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Knight – Part 03

The citizens of the Independent Trade City had a custom of referring to the volcanic belt along the coast as the inner lands. Expressing their gratitude for the benefits of mining and the Aetheria found in the volcanic zone had eventually led to this practice. Consequently, they began calling the continent side the outer lands.

Beyond the city’s third main gate stretched a vast, untamed land. A checkpoint manned by the Empire lay five days away by horse.

The group traveled along a well-maintained highway that stretched across the land to the checkpoint. The road, wide enough for two carriages, was navigated by members of the Knight Guards, with mercenaries following behind. They had tied their camping supplies to their horses.

It was morning. As the pale sky turned blue, the group departed beneath a scattering of clouds.

“I have to say,” Cecily remarked, glancing around at the group as she walked. “They stick out like a sore thumb.”

There were about five knights and twice as many mercenaries. The mercenaries, brawny men from the Empire and the Militant Nation, were seasoned individuals—some with bald heads and muscles as thick as logs. Among them, Luke and Lisa were certainly out of place. Though she was the one who invited them, she still found the sight curious.

Luke, looking sleepy, yawned widely. He wore the same work clothes from the previous day, with boots, black gloves on his left hand, and a cloak draped over his left shoulder. A pouch of tools was strapped to his belt, and his sword hung from his left side.

“Luke, could you please straighten up? The mercenaries are staring at you.”

“I don’t care,” Luke replied.

Lisa pouted, “Oh, come on.” She wore similar work clothes and had a hammer and tool pouch at her waist.

They were clearly not mercenaries or anything of the sort, drawing curious glances from the others.

Luke approached Cecily. “So, how big is this gang of bandits? About the same size as us?”

Cecily realized she had forgotten to provide details. “According to survivors, there are just under twenty of them, but there might be more. They often target caravans traveling between the Empire and the Independent Trade City. Essentially, they commit highway robbery. The goal of this expedition is to patrol the highway and locate the bandits’ hideout.”

The search area was too broad, likely requiring several surveys. Today was the first.

The city frequently dispatched the Knight Guard for subjugations and matters related to security, but since they couldn’t neglect the order in the city, mercenaries were hired to supplement the force.

“Also, the threat isn’t just from bandits. Rumor has it this group tames Inhumans.”

“Inhumans?” Luke frowned. “Is that even possible?”

Inhumans referred to beings that were not human. While it broadly denoted animals that harmed humans, it could also refer to other entities. This included everything from wild dogs to tentacled beasts and man-eating plants. It also encompassed humanoid beings with organs and features not found in humans, such as winged people or half-beasts.

Communication between humans and Inhumans was said to be impossible. The idea of taming them was puzzling.

“I don’t know.” Cecily shook her head. “Either way, we won’t be sure until we encounter them. The survivors might have been hallucinating out of fear. They had numerous injuries caused by animals, so the information seems credible. Please be cautious.”

“Got it,” Luke responded casually. “But shouldn’t such information be shared before making the commission?”

“Ugh… I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay! Luke is strong, so it doesn’t matter who he’s up against.”

Luke gave Lisa’s head a poke. “Be quiet.”

Lisa clamped her hands over her mouth. A gentle atmosphere enveloped the two, but Cecily felt uneasy from the tense stares around them.

Luke noticed the sword hanging at Cecily’s waist. “Is that your spare sword?”

It was a long sword, similar in style to the Campbell family’s weapon.

“I dug it out from the family’s storage. It hasn’t been maintained, so it’s not in great shape, but it was the best I could find on short notice. It’ll have to do.”

“And that one?”

Luke gestured to the Campbell family sword, strapped behind her waist. Its blade had snapped, and only the hilt remained. It hung from her sword belt, wrapped in a thin chain. Cecily touched it and smiled.

“It’s a good luck charm.”

Though she didn’t show it, Cecily was nervous. Could she handle the bandits they might soon face? Could she confront them without hesitation like she had with the vagrant? Anxiety had weighed on her since the previous night. But she had no choice. She needed to prove herself to Luke. Wearing the broken sword was a small comfort, a piece of her family’s history she hoped would protect her.

“Please watch over me, Father,” she prayed silently, gripping the hilt.

Luke watched her quietly, and when Cecily came to her senses, her cheeks flushed.

“I-I don’t care if you call it childish.”

“I wouldn’t call it that. I’m a blacksmith.” Luke shrugged. “I respect people who value their swords.”

“C-Come on. You can’t just say that out loud in public.”

“How exactly did your brain process what I just said?”

Cecily was so tense that she blurted something weird. Trying to shift the topic, she glanced down. Below her shoulder, Lisa’s head bobbed up and down.

Lisa was supposedly Luke’s assistant, but Cecily couldn’t quite figure out their relationship. Were they family? Siblings? They didn’t look alike at all. Maybe distant relatives?

“How old are you, Lisa?”

“Me? About three years old.”

“What?” Cecily froze.

Lisa suddenly shouted, “Oh, a birdie!” and dashed toward a flock of birds in the nearby meadow. “Birdie, birdie!”

