The Most BADASS Manga Protagonist You Haven't Seen

a Wanderer travels without destination along the dirt road clad in a cloak and a wide brimmed hat he walks this path to find his exit a mighty wall named Jan Desaru encloses the world protecting humans from the kijal threat Beyond it stretches far into the sky save for a gap in the pakura district the tiia family Rules these lands and has thwarted Kil invasions since time immemorial at a Farmstead a man is attacked by several beasts scared villagers Scurry into a building and hurry to shut its doors Des the man's daughters please the man accepts his fate and entrusts his daughter to the others but before he's finished off the nearest monsters flung away and smashed against the tree Kil and humans alike turned their heads in surprise to see a knight clad in plate a top a destrier urging them to hurry up and run as he confronts the remaining creatures in a forest a girl climbs through the woods until she reaches a man lying on the grass the man named Bard Rowan dreams of kneeling before Lord as a knight aspirant and swearing falty but wakes up to see the girl named Adra placing a flower in his hair and playfully jumping on top of him as he Rouses from his Slumber she announces that she has DED him up and admonishes him for being too formal but he insists on maintaining the courtesies Adra is the daughter of hadra Tura current Lord of pakura a tomboy she prefers a sword over a sewing needle causing her Lord father to always have a troubled to look on his face Adra asks him why he is sucking a flower to which he explains that the nectar is sweet while showing her how to drink it the moment is cut short when Bard's stomach begins to rumble using his bow Bard manages to catch a fish and the tomboyish princess tells him that she has failed at doing that he then gives her some puzzling explanation as to why she failed stating that she will never hit it while attempting to strike at the fish since it is trying to dodge the girl then tries shooting a fish by herself firing several arrows into the water with no success frustrated but undaunted she loses her temper and jumps into the river Rapier in hand as her clothes dry out Bard Cooks some fish over the fire once they're fully roasted he offers one to the Sullen girl draped in a cloak the proud Adra refuses to have one after failing to catch any of her own eventually relenting as the Knight begins to eat them all by himself to tempt her digging in she declares it to be the tastiest fish she has ever eaten Bard explains that they are called widc and can reach astonishing sizes and become even tastier the girl then enthusiastically asks bar to help her with bow training so they can catch more and eat a bigger widget together the Knight agrees to this request but not before telling her to not skip her sewing classes until then while they ride back to the castle Adra asks Bard what he dreamt of on the field he tells her that he was dreaming of when took the knight's vow before her grandfather by custom during the vowing ceremony one cannot vow loyalty to the leader so he vowed fty to the people suddenly some people in a wagon catch their attention they turn out to be the villagers B saved who thank him as the people's Knight much to his embarrassment the man's daughter blushes as she thanks him wholeheartedly and her mother teases about marrying her off to the night much to their embarrassment with Adra joining in on the teasing as they realize she is with him he then tells them that Bart is babysitting the lady much to her annoyance and pouts as she states her fondness of him before raising her sword and declaring her ability to protect herself Bard agrees asking her never to enter the forest when he's not around insisting that she agreed to that despite her protests he is leaving the next day and is unsure as to when he will return so the girl asks him to come back as soon as possible as the Knight takes her words to heart she tells him to work hard while dangerously swinging her sword around sometime later Bard and his unit return from patrolling beyond the wall and approached the teria stronghold the exhausted men yearned to return home but upon reaching the Bridge they're met with a concerned Lord hadra who asks Bard if he saw Adra as he reports his arrival the Knight denies seeing her and her father reveals that she saw a faint silhouette of some troops coming through the forest believing Bard had returned she went off into the woods with two guards to greet him heading out confidently since it was still early and she knew the path very well Bard Ponders what he just heard when his senses tingle and he turns an alarm towards the Gap fearing a monster incursion he orders his men to light the torches on the Watchtower and keep them burning through the night as he mounts once more and turns the forest Lord hadra then tosses him the demon sword Morag ravello and he sets off into the woods searching for Adra as he rides down the road he tries to reconstruct the road she might have taken fearing she took a wrong turn believing the distance to be shorter than it actually was instead of following the correct path arriving at a fork and fearing the worst he halts as he Ponders which way to take with his heart pounding heavily in his chest he raises his voice Towards the Sky Bard prays to patara posa his Guardian deity to guide his way and show him the correct path forward as he begins to lose hope the spear of the forest bador Ora appears in front of him and points in the right direction with its eyes now on the right track the Knight gallops at full speed through the woods and presses the horse even harder as he notices adra's broken Rapier discarded by the road he then arrives at a clearing where a monster attempts to reach Adra while one of her guards desperately tries to hold it off at sword point he identifies the monster as a zuba that transformed into a Kil the Beast then lunges forward toward Adra and her guard but Bard rides between them and blocks the creature with the demon sword pushing with all of his might to send it tumbling away against the tree unhorsed barge struggles to rise as the Kil lunges at him slashing with its claws and tearing a gash across his face before slamming into him the Knight and the monster tumble together into the woods until they come to a stop by a tree the demon sword embedded into the creature's abdomen as its claws tear into Bard's shoulder the Kil Roars and bites at Bard's neck spitting blood as the Knight drives his blade ever deeper into its body finally succeeding and running it through Bard lies against the tree badly wounded but alive as the lifeless creature slumps next to him with some effort he rises to his feet to see Adra looking at him with concern bloodied he reaches for her with his arm before clenching his fist and the girl barrels into him and Embraces him in tears as they both fall onto the ground after that incident Adra changed her boyish openhearted character seemingly disappeared and was replaced by sympathy and kindness as she adopted an attitude more in line with her duties as a noble woman she suppressed her habit of wanting to be involved in everything and stepped back supporting everyone else's actions 3 years after the incident Bard was ordered to go to the Fortress at the Gap in the wall and when he returned 3 months later her marriage to CIS Candera had been confirmed 29 years later the year 4270 a young man named selmont spars with an aged Bard in T's Castle Courtyard as the young man breathes heavily and focuses entirely on the fight the seasoned Knight Praises his skills for withstanding his blow before pulling an unexpected move using his full force he sends the young Knight flying towards some crates across the yard much to everyone's amusement and the grizzled fighter apologizes for overdoing it their light mood is cut short by the arrival of a young man searching for Bard declaring it to be an emergency and addressing him as Grandpa he is yolan tiia the son of Adra his mother was sent back to the tersia family one year after marrying into the Cendera family carrying her newborn In Her Arms Bard chastises the young nobleman for arriving late for training but yolin explains that it is actually an emergency the agreements from the territorial Lord's conference have just been announced and revenue from the Zer a silver mine will be allocated for the Reconstruction of War torn lands for a decade everyone is shocked by this the conflict between the Nora and Candera families who border the tersia family's Holdings has finally reached its conclusion and the latter has become the most powerful force near the border declaring themselves overlords of the Shena region the teria family could not afford to ignore this since the Region encapsulates Three districts and the Candera family has yet to beat the current lord of the tersia family who exerts power over the entire region as its Overlord the tersia family have controlled the Zara silver mine and the leosia copper mine for ages since the Pak district is holding off the Kil invasions pouring through the Gap yulin is upset by the decision as it deprives them of Financial Resources while maintaining their responsibilities and camon considers that the Candera family should bear the cost since they were the ones who ravaged the land in the first place those in the courtyard expressed their anger at the Candera family and though one wonders if they might dare attack their District another Soldier reassures him stating that as long as they have the Invincible people's night with them they won't be able to do as they please looking downwards the Aged Knight points out that they must yield for the moment and both yulen and selmont begrudgingly agree later that night Bard recalls the people's belief in his invincibility and notes that they are in that mess because of him he has feared that his name might have become a bit too popular after 50 years of service due to all the fighting and believes the Candera family will use that as a pretext to start the next territorial dispute and crush the teria family he then leans back and jolts in pain from a stiffened shoulder having overexerted himself in the courtyard leaning back he contemplates his long service and his Advanced age he has served the teria family for four generations and is nearing the end of the line and he has no family nor wife regardless he takes solace in knowing his disciples have grown up to be Splendid Warriors closing his eyes and smiling as realization sets in sometime later elsewhere in teria Castle a maid enters sir Galler's office to find the Lord next to Ulen handing him a letter from Bard yurin is curious as to why the old Knight would go out of his way and write a letter but as he opens it and reads its contents the startled sir galliera rises from his chair and tells uren to run to B's quarters stating that he has retired as a knight and has forfeited his quarters and assets down the road Bard picks a fresh Apple from a tree and happily takes a bite finding it delicious and offering it to his Steed in this way Bard Rowan the old Knight departed on a journey he didn't know that this taale would later be passed on down and told throughout the world as the beginning of a great adventure yand deso the wall guarding Mankind from The kidil pakura District's teria family tells Tales of a knight praised to be undefeated barred Rowen the people's Knight a little over a month after leaving the tury family service Bard fishes on a pond a widc fish bites the hook and the elderly Knight eagerly reels it in marveling at its size and relishing at how delicious it will taste he suddenly halts when he hears the rustle of armored footsteps behind him he turns to see selmont with a squad of knights and is embarrassed when the men kneel before him and beg him to return to the tersia family service despite Bard's pleas for them to raise their heads they insist stating that the Candera family has claimed that the teria family lacks consideration and is preparing a plot of land for him as Bard remains steadfast selmont Muses that they can guess their true intentions based on their behavior until that point 27 years prior Candera family's head cuis Candera made a request to make Adra his wife he was an illegitimate child of the previous Lord rising to power after his father and half siblings met their demise due to unforeseen circumstances taking the Reigns of the family at age 23 under his leadership the Candera family forcefully expanded their territory and started harassing the teria family for the gueno region lady Adra resolved herself and decided to accept the proposal but the wedding was deferred for a year and a half she was then sent back to the teria family bringing her newborn baby with her and The Messengers sent to the Candera family to investigate the matter returned as corpses the matter did not end there and the Candera family even attacked the Paka District to punish the perceived rudeness of the teria family angered by this Behavior the teria family recalled the knights stationed at the Gap and broke through their attack shattering their forces and sending them back failing to learn from that the Candera family attempted to invade five more times over 20 years but each time they were repelled Bard is surprised by their Lust For War and power but still considers the offer of land noting that they must have taken it from someone else and that they will use the opportunity to start another territorial dispute not content with taking their main source of income the Candera family now moves to destroy the tera's military might which might create the perfect conditions for a Kil Invasion the Rival family seems to be unaware that such a situation would overwhelm them as well and make it impossible for them to continue the war with the teria family having taken care of the monster Threat all these years Bard believes that by removing himself from the board their Ambitions would be curtailed considering the title of undefeated Knight to be a nuisance he then notes to camont that they have all grown up well and tiia will be all right even without him entrusting his disciples to protect the family emboldened by those words the Knight takes the mantle proudly the moment is cut short by the appearance of a rider who asks if they finished talking with Bard he is ysh pain a knight of the Cendera family and cis's nephew selmont tells the newcomer to Dismount out of respect but the Knight hotly declares that Bard is no longer deserving of a knight's greeting after discarding his master angered selmont reminds him that his vow to the people has not been broken and ysh begrudgingly greets Bard but the old Knight is immersed in thoughts of his supper the Cendera Knight repeats the offer of land to Bard extending his hand and declaring that both noble families need him annoyed by his words he solemnly turns down the offer stating that he just wishes to die in peace ysh then protests to sidon for not explaining the situation to him properly but the Knight dismisses him before handing Bard a purse as an offering from Lord galliera and wishing him a safe journey which he accepts now Alone by the pond Bard picks a stone recalling his titles and noting that even though he has quit being a knight and become a Wanderer he has served for 40 years to protect the Paka District recalling his time with Adra he looks down and clenches his fist as he admits to himself that what he really wanted to protect was her he failed to keep that promise embarking on this journey without saying even a single word to Lady Adra stablo noticing his master's uneasiness gently nudges him on the back with his head in an attempt to comfort him having gathered a sizable pile of stones Bard believes he has gathered enough to construct a stove when he hears approaching hoof beats his scar flinches as ysh approaches the Knight Dismounts and declares that he took the liberty of returning to take care of some unfinished business and as Bard urges him to be quick about it the man declares that he meant to take care of him since there is no reason for him to still be be alive threatened Bard assumes a combative stance and grasps for his sword but ysh bids him halt revealing that it is not him who will fight the people's night Bard's scar flinches once more as he senses a presence turning he faces a cloaked young man clad in a full suit of dark plate leaning against the tree the mysterious stranger identifies him as Bard Rowan declaring that he has always wanted to meet him while reaching for his richly ornamented sword at his waist caught off guard by his sudden appearance and feeling his scar throbbing Bard realizes the danger the newcomer poses while he did mention that he wished to die in peace he never said that he required any assistance thinking of Lady Adra he notes to himself that whichever business brought this man there there is no way he will let the Candera family use him as they see fit furthermore it seems that his preparations have been completed he has successfully built a stand and prepared the widget letting out its blood and descaling it masterfully in preparation for supper declaring that freshness is everything he discards his cloak and prepares to end the fight as quickly as possible grinning ysh states that he will honor his request to not take too much of his time and while the people's Knight thinks of his grilled fish both him and the stranger draw their swords and prepare to fight Bard and the Mysterious Swordsmen face each other with their swords drawn the old Knight notices the beauty of his opponent's weapon and wonders how his blunt sword which he primarily uses for self-defense would fa against such a magnificent blade being fully aware that he might perish the Black Swordsman then requests a duel and though Bard is startled by this he notes his politeness and accepts the request determined to go all out in this fight immediately The Swordsman uses his Superior agility to Lunge at Bard before he can even see him move denting his breastplate staggering backward Bard resumes a combat stance and realizing his dire situation asks for his adversary's name upon which The Swordsman reveals himself to be ven Ural the old Knight recognizes him as a famous battle frenzy mercenary recalling a tale of an invisible Red Crow flying and landing on the bedside of those about to pass away with the death arriving once the bird is sighted based on that Legend people call vuro the roro spear the red Crow the mercenary dashes forth with murderous resolve once again grazing Bard's chest plate seizing the moment the Knight counters with a slash of his own surprising his opponent recovering from the shock vural strikes once again unable to read Bard's moves but recalling his training and going for a faint while he holds his sword in a middle stance Bard barely Dodges a Counterattack aimed at his head and recalls having seen the style of fighting before when receiving Hands-On instruction from a Wandering Knight in his youth there can be no mistake venur is a legitimate practitioner of Swordsman ship a Master Level swordsman he is at a wholly different level from Bard who started as a novice and built up his skills through continuous fighting the old Knight wondered why such a talented swordsman would become a mercenary and simultaneously realizes that no matter how much he struggles he cannot win against such an opponent deciding the time is right he has resolved to land at least one strike if it is to be his final battle he pushes and immediately backs off aiming for the moment the mercenary stance breaks to slash and once his opponent moves to attack he wonders where he should aim his strike fully focused he delivers a devastating blow aimed at the red Crow's legs which the young man manages to evade and reel back after nicking Bard's leg the olden Knight seems to stumble and fall backwards but manages to grab a log and deftly hurl it toward the mercenary he Dodges it effortlessly but the flying log almost smashes into the absent-minded ysh who ducks to evade the strike enraged the Candera Knight insults Bard and fumbles for his sword determined to cut Bard for this the old Knight recognizes