Return of the Apocalypse Knight

Chapter 9: Tracking the Hero (2)

What tracks did the hero party find that led them away from the gate?

What kind of trap had they fallen into after defeating the demon king in his base?

The questions came to mind, but there was no immediate way to solve them.

The advance team members who discovered the traces went missing along with the hero party while guiding them, so we had to meet the hero party and ask them what kind of trap it was.

Luckily, the elf said he knew the direction, so we headed north, just as he said.

We cut through the mountains, running a little slower for the wizard’s sake.

Mountains and forests had no signs of human life around.

‘No way, it’s not Korea?’

I thought it might be Korea because some people were wearing clothes with Korean characters on them, but I couldn’t believe how deserted it was.

Even though it was a mountainous country, it was hard to see no trace of people in such a narrow country.

As I was moving with my teammates with that thought, I heard voices coming from in front of me.

It was the sparkling knight in the second row, not the nobleman in the lead, who was looking back and speaking.

“I’m disappointed that you want a reward for saving the hero, that’s very unchivalrous of you.”

When I looked to see who he was speaking to, it was me.

I laughed out loud.

I didn’t expect the sudden outburst of factual violence but I shook my head at his words.

He wasn’t wrong, but I wasn’t in a position to hear it from him.

A free knight and a full knight of the Templar Order were two different classes, albeit similar in name only.

Like orthodox wizards and battle mages, they shunned each other, or rather, like them, the formal knights looked down on the free knights.

In fact, despite being called knights, free knights were more like mercenaries than knights.

Mercenaries who could move mana, but had no master to whom they owed allegiance, that was the essence of a free knight.

In fact, in that sense, they were no different than a formal knight, a soldier who could spend mana.

Belonging to a group that was officially recognized by the state or lord was a big difference from roaming the streets as a mercenary.

And yet, it is said to be unchivalrous behavior.

I’m disappointed.

If he thought of me as a free knight, he couldn’t have said that.

That’s why I couldn’t get angry right away.

I didn’t know where to draw the line, because he just put me on top of him and swore at me.

“What on earth do you expect me to see from this kind of person…….?”

And then he mumbled something under his breath.

No one else could hear him, but my sensitive ears picked up his mutterings.

Something had happened to him somewhere I didn’t know about.

But I couldn’t ask the nobleman what he was talking about.

As usual, I could only pretend not to know.

Besides, it wasn’t as if there was nothing to see.

I had many advantages that others didn’t realize.

For one thing, he could learn from my generosity of spirit, my ability to take insults and not get angry.

There’s plenty of time for that, and maybe he’ll recognize my good character someday.

In any case, the party was dampened by the sparkling knight’s protests.

The elf, who was never interested in other people to begin with, didn’t even prick up his ears, but the wizard behind me clicked his tongue, and the soldier walking beside me turned to look at me.

‘You’ll have to wait.’

I looked at Hoffman’s mouth and couldn’t help but wonder again.

‘Hold on.’

Does he really think I’m going to do anything to him because of what Glitter said?

How the hell did this rumor get out about me?

I’d have to check it out when I got back.

Was it the atmosphere?

The group walked for a while in silence.

The clouds hung low, and the air felt heavy.

It was as if the demonic energy was piled up thickly…….

No, is it really piled up?

I looked around, awakening my senses.

It was definitely thick.

Just like the plain in front of the dungeon where I last fought the demons.

No, it was different.

The energy here was different from that of the Demon King, it was something more primal.

“I see, the further north you go, the stronger the demonic energy but it’s a little strange. It’s not the demonic energy of the escaped demon king, it’s the demonic energy that’s always been here…….”

The wizard seemed to think the same thing.

He paced and raised his staff then muttered something low and a faint glow emanated from the tip of his staff.

“As expected, it’s been enhanced by the Demon King’s power, but this place has always had a strong demonic energy. There must have been a war here, though judging by the lingering demonic energy, it was decades ago.”

A war?

At the mage’s words, I looked around once more.

I didn’t use my mana, but rather my eyes, ears, and nose to check out my surroundings.

Unfortunately, like the wizard, I couldn’t tell if this was where the war had been fought but I could smell it.

The smell of rusted iron, buried in the ground brought back memories of a life long sealed away.

“Are you sure…….Korea?”

“What?”

Hoffman looked back at me, a little surprised that I had spoken aloud. But I couldn’t answer his question.

I didn’t get to answer his question, though, because the elf leading us stopped walking at the top of the hill.

