Chapter 193
193 – Territorialism (2)
Inside the rattling carriage. A sandstorm was blowing outside the window.
Just looking at the barren wasteland and desolate scenery made me feel depressed.
It could not be compared to the forest near the capital or in Helen Village.
I even thought that Nostel Snow Mountain would be better.
“It’s so gloomy. “I can’t even find the energy of life.”
Tyria was looking around her with a gloomy expression.
A street littered with nothing but ruins and animal carcasses.
Scouts were walking around scouting the surrounding area, and the cries of monsters were echoing from afar.
I wasn’t nervous because I had already faced the Demon King’s army countless times.
As the battlefield got closer, the atmosphere was calming down.
“We will arrive at the garrison soon. “Let’s all get ready.”
“Yes. All right.”
While waiting for the carriage to stop, I played with the pigeons in the cage.
When you hold out your hand, a pigeon calmly climbs on your finger.
When I stroked its head, it let out a low cry and lowered its head.
“You listen better than I thought.”
“I think he likes Seohyun. “Whenever I get close, he flaps his wings…”
Celica also cautiously extended her hand towards her dove.
She spread her wings without any hesitation and started flapping.
She couldn’t take her eyes off her, perhaps because she felt regretful, but the dove was still only looking at me.
“It’s fascinating. “It looks like he recognizes Seohyun as the owner.”
“That’s right. “I guess it’s because they feed me every day.”
Thanks to that, I was less bored while traveling to the garrison.
On the other hand, Erina and Kayla were a little depressed.
Even now, his eyes were moving following my touch.
He was closing the distance as if he was asking me to pet him too.
I stayed quiet because I was warned not to mess with the pigeons.
If given the chance, wouldn’t they try to shoo away the pigeons right away?
“Damn it. “Let love fights take place out of sight.”
Catalina clicked her tongue, turning her head away from her eyes.
Meanwhile, Malcolm yawned and held back her drowsiness.
After watching the love affair for a week, have I become used to it?
At first, he seemed a little conscious of it, but now he was just ignoring it.
Also, thanks to Catalina and Malcolm, Erina and Kayla did not act carelessly.
A week passed in a tense atmosphere.
“As soon as I arrive at the garrison, I plan to go and meet the knight commander.”
“A. “It’s annoying.”
“We’re fighting together, so we have to show our faces.”
A total of three knights were stationed at the garrison we were heading to.
Also, according to the information received from Julia, they are said to be the most elite knights in the kingdom.
Although they are in solidarity with each other, it is said that there is a conflict between them.
There were many ways to take the lead in that gap.
First of all, the method Colin mentioned is to naturally take the initiative by accumulating great achievements on the battlefield.
Or, as Julia advised, there was a way to spar with the knight commander directly and defeat him.
I chose the former in the first round, but this time I had no intention of doing so.
The problem was that it was too difficult, but it also took too long.
It would have been quicker to fight them head on and destroy them one by one.
Since it was nearly impossible to gain the trust of the knights anyway, it was right to choose a method that would expedite the time.
As I explained the plan, Catalina’s eyes sparkled and she started to get excited.
“Then is it my turn to step forward?”
“I will step forward. “Among these, I am the representative.”
“Don’t say anything funny. “Anyway, I’m going to hit it as soon as I see it.”
She knew this would happen and didn’t tell Catalina in advance.
She said yes, but she had no choice but to tell her because she thought she might do something unexpected if she didn’t.
Of course, Malcolm seems to be trying to stop him, but it is not enough to stop Catalina.
There was no one who could beat her winning spirit.
“Anyway, let’s get ready soon.”
While speaking, the speed of the carriage was gradually decreasing.
Outside the window, I could see a long line of tents.
I could hear the murmurs of numerous people wearing knightly armor.
Even before we had even gotten off the carriage, people were flocking in.
It was natural that rumors about us would spread throughout the garrison.
“Okay. “Let’s all get off.”
When the carriage stopped and the door was opened, many eyes poured in, and the first one to get off was Catalina.
Then, Malcolm and I got off the carriage, followed by Erina, Kayla, Celica, and Tyria in that order.
As colleagues appear, the murmurs and exclamations gradually grow louder.
