a wealthy merchant from a neighboring large city had been continuously proposing marriage to her along with gifts, so Freya's confidence had reached its peak.
Meanwhile, when Callion stopped by the village this morning while out hunting monsters, Freya thought to herself that she would capture Grand Duke Callion. She knew she wouldn't be able to take the position of his wife since Grand Duke Erna was there, but with such looks and a body, she would surely be happy even in the position of a lover.
'Besides, you don't have a child yet, do you?'
Although she does not know the exact circumstances, the Grand Duke and his wife had been married for over ten years without having any children. This was proof that their relationship was not harmonious. In that case, couldn't she perhaps win the heart of that Grand Duke, who is with a wife he does not love? If she were to bear him a child, he might cherish me even more.
Freya looked at Callion, harboring a tremendous delusion.
"Ah..."
It was a face that naturally elicited exclamations of admiration. The shadows cast on his face whenever the bonfire flickered added a seductive allure to his already handsome features. His tall stature and sturdy build suited him more as a Knight Commander than a Grand Duke, yet his ceremonial robes, unblemished despite having fought in fierce battles, and his neat, cool face exuded the arrogance characteristic of those accustomed to dominating and commanding others.
'I suppose I’ll be ordered to go back immediately.'
It was the moment Cedric was about to cover his ears, bracing himself for Callion's roar.
"Would you come closer for a moment?"
Contrary to expectations, Callion called Freya forward. At the command, Freya smiled brightly, and Cedric stared at Callion with his mouth agape. Callion had never once ordered a woman to come closer in this manner.
'S-surely not...?'
At this unprecedented event, Cedric's eyes trembled uncontrollably.
Cedric turned around. The knights standing behind him were also staring at him with wide eyes, astonished by this unprecedented event. He could see some of them already whispering amongst themselves.
'I thought he was smitten with Erna, but was he just infatuated with women?'
Cedric's face grew increasingly pale.
Callion simply stared intently at Freya, who stood before him, without paying attention to the others. As Callion looked at her, Freya seemed to gain more confidence; she approached him, deliberately emphasizing the cleavage of her chest.
"Oh!"
Then, with acting skills so terrible that anyone could tell, he pretended to fall and clung to Callion.
“I’m sorry, I’m so scared thinking there might be monsters nearby.. I can’t put any strength into my legs...”
Even the knights let out a sarcastic laugh at Freya’s determined words, “So hurry up and take me to your tent.” It was the moment they stepped forward to stop Freya, thinking it had been a long time since they had seen such a classic and childish approach.
"Is that so? Then you would be best to go home and get some good rest."
A cold voice was heard from behind everyone. Startled by the sudden voice, everyone in the campsite turned around. Then, Callion, who had looked in that direction just like the others, stammered his words as he spoke.
“Er.. na?”
Standing there were Erna, smiling coldly, and Orpheus, whose face was as pale as Cedric's.
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