The next morning.
Jin stood in front of the carriage he had ridden from Whissen Castle, clad in the armor of the Dark Knight Order, and tapped the ground with his toe.
“Why is that lord taking so long? Damn nobles…”
“We came out early, brother.”
“Anyway, do you think it’s okay to just go back to Whissen Castle like this? We even lied about the leader coming… Urk!”
Buta, whose mouth was suddenly covered, looked down. Jin’s black eyes glared at him with a terrifying intensity.
“Watch your mouth. That’s top secret. If you blab again, I won’t let it slide.”
Nod.
Buta, overwhelmed by Jin’s oppressive presence, nodded like he was under a spell.
Before, he thought he could at least put up a fight against Jin if he went all out.
But in the past two weeks, something had changed in Jin. He had become a completely different person.
‘No way I can win. Jin might even be stronger than Ged now.’
He couldn’t even imagine touching a hair on Jin’s head.
Jin released Buta and sat on the coachman’s seat.
“Well, let’s wait leisurely for the lord.”
While exchanging trivial chatter with the yawning, elderly coachman, they saw Baron Etvan approaching from afar with a large knight in tow.
“Good morning, Sir Jin.”
Baron Etvan, unusually adorned in gleaming armor, spoke with a hint of contempt in his voice.
It seemed he hadn’t forgotten what happened a fortnight ago.
“Good morning, Baron Etvan.”
Indifferent, Jin got down from the coachman’s seat and gave a light bow towards the baron.
As the baron passed by Jin and got into the carriage, he spoke.
“I heard we were to meet the Dark Knight Order’s leader halfway. Is that correct?”
“Yes, that’s correct. And who is the person beside you?”
Jin glanced at the rough-looking knight next to the baron, who then replied in an arrogant voice while looking down on Jin.
“Nice to meet you. Call me Robert.”
Robert, having introduced himself, walked past Jin, and the baron added an explanation.
“Sir Robert has dedicated his life to serving the Jerfelt family. He might be lacking compared to the Royal Knight Order, but he’s quite skilled with a sword. He can take down a group of five or six mercenaries alone.”
From his tone, it was clear the baron didn’t trust Jin and had brought his family’s knight for assurance.
“Does this Robert know about the situation?”
Jin asked the baron, who, with a complicated expression, nodded.
“He’s trustworthy, don’t worry. The leader won’t find out about your mishap.”
“Even if he did, it wouldn’t matter. The leader planned to leave at dawn, so if we leave now, we should meet him by evening.”
“Evening… Why evening?”
“The leader preferred fewer eyes on this. It’s not ideal for the leader of the Royal Knights to be involved in such matters.”
“I see.”
The baron, understanding, got into the carriage.
With Baron Etvan’s shiny armor and Robert’s large frame, the carriage was cramped.
Thus, Jin was left to sit on the coachman’s seat.
Clop-clop.
Leaving behind the soldiers who came to see the baron off and the birds perched on the roof, the carriage driven by the elderly coachman began to traverse the snow-covered mountain path.
“Whew… That cursed demon… causing so much trouble.”
After a long silence, Baron Etvan sighed deeply.
This caught the attention of everyone except Jin.
From the looks of it, Robert wasn’t fully informed about the situation either.
“How cunning must he be?”
“Over ten men have died without a single clue. All that was left were blood-soaked corpses. Now, all we can rely on is the leader of the Royal Knights.”
“Indeed, the leader could wipe out this entire mountain to kill the demon.”
“Perhaps. Everyone in the Meteor Sword Clan knows of the leader’s grandness.”
“But we can’t afford to lose the Jerfelt territory. It’s everything to me.”
“Haha! I’m worried about that too. But surely, the leader wouldn’t go that far?”
Baron Etvan laughed at Robert’s joke, then turned to Jin, who had been staring out the window.
“Sir Jin, what are you so focused on?”
“I’m observing the birds.”
“The birds… Well, it’s probably fascinating for someone from outside. They’ve been here since the Jerfelt family settled. Practically the guardians of this mountain.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. According to stories passed down, the leader of the birds has lived for over a hundred years…”
Just then, a horse’s whinny and the coachman’s scream interrupted the baron.