No matter how much he hid his appearance with a robe, he could not hide the beauty of his colleagues.
“What are you all looking at! “Did you see it?”
“Sister. “If you scream as soon as you arrive…”
“If there’s someone you want to join, come out!”
As soon as he got off the carriage, he took out a great sword and swung it lightly, causing an uproar as the crowd collapsed.
Most of them were startled and retreated or stayed still.
Some people put their hands on their weapons and prepared for battle.
“Why are you so hesitant? Come on.”
“…”
Catalina was responding to the countless battles pouring out with a sneer.
On the contrary, perhaps this is what she had hoped for.
I may have been intentionally expecting this situation.
The atmosphere is becoming dangerous.
“Everyone, step back.”
A knight who was much larger than the others approached through the crowd of people.
A grim-looking face and scars all over his neck and face.
Although he looked quite old, his gigantic appearance and strength were incomparable to anyone else.
Just by looking at the numerous knights retreating as if parting the Red Sea, they could tell their identity.
Commander of the Knights. Maybe he said his name was Gilbert.
He is the leader of the Falcon Knights and the most experienced person on the battlefield.
“You had a hard time coming this long way.”
Gilbert shakes hands naturally. As he accepted it obediently, he could feel strong hands.
On the other hand, Catalina, who was right next to him, just stared blankly, and Gilbert smiled and withdrew his hand.
“There are too many people here, so let’s move to the operation room.”
“Yes. “Sure.”
Upon receiving her unexpectedly kind response, Catalina grunted and retrieved her greatsword.
“What? “It’s not fun.”
“Kill your temper. “We came to fight the devil’s army.”
“Yes. I know. But I get annoyed when you follow me around like that.”
As she said, people followed us while we were following Gilbert.
I was trying hard to peek at the faces of my colleagues.
Among them, a lot of attention was focused on Tyria.
The most beautiful woman among the elf race, known for having many beautiful women.
She was struggling to see her face just once.
“Tyria. Come on.”
“Yes…”
I grabbed Tyria’s arm, who was cowering, and pulled her.
Her actions came out of concern that she might jump out and catch her.
Immediately Erina and Kayla started clinging to me.
It’s a normal day among us, but how does it look to others?
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I could feel the gaze of disdain pouring down on me.
“Erina. Stop.”
“…”
At that moment, the sound of teeth grinding passed through my ears.
Everyone doesn’t notice, but Erina is the most sensitive.
If anyone came even a little closer, it might explode.
I walked as quickly as possible and headed to the largest tent in the garrison.
Fortunately, the number of knights began to decrease as they got closer to the tent.
When we finally entered the tent, the murmur had almost died down.
And the two knights we met inside the tent.
“Ah. “We arrived.”
“You’ve finally arrived.”
Men and women who look much younger than Gilbert.
It was definitely someone I knew everything about.
The first person to come forward was a tall man with a rather handsome face.
Likewise, he held out his hand to shake my hand.
“My name is Paul, the leader of the Crocodile Knights. Nice to meet you.”
“Yes. Nice to meet.”
From the very beginning, he gave the impression that something was out of the ordinary.
He seemed quite temperamental and had a very bad attitude.
On the contrary, a female knight bows her head in a polite manner.
“My name is Eileen. She serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the Order of the Lion. Nice to meet you.”
Eileen held out her hand first and was greeted politely with both hands.
As I know, he was a very polite person.
“And my name is Gilbert. “He serves as the leader of each knighthood.”
Finally, when Gilbert finished saying hello, his turn came to me.
You may already know about me, but I should at least introduce myself.
“I am Seohyun. He is a member of the Adventurer’s League. And next to me are my colleagues.”
When I said hello as the representative, the surroundings became quiet.
The comrades remained silent, and the knight commanders just waited in silence.
At least Celica tried to step forward, but she was noticed in the quiet atmosphere.
Of course, there was only one person who could step forward in this situation.
“I am Catalina. Likewise, it is the Adventurer’s League.”
The only person who greeted us with applause was Eileen, while the others were looking at us with subtle expressions.
A subtle battle of wits. Meanwhile, Catalina was maintaining her confident attitude.
“First, let’s all take a seat. “There is so much to say.”
