Chapter 36
The head of Line Tower.
Rodwell looked down from the window.
Beneath the clear sky, broken ruins came into view.
Dark silhouettes moved over the place where it seemed no one could live.
They were the villagers who stayed at the tower.
They were currently searching the area, risking danger to pay their tributes.
He was the one who had driven them out.
He also knew the fact that some of them would die.
‘An unavoidable choice... It is ridiculous to even wrap it up in such words. I am simply pushing them to their deaths because I want to survive.’
Tap, tap.
The person who entered was another knight.
A piece of paper was held in his hand.
“I have a report.”
Rodwell moved away from the window.
As he sat down in a wooden chair, the subordinate knight continued speaking.
“The total number of people currently in the tower is 167. Compared to a week ago, it has decreased by 70.”
“I see.”
“It appears that 40 of the missing people headed toward the Laboratory located to the north of the tower.”
“That was the most effective piece of information we have spread so far.”
The subordinate knight wore an uncomfortable expression.
People believed that the information about the Laboratory had leaked from a student.
That was not the case.
The knights had known about the existence of the Gordon Laboratory long before the students reported it.
It was the knights who had leaked the information to the students in the first place.
The reason was simple.
It was to make many people head toward that location.
“We will not have to worry about food for the time being. It is thanks to having fewer mouths to feed.”
“How long can we hold out?”
“According to Thomas, who is in charge of food, a month is sufficient. He said that if we reduce the portions, we might be able to endure for another fifteen days.”
“We are already splitting a single loaf of bread into three meals, so telling them to reduce it further sounds like telling them to starve to death.”
“It cannot be helped. I do not even remember the last time I ate until I was full.”
The knight shrugged his shoulders.
“Understood. You may leave.”
“Yes, sir.”
The knight saluted and walked out.
Rodwell fell into deep thought.
Line Tower was facing a food shortage.
It was caused by the failure of the knights who had been sent on missions.
He had to protect what little remained.
The method he had come up with was simple and ruthless.
He reduced the number of survivors.
There was no need to use his own hands directly.
Even without using a sword, there were plenty of ways to eliminate them.
“If I keep doing this, my sleep will be restless.”
He grumbled to himself.
It was not that he lacked a sense of guilt.
However, the instinct for survival suppressed all of those feelings.
Bang!
Someone threw the door open with force.
It was Lucille Rainwood.
She entered with an irritable expression and sat in her usual spot among the many chairs.
She tossed her gloves onto the desk and let out a sigh.
“Did something bad happen?”
Rodwell was the first to speak.
She did not answer immediately.
It seemed she needed time to organize her thoughts.
“I am on my way back after beating down three people.”
“For what reason?”
“They were causing a riot. They were demanding that I give them food.”
“That has been happening frequently lately.”
“The people are becoming more endangered every day. If this continues, they might start an uprising.”
Rodwell nodded his head.
He thought to himself.
If they actually did that, it would provide a sufficient justification for driving the people out.
Even if blood was shed during the suppression process, they would not be able to resist.
“Captain!”
Lucille raised her voice.
She addressed Rodwell by his formal title.
Rodwell knew very well what that meant.
“If you are thinking of using this situation, stop. Unless you want to be beaten to death by me.”
His thoughts had been read.
It was not a matter of insight.
Because they had spent a long time together, there were times when they understood each other's thoughts even without speaking.
Rodwell swallowed a groan.
“If you were to disappear from my side, I might survive for a few more months.”
“If I were not here, you would completely lose your humanity.”
“Truly, you do not know how to lose.”
Lucille glared at him fiercely.
Rodwell decided that he had to change the subject.
“Joshua.”
“What?”
“I mean the boy you praised. I became curious about what he is doing now.”
“That child should have headed toward the Laboratory.”
Rodwell tilted his head.
There was only one Laboratory in the tower whose location had been revealed.
Gordon's Laboratory in the north.
“It seems you did not like him as much as I thought.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I mean that you sent him to a place that is not suitable for someone who is still a student. No matter how outstanding he may be, there is no possibility that he survived going to that Laboratory.”
