What appeared before them was not the Death Knight, but a group of people.
Yuri immediately recognized who they were.
"Mercenaries."
"Huh?"
It was strange.
In Adelvine, known to be off-limits to just anyone, ordinary civilians were sneaking in to dig up mandragoras, unidentified mercenaries were showing up, and Gert himself was nowhere to be seen.
"Those are mercenaries? Their gear looks too high-end..."
"Mercenaries make a lot of money. Do you see the three knots under that banner?"
"Yes."
"That's the mercenary rank. Triple-knot mercenaries are as strong as your average knight, so the pay's quite high too."
"How do you know so much about mercenary work?"
"Well, you know, just happened to learn along the way."
Yuri, a prince by birth, knowing so much about mercenary affairs made Jared look at him with increasingly suspicious eyes.
"Be honest with me."
"About what?"
"You've lived a second life, haven't you?"
"What? N-No, I haven't!"
"I was just saying. Don't act so surprised. You're teasing me again."
Yuri was genuinely flustered and stammering, but Jared thought he was joking again and pouted.
"I'm always just learning from Your Highness... I'm ashamed as your guard."
"Don't get sentimental on me. I don't expect anything from you."
"Sigh..."
"A guard just needs to be kind."
"That's not really the point..."
In the meantime, the two groups were slowly closing the distance.
No hostility could be felt from the mercenaries. They too seemed surprised by Yuri's group, tilting their heads in confusion.
Jared stepped forward and initiated conversation.
"Greetings. Are you mercenaries?"
"Ah, yes. That's right. And you must be a knight."
"Yes. What brings you here?"
"Well, I could ask you the same..."
"Hmm..."
Jared and the mercenary trailed off while staring at each other.
Their gazes revealed a subtle tension—each curious about the other's circumstances but wary of the possibility they might be a suspicious group, hoping the other side would reveal themselves first.
As silence lingered, Yuri abruptly spoke from behind.
"We're here to kill Gert."
"Uh..."
Jared looked at Yuri with a face full of grievance. Yuri shook his head.
"What other reason would knights have? If we had another goal, it'd be even more suspicious."
"Still, you made it sound way too simple."
"In this kind of situation, if you don't make it simple, people start drawing swords."
Meanwhile, the mercenaries exchanged glances among themselves.
Eventually, a man from the back stepped forward. His beard was thick, his hair disheveled, and his gear looked quite worn.
It meant he was a seasoned mercenary.
"Knights—no, warriors, I see. I am Ivan, leader of the Ivan Mercenary Group. We came to Adelvine on a commission."
"I'm curious what that commission is?"
"Well..."
He stroked his beard and replied.
"Nothing to hide. We're escorting a scholar here to research Adelvine."
"A scholar?"
"Yes."
He pointed behind him.
From behind a large tree, a man wearing glasses hesitantly emerged.
With a poorly strapped backpack, he was clearly no mercenary.
"That's our employer. He's a renowned scholar studying the history of Adelvine."
It was a strange pairing.
Yuri expanded his sensory perception to scan for Gert again. He didn't seem to be nearby. There was time for a conversation.
Yuri said,
"Well then, let's sit and talk for a bit."
***
Pierre, who was researching Adelvine's history, had received unexpected information in Sordelvine.
There was a way to enter Adelvine while avoiding Gert.
If that was true, he might be able to access the Grand Library located there.
If he could publish a thesis based on the materials he'd obtain, he might even win the Scholar of the Year Award held annually.
So he hired a mercenary band.
That was the extent of Pierre's explanation.
"Scholar of the Year Award?"
"Yes. It's my dream."
"So, what's this way to avoid Gert?"
"You don't know?"
Pierre's eyes widened. Adjusting his crooked glasses, he said,
"Ah, right, you said you came to catch Gert. That explains it. Even now, quickly, each of you should eat a bite of that mandragora over there."
"Mandragora?"
"You really didn't know? If you eat a bit of mandragora, Gert won't come near you. And that's not all. If you grind its leaves into juice and soak a cloth with it, then stick it in your ears, you can withstand the screams of the mandragora too."
"So that's why."
It made sense now why the villagers weren't startled by the mandragora's screams.
