Future Knight

Chapter 66

“It’s difficult for me if you do this. Please go back.”

“I can’t just go back like this. Please, take me with you.”

“That is not possible.”

Kang Chan couldn’t take her on a dangerous journey where he couldn’t even guarantee his own safety.

“I want revenge too. Revenge for my deceased parents and younger sibling… So please, don’t send me back.”

Kang Chan slowly shook his head as he spoke.

“You will have your revenge soon enough without doing this. So, there’s no need to follow me.”

“It’s not a burden. I want to repay my debt.”

“…”

“I promise I won’t be a burden, Kang Chan.”

As Erika approached Kang Chan to hold his hand, he turned away, avoiding her touch, and said,

“I didn’t save you expecting anything in return. There’s no need to repay me. Please, go back.”

“…”

When Kang Chan firmly refused to accept her, Erika played her trump card.

Clink!

Startled by the familiar sound, Kang Chan turned his head. It was the sound of a rail gun being loaded.

“What are you doing?”

When Kang Chan turned around, he saw Erika pointing the rail gun at her own head.

“If it weren’t for you, I’d be dead already. So, I must repay you. If you don’t let me…”

Erika switched the firing mode from safety to single shot.

“I’ll join my parents in death right here.”

Kang Chan was at a loss for words at Erika’s reckless actions.

“The path I’m on is not one where I expect to return alive.”

“I know.”

Even knowing she might die, she was determined to follow him. Kang Chan was at a loss for words.

“For now, put the gun down, and let’s talk.”

“I won’t put it down until you allow me to come with you.”

Faced with her stubbornness, Kang Chan had no choice but to raise his hands in surrender.

“Fine. You can come with me.”

“Really? You promise?”

“But if I find you to be a burden, I will leave you behind without hesitation.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Then, put the gun down now?”

“Oh, yes.”

Even though she had pushed through with determination, Erika, feeling quite nervous inside, answered in a trembling voice and carefully lowered the rail gun.

Kang Chan walked over to the kettle near the campfire, poured some warm water into a cup, and handed it to her.

“Drink this.”

“Thank you…”

“It’s late tonight, so sleep inside that tent. We will leave early in the morning.”

“Then where will you sleep, Kang Chan?”

“I’ll sleep out here.”

“Out here in the cold? Without even a blanket?”

“I’ll be fine.”

“Then I’ll stay here too.”

“No, there’s plenty of space inside. Sleep inside.”

“But…”

“Sleep inside.”

At Kang Chan’s firm tone, Erika reluctantly agreed to go inside.

“Okay…”

Worried about Kang Chan sleeping outside in the cold without a blanket, Erika took off her cloak and handed it to him.

“Then, at least take this.”

“Ah, thank you.”

Surprised by the warmth of the cloak Erika gave him, Kang Chan hurried to get her to bed.

“Hurry inside. You’ll catch a cold.”

“Okay.”

After laying Erika next to the deeply sleeping Zikyon, Kang Chan covered her with a blanket and said,

“Don’t worry about the baggage next to you. Goodnight.”

If Zikyon had heard herself referred to as baggage, she would have been furious, but she was already deeply asleep.

Just as Kang Chan was about to turn back to the campfire after putting Erika inside the tent, Erika grabbed his hand.

“Uh, um…”
### Future Knight Chapter 66

“What?”

Erika, her face blushing, spoke.

“If it gets too cold outside, please come inside…”

The inside of the tent was spacious enough for three people to lie down without much trouble.

If they were all men, that is.

But with two women in the tent, inviting him in… It was unthinkable.

“I’m fine.”

“Okay…”

When Kang Chan coldly refused, Erika quietly tried to sleep, and Kang Chan immersed himself in mana training again.

The next morning, Zikyon woke up, startled by the realization that Kang Chan’s arm was much thinner.

In front of her, instead of Kang Chan, there was an elf sleeping soundly.

“Who are you?”

“…What?”

Still not fully awake, Erika answered instinctively.

“Why are you sleeping here?”

Erika, regaining her senses at Zikyon’s cold gaze, quickly got up and answered.

“Oh, Kang Chan told me to sleep here last night.”

“Last night?”

Zikyon was puzzled. Until she had fallen asleep last night, there had been no such intruder. She was curious about when this rock had rolled in and displaced the settled one.

“Hey! Kang Chan!”

Zikyon stormed out of the tent, glaring at Kang Chan.

“Did you sleep well?”

Kang Chan, who was busy preparing breakfast, greeted her casually and focused on his cooking.

“Who is she?”

“A companion.”

“A companion? On whose authority?”

Zikyon, unwilling to have an uninvited guest intrude on her intimate journey with Kang Chan, furrowed her brows and confronted him.

“On my authority. Let’s have breakfast.”

“What are you going to do with a kid who hasn’t even had her coming-of-age ceremony?”

Erika, offended at being called a kid, snapped back.

“What did you just call me? A kid?”

Zikyon, finding Erika’s reaction amusing, snorted.

“Kids should stay quiet.”

“Huh!”

As Zikyon unleashed her hidden dragon’s aura without restraint, Erika collapsed under the overwhelming presence of the Ancient Dragon, much like Jaina had done in the past.

“Y-you’re a d-dragon?”

