Chapter 28 : The First Knight and the Path Forward

After primarily locating the position of the Count’s family, I returned to Estel Village.

By the time I arrived, the situation had already been resolved. Jonan was sitting next to the altar, clutching Haeilgum. His face bore the expression of a warrior who had fought a great battle. Though he looked exhausted enough to collapse at any moment, there was a firm resolve in his eyes.

[You used Haeilgum.]

“Dragon······! ······That’s right. Sir Ras is dead.”

[But why do you look uneasy?]

At my question, Jonan hesitated. Despite his victory, he seemed unsure of why he felt this way.

I glanced around the village. The residents had not yet returned from the forest. A few men who had arrived earlier had gone back to deal with Ras’s body. In other words, only Jonan and I remained in the village.

I waited patiently for his answer.

“······It was the first time.”

[What was?]

“With my own hands, I killed a person.”

Jonan stared at his hands as he spoke. Though there was no blood or flesh on them, they seemed different in his eyes.

Murder.

An act that is not easily experienced, not only in modern Earth but even in this world. Of course, for those in professions where life and death are at stake, like soldiers, it’s different. But Jonan was a hunter—a commoner who caught forest animals and sold meat and leather, not a knight tasked with punishing enemies like Ras.

‘I don’t know how much weight murder holds here, but I understand his feelings to some extent.’

I, too, had killed people after arriving here—more than Jonan, in fact. Lester and his gang had been buried in the sea after suffering for their sins. What had I felt then?

[Jonan.]

“Speak······.”

[Why did you kill the knight?]

“······Because Sir Ras tried to harm our village and you······.”

[That’s right. Did he succeed in harming me or the village?]

“···No.”

[Why didn’t he succeed?]

“Because I killed him before he could.”

[Then, what did you do?]

“I protected the village and you from Sir Ras.”

[That’s right. Because of your courage, Estel Village was spared from the knight’s tyranny. You also prevented the Count’s family from becoming hostile to me prematurely. These are the things you gained by dealing with a sinner.]

“······.”

Jonan looked at his hands again. This time, his eyes were different. The fatigue had vanished, replaced by a clear, determined energy.

Since we’d come this far, I decided to voice what I had only been thinking.

[What do you think is the relationship between me and the village?]

“I think it is a god and a village that serves the god.”

[But to put it so plainly, we haven’t firmly established anything yet.]

At my words, Jonan’s eyes wavered. He seemed to interpret this as meaning our relationship was tenuous and could dissolve at any moment. But that wasn’t it.

Gods and believers are bound by religion, and religious groups typically have a detailed structure, much like groups united by power. Yet, the relationship between me and the village remained ambiguous. I had received the obedience of the entire village through rituals, but that was all. Rachel and Jonan stood out among the residents, but they held no formal positions.

In other words, this group was more like a small gathering than a religion.

I had no intention of staying confined to this forest and cliff. No, my original plan had changed when I saw Ras threatening the villagers. My new goal was to become a being that no one could touch and to build power so that those who believed in me would not be easily attacked.

To achieve this, I needed to formalize my forces, starting with Estel Village. Jonan was the first stepping stone. When he fought Ras, I had seen the qualities of an excellent swordsman in him. His potential was being stifled by his status as a commoner and the limitations of this remote village.

I planned to raise him alongside Rachel. Haeilgum would be one of the tools to support his growth.

[Jonan, as long as you do not betray me, I will take you to the end.]

Jonan’s expression brightened noticeably.

[Jonan, you will continue to fight to protect many people in the future. No, you don’t even need to think of many people. You must protect your daughter, Rachel, the Dragon’s Miko.]

I explained many things to him on this occasion: that I would treat Rachel as a Miko, or saint, and that I intended to expand my power. Jonan, in turn, would protect our forces from hostile threats.

Jonan listened intently, then knelt on one knee in a knight’s salute—a gesture I had only seen in comics.

“I will obey the words of God. I will surely protect Rachel. I will be eternally loyal to you.”