“Ah! What is that!”
Baron Etvan, grabbing the decorative sword at his waist, shouted at the coachman.
“What’s happening?”
“There are bodies! Five of them!”
“What?! Could it be the demon again?”
“Check it out, Rat.”
Unlike the panicked baron, Jin was calm. At his command, Rat got off the coachman’s seat and checked the faces of the bodies.
“Brother, it’s those mercenaries from a few days ago! Their insides are completely hollow!”
Rat’s report made Baron Etvan lean out the window.
On the blood-soaked, frozen snow were five brutally murdered bodies.
Suppressing his rising nausea, Baron Etvan shouted at the coachman.
“Turn the carriage around! The demon must be nearby! We need to return to the estate quickly!”
“But…”
“But what! Are you defying my orders?”
The terrified baron screamed, but the frightened horses wouldn’t budge.
Just as the frustrated baron was about to urge the coachman, Jin spoke softly.
“You mentioned earlier, didn’t you? According to stories, the leader of the birds has lived over a hundred years.”
“Yes, it’s called the Silverback. What does that have to do with anything? We need to get out of here…”
Ignoring the baron’s outburst, Jin continued calmly.
“Do you know what happens to a beast that lives for over a hundred years?”
“We don’t have time for this…!”
“It gains intelligence similar to a human.”
“Intelligence?”
“Yes. When a beast surpasses its lifespan and evolves, it becomes a spiritual creature and can make a pact with a demon.”
“Wait a minute. Are you saying…”
Realizing the gravity of the situation, the baron asked, and Jin, without answering, quietly placed his hand on his sword and spoke to Rat and Buta.
“There’s more of them than I thought. I think it’s time to use that Obelium we got. Get ready, everyone.”
“Damn it. I was hoping to sell it for a profit.”
“Well, it’s a shame, but we have no choice. Our lives are more valuable than money…”
Bzzz—
As the two grumbled, they touched the small pieces of ore to their blades, causing a purple light to glow around their swords.
“What’s going on? What are these spirit beasts? Explain it so I can understand!”
“My lord, it seems we’re in a serious situation!”
Baron Etvan pressed Jin for answers.
Drawing his sword, Jin pointed outside.
“Do you see?”
“What do you… Ahhh!!!”
Baron Etvan screamed at the sight.
A dark wave was rushing toward the carriage from afar. Even at a glance, it looked like hundreds of Baboons.
“Kiik, kiiiik!”
Unlike their usual tame appearance, the creatures’ eyes glowed red with hostile intent.
“Damn. Whatever it is, we’re not getting out of this easily. I’ll try to buy us some time!”
“Don’t get out. Just wait here. I’ll handle it when the opportunity arises.”
“Don’t order me around, you weakling knight! Sir Robert! Protect your lord with your life!”
“Oh, come on…!!!”
Despite Jin’s attempts to stop him, Robert leaped from the carriage and swung his halberd, cutting down the approaching Baboons .
“Kiiieek!”
A Baboons split in half fell, screaming.
Following Robert, Rat and Buta also jumped out of the carriage and began slashing at the Baboons frantically.
As the battle erupted outside the carriage, Jin, seated and focused on Baron Etvan, spoke to him in a calm and quiet voice.
“A demon who makes a pact usually gains several unique powers—abilities that defy the normal laws of the world.”
“Is that important right now?!”
“It’s crucial, so listen carefully. To maintain their magic, a demon must regularly offer parts of a human or a similarly intelligent being as sacrifices.”
“…”
“That’s why the Silverback, the leader of these weaker Baboons , chose a power that allows it to consistently make sacrifices…”
Before Jin could finish, a roar echoed, shaking the snowy mountain.
Kwoooong—
A powerful gust kicked up a snowstorm behind the Baboons horde.
An enormous silver-haired Baboons , with the bulk and arms of a gorilla, landed in front of Robert after leaping over the heads of the other Baboons .
With a thunderous blow, the creature’s fist crashed into Robert’s helmet.
Kwaaang!
