Chapter 25 : The Knight’s Descent

The village chief of Estel Village, Pavore, was at a loss as to how to resolve this situation.

It was understandable that Sir Failer was late. But as time stretched on, a sense of unease began to creep into the village chief’s heart.

What had initially been a casual thought—”Oh well, he’s just running late”—had turned into “Could it be…?” by sunset.

‘There’s no way Sir Failer would be this late.’

If there had been a delay or a need to postpone, Sir Failer would have sent word through an apprentice knight. But no apprentice knight had arrived, nor had any outsider entered the village that day.

Then, a face suddenly came to the village chief’s mind.

‘……No way.’

The village chief tried to dismiss the thought, but he couldn’t stop his feet from carrying him toward the village entrance. As he walked, he called out to the residents he passed.

“Tell the women and children to stay inside. Hurry!”

At the village chief’s order, the men outside hurried home. The village chief, now at the village entrance, lowered his voice and warned the guards.

“It seems Sir Ras is coming, not Sir Failer.”

“……What?”

“Sir Ras……?”

When the name of the Craystist family’s 3rd-class knight left the village chief’s lips, the guards froze mid-stretch.

Then, as if to deny the village chief’s words, they shook their heads and tried to laugh it off.

“Oh, no way. There’s no way that would happen. Sir Ras is in charge of the west of the barony……”

“Then why is Sir Failer this late without any word?”

“……What do we do?”

Only then did the residents accept the situation and begin brainstorming ways to handle Sir Ras.

“If it’s Sir Ras, aren’t we done for if we make a mistake?”

“That’s right. If he finds out about the Dragon God, he’ll go berserk!”

“More than that, if Sir Ras acts out in front of the Dragon God……!”

The village chief deeply agreed with the last remark. While the village’s safety was at risk, the Dragon God could also be harmed. Jonan, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, approached the village chief.

“Chief.”

“Go and inform the Dragon God immediately. We’ll try to stop Sir Ras from entering the forest in the meantime.”

“Yes.”

They hid the women as much as possible and prepared to avoid any missteps. To be safe, they gathered items that could be used as bribes and packed them into a box.

Just as the village chief closed the lid of the box, he spotted a horse approaching in the distance.

Ras Ront.

A 3rd-class knight of the Craystist family. He was heading toward the village, a smirk plastered across his face as he took in the sight of the ripening grain fields.

This was a scene of abundance that would astonish residents of other villages in the barony.

Currently, not only the Craystist Barony but the entire Runan Kingdom was on the brink of famine.

Even the Craystist Barony, which prepared for famine every year, was not immune. However, its situation was slightly better than other territories.

‘But this place alone is thriving and untouched by the red moon…… Is there really a sacred beast or a dragon, as the Count suggested?’

He had come today to investigate that very possibility. This was originally Failer’s territory, a fellow 3rd-class knight, but Ras had convinced Failer to switch duties for the day.

It had been easy since Failer was unaware of the rumors about the sacred beast.

‘If it’s real, it’s a jackpot.’

Ras wiped the drool from his mouth with his forearm, his excitement palpable. If it was a dragon, he’d have to flee. But if it was a sacred beast, he could make a fortune.

‘The Count told me to report back if I found a sacred beast, but I can’t do that.’

From the beginning, the Count hadn’t been certain about the sacred beast. In other words, there would be no issue if Ras reported that no sacred beast existed.

Thanks to that, Ras had reached out to an old acquaintance he hadn’t spoken to in years.

[If you bring me the by-products of a sacred beast, I’ll pay you handsomely.]

His acquaintance was a well-known black market merchant in the Runan Kingdom. They were a group that knew the true value of items, much like the scholars in the magic towers.

‘He’s ripping me off. Tsk, whatever.’

Of course, Ras knew the dangers of sacred beasts. But he didn’t care about the potential harm to the villagers.

Even if he couldn’t obtain the by-products, it didn’t matter. He could always ransack the village under the guise of an investigation and pocket a tidy sum.

The village women, who could be “entertained” at his leisure, were an added bonus.

‘And since this place is thriving, there’s plenty of room to return later with that tax collector b*stard.’

He had a colleague among the tax collectors who was involved in embezzlement schemes. The lower classes suffered under the whims of tax collectors and knights, while the upper classes turned a blind eye as long as taxes were paid.

From the beginning, everyone except the Count and his Viscount had a history of embezzlement.

Ras couldn’t help but smile at the thought of pulling off a big job after so long.

“Sir Ras, we’ve been waiting……”

Finally, as he arrived at the village, an old man greeted him with forced hospitality. Ras glanced around but saw no village women.

It seemed his reputation had reached even this village.

‘These b*stards……’

But Ras wasn’t one to back down. He deliberately radiated his Aura, glaring at the village chief.

The village chief, feeling the pressure of a 3rd-class knight’s Aura, broke into a cold sweat but managed to bow his head.

‘……Huh?’

