Chapter 423 – Tracking
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Franz, the minor lord of Crea, came to his senses with a crushing headache.
“Lord So has come to his senses!”
Franz, who was lying in bed, could see the vassals surrounding him and making a fuss.
“What on earth is this fuss about?”
“Don’t you remember Young master?”
“Remember? What is that…”
At Grant’s words, Franz frowned and touched his forehead.
“Ugh!”
When her hand touched her forehead, she felt a thick lump, and she naturally moaned at the pain coming from it.
“This, this…”
Franz touched the lump on her forehead and began to relive what happened before she lost consciousness.
“Obviously… I…”
I faced a mercenary named Bakra…
“…”
I couldn’t admit defeat in front of Hestia, so I used Sword Aura in an ugly way… But I lost my mind when I saw the tip of the guy’s spear approaching in front of my eyes.
What was most humiliating was that she was defeated miserably while Hestia watched as her witness.
-Ugh…
A belated sense of shame came flooding back to her as she thought she had lost her mind after being defeated so badly in front of her.
“That guy… Where is he?”
“I went back with a medal.”
In principle, knight medals are usually awarded to nobles.
But he took it on his own terms.
Strictly speaking, since he said he would give it to him… You might think he took it…
“He was so shallow… He had no manners…”
That’s right.
There was no courtesy towards nobles.
“Just give me the order, and I’ll get you back right away.”
A somewhat rough yet deep voice.
This is Colin, the knight who was beaten senselessly by Bark.
His eyes were stained with anger.
His face was red because the swelling had not yet gone down, and several of his front teeth were broken.
The face that was ferocious before looked even more ferocious.
Normally, even if he was angry, he would just click his tongue and end it, but Franz couldn’t do that.
Is it because he was humiliated in front of Hestia?
An unknown emotion rises in his chest.
Franz nodded his head quietly to Colin.
Colin, seeing his silent consent, raised his fist to his chest and walked towards the inn where Bark was staying.
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“… What?! You left?!”
At her Marga’s innkeeper’s words, Colin growled and pressed her.
“Yes, yes. I left in a hurry this morning.”
The innkeeper lowered her head and said, trembling at the sight of Colleen’s bloody face.
“Huh… They ran away. You rat-like bastards. Do you know where they went?”
“I heard you’re going towards Ramona.”
Colleen wanted to go after them right away, but she couldn’t.
She had to ask permission to move.
In the end, Colin had no choice but to return to Franz empty-handed.
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“Huh… You left?”
Franz was dumbfounded after receiving Colin’s report.
“Yes, they say he left early this morning. They say he didn’t ride the horse. If you chase him, you’ll be able to catch him in no time.”
“Lord Hestia?”
“They say it’s in a temple.”
Fortunately, we didn’t leave together.
Should I just leave it alone?
But leaving that spoiled mercenary alone makes her feel frustrated.
“Please give me a chance to catch those bastards who disrespected Lord So.”
Colin got down on his knees and pleaded.
Franz also knew why he was so proactive.
Because that happened at the party while everyone was watching, I couldn’t help but feel angry.
“Sir Colin, I accept your loyalty… I leave this matter up to you.”
“Thank you!”
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Karen and I quickened our steps to get as far away from Crea as possible.
For lunch, I had a quick sandwich prepared by the friendly innkeeper.
For some reason, the amount was a bit large.
It wasn’t for 2 people.
‘Did he look like a glutton?’
She had originally planned to leave as an escort, but given the circumstances, she had no choice.
Because she was in such a hurry to leave, she wasn’t fully prepared.
‘It would have been nice if I had said something…’
I didn’t even have money to buy a horse.
Strictly speaking, there was money, but there was no room to spare.
If you buy a horse, you will have to live a life short of money again.
It is a sad reality that this is a wordless article.
The arm that was damaged while sparring with Youngju Xiao has not recovered yet.
Fortunately, the bones were not damaged, but the muscles seemed to be quite damaged.
There was no pain and no major inconveniences in daily life, but it would be difficult to exert much effort for a while.
Recovery occurs naturally over time.
“Aren’t there any thieves?…”
There is no easier recovery than cutting off their heads and sucking their life force.
Even dog poop cannot be used in medicine…
There wasn’t a single monster in sight, let alone a thief.
The road was more peaceful than ever.
Even Karen, who had good physical strength, seemed to be having a bit of a hard time due to the rather fast forced march.
