Chapter 58

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Subsequent attacks proceeded similarly. Most were Drakadas, so she was surprised when several Gargoyles appeared at the same time.

They were able to catch them easily because they had a lot of knights, but it must have been very difficult for the knights who were escorting Cataleon.

It was fortunate that no one was hurt. The knights were weak, but regardless of whether they were trained diligently or not, they were not disturbed by successive battles. Everyone knew how to protect themselves, so Amarion was able to swing her sword with peace of mind.

Sir Raoul thoroughly protected Mary. Mary said she could take care of herself, but no one wanted to leave her on her own. No matter how weak a monster was, they couldn’t be killed with simple swordsmanship. Amarion was relieved that someone was by her side.

Sir Leonard, on the other hand, fought on the front lines with her. As the third most powerful person in the Knights Templar after Victor and herself, he was definitely stronger than the others.

And just like that, their second day ended in the middle of the forest.

It was because of her request not to stop in villages as much as possible. Everyone was exhausted, but they gathered enough strength to pitch tents.

Mary set out to cook for all of them.

“I learned things from the kitchen maids!”

‘Really?’

Usually, the maids of aristocrats were from good families, so there were many cases where they were ignorant of household chores such as cooking or laundry.

But Mary skillfully put ingredients in the large pot. She boiled beef jerky and dried vegetables, which turned into a plausible stew. Amarion grabbed a slice of bread and a bowl and sat down next to Mary, who was vigorously stirring the pot.

She was used to eating delicious food in the castle every day, so when they went out, she was hungry again.

She hesitantly dipped the bread in the stew and ate it, then suddenly stopped her hand in midair.

Something wasn’t…

“…Miss Mary, did you put something unusual in the stew?”

Leonard, who was sitting next to Amarion, asked in a very polite tone. It sounded like he was asking the best chef for her secret ingredient, but his expression was strangely disturbed.

Mary replied with a broad smile.

“Yes, I added herbal powder that is good for relieving fatigue! It tastes a little bitter, but it’s good for the body.”

“You… you put in… All right.”

Leonard silently nodded his head and drank straight from the bowl. So did Amarion, who was not very picky.

She would eat anything as long as it wasn’t poisoned.

Behind her, she could hear the knights whispering.

“If his highness was here, he wouldn’t have eaten it.”

“Don’t remind me! He complained that he wouldn’t eat if they put even a little bit of pepper in it.”

Amarion hid her face behind her bowl and perked up her ears. They were talking about a Victor she didn’t know.

“That’s why the kitchen soldiers had a hard time. Isn’t it hard to make food during war?”

“During the war of the Eastern Kingdoms, all the ingredients were dried, so maybe it was…”

“Ah, that reminds me of the past.”

A low laugh rang out.

By then, the number of people who received the stew had increased considerably, and the knights continued their conversation while drying their wet cloaks over the bonfire. Stories from the war of the Eastern Kingdoms and Victor followed.

Raoul intervened with exaggerated gestures, like a bard.

“Oh, the Eastern Kingdom! Wizards and knights rushed at us, but our Lord slashed down everything with a single swipe. We didn’t even have time to draw our swords.”

“Like how Madame cut the Drakas down?”

“That’s right. I also watched her kill fire-breathing gargoyles and wolves.”

Raoul chuckled.

Mary, who had distributed all of the stew, grabbed a bowl of her own and joined in.

“I heard from the knights, but I didn’t know she would be this great. You are truly amazing.”

Heat surged up in Amarion’s face.

Sure, she did a little to protect the knights, but it was absolutely nothing compared to Victor’s achievements. The monsters she met today were all weak, and weren’t difficult to deal with. Victor was not here, so she just stood out a little more.

Raul stared at her, whose head was bowed in embarrassment. He spoke seriously.

“Madame, you are stronger than any of us.”

“Yes. I know.”

“We are the best knights on the continent.”

“Yes…”

To be honest, she was skeptical that it was true. Still, she agreed because she liked the knights.

Raoul sighed deeply at her vague answer.

“Madame, do you really not know what this means? I’m throwing away my pride to tell you.”

She tilted her head to the side.

‘You want to compliment my skills?’

There were many strong people on the continent. There were strong people like her in Amari, and Victor was really amazing. If you traveled around the continent, there were probably hundreds with hidden talent.

When she thought about it that way, she came to think that she was not a big deal, although she may look great in the eyes of these sincere but weak knights.

She shook her head firmly.

“I still lack training.”

Raoul sighed again. It was a sigh as if the ground had collapsed and the world was ending.

“I know what Madame means. Unless you experience it yourself, you won’t be able to fully believe it.”

Leonard, who had just finished his stew, cut in.

“What do you mean?”

“You will know when the subjugation is over.”

The blonde knight got up holding his empty bowl.

‘Was Leonard the kind of person who talked like that?’

While she tilted her head, Raoul noisily grabbed the empty pot and headed to the water’s edge.

After tidying up, the knights rolled dice to determine the order of patrol, and then covered the bonfire with ashes. She went into her tent first because of the strong argument between the knights over how they couldn’t let their lady patrol.

As soon as she smelled the sweet incense that Mary had brought, she quickly fell asleep.

‘Would this be good for Victor?’

Amarion thought useless things before she drifted off to sleep.

＊ ＊ ＊

Their journey continued for several more days. They camped almost every day, advancing quickly. In fact, they had plans to take a break in villages once or twice, but their schedule kept getting delayed because there were too many monsters.

The variety was too diverse. The monsters she had only seen in books kept appearing. Even mid-level knights who were familiar with monsters because they often subjugated were terrified.

“What the hell is that, Madame?!”

The knight holding a chain trap shouted bitterly. A gigantic lizard, crawling out of the swamp, was growling and covered in saliva.

‘Why three heads?’

Amarion frowned.

Raoul stroked his chin.

“A swamp hydra. They have as many heads as terrestrial hydras, but they spit venom that smells terrible.”

“Why is a hydra on the plains…? No, no. There must be some strange things going on since we even saw a Sphinx.”

The knight trembled as he remembered the statue-like monster they had fought a few days ago.

Like a gargoyle, the Sphinx, said to have been created by wizards in the distant past, was a strange monster that telepathically asked you questions. It was a strange feeling to talk to them.

‘Which came first, the chicken or the egg?’

There was dignity in the voice that asked the question.

But no matter how intelligent they appeared, they were just monsters that tore travelers apart. She had beaten up the knights who argued over the answer and cut off its human-like head with a single swipe.

She shook her head and pulled out her sword. Raoul stepped back.

“If it’s a hydra, wouldn’t it be easier to deal with it alone?”

“Yes, I will do it.”

She held a torch and a sword in either hand.

As they got closer, the monster twisted and roared. She had the knights release the chain, and rushed right in. The hydra’s heads spit out venom violently.

She didn’t want to have to throw away her clothes…

She hurriedly clamped its mouth shut and spun around.

She took a deep breath and swung her sword with all her might, and the heads fell to the ground with a thump.

Leonard exclaimed from afar.

“Madame, are you injured?”

“No, I’m okay!”

“We will take care of the rest.”

She quickly jumped off the monster’s body. Mud dripped from the hem of the cloak and her shoes. She wiped her sword on the grass and approached the knights.

While Leonard and others were burning the monster’s corpse, she glared at her sword angrily.

“This sword is broken. I will have to find a new one.”

“It’s okay. Hasn’t it faced countless monsters?”

“I used it for a long time…”

***

Kofi shop updated till chapter 65.