Chapter 123: The Inheritance of the Ruins (1)
Seven horses galloped southwest, away from Gatensha.
At the head, Yuri led the group, accompanied by Jared and Laurent. A bit farther back, Jose led Simon and Guinness.
Cory, who could now ride even a large horse well, rose and sat repeatedly in the saddle, strengthening the muscles in his thighs.
“At least he gave us good horses.”
“I guess he still had a shred of conscience.”
After facing Zaire in a duel in Gatensha and making a stylish exit, Yuri later returned and threatened him for horses. Surprisingly, Zaire handed them over without objection.
And when Yuri insisted on paying, he even offered them at half price.
Suddenly, Jose’s voice rang out from behind.
“Did everyone see what His Highness did?”
“Yes!”
“Strive to become knights as great as he is! Hahahaha!”
“Yes!”
Seeing how Jose guided Simon and Guinness, he looked more like a knight of Briol than one from Brusen. Yuri called him.
“Jose.”
“Yes!”
“When we take out Gert, we’ll go to Brusen.”
“Perfect!”
Brusen bordered Adelein directly. In his previous life, Jose had fought Gert precisely because the two nations shared a border.
Thanks to his slaying of Gert, Brusen was able to expand its territory to occupy what had once been Adelein.
“I’ll finally get to try that full Brusen tour everyone talks about.”
“Ah, just trust me and enjoy it!”
Even Jose, who didn’t usually use a Brusen accent, spoke with extra flair when mentioning the “full tour.” His pride as a true Brusen native was obvious.
“Whoa…”
“So this is Brusen…”
Simon and Guinness, already infected by Jose’s enthusiasm, sparkled with eager eyes. To temper their excitement, Yuri added a warning.
“Of course, that’s if we return alive. Our enemy is Gert, one of the Ten Greats. A monster who’s lost all humanity. Are you all sure you’ll come back in one piece?”
The mood turned tense. Whenever they followed Yuri, they always won. Nothing had ever gone wrong.
And for a moment, they’d forgotten. Yuri Briol wasn’t invincible. He was just a young knight.
And in Adelein, an even greater monster awaited. Jose laughed heartily.
“That’s so like Your Highness. Simon, Guinness, stay sharp. Got it?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Hmm…”
“Still, I don’t think anything too bad will happen.”
Jose pounded his chest.
“This Jose Aratur will help the prince of Briol annihilate Gert completely!”
“Oooh…!”
“Having him so close to Brusen was always annoying. So let’s just finish this already. We’ll get rid of a troublesome enemy, strengthen the bond between both nations, and also…”
Jose smiled.
“Maybe set something right.”
Though he appeared simple on the surface, he truly wasn’t.
Jose suspected Yuri was chasing something. And that something was connected to the monstrous figure they saw on the Okua plains and the incidents in the Empire.
The third prince of Briol was pursuing an even greater enemy.
As a knight with the Brusen sea in his heart, Jose couldn’t let the chance to join such an honorable mission slip by.
“Thanks for sticking with me.”
“Don’t say that. I’ve lived alongside Your Highness long enough to know you’re worth following.”
“In that case, how about a post in Briol?”
“Sorry. Brusen men don’t know the meaning of betrayal.”
“That’s not betrayal. It’s a strategic transfer.”
“Hahahaha…”
All six were excellent knights, and Cory, trained by Hernando, was a mage. Though not yet powerful, he had solid control over his body.
Riding together, Yuri’s group crossed the border in an instant. They left the Empire behind and passed through small villages on the fringes of various nations.
Thus, their final destination drew near.
“We’ll stay there.”
“Yes.”
They had reached the last village before entering Adelein.
It was called Sordelvain, just like the former capital of the now-vanished country. It had been founded by Adelein refugees as a tribute to their fallen homeland.
Though now part of the small nation of Chrono, the connection was so weak it functioned more like an independent city-state.
It was a rural village with few visitors, so the group’s arrival drew every eye. They could sense a certain wariness behind those looks.
With each step, the villagers’ persistent gazes made their necks itch.
“Is there anywhere we can stay?”
Jared spoke. A villager, eyeing them suspiciously, replied.
“There’s a small inn in the center of the village.”
“Thanks.”
“You look like knights… May I ask what brings you here?”
Jared looked to Yuri, who answered in his place.
“We have some business nearby. We’re just passing through.”
“Ah, I see…”
They didn’t mention they were here to kill Gert and left things vague.
“Rest easy. Sordelvain is a peaceful place.”
“We will.”
Yuri led his horse to the inn. It wasn’t very big, but had enough space for seven people.
There were exactly seven rooms, and he made sure to book them all. The owner took a while to open up, as if he didn’t much care whether he had guests or not. When he finally did, a cloud of dust rose from inside.
He gestured, laughing.
“Haha, come on in. It’ll air out fine. The stable hand will call the caretaker. Give him a few coins and wipe things down yourself, and you’ll feel better.”
“Thanks. Here’s the money.”
