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“This way. From the tracks, it’s a road less traveled by monsters.”

“That beast has a habit of calling out to the surrounding herd when attacked. But they also tend to be cautious in battle. Pass quietly.”

Jerea, an 87-year-old knight, may have been younger, but he was still a seasoned warrior.

Since the attack of the chimeras, he’d managed to evade detection, hiding his scent and traveling off the beaten path.

It’s put them on a bit of a backtrack, but no one is complaining, and they even have time for small talk.

“Wow~ So Lord Jerea knows about his majesty’s youth?”

Ha-ri’s eyes twinkled, expecting a story about Leon. As luck would have it, his second past alter ego had been with Leon during the orc extermination.

She was looking forward to hearing about Leon from Jerea, as well as the other knights and soldiers of the kingdom.

“Fufu, the memories of those days are very strong, for his majesty was the youngest Holy Knight in the history of the kingdom, and his reputation was high.”

The rightful heir to the eponymous dragon-slaying Grand Duke of Dragonia, the Holy Knight set out on the path at the age of 16.

While it is customary to serve the kingdom as a Kingdom Knight before taking the path, Leon was the rightful heir to the Archduke.

He went straight to the Path, even if it meant jumping through a few hoops, and has done nothing to shame the Archduke.

He single-handedly destroyed a band of orcs and broke into the evil rituals of a society and slashed them to death.

He adventured with Sir Gildus, who would later become Commander of the Kingdom’s Knights Templar, Sir Anton, guardian of the Stardust Mines, and Gunnar the Treeman, who became known as the Sage of the Forest.

At the age of only 20, he was chosen by Arianna, the goddess of light and justice, and given a quest.

“He overcame the temptation of the Sobbing Woman, the sea monster of Langquell, and slit her throat; he punished the wicked witch with a trial; and in the end, he fulfilled his quest by defeating an Orc Warlord, who united the three tribes, with a single blow.”

At the age of 27 he became the youngest Holy Knight.

His skills with the Legion were then tested, and he finally slit the throat of Gunkar, the chieftain of Nine Orc Allied Tribes, and the champion of the Orc God Helkan.

At the age of 35, he was crowned the 15th Lionheart King, succeeding the late King, after defeating the Demon King summoned by warlocks from the fringes of the empire, and his glory and honor were unparalleled in the history of the realm.

“What a dazzling man. There will never be another with such great talent and such a great vessel, and it was an honor to fight alongside him.”

Jerea smiled kindly at Ha-ri, chosen by the God of the Sea and the Waves and the God of War and Flame.

“You will be at the King’s side, Lord Han Ha-ri, watching and learning from him. For no mortal has ever been so beloved by the gods as he is.”

“Yes, sir!”

Ha-ri acknowledged Jerea’s talent as they escorted the holy relic.

Indeed, this much growth at such a young age and to be taught by Leon and the gods themselves.

“…….”

But Han Ha-ri and Koo Dae-sung’s reactions to the story were different.

Ha-ri admired it and wanted to be like him, and Koo Dae-sung dreamed of it, but knew it was impossible.

After all, it’s a realm of elusive talent that doesn’t apply to them.

* * * * *

It’s late at night, a time when the holy relic convoys must be on their guard to avoid enemy pursuit.

Although Jerea has created a safety net of scent blocking, sound blocking, and cloaking, the convoy has decided to minimize the risk by standing guard.

“Hmph…! Whoops!”

It was Koo Dae-sung’s turn and he was spending his boring sentry time swinging his sword at a hidden cave entrance in the canyon.

“Whoops…….”

Ever since he enlisted in the Ten Thousand Gods Guild, he had been steadily repeating his training.

After just over an hour sweat drips from his body like rain.

“Kingdom Sword Technique.”

The voice came from a white-bearded old knight.

“Did I wake you up…….?”

“No. At my age, I’m losing sleep. I thought I’d help with the guard.”

Jerea stood in front of him instead of sitting at the campfire.

