The Old Knight of a Frontier District

1

Bardo said goodbye to Uncle Linz and headed north.

Uncle Linz,

"If we're going north, we might get through Maisian territory.

Lord Gordon Zarkos is my nephew.

He's a good man.

I have always said that I would like to see His Holiness the Knight of the People.

Stop by. "

So he wrote me a letter of introduction.

We headed north along Auva for a while, then into the mountain path.

As always, it is a walk with the luggage carried by the old horse Stabolos.

Since leaving Linz, Stabolos didn't seem to be feeling well.

Still, he walked with his luggage on his back.

One day I got ready for camp early in the mountains, but nodded without even trying to eat grass.

And that night, he died quietly.

Aimed at the body, the ear longwolf (Balban) came out.

Instead of wrapping the cloak around his left hand as a shield, he slashed it with the sword of his right hand.

I was scratched somewhere with my nails and fangs, but I was able to stab my heart and knock it down.

But the raid didn't end.

After that, three ear wolves emerged.

I didn't think about running away.

If we decoy Stabolos' body, we can buy time.

In fact, until now, when the horses on my side died in battle, I made them a decoy.

The beast and the warcraft were eating the horse's corpse, and he regained his posture.

I dare to use it as bait to attract people.

But the truth is, I didn't want to do that.

The love a knight holds for a horse will be difficult for those who do not stand on the battlefield to understand.

The horse is a knight, a partner and a family member.

half-body, it may be said.

Bardo, who gives ruthless orders, was turned to resentment by his men.

That's how we keep protecting our men and our people.

At least at the end of your life, you may also be allowed to behave foolishly, protecting and dying of a horse's corpse.

This is a really stupid thing to do.

Because in the end, the corpse of an old horse can only be entrusted to the measure of nature.

Still, now that he had just died, he wanted to protect his peaceful sleep, even just for a few moments when his soul would say goodbye to his body.

As we fought, the momentum of the incendiary fire was weakened and we were finally unable to prevent the ear longwolves.

The leather armor has several muscles scratched and the cloak is wrapped around the left hand with blood.

Still, he knocked one head down and put a deep hand on one.

A deep-handed wolf jumps on me.

I poked quickly.

It jumped into the wolf's mouth.

Shit.

I thought so but it was too late.

The wolf chewed the sword hard with his fangs.

I knew if I didn't let go of this hand, my sword would break, but I couldn't let go.

Bakin.

and the sword broke.

The wolf who swallowed the tip of the sword died as it was.

But we don't have the means to fight the last one anymore.

Bardo was ready to die.

That's when something flew in from behind Bardo.

That was an axe.

An axe, likely of considerable weight, stood on the head of the wolf, twirling and spinning.

The wolf is dead.

Bardo looked back and saw the benefactor.

I wasn't human.

Big body.

Big ripped mouth and fangs growing there.

Green skin that looks hard.

Gerkast.

Sometimes called "Green Man (Lee Tori)" because of the color of his skin.

He has armor-like skin and is a subhuman with rugged nails and fangs.

Among the subhumans, Gerkast is particularly belligerent.

But they don't attack humans unless there's a special reason.

Anything, they have a legend that there was a great king of man who ruled man and all the subhumans a long time ago.

Even now, he protects the life of his great king and does not contend with humans as much as possible.

In order not to contend, we build settlements away from humans.

Bardo's never actually seen him before.

Bardo extended his spine and placed his right hand on his left chest, broke his hips shallow and took courtesy of the Gerkast warrior.

Gerkast warriors took it in silence.

Gerkast is originally bigger than man, but this Gerkast is especially large.

As a human being, he is taller than a fairly large bald man, one or more heads.

The arms stretching out of the large, uplifted shoulders are so long and full of strength that they are almost likely to reach the ground.

Gelcast's arm will crush the human head.

Gerkast looked at the horse's wreckage.

"You're an old horse."

I said.

I hear Gerkast understanding human language is rare.

Bardo replied that he was thirty-one years old.

"That's a lot of longevity.

You've done your best. "

Bardo nodded.

She asked me what I wanted to do with this horse, so I would like to eat it if possible, and I would like to take some of the skin with me.

Gerkast took the mountain knife out of the bags and gave it to Baldo.

And I started using the axe to peel off the wolf's fur.

Bardo stripped Stabolos of his fur.

Even so, it's full of body slurs and few places to use it.

In the first place, horse skins are beautifully tense, on the other hand, fragile.

