Wandering Mercenary in an Open World
chapter-97

Ruon looked at the engraving on the knight’s shoulder. It was a small inverted triangle with a single eye filling it up. It was striking.

But he didn’t care much. He gulped down the remaining liquor in his glass and looked for Lupin.

“Bring me another bottle.”

“Ah, yes! Yes! Right away!”

Lupin, who was at a loss with the knight’s silent presence, nodded his head and ran to the warehouse as if he had met his savior.

Thompson also quickly retreated with a limp, leaving only Ruon’s party at the table and the knights at the entrance.

“What’s with the mood?”

Kyle scratched his neck as a clear voice came from the knight’s helmet.

“I agree.”

The knight who answered that way reached for his visor as if to lift it up, but then changed his mind and took off his helmet altogether.

Then, the long black hair that was hidden inside the helmet poured over his shoulders like a waterfall.

“Whew, I feel alive now.”

The knight who showed his face was a woman with a cold impression due to her sharp eyes.

She tried to sweep her sweaty bangs away, but it was not easy with her metal gloves, so she quickly took them off and handed them to the knight next to her along with the helmet.

Then she answered the question that was not asked.

“Having long hair is quite annoying when you wear a helmet. But I keep this length because it’s responsible for eighty percent of my beauty.”

He’s like Kyle.

Ruon chuckled at her free-spirited speech that didn’t sound like a knight at all.

Then the knight who walked toward him offered his hand.

“Can we shake hands?”

Ruon tilted his head, wondering why the knight who followed the god of wisdom offered him a handshake without any reason. He smiled when he saw the other’s eyes.

There was an undeniable desire to compete in them.

“Well, sure.”

He grabbed the knight’s hand, which was covered with hard calluses. As expected, an unnatural strength began to pour out from the other side of the handshake.

What?

Ruon realized why the other had challenged him to this classic contest and smiled. The force that squeezed his hand like a press was definitely not ordinary.

No, considering his physique, it was abnormally strong.

Meanwhile, the handshake that lasted too long made the party and the other knight worry.

“Ruon?”

“···Minerva, ma’am.”

But Ruon was thinking of something else, looking at the knights who started to enter the inn.

If he crushed this woman’s hand, would they rush at him without caring about the front and back? Then the inn would be a mess, he thought such a leisurely thought.

And when he was about to put an end to this futile struggle by putting some strength into his hand,

“···I lost.”

The woman admitted her defeat cleanly.

She didn’t just say it, she immediately loosened her grip. His hand, which was exposed to the tremendous pressure, was almost crumpled without any shape, but thanks to Ruon’s quick reaction, such a mishap didn’t happen.

She looked at her trembling hand as if it was amazing and bowed her head deeply.

“Thank you for being considerate. I apologize if I was rude.”

Ruon waved his hand. It seemed like he was okay, or it looked like he was telling her to go away. Maybe both.

“Ruon won- quack!”

Tarwen, who squeezed the beak of Sven, who was making a fuss without any sense, asked.

“So who are you?”

The knight, who seemed to be waiting for that question, opened his mouth with a cool laugh.

“I am the eye of Altwin, who pierces the truth, and his sword··· but that’s too grandiose. Just call me Minerva.”

Then the knight, Minerva, laughed heartily. In contrast to her cold face.

***

“···So you came here to destroy the cradle. You picked the elite of the order.”

“That’s right.”

As Igor summarized what he had heard so far in one sentence, Minerva nodded and drank her liquor.

She had casually joined the party, while the other knights stayed away like statues.

“It wasn’t easy to follow their trail, since they were good at erasing their traces, but now that we know their base, we only have to smash it.”

Minerva scanned the faces of the party and said.

“By the way, it’s an unexpected coincidence. I didn’t expect to see the party that all the priests and knights of the order admire in this small town.”

At her words, Strabo said.

“How did you recognize us?”

Minerva smiled and answered.

“A giant, a dwarf, a knight, and a priestess. All these characters were in one place, but she was not so reckless as to ignore that fact.

She raised her right hand. It was full of dark bruises.

“That’s when I was sure. It may sound like an excuse, but I’ve never been overpowered before. I’m still a bit shaken, to be honest.”

Minerva tilted her head as an awkward silence began to swirl among her companions.

“What’s wrong with you guys? This is my fault for being too proud and reckless…”

Then, Ruon’s dry voice cut off her words.

“The cradle has collapsed. All the witches there are dead. So it’s better not to waste your time.”

Minerva’s expression, which was calm even when her hand was half-crushed, twisted slightly.

“What do you mean?”

Even the knights, who did not flinch even if they had plaster on their feet, lost their composure and flinched.

“It may sound insufficient, but it’s true. There is no more cradle of the dead in this land.”

As Igor added his words, Minerva laughed incredulously.

“Don’t tell me, this time too?”

The party remained silent at her question. It was not a denial, but a silent affirmation. The paladin, who knew it well, hardened his expression and spoke in a lower voice than ever.

“…I don’t think you guys would lie to me. It’s not a matter of trust, but you have no reason to do that. So I’ll ask you one thing. Why did you go to the cradle in the first place?”

The party’s eyes naturally turned to Ruon. As if to say, it’s better for you to tell this serious story.

But the words that Ruon spat out were too simple, even simple.

“I was trying to kill a witch, but things got out of hand.”

“…Is that all?”

