Chapter 17: Enlistment (3)

Chapter 17: Enlistment (3)

At Iselan’s orders, the three headed toward the end of the hallway on the first floor. There, the door leading to the basement was firmly locked.

“Tini.” Iselan gestured toward the door with his chin.

“Yes.”

With a short nod, Tini unlocked the door.

Clang!

The door opened with a heavy sound and the stairs leading to the basement were revealed. Upon reaching the basement, Tini fumbled against the wall and touched something.

Click!

The surroundings brightened up in an instant. Perhaps a magical tool had been activated.

‘They seem to have paid some attention to the fixtures.’

As the surroundings brightened, the basement was revealed. But there was nothing special about it. Unlike the first floor which was neatly organized, the basement of the office revealed its uneven and exposed walls.

“Is there something in here?”

“I told you, I’ve gotten myself a new hobby lately. Tini.”

“Yes, Captain.”

Iselan chuckled at Henry's question. With another gesture of his chin, Tini’s hand quickly fumbled against the wall again.

The ground rumbled.

A wall that Henry had previously thought looked perfectly ordinary started to rise up into the ceiling, spreading dust everywhere. Immediately after the wall cleared, something unexpected appeared in its place.

It was the size of a human, with purple skin, and large horns protruding sparsely along its spine.

‘A demonic beast?’

This was definitely a demonic beast.

‘That thing... was it a Purple Gehenna?’

Henry was able to figure out what the demonic beast was at once. And rightly so, as this exact demonic beast was one of the many demonic beasts he had to deal with when he had hunted the Demon King in his past life.

Ironically, even though the door was open, the demonic beast seemed completely uninterested in Henry and his party.

“How is it, seeing a demonic beast for the first time? I'm like a child bragging about his toys!” Iselan said with a look of satisfaction.

‘Crazy bastard.’

Now, Henry was certain. Iselan was definitely a madman. Otherwise, how could he have even thought of keeping a demonic beast alive in the basement of his own office?

Henry pretended to be a little startled and played along.

“Don’t tell me that you’ve captured this demonic beast alive?”

“Aren’t I amazing? That aside, how do you feel seeing a demonic beast for the first time? Looks disgusting, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, it definitely looks nasty.”

“Hahaha, that’s good. I was worried that you might have gotten a good first impression. That would have made it harder for you to kill it, right?”

“What do you mean?”

“This is the final test. If you defeat that thing, I’ll give you all the support you need.”

By now, even Henry could not help but burst into laughter at the ridiculousness of the situation.

‘This guy’s truly nuts, has he always been this reckless?’

Henry was convinced once again. Iselan was definitely insane. He was conducting these tests way too recklessly.

Demonic beasts were generally dangerous enough to merit the direct attention of the imperial court, and it was rare for ordinary people to see them even once in a lifetime. It was precisely because the imperial court drove out demonic beasts that the citizens were able to live in safety.

With this test, Henry was able to fully understand Iselan’s inner feelings. Iselan had pretended to be playful and sassy thus far, but what he really wanted to do was to test Henry’s potential. And in a very absurd way, no less.

‘He’s like a fox pretending to be a bear.’

If not, what else could explain the absurdity behind testing a human being with a demonic beast that they have never seen before? Henry once again felt fortunate that he had memories of his previous life. He knew from experience that the method of dealing with demonic beasts was rather different from dealing with ordinary creatures.

‘I should end this once and for all.’

Henry decided that he shouldn’t assume the tests would end there—he had no idea how the capricious bastard’s mood would change again. With this in mind, he decided to make use of this opportunity to leave a solid impression.

“Understood. All I have to do is defeat it, right?

“Yes, let’s see the extent of your skills.”

When the test began, Iselan and Tini took a few steps back to observe Henry.

Henry drew his sword. Thanks to Iselan’s first test, it was on the verge of shattering. However, Henry felt that it just might hold if it was buffed with magic.

