Wandering Mercenary in an Open World

The mention of Gannicus caught them off guard. They tilted their heads in confusion, not expecting him to come up.

Ruon briefly explained to them what he had seen in the past and what had happened inside the Demon Lord after he pierced his heart.

When he finished, Igor immediately put on his rosary and prayed, while Strabo burst into tears.

“How did he endure for hundreds of years? How painful it must have been!”

Julius’s words made the dwarf cry even harder, sniffling and wiping his nose with a handkerchief. Kyle spoke, ignoring him.

“So this was Gannicus’s temple. It was so badly damaged that even Gullan, who prides himself on his expertise in this area, couldn’t figure it out…”

He trailed off, then added with a serious expression.

“Ruon, do you doubt the Grand Church?”

Ruon, who had been silent for a moment, slowly opened his mouth.

“It seems unlikely that they didn’t know about the incident that resulted from the corruption of the priest who was the temple’s caretaker, where the Demon Lord was born in a place where they exerted their influence.”

Igor muttered with a grim expression.

“It’s still just a possibility, but if they deliberately kept silent about it… that’s something that should never happen.”

Kyle nodded and said.

“There’s definitely something fishy about it. But it happened hundreds of years ago, and they might not want to expose their own faults… Will they cooperate?”

“I don’t know.”

As Ruon replied dryly, Strabo, who had blown his nose with a handkerchief from who knows where, said.

“Not satisfied with killing the Demon Lord, now you want to dig up the secrets behind his origin? How far do you want to go with your amazing achievements? I can’t even fathom it.”

Ruon smiled faintly at his astonished eyes. He said.

“The death of the Demon Lord is not enough to end my story.”

It was a blunt and straightforward statement from Ruon’s perspective, but it didn’t seem so to the listeners.

“Sometimes you have a knack for saying cool things without a care.”

“Indeed, no one deserves the title of Champion of Tivella more than Ruon. My mother would think so too.”

Strabo, who seemed to be the most impressed, murmured with a blank stare.

“Ahh, Ruon. If the adventure and romance I always dreamed of took human form, wouldn’t it be exactly like you? Really…”

Here we go again.

As if to stop him there, Ruon quietly raised his palm and said.

“Then it’s goodbye.”

With that short sentence, the three men who had been babbling stopped talking at once.

There was an unprecedented silence in the tent. It was broken by Kyle.

“At least you said something this time.”

He chuckled, remembering what had happened at the tower. He took a sip of wine and opened his mouth.

“Then and now, I always wanted to join Ruon’s journey. It’s funny… Why do I follow someone who only goes to places where he could die at any moment?”

He giggled for a while, then continued.

“But it’s difficult now. I have to take this weakling to the Grand Church.”

He pointed at Igor with his thumb and smiled. It was hard to find the face of the woodcutter who had swung his hammer with rage on Kyle’s face.

He’s changed.

Ruon smiled sincerely at the sight of Kyle, who had followed him with a shield on his back, but now had his own choices.

“Do that.”

“Don’t worry too much, I’ll follow you as soon as I finish the job.”

After that, Igor and Strabo spoke. They both started to ramble about their regrets and memories of parting. The common point was that none of them thought this farewell was the last.

Ruon didn’t know where their strange confidence came from, but he didn’t want to spoil their mood, so he nodded along.

But he also thought to himself that maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to meet them again someday.

Under the flickering candlelight, they spent the night with small talk. In the small tent, laughter erupted from time to time. None of the soldiers who had been on guard all night guessed that they were about to part.

When the sun rose to announce the morning, Ruon left the tent and quietly left the temple on his black horse.

***

A beautiful garden with lush citrus trees.

A woman was busy moving around. She trimmed the branches of the trees with scissors, and as soon as she finished, she shoveled the compost piled up on one side of the garden and sprinkled it evenly on the flower beds.

As time passed, clear sweat beads formed on the tip of her chin. But she didn’t seem to mind, wiping her sweat with the back of her hand and continuing her work.

Soon after, she finished her work and knelt on the ground. She put on her rosary and bowed her head quietly. A faint light began to leak from her body.

“Becky, are you praying for him again?”

As soon as she finished her prayer and got up, Becky turned around at the gentle voice behind her.

“Sister!”

The old woman approached with a warm smile and brushed off the dirt on Becky’s cheek.

“Mother must love your beautiful heart. You can introduce yourself as a priest of the church now.”

Becky shook her head vehemently.

“Don’t say that. I just want to live here with you, Sister, and tend the garden. Those tall buildings don’t suit me at all.”

She glanced at the two towering spires and continued.

“By the way, what brings you here? Didn’t you say you were going to see the bishops?”

“What’s the point of wasting time on a few formalities?”

The nun shrugged lightly and grasped Becky’s slender wrist.

“Let’s not stand here. Come on, let’s sit down and talk. I have some news that you’ve been waiting for.”

At that, Becky felt her heart pounding and pressed her palm against it.

The two of them sat down at a small table by the pond and looked at each other’s faces.

The nun smiled brightly and said.

