WeTried Translations

Translator: Dawn

Editor: Dawn

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Genius Knight of a Fallen Race

Chapter 7

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Steel Your Resolve and Nothing Is Impossible

That night, Shan let Roden sleep inside the hut, contrary to what he had said at first. There was only one bed, so Roden had to sleep on the wooden floor, but even that was luxurious compared to sleeping outdoors.

The problem was that lying in the same space as another person made it impossible to fall asleep. Even with a dagger hidden against his body, Shan was plagued by nightmares of Roden suddenly leaping up and strangling him. The next morning, Roden woke up full of energy and looked at Shan’s haggard face with puzzlement.

“What’s with your face? Did I snore too much?”

“No...”

Even if it was uncomfortable, it was something he would have to get used to. After all, if they were going to travel together all the way to Pendia, they would be living side by side for quite a while. He couldn’t keep staying awake all night every time.

Blinking his tired eyes and yawning, Shan began packing in earnest for the long journey. In truth, there wasn’t much to take. Most of the loot he had taken from bandits had become useless junk due to rough handling and poor maintenance, and the food he had taken from the people of Leaf Village was nearly gone.

The only things worth bringing were the silver candlestick and plate from the Willow Village church, along with some melted scraps of gold and silver. As he bundled them up in his cloak and slung them over his shoulder, Roden let out a small sigh and said,

“Put everything in my bag for now. You should get a bag of your own too. I can’t carry everything forever.”

“Can’t I just go to a village and ask for one? No... I shouldn’t, right?”

“Absolutely not!”

At the firm refusal, Shan smacked his lips in disappointment.

Roden had told him to speak casually and without honorifics, but Shan, who had spent his entire life speaking formally, found it hard to adjust. That, too, would probably take time.

Once they were ready, the two headed east toward Owl Village—the place that had been destroyed first during the bandit attack a few months ago. They avoided heading north along the route Roden had originally taken because of the growing notoriety of the “Green-Eyed Demon.”

If they passed near the lord’s territory and encountered his army, it would be troublesome. No matter how much of a prodigy Shan was, there was no guarantee he could defeat dozens of armed soldiers along with knights. And even if he somehow did, that would create a different problem.

For now, they could at least make excuses that the goods had been “donated.” But if things escalated, he would truly be branded a bandit. Walking lightly in simple clothes—a linen outfit and leather shirt—Shan glanced at Roden’s clanking metal boots.

“Isn’t that heavy, sir? I mean, Roden?”

“It is. But taking it off would be more trouble.”

Despite wearing chainmail, armor, and plated gloves and boots, Roden walked at a pace similar to Shan’s. Part of it was his long stride, but fundamentally, he possessed strength befitting his large frame. According to what he had said the previous night, he had once killed a man-eating leopard in a single blow with his flail. If not for his fear of blades, he might have become quite an accomplished knight.

As they walked, the two passed the time with casual conversation—mostly Roden educating Shan. Having grown up in the countryside and lived like a slave without proper guardians, Shan lacked even the most basic knowledge. If not for Celina occasionally repeating stories from traveling merchants, he might not have even known that a world existed beyond his village.

“The five countries in the west that originated from the old Arman Empire are commonly called the Arman Alliance. That includes Libert, where we are now, as well as Pendia, Ajun, Luman, and Horais.”

“I don’t know what ‘alliance’ means.”

“Hmm... it means a friendly relationship, like being friends. Though they’ve fought wars among themselves and even killed kings.”

Thanks to having a merchant father, Roden knew a great deal about such topics. Just from a few hours of conversation, Shan learned more about the world than he had in years of listening to Celina. He even corrected some misconceptions, such as thinking elephants were bigger than mountains. One particularly surprising topic was magic.

“There’s a group of mages in Pendia called the Magic Society.”

“Wait, so there’s an organization of mages!?”

Shan’s shocked expression made Roden chuckle.

