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Translator/Editor: Chen

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◈ The Genius Knight of a Fallen Race ◈

Chapter 29: The Stairs Are Far Too High to Climb

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With its disbandment, the expedition team Green Eyes became a legend in Sedil City.

They had made real the dream of every explorer who came to a city bordering the Demon Realm: striking it rich in one short, intense expedition and retiring.

Above all, Shan’s reputation rose as high as it could go. Already famous for his overwhelming combat ability, he was now a legendary warrior said to have faced a cockatrice one-on-one and brought it down.

“Oh, Shan! Over here! Come have a drink with us!”

Whenever he stopped by the Explorers’ Guild, everyone wanted to befriend him.

Who knew? If they built a connection now, perhaps they could secure a place if Green Eyes ever reformed.

He had been popular before, after defeating several people with his swordsmanship and after rumors spread that he had subdued a knight. Still, his current standing was on an entirely different level.

Now, explorers used honorifics when speaking to the Alto boy, who was less than half their age, as if he were their superior.

Among the Altos, he had become something close to an object of worship.

“Sure!”

Naturally, Shan was happy that people liked him. He would grin, sit with them, and enjoy the free food and drinks.

“Now, look. Put this in the cup, spin it, and guess what number it lands on...”

One day, he even learned how to play dice and joined a few rounds.

The explorers who suggested it had their own intentions. The boy had made a considerable amount of money, and they wanted to fleece him through gambling.

As Shan happily rolled the dice, the man who had invited him smiled with his eyes curved into crescents.

“Shan, I heard you work with that friend of yours, Roden?”

“Yes. Why?”

“How do you split the profits?”

The man confidently went on about how Roden was a fraud who only looked respectable, someone sucking Shan dry, and how Shan could make far more money by joining him instead.

Then he met Shan’s eyes and abruptly fell silent.

‘What are those eyes...?’

The green eyes had looked gentle, their corners slightly lowered, but they stared directly at him now. An inexplicable chill ran down his spine.

It felt as though a sword would cut off his head at any moment.

The once noisy gambling table fell quiet. Shan tipped his chin toward the door and spoke softly.

“Get out.”

He didn’t need to add, if you don’t want to die.

The man immediately bowed his head and fled.

Shan continued gambling with others a few more times after that, but he was soon banned.

They discovered that, with his sharp eyes and sensitive fingertips, he could accurately call the dice whenever it wasn’t his turn and perfectly manipulate every die when he spun the cup himself.

While Shan spent his time at leisure, Roden was quite busy.

He negotiated the price of the magic stone with the Explorers’ Guild, completed the sale, then divided the money and sent it to Vent’s monastery and Jerpo’s school.

Since they planned to rest for a while, they also had to sell back the magical tools and various drugs they had bought but never used.

Most of them had expiration dates. If they left them sitting around, they would become worthless.

Around the time Roden had mostly finished his work and could finally rest, the two received an invitation from the count.

“Roden too?”

“Yes. His Excellency has summoned both of you.”

Unlike last time, the guard politely used honorifics as he led Shan and Roden to the count’s castle.

The administrator did the same. He called them “Mr. Shan” and “Mr. Weavers,” and didn’t leave them standing in the waiting room for long before their meeting.

“Oh, the heroes of my territory have arrived! Come, have some tea!”

The count’s reaction was even more excessive.

The arrogant old bear who had made them kneel at the foot of the stairs and looked down on them was nowhere to be found. He treated them warmly, like dear friends he hadn’t seen in years.

“I greet His Excellency Count Sedil, Shield of the East and commander of the Demon Realm Pioneer Knights. I am...”

“Ah, forget such stiff formalities! I knew your father too, so you’re no stranger to me. Good to see you, Roden!”

Last time, he seemed to have growled that he had driven Kalion away. Now he spoke as though they were quite close.

The room where he had brought them for tea also differed entirely from the grand but plain drawing room and dining hall they had seen before.

There were no windows, yet glowing magic devices had been embedded throughout the ceiling and walls. The room’s atmosphere was elegant and luxurious.

Paintings that moved on their own hung from the walls, while the chandelier overhead glowed eerily in different colors.

‘I thought the count preferred something simpler.’

As Shan looked around in fascination, the count took a sip of tea and immediately asked a question.

“I heard you disbanded the expedition team?”

“Yes.”

“Do you no longer intend to explore the Demon Realm?”

Why was he suddenly asking that?

Though puzzled, Shan glanced at Roden beside him instead of answering. Roden took the hint and replied.

