The Witch's Son

Eugene, a soldier from his previous world, was granted a second life after dying during a mission.

It was a world entirely different from Earth. He was reborn as the son of a Witch in a land where Knights, Mages, and spirits coexisted.

The Witch, who had wandered the world researching its mysteries, settled down for Eugene's sake. This was Kingdom's End, a rural village in the southwestern corner of the Continent.

Present were the fear that came with her identity as a Witch, and the benefits her Herbalism brought to the village. Thanks to a delicate balance between these two, the mother and son were able to live peacefully.

Eugene, with his large physique and innate strength, was a formidable presence, so the village boys couldn't bully him.

“That guy eats meat every day. That’s why he’s so strong.”

“But he’s not from a Hunter family?”

“They say the Witch enchants animals with Magic and eats them!”

“Shh! Shh! He’ll hear you.”

Eugene, who carried logs taller than himself on each shoulder, was even feared by the village toughs.

Life was peaceful, if not abundant. Compared to the luxuries provided by the civilization of his previous life, many things were primitive, but Eugene was happy.

However, his happy childhood didn't last long. His mother passed away from illness long before he reached adulthood.

It was Godfrey, a priest from the village monastery, who took in the boy who had nowhere else to turn.

The Monastery served the Principal Religion. There was a time when it dominated the world, but now it has declined, pushed aside by rival Religious Orders.

This was due to the arrogance of claiming their god was supreme in a world where multiple faiths coexisted, and the exclusivism of insulting other mysteries as idols.

Naturally, there was strong opposition to taking in Eugene, the Witch's son.

“He has defiled blood! How can such an unholy thing be brought into this sacred Monastery?” “We are going through difficult times. Now more than ever, we must unite in true faith. We must keep impurity at bay.”

Amidst everyone's opposition, only Godfrey protected Eugene.

“The child is innocent, isn't he? Please show him mercy.”

Godfrey was a famous knight who had retired to the monastery in his old age.

For a Knight, his faith was decent, and his worldly reputation was immense. Moreover, he always stepped up whenever the village needed military strength, upholding the Monastery's honor.

“I will not trouble the Religious Life of my brothers. I will take full responsibility for them, from beginning to end.”

The Sword of the Monastery had spoken, and the monks could not refuse. So, permission was granted for Eugene to stay until he reached adulthood.

Many winters had passed since then, and finally, the promised deadline was approaching.

* * *

Now grown, Eugene regarded Godfrey as his benefactor.

“Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”

Not only had Godfrey taught him Knight Training, but also reading and general knowledge through a close Priest. Most of all, he was grateful for the affection Godfrey had shown him as a Godfather.

In his previous life, Eugene had been an orphan. If he had first experienced a mother's love from his Witch mother here, he felt a father's love from Godfrey.

“Do you not resent being forced to leave?”

“Not at all. I have no interest in becoming a priest.”

Eugene disliked an ascetic life bound by rules, especially in a completely ruined Religious Order.

“That’s a good thought. I wouldn’t want you to become a pawn for those narrow-minded people either.”

Godfrey pointed outside the Monastery.

“Go out into the world. Wealth, glory, love. There are countless things waiting for you to grasp. You just need to reach out and harvest them.” “That doesn’t sound like appropriate encouragement from a Priest, does it?”

“It’s advice from a former Knight, not a Priest.” “Aren’t you overestimating me?” “You have that much capability. Are you doubting my intuition?” “Of course not. Aren’t you the most intuitive person in the world?”

Eugene looked into Godfrey’s clouded eyes.

Blind Knight Godfrey.

Born blind, he possessed extremely developed hearing and touch as compensation. Even among the blind, Godfrey was uniquely exceptional.

He could dodge incoming arrows and spears without seeing. He could even catch the sound of an opponent's muscles moving to predict where an attack would come from.

His miraculous ability had earned him the reputation of the Knight of Prophecy.

“The blind men of the Monastery, with their eyes open, don’t know your true worth.”

There was one fact that no one in the Monastery knew: Godfrey taking Eugene in wasn't solely out of charity.

“I remember when I first met you.”

At that time, Eugene was digging his mother’s grave.

Even if she had provided good medicine, a Witch was still a Witch. No adult helped him, because they feared the Principal Religious Order, which held great influence in the village.

