Chapter 132 - Interlude: Mind, Body, And Sword I

The outskirts of the acclaimed capital of Mastorn, though it draws near the immensely-powerful maw of the kingdom, the wild, natural land remains untamed to this day. A region of danger and fear in the hearts of everyday men; a region of opportunity for those of strength.

"I appreciate it; the "Knight of Knights" himself showing me the ropes."

Taking care not to sully the stainless, white boots he wore along with his matching trousers, Charlemagne stepped over the puddle of mud, pushing past the low-hanging limbs of the ancient trees. Leading the way was a man dressed in similar garments in the form of an opulent, snow-white uniform with the royal palette to match Mastorn.

He was a man that could not be mistaken for another; the massive blade that laid in rest at his hip, etched with the design of gilded wings. Turning back briefly to meet Charlemagne, his smile was gentle yet somehow weighed heavier than others; it was utmost confidence.

"Speak nothing of it, it's an honor to share a brotherhood with you now, Charlemagne."

"Ah, you're as kind as they say, Aelius!"

As the two kind souls shared a brief chuckle with one another, Roland, hanging back to keep an eye out on any potential conniving beasts, found himself somewhat envious of their instantaneous bond. Within the boundaries of the thick, wild forests that lined the opulent walls just outside of the capital, the two knights stood out like stars in the night sky.

Unlike most knights, Charlemagne and Aelius neglected to wear armor; opting only to carry a sword at their sides and awaited any who dared step to them.

"So are the stories true?"

Charlemagne asked, tilting his head a bit to try and get a glance at his companion's coral eyes as he stepped over a fallen, rotting log.

"Mm...I suppose a simple "yes" or "no" wouldn't be very sufficient for a curious man such as yourself?"

"You know me well."

The two shared a brief laugh before the look in the rookie knight's eyes pressed for Aelius to continue, who promptly cleared his throat, fixing his own snow-white locks before answering.

"To tell you the truth, it seems my actions have brewed a number of tales that I unfortunately haven't been able to listen to."

"Let's see then...Is it true that you defeated a King's Blade at nine-years-old?"

The question of a silly nature sparked a chuckle from Aelius, who promptly covered his mouth with his pale-white glove before regaining his composure.

"Ah...Forgive me, it's just a funny thought."

"I take it that it's false then?"

Stopping for a moment, Aelius put his hand on his chin as if recalling something from his memory, his unruly, opalescent locks being played with by the incoming breeze.

"I must admit that it's indeed false; I defeated Sir Maleon when I was eleven."

Hearing it from the present-day legend himself, Charlemagne paused for a moment, attempting to read the young man's expression--unable to decipher if it was the truth or simply jest.

"...Really?"

"Indeed...However, it isn't very knightly to speak of such things."

Aelius gave his companion a smile, gesturing with his hand to disregard the topic as he looked back to see Roland holding the same gloomy expression he had been holding since they came into the fiendish forest.

"Yeah, I'm sure Sir Maleon isn't exactly happy about that loss."

"Neither was the king, I'm afraid…"

As they pressed onward, the quivering of evergreen caught their keen eyes; watching the trembling hedges frantically move as the sound of heavy steps met their ears.

Without any hesitation, Charlemagne slid his blade from its sheath, revealing its pristine radiance as the sparse sunlight reflected off of its pure form. Running down the middle of the majestic longsword were two streaks of cobalt running parallel to one another, meeting at the bottom of the blade to form a shape resembling a star.

"It truly is as beautiful as the bards have sung…"Joyeuse", correct?"

Aelius held an enamored smile as his eyes dazzled upon witnessing the true form of Charlemagne's trusty weapon, who gave him a nod in return.

"She's been with me as long as I can remember; how about yours? I'd be blessed to lay my eyes on your divine blade--"Deicide", the blade said to be capable of slaying gods."

"...I assumed such a weapon would be vexing for you to see, Sir Charlemagne."

"Nonsense. Please, I'd love to witness its legendary sharpness against the beast that dares challenge two knights of Mastorn."

Hearing their blatant fanboyism over swords, Roland looked as if he was babysitting two children; watching as the mysterious creature pressed onward through the thick line of evergreen while the two continued to sing praises of blades.

"--And an argonaut, don't you forget it!"

Deciding to take it upon himself to handle the problem at hand, Roland swiped his finger against the air, sending a thin line of scarlet through the air before it collided against the still unseen beast. As the beast parted its jaws as wide as its own body, the line etched itself into its form--parting it into two before an eruption of crimson was released from its body.

