“Monsters? Didn’t you say being a knight was your dream? Then of course, we have to go. Isn’t slaying monsters what knights are all about?”

Kraiss firmly believed that killing monsters was the essence of knighthood.

To those who heard his statement, it sounded like something else entirely.

It was as if he was belittling the role of knights, reducing their battlefield-shifting presence to mere monster hunters.

“And it’s a village built by common folk! Don’t we have to save it? Justice is practically boiling over in me right now,” Kraiss added, though his tone brimmed more with greed than concern.

His eyes practically turned into golden coins.

Everyone around him shared the same thought as they stared at Kraiss: What is he even saying? But Kraiss didn’t care about others’ opinions.

He was entirely focused on Enkrid.

The decision-maker was what mattered, not the views of others.

“What do you want?” Enkrid asked, crossing his arms.

“What’s with him, always wanting to go somewhere?” Rem muttered, half-reclined on a bunk, watching idly.

Kraiss shot him a quick glance and decided to try his trump card—his wide, sparkling eyes.

Yes, look at my eyes. Aren’t they large? Aren’t they charming?

You want to accept this quest, don’t you?

His gaze was almost hypnotic, his big, clear eyes seemingly glimmering with innocence. Enkrid, however, was unmoved.

“Should I spit in your eye?” Enkrid said flatly.

Where did he get those eyes from?

Kraiss could practically hear Enkrid’s unspoken words.

Well, this isn’t working. Time to move on to Plan B.

Kraiss quickly abandoned his cute ploy. He was sharp enough to realize when a tactic wouldn’t work.

He was clever, quick-witted, and astute—a result of a childhood filled with hardship.

This won’t work on the captain. Time for something else.

If subtle manipulation failed, there was always the direct approach.

The captain had always been straightforward and candid with them, so it was only fitting to reciprocate in kind.

Switching gears with lightning speed, Kraiss began:

“About a hundred years ago, there was a renowned merchant on the continent named Dolph.”

He started with history, knowing how to pique interest.

A wealthy man with eccentric hobbies—or perhaps peculiarities would be a better word.

One of Dolph’s quirks was hiding parts of his wealth and creating treasure maps to locate them.

The story appeared in historical side accounts, records of strange tales scattered throughout old texts.

“But did it end as just another tale? Of course not! Otherwise, why would I bring it up?” Kraiss emphasized his words like a practiced storyteller.

Dolph had been the head of a famed trading company. But before his death, he hid all his wealth and refused to let anyone inherit it.

Naturally, his heirs were furious, and his six wives—yes, six—were no less outraged.

“Why did you do it?”

Dolph, according to the accounts, bore their rage in silence, simply responding:

“If you want my fortune, find the map.”

And so began the legend.

The last recorded conversation with Dolph, as told by a scribe, included one more question:

“Why did you create such maps?”

Dolph’s reply was a masterpiece of simplicity:

“Because it’s fun.”

More than twenty maps riddled with cryptic clues had been created.

The first map led to treasure, discovered by Dolph’s coachman, who became a wealthy man, only to squander it all by mismanaging a trading company he established.

The second map was solved by one of Dolph’s wives, a greedy woman who concealed the discovery even from her children. She sought out the treasure alone and died in one of Dolph’s traps.

As it turned out, the coachman had been a decoy. Dolph had carefully planned his last act to ensure his wealth wouldn’t fall into the hands of his family.

“He was a fruitless tree,” Kraiss explained with a dramatic flair. “A bee that couldn’t gather nectar.”

His storytelling was so captivating that everyone listening was utterly engrossed.

Dolph, it seemed, had been infertile. Yet, he had six wives and over twenty children—an impossibility.

Thus, Dolph’s treasure became an act of revenge, a way to ensure none of his so-called heirs enjoyed his wealth.

Some of the treasure had already been found, verified by the continent’s greatest treasure hunter, Kirgon.

“Which means the treasure is real,” Kraiss concluded.

He spoke with authority, his voice filled with conviction.

Kraiss was well-versed in such matters. After all, they often involved krona.

He had come across one of Dolph’s infamous maps during a raid on an enemy camp.

“Hmm.”

The map, which had reeked so badly he nearly threw it away, turned out to be genuine.

He’d had it appraised by someone in the guild who specialized in such things—a fence, really.

“This seems real,” the appraiser had said, confirming its authenticity.

The language was ancient, and while neither Kraiss nor the appraiser could fully decipher it, Frokk had proven unexpectedly helpful.

“I’m a scholar,” Frokk had said, to everyone’s disbelief.

Still, Kraiss had asked Frokk to decode a few key characters. From there, he pieced together the solution.

It was Dolph’s sixth map.

“There’s treasure. Immense treasure,” Kraiss proclaimed passionately in the barracks, his face flushed from speaking so fervently.

“The traps are probably so old they won’t even work anymore. This is like picking up a gem someone dropped on the road. Just brush off the dirt and take it!”

While the story was intriguing, Enkrid remained unaffected by Kraiss’s enthusiasm. He neither agreed nor disagreed to pursue the treasure.

It’s just on the way.

Whether it was monsters, beasts, or war, Enkrid’s hands were itching for action.

To test his skills, to see if the path he walked, the training he endured, and the lessons he absorbed were leading him in the right direction—these were human instincts.

“The quest is accepted,” Enkrid said, bringing Kraiss visible joy.

“But stopping by the treasure is undecided,” he added, dampening Kraiss’s excitement.

Kraiss looked utterly crestfallen, his wide eyes pleading: How could you?

Watching this, Rem burst out laughing.

Unbeknownst to Enkrid, Kraiss had been planning to use the map ever since confirming its authenticity.

Going alone wasn’t an option—it would be like serving himself as a meal to monsters.