this as the time to act performing a trick prank he taught to others when he was younger upon his signal his Ste violently kicks a pile of stones in the direction of venur and ysh and while the former Dodges the stones the latter receives a hit smack between the shoulder blades though he regrets not hitting the mercenary Bard has no choice but to slay The Stumbling Knight swiftly dealing with him before walking toward his remaining opponent the Knight states that it is a shame that ven's employer is dead but the Red Crow replies that it is no shame and he is not his employer but now that he is gone he does not know what to do after he ends barred he thus has no reason to kill him anymore and so he decides to settle the score some other time as the sun sets Bard wonders what their intentions were unsure as to why the coanda family would wish to kill him he could understand if it was out of resentment but that would not explain their decision to hire a mercenary much less one as expensive as vural and guesses that he could not entrust it to anyone from their exchange Bard got the feeling that the mercenary had some business to take care of after finishing him off wondering if he needed to do something with his corpse or his belongings recalling the pouch selmont handed him earlier he empties its contents but finds nothing unusual ual setting the matter aside he rubs his hands as he prepares to finally eat his dinner he feels invigorated by the dry sake urine gave him and Savers the tasty perfectly cooked fish sipping some more liquor Bard has not a care in the world as he enjoys his meal contemplating his life and what to do with what remains of it suddenly he recalls a memory of him having tea with Adra in the garden while an infant yulen played in the trees the kid climbed to a tree and could not get down and Bard recalled that Adra was just like that as well before helping him the eager yolen then declared that he would drive for Greater Heights now that he knows how to climb earning him some tickles as punishment sometime later Bard and Adra talked as her son slept happily on his back she hoped that yulen would one day see the world with the Knight he in turn told her that she should see it as well with which she agreed wishing she could travel around the world meet all kinds of people and eat various Foods asking to hear his stories again smiling at the thought while looking at the stars Bard declares that he will write letters about the food he has eaten and the scenery that he will see certain that there is a lot of delicious food that he is yet to taste he declares that dying won't be a simple feat as he continues enjoying his fish a sick Bard stumbles to a river feeling cold and boiling with a fever as he stumbles reaching for the water before collapsing unconscious he wonders if he died until he opens his eyes with stablo caressing his face with his nose he is startled to see an old woman standing over him asking how he feels and cannot contain a rude Scream the woman laughs it off telling him to get dressed and tells him that stablo pulled him up from the river and tried to warm him up before she found him she then hands him a a bread and jerky soup which he finds delicious as he gobbles it down she explains that she added medicinal herbs and he detects an unfamiliar root-like ingredient which he finds Exquisite the woman tells him that it is the rather common sherone route before asking if during his travels he saw a fist-sized fruit full of thorns which he confirms after he is done eating she asks if he wants to do something in gratitude for the meal asking him to take her to the location of the fruit without giving him a chance to reply and then guilt tripping him into accepting as he gets some rest Bard notes that it is not normal for someone to nurse in unconscious person especially in that remote region deep in the mountains plus she fed him he suddenly realizes he didn't get his savior's name and the old lady replies that she's called witch leaving the story behind the name for another time the next morning Bard fulfills his promise and takes her to a field full of these strange fruits once there she notes that most have not opened yet explaining that they are called gadra and his illness was caused by breathing the pollen they release when opened that is actually the eggs of a small parasitic bug these eggs will only hatch inside of a human body and if they were to hatch the victim would be Beyond saving once the eggs enter the body the victim will enter a deathlike slumber until they hatch and the insects eat him from the inside out laying more eggs until they accumulate on the surface of the corpse these new eggs are then Carried Away by the wind and attach themselves to a new host being able to spread like wildfire and consumed towns and even an entire nation Bart asks her if any country was thus destroyed and she replies that there might have been before revealing that drinking the pulverized golosa fruit before the eggs hatch would kill the eggs and cure the victim both golosa and gadra are rare to come across and are usually found together and since entering the mountain the witch has assumed the responsibility of uprooting and burning the deadly fruits she then decides to set up camp nearby in preparation for burning the field the next day sometime later she tells him to get a fire going looking at the small pile of Twigs in the Hearth he wonders if it will be insufficient but lights it up nonetheless which then approaches the fire and starts uttering some incantations that cause the fire to soar he then inquires once again about her name and she tells she used to be a beautiful young witch with men flocking to her before telling him it was a joke and beginning the true story at a village located deep in some Far Away mountains a mother and child helped some sick villagers the mother was a talented herbalist and upon the villager's request she agreed to take up residence in the village the daughter followed her footsteps and also became an herbalist spending a relatively happy time in the village and growing to an old age however years later an epidemic struck wiping out many villagers the herbalist was fine thanks to the medicinal herbs she usually consumed but the girl she cared for like a grandchild developed symptoms the woman had medicine for one person left to her by her mother but she had been warned to never use it on anyone except for herself breaking that promise she saved the girl but the entire Village then demanded the medicine too and were not willing to believe she didn't have any eventually she ended up being resented by the entire Village including the child she saved and rumors soon started to flare up about her being a witch she was then blamed for the epidemic tied to a pillar and burned with her Cottage Bard listens to the story intently wishing to know what happened next but witch merely tastes her soup and finds it delicious stating that the fact that she is there means that she was somehow saved before handing him a bowl the next morning they gather a pile of Kindle next to the fruits and which tells bar to take cover once the fire is properly lit as the Flames begin to rise the old woman uses her powers to Fan it but as Bard turns to leave he sees a huge rowle frog jumping to attacker he slams against it injuring his chest and back and turns to face the creature even after being chased out of the village which still tries to fulfill her responsibility as an herbalist having abandoned his master and set off on a journey in search of death he empathizes with her and resolves to fulfill his responsibilities as a knight protecting her he Ventures into the thicket with the Raoul in Hot Pursuit its Jagged mouth wide open as it attempts to swallow him whole its tough slippery outer skin and hard exoskeleton make it impervious to sword strikes so the Knight resorts to facing the creature head on allowing it to bite at his arm the Beast is unable to snap its jaws however Bard has jammed a stick in hisou M and now slides into the Frog's M to stab at its inerts writhing in pain the monster snaps its jaw shut but Bard plunges his sword ever deeper the finally dying Beast spits Bard out sending him flying across the woods as he recovers he turns in surprise to see a beautiful and young witch using her powers to direct the Flames before falling unconscious the fire burned for 3 days and three nights turning the plants to Ash for a while afterwards barge traveled with the old lady she taught him different medicinal herbs and concoctions as well as the basics of M magic which explained that every magic invariably has a seed in it since no one can create something from scratch and her Fire magic merely nudges the Flames that are already going and though bar did not quite understand it he lets the lessons he learned sink in after a month of traveling they arrive at a location where they can see a village but as Bard turns to thank which he notices the old woman has disappeared Without a Trace though perplexed he leaves it at that and continues heading toward the town down there a priest talks to some locals while escorted by two knights while a young boy watches them from a top a tree as Bard relaxes in a Tavern the inkeeper tells him that he's lucky to be there on such a day she explains that the King was just crowned and has sent money to the Village to treat everyone present to a cup of free alcohol as he toasts to his Majesty's Health Bard notes the poor quality of the drink asking for something stronger and also asking about King Wieland a man tells him that the palum kingdom has just concluded a big war with Prince windelin dealing the decisive blow that defeated the enemy and the king passed away shortly thereafter there was a dispute about whether the throne should go to the Crown Prince or the heroic Prince Wieland though the latter's mother was lowborn he is older popular and successful having the support of the army so it was decided that he should inherit the crown and the newly anointed king dispatched envoys and distributed charity throughout the realm which Bard considers praiseworthy the relaxed mood in the tavern is disrupted by the arrival of a knight asking for an herbalist or physician explaining that Prince Vari the special Frontier Province Imperial Envoy has developed a sudden illness and is now unconscious hearing this B notes that that there probably aren't any herbalists in such a Backwater Village and recalling the symptoms he suffered because of the gadra fruit he steps up and offers his help arriving to where the alien priest rests he identifies the sickness as overnight fever glad that it wasn't due to the gadra due to the high fever Bard fears that the priest might lose his life if untreated or a limb even if they help him he offers to prescribe some medicinal herbs instructing the knights to get him plenty of water and keep the room warm one of the knights thanks him and the other places herself at his disposal and hurries off to fulfill his instructions Bard is impressed by this noting that the two knights bowed to him and obeyed him without hesitation despite their High status Bard prepares some herbs and feeds them to the priest while the knights go about keeping the room warm and by the next morning the fever subsides once again one of the knights bows in gratitude and asks for his name instantly recognizing him as the people's Knight once the old man replies once he recovers Prince Vari offers Bard a feast as a show of gratitude for saving his life the meal includes yabo a rare and poisonous fish that has been perfectly prepared paired with white wine though asks for red instead as they dig in everyone finds the dish delicious as the white meat melts in their mouth with Bard counseling the priest on the advantages of pairing it with red wine the old Knight notes that Vari does not seem to be an ordinary priest lacking the vulgar atmosphere commonly found around clergymen moreover his Knights are important people with exemplary decorum who have prepared most of the meal served that day and Bard guesses that though the party might have been made to look like a random bunch of underlings they may have a different purpose altogether brushing the thought aside the Knight declares to relish in the joy of sharing a drink with great people that night Bart is pulled from his Slumber by a thud outside of his bedroom he tries to rise from the bed but notices his body going numb stumbling he reaches his cloak and pulls some medicinal herbs from his pocket regaining control of his muscles exiting the room he sees one of the knights laying on the floor and struggling to move with rattling noises coming from the priest's room drawing his sword Bard barges in to see a Nimble young boy collecting some valuables the youth surprised that the Knight can still move makes for the window in an attempt to flee while Bard throws a wood carving at him as the boy is pinned down the Knight catches up managing to slash with his sword while his Quarry Dodges the strike but hits his head on an overhanging Branch Bard is unable to seize this chance due to still partially being drugged but nonetheless manages to throw another object at the young boy's head from the balcony causing him to fall unconscious the boy opens his eyes to see Bard Standing On Top him under the full moon his sword against his throat the Knight is surprised to see him smiling and deduces that he took advantage of the commotion during the priest's sickness to drug the wine recognizing the substance as a numbing drug he identifies the boy as the thief Yaga who drugs an entire household to steal valuable items without killing anyone glad to be famous the thief explains that he has been waiting for an opportunity for a while being delighted by The Challenge posed by outsmarting the priest's escort he made a prayer to the god of trade and commerce offering a bottle of sake if he succeeded and he seized the chance once he got the priest sick he then asks for the old man's name surprised to find out that he is the people's Knight the effects of the numbing drug soon wore off off and Bard handed Yaga over to the Village head since there was a bounty on his head telling him to distribute the money to the villagers as compensation for the inconvenience as the priest prepares to depart for dolba province the thief of the Candera family he asks Bard to accompany them unwilling to run into cus just yet Bard refuses stating he wishes to go to rinse instead the priest then hands him a bottle of distilled the liquor in gratitude and thus they part ways as they went their separate ways Bard had no idea that the Journey of that group would be greatly connected to the fate of Adra and her son Bard arrives at the Port City of rinse located on the shores of the massive ubar River Adra had always been curious about this town so he plans to write about his visit in his letter for that purpose he purchases some street food in a stall determined to investigate it carefully he enjoys the meatballs praising their preparation and combination of meats nearby a man asks how much he's being sold for and laughs as the ladder sets the price at 1 million Gale Bard approaches wondering if someone is selling slaves and if the person is really willing to be sold asking for such an exorbitant price his face adopts an expression of utter dismay and confusion as C's ven Ural sitting by some Wares with a for sale sign hanging around his neck the confused Knight asks the mercenary what he's doing and he recounts that after their encounter he dragged Yo's corpse back to cus having followed the rules of the contract and thus being entitled to claim his reward the Knight had ignored their preparations and had gotten himself killed but CIS stated that he had no reason to pay a bodyguard who failed to protect his nephew and demanded he bring Bard's head at once vanur would accept this new contract only if he was paid for the past one but cus refused to pay anything though he now has a well-paid job he will only collect it once the contract is done and strapped out of cash he thought to sell himself to get some money Bard scratches his head noting to himself that such a highly skilled individual could easily get hired by the lord of the city merely by showing off his skill he also notices that the mercenary has wrapped his sword in a straw mat wondering if it is a matter of Pride or religion he then reaches for a saddle and pulls out his coin purse asking if that would be enough for his needs though the 93,000 gaale there don't reach a tenth of his price he accepts and yields since it comes from the people's Knight having become his slave in his mind he asks Bard where he's going next as the confused Knight replies that he might head north venur addresses him as master and states that he will return once he finishes his business in 2 to 6 months and promptly leaves with the strange encounter behind him Bard heads into the market and orders some more street food a stranger then addresses him asking if he hails from Paka and Le the confused Knight to a mansion by the cliff side once there he is greeted by an eager Yen who is having tea on the Terrace with a man who Rises to greet him Bard recognizes him as the Earl of rinse and he introduces himself as Simon epiales before extending his Hospitality as they sit at the table yulen explains that he predicted that he would be drawn to rinse by its delicious food and he instructed the Earl's servant to look around the food stalls for him every day yulin suddenly Falls silent and gets serious telling him that Adra has passed away having passed away peacefully in the garden G with a happy look on her face Bard feels that he is too late adra's brother vura the previous Lord of pakura had passed away years prior and Bard started feeling his age from then on adra's health had started deteriorating at that time and Bard knew she didn't have much left but in the end she passed away before he could even write his first letter to her staring out into the water he recalls her desire to see the land beyond the river taking a deep breath he apologizes to Yen for making him go out of his way and wait for his arrival but the young Noble replies that aside while ating he has conducted excellent business and deepened his bond with the Earl he then hands the Knight A Letter written by his mother the tender moment is cut short when a man barges into the Hall accompanied by a retinue of soldiers and addresses the Knight demanding that he hand over the letter Bard identifies him as ganara pay called this's younger brother and y's father the Earl then addresses the man accompanying him as Oswald demanding to know the meaning of the intrusion the man coldly replies that he is merely taking advantage of a business opportunity as he taught him addressing him as stating that the residence is full of men loyal to him he States his intention to kill the Earl the Earl reveals to Bard that this is his adopted child and the Knight quickly deduces that the ambitious young man plans to take over his own family by allying with the Candera and they need to tie all loose ends up for their plan to succeed yulen argues that if he ended the Earl's life he would not be able to inherit the social rank the Earl's allies would not obey him and the palum kingdom their main trade partner would disapprove of the situation Oswald states that he has thought those issues out since a lord pain will provide Investments and he's not interested in his father's reputation but the key to the Box the Earl keeps close to him once he seizes the documents inside he will be free to trade with the palum kingdom adopting an insane expression he declares that the coanda will take care of everything and anyone who opposes his move will serve as bait for the fish in the river Bard calmly deduces that soldiers must already be heading to the location of the Earl's biological son and relatives and they seem to be trapped in the room with the Lord pay and his men blocking the entrance and the balcony sitting at top a cliff he then asks Genaro what happened with the Red Crow and the enraged Lord states that they threw him out after failing to protect ysh and demanding a