With a loud bang, blood and brain matter splattered from Robert’s cracked helmet. He fell limp, his halberd slipping from his hand.
He died instantly from a single blow.
“Sir Robert!!!”
Baron Etvan’s scream echoed inside the carriage.
Jin clicked his tongue in disapproval.
“See, that’s why I told you to wait. People who don’t know its abilities get taken down without a chance.”
“Abilities?”
In response to Etvan’s question, Jin explained.
“To discern who it can kill and to gauge its opponent’s strength, the Silverback can see and think through the eyes of its target once a day.”
“What?”
Baron Etvan’s eyes widened in shock. If that was true, it meant he had been unwittingly helping the demon.
“Combining this with the information from the Baboons it controls makes the situation extremely troublesome.”
“Then… it judged Sir Robert to be weaker based on what it saw through my eyes?”
“Correct. It analyzed that it could take him down in one hit if it attacked with full force. For a monkey, it’s pretty smart and seems to have some battle experience.”
Baron Etvan’s eyes widened further in disbelief.
Robert was renowned in the territory for his strength and durability, able to take on ten soldiers at once. Yet, he was killed in a single blow.
This meant the leader of the attacking Baboons was stronger than Robert.
Jin stood up, hand on his sword, and prepared to leave the carriage.
“I guess it’s my turn now. The Silverback must be feeling confident after taking down Sir Robert in one hit. If it rampages any further, we’ll be in real trouble.”
“You’re going to face that monster? Wouldn’t it be better to escape and wait for Belkan’s help…”
Baron Etvan, desperate, grabbed Jin’s sleeve. Jin shook him off firmly and murmured.
“I have a confession to make. I’ve been deceiving you, my lord.”
“Deceiving me?”
Half-mad with fear, Baron Etvan asked as Jin stepped out of the carriage.
“Lord Belkan will not be coming here today.”
“What? Lord Belkan isn’t coming?”
“That’s right. It’s to make the Silverback impatient and attack us before meeting him.”
“So you used me as bait to catch the demon? A mere knight like you dares to use a baron?”
Confused, Baron Etvan rambled. Jin shrugged and leaped from the carriage.
“You can punish me later if you want. For now…”
Srrrng—
Drawing his sword, glowing with a purple hue, Jin aimed his blade at the growling Silverback.
“I need to cut off this creature’s head.”
“You couldn’t even defeat a mere mercenary, and now you plan to fight that monster?”
“You don’t seem to know much about me, my lord.”
“…?”
Despite the life-or-death situation, Jin’s expression remained calm.
“I never fight a battle I can’t win.”
Jin, stepping forward on the blood-soaked snow, faced the Silverback’s heated breath.
“Kiiieek!”
Simultaneously, the Baboons on both sides of the carriage lunged at Rat and Buta.
“Compared to the monsters we faced in the castle, these are cute. Makes me want to yawn.”
“Their ferocity is scary, but they’re not that strong. They’re about as tough as ghouls.”
Exchanging glances, Buta and Rat swung their weapons.
Shwaaack!
Blood sprayed across the snowy field. Baron Etvan, regaining some composure, called out to Jin as he approached the Silverback.
“If you lose, I die too, right?!”
“Of course. Do you know how to use a sword? I’d appreciate the help.”
“No, I’m terrible with a sword! My family has always been civil officials!”
“Then there’s no choice. If I lose, you die too.”
Jin’s indifferent response, sword in hand, showed no fear despite the Silverback’s massive size.
Seeing Jin’s confident back, Baron Etvan felt an inexplicable hope and urgently spoke.
“What do I need to do to help you win?!”
“I’m glad to hear that. I thought you’d just curse at me.”
“I’ll curse later. Just tell me what to do!”
Jin looked at Baron Etvan’s determined face and, drawing mana from his core, said.
“Don’t open your eyes until the battle is over. That will block half of its sight.”
“Got it! I won’t open my eyes even if it kills me!”
With a resolute voice, Baron Etvan tore off his sleeve and blindfolded himself.
At that moment—
Kwaaang—
The Silverback’s giant fist clashed with Jin’s blade.
