Chapter 10: Departure After Bidding Farewell to the Past

"Thank you." Wang Yu pressed his palms together, standing beneath a massive walnut tree in the forest, and bowed deeply toward the small mound of earth at its base.

This was the grave of the old knight, Reynard. It was modest; Wang Yu had buried the old man along with his corpse and his armor, keeping only the knight’s sword and the gauntlets of his suit.

Wang Yu held a profound affection for the old knight, who had cared for him since he first arrived in this world—a man who, despite often passing out in taverns, was a righteous and kind-hearted soul.

Wang Yu had always held Reynard in high esteem and felt a deep sense of gratitude toward him.

The old knight rarely spoke of his family or his homeland, and his tone never carried the weight of nostalgia or sorrow.

Yet, Wang Yu knew that this strong old man missed his home; it seemed some misfortune there had driven him to wander the world, never to return.

Whenever the tavern, the guild, or Wang Yu himself asked in private, the old knight would only shake his head with a sad smile, unwilling to say more.

It seemed the matter was something the world-weary old man could not bear to revisit or discuss.

Because he never spoke of his home—not even in the delirious ramblings of his drunkenness—Wang Yu had no idea where the old knight’s roots lay. Still, the concept of "falling leaves returning to their roots" was not a common sentiment in this world.

Wang Yu was a pragmatic man; the dead were dead, and funerals were merely comforts for the living, which the departed had no need for.

So, despite his grief, Wang Yu had only piled up this small mound, using the giant walnut tree as a tombstone, upon which he carved an epitaph:

"Damn it, I truly regret not turning into an undead and crawling back up to kill that bastard who stabbed me!"

The old knight had always been this way. Though influenced in part by Wang Yu’s own habits of speech, he was an optimistic knight at heart, and his usual tavern antics always managed to liven the atmosphere.

Yet, Wang Yu, who had lived side-by-side with him, could sometimes discern a lingering, dark heaviness deep within the old man’s eyes.

He had once thought that when he grew strong enough, he would uncover the old knight’s past and help him find peace, but that opportunity was now lost forever.

Bowing once more in farewell, Wang Yu picked up the sword, donned the gauntlets, and left the place where the old knight rested.

...

In the distance, Aivia had changed into a reasonably fitting outfit scavenged from the bandits' spoils.

Though the group was poor, they possessed a clutter of miscellaneous items; this was likely a mage’s robe replica taken from some unfortunate victim.

It was a small, simple brown garment with subtle patterns that suited Aivia’s petite frame perfectly, giving her an air of refined grace.

She was currently standing beside Torret, organizing the two large packs hanging from the mount.

Inside were the supplies for their journey, mostly scavenged from the bandits, with a small portion salvaged from the camp Wang Yu and the old knight had shared.

Wang Yu remained as he was: bare-chested, his lean, hardened body covered in scars, wearing simple leather armor on his lower half and thick-soled boots, though now his hands were encased in the fine steel gauntlets of a knight.

Noticing Wang Yu approaching, Aivia glanced back, seemingly intending to greet him, but her gaze froze, fixed upon the gauntlets on his hands.

Wang Yu noticed her strange look, lifted his hands to inspect them, and finding nothing amiss, decided to ask directly: "Is there something wrong with these gauntlets?"

Hesitating, Aivia nodded and walked closer to examine his hands, running her fingers over the junction between his wrists and the steel.

Having found something, she touched and traced the object carefully before gesturing for Wang Yu to feel it himself.

"What is this?" Wang Yu removed the gauntlet and discovered a subtle protrusion. Under the sunlight, he realized it was a tiny engraving on the metal.

"Is that a seal of a sword piercing an eye?"

Because of the height difference, Wang Yu was holding his hand in a way that she couldn't see, so she asked if it matched her suspicion.

"Let me see." Wang Yu looked closely. The lining of metal and leather made the gloves both comfortable and highly protective.

On the outer edge, where he had felt the bump, there was indeed a tiny metal carving as Aivia described.

It was an exquisitely crafted longsword, etched with intricate, complex patterns that looked noble and refined.

Yet, this beautiful blade was plunged deep into a twisted, distorted eyeball.

The eye was rendered in terrifying detail, showing bulging veins, oozing, uncanny pus, and mutated, serrated tentacles sprouting from its surface.

