The Third Order of the Imperial Knights rode their mounts across the mountainous terrain through the rain. Riding on horseback in wet mountain terrain was not something most would consider a good idea, as most inexperienced riders would end up biting their own tongues or falling from their horses. However, the steeds bred from the imperial stable easily evaded any obstacles, and the riding skills of the imperial knights were astounding.
At the forefront, Lenox shouted, “Are you sure you saw that woman?”
“Yes, sir! She was definitely foraging for wild berries under the rain… Keheok!” Eric shouted in excitement, but he ended up biting his own tongue.
Lenox rubbed the hilt of his sword, then gave a command to the knights. “That woman is somewhere around here! We will find her today and catch her!”
Lenox tried his best to encourage the knights that were already exhausted beyond their limits; in addition, their food rations were now dwindling and they could not delay the mission any longer. He chose the best route to take on horseback, and the rest of the knights followed behind him toward the bright campfire light in the distance.
Lenox dismounted from his mount and quietly approached the smoldering embers left behind by the campfire. “There was someone here until just a while ago,” he said as the rest of the knights dismounted and searched the area.
One of the knights pointed to the ground and shouted, “There are footsteps over here!”
The muddy road was still wet and soggy from the rain, and there were clear footprints in the mud.
“It seems the woman we are chasing after has grouped up with other people. They could not have gone far, since they are on foot; should we give chase?”
At the very moment Lenox was about to speak, the darkness surrounding the knights disappeared. Brightness enveloped them and a draft of hot air blew past their cheeks. Their vision became hazy from the heat, and one of them suddenly shouted, “Fire!”
“Damn it! How could this be?!”
They were caught up in a wildfire that was severely out of place. The forest had still been damp from the rain that had stopped not long before, and it should have been nearly impossible to set the forest ablaze even if one intentionally tried to by pouring oil all over the damp forest.
However, the wildfire blazed like a hungry beast that was set on devouring the whole mountain, and it grew stronger as it consumed and felled the trees one by one.
“Captain! What are your orders?!” a knight shouted in a panic.
“There must be a spirit summoner in their group,” Lenox muttered.
“Huh?” the knight replied.
“Nothing. You guys retreat,” Lenox commanded.
The knights’ eyes widened in surprise as they asked, “What do you plan to do, captain?”
“It is risky for a large group to continue the search in a wildfire like this. I can go through the fire alone. We will rendezvous at the foot of the mountain tomorrow morning,” Lenox said.
The knights cried out, refusing to follow his orders.
“How can we leave you alone? We cannot follow that order! I will go with you!”
“Right! I will go with you as well!”
“As long as I live by the sword, I will risk my life to carry out the orders of the empire!”
However, Lenox shook his head as he looked at the knights and said, “I am well aware of your loyalty to the empire, but do not say you will die for the empire.”
“Huh? What do you mean by that, captain?” the knights asked in surprise.
“You will understand later,” Lenox responded.
The knights clenched their fists tightly, and some of them even teared up. However, all of the knights except for Lenox ended up retreating from the wildfire.
Lenox mounted his horse and stroked its mane. It was a horse that had been bred in the royal stable, and was fit for a captain of the imperial knights, but Lenox was not interested in horses and he did not know what breed his mount was. However, everything depended on the horse he was riding on.
“Let’s go,” he said to his horse, spurring it onward.
The horse neighed, shooting out like an arrow and charging through the flames, but there were numerous obstacles in the form of fallen trees and burning bushes that blocked their path.
It was at that moment that Lenox drew his sword and used a skill. “Wind, Bless My Sword.”
It was a high-tier sword skill. Wind gathered on Lenox’s sword, and he instantly destroyed all of the obstacles. The wind that gathered at the edge of his sword not only extinguished the flames, but also blew away all of the burned-down, fallen trees.
The flames almost burned Lenox by a hair’s breadth, but he managed to break through the fire without sustaining any injury.
“Cough! Cough!” Lenox coughed as he looked around at his surroundings.
He saw a group of people walking in the distance, and he roughly observed their composition. The group consisted of a woman with a small burn mark, an expressionless young man, a middle-aged man who seemed to be familiar, a girl covered in fire, and a blonde woman.
‘That guy… Is that Henrick…?’ Lenox shook his head at the sudden thought; there was no way the personal artisan of the princess, who had retired because of a rare disease that made his body numb, would be in a place like this. Instead, he focused on the girl covered in fire and the blonde woman. ‘That girl covered in fire must be the spirit that burned the mountain, and that blonde woman must be…’
It was quite a distance, but he was able to make out the flowing blonde hair that was characteristic of the imperial royal family—it was the doppelganger of Kisifran, the Royal Princess. The objective of their mission was now in front of him.
Lenox was about to steer his mount toward them when a young man started to walk toward him. The young man must have seen him charge through the flames, but he nevertheless approached without showing any hesitation or fear. Oddly enough, the young man had both a sword and a staff in his hands.
Lenox drew his sword at the young man and shouted, “Stand back! I am the captain of the Third Order of the Imperial Knights, Lenox Hermagen! I am here on imperial orders to transport that woman back to…”
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“Shut up,” the young man said, interrupting him.