The knight commanders sit down at the same time as Gilbert speaks.
And there were only two seats left.
The seat prepared for me and Catalina, the rest of my colleagues had no choice but to stand.
“Is this the only seat?”
“I’m sorry. “Because there aren’t enough chairs.”
He did not hesitate to say that there were not enough chairs, something that did not even seem like an excuse.
I sat down in my seat with an awkward feeling, and my colleagues naturally watched behind me.
When Catalina and I sat down, Paul crossed his legs and leaned back in his chair.
Gilbert lit the cigar prepared on the table.
At least Eileen was sitting calmly in her seat, but there was wariness in her eyes as she looked at me.
“First of all, I want to say thank you for coming.”
Paul openly laughed at Gilbert’s harsh words.
Despite the rude attitude, no one opened their mouth.
The other two knight commanders did not seem very pleased with Paul’s attitude.
“You worked hard to come this long way. But this is a battlefield.”
“I’m sorry for telling you this right away, but I think it would be best for you to stay away.”
It makes no sense to stay still as soon as reinforcements arrive.
Just looking at it, it seemed like an intention not to pass up the credit.
Then Catalina slammed the table and stood up from her seat.
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
“Please watch your mouth.”
“Shut up. Do you think I came all the way here just to quietly watch the fight?”
Although her words were full of anger, Catalina’s face was actually full of smiles.
He was holding a greatsword in his hand to fight the knight commanders at any moment.
Then Gilbert stood up with a frown on his face.
An overwhelming physique that is almost 2 meters tall.
Anyone else would have been shocked, but Catalina did not take a single step back.
“It’s good to be confident, but it would be better to know the subject.”
“What is the topic? “The subject is much older than me.”
At Catalina’s words, Gilbert wiped his smile and nodded.
As expected, he fell for the provocation as he is a person who hates being ignored.
An atmosphere where a fight could break out at any moment.
Meanwhile, Malcolm was drenched in cold sweat and fidgeting.
She honestly expected Catalina to do something, but she was too fast.
But it was already too late to stop her.
Wouldn’t it be better for her to start a fight and take control as soon as she sees him?
‘There’s no way Catalina will lose anyway.’
No matter how much of a knight she is, she will not be able to defeat Catalina.
I don’t know if three people attack at the same time.
If it was one-on-one, there was no way she would lose.
“I heard you are a knight commander. “Isn’t this the guy who just talks behind your back?”
“Watch your mouth. “It looks like you don’t know anything yet.”
“Aren’t you the ones who crossed the line first?”
As the atmosphere became increasingly heated, an argument continued.
The two are about to face each other.
“Stop it. “As soon as we see each other, we start fighting.”
Paul mediated the fight with a grumpy tone.
Before I knew it, I was lying down on a chair with my legs up on the table.
Eileen right next to her was avoiding her gaze with an unpleasant expression.
You could literally say it was a mess.
“Mr. Kill your temper. “Like the skinny one over there.”
Why do you touch me when I am suddenly still? He is a truly incomprehensible human being.
Although I originally thought of him as a character who gets into fights here and there.
When I met him in person, he was just a funny guy, nothing more or less.
‘Even the ending wasn’t good.’
Perhaps the knights were annihilated by a nameless dragon.
I’m not sure what will happen in this episode, but I didn’t think it would have a very good ending.
“Anyway, you guys should just rest. “We’ll take care of it.”
“Then what should we do?”
“Just stay quiet. Walking around with women… !”
In the end, do you cross the line by using your mouth carelessly?
I sighed inwardly and quietly closed my eyes.
Not even a second later, the sound of the table collapsing was heard.
When she opened her eyes again, Erina had drawn her long sword and was about to stab Paul in the waist.
“Pfft…” !?”
Gilbert immediately tried to pick up the blunt weapon, but Catalina was faster.
Her great sword was already aiming for Gilbert’s head.
The moment he moves even slightly, the great sword will split his head in half.
Meanwhile, Eileen could not do anything and just watched quietly. She seemed to feign calm, but I noticed that her eyes were fluttering.
“Haa…”
At least I hoped that something like this wouldn’t happen as soon as I arrived.
As expected, nothing worked out as expected.