I Will Be the Greatest Knight
Chapter 182: Farewell

Chapter 182: Farewell

As much as the others asked if they could go with her, Irene was insistent on going alone. Even if Felix and Leif wanted to pay their own respects, she felt like doing it by herself just for a moment.

After Sir Cress left the wagon behind since the stables were empty for the time being, she was able to be completely alone with the man who was certainly special to her, but likely even more special to her father.

Gathering courage, Irene walked to the side of the wagon and looked miserably down at the cloth that had been placed over the man. His large body practically covered the entire bed of the straw-covered wagon. The cloth was thick and didn’t show the horrors likely concealed, and for that, she was appreciative.

"Thank you so much for everything," she began with tears already gathering in her eyes. "Not only for my father’s hand and the friendship you gave him when he felt like an outcast in a kingdom he was an outsider in, but for the bow and arrow. This bow has carried me through so many things, sir. I will cherish it for as long as I’m able."

The floodgates soon opened, and Irene tossed off her gloves so she could cover her face with her hands.

"I’m sorry we weren’t here earlier," she apologized. "I would have done anything to warn you to stay away from that poison and the monsters. You deserved so much better."

In a time of such doubt, Irene bowed her head and put it in her arms that rested alongside the side of the wagon, she uttered a Sünsto prayer that would offer Samson safe passing into the next phase—at least she said was she remembered of it considering her knowledge of the language was a bit rusty.

The girl then touched her shoulder where the protective tattoo was, and she pressed the hand against what was likely his arm underneath the cover, hoping it would offer him a bit of protection as well.

However, one thing about Sünstoian funeral customs was that they were often buried with their weapons alongside them. All the girl had with her was an arrow that she could give away, so she unsheathed it and gently lifted the cover so she could place it against his hand.

"That’s all you’ll need to fight for your paradise," she uttered. "You are a strong person, sir."

The hurt hadn’t gone, but she felt she could pull herself together enough to go on with her duties.

"Goodbye, Samson," she bid him her final farewell. "I will tell my father where he can visit you."

With that, all she could do was retrieve her gloves from where she had tossed them to the ground and cover her hands again.

When she found Sir Gunnar waiting for her, he was kind enough not to say anything about the redness of her eyes or the evident wet eyelashes she had. Again, he felt a tinge of sorrow that the child was going through so much, but such was the life of a knight, and she was going to learn as much.

That led them to the cleanup of the township once they were sure they had most of the victims taken care of. They had to dig holes in a graveyard towards one of the forests bordering the place and found a priest willing to bless the bodies, so the active necromancer in the area had no choice but to leave them to rest.

It was also important that they rebuild the residential buildings so that the residents could put their efforts into the food stores and shops that made the township run smoothly. Since it was one of the first townships in the south, it was a popular destination for people’s access to the north.

It would take a long time for them to properly rebuild, but with those willing, it was going to be worth the effort.

After plenty more blood, sweat and tears spent on the township, the Knights of Tenetium only left a few behind to oversee the area and be sure that nothing else was amiss.

In the meantime, Irene and the others headed northeast and back to the Duke’s Tower where they all decided they deserved a nice long rest before summer duties got to them. There were noble ladies to guide and other things to worry about.

Namely, the Duke’s will was something they still planned to search for. Surprisingly, every communication between the Duke and the south hadn’t been combed through yet. The amount of papers he kept were quite high and they couldn’t put all of their efforts on that.

The team of knights and apprentices led their horses to the the stables on the northeastern side of the Duke’s Tower where squires were ready and waiting for them to arrive.

However, almost instantly everyone realized there was a strange feeling over everyone at the Duke’s Tower.

When they entered the Duke’s Tower through the back, the halls seemed rather empty and there was a quietness overtaking everything.

"I will check on Her Grace, the rest of you may head to the dining hall," Gunnar instructed.

But before the knight could even take a step onto the stairs that led up, Ingrid was rushing down the stairs.

It seemed every time the knights arrived, she had bad news for them.

"Sir, I’m so sorry," she immediately apologized, putting Sir Gunnar on edge. "Her Grace is nowhere to be found. We have been searching since this morning."

"What do you mean Her Grace is missing?" Gunnar snapped.

His voice caught the others before they could disappear into the dining hall and he heard the noises of the apprentices and few knights coming back to check on him.

"It is just as I said," Ingrid explained. "We have the knights who remained here searching the area for her, but there have been no signs as of yet. She ah..."

The maid hesitated and Gunnar tried not to press her too hard because she seemed nervous.

"What is it?" he asked.

"With the Duchess, she took His Grace’s ashes and we haven’t been able to find the Chemoian sword."

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