“For now, we plan to rest for a while. We need to find new members as well... and the last expedition was especially exhausting.”

One lesson they had learned from their two expeditions was that companions had to be people they could truly trust.

During an expedition, they had to test each other’s friendship and trust more often than expected.

Roden had chosen them carefully, but it was still incredible luck that Vent and Jerpo, their first companions, had both been trustworthy people.

They also needed time to rest.

Two months of exploring the Demon Realm had taken a heavier toll on their minds and bodies than they had imagined.

“Hmm, I see. Then it can’t be helped. I’ll speak to my butler and the guildmaster, so seek their help if you need anything. Is your current lodging uncomfortable? I can give you an unused room in the castle.”

“Thank you for the offer, but we’re thinking of returning to the capital soon... We’ll gladly accept your kindness when we return.”

“I see. You’ll always be welcome here, so be sure to come back.”

The count frowned at the mention of returning to the capital, but he said nothing further and simply nodded.

Then Roden quietly asked him a question.

“Your Excellency.”

“What is it?”

“Is it still impossible for you to knight Shan?”

After hesitating for a moment, the count let out a low groan and nodded.

“This room is extravagant, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

As befitted a lord of the Demon Realm frontier, it was filled with every sort of magic device. Just looking at it made Shan feel as though he had entered another world.

It was so ornate that it almost seemed vulgar, leaving him slightly uncomfortable.

“The reason I built a separate shabby drawing room instead of using a place like this is simple. Sometimes visitors from the capital come here, and I need to look as pitiful as possible. You understand what I mean, don’t you?”

“I understand.”

The count was saying, as tactfully as he could without sacrificing his dignity, that he could not overcome the hostility of the capital’s nobles.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, they parted, agreeing to meet again.

On the way back, Shan made sure no one was nearby before asking Roden.

“But why are we returning to the capital? Weren’t we going to stay here for a few months until we finished selling the relics?”

“That was the plan, but something feels strange. Don’t you think the count has been treating us too well?”

“Has he?”

Shan had thought it was only natural.

Ever since he returned with the cockatrice’s head, everyone had been kind and warm toward him.

There had been a few vermin who tried to drive a wedge between Shan and Roden, or attacked in back alleys hoping to steal the money from their magic stone sale, only to end up dead...

“Even considering that, it’s excessive. I wondered whether he had changed his mind and wanted to knight you, so he was trying to win us over, but that doesn’t seem to be it either.”

“I see.”

One of Roden’s concerns was whether the count had noticed they were hiding relics.

They had buried the relics recovered during this expedition nearby instead of bringing them to Sedil City, planning to sell them gradually in the future. As a result, they had far fewer monster materials than they should have had.

In any case, Roden thought it would be better to return to the capital and get outside the count’s sphere of influence than remain here.

If the count’s actions were connected to politics, they could gather information with the help of Roden’s father, Kalion.

Shan completely trusted Roden’s judgment in matters like this.

“Then let’s go home!”

“It’s not my home.”

“Don’t say that. Just think of it as home.”

* * *

The next day, Shan and Roden left Sedil City and headed west.

Wary that the count might send soldiers after them, they rode until their horses were nearly exhausted on the first day, then spent the night outdoors. Once they were confident no one was following them on the second day, they began to travel more leisurely and stop at nearby villages.

After killing several gnolls they encountered on the road, Shan cleaned his sword and voiced a thought that had suddenly occurred to him.

“This is a problem.”

“What is?”

“Eastern Pendia is already starting to look peaceful.”

This land, where they ran into one or two groups of monsters every day while traveling, would seem like literal hell to people from other countries.

After entering and leaving the true Demon Realm, though, it felt almost comfortable.

If they could eat fruit from trees along the road and drink cool water from streams, that place was paradise.

Roden understood what Shan meant and chuckled.

In other countries, including Libert, life might be easier, but bandits and pirates ran rampant instead. Still, people of Pendia often mocked foreigners for being soft.

Roden had barely finished laughing when he looked around as though he had realized something and let out a quiet exclamation.

“Come to think of it, I believe Vent’s monastery is nearby. Should we stop by and greet him?”

“Is it close?”

“Probably. Based on what he told us before, I think it should be about half a day past that hill.”

“Then let’s go!”

Vent’s monastery stood beside a fairly large village called Monib. Like many settlements in Pendia, it was protected by sturdy wooden palisades like a fortress.

When they gave the name Green Eyes, they were immediately welcomed inside as honored guests.

“Well, if it isn’t you two! Good to see you!”

“It’s been a while, Priest!”