reward and that he even killed two assassins sent to tail him hearing this the Knight calls him an idiot and the angry Lord retorts that he is the ultimate fool for jumping right into a death trap before yelling that he shall die as revenge for the death of his son the soldiers take positions around Bard yulin makes to join him but the Knight orders him to stay back smiling at seeing him get serious after such a long time the young Lord relents and stands back Bard then gauges the situation seeing that there are 14 soldiers against the three of them and they're unarmed at that he declares that he will give his life but in exchange he will butcher them all and will not let them touch a single hair on yolen's head Bard stands calmly in the center of the hall as Oswald orders the soldiers to get him as they charge with their Pikes Bard Sprints past the tips while telling them that their breathing is in complete disarray disarming a soldier by hitting him with the butt of his own Pike the next Soldier Jabs at him but Bard Dodges once again and catches the Pike's shaft the the third Pikeman manages to Nick his dublet but is soon smacked unconscious as Bard breaks his spear against his neck clutching the pike under his arm he tosses the soldier holding it over his shoulder smacking him against the wall swiftly proceeding to punch another soldier's face to the ground and using his Pike to deal with another sword wielding foe he tosses the sword to yolen who seems to be enjoying the situation and asks the Earl if it is all right to kill his adopted son the Earl gives him permission and the enraged Oswald orders the remaining soldiers to charge at Bard he swiftly knocks two Troopers down with Pike and Sprints towards Oswald and gzara easily overpowering two more soldiers along the way and seizing a sword a third pair of soldiers dashes at him and he swiftly cuts the first man's hands clean off and delivers a devastating slash at the second man's neck finishing him off and breaking his sword in the process he comments on the dullness of the blade and stares at its broken remnants as another Soldier attempts to strike at him from above easily dispatching him with the Broken Blade and splitting his helmet and head before he has a chance to attack Oswald cries in horror as the soldier Falls lifeless to the ground making a run for it while attempting to put a soldier between him and Bard he suddenly gasps as he feels a force behind him Bard has run him and the soldier through with his Pike leaving the lifeless Oswald on the ground he turns to return to yulin and the Earl but Lord Payne orders the two remaining soldiers to charge seeing that they're too close and only morons would attack in such a way he yells their mistake aloud as he charges forth and violently kicks gzara back headbutting him in the process the terrified Lord then watches in horror as Bard grabs the Two Soldiers by their sword arm snapping their bones and violently tossing them towards the nearest wall the people's Knight then turns to the Fallen Lord Pain noting his bad luck at being impaled by the sword he kicked earlier as he bleeds out gzara asked him what the double spiral is and where it is though the Knight does not know what he means looking around he contemplates the dead and dying soldiers noting that he broke their fighting spirit and turns to face the last soldier who stands with his back against the wall unarmed and shaking with fear the soldier then dashes to where yurin and the Earl are located with bar fearing that he will jump off the cliff with that Vigor yulin attempts to stop him but the soldier turns and seizes adra's letter from him revealing himself to be the young Yul chaga Bard is shocked to see the young Thief again but he explains that while he was being judged gzara and his group helped him Escape in exchange for him giving them something of equal value he then jumps off the cliff and Earl watches as he jumps from ledge to ledge like a monkey noting his strength and resolve urin then states that when aund sheep gather the tiger is smart enough to not fight causing the Earl to laugh the Earl's biological son family and retainers had been assassination targets as well and some of the Assassins went into hiding as the plan fell apart while some were apprehended leading the attempt to end in complete failure neither Bard nor yulin had any clue as to what Lord pay meant by the double spiral the next day an eager yulen declares that he will now have a good story to tell back home before apologizing for losing the letter as for Bard his lack of Forward Thinking in joining The Fray caused his body to hurt everywhere to the point where he cannot even get up being unable to see Yin off as he recovers from the exertion he s for 3 days before departing having missed the chance to walk around the city and eat its Foods he asks stablo if he feels tired wondering how old he is before recalling that he was a gift from Adra when she married meaning that he is already 31 he didn't even get a chance to ask the meaning of the horse's name with Adra stating that it was a secret it was around the time when he offered his sword to his Guardian deity patara posa promising to protect Adra and her son staring at the Horizon he thinks of her until stablo nudges him affectionately realizing that the Sun is setting and a cold wind is starting to blow he starts to head back as he notices a flying dragon soaring overhead wondering if they fight amongst themselves and regretting not having been able to write her a letter at least once fully recovered Bard heads to the food stalls in the Riverside Quay determined to eat until he drops though the food in the Earl's manner was Splendid he believes that it is a different sort of excitement when it comes from food stalls suddenly a hand Taps his shoulder and he turns to see Yaga happily greeting him and asking him to treat him something insisting on the matter and pointing towards a stall selling tud sometime later they eat the fast food by the Riverside with the boy burning himself Bard finds it delicious relishing the seafood filled pastry and identifying its ingredients the thief then asks for some money to buy sweet cake and he merrily goes towards the stands he returns sometime later with a bamboo cup with a hot beverage as well as a fried vegetable and potato stick which the Knight enjoys as well Yaga then asks him if he thought he would jump off the cliff and if he thought it was cool to see him jumping from rock to rock while steadily descending making a fuss as the Knight states that it was impressive the young boy Bo then admits that he was scared the whole time but did it despite his life being on the line reassuring himself as he descended until he made it work and then praising himself B states that a knight's fight is similar in that sense and the boy asks if his deeds are similar to what Knights do as the old Knight tastes his drink they both hear a scream and witness a child falling from a nearby Bridge into the river below sometime later Bard and Yaga knock on the Earl's door soaking wet and asking for a dry change of clothes once they change the Earl asks if they jumped into the river to save the child but the thief corrects him stating that only he jumped at first as he recalls he was able to reach the kid and Float with him but as the child was thrashing around it was impossible to drag him to safety at the same time a boat approached them but before it hit Bard managed to push it away with a pole he pulled from the riverbed Yaga then tells the amazed Earl that the Knight repeated his same words about making it work back to him and the boy embraced him in gratitude causing both of them to fall into the river as they finished their story a maid knocks on the door and enters the room carrying a tray the Earl then tells Bard that they survived the other day's attack thanks to him and the epob Bala family will not forget their gratitude and their relationship with the people's Knight offering him Hospitality for Life unveiling the tray he offers at least a 100 great gold coins as an expression of his gratitude Bard states that he was the true Target of the attack and thus cannot accept any gratitude bluntly reprimanding Yul Chago when he asks if he can take it instead the Earl then tells the Knight that he was able to obtain some Intel after interrogating the surviving assassins Oswald had been planning to seize power aided by the Candera for a long time and they would have all perished where it not for Bard in response Bard suggests accepting the money and handing it over to the tsia family and while the Earl Praises his selflessness he wonders what others would think if he handed the money to them noting that a businessman would never hand over such a large sum with nothing to gain in return and the teria family is wealthy enough as a compromise he promises to come up with another way to reward the teria family asking that he at least accept the gold pressed by the Earl in Yol chaga he finally relents and picks up a single bundle of coins stating that he will take the rest whenever he needs it the Earl then gests that even a representative could come collect the money in his stad and looking for a way to ascertain that the representative was sent by him Bard asks for some paper and ink he then stamps his fingerprint on the sheet of paper explaining that the outline differs from person to person and is used as an alternative to a seal in countries towards the center of the continent the Earl is intrigued by the notion taking the fingerprint of all those present to confirm it and praising vard for his genius idea suddenly the knight's eyes Flash in realization as he recalls Lord pay's dying words about the double Whirlpool believing it might be referring to to a fingerprint or a document containing it genara did not know about the print meaning someone outside the coanda family took the print as a clue and is searching for its owner or a document and the Candera want to be ready for that all three think on this and the Earl and Bard then turn to Yaga asking if he knows something about the matter the thief states that he was merely repaying the debt he incurred by stealing the seal and letter and when asked about why they wanted that document he recalls that Lord Payne spoke to an old man named vakra who stated that envoys from the Marquee of gdusa Province can be identified by by the double whirlpool and the seal the Marquee is related to the Candera family through cis's mother and is the adviser of State secrets to the palum kingdom while vakra meganon is the chief vassel of dolba Province ruled by the kandera family realizing those two men are involved Bard learns that Yaga handed the letter to vakra the thief apologizes for this but the Knight states that he's not worried about the letter since Adra would not just send him a letter if it was an important matter Yaga confirms this stating that vakra read it aloud and cursed after failing to find any important an content in it Bard still can't piece together how adra's letter and these Spirals and seals are related to each other and the thief adds that even vakra doesn't know that complaining to ganzar about it the Lord replied that they would have to wait until after getting the seal certain that Bard must know about the whirlpool and the seal and believing there must be a clue in adra's letter the Earl then tells Yaga that if he came back to steal the seal he wasted some effort since it's not there and bar doesn't have an inkling either the boy replies that it's not the case since he cleared his debt with the Candera by stealing the letter and handing it over and split ways with vakra the Earl then asks why he came back pointing out that he is charged with an assassination attempt on the Earl and two nights of the teria family and is a wanted man the boy calms them down stating that he hasn't had the chance to eat rin's delicious food and he wouldn't leave without doing that prompting the Earl to laugh and consider him interesting for staking his life for food having no money the boy thought about doing a job somewhere until he spotted Bard among the crowd he then points out that he doesn't have anything to repay the meal the Knight bought him asking if there was anything he would request of him bard then asks if vakra returned to dolba Province but the boy tells him that the old man said they would catch up to the envoy and guide him to a different residence on the banks of a new Lake Calis is the new Overlord of the Eastern provinces and it is normal for a new king to dispatch an Envoy to spread his authority but it is strange to suddenly send one to such a remote area something is out there and cus is fervently searching for it it is related to the double spiral and can be used to ascertain the identity of a person and Lord Candera believes the key to finding it is an adra's letter which means she's involved as well turning to Yaga the Knight asks if assuming they were able to reach the Lakeside residence he would be able to contact the envoy in his party without being detected by the guards at the Manor to which he confirms as Bard and Yaga arrive at a village the Knight tries putting the pieces of the puzzle together The Irregular dispatch of the Imperial Envoy to the frontier provinces and the double Whirlpool desperately being sought by the Candera family are somehow connected to Lady Adra seeking to meet up with the envoy and speak about this Bard left rinse in a rush Yaga questions the unscheduled pit stop but the Knight insists that he needs to confirm something in the village staring at the young boy he recalls him refusing to have a horse stating that in his trade one is done once he starts getting used to having a horse amazed that he's actually able to manage to keep Pace with stablo while on foot deciding to rest for the night they head to the Village head's house and ask for Hospitality they are warmly received with the man's wife handing them a platter of g fruit for them to eat these have been dried for the winter and the village head has graciously shared some with them even though they were a precious resource that they will need to survive the harsh winters of the region with both Bard and Yul chaga find the fruit delicious with the Knight noticing its unique sweetness due to the way it was prepared there are some who eat a g plucking one kernel at a time but he enjoys biting into it all having found it quite tasty as Bard starts unwrapping his utensils he suddenly jolts after feeling some shoulder pain Yaga then notices the knight's ornate table knife finding it pretty cool and Bard reveals that he has had it for a long time before clarifying that he will not hand it over to him the next morning Bard heads to a small cottage in the village and reunites with an old acquaintance adra's former maid is glad to see him again after leaving the teria family service 20 years prior and starts pulling out some plates to have some tea with her guest when Bard tells her of adra's passing however the woman drops a plate to the ground in shock after some time settling down they sit at the table and the maid fondly remembers her former mistress Adra had supported her when she returned to the Village due to her mother's illness telling her to cherish her family and was truly a remarkable person though she kept trying to escape from her sewing lesson to go on adventures with Bard after laughing at these memories the old Knight finally reveals that the reason for his visit was to ask for about the year and a half Adra spent at the secondary residents of the kandera family he tells the surprised maid that Adra never talked about it and he didn't press the issue but he now needs to know why she was divorced while carrying a son and why she and the child were sent back he reveals that even now the Candera are sniffing around Adra and that year and a half might hold the key to solving the mystery after a brief pause the woman agrees to tell him the secret bar leaves the cottage in a rush determined to meet the envoy at once since he's currently the only one who can accomplish the mission having been Guided by Adra he runs into Yul chaga in the street and the boy starts explaining how he found him before revealing that he heard a large number of horse steps heading towards the house of the village head having a bad feeling about it back at the house a squad of soldiers stands guard around a large well-built man with black hair while the village head and his wife Embrace in fear at a gesture from the man one of the soldiers informs The Village head that he must now pay five times the amount of money he pays the tery family to the Candera family declaring that they are the new Lords of the town the man is shocked by this stating that it is an impossible sum and that the village has been under the protection of the teria family since the old times the soldier asks if he will not obey and as the village head begins to reject the command he raises his sword to strike him down suddenly the soldier is kicked through the wall by his commander who without even rising from his chair declares that killing the man would jeopardize their plans since he is in charge of tax collection and administering the village warning his men not to kill men and young women hearing this another Soldier asks the village head if he will carry out the order as the terrified man states that he cannot do it the soldier grabs his wife drawing his sword and preparing to show him the consequences of going against them the woman begs for Mercy then asking for help and mentioning Bard upon hearing that name the Candera Commander rises from his seat and stays his man's hand demanding to know why the woman brought up that name right on Q Bard steps through the door the man turns to face the grizzled Knight who coldly stares back at him laughing insanely the Candera Knight declares that he has waited for the day he could meet the Knight again after he went on a journey clutching a huge scar on his chest that the Knight inflicted on him long ago and declaring it throbs without uttering a word Bard steps outside and the man soon follows his name is jog Ward the illegitimate child of CIS Candera and the head of a Cadet branch of that family as the maniac grabs his great sword and prepares to fight without heeding his men's please to wear armor Bard recalls that he tussled with him twice on the battlefield the first time when he was 16 he had ambition but unrefined skills so Bard kicked him off his horse and let him go but the second time a 22-year-old jog showed such growth that he was unable to recognize him as he slew T's Knights one after another blocking his attack Bard managed to slice the left part of his chest but thought that in a few years no one would be able to stop his sword now a few years have passed and Bard must face him once more Bard cannot face his great swword without proper equipment but he cannot stand idly by as the man cuts down the village head and his wife he resolved not to die and fulfill his mission for the teria family determined to find a way jog Ward approaches Bard wielding his massive great sword with both hands the Knight reckons that his own blade would break apart if it clashed against that weapon and is aware that he cannot handle jog in his old and weakened State he believes his only chance for victory lies in measuring his breath and charging past his right side to slice through his Left Flank as the co anderon knite approaches Bard waits for the right moment as he stirs however he realizes in shock he cannot move an inch as a warrior he has used his skills in battle since a young age and has been feeling off recently though he had resolved himself that such a time would come he laments that it had to happen to then of all times as jog approaches menacingly Bard resigns himself and charges forward his opponent smiles and guessing his move swings widely with his great sword Bard Dodges the strike seizing the opportunity to slice at J's leg and turn around to strike again the cerite turns to face him but his leg wound causes him to stumble as Bard prepares to strike to the knight's surprise the fall was a faint jog jumps forward sword in hand and swings