Chapter 24
Ambush (1)
In a valley dyed crimson by the setting sun, the thunder of hooves rang loudly along the river.
“Relax your body! Use your waist and hips to absorb the impact!”
Two horses galloped side by side.
One raced forward steadily, while the other staggered unsteadily.
“Riding is all about rhythm! Move your hips up and down in time with the horse’s pace!”
A fierce wind battered Johan’s face. Even amid the frantic ride, he paid close attention to Gaf’s voice beside him.
‘Get into the rhythm? Easier said than done.’
This was Johan’s first time riding a horse. He had received a rough lesson from Gaf before mounting, but theory and practice were entirely different.
He could neither change direction nor control the horse’s speed.
He would be fortunate simply not to fall. Johan clung to the horse’s back like glue, desperately trying to stay in the saddle.
“Straighten your upper body a little more! If you’re nervous, the horse will become anxious too!”
It was a difficult command, but he had to obey somehow.
At this rate, he would fall, and his fragile human body would not survive the impact.
Johan raised his waist slightly.
His field of vision opened up. The horse’s mane streamed through the air before him.
Gripping the mane and reins tightly, he stared ahead.
“That’s it! Now match its rhythm!”
Johan moved his hips up and down with the jolts of the galloping horse.
It was not easy, but he could understand the rhythm.
Gradually, he grew accustomed to it.
Gaf, riding beside him, murmured softly,
“Not bad.”
Beginners often fell even while walking or trotting, yet Johan was beginning to remain steady despite riding at speed.
For his first attempt, he was doing remarkably well.
Johan smiled brightly.
‘I’ve got it.’
As his tension faded, exhilaration welled up within him.
Even the wind battering his face began to feel pleasant.
Just as Johan was about to urge the horse faster, Gaf shouted,
“Stop! That’s enough! Rein in your horse!”
Accidents happened when one let down one’s guard.
He needed to restrain that exhilaration.
Gaf pulled on his reins and called for his horse to stop.
Johan followed his example and gradually slowed down.
The thunderous hoofbeats steadily subsided.
Silence returned.
The horses came to a halt and snorted, their white breath drifting into the sunset.
Breathing heavily, Johan asked,
“That wasn’t bad for my first attempt, was it?”
“You’re still clumsy. Practice whenever you have the chance.”
Johan smirked.
“Your teaching was surprisingly useful.”
“I didn’t know you were capable of giving compliments.”
“You simply haven’t done anything worthy of praise until now. I am not stingy with compliments.”
“I have no interest in your assessment.”
“What a foolish attitude. Feedback between partners is vital.”
Gaf furrowed his brow.
“Partners?”
“Yes, partners.”
Displeasure flashed across Gaf’s face. Johan shrugged.
“We share the same goal and are working together. We are neither friends nor comrades, so why not consider each other partners?”
The thought of being partners with a half-demon was deeply unsettling, but Gaf could not refute him.
From Taharan Village until now, the two had handled most matters together.
Things would probably be no different in the future.
Gaf sighed deeply.
“Partners or whatever else you want to call us, since we have agreed to undertake this together, I should at least hear your plan. What exactly do you intend to do?”
Come to think of it, Johan had explained nothing to Gaf. He had merely ordered him to appear before the castle gate.
“I was planning to tell you. There are three things we must do.”
Gaf needed to know his role. If he entered the mission ignorant of the plan, he might ruin everything.
“First, we will kill Krill.”
“He is traveling with the pilgrimage delegation. Assassinating him will be impossible.”
Johan shook his head.
“Do you think Krill will accompany the delegation all the way to the royal capital? Absolutely not. Their destinations are different. They will inevitably part ways.”
“And once Krill separates from the delegation, we attack him?”
“Precisely.”
“Every noble in the kingdom will become our enemy.”
News of Krill’s death would spread far and wide.
Anyone would assume that House Myatro was behind the assassination. Even if there were no evidence, the circumstances would make it obvious.
A family that invited guests only to murder them—visitors would stop coming to their territory, and the baronial house would slowly wither away.
For Johan, who needed to acquire power and influence, such a development would be far from welcome.
Johan spoke.
“That will not happen. I have no intention of bearing the blame.”
“You have a way to avoid it?”
He always had a solution.
This time was no different.
“Of course. Your role will be crucial.”
“Tell me.”
“Krill has elite soldiers escorting him. There should be around ten of them, and not a single one can be left alive. First and foremost, we cannot leave any witnesses.”
Johan pointed at the knight Rael.
“With Rael’s help, you should be more than capable.”
A knight who could wield aura and a legendary mercenary captain—the two of them together could easily slaughter ten grown men.
Gaf looked at Rael.
“I wonder if he’ll be of any use.”
At some point, Rael had completely lost his sense of self.
Gaf had never received a detailed explanation, but he suspected that Rael’s present condition was Johan’s doing.
“His combat technique has certainly deteriorated somewhat, but his physical abilities remain intact. He will be useful enough, so don’t worry.”
“Is that all I have to do?”
“The most important task remains.”
“What is it?”
Johan answered with a resolute expression.
“Subdue Krill, but do not kill him under any circumstances. If possible, do not leave so much as a scratch on him.”
“He is a skilled warrior. Asking me to hold back while fighting him will not be easy.”
For the Gaf of the past, it would have been an easy task. But now, he no longer had a mana core. Unable to wield aura, he would have to fight while burdened with the additional handicap of holding back.
