Lothar spoke. "Hans. How much do you understand of my current situation?"

Hans looked apologetic. "Forgive me, my lord. I know very little. This world—is it the historical Middle Ages?"

"It is. And it isn't." Lothar nodded and gave Hans a brief summary: his circumstances, the state of the era, the background of the world. The Crusade was a pivotal moment for the Teutonic Order as well, and Hans, being from that order, had some knowledge of this period of history.

Hans looked enlightened. "I see… So this world has a Teutonic Order too?"

"It does. Though it has little influence yet. I am a knight of House Habsburg. You've likely heard the name: it's famous enough. But that's in the future.

"The Habsburgs of today have not yet risen. One of the two remaining heirs is tucked away in a poor Swiss valley. The other is me, and I'm on my way to the Holy Land."

Hans bowed his head. "With you at its head, my lord, I have no doubt House Habsburg will rise just as the histories of my world record."

"Ha. I'll take those kind words. Hans, from this day forward, you are my squire. Once you've earned sufficient merit, I will raise you to full knighthood. When that day comes, you may take a white field with a black eagle, or a white field with a black cross, as your personal arms."

Lothar laid his arming sword across Hans's shoulder. "Now. Swear to me."

"Hans. Do you vow to pledge your loyalty to me? To serve as my faithful knight for all your days, with your courage, your strength, and your wisdom?"

Hans dropped to one knee at once. "Before the Heavenly Father, I swear: I will give my lord Lothar my full devotion, abide by the knightly virtues, and remain steadfast at his side, faithful unto death."

The System chimed: Affinity with Retainer "Hans" increased to Friendly.

"That was easy." Lothar shook his head. Compared to Prajna, Hans's Affinity had risen with absurd ease. Still, even a low-star Retainer was a capable fighter, certainly stronger than the two attendants he had brought from Hawk's Castle.

But he was still only mortal. He couldn't compare to the high-star Retainers, each of whom was a minor superhuman in their own right.

Next draw, please let it be a high-star offensive Retainer.

Lothar introduced Hans to Laine and Modell, then left them to it. He had no intention of letting Hans share his room.

Laine stared at Hans's superb equipment, struggling to believe his eyes. "Hans—are you really the master's new squire? Not some high lord's bastard son?"

Modell was openly envious. "This gear… even most proper knights couldn't afford it. Are those Viking horns on your helm? Now that's presence!"

Hans smiled, a little embarrassed. "Just decoration. I brought my own equipment when I swore to the master. I did my knightly training at an Order house. I just never received the formal title."

…

Night deepened. Candlelight flickered in Prajna's brown eyes. Her black hair spilled like a waterfall over her pale arms. She was like a sculpture: in her idle moments, she spoke little and made no small gestures to pass the time.

Sometimes she was dull company. But beautiful people were like works of art: even in perfect stillness, they pleased the eye.

Her cool eyes sharpened in surprise.

She turned to look at Lothar. "What did you just do?"

Lothar raised his chin toward the table. A pile of gold coins lay there, their once-brilliant luster now dimmed to dull grey. Every trace of gold had been drained from them.

"I was experimenting with the gacha premium system. Raised you ten levels. Didn't expect it to be this expensive."

Completing "First Blood" had nudged his own level bar upward; he was now a sliver away from Level 2. But leveling himself had limited returns. The reason six-star Retainers were so powerful, beyond their overwhelming skills, was that every level granted six attribute points. As a Lord, he only got three per level.

The saving grace was that once his Affinity with a Retainer was high enough, he could borrow their skills. He might never beat a six-star in a straight fight, but his combat power would not stay low.

"Your funds are limited," Prajna said, frowning. "Don't waste them on me. My current strength is sufficient. If we meet a true threat, we can invest then."

Throughout history, anyone who wanted to build something great needed wealth. Recruiting men, equipping them: a single fully armored knight, deployed well on the battlefield, could shatter a force many times the size of the Magyar light cavalry they'd faced. But the cost to equip that one knight was no small sum, even for a king.

Lothar's face broke into a grin. If he hadn't heard the System chime, Affinity increased, he might have taken her words at face value.

"All right, all right. We'll leave it here for now. Once we've seized a piece of land in Jerusalem and made some real money, I'll raise you to full level. Promise."

Prajna nodded slightly. "Thank you."

"It's late. We've got another long ride tomorrow. Let's rest."

"Good night."

"Mm."

Deep into the night, the world outside went deathly still. The chirp of crickets, the croak of frogs: every sound of the living night vanished. It was as though every creature had glimpsed something unspeakable and frozen in mute terror.

Lothar came awake with every hair on his body standing on end. A primal dread had seized him in his sleep. He opened his eyes.

Prajna was at the window, staring into the street below. He shot her a questioning look. She shook her head and gestured for him to come closer.

Lothar reached the window. What he saw turned his blood cold.

Slithering down the muddy main street of the town was a giant serpent, its body as vast as a railway carriage, sheathed in gleaming black scales. Behind it, the muck was carved into a deep, winding trench. It seemed to sense their gaze. Its head, which had been pointed toward the distance, rose high and swung toward the second-floor window where the two of them stood.

Clang.

Prajna planted the black demon-faced shield before her. A wave of appalling death-essence erupted outward. Her black hair lifted and writhed as though caught in a gale, though the air inside the room was still. The terrible pressure of her presence swept through the chamber like a storm, sending furniture crashing against the walls.

Lothar had never seen Prajna unleash power like this. He could barely reconcile the slender figure before him with the sheer, sovereign menace now rolling off her in waves.

The giant serpent's eyes, twin lanterns devoid of all emotion, locked with Prajna's. It showed nothing on its face, yet its scales had begun to ripple in rhythmic waves. It saw her now as a threat. A real one.

A long moment passed.

The serpent lowered its head. It turned and slithered away into the darkness.

Lothar exhaled. "It's gone?"

Prajna nodded. "It wasn't confident it could beat me. Or rather—even if it could, it feared taking a crippling wound."

"Prajna… you're that strong?"

She shook her head. "Not truly. That serpent was powerful: far beyond what I can face as I am now. It retreated because my presence frightened it."

Lothar understood. In the game's design, full level was the true state of a six-star Retainer. Every gold piece spent on upgrades was merely unlocking seals on their inherent strength. Even if her power hadn't caught up, her spiritual stature remained intact.

"What kind of monster was that?"

"I don't know." Prajna shook her head. Her voice was uncharacteristically grim. "It seems this world is not a simple one."