Chapter 23. Human Outbreak Period

When Radel suggested they walk to Marcellent, Gusto was puzzled.

“Why are you trying to walk?”

“For training.”

Hearing that, Gusto nodded.

“I understand.”

Without asking further, Gusto headed for the city gate with Radel.

Although Gusto was an apprentice, a holy knight was a holy knight.

The greatest virtue of a holy knight was faith.

Was it when he decided to leave for the academy? Or when he confessed his sins to Radel?

At some point, he had come to believe in Radel very strongly, and that belief did not waver in any situation.

'To deliberately take the long way around, leaving the easy path. He doesn't take even the journey to the academy lightly.'

Gusto came to his own understanding and moved.

Radel, who had expected Gusto to ask more questions, was left feeling awkward.

"I thought you would ask more."

"What do you mean?"

"Because it's usually considered strange to suddenly suggest walking when there's a gate stone, right?"

Gusto answered with an expressionless face.

"You do not need to explain to me, Your Highness. I do not doubt you."

'Wow.'

So this is what a holy knight is like.

It was when Radel was indirectly experiencing 'what a true holy knight is' through Gusto. The gatekeepers guarding the city gate spotted them and stopped them.

"Halt!"

It seemed they couldn't just pass through.

They naturally check people coming in, but it seemed they were quite strict with those going out as well.

The gatekeepers, seeing the two teenagers who appeared to be in their teens trying to pass through the gate without any fear, immediately started to lecture them.

"It's dangerous now because it's the monster outbreak period. Where is your guardian?"

"Don't tell me you're trying to go out without an escort? Or...!"

One of the gatekeepers recognized Radel and was startled. To be precise, he seemed to have recognized he was a royal because of Radel's golden eyes.

"Are you a prince, by any chance?"

Radel, having no intention of hiding it, nodded and said.

"Yes. Am I not allowed to go out?"

The gatekeepers, hearing Radel's answer, recognized the prince before them as the 8th Prince. It was because the rumored 8th Prince was the only royal who used honorifics with his subordinates.

So the gatekeepers were even more flustered. They knew from experience that a royal who acted unusually was much stranger.

Not missing the opening, Gusto shouted.

"His Highness is in a hurry! Do you truly not understand his intention to pass through here on his way to the academy!"

"No, it's just that……."

Gusto glared at the gatekeepers who didn't know what to do and shouted.

"His Highness intends to subjugate monsters to help the people of the empire in any way he can! To block the path of such a person! Your Highness, let's go. We don't have time."

Gusto quickly led Radel and exited the city gate. Although he was surprised by his sudden action, Radel also moved quickly to follow Gusto.

The gatekeepers watched the two disappear and stared at each other in bewilderment.

"What do we do now?"

"What do you mean, what do we do? We have to report it to our superiors."

No matter what, this was the first time they had experienced such a situation.

They couldn't recklessly block a royal's path, and it was also the first time a royal had gone out to subjugate monsters by himself. A prince going out with only one teenage boy and no escort.

They were at a loss as to how to explain this to their superiors.

Making the excuse that it had all happened so suddenly, the two prepared to report to their superiors.

* * *

“Brother, you were better than I thought?”

Radel, who had gotten out without delay thanks to Gusto, grinned.

Radel had also been planning to get out by making up some excuse if necessary, but it was unexpected because he didn't think Gusto would do that.

“It was nothing remarkable.”

Gusto himself had a calm expression.

“Many more things happened in my childhood.”

Radel remembered that Gusto was from the streets. He also remembered the time he and Gusto had caught and threatened the masked person who had come to the Grand Temple's Treatment Room.

He had reacted quickly then too.

He was indeed a reliable companion.

- Keek!

Not long after Gusto and Radel entered the forest path, monsters began to appear.

Most of them were low-level monsters like goblins and kobolds, but they were quite aggressive.

Clang!

Gusto drew his sword and swung it at the charging goblin. It was a swift and precise swordsmanship.

Thanks to Gusto rushing ahead and clearing the way, Radel was also able to deal with the remaining monsters moderately. Perhaps because they were monsters he had caught so many times in his past life, he was even happy to see them when they first appeared.

Goblins and kobolds were tiring when they were in large numbers, but it wasn't that difficult to catch them one by one like now.

'I wish something bigger than these guys would come out.'

Radel lowered his posture and slashed across the kobold's chest in one breath.

Seeing that, Gusto spoke to Radel as if he was surprised.

"You've learned the sword."

"Do I look like it?"

"Yes. Your movements are clean. Your fundamentals are well-established."

Radel felt good.

Since he had trained in Basic Swordsmanship, it was only natural that his fundamentals were well-established.

Basic Swordsmanship was a common skill, but it was rare for a Hunter to actually train it to the end. The reason was that it lacked a decisive blow and was considered boring.

However, Radel preferred Basic Swordsmanship to flashy swordsmanship.

He wanted to show that he could catch high-rank monsters with just basic swordsmanship. Although everyone said it was a crazy idea when he talked about it…….

It was when Radel was lost in memories of his past life.