As I followed him up the hill, I realized why he had stopped.

There in front of us was a horizontal, ridiculously long obstacle.

“Is this a man-made obstacle? It’s set up in a weird way, like it should be impenetrable.”

“Still, if you’re not a knight, it seems to work pretty well.”

“Iron is more common here, or at least there must be a very active forge. The entire obstacle is made of iron.”

As I listened to the rest of the party chime in, except for the elf, I gazed out at the obstacle at the bottom of the hill.

It was an endless line of iron, broken in places as if someone had forcibly ripped it apart.

It was a far cry from its original form but I couldn’t ignore it.

I’ve seen it for nearly two years in my previous life.

The obstacle in front of us was barbed wire.

The Southern Limit Line fence, two kilometers south of the Armistice Line.

I was now at the ceasefire line.

The elf who had stopped started walking again.

Glitter Knight and Hoffman followed, while the Wizard seemed to want to investigate the barbed wire, but he too was forced to move.

I, however, was the last one to stop in front of the barbed wire.

It wasn’t because I realized that this was Korea, and that it was in front of the armistice line.

I stared at the fence in front of my party.

The forest and bushes were much thicker than the forest behind them.

It was a natural forest that hadn’t been touched in a very long time.

It was this forest that the party was walking through that made me stop.

Beyond the southern limit, the forest was the Demilitarized Zone, a place steeped in history and tradition.

Not that the demilitarized zone itself was dangerous.

If the Demon King was here, it was unlikely that North Korea beyond the DMZ would be safe.

The problem was the danger zone inside the DMZ, a place where numerous landmines are buried, laid during and after the war.

The group was heading right into it.

I wondered if this was where the hero party had come from.

The thought crossed my mind, but for now, I had to stop the group.

“Everyone, wait!”

I shouted, calling the group to attention.

“It’s dangerous to keep going. There’s a barrier in front of us, and there’s most likely something dangerous ahead.”

I pointed to the barbed wire fence behind us, emphasizing the danger,

“The long war has given me the ability to sense danger, and that sense is constantly alerting me to danger.”

I tried to convince them, even as I revealed some of my abilities.

“Didn’t the wizard also say that there was a great war here in the past? We don’t know the level of weaponry on this side of the world, so we need to be careful.”

However, my persuasive tactics, which included bringing up my past wars, had no effect on the party.

In fact, I knew it wouldn’t work.

People will always think in their own terms.

Our world hasn’t developed gunpowder like Earth’s because of magic.

So no one believed me if I told them that there were bombs and mines everywhere that would explode if they stepped on them.

Furthermore, to explain that directly, I would have to tell them about my past life.

I couldn’t tell the party about my past life.

If the nobles realized that I had lived here in a previous life, there was no telling what would happen.

Would I be tortured, magically drained of information, or imprisoned in the castle for the rest of my life.

I finally came to the Earth in my previous life, so I couldn’t let something like that hold me back.

If anyone else was going to know, it had to be at a moment when it was in my best interest.

And this was not that moment.

I tried to talk them out of it, but I didn’t really think the minefield was that dangerous either.

The odds of our group stepping on a mine as we walked through the minefield were not that great.

Too much time had passed since the mines were buried.

The rain and wind had washed them away, and the ones that remained were likely old and inoperable.

Most of them probably wouldn’t detonate if you stepped on them.

Furthermore, the group members were mana-awakened.

A knight or mage should be able to withstand most ankle mines.

Plus, I’d warned them, so they’d be a little more careful.

However, the looks I got were not pleasant.

“I can’t believe this knight…….I can hardly believe it.”

“The clan is waiting. It’s too dangerous not to go.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll use my magic to keep an eye on the surroundings.”

The knight, the elf, and the wizard all looked disappointed by my words.

Only Hoffman, the least powerful of them all, was tense.

Thanks to their disappointment, I’m standing at the very back of the group.

Hoffman was second from the back, in front of me.

Our party set off again.

As they walked away, it was clear that my advice had failed.

With the exception of Hoffman, the group hadn’t changed.

Still, at least they’re prepared for a demon or undead attack,

I suppose I should be content with that.

I did, however, whisper in Hoffman’s ear.

“I want you to stay close to me from now on.”

If anything were to happen, I would protect him.

Not because he was the only one listening to me.

No, it was because of him.

A few minutes later, my bad guess was proven right again.

In the middle of a minefield, the group stepped on a mine.

-Kaaaaaah!

A mine that had been buried for decades exploded with a loud bang.