Henry moved toward the Gehenna. One step, two steps, three steps. Henry took his fourth step, and—

Ki-reek?

The demonic beast paid no attention to Henry until the fourth step.

‘So there was a barrier.’

There seemed to be a barrier that imprisoned the Gehenna within a certain area. Henry had passed through the boundary with his fourth step. The moment the Gehenna took an interest in Henry, the trial began.

Ki-reeek.

With the height similar to that of an adult male, the Purple Gehenna somewhat resembled a horned orc. They were known for having many subspecies and being exceptionally fertile. While Gehennas were usually green, the occasional mutant had purple skin. These mutants were characterized by being far more powerful than the normal green ones.

Ke-eeeek!

“Haste.”

Henry hurriedly cast the spell Haste as he regained control over his shaky legs. The Gehenna shortened the distance between them in an instant, but Henry’s speed reciting the spells was even faster. Henry quickly grabbed his sword in reverse, stretched his arms out upward, and pointed his sword at the Gehenna’s neck.

Clang!

The sound of a sword hitting a hard rock echoed through the room. The Gehenna’s hard skin protected it from Henry’s attack.

‘Guess it’s time to drop the act.’

Henry knew what the Gehenna’s strategy would be. To an unknowing observer, it would appear as though Henry had preemptively evaded the demonic beast’s attack and fruitlessly swung at its neck. But this was also a calculated move.

If Henry had defeated the Gehenna right from the beginning, Iselan, who assumed Henry was seeing the demonic beast for the first time, would start to get suspicious. Henry had deliberately acted out a useless combat maneuver to create a sufficiently convincing alibi.

Shortly after the sound of metal clanging, Henry’s sword slid off the Gehenna’s neck. The clever Gehenna did not miss the opportunity to follow up with a combo attack.

Ki-aak!

It stretched out its face and revealed its sharp teeth. Henry narrowly escaped being bitten by cleverly maintaining his distance. Then, with a swift circular motion of his toes, he found himself behind the demonic beast. This was the Circle Step technique that he had been practicing to death over the past few months.

‘It’s over!’

Henry swung his sword towards the Gehenna’s dorsal horns that sprawled along its spine.

Slash!

His movement was swift and concise. Henry cut off one of the Gehenna’s horns in an instant and threw it out of the barrier.

Roll.

With its horn cut off, the Gehenna was startled and began hastily searching around. Its dorsal horns were its weakness.

‘And that’s that.’

The Gehenna’s strategy was simple. Gehennas, with their hard outer skin, used the horns on their backs to maintain their sense of balance. All one needed to do to disable them was to cut off their horns. It was only natural for the Purple Gehenna to become disoriented.

‘It’s over.’

Henry had deliberately cut off its largest horn. Moreover, the severed horn was thrown out of the barrier, so the Gehenna would never be able to find it no matter how hard it tried.

Henry pretended to look puzzled as the Gehenna staggered around, as if he had no idea what had caused its confusion. After observing the Gehenna’s absurd behavior for a while, Henry looked past of the barrier at Iselan and asked, “Shall I finish it off?”

“Hahaha, you crazy bastard. To think that you’d actually defeat it.”

It was a predictable, consistent response. Iselan just giggled and laughed, as if he had expected this from the beginning.

Tini beckoned Henry to come out of the barrier. The test was over. Henry wanted to kill the Gehenna as instructed, but since Iselan stated that this was his ‘recent hobby’, Henry decided not to kill it. He wanted to stay on Iselan’s good side.

As Henry came out of the barrier, Iselan kicked the horn into the barrier circle.

“How did you know that its weak point was its horns?”

“It was just a feeling. Its skin was hard, so I figured that its horns might be brittle in contrast, which was why I tried attacking them.”

“So, you’re saying it was just based on your instinct?”

“Yes.”

“Hahaha, look at this guy, he’s got a good sense of this, huh?”

“Are there any other tests left?”