The sight of sweat beading on his forehead and his shortness of breath makes me feel a little weak.
“Karen. Are you having a hard time?”
Karen nodded her head without hesitation.
He is an honest guy.
“Shall I give you a piggyback ride?”
Karen shook her head.
Her expression was firm.
That look is pretty cute.
Maybe he doesn’t want to be a burden… I don’t know how he feels.
Still, I stroked her head because of her wonderful heart.
It doesn’t matter if you carry me.
But I wanted to make her strong.
I think this might be the first time I’ve had this thought.
I know the ending of a game that is not this game.
In the end, this avatar will disappear someday.
To be exact, it returns to the main body.
The avatar disappearing is not the problem.
The problem is Karen.
I’m worried about her being left alone.
So I wanted to make Karen as strong as possible before I disappeared.
Karen could be said to be, in a sense, a true student of me.
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Hestia decided to send her Bark.
She decided to let go of the doubts in her mind.
Bark may not know his feelings.
I felt a little sorry for doubting him for so long.
When I think of him leaving, why does a part of my heart feel empty?
It may be because I broke up with someone I haven’t dated in a long time… Who was like a friend with whom I could talk without any flaws.
Hestia is a Holy Knight of Terraism.
An ordinary person is usually intimidated.
The same goes for nobles and knights.
But he was unstoppable.
Also, the way he casually asks me to buy him food.
I don’t know what they believe.
It could have been seen as bluff, but it didn’t feel that way.
Why?
It didn’t feel bad.
It was also comfortable.
It was a feeling I hadn’t felt in quite a while.
He was a little upset when I told him he was leaving, but he thought it was time to break up.
Moreover, it was difficult for Hestia herself to be in Crea any longer.
“Ah…”
Hestia suddenly realized that she was standing in front of the Margana Inn.
It seems like the footsteps headed here on their own.
She came this far, and she is going back too.
While she was here, she decided to have a quick bite to eat.
She doesn’t have much time left to stay here.
Hestia opened the inn door and went inside.
“Ah! Hestia. Welcome! Didn’t you leave with Bark?”
The warm-looking inn owner welcomed her.
“Hmm? No. Why did you think I left with him?”
“Well… My words may sound too presumptuous, but sometimes you just have to move on and not worry too much. There’s a saying that if you’re going to regret it anyway, do something and regret it, right?”
Hestia wasn’t very tactful either.
The innkeeper’s misunderstanding was serious, and she seemed to be telling him to go after Bark.
These days, I’ve become used to this kind of story and was just passing by.
“Hey… Hestia.”
Her innkeeper called to her cautiously, his voice muffled and his eyes looking around her.
“Hmm? Why are you doing that?”
Hestia felt puzzled by the innkeeper’s attitude.
“Well, that’s…”
Hestia’s brow furrowed as she heard her innkeeper’s next words.
“The knights came looking for Bark?”
“Yes… The atmosphere of those drivers was unusual.”
I think it was a wise choice for Bark to leave Crea.
“And…”
“…?”
“Early this morning, I saw the drivers hurriedly leading their horses in the direction where Bark had gone. But the atmosphere… I guess… You might have done something big wrong, right?”
The innkeeper was worried about Bark, who had stayed there for a long time, as if he had feelings for him.
“… That’s not it.”
“Ugh… That’s a good thing.”
After reassuring the innkeeper and leaving the inn, Hestia’s face was stiff.
A light duel between Lord So and Bark.
And So Yeongju’s defeat.
Hestia, who knew the nobles’ habits to some extent, could not guarantee that the minor lord did not harbor a grudge against Bark.
Hestia felt that if something happened to Bark and Karen… She would feel quite bad.
Little Lord’s knights left this morning.
They say Bark left yesterday, but they don’t say anything.
Hestia became anxious.
She hurriedly headed to the temple.
It was to find his war horse that had been left at the temple.
The battle horse, wearing silver barding that matched well with Hestia’s armor, was the battle horse received by high-ranking Holy Knights in the Church of Terra.
The armor worn on a war horse is more expensive than that of most knights. In addition, it is barding that has been given lightweight magic so that mobility is not affected.
“Where do you plan on going?”
“I’m thinking of going to Ramona first.”
Hestia thought about the words she and Barak had shared before parting ways, then mounted her battle horse and hurried to Ramona.
