Chapter 2.12

Devin, having tasted the most exquisite sugar cube of his life, was utterly entranced. When Ragaen sealed the pouch containing the sugar cubes, Devin snorted in dissatisfaction and nudged Ragaen’s shoulder with his muzzle.

More.

His intention was clear.

“That’s enough. I’ll give you more later.”

Though Devin’s eyes grew moist with disappointment, Ragaen was unmoved. After patting Devin a few times to console him, he returned to his tent. As befitted the commander and the hero of the nation, his tent and bed were exceptionally comfortable.

Until they reached the first base, they were able to move without any issues. Along the way, they encountered a fearless group of Nibelota, hunted them down, and shot down a few Lorus, but otherwise, the journey was smooth. Constructing the base and setting up the tents were tasks handled entirely by the subordinates, so Ragaen only needed to keep a sharp eye on the surroundings to ensure no monsters were targeting the hardworking soldiers.

Sitting on the edge of his cot, Ragaen pulled out a small piece of paper from his pocket. Before departing for the expedition training, Greta had placed a small note inside the pouch containing Dadian leaves that she had given him. The note contained only one line:

Wishing for your safe return. 

—Greta

Ragaen sniffed the faint scent of Dadian leaves lingering on the note. The fragrance had weakened after being kept in his inner pocket, but it still lifted his spirits. Reading the note’s brief content once more, Ragaen felt a pang of disappointment at how short it was and let out a hollow laugh without realizing it.

‘Disappointed, huh.’

The replies he had sent to Greta’s letters so far were just as terse. Every time, Ragaen would agonize for hours over those short replies, but it was unlikely that Greta could sense the effort behind them.

‘…Did she feel disappointed, too?’

For some reason, he felt a growing sense of unease.

***

Greta was smiling. Ragaen was sitting beside her. They were seated on a grassy field, sharing sandwiches. Ragaen gazed at Greta’s face. It was blurry. 

What did Greta look like again? Greta’s face…

“Commander!”

“Gasp.”

Startled by the loud voice, Ragaen inhaled sharply and opened his eyes. Turning his head toward the source of the voice that had woken him, he saw Richard Lievo’s surprised face.

Richard Lievo. Greta’s brother. Ragaen scrutinized Richard with still-drowsy eyes. 

Brown hair. Ah, right, Greta had hair of a similar color. Brown eyes. That seemed similar, too. As for the face…

Feeling suddenly irritated, Ragaen spoke curtly.

“What is it?”

“I called you several times from outside, but there was no response, so I came in. My apologies. A Ritmaom suddenly attacked Squad 1 at the front. Squads 2 and 3 are responding together, but they’re struggling. The vice-commander has instructed me to bring you.”

“I’ll go.”

Richard, who had momentarily been pierced by Ragaen’s sharp gaze, let out a sigh as Ragaen turned away. For a moment, he thought he was going to die. But that thought vanished as Ragaen stood up. The commander of the knights and hero of the nation, the Duke of Adantie, revealed his bare body. It was covered in horrific scars. The most striking of all was the place where his right arm used to be.

Because of his large build and imposing presence, it wasn’t easy to notice that he was missing an arm when he was clothed. But seeing his bare, scarred right shoulder made it clear that he was the hero who had brought the Great Demon War to an end.

‘That must have hurt a lot.’

Richard’s thoughts didn’t linger.

“Let’s go.”

“Ah, yes. I’ve prepared your horse.”

Even while riding swiftly toward the battlefield, Ragaen felt a chill down his neck and a sense of discomfort. Imagining Richard with long, flowing brown hair had left him feeling queasy.

‘D*mn it.’

Frustration surged within him.

He couldn’t recall Greta’s face.

It was then that Ragaen realized he had never taken a good look at Greta’s face. No matter how hard he searched his memory, all that remained were fragments—her smile, her expression, her voice, her gestures, her habits, and her presence. Only scattered images floated in his mind.

Not paying close attention to others’ faces was a long-standing habit, but today, it bothered him more than ever. It felt as though he had lost something incredibly important.

“Are you all right, Sir?”

“I’m fine. Hurry up.”

To push away the unsettling feeling, Ragaen nudged Devin’s side to speed up.

