IYAMD: Episode 62

The next morning, Jaha set out with Marsilia to search for the missing knights. It seemed that the bodies of the local villagers had been dealt with, as the foul stench that had lingered in the estate had almost completely dissipated.

Marsilia, leading 100 knights, marched toward the foothills of the Deto Mountain range. He had heard that it might take some time to search, and that they might have to camp for the night.

It wasn’t until they had nearly reached the Deto Mountain that General Des, who had been running ahead in a spread formation, approached Marsilia.

“Your Majesty, there are surprisingly no traces of monsters. At this point, we should consider the extermination complete, shouldn’t we?”

“Well, if the monster extermination was complete, it would be more strange for the knights to suddenly disappear.”

“That is true, but…”

Marsilia gathered the reins and asked the general, “Since we haven’t found any traces up until now, it seems the missing scouts have already entered the mountains. What do you think, General?”

“I think that’s a reasonable assumption, Your Majesty.”

The search party sent to find the missing scouts had also gone missing, which meant more people were involved than initially thought. Several days had passed, and there was little hope that anyone would still be alive. However, Marsilia at least wanted to recover the bodies.

Moreover, they needed to check if it was a dimensional rift.

“Let’s go a little further and find a place to camp. I’ve instructed the knights to avoid any individual activities, and the search should be conducted in pairs, no matter what.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

They began moving again, and by the time they reached the path leading into the mountain, it was already after 4 PM.

Even though the days were long in summer, they were uncertain how much further they should go. Just then, Jaha approached.

“I think it’s better not to go any further.”

Marsilia turned to Jaha in surprise. “Why?”

“I just have a feeling. It smells bad… It’s hard to explain.”

Was Jaha more sensitive to these kinds of things? Marsilia, frankly, didn’t feel any presence at all. However, considering Jaha was saying something like that, it seemed prudent to be cautious.

It seemed General Des thought the same. He met Marsilia’s gaze and nodded gravely.

“We should pull back and prepare camp.”

As the general led the knights back, Marsilia turned to Jaha. “We won’t go further today, but we still need to continue the search, so we can’t just stay like this. Can you slowly explain what you’re feeling?”

Jaha furrowed his brow in confusion.

“I’ve never felt this kind of energy before. I don’t know how to describe it… But there’s something strong inside there.”

“Strong?”

“Scary? Dirty? Filthy?”

Jaha thought about the words for a moment before shaking his head. “I think ‘evil’ might be the right word. Anyway, it’s strong.”

Marsilia paused for a moment, contemplating. Should he request reinforcements from the main camp? But if they ventured into the forest or the valley, it would be difficult to move more people. Besides, confronting enemies in a narrow valley would just increase the number of fatalities.

Luckily, they had brought only knights skilled with swords for this search, so it might still work out.

Lost in thought, Marsilia was interrupted by Jaha.

“If you want, I can go take a look.”

“No.”

Marsilia immediately shook his head firmly. Jaha sighed deeply.

“No matter how I think about it, I seem to be the most suitable person.”

That might be true. If Jaha used his qinggong, he could probably get out of any situation.

But even so, Marsilia couldn’t let him go alone. As he stared at Jaha with determination, Jaha muttered something under his breath.

“I’m not trying to run away.”

Marsilia chuckled softly at his grumbling voice. “I know. I just don’t want you to end up in danger alone.”

“It won’t be dangerous.”

Jaha was surprisingly stubborn. Marsilia reached out and gently brushed the furrow in Jaha’s brow, then spoke.

“You don’t know what’s inside there. Even if you escape safely, by then, it will be dark. We also can’t guarantee that we won’t be spotted here.”

As he spoke soothingly, Jaha’s expression softened slightly.

“Well, if we’re going, it’s better to go early tomorrow morning. We’ll select a few knights, quickly confirm, and leave. Will that be enough for you?”

“Is there anyone who knows the terrain well? It would be good to check how far we can go on horseback.”

“Usually, the locals or the lord’s men would check the terrain before moving… But now is not the time for that. We’ll have to go and assess it ourselves.”

“What about the map?”

“We have one. It shows the contours, though only roughly. Still, seeing it with your own eyes is different.”

Jaha looked up and asked Marsilia, “What are contours?”

Marsilia, unable to help himself, laughed at the question. He gestured for them to return to where they were preparing camp, still chuckling as he spoke.