"Hey, we had that one covered!"

Charlemagne looked back at Roland, who held a pleased, smug look on his expression, shrugging his shoulders.

"Nice one, Sir Roland. I'm glad to have such a reliable argonaut such as yourself with us; I was worried for a moment that my humble strength wouldn't be capable of handling such an arduous foe."

Raising one hand up, Aelius bowed his head in gratitude as Roland's triumphant pose quickly dissipated at the sight of the humble knight, finding no words as his eyes shot over to Charlemagne, who looked pleased with this development.

"He's way too damn kind! That's the "Knight of Knights" for you; a man who represents the best of humanity!" Roland thought to himself as he looked upon the radiant, pure man as if he was too bright to handle.

"So, what kind of monster is this anyway? It's quite...unsightly."

Charlemagne slid his renowned sword back into its place of rest, walking over to the beast that was now split into two half down from its scalp to its feet.

"Ah, it's a "Murmonger"; as you saw, they are quite aggressive, they'll attack no matter the strength or number of their perceived prey. That's more a result of their rather primitive minds rather than bravado. Though, they do boast quite a bite; particularly fearsome for rookie adventurers."

Kneeling beside the carcass of the fallen beast, Aelius pointed towards the massive rows of teeth that occupied the monster's maw. Taking a closer glance, the black-haired argonaut noticed an orange substance coating its fangs.

"What's that stuff? Some sort of bile or what?"

Before Roland could brush his curious finger against the mysterious substance, his hand was stopped dead in its tracks as Aelius swiftly took hold of his wrist. It was clear as day to tell that the snow-haired knight wasn't straining himself, yet it felt as if his arm had been locked in place.

"Ah, forgive me; you wouldn't want to touch that," Aelius released his hold on Roland's wrist, "that's the true weapon of the murmongers; a complex poison that changes itself depending on the individual. It can be quite lethal even for those far above it."

"You know a lot about monsters, don't you?"

Witnessing Aelius' extensive knowledge on this particular beast, Charlemagne commented on this; sparking a meek chuckle from the young knight, scratching his own cheek before he rose to his feet again.

"I know a thing or two; I am a monster hunter, after all."

"Really? You know, I really never heard of what it is you did. I guess that makes sense...You're not around the king much, are you?"

The question from Charlemagne dimmed the expression of his knightly companion for a moment before a slight smile was returned to his lips.

"Ah...That's correct."

A plethora of questions were launched towards the humble knight, who answered them to the best of his ability while the golden-haired rookie followed alongside him, continuing this onslaught of questions.

For months, Roland couldn't hear the end of Charlemagne's excitement about this outing with the legendary knight himself; it was clear as day that the man of divine blood saw Aelius himself as something of a god.

"Have you heard the rumors?"

It was a different question asked by Charlemagne, this time backed by a sly smile that caused Aelius to pause for a moment before responding, "Rumors?"

"There is a battle coming."

"What? A battle? Is it Lacrauv?"

Aelius instantly took these words to heart, holding a serious expression across his fair face as he placed his hand at his chin.

"No, no; it isn't against another kingdom. It's the Outlanders."

"...The Outlanders? Do you mean their location was actually discovered?"

As Charlemagne seemed to hope, his words had completely taken Aelius' attention, briefly looking back at Roland who rested his back against the oak.

"Indeed. This is all just hearsay though, nothing confirmed."

"Do you know where they're said to be?"

In response to Aelius' asking, Charlemagne simply shook his head, nodding his head back towards his argonaut companion, "Roland there isn't exactly privy to much insider information when it comes to the argonauts. Though, I'd venture to say someone of your status could get in on this mission."

"Me? The knights and argonauts hardly get along...I doubt they'd let anyone attempt to steal their glory of hunting otherworlders; especially the Outlanders."

Roland knew well what his companion was playing at, feeding the pure of heart knight information that would surely stir something up.

"Charlemagne is a good person; I believe that with all of my heart. However, he has a tendency to play at things such as this--using information as his own ammunition to serve his goals," Roland let out a brief sigh as he closed his eyes while the two knights conversed.

"Nonsense; you're Aelius, your name transcends such rank. With you at their side, I'm sure the argonauts will succeed in their mission."

With the assurance of the blue-eyed knight, Aelius nodded his head silently before turning himself back onto the path they were set on; the three setting out once again within the forest.

"We've been at this for an hour; are you sure our target is really here?"

It wasn't impatience or a lack of stamina weighing on Charlemagne; the wild environment was dastardly against his pearly-white, pristine clothes--or at least, used to be pristine.

