Chapter 130
In the southern outskirts, the Armenian territory stands as one of the few neutral zones within the empire.
For lords eager to expand their domains, these neutral grounds are tantalizing prey.
Take, for example, the neutral plateau of the Dead in the east, which Count Zion had long schemed to claim.
And other neutral territories too were eyed greedily by surrounding lords, all seeking just cause to seize them.
Yet, uniquely, the Armenian lands remained untouched, spared from their covetous gazes.
The reason was clear.
The Forest of Beasts.
A bizarre forest from which monsters ceaselessly emerged.
Monsters, harmful to humans, yet if harnessed correctly, could yield vast profits.
Thus, upon the empire’s founding, many lords attempted to transform the Forest of Beasts into a golden grove, all met with failure.
The empire, unable to bear the disgrace, sent its armies to subdue the forest.
The result was annihilation.
Hence, the Forest of Beasts was declared forbidden.
The neighboring lords, rather than face the monsters leaking from the forest and lose more soldiers, chose to ignore it altogether.
Despite the harsh environment, people still made their homes in Armenia.
Mostly those who fled the tyranny of cruel lords or absconded under the weight of crushing debts.
Their number was barely a hundred, but together they formed a village, a community striving to survive.
Among them was Valdes, an herb gatherer near the Forest of Beasts.
“Sigh.”
Valdes stretched, rising from his spot.
Crouching for long hours harvesting herbs had taken its toll on his back.
He looked at the herbs in his knapsack and beamed with joy.
Indeed, it was worth risking life and limb coming close to the Forest of Beasts.
Rare herbs flourished in these untouched lands.
Just a few more months of gathering, and he could sell them in another domain, earning enough to venture into the city.
‘Then, I too can take my chance!’
The only path to rise above his lowly station as a nameless imperial citizen.
The Dragon Soldier Project.
Valdes wiped the sweat beading on his forehead.
His knapsack was nearly full; it was time to head back to the village.
As Valdes packed his belongings, preparing to leave.
“Excuse me.”
Someone called out to him.
Valdes, his face gaunt, quickly drew a dagger, spinning around.
“Who goes there!”
The stranger was a young man, a few years his senior.
His face didn’t fit that of a villain.
Yet Valdes swallowed hard, eyeing the youth warily.
The Forest of Beasts was forbidden; ordinary folk did not venture here.
Those who did surely bore a tale of woe.
Such individuals often brought trouble, pursued by their past.
The young man shivered, staring wide-eyed at the dagger Valdes pointed at him.
“Uh? You…”
* * *
Valdes, locked in a standoff with Yan, couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh upon seeing his face.
‘Who would’ve thought he’d be here?’
It was an unexpected reunion.
The young man before him was someone Yan knew well.
How could he forget?
Thanks to him, they had found Mormon’s Lair in the Blade Mountains.
‘The Sword Ghost, Valdes.’
A junior by three classes at the training academy, yet he had been one of Yan’s trainees when he was an instructor.
Yan’s gaze drifted to the knapsack lying next to Valdes.
“Do you have any idea how many herbs I’ve gathered to get into this damned Dragon Soldier Project?”
Yan remembered the complaints Valdes had poured out over drinks in the past.
Recalling that, Yan smirked.
‘He really was a herb gatherer.’
“Don’t laugh! What are you really?”
But Valdes, unaware of the backstory, thought Yan was mocking him.
With a formidable sheath at his waist, and in contrast, Valdes wielding a crude dagger.
How insignificant must his own dagger look to a swordsman like him?
Valdes clenched his teeth.
Not out of anger.
But to suppress the rising fear within his chest.
“Are you not going to speak? I’ll really stab you!”
“I’m an adventurer.”
Yan’s words furrowed Valdes’ brow.
What would an adventurer want in such a place? Even those who took adventuring as a profession wouldn’t dare enter a region forbidden by the empire.
And then.
“Lies! You look too well-bred, like a young master!”
That handsome face didn’t fit the rugged image of an adventurer.
Yan shrugged his shoulders.
“Thanks for the compliment, but I’m truly an adventurer. Came here looking for something.”
“Looking for what?”
“It’s nothing I need to tell you. But I promise, at least, I won’t cause any harm.”
Valdes hesitated, his mouth agape.
Then, he slightly lowered the dagger he had pointed at Yan.
“Is that true?”
“Yes.”
Though he had only retrieved his dagger, the wariness in Valdes’ eyes did not fade.
Yan watched Valdes with a slight smile.
Dispelling the suspicions of a mere child was no trouble at all.
* * *
After a brief exchange, Valdes let go of all his suspicions.
The conversation had convinced him that Yan wasn’t a bad person.
“Hmm.”
Yan stroked his chin and asked.
“So, you’re saying a gang has taken over the village you live in?”
