WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Chen

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◈ The Genius Knight of a Fallen Race ◈

Chapter 69: The One Who Protects

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After the negotiations ended, the two armies exchanged prisoners.

Shan had captured several times as many of the duke's soldiers, but they were all ordinary infantrymen, while the duke's prisoners were squires training to become knights. Their individual value was much higher.

They agreed that Duke Moraen's side would pay a specified ransom.

The duke might have abandoned conscripts, but these were veteran soldiers who had followed him all the way from Libert. He could not afford to lose even one, which put Shan's side in a favorable position during negotiations.

“Biko!”

“Tavera!”

The two boys embraced with tears in their eyes.

They had originally been somewhat distant because of their very different backgrounds, one an Alto from the capital and the other from a knightly family in Pales. But this battle had forged a deep bond between them.

That was what it meant to be comrades who had risked their lives together.

Their reunion was brief. Tavera looked at Shan, then lowered his head with a dark expression.

“I have no excuse, Sir Shan.”

“You're alive. That's enough. I would've been sad if you'd died. Your leg doesn't look good. How bad is it?”

“Yes. My shin was broken, but one of their priests treated it for now.”

“Have our priests look at it again. They've also studied medicine, so they know how to set bones. Anyway, it's good to have you back.”

Shan patted his shoulder encouragingly, and Tavera could no longer hold back his tears.

Shan was around his age, yet already the strongest and greatest knight in the world. The fact that such a man was his lord and cared for him moved Tavera beyond words.

“Until we meet again, most beautiful knight!”

While Shan reunited with his squire, the duke bade farewell and led his army south.

From there, he would gradually expand his influence toward Zerkan City, beginning with the nearby small towns. Shan's side only needed to clear out before then.

As the duke's army disappeared beyond the horizon, red with the setting sun, Shan raised his clenched fist and shouted.

“The fight is over! We won!”

The soldiers on the city walls cheered as one.

The stress of their first war against other humans had been overwhelming. Their joy at realizing they had escaped it was just as great.

Humans were creatures who could find happiness simply by escaping pain and misfortune that awaited them.

“We won! We really won!”

“Damn it, I thought I was actually going to die...”

“Finally, we're going home!”

As everyone celebrated, Shan spoke with Roden.

They needed to put into words what they had communicated through glances earlier.

“Do you think the princess will be pleased with this agreement?”

“At least, fighting there wouldn't have done us any good. I don't think she'll dislike it.”

Roden explained several political considerations Shan had not thought of, such as the burden Conrad would bear now that the duke had established himself in northwestern Pendia.

“But don't let your guard down. He had no hesitation about stabbing Conrad, who had taken him in, in the back to use him for war. If he thinks we've weakened, he might target Pales right away.”

“I should tell the princess.”

“Well, she probably already knows without being told.”

Then again, Serin was probably the least trusting person Shan knew.

Several months had passed since they had discussed it, yet she had kept her spider-controlling magic completely secret.

Roden later suggested sending scouts. The duke might be deceiving them and planning a surprise attack.

Shan accepted the suggestion and assigned two knights to the scouting party as well. A large main force numbering in the hundreds would be one thing, but a small group faced a greater risk of monster attacks.

After handling matters to some extent, Shan went to visit Orum, the Head of the Magic Society, whose health had suffered from hastily replacing Magic stones during the defense.

The old man was recuperating in a bed at a hastily requisitioned civilian home.

“Are you feeling any better, Your Excellency?”

“I cannot... allow Pendia's greatest mind to disappear... If only I obtain immortal wisdom...”

His eyes were unfocused, and he was talking nonsense, but the fact that he could keep talking suggested he was not doing too badly.

Kiri, Ravana's daughter, was looking after him.

That night, everyone slept like the dead in nearby homes or lodgings within the wall towers, except for the rotating troops assigned to guard the walls.

It was not until the following afternoon that the scouts who had followed Duke Moraen's army returned.

They reported that they had opened enough distance from the duke's army that it could not easily pursue them.

Shan remained in Zerkan City for another three days because the soldiers seriously wounded in battle had not recovered enough to march.

Thanks to the priests' steady care, most had recovered enough to walk around more or less by the third day.

