York wasted no time gathering a dozen knights.
Originally, he had likely planned to boast about how difficult they were to hire, but my urgency left him no such opportunity.
"Haha... What luck, I just happened to run into these knights."
"Oh? Almost as if they were already waiting in advance."
"A-Anyway, introductions are in order. This here is the Seventh Seat of Arahant, and these knights are retired warriors now working as mercenaries."
Where on earth did he even find these guys?
Their ages aside, their round faces made me doubt whether they could even swing a sword properly.
It's rare for knights or mages to become mercenaries after retirement. Most likely, these guys were just low-tier swordsmen who barely made it into a third-rate order.
"Well, well… I never thought I'd live to see an Arahant in person. What a day."
"Wow—Arahant riding the White Horse of Bahal? Now that's a rare sight."
"But isn't he just a kid? Hey, boy, how old are you?"
The knights chuckled amongst themselves.
I could tell—they were masking their hostility.
Perhaps they were just low-ranking enough not to notice, or maybe my increased mana stat made them uneasy. Either way, they were clearly harboring ill intent.
Their mockery was so blatant that I had to respond in kind.
I looked down at them with sheer disappointment.
"Judging by your aura, I doubt you're even at the Third Circle. And you expect to take down a Black Cougar with washed-up relics like yourselves?"
"W-What?! Relics?!"
"For fighters of your caliber, you should be grateful just to be spectators."
"Ha! This brat really has no filter, huh? Kid, you wanna get buried in some backwater no one's ever heard of? What makes you so cocky?"
"You can tell everything you need from just a glance. Look at your own bodies. Do you even deserve to call yourselves knights?"
"Why, you little—!"
—Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sound of twelve swords being drawn echoed in unison.
Their dull blades, infused with weak mana, emitted an unimpressive glow.
Even my horse, Jinju, snorted in disbelief at their feeble display.
"I wasn't in a great mood after hearing the name 'Arahant' to begin with. But now that you've gone and provoked us, don't expect any mercy."
"Move even a step, and you'll die."
"Hah! Typical mage, all bark and no bite!"
The knights pointed their swords at my heart, preparing to charge. Just then, York spread his arms wide and blocked their path.
"What the hell do you all think you're doing?!"
"Move aside! We can't let this insolent brat run his mouth unchecked!"
"Did you forget that I hired you? Do you still want your payment?"
"Tch...!"
The mention of money made the knights hesitate.
Seems their knightly pride had long since been sold off in favor of mercenary work.
Then again, I doubted they ever had much of it to begin with.
I shook my head and clicked my tongue.
"You should be grateful to him. He just saved your lives."
"What?! You arrogant little—!"
"Enough! If this continues, I'll consider your contract void!"
"..."
So this is what they call financial discipline.
Their rage-filled expressions quickly shifted, and one by one, they sheathed their swords at York's command.
Honestly, at this point, I might as well be the one hiring them.
Not that I'd ever hire such pathetic mercenaries.
"Sigh… Jedd, please, let it go. You can't take down the Black Cougar alone."
"I'd be happy if they didn't help and just stayed out of my way."
"..."
York let out an exhausted sigh.
The atmosphere had turned tense, but at that moment, the Toma Tribe approached from a distance.
The knights, spotting the unknown figures wielding weapons, immediately grew wary.
"What's this now?"
"Ah, right, you wouldn't have seen them before. They're the Toma Tribe, a nearby group of barbarians."
"Barbarians? That wasn't part of the deal."
"They're just acting as guides. I sent them ahead to locate the Black Cougar."
"Hmph…"
"Don't worry. They listen to me completely."
But wariness wasn't one-sided.
The approaching Toma warriors hesitated upon seeing the knights, stopping in their tracks.
At York's repeated gestures, they exchanged glances before cautiously moving forward again.
"York. Who are these people?"
"They'll be taking down the Black Cougar. Go ahead, introduce yourself."
"No need. They are outsiders."
The chieftain made no effort to hide his displeasure.
Likely because of the swords strapped to the knights' waists—or perhaps just their sheer numbers.
"H-Haha… Please, knights, understand. Their tribe is naturally distrustful."
"That's not our concern. But you said they're our guides? I was under the impression that finding the Black Cougar's den was nearly impossible."
"Normally, yes. I searched this area for months and still failed to find it."
York turned to the chieftain.
"Well? Did you find it?"
"Yes. It is not far."
The knights' eyes widened in disbelief.
After all, the Black Cougar was known for creating its lair in places utterly devoid of human presence. Finding it was practically impossible.
"Not far? That's absurd…"
"Heh, it was injured badly last night. This one summoned a Fire Dragon. Almost had it, but it barely escaped."
"What?! This Arahant summoned a Fire Dragon?"
"I saw it with my own two eyes."
"..."
The knights turned to me simultaneously.
It was technically thanks to Jenedin's Box, but it wasn't a lie.
I smirked, meeting their gazes, and they quickly averted their eyes, pretending to focus elsewhere.
"Ahem. If it's nearby, this should be much easier."
"Frankly, this is a steal. Chieftain, lead the way."
"Understood."
The Toma warriors took the lead.
York and the knights followed behind, while I stayed in the rear, adjusting Jinju's pace.
'So injured that it couldn't even hide properly…?'
The Black Cougar loses its strength drastically during the day.
It should have been holed up in a secure location by now.
'This is bad. It might really be in danger.'
Even though I knew this mission was a setup, I followed along to gather evidence.
The best proof would be a confession, but York wouldn't admit anything until his goal was achieved.
And a coerced confession wouldn't hold up as proof.
'Good thing I brought the recording crystal. I owe Rio for that one.'
Now, I had two objectives:
Protect the Black Cougar and extract York's confession.
It wouldn't be easy.
But there was no way I was letting things go the way York planned.