Four days later.
The Kingdom of Brute, situated near the Hobsun Mountains, sent their own Order of the Knights.
“Wow, look at all the stuff they brought over!”
I couldn’t help but marvel at the sight of the knights hauling along two luxurious carriages and even a massive wagon packed full.
“We did put a bit of pressure on them,” Jack boasted from beside me.
After all, Bartenberg had taken care of the Kingdom of Brute’s greatest scourge—the Dragon.
There couldn’t be a better justification for our visit.
“Load it up!”
At Polk’s command, the knights busily moved about, piling the Dragon’s corpse onto the large wagon brought from the kingdom.
How many days and nights did it take just to chop that thing into four pieces?
Even with some scales broken thanks to the battle, sawing through those bones demanded blood, sweat, and tears.
“It is an honor to meet a scion of the great Bartenberg.”
While I watched the scene, which looked more like a labor site than a battlefield, someone approached and addressed me.
“I am Fabian Waller, leader of the Steel Knight Order of the Kingdom of Brute.”
“I see.”
I nodded and sized up his face.
With his thick, sharp brows, he looked every bit the soldier.
‘But his spirit seems lacking.’
Not only him—the knights of the Kingdom of Brute all had dead eyes, their demeanor not much different from whipped dogs. Yet their fear wasn’t directed at Bartenberg, but rather at the all-pervading demonic energy of the Demon King.
Just a single glance.
Just a few minutes.
The Demon King only revealed his presence to this world for the briefest moment, yet his demonic energy swept across the entire continent.
The sky darkened as if stained with filth, and the earth was shrouded in terror.
It was truly an age of chaos.
“Dust is rising. Please, get into the carriage.”
At Aaron’s urging, I headed for the carriage.
“Put the Dragon Tooth in another carriage, and have Adele ride with me.”
“Understood.”
Adele said she felt most revitalized when near my presence, so the more time we spent together, the faster she’d recover.
I settled into the carriage and gazed outside.
‘Will Snowfall be alright?’
Whereas the average Faith used to hover around 3,500, after the rift incident, it barely reached 2,000.
Seeing how people clung even more to their god, it was clear the residents there were as shaken as anyone.
“I’ll have to summon them soon.”
Unfortunately, I couldn’t let the faithful idle any longer.
Especially since there’s a talented Evangelist there.
It was time to put them to proper use.
“Young Master, the cargo is all loaded.”
“Then let’s depart immediately.”
The Steel Knight Order would haul away the Dragon’s corpse and other items.
I ordered the knights to take the shortest route, and they faithfully obeyed.
Inside the swiftly moving carriage, I clicked my tongue.
“This is a disaster.”
All the vegetation outside was dying, and even the beasts were cowering under the relentless demonic energy.
The rift had been open for barely ten minutes, yet its aftereffects plagued the continent so deeply.
“Hurry up and wake up.”
I muttered as I infused Faith into Adele.
With the World Tree collapsed and unconscious, it felt like the world itself had been thrown into greater chaos.
***
How far had we traveled?
The carriage and the Third Knight Division arrived at a large city.
“Why here?”
“This is the shortest route. We’ll cut straight through.”
Aaron answered with his usual serious face.
Only Bartenberg could cross such a metropolis without prior notice.
Truly, the tyrants of the Northern Continent.
“But still…”
This place was in ruins as well.
The cityscape outside the window matched my expectations exactly.
Residents bowed their heads as our carriage passed.
Their eyes were sunken, their skin pale. Their hearts brimmed with fear and confusion.
A child watching us suddenly burst into tears.
Was it the sight of the cold, steel-clad knights that frightened them?
Unintentionally, we’d only made things worse for these already anxious people.
It bothered me to just pass by while the child wept.
“Stop for a moment.”
I ordered the carriage to halt.
The door creaked open, and the residents stirred uneasily.
“Ri, Riha… Hup—”
Someone seemed to recognize me, muttering my name before covering their mouth.
The mother of the crying child trembled violently.
Did they think I was here to devour them?
I suppose I was still seen as a scoundrel by these people.
With a short sigh, I pulled out the banner of Bartenberg that was stowed in the carriage.
[Bestows 1,000 Faith upon this object.]
The Sun-Emblazoned Sword—the crest of Bartenberg—shone with a radiant light, symbolizing the sky of the world.
“Ah…”
The residents stared in awe at the banner.
With a sharp motion, I planted the banner firmly into the ground.
Even if just a little, it would bring them comfort.
Only then did I feel my heart lighten.
“Let’s go.”
Climbing back into the carriage, I ordered them to move on.
“Isn’t that a declaration of conquest over this city, Young Master?”
Aaron’s voice drifted in through the window, half-joking.
Now that he mentioned it, it did look rather imposing—another family’s banner planted in the middle of someone else’s domain.
