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Chapter 130

This kid is still the same.

"Why do you think so?" Ian smirked and gestured with his chin toward the corpse lying nearby.

"It\'s for a job."

"...!" Philip\'s eyes widened, and a sigh of relief came from behind him.

"Lu Solar, my god..."

Ian turned his gaze. The red divine light flickering around the full plate armor was fading. The knight raised a hand. With a click, the beak-shaped visor lifted. Red hair, a scar crossing one cheek, and pale skin were revealed. Surprised green eyes stared back at him. Mev’s lips trembled.

"It really is you, Ian...."

"Were you thinking you were seeing a ghost?" Ian teased with a smile, then added, "It\'s been a while, Sir Mev. I\'m glad to see you."

"...!" Mev blinked, then let out a small laugh.

"I forgot to greet you... It\'s good to see you too, Ian. I\'m very happy to see you safe and well."

"Same for you as well."

"You were hired to kill the rogue knight?"

"Yes. Although you got here ahead of me."

Mev\'s smile deepened. She sheathed her sword and continued. "I always thought we\'d meet again someday, but I didn\'t expect it to be today. It seems the Goddess guided us."

... More like the quest did, Ian thought, shrugging.

It was then that Philip, still clinging to the wall, urgently shouted.

"Sorry to interrupt, but...! Please catch me! My hand\'s feeling weird—"

With a snap, the board Philip was holding onto broke. He screamed as he fell, but surprisingly landed without injury. He looked momentarily confused, then sheepishly cleared his throat and looked away.

"Um, I guess it wasn\'t as high as it seemed. Sorry, please continue your conversation...."

He\'s still good at breaking the mood, Ian thought with a chuckle as Mev started walking.

Ian walked toward her at a leisurely pace. Now that he had a closer look, he noticed changes in her that he hadn\'t seen at first glance.

The shape of her armor and the sword at her waist were different. Her demeanor had changed, too. It was calm and sharp, but not in a dangerous way. The biggest change was her eyes. Back then, they had seemed resigned, as if she had lost the will to live. Now they shone brightly, full of determination and purpose.

Seems like wandering suits her....

As he thought this, Ian spoke. "What brings you here, Sir Mev?"

"There was a man called Viscount Flint. He was a corrupted individual conducting vile experiments on people in his underground lab. I dealt with him and rescued those he was experimenting on. One of them was the client. He was so weakened that he was barely clinging to life."

Mev continued speaking without taking her eyes off Ian. They were now less than twenty steps apart.

"At first, he was brought here and used as a slave. When he fell ill, he was sent to the Viscount. He asked me for revenge before he died."

"So it wasn\'t just a job; it was his last wish...."

"To me, it\'s the same. And thanks to that, I got to meet you again."

Ian stopped with a faint smile. Mev took a couple more steps and then stopped as well. She looked into Ian\'s eyes and added.

"There were so many things I wanted to tell you when we met again. But now that you\'re here, I can\'t think of any. I\'m just glad to see you."

Ian shrugged.

"I\'ve often heard rumors about you in the North."

"Your reputation has spread even to the North...?" Philip, who had followed them, asked with wide eyes.

At Ian\'s gaze, he quickly stepped back and bowed. "It\'s been a long time, sir. I was too caught up to greet you properly earlier."

Ian looked at him closely. Blood was splattered on his face and body. His frame had become more solid, and there were fresh scars on his face.

"You\'ve become quite capable while I was away."

Philip looked up and grinned at Ian\'s words.

"Do you really think so, my lord?" Philip\'s slightly na?ve, bright smile was still the same.

"Philip has been doing his part well, Ian. Although he hasn\'t been knighted yet, he does not differ from a knight," Mev added calmly.

Philip shook his head, looking a bit embarrassed. "I still have a long way to go. If I want to keep serving you, I need to work harder."

So humble now, too. Ian smirked while Mev turned back to him.

"I\'ve always wondered how you were doing. I assumed you were doing well wherever you were, but I hadn\'t heard anything for a while. I thought you might be somewhere in the Empire. Have you been staying in the North all this time?"

"It just happened that way."

"I heard about a major incident in the North recently. I\'m glad you\'re safe."

"There were rumors about the invasion of the undead legion and that a Great Warrior and a Dragon Slayer appeared during the conflict," Philip added cautiously.

Ian replied matter-of-factly. "Well, about half of it is true."

"Wow... So, you know the full story, my lord. I\'d love to ask about it, but...." Philip glanced around, and Mev nodded.

"Indeed. We still have matters to settle... Can you wait a bit, Ian?" She looked at Ian.

Philip watched nervously while Ian shrugged.

"I don\'t see why not. I\'ll wait."

"... That\'s a relief. I was worried you might leave immediately after completing the job."

Philip sighed in relief and looked between Ian and Mev. "Once we\'ve finished up, I\'ll make sure you both can catch up properly—Ah!"

He jumped back suddenly as a dark figure silently fell behind Ian.

Philip, seeing this, instinctively drew his sword and shouted. "Demon! It\'s a demon, sir! Watch your back!"

Mev, her face turning serious again, also drew her sword.

Charlotte, who had stood up paying no attention to them, spoke. "I\'ve dealt with all the ones that escaped, Ian. I\'ve also checked for any remaining minions inside."

"Good work," Ian nodded calmly and looked at the two with drawn swords.

"Lower your weapons. She\'s with me."

"With you...?" Philip looked Charlotte up and down with a frown. His lips twitched.

"But as far as I know, she\'s a talking beast—"

"Stop right there. Unless you want to lose your tongue, shut up and put away your sword." Ian cut him off, clicking his tongue briefly, and then turned to Mev.

"This is Charlotte. She\'s a beastfolk, not a demon."

"... I see." Mev sheathed her sword without further comment and nodded slightly.