“Contours are lines on a map that show the height of the land. If the mountain is steep, the lines are closer together, and if it’s gentle, the lines are farther apart. It connects points of equal height to give you an idea of the elevation. There should be something similar in the map of the Eastern continent.”

“I didn’t know what it was called in the Western continent.”

“Any other questions?”

“Not really…?”

“That’s a shame.”

Marsilia genuinely felt regret. He was quite happy to see Jaha’s round eyes widen as he asked questions.

“A shame? What do you mean?”

Yes, like that. When his already large eyes widened like that, they seemed about to spill over. Marsilia quietly smiled and shook his head.

“I just regret that our conversation isn’t continuing.”

“Then we can talk about something else.”

At his words, Marsilia threw his head back and burst into laughter. Jaha tilted his head in confusion.

“Why are you laughing?”

Marsilia didn’t respond. The man, who once seemed completely indifferent, had changed quite a bit. At first, Marsilia had thought he was a very stubborn, closed-off person, but after growing more accustomed to him, Jaha revealed a surprisingly open side.

‘I’m a man.’

The words he had said a few times came to mind. The word “man” seemed to fit better than “warrior.”

“Why are you laughing?”

Jaha asked again, his youthful face frowning. Now, it was clear that he was just 20 years old.

“Because you’re cute.”

At Marsilia’s words, Jaha let out a short laugh and turned his head. The tips of his ears seemed slightly red, though Marsilia couldn’t tell if it was an illusion. Jaha’s pale skin was indeed beginning to show a hint of red.

“You’re saying strange things.”

Jaha grumbled, kicking the side of his horse as he sped ahead. His hair, tied up high, fluttered behind him, reminiscent of the tail of the horse he was riding.

Seeing this, Marsilia stretched his lips into a long smile and followed him.

“Wait for me, Jaha.”

He called out, but Jaha didn’t respond, galloping toward the campsite. It wasn’t too fast, so catching up wouldn’t be difficult if Marsilia had the will.

However, Marsilia leisurely followed, his eyes tracing the silky hair that shimmered in the sunlight. The sun hit Jaha’s black, glossy hair, and the light scattered in small particles, dazzling Marsilia’s eyes.

Knowing that soft sensation all too well, Marsilia sighed as he pulled the reins tighter.

…

The camp preparations were done simply. Unlike the tents in the main camp, the tent here had a distinctly makeshift feel, as if it had been hastily erected.

A few knights began preparing meals, while others were laughing or sparring with their swords.

Jaha, scanning their relaxed faces, stopped when he noticed a familiar one.

“Hey…”

A man who had made eye contact with Jaha approached timidly. What was his name? He was someone Jaha had exchanged words with before. The man stepped forward and scratched his head awkwardly.

“Ian Yandel, Sir Dandelion.”

Ah, that was his name. Jaha nodded slightly, and the man cautiously asked,

“If you’re not busy, would you like to have a sparring match with me?”

The knights around them immediately turned their attention to the two. Some harsh words were exchanged among the knights.

“What’s this madman saying?”

“That guy’s out of his mind. Where’s Judith? Judith!”

A man who had been preparing food responded with a startled expression.

“Yes, Judith Fardien, here! What’s going on?”

As the man named Judith approached, a senior knight gestured toward Ian.

“This guy is asking Sir Dandelion for a sparring match? What are you doing as a senior, not taking care of your junior?”

“I’m sorry!”

Judith rushed forward and grabbed Ian by the neck with his arm, bowing deeply to Jaha as he pulled Ian back.

“I’m sorry, Sir Dandelion. This fool, ever since he barely survived, hasn’t been in his right mind. He’s been disrespectful.”

Jaha tilted his head as he watched them back away.

“I’m fine.”

It was still daylight, and there wasn’t much to do until sunset. The knights had finished setting up camp, and Jaha, unfamiliar with meal preparation, couldn’t help out.

He didn’t think Ian’s request was completely out of line. Knights, whether stronger or weaker, would naturally want to test their skills against someone with unique swordsmanship.

“Huh?”

Judith, surprised, stopped walking as Ian puffed his fluffy hair with a quick blow and shouted around.

“See? He says it’s fine!”

“Huh?”

Marsilia could see knights one by one rising from their spots. Seeing them grab their swords, he could guess what they were about to do.

“Then… Would you… spar with us too, Sir?”

Marsilia frowned as he noticed more than thirty knights standing up. He couldn’t help but wonder if this was getting out of hand.