Black Badger

"Can't we just go by ourselves?"

"We might die."

The count replied to my words in a serious tone.

"It's not for nothing that a Swordmaster is preparing to head there."

"Why is that?"

Kyle asked, setting down his utensils.

We had originally planned to leave as soon as the rain stopped, but the count held us back. He offered us a room we wouldn't have dared to hope for and a dinner, insisting we stay the night. We tried to refuse, but Ray held us back too, so in the end, we ended up joining for breakfast as well.

We weren't the type to sit at a table like this; we were the ones who stood guard while others did.

I cut into what seemed to be duck heart or liver—I couldn't tell—and waited for an answer.

Ray had also stopped eating and was watching the count intently.

The count spoke.

"They say the corruption is severe."

"Corruption?"

"None of the units that went there came back unscathed."

The count explained the details briefly.

First off, the source of the Magical Beasts continuously entering the count's territory seemed to be the cursed High Castle. Things they'd never seen before kept crawling out from there.

There were even Magical Beasts that Summoners couldn't tame mixed in. It appeared something that produced Magical Beasts was dormant inside the High Castle.

But that wasn't the core issue.

Behind the High Castle, in a forest so dense that sunlight couldn't penetrate, there was a zone severely corrupted.

Something born in that zone seemed to have taken root in the High Castle.

"I heard Sir Kisis is heading past the High Castle into the corrupted forest. You all should stop by the High Castle and deal with what's inside."

It was a pretty reasonable division of tasks.

We didn't have the skill to resolve the corruption yet. That was originally the job of Priests and the Saintess. I'd heard rumors that once one reached Swordmaster, they could "cut away" the corruption.

In any case, it was a rational order all around.

"Understood."

After agreeing readily, we prepared to depart.

I understood, but the idea that we might die from the corruption felt like an exaggeration.

At that time, I chalked it up to the count's overprotectiveness and didn't think too deeply about it.

Not until I saw Kisis's unit, fully prepared to leave.

*

"Hilde."

Kisis spotted me and grinned slyly.

"Has your hair grown longer?"

Well, hair kept growing...

It seemed like a question that didn't need an answer, so I just stared at him blankly. The man, sprawled across the carriage seat, smirked roguishly.

Kyle didn't hide his irritation.

As he clicked his tongue and tugged at my collar, Ray bowed politely.

"Sir Kisis."

"Ah, it's been a while for you too. You've been working hard, I see? Your skills have improved a lot since I last saw you."

"Thank you."

"Rest easy, Sir Kisis. We'll let you know when we arrive."

"Where are you going? Get in."

Kyle was smiling as he pulled me along, but Kisis sat up.

He gestured for us to come inside.

I watched Kyle suppress his annoyance with a fake smile.

"We appreciate the generous offer, but we're more comfortable on horseback."

"You might be. You two with the white hair, get in quickly."

"I'm fine as well."

Ray replied gracefully.

He had once admired Kisis so much, but at some point, the object of his admiration had changed. Now, Ray didn't tense up excessively around Kisis. It could have been because he was in the Western Division and ran into him too often. Kisis's whims were beyond prediction, after all.

Kisis didn't seem offended by Ray and Kyle's responses.

He must have expected the refusal. I was about to open my mouth to decline as well when the platinum-haired man suddenly said,

"You wanted to eat that soup, right?"

I smiled brightly and climbed into the carriage.

"Hey."

Kyle shot me a look of disbelief.

"You're just going to give in that easily? Cultivate some principles."

"There are no principles in the face of that soup."

"I already told the cook I'd ask them to make it for you."

Ray said in a tone of exasperation.

He sometimes unconsciously revealed his noble upbringing like this.

"You stubbornly refused when I offered before."

"It felt awkward asking the count's cook for something like that..."

And the soup made by the cook Kisis knew was the real deal.

Its unique, distinctive aroma. It was a love-it-or-hate-it dish—some couldn't stand it, while others couldn't get enough. I was in the latter group. I could eat it every day and never tire of it.

