Future Knight [EN]: Chapter 65

Future Knight Episode 65

* * *

The two of them left the Mine Kingdom.

Kang Chan, gazing at the seemingly endless Montana Mountains stretching before them, sighed softly.

“Haa, I need to hurry.”

Having reached the level of Sword Master, Kang Chan began descending the steep slope at a speed that ordinary people could not keep up with.

Zekeon, catching up with him using magic, urgently called out to Kang Chan.

“Hey! Can’t you slow down a bit?”

“We have a long way to go.”

Zekeon sighed at Kang Chan’s revenge-driven appearance.

“Hoo… So, do you have a plan before starting?”

“Plan?”

“Yeah, where and how we’re going.”

“I’m going to the Helion Kingdom front line, where the fighting is fiercest.”

“How are you going to get there?”

“By foot.”

“Walking all the way there? Did you even check where the Helion Kingdom is located?”

Of course, Kang Chan had checked.

“I checked.”

“But you’re going to walk there?”

Kang Chan paused for a moment before speaking again.

“Can’t you use that magic of yours to get there in one go?”

“No, it’s too far. Even with magic, that distance is impossible.”

Of course, it was a lie.

Zekeon could easily teleport anywhere on the continent with her space- 이동 [space-movement] magic.

But she deliberately lied to Kang Chan.

In her judgment, it seemed that Kang Chan needed time to relax.

Also, one of the reasons was that she wanted to travel alone with Kang Chan.

Of course, Kang Chan knew that he could arrive a little faster if he used her magic.

Even if not in one go, they could divide it into several space 이동s [space-movements], or they could fly.

However, Kang Chan did not force Zekeon to do so.

He was just grateful that she was by his side.

“Then let’s walk for a while and find a means of transportation when we get to a village.”

“Let’s do that.”

The two of them climbed down the mountain in silence for a while.

How many meals and rests had they taken?

Before they knew it, the day was getting dark.

But even after coming down this far, the end of the mountain range was nowhere in sight.

When they arrived at the Mine Kingdom with the elves a while ago, the portal was built in the middle of the mountain range, so they could arrive at the Mine Kingdom in just one day.

But now, the Montana Mountains stretching before them were so vast that it made them want to curse.

Kang Chan took out the map and compass he had obtained from the dwarf, aligned the map with the north, and roughly estimated the direction they should go.

After checking the distance, Kang Chan sighed softly.

“Haa, at this rate, I don’t know when we’ll arrive.”

As Kang Chan sighed in impatience, Zekeon opened her mouth.

“Don’t be so impatient. Once we get down the mountain range, we can get horses and go much faster.”

“Horses?”

“You don’t know horses?”

Kang Chan, who had never encountered a horse in his life, slowly nodded and said.

“I’ve never seen one, but can we go faster if we use it?”

“Yes, it’s one of the most widely used means of transportation by humans here.”

“Then our first goal is to get out of this mountain range and get a means of transportation, a horse. First, the closest village on the map is here, so we’ll move in the shortest distance…”

“Pfft!”

Kang Chan picked up a fallen tree stick and, in a kneeling position like he used to do as a soldier, explained the plan as if he were briefing an operation. Zekeon burst into laughter at his rigid appearance.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Where did you learn that? It’s a bit of a turn-off, isn’t it?”

“What’s a turn-off?”

“Ah! Anyway, enough with the boring operation explanation, Captain. Shall we have dinner?”

Kang Chan suddenly put Zekeon in a headlock as she waved her hand as if she were annoyed.

“Keuk!”

“Dinner is after the operation briefing, soldier!”

“You’re too much, Captain!”

“Pfft! Ahahaha!”

Zekeon smiled brightly as she looked at Kang Chan, who was smiling for the first time in a while.

“So, what should we eat on our first night?”

Kang Chan suddenly wanted to eat something like real food.

During the day, they had been moving quickly, so they had just filled their stomachs with jerky.

“The Captain decides?”

