Chapter 85

Wolves have always been a nuisance to farmers.

Even a single wolf can be too much for a human to handle.

When a large wolf attacks with murderous intent, even a strong adult man would find it difficult to fight back.

Therefore, territories plagued by wolves periodically hold hunting contests to cull them.

Baron Devosi also frequently organized wolf hunting contests.

The lord enjoyed the thrill of the hunt, knights and hunters showcased their skills and earned money, and the farmers were happy to be rid of the damn wolves; it was a joyful event for everyone.

However, Lewis had the ability to get rid of wolves without the need for a hunting contest.

It was a very appropriate skill for a small and poor territory.

"Not bad, huh?"

Ian seriously considered using Lewis.

Of course, wolf control was not a skill Ian needed.

Ian was a summoner and could project his will onto beasts.

In fact, it was even possible for Ian to command wolves directly.

Ian was thinking of the Talian territory.

The ability to control wolves could be used appropriately there.

It would be a great help to the peasants as it would allow for the removal of wolves without needing to mobilize knights and hunters.

"Alright. Belenka. Let Lewis go."

"... Understood."

Belenka reluctantly freed Lewis from his bindings, still wary of him.

But Ian was not.

As a summoner, he could feel Lewis's emotions.

There was no problem in releasing him.

It felt similar to how it was with Longtail.

Freed from his restraints, Lewis bowed respectfully.

"Thank you for trusting me, your Grace."

"Lewis of Blanche. You have sworn to follow the will of Heaven, so I consider you worthy of making a just contract with me. Do you agree?"

"I agree!"

"You were captured as my enemy, but my mercy saved your life. If we were to convert that into money..."

"It's worth a hundred imperial gold coins."

"Thank you, Belenka. He says he owes a hundred imperial gold coins. Lewis of Blanche, if you pay me a hundred imperial gold coins, you are a free man."

"Merciful one. I am grateful for your generous decision, but I have no gold."

"Then you shall earn the equivalent of a hundred gold coins to pay your debt. Do you agree to this arrangement?"

"I agree!"

Belenka made a motion as if to draw her sword.

"Should I do it?"

"I need to do it to make the master-servant contract."

Ah.

Ian tapped Lewis's shoulder with Anor-lsil.

"Lewis of Blanche. Until you have fully repaid your value, you are a knight in my service. If you break this contract, you shall suffer eternally in hell before the almighty wrath of Heaven."

"I, Lewis, swear by Heaven, I will not break this holy contract. Until my debt is paid, the wizard Ian is my master."

Thus, the master-servant contract between Ian and Lewis was completed, according to the typical doctrine of the Church of Heaven's Faith.

The witness was Belenka of Wintz.

Now, Lewis was a knight of a wizard.

"I never thought I'd see a werewolf become a knight in my lifetime."

As Belenka grumbled, Ian just shrugged.

"So what? He's a believer in the Church of Heaven's Faith."

"Well, that's true."

Actually, Belenka had no place to talk.

She too had become a knight to Ian to repay a life debt.

Then, a status window appeared before Ian.

[New Skill Acquired!]

[Summoning – Werewolf Summon]

[Call upon your knight and servant, the werewolf Lewis, to fulfill his knightly duties. Lewis will respond to your call.]

Ian whistled softly.

A werewolf was also a magical being, able to be bound by summoning magic.

Thus, Lewis was doubly bound by contract and skill.

"... I never thought I would formally serve you like this."

Lewis looked at Ian with a profound gaze.

He was a werewolf handsome enough to make furry enthusiasts lose their minds, but Ian felt no interest in him.

Ah.

A werewolf has style, that's all.

"I only thought about a magical contract... to have my debt formally acknowledged like this..."

"???"

Ian pondered for a while what that meant.

Was having a debt written in a contract really something to be happy about?

But Ian didn't know.

In this world, even getting recognition for having a debt was difficult.

It was rare to specify debts in terms of a few gold or silver coins as Ian did.

Most often, creditors exploited debtors 'until they were satisfied,' and very few could protest.

After all, those who came to collect debts were usually stronger.

At least someone had to be a knight or higher to formalize a debt into a contract.

Once a contract was finalized, even a king couldn't interfere because it was made in the name of the almighty Heaven.

Interfering would mean facing divine punishment or falling into hell.

Therefore, the weaker individuals wanted their debts precisely formalized in contracts to avoid future disputes.

"Ian, are you going to take that guy with you on your travels? It could be a hassle."

He was almost certainly going to attract trouble.

Even though he was a follower of the Church of Heaven, Lewis was a werewolf.

Someone could kill him, make it look like an accident, and easily get away with it.

"No, I'm sending him to Lucy."

"To Baron Talian?"

Ian nodded.

Wolf control was not a useful skill for Ian's travels.

It was much better to send Lewis to assist with the security of the territory.

"Lewis, I'm assigning you a mission."

"Command me, my master."

"First, take care of Devosi's dire wolves. Once you're done, head to Talian."

"To Talian, you say?"

"Yes. When you meet Baron Talian, tell her you were sent by Wizard Ian. She's a friend of mine, so serve her diligently, as you would serve me."

A werewolf like Lewis would certainly enhance Talian's lacking force.

Lewis understood the command and bowed.

"I will depart immediately."

Ian conveyed his will to Lewis using his summoning skill.

[I might call you like this occasionally. When I do, come right away.]