at the incoming Bard the Knight fears this might be the end and Jog grins as the blade strikes beneath his chest plate surprised Bard opens his eyes once again and looks downwards something has stopped the blade in his chest grabbing the knight's arm jog furiously demands to know if he's looking down on him Bard fails to respond and a frustrated jog curses and kicks his men making for their horses and Galloping away as Bard returns inside the village head thanks God that he is safe and apologizes for causing the situation the Knight reassures him declaring that one must not let unjust acts go by before asking for a glass of water as he rests by the table Yaga approaches him the boy asks if he's all right after hearing a loud clash and as Bard checks his chest he pulls out his now mangled eating utensils realizing that they saved him the excited Thief asks for permission to disassemble and analyze the knife to which the Knight agrees after some initial hesitation Bard drinks some water somewhat annoyed by the the boy showing off his energy until he announces that he popped something out of the knife's handle it turns out to be a small item made of holy silver engraved with a family crest and Yul chaga wonders if it is the fabled seal staring at the object Bard suddenly recalls that the knife was a gift from Lady Adra Yaga gives him an incredulous stare for forgetting something so important as a gift from her but he excuses himself stating it happened a long time ago and he got used to it this is the seal the Candera family is desperately searching for and along with the truth of the Lakeside Manor it all connects toake lady Adra closing his fist bar declares that he must hurry since reaching the envoy before cus does is the key to the entire incident as Yago looks on with a deep interest at the Cendera Castle a man swipes through the pages of a large book in frustration declaring that everyone is useless Furious he grabs the book and tosses it against the wall as it falls next to several other discarded volumes the man then hears a knock on the door bidding the newcomer to enter CIS Candera head of the coanda family and Overlord of the shagena province addresses his son Zeon and asks him to State his business since he told him not to come anywhere near that room apologizing the young man states that they have received some astonishing information concerning the seal jestering at the Young Yul chaga in the process at the coanda Lakeside Manor priest Vari comments on how beautiful the property is commenting that 29 years prior two people met there and fell in love vakra interrupts his thoughts announcing that the preparations for their departure to Candera Castle are complete and the clergyman happily goes along to meet Prince yolen the child born between King windelin and princess Adra vakra urges the Imperial Envoy to be on their way as he hops on his Carriage the priest looks back with a smile and inwardly asks King windelin to wait for him since he will soon Grant him his 30-year-old dream inside the carriage the sweaty vakra notes that the story of windelin rising to become the king of a Nation after growing in the frontier provinces seems straight out of a fairy tale he then asks if the King's mother was assassinated briefly pausing after realizing how rude that question sounded and apologizing for bringing it up the priest reassures him stating that it actually happened 29 years prior and it became the spark for windelin to rule the country his mother was a beautiful and intelligent person and the king at the time loved her dearly but being of low status she stood out too much in pum Kingdom where conspiracies were Common Place windelin could not afford to remain in the Kingdom so Lord Candera offered to house him at the Lakeside Manor in a flashback to that time 29 years prior a young prince windelin arrives at the Lakeside Manor happy to be able to walk outside after such a long time in hiding he sits down by a tree to read but as he opens the book a note slips out in it Prince Vari prays for the day where they can meet and talk again and declares that his heart is always with him the prince is saddened by the letter recalling that he depended on the Marquee of gdusa when he was summoned and somehow managed to escape to dolba but wondering if he will ever be able to return to pum that night windelin notices a light across the lake realizing someone lives there but then recalls his first meeting with CIS Lord Candera welcomed him to the district and after the prince expressed his gratitude he explained that the Marquee of gadha is a blood relative from his mother's side and fulfilling his request to help the prince was only natural he explained that windelin could use the Lakeside manner to his heart's content and that they prepared servants for him telling him to contact him if he had any concerns cuis also made a request however telling him to never approach the small residence on the other side of the lake despite the request windelin ends up going to the residence the next morning while covering himself with a cloak wishing to have a glimpse inside he climbs a tree next to an open window and is struck by the sight of the beautiful Adra she asks who he might be but before he can reply the branch snaps and he falls on some bushes Adra quickly exits the residence asking if he's all right and the prince nervously reassures her while stating that he is definitely not someone suspicious Adra Smiles at this noting he doesn't look like a bad person the prince then asks if she's alone there and she replies that though she's there with two Maids she is in a way alone blushing windelin holds her hand and asks if it's all right for him to come see her again as the days pass windelin and Adra spend most of their time together and the bond between them grows ever stronger eventually the priest heads to Candera castle and declares to cuis that he wants to marry Adra the Lord stares at him noting that he did the one thing he asked not to do and on top of that he is trying to steal his fiance he asks if the prince believes such a thing would be permissible but the prince insists stating that even knowing how inappropriate the situation is he cannot hold back his feelings any longer staring out of a window cus notes that though the teria family might resent him for this a little he cannot pretend to ignore the passion shown by the prince of such a large Nation he then implores windelin to take good care of Adra upon which the prince bows down in gratitude while Lord Candera Smiles smugly sometime later the prince Paces nervously in the Lakeside Manor until a maid enters the room and informs him that Adra has given birth to a healthy boy heading inside windelin sees Adra resting in her bed holding their newborn son in her arms and cries when the baby touches his hand later he hesitantly tells the girl that he has decided to to go with the name yulen apologizing for taking such a long time to decide it she smiles reassuringly telling him not to fret about it since it is one of the most important events in the child's life she then notes that the name would be yulen in his country finding it wonderful soon afterwards the prince receives a letter that changes everything heading to adra's room he declares he must return to his Nation a coup has taken place in pum and if he lets the opportunity slip by he will never be able to return to his country though he wants her to come with him the kingdom is Rife with conspiracies at the moment and he fears he or yurin could be assassinated like his mother he then vows to win peace with his own two hands and return to pick them up asking if she could wait for him until then she agrees asking him to take care of himself and the prince then hands her a box containing the Seal of the royal family of pum stating that it will guide him back to her and yulin back in the present priest Vari recalls wendelin's herculian efforts after returning to palum Kingdom he worked tirelessly on himself improving in every field imaginable and accumulating achievements and increasing his number of allies until until he created a place for himself that enabled him to seize the crown all of this was done with the purpose of welcoming his beloved wife and son to the kingdom vakra notes that the King was really close to his goal once again inappropriately remarking that Adra passed away quite recently once again he apologizes while the priest reassures him stating that as the very reason they must return to the king with Prince yulen at Candera Castle Zeon informs his father that the envoy and his party have arrived and the Lord cus prepares to receive his guests he introduces himself and his son to Prince Vari who gives his full name in turn and declares that he had a really fun Journey he then asks where the prince might be unable to wait any longer smiling wickedly CIS tells him that the prince is standing right in front of his eyes declaring that Zeon is actually the real Prince yolen he then explains that he switched the prince with his real son 28 years ago and raised him preciously gesturing Aid he declares that he has proof that he's the real Prince as the girl hands VAR a box containing the Royal seal which he claims to have received from Adra the priest closely examines the object stating that they won't be able to appraise it further without returning to Pam but declaring that it is unmistakably the King's seal Father and Son smile discreetly at this and cus then asks about the double Whirlpool stating that Adra did not tell them about it and they couldn't find any clues scratching his chin the priest States it would be a good time to talk about it and explains that the whirlpool is a line from a love poem The Prince wrote for Adra back then with the princess gone there is no way anyone can confirm that so Vari takes the seal as the sole proof of yulin identity as nightfalls cus toasts alone in his study to the future of the Candera family relishing in the fact that everything is falling neatly into place he believes that the envoy was fooled and is returning with Zeon to pum and finds it remarkable that windelin Rose to seize the throne when the king sent him a letter demanding the princess and his son after 28 years he broke out into a cold sweat but now he has become the father of the next candidate for the throne of paulam and will not die as a noble of some Backwater town he toasts to his own Victory declaring that that though Bard must be sniffing around it is already too late as Zeon has departed for the capital and Adra is dead sweeping the contents of the table aside he furiously challenges Bard to come at him whenever he wants promising to take everything from him Bard rides his SE up to the main gate of the Candera castle and once inside a maid takes his cloak and sword and asks him to follow her as they walk down the long corridors the old Knight notes to himself that contrary to his expectations he was allowed to pass quite easily having expected at least an incident or something similar nonetheless he remarks that they've come pretty deep into the Fortress and are going even deeper and he does not see a single person nor does it seem like the Candera are hiding troops either they finally arrive before a massive pair of doors and the maid lets him into the Hall where called this Candera awaits turning the head of the candere family welcomes him to his castle addressing him as Sir Bard he states that having the honor of welcoming the people's night was one of his dreams asking if he would join him in a toast Bard is lost in thought however noting that there are probably soldiers hiding behind the tapestries on both sides of the room and even Chief vassel vakra is absent he wonders if cus believes he is safe merely by taking away his weapons but soon corrects himself noting he does not trust anyone and thinks that if one shows weakness to an exceptional individual the latter will take advantage of it unsuspecting people were betrayed by him that way so he could rise to his current position toasting they stayed Yu lant marking their conversation as confidential and implying that anyone breaking said confidence must atone with a sword both men sit at the table and notes to himself that the wine is delicious guessing it must be from nsmu village located in front of the castle and commenting that the wine is the only thing he doesn't hate about the Candera family he then praises the red Wine's color and fragrance which perfectly balances the sweetness of the grapes with the alcohol of the fermentation process as befits a wine of fine quality he finds the flavor fresh with a Tangy aftertaste making him feel refreshed and invigorated and recalls Lord elera comparing the two fragrances with a lady and her dress finding it well rounded in the case of nosal wine his appraisal is cut short when he opens his eyes and sees cus drinking smugly before him sipping some more wine Bard urges himself to endure while noting that whenever he sees his face he recalls bad memories the Eastern Frontier provinces have really suffered because of cis' Ambitions and he has not changed from 30 years prior he then recalls a situation that took place 3 years after he'd become the lord of the Candera family it was in the midst of an emergency where 17 Kil appeared at the same time in a flashback to the year 4240 an injured Bard is warned about a new problem arising the messenger then frantically declares that the army of the Candera family is headed towards teria Castle everyone is dismayed by the news with some noting that cus has been creating trouble for the tiia family ever since taking the Helm of his family and others pointing out that if they fail to stop the Kil there the entire Eastern Frontier provinces will be overrun coldly Bard remarks that he's probably not thinking about that at all since he never fought a kidil by himself and believes that they are just insane animals Furious he deduces that cus believes he can take Vantage of the trouble with the kol to overtake the teria Castle the soldiers note that they currently lack the troops to repel the Candera incursion so Bard declares that he will fight the rest are shocked by this noting that his ribs were done in the Knight tells them that it is not broken and he can still move his arm and though he would perish against the kijal he can Prevail over every human and is determined to show them the latent energy and potential of the Tera with that Bard plunges into battle on the way they managed to kill two of the cera's veteran commanders and use their moment to smash through their lines to take the head of CIS as well Bard calls him out in the midst of battle finding him cowering behind his men two knights bar his way telling their lord to retreat upon which Bard throws his blade at him and nicks him in the face as he turns to flee the enraged Bard made to pursue him but was unable to deal with the soldiers due to his battered State and as such was unable to catch the Lord from then on cus never took to the field but using Adra as an excuse the Cendera and tiia families fought five more times and things escalated regarding the ownership of the silver mine Mountain as well as countless other skirmishes both in Paka and other locations back in the present cus smugly notes that Bard has been sniffing around stating that they will have the Lord's conference in 5 days where he will announce that his territories in the surrounding lands will officially become part of the palum Kingdom he goes on to explain that he expects to be granted an appropriate title such as unifier while his family administers and rules over trade and Taxation in the region while offering the Lords of each province a considerable remuneration he then declares that he will be able to do all this due to the backing he will receive from the pum Kingdom asking Bard to guess why they would support him calmly the Knight replies that it must have something to do with the King revealing that he heard everything from Lady adra's maid regarding the events at the Lakeside Manor he knows that yolin was not born between cus and Adra but between her and King Wieland called this sneers stating that he probably came to the castle for some business concerning that and declaring that it is already too late he then tells Bard that they switched to Zeon and yulin at Birth and the secret was kept under the sword so she could not tell him regardless of her favor towards him cus goes on to declare that Zeon has already departed for Pam with the envoy and his party and thus he will be the father of the next king of pum and no longer the noble of a Backwater District as he continues to go Bard asks about the whirlpool in the seal and Lord Candera declares that the whirlpool was a stanza from a love poem and there is no way to confirm it since Adra is gone as Bard refuses having any knowledge about the poem cus reveals that the seal was stolen from him by Yaga who in turn sold it to cus at a steep price as this information sinks in cus states that he was disappointed to hear that he Cast Away the teria family and left on a journey having hoped to use his longtime foe as a Herald to announce the ushering in of his time cus had feared that Bard was heading to pum with the seal and knowledge of the whirlpool but he was wrong the Knight was unaware of the plot and did not look into it so cus was able to grasp the essential items coldly he tells Bard to obey him Elsie takes all the territory from the tersia family and annihilates them falsely justifying it claiming they tormented Adra and drove her to death planning to avenge his past humiliation at the hands of Bard he declares that his word is the truth from then on screaming that Bard was late and demanding his obedience in the face of cis' insane threats Bard remains completely calm looking out of the window he notes that the Lord's Ruckus caused the Dust to stir and dance in the sunlight musing that the dust particles believe that they're the ones jumping around while in reality they're so tiny and insignificant that they don't make a difference cus asks Bard for his answer but the Knight continues to look elsewhere while wondering how far the envoy and his party must have traveled by now Lord Cendera replies that the envoy left 10 days prior and by now must have crossed the ubar River and be headed to the capital of the palum Kingdom Bard declares that to be great news pulling a piece of paper from his chest pocket and sliding it over to a confused cice as the Lord's expression turns to utter shock Bard calmly sips his wine and inwardly explains that it is a record detailing the vast sums of money that windland sent to call this every year via the Marquee of gdusa to finance adra's living costs and the raising of Yin that money never reached the princess with CIS embezzling it to cement his authority over his family with these funds the coanda family was able to pursue their Ambitions and increase their influence over the region and if one were to investigate the fact would become clear immediately Bard then asks Lord cus to confirm that the seal and Whirlpool are the proofs of King wendelin's true identity to which he smugly declares that the seal is in his possession and was accepted as proof by the Imperial Envoy while the only one who could corroborate the double Whirlpool poem had died the old Knight confirms this suddenly telling him that countries located near the middle of the continent have the custom of fingerprinting he explains how the unique fingerprints are used as indisputable proof that a person is the one he claims to be replacing seals with a paper containing one's fingerprints Furious cldis crumples the note and demands to know what he's on about telling him it is useless to stall for time since the situation cannot be overturned Bard agrees that the situation cannot be changed at this point and offers to tell him a final story as a souvenir of sorts he then reveals that the pum royal family prints the fingers of all their infants 50 days after they're born in order to indicate that they are connected by Blood the fingerprint of the first king of palum Kingdom resembled the shape of a double whirlpool and if one has royal blood flowing