Chapter Eleven: The Order of Rema Knights

“Lord, those two behind us have been following us for three days now. No matter how fast we go, they go fast; no matter how slow we go, they go slow. Isn’t this too obvious?” Under Komer’s insistence, Fran finally gave up using the humiliating title “my lord” and switched to a more neutral term—“Lord.” This annoyed Komer somewhat. A lord from the Caucasus, just a minor baron, deserved to be called “lord,” but he didn’t refuse.
“It’s fine. Let them follow. Haven’t they been doing this for the past two or three months?” Komer remained expressionless, appearing indifferent.
“Uh, two or three months? What are these guys doing? Why are they staring at you?” Eirot asked, puzzled. “Could it really be Duke Philip…?”
“Heh, Eirot, you’re thinking too much. How could the duke resort to such childish tactics? If he really wanted to deal with us, it would be effortless for him. Why use such methods?” As his sturdy horse walked steadily along the road, Komer took a deep breath. The fresh air from the Bosen Plain, a granary region, seemed filled with the scent of bread, giving it a sense of familiarity. “Do you remember what happened at the Rose Lounge? It was those people!”
“Ah? The Order of Rema Knights? Why? Boss, what have you done to provoke them?” Eirot couldn’t help but exclaim in shock. If it were indeed the Order of Rema Knights, following Komer for two or three months was utterly unbelievable. How could the famous Order of Rema keep pestering him? “Komer, have you relapsed in your old habits and ruined some nobleman’s daughter’s chastity?”
A lewd smile appeared on Eirot’s face. Such a smile was particularly jarring on a tall, muscular man dressed in full knightly armor. Even Eirot’s otherwise broad horse-like face seemed to become vile in an instant.

“Enough, Eilot, stop talking nonsense. The Rema Knights like me—that’s their freedom. In this world, the strong always have certain privileges. Fine, let them follow us. It won’t be long before we pass through the Greenland Great Forest. I believe that when we encounter difficulties, the knights dedicated to helping others will surely uphold the great knightly spirit, and they will become our greatest strength.” Komer still appeared utterly relaxed, as if any danger or trouble seemed extremely simple to him. His calm composure impressed Puber and Eilot greatly. But if they had known that this seemingly carefree leader was actually filled with anxiety, they might not have thought so.

Rema Knights? Fran, who had been following the three of them, was stunned. He never expected his lord to have connections with the renowned Rema Knight Order across the continent, and it seemed the two parties weren’t on good terms either. His master really knew how to get into trouble—first, he got involved with the lord of the Homer region, then was exiled to the dreaded Caucasus, and now he had drawn the attention of one of the three major knight orders of the Light Church, the Rema Knights, with someone even sent to keep an eye on him. Truly, a “strong” man! Fran could only smile bitterly inwardly. The two behind him certainly weren’t fit to be scouts, and they didn’t seem to want to hide their movements either. Their proud heads remained fixed straight ahead, in a typical knightly posture that Fran found contemptible. Since they were there to spy, it would be better to just greet them openly. That way, they could travel together and have someone to talk to.

“Baoling, go invite those two behind us over. Anyway, our destination is the Caucasus. Why not have them join us? That way, we can keep each other company, and we can also chat along the way to pass the time.” Komer spoke cheerfully, as if he had read Fran’s thoughts. Perhaps this would make the journey more relaxed and interesting. Since they were coming anyway, it would be better to give them more opportunities to get to know him, so he could also figure out their motives for persistently targeting him. In truth, Komer already realized the severity of the trouble caused by the corpse in histhe bag of heaven and earth bag. But the more so, the more he desired it—only something that caught the Rema Knights’ attention could truly demonstrate its value.

When the seemingly honest young man politely invited the two who had been lingering a mile away to join their group, they were both somewhat puzzled. In their view, since it was the group leader who had identified them as suspects, those two must surely be trying to avoid them as much as possible. As the group leader had said before leaving, as long as they stayed vigilant, the fox would eventually show its tail. Yet they never expected the fox to take the initiative to invite them to join them on the journey—this was an obvious display of contempt for them.

The two knights exchanged glances and nodded. Since the mask had been lifted, there was no need to maintain that superficial pretense any longer. They had long been annoyed by such secretive behavior. So, why not go a step further and see who these people really were?

When Comer, who had been smiling the whole time, sensed the arrival of the two knights, he couldn’t help but feel a chill. The innate sacred aura around them exerted a certain restraining effect on the dark spirits hidden deep within his own body. This so-called “sacred light” made Comer feel uneasy. Of course, that didn’t mean they could truly subdue him, but the incompatible nature of their energies made Comer even more cautious. Such subtle feelings from deep within the soul were easiest to perceive. Clearly, these two were not like the two powerful individuals he had encountered at the Rose Tavern. If it had been them, Comer might not have had the courage to stay with them for long.

“Good day, my friend and I are heading to the Caucasus in the south. The journey is long and arduous. It seems you two are also on a long trip. I wonder if you’re also heading south. If we’re going the same way, why not travel together? It would be safer for us all. What do you think?”

With such a polite invitation, the two wary knights found it hard to believe that these were the people they had been monitoring. Was this a provocation or genuine ignorance? After a brief thought, the lead knight accepted Comer’s invitation—or rather, challenge: “Very good. We originally planned to travel to the south anyway. It’s an honor to receive an invitation from the baron. I am SirGreen of the Light Church’s Rema Knight Order, and this is my companion, Sir Mare.”

They too could sense the aura emanating from the people around them, but the two knights paid it no mind. The burly man, though full of fighting spirit, clearly appeared very weak, as if he had suffered some severe injury and had not yet recovered. The young man, although standing there with armor and a sword, was clearly only at the level of an ordinary warrior, far from having the strength to challenge them. It was the burly man with a horse-like face, who had once confronted Lord Douglas in the Rose Tavern, whose killing intent made the two of them not dare underestimate him—his strength could be imagined from his ability to stand toe-to-toe with Lord Douglas. His sharp gaze swept coldly over Comer and Ilot. The knight who had remained silent kept his lips tightly closed, yet his square face always carried an air of disdain, whether intentionally or not.

“Heh, so you’re strongmen from the Church of Light. It’s hard to believe you’re knights of the Rema Knights Order. Back in Cyprus City, we once met your commander, Kent, and Mr. Douglas. Though we didn’t get along well, we’re still old acquaintances. I wonder if you were there at that time?” Comer seemed intent on bringing up those unpleasant memories to provoke them. “Knights, instead of fighting demons in Marco’s domain, you find the time to travel to our remote lands in Cyprus. How leisurely of you.”

“Heh, Baron, as knights of the Church of Light, traveling is also a form of cultivation. Besides, those remote places might still harbor monsters that harm humanity. Perhaps they’re deceiving people under the guise of kindness or nobility—we need to expose and eliminate them.” With a gentle wave, he stopped his companion, who was on the verge of exploding. The kind smile on the leading knight’s face was extremely glaring in Comer’s eyes. His subtle counterattack left no room for hesitation, forcing Comer to consider the other man’s true intentions. “Of course, if the Baron thinks our identities pose a threat to you, we certainly won’t bother you further.”

“Heh, not at all. I welcome you wholeheartedly. With two Rema Knights as escorts, I’m sure the journey south will go much more smoothly.” A cold smile appeared on Comer’s lips as he agreed generously.