Kisis grinned as I sat across from him.

"Wise choice. I'll have them start boiling it as soon as we set off."

At that moment, the door to another carriage burst open.

I blinked and looked at the person who had opened it.

Wavy red hair.

"Ah, is this the one who's my stand-in?"

A seductive voice followed.

I blinked again, observing the owner of the red hair.

She had a pure, innocent face that didn't match her seductive voice. Translucent skin and clear, large eyes. A white veil perched gracefully on her head.

The Saintess.

I knew it the moment I saw her. She was apparently going with Kisis and us to purify the corruption.

Of course. It would be far more effective with the Saintess accompanying than just Priests.

But what did she mean by stand-in?

"Yes."

Kisis pointed at me and smirked at the Saintess.

"Your hair lengths are conveniently similar. This one's going to disguise as you."

"Pardon?"

What was that supposed to mean?

"Why do I have to disguise as a woman?"

"We got intel that there's a group targeting the Saintess. We're taking two carriages, but we can't just honestly put the Saintess in the Saintess's carriage. You'll stand in for her inside this one."

"Me?"

"I can't assign someone without the skills. An innocent maid could get shot with an arrow and die."

"But me?"

There are plenty of female knights!

Kyle, who had just been scolding me for lacking principles, was now leaning against the carriage, holding back laughter. Ray was gazing at the sky, marveling at his own decision not to board.

Kisis grinned.

His violet eyes curved into crescents.

"Unfortunately, no female knights are joining this time. There are plenty of female Priests, though."

"Female mages."

"There's only Cecil, and she's my dedicated watcher."

"It's a bit embarrassing to say this myself, but can't you see my muscles? I'm not small in height or build; I don't think I have the body for dressing as a woman."

"You'll be inside the carriage the whole time anyway."

Kisis chuckled, scanning me up and down.

"Nothing below the face will show. Only up to the collarbone from the window. Wear the Saintess robe and veil. The robe doesn't reveal your silhouette, so it'll hide the muscles."

"The Saintess robe won't fit me."

"It's fine. There are plenty of large sizes for the Saintess robe."

The red-haired Saintess smiled sweetly.

I was at a loss for words.

I blankly alternated glances between Kisis and the nameless Saintess, then turned to my friends.

I hadn't expected help, and sure enough, they showed no intention of saving me. They were barely holding back laughter, eagerly watching my predicament.

As expected, those guys were utterly useless in my life...

...Huh?

Wait a minute.

"You have curly hair."

"What?"

I pointed at Kyle, making him blink.

Staring at him, I said,

"You're the one with long curly hair. Shouldn't he be the stand-in? He has the exact same long curly hair as the Saintess."

"Which one do you mean?"

"The knight across from you."

"Oh my."

The Saintess, who had bowed her head to look at Kyle, covered her mouth with her hand.

I was speechless as a faint blush colored her face.

No way.

"Are you the knight going with us this time?"

"Ah, yes."

Kyle nodded slightly, greeting the Saintess.

"I'm Kyle."

This is insane.

I watched in stunned silence as the innocent Saintess circled the carriage to stand before Kyle. Ray buried his face in the carriage to stifle his laughter and was no longer in my sight. All I saw was the shyly smiling Saintess striking up a conversation with Kyle and him elegantly responding.

They'd completely forgotten about the stand-in business and were exchanging names with smiles.

What are you two doing?

Kisis sneered.

"Looks like you'll have to do it after all?" 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"Ha."

"I'll pick a pretty one for you."

The world is unfair.

In the end, I dressed as a woman with a soulless expression. The maids swarmed me all at once to outfit me. I put on the veil, gloves, and the Saintess robe. I hid my black Saintess robe inside, and sprayed perfume to mask the sand and blood on my body.

Meanwhile, Ray laughed out loud, and Kyle smirked while watching me and chatting with the Saintess.

Kyle even said to the Saintess with a faint smile,

"Don't worry. I'll protect you safely until we reach our destination."

"Hey."

