Chapter 22

Chapter 22

TL-Mechatronic

Nina, who gathered information from North Wind, ran around the Violet forest and gathered the plants.

“How the hell do you find these things?” Jean said with admiration, hanging a bag of collected things from his horse.

The two gradually went deeper into the forest, and after passing through the sealed barrier, the atmosphere changed completely.

In the evening, the sun went down as soon as the campsite was set up.

“I’ve never been past this point.”

Jean said so and threw firewood into the campfire. The sparks flew up into the sky countless times. A tin kettle was hung above the fire.

“Yes, but we have to go inside to find something.”

At Nina’s words, Jean stared at her, “I know that but.”

His cat-like green eyes sparkle in the bonfire.

“Did you hear that from the Spirit?”

“Hmm?”

“This kind of information. Like where to find plants and herbs, too.”

“Yes, there’s something Kirill asked me to do, and there’s also something I’ve heard from the Spirits.”

Nina said moderately. As he touched the steaming tin kettle with a tree branch, Jean asked.

“Can’t you teach me, too?”

“Huh? What?”

“Fencing.”

“The sword? Me? To Jean?”

“Yes. You improved a lot. I can’t even be your fencing partner anymore. You must be the strongest among us now.”

Even if an outsider saw them, they would understand with a quick look just how great Nina was. There was no flaw in her swordsmanship. Her sword was naturally connected to her fingertips, just like water flowing through her limbs.

“You are the Commander, so you should teach me.”

He said while handing a cup to her, Nina answered while taking the glass.

“But what I use is a sword and Jean uses a halberd, right?”

Jean’s main weapon was a halberd, a combination of an ax and a spear.

There was always admiration every time I saw him handling the heavy halberd.

“Aren’t the basics the same?”

“That is……”

Nina didn’t speak and bit her lips.

Come to think of it, I also learned how to use a halberd from the Sun.’

-It’s good to know how to deal with all weapons.”

Was Sun’s all-weapons-training for something like this? Nina said jokingly.

“But will Jean be able to stand my training?”

“Of course! I will do anything to be stronger. If I had been stronger then…….”

Jean frowned and said those words as if he was spitting blood. His reaction was more intense than expected, and Nina, surprised, opened her eyes wide.

“Jean? What’s the matter?”

“Nina.”

“Yes?”

“You are a precious person to me. If it weren’t for you, I would be an irredeemable disappointment by now and a drunkard, stabbed by a knife and thrown away at some random corner.”

“Isn’t that too extreme.”

“Really………”

Jean frowned and swallowed his words. He might have been relieving the few days of adventure they’ve shared together as the two were alone in the darkness of the night.

“You know that I’m the second son of a Trading House, right?”

“Yes, I heard.”

“My family was made of people who thought they could buy anything with money.”

Nina tilted her head. Jean smiled at her reaction.

“Love, loyalty, trust, and life. Anything is bought with money, so a person without money has no value. You

don’t have to stick to morals to make money because money is everything.”

If something creates money, they would definitely do it, they won’t care even if it’s corrupt.

The same was true of squandering money on useless places. So his family dared to put their hands on the ring of slave-trading business.

“I hated that, so I ran away from the house and joined a mercenary corps, but I became a guarantee to a friend I trusted, and it all went wrong.”

“That’s why you joined the Dark Knights? Because they’ll give you money.”

Jean nodded at Nina’s words. He thought it was a relief that she didn’t click her tongue, saying, ‘So why did you stupidly insure yourself as the guarantee?”

“But, being in the mercenary and in the Knights really makes you feel like money is everything. And that things like God, friendship, and love, were just helpless fantasies for the weak.”

Jean grinned.

“I was sick and tired of it. I couldn’t sleep if I didn’t drink. But…….”

Jean stared at Nina. His green eyes had no dark shades within

Nina always thought that it contrasted the shady lake like pupil’s eyes of the Young Master, she answered Jean’s words and opened her mouth “Me?”.

“Yes, you.”

Jean grinned.

“I realized that what I believed was wrong when you came.” “I haven’t done much.”

With a haggard face, Jean shook his head at Nina’s words.

“No, you did a lot for me. But…….”

Jean squinted his eyes as he cut the words short.

“Do you know how I felt leaving you to die and turning around, running away?”

“Um…….”

“You don’t know, you shouldn’t know.”

“Yes, I don’t know.”

He looks dignified even while bowing his head.

Jean sighed loudly and said, “Ha!”

“I hated it twice as much. I wanted to be strong enough to fight back to back with you. So I’ve tried my best… But now that I see you, it’s no good.”

Now there is a whole degree of level difference,

“Jean.”

Nina grinned.

“I really like Jean.”

“Now, that is really out of the blue.”

Nina laughed loudly again in Jean’s words.

She liked his frankness, his unexpected shouts.

Some may think his confession is too sudden, too heavy, and ‘why are you saying this’? It may be normal to think so, but it wasn’t like that for Nina and Jean.

Jean, who is much older than her, spoke from the beginning without hesitation and did not hide anything from her.

“It’s good, to be honest.”

“Like you?”

Nina nodded at Jean’s words.

“That’s right, I’m a straightforward person. Being honest is a value that should be greatly appreciated.”

“So are you going to teach me?”

Jean turned back to the previous topic time and time again. Nina wiped off her smile and answered.

“All right, I’ll make you roll all you like.”

“Huh?”

“Since you are so determined. I’ll teach you thoroughly.”

I will give the same hellish training that I received from Sun to Jean.

“Don’t worry, I’ll have a firm mind and will never go easy on you.” She said firmly.

Jean also nodded and responded, “Yes, yes!” The moment we start training, he will regret that.

Early the next morning, as we entered the depths of the Violet forest, a rough terrain appeared. Between the cliffs, a valley flowed, followed by steep mountains.

There, Nina and Jean found a unicorn herd.

Jean looked down and admired them.

“It’s a real one, isn’t it? It’s running around the cliff like a mountain goat. How is that possible with that size?”

“I’ll catch that.”

When she said that, Jean asked, “What?” and Nina grinned.

“It’s a perfect match for The Dark Knights. Especially that one.”

Nina pointed to the head of the pack, the largest and most beautiful one.

“How are you going to catch him?”

“It’s just like catching a wild horse. Don’t worry.”

While saying that Nina took off her luggage and left it to Jean.

“Then I’ll get going. You don’t have to worry about me not coming back for a day or two.”

She made a loop with a rope.

“What? Hey, what are you going to do?

“I am the one who is protected by the North Wind, Silent wings push me forward my path.”

Nina’s movement speed increased according to her chanting. By the time the herd of unicorns noticed her, it was already after she had approached the leader. While a group of unicorns did not know what to do with Nina and avoided her, she jumped on the back of the herd leader.

At the same time, she laced the hook around his neck. It was like lightning.

Jean swallowed his breath.

The leader unicorn started to run like crazy. It was a movement that whatever was mounted on top of him should have fallen by now. However, when Nina did not fall, the unicorn jumped up and down the cliff. It was a struggle to get rid of her somehow.

His feet were so fast, they quickly fell out of sight. Jean murmured, “Oh my God.”

“She will be alright……right?’

Because it’s Nina.

Even if she fell, the North Wind would hold her back. Jean scratched his head and went to look for a place to set up a campsite nearby.

This is a halberd.