Sir Werner looked at the crushed stone trolls with a grim expression.
Their backs were smashed, their chests caved in, and their skin was burnt all the way through.
There wasn’t a single intact part on them.
“I’m sorry. I should have controlled my strength a bit more,” Sir Werner muttered as Keldric approached him with a slightly awkward expression.
As he said, the bodies were in no condition to be of any use.
Their skin was torn apart, and there were very few parts left that could still be recognized.
At best, the limbs were the only things still somewhat intact, but they were of no use.
Sir Werner shook his head as he carefully examined the corpses.
“It’s fine. Stone troll corpses don’t have much use anyway.”
“Oh, is that so?”
“But more importantly, Sir…”
Sir Werner’s attention wasn’t on whether the stone troll corpses could be used; his mind was focused elsewhere.
‘How could he have such strength?’
Though Sir Werner was old, his experience had made him a seasoned veteran, and even he could tell that Keldric was no ordinary knight.
The strength he possessed, his calm demeanor despite his young age, and his quick decision-making.
Physical power and strength could be born, but a knight’s battle sense could only be honed through experience and repeated training.
However, in Sir Werner’s eyes, Keldric was already a perfected knight.
“First, when we return, let’s take care of your armor.”
“Of course.”
Keldric’s methods may have been reckless, but there was no denying they were effective.
Even brute force, when backed by enough power and skill, could often be the most straightforward approach.
As Keldric wiped down his helmet, Sir Werner watched his back quietly.
His broad shoulders, the muscle hidden beneath his frame…
‘I knew his physique was impressive, but this…’
Sir Werner remembered his own youth.
Could he have reached this level back then?
His answer was ‘no.’
Even if he returned to his youthful prime, he still wouldn’t have been able to match Keldric, who had just defeated a stone troll with his bare hands.
So, how strong was Keldric compared to other knights Sir Werner had met?
Sir Werner could confidently say that Keldric would rank in the top three.
There were certainly knights who were monstrous in strength, knights Sir Werner had faced in his time.
But it had been a long time since he’d come across someone like Keldric, a knight of that caliber.
“Sir Werner, we should be heading back,” Keldric said.
Having wiped the blood from his helmet, Keldric approached him.
Though he had cleaned it off, the helmet still had a faint reddish tint due to the blood that had soaked it.
With the strong scent of iron from the blood still lingering in the air, Sir Werner nodded.
“Right. Let’s head back to Baron Volpen .”
“What should we do with the bodies?”
“Leave them. The workers will come to clean them up later. Letting them rot will only cause trouble.”
Sir Werner imagined how surprised Baron Volpen would be when he heard the news.
He’d probably fall over in shock.
One of the trolls was smashed with a mace, and the other was beaten senseless with Keldric’s fists.
Sir Werner gazed at Keldric as he mounted his horse.
‘I’m already old… but…’
That young knight might very well become an even greater one than Sir Werner in the near future.
It was the weight of Sir Werner’s experience speaking to him.
After successfully eliminating the stone trolls, Keldric felt a bit down.
‘I didn’t think it would break so easily.’
It wasn’t about anything else but the mace he had just bought in Schafendorf just a few days ago.
It had broken in less than a day.
Keldric looked down at the broken pieces of the mace’s handle.
The wooden handle had been wrapped three times in steel rings, but even those snapped when Keldric applied full force.
It wasn’t a problem with the mace’s durability.
According to the blacksmith in Schafendorf, who had said it was the most sturdy one, the mace was solid enough for a knight to use.
But it wasn’t solid enough to withstand Keldric’s full strength.
At this point, Keldric started to worry about his spear from Schafendorf breaking as well.
Even though it was made of solid oak, with Keldric’s strength, it would easily snap.
At least it was a thrusting weapon, not a swinging one.
“Sir Keldric, are you alright?”
Jorgen, who had been sipping cheap beer next to him, asked.
It was rare for Keldric to show such a troubled expression, so Jorgen asked out of genuine concern.
“I’m alive, so that’s enough. But at this rate, I’ll need to get new weapons.”
“There is a blacksmith in Yalta, but I doubt it’ll be much different from what Schafendorf made.”
Keldric was fine using a sword.
For any shortcomings, he could simply make up for them with overwhelming strength.
If he needed blunt weapons, he could just use his fists, which were faster anyway.
The problem was that even his left-hand gauntlet was now dented and damaged.
In the end, Keldric lost both his weapon and his gauntlet.
Fortunately, Baron Volpen had given a generous reward, but if not for that, Keldric might have been left walking around with just one hand.
‘Should I ask the artisans in Belam?’
What Keldric needed wasn’t a weapon to analyze for efficiency.
He just wanted the strongest weapon possible.
The one that could withstand his power.
“Do you think the artisans in Belam can make a stronger weapon?”
“They should be able to. They might not be on the level of the artisans in Bogenberg, but there are many from that area in Belam. They should be good enough. The problem is…”
Jorgen’s expression became awkward.
