Chapter 30: The Girl and Her Knight

The adventurers' guild was unusually quiet, with far fewer people than usual. Behind the counter, a rotund receptionist engaged in conversation with Wang Yu.

On the desk before Wang Yu was a bulging coin pouch filled to the brim with coins.

The receptionist eyed it greedily, but with exasperation.

"I'm very sorry, but strict wartime regulations prohibit hiring any mercenaries beyond the level of a beginner knight-in-training. In addition, official knights are beholden to military orders during this critical period."

The rotund receptionist was clearly interested in helping Wang Yu; the sizable sum the latter was offering would have earned him a hefty commission, but there was no room for any negotiation.

"This guy really thought everything through, huh..." Wang Yu muttered to himself, shaking his head.

Decaphon wasn't an idiot. He had likely factored in these obstacles. Trying to handle this predicament wouldn't be easy.

He weighed the heavy pouch of coins that Avia had gathered by selling off the majority of the magical equipment she had made over the past three months.

His original plan had been to hire some mercenaries at the level of knights-in-training. If he were lucky enough, he might even have secured an official knight.

Though mercenaries weren't always reliable by and large, they could at least provide some support.

Now, however, it was clear that external reinforcements wouldn't be an option.

In that case, what could they do with this money now? They had to spend it wisely—how could they best augment their strength with what they had?

With the money pouch in hand, Wang Yu left the adventurers' guild as he ignored the receptionist's lingering gaze.

Outside, Avia was waiting for him beside Torrent. Wang Yu smiled wryly and shrugged his shoulders.

Avia sighed in disappointment. Wang Yu's expression made it clear that their plan had ended in failure.

It was just the two of them, then—well, Torrent as well. He was as much a part of their team as any human.

Avia stroked Torrent's mane. The horse nudged her hand affectionately, bringing a tired smile to her face.

"Wang Yu, how about we buy you a full set of knight's armor, then?" Avia asked. She eyed Wang Yu's well-worn leather gear.

Somehow, despite the fact that a year had passed since their fateful meeting, Wang Yu was still her only real ally.

"There's no need." Wang Yu shook his head. His equipment basically hadn't changed since the day he fought his way out of the bandits' hideout.

The only difference was some new leather armor and Reynard's old gauntlets.

"But your leather armor won't offer much protection against blades..."

Avia seemed very worried by this fact.

"Well, that's true, but all a suit of iron armor would do is improve my defense. Against many foes, it'd only delay my death. At least my leather armor will give me speed and mobility." Wang Yu patted Avia's shoulder gently in reassurance.

"What's more, I've got you on my side. Your latent ability will be able to save my life."

"Alright," Avia conceded with a sigh. "I had Garcia help us gather some intel. He can't assist us himself due to his position, but he was able to provide a list of Decaphon's forces."

Avia passed him a document.

Wang Yu was just about to glance at it when Avia added, "Right, Garcia mentioned something else. He said that the Nightblades recently identified disturbances in the void around Villa Mayene and its surroundings, and an accident might be imminent. He told me specifically to tell you that. Does that have some sort of special meaning?"

Wang Yu was puzzled for a moment before he burst out laughing. So this was how you could use a Nightblade's privilege!

Despite Garcia's serious demeanor, he was clearly privy to such tricks.

"Avia, when a void anomaly is present in a certain area, it immediately becomes top priority. In other words, no matter what happens there, everything can be explained away as part of the disturbance. After all, the void is considered chaos incarnate—and Nightblades have special authority to handle such issues."

In other words, as long as nothing too outrageous were to happen, Garcia, as a Nightblade commander, would be able to cover their tracks.

In addition, the "outrageous" clause applied only when dealing with viscounts or higher-ranked nobility. The kingdom's murky rules unexpectedly worked in Wang Yu's favor for once.

"Is that so?" Avia quickly grasped the significance of Garcia's statements.

Though Garcia was unable to help them directly, he could eliminate any political fallout from their actions.

Authority really was convenient.

"It looks like we'll be the only two combatants on our side. The good news is, according to this list, Decaphon only has a bunch of common soldiers and a few knights-in-training as well."

"All the official knights have been sent to the frontlines and Selwyn's borders, after all."

Wang Yu's frown eased slightly. That was good news. Without any official knights to worry about, Decaphon was far less fearsome than he might have been.

