The man clad in armor was sitting on a rock and sharpening his sword.
His sword was covered in red blood, as if he had caught a passing monster.
"You can't fool your age. The winter air is so cold that I can feel it in my bones."
He couldn't be called old, but the scars and wrinkles etched on his face were sufficient to hint at the years and environment he had endured.
"Hmm?"
The man stopped wiping the blood off his sword and focused on the sound he heard.
White breath coming from man's mouth scattered in all directions.
"It's quite convincing."
He could hear a faint sound from afar.
It was the chirping of a cuckoo.
A cuckoo was chirping in between the strangely withered trees along the road.
"Are you either stupid, or being stupid it on purpose?"
Tch, the middle-aged man licked his lips and confirmed that there was no one around, then walked off the road and headed toward the direction where he heard the cuckoo's chirping.
Cuckoo-Cuckoo.
The cuckoo remained in its place even when the man approached it, and continued to chirp. As if it were trying to convey its presence.
"I don't know who you are, but come out. I am here now."
The man in armor quietly spoke in the empty forest.
"...Are you Sir Stanga?"
Then, a person wearing a hood walked out of the forest that seemed empty.
"Yes. It's me, Stanga."
The man addressed as Stanga looked at the person before him with an expression of annoyance.
"So, you're the one called Vlad?"
"Yes."
As Vlad removed his upturned hood, Stanga examined him with a curious gaze.
"I heard the guide was from the back alleys, but you have blonde hair and blue eyes. Anyone would think you're from a noble family."
"...Here's a letter from my boss."
Vlad frowned after hearing Stanga's words.
"Let me see..."
Stanga's scars contorted strangely as he slowly read the letter.
Vlad couldn't easily discern the expression on Stanga's face. It seemed like he might be smiling, but at the same time, it appeared as if he might be getting angry.
"Very well. My esteemed senior is telling me to follow the kid before me."
"That's right."
He was an unpredictable man.
Vlad was born in the back alleys and had developed a keen sense for reading people, but he couldn't predict Stanga's nature.
"Follow me."
As Vlad assessed Stanga, Stanga also evaluated the kid before him. He deliberately created a rough atmosphere, but the blonde boy seemed unfazed by his words.
'Jorge might like this kid.'
He didn't know Vlad's true skill, but at least he appeared to be worthy of nurturing.
However, now Stanga was not a knight but merely a traveler who wanted to reach his destination early.
'I should give him a lesson here.'
In order to move forward comfortably, it seemed necessary to knead the boy's head who was obstructing his path.
"Ha... It seems like you are quite foolish. I wonder if you can guide me properly."
"I am good enough to give you directions."
"I don't think so."
Stanga wore a deep smile while watching Vlad express his displeasure.
"How can a guy who makes the sound of summer migratory birds in the middle of winter be smart?"
"Ah..."
Vlad's expression turned sour as he listened to Stanga's words.
"If you even hint that this isn't the right way while we're on our journey, I'll kill you. You idiot."
Stanga smiled as he sensed that his little tactic had worked, watching Vlad's bewildered expression.
※※※※
Knight.
A word that can make a back alley boy's heart race.
A title that can only be held by those who have qualifications, honor, and have proven their worth. And such a person was right next to him.
"Why do you keep glancing at me?"
"..... Do you get tired if I keep looking?"
"Don't lose the way."
"Don't worry. I know this path even with my eyes closed."
"Close your eyes then."
"...It's just a way of saying that I know it well."
Even though he had just received a jab, Vlad couldn't help but keep looking at Stanga.
Vlad was well aware that Jorge was a former knight, but the demeanor he exhibited was more that of an organization's boss than a knight.
However, Stanga, who was standing beside him, still retained the image of the knight he had always dreamed of becoming.
A longsword, leather breastplate, firmly-clad gauntlets, and the clinking sound of armor.
"Is this your first time seeing a retired knight? Why do you keep staring?"
"Not this close."
"You're quite the country bumpkin."
"Where are you from?"
"From Dakia."
"That's a completely rural area."
"..."
Stanga smiled grimly as he looked at Vlad, who didn't give up on him even though Stanga had just taught him a lesson.
"You better not lose your way. I'll finish you off in one blow if you do."
"We will be camping here tonight."
"Do city folks usually have this much attitude?"
Stanga grumbled, but he agreed with the boy's decision to camp for the night.
The two of them wandered through the forest while trying to avoid people's eyes, and the sun was also setting faster in the woods.
"You're quite skilled, aren't you? For a city person, I mean."
"I haven't had a proper home to call my own."
Stanga smiled as he watched the boy skillfully and quickly set up the campsite.
"Are you even making a spot for me too?"
"Because you're Jorge's guest."
"Hmm."
Before he knew it, Vlad had laid out a spot and was now busy collecting firewood for starting a fire.
"Don't you have anything to eat?"
"I have mine."
"What about me?"
"He didn't pack me anymore."
"..."
Stanga sighed and reluctantly took out the jerky he had with him.
It looked meager compared to what a person in shining armor would be expected to have.
Vlad hung the jerky over the fire as the bonfire was lit.
"You're making a fire even though we are supposed to be moving secretly?"
"That's why I took a long way around to get here. Even if there are people here, it's okay as long as they don't find out that I'm bringing a knight, Sir."
This meant that it didn't matter if their actions were discovered, as long as their intentions remained hidden.
"It seems like my senior is in a tough spot."
