《Nigoru Hitomi de Nani wo Negau》


 Prologue

    Prologue


    A pleasant time ended with a high-pitched sound. Raizou ??Takakura reluctantly opened his tightly closed heavy eyelids.


    The body pillow was wet with drool, and the summer blanket was twisted and could no longer even distinguished between the front and back. The cause of the noise was still ringing at the bedside.


    Raizou always ??randomly changed the alarm sound every day, but the song selected that day was a time bomb-themed alarm sound.


    The sound suitable for the time when the morning almost over made Raizou¡¯s eyes looked like he was angry. The blurred vision was useless, so he groped around with his right hand, and finally grabbed the ¡®victory¡¯.


    After completing the troublesome approval screen, the annoying alarm clock was silenced. Then, Raizou pulled out the charging cord and placed it on the desk. He ??finally got up. He felt annoying to hear the creaking tone of the old bed.


    ¡°Aah, I¡¯m so tired.¡±


    Raizou ??speculated that the cause of fatigue might be due to overtime work that lasted until late the day before, but he had sent the email just in time. He thought that it would be nice to have a radiant morning with relief and a sense of accomplishment once in a while, but it was only fatigue that had continued since last month.


    Contrary to the gloomy mood, the bright sunlight entered the room from the opened curtain. Raizou, who squinted his eyes, sighed a little.


    I¡¯m not in my perfect condition these days. It would not be an exaggeration to say that I¡¯m in a bad condition.


    Raizou ??made an unpleasant sound when he turned his head. He went to the sink to change his mood.


    The cracked floor squeaked every time when Raizou ??walked. It was like a duet between the sound of bare feet and the squeaking sound.


    Reflected In the mirror was a man, Raizou ??Takakura, 33 years old, single.


    Raizou ??laughed at the wrinkles on his face which was appropriate to his age, dark circles under the eyes showing his accumulated fatigue, but at least his face has not really changed.


    ¡°Baby face is good¡­¡±


    Even when he was a new employee, he was mistaken for a mid-career employee. Raizou ??still remembered being terribly upset when he was suddenly asked about the future schedule at the site he was working.


    Twisted the knob on the water faucet, washed the face with cold water and straightened the hair to get rid of the laziness.


    Raizou ??paid attention to the sink in front of him, he noticed that a considerable amount of hair was scattered.


    ¡°Are you kidding me?¡±


    Raizou didn¡¯t dye his hair or grow it long, he had lived with normal hairstyle until now. So, he wondered if his hair roots have some complaints. Raizou ??held a grudge against his hair, but nothing he could do.


    Raizou ??took milk from the refrigerator and a cup from the shelf and sat at the desk. Before having a breakfast, he reached for the remote control at the table and turned on the morning news.


    ¡º¡±It was an incident in which young people who were visiting a certain city in a certain prefecture went missing, but it turned out that they could not contact the 13 Ground Self-Defense Force members who were searching.¡±¡»


    ¡º¡±The container ship ¡®NTR¡¯ owned by ?? Corporation and the ¡®Erotic Saline¡¯ belonging to Saline Company have sunk in the port of Yokohama. The detailed cause is unknown, but it seems that both ships sank after being hit by a large impact on the bottom of the ship below the waterline. There is a suspicion that a submarine of unknown affiliation collided¨D¨D¡±¡»


    ¡º¡±What an unpleasant disaster. Mysterious phenomena continue all over the world. Even though it was just said that an unidentified aurora turmoil had just occurred in Tokyo the other day, it seems as if the world has come to an end.¡±¡»


    This high-pitched commentator appeared on the screen. Raizou ??hated the commentator a little, but he agreed with the comments. Since the end of last year, strange phenomena had occurred all over the world¡­ The land, sea, and air.


    An interview with a self-proclaimed shrine maiden who was spreading her arms to communicate with GOD, an interview with an old man whose dog was taken away by a green humanoid monster, and a story about the destruction of all the flora and fauna of the mountain in an instant.


    Raizo didn¡¯t hate watching that kind of news on TV. It might be a lie, but at least it was interesting.


    ¡°Hmm!¡±


    Raizo opened the bag of bread he bought in an exaggerated behavior, then he brought it into his mouth. The sweetness that can be called ¡®extreme sugar¡¯ could be tasted from the soft bread.


    Raizou ??realized that the bread was a new product, melon chocolate caramel cream bun, but it was bad. [TN: Yep, I guess so¡­]


    Raizou poured the bread that remained in his mouth with milk while frowning. In such a condition, Raizou, who was getting ready in the morning, noticed the sound of the clock and checked the time¡­ It¡¯s a good time to get on the commuter train.


    After brushing his teeth, Raizou ??began to get ready. ¡®The morning preparation¡¯ that he had cultivated for more than a dozen years was his speciality.


    Put on black socks and closed the button on the ironed shirt in the shortest possible time. Put on the upper and lower suits, put on the wristwatch, and Raizou was ready to go.


    Raizou also checked the business card holder, smartphone, work bag. It was his three sacred treasures. If he had this, he was confidence that he can overcome any situation.


    Wore the worn-out leather shoes while trimming the heels and headed outside.


    Raizou ??knew that there was a trick to closing the old door. You needed to lift it up lightly and turned the lock quickly. He was wondering whether the hinges were the cause, or that the door was warped because the entire apartment was aging.


    Raizou ??was frightened for a moment by the outside temperature, but he did not hesitate and pushed out. He passed through the narrow corridor and went down the stairs with heavy breathing.


    Raizou ??missed his youth¡­ it¡¯s not like this when I¡¯m in my twenties.


    With a sound far from rhythmic, the rest was three steps. Raizou, who tried to step further, called out for something wrong with his body.


    ¡°Uhhh, Arrghh? Ahhh, Aahhhhhhh!!¡±


    It came abruptly. Raizou held his chest down with the intense pain that came without warning. He couldn¡¯t endure the pain and so he couldn¡¯t help but to rolled down.


    Raizou grabbed the wall or something and tried to stand up, but he couldn¡¯t stand the burning pain in his chest and the sensation of pressure on his body and, fell to the ground.


    It hurts, it hurts, it hurts¡­ hurts.


    Raizou was choking. In addition to dizziness, the field of vision was distorted, and the cold sweat did not stop coming from his forehead. He couldn¡¯t breathe properly, his limbs couldn¡¯t move, so he had no choice but¡­ just to look up to the sky.


    Raizou was now out of the house with his hair was soiled with dust, and his half-opened mouth was smeared with saliva. He ??reached out for help, but only that day somehow, there were no people around.


    The edge of the field of vision shimmered, and the field of vision slowly darkened and narrowed. Raizou didn¡¯t know what happened to his body, but one thing he could understand was¡­ that¡­ he¡­ would die as it was¨C


    I don¡¯t want die. I still, want to live.


    Raizou ??slowly raised his right hand while his physical freedom was being lost one after another.


    His hands were trembling like a fawn who just born. It was a ridiculous sight, but Raizou ??couldn¡¯t even afford to laugh.


    Then, Raizou ??vaguely remembered the weather forecast said that he should take measures against heat and be careful about heat stroke.


    The terribly annoying cicada¡¯s voice that Raizo hated so much¡­ he couldn¡¯t hear it. All that could be heard by him was the irregular breathing sounds and the weakening heartbeat.


    Perhaps due to the darkening vision, Raizou ??saw hallucinations. The ground where he was fallen, was dyed black and swirled. Countless shadow of midget-like person came out from inside.


    The shadow surrounded Raizou ??and tried to drag him into the hole. It was like a scene that appears in some travel journals.


    Oh, it¡¯s really a hallucination¡­ at last, it¡¯s finally over.


    Although it was faint, Raizou heard someone happily calling his name, but he could no longer hear it, and his consciousness was completely lost.

 CH 1

    1. Chapter 1


    The scent spread throughout Walm¡¯s nasal passages. It was the smell of human manure and internal organs that he was familiar with.


    Although the full clash between the two armies was yet to come, the battlefield had already started.


    Crushing each other was the matter of course, the arrows and magic from a long distance that kept attacking the poor soldiers spread their viscera into the air.


    Walm¡¯s heart had already beating with tense, and his feet continued to kick the ground. The poor breastplate shook as if to assert itself and made a loud metallic sound.


    Walm had already tried his best to put up with the smell for him to breathe efficiently but now, he needed to put up with the sight in front of him. He couldn¡¯t stand both of it anymore and screamed.


    ¡°Uwoooooo,Woooooooooooooooooooo,oooooooooooooooooooooooo!¡±


    Words that had no real meaning. If there was, it must be a primitive meaning that inspires oneself and threatens the other party. Walm¡¯s hands held a 2.5-meter-long spear, and his torso and head were protected by dented armor.


    The same was true for the people around him. In that place, it was the formal attire. The red-black stains that couldn¡¯t be removed seemed to be one-point fashion, but the substance was a proof of the tragedy of its predecessor. As if the stains that had soaked up told Walm eloquently what happened.


    Raizou ??Takakura, or Walm, the name he got in the new life. And he was at war.


    Walm was at war, but it was not as modern as World War I and World War II that he knew from history, where iron, gunpowder, and science and technology were used abundantly.


    It was a medieval war, where iron hit another iron, iron hit people body, and the body itself used to hit another body. In a unique way there were ¡¶Magic¡·, ¡¶Skills¡·, mysterious creatures, and magic tools/items too. And Walm had tasted all of it.


    The man who was once named, Raizou ??Takakura, received his second life as the third son of a farmer in a world different from the earth.


    Walm, who was reborn with a new body and name and enjoyed youth in the fields and soils. It was the draft for war which was waiting for him.


    Walm and his family have been given money just enough for preparations and had been on the front lines after a month of training.


    If the nation had strength to spare, many years of trained regular soldiers will be driven into war too.


    But, it was unrelated to the empire, which was in war all year, and Walm, one of its people. It was determined that a month of training would be sufficient for a large number of infantries.


    The rest of the education was on-site education that Walm had experienced in his previous life.


    According to Walm, the immediate introduction of OJT (On-the-Job-Training) was the best. After all, if you failed, you lost your life.


    Half a year after he was in military service, Walm survived the first battle, and he has already been in the 11th battle.


    The one which once was on the same military service group with Walm had mostly disappeared completely. The organs were exposed, the head was crushed, and the whole body was burned by ¡®Magic¡¯. There were many variations in how to die, really¡­ there were a wide variety of ways to die.


    Thankfully, the enemy would be the one to perform the cremation and burial. It was like coming to a death amusement park. If you didn¡¯t get bored by it, you would start to spit everywhere.


    Walm, who enjoyed a peaceful world, did not seem to be able to stay alive even in the first match, but ironically, only Walm remained alive. He was not sure what that happened, but when he realized it, after a few tens of seconds ¨D¨D He had no choice but to laugh.


    The number killed by Walm was not just a few, it was over dozens. The enemy soldiers would not disappear even if he were crouched, his hands were shaking, and his legs were to lose the strength to move. Even if he vomited to the life that he took for the first time, there was no one waiting for him.


    If there was a chance, his comrades would kill the enemy soldiers from the side, but Walm, who had experienced the battlefield many times, already stopped expecting it.


    It wasn¡¯t the Highserk Empire, the homeland of Walm, or the God¡¯s guidance that saved him, but the 2.5m spear temporarily lent by the empire and the 90cm longsword he picked up at the battlefield.


    In the battlefield everyone was equal. Walm believed so from the bottom of his heart. Death came fairly to all men and women of all ages.


    In that kind mess of thought, Walm had reached a distance where he can clearly see the other person¡¯s face.


    It was a light infantry of the Liberitoa Trade Federation that Walm was tired of seeing. Although it was an enemy country, they would be a militia like Walm. He speculated that everyone was pale because of anxiety due to lack of experience.


    The two armies were approaching the deadly distance cross the spear tip without any signal. The enemy¡¯s spear approached Walm¡¯s body, but it hit the breastplate. While scratching it, he parried with his half body, and the spear deviated.


    Walm was exempt from collapsing together. A spear held at the waist was aimed at the enemy soldier¡¯s throat and he thrusted it. The targeted enemy soldier tried to deflect with the pulled back spearhead, but the real aim was the lower body without armor.


    The enemy soldier distorted his face when he felt the spear stuck in his thigh. The wound that might had reached the bone caused severe pain to the body and instantly robbed a large amount of blood.


    An enemy soldier, who barely held a spear and could not resist the spear that was thrusted by Walm again and again, sank to the ground. There was a slight breath left, but since he fell to the ground in the front line, what was waiting for him was crushing death by the footsteps of the army.


    ¡®Too bad¡¯, Walm turned away from the soldiers who were trampled by both armies.


    Another soldier switches to the vacant spot. But even though the soldier was also pale like the last one, Walm felt the soldier that came now was better than before.


    The battle with the tip of a spear happened, but it cannot be settled by just that. Walm thought the soldier was a disposable one since it was the front like, but unfortunately the soldier didn¡¯t seem to be a virgin in combat.


    The tip of the spear hit violently. The Liberitoa soldier, who flicked the tip of the spear from below and stepped in, smiled convinced of the victory, but Walm bowed and accepted the attack using his head.


    Walm wore protective helmets, Cervelliere, on his head. From the frontal bone to the parietal bone, it was protected by a circular bowl made of iron, the neck was protected by the chain, and the temporal region was also protected by a flat plate extending from the bowl to the cheeks.


    The spear hit the temple on the left side of Walm but, slipped and deflected upwards.


    Walm bit dull pain with his back teeth. He thrusted his spear into the face of a Liberitoa soldier, who was not smiling anymore, twice.


    The first thrust was on the cheek, and the second one was a spear tip went through the eyeball, causing fatal damage to the brain. By the time Walm repositioned his spear, the enemy soldier lost his live was like a doll with a broken thread and fall off their feet.


    ¡°F**k¡±


    Walm gave off a curse words in a small voice. The battle did not end when at most two people were killed. Enemy soldier jumped out to Walm while he was groaning.


    Walm thrusted his spear to intercept the soldier as if he refused to associate with the soldier, who was suddenly came like a bloodthirsty hungry wolf, but the spear was repelled by the armor.


    Armored from the feet to the head stands in front of Walm. Considering the equipment, it was a difficult enemy perhaps the commander of ten soldiers or the commander of a small platoon.


    The two-handed sword that was unleashed with the momentum approached Walm¡¯s throat.


    Abandoned the spear and caught the sword with the round shield that Walm took from his back. Unlike the attack he received up until now, the blow was really heavy. From that blow he felt the high skill of the enemy.


    The round shield was scratched diagonally, and the impact left behind caused Walm¡¯s palm to become numb.


    Walm learned from experience that it was a bad idea to rest your hands and gave control of the combat to the other party. So, he pulled out the longsword and slashed it from the bottom toward the throat, but it was repelled by the back of the soldier¡¯s hand.


    Tilted the round shield to the left to parry the two-handed sword swung down from the top. The shield was scratched again and an intersect of the slash with previous slash could be seen on it.


    Walm felt nervous thought that he couldn¡¯t stand the third slash. There were also differences in armor, and if he tried to slash each other, he would inevitably lose.


    Walm was ready to step on, folded his shoulders, put his weight on it, and pushed it in with a round shield. It would be a momentary push, but there was also the fact that it was immediately after the big swing, so the enemy soldiers lose their posture slightly behind.


    Use the situation where the view blocked by the round shield to push the longsword into the soldier feet from the back of the shield.


    The chain hanged down from the waist to thighs, so only the cutting edge pierces the skin, but the enemy soldier who received the sharp longsword leaked his voice.


    The soldier flew back while swung down the two-handed sword but seeing that he was not standing on the ground properly, Walm didn¡¯t miss the opportunity.


    The slash was slower than the previous speed, and Walm was able to look ahead. He stepped more than the enemy to close the distance and thrusted the blade from below as if he was rub it up with armor.


    ¡°Uhhhhh, Aarggh?!¡±


    When the blade entered through the lower jaw of the enemy soldier, it broke open the palate and reached the brain. The enemy soldier who lost his strength momentarily sticked further to the tip of the sword under his own weight. Walm didn¡¯t even have to confirm.


    In order to divert the load on the sword, Walm threw it sideways. Everyone was focused about the opponent in front of them, but one of the enemy soldiers noticed Walm.


    ¡°The platoon leader?!¡±


    Walm saw the soldiers around him upset. A scream-like shout was heard as the offensive moves accelerated accordingly.


    ¡°He¡¯s a Magic User!!!¡±


    When the magical power swirled from the group of enemies, a fireball was released from the hand. Walm reflexively raised his shield and bended to the ground. The fatal destruction that he was afraid of did not come, and it landed a few meters away.


    The blast caused the hair to thicken and the skin to become hot. Walm bitterly smiled as he managed to avoid a direct hit with his shield and fellow body. The two who got hit directly were miserable.


    Walm¡¯s eyes, which had become accustomed to the battlefield, reflected the misery of his friends. One had his arms burned to the middle and was torn apart, and the other¡¯s head had completely disappeared. Fresh pieces of meat stuck to the helmet he wore, leaving burnt blood.


    Some people threw spears at the abominable Magic User, but while being protected by the soldiers around them, they slipped into the formation. The enemy Magic User soldier was cherished like their own first son, and Walm spitted out, saying he was really envious.


    Walm learned that even in a world where one in ten has some magic aptitude, the one who could use Magic were treated as rare and were more valuable than ordinary soldiers.


    ¡®Most of the time, they support from the side or back of the infantry, but probably the Liberitoa Trade Federation feel the unfavorable situation, now they mix them inside the infantry¡¯, Walm thought so.


    Mixing with the hustle and bustle of people, Walm could hear the roaring sound of explosions and the wind noise of wind Magic. Seeing an ice spear extending from the back of a friendly army piercing the enemy¡¯s shoulder with a shield, Walm slammed his longsword horizontally so as not to miss an opportunity.


    The longsword broke through the defenses of the soldier arms and slashed his throat.


    Blood spilled out like a broken water pipe, and the enemy soldiers squeezed their throats in distress, but as Walm expected, they only extended their lifespan by tens of seconds.


    Furthermore, when the third person that Walm killed on that day, a voice that determined the war situation that he had been waiting for roared from a distance.


    ¡°Friendly troops have pushed the sides!¡±


    While the infantries were holding up in front, the light infantry overtook the enemy¡¯s side forces and assaulted the main force from the side.


    In the unfavorable situation, whatever the commander of Liberitoa army did, couldn¡¯t turn over the situation anymore, he did a bad job as a commander.


    ¡°Keep pressing. The enemy formation has collapsed!!!¡±


    When the voice of the squad leader who dedicated his blood-soaked sword to heaven echoed, the soldiers responded with as much roar as possible.


    The enemies who stood up in the onslaught from the front and sides tried hard to rebuild their formation, but the collapsed unit began to run, and the formation was torn into pieces.


    The semi-siege from the one-wing breakthrough that Walm experienced many times was being completed. It was a tactic that the Highserk Empire was good at.


    The left side of the enemy which was left on the battlefield was a soldier whose command system did not work properly, a soldier who continued to fight despite the situation, and a soldier who prioritized escape.


    And so, the soldier of Highserk empire started to attack the Liberitoa army which lost the function as an army, lost half of the soldiers, and were running all over place to save their own life.


    Arrows and spears attacked soldiers who threw away their weapons and shields and the one who tried to escape. The soldiers who caught up on their run was thrusted with a war hammer into the back of their heads.


    Some of the old strong men could hold a few numbers of the Highserk troops, but now they were beaten and slaughtered from the top of their armor, or they attacked with five or six spears together, and so their last resistance was just a vain manner.


    In a two-hour battle, the Liberitoa Trade Federation lost 60% of its troops, and the conflicting borders were greatly inclined to the Highserk Empire.

 CH 2

    2. Chapter 2


    Immediately after the fierce battle, those who were satisfied for being still alive with no physical defect, continued to move on the next battlefield without a break. The looting of supplies and things left by the enemy was recognized in the Highserk Empire as way to improve the troops morale.


    Walm was reluctant to touch the pocket of the opponent he had killed, but if he kept being hesitant, there would be nothing left for him. And as expected of a man who was called the platoon leader, the things he left behind were great.


    A pouch containing silver and bronze coins, a hard-baked biscuit, and a knee pad that protects from the shin to the knee. The pad didn¡¯t fit Walm¡¯s torso and so he didn¡¯t take it.


    ¡°Pardon me¡±


    Without thinking much, Walm¡¯s hands moved to the dead¡¯s hand. Forcibly opened it to take the two-handed sword that the man still clenched even after death.


    The dead man almost felt as if he was still alive, but since military chaplain was there, Walm was at ease because he didn¡¯t have to worry about the dead becoming a monster.


    The sword wasn¡¯t bad, but Walm already owned a better-quality longsword.


    After sinking into the sea of ??thought for a while, he raised his voice.


    ¡°Is there anyone who wants a sword? It¡¯s a good one. I want to exchange it for something else.¡±


    Walm decided to barter it. Since with so many abandoned items, there would have been one or two who would meet his needs.


    If it was a small item, he would carry it with him, but the two-handed sword was bulky.


    It would be a useless long item for Walm who didn¡¯t have a Magic Bag.


    A soldier reacted before he raised his voice again.


    ¡°Your shield looks bad.¡±


    Walm¡¯s shield, which continued to be attacked, was severely damaged and partly penetrated. If he were to use it in the next battle, there would be a heavy risk of getting damages. On the other hand, the man¡¯s shield was simple and robust, with no flashy decorations.


    ¡°Let me see it¡±


    ¡°Sure, I want to see it too.¡±


    After temporarily exchanging things, Walm looked at the materials and reinforcements. It was lighter than it looks, and when he tried to hit it, a solid sound was returned.


    The man also liked the two-handed sword.


    Walm and the soldier looked at each other and nodded.


    It was a satisfying exchange for each other. After Walm passed the shield trough the sling and carried it on his back, he continued his looting.


    ¡°What. He¡¯s still breathing.¡±


    A squad member looking for loot at the edge of Walm¡¯s field of vision found a Liberitoa soldier who was at death¡¯s door


    If they were alive, they would be sent away as slaves, and if they were aristocrats or rich people, as long as their families could pay the ransom, they would be released.


    ¡°He¡­..lp, me.¡±


    His abdomen was full of blood and viscera was coming out from the inside, and the shoulders were also deeply lacerated. Since, blood had flowed too much, even if you used recovery magic on him, he would unlikely stay alive, as his condition was beyond saving.


    A thin voice, begging for the help of the Liberitoa soldier, repeatedly reached Walm¡¯s ears.


    ¡°This is no good¡±


    The soldier who had found it annoying, he stood up, pulled out a longsword from his waist and thrust it into the throat of the Liberitoa soldier lying on the ground.


    Walm could have stopped it, but he didn¡¯t.


    Because from the abdominal cavity of the Liberitoa soldier viscera was flowing out. Even his life got to be extended, he would be in constant suffering. It would only be a waste of resources. Although Walm could understand it by such a reason, he unconsciously distorted his eyebrows with discomfort while watching what happened.


    ¡°A, Uugggrhh¡±


    Tch, what a rough guy.


    It wasn¡¯t right on the vital spot. As the soldier couldn¡¯t die instantly, he spited out blood from his mouth and groaned, clenching his hands as if he was holding the pain while seeing the sword stuck in him.


    ¡°You suck, move.¡±


    It was the head of the squad to which Walm belonged to. Perhaps he couldn¡¯t bear watching the suffocating enemy soldiers any longer. When he dismissed his friend by hand, he lifted the war hammer on his shoulder and swung it down.


    A dull sound of cracking skull echoed. This time the soldier died. Walm looked away from it. The squad leader glanced at the corpse for a moment then he threw it at the soldier who was standing next to him.


    ¡°Tibird, when I¡¯m about to die, I won¡¯t ask you for the final blow for sure.¡±


    The bearded man snorted. He was Walm¡¯s superior, The Squad Commander, Duwei. The war wounds on the whole body were the proof his battle history.


    He was average in height but still a little taller than Walm, but his log-like arms and thick chest plate looked so assuring, and above all, he had the skill ¡¶Strike¡·.


    Unlike Walm¡¯s previous world, the individual differences of human beings in this world were great. Sure human who could use magic might be rare, but the one who possessed skill was also rare. Both of them were powerful.


    There were women who could break a man¡¯s arm, scouts who were more agile than animals, and even warrior monks who could stop a slash with their bare hands. Squad Commander Duwei was such a person. His war hammer could crush armored enemies. Walm¡¯s impression of him was that he was amongst the ones that he didn¡¯t want to meet as an enemy.


    As the turmoil had subsided, Walm glanced at the corpse. There might be no such culture. Also, even though Walm was unclear about the faith, he quietly joined hands.


    It was an act that helped him diminishing guilt. Some critical opinions were thrown at him, but he ignored them.


    ¡°Ah, Walm, are you doing it again?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like a habit.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I see, well, I don¡¯t feel anything bad from it.¡±


    In response to Walm, Squad Commander Duwei replied briefly. Perhaps he lost interest, he cut off the story. Around the time when the corpses were no longer valuable, the squad was gathered in one place.


    ¡°My squad was ordered to dispose of the corpses in the area. Fortunately, there are many prisoners of war this time. You can use it as you like. Just keep an eye on them.¡±


    The prisoners of war were sitting down next to the gathered squad. Walm ran his gaze through them.


    In terms of numbers, it was just under 20 people. No one was fatally injured. There were some people with noticeable bruises and lacerations on their heads and arms, but Walm determined that they wouldn¡¯t interfere with the squad¡¯s work.


    Ordered to monitor four prisoners, Walm confirmed their conditions. In addition to escape, if they were injured during work or died, it would be nothing but a wasteful consumption of human assets.


    Apparently, there were no major injuries. The face was swollen or had some large bumps. Walm speculated that they might¡¯ve surrendered in a good manner.


    The necks of the four were tied to each other with ropes, and they didn¡¯t wear anything that posed a threat. If one of them could use¡¶Skill¡· or ¡¶Magic¡·, it would be dangerous, but if they possessed the skill to break through the rope with their bare hands, they wouldn¡¯t be taken as prisoner of war. There were only two options for someone with troublesome ability, either they tried to run away or being killed.


    Walm ordered the prisoners to strip off the armor and clothing left on the corpse. Invited by blood, insects and birds happily flock on it. He lazily drove it away with his spear and hands.


    Each time, the prisoners trembled and continued to work. Walm pitied that the battle must have worn their mind and body.


    Corpses were thrown into the graves dug by another squad¡¯s prisoners. He didn¡¯t know how many had been thrown there, but Walm¡¯s eyes were on one of the corpses that were about to be carried.


    ¡°¡­he dead?¡±


    It was the corpse of a ¡®young man¡¯ who belonged to the same squad and also came from the neighboring village. His age and birthplace were near to Walm, and he often talked about his hometown and common acquaintances.


    His lower jaw was crushed along with his teeth, and his tongue was popping out of his mouth. Both eyes were open with an expression full of agony. The truth, it was his first match.


    A battle virgin, and without being able to getting rid of his first time, his skeleton was exposed in the distant land.


    What is the difference with me?


    Is it the memories of previous life? Or our luck? Or the difference in aptitude for killing each other?


    Walm went to think about it for a while, but he couldn¡¯t get an answer.


    His eyes quickly caught the prisoner of war moving slightly. Looking down at them, he stared with no expression, without exchanging any words.


    ¡°I-I haven¡¯t done anything.¡±


    ¡°Me too. I was scared, I couldn¡¯t even thrust the spear properly.¡±


    The prisoners opened their mouths as if to justify their action. Walm was amazed by it. It was because their words telling him that they were killed because of personal grudges.


    Unbelievable¡­


    It would be a lie to say that he never thought anything about it, but they were in a war. That¡¯s right. A war. They might only move according to the intentions of their community.


    They didn¡¯t like to commit murder. They just defeated the enemy, because they were in the war. That was the same for Walm.


    If Walm were to bring his personal grudges there and killed them as prisoners of war, he would better be a murderer instead of a soldier. What he did was only following the duties and responsibilities of a soldier.


    That one line, he would never want to cross. He could only bring himself to kill other as a soldier. Otherwise, as Raizou Takakura, as Walm, the fundamentals as a person would collapse.


    Is it me who is abnormal? To think that killing people is okay as long as for self-protection? No, perhaps, these people, who¡¯re claiming that they couldn¡¯t kill people, who¡¯re hesitating in killing other people, might be more human.


    Walm, who was overwhelmed by such thoughts, returned to reality.


    He closed the eyelids of his former comrade with his fingers and pushed the tongue into the mouth.


    ¡°Carry him¡±


    Hearing the two words, the four began to carry the corpse as before, but they treated the corpse more politely than the others. It was as if they were handling fragile and explosive dangerous goods.


    Regardless of the enemy or ally, the collected corpses were piled up so that they fold over each other.


    The military chaplain sprinkled holy water and continued to recite prayer words to prevent the formation of ghouls and skeletons that were prone to appear on the battlefield.


    The corpses alone exceeded 1500. Walm was depressed when he thought that some people with serious injuries wouldn¡¯t be able to see tomorrow.


    The death toll of the Highserk Empire was said to be about 300, which showed the magnitude of the damage they did to the Liberitoa Trade Federation.


    The sun was setting and the smoke began to rise from the corpses all at once.


    There were also personal portable meals, but it would be for an emergency. Walm didn¡¯t want to touch it as long as the distribution continued. Besides, there were a lot of loots that he got today.


    Each squad went to have their meals with their own team. Despite the deaths of two people, Duwei squad was provided with wine and ale in addition to foods for the team¡¯s excellent results.


    No sake is born from nothing.


    Walm glared at it and thought it was probably part of the large amounts of supplies left behind in the enemy headquarters.


    The Liberitoa Trade Federation might have many weak soldiers, their economic power could be said as excellent. Their land located nearby the sea, mines, labyrinths, and rivers, which was the key to logistics. Thinking that, Walm was frustrated that he must fight with a truly unfair opponent.


    Looking away from the extra thoughts, Walm turns his attention to the meal in front of him.


    Two hard-baked breads, salted herring and cod, and even sauerkraut.


    The best part would be the uncontaminated horse meat, which was made by hanging a fresh horse carcass or a war horse with a broken leg on a tree to drain its blood. Although most of it were muscle meat, it was the highest grade of protein that could be obtained at the forefront, and so there were no soldiers including Walm who disliked it.


    Horse meat and potatoes were simmered in the large pot, and even wild grass was included.


    The horse meat was full of flavor, and the firm meat was chewy. Include the potatoes that didn¡¯t crumble and it would be satisfying to eat.


    Walm threw the food into his mouth with all his might.


    Some of the soldiers hold their mouths due to unfamiliar death odors and combat. It couldn¡¯t be helped as it was their first battle. Seeing that, Walm¡¯s once bitter memory rushed through his head.


    It was the road that Walm also took. At first, he also felt disgusted to eat meat while surrounded by the scent of death, but the he realized that the more he had a history of battle, the dull his senses would be.


    Walm couldn¡¯t say for sure whether he was happy as a person or not, but one thing for sure was that as long as he could concentrate on the food in front of him, it was enough to be happy.


    ¡°Walm. I heard it. They said you killed 9 enemy soldiers. But, I¡¯ve killed 15 so I won. But, you¡¯ve the prospects.¡±


    Walm knew who it was without looking back as he could smell alcohol.


    Squad Commander Duwei while holding two bottles, put his arm around Walm¡¯s neck.


    ¡°No, I can¡¯t beat you, Commander Duwei.¡±


    It was his true feelings. Even though Walm reluctant about it, he was recognized by his peers for his talent for fighting and killing, but still, Squad Commander Duwei was exceptional.


    ¡°Come on, drink¡±


    Feeling good, a middle-aged superior poured wine into the cup.


    With a bitter smile, Walm raised the cup, and Squad Commander Duwei poured the half-remaining into the cup and drank it all at once.


    Walm was impressed with how he drank, but more than that he was worried that the other members wouldn¡¯t get their share. So, he turned to the surroundings to check it, and he saw that other members of the squad were also holding a bottle of alcohol.


    ¡°Walm, your face looks strange¡±


    Jose sitting on the right was smiling with a beer barrel. It would be hard to see his face in the dark if you didn¡¯t squint, as his skin was dark.


    Jose, a soldier who had been paired with Walm since he joined the army, he was trusted to secure supplies and information. In short, a reliable person.


    His hair was curly. But contrary to his cheerful appearance, he also had a rather harsh side.


    ¡°I mean, how could we¡¯ve that much alcohol¡­¡±


    ¡°It seems that when one of the enemy commanders was taken prisoner, he had a ¡°magic bag¡± with him. It was said that there was a lot of booze for victory in it.¡±


    ¡°Magic bag¡±, was said as the vital item to the circulation of goods in this world, the one which support logistics. Even though it was about the size of a waist bag, it could hold a lot of supplies, but the amount it could hold were varied. Walm was seeking for this item, but it was too difficult to obtain.


    There were two main acquisition routes: you could find it as a relic inside the labyrinths and ruins. Or you could get it from the Aleinard Forest Alliance, where the world tree was located, as a small number of magic bags were created by them


    Since Aleinard kept the production method secret, it owned only by aristocrats and large merchants in addition to the army. The one excavated from archaeological sites and labyrinths were said to have a larger capacity.


    Jose said that other than those people the ones who might have it were adventurers, who might have many opportunities to acquire it, like from the labyrinths and ruins.


    ¡°That¡¯s why we should celebrate it. Thank you for the riches of Liberitoa.¡±


    Beer was poured this time instead of the wine that he drank earlier. Since there was no ice or refrigerator, it was a normal temperature beer, but Walm continued to drink it and thought that, the unique sweetness, sourness and the bitterness that comes at the end weren¡¯t bad.


    On the side, there were salted herrings. Because it was salted, it was quite salty, still compared to the sweat that flew out during the battle, it wasn¡¯t that. If you had that with beer, it would be just right.


    Killing people and celebrating with your comrades on the side of the corpses. A world with different values ??and laws. In such a world, he had a hard time and suffered, to adapt. Still, he did that, as that was the only way Walm could survive.

 CH 3

    The devastated Liberitoa Trade Federation retreated far beyond its claimed borders and rebuilt its position around the rivers.


    A dry moat and embankment made from earth-type magic, the item from the magic bag, and carriages formed a fort that could be called an overnight castle, and the Liberitoa Commercial Federation, which not had enough manpower, and the Highserk Empire, which preferred the status quo, continued the war reluctantly.


    On such a deadlocked frontline, the prisoners of war were released as the Liberitoa side paid the ransom.


    The release of aristocrats and high-ranking military personnel was as expected by Walm, but even commoner soldiers were paid by the Liberitoa Trade Federation.


    Fortunately, a great aristocrat who owned a labyrinth issued a large magic silver coin in a lump sum. For that reason, Walm was guarding the prisoner exchange area with the other members of Duwei¡¯s squad.


    ¡°Perhaps, I was born in a wrong country.¡±


    When Walm murmured so, he was hit in his flank.


    It was Jose, his comrade.


    ¡°Oi oi, you¡¯re lucky you¡¯re in this squad, if it¡¯s under other commander, you¡¯ll get sink into the river, you know?¡±


    Many ferryboats make a round trip in the river, and prisoners of war were carried across the river. Many archers and soldiers, who could use magic, were stationed on the opposite river bank to guard against surprise attacks.


    There was even a large ballista stationed.


    Hmm, I wonder from where did they bring that?


    Seeing that, Walm had no choice but to be amazed


    The Highserk Empire, on the other hand, also had a type of troops that could attack on the opposite bank. If the one on the opposite was a regular army, the one on Walm side was just a bunch of bandits wearing the equipment of the regular army.


    If you were going to war as a soldier, you might want to choose the Highserk Empire side, but if you were going to spend time as the citizen, the Liberitoa Trade Federation might be better. However, as natural, you didn¡¯t know how the people lives in other countries. There was no point in comparing it.


    POWs (Prisoners of war) passed by Walm¡¯s side.


    You could guess based on the clothes and skin condition that these people must be a high-ranking person who could pay the ransom individually.


    On the opposite bank, human dramas such as those who were scolded, and those who hugged each other were unfolding. Being shown endlessly a boring threepenny opera played in front of him, Walm felt as if he had a heartburn. Even his colleague, Jose, was also desperately holding his yawn.


    Walm, who couldn¡¯t afford to look away and abandon his mission, returned his eyes to the line of people. Next were those with low status. There were 200 prisoners of war, and there were endless lines waiting for the ferry.


    As Walm looking around the prisoners, the one who dug the grave the other day passed by. The moment their eyes met, the guy hurriedly diverted his eyes.


    Unlike that time, there was no blood in the armor, and the spear and sword that were dirty after using it, were clean. He was afraid.


    The POWs were frightened and didn¡¯t have any meal. Even though they bothered to cook and make something digestible, it seemed the prisoners thought it contained poison. At that time, Walm said, ¡°Do you think we would take such a confusing and time-consuming method?¡±. As you might know, rather than using poison which also hard to keep, wouldn¡¯t it better to just sticking a sword¨D¨D


    That said, they did leave an empty grave to bury the one who might dead because of serious injuries and couldn¡¯t pass the night. But, the POWs weren¡¯t convinced by that explanation.


    The Battalion Commander¡¯s order where the prisoners had to dig a lot of graves in order to exhaust their energy, to prevent the rebellion of the prisoners, was backfired.


    After seeing off the last soldier, the prisoner exchange ended without incident. And so, the farewell party was finally over.


    Walm hoped that the stalemate would continue.


    But, the battle between the Highserk Empire, which wanted to maintain its territory across the river, and the Liberitoa Trade Federation, which wanted to push their territory back to its claimed border, would likely to continue.


    ¡ô


    As the set-up of the camp for the border progressed, the troops were pulled out one after another, and the battalion to which Walm belonged was the first.


    Since the movement of 2000 personnel puts a burden on logistics, some of the platoons and companies would need to change the road as they go to the designated place.


    Several platoons and squads were tasked as they move from the Southeastern Liberitoa Trade Federation to the annexed former Kanoa Kingdom territory in the northwest, where territorial disputes had not concluded. Duwei¡¯s Squad was one of them.


    Walm was ordered to subdue the goblins that nested near the water source. Even though not as accustomed as killing human, Walm was accustomed to killing monsters too.


    On the battlefield, there were many corpses that monsters like. For them, it was like a buffet dinner. Repelling the persistently disturbing guests over and over again, was a familiar task for Walm.


    If the corpses were to be left unattended, it would turn into a ghoul or undead. You might need to take their life not only once or twice to put them to rest in peace. But, as you had killed them once, it might be easier for your nerves when you ended up killing them again.


    In most countries, subduing monsters and exploring labyrinths were often adventurer¡¯s jobs, but in some countries, such as the Highserk Empire, rejected the adventurer system itself.


    The Highserk Empire, which could be said have more troops than the other department, couldn¡¯t afford to let the soldier rest. Thanks to that, Walm was made to be an adventurer too.


    It was as if the army was dispatched to exterminate the pests just because they were in the field.


    But as one would expect, a specialized unit would be dispatched if a high-ranking monster were to appear, but if we were talking about a group of low-threat goblins, they would be cleaned by the surrounding squad or platoon.


    Some villagers who weren¡¯t even trained might be expected to subdue a small number of goblins, even orcs. Walm also had a hard time, several times in his youth in the village, devoting himself to repel the goblins and orcs.


    According to information from the nearby village, more than 50 goblins were witnessed at first, and a few were exterminated by the villagers, but one day, a man and a woman working in the river were attacked and taken away.


    After that, the goblins that got to taste humans began to appear around the village, and the damage to livestock increased. Since further damage was expected as the number of goblins increased, it was then decided to dispatch the army there.


    Led by Commander Duwei, the squad left the village and was heading to the forest.


    The forest was roughly flat land, although there might be slight ups and downs. Unlike the demon territory where powerful monsters were subdued, only low-ranking monsters like this one were there.


    Walm kept moving forward, but when he saw the squad leader suddenly stopped, not only him but the other stopped too.


    ¡°Hoi, listen carefully, in about half an hour, it¡¯ll be their nest. The footprints and animal trails are increasing. Don¡¯t let your guard down.¡±


    The squad leader, Commander Duwei was said to be attentive in a fight, surpassing even the platoon leader in combat techniques, but it was also easy to see why such a veteran wasn¡¯t selected as the platoon leader.


    Commander Duwei was basically an optimist, in a good side he could afford anything, and in a bad side he was a little be crude. Walm was convinced that it must be difficult for such a person to be a platoon leader or above, who might be needed to do some paper works inside a building, and demonstrate his true value.


    More than that, Commander Duwei himself hated the position of a platoon leader itself as you were expected to do complicated works.


    The members carefully moving forward following the path made by the one in front of them, and slowly getting rid of the branches that got caught in the sword and their armor.


    A cloth was wrapped around the place where the metal might easily rub another thing. Walm was no exception. The cloth he used belonged to a soldier who he fought in the battle the other day and no longer needed it.


    Although Walm was reluctant to strip dead human¡¯s clothes, but now if he thought it was necessary for him, he would do or take anything.


    As they were progressing deep to the forest, the distance between the dense vegetation was also increasing.


    The members were crawling on the ground, but then everyone¡¯s eyes were directed to one point.


    What they saw was a short humanoid as tall as a child. The teeth were prominent canines and the ears were pointier than human¡¯. The skin was green with noticeable breakouts and irregularities. There was no doubt, it was a goblin that Walm was accustomed to.


    Primitive stone spears, or clubs, or farm tools that might have been stolen were usually in its hand. One more thing that Walm learned from experience, intelligent monsters were troublesome when they were in a group.


    How should I kill it¡­


    Right when Walm thinking so, he was chosen by Commander Duwei.


    With a gesture, Walm was ordered to kill. He nodded slowly, left the formation and moved to the side of the goblins, while maintaining his posture.


    Walm chose carefully where to put his feet, dodging twigs and fallen leaves. As the distance got closer, his breath got thinner and thinner.


    After lightly moistening his dry lips, Walm squeezed the back of the spear¡¯s handle and pierced the throat at once.


    The goblin pierced by the spear died instantly without raising any voice. While supporting the goblin that was about to collapse with a spear, he placed it on the ground and dragged it. A companion joined and hid the corpse in the shade of a tree.


    The squad leader tapped Walm¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Good job. That was a good skill you¡¯d shown.¡±


    After that, the squad arrived at the destination without encountering any of them.


    The goblin¡¯s nest was several tens of meters from the goblin sentry. It was a small cliff where the branches and soil were used to build the dwellings and the cliff caves were also nesting. If you looked at it, it would be hard to think of it as a naturally formed object, so it must be an artificial cave.


    Walm, who kept his posture low, slowly put his eyes through the gaps between the vegetation to look at them.


    30 goblins could be seen within the visible range. Bones were scattered near the fire. Livestock such as buffalo and goats could be seen. Also, wild boars, a kind of monster, were mixed in. Lastly, human skulls were there too.


    It must be the kidnapped villager¡¯s¡­


    Walm wasn¡¯t surprised by what he saw since it was one of the end routes for humans kidnapped by demons. Violated, killed, and eaten¡­ that was their basic behaviors.


    ¡°Willart, do it.¡±


    The squad leader ordered one of his men. There was no prior interaction, but everyone, including Walm, could understand what was going to happen.


    Willart went forward without a reply. He was a quiet person with a hobby of shaving his whole body when he had a free time. But, he was a talented men in the squad and was respected by the others.


    Willart concentrated his mana on his hand, and soon a fireball cane out. He was the only ¡®Magic User¡¯ in the squad, and was relied on in a wide range of fields, from combat to cooking.


    A fireball struck in the center of the nest caused an explosion. The bones were scattered by the blast, and so were the goblins. Even the goblins around had been seriously burned.


    The goblins were stiffened at the sudden event. The other members of the squad, on the other hand, understood what to do, and for Walm it was like fireworks starting a feast.


    The members of the squad closed the gap at once without raising their voices, and used their weapons to kill their prey.


    Walm was no exception to that example. He pierced the absent-minded goblin¡¯s abdomen twice with a spear and crushed its fallen head with his feet.


    One of the goblins who was going back and forth didn¡¯t know whether to flee or to resist, turned its back unprotected. And, the spear went straight through from the back to the abdomen.


    Goblin, a monster with high vitality even though it was categorized in the lowest rank. Even if you left wound that normally would make humans stop moving, goblin would still be able to crawl trying to escape. If it escaped, it might gain wisdom and become a troublesome opponent in the future. So, Walm had no intention of missing any of them.


    Walm hold the spear with the other hand and swung it down toward its neck. After a moment of convulsions, the goblin stopped moving.


    As the smoke started to clear up, a shadow appeared on the edge of Walm¡¯s field of vision. It was a goblin with a club slamming the corpse on the ground.


    Walm slashed the spear in a horizontal direction, cut its both eyes and caused the goblin to flutter, writhing in pain. Walm stabbed and killed a goblin who wielded a club in an unreasonable manner, who might become a troublesome thing.


    The other squad members also killed about the same number.


    Commander Duwei used his skill¡¶Strike¡·to bounce three goblins at the same time. One of the goblins got its body split into two, and some had their heads blown away.


    The rest of the goblins were overflowing from the cave, but as soon as they came out, they became prey to blades and blunt weapons.


    ¡°Reinus, Tibird, Danfan, take half and clean up the outside. The others come with me. The spear won¡¯t be useful. Use your sword. Willart, gives us some light.¡±


    Walm was selected as the cave rush group¡¯s member. The command for the one left at the outside was entrusted to the so-called ¡®three idiots¡¯ who had a lot of combat experience.


    Due to the narrow cave, the spears were stabbed at the outside ground and the group advanced through the cave with a longsword and a round shield in hand.


    ¡°¡¶Torch¡·¡±


    As Commander Duwei went deep into the cave without any worries, Willart who was right behind him, used a magic ¡¶Torch¡·, and the inside of the cave was illuminated with flames.


    It was the goblins who were surprised. The goblins, accustomed to the darkness, swing their weapons, but what waiting for them was a storm-like attack by Commander Duwei.


    In the end, what Walm had to do was to kill the goblins hiding in the dents and pretending to be dead¡­ although they would die for real¨D¨D by the longsword in his hand. At the back, there was an open space about the size of a classroom.


    Due to poor ventilation, the odor soon went into Walm¡¯s nasal passage.


    Walm wanted to raise his voice to complain but he couldn¡¯t do it, since there were goblins left and also their leader.


    Their leader, an adult human-sized goblin¨D¨Dthe hobgoblin bravely raised a rusty sword which it might have picked up somewhere. No matter how brave the hobgoblin was, Walm couldn¡¯t help but to feel bad for the monster.


    After all, the opponent was his squad leader, Commander Duwei.


    Despite its size, the time it took for the hobgoblin to be slashed was about the same as other goblins.


    The hobgoblin fell into the ground and blood were flowing, was stabbed once again just in case, but as expected, it had died.


    While Walm was scrutinizing for any other omissions, he caught a shadow behind the plie of straw, which looked like the hobgoblin¡¯s bed.


    It was¡­ not a goblin, but a woman, who was there. Scratches were engraved on her whole body, the one on the shoulders and back were particularly severe.


    Walm guessed as why she survived despite the other mans had been eaten. It was because goblins could us the belly of other organisms to breed.


    ¡°Are you alive? I came to help.¡±


    Walm called on her who didn¡¯t move. What he got was just a short response.


    ¡°Ki-kill me.¡±


    It took Walm time to chew the words that were thrown. He called again and shook the girl¡¯s shoulders, but the response was the same. He looked around, but no one spoke.


    ¡°Ple-ase, k-kill me.¡±


    Only Commander Duwei, who nodded slowly. Walm¡¯s instinct and heart was trying hard to stop him from killing another human, but at the same time, the ¡°reason¡± in his mind was working hard too.


    The limbs that had been crushed to be a goblin birthing bag would of course not heal naturally, but even with ordinary recovery magic, it wouldn¡¯t heal.


    I guess, the wounds carved on the whole body won¡¯t heal nor the mind either. If I go back to the village, could I live like a normal person again?


    ¨D¨D Walm wanted someone to do it for him, but either way someone had to do it. If Walm wouldn¡¯t do it, someone in the squad would be in his place to suffer.


    And so, Walm decided.


    When Walm hit the tip of his sword against the girl¡¯s skin, she groaned in a low voice. The tip of the sword entered through the gap between the ribs and reached the heart all at once.


    Walm stared at her who had completely stopped moving. Ironically, his face remained calm. It was the first time he had killed a woman. Even though the woman was at the death door, and should be grateful to him instead¨D¨D he couldn¡¯t help but to looked down at the dirty sword and her who had stopped breathing again and again. Before he knew it, Commander Duwei was standing beside him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it. It¡¯s a hindrance if you keep standing there. Go outside, have a drink and take a break.¡±


    What was offered was an expensive distilled liquor in a hip flask.


    ¡°It¡¯s the one I got from the Liberitoa¡¯s people. It doesn¡¯t suit my taste.¡±


    Walm never thought such a word would come out from Commander Duwei¡¯s mouth, as he always drank anything like water.


    Walm staggered out and sat down with his back at the base of the big tree.


    The unrefined fighting-loving three idiots didn¡¯t say anything to Walm, perhaps because they had noticed something wrong with him.


    Walm put his hand on the chin strap, removed the helmet and rolled it on the ground. The chain rang as if to protest. The scalp exposed to the outside air felt comfortable. While stroking the stuffy and itchy head, he opened the lid of the hip flask and brought it to his mouth.


    The smell of alcohol went into his nose, and the throat and stomach became hot at once. But soon, the taste disappeared, leaving a faint sweet lingering taste in his tongue.


    The time was still early in the morning. Contrary to his heart which was cloudy, the blue sky beyond the trees was cloudless.


    After spitting one swear word, Walm once again gulped the liquor.

 CH 4

    Six days after the Goblin subjugation requested by the village, Duwei¡¯s squad arrived at the annexed former Kanoa Kingdom.


    When you saw the villages in the annexed land, you could see the scars left by the war five year ago.


    Further to the northwest and you would reach a city adjacent to the Myard territory called, ¡®Sarria¡¯.


    Beyond the defense wall of the city, there was river and moat. And now, Sarria City was used as a fort by Highserk Empire.


    Sarria City which was also connected to the other places in Highserk Empire by tributaries, could be said as an ideal location for replenishing supplies and troops for the battle against Myard. One army unit, at least about the size of a battalion was always stationed to this area.


    In this invasion, battalions were gathering from all directions. In total, 9 battalions, about 18,000 troops, were gathering there for the annexation of Myard.


    Sarria was the last city of Kanoa Kingdom to surrender to Highserk Empire, but even after five years, the walls and stone bridges were still left with traces of destruction by magic and stone.


    After going through the castle gate and entering the city, you could see the main street was lined with shops and private houses.


    Many of the items sold in there were more expensive than the other places in Highserk territory, especially groceries. When Walm was a farmer, this kind of price wasn¡¯t something that he could afford.


    Many of the citizens walking on the road were thin, you couldn¡¯t even say that they had a standard proportion. The only exception was the army stationed there by the Highserk Empire.


    After reaching Fort Sarria, what was waiting for Duwei¡¯s squad, who was resting at the training ground, was¡­.


    ¡°The whole corps hasn¡¯t gathered as planned yet. Rejoice, today is free time.¡±


    ¡°Huft! Free time is the best¡±


    ¡°Are you going to drink first? Or straight, a woman?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it okay to have both at the same time?¡±


    Reinus, Tibird, and Danfan. The three idiots disappeared into the back alley right after they heard it. Seeing that, Commander Duwei grumbled while holding his temples in his hand.


    ¡°Oi, it¡¯s not over yet. Seriously¡­ well, I guess it¡¯s okay to leave them alone for now?¡±


    Consider the limited time, they might be right to be faithful to their own desires.


    After all, their empire was repeatedly colliding with multiple neighboring countries, large and small. The word ¡°peacetime¡± had long been forgotten by Walm.


    As for military service, he had been stranded on the battlefield, playing deadly battles for survival, and spending his time in training grounds and movement during non-combat period.


    And they just had been given a free time? And for such an army, it sounded like an unbelievable story. Even, Walm thought it was a new kind of training.


    ¡°F-free time?¡±


    Showing fear of things that normal humans would be happy to have, Walm asked terrifyingly. The squad leader replied with a stern look as he had found something strange.


    ¡°Yeah, do you hate it?¡±


    ¡°N-No, that¡¯s not the case ¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, right. You can do whatever you want like them. Alcohol, cigarettes, or women. It¡¯ll be a big and long battle. Live without regrets. But, keep strict on the meeting time. Be in the formation at sunrise. If you¡¯re late, you¡¯ll be whipped.¡±


    As soon as the squad leader clapped his hand, the rest of the members scattered like birds, disappearing into the city in all direction. All that was left was the squad leader, Jose, and Walm.


    ¡°So, what are you gonna do Walm?¡±


    ¡°Ah, uh, hmm¡­ what should I do¡­¡±


    When asked by Jose, Walm didn¡¯t know what to do with the short-lived free time he just got.


    After all, Walm grew up in the countryside, never leaving the village until he was drafted into military service.


    In the first place, when he was in the countryside, except for tinkering with soil, he was collecting wild plants and hunting monsters in the forest. The opportunity to do something freely had long disappeared.


    To be suddenly ordered, ¡°Do whatever you want¡±, of course Walm couldn¡¯t help but to get confused.


    ¡°How can you have no desires.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to have a drink with Commander Duwei. He¡¯s been there once, so he¡¯s the perfect guide for a tavern. And more than that, it¡¯s with an inn. What about coming with us, Walm?¡±


    As the rescue boat was coming, Walm accepted it, and so he followed them without pondering anything.


    They went off the main street into the back alley.


    From locals to soldiers looking for the store, to beggars, they passed with various kind of people.


    In a corner of the back alley, there was a woman standing, saying¡­


    ¡°How about tonight?¡±


    It was a thin teenage girl. You could almost see the bones of her body, which should be rounded, peculiar to a normal woman.


    The girl was randomly calling out to the passing soldiers.


    Then, she came to Walm¡­


    ¡°How about tonight?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t need it¡±


    The other two didn¡¯t seem to be enthusiastic either.


    Rejected by Walm and all the other members, the girl bit her cheeks and turned her face to the ground.


    ¡°Buy something with this¡±


    Walm gave some bronze coins, knowing that it wasn¡¯t an act that could be said as the solution. Even so, the girl smiled a little and thanked Walm.


    It was the money that I stole from the corpse. I¡¯m sure the coins will be more pleased to disappear in her stomach than to disappear in the soldier¡¯s liquor and cigarettes.


    After that, she disappeared into the back alley without showing any happy expressions.


    ¡°Feeding them again? Walm, keep it moderately, okay?¡±


    Jose, who was behind Walm, called out to him. Walm frowned at the vulgar words.


    ¡°She was smart, so it¡¯s all good, but if she was too happy, you would¡¯ve been surrounded with a lot of beggars by now.¡±


    Walm looked around and he could see people and children who lost their limbs because of war, were begging for money. And the truth, he wouldn¡¯t be able to give the same to everyone.


    ¡°¡­Yeah, right. I¡¯ll be careful next time.¡±


    Perhaps he was satisfied with the reply, Jose nodded satisfiedly.


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying it¡¯s useless, and if anything, it¡¯s better to give it for something in return. Well, even me, I¡¯ll be reluctant to do it in the back alleys or in front of other guys.¡±


    As Walm followed Jose¡¯s line of sight, he saw other soldiers disappearing in the back alley. When he focused his ear to listen, he could hear a sweet voice leaked from the darkness, the gaps between the house. And somehow, he felt that there were voices of the three idiots mixed there.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a prostitute. The area where the brothels are located, is far from here. Since many soldiers gathered for this war, amateurs start to prostitute themselves because they want some living expenses. Well, if they got found out, there¡¯ll be disputes.¡±


    Red-light district, it was something made of complex concessions. And, in every world, many people would do radical actions to protect existing businesses.


    The squad leader continued to go deep into the alley without dealing with those peoples. In the first place, he looked scary, and only one being called out was Walm.


    ¡°But even though you¡¯ve killed so many on the battlefield, you¡¯re ignorant in a strange place huh, Walm. You¡¯re not a priest, nor a knight who values ??chivalry, so it¡¯s a little bit meaningless action. No matter how far we go, we¡¯re just soldiers.¡±


    Jose was like Walm, he was drafted. But his background was kind of rare. He was the fourth son of a merchant. There might have been another way to live, like to be a servant of another merchant, but he said that earning money on the battlefield was the surest way to have a wagon or shop.


    Even so, Jose adapted to survive the battlefield and had already changed his way of thinking. On the other hand, Walm still couldn¡¯t get rid the way of thinking from his previous life, nor could he throw it away.


    As he listened to Jose without denying or affirming it, the squad leader muttered lonely.


    ¡°Originally, this place, which formerly belonged to Kanoa Kingdom was a fertile land. It became like this because of war.¡±


    ¡°I see, so it wasn¡¯t originally like this?¡±


    Jose, who seemed to have an interest in this topic, asked the squad leader.


    ¡°Five years ago, Kanoa interfered at the Highserk Empire which kept increasing its border. We somehow managed to win the war and even hold down a village. You see, they used the beans I usually eat, to feed their livestock.¡±


    With that said, the squad leader took out a pouch from his bag. The contents were beans that Walm ate many times during the march. Walm had eaten it many times as the squad leader used it as an ingredient for the hot pot.


    ¡°And now, it became like this. The former Kanoa nobleman, Grand Duke Myard, abandoned the Kanoa Kingdom and went to the neighboring country, Ferrius Kingdom. But, the army dispatched from Ferrius and the runaway soldiers took livestock from the other territories of Kanoa Kingdom, mowed the paddy fields in the area, burned down the fields. The Highserk Empire which lacked troops postponed the invasion until now. ¡°


    ¡°Ahh, no way. It¡¯s terrible.¡±


    Jose shook his head and seemed tired of it.


    Scorched earth tactics would be effective for troops that rely on enemy territory for food, even in a world where the logistics was circulating by magic bags, horses and beasts stronger than in the normal world. And, Highserk Empire was having a hard time to support itself.


    ¡°Grand Duke Myard gave up on his territory once, Ferrius Kingdom provided food support, albeit a little, and finally he planned to bring back the Kanoa kingdom. But, the grudge of the former citizens of Kanoa Kingdom against Grand Duke Myard and Ferrius Kingdom is heavier than that directed at the Highserk Empire. Well, when you got betrayed by the one you trusted the most, anyone will get angry, right?¡±


    ¡°I was worried that a battalion consisting of the former citizens of Kanoa Kingdom would also participate in this war, but it seems, it¡¯ll be okay.¡±


    And so, Walm was able to deepening his knowledge of the Kanoa Kingdom.


    As they were talking more about this, they finally arrived at the tavern.


    It was a two-story building with a bar on the first floor and an inn on the second floor. The outer wall was soiled with soot that might have come out during cooking, and the entrance door was engraved with small scratches as if it had been smashed before.


    As they pushed the door in, the brass doorbell that signaled a customer had entered the store, modestly echoed inside.


    At the table near the counter, there were five Highserk soldiers, and in the back, there were men, perhaps regulars, dressed in neatly decorated and well-tailored clothes.


    Walm decided that those people might be the merchants in the city, judging from their appearance.


    Together with Commander Duwei, they went to sit at the table, away from the two groups.


    ¡°Today, it¡¯s my treat. You see, two newcomers survived their first battle. It¡¯s been a while since Walm.¡±


    Hearing that, Jose whistled happily, while Walm was smiling complacently.


    The squad leader raised his hand and turned his gaze, and the host came from the back of the counter.


    ¡°Give us three ales and a bottle of wine, also are there any dishes that can be made immediately?¡±


    For a moment, the host showed a thoughtful gesture and answered.


    ¡°We can serve the soup with hard-baked bread, buffalo, onions and beans as soon as we warmed it, also there are enough catfishes for three people.¡±


    ¡°Give me both for the three people. The catfish should be fried.¡±


    The host nodded and disappeared into the kitchen. Perhaps the other guests had been served, soup and bread were brought along with the ale earlier than Walm had expected.


    ¡°Following the Liberitoa¡¯s border, may we be victorious against Myard!¡±


    The squad leader raised the mug.


    Walm didn¡¯t hesitate to hit the mug vigorously.


    CLANG!!


    After a rumbling sound, they drank the contents all at once.


    It was a kind of custom, but for soldiers living in the war, they must toast exaggeratedly when they had a drink.


    Walm was taught that if soldiers didn¡¯t do that, it meant they were unreliable.


    The host poured more ale into the mug while carefully confirming whether or not they wanted anything else.


    Walm cut the bread into bite-sized pieces, soaked them in soup and threw them into his mouth. The umami that overflowed from the buffalo meat, the rich flavor of onions and beans spread in his mouth.


    He stabbed the ingredients sunk in the soup with a fork and brought it to his mouth. The hard meat of the buffalo was also properly softened. The beans also boiled moderately, and when he chewed lightly, he could feel the texture of the meat, onion and beans were balancing each other.


    ¡°I thought I was tired of bean soup, but with the ingredients and the skill of the cook, it turned better than I expected.¡±


    As Walm was praising the food, Jose was nodding in favor of it.


    ¡°Well, usually there were many half-cooked things inside.¡±


    Fried catfish line up on the table after they finished the soup. The catfish fillet was cut into three pieces, but since it was one whole fish for each person, Walm reached out, thinking that it would be quite satisfying to eat.


    He brought it into the mouth with a fork. After the texture of the crust, the taste of catfish spread on the tongue. Because it was a white meat, the light taste of it mixed well with the crust, he felt as if he could continue to eat as much as he wanted.


    ¡°Fried catfish, is the best¡±


    Having to eat only baked food or boiled food was a pain for Walm, who grew up in a rich food culture in his previous life. Especially, where he could enjoy it in an environment where he didn¡¯t have to think about night attacks or morning runs.


    ¡°When was the last time we had fish? Was it before the dispatch to the Liberitoa¡¯s border? Well, that was also a river fish, but yeah, catfish is better.¡±


    The squad leader who was in a good mood immediately drank the ale and began to reach out the bottle of wine.


    ¡°More, eat and drink more¡±


    As prompted, Walm drank the remaining ale, and wine was poured into the empty mug. It had a strong acidity, but was suitable for resetting the oil taste in mouth.


    The sun hadn¡¯t set yet, but there was nothing to stop them from drinking liquor.


    Forgetting everything, Walm continued to enjoy the food and drink in front of him.

 CH 5

    ¡°Youth-sama, it seems that the Highserk Empire¡¯s armies gathered in the Sarria City have begun to move.¡±


    ¡°Oh, finally huh.¡±


    Sovereign Ruler Youth Myard, who was called by one of his retainers, nodded slowly. People were moving around in a hurry in the room. They were lining pieces on the wide spread map one after another in front of him.


    Youth had already requested assistance from Ferrius Kingdom, the suzerain, through magic tools. He had also sent post riders to local villages and cities, and had begun gathering militias.


    ¡°In the Ferrius Kingdom, Winston-sama seems to lead the soldiers directly.¡±


    ¡°It looks like Ferrius is serious this time.¡±


    Winston Ferrius was the younger brother of King Ferrius, and he gained a lot of trust from the king because he had experience in combat. The fact that Winston would be the commander meant that Ferrius Kingdom wasn¡¯t willing to let go of Myard. Furthermore, Youth was convinced that he was going to have the deciding battle with the eyesore, Highserk¡¯s army.


    When Youth looked out from the window of the room, post riders were about to pass through the gate.


    ¡°It¡¯s been five years since the last battle, it¡¯s been long but unexpectedly short at the same time.¡±


    Youth, with deep-rooted dissenting opinions, carried out scorched earth tactics and left Kanoa Kingdom. He was said to have sold his heart to a monster and lost his mind. He endured those intolerable, endured it, built border forts, and trained his troops. Ferrius Kingdom, who became the suzerain, received many humiliating treatments.


    All of that was for this time. Still, Youth knew that the people at the borders were trying their best to buy time. The Highserk Empire, which survived the crucible of war, could be said as a nation specializing in war, and many farmers in there were accustomed to fighting.


    Youth, was one of the people who made a terrible mistake in evaluating the Highserk Empire. After all, the majority disregarded that it was just a country whose national power had fallen due to a series of battles.


    In reality, it was a hungry wolf with a thin body, but the fangs and claws were sharpened. And he had tasted how sharp it was. That¡¯s why, youth were preparing for their attack this whole five years.


    ¡°Should we move the troops at Celta Lake too?¡±


    A vassal points to a piece still hadn¡¯t been moved on the map.


    Other than Highserk Empire and Ferrius Kingdom, the other two countries were separated by Celta Lake, so the size of the navy wasn¡¯t that small. In terms of troop strength alone, there was nearly 700 people, but moving the navy to land would only make him lose skilled soldiers, and so Youth wasn¡¯t willing to move them.


    ¡°Half of the navy can¡¯t play an active part in the land battle. They don¡¯t have to move.¡±


    And there was also the fact he must be prepared from an attack that might come there. After all, it connected to Craist Kingdom and Liberitoa Trade Federation, and above all, there was a possibility of ¡®that¡¯. When Youth saw ¡®that¡¯ for the first time, even though he was embarrassed, he had no choice but to fall down. He then remembered one report he hadn¡¯t addressed yet.


    ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken¡­ Craist Kingdom was asking cooperation of our navy for dealing with ¡®that¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I heard that they need a harbor pilot¨D¨Dreally, they¡¯re useless.¡±


    Even a decent navy couldn¡¯t escape from ¡®that¡¯. Youth understood why the Craist Kingdom offered to cooperate with Myard, which could be said to have the largest navy on the huge lake.


    At that moment, Youth thought that under this international situation, there would be no loss even in gaining one¡¯s favor.


    ¡°Cooperate with them to a reasonable degree¡±


    Youth switched the gear in his head and listened to the report that came in. But, no matter how optimistic he was, the situation at the border might become hopeless.


    Even if he sent troops from now, there still a strong risk that all of them would be destroyed before the troops from all over the country could gather, and it would be too late, for the reinforcements from Ferrius Kingdom.


    In that case, the battlefield would naturally be limited. Considering the logistics and the burden on the soldiers, Youth glared at the most suitable land for defense on the map. Pointing to the two tallest hills, the place was the Lilev Plain, a plain in front of the capital, Aidenberg.


    ¡°We will prepare a wedding hall and hold a grand ball for Gerard and his minions.¡±


    ¡ô


    The gathered Highserk Imperial Army didn¡¯t fit in the training ground at the fort, and overflowed into nearby vacant lots and boulevards.


    The Liguria battalion, the one in command of Duwei¡¯s squad, arrived early, and as a battalion with abundant combat experience against Liberitoa Trade Federation, they got the honor to be at the prestigious position, the training ground where you could see the commander of this whole army, who would give a speech before the battle against the Myard¡¯s army.


    From the side, it might look like the battalion was wrapped in glory, but Walm didn¡¯t think so, he thought that it was as if he was in a ceremony to hear the principal¡¯s speech.


    The three idiots seemed to have enjoyed the free time, maybe too much, their faces were pale due to lack of sleep and alcohol. It was only a matter of time before the armor would get roasted by the direct sunlight and the one wearing it starting to complain. If this was the battlefield, Walm would have spitting out curse here and there.


    Although it was simple, it still was a ceremony before the war for annexing Myard. You could easily imagine what would happen soon.


    The fully equipped soldiers lined up looking up at the podium where the commander went up without looking away.


    An idol would have a pale face given such attentions.


    The decorations that decorated the stage were blood-soaked armor. A total of 9 battalion, 18,000 soldiers, in front of such a massive number of soldiers, a man who was the main character of this war stood on the podium prepared at a higher place than others.


    Although from a long distance, the gray hair was especially stood out. Even though the man had a medium-sized body, but you could feel an intimidating feeling from him. You could feel the unwavering confidence and mental based on experience in the eyes.


    The sound at the training ground completely disappeared with the appearance of the leading role. The man slowly opened his mouth¡­


    ¡°You did well to be here. I¡¯m Gerard Berger, the leader for this army.¡±


    He was the war god of the Highserk Empire, who had participated in all the wars for 30 years since Highserk Empier just a small nation and won the wars. An old general who was famous as the devil of Highserk¡¯s from the neighboring countries.


    The Aleinard Forest Alliance, the Garmud archipelago and the Republic of Meiris, those immovable three powers had been despising the long-running war around Highserk Empire as a small skirmish, but still, no one had made a fool of Gerard Berger.


    ¡°Veteran soldiers who have won skirmishes with Myard, men of valor who have experienced how to fight those riches of Liberitoa, and strong men who have beaten monsters every day in the demon territory are gathering here in Sarria City. All of you is a symbol of our pride Empire.¡±


    Although he used magic tool, it echoed not only in the training course but also in the surrounding streets and vacant lots. Not only the Highserk Imperial Army, but also the inhabitants of the Sarria City leaned out of the windows, and some were out on the main street, listening to the speech.


    ¡°As you all know, it was five years ago that the Kanoa Kingdom fell into the sweet words of the Ferrius Kingdom and started a war with our country. Did the war end and life return to the way it was before?¡±


    Gerard took a deep breath and continued,


    ¡°The answer is no. Because the Duke Myard and the Ferrius Kingdom betrayed the Kanoa Kingdom. Even if I don¡¯t tell you what they did, the Sarria¡¯s citizens that joined our army know it more than enough. But today, let me say it, when they fell into inferiority, they abandoned more than half of their compatriots, burned down the fields that feed the people, and took away food and livestock.¡±


    The typical scorched earth tactics that have been repeated in history were also practiced in the Kanoa Kingdom.


    Not only military facilities, but also houses, fields, and forests were burned, food was taken away. Then those Myard¡¯s soldiers and the Ferrius Kingdom¡¯s Army retreated to the designated line of defense.


    Although the Highserk Empire had a lot of victory, it was difficult for them to transport supplies to the inner part of the enemy¡¯s land, so they had to rely on local procurement.


    In Highserk Empire, there was a line called as transportation line that was a combination of rivers and warehouses, but the shortage of magic bags and wagons, which was the important key of logistics, in enemy territory, made it impossible to advance further.


    Ferrius Kingdom and Myard also intended repel the Highserk Empire of the territories which failed to procure locally, but as Highserk Empire had a good communication line that was in place, they failed to prevent the Highserk¡¯s army that were transporting goods to the occupied territories of the East Kanoa Kingdom. The Heighserk Empire managed to somehow provided food to the extent where they citizens wasn¡¯t starved but also couldn¡¯t eat a fulfilling meal either. And it took five years to rebuild the occupied territories.


    In those five years, neither the Ferrius Kingdom nor Myard stayed quiet on the sidelines. Although troops were dispatched several times to recapture the land, they always failed. They attempted to disturb the soldier¡¯s movement by revolting in the city, but it failed as they failed to understand the citizen¡¯s grudge.


    ¡°With the elite of Sarria City, let¡¯s put an end to the five-year war with them. Be Brave! Overrun your enemies! Everything you want is in Myard! Tell those people of Myard and Ferrius, who are they waging the war with. Death to them!!¡±


    ¡± ¡°DEATH TO THEM!!¡± ¡°


    When Gerard Berger hit the podium, the soldiers responded as if the training ground had exploded. Some stepped on the ground with a loud voice and raised the spear. Some slammed shields and swords. Walm read the air and participated there. There might be some who like Walm, blending well there. But more than half seemed to be really enthusiastic about it.


    The speech maximized the morale of the soldiers. The veteran commander was really good at instigating people, and he was exactly a heroic figure of the military nation born after long-struggling war.


    The city itself seemed to be shaking due to the heat of the people. Although there were many defensive wars, the militarism of Highserk Empire could be said as invasive.


    Even though you couldn¡¯t say that what Highserk Empire did was right, but the endless hellish war might end if could get rid of Myard and Ferrius Kingdom. Perhaps the life of Highserk Empire¡¯ citizens would be better.


    Such expectations were emerging in Walm.


    The movement began with the afterglow of the speech remaining around the unit. A bloodthirsty soldier, an excited warhorse, began to move all together.


    And so, the fire of the Myard annexation war was about to be lit.


    TN: Here, an image of the character design of Willart, the only Magic User of Duwei¡¯s Squad


    Willart (Character Design 1)

 CH 6.1

    I¡¯ve just finished reading the LN, and in short, the Illustrator for this LN is a ¡°thigh¡± lover, so juicy. That¡¯s my conclusion.


    I¡¯ve updated ch 1, and put Illustration there (As it¡¯s available for public) (As long as it¡¯s been shared in public I¡¯ll put it, the one that has not been shared, I¡¯m not gonna put it, since this is still a new LN, I hope that the one, curious and want to see more of the Illustrations, buy the LN)


    As the other chs before this, I¡¯ve edited all of it. so it should be better now¡­


    The manga, it¡¯ll start in 9 days.


    Also, this ch is too long for me, it¡¯s only about halfway, so I decided to split it into 2 part.


    6-1. Chapter 6 (Part 1)


    The Highserk Imperial Army, which departed from Sarria City, divided the army into three major groups. It was because Sarria City, which was a key point on the borderline, couldn¡¯t fit all of the armies. All three routes leading to Myard territory were targeted. The corps to which Walm belonged would be the one to capture one of the forts that blocked the main road.


    Myard seemed to be waiting for reinforcements from the Ferrius Kingdom. On the other hand, the squad was tasked with reducing the number of Myard troops before the arrival of Ferrius reinforcements, dropping branch castles around the territory.


    The fort towering at the border was a mountain castle. The mountain passage is blocked by a castle gate and walls, and forts were built on the left and right mountains. According to prior information from the sights, 3000 soldiers are guarding it. From the position of the range of the bow and magic, you could see the profoundness of the towering walls. Perhaps it was about 3 meters high and 6 or 7 meters wide.


    The siege battle was roughly divided into two. Whether it would be a short-term battle or a long-term battle, no one knew, but Walm thought that this time it must be a short-term battle with a forced march that would move the soldiers¡¯ feet. The gate would be attacked by the Sarria battalion, and the Ligurian battalion, to which Duwei¡¯s squad belonged, would be in charge of the left wall.


    ¡°Walm, Jose, you guys bring the standing shield. I¡¯ll lend you the new recruits, Noor and Barito, use them well. Willart, shoots fire magic at the walls. As for the others, do as usual.¡±


    The commander of the Duwei¡¯s squad struck vigorously with a shield that could hide two people. Walm was also saved by the shield when they went to attack a fort before. In a world where there was a great deal of variation in individual firepower due to magic and skills, it could be said as essential equipment for reducing the damage. Humans had a finite amount of mana, so as they used magic like it was ammunition, it should be an effective tactic to solidify defenses and made them shoot magic wastefully from a distance.


    Items made with the same standards were carried with the wagon¡¯s bed. There, a bunch of tied-up bamboos was also prepared. When Walm lifted it as a test, it put a heavyweight on both hands. Heavier than he had imagined. If you could look at the bamboo from above, you might know why. The nodes were hollowed out and it was filled with soil. The bamboo shield was often used in Walm¡¯s previous world, and their defense power was enough to stop even the bullets of matchlock guns that could penetrate the armor.


    ¡°A¡¯right, come.¡±


    The recruits who were called by Jose, rushed nearby. Walm was accustomed to pairing with Jose, but it was the first time for a quartet including recruits.


    Although not trembling, the faces of the two, the male and female recruits, were blue, especially the young man with comb-like hair, his face looked as if he was about to vomit. The girl¡¯s face was tense, but she managed to suppress her expression. Jose, who laughed, suddenly grabbed the young man¡¯s crotch.


    ¡°Uhiii, W-what are you doing?¡±


    Barito raised a voice of protest, but Jose had no remorse. Walm smiled bitterly as if he was astonished.


    ¡°Oi, oi, it¡¯s shrinking.¡±


    Apparently, Jose checked the condition of Barito¡¯s junior and confirmed that he was extremely nervous. Jose then turned his gaze to Noor.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m fine. In the first place, I don¡¯t have one.¡±


    Jose, who was turned down, looked a little lonely. In the first place, touching that area was completely sexual harassment. As expected, even Walm would prevent such an act.


    ¡°This is also the first for me, to have a full-scale siege battle. But this time we¡¯re preparing carefully. I know that we¡¯re on the front line, but still, we need to be smart. The squad leader ordered us to fill the empty moat. He said that the height of the castle wall should be reduced. Rest assured, it¡¯s not gonna be a melee battle suddenly. ¡°


    Hearing Jose¡¯s words, the two looked at each other. The complexion seemed to have improved a little. The plan was to fill the empty moat, reduce the height of the castle wall with soil, and use it as a ladder to take over the mountain castle at once. It would be a time-consuming task if all done by human power, but unlike the previous world of Walm, there was a convenient thing called ¡°Magic¡± in this world, and you could quickly attack the castle.


    ¡°If an enemy comes, Walm will smash them. He may look like a random person you may find in a village, but he¡¯s a hand-to-hand combat professional who has killed dozens of people. The equipment he¡¯s wearing now is mostly what he picked from the soldier he has killed.¡±


    Jose hit Walm¡¯s shoulder. The two looked at him once again, and their facial expressions were cramped and they took a distance right away. After all, the one they had believed was harmless, was actually a serial killer, a psychopath.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say it as if I¡¯m a battle maniac. It can¡¯t be helped. There wasn¡¯t any good equipment provided for us who join in as military service. And anyway, none of the owners were protesting.¡±


    Ironically, Walm was better dressed and had more money after being put into the war. He finally understood the reason of the third and fourth sons of someone living in a poverty-stricken rural area who was dreaming of getting rich, would most want to go to the battlefield. However, the reality wasn¡¯t so sweet. At first, it was dashing, but when the battle began, many exposed their viscera while calling their mother¡¯s name, and many were stabbed to death without even being able to deal any proper hit to the enemy.


    It was ironic for Walm, who had lived a cultural life in his previous life and learned human rights, whether good or bad, he had completed a rite of passage, and finally adapted to this new world.


    ¡°Have you finished your elegant introduction? It¡¯s time. Let¡¯s go¡­¡±


    A light trumpet could be heard before the Squad Commander Duwei finished his words.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to start. Good luck.¡±


    Following the trumpet, a drum rang from behind, it was a signal to advance.


    Walm lifted the shield with both hands and move forward. Behind it was soldiers who were carrying the straw mat, no, straw bag used for grains and salt, but this time the contents were all soil.


    The stubbornly reinforced shield was terribly heavy and rejected by the whole body, but could not be parted. Walm had experienced that the gratitude for bringing it would be demonstrated if he walked past 200m.


    The first shot was an arrow. Arrows shot from the mountains one after another to extend the flight distance. The impact was sparse due to individual differences of strength and skill, but the accuracy increased as the soldiers got closer.


    ¡°Uuh ¨D¨D ¡°


    An arrow with a faint light that clearly separates it from the others flew in a straight line. A soldier belonging to the next squad moaned briefly and collapsed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t expose the key points. Be wary, they have someone with¡¶Hard Shoot¡·.¡±


    An experienced squad leader shouted. It was a ¡¶Skill¡·, innate talent or the result of hard training.


    Turns out, there are people like Squad Commander Duwei.


    Walm reluctantly resolved himself, as he decided some people had powers beyond humanity, other than the one with Magic.


    The arrowhead bit into the shoulder and upper arm, and the soldier spat a curse.


    Walm bit his teeth. Based on his experience, it was still too slow, just a welcome party, soon the other types of troops would start coming. In fact, within minutes, magic was rushing in one after another. Fireballs, ice spears, earth cannonballs, and more.


    ¡°Incomingggg!¡±


    A few seconds after Jose gave a word of caution, a water bullet hit the shield directly. The impact hit the supporting hand. Walm scolded the recruit, Noor, for involuntarily dropping the shield.


    ¡°Don¡¯t drop the shield!! Even if your arm is torn! It¡¯s better than dying.¡±


    Coldwater had sprinkled around and washed away the sweaty armor. In truth, it felt refreshing.


    ¡°They¡¯re so kind. It seems that they want to play with water as a welcome sign.¡±


    Walm¡¯s words seemed to have been moderately received, and laughter leaked from the three idiots and the soldiers around him through the gaps in their clenched teeth. The recruits, Noor and Barito were also laughing slightly. The shield was noisy and the sound was uninterrupted. Not only arrows and stones but also magic, and even excrement thrown.


    What a dirty fellow


    Walm resented.


    The distance was getting closer to the point where you can see the other person¡¯s face. It wasn¡¯t Highserk¡¯s soldiers if they didn¡¯t attack back.


    Arrows and magic were shot through the gaps in the shield. Walm was delighted to see the soldiers swallowed by the fireball dancing down from the top of the wall.


    ¡°Good!! Willart, good!!¡±


    When Walm praised the magic user, Willart, who fired the fireball, he smiled back without saying a word.


    Probably to crush powerful manpower, attacks were concentrated near Willart.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re in it now¡±


    A fist-sized stone thrown by the angry squad leader in anger sank into the shooter¡¯s face, causing him to fall.


    ¡°Wait there, dumb ass!! I¡¯ll twist all of your entrails and mix them with filth.¡±


    When the Squad Commander Duwei roared, the effect was outstanding. The firepower was then concentrated on him as if he was the fated enemy.


    ¡°Now. Fill it up quickly.¡±


    Despite the flood of attacks, the squad leader gave an order. Usually, he was a rough person, a muscle-brain, but when it comes to fighting, his brain would move like crazy.


    The empty moat was filled with earth attribute magic, about half of the wall. That was the plan.


    The foot soldiers put their shields to the ground, and in the manner of a bucket relay, they were relaying the straw bag and poured the soil inside into the empty moat. Another squad seemed to have someone with an earth attribute magic, so that person scooped the soil from under the wall and filled the empty moat.


    The enemy was desperate not to break the defense network. Then, a fireball that jumped through the gap in the shield swallowed two soldiers next to it. Blood and flesh were scattered around by the explosion, the flesh touched the surrounding soldiers, and their body was wrapped in flames, and finally, the soldier rolled on the ground.


    A friendly soldier covered the fire with soil and extinguished the fire, but arrows and stones were concentrated at the hole where the defense was open. ¡°Take the initiative to anger the people¡±, you could say, it was one of the truths on the battlefield. Walm remembered his previous world history teacher often telling him that word.


    Then, Walm saw a soldier preparing to throw something through the gap in the shield. The aim was for sure Noor, who was working while being smeared with soil and sweat. Not long, the rock that was thrown headed straight toward Noor.


    ¡°Eck, ah!?¡±


    There, Walm grabbed Noor¡¯s neck and pulled it back, the rock passed through the place where the head was just a moment ago.


    ¡°T-thank you very much¡±


    Noor, who opened her eyes, gave her thanks. Walm gave her advice.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. More than that, Don¡¯t focus only there. Remember, the enemy is on top.¡±


    Noor nodded back many times.


    Walm was taking care of Noor, and Jose, who was always moving together in pair with him, was taking care of Barito. Barito was left to Jose, who could handle everything smoothly, so he should be safe. As for Walm, he was being careful not to kill his first junior.


    The work continued, and two hours after the start of the war, the empty moat was filled to one-third of the wall. The squad was exhausted. Only Squad Commander Duwei was fine. Seeing so, Walm suspected he actually had other skills.


    ¡°They¡¯ve come. It¡¯s the raid unit.¡±


    As Squad Commander Duwei murmured so, Walm turned to the edge of his field of vision, a new battalion was approaching from behind. Unlike other battalions, it was a preserved unit.


    ¡°It¡¯s an infantry battalion in the Sarria City.¡±


    The squinting Jose determined which battalion it was.


    ¡°Sending former compatriots as a raid unit, it seems Commander Berger has a bad hobby.¡±


    The soldiers around agreed.


    ¡°It hasn¡¯t reached the wall yet, are we going to set up a ladder?¡±


    Noor raised a question. The answer was immediately demonstrated before Walm answered the question. A group of people wrapped in armor jumped into the base of the wall.


    ¡°They¡¯re here!!¡±


    Soldiers in the ramparts scream hard to alert others to danger, but it was already too late. This was because the soil was piled up to the height of the wall by the earth attribute magic, and the Sarria infantry battalion started to rush, using that as a foothold. Furthermore, the adjacent castle wall collapsed over several tens of meters due to the underground space created by the earth attribute magic. It was a sapping operation, just this one with the help of earth attribute magic.


    Walm roared in his heart. That performance was indeed something you should praise.


    TN: Here, an image of the character design of the new recruits, Barito and Noo

 CH 6.2

    6-2. Chapter 6 (Part 2)


    ¡°Give the traitors the taste of your blade!¡­ The first spear squad will be rewarded by Commander Berger.¡±


    As if to respond to the voice of the commander of the Sarria battalion, the soldiers of the Sarria battalion were attacking like a demon. The first spear squad skewered a lot of guards of the ramparts, and threw them down from the top of the wall. Of course, it wasn¡¯t without sacrifices. More than half of the first spear squads were defeated, but subsequent inflows didn¡¯t stop. A messenger soldier ran to Walm and others who were still working at the bottom side.


    ¡°It¡¯s a command from Liguria Battalion Commander. Don¡¯t lag behind the Sarria battalion. Make a total attack and break through the walls.¡±


    Walm agreed that now would be a great opportunity since many guards at the rampart had been killed.


    ¡°All forces, attack!!¡±


    When the voice of the Liguria Battalion Commander roared on the battlefield, a signal of a mass assault was given. Grabbed the ladder, hid it in the shadow of the soldiers, and rushed to the wall all at once. The enemy¡¯s counterattack started without hesitation, but the fire line was scarce.


    ¡°Noor, stay behind me.¡±


    Walm ran in with the round shield on his back. A shock ran on the shield with a high-pitched sound. In addition to the arrow and stone, something hard hit the shin guard, but he couldn¡¯t judge anything. Soldiers were climbing the hung ladder, but as more spear threw out from the wall passage, some ladder was removed from the wall, and the climbing soldiers fell.


    While keeping an eye on the safe-looking ladder, walm started to climb. A soldier who stepped on a ladder in front of Walm was stabbed in the flank by an arrow shot from the side and crashed to the ground. The enemy archer tried to hang an arrow on his next prey, Walm, but an ice spear pierced his face and he began to flutter in the ramparts.


    ¡°Willart!!¡±


    Walm knew the identity of the support.


    While thanking his quiet and hairless companion, Willart, he continued to climb. Perhaps distracted by the magic, he could climb until the rampart without being noticed by enemies nearby.


    As he reached the rampart, Walm momentarily thrust a longsword into the nape of the soldier in front of him. The soldier was stiff in that instant as the hole in his nape was fatal.


    The soldiers around hadn¡¯t responded yet. Walm then shook the longsword sideways and cut the head together with the armor. As the sword cut easily without any damage to the sword, he got into the high spirit.


    Walm, who killed the soldier without chipping his blades, confronted a soldier who finally noticed the invasion.


    ¡°They¡¯re climbing!!¡±


    The soldier approached Walm, alerting their peers. He understood that this type of soldier had a lot of skill. The soldier slashed the longsword at first, but then he continued to thrust the sword. And with the fourth thrust, Walm also closed the gap as the enemy stepped in.


    Walm parried the thrust with the round shield, and then he swiped the soldier¡¯s wrist with a shield bash. The soldier was excellent as he didn¡¯t let go of the sword, but Walm¡¯s right arm, hidden by the round shield, was already in motion. The longsword, which was thrust at a close distance from the lower stance, broke the skull and smashed the brain when it entered through the eyeball.


    Walm looked away at that moment, looking for the next enemy.


    Some allies were climbing from the ladder. One of them was Noor. She was fighting with a soldier who rushed to her as soon as she climbed, but due to her inexperience and the gaps in armor, she was bleeding from one of her arms.


    ¡°Senpai©`!!¡±


    Noor¡¯s crying voice reached Walm¡¯s ears. The other enemy this time was a bad match. A soldier who wore armor all over his body¡­ he was a knight. Two Highserk soldiers had already been killed on the ramparts, and Noor might join them in less than a few seconds.


    ¡°Can¡¯t fight other than new recruit? You damn small fry.¡±


    Walm turned around in a hurry and threw the round shield at the knight. The knight parried it with his halberd.


    ¡°Savage as always huh, you Highserk soldier bastard!! I won¡¯t let you step on Myard.¡±


    The knight stepped in at once while pushing a round shield. Since they were on the rampart, a passage with limited space. It was painful for Walm to abandon his round shield, even though it was to save Noor. While gritting his teeth, Walm resolved himself. He didn¡¯t frighten, caught the blow from the shield with his back and shoulders, and keep his feet on the spot.


    Walm¡¯s face was unknowingly distorted as he received impact more than he expected. His left arm was in throbbing pain, but it didn¡¯t affect his movements. The halberd approached from the side. While he was parrying it with a longsword, the high-pitched sound that the metals rub against each other echoed. He just received a blow, but he had no time to rest. The next attack came soon. The round shield approached Walm again.


    Swapped the pivoting foot and tilted your weight to the left while avoiding the round shield. The knight followed it and swung down the halberd. Walm didn¡¯t have a round shield with him, so while holding the longsword with both hands, he blocked the attack. But the pressure, he couldn¡¯t handle it all.


    While pushing in the halberd, the soldier landed a hit when pulling it back, but it was only ended with a brand new wound on the armor of Walm¡¯s shoulder. Enemy guards gathered were attacking Highserk soldiers, including Noor. In such a situation, Walm was unconsciously searching for his squad commander. But as he knew, his squad commander stood out so much at the start and so perhaps he got interfered when he tried to climb the ladder. Originally, this kind of strong enemy would be the squad commander¡¯s dance partner. Walm then lamented his bad luck, but he couldn¡¯t abandon his kouhai. [TN: Kouhai = junior]


    The enemy¡¯s armor got scratched, but at the same time, Walm¡¯s armor also got scratched. He was at a disadvantage because the defense at his joints was weaker than the enemy knight. Walm tried to attack the torso, but it cannot damage the body as it was stopped by the armor. The halberd scratched his cheek.


    Walm¡¯s eyelids and forehead had been damaged too, his vision was disturbed.


    Walm¡¯s lips were very dry.


    Forgot to blink and tried to predict the movement of the enemy. The armor got scratched again. This time, the halberd hooked his shoulder and a part of the shoulder was scooped out.


    ¡°It¡¯s useless, small fry!!¡±


    The knight shouted.


    Walm attacked the torso again, but this time, it went deeper than before.


    Something was different from usual. The situation wasn¡¯t at his advantage and he was forced into it. His bloody arm lightly swung the sword. He could feel that something, something might happen. It felt like something useless in the movement was scraped off and it would flow efficiently. Hit the knight¡¯s shin guard, the longsword went sideways at the time of pulling it back. Part of the armor was broken. Perhaps the knight felt it, he shouted at Walm again as if he was angry.


    ¡°Just, go to hell already!!¡±


    The sword and halberd collided. Bounced back while using the recoil of the collision. Walm had the longsword over his shoulder, but he felt it wasn¡¯t enough. He took a stance that he had never done in actual battle or training. The position where his arms reached was overhead. This kind of stance could be said as not suitable for a close-range battle.


    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate me. You think such a false threat will work?¡±


    The knight stepped in while pushing the round shield again. Although the battle pattern was reflected in the field of view, Walm saw what he should see and stepped in as needed. After being sent to the battlefield, even though every day he swung his sword, it felt unfamiliar, and this time, he prepared to swing it in a familiar trajectory, the same way he did as a farmer.


    The sword glowed faintly and mana was sent to the sword from the hand holding the handle.


    Walm¡¯s attack in the rampart Illustration


    If this blow ended in a miss, when the enemies countered him, Walm would be fatally injured. Such a risk didn¡¯t even come to Walm¡¯s mind. He just wanted to leave himself to this feeling. Perhaps, it was the first time, he smiled from the bottom of his heart on the battlefield.


    The blow that was swung down slashed the round shield and cut from the shoulder to the chest. Time had stopped. To be exact, it seemed to flow slowly. The knight dropped the halberd and muttered in a quivering voice.


    ¡°S-skill ¡¶Strike¡·? Why, small fry, like you, can, us¨D¨D ¡°


    The knight fell into a blood clot in the rampart without finishing his words.


    ¡°N-no way, commander!?¡±


    ¡°Hermel-sama was killed¡±


    Perhaps the knight that had just been killed by Walm was a knight who controlled the surrounding ramparts. The turmoil of the surrounding soldiers was unusual. As if to make it worse, after the Squad Commander Duwei finally climbed up to the rampart, he slaughtered the enemies. Every time the Squad Commander Duwei swung his sword, the enemy¡¯s limbs were torn apart.


    ¡°I¡¯ve climbed! Hear me, Don¡¯t let up for a single second! Destroy all the soldiers in the rampart!!¡±


    Even other Squad Commanders reply to Squad Commander Duwei¡¯s words. From a place away from the ramparts, Platoon Commander Kozuru was rejoicing in securing an attack. Seeing that, Walm wondered why Squad Commander Duwei couldn¡¯t become Platoon Leader, but now cleaning the ramparts was the more important.


    Rescued Noor while picking up the Round Shield. Then, Walm checked the condition of the injury. Noor had a wound on her flank and arm, but it wasn¡¯t deep.


    ¡°Watch out for bleeding. It¡¯s still a crucial moment.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes, Walm-san!!¡±


    The situation was leaning towards the Highserk Empire, but there were still many soldiers trying to recapture the ramparts. Walm swung his sword at the enemy soldiers he saw before his senses fade. As before, he slashed the torso even with the armor while parrying the enemy¡¯s sword. Walm was about to step into the realm of power beyond human knowledge.


    Walm didn¡¯t like killing, but he couldn¡¯t help it, he wanted to try to find out how much power he had just achieved. Neither the enemy¡¯s round shield nor armor could withstand the skill,¡¶Strike¡·. An ordinary longsword turned into a blow like a giant battle-ax. He had completely made the skill ¡¶Strike¡·his own.


    When he noticed, he had reached the stairs of the ramparts. It wasn¡¯t just with his power alone. Thanks to Jose, who arrived behind Walm before he knew it, he skillfully restrained the enemies with a spear. At the same time, he found that his concentration, which had been pushed to the limit, was finally cut off. His physical fatigue was also terrible, perhaps he had run out of mana due to the heavy use of ¡¶Strike¡· that he had not been accustomed to.


    Enemy soldiers trying to defend the stairs didn¡¯t try to close the gap, they only looked at him menacingly while trying to divert his attention. According to Walm¡¯s eyes, there would still be more than 10 people. When he resolved himself and tried to step in, a reliable voice echoed from behind.


    ¡°Walm!! It seems you have acquired the skill, ¡¶Strike¡·? Good. Take a break first. I¡¯ll do the rest.¡±


    It was Squad Commander Duwei, who was bathed in blood without any gaps in his whole body. Walm relaxed his nerves, which even an amateur could understand the meaning of it. His Squad Commander was the kind of person he wouldn¡¯t want to meet on the battlefield.


    When the Squad Commander Duwei roared with a threatening voice that resembled a scream, the enemy soldiers got slashed by him. Two soldiers disappeared from the rampart with a single stroke. It was a power that couldn¡¯t be seen coming from the same skill as Walm. Enemy soldiers who hid in shields and tried to stop the onslaught were kicked off, and when they fall from the rampart to the ground, blood came out from their whole body like a blooming flower.


    ¡°Ah!? a, AAArgh, aaaa¡ª¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shit!! Why this kind of guy here!!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be frightened. Don¡¯t be frightened!¡±


    The stairs were filled with corpses. When the soldier with a pale face was struck with a helm splitter attack by Squad Commander Duwei, the soldier¡¯s head was split in a strange way. The remaining enemy soldiers who saw it showed their backs, and ran away.


    ¡°I¡¯m not done yet!!¡±


    ¡°F*ck, even Ogre is better.¡±


    Allies soldiers were flooding one after another from the center and left walls. You couldn¡¯t see when the momentum would stop. Seeing it, Walm was convinced that the battle was decided.


    ¡°Collect the soldiers. It¡¯s the climax. Before it ends, Go and grab your share!!!¡±


    The shout was like the words of the head of a bandit. The building built in the rampart was controlled by the commander of the Duwei¡¯s squad. The resistance was minor. The remaining enemy soldiers were either closed themselves in the left and right forts, or many were running away.


    The castle gate was opened from the inside, and it was settled when more than double the number of soldiers had flooded the area. Some of the enemy soldiers who failed to escape from the fort and were cornered, showed a fighting posture, but they were all killed in a short time. The besieged fort capitulated in a short period of time.


    The battle that began in the morning ended before the sunset. Still, it was just a border outpost. Walm¡¯s work still remained. The preserved cavalry ran away from the fort, chasing the soldiers who tried to run away. Many enemy soldiers were killed by the pursuit.


    TN: Here, an image of the whole Duwei¡¯s squad without helmet

 CH 7

    ¡°You somehow managed to survive huh?¡±


    As the sun went down, the Sarria and Liguria battalions, which played a major role in the battle, entered one of the troops¡¯ stations in the fort, and were about to spend the night.


    The smoke from the kitchen went into the sky. In one corner of the wall, enemy prisoners of war (POW) whose armor was seized were gathered in one place.


    In the past, POW was often sold as a slave to earn foreign currency, but now they would be released if they promised to work for the Highserk Empire for a fixed number of years.


    Those who had connections with slave traders and some soldiers might oppose that idea, but it was becoming a better choice because the land was to be annexed, so the number of surrenders increased and damage was suppressed too.


    Although Noor was injured, who was taken care of by Walm in this battle, was alive. She killed one person in that turbulent battle and endured the baptism brilliantly. Barito, who was taken care of by Jose, even though his cockscomb wilted, he managed to stay alive. [TN: As you can see in the Character Design, his hair is like a rooster(cock) ]


    In front of Walm now, newcomers were bragging about the results and loot that they got.


    ¡°Look, Walm-senpai!! It¡¯s a medium gold coin, you know!? Hehehe, unbelievable, it¡¯s a real gold coin.¡±


    ¡°You, it¡¯s from the soldier that Walm-san slashed down, isn¡¯t it? It¡¯s not fair.¡±


    Noor had only one medium gold coin, which would be enough for supporting one poor person for a year. It was a lot of money for rural people. Looking at Noor, who had a strange face, Walm got put off.


    When Jose quickly rummaged the soldier¡¯s corpse, he found an ale barrel from the soldier¡¯s station and succeeded in securing the platoon¡¯s liquor and a bed. Walm praised Jose for his excellent ability.


    In addition to the victorious alcohol, the Platoon Commander was rewarded. So, the slightly fat Platoon Commander Kozuru was in a good mood from beginning to end. Although there were injuries, the atmosphere was bright because there was zero death in the squad.


    Two full moons in the sky looked as if they were celebrating the victory, but at the same time, it made Walm keenly aware that he was in a different world. In the corner of the room, Willart was quietly carrying liquor to his mouth.


    ¡°Willart, that fireball was amazing. You¡¯ve been a great help.¡±


    Walm was in a good mood and thanked Willart with a cup in his hand, and Willart replied modestly by raising the cup.


    ¡°You too¡­ Walm, are you interested?¡±


    Unusually, a question came from Willart. So, Walm responded with a strong interest.


    ¡°Of course. I long for magic.¡±


    No boy would dislike magic.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Willart took his eyes off Walm and re-entered his own world.


    Walm went back to his bed and drank alcohol again. Then his bladder screamed because he drank as much as he could.


    Am I a little too excited?


    Walm regretted it. He couldn¡¯t just scatter it in the building, so he went away from the hustle and bustle, looking for a good place.


    As he released his urge to urinate at the empty horn he finally found, he let out a small scream.


    Even though I¡¯m drinking now, I¡¯m the invader of this land.


    Walm then looked at the longsword that was still hung on the waist.


    While thinking about such a matter he entered a room in the building, there, he saw a woman whose limbs were pressed down and her clothes were stripped off. Beside the woman was soldiers from the Sarria battalion.


    ¡°What are you doing?!¡±


    When Walm asked with anger, the soldiers answered unabashedly.


    ¡°You can tell just by looking. I¡¯m gonna do it from now on.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to join? Well, you can do it last.¡°


    It was common for female soldiers to be harassed, but by all mean the woman was just a normal citizen. Probably the family of the soldier stationed in the fort. It was a common story on the battlefield. Still, for Walm, it was unacceptable.


    ¡°The people in this fort conditionally surrendered quietly, so this time we weren¡¯t allowed to plunder or insult the citizens. It¡¯s a violation of military law. If I tell this to the commander, you¡¯ll be whipped for sure.¡±


    Even the three idiots of Duwei¡¯s Squad were drawing a line in front of the military law.


    ¡°Are you a saint? a knight? Bastard!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate me. I¡¯ve killed many people on the front line.¡±


    Two soldiers rushed to Walm. The body illuminated by the moonlight was well trained. Both of them were good soldiers on the battlefield.


    ¡°¡­You¡¯ve killed a few people, so what.¡±


    Walm in the previous life might have been frightened, but now that he had taken countless lives, such a thing couldn¡¯t even be called a threat. The battle in the ramparts he had not long ago was much more dangerous.


    When Walm answered without any intonation in his words, the soldier stopped. It seemed that they saw Walm. On the body with the armor removed was engraved with countless wounds that were the proof of battles.


    ¡°¡­Tch, my mood gets ruined. Let¡¯s drink again.¡±


    The glaring continued, and the man who acted as the leader said so and went away. Seeing the soldiers leaving the room, Walm faced the woman.


    From the point of view of the citizens, he might look the same as the soldiers who just went away. That was why, Walm wasn¡¯t going to go pursue the matter more than necessary either.


    ¡°Go home and lock the entrance tightly. If you¡¯re about to be pushed down or taken away, scream with all your might. Okay?¡­ Did you understand?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes.¡±


    The woman who wore clothes in a hurry ran away after she nodded many times.


    This is useless. Everywhere is like this.


    Such a thought came to Walm¡¯s mind.


    What had changed in him?¨D¨D certainly he had killed a lot of people, but still, he didn¡¯t remember ever throwing away his moral standards.


    When Walm returned to the room, a squad member was singing a song. It was a song of an honest hero made up by the commoners. It would be ridiculous to compare with such a hero, but for sure it was very different from what Walm looked like now.


    Even though the color did not change, the result of killing many on the battlefield and seeing many got raped, his eyes were becoming muddy, and he realized it himself.


    In a ¡°violent and crazy¡± era, drunken soldiers enjoyed their lives as if killing each other during the day was a lie. Perhaps, they might go crazy if there was no alcohol and party.


    Walm who had gotten used to it, switched the gear in his mind and joined the party.


    ¡ô


    The twisting and turning road leading into the forest seemed to keep going without end. The logistic corps of the Highserk Empire¡¯s army continued to move forward without rest.


    The transportation of goods by magic bags revolutionized the maintenance of logistics. Combined with a group of fully armed cavalry, it was possible to bring large quantities of supplies to frontline soldiers at a high speed.


    Even so, the logistic corps never disappeared. The reason was, rare magic bags, along with magic tools, it only used for transport to the area designated for supplies storage, and supplies that couldn¡¯t fit in the magic bags could only be carried by wagons or humans. One of those logistic officers, Hody, was pulling a cart with a pack animal.


    The soldiers who fight on the front line were sometimes ridiculed as being like livestock, but Hody himself was proud of being a logistic officer, and he had seven years of military experience as a logistic officer.


    Only once, but Hody was spoken to by Commander Gerald Berger, the war god of the Highserk Empire.


    It happened on the day when it was raining cold and he continued to carry supplies all night while pulling a cart. After checking the cargo, Hody was suddenly hit on the shoulder while unloading the supplies. When he looked back thinking the guards had come to scold him or threw curses at him, it was Commander Berger who was there.


    Commander Berger said with a serious look while holding hands with Hody, who had forgotten to greet him.


    ¡º¡±Thanks for your hard work¡­¡­ logistic officers are an important supporter of our army. We could keep fighting because there are people like you. You¡¯re the pride of the Empire.¡±¡»


    Since then, Hody had considered that his job must be the best. Even if it wasn¡¯t recognized by many, the war god recognized himself. That alone was enough.


    ¡°You seem tired.¡±


    Hody called out another logistic officer who had just arrived in the squad. A man whose one eye was crushed in battle and couldn¡¯t get a sense of distance, then became a logistic officer.


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ve been pulling such a heavy object.¡±


    Saying so, the one-eyed ex-soldier exhaled.


    ¡°Put some on my cart. It¡¯s so light, I¡¯m not even sweating.¡±


    The one-eyed soldier thought that it was a joke and laughed, but Hody stopped the cart and began to move some of the one-eyed ex-soldier¡¯s cargo.


    ¡°Hey, are you serious?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a seven-year specialist in transporting supplies. I¡¯ve been risking my life for a long time. Liberitoa, the former territory of Kanoa Kingdom, Myard, and everyplace in the Highserk Empire. I rushed to any place, from the siege tower to the battering ram, I carried everything. Just this much is light.¡±


    When Hody hit his chest, the one-eyed ex-soldier burst into laughter.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you¡­. Thank you. I¡¯ll give you my drink next time. To be honest, I¡¯m old, after one of my eyes got crushed, I thought they moved me to the logistic corps just because I might become riddance, but I was wrong. It¡¯s a tougher job than a normal soldier.¡±


    The two continued to carry the cart silently without further conversation.


    The soldiers approached the slope and the speed naturally slowed down. As Hody focused his eyes to see ahead of the road, the wind blew through the gaps in the trees.


    The head of a guard soldier walking in front of Hody flew into the sky. Starting with that, arrows and magic attacked the soldiers all at once.


    ¡°It¡¯s an enemy attack!!!! They¡¯re coming!!¡±


    When one of the soldiers shouted, Ferrius soldiers ¨D and adventurers attacked from the left and right. An adventurer with a large shield literally smashed the soldier¡¯s head with a horizontal shield bash.


    The Highserk soldiers who were in battle with the enemy were shot by an arrow in their throat from the side and fell to the ground. The merchants and civilians hired on a temporary basis were all attacked without distinction.


    Hody hid in a cart and pulled out a short sword. He had some combat experience. He ever swung sword against a few monsters and stupid bandits.


    ¡°Haaaaaargh!!¡±


    It was the Ferrius soldier who came to attack while screaming. Hody stabbed a short sword into the ground and rolled the cart.


    Suddenly, the car couldn¡¯t be avoided, and the Ferrius soldier was crushed beneath. Hody escaped the difficulties but made a fatal mistake. In addition to being large, his strength was judged to be dangerous.


    A blue-haired adventurer was approaching Hody. Before pulling out the short sword on the ground, the long sword approaches Hody¡¯s throat. He opened his eyes wide convinced that he would be dead for sure.


    Without the longsword ever reaching Hody¡¯s neck, he instead heard the treble of metal rubbing against another metal and the voice of someone he knew.


    ¡°Run away, Hody!! Tell them about this.¡±


    The swords were crossing at a high speed that couldn¡¯t be seen by the eyes.


    Hody didn¡¯t want to think about abandoning his friends and running away.


    ¡°But!¡±


    ¡°Goooo! Faaast!¡±


    Once again, the swords were crossing at a high speed that couldn¡¯t be seen by eyes, and the whole body of the one-eyed soldier was dyed in red. Hody looked around, the escort soldiers were killed one after another, and the merchants and the other logistic officers who were trying to escape were all killed.


    ¡°I promise. I will carry this information. In the name of the logistic officer!!¡±


    Hody kicked up the ground without looking back. A spear sticking out of a Ferius soldier hurt his shoulder, and a sword hurt his cheek.


    Obstructing the end of the path was a young girl adventurer.


    ¡°Moveeee!¡±


    The angry swaying eardrum slowed the girl¡¯s movements. Hody didn¡¯t feel the pain of a short sword stuck in his arm. The girl rolled on the ground many times due to the difference in body size and strength.


    ¡°Leethia!!¡±


    The other adventurer called her name to make sure their companion was safe.


    ¡°If she¡¯s so important, keep her in the box!! A bunch of soldiers and adventurers like you, it¡¯s just what I want. If you can keep up with his good legs, try. The legs that have supported Highserk, aren¡¯t weeeeak!¡±


    The one-eyed ex-soldier¡¯s scream also entered Hody¡¯s ear. The arrow flew in without stopping, and even if tears began to flow, Hody didn¡¯t stop and continued to run.


    TN: Here, the full image of Duwei¡¯s character design

 CH 8.1

    8-1. Chapter 8 (Part 1)


    Myard soldiers who failed to defend the border were gathering in the capital, Aidenberg. The envisioned scorched earth tactics hadn¡¯t been implemented, and on the other hands, the Highserk Empire had gained an intact breadbasket.


    The problem was the Sarria battalion, which consisted of the former citizens of Kanoa Kingdom. Although they greatly contributed to the capture of the mountain castle, which was a key point, plunders and insults were rampant even after the battles regardless of whether the opponents were citizens or soldiers. There was no doubt that they were traitor¡¯s compatriots, depending on the point of view, but still what they did was too much, to the point where a guard was dispatched to supervise the battalion.


    Such a Sarria battalion, they tasked to be the one who held the whip, and was useful for capturing villages and towns. Partly due to the issue of governance after the annexation, the Highserk Empire didn¡¯t want to be a villain while advancing, so Sarria Battalion was used to pull the chestnuts out of the fire.


    After the siege, Walm was searching through the woods in a line. This was because a report about a guerrilla force consisting of the enemies who escaped the siege had come. Although they seemed to not have a proper strategic meeting beforehand, the attacks, which seemed to constantly target supplies, ensured that they must be collecting information and food from the surrounding villages in the shadows. About a platoon size of soldier unit had been killed, and non-combatants in the caravan who were in charge of transportation had also been killed.


    ¡°There must be a magic user.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a wind attribute, and fire attribute.¡±


    The squad leader and Jose, were crouching down at the corpses lined up, identifying the magical attributes used from the scars.


    ¡°¡­There are two or more magic users.¡±


    Willart, a magical user who was looking from a little further away, added information there.


    The wounds carved on the body were due to tears caused by wind magic and detonation caused by fire magic. Walm also assumed the possibility of someone using two-attribute magic, but considering the amount of magic used in a short period of time, it was more natural for multiple people to exist.


    ¡°Uhh, is this also by magic?¡±


    ¡°What is, this? The face is crushed.¡±


    Rookie Noor and Barito were distorting their face looking at other corpses. Amongst the corpses that had stab or slash wounds on the vital parts, that they found, some had their faces crushed, and some had their heads missing. By all means, it was as if they got blown away by something.


    ¡°It¡¯s not from a halberd. It¡¯s too wide for a war hammer.¡±


    Walm was accustomed to seeing the corpse beaten by the war hammer. He had also used the halberd that he got from the enemy¡¯s commander of the previous battle, and he was somewhat familiar with what kind of wounds it could make. When Walm was thinking about the real cause of it, the answer came from behind.


    ¡°It¡¯s from a shield¡±


    The answer was from Squad Commander Duwei who had been accustomed to corpses on the battlefield for many years.


    ¡°Shield? Really¡­¡±


    Finding it unbelievable, Noor muttered so.


    Walm agreed. He also thought that it was too powerful something coming from a shield. He had no idea what kind of big man could do if he swung his shield around.


    ¡°Perhaps, it¡¯s someone with Skill?¡±


    Jose, who was thinking, asked Squad Commander Duwei.


    ¡°Yeah, perhaps. I¡¯ve seen a similar corpse before. At that time, I saw a person¡¯s head disappear with just a shield bash. Same with skill ¡¶Strike¡· it¡¯s something that has a lot of users too, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s that ¡¶Iron Wall¡·. Even a wooden shield will feel like a heavy iron.¡±


    Now that Walm could use the skill ¡¶Strike¡·, he understood how powerful skill could be. Even if the opponent wearing iron armor, it can be torn unilaterally just by using the skill. Its advantage could be said as immeasurable.


    ¡°Aaah, even though they¡¯re a bunch of defeated soldiers, what a troublesome opponent.¡±


    Jose muttered disgustingly.


    ¡°The opponent this time is mixed with a small number of adventurers. The captive soldiers said so. Even though it¡¯s a losing battle, what a bunch of weirdos. But be careful. The experienced adventurers are better than the regular soldiers in a battle. They usually have good armor and ability. ¡°


    ¡°It seems that you¡¯ll have something good if you can defeat them.¡±


    Barito, the rookie, laughed. But his expression was saying differently. It was clear to Walm that he tried to look strong.


    ¡°Oi oi, Barito, our enemies are someone with skill and magic users, you know? Imagine this, fighting against Commander Duwei, Walm, and Willart at the same time, do you think you can win?¡±


    ¡°Well, no, it¡¯s impossible even if there is 20 me.¡±


    ¡°Good that you understand.¡±


    Seeing Barito admitting the mistake, Jose nodded with satisfaction. It was great that Jose, the educator, was doing his job properly, but for Walm, it was still unconvincing that even he was counted as a non-human group.


    ¡°By the way, what is ¡°that¡±¡­¡±


    Noor was terrifyingly pointing at the body of a man hung on a tree. The whole body was stabbed here and there, and other than the head parts, you wouldn¡¯t be able to tell that it was a corpse of a human.


    ¡°Hmm? Oh, that. That¡¯s the villager who sold our information and provided food to the defeated soldiers.¡±


    Jose said so as if it was the norm.


    Walm remembered himself when he was a rookie and asked a similar question.


    ¡°A, aaa¡­ Is that so? I see¡­¡±


    In truth, Noor wanted to say, ¡°You will do that much?¡±. It was something that would leave a very bad taste, but she understood that in a war, sometimes it was necessary.


    Thirty soldiers and six citizens (labor workers and merchants) wouldn¡¯t have died, if the villagers didn¡¯t provide information and food. But, people¡¯s resistance at enemy bases had plagued the armed forces of all ages. And the soldier given the choices, whether to annihilate the people of the villages themselves or to execute a small number on a stage to give an example to other villagers, it would differ from time to time. This time the surviving Highserk soldiers attempted to suppress them with a small number of executions.


    ¡°Get ready. It¡¯s about time.¡±


    With the call from Squad Commander Duwei, the squad members step into the depths of the forest. Since it was extremely difficult to search by only a small number of people, a company was sent at once, and the squads were searching every 20m in a line. Even if the enemies were skillful, it might come to an end soon. Walm was optimistic and stepped into the woods like any other soldier.


    ¡ô


    On the second day after the search, one squad was ambushed and 12 people died. Seven soldiers were injured by traps and bows during the search, and four sentries were missing. Fortunately, there was no damage on Duwei¡¯s squad, but the entire company was getting angry, plus the hard-to-walk forest, the hatred toward invisible enemies was growing within them. The search was prolonged, and the squad was gathered, now leaning against a large tree for a short break.


    ¡°This is bad¡±


    The one who opened his mouth, was Jose.


    ¡°It¡¯s true that we¡¯ve been searching around on a company scale, but there¡¯s no result at all.¡±


    250 soldiers had been searching around for three days and nothing was found. The time to move to the capital, which would be the decisive battle, was approaching, but the threat to the transportation route couldn¡¯t be left unattended either.


    ¡°Although they¡¯re locals, they¡¯re too skillful in hiding their traces. It seems they really used to the forest.¡±


    Squad Commander Duwei was looking carefully at the ground, but turned his gaze forward.


    ¡°Is it the scout that skillful?¡±


    Noor, who was standing by Walm, asked a question.


    ¡°Even if it¡¯s a skillful scout, it can¡¯t be only one. There are two or more skillful guys who are watching us as we¡¯re getting near to the main forces.¡±


    Walm didn¡¯t think that the opponent was mainly the defeated soldiers, if it were only them, they wouldn¡¯t dare to do guerrilla warfare.


    ¡°Rather than scouts from the soldier¡¯s side, it¡¯s more likely Myard¡¯s adventurers.¡±


    Squad Commander Duwei made a conclusion in answering everyone¡¯s questions.


    ¡°¡­ Adventurer¡±


    Barito, the rookie, said the word.


    Speaking of adventurers, they were active in the demon territory that covered half of the continent. Subjugating and dismantling monsters, capturing labyrinths and ruins, escorting transportation corps. Basically, it was a general term for people who were active in a wide range of activities. The guild that was organizing the adventurers had stated that it had a base in every country on the continent and that the organization wouldn¡¯t intervene in the war.


    In reality, in the name of individual free will, local adventurers were often hired as mercenaries. The armor made from relics and rare demon materials, could give the one who was wearing it tremendous power. Even one person who had that could change the battle situation. Such a monstrous adventurer certainly could be found out there.


    Furthermore, there were rumors saying the guild¡¯s private army had been put into conflicts that were regarded as detrimental to the guild.


    Highserk Empire, Walm¡¯s homeland, emphasized the strengthening of armaments, and because the surplus troops took the place of adventurers, there were few opportunities for adventurers to play an active role, but they were a presence that you could see being active in other countries.


    ¡°It¡¯s true that adventurers are more accustomed to surveillance and search than soldiers.¡±


    Born as the third son of a small merchant, Jose, as he ever had hired an adventurer, was nodding as if he was convinced.


    While taking a break, Walm was talking about the enemy¡¯s identity, but the members were busy eating rations and smoking. Walm also inhaled the cigarette he bought from Jose and slowly exhaled it. The purple smoke that popped out of the mouth was slowly spreading into the sky. While tasting the smoke, he asked a question that suddenly came up in his mind.


    ¡°Will the smell of cigarettes be noticed?¡±


    ¡°Are you stupid? Our body odor is smellier than cigarettes. Bring me a wolf. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll hate our smell and don¡¯t come near.¡±


    When Jose laughed and denied it, he smoked more.


    ¡°Want me to put on some perfume?¡±


    Barito said something that was hard to tell whether he was being serious or not.


    ¡°That¡¯s, a good idea. Should I wear a skirt as well?¡±


    The laughing Commander Duwei replied with a joke. Walm also loosened his mouth and smiled a little. There wasn¡¯t much time left to enjoy silly jokes. In five minutes, Walm would have to continue the hide-and-seek with the enemies in the woods, which seemed to continue endlessly.


    Should I make some preparations now?


    When Walm was vaguely thinking to start preparing for the search and was about to move from the tree, he heard a scream and in continue, several explosions occurred. When the soldiers who were resting on the ground jumped up, they pulled out their weapons all at once.


    ¡°3, no, 400m away. They were caught in the search network.¡±


    Everyone agreed with Jose¡¯s words.


    ¡°We¡¯ll go around from the right side. We¡¯ll enclose them. Don¡¯t miss the enemy. Moveeeee!¡±


    Squad Commander Duwei jumped out while shouting, and the three idiots started to move behind him. At the end were the rookie Noor and Barito.


    Walm squeezed through the branches that cling to his body and kept stepping through the weeds. Unmaintained forests were full of natural obstacles. Because it penetrates forcibly, the sap of tall weeds stuck to the body. The grassy smell was so bad.

 CH 8.2

    8-2. Chapter 8 (Part 2)


    The battle hadn¡¯t finished. The enemy who had tasted success in the attack last time seemed to have underestimated Highserk¡¯s soldiers. Perhaps they were hungry to annihilate the enemies, in addition to Duwei¡¯s squad, two more squads rushed to the rescue and stopped the enemy from running away.


    The Highserk soldiers intended to end this hide-and-seek in this place, here, right now. It was about 30 enemies, a little more than expected. Walm jumped into the center of the enemy platoon. The response of the enemy who suddenly attacked from the side was a little bit slow.


    ¡°Dam it, it¡¯s reinforcement!!¡±


    One of the enemy soldiers shouted.


    Walm swung down at the halberd he got from the knight he had defeated the other day. It was a sturdy and suitable weapon to demonstrate the skill,¡¶Strike¡·, that he learned the other day. The enemy soldier thrust his spear into Walm as hard as he could, but as it was thrust, it got crushed a little by little.


    The enemy soldier tried to pull out the short sword by throwing away the spear that had become completely shortened, but he was one step slower. Just before he pulled the sword, his neck flew in the air.


    When Walm stepped further and returned his wrist, he used the recoil to slash the nearby soldier.


    As the soldier was one step behind and couldn¡¯t evade the attack at all, the blow that entered from the side of the breastplate cut the torso into two. In addition, the horizontal slash Walm did, hit the remaining members gravely injured or killed more than 10 enemy soldiers. A group of differently dressed people, mixed with regular soldiers, came into view.


    ¡°He¡¯s there. The adventurer who¡¯s leading them.¡±


    Jose, who saw through the true identity of the man, shouted. The number of people was five, probably it was the so-called ¡°party¡±.


    Walm headed for the group while slashing the confused enemy soldiers, but a blade of the wind approached. Normally he would have chosen to avoid or defend with a round shield, but Walm swung his halberd down.


    The activated skill ¡¶Strike¡·was momentary in a conflict with the magic. Then, the wind scattered around. When Walm, turned his gaze to the caster, it was the adventurer who cast the magic. A woman, no perhaps, you could say she was a girl.


    The height was about Walm¡¯s chest, and the brown hair extended to the shoulder. Armed with a short sword and a round shield, like a normal soldier. Three Myard soldiers stood in front of Walm as he tried to crush the nasty Magic user. Two soldiers approached while thrusting a spear at the same time.


    Walm made a small turn to the right, closing in on one side of the soldier. He jumped into his bosom while parrying the spear that was thrust into his face with the halberd. At that moment, the soldier tried to cover his throat with the hand as he was wearing a hand protector, but Walm slashed the soldier while activating ¡¶Strike¡·. The bones were cut off, and blood flowed through the gaps in the armor.


    ¡°Bastaaaaaaard!!¡±


    One had collapsed, and the number of soldiers had decreased by one, but the soldier threw the spear, pulled the longsword, and came to attack Walm. It was a good move, but that horizontally swung slash was dodged by Walm.


    Then Walm swung down the halberd from diagonally left, but it was caught before accelerating. He then pulled the longsword with all his might while jumping back. Then he thrust the Halberd as fast as he could. The soldiers regained their broken stance, but it was one step behind to dodge Walm¡¯s attack. The halberd stabbed into the back of the soldier¡¯s knee and scraped off the ligaments.


    ¡°Waaaarrghhh¡±


    The soldier resisted hard with one leg, but as he couldn¡¯t stand properly, Walm crushed his throat with the longsword.


    The remaining one hesitated to attack. But, without hesitation, Walm shook off the halberd with both hands, and made a blow.


    ¡°N-no, wait, a, help me.¡±


    There was no need of a second blow. With that one blow, the abdomen was torn in a straight line and the viscera were overflowing. Blood rushed out so fast that the ground around the soldier was dyed in red in a blink of an eye.


    ¡°Give up. It¡¯s useless now.¡±


    If only he had escaped or surrendered before this happened


    That idea flickered to Walm.


    This soldier¡­ he¡¯s bound to his country, friends, family, everything in this land. He might want to run, but he couldn¡¯t.


    While stabbing the soldier, to put him to rest, Walm was thinking such a thing, if others knew it, they might laugh at him.


    When he was about to slash his next target, he was thrown words. While it might depend on the enemy. This time it wasn¡¯t the familiar taunt or swearing words. It was a question to Walm.


    ¡°Why, why, why are you killing so easily!?¡±


    Walm was asked why he killed others on the battlefield. Such a question might result in a long answer, and also the answer would be different for each person. Why asked Walm for such a thing, then? Well, anyway, for Walm, the enemy might ask for mercy, but he surrendered after being fatally injured, even Walm couldn¡¯t do anything about it.


    ¡°It¡¯s a battlefield, why are you surprised? You also killing others¡­ what a useless conversation.¡±


    A corpse of a Highserk soldier was lying at the feet of the woman. Although they passed each other once and twice during the march, the soldier was definitely Walm¡¯s compatriots. The girl might have noticed that the conversation was useless, and she cast the magic on Walm again. It was the magic he saw once. In addition, the trajectory was the same. While keeping the posture low, Walm changed the center of gravity, that he slid in. As it was, he kept moving to the girl who had her eyes opened in astonishment.


    ¡°Leethia!!¡±


    An older adventurer with a shield shouted. But, the halberd had already been swung sideways headed straight toward the girl¡¯s neck. The girl responded in that instant as if the gaps she showed earlier were a lie. She held the round shield diagonally upward while bending the left elbow. Her right hand went to support the round shield, while still holding the short sword.


    To be honest, Walm might have been underestimated the girl. It was an ideal stance to say to do now. Seeing it, he understood that she had been disciplined and had an actual experience. However, the conversation she brought up not long ago sounded stupid in Walm¡¯s ear. So, he felt some discomfort, but he understood the reason behind it.


    It was stupid things to have on the battlefield, but in a way, an enviable thing for Walm. In short, the girl hadn¡¯t used to killing people. If that was the case, perhaps it could be solved by talking, in fact, Walm would like to choose that solution, but he was in a war between nations. The battle was still in progress and the enemy hadn¡¯t surrendered.


    Without loosening the halberd, Walm activates ¡¶Strike¡·. The blade, wrapped in a faint light, bit into the round shield and broke through as it was.


    ¡°A, ug, urrgh¡±


    The round shield rolled on the ground, probably the girl let it go because she couldn¡¯t hold the impact well. She seemed to have a hand protector on the arm under the shield, and her arm wasn¡¯t cut off. Even so, she seemed to be unable to escape the impact completely, and now every time she moved her left arm, she expressed anguish, but still held the short sword with the other hand.


    ¡°It¡¯s broken¡±


    When Walm uttered his words, the girl lowered her eyebrows and seemed terribly confused.


    It seemed to be the first time she had received a skill attack. She retreated from Walm as if frightened, but it was a bad move in a forest with poor footing. The girl stepped back to keep a distance, but stepped on the ¡°soldier¡± who had fallen to the ground, and she lost her stance.


    ¡°At least, remember the place of the one you¡¯ve killed¡±


    When Walm smiled unintentionally, the girl opened her eyes and shouted as if she had encountered a monster.


    ¡°U, Uaaahhhhhhhh!!¡±


    Walm jumped in and used his halberd to flicks the short sword on the girl¡¯s hand away. When Walm slammed from her shoulder using his body, she exhaled air and fell to the ground. He then thrust the halberd into the throat of the fallen girl. He thought that since the opponent was a girl, it would be better than crushing her head or face.


    But, something flickered at the edge of his field of vision. At that moment, Walm¡¯s heart jumped. He was careful about the surroundings, but it came too fast.


    ¡°Uhh¨D¨D!?¡±


    Walm jumped back while tilting his head, but his hair and cheeks were slightly cut.


    The shadow was still approaching. Walm swung his halberd down, and his opponent received the attack. The man was one of the adventurer¡¯s parties.


    The weapons rubbed against each other for a while.


    When both of them stepped back, Walm aimed his halberd at the wrist but it was blocked by the sword¡¯s brim.


    ¡°Are you okay with me?¡±


    The young man was furious when Walm deliberately asked.


    ¡°Shut up, you damn invaders!!¡±


    There, was a young man with a good-looking face, blue hair extending to his shoulders, eyes of the same color as his hair, and it would be more than enough to be an idol in Walm¡¯s previous world. He had a blood-stained two-handed sword and wearing good enough equipment. It seemed Highserk soldiers around him had been slashed.


    There was no doubt that he was the leader of the adventurers. Walm thought he would be the right opponent for the Squad Commander Duwei, but Squad Commander Duwei was engaged with an adventurer holding a large shield.


    Perhaps that adventure was the shield user with a Skill.  And it seemed the skill,¡¶Strike¡· and ¡¶Iron Wall¡·, had collided with each other. The soldier at he surroundings were just looking at it as a spectator.


    Should I ask for their help?


    Walm was thinking about asking for help from the surrounding soldiers. But decided not.


    Huh, so annoying


    Walm thought so, as he had to deal with this adventurer no matter what.

 CH 9

    Leethia was an adventurer from the rural area of ??Myard. She had a talent in Magic, and her physical ability backed by her mana amount was outstanding even in her generation. Leethia, who made her debut as an adventurer triumphantly, steadily increased her rank, escaped from the E and D rank, the ranks called as ¡°Scrap¡±, and reached the bronze C rank, but she met her dead end. The stagnation might have been inevitable for Leethia, who was self-taught and had no fixed companion.


    It was Al, an A-rank adventurer who Leethia happened to meet on a large-scale request, who saved her, who was in dilemma. Al was also an adventurer from Myard, and his party members were also from the same country. After doing many requests together, Leethia, who had a close relationship with Al and his party members, was welcomed as a long-sought party member.


    They were then active in a wide range of activities, both domestically and internationally, such as caravan escort, demon subjugation, and labyrinth capture, and lived an exciting and irreplaceable daily life. While living such a life, Leethia had slowly developed a faint love for Al. It was her first love and she wanted to get rid of that feeling, but didn¡¯t know how to do it.


    Leethia knew. No, it wasn¡¯t just her. Any party member or adventurers who had experienced doing things together with Al¡¯s party knew, that Al and Amy were dating. When she realized her emotions, Leethia fell into self-loathing, wondering how foolish she was. After all, it was Amy who patiently taught how to the adventurer way to the unfamiliar Leethia.


    Although it was something reasonable between a couple, when she saw Amy entwined in Al¡¯s arm, Leethia couldn¡¯t help but be agitated. It was an emotion that she shouldn¡¯t have. The night she saw them disappearing into the city at night, she cried all night and even made a mistake when doing the request.


    Ironically, it was the party members, including Al and Amy, who cleaned her mess without a hateful face at all. At that time, Leethia decided. That she would bring her feeling to the graveyard. After all, it was a love that wouldn¡¯t come true. Yes, Leethia was trying to hide her feelings and give up completely.


    While Leethia spent such days, an event occurred that shook the adventurer of Myard. It was a re-invasion by the Highserk Empire. In the war at the time of the collapse of the Kanoa Kingdom five years ago, the Myard territory, which was part of the Kanoa Kingdom, sought asylum from the neighboring Ferrius Kingdom at the end of the war.


    While accepting a small number of Kanoa refugees who were able to escape, Myrad and Ferrius struggled, but the result was that the status quo could be maintained.


    The hometowns of Al and Amy were along the border, and if invaded, it would be severely damaged. So, they declared that they would return home and fight to protect their hometown. Although it was announced that the party would be temporarily disbanded, other party members, and Leethia, also announced that they would fight together and participated in the war as volunteers.


    At the request of the guild, Leethia had killed a human. It was a man who liked to make fun of people, he was a member of a bandit who had done a lot of evil, and so, the surrounding villages and citizens who were captured, sent words of gratitude and praise, and her friends also praised her. Still, Leethia couldn¡¯t forget the feel and smell, even now.


    After three of the forts, which were key points on the border, were defeated, they joined the Myard soldiers who had escaped from the pursuit, and decided to ambush on one of the traffic routes facing the deep forest. Bow and Magic attack, helped them to succeed in the ambush.


    It was a small victory for Myrad, but it was the long-awaited victory for the defeated soldiers. Leethia and the other adventurers were delighted with the victory. Even so, Leethia couldn¡¯t get rid of the cry of soldiers who died because of her Magic.


    The wounded and surviving enemy soldiers sought mercy, but the Myard soldiers beheaded them to seal their mouths. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped, we¡¯re in a war¡±¡­ Everyone said that word. Still, Leethia continued to worry about not being able to change her mindset so easily.


    The fighting continued as reinforcements from Highserk Empire were dispatched to annihilate Leethia and the others. Thus, Leethia killed two more soldiers. In those battles, while she was glad that Al cared for her, she was disgusted with herself who held such feelings.


    On the second day of the battle with the reinforcements of the Highserk Empire, it appeared. A ¡°devil¡±. There was a devil. He looked like a man you could see everywhere. Only the eyes were different. Even though his eyes were black, it felt as if they were muddy. Just like cutting out annoying weeds, he was just slashing and killing Myard soldiers without changing his complexion.


    ¡°Uh !?¡±


    Compared to Al¡¯s sky blue eyes, Leethia could only feel scared from those muddy eyes.


    Leethia concentrated magic on both hands and shot it to the man. The wind blade released from the short sword headed straight toward the man, but it scattered in the air. It was a skill, and with that one swing, it counteracted the magic.


    It was something easy to say, but it wasn¡¯t that easy to do with that angle, timing, and power. It was hard for Leethia to believe, but it was a reality that happened in front of her.


    ¡°Bastaaaard!!¡±


    Two soldiers who felt the danger cut in between Leethia and the man, and at the same time thrust the spear. It was a skillful collaboration aimed at the neck and legs at the same time, and Leethia thought that the man only had two options, that was to dodge it or concentrate on defense. Leethia then decided to provide support by casting Magic to capture the man, but what she saw with her eyes was not what she expected.


    The blow of the skill ¡¶Strike¡·broke the spear and slashed the soldier. The remaining soldier also pulled out the longsword momentarily, but lost the sword and his leg was cut off, then as his movement became sluggish, his throat was cut off by the halberd. The soldiers around him were slashed one after another and fell to the ground, one by one.


    A young man who talked about his family at night, the commander who talked about his love for his homeland and vowed to destroy his enemies, and all the recruits who said that they were afraid of fighting, all of them¨D¨D


    ¡°N-no, wait, a, help me.¡±


    The fellow soldier who had his intestines scattered, were begging for help. But, that man didn¡¯t stop. Leethia was scared and couldn¡¯t move.


    ¡°Give up. It¡¯s useless now.¡±


    The man thrust the halberd into the throat of a begging soldier.


    Leethia, while trembling, she retreated, but the man kept moving without changing his complexion.


    ¡°Why, why, why are you killing so easily!?¡±


    When Leethia asked, the man mysteriously distorted his eyebrows for the first time, muttering.


    ¡°It¡¯s a battlefield, why are you surprised? You also killing others¡­ what a useless conversation.¡±


    Leethia certainly killed a human before. When she killed a person for the first time, she couldn¡¯t eat for two days. Even now, after she killed a human, her hands would tremble. She hated killing. What about the man in front of her? She couldn¡¯t understand, but Leethia understood one thing, that the man was trying to cut off the conversation and kill her.


    While screaming, Leethia concentrated her Mana to create a blade of wind. It was a blow aimed at the torso, but it was avoided by sliding. Then, the halberd spread, filled the field of view. It was dyed red with the blood of her friends. Breathing was hard and thoughts hadn¡¯t yet organized, but Leethia¡¯s body still moved naturally.


    Leethia held the round shield diagonally upward while bending her left elbow, and used her right hand, which still holding a sword, to support the round shield and prepared for the impact.


    ¡°A, ug, urrgh¡±


    It was a catastrophic pain that came to visit her body. The round shield was cut off and the short sword was repelled, even though Leethia put her all to defend. And, perhaps, her hand protector wasn¡¯t enough to hold the impact, her left arm was broken.


    ¡°It¡¯s broken¡±


    At that moment, it wasn¡¯t only Leethia¡¯s arm but also her heart that broke. She retreated in a hurry, but she lost her balance and fell. There, was a Highserk soldier she attacked and killed not long ago.


    ¡°At least, remember the place of the one you¡¯ve killed¡±


    The man smiled for the first time. Why did he laugh? Leethia couldn¡¯t, she couldn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°U, Uaaahhhhhhhh!!¡±


    Leethia¡¯s train of thought was on the verge of collapse. Forgetting shame and pride, she screamed at the impending death. No pain came, and in the hazy view, she saw the back, of someone that she was always looking at. Leethia still screaming, but then realized that she wasn¡¯t dead.


    ¡°Step back, Leethia!!¡±


    The member of the party who rushed in, was Al. His blue hair, which was out of place, looked so beautiful.


    ¡°Are you okay with me?¡±


    ¡°Shut up, you damn invader!!¡±


    Leethia knew that it was her inexperience that caused Al to come to help her, and caused the Heighserk soldiers who he held to become free, and started to attack the other Myrad soldiers.


    ¡°¡­ Huft, Don¡¯t want to.¡±


    The man sighed disgustingly and attacked Al.


    The other party members tried to cover Al¡¯s position, but were disturbed by the subsequent soldiers.


    Fleck was a skilled adventurer with the skill ¡¶Iron Wall¡·, Leethia couldn¡¯t believe he was being pushed by a soldier. The large shield after the skill ¡¶Iron Wall¡· was used on it, enough to bounce off an Ogre¡¯s blow, but the longsword¡¯s blow could damage it.


    Amy and Lefty, along with fellow soldiers, outperformed the rallying enemy soldiers, but were clearly inferior in Leethia¡¯s eyes.


    Leethia then slowly concentrated her consciousness while favoring her broken arm. The aim was that man who was aiming for Al. Ignoring her broken arm, Leethia shot a deadly blow, but was avoided on the verge of dealing with Al¡¯s attack.


    Al could use magic, it was the same wind-attributed magic as Retia. He used ¡°Burst¡±, magic which Leethia couldn¡¯t use.


    Leethia had seen ¡°Burst¡±, the magic of momentarily accelerating whole bodies and parts of the body, tossed even great bandits with bounty and ogre, cutting armor even strong muscular bones.


    But even so, it was dealt with by the opponent, and Al was on the defensive side. Leethia clenched her teeth, enduring severe pain, and took a stance again.


    ¡°Gurgh, aaaaaaAAAA¡±


    ¡°Fleck!!!¡±


    The one shouted was Lefty, the scout of the party, who was good at acting alone, at setting and canceling traps, and also interrogating. The only companion in the party who had been always cold. Such a person, screamed like never before.


    When Leethia turned her line of sight to the voice, she saw Fleck¡¯s Great Shield, which should have the skill of ¡¶Iron Wall¡·, was destroyed and one of his eyes was crushed. Leethia realized that she had made a mistake in her priorities. In the first place, she couldn¡¯t imagine where Fleck would be defeated, so she gave priority to her own thoughts.


    Fleck¡¯s opponent was a muscular man that was comparable with an ogre. Seen from the ornaments, he was a Squad Commander class soldier. Leethia knew it, because she was taught by Myard soldiers the characteristics of officers and commanders of the Highserk Empire.


    There, cold sweat flew on Leethia¡¯s spine. Al was dealing with a soldier without a title. More than 200 enemies were still scattered in the forest.


    Far from breaking through, there was no future with just one squad. Leethia, who was conscious of the death of her companion, had a pale face. She noticed that Amy started firing arrows to create a space between Fleck and the enemy Squad Commander. But, at the same time, Leethia also noticed that fireball was approaching Amy from the side.


    ¡°Amy, move awaaaayyy!!¡±


    It was at the speed that could be avoided by Amy, who was nimble. But, Amy must have been distracted by Leethia and Fleck¡¯s injuries. Although a direct hit to the whole body was dodged, Amy¡¯s half body was wrapped in fire, and now she was bouncing here and there, then rolling on the ground of the forest.


    This was the war ¨D¨D that Leethia and her companions thought, just them, was enough to protect their homeland. Leethia thought the A rank party was precious and special. But the reality was that everyone was dying in a war.


    ¡°Amyyyyyyy!! You damn crazy invader, even though you¡¯re inferior to monsters, Damn it!¡±


    ¡°Even though you¡¯ve killed that many, why did you never think you would die too.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, you, shut up!!¡±


    Leethia saw Al, who was supposed to be calm, roar. The soldier, who seemed to be afraid to speak, deliberately provoked Al and made him angry. The two-handed sword and the halberd cross, then the halberd that win the pushing battle, stuck to Al¡¯s shoulder, and as it was, he was being pushed to the big tree.


    ¡°Ugrh, Aaaarrgghhhh!!¡±


    Pierced on his left shoulder, Al continued to resist, spitting out meaningless words.


    Sobbing at the scene, Leethia¡¯s vision was distorted by tears. Her companions who had been surrounded her until just a few minutes ago were dying.


    ¡°You¡¯re not used to killing humans huh¡­ Really, I envy you.¡±


    The man pulled out a longsword from his waist. Leethia was convinced that he would decapitate Al.


    ¡°No, no, no, no, nooOOOO!!!¡±


    LEETHIA¡¯s desperate attack Illustration


    Forgetting the pain in her broken arm, Leethia cut the wind with her sword. If it was delayed even for a moment, Al¡¯s neck would fly, and if it went off even slightly, the blades of wind would penetrate Al. The blow of Leethia, who concentrated to the limit, opened her potential, and the wind ran through the forest.

 CH 10

    Walm was struggling with the adventurer who suddenly accelerated his movement and attack, but when his friends were injured one after another, the movement of the man in front of him clearly slowed down, and finally, the decisive end should be reached soon. Walm¡¯s halberd pierced the shoulder of an adventurer called Al, as it was, Walm pushed him to a large tree.


    ¡°You¡¯re not used to killing humans huh¡­ Really, I envy you.¡±


    ¡°Aaaaaahhh, aaaAAAHHH!!!¡±


    Perhaps he was a person with good companionship. As a human, he was admirable. That was why Walm felt sympathetic to him. He wasn¡¯t suitable for the battlefield. He tried to pull out the halberd, but his cries weren¡¯t helpful at all.


    After a short break, Walm pulled out the longsword and tried to cut his neck with a single horizontal slash.


    If he died, the rest would be easy.


    There, Walm¡¯s skin exposed from the armor caught the wind. It wasn¡¯t a natural wind. The intuition that helped him survive on the battlefield until now conveyed an unprecedented sense of crisis. A storm broke out next to Walm who had barely jumped away. Its power and density were incomparable to those of a wind blade made with Mana. Walm turned over, but a sharp pain ran in his right arm. Small scratches could be seen on the armor, numerous scratches were carved on the exposed fingers and joints, and blood spilled.


    ¡°What is this magic!?¡±


    Is this some kind of trump card? Damn it!


    While cursing in his heart, Walm then searched for a magic user, and there was a girl who was about to be killed by Walm. Her frightened face he saw not long ago, wasn¡¯t there as if it was a lie, and she was glaring at Walm with a sharp eye.


    ¡°Was it you?¡±


    Walm was trying to close the gap, but the next shot came without a break.


    ¡°Don¡¯t F*ck with me¡±


    Walm jumped behind the trees. The trees involved in the attack were cut. The soldiers involved in the attack, their blood scattered in the forest. It was really an attack with tremendous power. Perhaps the rapid-shoot was effective, not only Walm but also the wind randomly overran the forest.


    ¡°It¡¯s a ranged attack. Scatteeer!! Don¡¯t group up!!¡±


    At the direction of Squad Commander Duwei, the soldiers evacuated to a place where they could hide. Walm was no exception. By the time the wind stopped, adventurers and a few soldiers had begun to flee. The adventurer that Walm stuck on the big tree had also disappeared.


    Walm picked up a blood-soaked halberd and realized that he failed to kill him from the amount of bleeding.


    ¡°With that great attack, even so in succession, they didn¡¯t get killed?¡±


    Willart said so while wiping the soil and branches on his body.


    ¡°No doubt. More than that, it was just a little more, I almost got him.¡±


    The Squad Commander, who carried a war hammer on his shoulder, looked ashamed.


    ¡°Squad Commander, what about the chase?¡±


    Jose, who accompanied Noor and Barito, also appeared through the gaps in the trees.


    ¡°Of course, No need. The main force of the defeated soldiers has been destroyed. The rest is only the residue of the adventurers and the Myard soldiers who are not commanded. The rest is the work of other squads. We don¡¯t have to be so hardworking.¡±


    ¡°Roger. Then, I¡¯m gonna gather the injured enemies and survivors. Oi, you guys, you didn¡¯t help in the battle, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°T-that¡¯s not true!¡±


    Barito screamed in protest, but was poked by Jose and closed his mouth. Noor was smarter because she didn¡¯t make unnecessary resistance.


    Walm looked out over the forest while wearing a tourniquet himself. The rest would be the work of other corps. If those adventurers were lucky, they might be able to escape. Walm opened and gripped his fingers to check his numb arm. The sword the enemy used was sharp, and each blow was heavy.


    The salvation was that the adventurers weren¡¯t used to killing people, nor seeing their friends killed either. If the adventurers were accustomed to human death, it might have been Walm who was exposing the skeleton by this time. The words of the female adventurer who escaped, repeatedly crossed Walm¡¯s mind.


    ¡°I don¡¯t kill others because I like it.¡±


    Without telling anyone, Walm muttered so. It might sound funny. It might sound ironic. No one would believe such words in a forest filled with corpses. In truth, as long as you fight only the monsters that were the natural enemy of humankind, you wouldn¡¯t have to taste such a human conflict, but for Walm, who had become a soldier of the Highserk Empire, it was unavoidable.


    4 more years huh¡­


    ¨D¨D Walm would be able to choose whether he would want to discharge or not, in four years. Some started their business with the salaries and loot they got in wars, and others returned to their hometowns to buy fields and settle down. Some continued to fight as soldiers, while others become adventurers. Desperate to live in the present, Walm never thought about the future.


    Is it unusual for someone who just killed people, to think about himself?


    ¨D¨D the adventurers who mourned the injuries and deaths of their peers and raised their anger were undoubtedly more human in Walm¡¯s eyes. Walm was aware that the better he was as a soldier, the less human he was.


    By the time he was discharged, he was worried whether he would still be the same Walm as now.


    SIGH!!


    After Walm sighed a little, he wiped the blood from the longsword, and collected the halberd.


    And so, the forest was regaining its tranquility.


    ¡ô


    ¡°Run Leethia. Or do you want to die?¡±


    It was Fleck who carried Al and Amy on his back. He lost his right eyeball and had numerous lacerations all over his body, but he was mildly injured amongst the party. Even with Fleck, who was running around the forest with a large shield, the two adventurers were a great weight. Still, he couldn¡¯t let go. Fleck overcame the hazy field of vision with just his fighting spirit.


    ¡°Everyone, everyone is, Lefty is¡­!!¡±


    ¡°I know!! Lefty is okay. Think of how many times he has been saved from a crisis.¡±


    Fleck knew that even if he didn¡¯t like it, the wrath of the Highserk soldiers might come from behind. The only salvation was that the two soldiers who had deeply injured Fleck and Al weren¡¯t chasing. So, Lefty became a decoy to let the party members and the leftover Myard soldiers escape successfully.


    Lefty, who had a bad mouth and was quick to lose money, was easily mistaken as someone ruthless, but Fleck knew that he was a man that might be saved from a disaster even if he bet his own life.


    ¡°He¡¯s okay¡±


    Fleck kept running, telling himself so. Blood was overflowing from the two people on his back, and their lives were at stake

 CH 11

    11. Chapter 11


    After eliminating the defeated soldiers in the rural areas, Duwei¡¯s squad resumed its march towards Myard¡¯s capital, Aidenberg.


    Along the way, the advance corps had eliminated the enemy¡¯s resistance, as the scorched earth tactics like five years ago hadn¡¯t been carried out, the connection line to the rear was firmly maintained, and it seemed possible to join the main corps earlier than planned.


    Occasionally, a horse carrying a messenger ran beside Walm. Sure, there were also magic tools for communication, but since it was mostly used for excavations of ruins and labyrinths, a nation with limited tools couldn¡¯t spare it for every problem.


    After a short break right next to the river, Walm sat down, loosened his laces, took off his boots, and stretched his feet.


    Before, Walm wore sandals that closely resembled straw sandals for daily farm work, but now he wore half-boots with iron plates.


    At first, when moving on a long walk, because of friction, Walm often got blisters, and sometimes even bleeding, but the skin became thick and hard due to the subsequent wear. In addition to that, he wore a cloth around his leg before he put on his boots, so now Walm¡¯s leg was painless no matter how many kilometers he ran.


    Sure, there were socks. But since, it had a strong fashion aspect, since it was popular among aristocrats and royalty, and so, only high-salaries military personnel and adventurers wore it for practical use.


    Walm washed clothes and the cloth used to wrap the feet while cleaning the body with river water, and the other soldiers joined him, cleaning their equipment.


    After that, When Walm was resting in the shade of the tree, Willart came to him.


    ¡°How rare. What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    In Walm¡¯s memory, even though Willart was always there when the others having a chat, he rarely spoke, and for him to come to another person first would be even rarer. He was also quiet during the march.


    ¡°The other day, you said you were interested in magic. I¡¯ll teach you.¡±


    Walm remembered that when he thanked Willart for his magical fire support, he gave such a reply.


    Walm couldn¡¯t hide his upset because he thought that Willart would never teach him seriously.


    ¡°Ah, Aaahh, I did say that. I¡¯d love to learn from you.¡±


    There was no one who didn¡¯t adore magic. So, Walm was thrilled with the expectation that he might be able to learn one or two.


    ¡°Hold my hand¡±


    ¡°Hm? Hand?¡±


    Walm responded to the unexpected request.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Close your eyes.¡±


    It felt surreal and strange for the two soldiers to face each other and hold hands, but Walm obediently obeyed as he got baited with the word ¡°Magic¡±.


    PHWEEE!!


    ¡°So lovey-dovey¡±


    Jose, who was watching nearby, whistled with a nasty smile, which was probably the purpose of ridiculing Walm.


    ¡°I¡¯m just kidding¡±


    Jose felt uncomfortable as Walm looked at him with a face ready to battle and gave up his shoulders.


    ¡°Concentrate¡±


    Unreasonably, Willart rebuked Walm for his resentment. Walm wanted to complain to Jose, but he wouldn¡¯t want to offend Willart.


    After taking a breather, Walm concentrated his consciousness on the connected hands. Besides human hands, only cold air was transmitted.


    ¡°Cold¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. This is the state where mana is used for magic with attribute.¡±


    As Walm, who had finished his life in a world without magic, he had been longing for magic more than people in this world. Even the inhabitants of this world would be delighted if they had an aptitude for attributed magic.


    ¡°Don¡¯t recognize it. Be conscious of it.¡±


    After a few minutes. Walm could now feel what he had never felt before. The sensation reacted sensitively.


    ¡°I¡¯ll release your hands. Focus on your palms. It can be a river or the sea. Imagine the flow of water.¡±


    What Walm instantly imagined was rain, cold rain that could take away the heat of the body. At the same time, he imaged it moistened the earth, flowed into the river, and reached the sea.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡±


    By the time Walm noticed, in his palm, a little amount of water was there. Perhaps in return for that, his body got slightly tired.


    ¡°This is magic, right!?¡±


    Walm exploded with a feeling of joy and spoke to Willart with a big smile.


    ¡°Tch, not it huh?¡±


    The hairless man distorted his face as if to say it was disappointing.


    ¡°Eeeee!!¡±


    ¡°Although you can use it¡­ your aptitude is barely enough. It can only be used as a substitute for a water bottle that produces water for everyday life.¡±


    Walm tried to protest, saying that it would be great if humans could replace the water bottle, but he stopped.


    Water magic users would have a hard time regardless of how good they were in using it. After all, about 60% of the human body was said to be made of water, depending on age and individual differences.


    As far as Walm knew, there were quite a few water-attribute magic users who couldn¡¯t use big magic in combat. Although they were still given preferential treatment in food distribution, they would be asked to keep producing water. Like humans targeted by succubus and incubus, their mana would be squeezed.


    Willart was one of the leading wizards who could use magic in a fight and also cover even the need for water. That was why even though he was disappointed in Walm, he was somehow happy since his burden would be lightened.


    Walm looked around to see if what he did was exposed to other companions, and he saw, all the members of the squad were watching this ritual.


    Walm was convinced when he saw the grinning Squad Commander.


    Damn, it¡¯s too late ¨D¨D


    ¡°Well, compared to the explosive power of your skills, using your mana for it will be a loss. Still, it¡¯s good enough to make you a great human water dispenser.¡±


    Walm mourned his blunder but returned to Willat, who opened his mouth.


    ¡°I, Did I use mana?¡±


    ¡°Of course, you did. I mean, famous soldiers use mana to activate their skills and strengthen their physical abilities. Didn¡¯t you know?¡±


    Willart frowned as if he was amazed by Walm.


    ¡°I¡¯m just someone from a rural area who happened to be doing military service. I¡¯ve never learned anything about this. Do you think I¡¯ll know that?¡±


    Walm complained, but Willart didn¡¯t care.


    ¡°Next. I can use the attributes of water and fire. Try it.¡±


    ¡°Fire¡± was something that Walm was familiar with in his previous life and was an indispensable part of this world.


    There was a time when Walm¡¯s hair was burned by the enemy¡¯s fireball, and it became fluffy. So, it was easy for Walm to imagine.


    Walm closed his eyes and concentrated. He felt that Willart who was in front of him would jump away. No, he knew it.


    When he opened his eyes, a fire extended from his right hand to the height of the trees, and the surroundings were ignited.


    ¡°Willart!! W-what should I do!?¡±


    Dismayed Walm shouted Willat¡¯s name for salvation, but the fire was scattered around.


    ¡°What is it? Enemy¡¯s attack!?¡±


    ¡°No. Walm is burning the surroundings with fire magic.¡±


    ¡°Damn idiot, stop it quickly!!¡±


    Walm was made fun of by the three idiots.


    ¡°My hair, Aaaaah¡±


    Barito¡¯s hair was on fire and was about to become a roasted chicken skewer.


    ¡°Please forgive his cockscomb! Walm-senpai!!¡±


    A fellow rookie, Noor, called on Walm while extinguishing Barito¡¯s burning comb.


    The surrounding area had become an unseen catastrophe.


    ¡°It¡¯s not intentional. W-what should I do!?¡±


    Walm begged for salvation once again, but Willart¡¯s actions were simple:


    ¡ºHit a monster with a monster, and so hit the fire with water!¡»


    ¡°Wait, Wai ¨D¨D¡±


    A water ball was already on Walm¡¯s sight, giving him no time to beg for mercy, it smashed his whole body, and extinguished the surrounding fire.


    Unable to kill the momentum, Walm rolled on the ground and finally stopped at the sixth turn.


    ¡°Don¡¯t joke with me. Willart!!¡±


    The turmoil subsided and Walm screamed.


    Willart reached out to such Walm.


    Walm grabbed his hand and stood up, but then, he heard Willart mutter,


    ¡°Next. Imagine another one, fast.¡±


    ¡°Hiii¡­¡±


    Walm was frightened by the words.


    Walm had forgotten that the man in front of him who had a hobby of removing all of his body hair was a weirdo who didn¡¯t know how to compromise when it came to magic.


    After that, it was confirmed that Walm had zero aptitudes for earth-attribute magic, as for the wind-attribute magic, his aptitude for it was as high as the fire-attribute magic.


    The problem was that the uncontrollable winds created by Walm struck the resting members and continued to run wild, until he was shut down by the Squad Commander¡¯s deadly choke sleeper.


    The price for that was high. Walm was ordered to have a three-day sentry in addition to a full-body bruise, and also to be a human water dispenser.

 CH 12

    Winston Ferrius overlooked the Highserk army from the hill.


    Far from the Ferrius army, The Highserk army was heading into the shadow of the hill where the Grand Duke Youth Myard was.


    ¡°Roughly, it¡¯s as expected¡±


    According to the tendency of the Highserk Empire army so far, that had overturned its inferiority by taking advantage of its mobility, and also the difference in the number of experienced soldiers.


    ¡°Yes, it seems that the Highserk Empire intends to face a decisive battle with us after clearing up the weak Myard soldiers.¡±


    Around Winston, a group of strategists from their home country lined up pieces on the map.


    ¡°They¡¯re vigilant with the area around the hill, roughly, this is the lineup, but for sure they¡¯ll attack those Myard. They have three 2000-person infantry units on the sides, perhaps to stall us.¡±


    Winston nodded satisfactorily after receiving a report from the strategist.


    ¡°Although they¡¯re strong, for that Berger to use 6000 people to stall our Ferrius soldiers, what a joke. I¡¯ll end your history.¡±


    Winston looked at the map again and imagined the development of the battle that was about to happen.


    Myard lost a lot of its power, they would then depend on the Ferrius army, and the troops of the Highserk Empire would die after that.


    It was an ideal development for Winston.


    ¡°There is no slip in their base.¡±


    ¡°Myard base has a horse fence, a shield, and even a simple empty moat with earth magic. Although it is mixed with militias, it will take time to capture the hill protected by more than 10,000 soldiers.¡±


    ¡°Is the remaining concern, that Jaff Cavalry Battalion?¡±


    Jaff Cavalry Battalion was one of the strongest cavalry groups in the nations around the north. It was a common recognition of Winston and other generals that it was a unit that supported the rapid advance of the Highserk Empire.


    ¡°When we are offensive, defense by that cavalry is foreseen. Thousands of casualties will definitely come out.¡±


    ¡°Victory comes with a sacrifice. Cavalry battalions are not invincible. If the majority of infantry are lost, they will rot fast. Without infantry, victory can¡¯t be achieved.¡±


    Winston cut his words and tapped the desk.


    ¡°Bring back the victory to King Balliston. To our homeland. Listen to me, Don¡¯t relax your guards. When both Highserk and Myard are exhausted, we will be the ones to decide the victory. ¡°


    ¡ô


    For the decisive battle, the two troops gathered in the plain near the capital Aidenberg. When the Duwei¡¯s squad also joined the Liguria battalion, they were waiting for a sortie order at the base they had built.


    ¡°According to the information of the advance corps, it seems that the army from the Ferrius Kingdom has joined. Their number is about 14000. In addition, Myrad army, which is 7000 of militia and 4000 regulars, in total, it¡¯s more than 20000.¡±


    It seemed that the general-class military congress had already been completed, non-commissioned officers including Squad Commander Duwei had been gathered, and information had been shared in a top-down manner.


    The number of Highserk Imperial soldiers was less than 18,000, due to the loss along the way, compared to 25,000 enemy soldiers, it seemed that the resistance of the border by Myard soldiers wasn¡¯t in vain.


    ¡°Just when I thought how rare it was for the enemy to come out, that¡¯s why huh.¡±


    Jose was nodding as if he was convinced. Since they attacked the Principality of Myard, there had been few decent field battles. It took a lot of time and effort to finish it all. Siege battles, pursuit battles, and mopping battles, all of them caused great damage.


    ¡°Did they call their important master while exhausting us?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve been fighting for 5 years with them, we can¡¯t let our guard down against such enemies¡­¡±


    Jose poked the roaring Noor¡¯s helmet, and a light sound reached Walm¡¯s ears.


    ¡°The Heghserk Empire has been in the war for five years and can put in this number of troops. Domestically¡­ well, with some exceptions, we slowly develop our army, now the ones here are all experienced regulars. Even if there is a difference of 6 no, 7,000, it is not a difference that can overturn us.¡±


    ¡°It makes you itch to beat them, right?¡±


    ¡°Though you say so, why it¡¯s shrinking again, huh?¡±


    When Jose was trying to grab something, Barito¡¯s comb moved from side to side. Barito still hadn¡¯t forgotten that he was grabbed there by him before.


    ¡°Please forgive me¡±


    Jose made a fool of Barito, but Walm disagreed. It was no exaggeration to say that the two who had experienced several battles had left the rookie position. The overall power of Duwei¡¯s Squad could be said as too high.


    But, telling that to them might result in both of them letting their guard down and getting killed in action, and would cause Walm trouble, so he didn¡¯t tell them.


    ¡°Stop it there for now. I¡¯ll get into the main subject. The Liguria battalion will be waiting behind, with that Jaff cavalry battalion.¡±


    Squad Commander Duwei made a bomb-like statement. The Highserk Empire, especially Gerard Berger, was said to be good at hammering and anvil tactics, as what Walm knew, he had buried superior troops with pinching and semi-siege from one-wing breakthroughs.


    The driving force behind this was Jaff Cavalry Battalion, which was renowned as the strongest in neighboring countries. They were renowned for being the tip of the empire and also as Gerard Berger¡¯s right arm. They loved to defeat enemy cavalry battalions and break open the infantry¡¯s embankment.


    Behind it was often a combination of light infantry battalions that provide both assistance and support.


    ¡°¡­ Why the Liguria battalion. I mean, we¡¯ve never really worked with any cavalry unit in the battle with Liberitoa.¡±


    Jose asked seriously at no time. Even Walm who was suddenly told to cooperate with the cavalry, got very confused.


    There was a small number of cavalry units that joined on the front against Liberitoa, but no battalion-sized cavalry was deployed. The infantry had always been the main force in combat. Up until now, Walm had only spoken several times with cavalry for the purpose of messengers and asking help to disturb enemies.


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame, but the light infantry battalion of the advance corps has been exhausted too much. However, you can¡¯t pull out the main force that will confront Myard. And so, the light infantry battalion with experience in the Liguria battalion was selected. This, will be a pain in the ass.¡±


    Squad Commander Duwei, who laughed at everything, had a bitter face. Walm learned that this face might be a bad omen.


    ¡°I-is it that dangerous?¡±


    Barito asked, who somehow had his cockscomb lost its energy.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯ll be dangerous. You have to keep up with the speed of the cavalry. Your heart will about to burst, and your lungs and legs will tremble to the limit, but if you stop, you¡¯ll be swallowed by the following soldiers and your corps will be messed up, and if you fall, you¡¯ll be crushed. The enemy in front of us must be killed while running.¡±


    Squad Commander Duwei¡¯s words were heavy and realistic. The scene could be easily imagined.


    ¡°And my squad, will be at the forefront, you know? It happens because Walm always rampaging with ¡¶Strike¡·, it¡¯s all his fault!!¡±


    Squad Commander who had been rampaging the most, blamed Walm.


    ¡°No, no, it¡¯s Squad Commander Duwei who was rampaging!!¡±


    Walm immediately protested, but it wasn¡¯t heard.


    ¡°If I¡¯m the only one it¡¯s still okay, but there are two people with ¡¶Strike¡·, and there¡¯s Willart¡¯s magic, too. It would have been impossible for Platoon Commander Kozuru to hide it anymore.¡±


    According to Walm, the fat platoon leader loved everything moderately. He hated being overly successful and being placed on the dangerous front line. Perhaps he was wetting himself by now.


    ¡°I was hit on the shoulder by Battalion Commander Liguria saying ¡°I¡¯m expecting a lot from your squad¡±. I thought it was strange. When it was supposed to be a meeting with only Squad Commanders and Platoon Commanders. Suddenly the Company Commanders were there. What was that ¡°The most elite squad that my company is proud of¡±. It was the first time I¡¯ve spoken to Company Commander, you know.¡±


    The trouble was piling up, and the Squad Commander was going wild. By no means, it might be not just another person¡¯s problem, but all Walm could do was to earnestly rest his body until the battle began.

 CH 13.1

    13-1. Chapter 13 (Part 1)


    In the plains outside Aidenberg, the capital of the Principality of Myard, the battle for the survival of the nation was about to begin.


    Ferrius and Myard were roughly divided into two camps to form a position, overturning the predictions of their strategists. One was the Ferrius home army 14,000 dispatched from the Ferrius Kingdom, and the other was 4000 regular soldiers and 7000 militias of the Principality of Myard.


    Although there were two camps, they were in a position where they could support each other. Also, they were on two small hills that could be said as advantageous in the plains.


    In addition, the area around the base was protected by a horse fence, it would be difficult to defeat the general with a single blow and cause confusion in the chain of command.


    In addition to the fear of being pinched from the valley of the hill, two battalion-sized units strengthened the defense at the bottom, and so a strong connection line was built.


    On the other hand, the Highserk Empire army was hiding on the side of the hill where Myard soldiers were.


    Of the nine battalions, four battalions spread in a line, behind them three battalions, and behind them were Jaff cavalry battalion and Liguria battalion.


    According to the prior information that Walm was told, it seemed that the first four battalions would attack the hill, the three battalions ahead of him would catch the attack of Ferrius army. Myard should be annihilated first.


    The Liguria light infantry battalion and Jaff cavalry battalion must crush Myard with a single blow after the vanguard had defeated obstacles such as horse fences. Walm felt depressed when he imagined the hardship of the battalion¡¯s role.


    A full-scale battle began without warning. Riding on the wind, explosion sounds and screams of humans and horses reached the position where Walm was. Even in the Highserk Empire, which was famous for its strong soldiers, it was very difficult to attack the hills with a small army force.


    Walm kept waiting, while his allies were fighting for death on the front line. The frustration of not being involved in the battle, the relief of not being put into the dead zone, and also the nervousness for the battle he would join soon, all of such emotions were mixed.


    Squad Commander Duwei opened his mouth as everyone was nervous.


    ¡°¡­ No matter what it is, It¡¯s too slow.¡±


    ¡°Maybe the line of defense is stronger than expected.¡±


    For Highserk Empire which only had a small army force, speed would be important. It was supposed to be a lineup to focus on maneuver warfare and aim to defeat a small number of people.


    The sound of the battlefield Walm heard, made it hard to believe that four battalions were attacking. The momentum was tremendous, but the line of defense didn¡¯t collapse at all. Certainly, Walm also felt uncomfortable.


    ¡°Too many on the side.¡±


    Walm let out his thoughts when he saw the arrangement. If you took too much time to defeat the Myard army, you would have to stall Ferrius army that was attacking from the side or behind, longer. Now the side defense was undertaken by three battalions. Now that Ferrius was stuck, the three battalions were completely transformed into one unit.


    ¡°It¡¯s true that even two battalions may be enough to earn time.¡±


    Jose agreed with Walm¡¯s opinion.


    ¡°Yeah, but, even if that¡¯s the case, I don¡¯t understand why neither cavalry nor light infantry isn¡¯t deployed.¡±


    Light infantries were often treated as handymen. If it became difficult to break through, they would be thrown in to make a way for the cavalry.


    Space and distance were important factors in the war, and Walm understood that if you put emphasis on deep battle, light infantry could be used to follow later on, but it was meaningless unless the fundamental purpose could be achieved.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Commander Berger would misread it ¡­¡±


    The speech in Sarria City came out from Walm¡¯s memory. He was the commander who inspired such soldiers and ended the battle on the border in a short period of time. he didn¡¯t think it was just a fluke.


    At that time, a new voice of a sword echoed from the left side of the hill to Walm¡¯s ears.


    ¡°Urgh, it¡¯s the main force of Ferrius army.¡±


    There were four battalions just visible to Walm. Two battalions in the middle row on the left side responded. Still, it was almost double the number. They would have a hard time stalling.


    ¡°There isn¡¯t an order yet?¡±


    Barito said in dismay.


    ¡°It¡¯s not good as it is¡­¡±


    Inexperienced Noor in the squad complained of anxiety.


    ¡°A reserve unit of Myard comes out from the right side of the hill. Damn it, it¡¯s a battalion-size.¡±


    The unpleasant prediction of Myard¡¯s only reserve unit would be deployed from the right side of the hill, was correct.


    ¡°I can see the new Ferius battalion from the outside on the left. They¡¯re going to circle us.¡±


    Now a siege that was forming, Walm felt the need to rebuild the formation.


    As the soldiers opened their mouths, only the Squad Commander had fallen into the sea of ??thought.


    ¡°Squad Commander Duwei?¡±


    Jose, who noticed it, called the name of the Squad Commander.


    ¡°It¡¯s a crisis situation¡­ But, the frontline units haven¡¯t been exhausted significantly. The units that went to suppress Ferrius¡¯ main force will also devote themselves to earning time. But, there is something behind this, I¡¯m sure of it.¡±


    It was around the time when a battalion-sized enemy on the right of Myard began to descend the hill. A messenger ran around the position where the Liguria battalion was. Walm was ready thinking that the time had finally come.


    Walm then covered his face with his hands and exhaled. He perceived the warm air being pushed back into the palm of his hand and flowing through the gap. It was a habit that Walm did before the battle.


    Perhaps he received Commander Berger¡¯s orders from the messenger, immediately the voice of Battalion Commander Liguria echoed.


    ¡°It¡¯s a sortie!! The goal is Ferrius camp. We¡¯ll go from the right-wing, pass the hill at full speed, and force Ferrius to surrender. The cavalry will start running. Brace yourself.¡±


    ¡± ¡° ¡± Huh? ¡± ¡± ¡°


    Most of the ordered soldiers were stunned because the situation couldn¡¯t be swallowed. Walm also spun the gear on his head.


    Of the only nine battalions at the time of this inferiority, two were trying to rush into the enemy¡¯s main camp.


    Although it was an adjacent hill, it was still 4 to 5 km long. A trained soldier without equipment might be able to do it without a problem. But the situation now, they were all wearing the equipment, and they needed to slash the enemy along the way and at the destination too.


    In the foreground, there was a hill where Myard was located, and on the right, a battalion of Myard was starting to descend from the hill.


    Walm didn¡¯t think that would be a sane thing to do, but he remembered his friendly army who couldn¡¯t attack.


    ¡°No way¡­ a deception¡­?¡±


    Squad Commander nodded to Walm¡¯s mutter.


    ¡°Pretend that the attack is stagnant and drag out the enemy. Moreover, the soldiers on the front line of Myard are leaning forward and detained there. From the hill, the last reserve unit is going down to go to our camp as well. A quick change in order will be difficult to reach all of them.¡±


    ¡°Still, there is one battalion left on the Ferrius side, and a part of the six battalions aiming for a siege from the left wing may return to the main camp.¡±


    In response to Jose¡¯s negative opinion, Walm uttered information obtained from the battlefield that he was looking on.


    ¡°No, enemy troops that are easy to return to rescue have already joined the battlefield.¡±


    Six battalions of Ferrius army were covering the left wing of the Highserk main corps to complete the siege. Its outer edge was the furthest from the hills of Ferrius camp because it was intended to be a siege. Immediate communication to those units would be difficult and took time to turn back. As far as Walm saw, friendly troops with the main purpose of restraining them were preferentially assigned to the enemy battalion at the inner edge, which would have been the fastest to return to the enemy¡¯s main camps.


    ¡°Whichever the main camp that gets crushed sooner, will determine whether to win big or lose big.¡±


    Given the path ahead, Walm wanted that prediction to be wrong.


    ¡°Eeh, such a gambling-like strategy¨D¨D ¡°


    Noor became speechless.


    But before Walm could think more,


    ¡°I think Commander Berger has his own way. More than that, be ready. If you let your guard down, you¡¯ll die.¡±


    Everyone closed their mouth. Walm waited for that time.


    There were no drums or trumpets to announce the sortie. The units were densely packed, and the intervals were initially tight for each platoon or company, but as they started running, gaps gradually opened.


    The two battalions just started running quietly, yet at full power. Walm desperately kicked up the ground and ran.


    The preceding cavalry ran like an arrow, literally smashing the head of the enemy troops down the hill.


    When Walm arrived a few minutes late, the enemy was still in turmoil. It was a great opportunity to form a platoon and overrun the enemy, but passing through was prioritized.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stop!! Run!! Run!!¡±


    The desperate Platoon Commander Kozuru shouted with a violent breathing sound. Walm was wondering from where the fat Platoon Commander had such extra power, but now he concentrated on the enemy in front of him.


    While running, he swung his halberd down at an enemy soldier who obstructed the course. It went to his shoulder, and cut his collarbone. For the next soldier, he swung at his upper body together with his armor.


    In both cases, it was possible for them to return to the battlefield if the bleeding was suppressed, Walm wanted to give a final blow, but then decided that it wasn¡¯t the time for that.


    Also, it was easy for Walm to imagine that they would be completely killed by subsequent troops. The enemy troops that the cavalry rushed into were horribly fragile and confused.


    Some of such groups were trying to recover early.


    Walm clicked his tongue thinking that the non-commissioned officers and soldiers must be excellent.


    A large number of enemies were waiting in front of Walm. Perhaps, it was about a hundred people.


    ¡°Willart!! Walm!!¡±


    Squad Commander Duwei called Willart, and then Walm. The distance to the enemy was about to be less than 50m. The group formed a spearhead, and if Highserk soldiers hit them in a straightforward manner, damages would be unavoidable.


    Walm sensed the intention of Squad Commander Duwei and concentrate his mana while running.


    Willart struck magic a little earlier. Five or six soldiers in the front row were seriously injured, and a hole was opened in a part of the front.


    Walm made the same fireball as Willart. It was an enemy unit that had been holding up even after receiving damage, but a fireball shot at the fragile location left a large hole in the center of the enemy.


    ¡°Chargeeee!!!¡±


    Squad Commander Duwei and the veteran Highserk soldiers couldn¡¯t overlook the weak points, and made a rush in the form of a naturally constructed wedge.


    Following Squad Commander Duwei who literally stripped blood and iron, Walm swung his halberd down.


    The cutting edge that entered from the right-back of the head in the manner of a helmet split broke through the skull and knocked down the enemy with a single blow.


    Another enemy who tried to stop Walm, was pierced on his shoulders and thighs with a short spear of Barito and Noor, who had been standing aside immediately, and sank to the ground.


    Waiting for the soldiers who wanted to stand up was the legs of countless Highserk soldiers. And so, the death agony was immediately cut off.

 CH 13.2

    13-2. Chapter 13 (Part 2)


    Highserk soldiers rushed to the completely destroyed enemy. There was a rare unit that recovered early from the assault from the cavalry, but it was noticed and was overrun in a blink of an eye.


    The effect spread to the scattered surrounding troops. It was now well known, including Walm, that Myard, which lost a lot of its regular troops at the border, was mobilizing a large number of militias.


    Seeing the unit with a high proportion of regular troops was destroyed and overrun by Walm and the others, the militias rushed to the hills where more advantageous positions to defend.


    ¡°Don¡¯t run away. Save time, if we can stop them here, we¡¯ll win¨D¨DGuaaagghh!!¡±


    The soldiers who tried to rebuild the formation were standing out too much. But Walm knew that the Highserk soldiers weren¡¯t as friendly as others might think, they would never run through leaving the possibility of being attacked from behind.


    The militias, who saw veteran and nimble soldiers literally skewered, collapsed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at the small fish. Run to the hills!!¡±


    Squad Commander shouted, firing up the others, and the surrounding squads followed him.


    Perhaps running and fighting drained the energy, Platoon Commander could only respond with a thin voice. Still, seeing him slashing two Myard soldiers at the throat with a sharp sword technique that could not be imagined coming from that lump of fat, Walm was surprised and changed his opinion about him.


    The sound of rubbing armor that raised dirt smoke, swaying up-down-left-right, echoed around. Some soldiers dropped out due to injury or limited physical strength, but the majority continued to run.


    The hill was approaching Walm¡¯s sight. The cavalry made an assault, and enemy soldiers were expelled from around the hill. All that remains was a battalion-size unit on the hill and an elite under the enemy¡¯s main force who were defending the camp.


    Walm¡¯s eyes saw that the height difference of the wide hills and his positions should be 20 to 30 meters. He started to feel the mountain climbing on his exhausted legs.


    With bows and arrows, stones, magic, and everything else, they were trying to stop the Highserk soldiers from trying to make a rush.


    Walm¡¯s legs were getting heavier like stones, but the fighting spirit that reached the madness level, had spread throughout the unit.


    There were no shields such as standing shields that could prevent attacks from medium and long distances and give them the chance to prioritize their movement speed. After receiving a fireball from the, a soldier who became a mass of flames screamed enemy and rolled down from the hill.


    The soldier who received the arrow on his knee was crying while crawling on the ground. Normally, the morale of the unit must have been greatly reduced.


    ¡°Advanceeeee!!¡±


    However, fatigue and pain undermined the unit¡¯s reason, and it shifted their mind to function as a killing machine whose sole purpose was to overrun the enemy¡¯s headquarters.


    Seeing Ferrius main camp, which had a horse fence in addition to the high places, Walm felt frightened.


    ¡°Crush them, make a path for cavalry!! Or It¡¯ll be ¡°our end¡±!!!¡±


    There was one truth in the words of Squad Commander Duwei, who inspired the unit and intimidated the enemy. If they couldn¡¯t crush them here, the main battalion would be fatally hit, and all the Liguria battalions left behind by the enemy would be destroyed.


    The only way to survive was for them to steal the hills and defeat the enemy commander.


    ¡°Pulll!!¡±


    ¡± ¡°Ahhhhh, Aaaaaahhhh!!¡± ¡°


    When Jose jumped on the horse fence and screams, the voices of Barito and Noor continued. The fence buried in the ground continued to resist hard, but one by one, joined in.


    Of course, the Ferrius soldiers weren¡¯t silent either. They thrust spears into the Highserk soldiers and shot them with arrows to prevent them from eliminating obstacles that protect their base.


    Walm pulled the grid-shaped horse fence with all his strength and weight to bring it down to the ground.


    Meanwhile, an arrow was approaching Walm¡¯s face. When he bowed his head down, together with a high-pitched sound, a dull pain passed through the cervelliere.


    ¡°It¡¯s you huh, wait there. I¡¯ll go right away!!¡±


    Feeling the pain, Walm was angered, and perhaps the archer was upset, he shot the second shot, but it passed over Walm¡¯s head.


    ¡°It¡¯s down. Open the way!¡±


    The limit was soon reached. When one place came off, the nearby horse fences were pulled out one after another.


    It was the Platoon Commander who gave the order. The whole body was smeared with blood and sweat, and he was breathing hard.


    The soldiers, who were about to rush, understood what was coming with the rumbling and screaming voices approaching from behind.


    ¡°Jaff Cavalry is here. Except for those who want to be trampled, Moveee!¡±


    In Jose¡¯s words, the soldiers divided into left and right like the road that Moses made in the sea.


    In the place where blood and corpses, screams and angry roars, were everywhere., The cavalry battalion called as a battle maniac rushed to breakthrough in a straight line.


    The Ferrius soldiers who formed a spearhead to stop them were destroyed by the magic of the magic user riding the horse and crushed in the assault.


    A soldier who shot an arrow at Walm was pierced by a lance charge, a large hole was made in his armor and abdomen, and became one of the scattered corpses.


    The final assault by the cavalry dragged the enemy into a chaotic crucible.


    Then, the other soldiers overthrew the remaining horse fences and breakthrough one after another.


    ¡°Don¡¯t miss the enemy commander, kill him here!!¡±


    In the war of this world where the operation of the organization wasn¡¯t that developed, once the chain of command went lost, it wouldn¡¯t be easily restored. If you defeated the commander who was the head of the enemy, the whole army would be dysfunctional.


    On the contrary, if you miss the commander here, the army would have the power to recover.


    A new target appeared in front of Walm who entered the enemy¡¯s camp while kept swinging his halberd.


    It was a group with equipment that was clearly different from the small fry soldiers. Probably the guards of the camp.


    ¡°Move, or want me to dig your grave here, hah?!!¡±


    The guards shouted back as Walm gave a word of provocation.


    ¡°Shut up!!!¡±


    An enemy soldier holding a longsword with both hands slashed at Walm. Contrary to the tone, the footsteps were fast and the cutting was sharp. Walm pulled out the halberd from the bottom to the top.


    The blades intersected, and the high-pitched sound of the crossing iron echoed. Walm¡¯s cutting edge, which he pushed through while activating ¡¶Strike¡·, cut off one of the soldier¡¯s wrists.


    ¡°Uuuurrghhhh¡±


    Surprisingly, without bleeding and showing much pain, he held the longsword with his remaining hand and jumped at Walm.


    Walm took a step back and thrust his halberd several times. The soldier held it until the second thrust, but when the third thrust slipped into the soldier¡¯s throat, it cut off the majority of his neck.


    Even so, he was a soldier who didn¡¯t fall down instantly, but after he shed bubbling blood from his mouth, he collapsed from his head.


    Obviously, his skill wasn¡¯t comparable with a general soldier, but he was a well-trained soldier for sure.


    There were more bodies of Highserk soldiers in the surrounding area than ever before. Walm went to look around when he felt the target was definitely close.


    ¡°There is a strange group in the back on the left!!¡±


    It was Jose who noticed. Surrounding enemy soldiers were trying hard to push back or keep the spot, but only the group was trying to escape from the other side of the hill to the plains.


    ¡°Duwei Squad, stop them!!¡±


    The breathless Platoon Commander Kozuru shouted the name of the squad to which Walm belonged.


    ¡°Hah, don¡¯t be crazy!!¡±


    Several groups were trying to descend the hill. Most of them would be decoys trying to escape the commander, but that one group¡¯s desperation was different than others.


    ¡°Reinus, Tibird, Danfan!!¡±


    The name of the three idiots was mentioned by the Squad Commander Duwei, but Tibird, the leader of the three idiots, responded seriously at no time.


    ¡°It¡¯s impossible, we¡¯re just three people, it¡¯s almost twice in number!¡±


    Squad slashing with no spare power, but the distance between the enemy group and the Walm was only increasing.


    ¡°So persistent¡±


    Squad Commander Duwei slashed the two at once with his battle-ax, but that wasn¡¯t enough.


    Walm concentrated his mana on his hands targeting the small group blocking his way. He thought that he couldn¡¯t just use a fireball. A group of soldiers with armor covering the whole body tried to interfere.


    It was necessary for Walm to spread the fire over a wide area without losing its power.


    Walm imagined a fire whirl that burned the capital of his homeland in the previous world.


    He strongly imagined what he saw on books, the Internet, and TV. Gently bit his teeth and materialized fire-attribute magic and wind-attribute magic in each of his hands.


    Until now, only one type of attribute magic had been used at a time. Curiously, Walm foresaw that using it together would be the best solution here.


    The heat that burned the skin wrapped the whole body. Countless winds swirling around Walm¡¯s body.


    Not enough. Still not enough.


    Saliva was about to drip from the half-open mouth. In a natural way, Walm was demonstrating unprecedented concentration.


    It was objectively found that he was defenseless.


    ¡°K-kill him!!!¡±


    The enemy commander, who noticed the situation, pointed to Walm and shouted.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you!!¡±


    A few soldiers rushed into Walm as a suicide squad, but Jose, Noor, and Barito stood in the way.


    ¡°Walm, Do it!!¡±


    What screamed emotionally was Willart, who never showed any emotions when he killed a person.


    When the blue flames rolled up from Walm, it scattered around by the wind.


    ¡°He can¡¯t control it? No, but, this is ¡­¡±


    Willart, who was watching over, was confused.


    ¡°Wow, what is that!?¡±


    ¡°My hair, it¡¯s burning, Walm-san, I¡¯m on your side.¡±


    ¡°Get away! Or you¡¯ll get involved!¡±


    The criticisms rising from the soldiers around him to Walm soon turned into cheers. Drunk by the flames and wind, five soldiers got burned at once. Fire and wind were some of the things that had been feared by living things since old times.


    The flames that burned the skin, the heat that made you want to close your eyes, and the wind shook the vegetation and hair violently.


    For the first time, the Ferrius soldiers, who were brave even when attacked by the cavalry and the Squad Commander Duwei¡¯s ¡¶Strike¡·, were frightened. The flames burned the ground and raised dust as if it were eroding the ground on which Walm walked.


    It was as powerful as constantly sprinkling fireballs around. Speaking of problems, terrible fatigue struck Walm. After all, in addition to the magic that he didn¡¯t know what it might be, he had been piling up fatigues since the start of the battle.


    Walm¡¯s mana was about to hit the bottom.


    ¡°Not yet¡­¡±


    It was an enemy who escaped from the flames and wind, but had not yet collapsed. In a hazy view, Walm looked at the enemy and swung his halberd with his quivering arm. The blow, which was released with his whole strength, burned through in the form of cutting off the enemy¡¯s troops while scattering the flame.


    ¡°Uh, ah, the fire is spreading¡­¡±


    ¡°Gyaaaa, gaaahhhh¡±


    ¡°Please put it out, put out the fireeee!!¡±


    Dozens of humans were caught in flames and died. It was like a hell. A burning odor remained in Walm¡¯s nasal passages, and screams echoed in his ears.


    The enemy¡¯s fighting spirit was finally cut off at the sight as if the gate of hell had been opened.


    The fire was spreading even to the group trying to escape. Among the last standing enemy soldiers who continued to extinguish the fire, there was a person who looked particularly prominent.


    Clothes with gold embroidery and flashy armor that might only be seen at the ceremony. The sword in his hand had a different luster than iron and silver, and Walm could tell at a glance that it was a sword made of magical silver, ¡°Mithril¡±.


    ¡°The rest is, only you?¡±


    The vigor of the flames and wind that formed hell was about to shrink rapidly.

 CH 14

    It was Winston Ferrius, a royal family, who was in charge of commanding the army from the Ferrius Kingdom, in supporting Myard.


    Winston graduated from military school at the top amongst his peers, was a good person to be appointed as the commander in the war, even if viewed without considering the fact that he was second in succession to the throne.


    He was good at group operations, and his personal skills were as good as knights due to his childhood education. He had experienced everything from skirmishes to full-scale field battles, and was confident in his dispatch as the commander.


    The military counselors and generals who assisted him were all well-known and elite with daily training and experiences. Winston was struck by a strong sense of impatience for the first time in his life.


    ¡°The momentum of enemy soldiers does not stop!!¡±


    ¡°The horse fence is pulled out. The enemy is approaching here.¡±


    Winston clenched his back teeth as the bad news jumped in one after another.


    ¡°If only cavalry it¡¯s still okay, but the enemy came to the hill while bringing a battalion of infantry crossing a 6km road. Why are we being pushed out by such guys!?¡±


    Impossible. Yes, it seemed impossible but, Winston needed to sort out such a situation. In the first place, the Myard army that was mixed with militias, wasn¡¯t suitable for advanced mobile warfare.


    Therefore, the defense of the hill leading to the capital of Myard was strengthened by prior strategy meetings, and the Highserk army that had bitten into either the position of Ferrius and Myard was restrained on the front line, a siege network was built to destroy the army on the field. It was the plan.


    As expected, the enemy launched an attack on the Myard position, which was lined with weak soldiers. In addition, the front line was stalled without being able to push the Myard soldiers who had solidified their defense.


    Winston was convinced that he couldn¡¯t lose when he had half-sieged the enemy army that was the main force. But the reality was, now he was in trouble.


    Winston and the generals expected that only cavalry might come to attack the base. So, they set horse fences for that purpose, and 2000 soldiers prepared for the reserve.


    Unlike Myard, the Ferrius army was full of regular soldiers who had been training on a regular basis. Even if the opponent was Highserk soldiers who experienced a lot of battles, they should be able to deal with them.


    Winston had never heard of a light infantry chasing a cavalry kind of charge. Even if it was possible to follow the cavalry, they would be exhausted and in an impossible state to be decent at the battle.


    But, Highserk Imperial Army realized that.


    Myard infantry troops flooded from the left were overrun by cavalry, and even Ferrius soldiers who were defensive on the hill, were about to be crushed.


    ¡°¡­ Winston-sama, this is dangerous. We have no choice but to join the position of the last battalion.¡±


    One of the determined strategists tried to persuade Winston.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid. Are you telling me to abandon the camp and run away?¡±


    On the right wing, the main force was continuing the onslaught. If you abandoned the camp and opened the hill here, the main force would be hit hard. It was an unacceptable proposal for Winston.


    ¡°If the commander is killed, the army chain in command will collapse. Right now, we should surrender the hill and rebuild the army!!¡±


    ¡°U, Guu ¡­¡±


    In the opinion of the strategists, Winston hesitated in making a decision while groaning. The enemy was a group of 4000 people. As long as the battalion joined, it could still be endured. The Myard troops that flooded the left wing still retained their combat capabilities due to speed-priority enemies. There was no doubt that Ferrius would win if he could earn time.


    Winston couldn¡¯t make an immediate decision. If he were to abandon the hills here, the victory would become even further away from sight.


    A loud sound of magic echoed on the front line. The screams that flew together with the wind must be those of the Ferrius soldiers. As a soldier, Winston was unable to conclude that he would retreat, abandoning his royal duties.


    A bloody soldier rushed into the camp.


    ¡°What is it? You¡¯re in front of Winston-sama you know!?¡±


    The soldier shouted, ignoring the rebuking knight.


    ¡°The horse fence has been breached. Enemy cavalry is rushing here. It can no longer be maintained!!¡±


    The news was enough to despair everyone in the main camp.


    ¡°Winston-sama, leave immediately, we¡¯ll do something here!!¡±


    The first to react was the soldiers directly under Winston.


    ¡°Take him!¡±


    Before Winston made a decision, the soldiers and strategists pushed Winston and took him away from the headquarters.


    ¡°Get the decoy group, Now. They¡¯re just around the corner.¡±


    The tent of the main camp burst with a blast, and the enemy was approaching Winston.


    ¡°Do something and stop them!!¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re here. Those Light infantries.¡±


    At the edge of his sight, Winston saw the guards, who he had tremendous trust in, being defeated by enemy ordinary soldiers.


    One was a muscular man, but another one fascinated Winston. This was because an ordinary and harmless man activated his skill and cut off the guards along with his armor.


    ¡°Hi-Highserk soldier is really terrifying.¡±


    Winston realized that the decisive battle on the plains would have been impossible to win if even ordinary soldiers had that kind of skill. And that he should have joined the siege battle near the Aidenberg, the capital of Myard.


    The guards were working to escape their lord, Winston. If there was a problem, there were individuals in this world who could overturn the tactics as they could deal with the difference in the number of dozens of people.


    Winston felt heat on his back, and the moment he tried to turn around, he noticed that the soldiers on the left and right were covering him. Immediately afterward, a fierce flame was scattered around with an unbearable amount of heat.


    ¡°W-what¡­¡±


    Winston, who saw a mix of flame and wind, was stunned. The soldiers who tried hard to protect Winston were caught in the fire, fluttered their limbs as if they were dancing, and stopped moving.


    The soldiers behind Winston were half-burned and gasping constantly.


    ¡°Oi, get it together!!¡±


    Winston remembered the old battlefield story. An old soldier who became an educator had told him,


    ¡º¡±If you see a blue flame on the battlefield, it¡¯s a fire that will send you to the hell gate, and if you¡¯re invited, what waiting inside is death. The name of it is¨D¨D¡±¡»


    Winston thought it was just a superstition or a kind of myth, but it was real, and was about to approach himself.


    ¡°De¡­¡¶Demon Fire¡·¡±


    The enemy with that skill was a soldier with no peculiar characteristics. While walking calmly among the soldiers in flames, he approached.


    ¡°The rest is, only you¡­ the commander.¡±


    The man told Winston with no expression, as if he were looking at the weeds left uncut.

 CH 15

    15. Chapter 15 ¨C Sunset


    Walm¡¯s body was extremely tired because he used his mana to the limit. His legs were as heavy as stones because he had run a long distance. Once the fire leveraged a little, he realized his allies weren¡¯t in the surrounding area.


    ¡°The rest is, only you¡­. the Commander.¡±


    Walm thought that he could save time if he asked and got a reply. But he didn¡¯t think that he would really get a reply, so he was surprised.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. As a small fry, you¡¯re quite smart. I¡¯m Winston Ferrius, commander of the Myard Expeditionary Army from the Ferrius Kingdom.¡±


    There was a fear of body double, as Walm didn¡¯t know the face beforehand. However, in his temperament and short tone, Walm could feel the innate dignity and character.


    ¡°Surrender¡±


    Walm thought he couldn¡¯t just kill him. After all, if the man was the commander of the enemy moreover a member of the royal family, and he could take him as prisoners of war, his homeland would have an advantage in negotiations between nations.


    ¡°I still have all my limbs, a sword, and pride. The soldiers are still fighting. There is no reason to surrender!¡±


    Winston, who pulled out his sword from the scabbard, stepped to Walm with the upper stance.


    The man was moving better than expected. Walm¡¯s opinion, which the royal commander must be just a decoration, had to be changed.


    Walm thrust the halberd to parry it, but while deflecting the tip with the sword, the man wrapped around to the left side of Walm.


    Neither magic nor skill could be used now. Walm hoped his allies in the surroundings to help him, but in addition to the fire, they were busy dealing with the enemy soldiers that were still alive and trying to rescue Winston. Even the mana that Walm used to strengthen the body was running out.


    Walm could only focus on how to kill the strong enemy in front of him. The sword and halberd were crossed many times, aiming for fatal injuries to each other.


    Winston¡¯s sword hurt Walm¡¯s arm, and Walm¡¯s halberd hurt Winston¡¯s neck.


    A slight amount of blood oozed from the neck, but it was far from a fatal injury. Space and distance were created as the fight went on.


    Walm grabbed the bottom of the handle of the halberd and thrust it from a distance farther than before. Winston¡¯s stance collapsed due to a blow from the timing that he didn¡¯t expect.


    Threw the pulled-back halberd at Winston¡¯s head. Winston calmly knocked it with his sword, but Walm, who had stepped in, hit the sword with his left shoulder and pulled out the longsword.


    When Winston stopped moving, he collapsed from his knees. The neck was cut halfway and blood was overflowing unstoppably.


    ¡°U, ugh, even if, I lost, Fer, rius, has, not, lost¡­ yet¡±


    Winston, who squeezed out his words, stood on the ground and died under Walm¡¯s eyes.


    Walm took a deep breath and raised his voice,


    ¡°I¡¯ve defeated the enemy commandeeeerrrrr!!!¡±


    Walm¡¯s battle cry immediately propagated to the battlefield.


    While the Highserk soldiers become livelier, the Ferrius soldiers who had been resisting were rolling down the hill to run away.


    The Highserk soldiers weren¡¯t sweet enough to let them go. The horse¡¯s roar reached the side of Walm who was at his limit and breathing heavily. A group of cavalries appeared.


    A man advanced from a group of soldiers with heavy armor to Walm.


    ¡°Did you kill Winston?¡±


    The man was the Commander of the Jaff cavalry battalion, who was well-known amongst every Highserk soldier.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    Confirmation of the results of the battle. Jaff, looking into the corpse, slowly nodded to Walm.


    ¡°It¡¯s Winston Ferrius himself. Well done. It¡¯s a great achievement. What¡¯s the name of your unit?¡±


    Walm thought it was just a confirmation of body double, so his reaction was delayed.


    ¡°¡­ Duwei Squad of Kozuru Platoon, and my name is Walm.¡±


    ¡°Walm, is it? I thought Winston¡¯s neck would be in my hands, but you did a great job. The light infantry battalion is rebuilding on the hill and finishing up the battle. You should rest until then.¡±


    Fatigue had already reached its limit. If the one talked to him wasn¡¯t a general, Walm would have been throwing his body to the ground.


    ¡°And in honor of the achievement, I¡¯m sure Commander Berger will reward you. Don¡¯t die until then.¡±


    After saying that, Battalion Commander Jaff steered his horse, led the battalion to go down the hill.


    When the enemy soldiers who couldn¡¯t escape were swallowed by the battalion, they exposed their skeletons on the ground.


    From the top of the hill, you could see all the movements. They ran around the battlefield like a single living creature, attacking behind and on the sides of enemy troops that were fighting the infantry battalion on the plains.


    Walm took a breath while thinking that the Jaff Cavalry battalion was like a wolf attacking a flock of sheep. Their striking power was terrifying, but they responded well to the enemies that they passed, causing the formation to collapse in a blink of an eye, and so the pinched troops were destroyed.


    It was chained everywhere on the battlefield.


    The defeat of the Ferius and Myard Alliance was obvious in Walm¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Walm, are you okay?¡±


    Jose, covered in dirt and blood, talked to Walm, worrying about his condition.


    ¡°Somehow. I¡¯m really tired.¡±


    ¡°Tired huh. It¡¯s proof that you¡¯re still alive.¡±


    ¡°Are the other guys safe?¡±


    ¡°Everyone is still kicking. Well, Barito and Noor look like they¡¯re about to fall on the ground at any moment. As for Commander Duwei, you know it.¡±


    No one would believe that Squad Commander Duwei was killed in action. Walm was convinced that even if his whole body were to be stabbed, he would still rampage around.


    Walm tried to sit down but he heard a voice. The owner of the deep, low-pitched voice that he was familiar with was Squad Commander Duwei.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lay your body. You won¡¯t be able to stand up right away. Drink water little by little, and in 5 minutes we¡¯ll start pursuing. Rest after that, after we¡¯ve been relieved of the burden.¡±


    Yes, the battle hadn¡¯t finished yet. From a water bottle that Walm brought on his waist, water reached his mouth and flowed down the throat. The thirst instantly subsided.


    Walm turns his gaze to the side. The corpse of Winston Ferrius, who had been killed, was escorted by the still-standing enemy¡¯s tent.


    Walm managed to survive the most difficult task, but the climax still remained. A few kilometers away, a fierce battle continued on the hill where Myard camp was.


    ¡ô


    ¡°The Ferius army is, totally collapsed!! Three battalions have already been destroyed. The remaining battalions are also routing.¡±


    ¡°There is also a report that Winston Ferrius was killed in action¡­¡±


    ¡°Ariand¡¯s crops, and Gary¡¯s corps is in chaos, t-the hills are completely surrounded.¡±


    The death of Winston, the general of Ferrius, was enough news to put Myyard soldiers on the brink of despair.


    Youth Myard tried hard to rebuild the formation, but Highserk¡¯s proud Jaff Cavalry Battalion ruined it.


    Some unit was resisting the Highserk infantry battalion on the rear, the sides were continued to be hit endlessly, many soldiers died as the formation collapsed.


    Youth tried to systematically retreat with a messenger and magic tools, he realized that Ferrius army, which soldiers routed individually were less damaged.


    More than 6,000 Ferrius troops had already been killed in action, and more than 5,000 Myard soldiers had died.


    All that was left was the left-wing infantry troops that ran chaotically at the beginning of the battle and the 3,000 who barely escaped to the hills. Considering all of that, Youth thought that he was intentionally trapped in a hill.


    Thinking about why he bowed his head against the neighboring country and endured it for five years, Youth seemed to lose his strength, but he endured thinking about his territory and the only daughter left behind.


    Youth used scorched earth tactics when he was feeling from Kanoa Kingdom to avoid the complete collapse of the country from Highserk. Important facilities were burned down, and all portable food was then brought to Myard. All the remaining grain was burned down.


    Youth had accepted the citizens who fled from Kanoa Kingdom as much as possible, but was hated like a devil by the former citizens of Kanoa Kingdom who remained in the land annexed by Highserk.


    Even if he was resented and hated, it was all for his homeland, that Youth, who was in despair, got on Ferrius¡¯s proposal. But now, he didn¡¯t know if it was the right choice.


    ¡°The Adore corps who tried to break through the siege were bounced off.¡±


    The last hope to get out of the siege also failed. What Youth could do was already limited.


    He told the citizens from the magic tools installed in the city that defeat was inevitable. The citizens should have begun to escape to neighboring countries.


    ¡°There is no escape. At this rate¡­¡±


    The angry military officer muttered. Normally, Youth would have rebuked him not to give up, but the situation was completely hopeless.


    ¡°¡­ Is it really over?¡±


    The siege continues to shrink, and the onslaught continued from all directions. Youth decided that he couldn¡¯t kill the soldiers in vain anymore.


    ¡°Let¡¯s surrend¨D¨D ¡°


    ¡°Are you the soldiers from Sarria?!!¡±


    The words Youth spoke to were drowned out by the angry words. The invaders to the main camp were Highserk soldiers, whose flag indicated the troops of Sarria City.


    When the former compatriots found Youth, they shout with bloody eyes.


    ¡°He¡¯s here, Myrad, The leader of the traitors.¡±


    ¡°Kill him, he burned my farm, my family!!¡±


    ¡°Death to the traitor!!!¡±


    Youth was aware that he was resented. After the scorched earth tactics, many lost a lot of property and some were plundered and insulted by the rampaging soldiers, which was then heard by Youth, and those deviant soldiers were sentenced by him.


    Natural, yes it was natural. But, Youth couldn¡¯t imagine that the hatred of the inhabitants of Sarria City had been amplified rather than disappeared in five years.


    The Myard soldiers nearby tried hard to stop the Highserk soldiers, but there was not enough power to stop the frenzy of the Sarria soldiers. Youth waited for the approaching people without pulling out his sword.


    ¡°Myard-sama!!¡±


    Youth didn¡¯t know what was the right choice. But there was no doubt that he would soon follow Winston.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡±


    There was no time to think about who or what to apologize for. Countless blades pierced the youth.


    The last thing that came to Youth¡¯s mind was his daughter who remained in the city. The perpetrator who cut off so many people as a necessary sacrifice, realized that the last thing he thought of was his family. While thinking that he was selfish, his consciousness was fading.


    The remains of Youth Myard, stabbed with 13 spears and swords, were lifted and exposed to the top of the hill.


    At the same time that the chain of command of the Ferrius and Myard army was completely lost, and as if saying that the conclusion had come, the sunset came to Myard.

 CH 16

    The battle continued even after the enemy¡¯s main force was destroyed and 3000 Ferrius soldiers surrendered. Exhausted troops were disarming prisoners of war while making the occupied hills a temporary headquarter. The remaining troops, the nimble cavalry battalion and the light infantry battalion, were pursuing the remaining Ferrius troops in an attempt to retreat to their home country.


    Even now, after the loss of the commander¡¯s head by Walm and the destruction of the five battalions, the strength of the two battalions was still there. If it was to be left unharmed, it would affect future diplomacy.


    Under such circumstances, Liguria light infantry battalion was ordered not to stay at the hills but to go to Aidenberg, the capital of Myard. This was because Ferrius and Myard soldiers who couldn¡¯t join the main corps were hiding in the city, and their mission was to annihilate them.


    There were no major defenses in Aidenberg, since Myrad focused on border defense. This was one of the factors that Ferrius and Myard chose to fight on the plains. Rivers were flowing out of the city and you could only enter the city from the plains.


    If you wanted to enter the city from a river, you had to cross with a boat or a bridge, only two options. The bridge, a key point, functioned as a defensive means, and even now, when the victory of the Highserk Empire was decided, the garrison continued to fight. Fortunately, the weak resistance was quickly subdued, but one of the two bridges was destroyed by Ferrius soldiers.


    The Liguria battalion had several priorities. The first was to secure an area where troops were accumulated. Myard territory, a fertile breadbasket, was actively exporting grain to neighboring countries, and Aidenberg, the center of trade, had a large number of grain storages as well as food storage that supported the army¡¯s stomach.


    The second was the capture, protection, and murder of influential and powerful people. Reigning wouldn¡¯t be successful simply by killing all the hostile humans. Walm was taught when he first joined the army that a certain number of influential people in Myard were needed to efficiently annex them into part of the Highserk Empire.


    Important posts would be given to feudal lords and aristocrats who had been informed in advance, but the remaining rulers and chairs of concession would be given to the influential people, showing mercy. Although it was a so-called ¡°carrot and stick¡±, in this way the Highserk Empire unified the area called the Crucible of Chaos, where small nations were scattered and divided into groups.


    The third was the maintenance of public order. Many defeated soldiers had been desperate in the city, and they continued to hide, while repeatedly plundering and forced raping the citizens. In addition, some Highserk soldiers were also plundering, ignoring military rules.


    Although the world was more tolerant of plundering and humiliation than Walm¡¯s previous world, Highserk suppressed them at important locations. After all, excessive violent wolves could hinder the future of the Highserk Empire, which was trying to operate the land and people as it was by replacing only the head.