"There were multiple reports of passing adventurers sighting it around here; look--right over here."

Ushering for his temporary companion to check the point of interest, Aelius knelt himself down besides a large imprint that caved in the loose mud, running his finger along the smooth shape.

The size of the foot seemed to be as large as the knight's own body, who seemed thrilled by this fact that should otherwise be daunting.

"Without a doubt, this is its track."

"A tainted behemoth, right? That seems a bit larger than I had anticipated…"

Charlemagne released a slightly worried chuckle at the sight of the track, bringing his gaze back up to notice something off about the trees that surrounded them; namely the path directly to their left. The overgrowth of oak, vines, and evergreen had been either parted or plain trampled, leaving a less than obscure path.

"...I think we know where it went."

"We already knew that from the track."

Aelius informed the golden-haired man, pointing directly from the footprint and towards the newly-formed path, sparking an embarrassed cough from Charlemagne while he heard Roland chuckle to himself.

"I knew that…"

"Don't worry; monster hunting isn't a common tool within a knight's arsenal."

Clearly a playful jab, Aelius gave him a bit of a smirk before patting his shoulder, moving past him as he followed the track of the wild beast.

"Still, it's a bit odd for a knight to handle monsters, right?"

Walking in haste alongside Aelius, Charlemagne prodded him with yet another question, looking back to see Roland observing their surroundings as he followed.

"You mean that this sort of thing is usually left for adventurers, right?"

"Exactly."

"Mm...Well, I'd ask that you not repeat this…"

The concept of a secret from the legendary knight himself drove a smile across Charlemagne's head, who fervently nodded his head to affirm his secrecy, "Of course!"

"King Held is afraid of me."

"...Afraid?"

Before a further answer could be drawn, the curious divine-blooded knight found his conversation interrupted by the croaking of trees; followed by a booming step that unleashed an ear-piercing sound that likely belonged to stone being crushed.

"It seems our nomadic friend has found us."

"I thought it was trying to escape from us!"

Charlemagne let out a huff before drawing Joyeus from its sheath once more; this time preparing for it to rend flesh.

"Behemoths can be quite docile; that is, if you're speaking of those specifically bred and raised in captivity. Out here in the wild, in their own element--their true nature as relatives of dragons themselves is shown!"

Excitement was made clear from how Aelius spoke, watching with a beaming smile and impatient eyes as the cedar began to cave under the step of the approaching, gargantuan terrestrial-beast. Still, his sword had not left its place of rest, sitting within its exuberant scabbard that synchronized both white and golden decorations.

"Do you plan to fight unarmed, Sir Aelius?"

"I plan on letting my comrade show me what he can do, Sir Charlemagne."

Placing his hands on his sides, there was no hint of Aelius participating in this battle as he looked at his fellow knight with his iridescent gemstones; gesturing with his eyes for the man to initiate the battle against the behemoth.

"I see...I can't say I'm quite as suave with the blade as you are; though, I think I may know a thing or two."

Flipping the hilt of his trusty weapon between his supple fingers as if it were an extension of his body, it was as obvious as a giant hiding within a hedge; Charlemagne was no novice.

Though his own protective nature urged him to rush to his companion's side, Roland stayed his hand, keeping himself at the sidelines as he knew how much his dear comrade enjoyed a good fight.

Leaves gave in to the form of the mountainous fiend; another step taken had plunged the last set of thin oak blocking its path, revealing its full form to the eyes of the three.

From its nostrils and maw, its breath left in a haze of steamy vapor, briefly obscuring its form once more before its rock-like hide was put on display.

"Suffice to say: that is one, large, angry-looking beast."

Witnessing the sheer size of the behemoth as it dwarfed the ceiling of natural green, Roland whistled with a slight chuckle following.

"All yours."

Aelius gave Charlemagne a good-luck tap on his shoulder before stepping beside Roland to witness the clash of knight and monster.

"I can see right past that charming, gentle exterior, Aelius, you're enjoying this, aren't you?" Charlemagne thought to himself as a smile formed across his lips, looking up towards the lumbering behemoth before it stopped in its path.

A single exhale from the colossal, living mass of rock's abyssal nostrils unleashed a torrent that blew against the many blades of grass.

"Joyeus: Awaken."

Holding his blade towards the slumbering stars, Charlemagne remained at an absolute calm in the face of the beast; unleashing a brief, beautiful flash of cobalt that scaled over the length of his blade. Roland noticed the surprised, perplexed look in Aelius' eyes as he honed his sights on the body of the renowned sword.