It makes a great, stretchy sound if used on the drum skin, but once scratched, the rift widens wide.

Still, the skin on my buttocks came off quite a size.

This is the toughest and easiest site to use.

The work between the two continued as they continued to add more and more firewood.

Gerkast finished the work amazingly quickly with a boneless axe.

The meat of the ear longwolf was placed around the camp.

I shut my mouth to the smell of blood, but when I smell an ear wolf, the weak beast doesn't come by.

Stiff and not edible, such as old horse meat, but still cut and roasted the buttocks.

I also recommended it to Gerkast and the two of us ate it.

When I tried it, to my surprise, it was very delicious.

It contains fine fat (rashes).

Along the direction of the fibers, there is a strange blemish.

The fibers push back the ragged teeth, twitching, and the meat is smudged.

The unique flavors are wrapped and melted in soft fat, gradually increasing sweetness in the mouth.

It's not just delicious enough to entertain your tongue.

It's nourishing and delicious.

Bardo blurred the taste of Stabolos.

The nourishing flesh soaks deep into the body.

I felt like my flesh would become flesh and blood.

Gerkast felt like he was delighted to eat, although he did not share any particular thoughts.

The distilled liquor offered by Baldo sparkled his eyes and drank well.

At dawn, Gerkast invited Baldo to his cabin.

Before he left, he hung liquor on the wreckage of Stabolos and offered a prayer of condolence.

I also had a desire to dig holes and fill them, but I didn't want to sweeten them any more to Gerkast's liking.

Besides, horses who die on their journeys are taught in the wilderness and the woods.

He has lived by eating the grace of mountain river grass trees, so that after his death he can feed on other lives.

Gerkast stared at Baldo like that.

The hut built on the rock shelf by the waterfall pot, regardless of its habitability, is unlikely to be raided.

The skin was washed and removed.

I can't carry much luggage because my horse is dead.

I picked out the luggage to take, and then I gave it to Gerkast and told him I wanted it.

I also decided to leave the broken sword and horse equipment behind.

The sword is made of precious steel.

Should sell for a good amount.

Stabolos leather, made a sheath of swords.

I don't even have a sword to put in now.

A Gerkast warrior showed me an unexpected dexterity to help.

The seams are uniquely patterned with a splendid finish.

Gerkast warriors named themselves Ngedo Zoi Engdal.

Ngedo means warrior, but all adult men in Gerkast are warriors.

Middle names represent family names.

In other words, this Gerkast named himself "I am Engdall of the Zoe clan".

Another thing Bardo knows about Gerkast.

Gerkast weighs very heavily on connections between families.

I will not leave my family to settle outside my assignment.

When they emigrate, they emigrate from family to family.

The task of the clan shall be two or more.

Because in Gerkast's faith, martial arts means nothing unless they are seen by their peers.

Dead Gerkast reports his fellow martial arts to his ancestors.

I can't report my own martial arts.

For the first time in the spirits of our ancestors, martial arts will enhance the honor of our families.

If there is a Gerkast living alone, it is about a Gerkast who has sinned and suffered the greatest punishment of exile.

Gerkast has a life expectancy of more than double that of humans, but nevertheless this Gerkast appeared to be quite old.

But he is a formidable warrior who does not let his body fade or anything else feel.

It is full of body slurs and leaves a large cut, especially from the left shoulder to the chest.

Also, my left ear doesn't have the upper half.

Don't bluff. Behind the stand-up behavior, a tremendous amount of martial arts hides.

Most of all, Engdall seemed to feel the same way about the opponent.

You must be a knight.

I was told.

2.

I wonder why I'm still alive, Bardo thought.

When Stabolos died, I thought, oh, now is the time.

Stabolos, Bardo never knew what the name meant.

But by the lake, when I break up with Priest Bari Toad,

"How is that romantic named horse?"

He asked me if I knew the meaning of his name.

The priest explained to me, smiling.

There is a fairy tale called "Princess and Knight of Forest Country".

A knight and a princess are united after ordeal.

The knight always wants to be by the princess.

The princess always wants to keep the knight by her side.

But many need the help of knights.

Knights must run all over the country.

It is by helping people that they are the princess's beloved knights.

But what if, while the knight is away, the princess is in crisis?

The princess gave the horse to the knight.

The horse, if the princess casts a spell, immediately takes the knight home, wherever he may be.

The secret spell calling the horse is the word "Stabolos".

Bardo also knew about this famous fairy tale.

but what Bardo remembers is the part about what monsters he defeated and how many enemies he fought at the same time.

