The Third Son of a Medieval Knight Family – Chapter 75 – Knight of Ascension (10)

Author: Dawn

Tumen desperately lowered his head.

Warrior’s pride? The wretchedness of begging for his life from a principality knight who was practically his enemy?

Such things didn’t matter at all.

Tumen wanted to live.

Hadn’t his own tribe taught him as much from the beginning?

Even if he had to endure disgrace, the one who survived until the end was the winner.

His instincts were speaking clearly.

Perhaps this might be his last chance.

This knight was different from other principality bastards.

This peculiarly unprejudiced knight who was looking at him with an eerily calm gaze even now—perhaps he wouldn’t just spare his life, but might even open new horizons beyond that!

Half unconsciously reaching this thought, Tumen shouted even louder.

“Please! I will devote my absolute loyalty!!”

‘Oh…’

Viktor looked down at Tumen with incredulous eyes.

Seeing how this fellow who had been consistently arrogant until now had suddenly changed to such a humble attitude made him almost admire it.

Viktor quietly fell into thought without saying anything particular.

‘Is there any reason to take Tumen with me?’

Honestly speaking, he could understand why he was begging so desperately.

Probably because he expected he’d surely die if left behind in the castle.

And Viktor thought the same way.

‘But I wasn’t particularly concerned about it…’

After all, hadn’t they met as enemies on the battlefield?

It was true that after being imprisoned, and especially after Viktor had even treated his wounds, he had started acting strangely friendly, but from Viktor’s perspective, Tumen was just someone he didn’t much care whether he lived or died.

When you got down to it, the reason he had received treatment was also because of wounds he’d suffered while being tortured by Viktor.

If anything, he was definitely closer to being an enemy.

The witch was the same.

Regardless of how obediently she had been acting since being captured, the witch named Alisa had not only directly targeted the castle’s nobles with sorcery, but had also unleashed it wildly on the battlefield, nearly causing massive casualties.

If Viktor hadn’t been there, her sorcery would have worked lethally against the principality forces.

Considering how witches were normally treated in the principality, it wouldn’t be strange at all if her head was cut off and hung from the castle walls right now.

And even if that happened, there was no reason whatsoever for Viktor, who had been wounded by the witch’s sorcery, to protect her.

Viktor’s thoughts began to lean increasingly to one side.

‘Taking them along wouldn’t hurt, but… is it really worth taking them along?’

Just as he was about to make up his mind.

Sensing the mood, Tumen began beating his head against the floor while shouting.

“Lord Viktor! I am useful! I will surely be helpful when dealing with the steppe tribes in the future!”

Watching Tumen continue to beat his head, not caring that blood was flowing from his forehead, Viktor waved his hand with slight disgust.

“I’ll listen even if you speak normally, so stop beating your head… By the way, Tumen, why are you acting so disgustingly when you usually behave normally?”

“No! How could I dare act rudely toward my life’s benefactor! I’m sorry for being so arrogant until now! I was a madman!”

Though he was a barbarian, Tumen answered as eloquently as any scribe while clasping his hands together desperately.

His appearance was so pitiful that even Alisa, who had been watching blankly, momentarily wondered if he had always been thinking this way.

‘…That can’t be. No, does he have no backbone? To struggle so disgracefully like this…? Really… quite admirable!’

Alisa looked at Viktor as if she had realized something.

The knight was quietly nodding while listening to Tumen’s pitifully servile cries.

‘Right… that knight seemed somewhat reasonable to talk to. I need to push as hard as I can here. If I just stay quiet and get abandoned like this, it’ll really be the end!’

Alisa shakily got up and grabbed the bars, stretching her body.

Then she lightly cleared her throat and carefully opened her mouth.

“Um… Sir Knight, I too… if you would just spare my life, I will surely repay the debt!”

When Viktor glanced back at her, Alisa was terrified but endured while trembling violently.

“…”

Under the knight’s gaze that stared at her silently without saying anything, the witch’s eyes shook madly.

She felt like Viktor might immediately issue a stern command like “Presumptuous, for a witch to beg for her life? Fine, if you don’t float when thrown in the river, I’ll spare you!”

Just as Alisa was about to bow her head, unable to endure it any longer.

“How do you plan to repay this debt?”

“Ah…! Well, that is…”

“From what I know, witches don’t have money. Alisa, I don’t think you’ll be able to pay a ransom?”

Viktor wasn’t angry at all.

From beginning to end, he maintained a mysteriously calm and composed demeanor.

Completely different from principality people who found them so disgusting they wouldn’t even want to exchange words with barbarians or witches.

It felt like having a conversation with someone from a completely different country, and while Alisa was seized by this strange feeling, she desperately opened her mouth.

“Th-that’s right, I definitely don’t have any money! But if you would just take me out of this castle… I’ll help your great undertaking with my sorcery!”

“What makes you think you know what I’ll be doing in the future?”

At Viktor’s counter-question, the witch broke into cold sweat but boldly shouted.

“Aren’t you going to deal with the barbarians as that fellow said? If so, my sorcery will surely be useful to you!”

Viktor quietly stroked his chin at Alisa’s words.

Certainly when he thought about it, her sorcery had been quite destructive.

If he could use it at the right time on the battlefield, it could be a great help.

‘But…’

Viktor asked with pure curiosity.