“…Yes. They’re really bad people. They demand tribute, and if we’re even slightly late…”
Valdes shivered uncontrollably.
It was a gesture that said he didn’t even want to think about it.
Yan began to piece together the information he had received from Bella before coming here, as well as the story he had just heard from Valdes.
Armenia, compared to other domains, was an environment without equal in its barrenness.
There were knights guarding the Forest of Beasts, but occasionally, the monsters they missed would raid the village.
The residents of Armenia were mostly those who had fled from other domains.
Those who couldn’t endure the tyranny of their lords.
These people, who had banded together about a decade ago to form a self-sufficient village, were living relatively happily until a few years back when a vicious gang, fleeing from their crimes, took over.
Valdes cried out again in anger.
“And the knights guarding the Forest of Beasts won’t help us either. How does that make sense? We’ve asked for help so many times, only to be laughed at!”
“They must have their reasons for coming all the way to the Forest of Beasts.”
“Excuse me?”
Yan shook his head in disbelief.
The knights tasked with guarding the Forest of Beasts were all those who had been demoted and expelled from the imperial city.
It was unlikely that they would bother to help mere slash-and-burn farmers who weren’t even imperial citizens.
Yan let out a hollow laugh.
“I knew it was a mess, but I never expected it to be this bad.”
It seemed he would have to do some cleaning up in the domain before he could start making money from it.
Yan then said to Valdes.
“Lead me to your village.”
“What? If we do that, those guys won’t leave you alone, adventurer brother. And the boss, he’s incredibly strong!”
As Yan shrugged his shoulders, Valdes sneakily glanced at the sword hanging at his waist.
‘I’m not expecting much…’
But just in case.
With that, Valdes began to lead Yan towards the village.
* * *
As Yan surveyed the surroundings on his way to the village, he clicked his tongue in frustration.
‘Even the meticulous Damian wouldn’t be able to find it here.’
According to Damian, somewhere in Armenia, his father was imprisoned.
But as he walked, scanning the area, he saw no buildings or facilities.
The mountain paths were rugged, steep in places, and the dense underbrush limited visibility.
‘To find my father, I must first take complete control of this place.’
It would be faster to tighten the noose around this domain, like herding rabbits, than to search alone.
Lost in thought on how to find his father, Yan soon arrived at the entrance of the village.
“Here we are.”
Valdes announced their arrival, and Yan lifted his head to survey the village.
It was sizable, but the atmosphere was oppressively gloomy.
In the center of the village, made up of log houses.
“Aaaah! No! Please, someone help!”
A woman’s screams echoed as she was dragged away by burly men.
There were people around, but no one seemed willing to help her.
An old man sitting nearby tightly shut his eyes at the woman’s screams, and a woman walking with her child hurried back home.
The villagers inside their homes either closed their windows or deliberately looked away.
No one appeared willing to help the woman being dragged away.
Even Valdes, standing next to Yan, only clenched his fists, unable to intervene rashly.
Yan etched the scene into his memory and muttered.
“What a complete mess.”
“…Brother?”
Valdes looked up at Yan with surprised eyes upon hearing his mutter.
Then, as Yan began to move forward, Valdes quickly spoke up.
“No, don’t! Those guys are really dangerous, you know?”
Yan ignored Valdes’s words and continued walking forward.
Thud, thud.
The sound of his footsteps resonated between the woman’s screams and the men’s laughter.
The men dragging the woman stopped and turned their heads toward the entrance of the village.
They frowned upon seeing a young man they had never seen before.
“What’s this, a stranger?”
But that was only for a moment; a few of the men smirked.
“At least he’s got a pretty face, huh?”
“I call dibs on him first, you bastard.”
One of them swaggered towards Yan, hand in his pocket, his face marked with a thin scar from some past brawl.
“Hey, hey. Stop right there.”
The man approached Yan, bent slightly at the waist to examine his face.
Then, with a sinister smile, he turned his head back.
“Hey, this one’s a jackpot?”
At the man’s shout, the others around the woman laughed as well.
However, their laughter quickly turned to silence.
Thump!
The chest of the man blocking Yan’s path was suddenly stained red.
Whoosh!
The sharp tip of a sword pierced through the man’s chest from behind.
Blood sprayed, and blood dribbled from the man’s mouth.
The man turned his head dumbly, not understanding the situation, to look at Yan.
Cold, emotionless eyes stared back at him, and the sword he hadn’t noticed was now impaling him.
Only then did the man grasp the situation and began to scream.
“Aaaaaaaah!”
With that scream as a finale.
Slash!
The man’s body was cleaved in half.
The faces of the other men hardened at the sight.
Yan flicked the blood off his sword as if it were dirt and looked at the men.
The corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
“I’ve got my eye on you too.”