Looking down at Jonan, I bestowed upon him the first position in my forces.

[From now on, you will be the first knight of the Cheongnyongsingyo (Blue Dragon Divine Church).]

A religion that worships the blue dragon as a god. A small faith born in the eastern kingdom of the Artera continent, in a remote village. It took its true first step on an autumn day, through the first promise made between a clumsy dragon and a humble hunter.

[I will invade the Count’s family.]

“Dragon?”

[And I will secure their obedience.]

“Dra, Dragon?”

Jonan froze, clearly taken aback. After the solemn oath and serious atmosphere, my sudden declaration seemed to catch him off guard. It appeared Jonan, who had never formally served a god, was unsure whether to challenge my plan or follow it with unwavering faith.

In the end, he chose the former.

“Dragon, may I say something?”

Having formally sworn allegiance, Jonan now spoke more confidently. I gestured for him to continue, and he cleared his throat before speaking.

“First of all, I am just a hunter, so I am not well-versed in strategies······ but that plan may not work on the Count.”

It might not work on the Count? Did that mean he was a strong nobleman who could withstand the pressure of an 80-meter blue dragon? As it turned out, that wasn’t what Jonan meant.

“Since Lady Aria fell ill two years ago······ the Count may not react the same way Sir Ras did.”

In other words, he might be unresponsive because he’s emotionally broken. Worse, if I handled him poorly, he might respond with a “you die, I die” attitude. That would be a headache.

I didn’t want to kill the Count; I wanted to bring him under my control. Killing a knight could be brushed aside at the Count’s level, but if the Count died, the consequences would be unpredictable. Cheongnyongsingyo was a newly founded religion, and I lacked the political influence to bribe the Runan Kingdom.

[How did the Count’s daughter fall ill?]

“That······ apparently, she had an accident in the northern mountains of the territory. But her illness is quite severe······.”

Jonan’s expression darkened as he explained the disease afflicting Aria, the Count’s daughter.

Maseokhwa.

A condition that occurs when one is exposed to a magic stone for too long or inhales its dust. Crystals of the magic stone bloom like flowers across the victim’s body. Even as an outsider to this world, I could tell how grave the disease was.

“Additionally, there are few priests capable of treating Maseokhwa, as it is not a common illness.”

Magic stones are minerals known to all living beings in this world, but they are not as abundant as other resources. They don’t appear in consistent locations like other minerals, and their origins remain a mystery. As a result, few people study them.

‘Anyway, if you don’t touch or breathe them, they’re harmless. But few want to deal with such dangerous substances.’

That’s the tragic story of Aria, a young girl who ventured into a mountain she had never visited and inhaled the dust of a magic stone. It’s a tale that would make even the gods above sympathize with the Count’s daily curses.

“Dragon, that’s why the Count’s situation is dire. If you push him too hard, something undesirable might happen. It might be better to make Sir Failer our ally······.”

Jonan added his opinion while observing my troubled expression.

Sir Failer was the knight who should have come instead of Ras. Jonan suggested that targeting him might be easier, given their prior acquaintance.

‘That’s true, but it doesn’t change the fact that the Count is a wreck.’

What’s the point of winning over a 3rd-class knight if the Count remains unstable? The one who governs the barony is consumed by his daughter’s illness. Whether I apply pressure or approach gently, the Count’s attitude won’t change.

Then let’s approach it differently. Let’s eliminate the root cause of the Count’s despair.

I need to find a way to cure Aria’s illness.

[Jonan, you should make the knight named Failer our ally.]

“······! I understand!”

Jonan’s face lit up at the fact that I had listened to his suggestion. But the next moment, he hesitated.

“Dragon? Me, you mean?”

[I will head to the northern mountains. Inform the villagers as you see fit. You are the first knight of the Cheongnyongsingyo.]

“······?”

‘The first knight—in other words, the first minion.’

While Jonan stood stunned, I ascended into the sky and headed north. When I glanced down, I saw Jonan staring blankly after me.