Thorne was riding on horseback, the hooves sinking into the wet, soft black mud, making a dull sound.
Ahead was a low-lying area known as Black Swamp Town.
The gray-black water surface gleamed with an oily sheen, scattered dead trees tilted in the mire, and the air was filled with the stench of rotting meat, causing one to instinctively hold their breath.
Thorne's gaze lingered on that swamp for a long time.
He used to be a knight.
He used to wear orderly armor, wield a clean sword, recite oaths, and believe in those words of honor and guardianship.
Later, Duke Raymond gave the order for a militaristic campaign that persecuted the vassals, and Thorne refused to sign the command.
After that, his title as a knight was stripped, his military pay stopped, and even his steed was nearly taken away for debt repayment.
He didn't starve to death only because the Red Tide army quickly moved south, saving him.
It was because of this event that he appeared here.
