Volume 2 Chapter 13 Invitation To Izerland Fortress (From The Sword Saint Of The Sun) I
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The morning after having a threesome with Esther and Aliona, Kian was in quite a sleep-deprived state.
”The morning sun is blinding… and the room smells terrible.”
Kian mumbled to himself as he flung open the two windows in the room.
Fresh morning air flowed in, replacing the foul odor inside.
Thanks to that, he felt a bit better.
”Hah…”
The sexual activities the previous night had lasted about 3 hours──meaning they ended before ‘The Boar’s Trot Inn’ closed, but afterward, he went downstairs to drink with Serena and Robert, making a total of 5.
The drinking session concluded around the time the day changed, and after helping with the cleanup, he returned to his room only to find it in a horrific state filled with the stench of sweat and semen.
The bed sheets, in particular, were a disaster.
All tangled and sticky.
The floor, which he thought he had cleaned once, was also found to have multiple spots drenched in someone else’s bodily fluids upon closer inspection.
There was no way he could sleep normally in such a place.
He had woken up several times and hurried out the window to get some fresh air.
Although East End is relatively mild, it gets quite cold at night, forcing him to wake up each time he stepped outside due to the chilly air.
As a result, he had dark circles under his eyes.
(The strong smell is arousing during s*x, but once I step outside, that’s it. The scent lingers in my nose…)
Kian frowned at the lingering sweet odor on his hands.
Since it would be awkward to mention it to Esther, he decided to procure some deodorizer from somewhere.
It was a painful expense, but for the cost of maintaining two relationships, it was relatively cheap.
’Actually, it was three.’
”Can’t you control my lustful Demon tendencies when you’re juggling me? If I keep adding women at this pace—just like Serena said yesterday—I’ll end up financially ruined someday.”
’Then you’ll just have to rise high enough to afford a harem. Or cut someone loose. As a warning for your sake, if you plan on ditching that high elf granny, you’d better leave East End entirely. The way you are now, she’d curse you to death in no time.’
”Even as a joke, that’s not funny.”
’If you think rationally, you should set priorities. Some women should just stay as casual companions.’
”――――”
Swearing to himself never to add more than three women, Kian changed into his Nightshade coat.
He was off work until the test results came in.
Today, he should spend his time shopping for deodorizer and procuring weapons.
(Still… looking at it this way, I really want a big house with a bath. It’s a massive dream for someone like me, living day-to-day, but…)
* * *
Rubbing a sprig of thyme in his hand, he went downstairs.
As usual, a pleasant aroma wafted from the kitchen below.
It was probably the Pigfoot father and daughter prepping for cooking.
In the hall, a few servers were sweeping the floors and wiping down tables with rags.
”Oh, Kian! Morning!”
”Good morning, Ms. Moimoi.”
”You’ve got a guest!”
The red-haired, freckled waitress—Moimoi—said, pointing her thumb toward the entrance of The Boar’s Trot Inn.
”A guest?”
He turned his face toward the street, but from where he was standing, he couldn’t see anyone outside.
”They said they’d wait outside, so they’re probably off to the side somewhere.”
”I see, thank you.”
”No problem! Looked like a rich dark elf lady. You’ve got some moves, Kian!”
Leaning on her broom, Moimoi grinned mischievously.
(A dark elf?)
’Do you know any adventurers like that?’
(No memory of one. But after so many years, it’s possible we’ve met somewhere. Either way, I’ll go check.)
Thanking Moimoi once again, Kian quickly headed outside The Boar’s Trot Inn.
The dazzling morning sun bathed him entirely.
Adventurers passed by in small groups on the street outside.
Sensing a presence, he turned to the right and, as Moimoi had said, there stood a dark elf woman.
Her brown skin contrasted with her long silver hair.
She was tall and slender, her profile sharp and beautiful.
A high nose, thin lips, and faint coloring.
She had already noticed Kian long before, and without any sign of surprise, she turned slowly to face him.
”Are you the adventurer, Mr. Kian?”
Her posture was impeccable, her gray eyes fixed steadily on him.
Her long silver bangs were parted in two, and as she turned, one strand brushed against her cheek.
”Yes, that’s me. And you are…?”
”Pardon me.”
Brushing the silver strand from her cheek, she placed her hand over her shirt’s chest and bowed.
The rapier at her waist swayed with a faint clink.
”I am a knight of the Knights of the Sun, and a squire to Lord Oswald of Ramsey. My name is Aisha. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”
”Ah, my pleasure, Ms. Aisha.”