through their veins it is common for that particular trait to appear as well Bard tells the increasingly nervous cus that this serves as proof that the infant is one of Royal Blood and is an important characteristic that one must have if one is to inherit the position of King even though King wendelin's mother was lowborn he was able to claim the throne due to possessing the double whirlpool and 29 years ago he remained faithful to tradition and took the Fingerprints of his infant son confirming he also had the Royal fingerprint as the Knight reveals that these fingerprints have always been in the possession of the king cis' expression turns to sheer Terror with a trembling voice he asks what will happen Zeon and Bard comments that he believes he will get the death penalty from personating the son of the king Lord Cendera snaps at hearing this yelling that there's no way such a convenient thing exists and rambling as he realizes his master plan is unraveling right before his eyes and he might lose it all he then asks himself why the envoy lied about the future of the Candera family and the double whirlpool and how come Bard is so informed about the Affairs of the palum royal family as realization strikes called to seize that Bard met the envoy and his part calmly the Knight declares that he anticipated the Lord's actions and met with the priest before heading to Candera castle and told him the truth the way he knew it while the priest informed him about the royal family and their finances in a flashback priest Vari obtains proof from the seal at the Lakeside Manor and returns it to Bard unable to hide his excitement at the situation Bard notes that he seems to have returned to his child alike innocence and is revealed that the two men along with Yol chaga are conferring beneath a blanket in secret Vari admits that he did not get the chance to do anything like like that due to his status and asks Bard if cus would give up after learning about the fingerprints Bard believes he would flee once he begins to fear for his life and tries to think of a way to make things go smoothly looking at Yol chaga he asks the boy if he wants to make some money and tells him to sell the seal to cuis to which he agrees Bard then tells him that he is free to do as he pleases after doing so and as the priest asks to participate as well the Knight tells him to come up with a compelling story concerning the double Whirlpool to deceive CIS to which he agrees back in the present Bard compliment var's story a livid and aged cus then asks him if he will kill him and the Knight notes that he was supposed to be far more intelligent than that having managed to increase the size of his domain through his backhanded methods everything changed when King windelin sent the letter expressing his affections towards his wife and Child cis's Actions were correct from a military standpoint and had allowed him to rise to the position of Overlord which would have made it more difficult even for a king to exact revenge for personal reasons all he did was send Adra and yulin back to teria and while sin of embezzling the funds meant for them remained the debt that the prince had to cuis for shielding him and yielding Adra could never disappear when walent became king however the weight of embezzling funds meant for his son increased considerably and if yulin were to become a figure of power and authority at the palum Kingdom the Tura family would gain a valuable Ally while the Candera would decline thus cus desperately sought for a way to ensure his family's survival when Bard embarked on his journey the Lord became paranoid and believed he was carrying something concerning Yan's identity which explained y's attitude and gara's attack noting that he even failed to use the Red Crow properly and even fired him Bard tells cus that he would have finished him had he not fired the Red Crow but Lord Candera counters that it was gzara who dismissed him and sent assassins after him as he suffers a breakdown Bard wonders how everyone was deceived by such a pitiful person including his friends and subordinates the Knights and soldiers who lost in the territorial disputes all those who suffered from his taxes and collapsing economy and on top of that Adra herself he was the reason that bright Soul was forced into a life in which she could only walk in the shadows Adra deserved to live a longer life and experience the world her life was not cheap enough to be ruined by the likes of someone like CIS she was so high that she could not be reached by the scum and her flame was extinguished at that height that was what Bard had told himself but regardless of that standing grimly over adra's Tormentor as he looks upon him in sheer Terror the people's kns insides burn with a wrath a somber barred violently tosses the table aside and snatches CIS by his collar hearing the commotion Two Soldiers emerge from behind the tapestries in the walls and they charge at Bard from behind to defend their lord noticing them the Knight smashes cus against the wall and snatches a sword from a nearby suit of armor pressing it against his neck he then turns his head freezing the soldiers with his death stare addressing Lord Candera he orders him to return the prophets of the Silver Mountain mine and the right to collect taxes from The Villages he pilfered from the teria family and take back the unjust demands he placed upon the other districts at the Lord's conference releasing cus Bard extends his hand and demands that he return adra's letter to him which the trembling Lord swiftly does recalling Adra and grabbing the sword by the crossguard he tells cus that regardless of his ulterior motives the lady lived a peaceful and happy life and someone like him cannot hope to interfere with the life of someone like her and Escape unscathed thus there is no basis for Bard to exact Revenge upon Him grabbing the sword by the hilt he once again grows somber and warns that if he ever moves his hand with impure intentions toward the teria family and tries to hinder their holy Duty he will face the consequences pinning the suit of armor against the stone wall to mark his point as cus coward in fear Bard walks past the Petrified guards and exits the room the maids tremble in fear as Bard retrieves his cloak hat and sword and makes for the entrance but the Knight is halted at the door by a large group of terrified soldiers their leader demands to know what he did and when bar declares that he just talked to cus and will now take his leave the soldier makes to halt Bard then goes full beast mode once more challenging them to stop him causing them all to freeze on the spot as he walks past them Bard is then alerted by a Scabbard hitting the floor as jog Ward walks past the men rejoicing at seeing Bard's murderous intent and declaring that was the version of him he wanted to see he grins sadistically as he approaches the people's KN swinging his great sword with all his might to deliver a single killing blow Bard however blocks the strike with his own blade and pushes against jog until the ladder is forced to his knees and his sword begins to press against his face as J's face turns to sheer Terror cus steps in and yells at him to back down carried by his men the feeble Lord warns his illegitimate son that it would be a terrible mistake to raise a hand against yin's teacher and Father Figure J yells at him to shut up not caring at all about the consequences and just wishing to fight Bard however sheets his sword and walks past the defeated Candera Knight heading for the exit jog then turns and calls out to him without receiving any reply and as Bard reaches the Gates he furiously vows to end him someday as stablo gallops at full speed away from Candera Castle Bard recalls called this's resentment towards him for impeding his plans all those years he wonders if the Lord wanted lady Adra as his wife just to steal something very important from him due to his hatred he concludes only Lord Candera can truly understand his own motives and he turns to the more pressing issue of why he felt such an intense feeling of hatred earlier he wonders if it was due to his affection toward the princess or due to the fact that all of his actions were aimed at resolving a personal Grudge after giving it some thought he admits that his Grudge was mixed with it since cus did deserve punishment for his actions towards lady Adra and the teria family furthermore innocent villagers were trampled upon by those who abused their power which was unforgivable and Bard concludes that must be the reason he became enraged and fought in that manner he would have been able to protect the princess's honor and boast that the princess's Knight fulfilled his vow to the very end had it been just a personal Grudge you would have ended cis' life right there and exact Revenge that way but but he suppressed his Grudge and let him live for the people to preserve the peace and stability of this land and comply with adra's request or so he kept telling himself at night Bard reaches rinse once more and heads to the Earl's Mansion the Earl gladly receives him as he enters his home just as his shoulder begins to ache and tells him his room was kept ready to welcome him back Yaga congratulates the people's night for his successful Mission and asks how it was basking in the praise as bar tells him that it went smoothly thanks to him Bard is surprised that the boy already took care of everything since they only parted ways 10 days ago praising his incredible running speed after the secret conference at the Lakeside Manor Bard wrote three letters the first one he handed to priest Vari it was addressed to King Wieland and described the events that transpired from his perspective with the empty knife handle that contained the seal being attached as proof the other two letters were entrusted to Yaga with the first being sent to yulen explaining the situation and telling the Young Prince to print all of his fingers sign and return the letter to the thief the second was addressed to the Earl of rinse who then informs B he sent the fingerprints to the king via the Marquee and has made all the preparations necessary to ensure that the letter reaches its destination with that out of the way the path has been cleared and Bard no longer needs to worry about either yulin or the tiia family as he relaxes Bard's legs begin to give out and he is prevented from falling by the quick intervention of Ulin and the Earl sometime later he comments on how pitiful it is to be left in such an exhausted state after relaxing just a bit Yaga Comforts him saying that it was unavoidable after duking it out with a jog once more telling him to take it easy and take his as much time as he needs to recover having seen him one last time the thief rises from his chair to take his leave Bard thanks him for his help but the boy insists that he should be thanking him for all the money he earned bidding him farewell and leaving Bard alone a few days later Bard walks by The Quay eating some beef jerky he finds the meat delicious and perfectly seasoned detecting a hint of smoke and notes that it is truly The Taste one would expect to find in a port town he then recalls that whenever he and his Knights were H up maning the Fortress at the Gap in yand Desaru Adra would always make some beef jerky it had been dried well and the taste intensified with each bite spreading throughout Bard's body the Knight then regrets not asking for the recipe and stablo sensing his mood affectionately nudges him on as he Pets the horse Bard wonders what they should do from then on the silver mine and Villages have been returned to the teria family and the coanda will cease their hostile Behavior the reason for him embarking on a journey has now been lost and he should now be able to safely return to Paka District pulling out adra's letter he sees it is written on bamboo paper which was characteristic of her in it Adra congratulates him for setting out on his journey praising his tireless work protecting the teria family she states that he is not meant to be kept in a cage but to travel freely and recalls the numerous chats they had at the Garden and the joy she experienced from them she closes the letter encouraging him to be free and travel wherever he desires asking him to write about the places and food he gets to know along the way and reaffirming their Eternal friendship looking at the sky Bard Muses that it would be fine if he were to return he then turns to the pack of jerky believing that the one Adra made was better and wondering what her opinion would be believing she would ask for the recipe and want to use a variety of seasoning and spices it was difficult to get seasonings and spices in such a remote Frontier Province as the Paka district and it was actually Adra who wanted to travel and see the world sampling different kinds of food but that dream was left unfulfilled in her memory he decides to embark on a journey tearing apart the letter he notes that the frontier provinces are huge and soon he would reach uninhabited regions and there are many small settlements that would require a lifetime to cover on foot though his gratitude and debt toward the teria family would never disappear he believes it should all be fine now he has done a good job over many years and won't be punished if he lives life just the way he wants to for a while he decides to go to places he's not visited yet and see what he has yet to see planning to enjoy life as it comes and die the same way opening his hand he lets the wind carry the remains of the letter toward the sky as he stares into the Horizon Bard notes that further Upstream along the uar river stands the spirit Mountain fusar where the souls of the Dead gather to accept the guidance of God and Rise into Paradise he then wonders if adra's Soul would be riding the wind towards fusar turning to stablo he resolves to head north in the direction of fusar wandering around to do some sightseeing and enjoy different food wondering what he will do once he reaches the mountain he decides that he will cross that bridge once he gets there and continues walking along the docks vulin wolves circle around Bard in his fights until that day whenever an Allied horse would perish he would use its corpse as bait to regain his posture and balance while the beasts or kajil were distracted devouring its flesh today he does not want to do that to anite a horse is a trusted partner and family member standing with his bloody sword drawn he recalls his subordinates glaring at him with utter disdain whenever he issued a heartless order but such orders allowed him to protect them and the people having already slain a wolf as he reaches the end of his life he wants to die protecting the corpse of a horse looking backwards he sees the lifeless body of his trusted stablo and concludes it would be fine for him to perish defending his Steed Ain charges straight at him and when Bard raises his sword to impale him the creature manages to snap it as he delivers the killing blow causing it to shatter As The Wolf tumbles on the third wolf then approaches its killing intent clear in its eyes as Bard holds the shattered remnant of his blade but before the creature can pounce an axe buries itself in its head dispatching him in one clean cut surprised barard turns towards some nearby bushes alerted by the rustle seeing a large green lizard Man known as gist emerging into the clearing looking at sto's carcass the gist comments that it is old and after learning it is 31 years old notes he must have served Bard well asking him what he wants to do with it the Knight tells him he wants to eat a little bit of it and keep a bit of its hide to take along with him so the Lizard Man Hands him a hunting knife patting the horse the old Knight notes that its body is covered with scars noting that it did well surviving in the dangerous Paka district for 30 years sto's Health had been deteriorating lately and Bard even set up camp early that day but he didn't eat any grass and just to laid down succumbing to a peaceful death after which the vbin aimed for its carcass and surrounded them he then turned to the task at hand and after some time he was roasting a few pieces of horse meat over the fire on skewers he offers one to the gist warning that the horse's flesh has a tough texture and is not suitable as food but the lizard man accepts it anyway as he eats his own skewer Bard finds the meat of his trusted Steed delicious he notes its curious texture and peculiar taste feeling the wholesome Rich flesh seeping into the depths of his body he continues eating and drinking with the gist through the night and come morning he pours a toast over stablo as a sign of respect in the frontier districts it is tradition that whenever a horse dies during the journey it is offered to the Wilderness of the forest Bard goes full circle of life noting that stablo lived by consuming the blessings of the earth and will return to the Earth to become nutrients to support New Life picking up his ruck sack the Aged Knight notes that without his Mount the journey will be pretty tough and he might have to reorganize his belongings when the gist asks what he will do he replies that he will head for The magia Province up north and would like to find a human village where he could replace his Broken Sword the lizard man then tells him to wait a while since AER he knows will arrive soon offering him to stay in his Hut until then they then head towards the Hut located on a Ledge next to a waterfall after laying down his belongings Bard sits down to rest offering the broken steel sword as payment for his lodging he then asks for the creature's name giving his in turn and the gist replies that he is angal Warrior of the zoy clan while he washes his clothes by the river bar notes to himself that the gist Place great importance on the connections and bonds within their Clans and do not live separated from them unless it is some sort of mission their religion commands them to show off their military Feats to the rest of the clan and due to that the missions are carried out by two or more gist with the dead gist reporting the achievements of the clan to their ancestors being recorded in their Spirit to nurture the Clan's honor given their culture a gist would only live in isolation if he committed a crime and was exiled from the clan which is the highest form of punishment for them or so he heard regardless he decides not to meddle in his Affairs 2 days pass Bard assisted by angle has fashioned sto's hide into a fine Scabbard and thinks of quickly buying a blade to sheath in it staring sadly at the full moons he wonders to himself why he is still alive when he parted ways with Vari the priest had asked him if stablo was doing okay when the Knight asked for the meaning of the horse's name the priest revealed it was based on a fairy tale called The Princess and the Knight of the Forest Country in it a princess and a knight wanted to remain together but a great deal of people needed his help the princess loved him for helping them but in case she was involved in some trouble while he was away she gifted the Knight a horse when the princess chanted a certain spell the Steed would find the Knight wherever he was and bring him back with stablo being the secret word Adra meant for stablo to bring him back when she would call to him Bard still wonders what to do finally resolving to wait until he dies the next morning angle tells Bard to follow him and leads him to a traveling Merchant who is waiting next to his wagon with a guard addressing him as Tori the gist introduces Bard to him and tells him he seeks passage to a nearby human town after exchanging greetings Angel trades Bard's broken sword and several items he has hunted in exchange for merchandise including wine salt and some daily Necessities after the trade is concluded the gist bids bar farewell declaring that he will surely be blessed by the gods he serves before turning back to his Hut Tori then tells BART to hop onto the wagon as they prepare to depart revealing that angal has already paid for his journey as part of the trade entering the wagon he seized the large quantity of fur fangs and horns as well as the rare