For some reason, even though it was merely metal, Wang Yu felt the visceral texture of flesh as he looked at it.

But the moment that sensation struck him, the fine blade emitted a faint golden light, and in an instant, the feeling of flesh vanished.

Wang Yu’s iron will ensured he was immune to illusions, so what he had just seen must have been real.

He stood stunned. How could the old knight’s armor bear such a thing?

Reynard was a pragmatist, just like him; he would never have engraved anything flashy on his armor for the sake of aesthetics.

This object must have had some special purpose or significance.

Turning his questioning gaze to Aivia, she fell into deep thought before saying, "I have seen this style of gauntlet before."

"It seems to be armor used by a special underground organization in our kingdom. I saw people wearing similar gear in my father’s study."

"At the time, my father was discussing something with them, and a few days later, a large cult organization in our region was eradicated."

"If I recall correctly, the organization was called the 'Night’s Blade.' They seemed to be an elite force of the kingdom, stationed in every territory as a vital power, primarily responsible for dealing with the Abyss and evil gods."

Wang Yu’s brow arched at Aivia’s explanation. The old knight’s gauntlets certainly weren't something he had just picked up, and the strange transformation of the carving proved they weren't fakes.

The old knight’s identity had suddenly become mysterious, though that was not something Wang Yu could dwell on right now.

What he needed to consider was the urgent need to cram knowledge about this world, as he didn't even know what "evil gods" or the "Abyss" were.

Though he could guess the meaning from the names, the lack of fundamental knowledge was a glaring weakness.

Rubbing his aching temples, he pressed his palms together and bowed sincerely to Aivia. "Teacher, please instruct me!"

Aivia was stunned...

Setting aside the fact that Wang Yu, a transmigrator and illiterate in the ways of this world, was ignorant of so much, the old knight’s identity was legitimate.

Even as a wandering knight without a fief, he held the title of "Knight," bestowed by nobles of at least the rank of Viscount, meaning his identity was officially registered.

Reynard was listed in the local guild, and he had worn this same set of armor for years.

Since no one had ever mentioned this secret organization known as the "Night’s Blade," it was unlikely that the old knight was some kind of fugitive.

Therefore, there was no real need to worry that his identity would cause trouble or that using the gauntlets would be risky.

The fact that the old knight had gone unrecognized for so many years meant either that the organization was sufficiently secretive, or that its influence was vast enough to suppress all information.

Wang Yu leaned toward the former; after all, if the intelligence network and reach of the "Night’s Blade" were truly that terrifying, Reynard might not have died at the hands of Obi-Wan.

Setting these distractions aside, Wang Yu’s priority was to improve his strength and catch up on the basics of this world.

Whether it was history or the conditions of various nations, these were things he would have to learn from Aivia during their journey.

The old knight had taught him very little—or perhaps he had run out of time to do so—and these gaps in his knowledge were things Wang Yu would have to fill through his own efforts.

Having gathered that the armor was a legacy from the departed old knight, Aivia, with her characteristic tact, neither spoke more nor asked questions, continuing to pack their gear for the road.

The sun gradually rose from the east, slowly climbing until it hung directly above Wang Yu and Aivia.

When the sun grew as scorching as it had been the day before, the two finished packing and set off.

The Alastair Border Forest was a collective term; in reality, the forest surrounding the entire Kingdom of Alastair was vast.

If one were to compare its area, the forest likely occupied about half the size of the Kingdom of Alastair, though it was poorly developed.

Compared to the various territories and the capital, it was essentially an uninhabited wilderness.

If one had to give a rough name to the area where Wang Yu currently stood, it would be the Southern Border Forest of Alastair.

Aivia’s destination also lay within this vast expanse.

The Misty Forest? Let me see... Wang Yu held the map, sprinting rapidly along the forest trail, flanked by Torrent, who moved at a pace brisk for a human but effortless for a steed.

On Torrent’s back sat Elvia, clutching the horse’s mane with cautious care, speaking to Wang Yu with a trace of nervous tension.

Yes... that is right. Oka struck just as we neared our destination, cutting down my two unsuspecting handmaidens and knocking me unconscious.

Then, when I awoke, I was locked in that dungeon. We must be very close to the destination now.

