Chapter 42

=======[Knut]========

I hate the sound of hooves.

Nightmares always came with the sound of hooves.

—

My ancestors’ homeland, Dane, was a weak country.

The men were all excellent warriors, but there were too few of them.

From the moment they were endlessly resisting the Empire and eventually sacrificed, the country was destined to remain weak forever.

Fortunately, my ancestor was wise enough to foresee Dane’s fate.

That’s why, at the moment Dane broke away from the Empire, he chose to join the Empire.

Still, perhaps he couldn’t completely abandon his homeland, as he settled near the border with the Kingdom of Dane.

Anyway, thanks to that, our family was able to live free from the nightmares of the East that swept through the Kingdom of Dane.

Until that day came.

—

It was autumn.

I remember it was harvest season.

A cool breeze swirled pleasantly, and golden barley filled the fields, swaying like waves.

I often saw the village elders happily saying this year’s harvest was bountiful.

I returned home, hung up my axe, and wiped off my sweat.

“Did you spend the whole day training again, Knut? Play with me sometimes…”

“Astrid, not neglecting training is a warrior’s virtue.”

My younger sister, Astrid, clung to me and whined.

I stroked her bouncing golden hair as if to soothe it.

“Even if you’re a warrior, there’s nothing to fight here anyway. Do you want to become a soldier?”

“Well…”

Certainly, this village was peaceful.

Although the Empire’s north and east were always at war, the flames of war never reached here.

I had no intention of joining the Imperial Army.

Even though we could live peacefully thanks to the Empire, the fact that the Empire sacrificed my people remained unchanged.

It was a lesson passed down through generations, from my father, his father, and ancestors before them.

Honestly, I wondered if it still mattered now.

But still, following the ancestors’ teachings was also a duty a warrior had to uphold.

“Don’t bother your brother too much, Astrid. Knut is trying to keep his oath to the warrior god.”

My father, who had entered through the door, comforted Astrid.

He was carrying a deer on his shoulder.

My father was a hunter.

“Dad!”

Astrid ran to my father and hugged him.

From the kitchen, my mother came out to greet him.

“You worked hard, Sven. We can have venison for the first time in a while.”

“Yes. I’m back.”

At my mother’s words, Astrid cheered.

My father, holding Astrid, walked over to my mother.

Both of them were smiling brightly at Astrid.

Yes. Such things happened…

—

An oath.

What was my first oath?

Was it to become strong to protect my sister and family?

How ridiculous.

—

The village was burned to the ground.

It was the work of the Kahar.

The first time since the Berengeiria Wall was built, a powerful force successfully bypassed the wall and marched in.

It was the raid of the Ai-shan Gi-or, led by the giant Or-han.

That day, every man in the village died except me.

A terrible bloodbath, screams of agony, grotesque laughter, and the sound of hooves filled the entire village.

My father, who fought back, was pierced by a horseman’s spear and lost his life.

I tried to follow my father’s last words to protect my sister, so I carried Astrid on my back and ran.

The house was already burning.

I couldn’t find my mother. Not after that.

I prayed that my mother wasn’t captured by them and could follow my father.

I fled, leaving the blood-soaked village behind.

The tears of my sister streaming down my back felt as if they were boiling.

I didn’t run for long.

Eventually, I was shot in the leg and collapsed, groaning.

Astrid, whom I was carrying, rolled to the side.

“…Bølberg.”

Preparing for the inevitable fight, I gripped my axe and muttered the name of the warrior god.

A giant man on a large horse put away his bow and smirked at me.

A body more like a boulder than a human.

Eyes like burning coal.

He was like a monster from a fairy tale brought to life.

Behind him, on a smaller horse, was a girl.

She had long black hair and carried an oddly long sword.

Her eerie blue eyes stared at me expressionlessly.

I charged at the man with my axe raised.

I had to somehow defeat him and steal his horse to escape.

– Kwaaaang!

With a single strike, my axe shattered, and blood gushed out.

I couldn’t even comprehend where or how I was hit.

My legs gave out, and I collapsed to the ground.