"And also..."
Pierre continued to chatter away in front of Yuri's group.
Meanwhile, the Ivan Mercenary Band stepped back and sat on the ground to rest.
Every now and then, they glanced over at Pierre's ramblings but didn't join the conversation.
They were simply doing their job. Nothing more.
It was the quintessential mercenary attitude.
Having worked the same job for a long time in his past life, Yuri couldn't help but feel a strange sense of familiarity, like meeting someone from the same industry.
Observing Ivan's demeanor closely, Yuri asked Pierre,
"By the way, we haven't eaten any mandragora, so why hasn't Gert shown up?"
"Hmm..."
Pierre scratched his head.
"The word in town is that his activity's been really sparse lately. No one knows why. They used to say he'd show up the moment you stepped foot in Adelvine. Maybe the Death Knight is getting old."
"Really?"
"Either way, eat the mandragora quickly. It's dangerous."
"We're here to fight Gert."
"You should think about us, who are with you."
"Hmm..."
"If I die like this, will you take responsibility? I don't want to die. I want to research and spread knowledge of Adelvine's history!"
"Fine."
Pierre was quite the talker.
"If I eat it now, how long does it last?"
"Just a little gives you about a day of protection."
Yuri gestured to his companions.
"Let's try it."
"This?"
"Yeah."
"It's gross though..."
"Hand me the mandragora."
Yuri brushed the dirt off the mandragora's surface. He cut away the most contaminated part with his blade. From the cut section, bright red juice started oozing out.
It looked like blood.
"Ugh..."
As the vivid red liquid dripped down, everyone recoiled.
Pierre smiled.
"Now, take a bite each. Careful not to get it on your clothes. It looks bad, but it's surprisingly sweet and tasty."
Just in case, Yuri decided to have one person eat it first and observe the effects.
"Simon, Guinness."
"Yes?"
"Pick one."
The two glanced at each other—then settled it with rock-paper-scissors.
Guinness, having thrown scissors and lost to rock, stepped forward. But he couldn't bring himself to eat it, his face full of fear.
"Hesitating?"
"N-No, sir."
"You're the one who chose to join this expedition to Adelvine."
"Yes, but..."
"Just grit your teeth and eat it."
"Ughhh..."
With a grimace, he shut his eyes tight and took a bite.
Guinness's expression changed in real time as he chewed.
Jared tilted his head.
"He looks like he's enjoying it?"
"Yes, I am."
"Really?"
"It's sweet."
Guinness showed no symptoms. Next, Simon and Cory each took a bite of the mandragora in turn.
"It's fine. I do feel a bit of a kick, like from a drug though..."
"It feels a little strange, but it's not so bad I can't eat it."
Pierre smiled as he spoke.
"Mandragora has a mild stimulant effect. As long as you don't eat too much, you'll be fine. Look at me. I'm incredibly frail, but perfectly fine."
Finally, it was Yuri's turn.
The mandragora had already been eaten down to its core, like a human whose limbs had been severed.
The blood-like fluid had all drained out, revealing raw, red flesh.
It didn't look appetizing in the slightest, but Yuri clenched his eyes shut and took a bite.
It was unexpectedly crunchy. The juice that poured out was, just as described, sweet.
Suddenly, Yuri sensed a faint presence of demonic energy from the mandragora.
He looked at Pierre.
"W-Why are you looking at me like that...?"
"Hmmm..."
Depending on how this energy behaved, it would decide Pierre's fate.
Yuri observed the changes inside his body.
The energy spread through his entire qi network.
It didn't interfere with his mana method. Like oil and water, it flowed through the same pathways, separated from his existing mana. And even that grew fainter with time.
It was as though the mandragora's hue had simply overlapped with his own mana.
"Hooh..."
If what Pierre said was true, then perhaps Gert didn't attack beings who harbored the same energy.
"This should be enough. If you need more mandragora later, don't forget to pick the leaves and stuff them in your ears."
Yuri's group also fed small bites of mandragora to their horses.
"Thanks. Anything else we should know?"
"Yes, a few things. For instance..."
Pierre shared various trivial tips he'd heard around the village.
Once Yuri had gathered all the useful information, he rose from his seat.