“You don’t know that until we see what happens.”
Lucille crossed her arms and shook her head as if to deny it.
“For your information, I sent Tania with him as well.”
“Are you saying you pushed the younger sister you found and cherished into a death trap?”
“Anyone hearing that would misunderstand. I sent her with him because I thought it would be fine as long as she was by Joshua's side.”
Rodwell frowned.
The affection she poured onto her younger sister was extreme.
Furthermore, she felt proud of her sister, who had exceptional talent as a mage.
Among the many students at the Academy, the best in Lucille's eyes was always Tania Rainwood.
However, her reaction had changed.
This was an attitude he had never seen a single time during the three years they had spent together in the knighthood.
“Are you evaluating Joshua more highly than Tania?”
“I suppose so.”
Rodwell stroked his chin.
Excessive trust brings about ruin.
He had no intention of belittling her judgment, but he felt uneasy regardless.
“There is an evolved form in the Laboratory.”
There are different types of monsters.
While there are those that do nothing but bite.
There were also individuals that hunted in unique ways.
Rodwell referred to them as evolved forms.
“It is probably a professor. Each professor's ability is different, but it is certain that they are above the students. There is a high possibility that Joshua failed.”
“That is a shame.”
“Hmm?”
“It is a shame that a General like you could not see through the child's true worth.”
“Well, I guess we shall see.”
Rodwell stood up from his seat.
His gaze turned toward the window once again.
The people who were wandering outside were still in the same spot.
And he saw a small group approaching from a point slightly above them.
‘...Is it an enemy? Or is it a messenger from another group?’
The group encountered a knight who was patrolling the outskirts.
There were no signs of combat.
They appeared to talk for a few minutes, and the knight cleared the way for them.
‘The north.’
Was it because he had just been talking with Lucille about Joshua?
The direction they were coming down from bothered him.
The knight released an eagle.
The eagle that flew into the air perched by a window in the upper part of the tower as it was trained to do.
Tap, tap!
The eagle tapped on the window with its sharp golden beak.
Rodwell opened the window to greet the creature.
He untied the note fastened to its ankle and checked the words the knight had written.
“Let's go down.”
“Me too?”
“Yes, because I think it would be good for you to meet them as well.”
* * *
By the time Rodwell went down to the first floor.
Joshua and his companions had already entered the tower.
The people remaining in the hall focused their attention on them as they returned.
Their physical condition was a mess.
Their entire bodies were covered in green blood that could not be considered human.
They had hunted monsters.
Those with sharp eyes also noticed that their attire was different from when they had left the tower.
Perhaps they had even killed people.
And taken from them.
Overcome by fear, the people began to leave the area one by one.
Except for the commonality of staying together in the tower, they were complete strangers.
They chose to raise their guard rather than welcome them.
The silence that had settled over the surroundings only vanished after Rodwell spoke.
“It seems you have been playing quite roughly.”
“That is true.”
“Where are you coming back from?”
“The Laboratory.”
Rodwell barely suppressed the exclamation that was about to burst out unintentionally.
It was a feat worthy of admiration.
However, in a place with many eyes watching, his expression must not waver.
That was something not permitted for a leader who led numerous survivors.
Even if it was an achievement close to a miracle.
“Since I am not a knight, I have no obligation to report to Sir Rodwell, but would you like to hear it regardless?”
Joshua acted as if he had seized control of the conversation.
Although Rodwell thought it was arrogant, he had no choice but to comply with his opinion.
Most of the survivors who had headed for the Laboratory were dead.
According to the reports, there were as many as 40 of them.
A swamp leading to hell.
It was four students who had conquered a place that deserved such a description.
“I would very much like to hear it.”
“First, I would like to let the companions I took with me rest.”
“Of course, you should.”
Joshua turned around and called Talleon and Gavinu.
“From now on, the two of you must always stay together inside the tower. Regardless of day or night, always keep an eye on the situation.”
“You mean we should be careful of the other survivors, right?”
The quick-witted Gavinu understood Joshua's warning.