The guild? That would turn into a feast of blood and flesh for everyone involved.

He needed skilled allies who wouldn’t flinch at monsters, beasts, or bandits.

Hiring mercenaries? That would cost more than the treasure was worth.

First, he’d tried Rem.

“Why don’t we take on a quest together?”

“I only take assassination quests. Three targets max: sly cats, lazy gluttons, and holy zealots.”

Rem didn’t even consider it.

Ragna and Jaxon weren’t any different.

Audin? Kraiss didn’t even bother asking. Audin barely left the barracks, let alone embarked on treasure hunts.

“The big-eyed brother should vow to offer it all as tribute to the gods,” Audin would likely say.

As for the captain?

He’d spent the past three months swinging his sword like a madman—approaching him was daunting.

“How about you lend me a hand?” Kraiss had even tried asking Esther.

“Kyah!” Esther screeched in reply.

Esther made her displeasure abundantly clear, her entire body radiating irritation. Any closer, and she was ready to lash out with her claws.

Ever since the day Kraiss had tried to determine Esther’s gender by subtly touching her, the mystical leopard had harbored nothing but hatred for him. No, it was outright loathing.

Despite being a mystical creature, the depth of emotion Esther displayed was startling for a leopard.

As Kraiss began to give up hope, he reminded himself of his guiding principle: No matter how much I love krona, it’s not worth risking my life.

This was why his dream was to open a salon and live a life free of financial worries.

A cozy spot in the heart of a danger-free city, where he could enjoy his nights in peace.

Of course, even running a salon wasn’t entirely without risks, but that level of thrill was just enough to keep life interesting.

So, while Kraiss had been half-prepared to abandon the treasure hunt, what if the captain decided to go?

Lately, Enkrid’s strength had been making waves.

“He’s on another level—I couldn’t beat him,” the Border Guard Captain had declared officially.

“If I had five sharpshooters and two mages, maybe I’d stand a chance,” said Torres, another squad leader.

Even with just those extra fighters, Kraiss thought they’d have a solid chance against Enkrid.

“Things are getting interesting,” Rem had admitted.

“Tempting,” was the phrase often on the lips of the Fairy Company Commander.

What did all this mean?

It meant that no ordinary horde of ghouls could even touch the hem of the captain’s cloak.

In fact, Kraiss was beginning to suspect that their captain might genuinely be a genius.

Having witnessed Enkrid fight Frokk firsthand, there was no doubt left.

So Kraiss tried again.

“Oh, come on. Let’s go. Please? Let’s just go,” Kraiss pleaded.

Enkrid ignored him.

“I’m coming along,” Frokk chimed in unexpectedly.

“Great! Fantastic!” Kraiss beamed.

“Should I come too?” Finn raised her hand. She was a ranger—a very capable one at that.

While not at the level of a “walking map maker” pathfinder, she was skilled at finding routes and held her own in a fight.

“That’s amazing!” Kraiss cheered again, his excitement building.

Enkrid merely smiled faintly at the enthusiasm.

He didn’t need to stop them.

If the battalion commander had personally chosen this task for him, it was bound to be dangerous.

That was what made his heart race and compelled him to accept the mission in the first place.

But when it came to reducing risk, having more people was always better.

With Frokk and now Finn joining, he considered bringing along Rem or another squad member.

“Want to come?” he asked, expecting a refusal but hoping otherwise.

“Busy. Don’t you know that?” Rem replied lazily, already wrapped in a blanket and lounging on his bunk.

Enkrid couldn’t help but think how typical of Rem this was. Too busy to move because he was preoccupied with doing nothing.

Maybe Ragna would come along?

“Not interested,” Ragna said without even glancing over, still sprawled out on his bunk.

“May the Lord guide you,” Audin added, firmly declining as well.

Jaxon was nowhere to be found. He was reportedly handling his duties diligently, with no time to return to the barracks.

In the end, no one else would be joining.

Enkrid didn’t mind. If the mission were truly perilous, the commander wouldn’t have sent a small group.

The task was to investigate a monster colony near a frontier village and, if possible, eliminate the threat.

The orders granted him temporary command over the village militia.

“If they have a decent militia,” Enkrid thought, “numbers shouldn’t be an issue.”

The only thing left was to prepare thoroughly.

In this world, the road wasn’t kind to travelers, and anything less than thorough preparation could spell disaster.

While it might seem odd for just four people to set out, the presence of a ranger like Finn and someone as formidable as Frokk tilted the scales.

Not to mention that under Naurillia’s soldier ranking system, Enkrid was a top-tier swordsman—a commander capable of holding his own.

In a world plagued by bandits and monsters, their group was more than equipped to handle the threats ahead.

“Departure is in fifteen days.”

Enkrid’s words were firm. Kraiss, however, continued to hover uncertainly before speaking.

“Are you sure we can’t stop by the treasure?”

“We’ll see.”

Enkrid was always sincere. There was no way to predict how the mission would unfold, so he would decide based on the situation during the journey.

For Kraiss, this was agonizing.

The treasure cave he had discovered happened to be just a day’s journey from the frontier village.

“Alright. Fine,” Kraiss muttered, accepting that further pleading was pointless.

And so, the group began their preparations.

In this world, journeys were anything but easy.

Strength was a basic requirement for those known as traveling merchants.

Even caravans traveling between cities needed to band together in groups of at least ten to ensure their safety.

This was why mercenaries and the soldier-for-hire system in Naurillia were so highly praised.

And here they were, setting out with only four people.

While there wasn’t much cause for concern, that didn’t mean they could afford to be lax in their preparations.

Enkrid decided it was time to venture into town—a rare outing for him.

There were a few supplies he needed to purchase at the market.