    Of course, there were unprotected beings that the soldiers could use to vent their anger. It was the influential people who would be cut from the head¡¯s chair.


    The now-deceased Youth Myard, a former Kanoa nobleman who became the King of Myard, was also the target. The old-fashioned yet elegant mansion, which might have been hundreds of years old, was devastated by a large number of soldiers.


    ¡°These people are¡­ it must be those Myard soldiers, right?¡±


    It was Noor who was looking at the stacked corpses.


    ¡°For the soldiers who lost their country, it must¡¯ve looked like a treasure trove without a guard dog.¡±


    Jose glanced at the corpse, but immediately turned to the mansion, perhaps not interested.


    ¡°Even if you have power and wealth, nothing matters when it collapses.¡±


    Is it because of the merchant¡¯s blood?


    Walm¡¯s eyes seemed sentimental about the cheerful Jose.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t understand where it¡¯s coming from, but to value those things more than their own lives, it¡¯s pathetic.¡±


    Those who were smart would have either rounded up early and pretended to be civilians in the city and were concealed by their relatives, or they tried to escape to the outside of the city. Those piled up here were those who were dazzled by greed and so late to escape.


    ¡°I know that it¡¯s their former lords, but what ungrateful bastards. According to the surviving servants, the relatives were killed by the plunderers before we came. Some of them weren¡¯t only soldiers but also citizens.¡±


    The voice of Squad Commander Duwei was mixed with contempt.


    ¡°There are enough hands in the mansion. We were ordered to patrol the city. Did you have what you needed?¡±


    The backpacks and waist bags of the squad members were packed with loot from wars and food left in the food storage. Walm, who was ordered to maintain security, was on a patrol, while doing some legal plundering in the meantime.


    Although acting according to national and organizational rules, it wouldn¡¯t be morally permissible.


    There were no civilian streets on the streets of the city. Only Highserk soldiers. Occasionally, they were dragging the defeated soldiers who were captured.


    When the soldiers found in even the slightest resistance or bad manners, those captured people would become a brand-new stain on the road, and were carried by wheelbarrows that were pushed by their fellow compatriots who became the prisoners of wars.


    ¡°Wait! I¡¯m not a soldier.¡±


    A man dragged out of the building shouted an excuse, but the soldier¡¯s hands didn¡¯t loosen, instead, they took off the man¡¯s clothes.


    ¡°There¡¯s a trace of iron on his bleeding. Take him.¡±


    There was a mark on the man¡¯s back that would certainly have been made by an arrow. This was one of the wounds that Walm had often seen on the battlefield. He would never make a mistake.


    ¡°No. When I was outside, a flowing arrow flew in. I¡¯ve never been on the battlefield.¡±


    The man desperately continued to make excuses, but the soldier continued without caring about it.


    ¡°Do you want to be treated like them?¡±


    The wheelbarrow pointed by the soldier with his chin was full of bodies. Walm could even trace from where, that fresh blood drips from the loading platform, came from.


    The man still tried to open his mouth, but gave up when he saw the soldier put his hand on the sword at the final warning.


    When the man hung his head, he glanced at the building he was dragged out. A young woman and a child, who might be his family members, were peeking in a frustrated state.


    ¡°You should be thankful for not being killed. Well, you¡¯ll be freed if you work for a few months. Walk, fast.¡±


    The man looked at his family for once last time and quietly joined the line of prisoners. Such a scene could be seen all over the city. Brand-new lacerations, bruises, and burns that might have been caused by the war were also on their body.


    Some of them were just civilians. Seeing such, Walm felt gloomy, but there was no way for him to give special treatment to only some. After all, it might hinder the maintenance of public security, and also rebels with military experience couldn¡¯t be left unchecked no matter what.


    On top of that, Walm glared at his homeland, the Highserk Empire, that for better or for worse, had a clause saying even human life would be considered a resource. If they were from a country that was still in battle, most would be used as a hostage to get a ransom, as for the low-ranking prisoners of war, they would be sold domestically and internationally.


    There were several paths that enemy soldiers would follow after the annexation. For a certain period, they would be engaged in the restoration of cities and facilities damaged by the war, or civil engineering work at home and abroad. That was how the rivers and roads in Highserk were created.


    Depending on how hard-working the individual was and how the supervisor was, they would be released as early as after several months or as long as after several years. Many of them were appointed to the supervisor¡¯s seat as they were, or joined the Highserk army, mainly for those who had nowhere to go.


    As the Duwei¡¯s Squad roamed the city, the hustle and bustle echoed in one street. Walm was reflexively about to hold his halberd.


    ¡°Battle sound ¡­?¡±


    Barito was ready, but the Squad Commander Duwei denied it.


    ¡°It¡¯s a strange sound for a fight. Is it a skirmish?¡±


    Upon hearing the sound, Walm rushed to the center of the turmoil. It was a typical citizen¡¯s house. At the entrance, there was another squad that would have been patrolling.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    Walm asked the elderly soldier who was blocking the entrance.


    ¡°They¡¯ve done too much. They broke into the house and raped the woman. And her husband was also beaten to death. Besides that, they rampaged, when they were arrested.¡±


    As Walm looked inside, four young soldiers were pressed against the floor and detained. On that side lay a woman who was sitting down and crying, and a man who lost his energy from his eyes. Perhaps he was punched on the face, his nose and teeth were broken.


    ¡°They¡¯re stupid guys. Even though they didn¡¯t have that kind of permission, they were crazy.¡±


    They were men who were familiar to Walm somewhere. He explored his brain and remembered where he met them. Yes, they were the ones who were taking the woman away by force at the fort along the border.


    ¡°What will happen to these guys?¡±


    Thinking, the soldier folded his arms.


    ¡°Usually it¡¯s a decapitation, but we have won the battle. And it¡¯s from the Sarria Battalion who often fought against Myard soldiers. I guess just a whipping and labor with the prisoners.¡±


    When Sarria¡¯s young soldier heard it, he tried to swear, but when his face was kicked several times, he quietly shut up.


    ¡°Is it enough?¡±


    Thinking that the sentence was too light for someone who killed one civilian, involuntarily Walm hummed.


    ¡°It¡¯s a common story. If you killed them every time for such a thing, Highserk would¡¯ve lost a lot of their soldiers.¡±


    Squad Commander Duwei who was listening next to him also joined the conversation.


    ¡°The whipping is not that easy you know? The screaming soldier screams at the first whip, crying at the second and third whip. The skin peels off and the flesh falls off. Even if you faint, the next whip will wake you up again. You will faint again and wake up again. Some of them even die. I wonder if those can bear it? ¡°


    Squad Commander Duwei looked down at the Sarria soldiers as if looking at the filth. On the other hand, imagining the whipping, the faces of the Sarria soldiers became stiff.


    ¡°Did you hear that, idiots? You should thank the Squad Commander for the advice. If you want to reduce the number of whips, stop resisting and move quietly.¡±


    They were felt like hungry young wolves, but they were taken by older soldiers like obedient dogs.


    Although Walm was wary of the attack, no battle occurred in the area covered by him. What happened was a small dispute when detaining the defeated soldiers, also plundering and forced raping, by the Myard soldiers and the Highserk soldiers who ignored the military rules.

 CH 17

    The first night had come to Aidenberg since the fall of Myrad. Duwei¡¯s squad was on a two-shift patrol mission, using an abandoned riverside hut as a camp.


    Usually, Walm was always with someone, but today he was smoking alone. Although it was an unlikely action amid the battlefield, the security of the city was rapidly recovering due to the thorough suppression during the day.


    In addition, it was strictly prohibited to go out at night except for Highserk soldiers. Only those who were reckless or fools dared to go out.


    Walm threw salted river fish that he looted not long ago into his mouth. It was extremely salty because it was originally something to put in soup or desalted before eating. He wouldn¡¯t have eaten it unless he was exhausted of physical strength and mana.


    To remove the saltiness of his mouth, Walm took out the skittle and brought it to his mouth. Alcohol ran through the oral cavity and fell into the stomach at once. Exhaled lightly, and looked up at the sky.


    At night, the twin moons would appear in the sky as if they were chasing after each other. If it was a half-moon or a full moon, it felt brighter than in Walm¡¯s previous world. But tonight, it was a new moon, so the surroundings were dark.


    Every time Walm saw the moon, it made him strongly aware that he was in fact, in a different world. With a cigarette in his mouth, Walm ignited it with fire-attribute magic. After he had learned it, he couldn¡¯t go back to the life of carrying a lighter.


    Purple smoke slowly spread to the lungs. As soon as Walm exhaled, the smoke spread into the sky and disappeared.


    As if the fierce battle in the daytime was like a lie, the tranquility dominated the night. Walm didn¡¯t hate talking to people, but he liked to spend time alone like this from time to time.


    Time to be alone could be said as something precious in military life. Other squad members could sometimes be alone if safety had been ensured.


    Scratched the head and weakened the whole body. It was easy to see the exhausted body asking him to go to sleep.


    Walm head a noise.


    Even though he was in a relaxed state, Walm would never miss a faint noise. The true nature of the sound came from a corner of the dock.


    Ferries and fishing boats were used to completely pursue Ferrius remnants. And if someone came, it could be a person who wanted to enjoy his time alone just like Walm, it could be someone trying to escape from the city, or it could be a small animal like a cat ¨D¨D but this was unlikely.


    Besides soldiers, many citizens were trying to escape from the city. Although the ones who escaped early were tolerated, the Highserk Empire, which didn¡¯t want more population outflow, was now restricting their movement from the city.


    ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡±


    No one responded. Perhaps the person was wondering if Walm would let him go, of thinking of what to do. But, if no one was there, Walm would look like a stupid guy.


    Walm threw the cigarette to the ground and crushed it with his foot.


    Most of the armor and equipment were in the hut. He only wore the hand protector with a longsword on his waist.


    ¡°I¡¯ll say it again, only one more time. Who¡¯s there?¡±


    When Walm deliberately struck his sword, a figure emerged from the hut used for fishing.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem like a Highserk soldier. You¡¯re not allowed to go out at night. Didn¡¯t you know it?¡±


    It was two humans. Because they were in the dark, Walm could only see the outlines.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡±


    The old man and the girl apologized with a quivering voice.


    I wonder what¡¯s wrong, if they¡¯re not malicious, is it okay to just give them a warning and turn them back¡­


    ¨D¨D Walm took a few steps closer and cast magic.


    ¡°¡¶Torch¡·¡±


    Looking away from the light source, Walm looked at the two. What was there, was a white-haired old man and a blonde girl who opened their eyes with surprise.


    It looked like an old man and his granddaughter trying to escape from the city where rape and robbery were occurring.


    Clothes were also common for citizens to wear, but something caught Walm¡¯s attention


    The old man had wrinkles suitable for his age, but the chest plate and shoulder width were wide, and it could be seen that he was trained when he was young.


    The girl¡¯s hair was also dirty with soot, but her body odor was light. Besides, the nails and fingers were beautiful. Normally, if you had engaged in labor, your hands would become rugged and dirty. And there were no signs of sunburn.


    ¡°¡­Why, are you outside?¡±


    ¡°Because the city is dangerous, rape and plunder are everywhere. We were thinking of getting closer to our relatives in the country.¡±


    Walm¡¯s intuition told him that they weren¡¯t citizens. Perhaps the man was a high-ranking soldier, or a wealthy merchant, or¡­ an aristocrat.


    ¡°Are you a soldier?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not anymore. Sure, I¡¯ve been involved in battles decades ago. But now, I can¡¯t even have a sword.¡±


    The old man made an excuse to Walm in a frightened manner.


    ¡°For someone who had retired a long time ago, you still look quite trained. For someone about your age, it¡¯s more natural to have a bent waist. And the lady there has pretty hands. Is she a sheltered girl or something? ¡°


    ¡°Health was the only thing I had, my granddaughter is still too young when the parents died, so I took care of her so that she wouldn¡¯t have a hard time.¡±


    Without denying or affirming, Walm silently looked at them. The color of the old man¡¯s eyes changed as he took a step closer. Seeing that reaction, he was sure that the old man was quite skillful in his prime.


    Weapons weren¡¯t found in what they brought, but they may be taken out from a magic bag, or they might be hidden somewhere. There were even warriors who could surpass weapons with their bare hands. You couldn¡¯t let your guard down.


    Walm hadn¡¯t decided that they were aristocrats yet. And even if they were aristocrats, the main targets had been arrested or killed across the board. What would come out if Walm interfered with the one that wasn¡¯t on the target list, who was trying to escape hard.


    The ability of the old man was also unknown. Showed the wisdom of pretending to be an amateur and looked like he didn¡¯t mind pretending to be. If Walm dealt with him badly, there was a risk that he would just stir up trouble for himself.


    Should I buy time while waiting for support?


    ¨D¨D Walm kept glaring for a few seconds, and there was an out-of-place sound. The source of the sound was the girl. To be exact, her stomach. She was hungry. You could say her stomach was very bold.


    ¡°Sorry, this is¡­¡±


    The girl who turned her white face and blushed was so cute.


    ¡°Ku, Kuku, Ahaha!!¡±


    When the two saw Walm laughing, they opened their eyes.


    ¡°Sorry, sorry, my bad. You¡¯re so cute. If you¡¯re too cute, and well-groomed like that, you¡¯ll be kidnapped by a poorly behaved soldier you know. ¡°If your house is safe¡±, go home. I¡¯ll let it go this time.¡±


    After they bowed to Walm and tried to disappear into the back alley,


    ¡°Wait¡±


    The two were momentarily readied themselves. When Walm returned to where he was smoking, he offered two bottles.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I¡¯ve eaten some of it, but you¡¯re hungry, right? Take this to ease your hunger.¡±


    Walm handed over salted river fish in a jar and dried beans in a pouch.


    ¡°T-thank you very much¡±


    The girl received it in a confused manner. The old man looked at Walm because he couldn¡¯t grasp the situation.


    ¡°It was a terrible day. I may sound like a hypocrite, but this is to diminish some of my guilt. Feel free to accept it, there¡¯s no poison in it.¡±


    When Walm offered the bottle and pouch, the girl reached out and received them. It was hidden in the hood, but the hair was tied up in the hood so that it could move easily, and it had a supple golden color like a wheat field. The pupil was reflected by the ¡¶Torch¡·, it was the same gold as the hair.


    ¡°Thank you¡±


    Walm stared at the soft smile that everyone would receive. Although it was a short word and action, each one was pretty and he could see the high level of education she had received.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ you¡¯re welcome¡±


    Walm left the place as he ignited another cigarette. On the way back to where the squad was, Walm watched the river. It was extremely difficult to see to the opposite bank because of the poor light source at night. Still, in the dark night, he could see a boat crossing the river without using torches or magic.


    ¡°As expected, they can¡¯t go home that easily huh?¡±


    It might sound ridiculous that Walm, the invader, sympathized with the victims. He was the one who might have killed his family and his neighbors. After all, it was a legal murder with an excuse called ¡°war¡±. Moreover, his patriotism and love for his homeland were weak. He was someone who had devoted himself to the war while being swept away by the situation. He had no cause, pride, or any shit for his homeland.


    ¡°You think you¡¯ll be forgiven huh? You damn hypocrite.¡±


    The destinations of those who had lost their livelihoods could be terribly harsh. And, Walm was still trying to get used to this world in both, good and bad ways.


    But now, Walm was no longer confident that he wouldn¡¯t lose the humanity and morals he had cultivated in the previous world.

 CH 18

    ¡°I-it seems I¡¯ve come to¡­ a wrong place.¡±


    Walm was ordered to appear directly by Battalion Commander Liguria at the former Youth Myard House, which was now requisitioned by the Highserk Army and transformed into the headquarters of the Myard Army.


    All bloodstains and the bodies that were evidence of the tragedy that Walm witnessed had been cleared, and two platoons were constantly guarding the mansion. In addition, the guards under Commander Berger were consolidating the area around the command room, and the company-class army was on the lookout.


    The elite soldiers of the Highserk Empire were well-equipped in unison. Walm, who wore a lot of war loots, might look like a stray mongrel.


    While Walm was gazed at by the guards with curious eyes, the squad members were gathered in a room that was originally a guest room.


    ¡°What did, Squad Commander do this time?¡±


    Barito, who was uncomfortable and had his cockscomb hair withered, whispered to Jose.


    ¡°Dunno, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a bad thing because it¡¯s not a prison or a prisoner of war camp.¡±


    ¡°I can hear you. Do you think I did something wrong¡­? Well, maybe he¡¯ll be rewarded for his achievement.¡±


    Squad Commander Duwei added, ¡°Where did you go all the time?¡±


    Walm thinks it must be a reward for Duwei¡¯s squad for killing Winston Ferrius, the commander of Ferrius army the other day, but everyone in the squad was unfamiliar with the strict place, so they were suddenly meek.


    All they could do was polish their equipment and clean their clothes.


    They left the weapon to Commander Berger¡¯s soldiers. To be exact, it was confiscated, so Walm smiled bitterly at the neat and clean ruffian group.


    ¡°Please take a seat.¡±


    Walm sat quietly in the chairs lined up on the long desk, urged by one of the soldiers.


    ¡° ¡° ¡° Y-Yes sir!¡± ¡° ¡°


    At the same time, tea and sweets were served to them. It was as delicious as the sweets Walm had eaten in his previous world, and the squad members who took a bite were stiff again.


    Walm was about to shed tears at the taste of civilized sweets for the first time in 20 years since he died. When he was enjoying tea and sweets, he suddenly noticed.


    Everyone was desperate to behave well, but it was very awkward and made Walm smile.


    Walm didn¡¯t even know the manners of this world. Therefore, he had no choice but to bring sweets and tea to his mouth according to the general manners of the world.


    ¡°Damn you Walm, how can you relax like that?¡±


    ¡°Strangely, it looks like he used to this. Somehow it makes me angry.¡±


    ¡°Walm-san, you were a farmer from a rural area, right?¡±


    ¡°He must have learned in advance to humiliate us.¡±


    ¡°¡­Damn Coward¡±


    ¡°Squad Commander, Walm-san, I¡¯m feeling a little sick.¡±


    Walm, who showed relatively relaxed behavior, was cursed by the squad members, including the three idiots.


    ¡°You guys, what the hell are you guys saying ¡­¡±


    Walm¡¯s dependable companions were not in his sight anymore. Only executors who denounced the traitor.


    As Walm desperately continued to make excuses, he noticed that the entrance to the room slowly opened. Other squad members also responded with a slight delay.


    But, no matter how unfamiliar they were with the situation, they were still soldiers. Everyone¡¯s reaction to the characters who appeared was quick.


    Walm stood upright as if he jumped up from his chair. He stood at attention waiting for the person to say something.


    Commander Gerard Berger, who led 18,000 people in the war with Myard, the living war god of the Highserk Empire, smiled and walked calmly into the room.


    ¡°I thought it was a lively room, well, aren¡¯t you all good soldiers?¡±


    He must have quietly enjoyed Walm¡¯s struggling from outside the room and the dismayed squad members. Walm was amazed at how bad and mischievous of an old man he was.


    Commander Berger sat quietly on the other side of Walm, sandwiching a long desk.


    ¡°Sit down. We can¡¯t have a nice talk if you keep standing.¡±


    The squad members immediately obeyed the command of the commander-in-chief. A soldier made Commander Berger a cup of freshly warmed tea. The sweet scent stimulated Walm¡¯s nasal passages.


    Commander Berger, who enjoyed the smell lightly, placed the cup silently after one gulp.


    ¡°I thought the Jaff cavalry battalion would come home with Winston¡¯s neck. I was surprised to hear the report. You ran through the 6km road in battle, broke the horse fence, and broke through to the camp. In addition, you killed Winston. I didn¡¯t expect that.¡±


    The line of sight naturally kept an eye on all the members of the squad.


    ¡°Jaff was disappointed. I asked him to give my utmost compliment to Battalion Commander Liguria, but I heard that there was a squad that showed outstanding performance among them. I wanted to give a reward directly, so I got you all here.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not worthy of those words¡±


    It was a surprise to Walm that Squad Commander Duwei could speak really polite words. Other squad members were still shaking in nervous.


    ¡°You¡¯re, Squad Commander Duwei. I¡¯ve heard your vigorous service. You¡¯ve been a supporter of Highserk for many years and also the user of skill ¡¶Strike¡·. Soldiers like you are irreplaceable to the Highserk Empire.¡±


    ¡°T-thank you very much¡±


    Squad Commander Duwei replied, unable to hide his joy. Unlike Walm, he had somehow strong patriotism and love for Highserk Empire. Walm also agreed that if he was praised by the war god, he would be drained.


    ¡°And you, you¡¯re Walm, right.¡±


    Walm was slightly stiff because his name suddenly got mentioned. Walm was looked by the veteran¡¯s eyes as if he was being evaluated.


    ¡°It¡¯s only half a year since joining the army, although you¡¯ve been trained in the battle with the Liberitoa Trade Federation, you¡¯ve got yourself the skill that Squad Commander Duwei proud of,¡¶Strike¡·, then you¡¯ve also learned magic from the magic-user in the squad, Willart, in addition to it, now you can even use¡¶Demon Fire¡·,  What a talent.¡±


    ¡¶Demon Fire¡·was Walm¡¯s new skill gained in the battle with Ferrius. It would scatter storms and flames around, in sort, a widespread deadly attack. Walm didn¡¯t know when it was activated, but one thing he knew after being told by Willart was there were users of that skill in the past, former heroes and great adventurers.


    ¡°Thank you very much¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen it once when I was young, but please refrain from being burned by it and dying. Anyway, I¡¯m really relieved that Walm is a Highserk soldier.¡±


    Commander Berger smiled lightly and sipped tea in his mouth to moisturize his throat.


    ¡°Lynnette, could you bring it?¡±


    A soldier called Lynnette brought something wrapped in an old cloth.


    ¡°It was once worn by an unidentified group of people dressed in otherworldly armor that was rampaging against the three great nations. The material is unknown, there are similarities to Mithril and Adamantite. The one wearing this, seems to have mastered ¡¶Demon Fire¡·. It¡¯s the perfect item for you as the same user of skill ¡¶Demon Fire¡·. Don¡¯t hesitate. Try it on. ¡°


    It was very similar to the men-yoroi during the Warring States period in Walm¡¯s previous world. The design looked like a mixture of demons and skeletons, but the color was bright red. Walm wore it on his face. It fitted amazingly. And it was as light as a feather. [TN: Men-yoroi is a type of facial armor used by samurai in Feudal Japan]


    ¡°Wonderful. Isn¡¯t it a perfect fit for you? It¡¯s yours now. All your opponents will be surprised at that.¡±


    Although it was the first time Walm wore it, he felt very nostalgic. Mysteriously, he couldn¡¯t help but be convinced that the men-yoroi must be something come from his previous world.


    The moment Walm took it from his face off and raised his face to thank Commander Berger, the men-yoroi quivered and made a rattling noise.


    ¡°Eh!?¡±


    Walm uses his dignity and reason as a soldier to suppress the swearing and cursing that he was about to throw from his mouth. He couldn¡¯t swallow the situation, so he looked at the men-yoroi and Commander Berger alternately.


    ¡°E-excuse me, it¡¯s shaking¡­¡±


    The surface vibrated violently like the silent mode of a smartphone or a cicada that fell into an almost dead state. With a strained face, Walm asked Commander Berger for an explanation.


    ¡°Hahahaha, seems that it likes you. I was in trouble because it¡¯s so picky.¡±


    Walm thought that he was a veteran general who had an understanding of the soldiers, but he was actually a ridiculous scammer.


    ¡°I-it¡¯s cursed!!¡±


    Noor, who was beside Walm, shouted. Jose, who was on the other side, also lifted his hips and took a distance. The mask continued to vibrate as if protesting.


    ¡°C-Commander Berger!?¡±


    Walm sought help, but the old man in front of him remained laughing.


    ¡°Hahaha, I¡¯m sorry. There¡¯s no real harm so far, so rest assured. It¡¯s something you can find out there, a kind of armor that has the will. Sometimes it trembles to show its emotions. I couldn¡¯t wear it, so I¡¯m glad I found someone suitable for the owner. Please take good care of it. ¡°


    After that, he continued talking as if nothing had happened and handed the reward to the squad members. Because of Walm¡¯s precedent, everyone received it with suspicion.


    ¡°Huft, I¡¯m tired.¡±


    The squad was released from the guest room and on their way back to the camp. It was Squad Commander Duwei who made a rare soft noise.


    All squad members were walking at a distance from Walm. Even someone who looked strong physically seemed to be weak with curses. The only one who was interested was Willart, the magic user.


    ¡°That, what are you going to do with that, Walm?¡±


    ¡°Ah, well, let¡¯s see¡­ I got it from the commander, so I have to take good care of it.¡±


    ¡°Eeeeeh, why don¡¯t you throw it away?¡±


    Before the end of Noor¡¯s words, the mask vibrated like never before.


    ¡°Noor, you bastard!!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say extra things!!¡±


    Infuriated by the Squad Commander and Jose, Noor repeatedly apologized to the mask.


    ¡°Hick, I¡¯m really sorry, I¡¯m just kidding. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Perhaps the desperate prayer had passed, the vibration finally stopped.


    Walm thought that he needed to change his mind. In a world with magic and skills that ignored the laws of physics, just a mere item that had its own will and could vibrate, shouldn¡¯t shock him. In the first place, some people were reincarnated and reborn in another world.


    Its pickiness was endorsed by Commander Berger, perhaps it might be a good armor. Albeit a little shivering, Walm told himself that he should be happy to have good armor.


    TN : Here, the full image of the character design of Walm

 CH 19

    Two months after taking control of Aidenberg, the Highserk Empire army turned their spearhead to Ferrius¡¯s homeland. Formed the Myard front army with the three exhausted battalions at the core. Other than two leading units that had moved in advance, four battalions had begun to invade Ferrius Kingdom¡¯s border. Neither Commander Berger nor senior military personnel was so sweet as to let expensive soldiers play around and miss the weakened enemies.


    The defense of the Ferrius border, which spewed out the main army and surplus force, to say the least, could be said vulnerable. In Walm¡¯s eyes, the Ferrius army looked as if they were aiming to avoid exhaustion at the border and pulling inland while preparing the force, to repel the Highserk army. The Highserk Empire, on the other hand, controlled the border with only two battalions, causing the surrounding rural areas and towns to fall one after another. The move was to avoid areas with abundant defense facilities and reduce the war ability of the enemies.


    It was a rumor among soldiers, but Walm heard that the goal wasn¡¯t to beat Ferrius to their fall but, to bleed it. The Highserk Empire, which was also called the mad dog, was also avoiding siege battles as it would be exhausting, due to lack of surplus force.


    Four battalions, including Liguria battalion to which Walm belonged, were dispatched as a backup. The Ferrius Front, which was made of six battalions, planned to invade further. Two battalions, including Liguria battalion, were trying to siege a mine located 15 km from the border.


    ¡°As expected even if Ferrius keep retreating, they won¡¯t give up this place that easily huh?¡±


    Jose said, looking up at the Ferirus army in the mine. The Highserk Empire¡¯s march was also stagnant here.


    The mine was packed with 3,000 Ferius soldiers to protect it. In addition to multiple lines of defense, the top of the mountain was held down, and if Highserk made a force attack, the soldiers would be consumed more than in a siege battle. The sapping tactic that Highserk used at the Myard border was also ineffective due to the hard rock. It was believed that, half a year to a year worth of food, was being stored inside, so they needed to wait patiently for a military siege. However, if Highserk soldiers weren¡¯t split now, the enemy might attack from behind later, so two battalions were circling the surrounding.


    The soldiers were attacking day and night as if it was harassment, carefully scraping off the outer edges, but if they did poorly, Walm and the others would likely get stuck here with the people at the top of the mountain for more than half a year.


    ¡°Scream now!!¡±


    At the signal of the Squad Commander, the soldiers shouted all at once and hit their swords and shields. With the addition of trumpets and percussion instruments, the dissonance and the screams of the men were the worst awakenings for enemy soldiers, even though the dawn was just around the corner. Such provocations and harassment continued daily even in the middle of the night, with actual attacks being carried out once every five times. Walm literally played with fire with Willart last night as well. Thinking that the enemies must have been worn out both physically and mentally, Walm smiled, gloating over their miseries.


    Shortly after Walm began to scatter noise, swearing and stone-throwing began from the enemy¡¯s position. It was completely out of the effective range, but some things were likely to reach his feet from time to time. Still, its power wasn¡¯t enough to kill or injure soldiers. After a 30-minute harassment attack, Walm¡¯s work was over.


    As if satisfied, they withdraw from the position to their base all at once.


    ¡°Since when did we become a choir group?¡±


    A nifty joke came from Barito, and Walm burst into laughter. In response to that voice, the enemy got angry again.


    ¡°Sometimes you say good things huh, Barito. Look. Those Ferrius bastards seem to want an encore too.¡±


    Squad Commander Duwei said so while nodding with satisfaction as he slammed the battle axe on the shield.


    ¡°We¡¯re not a charity either.¡±


    When Walm said something as if he knew better, Jose happily gave a follow.


    ¡°Yep, as expected, we have to get some offering for this.¡±


    ¡°But they keep giving us stones as the offering. What a bunch of stingy bastards.¡±


    Building a siege and waiting for the enemy to starve was a much easier task for Walm than in previous battles.


    The other day, an impatient enemy launched a counterattack, but as soon as he was out from the mine, he was counterattacked from all sides and went back inside the mine without any results. The mine was suitable for a defensive battle, but the sortie points were limited and the offensive points were easy to read. The Highserk army was steadily driving the Ferrius soldiers.


    ¡ô


    The siege continued for another two weeks from the lineup without major battles. While repeating harassment and provocation, Walm was training his new skill called ?Demon Fire?, in addition to magic by Willart¡¯s guidance.


    When you used magic and it became uncontrollable, you might cause damage to the surroundings, but ?Demon Fire? couldn¡¯t be compared to that. He was trying to control his skills in an abandoned mine tunnel nearby, saying that if he wasn¡¯t good enough at controlling it, he could even involve platoon-sized allies.


    It was difficult to adjust the firepower, and everywhere on the inner wall was black and soot-stained. Walm had now made it possible to have some directionality, but it was just a matter of luck that in the battle of Aidenberg, he didn¡¯t hurt his friends.


    And the most difficult thing was maintaining the skill. Anyway, mana consumption for the skill was high, and Walm¡¯s mana would be exhausted in 40 seconds after activation at the longest. If he drained all of his mana, he wouldn¡¯t be able to use ?Strike? and his physical ability would also be greatly reduced. It might fatal on the battlefield if it was used incorrectly.


    Education on Noor and Barito was also conducted. Barito, who received a wooden sword on his head together with his cockscomb, grabbed the Squad Commander Duwei, saying, ¡°I¡¯m gonna kill youuuu¡±. It became one of the funny stories.


    Of course, one second after Barito grabbed him, he hugged the ground and was completely hit on the back by Noor.


    By using ?Demon Fire? for 30 seconds, the inside of the abandoned mine tunnel was turned into a high-temperature boiler room. The bats that originally settled there, changed their place of residence. All the bats that were late to escape were steamed.


    Walm still had the power to move, but he felt very tired. He felt like throwing his body to the ground.


    ¡°Yo Walm, you done?¡±


    Walm¡¯s name was mentioned as he was out of the mine tunnel. The owner of the familiar voice was Jose.


    ¡°Yeah, more than this, I¡¯ll collapse¡±


    Walm began to move from inside the mine tunnel to the outside. Although it was troublesome, he took the cooking utensils along the way.


    ¡°I was worried because you were late.¡±


    Jose smiled, but Walm didn¡¯t take it literally.


    ¡°What you worried about, is this, right?¡±


    What Walm had in his hand was dried fish and meat. He didn¡¯t know who came up with it, but Walm was treated like a natural cooking furnace. At first, the foods burned without a trace because they were too close to the ?Demon Fire?, but it seemed that they found the appropriate position and distance through trial and error.


    Now some people from other squads even bring their food too. There were even soldiers who made their own steamers and enjoyed steamed food.


    Walm wanted to protest, but not only Squad Commander Duwei, the Platoon Commander Kozuru, and even the company commander treated Walm as an excellent cooking furnace, so he gave up.


    According to the company commander, ¡°It is a proper reuse of the mana used in training¡±.


    But then Platoon Commander Kozuru gave a final blow saying ¡°It is an important task to defeat the enemy¡¯s fighting spirit with the smells.¡±. Walm was convinced that he had an ulterior motive that was to satisfy his soul as a gourmand.


    In addition, the abandoned mine tunnel after being used, had been becoming a gathering place for troops because pests and beasts die at high temperatures, and the area near the entrance was warm and comfortable.


    Not only Walm but also Willart continued to play an active role as a human water dispenser, but Walm was in a bad mood.


    ¡°That said, Walm is enjoying my cooking too, right?¡±


    In addition to transporting food from Myard, the logistics of the Highserk Empire were fully functioning due to the systematic looting of food locally. Still, human greed was horrifying, and any unsatisfactory and dull eating habits were resolved by individual efforts.


    The hungry squad members were transformed into wild bird killers who chased wild birds every day. It was a shock to Walm that Noor had the highest capture rate among them.


    Noor was good at catching prey using traps, stones, and bows. It seems that her grandfather was a hunter, and she often went to the forest with him to earn money.


    Barito, who joined at the same time as her, was desperate to improve his position, but Walm believed it would be a bad match.


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    Walm honestly acknowledged Jose¡¯s argument. Jose broke the steamed bird and handed it to Walm. The steamed and grilled salty chicken had a tender meat quality, and the more you chewed it, the more you could taste. It was delicious. Although it seemed like a side benefit, Walm claimed that it was a necessary calorie intake due to the high consumption of mana.


    ¡°I wonder, will this life be over soon?¡±


    Jose muttered and ate the rest of the meat.


    ¡°What?¡±


    In response to Walm¡¯s question, Jose opened his mouth again after a pause in chewing.


    ¡°It seems that the number of enemy deserters has increased in the last few days. Also, it seems that the number of soldiers who won¡¯t surrender is increasing. I guess the harassment attacks and the smell are really working well.¡±


    The dark-skinned young man laughed and struck his foot.


    ¡°Think about it. The surroundings are surrounded, and attacks and noise continue day and night. In a way, they¡¯re fighting hard while eating preserved food, but on the other hand, we¡¯re eating something that looks delicious.¡±


    Walm imagined. In addition to day and night attacks, the food wouldn¡¯t run out in a short time, but they needed to keep it moderate. The Highserk army, on the other hand, was eating as they liked, spreading a fragrant smell. The morale could be kept high at one point, but if it was prolonged, their wills would be defeated.


    ¡°¡­Right¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why. Let¡¯s enjoy this life while we can.¡±


    Jose¡¯s attitude to enjoy the short holidays was really bold, and Walm secretly thought he would do the same.

 CH 20

    Three days later. A large-scale operation was about to be carried out against the Ferrius army, which continued to lose morale.


    This mine was built like a fort, a defense-in-depth kind of facility. Meanwhile, the Highserk Empire was aiming to seize the southern wall, one of the enemy¡¯s tiger dens.


    As was often the case up to that point, Walm wasn¡¯t convinced of the situation in which he was placed right now.


    ¡°Shit, why do I have to sneak into the fort and set it on fire. I¡¯m not an arsonist.¡±


    It was difficult to overwhelm enemies in a mine which the number of deployments was limited, if they force their way it would only end disastrously. So, a small number of people was ordered to attack at night, and an order was given to Walm to set fire in the walls and confuse them.


    ¡°It¡¯s a great honor to be nominated directly by Commander Liguria, you know.¡±


    The line of the Squad Commander wasn¡¯t sarcasm or ridicule, but that made him look like a nasty person.


    ¡°Rest assured, it seems that someone who can cast wind attribute magic will be attached as the escort.¡±


    It was hard to say that an organization was functioning normally in a strategy that could only rely on individual competence. Walm wanted to develop his theory, but alas, there was no veto right for a single soldier.


    Although a wind-attribute magic user that could help a lot in the actual battles would be put in as the escort, in the end only about 20 people would go in. There would be well over 200 enemy soldiers inside.


    After the turmoil, two company-sized soldiers, including Duwei¡¯s squad, would break through at once, but it was predicted that enemy reinforcements would appear.


    Walm didn¡¯t feel like it at all, but neither time nor his superiors waited for him. Seen off by the squad members and heading to the meeting point. The destination was the tent of the company commander, who usually he didn¡¯t approach. Walm, who exchanged greetings with the escort at the entrance, stepped inside. About 30 soldiers were gathered.


    Even though it was a large tent, it felt quite narrow. It was the first time for Walm to directly participate in the military meeting, as the commander of the Duwei squad usually told him about the strategy and policies.


    The platoon commander of the temporary assault platoon was dispatched from Liguria battalion. Walm could see familiar faces here and there.


    ¡°It seems, you all here¡±


    It was the company commander of Liguria battalion who opened his mouth.


    ¡°The operation is simple. After the wind magic user break through the wall, we will occupy a part of the wall. The target is a corner of the fortified tower on the right.¡±


    The company commander traced the specific location on the map. Walm looked down. The brand-new map contained details about the mine¡¯s defenses. It was a thing that would have been drawn by prisoners of war or scouts.


    ¡°After controlling the ramparts near the fortified tower, burn the guards of the fortified tower with Walm¡¯s ¡¶Demon Fire¡·. Make an entrance around it. Until then, protect the tower at all costs. Walm will use ¡¶Demon Fire¡· to block the entrance. The fire will stop the enemy and make them emerge from the darkness. Don¡¯t burn your allies.¡±


    A dry laugh echoed in the last words of the company commander. Walm also wanted to laugh, but if he laughed, a sword would be on his neck for sure. So, he closed his mouth.


    ¡°If they notice you before the invasion, retreat immediately. We will support the retreat. That¡¯s all. I pray for your great luck in the battle.¡±


    After that, although there were some additional exchanges, the first military meeting was completed in less than 10 minutes.


    Walm, who wrapped a cloth around his armor to prevent sudden noise, crawled on the ground and approached the gate.


    Clothes and armor got dirty with soil and plant sap. The soil stuck to the face, but since it would get dirty before Walm reached the target, he left it alone.


    The light that was illuminating the distant ramparts, that they were slowly approaching. It was a miscellaneous light such as magic stones, light moss, and the light reflected on the black water, but it was a sufficient light source to see what was approaching.


    The distance was more than 100m, but there was a risk that some people might have good sensing skills and night vision.


    Walm was terribly nervous. Even the shadow of the enemy soldier was captured by the eyes, though it was faint. It looked like some were yawning.


    It seemed that the harassment attack for one hour had been conducted before the attack, and the concentration and attention of the guards were disturbed. If not, by now, Walm and the others might have got noticed.


    Walm slowly wiped the dirt on his face with his hands and wore his men-yoroi. The mask trembled as if to rejoice. It seemed to be looking forward to the upcoming battle.


    ¡°Be a good boy. It will start soon.¡±


    Frighteningly, in addition to the fact that it had its own will, it seemed to be quite intelligent. It stopped the vibration in response to Walm¡¯s persuasion.


    Walm minimized the amount of breath, and kept his body on the ground as much as possible.


    A pre-determined signal was given. Walm threw away the disguise so far and accelerated to the wall at once while using wind magic.


    ¡± ¡¶Burst¡· ¡°


    The soldiers who got the acceleration of the wind moved to the wall all at once. A soldier who noticed the noise looked through the wall. There, Walm was already in front of him. His eyes opened wide and his throat moved as if he wanted to scream, but Walm¡¯s longsword cut off his neck was faster.


    ¡°Ene¨D¨D¡±


    The soldier next to him tried to scream in a panic, but he was forcibly silenced by the war hammer of the other Highserk soldier.


    The surprise attack went much better than expected. Walm rushed into the fortified tower, quietly presenting death on a soldier. Immediately after the entrance, there was a waiting room where six soldiers were resting.


    ¡°Enemy¨D¨Diiirggaaaghhhhh!!¡±


    Since they sneaked up to this point, no one needed to play detective anymore. The words that signaled the night attack soon changed to screaming. The room was transformed into a hellish furnace by the ¡¶Demon Fire¡·activated by Walm. Soldiers wrapped in the fire in a small room, while writhing in pain, they tried to extinguish it, but the omnidirectional flames didn¡¯t allow it.


    While avoiding the fire, the Highserk soldiers stabbed the enemy soldiers who were rolling around. The ones the roof was one step late to notice the turmoil.


    Walm ran up the stairs and set fire on the roof of the fortified tower. The fire that had lost its place was pushed out by the wind and spouted from the gap between the battlement and the roof.


    A soldier wrapped in fire crashed to the ground to escape from the fire. The burning ramparts were enough to inform the area of ??the battle.


    ¡°It¡¯s the enemy attack!! Get up, go to your position!!¡±


    ¡°The third fortified tower is on fire. What is that blue flame?¡±


    ¡°Why the stone fortified tower burns!? Is it the black water from Liberitoa?¡±


    Soldiers sprung up from the building inside the fort, like bees coming out from a beehive, making a fuss here and there. Seeing that, Walm admired how packed with soldiers the place was.


    ¡°Walm, they¡¯re coming from below¡±


    One of the soldiers shouted. He was the platoon commander of this special platoon, which was a temporary unit. On the roof of the fortified tower, he shot arrows and fired magic to eliminate the enemy. Walm stopped the skill so as not to involve allies, and slid down the stairs.


    Walm passed by his ally who carried a bow and was running to the roof.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got into position. Do it.¡±


    The platoon commander¡¯s signal came down. The difficult points had been cleared. All they had to do was to keep it up. Inside the fortified tower, Walm used¡¶Demon Fire¡· in the room with two doors leading to the ramparts and the stairs leading downstairs area.


    ¡°Hiiiarrgh¨D!?¡±


    ¡°Go back, go back nooowwww¡±


    The Ferrius soldiers who tried to rush retreated all over. The pitiful one was a soldier who was late to escape. The soldier shouted for a few seconds, but his lungs were burned by lack of oxygen and fire, and he died.


    Walm kept activating ¡¶Demon Fire¡·. It was only a few tens of seconds, but it was a deadly time for the defenders. Oversized signal smoke and bonfire, told the friendly forces the success of the operation.


    The echoes of the voice of the company that would have been waiting in the dark night could be heard. Usually, Walm couldn¡¯t grasp the whole sound because usually, he acted together in the group, but now that he was on the enemy side he understood.


    That the voice and murderous intentions behind it, were higher than any of the enemies he faced here. It was a relief that the person was on his side. The problem was whether the friendly forces would accidentally attack Walm.


    ¡°They won¡¯t attack us by mistake, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Maybe¡±


    Walm called on the soldiers on the roof, but the reply he got was unreliable.


    ¡°Regain the fortified tower before the enemy¡¯s main force arrives!!¡±


    Bellow, the commander of the enemy was angry, but sounded eager to regain control. As for Walm, he wanted the commander and the other enemies to run around below as it was.


    More than 30 seconds had already passed, and it had become difficult to maintain the skill. Walm stopped activating the skill. In addition to the residual heat, the embers were still burning.


    Walm who was breathing heavily, picked up an incredible sound. It was multiple nimble sounds running up the stairs.


    ¡°Enemy soldiers is coming!!¡±


    ¡°Are you joking with me!?¡±


    How happy Walm would be if it was really just a joke. But the reality was the owner of the footsteps that were approaching him, finally showed themselves.


    Three people. Walm grasped that the three had some skill and magic. Probably, one was good at strengthening physical abilities by mana, another one had fire-attribute magic, and the last one had water attribute magic.


    Walm didn¡¯t want to admit it, but perhaps the one with water-attribute magic, protected the other two with water while extinguishing the fire. Perhaps they could run up so fast, because Walm was prioritizing the time over the power.


    ¡°Please support me!!¡±


    ¡°In that fire? Don¡¯t be crazy. I¡¯m about to fall down because my feet are starting to get roasted you know.¡±


    There were no friendly soldiers around Walm to avoid the fire.


    What is the escort for?


    Walm wanted to complain, but it wasn¡¯t the time for that. Enemy soldiers were already trying to break into the room. Slammed the halberd at the leading soldier.


    It was a blow accompanied by¡¶Strike¡·, but it was easily caught by a two-handed sword.


    Walm felt that he had got stronger than before, but the enemies weren¡¯t a joke. The three-on-one was like mining at a minefield as a slave where even one movement failure was unacceptable.


    Once again Walm activated ¡¶Demon Fire¡·.


    Soldiers who were good at strengthening their bodies received ¡¶Strike¡·, but didn¡¯t dare to receive a direct hit of ¡¶Demon Fire¡·. The remaining two didn¡¯t try to catch the ¡¶Strike¡·, but they did catch the ¡¶Demon Fire¡·.


    When Walm repelled the two-handed sword, a longsword and water magic were flooded from the side. Parried the longsword with the hand protector and caught the water magic with ¡¶Demon Fire¡·, and so a lot of mana was consumed in that instant.


    The front was handled by a soldier who was good at strengthening his body, and fire-attribute and water-attribute magic users were dedicated to supporting him.


    If everyone had good sword skills, Walm would have already exposed his skeleton. The magic user was a type that specialized in medium and long distances battle, and so usually not that good at hand-to-hand combat.


    The rest was less than 4 seconds. It was clear that Walm would be killed if he were to fight normally as his mana was almost at the bottom.


    Aimed at soldiers of the same attribute and shot ¡¶Demon Fire¡·. although the soldier had hardened himself with a round shield to prevent the fierce flame, Walm continued to raise the firepower.


    ¡°Uuuhhhhrgg, aaaarrrggghhhh!!¡±


    Walm thought his attack would fail, but in front of the burning firepower of ¡¶Demon Fire¡·, even on the stone floor and ceiling got burned, and it finally shook off the fire resistance of the soldiers, and the fire started to swallow the soldier¡¯s body.


    ¡°Wignaaaa!?¡±


    A soldier shouted out the names of the companion that was being roasted, and slashed Walm to stop the¡¶Demon Fire¡·. The enemy¡¯s cooperation was slightly disturbed there.


    A water-attribute magic user, who used water magic and protected his allies from blue flames, trying to cover the burning soldier with water. He was a person with a good heart, but he wasn¡¯t a good soldier. In fact, what he did just harmed his companion more.


    The soldier who strengthened his body was the closest to the fire, and it seemed his fingers had reached their limit. Contrary to the arm that he swung down vigorously, the two-handed sword flew in the wrong direction.


    The man tried to pick up the two-handed sword again, but the tip of Walm¡¯s halberd catches the man¡¯s heart faster. Only one person remained.


    The moment Walm tried to turn his attention to the last one, a soldier who got his heart pierced, hugged Walm while holding down the halberd.


    ¡°Do iiitttTTT!!!¡±


    The soldier shouted, spitting black blood from his mouth.


    The last one was a soldier with water attributes. The move released wasn¡¯t a supporting move that he had been devoted so far, but a move intending to kill Walm.


    ¡°Bastard, get away from me!¡±


    Walm spat out villainous lines and sent his elbows into the face of the dead soldier with his hand. Still, the restraint was only somewhat relieved.


    The man who screamed approached Walm without stopping. It was received by the hand protector, but it couldn¡¯t kill the momentum of the sword swung down from the top, and pierced deep into the shoulder.


    ¡°It hurts, damn it!!¡±


    The physically strengthened soldier who saw the blow fell to the ground with satisfaction.


    ¡°Die, die, dieeeEEE!!¡±


    The man tried to bite deeper with the sword as it was, but Walm hugged him while hitting him. The sword couldn¡¯t be swung satisfactorily as they were in close contact with each other.


    The sword hit Walm¡¯s hand protector and parts of his body, but avoided the vital spots. They rolled on the ground many times while fighting dirty.


    The bleeding from the shoulders was so severe that Walm¡¯s strength was reduced to some extent. The man leaned forward using his weight to attack Walm.


    The air in the lungs was pushed out, but Walm managed to grab the neck with his arms. It was a chokehold technique that was also called stranglehold or sleeper hold.


    ¡°Guuhhh!? Ughhh gggrhh¡±


    Walm entangled his legs around the waist of a man who kept hitting his abdomen and trying to escape.


    Didn¡¯t know if it was tens of seconds or minutes.


    Finally, Walm managed to twist his neck. Even the man who pierced his heart suppressed Walm with extraordinary power. It wasn¡¯t strange that the soldier didn¡¯t die yet, after all, some people were living a healthy life even if they had a broken neck.


    Fortunately, Walm¡¯s worries were unnecessary, as the man had completely dead.


    ¡°Huh, huff, shit¡±


    Walm adjusted his breath and rolled the corpse to the ground. He almost died. He had no mana or physical strength, and was forced to move while bleeding, so the dizziness in the head was terrible. The whole body was dirty with his own blood and enemies¡¯ blood.


    Warriors and soldiers with abundant mana could create a film-like layer covering their body with mana, some sort of mana barrier, and many of them were berserkers who would fight while suppressing bleeding and exposure of internal organs, but Walm who was out of mana couldn¡¯t do that.


    When suddenly felt a sign behind and looked back, the man was about to swing down the longsword.


    ¡°Wha-!¡±


    The first soldier of the same attribute who Walm burned was still alive. Although the whole body was burned, only the murderous intention hadn¡¯t faded.


    Walm couldn¡¯t even move his arm already. What he could do was to clench his teeth and ready himself for the pain that would come.


    But, Walm was out from the dire situation and heard a voice.


    ¡°Are you still alive?¡±


    The main voice was the platoon commander Walm was interacting with on the stairs. An arrow was deeply stuck in the back of the enemy soldier¡¯s head.


    ¡°Aaah, I¡¯m saved. Please, help me a little, sooner¡­ I¡¯m about to have my skeleton exposed, you know.¡±


    Walm cracked a joke, but the response he got wasn¡¯t what he expected.


    ¡°Human beings aren¡¯t that crazy enough to break into such a fiery flame.¡±


    The soldiers alternated between the dead enemy soldiers and Walm.


    Walm would like to raise a voice of protest, but the bleeding was severe, he just didn¡¯t have that energy.


    ¡°¡­ Well, as expected you¡¯re about to die huh. I¡¯ll lend my shoulders. Get medical treatment above. We¡¯ll do something for the rest few minutes.¡±


    When the soldiers who had been evacuated to the roof of the fortified tower came down one after another, the entrance was solidified. A friendly army had already rushed in front of the wall and was about to jump into the ramparts.


    The first soldier burned by Walm was lying right next to him on the floor. Unlike other soldiers who became human torches, the first soldier had been burned outside and inside.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. Please don¡¯t be so harsh with your roommate.¡±


    The soldiers who were treating Walm made a bad joke. He couldn¡¯t complain. Because Walm was the one who burned the man to death.

 CH 21

    21. Chapter 21 ¨C Four Countries Alliance


    The Highserk Empire was one of the smaller countries founded in an area with countless countries, kings, and lords.


    The first war after the founding of the country was said to have been a defensive war, and when the enemy¡¯s main force was drawn into the Highserk territory, they were destroyed in a war.


    The Highserk Empire, which achieved a complete victory, continued its momentum and annexed the territory of the country which came to attack.


    Power balance was emphasized in areas filled with small countries, and neighboring countries colluded to invade the Highserk Empire, which had emerged and started to disturb the balance, but after decades of long battles, only one stood at the end. The Highserk Empire.


    From the perspective of the surrounding mid-sized countries, it looked like small and unsightly countries were rampaging amongst themselves.


    At first, every country felt that way. The first thing that noticed the incident was the Liberitoa Trade Federation. One of the vassal states was defeated in a battle and came for reinforcements.


    Liberitoa sent 10,000 troops, which could be called an excess. Combined with the number of troops in the vassal state, it was 15,00. As for Highserk, it only had less than half of that. The battlefield was also advantageous to Liberitoa, and everyone ended up with a big win. Or it was how supposed to end. But, the result was a devastating defeat of Liberitoa. The vasaal state also ceded part of its territory to Highserk.


    Liberitoa then changed its mind about Highserk after they tasted the unthinkable strength of soldiers and how accustomed they were to war, and forced to pay a high prize to Highserk. It was a power that no one could believe hidden in such a small country.


    The next thing being noticed was the Kanoa Kingdom. A lord reigning the border area, was disturbed by the expanding Highserk, then clashed with Highserk over control of the river.


    The battle ended in just six days, and the entire territory of the local aristocrats there was lost. The lord and all his family were killed, and the land was taken by Highserk.


    Here, the neighboring countries, Ferrius Kingdom and Craist Kingdom, also witnessed the threat of the Highserk Empire, but since they welcomed the same mid-sized country to be weakened by newcomers, they didn¡¯t want to cooperate or support the Kanoa Kingdom, and stayed on the sidelines.


    After that, in front of Highserk, who had a defense war and reason to attack, Kanoa Kingdom was brought to its end.


    And now, even Myard also succumbed to the Highserk Empire, and the remaining mid-countries in the north became three countries. Now that the territory of the Highserk Empire had become more than a mid-sized country, it was unclear how far the Highserk would grow and expand its territory.


    The territory, which was small like a goblin¡¯s body, was now the prominent one compared to the neighboring countries.


    Moreover, if the Ferrius Kingdom, which was paralyzed on one side, was to fall, the end of the neighboring countries would only be a matter of time. As long the three idle powers didn¡¯t make a move at all, and the calculative Highserk Empire wouldn¡¯t take any action to provoke the three powers.


    The impatience and fear of neighboring countries were about to cause an event that wasn¡¯t possible in peacetime.


    Now, in a room, somewhere in the Craist Kingdom, which faced the territories of both Ferrius Kingdom and Liberitoa Trade Federation, was being guarded by mobilizing all the Knights.


    One of the invited important persons, Hugo Avans, Foreign Minister of the Liberitoa Commercial Federation, sat in a corner of the round table. Forming fire-attribute magic, he ignited a cigarette with one side cut off and purple smoke was spreading o the air.


    One of the guardians of the Craist Kingdom was keeping an eye on Hugo for the fire magic that had been activated. Hugo had been a foreign minister for 10 years, but he hadn¡¯t been on the path of a civil official.


    As an infantryman, he ran around the battlefield and experienced battlefields many times. His head was lonely because his helmet and his scalp were burned on the battlefield.


    Even after becoming old, he could still take on a few infantrymen, but he wasn¡¯t sure if he could take on the escorts of people who hold important positions in other countries.


    ¡°It seems you¡¯re really enthusiastic about your work.¡±


    Hugo, smiling with his burned cheeks, praised the Knight of Craist Kingdom, but the reply he got was blunt.


    ¡°¡­¡­thank you¡±


    Hugo and other members of the Liberitoa Trade Federation Parliament were in a good mood with the addition of the Ferrius Kingdom and the Principality of Myard in the war against the Highserk Empire, but the situation wasn¡¯t good these days.


    The two countries were sad in the fall of the Principality of Myard, and the Ferrius Kingdom was now full of defense.


    It was enough to discourage Hugo, who expected Ferrius to have multiple fronts against Highserk.


    Hugo gazed at the people sitting at the round table.


    In the center was King Chester Craist, from the host country, Craist Kingdom. To the right was King Bariston Ferrius of the Ferrius Kingdom which had been invaded by Highserk recently.


    Balliston¡¯s body, which was leaner than his younger brother, Winston, who was a warrior, was even thinner than when Hugo visited for consultation before.


    His complexion wasn¡¯t good, but his eyes were even sharper than when Chester met before. Such eyes were something Hugo liked.


    ¡°Well now, the Ferrius Kingdom seems to be in trouble. I¡¯ve never thought that Myard would fall, and for your Kingdom to lose the majority of the army¡­ it¡¯s a pity, really, I can¡¯t find any words to say.¡±


    Hugo was the first to open his mouth.


    ¡°¡­Hah, thank you for your thoughtful words. I¡¯ve never thought My kingdom repeating the same mistake as Liberitoa.¡±


    To Hugo¡¯s sarcasm, Balliston pierced his gaze violently and responded.


    ¡°Whew¡­ the same mistake? I don¡¯t remember Liberitoa losing one-third of the land like Ferrius.¡±


    ¡°Stop it there now, you know we didn¡¯t get together to enjoy an elegant conversation.¡±


    The organizer, Chester, gave a warning. Hugo wasn¡¯t really going to instigate each other either. He just did a light talk, an exercise, before getting into the main subject.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Should I leave the greeting around here? By the way ¨D¨D ¡°


    Stopped the words there, Hugo turned his gaze to a corner of the round table.


    ¡°Where did that beautiful lady come from?¡±


    At the end of his sight, a girl was sitting there. There was no doubt that blue blood was flowing in her based on her gestures and behaviors, but Hugo wasn¡¯t informed of the girl. After all, it should be a place for multilateral discussions by the three countries of Liberitoa, Ferrius, and Craist.


    Limited aides were behind the protagonists sitting at the round table. If you could sit here, that meant you had a national-class influence that could influence the future of the country. Frankly, Hugo thought that the lady, was out of place.


    ¡°Myard¡±


    It was Balliston who answered. The girl continued his words.


    ¡°My name is Rita Myard. I am participating, as a representative of Myard.¡±


    Hugo instantly turned the gears in his head. He had no direct acquaintance with the girl, but he knew her existence.


    ¡°I see, you¡¯re the only daughter of Youth-dono, right? To think that you had escaped, what a surprise¡­ But it¡¯s strange for you to be the representative of Myard, which was destroyed recently.¡±


    Without being shaken by Hugo¡¯s words, Rita replied.


    ¡°Because there were knights that I could rely on¡­ Sure, Myard lost more than half of its territory, but Celta still remains.¡±


    After thinking a bit, Hugo clapped his hands.


    ¡°Celta¡­ Oh, sure the fishery resources and waterways there would have been economically important, but now its only function is as a base for fighting the dragon in the lake. Only a handful of healthy navy and escaped soldiers, plus there is the lake dragon, won¡¯t even have enough taste. I¡¯m sure, Highserk will leave it alone.¡±


    For Hugo, the huge Lake Celta and the surrounding rivers were areas that had to be suppressed in terms of resources and economy, so a lord of that area, would have more disadvantages than profits.


    In addition, the Navy was proud of its outstanding skill because it had been holding down the lake for many years even though they were weak in the land battle. Hugo was disappointed, but he understood that Highserk wasn¡¯t a foolish country to casually reach out there just to suffer a lot of damages.


    ¡°Yes, until a while ago, it was as Hugo-sama said, but now the Lake Dragon has been subdued.¡±


    Hugo¡¯s face was distorted for the first time since the meeting began.


    ¡°It, has been subdued?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ it has been subdued.¡±


    Although it was a dragon subspecies, it was a powerful monster that belonged to the highest rank among monsters. The giant jaw gate shatters even ogres and trolls. When the former lake dragon attacked the floating city of Liberitoa, it was subdued at the expense of a garrison of two and a half companies.


    A battle with such a large sacrifice, would have been heard by Hugo from merchants and spies.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s good news. I¡¯m sure the brave soldiers of your country had a hard time.¡±


    ¡°Fortunately, not even 1 person died.¡±


    It was Chester who jumped in the conversation regarding the lake.


    ¡°No one? Against the Lake Dragon?¡±


    Hugo distorted his lips as he couldn¡¯t believe it.


    ¡°Thanks to the Navy of Myard, the Knights of Craist Kingdom, and visitors from ¡°another world¡±. I wouldn¡¯t say one worth a thousand, but for sure one worth a hundred or two hundred soldiers.¡±


    Chester clapped his hand and one of the young men who was refraining himself, came forward from the wall.


    ¡°He¡¯s one of the visitors of another world¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you¡­ I¡¯m Asama¡­ Yuuto Asama.¡±


    It was a young man with black hair and black eyes who introduced himself. He was still young, and maybe he wasn¡¯t used to such a situation, his movements were stiff. Without the information of a visitor from another world that he just received from Chester, Hugo wouldn¡¯t believe that he was among the person who defeated the Lake Dragon.


    ¡°Hoo, to subdue the lake dragon at that age, I¡¯m impressed. The name of people from another world is really exotic. If this was a different place, I would like to hear the brave story about how the lake dragon was defeated. ¡°


    Hugo wanted to figure out what magic and skills the young man had and how he would fight, but Hugo understood that the people sitting at the round table weren¡¯t stupid enough to expose their cards to that extent.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing special, because I just fought according to the instructions of the Knights of Craist Kingdom.¡±


    Hugo understood Chester¡¯s aim, which was the showcase of Rita and Balliston, and the appearance of visitors from another world.


    ¡°Even though Rita-dono and Yuuto-dono are young, both are really excellent.¡±


    Hugo said half compliment and half-serious. The Craist Kingdom was a country that had a land that could easily connect to another world, and had developed the country in both literary and military arts by the guidance of visitors from another world. Such a talk like human resources falling from heaven, He wanted it to be just a fairy tale.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get back to the main subject¡±


    Chester said with satisfaction. Discussions between the three countries had been completed. So, Hugo was convinced.


    The suzerain and former vassal states, profit-sharing rights of the lake, military balance, and Hugo would examine those resources that were used in the bargaining.


    ¡°So, straightforwardly. Ferrius wants a strong alliance. It¡¯s an alliance with a focus on both military and economic affairs with Lake Celta as the economic zone.¡±


    Balliston suddenly set up Hugo.


    For Hugo, diplomacy was no different than war. Rather, he strongly believed that war was part of diplomacy.


    Hugo was annoyed that even though he had a foothold in his position before the verbal war, he couldn¡¯t say that it wasn¡¯t a fascinating proposal.


    ¡°That¡¯s really straightforward.¡±


    Once an alliance was formed, a full-scale war with the Highserk Empire would be inevitable. Still, this proposal could never be held too long for the future of the Liberitoa Trade Federation. As the showdown with the ever-expanding Highserk Empire would eventually come.


    As many concessions as possible¨D¨D with such resolve, the gears in Hugo¡¯s head were turning at high speed. He didn¡¯t notice himself, but Hugo felt happier than when he was having a silly conversation.


    ¡°Continue the talk, because it¡¯s an important story of the glory and decline of each country.¡±


    Even though Hugo had a twitch from his burned skin when he smiled, right now, he didn¡¯t even feel any pain at all.

 CH 22

    22. Chapter 22


    After the battle in one of the tiger dens, Walm left the frontline and spent three weeks in the requisitioned church at the foot of the mountain until the wound on his shoulder healed. Even the radical Highserk Empire army wouldn¡¯t harm the humans of the church.


    The wound on the shoulder reached deep into the bone and the clavicle was broken. Walm had the surface and bones connected by recovery magic, but he had to rest for a while, and that was why he could live a life free of war for a while.


    The Ferrius soldiers standing in the mine were cut off at the outer edge and slowly self-destructed.


    The Ferrius soldiers could endure if only looking at the number of troops, but in addition to the endless battle, once the gate was shaken, they finally fell to the army of Highserk.


    A messenger was sent and told the Ferrius soldiers that the Highserk army would kill all the soldiers and civilians inside if they didn¡¯t surrender immediately. The Ferrius soldiers who gave in to the ultimatum went out from the mine one after another.


    Everyone wasn¡¯t thin, but they all had dark circles under their eyes and had a bad complexion. Some had their whole body quivering and others continued to talk to themselves endlessly like a mentally ill person.


    There was no entertainment in the city, and Walm continued to watch prisoners of war, soldiers, and other passers-by until his wounds healed, but that was the end of the day.


    ¡°You look well¡±


    It was Jose who greeted Walm who had finally returned to the squad.


    ¡°Recovery magic is amazing. The wounds that would take several months to heal could be healed in a week.¡±


    Walm moved his shoulders to brag about the connected collarbones.


    ¡°Oh, welcome back. You¡¯re finally back.¡±


    The owner of the voice was Noor. Her armor was scratched and she looked more confident than before.


    ¡°It¡¯s been hard since then. Some of the layers were brought to our control, and the squads were going in deeper, but Barito¡­¡±


    Noor cut her words and turned her gaze to one of the shades of the tree. Walm caught it and turned his gaze, and there, was Barito, but the height of the splendid cockscomb hair was halved.


    ¡°Hahaha, what happened to the cockscomb? Did you change your hairstyle!!?¡±


    Barito told me to protest.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t change it. It was because of the enemy magic-user!!¡±


    ¡°The guy aimed at the Barito when he was running up the slope, but his swaying cockscomb probably distracted him and the fire lance he shot missed his body. So, yeah, the body was safe. But the hair got roasted¡­.¡±


    Perhaps Jose remembered the scene, he laughed at the end.


    ¡°Well, at least the cockscomb wasn¡¯t just a burden. Anyway, everyone seems safe, but what happened to Commander Duwei?¡±


    Willart was sitting a little further away, but Walm couldn¡¯t see Squad Commander Duwei.


    ¡°He was urgently called by Commander Kozuru.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve cleaned up here too, and are we finally invading the inner area?¡±


    At first, the Highserk army was devoted to reducing the national power of Ferrius, but the enemy might have been exhausted more than expected. Perhaps the war would end early. Walm expected it.


    There was optimistic air in the Liguria battalion as they had brought the mine to fall.


    ¡ô


    ¡°But, they ain¡¯t fun at all.¡±


    In the stalemate, a soldier belonging to the Sarria Battalion of Highserk army, muttered so. It was at the edge of the village where Ferrius soldiers and villagers resisted the occupation of the village.


    On the other hand, the corpses of Highserk soldiers were extremely small.


    The prisoners of wars, who were beaten to the point where they couldn¡¯t keep their faces, were occasionally stabbed in the flanks and forced to continue working without rest.


    ¡°Because decent soldiers were dead in the battle with Myard. The remaining good soldiers must be in the major cities and the border with the other country.¡±


    Soldiers entered the Ferrius Kingdom, and the Sarria battalion experienced five battles, large and small, but it was a series of victories, and it was said that the death toll in the entire battalion didn¡¯t reach 100.


    Now the battalion was split into company units, systematically plundering the surrounding villages and shaving off Ferrius¡¯ national power. Naturally, the order was accepted by the Sarria soldiers.


    ¡°Not bad, we can take as many as we want here. I couldn¡¯t get anything or even a woman in Myard. Now, in Ferrius, it¡¯s a free loot and woman to taste.¡±


    The man said, stroking the surface of the plundered ring. Since the soldiers flooded into Ferrius, the food diet of Sarria soldiers had become better, and many soldiers were now wearing luxury goods, which were unsuited for them.


    ¡°By the way, the guys who couldn¡¯t hold their urges in Myard were whipped up. They¡¯re really stupid guys.¡±


    The soldier said so with a nasty smile.


    ¡°But I wonder if the women in here are eating good food, I mean, they are all comfortable to hold.¡±


    In Myard and Highserk, there were many thin women, even the skin and hair were rough. The women that the soldiers got at Ferrius were way better than them.


    ¡°Right. It makes you want to do more. Too bad, if you do too much, it¡¯ll hurt you instead.¡±


    The man rubbed his pubic area when he proclaimed. Then his friend cursed him all at once.


    ¡°Yours is too weak. Look at mine.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Where? It¡¯s too small.¡±


    ¡°Put that dirty thing back in, now.¡±


    Said a soldier who was a little off of the conversation.


    ¡°It¡¯s about time we move on to the next village, because we¡¯ve stolen all we can.¡±


    ¡°I was wondering what would happen when Kanoa was destroyed, but a winning battle was sure great. I¡¯m glad I joined the Highserk army.¡±


    The soldier was taken prisoner of the Highserk Empire during the Kanoa campaign, but was released after four months of manual labor without being killed and joined the Highserk army.


    The soldiers around him have similar circumstances. The soldiers, who knew only the losing battle, were intoxicated with the victorious liquor for the first time.


    The soldier continued to chat, but was forcibly silenced. When a dazzling flash ran, a big explosion occurred in a corner of the village.


    The dust cleared up in the collapsed lookout and the storage shed where the soldiers were staying.


    ¡°What is it? What is that light!?¡±


    ¡°The turret and the Tarus¡¯s squad have blown away.¡±


    No matter how relaxed they were, the soldiers fighting on the front line responded quickly. Wore reasonably high-defense armor and explored the true nature of the explosion.


    ¡°It¡¯s an attack!! There are magic users who use large-scale magic.¡±


    A voice informing the situation echoed from a corner of the village.


    ¡°Tch, they¡¯re already in the village¨D¨D¡±


    The soldiers who were chatting while doing their job also caught the enemy¡¯s shadow.


    ¡°Did a decent soldier remain?¡±


    From the hazy shadows, the soldiers realized that the enemy¡¯s equipment was of good quality. Wearing armor from the feet to head, they felt like a well-trained regular soldier, not a bunch of crude militias that were called by the country in an emergency.


    ¡°Watch out for friendly fire.¡±


    ¡°What are these guys? They look different from the soldiers up until now?¡±


    The soldiers who entered the battle earlier had already sunk to the ground. Although it was the first move, it was an unusual situation for the Highserk soldiers, who had many experienced soldiers.


    ¡°Damn, Tarkin¡¯s squad was eaten.¡±


    ¡°These guys¨D¨Dain¡¯t Ferius soldiers, but Craist soldiers.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? It¡¯s too one-sided even if they¡¯re from Craist.¡±


    Craist was one of the mid-sized countries far away from Highserk. Highserk soldiers never faced Craist soldiers in the border battle, so they were unknown opponents, who might have no battle experience. But the Highserk soldiers kept spouting curses while being buried one after another.


    ¡°Don¡¯t joke with me. It¡¯s the Order of Rehazen of Craist. They¡¯ve joined hands.¡±


    There were two armies in Craist. An army consisted of people who were half-farmers and half-soldiers. And the knights who have been in military service for generations. Even now, the existence of what was called a knight still existed around Highserk, but the Knights of Craist Kingdom were by far the most powerful and feared by neighboring countries.


    ¡°Even though I¡¯ve defeated one knight, more than 10 people have been killed.¡±


    A slashing soldier was chopped his upper body with a shield, and another soldier was slashed with a war hammer.


    ¡°The physical ability and the amount of mana are too different. Besides, I¡¯m afraid they have skills.¡±


    When it came to the Knights, no matter how strong Highserk soldiers were, if they were to fight head-on with the same number, the soldiers would be inferior. Moreover, in addition to the surprise attack, the formation and the chain of command were disrupted by a series of large-scale magic.


    ¡°Abandon the village. Give up except for the luggage you can carry.¡±


    The veteran Platoon Commander decided to retreat at his own discretion. He wasn¡¯t instructed by the company commander, and he decided that they had been defeated after seeing the first strike.


    ¡°Damn it, even though I¡¯ve collected it with trouble.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s better than dying. It¡¯s better to have Jaff Cavalry Battalion or Liguria Battalion to take on them.¡±


    The two units mentioned were the ones with the best combat power in the Highserk army. In the battle against Myard, two units defeated Winston Myard and decided on the victory.


    The platoon, with its direction, flooded into a corner of the siege to break the siege. The number of knights wasn¡¯t large, and except for the knights, they weren¡¯t so different from the regular soldiers of Ferrius.


    The Highserk soldier, who stabbed two Craist soldiers with a spear, was convinced that they could escape the siege.


    There, a man blocked them.


    ¡°Resistance is useless. Surrender now.¡±


    ¡°Move from there, brat¡±


    The opponent was a soldier with black hair and black eyes that still had its vigor. He felt like someone who had never gone to any battle, and the armor with flashy decorations felt odd. With the threats, the soldier thrust his spear at the enemy soldier¡¯s throat.


    ¡°Wait, that guy is¨D¨D ¡°


    A fellow Highserk soldier who saw the mana that increased to the point it could be seen by eyes, tried to stop the man.


    Light shone from the sword that was swung down.


    ¡°Wha, is this light!!¡±


    When the soldier¡¯s field of vision was shrouded in light, he was swallowed by the explosion, and his consciousness was momentarily cut, but it never returned.


    In the Sarria battalion, three companies that had been separated to secure provisions were annihilated, and 700 soldiers didn¡¯t return to the meeting point. It was great damage to Highserk Army.

 CH 23

    Asama Yuuto was looking down at the scars on the earth he had carved. The battle wasn¡¯t his first time. Still, when he killed a person, he was inevitably sentimental.


    It was half a year ago that Yuuto came to this world. When he was leaving school with his two childhood friends, the destination where he was invited by a black cat was, an old shrine.


    There were no figures, and the black cats were lost. Yuuto and his friends tried to go home, but suddenly they were drawn into the black whirlpool that suddenly appeared.


    When Yuuto woke up, the shrine wasn¡¯t there, instead, it was an old stone ruin.


    Surrounded by anachronistic humans as they exited the entrance, it was Johanna, a female knight who claimed to be a knight who belonged in Order of Reharzen, who gave a tenacious and persistent explanation to Yuuto, who was extremely confused.


    The four-hour conversation and the demonstration of ¡¶Magic¡· and ¡¶Skill¡· provided sufficient evidence to believe that it was a different world.


    Under Johanna, who had taken such a troublesome role, Yuuto and his friends, who had been trained in knowledge and skills every day, had come to be called ¡°The Three Heroes¡± in a different world, and each of them would be active inside and outside the country.


    Among them, Yuuto manifested ¡¶Magic¡· and ¡¶Skill¡· specialized in battle. Originally, Yuto, who had high athletic ability to be selected as a representative in a sports tournament, was engaged in fighting as if to forget his previous world.


    In the Craist Kingdom, which had a powerful demon territory nearby, demons were both a hateful opponent, but also a resource.


    The defeated monsters would be processed and turned into daily necessities and armor. Yuuto still could vividly remember the day he ate the orcs he killed.


    Still, Yuuto couldn¡¯t get used to killing humans. The first time he pointed his sword at people was in the villages nearby the demon territory, where soldiers from the fallen Kanoa Kingdom became bandits, rampaging there.


    Yuuto wasn¡¯t a person with a sense of justice, but he possessed the morals and conscience of a modern human being. To tell the truth, he was reluctant to kill humans.


    The subjugation team drove the bandits to the hideout, but the rush was expected to cost a lot. Yuuto¡¯s hands were trembling, but he then clenched his fist, trying to hold his emotion, and went to the offensive.


    The result was terrible. Yuuto fired in the skill ¡¶Holy Slash¡·. The hideout barrier was blown away with a single blow, and more than a dozen bandits died instantly. The rest were also subdued by the knights. Yuuto himself fought with the hiding bandit and stabbed his chest with a sword.


    The sensation he felt on his hands remained for months, and he couldn¡¯t even eat properly for several days. Yuuto, was after all only a high school student, so he was under an unbearable mental burden.


    Even so, it was largely due to the existence of the knights and his childhood friends who were transported to this world together with him.


    Yuuto finally returned from the sea of ??thought to reality.


    ¡°¡­ How many people died?¡±


    Yuuto¡¯s ¡¶Holy Slash¡·would have destroyed the building packed by the enemy company commander, killing forty or fifty people, including the Highserk soldiers who were about to leave.


    Although his comrades and the liberated villagers thanked him, Yuuto¡¯s heart hadn¡¯t brightened up.


    ¡°Yuuto, what are you worried about?¡±


    It was Izaki Makoto, the same transferee, who called out to Yuuto.


    ¡°Makoto huh¡­¡±


    ¡°Sorry that it¡¯s me. Ayane is treating the injured.¡±


    Ayane treating the injured Illustration


    Makoto who laughed off hit Yuuto¡¯s waist. Makoto also participated in the battle and killed enemy soldiers with range magic.


    ¡°You¡¯ve worried about it more than enough. I know it¡¯s hard to change your mindset, but we have no choice but to live here.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we can¡¯t go back anymore.¡±


    There was two meaning behind Yuuto¡¯s words. One was that they couldn¡¯t go back to the original world, and the other was, they couldn¡¯t go back to a life without killing other humans.


    Yuuto and the others were blessed with both the environment and the guardian. In addition to being taken care of until they adapt, they lived a life that could be called the ¡°upper class¡± in this world. In this world, they had seen many times that the powerless were brutally overrun.


    If the invasive Highserk Empire was left unattended, the Craist Kingdom would eventually become a vassal state or at worst, be destroyed, like the Principality of Myard and the Kanoa Kingdom, so Yuuto decided for himself.


    That he would protect the country, the place where he and his friends had been taken care of. There was no way for them to escape the battle anymore.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. There are Johanna and us, so let¡¯s do our best.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll definitely survive in this world.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ Ah, right. you haven¡¯t eaten yet, right? Let¡¯s eat. I have dried orc meat and bean soup. And marinated fighting swordfish.¡±


    ¡°Orc again, well, even though it looks like ¡°that¡±, but the taste is quite addictive, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Let¡¯s invite Ayane to eat together.¡±


    Taken by Makoto, Yuuto disappeared into the tent. He came to this world and he lost immeasurable things, but he still gained something. Yuuto managed to switch his mind and focus his consciousness on the food.


    TN : I¡¯ll keep the Japanese person name, as (the surname comes before the given name), in the narration.


    Also, here, the image of the character design of Izaki Makoto and Ayane

 CH 24

    ¡°Retreat support!? What a joke.¡±


    Jose was surprised at the unexpected words given by Squad Commander Duwei.


    ¡°I was skeptical of my ears and asked the platoon commander for more details, and I was even more surprised. The Ferrius Kingdom, the Craist Kingdom, the Liberitoa Trade Federation, and the remnants of the Principality of Myard have joined hands.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Is that mean, an alliance of four countries?¡±


    Noor asked with a dumb look. After all, the four neighboring countries weren¡¯t on good terms and should have been in tension against each other. And now, suddenly, it became they became good friends. It was difficult for Walm not to be surprised too.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. The onslaught destroyed a portion of the Sarria battalion, and the other battalions are retreating while engaging.¡±


    ¡°How many troops are there?¡±


    ¡°As a mere infantry, I would like to say, you don¡¯t need to care about it, but well, the general army seems to exceed 60,000.¡±


    ¡°6-60,000?¡±


    Barito¡¯s mouth remained open and didn¡¯t close. The total number of soldiers in the Ferius front was only 16,000. Even with the reinforcements from the Myard front and the from the capital, it would be good if 23,000 to 24,000 people could be gathered.


    ¡°We will gradually withdraw as we keep the defense. The real battlefield will be around the Sarajevo fortress on the border of Myrad. We may lack troops so the fortress won¡¯t be able to functions properly, but as long as we have the plundered supplies and troops. Even if we don¡¯t win, we may not lose either. ¡°


    ¡°Are we going to let go of the mine?¡±


    Noor asked if the mine they took the other would be a waste. Walm agreed. It sounded like a joke that he paid for it with blood and flesh, but in the end, the mine he had painstakingly taken over, must be returned to the enemies.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. Can you deal with 60,000 soldiers in the field? Well, I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be returned for free.¡±


    With that roaring sound, the mine rumbled and some dust rose to the air, as if it knew what would the soldiers do.


    ¡°Oh, we¡¯re going to drop the roof.¡±


    Jose clapped his hand as if he was convinced.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. We¡¯ll let the prisoners carry the supplies and goods here. At first, there was a plan to kill them all, but it seems they¡¯ll be moved in one of the old castles in Myard and used as a serf.¡±


    Walm didn¡¯t want to kill all the non-resisting POWs. So, he was relieved with the decision.


    ¡°That¡¯s all. The Liguria battalion will be the support of the retreating allies in the mine. It¡¯s better than usual because it¡¯s a defensive battle, but if you relax too much, you¡¯ll be left behind by our allies. Don¡¯t forget that.¡±


    ¡ô


    Four days after the military meeting, the Four-Countries Alliance was finally about to rush to the mine defended by Walm. The enemy¡¯s main force was the familiar Liberitoa Trade Federation.


    ¡°Jose, don¡¯t let the ladder hang!¡±


    Jose, who was on Walm¡¯s right hand, grabbed the tip of the ladder and pulled it down. The Liberitoa soldier, who had climbed halfway, fell to the ground while fluttering his limbs in the air.


    Walm dropped a rock the same size as a human torso at the soldier directly below. Rocks that fall while crushing part of the ladder reduced the fighting ability of some soldiers.


    ¡°Throw more, there¡¯s plenty of it.¡±


    The stones with the minerals carried out from the mine turned into excellent throwing weapons.


    The Liberitoa army commander who was well-dressed in good armor was a good target for throwing. Only the head was protected with a shield, but due to countless throws, the surface became uneven and his movement became dull.


    When the stone thrown by Squad Commander Duwei hit there, the commander of the Liberitoa army fell to the ground.


    The other enemies weren¡¯t silent either. The Highserk soldiers were hurt by the arrows that jumped in intermittently.


    ¡°It¡¯s a fireball!!¡±


    Immediately after someone shouted, a flame danced in the wall passage and a soldier collapsed without screaming.


    ¡°Too late. His face got burned.¡±


    The soldiers gave up their compatriots and began shooting arrows at the enemies below.


    ¡°Walm, the enemy is gaining momentum on the left. Go and give a greeting.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t the Squad Commander Duwei but the fat Platoon Commander Kozuru who gave the order.


    Walm ran through the wall passages where the Duwei¡¯s squad was, and arrived at where the next squad was. Certainly, the enemy was moving violently, and countless soldiers were rushing under the wall passage.


    ¡°I¡¯ll use it.¡±


    When Walm gave a warning, the surrounding soldiers rolled away to keep a distance.


    ¡°Evacuate!! Or you¡¯ll get involved!!¡±


    Never did Walm ever think that he would be treated like an uncontrollable weapon, but he didn¡¯t care and activated ¡¶Demon Fire¡·.


    The mask quivered to rejoice. Meanwhile, a Liberitoa soldier screamed when he noticed Walm leaning forward.


    ¡°I-it¡¯s the user of ¡¶Demon Fire¡·eeeeecckk!!!!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let him use it, kill him!!¡±


    There was a soldier holding a bow targeting Walm, but it was a step late. As the hot air ran around, it also scattered a fierce flame.


    ¡°Gyaa,aaaaAAA!!!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s, hot, Shiiiit! It won¡¯t disappear!!¡±


    ¡°Retreat, retreaaaat!!¡±


    After seeing more than 30 people wrapped in fire, the Liberitoa soldiers retreated. Those who were drunk by the fire and those who were distant and had some resistance managed to extinguish the fire and escape.


    In the end, about 20 people were killed by ¡¶Demon Fire¡·.


    A blue fire illuminated the battlefield with corpses. A strange odor that burned a human pierced the nasal cavity. It was the smell that Walm had become accustomed to sniffing.


    About twice as many people would have injured trachea or skin by now. Although releasing at maximum firepower would have doubled the damage, Walm was told by Platoon Commander Kozuru to maintain his mana and increase the number of injured enemies.


    ¡°No matter how many times I see it, it¡¯s terrible.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad he is on our side. Thanks.¡±


    The evacuated friendly soldiers hit Walm¡¯s shoulder one after another.


    ¡°Prioritize stone replenishment and treatment of the injured now. The enemy is afraid of the¡¶Fire of Hell Gate¡·, since it even burned their commander.¡±


    Walm returned to the place where Duwei¡¯s squad was in charge. In addition to the devastation of the left-wing, the heavily damaged soldiers of Liberitoa Trade Federation seemed to retreat, preparing a new formation.


    TN: In the raw, it¡¯s ¡¶Ú¤¸®¤ÎÕT¤¤»ð¡·, which literally mean, Fire that invites you to the netherworld/hell. But, well, I think ¡¶Fire of Hell Gate¡·is good, I couldn¡¯t come up with a better name.

 CH 25

    25. Chapter 25


    The Four-Countries Alliance, which continued to make good progress due to the overwhelming force difference, began to show a decline on their momentums.


    The Jaff Cavalry Battalion belonging to the Highserk Empire army was in a maneuver battle against the main force of the Craist Kingdom. Relentlessly attacked the side, rear, and protruding troops. Although Craist had more troops, they were having a hard time, since the cavalry was moving at high speed so it wasn¡¯t easy to catch them.


    The cavalry¡¯s pursuit by the Order of Reharzen had some results, but sometimes the knights were invited to the pursuit, and sometimes they suffered painful damage due to the fishing tactic. If Craist soldiers were moving forward without following the instruction of soldiers of Ferrius and Myard, who were familiar with the local geography, they wouldn¡¯t be able to keep their marching speed.


    In addition, thorough destruction of highways and bridges, intentional landslides by earth-attribute magic were carried out on mountain passes and roads, such tactics to delay their movement was being carried out.


    The progress of the soldiers of Liberitoa Trade Federation was also completely stopped at the Refn mine. The Liberitoa Trade Federation, which sent 7,000 soldiers to push against a battalion of enemies, suffered far more damage than expected.


    With 1200 dead and 2000 injured, the enemies were still holding the mine and still alive. The fire by a small number of people at night was also serious, and the soldiers of the Liberitoa Trade Federation were starting to develop a fear of fire.


    Emrid, who belonged to the infantry unit of the Liberitoa Trade Federation, his lips and throat were dry due to tension. Emrid was a company commander with 250 troops from his homeland, and the information he had was abundant compared to mere infantry.


    He hadn¡¯t given exact numbers of causalities to the others to prevent demoralization, but a whole company had already been sacrificed in a defense facility with walls and fortified towers that Emrid¡¯s Company was trying to capture. His predecessor company commander was seriously injured and was carried to the back.


    In addition to the Highserk army, the mountainous terrain was certainly a challenge, but what Emrid most worried about was a soldier who manipulated a fire called, ¡¶Fire of Hell Gate¡·.


    No one knew his name, but he was for sure a user of skill ¡¶Demon Fire¡·, which was said to have atrocious power and cause widespread damage. He manipulated the clingy blue fire and strong winds, causing fatal damage to the area with packed troops.


    In fact, the platoon that was on the offensive suffered 21 deaths and 14 serious and minor injuries in a single battle, and was now thinking about reorganization. Among the corpses was the Platoon Commander. As a Platoon Commander, he should be good at manipulating mana and should be able to withstand a little high temperature than other ordinary foot soldiers, but the reality was that he had been turned into a dying bonfire that illuminated the battlefield.


    Since then, considering what had happened, they abandoned the thought of pushing the attack and changed the attack method to slowly strangling and killing. Emrid took the lead and dug a trench in a winding manner.


    That way, they steadily approached the wall, and finally, Emrid¡¯s Company was in time for a mass assault.


    In front of the total attack, the soldiers sprinkle water on their bodies as a measure against ¡¶Demon Fire¡·. Some even smeared mud all over their bodies.


    No one laughed at the soldiers in mud, who had started to look like crazy people, as they saw their colleagues get burned to death, instead, more and more smeared their bodies with mud as well. To tell the truth, Emrid himself wanted to get rid of the mud, but as the commander, it was important for him to be an example of his comrades.


    ¡°Begin the attack!!¡±


    The short orders propagated in a blink of an eye, the entire company flooding toward the walls.


    Throwing was started at the soldiers overflowing from the trench. Slightly later, an ice lance and lump of earth, knocked down the soldiers.


    Still, only a few soldiers fell. The soldiers had already reached the bottom of the wall and hung a ladder. The fierce resistance by the Highserk so far was like a lie.


    Emrid thought that he might be able to attack and take the mine today, but he felt like his skin was tingling and hurriedly turned to a corner of the ramparts.


    At the place where the soldiers were trying to enter, the hot air spread around, and just like that, a blue flame blew out.


    ¡°Re-retreat!!¡±


    Those who climbed the ladder quickly rolled down, and hid behind a shield or trench.


    ¡°Stop the attack, go back to the trench!!¡±


    Some who were climbing the ramparts literally chose to jump down, and escaped instant death, but four or five soldiers were still prey to the flames.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move! Throw the soil quickly!!¡±


    ¡°That Demon Fire user bastard, Damn you!¡±


    The curse of a soldier who literally had a fire in his ass didn¡¯t stop. Even so, the response was quicker than it was initially, and the damage was kept to a minimum.


    Emrid jumped off the ladder, held the edge of the armor of a soldier with broken legs, dragged him with all his strength, and slid into the trench.


    ¡°Don¡¯t he care about his surroundings!!?¡±


    Until now, ¡¶Demon Fire¡·had been aimed at the soldiers under the wall, but just now, the man even burned the ramparts he needed to protect.


    The total attack was temporarily suspended as the fire was rising one after another in the ramparts.


    There, Emrid felt uncomfortable. After all, it was too daring. Emrid, who had crawled around, noticed the true nature of the discomfort.


    ¡°¡­ F*cking bastard, we¡¯ll go back to the wall now. Moveee!!¡±


    In the water, Emrid grabbed the unburned ladder and ran alone into the wall.


    ¡°Commander Emrid!?¡±


    The voices of his subordinates confirming his intentions echoed, but they immediately followed their superior.


    Emrid was ready and climbed the ladder at a high speed. There was still suffocating steam in the ramparts, but there was no figure.


    ¡°Those bastards, were slowly retreating their soldiers. They purposely burned everywhere as they retreat.¡±


    Emrid kicked up a helmet that had been abandoned on the ground. Still, there was only a commander who commanded the company at a young age, and he gave orders to his subordinates one after another.


    ¡°The first platoon shall extinguish the fire, the second and third platoons shall be on the lookout. Do not raise the injured to the wall passage. There is a risk of counterattack. The fourth platoon and the rest shall send some scouts to patrol the area, I want to know what¡¯s in front.¡±


    The orders given were transmitted top-down, and the soldiers concentrated on their work. Albeit the delay, one of the key points had fallen. Still, Emrid wasn¡¯t feeling well.


    The scouts returned in about 30 minutes, and Emrid¡¯s face, which received the report, became bitter as if he had eaten a worm.


    ¡°The enemy built an encampment not far. It was a complex one that combined trench and a quite deep empty moat.¡±


    Emrid looked up at the sky, thinking about what he was afraid of. After the enemy used the wall as much as possible, they simply abandoned it and built an encampment in the back. While he was focusing on how to deal with the ¡¶Demon Fire¡· and other magic attacks the enemies were retreating their soldiers one after another.


    Entrapped in deception, Emrid cursed his stupidity and was overwhelmed by the dexterity of the Highserk army. He couldn¡¯t even say or express it.


    He could only think that this was why a war against Highserk Empire wasn¡¯t worth it.


    Unlike the areas in Craist and Ferrius, it was a land that couldn¡¯t be detoured, so they must cross the mine. Considering the damage and effort in the future, Emrid got even dizzy.


    Emrid spun words to tell his subordinates and himself.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be upset. After all, it¡¯s a temporary encampment. The time for it is limited. It doesn¡¯t have the height and robustness of a castle wall.¡±


    ¡¶Demon Fire¡· was used over a wide area of ??the wall. Considering the amount of mana consumed, it could only be used for a very limited time. It could be said that now would be the best time to attack.


    Another company was waiting behind, but due to the development in the mine, instead of Emrid¡¯s Company, which painstakingly dropped the ramparts, the other company would be the one to lead the attack, and they should be able to bring down the temporary encampment.


    The problem was that although there were differences in the quality of the defense, there might be multiple temporary encampments. Emrid sympathized with the company in charge of the attack. Perhaps, more people wouldn¡¯t be able to get the roasted meat through their throat for a while.

 CH 26

    26. Chapter 26


    ¡°Destroy it!! Stack it up!! You can¡¯t bring it anyway.¡±


    Walm smashed the bag of stone he was carrying on his back to the ground.


    The squad leader was dismantling a wheelbarrow carrying out the ores. In addition, repair materials for tunnels and buildings for miners would be demolished and piled up on the road.


    Other squad members dug up the ground with a pickaxe and poured water into it from the waterway for the ores, making the ground become like mud.


    Due to repeated battles and sabotage, the soldiers, including Walm, were dirty, as bodily waste, sweat, and dust were all over their bodies.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let the pillars lie down, bury half and stand them up. That alone will be an obstacle.¡±


    Until two days ago, Duwei¡¯s squad continued to maintain a temporary defensive position with scrap material and equipment, but the onslaught from a larger force than them continued, and finally reached their limit.


    The battalion was trying to earn time for the last time by artificially breaking the road along the mountain road while retreating. They kept doing that again and again in a hurry.


    The Liberitoa Trade Federation army, which would still have a magic-user with earth magic, for sure would repair the route in a short period of time and try to re-advance.


    Injured and supplies were preferentially collected at the rear meeting point. The former Myard border area, which was covered on one side with a powerful demon territory, functioned as a bottleneck and served as a defensive area.


    Walm didn¡¯t stop working even if he wanted to swear and curse. He knew that even a pile of obstacles, a lump of soil, could slow thousands of enemy soldiers and save their lives.


    ¡°Stop, stop the work! Liberitoa soldiers are coming!! It¡¯s time to withdraw.¡±


    Platoon Commander Kozuru, along with several subordinates, announces the withdrawal to the surroundings. As soon as the order was given, the soldiers cut off the work, carried the luggage on their back, and withdrew.


    Walm also identified among the retreating people from other platoons.


    ¡°Oi, what happened to the other guys?¡±


    When Walm called out to one of them, the man responded as if screaming.


    ¡°They¡¯ve been blown away! Those bastards have been throwing in a lot of magic attacks. The road hasn¡¯t been fixed yet, but in half an hour they¡¯ll be flooding here. We need to run away quickly.¡±


    And so, the soldier was half run going down from the mine.


    ¡°Hey, hurry up. If you¡¯re slow, you¡¯re going to get stabbed in the ass.¡±


    Jose called while wearing armor. When engaging in civil engineering work, armor would restrict movement and waste physical strength. So, today¡¯s Walm looked just like how he did when he was a peasant.


    Walm wore the knee pads that were lying on the ground and wore the others in order from the lower body. With the Cervelliere on and a bag on his back, all but two newcomers were ready.


    Squad Commander Duwei, who saw Noor and Barito gathered in the squad about 10 seconds later, looked at them and said,


    ¡°There¡¯re no idiots who get lost? A¡¯right, it¡¯s a goodbye with a damn mine. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    No one answered in objection. In response to the Squad Commander¡¯s shout, the squad left the mine area all at once.


    ¡ô


    As the spearhead of the Highserk Empire, the Jaff Cavalry Battalion, who continued to support the dangerous edge, made full use of its mobility and impact.


    They hit the enemy¡¯s salient points while kept hitting the sides, earning valuable time, but the damage wasn¡¯t negligible.


    Jaff, who commanded the cavalry, dispersed the battalion in platoon units, devoted himself to delays while doing harassment attacks, and overturned the inferiority with a company-sized force that reassembled when the enemies got caught in the trap.


    But, today, their plan was about to fail. In terms of numbers, more troops had been lost by the soldiers of Craist and Ferrius Kingdoms.


    The problem was that even in the Highserk Empire army, where the cavalry commanded by Jaff was said to be a strong force, two platoons of precious elites who were proud of their unparalleled skill were lost.


    ¡°¡­ Are they visitors from another world of the present generation?¡±


    The Craist Kingdom was known for its visitors and many drifting objects from another world. Jaff was also informed of the rumors about the visitors, but to be clear, it was more than a rumor.


    At a distance of several hundred meters, a torrent of bright light occurred, blowing off the human and horse along with the ground. The brilliant sight might be beautiful from a distance, but in the near vicinity, a hell was formed.


    Fire, ice, wind, earth, and all sorts of magic chased after the leaving cavalry. No magic-users in his cavalry battalion who only had one or two attributes were able to withstand the four attributes.


    ¡°It¡¯s enough to threaten from a long distance. The magic users and the archer shall support the cavalry who leave. Don¡¯t get closer than necessary.¡±


    Following Jaff¡¯s orders, the soldiers launched an attack all at once. It was magic and arrow that landed in a long-distance, but it was enough to create a space to prevent pursuit.


    It should be more than enough, but when the attack almost reached there, an earth wall was built instantly, and the incoming attack was intercepted by the light attribute magic.


    In the end, they only earned about 10 seconds, but it was enough time for the Jaff Cavalry Battalion to escape. A poorly resigned Ferrius soldier shot an arrow, but no cavalry fell.


    ¡°The remaining platoon has already been pulled to the meeting point. Commander, you don¡¯t need to take a risk¡­¡±


    One of the staff officers who accompanied Jaff complained from horseback. Jaff was one of the top three frontline commanders in the Highserk army, but every staff officer knew that he had a habit of going too far on the frontline.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not going to take it. It¡¯s a waste of soldiers.¡±


    Jaff barely saw a boy with a powerful light attribute and a girl with a wide variety of magic. Both would be barely old enough to join the Highserk Empire army as young soldiers.


    ¡°If I don¡¯t see that kind of threat first hand, I can¡¯t give command correctly.¡±


    Jaff began to evaluate the enemy¡¯s strength. In terms of firepower, each would be worth about two magic platoons. That was just how powerful their mana was. Physical ability and magic barrier must also be quite strong.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think their hand-to-hand combat is first-class, but the worst should be considered.¡±


    According to Jaff¡¯s calculation, the only way to kill them was to rush a few cavalry platoons as sacrifices. The problem was the surroundings.


    ¡°So, the Order of Reharzen is babysitting those children huh?¡±


    It wouldn¡¯t be that easy to break through the Order of Reharzen while being exposed to a fierce fire. As a result of the decentralized operation of his troops, Jaff¡¯s troops were less than the company¡¯s size.


    It was a regrettable opponent to miss, but its existence itself was also a fishing bait. As Jaff, who had been fishing hard until now, he would like to avoid being fished instead.


    ¡°The battlefield isn¡¯t here. Our Commander, Commander Berger has set up a stage suitable for it in Myard. He would be disappointed if I couldn¡¯t present there.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just the Jaff Cavalry Battalion who would join the party. The elite Liguria infantry battalion would also participate.


    Jaff didn¡¯t have to go ahead and dance with them alone now.


    ¡°Let¡¯s have them come a long way. And, we have to tell them that they don¡¯t have to worry about returning.¡±


    The staff officer, who seemed to be worried, after he heard Jaff¡¯s words, opened his mouth as if he was relieved.


    ¡°Haha, it¡¯s like what you said, Commander¡­ Well, it¡¯s about time we hit the limit. Let¡¯s withdraw¡±


    After confirming that all of his subordinates had successfully withdrawn, Jaff turned his horse to the meeting point.


    The magic from a long-distance began to land in the near vicinity of Jaff, but none was an effective blow.

 CH 27

    ¡°Hang in there, just a little more. Don¡¯t sleep. Or you¡¯ll die for sure. Keep your eyes open.¡±


    On the improvised stretcher, a soldier with a torn arm was groaning and gasping.


    A fellow Ferrius soldier covered his wounds with a tourniquet as first aid, and placed his other hand under the armpit of the bleeding arm in an attempt to reduce bleeding.


    On the brachium, there was a circle injury caused by a water magic, Ice Lance. They fought a fierce battle with the Jaff Cavalry Battalion just minutes ago, and won by a neck. The problem was the price.


    Many people died and about the same number or more were injured. The Ferrius soldier¡¯s comrade who was on the stretcher, was the latter. There was still a possibility that he would be saved, unlike the fellows who had their viscera exposed or attacked on the other vital points.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t there a healing magician!? His bleeding is terrible. If it¡¯s not stopped now, he¡¯ll die!!¡±


    The Ferrius soldiers screamed out, but the reply was ruthless.


    ¡°They¡¯re out of mana. The healing magician can¡¯t heal anymore.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s impossible.¡±


    The soldiers who rushed to the base searched for a healing magician, but all of them had already exhausted their mana in treating the seriously injured.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t there a healing magician?¡±


    The man didn¡¯t seem to have enough physical strength and blood if bleeding were to be cauterized by fire-attribute magic. There was a strong risk of dying of shock. But there was no other way. Blood continued to overflow from the scars that were being pressed.


    ¡°Damn, there¡¯s not much time¡±


    All or nothing, the soldiers began to look for alternative fire magicians, but then the knights of the neighboring Kingdom, Craist Kingdom, stopped the Ferrius soldiers.


    ¡°I can give treatment. Follow me.¡±


    ¡°R-really?¡±


    When the soldier followed the knight in a hurry, there was a space with a tent centered around wagons. The security was extraordinary. Twelve fully armed knights were on the lookout.


    The knight who belonged to the Order of Reharzen opened his mouth to the soldier who was looking from the tip of his head to his feet.


    ¡°Put the sword here¡±


    Handed over the sword to the knight who reached out and stepped into the terrifying tent.


    It was a treatment site you would expect in a field battle. There were a lot of bloodstains left, leaving a fishy smell. The Ferrius soldier who breathed in the air, felt uncomfortable.


    ¡°Lie him there¡±


    A figure appeared in front of the Ferrius soldier who followed the instructions without grasping the true nature of the discomfort.


    What the Ferrius soldiers saw was a girl with rare black eyes and black hair. Her meek round eyes were steeply narrowed. Her long hair was tied up so that it didn¡¯t get in the way of the treatment.


    The Ferrius soldiers, who felt that the girl was out of place on the battlefield, decided that she must be an assistant or an apprentice. So, he called the knight.


    ¡°S-sorry, where is the healing magician?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t she there?¡±


    Warm light leaked into the tent before the knight finished saying it. The Ferrius soldier who lost his word, his voice returned when he saw the wounds of his companion closed and even the missing part formed back.


    ¡°Impossible. It even heals the defects!?¡±


    ¡°With this, the injured will be okay. You see, no one has died yet among the soldiers brought in.¡±


    The knight proudly said to the Ferrius soldiers. When the Ferrius soldiers turned their eyes to the surroundings, they all sighed with a calm face, despite the amount of bleeding that had adhered.


    ¡°Thank you. Thank you! You¡¯re like a saint.¡±


    The girl healing magician laughed at the Ferrius soldiers for a moment and began to concentrate on treatment again.


    It wasn¡¯t once or twice that the soldiers who were supposed to die were saved that day, and it was inevitable that rumors would spread that there was a battlefield healer in the Craist Kingdom.


    ¡ô


    Sugimoto Ayane was an ordinary high school student who attended high school, enjoying her youth. until just a few months ago. She only saw blood during exercise and unlucky moments, and had never seen a person die.


    Many of her relatives were doctors and nurses, and Ayane was studying to become a nurse in the future.


    It wasn¡¯t until she was sent to another world with his childhood friends that her fate changed decisively.


    Being confused by different cultures, customs and environments was something normal. After a struggle, Ayane finally started to get adapted to the new world and gained her role.


    Unlike his childhood friends Yuuto and Makoto, Ayane didn¡¯t have an offensive ability.


    Ayane, who could only see the two protect people from monsters and get hurt, fall into a feeling of helplessness and frustration, but it was the two childhood friends who saved her.


    It was a coincidence that the talent for recovery magic blossomed. When Yuuto, who was injured in the subjugation of the bandits, Ayane pressed his shoulder strongly, and the recovery magic was activated without chanting.


    It was out of her character, but Ayane shed tears when she could save her friends and those who suffered from pain. Not to mention her childhood friend, all the Knights who belonged in the Order of Reharzen were pleased.


    Ayane found joy in her role, devoting herself to the support, with her recovery magic, they could even shave off the demon territory and subdue the lake dragon.


    The situation changed when the neighboring nations opened the battlefield all at once in the battle between Ferrius and the Highserk Empire.


    According to the story that Ayane heard from the knight, the Highserk Empire had great military power and could be said as a nation of supremacy that repeated an invasive war in the name of ¡°defensive war¡±.


    If left unattended, neighboring countries would be swallowed in turn. The Four-Country Alliance centered on an island in the huge lake, would destroy the Highserk Empire.


    To tell the truth, Ayane hated war. She didn¡¯t want people to get hurt or hurt others. Above all, she didn¡¯t want the two childhood friends and the Knights to fall into danger and wear out both physically and mentally.


    Ayane knew they still had to fight. She also understood that this world had a terribly immature and violent side.


    Day after day, Ayane continued doing treatment in the tent. There were times when her heart was in pain, witnessing injuries beyond saving and people¡¯s lives gone that made her want to cover her eyes. Her heart was almost broken.


    Nevertheless, the patient¡¯s peaceful face, the soldier¡¯s words of gratitude, and her friends allowed Ayane to continue doing treatment on the battlefield.


    ¡°First of all, the treatment is over.¡±


    It was Maia, a healing magician who helped with the treatment, who spoke to Ayane.


    ¡°Thank you for today too. I¡¯ve only strong mana, and lack of experience. The reason I could treat them was because of Maia-san.¡±


    Even if Ayane had some knowledge of medical treatment, it wasn¡¯t much better than amateurs. Ayane knew well that she was only following Maia¡¯s instructions, such as the proper preparation and treatment of the injured.


    ¡°Ayane-sama, don¡¯t self-evaluate yourself too low. Please be more confident.¡±


    Maia said in trouble.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. Yuuto-san and Makoto-san went to the front.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re not injured right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they didn¡¯t get any injury. The soldiers and knights were praising them for causing great damage to the Jaff cavalry, which had been causing trouble since they entered the war.¡±


    Seeing Maia¡¯s smile, Ayane laughed.


    ¡°Maybe I should go see them after cleaning up.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a good idea. Please let me go with you.¡±


    Although Ayane¡¯s recovery magic was beyond logic, it wasn¡¯t omnipotent. There were various items such as tools for closing wounds, tubs used for cleaning, and cloth. Ayane thought that it would be rude to leave the cleaning to Maia, who helped her in giving treatment, so she helped her with other intentions such as understanding the equipment and checking the condition.


    Maia began to wash the equipment with water magic, and Ayane also wiped off the dirt on the equipment and put it in a magic bag.


    Immersed in half-hour work they were finally done. When Ayane went out, there were her two childhood friends.


    ¡°What good timing. I was thinking of going to see you now.¡±


    ¡°Because the military meeting is over. Johanna-san and the others are talking about future strategies. We were asked to rest first.¡±


    ¡°Today was so tiring. Everyone from Jaff cavalry was too strong. It wasn¡¯t to a knight level, but it felt something close.¡±


    Makoto said so, looking tired.


    ¡°Right. They slipped through our magic and slashed many people. Johanna-san and his friends made them turn back, but let me tell you a secret¡­ I got a cold sweat.¡±


    ¡°That was¡­ amazing.¡±


    Yuuto said modestly, but in reality, when he saw the cavalry approaching himself while sprinkling the viscera, he felt fear.


    Without training and fellow Knights being there, Yuuto would have been more distraught. Unlike fighting demons, he realized that he was severely worn both physically and mentally.


    When the story was about to flow in the direction of the battle, Maia, who was behind Ayane, opened her mouth.


    ¡°Have you both eaten yet?¡±


    ¡°No, not yet.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we haven¡¯t eaten yet.¡±


    ¡°There was a lot of food provided by the Ferrius Kingdom army. Apparently, among the people who were helped by you three, there was also someone with noble blood, and that person gave us food as a thank you. There¡¯s white bread, cheese, and sausages.¡±


    ¡± ¡± ¡°Eh!?¡± ¡± ¡°


    The three who heard it approached with a forward lean. Their eating habits had been getting worse since they came to this world, especially since they joined the battlefield.


    In addition to the fact that they were still growing up, the three used magic many times, so they needed an amazing amount of food in their stomach, perhaps their calories requirement was comparable with a big and muscular warrior.


    Truth, they should be grateful that they could even eat, but food with a lot of calories and also delicious had grabbed the hearts of the three. They would never let it go.


    ¡°I want to eat, I want to eat!!¡±


    ¡°M-meat and white bread!? We¡¯ve been eating beans and potatoes these days.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ also want to eat.¡±


    The Three Heroes, whose name started to roar in neighboring countries, also showed an age-appropriate reaction. Seeing that, Maia smiled, and at the same time was worried that they would be easily taken away.

 CH 28

    Repeatedly destroying roads and bridges, the Liguria battalion was about to reach the meeting point, Sarajevo Fortress.


    The abandonment of the occupied territory of Ferrius Kingdom was divided within the military, but with a voice from Commander Berger, it was decided to withdraw to the border of the former Myard.


    This key point was located on the border between former Myard and Ferrius, when Kanoa Kingdom was still there, it functioned as an anti-demon territory and an anti-Ferrius.


    Surrounded by mountains, even if you wanted to try to detour, you would have to go through the terrain where the most powerful monsters infest the continent, and if you couldn¡¯t defeat it, a detour would be out of option. So, it could be said that it might be an advantageous terrain for the defensive side.


    After the capture of Aidenberg, the number of soldiers required to maintain the fortress was greatly interrupted, and the castle fell in a short period of time without fulfilling its role in the face of the onslaught of the Highserk Empire army.


    The Highserk army, which gathered here, was enough to utilize the fortress, and because the fortress fell in a short period of time, the damage to the defense facility was minor and it seemed that repairs had already been completed.


    Walm had already seen many Highserk soldiers other than the Liguria battalion, who had already entered the fortress before him. Other than scouts and messengers, there were also military engineers engaged in civil engineering.


    ¡°The number of troops on par with the battle of Aidenberg is gathering here huh.¡±


    It was Squad Commander who said that.


    ¡°Yeah, I feel the road is narrow.¡±


    It was Jose who avoided the passing horses that complained.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it better than having few allies?¡±


    Noor was delighted by the situation.


    ¡°I had a terrible time in the mine.¡±


    Barito, who imagined a deadly battle in the mine, shook his cockscomb.


    ¡°Sure, it¡¯s better than a mine, but I want to have a relax time and eat as much as I can.¡±


    Walm held neither a round shield nor halberd. It was a potato.


    While walking, he peeled the potatoes with a knife, relying on the feeling of his hands.


    The potatoes, which weren¡¯t cooked, were starchy and had a terrible and light texture, but Walm secretly heated them and ate them.


    If the soldiers around him notice it, he must be flooded by soldiers asking for the hot potatoes.


    Walm carried the hot potatoes to his mouth while lightly sneering at Noor and Barito, who had their mouth full of potatoes.


    ¡°¡­ Walm¡±


    Walm¡¯s spine got a chill momentarily.


    The camouflage should have been perfect. No, if someone knows it, it must be¨D¨D


    Walm hoped that his premonition would be off, but it was Willart who was behind him.


    In his hand, it was a cup filled with saltwater containing peeled potatoes.


    Willart, a magic user, knew what Walm was doing. He didn¡¯t say it in words, but Walm understood it. That Willart was urging him to cook.


    When it came to fire attributes, Walm was better than Willart. He had learned how to control the heat at the mine.


    Walm understood his role. But it didn¡¯t mean he would do it for free.


    ¡°Today¡¯s water duty, can you replace me?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Tch¡±


    Willart clicked his tongue, but the words of refusal didn¡¯t continue. Walm warmed the cup with fire magic. He made a job change from a human heater to a walking human heater.


    Willart was happy to bring the boiled potatoes to his mouth.


    The problem was the steam and smell that went up during cooking. The smell of salt-boiled potatoes was too fragrant.


    ¡°Willart, you¡¯re eating really good food huh.¡±


    The first one to notice it was Squad Commander Duwei.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    Willart tried to play dumb, but it wasn¡¯t convincing when he said it while chewing on the steamy potatoes.


    It was Jose who noticed it next.


    ¡°Oi, Walm, you just handed something to Willart, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just your hallucination.¡±


    Walm had a cold sweat, but the pursuit didn¡¯t stop.


    ¡°Walm, you can cook while walking, right?¡±


    Squad Commander Duwei hit the mark. Thinking of the possibility of being freed from the nightmares of raw potatoes, he looked at Walm with envious eyes.


    ¡°Walm, you know it, right? We don¡¯t eat hot meals because we prioritize our movement speed.¡±


    Jose spoke to Walm like a teacher reminding the student.


    ¡°If I can have boiled potatoes, I feel like I can do my best.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I feel like I can still walk if I have boiled potatoes.¡±


    Once the words of the two newcomers were out, the three idiots threw curses and swear at Walm.


    ¡°Okay, I understand. I just have to boil while walking, right? But bring my luggage.¡±


    Walm, who had the idea, distributes his baggage and armor to the squad members.


    Instead, he got a pot with a lot of potatoes to support the squadron¡¯s stomach.


    ¡°Damn it, why did it end up like this?¡±


    Willart poured water into the pot. Walm began heating with fire magic. The eyes of the soldiers who passed them were various.


    Well, if a soldier was holding a pot and boiling potatoes, it would be strange not to look at it.


    Yeah, I know what you mean¡­


    Some of the soldiers who passed him were trying to barter the potatoes with bronze coins.


    It was sniffed by Platoon Commander Kozuru and the boiled potatoes were robbed with a compliment saying, ¡°You¡¯ve been a great help improving the morale of my platoon.¡±


    In exchange for that, Walm was given raw potatoes instead. It was as if the amount of heat required for heating was free.


    Thanks to that, Walm ended up boiling potatoes while walking, over and over again.


    ¡°Wow, we should have a hotpot¨D¨D ¡°, Jose suddenly said so. And Walm who heard it, tried to activate ¡¶Demon Fire¡·with all his might, but it was stopped by all the squad members.

 CH 29

    In this world, in order to avoid getting a big blow and defeated in one fell swoop due to the formation crumble caused by magic, innumerable skirmishers and small groups were often deployed in front of the main group. In this defense battle, a large number of defense layers made of earth that had been kneaded in front of the fortress were formed, and they were made with the full power of the engineers of the Highserk Empire Army.


    In particular, the layer with a U-shape fence protecting the small entrance, this 6th layer, which was suitable to be called a mini-castle, could accommodate two battalions, and was equipped with an empty moat, a horse fence, a stake trap, an embankment, and even a wooden wall. It was a complex combination. Wald had never seen such defensive formation so carefully crafted.


    TN: it will be something like this


    From the enemy¡¯s point of view, this would be a key point that must be eliminated for the first step in capturing the fortress. If Walm must say one problem with it, one of the battalions assigned to build the 6th layer was the Liguria battalion. The infantry was used like laborers for civil engineering outside of combat. Walm was no exception. He was treading the embankment with tools and feet, drove the stakes into the ground, and sharpen the tips.


    The dexterous man was mixed with the engineers to help reinforce the walls and assemble the pillars. The excavated soil was packed in a straw bag or bucket, and brought to the base to create an embankment even if it would only have a short height. Stones for throwing and arrows were carried over the wall passage. The work was almost completed, but the number of engineers coming and going was the highest near the 6th layer.


    ¡°Even so, this really has a great height and width.¡±


    The embankment was also a few steps higher and wider than other layers. Walm was wondering where the soil was brought from. When the sun went down and the time to stop the work was announced, the smoke signal rose from afar.


    ¡°Aaah, now they¡¯re just 2 or 3 days away.¡±


    Said Jose, who was working with Walm.


    ¡°They need to deal with the advance team, so I guess the full-scale battle be in three or four days?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s about it. I think the enemy soldiers are over 50,000. This fortress is likely to be filled with corpses.¡±


    The dark-skinned young man looked around and sighed disgustingly.


    ¡°I only hope the corpses of me and the squad members are not mixed.¡±


    ¡°Right. It¡¯s early for the last meal, but it¡¯s time for a grand dinner.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t rush. If you don¡¯t wash your hands cleanly, your mama will get angry.¡±


    ¡°Shut up. Let¡¯s go. Quick.¡±


    Following Jose who spat out curse words, Walm headed for the corner where the large pots were lined up. Battalion units were gathered in platoon units, all pots were mobilized, and provisions were prepared. Boil everything you could eat. Even if it was a little damaged, everything would be solved if it was cooked, it would be okay, All Green to eat. The ingredients were put in without caring anything.


    According to Walm¡¯s confirmation in advance, the ingredients differ depending on the pot. A small amount of chicken, pork, orc, beans, cabbage, turnips, carrots, potatoes, etc. were boiled randomly. Walm took a wooden bowl out of his bag, presented it, and the soldier in charge of cooking, poured the soup. The taste was ¨D¨D well, it was just warm, but it was better than nothing. Perhaps, because of fatigue and hunger, the tongue was fooled, and it tasted better than it should be.


    Along with the leftover pieces of hard-baked bread, carried it to the mouth and stored it in your stomach. Collecting bronze and silver coins in the squad, pouring the purchased fruit liquor into a bowl, Walm then smoked with a pipe and spat out purple smoke into the sky. The two moons were rising in the night sky and started chasing each other. Unlike the former world of Walm, the starry sky of this world without air pollution such as exhaust gas was, the best night sky Walm had ever seen. It was probably one of the plus things Walm got when he came to this world. Still, there might be more things he had lost. Especially the things that had to be thrown away in the war were slowly changing Walm, for better or for worse.


    ¡°What is it? Why do you look so sentimental?¡±


    As Walm looked up at the night sky in a corner of the ramparts, Jose came up after eating.


    ¡°Nah, nothing. I just wonder how long the war will last.¡±


    ¡°Well, until you win?¡±


    ¡°Until you win, is it.¡±


    This happened because Higherk continued to win, was Walm wanted to say. According to Walm, the Highserk Empire, which had won every battle with victory, didn¡¯t know the letters ¡°peace¡±. Provoked the other country, and if you were beaten, hit them back and make them obey thoroughly. That was the Highserk Empire. The result was, a war against four countries at the same time. It was a world where you would be eaten if you showed your weaknesses. Walm might be na?ve and sweet. Still, it was a fact that the war didn¡¯t end even after so many victories. It was as if the war was the peacetime in this world. In a way, Walm felt like he was being entrapped in an apocalyptic world.


    ¡°What is it? Are you losing your courage? Well, there are a lot of enemies, but we¡¯re surrounded by a strong defense. We won¡¯t be one-sidedly defeated.¡±


    Walm also agreed. What Jose said as a member of the Highserk army was correct.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right.¡±


    Walm gave a sloppy reply, but Jose didn¡¯t say anything.


    For Walm to not die in a few days, he would need to kill more. He was neither a softhearted man nor a good-natured man. He would kill for not being killed.


    Walm carried the fruit liquor poured into the bowl to his mouth. The acidity ran through his tongue and into his throat. When Walm frowned, Jose laughed happily.


    ¡ô


    The beginning of the battle was a dazzling flash of light and a roaring explosion. The basics of a siege battle often begin with an attack by the magic-user soldiers, but the magic shot between tens of thousands of troops was, to sum it in one word, ¡°fierce¡±. The flames were dancing everywhere, limbs were flying in the air, and the soldiers who got hit by the clods fainted. When the ice flower bloomed, blood dripped from the pierced soldier¡¯s body, and the flower became red. A soldier who got hit in the head directly with an earth bullet lost his sense of balance and drowned on the ground.


    The Highserk army in the carefully built defense territory continued to shoot, but some soldiers of the Four-Countries Alliance launched a distinctive attack. It was holy attribute magic that was scraping off the embankment. The light was erasing the Highserk Empire soldiers who would have been hiding behind the embankment.


    In the position where all four-attribute magic was flying one after another, a part of the embankment was destroyed by the onslaught. With the support of the magic-user soldiers, the Four-Country Alliance began to move forward, using the golem created by earth-attribute magic as a shield.


    Interdiction began to prevent the advance. The archer, who had little effect on the golem itself, continued to shoot arrows at the enemy soldiers who might be behind it with a curving shot. In addition, some soldiers with skills such as ¡¶Hard Shoot¡· had succeeded in destroying golems with projectiles that had destructive power that couldn¡¯t be found in ordinary people. Soldiers who had lost their cover hid behind the shields and undulations, but the number of casualties increased dramatically due to the influx of attacks. In response to unexpected resistance, the Four-Countries Alliance moved to capture the layers while building a connecting trench and earth wall.


    ¡°Time to change. Move the platoon to the 9th layer!!¡±


    The 9th layer, where the Liguria battalion was initially placed, was located in the center layer, and also served as a transportation network for each layer and a collection of supplies. On the third day after the collision, the exhausted battalion on the front and the other platoons of the Liguria battalion, which was a reserve force waiting in the 9th layer, were replaced. There were 6000 soldiers on the front line of the center layer and 4000 soldiers were behind it. In front of the fortress, which became a bottleneck, The enemies couldn¡¯t deploy 50,000 soldiers at the same time. The limit was 8,000 to 10,000 soldiers at most. The enemy changed troops day by day and attacked the Highserk army intermittently.


    The Kozuru platoon was assigned to the 3rd layer built on the left-wing.


    ¡°Good luck¡±


    Half of the retreating platoon was injured. A fierce battle was expected due to the lack of troops.


    Walm looked into the flat ground from the embankment. On the ground, a trench dug in a zigzag extended from the outer part of the layer, and from there a low embankment and a shield were positioned all the way approaching the layer. A wide variety of soldiers expose their bodies on the slanting surface.


    ¡°Hah, is this the soldier¡¯s graveyard?¡±


    Jose said ironically.


    ¡°There are corpses from all five countries.¡±


    Noor said with a camped face.


    ¡°Even the Knight of Craist Kingdom is on the ground. Was it that bad?¡±


    Beyond Barito¡¯s line of sight, a knight of the Order of Reharzen, who had lost his head, was half-buried in the soil and collapsed.


    ¡°I think he was the victim of a mass attack last night. If you leave it alone, he could be Dullahan.¡±


    Each member of the squad laughed at the words of Squad Commander Duwei, but Walm didn¡¯t think it was a joke. The soldier who had a hard time climbing the embankment was shot by Walm¡¯s Fireball and Willart¡¯s Ice Lance and Waterball, and the surrounding area became dirty mud. Noor and Barito were also repeatedly throwing at the heads of soldiers who had lost their shields.


    To Walm¡¯s dismay, Squad Commander Duwei threw a log alone. Still, even though Duwei¡¯s Squad and the other squads had successfully crushed the enemy¡¯s offensive, it wasn¡¯t everywhere.


    ¡°Walm, is Walm here!!?¡±


    A messenger shouted Walm¡¯s name. Walm had already learned that most of the time it was only bad news. Unfortunately, his birthday was still a long way off so he couldn¡¯t even be slightly happy about it.


    ¡°I¡¯m here!! What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    The messenger who found the person he was looking for, ran up and began to explain quickly.


    ¡°It¡¯s an order from Commander Kozuru. He told me to tell you to crush one of the enemy breakthroughs that is being formed in the 8th Squad¡¯s camp with ¡¶Demon Fire¡·. Come, I¡¯ll guide you.¡±


    ¡°Ee, I need to put out the fire again later huh.¡±


    ¡°If anything, it would be arson.¡±


    While the dark-skinned comrades shot the bow, he leaked the words of correction. Well, it didn¡¯t really matter to Walm.


    ¡°It¡¯s not the time for joking you know?¡±


    Walm wanted to refuse, but sadly he was just a soldier who had no veto power, so had no choice but to follow the instructions. The place where he rushed quickly was filled with a reserve unit commanded by Platoon Commander Kozuru, but many enemies seemed to fill the embankment slope. It was like a flock of ants swarming on food. The enemy didn¡¯t seem to miss the perfect opportunity to open a breakthrough.


    In this era of hand-to-hand combat, assault by dense formation was powerful, but the timing was important because some individuals had powerful ranged attacks such as ¡¶Magic¡· and ¡¶Skill¡·. If Walm¡¯s mana was exhausted or if he wasn¡¯t in time for rescue, it would be hand-to-hand combat with enemies, and he wouldn¡¯t be able to attack carelessly.


    However, the enemy was still unable to break through, and it was a dense formation like no other. It was the perfect place for Walm¡¯s ¡¶Demon Fire¡·, even though they were well protected with shields.


    ¡°Lend me two shields¡±


    The soldier who had been waiting for him thought of his intention and handed it to Walm. Put the halberd on the back and check the condition of the round shield. Then took out the mask from the bag on his waist and put it on. The demon-shaped mask trembled, perhaps looking forward to what would happen soon. Took a breather through the gap in the mask and clung to the embankment where the spear and sword were stuck.


    The soldiers who had been fighting hand-to-hand combat until then left the embankment all at once, as if a small wave was drawn. While watching it, Walm activated ¡¶Demon Fire¡·. It was the enemy soldiers who were taken aback. The response of the Liberitoa soldiers who continued to kill each other at the Rehn mine was quick and so the effect was halved over time, but today¡¯s opponent was the soldiers of Craist Kingdom. There were various reactions such as those who looked at the face and those who were ready to rush and those who tried to cut. The attitude of instantly shifting to an attack looked good in Walm¡¯s eyes, but it wasn¡¯t so different from self-immolation.


    ¡°GyaaaAAA!!¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t disappear. Please put it out!!¡±


    ¡°Go away, Moveee!!¡±


    The blue flame that blew out momentarily clung to the enemy soldiers so that it had viscosity, and the range was piled up at once. A chorus of screams was born as the fire spread. The swearing, angry voice, and screaming never cease on the battlefield, but the screams that rose in front of Walm were the loudest voices in the war so far. Those within a radius of 10m would be a human torch one after another, although there were individual differences depending on the amount of mana. Those who rolled down the slope were lucky.


    ¡°Retreat once, retreat!!¡±


    Unable to move freely due to the dense formation, those who were burned had their muscles burned and hardened, as they inhaled fire into their lungs, they started to flutter breathlessly.


    ¡°Wa-wait!!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ ugh, ah¡±


    With a mask on, somehow Walm didn¡¯t waver. Perhaps it was because the other person couldn¡¯t see his face or because he could roleplay as another person. Anyway, Walm extended the range by changing the¡¶Demon Fire¡· from a fan-shaped to a straight line. The slopes around the area began to burn. If it wasn¡¯t from earth, it would have burned.


    ¡°It¡¯s the ¡¶Demon Fire¡·. It really happened. It¡¯s like what one of the Liberitoa guys were saying.¡±


    Walm jumped out onto the slope and continued to sprinkle fiery flames and hot air around him, but some soldiers who had regained their composure were trying to attack from a long distance. Many arrows fall, but the strong wind caused the arrows to deviate, and the hot air made it difficult to reach, so it didn¡¯t hit. Various magics were also disturbed by the explosion and hot air, and even the slightest leftover was endured by the round shield, and the fire was intensively scattered in the place where it seemed that there were magic-user soldiers and archers. 40 seconds in time. Before the mana was completely exhausted, Walm returned to the top of the embankment. Far from the joy of repelling the enemy, everyone had lost their words to the burnt corpses rolling all over the slope.


    ¡°Huh, huuuhh, huufff¡±


    Walm, who consumed most of the mana and was breathing heavily, was greeted by someone.


    ¡°Good job, Walm. Thanks to you, they failed at making a breakthrough.¡±


    It was Platoon Commander Kozuru who greeted Walm with applause as to whether he was watching from somewhere. Regardless of a tragic event, he would be a good boss as he remembered to praise his subordinates for the success of his men.


    ¡°Thank you¡±


    When Walm took off the mask and thanked him, the other soldiers thanked him too. The damage caused by the ¡¶Demon Fire¡· that hit directly during the dense formation was enormous, and more than 100 enemy soldiers were killed, about the same number or more were injured, and a large number of troops were drawn to the trench. The burning smell of meat remained in the nasal passages. The mask stopped vibrating as if it was satisfied.

 CH 30

    Soldiers were carried to the treatment center built in the field position without any cut-off.


    ¡°Not enough ointment. Ask help from anyone free.¡±


    ¡°Fracture on the leg? That kind of thing is postponed. Seriously injured are prioritized.¡±


    ¡°Press hard. Even if the wound is closed, you will die without enough blood.¡±


    The odor of blood, pus, excrement, therapeutic chemicals, and deodorant incense was mixed and gave off an unbearable odor. Sugimoto Ayane knew that the severity of the injured had changed. There were a wide variety of war wounds that Ayane had treated, such as arrow wounds, bruises, and internal bleeding, but most of the patients brought in over the past hour had been severely burned by fire-attribute magic.


    The Craist soldier, who inhaled the fire, had burned the upper respiratory tract and had difficulty breathing due to burns. Ayane touch the mouth and throat with her washed fingers without hesitation, and applied mana to check the damaged part. She knew from experience that it would be more difficult to treat areas that couldn¡¯t be seen with the naked eye. She continued to use healing magic for a minute. Soldiers who had been burnt both inside and outside were treated to the extent that they could breathe again.


    ¡°The emergency treatment is over¡±


    Originally, burns on the limbs had to be treated, but too many soldiers needed treatment. At the treatment center, there was no choice but to proceed with the surgery while considering whether it would be a handicap or not, and the necessity for prolonging life. Ayane sorrowfully started giving treatment to the next patient. The soldier suffered severe burns to his lower body.


    ¡°A, aa, it hurts, it hurts¡­ Help, I don¡¯t want to die.¡±


    Ayane grabbed the hand of a soldier begging for life.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s gonna be okay.¡±


    It seemed as if Ayane said it to herself as well as the patient.


    Ayane noticed that it was integrated with the skin when she removed the shin guards and put her hand on her pants.


    ¡°Maia-san¡±


    When Ayane called out to her assistant, Maia, she dexterously removed the adhesions and tore the clothes. The subcutaneous tissue was burnt, and in some places, the skin was inflamed. As Ayane first thought, it was a widespread burn that would be classified as Grade III.


    A wound that might be difficult to heal even with modern medicine, but Ayane had healing magic, moreover a special grade. Her vision was distorted by the repeated use of mana, but other healing magicians had exhausted their mana. If Ayane stopped here, the soldiers seeking salvation wouldn¡¯t be even able to see the night sky today. Ayane clenched her teeth and kept her consciousness, and continued to cast healing magic. For Ayane, who didn¡¯t have the fighting power of Yuuto and Makoto, the treatment center was the battlefield.


    When the sun was about to settle down, the patient¡¯s wave stopped. The injured in the daytime battle were brought in, but no one was seriously injured. Still, Ayane wasn¡¯t happy. She knew one of the reasons why seriously injured people were not brought in. Near the treatment center, soldiers who were beyond saving, were lined up in a row. In order to avoid being demonized by the demons, the monks were sprinkling holy water with words of prayer. It was a soldier sleeping in the back seat who called out to Ayane, who stood up with her helplessness.


    ¡°H-Healing magician-dono¡±


    It was one of the Craist soldiers that Ayane helped. Perhaps he had something to say, he got up and bowed his head.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t slept yet!!?¡±


    The soldier who reached for Ayane who rushed to him, spoke words in repetition.


    ¡°Thank you, T-thank you, very much.¡±


    Many lives couldn¡¯t be saved, but Ayane, who saw a patient shed tears and thanked her, felt a little saved.


    ¡°The mask, he wore a mask, that guy is, the user, of ¡¶Demon Fire¡·. When I, felt the hot air, on my skin, and saw, the blue flame, I thought, I was dead. I was lucky, but, everyone, around me, everyone was¡­¡±


    Ayane gently tapped the soldier¡¯s shoulder, which was sobbing, and put the soldier to sleep.


    ¡°Drink plenty of water. You have to rest.¡±


    The soldier continued to mutter until he fell asleep. Ayane remembered that other patients were also leaking the horror of ¡¶Demon Fire¡·. All of them were afraid of the ordinary enemy soldier without any rank who controlled the ¡¶Fire of Hell Gate¡·, which spread death over a wide area.


    Imagining the fire was shot towards people and its power, Ayane felt chills run through her spine.


    Ayane earnestly hoped that such a crazy flame wouldn¡¯t come for her two childhood friends.


    ¡ô


    The leading figures of the Craist Kingdom army were gathered in the corner of the Craist Kingdom army. The entrance to the tent was tightly closed, and heavy air flowed. The ones having a war council were confused, and the cause was the layer, which the Craist Kingdom army was in charge of capturing.


    It was Gran Reharzen, the commander of the Order of Reharzen, who was in charge of the war council.


    ¡°As all of you know, even if you capture the layer in front of us, the Highserk Empire still has some layers, and the Sarajevo Fortress, which is the real defense facility, remains.¡±


    In Gran¡¯s words, everyone organized the situation. Since the beginning of the war, 6 of the 13 layers that have been contracted have fallen into the hands of the Four-Countries Alliance, but they hadn¡¯t yet reached the core layer, and 7 layers were still there. The soldiers didn¡¯t show their stance to take the fallen layer back, and when they suffered a certain amount of damage, they moved to the rear layer and continued to resist, so the more they attacked, the more enemy soldiers they must deal with. The soldiers were severely worn, and without Ayane, one of the Three Heroes, some corps would be dysfunctional by now due to a series of injured people.


    ¡°Still, we, the Craist Army, dropped two layers and were ahead of the others in the alliance. But, it was only until yesterday.¡±


    Gran cut his words and continued talking.


    ¡°You all know the result of my infantry, who tried to make a breakthrough yesterday. 102 dead, 117 heavily injured. 2 corps with 100 soldiers were wiped from the army list. This much damage was caused by only one soldier.¡±


    A 1000-man commander and the knights, who were under the command of the two corps, had a bitter face as if they had eaten worms all at once.


    ¡°The skill that seems to have been used is ¡¶Demon Fire¡·. In terms of destructive power, Yuuto and Makoto are more powerful. The problem is its duration and range. The commander who survived on the front line, please tell the story.¡±


    Everyone¡¯s eyes gathered at the commander who appeared from the edge of the tent. His appearance was terrible due to burns and painful to look at.


    ¡°¡­ He¡¯s seriously injured. Wouldn¡¯t it have been better with just a report without having to pull the injured into the meeting?¡±


    Knight Johanna, who belonged to the Order of Reharzen, distorted her well-organized eyebrows. While she was an excellent subordinate, Gran knew that Johanna remained sweet, good or bad. Gran tried to reply, but it was the 1000-man commander who blocked him.


    ¡°Even if I can¡¯t move my limbs, I can still move my mouth without any problems. And I asked Commander Gran-dono to allow me to come to this place. I¡¯m sorry for making Johanna worried.¡±


    Sensing the strong will of the soldier, Johanna obediently admitted her fault.


    ¡°No, it was me who thoughtless. Please continue.¡±


    ¡°I ordered to do a mass assault, and my corps was in the fourth row running up the embankment. The moment the soldiers in the front row tried to jump into the warrior on the top of the embankment, someone shouted that there was a user of ¡¶Demon Fire¡·¨D¨D¡±


    Once the 1000-man commander took a breath, he continued to speak.


    ¡°I had the opportunity to talk to the company commander of the Liberitoa Infantry Corps, and at that time I heard about this ¡¶Demon Fire¡·. It thought it was just a rumor on the battlefield. But most of the company soldiers had burns, and so, I believed the story to a certain extent. That decision made the difference between life and death.¡±


    The 1000-man commander continued his words as if he was enduring something.


    ¡°The soldiers within 5m on the most front disappeared into blue flames without having time to raise their voices. All of them died instantly. Even my corps, which was at 15m away, was burned by fire and some were instantly burned to death. Within 20m, some got burns and wounds from the flame. ¡°


    Only those who were familiar with magic attacks participated in the war council. From its power and range, it was speculated that it must be as powerful as ¡¶Firestorm¡·, which was said as one of the most advanced fire-attribute magic.


    ¡°If you¡¯re attacked by magic during training, it¡¯s common to hide in a shield or lie down on the ground, but not in the case of ¡¶Demon Fire¡·. You have to run away. Even if you cover yourself behind the shield or the trench, the flames would wrap around it and enter. The trench has become a literal crematorium. Blue flames and hot air continue to blow intermittently. Unless you have knight-class mana, it will not be possible to approach him. Only one knight survived in the first and second rows. ¡°


    Johanna knew that the Knights belonged to the Order of Reharzen had been killed and injured, and Johanna, who went to visit the injured, was speechless of how horrific he looked. Still, she got some information from him.


    ¡°I asked the corps to run with all their might before asking my superior¡¯s instructions. Still, half were burned¡­ I used to make a fool of it as a fairy tale when I was a kid. But, ¡¶Fire of Hell Gate¡·is definitely, based on the true story.¡±


    The inside of the tent was surrounded by a heavy silence.


    ¡°More than anything else. For him to be in the layer my corps is in charge of.¡±


    The 1000-man commander said bitterly.


    ¡°It¡¯s useless to push with only the number of infantries. We have to kill him by surrounding him with soldiers with long-distance magic or weapon and with soldiers who have knight-class mana.¡±


    Gran, who had been thinking until then, spoke seriously.


    ¡°The problem is how to pull it out.¡±


    ¡°Including the information from the Liberitoa soldiers, he¡¯s usually in a group of ordinary soldiers. Ranged attacks won¡¯t be that effective.¡±


    The 1000-man commander who had summarized the information from the friendly army answered Gran.


    ¡°In that case, is it necessary to intentionally create an unordinary situation and attract him?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Let me do it with my squad.¡±


    It was Johanna who came forward. Gran hesitated. He knew all the characteristics of his subordinates. Johanna¡¯s abundant mana could strengthen her physical strength and form a strong magical barrier. And although it could be said that she was suitable for this mission, it was undeniable that there was a part where she put her personal feeling too much.


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll leave it to you. Just, until the purpose is reached, throw away your personal feelings. If you fail, the damage will be worse than now. Understood?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I understood, I will definitely succeed.¡±


    The eyes that made you feel Johanna¡¯s strong will were looking at Gran.


    ¡°Yuuto, Makoto, you guys give a deadly blow from a long distance with other magic-user soldiers. Even if you¡¯re not familiar with the enemy, this is an important task. Do it without fail.¡±


    Gran understood that it was terrible for the two, who were young and had not much experience of war, but what can be used on the battlefield must be used, even if it was cats, dogs, and children.


    ¡°¡­¡­I understood¡±


    Gran took his eyes off the two who responded seriously.

 CH 31

    Walm¡¯s consciousness began to awaken rapidly due to the subsequent echoes of the earth. He stretched his limbs out of a dingy cloak and raised his head from his backpack and waist bag, which he used as his pillow.


    Walm¡¯s mood was terrible when he felt wet in his left hand and looked down. Noor grabbed Walm¡¯s left hand and drooled it.


    Indignant at the unreasonable treatment, Walm closed Noor¡¯s nose with his free hand. As Walm expected, Noor began to suffocate.


    It was Barito who suffered secondary damage. When Noor swung her limbs, it hit him many times, Barito moaned and held his head with his hands to protect his own cockscomb.


    When Walm was satisfied, he released his hand from Noor and rubbed his hand against the soil while burning off the dirt with fire magic.


    The dirty men were asleep side by side. The three idiots were still entwined with the bad sleep, and Squad Commander Duwei was snoring.


    From a distance, a magic attack landing sound and an angry voice echoed. The stinks of viscera and filth drift in the wind. It was Walm¡¯s daily routine as usual.


    Water was taken out of the water bottle and the throat was moistened. Then, as the dried potatoes were bitten with the back teeth, the sticky texture and sweetness spread on the tongue.


    After flattening the potato, Walm tilted the water bottle again and laid down again.


    Walm decided from the color of the sky and the condition of the rising sun that it was about to take a few hours for them to replace the reserve team. It was too early to get up.


    Walm, who was physically and mentally worn, fell asleep early, but his sleep didn¡¯t last so long. So, he wanted to sleep again.


    ¡°Wake up. All of you Get Up! It¡¯s an enemy¡¯s big attack. We¡¯ll be out soon.¡±


    The angry Squad Commander Duwei, who had woken up before Walm knew it, shook his eardrum. But, rather than being forced to wake up by the magic or skills of the enemy, it was a fairly good wake-up.


    Walm jumped up to wear equipment with a dexterity that wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that he did it without thinking. It took less than a minute to get ready for battle, and all the squad members had lined up.


    ¡°Listen well, the squad was ordered by Commander Kozuru to help the Parma¡¯s Platoon. The enemy formed a shield from the trench that they had dug as usual and tried to rush. We will block this as much as possible, and if a breakthrough is about to form, wipe it out with Walm¡¯s ¡¶Demon Fire¡·. It¡¯s an easy task. Walm should save his mana. Jose, you look over Noor and Barito. Willart, it will be a burden for you as the only other magic user, but use your mane to the bottom. Reinus, Tibird, and Danfan, you three shall look closely at the gap as usual and crush it. Let¡¯s go. Today too, we will return those bastards from Craist and send them all to heaven!!¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Yes, Sir!!¡±¡±¡±


    The squad rushed into combat with an explosive shout.


    Dust rose into the sky due to magic attacks, and arrows with wind noise were coming and going between the two armies.


    Walm grabbed a fist-sized stone and threw the stone at the Craist soldier who struggled hard on the slope.


    After a dull blow that would have hit the body, the Craist soldiers lost their balance and fell from their heads onto the slope.


    The soldier who tried hard to get his balance looked really enthusiastic and healthy. Impressed, Walm presented a fist-sized stone once again. This time, the soldier couldn¡¯t bear it and rolled down to the bottom.


    Still, the Craist soldiers who found the slight dents to breakthrough didn¡¯t stop advancing. A fireball hit the shield set up on the slope, sprinkling pieces of wood and earth and sand around, soldiers hiding in the shadows were thrown out of the shadows by a shock.


    An arrow pierced the back of a soldier trying to hide behind the wreckage. The air trembled. At the edge of Walm¡¯s field of view, Noor was seen trying to shoot a second arrow.


    The second shot was also sucked into the clavicle of the Craist soldier who had turned away from the shield. Walm whistled and wanted to praise the smooth movement. In close quarters, Noor, who had only the average skill of the Highserk Empire soldiers, was actually had the best archery skill in the squad.


    With this, cockscomb Barito who is the same new recruit, his position in the squad is dangerous.


    After thinking so much about Barito, Walm noticed something.


    This is bad. I¡¯m thinking too much again.


    It was Walm¡¯s bad habit to be deep in his thoughts during the battle. For now, he put the rookie¡¯s reputation matter into the corner of his head.


    Even though the offensive continued several times, this time Walm could see the seriousness of the enemy. No matter how many soldiers had fallen, they were persistently setting up scaffolding and shields on the slopes to try to break through the line of defense. Even the magic-user soldiers, who always provided support from the rear, were leaning forward.


    Perhaps one of the magic-users didn¡¯t like the cockscomb, a magic attack approached Barito.


    ¡°Uwow!?¡±


    Barito bowed into a depression in the ground like a wild rabbit. When water magic pierced the embankment, it instantly formed a pillar of ice. Walm crushed it with a longsword.


    When a crushed ice block fell on Barito¡¯s whole body, he made a stupid voice.


    ¡°Uhihi¡±


    ¡°Hah¡±


    Barito screamed badly at Walm, who sneered at him.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to laugh like that!¡±


    This time it was Walm¡¯s turn. An earth bullet that seemed to have been formed by earth-attribute magic flew toward Walm. Earth-attribute magic, which was one of the four-attribute magic, was useful, contrary to its apparent blandness.


    Base building, siege battle, increasing the overall power of troops by a golem. There were many types used on the battlefield just by what Walm knew, but among them, ¡¶Earth Bullet¡·, even though it might be the basic magic, was the most used earth attribute magic.


    Rather than creating something out of nothing based on mana, it was much more efficient to consume mana to twist and manipulate existing substances. As magic that literally made you hold your head down, it was harder not to see a ¡¶Earth Bullet¡· on the battlefield.


    Walm saw the stunned face of the magic-user from behind the golem. It seemed he was very shocked that the magic that he was proud of, was shattered with a sword. But he didn¡¯t give up and shot ¡¶Earth Bullet¡· at Walm again and again.


    ¡°It seems that you want to play with mud huh.¡±


    When Walm knocked it down the third time, a fireball came flying from another direction. Walm showed a pretense to avoid it, but his heart said differently. After all, as someone with a fire-attribute, he was strong against the same attribute magic.


    Even if the fire caused burns to others, it would only be hot if you had the fire-attribute. After acquiring ¡¶Demon Fire¡·, Walm gained resistance to fire and heat, and its status was exceptional even amongst the ones who had the same attributes.


    As a result, some flames struck Walm, but Walm, covered with a magical barrier, including equipment, was literally unharmed. The problem was that the hands that held down Walm¡¯s body that came of nowhere.


    ¡°Oi, using your comrades a wall, are you serious?¡±


    Walm was slightly angry with Jose and the two rookies who had slipped into his shadow.


    Walm was terribly indignant at his companions who chose the meat shield as their best choice, even though they could afford to dodge or shield.


    ¡°Well, Walm-san is amazing!¡±


    ¡°Right©`, even if that flame hits directly, it doesn¡¯t hurt him at all.¡±


    ¡°This is good, I don¡¯t need fireproof equipment.¡±


    If you could kill the three, the schemer, the cockscomb, and the bow idiot, with only your gaze, Walm was confident that his gaze could kill them now.


    ¡°Tch, what a bunch of noisy people.¡±


    Walm wanted to get close to the three, but he had no time for that. Perhaps, the enemy soldiers thought they had got the troublesome ones, they vigorously jumped out from the trench coming at Walm.


    ¡°Follow me!!¡±


    Soldiers jumped out all at once. The proportion of knights that was higher than before, was reflected in Walm¡¯s eyes. Especially the knight who ran at the front looked so burdensome to deal with.


    The flowing purple hair and the fineness of the body could be distinguished even from the top of the armor. Seeing that, Walm thought that she must be a woman who had become a knight because of her family, and so he decided to pay not much attention to her. At first, he thought like that.


    However, Walm changed his mind when he saw the round shield, which the woman held, and covered with her mana, countered the ¡¶Wind Blade¡·, and the friendly army leaning out of the embankment was pierced by a javelin.


    The female knight seemed to have ¡¶Iron Wall¡· and also had a ridiculous amount of mana. Contrary to her appearance, the knight seemed to have muscle-brain as she jumped into her own death without hesitation. Walm didn¡¯t want to fight such a person. He thought that she was only suitable for Squad Commander Duwei.


    Squad Commander Duwei smiled with shining eyes, such imagination crossed Walm¡¯s mind.


    In any case, Walm didn¡¯t want to have hand-to-hand combat with her.


    ¡°Walmmmm, use it, nooowwWW!¡±


    Walm¡¯s ears received a heartbreaking cry from Platoon Commander Kozuru. Taking in the intentions of his boss, and the wish to not have a head-on fight with the knight, Walm took the mask from his waist bag. The mask continued to vibrate as if it couldn¡¯t wait any longer.


    The horror ¨D¨D the convenience of this mask is that it¡¯ll stick to your face.


    Without any hesitation, Walm wore the mask, and prepared to use the skill.


    Walm was ready to spit out his mana from the whole body, and used all of his preserved mana at once. Hot air and flames started to come out from his body. Still, the female knight in front of Walm didn¡¯t waver at all.


    The sharp eyes captured Walm¡¯s attention wholeheartedly.


    In peacetime, Walm would welcome such gaze since there most likely no murderous intention behind it, but the current situation where neither of them, Walm thought, at the very least, it was a horrible thing to come at him.


    Still, Walm didn¡¯t waver, his dominance still there. He had an experience seeing a human continued to move even after the whole body was covered in¡¶Demon Fire¡·.


    But it was different from then, now Walm was in a favorable situation. In addition to the support of the friendly army, the enemy was still running up the slope. Walm had only to shoot the fire and burn the enemies under his eyes.


    The moment when¡¶Demon Fire¡· was activated ¨D¨DThe group stopped rapidly and kept their posture low and took as much contact as possible to the ground.


    Some of them form clay walls and trenches. If it was just magic, it was enough as a measure, but in front of ¡¶Demon Fire¡·, there was no point in defending unless you block all directions.


    There was no longer any assumption that the knight would rush and slash into the ¡¶Demon Fire¡· that Walm was afraid of, but at the same time, doubts arose.


    Why does she still stand perfectly and solidify her defenses despite that momentum? Why do the Craist soldiers didn¡¯t learn from yesterday and choose the same assault tactic?


    Am I thinking too much?


    ¨D¨DWondering if he was thinking too much, Walm tried to switch his thoughts, but he was stunned by the mana that swelled in the rear trench.


    ¡°You¡¯re kidding me.¡±


    Momentarily squinted and searched for its source. Then, Walm found something out of place, a boy with black hair and black eyes, and a girl with chestnut skin and black hair, the two were looking at him.


    Walm knew only a few people who had mana visible to the eyes. And it was still bulging multiple times. Once he looked closely, he saw many other magic-user soldiers were lurking.


    Goosebumps ran all over the body and cold sweat flowed.


    F*ck!


    Walm cursed himself while glaring at the boy and girl. He was trapped. He was put into the enemy¡¯s plan. His eyes were struck by the wide variety of magic that filled his field of vision, especially the dazzling light.


    While leaning toward the one with a slightly lower density, shoot ¡¶Demon Fire¡· with all of his might. Countless magic clashed causing a big explosion. The shock caused the hair to flutter, and the whole body was beaten up by flying objects and the shockwave.


    As if to erode ¡¶Demon Fire¡·, the magic rushed to Walm with only a slight decline in power. He manipulated the hot air, deflecting his body backward as far as he could, but he was too late.


    ¡°Walmmm!¡±


    Squad Commander Duwei, who called his name, appeared at the edge of his field of vision, but the stream of light swallowed the whole squad.


    ¡°Aaahhh¨D ¡°


    As the last resistance, Walm folded his limbs, closed his ears, and exhaled. Pain ran all over his stiff body. He could feel that the light, the explosion, the shockwave, were in contact with his body. The front, back, left and right was unknown. Swallowed by the stream, he started to lose the sense of the body.


    Again, will I die again?


    ¨D¨D After the sensation of being twisted ran through the body, and at last, the field of vision started to disappear and it became dark. Even though it was so noisy, all of the sounds disappeared. And lastly, Walm¡¯s consciousness disappeared completely.

 CH 32

    Carrying a basket, Walm was walking around in the woods while holding a handy stick. This was to maintain a good diet.


    After all, it was difficult to completely fill the stomach of a family with just fields alone. While his parents were working hard in the fields, Walm was working hard collecting edible wild plants in the mountains.


    It wasn¡¯t just 12-year-old Walm. He was with his older brother, who was two years older. He climbed up the slope, squeezed the fallen leaves, and filled the basket.


    It was hard work on the child¡¯s body, but strangely Walm didn¡¯t feel it.


    His brother ran through the forest as if inviting Walm to join him. Walm hesitated a little, but he understood that sometimes he needed to show appropriate behavior to his age.


    While running, Walm became absorbed in chasing his brother¡¯s back. Not long after, Walm struck the back of his brother, who was a slow runner.


    ¡°I¡¯ve caught up¡±


    Even though Walm felt a slight embarrassment, he said so with a triumphant look. His lungs screamed and his legs quivered, but a win was still a win.


    ¡°For someone short, you sure fast.¡±


    His brother¡¯s hand stroked Walm¡¯s head.


    ¡°Look. Walm¡±


    A berry tree full with the fruits at the point where my brother pointed.


    ¡°You¡¯re amazing¡±


    Walm praised his brother. He had seen small berries several times before, but they had a lot of competitors and were a source of conflict with the stupid brats in the neighborhood.


    However, this was the frontier. There were many slopes, and overall, the foothold wasn¡¯t good. This place, which was close to the Demon Territory, had always been a sanctuary that didn¡¯t allow intruders.


    ¡°It¡¯s a secret to the other guys, because you¡¯re just growing up.¡±


    Walm stuffed berries with his brother to his mouth. His hands were dyed red and his nails and mouth smelled sweet and sour.


    It was a sanctuary where beasts didn¡¯t approach, but birds aiming the berries occasionally gathered. Seeing that, Walm with shiny eyes said.


    ¡°There are even birds. It¡¯s great that food comes by itself.¡±


    ¡°¡­Huff, really, what a cold guy. Have you never thought that birds were beautiful or cute? Your brother is really worried you know? Even Dad and Mom are worried since you¡¯ve never let them spoil you.¡±


    For Walm, worried by a boy far younger than himself seemed so humorous. Still, his brother¡¯s good intentions felt itchy but warm at the same time.


    ¡°Well, but it¡¯s still a treat.¡±


    His brother had a dark smile on his face as he agreed with Walm.


    Walm and his brother, who used berries as bait and made traps from ivy plant, twigs, and branches, secured enough protein and vitamins for their families to eat and triumphally returned home.


    ¡º¡±Aa, U, EeeeeuuUU, AA, aaaAAAAA!!??¡±¡»


    Suddenly, the image of the world solidified. Walm held his head and clenched his teeth in pain that shacking his brain. He couldn¡¯t even open his eyes because of the pain.


    Walm couldn¡¯t swallow the situation.


    What am I doing? What am I doing?


    Walm, who was asking himself repeatedly, arrived at the answer.


    That¡¯s it. I¡¯m done with my work. I need to go home.


    Slowly opened the eyes. What was in the vision was, a railway level crossing, with the warning light shining bright red.


    The sound of railroad crossings echoed forever. It was a familiar road. The road that Takakura Raizou ??took over and over thousands of times.


    A 10-car train passed by with a loud noise. It was so fast that no one could see the figures inside.


    I forgot something. What am I forgetting?


    The warning light dimmed, and the barrier slowly rose.


    That¡¯s it. I have to go home.


    Raizou ??continued on the way to his house.


    Curiously, only the streetlights and houses on the way back were shining faintly. Confused by the situation, Raizou looked back, there, was only darkness. And, it was slowly approaching, there was no doubt about that.


    I can¡¯t be swallowed by that.


    Raizou ??instinctively realized so.


    Turned right, went straight at the crossroads to the left, and went through the park for a shortcut.


    Something could be heard by Raizou. It was a sound that shouldn¡¯t exist.


    The swing, which should be empty, was moving slowly. There was a translucent figure there. The sound of running up the slide innocently echoed.


    I¡¯ll arrive at the apartment soon.


    Raizou saw the exterior that would show its age soon. But then, he ??stopped his foot. He saw a person, lying down in front of the building. It was Takakura Raizou.


    Something is strange. Something is strange.


    Walm¡¯s thoughts were knocked down into a chaotic crucible, but a ray of light came down.


    Yeah, that¡¯s right. ??Takakura Raizou is dead.


    The wrinkles disappeared from the hands. Once he put the hand on the head, he felt the richness of the hair.


    Walm sighed without trying to hide his tiredness.


    There, a black hole appeared in the place where the body was.


    The more I look at it, the weirder it gets.


    Walm smiled bitterly, looking at the hole.


    Before he knew it, all-black midgets surrounded Walm and the black hole.


    The world had gone all black except around the apartment.


    ¡°Do you want me to go in?¡±


    When Walm asked, one of the black midgets clapped his short hands. The others did the same in a chain.


    ¡°Are you seeing me off? Well, I don¡¯t hate it.¡±


    When Walm stepped in, he slowly sunk.


    The black midgets applauded as if they were complimenting their child. Walm felt like he was being ridiculed, but the stupid sight made him smile.


    Now that Walm saw it once again, he thought that the black midgets were somewhat charming.


    Leaving himself in a mysterious sensation like in a dream, Walm left himself in the drowsiness.


    TN: Personally, I interpret this¡º¡±Aa, U, EeeeeuuUU, AA, aaaAAAAA!!??¡±¡» , as the scream of Takakura Raizou, even though it¡¯s Walm on the outside.

 CH 33

    33. Chapter 33 ¨C Muddy Eye


    Walm felt something was wrong with his mouth. Then, the brain hurt intensely as if it was repeatedly hit by a war hammer. His limbs couldn¡¯t be moved freely and his chest hurts when he exhaled.


    ¡°A, u¡­ uhhu,uuff¡±


    A feeling of suffocation and oppression wrapped Walm¡¯s whole body. Thick earthy smell and foul smell stuck to the nose. When Walm moved his body, the darkness cleared up after a slight resistance.


    Walm exhaled air from his lungs as if he had been longing for it. Lumps of soil and water came out. Walm took some time before he realized he was in the ground. Still, even after he had escaped from the ground, half of his field of vision was covered in darkness. And the other half was the night sky.


    The scent that Walm had accustomed to smelling on the battlefield was stronger than usual. When he moved only his right eye and traced around, he saw the ruin of what once was and, many soldiers were messed up and tossed around.


    Walm felt a dull pain like a vise tightening his head and a pain on his eyeball as if it was pierced by an ice pick. He saw his face in the reflection of the longsword blade he pulled out. There were no noticeable wounds, but one of his his black eyes was muddy, and discolored.


    Nothing was reflected in the muddy eye. Walm realized that the stream of light came from the left.


    Aaa, I guess it must have been because of that¡­


    Strangely, Walm was convinced that it got burned by magic. He received an attack with excessive and dense mana. Luckily, it was only one of his eyes.


    Walm checked the condition of his body. The head might be cracked. Curiously, the laceration had already started to regenerate. His left hand, all of the fingers were pointing in any direction as it pleased. Every time he breathed air, he suffered unbearable pain. He was for sure not in decent shape. After some time checking his body, Walm looked up to the sky again. It was a full moon. The shape of the moon, had changed from what he remembered.


    ¡°How many days, has passed, since that?¡±


    Walm asked a question. But no answers, there was only death around him. On the hole caused by the magic attack, corpses were thrown in.


    The corpses that couldn¡¯t be thrown and the corpses buried half on the ground had begun to decay. Rats and maggots covered the surface of the body and devoured it.


    All of them belong to the Highserk Empire army.


    I guess they didn¡¯t care much about the corpses of the enemy


    Walm speculated that they had been poorly buried the corpse of the enemy army. The smell of holy water was barely there after all.


    A large amount of earth and sand caused by the explosion hid Walm in the ground, thus avoiding damage from vermin and enemy soldiers.


    ¡°Ah, a, agh, Reinus, Tibird, Danfan¡­¡±


    Walm mentioned several names. It was the three oldest members of the Duwei¡¯s squad. He wasn¡¯t particularly close with them, but it was a fact that he had been on the deadly battlefield and on the verge of death together for almost a year.


    Far from companionship, but were loyal to their desires. It was the impression Walm had of the three. Still, it didn¡¯t change the fact that his life had ever been saved by them.


    A bright red alert was screaming in Walm¡¯s brain.


    Stop it. Don¡¯t look any further


    ¨D¨D He saw bright red hair, a shattered bow, and a broken Squad Commander Duwei¡¯s battle axe.


    ¡°U, ughh¡±


    The empty stomach tightened, and stomach acid rose. The feeling around the mouth was the worst.


    Unknowingly, Walm joined hands.


    What to do from now?


    The weakened Walm didn¡¯t have much time to think.


    All the flags illuminated by the moonlight belonged to the Four-Countries Alliance. Most of the layers had fallen, and the layer protected by Walm had changed into a huge graveyard.


    It can¡¯t be so quiet on the front line. I guess, it must have been a safe haven in the area completely crushed by the Alliance.


    Walm could understand that the enemy¡¯s main force was stuffing soldiers into the layer that was still protected by the Highserk Empire army.


    How far is it? Is it all? Is the one left only the walls? What should I do? Should I continue to pretend to be a corpse and run away after seeing a gap? Or should I surrender?


    When Walm looked down, he saw the empty eyes of his companions who he rarely talked to. There was a corpse that didn¡¯t even retain the original shape of the face. It wasn¡¯t the only one. Walm had been told by his brother that those who lost both eyes when they were still alive couldn¡¯t reach the Hell gate, let alone the netherworld, and would wander for the rest of their lives in the darkness of the void. Walm didn¡¯t know if the eyes were hollowed out before or after their death. The corpse had the hands tied behind, meaning they were killed after detention.


    Perhaps it was some rampaging soldiers? Or it was intentional?


    ¨D¨D Soldiers who couldn¡¯t hold their emotion and rampaging even after the enemies surrendered was also a common story in a war. Food, place, lookout. Walm, who had dealt with prisoners of war, had experienced how costly POWs were.


    Highserk Empire was officially refraining from murdering POWs in order to worsen the sentiment of the occupied territories and secure a labor force. Walm had seen many times that even such Highserk Empire, the POWs were killed due to the lack of supplies for them and for calming some of the soldiers. Countless soldiers of the Four-Countries Alliance were killed or injured in the 3rd layer. Walm could imagine that the army, whose chain of command wasn¡¯t unified, treated POWs differently, leading to the annihilation of POWs. Still, Walm couldn¡¯t understand the need to take out the eyes of the corpse.


    ¡°It¡¯s a war. It¡¯s not that strange, but ¡­¡±


    Is it necessary to despise the enemies to that extent?


    Everything is ¡°Justified¡± in a war?


    When such words came to mind, Walm showed his teeth and laughed loudly.


    ¡°HAHA, U, Hii, iick¡±


    Even though I¡¯ve killed humans too, yet, why do I still keep my belief and character?


    Walm didn¡¯t really know how many days had passed. Still, in his head, the squad members who had been joking until just a few hours ago came to mind.


    ¡°Aa, that¡¯s right. Death always comes suddenly. It was the same before. Moreover, this is a war. It¡¯s a war. You killed others. And you may be killed too.¡±


    Walm tried to sort out the situation, but emotions hindered him.


    At that time, Walm knew that the light was approaching him who was in a dark area.


    ¡°Oi, look, something is standing.¡±


    ¡°Is it undead again? Even after being killed, those Highserk soldiers, still give us trouble.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve crushed the eyes and limbs of the ones around here. For sure, he can¡¯t move well. Let¡¯s go crush his head quickly.¡±


    The conversation of the carefree Ferrius soldiers could be heard. Walm flickered with the idea of ??surrendering and begging his enemies, but he once again saw what was his comrade who had their limbs tied up and died.


    ¡°Surrender? F*ck it. Don¡¯t joke with me. They¡¯re the ones who torment them.¡±


    Even if you beg for life, they won¡¯t give you an easy death.


    ¡°Should I cover myself with maggots and pretend as a corpse? Hah, not bad.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a bad idea if only Walm could ignore the fact he was surrounded by over 10,000 soldiers in the middle of the enemy territory.


    Duties, Responsibilities, Vengeance.


    Prayer to the squad, Loyalty to the homeland, Hatred to the enemy.


    ¡º¡±What do you wish for with the muddy eye?¡±¡»


    ¡°¡­..¡±


    ¡°Oi, isn¡¯t he, muttering something?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s just moaning.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s dirty, but his eyes aren¡¯t crushed. Maybe it¡¯s the one they missed.¡±


    ¡°Huh, once we surround and hit him, the result will be the same.¡±


    Words circulated in Walm¡¯s head.


    Ah!


    Walm came up with something.


    He remembered that ¡¶Demon Fire¡· was also called as ¡¶Fire of Hell Gate¡·.


    If I ignite it on a grand scale, those guys won¡¯t get lost, right?


    With a hope that the companions would be able to reach the netherworld, Walm declared to his comrades who had no eyeballs.


    ¡°Even if you can¡¯t see, you can still feel my ¡¶Demon Fire¡·. I¡¯ll specially make a bonfire. A grand bonfire.¡±


    As Walm spun words for his comrades, the Ferrius soldiers finally realized that it wasn¡¯t undead.


    ¡°It¡¯s not undead. He¡¯s still alive.¡±


    ¡°The battle was five days ago. He¡¯s just a coward who survived by hiding as a corpse.¡±


    ¡°5 days in such a place¡­?¡±


    Something hit the foot of Walm who was standing still. He lifted it up and muttered happily.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you so thoughtful? Wanna come along? It¡¯s a grand bonfire from now on.¡±


    The face made a loud noise as if it agreed. Walm slowly wore the mask and exhaled. Perhaps because of the stimulus of breath or imagining the bonfire that was about to unfold, the mask trembled vigorously.


    TN: For me, ¡º¡±What do you wish for with the muddy eye?¡±¡»even though it is Walm who muttered the words, I think its Takakura Raizou in Walm asking Walm.

 CH 34

    The war between the Four-Countries Alliance and the Highserk Empire was about to enter the climax. The Four-Countries Alliance destroyed two battalions of the Highserk Empire, even if they had more than 10,000 casualties, and the defense layer had fallen except for the last layer, the U-shape layer in front of the castle gate.


    Tomorrow, they would do an all-out attack on the castle gate, and a large number of supplies and soldiers were gathering at the captured layer. More than half of the soldiers went to bed before the big offensive, with the exception of the commanders and sentry soldiers of each country who participated in the late war council.


    Jackson, a Ferrius soldier, was unfortunately ordered to act as a night watchman. Although the Highserk Empire had been pushed to the fortress ramparts, Jackson¡¯s heart wasn¡¯t at ease. After all, there was a risk that enemy spies and rebels would enter their camp by taking advantage of the darkness of the night. Jackson had heard that the total number of deaths in both armies had exceeded 15,000.


    In this battle to capture Sarajevo Fortress, there were many fierce battles in layers before the fortress. Among them, the battle in the 3rd layer caused the greatest damage to both sides due to the fierce hand-to-hand combat. In this layer, there were many large holes, which were opened by a large number of magic attacks from the magic-user soldiers plus two of the three heroes of the other world of the Craist Kingdom. More than 5,000 soldiers were randomly buried there.


    Despite the spraying of holy water and prayer by military chaplains, there had been a series of corpses that became undead, and today alone there had been reports of 10 undead. Jackson himself subdued the undead of the Highserk soldiers¡¯ corpses, whose eyes were hollowed out. Even if the corpses became an undead, as the limbs and both eyes had been crushed, the threat level should be low, some idiots thought so and actually did such stupid things. Perhaps they got cursed by an evil spirit for doing that, or it was just bad luck, the corpses that became undead were more than ever.


    Jackson was also disgusted by the Highserk Empire, but at the very least, he knew that they wouldn¡¯t go crazy as killing the non-resisting prisoner of war and destroying corpses. He wouldn¡¯t fall into the madness of his allies. It was Jackson who advocated such an idea, but ironically, he was guarding the 3rdlayer, which had become a huge graveyard, and the 6th layer, which was the largest and tallest among the 13 layers.


    In this place, where the most undead had been confirmed came from, 40 soldiers including Jackson had been ordered to guard it and they had been continuing to patrol. The magic stone lamp in his hand, torch, and moonlight were the lights that kept Jackson¡¯s view.


    Not far away, three sentries screamed from the place that Jackson was in charge of. Jackson didn¡¯t know what happened. Still, it was the soldiers, who talked happily in the graveyard-like area, he could think that a part of their heads was strange, they must be crazy people. From a distance, even if he asked what had happened, no answer came. But, judging of equipment, it must have been a Highserk soldier. Jackson turned his gaze to the left and right, and turned to the direction of his friends.


    Thinking that it must be an undead, Jackson felt tired. He was sick of it, but it was his job, and if left unchecked, it would cause damage. The feeling of strangeness grew as he got closer. The corpses should have no equipment, and should have their eyes and limbs crushed. And the one he saw, didn¡¯t fit into any of them. Jackson had his hand holding the magic stone lamp took his shield, and the other hand onto his longsword.


    ¡°Hiii¨D¨D it¡¯s a lie. He should have died already.¡±


    The attitude changed, and the voice became distraught. The nearby soldier happened to be a magic user, so with the magic, ¡¶Torch¡·, the appearance was revealed.


    The whole body was stained with blood and flesh, and all the fingers of the left hand were twisted. Up to that point, there was no difference from the corpse in that area. However, seeing the man bringing the mask to his expressionless face, Jackson couldn¡¯t stop trembling all over his body. The reason was, the man who was supposed to have died during the capture of the 3rd layer led by the Oder of Reharzen, wore the rumored red demon mask.


    ¡°I-is it the user of¡¶Demon Fire¡·, the one manipulating that ¡¶Fire of Hell Gate¡·!?¡±


    Jackson shouted reflexively. A Highserk soldier of unknown background with a terrifying ¡°Skill¡± that could burn a group of soldiers alive. Jackson remembered his characteristics since the soldiers heavily injured by him kept talking about it. Remembering all of the talks, Jackson, who was preparing for battle, couldn¡¯t move his legs further.


    The moment the soldier in front of him pointed the weapon, the hot air instantly dried Jackson¡¯s lips and eyes. The mouth sucked a little of the air and felt as if inside the mouth got burned. Still, Jackson was lucky. His distance and the fact that he was behind other soldiers, helped him avoid fatal injuries. The rising heat and the shining blue-flame that felt like a sun at night were instantly formed, and the soldiers were engulfed in fire. Jackson couldn¡¯t even scream anymore. Jackson, who had his knees given out, crawled away.


    In the mind, thinking as to why it became like this, Jackson kept cursing, ¡°Damn it, DAMN IT! No one should ever play with the corpse¡±. He thought that it must be because of the dumb soldiers playing with the corpse. Jackson blamed this strange situation on his comrades. Like the unlucky soldiers in front of him, he himself would become a Human Torch and started dancing like crazy soon. Jackson was determined he would soon join them, but the imagination of his own death ended as just an imagination.


    The user of ¡¶Demon Fire¡·, together with the hot air, disappeared into the shadow of the embankment of this layer at an unbelievable speed. Seeing that, Jackson understood. It wasn¡¯t that he was forgiven. It was just that the man wanted to go to places where there were as many people as possible. So, the destination was undoubtedly the 6th layer, and the unprotected sleeping soldiers would soon be attacked. Even though he knew that, Jackson¡¯s legs were so heavy that he as if he was cursed, resulting in him couldn¡¯t warn his surroundings.

 CH 35

    Walm, who eliminated a small group of enemy soldiers he encountered, turned his direction to the 6th layer in a straight line. He climbed the slope of the embankment with the support of wind magic, jumped over the wooden walls, and killed enemy soldiers he passed. His injured body was surprisingly light. Perhaps the pain had exceeded a certain level, he was numb to the pain, even broken fingers and ribs were a trivial matter for Walm today.


    The soldier on guard warned the surrounding soldiers and shot an arrow at Walm, who disappeared into the darkness, but the arrow pierced a misplaced place. After all, they were in the 6th layer, which was wide and large, there should be a limit to the place where the soldiers could be deployed, especially if they wanted to save some power. As a soldier who helped build the 6th layer, Walm was familiar with the surrounding.


    Walm didn¡¯t have to deal with all the soldiers. Human eyes were dispersed after he blasted a soldier¡¯s station near the wall.


    Walm split up the upper and lower bodies of the Craist soldiers who stood in the path, and finally found his goal.


    The camp was crowded with soldiers. In the stretched tent, supplies and generals were resting, and the soldiers pulled a cloak on the ground and were sleeping on it. Part of the bonfire was still lit, and Walm confirmed the soldiers who perhaps had been drinking surrounding it. The attentive non-commissioned officers and veterans responded quickly to the turmoil and rushed to wear their equipment, but more than half of the soldiers remained unarmored, it was a scene that Walm wanted¡­


    ¡°What is it? What¡¯s the fuss?¡±


    ¡°Undead, no, is it a sabotage by the enemy?¡±


    ¡°Get up!! Get ready for battle!!¡±


    Most of the soldiers would have been able to react quickly during the battle, but in addition to the mind and body worn out by the fierce battles every day, the bed in the safe area slowed down the movement of the soldiers. Walm stepped into the camp and flowed the mana out of his body. The cold outside air at midnight quickly became hot and transformed his surroundings into an unbearable temperature.


    ¡°Stop hiiimmmm!!¡±


    The sorrowful scream of the Craist soldiers echoed, but Walm wailed to overwrite it.


    ¡°AAAAHH, aaaAAAHHH!!¡±


    The soldiers with only a sword, spear, and dagger approached Walm in slow motion, but their figures disappeared in an instant.


    The swollen blue flame rode on the hot air, burning the whole area and diffusing to the surroundings. A general who was covered by fire, rolled on the ground and burned the nearby tent, and the soldier who inhaled the blue flame burned his trachea and lungs, and fell on the ground in suffocation.


    Walm was well aware of what he was doing. Still, he couldn¡¯t stop. The emotions that had been suppressed overflow as if the floodgate broke down.


    A naked man and woman jumped out from one of the tents, and got burned. They must have been in the middle of communicating their love. Walm didn¡¯t think it was because of the high tension before the big offensive, or because they felt relaxed by the atmosphere. It must be because there was no guarantee of tomorrow. When Humans understood their life wasn¡¯t guaranteed, they would follow their desire, regardless of ranks you might be in the army.


    However, luck wasn¡¯t on their side. After all, a battlefield was always unreasonable, no matter where it might be. When you noticed, the people around you had died, and it would be your turn. Even, Walm had also tasted it.


    ¡°Attack him, attackkkkk-aaaAAA!!!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a normal fire, it¡¯s the ¡¶Fire of Hell Gate¡·.¡±


    Walm continued to burn the camp while continuing to shoot out ¡¶Demon Fire¡·. The Craist soldiers who should have attacked the enemy, were breathless even before trying, and so they tried to escape to a place without fire. There was no skill to use, no armament to rely on, no chain of command that should be there. Everyone there was equally afraid of the fire like a primitive human.


    ¡°Damn it, it won¡¯t disappear, it¡¯ll cling to you. Idiot, don¡¯t grab me, stop!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t roll on the ground, the fire will still cling to you. Run, keep a distance!!¡±


    Those who tried to extinguish the fire of their comrades, those who tried to escape their subordinates, it was a scene that usually would warm Walm¡¯s heart, but he kept shooting ¡¶Demon Fire¡·. After all, what he was doing, had only burned one of the goals he had set in his mind¨D¨D


    ¡ô


    Yuuto had been having a hard time sleeping on the bed in the tent, as he had been ordered to support tomorrow¡¯s battle with his magic. Yuuto, who had buried a huge number of humans with his ¡°skills¡± in the past week, had put a heavy burden on his spirit.


    Yuuto managed to do it well during the day. Even so, it was in the middle of the night, and when he was alone, the scene on the battlefield didn¡¯t stop crossing his mind even if I didn¡¯t like it. It had been burned on the eyelids after all. Blowing limbs, blood spreading around with a scream, intense murderous intent, and hatred directed at him.


    When he hit an individual with magic that wouldn¡¯t even leave his limbs, the man was wearing a mask, but Yuuto was certain their eyes met at that time. It was as if the black eyes of the man wanted to tell him that it would never forget Yuuto. Yuuto didn¡¯t think what he did was a wrong decision. If he didn¡¯t kill him, many of his comrades and the knights who belonged to the Order of Reharzen, who was he indebted to, would also be harmed.


    ¡°Get a hold of yourself. You¡¯re a man, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    For the new home, and for his companions, Yuuto couldn¡¯t escape.


    Yuuto rolled over on the bed several times, and finally, he brought the thin bedding over his head. When the consciousness finally faded, Yuuto¡¯s ears caught the turmoil.


    ¡°Did the undead escape?¡±


    Human bodies might become undead. Yuuto had an excellent light attribute and had been engaged in the subjugation of the undead many times. Like humans, they were monsters with great individual differences, and their power fluctuated greatly depending on the body and how strong the human was before died. The resistance of the soldiers of the Highserk Empire after Yuuto helped the breakthrough of the layer was tremendous.


    ¡¸¡±Kill the three heroeseeEESS!!!¡±¡¹, Yuuto was deeply frightened by the enemy soldiers who shook his belly and approached him while his limbs had gone. It was still in his ears even after a week.


    Furthermore, when he heard that the soldier had become undead, Yuuto was reminded of the horror of human willpower. Yuuto got up from the bed and sat down. If the others had trouble, he might be asked for help. He had no prior announcement, at which time the entrance to the tent was rushed open.


    ¡°Yuuto!!¡±


    It was Makoto who jumped in. A childhood friend who shouldn¡¯t lose her composure even during battle showed a strange appearance that could only be expressed as having fallen into a panic state.


    Yuuto took a breath.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What happened?¡±


    ¡°A campground and a command post are being attacked!!¡±


    ¡°What about Ayane? Is Johanna-san safe!?¡±


    The first thing that came to Yuuto¡¯s mind was his other childhood friend, and the female knight who raised Yuuto in this world.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. The information is confusing. Over a wide area from the 3rd to 6th layer is burning.¡±


    Yuuto couldn¡¯t believe that the soldier would allow the enemy to invade. At the same time, Yuuto, who felt unpleasant at the word ¡°burning¡±, opened the tent entrance. It was as if the whole layer was burning. The smell of burning came to the nose and the screaming of pain echoed. Above all, the flame was blue like the sky in the day.


    ¡°No way. Is it the user of ¡¶Demon Fire¡·?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to believe it, but I¡¯m sure this blue flame is the ¡¶Fire of Hell Gate¡·.¡±


    Yuuto talked about its true identity. The user was definitely the one he killed. A blue color that would stick to something it touched, and burn. He couldn¡¯t have made a mistake. At the same time, the reason came to mind. By connecting the words ¡°blue flame¡± and ¡°the 3rd layer¡±, Yuuto understood, that it must have taken about a week for the man to become undead¨D¨D


    ¡°Makoto, let¡¯s go. Ayane and Johanna-san is in danger.¡±


    With a minimum of equipment, Yuuto jumped out.

 CH 36

    Johanna, a knight of the Craist Kingdom, was frustrated by the futile negotiation that had been going on since a long time ago.


    ¡°My army will be the vangu¨D¨D¡±


    ¡°No, the mission to recapture the territory is for us, Ferrius army. Please let us lead the attack this time.¡±


    ¡°Given the firepower, Craist who has the ¡°Three Heroes¡± would be appropriate to be the lead.¡±


    It had been a long time since the moon rose in the sky. A magic stone lamp was hung in the room, which was enough to illuminate the map in the center of the room.


    Before the big attack tomorrow, the army to take on the last layer was about to be decided, but it wasn¡¯t that easy. It was understandable to Johanna that each country was obsessed with the most prosperous moment. It wasn¡¯t just for individuals, but for the future of the country. Which country contributed the most to the defeat of the Highserk Empire would have a considerable impact on the influence they would have in Four-Power Alliance. Therefore, no country knew when to give up. The only exception was the Principality of Myard, which lost its remarkable land and power.


    In the war council attended by the general, commander, and the deputy of each country, Myard was only attended by Rita Myard, the leader of the country, and the composition was such that the power relations of each country could be understood even if they disliked it. Johanna thought that following the flow of the meeting, it would be likely to be ended with either the Liberitoa Trade Federation or the Ferrius Kingdom, becoming the vanguard.


    The Craist Kingdom had the achievement of defeating the Liguria battalion, one of the most elite battalions of the Highserk Empire, by capturing the 3rd layer which was guarded by that said battalion. Furthermore, even when the 6th layer, which was the core of the 13 layers, was conquered, the magic of ¡°Three Heroes¡± was prominent, and for now, the Craist Kingdom was by far in the lead.


    Johanna had been informed in advance that the strategist of Craist Kingdom was persistently negotiating to make it as if the Craist Kingdom giving the position of the vanguard as a favor. The war council to decide a vanguard, frankly, Johanna thought it just wasting her time since the three didn¡¯t want to give up that easily.


    Johanna wanted to hit at least once against the commander of the Order of Reharzen who passed on the meeting.


    ¡°Better yet, why don¡¯t you decide with a lottery?¡±


    ¡°Are you joking, Johanna-dono?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Please refrain from such irresponsible remarks.¡±


    The representatives of each country who didn¡¯t overlook the words that Johanna had leaked due to the lack of progress, were pursuing rants one after another.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It was a careless remark.¡±


    Seeing Johanna apologize, the discussion returned to its original agenda. The only one who showed sympathy for Johanna was Rita Myard, who participated in the futile war council.


    Johanna thought that rather than wasting time here, she would have preferred to train Yuuto and Makoto, or to cultivate her spirit and strength in preparation for tomorrow. It was the hustle and bustle of the outside and the roaring atmosphere that broke the debate.


    ¡°What is it!?¡±


    ¡°Is this, magic?¡±


    The civilian, who had little experience in combat, couldn¡¯t swallow the situation, but Johanna was determined by the sound of the battle, that it was some sort of magic attack. In the room, military attach¨¦s and escorts felt that the battle was taking place outside, just like Johanna.


    ¡°Maybe a sabotage by the enemy?¡±


    Some nodded when the Brigade Commander of the Liberitoa Trade Federation army said so.


    ¡°It¡¯s possible that there was an assassination aimed at a VIP, using the attack as a diversion.¡±


    ¡°The security is tight. It seems better to wait for information here.¡±


    Johanna also disagreed with evacuating blindly, but she felt a chill run down her spine. She couldn¡¯t help to think that she had ever experienced the drifting mana.


    Far from subsiding, the turmoil was spreading. Johanna grasped that the distance was getting nearer.


    ¡°It looks like it¡¯s not just a sabotage.¡±


    ¡°What do yo¨D¨D¡±


    One of the civilians of the Ferrius Kingdon wanted to ask for an explanation in Johanna¡¯s words. Johanna tried to reply, but it didn¡¯t happen because a soldier jumped into the room.


    ¡°Enemy attack!! The dead from the third layer!!¡±


    It was a Liberitoa soldier who kept the guard of the 6th layer.


    ¡°Calm down. Is it undead? How many?¡±


    Asked by the Brigade Commander of Liberitoa army, who was participating in the war council on behalf of Hugo, Foreign Minister of the Liberitoa Trade Federation.


    ¡°I-it¡¯s just one man. The user of ¡¶Demon Fire¡· that should have been killed crosses the camp of the Craist Kingdom and goes straight to the command post in the 6th layer.¡±


    ¡°Impossible!!¡±


    Johanna shouted. Johanna was the closest to confirming that magic had poured into the man at a density that wasn¡¯t enough to be described as a mere ¡°thick¡±. The earth was scooped out, and the dust soared as tall as a dragon. Even if the man became an undead, it would be unlikely that the body remained due to the torrent of destruction.


    ¡°I¡¯ll crush ¡°it¡± alone. Where is it now!!?¡±


    ¡°Immediately, nearby¨D¨D¡±


    The wind blew and the map was blown away in the room where the wind shouldn¡¯t blow. Sweat gushed from the whole body. Johanna kicked the desk, pushed the strategist into the shadows, and covered him with a cloak. When the flame entered the room, it instantly covered the room. Those who were late or in a bad position screamed briefly and rolled onto the ground.


    Johanna hit the void with ¡¶Strike¡· and blew away the approaching blue flame. Only seven people were left standing indoors when the blue flames subsided. Johanna, Rita Myard and her escort, the Brigade Commander of the Liberitoa Trade Federation army and 2 Liberitoa soldiers, and a strategist under Johanna¡¯s protection. Ferrius kingdom¡¯s representatives were in a bad place and everyone was burned to death. The rest were swallowed by the blast and rolling around on the ground, wrapped in fire.


    Johanna tried to help extinguish the fire, but was interrupted by a halberd extending from the entrance skewered one of the Liberitoa soldiers.


    ¡°aahhh, aaaAAAHHH!!¡±


    When the fire erupted from the inside from the wound, black smoke and blue flames erupted from the throat. The user of ¡¶Demon Fire¡· blew out flames from the inside.


    ¡°Bastaaarrrd!!¡±


    The Brigade Commander flashed the longsword hanging on his waist, but with the halberd covered in mana, his sword was cut all together with his body. The last Liberitoa soldier had his belly cut with the halberd and burn his from the inside before he could even pull out the longsword, resulting in him dying after a severe convulsion.


    Johanna, who had heard that the user of ¡¶Demon Fire¡· was a long-distance soldier, noticed that her perception was significantly wrong.


    To be clear, Johanna now had only the minimum equipment. When Johanna asked herself how long had, the user of ¡¶Demon Fire¡· certainly pointed to Johanna with his twisted left fingers. He died through the mask and felt a strong murder. His broken fingers were squeaked, a blue flame was blown from his whole body, and an enemy who had become an incarnation of fire itself, attacked Johanna. ¡¶Strike¡· collided with each other, and Johanna¡¯s hand was severely numb.


    The magical barrier was scraped off just by standing. All the left fingers of the user of ¡¶Demon Fire¡· holding the halberd were crushed. Nevertheless, Johanna was being pushed by the pressure. They played with each other¡¯s blades from a close distance, but when she took distance, the blue flames clung to her. The ice wall that Johanna unfolded momentarily sprinkled hot steam and scattered the flames.


    Through the mask, his eyes could be seen, Johanna noticed that the user of ¡¶Demon Fire¡· hadn¡¯t lost his intellect and was in a mad state. He was a far more dangerous opponent than when he was operating in a battalion. It was as if the restrictions had been unleashed because there were no friendly forces within range. Johanna was spinning the gears in her head. She remembered that the Liguria battalion had been destroyed in the 3rd layer. In short, the man in front of her didn¡¯t have any friends to keep him in control. So, perhaps the madness of the man came from the desire for vengeance, was what Johanna concluded.


    ¡°Useless resistance! The Liguria battalion has been destroyed!!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The reply was given in a form of fire. At the moment when the ¡¶Demon Fire¡· swelled again, Johanna was ready, but was stopped by the blade that suddenly slipped from the side.


    ¡°Guuhh, Uuuugghh¡±


    It was a sharp blow that had been cultivated for years by an old knight of the Principality of Myard.


    ¡ô


    Rita Myard, who was participating in the war council, couldn¡¯t keep up with the battle in front of her. She had gained many experiences on the defensive battle at Aidenberg and on the escape to the floating city at Lake Celta. But all of that wouldn¡¯t be a help to her at all here. More than 20 people participated in the war council. But now, only a few remained.


    ¡°Rita-sama!! Please stay back!!¡±


    A longsword that entered through a gap in the armor caused bleeding from the abdomen of the user of¡¶Demon Fire¡·. It was a nice interference of Rita¡¯s escort, Lutwidge.


    ¡°I know it¡¯s a shameful action. I have no excuses.¡±


    The user of¡¶Demon Fire¡·attacked Lutwidge with ¡¶Strike¡· and ¡¶Demon Fire¡·, but Johanna, the knight belonged to the Order of Reharzen, wrapped around in the blind spot, not allowing a poor execution. Still, the user of¡¶Demon Fire¡· didn¡¯t falter. The man dealt the front with ¡¶Strike¡·, and the sides and blind spots were filled with a blue flame. Rita could only step back to the wall so as not to get caught.


    Rita cursed her own powerlessness. But the truth, it wasn¡¯t her first time hating herself.


    Then, momentarily, Rita eyes met with the eyes of the ¡¶Demon Fire¡· user. The intense breathing and heat were approaching Rita. The user of ¡¶Demon Fire¡· tried to change the direction of his halberd momentarily, but Lutwidge forced the man to point its blade at himself.


    ¡°I should have, killed you¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡±


    Just that short conversation was enough to make Rita remember, ¡°that conversation¡± and the taste of food she had during her run as a fugitive, as that memory was clearly engraved in her mind. The good-looking smile was lost, and the eyes were burning with a flame of anger and hatred.


    Rita bit her cheeks, thinking the benefactor who was the invader, but also good rooted man became so crazy, because of war and also her, as one of the leaders of Four-Countries Alliance. For the people? For the sake of the country? It was just such a weak determination to hid her vulnerable self. She felt disgusted with herself who hung the good hope of the man who spared her life in the same balance with how that action affected the man¡¯s future.


    The two knights took a defensive posture due to the inflated mana. The ¡¶Demon Fire¡· was blasted in the room, but its user was no longer in the room by the moment it got subsided.


    ¡°Rita-sama, are you injured?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m okay. More than that, he¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, at the Aidenberg¡­ but now you should forget it.¡±


    Rita understood that she must not get upset in front of people from other countries. Silently exhaling and calming down, Rita called on the Craist¡¯s strategist, who had fallen into the wreckage of the table.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    Craist¡¯s strategist got up from the wreckage of the table, glanced at the room, and replied to Rita.


    ¡°Well, I can move on my own. Apparently, it¡¯s just us now. It¡¯s a big difference from just listening. We underestimated ¡°that¡±. The danger of ¡°that¡± alone is even higher than the ¡°three heroes¡±.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ let¡¯s join the other soldiers for the time being. We should look for Gran-sama. The surroundings are still dangerous. Myard-dono, let¡¯s evacuate from here.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much.¡±


    Rita agreed with the proposal of the knight of the Order of Reharzen. She couldn¡¯t be stubborn and took unnecessary risks. The camp was attacked, followed by the command post, and next would be¨D¨D somewhere that Rita couldn¡¯t figure out.


    TN: Now, you should have realized who Rita is¡­

 CH 37.1

    37-1. Chapter 37 (Part 1)


    Gerard Berger was inside one of the rooms with a strong wall in the Sarajevo Fortress and was indulged in the thought.


    ¡± ¡±The Three Heroes¡± of Craist, they¡¯re more dangerous than I thought. I didn¡¯t think that the Liguria battalion would be destroyed.¡±


    The most combat-experienced Liguria battalion that had been polishing their combat skill since the battle with Liberitoa, was one of the most skilled infantry units of the Highserk Empire. It had survived endless battlefields of field battles, siege battles, maneuver warfare, and defense battles, and was now regarded as both wings that support the direction of Ferrius front along with the Jaff Cavalry Battalion.


    An excellent handpiece equivalent to gold or even magic silver was lost. The enemy¡¯s firepower was underestimated, and the instruction to retreat was delayed, resulting in the Liguria Battalion having hand-to-hand combat with more than double of their number. Battalion Commander Liguria died, and some of the remaining key members retreated backward, but it wasn¡¯t perfect and reconstruction wasn¡¯t easy.


    ¡°Even if I activate the trap, there¡¯s no once can be used as a diversion. As expected, the battalion should be preserved at the rear from the beginning.¡±


    Even if he was praised as a war god, he misread the enemy army and lost one of the battalions equal to the treasure. Gerard couldn¡¯t help but cursed his own stupidity.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t good. Even if want them to come back, they can¡¯t. It¡¯s too late, but I can¡¯t afford to give up.¡±


    Gerard switched his thoughts. Even if he were to activate the trap, if no one could maintain the last U-shape layer, the enemy couldn¡¯t be pushed out. An assassination of VIPs required a platoon-based suicide squad, it wasn¡¯t impossible to do, but the result wasn¡¯t guaranteed. Sabotages could be put in, but considering the time of withdrawal, at best, it would only be sleep disturbance of enemy soldiers and cause loss of some breakfast foods.


    ¡°As per the second plan, I have no choice but to bleed them as much in Sarajevo Fortress and devote the army to delay them with scorched earth tactics in the land of Myard.¡±


    If that were to happen, Gerard¡¯s status would be stripped by the Imperial Diet.


    ¡°While the empire is being scraped away, perhaps I should shut myself in the countryside? I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be bored and frustrated to death.¡±


    The question was where the enemy would stop. For sure all countries in the Four-Countries Alliance were appealing as a good country, both inside and outside, but for Gerard it sounded just as a funny story. On the surface, the relationship might seem good, but behind the scenes, conflicts had begun, betting on concessions, battles for the leadership, and the position in the alliance.


    ¡°What Myard will do is easy to guess. The problem would be, how far will they try to get back their land?¡±


    Tracing the map with a finger, the old general indulged in thoughts. He blew out purple smoke and dropped ashes. The window shook slightly as he reached for the lamp to light a new cigarette.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°I will go and check¡±


    Gerard stopped the attendant from leaving the room.


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll check it myself¡±


    Gerard left his room and headed for the military room where the staff officers were waiting, with his servant.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡±


    Gerald entered the room and stopped the nearest staff officer. It was clear that something unexpected had happened from the atmosphere of the room.


    ¡°A big explosion occurred at the Ferius camp in the 3rd layer, and the 6th layer, which is subsequently established as the main camp of the Four-Countries Alliance, is also on fire.¡±


    ¡°Fire? Did the black water of Liberitoa ignited by someone?¡±


    An infantry battalion was attached to the last U-shape layer, but Gerald didn¡¯t order them to take any action at night. He couldn¡¯t conclude whether it was an accident or some kind of camouflage.


    ¡°Get the whole army ready for battle, including reserves. Jaff¡¯s battalion too.¡±


    ¡°Your Excellency, where are you going!?¡±


    ¡°I need to see from a better place. I¡¯ll go to the ramparts.¡±


    Gerald skipped the cobblestone stairs two or three steps, running up to the ramparts. Leaving the stunned guards behind, he entered one of the fortified towers and leaned out of the top arrow slit. The enemies¡¯ camps were certainly on fire. It also covered a wide range from the 3rd layer to the 6th layer in which the trap was installed. The screams that arrived in his ears by riding the wind must be those of enemy soldiers in the camp. But, above all, there was one thing that thrilled Gerald. That was, the blue flame.


    ¡°Haha, AHAHAHA!! They¡¯re on fire. That blue flame, it must be ¡¶Demon Fire¡·. It must be Walm from Duwei¡¯s Squad!!


    Gerald told the staff officers who were catching up.


    ¡°It¡¯s time for a sortie!! I¡¯ll use the trap. Let¡¯s mobilize the reserves. Tonight, is the decisive battle!!¡±


    ¡°Y-your Excellency!?¡±


    Hit the shoulders of the stunned staff. Gerald shouted.


    ¡°Move, now!! Speed will never betray. What have you all learned at military school? Time will decide everything. So, Run!! Now! Run!!!¡±


    The ramparts were wrapped in a frenzy. The staff officers rolled down the stairs and sent a messenger to each battalion. The inside of the fortress was as if the microorganisms in a human body trying to awaken the body.


    ¡ô


    Walm¡¯s flank was hurt, it had been stabbed after all. The sensation of his fingers was disappearing. As he kept running, his legs were also screaming. As he continued to lose blood and mana, his vision was even beginning to distort.


    The reason why he started such a thing was that he himself, who was so full of himself with a reason and morality from a modern world, left himself to the emotions, the death of his friends made him meaninglessly sprinkle death to the surroundings.


    I¡¯m sure, they¡¯re laughing from hell.


    Walm had no choice but to ridicule himself. One magic-user soldier from Highserk Empire, who was counted as dead, was attacking a sleeping enemy soldier from behind on the eve of the great offensive. Walm, who continued to struggle with meaningless actions, couldn¡¯t hear the cheers from the ramparts at this time.


    When Walm hit the halberd against a soldier who stood in the way, the soldier collapsed like a broken thread without raising any voice. Without a glance, Walm advanced his foot. His goal was to go to a place with a lot of supplies. After all, in the warehouse, only things that burn well gathered, it would for sure be a great bonfire. Even if it had been robbed, it still could still be used. The Four-Countries Alliance would have used the existing facilities for convenience.


    Two soldiers jumped in. Unable to properly move his left finger, Walm slid his halberd with only his palm and launched a deadly blow into the throat. The tip of the halberd was dodged, but the left side of the tip of the Halberd was an ax, and the right side was a claw-shaped blade. Even if the soldier avoided the tip, the soldier couldn¡¯t avoid the claw-shaped blade.


    Cut the throat and wrapped around the right side of the soldier, leaving only the other person. The remaining soldier attempted to rush at Walm with an angry expression, but at the moment when Walm and the dead soldier¡¯s bodies crossed, he did a small stab. The tip of the spear, which extended from the back of a dying comrade, couldn¡¯t be evaded, and resulted in the soldier collapsing from the knees to the ground after a small groan.


    Walm kept running with the sound of bubbling water on his back.


    In this short period of time, Walm felt his growth. He had a muddy left eye that shouldn¡¯t be able to see anything, but he didn¡¯t feel crippled. Rather, he felt that the six senses were sharpened.


    A large number of soldiers were on guard in what appeared to be a corner of the warehouse. Soldiers from many countries were there.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let him step into the warehouse!!¡±


    One of the soldiers shouted perhaps it was to improve morale or to inspire himself, but for Walm, it was good news.


    ¡°The frequency of him using¡¶Demon Fire¡· has been decreasing. Surround him and exhaust him!!¡±


    There was a soldier who used his head. The idea of ??the soldier in command was generally correct, but there were still some mistakes. Along the way, Walm didn¡¯t use the skill to preserve his mana, for when he met the ¡°Three Heroes¡± and the Order of Reharzen. He still had some spare mana and energy because he didn¡¯t have to control the skill.


    Walm prepared himself and activated ¡¶Demon Fire¡·. Hot air blew and blue flames overflew from the body.


    Walm was faintly realized that there were no companions to protect or shield to protect, that there were only enemy soldiers to kill. So, the thought that it would be more efficient to use the skill indiscriminately in the enemy¡¯s territory, rather than for defensive purposes.


    ¡°It¡¯s ¡¶Demon Fire¡·, eeeaaaahhhHH!!¡±


    ¡°Wait. Run ¨D¨D aaaaAAAHHH!!¡±


    ¡°Move away!! Keep a distanceeeEEE!!¡±


    The soldier who had even only one experience in seeing it, had abandoned everything at the moment when the blue fire came out from the body. Those who chose a thorough fight and those who were late in responding were all dragged into the sea of ??blue flames.


    Walm walked slowly through it. In the end, neither the ¡°Three Heroes¡±, who seriously injured Walm and killed his squad, nor the main unit of the Order of Reharzen, appeared in front of him.


    Walm didn¡¯t know if the camp was burned down and the influential soldiers and knights were so involved that they couldn¡¯t do a sortie in a short time.


    When Walm opened a corner of the burning warehouse, it was a warehouse for provisions. For Walm, who had been in a state of asphyxia and hadn¡¯t eaten anything for nearly a week, the sweet smell ran through his nasal passage in an instant.


    If only there is no dead odors¡­


    ¡°Should I change clothes?¡±


    The bonfire, should be enough for guiding them to hell.


    Walm dragged one of the corpses he killed into the warehouse and stripped off his equipment. Thinking that he might be exposed fast if wearing the equipment of hostile Craist soldiers. Walm chose the Ferrius soldier, as he was quite familiar with their behaviors. He was familiar with the behavior of the Liberitoa soldier too, but he talked to the POWs of the Ferius soldiers more. Also, there was a fact that Ferrius did an emergency call, so the army had a lot of militias, so it would be easier to blend.


    Regrettably, he made the dead Ferrius soldier wear his equipment and threw him into a burning warehouse. Walm was worried about what to do with the mask, but it vibrated violently and so, he gave up on throwing it.


    It¡¯s basically a harmless living mask, but if I throw it away carelessly, I don¡¯t know what will happen.


    Walm put the mask in the bag and moved away from the warehouse with the equipment he borrowed, mimicking the injured. After all, Walm himself was already seriously injured. He forcibly put the broken fingers in a good arrangement and suppressed his bleeding wounds by cauterization.


    Right now, Walm looked like a soldier who was ambushed. He wouldn¡¯t look like a rampaging demon. Sitting in a corner of a clay wall mixed with dead and seriously injured people, he became one of the Ferrius soldiers with burns injuries.


    ¡°Sh*t, it¡¯s a strong flame, take the seriously injured to the treatment center!!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t relax your guard. The warehouse and command post has been attacked after all.¡±


    ¡°Come on, stand up, fast, or you¡¯ll get swallowed by the fire.¡±


    One of the Ferrius soldiers grabbed Walm¡¯s shoulder and stood him up.


    ¡°It¡¯s a terrible injury. Let me take you to the treatment center. There is a lot of security there.¡±


    It was a proposal that Walm couldn¡¯t hope for. In the territory that continued to burn, the search for the user of ¡¶Demon Fire¡·was still in place, while most of the soldiers kept extinguishing the fire. If carried as an injured Ferrius soldier, it would be easy for Walm to heal his injuries and escape.


    Walm was dragged to the treatment center.

 CH 37.2

    When Walm arrived at the treatment center, there were countless injured people gathered under the tent. It wasn¡¯t just those who were injured by Walm. Some were injured in daily battles with the Highserk Empire.


    ¡°Healing magician-dono, this guy has a serious injury¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a serious injury, but it¡¯s not too late. Please carry him all the way.¡±


    At the destination, incense mixed with medicinal herbs was cooked in addition to the deadly odor that could make you cry and cause nausea.


    ¡°Please lay him there¡±


    The soldiers who carried Walm immediately return to the burning camp. Maybe to extinguish the fire or carry another injured person. He was a very disciplined guy.


    About twenty dying people lined up and all of them were severely burned. They would have never thought the villain was lined up side by side with them. It was an ironic sight.


    Walm relaxed himself, and turned his consciousness to the operating table. The healing magician cut off the adhered clothes and cleaned the wounds with skillful hands. What was amazing was the mana and healing ability of the healing magician who healed wounds.


    The recovery speed was also amazing. Extensively lost skin and blood vessels were joined together and regenerated. The healing magician was young and looked like just in her late teens. Her long hair was tied up and tucked into the hat. Judging from the appearance, Walm was certain that the girl must be the last of ¡°Three Heroes¡± of Craist. The girl might be someone who came from his old previous world. He understood that, but it didn¡¯t make Walm happy. After all, right now, they were ¡°enemies¡± who were killing each other now, if he was foolishly getting carried away by the happy feeling, it might end with his head rolling on the ground.


    ¡°Ayane-sama, the next patient.¡±


    It was Walm¡¯s turn and he was put on the operating table. Embarrassingly, his armor and clothes were taken off.


    ¡°Bruise on the whole body, burns and lacerations on the right abdomen, three ribs broke, and fractures on all of his left fingers.¡±


    The woman, who might be an assistant, searched for the injuries that Walm suffered, one after another.


    ¡°I¡¯ll start¡±


    The girl declared so and held her hand over Walm¡¯s wound with a serious look. It felt warmer than the healing magic he ever felt, and the pain was relieved at quite a fast pace.


    I see, with this kind of healing magic, soldiers can jump into the battlefield without hesitation. She is an obstacle that must be eliminated for Highserk Empire.


    However, Walm was nothing but an injured soldier. He wasn¡¯t ordered to kill her either. Right now, he was just a patient who received treatment. If he harmed the girl now, he might lose the life that he had a hard time keeping. He wanted to avoid doing such a risky move if circumstances allowed, also he wanted to pay her back for treating his wounds if he could.


    ¡°Thank you, Healing Magician-dono. My body is so light as if the injuries are all a lie.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that.¡±


    After less than 10 minutes of treatment, Walm thanked the girl from the bottom of his heart. She laughed a little like a shy girl. The operating table was cleaned and the next patient was immediately placed. Walm left the treatment room and headed for a corner where many injured people gather.


    ¡°¡­..ch¡±


    Walm clicked his tongue lightly. The female knight he battled before and the remaining ¡°Three Heroes¡± came to the treatment center.


    ¡°Good. It seems that the user of ¡¶Demon Fire¡· hasn¡¯t come here.¡±


    ¡°Well, when I heard that Johanna-san was attacked, I almost got a heart attack.¡±


    ¡°If I didn¡¯t make a blunder, the damage wouldn¡¯t have spread.¡±


    ¡°That surprise attack, no one expected it, it¡¯s not because of Johanna-san.¡±


    A black-haired boy comforted the female knight.


    Just keep talking like that¡­


    With such hope, Walm kept walking.


    ¡°But even though he had been injured so much, for him to still alive. I¡¯ve never expected that.¡±


    The remaining distance was about five steps. Cold sweat flowed from Walm¡¯s forehead.