“Yes.”
“Understood.”
“Tania, you do not have to worry too much. As long as Lady Lucille is here, there is no one who will target you.”
“I understand.”
The two of them nodded, stretched their bodies, and walked inside.
Tania ran straight to Lucille, who had come down with Rodwell.
The three people returned to their respective places.
“What about that person?”
Rodwell turned his gaze toward a woman who was still standing by Joshua's side.
She wore a long orange coat that seemed to have absorbed the sunset.
The red eyes that seemed to match the color of the coat were impressive.
Rodwell recalled the fact that such eyes were a characteristic of a fire-attribute mage.
She looked uneasy about being in an unfamiliar place.
She stood with a stiff posture and moved her eyes busily.
She seemed to be desperately looking for someone she knew.
“Ah, the introduction is late. You are the Captain of the Order of the Star, correct? I am Luizella. I worked under Professor Gordon.”
“...A survivor from inside the Laboratory.”
“Would it be alright if I stayed here?”
Rodwell turned his gaze back to Joshua.
If he wanted her to stay, it was not for him to choose.
The rule of the tower was that one could only stay here if they provided help to the knighthood or paid a tribute of supplies.
“Once our conversation is over, I will pay the tribute of supplies corresponding to a week's worth for her.”
Joshua answered without hesitation.
Now, paying a week's worth of food for the boy was not much of a problem.
“It is as you just heard. The boy is saving you once again.”
Luizella looked at the boy with a face filled with emotion.
As if her emotions had exploded, she could not make a sound and only bowed her waist several times.
“Luizella, I would like to let you rest right away, but I need you right now. I need a witness for the boy's story.”
“I-If someone like me is alright, please let me help Joshua.”
Luizella requested earnestly while placing her hand on her chest.
At one point, she had tried to betray him in the Laboratory.
She would have had nothing to say even if she had been abandoned on the way back.
Nevertheless, she felt great gratitude toward Joshua for extending a helping hand.
One must repay a debt of gratitude.
A human being should naturally do so.
“...Then let us go upstairs together. I will hear the story there.”
* * *
“...Sigh.”
Rodwell clicked his tongue.
He had heard the whole story from Joshua, and Luizella had testified.
It was more absurd than shocking.
‘He hunted a professor?’
Before hearing the conversation, Rodwell had concluded a certain fact.
He thought the boy had avoided a fight with the professor.
He believed that was the only correct answer if he had succeeded in conquering the Laboratory.
He was wrong.
Joshua had easily surpassed the limits he had set and proved his own worth.
He felt a sincere sense of fear toward the child in front of him.
This was despite being an opponent who could not be compared in terms of skill.
“You have worked hard.”
Rodwell answered with a bitter smile.
“Thank you.”
“You must have obtained something good. Professors hide their precious belongings very tightly.”
“I suppose so.”
“You are not even denying it huh?”
“I thought it would be more dangerous to leave questions behind.”
“Do you think I would kill you or something?”
“I cannot say that you would not.”
Joshua answered slyly.
“I have no intention of harming you. Why would I do something so unproductive?”
“That is a relief.”
“There is a much better way than that. How about becoming a knight, Joshua?”
Joshua's gaze remained indifferent.
A knight.
It was the goal for apprentice knights like Talleon and Gavinu, as well as another beginning.
Many apprentices failed to reach that threshold and gave up on their dreams after tasting frustration.
That dreamlike proposal was now flying toward the boy.
It was a proposal from the Captain who was responsible for an entire knighthood.
“Because the situation is like this, the process of appointment will be omitted. If it were not for this situation, I would have granted you a part of my territory and given you several useful vassals to form a relationship with you.”
“If I cannot obtain the things you mentioned, what meaning does the title of knight have for me?”
“You will be able to seek the restoration of your status as a fallen noble. Your surrounding relationships will change just by the value of the name of a knight, and you will also share the information and supplies of the knighthood. You will also be free from paying tributes. I think this is not a bad profit for you to gain.”
He had sufficiently explained the advantages of being a knight.
Now it was time to wait for the answer.