The Third Son of a Medieval Knight Family Chapter 17 - Knight of the Principality (3)

“…My attendant told me that you might be a witch.”

Viktor spoke in a low voice, his hand resting on the pommel of his sword.

The old woman before him simply continued to grin despite the intense pressure emanating from Viktor, seemingly unfazed.

Her stature was so small it barely matched that of a large child, though it didn’t appear to be from a hunched back.

A dark hood wrapped tightly around her body, but the two hands protruding from it were disproportionately large for her frame, creating an unsettling impression.

The old woman examined Viktor from head to toe before speaking.

“A witch… Knight, did you know that witches deeply despise being called witches?”

“No, I’m hearing this for the first time. I’ve never been particularly interested in such matters.”

“Is that so? It’s rare to find someone in these lands who isn’t intrigued by tales of witches… hehe.”

“I’ve no patience for further diversions. Are you truly a witch?”

When Viktor’s face hardened, the pressure emanating from the knight’s body intensified.

The old woman continued smiling as she answered.

“I apologize. It’s simply my manner of speaking… Yes, arrogant knight. My name is Frizba. As you can see, I’m also the owner of this land.”

“Fine, Frizba. But I still don’t believe I’ve received an answer to my question.”

“Young knight, believe what you wish to believe. If you truly think I’m a witch, then so be it. Isn’t that what you followers of the Light God do best?”

There was a sharp edge to the old woman’s words.

Viktor nodded.

“Very well. If that’s how you wish to speak, I’ll simply consider you a witch for convenience’s sake.”

“…You’re not angry?”

For Frizba, who had lived for many years, the knight’s reaction was completely unexpected.

Typically, young, skilled, and arrogant knights would fly into a rage at the mere suggestion of a non-believer speaking casually about their god.

But Viktor showed no particular anger.

Inwardly, he was simply thinking that his childhood theory might have been correct after hearing the old woman’s words.

“I am Viktor of House Kobarov, Frizba. And I’m sorry, but whether you’re a witch or a demon makes no difference to me.”

“Oh? What do you mean?”

The old woman gazed at this strange knight.

His expression, hard as steel, seemed to reflect his unyielding soul.

Viktor spoke with a resolute face.

“Since you manipulated my attendant’s horse without permission and caused it to be injured, I demand appropriate compensation. Furthermore, you attacked us with a snake, so I require compensation for that as well.”

“…”

The old woman couldn’t help but stare at Viktor with astonishment at his unexpected words.

What was this imposing knight saying with that terrifyingly stern face?

Viktor, noticing Frizba’s reaction, frowned slightly and continued in an even colder voice.

“I don’t believe my request is unreasonable. Surely you don’t intend to launch an ambush and then refuse to provide any compensation?”

“Wait, wait…”

The old woman waved her large hands, interrupting Viktor’s words.

Then she continued to stare at him with a bewildered expression.

“Knight, are you not curious about my true identity, or why I am the owner of this land?”

“I have no interest in such matters. Didn’t you tell me to believe what I wish? However, you must pay for luring me here.”

Viktor genuinely didn’t care whether the being before him was a witch or not.

While it might have been important to Lukovich, Viktor’s true concern was receiving compensation for delaying their journey, manipulating the horse (though strictly speaking, he was the one who struck the horse), and using a snake to attack them.

The old woman gazed intently into Viktor’s eyes.

And she realized.

He truly had no interest in who she was!

Frizba suddenly couldn’t suppress her laughter and began to chuckle.

“Hehehe…”

Though Frizba prided herself on having lived for many years, she had never encountered a knight like this.

Knights from the west generally fell into two categories:

Those intoxicated by faith, or those consumed by greed.

They either wanted to defeat her to elevate the name of the Light God, or they were blinded by glory and rewards. Either way, they shared a common desire to kill her.

But the knight before her was different.

He didn’t care if she was a witch or not!

Whether she was a heretic, why she occupied principality land—none of that mattered to him!

He only wanted proper compensation for the damages he suffered!

‘Truly… it’s been a long time since I’ve met someone like this.’

Frizba, the great witch of the north, the prophetess, began to smile with appreciation at this western knight who, perhaps for the first time, wasn’t fixated on her being a witch.

****

‘Should I kill her now…?’

As Frizba smiled strangely at him, Viktor was contemplating whether to draw his curved sword immediately.

Whether the old woman before him was a witch or not, there was no doubt she possessed considerable abilities.

Perhaps that bizarre smile was a sign she was about to use some secret technique.

‘I should attack first.’

Just as Viktor was preparing to charge and draw his sword—

“Very well, I understand. Of course it’s right to provide compensation for the damages you’ve suffered.”

Frizba, looking satisfied, rubbed her hands together and continued.

“Knight, before you extract compensation from me, I’d like to clear up a few misunderstandings. Would you listen to me for a moment?”

Viktor relaxed his awkward stance and nodded.