“Your posture is a little off. Your arms shouldn’t be below your navel.”

Koo Dae-Sung followed the advice and raised his sword while Jerea’s drawn blade struck the top of his sword, causing it to buckle.

“The sword is not only your weapon of choice, but also your fastest armor. Always keep it in a position to respond.”

Jerea’s sword sliced into the hollow where it had fallen and Koo Dae-sung, who was forced to give up his neck in an instant, marveled.

“I’ll take it.”

Before he can finish his sentence, Jerea’s sword slashes at the nape of his neck.

-Crack!

“Ugh…!”

It was quick and he wouldn’t have been able to block it if he hadn’t been so out of the way. Even so, his arm trembles from the numbing impact.

-Kang! Bang!

Interruption at the top, break at the top again then a slash with a break.

Jerea’s swordsmanship was a model of old-school precision.

It’s an obviously mechanical move, fast and precise, with no counterattack.

“Ugh…!”

His twitching wrist managed to miss the blade but Jerea didn’t bother swinging his sword any further.

“Good basics, not bad reactions. You’ve been training really well.”

“……It’s not much.”

Koo Dae-sung felt awkward at the compliment.

“But… I don’t think it’s working. I’m not good enough.”

“Hmm?”

“Ms. Han Ha-ri… No, how about if you compare me to Lord Han Ha-ri.”

“There’s a big difference. Lord Han Ha-ri has a talent that even an old man can see, and a temper that is loved by the gods.”

I see.

The youngest Class A Hunter and a genius who was chosen by both the god of sea and the god of war.

Her dazzling talent will eventually lead her to his goal and she will be rewarded for her efforts. She may even become a Holy Knight.

Knowing the obviously insurmountable talent gap, Dae-sung couldn’t hide his frustration.

At most, he had risen from Class D to Class C in ten years. However, there were still many skies above him.

“Actually… I knew. There are some things you shouldn’t strive for.”

What’s the point in continuing to strive for something you don’t even believe in? What does it mean to be praised for trying as hard as you can?

Isn’t it just a waste of effort and a drain on your life?

“You’re like me.”

“You mean me?”

Koo Dae-sung swallowed the words, “Me.” The other person is a knight, a genius who strived to become a Holy Knight and eventually managed to become one.

How could he be anything like him?

But the old knight’s gaze was different.

“I was never really a knight. My brother was more talented.”

Normally, it is the eldest son who becomes the lord of a family. Unless he’s a genius with unparalleled talent, the eldest son has no choice but to prioritize following in his family’s footsteps.

As the second son, he traveled the road of wandering to become a knight.

“The future me has accomplished the quest of a goddess,” he said, “but what a strange and wonderful thing it is to the present me.”

Jerea was an ordinary knight. In fact, he was one of the lowest ranked knights in the kingdom.

Yet he traveled endlessly, sometimes slaying orcs, sometimes slaying barbarians, sometimes hunting monsters.

Sometimes he succeeded, but more often he failed, and no one thought he had what it took to become a Holy Knight.

Rather, they mocked him as foolish for still wandering the path at such a young age.

“In those days I heard many things: my family, my peers, even the king and the woman who appeared in my dreams told me to give up.”

Jerea counted himself fortunate to have people around him who offered heartfelt advice to a man who was so obviously wasting his time so foolishly.

“But why… why didn’t you give up?”

“Because I don’t need anyone’s judgment to challenge me.”

Everyone told him he had an impossible dream.

“Impossible.”

Knight Jerea, 87, was adamant, regardless of his future accomplishments.

“I don’t see any reason why that should be excluded from the challenge.”

That was the attitude of Jerea, and no matter what period of his life he was in, he lived by it.

That’s the kind of man he is, and he accomplished the quest and became a Holy Knight.

“…….”

Even after hearing about the great journey, Koo Dae-sung couldn’t relate to it.

After all, he had a talent that no one else had.

That’s why he was able to challenge himself, and that’s why he was able to succeed.