    ¡°The warehouse is on fire and there is no sign of the fire will be extinguished soon. The darkness has helped him to hide himself too.¡±


    The party passed by Walm. He kept telling himself in his mind to not suddenly speed up his legs.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°I saw a soldier with familiar features, but I don¡¯t have someone I know any of the Ferrius soldiers.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it just someone looked like an acquaintance?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, perhaps that¡¯s the case.¡±


    ¡°You, the Ferrius soldier there. Have we met somewhere before?¡±


    Of course, it won¡¯t be that easy¡­


    Walm seemed to hate the fate that came at him as it pleased. Thinking that his voice had been heard. He had no choice but to change the voice like a defeated soldier.


    ¡°¡­Perhaps, I was, in your sight, when you were attacking the layer.¡±


    Hearing his own bad voice, Walm wanted to ridicule himself. But, He didn¡¯t lie.


    ¡°Well, I attacked some layers with Ferrius soldiers. I might have seen you there. By the way, you closed one of your eyes, what happened?¡±


    ¡°I was hurt by the magic of the enemy.¡±


    ¡°What a disaster. But, at least your head didn¡¯t get crushed. So, luck is still with you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, very much¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to stop you suddenly.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m happy, to get a chance to talk, with the Knight of Craist.¡±


    Walm tried to keep calm and moved forward, thinking that he had done well this time. What he needed to do was, to escape after he saw a gap.


    ¡°Where is the ¡°Three Heroes¡±!!?¡±


    A messenger soldier jumped into the treatment center. Called ¡°Three Heroes¡±, without even moving his eyes to Walm.


    ¡°I am here¡±


    ¡°Ah, Johanna-dono is also with you!!? Immediately go to help Gran-sama, there are many Highserk soldiers in the layer!!¡±


    ¡°Did the front can¡¯t hold them!?¡±


    Walm focused his ears. From what he understood, The Highserk soldiers should have abandoned the layers, leaving only the last one.


    ¡°It seems that the enemy uses this chance to attack back. They invaded from the underground tunnel. Even at the last layer, the Jaff Cavalry Battalion has turned to counterattack. Now hundreds have invaded from the tunnel, but the invasion doesn¡¯t seem to stop. Gran-sama wants to crush the entrance with magic.¡±


    Hearing that, Walm remembered there was a time he wondered as to why the embankment on the 6th layer was high and from where the soil to build it came from. Walm had an experience of digging the ground. However, even from all of his experience of digging up empty moats, trenches, and spider holes, he didn¡¯t think it would be enough to make such a tall embankment. Walm never thought it was the soil from the construction of the underground tunnel.


    Walm would have welcomed the appearance of the friendly army with a leap, but fate was a shit. He understood that the people near him had the power to crush the entrance.


    Walm conflicted. If left unattended, hundreds of soldiers would be killed.


    Should I prioritize my own life?


    ¡°OK, I¡¯m heading right away.¡±


    ¨D¨D Walm intended to tell himself, that he had worked hard until now, that he had fulfilled his duty. But, he spontaneously opened his mouth.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    Walm himself thought he was such a stupid guy. But if he didn¡¯t do that here, he wouldn¡¯t be able to call himself a soldier.


    ¡°What is it? Now is not¨D¨D¡±


    The female knight changed her soft eyes and looked sharply at Walm.


    ¡°You, what happened to your eyes? And your voice?¡±


    Walm changed his bad voice back, and opened his closed muddy eye.


    ¡°Well, nothing much. I was just wondering if I could take the healing magicians and the injured as hostages.¡±


    ¡°Johanna-san, that person is!¡±


    Yuuto noticed and tried to prepare his stance.


    Walm changed his tone and shouted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move!! If you pull it out, the whole area will be wrapped in blue flames.¡±


    All the gaze in the treatment center gathered at Walm with murderous intent.


    ¡°You¡¯re the user of ¡¶Demon Fire¡·? You dare to take hostages so broadly huh?¡±


    Johanna blamed Walm for broadly exposing his canines.


    ¡°As you¡¯ve guessed.¡±


    Walm was wondering if he should hit them in surprise, but there was no doubt that his mana would drop rapidly if he used ¡¶Demon Fire¡·. In that case, there was the excellent knight and ¡°Three Heroes¡± who had high mana even if the soldiers were cleared up. It was unclear if he then could suppress them in such circumstances.


    However, if he said broadly that he held a hostage, the movement would be decided naturally. Walm was surrounded, but he had no intention of entrusting the initiative.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you be quiet here for a while, I don¡¯t want to burn the non-resisting injured and the healing magician who healed my wounds.¡±


    Walm said the truth. As a soldier, Walm had no intention of killing a person just by following his grudge, but in the course of the battlefield, targeting the one he had a grudge with, or the close relatives of that person¡­ he didn¡¯t want to admit it but he was for sure think it would happen. It didn¡¯t mean, that he wasn¡¯t willing to avenge his companions, he just thought that killing them when the situation flowed that way, would be the best.


    ¡°You, must be a coward.¡±


    Listen to the words of a boy called Yuuto. Walm felt that the boy¡¯s anger had grown, but he wouldn¡¯t want to have such a discussion here. Johanna tried to provoke Walm who kept ignoring them.


    ¡°Do you think we can¡¯t stand the demon fire?¡±


    ¡°Sure, some people can endure it, but well, most of them can¡¯t.¡±


    It would be profitable to restrain multiple enemies with maximum strength. Even if the restraint failed, the injured and the healing magician would be burned down. Walm might die, but among the female knight, the brown girl, and the black-haired boys, one of them might be killed too.


    ¡°Instantly, the skin will be sore and the exposed nerves will feel pain even in the water. Water will start spilling from the eyeballs, the trachea and lungs will burn and, you will roll on the ground. Well, many of you know that.¡±


    Walm said to the injured who had been burned. The more people who tasted the demon fire, the paler their faces and the more they trembled.


    ¡°What a terrible way of killing.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s terrible. I know. But, you guys are like that too. My squad members were detained, their eyes were hollowed out, and killed.¡±


    ¡°The Order of Reharzen will nev¨D¨D¡±


    ¡°Then who? The other Craist soldiers? The soldiers from the other three countries? Who gives a f*ck about that. From my point of view, it¡¯s something you guys did.¡±


    The surrounding soldiers that completely swallowed the situation, were in silence, unlike the hustle and bustle of the ones a little far. The sound of spit, the sound of rubbing cloth, and even the slightest sound remained in the ears.


    Walm had already earned a few minutes. All he had to do was wait for the Highserk army to overrun the layer, he just needed to keep doing the silly questions and answers.


    It was the messenger of the Craist soldiers who broke such silence. Perhaps because he was a soldier who had the information, he couldn¡¯t stand the feeling of frustration, and with a sudden action, he instantly pulled out his sword and slashed at Walm.


    Walm lowered his hips, pulled out the longsword with his right hand, stepped one of his legs, and used ¡¶Strike¡· to slash the soldier together with his sword. When Walm jumped back, the female knight and Yuuto also pulled out their swords. Guard soldiers were also rushing in all at once. Walm didn¡¯t know whether it was intentional or not. Still, it was the fact that they made a move at him.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right¡±


    Threats make no sense unless it¡¯s carried out to some extent. If you hesitate, you¡¯ll be seen through and defeated.


    Walm shed the remaining mana, and the¡¶Fire of Hell Gate¡· responded.


    ¡°Wai¨D¨D¡±


    The only sad voice of the brown girl who didn¡¯t pull out her weapon reached Walm, but the humanity left in Walm wasn¡¯t enough to make him hesitate.


    The Healing Magicians was wondering about the ruckus and opened the tent entrance a little to peep. At that moment, the treatment area was wrapped in ¡¶Demon Fire¡·.

 CH 38

    Various groans and grudges leaked from the soldiers who lay on the floor in a disorderly manner.


    ¡°AAHH, aaAHH, it¡¯s the ¡¶Demon Fire¡·.¡±


    ¡°UHhhh, my feet, my feet are¡­¡±


    ¡°Uh, uuuaaAAHHH¡±


    In the middle of such commotion, Walm couldn¡¯t hide his surprise. After all, in a short amount of time, Makoto, the browns girl unfolded an ice wall, Johanna, the female knight protected a healing magician who squeezed her body in fear, and, albeit incomplete, Yuuto, the black-haired boy unleashed a ¡¶Holy Slash¡· to minimize the damage of ¡¶Demon Fire¡·.


    There were fewer deaths than Walm expected. Most people were only got burns injuries.


    ¡°Why you can¡¯t just die quietly¡±


    While glaring at Walm, the female knight Johanna tried to stand up.


    ¡¶Holy Slash¡· and ¡¶Demon Fire¡· collided and broke in the direction where not many people were present. Yuuto was breathing roughly while spitting blood. Makoto had a lump of ice stuck in her abdomen and was breathing faintly.


    ¡°Aya, ne, Ma, koto.¡±


    A boy in his late teens breathlessly called his companion¡¯s name. Ayane, was on the ground and didn¡¯t move at all.


    ¡°Throw away your weapons. I¡¯ll give you an easy death.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t, joke with MEee!!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not¡±


    Hearing the expected answer, Walm slashed his longsword from the top. Although he was out of mana, his wounds had healed and his physical strength had returned to some extent. The female knight, on the other hand, had lost her magical barrier due to ¡¶Demon Fire¡· in addition to the exhaustion of the previous battle, and had been injured by the fire and debris from the explosion.


    The blow was caught by the flat of the sword, but the female knight couldn¡¯t stop the momentum that came from the shoulder. The posture that would have been able to endure such an attack normally, was greatly collapsed.


    The knight fell behind.


    The attack targeting the neck was a feint, and Walm changed his sword direction to slash the feet.


    Feeling the tearing meat, the knight responded by hitting her longsword horizontally and pulling her body back.


    ¡°Guu, uuuuhhh!!¡±


    The female knight lost to the sword pressure and was floating back. Walm prioritized speed and pushed the longsword with one hand as it was to the left shoulder. His sword¡¯s tip entered through the seam of the armor.


    Walm intended to hollow out the entire left shoulder, but was only able to inflict a deep wound because of the toughness of the armor.


    ¡°Uhhh, uh, Aaaa¡±


    The female knight tried to make a distance, but Walm launched another attack. She couldn¡¯t handle Walm¡¯s sword pressure with one hand. A large scar was carved on her cheek, and in the middle of the battle between swords, her abdomen was kicked through her armor, forcing her to exhale the oxygen.


    The female knight rolled on the ground. Once again Walm kicked the female knight who was about to get up, stepped on her back with his knees, and pushed it back to the ground.


    ¡°Bas, tard!¡±


    ¡°Goodbye¡±


    Walm tried to decapitate her, but turned around to the footsteps approaching from behind.


    ¡°Newcomer¡±


    Instantly crossed the sword. The armor of a large man was soaked in fresh blood that it was hard to tell whether it was someone¡¯s else blood or his own blood.


    ¡°One after another, what a bunch of annoying knights!!¡±


    ¡°Commander, Gran¡±


    The armor had the same design as the female knight¡¯s, but the coat of arms of the Order of Reharzen was engraved big on the armor. Walm could tell by the response of crossing the sword. That the man had a first-class sword pressure and speed, and was definitely the Commander of the Order of Reharzen, Gran.


    This is bad¡­


    ¡°Johanna, take them and run away!! We¡¯ll surrender this place.¡±


    Walm was prepared himself, but then he smiled. The enemy was in a predicament, bad enough to leak the battle situation in front of the enemy.


    While crossing the sword, Walm caught the female knight in his sight. She was holding up the nearby Yuuto and Makoto. Sure, she had tremendous strength, but her movement was sluggish.


    ¡°You think I¡¯ll let you!!?¡±


    Walm tried to jump out, but the route to Johanna was blocked, and on the contrary, the blade grazed his neck. The Knight Commander wasn¡¯t an easy enemy that he could deal with one hand.


    ¡°How Persistent!¡±


    The swords rubbed with each other and the metal made a high-pitched sound. The bodies collided with each other, and Walm and the Knight Commander became close to each other.


    Walm slid the blade and aimed at the finger, but it was caught by the brim of the sword. The sword¡¯s technique of the Knight Commander was higher than Walm.


    Brand new wounds increasing on the completely recovered body, still, unlike before, time was on Walm¡¯s side.


    ¡°Attack!! The enemy is only a small force now. Don¡¯t give time to recover!!¡±


    Outside the treatment center, a voice that seemed to be a Highserk soldier¡¯s voice echoed.


    ¡°It¡¯s our defeat. Next, I will drop your head.¡±


    ¡°What a loser. The losing dog, can only bark and hang his tail.¡±


    Gran turned around from Walm as if the previous confrontations were a lie.


    ¡°Oi, is that okay? You seem to have forgotten ¡°someone¡±.¡±


    Walm moved a girl called Ayane who was lying on the ground with his feet. Changed her position from prone to supine, the girl making a painful voice.


    ¡°Please Waaait! Johanna-saan, Ayane, Ayane is, still thereeeEEEeeee!!¡­¡±


    Despite being seriously injured, Yuuto on the female knight¡¯s back rampaged like a fish on land. He expected a delay or a reversal, but Johanna forced him to shut up.


    ¡°Hahaha, really? Hitting a human who is vomiting blood? But, well, too bad, it seems you all have been abandoned.¡±


    In addition to Walm, the injured and Ayane were left behind.


    Walm gazed at Ayane who had fallen under his eyes. Her chest was moving, she was still breathing.


    Soon after, soldiers with familiar equipment flooded the treatment area. They carefully pointed their spear at Walm, who was dressed as a Ferrius soldier, but they didn¡¯t step further.


    ¡°Wait!! I¡¯m from Liguria¡¯s battalion, Duwei¡¯s squad, my name is Walm. I robbed the Ferrius soldier¡¯s equipment to disturb the enemy. I don¡¯t tell you to drop the spear until the suspicion clears, but I don¡¯t want to be killed by my allies.¡±


    Walm was prepared to be dismissed as a bad soldier and an idiot at the time, but the soldiers looked at each other and called out to the outside of the treatment area.


    ¡°Platoon Commander!! ¡¶Demon Fire¡· user, Walm is alive!!¡±


    In a hurry, a Platoon Commander who was far higher in rank than Walm came.


    He nodded and lowered his men¡¯s spears that were pointing at Walm.


    ¡°His Excellency Gerard has said, ¡®Fighting alone capturing the layer, the work of the ¡¶Fire of Hell Gate¡· manipulator, will be rewarded.¡¯. For my Platoon to meet you first, is such an honor.¡±


    The Platoon Commander smiled and reached out to Walm.


    ¡°Thank you¡±


    ¡°The 6th layer has fallen and the enemies have been struck with a pincer attack. The situation is still unpredictable, but if it keeps going on like this, there¡¯s no doubt that it¡¯ll be our win. You can relax, it¡¯s our turn to work.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good¡­ and I¡¯ve got some prisoner of wars, but this one here is a precious healing magician, moreover she¡¯s one of the famous ¡°Three Heroes¡±.¡±


    The Platoon Commander, who sensed Walm¡¯s intention, had a big smile on his face. The Highserk army loved securing human resources. There was no doubt that someone who could heal even site defects, would be abused as labor.


    ¡°Well, His Excellency Gerard will be really happy to hear this!! Yaqui¡¯s squad remains here to guard Walm and the prisoners. The rest will go with me to eliminate the rebellious soldier in the layer. Don¡¯t miss any soldiers!!¡±


    The Platoon Commander left the treatment center, leaving Walm and one squad.


    The thread of tension came off, and Walm sat down.


    ¡°Are you okay, do you need water?¡±


    One of the soldiers presented a water bottle to Walm.


    Opened the cap and poured water into the mouth. Feeling the water flowing in his stomach, Walm breathed out.


    ¡°Do you smoke?¡±


    The soldier then took out a cigarette from his pocket.


    ¡°Yeah, I want to smoke¡±


    Walm received a cigarette and held it in his mouth, but his mana was exhausted and no fire broke out from his hand even if he wanted to.


    ¡°I wanted to see the famous ¡¶Demon Fire¡·, but please bear with my fire.¡±


    The man then shed mana and embodied the fire.


    ¡°Thanks. I¡¯ll show you as much as I can when my mana returns.¡±


    Smoke flowed out of the lit cigarette. Smoke slowly filled the lungs. When the purple smoke was exhaled, it diffused into the void.


    The feeling of fatigue rushed in at once, and Walm¡¯s consciousness disappeared without warning

 CH 39

    The Four-Countries Alliance was losing a lot of things. Over 10,000 soldiers, head generals, and the supplies that support them. Hugo, the foreign minister who carried Liberitoa¡¯s diplomacy on his back, looked up at the burning layers. A terrifying blue flame was spreading, revealing the Highserk soldiers in the dark.


    The burns on the head from the cheeks, which were old wounds, felt hurt. Hugo smiled. Liberitoa was damaged, but the damage on Craist was particularly great. Although uncertain, the loss of the knights was great, two of the ¡°Three Heroes¡± were heavily injured, and the last one was taken as a prisoner.


    ¡°What a bunch of sloppy people. To be burned to death by a ghost¡­¡±


    Hugo, who was a civil official, didn¡¯t have to be on the frontline. Still, there was some scenery that he couldn¡¯t see without putting himself on the frontline. People come and go in the tent as if it were in a storm, and the chairs and desks left behind were scattered. It was like a house that had been broken in by a thief.


    ¡°Hugo-sama, the headquarters must be moved to the back. The Four-Countries Alliance has been pinched and collapsed. It will not last long here either. One of our battalions that stuck to the frontline has been annihilated.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame, but it can¡¯t be avoided.¡±


    The people, who were valuable assets, were scattered without fulfilling their functions. It was a very unforgivable situation for Hugo. At the same time, the fragility of the Four-Countries Alliance and the viciousness of the Highserk Empire were indescribable.


    The general, who was amongst Hugo¡¯s limited pawns, was also burned to death by a surprise attack during the war council. It was also by one soldier, the user of ¡¶Demon Fire¡·. The dedication of the survivor of the devastated Liguria battalion, to stay amongst the buried corpse for a week and then lurk among the enemy was something Hugo envied.


    Hugo regretted that Liberitoa lacked the symbols of the army such as the Jaff Cavalry of Highserk and the Order of Reharzen and the ¡°Three Heroes¡± of Craist. However, the Liberitoa soldiers weren¡¯t vulnerable either. The soldiers were well-equipped and well-trained. He was trying to retreat from the layer while towing soldiers from other countries who got into the habit of losing.


    ¡°Emrid¡¯s Company has successfully secured a retreat.¡±


    ¡°In this situation? He has a great skill.¡±


    Neither flattering nor sarcastic, Hugo praised the company from the bottom of his heart. Even if there were no prominent great people or heroes, soldiers were working desperately to make up for it. Liberitoa wasn¡¯t that hopeless either.


    ¡°It is a unit trained at the border with Highserk Empire. They have good adaptability and tenacity.¡±


    ¡°So that their work is not wasted, we need to go now.¡±


    With the escorts solidified his surroundings, Hugo left the camp.


    ¡ô


    The heavy eyelids opened and Walm looked around. It was a room with no viscera or burnt limbs rolling, which was not similar at all to the last memory.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡±


    A soldier sitting deep in a chair called on Walm.


    ¡°Is this inside the Sarajevo Fortress? What, what happened?¡±


    ¡°The battle? It¡¯s been a day since then. It¡¯s a big victory for the Highserk Empire. It seems that two battalions have been lost, but the enemy has lost well over 10,000 soldiers and supplies. Now, both positions seem to have returned to the beginning.¡±


    Including the defensive battle in the layers, the death toll of the enemy exceeded 20,000. There were still 30,000 soldiers left, but they were multinational and no one would be dumb enough to try to draw the short straw since the Fortress¡¯ walls hadn¡¯t been breached.


    In addition to the Ferrius Front, which Walm also participated in, there were soldiers left in his homeland and Myard. Even if the enemies wanted to forcibly penetrate the Fortress, Walm didn¡¯t think that the Four-Countries Alliance would still have that much power.


    ¡°Victory huh¡­?¡±


    Walm uttered sweet words.


    ¡°Yeah, for now. Well, it¡¯s still unpredictable. Anyway, I¡¯m going to report that you¡¯re finally awake. You¡¯re the one with the most achievement in this battle. You mustn¡¯t die. Take enough rest in the room. The water and food are on the shelves. Eat whatever you like.¡±


    After saying so, the soldier left the room. Walm left behind in the room got up from the bed. There was no discomfort in his body. The only problem was the eyes. The left eye seen in the mirror was still muddy. He stepped into the only window and looked out. Many soldiers were engaged in each work, but there was no heavy hectic air like how it was before the battle, and the blood-washing battle until yesterday had disappeared like a lie.


    ¡°A victory is still a victory, but the one who survived, only me.¡±


    Walm didn¡¯t feel it because he lost consciousness at the climax. Walm extended one of his arms and poured water into the glass. His body, which was asking for water, absorbed the water. He didn¡¯t feel well. He was so tired. Still, Walm had no choice but to laugh at his body honest that was honest with its desires. He had no intention of being killed. Still, he didn¡¯t go crazy, he didn¡¯t jump to his own grave, he was still alive.


    Grabbed the red fruit in the basket and turned it in hand. Such a round shape that was easy to hold with a shiny vermilion color, everyone wanted the sweet fruit that fit in their hands. Walm suddenly opened his mouth and bit the fruit as it was. The juice overflowed from the bitten section and penetrated into the oral cavity. The hungry tongue and the growling stomach were very motivated, a strong sweetness followed by a sour taste was flowing in the oral cavity.

 CH 40

    Gerard Berger, Commander of the Ferius Front, was welcoming guests in a room in the basement of the Sarajevo Fortress.


    ¡°Well, thank you for coming here.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The room was dim, and a person facing Gerard emerged from the light source, a magic stone. The person was one of the ¡°Three Heroes¡±, Ayane Sugimoto, a girl who came from a different world, and had a hostile relationship with the Highserk Empire.


    The girl had her hands tied behind her and stared at Gerard. Gerard saw that it was just a bluff. Gerard, who had been involved in the life and death of humans for many years, loved humans. People wouldn¡¯t show the real them until their last moment. Such a moment when humans started to get irritated, Gerard loved it very much. That was why Gerard wanted to tease the girl more, as she tried to curb her fears in her heart. Gerard would have given her bread and sent her back, if only she was a helpless girl, but her ability was rare and too dangerous.


    ¡°I like humans. And my homeland treats prisoners of war carefully. Unlike the Four-Countries Alliance, I¡¯m not going to handle prisoners like garbage. I think the death of a person should be meaningful. However, a prisoner of war who does nothing is just a burden and an obstacle. Don¡¯t you think so?¡±


    The girl didn¡¯t open her mouth to Gerard¡¯s question.


    ¡°You see, I, am talking to you, Ayane. If you keep silent, it¡¯ll look as if I¡¯m talking to myself. Anyway, Let¡¯s continue.¡±


    Gerard resumed talking without waiting for the girl¡¯s reply. To tell the truth, it didn¡¯t matter if she didn¡¯t want to reply.


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking of getting you to treat the injured in our army as labor¡­ So, can you give me a reply? Of course, even though you¡¯re a prisoner, I¡¯m going to reward the labor you do.¡±


    ¡°I must, refuse.¡±


    The girl said with a quivering voice. She was optimistic that someone would come to help. She couldn¡¯t imagine what would happen if she refused. Perhaps having been told by Gerard about his love for humans, she thought that the old man in front of her looked like a gentle old philanthropist.


    ¡°What a shame. I just want you to work for people¡¯s life. This is a problem. There is a limit to how many prisoners we can feed, we have to reduce the number of the burden. Like the Four-Countries Alliance.¡±


    Looking away from the girl, Gerard called out of the room.


    ¡°Bring him in¡±


    What was dragged was a prisoner of war, a heavily wounded soldier. A great soldier who didn¡¯t lose his rebellious spirit even after being captured by the enemies. Even Gerard was impressed by his attitude.


    ¡°He¡¯s a Craist soldier. I heard he was in the treatment tent, but do you know him?¡±


    The girl remained silent, but her face, which was acting expressionless until a moment ago, was distorted. Still, she remained silent. Again, Gerard didn¡¯t care whether she responded or not.


    ¡°As you¡¯ve guessed. He¡¯s a target for the reduction. But first of all, ¡°total disposal¡± in one go is a waste. I¡¯m thinking of going from his finger first, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just a crazy old man on verge of dying!! Do you think she¡¯ll hesita¨D¨D¡±


    Momentarily, the Craist soldier screamed. A real brave soldier, he didn¡¯t hesitate to shout like that even in the enemy territory. Gerard thought that he was a good soldier.


    ¡°Great. You¡¯re so enthusiastic.¡±


    The longsword at the waist had long lost the opportunity to show its shine on the battlefield, but it still could be used by Gerard to slash one of his targets perfectly.


    ¡°a, AAAaaaAAA!!! Bas,tard, you damn Bastard! F*CK!!¡±


    Gerard picked ¡°it¡± up and gently put it on the desk.


    ¡°One for now. Ah, I can¡¯t let you bite your own tongue. Human resources are limited. It would be a waste.¡±


    Gerard smiled at the girl. The soldiers on the side made the Craist soldier bit a gag and secured his hand to the desk.


    ¡°One more.¡±


    The man bent his back and fluttered his legs.


    ¡°Fuuuugh, UUGH, uuuUUUUUGGHH!¡±


    ¡°Have you ever had all your fingers dropped? Have you had your limbs scraped off? Have you been roasted alive? Had you ever lost your nose? Ears? Teeth? Eyes? Many people misunderstand one thing. Sometimes death can even be salvation. Do you know what it means now?¡±


    It seemed to be a teacher who reminded the students. For the first time, the fear color lit in the eyes of the Craist soldier. On the other hand, Gerard¡¯s intelligent eyes became dark.


    ¡°I love my country, the people who live there too. So, I fought day after day for forty years, but the more we won, the more the neighboring countries interrupted us. Like the Four-Countries Alliance.¡±


    A dull sound and a muffled voice echoed in the room three times in a row. When the soldier collected the amputated finger of Craist soldier, hemostasis was applied to the finger.


    ¡°15 more. Let¡¯s change the way. Next, I¡¯ll mince the fingers. Together with the bones.¡±


    Picking up the mallet on the shelf, Gerard walked around the room making footsteps sound, and stopped near the girl.


    ¡°What a problem. So, let me say this. I¡¯ll do whatever it takes. Yes, if I must, I¡¯ll do whatever it takes. Whatever it takes. Fortunately, there are many prisoners.¡±


    Behind him, the fingers of the Craist soldier were fixed to the desk. Gerard watched over the soldiers who twisted himself, groaned, and began to resist.


    ¡°You seem to like it. Well, the preparation is complete.¡±


    Recalling something, Gerard clapped his hand.


    ¡°Oh, right. I have a woman who seems close to you alive. I thought she was an assistant, but if she doesn¡¯t want to work, I don¡¯t need her. I must give equal rights to both Men and Women, right? They all have equal rights to live. So, let me ask again. What about your reply? ¡°


    The conclusion was made, and the girl, trying hard to suppress her disturbed breathing, squeezed out words from her throat.


    ¡°¡­ I will, cooperate.¡±


    ¡°I thought you would say that. I¡¯m glad I haven¡¯t crushed it. Your first job would be to connect the man¡¯s fingers together.¡±


    The girl connected the soldier¡¯s fingers at a speed and skill that exceeded Gerard¡¯s expectations. The girl who finished her treatment hatefully looked up at Gerard.


    ¡°You did the job. I¡¯m the type of person who keeps my promise. I¡¯ll give you a workplace and an assistant. And, yeah, that¡¯s right. You¡¯ll need an escort. I¡¯ll arrange everything.¡±


    ¡°All of this, is everything going according to your plan?¡±


    Gerard smiled at the girl who regrettably said so.


    ¡°I¡¯m not such a person. I¡¯m just a person who simply does what must be done. I can only do that much.¡±


    TN: In this ch, Ayane¡¯s name is written in a way of how the name of the people in this world, that¡¯s why it¡¯s not Sugimoto Ayane, but Ayane Sugimoto. I guess because in a sense this ch is more to Gerard POV and also perhaps that is how her name is being spread in this word.

 CH 41

    41. Chapter 41


    After regaining consciousness, Walm was guided to a room in the fortress.


    Commander Gerard Berger, this was the third time Walm saw him. Previously he saw him with the battalion, then with his squad, now only Walm alone.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting. Sit down.¡±


    ¡°If you insist then please excuse me.¡±


    Walm sat face-to-face without hesitation.


    ¡°First of all, let me thank you. The achievement of burning the camp of the Four-Countries Alliance, destroying the chain of command, and taking one of the ¡°Three Heroes¡± as a prisoner, is comparable to legends, to myths. Now, no one in the Ferrius Front who doesn¡¯t know you.¡±


    To be clear, it was an overestimation. Walm was trapped and slept with the corpses for about a week. He only survived by chance.


    ¡°I¡¯m overwhelmed by the compliments from the ¡°War God¡±. You overestimated me too much ¨D¨D My survival was only a coincidence. When the battalion was on the verge of destruction. I couldn¡¯t do anything.¡±


    ¡°The destruction of Liguria¡¯s battalion is a great loss, both publicly and privately. There aren¡¯t enough key personnel left and there¡¯s no prospect of reconstruction. But, Walm-kun, it is not good to under evaluate what you have done. If you say it¡¯s just an overestimation, it¡¯s the same with me being called a ¡°War God¡±. Humans would only show their true talent only in a deadly situation. And You, have achieved it. You must be given the proper evaluation and reward.¡±


    Gerard Berger told Walm as if he wouldn¡¯t accept refusal.


    ¡°Walm-kun¡¯s ferocious efforts have reached the capital with communication magic tools. And the Imperial Diet has decided, that you, will be given the title of ¡°Knight¡±, although it is just an honorary title.¡±


    Knight?


    Trying to understand Gerard¡¯s words, Walm repeated the word in his mind.


    ¡°I¡¯m just the third son of a farmer. A knight is too much¡­ in the first place, is there a knight in our army?¡±


    As the third son of a farmer who had only small farmland, Walm felt he didn¡¯t deserve to get such a title. He was confused and didn¡¯t know how to respond properly.


    Moreover, in this world where the military was still developing, the units and classes of the army were ambiguous and different in each country, but Walm had never heard of the rank ¡°Knight¡± in the Highserk army.


    ¡°It¡¯s no wonder you don¡¯t know. It¡¯s a title in the era of the old military. Now it¡¯s just an honorary title in our country. Still, the title of a knight is useful inside and outside the country.¡±


    If it¡¯s an honorary title, it¡¯s similar to a medal with no real benefit or harm, right?


    ¡°And unfortunately, there is no way to decline. After all, the only ones who have earned the title ¡°Knight¡± in the last few years are all dead. The Imperial Diet wants a living hero. Congratulations, it seems you too have taken the first step towards the ¡°war god¡±.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m humbled.¡±


    Seeing Gerard smile with all his heart, Walm twitched and smiled back.


    ¡°Even so, it¡¯s already too late. Well, just talking is boring. Let me give this first.¡±


    When Gerard looked at his servant, the servant took out a heavy box wrapped in cloth. After removing the cloth, the sword taken out of the box was unrefined and plain. It was a sword that earnestly made in sought of practicality.


    ¡°It¡¯s a sword given to the warrior of the Highserk Empire. You see, despite its look, it¡¯s amazing. It¡¯s a sword made from a mix of magical silver and fire dragonsteel. It¡¯s a gem that can only be given to those with the title ¡°Knight¡±.¡±


    Gerard pulled out the sword and Walm took a breath. The light vermilion blade was shining even though it was indoors.


    ¡°You seem to like it. The sword already belongs to Walm-kun. Try using mana.¡±


    As said, Walm used mana as if he was about to activate ¡¶Strike¡·, the blade was dyed red. Fascinated by the color, Walm ran his gaze from the tip of the sword to the brim.


    What if this is used when I activate ¡¶Demon Fire¡·?


    Walm was curious and used ¡¶Demon Fire¡·.


    The blade turned from pale red to blue. The air in the room was heated in a blink of an eye and the air trembled.


    ¡°¡­ So fierce¡±


    As Gerard leaked such words, the mask trembled, and Walm returned to his sense.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m just fascinated by it.¡±


    ¡°I was the one who started. You don¡¯t have to apologize.¡±


    When Walm looked back, the guards had come into the room, probably because they were waiting at the door and felt the heat.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a small ceremony. Sorry.¡±


    The guard complained to Gerard¡¯s words.


    ¡°Please do it moderately.¡±


    When Gerard raised his hand, the guards return to the outside of the room. His attention was taken by the blade.


    ¡°I was allowed to see something good. The sword is a gift from the Empire. But, I¡¯ll give you something personally.¡±


    The next thing Walm was handed over was a well-used waist bag.


    ¡°This is¡­ No way¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s a magic bag. Well, even if it¡¯s called a magic bag, it¡¯s something for personal use, so it¡¯s not that big inside. Still, any merchants will use a lot of money to buy it.¡±


    ¡°Such an expensive thing¡­¡±


    ¡°I got it when I was young. I¡¯ve been keeping it in nostalgia, but yeah, it¡¯s better to make use of it. Don¡¯t think too much.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­Thank you very much¡±


    ¡°Now, it¡¯s okay to keep chatting, but I wonder if there¡¯s anything else to say¡­¡±


    Walm, who felt uncomfortable with the words of the old general, frowned. He had a bad feeling.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. Walm-kun, you¡¯re now under my direct command.¡±


    ¡°Under the direct command of Your Excellency?¡±


    ¡°The good news is that there is a job that has been bothering me. It¡¯s an important person¡¯s escort and surveillance mission, but you see, there isn¡¯t a suitable person for it.¡±


    Walm¡¯s reason and instinct were screaming ¡°danger¡±.


    ¡°Already, there was an attempt to recapture and also an attempt to assassinate. Of course, all have been prevented, but still, a good escort is needed.¡±


    An old general with a good smile on his face, but the meaning behind the smile was unknown. Walm regretted that he had eaten the poisonous bait, but he was too late now.


    ¡°The escort for one of the ¡°Three Heroes¡± of the Craist Kingdom, Ayane Sugimoto.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, Your Excellency, are you joking?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m serious¡±


    ¡°¡­I-I¡¯m sorry for my rudeness. Sure, my ability is useful during the offensive, and I have been engaged in transport escort missions, but I think being a personal escort is not suitable for me.¡±


    ¡°Definitely, you have an attractive ability for the offensive, other than ¡¶Demon Fire¡·, you¡¯ve also got a top-notch skill. Don¡¯t under evaluate yourself. And don¡¯t be ashamed of your lack of experience. Also, If Walm-kun is always by her side, Ayane would feel ¡°safe¡±. ¡°


    You want me to escort the person who had treated me but was also deceived by me? What a ¡°kind¡± old man.


    ¡°Would you accept it?¡±


    ¡°¡­.. Understood.¡±


    Alas, there was no veto right, even though Walm had been given the title ¡°Knight¡±. Gerard tapped Walm¡¯s shoulder while nodding.

 CH 42

    The first impression Ayane had about Walm must be the worst. Walm killed the Craist soldiers, disguised as the Ferrius soldiers, and got treated by her, blew away the treatment area, and burned her childhood friends.


    Without showing his inner conflict, Walm declared to the girl.


    ¡°I¡¯m Walm, the one who will take on the role of supervisor and escort from today.¡±


    ¡°¡­ I¡¯m Ayane Sugimoto.¡±


    Ayane¡¯s attitude toward Walm was icy. Still, she didn¡¯t completely refuse him. Commander Gerard said she had been ¡°persuaded¡±, but it was hard to believe. Perhaps, magic tools or some sort of insect had been planted in her head to make her slightly obedient, was what Walm thought when he heard it.


    ¡°I¡¯m Maia, a healing magician. We met once, right?¡±


    The other one was a woman from Ferrius, who worked as Ayane¡¯s assistant. She introduced herself, but her tone was clearly sarcastic. Walm knew that no matter what he wanted to do to fix the relationship now, it would be useless.


    ¡°Yeah, thank you for the other day¡­ four people, including me, are always watching you two. I don¡¯t plan to interfere when you give treatment, but in an emergency, you must follow my command. Okay?¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    At that moment, Walm thought that he was more comfortable on the front line than being where he was now.


    The treatment was endless as long as the mana was still there, the healing magician had a saying about it.


    The wounds that made you want to look away, torn wounds, and even the arm that was about to start decaying were healed. Because Walm had been killing people, he could understand the horror of the wounded soldiers returning to the front in a good shape.


    Maia¡¯s knowledge and skills as an assistant were also great. Simply applying recovery magic would connect the broken bones, albeit leaving foreign objects, bones, and muscles left in the body. If she used recovery magic carelessly, serious aftereffects would remain. They were removed in a short time by applying water magic and proper incision.


    Here, Walm was reminded of one of the factors that supported the offensive of the enemy soldiers who attacked the layers.


    In the end, the sabotage that Walm was worried about didn¡¯t happen, and the two healing magicians proceeded without rest. The soldiers gave them a thank-you word, even though they knew both were the enemy healing magicians.


    Walm was seriously worried that some of the soldiers might be moved by the kindness and held affection for them more than necessary. More than 100 seriously injured people who might not be able to see tomorrow were healed to the point where they could even return to the battlefield immediately. Only by the recovery magic, anyone would agree that the girl must be one of the ¡°Three Heroes¡±.


    There was a declaration that the two were out of mana, and the treatment for the day was over. As expected, the color of fatigue in their eyes was deep.


    ¡°Today¡¯s work is over. It¡¯s time for a meal. Follow me.¡±


    In a cell-like room, soup made from boiled birds, potatoes and beans, herring pickled in salt and herbs, vinegar-soaked cabbage, bread, and fruit liquor were lined up.


    Although all of them were well-preserved, they were the best foods that Walm knew to eat at the forefront. It was an exceptional treatment for someone who became a POW.


    Walm also knew that sleep and diet were important because healing someone required physical strength and mana. The two went on eating silently. Among them, only fruit liquor was left alone.


    ¡°Minors shouldn¡¯t drink alcohol, don¡¯t you think so?¡±


    It was a frank question from Walm, but Maia frowned.


    ¡°Even though I look like this, I¡¯m 21 years old. Ayane is also an adult, she¡¯s 16 years old. It¡¯s surprising to be ¡°belittled¡± as young.¡±


    Ah, my bad habit of thinking with my past life values is coming out¡­


    In this world, once you hit 15 years old, you would be called an adult. You would be counted as a full-fledged person, good or bad, whether you wanted it or not.


    ¡°Then, do you both hate alcohol?¡±


    The two answered Walm¡¯s question.


    ¡°I have never drunk it.¡±


    Well, if you¡¯re a lawful minor in the old world, that would be the case.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like it¡±


    Maia didn¡¯t seem to like it. Walm took out preserved food and pot from the magic bag. At the beginning of use, Walm was confused by the feeling that the tip of his wrist became ambiguous, but once he got used to it, he realized a convenience that couldn¡¯t be explained if you had never used it.


    ¡°Then, you could have this instead¡±


    Mana was poured into the sallow pot with cheese on it, and the melted cheese spread in it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t hesitate. Instead, I¡¯ll get the fruit liquor. You can enjoy it by spreading it on bread.¡±


    Ayane, who was hesitant, spread the melting cheese on the bread and ate it.


    ¡°So good.¡±


    Walm felt that Ayane¡¯s face, which had always been tense, was slightly loosened only at this time. She had been drawn to the war under the name of ¡°Three Heroes¡±, but deep inside she was just a teenage girl.


    ¡°I¡¯ll ask His Excellency if he can change the fruit liquor with something else if possible. I can¡¯t promise it¡¯ll happen, but I will make an effort for it. After all, even though you¡¯re a ¡°prisoner of war¡±, you¡¯ve been doing a good job.¡±


    A work is a work after all


    Walm didn¡¯t feel like cutting corners or becoming too intimate with the two, he just wanted to avoid monitoring in a heavy atmosphere all the time. After seeing both finished their meal, Walm left the other soldiers to watch and settled down in the next room.


    ¡°How about when it¡¯s your break time? After I take a break, I¡¯ll drink with you. Or do you hate alcohol?¡±


    To Walm¡¯s question, the guards said with a serious look.


    ¡°Alcohol is life.¡±


    After the night guards, the day was over.

 CH 43

    For a week as an escort, Walm hadn¡¯t moved far away from the treatment room, even today. Most of the seriously injured had returned to the battlefield, and the treatment was centered on the ones with minor injuries. The Four-Countries Alliance had been reorganized at a great distance from the layers, and no new attacks had occurred except for some scouts and spies.


    Although not publicly disclosed, Ayane was unusually popular as a POW. It should be natural since she was someone who treated the heavily wounded and on the verge of dying soldiers. Moreover, when she was a young and beautiful girl, Walm gave up on the fact that the soldiers who felt lonely couldn¡¯t be stopped from looking at her with love and looking at him with envy. Without saying, some sent a thankful gift. Even though Walm handed out non-dangerous-looking things, he couldn¡¯t help but be amazed.


    ¡°Walm-dono, next is the soldiers who fell while working on the walls.¡±


    A charming young bald soldier told Walm. He was a soldier named Moritz who belonged to the escort team and cared a lot for his surroundings. Originally a personal servant soldier of a staff officer at the headquarters, he had been praised for his loyalty and poison resistance skills and so assigned to be one of the escorts.


    It was itchy for Walm to be called with honorifics by Moritz, who had a long military history, but he didn¡¯t dare to call Walm normally because he was afraid of a ¡°Knight¡± who also a user of ¡¶Demon Fire¡·.


    Walm described Moritz as an amiable and attentive man, and that it was a shame such a person must be on the battlefield.


    ¡°Please bring him inside¡±


    The soldier carried on the stretcher had a broken left leg and left arm. It was a stupid person who fell from the stairs of the wall miserably, but such a thing was not a problem since now there was a good healing magician.


    ¡°Uh, urghHH¡±


    In pain, the soldier closed his eyes and clenched his teeth. Maia gave the soldier a wooden gag and a cloth in his hand.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be hurt¡±


    Maia said so and returned the man¡¯s bent leg to the correct position. The soldiers groaned.


    Ayane held her hand over the broken leg and treatment began. The painful face of the soldier who was sweating buckets loosened. Treatment of his arm finished earlier than his foot. As expected of a great skill. It took less than 5 minutes to completely heal a simple fracture. The gag and cloth were returned. The soldier who got off the stretcher thanked Ayane and Maia.


    ¡°I was saved. I can¡¯t believe it¡¯ll heal so quickly.¡±


    The soldier¡¯s hand, which had been held during the operation, remained tightly closed. Walm, who had seen the process of the healing for a week, felt uncomfortable. Most people who just had surgery would likely be in a relaxed state. But the man kept clenching his fist. Walm took a step closer while carefully running his eyes around.


    The man noticed Walm¡¯s approach. He laughed in a friendly manner, but Walm couldn¡¯t feel the laugh from the back of his eyes. Slid his finger and pulled something out of his waist. Its true identity was a kind of hidden weapon.


    ¡°¡¶Burst¡·!!¡±


    While kicking up the ground, Walm who used wind magic accelerated at once. Grabbed Ayane¡¯s arm and switched position.


    A high-pitched sound echoed in the treatment room. The hidden weapon was flipped by Walm¡¯s iron armor. With Ayane behind him, Walm pulled out a longsword from his waist and slashed from the bottom, but the man dexterously moved his upper body to dodge the attack and jumped away.


    ¡°It¡¯s an assassin!!¡±


    Moritz shouted. The assassin stuck out his arm as opposed to the one holding the hidden weapon. Feeling the momentary increase in mana, Walm was ready.


    ¡± ¡¶Release¡· ¡°


    A rod-shaped projectile (a type of hidden weapon) popped out in the hand was fired with compressed air. Walm, who realized that the aim was Ayane, smashed it with a longsword.


    The assassin tried to reach his hips again, but Walm jumped in, pierced his shoulder with a longsword, and stuck him to the wall. Still, he tried to pierce Walm with his free hand. But, when Walm put fire to his wound, he screamed and stiffened. As it was, Walm held down his throat and arms.


    ¡°Tie him up. Gag him, don¡¯t let him bite his tongue.¡±


    A little later, Moritz and the other escort soldiers flooded in.


    The assassin was detained, but suddenly he opened his eyes wide, screamed over the gag, and stopped moving.


    ¡°Did he just kill himself?¡±


    Walm took a breather at the assassin who kept his eyes open and didn¡¯t move. Moritz broke open his mouth and began to search with his hands.


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s a poison. I think it was put in the back teeth. It¡¯s extremely poisonous.  It¡¯s a strong poison made from ¡°Red Scorpion¡± mixed with a highly flammable poisonous plant. When I tasted it a long time ago, its exciting taste made me suffer abdominal pain for a week.¡±


    Moritz, who was said to have a resistance to poison, said with an ecstatic expression.


    ¡°You¡¯re still alive even after eating that?¡±


    Even others than the offensive skill, ¡°Skills¡± were something that could bend the logic of the world.


    I¡¯ll never put that thing inside my mouth.


    ¡°If you have recovery magic or a strong fire attribute, you can withstand it. Oh, it¡¯s also on the hidden weapon.¡±


    The assassin¡¯s boldness and determination to slip down from a high place just to enter the treatment center made Walm feel cold on his spine. Turning his gaze back, Ayane stood in the corner of her room with a shocked face. As for Maia, she was standing on the wall.


    ¡°Are you both okay?¡±


    Ayane nodded a little to Walm¡¯s question.


    ¡°Why¡­ why me¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe Liberitoa or Ferrius, decided that if they couldn¡¯t recapture, it would be better to kill you two.¡±


    Craist wasn¡¯t mentioned, but Walm didn¡¯t have to bother to say it to make Ayane understand.


    ¡°It¡¯s a lie, right? I, we¡¯re, on the same side¡­ right?¡±


    ¡°Heal those who are heavily injured, and bring back those who are standing on the brink of death. For any army, it¡¯s a dangerous threat. I¡¯m sorry for being rude, but killing you can be considered as indirectly killing enemy soldiers on the battlefield. It¡¯s natural to aim for elimination. Well, it¡¯s the same as farmers who provide food, or ranches where war horses are raised, there is no end to it. In short, It¡¯s a ¡°war¡±. When you¡¯re branded as an enemy, your status and background are irrelevant.¡±


    Hearing Moritz¡¯s opinions, Ayane¡¯s knees gave up and she sat down.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    From such a perspective alone, Ayane thought that Walm should be threatening enough to be on the kill list.


    ¡°Let¡¯s stop today¡¯s treatment. I haven¡¯t ensured the safety. Also, both of you are shaking.¡±


    Walm felt sympathy when he saw a girl who got swung around because of her high-level ability, but he understood that he shouldn¡¯t hold it. He must be firm. He mustn¡¯t deviate from the relationship between soldiers and prisoners. After all, it was Walm himself who took her away from her companions and brought her to a foreign battlefield where death roamed. To comfort her now, such a hypocrite act, as a human, his dignity couldn¡¯t forgive himself to do that.


    TN: I guess, Moritz¡¯s Poison Resistant is more like a passive skill

 CH 44

    ¡°I see¡­ So it failed. Huh, I lost another really good human resource.¡±


    Hugo, the Foreign Minister of Liberitoa, who received a report from the spy, leave his weight on the chair on which he was sitting.


    Hugo was the only one in the tightly closed room, which was suitable for summarizing the situation without any hindrance.


    Intelligence personnel who were proficient in providing information and assassination missions, were valuable. Their upbringing began in early childhood and was very costly. It was a great loss in a strategy similar to abandoning valuable chess pieces. It was a really sad loss for Liberitoa.


    Craist¡¯s attempt to recapture failed, Ferrius¡¯s attempt to poison failed, and now the assassination directed by Hugo also failed.


    ¡°The layers, the fortress, Highserk soldiers, Demon Fire, Gerard, and even one of Three Heroes¡­ this battle¡­ we may lose.¡±


    The number of troops of the Four-Countries Alliance, which had exceeded 60,000, had decreased to 32,000. In terms of numbers, it would still be twice as much as the Highserk army, but the Four-Countries Alliance couldn¡¯t even enter the fortress and instead, they were pushed back.


    There might be a chance to win if the alliance managed to capture the layers once again.


    In Hugo¡¯s homeland, the Liberitoa Trade Federation, there were ¡°black water¡± springs in the desert where powerful and deadly monsters such as Red Scorpion were residing.


    Sufficient enough to burn the Sarajevo Fortress intermittently was brought, and a large thrower was also installed in the occupied layer. It was all ruined by a total attack triggered by a surprise attack by the user of ¡¶Demon Fire¡·.


    ¡°Using normal means won¡¯t be enough. Then¨D¨D there is only the Demon Territory.¡±


    With normal troops, there was no chance of winning against the Highserk Empire, which still held Sarajevo Fortress. Hugo looked away from Sarajevo Fortress at the map and pointed to the largest Demon Territory located in the center of the continent.


    The large thrower was lost, but the Liberitoa black water was safe as it was shipped to Lake Celta. Hugo thought that it would be a waste to not use it.


    It was the largest and strongest Demon Territory on the continent, and even carrying a barrel containing black water would cost some troops. Still, as the situation was bad if nothing big happened, the answer in Hugo¡¯s head was decided.


    There was enough to burn the forest in the Demon Territory, so no problem with that. What Hugo needed to do was to whisper a sweet invitation to Craist, which received a lot of damage caused by the revenge of King Ferrius who was blinded by the vengeance of his younger brother, such as losing one of the ¡°Three Heroes¡±. If Hugo could talk it well, Craist would be in favor of his plan.


    However, if it failed, Hugo needed to make a new strategy.


    Then, a girl who succeeded her father and became the Queen of Myard appeared in Hugo¡¯s mind.


    A patriot who was still immature but worried about the country. Myard wouldn¡¯t be convinced with the plan. However, Hugo laughed, thinking that if it were three-vs-one, nothing could be done by the weak Myard.


    Fortunately, the Liberitoa soldiers had the lowest damage and now had the largest number of troops in here compared to Myard, Ferrius, and Craist.


    Whether successful or unsuccessful, the Highserk Empire would be hit hard, was what in Hugo¡¯s mind


    Hugo, who finally put together his thoughts, called his followers and gave instructions. From the beginning, there was no option such as ¡°not achieving anything and returning to the country¡± for Hugo.


    ¡ô


    ¡°Are you serious about burning the Demon Territory on the outer edge of Myard?¡±


    Rita Myard¡¯s angry voice echoed in the tent under strict security. Myrad had only Celta territory, had the least force to mobilize in the Four-Countries Alliance, and the leader, Rita Myrad had limited influence as the youngest amongst the leaders. As the representative of the country, Rita wasn¡¯t silent, knowing that the land would be devastated.


    ¡°That said, is there any other way to move the Highserk Empire from Sarajevo Fortress? If you burn forest in the demon territory, the demons will attack the Highserk soldiers. Of course, some people of Myard, will be sacrificed, but it¡¯s the cost of necessity.¡±


    Rita raised hatred for the selfish argument of the Foreign Minister of the Liberitoa Trade Federation. Thinking that she had to be calm, Rita calmed her breathing, if she let herself in angry it would only lead to what the old fox wanted.


    ¡°Are the other two countries agreed with the operation at the expense of the people of their allies?¡±


    The tent was attended by the King of Ferrius Kingdom and the leader of the Order of Reharzen on the behalf of the King. The Knight Commander replied to Rita¡¯s question.


    ¡°Sacrifices are an integral part of the war. Craist has made great sacrifices. Despite being a country that was just invited to this war. The one that needs to steel the resolve to win, isn¡¯t it the Principality of Myard?¡±


    Then King Ferrius preached.


    ¡°Ferius has also made a great contribution to both the military and civilians. This is the only way to knock the Highserk Empire down to hell. Burning the Demon Territory at the outer of Myard will also cost my Kingdom. And we¡¯re prepared for it!¡±


    Feeling crazy in his eyes, Rita realized that the death of his younger brother, whom King Ferrius had been fond of, had a severe effect. Rita herself had lost her great father and her hometown in the Battle of Aidenberg. She could understand the luscious temptation of vengeance. Still, she couldn¡¯t let herself be tempted by it as a ruler of the country.


    ¡°But!!¡±


    Hugo interrupted Rita, who raised her voice, as now two candles had been lit by him.


    ¡°If you allow Highserk to recover here, you¡¯ll be attacked one by one. The Highserk Empire can¡¯t help but cut the opponent¡¯s neck once being attacked. That country is terribly aggressive in the name of the Defense War. And if you don¡¯t draw them out of Sarajevo Fortress, the Highserk Empire will regain its strength and mobilize troops from its territory. I don¡¯t want to say this, but if that happens, Myard will be the first to sink.¡±


    In short, what Hugo wanted to say was ¡°Because I¡¯m thinking about Myard, there¡¯s a need to burn the forest of the Demon Territory on the outer edge of Myrad¡±.


    Rita¡¯s persuasion continues, but the talk slowly moved on to what she feared the most.


    ¡°In advance arrangements, the direction of the war would be decided by majority vote. Right?¡±


    King Ferrius, who was in a hurry to conclude, presented a plan that Rita didn¡¯t want to hear the most.


    ¡°It¡¯s definitely written in the agreement.¡±


    ¡°If so, let¡¯s take a majority vote. My Craist Kingdom vote in favor of burning the Demon Territory.¡±


    ¡°¡­ ugggh, the Principality of Myard vote in objection.¡±


    ¡°Ferrius vote in favor¡±


    ¡°Liberitoa Commercial Federation vote in favor¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s 3 to 1. It¡¯s decided, we¡¯ll burn the Demon Territory on the outer edge of Myard.¡±


    ¡°That land is a demon territory with mighty demons that even the three great powers do not touch carelessly, and the degree of danger is different from other demon territories. It cannot be handled by humans!!¡±


    It was a box that shouldn¡¯t be opened, where even monsters classified as S and A rank inhabited. From normal people¡¯s perspective, Rita would be among the ones involved in unlocking the box that would endanger her people.


    ¡°We will use adventurers to burn the forest. It seems that the adventurers who have been locked out of their hometown will cooperate. Aren¡¯t the people of Myard really devoted? Let¡¯s pray for the success of this operation.¡±


    Rita clenched her fist, saying that everything went according to the expectations of Foreign Minister Liberitoa. A country without power could always only choose nothing. Rita looked up at the sky with her helplessness, but she could only see the cloth of the tent, feeling trapped in there.

 CH 45

    45. Chapter 45 ¨C Rampage


    ¡°Don¡¯t stop your feet! Don¡¯t stop your hands! If you want tomorrow, hurry up!¡±


    Emrid, Commander of the infantry company of the Liberitoa Trade Federation, raised his voice. He understood that his subordinates were working hard.


    Still, Emrid rushed to get the job done even for a second faster.


    ¡°The installation team is fighting with monsters, the enemies are more than 40 orcs!!¡±


    ¡°Phil¡¯s platoon shall deal with them, the installation team will continue to work.¡±


    Each country had sent soldiers on a battalion scale into the forest on the outer edge of Myard, but things were only getting worse.


    It would be easier than attacking the fortress defended by the Highserk soldiers. Emrid wanted to hit himself, who thought so before his departure.


    Even Emrid, who led the subjugation corps in the Demon Territory that existed near his homeland, thought that even the word ¡°struggle¡± would be like a warming up before the storm. And for sure, there would be a company unit that had drawn a ¡°Bad luck¡± card and was destroyed.


    First of all, the number of monsters was unusual. The number of monsters that they came into contact with while traveling just about 1km easily exceeded 100. Not only small monsters such as Goblins and Kobolds, but at least Orcs, and more than that, there were monsters classified as B class such as Ogre, Lizardmen, and Lamia.


    ¡°The shortest route is just to go straight, but there is the habitat of ¡°Abyss Bird¡±.¡±


    The adventurer leading them called on Emrid who opened the map. No one didn¡¯t know ¡°Abyss Bird¡±. A monster in the sky that sometimes fought for territory with the flying dragon subspecies.


    ¡°A-class monsters, why are such a monster lurking around. What about another route?¡±


    When it came to A class monster, it was necessary to take the opponent with a platoon. Still, it wouldn¡¯t a guaranteed win. If there were multiple of them, even a company unit would be in danger.


    ¡°There is, but we need to get out of the area where insect-based monsters are living.¡±


    ¡°What kind?¡±


    ¡°Mainly B-class equivalent spiders and ant-types. There are also a few worm-types. If you are unlucky, you will encounter a giant centipede. Well, if you can use fire, you can get rid of them, but¨D¨D¡±


    The adventurer stopped speaking and looked at the barrel in the handcart.


    ¡°Luggage is luggage. Fire is strictly prohibited.¡±


    The contents were black water from Liberitoa, which was extremely ignitable and volatile. If you used fire magic carelessly and ignited it, the route to retreat from the forest might get cut. It was a really annoying situation for Emrid who was in command there.


    ¡°We¡¯ll go by the detour. It¡¯s easier to take on than Abyss Bird.¡±


    There were multiple ways to counter insect-based monsters, which usually came largely in number but low in risk. It should be better than opponents who would fly over and land on the ground only when attacking. At the point where Emrid decided the course, angry voices rose from behind the formation.


    ¡°It¡¯s ¡°Gigant Ghoul¡±!!¡±


    Among the ghouls who were obsessed with living people, ¡°Gigant Ghoul¡± was a monster that had failed to become high-ranking species such as Lich, and the giant rotting flesh that had swelled up to about the same size as Cyclopes and had high regenerative ability was reflected in Emrid¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Volk¡¯s Squad Come. We¡¯ll crush him.¡±


    Emrid¡¯s decision to use the reserve unit was quick. Although they could escape by running, it was a troublesome opponent who would track the prey endlessly and shouldn¡¯t be left unattended if they wanted to continue their plan. And they couldn¡¯t just abandon the installation team.


    ¡°I will help. If you stop it from moving around, I¡¯ll kill it with wind magic.¡±


    One of the leading adventurers told Emrid. He was skeptical if the adventurer could really get rid of it, but he heard that the adventurer that was chosen to lead had good skill. Even though the appearance was just a young girl.


    ¡°I¡¯ll stop it with my magic. I¡¯ll leave the rest to you.¡±


    The squad at the rear had already begun fighting, one soldier got crushed by the bloated arms, and another one got crushed with the upper body.


    ¡°This is for my subordinates.¡±


    A few spears and a lot of arrows pierced the upper body, but it wasn¡¯t effective against the undead. The scratches that Emrid¡¯s subordinates slashed were also reproduced with a creepy sound.


    ¡°Eat this, idiot.¡±


    Emrid refined his mana and touched the ground.


    ¡°¡¶Earth Crack¡·¡±


    After a lag of a few seconds, the ground cracked and some were rising. It was easy for soldiers to avoid it, but it wasn¡¯t the same for the Gigant Ghoul, which was huge and slow-moving. The rotten skin with many layers of sag, those both feet, which sprinkled the liquid, were swallowed by the ground. The swollen ghoul tried to crawl up, whirling his upper body. Emrid stopped his men who were trying to slash the monster.


    ¡°Evacuate!!! Don¡¯t enter the range of magic!!¡±


    The adventurer who was a little younger than Emrid had released the mana she had kneaded. A gust of wind blew through a forest.


    When the blade of the wind released from the girl hit Gigant Ghoul¡¯s head, the neck flew away together with the wind as if it had been hit by countless slashes.


    It was ¡¶Wind Fang¡·, a skill manifested by the wind attribute that Emrid also knew.


    ¡°Get away!! It¡¯s still moving.¡±


    Gigant Ghoul which just lost its head, swung the huge arms, but the movement gradually slowed down and finally stopped completely.


    The contents leaked, and the stinky smell like boiling down the sewer irritated the nasal cavity of Emrid. He had no idea how much food it had eaten to be so bloated.


    ¡°It¡¯s annoying even after dying twice.¡±


    Emrid confirmed the damage while completing first aid for the injured. There were 2 dead and 1 injured. Still, it was small damage for destroying a monster comparable to the top of the B class.


    ¡°Your name is Leethia, right? Thanks.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad that I could be a help. This is also for Myard after all.¡±


    The light of hatred was visible in the eyes of the girl. Emrid determined that it was aimed at the Highserk Empire, which invaded her hometown.


    Emrid heard that they hired adventurers for an exorbitant amount of money, but some were joined because of their hatred against the Heisserk Empire, which now controlled their country.


    Emrid couldn¡¯t even tell the feelings of her or Lefty, who took the job of hitting Highserk to the point where they left their party.


    Even so, Emrid was pleased that the number of excellent handpieces had increased.


    ¡°Adventurer, I asked for directions.¡±


    At the same time, Emrid was anxious. Emrid felt chills on his spine as to what would happen when the forest that had a lot of B class monsters even on the outer edge, got burned.


    His reason had argued that the plan should be canceled, but as the military personnel, as well as the Company Commander, he had no choice but to carry out the duty.


    ¡ô


    There was a feeling of entrapment in the rural areas that became the effective territory of the Highserk Empire. Yogim, one of the farmers in such a village, was thinking about the future of the village. Young people were mobilized at the Battle of Aidenberg, and only one who managed to return because he fled from the battlefield. According to him, the rest were killed in action or taken prisoner.


    There were rumors that if many were alive, they would be released in a few years, but Yogim wasn¡¯t optimistic. The village lacked enough people to work in the fields, and the resources were squeezed by the Myard army and the Highserk army to the extent of the bare minimum, basically, the people and resources were equal to zero.


    Even the retired old people and children were sweating to mess with the soil. The villagers who helped transport the goods said that the battle between the five countries was still going on the border of the Ferrius Kingdom.


    Picked up the branches that fell in the forest and put them in a basket. If you could use even one magic, your life would be convenient, but Yogim couldn¡¯t use magic, and his physical strength was average. He knew that he was an ordinary man himself.


    ¡°What is it? The forest suddenly gets so bright.¡±


    The depths of the abhorred forest connected to the demon territory were faintly bright. Riding on the wind, the smell of burning arrived. Yogim scratched his head, thinking that it was just a wildfire or something that was a nuisance.


    The army of Myard had already been destroyed, and fire extinguishing activities must be carried out only by the villagers. Yogim must have been chosen as one of them. Yogim was on his way back to the village, but naturally, his steps were getting faster.


    Yogim was average for sure, but he had one mysterious ability. It was an ability that would be useless in peacetime. When at the crossroads of life and death, Yogim¡¯s intuition had always been good. Whether he was chased by the Horned Grizzly in the woods or fought against the Highserk as a soldier of the Kanoa Kingdom, Yogim could stay alive following this intuition. His son, Moyes, inherited that ability and escaped to the village, when he was fighting against Highsek as a Myard soldier.


    Went through the center of the village and reached his home on the outskirts. There, his wife Deborah, and his son Moyes, chopped the potatoes and prepared their meals.


    ¡°We need to run away!!¡±


    Yogim shouted in a surprisingly loud voice.


    ¡°Is it a pursuit of the Highserk soldiers?¡±


    Yogim¡¯s wife had a sharp eye on her son¡¯s pursuit.


    ¡°No, the forest is in a bad state. It feels like it¡¯s about to be destroyed.¡±


    Yogim could be taken by his imagination, or perhaps he was lost in mind, but Deborah said without question.


    ¡°Moyes, connect the carrier to the horse and load only food and weapons.¡±


    ¡°Mama!?¡±


    ¡°Are you stupid? I won¡¯t say it twice.¡±


    Moyes stiffened his body for a moment but then rushed to the back of the house as soon as he could.


    ¡°Both you and Moyes have the skill of ¡¶Intuition¡·. If it says that you must run away now. Is the village hopeless?¡±


    ¡°Mama, remember, a flock of ogres attacked the village a long time ago?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Myard soldiers suffered a lot of damages.¡±


    ¡°It feels like a toddler¡¯s mischief compared to this time.¡±


    ¡°¡­That dangerous?¡±


    Yogim¡¯s ears caught people¡¯s screams.


    ¡°They¡¯re coming¡±


    Screams and angry sounds from all over the village, and people were fleeing.


    A wave appeared from the woods. A wave of monsters. Monsters rushed in violently. Not just a kind of monster, but a wide variety of monsters were approaching like a torrent.


    ¡°A rampage huh, some country has really done it, damn it!!¡±


    More than 10 silver wolves with excellent movement speed rushed under the Yogim. Yogim didn¡¯t hate dogs, but he hated Silver Wolf.


    It seemed that Yogim¡¯s body, which was full of muscle, looked attractive, and the wolf sprinkled saliva and opened its jaw.


    Immediately before reaching Yogim, the head of Silver Wolf was crushed by the hand extending from the side.


    ¡°Oi! What do you want to do, to my husband?!¡±


    Yogim¡¯s wife slammed the dying Silver Wolf¡¯s body against another Silver Wolf, then she jumped at the Silver Wolf.


    The flank was hit by a fist, the skull was crushed, and the Silver Wolf was beaten to death. Yogim always had a hard time fighting with his wife whenever she started to use her fist. He was inevitably bruised no matter what he did to resist. If Deborah hit him directly, his soul would be sent to hell in no time.


    Yogim pulled out a stick-shaped fence and turned his gaze to the approaching Silver Wolf. He was determined that it should be easier to deal with than his wife Deborah, a former adventurer who had the skill ¡¶Super Strength¡· and ¡¶Iron Body¡·. Yogim might be a better choice to fight rather than Deborah, but there was no escape for the Silver Wolf.


    Yogim, who had read through the Silver Wolf that jumped in with a feint with ¡¶Intuition¡·, inserted a fence into his mouth. He didn¡¯t need power. He just holds the bar fence with his right palm and hips and clenched the bar with his left arm.


    After that, the silver wolf would be skewered. Yogim wanted to praise it for being a good dog. Another one was friendly, the wolf jumped into Yogim¡¯s throat.


    Yogim welcomed him in a hug. Wrap his arm around the throat of the Silver Wolf, flipped the body, and twisted it. Without his skill, ¡¶Intuition¡·, Yogim was nothing more than a muscular man, even though he was once an adventurer, his power was average at best.


    ¡°How long do you want to keep playing? Let¡¯s go quickly¡­ before it¡¯s too late.¡±


    Beyond Deborah¡¯s sad gaze, a giant monster rushing into the village was reflected.


    ¡°There is even Tyrant Worm?¡±


    Peasants who attempted to counterattack with farm tools and self-defense weapons were also struck to the wall to death by the Tyrant Worm. Yogim and Deborah wanted to do their best to keep the village last longer, but it was hopeless.


    ¡°Let¡¯s move our butt. The burden is too heavy for a weak peasant. It¡¯s just right to leave it to those Highserk soldiers.¡±


    Yogim together with his family left the village, which had become a hell of screams. Of the 478 villagers, only three people and one horse were saved.

 CH 46

    The Ferrius Front at the Sarajevo Fortress was in turmoil as if the world had turned upside down.


    ¡°The security forces in the Yainen City have retreated, the number of monsters is over 40,000, and the number of civilian casualties is large.¡±


    ¡°Gantria City and Meriberg City have fallen, and in the final messenger from the scout, more than 90,000 monsters from both cities are rushing in.¡±


    ¡°It seems that a group of monsters has also attacked Lilyanka City. Although the number is unknown, we have to stop the advance from the forest.¡±


    Only bad news came in, and scream-like reports came in from the troops in each area that was devoted to maintaining the public order through communication magic tools and messengers.


    ¡°His Excellency, this is¡­¡±


    One of the staff officers seriously called on Gerard. Gerard could understand what he wanted to say and that he probably didn¡¯t want to say it.


    ¡°It¡¯s an outbreak.¡±


    An abominable phenomenon occurred when the Demon Territory was destroyed rapidly beyond a certain level, and the monsters started to run wild and turned the surrounding area into ash and dust. Gerard had also experienced before, to be exact when it was the expansion period of Highserk.


    At that time, even the demon territory, which was said to be small, destroyed the neighboring country and killed more than 110,000 people. The Highserk soldiers who blocked the border also suffered great sacrifices and were still deeply engraved in Gerard¡¯s mind.


    The problem this time was that it happened in a Demon Territory called the continent¡¯s largest and strongest. Even now 130,000 monsters had been reported to be in sight.


    Considering the cities and villages that were destroyed without even being reported as unconfirmed, the real scale couldn¡¯t be read.


    ¡°The Four-Countries Alliance must be the one who did this to avoid Highserk¡¯s victory, What a bunch of stupid guys. Certainly, there¡¯ll be no winner with this, but we all will equally lose.¡±


    Gerard, who was then silent, glared at the map and indulged in his thoughts. If he were to cut the land carelessly, the whole thing would be in serious danger. He must choose which land should be cut off to have the least amount of damage.


    A decisive battle on flat ground wouldn¡¯t be possible. It would only be possible to bury up to several times as many opponents, but the scale of the great outbreak, which could be called a colony attempt, easily reached hundreds of thousands. Although some monsters could be called the center of this outbreak based on past events, it was extremely difficult to distinguish them, and the method of aggressively crushing the potential targets would only end up in vain.


    ¡°We¡¯ll abandon Sarajevo Fortress. With the border of Highserk with Myard as a line of defense, we shall bring the troops there.¡±


    ¡°Are we throwing away Myard!?¡±


    At Gerard¡¯s instructions, the staff officer couldn¡¯t hide his dismay. Gerard told the problem child as if to remind him.


    ¡°Myard huh, don¡¯t be so naive. Even able to protect our homeland, it¡¯s already a good story.¡±


    Defense the homeland, even that was doubtful. However, Gerard wasn¡¯t so good at giving up.


    ¡°That¡­ what about the people in Myard¡¯s land?¡±


    ¡°Save only those who can follow. Pour the others into the Celta territory of Myard and Ferrius, and blast their heads to the monsters if there is no other way to save them.¡±


    The main principle of the great outbreak was the pressing of monsters. It would be possible to annihilate it if the main forces of the three major countries were mobilized, but it wasn¡¯t enough with just the general army of the Highserk Empire even with those under Gerard.


    The HQ was quiet as if time had stopped. Gerard¡¯s subordinates, who had a sense of reality, were stiff on the spot. Even the chief of staff officers of the glorious Highserk Empire. Really, it was a pitiful sight. They should move their bodies and worked their head without stopping. Even if the Empire was crumbling¨D¨D


    Gerard ran his gaze around and shouted.


    ¡°Come on, work, every move we make will determine the survival of the Highserk Empire!!¡±


    Regardless of what rank they were, they started to move. Instructions were given from the battalion to the company, from the company to the platoon, the squad, and the team, and the fetal movement began all at once. In order to counter the colony of monsters, the battle with the Four-Countries Alliance must be stopped, and the human-demon war between human races and demons was about to begin.


    ¡ô


    The operation was successful. The Highserk army couldn¡¯t hold the outbreak and abandoned the Sarajevo Fortress, and continued to retreat. Which meant, the operation was successful, too successful. Emrid¡¯s Company, which burned down the trees one after another was succeeded in retreating to the HQ, they were fortunate.


    Of the 6,000 troops that were sent, only 2,800 were able to come back to the HQ, and those small numbers of troops weren¡¯t reorganized for further battle.


    The results of the operation were immediate. Monsters were overflowing in Myard, and instead of the Highserk soldiers, the people of Myard had been swept away. It was a terrible scene. But Emrid couldn¡¯t be on the sidelines either.


    The people of Myard, were running out from Sarajevo Fortress as the monsters invaded the Fortress. The Alliance aimed to contain the monster at the Sarajevo Fortress, but a shocking report came to the Four-Countries Alliance forces from a unit that was watching the movement of the monsters.


    Monsters overflowed into the Ferrius Kingdom through the burning forest.


    The order given wasn¡¯t an interception but a retreat. This was because the Ferrius people and the Myard people rushed to the position where the Four-Countries Alliance army expected.


    Emrid was proud that the initial response was successful. Someone noticed while repelling the second wave and the third wave with the help of the skill and magic of Three Heroes, that the frequency and scale of the monster waves that were rushing in kept soaring.


    On the fifth wave, the Four-Countries alliance troops collapsed, each began to withdraw to their homeland, and even Ferrius soldiers abandoned their homeland and began asylum abroad. Sea retreat via Lake Celta couldn¡¯t carry troops all at once, and it was easy for Emrid to imagine what would happen if the people were flooded in.


    Ships that departed were always over capacity with soldiers and people. Some jumped into the lake, trying to follow the ship. Some were clinging to the ship. In the harbor, people fell into the lake, some were trampled by the people and crushed to death. Emrid wouldn¡¯t allow himself to die like that, and he couldn¡¯t let his subordinates¡¯ death be in vain. Emrid¡¯s decision, which could be said to be arbitrary, was quick. He followed the Order of Reharzen and chose the land route. He was aiming to return to his homeland via the Craist Kingdom.


    ¡°Ignore the back, pay attention only to the front and sides. If it¡¯s blocked, everyone will die.¡±


    Emrid¡¯s troops swelled to the size of a battalion due to the defeated soldiers of each country. The commander of the battalion and regiment class was lost in the battle of Sarajevo Fortress, and some had died in the attempt to run away from the great outbreak.


    ¡°The people behind¡­¡±


    The adventurer Leethia, who was among the ones leading the route, responded to Emrid¡¯s words. As she knew what they had done, Emrid saw that the girl was about to break, no, the girl had broken now.


    ¡°Anyone who can¡¯t keep up with speed will die. Are you shocked? But, it¡¯s the reality. It¡¯s maybe wrong to say this as I¡¯m one of the perpetrators, but we shouldn¡¯t have had those monsters intervene in the human war.¡±


    Punishment would be unavoidable if he didn¡¯t do his duty. However, now the high-ranking officers who could listen were either dead or fleeing by ship, and after that, there was only an army from many countries united to escape death.


    ¡°I am, I am!!¡±


    Emrid didn¡¯t want to be used as mental care by an adolescent girl, but he wanted to have enough firepower to get out of the situation.


    ¡°If you have time to worry, save even one person. You can worry as much after you survived. You can become a nun repenting the sin you did all your life if you want. Now, as an adventurer, you must fight, and save people from monsters. Even if you die now, it won¡¯t get easier. Even for 1 second, don¡¯t stop.¡±


    The girl ran to the lead group without responding to Emrid. Emrid then turned to another adventurer.


    ¡°Lefty, you can¡¯t stand it too huh.¡±


    ¡°Well, I knew there would be a sacrifice to the people. Just, I didn¡¯t expect it to spread this far.¡±


    ¡°Why did you participate? Did you like fighting?¡±


    ¡°Like huh, I don¡¯t want to say this, but now I¡¯m in this situation. What I like is¡­ Leethia. I want to support the woman I fell in love with.¡±


    Emrid couldn¡¯t close his open mouth. As Lefty said the reason he jumped into the deadly battlefield was because of his loved one.


    ¡°Are you stupid? That should be the more reason to stop her.¡±


    ¡°She said that she would take the request even if she must go alone. And I¡¯m not good at speaking. So I could only support her.¡±


    ¡°Huff, I thought you were the type who didn¡¯t know what you did, but despite your appearance, you¡¯re so disgusting.¡±


    ¡°I am aware¡±


    For the first time in their short friendship, Emrid laughed at the gloomy man.


    ¡°Go and support her¡±


    The man followed the girl. He ended up playing a crazy farce in this deadly place. A gloomy adventurer made the girl on the verge of being broken smile. It seemed there still was a little space in the head of the girl who might break at any moment.


    ¡°Volk¡¯s squad, dull the movement of the monsters behind. Don¡¯t overdo it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind supporting the vanguard group.¡±


    ¡°Luckily, it seems that two skilled adventurers will fight until they are exhausted.¡±


    ¡°Well, if that¡¯s the case.¡±


    Emrid was neither willing nor able to save all the people, but had chosen to increase the number of people who might take a risk to save others.

 CH 46.5

    The Highserk Empire army, which started the invasion from three directions, gathered in front of Aidenberg, the capital of the Principality of Myard, while taking over cities on their way.


    Map 1


    When the Highserk Empire won the decisive battle with the Myard-Ferrius Union, it annexed Myard into the Highserk Empire, except for the Celta territory on the peninsula on Lake Celta.


    The Ferrius Kingdom Expeditionary Force, which had been dispatched, was withdrawn to the homeland, but lost the majority due to the fierce pursuit of the Highserk Empire army.


    The border fortress, which had been greatly pulled out of the garrison, fell without functioning fully, and the southern territory of Ferrius was occupied by the Highserk Empire.


    Map 2


    A counterattack by the Four-Countries Alliance began. The main force of the Alliance forces invaded the territory of the Principality of Myard by land from Ferrius Kingdom. In addition to the attack by Liberitoa, a harassment attack by the Myard Navy on Lake Celta was carried out.


    The Highserk Empire abandoned the occupied Ferius Kingdom territory, and while devoting itself to delaying tactics, strengthened the defense at the Sarajevo Fortress at the border of Myard and aimed for attrition warfare.


    Map 3


    Due to repeated exhaustion and deadly surprise attacks, the Four-Countries Alliance abandoned the capture of the Sarajevo fortress and shifted to the scorched earth tactics of the Demon Territory using black water from Liberitoa Trade Federation.


    TN: This is just a rough draft for the map, the detail may changes

 CH 47

    Justan, the 10-man Commander of the Ferrius soldiers, was pondering about his choice while tying the planks with a rope.


    Many of the northern countries had power, but among them, the Ferrius Kingdom should have been a country sufficient to aim for hegemony, with the Principality of Myard, which inherited half the territory of the Kanoa Kingdom. That dream was destroyed by the loss of the heads of the field army, including Winston Ferrius, the younger brother of King Ferrius, in the decisive battle of Aidenberg with the Highserk Empire.


    After that, the Four-Countries Alliance was gathered and the Highserk Empire army was pushed back, but it was defeated at Sarajevo Fortress. In addition, the plan to burn the forest at the outer edge of Myrad had caused a great outbreak and the monsters even reached Ferrius Kingdom. Now, well over 100,000 monsters had attacked the royal castle, which was the core of the country, and the fall was only a matter of time. Justan was a patriotic soldier which belonged to one of the guards who supported the security of the royal castle, and had a lot of experience in his work. That was why he realized that things were coming to an end.


    Only death came picking up the guards and them fighting until the end was repeated, and no decent order was given. The King, who must boost morale, hadn¡¯t even shown up in front of the people and corps since the runaway. Justan was prepared to give up his life for the sake of the country. Still, even if he knew the country was over, his determination hadn¡¯t completely collapsed yet. Justan took action despite the situation. One thing was sure, Evacuation by land had been reaching its limit.


    A city was often built near a river. The royal capital was no exception. A vast canal that could accommodate large ships was connected to Lake Celta. There was no way the people didn¡¯t use it. The problem was that all riverboats had been departed from the port, not even barges and fishing boats were left in the royal capital. Justan aimed at one of the hidden ferryboats known only to the guards.


    It had a stockpile of food and had a capacity of over 30 people. There were decent escorts at the dock camouflaged as a pier and fisherman¡¯s hut, but they were friends to escape together with Justan. Those who were reluctant had to choose whether to escape together or die in the monster¡¯s fangs. It was fortunate for Justan that no one gave him further trouble.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I made you wait!!¡±


    It was one of Justan¡¯s subordinates who was out of breath and jumped into the hut. He should have been away to pick up his wife, two children, and parents at home, but Justan found out that the number wasn¡¯t correct.


    ¡°What happened to your parents?¡±


    ¡°Werewolves got them¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ I¡¯m sorry to hear that. Have the monsters already entered the city?¡±


    ¡°Evacuation was too late¡­ The walls were completely wrecked, and monsters were smashing through the doors of private houses.¡±


    Even now, the screams of monsters and the screams of the citizens were mixed, and the frenzy was started to approach the dock.


    Those who gathered were soldiers, their families, and their neighbors. Even if they were to force themselves in, the ferryboat wouldn¡¯t be able to carry them all, so the soldiers dismantled the planks of the pier and the unmanned private house, and made a temporary barge. Although the strength and firmness remained uncertain, Justan and the others had to hurry to leave the port.


    It wasn¡¯t just monsters. Humans in an emergency would do anything to save themselves. That was even the case with Justan, who had decided to be loyal to the country, but was now on the verge of leaving his beloved country behind.


    ¡°Float the barge. We need to move soon.¡±


    It was an emergency barge, but it properly floating on the surface of the water with luggage and people. The ferryboat was moving away from the camouflaged dock into the canal.


    Together with the barge which was tied by the rope, it left the land route. Within minutes, the ferryboat reached people¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s a ship. There¡¯s a ship!!¡±


    ¡°Oi, let me join too!!¡±


    ¡°Wait! Please!!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve children. I have children, Please!!¡±


    The opposite bank was filled with people seeking salvation, and it swelled to several times its capacity. It wasn¡¯t hard to imagine what would happen if the ship approached them. Everyone on the ship and barge turned their eyes away and didn¡¯t speak about it.


    ¡°¡­tch. Keep moving forward and aim for Lake Celta.¡±


    A clear order. It wasn¡¯t anyone¡¯s fault. It was Justan who came up with the idea of ??abandoning the citizens he must protect and running away.


    It wasn¡¯t a miracle that was drawn to the cry of the people, but destruction. The monster that welcomed the fresh meat with delight began to tear the flesh apart.


    Sobbing, screaming, cursing, people tried to swim across the canal, but they ran out of breath and sunk.


    A few minutes later, only the sobbing sounds in the ship could be heard. The sound from the bank had slowly disappeared.


    Justin didn¡¯t know if it was because of the distance or because there were no humans left.


    ¡ô


    ¡°Damn it. hold back, hold them baaAAACCKK!!! Don¡¯t let them break in.¡±


    ¡°Uh, Ughh, urggh!!¡±


    The sound of scraping and tapping the door echoed in the room. Even after seeing the people gathered for asylum, King Ferrius still couldn¡¯t accept the reality.


    His reason understood what situation he was in now. He had the opportunity to hear the folklore and the report of living witnesses about the dangers of the Demon Territory. He had also read the history books of the once-destroyed country.


    Still, he agreed to ignite this outbreak and chose revenge on the Highserk Empire he hated so much for killing his younger brother.


    As a King, he might be described as a stupid king who destroyed the country, giving priority to personal grudges, which might not even be worth being called third-rate moreover second-rate King.


    And he noticed it there. Even if such a thing was written, it must be in a book of another country, not a history book of Ferrius.


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t want to be eaten by monsters!! NOOO!!¡±


    A big man got upset and closed his ears. A girl under the age of 10 was crying with her now dry voice.


    ¡°Maybe I didn¡¯t see the people properly. Was the number in the report always so terrible?¡±


    He just left the battle work to his younger brother, and even when he went out to the few battlefields, he just watched the battle from a long distance.


    He wasn¡¯t a good candidate for a king in the first place. Had his younger brother been born first, the fate of the country would have been different.


    A suckling child cried for her mother, and a seriously injured soldier sobbed. This was the end of the country that was destroyed by monsters, not humans.


    ¡°Aaa, AAAAHHH, the door is breaking, it¡¯s gonna break!!¡±


    ¡°Anyone, please help to push them back.¡±


    The beaten door reached its limit and blew off.


    ¡°Ferrius, FOREVEERRI!!¡±


    A few guards jumped into the sea of ??demons, and slashed their swords as hard as they can, but only could delay a few seconds of the invasion.


    The gate had been opened, the claws were raised, and the hungry monsters flooded into the room.


    ¡°H-help¡±


    ¡°Go away, No. NOOOO, oargh, aa¡­¡±


    The limbs were torn, the torso was crushed, and so the beloved citizens became food to the monsters. Massacres also occurred on the battlefield. Still, the complete annihilation including girls and children didn¡¯t occur there.


    As expected, monsters shouldn¡¯t be brought into the human war. A shadow was approaching the repenting King Ferrius. There was a warm sensation and odor in his hands. It was the ghoul of the guards who died in the war.


    ¡°K-k-k-k, king, KiiIINNNGGG!!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve become a demon in this short period of time huh, well, this isn¡¯t the Ferrius Kingdom anymore, it¡¯s a Demon Territory.¡±


    King Ferrius didn¡¯t even have the energy to pull out the short sword at his waist, and no guards left. There were only former guards who had turned into demons.


    He ever heard stories of skeletons who were still loyal to his country even in death, but at least the ghoul in front of him was different from that story. King Ferrius ridiculed himself as he realized that he wasn¡¯t that worthy to get the loyalty of his citizens after their death.


    As death was approaching, King Ferrius also realized that no one would take care of his corpse after he died. Saliva mixed with blood fell on the face.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting for you first. HIGHSEEERRRKK!!!¡±


    The words King Ferrius shouted in front of the death door weren¡¯t family members or his country, but cursed words to his enemy. He understood how much of a rotten human being he was. As the demon¡¯s jaw approached his eyes, his sight dimmed with intolerable pain.

 CH 49

    49. Chapter 49 ¨C Crawler


    There were torn corpses, hunted livestock, and overturned wagons. Some were blocking the road and needed to be removed before proceeding further.


    Walm looked at a group of corpses. It was the Highserk soldiers, perhaps a platoon unit engaged in monster eradication.


    Numerous goblins and wolf species were dead, but it seemed neither the goblins nor the wolves were the ones that destroyed the platoon.


    Walm rubbed the blood that overflowed from the corpse with his finger.


    ¡°It¡¯s not dry¡±


    That wasn¡¯t the only hint. Huge footprints were left everywhere.


    ¡°Three front claws, one back claw¡­ what a monster.¡±


    Walm had experience in subduing monsters, but he had no experience in subduing large monsters, only E and D class monsters. He couldn¡¯t tell exactly the threat level.


    The overturned wagon was crushed from above and below, leaving behind a smoky smell, perhaps it came from the human corpse inside.


    There was no vestige of being human left on the corpses. It was different than the corpses devoured roughly by orcs and wolves.


    Dragged the corpse from the path to the side. Many of them had lost their limbs or upper body or lower body, and were much lighter than the war corpses that Walm was accustomed to carrying.


    Those killed on the battlefield were more efficiently carved with fatal wounds. No one bothers to bite or chew the flesh.


    One of the cavalries threw the torn limbs and heads into the trees. He probably chose efficiency over carrying it to the side. The cavalry¡¯s values ??and priorities were different from those of Walm, but they weren¡¯t wrong.


    No matter how used Walm was in killing others, he didn¡¯t feel like treating the corpse poorly for no purpose. Even so, if ordered, if there was a benefit that outweighs the emotional remorse of getting his feeling muddy, he would throw the corpse into the trees, even skewering them like livestock prepared to be barbequed, he would do it.


    Walm continued to work honestly.


    Tied a rope to the wagon wreckage and dragged it to the side of the road. There was no winch or pulley, so he could only rely on his own power.


    After finishing the towing, they went into the woods. The trees shook unexpectedly. As Walm looked up, one of the cavalries danced in the air with a dull explosive sound. Fresh blood was scattered in the sky from the mouth of a human and a horse. Viscera were coming out from the wound on the belly.


    ¡°It¡¯s an attack!¡±


    The cavalry screamed all at once. The identity of the thing that bounced off the cavalry was the tail of a huge monster.


    ¡°It¡¯s a ¡°Crawler¡± !!!¡±


    One of the cavalries guessed the true identity of the monster.


    It was one of the dragon subspecies. All dragon subspecies were classified as A class. The crawler opened its huge jaw, which occupied one-third of the total length, which exceeded 7 m, howling to the sky. Walm, whose eardrum was shaken, got a cramp and bitterly smiled.


    ¡°This is a dragon subspecies huh!?¡±


    Dirty scales with moss and blood, limbs were long and thick like a big tree. The shape had reminiscent of reptiles, but the ugliness wasn¡¯t similar.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stop your legs! Keep moving! I¡¯ll jump!!¡±


    The cavalry began to move all at once. Walm tried to get into the range of his skill by wrapping around to the side, but when he thought that a giant shake occurred, the wind flowed.


    The crawler came with a non-standard speed. It caught a running horse with its big mouth, knocked down the surrounding trees, and disappeared into the forest.


    ¡°Ah!? Mei was eaten!!¡±


    ¡°Damn it, it¡¯s too fast.¡±


    The distant ground noise was approaching again. Walm shot ¡¶Demon Fire¡· with all his might, ignoring the mana consumption, to a place that seems to be the direction of the sound.


    Hot air blew, and the blue flame that swelled to the height of the tree turned the forest into a sea of ??fire. A loud scream popped out.


    The terrifying speed was stopped by the fire, and the whole body was on fire, but the crawler struck its limbs to the ground to put out the fire and continued to swing its huge tail.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared! Keep attacking!!¡±


    The cavalry attempted a counterattack using magic and skill, but couldn¡¯t penetrate the hard and thick scales. The crawler, which had abandoned the hit-and-away of using its huge size and speed, stayed there as the fire kept being shot at it, and tried to crush the noticeable soldiers at random.


    If Walm continued to burn the crawler, it might involve soldiers, and the tough scales common to dragon subspecies made the ¡¶Demon Fire¡· less effective.


    ¡°Is there no choice but to go near?¡±


    While measuring the distance, Walm held the halberd and jumped with wind magic.


    ¡°¡¶Burst¡·¡±


    Walm, who got on the acceleration, slashed the halberd at the abdomen with ¡¶Strike¡·, but the attack stopped in the middle. His hands were numb as if he had hit a metal pillar.


    ¡°Ugh!?¡±


    The crawler turned around on the spot, trying to grind the small human. Its jaw approached Walm, who took a distance.


    A giant body passed just above Walm, who had crouched down, and the tree broke from the root. Walm sneaked in with a cold sweat and instantly activated ¡¶Demon Fire¡·.


    Blue flames blew out from both sides of the crawler. The vegetation that hadn¡¯t been directly exposed to fire was heated and began to burn, but only a part of the scales discolored.


    ¡°Giiii, Gu, GUGAAAAAA!!¡±


    The crawler was burned to rare-done and got angry. Now it seemed to have a proposition to ignore the cavalry and just wanted to bury Walm with all his might.


    The rolled-up soil mass fell on the body.


    Walm escaped from the giant body and accelerated in small steps with wind magic to deal with the onslaught. The difference in the body size wasn¡¯t good news at all. No matter how hard Walm tried to cover his body with a magic barrier, it would be destroyed with a single blow.


    A bright red alert kept ringing in Walm¡¯s brain. The core of his body swayed just by its movement, and he felt the powerful wind pressure caused by the missed swing.


    It seemed that the crawler didn¡¯t like the fact that Walm kept sprinkling ¡¶Demon Fire¡· while running away, and every time the fire hit directly, it breathed out a rotten odor and barked.


    A roar that even made anyone feel a headache drowned out Walm¡¯s concentration.


    Walm kept hitting it with ¡¶Demon Fire¡· here and there, but he was being cornered. The scales in its body continued to discolor but couldn¡¯t be burned off completely. It showed incredible durability against the blue flame that could melt even iron when the skill was used at nearly its maximum firepower.


    The big lizard-like monster didn¡¯t try to leave Walm even if he tried to make time.


    ¡°Ugh, uuUUGH, uuUUHH!!¡±


    The arm that came into contact with the body was twisted. Walm was supposed to be prepared, but his shoulders were about to come off just because his body came to him.


    Walm couldn¡¯t afford to protect the aching pain. This was because the crawler, which had responded to the movement of Walm, had cornered Walm.


    Each blow became a delicate movement, and Walm moved like crazy on the ground. In addition to the five senses, his instinct was mobilized, and he was moving like a leaf falling down from a tree.


    However, after all, if the leaf got caught, it would be crushed. The current situation of Walm was like was going straight to death gradually.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got its legs. Do it!!¡±


    Walm¡¯s wish to continue aiming for its defeat suddenly came true. Magic users that continued to be ignored restrained one of its hind legs with an icicle and one of its front legs with an earth wall.


    The magic was too poor to keep the crawler captured, but it was enough to stop the movement for a moment, and one of the cavalries threw a short spear with the skill ¡¶Strong Throw¡· and crushed one eye of the crawler.


    The crawler, shaking itself and looking for the bad guy, took its attention off Walm. It looked at the cavalry asking for the payment.


    ¡°Do you like to be burned well-done? This damn lizard!!¡±


    Walm pulled out the sword on his waist with the still okay arm, inserted it all the way to the base of the scar that had been made for the first time, and poured ¡¶Demon Fire¡· to the scar. Blue flame overflowed the scar.


    The crawler swayed and tried to shake Walm off, but Walm clenched his sword and clung to it. He was slammed into a tree, the air was pushed out of his lungs, and his internal organs screamed in pain.


    Still, Walm kept his hand. He thought that if he missed this, he wouldn¡¯t have another chance to get rid of it. If he was to fail, the cavalry and those in the wagon would be crushed. Besides, not only the escort unit but also the subsequent units would suffer damage.


    ¡°GUUuu, uuu, GUGIII!!¡±


    The crawler rubbed Walm on the ground as if it were flattening the pests it had on the body. The armor squeaked and was severely worn as being rubbed against the ground, and the flesh and skin were being shredded by the rough earth.


    ¡°Just, go, die, alREADYYYY!!!¡±


    The blue flame spread inside burning the crawler¡¯s viscera, and the flame clinging to the outside robbed the crawler of oxygen.


    The crawler was continued to be exposed to high temperatures.


    The raging crawler¡¯s movements gradually slowed down. Suddenly the time came. The giant lizard fell to the ground with convulsions.


    The limbs¡¯ movement became lesser, and with the mouth half-opened, the crawler stopped moving. Still, Walm continued to burn until its abdomen carbonized.

 CH 50

    Trees that had been passed through by a storm-like disaster were fallen, and the ground had been carved with countless scars by claws. The cause of it, ¡°Crawler¡±, had been knocked down. Seeing from inside the wagon, Ayane was astonished that this much destruction was done by only a single monster. At the same time, she couldn¡¯t relax thinking about the humans suffering in the battle with the monster.


    Ayane thought that perhaps, no, that for sure, the soldier who was escorting and taking care of her, a soldier called Walm who kidnapped her by burning the Craist soldiers and some knights belonged to The Order of Reharzen with blue flames, he must be injured.


    A moment of silence came when the irregular roar of the earth and the roar of the monster stopped. Immediately after, Ayane sensed the Highserk soldiers rushing around and approaching the wagon with a loud voice.


    ¡°Carry him, fast, don¡¯t let him die!!¡±


    The cloth covering the wagon was opened, and Ayane could see the user of ¡¶Demon Fire¡· with half of his body was in a mess. She didn¡¯t know how could he fight so much, injuring his own body to that extent. For Ayane, it was as if he jumped into death on his own.


    ¡°The crawler has been killed, but. But, Captain Walm was seriously injured. He kept his hand on the crawler until he burned it to death.¡±


    ¡°How could you be so reckless! Take off his clothes and armor, quickly¡±


    Moritz, who was mild-mannered among the Highserk soldiers and who had been treating Ayane and Maia kindly, spoke in a slightly angry tone.


    ¡°Ayane-dono, please treat him.¡±


    Ayane fluttered. It was because Moritz bowed to her, who was supposedly a prisoner of war.


    ¡°Ayane-sama, please check the limbs, I¡¯ll check the internal organs and head.¡±


    Ayane nodded and Maia began palpation. Surprisingly, Walm remained conscious, albeit hazy.


    ¡°Does it hurt?¡±


    ¡°ah, yes? It hurts.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve crushed your ribs, there¡¯re fractures. Luckily none have stuck in your lungs. Your left arm has been dislocated and the humerus is broken. Some of the skin also missing.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, aaAAHH, uuUUHH. Can you, heal it?¡±


    ¡°It may be hurt, but it can be healed.¡±


    Ayane had healed even more seriously injured soldiers. Walm was seriously injured, but it wasn¡¯t an incurable injury. Ironically, by continuing to treat the seriously injured who were brought to the battlefield in rapid succession, Ayane¡¯s technique was enhanced.


    Maia removed the dirt that had entered the wound with water magic. Some gravel and pieces of wood were digging deep inside the body. Ayane grabbed Walm¡¯s dislocated shoulder and pushed it back to normal position all at once.


    Walm endured without screaming. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t feel pain. He clenched his teeth, his breathing was rough, and his eyes were wide open.


    ¡°You were seriously injured when I treated you before.¡±


    Walm was in a pitiful state at that time. Patients with third-degree burns continued to be brought in, and Walm was one amongst them. Ayane never imagined that the man she treated was a disguised Highserk soldier.


    The man full of wounds reacted to the words that Ayane casually said.


    ¡°Aaa, yeah, that¡¯s, right. At, that time, when, I was, defending, the layer, suddenly, I got, blown away, by, a magic, attack. It was, so, painful. When I, woke up, I was, dying, and all, around me, it was, full of, my friends¡­ my, companions, corpses.¡±


    Hearing the words, Ayane felt remorse. There were a lot of Craist soldiers who celebrated that they had blown away the nasty soldier, the user of¡¶Demon Fire¡·. And the attack also included two childhood friends of Ayane.


    ¡°¡­..sorry¡±


    Walm tilted his head a little in confusion at the apology leaked from Ayane¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°? Why, apologize?, after all, it¡¯s, a war. I, also, burned, a lot, and took, Ayane, and Mai, a, as hos, tages. Even, your, child, childhood, friends, I, attacked, them, with, the inten, tion, to, kill them, those, ¡°high schooler¡±¡­¡±


    Ayane thought that Walm, who tried to kidnap her and burn her childhood friends, was a cold-hearted war maniac.


    Ayane realized that Walm was also a human, who had the same red blood flowing in the body, who was no different from her. She faintly realized that the soldier in front of her kept a clear sense of distance. But in this short period of time, she finally felt that he was actually being considerate to her, and cared for her.


    Ayane remembered Walm said, ¡°Unhygienic conditions will have a negative impact on treatment. You can¡¯t bathe in hot water, but you should wet your body with hot water and clean yourself.¡±. Then, every night he would boil water in a bucket with magic and let Ayane and Maia cleanse their body with a water bottle.


    When Walm found out that Ayane and Maia couldn¡¯t drink fruit liquor, he arranged for a replacement. The same was true when Ayane was about to be assassinated. He stopped the treatment for the day, as Ayane was depressed, and bowed to the general who rushed in.


    Ayane gazed at the soldier in front of him, thinking that perhaps he had taken dangerous measures in the battle to protect her and Maia, who were the targets of escort.


    Ayane and Maia had been wary of Walm, thinking that his action might be to gently persuade them to his side. But now, Ayane thought that perhaps, Walm was just a soldier who was serious about his duty, swaying on the border of good and evil, he would take his duty in war and killing, seriously, perhaps too seriously.


    ¡°Such a thing is¨D¨D¡±


    Ayane, who was about to speak something, felt a sense of discomfort and went silent. She couldn¡¯t put what she felt into words and she kept trying to find the right words. But, before Ayane could grasp the true nature of the discomfort, she was recalled to reality.


    ¡°¡­ Walm-dono, please stop there. You are in pain. Ayane-dono, you should treat him first.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Moritz, who was watching over the treatment, advised Ayane. He indirectly told her that she could have more time to think after she finished the treatment. Then, Ayane focused on using healing magic.


    TN: Did Ayane properly hear the word ¡°high schooler¡± that Walm said? Well¡­

 CH 51

    51. Chapter 51


    After dealing with the aftermath of the deadly battle with the crawler, Walm¡¯s group headed for the destination, the old castle called ¡°Dandurg Castle¡±, around the border of Myard and Highserk.


    Except for the army on the border with Liberitoa, 12,000 Highserk soldiers collected from the ones dispatched to annex Myrad and the ones nearby on the border, were deployed to the Castle.


    Around the wall, corpses of soldiers and people were laying on the ground. Even before the main wave of monsters came, the fatalities had reached more than hundreds.


    In addition to the water moat around the wall, a new empty moat and embankment were built on the outer edge. There were three castle gates, and in addition to the lifting bridge, there were two-story gates.


    Walm looked at the eye-catching stones around the castle gate, which was the borderline Highserk. In addition to the embankment, there were horse fences. There was even a place where gravestones were piled up.


    Foods like soup were served in a corner of the castle, and those who had escaped with a small amount of luggage were forming a long line.


    It was a familiar sight to Walm, who had experienced the battlefield many times, but the scale was unusual. The entire area of ??Myard was being run over by the outbreak. It was inevitable that a huge number of refugees could be seen there.


    However, Walm felt uncomfortable even though the situation in the castle looked calm. After all, even though it was a famous old castle good for a defensive battle, hundreds of monsters were approaching.


    Even though the refugees couldn¡¯t go further, they looked as if the dire situation had somewhat calmed down, perhaps they were relieved by the castle and soldiers, which were symbols of power. And believed that it should be safe here ¨D¨D


    The wagon and the escort team went through the castle gate, and were guided to the castle tower where one of the lords of the Myard territory originally reside.


    One room in the living quarters was made of stone and was equipped with furnishings. There were 5 escorts including Walm, and 7 including Maia and Ayane, but the place didn¡¯t feel cramped.


    After putting the tools for treatment on the shelves, Walm headed to the brigade headquarters where he was ordered to appear. He left the place after leaving the rest to Moritz, believing that no problem would occur.


    Passing through a long corridor, Walm reached a hall closed by a heavy door. Six guards were on the lookout at the entrance.


    After confirming his identity with the guard, Walm entered the room.


    ¡°Excuse me. I am the Escort Captain, Walm. I¡¯ve brought the healing magicians from Sarajevo Fortress according to the order.¡±


    Walm corrected his posture and waited for the man in front of him to reply.


    The old man with gray hair was Sigismund, the Brigade Commander of Highserk Army, who was in charge of Dandurg Castle. He had a lot of old wounds saying that he had been on the battlefield many times.


    ¡°Thanks for the hard work. It seems that a battle has occurred along the way, but to have killed a crawler alone, as expected of the one controlling ¡¶Fire of Hell Gate¡·.¡±


    Walm received compliments and praise, but denied it.


    ¡°It¡¯s a great honor to be complimented. But I didn¡¯t do it alone. I just hugged the crawler and kept burning it while the others helped me in stopping its movement. Besides, I was seriously injured and had to receive medical treatment.¡±


    After a short silence, Sigismund suddenly laughed as if he couldn¡¯t stand it.


    Walm wondered if he had said something wrong.


    Sigismund told the soldier inside the room.


    ¡°Did you hear that? This fellow just hugged and burned a crawler. I¡¯ve heard of subjugation with a magic attack, spear, or great sword, but I¡¯ve never heard of subjugation by hugging and burning it. As expected of someone favored by Gerard.¡±


    After laughing a lot, the old general continued his words.


    ¡°The escort of the healing magicians will be continued by your group, but I need to ask you, to appear on the frontline. We¡¯ve recruited volunteers from refugees and prisoners, but still, there¡¯s not enough manpower. Up to now, we¡¯ve defeated nearly 1000 monsters that came here. It would be easy if the small waves continue, but I¡¯m sure the main wave will come soon. I will have you and that one of the ¡°Three Heroes¡±, work hard. As for today, you should rest and recover your energy for the upcoming battle.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much¡­ Excuse me but, could you please tell me one thing?¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a foolish thought of someone like me, but the number of refugees in the castle is higher than the battlefields I¡¯ve experienced so far, it may become a hindrance in the battle.¡±


    Seeing innumerable Myard people gathering in the castle, Walm thought that it would be difficult to deploy soldiers and evacuate in an emergency.


    At the end of the statement, Walm felt that some of the HQ soldiers had changed their expressions and the atmosphere had turned tense.


    ¡°¡­Sadly, many people don¡¯t want to leave their homeland. But, you don¡¯t need to worry about it now. Focus only on the task in front of you.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Thank you for your answer. Then, excuse me.¡±


    Walm quietly withdrew in response to the compelling answer. But, he felt no doubt that he had touched on a topic that shouldn¡¯t be touched.


    Walm walked down the hallway and turned his thoughts.


    It must be information known only to a limited number of generals.


    Walm had been given power albeit small, to lead a squad scale unit. And even though he was an Escort Captain who had the title ¡°Knight¡±, still, he had no real power in the military.


    Walm didn¡¯t deny that the limbs must follow the head and fight. He could only do that even if the head favored him. But still, as a member of the organization, if he stopped thinking and mindlessly follow the head, it might only lead to the decline of the organization. Even if his thoughts might not hold any significant meaning, he thought that he must keep trying to be productive.


    What is the purpose of holding a large number of refugees on the frontline?


    ¨D¨DSecuring volunteers and civil engineering workers in the base. For sure the benefits aren¡¯t few.


    But, the consumption of food by citizens, which is larger than the number of troops, will put a heavy burden on logistics. Also in an emergency, soldiers must be dispatched to guide people¡­


    ¡°No way, perhaps they won¡¯t properly guide them? There¡¯s also a need for a lot of provisions after the emergency¨D¨D¡±


    Wait¡­ refugees from other countries, soldiers from Highserk, the robust Dandurg Castle¡­


    Connecting the words, Walm had come up with one possibility.


    ¡°Is it¡­ a cage in disguise of a shelter?¡±


    Saying so, Walm held his breath. He wanted to believe that the army wouldn¡¯t go that far, but the madness of war, the madness of humans with the justification called ¡°reason¡±, would be forever muddy.

 CH 52

    52. Chapter 52


    Walm was ordered to wait, but Ayane and Maia, who could use recovery magic, started doing treatment in a corner of the castle as soon as they arrived.


    Unlike fighting with humans, the people¡¯s injuries ranged from bruises to lacerations, bites, poisons, and many more. The difference in treatments put pressure on medical resources.


    Those who had experience with medical techniques were mobilized even if they only knew a little. The injured were lined in parallel and the treatment proceeded. The cobblestone room quickly overflowed with many odors, and the floor got dirty with filths and blood.


    It was drained into the sewer in the castle, but it overflowed due to pieces of meat and hair, and Walm was forced to clear the blockage with wind magic.


    If the mana ran out, you could rest until the mana returned, but there were just too many injured, in particular, the refugees. As the number was high, not all could receive adequate treatment.


    ¡°If only I¡¯ve more mana¡­¡±


    Ayane regretfully looked to the ground. Walm called out to the lamenting girl.


    ¡°You can cast a healing spell on more than 100 people. Hoping more than that is just too greedy.¡±


    An average healing magician, even the one classified as ¡°excellent¡± could only heal as many as 10 people, and that was without considering whether the magic saved a life or not.


    ¡°There¡¯s not enough medicine or herbs. Even boiling water too¡­¡±


    Even Maia, who was always showing a strong appearance to Walm, spoke with a soft noise.


    ¡°Is taking from the well no good?¡±


    Water was in high demand. It was a natural situation that could have happened if there were far more people in a place crossing the maximum capacity.


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll make hot water with water magic and fire magic.¡±


    ¡°You have three attributes?¡±


    Ayane said with a surprised expression. Only fire and wind magic were used in battle. Of course, she would be surprised.


    ¡°The affinity in the water attribute is too low, it can¡¯t be used in battle. But, this reminds me of the past. I used to be treated as a portable water vessel by the members of my previous squad.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°What happened? Are you tired? Is it because of mana depletion?¡±


    Although there were individual differences, fatigue caused by lack of mana was most likely accompanied by nausea and dizziness. Walm asked if Ayane, who was silent, was also due to it.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m okay.¡±


    If she forces herself, she¡¯ll fall. That¡¯s just putting the priorities backward¡­


    Should I force her to take a break?


    While Walm thought so, Maia presented him with an empty water bottle.


    ¡°Walm-san, please.¡±


    Their eyes were burning with a sense of mission.


    If I don¡¯t forcefully drag her, she won¡¯t leave the treatment center for sure.


    Seeing it, Walm gave up and decided to compromise.


    ¡°Don¡¯t overdo it. If you feel dizzy or sick, be sure to take a rest. After all, it takes time for the mana to return. Understand?¡±


    Hearing that the two nodded, and after confirming it, Walm concentrated on his work. He wanted to believe that no assassin would come in this situation, but it wasn¡¯t 100%.


    So, he asked Moritz and the four escorts to remain vigilant.


    ¡°I never thought that Walm-dono could use water magic.¡±


    ¡°When I return to my room, I¡¯ll brew fruit tea for you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an honor. By the way, form where were the fruits?¡±


    ¡°When I left Sarajevo Fortress, I took some that were left behind.¡±


    The Sarajevo Fortress, which was in an extremely chaotic situation, many supplies couldn¡¯t be brought as the people didn¡¯t have enough time, and so many were abandoned.


    Walm packed as much as he could into the magic bag, including supplies for high-ranking officers.


    Walm thought that he should procure it for better use.


    Walm didn¡¯t think that the method of collecting supplies taking advantage of the turmoil at the time of retreat, taught by the ¡°dark-skinned bad friend¡± who was in the former squad, would be useful.


    ¡°Well, Walm-dono is really a diligent person.¡±


    Saying so, Moritz laughed a little and returned to work.


    Treatment continued until the sun went down, and Walm returned to the waiting room with exhaustion. Walm also consumed mana more than expected, since there was a need for boiling utensils many times.


    Moritz arranged a long desk with food from inside the castle. Black bread that looked hard like steel, crushed horse meat and potato soup, and roasted orc heads.


    ¡°Oh, o¡­¡±


    Seeing the orc heads, Walm hardened. He knew there were edible monsters, but he didn¡¯t think the day when such a thing would be lined up in front of him, would come this soon.


    On the battlefield, soldiers sometimes ate monster meats during food shortages, but Walm had always been on the front lines killing many.


    Even though he needed to be in an area full of deaths, where it was difficult to expect the abundant support of the friendly forces, it was possible to collect all the supplies of the enemies and barter the loots.


    Regardless of the army or battalion, one thing was for sure, the Duwei squad wasn¡¯t in trouble about food.


    Walm took a cup of fruit tea brewed for everyone, and drank it to prepare himself.


    ¡°Is it roasted orc? It¡¯s been a long time since I have it.¡±


    Moritz threw the orc meat to the mouth without hesitation.


    F*ck! ¡°God¡±, why You must do this to me¡­


    Walm shouted in his heart a name that he himself didn¡¯t know for sure about the existence.


    Oh right, he has the ¡°skill¡±¡­.


    Moritz, who was resistant to poison, was forced to eat various insects and poisonous monsters to strengthen his ¡¶Skill¡·.  Remembering that, Walm was convinced that Moritz was fine with eating orc meat because he was a bizarre food enjoyer.


    Then, Walm looked at the other four escorts. But they didn¡¯t seem to hesitate and were eating the orc meats with a smile. Once again, Walm cursed the absurd reality.


    Sh*t! Seriously¡­


    So Walm turned his hopes toward Ayane.


    If it¡¯s her, she¡¯ll definitely show rejection to bizar¨D¨D


    ¡°¡­..¡±


    The faint expectations were betrayed. Ayane was chewing the orc¡¯s ears, happily enjoying it with Maia.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time. You see, it¡¯s the first monster I ate after dismantling together with my childhood friends during training in the forest.¡±


    ¡°You must be together with Yuuto-sama, Makoto-sama, and Johanna-sama at the time, right?¡±


    The girls were remembering distant memories. Usually seeing such a scene, would make Walm feel lonely and sad too, but now couldn¡¯t afford to care. Moreover, the names mentioned were just the names of those who were on Walm¡¯s killing list.  It would¡¯ve damaged Walm¡¯s mental if only there wasn¡¯t a roasted orc head in front of him.


    ¡°I-is that so?¡±


    Walm took a plate after he calmed himself. Then, someone placed something that made a slightly dull sound.


    It was the orc¡¯s nose and tongue that were placed on the plate.


    ¡°Come, have a bite, this is the delicious part.¡±


    Walm kept himself calm as the demon fire was on the verge of overflowing. Even though his subordinates showed their kindness, somehow he felt betrayed.


    What. What should I do? Damn! I can¡¯t earn any more time¡­


    Walm prepared himself whether he wanted to or not, and lifted the orc¡¯s nose with a fork.


    The octagonal shape looked gruesome. The texture looked close to rubber but softer. Strangely the scent of fragrance induced the appetite and as it was approaching the mouth, the disgust he felt was gone.


    As soon as it was put inside the mouth, at once, Walm chewed.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The saltiness enhances the taste of the meat with just the right amount of elasticity that wasn¡¯t too hard. It was gelatinous meat. Walm didn¡¯t want to admit it, but it was delicious.


    ¡°It¡¯s delicious¡±


    When Walm leaked out such words and looked up, he realized everyone¡¯s eyes were gathered at him.


    ¡°What are you looking at? Eat quickly and go to bed. The real battle will start from tomorrow.¡±


    Walm said so angrily to move everyone¡¯s eyes from him and resumed eating. He could hear everyone laughing and it was clear that even Maia was laughing.


    Walm drank the fruit tea and exhaled. He didn¡¯t think that they would laugh at each other even if they all should know that the monster wave was approaching and that not all the people here were from the same countries. He understood that they all just wanted to get rid of such heavy feelings and relax now.


    All of them knew that hell would continue from tomorrow¨D¨D

 CH 53

    53. Chapter 53


    The castle gate wasn¡¯t closed and the construction was continued.


    With the slogan ¡°1mm deeper, 1mm higher¡± for the empty moat and the embankment, people were working on the defense line. Regardless of whether they were soldiers or militias. Even girls and children who couldn¡¯t tolerate heavy labor would throw the stone and soil away.


    Many platoons were killing approaching monsters at the outer edge, and the soldiers were dispersing as it was necessary to kill as many monsters as possible.


    A monster with an edible part would be dragged into the castle and used as emergency food. Walm, who had been insensitively killing monsters until now, had finally learned that other than the edible part, some other parts could be used as a material for armor.


    In addition to the guard soldiers, the soldiers that successfully fled here were also guarding the gate. Right now, in this place, there were only three distinctions: combatants, workers, and non-workers. Age or gender didn¡¯t matter.


    All the Myard people who arrived at Dandurg Castle were lightly covered in dirt and it looked like their fatigue had reached its peak. The family passing in front of Walm had the father carrying luggage and the mother carrying a baby.


    When the lines of sight cross, the family bowed to Walm, albeit awkwardly.


    Walm pointed to a corner of the castle.


    ¡°Get some food there¡±


    After seeing the smoke of cooking, the family thanked him again and their faces looked relieved. On the other hand, Walm¡¯s face became cloudy. To be honest, he wanted to tell them to ignore the shady castle and warned them to leave the castle immediately.


    He understood that it wasn¡¯t a good thing for a soldier to give such command. There was no solid evidence that it would be the best choice after all. No one could say for sure that the soldier could block the outbreak on all three main roads in Myard.


    When Walm shifted his gaze, a group of 100 people could be seen. In a situation like this, while there were many sparse refugees, a big group was rare.


    After all, a group without good resistance would be equivalent to a feast for the monsters.


    He looked carefully at the group and realized that, the one leading the group was fully armed, and many villagers behind also had weapons or farm tools in their hands.


    Judging from the blood on the weapons, it seemed that they had pushed out a considerable number of monsters on the way. The intrigued Walm squinted his eyes as he saw someone he had seen before.


    ¡°Knight-dono, where are you going?¡±


    The soldier guarding the gate noticed that Walm¡¯s expression had changed.


    ¡°There is something I¡¯m curious about. I¡¯ll leave for a while.¡±


    As the group realized a person left the gate and was approaching the group, the tension increased. About four or five steps from the group, Walm realized that it wasn¡¯t just his own misunderstanding.


    ¡°Stop¡±


    In the group, there were adventurers and the Myrad soldiers who once threatened the supply route and killed Highserk soldiers.


    ¡°Why did you come here?¡±


    The face of the blue-haired adventurer at the front was distorted as if he had bitten a bitter worm. He seemed to have recognized Walm too.


    ¡°I know I¡¯m saying something convenient but¡­ I want you to help us.¡±


    The man escaped from the monster to Dandurg Castle, so it was the answer Walm had expected.


    Walm deliberately tapped the surface of the longsword on his waist with his fingers.


    ¡°Where is that pride of Myard? I just worried about the possibility of backstabbing from behind. Now that you¡¯re in a bad position, you dare to ask for asylum from us?¡±


    Walm wouldn¡¯t blame the man if he was just a normal Myard soldier or a prisoner of war. The problem was, that not only the man but the other adventurers and the soldiers in front of him had a strong patriotism and attacked the Highserk soldiers from behind before.


    Walm didn¡¯t deny those who were motivated by their love of hometown and strong patriotism. He could understand them. But, that was also the reason he couldn¡¯t be convinced that easily when those people suddenly acted the opposite just because they lost their place to the monsters.


    ¡°At that time, we still had a chance. The situation is different now. Myard¡­ has lost completely.¡±


    ¡°What a very shallow patriotism.¡±


    There, Walm recalled the environment of the countries. Surrounded by unstable Demon Territory, it was an area where rulers change frequently.


    Especially in the Highserk Empire, which promoted assimilation policy, it was often the case that only the head was replaced and the territory would be incorporated into the Empire. The occasional bounces and uprisings could be suppressed with overwhelming force.


    As of now, the government in exile had been established on the peninsula bordered by Lake Celta. But, perhaps many still didn¡¯t know about it.


    If the homeland is on the brink of being destroyed, will people change their attitude faster?


    ¡°You think it¡¯ll be fine just because you bow your head?¡±


    The close ones didn¡¯t die in the battle with them, but the soldiers with who Walm had exchanged words, albeit a few times, were still killed in action.


    ¡°What should I do?¡±


    Hearing that, Walm smiled.


    ¡°Could you give me your neck?¡±


    Walm felt the murderous intention swell from the group. He returned it with only a straight face, seeing from one¡¯s end to the other¡¯s end.


    ¡°You want to fight again? I¡¯m a knight who keeps the gate. If you can¡¯t give it, go somewhere else. Also, I can¡¯t trust the villagers who pretend to prostrate, and support the soldiers and adventurers who like to attack from behind.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have our homeland to rely on anymore, we¡¯re being chased by monsters, and the castle is full of armed Highserk soldiers. We¡¯re not stupid.¡±


    An adventurer with a bow complained to Walm about their plight, but Walm didn¡¯t shake.


    ¡°Is it useless except for the neck?¡±


    A man with a large shield asked Walm if there was an alternative.


    ¡°I need to draw the line.¡±


    Walm didn¡¯t answer clearly.


    ¡°And that¡¯s by giving Al¡¯s neck¡­? It won¡¯t happen.¡±


    The woman who was holding the bow came out from the side.


    ¡°Shut up girl, I¡¯m talking to him.¡±


    Walm said in a strong tone.


    ¡°Amy, stop.¡±


    An adventurer called Al wrinkled his eyebrows and kept silent for a few seconds, but gave up and spat out words.


    ¡°¡­Okay. I¡¯ll give my neck.¡±


    ¡°Al, don¡¯t say stupid things.¡±


    The woman grabbed the man¡¯s shoulder, but the blue-haired adventurer shook it off.


    ¡°It¡¯s the only choice.¡±


    ¡°Is my neck not good? Al and Amy are the people valuable to the village. I can¡¯t let them die.¡±


    The man holding a Great Shield, who fought with the Squad Commander Duwei before, said so.


    ¡°Stop this joke. Fleck, don¡¯t say that!!¡±


    ¡°He wants mine. You don¡¯t have to die.¡±


    Leaving Walm in dismay, the three began to argue.


    ¡°Huff, the other guys? Are you going to stay on the sidelines? I won¡¯t limit the candidate. Anyone¡¯s neck is fine.¡±


    Walm lazily asked, but the people in the group just looked at his face and didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°Pathetic. Even all the dead Myard soldiers were brave, better than you all.¡±


    Walm provoked, but they moved their gaze from Walm and didn¡¯t answer.


    In a sense, Walm felt reassured and satisfied with their human reaction. On the other hand, the drama of the three people continued.


    It¡¯s better to watch a soap opera than this¡­


    It had already developed into a sour dispute.


    In truth, Walm wasn¡¯t really willing to take the man¡¯s neck, though he would have cut the neck without hesitation if he had been instructed by a Company or Battalion Commander.


    That said, he didn¡¯t want to kill a well-experienced adventurer in an emergency like this and reduce the overall strength that could be used in dealing with the monster. And if he did take the man¡¯s neck, it would only increase the grudges of the people, and he could be seriously stabbed from behind during the battle.


    However, he couldn¡¯t say that he didn¡¯t want anything.


    ¡°You guys, shut up. Then, line up there¡­ tch, rest assured. I won¡¯t take your neck.¡±


    The three people seemed reluctant to line up side by side.


    ¡°Good. Instead, I¡¯ll distribute the pain to all of you.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Al asked with suspicion about Walm¡¯s suggestion.


    ¡°I¡¯ll hit you three until I¡¯m happy. No, I¡¯ll hit you all. Well, don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t hit until you die.¡±


    Walm made a slight run and punched Al¡¯s face with his fist. The carving was deep, the tall nose bent, and blood blew out.


    ¡°Stand¡±


    The blue-haired adventurer stood up silently. Walm grabbed his hair, and kicked the face with his knees, twisting the nose further.


    ¡°Yep, it¡¯s flat now.¡±


    The man with the great shield stepped forward himself.


    I like his spirit.


    Walm hit the man¡¯s cheek with all his might. Even after a few hits on the face, the man didn¡¯t fall down. The face swelled but Walm kept hitting it. When the chin finally shook a little, the man collapsed to the ground.


    The woman with the bow was quiet, standing straight. Walm suddenly squeezed his fist into her flank, not her face. The woman whose liver was struck in pain distorted her face and her body bent.


    Hit the woman who endured the hard-hit again and once again. By the third punch, gastric juices came out from the mouth, wetting the ground.


    The three continue to stand again silently. After three rounds, the faces of the adventurers swelled as if they were bitten by countless bees.


    ¡°The rest of you, line up. I¡¯ll just hit three times.¡±


    The remaining Myrad soldiers clenched their teeth and lined up in a row.


    By the end, the ground was dyed with blood, vomit, and gastric juice.


    ¡°There is no second chance. If you betray even once more, I¡¯ll cut the tendons of your limbs and throw them one by one from the wall passage to the ground.


    After giving time to chew the words, Walm concluded.


    ¡°Alright, enough with the reunion party. Welcome to the Dandurg Castle.¡±


    Walm laughed at the villagers, shaking off the blood on his fist, but sadly he didn¡¯t get a warm cheer nor a cheerful reply.


    TN: I wonder if the three know the other two of their party members were among the ones who caused this situation¡­

 CH 54

    It came without warning.


    The alarm bell kept ringing crazily. That meant only one thing, to signal the arrival of the main wave.


    ¡°Evacuate!! Go inside!!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t push! There¡¯s still some leeway. Don¡¯t go out of the line!¡±


    A soldier who was waiting around the castle gate guided the citizens who moved out of order as if a shepherd dog gathering the sheep.


    The troops that were hunting outside also began to withdraw with all their might, crushing the quick monsters with the blocking firepower of the magic soldiers.


    Fortunately, each platoon devoted to patrols, reached the gate and there was no omission of workers.


    The chains were rolled up, the suspension bridge slowly closed, and the double gates were closed too. The complete blockade of the castle gate was just the beginning.


    ¡°Go into position!!¡±


    ¡°Bring the soil for ¡°earth bullet¡± and stone for throwing up to the ramparts!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t that right to call it a storm. It would be unreasonable to call it a tsunami. A large wave of monsters was rushing to Dandurg Castle.


    There were no residents in the surrounding area as they had already rushed to Dandurg Castle. It was easy to imagine of the one late in running had been caught and devoured.


    The place where Walm was assigned was the gate tower installed beside the castle gate, and he could see the movement of monsters outside the castle and the movement of soldiers inside the castle.


    Magic users, archers, and stone-throwing soldiers were on the ramparts, some were looking from the arrow slit. Even the veteran Highserk soldiers could be seen here and there.


    ¡°Wait for instructions and then launch the attack!!!¡±


    The Battalion Commander who managed the ramparts shouted loud enough not to lose to the rushing ground noise.


    Several marks around the area indicating the effective range were made beforehand so that even after the monsters started filling up the ground, the sense of distance wouldn¡¯t be disturbed.


    Everyone took a breath and waited for the command.


    ¡°THROWERS, ATTACKKK!!!¡±


    The sling holding the stone bullet began to rotate with noise, and the moment it reached the maximum rotation speed, the stone was released from the sling. Stones were rushing to monsters in a parabolic motion. Few monsters died as the stones fell down, but for sure blood was shed.


    ¡°ARCHERS, ATTACKK!!!¡±


    The strings pulled to the limit were released all at once. A rain of arrows poured on the monster. The monsters at the front stopped as the arrows pierced them, but the monsters behind crushed them. The madness didn¡¯t die.


    The monsters at the front were fallen every time the arrows were fired, but the next monsters immediately ran over them.


    ¡°MAGIC USERS, ATTACCCKKK!!¡±


    Magic users with the highest firepower on the battlefield began to cast magic. Its destructive power was overwhelming. The side attacked by the concentrated bombardon of magic was greatly scooped out, and many monsters were lying down on the ground.


    Still, it didn¡¯t take long for the holes to be restored. Seeing it, the soldiers¡¯ faces were cloudy.


    ¡°ALL UNIT, ATTACKKK!! DO NOT LET THEM APPROACH THE WALLS!!¡±


    The monsters¡¯ heads were crushed by stones, and corpses were soaring in the sky because of magic. Even after the arrows pierced the chests, the wave didn¡¯t seem to end.


    A group of golems, which had been made with earth magic in advance, greeted monsters outside the castle, but it was like a drop of water in the ocean.


    ¡°They¡¯re here!!¡±


    When monsters stuck to the wall, they randomly hit the wall, trying to wear it down. Goblins and orcs were the ones that reached first in a large number, but the monster that couldn¡¯t be ignored started to be seen.


    ¡°It¡¯s troll!!¡±


    The troll carrying the big tree while scattering saliva, was approaching the wall. It had already been pierced by countless arrows, but it didn¡¯t seem to stop any soon. ¡°Earth Bullet¡± was prepared in a large amount, as it was the most economic in terms of mana consumption among the four attribute magics and was the easiest to use on the battlefield. The troll¡¯s head was hit and the skull was crushed.


    The giant fell to the ground and the soldiers cheered, but the voice was cut off immediately. When a group of orcs carrying the troll¡¯s body reached the wall, they used it as a stepping stone together with the surrounding corpses. Walm didn¡¯t know if they had a sense of companionship. Still, there was no doubt that the dead monsters were only used as a material to gain height.


    ¡°Look at the sky, it¡¯s Death Condor!!¡±


    Dozens of flyable monsters were attacking soldiers with a drop. A claw cuts the soldier¡¯s throat, they screamed as they were knocked down from the ramparts to the ground. Some were taken to the sky and dropped when they reached a certain height.


    It was clear that the monsters were gaining momentum. Walm realized that the intellect between monsters was that different.


    Walm was also informed that there must be a monster that could be called the leader of the great outbreak.


    Even though they¡¯re just a bunch of monsters¡­


    A new flock of death condors was about to land on the ramparts to do their nasty attack. Walm rushed in anticipation of the attack point.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to die, head down!!¡±


    The mask was trembling happily. The demon fire that embodied his mana was released into the sky. Blue flame swallowed the flock. They tried to escape, but the high heat disturbed the wind, and the swirling hot air was drawn in by the death condors.


    The ones that were hit directly were burned to death, and those who escaped immediate death also had their feathers burned down. As the airflow was disturbed, they crashed to the ground with a jarring scream.


    Walm looked down from the ramparts without feeling satisfied. A monster grabbed the death condors, and a monster with fangs bit them and piled up the corpses.


    This seems to be a good time.


    Walm leaned forward and jumped off.


    ¡°Knight-donoOOO!?¡±


    ¡°The Escort Captain has fallen!!¡±


    Sad screams echoed from the soldiers in the ramparts. It was a familiar sight to Walm.


    The captured weapons, claws, fangs, and horns were turned to Walm as if they couldn¡¯t wait to pierce his skin. This welcome was the first time in a long time, and Walm naturally released ¡¶Demon Fire¡·with a smile.


    The hot air was late but it then spread without knowing when the blue flame would stop.


    A big chorus of screaming had begun. Walm would be reluctant or hesitate if the opponent was a human, but his opponent right now were monsters that didn¡¯t require consideration.


    Immediately after Walm learned the skill, he kept using it, and its duration, power, and operability were significantly improved since then.


    Blue flame swirled and swallowed the surroundings. All the monsters within 10m had already died, and the monsters within 20m had been burned by the blue fire that continued to rampage. There were even monsters that die of lack of oxygen or from the pressure of the hot air. A confused ogre tried to escape from the blue flame by beating and killing nearby monsters.


    Some of the monsters that didn¡¯t know to stop finally show a sign of retreating, albeit slightly.


    Walm stopped his skill before his mana ran out and kicked up the wall with wind magic returning to the ramparts.


    A wide range of monsters was killed and injured, and the monster in the center was carbonized. The monsters that had forgotten the sight were approaching resumed their advance in searching for a meal. It was as if they had awakened from a bad dream.


    ¡°Let me rest for a while¡±


    No one stopped or say cursed Walm for returning to the resting room from the ramparts, instead, he was sent with cheers.

 CH 55

    The wind magic that dwelled in form of the blade, ¡°Wind Blade¡±, was unleashed and the monsters that rushed under his eyes were sprouting blood like a blooming flower.


    Al, was an adventurer who had risen in rank by doing subjugation and escort requests, unlike the labyrinth-specialized adventurer, which might have many battle experiences and good items. He had only done a number of battles with monsters, perhaps about 100 times.


    However, how many people can stay in front of this number?


    Al has already shot dozens of wind magic. Amy, who was in love with him, continued to shoot monsters with ¡¶Strong Shoot¡·. [TN: it¡¯s different from the skill ¡¶Hard Shoot¡·]


    Fleck, who didn¡¯t have his own long-range attack method, was also trying his best on throwing stones.


    The earth and sand that came out during the construction of the empty moat were accumulated in the ramparts, and it was refined by magic users with earth attributes into a lump of soil that had hardness comparable to stone. Combined with Fleck¡¯s strength, who used Great Shield in the battle, it was enough to break the orc¡¯s skull.


    There was an effect. It should have been. But, the wave of monsters didn¡¯t shake. It was like throwing pebbles into the ocean.


    A resident of the village where Al lived had escaped into the castle. He couldn¡¯t let the monsters break through the walls, even if he must force himself. There, he remembered the former party members.


    A four-country alliance conducted a rebellious operation against the Highserk Empire. At first, it was just a rumor, but they actually started collecting adventurers at exorbitant prices.


    The content of the operation was hidden until the last minute, but considering the exceptional reward, the more you thought about it, the more suspicious and dangerous the request sounded.


    Amy and Fleck¡¯s injuries hadn¡¯t healed completely, and Al himself wasn¡¯t an exception. The Principality of Myard also suffered a devastating defeat in the battle near the capital city, Aidenberg, and was annexed except for the territory on the Lake Celta.


    Following the defeat of the Principality, Al fell into a sense of loss and helplessness, and with members who were still healing their injuries, he avoided the request.


    Al must have been distracted at the time. He was unaware that two members of his party had left the hideout. Given the timing, they must have accepted the request. After all, Leethia was interested in the request of the Alliance.


    Al noticed some dark emotion in Leethia¡¯s eyes after the party members were seriously injured in the guerrilla battle with Highserk soldiers.


    For sure Al did his best to take care of her. And considering that she went lefty, he thought she wouldn¡¯t take any unreasonable actions. He realized that he had made a mistake as a leader, and so he only wished for the two to be safe, but then a great outbreak happened not long after.


    The cause was unknown and no good information came in, but given the timing and their request of adventurers, there was no doubt that the Alliance must be the cause.


    Al wanted to get information about the safety of the two, but he couldn¡¯t have any spare capacity in his mind.


    Al was about to run out of mana but the wave of monsters didn¡¯t seem to end.


    ¡°Who could stop this kind of thing¡­¡±


    At that moment, Al doubted his eyes at the unusual sight. There was someone on the edge of the ramparts.


    ¡°What are you doing!?¡±


    A Highserk soldier looked as if he was about to throw himself out of the rampart. It was unclear whether he was pushed down or not, one thing was for sure, the monsters that filled the ground were trying to welcome the human.


    Al had seen soldiers fallen from the ramparts finely minced by the monsters and he didn¡¯t want to see it more.


    Al, who could use wind magic, might be able to run to the soldier, but it was impossible to rescue the soldier while beating the monsters and return to the ramparts safely.


    Al looked carefully at the soldier, trying to keep an eye on the soldier¡¯s ending. One of the eyes that could be seen through the mask, was muddy. Such an eye gazed at Al for a moment, giving him chills on his back.


    The muddy eye belonged to the person who ever made Al have a cold sweat.


    Visible mana flowed from the body of the soldier, together with unbearable heat and violent wind.


    ¡°Oooo, it¡¯s the ¡¶Fire of Hell Gate¡·!!¡±


    ¡°Captain Walm wants to invite them to hell.¡±


    Al had also heard rumors about the user of ¡¶Demon Fire¡·. A Highserk soldier burned down Ferrius and his guards in the Battle of Aidenberg, overran the enemy¡¯s chain of command and wrecked the defense layers alone in the Battle of Sarajevo Fortress, and took one of the Craist¡¯s ¡°Three Heroes¡± as a prisoner.


    The monsters were reaching out to the soldier, but they screamed all at once and some of the monsters behind tried to take a distance. The monsters were rampaging like madness, trying to escape from the blue flame.


    ¡°What is this¡­¡±


    Al felt the heat even though he had a magic barrier on and his lips and eyes were dry. He wondered what would happen if a human with poor mana received it in the immediate vicinity, and as he imagined it, he gulped.


    Seeing from the perspective of an ally, nothing was more reliable than him. However, those who were hostile would be invited to hell.


    Recalling the exchange in front of the castle gate, Al gulped. He realized that he was lucky. If Walm had the intention to kill him and his groups, he wouldn¡¯t be here now.


    At the same time, Al was truly grateful that Walm hadn¡¯t awakened to ¡¶Demon Fire¡· when they fought against each other.


    The blue flame kept burning monsters into carbonized corpses. The soldiers, including Al, were fascinated by the scene as if they were possessed.


    ¡ô


    Three days after the monsters reached Dandurg Castle, the Highserk Empire¡¯s army, which had been trying to defeat all monsters, began to see a glimpse of it.


    Except for the invasion of monsters that could fly and monsters with excellent jumping power, neither the castle gate nor the walls had been crossed, and no monsters that were ranked high in the A class such as the feared crawler had been confirmed.


    Nevertheless, the fatigue of Highserk soldiers who continued to fight in shifts had reached its peak. After all, the number of monsters outside the castle that were rushing in day and night didn¡¯t decrease. Despite well over 30,000 monsters, had been defeated.


    Walm consumed his mana for ¡¶Demon Fire¡·and had been resting for 3 hours. After another hour or two, he would have to use the skill again.


    The soldiers packed in the barracks during the break were sleeping as if they were dead. Walm also covered his ears with a cloak and fell asleep until recently. Inside the castle, the rotting odor of monsters that had begun to rot around the castle was drifting. In the room with blood and sweat, the smell was already out of order, and now it became worse.


    Fortunately, there were some solutions for the corpses outside. Living monsters were eating dead monsters instead of troops.


    A soldier stopped in front of Walm when he finally got comfy and felt sleepy again.


    No way, there shouldn¡¯t be a devil who will wake up a soldier who only has a little time for sleep to chat or have a meal in here¡­


    Walm confirmed lightly.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for disturbing your break. The Brigade Commander is calling you for urgent news.¡±


    The man was a messenger. Walm made a judgment with a dull brain, thinking that it must be an important matter.


    ¡°I understand. I will go immediately.¡±


    After lightly dressing himself, Walm entered a room in HQ following the messenger.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for being late.¡±


    ¡°Finally, you¡¯re here.¡±


    Brigade Commander Sigismund welcomed Walm.


    ¡°How about the frontline?¡±


    Walm reported on the status quo without hiding it.


    ¡°We have succeeded in repelling the monsters that are rushing in day and night, but the fatigue of the soldiers is about to reach its peak. The number of arrows and thrown objects is going low, and now the firepower of the magic users is the lifeline.¡±


    The attack of the magic users with fire and wind attributes that had good firepower was the core of blocking the monsters that rushed in. In terms of the degree of being abused, the ones with earth and water attributes were forced to use their mana until dry.


    The ones with earth attributes who could knead the soil hard like a stone had been working on the production of something to throw and sometimes used ¡°Earth Bullet¡± to attack.


    Regarding the ones with water attributes, in addition to offensive magic, they had been supporting the villager by producing drinking water. They were an indispensable existence.


    ¡°How long do you think we¡¯ll last?¡±


    As the number of monsters kept increasing, the fatigue of soldiers would also accumulate, but the attack method of the monster would become more complex. Large-scale volunteers had been joining day by day, but the current situation wasn¡¯t good.


    ¡°¡­I guess we can maintain the status quo for a few more days. Some of them seem to start using their wisdom such as digging up the ground and even preparing logs for battering rams to break the walls.¡±


    Walm was prepared to be criticized for being pessimistic, but his opinion was accepted favorably.


    ¡°It¡¯s a good deduction. In a few days, hand-to-hand combat will begin and exhaustion will jump in magnitude.¡±


    ¡°For now, we¡¯re still in contact with the capital. And it¡¯s been decided that we will abandon Dandurg Castle while we still have spare energy, and stall them here as much as we can. The place for withdrawal has been decided and the troops to withdraw have already been secretly prepared.¡±


    Walm, who couldn¡¯t wipe out his unpleasant premonition, asked questions carefully.


    ¡°Secretly¡­ should it be to avoid confusion?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, to avoid confusion. We will start retreating all at once in the early morning of the day after tomorrow. When the soldiers in the ramparts consist of more volunteers and prisoners.¡±


    Walm had expected a retreat, soon or later. He believed that it would still be in the planning. So, being told to retreat all at once the day after tomorrow was a complete surprise for him.


    ¡°Is it a retreat the day after tomorrow!? What about the Myard people in the cas¨D¨D¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, those who are not in time for the move have no choice but to stay in the fort and wait for the wave to stop.¡±


    ¡°Wait it to stop¡­? I¡¯m sorry for being rude, but isn¡¯t it the same as sending them to die? There are only a limited number of them that can pass through the castle gate where access is limited. And what about the Highserk soldiers left¨D¨D¡±


    The gate is already limited, and with an excessive number of refugees in the castle, all of them couldn¡¯t retreat.


    Walm¡¯s opinion ended without being told to the end.


    ¡°You are not the only one who disagrees and complains, but do you think you can prevent those monsters? You can¡¯t protect the people even if you fight until exhausted. It¡¯s just a matter of time before the complete annihilation.¡±


    As a soldier, Walm could understand what the Brigade Commander said. In short, they would hang attractive baits to attract enemies, scraping off their strength and earning time with the discarded pawn.


    What Walm found difficult to admit was that bait would be the majority of Myard people. It was different from the rescue that those Myard people envisioned. The only consideration was only for those who could follow, that deserved to be saved.


    ¡°Escort Captain, I hear from His Excellency Gerard that you are a soldier who is faithful to the command. This, is the command.¡±


    It was fake salvation. The characteristic of the great outbreak was that it would go into a densely populated area, and if the Highserk soldiers that were said to have a great power gathered at Dandurg Castle, the people who ran away for their lives would come here for asylum.


    Then, the monster would be invited to the strong place holding the refugees. It wasn¡¯t difficult to imagine what would happen to the people in the castle if the top in command retreated all at once.


    In Walm¡¯s mind, an old general called the war god with a smile that looked good at first glance came to mind. If even one more of his country¡¯s people could be saved, he would sacrifice many of someone considered unnecessary. He was an old man who had strong patriotism, who would gladly throw other country¡¯s people into a large pot of boiled water.


    ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t need to say more. If it¡¯s you who is loyal to military affairs, I believe you will comply. I said so, just in case.¡±


    The Brigade Commander smiled, but his eyes were dyed black and on the back of his eyes, he wasn¡¯t laughing.


    As expected of the companion of His Excellency.


    It would be easy to say that it was inhuman. But, in the eyes of the Brigade Commander, you could see the unwavering color of belief and determination, full of emotion like a human being. Literally, he wanted to successfully defend his home country even if he must offer other people, as an offering.


    No matter what Walm might say, nothing would change. He couldn¡¯t change.


    ¡°I would like you to help maintain the communication line. If all goes well, I¡¯ll be able to save ¡°some¡±.¡±


    The Brigade Commander whispered as if he had spotted hesitation in Walm.


    You think I can refuse?


    I¡¯m nothing more than a soldier, a citizen of the Highserk Empire.


    You think I¡¯m okay with bringing my country to ruin just because I¡¯m so worried about other countries¡¯ people?


    Both in words and reality, it was as if he was being asked ¡°What do you wish for with such a muddy eye?¡±


    Walm could only clench his teeth and reply.


    ¡°Un-understood.¡±

 CH 56

    56. Chapter 56 ¨C Living Natural Disaster


    Even with many conflicts in mind, Walm had no choice but to be amazed at the body that could fall asleep, albeit only about 2 hours.


    Stroking the chin, he could feel the stubble growing beard on the unmaintained chin. Moving to the cheeks and he could feel he had lost some fat.


    Got off the castle tower and went through the corner where the refugees were close to each other. A man groaning in pain, an old man looking up at the sky as if he got stunned, and a mother holding a child passed by the edge of the field of vision.


    Most of those who had just seen would be left behind at Dandurg Castle early tomorrow morning. Looking over them, the result was burned more clearly in Walm¡¯s mind than fire could.


    Walm thought that he should think about such a matter after everything was over. But he changed his mind, after all, he felt a chill run through his spine when he thought about what would happen to him if everything went wrong.


    The soldiers who he passed by looked busy. Walm thought they were soldiers informing about the operation, but it didn¡¯t seem true.


    Walm felt a sense of discomfort. The noise disappeared from the ramparts where the battle continued even when he slept or was awake. His heart beating fast, and it was as if there was a bell ringing in his mind telling him to run.


    ¡°Oi, look!!¡±


    The soldier pointed at something and shouted.


    Walm, who ran up the ramparts and reached the roof of the tower, took a breath. The monsters that were supposed to fill the surroundings, were moving away.


    Neither arrows, magic attacks of the magic users, nor any ranged attack was needed.


    Ground-breaking, world-shaking, earth-shattering¡­ there weren¡¯t enough words that could describe the events that just happened.


    ¡°The monsters are pulling away. It¡¯s a lie, right?¡±


    ¡°Our win? Did we win?¡±


    Many soldiers were delighted by the miracle. Only those who have a good intuition had a pale face. Walm felt something that was similar to the ebb tide before the tsunami.


    ¡°Look around! Don¡¯t neglect your search, don¡¯t miss anything!!¡±


    To confirm the status quo, Walm, who was squinting, caught an unbelievable thing.


    ¡°Did the mountain just move?¡±


    ¡°No way, impossible¡±


    ¡°No, no, it¡¯s definitely moving.¡±


    The mountains couldn¡¯t move. Walm wanted to believe that it was just an illusion, a hallucination, but the soldiers around him also noticed it.


    ¡°What? The mountain is burning.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a mountain, it¡¯s not a mountain.¡±


    ¡°Oh God, it¡¯s a ¡°Dragon¡±, a dragon species has arrived!!¡±


    One of the soldiers guessed the thing they were seeing.


    The famous ¡°Giant Dragon¡± was heading straight to Dandurg Castle.


    ¡°What, is that?¡±


    Walm desperately restrained his whole body from losing power. Seeing the thing, it could be said that the crawler he fought before was just a slightly big lizard. Something befitted to be called a ¡°natural disaster with a will¡± could be clearly seen with naked eyes.


    A living natural disaster, the height was well over 40m, and the mana coming out from the body pierced even the surrounding atmosphere. The scales looked so red burning like lava. It was radiating a dangerous feeling that told you shouldn¡¯t touch and disturb it.


    Every time it took a step, the dull earth turned bright red.


    ¡°No way¡­ it¡¯s one of the ¡°Five Great Dragons¡±, it¡¯s the Flame Emperor Dragon!!¡±


    ¡°Flame Emperor Dragon!? It hasn¡¯t been witnessed for 150 years. Why is such a monster coming?¡±


    ¡°The great outbreak must¡¯ve woken it from slumber.¡±


    Among the dragons that were the champions of the ecosystem, the dragons that stood at the top were the ones with ¡°emperor¡± in their name. Even Walm, who was ignorant of monsters, could understand it.


    Only the two great dragons that the three big major countries in the past had subdued, and it was for mankind¡¯s survival. But, it was largely due to the thing called ¡°Crumbling Giant¡± and ¡°Great Spirit Magic¡±.


    In the long history, catastrophes caused by dragons had been passed down as a myth. A story about the great alliance of 100 countries that were on hegemony or a great empire being destroyed by a dragon. Such a monster belonged to a group of ¡°Mankind¡¯s natural enemies¡± turned its fangs into the Highserk Empire.


    A monster that even if the Four-Countries Alliance and Highserk decided to work together still couldn¡¯t be sure of winning. Now, the monster was approaching Dandurg Castle, where almost no great figures were present and only had at most 20,000 regular soldiers, including the militias.


    ¡°Are you kidding me? Contact the HQ, NOW!!¡±


    ¡°What should we do? Immediate retreat!?¡±


    ¡°Take out the ballista¡­?¡±


    ¡°Is it something that can be managed with such a thing?¡±


    Soldiers ran through the ramparts. It was unavoidable to advance the strategy. Walm also wanted to agree and prepare for the retreat, but because he was more sensitive to mana than ordinary humans without skill and magic users, among the soldiers in the ramparts, he was the first to catch the sign.


    ¡°Get, Get away! Get away from the castle!!¡±


    ¡°Knight-dono, what do you mean!?¡±


    ¡°What? Why, the mana is swirling?¡±


    Walm raised a voice that made the soldiers in a state of confusion, even more confused.


    The air, no, the mana is forming something.


    A huge jaw gate was opened, and the mana that distorted even the space was compressed.


    ¡°Wha-! That¡¯s¡­ No way¡­¡±


    A visible swell of mana spread around the Flame Emperor Dragon. The earth was burning and the soil was melting.


    ¡°IT¡¯S DRAGON¡¯S BREATHHHH!!¡±


    The ultimate attack that only dragon species could do, the ¡¶Skill¡· that could pierce the earth, tear the sea, and break the heavens, was called ¡¶Dragon Breath¡·


    In the ramparts, Walm entrusted himself to the strong pillar of the gate tower, curled like a baby, and deployed a magic barrier with all his might.


    Soldiers were running into the gate tower and some were in the shadows of buildings to improve their survival, even if only slightly.


    A few seconds after taking the defensive posture, a glow that seemed to cause the retina to burn, was released.


    Even Walm, who had the highest level of fire resistance, felt the heat through the magic barrier and the skin got irritated. The rubble and dust covered the body.


    Walm was drowning on the ground due to severe tinnitus and an abnormality in the three semicircular canals. The rubble repeatedly hit the armor. His limbs were also dull. He was finally able to move after a while.


    Walm got up from the rubble and looked around.


    Charcoals were scattered here and there. None kept the original shape of the body. And no one seemed to still be alive.


    ¡°Ack¡­ No f*cking way¡­¡±


    The castle that got hit directly was in a terrible state. It was hollowed out in a circle and literally disappeared. In the aftermath, the surrounding area was surrounded by fire.


    The burnt-down rubble crushed the fleeing refugees.


    Breath, which arrived while evaporating the earth, melted a corner of the wall like butter, and the mountains behind it disappeared, only then did the breath finally decline.


    ¡°The Headquarters ¡­¡±


    The headquarters, which was packed by the Brigade Commander and Battalion Commanders, had been wiped out without leaving any dust. A single blow wiped out one-third of the Highserk soldiers and refugees, and the chain of command in the castle was about to malfunction.


    The flame emperor dragon, the main cause of this, continued in its invasion of Walm¡¯s homeland without looking at Dandurg Castle again. The arrogance it showed was as if when you wanted to blow away some dust from sight.


    ¡°AAHH, aaAAAHHHH!! WHAT THE F*CK WAS THAT!!!¡­.. F*CK THIS WORLD!!!! WHAT, what do you want me to do¡­¡±


    Couldn¡¯t stand the reality, Walm hit the gate tower and roared. He bit his lips and the unbearable taste of blood spread.


    The figure of a comrade who once fought appeared in his mind. Then those who he shared the time with from Sarajevo Fortress passed through his mind.


    ¡°Ayane, Maia, Moritz!!¡±


    After returning to the absurd reality, Walm left the wall and rushed to where his subordinates who right now might be still in the treatment center.


    ¡°He, elp, me, ee, ugrh¡­¡±


    ¡°Haha, No way, it¡¯s a lie, a lieEEE!!¡±


    Many got their limbs crushed by rubble, got burned all over their body and couldn¡¯t even stand up, only a few were safe. Many were in need of help.


    He wanted to at least bring them to the treatment center but, pulled back the outstretched hand and kicked the ground.


    Walm abandoned them. Many were no longer likely to be saved, and he had decided who should be the top priority.


    The crying voice of the child and the screaming of the soldier, was following Walm all the way.


    As he got closer to the destination, more injured people, more burned people, and more dying people, could be seen.


    Fortunately, the treatment center was spared the Breath.


    ¡°Move! Move!!¡±


    People were rushing to the treatment center. Those who have been burnt, those who hold their families, all raise their voices for salvation.


    Innumerable patients were lined up on the outer wall of the treatment center, and many of them had died. Every time the skin adhered to clothes and equipment, the skin was stimulated and the patients groaned in a low voice.


    Walm sneaked into the gap between the injured.


    Inside, he saw the beds were all filled and even the unsanitary floors were flooded with patients.


    The large room, which should have been ventilated, was soaked with death odor. The mixed smell pierced the nasal passages.


    The healing magicians were casting magic, and medics were running around the room.


    There was Ayane in the center. The apron was contaminated with blood and flesh, and she looked very tired, but her hands never stopped.


    When the relieved Walm exhaled, Ayane noticed Walm.


    ¡°Walm-san! You¡¯re safe!?¡±


    Although he was lightly covered in soil, Walm wasn¡¯t injured.


    ¡°I was in the shadow of gate tower and it saved me. I will gather the soldiers who still can walk and we¡¯ll evacuate immediately. The headquarters was burned down and the walls were wrecked. Monsters are rushing in, we need to run.¡±


    Walm devised an escape plan. He had no experience in group command, but with the help of Moritz, he thought that they could gather the surviving squad and platoon commander, and if luck was on their side, perhaps even the company commander.


    It was necessary to stay as far away as possible from the invasion route of the Fire Emperor Dragon. The detailed evacuation destination could be planned while escaping.


    ¡°¡­ I can¡¯t.¡±


    Walm was surprised by the words Ayane said. He thought that maybe it was because she didn¡¯t understand the situation.


    ¡°I will protect you along the way. It¡¯s hopeless here.¡±


    ¡°What happens to people who are injured and can¡¯t move, the people of Myard?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re not even from Craist, they¡¯re from Myard.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what country they are from. I want to save them.¡±


    ¡°Are you stupid? Do you want to die? Don¡¯t get drunk with self-sacrifice. Be a good girl and follow me!!¡±


    Walm roared, pulled out his sword, and burned the floor. The surrounding area calmed down due to the sudden assault. Walm grabbed her shoulder and tried to drag her out.


    Still, Ayane looked at Walm without fear.


    ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t want to die. I¡¯m scared of swords, and monsters. Still, I can¡¯t, I can¡¯t abandon the person in front of me.¡±


    Ayane¡¯s body was trembling, but her eyes were full of determination. It was easy for him to throw it out as a joke.


    ¡°¡­..tch¡±


    I¡¯m such an idiot.


    The girl Walm thought was weak had a firmer belief than Walm, who was about to abandon his duty, the country he was obliged to protect.


    ¡°The ¡°clock hands¡± will not spin on reverse. You know that¡­ it¡¯s too late¡±


    Walm tried to silence the girl and looked at the place where the headquarters was. A large number of Battalion Commanders and Company Commanders were gathered here in the adjustment before the retreat, but their existences had been erased. No one survived the attack.


    Some soldiers might be aiming to leave, but nearly half of the soldiers who hadn¡¯t been informed in advance were stuck, and didn¡¯t know what to do.


    Forcibly gathering as many soldiers as possible and routing outside the castle must be the right choice.


    The brigade fell into a half-destroyed state, and the chain of command collapsed Walm wasn¡¯t the only one who was in dismay. There was a crowd surrounding him, the Escort Captain.


    ¡°Knight-dono, what should we do?¡±


    ¡°There are no more higher-ups, not even one Battalion Commander left.¡±


    Highserk soldiers who bravely shoot down the enemy until a moment ago were in dismay and waiting for instructions.


    The original order should be to retreat early. Even if more than half of the soldiers and people would be lost¨D¨D


    Walm, who was about to open his mouth, found that someone grabbed his sleeve. It was a crying girl who was looking up at him with tears in her eyes.


    ¡°Please, help¡­.¡±


    Her voice was weak like an insect.


    Don¡¯t think, it¡¯s just an illusion¡­


    What can a mere soldier, a human like me can do?


    The injured, the soldiers, and the citizens looked at Walm, asking for salvation.


    You¡¯re all asking the wrong person.


    They weren¡¯t wrong, it was said that even if the HQ was lost, the policy should be kept and the leader should be inherited by the highest rank soldier on the spot. But, unfortunately, deep down, Walm was just a weak man who believed in miracles. He was in fact, among the lowest class military personnel.


    Damn it!


    Inwardly spitting out a curse word, Walm made up his mind.


    ¡°¡­ Block the hole in the walls, even if it¡¯s rough. Any soldiers. Follow me!!¡±


    Whether the choice he made was correct or incorrect, the sword had been pulled out. Walm had no choice but to move his feet forward.


    TN: So, the kanji used for dragon for the Crawler is ¡°¸o¡± which is more to western type and meaning, which the one used for the Flame Emperor Dragon is ¡°ýˆ¡± which is older, and usually used for the eastern type and meaning.  And in east, a dragon is more mythical and sacred.


    For sure, now, many didn¡¯t really care much about it, and many used ¡°¸o¡± to describe any dragon, since this kanji is the new one.


    But the fact is the author used a different kanji. Perhaps it¡¯s to make it easier for the reader to imagine the appearance of the dragon.

 CH 57

    ¡°The Flame Emperor Dragon has appeared. Repeat. The Flame Emperor Dragon has appeared, ah, AAAHHHH, DRAGON BREATH¨D¨D¡±


    The soldiers of the Ferrius Front, which now guarding different routes, had lost communication from Dandurg Castle. The HQ on each route was surrounded by heavy air.


    The enemy¡¯s main force was attracted to Dandurg Castle, the monsters rushing to the remaining two invasion routes were reduced and the monsters there were steadily destroyed.


    ¡°Dan-Dandurg has been destroyed by the Flame Emperor Dragon.¡±


    ¡°The Flame Emperor Dragon goes straight toward the Imperial City!! Mountains and valleys on the way are being destroyed, it can¡¯t stop the invasion.¡±


    ¡°Even a company-sized unit full of magic users can¡¯t do anything.¡±


    ¡°Why is this happening¡­¡±


    ¡°The monsters that escaped from Dandurg are coming. They¡¯ve reached our vanguard.¡±


    The defense plan was collapsing. Although there were still nearly 20,000 soldiers left in Gerard¡¯s hands, even after intercepting the invasion on the three routes, more than 300,000 monsters and even the Flame Emperor Dragon were approaching the capital.


    The Highserk Empire had nothing against the dragon. No troop, no tool, and no strategy. The dragon species couldn¡¯t be subdued or repelled unless there was help from the ¡°Crumbling Giant¡±, or ¡°Great Spirit Magic¡±, or ¡°Merciful Sea Dragon¡±.


    The eyes of the HQ soldiers who were about to leave the country gathered in Gerard, searching for salvation.


    Gerard who was pondering the situation, slowly opened his mouth.


    ¡°The Jaff cavalry will be returned to the capital to guide the peoples there. If it¡¯s them, I¡¯m sure they will be fast enough to reach there.¡±


    ¡°Such a valuable force!?¡±


    Even when standing at the forefront, the usually nimble Gerard spoke seriously with a heavy tone.


    ¡°The defense of the Imperial City is, impossible. Even if we go there with the horse at full speed and built defense layers, it¡¯ll be still useless. People will be on stress and can¡¯t show their power in such situations. Rather, while we are holding down the monsters with our best, as many as one person shall be evacuated to the outside of the country. We shall go to the friendly country among the three great countries. If we go to that archipelago, I¡¯m sure that clever Flame Emperor Dragon shouldn¡¯t even try to come.¡±


    ¡°Are we going to abandon Highserk, our country?¡±


    One of his subordinates approached Gerard to denounce him.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. We¡¯ll throw away our beloved Higsherk, our Empire.¡±


    Gerard said without hiding anything.


    ¡°We are lost already. The thing loser one can do is to attract as many monsters as possible, bury them, and die with honor.¡±


    To the staff who had lost their words, Gerard continued.


    ¡°If we run away all at once, there will be more lives of the soldiers who will be saved. But if we run away in a disorderly manner, more people will die. As long as you survive, Highserk will be preserved and continue to live. We can¡¯t let all of our people turn into ash and dust.¡±


    Gerard knew that his words sounded like a death sentence. Still, Gerard declared.


    ¡°To our dying homeland, we shall show our loyalty. May luck follow the remnants of the Empire. Bless the Empire!!¡±


    Gerard said so with confidence regardless of whether he was resented or blamed by his people in the Netherworld. Gerald loved his country, Highserk Empire, the citizens of it, and the soldiers from the bottom of his heart.


    No one welcomed his words with cheers or applause, but no one could disagree. Everyone felt the need to be the abandoned pawns here.


    ¡ô


    The wall had disappeared over a width of 30m. Fortunately, the lower 2m of the 10m high wall, kept its original shape while still melting slowly.


    The problem was that some of the monsters scattered in the distance seemed to want to resume their attack on the castle again.


    ¡°Is there any platoon commander!!? Even a squad commander is good.¡±


    About 6 people gathered, and Walm let each person command 30 soldiers and conveyed their role in this battle.


    He had a large number of citizens collecting materials and all obstacles from the castle. Ironically, or fortunately, it wasn¡¯t difficult to find materials because the castle tower and part of the wall passage collapsed.


    ¡°Earth attribute magic users should form a clay wall!! Other magic users should go up to the rampart and keep blocking monsters!!¡±


    Walm gave instructions in quick succession. Compared to the approaching monsters, the problem of inheritance of the chain of command was trivial.


    ¡°Archers, spares no arrows. If we fail here, the castle will fall!¡±


    It took about 10 minutes. A fragile 4m clay wall was completed. Walm couldn¡¯t hope more. After all, the enemies were rushing and now, in the range of attack.


    Magic attacks by magic users had begun. Attack magic such as ice spear, earth bullet, wind blade, and fireball, was greeting the monsters at the front. Among the attackers were adventurers that Walm welcomed the other day.


    Amy, an excellent archer, shot arrows at as many monsters as she could. The monsters leaned back and fell to the ground. Fleck, a great shield user, hit the upper body of the werewolf that was ahead of him with a large shield reinforced with ¡¶Iron Wall¡·.


    Al, who once had a deadly battle with Walm, cast wind magic and used a sword to slash the approaching monster.


    A Highserk soldier who was caught by a silver wolf, fell into a predicament and was trying his best to hold the fangs from piercing his throat.


    At the moment Walm rushed to help, the blue-haired adventurer, Al, dexterously cut off only the head of the Silver Wolf and rescued the soldier.


    ¡°It was the correct choice to not kill you.¡±


    When Walm praised him, Al distorted his face.


    ¡°That¡¯s, thanks.¡±


    No further words were needed, and Walm refocused on the monsters.


    The archers who arrived at the position shot arrows without stopping. A stone smashed the monster¡¯s head.


    Still, it wasn¡¯t enough to stop the monsters and they began to stick to the wall built in rush. Soldiers randomly poked a long spear at a monster trying to run up the wall.


    Walm also cut off the throat of the orc that was crawling up with the halberd, and thrust a blade at the temporal region of the Kobold that was right next to it.


    When the leg of one of the soldiers was grabbed, he was dragged by the monster to their pack, fresh blood was scattered as if a tomato got crushed inside a mixer.


    Another wolf jumped at a soldier and bit his adam¡¯s apple.


    Walm swung his halberd up from the bottom and hit the greedy wolf. The wolf who flew in the sky disappeared into the swarm of monsters while spreading its viscera.


    It was ¡°Lizardman¡± that jumped out into the wall, holding the stolen sword and shield. It threatened Walm with the long tongue and its reptile eyes.


    Right now, Walm didn¡¯t want to see lizards. He prepared his mana and slashed the lizard from the right shoulder to the waist while using the skill ¡¶Strike¡·.


    ¡°Disappear, you damn lizard!!¡±


    Walm was aware that he was just venting his anger at the lizard.


    He then hooked the upper body of the still breathing lizardman with his halberd and hit it against the goblin.


    Walm turned his eyes to the giant that was pushing away the monsters around him.


    It was a ¡°Horned Grizzly¡± covered with thick fur, fat, and muscle. It had low intelligence, but when the luck wasn¡¯t on your side, you might suffer unexpected heavy damage.


    ¡°Fire Lance!¡±


    Walm, who manifested the spear of fire with his left hand, threw it at the bear. The horned grizzly, which was hit directly by a fire lance on the chest, fluttered around, spread the flame involving the surrounding monsters, and died.


    Fire attribute magic, which was supposedly red in color, changed to blue after learning¡¶Demon Fire¡·, and its power jumped up.


    Perhaps Walm was judged as a difficult enemy, a monster with a clear distinction among others was approaching him. It was a monster holding a two-handed sword. The monster was, a headless ghost knight, ¡°Dullahan¡±.


    Glared at each other for a while, but an orc jumped in with a threatening sound.


    The orc failed at doing a surprise attack. The torso of the orc that tried to attack Walm was inserted by a halberd and was cut off in one go.


    At that moment, he saw the Dullahan was preparing to attack him. The Dullahan was preparing to slash Walm with ¡¶Strike¡·.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you just die peacefully after getting killed once!?¡±


    It was just Walm¡¯s useless wish.


    Walm pulled out the sword on his to the ghost knight who would want to slash him and ended his human life.


    The mask trembled innocently. When the blue flame wrapped the blade, the engraved words emerged.


    Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum


    A two-handed sword and a sword made from a mithril alloy collided. A terrible collision sound echoed on the battlefield when¡¶Strike¡·collided with ¡¶Strike¡·.


    Walm, who won the sword fight, slashed his sword horizontally at the left arm, but the Dullahan pulled the body back and the sword was accepted by a two-handed sword.


    He changed the angle of the sword in a sliding manner and aimed the finger, but the tip of the sword was repelled with the sword guard.


    It was said that confronting an opponent who didn¡¯t have a clear weakness such as the head, was troublesome. But it was far more troublesome than Walm had imagined.


    Skillful sword skills and strong armor, and because it was something like an undead, the movements didn¡¯t slow down with only small scratches. Even attacking the joints wouldn¡¯t have much impact.


    Whatever Walm¡¯s speculation about the Dullahan was, the battle couldn¡¯t be prolonged any longer.


    As the tip of the sword was repelled, he used wind magic to close the gap.


    Walm¡¯s blow, which was slashed from the top, was caught by the sword, but when he pulled the sword, he immediately slashed the wrist.


    With the remaining right hand, the Dullahan skillfully manipulated the two-handed sword, but Walm smashed it from the front with his strength amplified by mana.


    He cut the Dullahan diagonally from the shoulder to the waist, and a blue flame overflowed from the body. The Dullahan stood still without rampaging, only to suddenly fell onto the ground like a doll with a broken thread.


    ¡°This time, you¡¯ll be sent to hell for sure.¡±


    While praying that the blue flame would bring the soul to the Netherworld, the disturbing Dullahan corpse was dropped from the walls.


    Is it the time?


    Seeing enough monsters, Walm activated ¡¶Demon Fire¡·.


    The monsters were rushing away from the castle wall, but they bumped into each other with the monsters that were about to attack the castle, and the blue flame spread.


    ¡°While Knight-dono is holding down the monsters with ¡¶Demon Fire¡·, Rebuild the formation!!¡±


    The Platoon Commander shouted.


    Once the formation had been rebuilt, the movement of the Highserk soldiers was getting better. For now, Walm had only to concentrate on maintaining the blue fire.


    TN:


    Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum, means ¡°if you want peace, prepare for war¡±


    Perhaps, the sword is something used by one of the heroes in the past

 CH 58

    Justus, a Company Commander of an infantry unit of Highserk Army. After graduating from military school, he led a platoon on the Kanoa Front and the First battle on the Myard Border, and was promoted to Company Commander.


    But the battle history of Justus, which had been going well, faded from around this time. Continuous battle with Myard, then Ferrius, Justus¡¯s Company were almost always forced to struggle in the front. He had never been in a situation like this as everything ended well, up until he became a Company Commander.


    Over the past year, as a result of dealing with dead soldiers during the invasion of Myard, the march was delayed, and his company was counterattacked in the battle with Ferrius by their cavalry unit.


    The battle continued at Sarajevo Fortress, but the defense layer he was in charge of fell due to the onslaught of the Craist Kingdom Army. He retreated his troops while overcoming the Holy Attack of the ¡°Three Heroes¡± on the trenches and ridges. He managed to stay alive, but lost half of his troops.


    An outbreak happened and he went to Dandurg castle. After his company was replenished by former Myard soldiers, he worked to reduce monsters at the outer edge of Dandurg Castle, but since most of the soldiers worked alone to get rid of as many monsters as they could, he was almost isolated at the deadly place and left behind.


    When the siege started at Dandurg Castle and the retreat was announced, Justus was ordered to do his duty as a soldier, to serve himself to his homeland.


    Speaking of responsibility, it was for sure a heavy responsibility, but in the current situation where the plan to rebuild the defense line in Kanoa was being made, he couldn¡¯t refute the order he was given. Since he got the order, he was struck by the fact that he was just a human resource that could be replaced even if he was dead.


    Speaking of what he got from this crisis, it was the position of the Wartime Battalion Commander, that allowed him to command of half of the Myard people. How valuable was the position of the temporary Battalion Commander in this battle? Even Justus didn¡¯t feel that happy.


    Confidentiality was emphasized, and most of the Company Commanders and the ones above that rank were gathered at the headquarters, albeit for a short period before the change. Remaining in the ramparts were those who, like Justus, was chosen to be among the last to retreat. A consumable item that had a certain level of command ability and didn¡¯t affect the survival of the Highserk Empire even if it was lost.


    It was ironic that Justus, who also held control of the soldiers and had close contact with the Myard soldiers and the militia, had won a certain level of trust, but was forced to take command of a retreating battle in which the Myard people themselves were treated as offerings, the sacrifice for the greater good.


    Even for a short time, not many people were willing to abandon their companions who had been fighting together with you. Still, as a soldier, you had to do it if necessary. It was supposed to be that.


    ¡°What a joke¡±


    How happy he would be if it were a hallucination, the castle tower burned down by Dragon Breath was packed with the brains and limbs of the brigade. Under the siege, the loss of the chain of command meant defeat was inevitable.


    The problem was that the enemy wasn¡¯t of the human race. He had no choice but to break through the siege with his company at the core, as the opponents were the monsters that didn¡¯t have the concept of surrender.


    Fortunately, or not, the Flame Emperor Dragon kept moving further, invading his homeland, ignoring Dandurg Castle, and half of the surrounding monsters were following it.


    The collapsed walls were flooded with monsters and the siege was now in an uneven situation. It was the last chance to run away.


    ¡°Relay the¨D¨D ¡°


    Upon issuing an order, Justus¡¯s eyes caught a group of people continuing to reinforce the collapsed walls. The group was a mix of militia and prisoners of war who could only be described as miscellaneous.


    ¡°What? Are you stupid?¡±


    Justus couldn¡¯t stand it. The half-destroyed wall needed a battalion scale unit to support it. That was common sense. Considering the reserve, it will take twice as many.


    The groups collided. The group that was supposed to be overrun by monsters and collapse at any moment, was continuing to endure.


    Seeing the scene, Justus could help but wonder why could they fight in this situation. But he didn¡¯t see any battalion commanders.


    As Justus was fascinated, the walls were once again engulfed in fire. Unlike the devastating fiery flames of the Flame Emperor Dragon, it was blue flame. He heard the talk of the blue flame that would occasionally appear and thought that the purpose of such a story was to improve morale during the war.


    And now the blue flame was in front of him, it was real. Justus looked to the source of it and found a soldier, a ¡°Knight¡± who was freely manipulating ¡°Fire of Hell Gate¡±. The monsters were pushed back.


    ¡°¡¶Demon Fire¡·, huh?¡±


    Invited by the heat and the blue flame, the monsters were hit by the fire and burned like a bug. In a siege that had neither a sure retreat nor a backlog, it was nothing more than a suicide act.


    Still, Justus thought that if they had that blue flame, they might be able to endure the attack.


    ¡°Send a messenger to the guards of the ramparts in each direction!! Bring some soldiers from the garrison and protect the eastern wall!!¡±


    When he noticed, it was as if he had found hope to break through the dire situation.


    ¡°While holding the eastern side, gather the reserve unit in the castle. Gather the remaining platoon leaders. Move now! Don¡¯t waste a second if you don¡¯t want to die!!¡±


    In the command of Justus, the messengers were scattered.


    Justus understood that it was an act exceeding his authority. However, the confusion didn¡¯t subside. If no one made a move, the group would remain like a wild crowd. If a general above Justus survived, he could take over the command. If he were to be punished, so be it. His only wish was to stay alive.


    Right now, he was being driven to the extent as if there was no tomorrow. Justus, who was evaluated by his superiors as someone with a lack of courage, found himself smiling.


    ¡°Hah, why am I laughing? Especially in this situation¡­¡±


    As if the blood, fire, and iron were blessing Justus, the muddy world felt vivid more than ever.


    ¡ô


    Every time Fleck swung the large shield reinforced with ¡°Iron Wall¡±, some kind of meat pieces flew off. The orc that was about to be struck from the front was crushed with a shield bash, and the goblin¡¯s heart was pierced with a sharp tip of the shield. Bone crushed in Fleck¡¯s hand, and the sensation of crushing the organs was transmitted. Then, used boots to crush the skeleton that had climbed into the wall.


    Blunt weapons had excellent succession capabilities. It couldn¡¯t lose its sharpness, it wouldn¡¯t be dull, only the fear of breaking in rare cases.


    In the mission with his party, the vanguard was usually filled by Al, Fleck, and Lefty. Lefty, was the scout of the party because of his wide field of vision and nimble movements.


    Lefty was out of the party with Leethia. And, Fleck had lost one eye in a battle with the Highserk soldier with the skill ¡¶Strike¡·.


    The reaction on one side was delayed by all means. A ¡°Bicorn¡± with two twisting horns dexterously trampled the corpse and rushed in from the side. Fleck sank his body and prepared for the shock.


    The large shield and the twisted horns rubbed against each other, scattering jarring noise. The impact of the bicorn body weakened the grip strength, the posture deviated, and the boots were scraped.


    ¡°Nnnnnn, uuUUUUGGHH!!¡±


    If Fleck didn¡¯t lose one of his eyeballs, the bicorn would have been beaten to death with his great shield before it could jump into him. There was no decisive factor once he was put in this situation.


    He could hold the shield with one hand to pull out the short sword at the waist, but he wasn¡¯t confident in holding the bicorn. He would be pushed out for sure. The snarling Bicorn tried to push Fleck down, but suddenly the monster relaxed its body.


    A halberd extending from the side was digging off the front leg of the bicorn. Fleck pulled out the short sword on his waist, and thrust the sword tip through its lower jaw.


    Saliva and blood were sprinkled in the air, and the bicorn collapsed on the ground. Flcek lifted his shield slightly, knocked it down on its head, and stabbed the sword once more.


    At the time, a werewolf was approaching from the front, but an arrow pierced the temporal region and it collapsed from the knee. The familiar arrow belonged to Amy.


    ¡°Sorry and thanks.¡±


    Freck thanked Amy and the halberd user. Fleck, who was slightly free, followed the point where the halberd extended, and there was a Highserk soldier called Walm.


    He was a strong enemy even in skirmishes in the forest, but his skill was different compared to that time. Now, he could use magic and had a skill called ¡¶Demon Fire¡·.


    Fleck never imagined that there would be a time for him to thank his former enemies again, including questions and answers at the gates. Life was really strange, he thought.


    He didn¡¯t get a reply from the ¡°Knight¡±, as the man hooked the lizardmen¡¯s arm with the halberd, which he still stretched, and helped the other comrades.


    One of the man¡¯s eyes was muddy. He should have lost half of his sight, just like Fleck. But it felt as if he has a wide field of view that no one would believe he had a handicap.


    Fleck didn¡¯t know if it was because of the difference in the number of deadly battles or the difference in talent.


    But, one thing for sure, he was ashamed to use ¡°one eye¡± as an excuse. Sure, he couldn¡¯t do the same right now. Still, he believed if he could gather more experience, step by step he would surely catch up with the halberd user.


    There was no problem with the training partner. He could train as much as he wanted, after all in front of him was the sea of ??monsters.


    Fleck raised his voice and welcomed the monster.

 CH 59

    Even though the twin moons expelled the sun, the temporary walls had not yet fallen, as the soldiers still trying their best in expelling the monsters.


    The Highserk soldiers, who had barely recovered from the turmoil, continued their bloody struggle with Walm. Even corpses were treated as good materials here.


    A large number of reserve troops were lost, and so were some capabilities for defending the walls. A number of civilians with no military experience were put into the ramparts to secure the number of heads.


    They were fighting hard against monsters with a long spear from a distance, and three normal people could kill one low-class monster. Naturally, the militia was also exhausted one after another.


    ¡°It¡¯s an ¡°Owlbear¡±!!¡±


    ¡°Push it! Don¡¯t let it get close!¡±


    When Owlbear pushed the spear away with its thick skin and feathers, it jumped into the gap, tore the calf with its claws, and bit through the trachea. The militia screamed in agony, but still managed to thrust the spear into the torso, even though it wasn¡¯t fatal since the owlbear was floating.


    ¡°Uhhhhhhh!¡±


    The owlbear tilted its head 90 degrees, and stretched out its blood-stained strong arm when it found the bad pest, but a Highserk soldier sneaked up from the blind spot and cut its hind legs with a halberd.


    ¡°Die! You damn half-breeeEEEDD!!!¡±


    The owlbear which had lost its posture, bent its neck straight back and tried to deal with the Highserk soldiers, but the militias one after another thrust the sword and spear in their hands into its torso.


    ¡°Kill, kill it, kill iiIIIITTT!!!¡±


    ¡°Ahh, aaa, aaaaAAAAHHHH!!!¡±


    ¡°Good, raise your voice!! Vent your anger! It¡¯s a rare chance!¡±


    The troops repeatedly hit the cramping owlbear in a rhythm with the halberd. Citizens who had been baptized with bloodstains followed the style of Highserk soldiers.


    OJT (On-The-Job) training, Highserk soldiers were good at giving field education. They could turn innocent citizens into mad soldiers. It was the reality of the temporary walls where people tried their best in confronting the monsters.


    The only surviving Battalion Commander had inherited the chain of command in the castle and had reorganized the army, but since one-third of the personnel was lost, a chronic shortage of personnel was inevitable everywhere.


    Walm slashed the halberd from the top and split the orc together with the armor it was wearing. Although he didn¡¯t manage to split the orc into two due to exhaustion, the orc that the inner of its stomach was exposed, rolled silently and died.


    The air of the surroundings suddenly changed. It was a ¡°Wraith¡± which was kneading its mana into an Ice Lance. Seeing the Ice Lance approaching him, Walm momentarily spat out flames and melt them.


    When the blue flame reached the wraith without diminishing, it wrapped the whole body of the ghost. The wraith screamed in screeching, but it didn¡¯t last long.


    Other monsters wouldn¡¯t be killed without more firepower, but ¡¶Demon Fire¡· had a tremendous effect on the undead, and in terms of power alone, it was comparable to the holy attribute ¡¶Purification¡·.


    Right now, Walm didn¡¯t want to consume mana if possible. He had consumed his mana quite a lot due to the battle that still continued from the morning, even using his other skill, ¡¶Strike¡·, would be dangerous for him.


    The time for swallowing a portable meal and pouring drinking water between battles felt like a luxurious time. Naturally, the recovery of mana had never been fast, and many times, he ended up continuing to engage in battle without mana as like when he was still a recruit.


    The tip of the halberd was inserted into the Kobold¡¯s eye hole, and the sword that the lizardman next to it was holding got hooked.


    Walm moved his halberd to send the sword into the air and caught it with his other hand. The lizardman stretched its neck trying to devour his flesh. He returned the sword to the lizard¡¯s mouth. The sword rubbed its fangs, and pierced its throat, scraping its spine.


    ¡°Who wants to die next!?¡±


    The first reply was intimidation by a giant monster, ¡°Cyclops¡±. A tree together with its roots was approaching Walm.


    Walm barely avoided the vertically thrown tree. The poor Kobold caught in it blew out spreading body fluids from the whole body all over the place.


    The cyclops lifted a giant club and confirmed the results, but when it confirmed that only the small green bug (Kobold) was crushed, it went to hold the tree back and it seemed to want to swing it sideways.


    It¡¯ll swing the tree sideways.


    Convinced of its next move, an option came up in Walm¡¯s mind.


    ¡¶Demon Fire¡· was, out of the question since it would be dangerous, only mana-efficient wind-type magic. Walm was ready, but a meteor-like arrow fell from the sky and pierced the only eye of the cyclops.


    There were only a limited number of people who could use ¡¶Strong Shoot¡·, and there was only Amy, one of the adventurers with whom he had a connection. However, it still was a great help, and Walm raised his hand to thank her.


    The cyclops, which had become an eyeless giant, screamed loud shaking the atmosphere, and shook its limbs as it collapsed on the ground. Cyclops had fallen into a state where the monsters in the surrounding would kill it when left alone, but suspicious steam could be seen through its crushed eyes.


    Cyclops had an exceptional ability to regenerate as long as it still breathing. It pulled out the arrow and tried to regenerate the eyeball. Walm used wind magic to run.


    Walm, who approached as if gliding, kicked the swinging arm of the cyclops and slashed down the halberd.


    The blade that entered from the head cut through the strong skull and spilled spinal fluid. It reached the lower jaw and throat before the cyclops finally stopped moving. The first giant was down.


    ¡°He killed that giant with only a halberd!!¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t lost. We aren¡¯t losing.¡±


    The giant and tree became part of the new walls. Seeing the crushed monster would definitely increase the morale of the troops. The giant was a really good monster. Walm¡¯s effort was fruitful.


    A friend called to Walm, who was shaking off the sticky liquid that clung to the halberd. Looking back, there were four leaders of the Highserk Empire¡¯s platoon.


    ¡°Walm, I mean ¡°Wartime¡± Battalion Commander¡±


    ¡°Hah? What are you talking about?¡±


    Being called in a rank that was unfamiliar to him, Walm made a stupid voice despite the battlefield as the rank sounded stupid.


    ¡°The Wartime Brigade Commander, Justus-dono, gave Escort Captain, Walm, the rank of Wartime Battalion Commander.¡±


    Walm was tired, his brain couldn¡¯t process things like usual.


    Wartime¡­ once this is over, my rank will return? That¡¯s fine. But why is it a Battalion Commander?


    ¡°Battalion Commander is it¨D¨D¡±


    Speaking of his squad after he was promoted to be the Escort Captain, the members were limited in number, and even if it was expanded, a platoon size would be the limit. And now, he was told to be a Battalion Commander, jumping over platoon and company. Of course, he was shocked.


    ¡°Are you serious!? Do you think I can command 2000 soldiers?¡±


    Walm didn¡¯t care about his rank now, and vomited what was in his heart. But the Platoon Commander only tilted his head.


    ¡°What are you talking about? Aren¡¯t you good at giving a command?¡±


    Walm gathered Highserk soldiers lost in direction with a roar and full of spirit. He gathered the shortage from Myard soldiers and citizens. He gave the armor stripped from the corpse to the citizens. In short, he managed to stabilize the place where it was about to collapse, even more, he was proactive in blocking the monsters while also using the adventurers to their full extents.


    To be honest, Walm was waiting for someone high in rank to take command. Yet the Platoon Commander just told him that the group of people he barely gathered as a battalion and declare him as the Commander.


    Crazy. They must be crazy.


    ¡°Ku, kukuku, this is the battalion of the Highserk Army you say!? Even half of the key members aren¡¯t regular soldiers.¡±


    ¡°A company-sized regular soldier has been gathered under the command of the Wartime Brigade Commander, Justus-dono. Although, it was mixed from various units.¡±


    The troops he wanted to gather the most were now within his reach, that was also veteran Highserk soldiers. But if he chose to reach for it, the group mixed with militia and citizens would be treated as a battalion, and Walm would be the commander.


    Walm was arguing with himself. He had confidence in controlling soldiers up to platoon size. His essence was demonstrated by leading a small group and standing at the forefront.


    But to be in command of 2000 people while standing at the forefront? It wasn¡¯t something easy for sure even for an experienced Battalion Commander, moreover Walm.


    At this rate, I may die from overwork rather than being killed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any knowledge and the know-how to operate a battalion.¡±


    ¡°If you operate a regular battalion, it will be extremely difficult, but this is a defensive battle where you only need to defend. The hurdles are much lower than that conventional battalion. We will also do our best to assist you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have other choices but to accept it, aren¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you have no choice but to accept.¡±


    The pathetic Brigade Commander wanted the same kind, and his choice fell on Walm.


    ¡°I see. Alright, I¡¯ll take the position of Wartime Battalion Commander. But be prepared. You guys, whether you vomit blood or your viscera are exposed, I¡¯ll abuse you until you¡¯re dead. If you¡¯re okay with it, follow me.¡±


    Walm welcomed four Platoon Commanders and the troops with such words.

 CH 60

    The piled-up corpses were about to reach the height of the temporary walls. Walm captured the strange noise of crawling around a corpse that turned into a mass grave and rolled randomly.


    Walm tried to greet with a halberd, but the soldiers ran into a thin place.


    ¡°Careful! It went there!!¡±


    Fleck, a great shield user, raised his voice. The monsters rushed through the gaps between the skilled soldiers. A Highserk soldier swung down a short sword according to the adventurer¡¯s warning, but only managed to cut a few legs.


    Without looking at the soldiers, the ¡°Centipede¡±, with countless legs, broke through the walls. An orc, a lizardman, and a goblin were riding on the back of the centipede that rushed. It was as if they were a single monster.


    ¡°Three monsters are on top of it!!¡±


    The insect about 6m in total length crossed the castle wall and headed for the corner where refugees had gathered. Troublesome things, monsters straddling the back were scattered in the castle.


    Walm wanted to smash the Kobold in front of him and go to support his fellow comrades as soon as he could, but instead, the orc swung up the war hammer to prevent him from going.


    After deflecting his upper body and avoiding a heavy blow, Walm thrust his halberd into the gap between the ribs and skewered the heart. He kicked the dead orc out of the ramparts.


    It wasn¡¯t just Walm who lost time, but neither the Highserk soldiers nor the adventurers who tried to stop the centipede were in time. Damage to refugees who didn¡¯t have the ability to fight was about to spread.


    The centipede that carried away the monsters, opened the jaw for predation while lifting the head, but a shadow that suddenly jumped out of the refugees literally shattered the head.


    Along with the hard outer skin, sticky body fluids were sprinkled everywhere.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    No one blamed Walm for his dumb voice. Depending on the growth, the centipede could reach A class. Among the refugees, if there was a person who could kill a B class monster and crushed it with bare hands, anyone there would be shocked.


    It was a strong elderly woman with a well-rounded body who did that.


    ¡°Hah, the Highserk soldiers who flattened the neighboring countries are actually pathetic!! The active adventurers too.¡±


    Although it was a provocation, there was no anger in Walm.


    A lizardman and a goblin tried to slash at a middle-aged woman from the back of the now died centipede, but the sword was flipped with her bare hands, and instead, a fist-shaped wind opened a hole in the chest of the lizardman.


    The goblin had a chance and tried to cut her feet with a sword, but the sword was kicked with her knees, and the upper part of its body disappeared as it was.


    A woman who came to the wall couldn¡¯t be stopped by anyone, neither humans nor monsters. Then, she ran up to the ramparts with a light footstep, contrary to what she looked like, she was nimble.


    A skeleton wearing armor greeted her, but her fist crushed the spine through the armor, and it was kicked high in the sky.


    ¡°Mama!?¡±


    ¡°Deborah¡­ what are you trying to do?¡±


    Two men in panic were trying to stop the woman, perhaps they were her family.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill all the annoying monsters!!¡±


    She lifted the spare bar for the gate that was leaning against the wall and swung around to wipe out the monsters that tried to crawl up.


    ¡°It¡¯s a good weapon. Not bad!!¡±


    A Lizardman tried hard to stick to the ground and finally reach the woman. It tried to attack from the side, but its head was wiped off with a back fist. It could be seen that she had multiple ¡°skills¡±, at the very least, she had a skill with physical strengthening effects and skill with physical hardening effects.


    ¡°Yogim, Moyes!! You guys are coming too! Don¡¯t slack off!!¡±


    Two men named by an old woman called ¡°Deborah¡± reluctantly crawled up to the wall.


    At first glance, the two looked like a pair of slender parent and child, but their movement was sophisticated from the eyes of Walm. The father, called ¡°Yogim¡±, slammed a short sword into the throat of a werewolf and pulled it out, ignoring the crumbling scaffolding.


    A ¡°Hellbat¡± in the sky tried to drop from the blind spot, but was welcomed by a sword and crashed while spreading the viscera into the sky.


    The son, called ¡°Moyes¡±, swung up a longsword with ¡¶Super Strength¡·. The power he displayed couldn¡¯t be imagined came from the limbs that looked like dry wood. He cut off the poisonous tail of a scorpion, and while smashing its scissors-shaped pedipals, he also stabbed his sword into the cephalothorax.


    ¡°What¡¯s with this parents and child combination¡­¡±


    Al spoke for everyone¡¯s feelings.


    ¡°You guys, are you okay with losing to a citizen of Myrad?¨D¨D Clench your teeth! Move your feet! Put strength in your belly! Fight! Show off your power! FIGHT!!¡±


    Walm shouted to boost the troops declining morale. Sure, human physical strength might be finite. Still, it couldn¡¯t be said the same with willpower to survive.


    Walm knew well what would make a person grow. Only in the deadly land, people would show their true value.


    ¡°Hahaha, monsters, monsters, monsters!! Monsters everywhere! I¡¯ve never seen this many monsters in the same area, even when I was an active adventurer!!¡±


    Invited by Deborah, who sprinkled blood and flesh, the soldiers fall into madness in the crucible of war.


    ¡ô


    The twin moons were hit by the bright sun, which was about to climb to the sky.


    It was almost the sunrise.


    A group of people, regardless of age, sex, race, or country, was equally engaged in the survival struggle.


    It wasn¡¯t the prayer for peace or the words of fraternity that united the hearts, but the wave of imminent danger. Really, what an irony.


    In a half-destroyed building, Walm finished less than two hours of sleep on a ¡°clean¡± floor with only dust and dirt.


    The familiar battle sound meant that the battle with the monsters was still continuing.


    Walm was grateful that the temporary walls hadn¡¯t been breached even after a long day. Once again, he managed to survive another day.


    Despite the protracted battle, breakfast was waiting for Walm, who had just finished excreting yellow liquid in a ¡°time attack¡± manner without even another drip from the lower body.


    There was no problem with food, since many refugees who couldn¡¯t tolerate the battle were the ones in charge of cooking, and the good news was that there was a big pot of soup in front of Walm.


    An old woman with a thin body, who looked indistinguishable from the undead, and a girl who might have just reached 10 years old, poured an overflowing soup into a bowl and gave it to Walm. The food situation must have been ¡°improved¡± since the number of personnel was reduced day by day.


    Walm sipped the soup, chewed and swallowed a lump of unknown meat, bit the black-colored bread with his back teeth and with the help of the soup, it went into his stomach.


    Good sleep and high calories were required to recover the consumed mana. The cobblestone bed with gravel and rubble was as comfortable as a feather bed. It was as if climbing to the heavens. All that remains was food.


    Sticky blood and body odor were mixed, and the smell of viscera was drifting in the air. The mealtime was colored in red. In addition, a choir of screaming and swearing welcomed Walm. It was a ¡°good place¡± to have a nice morning.


    When he opened the folded poor cloth, he could see the hard-baked biscuits, which were preserved foods. Walm¡¯s teeth beat the biscuits, albeit with water. When eating when there was no water, he substituted it by deploying the magic barrier to strengthen himself. It was an ironic scene. After all, he didn¡¯t want to lose his teeth from eating rather than from a fight.


    ¡°I really need water¡±


    Walm laughed a little when the figure of a former superior who was chewing on such a ¡°weapon¡± came to mind.


    Chewed the biscuits with a rattling noise and swallowed them with water. After repeating such actions several times, Walm¡¯s breakfast was over.


    He then ignited a cigarette, inhaled it as much as he could, and exhaled purple smoke into the air. He didn¡¯t even have time to finish smoking.


    Called on the soldier who was also sitting and eating nearby.


    ¡°Do you smoke? You can smoke the rest.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. As expected, Knight-dono is the same as us.¡±


    It was unclear if the soldier hated the biscuit, but he gladly put them into his mouth with no front teeth. As he inhaled the cigarette given by Walm into his lungs, he spat words in a sloppy manner.


    ¡°May the fortune be with you. Good luck.¡±


    Shaking the now small cigarette, the soldier saw off Walm.


    After returning to the ramparts, Walm came to the side of Deborah, who now had a dead smell around her, and asked.


    ¡°How is the situation?¡±


    Adventurers were sleeping. The four Platoon Commanders, Napolk, Wake, Friug, and Jol, who was entrusted to help Walm by the Wartime Brigade Commander Justus, were busy leading the troops. The only one who looked has free hands was Deborah and her family, who remained on the walls. That was why Walm asked her opinions without hesitation.


    ¡°Listen, I don¡¯t remember becoming a soldier.¡±


    Deborah, who crushed the goblin¡¯s head in order as if she was playing Whac-A-Mole, changed the tone of her voice as she continued to speak.


    ¡°The pressure has weakened. It may have been caused by the fact that more than half of the monsters are following the Flame Emperor Dragon. Still, there must be other leaders.¡±


    ¡°It hasn¡¯t been confirmed yet¡±


    The living natural disaster ¡°Flame Emperor Dragon¡± was classified as SS-class species. The lords of the great outbreak that were behind a flock of over 10,000 monsters couldn¡¯t be just about A class.


    ¡°There must be other leaders and their followers. I wish they stay still.¡±


    ¡°Strangely detailed¡±


    ¡°Yogim and I, we¡¯re retired adventurers¡­ there was an outbreak, albeit smaller than this time, in the Republic of Falmunch when I was an adventurer. There were multiple Leaders at that time, but the one I fought together with the army was classified as ¡°Lord¡± species.¡±


    Walm explored his memory.


    The Republic of Falmunch was a country that was destroyed by an outbreak more than 20 years ago, and the final remaining territory was annexed to the Highserk Empire.


    ¡°Soldiers and adventurers are all dying. Haha, maybe I should pray to God?¡±


    Yogim who always had good luck, couldn¡¯t help but have a forced smile on his face.


    Walm didn¡¯t believe in fate, and he knew that God must be a fucking bastard, if any.


    The only hope for me to stay alive is¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t pray to me!!¡±


    If Deborah was to leave the battlefield now, Walm would pray to God from the bottom of his heart, if that was the only way to stop her.

 CH 61.1

    61-1. Chapter 61 (Part 1)


    ¡°Wal©`Wartime Battalion Commander!!¡±


    Called by an unfamiliar rank, Walm called on the soldiers on both sides while slashing the belly of the pierced hobgoblin.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave the position for a while.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir! Leave it to us!!¡±


    After receiving a reliable reply, Walm turned to the soldier who called him. The soldier, who seemed to have run all the way, was out of breath, and his complexion was almost pale to the point of collapse.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    A broken radio-like noise was generated from the feet where the red liquid spread.


    Stop making noise¡­


    Walm let his halberd pierce the big figure. It was a hobgoblin but the voice that came out wasn¡¯t so different from normal goblins. With more than enough Company Commanders or those with higher rank being buried in the ground, Walm was now reluctantly given the rank of Wartime Battalion Commander, and couldn¡¯t give attention to only the enemies anymore.


    The messenger continued with a quivering voice.


    ¡°The-There is an emergency order from the Wartime Brigade Commander.¡±


    Justus, who was the only Commander on the ramparts during the attack on the Fire Emperor Dragon, escaped from the Dragon Breath, and was now the Wartime Brigade Commander. Even after losing the HQ soldiers who were originally the pillars that supported the brigade, except for the temporary walls, given the busyness of the soldiers, moving supplies here and there, and changing personnel day and night, the fact that there were still this many activities, it could be said that Walm was still blessed.


    ¡°From the Brigade Commander? Talk immediately¡±


    Walm wasn¡¯t surprised at what he said, but as he understood the content, his palpitations stopped. The reality that he didn¡¯t want to admit struck him.


    ¡°Request for help to defend the northern walls, a group of ogres broke through the walls. Both soldiers and refugees there are dead, and they could use ¡°Skill¡± and ¡°Magic¡±!!! ¡°


    ¡°The northern wall¡­¡±


    Talking about which wall would break first, it would have been the temporary wall. Walm felt that the number of small monsters had increased, so he was sure that an army of monsters would attack the half-destroyed wall, but it was actually only a large number of decoys, and the northern wall that the guards kept being extracted was attacked with the main force. He didn¡¯t expect the monsters could exert such a strategy.


    If the wall packed with a large number of soldiers is broken through in a short time, there is a high possibility that elite monsters and also the commander is there.


    Walm must immediately bring together the rescue team and rush in, but the question was how to maintain the temporary walls that he was in charge of.


    Even though the number had decreased, as many as 10,000 monsters were still trying to break through. If he left the personnel without much thinking, two sides of the wall might fall. If that happened, the Dandurg Castle would be completely destroyed.


    Walm¡¯s troops were 500 regular soldiers and 1300 militias. Many were heavily injured and tired, and the number of militias wearing armor was small. When it came to regaining the walls and pushing back the monster from inside the castle, the militias who relied on the walls and concentrated only on what was in the front of them would be useless. He needed a large number of regular soldiers who were strong enough to fight in the turmoil.


    ¡°Where is Company Commander Friug?!¡±


    The name Walm shouted was one of the four Platoon Commanders entrusted to him by the Wartime Brigade Commander Justus. He and the other one were made to be a Company Commander by Walm.


    ¡°I¡¯m here, sir!¡±


    The face looked rough and the whole body was slightly dirty, but the eyes hadn¡¯t lost their sharpness.


    ¡°The northern wall has been breached by a group of powerful ogres. Soldiers must be sent from the temporary wall to clear the castle and recapture the wall.¡±


    ¡°No way, the northern wall has¡­¡±


    It was Friug who lost words, but he immediately indulged in thought.


    ¡°I shall leave the command of this place left to you. I will lead a team to embark on a recapture. How many regular soldiers do you need here?¡±


    Friug, who hesitated a little, asked one question.


    ¡°The skilled soldiers, may I know who do you plan to leave here, sir?¡±


    ¡°Platoon Commander Napolk, the adventurer Amy, and the Deborah family.¡±


    ¡°Are you joking? We¡¯re just citizens.¡±


    Do you think a normal citizen can kill a bicorn?


    Walm, who was about to spit out the word to the woman who was holding two horns of a bicorn, barely swallowed it back.


    ¡°You¡¯re already a militia. Deborah, many even call you a Wartime Platoon Commander, you know?¡±


    Even a capable militia was regarded as a Platoon Commander or a Squad Commander. There just wasn¡¯t enough power in the current Dandurg Castle. Anyone who could be used at this time, no matter whether it was a dog or a cat, would be used to the fullest.


    ¡°Hahahah, Highserk people are crazy!!¡±


    Deborah laughed loudly, but there was no clear refusal.


    Friug, who came up with the answer during his interaction with Deborah, spat out words.


    ¡°I will keep here for half a day with only half, 250 regular soldiers.¡±


    After receiving a clear reply, Walm called out the commander¡¯s name under his umbrella.


    ¡°Wake, gather the soldiers of your company. We¡¯ll head to rescue the northern walls. Jol, your platoon too.¡±


    Wake¡¯s company plus Jol¡¯s platoon to reach 250 soldiers. The commanders of both units embarked on a gathering of scattered troops.


    Walm also called the names of two adventurers who were demonstrating their skill and power on the front lines.


    ¡°Al, Fleck, you guys are coming. I need a hand-to-hand combat expert.¡±


    ¡°Am I not coming too?¡±


    ¡°Amy¡¯s ¡¶Strong Shoot¡· shines in a defensive battle, it can¡¯t be helped.¡±


    ¡°This time, a flock of ogres? There¡¯s really no break.¡±


    ¡°Really, it¡¯s too much. I¡¯ll die from overwork at this rate.¡±


    The adventurers seemed to be tired of seeing monsters. Still, they had become accustomed to the battlefield to the extent that they could have a small talk now and then.


    After gathering troops, Walm set out to recapture the northern walls.


    ¡ô


    As Walm and his team approached the northern walls, the turmoil grew. While diverting himself from the flow of fleeing civilians, Walm raised his voice to keep the soldiers from losing themselves in the mayhem.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stop! We¡¯ll definitely take back the walls!!¡±


    A halberd was thrust into the wolf that covered a refugee¡¯s back, and it was twisted and slammed into the stone pavement. The guards supposedly around the northern walls were hardly seen. From the walls, monsters slid down into the castle one after another.


    The damage was terrible. The entire cobblestones were flooded with fresh blood, and even soldiers who were about to trample the viscera on the ground and fall over could be seen. There were fewer places where there were no dead bodies, and it had become a slaughterhouse for the monsters. The monster began to turn to the rescue force to have their next meal.


    Walm was no exception, and four goblins who were playing with the corpse until just a moment ago were approaching. A goblin that slashed a poor dagger against the waist was scooped up from the bottom with a halberd, the lower jaw was crushed, and the brain was stirred.


    Walm slammed the temporal region of the second goblin, which had stepped into the gap, with a stab. Its eyeballs trembled, and it turned in a weird direction.


    Stepped back a little and thrust the halberd. A third goblin slammed a club in the place where Walm was, but a was opened in its throat.


    The last goblin jumped at Walm while swinging a hatchet, but the tip of the halberd was directed toward the body, and the goblin skewered in the air. Walm then casually slammed it into the cobblestones and trampled the head with his feet.


    ¡°York corps with the remaining northern wall garrison shall hold down the ramparts. The rest of the corps shall wipe out the monsters inside.¡±


    Inside the castle, soldiers, ordinary people, and monsters were mixed, and a wide range of attacks like ¡¶Demon Fire¡· wasn¡¯t an option. If Walm used it, more people would die than monsters. All he could do was kill them one by one.


    The soldiers around him would only be in the way, so he spread out the soldiers and started to wipe out the monsters.

 CH 61.2

    61-2. Chapter 61 (Part 2)


    Three ogres stood in the way. The armors that they wore were roughly processed, and you could even feel some intellect in their standing behavior.


    Walm glared at them thinking that they must be the elite of the monsters, and were undoubtedly the ones leading the other monsters.


    He wanted to choose the choice of pushing them by number, but the soldiers were busy dealing with the other ogres, and the adventurers, Al and Fleck, were fighting a deadly battle with six ogres that skillfully swinging the big sword in its hand.


    Walm shot a fireball at the feet of the ogre with a round shield. The ogre was unavoidably swallowed by the explosion, the limbs were torn, and finally burned by the blue flame.


    The problem was the two ogres scattered to the left and right. One was holding a big sword, and the other was holding a war hammer. Approaching him, Walm moved the upper body back and forth slightly, avoiding the big sword and the war hammer.


    The ogre with a big sword tried to give a pursuit attack, and the ogre with a war hammer moved in coordination with it. Walm faced the ogre with a big sword in front of him, while looking sideways at the other ogre that was approaching the side.


    ¡°¡¶Burst¡·¡±


    Walm, who accelerated momentarily, consumed mana and slashed the elbow with ¡¶Strike¡·. Then he thrust the halberd into the empty space, and the axe-shaped blade extending from the side cut through the ogre¡¯s throat. The remaining ogre roared, guarding itself against the halberd by wiggling the sword. Still, it had small scratches piled up through the gaps in the armor in front of his skillful attack that came with excellent time.


    The ogre managed to avoid the stab, but when he pulled back, Walm tore the back of its knee with the halberd. The ogre lost its posture as its muscle got cut. Walm then flipped his wrist and smashed the ogre¡¯s temporal region. Not missing the ogre which stopped moving for a moment, Walm slammed his halberd from above the head. The head split spreading spinal fluids and just like that the ogre lay on the ground. The mask trembled with joy, not because Walm buried three ogres, but because there was a swelling of murderous air in the surroundings, and countless noises that could be heard.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Armed ogres were surrounding the area. The troops brought by Walm were still fighting, but even so, a dozen or so ogres were looking at Walm.


    ¡°What is it? Are you afraid of me? What a bunch of useless demons with only a big body, I¡¯ll kill every single one of you!!¡±


    Riding on Walm¡¯s provocation, the ogre responded with a roar all at once. He couldn¡¯t pull back anymore. Walm also raised his voice from the bottom of his belly and attacked them.


    ¡ô


    A two-handed sword scratched the neck and blood oozed. Walm¡¯s back, which received a war hammer, couldn¡¯t escape the impact and the grip strength of his left hand was weakened. His armor was full of wounds and blood was oozing from the bleeding abdomen. He was neither pessimistic nor mourning about it. He just put his brain to work to deal with the ogres in front of him, and moved his body according to his intuition backed by his experience. Even the blind spot, he left the guard by the sound he perceived, the air that touched the skin, and his mana, and he always barely avoided the attacks.


    Walm was outnumbered and was blocked from a widespread attack like ¡¶Demon Fire¡· in order to avoid amicable fire, but he kept burying the armed ogre one after another. An ogre burned from his feet to the tip of his head on a pillar of fire exposing his bones and it began to flutter. Another ogre cut from the shoulder to the waist didn¡¯t die and moved its left hand slightly.