“If you don’t step aside…” Lenox warned him nevertheless.
“I said shut up.” The young man’s voice sounded cold and angry. Lenox’s expression crumbled when he heard the young man’s words.
“I don’t know who you are, but I’m sorry,” he said as he steered his mount toward the young man and drew his sword. As long as the order was given, he was supposed to kill anyone who had witnessed the doppelganger of the royal princess. He charged with his mount at full speed and swung his sword.
Shhiik!
“Hiiiiiing!”
The front leg of Lenox’s mount was chopped off,and he fell to the ground. However, he calmly rolled across the ground and avoided sustaining any damage. Lenox stood up from the muddy ground and glared at the young man with killing intent.
His strike just then had been supposed to chop the young man’s head off in one stroke. However, the young man had not even received a scratch, and it seemed like a stroke of luck that the young man had managed to avoid his sword.
Lenox was actually greatly surprised by the turn of events, but he remained calm on the outside as he said, “Your luck won’t save you twice.”
However, he could not help but question the turn of events. Was it really a stroke of luck? A creeping sense of caution caused him to change his approach. He gripped his sword tightly and said, “Wind, Bless My Sword.”
An intense wind gathered around the knight captain’s blade. His sword swing sent a blast of wind flying toward the enemy like a typhoon. However, the young man easily avoided his sword.
The young man’s movement was not fast, but rather precise. He read the trajectory of Lenox’s sword, lightly stepped aside, and avoided it. It did not matter how hard Lenox swung his sword; he only managed to slash through the air without hitting anything. The young man did not shed a drop of blood as Lenox stood there staring at him, speechless.
“What the hell are you…?” Lenox muttered.
“You’re making me waste my time,” Kang Yoon-Soo said. He drew his sword, although his mind was preoccupied with something else.
Meanwhile, Lenox was surprised at the sight of the young man’s sword reflecting the moonlight. He tried to follow the trajectory of the young man’s sword swings, but eventually failed, becoming mesmerized by the sword’s arc. The young man’s swordsmanship was sharp and accurate, and could even be called beautiful; it was at a level that only those who had reached an expert level in the sword could recognize.
“Ah!” Lenox exclaimed as he felt a blunt impact strike his head. His vision darkened in an instant as he collapsed.
***
Kang Yoon-Soo knocked the captain of the imperial knights out with the hilt of his sword. There was a large difference in their levels, but he had managed to subdue Lenox with only his swordsmanship. He did not show any emotions even after achieving such an amazing feat.
He walked back toward his companions, then approached the doppelganger of the royal princess and said, “We need to talk.” He took her to a secluded place away from the ears of Shaneth and Henrick, then asked, “How did you know I regressed?”
“Someone inside of me told me,” the doppelganger answered.
“Who is that?” Kang Yoon-Soo asked again.
“I am not exactly sure, but there is an existence that is sealed within me, and it cannot come out of me. I call that existence the ‘White Shadow’. The White Shadow is telling me to convey these words to you,” the doppelganger explained. She continued, “Your 1,000th life is the final one. There will be no more regressions.”
It was at that moment that a change that had never existed in Kang Yoon-Soo’s past 999 lives occurred.
***
“Captain! Are you alright?”
Lenox heard a voice and felt someone shaking his shoulder. He opened his eyes to find one of his knights looking at him worriedly. He was lying in the exact same spot he had collapsed on the previous night. “I am ashamed,” he said as he stood up, then drank from a water canteen one of his knights passed him.
The knights stared at their captain, who had been knocked out cold, but none of them dared to ask what had happened—until Eric asked, “Did you lose the target?”
All of the knights glared at Eric. They were all curious as to what had happened, but they had been feigning ignorance for the sake of their captain.
However, Lenox shook his head and said, “It is not Eric’s fault. It was my mistake; I lost the target.”
“To think that the captain would lose them. The wildfire yesterday must have been really bad,” one knight remarked.
“No, something more terrifying than the wildfire was there,” Lenox replied.
“Huh?” the knight exclaimed.
Lenox stared at the sword in his trembling hand. What he had seen the previous night was something so unrealistic, he had suspected it to have been a dream. However, his memory was surprisingly clear; he clearly remembered the swordsmanship of that young man.
His heart started to beat faster. He was physically stronger than the young man, and he would not have lost so one-sidedly if he had not been mesmerized by his opponent’s swordsmanship. However, the young man’s technique was definitely impressive, and all of his knowledge regarding the sword had changed overnight. He thought, ‘It was the first time I saw such swordsmanship from anyone other than the 1st Order’s captain.’
Lenox stood up from his spot, then pointed at Eric and asked, “Can I borrow your horse?”
Eric looked touched by his words and answered with a salute, “Yes, sir!”
“I apologize, but you will have to ride behind another knight,” Lenox added. He mounted the horse and gripped the reins, and the knights followed suit as they mounted their horses.
Lenox then shouted, commanding the knights, “They must not have gone far! We will chase after the target once again! The target has joined with other people! Be especially careful of the expressionless Traveler!”