Is she pulling my leg? Cecily wondered.

Watching from a distance, Cecily saw Lisa take something out from her pouch. Some kind of food? She tore it into pieces and started feeding the birds. In no time, they flocked from all directions, surrounding and smothering her. Lisa’s shrieks echoed across the otherwise peaceful prairie.

“What’s she doing now?” Luke sighed.

“Why did you bring Lisa on a dangerous mission?”

“She’s more helpful than she looks.”

Was she, though? Right now, she was being pecked on the head by the birds.

“What’s your relationship with Lisa, exactly?”

“She’s just my live-in assistant. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“I hope I’m wrong, Luke Ainsworth, but is that what you’re into?”

“We need to have a serious talk.”

“Gladly. She’s not related to you, is she?”

“No,” Luke said, then hesitantly added, “I… found her.”

“Found her? Where?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“Fair enough, but while we’re at it, there’s something I need to say.”

Cecily pointed her finger right at the tip of Luke’s nose.

“Wh-What is it?”

“You said Lisa is a live-in assistant. Are you compensating her properly?”

Luke blinked rapidly, genuinely confused as to what she was getting at.

“What do you mean?”

“Lisa is a young woman, yet she’s only wearing plain work clothes. Are you paying attention to her needs and appearance? Both in terms of time and money?”

“What are you talking about?” Luke looked genuinely perplexed.

Cecily studied him closely. She recalled seeing Lisa from the day before, sighing as she watched passersby.

“Take better care of her, all right?”

“Why do you care about that?”

“Understood?!”

As a fellow woman, Cecily was firm, not backing down. Luke, though irritated, muttered that he would consider it. Not a very reassuring response, but Cecily accepted it for the moment.

“Campbell,” a member of the group called. He was glaring in their direction. “Less small talk, more focus. You’re too relaxed.”

“Ah, sorry about that.”

Cecily wasn’t exactly relaxed, but she could see how it might have looked that way. She steeled herself. Luke shot a sly grin her way, so she returned his smirk with a sharp glare.

“Cecily!” Lisa called out, waving a hand.

Though hesitant to step out of the group after just being reprimanded, Lisa’s insistence drew her in. She jogged over, stopping short when she saw a small flock of birds gathered in front of Lisa, arranged in a strangely orderly way.

“What are you doing?” Cecily asked.

“Does this expedition have a set destination?”

“Uh, yeah. We’re heading to the site of the latest attacks for now. We’re planning to scout the surrounding area. We might not find the bandits’ hideout, but we’re hoping to pick up on their trail.”

“I already know where the bandits are.”

“What?” Cecily blinked, taken aback by Lisa’s sudden claim.

Still crouched, Lisa pointed toward the rolling hills in the distance. “It’s about an hour’s walk from here, off the main road. Just beyond those hills is a forest. You’ll see it once you cross the ridge. There are a lot of people there. I think it’s the bandits.”

“You think? How can you be sure?”

“The birds told me.”

Lisa gestured to the birds around her. Cecily looked at them, and they all tilted their heads in unison, their expressions unreadable.

The birds told her?

“Lisa can talk to animals. Pretty handy, huh?” Luke chimed in out of nowhere, digging his pinky into his ear.

“H-Handy? That’s not the issue here!”

This was the first time that Cecily felt that the more she learned about someone, the less she understood them.

The group stopped to discuss their next steps. While the information Lisa provided was hardly credible and met with skepticism, the location she pointed out was plausible. With no better leads, the group decided to adjust their route, leaving the main road and heading toward the unnamed forest.

One of the members took a stone hanging from his belt. It was saucer-shaped, small enough to fit in his palm, with a hole in the center threaded with a string for easy carrying.

Lisa eyed it curiously. “Is that jewel steel? What are they doing with it?”

“They’re using it for a Prayer Pact to show us the way,” Cecily explained.

There were two basic forms of rituals collectively known as contractual faith. One was the Demon Pact, outlawed by continental law, and the other was the more commonly used Prayer Pact.

Prayer Pact was a technique that produced various effects by causing processed iron sand called jewel steel to react with the Aetheria in the air. It was used for everyday tasks like lighting fires, generating wind, purifying water, and cutting through the earth. Many documented supernatural events were later proven to be the result of these pacts, and it had been adapted into modern industrial technology.

The catalyst used for the pact, jewel steels,^[1] were iron refined using the tatara^[2] smelting method to remove impurities, and their value was determined by their purity.

Aetheria referred to invisible particles present in the air. The Independent Trade City, particularly around its coastal volcanic zones, was renowned for a high concentration of these particles compared to other regions on the continent, making it ideal for conducting Prayer Pacts.

Together, Aetheria, jewel steels, and Prayer Pacts were the foundation of life on the continent.

The stone the member held was a lower-grade jewel steel, used as a directional tool. Holding it by the string, he whispered a prayer, the continent’s customary incantation. The disk began to spin slowly, twisting the string. The group started moving, checking the disk’s angle as they advanced.