[Ah...! This is magic! Understood!]

There were advantages to making a monster a knight.

Following Ian's orders, Lewis took control of the dire wolves and disappeared into the forest.

Wizard Larabel and the werewolf Lewis were both disposed of.

Now, the only thing left was Catherine's son, who Ian had 'kidnapped.'

"Let's return to the castle."

"Damn."

Ian sighed briefly.

Catherine's son was nowhere to be seen.

Letting him roam free to avoid getting him killed in a fight had backfired.

"Ian. Found him."

But Belenka, who had been searching around, quickly located him.

It took her less than ten minutes to find a place where someone might hide.

"Please, just spare my life..."

He had prostrated himself before Ian could even speak.

It was both ridiculous and a bit pitiful.

Not all noble sons were brave.

Some were weak and trembled at the slightest things.

Had he been born a farmer's son, he would have been trampled on all his life.

"Come on. Everything's over now, let's go home and talk more."

Ian patted his back and headed towards the castle.

As expected, the castle was occupied by Lady Serena.

"Look! There's Lord Ian and Lady Kira!"

"It seems Lord Ian has defeated the wizard!"

"Lady Kira must have helped!"

The residents of the castle had heard about the situation from Lady Serena.

Of course, Lady Serena had hurriedly shared the information to calm things down.

Who knew how things might turn out otherwise?

But Ian had succeeded in capturing the wizard and returned to the castle triumphantly.

Heaven seemed to bless Ian too, as the dawn light bathed the castle walls in a golden glow.

"I have returned."

Lady Serena was relieved to find that Catherine's son, Carton, was alive.

Even if Carton had died, it wouldn't have been a problem, but a tender part of Lady Serena's heart still remained.

She wasn't corrupt enough to rejoice in the death of a child she had lived with like family.

"Did you succeed?"

Ian answered with a nod.

Belenka, carrying a massive pole, stood confidently before the crowd.

"Wow!"

"My God. What is that?!"

"Is that a monkey? But it's carrying a sword...!"

The creature Belenka had tied to the pole and dragged here was... a monkey assassin.

Now that Larabel had been sold off and Lewis had been recruited as a subordinate, the only monster left to blame for the chaos was the monkey assassin.

Fortunately, the monkey assassin looked grotesque enough on the outside.

"Look at its clumsy imitation of a human!"

"It's definitely an evil monster!"

Excited priests picked up stones and threw them at the monkey's corpse.

Thud, thud.

As blood and flesh splattered, the priests erupted in cheers.

"Wowww!"

"The evil monster is dead!!!"

Ian watched this scene and sighed.

What is this?

A game of bursting balloons?

Though he had tried to make it look like a wizard, the priests began desecrating the body immediately, turning all his effort and care into nothing.

But regardless, the situation had been neatly wrapped up.

"As you can see, this monster was the culprit disturbing the order of Devosi Castle."

"Oh!"

"It does look like it!"

The story that a magic-learned monkey manipulated monsters to toy with humans struck a chord with medieval hearts.

"Tell us more! Go into more detail!"

The classic confrontation between humans and monsters, between good and evil, is a universally appealing theme.

It's a fundamentally overflowing, super entertaining topic.

While modern people drowning in a flood of creative content might find the human-monster battle a familiar, repeatedly brewed broth, for the medieval fantasy folk, it was still a guaranteed box office hit.

And a wizard had chased down and fought the monster all night?

Sh*t, I'm damn curious!

People crowded around Ian like clouds, shouting.

"Part two! Release part two!"

"Tell us now!"

Ian looked at the priests throwing tantrums like crybabies, I want part two~ give us part two~, and clicked his tongue.

Tsk tsk.

They're so vulnerable to dopamine.

No wonder they seriously believe that the more peculiar a wizard is, the stronger they are.

"I'll tell you the story later. Let's first go see the Baron."

"Ah! Let's go right now!"

Ian made his way through the crowd to Baron Devosi's room.

There, Baron Devosi and Lady Catherine were lying side by side.

Ian spoke strongly in the language of Maronius.

"[Return.]"

Then, the Baron and his wife simultaneously spat something out.

"Haah!"

"What the...!"

It was a white worm-like creature that resembled a centipede.

A monster cultivated by Wizard Larabel, it was a type that sucked the life force from its host.

Ian frowned.

No wonder they couldn't find anything.

The 'disease' that had been tormenting the Baron was a large parasite, not some mysterious magic or germ.

In modern times, an MRI, or heck, even an X-ray would have revealed its identity.

It was the first time Ian had seen this method of implanting parasites in a human body.

Had he known about it, he might have thought of it, but this time he hadn't known to look for it.

Having taken control of the summons from Larabel, Ian easily eradicated the parasitic worms.

"These creatures were the culprits tormenting the Baron."

"Ah..."

Lady Serena collapsed with a sigh, tears flowing despite the many onlookers.

The maids, instead of stopping her, joined her in her tears.

Ian decided to let Lady Serena cry as much as she needed.

Just as Ian was about to leave the room, Lady Serena grabbed him.

"...Thank you. How can I ever repay this kindness..."

Ian shrugged.

He didn't know, nor did he want to know the psyche of a lady thrown into a hostile environment after her husband fell ill from an unknown cause.

"Don't mention it."

But Ian felt good, having uncovered many mysteries and secrets.