***

The Ritmaom was a monster that had almost been driven to extinction after the Great Demon War. Resembling a giant wild boar, the Ritmaom had thick skin that was nearly impenetrable by ordinary swords and arrows, four tusks, a foul and violent temperament, and a diet that included other monsters, making it extremely dangerous. Before the Great Demon War drastically reduced their numbers, it wasn’t uncommon for people to be eaten by Ritmaoms in the mountains.

The knights, who had undergone rigorous training, were handling their first encounter with a Ritmaom without sustaining major injuries. However, summoning the courage to roll under the enraged Ritmaom’s belly to attack its weak point was no easy feat. None of the knights were skilled enough marksmen to hit the frenzied creature’s eyes with precision while it moved violently.

“That d*mn pig! This is insane! It’s the one charging at us, and yet…!”

“Hey, why don’t you crawl under there?”

“Are you crazy? You do it!”

Ragaen saw knights bickering while holding their swords and others shooting arrows from behind. A few lucky arrows grazed the Ritmaom’s eyes, but they only served to enrage it further. Ragaen, exasperated, rubbed his forehead and approached the vice-commander, who was sighing heavily.

“You’re here, Commander!”

“What’s going on here?”

Noticing the rare irritation in Ragaen’s voice, the vice-commander replied with a sigh of his own.

“It seems that reading about Ritmaoms in books and practicing against them in training isn’t enough. None of the knights here have experienced the war, and the near-extinction of Ritmaoms has also played a role.”

“Whether they’re nearly extinct or already gone, do they think they won’t die acting like this?”

“Haha. I was planning to step in myself if things didn’t improve.”

Ragaen dismounted.

“No need. I’ll handle it.”

“You will? Well, it’s been a while since we’ve seen a good show.”

Ragaen had been in a foul mood ever since the ride. No matter how much he tried to recall Greta’s face, it remained elusive. Even when he glanced at Richard’s face for hints, the image of Greta he sought was like a watercolor painting submerged in water—blurred and indistinct.

Feeling an unprecedented need to vividly remember Greta’s face, Ragaen had no time to waste on the noisy pig in front of him.

“Spear.”

The vice-commander handed Ragaen a spear.

“Tell them to move aside.”

“Yes, yes! Everyone, fall back!”

At Richard Lievo’s loud command, the knights engaging the Ritmaom at close range hastily rolled away. They risked being gored by the creature’s massive tusks, but the sight of their superior holding a spear was far more terrifying.

The moment the knights rolled away from the Ritmaom, Ragaen threw the spear with his left hand.

Thud!

The spear pierced the Ritmaom’s skull.

“Whoa.”

“Unbelievable.”

“Is he even human?”

A chorus of astonished exclamations erupted.

Ragaen turned to the vice-commander.

“Take care of it.”

“Yes, Sir. Tonight’s dinner might as well be pork.”

As Ragaen mounted his horse and suddenly turned its head, he glanced at Richard. When their eyes met, Richard felt a chill run down his spine and his mouth go dry.

The piercing blue eyes glinting with a beast-like intensity were far from human. Of course, Ragaen was merely searching for Greta’s face in his mind.

“Sir Richard. Bring me the tusks.”

“Yes, Sir!”

Ragaen disappeared faster than he had arrived, leaving the knights gathered around the Ritmaom’s corpse.

“Crazy. Just crazy. That was amazing. Is he even human? He pierced its skull with one throw. Look at the thickness of this skull. What kind of strength is that? I couldn’t do that even if I died and came back to life.”

“Strength isn’t the only thing. His accuracy is insane. That thing was moving so fast, yet he hit it without even preparing much.”

“There’s a reason the retired seniors used to sing about the Commander being a monster.”

Currently, over 90% of the knights serving in the Imperial Knight Order had never experienced war. Most of the knights who had participated in the war had retired due to physical or mental aftereffects. The knights, who had only witnessed Ragaen’s strength during training and sparring sessions, were astonished by the incredible skills they saw today.

“Wow, seriously, our Commander is amazing.”  

“From today, I’m a member of the Adantie Hero fan club. I’m officially the Commander’s fan now.”  

“I’m so happy I get to call him Commander instead of Duke Adantie.”  

“I want to get hit by the Commander’s wooden sword just once.”  

“I wish the Commander would kick me…!”  

“I want to train with the Commander!”  

Ragaen Sol Adantie gained more fans.