Lilya Svein, Avia's aunt, was a high-ranking member of the cursebinding spire. Unlike Garcia, who was still able to provide some limited assistance, Lilya couldn't intervene in any political conflicts due to the spire's restrictions. This was the price she had paid for her immense magical power. Teaching Avia had been all she could do.

Avia and Wang Yu were the only ones who could act in this situation.

Wang Yu's physique was now fully that of an intermediate knight-in-training, and his additional void abilities gave him considerable combat strength for his rank. It would be possible for him to pull off a miracle, though the odds were naturally slim. Knights, much as their name suggested, excelled in physical strength, speed, and raw combat prowess.

Their battlefield presence was formidable, but their methods were straightforward and could be exploited. Knights who had yet to awaken their potential were easy to overwhelm with numbers alone.

In contrast, a skilled magician of an equal rank could wreak far more havoc, meaning that they were afforded higher status and preferential treatment over knights at low ranks.

Although Decaphon didn't have any official knights in his employ, it was unclear just how many soldiers and knights-in-training he did possess.

The void granted Wang Yu flexibility and unconventional power, but Wang Yu knew his limits. Getting surrounded in battle would mean certain death.

That said, victory wasn't impossible. Targeted strikes to pick off enemies one by one could work. It sounded insane, but without a powerful enemy to crush him outright, Wang Yu felt that attacking Decaphon was worth the risk.

"Hold on," Avia suddenly said, her voice trembling with concern. "Wang Yu, we've overlooked someone..."

"Hmm? Who?" Wang Yu raised an eyebrow.

"Oka, the Iron Fortress," she said. "He isn't on that list."

Wang Yu cursed under his breath. How could he have forgotten? They would have to take down Oka, of course. Not only was Oka still alive, he wasn't listed among those drafted for war. That meant...

"Oka must have been out on some special assignment. In that case, he's exempt from being drafted until his assignment's complete. He'll be fine as long as he pays a hefty fine afterward. To think he would still be absent..." Avia calmed down. She no longer seemed shaken by the revelation.

By nature, Avia was a very resilient person. She showed vulnerability only to those she trusted, such as Wang Yu, her mother, and her aunt. Rather than weakness, it was more like she didn't feel the need to hide her true emotions around those she cared for.

That was why Wang Yu never had to worry about her mentality. He knew that the seemingly timid young magician beside him could transform in an instant into a cool-headed combatant who had fired crossbow bolts with deadly precision back when they had first met.

Against Oka, the family's old steward who had betrayed her and sold her to the bandits, she reacted with neither fear nor panic. She was fuelled by the fire that Wang Yu had ignited within her; she remained calm even as her hatred smoldered.

"The Iron Fortress, Oka, is an old steward of our household. He's already 79, and his physical condition has deteriorated significantly. In terms of physique alone, he's likely no stronger than a knight-in-training. Even so, he's an official knight in rank and he has unlocked his potential. His greatest strength is his defense, the eponymous iron fortress. He specializes in dragging out fights until his opponent is exhausted."

"That doesn't sound too bad. What's his potential like?"

Wang Yu hadn't realized that Oka's physique would have deteriorated so significantly with age. In that case, he didn't seem like such an infeasible target after all. If he had a good understanding of his opponent's potential, winning might not be out of the picture.

"Lethal Tempo," Avia replied, her tone serious. She was far less confident than Wang Yu.

A knight's potential was what truly differentiated an official knight from a knight-in-training, just like how fighting spirit differentiated a knight-in-training from a squire.

𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

"Lethal Tempo?" Wang Yu was taken aback. The same ability he was familiar with from video games? What, could Oka attack him faster and faster with every strike? [1]

"That's right. The Iron Fortress Oka excels at wearing down his opponents. He uses his overwhelming defense to prolong the fight and pull his opponents into his rhythm. Once that happens, his potential allows him to speed up, while his opponent slows down drastically. He can target any rhythm of yours—your heartbeat, your breathing, the number of strikes you make with your sword per minute, the rate at which your sweat falls from your body—anything."

Avia's expression was grim. Despite Oka's age, his potential rendered him a formidable opponent.

"That does sound like a real pain," Wang Yu muttered. Used effectively, potentials could be overwhelmingly strong.

Once Oka dragged the fight into a standstill, Wang Yu would eventually be caught in the old knight's rhythm. At that point, he would lose control of the battle, which would end in his death.

