Future Knight

Chapter 83

Matana couldn’t believe her eyes.

She had desperately begged for help, and someone actually appeared to save her.

When she saw the face of the person who had turned towards her, tears poured from Matana’s eyes.

“O, Oppa!”

Matana forced her aching body up and ran to Nemitz, throwing herself into his arms.

“Oppa! *Sob sob*… I was so scared! *Sob sob*…”

“It’s okay now. It’s all okay now.”

Nemitz hugged his beloved sister tightly.

“This place is dangerous. Let’s move for now.”

“Okay!”

Nemitz, holding the limping Matana, moved to a place he had previously scouted.

The location, at the edge of the Elven Forest, was on a steep hill, making it safe from large monster invasions.

There was also a spring nearby and plenty of fruit trees, making it an ideal place for the two to live.

After setting Matana down in a suitable spot, Nemitz climbed a tree, infused it with mana, and created a small house.

This was an ability unique to Elves.

Of course, Matana, being an Elf, could do it too, but not as skillfully as Nemitz.

This skill also required practice.

After moving Matana into the tree house, Nemitz gently laid her on a bed, gathered water and fruit, and stored them in a corner of the house.

Then, he approached Matana, holding her hand.

“Oppa is always on your side. You know that, right?”

“Yes, Oppa!”

Despite her pain, Matana was spirited.

Seeing his sister’s brave face made Nemitz’s heart ache. As always, he kissed her forehead before bed, where the mark of the exile was branded.

“I have to go back now. I’ll come again tomorrow.”

When he said he was leaving, Matana tightly grabbed Nemitz’s sleeve.

“Can’t you stay?”

“I have to go back now so I can come again tomorrow. This place is safe, so rest well. Got it?”

“Oppa, don’t go… Oppa, don’t gooo…”

Matana burst into tears.

“Don’t cry. I promise I’ll come back tomorrow. You trust me, right? I swear on the name of the Spirit!”

“You must come! You have to come to see Matana!”

“Yes, I will. I promise.”

“Uncle, byebye~”

When Green, nestled in Matana’s arms, waved a tiny hand at Nemitz, he looked at Green with a cold gaze.

To him, that child was not his niece.

That child was the offspring of the Orc who had taken his beloved sister from him.

“I’ll be back tomorrow, so take care.”

Nemitz sprinted towards the village.

His heart was filled with an unknown rage. Everything seemed wrong to him.

He wanted to kill all the Orcs who had put his sister in such a state, and he hated the beast child laughing in Matana’s arms.

He resented the council that had exiled his beloved sister, his mother, everyone.

Nemitz’s personality began to change from that moment.

**25. Midnight Intruders**

Zikyon and Erika visited Kang Chan the day after he had moved in.

In the middle of the night, Zikyon and Erika burst through the spatial door into the tent, startling the resting conscripts.

It was natural for the soldiers to be shocked. The sudden appearance of celestial beauties in the middle of the night would surprise anyone.

Zikyon and Erika were just as startled.

“Oh! What is this? Is this really a barracks?”

The tent, reminiscent of a refugee camp, reeked, and was crowded with emaciated soldiers.

“Oh? You’re here?”

“Are you really staying in a place like this?”

“Why? It’s cozier than it looks.”

“Cozy? Are you kidding me? Do you plan to have us sleep in this pigsty?”

The conscripts were surprised again.

The celestial beauties might actually stay in their barracks.

They started to carefully tidy up the place, even though no one had asked them to.

Watching them, Zikyon called out to Erika.

“Hey, kid!”

“Yes.”

“Go out and build a house.”

“What?!”

“Elves can build houses as long as they have trees, right?”

“Well, I’ve never actually built one before…”

Building a large house required an enormous amount of mana, and being young, she had never attempted it before.

“Then… do you want to sleep here?”

When Zikyon pointed at the grimy soldiers who were subtly cleaning, Erika’s eyes widened, and she shouted loudly.

“I’ll try! It’s my first time, but I think I can do it!”

“Of course you should. Let’s go out right away.”

Zikyon and Erika hurried out of the barracks as if escaping, and the cleaning soldiers, with regretful expressions, flocked to the entrance, trailing behind them.

A commotion erupted at the entrance.

“Hey, aren’t you coming out? Move! Get out of the way!”

Fibro caused the biggest fuss.

He was desperate to catch a glimpse of the Elf’s beauty, but everyone else was just as determined, leaving no room for compromise.

Outside, Erika took a deep breath and placed her hand on a giant tree next to the barracks, attempting to communicate in the ancient language.

But soon, a scream escaped her lips.

“Aaah!”

“What’s wrong?”

“This, this tree has drunk too much blood…”

“Is it bad for a tree to drink blood?”

Zikyon often fed trees with the blood of other races, using it as fertilizer, so he was puzzled by Erika’s statement.