Kian shook her hand after removing his leather glove. Her hand was cool to the touch.
As her silver hair swayed, a sweet fragrance wafted up.
(What’s that smell? Perfume…?)
”I smell thyme. Were you cooking?”
The dark elf, Aisha, looked down at his hand and said.
”Oh, uh, no. I still had some lingering smells from yesterday’s… work, so I was rubbing thyme to mask it.”
”I see.”
”So, Ms. Aisha, what business do you have with me? Mr. Oswald—is he the one from yesterday’s trial?”
”Yes. He’s the blonde man who entered the labyrinth with you. He wore the Knights of the Sun emblem as a piercing.”
”Of course, I remember. I also heard he’s someone important from Izerland Fortress. So, he’s a knight?”
When Kian said this with a smile, Aisha placed her hand on her hip.
”To be precise, he is a knight and a noble lord of the merchant city of Ramsey in the north. He would like to personally request a quest from you.”
”A personal request for me, a mere low-rank adventurer?”
”Yes. I would like you to come to our ‘Knights of the Sun’ training grounds near the fortress. Is that alright?”
Though she asked if it was alright, it felt essentially like a demand.
There was no way a mere low-rank adventurer could refuse a request from a noble who owned lands.
”Of course. But can I send a letter to my party member first?”
”That’s fine. However, please be quick. I will open a teleportation gate, so we can jump together close to the training grounds.”
Saying that, she pulled out a silver-glimmering bow from her back.
Seeing the bow, he finally remembered her.
(I see, this Aisha is the heavily armored archer who came to pick up Oswald)
She looked completely different from when she was in armor, so he hadn’t recognized her right away.
”Shall I prepare a pen and paper? Should it be a written message?”
”I have my own, so that’s fine. I will have the letter delivered by a crow.”
Kian quickly scribbled the details of the message using graphite and called over a waiting crow, tying the letter to its leg.
”Please deliver this to Serena at the ‘Pumpkin Pie Inn.’”
Cawing once, a crow flew into the blue sky.
Observing this, Aisha murmured, “You use such mysterious magic.”
”I’m ready. I can go anytime.”
”Well then.”
Aisha nodded and raised her silver bow.
That bow was likely both a bow and a magician’s staff.
A tremendous amount of magic power radiated from the dark elf knight, distorting the space in front of them.
”I will maintain the gate, so please jump in first.”
Stabbing the bow into the ground, she pointed at the wavering space that distorted the scenery.
Some adventurers passing by seemed to notice the teleportation spell and began casting curious glances their way.
Kian nodded and jumped into the shimmering space before him.
”────”
Having used teleportation multiple times with Aliona, he was already accustomed to the sensation.
Therefore, he didn’t feel skittish about the spatial teleportation; instead, he found himself wondering why he hadn’t sent Oswald and the others through it yesterday.
(It’s probably a pointless question since there’s no answer coming back.)
By the time such thoughts crossed his mind, Kian had landed in a hilly area a little away from the western part of East End street.
It was farther west from where Kian had previously ventured with Robert and the Falcon Brigade for a quest.
Surrounding him were rolling green hills of various sizes, and it seemed the spot where Kian had teleported was the highest hill in the area.
Thanks to this, he had an unobstructed view of the surrounding hills.
As far as the eye could see, it was green, green, and more green.
The sky was an unbroken expanse of blue, without a single cloud.
The view gave the illusion that the world was made up of only two colors.
’Oh, this is an exceptional view. Truly beautiful.’
(It sure is. But――)
Kian turned around and looked behind him.
In the distance, the outer walls of Margrave Izerland’s fortress came into view.
A drawbridge extended before the castle gate, and despite the early morning hour, a few people were coming and going.
From the enchanting scenery of the hilly landscape, the sudden appearance of the modern fortress city created a stark contrast.
’Oh, suddenly there is a strong sense of human presence here.’
(That’s the stronghold of the Margrave. It’s also the largest city in the Margrave Izerland territory.)
An alien structure amid the fairytale-like landscape dominated by blue and green.
The towering white stone walls of the fortress stood imposingly.
However, it would be wrong to say it ruined the scenery.
The fortress city itself was enormous, majestic, and resembled a warship floating amidst the hills. It was so striking that it would make an excellent subject for a landscape painting.
White and red spires stood tall, forming a grand fortress on the frontier.
No invader could breach it, and no stronghold of any border noble could compare to its grandeur.