medicinal herbs and his Broken Sword noting the huge imbalance of value between these products and the items angle received in exchange sensing his thoughts Tori asks him if he believes him to be a greedy Merchant he then goes on to explain that initially he would sell products that were priced just right but Angel just went back without selling anything apparently for the gist one must never stoop to the vulgarity of a business transaction and they have a distaste for bargaining in negotiations which Tori came to learn after studying their Customs he then asks Bard if he saved the lizard man and he reveals that it was the other way around the merchant notes his surprise at Angel having expressed a phrase of Good Fortune as they parted ways having known him for 20 years the gist had never said anything similar to him after some time the merchant drops barred off at a small village once there he begins searching for a weapon that he can use for the time being though he doubts he will find a sword lying around in a small Backwater town like this with that in mind he heads for a general store and examines its wees after discarding some common tools and Furniture he starts searching for anything shaped like a stick that can be held in one hand and suddenly his eyes land on a strange broad Blade with a flat tip and Engravings all over its length Bard looks at the strange item with confusion finding its design rather Gody and the blade much too horrendous to be called such and blunt to boot its cut tip reduces it to a mere slab of decorated metal and the Knight cannot figure out the meaning of the Twisted reliefs on the sword the storekeeper approaches him noting his sharp eye and describing the sword as a masterpiece staring at it with incredulity Bard notes that it is a Cleaver upon which the store owner classifies it as a Cleaver Blade the seasoned Knight then points out that it would be difficult to handle even as a Cleaver wondering why he didn't ship it off or at least sharpened the edges taking back the man replies that he tried but was unable to do so curious Bard lifts The Sword and weighs it finding it heavy and made from seemingly decent materials after swinging it around he asks for the price and the excited shopkeeper sells it to him for a far lower price than expected making Bard suspect he didn't know what to do with the blade either placing it on his Scabbard the Knight finds the CLE fits pretty well though it has some overhang on the end he then turns to the shopkeeper asking if he knows of any in where he could rest for the night and the man suggests he tries the village Chief's house once there he is warmly received and when his hosts State there is no need for payment he insists saying they must take at least some gold coins in response they look in surprise at such a sum of money once he settles Bard sits down to enjoy a meal of Hearth roasted col nuts this is made by peeling and drying the cnut fruits and grinding them with flour baking them as a flat bread that is normally eaten during festivities Bard believes that this treat is due to the money he gave his hosts and detects a refined smell with a hint of sweetness as he tears up the hot bread he finds its moisture content perfect savoring the cuts and appreciating the kindness of the village head for serving him this he continues to eat the bread with some boiled vegetables washing it all down with a local wine made from a variety of grapes that give it a mellow taste having DED Bard retires to rest but later that night the village head knocks on his door with urgency he opens the door to find awake and fully clothed having sensed something wrong with cold sweat running down his face the man tells the Knight that demons have invaded the village and the local men are having trouble driving them back and have sustained major injuries pleading with him to save the village The Village head leads Bard to the outskirts of town where men armed with torches and pitchforks struggle to keep three durar bears at Bay the Knight realizes that even if the beasts are not fully grown the villagers won't be able to take them down and the moon Sula is hidden behind the other side of the mountain while the light from s is obscured by the clouds a davar then smashes through a cart and chases after the terrified villagers one of them stumbles and Falls but before the Beast gets to him Bard draws his Cleaver and stares down the Beast everyone is rejoiced by his arrival and a modest Bard inwardly notes that they must see him as a formidable warrior in the dark despite his old age he is pulled from his thoughts as the monster takes a swipe at him dodging its claws and smacking it in the nape of its neck with his Cleaver but holding back so as to not break the blade finding it holds up just fine he decides to try a bit harder and as the durar charges again he smacks it since they are supposed to be cowardly he is surprised that the monster does not flee after sustaining an injury also finding it odd to find it rampaging in a populated place the Beast whimpers as it is struck again letting out a furious Roar as he and Bard stare each other down noting its mood Bard admits to himself that he is also getting angry and tired of constantly paying attention to his weapon decides to just go for it he lunges at the durar head-on delivering a killing blow to its neck the villagers cheer as the creature Falls while Bard looks at the cleaver with surprise he then goes for the next Monster snapping its back in one Fell Swoop as he approaches to give it a clean death the Beast slashes back its head is protected by thick bone that would cause a normal bronze or even steel blade to break but the skull gives way as he Cleaves it warned of the third durar approaching from behind Bard swings backwards and Cleaves its head off cleanly as the villagers cheer Bard examines the blade and notes its excellent feedback and weight distribution that allowed him to strike with more Force than a regular sword starting to believe he made a fabulous purchase his senses then flare up and force him to turn towards the forest not even listening to the Village heads congratulations something is still out there suddenly a massive black davar steps into the clearing smashing its smaller Brethren's skull in the process seeing the red glow in its eyes Bard declares it to be a Kil and yells at everyone to run the villagers do not react to this having never been attacked by a Kil nor experienced their Terror he regrets dispatching the durar too early realizing too late that the monster was the reason for them being so aggressive durar Kil have tough skin being sturdy and resistant to Magic he would have wished to have a contingent of knights and Soldiers with him to deal with the threat the Beast is getting ever closer and Bard can barely stall without a metal spear but the villagers drunk on Victory aren't moving away as the Kil prepares to charge he realizes the villagers will perish if he Dodges standing his ground and preparing to die he cannot swing widely with his injured shoulder and his hips ache and as he realizes the next move will be his last he wonders if stablo will pick him up charging at the creature he asks his Steed to lend him his power Bard opens his eyes laying on a straw bed he hears a bird chirping through a window looking around he realizes he's at the Village Chief's house and when his eyes land on his Cleaver blade sitting on a crate he recalls his last stand against the dwar VAR Kil having asked stablo to lend him his power he struck at the Beast feeling an overwhelming fatigue immediately afterwards and barely managing to make his way back to the house stepping into the kitchen he's greeted by the village Chief's wife who tells him to wait for a bit since the food will take a while before it's ready he thanks her for removing the blood stains from his equipment and washing his clothes while he slept but the woman insists it wasn't much for the man who saved the village not seeing the chief around Bart asks for his whereabouts and the woman tells him he went to check out the fences and houses that the Bears destroyed during the attack noting there was something he wanted to ask of the night curious B heads outside and sees the villagers repairing the damage from the previous night he approaches The Village Chief who greets him and asks if his b body has already recovered and he replies that his shoulders and elbows still hurt noting that the man had a question for him the chief then points to the dwar wondering what he wants to do with them since he was the one who slew the beasts not wishing to add any unnecessary baggage to his journey he gifts the carcasses of the smaller beasts to the Village but insists on taking the fur of the Kil with him asking for help in skinning the creature the villagers eagerly accept to help him and the chief ushers him away so he can rest before leaving he turns and asks the villagers if anyone saw a turquoise emitting from his sword the previous night but the men are clueless as to what he's even talking about resting against the tree Bard examines his Cleaver blade noting to himself that it is most likely an enchanted sword noting its abnormal amount of power and the ability to cut through the stomach of a dwar aril in a single slash recalling its Radiance he concludes that it is not a regular enchanted sword in ancient times Heroes fought against demons and Giants giving birth to the enchanted swords these Heroes connected their hearts with the flying dragons and rode on their backs receiving the protection from the Divine Dragon they brandished the enchanted swords and used them to defeat the monsters though this is something more akin to myth than historical fact still Bard knows deep within him that the strangely shaped sword in his hands is an ancient enchanted sword said to have cut apart demons and Giants when wielded by ancient Heroes blowing a raspberry he lowers the blade and laughs as he looks to the sky wondering how many lives he could have saved on that day and at that time if he had wielded that enchanted sword lost and thought he asks the heavens what they're expecting an old man to do now sometime later Bard resumes his journey he struggles to walk down the Forest Road incumbered with the massive dwarf Arial fur rolled on his back on second thought he regrets not asking for ride on the villager's Carriage but reasons that the village needs as many hands as possible to help with its restoration even if it weren't the case he feels he's already bothered them a lot by asking them to skin and wash the beast's fur grunting he recalls that his horse carried far more baggage and walked steadily without complaint he is pulled from his musings by the sound of a wagon rattling along the road and a child commenting on Bard's baggage to his father the man apologizes for his son's comment noting that it must be hard to travel by foot with all that baggage asking where he's headed as the man Reveals His destination to be the village west of their location the man States they're also headed there to sell vegetables offering to travel together with his baggage secured on the wagon they continue until they reach a stream once there the kid asks Bard about his sword wondering if he is a knight much to his father's annoyance bard explains that he has retired from Knighthood and now wanders the land and the man is surprised to see that he is indeed a knight his child on the other hand is excited to see a knight in the flesh enthusiastically declaring that he wants to become one when he grows up protecting everyone before his father sends him to collect firewood alone with Bard he notes that the child cannot keep on dreaming all the time and may give up if he heard the truth from a Wandering night he then asks bar to tell the boy some stories since he won't listen to him Bard thinks on this and then asks to buy some vegetables from the farmer wishing to cook cook something up as thanks for carrying his baggage the man then pulls out a crate containing produce that he calls Lamb's lettuce that b identifies as a medicinal plant called egol luner that plant improves the functions of the organs and works especially well when one is feeling poorly or tired additionally it helps with digesting a large variety of foods and is an all-purpose medicine that improves the user's Health furthermore its smell drives wild beasts away the farmer is amazed at Bard's knowledge realizing that vegetable is the reason why their house doesn't get attacked by wild beast despite being deep in the mountains and secluded from The Villages he happily declares that he grows even more impatient being able to taste the cooking of someone who knows more than the farmer himself though Bard inwardly recalls that he learned all of that from the old lady he spent some time with wondering if she is doing well the Knight then Ventures into the woods collecting some fruits and bringing down a bird with a slingshot he then finishes the preparation by gathering the sapo fruits the finely sliced lettuce dried fish and the bird's meat once that is done he extracts the flavor of the dried fish into the soup and puts the medicine letting it boil before adding the sapo fruit juice and cooking a thick Rich soup Bard then adds the bird meat and lets it stew while the child impatiently asks if it's done once it finishes cooking everyone sits down to enjoy the Savory stew with bar denoting that it is good the kid is so Lively late at night Bard sits alone drinking by the campfire while the rest sleep he is startled to see the boy still awake and even more so when he asks if it's impossible for a farmer's kid to become a knight closing his eyes Bard replies that it is hard the boy Bo counters that he heard of farmers becoming Knights and the old man confirms that when a family of knights does not have an air to succeed them they may adopt a healthy and smart Farmer's kid to become a knight but clarifies that rarely ever happens the boy wonders if he would be trained to use a sword if he went to a Noble's Castle but Bard replies that a farmer's kid would just be sent to do chores he then explains that training to become a knight requires seven or even 10 years and Gathering all his equipment also requires money and he cannot work while training and no Noble would provide food and equipment for training for someone who doesn't work the boy remains steadfast declaring he will work while training but Bard notes everyone is like that and it would take a heavy toll on him furthermore if he trained to become a knight he would need to purchase horses swords and armor by himself with even the cheapest steel sword costing 20,000 gaale not to mention the rest of the equipment the kid then asks if he can borrow the equipment and work to pay for it suggesting he might work inside the castle Bard replies that there are people doing that job already and he will only get hired for being a strong Knight if proves himself in battle only when Nobles fight each other deal with large Bandit groups or face a large infestation of wild beasts do Warriors get hired and knights and soldiers who don't work in castles go there to slay people which is the only thing wandering Knights get hired to do he then explains to the shocked kid that when fighting ends wandering Knights must go look for their next job going from place to place killing people to make a living the boy intently stares at the flames and Bard fears he may have said too much but knows the truth can't be helped it is n impossible for a farmer's kid to hope to become a knight recalling the boy told him he was 9 years old Bard remembers that he was also nine when it All Began he was also dreaming of becoming a knight back then but he couldn't quite bring himself to tell his father Bard's father was a squire and his mother told him that he carried some Noble blood in his veins and had worked in a castle and though the man had never said so himself he did own a steel sword he was well educated as well and the villagers often relied on him and though they lived no differently from the others everyone viewed them as the Squire's house one day a Wandering Knight stayed at their house and Bard thought that this was his chance asking the man to teach him how to use the sword smiling he agreed only if his dad consented and after a week convincing his father Bard began his swordsmanship training the Knight asked him what chores he had to do at home telling him to complete all those physically demanding tasks first Bard protested stating he wouldn't have any time left to train if he did everything but the man remained steadfast and replied that the sooner he finished the more time he would have for training thus little finished all the grueling chores arriving at the hut exhausted only for the man to tell him they would run now and sword training would come later they trotted around the meadow until Bard could not run any longer upon which the Knight decided they should rest for a bit back at the house Bard asked about sword training and the man decided to start even though the sun would set soon removing his shirt he told the boy that he would swing The Sword and he should look carefully the young boy was disappointed by this having imagined training to be something else however his misgiving disappeared once he saw the Knight swing the sword the first week he was told to watch as he swung his sword from above to below not just seeing the motion but also how his hands feet and muscles all moved so he could Envision swinging the sword at any time the next week the Knight swung down from his upper right and the one after down from his upper left he swept across his side cut upwards From Below diagonally thrust barred was completely absorbed by the motion the parts which should have bored him looking more fascinating than more he watched watching the night he felt like he came to understand his breathing and when he was putting his strength into the motion seeing his every move he saw a difference in the essence of his technique which he could not see when his attention was solely focused on the sword he then realized that techniques did not lie in the sword being swung but in how the wielder thoughts were being conveyed The Secret of one's techniques lay in the subtle body movements brought forth by how one's thoughts were being conveyed when you were aiming at a Nimble creature with a weapon there were two ways to go about it either predict the movements of the prey and strike before they move or attacking fast enough that it doesn't matter how Nimble your prey is with this lesson Bard attempted to unsuccessfully fish with bow and arrow frustrated with his failure his master explains that he fails because he wants the arrow to hit the fish while the fish doesn't want to be shot and so there is no way he will hit it puzzled the young boy thinks on this all night suddenly realizing he must deduce what the fish wants to do he then spends hours by the stream staring at the fish while the night looks on over time bard became stronger and far more efficient at doing his chores being able to run farther and fish with bow and arrow his master taught him to not waste even a single swing of the sword and use his stance after the swing for his Next Movement using empty swings to block his opponent's movements during the training he only saw the Knight cut something five times that being a twig a tree trunk a bird flying over the stream a feather in the water and the empty air after a year of training the Knight asked if he would like to hold a sword bar with was delighted at holding the blade he never let anyone touch finding it heavy he tried to swing it but the weight caused him to stumble regardless the Knight praised his footing and the way he moved his muscles declaring he should soon be able to swing a sword properly in a rare compliment the next day however the wandering night disappeared Bard continued to train on his own cutting wood and reenacting the figure he had engraved into his heart and on one of his training runs he stumbled upon a man being chased up a tree by a bear throwing a rock at the wild beast to save the man that that was the event that would determine his