Erika had thought that the woman before her was just a human with the same name as the evil dragon Zikyon. She had never imagined that a dragon would travel with a mere human.

But it turned out that the Zikyon in front of her was indeed that Zikyon—the gangster of the Elven Forest, G. Zikyon.

“Uh… uh…”

Panicking, Erika trembled uncontrollably, terrified. Kang Chan, who was preparing breakfast, stopped cutting the ingredients and quietly stopped Zikyon.

“Enough.”

“But…”

Kang Chan cut her off before she could argue.

“If you don’t like my decision, you can leave alone.”

“…”

Zikyon had no choice but to suppress her presence and sit down in front of Kang Chan.

“Oh, my fate.”

Although she was an absolute being with nothing to fear on the entire continent, the fact that she had to bow to a mere human’s words made Zikyon’s face turn red with anger.

Seeing Zikyon like that, Kang Chan placed the cut ingredients into the pot and spoke to her in a gentle tone.

“I’m sorry, Zikyon. I won’t say we’ll die together. So until then, please do as I say.”

“Who said anything about dying? Do you think I would let that happen?”

As Zikyon flicked her hand, Erika, who was trembling behind her, was lifted by an invisible force and placed next to Zikyon.

Already pale, Erika was now completely petrified, sitting next to Zikyon like a statue.

Zikyon put her arm around Erika’s shoulders and whispered into her pointed ear.

“Let’s get along, kid.”

Though spoken kindly, it sounded more terrifying to Erika than anyone else’s words.

“What? Y-yes…”

Barely able to open her mouth to respond, Erika looked desperately at Kang Chan for help. But despite her pleading gaze, Kang Chan nonchalantly stirred the pot and spoke.

“Erika, Zikyon is not that bad.”
“……”

Erika’s eyes as she looked at Kang Chan seemed to say, ‘Do you expect me to believe that?’ or ‘Do you think I’m an idiot?’

“Alright, chef! What’s for breakfast today?”

“Today’s breakfast menu is a meat stew made with smoked sausage and jerky leftovers from yesterday.”

“What? How can you eat that? You expect me to eat leftovers from yesterday?”

“You won’t die from eating it.”

“Hey! We’ve only been traveling for a day, do you really need to be so frugal?”

Kang Chan, having seasoned the stew with salt and pepper, ladled it into a bowl and handed it to Zikyon.

“Eat what’s given to you.”

“Ugh, the great Zikyon is eating leftovers…”

“Then either starve or eat a pill.”

“……”

With a disgusted expression at the mention of a pill, Zikyon sniffed the stew.

Sniff! Sniff!

“Huh?”

Surprisingly, the stew smelled quite appetizing, so Zikyon cautiously brought it to her mouth, looking like a child forced to eat something they didn’t want.

However, the taste of the recycled stew was unexpectedly delicious.

“Mmm!”

Zikyon, shaking her head in disbelief, continued to eat the stew.

‘What is this taste? It’s so good, I can’t stop!’

Having lived in the Elven Forest, where he cooked various foods without many seasonings, Kang Chan found salt and pepper to be the best seasonings. Adding a secret spice from the tavern owner Chelsea, the humble recycled stew tasted like something from a royal palace.

After quickly finishing the bowl, Zikyon held it out to Kang Chan.

“More!”

“Is it edible?”

Zikyon nodded vigorously.

As Kang Chan refilled Zikyon’s bowl, he asked Erika,

“Did you bring any food, Erika?”

“Yes, it’s in my bag.”

“Then eat that for now and give me your bag afterward. I’ll take care of it.”

“No, I’ll carry it. You already have a lot to carry.”

“I’ll move it with magic, so don’t worry and give it to me.”

“Oh, okay.”

Nodding at the mention of magic, Erika took out some broccoli from her bag and started eating it bit by bit. Seeing how little she ate compared to Jaina, Kang Chan offered her some stew.

“Would you like some stew?”

Startled at being offered meat stew, Erika waved her hands.

“No, thank you. I don’t eat meat at all.”

“I see.”

Thinking of Jaina, Kang Chan gave a bitter smile.

After quickly finishing their meal and packing up, the group prepared to set off again.

With Zikyon using her Clean magic to handle the dishes, the cleanup was done quickly. Moreover, Zikyon transported all their luggage to her lair, allowing everyone to travel light.

### 21. A New Companion

Denver Forest in the Montana Mountain Range, the most densely wooded area.

Despite the presence of fierce monsters and wild animals, there was a surprisingly large vegetable garden here.

The garden was filled with potatoes, sweet potatoes, and giant pumpkins, and next to it was not a small hut, but a large structure that could be called a fortress.

In front of this fortress-like hut, instead of a loyal dog, there was a very large and fierce-looking grizzly bear tied up.

“Grr! Roar! Roar!”

The bear, apparently hungry, began to growl menacingly towards the hut. With heavy footsteps that shook the ground, a massive wooden door, 6 meters high, opened, revealing the bear’s owner.

Standing 5 meters tall, with muscles that seemed ready to burst and a fearsome appearance enough to make anyone wet themselves, the bear’s owner was surprisingly an ogre.

However, the ogre’s skin color was blue, unlike the usual green skin of an ogre.

“Grr…”

At the sight of the ogre, the previously fierce grizzly bear turned into a cute, cuddly puppy, affectionately greeting its owner.