“You received the money safely, right?”

“Of course. It came through properly, so don’t worry.”

Perhaps returning to his hometown had brought him peace, because though only a few weeks had passed, Vent’s face had filled out and his complexion looked healthier.

After warmly welcoming them, Vent looked around and lowered his voice.

“Did something happen?”

“I don’t think it’s what you’re worried about... probably.”

They shared no shortage of secrets, such as killing a noble of the Ajun Kingdom and concealing powerful magic devices.

Still, Roden shook his head.

“The count was simply being too friendly, so we got scared and came here temporarily. Do you know anything about that?”

“What would I know?”

There was no reason meaningful information would reach someone who had retired from exploring and shut himself away in a monastery.

During their conversation, Shan realized someone was peeking at them. He quickly turned his head.

A girl with hooves for feet gasped and ran away.

“Come to think of it, there are quite a lot of Alto children at this monastery.”

“People who live harsh lives often leave behind orphans. When they can’t raise them themselves, they often entrust them to monasteries.”

That would have been impossible at a monastery run by followers of the Old Faith, but the New Faith taught that the Altos were children of the goddess as well.

That didn’t mean all followers of the New Faith refrained from discriminating against the Altos, of course.

Vent hesitated for a moment, then added.

“Not long ago, the children those people had been raising came here too.”

“Those people...?”

“The Alto expedition team that targeted us.”

“Ah.”

“That child who just ran away is one of them.”

The Agile Seekers, the Alto expedition team that had once attacked them and been wiped out, had been formed by several skilled people from nearby Alto villages.

They had steadily explored for several years and built solid careers, but had gone missing after suffering one failure after another in recent months.

Naturally, the reason they disappeared was because they had tried to rob Shan’s group in one final desperate act and were killed in the counterattack.

“Every bit of money they earned went to the villagers. Then they fell into debt and borrowed money from loan sharks in Sedil. When it became clear they were dead, the loan sharks started trying to squeeze their families for payment, so the families were brought here for shelter. Some of the children had already been taken away before that.”

To loan sharks, young children were still useful resources.

If they were attractive, they could be forced into prostitution regardless of gender. Otherwise, they could be sold to thugs and used as pickpockets or assassins.

When it came to suddenly slipping a knife into someone’s back, children were often better than adults who naturally drew suspicion.

“Hmm.”

The expedition team had died trying to rob them, so Shan could not really pity them.

Still, he couldn’t help feeling some concern for their families.

Shan looked at the Alto children watching him from afar with shining eyes.

“To those children, I’m their enemy.”

“That doesn’t mean you should feel sorry. You can’t let yourself be killed just because you pity a robber. We haven’t told the children, so don’t say anything unnecessary.”

“Doesn’t this bother you, Priest?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well...”

Shan did not know how to express the discomfort he felt.

His chest felt tight, but he lacked the words to explain why.

When Shan could not continue, Vent smiled warmly, as if he understood everything, and nodded.

“I understand. You did nothing wrong, yet you feel as though you’ve become a bad person. Their stares make you uncomfortable too. Separating good and evil in situations like this is a problem far too complex and difficult for humans to handle. I suffered through many such things when I was younger, but now I’ve decided to let go of them to some extent. Everything will happen as the goddess wishes.”

At Vent’s words, Shan realized the source of the strange emotional distance he had felt when he first met the priest.

Vent had probably lived far longer than most people. He must have seen yesterday’s friend become today’s enemy, and the reverse, many times.

Perhaps those experiences had made him reluctant to grow too emotionally close to others.

When someone he considered close betrayed him, the wound would only be deeper.

Priest Vent urged them to stay for a day since they had come all this way, but Shan and Roden firmly refused and left the monastery.

As Shan swayed with his horse’s gait on the way out, he quietly said to Roden.

“Those explorers from back then were those children’s parents and siblings, right?”

“Probably.”

“I feel strange.”

Until now, Shan had never truly realized that every person he killed had ordinary families and friends.

To him, every enemy who threatened him had been little more than something like a goblin or another monster.

That didn’t mean unbearable guilt suddenly overwhelmed him for everyone he had killed.

Still, he began to feel at least some of the weight of taking a human life.

Perhaps he had taken one step forward as a human, even if not as a warrior.

* * *

The capital, Hasra, was as grand and bustling as ever.

People from all over passed one another in the streets without paying much attention to anyone else.

After going from a celebrity in Sedil City to one person among countless crowds again, Shan found it amusing that no one paid attention to him and smiled to himself.