“Is it impossible?”
“I said it would be difficult, not impossible.”
“That is the most pleasing thing you have ever said. How reassuring.”
“Your praise is making me uncomfortable for the second time now.”
Johan smirked.
“Get used to it. From now on, the only beings willing to praise you will probably be demons and witches.”
Gaf would no longer receive the blessings of God or humanity. He would spend the rest of his life beneath the curses of all mankind.
He had already prepared himself for that.
He replied indifferently,
“Enough pointless talk. Stick to the matter at hand. Do I have any other role?”
“That is all regarding Krill. We will discuss Shaperia after dealing with him.”
Gaf nodded and mounted his horse. Rael climbed onto the saddle behind him.
“Then let’s depart. You should mount as well. From what I saw earlier, you still need more practice.”
Johan looked up at the sky.
“The sun is setting.”
The sunset was being swallowed by darkness. Even the last streak of light resting upon the distant ridge vanished.
Night descended.
Johan murmured quietly,
“There is no longer any reason for me to ride.”
At the same moment, his skin dissolved into black smoke.
In the human’s place, a hideous monstrosity revealed itself.
An eerie voice settled over the valley.
“Come to the far end of the valley. That is where Krill will separate from the pilgrimage delegation.”
Enormous wings spread to either side.
The startled horses snorted wildly.
“I will arrive ahead of you.”
The demon soared into the air.
The crimson light streaming from his red eyes trailed behind him like an afterimage.
Gaf stared up at the night sky in astonishment.
Beneath the full moon, a black figure cut across the veil of night.
***
The pleasant crackle of a campfire echoed through the night.
Three men sat gathered before the flames, talking among themselves.
“Even if we seize the territory, we will have another problem. Just thinking about the donations the Order will extort from us makes my stomach turn.”
Krill smirked at his subordinate’s complaint.
“We can pay any amount they demand. The Myatro territory is worth that much.”
His subordinate spoke cautiously.
“Is there truly some treasure buried within the territory?”
According to legend, House Myatro had once been the kingdom’s treasury.
It was said that gold, jewels, ancient holy relics, the now-lost Third Holy GRail, and other treasures of the world lay dormant there.
The moment one acquired the territory, one would obtain tremendous wealth and power.
But that story might have been believable two hundred years ago.
The present-day Myatro territory was nothing more than a remote backwater.
Its brilliant golden age had long since faded, leaving not even its remnants behind.
In the present era, no one believed the legends surrounding the baronial house.
Krill spoke.
“I do not know either. Even my father, the former head of the family, did not believe the legend.”
“Then why do you want the territory? I don’t understand.”
“Count Staviana thought differently. Once, he questioned me relentlessly about the layout of the lord’s castle.”
The subordinate’s eyes gleamed.
“If he took an interest in it, doesn’t that mean he has solid evidence?”
“Correct. The count is not a man who acts without certainty.”
“Then did you strike a bargain with him?”
Krill nodded.
“He said he would support my claim to the succession in exchange for permission to search the entire territory.”
Disappointment flashed across the subordinate’s face.
“Surely the condition isn’t that you must hand the treasury over to the count if it is discovered?”
“I assumed he would demand the same. But no. There was only one thing the count wanted.”
“What was it?”
“The Third Holy GRail.”
The subordinate slapped his knee.
“You struck an excellent bargain!”
The Holy GRails could exhibit their true power only when all seven were gathered. The Third Holy GRail alone was useless.
“It is too soon to celebrate. We are still wanderers, and the treasury has not yet been found.”
The subordinate gave a sinister smile.
“You saw the state they were in, didn’t you? The castle is practically ours already.”
The walls of the baron’s castle had not been repaired in years, and there was nothing remotely proper about its army.
If war broke out, their opposing force would probably consist of frightened farmers standing around with sickles.
It would not even qualify as a battle.
Krill mostly agreed with his subordinate, but there was one thing that bothered him.
The bastard.
He could not understand the boy’s confidence.
‘My nephew was certain he would win.’
It felt wrong to dismiss it as the reckless bravado of youth.
The boy was far too mature for his age.
His reputation within the castle was also strange.
He had taken control of everyone from his very first day and even reduced the hot-tempered baron to meek obedience. The boy undoubtedly possessed something extraordinary.
“What troubles you so much?”
His subordinate’s voice broke him from his thoughts.
“I find myself with much to consider.”
The subordinate smirked.
“That is only because we are about to undertake something momentous. Even if something unexpected happens, we still have our insurance, don’t we?”
Concern crossed Krill’s face.
“If you mean Rael, no one has seen so much as a glimpse of him.”
“He is probably off chasing women again. Hasn’t he always been like that?”
“Chasing women for an entire month…”
A full month had passed since Rael, whom they had planted as a spy, disappeared.
There were also rumors that he had recently begun behaving like a man who had lost his mind.
When the concern failed to leave Krill’s face, his subordinate sighed.
“Needless anxiety will only ruin things. Get a good night’s sleep and clear your head. I’m going to relieve myself.”
The subordinate rose and walked toward the bushes.
Rustle, rustle.
The sound of him undoing his trousers came from the undergrowth.
Krill frowned.
“Go a little farther away…”
Slice.
Instead of the strong patter of urine, an unnerving cutting sound followed.
Krill turned toward the bushes.
Something rolled out of the undergrowth and bumped against his foot.
“What the—?!”
It was his subordinate’s severed head.