“But Alisa, from what little I know, such power isn’t something that can be used carelessly, is it? Even Frizba, who you said taught you, couldn’t show such powerful sorcery.”

At his words, Alisa nodded with a confident expression.

It was easier to talk with someone who knew even a little about witches.

“Don’t worry about that! My sorcery is from a different school than Lady Frizba’s. Originally I can’t perform such grand sorcery with my pure power alone, but… I’m a praying witch.”

Alisa caught her breath, then stretched both hands upward with her ashen eyes gleaming.

“If I can offer appropriate sacrifices, I can perform even greater sorcery!”

“Oh…”

When Viktor made an intrigued expression, a hint of triumph appeared on Alisa’s face.

As expected, this knight was different from other knights.

If it had been the ordinary other principality knights she had heard about and seen, the moment she mentioned sorcery and sacrifices, they would have smashed her head with a hammer, calling her a wicked heathen.

But he seemed quite far from being what you’d call devout, and was listening to her words with apparent interest.

Feeling pleased, she smiled inwardly.

‘If it’s a knight who knows about witches, he’ll have no choice but to recognize my value. Tumen, sorry, but it looks like I’ll be able to get out of here? Hehe…’

Looking at her laughing triumphantly, so different from her earlier soulless appearance, Viktor opened his mouth.

“Alisa, you wouldn’t use humans as sacrifices, would you?”

“…Wh-what? Of course not…! My spirit dislikes offerings of human sacrifices?”

Startled, Alisa stammered and avoided Viktor’s eyes.

It was true that her spirit didn’t prefer human sacrifice, but hadn’t she offered plenty of principality prisoners just recently when using sorcery?

‘Surely… he didn’t find out?’

Alisa’s pupils shook wildly.

If it became known that she had used people as sacrifices, even the knight before her who didn’t seem particularly devout would absolutely never want to take her along.

No, rather, she might be immediately seized as an evil witch and sent to the church, which wouldn’t be strange at all.

The witch’s body trembled.

The horror stories she had heard countless times from her predecessors made her tremble with fear.

-If you get caught by the principality’s inquisitors… it might be better to just bite your tongue and die.

-They’re so vicious… Alisa, listen well. It might be better to live as a Leshy’s wife than be caught by those bastards, understand? You must never carelessly show yourself before them, got it?

‘Damn… cursed wolf bastard! If not for him, I wouldn’t be so anxious…!’

At her answer, Viktor quietly nodded.

“Good, that’s fortunate. If you were a witch who used people as sacrifices, it would be better to kill you here.”

“…Of course, naturally. Hohoho, hoho…”

“Well, fine. Then until when do you plan to repay this debt?”

“Wh-what?”

Viktor stared at her intently.

“Surely you’re not planning to call it even after using sorcery once… I asked until when you plan to repay the debt.”

“Th-that would be until you accomplish your great undertaking, wouldn’t it, Sir Knight? I’m not such a shameless person! You saved my life… naturally it should be that way!”

‘One or two years should be more than enough.’

While licking her lips, Alisa thought she could serve that long.

Though it would be a waste of time to be tied up somewhere, thinking of it as the price of her life, she could easily sacrifice one or two years.

At her words, Viktor replied.

“Good, then swear an oath.”

“Wh-what?”

“I don’t know what you mean by great undertaking, but swear to your spirit that you’ll serve me and lend your strength until what I want to do is finished.”

‘…Is he really a principality knight? Not even asking me to swear before their god… what kind of person is this?’

The more Alisa learned about the knight before her, the more confused she became, but it wasn’t a bad feeling.

Once she swore before her own spirit, she would have to do her best to keep that content, but somehow she felt this knight might be alright.

“Fine, I’ll swear the oath. I, Alisa, will faithfully become the knight’s devoted servant and offer the power I possess until the knight’s desired work is completed.”

“Mm.”

Viktor nodded with satisfaction.

Her sorcery had certainly been threatening even to him.

Though taking her along would draw people’s gazes and be somewhat troublesome, she would be more useful on the battlefield than that.

‘Since it’s come to this, I should work her as much as I can while I can.’

It would be better for her to struggle on the battlefield with him than to remain in the castle and lose her life.

As the two looked at each other, one with a smile of relief and the other with a satisfied smile at having acquired a decent battle slave, an urgent voice came from behind.

“L-Lord Viktor! I’ll swear an oath too! I’ll swear too! Don’t abandon me! Please take me along too!”

“…”

‘Well, unless I plan to kill all the barbarians… to properly subjugate them, Tumen might be helpful.’

Viktor turned his head with reluctance.

Tumen was sobbing while grasping his own horns with both hands.

It was quite a pathetic expression, different from his first impression.

‘He may look like that, but he’s still the Grand Chief’s son… there should be ways to use him. He’s smart even if he’s simple.’

As Viktor remained quietly silent, Tumen’s voice only grew louder.

“Please, please say something, Lord Viktor! You won’t abandon me, right? Right?!”

‘A barbarian and a witch… His Excellency the Count or Father Anton might have something to say.’

“Lord Viktor!! No, really! I’m useful! I’m really useful!! Waaah… if you don’t want to take me, at least sell me somewhere, really…!”

‘If I put him next to Lukovich and say he’s a slave… mm, that wouldn’t be bad. I can afford to feed just two people now.’