Chapter 16: Hamus
Stone bricks stretched from the city gate all the way to the end of his vision. The walls of Iron Fortress Territory towered high, flags fluttering in the wind.
Hamus urged his exhausted horse, inching closer to the giant city that symbolized order and safety.
The guards at the gate stopped him.
"Halt! State your identity!"
The guard's tone carried the laziness of routine procedure.
"Hamus. Squire under Sir Kyle."
The guard looked Hamus up and down.
"With that outfit, did you go wrestling with wild boars in the mud?"
Hamus didn't answer, merely looking at the guard with empty eyes.
Another guard walked over and patted his companion on the shoulder.
"Alright, it's real. I know him. Probably the mission didn't go smoothly. Let him in, don't cause trouble."
The first guard shrugged and waved him through.
Hamus passed through the heavy city gates, and the clamor of Iron Fortress flooded his ears.
On both sides of the street, the shouts of vendors rose and fell.
Cling-clang sounds of hammering came from the smithy, and enticing aromas wafted from the bakery's chimney.
A group of children chased and played in the alley, waving wooden sticks and shouting.
"I am an Imperial Knight! I will definitely slay you, Demon King!"
"You're the Demon King! Eat my Dark Magic!"
Hamus stopped, watching the child playing the Knight "pierce" the chest of the child playing the Demon King with a wooden sword.
The child playing the Demon King fell to the ground dramatically, and then both children laughed together.
Hamus's hand involuntarily tightened around his sword hilt. The image of that Skeleton Cavalry lingered in his mind.
What he saw wasn't a game, but the approaching reality.
This city, this laughter, was all built on a false peace.
He didn't linger any longer. Leading his horse, he walked straight toward the Lord's Mansion in the city center.
The Lord's Mansion was like an independent fortress. The stone walls were higher, the guards' armor was finer, and their gazes were more vigilant.
"Squire Hamus. I have urgent military intelligence to report to Viscount Andrew."
Hamus said to the guard at the door. He deliberately straightened his back, trying to look less wretched.
The guard scrutinized him for a moment. After confirming his identity, one guard turned to go inside and report.
The wait wasn't long. Hamus was led into a spacious room.
Thick carpets covered the floor, and taxidermied heads of fierce beasts and exquisite paintings hung on the walls.
A faint fragrance of incense permeated the air, completely at odds with the smell on Hamus.
A middle-aged man in luxurious clothes sat behind a huge oak desk.
He was the actual ruler of Iron Fortress Territory, a vassal of Count Barton—Viscount Andrew.
"Is the mission complete?"
Viscount Andrew didn't even look up, his finger sliding across a document.
"Why didn't Kyle come to report to me? He understands the rules less and less."
Hamus knelt on one knee and lowered his head.
"Respected Viscount Andrew, the mission... was successful. Bone Village has been cleared."
"Oh?"
Andrew finally looked up, his gaze landing on Hamus, brows slightly furrowed.
"Then why do you look like this? Where is Kyle?"
"Baron Kyle... died in the line of duty."
Hamus struggled to spit out these words.
"In the Bone Forest, we encountered the Undead Scourge."
The air in the room instantly solidified.
"Undead Scourge?"
Viscount Andrew leaned forward slightly, his gaze sharpening.
"Hamus, you know the weight of that term. Speak clearly."
"Countless ranked undead, and... multiple Tier 3 undead."
With every word Hamus spoke, he felt his courage draining away.
"Baron Kyle and the other two squires all died in battle."
Viscount Andrew fell silent. He tapped his finger rhythmically on the desk, making a dull sound. Thud, thud.
Only this monotonous sound and Hamus's heavy breathing remained in the room.
"You'd better not be lying to me."
Andrew's voice was calm, but beneath the calm lay immense pressure.
"Fabricating such a lie to shirk responsibility for a failed mission... you know the consequences."
"Every word I said is true, My Lord! I saw it with my own eyes!"
Hamus raised his head agitatedly.
"Those weren't ordinary undead. They had organization, discipline, like an army! They even set ambushes in the forest."
Viscount Andrew stared into Hamus's eyes for a long time, seeming to judge the truth of his words.
"Hal!"
He suddenly shouted.
From the shadows on the side of the room, a middle-aged man in a butler's outfit with impeccably combed hair walked out silently.
"Master."
"Notify the Adventurer's Guild."