Nothing had changed except that people had stopped watching him, yet he felt as if he had become invisible.

Since they had not sent word ahead of time, Kalion was not at the Weavers Estate. The butler Tata welcomed them instead.

Kalion returned that evening, after they had washed in the luxurious bathhouse they had missed and filled their stomachs with delicious food.

“Your letter said you planned to stay longer.”

“Something came up.”

“Something... I heard that you killed a cockatrice, at least.”

Though Kalion said that, he clicked his tongue as though he still could not believe it.

He had invested in Shan because he believed the boy would become a major figure, but he had never expected him to accomplish something so incredible so soon.

Yet he could not call it a lie. He still vividly remembered the cockatrice’s head sitting in the garden.

There was nothing else to say except that he had underestimated the boy’s potential.

Once Roden explained what had happened, Kalion frowned and nodded.

“I see. You did well to return. If you had remained there, things could have become troublesome in various ways.”

“What happened?”

“His Majesty the king’s health has worsened significantly lately. I hear he can barely leave his bed.”

King Gizelle the Third of Pendia was forty-six years old this year.

As a well-cared-for member of royalty, he should still have been in good health.

Of course, health differed from person to person, so there was nothing impossible about him falling seriously ill or dying.

But what did the count’s attitude have to do with the king’s health?

Perhaps noticing their questioning looks, Kalion immediately elaborated.

“This is a rumor going around among people at court, but the king supposedly declared that whichever child finds a way to restore his health, by any means necessary, will become his successor.”

“That’s absurd...”

Whoever restored the king’s health would become the next king.

Roden groaned softly at the sort of story that sounded like it had come from an old fairy tale.

Shan, who had been listening quietly beside him, asked a question.

“But what does that have to do with Count Sedil?”

“Methods that could help restore the king’s health would include holy relics of the goddess’s faith or magic devices with healing powers. The former can’t be acquired without waging war against another country. The latter, on the other hand, could possibly be found in the Demon Realm.”

“Hmm... Ah, I get it!”

“If you had remained in Sedil City, you could have become awkwardly entangled between the count and the two princes. Both would have stirred things up, claiming they wanted the greatest explorers, while the count pretended to be your patron and sought his own gain. Before doing anything, you need to secure as much information as possible and take the initiative.”

Shan was not stupid, and after that explanation, he understood the situation.

If the person who brought back a magic device that restored the king’s health would become the next king, Count Sedil would naturally want to control explorers, especially people like Shan.

The moment explorers brought back a powerful healing magic device, a count who had stood on the edge of the kingdom’s political world would gain the power to decide who sat on the throne.

“Then we’ve learned something that others don’t know. Count Sedil currently has no magic device capable of restoring the king’s health.”

“Correct.”

Count Sedil’s family were descendants of the Eastern Knights, who had pioneered the Demon Realm since the days of the old Arman Empire.

No one knew exactly how many magic devices they had secretly kept rather than selling elsewhere.

If the count possessed something capable of restoring the king’s health, he would have had no reason to suddenly humble himself before Shan and Roden.

He could simply use it to make a deal with one of the successors.

As Kalion considered how to use this information, Roden groaned softly.

“I’m more concerned that the unspoken rule is so strong that he believes he can’t make an Alto a knight, even under these circumstances...”

“It’s probably not only because of that. Neither of the two people being considered as the next king is friendly toward the Altos.”

The Kingdom of Pendia had two princes.

The eldest, Conrad, was a devout follower of the Old Faith. The younger, Elvin, had the Luman royal family, who had experienced an Alto rebellion in the past, on his mother’s side.

If Count Sedil wanted to establish ties with one of them in the future, it would not do for him to appear excessively friendly to the Altos.

That was a troublesome matter for Kalion as well.

He had fully supported Shan, who was essentially Roden’s sworn brother, because he wanted to enjoy the prestige of having a powerful knight behind him.

Yet at this rate, no matter how successful Shan became, he might only end up as the greatest monster hunter in history.

That alone would still make Shan an extraordinary connection, of course. But it went without saying that having the greatest knight in the kingdom, perhaps even the greatest knight in the Arman Alliance, supporting him would be several times better.

Still, there was nothing he could do about it. No one could have predicted that a king not even fifty years old would suddenly collapse.

“For now, I’ll use every connection at my disposal to make an introduction. Prince Conrad will probably be difficult, but Prince Elvin is said to enjoy making connections with all kinds of people. It would be better to speak with him.”

As Shan watched Kalion speak with a solemn expression, he imagined him throwing away every shred of pride and flattering all the “connections” he could use.

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