Hakama and Jin walked together, crossing all kinds of gorgeous and scenic country. She showed him around as they went, and finally, once they had set up camp, Jin asked how far the capital still was.
Apparently it was four more days of walking, which was not as far as he had expected. She, on the other hand, was really curious about his side of things, and why he was so bent on exploring the world. He refused to share, and told her it was a secret.
Deep down, Jin knew the Corruptors were still alive, both from Kagura's loose description and because he had already encountered a few in this era. Corruptors normally reproduced only in ruined and polluted places, which was the complete opposite of this area, meaning that someone or something was secretly causing a change that had to be investigated.
Hakama was frightened to see him make a face that serious while lost in thought, so he apologized to her for brooding.
Jin understood one thing clearly. This area was not totally dominated by the Corruptor creatures. Signs of survival were clear and everywhere around him. His first main goal was to investigate the people of this era, and then deal with the Corruptors. Researching the monsters was not so hard, since he could do it personally at his leisure.
Apart from that, he wanted one immediate change, and he asked Hakama to stop calling him a guardian god. She still gave him far too much respect even then, and he had to urge her to just call him Jin.
The sound of a horse galloping caught the attention of both of them.
A Holy Knight had arrived alongside his team, asking for a moment with the two of them. This man looked like a storybook prince, though Jin did not particularly care, and asked about his identity anyway.
Hailing from the Holy Knight Order, the captain of the seventh division announced himself as Argus Alton. The concept of a Holy Knight was still new to Jin, who wondered whether these were the interesting beings the villagers had mentioned.
Among Argus's team, one bratty knight threw a tantrum and roared at the commoner for showing complete ignorance to her leader by refusing to stand up. She even told her captain that these two had to be the culprits, only for Argus to tell her to tone it down.
Karina fussed in the background while the Holy Knight addressed Jin with more respect this time. Jin was simply curious about Karina's words earlier, but the Holy Knight brushed it off, acting as though she had merely been rude.
Argus then changed the subject and asked about the identity of the man in front of him, where he came from, and where he was headed next. Hakama shared that they belonged to Kodama Village, with a route set for the royal capital.
Karina took this as confirmation all over again, acting from her high horse as she accused the two of being inferior species. She launched into a whole pretentious exposé, as though she had cracked some brilliant case in revealing inferior beings from Kodama Village.
Jin was actually fascinated by the advancements of this world when he heard that birth records existed.
But Argus butted in again and stopped Karina from making reckless assumptions. He could tell that the little girl Hakama was wearing special Kodama clothes, the kind revered for their high quality even at the capital. The children of the village did not wear such fine clothing without reason, which confirmed that they were indeed from there, proving Karina wrong again.
Though he was certain about the girl, Argus unsheathed his blade and pointed it at the man standing before him, declaring him different from the rest. He had never seen this man's clothes before, which raised the question of where he belonged.
The Holy Knight explained that many bandits had been causing trouble along the road between Kodama Village and the capital. It was possible that this man was one of those bandits, trying to traffic children, and that Hakama was in on the act while acting harmless.
The little girl tried to pitch in with a denial, but they did not believe a single word. Without thinking things through, Hakama charged up an attack, only to be cornered with several magical swords pinning her from every direction. She earned the praise of the Holy Knight for having divine power.
Jin was fairly impressed by the power of a Holy Knight. Argus's capabilities were strong, and he could see that right away.
Now that he was in a position of true authority, the Holy Knight demanded an explanation of where the man came from. That information would be the deciding factor between letting him live or not.
Just hearing that, Jin glared at him with the look of murder. The tension was strong, but eventually he decided not to pursue his feelings, and simply said that he had come from Kodama Village.
Karina jumped up to call him a liar to his face, but Argus genuinely accepted the explanation and lowered his weapon. It was a shocking turnaround, especially from a man who had been moments away from making death threats. The Holy Knight could sense that Jin was not telling a lie.
Hakama officially declared Jin the guardian god of the village. The concept fascinated the Holy Knight, but he did not take it seriously, and turned to leave. He climbed back onto his horse and apologized for his rudeness. Argus had been doing all of that as part of his job.
The captain said he understood they would meet each other at the royal capital in the future, and he even offered them the chance to come find him if they ran into some trouble. Then he hastened to take his leave, embarrassing Karina, who for some reason had wanted some serious violence to break out. Even Jin looked confused by her appetite for drama.
The team rode on toward their next destination. Karina was still forcing the issue for no reason, insisting that Jin was suspicious and that they should not have let that inferior species get away. The words inferior species caught in Argus's throat. He taunted the girl for not knowing which one of them was truly the inferior species.
Ria agreed with him, much to Karina's shock. She emphasized just how godlike the gap had been between them and the man they had been facing. Argus had actually tried to make a move three times in that single encounter, and his resolve could not carry him through it. He had sensed that Jin, with one hand still in his pocket, would move the instant he tried anything, and counter him before the attack even began.
Argus had also tried to use divine power, and in the face of Jin the power had not even activated, which frightened Karina. The same move he had pulled against Hakama, cornering her easily, had not worked on him at all. Ria had tried to do the same and fallen short as well, which implied that there was a completely different league of difference between their strength and a monster like Jin.
A feat like that, even in Argus's view, could only be managed by the supreme commander of the knight order, at best. Ria and Karina scoffed. The girl had no idea just how outclassed they had been at the time.
Argus emphasized that they had just met a monster, an anomaly different from all the rest, and that it was fine that Karina had made a mistake, because she was new to their unit.
As for the one who had killed the invader at Kodama Village, Argus suspected it was the same man. Karina thought the situation was dangerous, but her captain believed it was more dangerous to attack someone with zero information about them. He also believed Jin was reasonably calm for being so passive, and that right now their goal was to return to the royal capital, as their involvement was no longer necessary.
The final thing they discussed was informing the guild about the situation with the bandits. And in his own thoughts, Argus turned over this guardian god of Kodama Village. If only that man could become their ally, it could solve any number of the issues their country suffered from.