Ian glanced at Charlotte, who lifted her chin slightly. "And this is—"

Philip cleared his throat loudly, cutting Ian off.

As Ian frowned, Philip, having sheathed his sword, stepped forward.

"Apologies, but that\'s my job, sir."

... Always so diligent for no reason. Ian refrained from speaking, acknowledging that Mev\'s squire was Philip.

"I apologize for the misunderstanding," Philip said, looking up at Charlotte\'s orange eyes. He then cleared his throat.

"And allow me to formally introduce her. This is Sir Mev Riurel, a follower of Lu Solar, an apostle of Tir En, protector of Agel Lan, the Red Knight of the battlefield, Agent of Righteous Vengeance, and savior of the weak."

"Riurel...?" Charlotte\'s eyes gleamed with recognition as she muttered the name.

"And I am Philip, her squire."

Charlotte, watching Mev with eyes reflecting various emotions, then turned to Philip.

"I\'m Charlotte. I serve Ian."

"Indeed...."

Their gazes met, and a subtle tension filled the air. Ian smirked and turned to Mev.

"So, what business remains?"

"There are still remnants of the corrupted inside. We need to eliminate them and free the captured people. It won\'t take long; will you wait?"

"Understood. Let\'s finish this quickly," Ian said, drawing his sword.

Philip looked at him with excitement. "Are you helping us, sir?"

"Thanks to you, sir, the job was easier. I\'ll help with the final cleanup."

"If you\'re helping, there\'s no reason to refuse," Mev said with a smile, lowering her visor.

Philip quickly added, "Then we\'ll take the opposite side. You two sir should go down this path."

Nodding to Charlotte, Ian turned.

"See you at the main gate."

***

The search for the remnants was swift. Ian and Charlotte tracked down every hidden enemy. Some tried to use the freed slaves as hostages, but Ian dispatched them without hesitation, driving a dagger onto their foreheads. There were dozens of people enslaved in the fortress, including men, women, and children. Ian led them all to the main gate. Soon, Mev and Philip arrived with a similar number of people.

Philip took charge of organizing the situation. "You are now free! You can stay here or gather food and weapons and return to your hometowns. However, my lord and I recommend staying here."

His speech was natural, as if he had done this many times before. Mev stood behind him with her arms crossed, looking just as natural.

"You remind me of when you used to save the barbarians and complete requests. Their method is a bit more loud, though." Charlotte murmured, leaning against the wall at the back of the crowd.

Ian chuckled briefly. "You can\'t compare them to me. We\'re fundamentally different."

"Fundamentally...?"

"I move for a reward, but they expect nothing in return."

"Hmm... I never thought you did all those things just for the reward."

"Then you were mistaken. It was all for the reward."

Technically, it is for quest rewards and experience points.

As Charlotte shrugged, Philip continued his speech.

"The outside world is chaotic. It might be better to bring your families and settle here. This place is easy to defend. There\'s a stream nearby, and land to cultivate."

"Um... Sir." One of the freed people cautiously raised a hand.

Philip gestured for him to speak.

"There was a noble that the captain of this place served. He often sent people to him. If he finds out about this place, we’re as good as dead...."

Philip\'s smile deepened, as if he had been waiting for this question.

"Viscount Flint is already dead. By..."

He looked back at Mev, who was standing behind him.

"By the sword of the Red Knight, Sir Mev Riurel. So you can all stay assured."

"...!"

The crowd\'s eyes widened in realization. Cheers of gratitude and joy erupted with voices chanting for the Red Knight. Philip nodded as if the cheers were for him.

"His intentions are noble, but his mannerisms are arrogant," Charlotte muttered.

Ian laughed as Philip pointed toward them.

"And it was these two who took down the notorious rogue knight. Remember this, Sir Ian Hope and his beastfolk squire, Charlotte!"

Cheers erupted for them as well. Ian clicked his tongue as Charlotte\'s eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"Squire...? He called me a squire...?"

"I understand the urge to cut out his tongue but restrain yourself. He\'d find a way to talk even without it."

Ian then gestured with his chin.

"Go fetch the carriage. We\'ll stay here for the night."

"... Understood."

Muttering about being called a squire, Charlotte leaped away. Meanwhile, Philip, still commanding the crowd like a fish in water, finally clapped his hands together.

"Disperse! I\'ll leave the handling of the corpses with you guys. And open the warehouse to celebrate the day of freedom!"

The people scattered with cheers. After speaking quietly with a few, Philip approached Ian with a satisfied expression.

Ian smirked. "You seemed to enjoy yourself."

"It\'s not that I enjoy it. These people need a fresh start. I just give them a bit of hope and courage. Besides... my favorite part hasn\'t even started."

"Favorite part...?"

"You know what I mean, sir."

Philip glanced around and then whispered with a grin.

"We need to loot that rogue knight\'s house. Who knows what illicit items he might have hidden?"

"...!" Ian raised an eyebrow.

Philip met his gaze with a sly smile, not that of a squire giving a speech, but of a seasoned mercenary.

"I already found out where his house is. Soon, the villagers will bring food and drinks there. Let\'s go. Seeing you here brings back memories." Philip quickly led the way.

... I didn\'t expect him to get this good at it, Ian thought, watching him.

Mev approached, with her voice low behind her visor.

"I\'m ashamed. It\'s all my fault. I couldn\'t stop him. It’s all thanks to Philip\'s efforts that we at least aren\'t starving...."

“...” Ian looked at her quietly. She had no idea that he was the reason Philip had become like this.

Ian sighed and turned his gaze away, saying, "Even paladins need to eat. I\'m sure Tir En will understand if you loot the pockets of a corrupted man."

"Do you think so...?"

"Yes, well... probably." Ian\'s pace quickened without him realizing it.