“Misunderstandings… Are there any between us?”

“Yes, there are. Please hear me out… Hmm? What’s wrong?”

When Frizba tilted her head at Viktor’s posture, he quickly straightened himself as if nothing had happened.

“Hmm… first, I want to make this clear. I had no intention whatsoever of ambushing you.”

“Do you expect me to believe that? If I hadn’t killed that snake, it would have bitten my attendant to death.”

As she attempted to evade responsibility from the start, Viktor’s expression grew colder.

“You were the ones who trespassed on my land in the first place. That poor snake was merely trying to repel intruders.”

“Why is this your land? Did the Grand Prince grant you a vassal contract?”

When Viktor snapped at her, Frizba shook her head and replied.

“Well… the principality claims this land is theirs, but is it really? Is there a village of principality citizens here, or a fortress guarded by principality soldiers? I don’t understand when this vast forest became the property of mere humans.”

Viktor looked at Frizba as if she were ridiculous.

Her words seemed reasonable on the surface, but reality was different.

Rights weren’t granted in such a manner.

Kings, grand princes, and numerous nobles didn’t engage in battles over legitimacy just to gain an extra span of land for nothing.

Strictly speaking, unowned land didn’t exist.

From the time land rights were first established, boundaries were defined by rivers, mountain ranges, and so on, and all land within those boundaries was customarily owned by the ruler.

Otherwise, nobles wouldn’t need to go through the trouble of fighting.

The notion that one could pioneer an uninhabited area, actually live there, and claim it as one’s own was a typical misconception of commoners.

Even with such efforts, the customary owner of the land would eventually appear and take everything, resulting in a waste of time and money.

As if reading Viktor’s gaze, Frizba smiled.

“Hehe, the standards of your western nobles don’t apply to me. When the principality imposes its laws on the steppe tribes, do they readily comply? Each land has its own laws.”

Viktor was surprised by her unexpectedly logical response.

‘Strange… I thought she’d be clueless about reality, isolated in these mountains, but she speaks like a royal secretary.’

“And the land around here is even more exceptional. This is a place humans cannot approach.”

“…What are you saying? Are my attendant and I not human?”

“I’ve placed totems around this area. Did you perhaps notice pillars that look like this as you entered?”

Frizba pointed to the pillars supporting her hut.

Looking at the pillars that resembled chicken legs, Viktor shook his head.

“I don’t believe I saw any.”

“I see. I’ve placed thirteen such pillars throughout this forest. They possess the power to prevent people from approaching here, even if they get lost nearby.”

It sounded absurd, but she had already demonstrated her ability to control animals.

“Indeed, is that the power of a witch?”

“…Hmm, I did say you could call me whatever you like, but it’s not particularly pleasant. Well, I suppose it can’t be helped.”

Frizba frowned slightly before continuing.

“But knight, Viktor, you managed to enter this mountain despite my enchantments. Do you understand what this means?”

“…I don’t know, coincidence perhaps?”

“There are no coincidences in this world, young knight. Just as you were destined to come here. Just as my poor young snake died instantly at your hands. Fate often arrives in ways that aren’t easily recognized.”

“…”

“Knight. You possess a soul more powerful than you realize. A strong soul’s power naturally dispels mysteries and enchantments. The power within my totems wasn’t enough to halt your steps.”

Viktor looked at Frizba.

Her eyes seemed to burn brightly, as if containing flames.

‘Eyes are windows that reflect the power of the soul. Truly an extraordinary knight.’

Frizba wondered what this knight was thinking.

‘She’s talking like a con artist. People’s mouths get particularly loose when they’re trying to swindle money.’

Had she known what Viktor was thinking, she might have been so offended that her goodwill would have turned to anger.

But Viktor chose not to reveal his thoughts.

He had decided to hear her out completely.

“So? Are you saying that because I ignored the power of your totems, it wasn’t wrong for the snake to attack me?”

“No, no. I simply wanted to clarify the situation. Just as you didn’t intentionally enter my forest, my snake didn’t attack you with malicious intent. When I sensed that my patrolling snake had died and someone had entered, I merely came to investigate.”

“I see, I understand now.”

Viktor nodded.

Hearing her explanation, the circumstances finally made sense to him.

Frizba smiled with satisfaction.

Now the knight would understand that she hadn’t deliberately tried to capture him.

‘Having cleared up our misunderstandings, we can now have a more constructive conversation.’

As the witch looked at the knight with goodwill in her eyes, he opened his mouth.

“Now that I understand, hand over the compensation.”

“…?”

“Even if it wasn’t your fault, what’s done cannot be undone. I won’t forgive you if you try to weasel out of it.”

The witch’s face, which had been expecting some heroic words worthy of an epic, went blank.

“But… I was planning to compensate you…”

“Then why speak at such length? It makes you even more suspicious.”

“I’m serious…”

When Viktor’s face turned grim, the old woman shook her head in bewilderment.