“Why are you so flushed? I haven’t even told you who it is yet.”

Loren, who had quietly appeared from somewhere, placed some refreshments on the table and smirked.

“Isn’t it obvious? She’s the one who dreams of Ruon even in her sleep.”

“Loren!”

Becky shouted, and Loren stuck out his tongue and scurried away.

The nun watched him with a fond expression and slowly opened her mouth.

“Mother has sent word. She and her companions have finally defeated the Archdemon. Truly… they have accomplished a great feat.”

Becky gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. She stammered.

“Is Ruon safe? He’s not hurt, is he? And what about Igor? How is he…?”

The nun gently answered her rambling questions.

“Don’t worry too much. From what I saw, none of them had any visible injuries.”

Becky sighed in relief and tilted her head.

“None of them? You mean there are two more besides Ruon and Igor?”

“Yes, and they’re on their way here right now.”

“They’re coming back?”

Becky’s eyes widened even more. The nun held her hand tightly and replied.

“I’m sorry to disappoint you, but only three of them are heading to the Cathedral. And none of them is the one you’re looking for.”

“Oh…”

Becky trailed off and smiled faintly. She murmured softly.

“It’s okay. Ruon has bigger things to see in the world.”

“Becky, you don’t have to be so down.”

The nun took a small bite of a biscuit and sipped her tea.

After a while, she spoke again.

“I don’t know the exact reason, but Mother seemed very pleased that Igor and his two companions are visiting the Cathedral. Maybe she has finally found the Champion?”

Becky blinked at the sudden remark. The nun went on, but it sounded more like a soliloquy than a conversation.

“They’re coming here not to settle down, but to prepare for a bigger journey. In the end, they’ll leave again on their own feet to find him.”

The nun fell silent for a moment. Then she noticed Becky staring at her intently and gave a faint smile.

“I made you sit down to talk, but I ended up talking too much. I’m sorry. I don’t have the authority to speak for Mother…”

“What are you talking about?”

Becky pouted her lips, and the nun added in a gentle voice.

“Ultimately, what I want to say is this. Praying with all your heart is good, but if you really want to help, you have to move yourself.”

With him…, she trailed off and held out a biscuit to her.

Becky took it without thinking and bit into it. She chewed and swallowed.

She didn’t quite understand what the nun meant, but she felt a glimmer of hope that someday she might be able to help Ruon. She couldn’t help but smile.

***

A large black horse was walking across the grassland, dyed in a faint pink by the twilight.

Ruon looked down at the wildflowers blooming in various colors along the path.

“Are we going the right way?”

The black horse, Nightmare, snorted.

“As if I can understand…”

At that moment, the rune hanging from his waist quivered. Ruon furrowed his brow as he sensed the emotion coming from it.

“…You’re saying we’re going well? Wait… can you understand what he’s saying?”

The rune quivered again. It was a yes.

Good heavens.

Ruon closed his eyes tightly. He had found himself in a strange situation where he could communicate with a horse and a sword. He had expected to feel lonely after leaving his party, but he was proven wrong.

He sighed lightly and turned his head to look at the vast plain.

He had been traveling alone for three days since he parted ways with his companions, but he hadn’t been able to visit any villages, so he felt rather ragged.

The reason why Ruon had separated from his party was simple. Their route and his destination were completely different.

Unlike the Grand Church of Tivella, which could be accessed through the port city of Nook in the south, Igor said that the Grand Church of Ganak was in the east of the kingdom.

‘I don’t know the exact location either.’

As he pondered the priest’s words, who was scratching his head, Ruon suddenly spotted a small village in the distance.

“You did well to trust your nose.”

Ruon lightly ruffled the mane of Nightmare and headed straight for the village.

The stableman, who was old and wrinkled, gulped at the sight of the black horse, whose height was more than that of an average adult.

“Brother, I’ll pay you whatever you want, but can I have this guy?”

What are you talking about?

Ruon tilted his head as he handed over the reins.

“What do you mean by that?”

The stableman coughed and said.

“It’s my personal desire to inherit the bloodline of such a sturdy beast. I have a mare in heat anyway…”

He couldn’t finish his sentence. He was pushed and fell by the intangible force that emanated from the black horse’s mane.

“Ouch!”

Heeheeheehee-

Ruon slapped the head of Nightmare and helped the stableman up.

“It seems difficult. He’s not an ordinary horse.”

“Is, is that so.”

He nodded his head hastily under the glaring gaze of the black horse. But he still couldn’t hide his greed and asked in a low voice.

“…Then can I know where you got this beast from?”

“I remember it was near Bern, but I’m not sure.”

Ruon answered politely and read the emotions of the sword that fell from his waist as he translated the horse’s words.

He approached Nightmare and muttered coldly.

“…I know you’re a valuable body, so just eat some hay quietly. Don’t do anything stupid.”

After warning him, Ruon moved his steps toward the inn of the village. He was looking forward to having a proper meal today. As soon as he opened the door, a dagger flew toward his forehead.

He quickly caught the flying dagger and growled.

“What is this now?”