Elvia spoke to Wang Yu, who was checking the map while still in full stride, as she braced herself against the horse’s movement.

Hmm, we are close. At our current pace, we should arrive by tomorrow night, but before that, we must stop at a nearby Church of Light to replenish our holy water.

I have heard of the Misty Forest; it is teeming with forest witches and swamp ghouls. Without holy water, one is easily attacked or poisoned, which would be a grave complication, Wang Yu said, eyes fixed on the map.

A young mage clung to the horse’s back as it galloped joyfully through the woods, while beside her, a man sprinted at high speed, gasping for air while trying to read a map.

It was, by any measure, a bizarre sight, though in truth, it was merely Wang Yu’s method of physical conditioning.

They had been traveling for a day, and now, as the sun dipped low on the second evening, the forest began to darken by degrees.

The map Wang Yu had seized from the bandits marked the location of the Misty Forest, a place whose grim reputation had reached even his ears.

It was home to all manner of dark creatures—swamp slimes, scabby goblins, and the like. None were necessarily lethal, but they were repulsive and troublesome, prone to causing infections or poisoning.

Without the holy water of the Church of Light, few would venture into a place that offered neither profit nor purpose.

It was strange that Elvia’s aunt had established a magic academy here; it felt exactly like the sort of place a crone would choose, though he wondered what it would truly be like.

Along the way, Wang Yu discovered that by regulating his Ripple energy, he could perform other tasks while running, so he adopted this as his training regimen.

Wang Yu was a man of relentless effort; ever since discovering his body was in a "bonus period" of adaptation, he had trained with spontaneous fervor.

He swung his sword over a thousand times a day until his arms reached the point of exhaustion, followed by various physical drills.

Because his recovery rate was immense, he had no fear of injury, making his training appear grueling and terrifying to any observer.

Yet, to a man of his iron will, such things were of no consequence.

Running was an excellent exercise, and the restorative power of his physique allowed him to maintain a state of dynamic equilibrium.

As long as his energy held, he could run indefinitely, making this pursuit alongside the horse a perfect way to build muscle and endurance.

Though it might look strange, the results were all that mattered.

Sweat dripped onto the map; Wang Yu blew it dry and tucked the parchment away.

He scanned the deepening gloom of the forest, his keen hearing picking up the restless stirrings of nocturnal predators. Traveling by night was truly unwise.

It is time to make camp, he said, signaling Torrent and Elvia before slowing his pace.

Torrent followed suit, slowing to a trot as they found a massive pine tree and came to a halt beneath its boughs.

Wang Yu produced dry wood and a flint; as sparks ignited the tinder, a bright glow began to bloom in the encroaching darkness of the woods.

The campfire illuminated their tiny sanctuary, warding off the unseen watchers of the night.

He pulled out a pot, filled it with water, and added dried rations. As the water began to bubble, a simple but filling meal was soon ready.

After a quick dinner, Wang Yu closed his eyes, stimulating his Ripple energy, allowing the waves of "force" to ripple naturally across his skin.

The sweat and grime were washed away by the surging energy, leaving his skin clean and comfortable—a simple but highly effective technique.

Elvia sat across the fire, eyes closed in silent meditation, honing her mental focus and guiding mana into her core to expand her reserves.

After a while, Wang Yu added more fuel to the fire, and Elvia opened her eyes. Wang Yu then produced his notebook.

It was time for their nightly lesson; Wang Yu spent every evening learning about this world from Elvia.

As a noble who had been largely overlooked, one of Elvia’s few childhood pastimes had been reading.

Her family’s vast library had given her knowledge far beyond her peers, making her the perfect teacher for Wang Yu, an illiterate in this world.

He looked at her, watching as she stared at him with earnest focus, notebook in hand, ready to transcribe his every word.

Elvia had to admit, setting aside the strangeness of their situation, Wang Yu was a diligent and hardworking student.

Being his teacher, while odd, was unexpectedly rewarding.

The standard for a formal knight is the ability to circulate battle aura spontaneously, forming a specific matrix to awaken one’s own "inner potential."

This ability has nothing to do with bloodlines, nor is it exclusive to bloodline knights; rather, it is...

Elvia’s gentle voice echoed through the woods, lingering in the warmth of the firelight that bathed their campsite.