"Lethal Tempo, is it? A fitting name..." Wang Yu had to admit that Oka was likely to be their biggest threat.

Still, he wasn't about to back down. Anyone could be killed—it was just a matter of odds and tactics.

A dangerous gleam flickered in Wang Yu's narrowed eyes. Underhanded tricks had their uses, after all.

He would use anything at his disposal—just like when he had taken on Beran. The same strength differential existed here. He would have to find some way of overcoming the disparity.

He considered the weight of the heavy coin pouch thoughtfully. "Avia, is there any way you can predict the weather over the next few days? Next week would be ideal."

Avia didn't ask why Wang Yu wanted to know. She fully trusted him.

Magic glowed in her hand as she cast the second-tier magic Celestial Eye. A faintly glowing orb appeared before the two of them. Its pupil-less gaze turned toward the sky.

Second-tier spells were far more draining in terms of mental energy and mana compared to first-tier ones.

Typically, it took a talented magician three years to advance from first-tier to second-tier spells.

Avia, on the other hand, had done so in merely three months of study, a testament to her monstrous talent.

The glowing orb began to change color as it observed the sky. First, it remained a bright orange-red and flashed three times in roughly fifteen-second intervals.

Then it turned gray, a misty layer forming on its surface, though no rain fell.

After fifteen seconds, the orb then turned black. Water dripped down from it like tears.

The orb continued to weep silently for three further flashes before it vanished.

Celestial Eye was a highly specialized second-tier spell that could be used to predict the weather for the next seven days.

It would be useless against higher-tier spells that forcibly altered the weather, though such spells were hardly likely to show up to begin with.

The reading was clear: three days of sunshine, followed by one overcast day, before three more days of heavy rain.

Wang Yu rubbed his chin. A plan began to take shape in his mind. A rainy night would be the perfect battlefield for him, which meant that it would be best for them to arrive by the cloudy night in three days' time.

Those three days would be instrumental in converting their coins into something useful.

Wang Yu tossed the pouch into the air again as he felt its weight. It was very heavy—and it would be the key for pulling off this impossible victory.

But the real cornerstone of their plan would be his and Avia's combined strength. He turned to Avia and caught her eye.

They exchanged a look. Despite the danger they were about to face, both of them broke out into smiles. Words were unnecessary. They were both ready for what lay ahead.

He mounted Torrent. Avia clambered up behind him. Wang Yu steered the horse toward the nearest alchemy store.

Though warriors had been conscripted, alchemists were safe. They would provide exactly what Avia needed.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. Dark clouds covered the sky, blotting out the sun's usual brilliance.

The world seemed darker and quieter. The air was thick with moisture. Rain could fall at any moment.

Even so, the heat hadn't dissipated. The atmosphere was muggy and oppressive. It felt like the whole world was holding its breath, waiting for something terrible to happen.

Just outside the main gate of Villa Mayene, the guards were irritable and uncomfortable thanks to the terrible weather.

They were drowsy but couldn't quite fall asleep from the oppressive humidity. They fidgeted as the discomfort grew worse.

Suddenly, the pitter-patter hoofbeats broke the silence. A horned horse approached the gate with swift strides. The rider stopped in front of the gate.

Annoyed at being disturbed, the guards didn't bother hiding their irritation. "Who's there? If you have no business here, get lost now!"

The rider's cool, calm voice cut through the air. Dressed in the manner of proper nobility, Avia glared down at the unreasonable guard.

Her soft, youthful face now radiated cold authority, an aura of power that was impossible to ignore.

"The lady of Villa Mayene, Baroness Avia Dovan, has come to reclaim her estate. Guard, do you realize just whom you're speaking to?"

By then, her knight had dismounted from the horse. He was holding its reins as he stood at attention. His face was equally cold; his presence radiated danger.

Avia's beauty sent chills down the guard's spine; Wang Yu's lack of beauty made him look terrifying.

"I-I..." the guard stammered. He hadn't expected to have made such a grave mistake. These were existences far beyond his station.

"None of this nonsense. Inform the interloper who resides in my villa that I've returned," Avia commanded.

"Y-Yes, ma'am!" The guard scrambled to rush into the villa.

The lady of Villa Mayene, along with her knight, had returned that stormy, ominous afternoon.

1. A League of Legends reference. ☜