The Sage that the Sword Saint is Obsessed With

30 – 9. Curse of the Witch (3)

1.

The Imperial Army entered the village.

A young man who had been riding at the front dismounted from his horse.

He was wearing a cape that symbolized an officer.

Judging from the blue color of the cape, he was a high-ranking knight.

Lieutenant Hairel, the commanding officer of the Imperial Knight Corps 104th Assault Battalion.

Having never been to the Star’s Order before, Hairel was so nervous that his lips were dry.

“…Is this where the Swordswoman is?”

Leuwen, a woman known as the “Swordswoman” on the Southern Front.

Even within the Imperial Army, she is revered as a hero by many knights.

For five years, she defended her hometown against evil spirits, and for three years since the gates of the demon realm opened, she has not accepted a single defeat while protecting the Southern Front. When hearing this story, it is impossible not to respect her as an examiner and as a knight.

This time, it is said that she even took down a giant.

The thought of meeting a giant made Hairel even more tense.

“She is waiting inside.”

After receiving guidance, Hairel entered the headquarters of the Order of the Star.

He tidied up his appearance.

First impressions are important.

Especially when coming to make a difficult request like today, it is even more crucial.

-Knock, knock

He knocked cautiously and entered the conference room.

As soon as he entered the room, he was overwhelmed by the solemn atmosphere.

Five knights were waiting inside.

They all exuded a raw and powerful energy.

Although they were referred to as knights, fundamentally, they were no different from mercenaries in the security forces.

Moreover, they were a self-established security force, not a security force created by the Empire.

Therefore, their image was closer to that of a mercenary group rather than a knight order.

There was no need to look for the Swordswoman among the five knights.

She was sitting in the seat of honor at the table.

A face that revealed no emotions.

Beneath long eyelashes, there were majestic golden eyes.

Her exquisite beauty carried a seductive air, as if she came from a different world altogether.

It reminded him of the atmosphere when he saw a saint in the capital.

If a saint represented the beauty of purity, then a knight in black embodied the beauty of darkness.

They both shared an exceptional kind of beauty.

Halting for a moment, Hyrel saluted with strength.

“Nice to meet you. I am Lieutenant Hyrel, commanding the 104th Assault Battalion of the Imperial Knights.”

After a brief silence, Karen, seated beside Leuen, smiled and responded.

“Welcome. Someone different has come today?”

“Captain Tenor is injured in battle, so I’m here in his stead.”

“Is the situation on your front not favorable?”

“We are holding on. It’s challenging to reinforce the southern front immediately because we urgently need more troops to block the northern front. If it weren’t for those like you assisting, the southern front would have been overrun by now.”

Although just a lieutenant in charge of a single battalion, Hyrel sincerely expressed his gratitude.

“So, what brings you here today? If it’s related to the giants, I believe I sent a report a few days ago.”

Hyrel nodded.

“Yes, we received the report. The commander is truly grateful, he wanted me to convey that. If there’s anything else you need, please let me know. He mentioned preparing a reward after the report reaches the capital. I’ll do my best to prepare whatever is possible, though I can’t guarantee its adequacy.”

Normally, reports didn’t make it past the headquarters. However, given that the defeated enemy was significant, it seemed the report would go beyond the headquarters and reach the royal palace.

“We’ll discuss that among ourselves and let you know.”

“Understood. Also, if you have the giant’s corpse, could you cooperate with our investigation?”

Karen looked at Leuen as if seeking his opinion.

Leuen, who seemed bored in his rigid posture, finally spoke.

“I don’t mind. What about the others?”

Leuen glanced at the other officers.

“If the commander agrees, I’m in.”

“Likewise.”

“Still, giving it away for free is a loss for us, I believe.”

“Of course, we’re not asking you to provide the corpses barehanded. We’ll pay for providing the giant’s bodies.”

Opinions converged towards the suggestion of providing.

“The corpses we have are extremely limited. The rest melted away as soon as we subjugated them, and we barely managed to salvage a few.”

In response to Karen’s words, Hairel said, “Even a few will do.”

“Understood. I’ll arrange it.”

From the perspective of the Star Knights, this deal was a losing proposition. If they were to put giant corpses up for auction, they could fetch a high price.

The eccentric researchers of the Matop would be eager to acquire them, especially the Black Matop sect studying dark magic. They might be willing to spend tens of thousands of gold to obtain giant corpses.

Hairel, glancing around, brought the discussion to the main point.

“Now, let’s get to the point….”

As soon as they heard the word “point,” everyone responded with, “Alright then.”

There was no way an Imperial Knight would personally come to convey mere gratitude. Even if they wanted giant corpses, they would have inquired through a letter.

Usually, when someone from the Imperial Knights came, it was because they had a significant request.

“…We have a matter we’d like to entrust to the Star Knights on behalf of the Empire.”

Karen sighed, “I’ve mentioned this several times. We’re not a mercenary group, nor are we affiliated with the Adventurer’s Union.”

Though it was the first time Mid-Lieutenant Hairel heard such words, every time a knight came from the Empire, they had said the same thing.

“We’re just a knight order defending the Southern Frontline. We’re not troubleshooters hired to handle requests, right?”

Hairel said, bowing his head as if to express his frustration.

“I know. But now it’s just you guys!”

Karen, looking at Hairel with a dubious expression as he bowed his head, glanced at Luen beside her.