“If they put up a sign like that in an Old Faith country, they’d be burned at the stake immediately. But Pendia declared religious neutrality. Still, in the western regions bordering Libert, many lords follow the Old Faith, so you mostly see mages in the capital or the east.”

According to Roden, mages weren’t as extraordinary as people thought. At best, they used various materials, long incantations, and rituals to produce a few special effects. Roden didn’t know the details since he wasn’t a mage himself, but it seemed that unlike the golden age of the ancient Alto Empire, the power of magic had weakened over time.

Compared to that, the miracles performed by priests of the Goddess were far more useful and powerful. That was why Roden hadn’t initially thought Shan to be particularly dangerous—just someone to scare off. Being an Alto didn’t grant exceptional magical talent, and very few were powerful enough to overpower armed warriors among mages.

As their conversation moved from geography and general knowledge to basic life skills, Roden continued teaching. He taught the reason Shan’s bow had broken. It was because he hadn’t loosened the string when not in use. He also taught that metal tools needed to be sharpened with a whetstone and wiped with an oiled cloth to prevent rust.

“So that’s why the bow stopped working.”

“After using it, it’s also good to lightly heat it to remove moisture.”

Having lost several valuable weapons due to poor maintenance, Shan absorbed every bit of information like he was enchanted. After a while of this, Shan also shared what little he knew—his only real specialty: physical technique.

“Watch. When you swing your arm, you start by using the smaller muscles here near the shoulder, then the larger ones. Smoothly... no, that’s too stiff. Like this, like this.”

Unfortunately, Shan wasn’t a very good teacher. Or rather, the problem was that what he was trying to teach was too advanced. After repeatedly pointing out muscles in Roden’s arm, Shan sighed as he watched Roden swing his flail through the air.

“Your bones, joints, and muscles are getting in each other’s way. You just have to coordinate them and let it flow...”

Roden gave a wry smile at the terribly unhelpful explanation and recalled something his former instructor had once said.

“If you refine your technique, there will come a moment when the flow becomes natural, and you can achieve great results with little effort. Your goal is to apply that to more techniques, more consistently.”

“Have you reached that level, Master?”

“I can do it with one technique I’ve trained my whole life. But reaching that level with everything? Even Marquis Abel couldn’t do that.”

It was the ultimate realm—one even the kingdom’s strongest knight, the Lord Protector, had not reached.

Could it be that this boy, who had never received proper training, had reached that level innately? If so, what kind of monster would he become once he matured and gained experience?

Feeling a strange mix of unease and excitement, Roden shook his head.

“Let’s stop here for now. This isn’t something I can master in a day or two, and it’s too tiring.”

“Okay.”

“So, what do you want for lunch?”

“Smoked duck!”

At any rate, for now, Shan was still just a curious child. By the time the two arrived at what had once been Owl Village, it was late afternoon. With his sharper eyesight, Shan spotted something and let out a small gasp.

“Ah...”

“What is it?”

“There are no bodies.”

Like Mountain Shade Village, there were traces of burned and collapsed buildings, but no scattered skeletons. In an open area on one side of the village stood a large grave and a monument. Shan couldn’t understand it since he couldn’t read.

“It says ‘Mass Grave of Owl Village.’”

“I see...”

“It looks like travelers or people from nearby villages came and collected the bodies. Since it’s been a long time, they probably couldn’t identify individuals.”

Shan glanced at the remnants of the village. Celina had likely lived in this village, and been killed here before being buried in that grave. Perhaps because he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, it didn’t feel real, unlike when Priest Ador died. Watching Shan’s blank expression, Roden knelt before the grave and clasped his hands.

“Let’s pray. May the dead rest in the Goddess’s embrace.”

“Yeah.”

A fleeting, bitter thought crossed Shan’s mind—that these villagers would have despised him too. However, he pushed it aside and knelt beside Roden to pray. At the very least, he believed Celina deserved to rest in the Goddess’s embrace.