After hesitating for a moment, he took a sip of his beer before continuing.
“The problem is that iron supply might still not be back to normal.”
“Why’s that? The stone trolls are dealt with, and Baron Volpen will be doing everything he can to restore the iron supply.”
“They took care of the trolls who were blocking the iron, but it will still take time for it to arrive in the city and be refined. What’s available right now…”
“Won’t be much,” Keldric realized.
Despite having solved the stone troll problem, he found himself facing another challenge.
The longer it took for the iron to be refined, the fewer options he would have.
And if the artisans in Belam weren’t accepting orders, it would be a serious issue.
Even if they had some leftover stock, Keldric doubted any of the weapons would be better than the broken mace.
Weapons made in bulk, designed to arm mercenaries or soldiers of noble houses…
Thanks to this, mass-produced items were naturally of lower quality than those carefully crafted by artisans, and even the apprentices who worked on them would lower the overall standard.
That’s the nature of mass-produced goods.
And, of course, Keldric couldn’t possibly use such low-quality items.
“It’s obvious that it would break after swinging it a couple of times…”
This meant that even if he went to Belam right now, he wouldn’t be able to do much.
Keldric let out a soft sigh.
The gap in his armament was more painful than he expected.
At the very least, he wished he had gotten new gauntlets, but that didn’t seem easy either.
“Keldric?”
While Keldric was calming his troubled mind, Alisa, who had come up beside him at some point, spoke to him.
“Alisa? What’s going on?”
“Sir Werner has come to visit.” Outside.
“Sir Werner?”
The Baron of Volpen had urgent matters to attend to.
That’s why he had rushed to prepare to leave as soon as the stone troll was dealt with.
And it was the same for Sir Werner, who followed the Baron of Volpen.
‘I don’t know what it’s about, but…’
The Empire is vast, and the continent it resides in is even larger.
Even if he met Sir Werner here, no one knew when they would meet again.
Keldric got up.
If it was to say one last goodbye before parting, that would be fine.
“Since your weapon was damaged in battle, you should be compensated.”
Sir Werner said to Keldric and immediately ordered a servant to bring something.
As Keldric stared at it blankly, the servant returned and presented something before him.
“What is this?”
“You are an excellent knight.”
There was something off about the conversation between Sir Werner and Keldric.
Keldric stared at Sir Werner, who seemed to be talking nonsense.
It reminded him of the times his father, Lord Volpen, would occasionally act like this.
“What you need is not just strength. Many young knights believe that strength alone can solve everything, but I don’t see that kind of narrow-mindedness in you.”
“I agree, but what does that have to do with this situation…”
“You’re different. There’s something in you that sets you apart from the other young knights I’ve seen.”
Without thinking, Keldric grabbed the object the servant handed him.
Wrapped in fine linen was something long and heavy, resembling a club.
“I must be getting old. When I see a promising knight like you, I just want to give them something.”
The linen was removed, revealing a mace.
Keldric blinked and looked down at it.
“This is?”
“It’s a gift for you.”
Sir Werner’s words were so unexpected that Keldric hadn’t even thought of them.
The craftsmanship of the mace was excellent.
It looked similar to the one Keldric had used before, but it was larger, and the handle was made of solid iron, making it heavier, sturdier, and much more destructive.
“I figured you wouldn’t find a matching gauntlet. Please make do with this for now.”
“Why me?”
“Someone like you, an excellent knight, deserves to have something like this in advance.”
Sir Werner said, then smiled softly, adding that it was a joke.
“But I really mean it. You’re not just strong, you seem to have all the other qualities of a knight as well.”
“All the other qualities…?”
“Your character, your intellect. A knight like you is rare.”
Sir Werner was one of the most outstanding knights when it came to character, even among the knights of this era.
And for him to say this to Keldric was significant.
“After the hunt, I heard stories about you. You showed great generosity in Schafendorf.”
“Well, that’s…”
“That was a wonderful act. A true knight’s behavior can’t be forced out, it comes naturally.”
Sir Werner’s expression was slightly melancholic as he spoke.
Keldric stared at him blankly.
“I hope you don’t regret your actions, Keldric.”
“…I won’t forget.”
“This weapon is one I no longer use, so don’t feel burdened. As I’ve gotten older, I can no longer wield such heavy weapons.”
“I’ll make good use of it.”
Sir Werner nodded and turned to leave.
Keldric silently saw him off.
“Oh, by the way, Keldric.”
After walking a few steps, Sir Werner turned back.
There was a hint of mischief in his face.
“I’ve been wondering, how exactly did you break through that tough stone skin?”
Keldric scratched his chin casually, thinking it was a rather simple question.
“I just pushed through with strength.”
“…Ah, I see. Strength.”
Sir Werner immediately understood.
While a knight must possess many virtues, the foremost quality is strength.
“That was a foolish question.”
In the end, Sir Werner, too, was a knight.
To break stone, there was no need for anything other than strength.