A few were still in poor condition, but they could ride in wagons or carts. The Head of the Magic Society had also recovered considerably. Walking was difficult, but he was fit enough to travel by carriage.

Until Shan and his army left the city, Zerkan City's walls still reeked of blackened, dried blood and rotting entrails.

* * *

Fortunately, the journey back to Pales was fairly peaceful.

An armed force of nearly five hundred men was enough to drive monsters away by its very presence. Even the occasional heavy cart creaking until a wheel broke could be treated as an amusing disturbance.

Best of all, the magic device they had brought from Pales let them eat fresh meat and vegetables regularly.

As they cooked with ingredients preserved in the magic device that emitted cold, Roden strongly argued that they should eventually procure enough of them to store food for every soldier.

“I already knew this, but nothing's more important than eating well. The side with full bellies wins the fight.”

Simply eating delicious food visibly raised the soldiers' morale. Roden argued that this should take priority over mass-producing combat magic devices with limited effect.

Shan loved good food, but he could fight well even with a rough meal, so he did not fully understand. Still, Roden was probably right about this.

Fourteen days later, after traveling slowly for nearly twice as long as their outward journey, the army finally reached the border of Pales, the Tessell River.

Sir Noman, the old knight guarding the fortress, welcomed them.

“You've suffered much away from home, Sir Shan! But you've returned considerably earlier than I heard you would.”

“Yes. Things happened that way. It has been a little over a month, hasn't it?”

“It seemed like you left in the depths of winter, but now it's already spring.”

If they had conducted sieges against several cities as originally planned, at least two or three months should have passed. They had brought ample provisions with that in mind.

Yet once they swiftly captured Zerkan City, the other cities, frightened by the news, opened their gates one after another. That was why they had returned much earlier than expected.

Duke Moraen had delayed them briefly along the way, but it had not been a serious setback.

After hearing a rough account of what had happened, Sir Noman stood with his mouth hanging open in shock.

From climbing down a cliff to capture a lord to several dozen people nearly seizing the enemy commander in a mounted charge, none of it was easy to believe.

“It's all true. There isn't a single exaggeration.”

“That's right. From now on, I'm calling Sir Shan the Knight of Thunder, the Goddess's Wrath!”

The knights, who had grown up in the same territory and had known Shan by sight since childhood, spoke with such excited expressions that Sir Noman had no choice but to believe them.

The knights who had joined the expedition were so immersed in having witnessed a scene from legend that they could not tolerate anyone diminishing Shan's achievements.

If Shan's deeds were nothing special, then their own deeds would become nothing special as well.

Without meaning to, Shan had gained followers.

As those who had gone on the expedition boasted of their exploits to the people at the fortress, dozens of wagons and carriages appeared behind the formation.

Every one of them carried enormous amounts of supplies.

“Wait, all of that...?”

“Yes. These are the spoils from the expedition.”

There were over a dozen Magic stones, strategic resources such as large quantities of iron ingots and small amounts of rare metals, along with gold, silver, jewels, and spices.

Pales could produce nearly every resource it needed except Magic stones, but more resources from outside were always welcome.

That was especially true at a time like this, when trade had stagnated and they needed to consume so many resources.

There was so much cargo that even using every boat on the river, it took nearly half a day for everyone to cross into Pales.

Some soldiers missed their homeland so much that they cried and kissed the ground when they finally returned.

“At last, I'm home!”

“I never want to leave this place again...”

The army marched along the main road linking the harbor to Pales City and soon encountered a welcoming crowd.

Serin had apparently arranged it in advance. Young women scattered flowers from every direction while countless people waved and welcomed the returning soldiers.

“You've all worked so hard!”

“Thank you, heroes!”

“You are Pales's pride!”

The planted supporters shouted words they had been taught beforehand at the approaching soldiers.

That welcome erased the shadow of the battlefield lingering in their hearts and filled them with pride.

It might have seemed trivial, but such things could sometimes matter more than any material reward.

Only Serin, so skilled at handling people's hearts, could have thought of it.

At the end of the path lined with noisy cheers, Shan dismounted Awin and knelt on one knee.

Serin, Count Paless, and the territory's leading officials had gathered there.

“Shan Barendil has put down the traitors and returned in accordance with the orders of Her Highness, Princess of Pendia and Duke of Lynel.”

“I never doubted that you would accomplish it splendidly, my knight. Welcome home.”

