Episode 8: Asher Gronhilde (2)

It was a free break after training, but Asher had no choice but to wash off her sweat and change her clothes and go somewhere right away.

As she walked behind Caren, she was lost in thought.

I wonder if he was the Seventh Lord.

The man who gave me a strange look during training earlier.

She knew that recently, rumors about the newly appointed Seventh Lord had been raging in the castle.

Asher, who had recently become a knight of the Overlord Castle after a long time of wandering, knew little about Calderic.

However, seeing vice-captain Camson, who was strict with his subordinates, frozen in front of the other, it made her realize the status of a Lord.

She did not know why the Seventh Lord suddenly called her.

Could it be that he noticed something? She felt a slight uneasiness in the corner of her heart.

"Please keep in mind that the person you are about to meet is the new Seventh Lord. Please be careful with your words and actions."

"…"

After hearing the last warning from Caren, they reached the last room in the long corridor.

Clap.

As the door closed and she faced the Seventh Lord alone, Asher greeted him with a bow.

"It's an honor to meet the Seventh Lord. My name is Asher, an apprentice knight belonging to the White Star 5th Knights."

The bright golden eyes gazed intently at me.

"Sit down."

The Seventh Lord gestured to the seat opposite him.

Asher sat down, feeling awkward.

For a moment, there was silence in the room.

The Seventh Lord savored the tea, saying nothing, and Asher, who had no place to look, stared down at the teacup.

Before long, an unexpected comment cut off the silence.

"Are you hiding your ability?"

"…"

"I don't understand why you're an apprentice knight with such skills. I wonder why you're hiding your power."

Two questions popped into Asher's head with more bewilderment.

'How did you know that, and why would you ask me about it?'

If he noticed it from the time he was watching the training earlier, it would have been truly astonishing.

At that distance, what on earth did you perceive and notice? Mana? Or some other difference?

"I don't know what you mean."

At first, it was denial.

Asher calmed her agitation and looked at the reaction of the Seventh Lord.

He continued talking without changing his expression at all.

"If you're going to deny it, I'll get straight to the point."

Main point?

Until this very moment, she hadn't realized it yet.

That the previous worry was not important at all.

"White Moon Tribe."

…Her heart sank.

"I heard it was destroyed, but there's clearly a survivor. Why did you come to the Overlord's castle?"

For a moment, Asher's mind went blank, and she could say nothing.

How…

She could somehow understand that he noticed she hid her true abilities.

But how did he find out that she was a White Moon?

It was the deepest secret that no one knew anymore, and none should have ever known.

It was a reflexive and unconscious action to show hostility at the being in front of her, who casually revealed such a secret.

"Stop thinking about useless things. It's impossible to win against me on your own."

Asher suddenly came to her senses at the indifferent voice she heard.

The gaze of the Seventh Lord was infinitely deep and calm.

Feeling overwhelmed by the static intimidation, she slowly withdrew her hostility.

"…"

Yes… it's impossible.

The being sitting in front of her right now was a Lord of Calderic.

A top-notch powerhouse in all the continent. An existence that was said to be stronger than the monstrous Five Star of Santea.

Just looking at the fact that he saw through her hidden power at one glance, the difference in rank was definitely quite large.

Any attempt, be it a surprise attack or escape, would be futile.

Feeling helpless at that fact, Asher bit her lip tightly. She could taste the fishy taste of her blood.

I came all the way to this place, overcoming despair and despondency to move on, but would this be the end before I could even try anything?

"What do you want from me?"

Trembling with resentment, she squeezed her voice out, and the Seventh Lord made a strange expression.

"You seem to misunderstand something. I'm not trying to threaten you."

"…"

"What are you so afraid of?"

At those words, Asher gritted her teeth.

She couldn't say anything.

No one would understand unless they were the person involved.

The sorrow of losing both their family and their home, the loneliness and anxiety of being thrown into the world as a single survivor, the pressure of wanting to do something.

This was Calderic, not Santea.

A land of power and opportunity where one could grab what they wanted if they had the ability.

In her head, Asher knew that, too.

However, the wariness deeply imprinted in her heart from the day her tribe was destroyed made her unable to trust anyone or anything easily.

But what the hell did this person even know?

"I do understand."

Asher was taken aback.

"I can understand. The longing and sadness you have deep inside your heart, the anxiety and solitude. All the excessive vigilance you show me right now must have originated from that. Right?"

…What the hell was this guy talking about?

Asher looked at the Seventh Lord with a slightly dazed expression.

His mouth opened again.

"I will help you."

There were various races in RaSa's worldview.

Leaving the demons out of the question, from humans, elves, beastmen, with the most dominant population and power, to many other weak and rare races.

The White Moon was a rare race with a tiny population.

A race that appeared to be beings no different from humans, but possesses the ability to convert magical powers into their own unique properties.

Most times, the weaker races did not mix with the world and live in tribal units in wild lands.

The White Moon tribe lived peacefully in their own home in the Alten Great Mountains in the extreme west of Santea.

But the downfall came suddenly.

Just a few years ago, from the present point, the White Moon tribe was completely annihilated by Santea, leaving only one survivor.

Asher, now sitting in front of me, was the only survivor.

If I remembered correctly, she wandered for a long time to find other survivors.

