"Sir Knight, please, have some water." The caravan leader handed over a leather waterskin.
"Thank you. However, I am no knight. There is no need for such titles," Loretta replied as she took the skin and took a long draught.
"Someone like you is bound to be knighted eventually... I haven't seen you dismount or shed your armor once these past few days. If someone like you can't be a knight, then there isn't a single true knight left under the heavens." The merchant chuckled. "The world is at peace now, so opportunities to earn glory are admittedly scarce—though that's a good thing for us small-time merchants. Where do you plan to go after this, Sir?"
"Where are you headed?"
"Eh? Didn't I tell you before, Sir?" The merchant looked slightly confused. "We've nearly reached the Carian border. Next, we'll take the backroads into the Altus Plateau... first to Volcano Manor to trade goods, then we'll turn toward the Royal Capital, Leyndell."
"I see."
"Sir Knight, Volcano Manor has issued a recruitment call across the Lands Between. Praetor Rykard is seeking warriors from all corners of the world. He doesn't care about birth or background; so long as your martial skill is exceptional, you can be dubbed a knight. It's a perfect chance for you to show your worth! Why not travel with us? Though we can't offer a massive wage, we'll certainly do our best to make it worth your while."
"Very well," Loretta answered simply.
"Wonderful! I'll go discuss your payment with the others right away." The merchant took off his hat, gave a clumsy bow, tugged the ear of his pack camel, and turned back toward the camp.
When he had been leading his caravan through the outskirts of Raya Lucaria, he had encountered this knight staring blankly by the side of the road. After gathering the courage to strike up a conversation, he discovered that this was actually a wanderer without a lord. He had invited the knight to travel with them on a whim, hoping for a helping hand if they ran into trouble, never expecting the knight to agree so readily.
A small caravan like his, even if sold off entirely, couldn't afford half a suit of knightly plate armor. He had never dreamed of having a knight as an escort.
Though Loretta insisted she was no knight, the merchant suspected she was likely the scion of some noble house, trained since childhood, who had read too many chivalric romances and run away in search of adventure. To sever a Rune Bear's foreleg with a single strike... that was something even ordinary knights couldn't dream of doing.
"Old friend, did that knight really agree to come along?" another merchant asked skeptically. "Two hundred runes is something we can scrape together, but that barely buys a decent sword. You really hired a knight for that?"
"That money is just to show our gratitude. Do you really think a knight cares about that pittance? The last time, we didn't pay a single cent, and the Knight stepped in out of righteousness to drive off that Rune Bear," the caravan leader said. "Liurnia of the Lakes is fine, but once we enter the volcanic regions, there are fire slugs everywhere, and we might even run into demi-human or troll bandits. Having a knight with us makes things much more peaceful."
The others murmured in agreement. Just as they were discussing how much each family should contribute, a series of screams erupted in the distance. Many people were seen running down a distant hillside—women and children mixed among them—seemingly fleeing from something in a blind panic.
A small squad of light cavalry galloped toward them.
"Hurry! Run toward the Watchtower! Drop your goods and run at full speed! You might still have a chance to make it inside the castle!" the lead cavalry captain shouted harshly. "The Leyndell Army is attacking! They're slaughtering civilians!"
"What!" The merchants felt as if they had been struck by a bolt of lightning.
"What house do you serve, Knight?" the captain asked, looking at Loretta. "The Count has ordered all knights to return to the castle for defense! Come with us!"
Loretta did not respond. The cavalry captain took in Loretta's exquisite plate armor and her Silver War Sickle; for a moment, he couldn't quite gauge her standing.
"If you don't leave now, you won't escape," the captain shouted, turning to his subordinates. "We have no time to waste either. Everyone, follow me back to the city."
"Captain, those villagers are slow! There's no way they'll make it!" a young rider cried out. "Someone has to hold back the enemy vanguard to buy time for them to reach the city!"
"Did you not see how many are in their vanguard?! At least several hundred riders!" the captain barked angrily. "The Count ordered us back to the city. This isn't running away!"
A low, booming horn echoed from the distance. The captain looked back and saw golden, shimmering figures appearing on the opposite hilltop. They charged down the slope, cutting down the fleeing villagers. The sounds of wailing reached them even from that distance.
"Tree Sentinels from Leyndell!" the captain gasped in horror. He watched the carnage for a few seconds before gritting his teeth and wheeling his horse around. "Let's go! Hey—you, Knight! Where are you going?!"
"Such conduct is not the way of a knight." A tall knight on horseback arrived at the hilltop, looking down. "Commander, the King ordered us to suppress the enemy's reconnaissance, not to give the army free rein to massacre civilians!"
The first knight was already as large as a small mountain, but this Knight Commander was a full head taller. He was clad in head-to-toe gold armor, with a massive Dragonclaw Shield hanging at his saddle and a heavy Dragon Greatclaw partially embedded in the mountain rock.
The Commander pointed at the fleeing crowd below. "Those are all heretics. How do you know there aren't Carian soldiers disguised among them? Besides, these people do not believe in Queen Marika. They are effectively potential scouts for the enemy. Do you truly believe they won't go and report our positions?"
"You also took an oath beneath the Erdtree! Have you no shame?" the knight shouted. "The Tree Sentinels were not meant for the slaughter of women and children!"
"My understanding of Golden Order Fundamentalism and our oath to the Erdtree is likely far superior to yours! That is why I am the Commander," the Tree Sentinel Commander sneered. "The Erdtree has graciously accepted this land infested with heretics, and the souls of these heathens shall return to the roots upon their death. We are not murdering them; we are saving their souls from their wicked faith."
"We had a chance to achieve our goals without shedding blood, but now I fear we are headed for total war." The other knight could find no argument to counter him. Throwing out those final words, he departed in a fit of rage.
"Coward," the Commander spat.
During the Second Liurnian War a hundred years ago, he had been attacked by Carian forces while constructing a pontoon bridge. His unit suffered heavy losses, and his own son had drowned in the river. He had led his army across by force, cutting off the enemy's supplies after days of bitter fighting, surrounding them completely. He would have annihilated them within days.
But then, a messenger arrived with the news that Radagon had decided to marry the Full Moon Queen, bringing orders for all units to cease combat immediately. He had nearly taken the messenger's head with his halberd. It wasn't until four separate messengers arrived within a single day to repeat the order that he grudgingly lifted the siege, letting the trapped enemy escape.
He had failed to avenge his comrades that day, a regret he had carried for a century. Today, he would make the Liurnians pay in blood!
At that moment, a discordant commotion rose from below. The Commander looked down and saw the golden river of Leyndell knights actually being obstructed by a single person.
"Who is that?!"
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Elden Ring: The Unborn One's Journey Through Elden Ring(48 Chapter - Ongoing)
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