NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 47
Episode 47: Knight, Discovering Hope
“The master has been traveling for ten whole years! I’ve never been outside Angila, so I’m quite envious!”
Renald was leaning out of the carriage window, chatting with the guards accompanying them. Though they were in an uninhabited wilderness where no one could see, his posture was somewhat rude.
“‘Master’ has asked you to stop calling him that…”
Since departing the rest area that had been attacked by bandits, the apprentices had first begun addressing Cross as ‘master.’ Despite his apparent dislike for the title and his repeated requests that they stop, Renald himself started mimicking them, seemingly unperturbed, until Cross resigned himself to the situation.
“However, this is the first time I’ve seen Lord Renald looking like this…”
Raoul couldn’t help but smile at Renald’s childlike excitement. Since stopping his crying and brightening up after leaving Angila, Renald seemed like an entirely different person.
This wasn’t the usual forced smile he usually put on that hurt to see, but a genuine one. Even Pina, who was driving the carriage, didn’t reprimand their master for his lack of manners, instead smiling cheerfully.
“What was the toughest battle during your martial pilgrimage?”
“I’m also very interested in that!”
“Toughest battle? There were many times on the battlefield where I almost died… But maybe when I angered someone at a dojo and was surrounded by students armed with swords, or when I challenged a master with a chain-sickle and had my side deeply cut, or when a group of ninjas stormed my sleeping quarters…”
“What are these ‘shinobi’?”
“Assassins—if I say it like that, do you understand? They’re masters at disappearing without a trace. I wasn’t careful enough, and when I realized it, I was surrounded by over ten of them. As soon as I reached for my sword, my ribs were pierced, and I continued fighting, desperately trying to stay conscious. I lost feeling in my arms and legs as blood continued to pour from my belly… It was fortunate that I managed to hold onto my sword until the end. That was a real battlefield.”
“……..”
Listening to Cross’s story, which he recounted almost as if it were a pleasant memory, Axel and Aureik were both flabbergasted.
“After the battle, since the blood didn’t stop flowing, for a few days I had to drink water mixed with horse droppings, throwing up and drinking it again repeatedly. I don’t care to go through that again.”
“Was it because you were a warrior, that you were targeted? Was it an assassin from another warrior family?”
Even in the Pharas Kingdom, assassination attempts on nobles occasionally occurred—due to clashes of interests or family disputes over inheritance.
“No, it wasn’t anything like that. I never found out who sent them…” Cross paused and added, “There were just too many possibilities. It could have been resentment or revenge from someone. After all, I spent years cutting people down. If someone came after me, I couldn’t complain.”
As the third son of the same lord, their lives were vastly different. Imagining Cross’s extraordinary and intense life, Renald didn’t dare to ask, “How many have you killed?”
……
“Lord Raoul”
As the camping preparations were completed and everyone started preparing their meals, Cross approached.
“There’s something in your story that concerns me. You mentioned your body isn’t responding as it should, and your judgment has dulled, correct?”
“Aye, when I could use magic, even without the augmentation, I was an adequate fighter…” Raoul agreed, “But I don’t know why this has happened. It feels as though I have forgotten how to fight.”
He had visited medical facilities in various places and sought treatment from renowned priests and skilled mages, but no one was able to cure him. A healer had diagnosed that his issue wasn’t physical damage but something else, and Raoul spent many nights drunk, crying himself to sleep. Unable to accept his misfortune, he had become difficult to approach.
“I see… I recognize these symptoms.”
When Cross was still living in his family home, his eldest brother had suffered from a similar condition. Similarly, no physicians could find a cause, but this brother had suddenly recovered after a certain incident.
“When my brother returned from battle, he was back to his usual self. He said that in the heat of battle, nearing death, his body remembered how to move again.”
“Hmm… Indeed, since my body has been like this, I’ve avoided dangerous fights. While serving Lord Renald, we did face many perilous situations, none have made me fully commit to combat. Still, with the signs of war looming in the north, it might be a prime opportunity to restore myself. But leaving Lord Renald behind to fight alone isn’t something a knight can do.”
“Then I have a proposition. Why don’t you fight me? It’s clear that even as a knight, there needs to be some resolution.”
Cross’s face shone with enthusiasm as Raoul mulled over the offer. Despite suspecting that Cross might have a bit of a combat obsession, Raoul admitted his opponent’s skills could easily take him to the brink of death. But, having served as a commander for years, Raoul’s mental resilience wouldn’t be easily shaken by minor injuries. A battle with the awareness of death would likely end up in a serious, potentially fatal confrontation.
“If it can restore my body, I’d be grateful to accept. However, I can’t risk grievous injury while on guard duty…”
“Don’t worry. I’ll make you feel the edge of death without causing serious harm.”
Cross’s grin and gleaming eyes made Raoul instinctively lean back slightly.
“Let’s try it, Raoul! If it can help you, I support the idea!”
Their lord encouraged with a smile of approval.
“If Lord Renald agrees… then Cross, would you be willing to help?”
“I’m more than happy to. I’m curious about the knightly arts myself.”
Raoul felt no regret for leaving the position of commander. If he was going to continue serving his lord, regaining his past strength was essential. Though countless therapies had shown no results, he now saw a glimmer of hope in the man who had so effectively erased the dark cloud of despair in his heart.
“Ah! Master! Can I ask for training as well?”
“Wha!? That’s unfair, Aureik! If that’s the case, then I want to ask for training too!”
For some reason, the apprentices joined in, and the next day, what was supposed to be Cross’s training session turned into a veritable nightmare—a relentless ordeal under his harsh guidance.
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