Andrew spoke quickly, his orders clear.
"Issue a subjugation quest for the Bone Forest. Target: all undead in the area."
"Quest rank... set it as Silver Rank Reconnaissance first. Let them send people to figure out the situation."
"Mark it with high priority: need to investigate the existence of undead individuals at Tier 2 and above."
"Yes."
Hal bowed slightly.
"Also, send a squad of territory guards to Bone Village... no, to the edge of the Bone Forest."
Andrew corrected himself.
"To search for Kyle's belongings. His sword, or family crest. Anything that can prove his identity."
"If alive, I want the person; if dead, I want the corpse. If you can't find him, bring back some scorched wood and broken armor."
"Understood."
"Finally."
Andrew looked at Hamus, his eyes devoid of any warmth.
"Spread that story. Say that Knight Kyle, in order to protect the people of the territory, heroically crusaded against the butchers of the Theocracy in Bone Village and unfortunately sacrificed himself in the fierce battle."
"Let the bards weave the story a bit nicer. After all, it's the Count's mission; put some heart into it, don't half-ass it."
"As you command, Master."
Hal bowed again, then silently retreated into the shadows just as he had appeared.
Only Andrew and Hamus were left in the room again.
Viscount Andrew took a small metal badge from a drawer and tossed it casually onto the desk.
The badge slid across the surface and stopped in front of Hamus.
"This is what I promised you. Honorary Knight."
Andrew leaned back in his chair, resuming his lazy posture.
"No land, no salary. But this title is enough for you to brag about in taverns for a lifetime, and make those commoner girls look at you differently."
He glanced at Hamus, making no effort to hide the disdain in his eyes.
"You may leave. The smell on you is overpowering my incense."
Hamus stood up silently, picked up the cold badge, and clenched it tightly in his palm.
He didn't say another word, simply bowed, turned, and exited the room.
Walking out of the Lord's Mansion, the sunlight outside was a bit blinding.
Hamus opened his palm, looking at the badge symbolizing "Honor," but felt no joy in his heart.
This badge was bought with the lives of the entire village, and with his shattered courage.
He returned to his home in the commoner district, a small, somewhat dilapidated two-story wooden house.
Pushing open the door, the aroma of food wafted out.
"You're back?"
A gentle female voice came from the kitchen.
"Hungry, right? Dinner will be ready soon."
Hamus stood in the entryway, not responding.
The sounds in the kitchen stopped.
Moments later, a young woman wearing an apron walked out, still holding a kitchen knife.
When she saw it was Hamus standing at the door, her tense body relaxed, and she put down the knife.
She looked at the filth covering Hamus and the exhaustion on his face, asking nothing.
She simply walked up silently, opened her arms, and gently hugged him, one hand slowly stroking his back.
"It's good that you're back. It's good that you're back."
Hamus couldn't hold it together anymore. He buried his head in the woman's shoulder, his body trembling violently.
The fear and despair suppressed for so long turned into silent tears, soaking the woman's clothes.
The two embraced like this until a burnt smell drifted from the kitchen.
"Ah, the food is burning."
The woman named Lilia exclaimed softly and let go of Hamus.
Hamus snapped out of it too, quickly wiping his tears to join Lilia in the kitchen.
They hurriedly dealt with the mass in the pot that was no longer recognizable.
"Lilia."
Hamus spoke in a low voice while cleaning up the mess.
"If I told you that an army of undead will soon trample Iron Fortress flat, would you leave with me?"
Lilia's movements didn't stop, but her tone was serious as never before.
"I believe every word you say, Hamus."
"But you know, I cannot leave Iron Fortress."
Hamus stopped what he was doing and looked at Lilia in confusion.
"Why?"
A trace of sadness appeared in Lilia's eyes.
"I promised my father."
"Before he died, I promised him I would marry a Knight of Iron Fortress."
"Someone who can protect this city. My home is here, and my memories are here too."
Hamus fell silent.
He opened his hand. The Honorary Knight badge in his palm reflected a faint light under the kitchen lamp.
"Can the current me... also be called a Knight?"
Hamus gripped the badge tightly, the metal edge digging painfully into his palm.
Lilia sensed the dejection in his tone. She turned around.
Looking at Hamus gently, she kissed him lightly.
"Of course, Hamus. You have always been my Knight."
Hamus spoke no more, silently cleaning up the burnt food.
Starting over to fix this late dinner.