“If you keep calling me Captain, I might make you eat pills for dinner tonight.”

At the word ‘pills,’ Zekeon widened her eyes like a rabbit and was startled.

“Gasp! You brought that? Scary.”

Zekeon was extremely 싫어하다 [disgusted] of pills.

“It’s the best thing to have in an emergency.”

“Even if I starve to death, I’ll never eat that!”

“Okay, wait a minute.”

Kang Chan opened the heavy food bag that Creexion had packed to decide on the menu.

“First, it’s best to eat the food that spoils quickly among the food we brought, right? Let’s see what’s inside. Cheese, ham, bread, smoked sausage, flour, jerky, salt…”

While Kang Chan was opening the heavy food bag and checking the contents, Zekeon put her hand into a small space and took out a bottle of wine and a glass to quench her thirst with wine.

Kang Chan’s expression, looking at Zekeon, hardened as dry and stiff as jerky.

“…”

“Why? Do you want some too?”

“What is that?”

“Can’t you tell by looking? It’s wine.”

“That’s not it. Where did you take that wine out from?”

“I teleported it from my lair.”

“…”

Kang Chan silently looked down at his huge backpack.

The backpack was full of all sorts of supplies and food needed for the trip, so it was so heavy that ordinary people would have a hard time carrying it.

But since Kang Chan had reached the level of Sword Master, this weight was not heavy.

It was just cumbersome to move around.

Kang Chan had even carried all of Zekeon’s luggage, thinking of her, and had come all the way here.

But she had just been watching without saying anything, even though she had such an innovative storage method…

Sparks flew from Kang Chan’s eyes.

“You had such a storage method, but you were just watching! I’m going to kill you!”

Kang Chan pounced on Zekeon and pressed her down from above.

“Kyaa! When did you ever ask me for that? Don’t blame me for something I didn’t do!”

“How would I know you had such a method! You deliberately pretended not to know, didn’t you?”

Zekeon opened her mouth with a cynical smile.

“It’s not good to rely on others.”

“Consider yourself dead…”

Kang Chan knew that Zekeon was very ticklish, so he started tickling her without mercy.

“Ahaha! St, stop it! Ahaha! I got it! I said I got it! I’ll put it in, I’ll put it in!”

“Too late!”

“Ahaha! Save me! Ah! Stop! Stop!”

The sight of a man and a woman rolling around together in the quiet forest was clearly a scene with plenty of room for misunderstanding, but they were just friends who transcended race.

* * *

After connecting a rope between the trees, draping a blanket over it, and spreading both sides and fixing them with stones, a nice makeshift tent was completed.

Although it looked shabby, it was a sturdy tent that could sufficiently block the morning dew.

As soon as the tent was completed, Kang Chan prepared to light a bonfire and called Zekeon, who was just playing around without doing anything.

“Hey! Go gather some firewood.”

“It’s annoying.”

“Don’t just play around, help me out.”

“Why use firewood? Campfire!”

As Zekeon waved her hand, a small magical flame soared up inside the circular stone pile that Kang Chan had made to light a bonfire.

It was magic that Zekeon had created for traveling.

“Oh! It’s quite useful?”

Kang Chan, who looked at the magic-made bonfire as if it were amazing, created and installed 야전 [makeshift] cooking equipment on top of it.

It was an amazing skill honed by the carnivorous life he had been living with Jaina in the Elven Forest.

Kang Chan, who had finished preparing the meal in an instant, put the food on a plate and shared it with Zekeon.

“Enjoy your meal.”

“Thanks.”

Kang Chan split the bread in half, 끼워 넣었 [stuffed] smoked sausage and cheese in the middle, and was about to take a big bite.

Right then, Zekeon stopped his meal.

“Wait!”

“Why?”

“How dirty, you have to wash before you eat.”

“Where is there a place to wash here?”

“I’ll wash you.”

“What?”

“Clean.”

As Zekeon cast a Clean magic on Kang Chan, who was making a dumbfounded expression, dazzling mana swept through Kang Chan’s body.