But that was it. Normally, ordinary people would faint or collapse under such pressure, but the village chief only bowed and remained standing.

Even the other residents, though shaken, didn’t collapse.

“Are you the village chief here?”

“Yes, I am Pavore, the village chief of Estel Village……”

“Sh*t, did I ask for your name? Why are you spouting unnecessary details?”

The knight dismounted and sighed, poking the village chief’s head with his finger.

“Chief, I’ve come to investigate this village by order of the great Count Craystist. Why? Because this village alone escaped the red moon unscathed and avoided the famine!”

“……”

“So I have no choice but to suspect everything in this village, including you. If I find anything threatening to the Count, I’ll punish you severely on his behalf.”

“……I’m sorry.”

“So don’t get in my way. I’d hate for my sword to cut you down before the investigation even begins.”

With Ras’s threat hanging in the air, the village chief could only suppress his trembling hands.

“It’s late today, so I’ll start tomorrow.”

Ras tossed the reins of his horse to a nearby villager. The villager knew that any harm to the horse would mean his death, but he couldn’t refuse Ras’s order.

The villager gripped the reins and took careful steps, more cautious than ever.

“I’ve prepared a place for Sir Ras to rest.”

The village chief guided Ras to a house and bowed as the knight entered.

“Sir Ras, please rest comfortably……”

“Chief, I think the night will be dull.”

Bring me a woman. The village chief understood the implication.

“……”

“I look forward to your… discretion.”

“……I understand.”

In the end, the plan to protect the village women had failed. Now, the village chief had to go from house to house, selecting a woman to serve Sir Ras for the night.

They were all like daughters to him, and his inability to protect them filled him with shame.

‘At least…… I can take solace in knowing the Dragon God won’t be harmed……’

Jonan should be reaching the cliff soon. Once he does, the Dragon God will know what’s happening and prepare accordingly.

Then, at least, nothing will happen to anger the Dragon God.

But even so, the village chief couldn’t rest easy. His footsteps were heavy, and thunder rumbled in the distance.

Rumble……

‘The weather’s strange.’

It had been clear when he arrived, but now a storm seemed imminent.

‘Well, it doesn’t matter.’

Whether the storm ravaged the village or not, it was no concern of his. Ras stripped off his clothes, waiting for the woman who would soon knock on his door.

Swoosh……

“Rain…… She’ll come in soaked.”

He grew excited. Ras warmed up, ready to pounce the moment the door opened.

But the woman didn’t come for nearly an hour. As the rain grew heavier, so did the sound of Ras pacing impatiently.

“Is this old man playing games with me?”

Ras began to dress, intending to confront the village chief. As he pulled on his pants, he suddenly lost consciousness.

.
.
.
.

[Who are you.]

‘……?’

A voice echoed in his head, not from any particular direction but everywhere at once. Ras felt a cold wind and slowly regained consciousness.

The house and bed were gone. He was in a dark, endless void.

[Who are you.]

The voice spoke again. A normal person would have trembled in fear and answered immediately, but Ras was a 3rd-class knight with awakened Aura.

Despite his flaws, as a knight, he quickly tried to assess the situation.

“……Wha, what……?!”

But his body wouldn’t obey. He could stand, but his head refused to turn, frozen as if encased in ice.

The inability to move was tied to the voice in his head.

Ras realized this.

“The great…… Craystist family’s…… 3rd-class knight Ras……”

[Ras Ront. The one who sows sorrow and anger in the barony.]

?!

The voice knew his full name, which he hadn’t even mentioned. Before he could process this, the voice posed another question.

[Why are you touching my village.]

‘Village……? Sh*t, what is he talking about?’

Ras didn’t understand and failed to respond. The next moment, he began to fall.

“Sh, sh*t!”

He reached for his sword and flailed, trying to stop his descent, but nothing worked.

As he fell, Ras realized this wasn’t just a dark void.

‘It’s not a void…… I’m inside a cloud……?’

As he passed through the clouds, raindrops soaked his body. His hearing sharpened, and he could hear the thunder crashing nearby.

Ras was in the sky, plummeting toward the stormy sea below.

The moon illuminated the dark clouds and the churning waves, while wind and lightning swirled around him.

Ras suddenly looked to his right.

Two blue lights approached him. No, they weren’t lights.

They were the eyes of a massive creature. Its long, serpentine body blotted out the moonlight filtering through the clouds.

The creature’s presence was so overwhelming that even Ras, a 3rd-class knight, couldn’t comprehend it.

And it was flying straight toward him, mouth agape.

“Uh, uh, uh, uhhhh!!”

Seeing the creature closing in, Ras screamed and thrashed.

“Ugh!!! Gasp, gasp…… a dream……?”

Just as the creature’s jaws were about to close around him, Ras woke up roughly in bed.

For a moment, Ras was disoriented, unsure of what had happened. Then he realized he was drenched—not from rain, but from his own fear.