After praying, the two briefly discussed their next move and decided to continue east. Roden, being a foreigner, didn’t know the terrain well, but he was certain that if they kept heading east, they would eventually reach Pendia. From here on, there were no proper roads, but only a wilderness of forests and plains. So Roden brought out his hidden trump card.

“What’s that?”

“A compass. A treasure that shows direction. It’s expensive.”

“Wow...”

Shan let out an exclamation as he looked at the transparent glass and the black needle inside pointing in one direction. Amazingly, even when he spun around in circles or did somersaults while holding it, the needle always pointed in the same direction. Roden chuckled at his curious reaction and explained quietly,

“The needle always points north. So that means east is over there.”

“With this, you’d never get lost.”

“Not exactly. There are still mountains, valleys, and rivers you can’t cross. And I can’t even be sure exactly where we are right now. In the end, asking people you meet is the most accurate way.”

As he listened, Shan became certain that he could never have managed a journey on his own. If not for Roden, he would probably have just kept walking aimlessly without even knowing where he was going, hoping to stumble upon a place where people lived. They continued heading east, but by nightfall they still hadn’t found a village, so they set up camp in the middle of the plains. Since a monster could appear at any time, they lit a torch and took turns keeping watch.

“Then what did you do when you traveled alone?”

“Hm? I usually avoided sleeping out in the open. But if I had to, I’d find a cave and block the entrance with rocks.”

“I see.”

“I’ll sleep first, so wake me when the moon’s shadow passes this mark. Got it?”

“Got it.”

That night, after switching watches with Roden, Shan slept deeply without nightmares. It wasn’t just because he had walked all day and stayed up half the night. For the first time in his life, Shan felt like someone was protecting him.

Of course, saying that out loud would be far too embarrassing, so he simply expressed his gratitude by saying he slept well. After washing up in a nearby stream and eating breakfast, the two resumed walking east, guided by the compass.

“When will we reach somewhere people live?”

“Who knows. But we’ll probably find something by today. Libert is a prosperous and populous country, so there isn’t much uninhabited land. Though this northeastern region is a bit rural.”

“Libert is prosperous?”

“Among the Arman Alliance, yes. It is the most prosperous one.”

The northern kingdom of Ajun had half its land covered in ice, while Horais in the west was mostly dry plains—good for raising horses but not for farming. Luman in the south was an archipelago of islands, and only Pendia in the east was comparable to Libert in terms of prosperity.

“But to the east of Pendia lies the Demon Realm. Because of the monsters pouring out from there, Pendia doesn’t really have small villages like this. People mostly live inside stone fortresses.”

“The Demon Realm...”

Long ago, Priest Ador had described it as a cursed land, the womb of demons from which all monsters were born. It was also said to be where the powerful magical empire built by the ancient Altos once stood.

“Well, that’s why there’s high demand for skilled warriors. Powerful monsters can’t be defeated just by numbers. Do you know what a cockatrice is?”

“No.”

“It’s a monster that looks like a mix between a chicken and a lizard, covered in stone-like skin. No matter how much ordinary people stab it with spears or shoot arrows, they can’t even scratch it. Only skilled knights can cut off its head.”

“Wow...”

“If you managed to slay a dragon invading the kingdom, you might even be granted the title of duke.”

“Could I really do that? Even when I chop down a big tree with an axe or sword, the blade gets damaged or breaks.”

No matter how he thought about it, Shan couldn’t imagine cutting through the neck of a monster covered in stone. Even the sword he treasured most, taken from the bandit leader, would snap instantly if he tried.

Roden laughed heartily.

“Of course, you can’t do it with just any weapon. You’d need a weapon blessed by a priest or imbued with magic. On top of that, it must be filled with Spirit.”

“Spirit?”

“Hmm... It’s a bit of a hard concept to explain.”

