Surviving as a Knight in a Trash Game

Chapter 139

For approximately a year and a half, apart from his class advancement, Karl hadn't experienced any major events.

This meant the system had also been paused for the same period.

‘It definitely… seemed to react to my choice.’

If, until now, the system had guided Karl in the direction it desired, this time, perhaps his will had been reflected first.

He would need to investigate further to be sure, but it was a subtle yet definite change.

“What are you thinking so deeply about?”

“This and that.”

“Your flaw is that you’re too taciturn and no fun.”

“My life is quite alright, actually.”

“Hmm…?”

Bastien, who had been chattering away next to Karl, was suddenly at a loss for words due to Karl’s single remark.

“Sir Bastien, you’ve been hit too. Our Commander is surprisingly good with words, which means you have to be careful. Seeing as Sir Bastien also seems very bored, if you’re bored on the way, shall I be your talking companion? I was just getting an itchy mouth from trying to stay quiet. If we talk about Sir Bastien’s legendary achievements, won’t we arrive at our destination quickly?”

Bastien felt a sudden wave of fatigue due to this fellow named Kelvin, who had appeared from nowhere and was now chattering relentlessly beside him.

“Hum… hum… Thank you for the offer, but you must be tired from moving too, so I’ll decline.”

“Aw, don’t decline. I’m not tired at all. I may look like this, but I’ve got some experience from my younger days. Hahaha.”

It was a moment when he genuinely missed the Karl from just a little while ago, who was too quiet, even if excessively so.

Whether Kelvin’s mouth rested or kept moving, the group of 10, including Karl, continued to move along a ridge where no human presence was felt.

Their fighting strength, composed only of highly skilled individuals, was beyond imagination.

Karl, Bastien, and Kelvin, three Master-grade knights, along with Diogo, Daniel, and Godfrey, three seasoned Superior-grade knights, a total of six powerhouses, were moving together.

“Sir Walter will join us near Postasia.”

Daniel, the Commander of the Order’s 3rd Holy Knight Division, announced the impending arrival of Walter, the Order’s 1st Sword.

“No, a Margrave leading a detached unit? How long will our Commander live like this?”

“Probably, his whole life.”

Kelvin and Diogo looked at Karl’s back, who was riding ahead, and let out an incredulous laugh.

“Come to think of it, isn’t it just as absurd that Sir Daniel or Sir Walter are moving like this?”

“Indeed. So, have you heard anything about how we’re going to move this time?”

“Is there any difference between you and me, hyung-nim?”

“You’re still a Master, aren’t you, a Master.”

“They said we just go in, cut them down, come out. Then go in again, cut them down, come out, and repeat that?”

“…”

Diogo let out a hollow laugh at the absurd story that could hardly be called a plan.

After moving for a long while again, the group, now joined by Walter and five Holy Knights, soon arrived at Postasia.

***

“When on earth did you get here?”

“Originally, people like us travel quickly and efficiently. The journey must have been tough for you, right? Seeing how disheveled you look.”

Anne, sitting comfortably in a safe house, smiled brightly as she looked at the group that had arrived after a difficult journey over the mountains.

Even though they had crossed the mountains, how on earth had this woman managed to arrive here before the Master-grade knights?

Leaving behind an unsolved mystery, the knights relieved their travel fatigue in the safe house Anne had prepared.

“Now, look here.”

Anne slowly walked out in front of the knights, who were settled in comfortable attire in the safe house’s conference room.

She flipped back a paper form for meetings, similar to the one Karl had made in the past.

“These Postasia bastards are complete sons of bitches.”

Anne, who rarely ever swore, began the meeting with a curse.

“I’m investigating where these bastards popped out from, but I still don’t know for sure. However, I did realize that their behavior is similar to those Tarantula bastards from before.”

In the materials Anne had prepared, Postasia was performing human sacrifices.

Those bastards drained all the blood of those who volunteered as servants of God and then burned all the corpses in an incinerator they had built.

“Heo….”

Their main targets were children, young women, and the like.

“The problem is that the place where these so-called servants of God are gathered is close to an impregnable fortress. Look here.”

In her materials, the place where the servants of God gathered was a basin-shaped terrain completely surrounded by mountains, and not only the mountains but also the village-like place where they gathered was thoroughly isolated from the outside.

“The approximate number of stationed troops seems to be at least 1,000, and many skilled individuals are included.”

As her briefing continued, the faces of those present grew increasingly grim.

“Not easy.”

When the explanation of the prepared materials was all finished, one question remained in Karl’s mind.

“How did you escape?”

Where Karl’s gaze rested, Marco, who had recently come before Bishop Meder, was standing.

Logically, wouldn’t there be only one way to escape from an impregnable fortress with tight security?

“I am not an insider. If I were, there would have been no reason to bring them to you, my lord.”

“Well, that’s true. But if they’re targeting me, then the story changes.”

Recently, there were not just one or two people targeting Karl’s life in the West Continent.

As hostile relationships had accumulated over a long period, the number of those who wanted his head had increased.

“Whether you believe me or not is your choice, my lord, but if you take me with you, I will provide assistance accordingly. Escape and infiltration are my areas of expertise.”

Certainly, the various aspects he occasionally showed hinted that Marco was an expert in fields like disguise and infiltration.

