Arthur exited the inner gate of the castle into the fortified area surrounded by defensive walls. Just like he had seen before, the place was littered with animal dung and human waste. With each step, he shuddered in utter disgust, but he did his best to maintain a cold, indifferent look. After walking a short distance, he saw a group of soldiers standing beside their horses. At the front was a large black horse, much bigger than the rest, wearing a light leather armor marked with the raven sigil of House Ravenshade.
Arthur calmly walked over and stood next to the horse. With a haughty gesture, he pointed to a nearby soldier.
"Get down on your knees."
The surrounding soldiers were stunned. To avoid any trouble, the soldier quickly dropped to the ground, placing his hands and knees down. Without a care, Arthur stepped onto his back and climbed onto the horse.
Despite his cold and intimidating demeanor, he was praying from the depths of his heart not to fall. He had never ridden a horse before, and that arrogant act was merely a distraction to keep their eyes off him.
Once he was safely seated, he let out a sigh.
'This is... surprisingly comfortable.'
Almost immediately after, he saw Duncan approaching while dragging a solid metal chain tied around the necks of three thin men.
Arthur's eyebrows furrowed. He immediately understood what the prisoners were for—one of Arvan's twisted hobbies was releasing his enemies and hunting them down for sport.
As soon as Duncan reached them, he said, "My lord, I brought a few prey in case you'd like to make the hunt more enjoyable."
The hearts of the prisoners—and the soldiers—trembled alike. All of them glanced at Arthur with fear in their eyes.
But Arthur raised his hand indifferently and spoke in a wicked tone,
"You think these weak peasants are worth my time? But remember this—if your soldiers fail to eliminate the bandits as I ordered, I'll put them in these prisoners' place."
"Let's move out."
The prisoners sighed in relief, while the soldiers and Duncan grew visibly anxious. The threat had been aimed at them directly.
Duncan quickly handed the chain to a nearby soldier, mounted his horse, and took the lead out of the castle.
With great difficulty, Arthur managed to get his horse moving. As they rode through the large village, he noticed that everyone scattered and fled as soon as they saw the convoy—around thirteen riders strong.
'After passing through the village and crossing a primitive bridge over the river, they entered the vast forest. Since Arthur had been riding for a while now, he was slowly getting used to controlling the horse. Instinctively, he moved to the front and took the lead. If he left them in charge, they'd take him far from the location of the magical artifact he needed. So, he guided them slowly through the forest based on what he remembered from the novel.'
After nearly two hours of wandering, the soldiers started to grow frustrated—he was clearly leading them in circles. But none dared to speak up. Finally, Duncan gathered his courage and asked,
"Is there something specific you're looking for, my lord?"
Arthur gave him a cold glance and replied,
"That's none of your concern."
Duncan's words caught in his throat, and he fell back, visibly upset.
[Duncan is displeased with you.]
Sigh.
'I need to get rid of this guy and his father as soon as possible.'
Suddenly, Arthur noticed that the thorny trees ahead were growing denser and more tangled, forcing the riders to move in a single-file line. He stopped his horse and dismounted.
"We'll hunt here," he announced.
The soldiers were stunned. One of them couldn't help but blurt out,
"My lord, there are no animals or beasts in this place. The thorns make it hard for anything to move. This spot is ideal for goblins to hide, though—"
"Yes, my lord. This area poses a risk to your safety."
Arthur knew their concerns were valid. In the novel, the protagonist had wiped out a goblin nest near the location of the magical artifact. But he couldn't retreat now—he needed that artifact to protect himself.
"Enough cowardice. I didn't know you were all this useless."
His mocking words stung. The soldiers quickly dismounted and drew their weapons. One of them quietly handed Arthur a bow and a quiver of arrows.
Seeing their reaction, Arthur sneered,
"So you've found your courage now? Fine. Let's see if you're bold enough to follow me into the thornbrush."
With indifference, he marched straight into the brambles. The soldiers quickly surrounded him from all sides.
Arrogantly, he continued forward—until suddenly all the riders around him stopped and looked in the same direction. Arthur followed their gaze—and then he heard it too. He turned and saw a herd of deer dashing through the forest, gracefully leaping over the thorns.
Behind them charged a giant, bear-like beast.
Without thinking or saying a word, Arthur bolted toward his horse. He tried to mount it in a panic, but tripped and fell. A nearby soldier rushed to help him up and get him back on the saddle. The others did the same—and before anyone could understand what was happening, Arthur had spurred his horse and fled.
The moment he saw the Giant bear-like creature clearly, terror gripped him to the core. All his earlier bravery vanished. First, because he had never seen such a monster before in his life. Second, because he recognized it from the novel—an abnormally strong C-rank beast. The soldiers couldn't defeat it without more men and gear.
As he fled, he thought,
'Damn it. I was on the wrong side—the artifact is in the opposite direction!'
Though his first expedition had failed, he didn't come back empty-handed—he now had a rough idea of where his goal was.
Shortly after, Arthur and the soldiers returned to the castle in defeat. Though no one said anything to his face, he could feel it—everyone in the village and even the castle workers mocked him that night for falling off his horse in fear. They even gave him a new nickname: the cowardly wretch.
Back in his room, Arthur prepared another Brutal Enhancement Potion and drank it. Then he began practicing with his sword, ignoring everything else. His mind was entirely focused on the artifact's location. Thanks to his photographic memory, he mapped out the parts of the forest they'd explored and compared it to the novel's descriptions. That's when he realized—he'd need another expedition to pinpoint the artifact's exact location.
Once he finished swinging his sword, he stored it in the Dimensional Storage and sat down to rest. That's when he smelled himself and sighed.
"This won't do. I'm starting to stink like these people."
Everyone he'd met so far had reeked. He always kept a safe distance to avoid offending his nose. Even though he bathed the primitive way and rubbed his skin with scented oils, it hadn't helped—if anything, his skin had gotten worse. Not to mention the soap they used for handwashing was awful, left no pleasant scent, spoiled quickly, and barely produced any foam.
After a brief moment of thought, he decided to begin the development plans he'd drafted earlier. Thanks to the many programs he had watched in his past life, he had knowledge across many fields—from agriculture and industry to engineering and traditional medicine.