When the magic was over, Kang Chan had transformed into a fluffy figure as if he had just taken a shower.

The sweat and dust that had been smeared all over his body from walking all day disappeared at once.

“…”

As Kang Chan slowly examined his body, he could see that not only his body but also the clothes he was wearing had been changed as neatly as if they had been 삶아 빤 [boiled and washed].

“Amazing? How can it be so clean like this?”

“This is all thanks to the magic of this great body. Clean.”

As Zekeon cast a Clean magic on herself, she also transformed into a neat figure as if she had just finished showering.

“Okay, let’s eat now.”

“Okay, enjoy your meal.”

“You too.”

A meal eaten outdoors was really delicious.

After finishing their meal as if they were 게 눈 감추듯 [eating like crabs, quickly], the two took out wine and drank it, chatting about this and that before going to bed.

But suddenly, inside the tent, Zekeon hugged Kang Chan’s arm, and Kang Chan was startled.

“Hey, don’t lean on me!”

“I’m cold. Stay still.”

“…”

As Zekeon clung to Kang Chan’s arm, leaned her face on his shoulder, and 새근새근 [snoring softly] fell asleep, Kang Chan sighed and tried hard to fall asleep.

But sleep did not come, and only physical 번뇌 [torment] constantly 떠오르며 [surfaced], tormented Kang Chan.

‘This guy is a man. This guy is not human. This guy is a man…’

No matter how much he tried to 자기 암시 [self-hypnosis], the sensation of Zekeon’s soft skin touching his arm was something he could not help.

Kang Chan carefully 빼고 [pulled out] his arm from Zekeon and came out of the tent and sat in front of the bonfire. Then he let out a deep sigh.

‘I’m sorry, Jaina. I’m such a pathetic guy, aren’t I?’

Kang Chan smiled bitterly and decided to give up on sleep and just do 마나 연공 [mana cultivation].

It was still spring, so the 새벽 [dawn] air was quite chilly, but as he slowly 끌어올려 [drew up] 마나 [mana] and started 회전시키기 [circulating], a warm heat spread throughout his body, driving away the cold from his body.

As he carefully 회전시키기 [circulated] 마나 [mana], he noticed a small movement.

“…?”

Kang Chan quickly 중단 [stopped] 마나 연공 [mana cultivation].

‘Who is it? Could it be a Dark Elf?’

The only races that could 속이고 [deceive] his senses, who had reached the level of Sword Master, and approach this close were those.

Kang Chan silently 뽑아 들고 [drew out] the Mithril dagger he had received from the master as a graduation token and waited for the uninvited guest.

A suffocating tension flowed under the magic-burning bonfire in the dark forest.

Kang Chan stared intently at one place in the forest and said 살벌하게 [grimly].

“Why don’t you come out now?”

“…”

As Kang Chan 외치니 [shouted] while accurately 바라보며 [looking at] the place where he was hiding, the intruder had no choice but to reveal himself in front of Kang Chan. Then, Kang Chan’s expression, 바라보는 [looking at] the intruder who revealed himself, changed from 싸늘함 [coldness] to 의문 [doubt].

“No, you are?”

“…”

The intruder was a woman that Kang Chan knew well.

“I’m sorry, Kang Chan-nim [Mr. Kang Chan]… for suddenly appearing like this.”

“How did you get here?”

Kang Chan 훑어보았다 [scanned] her 행색 [appearance].

Her appearance, wearing the Railgun and 탄입대 [ammunition belt] he had gifted her, and 차려입은 [dressed in] a small backpack and cloak, was that of a traveler.

“That 차림새 [outfit] is 설마 [no way]?”

Elica suddenly 꿇으며 무릎 [knelt down] in front of Kang Chan and 간청했다 [pleaded].

“Kang Chan-nim [Mr. Kang Chan], please take me with you.”

Kang Chan 일으켜 세우며 [pulled up] her 무릎 꿇은 [kneeling], 만류했다 [stopped her].