life the next day a knight of the teria family came to their house it turned out the man he helped was a servant of pak's feudal Lord after speaking to his father for a while the Knight thanked Bard and rewarded him with money asking if he would like to work at the castle for their feudal Lord elzer teria the boy didn't hesitate the teria Castle offered decent pay and food and was a workplace admired by everyone in the village with the livein workers getting one day off each month even though he was a farmer's kid he was turned into an ale a rare occurrence and on his third day starting work Lord elzer came looking for him asking if he would want to train in the military Arts startled he immediately agreed and was told to join in with the B's training the next day much to his Delight the teria family assigns even those with the no potential to become a knight in the future to be a bale based on their compatibility and wishes since they believe that it will be good if they become Soldiers by collecting equipment and knowing how to fight this system allows them to produce soldiers of extremely high quality the next day Bard woke up early in the morning and mixed in with the senior B drawing water and cleaning up the castle before running along a mountain path close to the castle the other BS were all older than he was with the oldest being 18 but he had no problems keeping up with the group after that came practice Swings with wooden swords and shields and Bard was trembling with excitement holding the practice arms for the first time knowing just how he wanted to swing his sword still unfamiliar with the weapon however the swing didn't go as he wanted it to but still caught the attention of Lord tiia and by his seventh day of training he felt like he finally grasped how to swing the sword that night Lord elzer made him his personal Bale normally the bales of the teria family constantly rotate the Knight who mentors them and becoming the personal B of A particular Knight was a very special exception especially if that someone was the head of the family the Envy of his peers was intense but it diminished within a few days as they bore witness to the grueling training he had to endure even stricken down Bard still grasped for his sword and grinned determined to go on as he was washing himself after training Lord elzer approached and asked him if it was tough surprised he answered it was tough but he was glad to be really walking the path to become a knight and that it might actually become true content with the answer Lord elzer jokes about going a bit tougher walking down the hallways he asked Bard who taught him how to use a sword and after the boy told him of the wandering night he comments that he had a great teacher which made him happy four years after becoming a b he became a Jil and 3 years after that he became a gdz an apprentice Knight finally when he was 20 years old a decade after entering the castle to work for the tsia family the day finally came for him to take his gigos oath and become a knight however there was an issue as per tradition passed down through the ages one cannot pledge their loyalty to the officient of the ceremony and hence none of the other families had the head of the house officiate the ceremony asking someone to do it on their behalf so Knights could swear allegiance to them in his case however it was Lord elzer himself who officiated the C and he was puzzled as to who to pledge his oath to finally pledging his loyalty to the people standing alone by the stream the Aged Bard contemplates how long it has been since then even as he walks his final Journey The Pledge still lives though he had to let go of the sword and shield to protect it he now has his enchanted sword with his horse Hy blade and he tells his departed horse to fight and take care of him until the day he dies the next morning the farmer notices his son's pensive State and thanks Bard for it before noticing a wagon behind them it turns out to be the chief of the village they're headed towards and though the man apologizes for blocking the road the chief pays it no mind while the farmer's son blushes at the sight of his beautiful daughter as they start to see the village up ahead Bard turns at the sound of Screams coming from the village Chief's wagon seeing a rock deer Kil attacking them the old Knight then draws his sword determined to face the foe effortlessly beheading the Stag with a single swing as everyone looks on in Surprise Bard is glad that no one was injured but then turns to see the excited Farm Mer's boy staring at him in awe declaring his resolve to become a knight that takes down Savage beasts and protects everyone the Knight inwardly apologizes to the father having meant to deter him but instead apparently rallying him while the man plays his son statement down and telling him to help clean up content Bard notes to himself that despite being fatigued he feels rather good Bart had heard that mountain Bandits that appeared in the region lately but he didn't expect to run into them having faced and subdued three men with the long unced hair and beard and tattered clothes he had intended to finish them off right there but after seeing them defend each other in their last moment he changed his mind he asked if they had killed anyone and as they denied it he decided to hear them out in their cave Hideout he hands them alcohol which they gulped down gratefully he then asks the men why they became Mountain Bandits and with shame in their eyes the men begin to tell their tale they used to live as wood cutters in the torium region and taxes there were very high with families who couldn't pay them being forced to sell off their women and children anyone who tried to stand up to the tax collectors had horrible things done to them but there was a strong and righteous man named enba who defended the villagers from those unreasonable Tax Collectors admiring him more and more people gathered around him becoming a major force in the region in no time the bandits were also a part of it with everyone helping each other out but eventually the feudal Lord hired two strong guards to cut down NBA one by one their friends fell too and the men have been on the run for years ever since processing this bar doesn't know how much is true but can see that their eyes have not clouded over entirely yet so they may still be able to start over he tells them he will write an introductory letter to the Village chief of the nearby Village having saved him and his daughter a few days earlier the men Rejoice at this and bar tells them to cut their hair and shave their beards when morning comes the next day the clean shaven men bid Bard farewell while thanking him wholeheartedly he waves them goodbye while telling them to not stir any unnecessary troubles he then resumes his journey carrying the huge dwarf Aral on his back but is stopped in his tracks when a Burly armored man escorted by Two Soldiers calls him a bandit and declares that he has found him he demands to know where his accompli are and bar deduces he must have been referring to the men from earlier the old Knight calmly tries to explain that he is not a bandit but before he can finish the man yells at him for shamelessly lying to him declaring that the only ones who would be wandering around the mountain path by themselves and knowing there were Bandits would be the bandits he also declares that his sword is meant to assault people but Bard insists that despite his appearance he is in fact Knight the Burly man does not believe him noting he lacks a steed and states that impersonating a knight makes his wrongdoings all the more unpardonable furthermore he declares that Bard stole the fur on his back from the Elder living in otar Village citing it as evidence and becomes even more enraged after learning it is from a magical beast making the perceived crime even more inexcusable not giving up just yet Bard insists stating his name but the man will not listen to reason accusing him of impersonating the famous knight proceeding to pull an actual Buster sword from his back declaring that he will smash him to bits noting the size of the blade Bard notes it resembles a wall wondering if it is actually the famed wall swword if so it could only mean that the man in front of him is the head of the zorse family feudal lord of the majar territory Gordon zorse the wall sword user Bard is annoyed that he can't see the man's face behind the sword he had thought wall sword referred to a swordsman with impenetrable defensive techniques not a man who literally uses his sword as a wall wondering if he intends to smash him with the flat of the blade rather than strike with the edge as a precaution he takes a step back which proves fortuitous as the Knight attempts to squash him and narrowly misses returning the sword to its original position Bard is amazed at his strength to handle such a large piece of metal so smoothly and wonders what to do he has to subdue him so he will hear him out but the armor seems to be of high quality so his sword won't do much dodging another attack he plans to take advantage of the next strike to dodge to the side and slash at the hand gripping his sword and as Gordon slams his blade once again he puts his plan into motion the man however sees this slashing sideways barely missing the Knight and Bard realizes that his opponent is much harder to deal with than he thought he cannot find an opening and it is hard to deal with an opponent when he can't see his face Gordon taunts him stating he cannot win by running away and will eventually tire out and fail to dodge his assault telling him to surrender now Bard considers it might be faster if he laid down his arms so he could hear him out but feels somewhat annoyed at the thought of surrendering he then stares at his blade if it is indeed an enchanted sword such a weapon capable of vanquishing Kil should be held by the teria family the sword displayed its power twice already but not against the bandits so he deduces and might show its full power when the user's life is threatened he then prays to the sword stating that he has encountered a formidable foe asking it to show its true form and strike down his opponent he lunges slashing at the wall sword and believes it didn't work but both men are startled to see the the huge sword was cut clean in half Gordon screams at this and falls to his knees broken by the loss of his beloved sword and Bard sigh in relief confirming his blade has the power of an enchanted sword he then addresses the head of the zelor family who angrily states that he has no ears to lend to a robber Bard then asks if he is indeed Gordon zorse telling him he has something he wants to show him proceeding to hand him a parchment with an introductory letter from count lint the man recognizes his uncle's handwriting and reads it with intent his face turning from anger to shock when he realizes the man before him is indeed the people's night back at zor's Castle Gordon apologizes to Bard from the bottom of his heart ashamed for having acted so rudely toward him his sister chides him having told him repeatedly to hear his opponents out before attacking and then addresses the Knight declaring that her older brother has acted most disrespectfully on this occasion Bard reassures her however stating it can't be helped with his appearance accepting his forgiveness she tells him that her brother has admired him for a long time and has always wished to meet him inviting him to stay for a while having lost his horse and feeling his body starting to ache Bard is all too eager to take up her invitation at dinner Gordon keeps apologizing for their fight causing his sister UDA to tell him that he needs to settle down since he's already 39 years old sir Kanan tries to ease things up telling both of them to calm down since Bard will feel uncomfortable and the olden Knight agrees with him thanking them for their hospitality feeling extremely refreshed which gladdens his host their conversation is cut short when the servants knock on the door and proceed to enter with the next dish black Lobster as Kanan explains it is the specialty of their house and the crustation was caught from the saltwater lake in their domain and thought to share it with their guest Bard is delighted by the fresh and fragrant Lobster meat finding it firm with a mellow texture it has been grilled exquisitely and while the exterior is burnt just well its interior is pure white he can taste the salt when puts a morsel into his mouth but the taste significantly thins as he bites into it bringing out the Savor unique to lobsters UDA notes how well vers is in cookery revealing that they indeed apply salt to roasted food two times once say Sav salt and another as topping salt when grilling the black Lobster they bisect it and sprinkle some salt on it before squeezing some fruit juice so the salt soaks into the meat repeating the procedure once again before wrapping it in herbs afterwards they Grill the lobster with fire and as the heat spreads through it the salt will bring out out the succulent juice to which they apply param oil the mixture of oil salt and lobster juice will mix together and turn into the most delectable sauce with the meat soaking it back in and acquiring its Rich taste finally as the lobster is about done they move it to where the heat is more intense sprinkling topping salt on it from high above so the granules bump into each other and stick together forming large grains of salt Bard experiences sheer Bliss filling his belly with piping hot Lobster paired with cool white wine he didn't catch any hint of boasting from Lady uda's explanation of the cooking and it allowed him to appreciate the lobster further he finds her to be a truly dignified mistress and a very impressive woman the next day Gordon asks bar to do him the honor of training him but the Aged Knight excuses himself noting that his shoulder is still not doing well much to his disappointment seeing that the weather is fair he offers to give him a tour of the majar territory it consists of eight Villages inside a valley surrounded by mountains and while it doesn't have any special resources or industry it is a peaceful and beautiful land Gordon seems to be well-liked by the people and regardless of status whoever caught sight of him would delightfully call out to him and he would happily reply that evening Bard partook in dinner with Gordon UDA and Kanan pointing out that the amount of food served in the castle is just right noting he dislikes the idea of serving more food than one can eat Gordon then tells him an ancient proverb of their ancestor stating when someone indulges someone hungers and one should try to imagine what the poorest of their people had for dinner that night he explains that for the last years not one of their people have died from starvation and that fact brings much pride to the zor family UDA adds that nonetheless they have enough stock to properly serve their guests intreating Bard to enjoy their family's Cuisine to his heart's content the zor family is a prestigious household a long time ago their ancestor was said to be one of the legendary first people who settled on the East Bank of the uba River and though there is no way to check the Verity of this mythological story that is how it is widely believed Kanan asks Bard where he thinks the first people came from and the Knight replies that they came from the West Bank of the uba he replies that though that is how it is usually told it goes differently by the teaching of their house explaining that they were told the descendants of the first people were the ones who built up the countries in the West Bank of the uba raising the question regarding the true origin of the first people having traveled to various places in his youth the man can ascertain that here is the only place where he has heard such a peculiar tale Gordon points out that Kanan really knows a lot of things and travels are truly great things where someone can truly mature eagerly declaring that he wants to go on his own Journey as well he then recalls that when they met on the road he was carrying the fur of a dwar aril on his back and noting its Rarity he asked where he bought such a rare item Bard pauses at this question hating boasting but unable to lie either and finally decides to be honest and tell the full story having heard the battle with the four dvars Gordon clenches his fists in excitement surprised that something like that really happened lost in his own imaginings he declares that wandering from place to place rescuing people from danger along the way is the very image of the Knight of knights and must be an incredible journey he admires Bard's military prowess at being able to deal with three dwars and a dwar VAR Kil noting he's very humble as despite claiming that he's been weakened from old age he did Slash the wall sword in two having never heard of anything similar placing a hand on his chest he then joyfully asks bar to teach him a thing or two after he is fully recovered staring speechless at the expectant man he finally concedes to train him once his shoulder feel feels better sometime later as promised Bard and Gordon Spar in the castle Courtyard noticing the man's wild swings the old Knight tells the energetic Warrior that he can't help but feel he is awkward with the sword asking for his weapon of specialty Gordon tells him that he excels with the axe or the hammer but sticks to the sword since he doesn't look very nlike with other weapons since the knights are associated with long swords however since a regular sword is far too light for him and does not react as intended when he uses it he had the wall swword forged to compensate for this Bard finally realized is the reason for this bizarre weapon noting inwardly that it wasn't any way to wield a sword anyhow and telling Gordon that it is better to make use of his specialty suggesting they try sparring with a battle Hammer now wielding a far more suitable weapon Gordon swings the hammer like a man possessed causing the ground to tremble with each blow Bard realizes he would undoubtedly perish if he were ever struck by such a blow and even if he were in his prime and wielding the toughest shield in his hand it would still be grueling for him to take a direct hit however his many years of service aren't just for show and he has learned quite a few tricks using a staff he hits Gordon at several critical points causing him to lose his posture and fall to the ground in pain yielding the match barred size happy to have picked the correct weapon but nonetheless contemplates his opponent the battle Hammer is typically used to knock Cavalry and full armor off their horses or to strike the opponents on their head but due to them being hard to bring back it creates many openings leading to the wielders usually pairing up with a sword wielding Knight when heading out onto the battlefield he concludes that Gordon zor is without a doubt a heroic Warrior able to take on multiple nights by himself standing up the warrior enthusiastically asks for another round of sparring while Bard scored an unbroken string of wins against him he was nonetheless speechless impressed by Gordon's bottomless stamina and the speed of his weapon as well as his resilience feeling that he would grow into an even more terrifying Warrior if he trained properly he gave the man some advice which he took to heart halfway through he was instructing the warrior as they sparred eventually the time comes for bar to depart zor Castle having enjoyed the family's Hospitality for quite some time he thanks them for taking care of him and is extremely grateful they gave him a fine horse though they would have been happy to gift it to him he insisted he pay for it since horses are valuable assets seeing the people assembled to send him off Bard is curious as to why sir Gordon is absent but reckons that since he's the head of the house it's not exactly strange for that to happen noticing The Smiling UDA and Kanan are not touching on the subject he considers it rude to pry into the topic deciding to leave it at that with his horse saddled and packed Bard takes off but not before sending sir Gordon his best regards