    The ankle of the ogre that rushed to him was cut with the halberd and turned to the side. The neck of the ogre that tried to cope with one foot soared into the void.


    Directed a stab to the abdomen of the ogre behind, but the ogre grabbed Walm without fear. While pulling out the longsword on the waist, he amputated the left hand of the ogre. As he slashed the sword over the head, he flipped the wrist, and cut off the right hand.


    The ogre with no hands, tried to bite his throat with its fangs, but he was faster. The tip of his sword slashed the carotid artery and spine. With his left hand, Walm quickly pulled the halberd out of the corpse and pointed it at the creeping ogre.


    ¡± ¡¶Release¡·¡±


    Walm fired the halberd with the wind magic once used by the assassin. The halberd pierced the ogre¡¯s right shoulder, and it got frightened by pain and shock.


    ¡± ¡¶Burst¡·¡±


    The ogre¡¯s reaction was delayed by the movement of Walm, which was momentarily accelerated by the wind magic. Cuts off the ogre¡¯s neck with the longsword as he passed by, and thrust it from the side of the ogre who had just pulled out his halberd from its shoulder. A blue flame was emitted from the blade and burned the ogre from inside. The ogre roared, but didn¡¯t last long.


    A battle mace approached from the side with a faint light. Walm sunk the center of gravity and deflected it with ¡¶Strike¡·. His ears caught a slight wind noise and a footstep. Twisted his neck and saw the shadow at the edge of his field of vision. A cross-shaped spear unleashed from the stiff arm was approaching his throat.


    Walm bowed to avoid it. While scraping the chain of the Cervelliere, made a deep scratch on the conical helmet. The armor prevented lacerations, but couldn¡¯t prevent impacts. The two ogres tried to stop his breath as he shook his brain and swayed.


    The pulled-back spear pointed its blade at Walm again, but he entwined it with a halberd. The ogre tried to pull it off with its strength. The other ogre swung down the war hammer. Walm still couldn¡¯t stop the shaking of his brain, but his muddy eye even though it wasn¡¯t clear, didn¡¯t miss the movements.


    After letting go of the halberd, Walm pulled out the longsword, aligned the blade with the war hammer, and slid the surface. The ogre jumped back in a hurry, but Walm, who was prepared for it, was one step faster.


    The ogre¡¯s finger, which was clenching the handle, was cut off, and the weapon came off from the hand. The ogre sent a fist, albeit incomplete, to Walm, but he was faster at decapitating the ogre. Walm, who followed his instinct immediately turned his body, and prepared himself for the last kill. He moved the entwined halberd and the cross spear was approaching him once again.


    The tip of the sword and the tip of the spear met with each other, and it kept repeating a few times. Walm jumped in at the moment when the ogre¡¯s stretched spear was pulled back a little far. The ogre distorted its face, but flipped the hand with the handle and tried to parry the stab in a hurry. The ogre caught the attack with the back of the hand. The arm with the halberd was numb as if it had an electric shock, but the remaining hand thrust a longsword.


    The tip of the sword caught the knee and the half of the body leaned toward the stone pavement. Even so, the fighting spirit of the ogre didn¡¯t loosen, and the spear once again came to him. Walm wrapped around to the side to escape. The ogre also turned around with its remaining legs as the pivot.


    Walm quickly tilted his leaning body in the opposite direction and kicked the ground up. The ogre tried to catch Walm¡¯s attack with the handle of his spear, but it was faster for his sword tip to pierce the throat. Seeing the blood-squirting ogre, Walm twisted and pulled out his sword. The giant doll fell to the ground like a puppet that just lost its thread.


    Five minutes in time, he noticed that only his breathing sound remained.


    Swung his sword down in the void and took a deep breath while shedding the blood. A slight sense of relief broke the thread of tension in him.


    It was at such a time.


    A feeling of intimidation pierced the skin, cold sweat flowed from the back. He spat out blood once and faced each other with ¡°that¡±, which stood in the center of the corpse of the ogres.

 CH 62

    62. Chapter 62 ¨C The one in command


    ¡°Huh!?¡±


    At first glance, Walm instinctively understood. The ogre in front of him must be one of the monster commanders who caused the northern walls to fall. Its short vermilion horns extend high in the sky. Its body was a size smaller than a normal ogre, but its mana and muscular strength seemed densely compressed, and felt like it had more than the body size. The vintage armor was carved with the scratches of the battle, but there were no brand new scratches or stains.


    The mask was swaying like never before. Randomly shaking, Walm inwardly vomits a curse to the mask for its no moderation behavior. The golden eyes caught Walm straight. In the right hand, like Walm, was a blood-soaked longsword, and in the left hand was grabbing the hair of human heads. In addition to the lacerations, a part of the cranium was bitten to fill the ogre¡¯s abdomen. Still, Walm was able to tell who the owner of the head was.


    ¡°¡­ Wake, Al¡±


    It was the Company Commander who Walm had ordered to sweep the monsters in the northern castle, and the head of the adventurer Al. His head was casually thrown into Walm¡¯s feet and rolled on the cobblestones. Although Al was a former enemy, his heart couldn¡¯t help but shake at the death of those who were on the same side as him on the battlefield. But, he steeled himself to not be dragged by such a feeling, especially in the middle of a battle.


    While Walm was devoted to eradicating the ogres, the ogre in front of him was also eradicating the Highserk soldiers and adventurers. Walm was familiar with what the commander of the armed ogre that looked intellectual called.


    ¡°Ogre¡­ Lord¡±


    The apex and commander of the race, designated as S class monster. The herd led by the ¡°Lord¡± species could even bring a big city to fall. It might emerge as one of the main troubles of a large-scale outbreak. The ¡°Ogre Lord¡° certainly laughed while pointing the sword at Walm. Words weren¡¯t needed. ¡°Next is you¡±, that was what the Ogre Lord wanted to say to Walm. It was provoking Walm.


    Strangely, the surrounding area was wiped out by Walm and the Ogre Lord. Walm¡¯s decision was quick when the soldiers and people to be protected were lost. In a moment, Walm kneaded his mana. Hot air blew and blue flame approached the Ogre Lord. But it disappeared before the blue flame could touch and entwined it.


    ¡°Ugg,rrgghh!?¡±


    The Ogre Lord had a speed as if it was wearing wind magic all the time, and with a posture that was lowered as if crawling on the ground, narrowed the distance to the side of Walm. The demon fire was scattered in all directions, but the Ogre Lord pierced through without escaping from the blue flame. It didn¡¯t get burned. A mighty magical barrier blocked the blue flame. Judging from the red-color horn, there was even a risk of it having fire-resistant skills. The omnidirectional attack by the demon fire was effective for the soldiers, but those who had a certain amount of mana, could withstand it to some extent or even completely.


    If Walm narrowed down the range and concentrated the mana to increase the firepower, he might be able to give an effective hit, but the problem was the mobility of the Ogre Lord. Walm caught the blade approaching from the bottom with a sword. With denser mana, he launched¡¶Strike¡·, as if it was a matter of course. Even if the opponent slid it away, the sword would still leave a strong impact.


    Don¡¯t be on defense, don¡¯t give any chance.


    Walm told himself as he unleashed his attack, but the sword never reached the Ogre Lord because of the delicate yet powerful sword technique.


    Attack on his feet, throat, wrists, fingers, and many more unfocused slashes by the Ogre Lord gave him a hard time doing anything else than parrying it. His usually reliable demon fire was also blocked by the agile reaction speed and excellent magical barrier. Walm rolled on the ground as he was pushed through by the difference in strength.


    To avoid the approaching sword, he immediately broke away with wind magic, but blood spilled from his arm with sharp pain. He was injured even though he accelerated himself with the wind magic. He must have been fatally injured if he had not used magic. The Ogre Lord was superior in terms of strength, mana, and sword skills.


    Still, Walm didn¡¯t give up, he couldn¡¯t. The enemies of his subordinates, the wishes of the girl, and his pride as a soldier drove Walm into this struggle. He attacked in a wavelike manner while adjusting the distance with the blue flame, and now the blue flame was dancing on one side without giving any effective hit.


    The Ogre Lord evaded by reading a slight sign of the activation of ¡¶Demon Fire¡·. Even for the inevitable blue flame, it was smashed and slashed by ¡¶Strike¡· with its dense mana.


    Through the sea of ??blue flames, the Ogre Lord jumped out. Walm switched to a thrust attack. He quickly thrust three times to its throat, hand, and feet, but all of it slipped off and was misaligned with the sword.


    The Ogre Lord had excellent reflexes, but what was remarkable was its eyes. Unlike Walm¡¯s muddy eyes, the golden eyes reflected the battlefield well.


    After parrying the slashing of the Ogre Lord, which was delivered continuously to the left and right, Walm launched a ¡¶Strike¡·, but the Ogre Lord deflected its upper body and avoided the attack.


    Walm stepped in and realized his missteps. Even though he was now in close contact, the thrust into his throat was growing. Walm leaned his body, but a blade extending to his blind spot rubbed the sides of his helmet violently.


    A sharp kick followed Walm, who had lost his posture. Despite being over his armor and magical barrier, a shock ran through the gut.


    Air was exhaled and the acidity of stomach acid could be felt in the mouth. The pursuit didn¡¯t stop, and the Ogre Lord, holding the sword around the torso, shook the sword horizontally. Holding the longsword with both of his hands, pain ran on Walm¡¯s shoulder as he tried to divert the sword pressure diagonally upwards.


    Despite being guarded, a part of his right arm was cut with his armor, and blood oozed. Bleeding was suppressed by the magical barrier, but further consumption of mana would make Walm inferior even more.


    Think, Think, Think!!


    Don¡¯t stop thinking. Keep moving. If you stop your hand, it¡¯ll be your death.


    ¡°Ahhh, aaAAAAHHHH!!!¡±


    With a scream, his shins, flanks, and arms were slashed and bruised. His ribs also squeaked and screamed, but his thoughts and body never stopped moving. Rolling around the ground ungracefully, Walm scooped up the rubble scattered on the cobblestones with his sword tip and threw it to the Ogre Lord.


    The Ogre Lord didn¡¯t even try to avoid it, but it was favorable for Walm.


    In the blink of an eye, Walm unfastened his cloak and created a divider between the Ogre Lord and himself, while spreading ¡¶Demon Fire¡·.


    Blue flames were extending from the left and right like open arms trying to entangle the Ogre Lord. The flame on one side was rejected by ¡¶Strike¡· and was wiped out. The remaining blue flame was about to slip through the mobility that had been demonstrated so far.


    What a dangerous monster¡­


    Walm even praised the Ogre Lord¡¯s skill. Still, it was within expectations so far. Some kind of trust as an adversary made him believe the Ogre Lord would break away from his tactics. Walm pierced the cloak with his sword, and it pierced the Ogre Lord, right at the place it ran away to. Only then did Walm¡¯s sword capture the Ogre Lord, and the demon fire flowing on the sword melted the armor and burned the flank.


    The Mithril longsword given by Commander Gerard fit well with Walm¡¯s demon fire. Walm smiled for the first time at the sound of roasting meat on an iron plate. The long-awaited noise sounded like a gospel for Walm.


    ¡°Do you hate it being rare!?¡±


    Contrary to Walm, the Ogre Lord screamed in agony, but soon switched to an angry expression and got rid of the sword. Compared to the injuries inflicted by Walm, its glare felt like a reward. Walm¡¯s sword skill, mana, and vision were sharpened and sublimated even to a higher level in the battle.


    While covering the difference in strength with demon fire, Walm didn¡¯t take a step. The dense and large amount of mana collided with each other, the stone pavements were peeling off, and they turned into rubbles.


    Without noticing, the monsters and soldiers were watching the battle from a distance. On one side, it was the highest strength that had been supporting the Dandurg Castle, on the other side, it was one of the Lords behind the Great Outbreak.


    It was clear that the winner would have the upper hand in future battles. After dozens, no, hundreds of times crossing swords, Walm was about to enter the height of concentration he had never experienced before.


    The mouth forgot to even swallow the saliva, and only the information and actions necessary for vision were kept. The slashing wounds that were unilaterally inflicted would no longer be incurred anymore. If the Ogre Lord came to attack, it would be flexibly parried by sword technique and magic, and if there was a slight gap, Walm would attack.


    The high-pitched sound of the sword rubbing echoed repeatedly on the battlefield. It was like a duo playing a tune, and the sword was the instrument. Legs moving here and there, body turning here and there, from afar, it was like a breathtaking dance despite the hostility. It was the death that was waiting for those who chose to drop out.


    Even though Walm¡¯s left hand and organs were injured, The Ogre Lord¡¯s half body was burning with a demon fire. Sure, it might be a small scale, but the demon fire was a skill that consumed a lot of mana, if Walm were to use it in an endurance battle, he would be inferior. Walm had to place a bet in order to break the rivalry.


    Walm cast wind magic as he jumped backward using the sword pressure of the Ogre Lord¡¯s attack to make some distance. Walm¡¯s body, which accelerated rapidly, screamed.


    Along with Walm, who wrapped around from the side to the rear, the Ogre Lord chased with an agility that couldn¡¯t be imagined from the large body, and a longsword was pointed to the landing point. Barely pulling his sword to parry, Walm recast wind magic, despite his ankles twisting and his muscles rupturing.


    The blade of the Ogre Lord cut the armor, but at the same time, Walm crossed the Ogre Lord again and wrapped around completely behind it.


    Walm, who crushed one of his legs, had only one option. He burned the stone pavement with a demon fire, and forcibly fixed his leg there. And with all his might, he slashed his sword.


    The sword that the Ogre Lord pulled back was pushed away, and the tip of the sword that got into the sturdy neck burned the flesh, cut the bones, and then separated the neck from the body. Walm was convinced of his victory, but distorted his mouth immediately. The Ogre Lord was beheaded for sure, but it smiled at the end.


    Walm¡¯s position, which was supposed to be the winner, was about to be reversed. It was an unsightly struggle from the Ogre Lord, but it was a fatal blow to Walm now. It felt like slow motion as the fingers of the Ogre Lord, which had lost its neck, approached his face. Walm realized that neither the effort to shift his upper body nor his magic was in time.


    ¡°Bastard¨D¨D¡±


    A sharp finger approached to fill the field of view. At the moment of darkness, Walm screamed with pain that shook his brain directly.


    ¡°Uh, GAH!! A, ah, uh, guh, ah, gah, ARRRGHH!!!¡±


    Unbearable pain ran from where his eyes used to be. It wasn¡¯t clear to Walm whether it was a pain that was already too late or not because the nerve-cutting sensation was still there.


    It¡¯s gonna break! My brain, it¡¯s gonna break!!!


    Walm didn¡¯t even have the time to flutter his limbs. The whole body began to convulse against the will.


    ¡°A, argh¡­ argh, a¡­¡±


    Like a poorly made automaton, Walm kept leaking words. Breathing was disturbed, the body was bending back, and it didn¡¯t stop. He heard some words, but his brain couldn¡¯t process them like usual.


    Walm was slowly invited into the endless darkness with severe pain. He struggled to grab something, but there was nothing. He couldn¡¯t even think whether his hands had lost senses or he completely lost it.


    ¡°a¨D¨Drgh¡­ urgh, uh¡­?¡±


    After leaking a small groan for a while, as his voice got smaller, Walm¡¯s consciousness was completely cut off, and unlike the unobstructed bright blue sky, his empty eye sockets were dark.

 CH 63

    Chapter 63 ¨C Lost light


    Even at the start of the defensive battle, people had been continuing to come and go from the treatment center without stopping. It didn¡¯t change much even after the Flame Emperor Dragon destroyed the walls and castle tower with a breath attack. Tiredness started to be reflected in the healing magicians¡¯ eyes.


    Treatment triage was put in effect. Ironically, in order to avoid useless death more than necessary, the priority was soldiers who can return to the front. Injured citizens, children, and women could only cry out loud for intolerable pain.


    The feeling that the life that could have been saved in peaceful times overflowed Ayane¡¯s mind and body. Her mana had already been squeezed, but she couldn¡¯t stop. For a while, dizziness and nausea had been rushing in her intermittently.


    ¡°Please. Please help this child! Please help!!!¡±


    ¡°I understand your feelings, but go back to the line.¡±


    A father and mother with wounds in their arms, trying to bring their child under Ayane, were returned to the waiting line by Highserk soldiers.


    It was a serious injury. The child¡¯s back had been scratched by a wolf and the arms had been bitten. For the first aid, stopping the bleeding would be enough. But, there were other lives to prioritize. She couldn¡¯t help the life that could be saved by prioritizing the life. There, Ayane noticed that she was fluttering.


    She started to wonder what was the difference between her and the prejudiced Highserk soldiers.


    At that time, an adventurer with a large body rushed to the treatment center. A man was carried on his back.


    ¡°MOVEEE!! OPEN THE WAYYY!!!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Slightly delayed, Highserk soldiers rushed through the crowd to make a way. Moritz, who was taking care of Ayane while monitoring her, asked the soldiers what happened.


    ¡°Knight-dono has¡­! Battalion Commander has been¡­!!¡±


    The name wasn¡¯t shouted, but there was only one person which was called ¡°Knight¡± in the besieged castle. Moritz, who changed his expression, moved around the back of an adventurer with a great shield and let out a whimper.


    ¡°¡­ Lay, lay him down on the bed. Slowly.¡±


    Moritz¡¯s suffocating and heavy words made Ayane¡¯s heart beat faster.


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s¡­ no way¡­¡±


    The man who was put on the bed was someone familiar, but he looked very different from the last time she saw him.


    ¡°¡­Wa-Walm-san¡±


    Looking directly at Walm¡¯s face, Ayane was desperate to suppress the nausea feelings that sprouted inside her.


    At the first meeting, they looked at each other with murderous intent. At times, they laughed together. The man who made Ayane feel emotional, Walm, his eyeballs weren¡¯t there.


    The hole was so deep that she hesitated to look at it, and the liquid no one sure whether it was only the cerebrospinal fluid or the blood, was overflowing. It was so strange that he didn¡¯t die instantly.


    ¡°This is, too horrible¡±


    Even Maia, who had been on the field as a healing magician for quite a long, couldn¡¯t hide her dismay.


    ¡°Maia-dono, could you cure him?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Moritz asked with a murderous tone, but Maia didn¡¯t respond. To be precise, the silence was the answer. The soldiers who couldn¡¯t wait any longer shouted.


    ¡°We, we all need Commander Walm! Without him, the castle would fall.¡±


    ¡°The Commander cared for the soldiers and the people involved in the war, he fought and killed the Ogre Lord alone.¡±


    ¡°The enemy¡¯s leadership has collapsed, but they are all still hungry and aiming for humans. The castle gate is about to be broken through. Without Knight-dono, we¡¯ll lose it for sure.¡±


    One of the soldiers threw the head of the Ogre Lord, who had crossed blades many times with Walm, out of his hand as if it was something abominable. The head rolled on the ground. Although it was decapitated and died, the Ogre Lord¡¯s face wasn¡¯t full of anguish.


    The face had an eerie smile and the mouth looked ugly.


    There might be exceptions, but even so, monsters and humans were incompatible with each other.


    At the treatment center, which was filled with confusion, a mutter was made that seemed to be drowned out by the hustle and bustle of the surroundings.


    ¡°Walm-san, are you still conscious?¡±


    Ayane regretted having her ears close to Walm¡¯s mouth. If she didn¡¯t listen, perhaps she wouldn¡¯t need to know the ruthless reality and give up early. But she heard it.


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s, train, time. I¡¯m, gon¡­ be, late, to¡­ compa, ny, uh, the, light¡­ still, red, always, red. The, crossing¡­ strange? Ah, sha, sha, dow, shadow, is, coming¡­ stop, no¡±


    For those in this world, words that didn¡¯t make sense and sounded like a weird mumbling of someone on the verge of death, were different for Ayane, a transferee. She remembered that in the past, he used the word ¡°high schooler¡± that the people of this world shouldn¡¯t know, and mentioned the ¡°clock hands¡± that shouldn¡¯t exist in this world. The true nature of the sense of incongruity in conversations up to now started to link in her mind.


    Hearing words from her hometown that she probably used in her daily life up until a few months ago, Ayane felt something stab her heart. She couldn¡¯t help but think, how could a human being, who was a citizen of a peaceful era and unrelated to the war, fight to the death every time?


    ¡°Help, urgh, uh¡­¡±


    ¡°Blood doesn¡¯t stop. Aaa, please stop it. Someone, help.¡±


    ¡°It hurts. It huuurrttss¡­.¡±


    ¡°M-my arm, where? Where is it!!?¡±


    Even now, from behind Ayane, everyone was calling for salvation. In the priority based on who could be saved, Walm was now in low priority. Should have been low.


    ¡°Uh, hm? Ah? I, I, have to, fight, or the castle, the people, the country, will, ah, aaaa, nothing, I can¡¯t, see, anything. It¡¯s, dark. So, cold.¡±


    The trembling hand was wandering in the air as if looking for something. Walm¡¯s fingers were wandering around without grasping anything. Ayane grabbed them with both hands.


    ¡°Walm-san, it¡¯s gonna be okay. It¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­.¡±


    When Ayane grabbed his hand, the remarks stopped as if he was relieved, and he weakly grasped back.


    Feeling it, Ayane ridiculed herself as a terrible and selfish person. She had been throwing the word ¡°priority¡± to excuse her actions, but now she was trying to help someone who was unlikely to be saved or cured. She just wanted to help. She couldn¡¯t help it.


    The way of their meeting might have been the worst. Still, the current relationship was comfortable for Ayane. Ayane herself didn¡¯t know whether it was the suspension bridge effect or the nostalgia of her hometown, but she opened her mouth.


    ¡°The wounds, ¡°I¡± will close the ¡°wounds¡±. For sure.¡±


    Ayane put her preparedness into words.


    ¡°Ayane-sama, even if you close the wounds, what about his eyes.¡±


    Maia said sadly.


    The eyeballs that should have been in the eye sockets had been lost. Even Ayane, who could heal the defect, could not completely regenerate the complicated eyeball.


    ¡°Could you cure it if you have eyes!?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Use one of my eyes!!¡±


    ¡°Me too. As long as I have one eye, I won¡¯t get lost in the Netherworld!!¡±


    Soldiers who fought under Walm, albeit for a short time, offered what they could give one after another.


    Maia rebuked those who were trapped in the madness of such rationality.


    ¡°If there is too much difference in mana density, even if you transplant it, it will only rot in no time. If you don¡¯t have eyes that can withstand Walm-san¡¯s mana, you shouldn¡¯t try to transplant. Also, there is a thing called compatibility.¡±


    There were probably no more than ten of the Highserk Empire¡¯s army with mana that was comparable to Walm. There were no such soldiers in the barely-holding castle.


    The people surrounding the treatment bed looked down due to the harsh and strict conditions. Meanwhile, Moritz ran his gaze on the rolling head.


    ¡°What about the eyes of a monster, the ogre lord?¡±


    ¡°Moritz, are you sane!?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the one who scooped out the Commander¡¯s eyeballs. You¡¯re crazy.¡±


    Soldiers rushed to Moritz and threw curses at him. Among them, only Maia and Ayane were considering it seriously.


    ¡°Maia-san, do you have any precedent?¡±


    ¡°People say that transplanting the monster¡¯s eye is something heretic, but there is no legitimate document saying about such thing in Craist Kingdom, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you really gonna transplant the evil eyes of a monster to Knight-dono? Really?!¡±


    Ayane confronted the Highserk soldiers who uttered words of refusal.


    ¡°Either way this is the only eye that may be compatible. Or you say, there is another way to save him?¡±


    Sure, it might sound selfish. Still, Ayane wanted to save Walm.


    The soldier faltered at the figure of a girl who lifted the head of the Ogre Lord with a threatening and angry look.


    ¡°I¡¯ll cure him, I will cure Walm-san.¡±


    Ayane, who was only about the height of a trained Highselk soldier, gave off a feeling of intimidation that someone with her height shouldn¡¯t have. There was no longer any opposition and she procced the treatment.


    TN : The suspension bridge effect, is a scientific and psychological term used to describe a biological reaction in our psychology when we are under pressure. When we experience external stimulus that ignites our adrenal response, it plays a strange role in our minds and interpreting our environment.

 CH 64

    How long had it been since Walm entered a state that was too vague to call as conscious?


    For sure, it had been quite a long time since his brain¡¯s ability to understand the language completely had been lost, nevertheless, the emotional screams echoed in his brain.


    ¡°Fix his position. Don¡¯t let him slip off the bed!!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? It¡¯s supposed to be compatible, right?¡±


    ¡°Blood keeps oozing! There¡¯s no end!¡±


    ¡°Ah, the eyelids are closing!¡±


    ¡°No! This is bad. His consciousness is not coming back!¡±


    ¡°Damn it! His heart and breathing have stopped!¡±


    ¡°Move! I¡¯ve some idea¨D¨D ¡°


    ¡°Oi, what¡¯s with the cover?!¡±


    ¡°Push his heart as hard as you can with both hands! It¡¯s okay even if his ribs break. Fast!!¡±


    ¡°Come back!! Walm-dono! COME BACK!!!¡±


    ¡°No way, it¡¯s hopeless. Why, why?!¡±


    ¡°Even though I¡¯ve connected the nerves without problem, why, WHY?!!!¡±


    ¡°The temporary wall has fallen!!¡±


    ¡°The castle gate has been destroyed! Soon, the monsters will come!¡±


    ¡°Move the corpses out of the bed!¡­ Where? Just stack them there!¡±


    ¡°Who cares! It¡¯s not the time to care about the dead!!¡±


    ¡°Refugees are being eaten! There aren¡¯t enough soldiers!¡±


    ¡°Hold the affected area!! As long as you can!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the remnants of the Ogre Lord¡¯s group!!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll stall them. Amy, stand. Nothing can be done to Al anymore. I know it¡¯s painful, but save the villagers!! Fight!! You must Fight!!¡±


    ¡°Aaaahh, my, my intestines, are, coming out!¡±


    ¡°Urrrggh, ugh, argh¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve not enough people to carry the injured!¡±


    ¡°Carry them? To where?! There¡¯s no escape anymore!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s over. No, I want to stay alive! I don¡¯t want to be eaten!¡±


    ¡°Help, me, help¡­!¡±


    It was so noisy.


    Even if Walm wanted to move from such a place, his body felt heavy and his brain felt hot as if it was melting.


    With no ability to move, Walm had no choice but to listen to the hustle and bustle of the surroundings, just like hearing a broken radio.


    ¡°Walm-san, get up¡­¡±


    Only one voice reached his brain. But, even processing the voice was already a heavy burden to his brain, guessing the owner of the voice was almost impossible for him now. Walm tried to abandon it.


    Since he came to a different world, he had worked hard, perhaps more than enough. Crawling around the battlefield with bloody vomit everywhere, moving his body that should be put to rest, forcing himself many times, swinging his weapon down again and again, killing around, another killing, and more killing. Kill, kill, and kill¡­ he was exhausted. He wanted to rest so badly.


    Walm¡¯s consciousness was fading away, and slowly becoming muddy and muddier, but water droplets fell on his hands. It felt different from blood. He perceived someone holding his hand as he consciously sought the identity.


    ¡°Walm¡­-san¡­¡±


    A girl who continued seeking mercy from the world, comrades who kept fighting without stop, and citizens who had lost their escape were all seeking help, seeking salvation.


    ¡º¡±What do you wish for with those muddy eyes?¡±¡»


    Worn out by the ruthless reality, the ¡°ethics¡± inside him had become muddy. Even though he might be not that productive and could only crush, burn, and kill others, for now, Walm only wished for the ability to save the person in front of him.


    The eyes felt hot as if about to melt. Still, Walm tried to move and continued to exert force. The muddy consciousness cleared up rapidly. The first thing that jumped in the sight of Walm, who slowly opened his heavy eyelids, was a crying girl.


    ¡°Stop, that, terrible face.¡±


    Walm couldn¡¯t think of good words since he still had a terrible headache. The girl¡¯s face, Ayane¡¯s face, was swollen, probably because she kept crying.


    ¡°Walm-san!? Since when have you regained consciousness?¡±


    Ayane said so while sniffling.


    ¡°Yeah, thanks to, you.¡±


    Even though it was a bloody world, the world felt vivid. The muddy eye that had been fighting together with him for a while was no longer there, and instead, it had been replaced by something else. As he ran his gaze around, he saw something nearby. It was the head of the Ogre Lord with no eyeballs.


    Walm realized what had happened. The monster that had scooped his eyes out, was now got its eyes scooped out after its death.


    Walm touched his eyes through the eyelids. It was burning as if it wanted to reject the new body. He couldn¡¯t get rid of the piercing pain as if he was struck by a rusty nail and the heat as if it wanted to melt away. Still, it fulfilled its purpose, even though the world looked lagging behind.


    The gears in the brain had been started a while ago and were now in a better condition. Without long thought, Walm determined that it was a characteristic of the eye, his new eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad, that you¡¯re awake, really. But for the Ogre Lord¡¯s eyes to be compatible with you, it¡¯s just¡­¡±


    Maia put her hand on her mouth as she still couldn¡¯t believe her sight.


    ¡°My eyes feel like they¡¯re about to melt.¡±


    ¡°It hasn¡¯t been stable yet. I have to continue to cast recovery magic, but my mana¡­¡±


    A girl who had exhausted her mana and might faint at any moment, Ayane, her dedication to everyone in need was immeasurable for Walm, who had been only going around killing others.


    Walm groaned in pain, but turned back to a familiar voice.


    ¡°Walm-dono!!¡±


    Since the loss of HQ, Walm had been unable to be at the treatment center and left the escort team to another man.


    That man, rushed under Walm, as if a child jumping to hug their parent.


    ¡°Moritz, you¡¯re safe¡­ So, what¡¯s the situation?¡±


    After sorting out his thoughts, Moritz spat out the current situation in the castle in words.


    ¡°Half of the castle has fallen, and under the command of the Brigade Commander, some gate towers and walls are still holding on, but it¡¯s only a matter of time before the monsters reach here.¡±


    The situation was as bad as it could be. Although Walm won the life or death battle, he couldn¡¯t stop the monsters completely just by that. Perhaps this situation could have been prevented if he didn¡¯t collapse. But at the very least, he was somewhat happy that the situation was a little better than he had expected.


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    Not only the crushed eyes but also the leg that got twisted when forcibly using wind magic was healed.


    Walm picked up the clothes, put them on, and put on the equipment. The people there were stunned, but Ayane immediately shouted.


    ¡°Why are you still trying to fight?!!! If you force yourself in such condition, you¡¯ll die for sure this time.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I may die for real¡­. still, I can¡¯t just sit down. You healed my eyes, for this reason, right?¡±


    Walm had been turning a blind eye to any reason he had in his mind because he always followed the order, but as the headquarters, which was full of higher-ranking soldiers, had been lost, he thought that there was no need to make an excuse anymore.


    Staying alone until the end, he didn¡¯t what such a thing to happen, to share a pitiful fate with the castle, that was why he decided to keep fighting as long as he could move.


    ¡°That¡¯s not why I healed you!! Why don¡¯t you understand? Why¡­ Why can you give your own life so easily? Is it for the people? For the country? WHY?!¡±


    Walm, who couldn¡¯t think about a reply, shut his mouth.


    ¡°Is it because, this is your second life?¡±


    Walm opened his eyes as if he had been pierced by the girl. Perhaps, his expression looked so dumb right now.


    ¡°¡­I, don¡¯t know. Just that, I don¡¯t plan to give my life away for free.¡±


    ¡°Please, stay alive. Please come back alive. I didn¡¯t heal you, for you to die. I healed you because, I wanted you to stay alive.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I promise.¡±


    When Walm nodded, he wore all the equipment and looked down at the mask. It was shaking as if to make fun of what he just said. Although the owner, Walm, was fatally injured, the mask didn¡¯t seem to care in the slightest.


    ¡°What a rude mask¡±


    While complaining, Walm wore the familiar mask. Perhaps it was actually concerned about its owner, now after it stuck to his face, it swayed modestly.


    Luckily, someone smart picked up Walm¡¯s equipment and brought it to the treatment center too.


    ¡°I shall leave the defense of the treatment center area to you. And I, shall go back to strike the enemy.¡±


    The soldiers returned a good cry. The fierce men had been baptized with bloody vomit and sneaked through the life or death situation many times. Their bodies had been wounded many times. No soldiers were a battle virgin. Such soldiers were ready to defend the treatment center, to expose themselves to the battlefield once again.


    Being sent by the soldiers¡¯ battle cry, Walm returned to the front line where the last stand was still ongoing with an uncontrollable impulse from his burning eyes.


    TN : Once again, I feel like the one who spoke ¡º¡°What do you wish for with those muddy eyes?¡±¡» was Takakura Raizou. He spoke to himself, to be precise, to himself as Walm. The ¡°muddy eyes¡± in here, I guess, must be in a literal and poetic meaning.


    Well, this is just my analysis for now, as I haven¡¯t even finished reading Arc 2¡­

 CH 65

    ¡°Uh, y-you small fry, when the Battalion, Commander returns, it¡¯s over¡±


    The ¡°High Ogre¡± bit the flank of a soldier with a big mouth.


    The prey that could only groan momentarily recoiled, and blood overflowed from the throat after a painful voice.


    ¡°U, urgh, gaaahhh!!¡±


    The high ogre tasted and swallowed the chewed meat. The crunchy fresh flesh with mana, overflowing fresh blood, and screams stimulated the appetite and atrocity of the high ogre.


    The high ogre broke open the ribs while enjoying the elasticity of the internal organs in the mouth. Then the heart was torn off and swallowed.


    Feeling thirsty, the high ogre tore off the limbs and drank blood. Haven¡¯t been satisfied yet, it tore off the abdomen and eat the entrails.


    In the castle full of humans, the high ogre behaved according to its desire.


    Speaking of miscalculations, the Lord, that was the pinnacle of High Ogre, was in conflict with a human, who spouted blue flames. The death of the revered Lord kept the high ogre feeling sad and embarrassed, but it was quick to switch.


    The tops of the same rank were killed in action in the battle with a human. To decide the next leader, the high ogre must kill the myriad of compatriots that claimed to be the strongest and reigned over their corpses.


    But, now the high ogre could reign at the top of the flock as the next generation leader without doing anything. Not only the compatriots, but the other vulgar monsters would also follow. The diverse herds were intoxicated by the feast of humans, even at the cost of great sacrifice.


    The high ogre was continuing its meal, but extracted only its favorite human organs. The internal organs of human warriors and wizards with a lot of mana, especially the heart, were a treat. The best. By continuing this¡­ it started to see the road to the be the Lord both in name and reality.


    The high ogre was full of ambition. Besides, even if it wasn¡¯t the meat of a warrior, the meat of women and children was soft. It could eat them, use the women, or crush them. Human beings were just born to be overrun.


    Feeling enough, the high ogre threw away the human with a squishy torso after eating it roughly. Inferior little monsters were flocking to the leftovers.


    In search of more prey, the monsters march to a place where humans were sheltering. Wolf bit the whole body of a soldier who had been late to escape, a stupid troll swallowed a child crushing the bones of the whole body, and a goblin was using a woman who had her limbs crushed.


    It was complete pandemonium, a banquet for monsters. The human territory was slowly turning into demon territory. Seeing the full of destruction scene, the high ogre shook itself in joy.


    The monsters following the high ogre rush into the humans¡¯ fragile defense. A hole was made in the goblin¡¯s throat, the skeleton was crushed into mere bones, and the orc was cut in the neck. The high ogre ridiculed the useless resistance.


    Kicking the kobold and using it as a shield from a spear attack, the high ogre slashed the spear tip with a claymore and jumped into the nasty human.


    The high ogre swung the claymore several times, and all the cliqued humans would sink to the ground. A monster covered the human being who was constantly lying down on the ground. The human was bitten by the ugly jaw, scraped off by the claw, and finally, his limbs were torn off.


    The humans who could escape had escaped. And now, there were monsters inside and outside the castle. For the high ogre, the humans in here weren¡¯t different from a horned rabbit shivering inside the burrow.


    The monsters started running after the humans who tried to run away now, slaughtering them one by one. It should have been a good amount of exercise before a meal.


    At that moment¨D¨D Suddenly a wind blew in the castle where there should be no wind. The air became hot and turned into a stormy wind. The overflowing blue flame turned the skeleton into ashes and purified the ghoul. A little monster was fluttering around the ground, a wolf was running around in the fire.


    For the high ogre, it wasn¡¯t the first time to see the abominable blue flame. What emerged from the flame was the human who killed the Lord. He also had the eyes of the Lord, the golden eyes, that made any ogre give up in one sight. One thing for sure, it wasn¡¯t as shiny as before.


    Impossible. No way. Why was the human still alive? Why did the human have that eye? Was the human really a human? Such a feeling sprouted inside the high ogre when it saw the human behind the blue flame.


    The high ogre denied its feelings. A superior being shouldn¡¯t be as afraid of humans. If the human was alive, the high ogre could just kill until the human died for real.


    When the high ogre roared, the kobolds nearby threw arrows, spears, and stones. Goblin mage and wraith cast magics.


    Instead of shrinking, the blue flame spread and invited those monsters to the sea of ??fire. The monsters screamed while dancing weirdly. The traces that it passed through were equally turned all heads into skulls, and without stop, it turned them into a skeleton on the ground that would never stand up again. The steps of the human were like a King, like the Flame Emperor Dragon.


    The one from the same race as the high ogre jumped into the man, but even though the body warped in mana, it was easily killed by a sword wrapped with blue flames. As if weeds were cut, they were slashed, burned to death, and just like that, the human was approaching the high ogre.


    A hellbat and death condor were flying overhead, but in a moment, they got burned down from the sky due to the turbulence of the airflow and the scorching blue flame.


    The ground, the sky, and the landscape were all dyed in blue. Still, the high ogre snarled and jumped in. There was no such thing as running away.


    The human moved the eyes and narrowed them.


    The high ogre tried hard to not look at the eyes.


    The high ogre kicked up the ground and slashed down the claymore with all its strength, but was stopped. For a human with a height just about the chest of the high ogre, the human could be considered as strong.


    But, the high ogre didn¡¯t want to admit it. Gripped the big sword and pulled it back, the high ogre slashed it to the left and right, lower and upper, but the human didn¡¯t make big movements. The attack was avoided with just a slight movement.


    It was as if the high ogre¡¯s behavior had been seen through. The instinct shouted to escape, yet the pride as a great monster, an ogre, continued to push the high ogre into battle.


    Raised the roar that shook the atmosphere, the high ogre tried to suppress the blue flame. With the greatest blow of the high ogre, the human should be dead.


    The high ogre noticed a sense of discomfort from the half body. The body slowly shifted. And, the heat burned its whole body.


    The torso of the high ogre was then slashed, and blue flames overflowed from the scar.


    The high ogre fluttered one of its arms and opened its mouth to breathe, but only flames came out from the mouth.


    Blue spread around the high ogre¡¯s view. Gradually, the movement of the high ogre slowed down, leaving only a burnt corpse on the cobblestones.

 CH 66

    Repeating shallow breathing while kicking up the cobblestones, blood and mana were circulating in Walm¡¯s body in a confusing manner. His lungs were thirsting for oxygen, and he could feel the blood rushing from the bottom of his belly.


    It had already been several hours since the fight with the high ogre, a monster that shouldn¡¯t be strange to be called the quasi-commander. That monster brought together some monsters and scaled up the attack into a big offensive.


    Walm was lucky. The humans packed in Dandurg Castle were on the verge of annihilation for sure, and although it was unclear whether they were proud or lacking in centripetal force, the movements of the monsters became careless. Had he not succeeded in reaping the head of the colony first, Walm would have died, being pushed by a number of monsters under the high ogre lead.


    ¡°Huff, ha, ahhh, huff, hah, huff ¨D¨D¡±


    Without sticking to one place, Walm kept moving and killing only the monsters in the direction of travel. If he was surrounded, he would deploy ¡¶Demon Fire¡· to procrastinate the checkmate, and even if the monsters weren¡¯t burned to death, they would be at least burned to the extent where their fighting ability was greatly reduced.


    Backed by the giant stamina and power, the half-burnt troll that endured the low output of the blue flame slammed the pillars of the collapsed barracks against Walm.


    Walm tilted his upper body, slid the sole of his foot, which was in contact with the ground, and jumped into the air. A pillar was approaching in front of him, but it passed by without touching his body.


    Swung the sword with the momentum of slipping, slashing the fibula and ligaments of the ankle, and the posture of the giant who lost support collapsed.


    The troll punched his hand on the ground and escaped the fall, but it couldn¡¯t prevent the stab of the pursuit. Penetrating the adam¡¯s apple, Walm held his sword without letting it go.


    The sword kept moving to welcome the war hammer that Lizardmen unleashed, shifting the trajectory from his own body. Feeling the pleasant treble that the metal touched momentarily, Walm momentarily turned his wrist back.


    The throat of the lizardman, which hardened as if time had stopped, burst in no time, and fresh blood overflowed like a fountain.


    A goblin jumped out of the shadow of a troll¡¯s corpse while slamming an iron scrap that couldn¡¯t be called a weapon against Walm. But he shifted half of his body, and the attack passed right beside him giving him no danger.


    Grabbed the goblin¡¯s head with one hand, pulled it to his feet, and kicked it up with his knees. Walm slammed the unconscious goblin against the ground, smashing his head. At the same time, he felt monsters were rushing in from all sides.


    Mana was consumed, hot air spread, and blue flames eroded the surroundings with a slight delay. A horned grizzly wrapped in blue flames. Feeling that its eyes got roasted, the bear closed the eyes and swung its powerful arms. Walm knocked down his sword at the top and broke the skull of the bear, which was swaying its claws in all directions.


    Relying on its sense of smell, a wolf with burnt fur jumped in even though the skin was exposed. A longsword was inserted into its mouth and pierced the throat, causing the wolf to stiffen in the air. Smashing the corpse, Walm ran through the side of the corpse, chasing the rest of the dancing monsters.


    How many times did Walm repeat slashing, wiping, stabbing, crushing, burning, and running? Even Walm himself didn¡¯t know.


    The slime that tried to sprinkle the digestive juice was roasted and its liquid body scattered into the air.


    A werewolf who had endured the fire tried to chase after Walm. A sharp claw that easily tears his skin stretching, but cut through the sky without scratching any of his muscles.


    The werewolf was still close, so it tried to hug Walm like a lover, but Walm¡¯s answer was a rejection. Before its arms grabbed his body, a sharp tip cut off the torso, and the lower back broke while screaming.


    It was a great outbreak that seemed to last indefinitely, but as the battles continued, the influx slowed down and Walm noticed that the number of monsters had dropped sharply.


    It was as if what was written in the scriptures of D¨©rgha ¨¡gama, ¡°Sa?j¨©va¡±, Walm could imagine the future of his struggle there. [TN: Sa?j¨©va, is the ¡°reviving¡± Naraka (a.k.a hell), in short, it¡¯s a place in hell, where it¡¯s said that you¡¯ll be killed by something hot like fire, or fiery weapons, then you¡¯ll be revived, killed again, revived again, as many times.]


    The limbs were as heavy as lead (Pb), the viscera were screaming, and the eyes were trembling with dull pain. From the time he was aware of the end, Walm¡¯s movement lost its fineness.


    Lizardman thrust a short spear from behind. Walm crossed his legs and flipped, but his legs were slightly entangled with the spear.


    Walm, who deflected the spear tip with the sword, used¡¶Strike¡· in a trajectory from bottom to top, rubbing the ground to the air. The lizardman¡¯s arms and neck were cut off, and blood blew out of its remaining torso and arms.


    At that time, Walm captured the creeping shadow while avoiding blood splashes. The chin was torn to its cheeks, the head and chest closely resembled those of humans, but the lower body was in the shape of a serpent.


    Two pairs of daggers shimmered suspiciously. Both were kris daggers, a weapon with a wavy blade like a Flamberge.


    Walm¡¯s hand was slightly numb when he caught the stab with the sword. Even in this situation, he couldn¡¯t help but have extra thoughts, and it cost him his momentum in handling a sword.


    ¡°Hah, hah, haaa, huff¨D¨D ¡°


    Focus, look only at the monster in front of you.


    Circulating his breathing, Walm managed to switch his gears.


    The remaining kris dagger approached from the side, and the tail extended to his feet. Reflexively caught the kris dagger with the back of his hand, and scooped up and cut the tail that was about to entangle him with a sword. The ¡°Lamia¡± tried to push to the end with a stab while making a menacing sound. Walm, on the other hand, took advantage of the longsword¡¯s reach, and when he stepped on one foot, he slashed the lamia from the waist to the shoulder.


    The lamia didn¡¯t die, but could no longer be a threat.


    A ¡°Poison Spider¡± jumped from the rubble wreckage and a double-headed ¡°Orthrus¡± jumped in, giving Walm no break.


    Walm skewered the poison spider that fell from overhead and threw the cramping poison spider at the two-headed wolf.


    The orthrus made a small step to the left and turned its two jaws toward Walm, but only one evasive action and now he had a chance to fight back.


    Walm jumped back and extended his sword horizontally. The orthrus was slashed from the chin to the top, cutting both heads in one go, and the body, which had lost both heads, slid on the ground with good momentum.


    Three orcs, which saw an opportunity, were approaching Walm, who was sluggish. The leading orc covered the fatal area with a round shield while approaching, but it was easy for Walm.


    Knees were cut off as it was the blind spot of the shield user, and the orcs fell forward. Walm slid his finger into the orc¡¯s eyeball with his hand and the blue fire went inside.


    The eyeballs pop instantly like popcorn and the brain was boiled.


    A second orc thrust the spear, but the tip of the spear was crushed with ¡¶Strike¡· and just like that, the attack went to cut through the defenseless throat.


    The orc tried to escape from bleeding by holding down its throat, but couldn¡¯t stop bleeding with a mana barrier, in the end, only prolonged its life by a few seconds.


    The last orc was approaching. Walm changed his grip and supported the bottom of his handle with one hand. He fixed his sword in its path and greeted the orc.


    Walm felt that the tip of his sword stabbed its heart, and pulled it out while twisting. The dead orc spewed blood in a lot volume from the stab wound and its mouth, leaning against Walm and lastly, falling to the ground.


    Walm ran his gaze around as if twisting his neck. The surrounding monsters were about 30 bodies. Hundreds or more remained in the entire castle, but the torrent of monsters that felt like infinity started to feel finite, somewhat manageable.

 CH 67

    67. Chapter 67


    Walm kicked the kobold while exhaling an unsteady breath and noticed the shaking earth. He wondered if his semicircular canals were paralyzed by the pile of fatigue, but his body was ¡°still¡± normal.


    Perhaps it was caused by a few remaining comrades or a monster that escaped death. In any case, Walm was convinced that something was causing the crawling vibration, and so he tried to search for the cause.


    To his wonder, something was finally in sight. Sprinkled with rubble and soaring dust, the castle gate was crushed without any trace, and something was heading straight to Walm.


    It looked like an earthworm, but its surface was covered with hardened skin and there was no eyeball. Above all, it was huge. Walm had heard about it.


    ¡°No way, is it a ¡°Tyrant Worm¡±?! Such a big one still left!?¡±


    Walm got the information about some monsters from the Deborah family, a former adventurer, who thought that some other dangerous monster might have invaded the Highserk Empire¡¯s territory along with the Flame Emperor Dragon.


    The monster, which could be said to have a high degree of danger even in A-class monsters, shook its giant body, lifted it, and slammed it in Walm¡¯s direction.


    Despite the casual slamming, the monsters surrounding Walm were wiped out. When the tip of the head was opened in 5 directions, the Tyrant Worm entangled the monster that was stuck, lifted the head, and swallowed it.


    Blood droplets and pieces of meat from the pathetic monster poured onto the surface of the earth like heavy rain.


    ¡°No discrimination huh?¡±


    It had a destructive power and indiscriminate predation, but this was a desirable development for Walm. The commander of the great outbreak that attacked Dandurg Castle had been lost, and some demons must have been freed from the constraints.


    If there was a problem, it was the fact that Walm was also regarded as a very attractive and favorable prey because of his mana.


    ¡°Do I look like a tasty food?¡±


    Walm used wind magic to avoid the approaching head. The buildings are collapsing as it rubbing the ground, and the rubble, which should be heavy, was scattered like a cannonball.


    The movement was slow, but due to its size, it caused widespread damage. Walm couldn¡¯t get closer to the treatment area anymore. If such a monster rushed in, the injured who couldn¡¯t move would be a nice snack to fill its stomach.


    Walm deployed ¡¶Demon Fire¡· as what his mana allowed him to, and kept roasting the Tyrant worm.


    Perhaps it had no vocal cords, the Tyrant Worm bit its teeth, twisted itself, and randomly spread destruction around. As a matter of course, the outer skin was enveloped in a magical barrier, and the whole body couldn¡¯t be burned by the blue flames. It might have been burned to death if it continued to be roasted in maximum power, but now Walm couldn¡¯t have such a luxurious way of fighting.


    A longsword was slashed to the outer skin, but the outer skin was thick. There was no choice but to make a hole somewhere like when fighting a Crawler in the past and burn it from the inside. Since there were no joints or eyeballs, it wasn¡¯t possible to aim at a relatively soft place and burn it to death. It was extremely difficult to identify the place of excretion.


    At this moment, the broken battle axes at one of the defense layers in the Sarajevo fortress came to mind. Unlike the three idiots, there wasn¡¯t even any trace of ¡°his¡± body left. The former squad leader would have tried to destroy it from the inside with his battle axes and his skill¡¶Strike¡·. Such a begging was nothing but escapism. Walm immediately switched his consciousness.


    Fortunately, the Tyrant Worm was following its tasty-looking Walm. He was about to succeed in moving it to near the walls, away from the treatment center and other human-standing areas.


    The oral cavity of the Tyrant worm, which had begun to pick and eat nearby food with its chin wide open, was exposed. The whole body of the orc was rubbed down by the myriad of fangs. The spilled limbs were covered with yellowed saliva.


    The unscrupulous Tyrant Worm was obsessed with fresh monsters and abandoned corpses. In terms of toughness and strength, it surpassed a Crawler, but its brain was less than an insect.


    Walm, who went into the gaps in the rubble and escaped to the outside of its senses, ran up to the rampart with wind magic and got a whole view. At this rate, his mana would only be wasted. It was obvious for Walm that his mana would be dried out by the end of the fight.


    The Tyrant Worm, which would have been fishing for prey by relying on the smell, couldn¡¯t find Walm who had escaped to the rampart, and was trying hard to pick up the surrounding monsters.


    The Tyrant Worm was excellent at eradicating its fellow monsters, but such a big oral cavity shouldn¡¯t be pointed at humans.


    Even now, the ugly mouth was opened in five directions, and the ogre that had become burnt was going inside. Walm, who was thinking about how to land damage, had his eyes nailed to its huge mouth. A dangerous bet just came into his mind.


    There might be other safety measures, but if the Tyrant Worm ate up all the food, it would start moving. If that were to happen, Walm would miss the opportunity.


    ¡°Is there any other way?¡±


    After moving from the wall to the gate tower, Walm searched for the object. Fortunately, there was still abundant of it.


    Walm randomly tore the monster¡¯s belly and bathed it from his head.


    An ugly odor spread into the nasal passages, and when the body rejected it, the acidity rose from the back of the throat. The intestines and other organs that had no function anymore stuck lightly to Walm¡¯s body.


    The color was perfect, and the rich scent would strongly stimulate the appetite of the customer. Walm, who praised himself for his good sense, screamed while spreading the odor with wind magic.


    ¡°OI! Earthworms Bastard!! Until when you¡¯re going to eat that bad stuff!? The real treat is HEREEEE!!!!¡±


    Walm shouted like high-pitched mourning of a girl who was taken down by her rival and driven by the flames of jealousy.


    The flirtatious Tyrant Worm shifted interest from the monsters which were craving its attention and rushed straight to Walm.


    ¡°Yes, come! Follow me!!¡±


    The big mouth opened and the inside of the oral cavity was clearly visible. There were a lot of fangs that were too small to count, and a lot of food scraps were caught in between.


    Walm ran while keeping a certain distance. If he stumbled, he would join the pieces of meat in its mouth. He had no desire for atrocities such as letting himself be minced.


    ¡°Hah, huh, hah, it¡¯s fast even though it doesn¡¯t have legs.¡±


    Fortunately, Walm arrived at the destination without getting lost or falling. Walm jumped into the entrance of the gate tower. Countless fangs were approaching his eyes.


    ¡°Uh¨D¨D¡±


    The mouth tried to swallow Walm, but the dragon-like giant was too big to fit the entrance for the purpose of human passage. The Tyrant Worm collided with the gate tower, making an unbelievable roar as it felt like being blocked.


    The Tyrant Worm tried to bite the fangs into the gate tower and prey on the stones, which was the sight that Walm had been waiting for.


    The odor that could bend someone¡¯s nose was all over the body. It was unclear how much corpse meat was caught and eaten. Walm¡¯s nasal passages were rejecting, but he pushed forward in the face of the long-awaited opportunity.


    ¡°Are you sure leaving your mouth open that big!? It¡¯ll get burned!!¡±


    The ¡¶Demon Fire¡· that was deployed with all might, spread explosively in the oral cavity and burned down the viscera. The Tyrant Worm was closing its mouth and tried to escape from the blue flame, but the fangs dug into the gate tower, and the flame burned its muscles, causing adhesions and not closing normally.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you run away!!¡±


    The Tyrant Worm was twisting violently and continued to be burned from inside the body by the blue flames that could melt even iron. And after a few seconds, the giant trembled a little.


    The movement slowed down, and finally, the Tyrant worm was exhausted without escaping from the gate tower and the blur fire.


    ¡°I, won¡±


    Repeated battles, exhausted mana, nauseous fatigue, distorted vision. and even loss of balance. Unbearable, Walm collapsed from his knees.


    Walm felt the victory, but he frowned at the falling objects. It was only a fragment, but it gradually increased in size and number.


    The rush and bad footsteps of the Tyrant Worm caused fatal damage to the gate tower, which was built where its structural strength could be maintained without relying on pillars.


    The gate tower began to collapse. His plan wasn¡¯t very thorough. It was no joke for Walm to win the battle but lost the war.


    ¡°Hah, is this the end?¡±


    The only entrance had been blocked by a large burnt Tyrant Worm. A large amount of rubble that could easily crush a human fell from overhead.


    He crawled miserably and could only try to escape even if it would end up futile.


    Then, words flowed from his mouth naturally.


    ¡°I¡¯m sor, ry¡±


    Was it for his country? Comrades? Or¨D¨D Only Walm knew.


    The last thing Walm saw with his burning eyes was the approaching rubble.


    As the vivid world turned dark, his consciousness was lost.

 CH 68

    68. Chapter 68 ¨C Burnout


    12,000 Highserk soldiers, 3,000 former Myard soldiers, 7,000 volunteers, and 81,000 refugees were all humans who had filled the Dandurg Castle.


    It had now been reduced to less than 10,000 soldiers and civilians. Men and women of all ages and those who could move were all involved in the battle in some way. In short, it was the result of being involved.


    The monsters that might reach 100,000 in numbers have fallen everywhere inside and outside the castle, and the monsters that have been missed were still wandering around.


    In the corner of the castle tower that escaped the collapse, those who had been raised to the representative position exchanged opinions.


    ¡°It should be a holding up in this castle. We have destroyed all the monsters, haven¡¯t we?¡±


    Highserk soldiers with one arm hung said so.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure we¡¯ve destroyed them, but it¡¯s all thanks to the demon fire, right?¡±


    Deborah, who had been made to be a temporary Platoon Commander, brought the story back to reality.


    The success of the defense of the great outbreak, if you focused on words alone, it certainly sounded sweet. But, not for those involved.


    Moritz, who had been quietly listening, opened his mouth.


    ¡°Yes, we¡­ lost our pillar, Walm-dono.¡±


    Moritz had determined that it was time to face the unacceptable reality.


    Walm¡¯s worth as a military man for Moritz was that of a hero. To the headquarters which lost the chain of command, Walm organized the confused castle, and always fought on the front lines.


    For Moritz, who spent most of his military career as a messenger of the headquarters, he was so grateful for his good luck that he could be in a position of assisting Walm, who was a supportive person even in private life.


    The Lord to serve should have been found. Now, it was lost, and Moritz was knocked down to the bottom of his disappointment. Still, 10,000 people survived. He couldn¡¯t afford to stagnate.


    ¡°Without Battalion Commander Walm, we can¡¯t talk about defense.¡±


    ¡°We fought together, even though I was behind the scenes. There were countless monsters that he had killed alone. That¡¯s the truth. Can we get the same results without him¡­?¡±


    ¡°He had killed a Crawler, Tyrant Worm, and Ogre Lord. Who can do the same?¡±


    Friug, the survivor of Walm¡¯s subordinates, shuddered. Moritz could understand his feelings well.


    It was the troops led by both men who searched around the castle to the end.


    They fought under a hero whose story would be handed down to posterity, and won the siege battle that was supposed to be their demise. But, the protagonist didn¡¯t last until the very end. Who had the right to scream loudly for victory now? None.


    Moritz turned to Ayane, who was participating in the meeting. The effects of physical and mental fatigue on the ghastly battlefield were enormous already, and now, the figure of the person who she barely saved and hoped for his return from unreasonably jumping into the deadly zone, wasn¡¯t there¡­ How much mentally worn down was she at this moment?


    The absent-minded figure of Ayane was really painful to see. And the first one who cursed at the cause of it was Moritz. He thought that his Lord was such a terrible person to make a girl sad and leave her behind.


    Moritz was aware that what his Lord did was a stupid act. Although it was to defend the castle from being destroyed, Walm who had been injured to the extent that he was almost dead, after being healed, immediately went back to the battlefield.


    The Dandurg Castle was craving from Walm to return to the battlefield. Those who had looked his back as a soldier were hoping for it. Even Moritz wanted a hero named Walm.


    Rather than the loss of the hero, those who knew Walm were more saddened by the loss of Walm as a person. Though he had a short relationship with Walm, Moritz was one among those people. But the one who was most saddened by this, must be Ayane, who was the last person to exchange words with him and saw him off.


    Despite the relationship between a prisoner of war and the surveillance, there was a sympathetic connection between them that Moritz couldn¡¯t understand. Moritz believes that it was Ayane¡¯s dedication that brought back Walm, who traveled to the Netherworld, to the real world. That was why Moritz thought that the feeling of loss that the girl had right now must be immeasurable for him to even understand.


    The last time Walm returned to the treatment center, was with serious injuries. And he didn¡¯t come back this time. Ayane¡¯s shock couldn¡¯t be healed that easily.


    And even if it was a sentimental meeting, they must proceed.


    ¡°In our beloved homeland, 200,000 monsters are lurking along with the Flame Emperor Dragon, and the other two armies couldn¡¯t be contacted with communication magic tools, even the Imperial City couldn¡¯t be contacted.¡±


    Justus, the only Brigade Commander (Wartime) who escaped the difficulty of the Flame Emperor Dragon¡¯s breath, said so to confirm the status quo.


    The thin hair was polished and the dark circles were deeply carved under his eyes. Moritz was well aware that Justus was the shadow pillar of the defense of Dandurg Castle.


    A shift in force, distribution of supplies, and guidance for the citizens¡­ without Justus commanding that side, the number of survivors could have been less than half of what it was now.


    Moritz thought that the Flame Emperor Dragon, which destroyed his home country, would likely return to its nest in the Demon Territory. If that were to happen, there would be a risk that it would return following the path it came. Only, this time, the humans left in Dandurg Castle would be eradicated for real.


    ¡°We have no choice but to go to Celta territory of Myard. Ask for forgiveness and beg for mercy.¡±


    ¡°No way!! Relying on Myard¡­ even though they also affected, they¡¯re one of the culprits.¡±


    ¡°Brigade Commander, are you serious!?¡±


    ¡°Until the end, I¡¯ll always be a soldier of the Highserk Empire! Even if the country is going to ruin, I¡¯m prepared to devote myself if necessary to bring it back to glory. I¡¯ve a family and friends in the Imperial City, but now¡­ they no longer exist.¡±


    Justus scattered the documents he had in his hand on the desk.


    ¡°I wrote down the communication history using the communication magic tool. It¡¯s still not confirmed, so I refrained from telling it.¡±


    The reactions of the Highserk soldiers who read through the scattered documents were mixed.


    ¡°The First Army and the Second Army are destroyed, and His Excellency Gerard also d-died in battle with the castle as a pillow. And H-His Majesty the Emperor¡­¡±


    ¡°Did the Flame Emperor Dragon invade the Imperial City just one day after overtaking Dandurg?¡±


    ¡°All contact with major cities is lost. There is no response from any place under Highserk territory by communication magic tools, and the only place where you can contact within the communication range is Celta territory of Myard.¡±


    Justus told so and squeezed his mouth until everyone had finished reading the paperwork.


    Communication blackout¡­ would mean that humans had been lost from the surrounding area. Moritz was once again struck by reality. At the same time, he marveled at the boldness of Justus, who even after knowing the surroundings, personally hid it and continued to take command.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to admit, I don¡¯t want to¡­ But, the Highserk Empire isn¡¯t dying, it¡¯s already died.¡±


    ¡°N-no way, Highserk is, nooo.¡±


    ¡°Did we lose? Then, for what reason, we¡¯re still here¡­¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t. I don¡¯t believe this, I¡¯ve a family in the Imperial City. When the expedition is over, I¡¯m going to give them souvenirs. I, I was going to give it.¡±


    Even generals and commanders who survived the hellish battlefield couldn¡¯t hide their dismay and were weeping.


    ¡°Is it, really, not possible? Perhaps, it¡¯s a malfunction of the communication magic tool.¡±


    ¡°Communication is completely cut off, including reserves.¡±


    ¡°Ha, haha. HAAAAAAA, AAAAHHHH. FAAAHHH!!!¡±


    The general, who was holding back his emotions, held his head while making a meaningless scream. There was no one, no participant of this war who could keep their face. Not a single one. Even Moritz couldn¡¯t help but shed tears. He was just doing his best to stay silent.


    ¡°Do we have no homeland, no war god, no heroes?¡±


    Dead country¡­ these two words were clearly in Moritz¡¯s mind. Feeling lonely and cold, he quietly put himself on a chair.


    ¡°The high-ranking soldiers of Myard, who were taken prisoners and fought together on the battlefield, survived. They¡¯ve talked to them with the communication magic tool¡­ We¡¯ll head to Celta and go into exile in Myard. That¡¯s all there is to the Empire. I will not stop those who are feeling crushed and want to head to their hometown. Still, as a soldier of the Highserk Empire, I want to save you. Even if this is something hard to endure, intolerable, You, have to steel yourself¡­ Even if what awaits you is only a series of endless misfortunes, it won¡¯t change the fact that You, brave soldiers, are the only remnants of the Highserk Empire.¡±


    If blood were to flow out of eyes, it wouldn¡¯t be possible except now. Justus clenched his teeth as if wanted to crush them, opening his red-colored eyes.


    Those who keep their eyes on the desk and cry, those who look up at the ceiling as if they were in love, those who just keep quiet and ponder. In the end, no one criticized Justus.


    On this day, people disappeared all at once from Dandurg Castle, and the old castle, which had escaped the fall despite being hit by a great outbreak, fell under the control of the monsters.

 CH 69

    69. Chapter 69


    The abdomen of the Tyrant Worm, which was integrated with the walls, was burned, and heated body fluids and burnt pieces of meat were scattered around.


    From the inside, a protruding sword tip repeatedly scraped off the outer skin and something crawled out.


    It was Walm.


    Walm took pride in his decision to jump into the mouth of the Tyrant Worm, which had died out of breath, but in addition to fatigue, he was squeezed inside by the rubble of the gate tower and the weight of the Tyrant Worm. He was stuck and fainted.


    ¡°To have fainted three times on the battlefield¡­¡±


    Loss of consciousness on the battlefield shouldn¡¯t be that strange, but those unconscious people died in most cases. Those who could stay alive should be considered lucky.


    Still, Walm, who had fainted three times over a long period of time, could be said to have bad luck.


    Overlooking the castle from the giant corpse of a lying Tyrant Worm.


    It was horribly quiet.


    ¡°No, sound¡±


    Walm, who landed on the ground with a longsword thrust against the outer skin, started running.


    Birds were singing on the top of the corpses of humans and monsters, and insects were springing up. Some corpses had turned into undead and were reaching out to Walm in search of fresh meat. As if they envied the living flesh¨D¨D


    ¡°Sorry¡±


    A sword that entered from the temporal region stopped its action as the head was sliced.


    Frustration and anxiety dominated Walm.


    Accelerating his feet.


    There were no large monsters left, and the number wasn¡¯t that many. The problem was, that humans couldn¡¯t be seen at all. There was only their corpse that was eaten and hunted, or that became a monster.


    ¡°Anyone there?! Is anybody out there?!!¡±


    Walm shouted while sprinkling death on the monsters. There was no one in the warehouse, and no one on the ramparts either. He felt lonely as if he were alone in the world.


    Death was scattered everywhere. There were various causes of death, regardless of whether they were old or young, women or men, soldiers or civilians, humans or monsters.


    A faint black smoke rose from the scorched hut. It was just a place full of corpses.


    ¡°Reply if you hear me!! Please!!¡±


    As long as the one who replied was a human, it should be fine.


    Moved the eyes here and there, searching hard. Still, hope never came true.


    Walm realized that his steps were getting heavier as he headed to the treatment center where he promised to return. It was as if a wraith was holding his foot.


    ¡°Aa, please. Don¡¯t do this to me. Stop. I won¡¯t believe it.¡±


    Walm had to see. But he didn¡¯t want to see. Hesitated, his hands were quivering. Still, he decided to open the door to the treatment center.


    The odor had been engraved in the air. A stink that seemed as if it had been condensed spread in the nasal cavity. The viscera and excrement were mixed with the putrid odor, it even painted out the residual scent of incense and holy water.


    From the dimly lit room, the sound of chewing and slurping something could be heard. There were only goblins fishing for meat. Those engrossed goblins continued to shake their hips over the corpse. Full of wrath, Walm embodied the flames of hatred.


    ¡°¡­ Don¡¯t think, you¡¯ll die easily.¡±


    A group of goblins about 20, attacked to welcome the late visitor, Walm. In less than a minute, the goblins were trying to escape from the room.


    Cut off the limbs of the goblin that the legs had been burned by the blue fire, then tore the torso repeatedly, until it died.


    If there was no reaction, time for the next prey. All that was left was a pile of goblin corpses and devoured corpses. It was no longer possible to tell who was who. Still, it didn¡¯t change the only reality, that there were no survivors left.


    In the room, which was smeared with viscera and bloody vomit, only corpses were left.


    All the beds, which should have been full of people, were empty.


    ¡°Everyone, are you all, dead?¡±


    The comrades who fought together, the people seeking asylum, and the girl who came from the same world, same country¡­ All of them couldn¡¯t be seen.


    ¡°Ha, HAHA!! You, damn useless! You couldn¡¯t do anything at a crucial time. You couldn¡¯t help even one. Nothing, nothing could be saved. You¡¯re just a useless human¡­ you worth nothing.¡±


    Walm laughed at the decaying castle. He could only laugh.


    He couldn¡¯t control my emotions well.


    Randomly killing monsters and roaming the castle in search of survivors, but everywhere, Only the traces of a bloodbath were left thickly.


    At some point, Walm stopped letting out any voice.


    The area around the temporary wall was particularly terrible, with millions of human corpses and monster corpses. It was a place where they fought for their survival after all. At one corner, Walm was reunited with the adventurer.


    Leave the body to the rubble and didn¡¯t make a slight movement. Life had been lost from the eyes staring at the void. There, was Amy, and her arms, lovingly holding Al, who had only his neck.


    There was no doubt that the cause of death was bleeding from the neck caused by the wolf species as seen from the bite marks.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t let go of my grudges for what you did in the forest, but I didn¡¯t want to kill you. It¡¯s true. Believe me. I¡¯m, sorry.¡±


    Having fought side by side, Walm found that they were nice people to get along with. They fought not only for the Myard people, but also for their nemesis, the Highserk soldiers. Although it was all for survival, they looked good in Walm¡¯s muddy eyes.


    There were no survivors in the castle. As he continued to wander, he arrived at where the headquarters were set up, and he climbed the castle tower that was half destroyed by the breath.


    The inside of the castle tower, where the trace of a dragon¡¯s blow remained strong, was also stained with blood. There was no preferential treatment between men and women of all ages. The mother with a baby in her torso, was pierced in her belly, and now was laying down with no breath. Highserk soldiers who left only a few pieces of meat clinging to the armor were scattered on the floor. The wreckage of citizens, who had completely lost their hometown, was piled up in the corners.


    Every time Walm walked in the corridors and stairs, sticky water stuck to the soles of his feet. Even though it could be easily identified, he didn¡¯t want to confirm. As he climbed the stairs, a spider web and corpses greeted Walm.


    Corpses covered in white like a mummy, were piled up in one corner as the body fluid had been sucked dry.


    A fat ¡°Death Spider¡± lifted its legs, threatening Walm.


    The mana of the human facing the spider swelled, and although the spider had patiently sowed the nest, the spider abandoned its nest and chose to rout. Immediately, blue flame ran down the aisle, and burned down the spider and its nest, even the corpses too.


    After extinguishing the fire, Walm turned to the carbonized corpse. There was a slight expression of anguish on his face.


    It was hell. The sense of balance went wrong. It was the limit. Support the staggering body with a wall and proceeded down the corridor. Walm found a room that couldn¡¯t be opened. It seemed that the entire castle tower was deformed by the breath and some rooms couldn¡¯t be opened because there was something wrong happened with the door.


    Held the sword and pried open the twisted door with ¡¶Strike¡·. The doorknob was crushed and pieces of wood were scattered around. Walm invaded the room. Fortunately, no one blamed the act.


    Household goods were left in the room, which was supposed to be the private room of the castle servant. It wasn¡¯t contaminated with blood or filth and was kept clean. Now, it could be regarded as a valuable place in the castle.


    Walm, who blocked the entrance with furniture, took off his whole armor into the room, held a sword and a magic bag, and jumped into the bed.


    Having already exceeded his limits, Walm exhaled his emotions.


    ¡°Ah, aha, AHAHA!! Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT!!! WHY!? Why did it turn out this way¡­?¡±


    Walm, holding a sword, was struck by intolerable loneliness. In order to keep his sanity, he took out the fruit liquor from his magic bag and swallowed the contents of the bottle at once. He didn¡¯t savor the taste.


    Took out the high-percentage liquor in succession and pour it all into the stomach. The liquor bottles were emptied one after another and rolled to the floor.


    Gastric acid began to regurgitate, as if suddenly rejecting alcohol. He leaned out of the window and scattered the contents inside his stomach one after another into the castle.


    The mask that was beside him shook a little. Walm laughed a little, seeing the mask that looked as if it was comforting him.


    ¡°Kuh, Uhii, Hihi, are you and me, the only ones left?¡±


    Once again, Walm, who drank fruit wine, put on a cloak, and when he held the mask to his chest, he curled his body while scratching his head.


    After drinking and vomiting several times, Walm fell asleep.

 CH 69.5

    69.5 Chapter 69.5


    Map around the Highserk Empire at the time of the fall of Dandurg Castle


    Map 4


    After the Flame Emperor Dragon broke through Dandurg Castle, the line of defense, which was on the Myard¡¯s border, collapsed.


    In addition to the front, some monsters attacked the First Army and Second Army from the rear and sides.


    The Invasion Route of the Flame Emperor Dragon


    Map 5


    The Flame Emperor Dragon with other monsters hit the densely populated area of the Highserk Empire.

 CH 70

    70. Chapter 70 ¨C Broken


    When Walm woke up, nothing had changed in reality. The only thing that changed was the number of monsters under his eyes which was increasing rapidly.


    ¡°Hah, haha, is this the reality?¡±


    Walm admitted that there were no living humans in Dandurg Castle.


    Rotating dull thoughts hard.


    The military organization that gave orders to him had collapsed, and Walm must think about what should he do from now.


    After beating his brains, forcing his mental to be somewhat repaired, Walm decided to return to his hometown.


    He collected the equipment he had taken off and pushed the preserved food seized from the supply storage into his mouth.


    Preserved foods made from wheat, dried grapes, and oil deprived Walm of saliva and water. Poured in water, but this time the stomach screamed.


    ¡°Urg, ogh, uck¡±


    Working hard to prevent gastric fluid from flowing out. The sour taste that spreads in his mouth was the worst taste he had tasted in a while. Walm, who put up with the urge to drink, left the room.


    Walm ridiculed his own appearance of searching for halberds, short swords, armors, and coins from the corpse. After all, it wasn¡¯t so much different from the monsters fishing for corpse meat. After collecting supplies, Walm climbed the roof of the castle tower while putting them in his magic bag.


    The mountains were carved, the valleys were destroyed, and even the rivers were scraped off, creating a huge road. There was no doubt that it was the work of the Flame Emperor Dragon. At the same time, following that road, would lead him back to his homeland.


    Encountering a large number of monsters along the way? It would have been a hesitant option, but it was a small matter for Walm today. It was more painful for him when he had nothing to do, after all when killing each other, there was no need to think of other extra stuff.


    Even if he were to be killed, a lonely Highserk soldier wouldn¡¯t be seen by anyone. It was a really easy-to-understand ending, a good ending for Walm, a defeated soldier. He descended from the temporary wall that he couldn¡¯t and failed to protect, and looked back.


    The old castle was dyed with red color and was about to decay due to repeated onslaught. As if showing the end of the Highserk Empire.


    Unlike in the castle, there weren¡¯t many monsters on the road. The monsters invited to the densely populated areas were scattered in those areas, and after slashing dozens of them every one or two hours, none could be seen anymore.


    Ironically, the passage created by the Flame Emperor Dragon during its invasion shortened Walm¡¯s travel time. The mountains and trees that should be detoured were equally overrun, the valleys were burned down, and even the rivers were dried out. It was a walking natural disaster that even changed the terrain.


    After walking for half a day, Walm arrived at a small village, but the village had been swallowed up by the outbreak, only barely leaving small remnants of human activities.


    All the houses had collapsed, the foundations were barely left, and there were no corpses or bloodstains left, let alone humans. Countless monster footprints told that it had been overrun by monsters.


    In the next city, the buildings were left according to the scale, but monsters and human corpses could be seen even from a long distance. It seemed that the garrison and volunteers were the centers of resistance, but in the end, the fall was unavoidable.


    ¡°Even Kanoa is no good?¡±


    Avoiding the collapsed city that wasn¡¯t where he wanted to go, Walm continued his way home.


    Unlike the battlefields up until now, the barriers on the border of the homeland, which deviated from the path of the Flame Emperor Dragon, had fierce resistance, and the walls and empty moats were filled with monster corpses.


    A soldier who had a business with an orthrus was hugging each other as if they were reaching a deal. The two-head bit the arm and throat, and the soldier pierced the chest of the two-headed wolf with a longsword.


    The collapsed fortified tower was filled with rubble along with the corpse of a cyclops, and the limbs of humans and monsters sadly went over the place. Walm would have ended this way if he wasn¡¯t lucky.


    Crossed the border from the collapsed wall.


    Both the barracks and the command post were overrun. Soldiers collapsed as if integrating with the walls of the collapsed barracks, and at the command post, there were a large number of monster corpses, and in the middle of it, there was a general with a large sword with a torn body, seemed to be killed in action.


    After that, Walm continued to look for a checking station. There were monsters that liked corpse meat, but in the end, only new corpses of monsters were presented.


    Walm built a bed on the half-destroyed observatory turret after clearing the surrounding monsters. Tied the cloak to the arrow shield or pillar of the turret to block the outside air and prevent the light from leaking.


    At Dandurg Castle, he had borrowed several cloaks. Some of them were a little dirty with blood, but they were suitable for the current Walm.


    No matter how much you lost your appetite, if you didn¡¯t put food in your stomach, your physical strength and mana would decline. So, after taking out the small pot, Walm used fire magic to boil the water he poured, and stuffed beans, shredded dried fish, and salt.


    The protest from the stomach increased with pain. Walm sipped the soup and chewed the fluffy black bread without caring about the taste.


    After the belly had been satisfied, Walm suppressed nausea and tried to let go of consciousness. The twin moons began to fall from the sky in his repeated opened and closed eyes, and were finally expelled by the sun. Walm left his resting area after cleaning up his bed.


    Ran at a speed that could be called a forced march. Killed all the monsters that came near as if they were bugs, but it never cleared his muddy heart.


    The corpses of refugees were increasing on the highway. A soldier on the ground was beaked by countless birds, and the eyes of an infant staring at the void were squeezed out.


    Didn¡¯t have the energy to drive it away, and enough hands to mourn. Walm advanced his foot silently.


    Walm, who didn¡¯t even have time to maintain weapons, picked up the abandoned weapon and threw it away not long after, again and again. If the spear broke, he would wield a sword, and if the sword broke, he would wield a war hammer.


    As the sun went down, Walm climbed a large tree and spent the third night since he left Dandurg Castle.


    There was only a short road left to go home. Walm ran out of breath on a road that remained vivid in his memory. His childhood memories revived in his mind.


    The forest, where he played around with the bad boys and his brother in the neighborhood until sunset. The country road, he had trampled many times. The rocks and trees that he marked. And finally, the village. Walm felt that it was a short and long way.


    Seeing the village, the taste of the sweet and sour raspberry he ate with his brother came to mind.


    Ran through the entrance of the village. The unrepaired fence remained the same as when Walm left the village.


    Walm opened his mouth as he dived through the gates of his nostalgic home.


    ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯m back¡±


    The family welcomed me. Tears overflow from Walm¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Sorry, for being late¡±


    Walm didn¡¯t say that he had the best family in the world. Still, they were the family he spent with until he was drafted.


    Even though it wasn¡¯t a wealthy house, on the day when the draft was decided, ever since Walm was born in this world, the treats he had never eaten were lined up on the table.


    He stuffed them inside his stomach to the point where he was no longer hungry, and drank alcohol with his father and brother so much that he couldn¡¯t remember vividly. When he thought about it now, he had never really talked so much with them before that day. It might have been influenced by the fact that Walm, who inherited the memories of the previous life, was feeling somewhere away.


    It might be too late, but Walm regretted. As his brother advised, he should have prioritized more time with his parents.


    The parents turned their empty eyes toward Walm and reached out for a hug. With a half-open mouth, they dragged their torn body and approached Walm.


    ¡°I, have become stronger. I won¡¯t lose to those soldiers and monsters. I¡¯ve repelled a dragon species and even the ¡°Three Heroes¡± of the Craist. But, my comrades, and my family¡­ anything I didn¡¯t want to lose, I couldn¡¯t protect them. Not a single one.¡±


    Walm accepted the hug.


    Their skin was terribly cold. The oral cavity with bloody vomit, filled his field of vision.


    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m sorry, my beloved mom and dad.¡±


    A longsword was inserted from the lower jaw and so, a second death was given to the family. Walm crawled out of the house and spat out the contents of his stomach.


    ¡°uh, gahh, ahh, ah, achk, a¡­¡±


    The nice neighbor, the strong-willed childhood friend, and the nervous village mayor welcomed Walm¡¯s return.


    Even the nice old man who taught Walm, who was about to be overwhelmed by anxiety, about the battlefield¡¯s knowledge and his experiences, had joined the circle.


    The entire village had turned into an undead den.


    Out of breath, but sobbing didn¡¯t stop. Walm clasped his hand on the ground. Sand overflowed through the gaps between fingers. Tears wet the eyes and distorted the vision. Couldn¡¯t stand the muddy image, so looked up at the sky. Contrary to what was in mind, the sky was clear with no clouds. Just to say that heaven didn¡¯t overlook the ugliness of stupid humanity ¨D¨D


    ¡°garrhh, ah, aaaaAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!¡±


    Walm roared and mana enveloped his body, spreading blue flames to the village with maximum firepower. His relatives and neighbors were all equally swallowed by blue flames. The fire turned the houses and the whole village into a living hell.


    ¡°What do you mean a ¡°knight¡±? What do you mean ¡°user of demon fire¡±? You¡¯re just a stupid useless person who can¡¯t save anyONE!!!¡±


    Walm¡¯s sobbing continued while spitting out the blue fire. For those who he couldn¡¯t protect. For those who were in the space between the World and the Netherworld. Walm continued to offer the blue flames so that everyone wouldn¡¯t get lost.


    ¡ô


    Walm didn¡¯t know how long he walked or how many days had passed. He found himself there.


    A hill overlooking the most populous capital at the heart of the Highserk Empire.


    The hill, loved by successive Emperors and the war god, Gerard, was filled with a few Highserk soldiers who somehow managed to reach here, but had lost their way. Walm joined in without speaking to anyone. At this point, his tear glands were finally dead.


    No words were needed for those who gathered on the hill. Everyone was staring at the capital with the same feelings. The defeated soldiers who lost their place, it was the identity of those who gathered on the hill.


    The country couldn¡¯t be abandoned, but it couldn¡¯t be protected, and it couldn¡¯t die either.


    The capital was swallowed by monsters, and the great buildings that Highserk citizens had built, their history, were burned down. The wall, which seemed to be impregnable, had collapsed due to an attack of non-human force.


    Once again, the transplanted eyes became hot and sharp pain rushed. But, nothing changed in his vision.


    People were extinct, fields were full of monsters, and the country was crushed.


    Sacrifice for the ideal. Peace by oppressing other countries. It was a repeated history.


    Good and evil would change depending on the position, but since the situation had become like this, Walm no longer knew what he was fighting for.


    Just that, today¡¯s tragedy shouldn¡¯t be wasted, and the lesson learned from this bloody event should mature the world. That was the only thing Walm wished for.


    TN: Alright, this is the end of arc 1. The next arc has more chapters than this first arc. From here on, I¡¯ll update slowly, This gave me depression. I need some happiness.


    Also just some info, the author seems to like ¡°¹í¡± (Oni, or can be roughly tl-ed as Demon). For example


    Ogre in this series, it used the word ´ó¹í, (Dai Oni, roughly tl-ed as Great Demon).


    Walm¡¯s skill is ¹í»ð (Onibi) -> Demon Fire


    Walm¡¯s mask, it looked like a mixture of ¹í (Oni) and skeleton -> Demon Mask


    Walm¡¯s eyes -> Demon eyes


    So, in short, my prediction, Walm will somehow turned into ¹í (Oni, or Demon). Or somewhat Demon-like.


    Really, I don¡¯t know the truth of my prediction yet, since I stopped reading (around ch 80 or 90) after I started tl-ing this.


    Lastly, I¡¯ve never been a person who¡¯s so active at Social Media, but well, I made a discord (first time btw), so for you who want to join, this is the link. if I think it¡¯s too troublesome, I might delete it¡­

 CH 70.5

    70.5 Chapter 70.5 ¨C Glossary 1


    Contents


    Character


    Skill


    Magic


    Monster


    Character


    Highserk Empire


    Walm


    Status : Alive


    The Mc of the novel. Reincarnated in this new world as the 3rd son of a farmer family, and still remember his previous life. A member of Duwei Squad. After the battle in Sarajevo Fortress, he got the title ¡°Knight¡± and assigned as the Escort Captain who should supervising Ayane and Maia. He then became a Wartime Battalion Commander in the defense of Dandurg Castle.


    He has a cursed mask which can vibrate, the Demon Mask. And after he lost both of his eyes, the evil eyes of ogre lord were transplanted into him. So now also, Demon Eyes, which the side effect? of his vision is slightly lagged behind.


    Attributes: Fire (High), Wind (High), Water (Very low)


    Skill: ¡¶Strike¡·,¡¶Demon Fire¡·


    Duwei


    Status : Dead?


    The Squad Commander, in which Walm was belonged.


    Skill: ¡¶Strike¡·


    Jose


    Status : Dead?


    Said to be a son of a merchant


    Willart


    Status : Dead?


    A Magic User


    Attributes: Fire and Water


    Noor


    Status : Dead?


    The rookie of Duwei Squad


    Barito


    Status : Dead?


    Another rookie of Duwei Squad


    Reinus


    Status : Dead


    One of the ¡°three idiots¡± of the Duwei Squad


    Tibird


    Status : Dead


    One of the ¡°three idiots¡± of the Duwei Squad


    Danfan


    Status : Dead


    One of the ¡°three idiots¡± of the Duwei Squad


    Kozuru


    Status : Dead


    A Platoon Commander. The Platoon to which Duwei Squad belonged.


    Liguria


    Status : Dead


    A Battalion Commander. The Battalion to which Kozuru Platoon belonged.


    Gerard Berger


    Status : Dead?


    Jaff


    Status : Dead?


    A Cavalry Battalion Commander.


    Hody


    Status : Alive?


    A logistic officer.


    Justus


    Status : Alive?


    A Company Commander. He then became a Wartime Brigade Commander in the defense of Dandurg Castle


    Moritz


    Status : Alive?


    A member of the Escort Unit under Walm. Said to have a Poison Resistance Skill.


    Friug


    Status : Alive?


    A Platoon Commander. In the Dandurg Castle defense, he was under Walm and was then assigned as a Wartime Company Commander by Walm.


    Napolk


    Status : Dead


    A Platoon Commander.


    Wake


    Status : Dead


    A Platoon Commander. In the Dandurg Castle defense, he was under Walm and was then assigned as a Wartime Company Commander by Walm.


    Jol


    Status : Dead


    A Platoon Commander.


    Liberitoa Trade Federation


    Hugo Avans


    Status : Alive


    The Foreign Minister. The man who made a proposal of burning the forest.


    Emrid


    Status : Alive


    A Company Commander


    Principality of Myard (Only Celta Territory)


    Youth Myard


    Status : Dead


    A Grand Duke. The leader of Myard.


    Rita Myard


    Status : Alive


    The daughter of Youth Myard. In a sense, she was once saved by Walm. She¡¯s now the leader of Myard.


    Lutwidge


    Status : Alive


    The bodyguard of Rita Myard. He¡¯s a veteran.


    Al


    Status : Dead


    An A-rank adventurer. The leader of his party. A sword user. He mainly use the wind magic ¡¶Burst¡·


    Attributes: Wind


    Amy


    Status : Dead


    A member of Al¡¯s party. She¡¯s Al¡¯s girlfriend. A bow user.


    Fleck


    Status : Dead?


    A member of Al¡¯s party. A great shield user.


    Skill: ¡¶Iron Wall¡·


    Leethia


    Status : Alive


    C-rank adventurer. A member of Al¡¯s party. She has a feeling for Al. She¡¯s one of the adventurers who lead the unit to burn the forest.


    Attributes: Wind


    Skill: ¡¶Wind Fang¡·


    Lefty


    Status : Alive


    A member of Al¡¯s party. He¡¯s the scout of the party. He has a feeling for Leethia. He¡¯s following Leethia.


    Deborah


    Status : Alive?


    Yogim¡¯s wife. A former adventurer.


    Skill: ¡¶Super Strength¡·,¡¶Iron Body¡·


    Yogim


    Deborah¡¯s husband. A former Kanoa soldier.


    Status : Alive?


    Skill: ¡¶Intuition¡·


    Moyes


    Status : Alive?


    The son of Yogim and Deborah. He called his mother, ¡°Mama¡±. A former Myard soldier.


    Skill: ¡¶Intuition¡·, ¡¶Super Strength¡·


    Ferrius Kingdom (Destroyed)


    Winston Ferrius


    Status : Dead


    Killed in action by Walm


    Balliston Ferrius


    Status : Dead


    The King of Ferrius Kingdom.


    Jackson


    Status : Dead?


    A Ferrius Soldier.


    Justan


    Status : Alive


    A 10-man Commander.


    Maia


    Status : Alive?


    Age : 21


    A healing Magician. Ayane¡¯s assistant ever since the Four Country Alliance attacked Highserk. She became Highserk Prisoner of War.


    Craist Kingdom


    Chester Craist


    Status : Alive


    The King of Craist Kingdom


    Gran


    Status : Alive


    The Commander of the Order of Reharzen


    Johanna


    Status : Alive


    A Knight belonged to the Order of Reharzen


    Skill: ¡¶Iron Wall¡·


    Sugimoto Ayane (in Japan) -> Ayane Sugimoto (in this world)


    Status : Alive?


    Age : 16


    A transported person from Japan. One of the ¡°Three Heroes¡±. Makoto and Yuuto¡¯s childhood friend. She became Highserk Prisoner of War.


    Izaki Makoto (in Japan) -> Makoto Izaki (in this world)


    Status : Alive


    Age : 16?


    A transported person from Japan. One of the ¡°Three Heroes¡±. Ayane and Yuuto¡¯s childhood friend.


    Attributes: All four element? It¡¯s said that she has multiple attributes.


    Asama Yuuto (in Japan) -> Yuuto Asama (in this world)


    Status : Alive


    Age : 16?


    A transported person from Japan. One of the ¡°Three Heroes¡±. Ayane and Makoto¡¯s childhood friend.


    Attributes: Holy


    Skill: ¡¶Holy Slash¡·


    Skill


    ¡¶Strike¡·


    ¡¶Hard Shoot¡·


    ¡¶Strong Shoot¡·


    ¡¶Strong Throw¡·


    ¡¶Iron Wall¡·


    ¡¶Iron Body¡·


    ¡¶Super Strength¡·


    ¡¶Intuition¡·


    ¡¶Demon Fire¡·


    ¡¶Wind Fang¡·


    ¡¶Holy Slash¡·


    Magic


    Fire


    ¡¶Torch¡·


    ¡¶Fireball¡·


    ¡¶Firestorm¡·


    ¡¶Fire Lance¡·


    Water


    ¡¶Waterball¡·


    ¡¶Ice Lance¡·


    ¡¶Ice Wall¡·


    Wind


    ¡¶Wind Blade¡·


    ¡¶Burst¡·


    ¡¶Release¡·


    Earth


    ¡¶Earth Bullet¡·


    ¡¶Golem¡·


    ¡¶Earth Crack¡·


    Monster


    Undead (?)


    Ghoul (?)


    Wraith (?)


    Hornet Rabbit (?)


    Goblin (E)


    Goblin Rider (E)


    Goblin Mage (?)


    Kobold (D)


    Silver Wolf (?)


    Werewolf (?)


    Orc (C)


    Hellbat (?)


    Scorpion (?)


    Bicorn (?)


    Ogre (B)


    High Ogre (A?)


    Ogre Lord (S)


    Lizardman (B)


    Lamia (B)


    Death Spider (?)


    Poison Spider (?)


    Orthrus (?)


    Centipede (B-A)


    Owlbear (?)


    Troll (?)


    Cyclops (?)


    Death Condor (?)


    Tyrant Worm (A)


    Crawler (A)


    Lake Dragon (?)


    Flame Dragon Emperor (SS)

 CH 71

    A year had passed since the man entered the bar. His carelessly stretched hair was tied, and his beard was unmaintained, making it difficult to infer his age.


    Gangut, the owner of the bar, had seen various human beings for many years. An adventurer who seemed to have jumped out of a hero tale, to a waste of humanity that couldn¡¯t be helped. If someone wanted to evaluate a person, he should be one of the best people to ask.


    Smoked cigarettes and drank alcohol from morning till night. However, the man didn¡¯t have a conversation with other guests, and even if he was invited by an amateur or an experienced whore, he refused. He always gulped alcohol with all his might, and the appearance of inhaling purple smoke into his lungs, was as if he wanted to die, but it seemed that his real purpose was to lose his sanity.


    There was no doubt that the man had money. Gangut had made dozens of complaints about the man¡¯s health, but he had never received a decent response, only vague remarks.


    Even now, in the corner of the store, which had become a vip seat for the man, the man looked down and drank distilled liquor as if it was water. Originally, it should be taken in small quantities or mixed with something. While his throat was screaming as the liquid passed through, with a cigarette in the other hand, he was looking at the ceiling with his empty eyes.


    Gangut¡¯s store wasn¡¯t a high-class store that aristocrats and powerful people would visit. It was for sure a popular store, where day laborers, citizens who wanted to enjoy temporary luxury once in a while, and adventurers who relied on their own skills to jump over between demon territories and battlefields, would gather. Naturally, there were no paintings or ¡°skylights¡± on the ceiling that cost money. If there were any, only the stains of cigarettes and the remnants of the food thrown out by a fight.


    Gangut occasionally scolded the man, for just consuming liquor and cigarettes. It had been a scene that had been on repeat for the past year, but today it was different. Even in a group of adventurers who got drunk, usually, there would be at least one person who would take of the drunkards, and that person was approaching the man.


    ¡°Why are you always drinking alone? Wanna join us?¡±


    ¡°Stop, and leave¡±


    The man said without turning around.


    ¡°Drinking alone would make the liquor taste unpleasant.¡±


    ¡°Not, that bad.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Is the liquor you drink without working every day delicious?¡±


    ¡°eah, that¡¯s, right.¡±


    At first, it was just a tease to a man who was immersed alone in a bar, but the adventurer¡¯s anger swelled in the ¡°don¡¯t care¡± attitude of the man. Seeing the scene, Gangut held his head.


    ¡°You, you¡¯re mocking me, aren¡¯t you!?¡±


    ¡°I, am, not.¡±


    Gangut, was a B-rank adventurer. He survived for half a lifetime in a place with the most labyrinths in the Archipelago, and was able to leave the labyrinth city and set up a store on the border of Kopetsk City. Given a myriad of adventurers scattered around for a new venture after retiring, his store could definitely be categorized as a success.


    In the life of passing through the deadly line many times, it was inevitable that the intuition to feel the crisis became keen. It hadn¡¯t changed even now after he retired and became the owner of a bar. And so, Gangut set out a rescue boat. He got out of the counter and cut in between the man and the adventurer.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make a fuss in my store. I¡¯ll serve you a glass of beer. So, Be quiet.¡±


    ¡°If Gangut-san says so¡­ I understand.¡±


    The adventurer returned to the seat, not trying to hide the unyielding attitude. Those who would quickly pick a fight and get blood in their heads couldn¡¯t all be called bad guys. It was just how most of the adventurers would be, Gangut himself was an adventurer, so he could understand.


    ¡°Thanks¡±


    The man vaguely said so.


    Gangut had no intention of saving the man. He thought of the man as a guest, and he only sent a rescue boat to the poor adventurer. But. even now, the stupid adventurer didn¡¯t try to hide the anger, and just carefreely drank the beer. Really, a stupid adventurer.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing much. I¡¯m much more grateful to have someone who patronized my store for one whole year. But, can¡¯t you behave a little more social?¡±


    ¡°eah, you¡¯re right¡­ since, I¡¯m indebted, to you. I¡¯ll, try.¡±


    The man¡¯s eyes looked up, though they were supposed to be golden, they looked terribly muddy.


    At the moment, although Gangut had become weaker, his body sensed danger and made a stance.


    ¡°!¡­ I¡¯m glad I heard a good reply.¡±


    Occasionally, the man¡¯s muddy eyes could freeze the spine of a skilled adventurer, Gangut. The man was usually a good guest who paid for the drink and drank quietly, but for Gangut, who knew what he looked like before, he was a man who was hard to predict what he would do if stimulated in the wrong way.


    None of the customers, who saw the first time the man visiting the store, whether they were afraid of him or not, they wouldn¡¯t look down or tried to mess with him. Gangut still vividly remembered the first time the man visited his store. With a rich dead odor that seemed to stick forever, countless scratches on the armor, and the shacky muddy eyes, the man came. Gangut had a hard time to even letting out a word for him.


    Gangut was sensitive to rumors. Since his store was a bar where people with various backgrounds would gather, various information came to his ear, regardless of the accuracy.


    Considering the time when the man came, it was about the time of people talking about how ¡°Flame Emperor Dragon¡± and ¡°Great Ourbreak¡± had caused Ferrius and Highserk to collapse.


    Based on the timing, Gangut concluded that the man must be a defeated soldier who survived the war between Highserk and The Four Country and also the Great Outbreak. He must be from one of the collapsed countries that decided to move to the Archipelago. In fact, to varying degrees, there were many drifters from the perished Highserk Empire.


    It had been almost a year since Gangut was asked to introduce a place to rest and a general store. He was pushed into a corner of the store as if he were a dangerous drug dealer. While he was trying his best to hide his fear, he introduced the man to someplace.


    Now, the man¡¯s dead odor was fading, and his fearful eyes were hiding behind the muddy color.


    And yet. The stupid adventurer was trying to provoke the owner of the eyes and get into a fight. Gangut wasn¡¯t interested in who would win or lose. Of course, if it ended with just a simple quarrel, that would be good¨D¨D but, if that muddy eye was awakened in the store, even giving a piece of advice and a glass of beer was a lot cheaper. Still, Gangut couldn¡¯t help but resent the bad behavior of the adventurer.


    ¡°Here. Thanks, for the drink.¡±


    The man politely greeted and walked out of the store after giving Gangut the money.


    ¡°Watch out for your steps. And, have a nice night.¡±


    ¡°Ya, ah¡±


    The man who fluttered out of the store took out the hip flask from his waist bag and started drinking again.


    Gangut looked back at the approaching footsteps and sighed. The adventurers also tried to leave the store with a slight delay, as if they wanted to follow the man. It wasn¡¯t just a coincidence.


    ¡°It¡¯s outside the store¡­ I wouldn¡¯t stop you.¡±


    Being read, the adventurers stopped for a moment.


    ¡°Fighting may be a part of the bar experience. Still, never use weapons. Hear me, just fight normally.¡±


    The adventurers smiled stupidly, pushed through the saloon doors, and headed out of the store. The man¡¯s residence was close to the insecure slum. It wasn¡¯t a popular area.


    ¡°Stupid guys¡±


    Gangut didn¡¯t plan to stop them. Since they weren¡¯t children, the owner of the bar wasn¡¯t so caring about what might happen outside. Still, he prayed that the fragile-looking man had mercy and self-control.


    ¡ô


    The adventurer couldn¡¯t get rid of the sour taste since this morning. Normally, an ordinary adventurer wouldn¡¯t chase fights. But, the timing was bad. That¡¯s all. This morning, a member of the party was seriously injured. Brawling wasn¡¯t something strange for adventurers, so long as their life wasn¡¯t taken. The adventurer drank so much to distract from it and called out to a lonely man.


    Being looked down on wasn¡¯t an option for an adventurer. If that happened, the adventurer won¡¯t let it pass by. In addition to being a credit-related job, there might be a chance of being belittled and targeted by other adventurers.


    The adventurer would forgive the man if he let being punched one or two times and apologized. In a thought circuit of a dull brain, there wasn¡¯t enough reason to calm down the outburst of anger. The companions gave up at first, but now they were following to keep an eye on what would happen. If one of them was to go too far, they would have a reason to act as a stopper.


    Shortly after, the adventurer caught up with the man. In the late-night like now, there were no figures on the road from the back alley to the slums. It was an unsafe area to the extent that stupid drunkards and vagrants were stripped of their belongings.


    Even on the way home, the man was still pouring distilled liquor into his mouth, from a hip flask into his esophagus. The odor of rich alcohol irritated the adventurer¡¯s nasal passages. The adventurer thought to be a better person than the crazy drinker and screamed at him.


    ¡°Oi! Bastard, what¡¯s with your attitude?!¡±


    The man replied lazily to the adventurer¡¯s question.


    ¡°A, titude? I¡¯m, always, like this.¡±


    The man didn¡¯t even look at the angry adventurer, and instead, he took out the second hip flask, and pour the liquid to fill his stomach. At that moment, the adventurer¡¯s face was dyed red with anger and alcohol.


    ¡°If you¡¯re too drunk, I¡¯ll sober you up!!¡±


    In anger beyond the boiling point, the adventurer kicked up the ground and jumped at the man. When the arm with the elbow folded was stretched, the fist would suck into the man¡¯s chin. An adventurer who imagined a direct hit, didn¡¯t get a satisfactory response.


    ¡°Wha¨D¨D¡±


    The fist that should have felt human skin, could only feel the wind. At the moment, intense pain occurs in the abdomen, and the accumulated alcohol was exhaled together with gastric juice.


    ¡°Argh, uck, uuh¡±


    The man didn¡¯t seem interested in the adventurer who was bending to the front, and just kept tilting the hip flask.


    What had happened was simple. Just tilted his head to avoid the fist, and used the momentum of the adventurer to land an impact on the liver over the armor with his palm.


    It wasn¡¯t by chance. The adventurer who was accustomed to fighting realized that the man couldn¡¯t be just a useless drinker. The counter he did couldn¡¯t be done unless the angle, timing, and strength were aligned. The fact that the attack land on the liver, which was a vital point, and the ability to pass the attack through armor, made the adventurer feel like the man must be someone used to kill humans.


    The man had great skill. It was hard to believe he was just a rotten man you could find in any bar. The adventurer knew that he was at disadvantage. Still, adventurers had pride. When looked down, it instead, stimulated the fighting spirit and anger.


    ¡°Fine, you¡¯re asking this yourself!!¡±


    The sourness left in the oral cavity was spit out together with spit, and the adventurer jumped into the man again. The adventurer put a feint on his face with the left hand, rearranging the legs, aiming at the man¡¯s lower abdomen, and pulling out the right fist. But the man¡¯s elbow was in the vision when the adventurer closed the gap. It banged the adventurer¡¯s face.


    The nose was broken and fresh blood dripped in the alley. In addition to dull pain, the adventurer¡¯s nasal passages cause major bleeding, which makes it difficult to breathe only by mouth due to suffocation.


    ¡°Bas, taaaaarrrdd!!¡±


    Even though they were facing each other, the focus of the man¡¯s eyes wasn¡¯t on the adventurer, as if saying that he wasn¡¯t interested in the adventurer at all. It didn¡¯t matter. Being an adventurer meant, you had some skill to back your life. It was a world where violence spoke louder. It was no exaggeration to say that an adventurer was a devotee of power.


    But that was also the reason. Being treated as if a powerless person, a trash, was unacceptable. The man horribly still unwilling to let go of the hip flask and kept swallowing the contents. Contrary to the fierce adventurer, the fellow adventurers who were looking at the situation objectively felt chills on their spines. Because, they couldn¡¯t predict what kind of action would the man take next.


    ¡°Stop it there. Let¡¯s go back.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough¡±


    ¡°Stop that eye!! I¡¯m telling you to stop. Don¡¯t you understand?¡±


    There was no reply and the man was busy tilting the contents of the hip flask. Something snapped in the adventurer.


    ¡°Stop looking down on me¡­¡±


    The passionate adventurer put the hand around the waist and pulled the longsword out of the scabbard. Both monsters and people were equal in front of the sword, and the adventurer could stay alive thanks to it.


    ¡°Can you still look down on me now!! HAAH!?¡±


    Fellow adventurers rushed to stop.


    The adventurer didn¡¯t plan to kill the man. Just wanted to see the rotten man¡¯s terrified face.


    ¡°Calm down, your opponent is just a drunkard. A sword is too overkill.¡±


    ¡°Pulling out a sword in the city is too much¡±


    ¡°Shut up!! This is my pro¨D¨D ¡°


    The adventurer closed his mouth before he finished speaking. The viscera trembled, the nape was upright, and goosebumps run over the body as if to keep the sanity.


    The air in the back alley, which should have been cold, felt hot.


    ¡°W-what. What is that?¡±


    The mana that could be seen from a man who lacked emotions overflowed, and a strong sign of death was released. When noticed, a longsword that had been smeared with blood was held in the man¡¯s hand. The experience as an adventurer screamed in the brain. The man wasn¡¯t a false threat. As the eyes locked on the sticky blood, dismay was showing on the face.


    The out-of-focus eyes caught the adventurer. Although it should be a pale golden iris, it looked terribly muddy. Not only that. The pupils were narrowed vertically like a monster.


    There were a group of people that shouldn¡¯t be touched. The adventurer noticed that the man was a person belonging to the group.


    ¡°A, ah, AAHHhh? War? Ah, yes, war. Enemy? Ah, yes, enemy.¡±


    The man threw the hip flask, which he kept holding like a loved one and wouldn¡¯t let go, to the ground. In a moment, the man¡¯s body vanished into thin air. There was no doubt that the swaying blade which had mana kneaded into it was the skill, ¡¶Strike¡·.


    The adventurer reflexively stiffened and protected the vital points from the sword. Burning pain ran on the cheeks and hands. When the adventurer realized the sword had been slashed, the adventurer¡¯s body fall down to the ground.


    Dead. The brain was screaming for danger, but the body didn¡¯t react at all. It couldn¡¯t. The torso was trampled, pushing out the air in the lungs.


    ¡°Hey, wait, stop. Stop.¡±


    ¡°Please. Don¡¯t kill him!¡±


    At the same time as the begging of the adventurer¡¯s companions, the longsword was approaching the adventurer¡¯s throat.

 CH 72

    Walm grabbed the sword in a haziness. But he knew that, in front of him, an enemy with a shimmering blade was screaming unbearably. His body reacted to a nostalgic sight as if trying to correct itself. Trampling the body of the enemy, who broke the fighting stance, he wanted to put an end to the shacking arms.


    The tip of the sword tasted a human skin after a long time, tore the flesh, and was welcomed by overflowing fresh blood. A few centimeters more, blood would spurt out of the artery. It had experienced enough with the people of Liberitoa, Myard, and Ferrius.


    ¡°A, A©`ah?¡±


    But Walm stopped.


    Wa¡­ar, yes, war¡­ war


    Sudden discomfort rushed to him. The words of the bar owner were lingering too much in his mind. It forcefully mobilized the blurry brain, which was heavy and didn¡¯t want to move.


    ¡°Stra©`nge¡±


    What was it¡­ ah, ¡°be more social¡±, huh¡­


    A promise must be kept. Especially since the liquor that was offered, had filled the stomach. But, an enemy soldier was aiming for life. Enemy soldiers must be killed, couldn¡¯t be overlooked. Giving too much pity would only lead to being the ¡°old self¡±, and it would only hurt more to live in this world.


    ¡°Something, is wrong¡±


    Something cloudy and invisible trying to cling to his mind. While turning the entwined brain, he arrived at the true nature of the sense of incongruity. Although it was a vague memory due to alcohol, Walm continued to fight on the battlefield as a soldier of the Highserk Empire. As a result, his comrades, family, neighbors, and nation¡­ he lost everything he wanted to protect.


    ¡°eah¡­ ¡®ight. that¡¯s, right. I, have, lost.¡±


    Walm¡¯s reason, who had escaped to alcohol, slowly returned to reality. The brain revived a memory he didn¡¯t want to recall.


    ¡°Hu, ha, aha, ha??¡­ pa, thetic.¡±


    The men who saw Walm¡¯s bitter laugh made a noise. His brain, which was full of alcohol, was screaming.


    ¡°Please. Stop. We were stupid. Forgive us.¡±


    ¡°I will never do such a stupid thing again. I swear to God.¡±


    God, huh¡­


    Walm believed that if there was a God, that fucking bastard must hate him.


    Trying to clear the cloudy mind, Walm squinted his eyes and carefully observed the man under his eyes.


    ¡°No, not these guys¡±


    The fact that the war had been over.


    The fact that he wasn¡¯t a soldier anymore.


    It struck him.


    Yeah¡­ I¡¯m just, a pathetic defeated soldier, who failed to die¡­


    Then, what are these guys?¡­ Why is he pulling out a sword?


    He turned the questions that came up to the adventurer who crawled under his eyes.


    ¡°Something, is wrong¡­ You, pulled out a sword. Must be, Enemy, right?¡±


    Walm stabbed something like a breastplate with the tip of his sword and urged the adventurer to answer.


    Squeaking the teeth, the adventurer began to respond.


    ¡°I-it, it, it was just a fake threat. I-I wasn¡¯t serious. I-I picked a fight but was ignored, so the blood rushed to my head.¡±


    ¡°Fight? A-ah, a fight, huh. Sometimes, you threaten others, by pulling out your sword, huh.¡±


    On the battlefield, once you pulled out the sword and directed it to someone, it wouldn¡¯t end until one died. That was the absolute practice in a crazy struggle.


    ¡°Forgive me, I¡¯ll pay for bothering you, please don¡¯t kill me.¡±


    The adventurer spoke as fast as the mouth allowed. Walm turned his eyes to the fellow adventurers with a stunned face. He couldn¡¯t feel the spirit of the soldiers who bore the prestige of the country, nor the bare instinct for survival. It was really just a bunch of stupid people who asked for a quarrel.


    The bloody eyes subsided, and the alcohol began to dominate the brain again. In a word, it was a turn off.


    Walm, who was pulled back to reality, received the money offered.


    ¡°Hah, don¡¯t, get, involved, with me anymore.¡±


    Put the sword in the magic bag, picked up the flask thrown on the side of the road, and checked the contents. It was unknown to Walm whether the contents were spilled or he drank it all until empty.


    ¡°Wait, I changed my mind¡±


    The adventurers¡¯ necks awkwardly moved the head at Walm, as if they were rusty metal dolls.


    ¡°You guys, got some drink?¡±


    ¡°A, aaa, yes, we have. Take as much as you like.¡±


    Satisfied with the collected liquor bottles and the new flask, Walm returned home without looking at the adventurer again. A liquor bottle was brought directly to the mouth and the contents were poured, slowly mixing with the distilled liquor and wine in his stomach.


    ¡°Fu, uuuuhhh¡±


    The throat was burning and the stomach welcomed the new alcohol. Blood pulsated. Thoughts that were about to become clear, became cloudy again. But this was fine, Walm didn¡¯t need to work his brain again for today. His consciousness was only for alcohol.


    There was no taste. However, if the body and mind were dominated by the feeling of drunkenness, it was more than enough. That was all Walm needed.


    ¡ô


    A soldier¡¯s scream.


    A compatriot, who had been chewed together with his armor by sharp teeth, weakly hit the monster¡¯s body with a broken sword.


    A militia, who volunteered to protect his family, exposed his viscera to the atmosphere while muttering the names of his wife and child.


    Citizens seeking asylum were slaughtered in turn in a castle with no escape.


    A monster approached from behind the infant. Walm shouted with all his might.


    ¡º¡±RUUUNN!!¡±¡»


    Right, it was useless. Everything was useless. Walm understood that clearly. After all, it was all over. The clock hands would never turn in reverse. Still, he couldn¡¯t help screaming.


    He couldn¡¯t reach his comrades, the adventurers who once were his enemy, and those who seek salvation.


    He couldn¡¯t live up to the wish of the weak girl who showed her determination on the battlefield.


    He couldn¡¯t fulfill the promises he had made.


    All he could do, was only stand by.


    Hell¡­ Perhaps it might sound cheap. Still, it was a word that would really fit this. The hell that should have been ended, was still going on in Walm.


    From the mouth of the family who once saw him off when he was dispatched with a good luck, a curse word was spun with a groaning voice, and the bloody arms spread out to the fullest asking for a hug. He felt as if they were trying to celebrate his return, but also hungry for his living flesh. One thing that was certain, was that Walm smashed his parents¡¯ skulls from under the chins.


    The feeling that he could never forget, was like a curse.


    The corrupt memories were rapidly breaking down. The muddy world slowly cleared.


    When Walm opened his eyes, it was a dirty, muddy-looking room.


    ¡°Morning? It¡¯s morning again, huh¡±


    There was no furniture in the room other than the built-in shelves and beds. The armor that once shared the battlefield was now lonely covered with dust in one corner of the room, and the mask was hung from a window.


    Walm tried to put the mask in the magic bag, but for some reason, he couldn¡¯t put it in. Vibrated, again and again, it also refused to get dust with his armor. Feeling loss, he decided to hang it on a window with a panoramic view of the outside. Only by then, the mask stopped vibrating.


    The mask trembled a little as the sun rose.


    There was no day when Walm didn¡¯t have a nightmare. Even if he woke up, the memory never disappeared. It had been a year, but he still remembered it as if it were yesterday.


    The bed was littered with liquor bottles that had been abandoned, and the room was dominated by alcohol from the turned-over bottles.


    Walm hated early morning. Despite the stomach packed with so much alcohol, just a short sleep completely awakened his body. He wasn¡¯t sure whether to be happy with having a body with good metabolism or not. After all, if he got sober, the memories would be revived even if he didn¡¯t like it.


    The determination to move forward was never made, and the holes in the heart were never filled.


    Going crazy with alcohol and cigarettes, he spent days as if waiting for time to erase his memory. To heal his hearts.


    Goods and coins plundered from the corpses and abandoned supplies supported Walm¡¯s laziness. The former owners who would have wanted to live, their wishes couldn¡¯t be realized even after they gave such a reward.


    Knowing that, Walm was self-loathing his useless self, which enjoyed the days of rotting. This lifestyle might continue until his death. There was no other choice in Walm. Other than slowly letting himself decay in this small room. There was no other salvation for him.


    ¡°Ah, uh, Uurrgghhh¡±


    Sudden memory revival.


    Walm quickly opened up the sealed liquor bottle with his quivering hands, and poured it into his oral cavity all at once. Alcohol ran around the body, paralyzing the brain. Even if you could pretend to be a crazy person with alcohol, didn¡¯t mean you were completely crazy. Walm understood that. But nothing more he could¡¯ve done.


    ¡°Ha¡­ HAHA, ha¡±


    Nothing was interesting or funny. But a laugh echoed in the room. A dry laugh. As if just trying to warm up the facial nerve.


    Like it or not, another day to live started.


    Looked outside. Somehow, the cloudless blue sky felt ominous.

 CH 73

    Walm was in a corner of the bar from the morning and was drinking alcohol. Until he was intoxicated, he filled his stomach with alcohol and ate barely enough to keep himself alive.


    It had already been repeated every day for a year. The mind and body slowly rot since then. While he was drinking, he obscured reality, self-loathed himself, and colored the abominable memories of his homeland in a muddy color. Walm¡¯s target for salvation wasn¡¯t a bystander such as God, but only liquor and cigarettes that would keep his consciousness stunned.


    Liquor bottles were lined up on the table. He suddenly wondered how many he had emptied. He felt uncomfortable as his eyebrows knitted and his eyelids were shaking, but instead of stopping, it turned into pain.


    ¡°Uh, urrgghh, aAHH¡±


    Eventually, he suffered from burning pain in both eyes.


    ¡°a, AHH, my eyes, aAHH¡±


    The edge of the desk that was being squeezed squeaked, and the breath went violently. The unbearable pain that the eyeballs felt was as if a heated five-inch nail coming in, and the severe pain awakened the memory of the past. The same pain as something that had been experienced in the past. It was in the memory of the abominable event at Dandurg Castle. The tragedy of the ¡°Great Outbreak¡± that had been being kept deep inside the brain rushed into mind.


    ¡°Hoi, are you okay?¡±


    Because it was still morning, there was no sign of other guests, and Gangut, the owner who rushed out of the kitchen, called out.


    ¡°No, problem¡±


    Walm tried to act tough, but Gangut denied it.


    ¡°No matter how I look at it, you don¡¯t seem okay. Do your eyes hurt?¡±


    Gangut looked into Walm¡¯s eyes, and sighed. The pupils reflected in the glass were narrowed vertically like what Walm had seen on the battlefield of the past, and swayed freely like its own living thing.


    ¡°Y-you should go to the church¡¯s treatment center right now and see a healing magician.¡±


    Gangut told Walm in a sorry tone. It had been a year since Walm had been with him, but Walm could see that Gangut took good care of him, and this time too, it was a piece of advice said with good intention.


    ¡°Ye, ah, I understand. Where is, the place?¡±


    Walm¡¯s range of activity had been small for the past year, he had only traveled to a small rental room for spending the night, a general store for buying daily necessities, and a bar for drinking alcohol. He didn¡¯t know the location of the clinic.


    ¡°It¡¯s on the main street. You can see it when you head to the center of the city. It¡¯s a building with a noticeable blue stained glass.¡±


    ¡°Thank, you¡±


    Stepped forward in a fluctuating field of view. The aged floor creaked slightly.


    ¡°Are you okay going alone?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a kid. I can go to a hospi¡­ a treatment center alone.¡±


    Walm made a long joke, and when he smiled lightly, the owner¡¯s face cramped. Perhaps he looked scary from the owner¡¯s perspective.


    When Walm pushed the door open, the annoying but dazzling sun welcomed him. He wondered when was the last time he walked on the main street in the daytime, he tried to search in his memories, but nothing was found.


    The eyeball rejected the dazzling sun, as if he had become a vampire. Passersby were avoiding the undead-like footsteps of Walm. Seeing the people being so considerate with the sick, Walm laughed at himself.


    ¡°Haha, so, far¡±


    The road he needed to pass, which was less than a kilometer, felt like the Great Wall of China. Occasionally, he leaned himself on the fence of private houses while calming his turbulent breathing.


    As the bar owner Gangut said, the treatment center was easy to distinguish even from a distance. The building was based on white, and blue stained glass was used abundantly to let in the sunlight.


    It was a building that normally Walm wouldn¡¯t even approach, unless there was intermittent eye pain like right now. There were unrelated graveyards and statues of those who failed to fight their wounds.


    Dived through the fancy gates and pushed the doors of the building.


    Stained glass was stretched around the dome shape ceiling. If someone came to purely just appreciating the building, some would let out an amazed voice by now. However, the current Walm felt that it was nothing more than a lighting fixture with an unsightly light.


    A young woman was sitting over the counter. She must be the receptionist. Surely, better than a dirty middle-aged man for the eyes.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    The lady at the reception asked Walm.


    ¡°My eyes hurt¡±


    Walm dragged his leg and turned his eyes to the woman.


    ¡°Hii, ah¡­¡±


    The receptionist took a breath.


    ¡°E-eyes, is it. Wait, I¡¯ll check the schedule now.¡±


    The receptionist girl disappeared into the back.


    Walm sat deep in a chair and rested his back. The pain increased without any sign of getting better.


    ¡°Fuu, huu, huff¡±


    Disorder breathing. Walm hurriedly stopped trying to reach for the flask on his waist. He was trying not to rely on the alcohol that he had relied on until now. He understood that alcohol wasn¡¯t a real panacea.


    ¡°Please, go there.¡±


    While receiving the eyes of the receptionist on his back, Walm stepped into the guided room.


    Old books, bottled specimens, herbs, and liquids of unknown use were lined up in the room. In the meantime, the healing magician was sitting.


    ¡°Sit there. Your eyes, seem like it¡¯s burning.¡±


    Walm sat down in the chair pointed to and replied.


    ¡°Yeah, it hurts, as if, about, to melt.¡±


    ¡°I see, let me check.¡±


    The leaning healing magician looked into his eyes. The skin with slacks and wrinkles was according to age. The healing magician squeezed out the words with a slightly quivering voice.


    ¡°No way, is this the evil eye? What did you do? Really.¡±


    There was no need to hide it now. So, Walm answered honestly.


    ¡°During the war, I lost both eyes. And the eyes of the Ogre Lord were transplanted.¡±


    ¡°The eyes of the Ogre Lord? What a ridiculous story¡±


    The stunned healing magician, who suddenly went silent as if she had lost her words, began to ponder.


    ¡°First of all, it¡¯s impossible to be alive. Does it really compatible?¡­ I still can¡¯t believe these bloodshot eyes, the mana and fresh blood that flow out of them are compatible. You should¡¯ve died on a day of rejection. But for your body to get used to it¡­¡±


    The healing magician sneaked into the sea of ??thought and never returned.


    Walm, who was tired of waiting, sought a conclusion.


    ¡°So, could you cure it?¡±


    ¡°Me? Curing it? It¡¯s, impossible.¡±


    Expected to get a long answer, but the healing magician declared in short that treatment would be impossible for her. A second opinion might be needed, but unfortunately, there were no other healing magicians.


    Walm looked at the healing magician, revealing his distrust.


    ¡°Ca-calm down. I mean, my skill can¡¯t do it. What happened to the healing magician who transplanted those evil eyes?¡±


    The healing magician, who transplanted the eyes, was dead in Dandurg Castle. She was no longer in the world, she crossed the other side once she was invited to the Netherworld. That was all Walm knew.


    ¡°She, died in the war.¡±


    That was more than enough words. Feeling disheartened, the healing magician sighed a little.


    ¡°War, is it? I want to meet a healing magician who managed to transplant the evil eye, but she already left this world, huh?¡±


    The healing magician made a hand prayer.


    ¡°If that person here, the symptoms could be suppressed, and maybe an adjustment to even perfectly fit those eyes to you could be achieved¡­¡±


    ¡°So, there¡¯s no other way to do it huh.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to jump to the conclusion in a hurry¡­ Let me tell you, I¡¯ve healed many people to the extent that many called me a veteran.¡±


    It seemed that the healing magician wanted to oppose Walm¡¯s words of acceptance which mixed with self-ridicule.


    ¡°¡­Let me ask. How much money do you have?¡±


    Even in this world, no one could live without money. Walm understood that. So, when he left Dandurg Castle and Highserk Empire¡¯s territory, he recovered supplies and valuables from those who no longer needed them. Walm took a bag full of coins from the magic bag and spread it on his desk.


    ¡°Surprisingly, I¡¯ve quite some.¡±


    After counting gold coins and magic silver coins, the healing magician left her seat and opened the tightly locked shelves. Only suspicious items were packed inside, and there was a bottle of liquid that looked so muddy like a poisonous swamp and even an ointment that gave off a luster in seven colors


    ¡°Umm, where did I put it¡­ Ah, this is it.¡±


    The healing magician took out a bottle filled with red liquid.


    ¡°What is that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an eye medicine. It won¡¯t neutralize Hydra¡¯s poison, but it can neutralize most poisons and heal even minor defects. It¡¯s a genuine product with the approval of The Great Forest Alliance.¡±


    ¡°How much?¡±


    ¡°About this much.¡±


    The healing Magician took an amount of money that Walm could use to drink for about 20 years. In one go, that many coins were taken.


    ¡°It¡¯s a joke, right?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to take advantage of you. In fact, I¡¯m giving away a discounted price, since I feel bad for you, a person with the problematic evil eye who the healing magician responsible for it had died. In other cities, this coin bag would be taken too¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Trust me. It¡¯ll get rid of the pain.¡±


    The healing magician divided it into small bottles and instilled the liquid into Walm¡¯s eyes. The burning pain that plagued Walm faded out like a lie.


    ¡°To be honest, I was skeptical.¡±


    It might be a side effect, but the muddy sea of thoughts also cleared, albeit a bit.


    ¡°It¡¯s a drug made by an elf. Of course, it works like a wonder. The problem is that this isn¡¯t a 100% cure for it.¡±


    ¡°This world, isn¡¯t it so convenient¡­¡±


    ¡°Once a week, you will have to use this eye medicine. This much will last for about a year, but if your symptoms worsen, it will be even shorter. Consuming too much mana will put a strain on your eyes. Please refrain from using it.¡±


    ¡°How much?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Since you asked, it seems you have some need for it. I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re a mercenary or an adventurer, but the high-ranking magic and skill can worsen the condition. There may be a time when you using it is unavoidable, but, Be prepared when you use it too much.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡±


    Walm, who became a defeated soldier and fell into the life of a drunkard, had no need of a wide-range attack such as ¡¶Demon Fire¡·. Using such a big attack here, would turn many citizens to dust. No benefit he would gain for doing it.


    ¡°Is there any other way to heal it completely?¡±


    ¡°The Great Forest Alliance of the Three Big Countries may have more effective medicines, but the ones in that country are extremely low in distribution. You won¡¯t be able to get them in this city. But¡ª¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°There are miraculous items known as the Three Hidden Treasures of Healing. All defects and diseases can be cured, but even the royal family and the great aristocrats cannot get it. The ¡°Crimson Grass¡± appeared inside the deep layer of a labyrinth in the Labyrinth City. An ¡°Elixir¡± made by the elf from refining the world tree sap. A miracle drug called ¡°Water of Life¡± whose producer and origin are unknown. All of them are supreme items that are effective against all diseases and heal even defects. All of them are hard to get. Asking for it would be pointless.¡±


    ¡°I see¡±


    All sounded like a mythical item that only appeared in a story Walm had ever read.


    In reality, maintaining the present situation would be the best, but one year¡¯s worth of eye medicine already consumed most of the money. If Walm didn¡¯t get something equivalent to eye medicine, the light would be lost again from his eyes.


    ¡°Let me give you another piece of advice as a healing magician. I also like alcohol, but you¡¯re just overkill. Your body odor is the alcohol itself. Please keep it moderate.¡±


    ¡°Rest assured, my time for drinking has gone now. Thank you for the examination.¡±


    Walm left the room with a small laugh. The receptionist was watching him from a long distance. When he bowed a little, the receptionist replied with a cramped smile.


    ¡°Please take good care of yourself¡±


    Ironically, he could see the surroundings now after being hit by the reality that he had an incurable disease. He could see a bluish light shining through the stained glass into the room.


    The fog in his cloudy consciousness was blown away by the medicine. After losing his homeland, he lived a self-deprecating life. More than enough. There was no doubt that this would be the last opportunity. Now, he needed to think seriously about how he should live in the future.


    It was really ironic. What moved Walm, who was drowned in alcohol and cigarettes, wasn¡¯t the pleasant things such as love, friendship, and homeland, but the unbearable pain of the evil eye.


    As usual, he felt nauseating with his frivolousness.


    The sun shone brightly outside, and people were everywhere on the streets.


    ¡°It¡¯s so bright.¡±


    It was safe to say that Walm was good at doing his assigned duties and jobs due to his original personality and military life. Even if it was a difficult task, he could bring himself to concentrate on it.


    On the other hand, when told to live freely, Walm would feel like he just got crippled. Now, he had to abandon his decadent life and move forward even if he didn¡¯t like it.


    Looking at one spot, an old memorial monument stood out.


    It was a statue of a soldier and a demon piercing each other, praising a soldier who was once killed in the attempt of the archipelago¡¯s shaving of the Demon Territory.


    Schistostega was growing in clusters, probably because the statue hadn¡¯t been maintained for a while.


    Walm took out the flask, and shook it to check the contents. When he opened the lid, a thick liquor smells drifted into the air, irritating his nasal passages.


    ¡°To an unnamed ancestor, it¡¯s my offering.¡±


    The contents were dripping into the silent statue. It was a farewell to show a kind of determination. That, alcohol wouldn¡¯t be needed for a while.


    After sprinkling all of the contents, Walm quietly started walking.


    TN: Schistostega, also called luminous moss, is known for its glowing appearance in darkness.

 CH 74

    ¡°You¡¯re back? It seems like you¡¯re okay now.¡±


    Walm decided to change and made a big difference, but realistically, there were only a few places he could go. For the time being, he had abandoned the option of staying in his room from the morning.


    ¡°Thanks to you. I want water.¡±


    Walm didn¡¯t feel it when his brain was paralyzed by alcohol, but now he felt very thirsty.


    ¡°Water? Which one?¡±


    Gangut expanded Walm¡¯s drinking options without hesitation. It might be a natural suggestion, considering what he thought of Walm as a person in this past year.


    What kind of person do you think I am?


    ¡°Just, water¡±


    This time, in Walm¡¯s words, the owner of the bar rounded his eyes as if he had witnessed a Wraith.


    ¡°Just water¡­? Are you still sick?¡±


    Hearing Walm, who didn¡¯t choose the alcoholic drink, Gangut couldn¡¯t help but worry about him and had no choice but crack a joke.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to stop drinking¡±


    Walm managed to smile with a completely stiff facial muscle. Still, it was more appropriate that the expressionless cramped face.


    ¡°That¡¯s, a serious illness.¡±


    With a shocked face, Gangut extended his hand and disappeared into the kitchen. Not long after, he came back with a porcelain container. Transferred the content to a wooden cup, and Walm moistened his throat.


    ¡°Can I have some food?¡±


    ¡°It seems you don¡¯t want just a side dish this time.¡±


    Gangut went into the kitchen again. Back with dishes on the tray after enough time. Thick slices of bread, soup with turnips and beans, pickled shredded cabbage, and some intestines stuffed with meat made by crushing sheep meat. As for the seasoning, it was simply salt.


    Walm steadily carried the food to his mouth, and chewed it before sending it to his stomach. It had been a while since he had a proper meal. His stomach began a painful protest against a non-alcohol visitor. Even so, Walm, who had finished eating, drank a sip or two of water.


    Gangut was on the side like a waiter.


    ¡°It¡¯s so empty in the morning¡±


    ¡°Of course. You¡¯re the only customer who came to drink from the morning.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Gangut-san¡±


    ¡°What happened? You¡¯re giving me creeps.¡±


    Gangut squinted and looked suspiciously at Walm.


    ¡°Is there a job that makes money?¡±


    In this foreign city, Walm had very few acquaintances. Among them, it was only this bar owner who he could consult to.


    ¡°Are you really asking me¡­? Well, umm¡­ At the time of the Great Outbreak, there was an increase in soldiers due to the need for strengthening the border, but now the people in the buffer zone are suppressing it. A while ago, there was this rumor about adding personnel for the magical silver mine, which was a hot topic, but there is no recruitment of workers. I guess it leaves you, adventurer?¡±


    ¡°I hate adventurers¡±


    Walm said it bluntly. There were no good memories of adventurers in Walm. The adventurers who became the only acquaintances after dancing together in the deadly line were also decaying at Dandurg Castle.


    ¡°You should keep it moderate. Most of the shops are run by adventurers. I¡¯m also a former adventurer, you know?¡±


    Walm didn¡¯t know that Gangut was a former adventurer.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ Is there anything else?¡±


    ¡°Well, there is. But not a decent job.¡±


    Gangut slowly ran his gaze from Walm¡¯s toes to head.


    Although Walm tried to fix his facial expression, his beard was ¡°growing so lively¡±, and his hair was just cut by Walm himself. Although he was aware of it, it was surprising for him that he was looked at with so suspicious face.


    ¡°You¡¯re so caring of your customers huh¡±


    Walm jokingly raised a voice of protest.


    Immediately Gangut stopped his mouth from opening. Didn¡¯t mean that he accepted the protest, he just seemed to be thinking about something.


    ¡°¡­You, have really changed huh. Well, if I know some nice job, I¡¯ll introduce you. For time being, I¡¯ll bring you more food, so think it slowly.¡±


    ¡ô


    Among the Archipelago Countries, Viscount Edgar de Dalimarx, the head of the Dalimarx Family who kept the border with the Demon Territory, as well as the collapsed Highserk Empire, his angry voice echoed in the room.


    ¡°Don¡¯t joke with me! First letter and already an ultimatum? From the beginning, they¡¯ve never felt like negotiating with me!¡±


    Edgar¡¯s anger, which threw an open envelope on his desk, never subsided. The content was to blame the Dalimarx Family and one of the remnants of the former Highserk Empire, who joined to scrape off the Demon Territory, as unjust and urge to transfer the right of the land they reclaimed.


    ¡°It¡¯s the responsibility of the human race to scrape off the Demon Territory. And you tell me, that what I¡¯m doing is unjust? Isn¡¯t it the land where the Meisenav Family¡¯s forces have challenged in the past and failed? We¡¯ve already made a camp there and even the digging has started¡±


    There was a river extending from the Demon Territory in the Meisenav territory, and sand-like finely divided magical silver could be collected from that river. The origin was said to be a magical silver mine located upstream, and it was the reason the Meisenav Family was eager to capture that part of the Demon Territory. Even so, it was blocked by powerful monsters and they decided to rout.


    It was the Great Outbreak that struck humankind that changed the situation. A year ago, when the mastermind, the ruined Ferrius, changed the habitat of those monsters, while the remnants of Highserk soldiers did their best to hold down mine, Edgar proposed to dig the magical silver together¡­


    Some people in the house were dazzled by the magical silver, and many wanted to eliminate the Highserk soldiers and operated the mine alone, but Edgar shut down those opinions.


    Despite losing most of the territory, the spirit of Highserk soldiers who kept the former southern border, Highserk Southern Front, from the brink was indeed unusual. Even though they were only about on a scale of 1,500 people, there was a risk of suffering enormous damage to whoever dared to attack them.


    After some twists and turns, Edgar funded the troops and managed to reach the Mithril mine with the unsung neighbor. It was unforgivable that now when the time to taste the fruit of labor came, an unrelated force wanted to take it.


    Neither Dalimarx nor Highserk took over the past expedition route. They arrived at the magic silver mine in their own way. Completely, it was an excessive allegation.


    There had been a lot of harassment since ancient times, but direct combat had been always refrained. But this letter, was an ultimatum, for sure it was sent while soldiers were gathered to be ready at any time.


    From ancient times, all ages and countries, were crazy about magical silver that could produce enormous profits.


    In order to maintain the mine, it was necessary to maintain a powerful military force as well as the provision of the miner. It was true that surplus treasures would ruin you, and some did an obvious act of aggression. Although they hung down their head and begged for mercy, it wouldn¡¯t change the clear choice of Lord Edgar.


    ¡°They¡¯ve already gathered soldiers, and the scale is well over 6,000.¡±


    ¡°It seems, they¡¯ve also hired mercenaries and two well-known adventurers.¡±


    Edgar confirmed the current situation in the report of his vassals. The Meisenav Family was superior in both territory size and title. The number of soldiers that the Dalimarx Family could prepare was only about 2,500, even if all were summoned.


    The good news was that the Highserk side responded that it would send 500 people as volunteers to defend the mine. Highserk couldn¡¯t send any more soldiers as they need to devote most of their forces to maintain the line of defense with their former territory which had turned into the Demon Territory.


    ¡°It seems opening the battlefield is the only choice.¡±


    Whether a war or forced submission happened, the movement of people in the Central Region had always been sluggish, unless some development like robbery or revolt in urban areas happened. Most of the battle was over the sovereignty of the land, and instigated by Families like the Meisenav Family which endeavor for money and contribution. Edgar didn¡¯t hope for the Central Region to turn into a place where arbitration by money happened everywhere.


    ¡°Lord, we should definitely refuse!¡±


    ¡°Count Meisenav is afraid of getting overtaken by us financially, since we got the magic silver mine. That¡¯s why they¡¯re taking this ridiculous move.¡±


    If Edgar rode Meisenav Family¡¯s suggestion and showed an obedient attitude, he might still get a profit of about 10%. However, in that case, the recovery of the large amount of initial investment invested would become uncertain, and the co-administrator of the mine, Highserk soldiers would definitely resist.


    The Northern Countries were once considered second-class nations, but they were different when it came to war. Edgar experienced the strength of Highserk soldiers throughout the year. If he turned them into an enemy, he would lose more or the same than the number of soldiers, and there would be not enough people in the containment role for the Demon Territory.


    If he showed weakness, he would be abandoned by the vassals. He wasn¡¯t as pacifist as letting go of the magical silver mine that he hard-working got.


    Edgar, who set his teeth, stood up quietly, but declared his anger without hiding any.


    ¡°It¡¯s a war!! Start summoning soldiers. Don¡¯t spare any money. Let the greedy Meisenav Family see the result of their action with their own eyes.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s do it!!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll discipline the greedy Meisenav with my sword.¡±


    After receiving a reliable response from his vassals, Edgar once again resolved himself. The Great Outbreak had shown him the calm, but he still didn¡¯t know the disturbance caused by it.

 CH 48

    In preparation for the containment of the monsters, Walm was ordered to retreat to the old castle on the border of Myard and Highserk by wagon with Ayane and Maia, who were the ones he needed to escort.


    Even though a great outbreak had occurred and there was a grace period before the formation of a line of defense on the border, Walm realized that it was a mistake.


    Because even now, when the mainstream of monsters hadn¡¯t arrived yet, the road was full of death. The bodies of Myard citizens, who might be refugees, were scattered, including the corpses of monsters that were eliminated by the preceding infantry units.


    ¡°There are so many corpses of humans, and monsters¡±


    Maia, peeking from the wagon, shuddered a little.


    ¡± Walm-san, what, exactly is going on¡­?¡±


    Ayane rushed in for an answer. Walm wondered if he should talk. Ayane was someone who he needed to escort but also a prisoner of war. He understood that it wasn¡¯t a good idea to give extra information to someone like her.


    Since this is an escort mission, it¡¯ll be easier for me later if she knows the threat.


    It¡¯s not like I give in to her earnest gaze.


    Walm told himself so.


    ¡°It seems that the Four-Countries Alliance has burned some part of the Demon Territory. The Highserk Empire has abandoned the Sarajevo Fortress and is concentrating its forces on the border to stop the demons.¡±


    Ayane opened her eyes and moved her mouth slightly.


    ¡°D-Do you mean, that this tragedy, was caused by the Four-Countries Alliance, the Craist Kingdom?¡±


    As if she couldn¡¯t believe it, Ayane weakened her whole body. After she was targeted by the assassin, the girl couldn¡¯t help but felt suspicious about the situation, and she was indignant after hearing it.


    Even if your body was worn out, if you took a rest, it would return to normal. But Walm knew well that the wound in the heart wouldn¡¯t go away like that. He had tasted it himself after all.


    Maia, who was holding her mouth, put her hand on the girl¡¯s shoulder. She was a kind of resistant to the ruggedness of the world, she swallowed the situation as it wasn¡¯t an impossible story.


    The horse screamed when Walm was looking for the words to say.


    ¡°Monsters!! Goblin Riders¡±


    ¡°There must have been a platoon ahead. Did they hide from them?¡±


    Walm momentarily rolled up the hood and put his foot on the edge of the platform.


    ¡°Moritz, protect them.¡±


    ¡°Leave it to me¡±


    Walm jumped out of the wagon and followed the other escort¡¯s line of sight with his eyes. He saw 20 goblins straddling the silver wolf were approaching.


    It was a monster that used monster, a monster that specialized in riding called ¡°Goblin Rider¡±. A mutant with more developed muscles and higher intelligence than a normal goblin.


    In fact, although primitive, vines were weaved to create harnesses and armor and attached them to the wolf. Unlike riding tall horses, goblins on wolfs had a low stance.


    ¡°Fast¡±


    Walm obediently leaked such a word. The cavalry of the friendly army enclosed the wagon, which was the object of escort, in a circle and formed a formation.


    Although it was a defensive formation, it was inferior in number and there was a risk of being breached.


    Walm burned down the road as he cast his mana and manifested ¡¶Demon Fire¡·. In an instant, blue flames were dancing on the trampled road.


    The first 10 goblin riders were entwined with blue flames and burned down while screaming. Even so, the remaining split into two groups and rushed toward Walm. It was a wonderful response for a mere goblin.


    ¡°4 goblins will come!!¡±


    Warning the others while seeing off the four goblin riders who bypassed Walm at the edge of the field of vision. Then he returned to the small group that was approaching him.


    Six goblin riders closed the distance to Walm.


    Walm, who had kneaded mana, shot a second shot, but only burned three Goblin Riders.


    In a place where the blue flame was thin, where the line of sight was blocked by the carriage, a goblin rider jumped at him. The halberd scooped up from the bottom and slashed the silver wolf¡¯s chest and the goblin¡¯s lower jaw all at once.


    The corpses of the silver wolf and goblin rolled on the ground.


    Walm¡¯s attention had already been directed to the remaining two Goblin Riders.


    Formed a flame wall according to the direction of travel of the goblin rider that approached him. The way was different, but the point of the counter was the same.


    The goblin rider that jumped into the flame wall was burned by a fire that clung to them, and both the goblin and silver wolf were dancing crazy until they died.


    The remaining goblin rider succeeded in jumping into the gap, but the Silver Wolf was killed by being skewered from the throat by the tip of the halberd held at the waist.


    The goblin jumped into the sky and tried to drive a chipped longsword into Walm. Walm turned his wrist back and parried it with a stab.


    The longsword was bent in the wrong direction but before the goblin could land to launch a second attack, Walm smashed the temporal region.


    The goblin twisted its body and fell to the ground, but still tried to get up. Walm lifted and slashed down his halberd.


    ¡°Gu, GIIiiii¡±


    The skull shattered and the contents scattered.


    Walm carefully observed the surroundings. There was no backlog.


    The goblin riders who switched the target from Walm to the wagon were also sunk in the blood clot by the other escort¡¯s short spear and war hammer.


    ¡°Even goblins can have this much fighting spirit and technique?¡±


    Walm couldn¡¯t hide his surprise when he was shown that the Goblins, which were supposed to be timid and at the bottom of the monster class, were attacking violently until they were annihilated.


    ¡°They even learned how to ride.¡±


    Walm had acquired all the skills needed as an infantry soldier, but he was no more than an amateur when it came to horse riding.


    In the first place, even horses weren¡¯t enough. And so, he couldn¡¯t ride without a horse.


    Walm stopped dripping meaningless desires and faced reality.


    It was difficult to grasp the outside situation from inside the wagon. However, if you were on the outside, it was hard to see the inside. Except for the coachman, the only Highserk soldiers in the wagon were Walm and Moritz.


    ¡°Captain, it¡¯s wonderful. Is that the famous demon fire?¡±


    As Walm turned his thoughts, an escort knight rushed to him.


    ¡°You too, I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s famous, but it¡¯s called ¡°Demon Fire¡± for sure. By the way, are these guys the ones attacking the refugees?¡±


    ¡°Some of them, there are also corpses with injuries that I don¡¯t think caused by them.¡±


    ¡°What do you want to say?¡±


    ¡°There was a trace of the torso being scooped out with a large mouth. It was clearly bitten off.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what kind of monster?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s a monster with a size that¡¯s quite ridiculous to guess from the footprints and bites. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s a B class or higher.¡±


    A big one is mixed in with those fast-legged monsters. Unlike goblins, a surprise attack by a high-class unidentified monster may cause fatal damage to the wagon.


    ¡°Good information¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m honored to help you.¡±


    After receiving information on the large monster, Walm decided to act.


    ¡°I¡¯ll also keep an eye on the roof. Sorry to trouble you all, but please mind the prisoners.¡±


    ¡°Leave it to me!¡±


    The soldier on the horse slammed his armor and showed Walm a firm will. Walm returns his feet to the wagon.


    ¡°Moritz¡±


    ¡°Oh, Walm-dono, you¡¯re safe.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be on the roof. There may be a big one.¡±


    ¡°I see, leave the inside to me¡±


    ¡°Thanks¡±


    Moritz had the cleverness to have a look-ahead conversation. So, he might be able to act flexibly even in an emergency.


    Watched the ¡°load¡±, Walm crossed the girl¡¯s line of sight for a moment. Her anxiety and fear showed on the outside. Her face turned pale and her eyes were shaking.


    Such a thing as hugging and saying, ¡°It¡¯s okay now¡± would be appropriate for the one in love with her or a childhood friend, or a person with a sense of justice. That kind of act wouldn¡¯t fit Walm, moreover, it might be inappropriate. All he could do was state the facts.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve got rid of them.¡±


    Walm tried not to lie because he had deceived her and felt sorry for it. Ayane¡¯s frightened eyes calmed down slightly. Without waiting for a reply, Walm climbed the roof.

 CH 75

    A month had passed since Walm refused to drink alcohol, in the meantime, he devoted himself to training to restore his dull body.


    As the rising sun was rising, he stretched the magical barrier and repeated the ¡¶Strike¡·stance, then he ran through the outer edge of the city. The body without alcohol felt heavy, and it wasn¡¯t easy to regain the movement before he dived into the muddy sea of alcohol.


    Once finished the morning routine, he heated the well water with fire magic, and started to pour the warm water from the head. Sure, he had gotten used to cold water, but now since he started to regain his senses, he would of course choose warm water.


    After bathing in the water, he opened the door of Gangut¡¯s store, which had changed in his mind from a bar to a restaurant. Early in the day, the hustle and bustle of the night had calmed down like a lie.


    ¡°Good morning, Gangut-san¡±


    ¡°You always come to eat every day huh. Let me remind you, this place, is a bar.¡±


    Gangut, complaining, set the pot on fire and was preparing food. This was also because Walm, who had been drinking from morning till night, no longer dropped money as often as before.


    The dish offered today was a pie, potato, and bean soup, where cod and salmon were having a good time together. It didn¡¯t take long for all of them to disappear and integrated with Walm¡¯s body as calories. After finishing the meal, Gangut called him.


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit savage to say this as a job fits you the most, but there is a place where you can get hired and pay well.¡±


    ¡°Where?¡±


    It was hard for Walm to believe that such a strange job was out there, but at the same time, he was excited.


    ¡°It¡¯s a battlefield. Lord Edgar is gathering soldiers. He has come all the way to the bar to recruit soldiers. Experienced military men and magic users are given preferential treatment.¡±


    Hearing that, Walm was convinced. If it was a ¡°social space¡± called a battlefield, no one would care much about your appearance and clothes. In that respect, Walm, who had military experience and magic, could be said met the recruitment criteria and could be put on the scene immediately.


    ¡°War, huh¡­ who is the opponent?¡±


    Obviously, it was a well-known fact that the ¡°Three Big Countries¡± hadn¡¯t had an external armed conflict for more than a few decades. First of all, the countries where war could be launched were limited. The risk would be too high, such as if the war between the Three Big Countries that had been reigning as hegemons, were to happen, other countries would be in one or another way got involved too, and it could be said that it would be the final war of humankind in motion.


    ¡°It¡¯s Count Meisenav. He hasn¡¯t been on good terms with the Lord of neighboring land, ruled by the Dalimarx Family, but it seems that the relationship has deteriorated at once since the magical silver mine on the demon territory was found and captured. Looks like the war between them is about to start soon.¡±


    ¡°As expected of being the owner of a bar, you sure know a lot.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t make the food free even if you flatter me¡­ I thought you¡¯d jump in immediately, but you don¡¯t look so enthusiastic.¡±


    ¡°Because, I got tired of war.¡±


    Walm looked back on the days since he was drafted. Although he got payments that couldn¡¯t be compared with local income, the welfare environment was poor. He slept together with the corpse, and danced in the deadly land every day to the point even he lost a sense of time, since he must be ready every time, even when sleeping. It was a lively workplace where people and monsters were killed as many as you could, regardless of morning or night.


    ¡°That¡¯s a heavy story you have. Walm, you¡¯re probably from Highserk, right? A lot of your friends are there. Isn¡¯t it perfect for a reunion?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know a lot of things huh¡±


    Gangut told Walm as if teasing him.


    ¡°For a year, going back and forth between your bar and my bed. Of course, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s been happening.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for your patronage, it was a good revenue. Should I dance as a thank you?¡±


    ¡°Stop it. My eyes will get hurt again.¡±


    Who would like to see middle-aged dances? Not Walm. Especially if such had the potential to disturb the now calmed eyes.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s get back to the main story. The border area is said to be a buffer zone with the biggest Demon Territory, but in reality, one of the remnants of the Highserk Empire got the control of the area there, and has been holding the line against the Demon Territory since. Highserk people, who seem to be having difficulty mining and managing the magical silver mine alone, and Edgar, who wanted the underground resources, have decided to mine together.¡±


    It was surprising that the remnants of the Highserk Empire were expanding there. After all, while watching the fall of the capital, Walm saw a considerable number of defeated soldiers.


    Even when he fled to Kopetsk, the border city of the archipelago, Walm saw a decent number of the same kinds as him. However, most have come to terms with reality and found a new line of work, and the remaining few have fallen into prostitutes, beggars, slaves, and drunkards. Walm had been so corrupt until the other day that he had no right, nor the intention either, to blame them.


    ¡°So, some of the survivors were trying to rebuild at the border huh¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you feel like participating now?¡±


    Walm went to think silently.


    No decent job, and money would be needed to get a cure. And a battlefield should be a profitable place. Walm understood it.


    Until now, there was a convenient reason called ¡°patriotism¡±, he went to war for the homeland, but if he accepted the recruitment, it would mean that he participated in the war, just for money.


    ¡°You¡¯re thinking it so much, how unexpected. I thought you were the type that kills people for fun. I mean, you beat a drunk adventurer to half-dead after all.¡±


    ¡°Really, what do you think I am?¡±


    Certainly, Walm crushed the adventurer¡¯s face with his elbows, shook the viscera with his palms, and was on the verge of slashing the man with ¡¶Strike¡·. But that was a reflexive defense, and it wasn¡¯t until the man pulled out his sword.


    Gangut just raised his shoulder lightly and refused to answer.


    Walm sighed. There was no choice. He could have chosen a profession that had nothing to do with war if he had a normal eye, but now there was an urgent need for money. The only way to make the most of the expertise he had acquired was to work on a battlefield. There is no purpose to declare it sublime, and the reality was that he had to jump into war for money. This was no different from the adventurers he had a prejudice for, or mercenaries.


    Helping the former compatriots to regain their footing, and even though they would be from a different Front, to be able to stand side by side with another Highserk soldier, perhaps would be able to console his brain which couldn¡¯t stop mocking himself for this past year. Albeit, it might be a disproportionate idea for his sense which had been drowning in alcohol.


    ¡°I¡¯ll participate¡±


    Even with a lot of messy and silly excuses, he was impressed with himself who lacked integrity and chose to participate.


    ¡°I see. Then, I¡¯ll buy good meat for dinner so that you won¡¯t have any regrets. Do you want some liquors too?¡±


    ¡°Thank you, but no. I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t stop drinking until morning.¡±


    Walm was amazed at Gangut, who made it sound as if it was the last dinner he would have. Still, he couldn¡¯t help but think that the connection made in foreign lands wasn¡¯t so bad, in fact, it was quite comfortable.


    ¡ô


    People who responded to the draft were gathered on a farm in the suburbs of the city. A number of ordinary soldiers, but most of them were militias, which were most likely the second and third sons of farmers who didn¡¯t have the land to take over like Walm, and those who had trouble eating also participated.


    Although they were enthusiastic about learning some martial art of spear, unlike the regular soldiers, their bodies were thin and the loose atmosphere made them feel like battle virgins.


    Many had a young appearance that could only be described as a boy. Some bring their own armor, but most were rented dust-covered armor and spears found in the warehouse. The crowded reception line was long enough to feel like an eternity. Occasionally, a dull sound echoed from a distance.


    While working hard to observe the people around him for killing time, finally the turn came.


    It was a man who was supposed to be an old regular soldier who was handling the people. The man who ran his gaze from Walm¡¯s feet to his head murmured.


    ¡°I think you have military experience.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I was attending the service until recently.¡±


    ¡°Are you from Highserk?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right¡±


    Besides Walm, many Highserk people had run away from the homeland. Among them, some participated in the war to get food. The soldiers who had experienced combat looks were eye-catching, especially since they were mixed with ordinary people.


    ¡°More than half of them are inexperienced people. Still, even if they are strangers, we welcome them.¡±


    It was about half flattery and half real intention. Even if Walm was on the side of the regular soldier, he would expect more soldiers from other countries than those amateur peoples of his own.


    ¡°What about magic and skills?¡±


    ¡°I can use fire, wind, and water attributes, but I can only use fire and wind in actual battles. And a skill¡­ ¡¶Strike¡·.¡±


    The healing magician told him to refrain from using ¡¶Demon Fire¡·. It now had become a skill that shouldn¡¯t be used unless the situation forced it to. If used in a place where the operation wasn¡¯t well known, a large number of soldiers would be involved. If most of them were regular experienced soldiers, it might not end that bad. But he would just burn his allies if he were mixed with militias who were mostly battle virgins.


    ¡°Three attributes and ¡¶Strike¡· huh. I¡¯m not being skeptical, but I must confirm it.¡±


    The soldier summoned a young soldier who might have been a subordinate.


    ¡°Heard him? Please check it.¡±


    Rushed by a young soldier, Walm was taken to a vacant lot on the nearby farm. The surrounding area was filled with embankments, and like Walm, those who were taken out of the crowd were showing off their practical skills.


    ¡°Shoot magic over there. You only need to show the fire attribute.¡±


    Traces of destruction were left on the designated embankments. The earth had been scooped out by various magic. Walm glared that the dull sound heard in the distance, thinking that the people in the magical test shot must be having fun.


    It seemed that Walm was expected to use only fire attribute magic because it had more power in general. Fire magic was the most suitable power for creating a block, stopping an assault, and even a breakthrough


    Walm refined his mana and aimed at the designated target. The user of the earth attribute magic politely formed a humanoid figure of a group of five with earth. When the blue fireball embodied at the tip of the hand landed, it scattered blue flames with hot air. The blast exploded the five soil masses. At the point of impact, it was as if the blue flame saying it had not enough.


    ¡°This is, amazing¡±


    The young soldier said with excitement. Walm saw the swaying blue flame and exhaled a little. The former battlefield flashed in his mind as he saw the burning mass of soil.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Next is ¡¶Strike¡· ¡°


    The nimble magic-user recreated a humanoid figure with earth in front of Walm.


    Stroked it with his hand and tapped it lightly. Not only did it was hard, but the hardness was close to that of a human, and was suitable for showing the cutting.


    After removing the leather cover that covered the tip of the halberd, not long after Walm was in the opposite direction.


    In the case of the human body, the soil mass that was cut off from the waist to the shoulder lost support and was pulled by the weight, returning to the ground.


    ¡°It¡¯s enough¡±


    The soldier, who raised his hand as if to surrender, took out the decorated silver plate from his bosom and presented it to Walm.


    ¡°What? Is this money?¡±


    Walm glared at a kind of original coin that was coined as a currency in the territory. The palm-sized silver plate was bulky and didn¡¯t look easy to use. A soldier laughed at Walm, who suspiciously distorted his face.


    ¡°I thought you were an experienced mercenary, but you don¡¯t know it huh. It¡¯s a silver plate that promises a reward. It¡¯s worth it even if you melt it, but if you offer to exchange it after the war, you can get gold coins. There are several types available. However, the silver plate shows the highest treatment and compensation among the applicants. Let me tell you, but most of the mercenaries are getting copper plates, you know.¡±


    For the time being, Walm felt fortunate to be highly evaluated. He then noticed something. That this might be their way to prevent those who might run away before the war with full advance payment.


    ¡°What if the Dalimarx family is destroyed in the war?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so imprudent. It¡¯s a battle over a magical silver mine. No matter how greedy the Meisenav family is, we won¡¯t be destroyed. Maintaining the mine and buffer zones at the same time will only sound like a trouble for them. And if they dare to burn the urban area, the other countries in Central Region, which like to be a bystander, will have no choice but to move.¡±


    Couldn¡¯t understand the soldier¡¯s explanation, the embarrassed Walm asked the soldier.


    ¡°So, the Meisenav family won¡¯t burn rural and urban areas?¡±


    The soldier opened his eyes. It was as if Walm was a monster or something scary.


    ¡°This is why the northern countries are said to be crazy about war¡­ The only battlefield is around the magic silver mine that was recently claimed from the Demon Territory.¡±


    Walm doubted his ears. The mission this time was purely to occupy the target, not to attack the rural and urban areas that could be the source of troops and supplies, or the source of the plan. It just sounded strange.


    ¡°Haha, I see¡±


    Wonderful, really, wonderful. Wars in the Archipelago sounded more peaceful and intelligent. There was no defense battle where he would be required to bet his life even in sleep, no annihilation battle for the military and civilians, and no total war for the destruction of the nation. Walm was relieved of how easy the war would be.


    Didn¡¯t mean to be despicable, but if what he would do was just kill people with gold as a purpose like him, he could feel a little less guilty, and it wouldn¡¯t worsen his muddy conscience. Of course, there might be exceptions, but no distinction could be made. Walm could only treat others as equally as possible.


    ¡°It¡¯s a good country¡±


    Walm leaked words from the bottom of his heart.

 CH 76

    76. Chapter 76


    Residents of the Dalimarx territory, including Kopetsk city, were obliged to participate in group military training once a month. As the result, group operations remained at a higher level than Walm had envisioned.


    ¡°It¡¯s more decent than I expected.¡±


    A group of 100 people moved forward with a drum and the commander¡¯s shout. They turned around and pushed their spears all at once. Based on the formation, this group could be counted as one unit.


    It was good enough for a war-unaware soldier who had just been summoned. After all, they would be soon or later painted with human vomit and gastric juice. It reminded Walm of his first battle, a sour and bitter memory. He didn¡¯t think of anything when he first stabbed an enemy soldier. Just that, not long after, the feeling of twisting people¡¯s viscera through his spear, which resulted in the death of the enemy soldiers, rushed back to his mind and never left since then.


    ¡°Prepare the fireeee!¡±


    Walm, who was on the sidelines, was shouted for work. Walm manipulated his mana, concentrated it on his palm, and embodied the fireball.


    ¡°Don¡¯t hit the people¡±


    Another regular soldier put pressure on Walm.


    ¡°I won¡¯t¡±


    ¡°Ready, Shoot!!¡±


    In response to the commander¡¯s words, the fireball landed next to a small group. Of course, Walm had no intention of hitting. If he did that, it would be the start of his lonely battle with the people here.


    By raising the ¡°fireworks¡±, it was the start of the next training, the battle virgins¡¯ eyes were nailed to Walm. To diminish their fear of magic, he was told to launch fireworks and entertain the group.


    The blast that hit the eardrum and the hot air that rushed to the skin deprived the soldiers of their concentration. There was nothing wrong with their reaction, but due to the disorder of their legs and spear tip, the accompanying regular soldiers sent a fierce scolding and fist.


    Since he would be operating separately from the infantry as a magic user, it wasn¡¯t necessary for him to participate in that play. Walm was truly relieved. In his eyes, this was just like an amusement park, only fun. And Walm, was one of the welcoming employees.


    Distracted by the blue flame, a young soldier, wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that he was still a boy, stumbled. The regular soldier grabbed his chest and raised him up, then slapped him from the left and right.


    ¡°If you fall on the battlefield, you¡¯re only waiting for death. Do you want to be crushed by hundreds of soles and have a pathetic death!? If you fail, the people around you will die! If you want to die, die alone!!! Keep your concentration!!¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m very sorry!¡±


    The young soldier with a swollen face raised his voice and returned to the formation. Walm once again shot a fireball at the location closest to the young soldiers.


    The ground was dug up, the soil fell apart from the sky, and hot air fueled the group. The young soldier clenched his teeth and endured without falling. Rather, other soldiers who let their guard down thinking that the fireball wouldn¡¯t land in close proximity were falling down one by one.


    ¡°It¡¯s like bowling.¡±


    The regular soldier spread his anger as the blood rushed to his brain.


    The regular soldier looked as if he was about to die of indignation before the battle with the Meisenav family.


    Seeing it, Walm murmured.


    ¡°Poor you¡±


    The regular soldier was so desperate. The more the people collapsed in the training, the more they put their own lives at stake. Still, Walm didn¡¯t feel sorry for the people who continued to train in a rush.


    In a training, even if you failed at something, you would only be scolded harshly, but if you made a mistake on the battlefield, it might lead to your death. As an honor of the regular soldier desperately trying to attach claws and sharp horns to the flock of sheep, Walm offered to entertain him by shooting more blue fireworks without hesitation.


    ¡ô


    Kuwen, was born as the fourth son of a farmer. He had been living together with his parents for 15 years.


    The parents¡¯ house was a typical farmer, and if they filled their stomachs and paid taxes, they wouldn¡¯t have any extra money left. His clothes and shoes were his older brothers¡¯ clothes, but of course, those clothes were used while engaging in farm work, so they would deteriorate over time faster and were almost worn out completely due to repeated repairs.


    Even if he had such complains, he was grateful to his parents for raising him and his brothers for taking care of him. Still. Kuwen wasn¡¯t satisfied with the status quo in the family.


    As time went by, the land of his parents would be inherited by the eldest son and the second son. It was just a tradition. Kuwen didn¡¯t mean to complain there either.


    There were few roads left for Kuwen as the fourth son. One would be to stay at the parents¡¯ house as support. But, his brothers wouldn¡¯t be unmarried for the rest of their lives. If they got a daughter-in-law and a child, Kuwen¡¯s shoulders would become even narrower. He wouldn¡¯t have any saying in the family.


    The other would be the option to join a pioneer group that kept trying to open up the land of the Demon Territory and transform it into an area where people could live. To be clear, it would be a path of penance. Surviving the competition for survival with sporadic monsters, cutting trees, digging roots, and removing weeds and pebbles. Such would continue endlessly.


    Even if he did that, it might not end with him having a successful life. There was no guarantee that the land would grow well, and although the size might be small, the cost of stationing adventurers and regular soldiers, and the funds for reclamation were debts to the former lord and must be repaid.


    A powerful monster could destroy the pioneer team. His third brother had repeatedly told Kuwen about his hardships. The thing that gave hope to the troubled Kuwen was the war between the Dalimarx family and the Meizenav family.


    A war. Of course, there would be a time when you must take someone¡¯s life and someone might do the same to you. Still, this was the only way to break through the status quo. People with similar circumstances in the village and Kuwen responded to the draft. Given a copper plate instead of a promissory note, Kuwen was already a member of the military force, and the excuse of being a farmer wouldn¡¯t work anymore.


    Prewar trainings began abruptly. Kuwen was fortunate to line up with his friend of the same village, Kalim. In the village, Kalim was known as a my-pace and sloppy person. The hair was always left as it was without making it neat, before going out of the house.


    Kuwen kept his pace. He was confident in his strength due to his experience in farming, but his arm holding the spear was screaming. Still, it wasn¡¯t something he couldn¡¯t do.


    ¡°We¡¯ll somehow get used to this.¡±


    Kuwen proudly said. His brown-haired friend agreed.


    ¡°Yeah¡±


    After that, he managed to change direction and pushed the spear with a shout. The spear cut through the sky and a wind noise remained in his ears. It was overwhelming. He had trained to swing a spear with more than a dozen people in a village, but a hundred people? Of course, it felt different.


    Kuwen felt that his existence had become slightly powerful. He was in a good mood and tried to step out of his foot, but suddenly the ground exploded. The roaring sound shook the eardrum and the hot air stimulated the skin.


    Kuwen couldn¡¯t understand what happened.


    The regular soldier leading the group raised his voice.


    ¡°Concentrate, don¡¯t disturb the line!¡±


    Kuwen realized that even the pillars of fire rising high were part of the training. He didn¡¯t think that the training would be to this extent, but as his concentrated thoughts become distracted, he started to think more extra things.


    Kuwen¡¯s field of vision was reversed as his foot caught in a small dent. When he found out he had fallen, He heard Kalim speak unusually fast.


    ¡°Kuwen, stand up.¡±


    His heart started to beat like a storm. Calming the confused brain, he picked up a training spear. The instructor approached fast from a gap in the group before he got up and completely grabbed his chest.


    ¡°Bastard, what are you doing?!¡±


    When he noticed, a pain ran on both cheeks. Kuwen was unable to return from the crucible of turmoil, but the shout of the regular soldier was like a villain, ran through his eardrum and broke his leftover concentration.


    ¡°If you fall on the battlefield, you¡¯re only waiting for death. Do you want to be crushed by hundreds of soles and have a pathetic death!? If you fail, the people around you will die! If you want to die, die alone!!! Keep your concentration!!¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m very sorry!¡±


    Even the heated atmosphere in the surrounding, felt cold.


    ¡°Are you OK?¡±


    Worrying as a friend, Kuwen was asked.


    Kuwen clenched his teeth and showed his determination.


    ¡°I won¡¯t fail anymore¡±


    Once again, the ground was scooped out by an explosion, and the soil that had been blown up in the sky poured down. It wasn¡¯t something to be proud of, but he might have been underestimating the training too much.


    Feeling the heat on his skin, Kuwen, who had regained his concentration, was shocked again. It was the same fireball as the first time, but it landed closer than before.


    This time, four or five friends fell in a row. The angry regular soldier rushed and kindly gave his fist to them.


    Kuwen turned his eyes to the magic-user who had scattered the blue flames. The armor on his body wasn¡¯t those from the Archipelago. Kuwen glared at the former Highserk soldiers who recently had been talked about.


    Despite the distance, Kuwen had a line of sight with the magic-user. He had golden eyes, or supposedly so, but it felt strangely dark and muddy.


    Feeling a chill run through his spine, Kuwen looked away from the man. The man shot fireballs one after another and kept landing around the group. The optimistic atmosphere had now disappeared.


    Then several people made mistakes, and each time the fist of a regular soldier had its fun and the number of people with swelled faces increased. Then the training ended with a sense of tension. Throw the now free limbs to the ground and opened the mouth asking for water like a dog.


    Even training made his body run out of energy. Wondering what would happen in the real battle, Kuwen trembled.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do our best¡±


    The carefree friend said as usual. Thinking that he couldn¡¯t show a weak behavior to Kalim, Kuwen replied with a tightened stomach.


    ¡°Yeah¡±

 CH 77

    After a gentle rite of passage, the group began to move to a magical silver mine called the Carorolia Vein. It took about two days, but for Walm, who was accustomed to marching, it was just like a nostalgic excursion. The Highserk soldiers who had already joined the garrison of the Carorolia Vein, made that nostalgic feeling stronger.


    If outside forces were invited to the conflict between the lords of the Archipelago, a criticism couldn¡¯t be escaped. In that respect, ironically, Highserk soldiers would be the right people. Since the empire ostensibly had been destroyed, the wandering former Highserk Empire soldiers were put in the mercenary unit, and dispatched like that.


    It was unclear whether the wisdom from the Dalimarx family was spot on, but given the achievement of the Highserk Empire, which had shocked and overwhelmed international affairs, it could be said as good wisdom.


    Walm who had been lost in the sea of thoughts, when the whole unit became sluggish, his consciousness was returned to the reality.


    The physical strength of each soldier and others varied widely, and due to the unfamiliar handling of spears and fatigue due to their weight during the march, the formation seemed to be delayed.


    In the first place, when it came to carrying a spear, supporting it with your shoulders while moving should be the basic among the basics. For the soldiers who were familiar with it, they would naturally adjust the angle of the spear even if the interval got narrowed, but unfamiliar soldiers would hit the spear against each other, ending with spears colliding with each other.


    In fact, a spear was approaching Walm. He grabbed the wandering spear tip, and decided to be more careful.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lose your grip too much. It may hit a person. Better to hold it with more angle.¡±


    ¡°Y-yes! I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    The young soldier obediently changed the angle of the spear, but over time it gradually collapsed.


    Well, if you kept a spear on your shoulder for a long time, your shoulder might swell.


    If you carried a spear on your back for a long time, your skin might become stiff due to repeated stimuli. You might be able to automatically stretch the magical barrier, which was made from mana, but it would be a ridiculous thing to ask from a boy.


    An idea about holding the spear in the boy¡¯s place came to mind for a moment, but it would be better to rely on others as little as possible on the battlefield, so Walm didn¡¯t do that. In the battle, it was out of the question to leave your most loved thing to others. Even the three idiots often said that on a battlefield, you could let go of your lover¡¯s hand anytime, but you should never let go of your weapon.


    ¡°It¡¯s coming down again. If your shoulder hurts, put a piece of cloth on the friction point. It¡¯ll help you maintain the position a little better.¡±


    Walm always had a piece of cloth ready. After all, it had many uses. It could be used to prevent the sound of iron rubbing against each other, and also wrap food. But the greatest advantage of having it anytime was that it could be used as bandages when he himself or his companions got injured.


    ¡°Sorry, but I don¡¯t have it.¡±


    The boy shyly said.


    When Walm left the countryside, he was taught about that by his uncle, who had experience in military service, but for someone who had no one to get advice from, of course, the boy wouldn¡¯t have the knowledge.


    Walm removed a piece of cloth from his magic bag.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you, so use it.¡±


    ¡°T-thank you very much. Hm? There¡¯s something inside?¡±


    It was unclear whether he was obedient or unable to tolerate the pain any longer, but the boy didn¡¯t hesitate to accept it. The bags handed over were packed with beans.


    ¡°It¡¯s dried beans. It¡¯s a hassle to take out the contents. Eat with your friend.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much!!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for troubling you, we even got some beans. Thank you.¡±


    When the boys looked at each other, they tried to eat the beans with one hand, but they couldn¡¯t bring them to their mouths well.


    The other boy couldn¡¯t carry the beans to his mouth because his other hand was holding the spear. As for the boy who was given directly by Walm, he stretched his hand to bring the beans to his mouth, but as he needed to match the walking speed with the rest, the weight of his spear made him lose his balance. It was like a comedy act.


    Walm almost smile, but he held it up and said,


    ¡°Hey, the beans will fall. I¡¯ll bring the spear for you guys.¡±


    ¡°No, we can¡¯t trouble you any further.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be hit with a spear because you¡¯re so desperate to eat beans.¡±


    During the march, Walm put the halberd in the magic bag, and was empty except for the longsword that hung on his waist.


    When Walm reached out for the boy, two spears were timidly presented. He clenched the spears and look down at them. Both were mass-produced products made in the same length. A simple straight spear, and the tip was reinforced with an iron plate so that it wouldn¡¯t be cut off by a sword that easily.


    It was hard material that would be fine even if swung with full force. And even if used to hit an enemy soldier from above the helmet, it would still give an impact on the head. Before Walm used the halberd, he often used a similar spear. It was damaged in a battle and discarded, but it truly was a spear that was easy to use even for hitting, piercing, or slashing. But even two iron spears, were lighter than the Walm¡¯s halberd.


    The boys seemed to have finished eating the beans while Walm was playing with the spear that awakened a distant memory. They were tilting a wooden water bottle now, but anything barely came out. It seemed that the contents had run out.


    It would be troublesome to fall down due to dehydration before the war.


    Walm sighed inwardly.


    Since it turned like this, he couldn¡¯t help but get involved.


    ¡°I¡¯ll fill the contents, so give me the water bottle.¡±


    The boy tilted his head at Walm¡¯s low-voiced request, but obediently obeyed.


    ¡°Your body is still underdeveloped, you have less blood than adults. This time, it can¡¯t be helped, but be more careful about distributing water to your body. You can¡¯t always get drinking water.¡±


    Walm¡¯s former squad, including him, had two magic-user with water attributes and wasn¡¯t troubled with water for drinking, but the other squads were struggling to secure water.


    Sure they were always on the front line and had the chance for plundering goods, but because of the water, they were given a preferential treatment of supplies over other squads. However, when forming a position, it was kind of interesting because the position was replaced with a squad that had a magic-user with earth attributes.


    After handing over the spear and receiving the water bottle, Walm consumed his mana and filled the water bottle. Unlike fire and wind, his water attribute was low in compatibility, even producing water for drink taking quite an amount of mana that was always not worth considering the amount he produced.


    The bottle was filled to the limit, and pushed back to the boys.


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk about it.¡±


    Walm¡¯s intention was conveyed without fail. The boy repeatedly nodded with just his neck. Walm reluctantly accepted his role as a water dispenser before bedtime and during meals, but he just consumed his energy during the march. If all the soldiers in the line were asking for water, Walm would be exhausted due to his inefficient water magic.


    Looking at the tip of the spear that was swaying in front of him, he felt it was worth the effort, as it was no longer approaching him again, resulting in him being able to continue the march with peace of mind.


    ¡ô


    The twin moons were looking into the horizon and the night was about to come. The march reduced the soldiers¡¯ physical strength, and no one seemed to be in high spirits.


    Walm chose a sleeping place in the back area of what was supposed to be a camp. He took a one-handed battle axe out of the magic bag and cut down a short tree. It contained a lot of water than normal, but it was a trivial problem for Walm, who specialized in fire magic.


    Turned the blade of the battle ax over and dig a hole in the ground with the sharpest edge. A dent tended to retain heat better than the flat ground and also served as a windbreak. The ground seemed to contain a small amount of water, but Walm quickly manifested fire to the vertically divided firewood he had stacked.


    After several tens of seconds, the water disappeared, and when the firewood had finally ignited, the blue flame extended from the hollow. Walm put the rest of the firewood beside the bonfire. This way, moisture would go away naturally without using more fire magic.


    A while later, Walm turned to firewood as he took off his armor. The fire was about to break in the middle of the night. He was wondering if he needed a little more wood and looking if there was another short tree, but a pair of soldiers were approaching.


    ¡°May I have some of your time?¡±


    Walm blatantly had a reluctant expression on his face, but the boys braved themselves and kept approaching him. Perhaps it was because the sun had set, the surrounding was getting dark and the visibility was getting worse.


    ¡°It¡¯s not enough for a thank you, but here¡¯s some firewood.¡±


    Since they were marching on a unit-by-units, collecting firewood was a competition. It seemed that the two boys were busy collecting before approaching Walm. Considering the effort, it might be better to obediently receive a gift called firewood.


    ¡°Firewood is more than welcome. Well, sit down.¡±


    The boy soldiers sat around the fire.


    ¡°We apologize for the inconvenience during the march.¡±


    ¡°The dried beans, were delicious.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I was too, saved in the past.¡±


    Walm was also helped by the Squad Commander, the Three Idiots, and other squad members during his rookie era when he didn¡¯t know right or left.


    ¡°Oh, right. I haven¡¯t given my name. I¡¯m Kuwen.¡±


    A boy with short hair introduced himself. He looked like the energetic type.


    ¡°It¡¯s Kalim¡±


    Kalim had brown hair with some curls. Hearing his lazy way of speaking, made Walm feel that he might be a carefree person.


    ¡°I¡¯m Walm¡±


    After introducing himself, Walm prepared meals.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to have a hotpot, how about it eating together? Do you have anything on hand?¡±


    The boys took out beans, dried potatoes, and brilliantly colored mushrooms.


    ¡°Can it, be eaten¡­?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a joke. Walm didn¡¯t know. Also, if your stomach got angry during the march, you could be left behind.


    The boys explained to Walm, who looked at the mushrooms suspiciously.


    ¡°It¡¯s thick and delicious.¡±


    ¡°It looks poisonous, but I ate it in the village. It¡¯s fine.¡±


    In this world, sure there was a difference in the level, but some had Poison Resistance skills just that they were unaware of it.


    Walm didn¡¯t mean to doubt the boys¡¯ behavior, but he was reluctant. The problem was that it would be put in the pot.


    Should I ask them not to put those things in?


    ¡ª Albeit scared of what the boys would put in the pot, Walm decided to trust his stomach and prepared for the worst.


    Salt, cabbage, and sausage meat were taken out from the magic bag. When Walm begins to fill the pot with water, the two boys naturally started to prepare for cooking.


    Cut the ingredients into small pieces with a dagger, stuck two Y-shaped branches to the ground, and passed a relatively straight branch over it. The preparation was completed much faster than doing it alone.


    ¡°The magic-user who shot the fireball during the training was, Walm-san, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right.¡±


    There, Walm guessed, that the boy must be the one who had fallen during the training, but once he tried to recall the memory, he was sure that it was the boy who was now sitting in front of him.


    ¡°Kuwen, you fell down at that time, right?¡±


    The brown-haired boy told so as to tease.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. I¡¯ve never seen magic, moreover, it exploded nearby.¡±


    ¡°Well, to be honest, I was about to fall too.¡±


    The two continue to have a friendly conversation. Occasionally Walm joined, but the story was mostly about the two boys. Most of what Walm said was regarding the questions they had about the battlefield.


    From the two, Walm felt that in addition to the heightened feelings for the first actual battle, there was the indescribable anxiety.


    ¡°It¡¯s boiled¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s boiled.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s time to enjoy the meal.¡±


    The pot heated by the bonfire was finally boiled and the diffused smell stimulated the nasal cavity. Steam could be seen from the soup scooped up by the ladle.


    After everyone got their portion, Walm ate the soup. There was still a suspicion of poisonous mushrooms, but the umami was well dissolved in the soup, and the mushrooms themselves were thick and satisfying to eat.


    The other ingredients¡¯ flavor was enriched. The cabbage and beans were also soaked in flavor. When the sausage meat got bit by the teeth, the meat juice overflowed after a slight elasticity.


    Put the provided hard-baked bread into the soup, it was delicious. The boys had a strong appetite. Kuwen was struggling with the residual heat of the large number of ingredients thrown into his mouth, perhaps because he had sensitive tongue. As for Kalim, he continued to eat at a constant speed.


    How long has it been since I have a meal with someone else like this?


    Walm silently tasted the soup while being soaked in a sentimental atmosphere.


    The conversation continued after the meal, but the two who consumed a lot of physical strength were drowsy. Walm took out the stone he put in the bonfire with a wooden stick and wrapped it in the cloth given during the march before giving it back to the boy.


    In this world without disposable body warmers, Walm kept his body temperature by putting warm stones in his pocket. A nice partner who would accompany him spending the night. Such a thing worked really well before bedtime.


    The two boys, who put the warm stone covered with a cloth on their abdomen, let go of their consciousness as if they fainted.


    Walm also wore a cloak while entrusting himself to the heat of the warm stone. Slowly, he shrunk his limbs in the cloak.


    Snores were rising everywhere in the camp.


    It felt like a lie that they were going to the battlefield.


    Exhaling a frosty breath while being watched by the fire. Then the night went on. After a long time, the sleep that had become completely worse after serving in the military chose to lurk in the shadows, and as it was, the consciousness slowly faded.

 CH 78

    78. Chapter 78


    ¡°Everyone, well done at gathering in the crisis of the Dalimarx Family.¡±


    Edgar de Dalimarx gazed at those in line. Influential people, including Baron Josh of the Ador Family, a vassal Family, were gathered at the tent on the field battlefield, as well as others from the Family.


    Among them were, the remnant army of the Highserk Empire, who had become allies in the past year. The man dispatched from the remnant army was a Battalion Commander called Hadro.


    Edgar once had the impression that this tall and plain-spoken man with slender limbs would break if hit, but after witnessing the work he did in the Demon Territory and the buffer zone, Edgar renewed that careless idea.


    Despite the destruction of their home country, the general class soldiers still maintained discipline and leadership, striving to maintain the combat capabilities of the troops. Near Liberitoa, it had been grasped that there was another remnant army larger than the one near the Archipelago.


    It was unclear whether there was a strong patriotism or ¡°something¡± to prevent the county from the real end, either way, they did well to put it up together. But one of the biggest factors that made Edgar choose an armed clash with the Meisenav Family was without a doubt, their presence.


    And so, the strategy meeting went on.


    ¡°The Meisenav soldiers are using the site abandoned in the Fourth Expedition as a resource point, and from there, straighten the road to the Carorolia Vein. The number marching is expected to exceed 6,000.¡±


    Such a prediction was said by one of the people.


    The troops that Edgar had assembled were about 3,200, roughly half of the enemy numbers.


    ¡°I expected it, but more than 6,000 huh?¡±


    ¡°Multiple sources told the same, so it must be the case. The Meisenav Family is showing off without hiding the troops they have gathered. Also, it seems that they hired a large number of mercenaries.¡±


    Simply speaking, the enemy had almost double the number of soldiers. The Dalimarx Family was at disadvantage even before the start of the war, and even if they wanted to hire mercenaries, the mercenaries mostly chose to go to the Meisenav Family, which had higher status and reputation.


    Mercenaries were a kind of business people whose business was to devote themselves to the war, of course, they would want a lord who could provide a balanced situation of environments and rewards. Therefore, the few mercenaries who came to the Dalimarx Family were the weirdos, the frivolous people, and the ones who were caught by the amount of reward.


    ¡°What time will they arrive?¡±


    ¡°By the report of our scout, we will meet within three days.¡±


    After thinking for a while, Edgar asked Baron Josh, who summarized the information.


    ¡°Josh, what about the capacity and defense structure of the branch castle?¡±


    ¡°The branch castle has a capacity of 700 people, and there are embankments, empty moats, and obstacles for infantry soldiers, but the walls are made of wood and soil. Just a few heavy shots of magic attacks and it¡¯ll reach the limit.¡±


    Considering the advantage of the land and the number of troops that reached 3,200, they weren¡¯t in a real bad position. However, even if you could win in purely attrition warfare, the chances of winning would diminish the longer the battle went on. After all, the Meisenav Family had many vassals and had a connection to the capital. Even if they bounced back once, they would soon be ready to attack again. The Meisenav Family was always greedy for wealth, and the head of the Family, Odilon de Meisenav, was no exception.


    Meisenav wasn¡¯t so easy to give up after a single defeat. The neighboring lord, Edgar de Dalimarx, had tasted that himself. Using the background as the power, he was given unfavorable territories and water rights for generations. That was why, now that he had the cooperation with the Highserk soldiers and finally got a good resource for the future, the Carorolia Vein, it was the last opportunity that Edgar¡­ The Dalimarx Family could never miss.


    Once the Meisenav Family had the Magical Silver Mine in their hands, the Dalimarx Family could no longer even rebel. And Edgar¡¯s power as a Lord would slowly be diminished.


    ¡°The branch castle will be filled with Josh¡¯s retainers and 700 recruited soldiers. The remaining soldiers will meet the Meisenav Family at the field battlefield at the foot of the mine.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we deploy the army in front of the branch castle?¡±


    A voice of doubt rose from a group of people. Perhaps he wanted to say that if the soldiers were divided, the possibility of both groups being defeated might increase.


    ¡°The branch castle will take on the role of fishing the enemy soldiers. In situations where the sides and back are threatened, he will try to not throw away even one soldier.¡±


    A core area for the military and civilians would be needed to control the Carorolia Vein, and a branch castle had already been constructed in the most favorable location. Odilon, who didn¡¯t like to spare money, would have no choice than abandoning to ruin the castle. He wouldn¡¯t like the construction of the castle from scratch, and chose to use the branch castle if he could. Such was Edgar¡¯s prediction.


    ¡°I see, the branch castle is responsible for fishing the force, and at the time of the early decisive battle, turn to counterattack with my army.¡±


    Josh realized his role and confirmed it aloud.


    ¡°The general of the branch castle is forced to make difficult choices. Considering the skill level, I could only entrust this mission to you.¡±


    There was no lie in Edgar¡¯s words. Among the Dalimarx soldiers, Josh was the most skillful and excellent at breaking through the enemy.


    ¡°But if that happens, the defense of the main unit will be weakened.¡±


    Josh¡¯s concerns could be applied to the Dalimarx Family in the past, but not to the Dalimarx Family today.


    ¡°Fortunately, there is a ¡°mercenary unit¡± led by our guest general, Hadro-dono.¡±


    If the outsider was drawn into the conflict between the lords, there was a possibility that the other Lords would meddle with the conflict. Even if most of the soldiers were from the Highserk Army itself, formally it was a mercenary unit gathered by the Dalimarx Family. Fortunately, they hadn¡¯t raised complaints, even once, about not being able to hold their country¡¯s flag.


    ¡°Leave it to me. All the members will complete the given orders.¡±


    ¡°Remember, there is also a saying ¡®Give them an inch and they will take a yard¡¯. We shouldn¡¯t expect too much.¡±


    Edgar was aware that some, including Josh, were dissatisfied with the heavy use of Highserk soldiers.


    ¡°Do you need a lot of words on the battlefield?¡±


    During the meeting, Hadro, who had closed his mouth until earlier, leaked such words to Josh in a flat tone. He was trying to say that Josh had a long tongue in a roundabout way.


    ¡°What?! Bastard, are you insulting me?¡±


    ¡°We have always shown in action. Words are unnecessary, right?¡±


    That said, Hadro shut his mouth again. Josh had nerves pop out on his face. If Edgar were to defend Hadro or Josh here, the gap between the two would widen further.


    ¡°Stop it there. Now we¡¯re just about to enter the decisive battle with Meizenav.¡±


    Josh didn¡¯t try to hide his dissatisfaction, but he wasn¡¯t stupid enough to keep arguing. Sucking a cigarette, purple smoke began to spread in the air, as well as his stress.


    Edgar regretted what he did in the past. He left Josh as a reserve and set out to deal with the Outbreak. Hadro and Highserk soldiers wouldn¡¯t have sounded so overrated if they had ever toured the battlefield together. Whether limbs were torn, viscera exposed, or eyes crushed, the Highserk soldiers continued to fight against the attacking monsters without fear. Their crazy figures were comparable to the monsters.


    Such events he would never forget, especially the blue flames that continued to smoke on the battlefield and the monsters as they spread. A hundred monsters sunk into the sea of ??blue flames and were burned down until carbonized. His body trembled as such a scene burned into his mind. There was such a strong man in the not-so-important country.


    How many people from the Big Three Countries could achieve the same thing? No one knew, but must be not that many.


    Even if personal savings must be used, Edgar tried to hire the person, but he couldn¡¯t find the person after all. The person might have been seriously injured or have serious sequela, but Edgar didn¡¯t believe the person was killed in action.


    Edgar thought that the person must have been carefully concealed by the remnant of Highserk Army. In the defense of the Magical Silver Mine, which could be said as the thread of life of not only Dalimarx Family but also the remnant army of Highserk, perhaps the person would finally make an appearance.


    After such events, Myard left the Four Countries Alliance, and with the destroyed Ferrius, leaving only two countries in the Alliance. There were some different opinions, but the Three Big Countries were told by the Two Countries Alliance that the outrage of the stupid King Ferrius was the cause of the Great Outbreak. The facts didn¡¯t matter to Edgar. After all, it led to this present, where the remnant army of the Highserk Empire helped the Dalimarx Family in securing the Magical Silver Mine. Even though more compensation was required, he got the help of the remnant army to defend the Carorolia Vein.


    Such favorable conditions were in place, as if it was destiny. But, all in all, was enough to bet Family¡¯s future.


    ¡ô


    The Carorolia Vein was a quarry built by scrapping the Demon Territory, and had opened a transportation route between the Dalimarx territory and the territory of Highserk remnant which was called the buffer zone. According to the regular soldiers, the Meisenav Family used the base they had built during their past expeditions as a resource point and turned it into an outpost, and from there they would connect the road to the Carorolia Vein.


    It was clear that the declaration of war was just before the full-scale operation of the mining of the Carorolia Vein. As the road was prepared so that the large army could pass through, it could be said that the declaration was thoroughly planned. The Dalimarx Family, on the other hand, was inferior to the Meisenav Family in terms of the number of troops, but had anticipated the future skirmishes with the monsters, so they had been strengthening the defenses near the Carorolia Vein.


    A defense in depth was built at the base of the main force set up at the foot of the mine, and the depth was widened by combining multiple embankments and wood walls. It wouldn¡¯t be a short decisive field battle but a long battle.


    Unlike the former world of Walm, it was a world where the technical form of the mechanical system hadn¡¯t been developed, but this world had people with the ability called ¡¶Magic¡· and ¡¶Skill¡·, which had a great advantage in civil engineering work. The work, which would take several weeks if only using human power, was being carried out in a short period of time.


    Although the ratio was low, magic had gotten its own position in terms of firepower, and there were those who were comparable to small arms and heavy artillery. Even if it looked like a fine embankment, if it was only a single track, a breakthrough would be easy if such a talented person was there.


    In addition, the technique of covering armor and the human body with mana called magical barrier, which made humans acquire rigidity, elasticity, and various resistances, further caused preventing the assault only by relying on the firepower of the magic-users to be difficult.


    The unit to which Walm belonged wasn¡¯t Edgar¡¯s main force, but the force under his subordinate, Baron Josh Ador, who had a blood relationship with Viscount Edgar.


    The branch castle, which was built about a kilometer away from the main force, would act as a sword and shield against the enemy. For the Meisenav Family, if the branch castle were to be left unattended and concentrated only on Edgar¡¯s main force, a counterattack from the castle might pierce the sides and back.


    However, it was a fact that the force was split, and depending on the situation at the branch castle, each force might be defeated. Even so, the reason why Baron Josh¡¯s unit was separated was that the capacity of the branch castle was at most 700 people, and the entire main force couldn¡¯t enter the castle.


    Besides, this would be a battle for control of the Carorolia Vein, and Viscount Edgar couldn¡¯t win just by siege. He must use the branch castle as a stake and force the Meisenav Family to make a choice.


    ¡°Empty moat, abatis and stakes, and walls made of wood, huh¡­¡±


    Walm didn¡¯t know if the embankment was used to build the foundation or if the castle was built on a hill, but the ground was about a meter higher than the surrounding area. Added the empty moat, the height difference was about 2 meters. In the empty moat and the slope, abatis and stakes were installed.


    Abatis¡­ an obstacle in form of sharpened branches, and by installing it in the direction of the enemy¡¯s movement, the branches would pierce the flesh of a person who approached carelessly, slowing down the attack on the defense facility. It could be procured in large quantities from forests rich in flora and fauna. This was often used by Walm in his rookie days fighting Liberitoa.


    It had been less than a year since the Carorolia Vein was opened. Considering that, the branch castle, which now could be said as a symbol of the area, wasn¡¯t badly made, it was in fact a reasonable result.


    In Walm¡¯s experience, a wooden wall could prevent a few direct hits of magic attacks, but a concentrated magic attack would half-destroy the wall. For that reason, they must have installed abatis and stakes as an aid.


    It was said that this war had been a long time since the Archipelago was founded, but the know-how wasn¡¯t forgotten, more than that, it seemed that they had gathered some information about the war battlefield.


    ¡°It feels like a fort.¡±


    ¡°The Viscount¡¯s main castle was made of stone, but this is wood and soil.¡±


    Behind Walm were young soldiers. Making him feel like a tourist guide, he slowly felt a headache and wanted to hold down his temples.


    The role of the branch castle was important, and the force there must move more flexibly than the main force. It seemed that there were about 200 regular soldiers and most of the rest were just citizens who gathered to work in the war. Not everyone has combat experience, Walm couldn¡¯t help but be gloom.


    There were no castle towers in the fort, other than barracks and places to rest, only warehouses. At the core was a two-story command post and watchtower overlooking the surrounding area.


    A fort with no defense layer like Sarajevo Fortress would be fragile due to its lack of defensive depth. If the wall was breached, the soldier would be entangled in hand-to-hand combat, and the troops will be forced to speak with their fighting skill. Before getting near the wall, the enemy soldiers must be exhausted, and once they got near, the soldiers had to be spread to prevent them from breaking through from any side.


    Walm was assigned to the left corner of the branch castle, which was the most dangerous place considering that the main force would be in the right rear of the castle. It took a long time for the support from the main force to arrive, hoping for interference at any moment would be a bad move. It could be seen that Walm was expected as a member of the blocking force.


    The only problem was that the boys, Kuwen and Karim, who were supposed to be assigned separately in the castle, were right next to him. There was no deep meaning. Only two people who happened to be nearby at the time when he entered the castle, and so were positioned together.


    Many soldiers, not just the boys, looked into the ground from the edge of the wall and gazed around in a restless manner.


    There were regular soldiers among them, but most of them were battle virgins, and no Baron Josh¡¯s retainers were positioned on the wall.


    Perhaps they would be used as a fire extinguisher in an emergency or as a decisive force in a counterattack. Rather than exhausting precious elites in small quantities, it was a common practice to throw them into a group and got the desirable results of the battle.


    However, Walm didn¡¯t feel happy, as he would be on the exhausted side. At the very least, it would have been nice to have people who had experience in military service on both sides. He hoped so, but when he saw the ones nearby him looking at the distant enemies trembling in fear, he realized it was just a faint hope.

 CH 79

    ¡°Hmph, that coward Edgar is unusually enthusiastic.¡±


    There was a magical silver ring on the finger of the rattling man at the desk, and the reflected light swayed as if to claim its existence.


    Inside and outside the camp, all of them were dressed in armor and ready for the battlefield, but only the man wore an embroidered robe and leaned in a disproportionate chair without showing any tension.


    The man, Odilon de Meisenav, gazed at the two armies facing him from the command post covered by the camp enclosure. Viscount Edgar foolishly rejected Odilon¡¯s warm-hearted proposal. In addition, he and his main forces were occupying the foot of the mine behind the branch castle where Baron Josh, from the vassal house, guarding.


    ¡°There are more soldiers than I expected. It seems true that he embraced Highserk¡¯s soldiers.¡±


    According to the ears of Odilon¡¯s sneaking in here and there, the total number of those of Highserk was 500, and all of them were regular soldiers. They might have better combat skills than small fries, but after all, they were just soldiers of a second-rate country. The lack of uniformity of weapons and damaged armor further emphasized that.


    ¡°After all, they¡¯re just a second-rate squeezed residue.¡±


    Odilon looked at the forces he had brought. With abundant funds, even the ordinary soldiers wore heavy armor, and with the training by regular soldiers, they would be more than ready. Two well-known mercenary units, which members were also famous as adventurers, were also joining the line. It was clear who was stronger objectively.


    ¡°By all means, please give an order to my unit!!¡±


    ¡°No, the one to bring victory to Odilon-sama, will be my unit!!¡±


    The morale was kept high, backed by the difference in Lord¡¯s rank, and the ones from Meisenav Family and the vassals¡¯ family wanted to make a name for themselves. He intended to give those, who were the force directly underneath him such as those from Meisenav Family and his retainers, a place to gather experience, but until then he wanted to avoid exhausting them as much as possible.


    Fortunately, those from the vassals and some lords of small territories joined the army in an attempt to gain the wealth that could be brought from the magical silver mine.


    Odilon had already decided what to take the lead.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have Viscount Barnes Cuvier take the lead. With 2000 soldiers, including the infantries, bring down the branch castle.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a great honor to be appointed as a prestigious vanguard. That branch castle, I¡¯ll bring it down, at any cost!!¡±


    The branch castle would be sieged, then face a decisive battle with the remaining troops, such an option was there, but if a large army collided, precious forces would get caught up in a turbulent battle and there would be a risk of losing all of those soldiers he had raised hard.


    Odilon was hungry to scrape the branch castle¡¯s troops and destroy the enemy. If the enemy decided to devote their troops to support the branch castle, he could bury all of those troops in one sweep, without sacrificing much.


    In contrast to the rejoicing Viscount Barnes, Odilon whispered in a low voice to a group of people who felt down after being dismissed from the vanguard role and were frowning.


    ¡°Your suitable stage is still ahead. You can leave it to them to take the lead in the exhausting castle attack.¡±


    Following Odilon¡¯s words, the members of the group had dark smiles. Despite the difference in prediction, the two armies were trying to open the battle while preserving the main force.


    ¡ô


    Those who stuck to the walls were watching over the army in full of sight, while Walm calmly counted the enemy¡¯s troops. He naturally didn¡¯t waste the time like counting one by one from the edge. There were several ways to figure out the number of troops in reconnaissance. In addition to perception with a help of skill, there was a way, such as making a shape with tools, fingers, and hands, then counting the approximate number within that frame. Walm knew that.


    If you were accustomed to a full-scale war that incorporated many units and collided with each other, you could naturally process it in your brain and grasp the approximate number without creating a shape with something. Of course, there might be a need to consider the errors, it might be also necessary to take into account the existence of intentionally concealed ambush soldiers.


    ¡°About 1,800 to over 2,000, is it?¡±


    Walm was convinced that it should be a reasonable number.


    The castle was packed with about 700 people, and it made sense to prepare more than three times as many troops to attack the castle if they wanted to show off their forces. It was unclear whether their scouts were so good or if there were some spies, in any case, it seemed that the information on the branch castle side, hatefully, had been known to some extent to the enemy.


    ¡°Eh? There are so many?¡±


    Kuwen, who didn¡¯t miss Walm¡¯s mutter, shook his voice in anxiety. In the end, the total number of forces might be reduced due to morale issues. But right now, many had not been able to grasp the scale of the battlefield because they were in a castle where friendly forces lined up around them. As they collided, they would realize that even if you didn¡¯t like it, their force was at a numerical disadvantage.


    ¡°2,000 people and there¡¯re still many more behind¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make too loud noises. You¡¯ll lower the morale. Then, you¡¯ll be scolded by the 100-men commander.¡±


    The two hurriedly closed their mouths and nodded. Their movements were like a pair of tin dolls that had a will. Walm had little experience in training newcomers on the battlefield. His former companion, Jose, was good at it, but Walm was always providing advice as he rescued them on the verge of being hurt. He didn¡¯t know how to properly do it, so there was no choice but to imitate Jose¡¯s method here, albeit poorly.


    ¡°¡­ Are you guys growing hair under there?¡±


    ¡± ¡°eh?¡± ¡°


    Unable to understand the intent of the question, they both made a dumbfounded expression.


    ¡°Ah, hm, well¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s growing like normal. For the time being.¡±


    In addition to being confused, their eyes were saying that they had a suspicion, perhaps Walm had ¡°that¡± kind of hobby. Feeling afraid that Walm might do something to their bodies, they both slightly retreated. But Walm was unwilling to be looked at with such eyes.


    ¡°Rest assured. I like women. I mean, it looks so small. I thought you have no hair there. So, it just shrank because of fear? I see.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t that Walm had a peculiar hobby, but it was the result of poorly imitating his former comrades. He thought it would be better than throwing some cheap words to reassure them. At this time, there was no doubt that Viscount Edgar was at a disadvantage, so Walm couldn¡¯t bring himself to say a word of reassurance.


    ¡°I¡¯m not scared!!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be the one to hunt.¡±


    A protest was raised from Kuwen, and Kalim struck the ground with a slight stab of his spear.


    Fortunately, the newcomer was motivated, even if it was just on the surface. Sure, it was just a perhaps strange joke, but it was worth it, and the boys¡¯ whole body, which was stiffened from tension, had loosened and their complexions turned a little better.


    ¡°Then, it¡¯s great. But it will take an hour before the attack. Because they don¡¯t want to do a careless attack.¡±


    ¡°What? Why?¡±


    ¡°Look over there. It¡¯s not below.¡±


    The boys were amazed at the blatant words, but they obediently stared at the point that Walm pointed to.


    ¡°They¡¯re making something.¡±


    ¡°Big shield?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Use big shields and bamboo bundles to avoid attacks from a long distance. The big shields, can only be carried by a few people, but their durability is proportional to their weight. The bamboo bundles may look unreliable. But, the nodes inside are removed and soil is stuffed in. It can prevent not only stones and arrows, but even direct hits of weak magic attack.¡±


    Walm was also in their debt when attacking a castle in the past. It could be said that such items would help the immature soldiers on the frontline shine.


    ¡°Ah, so it needs to be assembled and prepared.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. Once that¡¯s in the front row and starting to move forward, it¡¯ll be the time.¡±


    Kalim made a proud face, probably because he arrived at the correct answer by himself. Kuwen, on the other hand, was dispirited. Walm looked away from them and looked at the near but far enemy.


    As expected, the lords in the Three Big Countries had financial power and could play with it. The enemy this time seemed to have gathered ¡°amusing toys¡±. In addition to the big shields and bamboo bundles, a battering ram and a small siege tower were also prepared.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s on purpose.¡±


    The enemy must have checked the height of the branch castle in advance. If not, it would be so strange that the siege tower fit the height of the wall too well. Large siege towers were difficult to operate. If it was too heavy, the wheels would sink into the ground, and good care must be given when transporting it. Using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, could be said to be wasting resources.


    Walm felt unfavorable about it, but without a doubt, the leader of the enemy must be someone who really understood what he was doing.


    ¡°Right, this is why you don¡¯t want to quarrel with the rich. It¡¯s just miserable.¡±


    Walm exhaled his inner feelings, so that the two boys wouldn¡¯t even need to ask him in the first place.

 CH 80

    80. Chapter 80 ¨C Battle of Carorolia Vein


    As Walm expected, there was no confusion in the playground filled with learning students, and the approaching formation was in a beautiful straight line. The drum sound was as if telling the speed of the march, with the big shield held in the front row, they continued moving forward.


    ¡°So, that¡¯s the army of Meisenav Family?¡±


    The quality of the armor worn by the soldiers was good despite them looking inexperienced. It could be said that they were just a flock of sheep with thick skin and sharp horns. There were enough shepherds in the lead, and it seemed that they were accustomed to handling them.


    Now, Walm stopped unnecessary talks. After all, the gap was already about to reach 250 meters. The archer began to push the strings with an arrow. The two young soldiers nearby Walm began to pinch a stone in the provided sling.


    ¡°Listen, they¡¯re so widespread. You just need to send it somewhere in the front, and you¡¯ll hit someone.¡±


    The two nodded silently. Walm was hired as a magic user so he wasn¡¯t provided with a sling. Although he had some stuff in his magic bag, he wasn¡¯t very good at throwing, so he didn¡¯t want to butt in the things he wasn¡¯t asked for.


    ¡°Ready, THROW!!¡±


    At the order of the 100-man Commander, the pebbles launched by the sling soared high in the sky all at once and then fell into the approaching army in a parabolic manner. Of course, there were some who missed the target, some who missed the timing and so rolled the pebbles on the ground, and some who shot without enough power.


    Correctly launched stones hit the enemy¡¯s armor and shields, and the metallic sound echoed to the branch castle. Some of them fainted on the spot, perhaps because their vital spot was hit.


    The young soldiers also managed to throw stones into the formation after several trials and errors. They have a complex expression that was just indescribable, perhaps, because of the joy of accomplishment and the sour aftertaste that they might have injured someone, such contradictive feelings rushed at the same time.


    ¡°That¡¯s great. Aren¡¯t you both good at this?¡±


    Walm praised them. The expression was cloudy and dark, but the brightness returned, albeit slightly.


    While instigating the innocent boy, Walm was trying to dilute the guilt feelings and make them adapt to the battlefield. He wanted to vomit at his own flippant trick, but the smile he had put on his face couldn¡¯t be removed.


    By the time the enemies cut 250 meters in distance, the arrow that the archer had drawn to the limit was shot. When an arrow fell with the sound of the wind, the march visibly slowed down and people¡¯s screams reached the branch castle.


    The attack by the magic users began at a distance of less than 60 meters. The range was varied depending on the magic. The earth bullet blew off the big shield and the ones holding the bamboo bundle, and the ice spear pierced the bamboo bundle.


    After cutting fifty meters, Walm stuck out his arm and manifested his mana in form of fire. The embodied blue flame swirled, and a fireball was kneaded.


    ¡°Fireball is comiiiIIINGG!!¡±


    A sad voice was raised by the soldier carrying the big shield. Soldiers who communicated and alerted the others on the front lines were dangerous. Walm shot the fireball at the source of the voice. The fireball that hit directly scattered pieces of flesh and blood, and the leftover fire clung to the surrounding soldiers.


    ¡°Ah? ah, aaaAAAHHH!! Hands! M-my hands¡­!!¡±


    ¡°Stop the bleeding and go to the back!¡±


    Great damage spread to the ones behind the half-broken shield. No cheers were obtained, just strange silence which dominated the surroundings. The tragedy that Walm accomplished brought the two young soldiers back into a reality that made them want to look away.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stop!¡±


    Walm plainly told them to kill their emotions. If you were beside Walm, you could see more of those rotten scenes. Without receiving a word of consolation.


    Paying attention to the next prey, Walm found soldiers holding the bamboo bundle in a diagonal direction trying to parry the attack. However, it wasn¡¯t so easy to hold, and he saw a gap between the ground and the bamboo bundle. Walm shot a fireball at the gap. The fireball exploded on the ground resulting in earth and sand falling overhead, creating a dent.


    The damage to the bamboo bundle and the soldiers behind it was also enormous. There were many soldiers who lost their legs and screamed in agony, and many who suffered minor damage such as missing fingers and burns on their legs.