Serin accepted the axe, the symbol of command, then personally helped Shan to his feet.

As she looked at her knight standing before her, her eyes widened.

‘How did he grow so quickly...?’

When he left, Shan had been about her height, perhaps a little taller.

A little over a month had passed, and he had shot up so much that she now had to look slightly upward at him. His body had also become noticeably sturdier, to the point that he no longer seemed particularly small even among the ordinary male soldiers around him.

After her brief surprise, Serin quickly composed herself and smiled at those behind him.

“I have heard that you all achieved outstanding merit. I will properly assess it and ensure that your efforts are rewarded generously. I swear it in the name of His Majesty the King, my father.”

Her voice was not loud, but a magic device amplified it so that it reached the hundreds of soldiers.

No one disliked being told they would receive money. Everyone cheered and praised the benevolent princess.

* * *

As the soldiers enthusiastically ate and drank the food and alcohol prepared for them, the high-ranking figures held their own welcome banquet.

Naturally, it was held in the count's castle banquet hall.

There, Serin first welcomed her teacher and the Leader of the Magic Society, Count Tenon Orum.

“It took some time, but I'm glad you arrived safely, Teacher.”

“I, too, had eagerly awaited the day I would see you again, Princess. From what I can see, instead of fading meaninglessly as a flower in the palace, you have chosen to burn the world. It is everything I hoped for.”

As usual, Orum spoke words that were hard to tell whether they were praise or not, then chuckled as he took a drink.

“By the way, I heard about it. Things seem to be going poorly considering how much you've stirred up.”

“You will need to help me greatly from now on, Teacher.”

“Must you abuse this old body so? Very well. But as promised, the princess must help with my research later.”

“If I have the time.”

“Didn't you say that before and then run away? You can't keep making excuses.”

Orum used honorific language, but treated Serin less like a princess to be respected than a student or business partner.

Serin did not find it strange and responded playfully.

Considering that the title Count Tenon was originally granted to an advisor of the King of Pendia, it made sense.

“So, what exactly happened that made you so late?”

“So much happened.”

At Serin's questioning, Orum let out a small sigh and explained.

When Conrad seized the capital, Orum had strictly ordered that no one enter his laboratory on the highest floor because he was conducting important research.

The problem was that no one informed the Head of the Magic Society about the evacuation amid the chaos.

More precisely, there was no proper system in place, so people passed responsibility from one person to another until it simply vanished.

As a result, when Orum went downstairs a few days later to find something to eat and drink, he found the Magic Society completely empty.

“With the money left in my laboratory, I could not afford mercenaries to escort me to Pales. Even if I could hire them, they would not have been trustworthy. So I fled with a peddler's caravan. Unfortunately, it was heading west.”

That was how Orum arrived in Ovilos, a small city west of the capital Hasra.

It was the city where Shan had once hunted a man-eating troll.

There, Orum hid his identity and used magic to earn a living while waiting for an opportunity. Then he met Ravana's group, returning from the Libert civil war, and ended up caught in that incident while traveling to Pales with them.

After hearing the story, Serin turned her gaze to Ravana, whose expression had gone stiff.

Ravana's rabbit ears stood rigidly upright, making it clear how tense she was to find herself surrounded by so many important people she had believed she would never meet.

Before coming to the banquet hall, Ravana had repeatedly pressed Shan for details about what Serin was like, what she liked, and what she disliked.

She said she did not want the person she would serve to find even the smallest fault with her.

Even when Shan told her Serin was not that difficult, Ravana did not seem convinced.

“Ravana... I have heard much of your reputation. I tried to invite you once before, but the timing did not work out. It was regrettable.”

“I, I'm sorry, Princess.”

“There is nothing to apologize for. I heard from my knight that you achieved much in this expedition. You helped greatly in bringing my teacher here and played an important role in the defense of Zerkan City as well?”

The report had mostly been written by Roden, not Shan, but Shan did not bother mentioning it.

As Ravana realized that her achievements had not been omitted, her face brightened. Serin smiled.

“Good. We needed to distribute rewards anyway, so let us begin now. Sir Shan, do you believe this woman has earned great merit?”

“Yes, Princess. Just as I reported.”