This was the Izerland Fortress, the castle where the beautiful and delicate Princess Maribel Danofen resided.
This was a line commonly recited by bards when they sang of Izerland.
Incidentally, before Maribel inherited the title, the name of her father was used in its place:
The castle where the valiant knightly noble Godfrey Danofen resides.
”――Is this your first time seeing the fortress up close?”
A calm voice addressed him from behind.
It was Aisha, the dark elf.
She pointed her silver bow at the shimmering space they had just passed through, severing the teleportation spell’s connection.
”Beyond this point, the barrier prevents further teleportation. You’ll need to walk the rest of the way.”
She gestured toward a spot visible to the right of Izerland Fortress, where many wooden fences were planted.
Tall watchtowers cast shadows over the area.
That must be the Knights of the Sun’s training grounds.
”The training grounds aren’t located inside the fortress?”
”No. Our Knights of the Sun’s complicated standing necessitates that arrangement.”
Aisha began jogging down the hill.
Kian followed after her.
”Complicated standing? I thought being a knightly order meant you were officially sanctioned by the princess of Izerland.”
”Mr. Kian, how much do you know about the Knights of the Sun?”
”Uh… well, I know it’s one of the knightly orders in Izerland. And that the renowned Knights of the Sun serve as deputy commanders.”
”That’s correct. Anything else?”
”Not much, honestly. I just assumed that as a knightly order, you carried out military operations under the princess’s command.”
When Kian said this, Aisha, who had reached the bottom of the hill and entered the town road, continued speaking.
”Right now, it’s the golden age of mercenaries. There are few places where one can make a living solely from a knight order. The ‘Knights of the Sun’ have indeed received the princess’s approval and serve her, but their true nature is quite different.”
”Um…”
Feeling that the conversation was getting lost, Kian interrupted her for a moment.
”So, what exactly is the ‘Knights of the Sun’ that Ms. Aisha and Mr. Oswald belong to?”
”To explain that, I have to start from the origin of the knight order. Do you know about the ‘Thorn Demon,’ Mr. Kian?”
”No…”
”According to public records, it was a disaster-level monster that appeared 80 years ago in northern Izerland. It was intelligent, had sharp fangs, and could turn those it wounded into what was called ‘blood servants’ to control them. Some bards even describe it as a ‘demon king.’”
Aisha continued as she hurried down the street.
”The power of the ‘Thorn Demon’ was immense, and at that time, the Margrave of Izerland reportedly called forth heroes from various places to defeat it. Among those who answered Margrave Izerland’s call were not only nearby noble lords, knights, and adventurers, but also regular citizens and serfs working on estates. However, due to the urgent situation, social status was disregarded, and only strength was considered, leading to the formation of an elite band of heroes. This was the predecessor of the ‘Knights of the Sun’ order.”
”I see… So you are the descendants of the hero party that gathered to defeat the Demon King, the ‘Thorn Demon’.”
”In adventurer terms, that’s correct. …After the ‘Thorn Demon’ was vanquished, the knight order lost its purpose, but since the members were all knighted by the Margrave, the order continued to exist. However, they did not receive adequate salaries, so the members of the ‘Knights of the Sun’ began various activities to earn money. These included trade, banking jobs, and crafts such as blacksmithing. Since there was a rule in the knight order that ‘members must contribute their wealth to the order,’ as they managed to support themselves this way, they gradually gained not only military power but also economic influence.”
”In other words… the military actions they undertake in service to Margrave Izerland are their public duties, while behind the scenes, each is involved in separate work, earning the money they need to live day by day.”
When Kian asked that, Aisha nodded.
”We are knights of Her Excellency Lady Mariabel. That is without a doubt. …However, in reality, we are economically and militarily independent. From the perspective of a vassal knight, it is undoubtedly only Sir Oswald who is my master.”
”I see, it’s complicated.”
”Indeed.”
Aisha smiled at Kian before returning her face to the front.
”Sir Oswald is a descendant of those who participated in the ‘Hero Party’ as a noble lord. While governing Ramsey as a lord, he is also an accomplished banker.”
”Why would someone like that personally request me…?”
”You should ask Sir Oswald directly about that.”
Aisha said this while pointing ahead.
A simple gate made of wooden fences was visible on the hill.
They were already in front of the training grounds.
Though they had been talking, it seemed the two had been running quite quickly down the town street.
Aisha raised her voice to the two guards standing in front of the wooden gate.
”It’s me! Aisha! I’ve brought a guest! I’m taking them to Sir Oswald now! Clear the way!”
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.