NOVEL NEXT Chapter 23 - Knightess （2）
Chapter 23: Knightess （2）
“You defeated the descended demon by yourself?!”
Ingrid’s eyes widened.
“Goodness me…… Sir Khalid, you’re incredibly strong, aren’t you? Well, I suppose you were able to block my attacks in that invisible fog.”
She nodded her head in agreement. She acknowledged it surprisingly easily.
A demon that descends into the mortal realm is at least Commander-level, and in Mila’s case, it was Centurion-level or higher. To counter that, you’d need at least a 5-person party composed of elite gold-level mercenaries or a silver-ranked mercenary band.
It’s normal for people not to believe you if you say you did it alone.
『Oh my, look at her. Is she acknowledging his skill just because he blocked her attacks? She looks young, but she’s quite bold.』
‘No. She has the right to be proud. Considering the attack she launched when she was on the verge of starvation, I can understand why she came alone to solve the problem.’
『Really? She acts like a total klutz, but she’s a scary older sister.』
Since Khalid isn’t the type to say things he doesn’t mean, Becky couldn’t help but trust his assessment. Ingrid’s appearance seemed different now.
Her simple attire resembled a novice adventurer rather than a knight, with a pot lid as a shield and a saber that, while beautiful, somehow looked more decorative. Becky wondered if it was an intentionally shabby look, a veteran player cosplaying as a newbie.
“Sigh…… Anyway, this is a big problem.”
After being momentarily surprised by Khalid’s achievement, Ingrid let out a heavy sigh.
“Why? Is there something wrong?”
“Because if what you said is true, going to Windfall is now pointless.”
It’s no wonder she’s being self-deprecating. She’d spent a whole month outside, accomplishing nothing.
Ingrid hesitated for a moment before speaking with difficulty.
“Sir Khalid……”
Her expression was a mixture of apology and embarrassment. It seemed like she had a favor to ask. Maybe because of her honest nature, it was all over her face. Khalid had a rough idea of what she was about to say.
“If you have something to say, say it comfortably. If it’s a request I can grant, I will. However, I will definitely receive payment. It would be troublesome if you try to repay the favor again and make things bigger.”
“Oh, yes! As expected of a mercenary. I admire your thoroughness in calculations.”
The scolding he received from Melissa about properly calculating money had been helpful. It was a good way to prevent Ingrid’s excessive expressions of gratitude.
Her request was very simple.
“Sir Khalid, you’re on your way to Farewell, right?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s shameless of me to ask this after you saved my life, but could you take me with you? I can compensate you however you wish once we arrive at the town.”
Not only had she failed her mission, but if it took her more than a month to return, her situation would become very difficult. In the worst case, she might even be stripped of her hard-earned knighthood.
“Alright. The fee will be 1 silver.”
“Huh? Isn’t that too little? I may not be wealthy, but I can give you more than that……”
“That’s the price for renting a horse for three days, plus a guide fee. It’s similar to the market price, so it won’t be uncomfortable for either of us. But from tomorrow, you’ll also help with the camping preparations. That’s okay, right?”
“Yes, of course! Thank you, Sir Khalid.”
Ingrid’s eyes even teared up, as if she was truly moved. It was amazing how someone always appeared to help her, even though she often got lost in the past.
She became a knight because she wanted to repay the kindness she received. Even now, as a knight, it was embarrassing to receive help, but it also became a driving force for her to persevere.
Amidst the heartwarming scene, Becky clicked her tongue as if something was bothering her.
『You’re surprisingly kind to young and cute girls, aren’t you? What would it hurt to be like that to me too?』
‘What are you talking about? You’re the only one in the world I treat specially.’
Becky doubted her ears for a moment.
She was dumbfounded by the unexpected words.
『Wh, what?! What do you mean, special treatment? You don’t mean……! No way. I’m not really into younger guys……』
‘I meant be grateful that I’m even having a normal conversation with you like this. If I wasn’t this generous, you wouldn’t have been able to utter a single word until now.’
『What, you punk?! Are you done talking? This is getting out of hand……』
‘Hmm. It’s unusually noisy today.’
『……Gulp.』
When Khalid quietly threatened her, Becky shut her mouth on her own. She almost got a taste of her own medicine for saying something wrong. She was experiencing bullying she hadn’t even faced at work, in an unexpected place.
（Damn it, if it weren’t for the chat ban, I wouldn’t have suffered this humiliation. And this bastard is confusing me with his words…… Ugh~! This is so embarrassing! Song Baekhui, you stupid bitch!）
She was furious at herself for even momentarily entertaining the thought. She vowed never to think of Khalid as the opposite sex again, or even as a human being.
（I really had no thoughts whatsoever from the beginning. He’s not even my type! Argh, the more I think about it, the angrier I get!）
That night, Becky devoted all her energy to confronting the anger boiling within her. It was as humiliating a day as when she heard her younger brother say he loved her.
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Thus, they ended up traveling to Farewell with Ingrid.
Khalid and Becky witnessed her sense of direction firsthand and were speechless. It wasn’t for nothing that she had been lost and wandering for a whole month. No, apart from her being directionally challenged, her way of thinking itself was beyond the realm of normalcy.
She was told to gather firewood, and she ended up hunting a bear in the forest. She was told to fetch water from the stream, and she ended up climbing a nearby cliff.
It was a miracle that she was still alive. Perhaps she had learned survival skills by constantly going on such arduous journeys.
『I wonder if she’ll even be able to find her own house when we get to the town.』
Khalid felt the same way as Becky. When he subtly asked, she thankfully said that she rarely gets lost within the town. The word ‘rarely’ felt ominous, but he decided not to dwell on it.