Minerva looked at the other party members one by one, as if she couldn’t believe it, but they all smiled awkwardly.

“That’s not a lie…”

“Why is that so romantic?”

“Romantic-romantic-”

The paladin burst into laughter. After laughing for a while, she wiped the tears in her eyes with the back of her hand and opened her mouth.

“This is the first time I’ve seen Altuen’s example go wrong while serving him. Damn… It’s fresh, but it’s damn scary. How should I describe this feeling?”

Minerva snapped her arm without looking back. Then, the knights moved as if they were one body and quickly went out of the inn.

She didn’t stop there and spoke to Lupin and Thomson, who were standing blankly and blinking their eyes.

“Can you give me some space?”

“Of, of course. My lady.”

As she drove away the people, she said.

“Let me change the question. Did you kill the great demon in the cradle?”

By then, Ruon was feeling annoyed. He showed up and ruined the mood, and not only that, he also bragged about his strength without context, and now he was bombarding him with one-sided questions. He should know his limits.

“I don’t see why we have to answer your every word. Either tell us what’s going on. Or just follow your subordinates and leave. Do one of those.”

At his blunt warning, Minerva sighed lightly and said.

“…I was too hasty because of the situation. I apologize.”

Then she said.

“Right now, the ones suspected to be great demons are starting to show themselves. Two of them, to be exact. It’s not certain yet, but the church’s guess is that they are Beulron and Hidikrax.”

Of course, Ruon didn’t know either of them.

So he turned his head and looked at Igor and Tarwen, who were the most knowledgeable in this field.

“Hidikrax? That disgusting octopus bastard?”

The fairy’s sigh, which was almost like a mutter, made Minerva nod.

“That’s right.”

“Why does the one who’s stuck in the deep sea and eats the scraps that his minions bring him?”

The paladin answered with a sour expression at the harsh tone.

“Fortunately, he only sank ten ships. He didn’t cause any other damage. Not yet.”

Ten ships meant that at least tens of times that many people were on board, right?

As Ruon thought that, her words continued.

“The real danger is Beulron. Because of him, Aniara is now in danger, and that’s not an exaggeration.”

As the name of the kingdom was mentioned, Kyle muttered with a sense of urgency.

“Shit, what the hell is…”

“The north seems to have joined hands with him. The barbarians who used the power of the demon started to break the line of defense.”

“The north? The northern expedition that the king started?”

Minerva swallowed the remaining alcohol with a burning throat and said.

“That’s right. Polientus… The king who was bewitched by the demon started a war that can’t be turned back now.”

As the shocking news continued, Strabo raised his palm hastily.

“Wait a minute, one by one! One by one! Let’s sort this out. So, the octopus great demon suddenly sank the ships, and the war that the king started didn’t end, but rather the barbarians who joined hands with the great demon Beulron started to counterattack, right? Am I right?”

Then he said with a bewildered face.

“But what does that have to do with Fleur… I mean, the cradle?”

Tarwen answered for her.

“They must have thought that if another great demon was born in this chaotic situation, it would be a hopeless situation. So they tried to nip it in the bud. I don’t know how they figured out Yoram’s plan.”

Minerva nodded lightly to the fairy who neatly represented her position and continued the conversation.

“That’s right. To add a little more explanation, we’ve been keeping an eye on Yoram’s witch for a long time. We knew that she was secretly collecting corpses and souls in the underworld. Recently, her actions became more daring and we caught her tail.”

That’s when Ruon interrupted.

“How did you infer that they were trying to become great demons by collecting corpses and souls? You must have been confident enough to send the elite of the church.”

It was a question he threw with the knights of Gannak in mind, but the answer was simple.

“Altwin gave us a revelation. We have no more certainty than that. We just follow his will.”

Ruon didn’t make a fuss, but he snorted inwardly. He wanted to dismiss the revelation that Yoram was trying to become a great demon as nonsense, and he thought the problem would be solved if he mentioned the knights of Gannak behind the scenes.

He couldn’t understand the will of the great god at all, so he shut his mouth.

The conversation soon ended.

The party briefly explained what had happened in the tower to Minerva, who generously provided them with information, and the knight was astonished to hear that they had defeated another great demon.

“It was you, not the church, who saved the world from the unseen.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she quickly got up from her seat.

Kyle asked.

“Are you leaving already?”

“I have to. If what you say is true, there must be a corpse of a great demon under the fragments of the tower. I have to hurry back to retrieve it.”

Minerva smiled faintly and said goodbye.

“It was an honor to meet you. I hope we can fight together next time.”

She went outside and soon after, the sound of horses neighing and hooves pounding the ground was heard.

“···It feels like a storm has passed.”

“I agree.”

Igor and Kyle exchanged a word and looked silently at Ruon, who was swirling his glass.

He noticed their gaze belatedly and said.

“Why?”

“What do you think?”

“Why are you asking me?”

“Because we’re going to do whatever Ruon says?”

Ruon chuckled at Kyle’s innocent voice. But he couldn’t answer right away.

The restless great demon, Gannak, the north. He had no idea what to do first. No, did he have a reason to do anything?

He shook his head as he thought that. He had already come too far to worry about that.

He lifted his head with a self-mocking smile and saw the faces of his companions looking at him intently.

Even Sven had stopped eating corn and was staring at him.

He said to them.

“Let’s go north for now. The great church of Gannak and the war are happening around there.”