“Brotherrrrr!”

Astrid, who was crying and running towards me, was caught by the man.

Astrid, with both arms tightly held, staggered and resisted.

“Hmm. This kid seems about your age. How about I give you a little slave girl, Halshall?”

The man spat out disgusting words.

I vomited blood and desperately struggled to move.

Move…! Get up, fight…..!

Even as I gritted my teeth and twisted my body, no strength came to my legs.

I said get up!

What did you swear for, Knut!

Scratching the dirt with my fingers, I crawled, half-rising, only for my elbows to buckle and my body to crash back to the ground.

The bleeding was too severe.

My consciousness began to fade.

No. I have to protect my sister, Astrid…!

“…It’s unnecessary. Kill me, or hand me over to another warrior, do as you please.”

The girl called Hasharl replied with a cold voice, turning her head away.

The man holding Astrid followed the girl, disappearing into the distance.

No. This can’t be happening. God of warriors, please…!

Beyond my fading vision, I saw my sister reaching out to me, crying.

—-

It was my fellow Danes who saved me as I was dying.

They had chased after the Kahars’ raid, crossing the border to reach the village.

The Imperial Army, supposed to guard the border, had been defeated by the Kahars and fled.

What a cruel twist of fate.

—-

For four years after that, I trained as if I had thrown my life away.

I had already given up on my sister’s safety.

I was convinced that a child taken by those demons couldn’t possibly be alive.

Until I heard from the knights of Dane that they had found a slave named Astrid, Sven’s daughter.

I threw down my axe and ran like a madman.

Astrid. My sister, Astrid…!

You’re alive…! You’re alive……!

Thank you, God of warriors!

Joy mixed into my steps.

…Until I saw her.

—-

Astrid was.

No.

The woman who was Astrid lay on a sickbed.

She had nothing.

No eyes, no tongue, no arms, no legs.

Only a body wrapped in bandages remained of my sister.

And even that was about to fade away.

Holding my sister in my arms as she took her last breath, I swore anew.

<I will dedicate my life to killing every last one of those demons.

—-

While fighting the Kahars in Dane under a hidden identity, I heard an unbelievable story.

Rumors that the Empire had decided to accept the Kahars.

As proof, the Kahars’ princess, Hasharl Aishangior, was coming to the Empire.

I remembered that name.

The name of the girl who watched from behind Orhan that day.

The daughter of the devil.

Now grown, slaughtering my people like her father.

I had only hoped to meet her on the battlefield.

Peace…? Now, bowing to the Empire?

I can’t accept it.

I can’t forgive it.

I gripped my axe and returned to the Empire.

Since I was still an Imperial citizen, it wasn’t too difficult.

The Kingdom of Dane had already established a spy network within the Empire by contacting Daneans with Imperial citizenship.

With their help, I was able to enter the academy where she was to enroll.

—-

The woman I faced after eight years was quite different from my memories.

Her height had grown significantly. Her once icy blue eyes had softened.

Her attitude was nonchalant, and she always had a magic herb in her mouth.

The chilling coldness I first saw and the rumors of her as a slaughterer were nowhere to be seen.

Except for the deep, ominous aura and the sticky stench of blood that clung to her.

The smell of my people’s blood.

I watched her fight like a predator tracking its prey.

Like her father, her strength was beyond human.

Her movements were instinctual, like a beast, wielding violence without restraint.

Perhaps she was holding back her power, as she seemed weaker than the rumors.

She must be aware of me too.

On the other hand, when not fighting, she was just a foul-tempered girl.

Laughing and joking with a half-breed girl, chatting with a boy named Damien and the girl next to him, she didn’t seem like a devil at all.

Maybe her desire for peace wasn’t a lie.

Like a wolf that had put a leash on itself.

As if trying to suppress and tame its own nature.

Do you think I’ll let it go?

I haven’t forgotten my oath.

I still remember my father’s death.

I still reminisce about my mother’s smile.

I will never forget Astrid’s last moments…

I’ll skewer your daughter’s head on a spear and throw it to you, Orhan.

Come fight the Empire again.