"Now then."
"Yes?"
Yuri nodded toward the mercenary band.
"You must've spent a fair bit."
"Ah? Ah, yes. Hahaha..."
Pierre nodded.
"They're a skilled mercenary band. I had to sell off everything I owned just to hire them."
"So it seems. Can you find people like them at a mercenary guild?"
"Huh? Oh, yes. Are you looking to hire mercenaries?"
"Maybe someday. Seeing people that skilled, I think I've underestimated mercenaries."
"Hahaha, yes."
"What's his personality like?"
"He's gruff, but he's a decent person. And very skilled too. You won't find many like him."
Yuri nodded.
As they chatted about this and that, time passed. There was nothing more to say. Yuri stood up.
"Let's part ways here. Seems like we're all busy."
"Where are you headed?"
"I'm thinking of heading to Sordelvine. We'll probably run into Gert along the way."
"Please be careful, sir knight. I'm sure you came prepared, but that Death Knight is a monster who has slain countless people. I pray you succeed in your hunt safely."
"Thanks. And I hope you win that Scholar of the Year Award."
"Oh, I'd love that."
The two shook hands and parted ways. Pierre returned to the mercenary band.
But just as he turned, Pierre called out to Yuri once more.
"Ah, by the way, Sir Knight. This is just a thought I had..."
Yuri looked at him.
"If things get dangerous when you fight Gert, try speaking to him."
"What do you mean?"
"I've been circling around Adelvine, researching records of the old kingdom."
He adjusted his glasses while looking at Yuri.
"People call him a demon-like Death Knight, but some claim he was a true knight."
"A true knight?"
"Yes. If he truly was such a knight, then perhaps, if spoken to, he might momentarily remember who he once was."
Pierre gave a cryptic smile, waved his hand, and walked off again.
Watching Pierre and the mercenaries leave, Jose spoke.
"Suspicious."
"Yeah?"
He stroked his chin with a large hand.
"There's such a thing as probability in this world."
"Probability?"
"A strange thing can happen once. But when two strange things happen at the same time, that means something's up."
It was oddly convincing.
"So, what's strange?"
"There are two groups wandering around Adelvine."
"One of them is us."
"Exactly. And we know we can trust ourselves. We really did come here to kill Gert. But them? We don't know. They could be lying. So clearly, they're hiding something."
"Isn't that being a little too suspicious?"
"Hahahaha, maybe."
"But Sir Jose is right."
Yuri nodded.
"They're suspicious."
"Huh?"
When Yuri mentioned the mercenaries, Pierre said he'd spent his entire fortune just to hire Ivan.
When Yuri asked if you could find mercenaries like them at a guild, Pierre simply said yes, without elaboration.
But to hire triple-knot mercenaries, you need a transaction history with the guild.
And Pierre didn't seem all that familiar with mercenary customs.
Which meant either Pierre didn't hire the mercenaries himself—or Ivan's triple-knot insignia was a fake.
"Gert hasn't shown up, and that so-called scholar is suspicious..."
Yuri nodded again.
"A good idea just came to me."
"What is it?"
"We should make Gert and that scholar meet."
"What?"
"Maybe something will happen."
"What if we're wrong?"
"So what?"
Yuri smirked.
"Would anyone care if a nobody scholar and a few mercenaries die in Adelvine?"
"Oooh..."
Now Jose seemed to understand and nodded deeply.
"I was wrong. The suspicious ones aren't them. It's us. Hahahaha!"
"Exactly."
***
He had wandered for a long time.
It was to carry out the fate he had been given.
His worn-out body was gradually failing him. At this rate, he wouldn't last much longer.
But that fact didn't make him sad or afraid. It simply was—it brought no emotion with it.
Suddenly, he sensed the presence of life in the distance.
Rising with a creaking body, he began to walk once more.
Thus, the old knight began to cross the ruins of the fallen kingdom once again.
[Notice: Thank you for supporting my translations! I've launched a new website to host all my novels in one place. I will continue posting chapters here until I can update the links on Novel Updates. In the meantime, visit my new website "https://revengernovel.com/" and enjoy 5 extra chapters for free!
Buy and Read the complete novel: https://payhip.com/revengerscans ]