“No, that’s all. I don’t think testing you any further would be any more fun.”

Iselan meant that tests were only fun if the challenger struggled through them. Since Henry showed no signs of struggling, Iselan must have quickly lost interest. In contrast, Henry was finally able to break into a smile.

* * *

“I will take care of all the miscellaneous matters, so from tomorrow onward, you will be heading to the training center and will receive basic training for a month.”

Things progressed quickly. There were no further tests, and Iselan, who decided to serve as Henry’s backer, began to plan in earnest.

The truth was, there was not supposed to be any such thing as a ‘plan’. For anyone enlisted through the system, it was customary to start as a junior officer after undergoing basic military training. But this time, it was a little different.

“Captain.”

“Oh, yes. Tini, what’s up?”

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but the riders have already started training as part of their current college education curriculum.”

“I know.”

“Pardon?”

“I told you before, I’ll take care of all these miscellaneous matters, right? That’s good, since there’s no need to waste a month or so. How long have the lessons been ongoing?”

“We’re just entering week two.”

“Perfect. Put the guy into the classes and make up for whatever he’s lacking with night lessons.”

“Yes, understood.”

A competent trainee knight would never question or make unnecessary comments. And Tini strictly followed the orders of her superior. That was the power that Iselan held in the fortress.

Henry bowed his head and thanked him.

“Thank you for your consideration.”

“What consideration? These classes are a privilege that only those who have passed the test can enjoy. It’s a privilege that ordinary guys can’t even begin to imagine.”

Iselan certainly kept his promise. In particular, this privilege was even more valuable because it came from Iselan’s recognition of Henry’s merit.

“By the way, considering you’ve just arrived today, have I been a little too harsh?”

“No. It was bearable.”

“Hahaha, that’s the spirit! No need to kick up a fuss just because you have to work hard, eh? You must be tired from the long journey, so why not spend the night at my residence tonight? Tini! I’m ending my shift, what about you?”

“I still have some work left to do, so I’ll stay behind a little longer.”

“As expected of Tini. Such a strong sense of responsibility. That’s why I can’t help but be pleased with her.”

It was obviously too early to leave work. In addition, Tini’s desk was stacked with all sorts of documents, compared to Iselan’s desk, which was not very neat.

‘What a weird relationship.’

On the other side of her desk, Henry noticed Iselan’s stamp of approval for payments that Tini must have been using in his stead, but he pretended to not see it.

Iselan said, “Henry, can you drink?”

“I’m not a big drinker.”

“The best way to get rid of travel fatigue is alcohol. Let’s head back to the residence. You must not have eaten properly in a while, so let me treat you to a proper meal.”

“Thank you, Captain.”

* * *

It was an extravagant reception. Henry sampled various delicacies that he had never seen before in the Morris estate, including some that Iselan was able to obtain thanks to his authority as a high-ranking officer.

Iselan was drinking a huge amount of alcohol to match his huge size, and even though he had already emptied two bottles of strong liquor, his face had yet to even change color.

“Hahaha! I was hoping that you wouldn't disappoint me when it comes to drinking, and you sure haven’t!”

The drinking party continued throughout the day and night. After the first full day, Henry finally began to feel the limit of his patience.

‘Whoa... these knights are all the same, damn it.’

Since mages naturally broke down the alcohol with their circulating magic inside them, they could not get drunk. And that made it even more difficult for Henry. As Iselan’s eyes began to waver, he continued to inflict terrible pain on Henry by repeating the same story for hours. Eventually, Henry could not stand Iselan’s tyranny and tried to put him to sleep with magic.

‘Sleep!’

However for some reason, Iselan did not fall asleep, but continued to repeat the same words over and over again.

‘N-no... way?’

Henry’s suspicions were confirmed.

In the residences of the Caliburn Fortress, which were known to be one of the worst zones, a powerful protective magic had been installed to block all kinds of curses and magic, all for the sole purpose of protecting the commanders.