Jerea knew what Dae-sung felt, for the old knight had looked him in the eye time and time again.

“Young knight. Do you know courage?”

“Courage…what do you mean?”

“Or valor.”

“Or love.”

“Or hope.”

The old knight smiled.

“A knight is a dragon slayer. It is roaring valor, unquenchable hope, and pure love.”

“The Holy Knight is the culmination of those qualities, a symbol of courage.”

“Do you think a Holy Knight has courage?”

“Of course…….”

Looking at the knights of this kingdom, he thought to himself that they are truly valiant knights. Convicted and just, none of them are better than the next.

If they don’t have courage, then who does?

“No, no. No one is born courageous from the beginning. It is not something that can be possessed, not something that is given, not something that can be earned.”

Jerea swallowed hard for a moment, then spoke with a firm gaze.

“Courage is something that is unleashed.”

The words made Dae-sung feel his heart flutter but he still couldn’t understand Jerea’s words.

However his words strangely stirred his heart.

“Young knight. When you pray do you think the gods will grant you courage? Or… will they give you the opportunity to unleash your courage?”

* * * * *

The convoy of holy relics, having lost their pursuers, approached the canyon’s exit.

“Lord Jerea, look!”

They saw an Imperial guard post used to keep the monsters of the canyon from escaping.

It was a straight line from here to the Kingdom’s border.

‘So it’s right on the Imperial border. I heard Lionheart used to do a lot of barbarian raids here.’

The Lionheart had no interest in this barren land, only periodic raids against barbarians and punishment for sociopaths.

Apparently, it was only the Empire’s arrival decades ago that led to the expansion of its territory here.

‘Huh?’

Dae-Sung checked the system message once more.

[Assist Lord Jerea of Twilight in escorting the holy relic to the Lionheart border]

-Side Mission: Defend Sir Jerea’s main body to the end.

The side mission, “Defend Sir Jerea main body,” is probably being completed by others.

The problem is that the main quest, Escorting the Holy Relic to the Lionheart Border.

‘Why the Lionheart border? Shouldn’t the convoy quest already be over by the time we get to the Empire?’

“Stop!”

It was then that a booming voice interrupted Koo Dae-sung’s thoughts. The voice came from an Imperial guard post.

“Who are you?”

“We are a convoy of holy relics from the Lionheart Kingdom! We have passed through here before!”

Stella, the leader of the convoy, shouted, and soon the guardhouse opened, revealing a group of Imperials approaching them.

“Good to see you, Knights of Lionheart.”

It was a burly old man. He looked to be at least seventy, if not older than Jerea. But in this world, apparent age is not the same as on Earth, so one cannot be too sure.

He wore a fine cloak and carried a cane, but it was the ornate circlet that crowned his forehead that gave him away.

But that’s not all. Behind the old man’s back were two more men in similarly colorful red and green cloaks, their status in no way inferior to the old man’s.

“King Law, head of the Light Mage School… Lord Wolfhard, division commander of the Imperial Guard… and even Dean Staudt of the Celestial Observatory…….”

Jerea couldn’t hide his dismay at the list of unexpected titans.

“Why are you here?”

The Imperial Prefects, the heads of thirteen families, each of which constitutes an empire. Even the Emperor of the Empire is chosen from these thirteen families.

Some are great warriors, some are great wizards, and some are great sorcerers, and they are given the treasures of the Empire and inherit the power of the Founding Fathers.

In other words, they are the thirteen most powerful men in the empire.

The elderly man called the Law King glanced at Jerea and realized his identity.

“Ah, Sir Jerea of the Holy Knights, Twilight. No, you’re younger. You’re his alter ego.”

It was then that a cloud of dust rose at the back of the convoy: the orcs and barbarians he’d thought he’d shunned… and the chimeras.

“Welcome to the land of the Empire.”

Law King opened his arms, not caring about the monsters coming from the depths of the canyon.

“And farewell.”

The next moment, a beam of light shot from his fingertips and pierced Jerea’s chest.