I didn't even know there was such a thing as a spell calling horses.

According to the priest, this part of the story only appears in some very old copies, and ordinary people don't know it.

But that's what I was taught, and I'm glad I brought this old horse.

If Princess Idra calls, this horse dies.

Then I'll take you with me.

I thought so.

But Stabolos is dead, and he's alive.

What should I do?

Nothing like this.

It's more than living, it's just living to death.

3

A few days later, trying to leave,

"Wait a minute."

I was told.

Soon there will be a merchant with whom to go out.

I wondered what a merchant would do behind such a mountain, but I didn't put it in my mouth.

If this guy's coming, he's coming.

Honestly, in this unarmed state of affairs, it's close to suicide to cross the mountain alone.

Baldo spent about seven days in Engdall's cabin.

Engdall seemed to like Bardo's brought in rock salt badly.

Baldo and Engdall both talked about the silent quality (and others), but also about the puffiness and each other's habits.

On the seventh day, white smoke rose across the forest.

When Engdall burned the grass he had prepared and put out the fire, there was still white smoke.

After a while, the smoke over there turned yellow.

Engdall, when the fire is completely extinguished,

"Let's go."

I said.

Engdall had a pile of baggage.

Behind the woods there was a road, and the carriage was stopped.

There was a merchant and a man who looked like an escort.

Engdall greeted the merchant,

"Tori Baldo Lowen is going to the city of people"

I said.

It's a strange expression, but proud Gerkast warriors don't ask or consult with humans.

The merchant, too, seemed to understand it and nodded silently.

Engdall lined up what he had brought.

Will there be about forty sheets of fur?

There are thirty beast fangs and horns too.

A little bit like a gem's primary stone.

A little over ten rare herbal roots.

A broken sword that belonged to Bardo.

While the merchant is altering the product, Engdall stares at the back of the mountain all the time with his arms around him.

Eventually, the merchants lined up the goods for consideration.

Five pots of distilled liquor.

Two large pots of salt.

One sewing needle.

Three fishing needles.

This is all there is.

To such an unfair exchange, Bardo frowned.

Engdall holds the replacement item without saying anything,

"Ngedo Baldo Roen.

There will be God's grace upon your path. "

And he greeted him, and went back to his dust.

After dropping off Engdall, Bardo asked the merchant where he was coming from and where he was on his way.

From the name of the city and village to which the merchant replied, this place should be quite far away.

Bardo asked for the price to be taken to the village.

"No.

I already got that from Engdall's husband. "

And the merchant answered.

They told me to get in the carriage, so I got in.

The escort man walked.

That night, I camped by the Valley River.

The merchant named him Coyncil.

The man in the escort called himself Moritas.

Moritas, when he heard Bardo name his name, looked down at his shivers and seemed to think of something, but did not say anything when he put it in his mouth.

"Sir.

You must think of me as a crazy merchant. "

Bardo shook his head sideways.

"Really?

At first.

I just gave you the perfect item.

Then I will.

That green husband, he left without anything.

I don't know what you didn't like, and I hope you talked about it.

Well, green husbands. Well, then, it seems like a man should never be involved in the lower bitch that it's a business deal.

No rush or negotiation.

Oh, come on, I studied and I found out. "

I see, I have something to make you think.

It may also be a characteristic of the race, but it would also be a personality of the person.

That old man named Engdall is an outrageous bigot.

Bardo thought it would be nice to re-stubbornness a little bit.

Bardo asked the merchant how he got there.

"I was much younger.

When I got lost and the beast attacked me, that husband helped me.

Hey, strong thing about that green husband, strong thing.

It's no joke that if there were thirty Green People (Lee Torri), they could drop it in the castle.

Well, we've been dating ever since. "

From the talk, I felt a fondness for that bigoted Gerkast, and Bardo changed his impression of the merchant.

"Nevertheless, sir.

Is my husband the benefactor of that green husband or something?

On the contrary, Bardo replied, just as I did, that I had been helped to the point of danger.

"Huh?

No.

That unattractive green husband would have greeted you with a blessing when you broke up.

I was surprised.

I can't think.

I mean, we've been dating for over twenty years.

I've never been told that. "

If you ask me, this merchant says he owns a shop in the city.

If the story is true, it seems to hire as many as five clerks and do business quite extensively.

Enough to hire an escort, so I guess it's not even a lie.

It's called stopping by for a small deal, maybe he's a man in law.

On the third day he reached the village and broke up with the merchant.

Illustration/Mr Matajiro