    In order to silence Walm who scattered such destruction, it was inevitable that attacks would be concentrated on him. Miscellaneous thrown objects hit the walls, and the wind noise of the arrows could be heard from above the hiding spot. A soldier who carelessly exposed himself was forced to welcome the arrow with his forehead and collapsed without making a noise. The disturbing corpse was immediately dragged down the wall.


    The four corners that protruded outward were designed like that to attack the enemy soldiers trying to stick to the wall from the side. It was a kind of defensive tower, and these corner towers were a key point of defense even though they were low-rise buildings. They were exceptionally made of stone, which further enhanced the defensive performance.


    Otherwise, it would have been half-destroyed in the attack that came without a cut. Walm assigned the degree of danger to the enemy¡¯s attack and crushed it in order from the dangerous one. The first was, of course, the magic users, the second was the generals and officers, and the third was the archers. The blocking tools visibly showed their power and fulfilled their purpose, leaving a ripple in the straight line of formations, and it was a straight line, the enemy soldiers on the edge of the formation, who was within an effective range of attack, were delayed to see the situation.


    Arrows and stones flew mercilessly at soldiers who had lost their defenses due to the explosion. The enemy soldier with the arrowhead piercing into his shoulder raises a voice of agony, but was silenced not long after by the subsequent stone. The two young soldiers were throwing stones as if they were possessed.


    ¡°Oi, where are you going?¡±


    Walm stopped the soldiers from leaving the yard. He wouldn¡¯t stop if the man was just a miscellaneous soldier, but the man was the same precious magic user as him. He couldn¡¯t help but care when he thought of the burden he had to shoulder might increase.


    ¡°It¡¯s an order by the 100-man Commander, I must support other walls. This side will be okay, you¡¯re here after all.¡±


    After saying so, the magic user rushed away. Magic soldiers who used mana-efficient earth bullets had a lot of work and were useful for preventing the invasion of enemies. Walm wanted to have a piece of mind for a while after his excellent comrade went away, but the enemy didn¡¯t give him time and was trying to enter the empty moat despite the onslaught.


    A fireball approached an enemy soldier who swept the abatis and now was breaking a stake. The end of the soldiers who had descended to the bottom of the moat was extremely miserable as the escape area for the explosion was limited. Being blasted like a detonation, the human bomb gifted a hot shock wave to the surroundings rapidly, with limbs and torso falling on the surrounding soldiers after a moment.


    The heat could even be felt from the top of the ramparts. The smell of burning sebum and the viscera exposed to the atmosphere was mixed with undigested foods and had a terrible stink. There were a certain number of soldiers who stuffed food and liquor as much as they could before the start of the battle. After all, it might be the last meal in this world before going to the netherworld.


    Some would reach for the injured. As a person, it might look like a sympathetic action. But as a soldier, it would look like a pity action.


    It might be possible to return to the front in a short period of time if there was recovery magic even if the viscera were damaged, but if undigested food overflowed from the damaged viscera, the influx of foreign substances going in might contaminate the body, and treatment with simple recovery magic alone wouldn¡¯t suffice. Water magic and special surgery would be needed.


    ¡°The time and place are not the same, but¡­ well, a battlefield is a battlefield.¡±


    Really, a detestable nostalgic feeling. The terrible scene of death, the pungent odor that pierced the nasal cavity, and the sound of the battlefield that shook the eardrum awakened Walm¡¯s memories.


    Kuwen and Kalim had pale faces, but they still didn¡¯t loosen their hands. They were slowly adapting themselves. An enthusiastic adult soldier was upset like a toddler just because the viscera that had flown in were stuck to his armor, spitting out curses everywhere.


    Dozens of enemies hadn¡¯t given up even after being burned and blown away. The soil was thrown into the empty moat where corpses were rolling as if they wanted to bury themselves. They were trying to stick directly under the wall.


    ¡°Dive into the gap!! Gold coins will be given to those who get the first blood!!¡±


    The regular soldiers rebuild the disturbed battle line, kicking the timid soldiers and pushing them into the front line. Walm also welcomed them with fire. A soldier who had become a human torch due to blue flames rolled backward on the slope. The soldier who was holding the stake was kidnapped by the blast, leaving only his hand on the stake.


    ¡°Push in and kill that guy!! KILL HIIIMMM!!!¡±


    Bare emotions were sent. Walm accepted it. The soldiers under his eyes were now obsessed with Walm¡¯s every move, but Walm, who was only one of the magic users, felt that he was being overpraised.


    The damage from the stones and arrows to the front got even more enormous, as they were wary of the magic shot from the corner tower. The attack was carried out on three sides of the wall, but about half of the two sides were within the range of Walm¡¯s attack. The remaining half was also diverted by Walm¡¯s firepower, leading to the attack of other magic users becoming more effective.


    A soldier who somehow managed to crawl up also had a spear swung down from the wall welcoming him, and rolled down with a shock on his head. Walm pitied the enemy soldiers, but it must be done.


    Sometimes, the brute force could be a powerful tactic. The enemy commander might have predicted such a situation, but even so, many of his soldiers died, perhaps more than expected.


    And so, rhythmic drum sounds echoed on the battlefield, and the angry roar of regular soldiers rose everywhere.


    ¡°It¡¯s a signal for withdrawal. RETREAATT!!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let go of your weapons. If you let go, you will be scolded!!¡±


    The enemy soldiers left at the sound of the drum that announced the withdrawal. Of course, no one waved off. Instead, a large number of souvenirs would be given for free, albeit only stones and arrows.


    ¡°The enemy turned their tail and ran away!!¡±


    On this day, the cheers of Dalimarx soldiers echoed in the branch castle for the first time.


    ¡ô


    ¡°What a wretched stated we are in!¡±


    Viscount Barnes Cuvier was dominated by anger and impatience. It was a castle attack. The sacrifice of the commoners was an inherent part of it, and Barnes was prepared. He intended to.


    ¡°It was just a single magic user!!¡±


    With arrows and stones as a welcoming sign, Barnes and his soldiers approached the wall while receiving some damage. With the support of magic users and archers, the infantry would try to break through. It was supposed to. But, before the soldiers could attach to the wall, 200 troops had been lost and many injured.


    Everything was due to the firepower of the powerful magic user deployed in the corner tower, and the constantly spewed fireballs burned down shields and bamboo bundles, and also killed the soldiers. The exposed soldiers received all thrown objects before they could even climb the slope.


    Barnes wasn¡¯t watching silently either. He sent magic users and archers to silence the source of the nasty fire, but the result was a painful counterattack and exhaustion for his soldiers.


    Some of those soldiers took a lot of time to train, a type of soldier that would be difficult to replace, so it was inevitable that Barnes¡¯ influence would decline in the future. It was a painful failure in the first battle to determine the momentum of the battle, and Barnes, who took command of the soldiers, had a heavy responsibility for the outcome. The enemy wasn¡¯t the only one who angered Barnes, who was desperate to get rid of this dishonor he had received.


    ¡°The fallen soldiers. They were just unlucky.¡±


    ¡°Well, it can¡¯t be helped, because that magic user was a little powerful.¡±


    Now, the front-line command center was filled with people other than Barnes¡¯ retainers and aides. Still waiting for Barnes to attack again, those who had the blood of the Meisenav family and the mercenaries hired by the Count, which dispatched to support the struggle.


    Barnes could tolerate those of Count Odilon¡¯s family and other vassals. However, he couldn¡¯t forgive the vulgar and inferior mercenaries entering his battle. The problem was, that those from Count Odilon¡¯s family and the mercenaries were said to move independently out of Barnes¡¯ command.


    Barnes felt that he was being told that he wasn¡¯t credible. His hands quivered with anger, but Barnes couldn¡¯t refute his Lord¡¯s decision.


    However, mercenaries were for sure capable of fighting. Although the unit was less than 100 people, there were only those who could use ¡°magic¡± and ¡°skill¡±. There were those who had dived deep into a labyrinth in Labyrinth City. It was a mercenary unit with constant rumors.


    ¡°But, for ¡°Viscount-dono¡± to attain this result. I can¡¯t believe it.¡±


    The head of the hired soldier, called Giusto, said so as if to ridicule Barnes¡¯ blunder. His words and deeds, including his pretentious attitude, touched Barnes¡¯ sensitive spot, further fueling the anger.


    ¡°Bastard, you¡¯re just a hired mercenary, shut your rude mouth. Arrows, stones, and magic are finite. Once we prevented them, once they¡¯ve run out of it, their deaths will be decided.¡±


    The loss of 200 people was immeasurable, but not all of the soldiers were wasted. There were many left in the empty moat. Now some parts, filled with soil and corpses, and obstacles were also being removed. In addition, the parts with serious damage in the walls had already been reported to Barnes.


    ¡°Oh no. No one would despise Viscount-dono who soon will get rid of that powerful fire and make a breakthrough. Without it, we would have been attacking the walls by this time.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, and now here¡¯s come the flattery. Shameless.¡±


    Barnes didn¡¯t have time to have an unscrupulous conversation with a vulgar mercenary.


    ¡°¡­Well, enough. As soon as the injured have been treated and the shield has been repaired, we will launch another attack again.¡±


    Restoration of shields and bamboo bundles had been completed, and injured people other than the ones with serious injuries have returned to the battlefield with the help of recovery magic.


    Barnes switched his thoughts to planning another attack. He didn¡¯t notice that Giusto was laughing.


    ¡°Ku, Kuku, Viscount-dono is wonderful. An excellent paving stone. Even if you can¡¯t take credit, you still doing your best to set the way for us. Oh, really, how kind of you.¡±


    Giusto¡¯s words were like passing wind in the hustle and bustle of planning the next attack and never reached the Viscount.

 CH 81

    81. Chapter 81


    How wonderful would it have been if the next day could be reached with a nice rest? Even if many hoped for it, reality said differently.


    After about two hours, the enemy was about to resume their offense.


    ¡°Go back to position, the enemy is coming!¡±


    It didn¡¯t mean that Dalimarx¡¯s soldiers did nothing in the branch castle while the enemy completed the reorganization of their formation and repairs of their defense tools, such as the big shield. As well as repairing the walls, some of the soldiers descended from the walls and went outside the walls, collecting arrows and pebbles.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to be stabbed in your ass, go back inside the wall. Now!¡±


    Soldiers rushed to the ropes and ladders hanging from the walls to avoid being left behind.


    ¡°Calm down, there¡¯s still a distance¡±


    The counterattack had forced the attacker to suffer painful wounds. Even if they inadvertently rushed to attack again, it was a fact that the Meisenav soldiers had suffered damage.


    Climbing the rope ladder, Kuwen looked into Walm on the ramparts. Kalim followed from behind. The basket on their back was filled with arrows and pebbles.


    A piece of meat was stuck to the arrowhead. Literally a used thing, freshly pulled out of the corpse. The archers reached out to the basket and collected the arrows.


    Working hard to collect them, both were out of breath and their complexion wasn¡¯t that good. Walm wanted to throw some words, but he saw a longsword that didn¡¯t exist until they got off the wall, hanging on their waists. It must have been the prize of war they collected while collecting the arrows and pebbles. The two were trying their best to get used to life on the battlefield.


    Walm thought that many words wouldn¡¯t be needed.


    ¡°What a nice sword you¡¯ve got there.¡±


    Like a boy whose mischief had been found, the two got bashful.


    ¡°Fuhehehe¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve picked it up just now.¡±


    The attacker¡¯s method wasn¡¯t so different from the first time, just that this time, they finally introduced the siege tower. The rough rope connected to the base was towed by a large number of soldiers and like that approaching the branch castle.


    The annoying archers, the archer with ¡°Skill¡±, began to drop arrows at the corner tower. Having some skill, the difference in height and the presence or absence of a shield would be the decisive factors. There were many things that could twist physical phenomena, and Walm was one of them. Even so, the potential energy was on the side of the enemy. Arrows were drawing a parabola in the sky, some reached the ramparts, albeit most of them had lost momentum.


    It was regrettable, but it seemed that Walm, who shot fireballs intermittently, had been set as the highest priority target, and every time he came out to shoot a fireball, an arrow would almost always fly towards him.


    ¡°tch, so annoying¡±


    Getting the siege tower destroyed would be the best outcome, but wasn¡¯t possible since it kept dropping arrows from outside the magic attack range. Apparently, the range and habits of the attack had been analyzed from the first attempt. Since arrows were shot randomly every moment, not only to Walm, the movement of Meisenav soldiers became much slower but sharper than at the time of the first attack.


    A soldier on the ramparts who was swinging a spear to block the arrows got his throat pierced, resulting in him suffocating on the ground. Another soldier entered the vacant gap, but because he looked closely at the last moment of his predecessor, he was concerned about the sky, leaving the bottom, and got struck by a javelin coming from below.


    Kalim, on the other hand, continued to throw at the enemy soldiers below without hesitation. A fist-sized stone was reduced in size by the head of the enemy soldier and that enemy fell from the slope to the bottom of the empty moat. The boy¡¯s facial expression loosened as the number of enemies attacking decreased. Walm, who was running his eyes to find the next target of his fireball, grabbed Kalim¡¯s armor and pulled it back. An arrow passed where his head was, and it fell to the ground.


    ¡°Ah, eh¡±


    Kalim, who looked between arrow and Walm for a while, finally understood the situation.


    ¡°It¡¯s good that the enemy can¡¯t disturb your pace, but you must have a wide field of vision, or you¡¯ll die young.¡±


    ¡°Yes, t-thank you.¡±


    Kuwen, on the other hand, responded sensitively to the arrow, but he wasn¡¯t comfortable with the important job he must do, which was, throwing stones. Two people who didn¡¯t match their appearance and behavior might be able to live long on the battlefield if they always complimented each other.


    Walm¡¯s eyes caught a group of soldiers with a round shield climbing the slope at the limit of his magic attack range. What a bunch of daring soldiers, but it was also proof that they somehow had the ability. Trying to intercept them, but a soldier with an arrow in his hand appeared at the edge of Walm¡¯s field of vision.


    Reflexively lifted the left arm, which held a shield, and covered the head. A slight delay caused a shock to the arm, making a high-pitched sound and an arrow being flipped.


    ¡°Trying to fish huh? Not bad.¡±


    Not only the archer in the siege tower trying to shoot Walm, but the archer who hid the bow behind a shield and was aiming to sniper Walm.


    ¡°Oi, you¡¯re being targeted!¡±


    The archer, whose eyes met with Walm¡¯s eyes, had his face tense and turned himself behind the big shield. Walm shot a fireball to live up to expectations. Half of the shield was blown away and broken pieces were scattered around.


    The hiding soldier was injured, but avoided fatal injuries. Walm was worried about a counterattack and was trying to give the soldier a surprise present, but he saw the soldier¡¯s shoulders were bleeding and the bow had been crushed, reducing the threat level in Walm¡¯s eyes.


    Walm¡¯s interest was more in the daring group.


    The group was successful in clinging to the walls, only that. After they reached the wall, simple fire magic to the feet blew off more than half of the group, leaving behind only corpses without functioning limbs and head injuries after a while.


    ¡°It¡¯s too much¡±


    Walm realized his companion¡¯s blunder. The result was sufficient. The problem was that the power wasn¡¯t adjusted properly and a hole was created on the slope. It could be used as a stepping stone to crawl up, and if you piled up corpses surrounding it, that small area could be a really good safe spot. The corpse, which contained water and was equipped with armor, could exhibit a defense performance comparable to that of sandbags, perhaps even better.


    Of course, soldiers would use whatever they could on the battlefield to prolong their life. A number of soldiers entered the small but safe zone.


    When it came to the second attack, there were a certain number of people who were smart, regardless of whether they were regular soldiers or militias. One sure thing, if they managed to survive, they might grow into nasty enemies.


    The offensive of the enemies never stopped, even though they had suffered great damage. It could be said that this, was a crucial moment.

 CH 82

    Giusto, the leader of a mercenary based in Labyrinth City, was looking at the battlefield from a surrounding distance.


    ¡°Viscount-chan is doing his best, but, well, I guess it¡¯s still impossible.¡± [TN: -chan, usually used for girls, as it makes the name sound cuter. Means no respect for the viscount]


    The fireball that killed the soldiers at the Corner Tower, surprisingly, came from a single magic user. Not only the power but also the mana hadn¡¯t been exhausted even in the second attack.


    A plan to cut down the corner tower at once with a barrage of fire and slashing was considered, but if the magic user somehow survived, the damage to the allies would be too great.


    ¡°This side, should be more famous than them, right? I wonder, from where is that strange guy?¡±


    Giusto didn¡¯t like work that wasn¡¯t worth the effort. He preferred trampling the weak, rather than killing the strong enemies. Due to the dangerous firepower exerted by the dangerous magic user in the corner tower on the right, the surplus magic users were rampaging on the other walls. Giusto, who felt like he had been given extra work, decided to lash out his stress once the dangerous magic user who was protecting the corner tower got caught.


    ¡°Leader, let¡¯s go kill them all.¡±


    A hot-blood member couldn¡¯t stand the wait, and so complained.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. It¡¯s about time.¡±


    ¡°Leader, is it finally the time?¡±


    ¡°So noisy. Shut up and listen to me, crush the corner tower on the left. They are busy killing those small fry soldiers. When they are within range, fold them up at once. Lycka, release your underlings at the timing you see fit. Rouvan, You¡¯re the foothold. Match the others. And Digor, once it packed will people, kill anyone in your reach.¡±


    The subordinates whose names were called by Giusto replied, but only Digor waited.


    ¡°Can¡¯t I attack the right corner tower?¡±


    ¡°Hah? The magic user on the right is troublesome. Is there something wrong with those on the left?¡±


    Digor distorted his lips torn by a sword. The ugly side of him stood out even more.


    ¡°On the right. There are people I like. I want them.¡±


    Digor¡¯s peculiar hobbies were well known to the members. He was a pervert muscular man, who liked males, especially those who were still a brat, and those with unsorted hair here and there were his favorite. He just loved to open the little peachy bottom and dig deep into the hole covered.


    Sure, Giusto also liked to slowly kill others, and many of his mercenary members were crazy, in one way or another, but it was rare for someone as crazy as Digor. If he was other members, he would be not fed for a month and forced to be in a half-dead situation, but Digor was the best slasher.


    Digor could make full use of¡¶Strike¡· and ¡¶Iron Body¡·, but above all, Giusto was fond of the lack of screws on his head. Even in the dispute with the guild on the dark side of Labyrinth City, he was used as the leading role.


    ¡°Huff¡­ What happened to the last one?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already used him up and sold him. Let¡¯s attack from the right. Yeah?¡±


    ¡°No. If you want, break through the left and go around to the right.¡±


    ¡°Ah, a©`h? ¡­Ah, well, guess that¡¯s also okay.¡±


    Giusto was sick of the idiot who was troublesome to convince.


    ¡°Tell the people of Count Odilon. They¡¯re supposed to come in after us. It¡¯s annoying if not.¡±


    ¡°Bah, what about the Viscount?¡±


    Attentive Lycka asked Giusto. She was a rare member. A smart woman, until she started killing.


    ¡°That Viscount¡­ well, you don¡¯t have to tell.¡±


    Giusto¡¯s employer was the Meisenav family, and he had no intention of caring for or obeying other human beings.


    ¡°A¡¯right, Let¡¯s join the front line. The count said that we can do anything we like to the people in the fort. Kill to your heart¡¯s content, follow your desire.¡±


    The members were delighted with Giusto¡¯s words.


    ¡ô


    Josh, who was entrusted with guarding the branch castle, felt a certain resistance from his soldiers. The castle had been attacked several times. and no soldier had crossed the walls, instead, Viscount Barnes¡¯ soldiers kept being pushed back.


    The retainers brought from his territory were also barely worn and continued to sharpen their fangs in the fort, in preparation for the coming counterattack. Josh¡¯s biggest miscalculation was the hired magic user. Although the magic user was given the highest reward silver plate, he didn¡¯t expect too much of the man.


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame to keep him as a Highserk soldier.¡±


    Even now, flames were still dancing outside the castle, riding the wind spreading to those evil Meizenav soldiers. Over the past year, Josh had no opportunity to interact with Highserk people. Certainly, as his Lord said, Highserk soldiers, including their magic users, were strong. Josh reluctantly admitted it.


    However, Josh was ignorant of the growing influence of the Highserk army. Despite being a newcomer, Viscount Edgar relied heavily on them, and couldn¡¯t help but resent the general as the man, made light of those who had been supporting the Dalimarx family.


    It was they who brought the information about the magic silver mine, but the discovery was only a matter of time in the first place, and in the first place, Highserk people, which didn¡¯t have specialists in mining and financial for funding the mine development, should have been able to mine only in a limited way, if they did it alone. And, those people, shamelessly asking for half.


    Some people in a faction, called the anti-Highserk faction, shouted loudly that 7 to 3 was the correct rate. As for Josh? He still believed that 6 to 4 was a non-conflicting ratio.


    Even after losing their homeland, they were still acting as if they were on equal footing. Rather, Viscount Edgar was taken as a weak man. Highserk people appeared to be greedy people who didn¡¯t know any etiquette. People who had the character of not good at placing themselves on a political board. That was Josh¡¯s impression of the Highserk people.


    Perhaps the environment of the northern countries, which had been in war, killing each other for hundreds of years, changed them.


    Before he came up with the further assumption, he abandoned his thought. After all, it wasn¡¯t suitable to lose in one¡¯s thoughts on a battlefield. Rather than making many assumptions, he warned himself to not be careless after getting more than expected.


    ¡°Josh-sama, where are you going?¡±


    His guard stood up and asked so.


    ¡°Climb the observatory. It¡¯s just there. I don¡¯t need a companion.¡±


    In the center of the branch castle, there was an observatory tower to look around the surrounding area. It was one of the reasons this branch castle that Josh was guarding, was chosen as an accumulation site of the mine.


    At first, it had a poor defense that could be said inferior to even a rural area. Similar to a residential area, it only had several warehouses and a horse fence to prevent monsters. From there, the foundation was expanded, and although it was mainly made of wood and soil, walls surrounded it and even had a corner tower.


    If the other party wasn¡¯t the Meisenav family, it would have been possible to maintain it for several months. Unfortunately, there was no time to spare. The Dalimarx family was aware of their great wealth and the curse that magical silver mines might bring.


    Including Josh, a small number of people made preparations to maintain confidentiality, gathered laborers, and proceeded with developing the mine. If a few months were given to them, the walls of the branch would have been further expanded and made of stone.


    But it was a future that would never come.


    Obstacles had been crushed and the empty moat had been passed. The enemy soldiers had begun to stick to the walls. From here, hand-to-hand combat would increase and soldiers¡¯ energy would be consumed at a faster pace. At the same time, it would be the greatest opportunity to scrape off enemy soldiers. It was all up to Josh to decide whether to continue the siege until the limit was reached, or to take a chance and turn to a counterattack soon.


    Josh, who walked alone and gathered his thoughts, arrived at the observatory tower. As he climbed the creaking ladder, he saw the whole battlefield that he hadn¡¯t seen before.


    ¡°It¡¯s too early for shift change. Why you came¨D¨D ¡°


    As Josh climbed up the ladder, the soldier on the lookout looked back. There was no doubt that he was being mistaken for the one next in the shift.


    The soldier who saw Josh forgot to close his mouth, but soon regained his sense and kneeled.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m truly sorry. For being rude.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind me, I don¡¯t need that kind of response on the battlefield. Keep on doing your good work.¡±


    The soldier who stood up terrifyingly resumed the given work.


    Josh also squinted and stared into the distance. The formation of the main units of both armies had not changed and there was no big movement. Turned the eyes to those under him. Although most of them were militias, it seemed that they had gained confidence after the first attack came, and the stiffness was removed from the movement, albeit not completely. Some people seemed to start losing their fineness based on their movement. Must be due to fatigue.


    Josh thought that he must be careful in making any decision.


    The current threat was the siege tower. As it seemed that the enemy was wary of the magic user, those on the siege tower kept attacking from outside the magic attack range. Since there was no effective means of attack, it couldn¡¯t be destroyed. The archer was shooting back the arrow, but the arrow fired there was also not effective since they had taken measures for it. Based on the current situation, Josh thought that they could only endure.


    ¡°I can¡¯t disturb your work for too long.¡±


    After seeing the war situation, Josh turned his back and touched the ladder.


    At that moment, a shock ran through the entire fort, with blasts and storms.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening!?¡±


    Josh looked back, but the dust that soared into the air made his vision unclear. Crushing sounds and dull impacts continued intermittently. Josh grabbed those identities.


    ¡°Guhh, is it a centralized operation with magic?¡±


    ¡°Ah, the corner tower¡±


    A spectator soldier leaked his voice. At the end of the line of sight, there was a corner tower, half destroyed. The left and right walls were also severely damaged, and more than a few percent of the defending soldiers were killed or injured.


    ¡°Crazy bastards, don¡¯t they care about friendly fire?!!¡±


    It was an abominable attack involving even the soldiers who were supposed to be comrades. When the ground emitted a faint light, the surrounding ground was sucked up into one point, and finally, on the empty moat, a poor but single road was formed.


    ¡°Earth magic!? This is bad, immediately, SEND THE RESERVE TEAM!!! THEY¡¯RE COMIINGGG!!¡±


    Josh shouted as much as he could. The soldiers who had been waiting began to gather at the collapsed walls, but a group of people who had already climbed the wall had started spilling the blood of their prey.


    ¡°Mercenaries, huh?¡±


    Josh realized that Count Odillon had sent the mercenaries, one of the decisive forces. Certainly, those who were crazy about war, wouldn¡¯t care much about comrades, especially if those said comrades were only a bunch of small fry, it could only be thought of as a flesh shield to be exhausted. They would give priority to the surprise attack and casting magic, regardless of any other factors to ensure the success of the attack.


    Josh, who grabbed both sides of the ladder, landed on the ground. He was approaching a dangerous choice.

 CH 83

    9-11 minutes 20.07.2022


    83. Chapter 83


    ¡°Slow, so slow, too sloooOOOWW!!¡±


    The formation of the scaffolding by the earth magic was terribly slow for Digor, it was such unbearable pain for him and burned his inner heart. Digor, who loved freedom, something that could shackle him, hated it.


    ¡°Oi, the scaffolding, has not¨D¨D¡±


    Without even hearing the restraint of Rouvan, the stupid magic user, Digor sprinted to the newly made scaffolding. The ground he stepped on collapsed, but he escaped from falling and stumbling, barely.


    Finally, he overtook the uplifted ground. Kicking up the ground with a jumping force backed by his high physical strength, Digor jumped over the wall as he dexterously folded his big legs. When he landed on the other side, Dalimarx soldiers who were hiding behind the walls, were now in front of the onslaught of the mercenary.


    ¡°What!? He jumped ov¨D¨D¡±


    Digor immediately made a stance to attack, and swung his two-handed sword. The blade cut through the wind and entered the shoulder of the soldier, cutting until the solar plexus. Annoying flies were silenced with the spurt of fresh blood.


    The sensation of tearing the flesh made Digor¡¯s body tremble with joy, and the nasal cavity enjoyed the fascinating dead odor. From toes to head, Digor was full of happiness. Digor loved even the stinks that leaked from the viscera, for him, it was just a spice that stimulated his desire.


    ¡°I¡¯m number ooonnnNNEEEE!!!¡±


    Digor started to run without a break as he called himself the first spear. The enemy soldiers who were amazed by his¡¶Strike¡·were slashed, and the overflowing blood and the death agony evoked Digor¡¯s fighting instinct and lust.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need stiff old man. Ha©`h, all of you, overgrown. no. NNNOOOOO.¡±


    Digor used his sword to parry the coming spear, and looked into the face of the soldier who he pushed down with his power, but the soldier wasn¡¯t what Digor liked.


    ¡°I want it moist, softer¡±


    The stomach was hit several times with the handle of the big sword, the teeth broke, the fundus was dented, and convulsions started to happen.


    A longsword was thrust into Digor, who was on all fours, but he grabbed the useless soldier with one hand and threw it at the approaching enemy soldier.


    The soldier bent his upper body to dodge, but Digor had already jumped in and kicked his knees.


    ¡°Aha©`h, it likes a fountain.¡±


    Digor clapped his hands innocently when he saw blood and vomit spewing out of the soldier¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you, damn it!!¡±


    Digor, who glanced at the Dalimarx soldiers who pushed out the round shield, casually slashed his two-handed sword. The shield was slashed in horizontal, numbing the soldier¡¯s hand. Digor repeatedly slashed the soldier who was still trying to close the distance.


    ¡°One, two©`, three, fo©`ur, good, do your best, do your BEST!!¡±


    Digor lightly repeated his¡¶Strike¡·while counting. He cheered hard, and when at the fifth slash, the head of the enemy soldier was separated from the body.


    ¡°Press with number, KILL HIIIMMM!!¡±


    With the call of a few regular soldiers, four small fry pierced their spear tips to Digor. Instead of being afraid of the imminent danger, Digor happily jumped in.


    The roaring two-handed sword cut the two reinforced spear tips and twisted one spear tip. The one spear that still remained was supposed to pierce the throat and leave a log-like body. But, Digor bowed his head and accepted it. The unarmored head, especially his cheeks, was scraped off by the spear tip. As soon as the extended tongue tasted the wound, Digor accelerated without hesitation.


    ¡°Why, you didn¡¯t stop?!!¡±


    At a distance where breath mixed, Digor opened his mouth and literally bit off the soldier¡¯s throat, to be exact, the Adam¡¯s apple. He sent the chewed Adam¡¯s apple to his stomach. Fresh blood splattered and the cervical spine was exposed to the atmosphere.


    Soldiers whose spears were crushed pulled out short swords and knives all at once, but Digor¡¯s two-handed sword smashed the second person¡¯s temporal region and slashed the third person¡¯s neck without weakening his momentum.


    ¡°Uh, ah, AAHHHHHH!!!¡±


    The last one raised an inspiring angry voice and thrust a dagger that he pulled out with his other hand. It was trivial for Digor, who still left his body to his instinct.


    Digor turned his body half a turn and kicked at the last person¡¯s torso with all his might.


    The soldier rolled on the ground while spraying saliva and gastric fluid into the void as he couldn¡¯t bear the unbearable pain in his viscera.


    ¡°Ah¡±


    A shadow came into the sight of a soldier who was bending and writhing. It was a heavy boot with an iron plate. In addition, the total weight of Digor was added, and its power was sublimated to the point of having the ability to kill. The soldier¡¯s skull didn¡¯t show any resistance and was shattered.


    ¡°Hmm©`, u©`h, a gourd, is more comfortable, to step on.¡±


    Digor tasted the sticky liquid on the soles of his feet. He wasn¡¯t very satisfied with only this level. After that, he continued to search for his prey, but he couldn¡¯t find any prey like the two rabbits he saw from afar.


    ¡°I wonder if they¡¯ve returned to the burrow. Well, I just need to dig them up!!¡±


    ¡°Digor-san, where are you go©`¡±


    One of his underlings asked. Despite the confusion, unlike the madman who jumped into the enemy alone, his subordinates who also lack screws in heads, still had better reasoning.


    ¡°All of you, too late. I¡¯m going to hunt the cute rabbits. Follow me.¡±


    The underlings had amazed faces when they thought that Digor would start again. Digor¡¯s eccentricity wasn¡¯t something new. One thing that anyone could agree on, was that he had an overwhelming strength. And he would choose any means to fulfill his desires. Only the leader, Giusto, could stop him.


    ¡°Rabbit-chan, my cute rabbit-chan¡±


    Digor started running according to his instinct. The aim was the near corner tower. Intoxicated by the blood and flesh that flew in the air as if the start of a performance and the appetizer of a banquet, Digor continued to laugh. While he swung the coming soldiers with his two-handed sword, he saw a boy soldier with armor on the belly, unfortunately, was different from the one he was looking for.


    ¡°Hiii, eh? ah, aaaaAAAHHHH¨D¨D!!¡±


    Digor hugged the boy soldier who spat blood momentarily, gently as if he was hugging a fragile doll. After all, there was an order for enjoying your favorite, to play with it for a long time and to have it deliciously.


    ¡°Ahaha, good, really, good¡±


    A painful sigh was thrown onto Digor¡¯s face. The boy just kept trying to release himself. But, the boy could only scream while spilling more blood.


    Feeling the slowly crushed ribs and spine in his arms, Digor trembled.


    ¡°Ahhh©`, huff©`, it¡¯s the best.¡±


    Desires were getting satisfied, Digor threw the broken doll away and looked at the corner tower.


    It wasn¡¯t once or twice that he broke his favorite. So Digor remembered to spread his desire before enjoying his most loved one.


    Digor approached the corner tower while humming, but he stopped because of the explosion and the flash of light.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    This was because the corner tower that he was aiming for was attacked by magic, and Digor couldn¡¯t help the thought of his main dish being ruined.


    ¡°Rabbits, my cute rabbits, NOOOOO!!! aaAAHHHHH!! What are you planning to do? LyckaaAAAA, you b*tch!!¡±


    Digor scattered his drool and rushed to a group of people who cast magic on the rabbit hut. Among the mercenaries, those who were good at magic were gathered there. Among them, the woman who managed the magic users had a bloody eye.


    ¡°Fucking biiiiiIIIIICTH!! They¡¯re, MY PREY!! What are you doing? aaahh, aaAAAHHH!!¡±


    ¡°Giusto said, after rushing in, shoot magic into the corner tower from the inside.¡±


    The name of the leader who put together the mercenaries was mentioned, but his freedom couldn¡¯t be hindered by that just that degree of reason.


    ¡°Whooo, fucking, cares, don¡¯t fuck with meEEEE!!¡±


    Digor¡¯s beloved rabbits were swallowed by the magic. The wrath raised the muscles intensity of his whole body, and the hand holding his two-handed sword repeatedly swung it, scooping the ground. The average members were frightened. The woman also had a loose screw on her head, so it couldn¡¯t be said the same for her.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t they still alive? Well, even if they die, you can use the corpse, right?¡±


    Digor was silent. He pondered Lycka¡¯s proposal with his small brain. His favorite was always broken after one gentle act and must be thrown away, especially on the battlefield where pests were everywhere. To be able to enjoy it slowly, what an exciting and luxurious thing. Digor couldn¡¯t hide his excitement just by thinking about it.


    ¡°ah, aaAHH!! As expected, of a rising b*tch. What a good idea.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be told that by someone with a lack of screws like you.¡±


    The believer of freedom and desire, the berserker, Digor, pushed forward following his instinct. The aim was the lovely and cute, shivering rabbits.

 CH 84

    ¡°That group, who are they?¡±


    Walm, who was sending enemy soldiers without any discrimination to the Netherworld, noticed that a new group was approaching the next corner tower. They didn¡¯t look like Meisenav soldiers. The ragged spear, no, in overall, the armor and weapon weren¡¯t the same, and the seeming intimacy between the people, Walm¡¯s experience tickled his mind.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem like an amateur. Same as me?¡±


    The equipment selected was according to what skill each person had cultivated on the battlefield, and the spears of irregular lengths were also adjusted by skillful soldiers to suit their tastes. If it wasn¡¯t the name of a group of soldiers and elite groups of the Archipelago, it must be a mercenary group whose livelihood was on the battlefield, the option was just that limited. Rumor had it that they were a bunch of battle-maniacs who love the battlefield and moneymaking.


    ¡°Sh*t¡±


    When the mercenaries took an arrowhead-shaped formation, Walm felt that the leading group was working on their mana all at once. It was easy to think about what the precious magic users were aiming for in a dense formation.


    ¡°Oi, it¡¯s the enemy¡¯s mercenary unit. Magic incomiiIIIINGG!!!!¡±


    Walm raised his voice and alerted the others, but realized that it was too late. This was because the mana had increased from a part of the group, and various magics that had manifested, had fallen onto the corner tower. Those illogical things pierced the earth, leaving destruction. The wreckage of the barrier was scattered around while flying in the sky, and the flesh of the soldier who got hit directly turned into a thick mist of red and dyed the surroundings.


    ¡°Friendly fire?¡±


    About a platoon size of the Meisenav soldiers clinging to the slope was hurt, and the soldiers who couldn¡¯t react in time were begging and buried alive due to the continuous earth magic.


    ¡°¡­Crazy mercenaries¡±


    Sacrifice was an integral part of a war. Acting gracefully and properly wouldn¡¯t bring victory. Even if the strategy had to discard allies, it was acceptable if the overall result of the battle greatly exceeded the loss. Of course, it didn¡¯t matter either whether the morale was low or if the victims gave their consent beforehand. Walm also had experience in operations where he was nothing more than a ready-to-abandon piece.


    As a human being bought by the nation, he had thrown himself into a deadly place and killed people for the prosperity and maintenance of the community. He could feel that the previous attack, must be a part of a strategy to gain an ambush. As a former soldier dyed with rationality and totalitarianism, he acknowledged a certain degree of the effectiveness, but his slightly remaining muddy morality hated it.


    ¡°T-the wall has¡­!?¡±


    ¡°Uh, aaaah, they¡¯re rushing in.¡±


    Mercenaries rushed in the formed breakthrough. Soldiers hoped to block the hole in the defense, but the opponent was a hired soldier who routinely went to a battlefield. The movement was too fast. Even from the point of view of favor, it was no longer possible to recapture the bridgehead because it was full.


    Due to the movement of the reserves and enemy soldiers in the base, even the enemy soldiers under the eyes, who had been suppressed until now, were gaining momentum.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lag behind the mercenaries, break through the waaaAAAALLLLL!¡±


    The main unit, which had been waiting in the rear, was about to move forward. Walm realized that it was a strategy of crushing with a difference in number and speed. A simple but powerful tactic if the conditions were met. In such a situation, even if it were to be done poorly, the enemy would be swallowed.


    ¡°Hold the front!! Don¡¯t be afraid!!¡±


    A regular soldier shouted not to lose to the invading army.


    Walm agreed. Now that this had happened, there was no choice but to steadily wear out every one of them, one by one.


    The fireball that was shot bloomed prettily like a blue-colored flower. The enemy was pushed by the momentum and the surrounding soldiers, but didn¡¯t stop


    Baron Josh¡¯s retainer was still alive, but the figure couldn¡¯t be seen in the wall yet.


    Kalim and Kuwen were distracted by the surroundings, but still swung down the long spear, as they were devoting themselves to interfering with the Meisenav soldiers.


    ¡°Kalim, Kuwen, never look bellow. Poke and hit only the creeping up soldiers!!¡±


    Without waiting for a reply, Walm switched his consciousness from following them to the enemy in front of him. He hooked the ladder on which could be hung with the tip of the halberd and pushed it down, cutting off the soldier who was climbing up the wall. Cut the wrist that barely managed to hold onto the ramparts.


    A fireball shot at close range. The flame swayed his own skin.


    The demon mask, which by now should be better called one of the few acquaintances of the old times, an old friend that had been pushed into his waist, woke up from dormancy and began to tremble.


    ¡°Trembling as usual huh. Learn to self-control already.¡±


    There were a few strange people who dared to lean out from the walls, and among them, Walm who just shot a fireball, received a generous welcome. The coming enemy thrust a short spear from below, but Walm twisted the orbit with the halberd, and scraped the throat with the axe blade of the halberd.


    Not long after, a longsword pushed up from directly below. It was received by the halberd. When Walm hit the enemy¡¯s temporal region with the tip of the halberd, the enemy slid down, involving the other in the surroundings. He had no time to rest. His busy moving eyes caught multiple arrows approaching. The halberd was immediately used to deflect the arrow that could leave a fatal wound. The angle of the back of the hand and the breastplate was adjusted, and the other arrows were deflected by the armor covered with a magical barrier.


    ¡°What are you doing! Shoot him dead already!!¡±


    ¡°I hit him, but it somehow failed?¡±


    Although the archer wasn¡¯t bad at shooting arrows, the arrows, which were shot without any ¡°Skill¡±, ended without giving a wound to Walm, who was protected by armor and a magical barrier.


    If it properly hit, definitely would be hurt, and if it pierced the vital point such as the eyes, it wouldn¡¯t be a joke. So as to respond to the archer, Walm presented a fireball.


    ¡°Aaah!! Run¨D¨D¡±


    The ball of flame exploded, and the archer who was trying to shoot another arrow was engulfed in fire, together with the surroundings. However, the vacant ground was soon filled with another soldier.


    With a little extra time to spare, Walm turned his thoughts.


    Baron Josh¡¯s retainers haven¡¯t yet appeared. If they don¡¯t appear even after this much damage on the front line, it should be something like a sortie from the castle gate and turn into a counterattack, then join the main force¨D¨D


    There¡¯s no way to worry about each of the lower soldiers during a war. If I misunderstand the aim, getting left behind in an abandoned branch castle would be my end.


    Walm, who intended to work appropriate for his salary, had no intention of dying in vain. He decided to follow Baron Josh¡¯s movement.


    Done with summarizing his thoughts. He wanted to proceed to the next course of action,


    However,


    The price to pay for drinking a whole year wasn¡¯t that cheap.


    A precursor to an attack that wouldn¡¯t be missed when he was an active soldier, was overlooked.


    ¡°To the ground¨D¨D¡±


    Walm reflexively threw his body to the ground. The magic users of the enemy mercenary unit, who were approaching the range, attacked the corner tower from the inside of the fort before the alert voice from Walm reached the young soldiers.


    The shock patted his back and rubbles were falling. Walm tried to check the situation, but dust drifted and the unclear view obstructed his search for the enemy. Only a large number of groans and angry voices were flying around.


    Walm, who got up in a crawling posture, escaped from the dust as it was.


    The corner tower withstood an onslaught against attacks from the outside, but from the inside, it also collapsed fragilely due to multiple magic attacks. Fortunately, it didn¡¯t become the underlay of the building and the magic itself didn¡¯t hit Walm directly. Mild dizziness and tinnitus go away quickly.


    ¡°Hah, letting the magic users rush into the castle that hasn¡¯t been completely suppressed? Really?¡±


    Rare magic users were treated like their first grandchildren. Under circumstances where there was more than enough chance of a turbulent battle or a sudden counterattack, the Highserk Empire wouldn¡¯t advance the magic users. It took time to educate, and the few magic users were a type of soldier that shouldn¡¯t be worn out.


    However, the opponent were mercenaries. Those who couldn¡¯t care about the common sense of normal people in the Archipelago Countries and the Northern countries.


    If they¡¯re accustomed to the war, perhaps they¡¯re a bunch of arrogance people?


    Walm, who was looking around without clearing the surroundings, clenched his teeth.


    Kalim was screaming. Kuwen, who had been hit by a Meisenav soldier with a long spear, was lying behind him, on the ground.


    ¡°Blood doesn¡¯t stop!!¡±


    Walm ran up and checked for the wound.


    An ice lance, about the size of an adult man¡¯s arm, pierced Kuwen¡¯s thigh, and blood was spilling out.


    ¡°Urrgh!?¡±


    Cold sweat flowed out due to the seriousness of the wound.


    Walm had seen various ways of dying. Bleeding in the limbs, and even in the thighs, was often thought of as nothing much, but the young soldier who cheerfully exchanged words with him for the past few days, didn¡¯t breathe steadily. Although it avoided the arteries, blood flowed out of Kuwen¡¯s body, which couldn¡¯t be covered with a magical barrier. If left unattended, in a short time, Kuwen might die.


    ¡°Kuwen, stay strong.¡±


    Based on the personality Walm had shown, he couldn¡¯t vomit sweet words.


    Kuwen¡¯s childhood friend Kalim was the better, the right person to encourage him.


    Walm could only tell facts.


    ¡°If left untreated, you will die of bleeding.¡±


    Arrows and swords could be carried out as they were, but the troublesome part of the ice lance was that it took away the body temperature and would melt after exerting an external effect on the human body. By the time the injured was shown to a healing magician, the melted ice had exposed the wound and caused major bleeding, and the melted water also inhibited blood coagulation and the development of the magical barrier.


    ¡°Ah, aaaah, Walm-san, I, don¡¯t want, to die, I don¡¯t want to die¡­¡±


    The corner tower, which had lost its function as a defensive facility, was infiltrated by enemies.


    ¡°Hear me. Listen carefully¡±


    The enemy Viscount Barnes was approaching from outside the front wall, and the mercenary unit was approaching from the side. Walm was the only one the boys could rely on now, and the annoying magic users were rushing them to dig his grave. There was no grace left.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to pull out the ice lance¡­ Kuwen, soon, I¡¯m going to burn you.¡±


    Kuwen, who had a pale face, understood the situation and nodded when he held back Walm¡¯s hand with his cold fingers. Even a tough soldier could die by shock.


    Could he tolerate the pain?


    Walm¡¯s hand trembled under heavy pressure, but he tried to stop it as he couldn¡¯t let the boy be doubtful.


    At this moment, a girl who died in a battle in Dandurg Castle came to mind. Walm was going to save another person, a boy. But, just hiding his agitation was hard enough. How good was the girl who healed everyone in the rush of the outbreak where the war situation changed confusingly? Walm didn¡¯t know the exact answer.


    What¡¯s good in thinking only of those who you¡¯ve lost?!


    Walm scolded himself.


    The boy believed him. Walm must believe that he himself could also save people, otherwise, nothing would be rewarded.


    ¡°You can endure it. Be strong.¡±


    Walm repeatedly spilled therapeutic distilled liquor that had seduced him during the march into the wounds. Due to the stimulation of alcohol, Kuwen¡¯s legs bounced slightly. Walm hugged the dead soldier nearby, cut the cloak with a dagger that he pulled out, and pushed half of it into Kuwen¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°Ready, now!¡±


    When the ice lance was pulled out, blood overflowed from the wound that lost the blockage.


    The blue flame touched the wound, Kuwen¡¯s body leaned back and cramped violently. Walm¡¯s own weight and Kalim were holding down his upper body, so he couldn¡¯t move and leaked any groans. He smelled like a burned person that Walm was used to, but Walm felt sour in his mouth because he was disgusted with himself.


    He felt pathetic.


    Even though Walm had burned hundreds or more people, but just burning a boy, his stomach wanted to vomit the reality out.


    ¡°Uh, uuUUHH, ah, UUUUGGGHHHH!!¡±


    Blood instantly boiled and the wound was burned along with the surrounding tissue. The nasal cavity smelled the burned flesh, and the ears clearly captured the boy¡¯s anguish voice and the popping sound of water.


    Walm clasped the hand of the boy who sought air and was breathing in slight hyperventilation.


    ¡°Endure it. Please endure it!¡±


    It was Walm¡¯s heart¡¯s desire.


    Kuwen was stunned, but he hadn¡¯t stopped breathing.


    Walm applied an ointment mixed with herbs and covered the surface with a cloth soaked in alcohol.


    After all, he was only good at killing. This much was all the first aid that Walm could do.


    Next, Kuwen must rest, get suppuration prevention, and see a healing magician.


    But there were those who get in the way. Walm climbed over the walls and glared at the influx of soldiers. It was a group that got drunk on the blood and a small victory.


    The corner tower killed the enemy too much. And now, it wanted a lot of rewards. The rumbling could only be calmed down by the blessing of blood.


    ¡°Kalim, listen carefully, take Kuwen to the back of the fort. There, still safe, and Baron Josh¡¯s retainers are still around.¡±


    ¡°Uh, what about Walm-san?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re looking for a playmate. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m used to playing with those kinds.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s run away together. If it¡¯s now¡­¡±


    Sweet words.


    A tempting invitation.


    Sure, it might be better, perhaps the best, to think about the survival of his own and the boys. But Walm wasn¡¯t the type to give up in the middle of his work. Foolishly, in the previous life, after endless hard-working, fatigue and exhaustion wore him out, to the point where myocardial infarction came to get him. His idiotic workaholic mind didn¡¯t heal when he died. Besides, if he escaped now, he would betray his compatriots who were still struggling to live, desperately trying to make a comeback. Walm wouldn¡¯t allow himself to continue living if he could easily do such an unreasonable thing.


    The situation didn¡¯t allow Walm to leave. After all, there was no one who wouldn¡¯t want to touch the easy-to-play opponents who were solidified in asking for rescue.


    One of the enemy soldiers thrust a short spear.


    When Walm grabbed the halberd that had been thrown to the ground, he deflected the spear while wrapping it with the axe blade of the halberd, pushing in as it was and digging the eyeball with the tip. The enemy soldiers collapsed without screaming.


    Walm glared at the next in line while shouting at the boy.


    ¡°GooOOO!!!¡±


    There were no more words. Walm opened his eyes and said so with pressure saying that he wouldn¡¯t bend his decision.


    ¡°Uuuh, may fortune be with you!!¡±


    The screaming boy dragged his companion and retreated.


    Walm saw off the back of the immature boy who was about to become a soldier, then turned his exposed canines at the intruder.

 CH 85

    Invited by the blood, the drunk with adrenalin soldiers were rushing in like carnivorous fish. Soldiers who were watching the situation from a long distance challenged Walm.


    Showed the halberd¡¯s tip to them as a greeting.


    The soldier in front showed an attacking stance, but somehow the soldier didn¡¯t seem to put enough effort into his movement. Clearly, it was easy to predict.


    ¡°I¡¯m going!!¡±


    Tilted his posture rapidly and jumped at a soldier who was trying to turn to the left. There was no time to blink, and the gap was closed, and the reflexively swung mace approached Walm¡¯s head.


    The blunt weapon, accompanied by wind noise, went to Walm¡¯s temporal region, but flowed in the air without biting into the flesh or iron. The Meisenav soldier that was now with an opening covered his upper body with a round shield. At first glance, it seemed to be a strong defensive measure, but for those with a certain level of skill, such a defensive method where you created a blind spot by yourself was a flawed stance.


    Walm inserted the halberd into the soldier¡¯s inseam from the blind spot and pulled back the halberd immediately as much as he can. The axe blade of the halberd peeled off the ligaments on the back of the knee together with the clothes.


    ¡°U, guh, gwaaaaAHH!!¡±


    The soldier screamed with bubbling saliva and collapsed to the ground. Soldiers rushed in from the front and right side to fill in the blunders made by their compatriots.


    Walm thrust the halberd to the soldiers who jumped in from the front, just in time. The tip intersected, but the enemy¡¯s one was flipped off with the axe blade of the halberd, and the spear slipped over Walm¡¯s head. Without waiting, the halberd scooped out the neck of the enemy soldier.


    There was a gap in the throat, and blood spewed out momentarily. Looked away from the soldier who was suffering and holding his throat with his hands, and responded to the threat approaching from the right.


    The battle axe handled by the remaining soldier was approaching in a sharp vertical orbit.


    It might retain the power to break through helmet and armor, but the vertical swing was easy to read the trajectory, and most of the time it wouldn¡¯t hit unless unexpected moment.


    Walm pulled one leg, prepared his half body against the coming enemy soldier, and looked at the axe with both eyes. Moved his upper body down while twisting it, the cutting edge passed through Walm¡¯s cheeks.


    ¡°Wha¡ª aaahh!?¡±


    Turned from an angry look to a frightened look instantly. But, everything was already too late. When the tip of the halberd entered from the side, it reached the heart. The tip that chaotically broke through the artery instantly took the soldier¡¯s life.


    While losing the ligaments, the head of the soldier with one leg, who was trying to rechallenge, was cracked with the halberd¡¯s axe blade. Walm, who swung the halberd to clean the sticky blood, caught the scream of Kalim, who was supposedly retreating with Kuwen.


    ¡°That guy, what is he?!¡±


    Walm¡¯s eyes, which responded to the scream, caught something unbelievable.


    ¡°Afufufu, hehe, come, where are you going!? My cute rabbits, play with meee!¡±


    There was a mercenary trying to chase the boys who tried to escape. With the nimbleness that couldn¡¯t be imagined from the giant body, and with more strength than the giant body, the man approached the two while literally crushing the Dalimarx soldiers who tried to block him. By now, it was more difficult to find a place that wasn¡¯t exposed to blood.


    ¡°Aaaahhhh, don¡¯t come! Go awaaaAAYYY!¡±


    ¡°Kuhu, huhu, so cute, your crying voice, ah, it, incite me, fuuu, fuuu¡±


    The most difficult thing to understand was the man¡¯s ¡°thing¡± near the lower abdomen was inflated to the extent that it didn¡¯t look like he was on a battlefield. One word to summarize him was ¡°pervert¡±. The worst one. Even if he got reborn as a better person, Walm wouldn¡¯t want to get near him.


    ¡°Damn pervert! Why¡¯re you exist in every world!¡±


    After being accelerated by wind magic, Walm used¡¶Strike¡· on the man from behind. His appearance and behavior were difficult to approach, he was an opponent who flirted too much, but the threat felt from him was incomparable to the soldiers around him.


    The halberd was supposed to cut through the skull. But, the giant man bent backward, just before his neck got scratched. The man spun on the spot with one of his steps as the main axis while deflecting the halberd with his two-handed sword.


    ¡°Who, are youuuuUU!?¡±


    The man hadn¡¯t only a blessed body, but also a sense of control and a sword technique. He didn¡¯t just swing around randomly. It was really wonderful. Fortunately, there was a thing called ¡°balance¡±. Even with a short time of interaction, Walm knew that the man had a lack of screws in his head.


    ¡°Damn pervert lump of meat, if you want it so bad, shake your waist to the ground!¡±


    ¡°Anoooooyying! Don¡¯t disturb MEEEE!!¡±


    The collision between ¡¶Strike¡·made a momentary dazzling light. It wasn¡¯t a sword technique backed with power. It was backed by muscle memory and also extraordinary strength. A troublesome opponent who seemed to be good at petty tricks.


    ¡°Is he a type that looks like a muscle-brain, but is good at little tricks?¡±


    Walm cursed his missteps. The man should be buried in the first strike.


    Attacked several times and looked for a reaction, but the man didn¡¯t handle the attack in the same way.


    ¡°An, noy, ying, so, annoying, I, am, not interested, in, bastard like you.¡±


    The tip of the halberd was flipped by the sword, and the axe blade of the halberd aimed at the wrist when pulling back was also flipped by the base of the sword. Walm slid the handle on his palm and changed the grip position. Then he swung the halberd in a way as if to reject the man who tried to approach his bosom.


    This man who seemed to want to push Walm down also stopped rushing and wrapped around to the left in response to the blow of the halberd that was swung down.


    ¡°How can someone like you, use small tricks so well!¡±


    Walm tried to cut the man¡¯s feet by mixing feints on the man¡¯s head, but the man¡¯s light steps and sword handling prevented all of Walm¡¯s attacks. The man treated the heavy two-handed sword like a twig, and if Walm showed a gap, a heavy blow would be delivered.


    ¡°Ah, aaah, AAAAHH, why¡¯re you not dying, just die alreadyyYYY!!¡±


    At first glance, it felt like a casual step. Reluctantly, Walm responded. He couldn¡¯t take the time. It was one-on-one combat between soldiers at most. If surrounded, by now spears would have been devouring Walm¡¯s viscera.


    The halberd that was drawn out by the power of the whole body extended in a straight line toward the throat. The man tried to twist the orbit with his sword¡¯s hilt. The momentary pushing battle leaned towards Walm.


    The pushed halberd was sucked into the man¡¯s throat. The axe blade cut through the skin and induced bloodshed.


    Walm gave a small swearing.


    ¡°Damn it!¡±


    The man leaned his upper body and bent his neck to avoid damage to the carotid artery and spine. And the two-handed sword was swung down.


    ¡°Ahha!! Aaah, DieeeEEE!¡±


    Avoidance was in time. Walm chose to move forward. The blade approaching the neck was caught by the back of the hand. The surface layer was scraped off, and the magical barrier peeled off violently. The ulna creaked and protested, fortunately, it didn¡¯t break.


    Walm, who clenched his teeth and dyed his cheeks with vermilion color due to excitement, jumped into the man¡¯s chest.


    The man responded as if he were welcoming his beloved lover.


    ¡°This bastard, I will, hug you, to deaaaAATH!!¡±


    ¡°HAAH!? Do it, if you can, Bastard!¡±


    Both threw their weapons and put their hands on each other¡¯s shoulders and hips.


    Simple power wasn¡¯t enough.


    Walm stepped back and entwined his legs in line with the leaning man. The posture collapsed and the two rolled to the ground as if best friends having a quarrel.


    Due to the close contact, Walm felt the man¡¯s hot breath.


    A chill ran on Walm¡¯s back.


    The opened jaw tried to bite Walm¡¯s neck.


    Walm pulled his head and moved it back with the momentum. Headbutting with the helmet was enough to leave a painful mark on the man¡¯s face. The man¡¯s nose was crushed, blood was dripping, and some of the front teeth were missing.


    ¡°Hah, your ugly face has become better!!¡±


    ¡°Guh, fuuu, I¡¯ll mess you up!¡±


    The intertwined body couldn¡¯t be easily separated. The wrapped arm gradually reached its limit. Walm had no intention of holding up his integrity by continuing to have a strength contest properly.


    A dark smile was on his face.


    ¡°Do you hate being hot?¡±


    When Walm refined his mana, the man also noticed something had gone wrong, but it was already too late.


    ¡°Shut UUUUPPP!! UH!? AH, AAAHHHHHH, GAHH, AAAHHHH!!!!¡±


    Put the hand on the scapula from the armpit of the man, and embodied the fire attribute magic from one hand that was touching the throat. Fire wrapped the whole body of the two. Unlike Walm, who had fire attributes, which meant he had fire resistance, the man¡¯s sebum burst, blood boiled, and meat burned.


    The man tried to escape the fire, but the intricately intertwined limbs didn¡¯t come off so easily. If a normal person¡¯s throat got burned, that person would die immediately, but the man couldn¡¯t die immediately because of the magical barrier made from his abundant mana.


    ¡°Ahhh, gah, gwaaaAAHHH, a¡ª¡±


    The vocal cords were also scorched, and finally, blue flames blew out from the oral cavity.


    Walm, who burned the man¡¯s neck, stood up quietly.


    It was too conspicuous. Already, most of the surroundings were only enemy soldiers.


    Threw the man¡¯s neck at the subsequent mercenaries. The mercenaries who were shown the gap of power, stopped their movement.


    ¡°Oi, oi, Digor-san has been killed.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, he¡¯s too brown, it¡¯s overcooked.¡±


    ¡°He was a man who only had eyes on young boys. I¡¯ve always thought this would happen someday.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, what should we do to ¡°that¡±? Trying to fight ¡°that¡±¡­ surely, it¡¯s not worth it.¡±


    The mercenaries said so, as if the death wasn¡¯t their problem.


    Both mercenaries and regular soldiers turned their attention from Baron Josh¡¯s ordinary soldiers, to the man who had caused great damage, Walm.


    Walm was drawn into a theater called the Battlefield, where he must perform a mad dance in the middle of the stage. A play that wouldn¡¯t end until anyone on stage danced to death.

 CH 86

    In contrast to the mercenaries who decided to wait-and-see, the regular soldiers attacked at once. They showed a distinction from the small fry until now. The closer they came at you, the deeper you could see the confidence in their eyes. Without being overwhelmed by the equipment used by the other party and the heat of battle, they rushed and killed many Dalimarx soldiers.


    Despite being a local skirmish, they had the potential to reach the level of soldiers who once bet the existence of the nation in the northern countries and fought fierce battles without stop.


    The same kind of Highserk soldiers. Even if the place was different, the nostalgia was pumping up in Walm¡¯s mind. Meant, he couldn¡¯t have time to soak in sentiment, and relax his mind.


    After several rounds of interaction between cutting edges, his muscle memory responded.


    The halberd that was thrust after a pulled back, the tip was sucked into the gap in the armor covering the throat. The instrument played its role as expected, and fresh blood flowed out of the armor after a bubbly groan.


    Walm ignored the one who had lost his fighting ability and looked at the next opponent. He pushed the round shield slightly, folded his elbows lightly, and was ready to get his longsword.


    The opponent wasn¡¯t a small fry soldier who had just been trained in how to stick out a spear and collective action. The opponent was the one who routinely trained his combat and narrowed his choice of skills to fit his combat styles.


    The soldier probably saw the battle of his compatriot with Walm earlier. He wrapped around to the right-hand side and closed the gap. It must be a calculation where you would jump into the bosom after handling a blow of a long sword and a round shield.


    If you made a small thrust, the tip of the spear would be flipped by the edge of the round shield. Once you got it, it should be the end for your opponent. It was supposed to be so.


    As Walm pulled back, the soldier jumped into the gap.


    Walm, who had foreseen the movement, scooped up his halberd from the bottom while backstepping.


    Another enemy soldier tried to divert the blow with the round shield in his left hand and the sword in his right hand. He was leaning forward in a low position, and after the blow of the halberd was diverted, he must take a step and do a shoulder charge to Walm who had lost his posture by the time.


    Walm mobilized all his strength and sent mana into the halberd to land a ¡¶Strike¡·. The eyes of the regular soldiers who realized his missteps opened wide.


    ¡°Guh, uck, aaaAAAHHH!?¡±


    When the halberd that went into the shield broke through the iron plate and the reinforced wood, it cut off the left forearm and tried to chase after the remaining right arm, but it lacked the fineness of movement due to the momentary blood and pain, so the halberd missed it.


    Instead, it went through the jaw and immediately forced the respiratory tract into dysfunction.


    Without getting upset, the other regular soldier who was behind, stopped due to the difference in skill. It seemed he wanted to try to avoid one-on-one with Walm by keeping a distance.


    ¡°He has a skill. Avoid one-on-one. Don¡¯t waste yourself.¡±


    Walm, who received such an unflattering word from the 10-man commander of the enemy, who was equivalent to a non-commissioned officer, ran his eyes around him.


    The friendly soldiers were about to continue their retreat in the collapsing castle with limited escape. If the whole castle got caught up in the turmoil, it would be the end.


    After parrying the longsword flew to the temple, Walm moved his legs without catching a break first. On the sideways, the short spear that had pierced the air was lying on the ground.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go too near, scrape him off from a distance.¡±


    Even if Walm tried to reduce the number, the nasty blade kept approaching without stopping.


    Slid the blade with the back of the hand and dodge the large mace with small steps. Kept the breathing shallow and kept the whole body moving.


    ¡°Huuh, haah¡±


    Felt the tip of the sword through the armor. Even if the magical barrier that was considered to be another armor, was deployed, no matter how good the second outer layer, it wasn¡¯t all-purpose enough to prevent every direct hit.


    ¡°Keep attacking!! Don¡¯t let him rest!!¡±


    ¡°Keep a distance, don¡¯t go in¡±


    The cooperation by talking to each other, wasn¡¯t easy to break. Fatigue accumulated and fresh injuries increased. Along with that, Walm¡¯s heart kept beating hard. He was gradually back in getting used to his body, which had been forced to rest for a long time.


    Walm, who prevented the spear thrust from the front with the halberd, didn¡¯t miss the Meisenav soldiers who came to thrust from the side.


    Two soldiers in the front and three soldiers on the side and behind. They must have looked for a gap while closing any opening. It was the most undesired development for Walm to continue to be poked without a gap.


    Walm waited for an overconfident soldier who would get impatient to inflict a fatal injury from within the safe range.


    It came, and Walm welcomed it, with a dark smile.


    ¡°Stop it, stay back!!¡±


    Swung the halberd facing the front to the right without any preliminary movement. The warning of a skilled soldier was also meaningless, and the blow that even made the hand gripping the weapon, cut off the soldier¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple without allowing defense and evasion.


    Equilibrium leaned towards Walm. A close battle would collapse in a chain if the balance was tilted. And there was only one soldier on the right-hand side of Walm. Being wary of the siege getting broken, the surrounding soldiers turned to the support and tried to build a development that would make fun of the opponent again by the difference in numbers.


    Walm clearly knew their aim and also knew how to break it. It was easy to attack one soldier, but the defending soldiers could be annoying, and the supporting soldiers might attack from the surroundings.


    The target was two soldiers leaning to the left side, and the distance to Walm, who was accelerated by wind magic once, was closed in a moment. It was a perfect time for death to pick them up. The two enemy soldiers stopped. While being surprised, they prepared for a thorough fight.


    This wasn¡¯t the time to politely slash each other. Swung down the halberd held high. The arm holding the longsword showed a slight fragile resistance and veered back, but couldn¡¯t stand the ¡¶Strike¡·. The halberd smashed the collarbone and cut the arm halfway.


    Walm continued to move forward according to inertia and collided with a deadly injured soldier. While grasping the soldier¡¯s throat, he swapped the positions with his opponent as if he was dancing.


    A soldier on the left swung the war hammer horizontally. The dull metallic sound told Walm that the soldier had just hit the back of his dying companion.


    ¡°Bastard!!¡±


    A distance where you could grab each other with a slight reach. Naturally, it was a favorable time for the war hammer, and the halberd shouldn¡¯t have fully functioned.


    As the soldier swung down the small war hammer, Walm scooped up a longsword dropped by the dying soldier with his feet and grabbed it with one hand.


    Walm wielded the longsword to follow the path of the approaching war hammer. The blade made a high-pitched noise as it slipped on the hammer head, and the blade that advanced all the way to the handle cut off the four fingers that hold the hammer.


    ¡°No, way, ah, gaahh¨D¨D¡±


    Without paying attention to the war hammer flying in a direction where nothing resided, Walm slipped in and inserted a longsword into the soldier¡¯s neck. His throat together with the vocal cords was amputated, forcing his voice to be cut off.


    Walm, who left behind the bubbly sound of leaking air mixed with water, confronted the remaining three.


    ¡°Step in and, KILL HIIIMMM!!!¡±


    Soldiers rush in according to the command of the 10-man Commander who felt the loss of the number of his men. Walm slashed his crimson halberd to the sky. Although it wasn¡¯t at the correct time, the aim was blood that clung to the tip.


    ¡°Dodge!¡±


    Without having time to cover the face, the blood of the companion that flew in was sucked into the eyeball, forcing a physiological reflex and rapid blinking due to pain in the eyeball.


    Waiting for the stiffened soldier, whose field of vision was obstructed, was a horizontally swung halberd.


    The halberd, which cut through the forearm and entered the torso, also destroyed the iron armor.


    Voluminous blood popped out from the slash engraved horizontally. Due to the deep wounds in the viscera, the soldier sitting on his knees, and without any quivering, he stopped moving.


    ¡°Gah, aah? Ah, uh ¨D¨D ¡°


    Without wasting the sacrifice of their companions, the remaining two soldiers swung the longsword and battle axe down to Walm. There weren¡¯t enough distance, space, and limbs to parry it all.


    Walm was determined to avoid direct hits. He entwined the axe blade of the halberd to the battle axe. But the 10-man Commander who set his hips was tenacious, and so a tug of war began.


    ¡°GET HIIIMMM!!¡±


    The last subordinate was swinging down a longsword to Walm. It was a good movement without any hesitation, and even if it was received with armor, it was not something that could be fully prevented. A skillful collaboration.


    Walm was praising their tenaciousness inside.


    Wow¡­ well, if you like the halberd, I¡¯ll give it to you for a while.


    Let go of the halberd. The eyes of the 10-man Commander, who was struggling to seal the halberd, opened.


    Grasped the handle of the longsword and rotated the hips half a turn while lowering the legs half a step. When the blade came out, it was the perfect time to catch the tip of the sword approaching the neck.


    The collision was just for a moment. Flipped the wrist, and while flipping the soldier¡¯s longsword, Walm¡¯s longsword went to the head from the right side, cutting the soldier¡¯s jaw.


    Freed from power comparison, the 10-man Commander, who leaned forward, tried to slash at Walm and swung the battle axe to the face. If this went in, Walm¡¯s skull would be smashed and it would be inevitable to show off his brain.


    But that didn¡¯t happen.


    Walm, who was in close contact with him and had no time or space to pull back his wrist to parry it, pulled back the handle of the longsword.


    ¡°Oh, ah¡ªaaa¡±


    A blow with the power raised by mana crushed the jaw and shook the brain. The longsword was stabbed into the 10-man Commander who sat on the ground with a staggering foot. He trembled and reached for Walm¡¯s hand, but fell to the ground without grasping anything.


    ¡°Well aim!¡±


    There was no time to immerse in the lingering sound. Magic was approaching Walm.


    The fireball that hit directly at the feet scattered the explosion and burned the people who just had a deadly battle.


    ¡°Yay, a direct hit!!¡±


    A frivolous, out-of-place woman¡¯s voice reached the ears. Walm squinted at the discomfort and looked at the nasty person as he was wrapped in flames.

 CH 87

    87. Chapter 87


    ¡°Push forward and set the flag of the Cuvier family in the castle!!¡±


    Viscount Barnes Cuvier screamed in impatience and wrath. The war situation was greatly leaning in favor of the Meisenav family.


    The annoying corner tower on the left corner, was filled with dust and collapsed. Furthermore, some troops had begun to rush into the castle, and the fall of the branch castle was no longer a question, it was inevitable.


    ¡°Those damned vile mercenaries¡±


    The problem was that it was the prideful and vulgar Guisto and his men, who accomplished them. If it was just that, Barnes would have kept reason. Crossing the last line was the total attack by a large-scale operation of magic users under Guisto.


    There was no prior notice to Barnes, who was preparing to do a siege, and the mercenaries forced an attack involving his subordinate soldiers, who had been doing their best on the front line. Barnes¡¯ soldiers were used as live food to attract the eyes of the enemy.


    The action of the vile and violent mercenaries was unacceptable even for the lenient Barnes.


    ¡°Barnes-sama, more than this, there¡¯s a risk that enemy soldiers will slip in our formation.¡±


    Barnes¡¯s retainers made a terrifying remark. Barnes himself understood the danger. But now, should be the time to attack, and if it was missed, the prestigious credit would be robbed by the mercenaries and the Meisenav family.


    It was Barnes who scraped off enemy soldiers, removed obstacles, and incapacitated them. Anyone wouldn¡¯t be able to stay still after the important moment being robbed from the side.


    Barnes had no intention of being a stupid clown.


    ¡°I know your fears, but if I don¡¯t move now, I¡¯ll be robbed of everything!!! Don¡¯t be afraid! Rush into the castle!!¡±


    Barnes had a credible lineage and reserves in preparation for a counterattack. He was confident that he could hold on, even if he were to be hit from the side out of the gate.


    ¡°Proceed, or, don¡¯t say that there¡¯s a coward who just wants to sit behind the Lord!?¡±


    Choosing a choice that wouldn¡¯t normally be made, Barnes was hungry to trample the branch castle directly. Given the wealth that magic silver ore could bring, he thought that must do something for getting a part of it.


    The soldiers around him glanced at each other at the rampage of their master, but with such explosive remarks, they didn¡¯t know what to say if they were to be overtaken.


    ¡°Proceed to the corner tower. I shall give command from there.¡±


    With the help of further explosions from inside the castle, Barnes¡¯ forces crossed the walls at once.


    Barnes wasn¡¯t reckless either. Around fifty soldiers guarding him stiffened their armpits, eliminate enemy soldiers, and scolded low-spirited soldiers to push the front line.


    ¡°Hmm, has that magic user been defeated?¡±


    The fireball that was dancing on the battlefield intermittently remained silent. There was no resistance on the walls, and soon Barnes would reach the inside of the castle through a rough path that could hardly be called a road.


    At a glance at the remains of the decaying corner tower, Barnes¡¯ ears caught the slamming metallic sound and squinted at its source.


    ¡°It seems that sporadic resistance is still going on.¡±


    Upon receiving a report from his vassals, Barnes saw people slashing at each other. away from the corner tower.


    ¡°¡­ At most, it¡¯s one-on-one combat between soldiers. Does he think he is a knight?¡±


    Barnes threw such words away, but he kept his eye on the scene.


    A poorly dressed giant mercenary, and the other man who seemed to be a wandering Highserk soldier, but the collided ¡¶Strike¡·was excellent. Although, the combat technique seemed to be a self-style that specialized only in killing enemies efficiently, the elegance and beauty that seemed to have been sublimated after many actual battles, indeed deserved praise.


    ¡°What should we do?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about the battle between the mercenary and the Highserk soldier, but if the Highserk soldier wins, kill him by the difference in number.¡±


    ¡°Understood. I shall send the 10-man Commander without moving the retainers.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a bad idea for Barnes to take down the opponent who couldn¡¯t be defeated by the fighter among the mercenaries. And although that outcome was difficult to admit, surely, ¡°that¡± must be buried. His intuition whispered such.


    ¡°Did the Highserk soldier win?¡±


    Perhaps the mercenary who had been defeated wasn¡¯t that great. In any case, now the people he sent were just glaring at the Highserk guy from some distance.


    When Barnes looked at the scene again, the regular soldiers attacked the Highserk guy who should¡¯ve been exhausted by the mercenary. No matter how good someone might be, the difference in numbers couldn¡¯t be overturned that easily. Truth, it should be even easier to deal with those who were tired.


    But then, the train of thought switched the rail. Barnes was neither narrow-minded enough nor free enough to devote himself to at most one soldier. Baron Josh, his enemy¡¯s vassal, had not yet shown his face. Should be more careful, or else, a hurtful outcome might come unexpectedly, was what Barnes Thought.


    In order to corner the collapsing Dalimarx soldiers, Barnes pondered while looking at the sketch of the inside areas obtained in advance.


    There were three entrances to the branch castle: the front, the left side, and the back. If the enemy turned into a counterattack, the front should be an impossible choice. Barnes had already held down the front gate after all. The option was either the left side or the back. If Baron Josh wanted to leave a blow as much as possible, it must be the castle gate on the left. But if, by any chances, a sortie came from the back gate, the distance and time would be on Barnes¡¯ side.


    ¡°Barnes-sama¡±


    Barnes¡¯s consciousness, which just finished the work of overlooking the battlefield, returned to reality.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The mercenaries make suspicious movements¡±


    In the pointed place where the vassal showed his disgust without hiding, there was a figure of Guisto who seemed to throw instructions to his underlings. It was aimed at the Highserk guy and the army of the regular soldiers. An attempt that Barnes couldn¡¯t overlook.


    ¡°Guisto, what are you planning!!¡±


    When Barnes screamed, Guisto approached slowly as if he didn¡¯t do anything wrong.


    ¡°Well, well, isn¡¯t it Viscount Barnes-sama. Why did you come to this front line? Your beautiful armor will get dirty.¡±


    ¡°Shut your dirty mouth, you dumb battle-maniac who can only kill people. Leaving that aside, you tried to bury him with my soldiers, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    Just like a citizen who was at a loss at the unexpected word, Guisto spread his arms.


    ¡°That¡¯s, not true. I just wanted, to help your soldiers.¡±


    A retainer interrupted Guisto, who was still approaching his Lord, Barnes, and intimidated him.


    ¡°Even if they were just commoners, you¡¯ve involved my soldiers in the surprise attack on the corner tower. Stop opening that stupid mouth of yours.¡±


    Barnes uttered such words with a strong tone.


    ¡°Oh my, that was, an unfortunate accident.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s an accident, stop that stup¨D¨D ¡°


    It was when Barnes¡¯ anger reached its peak. A woman under Guisto unleashed magic. The magic landed in where the regular troops and the Highserk guy were.


    Clearly, it was a declaration of war.


    ¡°Do you want to die so much?¡±


    Before Barnes gave any instructions, his retainers all hold their weapons and tried to slash Guisto. On the other hand, the mercenaries looked at them with a leering smile.


    ¡°Do you feel like playing around, in the middle of the enemy territory? Calm down, I won¡¯t do that stupid thing with Viscount Barnes-sama in front of me. the magic was shot after all the 10-man Commander and his men got slaughtered. I¡¯m sure someone was watching it. You could check the corpse if you want.¡±


    ¡°Huh?! Did someone see it?¡±


    One of the retainers answered.


    ¡°It¡¯s really unfortunate, but what he says is true. All the soldiers sent were killed.¡±


    Upon receiving the report, Barnes regretted it bitterly.


    ¡°Unbelievable, were they exhausted? He is just at most, a mercenary.¡±


    Glanced at the place where the flames were dancing crazily. The one who killed the regular soldiers was now sunk in the fire.


    Returned the viewpoint to the heads of the mercenary. Barnes wanted to kill him in the middle of the war, but the mercenary was incorporated into the troops of his Lord, Count Meisenav. If he let his emotions get over him and do it, the story would be conveyed by one of the soldiers. If that were to happen, Barners would definitely be subject to some kind of punishment.


    ¡°In any case, the control of the castle and Josh are the priority¡­ Bastard, what are you looking at?¡±


    Guisto, who had made a fool of Barnes so far, clenched his teeth and kept staring at the flames.


    There was something in the middle of the crimson.


    Barnes squinted as he was curious.


    ¡°No way, a person?¡±


    There were many people who could reduce burns caused by fire, such as those possessing fire attributes and those with some sort of skill. Even so, in the fire that even scorched the ground, there was something that stood calmly without leaking any voices. It was abnormal. There should be a limit to how resistant someone could be, and over time the skin would burn and by then the whole body would also be affected by the heat.


    ¡°Hmm, huh!?¡±


    The flame was obstructing the silhouette, and even though the real condition couldn¡¯t be determined, somehow only the eyes could be clearly seen.


    The eyes supposedly have a golden color, but they felt dark and terribly muddy. Perhaps, his eyes were moving around as if savoring the situation and anticipating Barnes and Guisto.


    ¡°That magic user, is still alive huh.¡±


    Guisto¡¯s face, which had a laid-back smile on it, was distorted. At this moment, perhaps, Barnes also had a similar face.


    The man continued to shoot magic at the first and second attacks, killing more than a dozen people in the subsequent hand-to-hand combat, and now calmly standing in the fire. He survived it all, despite being a human. Certainly, there was an existence called, the war god, hero, or monster. It was hard to admit, but there was no doubt, that the existence inside the flames was similar to those.


    ¡°Viscount, it seems better to kill ¡°that¡±. Well, I shall help you. But, I¡¯ll get the corpse.¡±


    The corpse of a magic user with excellent mana could be used by the necromancer, or be a catalyst, or be a medicine. It was no exaggeration to say that the corpse was a bag full of gold coins. However, it was the job of the inferior to sell corpses, and Barnes had little interest in it. Still, for the first time, Barnes agreed with Guisto. And so, he gave an order.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you the corpse. Make sure to kill him at once.¡±


    There was no one around who disagreed.

 CH 88

    88. Chapter 88 ¨C Invitation to the Netherworld


    Walm¡¯s eyes gazed at the nasty person from inside the burning flames. It was a red-haired woman. She must have cast magic at the same time that all of the soldiers got defeated. And she must have choose fire magic as a result of prioritizing the range and killing power, but Walm was accustomed to being clad in flame.


    ¡°Why¡¯re you not dying?!!¡±


    A voice complaining of unreasonableness reached Walm¡¯s ears.


    There was no doubt that the woman was one of the culprits who crushed the corner tower on the right, while blowing away all people on the way regardless of allies or enemies, and had been dormant since.


    ¡°Well, did you get scolded?¡±


    Walm got an answer to the discomfort he felt.


    A very colorful and well-decorated man was sitting at the bellow of the corner tower. And there were the mercenaries, also a man who seemed to be the leader, in the vicinity.


    Walm had come to know some humans dressed in flashy costumes on the battlefield several times. It was either a commanding general, those who had a strong influence on the battlefield, or aristocrats.


    Noble Blood sometimes could turn into a curse. The pride and dignity of the family made them stand out, they couldn¡¯t hide, and they must stand at the forefront at times. Considering the risk of losing the chain of command, they needed it, it could be said that it was intentional conceitedness, but as aristocrats, they might have a hard time to be able to rule people without it, and made everyone follow them.


    ¡°Playing a hero huh? Is sending this many, by your Lord¡¯s order?¡±


    ¡°No way, does he look like such an excellent person?¡±


    The mercenary nearby threw such a word to Walm. It was unclear if there was any other factor, such as resentment for killing his companion, but the words were somehow mixed with ridicule and irritation.


    Walm was trying to be alone with the enemies. After all, there were still ally soldiers around. They had been left behind. There were a few soldiers who were closed to the retreat, and even though they had countless wounds, they hadn¡¯t stopped their resistance.


    They clearly didn¡¯t believe in survival. So, they became stubborn.


    Some might have flipped their lid. In order to make their death meaningful, they had turned into a suicide squad that was ready to bring as many as possible to death.


    Some were purely late in retreating, and some were following their sense of responsibility and remained to assist friendly soldiers to retreat. They too had not that long left.


    Walm could escape from the siege if he devoted himself to escape. He could make a breakthrough with fire magic, or shake them off with a speed difference due to the acceleration of wind magic.


    Even if Viscount Edgar were to be defeated, Walm could escape to the city. After all, the army was only aiming to occupy the area of ??the magical silver vein. If the story of the Dalimarx soldier was true, there would be no invasion of urban areas that would involve central government intervention.


    ¡°I wonder if I should run away¡±


    The mercenary responded sensitively to Walm¡¯s sentiment.


    ¡°Are you thinking of escaping? You can¡¯t, you¡¯re gonna die here. Rest assured, I¡¯ll dismantle your corpse carefully and sell each part separately. The eyes and liver of a magic user like you can sell well.¡±


    What a ferocious and radical confession. The high market value was conveyed with high murderous intent. There was no bad feeling at all, and if those parts of the body were to be gouged out, Walm would definitely die.


    ¡°Even if my body is popular now, it¡¯s on the battlefield.¡±


    Walm didn¡¯t expect that the day would come when many men and women would die for getting his body.


    While the hot gaze was sent, the soldiers who had been struggling around were starting to lose their resistance and lying down on the ground one after another. A kind of limit point was about to be reached.


    ¡°What a stupid personality.¡±


    The word ¡°responsibility¡± had always been chasing Walm. Even in his previous world. Since he was also a workaholic person there.


    Even if he complained that he was already at the limit, that it was impossible. It always only ended in his mouth. Since he would drag his body and keep working on the task in front of him.


    Walm always jealous of egoists and individualists. He didn¡¯t dislike them. He was just jealous of how could they have a strong will and a wise brain for their own interests.


    When Walm¡¯s interests were put on a scale with the interests of his group, or his community, as long as there wouldn¡¯t be significant damage, the half-totalitarian Walm would prioritize his own interests. But, when he knew that there would be a significant and fatal impact on his group or community, he would ignore himself or a few people if any, to get the most beneficial outcome.


    Would the two boys be able to escape successfully if he escaped?


    Would the volunteers of the Highserk remnants be able to escape the damage?


    Would the compatriots of his dying country be able to fully achieve reconstruction without the magic silver mine?


    All of it could be called the curses that were binding Walm right now.


    Based on observation, the road to rout had been closed.


    ¡°Really, I really hate myself.¡±


    The pain in the eyes was starting to get intolerable and the fear of losing light starting to be felt. Still, they weren¡¯t all the reasons to hesitate about the thing that would be out soon.


    Walm understood well what would happen if he used ¡¶Demon Fire¡· without telling others first. Many people would be killed and burned. Old and young, men and women, all equally. Even so, he never burned enemy soldiers in a situation like this, where he and his allies became isolated among the enemies.


    What did those who have no idea about what would happen in the future think at this time?


    Whether the stranger who was waving the last word before exposing his viscera, or a strange young soldier who was reaching for salvation, Walm didn¡¯t know.


    Whether he kept trying to tell his muddy conscience that it was all for the groups, that it was all a necessary sacrifice, it was nothing more than the usual hypocrisy.


    It had been a while since he wanted to puke and spit on himself.


    In order to help the boys he knew, who were seeking salvation, he must kill allies who he didn¡¯t know. Really, it was extremely unfair.


    ¡°Fuh, haha, really, there is no salvation.¡±


    A question arose there. If the boys must be killed in order to help the Highserk remnants, which were in the main force, what would be the options?


    When the possible options came to mind, a voice naturally leaked, and a dark smile overflowed nonstop.


    In the midst of such useless thoughts, the flames were fading, and the figure of the silhouette would be fully shown.


    Grabbed the once ¡°comrade-in-arms¡± from a bag hanging on the waist and attached it to the face.


    The demon mask trembled with joy and anger in the air of the world for the first time in a long time. The mask stuck to the face so much that it started to feel hurt.


    Walm liked the mask. It felt the same as a robber¡¯s balaclava. If the face couldn¡¯t be seen clearly, humans could take a brutal act in a straightforward manner. And Walm was one of those cowards.


    ¡°My bad. But, you like it, right?¡±


    Walm fawned on the mask. The mask that sensed the change in mana vibrated in joy. The demon mask loved burning this world with blue flames, especially where it could watch the scene from the special seat, what a pleasure. Really, it was a mask with a bad personality.


    Walm burned into his eyes the sight of allies he could catch, and muttered with a low voice.


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry, you can resent me.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing? At once, kill¨D¨D¡±


    The words of the noble were stooped.


    Covered the burning eye pain with a survival instinct and rational murderous impulse. To send those in the surroundings to the Netherworld, the hellish fire was evoked from a year¡¯s sleep.


    Blood oozed from the eyes, and the pain affected the brain.


    Walm kept laughing, while clenching his teeth to endure the pain. Otherwise, the pain would be too much.


    ¡°Ah, Aha, Hahaha, HaaaaaAAAAAAA!!!!¡±


    Hot air blew up and swirled into the sky, as the blue flame overflowed into the surroundings. The explosive roar soon turned into agonizing screams. A pandemonium. Some came from allies, those who still slightly breathing injured soldiers.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time¡±


    Such unsuitable words and emotions came from a human who brought ¡°hell¡±.


    At this moment, in Walm¡¯s mind, a muddy stream of memories of the dark and muddy days with the former squad and those in Dandurg, was flowing nonstop.


    ¡°Ah, ahhhh! Fire, the fire is¡­!!¡±


    ¡°Stop it, put it out noooowwww!!¡±


    The screams disappeared one by one. Humans who had been swallowed by fire and whose esophagus and lungs had been burned, were equally deprived of oxygen and drowned on the ground.


    However, there were exceptions. In addition to the elite retainers, the mercenaries were also exceptional.


    And even after being drunk by the blue flame, there were countless soldiers who still were trying to bury Walm.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared, drop his neck!!¡±


    Walm gladly welcomed them.


    As the ¡¶Demon Fire¡· consumed mana, it caused intermittent eye pain, but perhaps, it was still better than the enemy suffering from waves of fire.


    Soldiers who could put up a magical barrier left the formation and took a distance from those with poor mana. It didn¡¯t take long for the burnt odor to change to the odor that would remain in the nasal passages as it mixed with the disgusting smell of burned meat and hair.


    The regular soldier who endured the blue flame and pierced the spear into Walm was breathless. Really, what a weakling. The tip of the spear was entwined with the halberd, and when the halberd was pulled out, the spear was easily taken from the enemy soldiers. The heat caused the skin and nerves to swell, it just wasn¡¯t possible to hold anything properly.


    Their fighting spirit hadn¡¯t been broken completely, and the soldier tried to pull out the short sword, but it was faster for the halberd to scrape his throat from the side.


    The number of soldiers trying to approach Walm was decreasing as he killed one or two more. It was unclear whether they were drunk on blue flame or tried to escape the enemy in front of them after calmly discussing with the remaining mana within their body.


    One thing for certain was that everyone on the battlefield, their eyes, thoughts, lives, in any case, something of them was robbed by the flames.


    As the ¡¶Demon Fire¡· created the sea of ??blue flames, a harmonic sound of the mask which vibrating as if it felt the climax and Walm continuous laugh could be heard.

 CH 89

    The blue flames that spread in front of Viscount Barnes equally wrapped the Meisenav soldiers and the mercenaries, who had been going forward on the offensive. The soldiers, who lacked a magic barrier, couldn¡¯t resist the hot air and blue flames, and screams could be heard as their bodies were ignited one after another.


    Not only their bodies, but also frustration was ignited inside their mind. Even if some people were accustomed to being slashed or pierced, they had little experience of being in flames, more so being burned to death. And once they experienced it, they couldn¡¯t hide their upset and confusion.


    In addition, depending on the amount of mana, which affected the presence and absence of the magical barrier, no, regardless of it, they would be a ball of fire without warning. It happened so naturally that almost no people suspected that it was their turn next.


    ¡°Stop, don¡¯t push me!!¡±


    ¡°Aah, aaAHH! My back, it¡¯s burning, move, fast!!¡±


    Soldiers chose a chaotic retreat before the withdrawal instructions were even issued. It was no exaggeration to say that the confusion, had already turned into a full rout. The soldier, who was convinced of the victory, had now fallen into a position of trying to escape successfully from the branch castle.


    As they were moving side by side, they pushed each other while sometimes trampling over the wreckages of the wall. The road, which had more obstacles compared to when it was in peacetime, was difficult to pass. Moreover, they needed to escape in that limited space while being repeatedly attacked.


    A soldier hindered by the dead Dalimarx soldier, fell and rolled on the ground. He then cried for salvation.


    ¡°He-elp¡±


    The outstretched hand could only grab the soil, without being saved by anyone. But, that didn¡¯t last long either.


    ¡°Guh, what¡¯s that, don¡¯t joke with me!¡±


    Guisto, the leader of the mercenaries, shouted with a grudge and resentment. He was supposed to be hunting down the hero-wannabe soldier and slowly taking control of his life. But, half of the members had been burned, and the rest continued to be stripped of the magical barrier.


    ¡°Don¡¯t run away!! If you couldn¡¯t get close to it, attack from a long distance!!¡±


    Half of the mercenaries had been sunk in blue flames, but they didn¡¯t have a habit of losing. And so, a magic attack was launched to respond to Guisto¡¯s call. It was an attack filled with hope, but it soon turned into despair.


    ¡°Ah. Sh*t. It doesn¡¯t work.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s impossible. It¡¯s too hot, the water¡¯s gone in an instant.¡±


    Water attribute magic evaporated fast, and wind and fire attributes magic would only increase the size of the flames. The earth attribute magic couldn¡¯t catch the man, and would scatter without long. The arrows couldn¡¯t reach him either. Some archers even had their bow strings burned before they could shoot.


    There was no hope for long-range attacks. Most of the mercenaries were caught in the fire before they could cause any damage. Guisto calmly made a decision, even though his concentration was reduced by the heat.


    ¡°Razzo, Nangi, Meltana, Lycka, Rouvan, get your weapons, attack in close range, and kill him.¡±


    People with an average magic barrier would be burned to death before reaching the target. Guisto called the name of the person who had more than the average amount of mana and survived the blue flame.


    ¡°Guisto, are you sane? You want us to go into close combat with ¡°that¡±?¡±


    Guisto silenced Lycka¡¯s criticism.


    ¡°Shut up and listen. If we run away here now, the name of our mercenary would fall to the ground. If the opponent is a large army or the main force, it¡¯s still manageable, but routing in a fight with just one person, won¡¯t we be a laughing stock all over the archipelago, huh?!! By that time, none of us will still have any future as a mercenary.¡±


    Guisto didn¡¯t block completely the road to rout. Only if the enemies were several times more than their force. If they escaped now, when the enemy was only an individual, the fame and trust that they had built would fall to the ground. No matter how many must fall, they must kill the enemy inside the blue flames.


    ¡°Look at him. He¡¯s bleeding. He¡¯s not a mythical hero. You could kill anyone who bleeds. He¡¯s the same as us. He¡¯s not special.¡±


    Guisto ran his bloody eyes on the gathered people. Those who stood up regained their composure. Currently, the magic user who scattered the blue flames was paying attention to the attack of the retainers who were trying to escape Viscount Barnes. However, the number left could be counted with one hand.


    One thing that Guisto learned from the conflict he had in Labyrinth City was that even the best plan could be a bad plan if the timing was wrong.


    ¡°Rouvan, sent golem from the front. You could just draw attention for a moment. When his attention goes to the golem, use ¡°Earth Wall¡± to break his momentum. With Nangi, attack him from the left. ¡°


    Cut the words, Guisto gave them time to chew the words.


    ¡°Lycka, shoots wind magic from the right. Doesn¡¯t have to be an effective hit. Just don¡¯t give him time to think. Razzo and Meltana, come with me to attack from the front. Use whatever you can. Attack!!!¡±


    At the signal of Guisto, the mercenaries started to move all at once.


    Rouvan poked his knee and used his own blood as a catalyst to create a golem from the ground. According to the order of his master, the clay doll was sent from the front. It started running toward the center of the heat wave, albeit in a stupid way.


    Barnes¡¯ retainers had already withdrawn or burned to death.


    Really unreliable.


    Although they learned military art and were assigned the assistant role, they were aristocrats, and when their life was put on the balance of life and death, they easily changed their minds and pulled themselves from the assigned role.


    The golem made of soil reached 3 meters, but the surface layer was burned down by the hot air mixed with blue flames as it was swinging the big arm. By the time the arm reached the target, there was no doubt that it had returned to just soil.


    Rouvan, which had moved to the left side, subsequently raised the ground and formed a clay wall at the feet of the one manipulating the blue fire. The man didn¡¯t show any particular fighting stance. The man just jumped normally to escape from the raised ground.


    The wind blade formed by Lycka went to the man who had landed on the flat ground, but the swirling blue flame caught it, leaving no damage to the man. Guisto said it was okay, so she didn¡¯t get impatient.


    The skin was getting irritated, and somehow it felt as if the viscera were screaming. The instinct flickered the primal fear of fire. Something that they felt many times when they were powerless and struggling alive in the darkness of Labyrinth City.


    For Guisto, who had gained power, money, and subordinates, it was an emotion that he had forgotten for a long time, and he was more than happy to never feel it again.


    From behind the golem, Guisto rushed in like a fire-breathing lizard, his body barely just above the ground.


    It was an effective way of reducing the risk of being found, and absorbing heat, as his body was relatively near the ground with a lower temperature compared to other areas.


    Slid the saber against the flank of the burning golem. The target was the neck.


    The ambush was good enough, and it might not enough to finish the man with a single blow, but still, things didn¡¯t go so well. The tip of the sword was avoided by slightly moving the upper body.


    ¡°Get hiiiIIIMMM!!!¡±


    Still, without a break, Razzo came to swipe the man¡¯s feet with a short spear, and Meltana came to open the man¡¯s head with the war club.


    The man received the spear aiming at the ankle with the tip of the halberd, and then deviated the trajectory of the battle club with the bottom part of the halberd. He then took a step back to fully dodged the attacks.


    Guisto screamed as he pursued the man. Seeing the man who tried to greet him with an unstable stance, a smile appeared on his face, as he thought that he finally got the man.


    Immediately after, the soil wall on the side shattered. Its true identity was the ¡°Earth Bullet¡± that Rouvan fired through the wall. While sprinkling dust, a deadly bullet approached the man. The man tried to avoid it, but when the bullet struck his right shoulder, his right arm had no choice but hung down helplessly.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got one arm!!¡±


    Razzo screamed with joy while approaching to give another attack. Everyone who closed the gap came to assist. Guisto, who was feeling satisfied as he thought that the man must have leaked a groan, caught only a sinister smile.


    When the hot air changed its direction, the body of the man rapidly collapsed to the ground. It wasn¡¯t just because of the man¡¯s own weight and gravity. Obviously, there was a force that twisted the reason.


    The cutting edge and blunt surface crossed over the head of the body. Guisto, who changed his course of attack in a hurry, his saber only stroked the man¡¯s armor.


    The trick the man did was easy. He just manipulated the hot air in desperation while slamming his body against the ground to avoid the approaching attacks. It wasn¡¯t particularly fast, and once you saw the movement, it wasn¡¯t difficult to deal with.


    And now, the man, who only had one properly functional arm and laying down on the ground, had put himself into an easy-to-cut position, as if an animal laying itself on top of a chopping board.


    So, each of them focused their hungry eyes on the prey.


    But, just for a moment, Guisto¡¯s eyes met the man¡¯s eyes. The man¡¯s eyes, which were golden but muddy, were thirsting for blood. As if the man, had anticipated this. Looked so fearless.


    ¡°Step back, it¡¯s a traaAAPP!!¡±


    The longsword, which was covered with the body, was pulled out with an arm that shouldn¡¯t be able to move.


    The reaction of Rouvan and Nangi, who were paying attention to the whereabouts of the halberd and the movement of the body, was delayed. A longsword extending up from the ground, cut through Rouvan¡¯s ankle and Nangi¡¯s wrist.


    Guisto thrust the saber, but the saber only slammed hot air against the ground, while the two got seriously injured and bounced to an empty spot.


    ¡°This guy, he slammed his shoulders onto the ground to somewhat heal his arm.¡±


    Instead of the evasive action in desperation, the man actually used the power of the ground to fix his shoulders. If a mistake was made in the process, it would only make the man more helpless and ready to be killed.


    How could the man do such a dangerous act without hesitation? Guisto didn¡¯t know.


    Blood spouted from the injured Rouvan and Nangi, who were fluttering on the ground.


    Just as Guisto vowed to kill the man, the man also decided to kill Guisto and his men.


    Guisto, who led the remaining two, challenged the man again. Without long, the cutting edge sipped each other¡¯s blood and carved scratches on the armor through countless exchanges.


    One thing was for sure, the man wasn¡¯t invincible.


    Obviously, the fineness of movement was lost. But, somehow, the man still had a magical barrier.


    Guisto didn¡¯t overlook the gap that had been created while shaving their own lives. He stepped in strongly as he swung the saber.


    But what Guisto received, was a numbing sensation he had never experienced before. The blow aimed at the temporal region and the eyeball was received by the surface by the slightly protruding forehead part of the mask.


    ¡°You think, I¡¯ll let myself get crushed so many times without a fight?¡±


    The man said so, as if to tell himself.


    With the pulled-back saber, Guisto parried the sword that came to slash him.


    The man was getting used to the movement, but, if there was assistance, there might still be a chance, was what Guisto thought.


    Guisto, felt a sense of discomfort. The saber that should have received the sword, was melting as it got burned, and a big shock ran to his upper body.


    ¡°Guisto?!!¡±


    Unlike Digor who had¡¶Strike¡· and ¡¶Iron Wall¡·, Guisto had none. But he wasn¡¯t weak enough to be killed in one stroke, and also his equipment was excellent.


    However, Guisto¡¯s body was cut together with his saber. He was now lying down on the ground while being fascinated by the longsword that the man used. The man¡¯s longsword was wrapped in a fire while shining in a different way than when a weapon was used with¡¶Strike¡·.


    As Guisto had gone from the formation, the remaining two were easily defeated.


    The man then threw them all into the same spot and burned them with the blue flame.


    In the fading consciousness, the magical barrier that Guisto managed to keep was cut off, and his field of vision was wrapped in blue.


    Guisto had misunderstood one thing. The man was neither a hero nor some justice believer. The man was a crazy demon that would wrap everyone in blue flames.


    After all, the man kept looking down at the ones he had killed with no expression. No joy, no contempt, no hostility, just watching the things in front of him burned to ashes.


    ¡°¡­¡­ mon..ster¡­¡±


    It was miraculous that Guisto, who had lost half of his body, could spit out any dying words. In the end, his consciousness went to the darkness and never returned.

 CH 90

    90. Chapter 90


    The Regiment Commander of the Southern Front of the Highserk Empire, was a title once given to Hadro.


    Compared to the Northern and Western Fronts, which played a major role in the battle against the Kanoa Kingdom, the Principality of Myard, and the Ferrius Kingdom. Or the Eastern Front, which clashed daily with the Liberitoa Trade Federation. The Southern Front, to which Hadro belonged, for an Empire with an excellent battle history, could be said as a moderate and modest unit.


    Considering only the location where the Front was stationed, it was one of the key points facing the Big Demon Territory and Galmud Archipelago, which was one of the Three Big Countries.


    However, the expansion period of the Galmud Archipelago was over, and for a large country with abundant funds and resources, Highserk was just a trivial place that didn¡¯t have much worth being invaded. Since the Three Big Countries had their own problem, scrapping the Demon Territory and such, this side of Highserk was safe throughout the year¡­ Therefore, the Southern Front was stigmatized as a war-unaware second-rate unit.


    The southern part of the Empire, which was regarded as a safe zone along with the central part, was the empire¡¯s strategic base, and continued to respond to the change of personnel and supply of personnel, of the other places that were always in short supply. Those soldiers supported the Empire behind the scenes. Therefore, even if they weren¡¯t exposed to the sun much, Hadro poured his heart and soul into the proposition of strengthening his troops and training.


    However, ¡°that day¡± came.


    In addition to the Northern and Western Fronts, the containment of the Great Outbreak that made the Empire pour all the surplus force was destroyed by the invasion of the ¡°Living Natural Disaster¡±, the Fire Emperor Dragon. The capital was burned down along with the central troops who were trying to defend the capital.


    Hadro, who rushed to the rescue from the south, never forgotten the sight. People and soldiers who lost their homes, their families, and even their country, were standing helplessly without power. Those who wandered without knowing the direction of escape became nomadic people.


    Hadro was able to step forward looking for the future because he knew that some parts of the south were still alive, and the Flame Emperor Dragon had moved to the direction between Lake Celta and Liberitoa after the capital was burned. Otherwise, Hadro would be on the hill overlooking the capital, and perhaps ending his life there.


    Looking at the back of the soldiers who had collapsed in a daze, Hadro raised a scolding voice, and even beat the crying general who wanted to sacrifice himself for the destroyed country. He then brought them to the south, to his forces.


    Hadro gave a thin hope and guided people, saying that there was still something to protect. Thus, his forces continued to deal with the aftermath, to fight with the leftover of the Great Outbreak.


    Hadro¡¯s Regiment was terribly disorganized when compared to the Jaff Cavalry Battalion and several other battalions stuck to the east, which brilliantly led the attention of the monsters to Liberitoa Trade Federation and evacuated the people.


    Originally, the Southern Front¡¯s defense plan was devised and constructed according to the assumptions made from the outside to the inside. That direction was completely opposite to the invasion of monsters caused by the Great Outbreak, and it must be changed, from the inside to the outside, and the defense network from the center to the south was not that great. All the houses and facilities had been used for diversion, but the monsters¡¯ attack still didn¡¯t stop.


    At that time, Hadro gave an order with no strategy. He only calmed the soldiers down, then threatened them that they must fight, and instigated that it was all for the sake of the still-alive people and their still-alive families.


    The regiment filled with people who spent most of their lives with no particular prestige or achievement, was of course simply getting scraped off by the stream of monsters while continuing to rout. The corpses pile up everywhere, and the regiment was finally reduced to the size of a battalion.


    A total mobilization regardless of status was proposed. Hadro then understood that even those who had no experience in combat and had no talent for fight, could become a time-earning force, if the force had an overwhelming number.


    At the same time, Hadro realized. That they were a national heritage and foundation for the future that must be preserved. Whether it was a peasant or a craftsman, if they were all lost, the ability to recover the country would be completely lost. Without the people, no country could be restored as a country and that would only fasten the total destruction of the country.


    That was why Hadro ordered the subordinates who he raised to die, to protect the young soldiers, to protect the soldiers who had a family waiting for their return home, and to protect the normal people. He dropped all the bridges, leaving them behind, as the suicide squad.


    The soldiers on the other side didn¡¯t seem to hold a grudge, but just left a message with a quivering voice to Hadro.


    ¡º¡±I leave the future in your hands. May fortune be with you.¡±¡»


    Even if those words were said with a grudge, it didn¡¯t change the fact that it had saved Hadro a lot. Those words became a curse that kept the fiery emotion inside him burning without a trace of fading away.


    The Southern Front, together with the survivor of the Northern, Western, and Central army, continued to struggle in the hellish reality.


    And now, a year later. This day had come.


    ¡°Ah, aaaah, it¡¯s really, beautiful. It¡¯s the same as before.¡±


    The thing that saved the soldiers who decided to continue to fight, who prepared to die, was the blue flame called the ¡¶Demon Fire¡·. The blue flames that suddenly sprung up on the front line at the Dandurg Castle which was on the verge of collapse, the fire that kept burning the monsters, again and again.


    From the enemy¡¯s point of view, it would be annoying and might give them nausea. However, it was a warm and irreplaceable fire of salvation for the soldiers who were ashamed of their failure to protect their country and so had accepted their own death.


    Hadro, who was told by a soldier who miraculously escaped from the western part of Highserk that there was a ¡°Knight¡± who could manipulate the ¡¶Fire of Hell Gate¡·, trembled with joy and chased the shadow of the rumored ¡°Knight¡± in any places where the blue flame was still smoldering¡­ only ended up with nothing.


    Among the soldiers, there were some who said that the fallen soldiers who reached Hell had sent the blue fire, as they were still worried about the future of their country. It didn¡¯t matter if that was the case. The important thing was that it was now, in a battle to decide the future of Highserk, once again, that the ¡¶Demon Fire¡· decided to make another appearance.


    Hadro didn¡¯t know how to verbalize the overflowing emotions. It was the same with his men.


    ¡°Regiment Commander!! That blue flame is¡­!!¡±


    The soldiers who survived the Great Outbreak screamed and distraught in the rank of the former commander. It was nothing strange. Even Hadro, who was called a veteran, his heart skipped a beat like a maiden.


    ¡°The legacy of His Excellency Gerald isn¡¯t just to be continued by Jaff¡­ Yeah, That¡¯s right. The only one which messed up a large number of soldiers from the Four-Countries Alliance and never give in to the ¡°Great Outbreak¡±! The Blue Flames of Dandurg!! To light up the Highserk Empire once again, the hero, has returned from the Netherworld.¡±


    Hadro, who should be silent, leaked so many words without knowing when his mouth would stop. And even if there were other soldiers who couldn¡¯t sympathize with it, they didn¡¯t feel unpleasant by those words in the slightest.


    After all, they shared the image and the scenery of that moment, of that day.


    ¡°Sent a message to Viscount Edgar, my Hadro Battalion will assault the enemy in the branch castle, annihilate them, and with the survivors, we will go to the enemy¡¯s headquarters.¡±


    The soldier who received the messenger ran away to Viscount Edgar¡¯s camp wholeheartedly.


    ¡°SOLDIERS, LISTEENN!! Let¡¯s show those halfwits with only well equipment, our dignity as the soldier of the undefeated Highserk Empire! The Empire has not fallen!! The ¡°War God¡± who had gone to the Netherworld, left his legacy to give the remnant of the Empire, us, a chance to strive once again. When will we fight, if not now!!¡±


    ¡°NOOWW!!¡±


    The voices of the responding soldiers echoed and as the rumbling sound could be heard, they all gathered under Hadro.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to attack. Prepare yourself! Devote your mind and body! Stab! Crush! Trample them! Beat the drums! And, Raise your voice!! Remind them of the war! FULL FRONTAL ASSAUULLTT!!!¡±


    The second-rate unit, was no longer there. Only the strong men who survived the shameful and bloody fight, and continued to go under crazy training for the future. The chains holding them had been shredded. It was time for them to go back to the actual battlefield. To varying degrees, everyone¡¯s eyes glowed like a wild burning flame, wriggling like a fiery slaughter machine, ready to turn their opponents into dust and ashes.

 CH 91

    Blue flames accompanied by a hot wind¡­ the reaction of those who had some kind of answer to its true identity could be summed up in one word, ¡°sharp¡±.


    ¡°Hadro-dono¡­ so, Highserk will make a move huh?¡±


    The soliloquy of Edgar de Dalimarx vanished into the air in the chaotic tent. It had been a long time since the map, which had the information about the inferiority of the branch castles and pieces to symbolize the troops on top of it, had not been able to fulfill its full function properly due to the ever-changing turbulent battle situation.


    ¡°Why did Highserk, decide to move in this situation? I couldn¡¯t understand. We should definitely call them back.¡±


    ¡°More importantly, what is that fire? It¡¯s hard to believe that the branch castle with a measure for fire, has burst into a sea of flames!¡±


    ¡°Anything is fine. Does anyone here, have any information?¡±


    The war situation surrounding the branch castle was swaying in the opposite direction. When the first attack of Meisenav was repulsed without much damage, optimism that the branch castle could hold out for several days, made a stance in the people¡¯s minds inside this camp.


    Then came the second attack. This time, the mercenary unit and, those from Meizenav¡¯s main families, who weren¡¯t there during the first attack and were in a wait-and-see position, with the info they got from the first attack, joined the battle and shattered the corner tower, which was the pillar of defense, and just like that, enemies flowed into the castle.


    It was expected that Baron Josh, the guardian of the branch castle, would inflict damage with his trump card, make a counterattack with his retainers, retreat to the main camp, and shift to a decisive battle.


    However, that picture of war had been repainted by the blue flame whirlwind. Because it was a wide-range attack that could be seen even from a distance, the booming anger inside the tent was then smeared with shrieks.


    Those from Edgar¡¯s families and his vassals¡¯ families were furious and demanded an answer, but before getting it, Commander Hadro suddenly decided to depart with his 500 Highserk soldiers. Even though they were a force from the outside, some suspected that it was an arbitrarily act to monopoly the achievements, or perhaps a betrayal act.


    However, Edgar saw that blue flame saved the Highserk people at the border. And now that he saw the Highserk soldiers dancing crazily at a branch castle that was on the verge of its fall, a relentless offensive without hearing others¡¯ opinions, the relationship between them was obvious, and so, the answer naturally came into his mind.


    ¡°Did you slip some after all?¡±


    It was unknown how many people, but some must have been slipped inside the forces of the branch castle. And one of them must be the one controlling the blue flames. Whether it was some kind of warning, thorough concealment of information, or insurance, no matter how much Edgar thought about it, he couldn¡¯t reach a conclusion.


    ¡°Hadro Battalion, is now in contact with Viscount Barnes¡¯ reserve forces.¡±


    A soldier with good vision reported the situation.


    ¡°In this case, at the very least we should retreat Baron Josh¡¯s troops to the main camp first. No?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s that dangerous fire we¡¯re talking about. We don¡¯t even know if he¡¯s safe.¡±


    Unity of opinion was a hopeless dream, and the generals in the tent were trying to spend all their time arguing. Edgar dropped his fist on the desk with the map on it. The tent, which had been shrouded in turmoil, quieted down in instant, and the people¡¯s gaze turned to their leader, Edgar.


    ¡°Depending on Hadro Battalion¡¯s movement, we might need to launch an all-out attack. Right now, we¡¯re going to just keep an eye on those them.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t that many words, and it didn¡¯t explain much either. The others tried to offer counterarguments and advice, but Edgar suppressed them with just a short glance.


    When the Highserk soldiers who did a sortie from the main camp to the branch castle in a straight line, they collided with the reserve force Viscount Barnes left on the outer edge of the branch castle.


    Even though the enemy soldiers were in a state of turmoil, the Highserk soldiers were only 500 soldiers after all. Everyone, except Viscount Edgar, believed the outcome that came to their mind after applying their own common sense.


    However, the Highserk soldiers didn¡¯t stop and trampled the reserve force on the outer edge of the branch castle, they even assaulted Viscount Barnes¡¯ main force, which hadn¡¯t been able to regain control because the blue flame disturbed them.


    ¡°They even broke through into Barnes¡¯ main force!?¡±


    ¡°Impossible. Even though the enemies have been worn out, there should be still nearly twice as many.¡±


    Enemy forces were unable to keep their formation and the Highserk Soldiers continued to crush any enemies who tried to gather. The movement where you couldn¡¯t feel the direction clearly meant that Barnes and the leader of the mercenary had lost the chain of command.


    Then, without warning, a total collapse occurred. Someone believed in the rumors of withdrawal and raised their voice. A group that had lost its head easily depended on others and believed others, just because they themselves wanted to escape from the onslaught.


    ¡°It¡¯s the end.¡±


    Escaping in front of the enemy wasn¡¯t easy, and even if you left the one who wanted to play the decoy role and retreated systematically, you still wouldn¡¯t be able to escape damage. If no one wanted to be a decoy, and decided to rout together, it was inevitable that the result would be extremely tragic.


    The branch castle was no more than a mowing ground for the Highserk soldiers. Attrition from siege battles, wide-range attacks by blue flames, and assaults by Highserk soldiers, the army of over 2,000 was reduced to several hundred, seeking refuge in Count Meisenavf¡¯s main force and fleeing all over the place.


    ¡°It¡¯s the decisive battle!! The target is the Meisenav Headquarters, we¡¯ll wrap this up today.¡±


    No one opposed Viscount Edgar. Just a war cry that echoed in response to the call, and thus, the main force led by Viscount Edgar started to move.


    ¡ô


    Perhaps, if people asked the Highserk soldiers about Barnes and Josh, they would answer that both were a lord who took peace for granted.


    Baron Josh twisted his face in self-mocking.


    In terms of the number of soldiers, Count Meizenav still had a large number of soldiers. He hadn¡¯t let go of the superiority in numbers. However, looking at the equipment, the surviving forces under Barnes could no longer be counted as fighting forces.


    The routing soldiers desperately let go of anything that weighed them one after another in order to escape. If they were about to be caught, they would throw anything that could be thrown away. Weapons, armor, even the friendly allies running nearby.


    It must have been a situation that even the troops from Meisenav¡¯s main force that came to rescue, never thought that they would be hindered by friendly forces. The Highserk soldiers skillfully manipulated and guided the fleeing soldiers to the direction they wanted.


    It was downright vicious. Even though the target was an enemy, Count Odilon de Meizenav, Josh couldn¡¯t help but sympathize with him. In front of that Highserk unit, he shouldn¡¯t have ordered his troops to join the fleeing forces, even if he needed to threaten them, it should be better for him to throw the fleeing allies.


    A group of wild ravens who had bad behavior, basically a crowd that couldn¡¯t be used for other things. The distraught friendly soldiers and the fleeing soldiers broke the formation. Even so, the regular soldiers in Count Mesienav¡¯s army tried hard to rebuild the formation, but Count Meisenav, who had exhausted the valuable soldiers such as the mercenaries and those from his main families, lacked an effective stopping power in the decisive battle.


    Fear spread fast. Highserk swallowed up and pierced the relief force along with the fleeing soldiers. However, they were outnumbered, and the breakthrough power of the Highserk unit was approaching its limit.


    Josh understood. That the stage had been set. And next, should be his turn.


    Leaving the wounded and a few soldiers behind, Josh¡¯s soldiers left the branch castle to catch the backs of the Highserk soldiers.


    The soldiers under Josh¡¯s command were gaining momentum. The branch castle was about to collapse, but at the moment when the defeat was intensifying, they managed to counterattack, there was no one who complained about his decisions.


    The Highserk soldiers knock a wedge into one side of the Meisenav¡¯s army, and all Josh had to do was widen the wound.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stop, push in!! Crush them, crush them all!!¡±


    Josh realized that he was wrong. He had misjudged one thing. The rate with Highserk was actually appropriate at 5 to 5. Just 500 soldiers, managed to guide Viscount Barnes and the mercenaries to the enemy¡¯s main camp, and they brilliantly used the confusion caused by the routing soldiers, to make the lack of striking power less apparent.


    That skillful guiding technique would even make a shepherd have no choice but to take his hat off.


    How many soldiers in the Archipelago could do the same thing? Josh didn¡¯t know.


    Above all, what frightened Josh was the blue fire that was said to send anyone to the Netherworld, called the ¡¶Fire of Hell Gate¡·, shouted by the Highserk soldiers.


    The manipulator of that blue fire who slipped himself inside Josh¡¯s branch castle was just cunning. Using the castle as the bait, leading the enemy to be aggressive, and at the most effective time and place, when the enemy soldiers were dense, the sea of ??blue flame spread.


    Viscount Barnes, who was in charge of the front line was forced to retreat, the leader of the mercenary unit was killed, and a large number of enemies were wounded. All by only one person.  It was an unthinkable thing, but if that person had sided with Meisenav, the fire would have burned Josh instead.


    ¡°Words are unnecessary huh¡­¡±


    The words of Hadro, the leader of Highserk, swirled in Josh¡¯s mind. These Highserk soldiers proved themselves by their actions. Josh thought that he must show by action as well. The value of his existence was at stake after all.


    Josh¡¯s soldiers continued to break down the formation that was disrupted by the Highserk soldiers. Meisenav¡¯s army was also desperate to get back on their feet. The attack speed gradually slowed down, but it was clear to anyone that the enemies were screwed at this point.


    The main force led by Viscount Edgar launched an assault on the depleted and confused Meisenav¡¯s main camp. Caught between hammer and anvil, the screams of agony of the poor Meisenav¡¯s army continued.


    By this time, the formation, which had maintained its elegance, was already distorted and twisted, like the scribble made by a toddler.

 CH 92

    92. Chapter 92 ¨C The Illusion of Blue Flames


    The chair in which Odilon de Meisenav sat was thrown to the ground and smeared with dust. His servants and guards would quietly put the chair back and carefully wipe off the dirt. Until just half an hour ago, such a scene had been the norm.


    ¡°Why!? Why couldn¡¯t you stop the Highserk soldiers?!!¡±


    In response to Odilon¡¯s frustrated question, one of the retainers opened his mouth solemnly.


    ¡°Unfortunately, the common soldiers given to Viscount Barnes-dono were running to us all over the place, obstructing the movement of Master Diland¡¯s troops heading for rescue. And those Highserk bumkins didn¡¯t kill them, it seems that they¡¯re trying to guide the rout direction.¡±


    ¡°Barnes!! You damn fool!! So, what happened to him!?¡±


    One of the vassals said so, choking his voice for a moment.


    ¡°There¡¯s been no news about him after last seen around the branch castle. Probably¨D¨D¡±


    Odilon¡¯s side was now incredibly cornered. The bad news never stopped pouring in since a while ago.


    Odilon put the chair out of the picture. There was no time to rest his hips, he must lift them and give orders.


    Depending on how many soldiers and supplies one could gather during the peacetime preparation period compared to the enemy, victory would be decided. That was the basis of the strategy that Odilon, who was good at business and politics, had acquired, and it was supposed to be an unwavering truth. That idea was now crumbling.


    ¡°Viscount Louisan-dono, we¡¯re being pushed. The formation is crumbling. At this rate, Edgar will break through it.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let them break through no matter what!! Send Baron Fanfahl to support.¡±


    ¡°A member of the main family, Diland-sama, had died in battle. The Highserk soldiers couldn¡¯t be stopped!!¡±


    ¡°Diland was killed?! They¡¯re only at most 500 men! What were the accompanying soldiers doing?! What are those regular soldiers for?!¡±


    It was a mistake to send Diland, a member of the main family, to rescue the remnants of soldiers entrusted to Barnes. Odilon was bitterly regretting his decision.


    While the castle was blazing with blue flames, only the Highserk soldiers reacted correctly to the situation. No, by now, it might be better to call it a trap. At least Odilon was convinced of it.


    The attack on the branch castle was entering the final stage, and when it almost completely fell, that wide-range attack suddenly came up. After that, the Highserk soldiers rushed without hesitation, and the soldiers who had lost their leaders were harvested without even having time to rebuild themselves. Finally, the Highserk soldiers charged to the main camp.


    At first glance, it looked like the end for Barnes¡¯s soldiers. But, the Highserk soldiers guided the leftovers while killing them and saving some at the same time. While they were trying to hold on, Baron Josh sortied from the branch castle and attacked while linking their formation with the Highserk soldiers.


    It was a move that shouldn¡¯t be taken by Josh, the leader of a faction that was said to have a feud with the Highserk soldiers. Dissatisfaction and complaints about Highserk were delivered from the hidden scouts. But, even that, might be just a deception. After all, now, the attack came from two sides, and the Meizenav side was being driven into a corner.


    Still, the advantage in number was still the same, and considering the degree of exhaustion, Odilon still had a chance to cross the winning line.


    And for Odilon, who continued to ponder and give orders, favorable news had arrived.


    ¡°Orleane-sama, who was stuck with the mercenaries, had returned.¡±


    One of the members of the main family called Orleane, was an excellent nephew who tasked to monitor and give orders to a mercenary group that tended to run out of control.


    ¡°You¡¯re alive? Good job in coming back. What happened at the branch cas¡­ O-Orleane?


    From a young age, Orleane continued to train his military arts and magic to support the Meizenav family. Despite his youth, he was appointed as the head of the Meizenav family¡¯s martial arts group. After all, he had a bulky physique, intelligent brain, and abundant mana. And such a young man¡¯s body had been severely burned.


    ¡°Healing magician, what are you doing!? Heal him, fast!¡±


    Odilon urged the nearby healing magician, and the healing magician answered with a voice filled with impatience.


    ¡°Odilon-sama, I-I¡¯ve done my best. Before coming here, Orleane-sama, he¡­ I-I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t put his condition into words.¡±


    Orleane then weakly opened his mouth to Odilon who looked speechless.


    ¡°I, rushed into, the branch castle, with the, mercenaries. The castle walls, and castle gates, were all under control, and with, Viscount Barnes, joining us, the victory, was supposed, to be, in our grasp. Until, ¡°that¡±, showed.¡±


    Orleane gasped with excitement and fear.


    ¡°Don¡¯t force yourself¡±


    Odilon held out Orleane¡¯s hand to stop the conversation, but his sensible nephew shook it off.


    ¡°Uncle, that won¡¯t do. I¡¯ve, to talk about it, now.¡±


    ¡°Wearing a demon mask,  ¡°that thing¡±, caused hot wind, and blue flames, in the area. That¡¯s all. The ones with a magical barrier, were dancing crazily, inside the flames. And the ones with poor mana, were dying, one by one. However, Viscount Barnes, and the mercenaries, who were trying to kill him, were annihilated¡­ While I was running away, I listened, no, I was forced to listen to it. A laugh. The guy, who wrapped himself in the fire, wounded and killed, about 200 soldiers, in the surroundings, whether they were, his allies, or not, was just, laughing. My back, and my legs, were scorched, and roasted, while I was running away, with Viscount Barnes, but then, the Highserk soldiers, came, to attack us.¡±


    Orleane quenched his thirst with the water bottle the healing magician handed him over, and continued his words, quickly.


    ¡°They were, laughing too. Shouting ¡°The Fire of Hell Gate, The Demon Fire, The Remaining Fire of The War God, has returned to us, Highserk¡±. Viscount Barnes, was killed there, and I, took off all, my armor and weapon, and blended, into the line, of ordinary soldiers. Finally, I made it this far.¡±


    After hearing from his nephew about what happened at the branch castle, Odilon and the other generals stood speechless. After all, the high-spirited and enthusiastic Orleane had become so fragile. Nevertheless, the content of the talk made others feel that they shouldn¡¯t miss a single word.


    ¡°Understood. Leave the rest to me. I¡¯ll take care of the enemy.¡±


    Although Odilon wasn¡¯t that good at military arts, he was also an aristocrat, a Count who had great influence in the area. So, he took the enemy of the scattered soldiers, preparing to avenge his nephew.


    Odilon, who was about to make his move, was stopped by his nephew.


    ¡°No. Uncle, in order to repel, the fierce attack, and avoid being completely crushed, please, don¡¯t gather, the soldiers, closely. That¡¯s, their aim. If, you do that, if ¡°that thing¡±, manifests blue flames again, everyone would die.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, couldn¡¯t you, hear it? That fanatical laughter, is approaching. They¡¯re coming. Even if you¡¯re called a coward, you should continue, your retreat, from here, now.¡±


    Orleane, as madness and insanity came to his eyes, was dying and could die at any moment.


    Twisted open his fingers that were in adhesion condition, he grabbed Odilon, on the neck.


    ¡°Do you want to be like this!?¡±


    Looking closely, Odilon understood that there was still some intelligence left in those eyes. Leaving behind any of that, Orleane warned Odilon of the danger, even if it meant he would be ashamed.


    ¡°Orleane-sama, has gone insane!!¡±


    ¡°Put him to sleep. If he moves more than this, he would really die.¡±


    ¡°Let me go. Meizenav, would really be burned, by that blue flames.¡±


    The held-down Orleane went on a rampage, and just like that, his consciousness was fading. Fortunately, he still continued to breathe, and so the healing magician continued to cast healing spells.


    Suddenly, Odilon¡¯s ears caught laughter. He suspected, that perhaps it was just a hallucination, but indeed, laughter could be heard. As if blessing something, as if cursing something, one thing was certain, it was clearly tinged with madness and steadily approaching.


    Immediately, gathered vassals and summarized the latest situation. The battle line was greatly twisted like elegant steel that had been hammered between the hammers and anvils, but perhaps because of the fatigue caused by the series of battles, the enemy was unable to complete the twisting.


    Still, the Highserk soldiers continued to approach, albeit slowly, yet surely.


    The numbers were reaching an even point, and the whereabouts of the formidable magic user, who set ablaze the branch castle and many soldiers, was unknown. It was hard to believe that such a big attack could be used so many times¨D¨D But if, that was the case, and used in the correct situation, the damage would be even more than the branch castle. And even though now, they were just ghosts of the northern countries, the Highserk soldiers continued to fight tirelessly.


    Believed to be a second-rate country, the soldiers of that country were far tougher than Meizenav¡¯s regular soldiers. And now, the Meizenav soldiers were also frightened by the laughter, and their morale was getting low. Northern countries were said to not stop until they destroy their opponents, and as a result, three countries were destroyed in just one war.


    Stupid people. Odilon used to mock them so.


    They were a horrible existence that Odilon couldn¡¯t understand even now after crossing blades with them. Were they insane because they were crazy from the root, or if it was the all-out war that made them crazy? Odilon couldn¡¯t decide what was the right answer.


    More so, the story of the blue flames that came from a soldier, who despite being in the middle of a battle, dared to be alone with many enemies, and still managed to give a serious effect on his soldiers. Odilon found it so absurd.


    If Odilon threw everything away and gave it all for victory, the weakening Dalimarx coalition might have been repelled. But, compared to Edgar and Hadro, who were fascinated by the blue flame and risked their own lives to get the winning trophy, Odilon was caught in the illusion of the blue flame at the critical moment and couldn¡¯t bet on the winning trophy. Thus, the results could be predicted.


    ¡°Vi-Viscount Louisan has been captured by the enemy!! Also, Baron Fanfahl has been defeated!!¡±


    The trembling messenger¡¯s words were terribly heavy.


    Odilon¡¯s whole body felt weak. Still, he managed to squeeze words.


    ¡°This battle, is our loss.¡±


    With the news that was brought, the actions that the Meizenav family should take were decided.


    ¡°Escape Odilon-sama! Retainers, bring him to the main territory even if it costs your life.¡±


    ¡°We are going to be bait. Soldiers, give your all to stop them, and take them to be the guide to the Netherworld!!¡±


    Meisenav had lost. Moreover, it was a crushing defeat.


    Odilon grimaced in humiliation and admitted his defeat. Still, he didn¡¯t despair. He could not.


    The loss of military strength, reparations, and bail money would plague the finances of the Meizenav family for ten years or more. It wouldn¡¯t possible to start a war outside of the main territory after this for a period of time. However, the Meizenav family hadn¡¯t died. And even if they couldn¡¯t launch a revenge battle in the remaining of Odilon¡¯s life, they could save power and hand it over to the next generation and win. As long as they ended to be the winner, that should be fine, no matter when.


    Odilon apologized from the bottom of his heart to the vassals who offered their loyalty. He resolved to bring back as many soldiers as possible, and reduce the number of prisoners of war as many as he could. That was Odilon¡¯s duty as the defeated lord.

 CH 93

    ¡°Seems, we somehow managed to win?¡±


    Walm, who remained in the branch castle, was watching the battle situation from the ruined corner tower. It only took a moment for the resisting frontline to crumble. It crumbled like a building block that had lost its support.


    The Dalimarx family didn¡¯t overlook the turmoil and gaps in the enemy forces caused by the battle of the support castle, and the Meisenav family was unable to withstand the all-out counterattack.


    The bait had become a suicide group and continued to resist, leaving enough organizational strength to not collapse completely. A complete annihilation would be impossible now, but at the very least, more than half of the soldiers must have been killed, wounded, or taken prisoner.


    Some returned to their own territory, resulting in the strength of the Dalimarx Union evenly matched with the remaining group. However, they could no longer attack as they did in this battle, and they would be unable to freely move due to various reparations.


    The Lords of the Archipelago weren¡¯t insane, nor had they lost their self-control and calculation, to the extent that they would devote their entire territories, or families to the war.


    The ¡°peaceful¡± war was over. However, even in such a battle, Walm took the worst move.


    The pain in his eyes had been calmed down with eye medicine, but a quarter of the contents was used. Without a doubt, it would run out in less than a year.


    And most of all, by activating ¡¶Demon Fire¡·, he had committed ally-killing, which was loathed in the ways of the North. It would be more righteous to abandon them than to kill them.


    In order to protect himself, Walm refused to show some of his skills and hid them. This was an unforgivable act of betrayal. On top of that, he failed to hide it until the end, and burned the battlefield after making a calculation that included self-protection.


    Walm chose that decision regardless of the Empire¡¯s restoration, Highserk soldiers, or young soldiers. The one who invited those fatally wounded soldiers, despite wanting to believe and hoping for their survival, to the Netherworld, without a doubt, was Walm.


    After quietly glancing at the battlefield, Walm poured the alcohol he had on hand and put his hands together. To let his guilts go. He knew it was just a self-consolation act to comfort himself.


    Walm then took out all the cigarettes, and lit them up at once. He was sure some soldiers must have liked that smell better than the smell of pungent incense as an offering.


    Leaving only one in his hand, Walm brought it to his mouth with trembling hands while thinking that he must not rely on alcohol.


    The smoke he inhaled slowly filled his lungs. The slowly exhaled purple smoke floated into the sky, where the remains of the blue fire were, joining the black smoke emitted by the smoldering embers.


    ¡°¡­ I¡¯ve, to search.¡±


    Walm made up his mind and headed to the corner where the wounded were gathered. He didn¡¯t know if the boys managed to escape from the enemy soldiers, from the sea of blue flames.


    In addition to dozens of healthy soldiers, there were only slightly injured soldiers left in the branch castle. Among the wounded soldiers lined up, there were many who didn¡¯t manage to stay in this world.


    There were those who lost their limbs, those whose bandages were dripping with darkened blood, and those in an ambiguous condition, hanging at the border between life and death. The thick stench of death was lingering around. It was the smell Walm had come accustomed to. Somehow his instinct rejected it, but his insane reason pushed away that rejection.


    As Walm took another step forward, a shock ran through his ankle. It was the hand of a wounded soldier who was bedridden and having a hard time moving.


    ¡°Yo¡­ You, water, give me, water.¡±


    Burnt skin, scorched hair, and sticky soot all told what had happened to him.


    Walm¡¯s heart was beating fast and his shoulders trembled. He stifled them and pulled out a water bottle.


    ¡°I¡¯ll help you drink. Could you wake up?¡±


    ¡°No, this, is fine.¡±


    Placed the bottle on the soldier¡¯s lips and tilted the water bottle. The soldier vigorously drank the contents. By looking at his face, Walm recognized him. He was a magic user with earth attribute magic who manipulated earth bullets. Walm remembered being in the same corner tower as him halfway through the first attack.


    ¡°Do you want more?¡±


    ¡°Pour it, on my head, it¡¯s stuffy, feels terrible.¡±


    Walm filled the water bottle with water magic and poured water on the man until he was satisfied.


    ¡°What about cigarettes?¡±


    ¡°Want¡±


    Walm put the cigarette he was holding to the soldier¡¯s mouth. The soldier, who sucked in as much as he could, burst into laughter.


    ¡°Ha, hahahaha, I¡¯m lucky. Those annoying superiors, and those disgusting colleagues of mine, were all killed. I, was supposed to be like them too. When I was about to thrust my sword in, that blue flame burned everything. It was hot, I was roasted. I knew, it was my last chance. So I ran, and succeed in escaping. Then, on top of that, now, I¡¯m able to smoke a cigarette, and drink water that I¡¯ve been carving for. A terrible, and painful experience for sure, but, well, nothing else to complain about.¡±


    The soldier spat out such words, and as he weakened, he muttered.


    ¡°Thank, you.¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah¡­¡±


    Were those words for the water and cigarette, or were those words for the burnt caused by Walm¡¯s ¡¶Demon Fire¡·? In any case, Walm couldn¡¯t get the words out of his throat, he didn¡¯t dare to ask.


    After searching around with unsteady legs, Walm finally found what he searched for. The halberd in his hand slipped out of his fingers. He didn¡¯t want to see it. He didn¡¯t want to accept it. The ones lined up with him on the march, were there. Even so, his eyes, which should have been muddy, could see it clearly. The burnt skin, was the injuries cauterized by Walm himself. There was no reason for him to forget.


    ¡°Why, must you die?¡±


    If it wasn¡¯t an acquaintance, it would be just other corpses lined up on the ground. But Walm knew them. What kind of people were they, and what kind of circumstances made them come to this battle.


    The innocent yet noisy mouth didn¡¯t move, and no words came out of it.


    Walm fell to his knees. He tried to get up, but he could not.


    Having a hard time accepting it. Words of regret leaked out. His hand gripped the ground and scraped away the dust.


    But, the scene in front of him was the reality. It was the reality.


    ¡°Why? Even though, it looks like you¡¯re only sleeping¡­¡±


    Walm threw off his cerveliere. A high-pitched sound could be heard, and just like that, the helmet rolled on the ground. The mask on the waist was vibrating as if it wanted to say something.


    ¡°Hey, couldn¡¯t you, be quiet at times like this?¡±


    When Walm raised his voice and tried to wrap his arms around his waist, the corpse in front of him was standing up.


    At that moment, he felt suffocated as the sight of his hometown came to his mind, thinking that perhaps, he must kill his acquaintances again.


    Walm reflexively slipped his hand from the mask to the sword and pulled it out, but he stiffened again.


    ¡°Walm-san, what were you doing?¡±


    The corpse spoke. No, it wasn¡¯t a corpse. It wasn¡¯t something that troublesome.


    Kalim and Kuwen survived that battlefield.


    Walm, who had lost all his strength this time, threw out his limbs like an infant and uglily clamored.


    ¡°Damn, why were you both sleeping in a place like this!! Are you crazy!?¡±


    ¡°I dragged Kuwen and had him examined by a healing magician, who then told that his life was out of danger. After we heard that we¡¯ve won from the surroundings. Our tensions were instantly gone, and so we took a rest.¡±


    Kalim explained to Walm what happened.


    Walm understood the circumstances, but no matter how much of an easy-going person Kalim was, he didn¡¯t think that he could imitate it.


    ¡°Oh, did you think I was dead?¡±


    Kuwen, who was listening to the story, also understood the situation, but still asked Walm with a stupid face and voice.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. Look around you, mountains of corpses everywhere. It would be strange if I thought that you weren¡¯t dead!¡±


    Kalim laughed a little when Walm raised his voice in protest.


    ¡°It¡¯s not on purpose.¡±


    ¡°Do it on purpose, and I¡¯ll hit you as hard as I could.¡±


    The boys, began to burst into laughter, an act befitting their age. Walm was lured in by that and laughed out loud together with them.


    In the middle of the war, moreover among the mountains of corpses, it was an extremely imprudent behavior but Walm couldn¡¯t hold it anymore. After all, he felt a little saved by the boys¡¯ smiles.

 CH 94

    The battle over the Carorolaia magical silver mine ended in victory for the Dalimarx family, but the battle wasn¡¯t over yet. The pursuit for the rest of Meisenav Family, which systematically retreated leaving behind scapegoats, had not slowed down, and the hunt for the remnants of the defeated army kept intensifying.


    On the other hand, the captured prisoners weren¡¯t killed. Many of the ordinary soldiers who didn¡¯t have families with the financial means to pay the ransom were turned into slaves for mining. The aristocrats and wealthy people who were released couldn¡¯t escape financial difficulties due to the payment of a large ransom.


    Thanks to the efforts of healing magicians, many of the injured were able to maintain their composure, but there were also those who were unable to pass the harsh night to see the next morning¡¯s sun. Luckily, the laceration on Kuwen¡¯s thigh was calmed down by the cauterization and further treated by a healing magician. Herbs were ground and smeared on a cloth sterilized with alcohol, then used to cover the wound. So, there was no fear of leaving aftereffects, and as long as he didn¡¯t force himself to move which might cause suppuration, the wound would eventually close.


    ¡°I got it¡±


    ¡°Good job.¡±


    The one who ran in was Kalim, holding his helmet with both hands.


    Inside the removed helmet, which was turned upside down, were the provided hard black bread, small potatoes, withered cabbage and chives, and miscellaneous beans.


    ¡°Compared to before, it seems there are more items.¡±


    Kuwen stood half up and smiled even though he looked pale as he was still lacking blood.


    ¡°We won in a shorter time than expected. Must be the leftover provisions prepared for a long war.¡±


    The capture of supplies left behind by the enemy must be one of the other reasons too. After all, they left in that confusion. It wasn¡¯t possible to burn all supplies when retreating. If even one-third of it could be destroyed, it would be a good one.


    Walm didn¡¯t participate in the raid on the enemy¡¯s main camp because he devoted himself to the enemy of the branch castle. It was a real shame to miss the treasure trove, but he had to give up on it because of his eyes. If he had been targeted by many when he was in a bad shape, even though his opponents might be just the remnants, he might have been killed as well.


    That said, although Walm couldn¡¯t participate in the quest for gathering supplies from the enemy¡¯s headquarters, he had been scavenging for the corpses of enemy soldiers who had been burned to death. While the other soldiers were slow to work due to the high temperature and the smell, Walm, who was used to it, was able to collect without much problem. He already had more than the promised prize prepared for those with silver plates, moreover, he got some coins too.


    Half of the branch castle had turned into a pile of rubble, and there was no problem with getting things to burn. The broken wooden pillars and the wreckage of the abatis, which were used to block the invasion of enemies, were cut into reasonable sizes and set on a fire to heat the pot.


    Cut vegetables with a knife, and sometimes tore them by hand. Then put it all together in, and sprinkle the salt.


    Steam rose from the pot, raising the hungry level.


    The bleeding had been stopped, but Kuwen had lost a lot of blood. He had preserved meat on hand, but it would be wise to avoid meat that would be difficult to digest. Besides, the boys might be not that happy to eat meat amidst the stench of burnt corpses.


    ¡°Here it is¡±


    Walm received a bowl of soup from Kalim.


    ¡°Thank you¡±


    Carry the bowl to the mouth. It permeated the empty stomach. Let out a breath slightly and threw in a bite-sized piece of black bread. The black bread in hand brought back a distant memory.


    ¡°Fu, kukuku¡±


    ¡°Eh? What happened?¡±


    Kuwen asked Walm with a dubious expression.


    ¡°Nothing, I just remembered my comrades from the Highserk days.¡±


    ¡°I want to hear.¡±


    Kalim¡¯s eyes shone saying that he had the interest to hear more.


    It¡¯s not such a big deal, but, well¡­


    Walm began to tell his story.


    ¡°My superior, the Squad Commander. On top of having a non-standard body, he did a lot of unreasonable things. He crushed the goblin¡¯s head with his bare hands. Because he didn¡¯t have a skewer, he uses his own hand to hold meats while grilling them on fire. He was the kind of person who would kill three enemies with a single swing.¡±


    ¡°¡­Umm, was that person really human?¡±


    ¡°Not an ogre or something?¡±


    The two looked at Walm with suspicious eyes as they couldn¡¯t believe the story.


    ¡°He should be a human. Well, many said that rather than fighting him, it would be better to fight an Ogre.¡±


    That¡¯s what the soldier who ran away from the ramparts on the Myard border said.


    With that in mind, Walm continued the story.


    ¡°Anyway, he had a wild way of eating, and eats hard-baked biscuits without problem.¡±


    Hard-baked biscuit, which had been carefully baked for preservation purposes and had lost its moisture, was a formidable opponent for teeth as its strength far exceeded the black bread. According to one theory, it was said that a soldier who had a hard-baked biscuit hidden in his chest could possibly block an enemy¡¯s arrow infused with ¡¶Strong Shoot¡·.


    ¡°Y-you mean, ¡°that¡± things? What kind of chin he had?¡±


    ¡°I guess, he could even chew bones.¡±


    Everyone had tasted the biscuits once, so it was easy for them to imagine.


    Walm, who got the responses, continued further.


    ¡°Some challenged the hard-baked biscuits one after another, and were defeated. The viewer group, including me, couldn¡¯t hold our laughter and laughed out loud at seeing the blood flowing from the gums and the chipped teeth. It escalated into a civil war between the members of the squad.¡±


    In particular, the troublesome three idiots who talked about chivalrous spirits or those bullshits and immediately asked for a fight. It was so annoying.


    ¡°It¡¯s so intense, to the point that other squads starting to bet. The face of those infight, including me, would get swollen due to the fistfight. In the end, the Platoon Commander who rushed to the commotion gave an order to suppress it. Then, after eating, everyone fell prey to the Squad Commander¡¯s fist. I tried to escape, but I received a sharp blow to the head and went down to the ground. After that, the hard-baked biscuits were soaked in soup or water, except for the Squad Commander. Then we were given strict orders to eat it, saying that we¡¯re soldiers, and not a child.¡±


    Starting with small talk, the silly chat continued. Walm went to tell the story of him with his brothers running in his hometown forest from wild animals, and about how they went to pay respects to the land with a hoe and plow the next day. Also, about how his brothers led him to go peeping and got caught, then punished together in the center of the village, scolded for a whole day.


    As Walm told stories of his childhood, Kuwen and Kalim told similar stories. After all, it was centered on failure stories.


    Then, the topic switched to the claimed land.


    New land had been claimed for development, and the two of them had captured goods and coins to the extent that they didn¡¯t have to borrow money for buying agricultural tools from the Lord. If the two of them decided to grow up like this and had a family, they would surely be able to feed their descendants and children in the neighborhood while telling a story of their youthful bravery and actual experience of battle. They would be similar to the uncle in the Walm¡¯s neighborhood who told about his military service days.


    Several people of Baron Josh¡¯s retainers passed behind Walm and the boys who were having such a conversation. It was strange. The branch castle was cleared of enemy soldiers during the day. Even if they were looking for a defeated soldier or a runaway prisoner of war, who would hide in a base full of enemies? Normally, they would be running away even one step further.


    Walm suspected that it was about assassinating or recapturing a prisoner of war, but they were clearly looking for something else rather than an enemy.


    The chat stopped and silence rose to the atmosphere. The sound of the firewood that had just been put in could be heard.


    ¡°¡­Walm-san¡¯s fire is blue, right?¡±


    It was Kalim who got to the point. Walm wasn¡¯t so insensitive that he didn¡¯t know what that word meant.


    ¡°Yeah, correct.¡±


    It was only natural that there were people who would associate the blue flame with the skill ¡¶Demon Fire¡·. Most of the defenders of the corner tower and the surrounding ramparts were killed in action, but they weren¡¯t completely annihilated. Even if Walm hid his face with a mask when he used ¡¶Demon Fire¡·, he might be seen by someone from afar.


    ¡°Actually, it seems that Josh-sama and Edgar-sama¡¯s retainers were looking for the soldier who set the branch castle on fire. When I went to pick up the food, I was asked if I had any idea¡­¡±


    Walm exhaled a long breath and looked up at the sky.


    Of course, right¡­


    In a flashy way, Walm had set fire to the most important stronghold, the branch castle, and slaughtered and wounded many allies. It was more natural to think that he wouldn¡¯t be able to escape some form of punishment or perhaps, even lynching.


    ¡°Of course, I said I didn¡¯t know.¡±


    It was a favorable word.


    Walm struggled in thinking about how severe the punishment he would receive if he was caught. Would he get turned into a slave? Beheaded? He could only hold his forehead without knowing the answer.


    ¡°Walm-san, let¡¯s run away.¡±


    Kalim lifted his hips and approached Walm.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, we were saved by Walm-san. If it wasn¡¯t for that blue flame that was accompanied by the hot wind, I wonder if we would have won the battle.¡±


    Walm was no saint. It was true that escape was the first option that came to mind. And he wasn¡¯t persistent enough to deny it.


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m glad I was able to fight you guys. When I first met you two, I honestly felt heavy at the thought of fighting with such rookies. But, the two of you fought well. Besides, the memories and feelings of the past that I had forgotten¡­ albeit a little, I¡¯m able to regain them back.¡±


    Those were Walm¡¯s sincere thoughts. The noisy but innocent words of the two people saved his heart. Otherwise, he would have been living with abominable memories forever.


    ¡°Walm-san! Hick¡­¡±


    ¡°Haha, D-don¡¯t cry.¡±


    Walm let out a laugh at Kuwen, who was in tears.


    ¡°Our hometown is a village called Yulepez. But, after we go back, we plan to build a village on the claimed land. If you don¡¯t have a place to go, why don¡¯t we build a village together?¡±


    It was a sweet, tempting offer. If Walm hadn¡¯t participated in that war, if he had been a nomad with nowhere to go, and if it hadn¡¯t been for his damn eyes, he would have been joining them.


    ¡°Thanks for inviting. Really, I mean it¡­. but, I can¡¯t go. I lost my eyes during the war during my Highserk days.¡±


    The two were seriously listening to Walm¡¯s story. And they had questions. It would be so. Because both eyes of the person who said he lost his eyes were still there.


    ¡°It happened in a terrible place. Surrounded by more than 100,000 monsters, my comrades-in-arms, acquaintances, and many people all died. It was hell. In such a situation, I had the monster¡¯s eyes transplanted.¡±


    Walm circulated his mana, focusing on his head. And his eyes transformed. The pupils narrowed vertically like reptiles, cats, or perhaps monsters. The two, who gazed at it, were stiff.


    ¡°Are you scared?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be afraid of.¡±


    Bravado or Truth? Anyway, Kalim answered proudly.


    ¡°The transplant was a success, but I couldn¡¯t receive any treatment afterward. It¡¯s the after-effect. Without the medicine, my eyes would melt away. I was told so by a healing magician in the border city, Kopetsk. I need to travel to heal my eyes. That¡¯s one of the reasons why I joined this civil war. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll find it. I might end up going to the Aleinard Forest Alliance instead of the Labyrinth City. So yeah, I have to go. Thanks to you guys, I¡¯m able to make up my mind. Thank you.¡±


    Thanking them from the bottom of his heart, Walm patted them on the shoulders.


    ¡°If, you finish your treatment, please come and visit us.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not good at making promises¡­ but I¡¯ll try my best.¡±


    The unfulfilled agreement Walm made with the girl crossed his mind. He wasn¡¯t confident enough to say that it was a promise. Even though he himself thought it was cowardly, Walm decided to take precautions.


    ¡°I¡¯m about to go. If I stay too long, I may get arrested. Stay healthy.¡±


    Walm packed his things and left the place.


    All in all, it was a somewhat peaceful war without much enthusiasm, but there were things he gained. After all, he was always avoiding memories of the past, but now that he had tried to face it face-to-face, it wasn¡¯t all as bad as he expected.


    Now, Walm was alone on the dimly lit night road, being immersed in sentimentality. In such a slow flow of time, the demon mask vibrated as if asserting itself. As usual, the reputation for being bad at reading the atmosphere wasn¡¯t just a rumor. He didn¡¯t know if it was comforting him or provoking him.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never thought, the longest relationship I would have, would be with you. Really, the world, is revolving in a mysterious way.¡±


    Even though Walm grumbled at the face, his feet didn¡¯t stop. Slowly, his body completely blended into the darkness.

 CH 95

    It had been two weeks since the battle over the Carorolaia Magical Silver Mine. The civil war and its aftermath had finally over, and so restoration work was proceeding at a rapid pace at the branch castle that served as a base against the Meizenav family. The magical silver mine that sipped the blood of many soldiers should have regained its peace by now.


    However, it wasn¡¯t the case.


    ¡°Hurry up, run!!¡±


    Kalim called out to his childhood friend, Kuwen. With no time to respond to the call, Kuwen simply let out a sigh.


    ¡°Haah, Fuu, Haa¡­¡±


    Kalim thought that it couldn¡¯t be helped. Even though the wounds from the ice lance had closed and Kuwen was able to move, there was no doubt that he was still in the recovery process. On top of that, since he had lived with his legs covered for a while, his legs were shaking like a fawn due to fatigue, and also fear.


    The root of the fear was the one-eyed giant, Cyclops, who was closing the distance. That was the true identity of the monster that was chasing Kalim and Kuwen, forcing them to run.


    ¡°Why are you, so persistent!¡±


    Contrary to its outward appearance, its legs were very agile, befitting its gigantic build, which was about four or five meters. In fact, the unit to which Kuwen and Kalim were assigned, was attacked by Cyclops, and although they scattered and tried to escape, the corpses of all but two were exposed to the ground. Trampled, kicked, beaten to death with the uprooted tree. Kalim, of course, didn¡¯t want to die like them.


    If Kalim knew this would happen, perhaps he would have gone home earlier. Remorse ran through Kalim¡¯s mind. The beginning of the matter was that the monsters around the Carorolaia Vein were attracted by the smell of flesh and blood caused by the war. Viscount Edgar didn¡¯t want the Meisenav family exploiting the gap left by the monster¡¯s attack, so until the branch castle was restored, he recruited temporary guards for the mine from the gathered soldiers that were supposed to be disbanded.


    There were many monsters, but powerful and dangerous monsters were wiped out when the mine was claimed. For the future in a new village, so as to not have problems with money, Kalim and Kuwen were lured by the temporary bounty, and so the two were hired to guard the branch castle until it was restored.


    The monsters that Kalim and the other hired guards encountered were small goblins and orcs, as well as wild boars that were treated as food. The information about strong monsters had been eliminated was indeed correct.


    Kalim, who had gained experience through battles to the death, worked with Kuwen to kill two goblins without much problem. However, Kalim might have forgotten about one important fact, perhaps drunk in the satisfaction of having the wild boar that the whole unit clamoring around. The reason why the Demon Territory wasn¡¯t the territory of the human race in the first place.


    The Cyclops, who survived the subjugation, possessed intelligence, something that shouldn¡¯t be possessed by a monster, right after it crawled out of the slope of the forest, it immediately crushed the 10-man Commander without hesitation. After that, it was a disaster. As soon as the quick-witted soldier spread out and shouted to flee, its huge legs kicked that soldier away, shattering all his bones.


    Then it was the others¡¯ turn. No matter how hard they kept running, the distance would only shrink. One by one the unit number was decreased.


    And now, with impatience and impending signs of death causing his breathing to be disturbed, Kuwen finally reached his limit.


    Then, his leg got stuck in a hole hidden in the fallen leaves and so he tripped.


    Kuwen hurriedly tried to get up, but the Cyclops¡¯ strong arm was already stretched out, ready to crush Kuwen.


    ¡°Ah, AAAHH!?¡±


    Kalim¡¯s face turned pale, and before he knew it, he had thrust the spear into The Cyclops¡¯ arm. A blow from a human, especially a small child soldier, would be nothing more than a mosquito bite to a Cyclops. However, even so, the Cyclops roared in anger since it got counterattacked by the coward prey.


    An intense bad breath was let out along with sticky saliva and leftover meat.


    ¡°Uh, haah, aaahh¡±


    A rout was already impossible. Rather than abandoning his friend and running away to death, it would have been better to be killed with a single blow together. Mixed emotions made Kuwen spew out laughter. As for Kalim? He had been crying since a while ago. Still, he thrust his thin spear that couldn¡¯t be compared to what was in Cyclops¡¯ hand.


    Of course, Cyclops, who survived the subjugation for a year, wasn¡¯t an easy monster. A tree with its branches and roots still attached, which had just been pulled out, was sung like a club, approaching Kuwen and Kalim.


    The two boys became minced meat¡­ that was supposed to happen.


    Waiting for the two who closed their eyes and braced themselves was not their death, but a heavy yet dry roar. The tip of the club was completely lost and flew off somewhere.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you having fun? Sorry, but I¡¯ve some business with them. And if you minced them, I won¡¯t be able to ask them, y¡¯know!?¡±


    What appeared was a man carrying a massive battle axe. He wasn¡¯t that tall, but his limbs and chest were bursting with muscle.


    A very unique man. But what caught Kalim¡¯s eye more than anything else was the battle wounds carved all over his body that made it difficult to find smooth skin. His skin was filled with a wide range of scars, as if his whole body had been stripped of its skin and multiple skins with different pigments had been forcibly joined together. His appearance was so extreme that if Kalim had seen him in the deserted darkness, Kalim might think that the man was a kind of undead.


    ¡°But, you¡¯re still a brat, ain¡¯t you? Still, you survived. Good job.¡±


    Said the man tapping Kalim¡¯s shoulder with the handle of the giant battle-axe.


    ¡° ¡°That guy¡±, he was surprisingly good at taking care of others, perhaps, did he train you?¡±


    On the side, the man talked to himself, entering his own world.


    Being disturbed from the hunt and ignored, the Cyclops plunged its club into the ground, slamming the surrounding dirt and shrubs.


    ¡°F-front!!¡±


    Amidst Kuwen¡¯s screams, the man looked at it with a bored eye. Shortly, the wind blew through the forest. Kalim didn¡¯t realize what it was until he saw the battle-axe piercing the earth. It was the wind pressure from the swing of his battle-axe. Also, he managed to see the faintly luminous light on the blade and thus, spoke its name.


    ¡°¡¶Strike¡·!?¡±


    The nasty explosive projectiles fired by the club were canceled out by ¡¶Strike¡· and wind pressure.


    ¡°Oho, bragging about your tricks huh? As a Cyclops, you¡¯re really pathetic. Can you understand what I¡¯m saying? Y¡¯see, you¡¯re just a blockhead. That¡¯s why you¡¯ll die here. Come! Let me have fun!!¡±


    Something unbelievable happened. A man who was supposed to be a human was about to fight head-on against the one-eyed giant. Looking at the upper body that didn¡¯t even consider evasion, also the waist that had been lowered, it was as if the man was inviting the monster.


    However, what made Kalim doubt his eyes more, was the fact that the magical barrier, which should have been colorless, began to have color.


    Perhaps the man¡¯s words or demeanor conveyed it, the Cyclops opened its eyes to the limit, raised its club high in the sky, stepped on its huge legs, and swung its arms down.


    ¡°Good. As a monster, you sure have a lot of guts huh? A¡¯right, I¡¯ll end this fast!!¡±


    ¡°Ua, uaaaaAAHHH!!!¡±


    Kalim and Kuwen screamed in unison at the approaching and unavoidable blow, gasping while waiting for the result.


    After a moment of equilibrium between the battle-axe and the club, the club was destroyed and the shattered pieces of wood obscured the sky.


    The Cyclops slammed its fist through the piece of wood, but its fist to elbow exploded. And, the man appeared from the explosion while laughing happily.


    ¡°Ahaha, Good. You sure worth my slash!¡±


    The man kicked up the ground and jumped into the bosom of the Cyclops. The Cyclops tried to knock him down with its remaining arm, but it was quicker for the man to swing up his battle-axe from the bottom. The axe head cut through the Cyclops¡¯ fingers and was sucked into its neck without stopping, sending its head to dance in the air.


    Having lost its head, its giant body continued to move slightly, that was its last resistance. Fresh blood spouted from the neck, creating a pond of blood in the forest. Among them, a man who had just finished the job appeared while wiping blood stuck on him.


    ¡°Hahaha, I got a little wet.¡±


    The man took something out of his bag on his waist and chewed it up. It was the notorious hard-baked biscuit. The man who noticed the gazes of the two then said.


    ¡°What? Wanna eat these? Here, take it. With that body, you won¡¯t be able to be an excellent soldier, y¡¯know?¡±


    With a look reminiscent of a monster, the man handed hard-baked biscuits to Kalim and Kuwen, then patted them on the back.


    ¡°A¡¯right, now, the main subject. Where did the soldier with the name ¡°Walm¡± go? Y¡¯see, that guy is kind of an old friend, and I¡¯ve got some business with him. Course you can tell me, right?¡±


    The face of the man with the bloody battle axe changed from a smiley face to a serious face, and just like that, the man slowly got closer.


    Kalim looked at Kuwen, as he couldn¡¯t answer, but Kuwen was as just as confused. Both couldn¡¯t process the situation they were in. How did this happen to them? They didn¡¯t know. The only thing they knew for sure was that the man, who was approaching them, was the kind of unknown existence that they couldn¡¯t be able to dodge even if they wanted to.

 CH 96

    96. Chapter 96


    The largest base in the magical silver mine jointly managed by Edgar de Dalimarx, a Viscount of the Archipelago, and the former Highserk Southern Army, was the branch castle managed by Baron Josh. And at the foot of the mine, in one corner of the mining facility, there was a Highserk soldier¡¯s fort.


    The fort, which was built as per the proposal for joint management, was a base for surveying the area around the mine, for exploration and digging preparation of mineral veins, and also as a gathering place for supplies and an outpost to deal with monsters. However, now, monsters were out from the surroundings. All nearby monsters had been wiped out and thus, it became a waiting area for Highserk soldiers and an emergency refuge for coal miners.


    And now, in a room inside the fort that was built for interpersonal purposes, thoroughly confirmed of its counterintelligence function, Hadro, the battalion commander of the reformed Southern Army of Higherk Empire, was having a secret meeting with a man who was feared of having many patches on his skin, called Duwei.


    ¡°Good job at coming all the way here from the east, Duwei.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re doing well. Battalion Commander Hadro.¡±


    The remnants of the current Highserk Empire were this Southern Army, which Duwei was currently visiting, and the former Eastern Army, which now had been reformed, having the forces split to many places. Still, under the lead of two infantry battalions and Jaff cavalry battalion, the rest of the Eastern Army left at the border, was preparing for a battle with Liberitoa Trade Federation.


    Since the main road connecting the two sides had been destroyed by monsters, they couldn¡¯t have any direct contact, so, Duwei and other elite soldiers continued from one place to another to keep in touch with each other while paying close attention to the next move that should be made for Highserk Future.


    ¡°I came to tell you the message from Brigade Commander Seelev. ¡°I couldn¡¯t send any reinforcements from the East. I¡¯m sorry.¡±, that was all the message he left to me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s so like Brigadie Commander Seelev¡­¡­It couldn¡¯t be helped. We can¡¯t let Liberitoa notice this.¡±


    It was a frustrating situation for Duwei as well. The Eastern Army was still having a hard time increasing the number of troops or weapons, so the remaining forces were a hand that couldn¡¯t be cut easily.


    In addition to that, the transportation routes for moving large-scale forces were blocked by monsters.


    Above all, if the Liberitoa Trade Federation, which was hoping for the slow collapse of the remnants through appeasement measures and tightening of trade routes, learned that the remnants of Highserk still have connections with each other, it was clear to anyone that the thought of rapid annihilation would arise within the Federation.


    ¡°That said, it¡¯s not all bad things. ¡¶Demon Fire¡· has also returned from the Netherworld.¡±


    ¡°What a nostalgic word. All my subordinates at that time, were excellent. But they, those people, those shitheads were blown away.¡±


    Gritting his teeth and growled as he imagined the battle of the Sarajevo fortress. A disastrous event where he lost his squad, the battalion he belonged to, the Liguria Battalion, that further elevated to the destruction of his homeland. Duwei couldn¡¯t forget them. The area with patched skin couldn¡¯t withstand the expansion of his hardened muscles, and blood oozed from the sewing. And finally, he realized that his tone had gone south.


    ¡°Sorry. Seems like I got a little too excited.¡±


    Wiped off the bleeding with the cloth taken out from the bag and tried to stop the bleeding with a magical barrier.


    ¡°It couldn¡¯t be helped. Even me, who is blessed with excellent soldiers, feels the same as you.¡±


    Commander Hadro harbored a quiet, never-extinguishing flame of hatred. After all, Highserk was mercilessly thrown into a large pot filled with Flame Emperor Dragon and hundreds of thousands of monsters jostling for attention. It went without saying that Duwei still could remember it vividly like it was yesterday.


    No matter how desperately they struggled and fought, they couldn¡¯t prevent their country from being destroyed. On the contrary, hundreds of thousands of people were teased, raped, and eaten alive by monsters.


    In the course of repeated battles in which the whole body was scraped off physically and mentally, even Willart, who had survived until then, decided to join the others who had reached the Netherworld. Their wish and grafted skin were now with Duwei.


    ¡°So, did you get the info?¡±


    ¡°It seems that those two young soldiers have been told a story about the old days, and when they realized that I was one of the former comrades, they told me honestly. And it seems, it¡¯s true that Walm, thought that after what he had done in the branch castle, he might get executed, and so he ran away.¡±


    Hadro held his head and let out a deep sigh.


    ¡°To execute someone who had achieved so many great battle results, is almost impossible. It was, really hard. Some of the soldiers were making a fuss when they saw the flames. Viscount Edgar and Baron Josh, thought that I slipped a soldier into their formations. So, they did a search for the person themselves, to prove it. It was full of misunderstandings. I tried my best to clear it up.¡±


    ¡°During battle, he¡¯ll calmly annihilate enemies, but it seems, he has a cowardly side too, really, a troublesome fellow.¡±


    ¡°No doubt. Still, we need him.¡±


    ¡°Yes. To patch up our homeland, to gather the scattered remnants quickly, and to kill those who want the destruction of Highserk, I¡¯m sure we need him.¡±


    The Southern and Eastern Armies, which were in contact with each other, wanted the reconstruction of their homeland. In order to do so, they must gather as many soldiers as possible. And the ¡°blue flames¡± that continued to burn those from Liberitoa and Craist, would certainly become an indispensable fighting force.


    ¡°But, there¡¯s a little problem. It seems that he received a monster¡¯s eye transplant in Dandurg, and it seems that the aftereffects have appeared recently. And that it won¡¯t be long before he loses his sight completely. So, it seems he decided to go to the Labyrinth City, or even the circling around Aleinard Forest Alliance if needed, to find a cure.¡±


    ¡°Demon eyes huh¡­ I don¡¯t think ordinary remedies will help. ¡°Crimson Grass¡± in the Labyrinth City or remedies made by those with long ears, other than that, the only choice he has would be the supreme healing magician who is said to be staying in Celta.¡±


    ¡°It seems that the person still has doubts about Liberitoa and Craist, whether they were really the ones which caused the Great Outbreak or not. For one of those disgusting piles of shit from another world, she has a not bad way of thinking. That said, I can¡¯t help but has mixed feelings about relying on a former enemy.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that. After going through the Great Outbreak and the War, even the new Grand Duchess of Myard came to face reality.¡±


    Due to the policies of the Grand Duchess of Myard, the intake of Highserk soldiers and Ferrius soldiers was also intense. There were quite a few Highserk soldiers who had relationships with widows and had their hollow hearts filled. At least, that was what the one who accompanied Duwei coming here said. Those people would definitely make Celta their new home. Any man, even Duwei, would have a hard to deny it.


    ¡°The more Celta¡¯s military strength increases, the more Craist¡¯s military strength will be directed at Myard. It seems that they also intend to rebel against the two countries that backstab them, ruining their county with the Great Outbreak.¡±


    ¡°So, what about the alliance?¡±


    ¡°It will be proceeded out as soon as the main road connecting the south and east, the Flame Emperor Dragon Corridor, opens.¡±


    The next question, Duwei asked in a tense tone.


    ¡°Then, what about the founding declaration?¡±


    ¡°His Majesty¡¯s son will do it¡±


    It was ironic. Almost all blood relatives of the Emperor, were swallowed up by the Flame Emperor Dragon and the Great Outbreak. Only one last son of the Emperor survived, however, he was only a 13-year-old, moreover an illegitimate child who didn¡¯t have the right to succeed to the throne.


    A small ray of hope to connect the divided Empire sparked. Without the child¡¯s existence, the remnants of the Empire would have vanished without words, or those higher-ups in the military, who managed to survive, would have tried to rise higher. Although mixed, the blue blood still ran inside him, that fact alone had the power to bind the remnants together.


    Therefore, their own health must be perfect.


    The remnants of Highserk were about to come together in the name of that illegitimate son. If Liberitoa found this out, they would surely try to bury him, even if they must throw away everything. Until the preparations were complete, the South and East had to appear to be a military clique.


    Once the road connecting the south and east was restored, the next step would be to connect with the surviving forces that escaped to the Myard territory, Celta. Fortunately, or rather, ironically, the groundwork had been finished. After all, the Flame Emperor Dragon, who was an existence out of logic, created a huge straight road. Even now, in secret, a small number of soldiers and escorted merchants went back and forth along the road.


    ¡°Duwei, you have the Republic¡¯s ceremony ahead of you. As for Walm¡¯s matter, we will send people from the Southern Army to find out where he is.¡±


    ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡±


    When Duwei left the room after exchanging the necessary information, he called out to someone following him in coming here from the east. The man he called was the only other survivor of the squad, a man with tanned skin.


    ¡°Yo, seems like I made you wait for too long.¡±


    ¡°So, what are we going to do? Will we return to the east once?¡±


    ¡°Is want I want to say, but no, we¡¯re going to enter Aleinard Forest Alliance. Y¡¯see, a fun ceremony that comes once every four years is waiting. A great opportunity to show the might of Highserk, ain¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Good that it seems like you¡¯re having fun, but, it has nothing to do with me.¡±


    The reason the man was chosen to accompany Duwei was simply that, the man was familiar with Duwei¡¯s methods and was accustomed to dealing with him when he went out of control. Also because, he hadn¡¯t given up on being a normal human, like Duwei or Walm.


    ¡°But, just thinking about it, makes me look forward to it more. Those shitheads who chose to fly to the Netherworld first, surely, they¡¯re also looking forward to it. So, let¡¯s quickly eradicate those Liberitoa and Craist bastards, ¡®kay? Walm.¡±


    Duwei¡¯s eyes were dyed in color darker than black, filled with unfading hatred. Standing next to him, who had been possessed by madness, was Jose, who let out a long sigh.

 CH 96.5

    Map 6


    Red: Warring Countries (Craist Kingdom and Liberitoa Trade Federation) and area (Carorolaia Vein)


    Yellow: Controlled area under the Highserk Empire¡¯s remnant army


    Purple: Demon Territory


    Light blue: Sea and Big Lakes


    Brown: Neutral Countries, and Principality of Myard


    Peach-Skin Colour: Galmud Archipelago


    Blue: Republic of Maylis


    Green: Aleinard Forest Alliance


    Firstly, the Highserk Empire placed top priority on rebuilding the transportation routes between the remnant of the eastern and southern army, and aimed to rebuild the nation based on the funds collected from the magical silver mine.


    Secondly, the Flame Emperor Dragon invasion route, called the Flame Emperor Dragon Corridor, would be incorporated into the isolated Myard to connect the community as well as a huge trade route and transportation route. When that was done, the remaining forces that survived the Dandurg Siege residing in Myard (Celta) would be collected.


    Liberitoa and Craist tried to expand their territory surrounding the shore of the Celta Lake while keeping an eye out for the Flame Emperor Dragon where whereabouts were unknown. Although there was a logistical revolution called magic bags, water transportation on Lake Celta was the most important point in terms of logistics in the region, and it had great value from the perspective of water supply and sea product supply.


    The influx of population from the surrounding area would be used as soldiers and to scrape the Demon Territory, strengthening the overall force. Some of them achieved remarkable results in a short period of time, ironically becoming important forces in the two countries, Craist and Liberitoa.


    The magical silver mine would be placed under the joint control of the Dalimarx family and the remnant of Southern Army, and would be filled with most of the surplus population of the southern region of Highserk. Work that could lead to some serious mining injuries would be done by slaves obtained in the civil war, and with the same sweet words that labor was the way to freedom, the length of detention would also be reduced according to the degree of danger of the work.

 CH 97

    97. Chapter 97


    The twin moons were hidden behind a souffle of clouds, blocking the moonlight that revealed the dark night.


    Under such a sky, a man poked out a little of his face from behind the bushes, focusing his eyes. The target was sitting at the base of a tree as if becoming one with the tree. It had been quite a time since the night fell, and although the outline was hidden by a cloak, the target was definitely asleep.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    A man hiding his breath as he said so. He was named, Rodrigo, one of the forces of Baron Fanfahl, a feudal lord of a small territory who attacked the magical silver mine with the Meisenav family as its leader. Rodrigo, who was assigned near the main camp, was dissatisfied with the placement at the rear in a battle that was supposed to be a victory. Certainly, he would be less likely to be killed or injured. However, considering the supplies and corpse hunting after the war, the most valuable items must be vandalized in the end, leaving the soldiers to scramble only for the remaining items.


    Rodrigo was irritated by his role which lack of flavor, but his placement that he thought was a misfortune, as the course of the event had gone differently from what was predicted, led him to get away from the battlefield, which had become a mowing ground for the Dalimarx family.


    The forces led by Viscount Barnes and Meisenav¡¯s main family, also the majority of the mercenaries who attacked the branch castle, most of them would never set foot on their homeland again, and some would be under the hands of the Dalimarx family.


    Even though lives weren¡¯t taken, those who weren¡¯t able to pay the ransom were forced to work hard at the magical silver mine. As far as Rodrigo knew, humans who had resistance and didn¡¯t have earth attribute magic had to pay the price for working in the depths of the coarse earth. Heat and inhaled mine dust could easily eat away one¡¯s life. If half of them could be released from the magic silver mine, that would be more than good enough.


    Luckily, Rodrigo had the skill and experience to get out of group fights, and escape from pursuit, in addition to being positioned closer to the rear. Rodrigo took the other bad comrades with him and successfully escaped while his friendly forces were trampled.


    He managed to escape from death. However, that alone wasn¡¯t enough. Risking his life was all for money. Bills, luxury goods to consume, and so on, there would be no end to the need for money.


    Baron Fanfahl, whom Rodrigo saw last, fled with his followers and a small number of soldiers. Whether he escaped or fell into captivity, was a trivial matter for Rodrigo, who had no loyalty either way.


    The only thing Rodrigo feared was that the promised compensation would probably not be paid. Even if Baron Fanfahl was alive and well, the ransoms of the prisoners, the captured supplies, and the scattered human resources would hurt the baron¡¯s financial power. 40% of the reward paid in advance would disappear in the repair of armor and alcohol. For soldiers, war was a grand stage where they could make a fortune that could never be obtained in peacetime ¨D¨D even if there were skirmishes in the stable Archipelago, large-scale conflicts both inside and outside were still, valuable.


    Rodrigo couldn¡¯t afford to miss this opportunity. So, he decided to work on his ¡°side business¡±, along with the seven bad soldiers he had led from the land of death. That said, it was risky to deal with the vigorous Dalimarx and Highserk. The villages of both the Meisenav and Dalimarx territories, were also wary of the violence of the defeated soldiers, and had strengthened their security.


    If dozens of people gathered together, it might be possible to devour one village in one night, but Rodrigo didn¡¯t have the ability or courage to command dozens of soldiers. Under such circumstances, Rodrigo¡¯s choice was, to hunt friendly soldiers.


    Fortunately, he didn¡¯t have to worry about people who might falsely accuse him. The remnants of Highserk, the pursuit of the Dalimarx family, was just that fierce. Some of the soldiers who ran ahead were planning to follow, up till the Meisenav territory.


    Unfortunate death was a constant thing on the battlefield. No one cares if the number of stripped corpses increased. Thus, Rodrigo deceived the men who strayed from their groups in every possible way. He smiled at them friendly and courteously then slit their throat from behind, or attacked them while they were asleep. Sometimes he killed his prey in one fell swoop in an ambush.


    Even his bad subordinates who were afraid and reluctant to kill stray friendly soldiers could get rid of their fear after repeated success, and now, they were completely drunk with the delicious flavor of killing their comrades.


    The prey that Rodrigo was aiming for this time, was also a soldier who acted alone. Perhaps because of the soldier¡¯s strong vigilance, he fell asleep in the dark night forest without even lighting a fire.


    ¡°Don¡¯t aim at the torso, focus on the area around the head. Even if he¡¯s wearing protective gear, he won¡¯t be able to block the impact completely.¡±


    ¡°Okay, leave it to me.¡±


    A small reply came from the archer. The target was probably wearing armor under his cloak. He might be wearing some kind of protective gear on his head too, but the impact of the arrow, as Rodrigo said, shouldn¡¯t be able to be completely prevented, and in addition to the dizziness one would get when waking up, the target must be in a state of confusion due to the severe blow. If he didn¡¯t wear a helmet, there wouldn¡¯t be a need for extra effort.


    The archer prepared the bow and slowly pulled the string as to kill the sound. In preparation for failure, seven people, including Rodrigo, were ready to rush in. Rodrigo, who had his eyes glued to the target, had his attention caught by a single branch growing from a tree.


    ¡°What, was that¡­?¡±


    The object swayed gently in an arc of motion. Straining his eyes, Rodrigo grasped what it really was and spat out in disgust.


    ¡°What a hideous mask.¡±


    A mask in the shape of a demon was hung from a branch by a rope.


    Rodrigo couldn¡¯t understand the point of bothering to hang such an unpleasant mask. There was also the fear, that the target this time, might be a heretic following an evil god, or a necromancer bound by hideous routines and laws.


    Just before the arrow that had been drawn to its limit was released, Rodrigo felt something was wrong. The surrounding vegetation was quiet and the night wind wasn¡¯t blowing. Even so, the mask continued to move slightly.


    ¡°Oi, wai¨D¨D ¡°


    Rodrigo, who had put himself on the battlefield more than a few times, followed his intuition and told the archer to stop, but it was too late. Arrows spewed out from the darkness and flew out in a straight line.


    Perhaps he was just being a coward or thinking too much, Rodrigo put his lingering worries in the back of his mind and watched the result.


    The arrow flew to the target¡¯s head.


    If it was a helmet, a high-pitched sound of metal would be heard, and if it was meat, a muffled sound mixed with water would be heard. However, the two sounds that Rodrigo had foreseen couldn¡¯t be heard, instead, a low and dull sound resounded in the forest.


    ¡°What!? ah!¡±


    The head of the target, who should have fallen asleep, was moving. Due to the twisted neck, the arrow dug into the large tree the man was leaning against. The sea of clouds cleared and two eyes could be seen from inside the hood. What appeared wasn¡¯t human eyes. The dark and muddy eyes, such was what could only be described by Rodrigo about the golden eyes, completely caught Rodrigo¡¯s attention.


    With the arrow as the signal, Rodrigo¡¯s subordinates rushed in as originally planned. How far could one perceive the abnormality in the darkness in an instant? Rodrigo didn¡¯t know, but the man, for sure jumped up as if he was pushed. Then, the man stuck out his one arm. And suddenly there was a blue glow in the darkness.


    ¡°Spread ouuut!!¡±


    As if tearing through the darkness, blue flame swirled around the man¡¯s right hand and stretched towards the subordinate who was rushing in. The manifested blue fireball exploded, showing off its functions and effects on the surroundings.


    The blast shook the eardrums, and the eyes, which had been accustomed to the dark, burned by the dazzling flames, lowering their function. The halves of the two subordinates who were at the front vanished, and lukewarm meat pieces and viscera were scattered all over the place.


    ¡°He¡¯s a fire magic user. Spread out and close the distance, don¡¯t let him shoot you next time!¡±


    Rodrigo immediately gave the order. To close the distance and fight in close combat against magic users, was a natural course of action that should be taken.


    By the time Rodrigo¡¯s eyes had gotten used to the flame that was manifested by mana, one of his companions who was supposed to be running was just standing in front of the blue flames.


    ¡°Oi, don¡¯t be distracted!¡±


    A friend who didn¡¯t move even a little made a faint watery sound.


    Rodrigo twitched his face.


    The tip of the halberd bit into the throat of the comrade, and now, he was vomiting fresh blood.


    ¡°I-inside in the fire!!¡±


    That man was in the midst of the fiery blue flames, disguising himself as a magic projectile. The mask that was supposed to be hanging was attached to the man¡¯s face. While one of the soldiers who hesitated and tried to move away from the blue flames understood the situation, his throat was cut from the side in instant.


    Blood spouted out like a fountain from the severed arteries, evaporating as it touched the blue flames.


    Rodrigo¡¯s survival instincts were ringing, but he clenched his teeth, put strength into his stomach, and unleashed the short spear he was holding.


    ¡°Go to heeellll!¡±


    The short spear thrust in, but it was deflected by the claw-shaped blade on the side of the halberd. It was a blow that couldn¡¯t be called an effective one, but even so, Rodrigo bought precious time. The comrades who had been restless due to seeing the blue flames regained their posture and surrounded the man.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, let¡¯s get hiiim!¡±


    Receiving Rodrigo¡¯s explosive shout, his companions attacked all at once. The man stuck out his round shield one step ahead and swung his halberd against Rodrigo¡¯s comrade who had closed the gap. In addition to the leaning forward posture, the throat was hidden with a long sword and the upper body was covered with a round shield. It should be hard for the halberd to land an effective hit.


    At that time, the mana visualized on the man¡¯s halberd was swelling. Unfortunately, Rodrigo didn¡¯t even have time to raise a warning voice, and the axe blade of the halberd swung down from up, ripped through the round shield, and cut off both of his comrade¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Ah, aaAA, gaaaAAHH!!¡±


    Rodrigo took aim at his comrade who had lost his elbow and was screaming. The two remaining comrades were going in, with longsword and mace in their hands respectively.


    ¡°Just dieeEEE!!¡±


    The man slipped through the mace that was swung all might, and avoided the longsword that was aimed at the head from the back by leaning his upper body. It was as if he had eyes on his back, but Rodrigo didn¡¯t overlook his collapsed posture.


    With all might, Rodrigo thrust his spear into the throat of the man who had nowhere to escape.


    Rodrigo was convinced that he had taken the man¡¯s life, but a shadow approached him from the side. It was his comrade who had lost both hands.


    ¡°No, sto¨D¨Daaah¡±


    It couldn¡¯t be, it shouldn¡¯t be. How far did Rodrigo do just to get this brief moment of chance? All shouldn¡¯t be wasted¨D¨D But, a harsh reality befell Rodrigo. The poor fellow was caught in the chest by the claw-shaped blade of the halberd and forced into the path of the short spear. Rodrigo was unable to change the direction of the spear that he had unleashed with all his might. When the tip got into his comrade¡¯s chest, it crushed his collarbone and violated the inner of his comrade¡¯s body.


    ¡°Damn it!¡±


    Rodrigo tried to pull the spear back quickly, but the wreckage of the breastplate and broken bones caught the spear, preventing him from pulling the spear back.


    Without even trying to correct his broken posture, the man leaned over to the ground and fell down. He grabbed the ground with one hand, wielded the halberd with the other hand, and mowed the ankle of one of Rodrigo¡¯s comrades, who was welding the mace.


    Then, pushed the handle into the ground and jumped up.


    Rodrigo, who gave up his short spear, pulled out the longsword on his waist. he hadn¡¯t lost yet. He was approaching the man from behind, but his eyes intersected with the man who suddenly turned around.


    Exactly at that moment, Rodrigo stiffened. A shock ran through his neck, and it became hot as if he had been burned. Starting with holding his throat, his blood overflowed endlessly.


    What happened was, as the man turned around, the thrust of the halberd struck Rodrigo¡¯s throat.


    ¡°Uh, guh, aah.¡±


    Due to the blood that flooded the trachea from the artery, Rodrigo spat out blood with a little air. His vision narrowed and went dark. Fell to his knees and threw his limbs to the ground.


    By this time, his last comrade had just been cut to death.


    The man with the blood-stained halberd was shaking his head. It was like searching for lost items, and not something you would do after killing someone who was missing one hand.


    The man walked up to Rodrigo as if to ask if he was still there.


    Rodrigo couldn¡¯t believe his ears at the words of the man who looked down at him.


    ¡°Oi, don¡¯t die¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯, jok, wit¡¯, me¡­¡±


    The culprit who inflicted the fatal wound encouraged Rodrigo not to die. He couldn¡¯t understand. It might have been an auditory hallucination, he tried to understand the meaning, but his clouded consciousness and darkened vision blocked him from doing so. In the end, Rodrigo didn¡¯t even have time to think about his last moment.

 CH 98

    ¡°Haah, not good. They¡¯re all dead.¡±


    Walm let out a sigh as he struggled to deal with the bodies scattered around him.


    Fortunately, the feared further attackers never showed up. And, the small fire caused by the fireball had already been extinguished.


    ¡°Sometimes, you¡¯re useful huh.¡±


    Walm looked at the removed mask and murmured so.


    Being treated like a good-for-nothing, the demon mask vibrated in rebellion and protest.


    If Walm left it in his bag when he went to bed, it would vibrate all the time. Walm never thought that thanks to hanging it from a tree, a night attack was prevented.


    ¡°Yea©`h, yeah, I¡¯m sorry. So, be quiet. And, don¡¯t resist.¡±


    Bathed in fresh blood, the blood-drunk mask vibrated in a good mood. Walm managed to calm it down and stuff it into his waist bag, thus he could look at the current situation peacefully.


    ¡°I thought I was moving just outside the Dalimarx territory, but did I enter the Meisenav territory?¡±


    In order to avoid being searched by the Dalimarx family for hurting friendly forces at the magical silver mine, Walm was moving out of their territory. However, he was attacked in his sleep by eight men who appeared to be Meisenav soldiers. They were probably the group that had patrolled the territory. He thought that it couldn¡¯t be just those eight people, and several units must have been deployed in the vicinity.


    Even though he tried to interrogate them, the sudden sword fight turned on his battle switch, and he killed them all without being able to capture even one person alive. Well, he hurriedly encouraged the only last desperate soldier, but it had so little effect in the face of the obvious fatal wounds.


    ¡°If I don¡¯t move right away, I may get surrounded by both Meisenav and Dalimarx.¡±


    While saying that, Walm quickly rummaged through the dead¡¯s backpack and waist bag, and quickly collected valuable items and food. He didn¡¯t plan to strip the clothes, but all kinds of goods and money were things that dead people wouldn¡¯t need, so he took the mall. After all, it would be more meaningful to be consumed by others than to simply rot away in the forest.


    That said, it would be a problem if the corpses turned into walking corpses. Regardless of whether there was a reason behind their actions, it was Walm who turned them into a corpse¨D¨D And he was alone, so he had to take responsibility as the culprit.


    Walm, who didn¡¯t know much about the religious beliefs and prayers of a warrior monk, was limited in what he could do. Walm himself, wondering if it was okay with sprinkling liquor instead of holy water, but he used it, lit a cigarette for offering, and put his hands together to pray.


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t become an undead.¡±


    Walm, who finished the sloppy cleanup, immediately left the place.


    It was midnight, darkness spread everywhere, and it was very difficult to navigate through the forest with no light source. Originally, he was going to enter the Labyrinth City by crossing the Meisenav territory, but considering the warm welcome he received this time, it was urgent to change the route.


    ¡°If I remember correctly, the coastal area doesn¡¯t belong to the Meisenav family or¡­ the Dalimarx family either.¡±


    Walm recalled his vague knowledge of geography.


    There were only a limited number of routes to avoid Dalimarx and enter the Labyrinth City. The safest way was undoubtedly the coastal route. The Viscounty of Sanviana, which controlled the coastal area, maintained healthy territory management with marine resources and shipping using large sailing ships, and ostensibly maintained neutrality in the battle over the magical silver mine.


    ¡°I¡¯ve decided where to go. Next, my stomach. Shredded jerky, what meat¡­? Well, as long as it¡¯s safe to eat.¡±


    Walm needed calories to stay active through the night. Besides, some of his physical strength and mana was consumed in battle. Fortunately, due to the battle just now, Walm¡¯s food situation had improved. Since he just creating a bunch of corpses, he was reluctant to eat, but he had to stuff his stomach with something.


    Walm, who was picking out the food that wasn¡¯t contaminated with blood from the corpse, bit off the dried meat stuffed in the small bag with his back teeth. He chewed it like grinding, and after a strong saltiness, the umami overflowed. Walm, who finished a few in a row, took out another bag, grabbed the miscellaneous beans that were inside, and stuffed it into his mouth.


    Chewed, broke them into pieces, and swallowed them. It was lightly roasted and also salty.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard, and salty.¡±


    Taking out a water bottle to satisfy his thirst, Walm bit off the dried meat again.


    With no heating, the standing buffet style was done in a befitting manner of hand gripping. Really, what a fine dinner.


    If possible, he would like to settle down a bit longer until the midnight meal had been fully digested, but the situation didn¡¯t allow him.


    ¡ô


    Lack of sleep, Walm¡¯s body was wrapped in sluggish fatigue, however, the world didn¡¯t care about it. As usual, the sun that drove out the twin moons shone high in the sky, and the morning sunshine enveloped Walm. If he had enough sleep, the sunlight would probably turn into vitality, unfortunately, the sunlight was just an unpleasant existence for him now.


    A few days had passed since the night attack, to be exact, it was the fourth sunrise. Walm continued to walk, except for a small amount of sleep in the middle of the night and short breaks several times a day. He couldn¡¯t see the shadow of the feared pursuer at all, which meant that for the time being, he had succeeded in getting out of the dangerous zone.


    Still, Walm¡¯s mind hadn¡¯t been relieved. He pushed his way through the poor and gloomy vegetation, cautiously treading his steps on unstable footing. A ray of faint sunshine filtering through the foliage in the distance marked the end of what he thought would be an eternity.


    ¡°Will I finally see the main path?¡±


    Walm had been walking on his own path, and now he finally saw a path that was trampled many times. Since he gained a lot of distance, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem if he walked along the road soon.


    He turned his stiff neck from fatigue and made a small smile for the first time in four days. Hips down to the ground, Walm kneeled and glared at the ground. In addition to the fresh footprints, there were faint traces of wheels. Although it was just a small amount, there were even the feces of pack beasts that pulled carts. The dung contained a lot of water, probably it hadn¡¯t even been half a day old.


    ¡°Where should I go?¡±


    There was no way Walm had an expensive map with him, also he was in a foreign country, a place he was completely unfamiliar with.


    After thinking for a while, Walm decided to follow the most recent trails. Luckily, there were no pesky animals or plants that got in the way, and there were no insects that seemed to spring out endlessly like in the path he took these past four days.


    How refreshing it would¡¯ve been if I could just burn those flies, that clung to me during the short break, off with ¡¶Demon Fire¡·?


    ¨D¨D Of course, there was no way Walm did such a thing. It was just a pointless thought to escape from reality. If he actually unleashed ¡¶Demon Fire¡·, the one who would be in trouble and suffering, would be Walm himself, other than for distraction, there was no benefit for using such an attack.


    A series of silly thoughts popped into his head as he walked on the smooth path. Observing the roadside, various information jumped into Walm¡¯s eyes. Considering the small rocks that were thought to have been used for resting, the grass eaten by livestock, and the fact that edible vegetation had been taken and eaten away, those marks could mean that this path was frequently used as a transportation route.


    At the end of the winding road, Walm finally caught the shadow of the pioneer. He tried to restrain himself so that he didn¡¯t unconsciously speed up his steps. Unlike when he was a farmer, Walm wasn¡¯t dressed in a friendly way now. Anyone who saw a stranger, fully armed, walking fast from behind, would treat the stranger with the utmost vigilance.


    As the distance closed, the details of the shadow could be grasped. There were three people, and they were accompanied by cattle with a collar connected to the cart. Judging from their appearance, they must be peasants, but they looked quite different from the peasants of Highserk that Walm knew.


    Perhaps because they were citizens of the ¡°Three Big Countries¡±, or they might just happen to be rich farmers, in any case, unlike the peasants of the Highserk Empire, who often tied their loads directly to cattle and horses as pack animals, they used them to pull a wagon. The cattle also looked healthy and good, and although it walked slowly, it carried a lot of loads.


    Anyway, Walm was slowly approaching from behind with extreme caution.


    After noticing Walm¡¯s presence, the trio became quite concerned about what was behind them and checked the loading platform a lot. Perhaps, because it was loaded with some kind of weapons or agricultural tools.


    Their gaze was no longer hidden, and was focused on Walm. From his feet to the top of his head, then their gaze naturally focused on the longsword at his waist. Walm stood right next to them and spoke as brightly as possible.


    ¡°Yo, how are you doing?¡±


    Including the swearing and screams from the person Walm had killed, it was the first time he had a conversation with someone in four days. Luckily, his still able to talk normally.


    ¡°Well, not bad.¡±


    The one who responded was the one who seemed to be the oldest of the three.


    ¡°You look like an adventurer¡­ no, a mercenary, is it? Are you going to the Meisenav territory too?¡±


    An old man with deep wrinkles asked. He probably realized from the scars left on Walm¡¯s equipment that seemed to be used to fight against humans rather than against monsters. Put that aside, the old man spewed out something that was worrisome.


    ¡°Ah, well, you¡¯re right. I¡¯m a mercenary. Besides, isn¡¯t this the Meisenav Earldom?¡±


    So, Walm didn¡¯t just answer the question, but also confirmed what worried him. The man had a questioning expression on his face, but after a while, he began to reply.


    ¡°¡­Ah, are you an outsider? This is Viscount Sanviana territory, a territory that has nothing to do with the turmoil of the magical silver mine this time.¡±


    In the battle over the magical silver mine, Visount Sanviana had taken a stand-by position. He seemed to be an independent-minded person. Anyway, this was the land that Walm wanted to go.


    ¡°That¡¯s great.¡±


    Perhaps taking Walm¡¯s heartfelt words as sarcastic or self-deprecating, the man felt sorry and asked.


    ¡°Are you lost?¡±


    Even if Walm got treated like a pathetic mercenary who made a mistake and couldn¡¯t participate in the battle, he answered honestly.


    ¡°It¡¯s the other way. I came from that magical silver mine.¡±


    The old man¡¯s complexion changed. It seemed he was concerned about the end of the battle. The conflict between adjacent Lords, even farmers, might get affected by the war.


    ¡°Did Meisenav win after all?¡±


    ¡°No, Dalimarx won overwhelmingly.¡±


    ¡°That greedy Meisenav lost? I¡¯m surprised.¡±


    Perhaps the Viscounty of Sanviana was also under pressure, the elder gleefully loosened his cheeks, but quickly returned to his original expression. He must have figured out why Walm was here, and thought that Walm must be one of the mercenaries who teamed up with Meisenav, who had been badly defeated.


    It looked like the man worried that the mercenaries who had escaped had scattered around. Though it was a selfish assumption of him, Walm didn¡¯t dare deny it.


    ¡°It was a good harvest. Personally, it wasn¡¯t a bad fight.¡±


    ¡°Good to hear that.¡±


    Perhaps it was part of courtesy, but the peasant elder congratulated Walm. They were less vigilance than expected. For the time being, the two men who had been watching Walm, who felt relieved, asked in rapid succession.


    ¡°What did you get?¡±


    ¡°As expected, must be gold coins or weapons, right?¡±


    The old man frowned. The two young men must be his sons or younger relatives of him. Walm speculated that it must be the transport of the agricultural products, so the two must have come as escorts.


    ¡°Stop, it¡¯s rude to him.¡±


    ¡°I, don¡¯t mind. Well, it¡¯s something I could show.¡±


    Walm pulled out several daggers from his cloak so that they wouldn¡¯t recognize they came out from a magic bag.


    ¡°Look. Wanna try holding it?¡±


    ¡° ¡°Is it okay?¡± ¡°


    The two spat out words of restraint, but when they received it immediately, they pulled out the blade from the sheath, as if children flocking to a new toy.


    ¡°What a thick handle¡±


    ¡°The handle is hollow. If you stick a staff in it, it can be a spear.¡±


    Walms didn¡¯t like it, as it had durability issues. Even so, there was a certain demand for short swords that could be used as spears too by inserting staff.


    ¡°Are you also a merchant?¡±


    Seeing the two of them clamoring so, the elder held his forehead and glanced resentfully at Walm. Walm didn¡¯t want to look like a bad merchant so he decided to give some demonstrations of the goods. Cut cucumbers and carrots with it, so as to appeal its sharpness.


    ¡°No way, just that it¡¯s too heavy to carry around so I want to get rid of it quickly. I don¡¯t mind selling one for five small silver coins.¡±


    Even though it was made in rush, daggers made for fight and hunting were expensive. Considering the amount of time and effort and the iron used, the amount presented by Walm could be said to be exceptionally cheap. Since it was packed in a magic bag, the weight wasn¡¯t a burden. Just that, the inside of the magic bag was just about a large backpack, it couldn¡¯t hold a lot of luggage.


    ¡°Five silver coins!? Really?¡±


    ¡°Uncle, it¡¯s just five silver coins.¡±


    The two young men even revealed their relationship without being asked.


    Walm gently pushed the back of the elder who was troubled by the offensive of his relatives.


    ¡°¡­ I won¡¯t go so far as to say tell me some secret about this area. Just that I want to know the geography of the surrounding area. That¡¯s why, I¡¯m selling it cheap.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you much, you know?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s already much for me. Look, I don¡¯t even know where I am.¡±


    Walm shrugged his shoulders as if to self-deprecate. It was unclear if that hit the right spot, but the elder quickly made the decision.


    ¡°Okay, I understand. You guys, I¡¯ll buy it for you. But, you understand what you must do, right? I¡¯ll have you both work hard.¡±


    Ten silver coins were handed over, and the daggers became theirs. As they were absorbed in their new toys, Walm urged the elder with a glance.


    ¡°So, what do you want to hear?¡±


    ¡°I want to know the way to the nearby village or town where food and daily necessities are available, and the way to the Labyrinth City.¡±


    Without even showing signs of thinking, the elder immediately answered Walm.


    ¡°It¡¯s easy to get to the Labyrinth city. We¡¯re going to wholesale our goods now.¡±


    ¡°Are you guys, apostles of God?¡±


    Just at this moment, Walm didn¡¯t mind fawning on God.


    Anyway, Walm exaggeratedly gave the highest compliment.


    ¡°It¡¯s still too early to be surprised. The town we¡¯re going to is the Port City. There¡¯s a sailing ship that goes to another port of this Archipelago, nearby the Labyrinth city. From there, it¡¯s on foot, but overall, it¡¯s faster than the land route.¡±


    Truth, Walm had never seen the sea in this world.


    While thinking about the ocean he had yet to see, he spoke.


    ¡°Ocean huh? Sounds fun.¡±


    Realizing what he just said, Walm felt that he couldn¡¯t make fools of young people. After all, behind those words, there was no pretentiousness or lie. He just expressed his inner kid feelings wholeheartedly.

 CH 99

    99. Chapter 99


    Selimus, was the name of the Port City that Walm visited. The city had developed as an intermediate base for sailing ships engaged in shipping, and the commercial ships of the Three Big Countries, as well as the transport ships of the abominable Liberitoa Trade Federation, stopped at the port. It was a lively city where people visited without hesitation, with restaurants and brothels lined up for the activities of the crew on board.


    After bidding farewell to the farmers who had been on the short journey together, Walm bought daily necessities and food items at the store he had been told and headed for the port. The scent of the sea he felt when he stepped into the port city intensified. It was a scent that not everyone liked, but Walm, like a girl in love, had his heart pounding fast and his steps naturally quickening.


    Walm¡¯s eardrums were shaken by the loud voices of the busy sailors who had disembarked temporarily. Avoiding the old wooden boxes and the stained barrels of the store, and passing through the row of warehouses, the scene that Walm was looking for spread out.


    The everlasting vast sea.


    The surface of the sea reflected the sunlight and extended beyond the horizon, and the waves rushed to the pier without interruption.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s the sea. I¡¯m glad that it¡¯s not red, black, or yellow.¡±


    It was a world where even two moons illuminated the night. Who could guarantee that the ocean would remain the same as in the previous world? The color, viscosity, and even smell might be different. Walm had such fears, but he was relieved to find that it was the same as what he knew.


    The hoarse voices accompanying the unloading and loading of goods were exchanged around the dock. The sea breeze clung to the skin, the nostrils were filled with the scent of the ocean, and the eyes stared dumbfoundedly at the bubbly surface. At some place, many seabirds were busily moving back and forth between the sky and the sea.


    ¡°Seem, I can get good feathers. Sure, it can be used to make arrows, but it doesn¡¯t seem to have much meat.¡±


    Walm held his head while casually spilling such words. He saw seabirds entirely as a resource. Before he was born into this world, he would never have such thoughts. Calling it adaptation might sound too good, but in any case, a part of what was the basis of Walm had changed, and that caused him to feel unpleasant.


    The cultivated morality and virtue, had no meaning on the battlefield. Walm had killed so many people and committed crimes. To act as if nothing changed, would be too much hypocrisy. Even if the color of the sea didn¡¯t change, the color of Walm¡¯s eyes had changed to be dark and muddy. His hands were horrifyingly stained with blood. He knew he couldn¡¯t act like he did before he killed someone. Still, he was too weak to throw what he had cultivated away. He was an unacceptable fool human who was suffering between dream and reality.


    ¡°Huh¡­really, I don¡¯t like myself.¡±


    Walm¡¯s murmurs were washed away by small waves.


    Walm took a pipe out of his waist bag and purple smoke came out as he sucked it, to abandon further thought, but nevertheless, his initial excitement never returned.


    ¡ô


    Oh, it¡¯s such a mess.


    Walm, who peered into the tavern, was even impressed by the frenzy inside. Randomly knocked down chairs, leftover food scattered all over the desks and floors, and liquor bottles were tumbling around.


    Walm was told about the tavern where sailors would gather, but he might have gone to the wrong place. So, he kept a distance from the store, but no matter how many times he checked the exterior and the directions, there was no mistake that it was the place. The sailors inside cheered on the men who were enjoying the wrestling contest. He glanced at the victim, the keeper, but he looked as if the scene was something normal, and didn¡¯t panic at all.


    ¡°Haa, ah, haaah, aa©`ah!¡±


    Walm decided that it was just such a place. The men took off their torn clothes, let out wild voices, and wrestled half-naked.


    Walm entered the store with a glance at them and sat down after finding a safe spot. Then he called out to the storekeeper in front of him.


    ¡°It¡¯s thriving.¡±


    ¡°Sure, I could even make chairs and desks that were loose brand new.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. I want some alcohol and food.¡±


    The storekeeper turned around and presented a bottle of liquor. There was no fashionable thing such as a cup.


    Tipped the bottle without hesitation and a sweet scent mixed with bitterness, something like burnt caramel, came to the nostril.


    ¡°Is it, Rum?¡±


    Walm spoke the name. It was the liquor that sailors loved so much.


    Rum, a distilled liquor made from sugarcane, was made from leftover sugarcane juice and blackstrap molasses produced during the process of refining sugar. Sugarcane was one of the pillars of wealth in the Archipelago. Sailors could enjoy a part of its benefits in the form of drinks every day. So, it was the most appropriate to be served as liquor in a port city.


    While Walm was preoccupied with the drink, rum, a plate of food was delivered.


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty fast.¡±


    ¡°Let me tell you, it¡¯s not premade. Just that, it¡¯s a waste to feed them this.¡±


    Walm grasped the situation from the storekeeper¡¯s words. The guy who ordered it was rolling around on the floor. Well, there was no reason for Walm to hold back. After all, it had been a long time since he had a warm meal. Also, it was the deep-fried food that he had been wanting to eat.


    Cut it with a knife, and the fat oozed out. Something white could be seen inside a heavy golden-colored robe. Brought the sliced ??fried meat to mouth. The deep-fried layer had a good texture and was mixed well with the light white meat. Was it cod or halibut? Anyway, unlike river fish, it didn¡¯t have much of an odor, and it seemed like a lot of it would fit in the stomach.


    The storekeeper raised a teasing voice at Walm, who was silently enjoying his meal.


    ¡°You eat in a pretty elegant way.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. Would it be better to kick the chair, hold the food in hand as you bit it, and scatter the food crumbs while eating it?¡±


    ¡°No, please continue as it is.¡±


    The storekeeper shrugged his shoulders as if he had surrendered.


    Enjoyed the fried potatoes that came with it. The party that was unfolding behind seemed to come to an end as one of the men stood up.


    Finished the meal, then asked the storekeeper.


    ¡°Let¡¯s change the topic. You see, I¡¯m looking for a ship.¡±


    ¡°Three silver coins, including drink and food.¡±


    The storekeeper tapped the counter. Walm could understand what he was asking.


    Took out a coin bag from the pocket and presented the storekeeper with three silver coins.


    ¡°Destination and time?¡±


    ¡°Labyrinth City, the sooner the better¡±


    The storekeeper who put away two of the silver coins offered, immersed himself in thought as he put his finger on the remaining one.


    ¡°Egin, seems still having fun. Telum, is going in the opposite direction. Ah, right, Saachef still here. If that¡¯s the case, guess Belim Beggar¡¯s ship would be good.¡±


    As if trying to remember, the storekeeper poked the counter with the silver coin.


    ¡°Saachef, it¡¯s a customer!! He¡¯d like a sea trip to the Labyrinth City.¡±


    A man emerged from the hustle and bustle in response to the storekeeper¡¯s call. His perfectly tanned skin and strong limbs must have been refined through intense work. And above all, given the wide and curved weapon, the cutlass hanging on the waist, Walm guessed that he might be a person good at ¡®rough work¡¯ even if he was mostly in the ship.


    ¡°Here, it¡¯s your referral fee.¡±


    The storekeeper threw the remaining silver coin to a man called Saachef.


    ¡°Oh, thanks. A mercenary huh? Anyway, looks like you¡¯re making a lot of money.¡±


    Saachef didn¡¯t hesitate to observe Walm¡¯s whole body.


    ¡°Soldiers can¡¯t get on the ship?¡±


    ¡°Nah, whether a human or a fish, anyone¡¯s welcome. A customer is a customer.¡±


    Saachef, who smiled with his teeth showing, hit the liquor bottle as if to show how bright it was to Walm.


    ¡°Departure will be one hour later, the fare is three small gold coins and six silver coins. Could you pay?¡±


    ¡°Somehow.¡±


    ¡°Great. Is this your first time on a sea trip?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡±


    In the world Walm used to live in, he had been on a fishing boat or houseboat, but he always came back to land in less than half a day. This would be his first time on a full-fledged voyage.


    ¡°Because I¡¯m kind, I¡¯ll give you some guides. There aren¡¯t many rules. No knives were allowed in a fight, and a little bit of brawl may happen depending on the time and circumstances. Never steal or light a fire. You may be living at the bottom of the ship surrounded by dirty water. Don¡¯t worry, rats will there to entertain you. Bring some food and water. It¡¯s better to have enough for ten days. In the worst case, you could buy both with money, but their price may be four times higher than buying those on land. If you want to buy it, do it through me. I¡¯ll give you a better price much as I can. You¡¯ll sleep together in a huddle. So, look at your luggage carefully. You could go out on the deck as long as you don¡¯t interfere with our work, like standing in the corner to get some fresh air. That¡¯s about it.¡±


    Considering Saachef finished saying it without biting his tongue even once, it seemed to be a completely familiar line. It was good that the guide to the ship wasn¡¯t a drunken sailor who had suspicious behavior and was incoherent.


    Since it was quite impressive, Walm wanted to give Saachef a round of applause.


    ¡°Looks like, that¡¯s all your luggage. Then, are you ready?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, seems like it¡¯s going to be a comfortable sea trip.¡±


    Walm grabbed the hand that was offered to him and left the bar with the sailor Saachef.