Digging a grave was hard work even for a grown man, and being buried without a proper funeral was a tragedy. Godfrey, thinking he should at least help, sought out Eugene.

Their first meeting in the quiet forest left the veteran Knight overwhelmed.

*Thwack!

*Thump!

Each time the boy swung the shovel, the earth was dug with tremendous force.

A normal Knight would have been surprised by the speed of the shovel and the amount of earth, but the Blind Knight focused on something else.

*‘He’s a monster.’*

The symphony of muscles that sounded whenever Eugene’s limbs moved was like the breath of a sleeping dragon.

It was a unique resonance compared to that of any Squire or Knight he had encountered so far.

‘His heart is calm, too.’

The boy’s heart maintained a steady beat.

Neither the labor of digging a grave nor the fear of being left alone in a harsh world after losing his mother could shake that small heart.

It was Godfrey himself who had lost his composure.

*Thump-thump.*

The elderly retired Knight placed a hand on his left chest.

‘I covet him. I want to complete this young lion cub with my own hands.’

He felt the fighting spirit of a Knight, buried under his Religious Life, begin to boil.

Godfrey sat quietly, appreciating the music created by the boy’s muscles. In the end, all he did was recite a prayer and offer flowers.

“Will you not come with me? I will give you food, shelter, and a future as a Knight.”

*Nod.*

Eugene accepted the offer. That was the truth behind his adoption.

“When do you plan to leave?”

“I will leave as soon as I retrieve my mother’s belongings.”

When Eugene was accepted into the Monastery, the items from the Cabin where he and his mother lived were also moved.

Some of them were classified as Witch's Artifacts and sealed in the Monastery's storage.

“The Religious Order won’t easily hand them over.”

“But I can’t just leave them behind, can I?”

“They’re not particularly valuable items, are they?”

“Money isn’t the issue.”

His mother’s research journals and travelogues were treasures more precious than money to Eugene.

His only kin left memories in a world where everything was unfamiliar. He absolutely did not want to leave them behind.

“So, you accepted the Monastery’s request as you were leaving, then.”

“Yes.”

The Monastery had asked Eugene, who was nearing adulthood, to eliminate a large wild boar that was plaguing the village.

For Eugene, who was packing his bags to leave, it was a task he could have ignored, much like a veteran soldier nearing discharge would have nothing to fear.

However, he couldn't help but be tempted by the promise that his mother's belongings would be returned if he completed the mission.

“I’ll come with you.”

“It’s something I can do alone.”

“Isn’t this like your disciple’s graduation ceremony? Let me at least observe.”

“Understood.”

Shortly after, the two, having prepared, left the Monastery.

“Never underestimate the boar.”

“I know. The depth of its footprints was no joke.”

Eugene estimated the beast easily weighed over 440 pounds.

It was a size that even a skilled warrior couldn't be careless with, and for the village farmers, whose only tools were sharpened stakes or farm implements, it was nothing short of a disaster.

“Look over there. They must be going to catch that monster.”

“It’s a boar, not a monster.”

“But they say it’s as big as a monster. Samson said he saw a boar the size of a house on top of the cliff last night.”

“Haven’t you heard that guy’s tall tales a hundred times?”

The farmers whispered as they watched the Knight and Squire.

The people here called dangerous predators, distinct from common animals like wild dogs, wolves, boars, and bears, "monsters."

The elderly Herbalist approached Godfrey and Eugene, respectfully doffing his hat.

“Well met.”

“Thank you.”

Eugene replied on behalf of the taciturn Godfrey.

This time, a middle-aged man approached, clasping his hands in supplication.

“That boar ruined Gamba’s mushroom patch, they say. Who knows what other damage it will cause if left alone. It’s shameless of me, but please, I beg you!” “I’ll do my best.”

Eugene, accustomed to the egalitarian customs of his previous life, initially spoke to everyone without proper deference, regardless of age or station. It was the first thing he was corrected on when he became Godfrey’s Squire. The villagers, however, likely found it more comfortable that he maintained a certain distance, for Eugene, who would one day become a Knight, was not someone mere Backwater farmers could treat casually.

“Greetings, Knights!”

The Shepherd, who was repairing the village fence, greeted them cheerfully.