“Farewell is a fortress city ruled by my lord, Count Loyster. It’s an impregnable fortress firmly established on the mountainside. Thanks to this, there are few instances of enemies invading from the outside, and even if there are, the defenses have never been breached.”
Ingrid spoke with pride about her hometown.
“Sounds like it has good security. There wouldn’t be much work for mercenaries.”
“Ah, well…… It’s not always like that.”
“What do you mean, it’s not always like that?”
“There’s an ancient sewer system built thousands of years ago beneath Farewell, and we always have a headache because of the monsters that come up from there.”
She explained that the ancient sewer system was wider than most large cities and its structure was as complex as a maze, making it virtually impossible to completely control the inside.
It was a city safe from external enemies but with monsters as neighbors on the floor below.
“But it’s not that dangerous right now. Most of them are low-level monsters like goblins, so it’s perfect as a training ground for recruits or novice mercenaries.”
“Don’t underestimate goblins too much. When their numbers increase, variants are bound to appear. Besides, if they happen to turn into demons, the city could be reduced to ruins in an instant.”
“Actually, that’s happened a few times. But all the major incidents involving demons have been handled by the Mages’ Guild. The residents are able to hold on thanks to them……”
However, Ingrid’s expression didn’t look good. It was understandable, as the task that should have been handled by knights had been passed on to mages. Khalid could somewhat understand why she had tried so hard to go to Windfall to build up her achievements.
（Hmm…… An ancient sewer system. I wonder how it’s changed now.）
Becky recalled the structure of the sewer system she had experienced in the game. A map, no different from a map hack, unfolded vividly in her mind.
The first town a barbarian warrior arrives at after the tutorial in the main story. As Ingrid said, the area directly below the fortress is relatively easy.
However, the area controlled by the city is only about the size of Farewell Fortress. Compared to the entire sewer system, it’s less than 1/5. The monsters that appear in the remaining areas are on a different level from ordinary goblins.
Well, even then, there wouldn’t be many beings that could threaten Khalid.
（I hope the paths haven’t changed or anything. It would be nice if the secret passages and shortcuts were still the same.）
If she couldn’t even fulfill the role of a navigator, Becky’s reason for existence would disappear. She needed to solidify her position as a guide, appraiser, and prophet at the very least.
She had to keep her wits about her from now on if she didn’t want to be tormented by Khalid. She couldn’t just rely on the existing game information. Taking Windfall as a lesson, she would approach it as if she were playing the game for the first time from now on.
She intended to clearly show Khalid that she hadn’t lived her life being called a veteran gamer for nothing.
（I’ll make you unable to live without me soon enough, hehehe……）
Becky smirked inwardly.
It was the moment the so-called “body-mind dichotomy” was born, where Khalid would handle the physical work and she would handle the mental work.
『Hehehe……』
‘……?’
Becky suddenly started laughing creepily as if she had lost her mind. She didn’t even realize her laughter was leaking out. It was obvious that she was plotting something.
‘What on earth is she thinking, really.’
Khalid let out a sigh and shook his head.
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The second day of the journey to Farewell.
As they were leisurely strolling along the countryside road, taking into account the horse’s stamina, they saw dozens of people camping out on the roadside in the distance.
They all had worried faces and a gloomy atmosphere.
“Could they be farmers from around here? The farmlands are further in, so why are they all here?”
“I don’t know.”
“Sir Khalid, could we stop and hear their story?”
As a knight of Farewell, Ingrid couldn’t just ignore them. The fact that she had previously gotten lost while chasing bandits stemmed from her personality of helping others. If she was left alone, it would probably take her over a month to return to Farewell again.
Khalid pulled on the reins.
It was possible they might find some work.
“Excuse me, what’s happening in the village?”
When Ingrid approached the farmers, they were momentarily delighted, thinking that help had arrived. However, when they saw the shabbily dressed woman and the fierce-looking barbarian, their faces quickly frowned.
“Who are you? If you’re not here to help, just go on your way. We don’t even have the energy to talk.”
Khalid was used to the fenced-in people’s gaze towards barbarians, so he didn’t really mind. But he didn’t particularly want to go out of his way to help either.
However, Ingrid’s thoughts didn’t seem to change at all. She confidently introduced herself to the farmers.
“I’m a knight of Farewell. It’s only natural to help if the residents are in trouble.”
“You’re a knight, miss?”
“Yes!”
“Then go to Farewell and send some soldiers here. Monsters have invaded the farmlands, and we can’t proceed with the harvest.”
“What kind of monsters are they?”
“I don’t know. They’re green monsters with scales like fish, and they’re incredibly strong, enough to break a cow’s back with their bare hands.”
“Green monsters with scales……”
“Scale Trolls.”
Khalid identified the monsters based on their appearance. Ingrid and the farmers’ gazes turned to him.
“Wh, who are you?”
“I’m a mercenary. So how many are there?”
“I don’t know. We saw at least ten of them before we ran away.”
Ten of them.
As far as Khalid knew, Scale Trolls hated light and only lived underground. There was no reason for them to come to the surface. Why?
“I think we need to go to the site to find out.”
“Go, go there? Are you crazy?! Just go to Farewell and ask them to send troops!”
Khalid approached the farmer.
“Are you the village head?”
“Th, that’s right.”
“It’ll take almost a week for the troops to arrive. Can you imagine what will happen to your village by then?”
“That……”
“If you want to get away with losing just a few livestock, you’d better prepare a hefty reward for me.”
The village head gulped, intimidated by the barbarian’s presence, and nodded vigorously.
With the deal struck, Khalid immediately headed towards the farmlands. Ingrid hurriedly called out his name and followed behind.