Chapter 38 _ The Unbreakable Knight, and a Kiss Upon the Soul
The Imperial Capital, Urks.
From the moment its colossal stone walls filled my vision,
a suffocating tension pressed against my skin.
The towering fortifications looked as though they weren’t built merely to repel invaders—
but to imprison even the freedom of those who lived within.
Before the city gate stood a line of heavily armored infantry.
Their piercing gazes stabbed into every passerby.
“Hold it. Show your pass.”
A spear blocked our path.
“We’re treasure hunters. Nothing suspicious,” Roger said,
snorting irritably as he displayed the royal crest engraved on his sword hilt.
The guard’s complexion changed instantly.
“M-my apologies!
Sword Saint Wilfred—please, go right through!”
The spear was withdrawn.
Roger frowned at the sudden shift in attitude.
“…This place is tense. What happened?”
“…There was an attempted assassination on His Imperial Majesty recently.
The culprit remains unknown.
The entire capital is under high alert.
Please… refrain from drawing attention to yourselves.”
Beyond the gate, the city felt less like a metropolis
and more like a fortress.
People walked with their heads lowered,
hurrying past in heavy silence.
“I don’t like this atmosphere… Mario,” Hans whispered at my ear,
her voice sweet yet edged with warning.
“Do not try to search for Seidu Muamba here.
If suspicion falls on you, this iron city will bare its fangs without mercy.”
“…Understood. I’ll be careful.”
I glanced at Frey, quietly perched on my shoulder in her cat form.
She let out a short “nya”,
her eyes dull like a simple animal’s—
yet behind them lay sharp, calculating intelligence.
“For now, let’s rest,” Roger said.
“There’s a large bathhouse fed by natural hot springs in this city.”
That decision saved us.
As Iris and I walked down the corridor toward the bathhouse entrance—
“…Huh?
Hey, isn’t that the girl from back then?
Heh. Still got a nice face.
Come on, I’ll pay you again—”
My blood froze.
Beside me, Iris’s body began to tremble violently.
The voice belonged to a brutish adventurer—
a mountain of muscle with a leering, vulgar grin—
stomping all over her past without hesitation.
I knew it instantly.
This man was one of the “customers”
from the days when Iris had been forced to sell her body just to stay alive.
“…Don’t touch her.”
The words left my mouth colder and sharper than I expected.
I stepped in front of the shaking Iris.
“Iris is my girlfriend.
Never speak about her with that filthy mouth again.”
“…Who the hell are you?”
The giant—well over 190 centimeters tall—glared down at me.
I stood no chance.
Every instinct screamed run.
But my legs didn’t move.
“If you have a problem,” I said,
“…then I’m your opponent.”
Guh—!
The world exploded in sparks.
A kick buried itself in my stomach,
sending my body flying like a fallen leaf.
Thud. Crack. Smash.
From behind a distant pillar,
Roger and Hans watched in silence.
Seeing me beaten like scrap paper,
Hans took a step forward, face pale.
“Fred—this is bad!
At this rate Mario will die! We have to—”
“Wait.”
Roger’s steel-like arm stopped her.
His eyes weren’t cold—
they were deadly serious, fixed on my back.
“This is Mario’s fight as a man.
He’s facing his limits without retreating—
for the honor of a woman.”
“If we interfere now,
we’ll stain his soul.”
“…Watch until the end.”
Hans bit her lip and stopped.
Merciless blows echoed through the quiet corridor.
I was thrown around helplessly,
the man’s curses raining down on me.
“You’re weak and trying to look cool, you trash!
She’s a whore! A cheap woman who spreads her legs for money!”
“Don’t… don’t call my precious girlfriend
with those filthy words…!”
Half-conscious, I clung desperately to his ankle.
“Shut up! This ends now!”
A fist came down—
and my consciousness sank into darkness.
After confirming I no longer moved,
the man spat and walked away.
In the silent corridor,
Roger approached slowly.
His eyes fell upon my clenched fist—
still tightly closed despite my battered body.
A faint, almost amused smile tugged at his lips.
“…Heh.
You damn idiot.”
It was the smile of a man
who had just witnessed a child under his protection
become a man in his own right.
“…Mm.”
Warmth.
And droplets like rain falling on my cheek.
I opened my eyes to see Iris,
her eyes swollen from crying.
“…Sorry.
I still couldn’t protect you…”
She shook her head fiercely.
“No.
You protected me again.”
“My…
my knight.
The coolest knight in the world.”
“…Princess… are you hurt?”
“I’m fine.
Thank you, Mario.”
She gently pressed her lips to my forehead.
Her tears seeped into my wounded body and heart
more deeply than any healing spell ever could.
Later, after reuniting with the others,
we soaked in the bathhouse while assessing the situation.
Roger stared at the ceiling, arms resting on the bath’s edge.
“Terrorism, huh.
Killing the emperor wouldn’t change a damn thing in this era.
Meaningless criminals are always the most troublesome.”
“Do you have a goal, Roger?” I asked.
“…The legendary sword Alfshahr.
A blade said to cut even rock,
left in the holy land of Mayari-Banar by the ancient prophet Mutu.
Whoever draws it from the stone becomes its rightful owner.”
The true face of Roger, the treasure hunter.
“…Is that place far?”
“Too far to walk.
We return to the city and wait for the right time.
Teleportation doesn’t work on places you’ve never been.”
Nearby, Iris stared at her own hands, puzzled.
“…Mario.
Something’s strange.”
“Strange?”
“When I swing my staff,
my mana feels like it’s taking shape at my fingertips.
It’s… different from magic.”
I remembered the God Wolf’s words.
Something within Iris
was unmistakably beginning to awaken.
Not as a “losing mage”—
but as something entirely new.
With the uneasy air of the Imperial Capital behind us,
we set out once more toward the Royal Capital Eridush.
Perhaps we hadn’t gained tangible rewards.
But I was certain.
My companions’ dreams.
The changes in the woman I love.
And my vow to save Frey.
Even if people laughed and called me weak—
my journey would only accelerate from here.