Two large monsters jumped out from between the bushes.

They were owlbears, high-rank monsters.

They were agile and strong monsters with the body of a bear and the head of an owl.

Gusto was tense, but Radel was secretly delighted.

'Now I can raise my health a bit.'

The owlbear looked at Gusto and Radel and then attacked the weaker one first.

A strong attack poured down on Radel. Gusto quickly blocked one, but he missed the other.

Seeing the owlbear charging at Radel, Gusto shouted.

"It's dangerous!"

But Radel had no intention of avoiding the owlbear.

One hit.

Wouldn't one hit be enough to put him in a near-death state?

Then his health would increase, and he could also aim for a Troll's Heart upgrade!

It seemed luck was on his side to meet a monster of this rank so early on.

It was just as Radel was waiting for the owlbear's one hit.

Whoosh!

A flame that flew from somewhere burned the head of the owlbear that was charging at Radel.

- Kyao!

The owlbear roared in pain from its burning head.

Radel's eyes widened.

"Hey! Get away from there!"

A voice that suddenly came through.

Inette, appearing with her red hair flying, shouted at Radel.

"What are you doing, spacing out! Get out of there!"

Inette, as if frustrated, took off the black gloves she usually wore with her teeth and threw them away. At that, a blazing flame erupted from her hand.

It was Inette Dastion Cretian's Ability, the Essence of Flame.

When Inette stretched out her hand, the flame followed her gesture and blew away the owlbear's torso, and the monster, engulfed in inextinguishable flames, began to melt while screaming in pain.

It was an overwhelming battle.

Just then, Gusto also defeated his owlbear, so the situation was neatly resolved.

"See? I'm strong, right?"

Inette approached the dazed Radel and boasted.

"You would've died if it weren't for me, you know?"

Inette added as she put her black gloves back on. Radel could only slowly nod his head.

"Yeah, thanks……."

Radel couldn't say that he was actually waiting for the monster's attack. He would be lucky not to be treated like a crazy person.

It was Inette who had saved Radel, who was in danger in anyone's eyes.

Inette, misunderstanding Radel's drained state, snorted.

"See. How dare a weakling like you leave for the academy before me?"

Inette had heard from the 3rd Imperial Consort that the 8th Prince had just left through the city gate.

Inette, who had thought they would go together to take the entrance exam since they had gone to the registration office together, felt betrayed by the news of Radel's departure.

Inette immediately loaded her luggage onto a carriage and rushed to the city gate. She had run and run to catch up with Radel.

And sure enough, wasn't he unable to properly catch even one monster? If she had arrived a little later, Radel would have been in big trouble.

"By the way, who's this?"

Inette's eyes turned to Gusto.

He was a guy she had never seen before, and for some reason, she didn't like him.

She also didn't like that Radel, who had left for the academy without a word to her, had brought this guy along.

It couldn't be, but…….

'Did he make a friend already?'

Inette's vision went dark at the shock that Radel might have made a friend faster than her.

Gusto, unaware of Inette's feelings, introduced himself.

"I am Gusto Zebro, an apprentice holy knight of the Supreme Deity Order."

"So what? Did I ask you?"

Inette's words to Gusto were not kind. In fact, Inette, as a princess, had no need to pay any attention to Gusto, an apprentice holy knight.

An apprentice holy knight?

Inette was furious at the fact that Radel had chosen a mere apprentice holy knight over her.

Inette snapped at Radel.

"Don't tell me you already made a friend?"

Radel had guessed why Inette was acting like that, so he tried to explain through conversation, but Gusto's words were faster.

"No, I am not. To be Your Highness's friend is too much for me. I am merely a companion."

A companion?

Inette's eyebrow twitched.

So he chose a companion over a comrade?

Inette was glaring at Gusto.

Gusto also calmly met Inette's gaze.

From then on, the competition between the two began.

* * *

Whoosh!

Clang! Clang!

Flames surged on one side, and swords flew on the other.

- Kieek!

The monsters fell with a final cry.

Neither the horde of goblins led by a hobgoblin, nor the group of skeletons that had dug their way out of the ground at dusk, could escape death. They were roasted by flames and melted by divine power.

Radel watched as the two, who had defeated the monsters, turned to him at the same time and asked.

"How was it? I'm stronger, right!"

"What did you think of my sword, Your Highness?"

Inette shouted triumphantly, and Gusto asked politely, but the content of both was the same.

In the end, it was about who did better.

Radel had a headache.

This was a fight with no winner.

“Well, let’s see. In my opinion……”

However, before Radel could finish his words, a monster jumped out from between the bushes.

- Keek!

As soon as she spotted the monster, Inette rushed out, spewing flames.

“I’ll get it!”

But Gusto had already run far ahead. The two were again slaughtering monsters and laying waste to their surroundings.

At this point, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a human outbreak period rather than a monster outbreak period.

This time too, there was no chance for Radel to step in.

All Radel could do was watch idly as the already strong ones became even stronger…….

“Well, they’ll get closer while doing that.”

Radel smiled as he watched the two who, although they would deny it, seemed to have already become quite close.