Stanga surmised Jorge's situation through Vlad's words.
"We hide the sword when we have to stab someone."
Vlad didn't say anything more. He simply acknowledged Stanga's words in silence.
".....In the worst case scenario, it's fine even if you're discovered, as long as we return safely."
Vlad was feeling the sharp senses of a knight for the first time, and was quietly impressed.
Stanga's words were correct.
He had no need to sneak into Shoara.
However, Jorge probably hid Stanga the Investigator because he intended to finish Jack for sure through this fight.
A knight is a sword.
And not just any sword, but a very sharp one.
A sword that comes flying in from an unforeseen place could be an excellent weapon.
Stanga is now retired, but he is a former knight and could certainly fulfill that role.
"But are you really going to eat it alone?"
Stanga asked as he alternatively looked between his own jerky and the jerky that Vlad had brought.
"Yes."
"Sigh..."
Vlad responded as if there was no need for further consideration.
Nom-nom
Stanga quenched his appetite as he watched the beef jerky gradually become more palatable on the fire.
"But it doesn't look quite good."
"The person who made it wasn't very skilled."
It was an unusual jerky.
Rather than looking like jerky, it resembled a lump of meat that had been carelessly put together.
But it had a smell that could turn one's taste buds.
Even its smell is killing me.'
The aroma it emitted while roasting over the fire was nearly indistinguishable from the scent of meat being cooked.
"Uh... hmm. Do you have any questions for me?"
"What's this all of a sudden?"
"I'll answer one question for each piece of jerky. This isn't just a chance that comes along every day."
"..."
Vlad hesitated for a moment and looked at Stanga as he munched on the beef jerky made by Zemina.
Why was this man acting like this?
"If you want some, just ask."
"I have the dignity of a knight, you brat. Knights only accept a fair reward."
"But you are retired."
"Still, everything I have done so far..."
"Name."
"...Stanga."
"Age."
"42... Hey, brat."
"Why did you come all the way here?"
Stanga caught the two pieces of jerky that came flying towards him from Vlad. He was momentarily taken aback by the sharp question that came straight at him.
Substance within emptiness.
Stanga thought of Vlad as a smart guy, but this lad was quite sharp-witted.
"What should I say as an unsuccessful knight….."
Stanga replied with a bitter expression as he skewered the jerky on a twig.
"Success?"
"Give me one more piece of jerky."
This time, Vlad reluctantly handed over the jerky he was holding with a somewhat sullen expression.
"Land. It's a foundation you can cultivate and a pillar that allows you to stand up on your own."
"Are you talking about manor?"
".... well, that's right."
Vlad was aware of it too—the fact that manor was one of the stepping stones that turned knights into something more than commoners. Manor is considered as the ultimate goal of knights.
"Do you want to become a noble?"
When Vlad asked this question, Stanga just let out an empty laugh and quietly stuffed the jerky into the fire.
"I just wanted to receive my fair reward."
The flickering light of the bonfire cast a peculiar shadow on Stanga's face.
"..."
Seeing the subtle change in Stanga's expression, Vlad felt that he was standing on a line he shouldn't cross right now.
You must not cross the line.
Everyone has their own world that they don't want to share with others.
"Alright, then."
To lighten the mood and ease Stanga's expression, Vlad decided to play the role of an ordinary boy.
"Do you know how to use aura?"
"Haha. Now I see, you are just pretending to be innocent."
In response to Vlad's question, Stanga chuckled and turned his head.
"Not all knights can use aura. And..."
"And?"
"Even if they can use it, using it in real combat is a different story."
"So can you use it? Or not?"
Stanga thought Vlad was acting, but he was mistaken.
The boy was sincere.
A knight. Aura.
Those two words were embedded in the boy's dreams.
"Take it all."
"What?"
"The jerky."
Vlad handed over the pouch containing the jerky quickly, in case Stanga would say something else.
"Knights only take their fair rewards, kid."
"So should I take some?"
At Vlad's words, Stanga swiftly snatched the pouch.
"Sometimes you need to lift your spirit."
Vlad watched Stanga with sparkling eyes, and he felt his heart beating strongly.
He could really see it—the essence of knights, the aura.
For that, it is not a waste to give up the jerky that Zipfel had personally made.
Stanga felt burdened by Vlad's sparkling gaze, and cleared his throat before speaking.
"All right, watch closely."
Vlad accepted the jerky Stanga was grilling with bright eyes.
Szzzzz—
Stanga drew his sword with both hands free.
The well-maintained sword came out smoothly and silently. It was as if a virtuous lady was extending her hand shyly.
"Why do you close your left eye?"
"I have to bring forth my own world from deep within my soul."
"...?"
Vlad didn't understand his words and simply watched as Stanga was standing up.
A knight standing under the moonlight with the bonfire before him. However, his presence was not concealed even in the presence of these two lights.
Knight Stanga. He was someone who knew how to bring forth his own light.
"Look. Kid."
Stanga began whispering to his sword as he kissed it.
It was a conversation with his sword and a kind of incantation to bring his world into reality.
"Wow."
As he did, a faint blue light began to shimmer from his sword.
It was dim and faint, but it was undoubtedly imbued with moonlight.
Even Vlad, who knew nothing, could recognize it.
It was Stanga's world, and it was also known as the aura.
"It's really cool."
Something began to flicker Vlad's blue eyes as he looked at Stanga's world.