But Asher couldn't find anyone.

Despite taking all kinds of risks for several long years and wandering around the continent and asking around there was not a single person.

After a long time of wandering, the place where she settled was Calderic.

Because she couldn't give up hope in the end. Other than herself, there must be another survivor somewhere.

Calderic was a land that valued one's ability above all else.

If she proved her worth and established herself here, if she could make a name for herself throughout the continent as a White Moon warrior, maybe some survivors would hear the news and come find her.

Even if they didn't come, she might aim for even the smallest opportunity to take revenge on Santea by building up strength and power.

…Asher came to Calderic with that thought in mind.

The reason she hid her power and identity to be an apprentice knight was so she could observe the atmosphere since she just arrived at Calderic.

The White Moon tribe was usually indistinguishable from humans, but because of their unique trait, their entire body turned white when they exert their strength.

Eventually, soon, she fully revealed herself and became a Black Star knight of the Overlord Castle. But…

"I will help you."

Now, before that happened, I should first put her to my side.

I then opened my mouth.

"I can roughly guess the purpose of your coming to Calderic."

"…"

"Either to spread fame and make other survivors of your tribe reach out to you, or to get revenge on Santea. Maybe it's both… Judging by your expression, it seems to be the correct answer."

Asher's face was now full of astonishment.

It was a natural reaction, since it seemed like I could see through her inner thoughts perfectly.

The time had come to bring out the main purpose of this talk.

"If that's your purpose, then I suggest you become my escort knight."

Asher became dumbfounded for a moment.

She's probably wondering what kind of nonsense this was.

"What…"

"I will do many things from now on. So become my escort and follow me around. It will be a good opportunity to spread your reputation throughout the continent as the sword of the Seventh Lord of Calderic, as my closest aide, and as a warrior of the White Moon tribe."

"…!"

"Don't you think borrowing my name is much more effective in achieving your goals than relying on your own strength?"

It was the perfect excuse.

My suggestion would be a very effective way to achieve the goal of spreading fame as widely as possible across the continent.

Asher blinked silently.

Then she asked me again with a wary face that showed that he couldn't understand.

"Why?"

Yes, of course she would ask that.

It was an expected reaction.

To her, my proposal would feel like a one-sided courtesy for no reason.

In her mind, beings like a Lord wouldn't do this because they really needed an escort.

Of course, I really needed an escort to act as my arms and legs, but I couldn't tell her the truth.

"There is no particular reason."

I said dryly.

"If I had to explain it, it's because I understand your situation. And because your ability caught my eye by chance. That's why I was naturally interested in you."

"…"

Asher was still mixed with disbelief.

After all, I couldn't convince her with such an ambiguous answer.

A good reason, huh.

I thought hard about it for an hour before we started this conversation, but in the end I couldn't find any other good excuse.

I thought of a typical scenario of having some kind of relationship with her tribe, but it didn't feel very plausible.

What could a human being have to do with a minority race living deep in the mountains?

Also, even if I concocted a story, there was a high risk that I would be caught in that lie easily.

Because I knew little about the White Moon.

Therefore, the conclusion that came to the end was to ignore that.

For now, it was enough to make Asher accept my offer somehow.

In the first place, it was arrogance to gain trust by exposing all the other person's circumstances and secrets from the first meeting.

I could slowly build a friendly relationship with her up in time.

"You still don't have an answer. But is the reason for me doing this really that important?"

I stressed that point once again.

"I want you to become an escort knight, so that you achieve your goals more easily. That's all."

Whatever the reason, my proposal was a great opportunity for Asher.

There was no way for her now to have a better plan than borrowing the prestige of a Lord.

Asher's eyebrows narrowed. It was a sign of deep distress.

Further words would be unreasonable, so I quietly sipped my tea while waiting for an answer.

After being silent for a while, she opened her mouth.

"If you want to make me your subordinate, you can do as you wish, but why are you making such an offer and seeking my approval, for the matter?"

A Lord could do as much as they liked by taking an apprentice knight as a subordinate without their consent.

"Because I respect your wishes. Like I said, I'm not threatening you with your secret. If you have other better plan, you can decline the offer."

Even though I said that, I knew my offer was hard to refuse.

The words 'secret' and 'better plan' were subtly inserted intending to pressure her a little.

"…Last question, how did you know I belong to the White Moon tribe?"

"It's part of my abilities."

I succinctly dismissed the question.

This was a world where magic, mysteries, and many abilities existed, so it was enough to pass it like that casually.

Asher, who was looking at me with slightly dissatisfied eyes, said as if she finally decided.

"I accept the offer. I will become an escort knight for the Seventh Lord."

…Finally!

I smiled inwardly in satisfaction.

"Did you say your name is Asher? Do you have a last name?"

"…Gronhilde."

Asher hesitated before uttering her full name.

"My name is Asher Gronhilde."

Asher Gronhilde.

The only survivor of the White Moon tribe.

In the game, she served as a powerful helper for the player. And a character with the potential to become just as strong as the Lords of Calderic.

Right now, she wouldn't fully trust me and would be wary, but she would stick with me from now on, so there's plenty of time to build trust.

Anyway, with this, a reliable escort was obtained.

It was time to head to the Seventh Lord's territory.