and Lady UDA wishes him a pleasant journey someway down the road Bart is surprised to see Gordon standing before him with a fully packed horse addressing him as master and urging him to take off shaking Bard tries to dissuade him reminding him that he is the feudal Lord there but Gordon reassures him stating he wrote a letter to pass the feudal Lord status on to Kanan Bard is shocked by this stating that passing on his Lord status is not something that can be done easily but he rorts that his sister and brother-in-law had been taking charge of all the work and he left the Lord's stamp and all that to Kanan this whole time anyway glumly Bard realizes Gordon has absolutely no intention of giving up and asks for a moment to grab some water from the saddle but the enthusiastic man rushes to fetch him cool water from a mountain stream below them Vanishing before the night can say a word he briefly considers abandoning him in the woods but suddenly a servant catches his attention and hands him a letter from Lady UDA in it the lady tells him that her brother is intent on setting off with him and won't change his mind acknowledging he will be a hassle to handle and asking that he look after him temporarily until he satisfied she also sent him a bag of gold for expenses since it would be unsafe for her brother to keep taking the bag he knows that he cannot reject her especially after the excellent treatment he received the two weeks he was her guest once again noting to himself how impressive she is hearing Gordon returning the messenger disappears into the woods smiling Bart tell stablo there is no helping it as the warrior appears swinging a full water skin accepting his fate he asks the man to stop calling him Master much to the man's surprise people murmur among themselves and stare unpleasantly as Bard and Gordon ride into a town noticing this Gordon addresses Bard as uncle and convey his feeling of uneasiness to him inwardly the old Knight recalls that the bandits he disciplined before running into the warrior said they used to be wood cutters from the torium region in that region taxes are high and authorities are strict with their methods a man with a chivalrous heart called ambus stood up for the villagers against the tax collectors but he was eventually cut down by two skilled guards hired by the feudal Lord after which his followers were hunted down one after the other that is the region they're currently in Bard then notices a man perched on the rooftop of a nearby building and hears people whispering as three mounted figures ride down the street it is the feudal Lord escorted by two guards seeing the man at top the rooftop take aim at the Lord with a bow the Knight considers warning them but soon realizes that the guards have already noticed the threat the wouldbe Assassin fol focuses taking aim at the passing Lord and letting loose his Arrow only for the guard to snap it out of the air with Incredible speed and dexterity the Archer curses but suddenly three men who had been lining the streets draw their concealed swords and charge at the Lord in his escort the Lord himself remains unflinching in the center while his guards dispatched the asants with brutal precision and speed slashing their throats before they even realize what is happening one of them pulls a throwing knife from his armor expertly throwing it straight at the Archer on the rooftop causing him to fall to the ground between the three Riders and Bard's party seeing the Carnage that unfolded around him the Lord sneers smugly which infuriates both Bard and Gordon suddenly the three men hear someone behind them still alive the Archer Rises to his feet and pulls the throwing knife from his chest charging at the Lord in hopes of achieving one last hit seeing this a guard Dismounts coldly hitting the man with the pommel of his sword causing him to collapse and slide away from the impact addressing a terrified villager kneeling nearby the Lord instructs him to carry the surviving as salant to the castle seeing the Fallen Archer two men recognize him as the son of a Timber Merchant who committed suicide after his entire Fortune was confiscated he was adopted by a noble house when he was little they guess he tried to take revenge for his biological dad and note the noble house that took him in will get crushed soon expecting more corpses to pile up soon in that forsaken town after passing through the town Bart apologizes to Gordon for passing through there even though there were ins they could have stayed at but the warrior notes that with such an appalling feudal Lord in town their better off camping outside urging him to reach the goza region so they can relax there he points out that the warriors were aiming for the throat asking if there was such a style of swordsmanship but Bard replies there is no such technique but cruel people who take pleasure from the suffering of others tend to cut in such a way those whose throats are cut will lose the strength to retaliate but won't die right away the sound from their breathing squeezing out eventually stopping as they ride about in agony and bleed to death the Knight guesses it is probably that Lord's hobby the guard Hearts having become Twisted as well after years of obeying that way of killing infuriating Gordon they are interrupted by the sudden screams of someone being chased by a bandit wielding a knife next to a stream below them seeing the situation Gordon urges barard to go with him and help the man and Bard agrees while inwardly hoping to leave that forsaken place and relaxing goza as soon as possible suddenly he hears the unmistakable sound of a sling gaining speed and sees the Bandit getting hit by a rock on the ribs before three dark figures Rush him and bring him down as his screams Fade Into silence his would be victim turns to look thinking he'd been saved but his eyes open wide in horror as he sees the emaciated and Haggard figures glancing in his Direction grabbing a stone he hurls it at his saviors referring to them as monsters before making his Escape Gordon watches this in Surprise and confusion not understanding how someone could be so disrespectful towards one's own savior Bard commends them for saving the traveler praising their movements and noting how ungrateful the man was towards them inquiring if something happened with him one of the men replies that they've been living in the mountains and had no dealings with the traveler but due to their appearance the villagers have discarded them referring to them as Mountain Gramps and Granny's and throwing stones at them Bard believes that must be difficult but the man replies that on the contrary they live undisturbed deep in the mountains and are grateful if the villagers flee Gordon acknowledges this and asks if the Bandit is dead which the mountain people confirm stating they wish to take any useful items he has and bury him finding this admirable the warrior happily agrees to help them out the three Elders took the weapon and a few pieces of belongings from the Bandit but did not strip him of his clothes and after burying him they went down on their knees and placed their hands together in prayer regardless of their background bar took note of the fact that they knew how to pray for the soul of the Dead joining them in prayer as well once that matters concluded bar tells the elders that it must be some sort of Fate that they met that day inviting them to partake in dinner together much to Gordon's surprise after chatting among themselves for a while the three agree accepting the invitation sometime later the three set by a campfire tasting Al alol for the first time finding its taste mysterious and impossible to put into words and its effects Pleasant calling it a souvenir for their graves they then try some smoked deer meat finding it tasty as well and Bard encourages them to keep eating without holding back Gordon finds it hard to believe that it is the first time they've tried booze given their ages noting that even Farmers surely drink during festivals and asking if the water skin on one of their hips contains alcohol the man denies this however stating it is some juice that they use for work refusing to elaborate the warrior then Praises them their moves when attacking the Bandit asking if they've been trained in martial arts but the elders state that they've just been chasing wild beasts around in the mountains suddenly one of the elders yells startling Gordon but it turns out he was just ecstatic about trying a grain Bard gave them the Knight explains that those are the zor family's three hued raisins with one being light green with a crunchy texture pleasing Aroma and refreshingly sweet meat another is black with a tint of red having a bitter and sour flavor that stimulates the parts of the tongue one normally doesn't use the third type is red with a tinge of purple giving off a strong Aroma and a strikingly sweet flavor if consumed in that order the combination of flavors is almost addictive the sweetness is superb and precious at the frontier even more so for those siblings who've been living deep in the mountains and probably never guessed the world had such Delights that night as Bard and Gordon sleep the three Elders quietly rise joining their hands in gratitude at their hosts before they vanish into the night the next day Bard and Gordon Head to a Tavern in the village the warrior notes that the night is too big hearted to bring out delicious food stuffs one after the other but was surprised by the appearance and horrendous odor of the elders having found it hard to eat next to them Bard doesn't reply and a man barges into the tavern announcing he has big news he screams at the top of his lungs that the feudal Lord of torium has finally been slain causing the shocked Gordon to grab the man and press him for information until he reveals it was for Revenge he States it wasn't the timber Merchants son but NBA's kids who did the deed as he explains after the defender of the villagers was slain his wife life also met a terrible fate but he had three children remaining with the eldest being 12 years old when they fled to the mountains today they appeared in front of the Lord while he was patrolling the town and revealed their identity as well as the task passed down to them as the man States they looked horribly filthy shriveled and resembled elderly people Gordon suddenly realizes he's referring to the three men they met earlier asking with bewilderment if they won against the guards the scared villager goes on to explain that two of the children took on the guards and restrained their movements momentarily though they were soon cut down afterwards while the one remaining assaulted the Lord though he to was slain in the end he managed to leave a cut on the Lord's hand and to everyone's surprise the man just dropped dead the two guards perished as well since though they cut down the other two brothers the Warriors got sprayed by Blood and began writhing in pain before passing away hearing this Bard inwardly wonders if it was an instantly acting poison suddenly recalling that mixed with their odor was the scent of wumi Venom a lethal poison that can even the movement of Kil he realizes their water skin was filled with that Venom and remembers that they had something wrapped around their necks though he had thought it was meant to fend off the cold it was probably a welldone pelt buttered with some fat or juice to protect their throats knowing the guards would aim there and wishing to protect it until they were within range furthermore by wrapping the poison filed water pouch around their necks they guaranteed the guards would be bathed in venom when they attacked and the weapon they used on the Lord was probably coated with the same substance as the pieces of the puzzle come together he comes to the real realization that the children buried to the Bandit since otherwise it would have been apparent that he was finished off with poison and they had to keep that a secret for one more day nevertheless Bard finds it impressive they managed to restrain the two Warriors even for just a short while especially since they were surely not raised with any knowledge of martial arts or the like he finds it remarkable that a 12-year-old managed to survive alone with his siblings in the mountains without knowing the joys of an ordinary life and a lacking weapons or someone to train them managing to defeat their sworn foe combining Ingenuity after ingenuity gritting their teeth they devoted so much effort to the point of looking extremely old and declared such marvelous words stating that they inherited the will of their father to slay the fish Lord which Bard finds admirable somberly Gordon notes that the eldest sibling was around the same age as his nephew and the younger sister the same age as his niece recalling how they repeated how tasty something as mundane as raisins were having called it a souvenir to take to the Grave looking sadly at the raisins between his hands he replies that he wanted them to have a more much tastier things carrying on with their Journey Upstream along the east Bank of the uba River Bard and Gordon ride past goza and enter the great uera region as they stop at a wine shop the shopkeeper insists that if they have some uan MoonFish then he recommends distilled pran wine Gordon accepts the suggestion asking what kind of fish the tin are wondering how to cook it and what it tastes like the shopkeeper then answers in riddles not giving a clear answer save the fact it is said to taste awful but once you try it you become addicted later deciding to go have some the next day Bard and Gordon exchange a look it has been about 2 months since the warrior tagged along on the night's travels and he seems to think it is a journey to save the people they spent a week hunting wild beasts in a village that was bothered by them and 8 Days wandering around some Mountain paths searching for a band of five Bandits that's all well for Bard but everywhere they go Gordon keeps showing him off to everyone which annoys him to no end they eventually arrive at an inn next to a stream where the inkeeper tells them that she was shocked to see two warriors with such a large build arrive there Gordon apologizes explaining they were told at The Village at the foot of the Hill that this was the only place where they could eat utin winking the inkeeper suggests they wait until Nightfall since viewing the Moon while tasting utin and wine is a rare luxury they can only enjoy there with the fish tasting better during the full moon Bard accepts the suggestion asking why she set up a store in that spot and she explains that she settled with her husband 11 years ago he loved the valley which was filled with a delicious fish and plants and a stunning View and on top of that toas Sprout there this is a hot and refreshing spice that grows in a cool climate with plenty of water that they discovered when they settled there the mayor was so delighted by it that he recommended them to the feudal Lord who lowered their tax rate in exchange for not selling the spice anywhere other than to The Village at the foot of the Hill since then four other families moved in as well and thanks to that they've been able to live a quiet and comfortable life there Gordon notes that he doesn't see her husband around to which she calmly replies that he passed away 3 years ago though the warrior apologizes she tells him to pay it no mind noting he lived a good life and left feeling fulfilled they realize that uon inhabited the area as soon as they moved in but only realized their worth on their second year when captured under specific conditions and consumed in a specific way they make one think they're not from this world but if you leave it for just a little bit the fish loses its miraculous taste so they can only be eaten there looking at her stores she regrets that she doesn't have much wine left Bard looks at the bottle of pran wine they bought at the village and both him and Gordon agree that it won't be enough rising in unison and heading out to bring back some more wine after loading some more wine jars into their saddle bags they're preparing to hurry back to the store when they notice a group of soldiers entering the village in formation the men are mostly armed with bows and have Stern faces and Bard notices that they carry barrels full of arrows with unusually bulky shafts and oil the materials required to make fire arrows he then catches the villagers gossiping among themselves in fear talking about someone becoming infected with the Dead Ash disease which was apparently confirmed by the town's pharmacist shocking both Bard and Gordon as far as the Knight knows there have been no cases of Dead Ash disease in Paka or its surroundings but if one had appeared he would have had to torch that Village or town raising it to the ground and eliminating all the people living within Dead Ash disease is a terrifying ailment in which the infected would develop spots all over their body like they were covered with Ash with the spots becoming ever larger until the whole body is covered once that point is reached all the water would leak out of the infected body causing an agonizing death those who touched the patient however lightly would also contract the same disease and if a patient is suspected to have fled to a neighboring town then that town would have to be purged as well the stern Expressions on the soldiers faces cannot be helped since they're about to slaughter the citizens that they should have been protecting and will surely be haunted by this for the rest of their lives as they make their patrols they will suspect the Gaze of the family friends or lovers of those they slew staring at them but in in spite of this they know they must do this he knows the agony experienced by the Knight that has to Rally these hesitant soldiers and ensure they accomplish this cruel mission is tremendous Bard overhears the women of the village affirming that the one infected by the Dead Ash disease is the woman in the valley who sells uen which startles him he recalls that the woman was chatting with them energetically not long ago convinced there has to be some kind of mistake mounting his horse he rides along the captain of the soldiers and attempts to speak to him earning nothing more than a sideways glance from him and his men as Gordon approach roaches him bar tells him they will circumvent the soldiers taking advantage of the fact that they're slower since they travel by foot having arrived further down the road than the soldiers he Ponders on what to do next he considers delaying the soldiers as the settlers make their escape but since this concerns Dead Ash disease he knows they will be hunted down exhaustively and slain and the woman would not abandon her house so easily he then weighs the possibility of fting off the company believing they might achieve it with both he and Gordon but since their opponents have shields arrows and heavily armed Knights they won't be able to hold back and peace will not return just because they managed to fend the off using his vast experience he then puts himself in the Commander's shoes in his situation he would not enter the settlement but rather position his troops to Encompass the location torching the place from a distance with the fire arrows as well as shooting anyone who tried to escape before they get close enough to see their faces and start conversing knowing what to do he tells Gordon to hurry and get the mistress there quickly he then stands alone in the middle of the road blocking the path with his horse as the soldiers approach facing their Commander he beats his chest with fist while declaring his identity and title stating he has a report concerning the settlement in the valley

Channel: ActionToon

Views: 102,291

Keywords: ActionToon, SS-Rank Hero Dies & Returns to Real World with Max Skills, manga rec, my manga, anilife, manwhacapped, manga explained, webtoon, manga recap, demon master, fantasy, manga, shonen, ss rank, ss rank hero, ss rank hunter, op protagonist, Manwha Recap, Manwha, Manga, manhwa recap, manhwa capped, manhwa cap, manhwa

Id: tmEUspw6K1k

Length: 135min 27sec (8127 seconds)

Published: Sun May 05 2024