I hoped the city’s lord wouldn’t take it the wrong way.
“Look well, all of you! That light is the Light of Bartenberg!”
“It is the light that drives out darkness! Thank Young Master Richard for his benevolence!”
I pressed my hand to my forehead.
The Third Knight Division was making unnecessary noise again.
“Young Master, please let them be. They’re just trying to reassure the people in their own way.”
“I doubt that. Look at their faces. Let’s hurry up and get moving.”
Soon, the carriage set off again, crossing the city and racing over the plains.
I took in every passing scene with my own eyes.
***
When was it?
Back at the garrison, the knights once asked me,
“What exactly was that monster that appeared when the sky shattered?”
I answered as best I could.
“That was the Demon King.”
The Liches infesting the continent were now plotting to open another rift.
“Does that mean that monster—the Demon King—will appear again?”
“Yes. When that happens, it’s truly the end.”
During the Grand War of Saints and Demons, the Demon King suffered grievous wounds at the hands of the heroes.
Since then, he’d been lurking in the Demon Realm, waiting for his chance.
“But now it’s different.”
With his wounds, the Demon King should be weakened.
At least, that’s how I remembered it.
But when the rift opened, even for a moment, I was certain.
He had grown even stronger—far beyond what he was during the Grand War of Saints and Demons.
“The reason is…”
With the divine power that suppressed demonic energy gone, the Demon King’s power could only increase.
A variable I hadn’t anticipated. It was a headache.
Would the Demon King act as I remembered?
Would the threats—Liches, Demon Dragons, Demon Legion—unfold as I knew?
Absolutely not.
Those calamities would return, stronger than ever.
As the Demon King’s energy deepened, so too would the might of his minions.
I could no longer blindly trust the future I once knew.
And I couldn’t forget the other threat—the one from the Marx Family.
Enemies lurked everywhere.
That realization weighed heavily on my chest.
At that moment, the knights thumped their chests and spoke.
“No matter what monsters we face, the Third Knight Division will stand with you, Young Master!”
“You told us to follow you, didn’t you? Next time, we won’t just cower in fear.”
Their clear eyes looked straight at me.
They truly meant to become my people.
“When were you all so eager to not get eaten by me?”
“Ah! And don’t forget, you have a promise to keep.”
“That’s right. Not a single one of us died, so come on, take your seat as promised.”
Thinking back to the garrison, I frowned.
Rascals. They really did try to kick their Young Master out.
Still, thanks to them, I could steel my resolve.
The pathetic, doomed wastrel ‘Richard’ was gone.
Now I had knights who would follow me, and soon, I’d welcome them as my faithful.
Now that I am ‘Richard’, my very existence is a variable.
“I must become stronger.”
My gaze fell on the large chest placed in the corner of the carriage.
Inside was the Dragon Heart.
To consume a Dragon’s heart, it had to be processed several times.
The process diminished its potency, but without it, no human body could withstand the power.
And the Dragon Heart I possessed was from a Light Dragon—making it even more dangerous.
“But if I eat it together with the Fruit of the World Tree…”
From my chest, I took out the fragment of fruit wrapped in the World Tree’s leaf.
Adele, such a thoughtful girl.
When I first discovered it, I was so surprised.
I weighed the fruit and the Dragon Heart in my hands.
‘It’s possible.’
To consume the heart as it is.
Adele had saved the fruit for this very purpose.
***
Peeking out the carriage window, I called for Aaron.
“You called, Young Master?”
“Bring me a bucket of water. The largest one you can find.”
He soon returned with a bucket of water.
[Bestows 10,000 Faith upon this object.]
[Holy Water has been created.]
I prepared about ten days’ worth of meals for Adele.
“Move Adele to the carriage with the Dragon Tooth, and feed her this water—ten percent of it per day.”
“Understood.”
“And don’t come into my carriage for a while. Absolutely not.”
“…What are you planning this time?”
Aaron’s face was filled with worry, but I just smiled.
If I told him the truth, he’d definitely try to stop me.
But perhaps he sensed my determination.
With a grim face, Aaron obeyed.
“Running low on Faith…”
Alone in the carriage, I muttered to myself.
Only four thousand Faith left.
But it couldn’t be helped.
I didn’t know how long it would take to digest the Dragon Heart, and I had to keep providing Adele’s meals.
“Well, then…”
Time to eat that precious heart.
Crunch!
Along with the fruit fragments, I bit deep into the massive heart.
The stench of blood filled my mouth and nose, but I endured it.
One bite, then another.
I kept going, eating as if fighting a battle.
And then—
A surge of powerful Mana roared within my stomach.
[Skill – Hyper Focus activated.]
If I stayed like this, my body would explode.
I closed my eyes and focused, desperately trying to calm the Mana within.