Luen nodded. “I’ll hear what it is.”

It was always this pattern.

Despite not being a mercenary group that solves requests, in the end, they would accept and resolve the request. This time would likely unfold the same way it always did.

Hairel expressed gratitude and slowly continued with the main point.

“A dungeon was recently discovered near the gate.”

With just that statement, one could anticipate what they were asking for.

“We’ve investigated it a total of five times. Three times by our Imperial Knights, once by the Cheongyeom Guild, and once by the Adventurer’s Union. However, none were able to conquer it completely; they either perished, or only a few barely survived.”

Hairel continued, recounting what he had received from his superiors.

“The dungeon is identified as the stronghold of the Demon King’s army. Although there are no immediate signs of movement, it is deemed necessary to preemptively subdue the enemies dwelling within the dungeon.”

“What kind of enemies are they?”

“I haven’t seen them personally, but I’ve heard that they are the Demon Knights.”

“Demons… They seem formidable.”

The Demon Knights.

Among them, the Demon Knights.

I have faced them several times on the battlefield.

They are part of the higher class of the Demon King’s army, and they were certainly not opponents to underestimate.

Engaging in combat with the veteran of battles, Karen, who can be considered a Demon Knight herself, I had almost lost one of my arms.

Fast, heavy, and dangerous.

They were clad in full plate armor yet moved with agility, employing intricate swordsmanship.

On top of that, they were tenacious…

To think that such beings are lurking in the dungeon. Setting foot in that place is tantamount to suicide.

Of course, except for one person.

“…Is that all?”

Leuwen, who had been listening calmly, commented while stroking his chin.

To her, who was more monstrous than any monster, whether it was a Demon Knight or a Demon, they were all treated as insignificant pests. If there was any difference, it was that the latter offered more resistance.

“If they are the only ones, they should be relatively easy to conquer.”

It wasn’t arrogance.

It was a simple fact based on skill.

“I will go alone and come back.”

Upon hearing those words, Karen and the other members erupted in protest.

“No, you can’t!”

“That’s right. It’s not allowed.”

“No matter how great the leader is, going alone is dangerous.”

Despite their opposition, Leuwen calmly responded.

“I’ve conquered dungeons alone more than once.”

“But this time, it could be the stronghold of the Demon King’s army. So, to be prepared for any possible situation, come with us.”

Leuwen looked at Karen.

“…I appreciate your concern, but who will watch over the frontlines?”

The officers looked at each other in turn.

“You are aware that enemy invasions have been frequent recently, right?”

The officers nodded their heads.

“And as for the Demon Black Knights, you should be capable of capturing them, right?”

They nodded their heads again.

“If we were to organize a party, it wouldn’t be with regular members, but with all of you… Then what would happen to the forces guarding the front line? It’s not a situation where we can request support from elsewhere. Especially from the imperial army.”

Hairel stiffly nodded his head.

“To be honest, I can guard the front line alone. And you all can guard the front line as well. But you can’t fight the Demon Black Knights amongst yourselves. On the other hand, I can.”

This wasn’t arrogance or conceit either.

It was the truth.

“So, I’ll go alone.”

Leuen faintly smiled as if to reassure the concerned officers.

“I’ve been handling things fine by myself until now. Don’t worry too much. And haven’t I always come back safely whenever you’re worried like this?”

They couldn’t deny it.

“Um… I apologize for interrupting.”

Hairel cautiously interjected.

“It’s not that I doubt your abilities, Leader… But I think it would be better if at least one person accompanied you. There are magic traps overflowing in the dungeon aside from the Black Knights.”

“Magic traps?”

Leuen blinked her eyes and tilted her head.

“Just avoid them, then?”

In Leuen’s perspective, avoiding magic was simple. By reading the flow of mana like projectiles, she could easily dodge them. She thought anyone here would be a fool if they couldn’t dodge it even if they knew where and how it would come.

From her standpoint, everyone here was a fool.

“…There are traps that you can avoid, but there are also traps that you cannot avoid. For example, traps that buff the Black Knights or traps that immediately inflict debuffs. There are also various mixed magic traps.”

Traps that activate immediately are difficult to deal with.

Leuen can only read mana when magic is activated. Before magic is activated, she cannot read the flow of mana.

-Clap.

Karen clapped her hands as if she had a good idea.

“Then it’s settled!”

“…?”

“There’s a way for us to avoid all the traps in the dungeon and for us to be at ease in letting the Leader go!”

Leuen blinked his round eyes as he looked at Karen.

“It’s perfect timing; there’s a good person in the knights!”

At those words, other officers nodded as if acknowledging that there was such a method.

“Huh?”

Leuen giggled for a while, then opened his eyes wide.

“No way! I’ll go alone! Absolutely not!”

Leuen exclaimed as if having a fit.

To go to the dungeon with Evan.

That’s…

That’s…

That’s a date!

Although Leuen was just daydreaming about tackling dungeons alone, the mere imagination of doing dungeon raids solo made his heart flutter.

Back when they were lovers, they used to conquer beginner dungeons together.

The memories came flooding back.

“That’s troublesome, really troublesome. Evan… Even though Sir Evan was briefly with the knights, asking for a dangerous task is too much, isn’t it?”

Leuen boasted boldly, as if touching on a sore subject.

‘Is it really worth getting worked up over?’

Looking at Leuen, whose cheeks were turning red from excitement, the officers showed a bewildered reaction.