I, sitting sullenly in the carriage, threw a glove at Kyle.

"The one you need to protect is me."

"Of course."

Kyle smoothly replied, turning toward me.

Then, looking at my disguised self, he laughed heartily.

"I'll definitely protect you too. You're pretty, after all?"

I want to go home.

But once again, my wish didn't come true. I was the only one dissatisfied with the situation. No one cared to listen to my exhausted complaints.

The disguise was complete, and the carriage set off toward the corrupted castle with me, veiled, and Kisis inside. Surrounded by elite guard knights.

I kept wondering where exactly things had gone wrong.

Up until we responded to the ambushes pouring in on the way to the High Castle.

*

Ray, Kyle, and I killed the source of the corruption in the High Castle.

A massive Pterosaur, covered in black parasites, was hunkered down in the High Castle. That was the cause of the Magical Beasts. We climbed to the fourth floor of the beast-infested High Castle, exterminated it, and dusted ourselves off as we exited.

Then, without delay, we headed to where Kisis was.

The dense forest behind the High Castle.

A place where the thick grassy scent was suffocating.

Pushing through it, we found Kisis with all amusement wiped from his face.

The praying Saintess and the Priests.

And the corruption staining everything before them red.

"Ah."

It was a hideous sight.

We stopped in our tracks, speechless. We didn't need to ask which zone was corrupted; it was obvious.

The greenery had vanished, replaced by red. An eerie color that stung the eyes. Strangely, it evoked the red of living flesh and muscle.

That color covered the ground and trees, writhing slowly.

"The World Tree's roots are corrupted."

Kisis spoke without turning to us, lost for words at the bizarre scene.

"Can you feel it? That's the World Tree's root."

I could feel it.

The heavy presence of the World Tree. It was so vast that its roots reached far and wide. That's why people sometimes encountered the World Tree's roots in unexpected places. This area must have had roots passing through, with some protruding above ground.

Roots covered in something like red veins.

Ray furrowed his brow and bit his lip. Kyle grimaced and muttered a quiet curse.

I let out a long breath.

"Why is this happening?"

"I don't know."

Kisis replied coldly, not taking his eyes off the root, then added,

"But this is definitely the cause of the recent anomalies."

The sound of prayers echoed through the forest.

Overlapping prayers resonating. Strangely, the hymns that would normally feel sacred now sent chills down my spine.

Was it because my vision was overwhelmed by the red?

Ray looked at Kisis with slightly bloodshot eyes.

"Is it like this elsewhere too?"

"Probably. Fortunately, the corruption isn't spreading quickly. We can catch up to it."

"Is purification possible?"

"This combination has succeeded in purifying every time."

Kisis murmured, staring at the root.

Without thinking to activate his Violet Eye.

Instead, his eyes seemed lost in thought, not really seeing the root.

"If we purify it every time, there shouldn't be a problem."

His tone was like he was convincing himself.

"Then it'll be fine for a very long time."

His words proved true.

In reality, for quite a long time after that, we lived unaware of the danger of the corruption.

*

A long time passed.

It wasn't a short period. In that time, we went through many events. We went to suppress a rebellion, and Kyle nearly died. The count's family was falsely accused, and Ray almost faced execution. After I used the Absorption technique, my cohorts found out I had outbursts almost every time.

Ah, we also caught a Dragon. We found the legendary secret sword that had become legend, easily obtained the Moonlight Pomegranate Stone, and when the Absorption technique rampaged, turning the World Tree's child into a demon, Kisis and I subdued it together.

Through such events, the three of us walked the path of the sword amicably.

Meaning, we earned the title of Swordmaster.

And the position of Knight Commander.

Though only Kyle and I received those titles.

The important thing was that so much time had passed, and I had more to lose now.

"Commander!"

I had subordinates.

I turned my head, brushing back my white hair whipping in the wind.

To see the subordinates running urgently toward me.

"It's an emergency summons!"

"Nol."

I called the names of those rushing over and smiled lazily.

"Ivon. No need to run."