 CH 100

    100. Chapter 100


    A number of sailing ships were lined up at the harbor Walm was guided by Saachef. Even from a distance, the ship¡¯s size could be felt, but its enormity stood out as you get closer. Walm had also boarded a ferryboat when crossing a river, but it was completely not similar at all to a large sailing ship, it was like comparing a small fish to a whale.


    A large number of laborers were carrying water and food onto the ship. The heavy barrels were roughly wrapped with ropes and lowered directly onto the deck by a hoist. It was like an ant preparing itself to carry food into its burrow, but what was terrifying was its load capacity. The numbers were too different to compare with land transportation.


    Although everything Walm saw was new, he couldn¡¯t play around innocently, he could only move his eyes and look at them.


    ¡°Well, this is the ship, the Adelina.¡±


    A large sailing ship was docked at the pier pointed by Saachef.


    Seeing it, Walm gulped.


    The length of the wooden hull would have reached fifty meters. The bow and poop deck were like a part of a fortress. The width of the ship, would still have spare space even if a Squad was lined up. The height of the main mast was about 50 meters, it was a height that would be difficult to even look around nearby places.


    A statue of a woman with really plump breasts was attached to the bow. Whether it was the captain¡¯s wish or the work of the craftsman who built the ship, Walm had no way of knowing, but he could see through the taste of the person who decided to install the statue.


    ¡°Looks great, right?¡±


    Saachef said proudly. Whether it was the size of the ship or the breast of the statue, Walm didn¡¯t know. Though he felt a little troubled with the remarks, there was no way to deny it.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s really great. I think I¡¯ll like this ship.¡±


    ¡°Glad that it¡¯s to your liking. Before you board the ship, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve already heard from the tavern, but let me say it again, my name is Saachef.¡±


    Walm, who was told to tell him his name in a roundabout way, introduced himself.


    ¡°It¡¯s Walm.¡±


    ¡°Walm, is it? With this, the introduction end. Next, let¡¯s meet the Captain of this ship. Follow me.¡±


    Perhaps the Adelina¡¯s cargo had almost finished boarded, unlike the other anchored ships, the traffic of people and goods was modest. Walm, who reached the side of the ship just after passing a few people, looked up at the hull. Among the gunwales that looked like handrails, the gangway, which was placed slightly lower, was hung.


    ¡°Don¡¯t fall¡±


    Saachef climbed up the gangway as if he was walking on the ground. Walm followed and stepped on the board with one foot. He felt a slight creaking in the soles of his shoes. The ship swaying in the waves and the fixed pier cause the gangway to sway slightly.


    Walm¡¯s steps weren¡¯t as light as Saachef¡¯s, but weren¡¯t clumsy either.


    Anyway, Walm climbed up safely and landed on the upper deck. Large barrels and hemp bags were still temporarily placed on the upper deck, and the sailors were handling them.


    ¡°Those hemp bags aren¡¯t going in the hold. Take it to the kitchen, it¡¯s for today¡¯s meal.¡±


    ¡°Slowly. Lower it slowly. Watch out for hatch. Or, he¡¯ll yell at you.¡±


    Saachef, who noticed Walm¡¯s sidetracking, guided him while scratching his head.


    ¡°It may seem unusual, but the voyage will be long. You¡¯ll get tired looking at these fast. Come here.¡±


    Walking from the upper deck to the stern, Walm climbed the stairs leading to the poop deck.


    ¡°Saachef, why are you bringing in mercenary? Planning to start a rebellion, huh?¡±


    An elderly man resting his elbows on the railing of the poop deck called out to Saachef. And immediately, the eyes of the sailors who were engaged in the work gathered at Walm.


    ¡°Deck Boss, please stop making unfunny jokes.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, my bad. Old Man is the captain¡¯s cabin.¡±


    The boatswain sincerely apologized as he heard the crew¡¯s protest. Saachef beckoned Walm without showing any signs of concern.


    Following Saachef to a room that had an atmosphere difficult to approach. It was the only slightly different-looking room on the ship with an interior emphasizing practicality and little decoration. There were silver decorations on the outer of the room and gold-plated doorknobs.


    ¡°Excuse me, Captain.¡±


    After an unassumingly modest knock, Saachef opened the door and entered the room. Passing through the door, there were some furnishings, and several paintings lined on the walls.


    In the center of the room was the target, the Captain of the ship. His face was carved with deep wrinkles and bruises, and around his mouth, there was a rich but well-groomed beard. Judging by his appearance, perhaps, he was approaching his 60th birthday? In any case, the glint in his eyes through the gap in his hat was sharp. Combined with his high nose, it didn¡¯t feel like he had weakened. He seemed to have many experiences leading people. At least looking from the side, he was giving such an aura.


    Perhaps still considering the route, the table was filled with nautical charts, mariner¡¯s compass, rulers, and calculation sheets with some sort of calculations written on them. It was the most elaborately drawn map of the seas of the Archipelago that Walm had ever seen.


    ¡°I brought one passenger, hoping to go to the Labyrinth City.¡±


    ¡°Did you tell him the rules?¡±


    ¡°Roughly yes.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a paper on the wall with the rules written on it. Can you read it?¡±


    Walm answered the Captain¡¯s question.


    ¡°I could.¡±


    Where Walm was prompted to look. A framed rulebook was nailed to the wall.


    Read the rules one by one. In addition to the things heard beforehand, there were supplementary rules, but most of them wouldn¡¯t matter unless something extreme happened.


    ¡°I¡¯ve confirmed it. There¡¯s no problem at all.¡±


    Walm noticed his tone stiffening there. It seemed that he was drowned in the talk of rules and the strict silence of the room.


    ¡°From your looks, seems to be a skilled mercenary, but doesn¡¯t seem violent. Passengers like you, are always welcome. Welcome to my ship.¡±


    Walm, who was welcomed, paid the boarding fee and left the captain¡¯s cabin. He then followed Saachef to the hatch. Going down the stairs, he found sailors engaged in work on the middle deck, going back and forth between the upper and lower decks.


    Luggage was tied to the base of various masts and many were lining on the way. The spirit of sailors who wouldn¡¯t allow wasted space was transmitted to Walm.


    ¡°This is the guest room. Well, in a long voyage, it¡¯s become a storage room.¡±


    In the space separated by a temporary partition, there were other guests. The guest¡¯s origin was diverse. Mercenaries, adventurers, peddlers, and ordinary citizens. On the other ship, the guests might be segregated. However, there were no rich or privileged people here.


    ¡°I thought it would be like a shelf separated by groups.¡±


    ¡°Even now, there are ships that use bunk beds, but they were a nuisance. You can make a bed anywhere with hammocks. Put up a partition wall, and it¡¯ll be a fine cabin. You see, bunk beds shake in a storm, and you may fall and hurt yourself. Being more careless and you may die from the fall.¡±


    Saachef said while tapping Walm¡¯s head. Certainly, being thrown in an unprotected state, it would be hard to avoid a blow to the head, and a fracture might be made on the cervical spine.


    ¡°Your bed, it¡¯s over there. I¡¯ve work to do, so I¡¯ll be away, but let¡¯s get along. If anything happens, tell me. I¡¯ve got my silver coin after all.¡±


    Saachef waved his hand after saying so and returned to the upper deck.


    Walm, left behind in the ¡®elegant¡¯ guest room, immediately moved to check the bed.


    The hammocks, which Walm thought were made from rough rope, were actually made of sturdy fabric. Well, it could be used as a spare sail or as a kind of protective equipment during battle. Relieved as the bed wouldn¡¯t be that bad, Walm put his luggage under his head area and left his back to the hammocks.


    In addition to walking continuously for four days, the tense feelings had accumulated fatigue that surpassed Walm¡¯s expectations.


    Stifling a yawn, Walm¡¯s eyelids gradually got heavy. As sleepiness attacked him intermittently, he finally raised a weak voice. Let out a small sigh, he surrendered to the fatigue, and quietly took a nap.

 CH 101

    Fading away, the land was slowly becoming a distant existence. Walm didn¡¯t oversleep to miss the departure. Just that, Walm and the other passengers could only modesty stay on the middle deck as sailors were moving around on the upper deck, manipulating the sails to catch the wind.


    Catching the wind, as the port couldn¡¯t be seen, the passengers finally crawled out onto the upper deck and could kill time wherever they wanted. Walm was among them, enjoying the surface of the sea and the wind, but that didn¡¯t mean he could enjoy it for long.


    Although he couldn¡¯t help but complain, Walm was still blessed. A sailing ship that was caught in the wind was always tilting and swaying. Some of the passengers, who were accustomed to the land until recently, continued to pollute the sea by spilling the contents of their stomachs over the gunwale. Muffled by the sound of the waves, the sound of clogged sewage could be heard.


    ¡°My condolences¡­¡±


    Some managed to endure, but some were already on the verge of collapse, and some were spending a lovely time with the bucket. This would probably continue until they reached the destination port. Walm took pity on them, thinking that at this kind of time, even atheists would definitely want to pray to God.


    From the time the ship left the port until it caught the wind, the sailors were diligently adjusting the sails on the moving ropes and running up the shrouds that supported the hull and masts. Now that they had calmed down, except for the customers who were busy dating with the buckets, it was quite a peaceful deck. The observation tower on top of the mast was manned by a sailor for surveillance.


    Decided to learn from the veterans how to pass the time on board, Walm then began observing the crew members who escaped duty.


    There were various people, such as those who were caught in the cracks of barrels indulging themselves in a nap, and those who scarping something with knives. Under such circumstances, it was the sailors who stretched the fishing net from the upper deck and the poop deck that attracted Walm¡¯s interest. After all, among the sailors who were enjoying trawling, a familiar man was having a blast.


    ¡°Saachef, did you catch a fish?¡±


    ¡°Ooo-, won¡¯t say it¡¯s a big game, but probably, a satisfying swordfish.¡±


    Saachef, with sweat dripping from his forehead, responded with a wide smile. A migratory fish caught by several people had a sharp upper jaw like a sword. The swordfish was like a marlin fish that Walm knew, but its upper jaw was quite ominous compared to it.


    ¡°Looks delicious. But, it sure has a sharp jaw.¡±


    ¡°This guy¡¯s jaw cuts well. Sometimes, it would tear people¡¯s throats and arteries in their limbs, leaving the human dead. So, make sure you have finished them off properly.¡±


    As Saachef said so, the swordfish, which was deeply stabbed on the gills with a harpoon, was bleeding profusely and was exhausted with no resistance.


    ¡°Walm, would you like to eat too? It¡¯s not the food brought on land beforehand, so, can sell it cheaply, if you¡¯re interested.¡±


    ¡°If you could make it cheaper, I¡¯ll gladly take the offer.¡±


    For Walm, who had lived far from the sea, a fresh marlin was the best he had ever eaten. Even if there might be a possibility to get bitten, definitely wanted to keep some of it in the stomach.


    ¡°I¡¯ll wash it once. If the floor gets too dirty, we¡¯ll get yelled at by Deck Boss.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s take it to the head chef.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll remove the hook.¡±


    The other sailors who were helping to catch it expertly washed the blood off the upper deck and removed the hook from the swordfish.


    Walm had expected that the whole thing was made of metal, but only the hook that was removed was metal, most of it didn¡¯t have the luster peculiar to metal.


    ¡°Pseudo bait huh? Is it¡­ bones?¡±


    A sailor answered Walm¡¯s question.


    ¡°Not quite. The body is made from a cow horn. And used seabird feathers on top of it. Well, some people used bones.¡±


    Walm was convinced after staring at the pseudo bait. As part of killing time on board, making pseudo bait by hand seemed to be popular.


    ¡°This swordfish¡¯s upper jaw can also be used as the body. It¡¯s truly a fish with no waste.¡±


    The crew boastfully told Walm. When such a swordfish was tied up with a rough rope, it was carried to the lowest deck by a hoist.


    ¡°The kitchen is not on the top but on the lowest?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too shaky on top, you won¡¯t be able to cook. The kitchen is called ¡°galley¡± and is on the lowest deck. It¡¯s a furnace and the surroundings were made of stone. Even if the hull catches fire, there¡¯s no problem putting it out. As for the smoke, it¡¯s coming out of an opened hatch or special ventilation.¡±


    After receiving Saachef¡¯s explanation, Walm turned his attention to hatch again. It was mixed with traces of rope and starch from the barrel, and soot stains were also mixed in. Evidence that it played a role as ventilation.


    ¡°Saachef, you¡¯re really good at explaining.¡±


    Saachef answered with a straight face to Walm¡¯s leaked thought.


    ¡°Even if you praise me, only Swordfish will come out.¡±


    ¡°More than enough¡±


    Walm murmured while his eyes were captivated by the swordfish hanging down to the lowest deck.


    ¡ô


    The surface of the sea swayed while being illuminated by twin moons. The man who was ordered to watch over the observation tower let out a sigh at the unremarkable spectacle.


    The man was a member of the crew of a merchant ship belonging to the Liberitoa Trade Federation called, the Major. Unlike the dangerous waters on the outer parts of the Archipelago, the sea routes where the man currently sailing, had a long history and were considered safe.


    Large monsters were either subjugated or driven out by warships or the Sea Dragon that the Archipelago was proud of. if there was, it would be nothing more than ¡°Sahuagin¡±, also known as ¡°Sea Goblin¡±, or a miscellaneous carnivorous fish with no name.


    The man put the rum into his mouth and swallowed it vigorously. Hot alcohol flowed from the esophagus into the stomach. He then let out his breath, and as the man resumed his watch, he suddenly felt a shadow run across the water.


    ¡°What¡­¡­?¡±


    The man leaned out of the observation tower to observe, but there were no shadows and the sea remained calm.


    ¡°Did I drink too much?¡±


    It was when the man stared intently at the bottle filled with rum and was about to put it away. An impact ran through the hull, throwing his body to the floor.


    ¡°Stranding!? No, it¡¯s impossible.¡±


    The ship was in the open ocean, not the coast. It was a route where ships were passing frequently, and there were no reefs to collide. However, in reality, the ship shook violently, and the impact became stronger and stronger.


    At that moment, the man¡¯s nostrils inhaled an unbearable stench. It smelled like fish that had been left in the hot sun for days ¨D¨D the smell was familiar to the man. Every sailor knew it.


    ¡°No way, don¡¯t you say¡­¡±


    Deepening suspicions were confirmed by screams from the deck. Mixed in with the roar, the alarm bell on the poop deck rang.


    ¡°Let me goooOOO, ah, aaaaaAHHHH, aaAHH!?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an attack, get up, GET UUPPP!!¡±


    The screams of familiar companions stuck in the man¡¯s ears. The man who finally stood up finally grasped the whole picture of the assailant.


    ¡°Damn it, of anything why it must be ¡®that¡¯¨D¨D ¡°


    The man pulled out the crossbow that had been set up and tried to load it, but his body quickly leaned over. The shrouds supporting the mainmast were broken one after another. The rough rope got caught in the recoil and the crew danced like crazy on the deck. His companions were killed without being able to resist.


    More than half of the shrouds had been lost, and the mast was tilting. The crossbow and a bottle of sake were thrown into the air, and the man who couldn¡¯t hold his ground followed.


    ¡°a, AH, AAHHHH, aaaAAAHHH!!¡±


    The man fluttered his limbs and slid down, but he got caught in the scaffolding to the observation tower and slowed down. Still, he couldn¡¯t escape the fall.


    The limbs that were caught halfway were twisted. Being slammed into the deck, the ribs were extensively crushed and pulverized. The wreckage of the shattered deck gnawed into the flank, and the man who couldn¡¯t breathe properly managed to at least breathe repeatedly, but it didn¡¯t last long.


    ¡°Hick, ah, d-don¡¯t, don¡¯t COME¡­!¡±


    The source of the putrid smell was there. Seeing it, the man was frightened and tried to move his body away, but he was seriously injured, no way he could do it with just movements that were inferior to those of caterpillars. All the man could do now, was to scratch the deck and scream.


    One by one, with a short interruption, the death cries ceased, and the sea regained its calm without incident. And so, all the sailors of the Major vanished from the sea.

 CH 102

    102. Chapter 102 ¨C Unwanted Visitor


    Four days had passed since the ship departed, and the passengers, who worked hard to pollute the sea surface and were weakly hugging the bucket and groaning on the floor, had calmed down. Walm exchanged words with the passengers who had regained their composure, deepening their exchanges to the extent that he was enjoying unfamiliar board games with them.


    ¡°¡­ I give up.¡±


    Walm threw out the piece he was holding and looked up. Naturally, when looking up from the middle deck, there was only a wooden board on the ceiling. At least it looked better than the dirty floor.


    ¡°Well then, I will take this.¡±


    The peddler took all the beans on the small plate and devoured them in front of Walm. The roasted beans had been cultivated by Walm preciously like his own daughter. To think that it was going to be a lover with a peddler¡­Walm¡¯s face contorted at the failure of being a good father.


    ¡°You¡¯re not bad. Well, it¡¯s been a long time since I started playing this. So, too bad.¡±


    The peddler proclaimed so as he happily hit the board. He was a trader who was good at talking. He lost yesterday and treated Walms to a bad meal on board. The aim of the peddler was simple. The aim was to shake his emotions and strike back in the next game.


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m honored to receive your praise.¡±


    ¡°By the way, next, I¡¯d like to drink cold water.¡±


    ¡°Say what you want. Tonight, I once again will make you treat me to that bad meal.¡±


    Walm sneered back at the peddler who had a vulgar smile. The peddler was captivated by the cold waters made by Walm¡¯s magic. For Walm, who possessed water attribute, it wasn¡¯t that difficult for him to generate water. But he wasn¡¯t so good-natured that he would do it for free. If he consumed his mana for a low-affinity attribute, he would become hungry as well as tired while only generating a small amount. Experienced water magicians who lived long on the sea seemed to be able to even separate salt and water from seawater efficiently, but it was a difficult feat for Walm, who was, in the first place, had a low affinity for water-attribute magic.


    According to the ship¡¯s regulations, it was forbidden to make more than one small silver coin per day from gambling, so the bet money and the actual thing were replaced with some cute things. Even if the amount and quality weren¡¯t that good, there were no people who liked to lose, more so if efforts were put into it.


    The gambling wasn¡¯t limited to board games. There were various types of it, such as who would catch the first fish, who would catch the biggest fish, and so on. Somehow it looked like a casino ship, but Walm was throwing himself into it, thinking that it was natural for people to be bustling with gambling in a closed space with little entertainment.


    With revenge in his heart, Walm began to rearrange his pieces, but then, he noticed that the movement on the deck had become hectic. Anyhow, it happened directly above. Even if he didn¡¯t focus on his ear, the sound was leaking out.


    ¡°Did they catch a big fish or something?¡±


    Walm gleefully raised his voice at the words of the peddler.


    ¡°Good if that¡¯s true. At least, it¡¯ll taste better than salted fish.¡±


    Walm with the other passengers following behind, went up to the upper deck.


    On the upper deck, sailors were leaning over the gunwale, pointing at the surface of the water.


    ¡°Oi, what happened?¡±


    Walm called out to a sailor who was nearby.


    ¡°There¡¯s driftwood on the port side (left of the ship). It¡¯s pretty big.¡±


    In order to actually see it with his own eyes, Walm put his hand on the gunwale and leaned forward. Though it was still far away, something was definitely floating on the surface of the water. Still, Walm¡¯s cloudy eyes caught its true identity.


    ¡°A piece of wood?¡±


    When Walm muttered so, the surrounding sailors added.


    ¡°Right, it¡¯s part of the hull.¡±


    ¡°More so, it¡¯s a keel, isn¡¯t it? That thickness, must be a large ship.¡±


    Even Walm, who had little knowledge of ships, knows about keel. It was an important part that was for supporting the ship, and to compare it to a human being, it was like the backbone.


    ¡°Is it shipwrecked?¡±


    ¡°You must be joking. Look, the sea here isn¡¯t that rough.¡±


    ¡°Even so, no survivors?¡±


    All the people on the deck, including Walm, stared at the surface of the sea, but not a single person was drifting. Just, countless pieces of wood scattered over a wide area.


    ¡°Deck Boss, what should we do, search?¡±


    One of the sailors pointed his chin at the boat tied up to the deck. Probably, what he meant to say was, to lower the small boat and examine the wreckage of the ship.


    In response to the proposal, the man who made a funny joke when Walm was boarding, the Deck Boss, his expression was grim.


    ¡°No, we won¡¯t lower the boat down¡­ Whether it¡¯s an accident, or whatever, it¡¯s better to be careful. Wake everyone who¡¯s sleeping.¡±


    The sailors, who were resting inside the ship, were woken up one after another.


    Not long after, under Walm¡¯s feet, swearing could be heard.


    In such a noisy upper deck, the Captain, who was the owner of the ship and the leader of the crew, appeared.


    ¡°Old Man, it¡¯s a wrecked ship. Just that, the way it wrecked, doesn¡¯t seem normal.¡±


    In response to the Deck Boss¡¯ report, the Captain, who had his eyes on the surface of the sea, made a quick decision.


    ¡°Raise your alertness and be vigilant. Assign the passengers to the middle deck and assign the fourth team to guard them.¡±


    Immediately, the sailors scattered all over the ship as if they were bursting.


    ¡°Move quickly! Open the armory as well.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to get hurt, go back to the middle deck.¡±


    With momentum, the sailors pushed the passengers onto the middle deck by hitting their butts. Naturally, Walm, who didn¡¯t have such a hobby, quickly descended the stairs and returned to the bed he left hanging. Slightly delayed, the other passengers also gathered in groups. They exchanged opinions about the drifting wreckage of the ship.


    ¡°So unlucky, that ship.¡±


    ¡°The national flag was on the surface of the sea. Seems like, from one of the northern countries. Must be a merchant ship belonging to the Liberitoa Trade Federation.¡±


    ¡°Hah, I¡¯m sure, it¡¯s because they packed too much luggage.¡±


    Walm frowned after hearing the name of the country that destroyed his homeland a long time ago. Although they were part of the hated enemies, they didn¡¯t directly put Walm in a predicament. Thus, he didn¡¯t want to go so far as to despise the poor sailors.


    Of course, in a way, that merchant ship was also the blood and blood vessel that supported the economy of the Liberitoa Trade Federation.


    If I get an order here, will I burn them happily while cursing?


    Walm thought about it, but the bitter and sour aftertaste of disgust welled up.


    Then, he mocked himself.


    What the f*ck am I thinking, we¡¯ve lost the war, I¡¯m no longer a soldier.


    The urge to take a rum rushed, but Walm tried his best to restrain himself. He had spent a whole year immersed in alcohol, and was finally cleared his alcohol-stained body. He had decided to not drink unless necessary. He wanted to distract himself with a cigarette, but decided not to. Since, any fire was looked at carefully here.


    The sight of the passengers and crew huddled together in a cramped place, smoking cigarettes and exhaling purple smoke, was so stupid and nostalgic.


    Seeing it, Walm diverted his thoughts, with a once-distant memory.


    Walm, who was drifting in a nostalgic memory, immediately got pulled back to reality by the sudden stench and the nauseous look of ??the passengers. As he had ever been attacked by vomiting feelings several times in this life, his reflex was really fast. Fortunately, nothing had been thrown up yet.


    ¡°UeeeEEE, Uuuh, URGHH¡±


    Most passengers were used to ships, but as expected, there were exceptions to everything. A man who was still unfamiliar with ships had his face pale. And the cause of nausea might be foul odors.


    ¡°Not yet huh? Then, what is that smell?¡±


    The man somehow managed to stop his urge to vomit.


    Unable to find the cause of the foul odor, Walm was perplexed.


    ¡°Did the dirty water from the bottom of the ship overflow?¡±


    The peddler¡¯s words had a certain level of persuasion. Seawater and all liquids that seeped into the ship, flowed into the bottom of the ship. Walm didn¡¯t smell it directly, but Saachef said it smelled like boiled-down excrement and urine.


    ¡°It certainly smells terrible, but please don¡¯t vomit here!¡±


    ¡°Hold it in. Can¡¯t you go up to the upper deck? Then, exhale through the ventilation hole!¡±


    Passengers shouted in unison. Even Walm, who had been accustomed to all stench on the battlefield, thought that it smelled really bad. To compare, it would be similar to the rotting smell of a corpse left unattended for several days.


    As he was told, the man headed for the ventilation on the side of the hull. Walm, who somehow escaped the damage, felt a relief.


    When the man put his hand on the ventilation. The hull shook violently, stirring the inside of the ship. Walm immediately held on with both feet and endured it, but some of them rolled around together.


    ¡°Oi, what did you do?!!¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m not doing anything.¡±


    The man repeated that he was doing nothing and shook his head.


    Of course, right¡­


    Walm thought that it was natural. It would be unbearable to have the middle deck soiled by vomit.


    ¡°Then, what? Did the ship just hit something?¡±


    That question resulted in an undesirable result, with a loud voice emerging from the lowest deck.


    ¡°Water¡¯s coming in from the right bottom of the ship!¡±


    As the sailors¡¯ screams rose from the bottom deck, the crew begins to move like crazy.


    ¡°Hurry up and drain the water with the bilge pump!!¡±


    ¡°Move, get out of the way. Hurry up. We need to hurry.¡±


    ¡°Bring any plank you see! And the hammock! Press it against the hole!¡±


    Sailors with supplies for emergency repairs slid down the stairs on each deck. The passengers¡¯ faces got cramped. Of course, that would be so. It was a nightmare for a ship to sink in the middle of the sea like this. That said, there was nothing to do for Walm, who was unprofessional in this field.


    Walm could only watch the progress of the work. In the middle of observing it, he caught the sound of something crawling on the side of the ship, especially over the outer side. At first, Walm was impressed, wondering if someone was doing work from outside the ship, but gradually the unpleasant feeling of discomfort overwhelmed him.


    Judging from the screams and sound of work, the damaged area was the bottom of the ship on the rear side of the starboard side. On the other hand, the unidentifiable sound heard over the outer side was in the center of the port side.


    Considering all of that, it just didn¡¯t make sense.


    ¡°Did you hear it? There¡¯s another sound.¡±


    ¡°Hm? Oh, right. What is it? This sound, is disgusting.¡±


    Walm, who was listening carefully and searching for the direction of the sound, noticed it. In a number of more than five fingers, one of them was approaching the ventilation.


    ¡°Move away now! Slowly, don¡¯t panic.¡±


    ¡°Eh, what is it¡­.. a, AAA, no way!¡±


    The man had a dubious expression on his face, but when he heard the crawling sound approaching him and saw Walm taking out his longsword., his already pale face was even paler.


    About a step or two away from the ventilation, it happened.


    ¡°I, cawn¡¯t, mov¡¯, AA¨D¨D ¡°


    The man¡¯s body, which was about to leave the spot, slid on the deck while bending his body. Unlike the passengers who were lured by the man¡¯s scream, Walm stared at the hole where the culprit hid.


    ¡°Tentacle!?¡±


    While scattering wood chips, huge tentacles spread, forcefully opened the ventilation, and entered the ship. Starting with that, screams and angry roars were mixed everywhere on the deck. The tentacle, which scattered abundant mucus, naturally wiggled as it approached to embrace Walm.

 CH 103

    103. Chapter 103 ¨C Ruler of the Deep Sea


    ¡°a, AH, AAHH!? It¡¯s the deep sea demon.¡±


    ¡°Damn it! Why was a ¡°Kraken¡± here?!!¡±


    There was no one on board who didn¡¯t shout. Walm wanted to get along with them, but it wasn¡¯t possible. The thick tentacle with filthy mucus was approaching before his eyes, trying to grab him.


    ¡°GET DOWN!!¡±


    Walm called out with the loudest voice he could let out. Luckily, the peddler was quickly on the floor, and the man in the ventilation was also groaning with a high spirit after being thrown away. No one stood in the way of Walm and the tentacle. Walm twisted his hips down and swung his longsword in the shortest possible time.


    A powerful attack with mana cut off the tip of the filthy tentacle. Avoiding the tentacle¡¯s rampage, Walm sliced ??back his blade immediately. In addition to the narrowness of the ship, due to the density of people, the restrictions on movements were greater than usual, resulting in the tentacles managing to scrape off Walm¡¯s epidermis even though he had covered himself with a magical barrier.


    After repeating the slashing attack about ten times, the tentacles finally flew off. In addition to being rather muscular, the highly viscous mucus was really making it difficult to cut.


    ¡°Damn it, it¡¯s sticky¡±


    Looking at Walm, who was glaring at his dirty sword in disgust, the mask on his waist was getting excited and continued to vibrate. Even though Walm understood that it was a mask with bad taste, but nothing he could do to stop the demon mask from liking the appearance of the tentacles here.


    Walm ignored the delighted mask and went to the aid of a sailor who was struggling with another tentacle. Already, several sailors had their bodies grabbed and their limbs twisted as if they were twigs. The tentacle was pierced with a spear and a single-edged axe, but the thickness and mucus obstructed the blades, preventing them from being cut off.


    ¡°aaaAHH, AAAHHH, my arms!¡±


    ¡°Ugh, AH, aaaAAHH!¡±


    ¡°F*ck you, don¡¯t come here!!¡±


    The tentacle had decided the next target on the saber-wielding sailor.


    Walm ran past the wall in one fell swoop, raised his longsword up almost rubbing against the ceiling, and swung it down with all his might. He barely managed to bisect the tentacles that had entered the hull.


    The severed tentacle bounced around as if it was still connected.


    ¡°Oi, this, everything¡¯s gonna be fine, right!?¡±


    The sailor, who was working hard to chop up the severed tentacles, answered as if crying.


    ¡°Fine? Of course not. it¡¯s a Kraken we¡¯re against right now.¡±


    Two tentacles trampling the middle deck had been severed, but the attacks still continued on the upper deck as well. The sound of battle from the upper deck intensifying resounded uninterruptedly in Walm¡¯s ears. There was even an explosion sound that seemed to be caused by magic.


    ¡°The mast is being targeted. Protect it!! Don¡¯t let any come close!!!¡±


    ¡°Squad 1, slash the main body.¡±


    Walm called out to the passengers hiding in the corner.


    ¡°Oi, I¡¯ll lend it to you. You should at least be able to protect yourself.¡±


    Walm pulled out swords one after another from his magic bag and rolled them on the floor. Truth was, he wanted to hide the existence of the magic bag, but the situation didn¡¯t allow it, after all, it would be useless if the ship sank.


    With this many people with weapon, it should be possible to deal with the tapered tentacles.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never held a sword¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you money, so please protect me.¡±


    Walm kicked the butts of the passengers who were trying to cling to his legs.


    ¡°Are you stupid? You¡¯ve seen those big tentacles. If the ship sinks, there¡¯s no point in cutting off those tentacles. If you can¡¯t use a sword, hug the tentacles and become a decoy. I¡¯m going above and help the others.¡±


    ¡°Wait, Captain said, I must protect the passengers.¡±


    The sailor who was got dragged by the tentacle earlier stubbornly called out to Walm, but Walm snorted back.


    ¡°Do I look like a mere passenger?¡±


    The sailors didn¡¯t hold Walm back any longer and worked hard to seize control of the middle deck.


    Walm¡¯s only weapon was the longsword in his hand. The halberd wasn¡¯t good to be used in the ship, limited spaces, and most of the time, it couldn¡¯t give an effective hit to the tentacles that were like lumps of muscle. It would be better to use the sword that was more suitable for slashing moves.


    After running up the half-destroyed stairs, the sight Walm saw was the worst. A myriad of tentacles attacked the sailors from the port side. The screams of the captured sailors were fluctuating violently, as they were casually slammed onto the deck and mast.


    ¡°Sh*t, it¡¯s like a bad B-rated disaster movie.¡±


    Walm unintentionally spat out words that didn¡¯t exist in this world, and held up his longsword.


    ¡°What are you doing? Go ba ¨D¨D ¡°


    Walm greeted the tentacle that was trying to reel the sailors in with a ¡¶Strike¡·. The half-cut tentacle fluttered around, then returned to the sea.


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°N-nothing¡­.. do whatever you want.¡±


    The resistance of the sailors on the upper deck was intense, and four tentacles had already fallen to the surface of the sea and the deck.


    Including the two that Walm cut off, would make it six tentacles, but there were still more than six tentacles alive.


    ¡°Ten for squid, eight for octopus, huh? The numbers don¡¯t match any.¡±


    In terms of the number of tentacles, this oddball called ¡°Kraken¡± seemed to be neither a squid nor an octopus. Moreover, it had far more tentacles than squid and octopuses. In short, a really annoying opponent.


    A new tentacle scraped off the gunwale and approached Walm.


    Walm was holding himself up, but he reflexively moved when he saw a shadow covering his body.


    ¡°Two at the same time, huh?¡±


    The Kraken¡¯s tentacles were moving a lot to approach Walm, as if saying that it had taken a liking to him. A surprise attack from above his head was seen through, and the second tentacle approached where he rolled away.


    Walm surrenders himself to the deck. Ironically, the sticky mucus on the deck acted as a lubricant, making it extremely slippery. Inside his waist bag, the slime-smeared demon mask was frolicking even more.


    ¡°Have a little restraint, can¡¯t you?¡±


    Instead of a foothold that was hard to stand on, thrust the longsword into the deck and pulled back with all strength. Then jumped up.


    Without hesitation, plunged the longsword into the lying tentacle and tore it apart. It was a tentacle that must support its huge mass, but if the muscles were damaged, it wouldn¡¯t be able to support its own weight and would lose its delicate and nimble movements.


    In instant, the sailors swarmed at the opportunity to create improvised tentacle fillets.


    With the number of tentacles reduced, a little leeway was created and Walm ran his gaze over the sea.


    ¡°Hah? What, is that?¡±


    Some sailors glided on the sea, moving around the rampaging Kraken. It was unclear whether it was an application of water attribute magic or a skill, but it was clear that it wasn¡¯t something that could be imitated easily. In such a group, there was Saachef.


    Saachef quickly turned his tilted body over and tore the approaching tentacle, the shot water bullets into the surface of the sea. Contrary to his good-natured smile, he possessed outstanding combat skills and magic.


    Walm was astonished at the height of his skill.


    ¡°So, that¡¯s the ¡°sea magician¡±?¡±


    The sailors from the Archipelago, were said to be unparalleled on the sea.


    Anyway, another sailor rolled up the seawater around his body and shot out the spear with water pressure. Walm also learned how to shoot daggers and spears with wind magic, and they were demonstrating it with water magic.


    It was just Walm¡¯s imagination, but Celta, the only city of Myard that didn¡¯t fall in the hands of the Highserk Empire, probably had this kind of sea magician in the navy.


    Walm tried to welcome the new tentacles while ignoring the sea magicians, but the tentacles, all at once, pulled themselves into the sea.


    ¡°What? The tentacles have pulled themselves!¡±


    Did it give up after receiving a painful counterattack?


    ¨D¨D with such a faint wish, Walm continued to be vigilant.


    ¡°It dived?!¡±


    ¡°Did it run away?¡±


    Staring at the surface of the sea, the sailors were watching the surface carefully, but then Saachef shouted in frustration.


    ¡°Sh*t, it¡¯s a top attack!!¡±


    Saachef¡¯s words threw the ship into a frenzy, like an overturned anthill.


    ¡°Head Cook!?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m out of mana. And the others are useless.¡±


    ¡°Oi, what¡¯s going on?! What¡¯s this ¡°top attack¡±?¡±


    Walm, who was completely left out of the situation, asked one of the trembling sailors.


    ¡°That Kraken was going to dive deep and jump over the ship.¡±


    ¡°No f*cking way. That thing is going to jump up you say?!!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. And surely, it¡¯ll fly higher than the main mast.¡±


    If that gigantic body jumped higher than the mast and leaned against it, no matter how large the ship might be, it wouldn¡¯t be possible to avoid such serious damage. If done poorly, the keel would break and the hull would split in two.


    ¡°Hey, can I burn the ship a little?¡±


    ¡°Hah? Are you a magic user?¡±


    ¡°Yes. So, how?¡±


    In place of the sailors who were at a loss for an answer, the Captain of the Adelina, Belim Beggar, who was holding two sabers, answered Walm briefly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind if you burn it a little. But if you still want to reach land, avoid the mast.¡±


    ¡°Understood, I¡¯ll ¡®try¡¯ my best.¡±


    Walm, who got the consent, kneaded his mana and waited for the Kraken. The other sailors also prepared their crossbows, throwing javelins, and projectiles.


    Quietly doing so, but their eyes were filled with murderous intent, preparing for the right moment.

 CH 104

    104. Chapter 104


    The seawater was pushed up by the overwhelming mass difference, and not long after, the sea surface exploded. The shadow under the water finally showed itself.


    Walm, who grasped the whole picture of the huge shadow exposed under the sun, burst into laughter at the huge difference in scale, and the unbelievable spectacle.


    A large amount of seawater spewed out from the funnel and hit the deck like heavy rain. What was surprising was the force. Walm¡¯s eyes should be normal at this time, but the Kraken was flying higher than the ship¡¯s mast.


    ¡°It jumped!!¡±


    Perhaps in response to the Sailor¡¯s roar, the Kraken rattled its numerous exposed teeth and spread its tentacles to cover the fifty-meter hull.


    As the jet of seawater broke off, the Kraken lost its propulsion and began a free fall. It was a just simple push, but backed by that mass, it became a deadly blow.


    ¡°A, AAHH, it¡¯s, it¡¯s falling!¡±


    With a sidelong glance at the confused sailor, Walm unleashed the spell he had already prepared.


    An extra-large fireball manifested by the mana burned the rope extending from the mast and the rope of the hoisting machine, and flew high into the sky. Even Walm, who was used to playing with fire, had never shot a fireball overhead. Fortunately, the fireball slipped through the mast and was sucked into the Kraken¡¯s mouth.


    Flames instantly dyed the sky, and the impact shook the sails. The hoisted flag caught fire, and pieces of meat fell down, rolling on the deck. Walm cried out to the Sailors who held their breath and watched what was going on.


    ¡°Do you all like it rare?!!¡±


    It was because the fire was losing its heat, but with that, Walm had ascertained the effectiveness of the fireball. Several of the tentacles turned to pieces, and the flames invaded a wide area of ?its head and mouth, but the Kraken survived the fierce flames with its unspecified durability and didn¡¯t lose its life. Above all, the most important thing was that, the mass was only slightly reduced, and overall, the Kraken was still in quite good condition.


    ¡°Damn it, that¡¯s still not enough. It can¡¯t be stopped now.¡±


    ¡°mo, mooovveeEEE!!¡±


    The Kraken¡¯s fall prevention was just a faint wish, and that giant body approached the ship. Some tried to jump off the ship, others tried to hide in the poop. Walm also tried to turn his body to the stern of the ship¡¯s direction, but he was stopped by a calm yet good voice. The owner of the voice was the Captain of the ship, Belim Beggar.


    ¡°The fall position isn¡¯t exactly here. It won¡¯t be a direct hit.¡±


    Saying that, the veteran Captain walked leisurely to the center of the ship.


    What a daring old man¡­


    ¨D¨DThinking so, Walm also hardened his resolve and kept his feet.


    The closer the Kraken got, the clearer how big its size was. The gigantic body followed the course of falling to the surface of the sea while grazing the hull. The tentacles that were spread were probably for the purpose of adjusting the fall, and some were blown away by the fireball Walm shot, causing the fall position to go wrong.


    Even so, the whole body didn¡¯t fall to the sea surface. Some of the tentacles were stuck on the deck. The yard that hung the sail extending to the side of the mast broke one after another due to the weight of the tentacles, causing the sail and miscellaneous ropes to get entangled. Some were scraping off the edge of the hull and the ballista, causing the board of the upper deck to break while sending the wood pieces to the middle deck.


    When the main body fell, a huge water column rose on the surface, and a large wave shook the hull. Still, there was no one that had frightened eyes. After all, the invisible culprit was now, laying bare between the sea surface and the ship.


    While struggling with the unstable footing, Walm hit its head with a second blow.


    A blast ran on the Kraken¡¯s body and flames scorched its flesh.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let it escape, kill it here!!¡±


    Under the orders of the Deck Boss, sailors rushed to the starboard side, some fired arrows with the crossbows, and some bent their arms to then throw spears.


    The Kraken which was now looking like a hedgehog due to countless arrows and spears, made its tentacles shrink and released them to the ship. The spring-like attacks crushed the outer wall, and the sailors, who were caught off guard, were mowed down.


    ¡°Uhh, m-my legs, I, I can¡¯t stand.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re running out of spears. Bring more from the middle deck.¡±


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you dead already?!!!¡±


    ¡°Uh, damn it, the hull got gouged out again.¡±


    The Kraken was so wounded, but the threat was in fact, still alive.


    A large hole opened on the middle deck, and the sea magician who was gliding on the water received the tentacle attack and bounced on the surface of the sea.


    The Kraken then spouted seawater from the funnel as if it was a dragon¡¯s breath, to the poop deck. The sailor¡¯s arm got hit by it and was ripped open, spurting out bright red blood.


    ¡°What about grilled squid?! Do you like it?!¡±


    Tentacles approached Walm, who continued to shoot fireballs. Walm, who foresaw the behavior of the stretched tentacles, tried to take evasive action, but it ended in vain.


    Saachef with a cutlass leaped while twisting his body. And with the momentum of the swing, his blade cut half of the tentacles approaching Walm.


    Instead of applauding the acrobatic spinning slash, Walm had another idea. He immediately shot fireballs, making flame flowers bloom on the sea. The exploded pieces of meat were like an accent to the flowers.


    Beautiful. The Kraken seemed to understand art better than expected, and thus responded to Walm¡¯s gift with a thrilling emotion.


    In an attempt to capture Saachef, a torn tentacle gouged out the surface of the sea, resulting in some waves, and as expected, Saarchef used the wave and dodged the approaching torn tentacle just in time.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on with this monster? Uhh¡­¡±


    Walm, who shot the sixth fireball, agreed with the sailor nearby.


    The Kraken, which swung around its tentacles with no regard for torn, shortened, and scorched tentacles, could only be described as a tempest of flesh due to its size and physical strength.


    ¡°¡­ disgusting¡±


    The tentacles were disgusting, but they hadn¡¯t given up.


    One of the tentacles wrapped around the female statue, and while dripping mucus, it was thrust to the sailors. In response to the barbaric act against the woman statue, the Captain grabbed a spear hard as if he were going to crush it, and threw it at the Kraken¡¯s head.


    Through the wound by the fireball, one-third of the spear entered.


    The fighting spirit of the sailors hadn¡¯t yet been lost either. A defeat at the sea with no escape would mean, death. Surely that idea had been engraved in the body and the bottom of the heart.


    Indeed, the sailors who supported the shipping network of the Archipelago were really strong. Even Walm couldn¡¯t help but praise them for their dependability.


    ¡°Take as many as you want!!¡±


    ¡°Move, I¡¯ll use the axe.¡±


    ¡°Spear. Give me the spear!¡±


    The deck, where pulverized pieces of wood piled up, was stained with the blood and flesh of humans and the monster.


    On such a deck, a sailor threw the weapons he took from the middle deck. The others immediately picked up the weapon and faced the Kraken once again. Even one with a broken leg, he leaned back against the mast, and with the remaining leg and arm, he loaded arrows and handed them to the others.


    Mixed with them, Walm was about to shoot the seventh fireball.


    However, at that moment, the tentacles that were rampaging stopped all at once. The Kraken, which had been wriggling, was now just floating on the surface of the sea.


    Still, the pursuit attacks didn¡¯t stop. Even Walm suspected a false death in the sudden absurd end.


    In the end, the crazy assault on the Kraken continued until the Captain finally called it off.

 CH 105

    The sailors who killed the Kraken, which boasted disgusting durability and physical strength backed by its gigantic body, didn¡¯t have time to soak themselves in the afterglow of their victory, as instructions flew in rapid succession on the deck.


    ¡°Find where the damage is, now!¡±


    ¡°Lower the wounded to the middle deck, section leader, come and report how many are safe!!¡±


    ¡°Are the spare sails not ready yet?¡±


    ¡°What happened to the flooded bottom deck of the ship?¡±


    ¡°The influx of seawater has somehow been managed.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t neglect your surveillance. ¡®They¡¯ are coming soon!!¡±


    The Kraken was lifeless with no strength left, and the battle should¡¯ve ended.


    Even so, disturbing words that couldn¡¯t be just ignored were mentioned. Walm who heard it approached the Deck Boss.


    ¡°What is it? After the odd octopus, will a shark or something come?¡±


    Walm said with some sarcasm, remembering the overproduced disaster movies in the previous world.


    ¡°There¡¯re no big sharks around here¡­ it shouldn¡¯t be. More importantly, the ¡®Sea Goblins¡¯ are coming.¡±


    ¡°Oi, sea goblins, you say¡­? Huff, I got it. Enough. I can see them already.¡±


    Receiving a stranger¡¯s words, Walm tried to get detailed information, but the army riding the waves as if rushing to the ship, jumped into his eyes.


    Sea Goblins¡­ had dark green skin similar to that normal goblin, but its mouth was lined with fangs reminiscent of carnivorous fish, and its back had a dorsal fin reaching the tailbone.


    ¡°Stop the work, stop it now, Sahuagins are coming.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let those dirty filth of the sea steal our hunt! You don¡¯t want your labor to end without any rewards, ain¡¯t you?!¡±


    Surprisingly, it seemed that the sailors had no intention of giving even a piece of the Kraken that they had killed to the Sahuagins.


    ¡°This smelly lump, just give it to¨D¨D ¡°


    The stunned Deck Boss cut Walm¡¯s words.


    ¡°Are you kidding? That corpse is a treasure trove. The tentacles are said to be a nourishing tonic, that even the ¡®thing¡¯ of the dead man can stand up. The aristocrats who lost the vigor will come with coin bags to buy them. The gall and teeth can also be used as materials for medicines and catalysts. No one will ever want to give even a piece of it.¡±


    Hearing that, Walm couldn¡¯t deny it. More so when the ship¡¯s condition had become bad.


    The mast was in good condition, but one side of the yard where the sails would be hung was all bent, and there were many holes in the deck and outer walls. How many gold coins would be needed to restore the ship to perfect condition? An amateur like Walm, couldn¡¯t even imagine.


    ¡°Walm, if you can still use magic, reduce the number before letting them get close. Fighting them all in close combat is just tiring and troublesome.¡±


    Saachef, who had been running around the sea, had returned to the deck. His smile was still there, but fatigue was clearly there.


    The other sailors were also exhausted from the battle and work, and if they were to engage in close combat, the damage to the ship would increase significantly.


    ¡°Got it, I don¡¯t want to swim back to the land after all.¡±


    Walm, who had refined his mana, shot the manifested fireball. The lead of the flock that was surging in great numbers was swallowed up by the explosive flames, sprinkling blood droplets and dyeing the sea red. There were some who spat out their internal organs from the mouth due to the impact of the explosion, soiling the sea.


    After repeating it several times, the Sahuagins disappeared into the sea.


    ¡°Oi, they¡¯ve gone!!¡±


    ¡°Bastards, they¡¯ve dived. Be careful! They¡¯re coming all at once!¡±


    Walm was standing back-to-back with Saachef and sharpened his five senses.


    As the other was also doing the same, the ship went silent.


    In the eerily silence, the bad-mannered demon mask began to vibrate loudly to welcome the flock of new visitors.


    ¡°I know, I know. I¡¯ll put you on, so stop trembling.¡±


    ¡°Uhh, Walm, what¡­ What¡¯s with that disgusting mask?¡±


    Saachef, who was sitting back-to-back with Walm, took a step away in disgust.


    Walm would like to agree, but it would be unbearable to have it vibrate while he put it on his face. So, he didn¡¯t say too many words.


    After regaining the calmness, Walm exhaled lightly and kept his field of vision wide.


    Water splashes rose to surround the ship without any warning. All of it was due to the Sahuagins jumping out of the water.


    ¡°They¡¯re here, KILL THEM ALL!!!¡±


    The Deck Boss roared and slammed his hatchet into the leaping Sahuagin. The Sahuagin was cut from its shoulders to the chest, letting out a raspy shriek before collapsing.


    Walm followed the battle dance, by slashing a Sahuagin¡¯s arm as he grabbed it, then flipped his wrist to send its head flying.


    No one had trouble finding prey. The Sahuagins that were visible on the surface of the sea were only a part of the whole, and more were springing up from the sea one after another.


    To the ¡®second-rate merfolk¡¯ who tried to deepen their friendship, Walm responded with a longsword stab. The tip of his sword was sucked into the Sahuagin throat, but it still didn¡¯t stop walking. Truly an energetic and enthusiastic fella, but that extent wasn¡¯t enough, there were many that showed fiercer enthusiasm at Dandurg Castle.


    Twisted the wrists to gouge out the useless thing behind the skin, the Sahuagin finally fell asleep on deck.


    Walm tried to swing the longsword that he had pulled back at another Sahuagin, but the mucus left on the deck made his feet slip.


    Taking advantage of the opportunity, two Sahuagins closed the gap.


    ¡°That oddball bastard, even if after died, still causing trouble.¡±


    Walm rotated around the left foot without letting the right foot that had started to slide, turning the momentum. When he turned around, a Sahuagin was within reach. As he had poured mana into the blade, he landed a ¡¶Strike¡·to the Sahuagin, cutting and tearing the waist and shoulders.


    The remaining Sahuagin¡¯s arm grabbed Walm and seemed to want to hug him like a beloved lover. And as if also wanting to give a deep kiss, the jaws opened, exposing the ragged fangs to the air together with fishy breath.


    Walm lowered his posture and flung up a board of the deck. Using his shoulder to press the board against the Sahuagin¡¯s slimy belly, he escaped its fangs.


    The Sahuagin¡¯s ankle which was leaning forward, was cut off with the tip of Walm¡¯s blade, resulting in it falling down as it was. Losing the support, the Sahuagin crawled on the deck helplessly, but when a longsword cracked its head, it twitched a little before becoming immobile.


    More Sahuagins rushed in, trampling on the corpses of their brethren.


    At the same time, Walm caught the crossbow arrows scattered on the deck in his field of vision, pierced his longsword into the board, and went to pick it up. Saachef, who had witnessed the barbaric act, voiced his complaints, but unfortunately, Walm was too busy to listen.


    ¡°Oh, there¡¯s still some looking good.¡±


    Walm lightly gripped one of the arrows and kneaded his mana around it.


    ¡± ¡°Release¡± ¡°


    The arrow popped out due to air compressed by mana. The sharp arrow was sucked into between the Sahuagin¡¯s eyes, sending the Sahuagin¡¯s body to the deck as if its foot had slipped.


    Fire-attribute magic surely would exhibit excellent firepower on the ground, but it couldn¡¯t be denied that it had excessive power to use in close combat on a ship.


    Wind-attribute magic that could be used on arrows and similar things to be shot like a projectile, had excellent power and was clearly a better action to use in shipboard battles.


    Seeing a good result, Walm, who was in a good mood, shot the arrows without hesitation. Those arrows weren¡¯t originally Walm¡¯s belonging, but if it were to be handled roughly, surely in an emergency like this, it would be tolerated.


    After firing arrows into four bodies, a Sahuagin approached the plank that had fallen off and used them as a shield. Two Sahuagins with a club and a captured spear followed behind. For Walm now, to be attacked by some Sahuagins without thinking about the damage, was enough to be a threat.


    A plank used as a shield obstructed the field of vision of the Sahuagins. Walm took his longsword, slid out of a blind spot, and cut off a defenseless knee along with the fins. The Sahuagin, who lost the freedom of movement, stayed in place with its one leg, but then collided with the following brethren and fell together while tangling.


    Walm wasn¡¯t a gentleman enough to let go of the two that appeared in a loving position. Two slashes for two Sahuagins¡¯ necks.


    The last one left was the Sahuagin with a spear. A spear held at the waist was aimed at Walm.


    The tip of the spear was deflected upwards by the blade, and their bodies crossed.


    The Sahuagin turned around to confront Walm once again, but such a wish didn¡¯t come true as blood oozed from its neck. In the end, it let out a thin watery breath, dropped the spear, and reached out into the air, but the sea goblin couldn¡¯t grab anything other than death.

 CH 106

    106. Chapter 106


    A strong, choking stench of death clung to the ship. After all, finally, the monsters had become corpses, just that they hadn¡¯t yet been removed. Even in death, the Kraken tangled around the ship and became a very delightful object. And the sahuagin¡¯s corpses outnumbered sailors, and they died in a wide variety of ways.


    It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that it was an exhibition of things that used to be a sahuagin. One sahuagin was crucified with a spear on the mast, another sahuagin was caught in a rope and had its head crushed, and many more.


    Seeing the awful exhibition, Walm sighed and kicked a sahuagin caught on the gunwale, to the surface of the sea.


    The sudden banquet of unpleasant monsters ended, and the sailors who were the participants were now working hard to clean up. Walm went around to tell the sea goblins who were late for the feast or who were still in a festive mood to leave the stage.


    ¡°Idiot, if ya wanna drag it, think ¡®bout the direction!! Look, the internal organs are overflowin¡¯!¡±


    ¡°Shut up! You¡¯re the one who shouldn¡¯t step on the eyeballs and stain the deck.¡±


    ¡°Repairing the hoist is the priority. This ship won¡¯t move for a while after all.¡±


    ¡°Pull out the arrow before kicking them down! Retrieve as many weapons as you can!¡±


    Sailors who just finished having a tiresome battle had no time to rest. In addition to the dumping of Sahuagin, there were too many repairs that must be done, as the ship was heavily damaged by the fighting. On top of that, they must get smeared with foul-smelling mucus, as they had to dismantle and salt the Kraken in parallel. And the heart-rending voices of the men smeared with mucus reached Walm.


    ¡°Aaaahh, aahh¡­ damn it, it stinks so much!!¡±


    ¡°Uhhh, this is the worst. It even got inside my underwear.¡±


    ¡°I protected the ship, why is this happening to me¡­?!¡±


    ¡°Stop complaining. There¡¯ll be a reward for dismantling it. shut your damn mouth and do your jo¨D¨Dorrrghh¡±


    ¡°Deck Boss, aren¡¯t you also vomiting? Aaaaa, the smell is giving me a headache.¡±


    It was a very frightening sight.


    Lowering a small boat and dismantling the monsters. There was no mercy for the sea magician who could move freely over the sea. Truly, non-stop labor.


    As Walm pitied Saachef, who was among them, Saachef noticed his gaze and waved his hand while dripping slimy liquid.


    ¡°Walm, you want to participate too? Even though the Captain has promised to give you a small gold coin, you¡¯re greedy, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Are you joking? Is there anyone who will gladly jump into that? More so if there¡¯s a man covered in slimy liquid, huh?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re no fun. We¡¯re comrade-in-arms on the ship, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°If there¡¯s no mucus, I¡¯ll gladly stand as your comrade-in-arms.¡±


    As a result of his engagement in battle, Walm was promised a reward by the Captain. And he had no intention of interfering with the sailors¡¯ job any further. More so when he had already cleaned up what he had directly spilled onto the ship by throwing them into the sea.


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. I need to collect the weapons I lent to them ¨D¨D I wonder what¡¯s going on down there?¡±


    Walm tried to use the entrance to the middle deck but stopped. After all, part of the stairs was damaged by the battle, and the sailors were forced to use it. If he joined carelessly, he would just be a hindrance to the traffic.


    Looking around, Walm turned his eyes to the destroyed deck. Fortunately, the large hole in the deck was suitable for a new entrance.


    Walm jumped down after checking his surroundings. Strengthened his lower body with mana and completely neutralized the impact of landing. It was right in the destinated room. Truly a shortcut.


    ¡°Oh, ooooohhhh!!!¡±


    The screams of the passengers greeted Walm, who quietly landed on the middle deck. Luckily, their numbers didn¡¯t decrease further than what Walm remembered, but it seemed that Walm who suddenly appeared from directly above was greatly giving a cold chill on their spine. Thus, they started protesting as if to generate steam for warming their spine.


    ¡°You!! You scared me to hell, damn you! I felt like my lifespan got shortened for a moment there!¡±


    ¡°I was about to slash you, you know.¡±


    ¡°I would like you to be more moderate in your mischief.¡±


    ¡°Look at the stairs, I thought it would have been quicker to get down from here. No offense.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯d like you to call out first. Sure, here can¡¯t be compared to the upper deck, but even so, we¡¯re in a situation to be frightened by even a small strange sound.¡±


    In front of the peddler¡¯s line of sight lay a few sahuagins and pieces of tentacles. They probably entered through a hole made in the outer wall, but they received a fierce attack from passengers, who didn¡¯t know the word ¡®hold back¡¯, resulting in fresh minced meat created here and there.


    Walm was so impressed by the scene that he got a headache.


    ¡°Seems you had your fun too. Even turning this place into a kitchen. What are you gonna do with that finely minced meat? Is it for tonight¡¯s dinner?¡±


    The room where the hammocks lined up, was covered with beaten and softened objects that could no longer be called sahuagin. Amazingly enough, Walm¡¯s bed was also included. The sailors and passengers here seemed to be believers in equality.


    ¡°For that matter, I¡¯ll honestly apologize. We couldn¡¯t take it easy after all.¡±


    Looking at the surrounding, there was no lie in those words. Exhausted passengers were leaning on the wooden box or barrels, here and there.


    Walm didn¡¯t want to hang in the past, so he seized the little feeling of wanting to lament.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s clean them up and wash this room with water. The sailors can¡¯t even spare resources around here. Unless, you want to live with those until the sun goes down¡­¡±


    ¡°Uhhh, do we need to clean this all by ourselves?¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped, let¡¯s throw them away before the smell sticks.¡±


    Passengers grabbed the end of sahuagins and threw them outside from the opening made on the wall.


    ¡°What about the hammock?¡±


    The result of being too absorbed in the dismantling show was also appearing on the hammocks. They were now mixed with the intestines and undigested sea products.


    ¡°I would like to wash it, but¡­ there are many injured people, so there must be a shortage of water.¡±


    The peddler deliberately glanced at Walm.


    ¡°You. Listen, I just roasted a Kraken on the upper deck and filleted many sahuagins, you know?¡±


    ¡°As expected everyone knows that, we won¡¯t tell you to do it for free, right everyone?¡±


    The passengers agreed with the peddler And, to refuse after being set up so far, wouldn¡¯t be good. So Walm obediently raised the white flag.


    ¡°I understand. Then, prepare some buckets. Ah, before that, who wants to drink water? It¡¯ll be bad if you get dehydrated while working.¡±


    Everyone raised their hands. Being treated as a human water dispenser was something Walm got used to during his time in the Highserk Army. On the bright side, this situation where wages were promised wasn¡¯t that bad.


    Walm pulled one of the empty barrels lying around and sat down. While diligently refilling the bucket with water, he also scooped up the water in the bucket and drank it up to moisten his throat.


    ¡°Return the weapon I lent. You won¡¯t need it anymore.¡±


    Walm picked up the pile of weapons on his side and began cleaning them. His favorite longsword was also stained with mucus and couldn¡¯t be put back into its scabbard. He tried to wipe the demon mask, but strangely there wasn¡¯t a single stain on it. Truly, it was a mysterious item as ever.


    The demon mask was bestowed as a reward by the now-deceased ¡°War God¡±, but the fact that his former squad members treated it as a cursed mask might have been right all along.


    However, if Walm threw it into the sea and the next day it trembled at his bedside with anger, it would scare the hell out of him. As long as there was such a possibility, it would be better to keep it.


    Well, other than being the best face protection I have, if I hang it, it¡¯ll vibrate to wake me up in an emergency. Thinking of it as a slightly different kind of multi-function alarm device, maybe the best¡­


    Walm was having such mundane thoughts while wiping off the mucus from a sword. He then put the sword thinly coated in the vegetable oil into the magic bag.


    ¡°Ah, the blade was chipped. Well, it can¡¯t be helped, I guess.¡±


    One of the hatchets had a chipped blade. It wasn¡¯t that strange since it was swung around by an amateur. Fortunately, it was only a small chip, so it still could be used without worrying much about it, or he could use a whetstone to sharpen the blade and it shouldn¡¯t be a problem. In the first place, it wasn¡¯t something that Walm would use regularly, and he intended to sell it when the right time came.


    Walm, who put the hatchet into the magic bag, and without stopping or looking back, opened his mouth.


    ¡°What? Do you have something to say?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Well, it¡¯s a rare item.¡±


    Without restraint, the peddler answered Walm. It would be so. For him whose job was to carry a large amount of luggage every time, the magic bag must be something he really wanted.


    ¡°Let me say it just in case, I won¡¯t sell it and¨D¨D¡±


    ¡°No more words are needed. And, no one would be so stupid as to steal something from you who rampaged fighting the monsters. Besides, I don¡¯t mind even if you think of me like that.¡±


    Walm scratched his neck, then spun words.


    ¡°That¡¯s, my bad. I said too much.¡±


    ¡°No, no, but well, seems like I can also be forgiven for letting the hatchet¡¯s blade got chipped.¡±


    ¡°¡­ tch, just when I thought you were interested in the magic bag, did you actually come to get forgiven? To purposely come forward yourself, are you a conscientious person? or just a shrewd bastard?¡±


    Although he was complaining, Walm, who was completely at a loss with the peddler¡¯s action, didn¡¯t even feel like blaming the peddler.


    Overlooking the middle deck, the peddlers and other passengers were busy cleaning the room and washing the hammocks. No one would believe they were passengers. They were like a group of employees or servants doing chores.


    Rather than getting irritated at such a scene, it was giving Walm pleasure. And though he was the only one, he continued to happily laugh.

 CH 107

    107. Chapter 107


    Thanks to work that lasted through the night, the sahuagin¡¯s corpses and the dirt that had built up inside the ship had been cleaned. Ultimately, Walm worked hard to provide water for the entire ship, not just the other passengers. He vaguely assumed it would be the case. After all, in battle, sea magicians and the normal magic user had used up all their mana, and the water situation inside the ship wasn¡¯t good. More so when presented with a reward, Walm couldn¡¯t help but nod.


    Yard repairs and Kraken salting operations continued day after day. As for the Kraken, the number of pieces that needed to be salted was enormous, so the mana of the sea magician was squeezed out to generate salt. As for the yard, it was a heavy object that was always affected by the wind, and because of the work at height, even with emergency measures, couldn¡¯t be completed overnight.


    The outer wall and deck retained some distorted areas as if it was a child¡¯s handiwork, but somehow the functionality was restored.


    Even now, such hard work still hadn¡¯t stopped, and although everyone was tormented by fatigue and drowsiness, no one yawned or spat curse words. On the contrary, all work had been stopped, leaving the minimum number of personnel necessary, and people were gathered on the upper deck.


    ¡°They were faithful sailors who gave their lives to protect their comrades, the passengers, and the ship. Their majestic appearance shall never be forgotten even if their bodies decay, and shall forever be engraved in our memories.¡±


    Captain Belim Beggar, the commander of a large merchant ship, stood by them who could never speak again. In the attack of Kraken and sahuagins, 14 people were killed and more than twenty were injured. Considering the class of the monster, the damage was small. Even so, if the few dead were lined up in front of them, who would be happy? Of course, no one. Especially when they knew that those 14 couldn¡¯t be transported to land and would just decompose.


    ¡°Let¡¯s send them off on their new journey grandly.¡±


    Those who lined up on the deck were those who attended the sent-off. Their usually lively mouths were tight and shut, painfully sobbing in front of the corpses of those who must have been close to them. Beggar, who kept watching over them, signaled to his subordinates, and the trumpets sounds and the attendees singing could be heard in unison.


    Dry voices, out-of-tune voices, and withered voices, were the tributes to the dead, a requiem to send them off. No cremation ground or burial ground for them. It was the sea where they spent most of their life. Going down a slope made quickly with available materials, they sunk into the sea. Each carried weights and rum.


    One by one, they left for the next journey. The requiem never stopped. The singing voices of the sailors, who were by no means beautiful, resonated well with Walm. Those who died were unfortunate and deplorable. Still, they looked enviously dazzling.


    ¡°I guess, I¡¯m such a bitch, and pathetic for being like this.¡±


    The body was treated with respect, and the companions mourned and sent off the deceased with emotions. This was sailor ways.


    Though they would be abandoned inside the sea, the sailors would see them go down until no trace could be seen anymore, thus taking up precious time, all just to send them off. Perhaps, this was why they fought bravely in a deadly battle.


    What about Walm? Without even having time to mourn the death of his comrades, he continued to fight, only to lose again. The faces of those who couldn¡¯t be saved came to his mind one after another. The girl whom he promised but failed to keep, his comrades-in-arms, and the sight of his hometown being burned down, none of it could be forgotten. The only salvation Walm could give to his father, mother, and fellow villagers was a second death. It wasn¡¯t in a good way either. He burned them down without being able to give them a proper burial. But what could he do? He was just a useless person after all. At least Walm himself thought so.


    Gritting his teeth, Walm interrupted his thoughts. he had to stop it. After all, this place, this moment, all belonged to them. To put their own life at stake to protect and save their comrades, they were worthy of being praised and missed. It shouldn¡¯t be a place to comfort his stupid self. Or else, it would be as if he insulted them. Thus, if he got punished by the rest of the sailors, he wouldn¡¯t, he couldn¡¯t complain.


    Walm quietly joined his hands and prayed for their souls. He had no faith, and even though his hands had been stained with blood and taken many lives ¨D¨D he must pray to the great sailors.


    The last body was thrown into the sea. This was the end of the burial.


    The sound of the trumpet continued to linger in Walm¡¯s ears. The Deck Boss, who usually would be fussy, left the sailors, who were sobbing and unwilling to move, without saying a word. The sailor with a broken leg continued to call out to his sinking brethren to the end. Walm didn¡¯t feel like listening to all of it, so he didn¡¯t focus on his ears and just look over the sea.


    Still, the reality would continue and the time would keep moving even if they didn¡¯t want to. Those who remained on the deck, finally left the deck reluctantly and resumed their work.


    In the end, Walm, who spewed out mana and had no work assignment, was the last one. He kept looking dumbfounded at the sea where the brave men disappeared.


    It was supposed to be the sea that he had grown tired of seeing. And yet, for some reason, Walm couldn¡¯t take his eyes off it now.


    The waves continued to sway the surface of the sea as if it had nothing to do with humans.


    Looking at the sky, the clouds were flowing intermittently.


    A seabird resting on the mast overlooked the situation. And some seabirds pecked at worthless parts of sahuagins and Kraken that had been thrown to the sea surface.


    Walm, who was lost in thoughts, was approached by someone.


    ¡°Hm? Saachef, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Walm simply faced the sea magician who had lost his companions and was probably diving into despair, without making a single witty joke.


    ¡°Walm, thanks. Thank you for praying for my friends.¡±


    Pain could be seen behind Saachef¡¯s eyes.


    Perhaps, Saachef said so because he saw that Walm put his hands together. Though in fact, it wasn¡¯t that noble. Walm was just aware of his own disgrace and tried to make up for it.


    ¡°Pray, huh¡­ It wasn¡¯t that big of a deal.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened, but don¡¯t look down on yourself too much. Everyone is grateful to you. Even those who passed away.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try¡­¡­ If that¡¯s the case, that¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°Walm, accompany me, would you? Look, I just got my payments for tiring my body.¡±


    Saachef took out three bottles of rum and threw one of them into the sea. Then he presented one to Walm.


    Walm accepted it without any excuses, and put out the bottle.


    ¡°To the sailors who set off on a new journey.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, to those brave men.¡±


    Then the two of them simultaneously tilted the bottle of rum at once. The alcohol slipped through the throat and settles in the stomach.


    The rum that he sipped at the port had a sweet taste in the bitterness, but now Walm could only taste the bitterness.

 CH 108

    The sea voyage, which felt like crossing an endless horizon, finally showed its end with the appearance of land for the first time in nineteen days. Seeing the shadow of the land, passengers let out a sigh of relief, and even the sailors felt joy in their hearts.


    ¡°You may still be in the mood for a voyage, but sure enough, it¡¯s been an unexpectedly long time.¡±


    The upper deck, which had felt so spacious before departure, perhaps as a result of getting used to it, felt narrower than before. At the same time, Walm was unable to shake off his loneliness.


    It would be the case.


    After all, fourteen sailors who died in the battle with monsters set off first without seeing the port. Many injured had returned to good health quickly thanks to the recovery magic of the ship¡¯s doctor, but there were still those who had not fully recovered. So, it couldn¡¯t be helped that it felt slightly quiet and dull.


    Walm looked up and heard the yards extending from the mast creaking.


    As a result of the emergency repair, the sail was restored and the ship became self-propelled again, but still, couldn¡¯t reach full speed even once. If normal loads were applied to the flooded parts, such as the ship¡¯s bottom, or the temporary yard, it would inevitably break, and when that happened, repairs would begin while drifting.


    Because of that, the ship was forced to live at sea much longer than planned.


    Sure enough, the ship had already been loaded with food and drinking water for an emergency, but by adding the portion of those who no longer needed them, somehow the people on the ship, including Walm, didn¡¯t starve.


    And now, the sight that everyone had been waiting for, could be seen clearly.


    The Ship that entered the port docked at the pier while being guided by small boats.


    The sailors had to coordinate with the port manager and unload the increased cargo.


    The passengers said goodbye to the sailors and disembarked one after another. There were a lot of people who were carrying heavy loads, and there were very few people like Walm who were light in loads.


    The number of passengers continued to decrease while struggling to pass the gangway. Finally, it was Walm¡¯s turn. The Captain, who was seeing off the passengers, held out his hand to Walm.


    ¡°To have you on board, we were so lucky. Let me say this once again. Thank you, you have my gratitude.¡±


    Walm faced the Captain and grabbed his hand deeply.


    The Captain had wrinkles that befit his age, but his hands were rough and hard, with many scars on them. Such was to let others know that he had a history of penance and was truly a hard worker.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind. Not only did you let me on your ship, you even let me make some money.¡±


    ¡°If you need another voyage, please be on my ship. I¡¯ll always welcome you.¡±


    Walm put his foot on the plank after a short greeting. The plank, which felt terribly unreliable when boarding, didn¡¯t feel as inconvenient now that he had become used to the sea. As he stepped down onto the pier, a strange, tingling sensation surrounded him. The sailing ship was always tilting, and it continued to sway not only forward, backward, left, and right, but also three-dimensionally. Now that it settled down, somehow the stability made Walm feel a sense of discomfort.


    ¡°Huff, now it feels uncomfortable without the shaking, huh?¡±


    At first, Walm was worried about the tremors, but after finishing it, he felt that the sea was normal. Even though his body had been with him for many years, Walm couldn¡¯t help but get astounded by its simplicity.


    ¡°Hmm? Are you getting off now? I¡¯m sure you will miss this ship so much that you start thinking it¡¯s better to be a sailor.¡±


    Saachef, who assisted the passengers to disembark, said with a big laugh. He was truly a jolly guy all the way through.


    ¡°I¡¯ve had enough of the sea. Now, it¡¯s time to enjoy the land.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a pity. You could be a good sailor. Come if you¡¯re having trouble with money. Of course, you¡¯re welcome to come as a guest. And, of course, when you want to get on board, talk to me, ¡®kay?¡±


    ¡°If I ever need the service again, I will. Until then.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I wish you luck in the Labyrinth City.¡±


    Slammed the pier with boots and looked over the ship from the mooring quay. The holes made in a part of the hull were randomly blocked. The painful wounds stood out very much. Yet it had not lost its majestic appearance.


    Walm bowed to the statue and left the place.


    This port was much larger than the previous port city, Selimus, which was an intermediate base for shipping. Ships resting from a voyage were cramped on the pier, as the crew busily unloaded the cargo.


    Leaving such a lively place, Walm continued walking, trying to regain his sense of being on the unmoving ground. The destination would be the Labyrinth City, which wasn¡¯t that far away. It was a distance that could be finished in two days by foot soldiers accustomed to marching.


    Right before he could leave the place, Walm heard someone call out to him.


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem to be very busy.¡±


    It was a familiar voice that Walm had heard in the morning, noon, and night, for the past days more than enough, to the point he had gotten tired of hearing it.


    ¡°It¡¯s you.¡±


    It was the peddler, carrying a load that exceeded his height. What was impressive was that such a slender body could carry such a load. Considering how he used the hatchet lent to him until the blade got chipped, he might be the type that had more power than how he looked.


    ¡°Even though you¡¯ve just arrived on land, why don¡¯t you take a little break to celebrate your safe return?¡±


    ¡°Having said that, didn¡¯t everyone drink a lot on the ship, including you, right?¡±


    ¡°This and that are different¡­¡­ That aside, are you planning to leave here already? Like, right away?¡±


    ¡°Yes. After all, life is short.¡±


    There wasn¡¯t much time left for Walm. He had to get his hands on one of the Three Hidden Treasures of Healing that everyone pursued, risked their lives, and gathered dazzling amounts of money for. In any case, no time could be wasted.


    ¡°You¡¯re still young, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Do I look so?¡±


    It was rare for a person to say that Walm, whose age was never mentioned to the person, was young.


    ¡°Well, there is a condition that I think so. I need to look at you, day and night, in a small space, for a few days.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­  That aside, didn¡¯t we talk more than enough on the ship? To stop me now, what is it?¡±


    Walm didn¡¯t hate roundabout conversations, but he had talked more than enough. So, he cut the main topic.


    ¡°Well, I haven¡¯t heard your name.¡±


    ¡°Ah, come to think of it, you¡¯re right.¡±


    Among the passengers, they called each other ¡®politely¡¯, such as ¡°You,¡± ¡°Oi,¡± and ¡°Hey.¡±. Sure enough, Walm didn¡¯t know the name of the peddler in front of him.


    ¡°My name is Hugh. As you can see, I¡¯m a humble peddler.¡±


    ¡°Walm¡­.. phwahaha, what is this? We had spent that much time together, and only now we¡¯re introducing ourselves properly?¡±


    When Walm, who could no longer stand it, leaked a laugh.


    Hugh was caught in and laughed with him.


    ¡°Well, I thought it might be a good chance to get acquainted with a skilled mercenary, so as a sign of gratitude for what you did on the ship and our bond, here¡­¡±


    Hugh held out a jar full of Kraken meat pieces.


    With a serious face, Walm quietly opened his mouth.


    ¡°Oi, oi, please give me a break. It¡¯s Kraken¡¯s meat, isn¡¯t it? We all got enough to rot, right?¡±


    As souvenirs, salted krakens were also distributed to the passengers. Even Walm had enough salted kraken meat and tooth sleeping in the magic bag. He then lamented that the peddler was just trying to give out unnecessary stocks.


    ¡°It would be a problem if you¡¯re carelessly treating it the same as a salted pickle. Hear me, this is made from the good part, above all, this can be used as medicine. It¡¯s clearly a high-class item.¡±


    Hugh protested as if he were angry. It would be different if she was a girl, but his action was clearly not cute at all.


    Rejecting such unpleasurable sight to the eye, Walm reflexively wanted to reach for the longsword. Luckily, he could hold that urge.


    ¡°That¡¯s, my bad. You see, my eyes can¡¯t tell the difference, but well, to receive something precious, I¡¯m more than happy.¡±


    Honestly admitting the fault, Walm put the jar in his magic bag.


    ¡°In return, that magic ba¨D¨D just kidding. Please don¡¯t stare at me with those eyes. Then, if you managed to hunt or find something rare again, please let me know.¡±


    ¡°You, seriously. You think I can always get a chance to fight those and win¡­¡­ No way, it won¡¯t happen again.¡±


    The monsters he had fought in the past crossed his mind, and Walm, who couldn¡¯t say that, answered in a sloppy manner.


    ¡°Then, I¡¯m sorry for calling you in such a hurry. Really. I sincerely hope, to see you again, Walm-san.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m looking forward to that day too. Then, see you, Hugh.¡±


    Thus, Walm was really left alone.


    Surely, it was a busy and dangerous voyage. The sailors who died were regrettable, but the life and encounters on the ship weren¡¯t so bad. At least Walm thought so.


    And with those new memories in his heart, Walm blended in with the people coming and going, to finally have his shadows melted and disappeared in the crowd.

 CH 109

    109. Chapter 109 ¨C The Labyrinth City, Belgana


    The Labyrinth City, Belgana¨D¨D the land where there was one of the largest labyrinths on the continent, and whose prosperity was promised by the resources and relics brought from it.


    However, wherever there was a dazzling light, there was always a dark shadow.


    Since old times, the city had changed rulers so many times that the blood that had flowed didn¡¯t even have time to dry, and even now, such a bloody struggle still continued.


    Beginning with a border battle with the Liberitoa Trade Federation, Walm had fought against many nations, each with a variety of military ranks and terrain. His experience made him able to somewhat read the battle that had broken out around Belgana.


    The innumerable ruins of different campsites and various defensive facilities were proof that the rulers had changed as the usurpers rushed in. Such was a history of the place.


    ¡°Even though I haven¡¯t even entered the city yet, there sure is a lot of traffic.¡±


    The appearance of the people was various. Lightly dressed travelers, merchants with wagons and wheelbarrows, peasants with cattle full of crops, and adventurers. Such a wide variety of people and goods coming in and out, was evidence of a prosperous economy.


    The labyrinth was a resource production area where a large amount of consumption sprung. A labyrinth would be a suitable stage for those who dream of a one-shot reversal and rising up to fame. Of course, Walm also knew from information about the dark side of such a dazzling stage. That there was no end to the number of people who went bankrupt because their dreams were shattered, and those who had their flesh, blood, and souls swallowed up by the labyrinth.


    The sea voyage had a positive effect on Walm in terms of knowledge. After all, people who could travel long distances by boarding merchant ships were hardly among the poor. In a world where people struggled to gather information, information from people with multiple social ties was valuable.


    Together, Walm and those people overcame the crisis of a powerful monster attack, and after being forced to take a long sea voyage, their mouths became lighter.


    No doubt, Walm listened to what they said seriously. Thanks to that, he got much information and was fortunate enough to be able to get the information of the general people living in Belgana, the environment, the situation, etc. in advance.


    As Walm approached the city, the number of patrol soldiers wearing well-manicured armor from head to toe, increased. They were keeping an eye on passersby.


    ¡°Don¡¯t park your wagon on the road. This isn¡¯t your road. Move to the edge.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m really ignorant¡­¡­ Oi, listen to what I say. Or I¡¯ll mince you.¡±


    Walm had no way of knowing whether there was a problem with the wagon or whether it was a rebellious period of the cow, but the farmer apologized profusely after being scolded by the patrol soldiers, and hurriedly grabbed the cow by the nose ring and pulled it to the side of the road.


    ¡°This is the second time. Can¡¯t you do it right already?! Look, this place has a lot of traffic. If any disturb it, there won¡¯t be any excuses that will stop me from getting rid of it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, I¡¯ll listen to what you say, so please forgive me.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, do something with this cheeky cow of yours. You don¡¯t want to be fined or whipped together with the cow, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    From the impeccable posture of the guard soldiers, the confidence they had acquired through experience and training could be seen. The presence of these well-trained soldiers, should be enough as a deterrent to crime.


    The Labyrinth City, Belgana, was governed by Marquis Borgia, an influential aristocrat on the mainland of the Galmud Archipelago. Marquis Borgia had 3,000 ready-to-use regular soldiers in the city alone. Including those who were stuck at the border, in total it would be about 40,000 soldiers. Even in peacetime, they could feed that many soldiers. The unwavering financial strength that could manage all of that was truly immeasurable.


    That said, Walm, who had doubts that the military strength was too excessive, was convinced by the map shown on the ship. After all, Marquis Borgia¡¯s territory was a dangerous zone where the territory was in direct contact with the Republic of Maylis and the Aleinard Forest Alliance.


    Thousands of soldiers would glare at each other even in skirmishes, and hundreds of thousands of soldiers would undoubtedly be mobilized if a full-scale conflict ever began.


    It wasn¡¯t hard to imagine that if the three major powers on the continent, which even managed to kill a dragon, went to full-scale war, the red-blood sea would surely spread over this land. Fortunately, no war had broken out in the last few decades despite the mild tensions here and there. Not enough to be something Walm should worry about.


    The appearance of Walm, who was curiously staring at the cityscape, was exactly the same as a country boy who came to the city in the previous world. At the very least, so that no one would notice his gaze, he held the position of his neck and head, picking up the scenery with only his eyes.


    Walm finally reached the outer edge, but it wasn¡¯t yet a labyrinth city.


    Belgana was a city where ramparts surrounded the great labyrinth, and along with its development, more facilities had been added. The houses in which people lived also showed expansion in line with the increase in population. To the point where houses must be built outside the walls. Now, there were more buildings outside the walls than inside the walls.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s good to finally arrive here, but¡­ hah, I don¡¯t know right or left.¡±


    Walm, who had no familiarity with the city he was visiting for the first time, proceeded in the direction of a large number of people, while relying on the ramparts that seemed distant. On his way, he noticed that even the buildings outside the castle were larger than those in an average city.


    Occasionally, the visitors who had just arrived in Belgana could be seen standing dumbfounded on the side of the road, probably drunk by the atmosphere after being swallowed by the waves of people. Walm felt a sense of familiarity with this situation, but there was a clear difference between them. In the previous world, Walm had sometimes crossed the rough sea of 180% occupied train. For such a former corporate warrior, this level of the crowd was like a ripple, not enough to swallow him, rather, he felt nostalgic.


    Matching the stride and speed, Walm naturally weaved through the gaps between people. The place where he arrived after riding the wave of people was the gate. Although there wasn¡¯t a moat, two gate towers were built, an outer gate and an inner gate. Gaps for throwing stones and bows were set up, and the figures of soldiers were scattered on the ramparts.


    ¡°That¡¯s not it¡­¡­ it¡¯s really a bad habit of mine. No, it must be an occupational disease.¡±


    Before noticing it, Walm had started evaluating the defensive facility in front of him while examining multiple factors. Even though he was now nothing more than a mere remnant of a defeated army.


    I¡¯m no longer a soldier¡­


    Confirming the height of the walls by eye, any blind spots, and the place that could be used as a foothold¡­ I¡¯m not a spy, I don¡¯t need to do such a scouting, ain¡¯t I?


    ¨D¨DWith a bitter frown, Walm shifted his mind.


    About ten soldiers were calling people out. Watching from afar, Walm grasped what was going on.


    The soldiers were collecting a toll to enter. There seemed to be an exception. There was a person who was allowed to pass without giving anything, but that person had what appeared to be a pass engraved with the seal of the Marquis.


    Must be the people who live or own the store inside¡­


    ¡°So¡­ the gate is used as a checking station huh? No wonder outside the wall turned like this. It must be a place where people who don¡¯t like the toll tax, or those who can¡¯t pay it choose to live.¡±


    Walm wasn¡¯t willing to cause trouble with culture or tacit understanding.


    Should I collect more information before going inside? In that case, I need to look for taverns and restaurants for locals. After all, it¡¯s one of the few sources of information for those who have no connections.


    Walm recalled the route to the gate, but there was no short in his memory and he remembered it well.


    After leaving the main street, Walm began to explore his surroundings, using his senses of hearing and smell in addition to his sight. Though it might sound as if he was a dog, those were the senses that Walm had cultivated on the battlefield, and based on its track record, it was worth believing.


    In fact, as if the hearing and smell were showing off their capabilities, it wasn¡¯t that long before a tavern for the masses was found.


    Thus, Walm went to gather information for a while.

 CH 110

    Having finished gathering information, Walm was about to take the first step into the inner city. He joined the line to the gate, which was used as a checkpoint. The line was short, and even if the person waiting in line were children, it was not that long enough to make them lay down their limbs on the ground and look up at the sky in boredom.


    Finally, it was Walm¡¯s turn, and the guards¡¯ gazes were pouring into him at once. Thinking that it was like immigration checks at airports in the previous world, he didn¡¯t get overwhelmed. Even more when there was no need for a passport, passing the metal detectors and X-ray machines for security checks. If such a thing existed, Walm would be genuinely surprised, but there was nothing to be guilty of, other than the weapons and hands that had tasted human flesh and blood.


    ¡°What¡¯s the purpose of your visit?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s a labyrinth city. I came to dive into the labyrinth.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem to have a tag of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a mercenary, not an adventurer.¡±


    ¡°Where did you come from?¡±


    Disgracefully, Walm seemed to be under suspicion. However, because he did nothing wrong, he answered confidently.


    ¡°Dalimarx¡±


    ¡°Dalimarx¡­? Ah, there was a battle the other day.¡±


    ¡°Since the war ended in a short period of time, I guess, he came here because he was having trouble with food?¡±


    The guards exchanged opinions about Walm¡¯s true identity, as if to say that he was unprincipled. Unlike some demon mask that loved blood and malice, Walm was nowhere unprincipled. He wouldn¡¯t tremble any time at any place, without care of the situation.


    In fact, Walm was a down-to-earth person, though he himself would never self-proclaimed so.


    ¡°Seem like a mercenary fellow you can see from time to time. Alright, you can pass through.¡±


    ¡°One small silver coin. Bad coins are not accepted.¡±


    ¡°Glasses of ale just for passing¡­¡±


    When Walm lamented over the harsh world, a painful counterattack came from the guards.


    ¡°Stop nagging. Want me to check everything from underwear to food on hand and add tax, huh?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind, but only dust and dirt will come out, you know?¡±


    The guard checked the small silver coin he received with his naked eyes, rubbed them with his fingers, and put them away in a small bag.


    ¡°Hurry up. Don¡¯t get in the way of others.¡±


    With no witty words from the guards, Walm was chased away and proceeded to the main street based on the information he had gathered.


    Now, his first purpose was to buy and sell goods obtained on the battlefield, but it wasn¡¯t easy to find a well-known store behind an alley.


    The shop Walm visited was the one usually visited by novice to mid-level adventurers and mercenaries. It was information obtained by lightening the drunken adventurer¡¯s mouth with ale. The shop didn¡¯t seem to only have swords, but a wide range of items other than weapons and armor. Pushed the door aside and stepped inside. The brass store doorbell that had been nailed resounded inside the store, announcing Walm¡¯s existence to anyone inside.


    Swords and spears were without saying, but there were also a plenty variety of striking weapons. The armor also varied from leather to metal, and there were items with unfamiliar designs and old-fashioned items. Probably, items from the labyrinth.


    Walm approached the man who was seen as the owner who boldly leaned his elbows against the counter. Noticing Walm¡¯s approach, the man finally straightens his posture.


    ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°I want to sell weapons¡±


    ¡°Is it that long sword on your waist?¡±


    Walm denied the words of the owner who probed through the scabbard.


    ¡°No, not this. Anyway, I¡¯ve a decent amount, can I put them here?¡±


    ¡°Sure?¡±


    In front of the merchant with a dubious expression, Walm lined up the weapons he pulled out of the magic bag. The magic bag was something he wanted to hide. However, he didn¡¯t want to carry a large number of weapons around the city, and no matter how much he looked like a mercenary or an adventurer, he would definitely be stopped by the patrol guards.


    ¡°Well well¡­¡±


    The color of the swordsman¡¯s eyes changed as the weapons were pulled out of the magic bag one after another. There were no boorish questions about magic or the magic bag, and he just checked the construction and materials of the items.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem to be a labyrinth item, huh?¡±


    Some of the spearheads had deformations in the join and nailing parts that fixed them to the handle. Because Walm separated the metal spearhead and the wooden handle in a hurry.


    ¡°Looks like you collected them on the battlefield, and only those in good condition.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you buy it, if it¡¯s something picked up on the battlefield?¡±


    ¡°Nah, whether it¡¯s from a labyrinth or a battlefield, weapons are weapons. I¡¯m not interested in where you got it or who looted it. Quality is everything.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good mindset. Then, can I sell this too?¡±


    Walm put a small bag in the corner of the counter that was filled with weapons. Inside were rings, bracelets, and necklaces Walm collected from the corpses of mercenaries. The mercenaries seemed to be not that confident if they didn¡¯t wear all of their possessions, so they carried precious metals in all sorts of shapes. In short, Lucky for Walm.


    Still, as expected of Walm, even if it took time and effort, he recovered them without dropping their fingers or arms. He had no intention of humiliating them even after they died, more so when there would be a chance of them turning into undead if treated carelessly. The only things he overlooked were the gold teeth and artificial eyes that would damage the corpse during the retrieval if any.


    Goods with high both in quantity and quality. It didn¡¯t look like a clearance sale of vegetables. So, until the appraisal was completed, Walm decided to look around the store.


    The first things that caught Walm¡¯s eyes were battle axes and maces made from monster bones. They had been polished and dyed as black as tar. As far as Walm knew, bones were processed and used for daily necessities, so it was hard to imagine that they would be strong enough to be used as weapons.


    In order to get an answer, Walm must ask the owner, but the owner was diligently assessing the items he brought in. There was one employee in the store who was dealing with a group of adventurers. He couldn¡¯t ask anyone to tell him.


    ¡°Well, what should I do?¡±


    Walm, who was wondering whether to go out of the shop for a while to casually ask about the identity of the surface paint, discovered a bottled liquid somewhere under those weapons.


    ¡¸Dark Slime, for maintenance and repair¡¹


    Such was what was written there.


    ¡°Oh, a kind of slime huh?¡±


    Walm had seen slime before. It was omnivorous and preyed on moss and insects.


    In Walm¡¯s hometown, water bottles and water jars were waterproofed by mixing boiled slime with tree sap and some chemicals. Based on that, even if all effect was unknown, at least it seemed to have the effect of increasing the preservation and strength of bones.


    The bones are used only for striking weapons¡­  does it hinder sharpness or it¡¯s just that difficult to process?


    The durability was unknown, but the price written on the price tag was quite cheap compared to metal. For a former commoner with little money to make it as their first weapon, would probably be a good option.


    In fact, one of the adventurers in the shop was also carrying a black mace on his back. Overall, their equipment was poor no matter how Walm looked at it, probably, they were those called ¡°country¡¯s bumpkins¡± or ¡°greenhorns¡±.


    ¡°Wild boar skin armor and bone mace huh? I also want to use metal once in a while, you know.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly. You¡¯ve broken your blade so many times. Also, bone isn¡¯t that bad. I mean, it¡¯s fine as long as it¡¯s not a stone, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, you broke the spear last time. You¡¯re too rough at handling your weapon.¡±


    ¡°At the very least, make it something from a Horned Grizzly¡¯s horn. This is the thighbone of an Orc. Those foods. Even the labyrinth goblin¡¯s is a little more decent than this.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t look over here. I won¡¯t lend you my spear.¡±


    ¡°Nope, I won¡¯t lend my sword either.¡±


    Walm regretted eavesdropping on the conversation. It seemed that the financial situation of the adventurer who seemed like a ¡°greenhorn¡± wasn¡¯t that good. The young man, who looked resentfully at his companion¡¯s equipment, looked at the weapons piled up on the counter and let out a sigh.


    ¡°Haaa, it¡¯s just not in my hand. My hand just for, a bone, huh?¡±


    In the end, the young man left the store as if he was being dragged by his companions.


    Walm frowned at the indescribable bad aftertaste. Regardless of his state of mind, thanks to their efforts and Dark Slime, he was able to kill time until the shop owner¡¯s assessment was completed.


    The amount of money presented was appropriate, and Walm accepted it without hesitation. Three small magic silver coins, two large gold coins, and one small gold coin in a coin bag.


    Leaving out the shop, he muttered.


    ¡°I guess, this must be that a lot of money¡­¡±


    If ordinary people lived modestly, that amount would ensure their living for several decades, but it didn¡¯t reach the amount Walm used to get the eye medicine sold by the healing magician at Kopetsk City. For still wanting to dive into the labyrinth, how greedy he might look if compared to those who somewhat equipped themselves with little money? Even so, Walm must dive into the labyrinth no matter what.


    After all, no time to waste for the decaying eyes. And thus, Walm prepared himself to dive while impatience feelings rushed in him.

 CH 111

    An owner of an equipment shop was working hard to repair the goods he had just purchased.


    After a while, he let go of the maintenance tools to the desk and sat down in a cozy chair to soothe his exhausted spirit.


    ¡°You seem unusually tired, what¡¯s wrong? Did the customer just now do something?¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not the case. The materials used were all of the good quality. I was allowed to make a deal that wasn¡¯t bad.¡±


    ¡°In spite of that, you look so exhausted¡­.. but, that mercenary, he even had a magic bag, right? Did he take it from some noble or something? Ah¡­ Owner, perhaps, those are all stolen goods?¡±


    The employee clapped his hands as he said so in a joking tone. It was as if he wanted to say that ripping off a bloody mercenary would of course lead to exhaustion.


    The shop owner denied the employee¡¯s words while pressing his temples.


    ¡°Your customer service isn¡¯t bad. You are also very attentive. That¡¯s why I employed you, but that light mouth of yours is really a bad habit. You¡¯re constantly inviting disaster you know.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ll try.¡±


    Normally, the shop owner would preach politely, but the information he received from the items in front of him raised his temper and made his mouth speak harsher words than usual. After all, there were traces in a lot of products that said they had been engulfed in a raging fire. There were faint traces of burnt gloves and scorched skin oils, even though it was just on the sword.


    The remaining weapons also looked well maintained, but the eyes of someone who had been dealing with weapons for many years, couldn¡¯t be fooled. Wiped the leather grip and handle with a cloth soaked in chemicals, and burnt blood and grease, could be seen on them.


    If they were collected from the ruins of a battlefield, the shop owner¡¯s heart wouldn¡¯t be so cloudy. But if they were collected after the mercenary himself had done the deal, just as the shop owner had imagined ¨D¨D more so, to pick out only the high-quality items. How many people had the mercenary burned to death in the whole world? The shop owner couldn¡¯t guess.


    In the quarter-century of opening the equipment shop, he had dealt with a number of blood-stained post-war weapons and things left by the deceased. His pride didn¡¯t allow him to feel fear of a mere mercenary. Even so, that was why the experience he had cultivated made him feel the abnormalities of the mercenary even if he didn¡¯t want to admit it.


    ¡°¡­Did they buy anything?¡±


    Thinking that this matter shouldn¡¯t be dragged on forever, the shop owner was trying to shift his mind by asking a question to the employee.


    ¡°Thin leather gloves. But, to dare diving into the labyrinth with a weapon made with orc¡¯s bone¡­ how to say it, those young adventurers are really brave. No, I guess, it just shows how promising they are.¡±


    The employee¡¯s voice was mixed with amazement and envy. Nothing strange. After all, anyone in this city seriously thought about challenging the labyrinth at least once in their life.


    ¡°There were a lot of people who die because they were forcing themselves. However, among those guys, there were some who can come back and immediately buy full-order armor, armor that would even make the guards outside feel envious. And those black-colored bones, are called investment. There are quite a lot of people who buy things at the shop where they got their first weapon.¡±


    It was the reason why the shop owner sold bone weapons coated with dark slime with little profit. Not only good frequent customers could be cultivated, but the shop would be regarded as an excellent supplier.


    ¡°No way, even those ¡°Trimagitack¡±?¡± [TN: It¡¯s the best name I can come up with]


    ¡°Yeah¡­ Hear me, I know it¡¯s hard to believe, but that young adventure bought one of the black bones there, dived into the labyrinth, and came back. He¡¯s definitely a special one. He¡¯s still young. He may be able to be a conqueror of the labyrinth in the future¡­ Hopefully, he¡¯ll be able to reach that position.¡±


    The one who conquered the labyrinth. It had a special meaning not only for the shop owner, but also for the residents of Belgana. It was a symbol of valor and wealth, and even among the ¡°Three Big Countries¡±, no one dare to underestimate its fame. Unfortunately, in the past few decades, there had been no conquerors born from Belgana itself. Speaking of the most recent conquerors, they were the mainlander from the capital of the Galmud Archipelago, the blockhead from the Republic of Maylis who claimed to be the descendant of a demi-god, the lengthy (ear) from the Aleinard Forest Alliance, and the adventurer directly under the guild. That was why, Marquis Borgia had been pouring his heart and soul into creating a new conqueror from the citizens of the labyrinth city.


    ¡°As expected, he¡¯s different from us. But, the ¡°Conqueror¡¯s Purveyor¡° sure has a nice ring to it.¡±


    ¡°Hmmp¡­ well, you¡¯re right. It doesn¡¯t sound bad. More importantly, go to the brothel in moderation, can¡¯t you? You reek of perfume.¡±


    The sweet smell had been tingling the shop owner¡¯s nose since a while ago. And for the shop owner who was dealing with weapons and armor every day, it was an unpleasant smell.


    ¡°Hehe, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ll try.¡±


    ¡ô


    The closer it was to the center of the labyrinth city, the higher the prestige of the building materials used in the buildings. Occasionally, there were houses that were different in style from the surroundings and that gave a sense of gap in the era, but they were well maintained and the exterior walls were painted with brand new paint. In addition to equipment shops, restaurants, and inns, there were even blacksmiths and public baths. In short, it was crammed with all sorts of shops.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ what a unique city.¡±


    On the other hand, the people who were walking around looked so diverse. There was just no end in terms of occupation here.


    The adventurer, which seemed to be the high-rank ones, were armed with equipment comparable to a knight and soldier. As for the low-rank ones, they were armed with clothes used by common people and farming tools. In terms of appearance, they were very different from the adventurers Walm had met in the past.


    ¡°Equipment isn¡¯t everything, but¡­¡±


    The adventurers, who jumped into the war between nations because of their love for their homeland and strong patriotism, who even after losing the war, tried to protect the residents from the different homeland, even if it meant throwing away their pride and lives, were strongly left an impact and stayed in Walm¡¯s mind ever since.


    At first, Walm met them on a different path and tried to kill each other, but their way of life was so dazzling for him, that he couldn¡¯t help but respect some part of them, even though he was unwilling to admit it.


    What about the adventurers Walm had been passed since a while ago?


    For the greenhorn adventurers, no matter how they might look, Walm could understand them. Probably they emptied their wallet and used it all into buying anything they could to challenge the labyrinth. However, most of the mid-rank adventurers and above had red, yellow, and blue colors that hurt Walm¡¯s eyes.


    Sure, it might be for a practical reason, but, did you need to make it that flashy?


    Even Walm couldn¡¯t help but wonder about the necessity of it. More so when he could even smell perfume.


    ¡°¡­¡­Right, sometimes, looks and pretentiousness are important. Sometimes, you could win with a bluff.¡±


    That might be one of the reasons for the strange appearance.


    One thing for sure, was that because they had achieved a certain amount of success that they could be roaming the streets like this.


    And in a way, Walm might be seen as a terribly dirty and uninteresting human being.


    ¡°Well, either way, that¡¯s not my style.¡±


    Walm, who abandoned his thoughts just to escape from reality, pursued the adventurer¡¯s back.


    A scene of people gathered from all over the city, who made a living from fighting, could be seen. For Walm it was a familiar sight. It reminded him of military life.


    At the end of the crowd, was the place Walm aiming for.


    ¡°This is huge¡±


    Unlike the buildings that had been lined up, no useless gaps allowed, and the open space could even line a thousand soldiers. Stone pavement stretched straight in the center of such a place, and stone pillars with beautiful carvings lined up as if they ran parallel to each other. A huge building stood further behind. While maintaining its beauty with white as the base color, the building had a profound feeling and presence that would overwhelm visitors due to its size.


    Based on its size, Walm tried to guess.


    Must be the residence of Marquis Borgia¡­


    However, as if ridiculing Walm who thought so, people, regardless of their appearance, gender, or age, proceeded without hesitation.


    The decisive blow that made Walm feel completely ridiculed was the stone next to the open gate.


    ¡¸THE GREAT LABYRINTH OF BELGANA¡¹


    Such was engraved on the stone. And on the other stone,


    ¡¸ADVENTURER¡¯S GUILD BELGANA BRANCH¡¹


    Was engraved on it.


    Surely, it was enough to affirm Walm that he didn¡¯t go to the wrong place.


    ¡°Well¡­ whatever happens, happens.¡±


    And so, Walm stepped forward.

 CH 112

    112. Chapter 112 ¨C First step into the Labyrinth


    Crossing the cobblestones, Walm passed through the unlocked door. An atrium and a line of arches made of white marble welcomed him.


    A light flickered in his field of vision, making him notice the brightness even though he was supposed to be indoors. Looking up, his muddy eyes found that the ceiling window was alternately fitted with colorless transparent glass and colorful stained glass. What a clever way of capturing the natural light from outside.


    ¡°Speaking of labyrinths, I¡¯ve an image of a dirty place but..¡±


    Looking at the pillars, at noon it seemed to be daylighting, and at night it seemed to switch to magic stones or luminous moss lanterns as the lighting. The lantern hanging had a design that didn¡¯t impair the overall design.


    Even though it was a splendid creation, Walm couldn¡¯t keep admiring it forever and so he proceeded to the next step.


    The wave of people who used to move in the same direction had scattered, and there were even small groups standing still with their backs leaning against the pillars. Walm also occupied one of them, observing the current.


    According to the information that Walm obtained at the tavern, the owner of the Great Labyrinth of Belgana was the Marquis Borgia family, but most of the operation was entrusted to the adventurer¡¯s guild, which was deemed to be good at managing labyrinths and had a lot of management know-how.


    In fact, the door with the sign ¡¸ADVENTURER¡¯S GUILD BELGANA BRANCH¡¹ attracted the most people.


    Also, it seemed that there were multiple entrances to the labyrinth, and the exact number hadn¡¯t been revealed. In order to avoid waiting in line, there were various entrances for nobles and respectable guests from other countries, and Walm was told with an envious tone that only high-ranking adventurers were allowed to use them.


    Furthermore, it seemed that there was even a special salon set up for those in power and high-ranking adventurers, functioning as a meeting place to gain connections and employment.


    The adventurers who¡¯re dressing up like nobles must have been influenced by that special gathering¡­


    After finishing his observation, Walm lifted his hips off the pillar he was leaning on and started walking. Although adventurers had some privileges, those who came to challenge the labyrinth weren¡¯t all adventurers and powerful people. Commoners dreaming of getting rich quickly were also active on the low-rank floor. And, Walm was also going there to check it out. He already set that as his first aim.


    Although the farm tools such as hatchets and hoes were wrapped in a cloth to avoid letting out the sharp part, Walm didn¡¯t overlook those. The owners, who seemed to be commoners, walked forward with tense faces. Walm quietly followed after them, and stepped deeper and deeper into the building.


    ¡°¡­¡­ I see.¡±


    The destination seemed to be the entrance of the labyrinth, which was probably for the common people. The more getting deeper, the more the elegance was dropping down. Probably, it was the oldest area of this building that had undergone repeated extensions and renovations. Compared to the entrance, the damage progressed as getting deeper, scraping out the elegant design. Even so, compared to the fortress of the Highserk Empire where soldiers got food, clothing, and shelter, it was still in a much better condition.


    As they keep walking, they finally arrived in a room that should be okay called a large square with a high ceiling. It was probably used for breaks and meetings.


    There were shops for weapons and consumable items, and there were even vendors selling snacks. There were many desks and chairs with different designs, and there were even those that were originally of high quality. What a really easy thing to guess. Those must have been old items sold in another waiting area.


    ¡°Listen carefully, if you¡¯re targeted, run away and lure it to the spear holder.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got a new backpack. Now I can stuff meat and whatever more.¡±


    ¡°Haha, even though you won¡¯t even use half of it, you bought such a big one huh.¡±


    ¡°Oi, there¡¯s sauce on your clothes.¡±


    ¡°I know. It¡¯s on purpose. When I¡¯m hungry, I¡¯ll lick it.¡±


    ¡°Liar!¡±


    The waiting area was really full of ¡°dignified and graceful¡± people. In this ¡°elegant¡± atmosphere, Walm might be able to dance without any trouble.


    At what seemed to be the reception area, the adventurer¡¯s guild staff and the challengers to the labyrinth exchanged money for a badge of proof in form of a tally.


    Walm went to the receptionist when it was about time the line of people was running out.


    ¡°I want to enter the labyrinth.¡±


    Walm, who didn¡¯t know what the correct thing was, made the first move in a straightforward manner without relying on poor tricks.


    ¡°Umm©`, aren¡¯t you in the wrong place?¡±


    While hiding the turmoil in his heart caused by the unexpected response from the receptionist woman, Walm answered the question with a question.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this, the entrance to the labyrinth?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s the entrance, but this, is an entrance for novice adventurers and citizens, you know? You don¡¯t seem just a novice¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m not an adventurer.¡±


    ¡°Ah, are you a mercenary? I thought you were an adventurer who came here from another city. In that case, you should register as an adventurer onc¨D¨D¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t need it¡±


    ¡°Eh, umm©`, it¡¯s easier to get information about diving into the labyrinth if you belong to the adventurer¡¯s guild, and it¡¯s also recommended for joining a party and gathering friends. If you don¡¯t have a criminal record, you can use the bulletin board, and also ask the guild to introduce you to other adventurers. I¡¯m sorry but, are you alone?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Yes, I¡¯m alone.¡±


    Walm couldn¡¯t object to the words of the receptionist which sounded like ¡°You don¡¯t have any friends, do you?¡±.


    The receptionist woman who took control of the conversation continued to admonish Walm.


    ¡°There are many people who have experience in fighting by being a mercenary, but this is a labyrinth, and common sense outside doesn¡¯t work. To put it bluntly, diving alone is suicide.¡±


    In the Myard territory, Walm trampled the adventurers he met, although, at Dandurg Castle, his lack of power eventually drove them to their deaths. For Walm, who had survived alone, how could he accept any weak rationale to become an adventurer?


    Memories of the past come back to his mind, and heat could be felt burning his eyes. Walm lowered his gaze and clenched his jaw to catch his breath.


    There was an unbelievable silence in the busy waiting area.


    Feeling that there might be some reason that couldn¡¯t be helped, the serious-looking receptionist loosened up.


    ¡°It seems, there¡¯s some kind of reason or obsession. Hufff, I don¡¯t recommend it, but I can¡¯t forcefully stop you either. Also, it¡¯s not that there are zero cases like this¡­¡­ it¡¯s one small silver coin, and five copper coins. When you give this tally back, five copper coins will be given back to you. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s, Walm.¡±


    The receptionist woman who wrote Walm¡¯s name in the management ledger then took a tally made of copper with a number engraved on it from under the counter, and presented it to him.


    ¡°This is a prohibited and important note. Can you read?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡±


    ¡°In the case of adventurers, there are also detailed seminars you know¡­.. No, no, I¡¯m not forcing you or anything, just saying.¡±


    Walm looked through the stack of papers he received. The limit on the number of people and the structure within the hierarchy were written. He read it through, once again read carefully the points that interested him, and then returned it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself too hard, and keep an eye on the overall situation on the low-rank floors. I think Walm-san, who seems to be used to fighting, will be able to come back safely. I sincerely wish for being able to meet with you again.¡±


    With a troubled smile, the receptionist sent Walm off.


    The professional receptionist must think of Walm as a nuisance. At least Walm thought so. Also, he felt guilty for spending her time and effort.


    ¡°Thank you, I¡¯m sorry for being unreasonable.¡±


    In response to Walm¡¯s gratitude, the receptionist opened her eyes wide. For looking so surprised, she must have thought of him as a rude person who couldn¡¯t even say thank you.


    ¡°N-no, no, it¡¯s my job, so don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    Walm left the receptionist, who felt uncomfortable, and proceeded to the entrance of the labyrinth. Walm presented the tally he just received to the guard, and proceeded down a long hallway.


    As going deeper, the footing material changed again. Stepping on it a few times to get the feel of it, Walm continued.


    After a while, it turned into a downhill. The lanterns that stood extending from the floor were stuffed with luminous moss to illuminate the footing.


    Walm felt a presence at the end of the passage that had become horizontal again. In the large room were guards, and a small group of familiar people. It was the adventurer party with the greenhorn adventurer he saw at the equipment shop. They seemed to exchange some kind of information in the center of the large room.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let your guard down. Till when you wanna keep laughing?¡±


    ¡°Well, well, don¡¯t get so worked up.¡±


    ¡°Today is the day. I will bring home, a whole orc.¡±


    ¡°Then, you can buy better armor.¡±


    ¡°Rather than that, it¡¯s a weapon!¡±


    ¡°Bone is enough for you, right?¡±


    The armor was the bare minimum and the weapon wasn¡¯t so excellent. To put it bluntly, it was bad overall. Still, they looked so happy and had carefree smiles. Their eyes were shining with hope for the unseen tomorrow. The leader-like young man who noticed a gaze from behind nudged the young man in a good shape with his elbow.


    ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s go faster, others are coming from behind.¡±


    ¡°Ah, right. Sorry.¡±


    If I was born and raised in this land, I might have challenged the labyrinth with people from the same hometown, just like them¡­


    Such thoughts crossed Walm¡¯s mind, and he frowned as if just had eaten something bitter. He realized that it was nothing but a stupid delusion that would never happen. His eyes, also his hands were too muddy, stained and dirty to even have such a dream.


    Walm, who had returned to reality, stared at the young adventurers¡¯ backs.


    ¡°Hey, did you see? Isn¡¯t he a mercenary from the shop? So scary.¡±


    ¡°Idiot, your voice is too loud.¡±


    ¡°Right. The bone should stay quiet.¡±


    ¡°Stop teasing him and let¡¯s go.¡±


    Thus, with one step they jumped into the labyrinth. And with that, the figure of the four disappeared.


    A world of magic, a living mask, and even dragons. Walm didn¡¯t mean to be surprised, but he just could never forget it. The ¡°hole¡±, that appeared when his mouth and throat went dry.


    ¡°¡­Ha, haha, no way. More than anything, why it must be this unfunny joke? I thought I would go down to some sort of basement?¡±


    Feigning composure, Walm stood on the edge and peered into the black hole.


    There was pitch blackness where nothing could be seen through. It brought back memories of the world of the past. From the hole in front of him, he could feel a similarity to the hole that appeared on the last day as Takakura Raizo, a Japanese salaryman, and sucked him in.


    ¡°Who knows, perhaps after I jumped in, it¡¯ll be that world¡­¡­. Hah, stop that ridiculous delusion, can¡¯t you?¡°


    Walm didn¡¯t have time to slowly organize his memories. Sensing the presence of a new group behind him, he made up his mind, kicked the ground with one of his legs up, and jumped in. The young adventurers jumped in without hesitation. Even though there was some connection with his fate, he wasn¡¯t that shameless of a man to be frightened here.


    The world was dyed black and some touch could be felt. Really terrifying, as if being caressed by something invisible. Unfortunately, or not, Walm¡¯s consciousness wasn¡¯t cut, and the spreading darkness switched to dazzling light not long after.


    Finally, Walm took the first step into the labyrinth.

 CH 113

    Without long, the darkened field of vision, dark enough to lose one¡¯s sense of balance, cleared up. Luckily, Walm¡¯s feet firmly gripped the unknown ground. He was welcomed by the unknown area where it was hard to say that the visibility was good, but clumps of luminous moss were growing on the ground, walls, and ceiling, illuminating the surrounding.


    ¡®Traces of the Gods interfering with the world¡¯, ¡®The playground of the Gods¡¯, and ¡®The world outside of reason¡¯, that was the exaggerated name that Walm learned when investigating the labyrinth. He couldn¡¯t even laugh at those who gave such names. Even for Walm, who was accustomed to a different world with some different principles, this place was just too different.


    That said, Walm was neither a scholar nor a researcher who would itch to unravel the mysteries of the world or wouldn¡¯t get satisfied to just let it by without trying to unravel them. More than anything, worrying more than necessary about the mystery of the labyrinth would only slow him down. He had already experienced a world where different laws and principles work, so he was open-minded enough to not get confused every single moment like this.


    Breathed repeatedly to calm the excitement.


    With his body regaining its flexibility, Walm sook out the footsteps of the ones who went before him. It shouldn¡¯t have been that long since the preceding adventurers jumped in, but he couldn¡¯t see them. Dropping his hips to search around his feet, but there was no brand new trace left behind.


    Considering the information, Walm got his brain into gears.


    ¡°Are the start points separated?¡±


    Otherwise, the labyrinth challengers sent in one after another will create a traffic jam.


    I wonder how big this place is...


    Considering the amount of supplies that commoners without military service or war experience could carry on their backs, and considering that they could return from the low-rank floors, it should be possible to traverse in a day at the longest, or less than half a day at the shortest. At least Walm thought so.


    Considering the equipment of the adventurer party with the greenhorn, even Walm alone should be able to deal with the enemy around this area. Although Walm never felt complacent about his own combat skill, through his long combat experience, he understood very well how much he could push himself.


    Walm readied his halberd and started walking down the passage.


    The ceiling was unusually high, and the passage was wide enough for two wagons to easily pass. The passage led to a small room, from which multiple new passages appeared. After choosing one of them, the same passage and small room existed. After repeating the same procedure several times, Walm had a general grasp of the structure of this low-rank floor.


    Basically, it was similar to a grid pattern. The lines were passages, the intersections were small rooms, and some roads were cut off and become dead ends. The ground was mixed with pebbles and luminous moss that had fallen, and weeds were struggling to survive.


    Again, Walm left the small room and now was walking through the passage. However, this time, he noticed a shadow approaching from the front. The pattering sound of footsteps was somewhat silly, it didn¡¯t match the atmosphere of the labyrinth, and on the contrary, it was even eerier. And so, as Walm braced himself, the figure of the shadow emerged.


    ¡°Goblin?¡±


    The appearance of a familiar monster didn¡¯t change even in the labyrinth. It was a humanoid monster, about the height of a child, and had canine teeth that were more developed than humans. Its ears were smaller and pointed than those of a human, and its skin was still pimpled and green. Among low-ranking monsters, it was smart enough to run away if it was put in a disadvantageous situation. It was supposed to be.


    However, the goblin that saw Walm rushed towards him. Domination by powerful individuals and different species, the goblin¡¯s state was similar to a frenzied state under Great Outbreak.


    Walm, who sank his hips, thrust the halberd at the goblin that jumped in. The tip of the spear part of the halberd bit in and the goblin¡¯s head free-danced in the air, before bouncing around on the floor several times.


    Without relaxing, Walm vigilantly searched for signs of the surroundings, but there were no further attacks.


    ¡°Well, yeah, it¡¯s just one goblin.¡±


    Walm, who had released his stance, approached the corpse. Just to be sure, he poked its heart, but there was no reaction. It was a bare-handed goblin who wore nothing and didn¡¯t even have a weapon. He then inspected the damaged head, which was also nothing different than what he knew.


    ¡°Did it attack because I got close to a certain distance? Or just that it was wandering around?¡­ I guess both.¡±


    After finishing his investigation, Walm tried to leave the place, but a new sign was approaching. Must be a monster lured by the sounds of battle.


    Must be another goblin¡­


    ¨D¨DWalm hesitated whether to intercept or not, but chose to flee. He wasn¡¯t crazy enough to get pleasure in killing naked goblins.


    It wasn¡¯t even an edible monster, and even if the corpses could be pulverized and turned into fertilizer, it wasn¡¯t enough to make him actively hunt for it.


    Walm quickly left the place while suppressing the sound of his footsteps.


    After crossing a few passages and small rooms, he stopped and looked for signs. There didn¡¯t seem any pursuit as he had feared.


    Even after that, Walm, who continued his exploration by mowing down the weak spots of the few unfortunate goblins he encountered, arrived at a room different from the one he had been used to, and found something.


    ¡°Stairs?¡±


    The stairs were wide open, as if telling him to go down.


    Walm probed the floor and railings with his halberd and poked around, but there was no change. So, he obediently descended the stairs.


    Footsteps echoed, but no other sounds were mixed. After going down about 100 steps, he arrived at a room he had grown tired of seeing.


    ¡°If it¡¯s like this, there¡¯s no choice than walking around again to look for stairs.¡±


    Lightly hit the shoulder with the handle of the halberd as saying so.


    Walm remembered the information he got. He was told that the deeper one went down, the tougher the enemy would become.


    And sure enough, as if to confirm it, a goblin appeared in front of Walm, who had braced himself, but this time, with a club in its hand.


    ¡°You learned how to use a club huh.¡±


    Walm said admiringly. It was really a great growth after all.


    Holding the club high in the air, the goblin approached.


    Walm stuck his halberd in respect of its bravery. The sharply extended halberd point decapitates the goblin¡¯s neck just as before.


    The club that the goblin was holding in its hand made a crunching noise and fell to the floor. So pathetic.


    Walm picked up a club and swung it several times. Better quality than he expected. Even with the physical strength of a goblin, if hit repeatedly, it might be possible to crush a melon or even a human head.


    Stowed the first memento into his magic bag. If it became a waste of space, it could be used as fuel for a bonfire.


    After that, Walm casually cut down the goblins that stand in his way. To put it bluntly, it wasn¡¯t hard enough to even called it a fight. He killed about seven goblins and dived further down.


    Walm braced himself to see what kind of monster he would meet after the descent this time.


    Walking through, it wasn¡¯t just a single footstep that could be heard from the passage.


    ¡°Pressing by numbers huh? Certainly not a bad idea.¡±


    Two goblins swung their clubs and rushed in. As if giving proof that he had gotten used to decapitating goblins, Walm unleashed his halberd like before to kill one.


    The other goblin rushed over without flinching at the death of its partner. For some reason, it was too obsessed with Walm. He retracted the halberd and swung it to the approaching goblin¡¯s neck, smashing through its spinal cord. With most of the neck severed, the goblin simply continued to spasm, staining the floor with the blood spurting from its arteries.


    Walm moved forward as if nothing happened.


    Perhaps because it was the floor where multiple goblins attacked at once, the sound of battle accompanied by roars resounded out of nowhere.


    It must be a party that came to hunt in the low-rank floors. Walm hadn¡¯t encountered any yet, but he learned at the tavern that Orcs and Silver Wolves were popular on the low-rank floors. The reason was that, Orcs were good for meat, and silver wolf pelts could be sold for a good price. Although, it was impossible to reach the floor where the monsters they preyed on would appear, without killing the goblins that appeared on the way.


    In principle, fighting together with more than five people was prohibited. It wasn¡¯t something the guild liked to set rules for, but it was established based on the major principles written on the stone tablets that were excavated when the labyrinth was discovered, also by the result of testing sacrifice. Something always happens when more than five people went together. Although the details were unknown, it was said that the parties that broke that rule had never returned to the surface.


    It was also stated in the rules that were given by the receptionist for Walm to read. Basically, it wasn¡¯t recommended to get close to any fighting party. In short, nothing good would come out of breaking the rules. So, Walm decided to move away from the sounds of battle.


    Right when Walm crossed the dim passage and stepped into a small room, he found something strange on the ground.


    At the end of his gaze lay a goblin that had been defeated by the challenger before him. It wasn¡¯t much different from the goblins that Walm had been playing with until then, just that, it was as if half of its body had melted into the labyrinth and was about to be fully swallowed.


    ¡°Is it the labyrinth¡¯s self-cleaning action? It¡¯s like digestion.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just monsters. Abandoned weapons, armor, and even human corpses would be swallowed up by the labyrinth. It wasn¡¯t certain if dying in a labyrinth would take even the souls, but this spectacle had a certain amount of persuasive power for it.


    Feeling an indescribable eerie atmosphere, Walm slipped past the liquefied corpses and hurried ahead.

 CH 114

    In a room with a group of goblins, the leading goblin, whose throat was torn with the halberd, was still trying to approach Walm while spewing blood. It was like a drowning man grabbing at a straw. What a futile struggle.


    The remaining two also rushed into Walm. They all sure had a lot of guts. Those he met outside the labyrinth weren¡¯t like that.


    Releasing the stance, Walm swung his arms downwards and moved his upper body as he pulled his legs back. The goblin¡¯s arms embraced the space Walm was in just a moment ago. Twisting his hips, he smashed the side of the goblin¡¯s head with the bottom part of his halberd.


    As the feeling of shattering the bones transmitted, Walm glanced at the goblin that was rolling backward and not even moving, and immediately moved his attention to the remaining two goblins.


    Walm swung up the halberd from the lower left as if scooping up. One of the goblins was cut in half from its waist to its shoulders and fell helplessly to the ground.


    The last goblin swung a club around, but it didn¡¯t even graze Walm, who used the fresh corpse as a shield. He then slammed the head with his halberd, resulting in sending the head to the ground.


    ¡°To get such a welcome as soon as at the first room, you¡¯re so enthusiastic about doing your job huh? What a troublesome fella.¡±


    Walm descended to the fifth floor and received an enthusiastic reception in the first small room. After dancing with three goblins, he looked down the passages. There were three forks, but he didn¡¯t know which one to take yet. It wasn¡¯t that he lost any interest to explore. There were just too many. Too many footprints, undigested flesh, and blood. Also, voices were echoing everywhere.


    ¡°This floor, must be the low-rank hunting ground.¡±


    Many of the commoners who dived into the labyrinth and those who were new to the dungeon were probably staying on this 5th floor to earn daily money. In that case, far from just umami, sweet, bitter, and unpleasant taste, there would be various kinds of flavors to taste starting from this floor. There was no doubt that monsters other than goblins, who were regarded as having a worse taste than vomit, would come out and perhaps even drop something useful.


    For the time being, Walm tried to go to the quietest passage, but not long after, he picked up footsteps among the noise. Focusing on the further front, Walm grasped the true identity of the thing waiting in the small room and said its name.


    ¡°Orc?¡±


    On top of having a pig¡¯s face, it was a monster with a swollen belly, and limbs that matched the height of a human. Growling at Walm who came into the room, the orc hid its vital points with a club as moving toward him. Walm lowered his back and waited. It seemed that the orc¡¯s aim was to strike him with a club and made use of the weight difference.


    Walm, who changed his stance from a thrust to a slam, took a small step forward and slammed the halberd as soon as the orc reached the range. It was a blow without ¡¶Strike¡·, but still cut off the orc¡¯s upper arm that was raised to protect itself, and cut a part of its head. The body, which had lost control, slid in following the inertia.


    Then, Walm carefully observed the corpse that sat neatly at his feet. Other than devastating hostility, they were no different from any normal orcs he saw outside. He learned from his subordinates and fellow countrymen in the past that orc meat was delicious to eat, but he never actually tried it, more so, trying to dismantle it. Never.


    Roughly thinking about the procedure, it should be okay to just drain the blood and discard the internal organs. That much, should be able to let the meat be eaten.


    Walm hesitated whether to dismantle it or not, but remembered that his purpose was to treat his eyes. In order to find the rumored cure, it was necessary to go deep into the depths, and even to maintain the status quo, a large amount of money was required. The slower he proceeded, the more money he would need. Also, working hard to dismantle the orcs on the lower floors, such a struggle would only slow him down. He might not make it in time.


    So, Walm tried to leave the room, leaving the corpse behind. But as soon as he stepped forward, he was stopped by a voice from the back. It was a party that had come to this small room during the battle with the orc. He ignored them, thinking perhaps they were waiting until the battle was over, but he couldn¡¯t help but react when he was stopped.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to dismantle it? It¡¯ll be swallowed by the labyrinth, you know?¡±


    Looking at the members, Walm realized that it was that party with the greenhorn adventurer. Since when he passed them? He didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t need it now¡±


    ¡°Then, can I have it?¡±


    An adventurer holding a black bone asked Walm. What a straightforward attitude.


    ¡°You, as always huh¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut your mouth, can¡¯t you? You idiot.¡±


    It probably wasn¡¯t the consensus of the party. The Bone Greenhorn got his shins kicked, nudged, and his feet stepped on. Truly, a wonderful collaboration. Even if they were doing it on purpose, it was much funnier than a story from a drunkard in the tavern.


    Walm shook off the blood clinging to his halberd and faced them properly.


    ¡°We must¡¯ve bothered you, right? We¡¯re sorry.¡±


    ¡°Oi, you too, apologize quickly.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I was tempted by a demon, I couldn¡¯t control myself, please forgive me.¡±


    Walm lifted the corners of his mouth slightly at the people who stepped back as they apologize.


    ¡°You can have it. Do whatever you want.¡±


    Perhaps the words that Walm muttered were so surprising that they all stiffened with a look of utter amazement.


    ¡°Oh, ah, umm, thank you very much.¡±


    An adventurer who seemed to be the leader, who returned to reality faster than others, thanked Walm.


    ¡°Sure¡±


    After Walm left the room, the party began dismantling the orc. Glancing behind, he saw the spear bearer and sword bearer staring at each passage.


    They¡¯re good at using numbers¡­


    Walm was convinced that it was a good move of using party members. Even though he was going to challenge the labyrinth every day from now on, he had relaxed on day one.


    Not good. I must be more vigilant¡­


    Walm thought that if he couldn¡¯t keep as vigilant as before, he could have his flesh and soul taken away in the labyrinth. So, he raised his alertness even more and went through the passage.


    After that, after crossing paths with several parties and fighting less than ten battles with monsters, Walm arrived at a strange large square. In a space where even 100 people could keep their distance, many people were sitting down and resting. It must be what they called the ¡¯transfer room¡¯, which was said to exist every five floors, also known as the ¡®safe room¡¯.


    A similar passage extended on the opposite of the one which Walm passed.


    Must be leading to the stairs to go down deeper¡­


    Looking around the safe room, Walm found a door and there was no one coming out of it. He proceeded to open the door to confirm.


    The black hole that Walm jumped into on the ground was enshrined in the center. It seemed to be the hole that would send anyone back to the surface.


    In addition to the receptionist woman¡¯s suggestion, he had finished his preliminary inspection of the labyrinth. He was reluctant to dive into the black hole again, but there was no reason to stay.


    While letting out a small sigh, Walm jumped into the hole and entrusted himself to the jet-black.


    Like before, the darkened field of vision cleared without long. But this time, a guard welcomed Walm. He had returned to the surface. Passing the guard, he climbed up the slope and continued down the corridor. He was then lined with several forked roads and rooms with unknown uses, but Walm kept walking straight without taking any detours.


    The crowd of people gradually increased, and finally, Walm reached the waiting area. He immediately went to her receptionist who gave her advice.


    ¡°So, it seems you are able to return safely. Welcome back.¡±


    The receptionist woman welcomed Walm with a carefree smile.


    ¡°Thanks to you. Your advice, was very helpful.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for being modest, but it must have sounded like an annoying nag.¡±


    ¡°My knowledge about labyrinths is scarce. I¡¯m honestly grateful.¡±


    ¡°Fufu, to hear you say that, it makes me happy.¡±


    After returning the tally and receiving the security deposit, Walm left the labyrinth. He had deepened his knowledge of the labyrinth and had completed his preliminary inspection. The rest was just buying supplies for the next dive.


    By the time the sun sets, Walm finished buying the necessary supplies and found a cheap inn favored by novice adventurers to rest.


    The room was separated by an ultra-thin partition board, and it was a room where one adult could put luggage and lie down. It was no exaggeration to say that it had only depth but not wide. The snoring of neighbors and the laughter of drunken adventurers leaked through the cracks in the partition.


    Walm closed his eyelids to soothe his aching eyes. He finally got here, but hadn¡¯t got what he wanted. This, was only the start after all. From now on, he must dive through the black hole, and go deeper and deeper. The depth where countless challengers were defeated and dreaming to reach and conquer in order to gain fame. There, might lay his aim. Both physically and mentally must be prepared, neither being weak nor being spoiled would be allowed.


    Suppressing his excited self, whether his mind and body wanted it or not, Walm slowly forced his consciousness to be swallowed by the darkness.

 CH 115

    In a room shrouded in darkness, not letting any sunlight come in, in the center of that closed room, a man sitting low in a leather chair looked down at a woman crawling on the floor. The woman¡¯s red hair was dull and damaged, but there were no visible injuries on her body. Even so, the woman¡¯s complexion was paler than that of a sick person, as if about to collapse at any moment.


    It was clear that the cause was the man in front of her. The woman was terrified of him from the bottom of her heart, trembling like a child after having a nightmare. On the other hand, the man was enjoying himself, holding a cigar in his mouth in a way as if nothing was in his sight.


    The fragrance spread along with the exhaled purple smoke. As the room filled with such fragrance, the man finally shifted his gaze to the woman and slowly opened his mouth.


    ¡°I received information from a prostitute who has an employee of an equipment shop as a regular. Seems like a man came to sell a large number of weapons there. And his characteristics match your information. He must be the guy who killed my younger brother¡­¡±


    The man smoked the cigar again and paused for a while before continuing his words.


    ¡°Giusto wasn¡¯t that stupid, but sure, he was a hot-tempered guy. Besides that, he also didn¡¯t have much power to boast. Really, a stupid younger brother of mine. But in this f*cking shitty world, blood ties are unbreakable. You know that too, right? Lycka.¡±


    Lycka, a woman who had come here from the magical silver mine in a rush, nodded her head many times to the man¡¯s words, which sounded as if a master scolding a bad pupil.


    ¡°Seems like he managed to teach his subordinates well. I¡¯m not a demon, so as this is the first time, I¡¯ll forgive you¡­ In order to repay the favor for getting you out of the brothel, you even brought the report of my enemies back like this. Really courageous, aren¡¯t you? That should be it, otherwise, I would have given you to the lowly people with no money, or fed you to the rats in the underground waterways.¡±


    Lycka knew that the man in front of him, Giesel, wasn¡¯t just spouting a mere threat. In order to climb to the top of the underworld, especially in Belgana, the Labyrinth City, which had a large slum that spread outside the gate, the man had used every kind of evil means.


    ¡°Just as you said, seems like he¡¯s not your average guy. After all, he managed to kill Digor just by himself. Also has a skill that works in a wide range, to the point where it was enough to give Dalimarx, who was outnumbered, a victory¡­ But, in the end, he¡¯s breathing air, shedding blood, like other humans, right? That brother of mine, his way was wrong. Sure, using power to deal with that guy in a straightforward manner, was excellent. Simple, yet has an immediate effect¡­ Instant result if done correctly. Such a way isn¡¯t without risk after all.¡±


    Assault, threats, murder, the list went on and on, by such evil means the man had buried any enemies into the ground. Lycka was also complicit in some of them. Sending the fingers of the family, burning the skin to make them spit out information, and even peeling off the skin and sticking it on the street as examples, still, all of those were among the cute methods. Otherwise, in the underworld of the city with a light called the labyrinth, where myriad malice wriggling in the dark, Giesel wouldn¡¯t be able to stand at the top of the dark side of such a place.


    ¡°Inns, bars, places that he goes in and out frequently¡­ hobbies, tastes, goals, anything¡¯s fine. Gather information as much as you can. This is the first step, the start.¡±


    Although Giesel was good at violence, he wasn¡¯t the best. In Labyrinth City, where people and things were the most diverse even within the archipelago, except for the main island, information was still the most important thing. For that reason, he used not only violence but also a carrot-and-stick approach, and had many associate members and collaborators. From former prostitutes like Lycka, to active prostitutes, servants of nobles, and even guild staff, his information network was wide. Aristocrats who struggled for power in the Labyrinth City, even the underworld of other countries would find value in Giesel and thus formed a cooperative relationship with him.


    Of course, Giesel wasn¡¯t the only one who was feared by not only Lycka but also those who were living in the dark side of this city. The old man covered in a robe stands behind Giese, who looking up at Lycka, was also feared.


    ¡°Once your honor gets tainted, it sticks with you forever. You need to shake it off completely, Giesel.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know. Old man, you¡¯ve told me that, over and over again.¡±


    The owner of a dead tree-like old body, with only bones and skin standing out, was the one who picked up Giesel and Giusto when they were young, scavenging for garbage in the slum, and taught them how to scheme and use violence until they became rulers of the underworld. As far as Lycka knew, he was a ¡®monster¡¯ who had been lurking in the slum, for more than fifty years, sometimes committing grisly incidents and massacres. Despite his decaying body, for some reason, his eyes, only his eyes, were sparkling and didn¡¯t look as if they had lost any vitality.


    ¡°Now, go. It¡¯s time to work!¡±


    Right after Giesel¡¯s shout, his minions left the room all at once.


    In that way, malice nurtured by the dirty and muddy side of the Labyrinth City was about to creep on one man.


    ¡ô


    Walm, who had restored his energy, threw himself into the labyrinth earnestly. The 1st to 5th floors which he inspected carefully the day before were passed in fast since he didn¡¯t need to suppress his movement speed, and so he advanced all the way to the 6th floor.


    The floor up to now was called the surface even among the lower floors, and it was nothing more than a place where even commoners who were after meat, fur, rare coins, and any kind of equipment could dive in and conquer. Even a novice adventurer would ridicule those floors as a playground for kids.


    On the 6th floor, not only goblins but also multiple orcs appeared. Although mixed, they might appear in a group of 4. It was too much for the common people, who depended on the difference in numbers to obtain resources. And so, the bustle one could find below the 5th floor was lost in instant. On the other hand, any monsters that Walm met were full of vitality and annoyed the hell out of him.


    Not only monsters, but also the number of battles, and in every battle, he must think of how to reduce the numbers as they were closing in distance. Even if Walm had no trouble killing them, since he was always surrounded by a group, his equipment might get damaged and if careless, his body might even get hurt, he must fight without any skill after all, so as to not get exhausted fast. Also, for that reason, it was essential to reduce the number of enemies by killing them with one blow after another.


    Anyway, turning the monsters into nutrients for the labyrinth, Walm dived deeper. It was on the 9th floor that there was a clear difference.


    ¡°Now you start to take advantage of civilization huh?¡±


    Until then, Walm had only witnessed primitive equipment, but here came Orcs armed with metal. Based on the progress, it made a lot of sense. Still, the swords and spears were so rusty that anyone could tell that they were on the verge of breaking, but they were definitely made of iron.


    That meant, blood would overflow if it got into the gaps of the armor, and if it got into a vital point, it would cause serious injury.


    The jump in difficulty also happened on the 4th floor. So Walm concluded that the floor before the floor with a transfer room was about one level tougher compared to the monsters up until then.


    Three orcs rushed in, two spear-wielding orcs leading the way, and the remaining one following the two was wielding a mace. As if to reply to the enthusiastic greeting, Walm also ran at them.


    One of the spears came in a slam, and the remaining one was a thrust. The movement speed was fast, but Walm, who saw the trajectory early, quickly tilted his body. He caught the sound of the spear hitting the ground that failed to catch him, and caught the other spear that was approaching in front of him with his halberd.


    ¡°Huh, u¡±


    The spear thrust by the second orc was deflected overhead, and just like that, together with the arm, it flew into the air. Walm inserted the spear tip of the halberd into the orc¡¯s body. Ripping through the flesh, smashing through the ribs, to finally reaching the heart. Felling it, Walm immediately twisted his hand and pulled it out. The orc spat out death agony and blood, before it finally died.


    ¡°Such a busy day!¡±


    From the side, the other spear-wielding orc swung the spear horizontally as if to take revenge. Along with that, the last orc slammed a mace from the front.


    Walm sunk his lower body while twisting his upper body. The mace grazed his face, and the sweeping spear passed over his head.


    No time should be given to let the orcs regroup.


    Gripping the ground with the soles of his shoes, Walm stabbed the mace-wielding orc. The spear tip entered from under the chin, accurately severing the orc¡¯s artery, and the blood spurted out and colored the ground.


    ¡°The rest is only you¡±


    After being threatened from behind, the last orc still, which didn¡¯t fall into the threat, boldly held the spear in a thrust stance and rushed towards Walm. Utilizing the twisting momentum, the halberd drawn out horizontally cut off half of the spear and one of the orc¡¯s hands.


    The orc then tried to utilize nothing but a wooden stick with the other remaining arm, but stepping further meant letting itself go into Walm¡¯s attack range. So, the halberd gladly welcomed the prey, and the claw-like blade of the halberd cut off the neck, reaping its life. The orc staggered a few steps closer, but in spite of the efforts, it fell down to the ground.


    ¡°Not only sword and mace, but also spear? What¡¯s next?¡±


    Facing these kinds of weapons meant that, losing too much energy to exert physical strength and lack of concentration could lead even Wam to death. Even though he was preserving his mana to save energy, so he didn¡¯t use any magic and skills, Walm was hit by the reality that he was having a hard time getting through the low-rank floors alone, more so without any of them.


    ¡°¡­¡­No, you can¡¯t falter, you can¡¯t stop. Remember, what did you come to the labyrinth for¡­¡±


    Walm realized that the labyrinth was also a battlefield. Just that, it was a different kind from the battlefield he knew very well as a soldier.


    Once again, he must pass through the deadly ground. And in that kind of place, there were no shortcuts.


    There was no choice but to pile up the corpses one by one, while vomiting blood, while the spirit kept weathering down.


    But, such was how Walm had survived in this world up to now. So, he didn¡¯t need to change his way here.


    After putting the blunt weapon, a memento from the orc, into the magic bag, Walm quietly continued his exploration of the labyrinth.

 CH 116

    116. Chapter 116


    Sandwiched between the armor-covered sole and the ground, the skull creaked under pressure and was about to break. When Walm puts his weight, it finally reached its limit and broke, scattering dirty white fragments on the ground. Without even glancing at his feet, he narrowed his eyes as he caught something crawling in the darkness. There, was a skeleton that had lost one of its arms and lower body. With only its remaining arm, it was trying to approach Walm.


    The skeleton wasn¡¯t originally crawling on the ground. It was roaming with three others of the same kind. Those four skeletons met Walm and launched an assault on him, only to meet his anger. Three were destroyed and the last one was now approaching in such a pathetic state.


    The bare phalanges caught the half-boots, but at the same time, the halberd¡¯s bottom part cracked through the skull, bringing it to a complete end.


    ¡°This floor sure takes a lot of time.¡±


    According to the information Walm received from the female receptionist, only undead monsters appeared on the 11th floor through the 15th floor. It was a being that had been made as an opponent many times on the battlefield. After all, in battlefields where life and death coexist, there was no shortage of corpses, and if the corpses were mishandled, they would soon spring out.


    The skeleton that Walm had been smashing around until just now, even if the cervical spine was cut off, could still move around as long as the skull was safe. And even if a part of the skull was damaged, there were many cases where it wasn¡¯t enough to force their action to stop.


    Walm¡¯s solution was simple. To crush the skull with the axe blade of the halberd, or to incapacitate the limbs before delivering a finishing blow. Sure, it was a lot of work, but it didn¡¯t take that long. Really, the problem wasn¡¯t that.


    ¡°As expected, they all were drawn to me¡­¡±


    Walm had experienced the fact that once a battle began in the labyrinth, monsters would gather around him, to the point that he was sick of them.


    Up to 10th floor, the population of labyrinth challengers was large, and so, monsters scattered for them, but after the 10th floor, the ratio was reversed. It wasn¡¯t that there was nothing sweet to bring back, but it was simply because of the increasing degree of danger, so citizens, who only wanted to get their daily meals and only had a certain amount of confidence in their fighting skills, wouldn¡¯t risk themselves, leaving only adventurers and labyrinth explorers from other countries.


    Anyway, a strong putrid smell stimulated the nostrils not long after breaking the bones, perhaps the sound of crushed bones was the reason. And one by one, ¡®they¡¯ emerged from the darkness.


    ¡°Ghouls again?¡±


    Ghoul¡­ were corpses with some of their skin melting and crumbling, slowly showing dark brown color under it. And the face, had rotted to the middle.


    Such monsters with hollow eye holes without eyelids were facing Walm. While polluting the labyrinth with rotting juice, the three of them ran towards Walm with their swollen arms stretched out as if they were thirsting for the living. Normally, one would expect an undead to move slowly, but it was more agile than it looked.


    The temporal region of the ghoul, which was literally jumping into Walm, was cut in half by a horizontal slash using a halberd. Just like that, it crashed into the wall of the labyrinth while spinning wildly.


    Without hesitation, Walm thrust the halberd into the next approaching ghoul with a slight delay. A simple thrust without much power put in.


    The ghoul¡¯s throat was skewered, still, it didn¡¯t stop moving forward. Now, Walm only needed to hold the halberd on his waist and take a stance, it would naturally and irrevocably go into the axe blade, cutting itself.


    The ghoul was letting out grunts and spitting out a foul stench. But, as expected it didn¡¯t stop. Even its misaligned teeth were still carving for Walm¡¯s blood and tried to tear his flesh apart.


    ¡°You want me so bad huh?¡±


    Walm twisted the hilt of the halberd, rotating the axe blade that entered the neck of the ghoul, twisting off its head.


    Pulling back the outstretched halberd, he briefly repositioned it and aimed at the last ghoul.


    The tip that entered from under the jaw forcibly closed the filthy mouth that had been opened, cracking its upper and lower teeth. It pierced through the hard palate and reached the brain just as Walm had intended.


    Now, only an entire weight of the inactive ghoul hung on the tip of the spear. And when Walm knocked over the halberd, the ghoul slipped out of the blade that had been biting into it and quietly fell down to the ground.


    Fortunately, Walm wasn¡¯t bathed in putrid liquid, no, it didn¡¯t even reach Walm body at all, but there was nothing he could do to stop the smell from spreading.


    But, unfortunately, the halberd that used to fight had some of that filthy liquid on it, and it felt as if it had been thoroughly polluted. Every time Walm swung it around a few times, reddish brown liquid flew around.


    The undead floors were unpopular, perhaps because of their danger, as well as the stench and creepiness of the monsters.


    Walm was alone, and he only used the halberd to kill the ghoul. If he was in a party and some members used blunt weapons or magic to fight, he would inevitably be bathed in smelly blood, and ghouls defeated by the allies might also spread putrid fluids to him.


    Whether it was good or bad, Walm¡¯s sense of smell was dulling down. If he didn¡¯t keep his alertness, he might get distracted by the smell. Sure it might be fine here, but when he reached the safe room on the end of 15th floor or when he was back to the surface, it would be hard for him to completely avoid the silent frustration he would receive from labyrinth challengers.


    As Walm went deeper, the corpses piled up. Occasionally, traces of battle remained, and although adventurers and Walm passed each other, there was no interference. Only giving each other a glance, before they naturally drift apart. That should be the etiquette within the labyrinth after all.


    Passing through the same unchanging passageway, Walm arrived at a large room, which was said to be only a few in the labyrinth. According to Walm¡¯s rule of thumb, most of the time it was a gathering place for monsters, with coins and old weapons scattered around, but this time the situation was different.


    ¡°Are they all for today¡¯s welcome party?¡±


    Two ghouls and two undead wolves, even though their blood shouldn¡¯t be circulating properly anymore, were standing by with a rotten stench and a voice leaking out.


    At the center of them stood a monster that seemed to be the leader of this group.


    ¡°?? What kind of monster is that?¡±


    The unidentified monster was also an undead, and there was no doubt that it was of a Skeleton species, but its shape was alien to Walm¡¯s eyes. It had horns wrapped around its human head. And its left arm, was a rib-like shield with a wolf¡¯s skull at the tip. Its right hand was shaped like a lance made by three intertwined spines. The lower half of its body was also unfathomably thick for a skeleton that couldn¡¯t be said a weak point anymore. Above all, the color of the bones closely resembled the bone weapons that he saw in an equipment shop and also the weapon of the greenhorn adventurer.


    While observing it, Walm searched his memory, and the explanation of the undead floors he received from the female receptionist came to his mind.


    He remembered she said that sometimes, a rare species might appear with a low appearance rate. Strong enough to make a party that should have no problem reaching the 15th floor, rather choose to escape than fight it.


    ¡± ¡®Bone Collector¡¯ huh?¡±


    Walm, who mentioned the name of a rare species that was a mixture of multiple skeletons and dark slimes, tried to turn back the way he came, but he was too late. Without any warning, the five rushed at the same time to Walm as if they had made a prior agreement. Even the four who were supposed to be normal species were remarkably faster than usual.


    Abandoning the option of routing, the gears of his brain switched to fight. Walm didn¡¯t have the guts to save his cards against an unknown opponent. In order to overturn the numerical disadvantage, the first move was more important than anything else, and more firepower than just a normal attack would be a better move. So he shot the mana that he kneaded in an instant, sending the manifested fireball toward the undead.


    The flame, which fully demonstrated its effectiveness, shook the air and scorched the surroundings.


    Not only that, the two ghouls that failed to dodge, scattered their entire bodies in explosive flames, turning them into torches that lit up the room. Still, it wasn¡¯t what Walm wanted.


    The two undead wolves and the Bone Collector managed to slip through the explosive flames with their leg strength.


    ¡°They¡¯re fast¡±


    In contrast to the Bone Collector, which was positioned in front, the two undead wolves changed their position from the side to the back. As if they were aiming to check the blind spot and disperse concentration. It was surprising to see so much intelligence exerted from a head that had been reduced to bones and hollowed out. Really, how could they have thought of such movements?


    In any case, Walm wasn¡¯t so stupid as to just sit and wait in front of the approaching crisis.


    Showing the development to the left and right increased the risk of defeating each one. It would be the Bone Collector¡¯s job to prevent it, but Walm possessed the ability to shake it off. The speed of the undead wolf on one side, whose hind legs should have been scorched as it passed through the explosive flames, was slowing down.


    Kicking the ground sideways and gaining acceleration from wind attribute magic, Walm closed the gap in one fell swoop. The undead wolf seemed to have sensed that it might be the end and quickly turned around on the spot, but the axe blade of the halberd crushed the skull faster before it could dodge.


    Without even having time to get drunk with a sense of accomplishment, Walm drew a half-turn with his body using his left foot as the pivoting.


    At the same time, the Bone Collector had already thrust the black lance.


    Reading the trajectory approaching his chest, Walm pushed the handle of the halberd up and deflected the trajectory upward.


    Just like that, the bone lance passed through the side of his head.


    Quickly Walm bent down and tried to get past the Bone Collector left flank. But, its shield-like left arm was thrust out trying to block. Even so, it wasn¡¯t fast enough to catch him. It should be the case.


    ¡°Ugrrrh¨D¨D!?¡±


    However, the skull of a wolf, which Walm thought to be nothing than just a bad shield ornament, opened its jaws and tried to bite off his shoulder.


    Walm jumped backward, but was pursued by a lance. Quickly thrusting back the halberd as if to oppose it, the hardened bone spear and the halberd continued to clash and repel each other.


    But it didn¡¯t last long.


    While continuing the exchange of offense and defense, the undead wolf aimed at Walm¡¯s ankle.


    ¡°You¡¯re in the way.¡±


    Walm pushed back the Bone Collector along with the lance, and immediately pulled his halberd back, prepared the halberd around his torso, pouring mana and swinging it up. The undead wolf that was scooped up by his ¡¶Strike¡· was cut from the tip of the nose, and the corpse slid vigorously on the floor. The unstoppable ¡¶Strike¡· also cut the lance that Bone Collector slammed overhead.


    Quickly, Walm flipped his wrists back and slammed his halberd as if chopping wood.


    ¡°Humph!!¡±


    The Bone Collector tried to defend with the rib-like shield, but the shield was cut through. The axe blade of the halberd bit into the right shoulder and came out from the left hip. The upper body slid down, and the lower body fell after a short delay.


    Walm checked the body of the Bone Collector with his numb fingers. What he felt wasn¡¯t that of bone, but something as hard as iron armor. If it wasn¡¯t for ¡¶Strike¡·, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to cut it so cleanly.


    In fact, the Bone Collector attempted a final resistance with the rib-like shield, but Walm knocked down his halberd with a skill. That was why he won the match. Otherwise, a different ending might have happened there.


    ¡°I was forced to use magic, and even skills¡­¡±


    Although the Bone Collector was clearly a monster on a different level compared to the rest of those on this floor, the consumption of mana on the 13th floor was a miscalculation even for Walm. Truly, a painful reality that he must accept.


    Walm, who shifted from unnecessary thought, crouched down to rummage around and found a faint glow reflecting the light of the luminous moss in the soot-black bone fragments. He then moved the fragments away with a dagger.


    ¡°A large gold coin? At the very least, I¡¯m able to avoid a complete loss.¡±


    Sure, Walm had enough gold coins to feed a few people for a year, still, he couldn¡¯t help but let out a sigh of relief for getting something out of killing a troublesome Bone Collector.

 CH 117

    Returning to the surface, Walm was forced to bring back gifts from the ¡®evil sanctuary¡¯. Usually, the labyrinth challengers who returned from the 15th floor were covered with what was called a stench. Especially someone like Walm, who had spent a long time on the 11th to 15th floors, couldn¡¯t quite escape from it.


    The undead, even after being subjugated, didn¡¯t want to separate from Walm easily, leaving a part of their vile dark brown, putrid, decaying flesh to cling to Walm like a curse. Of course, its smell wasn¡¯t pleasant for any normal person.


    The reactions of those who came in contact with Walm were varied.


    Some blatantly changed their course, others grasped the situation and held their noses, and even among them, there were those who turned their eyes toward him pityingly.


    In the first place, the labyrinth challengers had enough trouble keeping themselves clean, so they usually came back with a slightly unpleasant odor, but those who came back from the 15th floor were a special case.


    ¡°They, are treating me as if I¡¯m a walking filth.¡±


    Feeling uncomfortable, Walm intended to return the tally at the reception and purify himself in a cheap lodging somewhere.


    Luckily, it was just about time for the sun to get replaced by the twin moon. The congestion time was over, so the reception was very quiet.


    Although the waiting area had the aspect of an all-night area, as expected, human behavior wasn¡¯t something that could be changed so easily. Even here, early morning and evening were as crowded as the sale days at a shop or government office on weekdays in the previous world. Outside those hours, not so much.


    Along with a foul stench, Walm walked into the waiting area and made his way to the reception. There, a female receptionist, who had become one of the few acquaintances in the Labyrinth City, was doing her work in her usual manner.


    Whether his presence was noticed, or whether the stench emanating from him was too strong, the female receptionist, staring at the ledger tied with a string, greeted Walm with her bland expression, but then gave him a faint smile before opening her mouth to say,


    ¡°Welcome back. It seems you¡¯ve managed to return safely from the undead floors.¡±


    It was as if someone was telling Walm of the unpleasant odor emanating from him in a roundabout way. Really, it felt like an ambush at the right time.


    Being told directly to his face by a woman, Walm wasn¡¯t an insensitive person who couldn¡¯t care less, but he wasn¡¯t shameless enough to raise his voice up to her.


    ¡°Well, as you can see.¡±


    Suppressing his inner turmoil, Walm lowered his eyes to his arms and clothes. He was truly disgusted by the stench that had permeated him.


    On the undead floors, Walm was careful enough to only bathe as little as possible in the putrid juice and smelly blood. Only in the fight against the Bone Collector, he couldn¡¯t do that well. The blood and flesh of the undead wolves that came ferociously at him, fell on his arms.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯s not that unusual. Besides, Walm-san is one of those with less ¡®damage¡¯. Those with extreme ¡®damage¡¯, were covered with it not only on the head but all over the body.¡±


    For Walm, who had experienced the labyrinth himself, the very idea of it made him nauseous. A foul odor strong enough to sting the eyes. Washing with water wouldn¡¯t immediately eliminate the smell. At least he wasn¡¯t like those poor victims.


    ¡°Guess, I¡¯m a lucky guy. But well, after I return the tally, I¡¯ll borrow a bucket from the inn and wash myself. As expected, I don¡¯t feel like resting like this at all.¡±


    ¡°In this labyrinth management area, there¡¯s also a facility where you can bathe. You¡¯ve to pay to use it, but everyone uses it to clean the dirt they got in the labyrinth and also, to process orcs for meat.¡±


    The first day after Walm returned from the labyrinth, he was concerned about the door near the transfer room, but he didn¡¯t go so far as to look inside. Not even a little peek. Among the reproachful gazes that he felt in the waiting area, there was also some with the implication that he was an ignorant mercenary who spared no money to wash himself and shamelessly came into the waiting area, bringing the stench with him.


    ¡°¡­ Seems I still have a lot to learn. Sorry, and thank you for always supporting me.¡±


    ¡°Even though I¡¯m an employee of the guild who supports adventurers, I¡¯m also part of the management of the labyrinth. Even if you aren¡¯t an adventurer, I¡¯ll help you as long as I don¡¯t have to take my money out.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m grateful to you for that, really. If it¡¯s you¡­ I don¡¯t mind buying you something.¡±


    ¡°My name is Lisi. Look, it¡¯s written on my name tag, you know. Fufufu, but well, if you¡¯re so grateful, it wouldn¡¯t be bad to get some kind of ¡®tribute¡¯.¡±


    Said Lisi in a joking tone.


    However, Walm quickly shifted his eyes to his coin bag. There wasn¡¯t enough to afford another medicine for his eyes, which were threatening to rot, but the recent hunt in the labyrinth was quite fruitful. Also, the information that he had received from Lisi was also valuable to him, as he only had a few sources to get information here.


    ¡­ right, giving her some money as a reward won¡¯t hurt. It¡¯s the very least I can do.


    With these thoughts, Walm moved his hand to his coin bag.


    ¡°Just kidding, don¡¯t take the coin bag out. Do you think I would be happy to be handed over a coin? Look, I¡¯m not that poor.¡±


    Lisi shook her head in amazement.


    Seeing her reaction, Walm deliberately frowned his face and replied,


    ¡°As you can see, I lead a simple life. Being fashionable has nothing to do with me, so¡­¡±


    ¡°I know, I can see it.¡±


    Without any way to resist her quick reply, Walm was forced to surrender.


    ¡ô


    In Belgana, a city with a labyrinth, the walls that surrounded the city had a special meaning. The castle walls, repaired and strengthened with each change of the ruler, told everyone who visited how strong it was, because it was still standing after many battles. Of course, order and security were ensured by soldiers, corresponding to the size.


    In the center of the city lay the greatest labyrinth of the Galmud Archipelago, which promised endless riches, albeit atop countless untold tragedies and joys of brave challengers.


    Living within the walls meant a kind of social status. Nevertheless, not everyone who lived within the walls was a successful person. Many were living in a group in a small room while repairing worn-out equipment every now and then, and every day, they continued to venture into the labyrinths without any guarantees. That was the majority.


    In a way, they were the products of this labyrinth city. Workers of sorts. So naturally, many spent their days, side by side with danger, and on the days when they were lucky enough to get results, they went to the tavern or bar, ate and drank something nice, and talked about their hopes for the unseen tomorrow.


    And in the midst of these crowds, an adventurer party was having a serious discussion.


    ¡°After coming here, finally, we managed to dive so deep in one fell swoop. As expected, I must have woken up my hidden talent.¡±


    ¡°Hah? What kind of nonsense are you talking about? I¡¯m sure it¡¯s just because you were lucky to find a good thing that had not gotten swallowed up and equipped it. That must be it.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ That means that if only I had better equipment, we could¡¯ve gone deeper, right?¡±


    ¡°And you call that being cocky. I mean, you were so eager to fight and ended up covering your head with ghoul juice like an idiot, weren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°But, because of that, we were able to reduce their number early. So, was I in the wrong? Even the old veteran and the scary mercenary also smeared themselves with that foul liquid.¡±


    ¡°That guy isn¡¯t like you. Can¡¯t you tell by how he moves? He¡¯s definitely not a normal human. Someone normal like you, may split your head for being too cocky, got it?¡±


    With a drink in one hand, the disagreement between the two people from the same hometown was tossed back and forth.


    Peyrouse, the party leader, took on the role of coordinator as usual.


    ¡°Leake, you¡¯ve got a point. There¡¯s nothing wrong with reducing the number of enemies as fast as you can, but what Donna is saying is that you need to work out a plan before jumping to them. That¡¯s to avoid unnecessary risk.¡±


    The carefree Leake groaned, acknowledging what Peyrouse said.


    On the other hand, Donna nodded triumphantly. Even though these two often clashed, they somehow got along well in battle. If that were the case every time, Peyrouse¡¯s work would have been reduced many times over, but he had given up halfway through because such a hope was too great to fulfill.


    Didn¡¯t want to have a hard time alone, Peyrouse cast a sidelong glance at Matthio, who was sitting at the same table, but Matthio was busy stuffing his mouth with a wheat dish mixed with minced meat and sour fruit. He wrapped a fork around the flour dish formed into noodles and swallowed it, but perhaps it was too much, the noodles got stuck in his throat, so he hurried to get water.


    ¡°Matthio, the pasta won¡¯t run away. Calm down.¡±


    ¡°Oi, Matthio, you¡¯re being too greedy. Do you really plan to eat it all yourself, huh?¡±


    ¡°You, only when eating, it¡¯s as if you got possessed by a wraith. Don¡¯t you know some manner, huh?¡±


    Leake and Donna put the argument on the back burner while blaming Matthio. According to Peyrouse, their behaviors weren¡¯t much different.


    ¡°You can order more, you know. Matthio, you really are a glutton, aren¡¯t you? But well, to make your body even bigger, I guess, you¡¯ve to eat a lot.¡±


    Despite his age, Matthio had a larger body than Peyrouse. He was blessed with physical strength, and along with his good ability to wield a spear, he proved to be a great help in conquering the undead floors.


    ¡°Two plates of minced orc pasta and additional broiled orc!¡±


    When Peyrouse shouted out so, he received a hoarse reply from the kitchen.


    It wasn¡¯t long before the table was filled with new plates.


    Peyrouse was four years older than the three. He actually wanted to run away from the rural area alone, but the three pleaded with him, so he ended up running away with them. Then, because of his age, he was unceremoniously appointed leader. That was also because he had always behaved excellently in the labyrinth. Thanks to him, the party functioned good enough, even though the number of alcohol and cigarettes increased. No, it could be said that the party had been doing well under his leadership.


    ¡°Get some water¡±


    ¡°tch, don¡¯t take mine.¡±


    ¡°I wannna eat fish too sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Orc meat is cheap, so just put up with it.¡±


    In the Galmud Archipelago, which could be called a maritime country, fishing was flourishing, so fish was cheap, but in Belgana, the inexhaustible supply of orc meat had caused a phenomenon.


    In fact, Peyrouse had gotten sick of three meals of orc meat, but it was cheap and a good enough source of vitality, so he had to keep eating it to save some living expenses.


    ¡°Come to think of it, it¡¯s not a fish, but some armed merchant ship killed a medium-sized Kraken.¡±


    ¡°Such a ship could kill a medium-sized Kraken? They must have excellent sea magicians on board.¡±


    ¡°Kraken? I wanna try it.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t afford to buy something so damn expensive. If you want to eat that badly, the best I can do is to get you salted herring.¡±


    Peyrouse brought Matthio, who¡¯d almost sunk into the dream world full of unattainable ingredients, back to reality.


    Matthio then tried to continue eating, but was stopped by the voice from the side.


    ¡°Oi oi, what happened? Haven¡¯t seen you for a while, and now, your equipment has become so splendid.¡±


    It was a man from a mid-rank adventurer party that had managed to conquer the 20th floor. The man¡¯s party was one that Peyrouse¡¯s party had been interacting with since they started diving into Belgana¡¯s labyrinth.


    ¡°It¡¯s because we¡¯re now able to dive all the way to the 13th floor.¡±


    Leake proudly showed the new equipment he had obtained on the thirteenth floor. According to Peyrouse, it was a shield and spear made of several disgusting bones mixed with dark slime. The black color, which came from dark slime, meant that it had the strength of steel, but the lightness of bone, making it an excellent weapon.


    ¡°No way, the shield and spear of the Bone Collector!?¡±


    There was no doubt that even mid-rank adventurers were surprised by these items. The Bone Collector was a monster called an irregular that even Peyrouse knew about because of its danger. In terms of danger, it was comparable to monsters from the latter half of the 20th floor to the 30th floor. Even a mid-rank adventurer could die in front of such an opponent.


    ¡°So, where did you steal it from?¡±


    The owner, Leake, raised his voice in protest against the mid-rank adventurer who jokingly said so.


    ¡°Your joke isn¡¯t funny. I didn¡¯t steal it. It was lying on the ground.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, the Bone Collector fell by itself, you say? No way, it can¡¯t be¡­ Wait, if it¡¯s now, well, I guess it¡¯s not impossible.¡±


    The mid-ranked adventurer, trying to laugh it off, lowered his voice as if he had an idea. In fact, he remembered something. Lately, the number of abandoned corpses on the low-rank to middle-rank floors had increased. Judging from the traces of the battle, no unknown monster was to blame either. Moreover, even monsters that were valuable as materials were left alone.


    ¡°It¡¯s common for parties passing through the low-rank floors to leave the monsters unattended, and go straight to the hunting grounds. But lately, many corpses have been left in places other than hunting grounds. It¡¯s as if there¡¯s someone who came just looking for a battle.¡±


    ¡°Ah, there was a mercenary who dived into the labyrinth alone and passed by without even dismantling the orcs.¡±


    ¡°If I remember correctly, I never saw that person dismantle any monsters that he killed.¡±


    Just as Leake and Donna said, the mercenary who¡¯d recently appeared didn¡¯t seem to bring any monster materials with him back. That was why Peyrouse suspected that the untouched Bone Collector¡¯s remains were also the work of the mercenary.


    Hearing rumors being talked by Peyrouse and the mid-rank adventurer, the rumor-loving adventurers who had been drinking at the tavern gathered around them one by one, and began exchanging information about this and that. It was as if they all felt, that it was time for shady stories and off-topic chats.


    So, another adventurer joined the conversation.


    ¡°You guys are having an interesting conversation. Let me join. So, did you really see him diving alone?¡±


    It was a man named Fausto. He was the leader of a rare party that managed to get beyond the 30th floor. Even after passing middle age, he was still active. In short, he was an expert who was still diving into labyrinths day by day, and also wouldn¡¯t mind giving advice to mid-rank and low-rank parties.


    ¡°I watched his battles with orcs and ghouls, but with only a halberd on his hand, it took him less than five seconds to cut a group of orcs to pieces.¡±


    Peyrouse recalled the battle he had seen in the labyrinth. The mercenary he had seen was unbelievably fast and accurate in every blow, and although he was using a halberd which wasn¡¯t suited for close range, it didn¡¯t matter. Any monster in sight would be sent lifeless to the ground.


    ¡°Only a halberd, huh? That¡¯s amazing.¡±


    Fausto let out words of admiration.


    The mid-rank adventurer, hearing this then said in a teasing tone.


    ¡°Even Fausto-san, who can dive beyond the 30th floor, can do the same thing, right? Well, it¡¯s a story from Peyrouse¡¯s party, so isn¡¯t it better to take it with a grain of salt?¡±


    Leake and Donna puffed out their cheeks at the words of the mid-level adventurer and tried to complain. But, Peyrouse calmed down the two angry ones and listened to the conversation of the adventurers puzzling over the identity of the mercenary, who was said to have dived into the labyrinth alone.


    ¡°Someone from the Forest Alliance? Or a trainee from the Republic?¡±


    ¡°From the story, he doesn¡¯t seem to be a warrior monk though? I mean, he¡¯s using halberd, right?¡±


    ¡°Might be a soldier from somewhere then¡­¡±


    ¡°Either way, diving in alone means that he has a reason or he¡¯s just a weirdo. Or maybe, he¡¯s just a battle maniac?¡±


    ¡°Who knows? Wait¡­ if I remember correctly, I think one of the northern countries has a similar type of armor that he wears.¡±


    ¡°Well, whoever he is. As long as he doesn¡¯t disturb our work, it¡¯s fine. Rather, he¡¯s been helping us get rid of some riddance. Better hope that he stays alive for a long time. Let¡¯s toast for it.¡°


    CLANK!! CLANK!! CLANK!! CLANK!!


    In the end, the gathered adventurers drank only a toast without getting an answer about the ¡®mysterious¡¯ mercenary.

 CH 118

    118. Chapter 118 ¨C Trimagitack


    Walking through the stone pavement passages, which had deteriorated through time and battles, the stone materials flanked off the walls and ceilings clearly impeded walking. Walm carefully avoided debris and looked for a place to put his feet, but there was no way to avoid small pieces like pebbles. The pebbles cracked with a sound that came from the half-boots. No one would even notice it if it were in the hustle and bustle of the surface. Here, in the labyrinth, it was different, especially from the 16th floor, which was considered by many as the beginning of the mid-rank floors.


    If some party was engaged in a battle or busily dismantling monsters, one could detect it by hearing and smelling. Nevertheless, it was extremely quiet here. This was because the challengers were thoroughly silent, so as not to give away their existence by making noise. After all, they wanted to avoid surprise attacks and make a preemptive strike whenever possible. So, it was important to know how to detect the opponent¡¯s movements and quickly move to attack.


    ¡°To keep moving here, so brave huh?¡±


    The answer Walm received was, the sound of crushed pebbles and air leaking out of the gap.


    A long, slender tongue reminiscent of a reptile was extended from the mouth, which was adorned with sharp ¡°fangs¡±. Despite walking on two legs and having the same number of limbs as a human, its shape didn¡¯t resemble a human¡¯s. Tus alone was enough for Walm to grasp the identity of the brave attacker.


    It was a group of lizardmen, a monster with the intelligence to manipulate weapons skillfully enough to not be underestimated. Its eyes, which looked emotionless, stared at Walm.


    Grabbing the handle, Walm raised his halberd and welcomed the guest.


    Without a whistle to announce the start, the battle began abruptly. Three lizardmen charged toward Walm. The vanguard lizardman was carrying an old round shield and a dirty saber, followed by one with a spear and another with a mace.


    Walm shook his body left and right so that his aim couldn¡¯t be read. With his halberd raised on the upper left, he leaped toward the lizard, which approached in a straight line without being unconcerned. The lizardman tried to defend itself with a round shield against the halberd approaching from above, but the shield with insufficient durability was shattered without being able to prevent the attack.


    The broken pieces of wood and the leaking blood from the cut elbow were coloring the air. Despite the injuries, its cold eyes still locked on Walm. Clearly, its fighting spirit hadn¡¯t yet weakened. On the contrary, it had prepared the saber for a counterattack.


    Seeing the saber being raised with the left hand, Walm pulled back while turning the handle with his palm. When the claw-shaped branch blade of the halberd caught the raised hand, he slid it along the blade. In this way, he cut off half of the lizardman¡¯s remaining wrist.


    The lizardman, having lost both hands, opened its mouth and tried to pierce Walm with the remaining weapon, the fang. Unfortunately, Walm had foreseen this futile struggle and so he quickly slashed the halberd from the bottom up, slashing the head from the lower jaw.


    The exchange of blows with the lizardman who had taken the lead ended, and the two remaining lizardmen went to attack Walm.


    Walm avoided the spear thrust by moving his upper body. And did the same with the following thrust. Then, he kicked the ground and escaped the mace that was about to bore into his torso.


    The spear-wielding lizardman tried to catch Walm, but it was blocked by the body of a compatriot mace-wielding lizardman, who had stepped in due to the short distance of the mace, and thus failed to reach him.


    To prevent Walm from going around as he pleased, the lizardman with mace tried to hit him with its tails, which were thicker than its arms, but he had already experienced this in the defense line around Danndurg Castle.


    ¡°All is the same, when in trouble, it¡¯ll wag its tail or bite.¡±


    Walm saw off the tail that would have hit the side of the head in front of him.


    On the other hand, having to move its tail made the lizardman¡¯s movements even easier to read. The lizardman, which hesitatingly exposed its back to the Walm, dropped its head to the ground without long.


    The last lizardman, having lost an obstacle and a brethren at the same time, dared not hesitate to thrust the spear. Walm accepted the invitation and thrust with his halberd. After the halberd and the spear passed, he turned the handle, so that the lizardman¡¯s head got in between the spearhead and the axe blade. Just like that, the head was severed.


    When the rolling head came to rest, silence fell again in the labyrinth.


    Walm immediately looked at the surroundings, but the only change was that the floor was artistically dyed with fresh blood and three lizards.


    After seeing the art, Walm picked up the saber and checked the quality.


    ¡°It¡¯s not bad¡­ At least it¡¯s made from iron.¡±


    It was hard to say that it was of good quality, but if it was resharpened it could be used as a weapon, or it could be melted and made into another weapon. If he were to complain to the predecessor owner, the lizardman, it would be that the saber didn¡¯t have a scabbard.


    Walm put his wrist into the magic bag and pulled out a cloth, getting goosebumps from the sensation that he couldn¡¯t get used to even after using it many times. Anyway, he always carried extra cloth material, because there were many uses for it. Then he turned the saber over, wrapped it in the cloth, tied it up, and put it in the magic bag.


    Next, he picked up the mace. The handle was about the length of the shoulder to the wrist, and the shape of the mace head had five radial flanges. Its destructive power was one step less than that of the round-headed mace, but it was distinguished by greater striking power and lighter weight.


    ¡°This one is¡­ quite good.¡±


    While carrying the halberd on his shoulder, Walm tested how comfortable it was to swing the mace with his free hand. A hit with such a mace could reach the abdomen even through armor, which meant it could make the opponent spit out stomach acid and oxygen, and also slowed down its actions momentarily. It was a familiar weapon used on the battlefield. If poor swords collided head-on, the blade would flake off and could result in the death of the wilder.


    After checking out the feel and quality of the mace, Walm held the halberd with his arm and wrapped it in a cloth.


    At that moment, he faintly heard pebbles on the ground being rubbed.


    As expected, Walm reacted very sharply. He jumped away and prepared his stance


    A blade and long tail filled the rapidly expanding field of vision.


    The creature that surprised Walm was a lamia, a monster whose upper body looked like a female human and the lower body was that of a snake. It must¡¯ve been waiting in the rubble for an opportunity. And when it saw an opening, it threw away its camouflage and screeched as if it wanted to shatter glass.


    Deftly, the lamia tried to slit Walm¡¯s throat with the short swords in both hands.


    Walm had let go of the halberd and the lamia was already close enough. If he used one of his cards, he would have been in control. But he decided to use the mace.


    The blow with the mace on the right wrist was remarkably effective. Like a broken onion, the fingers were cracked, and the short sword flew away as it lost its grip.


    The remaining short sword aimed horizontally at Walm¡¯s neck.


    Walm quickly rolled up and slid forward to avoid the blow, colliding with the lamia without losing momentum. Although it was a female, by human standards it corresponded to a large, muscular woman. In addition, the center of gravity of the body was on the lower body. Therefore, the upper body was only slightly bent backwards after the impact.


    The right arm, which had lost its function, stretched to catch Walm. Even if he wanted a handshake, he didn¡¯t. So he rejected it with a palm strike. At the same time, the tail came at him from the side, but he avoided it by dodging to the other side


    The lamia tried to slash Walm with a twist of the torso, but he was faster in slamming his mace.


    The mace, which took most of its weight in a lump of metal called a flanged head, brought the destruction to the level Walm wanted. The blow struck between the nose and eyebrows, crushing the nasal bones and eye sockets. While shaking the brain, the blow took away two of the five senses. Among the persistent monsters, the lamia was said to have the life force of a snake. And such a monster had temporarily revealed its defenseless appearance.


    Unfortunately, Walm, who survived the war and had long since lost the soul of benevolence and animal welfare, was merciless.


    The mace arced and picked up the head of the collapsing Lamia. A reddish-brown bloom of viscous liquid and bone splinters was in the air. It happened in an instant before it turned into brand new stains on walls and ceilings.


    ¡°Right, it¡¯s not bad after all¡±


    Walm rotated the mace around his wrist, hitting the air. Even with this rough handling, there was no chipping or deformation.


    Walm, who usually used a halberd, was by no means cheating. In a labyrinth where violence was supreme, who could object to simple and quick problem-solving with a mace? At least Walm didn¡¯t.


    ¡ô


    Walm, pushing aside the door of the safe room on 20th floor, which was considered the entrance to the middle-rank floors, was fed up with the curious looks directed at him every time someone saw him.


    With the exception of Walm, most parties here consisted of five members, and even parties of four were rare. In such a situation, it was inevitable that Walm, who continued to dive alone, would look like an oddball. Still, it wasn¡¯t pleasant to be regarded as a weirdo.


    It would be even stranger, however, if a mind plagued by fatigue, lack of sleep, and tension felt comfortable in such a situation. The ¡°critique session¡±, with every single gaze directed at Walm, finally came to an end when he moved his muddy eyes.


    Walm sat down and leaned his back against the wall. The cold floors and walls cooled his heated body.


    Then, Walm took the food out of the magic bag in his cloak and began to eat while hiding it. In any case, it was bad manners, but it was a relief that this wasn¡¯t a restaurant that cared about etiquette.


    Bit cheaply salted orc meat and the hard-baked black bread, and chewed them repeatedly before swallowing it down, so that it lasted a long time. Drank water in between, but the overwrought caused by diving the labyrinth for a long time didn¡¯t recover.


    Walm once again glanced around the room with only his eyes. Five or six parties were resting at a distance, and among them were those who were relatively relaxed, busily exchanging information and carrying on conversations. Amor covered their bodies without any gaps, and their weapons were also varied. They couldn¡¯t be compared with the inferior equipment of those who dived mainly on the low-rank floors. Considering the number of people and the equipment they wore, it reminded Walm of the pre-battle he had experienced in the past.


    Kneeling down on one knee and holding a weapon in his hand, Walm kept falling asleep for a short moment repeatedly. Even if he couldn¡¯t sleep well, at least he let his body rest. It was a habit he had picked up in his military life. Several parties repeatedly entered and exited, but fortunately, no one approached Walm.


    When the door opened for the fifth or sixth time and a party entered the safe room, the demon mask that was put in the waist bag started to move. Walm wasn¡¯t happy with it, but he was able to vaguely understand what the mask meant from the frequency and sound of the vibration.


    The way the mask vibrated meant that it was showing interest. How rare.


    Walm slightly opened his heavy eyelids and saw a four-person party. In the labyrinth, adventurers weren¡¯t that rare, but the adventurer at the lead of this party was, well, colorful. To put it badly, the color of the equipment wasn¡¯t gentle to the eyes. The armor had a peculiar sheen of mithril, and the longsword that hung at the hip was set with tricolor gemstones and silver work. The hair was bright green, and the eyes were red and blue. In short, a very greedy fellow.


    If all the party members who followed were like that, it would be like a circus troupe running around providing free entertainment and Walm would have laughed. One of the adventurers following from behind, however, had a robust appearance that thoroughly blanked out anything unnecessary. It reminded Walm of minimalism, but perhaps it was a warrior monk in training. The other two appeared to be an archer and a rod-wielder. Given their demeanor and equipment, Walm pondered their formation.


    ¡­I guess, two front guards and two rear guards.


    Then, the eyes of the colorful adventurer and Walm met. Even in a labyrinth that could hardly be called bright, the light in the eyes of the adventurer didn¡¯t disappear and possessed a depth that would captivate anyone.


    What a complete opposite to Walm¡¯s dark and muddy eyes.


    Such a gaze encounter was broken off by the adventurer. The party continued their way, walking to the next floor


    There, Walm suddenly noticed. The party members showed no signs of fatigue, and they didn¡¯t even have dirt on them. To reach this point, Walm who had dived in, was well aware of how many monsters they had to face, and how much flesh and blood flew around. Even the word ¡°extraordinary abilities.¡±, would be too clich¨¦ to give to them.


    ¡°No break huh?¡±


    In the end, the four-person party stepped into the next floor without resting, as if they were going for another walk.


    After a brief silence, the adventurers began to speak in a voice that was half amazed, half envious.


    ¡°Yeah, right, the ¡°Trimagitack¡± doesn¡¯t need a break.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like they¡¯re going to another low-rank floor, isn¡¯t it? Well, no wonder, they¡¯re expected to be the next conquerors.¡±


    ¡°Their party is still four people, right?  I don¡¯t mind being a porter. Just invite me to the party, please¡­¡±


    ¡°Haha, you¡¯re kidding. You won¡¯t even be able to properly play the role of a porter for a party like that. Besides, that party has a magic bag. Why do they need to go out of their way to get a porter?¡±


    ¡°Even if they need one, I¡¯m sure only those who had managed to dive into the 30th floor and above will be selected. But well, those guys have strong combat habits and need to be fixed if join a party.¡±


    Right¡­


    Even Walm, who had only recently visited the Labyrinth City, knew the name of the party. The one they said to be closest to becoming the conqueror, and originated from the Belgana, the Labyrinth City. For them, it would be difficult to look as if they were struggling to reach here. Still, even those people who were carrying the expectations of the Labyrinth City hadn¡¯t yet reached the deepest floor.


    The miraculous treasure lay deep in the labyrinth. Even Walm¡¯s fingertips hadn¡¯t yet been within the reach. If he wanted to get this miracle, the corpses he piled up so far wouldn¡¯t suffice. Since they weren¡¯t enough, there was no choice but to pile up more. As quickly as possible.


    Walm naturally put strength into his hand that held the halberd. And after repeating slow breathing and calming his rising heartbeat and frustration, he fell into a light sleep again.

 CH 119

    Walm was modestly engaged in slaughtering monsters with his halberd, only up to the 20th floor. From the 21st floor, his fighting style clearly changed significantly. The wall was scorched by the flames, which manifested by mana, and the remains, called the claw marks of agony, could be seen on the floor. The halberd, which could be called an extension of the hand, was pushed into the now had been reduced in the capacity magic bag.


    If it was like the monster up to now, the blade would have scattered pieces of flesh into the surroundings like a slaughterhouse, and the fresh blood that spurted out would have stained the wall artistically. Now there were only rocks and sand remained. That, of course, should be the case. The monsters that Walm dealt with had no flesh and blood. They were monsters that in some cases, would be created by humans to serve as walking shields on the battlefield. Golem, that was the name. It was a strong monster with a core, a magic stone that was present in its body and could store natural mana. On the battlefield, its uses were very diverse, depending on the types.


    ¡°Really? I¡¯m too old to play with sand you know¡­¡±


    The type of golem Walm faced was extremely simple. It had no armor on its back and was thick only on its front and arms. On a battlefield, such a weak golem would either be bypassed or destroyed by attacking its weak point. This time, however, the dance floor was a confined space in a labyrinth. A place where a golem could show off its dance moves.


    If three friendly golems approached in a row when in a passage, it was equivalent to facing a moving wall. Sure Walm could ¡¶Strike¡· to cut off a thick strong arm, but a half-hearted offense would only lead to a painful counterattack. After all, the Golem, which put resources only for its front armor, was light despite its large size. The healthy Walm wouldn¡¯t like to be beaten by thorny arms, nor that he liked to be hugged and rubbed down by them either.


    In this case, retreat would be the only option, but at that moment Walm, who was in a passageway, had already been surrounded once from the front and back with walls of golems and was about to be trapped. So far he had dived more than 20 floors without using magic, but he concluded that it was a good time to use it.


    Walm shot a fireball at the row of golems in front of him, their shoulders scraping each other as well as the inner wall but didn¡¯t stop walking.


    The fireball, accompanied by writhing heat, shook the air as it struck the target, the golem in the center, demonstrating the power of the mana it contained. Flames danced from the passage from which there was no escape, and hot air and flames raged there. Fortunately, for Walm, who had an excellent aptitude for fire attribute, a flame of this magnitude was no different than a light summer breeze.


    The head of the golem that received a direct hit scattered, losing the core magic stone. Like a building that had lost its pillars, the collapse spread down throughout the body.


    Walm expected the aftermath to spread to the left and right golems, only to realize that it was nothing but a dream. Some parts were scorched with flames sticking to them, but they didn¡¯t seem to lose any of their functionality and kept moving without extinguishing it first.


    On the contrary, the golem crossed its arms to protect its head while closing the distance. At this point, Walm had given up on destroying the head together with the thick arm. He fired his next pitch at the giant leg stomping on the floor. Although the golem had legs like pillars that support its giant body, not all joints were covered with a thick layer of sand.


    The fireball that hit near the heel fully demonstrated its effectiveness. Like an exploding landmine, one of the golem¡¯s legs was enveloped in a fierce flame.


    Leaning forward, the golem dug its claws into the wall, trying to resist the fall. Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t a definitive solution. After all, it had been ripped apart from its knees down. That much wouldn¡¯t be enough to support its weight.


    If they were human, others would probably try to protect a comrade with such injuries or even retreat, but unfortunately, they were nothing more than artificial monsters who only accepted simple orders.


    The golem which was in a state of madness, couldn¡¯t keep up with its comrade and was left behind. This time, Walm opted for a physical solution to deal with it. As expected, he wasn¡¯t crazy enough to have a wrestling match with an opponent who weighed more than him.


    Gripping hard the handle of the mace, its weight was conveyed. Walm began to run while pulling it to the back. Unlike the halberd, it was a weapon with a short range of one or two steps. So, he needed to close the distance.


    In order to catch Walm, the fingers that were clenched were opened. Other than the claws, he could be scratched by the thorns on its arm. And if it took full advantage of its physical strength, Walm might become ground meat instead of chopped meat.


    Rapidly tilted the stance without hesitating and kicked off the ground. While going around to the left side, Walm handled the protruding arm, an unprotected right arm stretched out toward him.


    As expected, ¡®there weren¡¯t many people who couldn¡¯t cut the Sahuagin on the cutting board¡¯.


    Walm ¡¶Strike¡·the elbow with the mace. In addition to being clad in mana, the mace was good for striking. Really, a suitable combination to destroy the elbow.


    ¡°Better stop resisting¡±


    The golem didn¡¯t listen to Walm¡¯s advice and swung its broken right arm around as if to ward off bugs. The cracked and shattered elbow couldn¡¯t keep up with that sudden extreme movement, and the arm shot far into the ceiling as if it was released by a jet propeller. If this flew towards Walm, he would have been stunned. Fortunately, the pathetic arm only wanted to leave a brand-new scratch on the ceiling.


    Holding a mace, Walm wrapped around the golem¡¯s torso and hit its right knee from the side. It tried to support itself with its right arm, only to stretch out nothing. The golem, which had reached the limit of its posture control, fell to the floor.


    It tried to stand back with its remaining arm, but the mace was quicker to smash its head off. Without even having time to check the whereabouts of the ejected head as well as its arm, a shadow covered Walm.


    The last golem, which had lost one leg due to the fireball, caught up and tried to attack. Walm, who left the position quickly, escaped the heavy press. From far away, it would be nothing different from debris on the ground, but it could still move and had not yet malfunctioned. Without giving time, Walm jumped on its back and slammed down his mace like slamming a stake to the ground.


    The back of the golem¡¯s head squashed greatly. Even so, it didn¡¯t start collapsing and tried to stroke its head with unnatural movements like a rusty machine. Twisting the mace while it was still biting into the head was enough to stop the resistance. And so, the golem¡¯s body turned into soil.


    Walm began to descend listlessly on the foothold that had turned into a small sandbox, but the trekking pole (mace) caught something.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    Digging the greyish-yellow sandbox with the tip of the mace, Walm found something with a luster. When he picked it up, the sand that had covered it fell down, revealing the item.


    ¡°A bracelet?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t something special. Just a silver bracelet with a crimson grass motif. It wasn¡¯t impossible to wear it, but it was too cute for his style. If he saw a male comrade-in-arms with such a bracelet, he would be worried about something unwanted trying to get open his backdoor.


    Even if I bring it to a pawn shop, probably it¡¯ll get me a drink¡­ ah¡­


    ¡°¡­Isn¡¯t it just right for a tribute?¡±


    Too expensive will only confuse her after all¡­


    Walm touched it a few times and checked the quality, before putting it in the magic bag. He would have liked to appreciate it for a little while longer, but it wasn¡¯t possible. After all, the monsters in the labyrinth were really enthusiastic about their work. Fit for being a soldier, if only they were humans.


    Looking at the approaching monsters, Walm said,


    ¡°Dog-shaped gargoyle, and mud golem? After playing with the sand, guess next is time to play with rocks and mud.¡±


    With faint hopes for having a fun time, Walm gazed at the rocks and mud he would be playing with. As expected, no one answered the soliloquy. Despite having gotten used to such a lonely fact, Walm welcomed the new guests.


    ¡ô


    The chilly cold air and the stagnation typical of enclosed spaces could be felt in the room. And in such a dim room, Giesel, one of the rulers of the underworld, received reports from his underlings.


    ¡°Combining the information of the target, he seems to have no fixed place to sleep and moves from one cheap hotel to another. And mostly sleeps in the labyrinth. He also doesn¡¯t seem to have a particular favorite restaurant either. Lastly, no report of him entering a bar or red-light district.¡±


    Giesel tapped his fingers on the desk. There were many eyes hidden that he had sent throughout the city. He included people that no one would notice as someone who would collect information, ranging from someone inside brothels, bars, inns, shops, and even inside the guild. Even so, the information he received wasn¡¯t enough for him to grasp the actions of a single wanderer.


    ¡°In other words, most of the time, he cages himself in the labyrinth, and his movements on the surface are unsteady, is that it?¡±


    Hearing Giesel¡¯s flabbergasted voice, the underling hurried to fill in the loopholes.


    ¡°I¡¯m very sorry. He mostly stays in the labyrinth overnight, and we can¡¯t continue the monitoring while he¡¯s there.¡±


    Kicking an underling out should be easy, but Giesel had to admit that there was a point in his underling¡¯s words, albeit reluctantly. Unlike on the surface, people didn¡¯t like crowding inside the labyrinth. Even if personnel to monitor was arranged, the deeper the target dived in, the more necessary it was for the personnel to fight monsters, and the more likely it was to be noticed by the target.


    ¡°How deep he had dived now?¡±


    ¡°Up to the 25th floor, alone.¡±


    ¡°Disgusting¡­ Really, what a freak¡­ So, he¡¯s an extremely socially unsociable person and the kind of person who can get by on their own, is he?¡­ If he can sleep safely in a labyrinth, means, he¡¯s also an extremely cautious person. It¡¯s already difficult to identify his behavioral patterns, and he¡¯s that type huh? Aiming for scratching his neck in an inn or poisoning him at a bar will also be hard too.¡±


    Giesel knew that no matter how strong a person was, when it was time to satisfy the three main needs, vigilance would drop and a vulnerable moment would come. He had dealt with countless targets to come to this conclusion. And from his experience, someone who didn¡¯t get caught up in such essential needs was, troublesome.


    Even if Giesel couldn¡¯t fully grasp the man¡¯s identity, based on the armor alone, there was no doubt that he was a soldier of a ruined country, the Highserk Empire. From the information he got, although the Highserk Empire was destroyed at the end of the war, there were still local communities that survived. Those who escaped from it or those who were wandering alone, were mostly criminals, hated people, and greedy people who wanted wealth and fame. However, Giesel¡¯s target, the Highserk soldier, didn¡¯t seem to be the case.


    ¡°In the first place, there¡¯s no need for him to throw himself into the labyrinth alone¡­ He¡¯s either extremely uncooperative or inflexible and obstinate. And he has no interest in women or alcohol, which are common traits of soldiers. On the other hand, even though he¡¯s a disciplined person, he recklessly keeps challenging the labyrinth alone. But, he doesn¡¯t seem to be a stupid fellow either¡­¡­ Perhaps, is he searching for a suitable place to kill himself?¡±


    Connecting the few pieces of information, Giesel tried to guess the exact type of person the target might be. In fact, there were a few cases of people visiting the labyrinth in search of a place to die. It tended to be common among aristocrats who lost their homes and territories, broken knights, and soldiers in despair.


    Giesel was lost in thought for a moment, but his consciousness returned to reality when he heard a voice from the darkness.


    ¡°Either he¡¯s a ¡°seeker¡±, or a ¡°pessimist¡±. Whatever he is, there¡¯s no doubt that the destruction of his homeland has influenced the principles of his action. A hasty attack on that kind of person is a bad move. Use my force.¡± [TN: Seeker in here is a seeker after one¡¯s way]


    ¡°Are you sure, old man?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m about done collecting bodies. My force isn¡¯t busy now. Besides, not getting that good body in this situation, would be a shame¡­ Even though the ¡°pointy¡± and ¡°blockhead¡± are cowards, it¡¯s fact that they¡¯re difficult opponents.¡±


    Gathering materials that would be a delicate seasoning to finish the revenge, was important after all.


    The old man, who raised Giesel, was also a dedicated revenger. Although, the depth of it and the tenacity for it were incomparable to Giesel¡¯s.


    Giesel, who wasn¡¯t so picky about how to take revenge, ordered his subordinates to deliver information. In short, the man should die. No matter how, as long as the man¡¯s heart was put to stop and let rot away. That much should be more than enough loyalty to show to his foolish younger brother.

 CH 120

    A dark, dull glossy door was pressed by Walm¡¯s palm. At the same moment, the coldness peculiar to metal was pleasantly transmitted to the hot fingertips. Moving his feet, which were hot due to non-stop movement, Walm entered the familiar safe room.


    After leaving the golem and gargoyle exhibition floors behind, not that he even wanted to see them in the first place, Walm finally reached the safe room on the 25th floor. The journey from the 21st to the 25th floor was anything but smooth. Although he still had reserves of strength, he was forced to lift the restriction he imposed on himself of not using any skills or magic, which he had done well up to the 20th floor in this dive.


    With a listless look, Walm gazed around the room. The parties that were resting in the safe room were incomparably fewer than before, as befits a floor called the breaking point of the mid-rank. Including Walm, there were only four parties. Adding in the people he passed along the way, and those resting on the ground, the total number would surely jump, but even then, there was a sort of dividing line, a boundary between the mid-rank and high-rank, in the safe room.


    Three days had passed since he dived into the labyrinth. Despite Walm regaining his sharp senses, fatigue couldn¡¯t be stopped from accumulating. So he distanced himself from the temporary occupants, and slumped on the cold ground. His stomach screamed with hungry, while his half-open eyelids protested for abandoning his screaming stomach.


    Walm weighed the problems, trying to figure out which of them should be prioritized. It was him exaggerating the problems, but really, the content was silly. After all, the only difference in solving it was either to eat after sleeping or to sleep after eating.


    Walm was forced to make a decision alone, but his train of thought was forced to stop due to the approach of an outsider. Using his knees for support, he stood up quietly. Before entering the safe room, he put the new lover, the mace that had completed the hard work, into the magic bag, and the old lover, the halberd, was once again in Walm¡¯s hands.


    Letting the halberd touch the ground to assert itself, Walm kept his eyes on the visitors without opening his mouth. The approaching adventurer didn¡¯t stop. The development of muscles and bones cultivated through actual battles could be seen even above the equipment. Without looking at the face and paying attention only to the demeanor, the adventurer was probably about in his twenties. Of course, the deeply carved wrinkles and gray hair and beard spoke eloquently of his age.


    The equipment was well polished, but countless fine scratches were visible, even if that wasn¡¯t intentional. From the degree of rubbing on the joints, the history of battles, especially the length of experience diving the labyrinth, was conveyed. His arm was naturally placed far from the sword at his waist, tacitly indicating no hostility.


    ¡°You really are diving alone, huh? Even an average party that can reach here may get swallowed up by the labyrinth if they ever mess up.¡±


    Flattery first. Not a bad choice to begin a conversation, but Walm couldn¡¯t remember the adventurer¡¯s face. And unfortunately, the sleep-deprived Walm didn¡¯t have enough patience to engage in useless probing.


    ¡°Have we met somewhere before?¡±


    ¡°Ah, how rude of me. It¡¯s the first time we¡¯ve met. Recently, there¡¯s a man who keeps diving the labyrinth alone, which is rare, and it¡¯s become a hot topic in the tavern. This rumor crossed my mind when I saw you. And, I couldn¡¯t help myself from giving my greeting.¡±


    ¡°Adventurers sure love rumors.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s an unreliable business after all. Interacting and exchanging information is essential for adventurers. It can¡¯t be helped, you know.¡±


    Walm sensed that he was being treated with great caution, but at the same time, he also felt that the adventurer was more sincere than other adventurers who only looked at him from a distance.


    The adventurer¡¯s way of speaking was soft, perhaps because of his age. In any case, it made Walm reluctant to drive the adventurer away in a rude way, and decided to do it carefully.


    ¡°As you can see, no good information will come out of me.¡±


    ¡°How cold. Well, it may not be worth anything, but I¡¯m rooting for you. I mean, as a labyrinth explorer, I want to see how far you can dive alone.¡±


    The middle-aged man who sensed the intention of Walm¡¯s words, obediently beat a retreat. Even if he was an adventurer, Walm wouldn¡¯t simply hate him, as long as he was a good person.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a big deal, not worthy enough to receive such words, but¡­ well, thank you. I pray for your endeavor too.¡±


    Walm, finished with his formalities, saw off the man who was about to leave, but the man suddenly stopped.


    The adventurer turned back around and made a face as if he had forgotten something, he said,


    ¡°Oh, right. I forgot to ask you your name. Let me give mine first, my name is Fausto.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­Walm.¡±


    ¡°Walm, is it? Although my memory has been getting worse with age, I¡¯ll do my best to remember your name. Hopefully, we¡¯ll meet again in the labyrinth.¡±


    Looked satisfied this time, Faust retreated to his companions. Only he approached Walm, the other four of his parties only watched from a distance. How considerate of them.


    It was an unexpected event before the break, but Walm didn¡¯t feel uncomfortable. Resting his back against the wall, he began to enjoy the coldness of the ground again. The demon mask on his waist vibrated slightly. The meaning of the vibration wasn¡¯t alerting Walm. Apparently, the mask had taken a liking to the middle-aged adventurer.


    ¡°Seriously¡­ Do you tremble at anyone you like?¡±


    As Walm jokingly scolded the flirtatious mask, it began to vibrate at high speed in anger. His lower back itched as if a cicada had just crawled out of the ground and clung to his waist.


    ¡°I¡¯m just joking. Stop it. My bad. Sorry.¡±


    After repeated apologies, the demon mask¡¯s anger finally subsided. Although the event happened inside the cloak, if the exchange was witnessed, surely, Walm would look like someone who had challenged the labyrinth for too long, so that he was suffering from a mental disorder.


    With a small smile on his face, Walm decided to surrender to his fatigue. After all, what he could eat now were only cold black bread and dried meat. Something that the taste wouldn¡¯t change even after some time had passed.


    ¡ô


    Walm¡¯s magic bag had only the capacity of one and a half to two large backpacks and that sometimes troubled him. What a luxurious problem.


    In addition to the necessary supplies and goods that had accumulated since the Highserk era, the consumables and food in the labyrinth took up more than half of the space. If the things collected in the labyrinth were added to it, even after subtracting the consumables, it would be hard to say that the remaining capacity would be enough.


    Therefore, Walm decided to return to the surface to replenish the consumables and sell the goods from the labyrinth.


    After jumping into the black hole in the transfer room, Walm went to the room that was on the way to the waiting area. It was a cleaning room where orc meat was usually processed. After washing the goods of dirt, he entered the waiting area.


    Perhaps because he had dived all the way to the breaking point of the mid-rank, the crowd felt really lively. Apart from that, Walm went to the reception, as usual, avoiding the people as much as he could.


    ¡°Welcome back. You¡¯ve been diving for a long time this time. How deep did you dive?¡±


    Lisi, who was going about her daily duties at the reception, interrupted her work to greet Walm.


    Walm returned the tally he had taken out, and replied,


    ¡°Twenty-five floors.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s, indeed quite deep. Then, next is the 26th floor. On this floor, only monsters that are difficult to attack with slashing and slamming attacks will appear. Walm-san, can you use magic?¡±


    Fortunately, Walm possessed a high affinity for two attributes, fire and wind, and in many battles, it had proven to be effective.


    ¡°I can use wind and fire magic¡±


    ¡°With these two types of attacks, it can¡¯t be said that there¡¯s a lack of countermeasures. If you can¡¯t use any, I would¡¯ve done my best to stop you from going deeper on your own. But, it seems, you can still go alone.¡±


    Lisi said this with a face that said, ¡°Even if I tell you to stop, you won¡¯t listen.¡±. That might be the case, but it wasn¡¯t enough to completely stop Lisi from giving Walm advice to increase his survival rate.


    After hearing some information from Lisi about the next floor, Walm said honestly,


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Seems I¡¯ve increased your work again.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s the first time that someone from this ordinary reception has been able to dive to the 25th floor alone. As long as when it¡¯s in my working time, I¡¯ll do my best to support such a person. Well, to be honest, I hope you¡¯ll register as an adventurer in the guild. In this case, you¡¯ll contribute to the evaluation of the guild and also to me too. This is the most desirable scenario, but I can¡¯t force it on you.¡±


    Lisi jokingly muttered such displeasure.


    Grateful and embarrassed at the same time, Walm¡¯s thoughts wandered and found the existence of the bracelet he¡¯d picked up in the labyrinth.


    ¡°I can¡¯t give such a contribution, but last time, you said you wanted a tribute, right?¡±


    Walm fumbled around in his waist bag and took out a silver bracelet.


    ¡°Tribute? Can¡¯t you say it bette¡­ umm, what¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°I got it from the labyrinth. Even though the design is the crimson grass flower that only blooms in the labyrinth, it¡¯s too cute to be worn by a man. Even if I sell it, I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll only be worth a few silver coins. I¡¯d be happy if Lisi, who¡¯s taken care of me on more than a few occasions, received it.¡±


    Walm quietly placed the bracelet on the reception table and motioned for Lisi to take it.


    Lisi, who was holding her head in confusion, quickly changed her expression and uttered,


    ¡°Fufu, fu, I¡¯ve never thought that the first person to actually bring me a tribute would be Walm-san¡­.. even if you give me a tribute, I can only support you from here when I¡¯m working, you know?¡±


    ¡°I know, but that¡¯s fine. That alone helps me enough.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll gladly receive it. Even if you ask me to return it later, I won¡¯t give it back, okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try my best not to.¡±


    Lisi grabbed the bracelet and lowered her gaze to it, stroking it before putting it away.


    With that, one task was completed. Deftly, Walm left the reception. It wasn¡¯t a bar counter after all. Lingering here for long wouldn¡¯t only get in the other people¡¯s way but also disturb their business. In the worst case, being labeled as a person under surveillance after getting kicked out would be the result¡­ That wouldn¡¯t be funny. Really, it wouldn¡¯t.


    The next task for today would be to visit an equipment shop. Walm must use the earned coins to buy the necessary items to challenge the 26th floor, which was known for being a mid-rank killer.


    After crossing the stone-paved passage, the bright sky gave its warm greeting. Walm narrowed his eyes at the glare. As he was embraced by the hot sun, he remembered that the last time he was on the surface, it was the twin moons that hugged him goodbye.


    ¡°Seems, my body has got too used to the labyrinth.¡±


    Somehow, Walm could sympathize with the mole that had crawled out of the dark earth. Like them, surely all the people who returned from the labyrinth during the day had to frown because of the difference in light intensity. Of course, this was no exception for Walm.

 CH 121

    Walm was unofficially baptized as a high-rank adventurer on the 26th floor, which separated the mid-rank and high-rank. As a commemoration, he released a fireball manifested by his mana. It continued to burn even after being released, as if saying it wanted to make the baptism merrier.


    It was only a fireball, inferior to the ¡¶Demon Fire¡· in terms of range and durability, but it was better in terms of instant firepower. If the fireball hit directly without being affected by defenses or terrain, an ordinary monster would naturally be incapacitated. In fact, one of the monsters Walm had targeted in their encounter was also engulfed in fire and now lay smoldering on the ground.


    Nevertheless, the remaining monsters made it through the waves of dancing flames and approached Walm.


    The armor was worn without gaps, and the blade of the longsword took on a suspicious glow from the flames. The inside wasn¡¯t human. After all, the head that should have been there was lost.


    The name of the opponent this time was¡­ ¡°Dullahan¡±.


    Three Dullahans were the first to greet Walm. Although one of them was destroyed, two of them were still alive and passionately trying to turn the living one, Walm, into their kind.


    ¡°No neck? That¡¯s troublesome.¡±


    There were no necks to cut off, which were the weak points of the humanoid monsters, and no skulls to smash. Walm, abandoning restraint, stopped his advance, lowered his arm wide and swung his halberd. The Dullahan¡¯s instinct was sharp enough to judge the ¡¶Strike¡· as dangerous, so it quickly slowed and escaped just out of range. Meanwhile, the second Dullahan slid low and thrust its longsword into Walm.


    Walm fought him off with his halberd and quickly stabbed with his halberd, but the first Dullahan was too far away to launch a deadly attack. Walm jumped away from the spot and charged toward him. He tried to chase it, but it had regained its balance and thwarted the attack. Really, even though it had no head, it was intelligent enough to make a team attack. Unwise was the right word for this case.


    Walm tried to get around the Dullahans, but both kept a really disgusting sense of distance and their movements were mixed with feints.


    However, more than anything, if the noise attracted monsters, it would become a dangerous situation. Of course, Walm didn¡¯t want that to happen, and he would not hold back


    The Dulahans clearly split into left and right as they closed the gap against Walm, who had kneaded mana and formed a fireball. The goal was probably to avoid the same blow and make Walm hesitate to use magic at close range, but that was a bad move since Walm had a high aptitude for fire attributes. Otherwise, if Walm used ¡¶Demon Fire¡·, he would be consumed by the blue flames and his body would be burned to the ground. And if that were the case, he might not be here.


    The fireball that struck the headless knight¡¯s abdomen exploded, tearing open the sturdy armor and damaging everything inside with the heat. The fire worked wonders against the undead. The headless knight left the battle without even having time to fight back.


    The remaining Dullahan, who had gained valuable time and distance from its compatriot¡¯s sacrifice, threw its entire body to Walm. For a human, this would be a move without considering a counterattack to a vital point, but for a Dullahan with no clear vital point, this would be a troublesome move for its opponent.


    The tip of the longsword touched the claw-shaped blade of the halberd, and with a high scraping sound of metal, the sword was deflected upward to the left. The crisis wasn¡¯t over yet. A shoulder attack, using the weight of the armor, came at Walm.


    Walm stuck out the underside of the halberd and thrust it against the Dullahan¡¯s shoulder. With a dull crack, Walm held back the attack and suddenly lost his footing. The headless knight¡¯s center of gravity hung forward as it approached, but now it leaned further forward and thus lost its balance.


    Naturally, Walm, who wanted to break the Dullahan, did not miss this chance. He hooked the halberd¡¯s claw-like blade into the Dullahan¡¯s knee as he passed through the side, severing the knee as he shifted his center of gravity. The sensation of severing the human¡¯s cruciate ligament and meniscus carried over to the hilt. It felt satisfying.


    After losing the pillar of its mobility, the Dullahan turned and swung its longsword, but it was only a futile struggle.


    Walm, spinning inexorably behind the Dullahan, swung the halberd he held at the tip. A mana-filled blow diagonally crossed the Dullahan¡¯s shoulder and waist, as well as its armor.


    ¡°Still going to move again?¡±


    The halves of the body bounced on the ground several times, and there was a slight resistance, but it did nothing meaningful.


    After catching his breath, Walm used all six of his senses to search for the enemy. Fortunately, the enemy wasn¡¯t approaching yet.


    Just in case, Walm kicked the longsword out of Dullahan¡¯s hand and knelt down. For a while, he hunted for loot.