‘His movements are incredible.’

Karl also had considerable experience in disguise and infiltration, so he knew well how difficult such movements were.

The realm of talent definitely exists.

“Is there a good route for infiltration?”

“Since it has already been used for escape once, it probably can’t be considered a good route.”

“No, rather, because it was used for escape once, it should be fine.”

It was natural to strengthen security since a hole had been breached, but Karl’s thought was that they wouldn’t expect someone to re-enter through the escape route.

“Tomorrow at dawn, we will enter through Marco’s escape route, slaughter those bastards, and evacuate as many people as possible. Since many entered voluntarily, we probably won’t be able to bring out a large number of people. The first escape will only take those who wish to leave.”

Originally, nothing is as frightening as a pseudo-religion.

A pseudo-religion is so pernicious that a mother would offer her daughter to the cult leader.

Even in modern society on Earth, with science, technology, and universal education, it’s like that.

This place is set in a medieval worldview.

It’s a place where bizarre acts performed in the name of God are rampant, so it would be worse, not better.

He could only hope that as many people as possible were aware of the situation they were in.

***

“Mister, don’t you think this place is a bit strange?”

“Huh? What is? Isn’t it because Lord Decarabia bestowed his grace that we can eat and sleep in such warm bread and a warm house?”

“…Mister’s son, Maxim. How long has it been since you last saw him?”

“Maxim? Maxim was chosen for a special task for Lord Decarabia, so it’s natural that I can’t see him.”

“…Are you saying it’s okay even if Maxim can never meet you again in his life?”

“How could that be? Didn’t the bishops say? That someday, when the time comes, I’ll be able to meet Maxim again.”

“…”

A piece of warm, soft bread, something a poor serf could rarely eat, was in Fiona’s hand.

Even so, she felt as if that soft bread was stuck in her throat.

Once a week, dozens of people were selected from here and disappeared somewhere under the pretext of performing sacred service for Decarabia.

Yet, no one thought it strange.

Even though they were their wives, children, and parents, they didn’t find it strange that their families had disappeared.

‘Everyone’s crazy.’

Fiona looked around, cautiously searching for people who thought like her.

And the conclusion she reached was that surprisingly few people doubted this absurd situation.

‘They’re disappearing.’

And she realized that over the course of a month, the people who doubted were disappearing.

From that day on, she began to gather people who had lost their families and were looking for them, and people who recognized that this place was strange.

“You must never show any sign that you’ve noticed something is strange.”

The moment they noticed, their lives would be like that of a fly.

She only realized it now, but this place was no different from a prison surrounded by mountains on all four sides.

“Our… Mike, Mike is….”

“Don’t cry, you mustn’t cry. If you really want to find Mike, Auntie, you absolutely mustn’t cry. If you cry here, you’ll never be able to find your child.”

Under Fiona’s initiative, a slightly different movement began to emerge within the village where the servants of God were.

And it was the insiders, rather than outsiders, who sensed this subtle current.

“Uh… Bishop….”

“What is it?”

The man in the white robe, with a worldly benevolent smile, looked at the foolish underling who had called him.

“It seems there is a group that doubts Lord Decarabia.”

“What… What do you mean? A group that doubts?”

The man began to recount what he had seen regarding Fiona and the people around her.

“Yes… so that’s what happened?”

As soon as the man in the white robe received the villager’s report, he quickly walked off somewhere.

“It seems there are vermin eating away at the servants.”

On the evening of the day the bishop, who believed in Decarabia, finished his report, all the soldiers surrounding the village gathered in the central plaza.

In the dark night, they all wore white robes and held blazing torches.

“Tonight, capture all the vipers’ offspring hiding in the village. Especially that wench named Fiona, capture her alive, whatever it takes.”

Thus, the men in white robes began to roam throughout the village.

***

“Something’s strange today, isn’t it? Why are the guards who should be here missing?”

Anne, recalling the detailed deployment map of their forces obtained through her operatives, was flustered by the current situation where the surroundings were all clear and no one was around.

“There’s no way they knew we were coming.”

Anne, who had tagged along to guide them, frowned.

“Something might have happened inside.”

At Karl’s quietly spoken words, everyone’s eyes changed.

Something had happened inside.

The most realistic story.

“It might actually be a good opportunity for us.”

“Won’t it be dangerous if all their troops are gathered?”

“There are four Masters and more than seven Superiors.”

Only then did Bastien nod his head.

Masters were existences beyond the standard, to the point where he couldn't clearly remember when he had last participated in a battlefield with two or more Masters.

And there were a whopping four of them.

On top of that, there were seven Superior-grade knights, and seasoned ones at that.

“I guess I’ve gotten old too. As you say, with this much fighting power, we won’t die anywhere.”

Even if ten men couldn't kill a thousand troops, those ten men wouldn't die in a battle against a thousand either.

“Good, good.”

Karl’s group of about 10 people thus began their charge towards the village where the servants of God were gathered.

Dududududu.

They rode their horses with utmost confidence, galloping straight towards the front of the village.

“Who are you scoundrels!”

Kwaaaaaang!

With a large explosion as a starting point, about 10 mounted knights entered the village where 1,000 troops were gathered.