Rolling his eyes as if searching for the right words, Roden began to explain. Warriors who reached a certain level could use the power of their trained minds to influence reality to some extent. The will to cut could imbue a blade, allowing an ordinary sword to slice through rock, or the will to defend could fill a shield, enabling one to withstand the charge of a monster many times heavier.

“That said, knights who use spirit aren’t invincible. No matter how strong their will, flesh can still be pierced by blades, and poison will still kill them. And using that kind of power is exhausting.”

“How do you gain that Spirit thing?”

“By pushing yourself to the extreme through training, you eventually learn to use it naturally.”

What mattered was that having Spirit didn’t necessarily make someone a stronger warrior. Even if you could slice iron like cheese, it meant nothing if your opponent thrust a spear through your throat first. It was best to think of it as simply having better weapons and armor. As Shan marveled at these unfamiliar and mysterious concepts, he suddenly heard a strange noise.

“Wait.”

“What?”

“There’s something strange coming from over there.”

“I don’t hear anything... what kind of sound?”

“Screaming and shouting. I think someone’s fighting.”

Roden’s face stiffened. After taking a deep breath, he said,

“Let’s go check. Where?”

“Over there.”

Guided by Shan, they moved quickly through the forest, much faster than before. Before long, the noise grew loud enough for Roden to hear as well. They found the source below a hill they climbed.

“Don’t fall back! Hold the formation!”

“Archers! Fire!”

“Aaaaargh—!”

What had once been a green field was now soaked in blood, turned dark and blackened. Soldiers clad mostly in cloth, leather, and some in metal, clashed with spears and swords, firing arrows at one another. This was no small skirmish. It was a full-scale battle—hundreds, perhaps even over a thousand warriors fighting below them.

“Ugh...”

Seeing blades scattered everywhere, Roden’s face turned pale. But since none were aimed directly at him, he managed to endure. After examining the flags on both sides, Roden nodded.

“Duke Moraen and Count Barlic... I heard they were gathering armies in each other’s territories, but I never thought I’d see them clash here.”

“You know them?”

“Just rumors I heard on the way. One is the young king of Libert’s uncle, the other his maternal grandfather. Recently, Count Barlic accused Duke Moraen of being behind attacks on villages in his territory.”

Though Shan didn’t fully understand terms like “uncle” or “maternal grandfather,” he understood “attacks on villages.”

“Ah... could that be...”

“Yeah. The bandits you killed.”

“So that Moraen person hired those bandits?”

“No idea. It could be true, or it could be a third party trying to provoke conflict between them.”

That was something only those in power would know. Thanks to this information, Shan now understood why the lord of Leaf Village hadn’t sent troops after him. As a vassal, he was likely too busy sending forces to his liege to deal with an Alto bandit. While Roden pondered the political implications, Shan was captivated by the raw battle unfolding below.

What if I fought down there...?

The armored soldiers were far stronger and faster than ordinary farmers. Still, they were nowhere near Shan’s level, but when several of them formed a wall with large shields, he couldn’t imagine how to break through it. Even if he leaped in and killed one or two, he’d be cut down the moment multiple swords struck back.

And what about a volley of arrows from dozens of archers? He might block a few, but not more than ten. Maybe he’d need a shield. Lost in thought, Shan noticed something else—horses charging from one side. There were four riders.

Could those be...

Knights clad head to toe in plate armor rode massive horses, wielding long lances and shields. The horses themselves were armored in chainmail, shrugging off incoming arrows. The knights charged straight through the rain of arrows toward the heavily armored infantry’s shield wall—the very formation Shan had thought impossible to break. Watching from above, Shan instinctively concluded.

They can’t break through.

Even with their momentum, it wasn’t enough to break a shield wall formed by dozens of soldiers. They might take down the front line, but then they’d stop. But the moment that thought crossed his mind, the knights thrust their lances forward as they collided with the shield wall. With a thunderous roar that echoed all the way up the hill, more than twenty soldiers were sent flying, a path blasted open before them.