“Oh, thank you.”
Wasting no time, Yuri gathered the six into one room.
“This place… feels off.”
When he said that, Jose and Laurent nodded, and the others looked up.
“What?”
“Did you see how the villagers watched us with suspicion?”
“That’s because strangers don’t come around often…”
“We’re knights. We stand out no matter where we’re from.”
“True.”
“But if knights came, shouldn’t the villagers be relieved? Ten armed men can’t go unnoticed. Maybe they think we came to capture Gert.”
“Maybe they’re just worried…”
“I doubt it.”
Yuri stood and ran his fingers along the table near the window. It was coated in dust.
“This inn clearly hasn’t been used in a while.”
“Yeah.”
“But the owner wore nice clothes.”
“Which suggests he has money, right?”
“Look.”
Yuri chuckled. Jared came over and looked out the window.
“Doesn’t everything look a bit too calm? For a town in the middle of nowhere.”
And he was right.
The buildings looked old, but the people walking the streets seemed well-off. Some rode white-maned horses, and well-kept carriages occasionally passed by.
Yuri raised his hand and pointed to a street lit with lanterns.
“I saw a well-maintained stable.”
“Yes, I saw it too.”
“This town is strange. Not only does it seem unusually wealthy… it also seems like it’s hiding something.”
Jared looked up.
“Maybe there’s a gold mine nearby.”
“If only.”
Yuri added,
“But that’s none of our business. We’re just here to take care of Gert. Though…”
He stopped. A man in extravagant clothes was walking the street with a courtesan. No one seemed surprised.
“That guy might get in our way.”
***
Night had fallen.
Yuri, sitting on his bed, was writing a letter to Elaine. Since joining him, Elaine had successfully closed several business deals and was now looking to open a trade route to the east.
From this point on, Yuri could no longer help. Judging the situation correctly required the insight of someone with Elaine’s merchant skills.
He planned to introduce her to Moyongchan.
His pen stopped. He sensed a faint movement outside.
An ordinary person wouldn’t have noticed, but Yuri, with his sharpened senses, could detect several figures moving around Sordelvain.
He could’ve ignored it, but curiosity made him get up. He still didn’t understand the secrets of this strange village.
He opened the window, gripped his sword, and silently jumped to the ground. Wrapping himself in darkness, he slid through the shadows, following the direction of the presences he had sensed.
Then he saw it.
Several villagers had gathered with torches, talking among themselves. They carried farming tools in their hands. Without another word, they left the village.
Yuri narrowed his eyes.
It wasn’t the direction he had come from.
They were heading toward Adelein.
Yuri scanned the area. He didn’t sense anything else out of the ordinary. Just that the villagers were moving through Sordelvain in the middle of the night.
He followed them silently.
They crossed the village fence and entered Adelein as if they knew the path by heart.
He heard hushed voices.
“We can’t go too far. Lately, it only shows up nearby.”
“Why? The weather’s perfect tonight, isn’t it?”
“Just a hunch. Maybe I’m the only one who can sense it.”
“And what are those knights doing here?”
“They’re just passing through.”
“They didn’t come for this, did they?”
“No, no, of course not. But if they start asking questions, we’ll be in trouble. Don’t worry though.”
They spoke casually as they ventured into the old territory of Adelein.
What Yuri was witnessing was unbelievable.
Anyone who entered Adelein was attacked by Gert, the Death Knight. It wasn’t just a rumor—it was a well-documented fact confirmed by numerous research teams.
“Total silence. From now on, no talking.”
The man leading the group covered his mouth with a rag. The others followed suit, covering their mouths too. Treading carefully, they advanced.
The moon lit the path enough that torches weren’t needed. Yuri followed them silently through the ruined territory.
They reached the old village. Destroyed houses were covered with filthy rags, and trees had burst through the roofs with their branches.
The villagers lit the ground as if searching for something.
Yuri stayed alert in case anything like Okua appeared, but he didn’t sense any presence.
Only ruins.
Until suddenly, the villagers began moving urgently. Yuri hid behind a building and watched.
They gathered in the center of the ruins, around a corpse. From the position of the bones, it was clear how the person had died—the back had been broken.
Without a word, they covered their ears with rags and began striking the bones with farming tools. Then, they started digging where the body had lain.
Yuri couldn’t believe what he was seeing. They knew the Death Knight could appear at any moment, so they covered their mouths and ears while digging.
It was madness. Driven by a need to know more, Yuri leaned in to get a better look.
The villagers looked at each other. Then, silently stepping back, the leader raised his pickaxe and swung it violently into the ground.
And at that moment—
Graaaaaaa!
A horrifying scream ripped through the air, shaking Yuri’s mind.
His mana surged uncontrollably for a moment. He lost balance. His body wouldn’t move. He knew he had to react, but he couldn’t.
He suddenly coughed up blood.
Even so, amid the confusion, he clearly sensed a massive presence approaching.
He cursed reflexively.
He had to run.
Gert was coming.