“It would please me more if you called me Priest. I’ve chosen faith over the sword now.” “I’m still just a Squire who hasn’t been knighted. ‘Knight’ is too grand a title.”

Seeing the humble Master and Disciple, the Shepherd tapped his own lips.

“Oh dear, this ignorant fellow made a mistake. Haven’t you two saved the village countless times? You’re like knights from a fairy tale.”

It wasn't empty flattery. Kingdom's End, a village in the Borderland of the Continent, nestled deep in the Mountain Range, was constantly threatened by various dangers, big and small.

The village's name, Kingdom's End, came from its location at the edge of successive kingdoms. Despite its grand-sounding name, it was an unremarkable place, though it had a decent population.

Whenever an incident requiring force arose, Godfrey would take Eugene along, both to resolve the issue and to provide Knightly Practice.

Occasionally, he would share the meat of hunted beasts with the village. This naturally garnered him popularity he wouldn't otherwise have had.

Eugene, grown into a strapping young man, and walking with the seasoned Godfrey, presented a striking image to the rural folk.

“I felt so sorry that I couldn’t help at all when your mother passed away.”

“It couldn’t be helped. Everyone has his or her own circumstances.”

This village was governed by the Monastery, not a Knight or a Feudal Lord. Therefore, the Priests exercised ownership over the forest and the mill.

Eugene understood that the powerless villagers had to be careful and mindful of the Religious Order.

After being seen off by the Shepherd, they passed the village boundary and reached the mountain's entrance.

The west and north were uncharted territories. Just a hundred steps into the western forest, the sky disappeared, and towering mountain ranges appeared to the north.

In this world, there were more places untouched by the light of civilization than those that were. Straying even a little from settled areas meant encountering unidentified cries, footprints, and ominous gazes.

“I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“Master, you could have joined a distinguished Noble House and become a Swordsmanship Instructor.”

“I even received an offer from the Royal Family.”

“...”

“But why did you choose to enter a Monastery in this Backwater and subject yourself to such hardship in your later years?”

His Master diligently pursued his Religious Life but was not consumed by fanaticism like other principal religion priests.

To Eugene, it seemed Godfrey prayed, not to the Abbot’s sermons or the scriptures, but to something else entirely.

“Do you know why I was able to become a Knight despite being blind?”

“Yes. In exchange for not seeing, your other senses became acute. Especially your hearing.”

“I dedicated my entire life to training my senses.”

Godfrey tapped his eyelids with his index finger.

“With my eyes like this, I couldn’t become strong by training like others.”

“That’s true.”

“In spring, I listened to the melting snow and the sprouting shoots from the ground. In summer, I distinguished the cries of thousands of insects. In autumn, I heard the falling leaves, and in winter, I focused on the sound of the world freezing over.”

“There isn’t a single Knight in the world who trains like you, Master.”

The Knights trained here by mindlessly swinging swords and running around. They believed that pushing their bodies to exhaustion was the only way to become stronger.

However, Godfrey’s training was closer to meditation. Perhaps that’s why, despite having lived his entire life as a Knight, he adapted so easily to Monastery life.

“As I focused more and more on my hearing, one day I heard something different. Something I had never heard before in my life.”

“Was it like a new Sword Realm? Like the sword speaking to you?”

Eugene asked, recalling the wuxia novels he had read on Earth.

“Are you joking right now?”

“Well, yes.”

Eugene mumbled awkwardly.

Godfrey stopped walking and looked up at the sky.

“I heard the Voice of God.”

That was his reason for retiring to the Monastery in his later years.

“It felt as if all the transgressions I had accumulated were being forgiven. But after that, I never heard that voice again. I had hoped to find a way in the Monastery, but all that remains is disappointment. They are further from the Voice of God than mere farmers.”

Godfrey pointed at the now tiny Monastery. More precisely, he was referring to the Priests residing within it, whom he had stopped calling brothers at some point.

“Out of so many monasteries, why did you choose this one?” “The Voice of God came from this direction. And since these people are more than just devout, almost fanatical, I thought they might know something more.”

Godfrey smiled faintly and stroked Eugene’s head.

“Besides, didn’t I gain a connection by coming here?”

Since his Disciple had already surpassed him in height, his wrinkled hand had to reach up.