    After putting a few coins, including a silver coin, into the waist bag, Walm said,


    ¡°As expected, taking the armor is impossible. Guess the sword is the max, huh?¡±


    The magic bag was packed with collectibles from the floors Walm passed. When he put the sword in, he felt a strange resistance and a sense of revulsion on his skin. Although he was primarily picking up precious metals, magic stones, and valuable items, the storage limit of the magic bag, which was for personal use only, was nearing the limit.


    From now on, if Walm found a bulky, valuable item, he could no longer put it in his magic bag without throwing something away. Well, if it was jewelry or coins, it would be different. In any case, Walm couldn¡¯t carry heavy things at his waist or on his back, or the weight would interfere with his movements after all.


    The curfew came when Walm picked up the coins that were scattered when the Dullahan was burned. The sound of metal rubbing on the ground reached his ears. There must be a new group of headless knights wandering around the labyrinth.


    ¡°It¡¯s a good time to move.¡±


    Fortunately, there was no sign of an enemy nearby yet. But there was no reason for Walm to stay here long, so he quickly left.


    ¡ô


    As the receptionist had advised him, there were only monsters with annoying characteristics on the 26th floor and on the next floors as well.


    Although Walm encountered only 2 monsters this time, they were annoying enough.


    A ¡°Poison Worm¡±, which surface was protected by venom and poisonous needles, and a ¡°Killer Plant¡± that had tough tentacle-like parts and was said to have high vitality and regeneration power. If there were multiple of them, Walm would have focused on the casting magic that had been preserved until the 25th floor in this dive.


    After carefully tasting the value of advance information, Walm was worried that the bracelet he gave as the information fee was too cheap.


    ¡°Huff, can¡¯t you just die in silence? What a bad fella.¡±


    The Poison Worm that had turned into a bonfire secreted poison and polluted the air. The concentration was not lethal, but if too much was inhaled into the lungs, symptoms such as vomiting and convulsions could occur. According to the owner of the equipment store, who was the main buyer of Walm¡¯s loot, it could also be used as protective gear against deadly poison if collected and handled properly. Unfortunately, Walm did not have the equipment or skills to help him dissect the body of an insect contaminated with venom and poison needles.


    The Killer Plant, on the other hand, was a monster with a troublesome regeneration ability and a tough ivy that would make the Vanguard suffer, but it was a plant-based monster, which meant it was vulnerable to fire. Walm stared spellbound at one of the burned tentacles. There were still numerous thorns on the burnt surface. They stuck in the armor of the humans, tore open the skin, and sucked out the blood. This was the attack method of the blood-sucking killer plant, which was also its way of eating.


    Walm pulled out the knife at his hip. He cut the tentacles to a reasonable length while stepping on them with his half-boots and scraping the thorns off with the knife. Then he grabbed the tentacle, held it above his head, and drank the liquid that flowed from the cut surface.


    ¡°Just like she said, the sweetness is intense.¡±


    It tasted like sugar cane juice, only a little sweeter and had a higher viscosity. It was one of the best sweets that were ever tasted by Walm, who had no opportunity to enjoy sweets at any time. Of course, there was a great demand for the killer plants, as they could be used as a spice and ingredient in foods that were highly sought after even by the wealthy.


    The ferocious liquid on the tip of his tongue permeated Walm¡¯s body and his brain rejoiced at the sweetness. Had he not been in a place where the air was poisoned, he would have savored it slowly.


    Walm quickly peeled off another, squeezed as much sweet liquid as he could into the bottle, and tossed the remaining away. The Labyrinth would automatically clean it up after all. There was no need to worry about the after-rot.


    After giving himself a sweet little break, Walm looked for a staircase to go lower. The next would be the 29th floor, and if he went down one more floor, he would find a safe room.


    While Walm shook off the juices that stuck to his hands, he shifted his mind and paid attention to the surroundings.


    As expected, the thought of the safe room, which wasn¡¯t yet visible, would not do anyone any good.


    Walm walked through passages and empty rooms for a while. As always, when he entered another small room, he carefully scanned the surroundings. Detecting the presence of wandering monsters was not that hard, as they would come at him, but the insidious killer plant sometimes hid under the rubble or on the ceiling.


    Getting tangled in the tentacles would restrict movement and cause the blood to be squeezed out. Sure, Walm liked squeezing the sweetness out of the killer plant, but he wasn¡¯t willing to be the one being squeezed.


    Fortunately, the damage in the room was minimal, and there were no gaps to hide in. Walm tried to leave a small room with nothing to see, but he sensed an abnormality in the passage ahead.


    ¡°Dullahan¡­¡­? No, it¡¯s wearing a helmet.¡±


    It was impossible for a headless knight to wear a helmet. Besides, the monster had four arms, two held swords and the other two held shields


    After trying to remember the information, Walm spoke the monster¡¯s name.


    ¡°Is it, ¡°Doll Slime¡±?¡±


    A slime that could penetrate armor and dolls and manipulate them at will. It was a monster Walm encountered for the first time, and as expected, firepower was the only effective solution against an unknown opponent.


    Walm kneaded his mana and began to form a fireball. The reaction of the Doll Slime in front of the fire was dramatic. With a trembling, half-soft body, the slime screamed with his pseudo-vocal cords and spurted liquid from the holes in his armor.


    Walm shot at the fireball anyway, but he soon realized his mistake. The liquid that looked like an attack was a part of the slime, and it moved as if it were gliding on the surface of the water. The liquid-like body reduced friction and allowed fast movements


    The Doll Slime jumped into the Walm with an initial speed and angle that no normal human could do.


    Walm greeted it by shaking off the halberd, only to be paired with two round shields. In the end, only one shield broke. The Doll Slime that had closed the gap simultaneously released short swords left and right. Walm saw through the first slash and dodged the second by turning his upper body, but the Doll Slime¡¯s elbow changed its trajectory in exactly the opposite direction.


    ¡°Uh, ugrhhh!!¡±


    Although the Doll Slime was wearing armor, it was soft on the inside. It allowed the sword to approach Walm at an angle that should have been impossible. At least based on his experience.


    Walm was struck by the hilt of the sword, but it was strong enough to cause blood to seep from his cheek. He quickly suppressed the bleeding with a magical barrier. And for some reason this fight amused him


    The joints of the Doll Slime were incomparably flexible. But the exoskeleton, the so-called armor, stood in the way of this protean ability


    And even if Walm couldn¡¯t kill the Doll slime at first sight, his eyes would get used to its movements, even if he didn¡¯t like them. When the sword and halberd crossed, he cut off its arm and let the short sword roll to the ground.


    Even the round shield could be of no help in defending against the second ¡¶Strike¡·. The only remaining short sword was also entwined with the claw-shaped blade of the halberd and sent to the ground.


    The Doll Slime, having lost its countermeasures, spat its tentacles out of the cracks in the armor and grabbed Walm.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    The Doll Slime tried to suffocate Walm, but it was no more than a futile effort. The fireball that immediately formed was insufficiently kneaded and originally only a false threat, but it was an unbearable blow to the slime that oozed from the armor that was the outer shell.


    The dying Doll Slime locked itself in the armor and tried to make a final resistance, but Walm, who was in close proximity, poured flames from the cross-section of its cut arm.


    The vibration of the soft body and the metallic sound of the armor rubbing against each other became death throes, and the Doll Slime was finally unable to maintain its form. Its semi-soft body turned completely into liquid and formed new stains on the Labyrinth.


    ¡°That was another troublesome fella.¡±


    Compared to the other three, the number was small. Although the chance of encountering the Doll Slime was small, it wasn¡¯t a mutant or a rare species. But given the difficulty of dealing with it, even a complaint would be forgivable right? So Walm spat out a curse.


    Then it was time to evaluate the spoils.


    The value of the equipment damaged by ¡¶Strike¡·wasn¡¯t that high. So he just wanted to check if the Doll Slime had dropped something valuable.


    When Walm examined the inside of the armor with his hand, which was supposed to be hollow, he felt a foreign substance inside. To be precise, it was when he examined the arm armor. When he shook it, a small magic stone came out of the gap.


    Magic stone was said to have many uses, such as a catalyst and a lamp, and if it were sold, it would cost about five silver coins.


    Without thinking further, Walm put the magic stone into the magic bag, which was soon full, and continued his exploration of the labyrinth.

 CH 122

    122. Chapter 122 ¨C Resurface


    Walm, having overcome the troublesome crowd of monsters and survived the greeting of the high-ranking floors, reached the vault. The room was so deserted that the birds chirped in his imagination, but still, it wasn¡¯t reserved only for him.


    A party of five people was there. Walm recognized them, after all, he¡¯d spoken to one of them the other day.


    Fausto, an experienced adventurer, was sitting against the wall with the other party members. It wasn¡¯t that they had come to this floor only because they wanted to spend their free time like children in summer. Although they were all well dressed, the dirt and the naked wounds that testified to the battle caught the eye.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to come to the 30th floor alone, much less so quickly. So let me welcome you.¡±


    Fausto noticed the entrance, stood up, and walked toward Walm. This time he had brought his party members with him, and it seemed a social gathering was in store.


    ¡°As you can see, I¡¯m exhausted.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t modesty, but Walm¡¯s honest words. There was no way he could cut corners on the way here. In fact, he had generously consumed his mana.


    ¡°Well, look, even with five, it¡¯s not much different. If there were four more Walm, it would be possible to conquer the labyrinth without breaking a sweat.¡±


    It had been about five days since Walm had dived into the labyrinth. During that time, he hadn¡¯t exchanged a word with anyone. Now that he had the opportunity, for some reason he became more relaxed than usual, which led to him making a lame joke.


    ¡°Unfortunately, my brothers weren¡¯t born at the same time. So, no quintuplets.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m relieved to hear that¡±


    Said Fausto with a carefree smile.


    Immediately after, Walm¡¯s five senses were alerted by the sounds and movements in the surroundings. The faint sound of the wind coming to his flank from the side and the signs of death fast approaching could be felt. Fortunately, his survival instinct made his hand move the halberd to receive the blow.


    A numbing shock was felt in Walm¡¯s hand. The longsword and the halberd¡¯s handle rubbed against each other. It was one of Fausto¡¯s party members, who was in Walm¡¯s blind spot, slashing a sword at him.


    ¡°¡­But how unfortunate, really.¡±


    Words that came out of Fausto¡¯s mouth weren¡¯t intentional, but unconsciously. The smile of a good man turned into the smile of a sinister man. As if he was wearing a Noh mask. [TN: Noh-mask, is the mask used by the Noh performer. Basically, Noh is a dance-drama where the performer expresses emotion by using a mask.]


    It had been a long time since Walm had seen someone with that kind of expression. Even among the soldiers of the northern countries, who were good at killing each other, it was rare. No emotional fluctuations, as if the person standing in front of Fausto wasn¡¯t human, as if Walm was nothing more than useless weeds.


    Walm realized that countless sacrifices were needed to manifest this in someone. In fact, he felt that the attack was carefully planned and not accidental.


    Why? What for? For what reason? Such questions weren¡¯t necessary. After all, in this world, including Walm, people were generally raised thinking that a fight was normal, that war was normal.


    Walm¡¯s train of thought, given the signal to change the target to ¡°battle mode,¡± quickly switched to the earlier thoughts and feelings he had while diving through the floors of the labyrinth.


    The assailants began a full-scale assault after throwing away their deception. Fausto¡¯s spear, aimed at Walm¡¯s throat, approached from below. Walm dodged with his upper body and jumped back, but a mace approached from the side as he retreated backwards. He continued to dodge further behind, only to be greeted by a longsword.


    Perhaps they felt that Walm had a solid defense, so as to limit his mobility, his legs were the target


    The longsword tried to sweep Walm¡¯s leg, but it was a failure and deflected off the shin guard.


    Walm escaped the laceration, but he couldn¡¯t prevent the dull pain that echoed in his bones and the uncertainty of his posture. He stood still, feeling stunned, but without giving him time to relax, the nearby shield-wielder charged at him.


    There was no space left to escape safely, so Walm prepared to receive the blow. At the same time as the collision, however, he flew backward to cut off his momentum. After rolling on the ground, he jumped up, but a burning pain attacked his shoulder.


    ¡°Uh, ughh¡±


    The archer, who was out of range, shot an arrow through the small gaps of the four vanguards at just the right moment.


    Before another arrow was drawn, Walm used his mana and shot a fireball into the ground to break up the formation.


    ¡°Keep attacking! Lilo, Haunzen, don¡¯t let him escape!¡±


    The five people facing Walm at some distance set their next action in motion. They used water magic <Water bullet> and wind magic <Gust> to extinguish the flames.


    After all, it was a party that could reach the 30th floor. Of course, it was expected that one or two magic users would be present.


    Fausto with a spear and an adventurer with a mace approached Walm, who had lost his fire barrier, and another adventurer with a longsword aimed at his flank.


    Walm instantly accelerated with wind attribute magic. Flank for flank, he targeted the longsword-wielder on the flank, but the damned shield-wielder and archer tried to stop him.


    The shield-wielder could use wind magic, and used magic to give speed in the shield bash presented to Walm at close range.


    ¡°Great performance.¡±


    At first glance, it looked like it would be easy to kill one or two. But a clever improvised move like this could happen many times in this fight to the death. If Walm ignored someone for just a second, that person would target his blind spot and deliver a killing blow for sure.


    Walm could choose to run away, but that meant he had to find a way to break through one of the routes to the transfer room or the door to the precious place or the door to the deeper floor. But if he managed to break through, they would certainly do their best to pursue him.


    To reach the 30th floor, Walm had repeatedly used up his mana, and if he used ¡¶Demon Fire¡·, he would only deplete his soon-to-be-depleted mana even faster.


    Above all, the adventurer¡¯s equipment made Walm hesitate to use it. Apart from the fact that they all seemed to have above average mana due to their long training, they were also carefully prepared and even equipped with fireproof equipment.


    And what would happen to Walm¡¯s eyes if he used this? If Fausto¡¯s group managed to block the attack or escape total annihilation, the intense pain in his eyes would obstruct his vision. In this case, Walm would be like a ¡°Sahuagin on the cutting board.¡±


    At least if one or two people weren¡¯t incapacitated, Walm wouldn¡¯t even be able to escape properly


    In short, Walm was clearly cornered. Although he was in an awkward position, the demon mask at his waist was in a good mood. Obviously, it didn¡¯t care about its owner and just wanted to see the bloodshed between the humans. Besides, Fausto was one of the people who made the mask tremble with interest. That was enough for Walm to think that Fausto couldn¡¯t be a decent person.


    Walm repelled the attack with his halberd while continuing to dodge, taking fine steps as if he were dancing. Using magic to find a way to counterattack would just be a waste of effort, it would be better to save as much as possible to extend the bankruptcy in mana. Gradually, his limbs were scraped and his clothes were stained with blood. To suppress the bleeding, the magical barrier that played the role of the second skin continued to hold the wound.


    A shiver ran down Walm¡¯s spine the whole time, and he began to feel uneasy. Not even a blink was allowed for the strong presence of death. Injured and exhausted, surrounded by powerful enemies. Walm was forced to stand in the line of death. Although there were no spectators, he had to continue dancing in the midst of the great performers.


    ¡°ah, hah, huh, hah¡±


    Repeated shallow breaths and strained legs that appealed and screamed as they were reaching their limits. Walm thrust the halberd, turning deadly blows into only painful wounds. Yet the precision of the movement wasn¡¯t lost.


    Sure, the battles in the labyrinth he had experienced so far slowly evoked a sense of the past. But this predicament worked wonders. The dullness created by a lazy, alcohol-soaked year was scraped away. Ironically, drifting on the border between death and life was the best environment for Walm to force his past self to resurface.


    Unconsciously, a smile appeared on Walm¡¯s face.


    Walm stomped on the longsword that came from a blind spot and was about to sweep his legs, forcing the blade to dig into the ground. He then twisted his body and slashed at the sword-wielder with his halberd when he saw an opening, but the sword-wielder immediately let go of the longsword and protected the neck with both hands.


    The attack cut through the back of the hand, crushing bone and flesh, but it was stopped there before it reached the neck


    As a token of gratitude for the kindness, the mace struck Walm¡¯s flank, and Fausto¡¯s sharp spear pierced his throat deeply. But he didn¡¯t care. After all, they weren¡¯t fatal injuries.


    ¡°Move!!¡±


    Fausto took a step back before attacking again, giving instructions to the swordsman, but he was a little late. At that moment, Walm, whose broken ribs were making violent sounds and who even had blood in his trachea, didn¡¯t slow his movements. Instead, he pulled the sword-wielder to him like a beloved lover and exchanged bodies.


    The sword-wielder had now turned into a meat shield. Nevertheless, the sword-wielder tried to hug Walm with broken arms.


    From the weapon, which showed no signs of slowing down, Walm could read the attacker¡¯s determination.


    The meat shield was indeed a useless shield and unnecessary. So, Walm burned the sword wielder¡¯s throat as he thrust this meat shield into the trajectory of the spear and mace.


    The sound of boiling blood and the smell of burnt flesh spread through the large room. A soundless scream, burning the vocal cords indeed¡­ delighted Walm.


    ¡°¡­ Four left¡±


    Even the tough attackers, who weren¡¯t so easily swayed emotionally, would be more likely to think about the next move because of a loss in their number. There even would be some among them whose information processing would slow down when they saw a dying comrade turned into a meat shield


    Walm pulled out the arrow, which passed through the crumbling corpse and stuck in his shoulder. But that wasn¡¯t enough to stop him.


    Walm spat the blood that had accumulated in his mouth into the air. The spreading blood mist distorted the field of vision and increased the amount of information the opponent had to process. Walm, who was well prepared, shot the arrow with compressed air.


    ¡± <Release> ¡°


    The ejected arrow slipped through their focus, penetrated the mace wielder¡¯s eyeball, and reached the brain.


    ¡°Three, left¡±


    Walm pointed his halberd at the three.


    Accumulated fatigue, spent mana, and injuries all over the body, Walm¡¯s condition was the worst. Nevertheless, his thoughts gave clear instructions on what to do next.


    ¡°¡­¡­.We¡¯ve spent too much time. No, rather, we don¡¯t have enough time to see the end. How unfortunate.¡±


    For the first time since the killing began, Fausto threw words at Walm. The tightly closed door creaked open. That meant the arrival of a new party of spectators about to visit the stage called the safe room.

 CH 123

    Walm pricked up his ears and kept an eye on the attacker, while he adjusted his violent breathing so as not to be distracted.


    The footsteps of four people echoed, and there was no sign of restlessness in their steps.


    Walm couldn¡¯t properly assess whether or not the situation of the next attack not starting at the same time as the four people entered the room was due to them being an unrelated third party. Still, the possibility that they were a backup couldn¡¯t be ruled out, and there was also a chance that they would only be observers. In any case, it would be best to expect the worst.


    Fausto¡¯s movements were simple, in contrast to Walm, whose thoughts were partly devoted to the new visitors.


    ¡°It¡¯s you, Merrill of the ¡°Trimagitack¡±. Be careful!!! That guy suddenly attacked.¡±


    It sounded like an improvised play. After all, under the circumstances, the best option would be to make a false accusation


    Walm had no social credibility. He knew that people thought he was a weirdo who arrived from a distant, foreign land and challenged labyrinths alone. So, he vomited the blood that had accumulated in his mouth and tried to apologize, but he was stopped by a member of the Trimagitack.


    ¡°Judging from the way Fausto spoke, you guys were suddenly attacked by that person¡­¡­ Hmm, but that¡¯s strange. Of the two victims, one had an arrow in the eye, and one had severe burns all over the body. Also, in a sudden five-on-one fight, all of you guys are fully armed. If that person is such a master of killing, it¡¯s strange that not even one person was slaughtered by a surprise attack. I mean, I can¡¯t see that halberd as just a mere decoration.¡±


    Unexpectedly, it wasn¡¯t Walm who got the suspicion, but Fausto and his party.


    Walm, unable to grasp the situation, continued to listen.


    ¡°Are you out of your mind!? Merrill, you¡¯d rather suspect us, who¡¯ve long supported the guild, than him?¡±


    ¡°Umm, listen, I¡¯ve no intention of taking either side. So let¡¯s let the guild sort this out. If you¡¯re right, I¡¯ll cooperate to deal with him. Well, if you want to hear a little bit of my thoughts. Fausto, in the current situation where you couldn¡¯t even properly raise adventurer to reach high-rank floors but still managed to stay alive for a long time, you¡¯re rather suspicious, you know.¡±


    As if to give the statement an unnecessary boost, Walm agreed in a slightly hoarse voice.


    ¡°If you can make sure those performers won¡¯t attack me, I¡¯ll obediently follow you.¡±


    Merrill waited for Fausto¡¯s words, but no reply came. On the contrary, Fausto¡¯s menacing expression returned to its original lifeless expression. It was as if he no longer cared about making a facade.


    ¡°¡­¡­Fausto, what to do now?¡±


    ¡°Aside from their appearances, their eyes are dead serious. Well, I¡¯ve been acting suspiciously for a long time. Can¡¯t fool them this time.¡±


    ¡°What about these two and their equipment?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m more than prepared. Throw them away.¡±


    Fausto, who failed to make false accusations, openly exchanged a conspiracy after committing the crime.


    While the strangely stiff atmosphere lingered, the movement of the archer, who overlapped with the shield-wielder, made the awkwardness waver for a moment.


    Even if Walm entered into the conversation, there was no way he could take his eyes off the dangerous archer.


    Therefore, Walm shrugged off the archer¡¯s quick shot, which even felt like an acrobatic feat. With a silly rattling sound, the arrow slid across the ground and spun wildly before coming to a stop at the feet of the Trimagitack member.


    ¡°You sure, have bad manners.¡±


    ¡°Lilo, give up. It¡¯s a failure.¡±


    Paying no attention to Walm, who condemned the atrocities, Fausto admonished the archer not to use the arrows in vain.


    Amid this strange tension, it was the Trimagitack who broke the silence.


    ¡°So, Fausto¡¯s party is a party of ¡°Manhunts¡±?¡±


    ¡°To be honest, because his career is too beautiful, it¡¯s rather suspicious, so it¡¯s not unexpected. That being said, look at him. He killed two people in a five-to-one fight. If we hadn¡¯t come, I¡¯m sure he¡¯d have killed all five.¡±


    It was said in a cheerful tone that didn¡¯t fit the place where blood was spilled.


    ¡°Nah, you¡¯re just thinking too much. I mean, no matter how, he looks like a dirty worn-out rag.¡±


    The rod-wielding woman criticized Walm. Certainly not a big mistake. Walm was now in just slightly better health than an abandoned dog.


    ¡°So, do you wanna have a go with us, Fausto?¡±


    ¡°My business is only with him.¡±


    ¡°Nice joke. If only you said it without looking at us with such disgusting eyes. You¡¯re targeting us too, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    From the side, it sounded like a lighthearted conversation, but the Trimagitack was actually trying to take advantage of the situation.


    ¡°Even if that¡¯s the case, would you take the risk to attack us?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll lose so easily, but, what¡¯s with those glaring eyes? Where did your usual gentle face go?¡±


    ¡°People are multifaceted. Judging only from one side is the bad thing about young people these days.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve learned a lot. So, what¡¯s the answer?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m quite busy. Young people should deepen their friendships themselves. See you all.¡±


    The probing for information ended, and Fausto¡¯s party disappeared into the transport room, ending the strange triangle relationship. At last, there was only one side to which Walm could devote his attention.


    ¡°What should we do, Merrill?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s an ambush waiting on the surface, since there are guards there, but let¡¯s give a little time. That said, why¡¯re you still looking so doubtful?¡±


    With opened arms, Merrill said to Walm, who had kept a certain distance and was glaring at the Trimagitack members.


    ¡°You, really. We helped you, you know. Can¡¯t you at least say ¡°Thank you¡± first?¡±


    Said the woman with a rod, furrowing her eyebrows in a bad mood.


    ¡°¡­¡­Yeah, you¡¯re right. You¡¯ve saved me. But, after all, I¡¯ve just had my throat literally slit, by someone who spoke to me in a friendly way. I can¡¯t help but be doubtful.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ a backup when in a bad situation or failed, is that what we look like?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not an impossible scenario.¡±


    Said the warrior-monk, nodding obediently to the possibility that the party leader mentioned.


    ¡°Hari, which side are you on?!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so angry, Marianthe.¡±


    ¡°I mean, even though he¡¯s the oldest, he lacks any consideration. Instead of training in the labyrinth, you should train your head first.¡±


    ¡°Got it, I¡¯ll do the best that I can.¡±


    ¡°Now, now¡­ Look, we wouldn¡¯t do such a tedious thing. And if we are Fausto¡¯s companions, nine of us would¡¯ve crushed you from the start.¡±


    What a frank remark, but indeed quite refreshing to hear. Still, it was the truth. Walm had trouble even with five people. With two parties able to reach the 30th floor, Walm would probably be crushed if he didn¡¯t use ¡¶Demon Fire¡·.


    ¡°So, what should we do with him?¡±


    ¡°Do you need help?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯m suppressing the bleeding with a magical barrier. If I can return to the treatment center on the surface, there won¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    ¡°Yeah right. Your character is twisted. For real.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad that you can still talk so much. And guess, you¡¯re still doing fine on your own. Anyway, we¡¯ll carry the corpses. If there¡¯s no one in the safe room, the corpses and belongings will be swallowed after all. So, it¡¯s better to drag them along.¡±


    ¡°Come on, Yuna. Hold the leg.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not good with heavy things. Why not let Hari carries both?¡±


    The archer, who had been watching from the sidelines, refused to lighten the load.


    ¡°If Hari carries them all, both will be in even worse condition before we can hand them over to the guild staff. Come on, don¡¯t be lazy.¡±


    One corpse was carried by a warrior monk named Hari, the other by an archer named Yuna and a rod-wielder named Marianthe.


    ¡°You won¡¯t help?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the escort¡±


    ¡°You mean the observer, right?¡±


    Although they were having a light talk, Walm had been under observation since Merrill entered the room. The colorful eyes caught Walm and never let him go. In doing so, of course, Merrill maintained a position and distance that was enough to fend off Walm¡¯s surprise attack.


    The same was true of the other Trimagitack members carrying the bodies Walm had just created. They were alert and watching over him, even if it wasn¡¯t so obvious.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re aware of it? As expected of someone who could handle Fausto¡¯s party. It¡¯d be nice if I could see your battle with them.¡±


    With a smile like that of a child whose mischief had been discovered, Merrill continued.


    ¡°The exit and entrance are paired. It looks like you came from the one used for those focused on the low-rank floors, so I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll run into Fausto, but still, I suggest you jump a little later. I¡¯ll make arrangements with the guild staff to send you a healing magician.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. And, thank you.¡±


    ¡°Hm? Seems that when you¡¯ve calmed down, you can say thank you properly. Well then, see you on the surface.¡±


    The Trimagitack members carrying the corpses were swallowed by the black whirlpool and disappeared. As Walm watched their return to the surface, he heaved a sigh and lowered his tension by a notch.


    ¡°Those performers, sure did a terrible job.¡±


    Even if two of them were killed, the price Walm paid for reaping skilled adventurers was by no means cheap.


    Walm checked the condition of his neck, which had the deepest wound, and wrapped the bandages around it. If the attack had been off by only a few millimeters, his artery would have been severed.


    Next would be the broken ribs. He didn¡¯t feel it reach his lung, but still, he was really annoyed by the pain. Aside from these two, there were numerous lacerations and bruises all over his body.


    Walm rested his body, but as time slowly devoured him, his heart felt heavy.


    In any case, Walm must return to the surface first. The innumerable wounds were too deep and numerous for a short natural recovery.


    Calmly Walm counted the numbers and when it reached three hundred, he jumped into the black whirlpool.

 CH 124

    The Adventurer¡¯s Guild received a wide variety of requests, such as protecting logistics routes, subjugating dangerous targets, and guarding important people. The requests varied greatly depending on the region and location, giving each Adventurer¡¯s Guild its own ¡°color.¡± And the Adventurer¡¯s Guild Belgana Branch, which had a labyrinth, had a quite special ¡°color¡±.


    The rulers of the labyrinth city, the Marquis Borgia family, opened the labyrinth without fully controlling it, weighing the private army that could be exhausted in the labyrinth and the monopoly of wealth. They managed to recruit workers from the surrounding area for the dangerous work of exploring the labyrinth.


    The Belgana Adventurer¡¯s Guild branch, which had a short history within the Adventurer¡¯s Guilds, was actually subcontracted for the complicated management, maintenance and operation of the Labyrinth, where the laws of all things were twisted.


    One of the many employees of such a guild was named Lisi, who had been born and raised in the Labyrinth City. While she was given the role of receptionist for the exploration of the Labyrinth, she was also busy preparing official ceremonies and events.


    Among the incessant duties, the one that Lisi put her heart and soul into was assisting those who challenged the Labyrinth. Of course, as a non-combatant, she couldn¡¯t help them directly. The weapon she possessed, after all, was information. She collected and managed a large amount of official and unofficial information obtained from adventurers. Then, she provided those who wanted to challenge the Labyrinth with information, filled with harmless fragments of truth and falsehood, that had been carefully checked.


    Lisi believed that as long as she could save a life with a single piece of advice, it didn¡¯t matter if her scolding was considered annoying. In addition to the temperament she was born with, a past incident was the main cause of this excessive behavior.


    At that time, a most promising up-and-coming young party was annihilated. She told them that they would definitely reach the upper layers, but they suddenly disappeared once they tried to go from the mid-rank to high-rank floors. Although there were people who thought they would be the next conquerors as they proceeded deeper at an unusual pace, there was no one who tried to give advice to them.


    It was probably the expectations from the surroundings that caused this promising party to proceed rashly. Actually, Lisi, who was in charge, felt uneasy somewhere in her heart. But at the same time, she was blocked by the feeling of not wanting to make unnecessary words that might get in the way of the party. And in the end, she was unable to give any advice, and the group faced a cruel tragedy.


    They were unlucky¡­ that was what everyone said, but Lisi denied it. If only she, or anyone, had tried to give them advice, even if only a little. If only she, had braved herself and honestly told them to be careful and not rush into anything, they might not have died. She could have been the one to prevent this tragedy, but she did not, no, she could not do anything. This regret for not even trying to do something made Lisi stop being just a bystander.


    And now Lisi once again had a conflict in her heart. The reason was a new mercenary named Walm who had recently come to the Labyrinth City. He was of average appearance and height, but his worn equipment and especially his muddy eyes were something that those who had walked a straight flat ¡°path¡± never had.


    Above all, what struck Lisi the most was Walm¡¯s eccentric way of diving the labyrinth. Although she offered all the information and advice she could, he continued to dive into the labyrinth alone. And, without partying, he reached the depths of the high-rank floors.


    Unlike the party that was annihilated, Walm was alone. Even his personality and behavior were different. But whenever Lisi saw his back, she was reminded of the back of those she couldn¡¯t save.


    ¡°I should¡¯ve stopped him after all.¡±


    Many people jumped into the labyrinth to chase fame and dreams. But Walm¡¯s determination to diving into the labyrinth was in a different depth than those people. At first, Lisi thought he was someone who had lost his way and wanted to commit suicide. But then she learned that he had no intention of dying. Certainly, he had unparalleled abilities and an irrepressible will. Believing in those, he threw himself into the labyrinth to get what he desired. So how could she stop such a man? Did she even have the right to twist that will and take him to a safe zone? In any case, she felt uneasy.


    After carelessly stroking the bracelet on her wrist, Lisi let out a small sigh.


    ¡°Lisi, you¡¯re fidgeting.¡±


    ¡°¡­Wh-what are you talking about?¡±


    It was another female receptionist named, Lavinia, who called out to Lisi. She said with an implication in her tone that was half concerned and half curious.


    ¡°You can¡¯t take me for a fool. You received a gift from a man the other day, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    Lavinia was a reliable work colleague. She had a meticulous personality that was different from what one would expect based on her appearance. And although she led a laid-back life, she liked to chat and was very curious. In fact, she had quizzed Lisi in this manner more than once or twice.


    ¡°I don¡¯t do favoritism you know? Just that, if there is a person who doesn¡¯t come back after diving in alone for several days, then the guild staff should take care of it. That¡¯s one of our duties as the management of the labyrinth¡­ although I won¡¯t deny that I received a gift.¡±


    ¡°Well, for some reason, people like you are surprisingly attracted to a no-no man. Thinking that if I don¡¯t support him, he¡¯ll become useless¨D¨DI¡¯m kidding, it¡¯s just a joke, so don¡¯t stare at me. But that Walm is a mercenary, isn¡¯t he? How dangerous. I mean, you don¡¯t usually stay in a labyrinth alone for days. How should I put it¡­ he¡¯s kind of decadent?¡±


    Although there was a convincing aspect, Lisi wasn¡¯t kind enough to forgive the words of the troublesome colleague.


    ¡°I can kind of agree with that, but¡­ You sure talk a lot today. Have you been dumped by a man again?¡±


    At these words, Lavinia, who clenched her teeth and let out a cursed sigh, was visibly distressed.


    ¡°Seriously!!! This side of you is not cute. Huff, I guess adventurers are a no-no for me. I mean, I love that body, which looks so functional and beautiful at the same time, but their tendency to cheat is just¡­ like I said, do not look at me like that¡­¡±


    In contrast to Lisi¡¯s pitying and disdainful look, she never disliked the jokes and little conversations between her and Lavinia at work.


    And just as always, Lisi continued to process the crowd, with such a desirable colleague with whom she could spend some time.


    Such an unchanging peaceful daily life was brought to an end by the guards and healing magicians who flowed into the waiting room.


    ¡°I guess, something had happened?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s, the transfer room, and also, it¡¯s the exit. Hey, wait! What happened?¡±


    As Lavinia stopped the people streaming in, the guards thundered, seeming agitated.


    ¡°On the 30th floor, a group of ¡°Manhunts¡± was spotted! Apparently, it was Faust¡¯s party. That alone is hard to believe, but it seems that the mercenary who came recently killed two of his members while being seriously wounded, and sent the remaining three to retreat. I¡¯m not kidding. The ¡°Trimagitack¡± reported that after returning from the transfer room with two corpses.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Eh?¡±


    Lisi was unable to process this information properly. Still, she kept trying and slowly processed it, and the more she understood, the more upset she became. Until now, many bad-behaved people who were exposed for manhunting in the labyrinth, ended up getting executed after their imprisonment. But to be told that Faust, who had been assigned as a tutor in the guild, was actually a manhunt¡­ there was no way she could swallow this shocking information all at once. Even more, the target was Walm, whom she had sent into the labyrinth.


    ¡°Uh, umm, Walm is the mercenary who gave Lisi the bracelet, right? And Faust¡¯s party, is a party of ¡°Manhunts¡±¡­¡­ so many things happened at once, that I can¡¯t process it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. But Lavi, I know one thing for sure: that person, he will die if left alone.¡±


    Lisi didn¡¯t know the truth. But if what the guard said was true¡­ in short, if Walm didn¡¯t dive into the labyrinth alone, he might not have been chosen as a target of these manhunts.


    ¡°Right. He seems to be a hardworking person who works better with someone who could limit him, like a leader. But that means that when he¡¯s alone, he may work too hard and dies of overwork.¡±


    Lisi completely agreed with Lavinia¡¯s words. And decided to tell Walm the next time she met him. No matter how much she would regret it, if he died, everything would be too late. It was better to tell while there was still a chance.


    ¡°Next time I meet him, I¡¯ll properly tell him.¡±


    Lisi couldn¡¯t tell whether the bitter expression on her face was because she was remembering something that had happened in the past, that she locked in the depths of her heart, or if it was because she was worried about Walm.


    TN : Just some useless info, at first the author used the name Rabia, but, in Japanese it¡¯s ¥é¥Ó¥¢, and ¥é¥Ó¥¢ can be read as Labia, and sometimes ¥é¥Ó¥¢ was used to mention Female Genital, so the Author changed it to Lavinia

 CH 125

    Walm, who had returned to the surface, saw that a group of bloodthirsty guards had been waiting for him as his vision suddenly cleared. At least, that was how they looked in his eyes.


    Merrill, who had returned to the surface first, told Walm that there was no threat of an attack, but he couldn¡¯t let his guard down immediately and so he kept his halberd ready.


    ¡°W-we¡¯ve no weapons in our hands, you know!?¡±


    ¡°Please put your weapons away.¡±


    As a result, it became a situation where his weapon was pointed at a large number of guards who came to pick him up.


    Walm looked around and then replied without raising his voice any more than necessary, while apologizing in his mind to Merrill, who wasn¡¯t present.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to be hostile. I was attacked in the safe room and was just on guard.¡±


    Fortunately, because of the blood spilled, Walm was extremely calm and far from hot-tempered. The only one who seemed excited in this situation was the mask.


    Walm slowly lowered the halberd and covered the spearhead with the leather sheath. He paused for a moment, and the guards also dropped their alert.


    ¡°Walm, right? We¡¯ve prepared a private room for you. Come with us.¡±


    A one-sided statement that did not call for a response. Nevertheless, Walm followed silently, partly because of the bad first impression he had made, he wanted to improve it at least a little bit.


    The passage leading from the transfer room to the waiting area was surrounded by guards. Walm, who passed through the passageway and reached the waiting area, was speechless. The waiting area, already full of people, had been transformed into a chaotic crowd by a series of disturbances.


    ¡°Open the way!! And stay away!!!¡±


    Walm was transported while the guards kicked off the onlookers away. Although he had the experience of guarding an important person, Walm had no experience of being the one getting guarded. It was as if he had become an important person or a criminal.


    When Walm turned his gaze to the reception desk across the open path, the reception staff, including Lisi, had a dumbfounded look. This must be a major interruption to the work. Once again, he got Lisi in trouble. Regardless of how she felt, at least that¡¯s how he felt.


    Exposed to countless gazes, Walm was led deeper and deeper into the guild house he normally couldn¡¯t enter.


    Although Walm pressed on the wound and suppressed the bleeding with the magical barrier, the blood still oozed out.


    Walm began to feel sluggish, but just as he was about to complain about how heavy his body felt, the guard leading him finally stopped.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be treated inside. Let me help you carry your luggage.¡±


    Said the guard. Walm, however, clearly rejected the guard¡¯s suggestion to disarm him in a roundabout way.


    ¡°Thanks, I¡¯m happy that you want to help, but I feel uneasy letting it go. I¡¯ll keep it by my side.¡±


    The guard blatantly frowned at Walm¡¯s words, but didn¡¯t press him further.


    Walm walked into the room and was seated on the examination table and asked to undress in front of many people. For some reason, he felt that he wasn¡¯t much different than an exhibitionist or a stripper.


    ¡°Did you, seriously make him walk in that condition? What was the stretcher for? Without his magical barrier, he might¡¯ve died before he got here.¡±


    Luckily, the healing magician seemed neutral and expressed disgust at the guard who had let Walm walk this far


    Walm wanted to applaud, but he didn¡¯t want to further degrade his image, so he held back.


    Diagnosis combined with palpation exposed wound after wound. Walm¡¯s ribs were still broken, even though he was wearing the armor. Apparently, not only Faust but also the other Manhunts possessed the ability to skillfully destroy the human body.


    Recovery magic was applied, and the pain disappeared along with the warmth. Nevertheless, it couldn¡¯t be said that the wounds were completely healed, and if Walm moved carelessly, the wound might open.


    After the treatment, Walm wanted to give in to his tiredness and take a rest, but what awaited him next was an interview with the guild¡¯s staff.


    How the fights had happened, the history of the contact with Faust, and sometimes the same questions were repeated. It was to the point that Walm was tired of their persistence. The situation was a situation, and even if it was driven by necessity, it was a momentum that could eventually lead to unnecessary questions, such as about his fetish and the three sizes. Of course, he intended to remain silent if those questions were asked.


    After an hour, Walm was finally allowed to take a break and he could rest, albeit under surveillance. He brought the cup of water to his mouth to quench his thirst and exhaled the purple smoke from his cigarette. Every movement attracted attention, and even though he had permission to light a cigarette, the guards looked tense. Not that he minded. Walm could probably work in a circus right now without worrying about the audience.


    Half an hour later, the closed door was opened. Walm did not recognize the man who entered the room. The paper in his hand, however, was a form filled with details from the interview. It was large and the bulges around the abdomen were intense. The tailored uniform was well maintained and the breastplate that hung from his chest indicated that he was a high-ranking employee of the guild.


    As if to confirm Walm¡¯s suspicions, the man had an attendant behind him and his arrogant movements showed that he was indeed an important person. If he were a weak authority, he would have behaved more servilely.


    ¡°I¡¯m Raffaele, the vice-guild leader of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild Belgana Branch. In the time when the guild leader is absent, you sure have given me trouble.¡±


    It was as if Walm had done something wrong. But this way of speaking made him curious about what words would be hurled at him next.


    ¡°I had read the interviews. Faust¡¯s party is a party of Manhunts? I can¡¯t believe it. They have always taken care of their juniors and have been exemplary adventurers. Their contribution to the guild is also great. Even with the reports given by the Trimagitack, I can¡¯t feel that it¡¯s the reality.¡±


    The body had noticeable old scars, and the slightly rough fingers and soft palms indicated that Raffaele was a civilian. If he was in Walm¡¯s situation, it would be a spectacle to see how he would fight back with that slackened flabby body.


    ¡°And, you killed two of the five oldest and most prominent adventurers in the Labyrinth City, all by yourself? The more I hear about it, the more I find it hard to believe.¡±


    So far Walm had responded obediently to the interrogations. Even if some of them lacked courtesy and endlessly asked the same question. He didn¡¯t know what was written in the report, but he was getting frustrated.


    ¡°That prominent group has been hunting people. That must be why they managed to become the oldest members of the guild.¡±


    ¡°Wanderer, shut your impudent mouth.¡±


    Walm¡¯s word must have hit a sore spot. It wasn¡¯t enough to stop him, and instead, he reacted with even more anger toward the vice-guild leader who harbored suspicions.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you have something on your mind, but still, it¡¯s a terrible way to deal with a person who was about to be beheaded and have his whole body chopped off. Next time, will you strip me and throw me in jail? And you think I¡¯ll obey obediently? You sure have a lot of soldiers serving you, but is that enough?¡±


    Said Walm, narrowing his eyes and staring at Raffaele.


    Apart from the mask which seemed to be excited for the second round, the hand of the guards who were watching him reached to their waist, while silence reigned.


    For a sarcastic civilian official, Raffaele seemed to have a lot of courage, and even while holding the guard with his hands, he didn¡¯t take his eyes off Walm.


    ¡°Hmmph¡­¡­ I didn¡¯t say it was a lie. That¡¯s why I¡¯m documenting it.¡±


    Raffaele¡¯s demeanor softened slightly, which was probably because they were looking at each other so passionately that their friendship and affection for each other deepened. At least there seemed to be a rule that wouldn¡¯t punish him just because there was suspicion while arguing.


    Hypothetically, if Faust and his party were the victims, why didn¡¯t they protest even though they had lost their companions, and hide instead? If it was because Faust was afraid of Walm and was only hiding temporarily, Walm would have no choice but to applaud the performance that was so bad and yet so good.


    ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you so thoughtful? Truly wonderful. Still, it¡¯s hard to keep saying the same story more than a few times. I¡¯m an injured person. Deeply injured¡­¡±


    Walm showed the new scar on his neck. Even Raffaele, glancing at him, understood that there was nothing more to say.


    ¡°I can¡¯t judge whether it¡¯s black or white yet. Until the next step is decided, I¡¯ll have you stay in a room inside this guild.¡±


    ¡°And what kind of room? Cell?¡±


    ¡°Hmph, if you wish, I can put you in a cell. You should be grateful. It¡¯s a guest room for guests. It should be more comfortable than the labyrinth floor you usually sleep on or a bed of a cheap inn. You won¡¯t be restrained, but please respectfully hold yourself from moving too freely. Of course, in consideration of safety, I¡¯ll add an ¡°escort¡±. Oi, guide him.¡±


    As Raffaele left the room before the others, the guards and guild staff escorted Walm like a princess. After all, the people of adventurers¡¯ guild were kind.


    Walm, accepting the ¡°courtesy,¡± was led into a room without windows. There was only one door through which he could enter and exit, and when he tried to hit the wall, only a very reliable sound bounced back. Truly, a room suitable for secret talks and to protect the target of protection.


    Ironically, by repeatedly explaining the situation, Walm was able to sort it out in his head. And concluded that perhaps the reason Faust targeted him was that he was easy to target, since he was always alone, and seemed to have a large amount of money as he had a magic bag.


    ¡°Guess he didn¡¯t act impudent for nothing?¡±


    Walm sat on a chair and leaned over. He was reluctant to admit Raffaele¡¯s words, but even a leather armchair felt like a bed of better quality than the floors of the labyrinth and bed in a cheap inn.


    In the end, the habit of to sleep whenever he could, which he developed when he was an active Highserk soldier was still deeply ingrained, and thus Walm let go of his consciousness without ever touching the bed.

 CH 126

    126. Chapter 126


    Fausto, whose true identity as Manhunt was revealed by the Trimagitack after he failed to finish off Walm, erased the tracks and returned to the base of the hidden guild. Even if it was caused by some external factors, there was no excuse for such an embarrassing failure.


    So, Fausto knelt down and reported to his master the information he had obtained at the price of two bodies.


    ¡°Old man, I¡¯m sorry. The attack failed. We lost Medardo and Nero.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got the information from the others. But, those two really died, didn¡¯t they? With this, the old compatriots are becoming fewer and fewer.¡±


    The old man gazed into space as if recalling a distant memory. He paused for a while before asking Fausto about the details of the battle.


    ¡°So, did you manage to confirm it?¡±


    ¡°No. Although it was a surprise attack, those two got killed in a straightforward fight. We managed to get that person to be covered in wounds, but it took too much time. And before we could see the end, the Trimagitack interfered.¡±


    Surprise attack. Sure Fausto¡¯s party surrounded the mercenary, but they couldn¡¯t kill him.


    However, that didn¡¯t mean Fausto went away empty-handed. After facing him, Fausto was able to guess his ability. The one-to-many movement he showed was something that could only be achieved when murder became a daily routine. That was Fausto¡¯s assessment of him.


    ¡°So, that¡¯s how much he had developed as a soldier huh?¡±


    ¡°I think he¡¯s a rare talent in recent years. But, there are two things that bother me¡­ First, he didn¡¯t use¡¶Demon Fire¡·. We all wore fire resistance equipment and conserved our mana, but it was useless.¡±


    ¡°Did he run out of mana?¡±


    Fausto denied the old man¡¯s words.


    ¡°No. He was quite worn out, but I think he still had some mana left.¡±


    ¡°He couldn¡¯t use it for some reason? Or was the attempt seen through?¡­ I can¡¯t properly judge.¡±


    ¡°Next is, his eyes when he was cornered. Definitely, they were demon eyes.¡±


    The surrounding air grew colder. A brief silence followed, and the old man asked Fausto for confirmation.


    ¡°¡­¡­perfect fit?¡±


    ¡°No, they were muddy. It¡¯s not perfect.¡±


    Immediately after killing Medardo and Nero in quick succession, Fausto witnessed the mercenary¡¯s eyes that wouldn¡¯t let him go. The pupils were colored gold. But they looked so dark and muddy.


    ¡°Of course that¡¯s the case¡­ That¡¯s not something you can achieve in a short time after all. But demon eyes¡­ Demon eyes, huh. So there¡¯s someone with demon eyes in this peaceful and relaxed era?¡±


    Said the old man who rubbed his fingers together.


    There was no way Fausto would forget the habits of his master, whom he had served for a long time, when he thought about something


    The old man then continued with his words.


    ¡°The cataclysm of the northern countries, the great outbreak, the demon eyes, regardless of the scale, it¡¯s convincing enough. After all, it¡¯s the path that the driven group will go through.¡±


    The old man who came to this conclusion smiled with a look of regret.


    ¡°Before the main event, that good body is something I really wanted to have.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m deeply sorry. If only we hadn¡¯t failed¡­¡±


    The old man held back Fausto, who had repeatedly apologized and repented.


    ¡°I forgive you, it¡¯s in the past¡­ The preparations have been completed. All that¡¯s missing now is the timing. But so what? I¡¯m used to enduring and waiting¡­ and now, just a little more.¡±


    Unconsciously, the old man¡¯s last words were emphasized. He had the same thoughts as Fausto. The shameful memory that suddenly forced itself upon them made them both shudder, although they had restrained themselves.


    ¡°Old man, Fausto, old tales are all well and good, but he¡¯s my younger brother¡¯s enemy.¡±


    Whether or not these words were said after reading the atmosphere, Giesel, the ostensible ruler of the hidden guild, said this with a frown.


    Unlike Fausto and the old man, Giesel wasn¡¯t accustomed to waiting


    The old man then spoke in a manner that admonished Giesel.


    ¡°I know. The purpose won¡¯t deviate. Revenge, isn¡¯t always something that¡¯s better to be done quickly. Like a curse, the more time passes, the stronger these feelings will reside in you. And the greater the joy you¡¯ll get when it¡¯s over.¡±


    ¡°Well, if the old man says so, then it must be so. But, in this case, if Walm leaves the labyrinth, it¡¯ll be hard to catch him. No matter how much I want to follow your order, I can¡¯t overlook my enemy.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. That guy can¡¯t leave the labyrinth. What those with rotting demon eyes are aiming for is the crimson grass, the flower of life that comes from sucking the blood and flesh of those who¡¯ve been swallowed by the labyrinth. In the language of flowers, it means, compensation, balance. Kakakaka, that means, put something in the balance, once you chose, you¡¯ll be compensated.¡±


    Half of the old man¡¯s body trembled in an inhuman way, as if he was another creature.


    In the darkness where the sun couldn¡¯t reach, only the eyes of the old man, who was consumed by delusion, shone mysteriously.


    ¡ô


    Four days had passed since Walm was half-forced to stay in the free accommodation facility. Although under constant guard, there were three hot meals, and even daily bathing was allowed. What a perfect place to get rid of accumulated fatigue and lack of sleep. On top of that, a healing magician cast healing magic on him every day. This went so far that a reversal phenomenon occurred, where the injured was the healthier one.


    That said, two days of rest would give everyone a surplus of stamina, so Walm used the time to diligently organize the content of his magic bag.


    Maintenance of the weapons that continued to be abused had been done. So after doing everything Walm could, such as polishing his armor and washing his clothes, he began to take care of his mask, but he soon gave up polishing it as the vibration persisted. Well, even if the mask was bathed in blood and mud on the harsh battlefield, for some reason it had already cleaned itself by the time he took it off. And even if he wanted to expose the mechanism, the mask had no vocal cords. He couldn¡¯t even question it, so he had given up thinking much.


    What should I do in my free time today?


    Last night Walm spent his time polishing his half-boots, but he finally ran out of things to do.


    Walm sat down in an armchair and wanted to think, but he sensed a presence in the hallway. Although there was no window, he had gotten accustomed to being in the enclosed space of the labyrinth, and so he could roughly tell time. It was still early for lunch, and the time for a changing of the guard, which he had grasped in four days, was still ahead.


    Finding it strange, Walm grabbed the longsword leaning against the wall and focused his attention. Not long after, there was a small bang on the only door.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got a message.¡±


    It was the familiar voice of the guard. And the guard peered through the open door as he said this.


    ¡°After a long discussion between the higher-ups, you are free. Pack your luggage. The procedure will take place in another room.¡±


    Luckily, Walm, who had run out of options, didn¡¯t have to come up with any more ways to pass the time. This meant that the days for the guard to stand in the hallways were coming to an end. Perhaps that was why the guard spoke in a slightly cheerful tone.


    ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll prepare myself right away.¡±


    The poison of boredom had eroded Walm¡¯s mind to the point where he was lining up his equipment next to the bed. In short, all he had to do was put them on in the right order, and he was ready to go.


    Waiting for Walm in the corridor weren¡¯t only the guards, but also Lisi, to whom he was always indebted. As an employee of the guild, she must have other duties besides her reception duties. That must be the reason why she came here.


    ¡°Follow me¡±


    Walm tried to follow Lisi, but his eyes followed the guard who was walking in the opposite direction.


    ¡°What?¡±


    The guard, catching Walm¡¯s gaze, asked suspiciously.


    ¡°Nothing, I was just wondering why you weren¡¯t coming with us.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been cleared of suspicion. And Lisi told me that it¡¯s not necessary. Or what? Do you perhaps have something you feel guilty about?¡±


    ¡°No way, I¡¯m a man of integrity.¡±


    ¡°Hah, then go quickly. Don¡¯t make her wait.¡±


    Walm, who was laughed at, followed Lisi silently.


    No conversation took place. Nevertheless, Walm didn¡¯t feel awkward.


    After passing through several hallways, Walm was asked to enter a room. It was an interview room for adventurers.


    Walm sat down on the chair as it was suggested to him.


    ¡°First of all, congratulations on your return to the surface.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­Thank you¡±


    For some reason, Walm felt embarrassed by Lisi¡¯s innocent smile, and could only honestly thank her.


    ¡°Next, it¡¯s about the Manhunt, Fausto-san¡­ No, Fausto was an instructor in the guild. His guidance to the juniors was well received, and when it was discovered that he was a Manhunt, there was a great tremor within the guild. The vice-guild leader and the guild leader went to the marquis¡¯s residence to apologize and formulate countermeasures, saying that it was mismanagement. The guards were searching for Fausto, but they haven¡¯t been able to find him yet. His residence was burned down before the guards got there. It¡¯s our incompetence. We¡¯re really sorry.¡±


    Walm, learning what happened next, was convinced. Fausto was indeed a skillful actor. That his true identity couldn¡¯t be detected by the guild while he was in the guild, wasn¡¯t at all far-fetched.


    As for the failed capture of Fausto, it could be said that this labyrinth city was a perfect hiding place since it had a large population. It wouldn¡¯t be surprising if the skillful Fausto, who had been active in the area for a long time, had fled to outside the country by now.


    ¡°I understand the circumstances. It¡¯s something that happened in the labyrinth. Having a hard time catching him isn¡¯t that strange.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯m glad to hear that. Then next, Walm-san killed two Manhunts. Basically, the belongings of the Manhunt eliminated in the labyrinth belong to the one who killed them. However, this time there¡¯s also the achievement of the Trimagitack, so it¡¯ll be necessary to sort this out with them. In addition, one medium gold coin will be given by the guild for each Manhunt.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine with 50%. It¡¯s true that I killed them, but in reality, I was seriously wounded. Fausto decided to run because of the restraint of the Trimagitack. If they hadn¡¯t come, I might¡¯ve been buried by now.¡±


    ¡°Are you, for sure?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    After reaffirming Walm¡¯s decision, Lisi laid out the documents on the low table and added detailed information.


    Walm signed it, and so, the handling of the belongings was decided.


    ¡°This completes the matters required by the guild. From here on, it¡¯s personal.¡±


    Lisi tightened her expression. Her expression betrayed her strong will. Walm sensed this and changed his posture and turned to face her properly.


    ¡°Walm-san, surely will dive into the labyrinth again. Immediately after reaching the 30th floor, you managed to make Fausto¡¯s party run away. Even so, the casualty rate jumps after the 30th floor. Even Fausto¡¯s party hasn¡¯t reached the 35th floor and beyond. Even the Trimagitack is blocked on the 35th floor, and hasn¡¯t managed to dive deeper. The same is true for the selected party from other countries. No matter how strong Walm-san is, you can¡¯t continue diving alone. Probably, no, surely, Walm-san will die.¡±


    It was a rather harsh word, but it was convincing enough.


    Walm listened without interrupting.


    ¡°¡­Walm-san¡¯s goal is to conquer the labyrinth, right? There must be some circumstances. Is it because of an obsession for recognition? Or a bitter memory of the past? I don¡¯t know. Even so, you should gather or join a party. It¡¯s a selfish request. But, this is because I don¡¯t want Walm-san to die.¡±


    When was the last time Walm had heard such intense yet kind words? Just hearing that was enough to make his deceased family and former squad members flashed in his mind.


    Walm felt that he couldn¡¯t simply ignore Lisi¡¯s generous advice.


    ¡°¡­¡­ You¡¯re, right. It was harder than I thought. I think I¡¯ll look for a party.¡±


    Indeed, the monsters on the 26th floor and beyond had forced him to use up mana. With each level, the monsters got tougher and more vicious. Walm wasn¡¯t arrogant enough to claim he could do it all on his own. He couldn¡¯t. After all, his powerlessness had become apparent in the defense of Dandurg Castle and in his hometown.


    ¡°Thank you for giving me a good answer. I¡¯m glad. Really.¡±


    ¡°No no, it¡¯s me who should be grateful. Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s write a paper for recruitment immediately. Posting will cost a fee, but don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll deduct it from the reward.¡±


    Walm told Lisi what conditions he wanted the companions to have.


    Age, gender, or nationality, didn¡¯t matter. Only those who had the goal of reaching the deepest part of the labyrinth, and were persistent to get there.


    That was the kind of companion Walm was looking for, and the only condition he couldn¡¯t give up.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m the one who instigated this, so I¡¯m a bit hesitant to say something like this, but I need to. Walm-san isn¡¯t an adventurer, and besides the condition of aiming for the deepest floor, it¡¯s just been a few days after the incident. I think it¡¯ll take quite a while to recruit.¡±


    Lisi spoke like a person in charge of selling defective properties. It was so funny that Walm couldn¡¯t help but laugh.


    ¡°Fufu, kukuku, it¡¯s okay. I¡¯m aware of it. I¡¯ll wait patiently for the weirdoes to show up.¡±


    Money was accumulating in Walm¡¯s coin bag day by day, but it still wasn¡¯t enough to buy medicine. It was a bit inconvenient that he couldn¡¯t use the ¡¶Demon Fire¡· as he pleased, but if he kept diving into the labyrinth, the coin bad would be filled up with enough money to buy medicine, and maybe he would even make friends along the way.


    In this way, the bloated impatience that had been growing in Walm was soothed by Lisi.

 CH 127

    The tavern was an indispensable presence for those who risked their lives day and night to challenge the labyrinth. To heal dissatisfaction and fatigue caused by the labyrinth they drank liquor, which they sometimes called the water of life. Also, it was used as a way to nurture new interactions. Occasionally, when it wasn¡¯t effective enough, fists would be used for communication, which from the side looked like impromptu entertainment provided to the other guests.


    Peyrouse¡¯s party, which was trying to get out of being called a novice, used the tavern as a restaurant, since it was open when the others had already closed at night, and as a place to interact with others and gather information.


    Peyrouse was a frequent visitor to the tavern, but in recent days he felt that the atmosphere in the tavern had changed significantly.


    Of course, as in the past, there was a lot of fuss and no lack of conversation. Except that lately a rumor about Manhunt¡¯s appearance in the Labyrinth was the hot topic.


    According to what Peyrouse had heard, this rumor was caused by the one that caused a series of unnatural annihilation starting from the mid-rank floors, the phenomenon that only monster corpses were swallowed when a battle took place, and the battle scars that were found in the safe room on the 30th floor.


    Just a rumor.


    Some people laughed and said not to worry too much about something just a rumor.


    However, the fact that it wasn¡¯t only a rumor was exposed by the Trimagitack, and the guild was indeed thrown into chaos as if bees were coming out of a honeycomb. Above everything, the Manhunt was the veteran adventurer Faust.


    As the oldest active adventurer in the Belgana branch, Faust also served as an instructor and had a sympathetic ear for the problems of the stagnant juniors. As an adventurer, he had given much to the city. Since his real identity was a Manhunt, it was inevitable that people would get restless. And Peyrouse was one of those people.


    ¡°Have you seen that? I mean the poster.¡±


    ¡°The one with ¡°that mercenary¡±?¡±


    Although it was a brief exchange between two mid-rank adventurers, Peyrouse was able to understand the story. Speaking of ¡°that mercenary¡± in the Labyrinth City, it was a wandering soldier named Walm.


    ¡°Right. It seems he¡¯s recruiting people who aim to dive to the deepest floor.¡±


    ¡°Recruiting huh¡­ But that man named Walm, is a mercenary and not even an adventurer. Rather than recruiting for a party, it must be a porter or a guide kind of employment relationship that only the wealthy could afford. Besides, the guild doesn¡¯t know his abilities or background. It¡¯s just too much to handle.¡±


    ¡°But, he¡¯s a guy who managed to dive to the 30th floor, alone. Considering the profit that he may make, it¡¯s not strange if he wants to form a 3 or 4-man party.¡±


    ¡°I wonder if everything will go well. Remember, he¡¯s the guy who killed two people.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a legitimate defense, isn¡¯t it? And both were Manhunts. Are you going to defend those bastards?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not it¡­ I understand the reason. Whether that wandering mercenary is good or not, he just did what need to do to protect himself against possible danger. But, the one who helped me when I didn¡¯t know this and that, was Faust. Huff, why does it have to be like this.¡±


    ¡°Rambling an old story to let your guard off, and the profits won¡¯t need to be shared, don¡¯t ya think so?¡±


    Could it be the influence of alcohol? In any case, one drunken adventurer was trying to fool the other.


    Peyrouse didn¡¯t miss the sharp look in the eyes of the nearby adventurers who were talking. And sensing these unfavorable signs, he immediately put the bread in his hand into his mouth at once.


    ¡°You¡­¡­ Is that the only thing on your mind? Regardless of being a Manhunt, Faust is a first-class adventurer. Sure enough, he¡¯s not short of money.¡±


    ¡°Hah, then he must have made a mistake in choosing a target. I hope he¡¯s quickly hanged and exposed to the public¡­ This is why, you¡¯re easy to fool. Dumbass.¡±


    ¡°You know that once words are spoken, they can¡¯t be taken back.¡±


    ¡°Think I¡¯m afraid? Of a dumbass who just talks and does nothing like you?¡±


    The two switched from a verbal exchange to a physical exchange. Yes, a fistfight. As they made a move, they scattered iron cups and the like on the floor, turning them into musical instruments that signaled the start of a fight. Onlookers noticed the commotion and instead of stopping it, they incited the confrontation.


    Peyrouse, who was eating at the nearby table, instructed his party members to not get involved.


    ¡°Oi, take the table and move it to the corner.¡±


    Leake and Donna grabbed the table in one breath, and Peyrouse carried the easily toppled liquor bottle. And Matthio, as usual, cared only for his food. He stuffed as much food as he could into his mouth and held the tray tightly.


    Donna¡¯s face turned purple with anger.


    ¡°Matthio, till when are you going to keep eating?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s useless, he¡¯s a hardcore when it comes to food.¡±


    Peyrouse agreed completely with Leake¡¯s words. He half-seriously believed that Matthio was possessed by a hungry wolf or some kind of evil spirit because of his gluttony.


    Just a few seconds after being done with moving the table, the mid-rank adventurers who began to wrestle came into the place where Peyrouse¡¯s table was.


    ¡°Just in time¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ weren¡¯t there other people fighting over the same topic yesterday?¡±


    With cold eyes, Donna followed the two rolling around on the floor. She had seen this one ugly side of a mid-rank adventurer who was usually a role model, more than enough.


    Faust was also a mediator in the tavern. But now his existence was just oil for a fire. And no one could control for the time being how far the fire would spread.


    ¡°Guess this topic won¡¯t end for a while.¡±


    ¡°Right, more than that, that mercenary is recruiting.¡±


    Leake muttered something meaningful, but even Peyrouse could read his simple thoughts.


    ¡°Don¡¯t waste your time. We aren¡¯t good enough.¡±


    Thinking only about profit, there would be no more reliable person than the mercenary. But after adding the disadvantages, it would be a different story.


    First of all, there would be an unequal distribution due to the difference in abilities, and if they had to deal with a monster from the mid-rank floors, Peyrouse and others who were classified as fledglings could only imagine a future in which they would die immediately. And if a quarrel with someone else arose, they wouldn¡¯t be able to help suppress it. Above all, no one in his party had ever made contact with the mercenary Walm.


    Even Faust, who was trusted and collected achievements, deceived the guild and the citizens. No one could trust the mercenary who had recently washed ashore.


    Although it was just a formality, Peyrouse, who was in charge of the party, couldn¡¯t agree to the proposal of joining the mercenary. In the first place, it was hard to say that they were attractive as companions. They might get rejected even before they could say anything to the mercenary.


    ¡°I understand. Still, such a thing as recruiting people who will go to the deepest floor of the labyrinth. Even I, would like to say these words one day.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a distant, hazy dream¡­ If I¡¯m not mistaken, I heard there was a such recruiting in the past.¡±


    Peyrouse searched for faded memories. A village elder, who had served in the military, telling old stories at the harvest festival endlessly came to mind. Right. The pitiful Peyrouse, fell prey every year. Among those many stories, there was the story where at the time the army disbanded or had a break period, the soldiers were given permission to go into the newly robbed labyrinth, so they went in to get money for travel expenses to their hometown or to buy gifts for their family.


    ¡°If I remember correctly, right after the end of the ¡°Unification War¡±, the militia who had finished their military service and the soldiers who had time off due to disarmament were said to have earned a living in the labyrinth.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know the details, but the Unification War was over 80 years ago, right?¡±


    ¡°During the Unification War, Belgana was the most fiercely fought area among the battles that took place within the archipelago. It¡¯s said that about 100,000 soldiers died. That¡¯s the only thing I know.¡±


    The battle, which even involved urban areas, was extremely cruel, and even when the village elder, whose words flowed like a river in telling the story, slowly turned the river into muddy water. It was such a dark history.


    ¡°Even if we talk about old stories, it won¡¯t help us anything.¡±


    Leake exhaled deliberately and shook his head. His strangely annoyed face tempted Peyrouse to poke his head with the liquor bottle.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lump me in with you.¡±


    Perhaps Donna felt the same way Peyrouse did. After a struggle between temptation and self-control, Peyrouse¡¯s mind, which narrowly won over by reason, placed the liquor bottle on the table, which had been evacuated to safety. The battle that was going on nearby wasn¡¯t yet decided, and it looked like the dirty fight with intertwined hands and feet would go on for a while.


    Thus, another day of commotion passed in the tavern.

 CH 128

    Walm had undergone significant changes as a result of the deadly fight with Fausto. Whereas previously some who passed him in the labyrinth had given him a scrutinizing look, now it had become worse, and such a look extended even when he was in the waiting area. The stares, which were a mixture of curiosity and suspicion, continued the entire time. As expected, it was uncomfortable to be watched like this all the time. When Walm looked back, they immediately diverted their eyes. But not long after, another unpleasant glance would fall on him. There was just no end to it at all.


    Another change was the train of thought in the battle. After the fall of Highserk, Walm had given himself over to laziness for a year, which left him both physically and mentally rusty. Even with some self-training and fighting, he couldn¡¯t regain the momentum of his military days, and these negative effects continued. This dullness was being scraped away day by day, but in a fight with Fausto¡¯s party, he reached a point where it was completely scraped away. His thoughts were relaxed, and his body responded obediently to his demands.


    In this current situation, there was another concern, and that was the party members. It had been seven days since Walm had started recruiting, but there was no news about it. Although he had prepared in advance for this outcome, the reality was harsh, as expected.


    With this in mind, Walm, who couldn¡¯t afford the luxury of waiting too long, threw himself once again into the labyrinth. As he advanced deeper and deeper, he defeated the monsters on the way and now was about to rest in a corner of the safe room. Dropping to his knees, he looked down at the floor. The cobblestone was nothing unusual, but it meant a lot to Walm.


    ¡°No stains or scratches?¡±


    There were no traces of the battle Walm had fought. Must have been completely cleaned by the Labyrinth¡¯s self-cleaning. If he had made even one step wrong then, Walm would have died instead of the two Manhunts. And his death would leave nothing behind and cleanly disappear from this world


    After taking a breath, Walm directed his gaze straight ahead again. Fortunately, there was no one lingering in the safe room. So there was no one to question him for his eccentric behavior.


    Walm, who had rearranged his train of thought, aimed for the door to the next floor. He pressed his hand gently against the door. A balmy breeze caressed his cheeks as he peered through the door, which opened after a slight resistance.


    There was no change in the interior. The walls and ceilings remained as usual. Still, Walm was confident. According to the previous rule of thumb, the monster¡¯s difficulty level would definitely change before he reached the next safe room.


    As Walm swung the halberd lightly, he could hear the reliable weight and sound of the wind splitting.


    The legs stepped over the stone pavement and the agility of the body felt perfect.


    Exhaling lightly, Walm resumed his exploration of the labyrinth.


    The welcome came quickly. The pebbles that had accumulated at the end of the passage trembled, and the vibrations were transmitted through the soles of Walm¡¯s shoes whether he liked it or not.


    What emerged from the darkness was a heavy cavalry. It was a familiar presence on the battlefield, and the pincer movement that made use of its power had the power to decide the battle situation.


    Due to the luminous moss, the appearance slowly became visible.


    ¡°That horse¡¯s half-body is¡­ is that ¡°Centaur¡± ?¡±


    Of course, it was impossible for a heavy cavalry to appear in the Labyrinth, and its true identity was a group of Centaurs.


    Centaur, was a monster with the lower body of a horse and a humanoid upper body. The upper body was covered with armor. Thinking logically, it would be more difficult to deal with it than with heavy cavalry, because there was no need for communication between man and horse.


    Walm immediately kneaded mana.


    The overwhelming difference in mass and speed would create a powerful and unparalleled attack. In no case would he be allowed to use any superficial tricks or half-hearted magic.


    To deal with a Centaur without going on the defensive would require attacking it in a group of spearmen or defeating it from a distance with a bow or magic. And the only option left for the lone Walm was to use magic. Unfortunately ¨C or fortunately ¨C there was only one escape route from each other in the straight passage.


    Walm created a fireball and shot it at the leading Centaur.


    The fireball hitting the abdomen bent the Centaur¡¯s armor, sending its guts, smeared with a foul odor, into the atmosphere.


    The Centaur lost its balance, its forelegs broke and the whole body crashed to the ground. But the result was far from what Walm wanted. Although the thick body and armor blocked the way, the two following Centaurs still rushed at him.


    The gap was already closed, which meant that the second shot would be the limit. When the next centaur was only a few steps away from reaching Walm, he shot the fireball again.


    The effect of the magic hitting directly on the Centaur¡¯s chest was tremendous.


    The body, wrapped in blue flames, was pulled onto its back along with the armor around its chest, and the neck was now connected only by a few muscles and skin. The lifeless horse lost control and rolled, hitting a wall and coming to a stop. The flames engulfed it to the end, and Walm hoped that the result of this would extend to the last Centaur, but it emerged from the flames.


    The Centaur was somewhat burned and had lost its body hair, but the threat was still there. There wasn¡¯t enough time to make another fireball, and Walm, who had decided to fight head-on, consolidated his stance and prepared to extend his halberd.


    As the centaur approached, Walm could see how big it was. The spear, which was far above Walm¡¯s head, thrust sharply at him.


    The distance of the powerful spear was long enough to match its large body, and Walm had no choice but to be passive. The tip of the spear grazed the tip of the halberd, and off it went in another direction.


    Although Walm handled the spear, there was still the body. And he already knew that mass and speed, when they came together, became a force. The centaur, which had a horse¡¯s lower body, also tried to impose its characteristics.


    The Centaur tilted its body, and turned its course. If Walm was kicked or pushed by those legs, he wouldn¡¯t escape unharmed.


    Immediately, Walm changed his stance and shifted his center of gravity backward. He slid across the ground as he angled one of his legs. The smell of the Centaur¡¯s burnt fur rose to his nasal cavity as the horse¡¯s legs passed in front of him. After it passed, he fixed his stance with the underside of the halberd and his other free arm.


    In fact, the Centaur reversed its position as it sent the horse¡¯s hooves against Walm. In the truest sense of the word, it was a magnificent performance displayed by a rider in unison with the horse. The skillful movement deserved praise, but it was a risky move for a ¡°cavalryman¡±. How much strength would remain in such a cavalry that threw away its speed?


    No matter how strong the legs were, the initial speed couldn¡¯t be very high. So Walm quickly closed the gap to ¡¶Strike¡· the Centaur.


    The Centaur thrust the spear as if refusing Walm¡¯s approach, but the spear, which had no speed, was lighter than before. When the spearhead was cut by ¡¶Strike¡·, the Centaur pulled the saber at its hip with its hand.


    Just as the blade came out of its scabbard, the Centaur¡¯s head fell to the ground of the Labyrinth. The body, frozen by the loss of its control, collapsed with its limbs outstretched. If this battle had been fought on a wide plain, Walm would have had to struggle even more, but the good qualities of cavalry were barely visible in the narrow passage of the labyrinth.


    Walm, wiping the blood on the halberd and reaching out to quickly scavenge the corpse, clicked his tongue.


    The next challenger was already approaching. According to the information Walm had, there were almost no parties that could dive beyond the 30th floor. Compared to the previous floors, the monsters hadn¡¯t been regularly thinned out. In this case, it was obvious that the burden per party would increase rapidly from this floor.


    ¡°Of all things, it¡¯s armed Trolls.¡±


    The name of the unwanted visitor was Troll. It had ugly skin full of bumps similar to goblins, and a bloated abdomen about the size of an infant or adult. Most importantly, its regenerative ability was extraordinary for a humanoid monster. The torn arm could be reconnected by simply attaching it, and the torn throat would close over time. Such a monster wore armor.


    Mud fights were inevitable in close combat. On the other hand, if Walm defeated it with magic, the sounds and smells would cause one raging monster after another to rush in. What a lovely situation to be in. And from now on, this would be the norm. There was no other way but to get used to it.


    Walm welcomed the guest without a smile.


    ¡ô


    A pillar of fire extending from the ground engulfed half of the armed Ogre that carelessly closed the gap. Without even waiting for a breath, the skin burned down to the muscle and bone. Walm, who had killed the armed Ogre, moved his gaze as he shook his head in response to the threat.


    ¡°Hm, mmph!!¡±


    Using the pillar of fire and the burned corpse as a shield, Walm thrust his halberd into the fourth armed Ogre. The thrust was aimed at its soft neck, but it was deflected by the longsword. It seemed he had learned the distance and speed of a thrust when he saw the spearhead of the halberd pierce the throat of the other Ogre. And the diligent armed Ogre gleefully stepped in.


    Walm drew back the halberd with a speed that surpassed the Ogre¡¯s advance as he spun it. Although the Ogre had become sensitive to the thrust, it had no idea that Walm would pull back the halberd midway.


    The halberd¡¯s claw-like blade cut into the neck from behind, wildly agitating the spinal cord and aorta. Profuse blood spurted from the throat and mouth, and the heart immediately gave out.


    At the same time, an unpleasant and distorted wind noise approached from the side. The source was a war hammer with an asymmetrical head. Walm quickly jumped back in the posture inclined for evasion. A conical mass of metal penetrated the space where Walm¡¯s chest had been until now.


    The weight of the two-handed war hammer was concentrated on the head, and the blow, swung obliquely from above, had both weight and speed. The force of the blow alone would be enough to shatter even cobblestones. If such a blow hit Walm, his guts would be destroyed along with the armor. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t hit Walm, but the corpse, which collapsed on the ground.


    ¡°You¡¯re, too late.¡±


    The fifth armed Ogre tried to pull up the head of the war hammer that had bitten into the corpse of its brethren, but Walm¡¯s sole was faster in stomping the war hammer. The Ogre clearly made a wrong choice. It clung to the war hammer instead of concentrating on mowing Walm down. And the result was that the spearhead went into its head from its chin and pierced its brain.


    The hustle and bustle stopped abruptly, leaving only the sound of Walm breathing and the dull sound of the last armed Ogre collapsing.


    ¡°Hurry up. I¡¯ll give you one minute.¡±


    Although Walm should have enjoyed the feeling of accomplishment, he chose to search the surroundings for enemies and loot the corpses. Walm had experienced firsthand what would happen if he spent his time here luxuriously.


    At the first contact with the group of armed Ogres, Walm blew one away with a fireball. Meant, he only needed to check four. What a time saver. Of course, as he examined the body, he didn¡¯t forget to twist the spearhead to collect only the metal.


    Since the capacity of the magic bag had reached its limit, the bulky weapons and armor were thrown away and the items Walm considered valuable were put into storage. Although it wasn¡¯t as rewarding, he also found a small gold coin, six silver coins, and a silver fork and spoon.


    ¡°Why did an Ogre have tableware?¡±


    After all, many didn¡¯t like bulky luggage when they dived into the labyrinth, and Walm was no exception. He had lived a life in the Labyrinth that had nothing to do with tableware. Picked up food with his hands, crushed it, and threw it into his mouth, that was the norm. And now he found an Ogre, a monster, with tableware, which in a way indirectly meant that his eating culture was lower than that of the monster.


    In any case, Walm, leaving the place after the looting, found that the pattern of attack that had been repeated until now hadn¡¯t begun at all. Finding this strange, he thought of the possibility that monsters were gathering somewhere, an unusual situation was occurring, or a rare species like the Bone Collector he had encountered was the reason.


    Walm continued to think, but the answer soon came to him. Not that the answer suddenly came to him. Just that he saw a chopped Troll to the left in the passage. There was also a Centaur lying there that had been cut in half.


    Cannibalism among monsters didn¡¯t occur in the Labyrinth. There was no such information. And logically, they shouldn¡¯t be interested in killing each other, since this wouldn¡¯t be profitable for them in any way.


    Walm looked at the corpse and found traces that indicated that the body had been scavenged.


    ¡°There¡¯s a party ahead?¡±


    Although it was the first human trace Walm had found since he went deeper than the 30th floor, he felt no great joy. He still couldn¡¯t quite put the incident with Fausto out of his mind


    Looking closely, Walm noticed that the blood hadn¡¯t yet dried, and considering the Labyrinth¡¯s self-cleaning, the unknown party ahead of him shouldn¡¯t be too far away.


    Walm decided to carefully follow the traces left behind. He had experience in tracking down people in a skirmish with the Liberia Trade Federation. The Squad Commander, who had a rough personality, was more concerned about footprints than anyone else. When Walm accidentally stepped on the soft grass and destroyed some of the footprints, the Squad Commander hit his helmet hard. Such a memory so bitter yet nostalgic came to his mind.


    However, tracking wasn¡¯t Walm¡¯s specialty, so he could only use the methods he had learned. Following footprints and the corpse of a monster that had apparently been hit by a storm, he moved on.


    Slowly, a sound of battle could be heard, which meant that Walm would soon catch up with the unknown party. In the Labyrinth, there was a room with a rather large open area, which was different from a normal room. Most of these rooms were like a crossroads that anyone had to pass in order to continue. And the deeper such a room was found, the greater the chance that it was true.


    In such a big space, a big battle was happening,


    On the monster side, there were Ogres and even Cyclopes. On the other side, there was a party of five.


    What surprised and amazed Walm was nothing but the way they fought.


    A battle axe and the Ogre¡¯s mace crossed. The mana infused battle axe gained a lopsided victory with a blow that seemed to fail. Clearly it was ¡¶Strike¡·, a skill seen on the battlefield and in the Labyrinth, but still, Walm couldn¡¯t help but be amazed at the fact that everyone in the party could use ¡¶Strike¡· and fully demonstrated its power.


    Ten monster parts lay scattered on the stone pavement. Considering their large number, the surrounding monsters must have been attracted. Moreover, the party hadn¡¯t stopped fighting either, and now they were dealing with a Cyclops in the large room.


    Four out of five had physical characteristics in common. A body size that was about Walm¡¯s eyes, but the chest was so thick that it could be seen even from the top of the armor. In Walm¡¯s vision, a fierce battle unfolded in which they fought in a way that could be called a storm of steel.


    ¡°¡­Is that ¡°Dwarf¡± ?¡±


    Anyone who saw the scene would say the same. If the warrior before Walm wasn¡¯t a dwarf, what else could be called a dwarf?


    Humans and monsters weren¡¯t the only races that lived on the continent. Elves, Dwarves, and Beastmen also lived there.


    Besides the four dwarves, there was one with a tail and ears reminiscent of a beast. This must be a beastman.


    The armor they wore had the emblem of a large tree with four intertwined trunks. Even Walm, who came from the northern countries, knew the emblem. Elves, dwarves, beasts, and humans ¨C four different races had pledged in unity, a unity in the name of the forest, that was the meaning of the emblem. Right. It was the national emblem of one of the three major powers, the Aleinard Forest Alliance.

 CH 129

    129. Chapter 129


    The Cyclops, having lost another brethren, swung the club wildly, smashing the cobblestones and scattering the pebbles around the area. At first glance, it looked like the one-eyed giant had the upper hand in the fight, but in reality, it was cornered.


    Every time the Cyclops¡¯ limbs moved chaotically, some parts of its body were scraped away. On the other side, the dwarves and beastman attacked accurately without losing sight of the one-eyed giant in the sea of dust. The battle became one-sided after the Cyclops¡¯ ankle muscles were severed by the faintly glowing blade of the battle-axe.


    The resistance ended in vain, and the limbs were scraped by the ¡¶Strike¡·. It looked like a bunch of adults playing a Daruma-Otoshi. [TN: Daruma Otoshi, is a traditional game played with a daruma doll in five pieces, usually in the colors of the rainbow, from top to bottom]


    It wasn¡¯t long before the head was severed along with the only eye. The turmoil turned the room red, and the demon¡¯s guts, exposed to the atmosphere, gave off a strong, foul odor.


    Even if it was a floor that wasn¡¯t regularly thinned of monsters, if so many were defeated, there should be no reason for more monsters to appear by chance in front of Walm for a while.


    Walm watched the battle to the end, and he was forced to come out from the spectator seat.


    ¡°What the hell are you!!! Staring at us since a while¡­¡±


    The bearded dwarf raised his eyebrows as he used a cloth to wipe the axe blade clean of fleshy fat and blood, and complained to Walm.


    Although Walm was in line to pass the room, he watched the fight without averting his eyes. He didn¡¯t intend to stare, but the dwarf¡¯s remarks weren¡¯t far from the truth.


    ¡°I¡¯m sor¨D¨D¡±


    ¡°Uhm? Haven¡¯t seen your face. Which party are you?¡±


    Walm wanted to apologize and make an excuse, but he was interrupted. And perhaps to properly judge the spectator who suddenly came, the dwarf, with his battle axe in hand, closed the distance


    Walm was confused as to how to react. The Fausto case wasn¡¯t so long ago. So he wanted the dwarf to stop approaching him too much.


    Nevertheless, Walm was at a loss as to what to say after the great spectacle he had witnessed. Fortunately, another dwarf, who was busy dismantling monsters, rescued Walm from this predicament.


    ¡°Whatcha slackin¡¯ off!!! Hurry up, help!!¡±


    ¡°How loud. Can¡¯t you even give me a minute?! Look, there¡¯s an unfamiliar guy over there.¡±


    ¡°You, did you drink the alcohol alrea¨D¨Dwho the fuck is that guy?!¡±


    ¡°Not that I know! He was suddenly there when we were fighting.¡±


    ¡°Oi, y¡¯all, look, there¡¯s a new face!¡±


    With the beastman following behind, the scattered dwarves gathered under Walm as if they had found a strange object. Although the dwarves were no taller than Walm, the thickness of their bodies gave him a feeling of oppression. Moreover, their voice was so loud that even Walm couldn¡¯t believe that they were in the labyrinth.


    No wonder the monsters from the surrounding area gathered. Walm didn¡¯t even have to think much about the reason.


    ¡°Are you alone?¡±


    After a short noisy quarrel among themselves, their interest turned back to Walm again.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m alone.¡±


    In response to Walm¡¯s reply, the dwarves yelled in a way that he couldn¡¯t tell if they were angry or mocking him.


    ¡°Cocky yet calm, eh?!¡±


    ¡°Hah! Better than suddenly crying.¡±


    ¡°For a scout, you sure have a bulky halberd, eh?¡±


    Albeit late, Walm understood. That it was just how they spoke, not that they were angry or making fun of him.


    ¡°So, where are the other companions?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve no companions¡±


    ¡°No? Hell, why did you abandon your companions?¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not¨D¨D¡±


    The beastman who kept more distance than the others and remained silent suddenly interrupted the conversation.


    ¡°That guy must be the one who fought Fausto¡¯s party. He smells like death.¡±


    Although Walm was in the labyrinth, he intended to keep his appearance in order and did what he could. However, for the beastman, who had an excellent sense of smell, he stank in many ways. Nevertheless, the dwarves didn¡¯t care about the warning of the beastman.


    ¡°Ooh, so he¡¯s that mercenary? And there was a person who tried to hunt someone who can come this far alone? Fausto, you sure were a fool.¡±


    ¡°But, that¡¯s an unusual armor you are wearing. Where did you come from?¡±


    ¡°Wait, that design¡­ Northern countries?¡±


    Walm moved only his eyes at the dwarf who gave the correct answer.


    ¡°Ahaha, look who¡¯s a good guesser, this guy who¡¯s familiar with armor.¡±


    The dwarf, who had noticed Walm¡¯s gaze, puffed out his chest proudly. With the thick beard and puffed chest, it became a dignified appearance.


    ¡°Stop acting like a fawn. Don¡¯t need to be that alert. If you keep this up, the irregular won¡¯t be attracted. Besides, we¡¯ve got our proud equipment, no one needs something that you have.¡±


    The dwarves laughed at Walm, who didn¡¯t let his guard down. And even after they knew of his conflict with the Manhunts, they still spoke without restraint. Whether it was a trait that they developed after diving into the depths so many times or because of the roots of their race, whatever the reason might be, the dwarves didn¡¯t give any unpleasant atmosphere.


    And after all, Walm had been born in a peasant village and had stood on the battlefield. Of course, he wasn¡¯t of noble blood, nor did he care so much about what they called ¡°courtesy.¡± As a soldier on the battlefield, he hadn¡¯t shown any consideration, not even a glimmer of modesty, as these had meant nothing for the army. Having experienced that, he saw the trust in the dwarves who were bantering with each other, even in the middle of the room with foul flesh and blood, and their laughter as something nostalgic.


    ¡°It¡¯s rare to see a new face these days. Even those greedy big fellas of Maylis pulled up their units, and have stopped dispatching younglings.¡±


    ¡°Are there few people who dive beyond the 35th floor?¡±


    ¡°Both hands are enough to count those parties. And most are like us, someone dispatched from other countries.¡±


    ¡°Thirty, forty years ago there were guys with guts.¡±


    ¡°The veterans who experienced the Unification War and those who had those people¡¯s teaching were good. People these days only think ¡®bout money, they¡¯re drowning too much in fake power.¡±


    ¡°Did you forget that we were also dispatched after the last ones? And, it¡¯s only been 30 years. For those who know the Unification War very well, we¡¯re like a young chick.¡±


    ¡°Hmmph, how noisy¡­ well, let¡¯s stop talking nonsense here. We¡¯ve been talking here for too long. We¡¯ll go after dismantling them. There, you can move on.¡±


    ¡°Yes. This place isn¡¯t suitable to have a nice talk.¡±


    If this were a tavern, Walm¡¯s mouth would be lighter, but this place was on the high-rank floor of the Labyrinth. It wasn¡¯t suitable for holding conversations and deepening friendships.


    ¡°Hah, listen. Sure, I¡¯ll praise your fighting ability, but let me give you some advice. No offense. But, give up going deeper than the 35th floor. It¡¯s kinda breaking point. The deepest of the labyrinth ain¡¯t something manageable with one person¡¯s skills. Even if we manage to go, can¡¯t think we all five will return alive. And, if you don¡¯t have comrades with the courage to jump into a deadly place, you will die in vain. Such foolishness ain¡¯t something I recommend.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m grateful for the advice, but unfortunately, I¡¯m not blessed with fruitful encounters.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm, you sure give those vibes. Well, just remember, ¡°don¡¯t rot, don¡¯t rush¡±.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Yes, I¡¯ll be patient.¡±


    After finishing the words, the dwarf ended the conversation as if he had done his business. The only exception was the beastman, who pricked up the animal ears even though the hands continued to work.


    To stay longer would be futile. So Walm quietly left the room alone.


    As Walm walked down the passage, he murmured about the things mentioned in the earlier conversation.


    ¡°Don¡¯t rot, huh?¡±


    Even if Walm¡¯s heart wouldn¡¯t rot, his eyes certainly would if he continued to wait.


    ¡°Really, it¡¯s a world where things don¡¯t go the way you want. That I¡¯m living in.¡±


    Walm¡¯s monologue disappeared without being heard by anyone.

 CH 130

    Walm threw his limbs to the ground. The cold of the cobblestones softened the heat of the body.


    So refreshing¡­


    As Walm exhaled, the exhaustion he had been holding back burst forth all at once. It was the second time he had reached the 35th floor, but he could tell that the path was steeper and harder than the first time when he encountered the dwarves and the beastman.


    ¡°I¡¯ve completely run out of mana.¡±


    In hindsight, the dwarves¡¯ attracting and exterminating the monsters should have lessened Walm¡¯s burden. Besides, the troublesome monsters had also been buried in the large room and this time there was nothing left. In a way, it could be said that they helped him behind the scenes.


    After a few minutes of lethargy from exhaustion, Walm straightened his body.


    As expected, Walm couldn¡¯t sleep. At least not when his armor which had faced countless monsters along the way was dirty and damaged everywhere. If he didn¡¯t take care of it, it would only accelerate the deterioration.


    The dirt caused by monsters was carefully wiped off and a thin layer of rust-preventing oil was applied. If a mistake was made in this care, the oil would no longer fulfill its function as a protective film and would instead attract dust and dirt.


    Walm continued to work diligently and was finished with one task. After completing it, he wanted to light a cigarette, but was reminded that his mana hadn¡¯t yet recovered. He had taken magic for granted, but was reminded of how inconvenient it would be to be without magic.


    ¡°Seems, I¡¯ve to use it after a long time.¡±


    The presence of flint, which he had used often until his encounter with Willart, came to Walm¡¯s mind. It was completely forgotten in the magic bag like a useless decoration. Sure it wouldn¡¯t suddenly be able to make a bonfire, but a small fire was what Walm needed.


    The cloth that absorbed the dirt and oil could be called a fuel, which also served as an appropriate ignition agent.


    Walm cut the hemp cloth with a dagger and made a small hole in the center of the cut cloth. Then he covered one of the flints with the cloth and exposed the surface through the hole. Then he crossed the two flints to scrape them together.


    With a dull sound, sparks scattered. Fortunately, after several repetitions, the flame spread to the oil-soaked hemp cloth.


    Walm wrapped the feeble fire in both hands like a treasure, and blew on it to nurture the fire.


    Cigarettes weren¡¯t filled with much combustible material in this world, so they were difficult to burn, but the fire spread safely, so Walm brought it to his mouth. The purple smoke that was blown out floated and disappeared here and there in the air.


    ¡°Fuhh¡­ ha, haha, that¡¯s modest.¡±


    Comparing its magnitude to that of blue flame, which normally manifests itself almost instantaneously, how small was it? Even such a fire was an indispensable light for Walm today. However, since it had served its purpose, it would only be a waste of cloth. And holding the burning hemp cloth was enough to extinguish the small flame.


    As Walm scattered the ashes, he gave himself over to a feeling of emptiness.


    Such a momentary rest should be enjoyed, but unfortunately, Walm had to throw away the cigarette in his hand, grab the halberd and stand up.


    The cause was a soft sound of footsteps that Walm couldn¡¯t escape. Moving into a defensive position, he listened carefully, but the footsteps were loud and artificial. The sound grew louder, as if it was about to enter the room. Some people made their footsteps on purpose because it was a good way to kill any sound.


    And the fact that those who came into the room did so, knowing that it was the 35th floor, had to be a very disciplined party. Well, people had to show off sometimes.


    The fatigue that enveloped Walm¡¯s entire body protested and demanded a longer break, but he chose to ignore it.


    The door opened slowly and the face peeking out didn¡¯t match the Labyrinth. It was too bright.


    ¡°Hey, we meet again.¡±


    After Merrill¡¯s greeting, the rest of the party members appeared in the safe room.


    ¡°This time, it¡¯s you guys huh?¡±


    Following the dwarves and beastman, the next party Walm met on the floor deeper than the 30th floor was the Trimagitack. Why did he meet a lot of lively fellows lately? He didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°If you keep talking like that, people will run away from you.¡±


    Seeing the indignant Merrill, Walm honestly felt bad.


    ¡°I¡¯m just, a little worn out. Really, I¡¯m grateful for Faust¡¯s case.¡±


    ¡°I wish you¡¯d have told me that from the beginning.¡±


    Merrill immediately walked happily toward Walm after hearing the mood-changing words.


    Although they were different, the lack of sense of distance that Walm felt made him suspect that Merrill was the same type as the dwarves.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s your business? Did you come to have a party to deepen our relationship?¡±


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s just say, it¡¯s not that far away.¡±


    What a straightforward answer. As a reward, Walm gave an honest word.


    ¡°Thanks for the trouble you¡¯re willing to go through, but¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true. Just when I thought you were going to stay quiet for a while after being under house arrest at the guild, I heard that you immediately dived into the Labyrinth shortly after. Also, you managed to reach the 35th floor alone. People often tell me that I¡¯m always ¡°busy.¡± But apparently, you¡¯re ¡°busier¡± than me.¡±


    ¡°Well, a circumstance doesn¡¯t let me stop for long.¡±


    ¡°In other words, you came to the labyrinth looking for something. And you haven¡¯t obtained it yet. Could it be that you can¡¯t even get it on the 35th floor?¡±


    It was a one-step, no few steps deep question. Walm, who had no intention of answering, avoided giving an immediate answer.


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Seriously, you¡¯re tiring to talk to.¡±


    Merrill, laughing dryly, glared at Walm. But the really serious look on Merrill¡¯s face then let Walm know. That he couldn¡¯t avoid the question.


    ¡°People who dive into the Labyrinth have their own aims. Overflowing wealth, honor to be admired by all, power beyond one¡¯s own limits¡­ I¡¯ve affirmed all of them. In the labyrinth, everyone struggles, stretching out their hands and risking their lives in order to obtain something. To think which one¡¯s purpose is superior or inferior is pointless, boring¡­¡­ So, Walm, what do you want from the Labyrinth? What do you wish for?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­What a strange fellow. What¡¯s the point of asking me that?¡±


    ¡°That is¨D¨D¡±


    The tense atmosphere broke down in an instant. Merrill frowned seriously, and Walm also frowned bluntly. After all, a wild noise was heard.


    ¡°What the hell, were you guys fighting?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll be a nice show.¡±


    ¡°Sure it will. Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll see to the end, so do it, do it now!! Ah, please no weapon.¡±


    Without any consideration when entering the room, a group of dwarves sent by the Aleinard Forest Alliance entered the room and spoke in a distinctive way of talking. Would it be impossible for them to live humbly and quietly? Sure enough, it would be as difficult as teaching art and science to the goblins.


    The only exception was the beastman who lowered the animal ears as if to apologize to Walm and Merrill.


    ¡°Seriously, can¡¯t you all at least read the air better? We¡¯re in the middle of a fun chat you know!?¡±


    The angry Merrill resented the dwarves and glared at them.


    ¡°Hah, that¡¯s it? How boring.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t be helped. Guess it¡¯s time for a meal.¡±


    ¡°Alcohol, quick, take them out.¡±


    The dwarves, who had lost interest in Walm and Merrill, turned their attention to the food surprisingly quickly. One of them had even sat down and was eating the hard-baked bread.


    ¡°This is why the dwarves are¡­ aahhh¡­ you ruined the moods. Walm, let¡¯s change the place. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll treat you to a nice meal. I really want to know your answer after all.¡±


    ¡ô


    Back on the surface, they entered a store that was on a side street off the main road. Unlike the tavern Walm knew, this one used sturdy stone material. And as he looked at the interior of the store, he understood the significance of its features. The room, separated by a thick outer wall and an inner wall, was created with the intention of being an important place for secret talks and business negotiations.


    Walm leaned his halberd against the wall and sat down.


    Unlike Walm, who tried to keep his distance, Merrill leaned forward and began to speak.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you have agreed to come here. First of all, I¡¯d like to deepen our friendship by making small talk and talking to everyone about their upbringing, but I guess, it would be quicker to speak frankly.¡±


    After taking a deep breath, Merrill continued.


    ¡°I, was born in this walled city. I never had any problems with life, and I¡¯ve nothing to do with poverty. However, I¡¯ve no house to inherit, and my opportunities to make money here are limited. So I went to the labyrinth to earn a living. Yes. I¡¯m such a boring person.¡±


    It was a common story. Whether Merrill was half forced or not, people had their own circumstances, but the only difference was that Walm earned his living on the battlefield and Merrill in the Labyrinth.


    ¡°Even such a boring person managed to dive deeper and deeper, and when I met these current companions, my greed came out. Maybe it¡¯s what you call the adventurer¡¯s spirit. Or maybe it¡¯s just my curiosity. Either way, we want to be a conqueror. I¡¯d be lying if I said I wasn¡¯t interested in wealth or fame, but more than anything I really want to reach the bottom of the labyrinth, that¡¯s my current dream¡­. laughable, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Merrill smiled wryly. However, what a serious look. The same was true for the group members standing nearby.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not. Without dreams, hopes, and goals, it¡¯s hard to say that people are alive. Really, it¡¯ll be hard to tell if they¡¯re dead, or alive.¡±


    It would be too sad if people claimed that they were alive only by breathing. Walm, who had been drowning in alcohol and depressing days for a year, couldn¡¯t laugh at people¡¯s dreams. No matter how small or low they might be.


    ¡°That¡¯s heavy¡­¡­ We saw the recruitment and called you out. Many were hesitating and waiting for further developments. In time, I¡¯m sure they won¡¯t be able to avoid seeing your true value. It may be unconscionable to say this, but I was lucky to have met you then. Yes, Faust paid the price, but it convinced me of your abilities. I¡¯d like to invite you to the party. But first I¡¯d like to know what you really want. Walm, what are you looking for in the labyrinth, what do you wish for?¡±


    It would take a long time to explain the situation. It would be quicker to show than to hear. With this in mind, Walm then said,


    ¡°¡­¡­ Right¡­ to see is to believe. I¡¯ll use mana, but don¡¯t worry, no bad meaning.¡±


    The eyes from which mana flowed changed, and the world reflected in Walm¡¯s eyes changed. It was weaker than when ¡¶Demon Fire¡· was used, but the piercing pain and heat came through.


    ¡°Those eyes¡­ demon eyes?¡±


    The warrior monk named Hari, who had kept his mouth shut until then, let the words seep out. Walm nodded in agreement.


    ¡°I¡¯m a defeated soldier of Highserk who lost his homeland in an outbreak. I lost both eyes in a battle, but to stand in a fight once again, the eyes of a high-ranking monster were transplanted.¡±


    Walm stopped the mana supply to the eyes, assuming that the confirmation was sufficiently complete. Still, even as the eyes returned to normal, the effects persisted. Slowly, he closed and opened his eyes until the waves of pain subsided.


    ¡°These eyes will rot in the not-too-distant future. As the mana flows, the eyes will heat up and feel like they¡¯re melting. To heal them completely, I¡¯m searching for what they call, the crimson grass on the deepest floor. That¡¯s what I wish for.¡±


    ¡°I understand very well what Walm wants.¡±


    ¡°I put on a facade in many ways, but it¡¯s all about self-protection.¡±


    ¡°Well, my dreams aren¡¯t big either way. So, Walm, are you willing to join my party?¡±


    For Walm, who had no personal connections and limited time, it would be best to join the Trimagitack, which had made a name in Belgana, the Labyrinth city.


    ¡°Sure, let¡¯s conquer the Labyrinth together.¡±


    ¡°Great! That¡¯s it. Let¡¯s celebrate the joining.¡±


    ¡°Wait, Merrill! We, we haven¡¯t talked about the details of the conditions yet. That goes for you too. As a mercenary, you should be stricter about the conditions.¡±


    The adventurer named Marianthe reprimanded Merrill, who was busily preparing the alcohol. Things were quickly decided, but increasing the number of group members wasn¡¯t so easy. That should be the case, but it was not what happened.


    Walm, who felt that he didn¡¯t think long enough and reacted immediately, had no words to say.


    ¡°Sometimes it¡¯s all about momentum.¡±


    ¡°That attitude of being so easygoing, really, you¡¯re not in a position to laugh at the dwarves.¡±


    Even though Walm hadn¡¯t exchanged a lot of words yet, it was faintly conveyed to him that Marianthe was a coordinator, the hard worker within the party.


    ¡°Marianthe, calm down. We can tell him the details from now on, but now, it¡¯s important to welcome him first.¡±


    Hari told Marianthe to calm down. His demeanor was unfazed and calm, perhaps due to his training as a warrior monk.


    ¡°¡­ Hari, I know that you just like Walm¡¯s eyes. Your overwhelming interest in eyes is truly like a pervert.¡±


    ¡°Even though you complimented me so much on how beautiful my eyes are, are you going to be distracted by someone else you¡¯ve just met?¡±


    Saying so, Merrill¡¯s face contorted with sadness. The movement was like someone playing a role in an opera. So theatrical.


    Walm was confused and couldn¡¯t understand the situation.


    ¡°That¡¯s not true. Merrill¡¯s charming eyes are everlasting. But, but, that supposedly golden eyes, feel dark and muddy. Such eyes of Walm are just¡­.. unbearably charming.¡±


    ¡°Huh¨D¨D!?¡±


    ¨D¨DWhat did I just feel?


    Hari didn¡¯t even try to make an excuse anymore. His gaze, which was directed downward, definitely lingered on Walm¡¯s eyes and didn¡¯t seem to let him go. His rustic, unadorned and simple clothing and his well-toned body, which gave a hint of his training, left Walm in no doubt that he was a man of common sense. In reality, however, he was a weirdo who surpassed Merrill, in short, an eyes pervert.


    ¡°Stop it, Hari!!! What if he runs away?¡±


    Walm, who had goosebumps and body hair standing up, tried to raise his hip, but was forced to sit by an arm that stretched out from the side. That was the hand of Merrill. Although young, Merrill was really quick-witted. A really suitable action by someone who held a title. Even more startling was, that the arm was placed in a position that would relax someone.


    ¡°Where will the main character go? Rest assured. Hari isn¡¯t on ¡°that side¡±¡­ perhaps.¡±


    With a glimmer of hope, Walm sought help from a remaining party member, an archer named Yuna. For some reason, she was staring into the void, but luckily, she heard Walm¡¯s voiceless call and returned from her silent journey.


    ¡°¡­Walm seems hungry, so let¡¯s get started.¡±


    No, no, that¡¯s not it¡­


    Walm was crying inside. He was tormented by the fear if it was really the right decision to join this party. Where was the determined attitude when he faced Faust? Of course, it wasn¡¯t visible on Walm¡¯s face.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. Walm, welcome to the Trimagitack!¡±


    Said Merrill, whose hand was still digging into Walm¡¯s shoulder with a broad smile.


    Really, this is why adventurers are¡­


    The sorrow Walm felt disappeared without reaching anyone.

 CH 131

    Accompanied by wind noise, a sharp arrow rode the wind to cut through the darkness. Peeking out of the darkness was a Lizardman, which was the target. The Lizardman was shot through in the forehead and rolled to the ground, exposing its long, thin tongue.


    Until now, Walm had worked hard to reduce monsters using magic to avoid one-on-one battles. After joining the group, however, he held back to focus on checking the movements of the group members and preserving his mana.


    The three remaining Lizardmen rushed in, oblivious to the death of their brethren. And each Lizardman seemed to have decided to engage in one-on-one. Of course, this movement was also intentionally directed by the human side.


    Just like Walm, Hari, a warrior monk playing the role of the vanguard, crushed the Lizardman¡¯s head with a hexagonal mace, not caring what kind of swordplay the Lizardman would unleash.


    On the other side, a person shifting the center of gravity of the upper body was Merrill, who was called the ¡°Trimagitack¡±. With that slight move, the downward-sweeping cutlass was dodged and the approaching lizardman was counterattacked with the longsword. The wrist and also the head of the Lizardman fell off without resistance as if cutting soft butter.


    What a magnificent performance.


    In this way, much work was taken off Walm¡¯s hands. A simple movement of the halberd to deflect the spearhead of the Lizardman and insert the clawed blade of the halberd into the arteries of the Lizardman. And with a simple motion of shifting his center of gravity backward while pulling the halberd, the neck burst open and blood spurted out. That was enough to make the Labyrinth regain its silence again.


    Nevertheless, such a reality was enough to shake Walm and make him fall into ¡°idleness¡±, he even had the luxurious time to turn the halberd to splash the clinging blood.


    ¡°Do you have a complaint, Sir?¡±


    Said Merrill, putting away the sword, with a sprinkle of teasing.


    In fact, Walm was seen spinning his halberd. He realized it too and felt like a child swinging a twig in idleness, only to be seen by his friend. Of course, it gave him a slight sense of shame.


    ¡°No, I¡¯ve no complaints. It¡¯s more than I expected, that I feel complicated.¡±


    ¡°If a party aiming to be the conqueror has trouble on the mid-rank floors, that would be absurd, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    That was a very good opinion. Still, for Walm, who had always been at a numerical disadvantage since his military service and had become too accustomed to diving the Labyrinth alone, he couldn¡¯t help but get restless when he was placed on the side with more numbers.


    Fortunately, there was no further investigation from the new comrades, and when Walm saw archer Yuna step in on the Lizardman¡¯s head to retrieve the arrow, he mingled with the others to collect the monster¡¯s relics.


    While Merrill looked around the surroundings as a guard, the rest of the members collected the valuables. That was the formation.


    The monsters that stood in the way were equally returned to the labyrinth, as the party dived deeper.


    The swarming Dullahans and Doll Slimes were swept away by Walm¡¯s fire attribute magic. Even if they sacrificed one of their compatriots to close the gap, waiting for them was a hexagonal mace that Hari called the Spirit-Infusing Rod. The proud armor of the Dullahan and the Doll Slime was shattered unevenly like a broken tin doll. Finally, Merrill and Marianthe would crush anyone who dared to pass through.


    Although it was a Labyrinth dive that Walm had tried himself more than a few times, before he knew it, the depth had reached the 30th floor. Although the formation was rough, he effortlessly reached the floor he had worked so hard on just because he was in a party.


    Walm couldn¡¯t help but feel the high level of skill of Merrill and the others who had protected each other¡¯s backs so far. And even though a brand new foreign object called Walm had slipped in, the overall movement continued to follow the optimal path as much as possible.


    The Ogre that was attacked by a quick shot of the archer, fell down from its head. Walm shot the fireball on his hand against the Ogre that jumped over its brethren who had become an obstacle. Such a large monster, receiving a direct hit in the air, spread blood and flesh everywhere.


    Now, there were four of them left, but they too had all suffered the aftermath of the attack and lost some of their bodily functions.


    ¡°Newcomers will come from behind.¡±


    At the same time as Merrill¡¯s warning, Walm¡¯s five senses picked up the new movement. It was a group of Centaurs, the heavy cavalry of the Labyrinth, shaking the ground and approaching with a charge.


    ¡°Walm, Yuna, both to the front.¡±


    With Merrill¡¯s brief command, the formation of the party changed.


    Merrill, Hari, and Marianthe would deal with the high-risk heavy cavalry, while Walm and Yuna would deal with the remaining Ogres.


    As Walm charged with his halberd, a flying object flew through from behind.


    As expected, this must have been the support of Yuna, the archer.


    Having anticipated the movements of Walm and the Ogres, Yuna must have given preference to the one that wanted to engage in battle with Walm. Sure, it wasn¡¯t a fatal hit, but the arrow that entered the base of the shoulder from the collarbone took a lot of pressure off Walm.


    One of the Ogre¡¯s arms lost its power as if a supporting string had been cut, and the war hammer that should have hit Walm went in an unexpected direction. The halberd no longer had to be brought into position, and so could be wielded in a straight line, undisturbed. The claw-shaped blade of the halberd, which entered under the chin, reached the Ogre¡¯s brain.


    Walm turned the handle of the halberd as he changed his focus, glancing sideways at the next prey. The first fireball had burned half of its face. It wouldn¡¯t be Walm if he didn¡¯t take advantage of this newly made weakness. After all, he knew what it felt like to have only one functional eye.


    Sending his halberd downward, Walm sliced through the Ogre¡¯s ankles from the blind spot.


    The Ogre, losing its legs, could no longer support its own weight and fell forward. Waiting for the Ogre who tried to get up was the axe-blade of the halberd. The blade, entering the side of his head, penetrated only halfway, for that was enough.


    Of the remaining two, one leapt toward Walm with the momentum of someone carving for a hug. He quickly changed his center of gravity in the opposite direction and moved to the side. The second Ogre stuck a longsword in Walm¡¯s way. Walm caught it with the claw-shaped blade of the halberd.


    The Ogre tried to engage Walm in a clash of weapons, but instead of accepting it, the spearhead of the halberd made a high-pitched sound as it slid on the surface of the longsword. It went so far that it finally took all four fingers except the thumb.


    The Ogre dropped the longsword and tried to grab Walm. As a response, Walm extended his bent elbow, turned his palm, and pierced the Ogre¡¯s eyes with the lower part of the halberd.


    The hand of the Ogre, which had lost its sight, caught nothing but air, and when it realized it missed its target, it swung its arm around unreasonably. Walm slipped past it without delivering a final blow. It was an action to quickly prepare for the last ogre that had stayed behind, but it was an unnecessary move. The last Ogre, too absorbed in its target, Walm, bared its defenseless back to Yuna.


    Receiving an arrow on the side of the head, the Ogre¡¯s eyes turned white as the strength left its body.


    Only one remained, the Ogre that had lost both eyes. But just as Walm turned his attention back to it, he saw that the Ogro that a moment ago was thrusting its arms desperately into the air, seemed to be breathlessly sinking into the ground.


    From a distance, Yuna quietly annihilated the horde of Ogres, which gave their attention only to Walm.


    Walm was about to go off to rescue Merrill and the others in charge of the newcomers, but the fighting had already stopped. The heads of the poor Centaurs were being smashed by Hari¡¯s Spirit-Infusing Rod and Marianthe¡¯s mace. It was as if they played whack-a-mole. Those that had their forelegs and heads severed were probably in a fight with Merrill.


    ¡°That was good support.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    When Walm thanked Yuna for protecting his back, he received a short reply. Basically, talking was troublesome for Yuna, so the conversation with her was extremely short. Walm believed that¡­¡­ in any case, Walm convinced himself that it wasn¡¯t because he was hated.


    ¡°Seems like, your side is done too.¡±


    ¡°To begin with, they were weak opponents. Compared to your side which killed Four Centaurs about the same time, I¡¯m probably on the slower side.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like the sooner the better.¡±


    Merrill moved the handle to shake off the sticky liquid on the longsword.


    Walm also noticed a presence behind him as he cleaned the halberd. The owner of the look was Hari. With a serious look, he asked Hari if anything strange had happened.


    ¡°Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m just having trouble choosing between Merrill¡¯s colorful eyes and Walm¡¯s muddy eyes. Aaaah, don¡¯t look at me so seriously with those eyes. Or you will get me ¡°excited¡±.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­Huh?¡±


    Walm couldn¡¯t immediately understand Hari¡¯s words. Still, instinct screamed danger. So without thinking, he contorted his face as he took a step back.


    Walm gave Merrill a protesting look, as if to say that something strange must be going on in Hari¡¯s brain. That Hari was a weirdo to the core.


    Unfortunately, the adventurer known as the ¡°Trimagitack¡± only gave a silent head shaking, before giving some supplement explanation.


    ¡°His personality, and abilities are overall good, but only this side of him, I can¡¯t fix, I¡¯ve already given up.¡±


    ¡°? Were you looking at the other with a perverted gaze again? Really, stop it.¡±


    As Merrill abandoned the responsibility, Marianthe noticed the series of disturbances and thus reprimanded Hari.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say it like that. It¡¯s human nature to be fascinated by beautiful things like high peaks and the sea. Don¡¯t worry, Marianthe¡¯s angry eyes are fine in their own way.¡±


    ¡°uhh¨D¨Dthat¡¯s why you got kicked out of the church!!¡±


    Marianthe, feeling her patience reaching an end, struck Hari on the buttocks with a mace. A dry sound rang out, and a metallic protrusion dug into his muscular buttocks, but Hari didn¡¯t move in the slightest. Even if it wasn¡¯t swung with full force, it was basically a weapon blow that could beat an average full-armor soldier to death.


    Walm couldn¡¯t help but wonder what kind of flesh Hari had to receive such a blow with his buttocks and remained calm.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get so angry. Anger slows you down.¡±


    ¡°Aahh!! Aaahhhh!!! I don¡¯t want to hear that, especially not from you.¡±


    ¡°As you can see, glaring or getting angry at Hari only has the opposite effect, so don¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Yeah, I¡¯ll for sure keep that in mind.¡±


    If it was a bad joke exchanged in a pool of blood, Walm might have tried to think of another bad joke. But no matter how he felt about it, it was serious.


    Walm, offering the offering called Marianthe to Hari, quietly distanced himself.


    This kind of ruckus must be a routine for the party¡­


    Yuna, who diligently collected the arrows without paying attention to them, finally uttered a voice after collecting some.


    ¡°Walm, it¡¯s great that you didn¡¯t break the arrows.¡±


    If the not-so-cheap arrows could be reused without damaging them, nothing was better than not breaking them. The Highserk Empire Army, which was in a rather sad financial situation, had used what was available. They must. Even arrows that pierced decaying corpses were picked up with pleasure by the archers.


    ¡°It¡¯s an old habit.¡±


    Despite their short relationship, Yuna, who Walm thought lacked emotion, looked happy. Had he needlessly shattered her arrows, he would have been branded a brutal man in her heart. Perhaps.


    Hari and Marianthe ended their argument and began scavenging the Centaur¡¯s corpse.


    There was a saying that the ¡°grass next door looks greener,¡± but now that Walm had come close, he understood that it was a pile of wild, strange grass. Each person had their own quirks, but Walm was not sophisticated enough to judge other people.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Walm?¡±


    Walm lowered his gaze as he lost himself in thought, but Merrill¡¯s light green hair entered his field of vision. At the same time, Merrill¡¯s eyes stared at Walm with different irises. It seemed to him that the eyes were not only watching his face, but also his thoughts. That is, he could understand Hari¡¯s feelings a little.


    ¡°I was thinking about how lively the party this is.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying it like it¡¯s someone else¡¯s problem. Remember, Walm is also among those lively guys.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, you¡¯re right.¡±


    In a gloomy labyrinth, a light smile naturally spilled out of Walm¡¯s mouth.

 CH 132

    The Labyrinth dive, which also served as a meeting point for Walm and the Trimagitack, was filled with repeated battles like someone was grinding a brand-new metal part. This behavior was as if it was trying to check if there were any problems by stressing the new part called Walm in various ways.


    Although Walm was vaguely aware of these intentions, he behaved as he always did. After all, if he changed his movements more than necessary, it wouldn¡¯t even be a test. Instead of diving deeper, the party actively searched for and destroyed monsters to test Walm.


    In response, Walm turned countless of them into a pool of blood with his halberd.


    Such long battles continued until the dwarves appeared on the hunting grounds.


    There was no need to think much about the reason for the discontinuation of today¡¯s dive. Their nature and fighting style attracted monsters. Moreover, they attacked all the monsters as if they were competing with each other. Was it a dwarven greeting? Or a show-off to celebrate Walm¡¯s joining in the Trimagitack?


    Considering the loud laughter that remained in Walm¡¯s ears for a while, the answer might be that they were purely competing for the number of prey.


    Leaving the Labyrinth, Walm returned to the shop where he exchanged greetings with the Trimagitack¡¯s party members. And after a meal, a meeting for deepening the relationship began.


    ¡°We are lucky to have Walm in our party. He fulfilled the role of the vanguard we relied on Hari, even more than we expected. On top of that, the suppression by magic lightened the burden on Yuna and me.¡±


    Merrill looked at the seated members and confirmed that there were no objections.


    ¡°With these members, it¡¯s okay to seriously aim for the bottom of the labyrinth and to be the conquerors. But before that, I would like Walm to make some corrections and share his thoughts.¡±


    Walm wasn¡¯t haughty enough to insist that he himself could tear off every obstacle in front of him. He had plenty of experience fighting with a small group, but he had learned that fighting in a dark, enclosed space, especially in a labyrinth where monsters were constantly approaching, required any party to follow its own course of action, taking into account the particular fighting techniques of each member.


    ¡°Sure, no objections.¡±


    ¡°As I said earlier, Walm plays the role of the vanguard more than we hoped for. As expected of someone who could reach that depth alone. But that¡¯s also where the problem lies. Even when he teamed up with Yuna, he attracted too many enemies to himself. Depends on the time and situation that¡¯s good, but I want you to rely on Yuna more.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m, also strong in close combat.¡±


    Even though Yuna was expressionless when she said that, Walm could tell she was proud of herself.


    Certainly, Walm clung to the vanguard role assigned to him and had no clear idea of what would happen if the vanguard collapsed or broke through. Now that he had time to think, this thought that it should be okay as long as the vanguard wasn¡¯t breached was rather arrogant and short-sighted.


    ¡°We could clearly see how enthusiastic you are in wanting to reach the bottom. But, it wouldn¡¯t be a good decision to get injured in a situation where there was no need to take risks.¡±


    Until now, Walm had concentrated on throwing himself into the labyrinth, with a mindset that he had to finish the fight in a short time. After all, he was alone. With several people, it might have been possible to proceed differently, but Walm alone had no insurance and his options were limited. And that diving alone must have a bad effect on him.


    Merrill, who had given Walm time to chew and swallow the words, continued.


    ¡°Use your comrades, of course in a good way. Walm was a soldier, right? You must have comrades in the line of battle who acted together with you, right?¡±


    Sometimes Walm acted alone. But most of the time, he didn¡¯t fight alone. Walm could say that from the bottom of his heart. After all, when he jumped to the deadly land with swear and curses out of his mouth, he had his comrades in arms whom he trusted to protect his back.


    ¡°¡­¡­Right, I had.¡±


    ¡°Well, I know it hasn¡¯t even been a few days since you joined. What do you think? Are we that incompetent? Or, is it that we can¡¯t be trusted yet?¡±


    ¡°No, neither of them. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s because of my nature, to put unnecessary strain on my shoulders. I¡¯ll rely on you guys more next time.¡±


    ¡°Good answer.¡±


    After receiving Walm¡¯s response, Merrill nodded with satisfaction.


    ¡°Of course, you can rely on me. I¡¯ve confidence in my sturdiness.¡±


    Hari, who had been silently listening, spoke with an affectionate expression. Even his buttocks could withstand a direct blow from a mace. To him, a half-hearted attack must have felt like a child¡¯s prank.


    ¡°Ah, yeah, of, of course.¡±


    Walm gave a half-hearted reply. It would be nice if he could take the words literally, but considering Hari¡¯s words and actions so far, he couldn¡¯t seriously affirm that.


    Marianthe felt the same way, and she voiced the concerns that Walm couldn¡¯t speak out loud.


    ¡°When Hari says that, it feels like it has some other implications.¡±


    ¡°Marianthe, it¡¯s not good to have unnecessary suspicion in your friend.¡±


    ¡°Huff, that¡¯s an advice fit of a warrior monk, but¡­¡±


    Merrill comforted Marianthe, who seemed indecisive.


    ¡°Sometimes Hari comes to his senses.¡±


    ¡°What if I give a strong stimulus to his head¡­¡±


    Marianthe, interrupting her words, stared at the mace she had been leaning on.


    Merrill sensed the intent of her gaze and moved into action.


    ¡°Marianthe, you should stop. It may heal, but it may also get worse.¡±


    Said Merrill, with a head-shaking.


    Marianthe, who had no words to answer, gave up the rough treatment that she thought at that moment with a feeling of deep regret. Truth was, even Walm wanted her to choose a gamble as a last resort.


    ¡°Next, let¡¯s talk about magic and skills. I haven¡¯t shown it yet, but my ¡°skill¡± is the reason they call me the Trimagitack. Also, Marianthe can use bestowing magic¨D¨D¡± [TN: For now, I¡¯ll call it this]


    The exchange of opinions after diving into the Labyrinth covered a wide range of topics, from combat to rest and meals. As expected, no amount of time would be enough for five people with different values, circumstances, and origins to deepen their understanding of each other.


    And so, the evaluation meeting, which began at sunset, continued until the twin moon reached its zenith.


    ¡ô


    Walm wasn¡¯t a member of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. Therefore, when he joined the Trimagitack, he was classified in the employment form as a Porter or Guide. Nevertheless, this caused chaos in the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. The reason was the black hole, which was the only connection to the Labyrinth.


    In the Great Labyrinth of Belgana, there were several black holes, both public and private, but Walm used the one for the people who were just starting out and had poor skills. The black hole that the Trimagitack used, on the other hand, was for those aiming for the mid-rank floors and deeper, and was only available to mid-rank and high-rank adventurers belonged to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.


    Although the destination was the same labyrinth and there was no difference in the hole itself, the waiting room and attached facilities were different. In short, Walm couldn¡¯t enter the Guild House, but even if he could, he would only see nothing more than a bulletin board and a reception desk where requests and recruitments were posted.


    In any case, the members of the Trimagitack stopped using the black hole they usually used, and together with Walm, they repeatedly entered and exited the Labyrinth through the black hole for those aiming for the low-rank floors.


    It was the Adventurer¡¯s Guild Belgana Branch that panicked over this. Because for them, an influential party was a valuable existence now that Fausto¡¯s party, the oldest and most influential, had defected. If an influential party used a black hole for the low-rank floors, a rumor would naturally spread. It might even become a bad example for the other parties.


    By expanding the interpretation of the internal regulations more and more, the guild decided that those who weren¡¯t registered as adventurers, could enter the Guild House through a contract method. Good news indeed. However, Merrill rejected the proposal on the grounds that special treatment would set a bad precedent. Therefore, they continued to use the black hole for low rank.


    The passage leading to the waiting area was traversed by countless people earning their money in the Labyrinth. In such a passage, Walm followed the members of the Trimagitack as he looked around. Merrill¡¯s path was undisturbed. Probably people purposedly did that. Also, occasionally a fledgling adventurer would approach to exchange a greeting with Merrill.


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty popular.¡±


    It was inconceivable for Walm to receive a greeting just before diving into the Labyrinth.


    ¡°Same with my ability, but my appearance is also cool¡­¡­ Walm, sneering at others isn¡¯t cool.¡±


    Merrill, who didn¡¯t like Walm¡¯s reaction, protested. Having received a warning, Walm silently followed Merrill.


    When they arrived at the waiting area, a party called out. This time, the one being called out wasn¡¯t Merrill, but Walm himself.


    ¡°Are you going deep diving now?¡±


    Walm searched for the owner of the voice from his memory.


    The adventurer was a man named Peyrouse who had just gotten out of his fledgling career. Behind him stood three of his companions.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. Did you earn a lot lately?¡±


    ¡°With the thing you gave us, seems that we all can have new equipment soon.¡±


    ¡°Thing I gave? Aah, that one. Glad that it¡¯s helping you.¡±


    The man spoke of the sharp spear of the Bone Collector that Walm had defeated in the Labyrinth. A male member of Peyrouse¡¯s group held it on his shoulder like a treasure.


    After a few words, Walm wrapped up the conversation with Peyrouse.


    Since joining the Trimagitack, the number of people talking to Walm had increased. This affirmed Walm the importance of social credibility and made him silently lament the unreasonable world.


    Hearing the sound of approaching footsteps, Walm looked back. It was Merrill who had finished the reception, smiling as if to say that what Walm had done earlier wasn¡¯t forgotten. Perhaps there was a sprinkle of mischievousness behind the smile.


    ¡°It was my bad, so stop laughing like that. After all this time, people are finally looking at me normally So I haven¡¯t gotten used¨D¨D¡±


    ¡°Oh my, that¡¯s a very touching story¡­¡­ Alright, shall we go now?¡±


    Merrill, flushing away the whining effortlessly, began moving to the transfer room.


    It would be long before Walm could return to the surface. As he thought about it, something bothered him. And that something felt like it was pulling at the back of his head. Turning around quickly, he realized it was coming from the reception.


    It was Lisi, the receptionist, who was watching Walm¡¯s back with a worried look.


    As their eyes crossed, Lisi interrupted her busy work as a receptionist and shook her hand lightly. The sunlight streaming through the skylight made the silver bracelet on her wrist glow.


    Walm responded by raising his left hand. He hadn¡¯t yet thanked her for helping him with the party recruitment. Even the matter concerning the use of the black hole exchanged with the guild had Lisi in between. She helped fill in the hole that might take place in Walm¡¯s matter. So, he thought that he should make time to properly thank her.


    ¡°Walm quick, or you¡¯ll be left behind.¡±


    ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m going, now.¡±


    Marianthe called Walm back from the sea of thought as his steps slowed. This was no different than a confused and lost toddler being called by his mother. At least that was how Walm felt.


    Without letting himself sink into the sea of thoughts again, Walm averted his gaze from Lisi and focused his attention on the Labyrinth which he would continue to dive into from now on.

 CH 133

    133. Chapter 133


    Quickly raising the arms to the ceiling to stretch the stiff body was Merrill.


    Next would be to open the window, and let the bustle of the city pour into the room along with the outside air. People chattered like birds, hooves pounded on the cobblestones, and merchants called hoarsely for customers.


    Merrill had been born and raised in this walled city for 18 years, and it was a sight that never changed.


    ¡°Today¡¯s going to be a good day.¡±


    Merrill pulled up a chair, sat down, and drank water from a water bottle. Normally, drinking water was created with water attribute magic, but even a small amount of mana shouldn¡¯t be wasted. After all, today was the day to challenge the bottom of the Labyrinth.


    Merrill recalled the labyrinth days and thought that all the experiences as an adventurer and challenger would soon be called into question.


    Thinking about the party members, Merrill noticed that among them, the presence of the mercenary who had recently joined was increasing day by day inside and outside the labyrinth.


    The first encounter took place on the mid-rank floor of the Labyrinth. Merrill, attracted by a supposedly rare challenger who dived to the mid-rank floor alone, learned of the mercenary¡¯s existence for the first time that day.


    Just by chance, Merrill exchanged a glance with the man, and that alone made Merrill shudder.


    Merrill didn¡¯t know exactly the vibe that the mercenary wore. A fiery strength could be felt, but at the same time, he had an air of decadence and rejection. Merrill thought he felt like a Hungry Wolf.


    The next time Merrill reunited with the mercenary was in a sea of ??bloodshed.


    The body of the mercenary, who had engaged in killing with the oldest group of the guild, was in a complete mess, and was forced to move even after vomiting blood. Strangely, his golden eyes, which could only be described as muddy, had lost none of their fighting spirits despite the severe injuries.


    If Merrill hadn¡¯t started arguing with Fausto, the fight would have continued until one of them ran out of strength or was completely annihilated.


    Merrill sensed that this mercenary was exactly what the party, which lacked in the vanguard, needed.


    Speaking of miscalculations, the mercenary jumped into the Labyrinth immediately after his release from house arrest. Even the so-called Labyrinth Maniac would take a rest period. However, as if in a rush, the mercenary threw himself into the Labyrinth.


    Fortunately, the destination was the same. Merrill dived into the labyrinth with the other party members with the aim of chasing after the mercenary.


    The prediction hit the mark. Even the high-rank adventurers had to carefully prepare their equipment and thought of a formation, more so a lone wolf. And at last, the mercenary was seen standing on the floor they could reach.


    From the side, Merrill, who pretended to meet the mercenary by chance and persuaded him to join the group, must have looked really funny. Because even though Merrill had never had a romantic relationship with anyone, Merrill went to great lengths to persuade someone else in this way. At least that was the intention.


    For better or worse, Merrill¡¯s intentions were ruined by the interference of the insensitive dwarves. It got to the point where Merrill almost did a facepalm.


    Merrill, who somehow managed to regain composure quickly, lured the mercenary to a familiar shop. Fortunately, the interest and purpose coincided and the invitation to the mercenary to join the party was successful.


    During the Labyrinth dives with Walm, he showed more than Merrill had expected.


    Walm showed that he could suppress and restrain the enemy with fire and wind attributes magic before contacting the enemy. Even if he was in hand-in-hand combat, he skillfully used his halberd to keep monsters at the range, demonstrating tenacity in actual combat. On top of that, he could overwhelm his opponents with the brute force of his ¡¶Strike¡·.


    Seeing this performance, Merrill was stunned, and even more so when Walm said that if his eyes were in normal condition, he would have been able to use a skill that could affect a wider area.


    As the days went by, the impression that Merrill had associated with Walm as the Hungry Wolf when they met for the first time was immediately revised. Especially knowing that Walm was sociable enough within the people in his circle. He also showed a good sense of humor in the gloomy Labyrinth and maintained a good relationship with the other party members. Even with Hari.


    Merrill began to suspect that the sense of distance Walm exuded and his rejection of strangers was due to the Catastrophe that happened in the Northern Countries. Of course, this was only Merrill¡¯s prediction. Although Merrill was praised by the Guild as the Trimagitack, in reality, Merrill had no experience in war. Therefore, Merrill couldn¡¯t carelessly and recklessly dig deeper to get more information. Even if Merrill was curious.


    Now that the party had Walm, who was ripe enough for the role of vanguard and middle guard, Merrill¡¯s mana could be conserved even further. The skill that earned Merrill the name Trimagitack would use up half of the mana pool if fired just once. And there was certainly something big waiting for them at the bottom. How much mana Merrill could save would be the key to the conquering strategy.


    ¡°uh, oh, OOOOHHH, HHHAAAA!!¡±


    ¡°Eh, Walm?!¡±


    Merrill, who was diving into the sea of ??thoughts, heard a scream. And clearly, the owner of the voice was Walm.


    Quickly, Merrill jumped out into the hallway and saw Marianthe and Yuna coming out of each room. The missing members were Walm and Hari. There were still vacant rooms available in the rented house that belonged to Merrill¡¯s perty, and so Walm, who had joined the party, had also begun sleeping under the same roof.


    ¡°What about Hari and Walm!?¡±


    ¡°N-no no way, did he finally do it!?¡±


    Marianthe¡¯s voice trembled. It was a situation she didn¡¯t even dare to say in a joke. Even Yuna, who was bad at showing facial expressions, looked a little uneasy.


    Merrill felt restless, but as the person in charge of the party, an affirmation must be done. So, Merrill pushed open the door of the room assigned to Walm.


    For some reason the hinges and boards squeaked harder than usual, ringing in everyone¡¯s ears.


    When the three of them slowly peeped, they saw two intertwined men rolling around on the floor, making loud noises.


    Merrill¡¯s consciousness wandered into the faraway place for a moment.


    Marianthe quickly screamed.


    As for Yuna, she couldn¡¯t prevent her mouth from opening.


    ¡°W-what are you guys doing?!!¡±


    ¡°Ugh, noooooo, uugghh. Help! It¡¯s a misunderstanding.¡±


    Hari refuted the false accusation, but no one seemed to want to defend him because of his usual behavior. The three looked at each other and thought about how to clean up the mess.


    ¡°Oh, ooooh, my, mind¡¯s, fa, ding.¡±


    Hearing Hari¡¯s anguished voice, Merrill finally realized that Walm¡¯s right arm was wrapped around Hari¡¯s neck while grabbing Hari¡¯s left arm, and tightened his left hand against the back of Hari¡¯s head.


    Hari¡¯s consciousness was rapidly threatened by the so-called bare tightening.


    ¡°Walm, stop there!¡±


    ¡°More than that, even Hari will die, you know?!¡±


    Merrill and Marianthe rushed over and pulled them apart.


    Walm, who had regained his wits, and Hari, who had taken some fresh air, sat down. And with a headache, Merrill began the questioning.


    ¡°Ahmm, so, what happened? Let¡¯s start with Walm.¡±


    Prompted by Merrill, Walm embarrassingly began to explain.


    ¡°When I woke up, Hari¡¯s face was right in front of me, and I couldn¡¯t help but strangle him in surprise and fear.¡±


    ¡°Guilty!! As expected, you tried to do it after all!!¡±


    ¡°Hari, you¡­¡±


    Marianthe raised her voice of condemnation, and Merrill was at a loss for words in sorrow.


    Hari hurriedly apologized.


    ¡°It¡¯s a misunderstanding. When I heard a noise and looked into the room, Walm was moaning in sleep, so I shook him to wake him up.¡±


    Hearing this explanation, Merrill and the others breathed a sigh of relief. At the same time, they were angry and wondered why such a thing had to happen early in the morning on an important day.


    ¡°¡­¡­Certainly, Walm often groans in sleep.¡±


    ¡°Still, there¡¯s this thing called, ¡°a sense of distance¡±. And Walm, to strangle him immediately, you¡¯ve gone too far.¡±


    The two men, forced to sit on the floor, bowed and apologized sincerely.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I made a ruckus. Next time, I¡¯ll be pay attention to my sense of distance. I accidentally pushed my body forward. I couldn¡¯t control myself any better.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve a conditional reflex, and my body moved on its own. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Merrill felt rattled by Hari¡¯s apology, but for the time being, it could be said that the matter was settled. If something worse had happened and there had been no choice but to disband the party. This would be the worst joke of the year, especially since this should be the day to aim for the bottom of the Labyrinth to become the conqueror.


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    Yuna¡¯s weak voice made the exhausted Merrill smile.


    ¡°Fufufu, that¡¯s right. Let¡¯s have breakfast first. Today is an important day. Well, I¡¯m glad it¡¯s just a joke.¡±


    ¡°Right. I thought it was a big deal. Oh, but the tightening technique was effective on Hari too, huh? I¡¯ll keep that in mind for sure.¡±


    As the party marched out into the hallway, Marianthe began to imitate Walm¡¯s choking technique. Of course, Merrill couldn¡¯t relax, but at least the stiff tension had gone. And since this happened before the dive, Merrill was grateful. Still, Merrill told no one about it and kept the feelings inside.


    Felling the breeze and warm sunlight coming in from the open windows, Merrill thought once again that it was certainly a good day to challenge the bottom of the Labyrinth.

 CH 134

    The 36th floor of the Great Labyrinth of Belgana was a step down that even the dwarves wouldn¡¯t enter easily. As if rejecting people, there was a solemn silence on this deep floor. Only soft breathing and the sound of footsteps stomping irregularly on the stone pavement reached Walm¡¯s eardrums.


    Walm let his gaze slide from the darkness spreading beyond the passage to his feet, the walls, and the ceiling. And then he finally glanced at Hari, who was walking ahead of him, to see if anything was out of the ordinary.


    Behind Walm were the party members Yuna, Marianthe, and Merrill, who were in charge of his back. Walm¡¯s role in the formation was to assist Hari, who was a little further forward. In short, his role was that of a link between the front and the back, so he had to act flexibly.


    Compared to the passages up until now, the 36th floor was unnecessarily wide in both height and width. Even if the Cyclopes walked side by side, they could move comfortably. This meant that three-dimensional vigilance was needed more than ever before.


    Hari raised his fist as they solemnly stepped further into the depths of the Labyrinth. At the warning hand signal, the others suddenly stopped and held their breath. Although it was faint, Walm¡¯s ears heard the sound similar to when a Temari, a Japanese highly elastic handball, bounced around. Of course, there were no small children playing around in the Labyrinth.


    The dull sound grew louder and louder, as if to indicate the direction it was going. Right, the sound was coming toward the party.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been completely detected. Ready for battle, here they come.¡±


    Judging that a battle was inevitable. Merrill, the leader of the party, issued a clear order.


    Hearing it, everyone caught their breath and began to prepare. Walm prepared his magic, and Yuna attached an arrow to the string.


    Seven monsters approached with a speed as if they were flying.


    ¡°Three Chimeras, four Cerberus.¡±


    Hari reported the type of monsters that were approaching.


    Walm, who had battle experience with Silver Wolves and Orthrus, compared them to Cerberus. Clearly, the three-headed wolf was clearly larger. The difference was like between a young and an adult wolf.


    The Chimera was one size larger than the Cerberus. The head of a lion had the lower body of a goat, and a large snake grew from the tip of its tailbone. Such a horde of grotesques furiously charged at the party.


    Walm shot the manifested fireball into the center of the flock. Although the seven had nimble legs, there wasn¡¯t enough time to dodge the fire.


    If some were injured, the fight would even end in the party¡¯s favor. That was Walm¡¯s intention, but the three chimeras puffed out their cheeks and spat out flames. Blue and crimson mixed like a pretty firework, although any normal human caught by it would be burned fast.


    The passage, where darkness had reigned before, was lit up by flames, and the monsters¡¯ appearance became clear.


    ¡°The fire has been offset! They¡¯re coming from the left and right!!!¡±


    Walm, whose fireball was stopped by flames, warned his companions.


    Dodging the spreading wave of flames, the monsters split left and right.


    ¡°Walm, Yuna, that side is yours.¡±


    Merrill joined Marianthe and Hari in the battle against a Chimera and four Cerberus. The wind-attribute magic Merrill shot made the fire dance even crazier.


    The other two Chimeras were conspicuously given to Walm and Yuna. Merrill¡¯s side had to deal with even more monsters. There was nothing to complain about.


    Arrows sprung from the taut strings and passed through waves of fire to reach the Chimera¡¯s body.


    The Chimera shook its body, and the arrowhead that should have pierced its skin fell to the ground with a slight tremor.


    ¡°Hard¡±


    Yuna leaked words in frustration. Distance might be a factor, but the density of heavy muscle and bone and the dense magical barrier that stretched around the body were the real culprits. Even the flame didn¡¯t hurt it at all. Unfortunately, it seemed that the Chimera had a fire attribute, the same as Walm.


    ¡°HERE, YOU DEFECTIVE CREATURE!!¡±


    In a loud voice from his belly, Walm challenged the monster. Perhaps because of his elegant choice of words, the Chimera lunged at Walm, who held a halberd in his hand.


    Walm slammed the halberd down with the right timing, but the chimera¡¯s rear leg muscles quickly tensed and let go. Right, the Chimera jumped to the side to avoid the halberd¡¯s blow.


    Walm followed the ¡°synthetic beast¡± moving to the side with his eyes.


    ¡°Walm, it¡¯s going over there.¡±


    Another Chimera that was facing Yuna, had shifted its aim to Walm. Turning around, the fired arrows hit its thigh and hip joint, but it aimed its drooling jaws at Walm as if the arrows were a trifle, and tried to bite his windpipe.


    ¡± <Burst> !!¡±


    After kicking the ground, Walm used wind attribute magic and accelerated his body with a punch. And the lion¡¯s jaws bit nothing but air.


    Walm escaped considering the distance that could be reached with its giant body, but the giant snake that grew from the tail read his course and thrust its poisonous fangs at him.


    ¡°Damn it!!¡±


    The body of the snake¡¯s head, hit hard by the bottom of the halberd, writhed and sprayed venom into the void. But before Walm could catch his breath, the Chimera turned around Walm, trying to strike his head with its claws.


    Any resistance was futile.


    Hardening his resolve, Walm fixed the bottom of the halberd to the ground and hardened his stance. The shock came immediately. He continued to hold the handle against the force that made his arm creak. The blade, digging into the Chimera¡¯s forearm bone, severed the bone and tore the flesh.


    Walm kicked up the bottom part of the halberd with his heel to the side. Then he twisted it with all the strength his whole body could muster.


    The Chimera¡¯s half-cut arm couldn¡¯t stand it, and its muscle fibers cracked. At the same time as the torn arm fell on the cobblestones, the chimera let out an unpleasant scream.


    It hurts a lot, doesn¡¯t it?


    Walm found satisfaction in that scream. Shamefully, considering the other Chimera, he couldn¡¯t just give his attention to one for that long.


    Walm slashed the remaining arm with a claw-shaped blade of the halberd. It wasn¡¯t enough to sever the arm, but it was certainly effective enough to slow the Chimera¡¯s movement.


    Walm then quickly moved away from the writhing chimera and focused on the other synthetic beast.


    Even in a weakened state, Chimeras strangely still had enough combat power. Whether a claw, an irregular fang, or the snake¡¯s poisonous fang. There were still many possibilities for an attack. If one were to take it straight, the situation would tip in one fell swoop. Since Walm had experienced this firsthand, he prepared himself for dealing with another one.


    The onrushing Chimera inflated its throat and spat out flames as if it were vomiting. Walm pulled up the corners of his mouth and thought how brave it was to challenge him with fire. The demon mask in his waist bag frolicked like an impatient toddler waiting for an attraction. Unusually, Walm agreed to give a performance and jumped into the flames without hesitation.


    ¡°Walm?! Dodge!!¡±


    Yuna screamed.


    From the side, it was a moderately strong fire, but for Walm, who had been wrapped in ¡¶Demon Fire¡· before, it was still lukewarm.


    The Chimera with its mouth wide open sensed something unusual, but it was already too late.


    The spearhead tore open the soft palate and reached the brain. Walm quickly moved the halberd he carried on his hip left, right, back, and forth to gently agitated the brain.


    Sensing the torn magical barrier, Walm pulled out the halberd, which had done its job, as he bathed in the soothing flames that slowly died.


    Strangely but as expected, the Chimera still hadn¡¯t completely stopped moving. Although the lion¡¯s eyes had lost their vitality, the giant snake that grew from its tail straightened up and stared at Walm.


    ¡°Snakehead, you too?¡±


    Walm deflected his upper body and dodged the horizontally extended claw while thinking that he had to get rid of the snake¡¯s head as well.


    The Chimera kept charging, taking advantage of the difference in physique, but its movements were slower than before.


    I see¡­


    Given the sluggish movement, Walm was convinced that the giant snake was taking the role of an auxiliary brain and was apparently not used to taking the initiative in the body.


    The Chimera didn¡¯t move as precisely as when controlled by the lion head, but still, its physical strength wasn¡¯t to be underestimated.


    Walm hesitated whether to take care of the half-dead synthetic beast in front of him first or the remaining Chimera, but Yuna¡¯s words helped him make a quick decision.


    ¡°Finish it, I¡¯ll buy you time.¡±


    Yuna shot arrow after arrow as she ran toward the Chimera without a functioning arm. The aim was exactly what she said it was. To buy time. The joints of the Chimera¡¯s limbs were like a standing target in her eyes. Of course, Yuna¡¯s chances of hitting them were high. Walm trusted her and turned back to unfinished business.


    The synthetic beast swung its limbs like crazy because it couldn¡¯t catch Walm. As he followed the erratic dance pattern, he timed his halberd. Its shoulders were stripped of flesh, the axe-blade of the halberd dug into its knees, and the spearhead scraped some of its flanks. Feeling unbearable, the claws were swung down, but Walm anticipated the trajectory and slashed his halberd up.


    Without much effort, Walm sliced off the wrist. Well, the opportunity was created by the synthetic beast itself. Lacking a forearm, the chimera swung under its own weight. With the unfamiliar three legs, it was impossible to stop Walm. And seeing the good timing, Walm approached the snake head.


    The snake spat out venom desperately with its mouth wide open, but the flames that were created in an instant protected Walm. The poison that was to touch him evaporated.


    No more blockage.


    Like a Shinigami (Reaper) wielding a scythe, Walm cut off the snake¡¯s head with the claw-shaped blade of the halberd.


    The synthetic beast¡¯s gigantic body trembled, stopped moving, and crashed to the ground. The severed head of the snake emitted an ominous noise that sounded like a squeak, but was silenced by Walm.


    Immediately Walm went to Yuna¡¯s side.


    Yuna was holding the bow with one hand and slashing her short sword with the other hand.


    Surprisingly, the snake that grew from the tail was cut off and carefully stabbed to end its life.


    When Walm saw this scene, he remembered that Yuna boasted of being strong in close combat. In other parties, she could even serve as a vanguard.


    Walm crept up from his blind spot and struck with the halberd he had positioned above his head. The ¡¶Strike¡· severed its shoulder from its spine in one fell swoop. The Chimera¡¯s posture was disturbed as it lost control of its lower body. Still, it hadn¡¯t died. Walm couldn¡¯t help but be impressed by its tenacity.


    However, the resistance lasted only a short time as Yuna plunged her short sword into the lion¡¯s eye socket. The blade penetrating the roots became the deciding factor, and eventually, the Chimera was completely obliterated.


    ¡°Next.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    Not many words were needed. Both made their way to the next target, where lively attacks and defenses were still underway.


    Cerberus, which had been pierced by an icicle and passed out midair, jumped into Walm¡¯s field of vision. It was like an avant-garde work of art that was difficult for ordinary people to understand.


    Another Cerberus, with its head crushed as if it had been hit like a mole in whack-a-mole, stood in the corridor that had been turned into an exhibition hall.


    Another Cerberus bared the cross section of the neck, as if it didn¡¯t want to lose in the appreciation battle. It conveyed in detail the methods and tools used by the master to create this art.


    Only two materials hadn¡¯t yet been fully processed. Both had already gone through the preparation. At least Yuna and Walm managed to arrive at the right time to complete the work.


    When Walm, who had rushed over, raised his head, Marianthe signaled him with her gaze.


    Marianthe, who had correctly understood the intention, raised the mace and restricted Cerberus¡¯ course. Thus Walm was able to hit Cerberus safely. One of its heads was missing, and part of its forearm had been twisted like a dead tree. With the remaining two heads, the Cerberus noticed Walm¡¯s approach and barked.


    Using his stepped leg as an axis, Walm slashed his halberd at the Cerberus. The horizontally slashed axe blade sliced under both jaws. Just with that, the heads rolled to the ground and the body stopped moving.


    The last remaining Chimera had already fallen silent. There was no way to withstand the onslaught of Merrill, Hari, and Yuna. The three of them knew each other¡¯s methods well. Of course, their teamwork was better than if one of them formed a duo with Walm. Even though no one said anything or signaled with their eyes, their bodies moved naturally, choosing the best move that got the most out of each other.


    The feast that suddenly began ended with the departure of the organizer. The party members gathered under Walm, who explored the surroundings.


    ¡°No more monsters?¡±


    ¡°Seems no. It¡¯s very quiet.¡±


    With the approval of Merrill, who was sensitive to signs, Walm finally exhaled in relief.


    ¡°Is anyone hurt?¡±


    Walm examined the appearance of the three. There was some dirt on the skin, but there were no injuries. Still, optimism was a no-no, so he asked. After all, Walm, who wasn¡¯t a healing magician, couldn¡¯t judge whether there was internal bleeding.


    ¡°Nope, nothing, in particular.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°Me too¡­ Only, if I¡¯m to say something about the fight, I think the most dangerous moment was when Walm jumped into the flames.¡±


    ¡°Did you see it?¡±


    Embarrassment hit Walm. He felt as if he had been seen playing a prank.


    ¡°Since Yuna screamed, she definitely saw it.¡±


    ¡°Seriously, if you are planning on doing acrobatics, could you tell us in advance? It¡¯s bad for our hearts, you know.¡±


    Walm, who was scolded by Merrill and Marianthe, honestly admitted his fault.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ my bad. I didn¡¯t think that you all, don¡¯t like fire diving performances.¡±


    ¡°Who hates to see an exciting performance? No one. So don¡¯t worry, next time, I¡¯d like you to properly show it to us.¡±


    Walm, who had lost his escape, shrugged. After all, he was in this party. He might have to do it for real.


    Marianthe ended the talk as everyone seemed to want to continue having a leisurely conversation.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s stop it here for now.¡±


    ¡°Even though the number of monsters appearing was said to be less after the 36th floor, you¡¯re right, we talked too much.¡±


    ¡°You got that information from drunken dwarves with alcohol, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    Marianthe shook her head with a suspicious look. Sure making the dwarves slip information with alcohol might be cheap. And when they got sober, they would say ¡°Ah¡±. Even though they didn¡¯t seem to be a bunch of liars, how far could you believe the story of a drunken dwarf? That would depend on the person.


    ¡°Even if the number of monsters appearing is really less than on previous floors, it¡¯s still an exciting place.¡±


    Possessing both agility and toughness, the Chimera didn¡¯t die easily, and it spewed out flames and venom. Such monsters were wandering around in groups. With that in consideration, Walm could understand that the number of adventurers aiming for conquering the Labyrinth wasn¡¯t that many.


    ¡°Are you scared? Want to turn back?¡±


    Walm went against providence, said he wanted to heal his rotting eyes, and make action for it. If the white flag was raised at this level, there was no way he would reach the place where the so-called crimson grass, one of the Three Hidden Healing Treasures, was said to bloom. Fortunately, there were five strange people aiming for the bottom with him.


    Walm looked at everyone¡¯s eyes, one by one, and said,


    ¡°Finally, we¡¯re starting to see the bottom. It¡¯s too late to go back now that the five of us have come this far.¡±


    Merrill nodded in satisfaction at Walm¡¯s words.

 CH 135

    How much time had Walm spent in the labyrinth where even day and night were ambiguous? Not that he cared that much, because he had already descended four floors since the 35th floor, and now he should be on the 39th floor.


    In addition to the three-headed wolf and the synthetic beast with which he had become familiar, he encountered monsters such as Earth Spiders and Human-Faced Beasts. The characteristics of these two monsters were as insidious as those of the other monsters, and Walm could never like them.


    The hairs that covered the Earth Spider¡¯s entire body stood upright like wires, and if you touched it, it would feel like countless needles were piercing your skin. Its chelicerae contained neurotoxins, and it shot out sticky threads from its spinneret.


    The first thing you would notice about the Human-Faced Beast was its eeriness. The face, which was as if a human face had been sewn onto a giant lion, was too ugly. When it chased you, a high-pitched screech emanated from the gaps between its fangs, which were as uneven as wild grass. Got distracted, and countless sharp objects covering the tip of the tail would come at you. [TN: Basically, something like a Manticore, but since the author didn¡¯t put how it should be called, I¡¯ll leave it as it is.]


    And yet, Walm couldn¡¯t help but be in a dilemma about whether such monsters were somewhat reasonable compared to the monsters that were currently attacking him.


    ¡± <Gust> incoming!!¡±


    At Merrill¡¯s shout, Walm jumped back.


    Directly from above, along with the unpleasant flapping of wings, the mana turned into a roaring gust of wind. Debris was swirled up and a gust of wind blew through, making even Walm in his armor feel like he was floating.


    ¡°You half bastard, I¡¯ll definitely turn you into roasted skewers!¡±


    Flying around the sky in a phantasmagoric manner was a monster called Gryphon. Like the Synthetic Beasts and Human-Faced Beasts, it was a mixed-race monster. Was it popular on the 36th floor and below to be mixed-race? Regardless of the reason, Walm was irritated by the Gryphon, which naturally had the characteristics of an eagle and a lion.


    Although the magic shot down from above was considered extremely annoying in itself, there weren¡¯t only one but two Gryphons flapping their wings. Moreover, another kind of monster was moving on the ground, not caring about the violent gusts of wind.


    With the sound of a string snapping, Walm reflexively pulled back half of his body. Accompanied by an arrow-breaking sound, the cobblestone flew away as if an explosion had hurled it away. And just like that, it flew in the direction of the attacker.


    It was an armor of iron without other contents. To be exact, almost all of its contents were iron. Iron golem was the name of the monster. Strangely, such a stupid monster without a brain possessed mobility comparable to that of a human being, and light emitted from within. The origin of its brilliance was Mithril. In short, although it was made of iron, underneath it was a magic stone spread thinly like human blood vessels, which connected to a core made of magic stone that had a little amount of magical silver mixed in.


    If one wanted to recreate it by human hands, one would need about the amount of steel equivalent to the equipment of a squad of heavy cavalry, a large magic stone, ten craftsmen and workshops, and elves or dwarves skilled in working with magical silver. In addition, several magic users and horses for transportation would be needed to carry out this operation. In the army of the Highserk Empire, these quantities of gold coins could leisurely feed a unit the size of a company.


    And the Iron Golem, which would cost as much time and effort in addition to the already large amount of materials, put pressure on the group. Although it was a humanoid monster, it had an enormous weight. Even in gusts of wind that could easily blow humans away, it calmly brandished a weapon.


    Of course, Walm didn¡¯t remain idle and had already launched a fireball from the front. But the fire only made the Iron Golem¡¯s appearance a little more clumsy. One would be difficult enough, and there were three, armed with a sword, spear, and bow, ready to rampage.


    ¡°Unnecessarily hard, one or two attacks are impossible to finish it.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s clean up the Gryphons first. I¡¯ll stir them up.¡±


    Merrill decided to postpone the time-consuming Iron Golem, since Walm¡¯s Fireball, which was supposed to be a quick solution, didn¡¯t seem to have much effect.


    Merrill kneaded up mana and the wind swirled around. The Iron Golems, sensing signs of large-scale magic, leaned forward to intervene. Quickly, Marianthe and Hari blocked their path.


    ¡°Look over here, stupid!!¡±


    ¡°You are worthy to help my hitting training.¡±


    Marianthe¡¯s mace sparked and rubbed against the Iron Golem¡¯s joints. As expected, the joints were thin compared to other areas. It was crushed, causing the arm to fall off and the Iron Golem to go berserk like a broken toy.


    Hari struck the other Iron Golem with his weapon, the Spirit-Infusing Rod. Although the Iron Golem had human-like movement, its movements were no better than those of a second-rate adventurer.


    ¡°I¡¯ll deal the one with the longbow¨D¨D!?¡±


    Walm tried to take care of the last Iron Golem, which had prepared its longbow to intervene, but instead was surprised by the spectacle.


    Yuna, who was supposed to be not a good match for the thick Iron Golem, seemed to have something that she couldn¡¯t compromise as the same archer. She perfectly pierced the Iron Golem¡¯s finger that held the arrow. The arrow slid down awkwardly, and only the sound of the empty shot of the string rang out. It wasn¡¯t any different from an instrument that couldn¡¯t even make a sound.


    To overturn the situation, the Gryphons tried to release magic, but Merrill¡¯s speed was slightly faster. Ironically, the same <Gust> was chosen to pull the Gryphons to the ground. The wind magic shot directly above moved the Gryphons in the air as if caressing them, albeit with slight violence.


    Although the place was wide, it was an enclosed space. The escape of the wind was limited, and thus the wind hitting the ceiling and walls stirred and swirled the air.


    The Gryphon, which sense of balance was disturbed and couldn¡¯t catch the wind, flapped its limbs and fell off its back.


    At the same time, holding his breath and sharpening his focus was Walm. He prepared a fireball and shot it up. The fireball unleashed its contained flames upon contact with the drowning Gryphon in the air.


    Explosive flames instead of a death agony blossomed in the air, and Walm¡¯s long-cherished wish, a roasted Gryhpon¡¯s meat, rained down from above.


    Such a blissful moment could only be enjoyed for a moment as Walm must turn his attention to the second Gryphon, but Yuna¡¯s quick shot had pierced the feathers and skin of the wings, resulting in it losing its altitude and mobility. By the time the fourth arrow pierced it, it was unable to dodge the <Ice Lance> extending from the ground and was dragged to the ground, dead.


    The bones and ice shattered, and the entrails were spewed from the beak. The curled toes twitched slightly. Although the Gryphon was already dying, Merrill¡¯s longsword showed no mercy, stroking its head before slicing it to death. No human could show mercy after being attacked from the sky and bombarded with magic after all.


    Now the troublesome Gryphons bared their flesh on the ground, but there were still three Iron Golems left. As if to vent their accumulated frustration, Walm and the others attacked the Iron Golems without holding back.


    Although they were outnumbered, the Iron Golems brandished their weapons and charged at them with their huge bodies, but none of the people who had survived many battles up to that floor were stupid enough to get caught.


    Two heads were carefully smashed so that both were turned into just a pile of iron scrap. The remaining one was the one where the core was exposed when the arm fell off. What a good weak point to attack. When Walm threw in flames there, they spread through the blood vessel-like things made of magic stones, and fire erupted from the entire body. The last iron golem, swinging its remaining arm wildly, suddenly collapsed as if a string had been cut, ending its function.


    After confirming the death and the surroundings, the party members gathered. Though they managed to come this far, they couldn¡¯t completely avoid damage, some parts of their armor were deformed and clearly, many battle scratches had run through them. If anyone got hurt, Hari¡¯s healing magic would heal the wound, but that wouldn¡¯t stop the fatigue from accumulating. While their physical strength was lost, they couldn¡¯t afford to lose their spirit too.


    As Walm wanted to spit out good words to maintain the good spirit, he noticed something. Fresh dirt was stuck to Merrill¡¯s head. Its true identity was a piece of Gryphon¡¯s flesh scattered around when it died.


    ¡°It¡¯s sticky. It even has the fragrant smell of roasted birds.¡±


    It was rare, but Merrill failed to avoid them all. After letting out a voice of dissatisfaction, Merrill directed a resentful gaze at Walm.


    ¡°What? Do you hate makeup?¡±


    Walm, seeing the splendid figure of Merrill, made a joke as usual, but for some reason this time his joke made the light atmosphere heavier and somewhat cold.


    In a quieter tone than usual, Merrill said to Walm, who wasn¡¯t sure what kind of landmine he had stepped on.


    ¡°Huff, even though we¡¯re friends¡­ do you think it¡¯s okay to say that to a girl?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Girl?¡­ Eh? Hah?¡±


    Walm struggled to digest the meaning of the words.


    Forcing his reverberating brain to process them at maximum speed, Walm then called Hari.


    ¡°Hari¡­¡±


    ¡°What? Of course, Merrill is a girl.¡±


    Hari looked down at Walm and folded his arms as he said something so obvious.


    ¡°¡­I see, Merrill is¡­¡±


    ¡°Walm, you¡¯re unbelievable. No, maybe I should praise you instead. I mean, how can you not know the gender of the party member who will be with you to the bottom of the Labyrinth.¡±


    Perplexed, Walm sought help from the other members, but the women showed no mercy.


    At the same time, a thick, rough hand was placed on Walm¡¯s shoulder.


    It was Hari¡¯s.


    ¡°People make mistakes. Apologize.¡±


    What choice did a person like Walm have? He had clearly made a fatal mistake. Even more so in the depths of the Labyrinth. It might even affect future movements.


    So, with a trembling voice, Walm apologized sincerely.


    ¡°¡­..I, am truly sorry, for mistaking, the gender, of, my comrades.¡±


    Walm bowed his head at an angle of more than 45 degrees and apologized. Cleary said the words, so there would be no misunderstanding.


    It was vague now, but memories of the world of the past when Walm was called Takakura Raizou, crossed his mind. When he made his first big mistake after joining the company, he used to say similar things to his clients.


    ¡°Hahaha, do you really have to say it like that? Really?¡±


    ¡°Laughing at an apology, is, an immature behavior.¡±


    When Walm returned his timidly lowered gaze to Merrill, the frown on her face had gone and instead an insidious smile was there.


    ¡°Fufufu, should I forgive you then?¡±


    In terms of cooperation, the four of them had done it many times before, to the point where they could correctly guess each other¡¯s intentions without saying much. And they teamed up to play along in this little performance. Walm realized that they were deliberately making the atmosphere heavy to pressure him to apologize.


    At this point, Walm was on the verge of agonizing because of the complicated feelings that were rising up inside him, however,


    CLAP!!


    ¡°Well, that was entertaining. Now, shall we get ready?¡±


    Merrill clapped her hands and said so.


    Hearing this, the other party members dispersed as if the interesting spectacle was over. Walm was still conflicted, but regardless, the others had regained their spirits, as if they had just shown a brief lighthearted performance.


    After cleaning up the monsters, the party continued to move forward. Including this, only two floors remained to reach the bottom.


    ¡ô


    The party wiped out strong, nameless monsters on the way, as they increased the depth of their diving. The destination they arrived at was the 40th floor, the last floor before reaching the bottom of the Great Labyrinth of Belgana.


    Searching for a passage that led to the innermost, the party finally reached the one that seemed to lead to a huge hall.


    Walm had encountered irregular situations several times in the Labyrinth, but so far, the large room was where he had the most irregular encounters.


    ¡°There¡¯s no detour.¡±


    A straight path connected to the room, as if to say, ¡°Come,¡± lay before Walm.


    ¡°Obviously, something is there.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no other way. We¡¯ve to go forward.¡±


    Hari turned and waited for a response from Merrill, the party¡¯s leader.


    ¡°¡­ Let¡¯s go. It would be a problem if monsters came from behind while we are hesitating.¡±


    With Hari in the lead, the group headed into the large room.


    Walm carefully searched the walls and ceiling, but found nothing suspicious. Though disappointed, so be it. It wasn¡¯t something bad after all.


    However, Walm felt a faint vibration in the soles of his shoes as the party approached the center. He suspected it was just a mistake, but the vibrations only grew stronger.


    ¡°It¡¯s, shaking?¡±


    ¡°Down, something¡¯s down there!¡±


    The unstoppable tremor finally made the earth shake and the floor rose. Parts of the walls and ceiling couldn¡¯t withstand the shaking and fell down. A large number of cobblestones rolled in as a huge neck was lifted. Something bounced its thick tail off the rubble covering it, and its rocky arms stretched out from the gap. Its entire body was covered with stones, and two twisted horns protruded from its head.


    At this sight, Hari screamed unbearably.


    ¡°This guy ¨D¨D it¡¯s ¡°Earth Dragon¡±!!!¡±


    A monster of the same class as the Crawler that Walm had once encountered was trying to block their path.


    Walm had no intention of looking silently at the flashy appearance and shot a fireball he had worked out into the crawling head. Explosive flames enveloped the body, and the flames scorched the stone pavement.


    A roar came back from the raised dust. Although some soot marks and scratches remained, the Earth Dragon was still alive. Walm shot fireballs several times in succession, but it didn¡¯t seem to flinch. Merrill also repeatedly attacked it with <Ice Lance> and <Air Blade> but was repelled by its thick scales.


    ¡°¡­¡­Among the dragon species, it¡¯s said to be one of the hardest. Ah, Attack is coming!!¡±


    The Earth Dragon that crawled out swung its tail and ran toward the party. While the party members dodged, Merrill, who stayed behind alone, formed a diagonal ice pillar on the ground. The ram-shaped block of ice and the Earth Dragon collided head-on.


    Walm expected a good fight even though he knew the ice couldn¡¯t fight back, but the ice was shattered without a fight, much easier than he expected, and the fragments rained down on the surroundings like hail.


    Hari¡¯s and Marianthe¡¯s battle mace struck the slowed legs, but a metallic sound resounded, a sound that shouldn¡¯t come from a rocky creature struck by a mace.


    ¡°Guh, the surface can be scraped, but that¡¯s it.¡±


    The two slipped through the arms that swung down to them in a way like when people got annoyed by flying bugs and took their distance.


    Walm also threw in a <Fire Lance> without delay, but it didn¡¯t do much.


    ¡°Tearing that off isn¡¯t easy, you know.¡±


    ¡°Yuna, can you aim for the eyes?¡±


    ¡°I hit it once, but there was a barrier on its eye, and I can¡¯t pierce it.¡±


    The strength that no one thought was in a living creature even reached its eyes. A thick protective layer protected the eyeballs, perhaps due to the effect of being buried in the ground for a long time.


    Means to attack were sealed one by one, there was no choice but to destroy the rock-like scales one by one.


    ¡°Once, I¡¯ll use ¡°it¡± once. It¡¯s more than good enough that I¡¯ve been able to save it so far.¡±


    Until now, Merrill had used a variety of magic, but now her body swirled with visible mana. The colors that resulted from the three types of attributes were indescribably vivid. At this dazzling spectacle, the demon mask trembled with excitement, oblivious to its owner.


    ¡°What are you going to do?¡±


    It was Marianthe who answered Walm¡¯s question.


    ¡°Right, Walm, it¡¯s your first time. But let me tell you, the reason why Merrill is called the ¡°Trimagitack¡± isn¡¯t only because she can use three different types of attribute magic. That¡¯s the name of her skill.¡±.


    Merrill, wrapped in a mana that fascinated Walm, lowered her waist and made an extreme stance until the longsword was hidden behind her back. The Earth Dragon sensed the inevitable situation and tried to stop it without any arrogance. It ignored the other attack, turned its twisted horn towards Merrill, and roared.


    The Earth Dragon was spreading out in Walm¡¯s field of vision.


    ¡°Merrill!!!¡±


    Merrill smiled at Walm¡¯s cry announcing the danger. Immediately after, the longsword was swung in such a way as to split the air, and the mana, accompanied by a flash and a shock, overflowed into the air.


    Walm¡¯s eyes drowned in light, he needed to squint to see what was happening. A brilliant attack, which was the result of three different attributes mixed in together, reached the Earth Dragon and spiraled around it.


    The stubborn scales continued to resist the torrent of mana, but when one of the scales cracked, it spread to the entire scale in an instant.


    The Earth Dragon let out an echoing cry as it was swallowed by the light.


    Walm¡¯s eyes stung and felt as if heat ran through them. The ?Holy Slash? he had once received in the defensive battle of the Sarajevo fortress came back to his memory. What could he do now? He could only utter a dry voice, as if he wanted to be strong.


    ¡°Haha, that¡¯s amazing.¡±


    The scales of the Earth Dragon, piled up like strata, were mercilessly shattered. Half of its face and throat were scraped and bruised. Seeing such a scene, Walm was speechless. The effective range was limited, but with this skill, one could break through even a ¡°living castle wall¡±. No wonder Merrill was called the Trimagitack.


    ¡°I wanted, to put on a cool look after the blow, but¡­ seems that¡¯s not going to happen.¡±


    Merrill, who had expended a large amount of mana, looked tiredly at the center of the explosion, from which dust continued to fall. The Earth Dragon, which had lost more than half of its face, became a one-eyed monster and let out a roar. Walm didn¡¯t know if it was anger or grief at having its proud scales broken. The only thing for sure was that it was the best time to attack.


    ¡°Aim for the shattered parts. The skull was hard, but better than scales.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve no objections.¡±


    It was an attack as if the insects were gathering in the wound, but the party had not much strength left after the series of fights. Merrill also used her trump card, the ?Trimagitack?. She couldn¡¯t afford to incur more damage for the time being.


    ¡°Merrill will take a break, and we¡¯ll do the rest.¡±


    ¡°Please let me.¡±


    Flames began to dance, and the smell of burning flesh filled the nostrils. Arrows continued to travel lushly through the wind, iron grasped relentlessly at flesh, and the sound of dry blows echoed through the room. Each time the earth shook, the cobblestones crumbled and the walls cracked. When the chorus ended, only a mound of rocks stood still.


    ¡°Finally, huh?¡±


    After defeating the Earth Dragon, the party took a step deeper toward the bottom of the Labyrinth.


    TN: The ¡°Dragon¡± of the Earth Dragon in here is written with this kanji ¡°¸o¡±. The other Dragon species that have appeared in the story and were written with this kanji are the Lake Dragon and the Crawler.

 CH 136.1

    136-1. Chapter 136 ¨C Bottom of the Labyrinth (Part 1)


    After subduing the Earth Dragon, the party went down the stairs, one step at a time, vaguely outlined by luminous moss. This should be the last stair.


    Walm soles hit the stonework. He couldn¡¯t see beyond the darkness even after counting 100 or 200 steps. And after several hundred steps, an indescribable unease hit him. He could have been under the illusion that the road to the bottom would continue forever.


    ¡°The back, has gone.¡±


    Not a specific expression. Nevertheless, what Yuna was trying to say was perfectly conveyed to all.


    Supported by the sparse glow of the luminous moss, the party continued to descend, but the path to the bottom they had taken so far was cut off.


    Guess, it ran out of power?


    As if to oppose this optimistic thought, Walm felt a gentle touch on his skin and for some reason, his eyes felt slightly warm. His instincts warned him not to be swallowed by the darkness.


    Not only Walm, but they all stopped. Quickly, Merrill gave instructions to all in an unchanging tone of voice.


    ¡°Let¡¯s keep going.¡±


    Aimed the bottom with a steady step, without being ruled by impatience. Half an hour or several hours later, Walm¡¯s disturbed sense of time had increased immeasurably. At that moment his eyes, searching for the next spot, suddenly caught sight of the bottom. The light had been cut off on the way down, but the stairs had done their work.


    Walm¡¯s vision suddenly darkened. Now he was faced with a decision. Whether or not he should light a fire. That would be enough to secure visibility for sure, but if a monster was lurking in the darkness, it would give away their whereabouts and make them all a perfect target.


    ¡°Walm¡±


    Being called out, Walm sensed the intentions and quickly manifested fire on his palm and transferred it to the lamp, which he took out from his magic bag.


    Walm then looked around. The floor was the same as before, but neither the walls nor the ceiling could be seen with the naked eye.


    ¡°All around alert, this place is out of the labyrinth¡¯s logic. Let¡¯s prepare ourselves.¡±


    Merrill¡¯s voice, urging caution, disappeared into the darkness. That alone showed that this was an anomalous space. In the Labyrinth, which was a closed space, the sounds always echoed. But here there was no echo, no matter how much noise they made. Moreover, even the staircase they had descended was gone. Not that it had been removed, it was just swallowed up by the darkness.


    ¡°Should I put some markings on the ground?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­I can¡¯t see any scratches or cracks. Probably, it¡¯s useless. It¡¯ll just be swallowed by the Labyrinth in no time.¡±


    ¡°You mean, you want us to fumble around?¡±


    The flabbergasted Marianthe let her gaze wander into the darkness.


    Now that the retreat option was cut off, they had no choice but to keep going, but they didn¡¯t know which way to go.


    Is this correct¡­¡­?


    Whether proceeding blindly was the correct choice, Walm got lost in a dead end of thought.


    As each member concocts a plan, a sound is heard in the labyrinth, which until this point had been silent.


    A harsh, gigantic metal scraping noise.


    Walm, mobilizing even his six senses, if any, saw fire running out of the darkness. It spread as if crawling on the ground, revealing the darkness.


    The ground spread in flames, revealing a single path with no obstacles like a VIP road. Black water flowed into the trench carved in the ground and fire dwelled on the surface.


    ¡°Apparently, it¡¯s a welcome for us.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s, a pretty polite invitation.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s accept the invitation. Even if you get off the path, nothing good will come out after all.¡±


    Very obvious.


    Walm knew that they were going to jump into the tiger¡¯s mouth, but he didn¡¯t know where else to go.


    ¡°It¡¯s a crazy world, but to think that it¡¯s twisted to this point, I¡¯m impressed.¡±


    ¡°The Labyrinth is also called a space, a playground for the Superior Beings. Only in limited places like those with a Dragon Vein, or something like that, can their influence reach¡­¡­ or so I¡¯ve heard. Well, it¡¯s just a theory by scholars, and you know they always advocate outrageous theories. So how much can you trust it I wonder¡­¡±


    ¡°One thing¡¯s for sure, it¡¯s not a logical theory.¡±


    Walm, who had been silently listening to the conversation, secretly agreed with Marianthe.


    As they continued, the flaming trench branched into a complex circle. No one could grasp the whole appearance, but the radius seemed to exceed 50 meters.


    ¡°Shall we go around the circle?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the center. Something might happen.¡±


    In response to Walm¡¯s question, Merrill made a strong decision.


    It was a space where logic was separated from the surface. It was too late for Walm to be a coward now. More so, considering the fact he jumped to the bottom voluntarily. He had to leave it to chance.


    As Walm moved toward the center, his nostrils irritated. The smell that caused this was the smell he was accustomed to smelling on the battlefield.


    ¡°What, is that stench¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the putrid smell. But it¡¯s too thick.¡±


    Even Walm, who had been put to sleep with hundreds of decomposing corpses, felt a stimulus similar to when smelling something he had never smelled before. It wouldn¡¯t be surprising to find a group of corpses piled up to the height of a small mountain enshrined there.


    When the party reached the center, the flame spread along the hidden trench as if it were timed. It now became where they were surrounded by flames, but only to the extent where it could be jumped over.


    ¡°They sure have a bad hobby.¡±


    The flames continued to intersect, and Walm felt a strange sensation as he watched them.


    It looks familiar. where did I see it?


    As the stench continued to disturb Walm¡¯s concentration, he frantically searched for his memories, and they all connected in one fell swoop.


    ¡°Is this a ¡°geometric shape¡±?¡±


    ¡°Eh? ¡°Geometric¡±, ¡°shape¡±?¡±


    Walm, concentrating on his thoughts, couldn¡¯t answer Marianthe¡¯s question. He recognized the identity of the shape he had seen in his distant memory. It was a Hexagram, which history was old and had various meanings in his previous world. In the area where Walm lived in the previous world, it was called the ¡°Kagome-mon (Kagome crest)¡±, which could be seen at old shrines, because it was considered a sign to ward off evil. And this six-pointed geometric star, treated like a sacred object, was surrounded by bizarre characters, so it was hard to believe that it was the same.


    Then Walm heard the sound of chains rubbing together directly above him. Judging from the doubtful faces of the others, it was definitely not an auditory hallucination of Walm¡¯s


    ¡°Let¡¯s get away from the center. I feel something bad may happen.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a good idea.¡±


    As the party hurriedly left the place, there was a roaring sound as if metal was being stirred together, and the putrid smell became stronger than ever.


    What Walm saw after he escaped from the hexagram was a gigantic chain hanging loosely from the void. Even in the dim darkness, only the center was swallowed by complete darkness and it was impossible to see through.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got to be, kidding me¡­¡±


    Even Marianthe, a first-class adventurer, was at a loss for words.


    While being deprived of freedom by chains, something crawled out of the darkness. Its lifeless eyes fixed their sights on Walm and let out a roar. That alone causes the air to tremble, and a gust of rotting-smell-filled wind blew.


    A type of monster Walm never wanted to see again.


    The same kind of monster that caused the cataclysm of the northern countries was about to make an appearance before Walm.


    ¡°Undead Dragon¡±


    Hari revealed the true identity of the monster. Stagnant scales as if stained with ink or mud, irregular fangs falling out, and carrion exposed to the atmosphere clearly indicated that the dragon had become undead. The demon mask trembled with excitement as if to match its appearance to the world.


    ¡°I heard that, the record about the bottom was lost in the Unification War, but this is¡­ we¡¯re doomed.¡±


    Not only among dragons and monsters in general, but also among all living creatures, one of the monsters that stood at the peak of power was about to be born from the darkness at the bottom of the Labyrinth.


    ¡°It may be fake, but still, it¡¯s an opponent that could kill an army. What to do¨D¨D?!¡±


    While Hari was still asking for an answer, Walm had turned the kneaded mana into a fireball. He shot it at the Undead Dragon and let the blue flame dance on its head.


    The enraged Undead Dragon clattered its chains.


    Although it was a blue flame that had a tremendous effect on undead, its effect against dragon species was weak.


    ¡°Let¡¯s kill it before it fully comes out.¡±


    While the party members were in confusion, Walm tried to come up with a simple solution.


    Walm had been inoculated against the horror of standing before the dragon species. In Dandurg Castle, 10,000 people were burned along with the headquarters by the Flame Emperor Dragon¡¯s¡¶Dragon Breath¡·. In comparison, the body of the Undead Dragon was damaged and rotten, and it was trapped in a chain that seemed to paralyze its movements, and it was just on the way to crawling out of the black hole. There was no reason for Walm to hesitate in attacking the Undead Dragon, which could hardly be called a sacred being.


    ¡°You¡¯re, right.¡±


    As soon as Merrill, who had kneaded mana, said this, she took her special stance. Mana swirled around her body, and accompanied by a dazzling flash, ¡¶Trimagitack¡·was released.


    The Undead Dragon twisted its body, but there was no way to dodge the attack, and the exposed parts of its huge body were enveloped in light. The impact reached Walm on the ground. The curtain of rotting flesh and blood cleared and the field of vision opened. The wound ran from cheek to shoulder, but it was only an effective blow, not a fatal one.


    ¡°It¡¯s a blow that could crush even the scales of an Earth Dragon.¡±


    Merrill¡¯s face contorted as she said this.


    ¡°How many?¡±


    ¡°Even if I squeeze it, two shots at best.¡±


    Not that it didn¡¯t work, but even if Merrill fired two shots, would that be enough to finish it off? Even ¡¶Trimagitack¡· lacked firepower. So, what about the maximum firepower of ¡¶Demon Fire¡·? Same answer.


    Walm escaped from reality, thinking that it might be possible if there were three or four Merrill, but denied that it was nothing but an impossible delusion.


    ¡°Too bad it¡¯s in the air, I can¡¯t get my hands on it.¡±


    ¡°Even the arrows are blocked by the magical barrier and the scales, no use.¡±


    One arm of the Undead Dragon stuck out of the black hole. Now the other arm should be freed.


    Walm fired a fireball, thinking that it wouldn¡¯t hurt to try. Nothing to lose after all.


    Merrill prepared for the second shot. She frantically examined the hanging Undead Dragon to see if there was a way, but she could find no answer.


    ¡°Damn it, the upper body is out¡±


    Cursing, Walm lowered his gaze to the ground. The summoning circle, the troublesome six-pointed geometric star, continued to glow. As he gazed at the flames, a gamble came to his mind. If it failed, it would mean they would even more lack effective hits, but it was worth a try.


    ¡°Merrill, the ground. Break the trench!!¡±


    Merrill, who was on the verge of projecting ¡¶Trimagitack¡·, believed Walm¡¯s words and forcefully turned the trajectory and mowed down the ground. The ground was shattered by a flash of light. The trench, which emitted a suspicious glow, now only glittered faintly, as if the mana supply had been cut off. The Undead Dragon that was crawling out of the void let out an unprecedented scream and fell from the sky.


    Walm looked up and saw the gigantic black hole, that appeared in the darkness, had vanished like an illusion.


    ¡°Half of its body is torn off?!!¡±


    Marianthe screamed in disbelief. When the summoning formation was destroyed, the path that connected the space was cut off, resulting in the Undead Dragon¡¯s lower body being torn apart.


    Walm¡¯s plan was partially successful. If there was a miscalculation, it was that the Undead Dragon, having lost half of its body, didn¡¯t die, but dug into the ground with the claws of both arms and stood up.


    ¡°Strange, I mean even with just the upper body, it could still move?¡±


    Hari readjusted his mace. He wanted the Undead Dragon to die quietly, as Walm wished, but even if it was rotten, it was still a dragon. As expected, it wouldn¡¯t die so easily.


    ¡°Merrill, can you still shoot?¡±


    ¡°One more shoot is the limit.¡±


    ¡°If you aim at the severed woun¨D¨D sh*t.¡±


    Walm recognized the signs. He couldn¡¯t forget it. After all, with that blow, the Dandurg Castle had been driven to the brink of fall.


    ¡°Breath is coming!!¡±


    Muddy mana poured from the Undead Dragon. The center moved from the chest to the throat.


    ¡°We can¡¯t avoid that.¡±


    ¡°Mari, Bestowing Magic, to the limit!!¡±


    ¡°I bestow you, as much as I can, take it!¡±


    Mana flowed from Marianthe who grabbed Merrill¡¯s shoulder. Even for Walm, who had come into contact with various magic so far, Bestowing Magic was a rare magic that he encountered for the first time.


    Though as expected, Walm couldn¡¯t just stay still in admiration. He tried to stop the Undead Dragon from firing the attack with a fireball, but it showed no signs of flinching. A mass of compressed magic flowed from its throat into its mouth, and the huge jaw opened. From the depths of its black fangs, ¡¶Dragon Breath¡· was released. At the same time, Merrill also fired ¡¶Trimagitack¡· which sucked up all of Marianthe¡¯s mana.


    ¡°Woaaahh, aaaahhhhhHHH!!¡±


    A stream of dizzying mana clashed. The floor below the confluence point was shattered by an invisible force and instantly evaporated. At the end of the confrontation, the aftermath seeped through and spread to the surrounding area. As if eroding, the tri-colored flash turned black and was overwhelmed in one fell swoop. Walm created a pillar of flame and began another interception attempt, but he could not stop it. The arms of Walm and Merrill, who were in the lead, were grabbed and thrown backward.


    It was Hari who did this.


    ¡°Lie down on the ground, I¡¯ll be the shield!¡±


    ¡°Hari?!!¡±


    The warrior monk jumped out in front of Walm and the others, and like a tree stretching its roots to the ground, Hari stood and surrounded his body with a magical barrier.


    Hari¡¯s magical barrier, which had been sublimated to the skill ¡¶Indestructible Body¡·, allowed him to beat and bend iron with his bare hands, and even catch swords with his own body. However, even if the incoming attack was the breath that had been repeatedly interrupted, it was still a ¡¶Dragon Breath¡·.


    ¡°Ugghhh, uuuuahhhhh, AAAAHHHHH¨D¨D!!!¡±


    With a scream, Hari was swallowed by the breath.


    Walm felt his body tortured like a sharp stone dragged through the rippling riverbed. Yet he escaped with his life. He spat out the blood collecting in his mouth and straightened up on his halberd. The other three fared similarly.


    Walm, busy moving his eyes and neck, found Hari, who was like a worn-out cloth. The skin was as if filed off, and blood oozed out from here and there, but the original form of firmness remained. It may be a small gift for gradually reducing the breath, but more than that, the mistake of the Undead Dragon, which lost half of its body and a large amount of mana after spitting out an incomplete breath, was a big mistake that could bring a turning point.


    ¡°Can you still do it?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s only half a body over there. We¡¯re just injured. It¡¯s enough to deal with it.¡±


    ¡°Marianthe, carry Hari to a safe place. Yuna, can you still do it?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡±


    Small tricks would no longer work. With this in mind, they were aware that the real final battle would soon begin.

 CH 136.2

    136-2. Chapter 136 ¨C Bottom of the Labyrinth (Part 2)


    Walm closed in the distance. In response, the Undead Dragon mowed down its arm.


    Having detected the trajectory, Walm gradually changed his course as if to attract attention. The Undead Dragon¡¯s blow could shatter stone slabs with ease, but its vital mobility relied on a pair of arms. This meant that a fatal blow could be avoided if there was no error in the distance calculation.


    Merrill and Yuna, coming around the side and back, respectively, launched a fierce attack while Walm tried to get the dragon¡¯s attention. Merrill lunged in and tore open the wound without stopping, and Yuna shot an arrow into the scar left by the ¡¶Trimagitack¡·, which was on its throat to the chest.


    All this happened while the nostrils tried their best to suppress the pungent smell that leaked, spreading on the floor.


    When the Undead Dragon turned its attention to the two, Walm fired a fireball to draw it back in, as if to say that he wouldn¡¯t allow cheating.


    ¡°I¡¯m done carrying!¡±


    Marianthe joined the battle line after moving Hari.


    Everyone focused on cutting out the exposed flesh and torn parts, but even though it was incomplete, the total length of the Undead Dragon was still over 20 meters. Moreover, the magical barrier was still there. Hitting it was like cutting a huge stone with a small iron file.


    ¡°Don¡¯t focus on the front!! Pay attention to the arms and fangs!¡±


    Certainly, the Undead Dragon lacked the original mobility, but even if the movement capabilities were limited to both arms, its attacks weren¡¯t weakened, and instead, it became more precise. In addition, the after-effects of the breath attack and repeated fatigue robbed everyone of strength and power.


    ¡°Avoid, Walm!!¡±


    Until then, the Undead Dragon had ignored Walm as if he were a small bug. Now it turned and moved its neck to bite him with its open jaw. This sudden change sent a shiver down Walm¡¯s spine, so that he immediately stepped on the ground and slipped on his back on the stone pavement using the halberd as a push.


    And, the head of the Undead Dragon passed under his feet.


    ¡°Damn it, the halberd¡­¡±


    Walm narrowly escaped death by a bite, but the halberd was flung away from the dragon¡¯s huge body and disappeared into the darkness.


    Then, Walm, thrusting his elbows to the ground and straightening up, pulled the longsword from his hip. What a pity. The halberd was a good choice against a huge opponent, but there was still one weapon left. Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t all that bad. The Undead Dragon that had made a major attack had collapsed in its stance, exposing its weak points defenselessly.


    Of course, the other three weren¡¯t so despondent as to let this pass. On the other hand, the Undead Dragon dug its claws into the stone slab and tried to attack until it fully regained its stance.


    Walm¡¯s face hadn¡¯t loosened with joy. The Undead Dragon still had some fighting power left after all. Aside from being undead, it was a remnant of a dragon. That alone was enough to judge it as a tough opponent.


    While Walm grasped the whole body of the Undead Dragon, he focused mainly on the head and arms, which were the starting point of the attack. And he noticed a difference. Until now, the Undead Dragon had straightened itself by digging its claws into the earth. This time the claws closed as if grasping something, and he noticed pressed pebbles coming out of the gaps.


    ¡°Stones incoming!! Moveee!!!¡±


    Shortly after Walm¡¯s warning, the bone arm was mowed down, and the pebbles were thrown. The three dodged to avoid the dragon¡¯s pity trick, but Yuna got caught in the attack.


    Countless pebbles rained down from above onto the stone pavement. Yuna slowly slumped as the debris rolled around on the ground and disappeared into the distance.


    ¡°Yu, Yuna!?¡±


    ¡°Mari, don¡¯t stop!!¡±


    Marianthe, distracted by the collapsed Yuna, reacted too late to the approaching bone arm. She was caught by one of the arms and hurled like a catapult, falling to the ground without being able to recover.


    After sinking the two, the Undead Dragon seemed satisfied with the result and so he tried to repeat the attack in the same way.


    Neither Walm nor Merrill got their focus shifted on their fallen comrades. As their numbers dwindled, they could only repeat risky attacks, and at a dangerous time, moved to a distance.


    Walm didn¡¯t know how much time had passed. His breathing was frantic and his limbs were shaking. His grip strength was also weakening. He had dragged out the fight, using not-so-much mana he had left to fend off the frequent, very dangerous attacks. And now, even the Undead Dragon¡¯s unshakable magical barrier was cracking. But if it continued like this, they would be the first to roll on the ground.


    ¡°At this rate, it¡¯s only going to get worse for us. I¡¯ll burn it with my skill.¡±


    ¡°Walm, your eyes, gonna be okay?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have enough mana left to melt my eyes¡­ Can¡¯t even say, if I could burn it, to death.¡±


    Even in the midst of broken conversations, the onslaught didn¡¯t stop. Walm continued the conversation with a harsh breath.


    ¡°Huff, haahh, if that¡¯s, the case, close range then.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I need a way, to jump in and¡­  an opening.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll launch you with wind magic. After that, I¡¯ll support you until my mana, runs out.¡±


    ¡°When the skill got activated, get away immediately. Or you¡¯ll get caught up.¡±


    Walm, who managed to ask for opinions, temporarily suspended the attack, moved away from the Undead Dragon, and joined forces with Merrill. When the two of them had gathered themselves together, the Undead Dragon gleefully approached.


    ¡°Walm, here I go! <Gust>!¡±


    A gust of wind that appeared at the bottom of the labyrinth, which should have been calm, hit Walm¡¯s body. Fortunately, the target was approaching at full speed. It literally didn¡¯t have enough hands to deal with Walm in the air. In desperation, it tried to bite Walm, but the black fangs only bit into nothing.


    Walm chose the wound on its shoulder that had been pierced by ¡¶Trimagitack¡·. The blades of the longsword he had taken in his other hand penetrated like driving a wedge.


    ¡°Walm! BURN IIIIIITTTT!!!¡±


    A blue flame overflowed from Walm¡¯s body, and a storm blew. Within the blink of an eye, the Undead Dragon¡¯s entire body was engulfed in flames. The rotten flesh was scorched, and decaying liquid and fat oozed out with an unpleasant sound. It was as if the entire body had melted. At the same time, the demon eyes made a sound as if they had been pierced by a burnt nail.


    Still, Walm clenched his teeth as if to suppress the pain. As in his mind, he understood that as long as this pain lasted, he could be sure that the Undead Dragon would continue to burn.


    ¡°Walm, get away now! You will get caught!!!¡±


    Merrill¡¯s desperate cries were in vain, and the Undead Dragon grabbed Walm with its convulsing arms. His armor crumbled and his whole body creaked. His left arm snapped and bent in a direction that shouldn¡¯t be possible.


    ¡°Gah¡­ haaah, ugh, guhh, uuggrhhh!!¡±


    As if to say that this was a test of endurance, Walm continued to emit blue flames. Thinking that the ¡¶Demon Fire¡· would invite everything it touched into the Netherworld.


    The left half of the Undead Dragon¡¯s body was tragically discolored, the hand that had reached for the flame source called Walm began to melt, and the fingertips that had melted had their nails peeled off. It was the Undead Dragon that failed to endure.


    A dragon that had lost its intelligence instinctively feared its own loss as well. So after realizing that it was no match for fire, that even crushing a human was dangerous, it sent Walm away with the arm that had only slightly rotted flesh. The dangerous object must be kept as far away as possible.


    The stone pavement welcomed Walm with the sound of dry blows. The ¡¶Demon Fire¡· was forcibly stopped by the impact and the intense pain, and a roaring noise ran through Walm¡¯s vision. Everything was unclear. He couldn¡¯t know front, back, left, or right, though, he still tried to get up by relying on the ground he came into contact with.


    The Undead Dragon¡¯s roar didn¡¯t stop, indicating that the battle wasn¡¯t yet over. And now only Merrill was left.


    Walm could feel his faintly remaining mana. He could still, and had to fight, he thought. He scolded his trembling legs and tried to stand up like a newborn fawn, but his legs couldn¡¯t follow his instruction. When he lowered his eyes to his feet, he found that his ankles were bent like soft, long onions. Still, he tried to stand up on his remaining leg, but an excruciating pain ran through his chest and he collapsed. He had difficulties breathing out, no matter how much air he inhaled.


    ¡°Aah, ugg, ah¡­¡±


    Drowning, his heart contracted. Lying helpless on the ground, he tried to look ahead. In his noisy vision was Merrill, swinging her sword. The Undead Dragon was charred and melted, but hadn¡¯t yet given up its life.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stand, Walm!! I, will take care of the rest. Please wait there.¡±


    Pitifully, Walm could only entrust the fate of the battle to his only companion that still standing. Dozens, no, hundreds of attacks and defenses were repeated. Merrill continued to be wounded by the Undead Dragon. Although it was a gruesome fight, it was as if she was performing a sword dance. Sure, they belonged to different races, but they were both the same, covered in wounds, and the balance of the fight could easily tip with the slightest misstep.


    ¡°Just, a little, more¡­¡±


    Merrill, who had kept breathing on her shoulder, tangled her legs. This small opening was too fatal.


    The Undead Dragon knocked down bones that could no longer be called arms.


    Walm begged Merrill with all his might to avoid it, but his crazed auditory canals picked up a familiar wind noise. The arm that was supposed to hit Merrill directly was deflected slightly and ended up just destroying the ground.


    ¡°I will, support¡±


    Walm strained his half-consciousness and tilted his head to see the adventurer aiming two arrows at the Undead Dragon.


    Yuna, who fell to the ground after being hit in the head by a stone, returned to the battle line. Fresh blood overflowed from her wounded forehead and stained her eyes red. Despite these circumstances, the skilled archer pierced the eye of the Undead Dragon, which magical barrier was cut off, as if she were threading a needle.


    Walm smiled as he spat out the blood that had accumulated in his mouth.


    Yuna pierced the remaining eye with the arrows. The dragon¡¯s gigantic body shook and its posture collapsed. Merrill ran in and took a characteristic stance. Her mana was clearly lacking. Nevertheless, she chose this stance.


    Merrill, who had just jumped up, slashed down her longsword. The slash was aimed at the Undead Dragon¡¯s neck and went down from its eye socket, slashing its shoulder as if tracing the wounds she had inflicted deep with ¡¶Trimagitack¡·. Her landing wasn¡¯t exactly graceful. But who could despise her clumsiness at that moment?


    Merrill had undoubtedly finished the job brilliantly.


    While Walm kept watching the result, the Undead Dragon¡¯s body collapsed like a dead tree reaching its limit. The rotting liquid flowed down, spreading a foul odor, and the rotting flesh began to melt all at once. The Undead Dragon, which had become nothing but bones, was completely dead for real.


    Walm, who had been nervous all the time, finally could close his eyes in relief.


    ¡°Yuna, check on Hari and Marianthe, I¡¯ll check on Walm.¡±


    Even though Merrill was exhausted after so much fighting, she gathered her leftover strength to run to Walm.


    ¡°Why were you so reckless!! You idiot, wake up. Don¡¯t let go of your consciousness.¡±


    Don¡¯t be so unreasonable, was what Walm wanted to reply, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn¡¯t speak. For his lungs, which had abandoned their normal functions, even letting out a single word was an extremely difficult task.


    Merrill removed Walm¡¯s clothes to check on his condition.


    ¡°Not only his limbs, but also his ribs are broken, and his chest, is swollen. Damn it, is the air trapped in his chest cavity?¡±


    ¡°Merrill, they¡¯re not completely okay, but Hari and Marianthe are alive.¡±


    Yuna reported the current situation without emerging from the darkness. Despite getting knocked out in a flashy way, Walm was relieved with his muddy consciousness that they were a very persistent companion.


    ¡°Yuna, is Hari conscious!?¡±


    ¡°Yes. He could speak because he cast healing magic on himself.¡±


    ¡°Bring him here, the air continues to accumulate in Walm¡¯s chest. If left alone, his heart may stop.¡±


    Hari, who was carried on Yuna¡¯s back, lay on the ground with Walm. As if there were a big fish auction in the harbor, Yuna and Merrill, as well as Marianthe, who was dragging her weak leg, surrounded the two and looked at their condition.


    ¡°I know that you¡¯re seriously injured, but could you give me instructions, Hari?¡±


    ¡°For the sake of my comrade. That much. No big deal. First, take out the blood-draining needle tube and distilled liquor from my tool bag¡­ That¡¯s it. Wash your hands with it. Huff, huff¡­ between, the second, and the third rib, is the puncture site. Pierce the needle there. Above the nipple. A little more to the right, there. Insert the needle vertically, slowly. As it enters the chest cavity, air will come out with the sound of the injection.¡±


    A new pain spread through Walm¡¯s chest, but once it reached a certain depth, strangely, he found it easier to breathe. In his fading consciousness, Walm heard the sound of air escaping from his chest.


    ¡°Nice sounds. The air, is coming, out.¡±


    ¡°Good. It¡¯s a success, Walm.¡±


    Merrill relaxed and smiled with a tired expression on her face. Walm, whose communication capabilities were limited, weakly raised his trembling arms in response.


    This was the moment when the Trimagitack conquered the Great Labyrinth of Belgana.


    TN: The ¡°Dragon¡± of the Undead Dragon in here is written with this kanji ¡°ýˆ¡±. The other Dragon that appeared in the story and was written with this kanji is the Flame Emperor Dragon and the other one just mentioned, the so-called Merciful Sea Dragon.

 CH 137

    At the bottom of the Labyrinth, where the aftermath of the battle could still be felt, Walm gazed into the everlasting darkness. In the void where the summoning formation of the hexagram had appeared, there was no longer a trace. With the flickering of the embers, the darkness that enveloped the surrounding area spread and narrowed, repeating the advance and retreat of the visible area.


    ¡°Walm, is it okay now?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it has calmed down.¡±


    ¡°Glad to hear that. Hari, do you want water?¡±


    ¡°For now, I don¡¯t, need it.¡±


    Hari and Marianthe, who were seriously injured, were staying by Walm¡¯s side. Unlike Walm and Hari, who were unable to move, Marianthe had only a dislocated shoulder and damaged ligaments in her knee and could still walk, dragging her feet.


    While Merrill and Yuna were scouting the surroundings, Marianthe was assigned the role of caregiver.


    Emergency thoracentesis had restored calm to Walm¡¯s breathing, and the holes in his lungs were blocked by the magic that had been squeezed out of Hari¡¯s leftover mana. Of course, Hari ran out of fuel soon after, and the wounds carved in various places were only given first aid. [TN: Thoracentesis is a procedure performed to remove fluid or air from the thoracic cavity]


    Walm and Marianthe got their broken bones bandaged with splints, and Hari, who had lacerations all over his body, was wrapped in bandages soaked in medicinal herbs. If someone, who didn¡¯t know what was going on here, came to see, they would be mistaken for a new kind of monster or a mummy that had been buried by some evil method.


    The influential party was nowhere to be seen, just a bunch of people moving awkwardly and sluggishly, which was like a group of old people having their daily gatherings.


    ¡°Hey, Marianthe. Cigaret¡ª¡±


    ¡°Even if it¡¯s a joke, the answer is no. You had a hole in your chest just a little while ago. I can¡¯t even laugh if smoke comes out of your chest, you know.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even have any¡­ just said out loud what came to my mind, to pass time.¡±


    ¡°Huff, I thought you were serious, but as expected you too, what a strange guy.¡±


    Marianthe sighed because Walm was hard to understand.


    Walm lamented at the unexpected treatment, but Hari, who was also seriously injured, defended Walm in a voice that sounded like an insect trying to communicate.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that, Marianthe. It¡¯s human nature to want to smoke after a big job.¡±


    ¡°Hari, don¡¯t suddenly say something like that¡­ you sure you¡¯re okay?¡­ You didn¡¯t hit your head hard, did you?¡±


    Marianthe feared that there was something else behind the external damage to Hari¡¯s head. But whether she was serious or joking, even Walm couldn¡¯t tell.


    They let their bodies rest while they weaved insane conversations. After the party advanced into the deep floors, they didn¡¯t have much time to rest or sleep. So, at the moment, Walm could tell that the time when he had nothing to do was the best.


    About half an hour later, familiar footsteps reached Walm¡¯s ears. Of course, Walm wasn¡¯t the only one waiting for their return after exploring the surroundings.


    ¡°How was it, Merrill?¡±


    Merrill, carrying a familiar halberd on her shoulder, answered Marianthe¡¯s question.


    ¡°There was a familiar black hole in the center of that. It¡¯s not certain, but if we jump into that, guess we can go back to the surface.¡±


    ¡°First of all, we can relax I think.¡±


    During the fight with the Undead Dragon, Walm suggested a strange method. If the Labyrinth got upset and the way back to the surface wasn¡¯t opened for them, they could rot here.


    Walm stroked his chest in relief, knowing that the situation he feared didn¡¯t come true.


    ¡°It took me a while to find it, but I also recovered Walm¡¯s halberd.¡±


    As if to show off, Merrill tapped her shoulder with the handle. The halberd was blown away flashily in the fight, but no noticeable damage was seen.


    ¡°That¡¯s, thanks.¡±


    Walm had a long relationship with the halberd he picked as a battle trophy during the Battle in the Myard Border. Walm didn¡¯t claim that there was no substitute for it in this world, but the familiar halberd had become like his own limbs. For Walm, the value of the halberd exceeded even a large gold coin.


    Walm tried to hold the halberd, but his arm, trembling with pain, didn¡¯t move as he wanted.


    ¡°I¡¯ll put it here.¡±


    Merrill, not seeing it, quietly placed the halberd on the stone pavement next to the one Walm was using as a pillow.


    Merrill and Yuna, who surrendered themselves to fatigue, lowered their waists and joined the gathering.


    Now, no one stood at the bottom of the Labyrinth.


    ¡°First of all, there seems to be no further danger. So, it¡¯s a little early to be happy, but it seems we¡¯ve conquered the Labyrinth.¡±


    There was probably no other way to conquer the Labyrinth that was so unbelievable than what they did. Contrary to the lofty title of Conqueror, Walm couldn¡¯t even stand up straight, let alone walk on his own. Right now, he was nothing more than a wounded man sleeping in a temporary treatment center on a battlefield.


    ¡°¡­¡­I don¡¯t mind some more noise you know.¡±


    Merrill must have expected applause and joyful voices, but Walm, who had failed to die, didn¡¯t even have the strength to rejoice. Yuna was taciturn, and Marianthe wasn¡¯t the type to show her emotions willingly. If it was the normal Hari, he might have spoken the maximum amount of flattery on top of the applause, but now he was on good terms with Walm, since he was seriously injured. The only thing he could do was to move his mouth and mumble through the bandages.


    ¡°If Hari and I suddenly jumped up and started singing and dancing, that would be unpleasant, right?¡±


    ¡°Not that it¡¯s unpleasant, but¡­ more likely, I¡¯d be terrified.¡±


    Merrill, who imagined the scene Walm had spoken of, clouded her expression.


    ¡°Briefly, do it.¡±


    At Yuna¡¯s urging, Merrill sent a grudge with her gaze.


    In Walm¡¯s eyes, Merrill seemed to be sulking for some reason.


    ¡°Everyone¡¯s cold¡­ Well, if possible, I want to throw my limbs out and go to sleep now. Anyway, let me talk about something important. Once we get back to the surface, for a while, seems like we can¡¯t have a nice calm talk like this.¡±


    Merrill took out two magic bags. One belonged to the party, the other was an item Walm had received from Gerard Berger, the War God of Highserk, during his time in Highserk¡¯s army.


    ¡°I¡¯ve collected as many Undead Dragon¡¯s fangs and claws as I could. As catalysts and materials, they are said excellent. No doubt the Guild and Marquis Borgia will ask to sell a considerable amount to them. That said, some will remain in our hands.¡±


    Even Walm, who was ignorant of geography and history, had heard of the family name while spending time in the Labyrinth City. The Borgia family was one of the great noble families of the Galmud Archipelago, ruling over the Labyrinth City and also the coordinator of the continental side, except for the main central island and the surrounding islands. Their rise dated back to the Unification War 100 years ago. At least that was what Walm had heard.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t bring a souvenir, the guild will be troublesome. Is there anything I can do to avoid endless long talk?¡±


    Perhaps there had been a similar case in the past. Marianthe, who looked like she was remembering the past, shook her head slightly.


    ¡°Seems, you¡¯ve got it rough.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no danger. But Walm. You¡¯re not an exception, you know? A person has conquered the labyrinth despite temporarily joining the party in a contract system. If it spreads that you don¡¯t belong to any organization, you¡¯ll definitely be followed. So, be careful, okay?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s troublesome¡­¡­ I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡±


    Receiving Walm¡¯s reply, Merrill continued.


    ¡°Back to the main topic. Next is, this.¡±


    A decaying wooden box was taken out of the magic bag. Something inside swayed, making a faint metallic sound. Walm guessed its identity.


    ¡°Gold coins, huh?¡±


    ¡°Close, but it¡¯s better.¡±


    Inside the open box was a bar. Even at the bottom of the Labyrinth with a scarce light source, the metal shone with a characteristic luster when it received a faint light. Walm narrowed his eyes and said the name.


    ¡°Mithril bar?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Moreover, nothing else mixed in.¡±


    The mithril with no ¡°poison¡± and no signs of rust, was light as a feather. Moreover, it had the property of channeling mana easily. Due to excessive demand, there were always supply shortages. As far as Walm knew, there were a variety of uses for it, such as tableware, decoration, weapon, and catalyst for many. Of course, it was highly sought after by the wealthy. Most weapons that were made of mithril, because of its high price had only a small amount of it added to them. And that alone, was enough to distinguish them from iron weapons.