“No, it’s not just because of the blood…”

“Then what?”

“This tree is filled with the souls of soldiers who died bleeding. Such a tree can become a Destria over time, harming people.”

“Then should we burn it and plant a new one?”

As Zikyon prepared to burn the tree, Kang Chan intervened.

“Instead of that, let’s leave it to Exorcist Loki.”

Loki asked, surprised by Kang Chan’s words.

“Exorcist? What’s that?”

“Since when did you become an exorcist?”

“It’s a long story. I’ll explain later.”

Kang Chan bypassed Zikyon and brought Loki to the tree.

“Loki, come here and just hug the tree for a minute.”

“Like this?”

“Yes.”

With Loki hugging the tree, Kang Chan watched silently for a minute. Zikyon snorted in disbelief.

“What are you doing? This is ridiculous.”

“Just watch quietly.”

“……”

After a minute, Erika spoke to the tree again. Her reaction was completely different this time.

“Oh? It works! I can communicate with the tree! It says the souls of the dead soldiers have all fled.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

Zikyon was shocked to hear that the souls of the vengeful soldiers had fled.

Kang Chan nodded as if he had expected this.

“Just as I thought…”

It was now clear. The strongest monster, Loki, who could make even ghosts flee in terror, was a walking exorcist.

Loki, who had suddenly become an exorcist, seemed confused by the situation.

“Then let’s begin…”

Thanks to Loki, Erika could now communicate with the tree. She began speaking in the ancient language, transforming the tree into a house.

As the tree slowly took on the shape of a house, the soldiers watching couldn’t help but gasp in amazement.

“Wow!”

“How can this be!”

“She must be a goddess.”

To the soldiers, Erika, bathed in radiant light, looked like a goddess, and they stared at her in a trance.

However, as time passed, Erika’s face grew increasingly pale.

It was too much for Erika, who had not yet reached adulthood, to build a house alone with her mana.

At that moment, Zikyon smiled wickedly.

“Oh, so this is how it’s done. Quite an interesting technique.”

Zikyon, the Ancient-level Green Dragon, immediately understood how Erika was changing the shape of the tree.

Soon, Zikyon approached Erika, placed a hand on her back, and began to infuse her with mana.

“Ah! Zikyon-nim!”

Erika was startled as an enormous amount of mana suddenly flowed into her. Ignoring her words, Zikyon continued to pour mana into her.

The tree, which had been slowly transforming into a house, began to grow at an incredible speed, on a completely different scale than before.

Using Erika as a medium, Zikyon started creating the living space he desired.

“Watch closely! This is the scale of a dragon! Ahahahaha!”

“Zikyon! This is too big!”

Zikyon’s creation, which incorporated the surrounding trees, continued to grow, even pushing away the conscripts’ tents. The completed structure was so massive that it could be called a mansion.

“Phew~ This is more to my liking.”

“…”

Erika was stunned as she looked at the house she had created.

She had never seen a house of this scale even in the Elven Forest.

If it were to be built, it would require the combined efforts of all the elder elves.

Kang Chan shook his head as he looked at the massive five-story wooden mansion that had suddenly been illegally constructed in the middle of the barracks. Conscripts, armed with their weapons, poured out from all directions.

They screamed as they looked at the enormous wooden structure before them.

“What the hell is this? Ah! What is that?”

“Where did that come from?”

“Is it the work of enemies?”

Thousands of conscripts hurriedly took up attack positions, tense and ready.

But Zikyon had no interest in them; she was completely absorbed in admiring her creation.

“Isn’t it splendid?”

“Zikyon, you didn’t have to build it so grand.”

“Why not? If you’re going to build something, why not make it spacious? We’re just going to use it for a bit and then leave it.”

“Then what about our collapsed barracks?”

“Why don’t you stay here with us?”

“And of course, those guys will be staying with us too?”

Kang Chan pointed to the fifty conscripts who were awkwardly standing around like lost puppies, and Zikyon’s face contorted in disgust.

“What? You want those filthy things in my house?”

“You were the one who destroyed their house.”

“Just rebuild it for them.”

Zikyon had no intention of letting the dirty conscripts into her house.

She quickly used dragon magic to restore the damaged tents to their original state and then gave Kang Chan a smug smile.

“Happy now?”

Zikyon’s attitude of building a gigantic five-story mansion that could house hundreds, yet not wanting to let anyone in, was indeed typical of a dragon’s mindset.

“Unbelievable.”

“Uh, excuse me…”

“…?”

Kang Chan turned to the person who had called him. A regular army officer, who was in charge of the conscripts, stood awkwardly in front of him.

“Kang Chan-nim, I’m sorry to interrupt, but who are these people?”

Even the highest-ranking officer of the unit spoke to Kang Chan with utmost respect.