Shan clearly explained to Serin how he had met Ravana, how they had become enemies, how they had become allies, and how she had distinguished herself.

Serin sat quietly and listened, then asked others around her several more questions.

After hearing their answers, she spoke to Ravana, who was standing stiffly like a new recruit.

“Are you willing to receive knighthood from me and swear loyalty? If so, I will make important use of both you and your subordinates. I hear that all of them are hardened veterans of the Libert civil war.”

“Yes, Princess! They are all loyal to Pendia and to you!”

“Then there is no reason to hesitate.”

Though it was only a verbal promise, Ravana's face filled with ecstasy at the promise of knighthood.

She seemed unable to tell whether it was a dream or reality. She slapped her own cheek in front of Serin, then startled herself and apologized for her rudeness.

That was close to the natural reaction of an Alto receiving knighthood.

She had gone to the battlefield for the first time at fifteen and spent nearly twenty years wandering from place to place, never able to grasp what had now fallen into her hands in an instant.

Compared to that, Shan had received his knighthood somewhat too easily for his efforts, so he was less moved.

Of course, hunting the cockatrice had been more than enough achievement to earn knighthood.

“Ahem.”

A few nobles looked somewhat displeased by Ravana's knighthood, but they could not say anything.

A precedent had already broken the unwritten rule, and Ravana had truly earned that much merit.

Above all, Shan was standing right beside them. They could not raise objections simply because she was an Alto.

“The knighting ceremony and oath of loyalty can be held together on an auspicious day. Then... it is time for Sir Shan, the greatest contributor to this expedition.”

Serin looked at Shan with a playful smile.

“Your achievements against Duke Moraen's army exceeded even my expectations. Your negotiations afterward were excellent as well. Still... for a mere knight to temporarily grant Pendian land to a foreigner was clearly an overreach of authority. We cannot allow such a thing to become precedent.”

The end of her praise had turned cold, and the people in the banquet hall looked at one another in confusion.

Why had the mood changed so suddenly when things had been going so well?

Everyone there agreed that they could not have fought to the death in that situation.

Serin had silenced the banquet hall in an instant, then continued.

Only then did they realize that her earlier rebuke had been laying the groundwork for what came next.

“Therefore, if we wish to prevent the same situation from arising again, he appears to need greater authority. Yet I have no baronial title available to reward the merit he has achieved this time.”

A noble title was meant to come paired with land its holder could govern.

Yet Serin had no fief or title she could grant to anyone.

Even within the territory of Count Paless, her maternal uncle, every barony already had a lawful owner.

She could not strip an innocent baronial house of its title when it had done nothing wrong. Nor could she make an empty promise of land she could not actually control.

“Therefore, in place of a title, I intend to appoint Sir Shan as my Lord Protector, so that he may make his own judgments should such a situation arise in the future.”

Everyone nearby stared wide-eyed at Serin's declaration.

A Lord Protector was a position one step beyond the chief knight commonly retained by a lord.

They had the authority to unilaterally change a territory's military policy, directly command its forces when the lord was absent or unable to give orders, and even summarily execute those who rebelled against the lord.

The authority was so great that most lords left the position vacant.

The famous office of Marquis Abel, Lord Protector, was this position elevated to the national level.

Considering how Marquis Abel had given his brother-in-law, Conrad, the authority to command the royal knights and steered the civil war advantageously, it was effectively greater authority than most baronial titles carried.

The public standing it gave Shan, preventing even titled nobles from treating him lightly, was an added benefit.

“Princess, even so, that is a little...”

“It is more than deserved!”

“That's right! Sir Shan is the person best suited to be Lord Protector. I swear it on my name!”

Several nobles who had remained in Pales attempted to object with uneasy expressions, but their protests were drowned out by the fierce support of Shan's followers from the expedition.

The difference was between those who had seen Shan's overwhelming achievements with their own eyes and those who had only heard about them in reports.

After witnessing those almost transcendent scenes, no one could dare say the position of Lord Protector was too much for him.

A moment later, Serin raised her hand to calm the crowd, then looked at Shan with a bewitching smile.

“Good. The consensus within the territory is more than sufficient, so there is nothing to hold us back. Congratulations, Shan Barendil. My Lord Protector.”

Thus, Shan Barendil, the first Alto knight, stepped into a new realm as the first Lord Protector.

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