    ¡°Nnnn, even if you split it for five people, everyone would get more than enough.¡±


    It was no wonder Hari let out a voice while lying down staring at the mithril. Walm¡¯s sense of money was about to collapse in front of a lump of it. After all, even after splitting the mithril bar by five, the amount he got would be more than enough to buy several eye medicines.


    ¡°W-well, we should be happy that it¡¯s mithril. I mean, what if the box was filled with iron scraps¡­¡±


    Even Marianthe couldn¡¯t hide her dismay. Speaking of exceptions would have been the first to get over the shock, Yuna and Merrill.


    Merrill hit Walm on the back of the head, while others were dazzled by the magical silver.


    ¡°Do you know what this is?¡±


    A colorless and transparent bottle spread into Walm¡¯s field of vision. He gasped as he looked at the thing inside. It was a plant, blood-red crimson in color from stem to leaves. The fluted, upturned petals and stamens looked like fingertips reaching into the sky in a pool of blood.


    ¡°C-crimson grass?¡±


    A healing treasure, a crimson-colored herb that was said to bloom forever, was hung in front of Walm through a bottle. The gazes of the party members, glued to the mithril, finally moved away at Walm¡¯s words, which were squeezed out in surprise.


    ¡°Is this crimson grass, so strange.¡±


    ¡°Well, beautiful or not¡­ it¡¯s beautiful, but¡­¡±


    Contrary to the dusty bottle, the crimson grass retained its freshness, giving off a bewitching beauty. If one said that it was a high-quality artificial flower, Walm would believe it. Looking at it with his own eyes, he couldn¡¯t help but feel why it was said to be immutable.


    ¡°It, doesn¡¯t seem like it grew out of the ground.¡±


    ¡°It was stored next to mithril. Well, I wanted to surprise you a little.¡±


    ¡°You sure only a little?¡±


    While Walm complained, Merrill was happy the little mischief had succeeded.


    After leaning forward for a while, the people who had been so focused on the flower viewing regained their composure.


    Then, while pointing at the crimson grass, Marianthe asked.


    ¡°So Walm, ¡°that thing¡±, do you plan to swallow it whole here?¡±


    ¡°S-swallow it whole? I mean, isn¡¯t it better to chew it first?¡±


    Walm didn¡¯t know how to answer Marianthe. Was it really okay to just eat it like a vegetable side dish or a meat dish? After all the hardships he had gone through, he had managed to get his hands on the crimson grass. But right, he didn¡¯t know the proper dosage or how to use it properly.


    ¡°¡­¡­it, doesn¡¯t look delicious though?¡±


    ¡°Wait, will it work just by eating it?¡±


    ¡°Use it like ointment?¡±


    Question after question surfaced without a clue about the solution. When the situation got out of control, Hari, who was lost in his thoughts, slowly opened his mouth.


    ¡°You should take the crimson grass through your mouth. And instead of swallowing it whole, chewing it is the correct way. That said, it would be best to consult with, an alchemist or healing magician. But it is what it is. So, you should choose the person carefully.¡±


    The party¡¯s only healing magic user came up with the right answer even in a chaotic situation. The warrior monks who served as guardians of the church were as good at showing people the way to salvation, no less than the high-ranking priests.


    The respect for Hari increased inside Walm once again.


    Soon Walm noticed the sound of escaping air. The source was the long breath escaping violently through the bandage.


    Right, it was Hari.


    ¡°¡­¡­Oi, Hari¡±


    ¡°Such passionate eyes¨D¨D¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t. Don¡¯t say anything more.¡±


    Doubt turned into certainty.


    Gratitude was blown away in an instant.


    Simultaneously with the voice of restraint, Walm threw shreds of the bandage. He breathed a sigh of relief when he successfully covered Hari¡¯s eyes.


    Merrill resumed the conversation as if such a series of events had never happened in the first place.


    ¡°For now, it¡¯s decided how to handle the crimson grass. Walm, you should keep it in a magic bag until you decided to use it.¡±


    ¡°If you lose it, you¡¯ll have to go around in the labyrinth one more time.¡±


    As soon as Merrill said that, Walm put the crimson grass into the magic bag. The Undead Dragon¡¯s material was filled to the limit until a repulsive feeling was transferred to his hand, as if to reject any more of the magic bag. With a sideways glance, Merrill was about to put the mithril bar in the magic bag as well.


    With that and now that the items and equipment of the party member had been gathered, there was no longer any reason to stay at the bottom of the Labyrinth. Unfortunately, Walm and Hari couldn¡¯t even walk. And the result of the short discussion was a voice of agony coming out of Yuna¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°He, hea-heavy¡±


    ¡°Nnn¡­ sorry.¡±


    Yuna, who had Hari shouldered on her back, lurched forward. Even though Marianthe and Merrill had the item and equipment, carrying a rock-like warrior monk was hard work. Even so, Yuna¡¯s physical strength, which continued to develop as she strung the bow on a regular basis, had fulfilled its role splendidly.


    Followed right behind with pitying eyes was Marianthe, who used her favorite mace as a cane to help her walk.


    Last in line were Walm and Merrill. Walm wanted to be as tough as the halberd, but his left arm and ankle were broken and his lungs were anything but normal. Merrill silently held his shoulder out to him, even though she was carrying something already.


    Merrill supported Walm¡¯s arm with her right hand to keep it from coming loose. Without saying it, the distance between them shrank naturally and their bodies came into close contact. When Walm hopped around awkwardly and lowered his gaze to his feet, Merrill silently kept pace with him.


    Overlapping shadows simply swayed as they walked.


    ¡°Hey, Walm.¡±


    A sigh hit the skin. Small, yet certainly Merrill¡¯s warm voice shook Walm¡¯s ears.


    ¡°¡­¡­What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, just that¡­ Well, I¡¯m so glad I could form a party, with you.¡±


    ¡°What is it¡­? Why so suddenly?¡±


    As Walm lifted his face, light green hair and eyes with a different iris color spread out in his field of vision. Two people with contrasting eyes stood a very short distance away. Strangely enough, the colors that had seemed so flashy when they first met now felt comforting.


    ¡°Thank you, Walm.¡±


    At a distance where their cheeks touched, Walm responded with an embarrassed look.

 CH 138

    In Belgana, there was a facility called the Guild House, which was managed directly by the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. The Guild House, which was clearly separated from the general reception area, contained everything needed for long-term activities in the Labyrinth. Of course, there were costs associated with activities such as registration and usage fees, but the benefits were far-reaching. It was fully equipped with a variety of assistance from numerous staff members, materials processing area, excellent healing magicians available at all times, and more, from a nap room to a food shop.


    Regular general lectures provided knowledge about the monsters that appeared on each floor, and for those who wanted to gain experience for actual battles, it was possible to dive into the Labyrinth by signing a contract with a high-rank adventurer who had been certified by the guild.


    More than few wanted to save money, thus they went to the mid-rank floors of the Labyrinth and beyond via the general entrance. The results of that were clearly visible in the statistics published by the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. There was a large gap between the casualty rates of the general entrance users and the Guild House users.


    Peyrouse, who began coming in and out of the mid-rank floors, finally had a surplus of funds at his disposal and began to actively use the Guild House. Although he had been made leader of the party despite his reluctance, he accepted the role and thought of what was best for the party. And he realized that he lacked many things, so he began taking general lectures, first aid, crisis management, and also personal combat training from a Borgia soldier.


    Peyrouse had heard from his mentor, the Borgia soldier, that adventurers were expected to be part of the defense force in times of need. After all, the Great Labyrinth of Belgana belonged to the family of Marquis Borgia, and the Adventurer¡¯s Guild was only entrusted with its management and operation. In short, the adventurers were treated like a reserve force with no maintenance costs. Peyrouse didn¡¯t remember becoming a soldier, but he wasn¡¯t so ungrateful that he would only accept favors and not cooperate. Now that he had left the farming village, his home, Belgana was his second home. Of course, he hoped that everything would turn out well here.


    Peyrouse¡¯s party had a break from Labyrinth until yesterday. Naturally, everyone had enjoyed the rest they wanted. But as expected, after the break, the movement became heavy and stiff.


    So today, Peyrouse received a morning lecture on priority actions in the Labyrinth. With the knowledge from the lecture, he wanted to get used to it slowly. Then in the afternoon he relieved his heavy eyelids in the nap room.


    Outside, the sun had already set and the twin moons were about to make their presence felt. Fortunately, day and night didn¡¯t matter for those who wanted to dive into the Labyrinth.


    One by one, members gathered in front of the reception desk, which also served as a meeting room. Leake was the only one left, but he wouldn¡¯t be on time. Besides having a habit of being late, he was busy with something.


    Peyrouse, who had become accustomed to being kept waiting, changed the plan, for he was growing tired of waiting.


    ¡°Should we have a snack, or something to eat until the Leake arrives?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s two hours early. But well, you can¡¯t even eat slowly when you¡¯re in the Labyrinth, so let¡¯s eat now.¡±


    With Donna¡¯s agreement, Peyrouse made his way to the store. He didn¡¯t wait for a word from Matthio, because he was always hungry. Even if he was asked, the answer would be the same. As proof of this, Matthio immersed himself in the sea of thoughts and freed his mind from the real world. Nevertheless, perhaps lured by the smell of food, he stumbled after Peyrouse. Of course, it was the usual orc meat.


    ¡°Orc meat¨D¨D¡±


    ¡°¡­..Urgh, you can eat it even in the Labyrinth, why do I¡¯ve to eat that here too?¡±


    Donna reflexively rejected the word orc meat. Even Matthio blatantly frowned.


    Peyrouse and his party member took the orc meats they had retrieved from the Labyrinth outside and used them in their daily diet. The taste was delicious. Still, eating the same food all the time would tire normal people out quickly. Sure, it could be toned down with different ways of preparing it, such as baking, boiling, frying, and other trial and error. Even so, it would be amazing if one didn¡¯t get tired of orc meat after eating it three times a day.


    As if ridiculing Peyrouse, a sweet smell drifted, entered his nose, and stimulated his brain.


    ¡°Kuh, sweets huh¡­?¡±


    Belgana had a stable supply of orc meat from the Labyrinth, and along with salted fish, it was a cheap food representative. Confectionery made from wheat was more expensive than these foods. No wonder adventurers who usually eat only fatty and salty foods were hungry for sweets. But the prices displayed on the board weren¡¯t coin bag friendly. In the first place, orc meat was cheap or even free. For those who wanted to save money, orc meat was a winner.


    The fragrant smell of sugar invited the party. Matthio succumbed to the lure of sugar and approached with somnambulant steps. Peyrouse cursed that this was a sinful place to lure adventurers with an outrageous smell. But even he couldn¡¯t resist the temptation. And Donna followed from behind.


    Contrary to the lonely wallet, Peyrouse¡¯s stomach was satisfied. Forced to make unnecessary expenses, the hatred was growing even bigger for Leake that had not yet been seen.


    Fortunately, Leake soon appeared.


    ¡°It¡¯s too late. Did he take a detour again huh?¡±


    In contrast to the sweet smell clinging to the clothes, Peyrouse spread bitterness, but he then noticed that Leake was acting differently than usual.


    While waving his arms, the approaching Leake opened his mouth and said,


    ¡°Sorry that I¡¯m late, but that¡¯s not the point. It seems that a conqueror has emerged from the labyrinth. The Conqueror suddenly came out of the restricted section of the Guild House, causing a big fuss!!¡±


    ¡°Huh!? Someone has conquered the Labyrinth?¡±


    Peyrouse had reached the mid-rank floors, but even at the beginning of the mid-rank floors, which had been thinned out by those working in the same industry, he still selected his prey carefully, even now. When the depth increased, the number of people would decrease. Troublesome and strong monsters would rush in at regular intervals, and there was no time to properly rest. Even if Peyrouse and his comrades wanted to rest after doing their best, as soon as they saw a monster, they must be ready to fight again.


    ¡°So, who concurred the Labyrinth?¡±


    Donna spoke quickly, as if hoping Leake would be quick to tell her. As an adventurer, it was only natural. Even Peyrouse who didn¡¯t say it out loud, was deep down curious.


    ¡°It seems to be the Trimagitack. There¡¯s a crowd over there. Let¡¯s go see!¡±


    Peyrouse followed Leake. They weaved through the crowds and were scolded by the other adventurers for pushing, but they kept pushing on, taking advantage of the small gaps. After passing through countless crowds, Peyrouse caught up with the figures. The Trimagitack members, accompanied by a guild staff, was on their way to the treatment center from the Guild House. Their worn equipment indicated that they had survived countless life and death battles. It was clear they were all injured by the fierce attacks that their armor couldn¡¯t withstand. There was no glamor. Only one word: ¡°exhausted¡± that accompanied them.


    ¡°Uh, what a terrible injury. As expected, coming out unharmed isn¡¯t an option.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re exhausted, but¡­ an adventurer who¡¯s full of injuries, looks strangely cool.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    Replied Peyrouse to Donna¡¯s words, but his eyes were still stolen by a man. To be exact, the mercenary who recently joined the Trimagitack. The armor worn by the man looked like as if it had been mercilessly crushed by something huge. His broken limbs were fixed with splints, and he was supported by the leader of the Trimagitack, Merrill.


    ¡°ah, uh¡±


    The gaze of Peyrouse staring intently at the mercenary was noticed by the dark and muddy eyes. Such a cold look was directed to him. Still, he didn¡¯t look away from the man. When he first met the man, he was just terrified and horribly confused, but now his curiosity outweighed his fear. To be more precise, there was also a sprinkle of envy.


    ¡°Even though it¡¯s dark, it¡¯s, dazzling.¡±


    When Peryrouse saw the mercenary¡¯s back, that figure became an unforgettable memory and imprinted itself on his mind. A movement that was difficult to detect, a flash could easily knock out even the Bone Collector. Peyrouse tracked the owner of this dazzling figure with his eyes. A ferocious man who could reach the 30th floor alone, even if there were ten Peyrouse now, such a feat couldn¡¯t be imitated. A single blow from him and a pile of corpses would be left behind. Still, Peyrouse was determined. To get closer to where such a power lay.


    Although Peyrouse threw nothing at the mercenary named Walm, he continued to send silent praise to those who conquered the Labyrinth with all his might.

 CH 139

    139. Chapter 139


    For the first time since the Unification War, a conqueror had been born from Belgana, and the Labyrinth City was bustling with activity as if at a harvest festival. In contrast to the relentless heat of the city, the air in one room remained cold and stagnant.


    ¡°A conqueror has appeared. Above all, it¡¯s the party to which that mercenary belongs.¡±


    The mercenary wasn¡¯t only the enemy of Giesel¡¯s younger brother, but this time he tried to get in the way by becoming the conqueror of the labyrinth.


    Giesel was even impressed by the fact that the mercenary had been involved in his life as if it was destined.


    ¡°Though it¡¯s a bit strange, he has ¡¶Demon Fire¡· and demon eyes. Add the Trimagitack, and it¡¯s not something that they can¡¯t reach, I guess.¡±


    Unlike Giesel, who felt a growing sense of danger, the old man explained without showing the slightest wavering.


    ¡°It looks like they brought back fangs and claws, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a complete Undead Dragon.¡±


    Said Fausto doubtfully.


    The old man gave an answer.


    ¡°The firepower shouldn¡¯t be insufficient to bury a complete Undead Dragon. A real dragon isn¡¯t a cheap existence to the extent that it can easily fall. The fact that all five came back, means they didn¡¯t make an offering. Did they find a way to deal without it? Even so, that doesn¡¯t change what they¡¯ve accomplished. A conqueror isn¡¯t something that can be measured by power alone after all.¡±


    Even if the Undead Dragon was imperfect, the Trimagitack managed to kill it. From this information alone, Giesel concluded that his subordinates would have a hard time putting the plan into action. Besides Merrill, the people from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild and the Borgia soldiers would be on their way too.


    ¡°Giusto, why you must get killed by a troublesome guy.¡±


    Even the loss of a large number of members entrusted to Giusto was already a pain.


    Giesel couldn¡¯t help but wonder about his younger brother, who continued to cause him trouble even after death.


    ¡°Stop lamenting, Giesel.¡±


    Giesel grimaced and shook his head at the soothing words one normally said to a toddler. Only an old man from the slums could say such words to Giesel.


    Fausto was the only one remaining silent in restraint, but such a serious man probably wouldn¡¯t even be able to say something witty.


    ¡°Do you have a good idea, old man?¡±


    ¡°If more continue to dive deeper, an increase in the city¡¯s overall strength inevitable. If more conquerors are born, our plan will be stuck. Just the fact that a conqueror is born, the city, no, the people within will get motivated. I think, it¡¯s time.¡±


    The dead tree-like old man, whose expression wasn¡¯t easy to read, was certainly smiling. What kind of feeling spurred up within the old man? Giesel had no way of knowing completely. Even if Giesel relied on Fausto to decipher it, nothing good would come out as he still had his fake mask stuck to his face since his blunder in the Labyrinth.


    The most important thing, however, was that the old man, who usually gave commands only with a wave of his hand, moved directly. Finally, he emerged from the darkness.


    ¡°No holding back huh? Well, whatever the means, it¡¯s fine with me as long as the mercenary dies.¡±


    Giesel was only a supporting character, as a ¡°Monster¡± hiding in the darkness was about to appear on the main stage. For the Labyrinth City, this would certainly be a turning point.


    Accompanied by ¡°Death,¡± Giesel would also attend the feast. If he could take revenge in the process, that would be the best outcome. That would calm down any complaint that might come from his foolish brother in the netherworld.


    In the sludge-like slum, the malice that had been nurtured and expanded over the years about quietly made its appearance.


    ¡ô


    After being injured in a battle with a group of manhunts, Walm was placed under house arrest in a guest room after being treated. He never thought he would end up back in the same place in such a short time. This time, however, it was much larger than the last room he was housed in. And not only were meals served, but snacks as well. The treatment was much better than when he was treated like a suspect. Of course, Walm wasn¡¯t so childish as to be openly grumpy. After all, it was only natural that there should be a difference in treatment between the conqueror and the suspected suspect.


    While Walm was being regularly treated by a healing magician, Merrill, who had the lightest injuries, went outside and responded to having a discussion with guild officials. After all, the long-awaited conqueror had finally been born. Expectations were high, and there was no end to the number of visitors, from the people of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild to the army and nobles. Besides, information about the bottom of the Labyrinth was scarce, and everyone was desperately trying to extract even a small amount of it from them. Merrill, who belonged to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, used the Marquis¡¯ family and the Guild as a shield, but still, she had no time to rest.


    In order to take care of the exhausted Merrill, Walm provided a certain ingredient to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. It was the meat of the Kraken, which was now reborn as dinner and placed before their eyes. From simple salt-fried Kraken tentacles to flour-coated fried Kraken tentacles. The Guild¡¯s cook was indeed excellent.


    ¡°¡­¡­ C-can you really eat this tentacle?¡±


    In the Labyrinth, Merrill, who was always calm at all times and even buried the Undead Dragon, had a trembling voice. Walm had also eaten octopus and squid in his previous world, but he had no experience of tasting something similar since he was born in this world. The appearance of Kraken tentacles was only slightly larger, and the shape itself wasn¡¯t that much different. First off, Walm was sure he would¡¯ve no problem eating them.


    ¡°It¡¯s prized by sailors, you know.¡±


    ¡°Well, I know it¡¯s a delicacy and a luxury ingredient, but the way it looks just¡­¡±


    ¡°You guys too. No need to hold back.¡±


    Walm had no acquired dislike for tentacles that originated in the sea, but Merrill, who had no experience with these ingredients, had to gather much courage to eat them. He urged the others to eat too, but the others just continued to stare at the tentacles. Even Hari made some complaining noises. Strangely, or maybe not, from Walm¡¯s point of view, it took more courage to eat the meat of the peculiar humanoid pig (orc).


    Marianthe pushed back the plate as if to oppose Walm¡¯s words and actions. And the hard sell that disguised as good intentions enveloped her.


    ¡°Walm and Hari are the most seriously injured, so you two have them first.¡±


    ¡°Nnnnnn, isn¡¯t that a little cowardly, Marianthe?¡±


    Hari was unusually agitated and tried to resist.


    A sudden wait-and-see contest began, with no end in sight.


    Thinking that nothing would happen at this rate, Walm suddenly thrust the tentacles into his mouth with a fork.


    ¡°Eh, aah¡±


    Merrill let out a voice, as if Walm had ingested poison. Walm, on the other hand, was busy savoring the flour-coated fried tentacles. The chunky, thick meat was really chewy. The texture of the sucker was like an accent, as if it were bursting in his mouth. The more he chewed, the more umami spread across his tongue.


    ¡°Is the taste, okay?¡±


    Marianthe timidly asked.


    Walm, who was chewing well and enjoying it, swallowed and answered.


    ¡°It¡¯s delicious. In terms of texture, it¡¯s closer to elastic meat than fish.¡±


    Walm was no stranger to describing the taste of food, but he was no food expert. He couldn¡¯t do a better job of describing it to get the message across, and decided the most effective way would be to eat one after another.


    ¡°It smells good, right?¡±


    It was rare for Walm to be stared at while eating, but they all looked so serious.


    Having finally given up, Merrill took the first bite.


    ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯ll take a bite.¡±


    Merrill tentatively brought the food to her mouth and began tasting the tentacles. Everyone held their breath and watched.


    ¡°Umm, it¡¯s delicious.¡±


    Merrill, who had her shoulders stretched out, smiled.


    After the vanguard took the first hit, the other party members jumped in as well. They all carried the tentacles to their mouths as if the restraining rope had been cut.


    Even the meat of the Kraken, which they were so cautious about before eating, once it was in their mouth, they couldn¡¯t help but sing praises.


    After dinner, which consisted mainly of seafood, Walm walked out of the Guild House. Thank you to the daily healing magic and rest, his wounds had healed enough for him to walk by himself.


    When Walm felt the heat in his stomach, burning from his abdomen to the top of his head, he thought that this must be the result of eating the Kraken meat. He could also feel that his heart beat faster than usual. Such immediacy. The Kraken meat was undoubtedly had excellent nutrients and good for restoring stamina. It was even said that Kraken meat was popular among aristocrats who longed for heirs. Because if they ate it, the dead vigor would be resurrected.


    The bustle of activity still echoed from the nightless city. While exploring and walking around the less popular places, Walm arrived in front of an old stone monument. It was a memorial monument. Dated from the time of the Unification War, it was derelict and half-ruined.


    Walm took two cigarettes from his waist bag, lit them, and took one to the base of the monument and the other to his own mouth. He did it knowing full well that this would never be a substitute for incense sticks.


    Breathed out the purple smoke inhaled. Smoke dispersed into the sky. Only a bitter taste was left on the tongue.


    Walm knew this wasn¡¯t good for his lungs. Still, it was necessary. He had learned that death was heavy. Even more, after he was put in a very different position than his first life. It was necessary for him.


    It was said that over time, people¡¯s deaths might fade, be forgotten, and eventually disappear. Deep down Walm wished that were true.


    Smoke slowly rose from the base of the cenotaph. As Walm continued to stare dully ahead, he cooled himself with the night breeze. He drifted away with the smoke while thinking of nothing but something vague. However, he had to end his rambling walk soon, for footsteps were approaching.


    ¡°Are you done with your work?¡±


    When Walm turned around, there stood Lisi, who had finished her work. She must have watched Walm walking around nearby.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve finished today¡¯s work. Hmm, this may be a little late because I couldn¡¯t make time, but congratulations on conquering the Labyrinth.¡±


    It seemed the receptionist had dutifully come to deliver the words of congratulations.


    Walm grabbed the cigarette and turned to Lisi to return her thanks.


    ¡°Thank you for taking the trouble to say that even outside of work hours. And thanks to Lisi¡¯s advice, I could do that. If I¡¯m still alone, perhaps, I may still be wandering inside the Labyrinth, or already dead. Really, thank you.¡±


    Walm revealed his true intentions without deceit. He alone couldn¡¯t have overcome the repeated difficulties after the 35th floor.


    ¡°Supporting challengers is, after all, part of my job. Besides, I¡¯ve already received your thanks.¡±


    Lisi slid her sleeves to reveal a silver bracelet with a crimson grass motif. She was wearing the item given by Walm.


    ¡°Considering the result, it turned out to be a very cheap gift huh¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impolite, you know.¡±


    Lisi, who got her mood soured, pouted slightly. Walm acknowledged his embarrassing gaffe and shrugged his shoulders as if to surrender.


    ¡°Sorry. I was born in the countryside and raised in the military, so I¡¯m not familiar with the term ¡°polite¡±.¡±


    ¡°Fufufu, I think I¡¯ve heard a similar excuse before. But well, even if you say so, it seems like you don¡¯t forget to respect the dead.¡±


    Following Lisi¡¯s line of sight was the cigarette Walm offered to the monument. The smoldering fire continued to spew purple smoke into the night sky.


    ¡°Not with good intentions. I reluctantly did it out of guilt. I¡¯m just a coward.¡±


    It was the same in the previous world. Walm left random offerings at a dilapidated shrine that no one visited, and even took calls from customers after hours. If he had had the strength to pretend not to see it, he could have lived differently.


    The embarrassed Walm frowned. Seeing that expression on his face, Lisi asserted without hesitation.


    ¡°Still, it seems to me that you have a strong sense of duty. Compared to those who just talk and do nothing, you¡¯re much more trustworthy.¡±


    ¡°Such kind words. Thanks.¡±


    In the midst of the silence, Lisi raised a question.


    ¡°Walm-san, did you find what you were looking for at the bottom of the Labyrinth?¡±


    ¡°Somehow I found it.¡±


    The treasure Walm was looking for, the crimson grass, was quietly staying in his magic bag. It also meant that there was no longer any reason to wander around the Labyrinth.


    ¡°What are you going to do about the party?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve achieved my objective. Following the contract, I plan to leave.¡±


    After all, in a sense, Walm¡¯s role was nothing more than a temporary side guy. The Trimagitack with an even better reputation than before would have no problem finding a better companion than a bloody soldier.


    ¡°Have you talked about it to the party members?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­No¡±


    The problem was that Walm returned from the Labyrinth in a bad state and missed the moment to withdraw from the party. Still, he was reluctant to continue relying on the party¡¯s good intentions and prolong the relationship.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think they want Walm-san to leave.¡±


    Walm didn¡¯t interfere and continued to listen to Lisi¡¯s words.


    ¡°Merrill-san must be very busy right now. After all, guests are constantly coming to visit. Even so, she cares about Walm-san, and the same is true for the others. So until the ceremony is over, you should think about the option of properly joining them. As the guild employee ¨D¨D and as an individual, I really hope that you will stay.¡±


    Without giving an immediate answer, Walm pondered.


    The gruesome battlefields, the crumbling homeland, and the memories of his dead comrades continued to bind Walm even after he left the land of Highserk. He was so drunk at the time that his thoughts felt as if they were stuck in the mud. But that feeling of rotting in the mud was fading now.


    Had his earlier encounters and experiences in the Labyrinth City caused his bad memory to fade, or had he grown a little as a person? Walm didn¡¯t know.


    Next to the pondering Walm, Lisi waited without saying anything.


    After a while, Walm opened his mouth.


    ¡°Honestly, I¡¯ve always hated adventurers. Thought that I would despise being friends with them. Even so, I¡¯ve gotten used to them¡­ I¡¯ve come to like them a little, better than before¡­¡­ Right. Ever since I came here, Lisi, you¡¯ve helped me a lot. So yeah, I won¡¯t be stubborn, and will have a talk about the future after the ceremony is over, as you suggested.¡±


    Lisi nodded with satisfaction at Walm¡¯s answer.

 CH 140

    140. Chapter 140


    The ceremony celebrating the birth of the conqueror was estimated to be on the scale of an entire city. Merchants from the surrounding cities gathered for the aristocrats and wealthy people who attended the ceremony. The merchants who had their stores in the city also livened up the streets every day, praising the Conqueror. The merchant mentioned their name just because one of the conquerors once visited the shop, what a strong merchant spirit they had.


    The Trimagitack party members had less and less time to meet, as they were busy with the guests who came incessantly. But perhaps that was why they used their little free time to meet.


    ¡°That vice-guild leader said that Walm was a contract holder so he could only participate from the spectator seats. When I heard that, I thought of throwing him out the window.¡±


    ¡°That makes me happy, but there are also internal regulations within the guild. It would be unhealthy for such an organization to be so flexible, and keep making exceptions again and again.¡±


    If exceptions were always made, discontent would build up within the organization. Walm, who used to belong to an organized society in his previous life, knew this firsthand. Bending the rules, as long as they produced results, could lead to disaster.


    ¡°Walm, why are you so cold about these things?¡±


    Even if Merrill was angry at what appeared to be unfair treatment, after seeing that Walm, who was the concerned party, didn¡¯t really mind, her anger withered away.


    ¡°Still, are you sure? It¡¯s a great honor, you know?¡±


    Said Hari, as if to remind Walm.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t suit me. The Adventurer¡¯s Guild also wants to highlight the people of Belgana. Besides, I¡¯ve got nice food and a bed for a while. So, no complaints.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re stubborn in a strange way.¡±


    Marianthe, who was resting her cheeks on her hand as if to say she was already used to it, let out these words.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like he can¡¯t attend at all. More than that, Walm¡¯s armor, which has turned into ¡°iron scraps¡±, seems like, will be ready in time for the ceremony.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t believe there was a guy who received such a request to finish it in such a short period of time.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the armor of one of the Conquerors. I¡¯m sure anyone would be fired up. But well, thanks to those dwarves for their kindness I guess.¡±


    Speaking of dwarves, there were few among Walm¡¯s acquaintances. It was one of the few groups that came in and out beyond the 30th floor. It was a group of 4 dwarves and a beastman, sent by the Aleinard Forest Alliance, who were able to be true to themselves regardless of location.


    ¡°Since the material is, you know it. Apparently, they can¡¯t leave it to others. The dwarves looked so enthusiastic about participating in the iron striking. Not only fighting, but they¡¯re also good at blacksmithing work. Hard to believe that those insensitive dwarves are actually so dexterous.¡±


    Said Merrill, while recalling a personal dissatisfaction. Behind the dynamism with which they split the monster¡¯s head with a battle axe was the sensitivity and dedication inherent to craftsmen.


    Nevertheless, Walm wasn¡¯t dissatisfied. The armor that had gone out of shape in the battle with the Undead Dragon would be revived with a small amount of mithril and the ashes of the Undead Dragon. In addition, Walm¡¯s intention to adopt the design of his old armor was accepted. So it would be finished without changing the basic design, but there would certainly be some differences.


    ¡°And Hari, how about it?¡±


    Merrill asked Hari about his progress.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s an old acquaintance. So, it¡¯s quite difficult.¡±


    The two talked about the method of taking the crimson grass. Hari had gathered information from people he knew when he was in the church, but he was afraid that a strange rumor would spread, so he couldn¡¯t proceed at will, and so progress wasn¡¯t that great. After all, it was a treasure that was said to be able to cure all kinds of diseases. For those who didn¡¯t have much time to live, it was an item they wanted so much that they would die for it.


    ¡°At first, I was going to look for it by myself. I¡¯m saved.¡±


    The only person who came to Walm¡¯s mind was the healing mage on the border, Kopetsk City. However, even if the healing magician possessed a rare drug, it didn¡¯t mean that the healing magician knew the solution. Moreover, Walm was told about the existence of the crimson grass, which was called the Hidden Treasures of Healing, so that he wouldn¡¯t give up in despair, since the healing magician couldn¡¯t give him a permanent cure.


    ¡°We aren¡¯t strangers you know. We¡¯re comrade-in-arms who¡¯ve dived to the bottom. This much is nothing.¡±


    Said Hari in a voice that sounded a little bland. But hearing that, Walm was at a loss for words. He couldn¡¯t even bring himself to thank Hari sincerely after that, and ended up giving only a vague answer.


    ¡ô


    ¡°It¡¯s really troublesome. Only scandals continue.¡±


    The Vice-Guild Leader of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild Belgana Branch, Raffaele, struggled under pressure from the Marquis family because of the slump in iron production from the Labyrinth. In recent years, the export of meat resources from the low-rank floors had been doing well, but the production of iron materials from the mid-rank floors onward had been declining. This was because the guild wasn¡¯t fostering enough mid-rank or higher adventurers for the job.


    Groups of promising adventurers were blocked by the wall of ¡°difficulty jump¡± in the mid-rank and high-rank floors, and often had to endure the grief of destruction. Of course, Raffaele hadn¡¯t simply remained idle. He promoted the promising adventurers to the guild staff and asked their opinions. They were also tasked to give lectures on practical skills and theoretical lectures. In addition, even highly paid healing magicians were stationed nearby in an effort to improve survivability.


    When a rumor about the Manhunt, which was frowned upon, was circulating, there was no evidence in the search, so the guild concluded that the adventurer¡¯s skills were lacking in general.


    That said, compared to several decades ago when the guild thought they had fulfilled their role by sending users into the black hole after having intensive appointments with the civil officials, the current management system had improved dramatically¨D¨D supposedly.


    The unbelievable news was that there was a clear report of a manhunt appearing within the Labyrinth.


    Who would have believed that the party, which had the oldest member of the guild and who also acted as an instructor, was actually a criminal? Although it was dismissed as a false alarm and Fausto managed to escape, two of his party members were dead and brought back to the guild. Moreover, the one who had reported it was the Trimagitack. Of course, Raffaele couldn¡¯t just ignore it.


    ¡°Now and then, people have broken the taboo in the Labyrinth, but I¡¯ve never thought that the oldest member has been hunting people.¡±


    The exemplary rebellion of Fausto, who spared no effort in cooperating with the guild, was enough to shake the guild¡¯s management system. Raffaele was also busy dealing with it, and he couldn¡¯t even take a good rest.


    ¡°Even so, it¡¯s convenient that his true identity has been exposed.¡±


    Roggo, Raffaele¡¯s assistant and guard, guessed the current situation. Originally an excellent scout in the Labyrinth, Roggo was favorable to the elimination of manhunts. Calling it pus discharge might sound good, but from the point of view of those who had taken the responsibility and had to do the hard work every day, it meant nothing but trouble.


    ¡°That bastard Fausto seems to have harvested parties that had reached a certain level. I mean, he hunts his own juniors, you know? As if he¡¯s breeding livestock¡­ Think about the manpower and cost for the aftermath! There¡¯s even an accusation that we¡¯ve been neglecting the manhunts for many years on purpose.¡±


    It ended up with a silly conspiracy theory that the guild was using a manhunt to gather profits.


    Still, Raffaele couldn¡¯t help but hold strong anger at the adventurer¡¯s excessive gossip.


    ¡°If only, that wanderer had died quietly, it wouldn¡¯t have taken so much trouble. And Fausto is old. Being a Manhunt isn¡¯t a good match for his age. Bet, he would soon wither and rot in the Labyrinth, or, we can just wait for his retirement¡­¡±


    Raffaele pursued Roggo, who seemed to have something to say, as he was acting like a stranger.


    ¡°Hmph, stop pretending to be a good person. This Labyrinth city isn¡¯t a clear stream. In the stream where the crowd has swelled up to the point where it¡¯s difficult to manage, spies from other countries, criminals, and necromancers must be lurking around, and human desires and conspiracy are also swirling. This is such a city. A balance between pure and impurity should be maintained, or it won¡¯t work.¡±


    The Adventurer¡¯s Guild had removed the impurity together with the Marquis¡¯ guards. But there was no end to it. It was like clearing the fog with one¡¯s hands.


    ¡°The same goes for the brothel district and the slums. The Marquis attempted to take full control, but even the investigations failed. That¡¯s the result of dealing with an opponent you don¡¯t know. Worsening the security of the city by the end. In the first place, is it possible to completely control such places from inside the wall? In the end, it would be easier to handle by selecting some of the ruffians and making them official workers. At worst, just treat them like a crowd who likes to cross the line.¡±


    ¡°Now, now, rather we should look forward to the next meeting.¡±


    Roggo mentioned an upcoming event.


    ¡°It¡¯s just an inspection. I wonder if their business is doing well¡­ But really, what a profit¡­ Hahaha, looks like you¡¯re being humble with your face and mouth, but always honest with your needs.¡±


    Raffaele, looking from Roggo¡¯s face to his lower body, snorted.


    ¡°I thought that mercenary would cause more trouble, but conquering the Labyrinth with the Trimagitack? Even the world couldn¡¯t understand why that happened. But, with this, even with that manhunt incident, the profit will still be great at last. Even the displeased Marquis-sama, would be pleased. Above all, besides the regular inspection, to think that those ruffians invited us to the brothel to celebrate the conquest of the Labyrinth. How touching.¡±


    In order to benefit from the advantages that the conqueror brought, those who were quick, acted swiftly indeed. And it was Raphael¡¯s way to give ¡°sweets¡± to those who behaved obediently. Roggo, his prot¨¦g¨¦, was one of them.


    ¡°Well then, Vice-Guild Leader, have fun.¡±


    In the course of their conversation, Raffaele arrived at his desired brothel. Thus, ending his complaints.


    ¡°Hah, you too. It¡¯s going to be a good night.¡±


    Raffaele parted ways with Roggo at the fork in the long passage.


    Raffaele was led by a dull red-haired woman. Although she had a shadowy, unattractive face, she was by no means bad-looking. She clearly had a moderate amount of flesh in the right place, probably because she moved those parts on a daily basis.


    ¡°You look good.¡±


    Raffaele¡¯s vision was obstructed by the darkness and the wafting incense smell, but because of his profession, he had absolute confidence in his memory.


    ¡°It was specially prepared, only for Raffaele-sama, to enjoy this day to the fullest.¡±


    The woman who had lured Raffaele into the room entwined her long limbs and whispered in his ear.


    ¡°Alraune¡¯s incense, it brings a sense of happiness, and eases your mood. Please forget about your daily hard work, everything else, and, just relax.¡±


    The woman was good at putting people at ease. There was nothing wrong with that, even if it was nothing more than blatant flattery.


    The woman expressed that she would gladly put on a farce without a cooling-off period.


    And so, Raffaele generously accepted the sweet invitation.


    ¡°Now, now, who should I entertain, I wonder?¡±


    Along with the snuggling woman, Raffaele overlapped his shadows with hers on the bed. The sweet scent corroded and numbed Raffaele¡¯s mind and body.

 CH 141

    Many people crowded into the large hall, which even the guild officials couldn¡¯t always enter easily. In addition to the blood relatives of the marquis family and high-ranking officials of the guild, even the small aristocrats who were ruling over a small region and big merchants who were in charge of distribution, also gathered to identify the conquerors.


    The guild¡¯s employees, including Lisi, who Walm was indebted to, was busy dealing with them. After all, there were only people with blue blood and prominent figures. Crudeness wasn¡¯t¡­ no, would never be allowed. Nevertheless, the staff did an excellent job of running and preparing for the event on time.


    Having nothing to do at the time, Walm observed the proceedings of the ceremony cautiously from the corner.


    In the course of time, Walm praised the work of the guild¡¯s employees, but changed his mind. Why? He was assigned a seat that was only a few rows away from the front row. In contrast to the worn-out Walm, the people around him were all dressed with dignity and nobility. With the exception of the military personnel, only Walm and a few adventurers wore armor. He had nothing more decent than the armor. Had the armor not been repaired in time, the guards would have looked at him as if he were a poor citizen who somehow had sneaked in.


    Contrary to the glamorous attendees, the security of the ceremony where big names gather was tight. Except for attendants and guards of the participants, all weapons were kept and managed by the guild.


    Even the lonely Walm, who held nothing, didn¡¯t feel any concern about security. Not in the least. At the venue alone, soldiers of the size of a platoon were stationed. From their behavior, he could see that they were thoroughly trained elite soldiers. In addition, the same number of escorts were present. In Walm¡¯s estimation, if the outside of the venue was included, the mobilized soldiers would swell to the size of a company.


    The head of the Marquis Borgia¡¯s family, Orfeo de Borgia, stepped onto the stage and began to greet those present. Behind the Marquis stood the next head of the family, the eldest son. Although it was a celebration for the conqueror, he obviously wanted to lay a foundation for his successor. No one accused him of being selfish. Besides, it was necessary for the one stood at the top of the Labyrinth City to show the high level of military authority and prestige he possessed, both internally and externally.


    That said, when the speech started to mention the introduction of the next head of the family, the family lineage, and even the history, it was a different story. Most of the those present listened intently, but Walm was barely awake, and on the edge of spoiling the atmosphere. One of the aims of the ceremony was to ascertain the conquerors. The rest was heavily implicated by those involved with existing interests who attended in order to strengthen their ties with the Marquis¡¯ family. And lastly, those who had no connections certainly had the goal of getting the Marquis¡¯ family to bite into their interests.


    Even Walm could easily imagine the dizzying exchanges of money, business talks and secret agreements later at the dinner party after the ceremony. After all, you wouldn¡¯t get anywhere in any world if you only believed in sweet empty words and did nothing.


    Walm¡¯s ears picked up a wet cough, as if it had been suppressed for a while.


    It was the guard.


    Walm didn¡¯t know if it was the unfamiliar crowd, the pressure coming from those with the high status, or the inability to endure a long conversation, but some of the attendants and guards looked extremely pale.


    Right. Among the prominent figures was the adventurer¡¯s guild¡¯s big shot, the Belgana Adventurer¡¯s Guild Vice-Guild Leader. That must be the reason. If only he gave a short speech, the Marquis would get the most vote in the ¡°who have the longest speech¡± contest. But that was a vain hope.


    A long story that seemed like an eternity finally came to an end and the party celebrating the success of the Trimagitack, the new conquerors of the Labyrinth, was finally unveiled.


    The colorful colors of the pipe organ, which flattered the ear, gave a splendid touch of color to the ceremony. From the pipe, which reached almost to the vaulted ceiling, emanated a sound pressure that made the stomach shook without rest. The strength of the sound changed according to the walking, the entrance of the main characters of this ceremony.


    The familiar face was sublimated into a hero of a foreign country.


    ¡°¡­¡­ Even as a joke, I still can¡¯t bring myself to laugh at them.¡±


    It was a grand ceremony after all. Even Walm, who should be used to seeing them, was mesmerized by their majestic appearance. The sunlight coming through the stained glass in the skylight penetrated the colored glass, illuminating the path they were going. Nothing but praise to the whoever came up with the design concept, that allowed the path of light to emerge depending on the time of daylight. Walm speculated that the strict time management of the ceremony was also due to the fact that the path would change as the sun tilted.


    The visual and auditory production was a real coup. All eyes in the large square were focused on the Trimagitack and Marquis Orfeo who greeted them. Their graceful appearance could drive even a famous theater actor crazy with jealousy. The Marquis himself gave generous blessings and praise to the members of the Trimagitack, who were lined up in a row.


    And the awarding of medals with a motif of crimson grass, the symbol of Belgana, the Labyrinth City, began.


    Merrill¡¯s hair and eyes were already conspicuous, but the sunlight pouring down and the medal on her chest added another layer of color, making her more conspicuous than ever.


    It was truly a glorious moment.


    As the excitement reached its climax, a blessing¡­ no, a strange noise resounded.


    ¡°What¡­ what¡¯s that sound?¡±


    It was a cacophony and shriek, like a clogged sewer backing up. It was so bad for just a sign for a surprise. So, no way it was. Looking at the confused soldiers and staff, there was no chance that it was planned.


    In the roaring crowd, Walm pinpointed the source of the noise. There was one source of the noise¡­ no, not just one. Hard to believe, but it was thrumming from the Vice-Guild Leader¡¯s throat. Not only from him, but also from many escort soldiers, guild employees, and the participants.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? They¡¯re convulsing!?¡±


    ¡°First of all, drag them outside!!!¡±


    Shouted by a soldier in anger.


    While the guards rushed in to get rid of the perpetrators of the incident. The various strange sounds rang out as if they were coordinated. Then, they inflated like balloons and exploded from within, all at once.

 CH 142

    Chapter 142 ¨C Balance


    Hot air and shock hit Walm¡¯s skin. Reflexively, he curled up to cover his vital points. The sight that met his eyes as he peered through the gap between his folded arms was completely different than it had been a moment before. The remains of the scattered people turned to blood and flesh and covered the great hall.


    The sense of reality had still not reached Walm.


    Those present, who until just now had believed in the glory of Belgana, simply lay down on the floor and groaned. The path of light shining through the stained glass was tinged with dark, visceral colors.


    ¡°Ex-explosion¡­? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Walm made his addled brain work hard. The people in front and behind him became exquisite shields, leaving his body remained unharmed. The guests, on the other hand, caught in the explosion flames, confided helplessly to him.


    ¡°Oi, hang in there!¡±


    Shouted Walm to the drooping man, but received no response. The glittering clothes were dirty, and the boundary with the skin was ambiguous, somehow stuck. Still, he was far from instant death.


    To check the condition of the injured man, Walm grabbed the man¡¯s shoulder and turned the man¡¯s face upward, but he noticed something unusual.


    ¡°uh, aahh, a, uh, haagh¡­¡±


    The face was purple overall, and convulsions with vomiting occurred repeatedly. For Walm, who was used to seeing injured people and even burned people, this was the first time he had seen the symptoms. Looking closely at the skin, he could see a white foreign substance stuck in the metal pieces. It wasn¡¯t just an explosion. The explosive that must have been planted on the vice-guild leader and the other people was laced with metal shards and deadly poison to increase its lethality.


    The man being held by Walm arched his back as if to mimic a bow and stopped breathing. He was beyond help.


    Walm laid the body down and let his gaze wander to gather information. As the view cleared, the full extent of the damage became clearer. Half of the guests and the guards were still lying on the ground.


    ¡°CALL A HEALING MAGICIAN!! The Marquis is injured!¡±


    ¡°This is bad. The breathing is¡­¡­ Damn it, what¡¯s this? Deadly poison? Where is the guild leader!?¡±


    ¡°The guild leader was caught in the explosion of the vice-guild leader, and died instantly.¡±


    The glorious voices of praise and the melodies of instruments were replaced by screams and groans. The attendants and soldiers tried desperately to save the injured, but to no avail.


    Soldiers scurrying around the room, guests calling for help, and guild employees disappearing into the exit, pale with fear. These were the scenes Walm¡¯s eyes saw.


    In the midst of this commotion, Walm¡¯s gaze lingered on one particular person. One particular person¡­


    Walm felt thirsty and forgot to breathe, as if time had stopped. He gasped for air and ran through the hall, only for his feet to get stuck on the wet floor. His heart was pounding fast. The more he told himself that he shouldn¡¯t be like this, couldn¡¯t be like this, the more his breathing was disturbed.


    Walm, who reached the wall, put his knees on the ground as if he were repentant and called out.


    ¡°Li, Lisi! Oi, LISIII!!!¡±


    ¡°u¡­ ah, uuuh¡­ a¡­..¡±


    Walm¡¯s vision wavered as he carefully lifted Lisi¡¯s weak body. Fist-sized shards of metal pierced her throat and chest, and she spat copious amounts of blood from her lips. Her eyes were blurry. And her eyelids were closing, as if she couldn¡¯t bear her fatigue. Faced with such a serious injury, she didn¡¯t, she couldn¡¯t respond to Walm¡¯s call, but moved her fingers and lightly shook the silver bracelet on her wrist. She felt as cold as a corpse when Walm clasped her hand.


    ¡°Healing magician, is there a healing magician out here!!?¡±


    With over a hundred people writhing in agony from the poison, there was no one but Walm who would prioritize saving Lisi, the guild employee.


    Removing the poisoned metal pieces should have been the top priority, but Walm¡¯s experience as a soldier set alarm bells ringing. If the metal pieces were pulled out of Lisi, who couldn¡¯t put up a magical barrier, the equilibrium would be lost and she would definitely bleed to death. Even if he tried to cauterize the bleeding, could she endure the pain of having her throat and chest burned? No way a normal person could.


    ¡°Don¡¯t sleep, stay conscious!¡±


    It¡¯s not a time to grieve, don¡¯t panic, think, think of a way¡­!!


    Walm continued to try hard to control the thoughts that were being dragged by his emotions, which tried to deviate from the logical path and jumped into the sorrowful past.


    Even if Walm removed the metal pieces, Lisi would still bleed to death. Besides, he had no way to remove the poison at all. Even healing magicians would have a hard time curing it, indeed, some wouldn¡¯t be able to demonstrate their abilities in the face of a deadly poison.


    While swimming in the sea of thought, the existence of ¡°it¡± passed by. It was one of the Three Hidden Treasures of Healing, the crimson grass that was said could heal all kinds of diseases and even prolong life. Walm had risked his life at the bottom of the Labyrinth to obtain it. Now, a dying benefactor needed it. Immediately.


    The calculating mind rose and cried out, but immediately its lip was shut and it was buried to death.


    Even if Walm pretended not to see all this, blaming his muddy eyes, it would only add a new curse of regret.


    ¡°Wait, I¡¯ll help you now¨D¨D ¡°


    Walm grabbed the bottle he took out from the magic bag and popped the cork. The unchanging flower remained in its form, just as when he had retrieved it from the bottom of the Labyrinth.


    Walm threw words of encouragement to Lisi, while his mind was hesitating about how to get her to ingest it, but then the voice he heard made him freeze.


    Even at the bottom of the Labyrinth, Yuna¡¯s unsettled voice shook Walm¡¯s eardrums. Even more so now.


    Awkwardly, Walm bent his heavy, rusty neck. Familiar faces gathered at the end of his line of sight. The only difference was that Merrill, the party leader, lay on the ground. She was bathed in poisonous shards that made her body shake uncontrollably. To the side, the corpses of the prominent figures of the Labyrinth City were tragically lined up. Unlike them, Merrill had escaped instant death, perhaps because of the difference in how direct the hit was or the difference in the defense provided by the magical barrier.


    ¡°Merrill, don¡¯t give up!!¡±


    ¡°Yuna, stuff her mouth with cloth and makes her bite it¡­ Aaahh, even though I¡¯ve used my bestowing magic, why the detoxifying doesn¡¯t work!?¡±


    ¡°Ah, aaaahh, this is, Hydra¡¯s poison!! It¡¯s so poisonous, enough to knock down the descendants of the giants of the Republic. And that amount, is enough to kill an ordinary person five times over.¡±


    Which one should be saved? The comrade-in-arms with whom he shared joys and sorrows in the Labyrinth, Merrill. Or, the benefactor who had shown and helped him many things since he arrived in the Labyrinth City, Lisi.


    While weighing the two, the reason Walm cultivated as a soldier called out to him.


    ¡°Ah, huu, AHH, HAAAHHH!!¡±


    Dizziness attacked Walm, making his vision even blurrier. A sour taste rose in his throat as he suppressed his sobs.


    What to do¡­? What should I do¡­?!!


    Walm¡¯s emotions were on the verge of bursting. On the contrary, his reason as a soldier ruthlessly perceived the facts. Lisi¡¯s wound on her arm was too deep. Would the crimson grass be enough to help her? His emotions denied the truth.


    Who should be saved?


    In front of the two people caught in a balance, time passed without giving Walm an answer.


    The screams in the noisy hall had decreased one by one. In such a hall, Walm was forced to make a decision, but he couldn¡¯t choose.


    Meanwhile, in Walm¡¯s indecision, Lisi¡¯s mouth moved slightly as she was suffering in his arm.


    ¡°What is it?! What do you want to say?!¡±


    Lisi¡¯s mouth moved slightly, but no sound came out. Walm tried hard to figure out what she was going to say from her mouth movements so as not to miss a single word, but he failed. No more chance. Her body stiffened for a moment before her relaxed arm fell to the floor.


    The silver bracelet made a sound. The high-pitched reverberation of the metal lingered in Walm¡¯s ears. He felt as if he had heard it continuously for hours.


    ¡°O-oi! Lisi? LISI!!?¡±


    Walm understood. Meaningless and unproductive. That was what he was doing. Nevertheless, he continued to throw words around.


    ¡°It¡¯s, a lie. It¡¯s not supposed to be, like this.¡±


    Words would never come out from Lisi again, for life had slipped away from her cold body.


    Walm couldn¡¯t choose between the two on the balance. The result was Lisi¡¯s death. The process wasn¡¯t important. The results spoke louder in the end.


    ¡°¡­forgive, me.¡±


    How could he be forgiven? No sane person would. Walm didn¡¯t choose her after all. Still, he couldn¡¯t help but sob in an apology.


    Walm closed her eyelids with his trembling fingers, placed Lisi on the floor, and walked forward as if crawling. His distorted vision reflected many tragedies.


    Walm took several shallow breaths and sorted his messy consciousness. He realized he couldn¡¯t stay still and drowned in grief. So he made a decision.


    ¡°Walm!? Merrill is¡­!¡±


    Hari, who was concentrating on Merrill¡¯s treatment, tried to explain her condition, while being surprised by Walm, who jumped in without considering whether he would fall.


    ¡°At this rate, she will die. Right?¡±


    What an open-minded way of speaking. Even so, knowing the appearance of Walm and the weight of the thing he held in his hands, no one dared to criticize him.


    ¡°Walm, what about your eyes?!¡±


    ¡°I know. But it¡¯s just eyes, life is more important.¡±


    ¡°Is it really okay?¡±


    At Hari¡¯s insistence, Walm turned his bloodshot eyes.


    ¡°¡­¡­I, can¡¯t go back anymore¡­ Can you hear me, Merrill? Swallow the crimson grass.¡±


    Walm opened Merrill¡¯s tightly closed mouth with his fingers and pushed in some crimson grass, but she just coughed and couldn¡¯t swallow it at all.


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t even have the strength to swallow¡­¡±


    Marianthe was at a loss for words at Merrill¡¯s deteriorating condition.


    No more lament. Walm took out the rum from his magic bag, poured it into his mouth, and immediately stuffed his mouth with the crimson grass. He continued to chew, leaving his stunned companion aside. The rusty bitterness of the crimson grass and the sweet taste of the rum mingled in his mouth.


    Then Walm put one arm around Merrill¡¯s nape, and with the other hand, he put a finger on her chin and poured the crimson grass into her mouth. The liquid flowed through the overlapping lips without a gap. Merrill coughed. He pressed his lips further, tightly to keep the liquid from leaking out. Her throat rumbled, saying that the crimson grass had passed.


    The effect was dramatic. The convulsing body slowly calmed. The drowning breathing came to rest again.


    The exhausted Walm sat down on the floor. It had a bitter aftertaste. Feelings that couldn¡¯t be explained swirled deep inside.


    At that moment, a person grabbed Walm by the shoulder. He looked back with a dumbfounded face.


    The guild employee Lavinia, who normally worked next to Lisi at the reception desk, was about to contort her face and scream.


    ¡°Why, why didn¡¯t you help her? Why did you abandon her!!! If you had used crimson grass, Lisi¡­¡­ might still be alive. That girl, held a feeling for you, so why, WHY!?¡±


    Walm listened in silence.


    It was a very good point indeed. Lavinia, who was close to Lisi, couldn¡¯t accept Walm¡¯s choice.


    ¡°In this situation, no one can stay calm. And you bastard, should better watch your mou¨D¨D¡±


    ¡°Hari, stop. I didn¡¯t choose, I couldn¡¯t choose, I killed her. Nothing¡¯s wrong.¡±


    Hari, his face colored by anger, shouted at Lavinia, but Walm stopped him. Lavinia, whose eyes crossed with Walm, lowered her face and simply hit the ground with her gaze.


    ¡°The one to blame, shouldn¡¯t be Walm! He, even disregards his rotting eyes just to¨D¨D¡±


    Marianthe was about to continue, but was interrupted by soldiers rushing into the Great Hall. The soldier, who must have been a messenger, reported to the surviving general.


    ¡°1000-man Commander Edoardo, a message was sent using communication magic tool!! Similar necromancy magic-style human bombs exploded at the labyrinth-related facilities, the staff room, and the main castle. And the damage is enormous. In addition, in the old castle, the city area, the castle gate, and many more, a large number of undead and armed forces of unknown affiliation have been confirmed.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the total number!?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s unknown, but the number of undead alone exceeds several thousand, and a lot of the equipment clad in their rotting body seems to be from the era of the Unification War.¡±


    The general, whose name was Edoardo, gritted his teeth and let out a yell.


    ¡°This kind of tactic, is from the era of the Unification War. Did the dead, really crawl out of their grave!!?¡±


    ¡°Ma-Marquis-sama, and the eldest son have passed away. Even the guild¡¯s high-ranking officers and also the soldiers at the command post¨D¨D what should we do?¡±


    Edoardo looked at the messenger soldier and raised his voice.


    ¡°Don¡¯t panic!! First of all, mobilize all the soldiers and adventurers who can move in the vicinity and assemble the numbers. Regardless of affiliations or units. We don¡¯t know the exact casualties of the higher-ranking people in the chain of command¡­ Gather those who can take control, the first priority is to remove the threat!!!¡±


    The soldiers who had received the scolding scattered outside the room. There were no lives left to save.


    Walm heaved a small sigh. He thought Edoardo¡¯s voice was really good. One of the exemplary voices of those who could move people.


    Ironically, Walm¡¯s spirit returned to reality at the command of a general from another country.


    What should have priority was the elimination of the worst, the fatal, the one who had caused the situation that made the heart vomit pain.


    Walm wholeheartedly agreed with the command.


    ¡°¡­ I¡¯ll leave Merrill in your care. I¡¯ve something to do.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    ¡°Where are you going?! Walm!!¡±


    Walm ignored the voices of his companions trying to stop him. He dodged the frantic guild staff and guests and walked down the hall. Not necessarily, but Walm had an expression on his face that he didn¡¯t want to show them, the proper adventurers, if he could.


    Fortunately, Walm had an idea. While the victims fell into confusion and grief after being struck by tragedy, he didn¡¯t overlook one person whose face turned pale with fear. It couldn¡¯t be unrelated at all. After all, this was a man who also served as Raffaele¡¯s escort.


    When Walm was under house arrest in the guild, the man was always with the deputy guild leader. And when he saw his precious owner burst, he just trembled with fear without being sad or confused. So the answer was obvious. Walm was convinced that he was in a position to know the culprit.


    ¡°Yeah, sure. If that¡¯s what you want¡­¡­ I¡¯m quite good at both, killing¡­ and war.¡±


    For the community to which he belonged¡­


    For himself in the name of self-defense¡­


    Walm had killed countless people with such justifications.


    ¡°I won¡¯t blame anyone. I won¡¯t make excuses. It¡¯s me, all with my own will, the one who will kill you all. Every single one.¡±


    With these words, Walm put on the demon mask.


    The emotions that had been so turbulent now blended with the mask. As if to confirm and show the murderous intent of its owner, the mask trembled greatly. And to such an excited mask Walm gave a confirmation.


    ¡°Yeah, I know. Don¡¯t make such a fuss. I can¡¯t wait either.¡±


    Author¡¯s Note :


    The Crimson Grass, in the language of flowers, means Sacrifice, Compensation, and Balance.


    TN: It seems the Author was inspired by Poppy flower. Since it has kind of those meanings.

 CH 143

    143. Chapter 143 ¨C Heartbeat


    The torrential rain hitting the armor was pouring down without knowing when it would stop. The rainwater seeping through the cracks stung the man¡¯s skin, robbing him of his thoughts and senses. Still, the dyed blood wasn¡¯t washed away.


    Around the man, the soldiers of the Archipelago who had just been buried sank to the ground. It wasn¡¯t known how many people he had killed since the war began.


    ¡°The, the main castle, has fallen.¡±


    ¡°The main army has already¡­¡­¡±


    Said a subordinate of the man with a trembling voice.


    All that could be heard was a tragedy. A decisive defeat in a battle. The defense of the Labyrinth City with the remaining forces would never come true. After all, the long-awaited Republic reinforcements were prevented from arriving in time by the Forest Alliance and the Archipelago, leaving them stranded.


    Even a toddler could understand the situation. The man, the country had lost the war. His heartbeat felt like it was about to burst, so he suppressed his rough breathing to calm it down. He couldn¡¯t collapse. At least, not yet.


    ¡°Huuu, uh, huh, our, city¡­¡±


    A subordinate, lying on the ground with his armor off, stretched out his trembling hand. The wound was pressed with a cloth and a bandage, but the bleeding didn¡¯t stop. While the blood entered the ground, life was leaving the body.


    The man, willing to get dirty, went down on his knees and pushed back the fingers of the dying subordinate.


    ¡°We¡¯re still holding out. Republic reinforcements are coming soon.¡±


    With a smug look on his face, the man lied to his men. Destruction of the main army, fall of the Labyrinth City. The truth was too cruel.


    ¡°Fuh, ha, hah, you¡¯re, still bad, at lying, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    The man was naive and stupid. He couldn¡¯t even let his dying subordinates go in peace.


    ¡°Stop, don¡¯t talk anymore. It will hurt your wounds.¡±


    Don¡¯t let the dying subordinate talk. The man tried to reassure him in this way, but he shook his head in denial and continued.


    ¡°I¡¯m, gonna die. That, much, I know¡­¡­ a, aah, f*ck, I couldn¡¯t, do anything, in the end. Definitely, definitely, they, will¡­¡±


    Before the subordinate could say his last words, life finally left his body. The man closed his eyelids.


    Then the man raised his voice and stood up. The market price, the fate of the soldiers who couldn¡¯t protect their country and compatriots, was decided.


    The man pulled out the spear that was still in the corpse and brushed off the blood that was on it.


    ¡°Well, then, let¡¯s go!! That¡¯s¨D¨D all we can do after all.¡±


    At the man¡¯s word, the soldiers under his command raised their weapons and responded. A collection of exhausted, wounded soldiers. Compared to the soldiers of the Archipelago attacking the city, they were really small in numbers.


    There was already no chance of victory. Even after the soldiers realized that, they were about to throw themselves to their deaths.


    The man gave up everything he needed except the fight and was about to give the order to attack, but was stopped by his subordinate who was guarding him.


    ¡°Wait a minute, a messenger¡­¡±


    ¡°Messenger? Now that the main castle has fallen, who¡­?¡±


    It had been a long time since the army hadn¡¯t received proper orders. From where and who sent the messenger at this kind of time?


    Panting and breathing on his shoulders, the messenger began to convey information to the man.


    ¡°It seems that Gundor-sama has successfully escaped. The surviving units, are, to leave the city, through the Suderin Forest.¡±


    ¡°No way, are you telling me to live in shame? Look, people are being trampled in front of me!!¡±


    The man¡¯s nails dug into his flesh, and his clenched fists bled.


    Through the wind and rain, the soldiers¡¯ cries reached the man.


    ¡°The continuation¡­ it¡¯s not over yet. Definitely, a rematch¡­¡±


    The temptation of destruction invited the man over and over.


    What would the man do?


    The soldiers who had shared the battlefield so far were behind him. Whatever decision he would make, they would follow him without question. In fact, they waited silently for the next order, without a word.


    Staring at his immobile men, the hesitant man made a choice.


    ¡°I¡­ We, will come back. To this city, definitely. No matter how many years it takes!!¡±


    Vengeance, the man wailed so resolutely in his heart. The next moment his vision was distorted, and then rapidly brightened.


    ¡°Fausto-sama¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­Ah, my bad. Did I fall asleep¡­? It¡¯s about time.¡±


    Too much time had passed for Fausto. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that Fausto¡¯s career since his appearance on the bloody stage was the history of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild Belgana Branch. The guild was made up of various individuals. A swordsman trained to the extreme, an armed monk with a bad drinking habit, a sarcastic scout, an up-and-coming group that would be responsible for the next generation, and many more¨D¨D they were no longer there. Fausto killed them all.


    Anger, frustration, confusion, their faces at the last moment, were still stuck deep in Fausto¡¯s heart. They studied together, encouraged each other, taught each other, and laughed together.


    Really, foolish.


    Of course, it was unnecessary. For such an act was too much to call it a deception. Each time he killed someone, the number of acquaintances and friends he could interact with decreased, and each time his humanity was scrapped.


    ¡°I¡¯m really, foolish.¡±


    A mass of self-contradictions.


    Selfish and shallow. Perhaps too much of it.


    Fausto despised himself for being in contact more than necessary with people who were in contradictory positions, and for pretending that he was repentant.


    On ¡°that day¡± when Fausto cried, his mind was full of anger, shame and regret. Only a century had passed since then, but he couldn¡¯t always remain faithful to these feelings.


    Sweet and weak. And that was the reason Fausto lost everything. That should be.


    Fausto felt that he had to let go of his emotions. Otherwise, for what purpose did his comrades-in-arms who had died earlier and those who had been buried until now die? He had to go crazy for them, in the right way. Yes, in the right way.


    Fausto, who had regained his Noh mask-like expression, slowly opened his eyes.


    Everything would begin and end in less than half an hour.


    Before Fausto lined up his compatriots who had lived together for a century, the descendants of the people whose future had collapsed and perished. Thousands, tens of thousands of compatriots from the time of the Unification War had become fewer.


    ¡°The time for staying in hiding is over. You¡¯ve endured well until now.¡±


    Only silence answered Fausto eloquently.


    The slums, though dirty as sludge, were really comfortable. Compared to the previous dormant time, it could be said that half an hour, felt like an instant.


    A low, muffled sound echoed through the city. Slowly it spread out like a chain. It was a curse and a blessing. The start and the end.


    Screams and cries echoed off the walls. To Fausto¡¯s ears it sounded like a hymn. The die was cast. No stepping back.


    ¡°Rematch, it¡¯s a rematch!! Raise the battle flag in our city!! The old man¨D¨DGundor-sama, is concentrating on the operation and preparation of the legion. We will continue to attack the key points!! Don¡¯t stop walking even if you lose your eyes!! This is the final war we¡¯ve been longing for. Let¡¯s remind them, whose land this is, and whose tombstone we paid for this false peace. One last time, Prove your loyalty to King Eisenbagh van Gundor!!!¡±


    Fausto¡¯s command, which had never been given before, echoed through the room. The soldiers shouted, raised their swords, stamped their feet, and answered his cry.


    A hundred years of silence had finally been broken, and Fausto¡¯s heart, which had stopped since the Unification War, began to beat again.

 CH 144

    Roggo, an employee of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild Belgana Branch, was an excellent scout who specialized in Labyrinth. His natural sense of smell hadn¡¯t changed after his employment as a guild employee, and he had an excellent sense of politics within the guild and was skilled at sniffing out danger. For this reason, he joined the faction of the Vice-Guild Leader, whom he knew had a twisted character, and acted obediently.


    Now the intuition of sensing danger rang the alarm bell in his head louder than ever. And at the sight of the exploding Vice-Guild Leader, it was clear what had happened.


    ¡°Are you kidding me? Why are the ghosts, now of all times¡­?¡±


    On ¡°that night¡±, Vice-Guild Leader Raffaele was implanted with a bomb, which was frequently used during the Unification War. Not long ago, the bomb exploded, leaving him with only a few organs to survive for a very short period of time. The materials were fire-breathing lizard organs, black water, and some poison or metal shards, depending on the preference of the maker. And this time, the venomous fangs of the Hydra buried by the Republic were used for the bombs.


    Roggo, who knew the history of the Labyrinth City, realized that this method corresponded to the tactics used at the end of the Unification War.


    In the first place, the Labyrinth City was on a loathsome land where a mighty dragon vein flowed. If negative factors overlapped, it could easily become a Demon Territory.


    What was happening right now, must be a conspiracy between the ghosts of the Gundor family, a prestigious family of necromancers that once ruled the Labyrinth City, and the Republic. And considering the monsters that swarmed within the castle walls, the plan must have taken more than a few years to complete. It must have been built several decades, or worse, since the end of the Unification War. The families of those who were involved, whether intentionally or not, would definitely not be forgiven. These were what Roggo speculated.


    So, Roggo thought that he should leave the country as soon as possible. After all, there was no way the Republic, which inherited the blood of the vindictive giants, could be satisfied with only this much.


    Running with a rough breath, Roggo felt a dull pain in his chest and looked down at his chest.


    ¡°What, is this?¡±


    There was a mark on Roggo¡¯s body. It was a pattern he had never seen before, but it couldn¡¯t be unrelated to this turmoil.


    Roggo tried to figure out what the effect was, but it was no longer necessary. The ghouls that were devouring the citizens around him moved their glare at him. It wasn¡¯t one or two. Now, he realized why he wasn¡¯t chosen as a human bomb. He had been chosen as an attractor for the monsters, whether he liked it or not.


    ¡°Piece of sh*t, you made me a live bait for the dead, huh?¡±


    Quite a few former adventurers were involved in running the guild. Roggo also acted as a scout inside and outside the Labyrinth. A monster of this level? He had encountered it many times.


    Roggo drew a machete that hung on his waist and accelerated.


    The thick blade decapitated the undead¡¯s head along with its neck. Then Roggo slashed his machete from above, crushing the skulls of the ghouls that approached in rapid succession.


    ¡°Sh*t, are the dead citizens turning into undead? There¡¯s just no end!!¡±


    Thinking not to get surrounded, Roggo slashed the undead that wanted to hug him on the knees with his machete and slipped past. Taking a lower stance, he slammed his shoulder into the chest of a ghoul that stood in his way. The pushed ghoul reluctantly reached for his clothes, but he shook his machete vertically. The ghoul¡¯s thumb was severed and he was free.


    Quickly, Roggo jumped into the alley at full speed, avoiding a large number of confrontations from many directions.


    It didn¡¯t take long for the narrow alley to be filled with blood.


    The blood pooling on the ground worsened Roggo¡¯s footwork like a curse. But as long as the enemy was within reach, he could survive. His judgment wasn¡¯t wrong. Supposedly. But there were more than ten undead approaching from both sides of the narrow alley, and that changed the story.


    Even if Roggo cut off a hand, shattered a knee, or blinded an eye, the hordes of the dead didn¡¯t stop running. Cold sweat poured incessantly from his forehead, and his breathing was disrupted. It was too much for a body that had grown accustomed to calculations and schemes and not a battle since he had left the line of the Labyrinth. Had he been continuing further in diving the Labyrinth, he would have remained calm, but that wasn¡¯t the case. His mind and body clearly couldn¡¯t bear it any longer.


    Being driven into a corner with no place or space to escape, Roggo screamed.


    ¡°Damn, it, don¡¯t, come, no, nooOOOOOO!!!¡±


    In a frenzied state, Roggo threw his stance and battle experience away and swung his machete recklessly. Trying to survive, he scraped off the fingers, skin, and some of the flesh of the undead, but the hordes of the dead didn¡¯t stop. The blade dulled by fat and blood dug into the muscles and flesh and couldn¡¯t be pulled back.


    Countless arms and teeth approached.


    ¡°Let me goooOOOO!!! ah, aaaAAAHHH!!!¡±


    Outstretched arms tore his clothes, and claws dug into his skin. Followed by a stench of rot and saliva dripping from the undead¡¯s open jaws.


    Roggo shook the undead limbs violently, but that only prolonged his life briefly.


    Death was waving at him ¨D¨D nothing but a string of nonsensical words spilling from his throat in reply.


    Roggo was chaotically grabbed all over his body.


    At that hopeless moment, a hot wind blew down the alley just before his limbs were torn apart. The heat hit the undead¡¯s whole body.


    ¡°¡­¡­uh, hah, ah, what, happened?¡±


    An overwhelming amount of heat burned death, sending it back to hell. The aftermath caused Roggo to sob and had his exposed skin burned.


    Amidst the hordes of dead sinking into a blue sea of flame, a lone man stood as if taking a cold bath.


    ¡°Y-you are¡­¡±


    Roggo knew the man. He was a mercenary who served as a porter for the Conqueror¡¯s party, and his name was Walm. Immediately after this mercenary joined, the stagnant Trimagitack conquered the Labyrinth. Besides the suspicion of his origin, there were also voices that doubted his abilities due to the lack of information, but who would dare to raise a critical voice after seeing the same scene in front of Roggo?


    ¡°Thanks. You save¨D¨D ¡°


    Roggo held his breath and stopped his words of gratitude halfway.


    The man¡¯s passionate eyes shifted from the monster to Roggo. His muddy golden eyes narrowed vertically. Not very human eyes indeed.


    A hot wind rushed through the alley.


    Roggo instinctively sensed danger and began to run.


    The man burned everything in his path and caught up with Roggo in no time.


    Just like that, Roggo was slammed against a wall and was forced to expel the air from his lungs. The hands grabbed him so tightly by the throat that he was suffocating.


    ¡°Stop moving.¡±


    Roggo felt the intent of the heat emanating from the man¡¯s fingers and shut down all resistance.


    ¡°Answer me. Who did this? You were the only one who was frightened while everyone else was confused. And the one who exploded was your beloved Vice-Guild Leader. And what is that mark on your chest? The undead seem to like it a lot. It can¡¯t be irrelevant.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I¡­¡±


    ¡°Tell me what I want. Then, I¡¯ll help you. If you refuse, I¡¯ll burn your limbs and let the monsters eat you. Your life is until the fire in the alley goes out. Choose.¡±


    The muddy golden eyes swayed irregularly, staring at Roggo.


    Direct. Not even a threat. Surely this type of person would do more than just spatting words. That was what Roggo thought.


    Roggo threw away his dignity and spat out all the information he had. Who had invited him ¡°that night¡± and where the enemy¡¯s base might be? Everything he knew, including the guesses he made.


    When the fire went out, the mercenary, finally satisfied, released his grip.


    ¡°So, what are you going to do?¡±


    Asked Roggo, but the reply came quickly. A fire was lit on his chest, instantly burning his skin. He curled up like a baby and cried out in the face of the pain that throbbed directly into his nerves.


    ¡°Ah, aaah, aaAAAAHH!!! Damn it, why? I, answered¡­¡±


    ¡°I burned the mark.¡±


    Shaking with severe pain, Roggo lowered his gaze to his chest, while the stench that burned his skin lingered in his nostrils. From his eroded skin, the mark was burned out. He couldn¡¯t even protest against the rough treatment.


    ¡°Get out of the alley. After that, do as you please.¡±


    ¡°What are you going to do?¡±


    Suppressing the pain, Roggo asked the mercenary.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to cut them down.¡±


    The mercenary spat it out so naturally. Not even pretending to be haughty or that it was a joke. Indeed, he was serious.


    Roggo thought that the unfathomable mercenary could really do it.


    Although Roggo had escaped death, he was so exhausted that he couldn¡¯t move his body.


    A horde of undead was surging again, but was flung away like dust by the mercenary¡¯s halberd and blue flame.


    Getting free from being a target for extermination, Roggo thanked the mercenary from the bottom of his heart.

 CH 145

    The Labyrinth City, where usually teeming with people day and night, was now overflowed with death. Only a few people were prepared for the death that came without warning.


    Walm, who slashed down the undead devouring the living from behind with his halberd and returned them back to the Netherworld, gazed at the crowd of the dead.


    Citizen corpses and ghouls were mixed in a wave of death. Among them, the troublesome ones were those wearing old, moldy armor. And such a troublesome ghoul noticed Walm and approached him with a slow movement, at first. The ghoul, holding a sword, speeded up on the way.


    Walm ducked the blade swung at his head, and as he shifted his stance, he slammed his halberd into the side of the ghoul¡¯s head without hesitation. Obviously, the fragile skull was no match for the iron.


    The undead that approached right afterward, tried to pierce Walm with an uneven cutting-edges weapon, but such an attack was no problem for him. The attack flew through the sky without touching him, and instead, he thrust the spearhead of his halberd from under the chin of the leaning ghoul. Once the attack reached the brain of the deceased, Walm twisted the handle of the halberd with his wrist and stirred the contents. Then, he pulled the halberd out and shook off the filth that clung to it.


    Undead desiring the living were drawn to Walm like humans to a bonfire in the middle of a cold camping night, thirsting for his flesh. Each time he casually swung his halberd, another head and sometimes limbs too were scattered.


    Walm continued to expose the hatred swirling within him to the undead. It just never calmed down.


    The undead that had blocked the road were now pilled up on the roadside. With this, Walm had purified one street, but still, the sounds of battle didn¡¯t stop. It was as if the city itself was violated and screaming in pain.


    ¡°You, are you¡­ a human?¡±


    In a city that had become the city of the dead, such words were thrown at Walm.


    In this turmoil, anyone wearing a demon mask, would be suspected of not being human.


    It was a man who spoke to Walm. Judging by the man¡¯s dirty armor, he seemed to be a guard who kept order in the city.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Starting with the soldier who exchanged a few words, adventurers and citizens with weapons appeared before Walm¡¯s eyes. A motley group of armed huddles tried to force helpless citizens into large taverns and protect them.


    The vicinity of the entrance was colored by the traces of the attack and defense. The rubble of the shattered door was replaced by a makeshift wall of stacks of tables, chairs, and immobile corpses. Through the broken window, one could see the inside of the store. Everyone from elderly people to babies was gathered there.


    ¡°These guys suddenly overflowed from the city. The dead citizens turned into them, no matter how many times, there¡¯s just no end.¡±


    Said the soldier with shame.


    Was the soldier ashamed of the fact that the soldiers, who were supposed to protect the people and property and eliminate foreign enemies, were gathering with some citizens?


    In any case, Walm had also failed to save his benefactor. He had no right to blame the soldier.


    Walm told the soldier whose face was pale with fatigue and tension.


    ¡°With this number. You must have fought well. The guild is gathering a large force. There, it¡¯s safer than here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, and thanks for everything. What about you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve something to do. Do you know the exact path to the slums?¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s that much, it¡¯s a cheap order.¡±


    After getting detailed directions from the soldier, Walm ran again. The monsters that stood in his way were buried by his halberd. To reach the slums outside the castle walls, he had to pass through the castle gate, which also served as a checkpoint.


    Slowly, Walm¡¯s nostrils caught a thick smell of death, thicker than ever. As for the mask, it started to make a fuss, swaying with excitement.


    ¡°It¡¯s close.¡±


    The castle gate beyond the street was shrouded in death. The scars of fierce battles remained in the area, but the victors weren¡¯t human.


    The undead wandered around, blocking the entrance. Although they were in a large number, there was a sense of incongruity. Those who still had some of their pre-war abilities were certainly a threat, but the defenses near the city gates shouldn¡¯t be so weak. A garrison of adequate size should have been placed at the entrance to the city, which also served as a checkpoint.


    Yet, it fell in a short period of time.


    Looking closely, in addition to the traces of the explosion of the human bomb, there were traces of killing marks that in no way came from an undead.


    Walm had a grin smile on his face. He remembered a messenger who rushed into the hall and reported about an armed force of unknown affiliation.


    The role of the undead was to increase the military strength of this unknown power and to increase chaos by feeding on ordinary citizens. Armed forces in small numbers were common in irregular warfare, and the checkpoints that controlled the entrance and exit of the city had to be important targets for them.


    At this point, Walm had several options, but the method he chose was extremely simple.


    A brute force from the front. To crush the surging undead from the front.


    Walm stopped counting after several dozen. He scorched decaying ghouls with his blue flames and shook off his halberd to clean it of brain fluid.


    Today, Walm was in the best physical condition. It had been a long time since he had felt this way. The only possible reason was when he put the crimson grass into his mouth, he must have swallowed a small amount. His eyes were far from healed, but for the time being, they were good enough for him to go all out.


    More undead came at Walm. He took a large step to bring the halberd around his back. An attack infused with mana cut through three approaching undead at once. He trampled the undead, still trying to get to living flesh after having only the torso, with the sole of his shoe.


    A battle axe approached from the front. A sharp attack that no one would expect from a rotten body.


    Walm clenched his elbows, thrust his halberd into the ground, and caught the battle axe with the axe blade of his halberd. He then leaped to the ghoul trying to remove the axe blade that had bitten into the handle of the battle axe, grabbed the ghoul by the throat, and prepared his mana. Soon enough, blue flames leaked from the ghoul¡¯s mouth and esophagus. The undead, who should feel no pain, tried to break free, but immediately returned to the Netherworld.


    Slashing, striking, tearing, and crushing. Walm repeated this over and over until there were only a few undead left in the way.


    The moment the spearhead of the halberd plunged into the eyehole of an undead, Walm heard the sound of strings spanning. Quickly, he tilted his body, leaning forward, to the side and jumped away.


    The arrow pierced the stone pavement. Walm recognized it. No way he could forget it.


    Walm shouted at the arrow feathers and arrow shafts he tasted in the Labyrinth.


    ¡°Fausto, is it you guys?!!¡±


    Walm, who had determined the firing point, speeded up with wind magic and leaped onto the roof of a private house where the archer was hiding. As he whirled up the roofing material and approached, a second arrow came flying toward him. The aim was very precise. Quickly he lowered his head and parried the arrow aimed at his throat with his helmet. With a high-pitched sound, the arrow deviated in a direction where there was nothing.


    Getting close, Walm thrust his halberd. The spearhead didn¡¯t catch the archer¡¯s body, but only broke the thrown bow. The archer jumped back and drew a short sword.


    Walm tried to pursue the archer immediately, but he felt a faint presence from the side and slowed his speed by stepping on the roof with the whole sole of his shoe.


    It was a spear approaching from the side. Walm¡¯s muddy eyes were indeed in good condition today. He intercepted the spear with the lower end of his halberd and changed direction over his head.


    Walm struck back, but the attacker, who failed the surprise attack, quickly made a gap, and now there was a distance between them. It seemed the attacker wanted to play a wait-and-see game.


    In the stalemate, more people came. No need to confirm who they were. For Walm once had a deadly battle with them.


    Right, Fausto and his friends reappeared in front of Walm.


    ¡°It would be a problem if the number of ghouls is reduced further.¡±


    Said Fausto with a flat tone of voice.


    When Walm heard this, his emotions exploded.


    ¡°So, it¡¯s you, FAUSTOOOO!!¡±


    ¡°Walm, what¡¯s wrong with you wearing such a strange mask? Did the Trimagitack die at the ceremony?¡±


    ¡°Shut up, what do you all want, hah?!!¡±


    ¡°Everything is for revenge. It¡¯s a rematch for us, who lost everything in the Unification War.¡±


    The astonishing statement caused Walm¡¯s passion to flare up.


    A deliberate conversation. Even in the midst of the exchange of words, Fausto¡¯s entourage waited for an opportunity to attack and showed movements to the side.


    ¡°Are you trying to call this a war?! Getting unrelated people involved like this¡­¡±


    ¡°Is there anyone who has nothing to do with war in a war? This is our homeland. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers and people mourned, suffered, screamed, and died in despair during the Unification War. Our people, land¡­ their gravestones are carelessly trampled as if it never happened. Who can stand it?!!¡±


    Fausto, with his canine teeth exposed, changed his facial expression for the first time.


    Walm had lost his country. He lost his comrades with his unit at the frontline and killed many when he got swallowed in his emotions. He understood that some of his actions could be considered senseless and meaningless. Still, a hundred years from now. Involving people who weren¡¯t among those involved to satisfy anger was simply incomprehensible to him.


    ¡°Sure there may be circumstances that can¡¯t be compromised, but this kind of act is worse than shit. You guys are 100 years too late!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s too late. Still, the peaceful Archipelago and the opportunistic Forest Alliances will tremble in fear. They will be blown away. Our allies, haven¡¯t forgotten the old pact of a century ago.¡±


    ¡°The Republic, huh?¡±


    Walm heard about the bloody history of the city from Roggo, a guild employee. Speaking of the alliance of the country that once ruled the labyrinth city, there was only one, the Republic of Maylis, one of the three big countries.


    ¡°Well, in any case, if Belgana falls, the times, our times will move again.¡±


    ¡°Ridiculous. Do you really think the city will fall with that number?¡±


    Although the number might be different for a while, in the end, they would be suppressed by the rebuilt garrison. Even Walm could easily imagine this.


    ¡°You¡¯re in no position to laugh at me. You who have lost your country, Highserk, aren¡¯t much different. Show your true feelings, Walm! Don¡¯t you have any hatred for those who burned your country and buried your people?!¡±


    As the same defeated soldier, Fausto threw such words at Walm.


    Had it not been for the encounter and the battle in the Labyrinth City, there might have been some sympathy. But Fausto wounded the comrade-in-arms he had made in the Labyrinth, and killed his benefactor. It was already an irreconcilable relationship.


    ¡°Are you kidding me? A hundred years have passed, you think that still stands as a reason to involve unrelated people?¡±


    ¡°Even though it¡¯s been a hundred years, we¡¯re still alive. We¡¯re alive. The war isn¡¯t over yet. Until one of us dies, it¡¯s not over!!¡±


    ¡°You guys are ghosts trapped in the war. You lost the people and the country you were supposed to protect, yet you still think you¡¯re soldiers? You¡¯re all just a bunch of crazy slaughterers.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. A century, waiting for revenge that long can drive you crazy. Walm, have you ever had the desire to burn the enemies who killed your friends and family? When you know that your enemies are in the city and you can kill them all, can you stay back quietly?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about something wild. What, trying to show how good an instructor you are or something, hah?!¡±


    Fausto scoffed at the enraged Walm.


    ¡°No room for words, huh? What¡¯s the difference? Aren¡¯t we the same? Just defeated soldiers.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have noble ideals, but at least, I¡¯m not as negative as you guys are. I did what I could¡­ Enough, don¡¯t think that you¡¯ll die in peace!!¡°


    ¡°If that¡¯s what you want. Come! I¡¯ll send you to DEATH!!¡±


    The clash of words was over. And this, was the signal for the beginning of a real battle of iron and blood.

 CH 146

    ¡°Lilo, Haunzen, let¡¯s go!!¡±


    The figure of Fausto, extending his spear, disappeared.


    Walm was on his guard, yet he couldn¡¯t help but click his tongue at the extraordinary acceleration. The spearheads collided with each other and a contest ensued. Although Walm had strengthened his body with magic, he leaned back because of the lopsided difference in physical strength.


    The movement of the two companions was also really sharp, though, not as sharp as Fausto¡¯s. Constricting down the space with exquisite positioning and restricting Walm¡¯s movement while narrowing down his options, they approached.


    Walm continued to dance on the fragile scaffolding, taking advantage of the demon eyes, which were in good condition. He felt like he was facing a completely different person than the one he had fought in the Labyrinth.


    ¡°At that time, you went easy, huh?¡±


    Fausto answered Walm¡¯s question.


    ¡°Demon eyes that not everyone compatible, what a big deal. But, don¡¯t think that you¡¯re the only one, who incorporated demon at the end of the war.¡±


    With the blow of the spear, the brick roof was blown away. And the roof made a noise as it couldn¡¯t withstand Fausto¡¯s steps.


    Clearly, Fausto¡¯s body protruded unnaturally around his left arm. Walm, now understanding his words, realized the true nature of his power.


    ¡°Did you incorporate a monster into your body?¡±


    ¡°During the Unification War, my unit was born with the help of Crimson Grass and necromancy magic. No more fear, no more limit. Come, show me what you got!¡±


    Facing a formidable opponent, Walm prepared his trump card.


    The air around Walm was filled with heat, blue flames overflowed from his body, and hot air blew through the surroundings.


    ¡°Uh, guh, uuuhhh!! That¡¯s ¡¶Demon Fire¡· huh.¡±


    Fausto and the others withstood the fire with the help of a non-average magical barrier. Walm knew that they weren¡¯t the kinds who would surrender so easily.


    Walm changed the way he gripped his halberd, raised it above his head, and threw it with hot air. The sharply extending flaming halberd approached the dull shield-wielder among the three. The shield-wielder, deciding that it was unavoidable, solidified his defense. The spearhead of the halberd bit into the great shield as it scraped the metal, and the blue flame spread on it.


    ¡°Haunzen, get back!!¡±


    Fausto and the archer who had lost his bow tried to block Walm¡¯s path, but were a little too slow.


    Walm, who accelerated with the hot wind, pulled the longsword from his waist, cast blue flames on the blade made of Mithril. Flames were dancing along the blade.


    With such a sword, Walm slashed the man named ¡°Haunzen¡±, who held his large shield tight as he approached.


    A single attack combined with ¡¶Strike¡· cut through his armor while burning and melting the iron on the surface.


    As the gazes of Walm and Haunzen, who widened his eyes in astonishment, intersected, the blade that entered from the left hipbone exited again at the right shoulder. A man bisected by a diagonal slash, called ¡°Gyaku-Kesa Giri¡± in Walm¡¯s previous world, sank into a sea of ??blue flames in his death throes.


    Fausto, who had lost one of his companions, showed no sign of flinching.


    They were people who had been preparing for war for a century and had hardened their hatred and determination. It was foolish to expect mental fluctuations.


    Without waiting, a short sword and spear approached in the form of sandwiching the front and back. Walm knelt down and fended off the sharply extended spear with the blade of the longsword. While maintaining the momentum of his sword, he turned around and slashed at the archer named ¡°Lilo¡±.


    The longsword struck the archer in the temple, but as he had anticipated a counterattack, he changed course and leaped just in time while aiming to cut off the knees of Walm, who was kneeling and leaning backward.


    Walm pushed his knee and thrust the short sword upward with his shin guard. A blue flame swirled on his back and the hot air pressed him against the archer¡¯s shoulder. The center of gravity of the archer caught in the sky collapsed.


    Walm stretched out his arm to burn the target at close range, but a spear separated them.


    The nasty attacker immediately changed direction and swung the spear horizontally, as if going after Walm, who escaped the blow.


    Walm bent his upper body backward and let the spear slide over his head. Although his body¡¯s center of gravity lowered, he managed to dodge the attack.


    Without giving Walm pause, the tip of the short sword aimed for his throat.


    Walm squinted his eyes and imagined the trajectory of the short sword. He moved his body and was able to dodge the blade just in time. The thin skin on his cheek was torn, but the magical barrier quickly suppressed his dripping blood.


    Immediately, Walm supported the pommel of his longsword with his hips and plunged the blade tip into the archer¡¯s flank, the structural weak point of the armor.


    ¡°Ugh, guh, gi, iiickk!!¡±


    The blue flames roasted the flesh and boiled the blood. There was a reaction similar to that of a shield-wielder. Whether it was because of where Walm had cut or the difference in the magical barrier: While half of the archer¡¯s body was consumed by blue flames, he pulled a dagger from his waist, aiming to stab Walm.


    Walm extended his hand protector and held down the wrist that had gripped the dagger, but his gaze hastily wandered from the dying archer to the troublesome Fausto.


    Fausto was approaching Walm with his spear raised above his head.


    With enough power, an iron spear would bend like bamboo. Even such an attack from a common soldier could break bones and damage the iron material of the armor. With Fausto¡¯s ridiculous physical strength, his skull and cervical spine would be shattered even through his armor.


    Walm burned the archer, who had been relentlessly trying to restrain him with ¡¶Demon Fire¡·, to death. Then, he immediately parried Fausto¡¯s spear and supported the blade of his sword with his free arm.


    A dull, numbing pain runs through Walm¡¯s entire body. He screamed as his arms and spine creaked. Endured, he endured, but suddenly a feeling of floating dominated his body.


    The scaffolding reached its limits first.


    Walm was slammed to the floor with the remains of the roofing material and the charred remains of the archer. His lungs were asking for air and his whole body ached, but he had no time to falter.


    Fausto approached Walm from above while pressing down on the spear in his hand.


    Walm, getting down on one knee, hit the ground with his elbow, caught the floor with the sole of his shoe, and rolled away.


    The spear smashed the floor and dust scattered all over the room. The room where Walm fell was an enclosed space with a window and an entrance.


    Considering the situation, Walm worked out his mana and fired ¡¶Demon Fire¡· with maximum firepower. Due to the large wave of blue flames that manifested in a short time, the flames that had nowhere to go in the room flooded the windows and doors as they wanted to dance free. This time, its power was to the point that even Walm, who had high fire resistance, started to feel the burn.


    Walm hurriedly escaped through the window and stared at the burning building.


    The outer wall was suddenly destroyed like an explosion. Out of the sea of dust and blue flames rose Fausto, whose body was so bloated that it was hard to believe he was human.


    ¡°Thiz bodyy, hazz begun to go beyond, the human realm. If you, wannaz, kill me, drop me neeeEEECCKK!!¡±


    Not only Fausto¡¯s appearance, but also his tone of voice and manner of speaking had changed. At that moment, the words ¡°fear and limit¡± that he had said earlier popped into Walm¡¯s head.


    The man standing in front of Walm, wasn¡¯t a hundred percent suitable for being a monster, just like him. Fausto¡¯s body was eroding, while Walm¡¯s eyes were rotting.


    A man who now stood between the realm of humans and demons, a man who should now be called a demonic human, came roaring toward Walm.


    ¡°Really, giving up on being a human huh, FAUSTOOO?!!¡±


    Dodging the protruding spear, Walm stepped to the side. Each blow was powerful enough to overwhelm the wind and cut the sky with a resounding blow. A single blow could have decided the situation. Of course, not in Walm¡¯s favor.


    There was no need to wait long, Walm rejoined the fight. He manipulated blue flames and hot air at irregular intervals, confusing Fausto about the sense of distance. His eardrums kept catching the roar of the expelled air, cutting sound, over and over.


    Walm continued to scrape Fausto¡¯s arms and cut the flesh from Fausto¡¯s abdomen. But that wasn¡¯t enough. To settle the matter, he had to hit the vital point precisely. Thus, he continued to close the gap.


    The sound of doom shook Walm¡¯s eardrums. An alarm bell rang in his brain to warn him of the danger. The demon mask, on the other hand, enjoyed the situation and trembled happily every time he hit Fausto.


    Cutting off the viscera, and gouging out the huge arm with the tip of the longsword, Walm scraped Fausto¡¯s life.


    Fausto held his spear in an extremely forward-leaning posture against Walm, who raised the longsword above.


    The stone pavement was torn apart, and Fausto¡¯s figure disappeared.


    Now, the two positions were exchanged and reversed.


    Blood oozed out of Walm¡¯s throat. A ferocious look leaked out on Fausto¡¯s face, but soon the red lines carved into his neck spread out, and flowers of blood bloomed in the sky.


    A very close call.


    Walm learned the pattern from the blow that Fausto, confined in a human body, kept making. Walm wouldn¡¯t have been able to dodge it at first glance. If this had been the first time Fausto let his limit off, the result might have been the opposite.


    Even though Fausto¡¯s throat and carotid arteries were cut and he was struggling to stand still, his eyes hadn¡¯t lost fighting spirit.


    ¡°Thiz, thizz much, izzz, NOOOTTHIIIINNGG!!!¡±


    Fausto rushed in with a wet scream, and Walm responded with a stance that in his previous world was called, ¡°Jodan no Kamae¡±, or ¡°The Stance of Fire¡±.


    The blade, which was raised above the head, cut through Fausto¡¯s torso. His wounds were immediately filled with blue flames. His chest was cut open horizontally. As the slash severed his chest along with his sternum, the blue flames burned him from the inside.


    ¡°It, iz, not, over, yet.¡±


    Fausto propped his knees on the ground and uttered a voice, but he collapsed like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Walm simply stared at the man¡¯s back smoldering with blue flames.


    ¡°¡­¡­died already?¡±


    Not even a glimpse of joy could be felt.


    Just like that, Walm left the place with a bitter aftertaste. He had only cut one pest. The culprit was still out there.

 CH 147

    Born into a Marquis family, Trio Borgia was a man who understood his role well. The current head of the family, Trio¡¯s father, and the next head of the family, his older brothers, had the appropriate intelligence, character, and health. Trio, the third son of the Marquis, was their spare.


    Trio received an education appropriate for someone from a Marquis family and learned etiquette. When his father retired and his brother sat in the position of head of the family, he was expected to act as a supporting member of the family. In the future, he would be entrusted with the territories on the outskirts of the Labyrinth City, or he would be married away to someone from the surrounding nobles and strengthen the connection.


    That said, there was always a chance, albeit a very small one.


    Trio didn¡¯t skimp on the knowledge and behavior training necessary for the head of the family. He wasn¡¯t at war, nor was he ambitious enough to usurp power. He had neither the power, nor the money, nor the army to begin with. Even what could be called a faction of him was only a tenuous existence.


    Only useless training and knowledge were accumulated. Nevertheless, Trio didn¡¯t lazy around. His older brother was excellent and in good health. His father, the head of the family, was still active. There was also no war of inheritance either. In short, what a waste of effort he had been doing. He could just play around. In fact, Trio had heard similar talk from his father¡¯s and brother¡¯s retainers.


    Hearing it, Trio felt anger and shame. But above all, he gave up because it was an accurate impression. If he forgot his status and challenged the Labyrinth every day, the impression would only get affirmed further. Nevertheless, his innate nature couldn¡¯t throw away the role he was meant to play. The days of giving up while he kept impatience at bay. This was what human life, his life, was supposed to be like. Even if Trio lamented his privileged status, it would only be a shameful and extravagant problem.


    The bustle of the city quietly filtered in through the window. It was an extraordinary day. For the first time since the Unification War, a ceremony was held to celebrate the birth of the conqueror from Belgana. Even in the history of the Labyrinth City, this was a remarkable event. As a testament to the conqueror¡¯s power, the Labyrinth City which now had attained the rare resources of the deep floors, would surely continue to develop. And even, the information brought by the conqueror, the Trimagitack, could produce the second and third conquerors.


    Trio dropped his gaze to the book he was reading. It was a history book from the time before the Archipelago obtained the Labyrinth City. Ironically, while the new history was being written, Trio was looking at the old history book.


    The Labyrinth City had brought prosperity to the people, but at the same time, endless wars. The biggest battle was the Unification War, which was fought a century ago. Dozens of nations and communities fought and eventually divided into spheres of influence centered on three big countries. According to one theory, the number of dead soldiers in the entire Unification War was 500,000, and scholars were divided on how high the number would be if citizens were included.


    It was said that in Belgana alone, the fiercely fought area, well over 100,000 soldiers exposed their viscera. There were various theories as to the cause of the intensification, but one of them was that the Gundor family, a respected family of necromancers and the ruler of Belgana at the time, fueled the savagery of both armies through their relentless resistance.


    There was a frowned-upon story about what the Gundor family did. It was said that they turned people into explosives, targeted commanders and key points, turned the corpses and discarded bodies into undead, and incorporated monsters into the bodies of their own soldiers. The defense and the justification emphasized that the soldiers, who had been denounced for doing a vicious act and were filled with hatred and fear, had rampaged and thus massacred soldiers and civilians.


    Trio didn¡¯t know what the correct answer was. For each community had different values and perspectives. And even the history book he was reading had been written by a scholar from the victorious Archipelago.


    After reading the book, Trio turned his gaze to the slum that spread outside the window of his room and thought about what he had just read. The residents, who had limited access to books, had forgotten the terrible war. The only people who remembered it were those who specialized in history and those involved. Even his family didn¡¯t really care. Trio, who had a certain outsider¡¯s perspective and knew the details of history, was the only exception.


    In the face of past history, Trio allowed himself to drift in a sea of thoughts, but then realized that it was useless. He who had no power couldn¡¯t choose the fate of the city, nor could he change it. He was nothing more than a spectator.


    Sitting in an armchair, Trio let out his breath. Unchanging room, boring ceiling. As he deciphered books and conversed indirectly with scholars, his day of idleness came to an end.


    Trio closed his eyes and fell asleep under the sunlight streaming through the window, but his consciousness quickly returned as he heard loud explosions and screams.


    It couldn¡¯t be a trivial matter, Trio thought as he picked up the sword leaning against the wall and opened the door leading to the corridor. His goal was a command post where generals and officers were constantly stationed.


    Passing through many corridors and slipping through the frenzied servants, Trio continued to walk.


    As Trio got closer to his destination, a sour stench drifted to his nostrils. The smell was like the entrails that came out when dismantling prey in hunting.


    Quickly, Trio slipped around the corner.


    The passage leading to the command post was always guarded by four or more soldiers. In addition, the immaculately maintained and polished marble floor gave the command post a serenity that didn¡¯t allow for easy entry.


    Trio, seeing the supposedly strict passageway, was speechless. The white wall of the passage was painted unevenly with vermilion color. What lay scattered there was something that was a human being. There were some that relatively maintained their original form, but no one still breathing.


    Trio hesitated, but he made up his mind and stepped forward. A sticky liquid clung to the soles of his shoes as he walked along.


    Then, Trio found the large door with silverwork was damaged from the inside. He threw the sword in his hand into the broken crack and yanked the door open. A very foul stench overflowed the room and sought another place to spread.


    The command post was even worse than the corridors. Many of the dead who sank into the pool of blood were missing parts of their bodies. They were either dead on the spot or bled to death. And even those who appeared to have only minor injuries were writhing in agony with their eyes opened wide before they finally died.


    As Trio carefully squinted his eyes, he could see some white things mixed in with the blood-stained metal pieces.


    Now, those inside the room who survived the disaster could be counted with fingers.


    ¡°What happened!?¡±


    Trio called out to the soldier, who stood still as if sleepwalking. As if the soldier had just woken up from a dream, he answered in a flustered manner.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know. Human, suddenly exploded. When I realized, it, became like this.¡±


    Trio, who had a sense of d¨¦j¨¤vu of the word ¡°human¡± and ¡°explosion¡±, realized its true nature.


    ¡°¡­¡­necromancy magic-style human bombs.¡±


    An event written only in history happened right before Trio¡¯s eyes. He couldn¡¯t help but feel an ominous promotion. Even the command post in the main castle, considered the best protected in the city, was in this state. And the ceremony took place in the hall. Though it was guarded, it was crowded with VIPs. An imminent crisis was certain.


    ¡°Are there, any operators left?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but, only me.¡±


    ¡°Connect to the ceremony site, which is the guild. Father and brothers must return to the castle immediately and take command. Share this information as soon as possible.¡±


    The movements of the communications operator were slow. During the daily exercises, his colleague suddenly exploded and the command post was partially destroyed. Very unexpected indeed.


    But if the soldier didn¡¯t move because of something unexpected, what was a soldier for anyway? Trio grabbed him by both shoulders and looked him in the face. Fortunately, his own hands weren¡¯t shaking.


    ¡°Take a deep breath, and calm your mind. You¡¯re the only one who can do it.¡±


    The communications operator staggered back to his seat, as if these words had been blasted directly into his eardrums, and began the operation. His movement after starting the work was fast.


    ¡°Test, test, this is the main castle¡­¡­ Yes, there was a similar explosion here¡­ A high-ranking commander? Trio-sama is giving commands right now¡­ Eh? That¡¯s, no way¡­¡±


    The communications operator, clenching his teeth and having rough breathing, told Trio.


    ¡°¡­¡­ I¡¯m really sorry, but¡­ Marquis-sama, who was participating in the ceremony, has, has passed away. Those of the Borgia family, including the eldest son, were also hit by human bombs.¡±


    ¡°Father and older brothers ¨D¨D have died?¡±


    Feeling dizzy, Trio endured his emotions with all his might. The more the conveyed meaning permeated his brain, the more its gravity weighed him. After all, if his father, brothers, and blood relatives who were participating in the ceremony were really wiped out, the right of inheritance of the Borgia family would fall to Trio all at once.


    ¡°Similar damage has been done to important facilities in the city, and in addition, a large army of undead and armed forces has emerged from unconfirmed underground bunkers in the city. The surviving 1000-man Commander Edoardo is in command there, but the whole situation is still unknown. Now, we¡¯re all waiting for further orders from Trio-sama.¡±


    The communications operator turned from his chair and looked up at Trio as if leaning forward. Not only he, but all the surviving soldiers and officers looked to Trio.


    Trio felt chills at the weight of the eyes directed, the heavy responsibility that was weighed on him.


    Exhaling a few breaths, Trio gave an order after regulating his breathing.


    ¡°All the units around the guild will be entrusted to Commander Edoardo. While protecting the VIPs, we will begin mopping up the enemy forces as soon as we¡¯ve gathered our strength. Besides the operator, leave two people here. As for the other, Gather the soldiers!! Don¡¯t forget to request support from those at the border and surrounding areas!¡±


    The soldiers obeyed the voice, which surprised Trio, and rushed out of the room.


    What Trio could do as an ordinary person was limited. Nevertheless, he took his role and fulfilled his purpose as a spare. Just like that, the days of rotting in his room came to an end without any warning or consideration.

 CH 148

    After passing the city gate, Walm ran straight towards the slums.


    Most of the undead, including the ghouls, were concentrated in important facilities within the walls, but the cityscape that stretched beyond the walls was no exception. Corpses with shattered heads lay scattered here and there along the main street. Many of them belonged to undead-ized citizens, the ghouls.


    The clear difference from inside the city walls was the number of dead people walking around. Even Fausto and the others weren¡¯t able to reach the entire city, and the loss outside the walls was less than inside the walls. With the exception of those unfortunate enough to be attacked during the initial attack, many had taken refuge in buildings or near towns.


    Now, the city¡¯s defenders and adventurers had begun an organized counterattack.


    Defeating the undead facing the adventurers from the side, Walm left the main street. He crossed many alleys and reached the Suderin District, which was located on the outer edge of the city. The story of the guild employee ran through his mind.


    After the Unification War, the Labyrinth City experienced a period of expansion, and due to the influx of workers and population growth, people flocked to the city even outside the walls, causing a serious shortage of houses. The Marquis Borgia family cut down the trees in the forest, once called Suderin Forest, and created a new area for the poor.


    This sounded good, but it was a policy that pushed the poor and criminals to the outskirts of the cities and put them under collective control. And this area clearly deviated from the landscape of the Labyrinth City that existed until now. Many shacks were strung together in an unplanned fashion, and the road was winding.


    Walm frowned at the landscape. The intricate passageways and narrow road widths alone made it easy to be ambushed. There were castle towns that had been built with the concept of using houses as defensive walls to separate enemy soldiers trying to enter the town. It was unclear if the slums in front of him were intentional or if they were houses that people built naturally, but ultimately they functioned similarly.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s more than that.¡±


    Due to excessive building, the convenience of the road had been extremely lost, and the slums in front of Walm had become a kind of tiger¡¯s mouth where he couldn¡¯t foresee the future if he ever entered.


    Walm, entering the compartment, was exposed to the gaps in the dilapidated walls, the overhanging windows, and countless stares as soon as he lifted his head. It was a mixture of vigilance, fear, and various forms of jealousy.


    During his stay in the Labyrinth City, Walm thought he knew the city, but he realized he was wrong. In the dim darkness, where the sun didn¡¯t shine, lurked many people with negative afflictions. It was uncertain whether they were related to Fausto. Still, there was no way anyone would show affection towards Walm.


    While walking on a road where it was difficult for people to pass each other, Walm heard the sound of something being pulled down from above. He tilted his head to see the boxes approaching from above. He would have said that the contents were sand or pebbles. He dodged such a primitive weapon of mass by holding on to the wall. The wooden box shattered with a dull sound.


    ¡°Uh, woahhhhh!!¡±


    Using the falling object as a springboard, a man with a butcher knife on his hip rushed in, spraying saliva. He was followed by a person with a sickle and a person with a hoe. Their movement was aimed only to do a single deadly hit, disregarding other techniques such as defense.


    At the same time, a person with a broken sword and a person with a dagger approached from behind.


    The demon mask trembled with joy as if enjoying the situation.


    Skill didn¡¯t matter to them. Their willing-to-die movements were exactly like those of dying soldiers. With such a half-hearted posture, their legs could easily be caught by weight and momentum.


    Walm, pushing the halberd according to the space constraints, executed a half stab.


    The spearhead ripped through the knife-wielder¡¯s soft throat, severing an artery and reaching his spinal cord.


    Walm took the clenched butcher knife like a relay as he pressed the dying man against the man with the hoe. Quickly, he aimed the butcher knife at the sickle that was about to strike his head. The knife cut off the fingers of the sickle-wielder and pushed the sickle aside.


    The man who dropped the sickle cried out in pain for a moment. Losing his weapon, he tried to press down Walm without hesitation.


    Walm, who had lowered his center of gravity, grabbed the man and rolled him toward the duo approaching from behind.


    Before Walm could breathe out, a hoe was aimed at the back of his head. Swiftly, he used the claw blade of the halberd that he held in his right hand to catch the hoe, then he pulled out the longsword with his left arm, which had discarded the butcher knife. He swung the longsword he held in a reverse grip and struck the skull of the hoe-wielder assailant from the temple.


    Three huddled enemies still lay alive on the ground, but as soon as Walm looked at them, a falling object again approached from above.


    Walm, knocking over a fist-sized stone with the longsword, threw down the halberd and raised the longsword above his head.


    Mana flowed into the longsword, and a ¡¶Strike¡·was aimed at them.


    Even as the longsword cut through the wall, its speed didn¡¯t slow down, and just like that it sliced the arm into nothingness along with the protruding dagger. Of course, the man didn¡¯t survive. When the tip of the longsword grazed his throat, blood spurted out uncontrollably and he lay twitching on the floor.


    The man who picked up his sickle back and the attacker with the broken sword evaded the attack by using the man who blocked their way.


    Walm, who had been expecting it, swung the longsword again from below toward the place the two were running.


    The longsword that entered from the dagger-wielder¡¯s flank came out from his chest.


    The sword-wielder thrust his broken sword, not wanting to miss the opportunity to sacrifice his comrade, but Walm stroked it away. A high-pitched metallic sound echoed through the alley.


    ¡°a, aahhh¡±


    Through the demon mask, Walm peered into the attacker¡¯s eyes. For the first time, the color of fear showed, but by then it was too late.


    The longsword thrust into the man¡¯s flank stirred his viscera.


    Gliding his gaze upward, Walm twisted and pulled out his longsword.


    The one who was enjoying throwing stones froze like a statue. After a moment of hesitation, the person turned around and tried to escape, but a fireball spread to the fleeing person along with the roof.


    Just like that, in the alley where blue flames blazed, people other than Walm were gone from this world.


    The two raids that followed ended up just piling up more corpses in the slums. There were already no more bored residents who wanted to look at Walm.


    Though Walm had been ambushed three times, it was safe to say that things were going well. The information he had received from the guild employee wasn¡¯t wrong.


    Deepening his conviction, Walm stared at the facility built in the center of the slums.


    Even in a slum with many buildings, the space around it opened up as if it were a forbidden place that should never be touched.


    Topographically, a waterway flowed around the outside of the facility, and it was partitioned by walls that easily exceeded a person¡¯s height. And although Walm was visiting from the front, there was no one that give him a greeting.


    Climbing over the wall, Walm descended onto the property¡¯s land. In addition to a warehouse of unknown use, there were wooden dolls and raised land.


    Walm walked into a particularly large building. The slums had given the impression of being messy and dirty, but the buildings that could be called mansions were surprisingly organized and well-maintained.


    ¡°The fact that you¡¯re here, means that Fausto is dead.¡±


    Words were thrown at Walm, who opened the door and walked down the hall.


    ¡°Yeah, I killed him¡­¡­ So, who are you?¡±


    Walm looked up while answering.


    A man in his thirties was leaning against the railing.


    ¡°Hah? Me? My name¡¯s Giesel. You can say, I¡¯m the person in charge here. More importantly, is killing my friends and my younger brother your hobby or what?¡±


    ¡°Younger brother?¡±


    Walm had too many things on his mind. Besides, he had already killed many people before coming here.


    ¡°Guisto, the leader of the mercenary group you killed at Carorolaia Mithril Mine, is my brother.¡±


    If it wasn¡¯t that long ago, even Walm still remembered it well. Even more, since there were only a few people who still approached him while enveloped in blue flames.


    ¡°I remember him.¡±


    ¡°Hah, of course. As you know, you can¡¯t run away from ties in this world. I¡¯m a bad person. I¡¯ve killed women, and children, alike. I¡¯ve instigated the people of the slums, agitated them, and made them join my group. You see, I can¡¯t throw away my loyalty, especially to my only blood relative. The guy who keeps silent after his brother is killed, isn¡¯t a family.¡±


    What popped out were the words brotherly love and loyalty, which were far from the man¡¯s ferocious appearance.


    Walm narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth.


    ¡°That loyalty of yours, can¡¯t you give it toward others even a little?¡±


    ¡°Hah? In this slum, there¡¯s no room to care about unrelated strangers!! You¡¯ve seen it, haven¡¯t you? What¡¯s so good, what¡¯s so peaceful about this place? And you want us to be a loser for the rest of our lives? Are you kidding me? It¡¯s not over yet!¡±


    They both had a void in their hearts that would never be filled. The matter wasn¡¯t even at the stage where it could be resolved with words.


    Understanding this, Walm asked the man for confirmation.


    ¡°Is that, all you¡¯ve got to say?¡±


    ¡°Hah, a¡¯right. Let me say this, if you light up the ¡¶Demon Fire¡·, good citizens will get burned to death, you know?¡±


    As Giesel looked around, the three minions were dragging a group of people tied to a rope. Their hands and feet were tied with rough rope and their mouths were sealed.


    Giesel¡¯s intention was easy for Walm to understand.


    ¡°Do I look like the kind of person who appears in a heroic tale?¡±


    Walm said this without even giving the hostages a glance.


    Giesel shrugged his shoulders, drew the sword from his waist, and casually cut down one of the hostages nearby.


    ¡°Hah, you guys are useless. Mercenary, COME!!¡±


    Giesel, who had just decapitated a citizen, invited Walm. He held a sword and a shield in each hand.


    Seeing that Giesel didn¡¯t kill everyone, Walm thought that the hostages would probably be used as insurance to limit his usage of ¡¶Demon Fire¡·.


    Accepting the invitation, Walm accelerated with a wind attribute magic, ran up the atrium, and slammed the halberd.


    Giesel didn¡¯t pull back, and instead wrapped the sword in his hand with mana. Shortly after, his enchanted weapon and Walm¡¯s halberd crossed as if they were pulling each other.


    At the point of separation, Walm did a small thrust.


    Giesel jumped in without hesitation. He shielded the thrust and thrust his sword back from a blind spot.


    Walm flipped the sharp blade with the bottom of his halberd.


    Giesel, who followed Walm tightly, slashed his sword up and down, not slowing down his attack. In addition to his ¡°polite¡± swordsmanship, he skillfully incorporated a shield play into his offense and defense.


    After exchanging a few ¡°greetings¡±, Walm could tell that Giesel was a man who completely contradicted his own appearance and behavior.


    Three subordinates of Giesel intermittently aim at Walm with arrows and stones without a major mistake in timing. However, seeing the desperation on their faces, they clearly lack the spirit of Fausto and those who had ambushed him.


    ¡°What¡¯s with that strange face? You¡¯ve killed my men and Fausto without consideration, so as you know, I¡¯m short of manpower!¡±


    For Giesel to challenge close-quarters combat alone was proof that his three minions didn¡¯t have the skills to engage in hand-to-hand combat.


    Seeing an opening, Walm tried to kill Giesel¡¯s subordinates, but a shield was thrust at him as if saying not to look the other way.


    Walm dodged the shield bash by moving his upper body, but arrows and stones flew at him as if they had made arrangements.


    Surrendering himself to his kinetic vision and reflexes, he bent his upper body forward and moved as if rubbing against the ground.


    Despite lamenting the shortage of manpower, Giesel¡¯s subordinates planned attacks with a really nasty distance and timing.


    Giesel also matched the projectiles. Twisting the trajectory of his sword to Walm¡¯s upper body when it got close, his sword was aimed to cut off Walm¡¯s knee.


    Walm extended his halberd to keep the distance.


    As he stepped back Giesel tried to defend against the piercing attack with his shield, but Walm reverse-gripped the halberd.


    Walm clung the claw-blade of his halberd into the reinforcement of the shield and pulled it toward him.


    The gap closed once again in an instant.


    Giesel deftly swung his sword up even at a small distance that was getting cut.


    In response, Walm quickly pushed his body to close the gap faster.


    Thus, Giesel¡¯s blade slapped in vain on Walm¡¯s back, which was protected by armor.


    Even the annoying subordinates stopped their attacks completely, since they were so close to each other. There was nothing they could do if they only wanted to aim at Walm.


    ¡°Damn you!!¡±


    Giesel threw away his neat sword skills and stuck out his forehead.


    Walm, still gripping his halberd, slammed the cheek in front of him with his bent elbow.


    Giesel¡¯s jaw was shaken violently, and his body, which had lost its sense of balance, trembled. Then he backed away. But as he retreated, protecting his face and neck from attack, Walm immediately accelerated with wind attribute magic.


    The projectiles sent Giesel¡¯s subordinates only grazed Walm¡¯s back.


    Giesel¡¯s sword and the sharp edge of his shield, were pushed by Walm to his chest. And immediately, Walm pushed open his wound, feeling the sensation of cutting his collarbone.


    ¡°Guh, ugh, oooh, hoh, oohhh¨D¨Dargh¡±


    Pierced through the chest, Giesel fell on his back and never got up. The remaining minions responded by pointing their weapons at Walm, who had set his eyes on the three men.


    The result came quickly. The demon mask was bathed in the fresh blood of the three, making noises in a good mood. Ironically, the last man alive was the mortally wounded Giesel.


    ¡°It¡¯s the end.¡±


    Said Walm to Giesel, who was lying on the ground.


    A man, who couldn¡¯t even breathe properly, laughed as he vomited blood.


    ¡°Heh, heheh, I¡¯ve failed, but, it¡¯s not in vain. Inside the city, I¡¯ve exhausted, the most troublesome people, and bought time. I¡¯m just, a supporting actor, in the opening act. The leading role, will begin, the show. Walm, you, will like it.¡±


    Walm tried to finish off Giesel, who was spouting words, but the man stopped breathing before he could do it.


    ¡°Is there another force? The city gate has been cleared. The garrison is counterattacking the Labyrinth-related facilities, and the urban area¡­ ah, the former royal castle?¡±


    Walm, searching his memory, recalled the point where the forces appeared.


    Walm wanted to head out immediately to greet the armed forces, but he needed to make sure that no more nasty combatants were left in the vicinity. Besides, there was still one souvenir left from Giesel.


    One was slashed to death, but the other hostages remained tied to ropes. Walm moved around, cutting the ropes of those restrained. They were perplexed and grateful, but he didn¡¯t have time to explain in detail.


    ¡°The Labyrinth City is under attack by armed forces and undead. Inside the walls, it¡¯s especially dangerous. Search safe place outside the city¨D¨D¡±


    As Walm sensed a presence from behind and turned around, a blade was approaching right in front of him. Hastily he stuck out his palm, letting the blade cut in. When he looked at the bad person, it was a hostage who had just been released.


    The woman had the characteristic dull red hair, someone he once saw on the battlefield. As Walm clutched the dagger with his stabbed hand, she pulled out a second dagger from her waist and shrieked.


    ¡°DIIIEEEEE!!!¡±


    Walm thrust the halberd held in one hand.


    The woman¡¯s throat split open and blood poured onto the floor. Falling from her knees, she fell silently into a pool of blood. And, her dull red hair was dyed vermilion.


    Moving his eyes from the silent woman in front of him to the bound ones, Walm declared.


    ¡°Are you all, also friends with these guys? I¡¯ve killed them. If you want to play revenge, I don¡¯t mind.¡±


    Those whose hands and mouths were blocked gave a gesture, while those whose mouths were free claimed their innocence.


    Walm pulled the dagger out of his palm and handed it to one of the hostages he freed.


    ¡°You do the rest.¡±


    TN : The woman most likely Lycka, the fire magic-user of Guisto¡¯s group that ran away to report the incident at the Carorolaia Mine to Giesel.

 CH 149

    Within a short period, the Labyrinth City had changed. And this affected the people within it.


    One of them was Peyrouse, who resolutely and without warning let out a sigh of exhaustion, as if had just come out from a sludge.


    Exploring the Labyrinth would either require the challenger to stay overnight or engage in battle all day and all night. Not that Peyrouse was trying to be tough, but he was confident he could get around for a day if he had some ingenuity.


    Now, this thought was crumbling. Although Peyrouse had only been in battle for about an hour, his legs were as heavy as if they were trapped in a swamp, and his arms were tried as if no more blood flowing.


    In his hand was the sticky, blood-stained sword that shook for its existence after killing many. The ghouls that Peyrouse had just killed were now littering the paved streets, already filled with corpses.


    Ghouls were monsters that Peyrouse had combat experience with, having encountered them in the Labyrinth. But, just changing their face into familiar ones, was enough to make his body freeze with tension and hinder his thoughts.


    From the adventurers whom Peyrouse greeted when they passed each other, even the old man who tried hard to scold him in a hoarse voice turned into an undead and attacked him.


    Reality indeed was tough. There was no time for Peyrouse to mourn. He had to swing his sword to survive.


    Even now, another one was approaching Peyrouse. He swung his sword from below, cutting the protruding arm from the elbow joint.


    The thing that was the innkeeper until not long ago continued to roar.


    Peyrouse lowered his head and the shortened arm passed him without touching him. As the attack was useless, the ghoul tried to use its back.


    Peyrouse spun around on one leg and swung his sword horizontally. His blade penetrated the ghoul¡¯s neck, severing the spinal cord and causing the ghoul to stumble and fall.


    Without any delay, the next undead joined in. This time the undead was troublesome, for it was someone who had been an adventurer while alive.


    The undead tried to attack with pressure. But Peyrouse intercepted the attack with his sword, and at about the same time, two spears coming from the left and right sides impaled the undead. They were the spears of his party members, Leake and Matthio.


    ¡°I¡¯m holding it!!¡±


    ¡°Kill it now!¡±


    The undead, which had wedges called spearheads driven into its armpits and neck, shook violently and hit the handle with a sword to free itself from the iron restraint.


    Before Peyrouse could cut in, Donna had swung her Warhammer down. While drawing an arc, the hammer head pressed the undead¡¯s head.


    Donna, who had just killed the undead, didn¡¯t take her eyes off the immobile corpse.


    Peyrouse shook Donna¡¯s shoulders, as he looked at her.


    ¡°Well done, Donna. Thank you.¡±


    Peyrouse¡¯s comrades, younger than he, were unprepared for the sudden turmoil, and their spirits were shaken. So, what he did was the greatest consideration that the inexperienced him made on the battlefield of which he himself was unsure of what to do.


    ¡°Now, we¡¯ve cleaned up this area as well.¡±


    After being summoned to the facility attached to the Labyrinth, Peyrouse¡¯s Party was ordered to secure the city gate together with the garrison and the adventurers. At first, the total number of undead was far below the reported number, and the armed forces that had taken the city gate were nowhere to be seen. There was a fear of ambushes and traps, but in the end, it ended in vain.


    Shortly after cleaning the area, a whistle sounded to announce the meeting.


    Peyrouse returned to the meeting point while looking at the ruined shops and houses that had collapsed from the inside. Looking around, the size of the corps was one size smaller. His party returned unharmed, but not everyone was safe.


    Biting his cheek and shifting his mind, Peyrouse took his companions to meet the commander, the 100-man commander. He must report information about the area his party was responsible. Fortunately, he soon found the commander.


    Accompanied by several soldiers, the commander was staring at the ground. Looking at the corpse under their feet, Peyrouse leaked a throaty voice.


    ¡°¡­¡­Fausto-san.¡±


    A former instructor of the adventurer¡¯s guild. A bounty had been placed on him after it became known that he was a manhunt. But now his body lay helplessly on the ground. His throat had been slit, and his torso was covered with slashes. Parts of his limbs were burned and charred. It is possible that he was also involved in this incident. He was a great sinner who had betrayed the Labyrinth City, a person to be detested.


    This might be true, but Peyrouse couldn¡¯t bring himself to hate Fausto completely. He remembered how he had been thrown over by the training he had received from Fausto during his beginner days. Though, the basics of swordsmanship and movement that he acquired were largely derived from Fausto.


    Feeling unbearable, Peyrouse simply stood still. Meanwhile, the 100-man commander began to despise the dead.


    ¡°He was among the raiders. The remnants of the musty Family of Gundor. And these kinds of ghosts, left behind in time, are ruining the city!¡±


    The 100-man commander spat and kicked the corpse. No one stooped it, but no one followed either.


    Peyrouse could do nothing but watch.


    ¡°After the attack is suppressed, this body will be exposed. Don¡¯t destroy its face, it¡¯s for an example!! Soon, this madness will come to an end soon. Reinforcements from the border have arrived. We will join the suppression of the former royal castle. And we shall eliminate the enemy!! LET¡¯S GOOO!!!¡±


    The 100-man commander fired up the soldiers and adventurers to boost morale as he gave the next orders.


    While Peyrouse listened, he felt something pulling his hair from behind. When he looked behind, he saw that the eyes of the corpse were giving him a look. He even felt that the burned fingers of the corpse had moved slightly.


    ¡°O-oi, didn¡¯t it just move?¡±


    Peyrouse, who was shaken and at a loss for words, couldn¡¯t convey his intentions correctly. Leake asked for an explanation of the content.


    ¡°Eh? What?¡±


    ¡°The corpse, Fausto¡­¡±


    Peyrouse rubbed his eyelids, suspecting that he had made a mistake due to fatigue. When he opened his eyes again, the dead man was standing up.


    Even Leake and Donna on either side of him forgot to breathe in shock.


    ¡°BEHIIINDDD!!!¡±


    The 100-man commander swung his sword simultaneously with Peyrouse¡¯s ghastly scream.


    It was a really sharp move, but the charred arm reached out sharply and grabbed the commander¡¯s neck, crushing it like candy.


    The supposedly dead man¡­ roared.


    ¡°It, tiz, notz, over, YEEETT!!!¡±


    His whole body was burned and partially charred, and the severed neck had lost its grip and was bent. If he was a human, there was no way he would have been still alive.


    As the other soldiers who were in the commotion rushed to Fausto, Fausto¡¯s skin cracked as if he was shedding, and a dark substance emerged from inside.


    One of the soldiers guessed what it was.


    ¡°I-it¡¯s a ¡°Ghost Knight¡±!!¡±


    Undead-ized after death. Among the undead superior species, the Ghost Knight was said to be a particularly troublesome existence. A monster that was said to be strongly retained the skills when still alive.


    The spear integrated into the Ghost Knight¡¯s arm swung casually. The soldier¡¯s upper body, approaching with a sword, was obliterated.


    ¡°NOOOO, ti, me, fo, break. Train, in, timz. Show, mewhat, yugotz. Ad, ben, TURRRREEeeEEERR!!!¡±


    Raising a voice that was already difficult to comprehend, the Ghost Knight roared.


    A soldier saw an opening and thrust a spear from behind, and one of the adventurers thrust a sword from the side. The Ghost Knight, which was as if it had an extra glossy armor, moved its arm.


    For a moment, a black line was visible. Its true identity was a spear.


    The soldier was hurled into the sky like nothing, and the adventurer¡¯s chest was pierced.


    In the face of such a torrent of overwhelming power, Peyrouse¡¯s face tensed.


    Soldiers and adventurers who make a living doing rough things were being trampled like ants. The intertwined spear was broken one-sidedly, and the arrow was knocked down in the air.


    Peyrouse, who was nearby, couldn¡¯t be uninvolved, of course.


    Again, a soldier was crucified on the ground in front of him with a downward swing of the spear. Peyrouse was speechless, but he immediately lowered his hips and held his sword firmly above his head. In a short time, a dull pain ran through his entire body. The tip of the spear, which was supposed to hit his head, grazed him above the head. His hands went numb from the impact, and his sword flew uncontrollably to the back.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you!¡±


    ¡°Peyrouse, hurry up¡ª!¡±


    His party members were approaching with weapons to protect him, but the Ghost Knight didn¡¯t retreat.


    Peyrouse called out to his companions.


    ¡°No. Get back!!¡±


    A black line approached. The Ghost Knight¡¯s Black Spear was swung hard sideways, allowing no parry.


    Peyrouse folded his arms and stood proudly, hoping that at least he would be a shield for his companions, but the expected shock didn¡¯t come. Instead, what he received was the roaring sound of iron clad in mana clashing with each other. The axe parried the spear that didn¡¯t know when to stop.


    ¡°Kah, it hurts, damn it!! What the hell is this monster?!!¡±


    A thick, drunken voice sounded nearby.


    The dwarves, who were the main force of the groups dispatched to the Labyrinth by the Forest Alliance, one of the three major countries, saved Peyrouse and his party.


    ¡°That spear and smell¡­ it¡¯s Fausto!!¡±


    The only beastman in the dwarves¡¯ party told the dwarves the true identity of the monster.


    ¡°Hmph, I can tell just by looking at the movement!!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what kind of wicked will you had, but was it enough to make you fall down to the level of a monster?¡±


    The Ghost Knight took a familiar stance. When Faust was still an instructor, he once showed a serious stance toward the extortionist Leake. His appearance might have changed, but Peyrouse¡¯s judgment couldn¡¯t be a mistake.


    ¡°It, doesn¡¯t look like you¡¯ve become an idiot, who can only swing a stick at random.¡±


    ¡°Haha, a worthy opponent finally.¡±


    Some dwarves rolled their thick shoulders like rocks, while others clapped their palms and fists.


    ¡°Get ready. It¡¯s a ghost knight hunt!¡±


    Shouted the dwarf who thrust up an axe wrapped in mana and shook his beard.


    The Ghost Knight responded by swinging its spear.


    Announcing a deadly battle, the second act of the opening began.

 CH 150

    150. Chapter 150 ¨C Rebirth


    The Borgia family, which captured Belgana, the Labyrinth City, in the Unification War, destroyed the castle that was the symbol of the former ruler. Moats and earthworks were removed, and walls and most of the defensive facilities were moved to the new headquarters of the Borgia family. At the end of the destruction of the castle, only warehouses and barracks were left, no vestiges of power.


    Though, the old royal castle, which was once the castle of the Gundor family, still functioned as a reserve command center and gathering place for troops.


    Had the Borgia Family continued to use the castle without relocating, they might have noticed the large space that was quietly dormant underground. The room converted into a warehouse and the entrance hidden under the stone slabs of the floor hadn¡¯t been noticed by the officials of the Archipelago until today.


    Contrary to the diminutive entrance, the passage leading underground was deep, and at the bottom was a large space of a natural cavity. Now, in the center of it stood King Eisenbagh van Gundor, who was called ¡°Old Man¡± by his minions.


    Without participating in the battle, information from spies lurking in various places was transmitted through the installed communication magic tool.


    The attack was systematically suppressed by Belgana¡¯s garrisons and the adventurers of the Archipelago, who had recovered from the chaos. The base in the Suderin district fell with the death of Giesel, a descendant of a citizen of the Labyrinth City, before falling into the hands of the Borgia family. Fausto, a vassal since the time of the Unification War, had also died, but after his death, he let out the demon that dwelled within him.


    ¡°Even after dying once, you are still going to fulfill your role, huh?¡±


    Gundor ordered Fausto and his subordinates to buy time. Their mission was to control the gate closest to the old royal castle, hold off the reinforcements as long as possible, and delay the counterattack. And they did their job admirably.


    ¡°We, will go first. We will be waiting for you in the underworld first.¡±


    Said a vassal with whom Gundor was working together.


    Although the undead had been released throughout the city and the key points raided, the Labyrinth City alone had a force stationed there worthy of a small country. In an organized counterattack, the undead would be annihilated by the difference in quality and quantity of personnel. In fact, such a thing happened once in the Unification War.


    ¡°Even though, I have lost my country and most of the people, you all have served me well for a century. I too, will soon follow. After I unleash the result of our efforts.¡±


    The vassals who had been working under Gundor for 100 years ran up the stairs to join the battle on the ground. Out there, constant battles were raging on.


    Sensing this, Gundor thought that it sure still took him a long time to proceed with the plan, even after reaching this place.


    ¡°Soon everything will be over. No, I would end it.¡±


    When people were driven into an inferior position, they would rely on clever schemes and cling to anything. The old Gundor was one of them.


    As the history of defeat showed, the quick fix didn¡¯t work when it was needed. Time and patience were needed.


    ¡°A hundred years to move this guy. A hundred years too late.¡±


    Gundor was able to prolong his life by using diluted crimson grass and necromancy, just like the demonized unit. That said, his body, which couldn¡¯t consume the crimson grass completely, would surely erode, and this could be seen by looking at his current appearance. In this long life of his, he even lost consciousness to madness, causing him to crush every soldier of the Archipelago he encountered. And this happened more than once or twice.


    ¡°Still, I made it in time this time.¡±


    Gundor crushed the bound and preserved corpses that he had been accumulating for a long time. The skeletal frame in front of him, he filled with the material carried by the magic bag. During the long reign of the Gundor Family, dating back to before the Unification War, the sacrifices of countless warriors and relatives brought back from the Labyrinth, were enough to do what he was about to do.


    The hustle and bustle was closing in. Its true identity was the sound of battle between Belgana¡¯s and Gundor¡¯s forces. The soldiers were already trying to recapture the old royal castle.


    At the entrance to the underground, the vassals use themselves as shields to buy time.


    One of the threats right now was the mercenary, who was a remnant of the ruined northern country. He was truly troublesome. At the Carorolaia Mine, he annihilated the mercenary group made up of the descendants of the people under Gundor, reducing the total number of valuable undead in the city. He even killed Fausto, Giesel, and Giusto. Still, Gundor¡¯s long-cherished wish was about to be fulfilled.


    ¡°It¡¯s time, for the finishing touches.¡±


    Gundor threw the torch into a groove carved into the floor.


    When the black water-filled ditch ignited, flames spread through the darkness, revealing patterns of hexagrams and bizarre letters.


    ¡°Giesel, that brat, really prepared the stage perfectly huh¡­¡­ He too, couldn¡¯t make it, huh? Well now, the preparations for the main show are finished. The performer and the audience are already waiting. I¡¯m sure, the people of the Archipelago will like it.¡±


    Gundor pulled out a dagger and thrust it into his chest, which was as thin as a dead tree. With all his might, he cut open his sternum and ribs and thrust his right hand into his chest. He pushed aside the shattered bones, grabbed and held his beating heart, and pulled it out without hesitation.


    Quickly, Gundor lifted the object. Having lost his heart, Gundor¡¯s flesh began to melt, and he wrapped himself and his skin in what was once human.


    After the head became nothing but bone, the eyes glowed suspiciously. ¡°Lich,¡± that was the figure into which the gifted necromancer had transformed after a century of study, after having acquired a crimson grass in the past.


    Gundor, who was transforming into an undead, holding up his still beating heart, wailed in a voice that sounded like glass rubbing together.


    ¡°All of my body, shall be the offering!! Show the world your majestic figure and let them know your power!! FILL THIS ABOMINABLE BELGANA WITH DEEEAATTHH!!!¡±


    The pattern flickered as if to answer. The thing, which had no substance and was all bone, began to move, pumping up the mana flowing through the Dragon Vein. Soon it opened its jaws and crushed Gundor the Lich. Seeking more life, it broke through the narrow underground cavity and exposed its body to the sun. Awakened from the Netherworld, it roared high into the sky to signal its rebirth.


    ¡ô


    Having inherited the command, Trio put his heart and soul into fulfilling his duty. One by one, he removed pieces imitating enemies from the map with details of the city.


    The command post set up in the main castle resumed its command function and no the gathered forces were sweeping the enemy out of the city.


    The Ghost Knight that appeared at the city gate claimed many victims, but it was killed mainly by the group sent by the Forest Alliance. The main force of the enemy was now only in the vicinity of the former royal castle, which was used by the Gundor family in the past.


    Reinforcements were also arriving from the surrounding areas. No one in the command post said anything, but many were there already. The biggest concern was the Republic of Maylis, which was hiding behind the ghosts of the previous era. Under the pretext of pre-planned exercises, they sent troops near the border. That they did so at the same time as the turmoil was too much of a coincidence, however. Though, the army was silent.


    Were they comfortable fanning the flames of revenge in the remnants of their old alliance, but they didn¡¯t want to misjudge the city¡¯s defenses and therefore remain immobile? For Trio, there was no conclusion to this question.


    ¡°Trio-sama, there is news from the former Royal Castle of Gundor. It seems that most of the facilities have been successfully recaptured.¡±


    Rushing to the command post, the generals and soldiers let out exclamatory voices.


    Trio was about to agree, but he caught something from the correspondent¡¯s words.


    ¡°You said ¡°most¡±? But where is the leftover place?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the reserve warehouse. They stubbornly kept resisting there.¡±


    Trio searched his memory for clues.


    The outer walls of the warehouse were thick to prevent theft, and the stone walls were enough to reflect some magic. The entrance was limited, and it wasn¡¯t a bad place for defense.


    Still, for a place to be used for defense, the castle tower, the flanking tower, and the corners of the walls should be better. Reinforcements from the Republic would also be more satisfied with it. So why the warehouse? Even Trio wondered.


    ¡°Due to the destruction of the castle, the former royal castle itself no longer exists. The warehouse has been used since the time of the capture. Are they going to end their lives in a place where their history remains?¡­¡­. Those who have been hiding for a century?¡±


    Trio was feeling uneasy.


    The soldiers on the scene were doing their best. No matter how much he shouted over the communication magic tool, the result wouldn¡¯t change. He understood that.


    While leaving the information in the corner of his mind, Trio¡¯s consciousness shifted to confirm the damage and aftermath.


    Shortly, another report followed.


    ¡°We took control of the warehouse, but found a passage to the underground. Some of the dead soldiers are blocking the passage, and it¡¯s currently unknown where it leads to.¡±


    ¡°Is it one of the passages where the undead have appeared?¡±


    Undead emerged in the city from underground bunkers and corridors that were probably built during the Unification War. It wouldn¡¯t be surprising if one of them remained on the site of the former royal castle.


    ¡°The remnants of the remnants, are so troublesome. Never let them escape!¡±


    Trio strengthened his voice and ordered his soldiers. After all, such strong resistance could mean that it was quite possible that the mastermind was escaping from underground.


    While waiting for the result of the pursuit, Trio noticed that the water inside a cup was shaking slightly. Far from subsiding, the ripples were getting stronger.


    ¡°Wha-What is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s shaking!?¡±


    Amid the turmoil of the soldiers, Trio connected the tremors with the remnants who were in the underground.


    ¡°They didn¡¯t run away. Those bastards, what were they doing underground?¡±


    Trio asked himself this question, but he quickly covered his ears as a roar shook the castle at the same time. The glass of the lattice windows was shattered as if by an explosion.


    Swiftly, the soldiers gathered to protect Trio.


    ¡°Trio-sama!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m okay. Rather than that, the sound just now is¨D¨D¡±


    Trio, looking far away from the window, was speechless. Even when he was told about the death of his family, his arms trembled as he endured. Now the primordial fear of human beings swelled up within him.


    Squeezing his voice, Trio said the name of what was in his field of vision.


    ¡°Un¡­ Undead Dragon.¡±


    A dragon species, that could be called a living natural disaster, among them, this one also called the Lord of the Great Labyrinth.


    The Undead Dragon that had never interacted with this world, had descended into the Labyrinth City.


    ¡°Bastard, is this your aim, HAAAHHH?!¡±


    With a careless step, the house collapsed and the tail mowed down the soldier. Suddenly, the Undead Dragon raised its neck, aimed at the city, and opened its jaws to expose its uneven fangs. The atmosphere and ground were permeated with ominous mana that slowly condensed. The people gathered at the command post could only watch this happen while holding their breath.


    In a city where hundreds of thousands of people lived their lives, ¡°Dragon Breath¡± was released.

 CH 151.1

    Walm, who had finished cleaning the poor district from the rampaging nasty ones, stopped the bleeding of the stab wound in his palm and headed to the walls of the city gate, where the turmoil still continued.


    Dealing with the undead that he sporadically encountered, Walm made his way through the alleys to the main streets, where he encountered a group of people heading to the main streets of the city while maintaining their formation.


    Their equipment, which showed no signs of dirt, indicated that they were from the outskirts of the city or reinforcements were rushing in from the border.


    The undead, walking through the city with a face saying they had found the next prey, ended up as just another thing piled on the side of the road.


    The suppression of the urban areas outside the city walls progressed rapidly.


    Walm followed the soldiers into the walls. The soldiers, who had seized the city gates, climbed the towers and ramparts, keeping an eye on the inside and outside from high places.


    Wearing a bloodstained armor and a demon mask, these suspicious aspects alone would be enough to prevent Walm from passing the gate.


    Walm, prepared to be stopped no matter how much time passed, was never stopped. Quite different from what he had imagined.


    As a pleasant disappointment rose within him, Walm turned his attention to the soldiers who had gathered near the city gate.


    ¡°Segun¡¯s squad shall clear out the undead that remains in the city. Habat¡¯s squad shall head to the former Royal Castle. The enemy and friendly forces haven¡¯t stopped fighting. Even if their numbers are small now, don¡¯t let your guard down!¡±


    Shouted the 1000-man Commander named ¡°Edoardo¡±, who was temporarily in command of the Labyrinth facility when Walm saw him earlier. With the chain of command restored and a higher-ranking soldier appearing, he must have been moved to a place closer to the front line.


    With some gestures, Edoardo diligently gave orders to the arriving units. Following the command of the 1000-man Commander, each unit proceeded at a fast pace to its assigned location.


    ¡°¡­¡­Hmm, what to do now?¡±


    Should I go help maintain the security of the city or take control of the former royal castle?


    Walm pondered what to do next.


    However, the tragedy at the ceremony, which Walm tried not to think about, flashed through his mind. The hand that held his halberd naturally gripped the weapon tighter. He took revenge he thought was attainable. Nevertheless, there were still ghosts in the former Royal Castle.


    Walm glanced at the assembled forces.


    Soldiers of good quality and quantity had gathered, and even adventurers who had been called up in an emergency mingled into the formation. With these combined forces already deployed in various places, it would only be a matter of time before the rest of the enemy would be suppressed.


    Walm exhaled to calm himself down. Now that he had time, it was time to face the reality he had escaped.


    Even though Merrill¡¯s condition has calmed down, she was poisoned¡­ And Lisi¡­


    Walm was conflicted. He was worried about Merrill, but he wanted to mourn his benefactor properly.


    In the end, Walm decided to check Merrill first.


    Therefore, Walm headed to the Labyrinth facility. However, the demon mask, as if it hadn¡¯t had enough fun yet, trembled to reject his decision.


    ¡°Stop making a fuss.¡±


    After so much tragedy, the mask that asked for more was indeed so demon-like.


    Walm was stunned by the mask, but soon he felt the ground shake, and every thought he had about the mask was blown away.


    It wasn¡¯t that Walm became abnormal due to the mental strain. Clearly, the ground was shaking.


    ¡°It¡¯s shaking!?¡±


    ¡°Stay away from the half-destroyed house! Or you¡¯ll get caught!!¡±


    People in the vicinity also noticed the shaking and shouted to each other to get to safety.


    The demon mask began to tremble like crazy. And Walm leaked some curses.


    All in all, the demon mask with twisted sensibilities trembling with joy was always an ominous omen.


    Walm suddenly sensed that something was wrong with the scenery and looked into the distance.


    Mixed in with the swirling dust was an unfamiliar black tower. It wasn¡¯t a building, to be precise, it was a living being. Walm¡¯s eyes, which could see the world well, especially today, captured its true form. There was also a fact that he had fought it once. He could make no mistake.


    ¡°¡­¡­Undead Dragon.¡±


    Walm leaked out the words he managed to squeeze out.


    One by one, the people also noticed the dragon. The common soldiers froze with their mouths open, and the adventurers dropped their weapons in fright. The 1000-man commander, barely managing to keep his wits about him, summoned the magical means of communication as his mind slowly broke.


    The Undead Dragon made a familiar movement. It was a movement Walm had seen at the bottom of the Labyrinth, but unlike the half-body Undead Dragon, the amount of swirling mana was beyond what he had seen, far exceeded that time.


    ¡°It¡¯s ¡°breath¡±. DRAGON BREATH INCOMIIIINNGG!!!¡±


    Walm¡¯s advance warning didn¡¯t mean much. For the only thing the people could do was to go into a building that served as a protective wall and crawl on the ground.


    The black flash emitted from the Undead Dragon¡¯s mouth distorted the field of vision, becoming a black line and stretching through the city. The tremendous blow that fell on the city burned the residents along with the house and extended to the horizon.


    When Walm witnessed the Flame Emperor Dragon¡¯s Breath at Dandurg Castle, he was perched on the ramparts overlooking his surroundings. He noticed that even if the attack was called the Breath of the Dragon species, it was one or two levels inferior to the breath of the Flame Emperor Dragon, which bore the crown of the emperor, that could destroy mountains. Still, for a small human being, the difference wasn¡¯t that much.


    The breath burned down the densely packed houses and pierced through the walls. The ruins were painted black, which made it easy to imagine the fate of those who were on the attack line.


    The safe citizens who were hiding in their houses panicked and immediately poured into the streets.


    Even if the undead were manageable for the soldier, that couldn¡¯t be said the same as a natural disaster.


    The 1000-man Commander shouted at the soldiers who were confused by the flood of information, impatience, and fear.


    ¡°CALM DOWN!!! I¡¯m passing you an order from the main castle command center. The northwestern part of the city where the Undead Dragon has manifested is set as the main battlefield, and the citizens should be evacuated to the city outskirts from the east city gate and the south city gate. Regardless of the corps, start attacking the Undead Dragon. All damage to the city and civilians will be tolerated. That¡¯s it¡­¡­ Don¡¯t put your face down! What¡¯s the purpose of your eyes?! Glare at the enemy! LISTEN!! KILL THE DRAGON, OR WE WON¡¯T HAVE TOMORROOOWW!!!¡±


    Encouraged by their commander, the restless became disciplined soldiers again, albeit with lingering fear. Waves of people fleeing like arachnids were led by soldiers, showing that they hadn¡¯t quite given up hope.


    The troops outside the city gate weren¡¯t the only ones who had recovered from the chaos. To prove that, an attack was launched on the undead dragon that had been crawling around on the ground. Various magic attacks lightly scratched the powerful magical barrier, and the arrow hit the scales with an unreliable sound.


    The fire point disappeared each time the Undead Dragon swung its limbs, but the next attack began as if it were bubbling up. And when the bubble was poked by the dragon, human lives were taken.


    ¡°You should have known, what would happen¡­¡±


    It was a reckless attack. Still, Walm couldn¡¯t say they were stupid. The intent of the act was painfully conveyed to Walm.


    The soldiers of the Archipelago weren¡¯t stupid. They knew that if they were attacked, they¡¯d receive a counterattack that would result in instant death. They also realized that they were acting as bait to attract the Undead Dragon and buy time for the citizens to evacuate and for the troops scattered around the city to get into position.


    A soldier, scooped up by the tail together with a building, spewed his viscera out of his mouth as he flew high into the sky.


    The chain of tragedies wasn¡¯t over yet. The debris from the houses that landed in the alleys fell on the running refugees.


    A blow equal to that of a large stone shattered the densely packed citizens in an instant. They were of low priority to the Undead Dragon, and their lives were snuffed out in the aftermath of the attack, with no clear killing intent against them. Their death had no meaning.


    Walm didn¡¯t have time to mourn their death, as fist-sized pebbles rained down from above. He calmly determined the point of impact and tried to dodge, but not everyone could deal with it.


    Those who took a defensive posture were excellent. The shields and gauntlets protecting their vital points repelled the pebbles with a dull sound. The problem was those who took on the pebbles without even having time to notice it.


    The head of a soldier running beside Walm burst open like a fresh pomegranate, and another nearby soldier fell silently to the ground. They had been invited to the Netherworld and had accepted that invitation even before they could finish their death throes in this world.


    ¡°Spread out as you approach! Don¡¯t crowd in one street! Or you¡¯ll be mowed down together for nothing!¡±


    Before approaching the attack range, the 1000-man Commander, who didn¡¯t like how quickly his troops were being worn down, gave a serious order.


    When troops were scattered, a concentrated attack was generally difficult. Moreover, it would be difficult to convey orders. Apart from that, the enemy was a moving natural disaster with a huge body that could easily break through walls and a breath comparable to a battalion-scale or regiment-scale concentrated magic attack.


    One could say that the 1000-man Commander had made a rational decision.


    ¡°SECOND SHOT, INCOMMIIINNGG!!!¡±


    Those who perceived the sign of the breath concentrated their attacks on the head, but they couldn¡¯t stop it.


    The second shot was fired as if to clean one of the dirty main streets. This time, those who had drawn the bad lot were those in three nearby streets. Such a blow that didn¡¯t allow the survival of everything it passed also affected the surroundings of Walm.


    Although the power of breath was reduced due to the distance and the shield, the body of the fully armed soldier floated due to the impact and the explosion.


    Bricks and dislodged pieces of wood rolled at Walm¡¯s feet as he entrusted himself to the building. There were no fatalities, but many suffered burns and bruises.


    Still, the soldiers couldn¡¯t stop. The citizens took less damage while the Undead Dragon targeted them. Someone had to be a decoy. Walm had the same thoughts. He didn¡¯t know if the next breath would be against the Labyrinth facility where the Trimagitack members were. Right. Someone had to be a decoy.


    ¡°Don¡¯t guide it to the evacuation site!!¡±


    ¡°Bring it to the side!¡±


    After spitting out the second shot, the Undead Dragon started moving. Its movements were anything but nimble. In addition to being caught in a dense building, the surviving officers and soldiers were also desperately trying to counterattack to disrupt its movements.


    Walm understood what they were trying to do. If the Undead Dragon was released outside the city, it would be untouchable due to its huge body and breath attack.


    The Undead Dragon was distracted by a human attacking it nearby and changed its course. Although the unit managed to attract its attention, the price was too high. The large claw that swung down crushed the unit along with the building.


    Sticky red liquid was dripping from the black claw of the Undead Dragon that was lifted up.


    Next to take their duty was the unit directly under Edoardo, with whom Walm was working. It was no coincidence or luck that they had reached the attack area. It was all due to the dedication of their predecessors.


    Walm stopped the 1000-man Commander who was about to give an order.


    ¡°Oi, wait! I¡¯ll burn the Undead Dragon, and buy some time.¡±


    ¡°What? Are you stupid¨D¨D¡±


    Edoardo said with a look as if he was looking at a madman. The soldiers accompanying him also became furious, saying not to interfere.


    ¡°My ¡¶Demon Fire¡· brings blue flames and hot air to a wide area. In fact, I burned the same thing once at the bottom of the labyrinth.¡±


    ¡°The bottom of the labyrinth¡­ A mercenary hired by the Trimagitack, huh? Keep talking.¡±


    Edoardo realized what Walm was saying and urged him to continue.


    ¡°The same one at the bottom was only half-body, but still, I couldn¡¯t burn it to death. When it comes to a full-body Undead Dragon¡­ a minute, no, a minute and a half, I¡¯m sure I can buy that much time.¡±


    ¡°Commander, he¡¯s not even a regular adventurer of the guild. How far can you believe him?¡±


    Saying this, one of the accompanying soldiers gave Walm a skeptical look.

 CH 151.2

    Trusting and relying on someone whose background you didn¡¯t even know was kind of insane. What the soldier said to Walm wasn¡¯t entirely wrong. But considering the situation, a little insanity was just what was needed. Dragons, after all, weren¡¯t so kind as to care about your sanity.


    ¡°Most of the enemies and undead near the city gate were gone, right? It was me, who burned and killed them.¡±


    In order to gain some trust, Walm told Edoardo what he had done.


    Is it not enough?


    ¨D¨DWalm had the next persuasion material in case that wasn¡¯t enough, but one of the adventurers who were among the soldiers raised a voice.


    ¡°I think he¡¯s speaking the truth. Inside the Labyrinth, I saw Walm-san use a blue fireball. It¡¯s the same as the blue flame smoldering near the gate.¡±


    It was a familiar adventurer. A male adventurer. His name was Peyrouse, and recently he had been active in the low-rank and mid-rank floors.


    ¡°That guy, the kind of man who dived into the deep floor of the Labyrinth alone. Wouldn¡¯t be strange if he¡¯d been hiding one or two trump cards.¡±


    One of the terribly exhausted dwarves standing behind Peyrouse raised a voice.


    Though they were demi-humans of the Forest Alliance, they were widely known for their fighting prowess and prestige as they continued their activities on the deep floor of the Labyrinth for a long period of time.


    Edoardo hardened his decision, perhaps because the dwarves¡¯ fame was such a decisive blow.


    ¡°I bet on you. It¡¯s for the city.¡±


    Walm nodded vigorously.


    ¡°Oi, keep this for me.¡±


    ¡°Y-yes.¡±


    To be a little more agile, Walm entrusted his halberd to Peyrouse, who was one of the few acquaintances nearby, and began to run towards the Undead Dragon.


    ¡°As soon as your ¡¶Demon Fire¡· wears off, we will move to attack with the remaining troops¡­ We must hold it until the rearguard troops arrive. No matter what.¡±


    The 1000-man Commander Edoardo incorporated Walm as part of his strategy. If the plan failed, not only Walm, but also the lives of countless soldiers and citizens would be lost. Failure was not allowed.


    While hiding in the rubble of a house, Walm got closer and closer to his goal. The closer he got to the Undead Dragon, the more he was amazed at its size. Its size far exceeded that of any dragon subspecies. Near its huge body, no sunlight would reach you.


    To the sloppy attack of the soldiers, the Undead Dragon happily advanced.


    Contrary to the rising tension, the demon mask vibrated innocently.


    Walm, approaching from behind, released the mana he possessed. The air instantly grew hot, and blue flames streamed with the hot wind.


    A blazing storm. Demonstrating the maximum firepower, comparable to that of when Walm was an active Highserk soldier. No pain disturbed the thoughts, no burning sensation disturbed the eyes, no blur disturbed the vision.


    The hot air peeled from the roofs and walls of the surrounding buildings, and the spreading flames danced ecstatically about. To the point where they reached the height of the Undead Dragon. To the Undead Dragon, the blue flame was an abominable flame. Screams of pain shook the air, and the writhing limbs ran amok.


    Both eyes of the Undead Dragon caught Walm, who continued to spit out the abominable ¡¶Demon Fire¡·.


    The Undead Dragon directed a great hostility at Walm alone and raised a roar. A terrible roar echoed through its stomach.


    The Undead Dragon swung its strong arm as it had so many times buried humans under it. If it had been level ground, Walm wouldn¡¯t have been able to dodge. Fortunately, the scaffolding was plentiful.


    The house where Walm had been until just now was shattered, but he had jumped onto the roof with the hot wind and dashed forward.


    The Undead Dragon that had brought many dead to the city was obsessed with a single human.


    Walm jumped over the tail as it scraped the ground and dodged the claws that keep coming.


    A gigantic open jaw followed Walm¡¯s back, only to chew through the houses.


    The debris kicked by the Undead Dragon¡¯s leg flew like a bullet. Some grazed the back of Walm¡¯s head, and the unavoidable fragments hit the armor.


    ¡°Ugh, guh.¡±


    It was nothing but a dull pain. The armor mixed with mithril and the ashes of the half-body Undead Dragon showed their toughness. Shock ran through Walm¡¯s body, but it wasn¡¯t enough to stop his actions.


    While Walm escaped the onslaught with some acrobatic movements, the undead dragon was consumed by blue flames. The magical barrier kept crumbling violently, and finally, the blue flame began to roast the rotten flesh.


    Despite the short time of one and a half minutes, it seemed to Walm, who was accompanied by a hot wind, like half an hour and at the same time like a moment, as he circled the huge body without thinking of running back.


    Now, most of the Undead Dragon¡¯s magical barrier was scraped away by the ¡¶Demon Fire¡· that drained Walm¡¯s mana, and burns were carved all over its body. In turn, the fatigue caused by the lack of mana weighed on Walm¡¯s entire body. Similar to the symptoms of oxygen deprivation, it caused dizziness and nausea.


    Then, ¡°that moment¡± came unexpectedly.


    The ¡¶Demon Fire¡·, which Walm had been spewing out inexhaustibly, rapidly went out.


    Walm slid down into a corner of the alley. The Undead Dragon had poor visibility due to the blue flames and hot wind, but there was no way it could forgive a human who was striking its body with an abominable flame and jumping around like a pesky fly. So with its tail and fangs, it meticulously turned the area where Walm was hiding into an empty lot.


    Edoardo and his troops started attacking because the ¡¶Demon Fire¡· stopped, but the Undead Dragon¡¯s attention wasn¡¯t distracted and it still pursued Walm relentlessly.


    Destroyed houses rained down from above. Building materials like studs and beams were coming.


    For the moment, only sharp splinters scratched Walm¡¯s skin. But the fact that his body would soon be crushed didn¡¯t change. Would he be suffocated by the debris or crushed to death by the Undead Dragon¡¯s tail or arms? In any case, he could only struggle with a body that lacked mana.


    For some reason, many of the rubbles were suddenly blown away.


    A continuous impact exploded right above. And the body of the Undead Dragon that was chasing Walm tilted.


    The true identity was an astonishing number of magic attacks.


    The Undead Dragon was flooded with all sorts of offensive magic, from magic with mass such as <Ice Lance> and <Earth Bullet> to intangible magic such as <Fireball> and <Air Blade>.


    Ironically, the Undead Dragon¡¯s huge body protected Walm from being hit by magic attacks.


    Leaving Walm, with whom it had been so obsessed until a moment ago, the Undead Dragon left the place.


    ¡°Uhh, hah, huff, damn it, are you, going outside?!¡±


    Grabbing the broken pillar, Walm rose from the sea of ??rubble and glared at the departing Undead Dragon¡¯s back.


    Even the emergency-constructed embankments and trenches for slowing the Undead Dragon down were of no use. And despite the numerous magic attacks the troops cast, no fatal wound was inflicted.


    On the contrary, to get out of the unfavorable topography of the city, the Undead Dragon began to aim outside the city walls. The flatlands surrounding the city were free of obstacles. There was no chance of victory for humans, once the field changed there.


    ¡°I found Walm-san! Leake, Matthio, Donna, over here!! I¡¯m glad. That this won¡¯t be a memento.¡±


    Said Peyrouse to Walm, who was chasing the Undead Dragon with slow steps like an old man.


    Behind Peyrouse, his companions followed.


    Walm, who was handed the halberd instead of a cane, entrusted himself to the halberd.


    ¡°With the time you bought, the heavy magic unit in the border area was able to make it in time, but still, the, the Undead Dragon was heading outside the castle walls without stopping¡­¡±


    Peyrouse choked on the words. That, of course, was the case. Evidently, even after receiving ¡¶Demon Fire¡· and an all-out attack from the troops, the monster hadn¡¯t stopped walking.


    ¡°Together with the building, Eigeff and the others have been eateeEENN!!!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t stop!! Keep moving around!! KEEP SHOOTING!!!¡±


    ¡°Aim for the joints!! STOP ITS LEEEEGGS!!¡±


    Mixed with countless sounds of destruction, the hoarse cries of the soldiers reached Walm.


    The troops did their best. But it wasn¡¯t enough to stop the living natural disaster. Just from a careless sting of the monster, people died.


    ¡°Aaah, it will soon cross the walls, there are a lot of citizens over there.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let it go! DON¡¯T LET IT GOOOOO!!¡±


    Ruthlessly, the claw was hung on the walls. The defensive wall that divided the city collapsed without being able to support the mass of the Undead Dragon.


    Lungs couldn¡¯t take in oxygen properly. Walm could only gasp at the sight.


    Again. Am I going to fail again?


    The memories of Dandurg were revived even if Walm didn¡¯t want it, and the scenery overlapped.


    Nothing changes even if I struggle. I can¡¯t change anything!


    At this moment, for Walm, tomorrow and hope felt like only an illusion that would never come true.


    It¡¯s going to repeat again huh¡­?


    ¨D¨DWalm could only stare at the despair before him.


    While despair started to feel so overwhelming, suddenly Walm¡¯s muddy eyes caught hope.


    It was a bright flash that shattered the blackened scales of the Undead Dragon.


    A glorious light caused by the mixture of three different magic attributes.


    ¡°MERRILL!!!¡±


    The ¡¶Trimagitack¡·, which didn¡¯t lose its brilliance even at the bottom of the Labyrinth, made an appearance.


    Merrill, who had made the blow, stood in the half-destroyed wall passages while being supported by her party members.


    The giant that didn¡¯t know how to stop, swayed sharply and bent backward.


    The ferocious attack of the troops that followed soon enough hit the Undead Dragon that had its magical barrier peeled off.


    Right now. This moment. Was a turning point for all who lived in the Labyrinth City.


    Even while being hit by magic attacks and projectiles, the Undead Dragon swung its arms down the wall passage in front of it. Before its sharp claws cut through Merrill, the second shot of ¡¶Trimagitack¡· pierced its crushed chest without fail.


    Pitch-black pieces of meat and scales danced in the sky, receiving the flash of the ¡¶Trimagitack¡· and reflecting the light irregularly.


    Fresh blood rained down on the city.


    The giant could stand it no longer and collapsed into the city, and the earth trembled in praise of the dragon¡¯s fall. It was the loudest roar of the day.


    Quickly, humans rushed to the fallen Undead Dragon.


    ¡°DON¡¯T BE AFFRAIIIIDD!!! Kill it!! Kill the dragon!!¡±


    ¡°Attack it now!! If it gets away from here, you won¡¯t be able to do it again!!¡±


    People from all over the city flocked to the collapsed Undead Dragon. Peyrouse, who was by Walm¡¯s side, the dwarves of the Forest Alliance, and Edoardo, the frontline commander, were no exception. Like a serpent circled by ants, the dragon crawling on the ground writhed and crushed the people who rush to it, but it wasn¡¯t enough to stop those possessed by madness.


    Numerous weapons pierced the entire body of the Undead Dragon, which was unmatched in toughness until a moment ago.


    The blood that flowed from the Undead Dragon like a river dyed the city red and black.


    Leaving the ring of people and corpses, Walm sat alone on the nearby rubble. He looked up at the sky, it was bloody dusk.


    ¡°Is it, finally over¡­¡­?¡±


    Mountains of rubble and corpses stretched as far as the muddy eye could see. At its center, the Undead Dragon didn¡¯t move any longer.


    Belgana, which served as a cage of the Undead Dragon, lost half of its functions as a city. Regardless of whether they were soldiers or civilians, countless casualties were piled up, just to subjugate the Undead Dragon.


    In this way, a century-planned upheaval show orchestrated by Gundor came to an end.

 CH 151.5

    151.5 Chapter 151.5


    Map 7


    Red: Hostile Countries (towards Highserk) and war zones


    Yellow: Controlled area under the Imperial Army of Highserk


    Purple: Demon territory


    Light blue: Sea and water


    Brown: Neutral countries and Myard


    Peach-Skin Colour: Galmud Archipelago


    Blue: Republic of Maylis


    Green: Aleinard Forest Alliance


    The Highserk Empire intended to reclaim their territories by rearming the remnant soldiers with the resources from the Carorolaia mine. While also reusing materials and facilities that had been abandoned during the escape from the breakout. The Imperial Army of Highserk, formed from the reformed Southern Army and the reformed Eastern Army, succeeded in capturing the Imperial City.


    The scars the Flame Emperor Dragon left were terrifying. Burning down mountains and valleys as it invaded the human territory, such was the past, now it was turned into a new path.


    The Highserk Imperial Army named the path the ¡°Flame Emperor Dragon Corridor¡±, and planned to use it as a trade route leading to Myard.


    The Principality of Myard, which had taken in the remnants of the former Western Army of Highserk, softened their stance toward Highserk as their relationship increased to the positive side, and formed an alliance with the Highserk Empire to counter the growing pressure from the Craist Kingdom.


    On the other hand, the Liberitoa Trade Federation and the Craist Kingdom were eating the former territories of Ferrius and Highserk, which had collapsed as a country due to the Great Outbreak. In some areas, entire commercial and agricultural infrastructures were taken, and refugees from Ferrius, Myard, and Highserk were used as human labor.


    Both countries wanted to capture Highserk and Myard completely and planned to conquer their territories by making them militarily and economically dependent, since they wanted to avoid costly forceful power suppression. However, after receiving information about the Highserk and Myard alliance, they found that these plans had failed. As a result, Liberitoa and Craist began planning an aggressive military invasion.


    Officially, the Liberitoa Trade Federation and the Craist Kingdom were playing out a sort of honeymoon relationship, but in reality, they were competing for hegemony in the northern lands and planning to expand their territories further while checking each other.


    And soon, the temporary peaceful period, which was to hit the mark a year and a half, would turn into a period of preparation for conflict.

 CH 152

    The upheaval show orchestrated by Gundor, where a dragon appeared and many irregular small battles with the former troops during the Unification War occurred, ended with the victory cry of the Labyrinth City. A narrow victory for the Labyrinth City led by the Borgia family.


    That said, a victory was still a victory. Even if to gain this victory, a great deal of sacrifice must be made. As of now, the number of confirmed dead and missing exceeded 50,000, and the number of injured reached 60,000.


    Many of the buildings, the foundation of life, were severely damaged, and the logistics, the lifeblood of the city, were rotting and becoming dysfunctional. The Labyrinth facility that was responsible for the supply of meat and resources was damaged and had to be closed until it was restored. Even if the Labyrinth facility wasn¡¯t completely destroyed, the number of adventurers available to engage in exploration had been greatly reduced by the battle.


    Three days after the end of the battle, the scars of the living natural disaster that had struck the city were still visible in various places.


    Sanitary conditions in the city were rapidly deteriorating as the corpses and pieces of human flesh left behind in the collapsed houses continued to decompose. And a putrid smell lingered in the nose for hours, all over the city. It was a familiar smell, familiar to Walm, who had experienced the bloody air in his homeland.


    The opening of the street had priority. Along the main street, where houses and stores were lined up, there were now only small mountains of rubble. The faces of those who passed each other in such a street were all dark. So were the people in the area. Some elderly people sat stunned on the rubble of a house that had been reduced to ashes, some blank-faced people rummaged through the rubble with their bare hands, and some children kept calling out their parents¡¯ names.


    It was a common sight in today¡¯s Labyrinth City. Walm, who used the ¡¶Demon Fire¡· in the city to subdue the undead dragon, wasn¡¯t irrelevant either. The blue flame that burned the dragon¡¯s body devastated the city as well. Without saying, burned corpses lay in houses that had turned to ash. And he couldn¡¯t take his eyes off the scene.


    At the time of the battle, citizens were trying to evacuate the city, but not all were able to do so. Walm only wished that those who couldn¡¯t be evacuated were already dead before the blue flame touched them.


    That said Walm continued his steps, walking along an unfamiliar road that should have been familiar to him by now. As he walked, he noticed that the facilities connected to the labyrinth were also badly damaged.


    The polished cobblestones were chipped and contaminated with blood and pus from the transported casualties. And the stone pillars, lined up in an orderly fashion, were bending and falling to the ground.


    The guild building, which was based on white color and showed its splendor and magnificence to the visitors, was now stained light brown by dust. Moreover, the doors and windows were broken, and the shutters came off the window frames and leaned on the ground.


    ¡°Not even a shadow came to visit huh?¡±


    The interior of the facility served as an evacuation center for citizens who had lost their homes, their livelihoods, but those who couldn¡¯t fit in and no longer find a place to stay poured into the premises. Many citizens sought shelter in simple tents they had built from whatever they had on hand.


    The white smoke from the emergency soup kitchen filled the air, but it mixed with the various appetite-suppressing stench.


    Walm walked around the back of the facility. There was a cenotaph where he had a talk with Lisi, and behind it, there was a monument dedicated to the martyrs who had contributed to the guild


    Many of the dead were carried to the outskirts of the city and buried in masses. This was common practice on the battlefield. As people slowly dug for each grave, contagious diseases and undead could come to light.


    Therefore, it was decided that the guild officials and some soldiers, including most of the corpses that had retained their original form, should be buried in a corner of the guild¡¯s memorial monuments. People weren¡¯t equal even after death. Sad but that was the reality. Walm, however, was not in a position to condemn the unfair treatment. On the contrary, he welcomed it positively. Because it was still a better treatment.


    ¡°I¡¯m late, sorry.¡±


    Unlike most, who were buried in a messy, careless manner, Lisi¡¯s body was buried under what could be called a tombstone. Not very, but still, it was no way to die with dignity. Walm himself couldn¡¯t accept the way she died. But among the many who died, her body was treated well.


    ¡°I could only prepare something like this. Please forgive me.¡±


    Nevertheless, Walm accepted the reality and put his hands together at the tombstone. In the Labyrinth City, where logistics were stagnant, he had a hard time getting any flowers at all. Finding a single flower blooming in the rubble was lucky enough.


    The light red color smeared with dust reminded Walm of crimson grass, but the flower¡¯s shape and color were far from it.


    Walm closed his eyes, made an insignificant offering, and put his hands together. He recalled the memories he had with Lisi, whom he met every day, so to speak. One memory after another surfaced in his mind as if he were digesting them.


    ¡°Not even a single tear? What a bad person.¡±


    Whether it was because he was too accustomed to death, that he still couldn¡¯t fully grasp reality, or that he was frivolous by nature, not a single tear fell from Walm¡¯s eyes.


    Walm, who had been staring at the tombstone with some lingering affection, turned to the coming visitor.


    It was Lavinia, the receptionist, Lisi¡¯s work colleague. She, too, paid her respects and visited the grave of her friend who had crossed over into the Netherworld.


    Lavinia moved her mouth as if she was out of oxygen, but not another word came out of her mouth.


    ¡°I heard, it was you who arranged for the grave. Thank you.¡±


    Walm expressed his sincerity.


    Lavinia had gone to great lengths to ensure the quiet burial of Lisi, who wasn¡¯t a high-ranking employee. Compared to Walm had lost sight of her body in the turmoil and couldn¡¯t mourn her properly, Lavinia had done more than enough for her.


    ¡°¡­¡­sorry.¡±


    Lavinia responded to Walm¡¯s words of gratitude with an apology that contained no embellishments or excuses. There was no doubt that she was apologizing for the remarks she had made in a confused state during the turmoil.


    ¡°It was a disastrous situation. Can¡¯t be helped. And, what you pointed out is true. I couldn¡¯t choose between the two. The result of not choosing was Lisi¡¯s death. I won¡¯t run away from that.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not¨D¨D¡±


    Walm shook his head to interrupt Lavinia¡¯s words.


    ¡°No need to be so kind. Your name¡¯s, Lavinia, right? I don¡¯t hold any grudge against you. I¡¯m just disappointed in myself. Showing an appearance as if I would help her, only to end up as a lie. I wonder what would happen if I could go back in time. Even now, I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Amidst the constant hustle and bustle, there was silence in the area.


    Was it productive to express one¡¯s heart drowning in sentimentality? No, of course not. Walm himself knew that and did it anyway.


    ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ve nothing else to say about this here, in front of the grave. I¡¯m going now. You should mourn her in peace. Please pray for her happiness in the next world.¡±


    Lavinia bowed her head in response, and then saw Walm off until he disappeared from sight.


    Walm slipped through the waves of people and advanced to the guild house. One room was assigned to the Trimagitack party, including Walm. After all, the current Merrill had received the title of the hero, after her achievement for knocking the Undead Dragon to the ground.


    The Republic army that had gathered at the border stopped its movement at the same time that the Undead Dragon was defeated. And the fact that the Undead Dragon returned to the Netherworld so quickly had to be considered a miscalculation.


    Although the Labyrinth City had suffered tremendous damage and the military forces had been extracted, at the very least, they still had enough number of troops for the border garrison. Moreover, there was an individual in the city who could shoot down a dragon species in a short time. This must be another reason that kept the Republic from going to war.


    ¡°They, won¡¯t be rewarded either huh.¡±


    Walm had no intention of agreeing with Fausto¡¯s distorted obstinacy, but from the result alone, the rematch for which the ghost of the Gundor family had been waiting couldn¡¯t be fulfilled even in a rematch a century later.


    As Walm went deeper down the hallway, a passing man raised his hand and bowed his head to greet Walm. Of course, Walm returned the greeting as well.


    In peacetime, Walm was treated like something uncanny, but after the crisis, the people¡¯s behavior changed completely. It might sound calculative and somewhat convenient, but a mysterious bond was formed between those who stood side by side in that deadly moment, sharing the same battlefield.


    Continuing his steps as he avoided the supplies piled in the hallway, Walm reached the drawing room he used to use, opened the door, and went inside. The room looked like a private room, for many things had been taken in from the half-destroyed rented house.


    KNOCK!! KNOCK!! KNOCK!!


    Knocking on the door of the innermost room, Walm spoke.


    ¡°I¡¯m going in.¡±


    Walm entered after receiving a brief response from inside.


    Merrill, who must have been resting her body on the bed, straightened half her body.


    ¡°You¡¯d better get more sleep.¡±


    ¡°Walm is sure overprotective.¡±


    Contrary to the smiling Merrill, the movement of the left half of her body was sluggish. ¡°Hydra¡±, was said to possess the deadliest poison of all the dragon species. Even with one of the three miraculous treasures, the poison that eroded Merrill still left an aftereffect in her body.


    Sensing Walm¡¯s intentions, Merrill continued.


    ¡°So, you went to visit the grave¡­¡­ Sure, due to the influence of Hydra¡¯s poison, my body can¡¯t move the way I want it to. That said, thanks to the crimson grass, I¡¯m still alive¡­ But, because of that, you couldn¡¯t help Lisi, and Walm¡¯s eyes, are still rotting.¡±


    Merrill was also injured both physically and mentally by the upheaval.


    ¡°It was a ceremony, a surprise attack that no one expected happened there. If it wasn¡¯t for Merrill, the others, they¡¯d have died on the spot.¡±


    In a short period of time, Merrill formed an ice wall while protecting her comrades.


    Once again, Walm was reminded that his ¡¶Demon Fire¡· could only burn people and things. Had he been in Merrill¡¯s position, the other party members would have been wiped out.


    ¡°Somehow, you¡¯re kinder than usual.¡±


    Said Merrill, trying to lighten the mood.


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m a demon or something?¡±


    Merrill laughed innocently at Walm, who narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°Fufufu, just kidding.¡±


    Then, Merrill tightened her expression as if she had made up her mind. Her heterochromia eyes stared at Walm.


    ¡°¡­¡­According to Hari and the guild¡¯s healing magician. If I continue the therapy training, it seems that the paralyzed half of my body will heal. And next time, I¡¯ll have Walm use the crimson grass for sure.¡±


    Even though gloomy dusk has fallen over the city, the vividness of her eyes hasn¡¯t diminished in the slightest. No, no, this is a serious talk.


    Walm, whose gaze was captivated by the brilliance, pushed his unnecessary thoughts into a corner and continued to listen to Merrill¡¯s thoughts in silence.


    ¡°Walm, I ¨D¨D¡±


    The words were forcefully stopped, as a knocking sound echoed in the room.


    Many visited Merrill, so it was nothing new to her. But, what an untimely visitor.


    To the knocking sound, Merrill could only let out a sigh.


    ¡°Wait, I¡¯ll open the door.¡±


    Walm opened the door.


    A man stood there. He was well groomed, but his armor was covered from head to toe with countless scars. Cloth and metal rubbed against each other, and the luster of the joints was discolored. An appearance peculiar to the battlefield one could say. In today¡¯s Labyrinth City, he should have been nothing more than a common soldier.


    Nevertheless, Walm¡¯s heart leaped with surprise, even as his body froze on the spot.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been searching for you, Escort Captain, Walm.¡±


    The rank Walm had in the past, was mentioned, and it resounded in his ears.


    The words were spoken by a man in a familiar Highserk armor, who was one of those under Walm¡¯s command at the Dandurg Castle, which was swallowed up by the monster¡¯s rampage during the Great Outbreak.


    ¡°Huh? Company Commander¡­ Friug?¡±


    It was the Company Commander (Wartime) to whom Walm had entrusted the command of the walls of Dandurg Castle as he set out to a one-on-one fight with the Ogre Lord.


    Before someone whom he believed shouldn¡¯t be alive, Walm experienced vertigo and his feet became unsteady. Words stopped leaking out of his mouth, and yet, his heart continued to beat, faster than usual.


    TN : Friug is another person other than Moritz who kept searching for Walm when he was inside the Tyrant Worm until the last minute before the survivors decided to leave the Dandurg Castle.

 CH 153

    153. Chapter 153


    Standing in front of Walm, was Friug, a company commander (wartime), who spoke to him with a carefree smile.


    ¡°Seems like, you still remember my name.¡±


    Both of Friug¡¯s feet were firmly on the ground, and the veins that could be seen on his skin were also normal. Definitely not a wraith, nor was an undead with a foul odor.


    Joy and confusion mingled in the healthy appearance of the compatriot who shared the death ground called Dandurg Castle. At the same time, questions swirled up.


    By the time Walm crawled out of Tyrant Worm¡¯s belly, the old castle was already in the grip of monsters. All kinds of death and monsters were spreading in the castle, and the way back to his hometown and the capital of the Highserk was also occupied by them.


    ¡°You¡¯re still, alive?¡±


    Therefore, what was in Walm¡¯s sight, was unacceptable. To the point, that even hallucinations and delusions felt even more real than this.


    ¡°Yes, I fought under your command, Wartime Battalion Commander, in Dandurg Castle and survived.¡±


    ¡°When I crawled out of Tyrant Worm¡¯s belly, there were no living creatures left in Dandurg.¡±


    Walm¡¯s words, squeezed out under painful memories, left Friug strongly exuding regret.


    ¡°That damned worm ruined the castle, and we were unable to find you in the rubble. It¡¯s a shameful, regretful story. Sure, the time was limited, but still, we just assumed you had died¡­ After a way out was made by you Captain, we fled to Celta, the only place where we could communicate with the communication magic tool, under the command of Brigade Commander Justus. Excluding Dandurg, that place with mostly natural borders, was the only human sphere left in the nearby area.¡±


    Such was an answer to Walm¡¯s easy question.


    Under the command of Brigade Commander Justus, most of the survivors went to the diametrically opposite side to where Walm ran, the last area of Myard, the peninsula in Lake Celta. There was no way Walm, who had fled to the capital of Highserk, would find any trace.


    Even with the former Ferrius Front, led by Gerard Berger, the war god, the attack on Celta had been switched to the starvation strategy, as it would result in great losses if they tried to capture with the usual means. The topography of the Celta territory of Myard, which Walm had heard about during the war, was a natural fortress. At the base of the peninsula protruding into the vast lake, steep mountains extended to either end of the lake, and the ridge acted as a natural rampart.


    The only way to capture the peninsula was to take the heavily fortified area or defeat the Myard Navy, known as the most elite navy of the northern countries, in a naval battle and invade by boat from the lake.


    Considering the information, Walm could understand that the area could repel not only an army of people, but also of monsters.


    ¡°After the situation calmed down, not just a few were naturalized into being Myard citizens there, but sure enough, more than half of the soldiers returned to Highserk. The reason I¡¯m here now, is to request Walm the Escort Captain, to return to Highserk. I¡¯ve been looking everywhere for you. Luckily, I¡¯ve a letter of introduction from Viscount Edgar. In addition, I heard that Captain did great help in defending Belgana during this turmoil. Thanks to that, Marquis Trio Borgia willingly¨D¨D¡±


    Walm held back Friug¡¯s speech with his hand. He tried to digest the words, but he still couldn¡¯t catch up.


    ¡°Wait, I can¡¯t follow the story. Did you say, return?¡±


    Friug began to explain the situation to the bewildered Walm.


    ¡°Yes, return to Highserk. The Highserk Empire has fallen low, on the verge of a complete collapse in fact, after losing more than half of its territory, His Majesty, and also the Imperial Family¡­ Right now, the generals are raising soldiers in various places. This is just on the surface. In reality, the last child of His Late Majesty, is still alive and is now being used as a pillar, to unite the remnants. In fact, the reformed Eastern and Southern Armies have been connected¡­¡­¡±


    Walm continued to listen carefully.


    ¡°¡­¡­As you may know, the Carorolaia Mithril Mine is being used as a funding source, and Highserk is preparing to make a comeback. But, Liberitoa started to have a suspicion, so we are now in a critical situation¨D¨D the day of the rematch isn¡¯t far away.¡±


    While Walm was drowning in alcohol and closing his eyes to reality, the reformed Southern Army of Highserk was developing the Carorolaia Mithril Mine. The ones who sought a comeback as a force, he knew about them in the clash between Viscount Dalimarx and Count Meisenav. So, it was a surprise to hear that the surviving regional armies were united in various places with a single purpose, trying to recover as a nation under the last pillar of the Imperial Family, the last child of the late emperor.


    Even a year after completing his role as a soldier of the Highserk Empire, the impact Walm had caused recently wasn¡¯t small for Highserk.


    That said, now, in Belgana, the Labyrinth City, far from Highserk, a place to call home slowly began to form in Walm¡¯s heart.


    ¡°Are you asking me to return, to the battlefield?¡±


    A place where young and old, men and women died without distinction and in absurd ways. Whether one was a soldier or a citizen, one¡¯s position or family background didn¡¯t matter much. All were equally thrown into purgatory.


    The bodies of the refugees were devoured by monsters, the hometown burned down in blue flames, and the Imperial Capital was overlooked by those who hadn¡¯t died. Walm hadn¡¯t forgotten them. He simply couldn¡¯t forget them.


    ¡°Just like that war, Liberitoa and Craist will refuse the existence of Highserk. In the place of those who crossed over to the Netherworld, we, the survivors, must protect our country and people. I, don¡¯t want my fellow countrymen to suffer the same ravage of war again¡­¡±


    Walm listened in silence.


    ¡°¡­¡­The ideology of the military¡¯s higher-ups has been firmly established¡­ No matter what sacrifices we have to make, no matter what we have to throw away, this time, we will protect our country. For this reason, we need you, Captain.¡±


    It was Friug¡¯s honest thought.


    ¡°As you can see, I¡¯m like this. These eyes aren¡¯t that compatible with me, and if things continue like this, they¡¯ll rot in the not-too-distant future.¡±


    ¡°We, have learned from the mistakes of the past. Relying on forces too much and neglecting diplomacy, was one of the reasons for the defeat of the previous war. Now Highserk has good neighbors. The Dalimarx family from the Archipelago and our former enemy, the Principality of Myard. Highserk and Myard, were both oppressed by the monsters, and now we are joining hands. Of course, there were opposing opinions. But, we, the Highserk soldiers who fought through the battle in Dandurg, and those of Myard whom we protected there, were the bridge that connected the two countries.¡±


    For Highserk, which was surrounded mostly by demon territories and hostile nations, this would be a major breakthrough. Though, without the deadly drug of the nation¡¯s downfall, the alliance wouldn¡¯t have been possible.


    In order to find out the intention of the story, Walm urged Friug to continue with his gaze.


    ¡°Our current sworn friend, Myard, has a rare healing magician. She¡¯s a girl that Captain knows very well. If it¡¯s her, those eyes could be healed. But more than anything, I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be very happy to know, that you¡¯re still alive.¡±


    Friug was alive. It wouldn¡¯t be surprising if others were alive. Nevertheless, Walm couldn¡¯t hide his dismay at the mention of the existence of a girl who was most likely had the same roots.


    To make sure that he didn¡¯t make a mistake, Walm mentioned the girl¡¯s name.


    ¡°¡­¡­Ayane, huh?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. The girl you promised to meet again.¡±


    Walm made a promise to Ayane that he would return alive. And that vow could still be fulfilled.


    If this was proposed to Walm immediately after the end of the outbreak, he would happily go back, and return without thinking much. However, for Walm now, there were people who could be called his companions.


    Friug didn¡¯t rush Walm, who was at a loss for an answer and fell silent. And so the time passed in silence for a while.


    ¡°Walm, you should go.¡±


    Walm turned around when he heard the words hurled at him from behind. The owner of the androgynous voice was Merrill, who was standing, leaning half of her body on a stick.


    ¡°Until my body heals and the Labyrinth entrance is cleared up from the rubble, there¡¯s no guarantee that Walm¡¯s eyes will hold till then. If there¡¯s a sure way to heal them, that¡¯s better than waiting. Besides, I¡¯m not that weak, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Merrill opened her mouth again, but no words followed.


    Walm didn¡¯t know if it was Merrill¡¯s true intentions or bravado. In any case, he had no way to respond immediately.


    After much deliberation, Walm spoke his thoughts, with no regret.


    ¡°To be honest, I wanted to complete another dragon slaying with you all. There are just no other adventurers that I can trust with my life, than you four¡­¡­ This may sound cheap. But still, let me say it, Merrill, you guys are the best adventurers I¡¯ve ever met.¡±


    Merrill accepted Walm¡¯s choice wholeheartedly.


    ¡°We¡¯re not called the Trimagitack for no reason. Still, it¡¯s a nice word to hear. Once Walm¡¯s eyes have healed and things have calmed down, let¡¯s challenge the Labyrinth together once again, the five of us.¡±


    Memories of the time Walm had spent in the Labyrinth City flashed through his mind. The rambling conversations, the meal after exploring, and even the touch of the Labyrinth floor where he rested shoulder to shoulder with the Trimagitack party felt so endearing.


    Walm let the memories pass before nodding.


    ¡°Yeah, gladly.¡±


    Walm opened his slightly closed eyes and turned to his compatriot waiting outside the door.


    ¡°Commander Friug. I, will return to Highserk.¡±


    A simple answer. Nevertheless, Friug nodded slowly but powerfully to Walm¡¯s decision.


    ¡ô


    Four adventurers gathered in the guest room set up in the guild facility. This large room, intended for long-term stays, was decorated with silver ornaments and stucco, and designed to match the quality of the room.


    Originally, it was a room where five people could easily live. No wonder it felt so large now that there were only four people.


    Right. It was a room arranged for the Trimagitack party.


    Merrill tried to tell herself that four or five people didn¡¯t change the fact that the room was big, but she couldn¡¯t suppress her feelings. Even though there was only one person missing, the room felt so deserted, and the loneliness that bubbled up inside her couldn¡¯t be popped away.


    ¡°Merrill, are you really sure?¡±


    Said the usually quiet Yuna to Merrill.


    It was a word that lacked context before and after, but the intent of the companion with whom Merrill had shared misfortune was easy to understand.


    ¡°As you can see how this body is now. Besides, I don¡¯t want to take advantage of the fact that he¡¯s mentally weakened after losing the woman close to him. Also, in his homeland, there seem to be people with whom he has separated¡­¡­ Perhaps I really am an idiot, but I haven¡¯t given up yet. For now, I¡¯ll devote myself to healing. The next time I see him, I¡¯ll really surprise him. That¡¯s my plan.¡±


    The faces of Merrill¡¯s companions were slightly disappointed, perhaps because they had been adventuring with her for long enough that they could guess the problem wasn¡¯t so simple. Or perhaps, because they were just worried about her, and wanted her to be more honest.


    In any case, after looking at their faces, Merrill took a deep breath and decided to be a little more honest and show her weakness.


    ¡°But well, even though you¡¯re an adventurer with two new titles, ¡°Dragon Slayer¡± and also ¡°Hero¡±, life still isn¡¯t going your way, huh? Like always, you can¡¯t get what you really want.¡±


    ¡°No way, Merrill¡­¡±


    Marianthe, realizing the true meaning of Yuna¡¯s words, contorted her face.


    ¡°I mean, Marianthe, think about it, he used the crimson grass he wanted so bad, for me. Not only that, even though there was a chance that his eyes would rot faster, he used his ¡¶Demon Fire¡· to injure the Undead Dragon. Above all, he even took my first (kiss)¡­¡­ Not enough? You want me to say more than this, straight from my mouth?¡±


    Merrill, who was terribly embarrassed as she narrated, avoided giving any more details and turned her face so that her vermilion cheeks couldn¡¯t be seen.


    ¡°Then, wouldn¡¯t it be better to tell him?¡±


    Merrill shook her head at Marianthe¡¯s question.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather have his eyes healed, for sure. Also, I can¡¯t just leave my hometown when it¡¯s like this. Besides, isn¡¯t it cowardly to approach him, just after Lisi died? ¡­¡­Other than that, it seems like I¡¯m scared, more than I thought.¡±


    Merrill couldn¡¯t help but smile wryly at the last words she said herself.


    Merrill rarely felt fear in the Labyrinth. Still, just the thought of what would happen next caused pain in her chest and made it difficult for her mouth to articulate what was going through her mind.


    This complicated conflict Merrill had was conveyed even to the dull warrior monk, who crossed his arms curiously.


    ¡°Not being able to speak openly, is sure a problematic thing in its own way.¡±


    ¡°It would have been nice if your mouth could speak what¡¯s in your mind directly, like Hari.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Of course, it is.¡±


    Hari nodded as he felt praised, though it was actually sarcasm.


    Seeing Hari¡¯s overflowing self-confidence, even Merrill couldn¡¯t help but laugh.


    ¡°Fufufu, really, I¡¯m so amazed at you Hari that I can¡¯t even say another word¡­¡­ Well, I¡¯ll bother you all for a while, but don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll return this favor. For sure.¡±


    Merrill¡¯s companions nodded without thinking.


    Raising her crippled half, Merrill slowly closed her cramped fingers. Her muscles tensed, and a dull ache radiated from them as if they were in conflict with what was going on in her head. Hari and the guild¡¯s healing magician had told her that her healing training would require much pain and effort. In fact, just closing her fingers was painful enough.


    That said, Merrill¡¯s two different colored eyes never lost their luster. Not until the day she met him again.


    TN: So, this is the end of Arc 2.


    Before starting next Arc, I¡¯ll post another glossary.


    And just a personal opinion, but if you like Arc 1, you¡¯ll most likely enjoy the next Arc as well.


    Also just information, I¡¯ve updated the quality of the early chs, up to ch 50. Might have missed here and there, but it should be, in overall, about the same quality as recent chs. I¡¯ll continue up to ch 109 (if I¡¯m not mistaken, after that ch, I started to heavily edit each ch more than ever.)


    TN: Join my discord channel if you want.

 CH 154.1

    154. Chapter 154 ¨C Unexpected Meeting (Part 1)


    Inside a room, thirty people surrounded a long rectangular table. They were members of the Council, the core of the Liberitoa Trade Federation. Also called the Pinnacle, those who would guide the future of the Federation. Its members were those from the uprising large merchants and even those from the bloodline of the royal family that ruled a region.


    Hugo Avans, a member of one such council, listened to the discussion as if he were watching a contentious debate from the audience seat. Hugo, who was the main fighting faction against Highserk, was until recently sentenced to suspension due to the many losses from the Great Outbreak and the loss of profits from the collapse of the Highserk Empire.


    Members of the Moderate Faction and the Rival Faction must have been drinking late into the night, more than once, applauding Hugo¡¯s waning influence. But that was of no important to Hugo. When Hugo joined the Council, he gave his life for his country. As long as it was in the national interest, suspension or loss of influence in the Council was nothing more than a trifle.


    The problem was the Council¡¯s way after losing Hugo¡¯s initiative. The Moderates chose a policy of appeasement without even attempting to attack the remnants of the deadly Highserk. Not that this was of no benefit at all. If things went well, the young people of the future Liberitoa Trade Federation would be able to integrate Highserk without shedding unnecessary blood. If the era of never-ending warlike rivalries came to an end under the leadership of Liberitoa, it would be a commendable achievement that would go down in history.


    But it didn¡¯t. As a result of the Great Outbreak, the monster¡¯s habitat changed, and a mithril mine was discovered in Carorolaia, which was part of the Demon Territory. The mithril mine was located in an area controlled by the remnants of the former Southern Army of the Highserk Empire, but on the border with the Galmud Archipelago, one of the three big countries, to be exact, the territory of one of their lords, the Dalimarx family. It was considered extremely difficult for Highserk to maintain the mine due to the relationship between them.


    After the clash between the Dalimarx family and the Meisenav family, the full-scale mining operation of the Carorolaia Mine began. The wealth brought by the mine began to flow into the former army of the Highserk Empire.


    According to the spies who managed to infiltrate, the mining was a joint operation between the Highserk and the Dalimarx family.


    The more information flowed to the Moderates who were panicked by the bad news, the worse the situation became.


    The Imperial Army of Highserk, which was divided into many small groups, kept in close contact with each other and resumed the reconstruction of the transport routes. It wasn¡¯t that the generals had coordinated to achieve a unified movement, but they had moved under a single chain of command from the beginning. All for healing the destroyed part of their homeland.


    Furthermore, a former member of the Four-Country Alliance, the Principality of Myard, which now held only Celta Territory, had united with the Highserk Empire. The union, which was thought to be a last measure against the Craist Kingdom¡¯s takeover, lasted longer than expected, as the Flame Emperor Dragon¡¯s invasion route was cleared and used as a huge traffic route connecting the two countries.


    Highserk¡¯s former eastern and southern armies, said to have been severely depleted in many areas, quickly rearmed and further strengthened.


    From the information he had received from spies and informants, Hugo felt that it was already impossible to handle the remnants with the border troops alone. Depending on the scale, there might even be a limited advance against the Liberitoa. In time, the blow could be even stronger than the past Highserk.


    The bad news continued unabated. Although the Highserk¡¯s War God had crossed over to the Netherworld, in addition to the ¡°Patched Soldier¡± who went on a rampage at the borderline, a ¡¶Demon Fire¡· user who should have died in the Great Outbreak was seen in the unconventional war in the Labyrinth City, Belgana. This confirmed that the user was still alive. It was also said that the user, had contributed a lot in subjugating the Undead Dragon that had suddenly appeared in the city.


    Once again, it was possible to increase Highserk¡¯s military power. If Highserk deepened the connection not only with the Viscount Dalimarx family, but also with the Marquis Borgia family, who controlled the Labyrinth City, the superiority of Liberitoa would be completely lost.


    The threat of skills that affect a wide range of the ¡¶Demon Fire¡· user wasn¡¯t limited to the front line. A single invasion by this individual would easily burn villages, cities, and even breadbaskets. Moreover, Jaff Cavalry Battalion, which the War God had used as a sharp weapon to cut many in the past battles, was still a military threat that couldn¡¯t be ignored, despite its reduced numbers.


    ¡°Ain¡¯t it time, for this discussion to come to an end?¡±


    Hugo¡¯s rude taunts were met with pleasant sneers and jeers, causing further confusion in the congress.


    Without protesting the derision, Hugo opened his mouth after waiting for the charming squeak to subside.


    ¡°It¡¯s clear that the threat of the Highserk Empire, is still alive and well. After all, the army should have been dispatched immediately after the great outbreak to completely crush those remnants. Well, what¡¯s done cannot be undone. Am I wrong?¡±


    No one answered Hugo¡¯s question.


    After an unproductive debate, the Council members reluctantly admitted that the reconciliation policy had already failed.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got a lot of information, and one of them is the most recent. One of the Late Emperor¡¯s children, is still alive. It¡¯s one of many factors that makes them remain persistent, and has also helped them to recover¡­ The Empire will be revived under the pillar of royal blood. Really a sweet word, enough to move everyone. Now comes the question, what should we do?¡±


    Hugo asked again.


    The self-proclaimed Moderates, who had taken control of the congress and profited from directing national policy, lowered their eyes and stared either at the dust on the desk or at Hugo.


    ¡°Hmm? Strange. Where has the heat raged until now gone? Died already? That¡¯s not good. So¡­?¡°


    Again, no one responded.


    ¡°¡­¡­The answer is simple. Crush those remnants of Highserk completely, before they can deepen their ties with the Archipelago. The current ties are still in the early stages. Worst case, the Highserk Empire, which has become the vanguard of the Archipelago, will make a move, and invade the other northern countries, AGAIN!!!¡±


    Only silence followed.


    ¡°¡­The incident in the Labyrinth City will make the Archipelago wants to strengthen their armaments and power. They will look for allies who will become their fighting strength. Or, are you going to laugh at this, saying such is not possible to happen?!¡±


    In contrast to his strengthened tone, Hugo let his gaze slowly slide over the participants of the congress. Even though trivial opinions and doubts were expressed, there were no clear opposing opinions. Obviously, deep down, the Council members felt the same as Hugo.


    ¡°We must get rid of the remnants of Highserk quickly, as possible. We must make our troublesome neighbor disappear, dissolves into nothing but ashes. For the sake of Liberitoa¡¯s prosperity, for our eternal future. We must plan a full-scale attack against those remnants.¡±


    Taking in the refugees from Ferrius and Highserk and organizing the acquired territory indeed took time.


    However, Hugo could understand to some extent that the moderates who had benefited were still seeking further gains without paying for them. Still, that being said. The dying empire should have been overthrown completely, even if it cost blood and sacrifice.


    A year and a half late. That could be the case. But fortunately, there was a serious threat to the business, so the Council members were more understanding.


    Therefore, the discussion point was shifted to how to get Highserk to surrender, and the discussion resumed.


    ¡ô


    After the meeting ended, Hugo returned to his room and began scrutinizing the information he had gathered.


    The idea of an invasion strategy for annexing Highserk¡¯s empire had been around for a long time. In fact, everything from the granary that forwarded supplies to the supporting castles that delivered grain to the front lines was still thoroughly maintained. And even if a few soldiers infiltrated from the border area, they wouldn¡¯t be outwitted so easily. The problem was the situational relationship between the two countries, which had changed as a result of the Great Outbreak.


    Many of the former Highserk territories facing Libertoa had fallen into disrepair due to the monsters overflowing from the Demon Territory. After the rampage calmed down, the Liberitoa Trade Federation Army worked hard to scrape the fallen territory in accordance with the actions of the monsters who had scattered their habitats in various places.


    The forts and material collection sites abandoned by the Imperial Army of Highserk were eventually put to good use. Of course, after the painful experience of having been stabbed in the back at Sarajevo Fortress, any loopholes and underground passages had been thoroughly cleaned.


    The remaining tasks for Hugo were the defense facilities built along the river and the ones firmly guarded by Highserk¡¯s Eastern Army that had withstood the Great Outbreak. In particular, the supporting castle network of the base of the Eastern Army of Highserk was robust in contrast to the earlier, hastily constructed defense facilities.


    Forcing a frontal assault now would only bleed both sides dry. It would only end in a muddy battle of attrition.


    ¡°The most realistic plan is to advance from the Lake Celta side, while scraping off the Demon Territory. Not that Highserk hasn¡¯t thought of the possibility of an attack coming from their former territory. Still, this will suppress consumption the most. Besides, there¡¯s their Imperial Capital.¡±


    Hugo gazed down at the ever-changing ma and stared at the position of Highserk¡¯s Imperial Capital.


    The Imperial Capital, which had been destroyed by the Flame Emperor Dragon, was reclaimed by Highserk in the hope of redemption. It wasn¡¯t just a normal city. Although it was half destroyed, its defenses were amazingly complete. Large numbers of soldiers could be stationed within the extensive outer line, and the well-maintained passageways made it easy to bring troops and supplies from various locations.


    The Imperial Capital, the center and base of a country, was a symbol of Highserk advocating a comeback. Even Hugo could understand that.


    So, it was easy to imagine the impact it would have on Highserk if it wrecked once again.


    In short, there was no way the Imperial Capital could be a disposable garbage. It must definitely be defended with an adequate military force.


    If Highserk, who had lost most of the field army, squeezed more military forces to defend the Imperial Capital, it would have been impossible to hold the other part of the country well. Besides, there was now the Flame Emperor Dragon Corridor, which was a symbol of the alliance with the Principality of Myard. In time, other trade routes might emerge, but for now, this was the best and only route to Myard. If it were broken, Myard would be cut off from its lifeline.


    Such was Hugo¡¯s preoccupation with the deployment of troops and the placement of soldiers. But his attention was diverted by one thing. A sheet of documents in the corner of the desk.

 CH 154.2

    154-2. Chapter 154 ¨C Unexpected Meeting (Part 2)


    The sheet that caught Hugo¡¯s attention was a confidential document describing a truly troublesome Highserk soldier. A summary of the details about the ¡¶Demon Fire¡· user who caused a stir during the war.


    Having a general grasp of the contents, that said user was in short, a candidate for the next generation of the War God, and therefore, careful attention should be given to the military power possessed by this individual.


    Though important, it was a low-priority information for Hugo, who was now thinking about things in the big picture.


    Hugo tried to push the existence of the sheet into a corner of his brain, but he suddenly felt a sense of incongruity.


    As if invited, Hugo took a bundle of documents out from a drawer and flipped them over with all his might.


    ¡°Not the naturalized Myard adventurers. Where, where is it?¡±


    Halfway, Hugo found what he was looking for.


    Liberitoa was a flexible country. Even those who came from hostile countries would be given a collar if they were useful, and of course, they would be heavily used.


    What Hugo skimmed over was the evaluation of the naturalized soldiers.


    ¡°Birthplace, family structure, name¡­¡­ no doubt about it, I guess? Seriously, if only they were all born in Liberitoa, it won¡¯t be so troublesome. Well, nothing you can do about it¡­ I¡¯m sure that ¡¶Demon Fire¡· user, Walm, will be very pleased.¡±


    Leaning his back in the chair, Hugo took out a cigarette and lit it with the fire of the candle.


    A faint, sweet smell of beeswax filled his nostrils. He inhaled the purple smoke that flowed into his mouth and exhaled it slowly. The smoke drifted into the room and dissipated.


    ¡°Indeed, such must be used to the fullest.¡±


    Hugo, having a scheme in his mind, twitched his burned cheeks and smiled.


    ¡ô


    A man, in charge of scraping the Demon Territory, was summoned from the front line to a strong fort located on the Liberitoa Trade Federation border. Since the border had changed after the Great Outbreak calmed down, the fort now functioned as a branch castle to support the troops deployed in the annexed former Highserk Territory.


    The man entered a training area with a barracks. His name was Haze, a Liberitoa soldier, once a helpless farmer but reborn as a soldier through bloody forced training. He returned the land trampled by monsters to humans again, more than a few times.


    Countless amounts of sweat and blood permeated the flattened ground, and one corner of the training ground remained plowed due to magic and skills. This meant that the site was still used for training recruits.


    Haze averted his eyes from such a landscape and entered a tent that seemed to have been recently installed.


    ¡°Forgive me for the intrusion. I¡¯m Haze, a Company Commander. Following the order, I¡¯ve taken those under my command to Paldocia Castle.¡±


    Haze¡¯s Company wasn¡¯t attenuated enough to be called for a retreat or reorganization. Rather, considering the scraping and maintaining the Demon Territory that must be done, it was a mysterious order. So why?


    The answer was held by the man with a burned part on his face in front of Haze.


    ¡°Thank you for your hard work, and for coming fast.¡±


    Haze was greeted by Hugo, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who played a leading role in the military affairs of Liberitoa.


    In front of such an important person as Hugo, Haze¡¯s brain rang an early bell to warn of danger.


    One fact, the facilities at Paldocia Castle, which was expanding in scale, were expanding faster and faster. Haze wanted to believe that the tent he entered was part of this, but it was hard to imagine that they went to the trouble of preparing a tent and a long table in the middle of the training ground as part of the expansion.


    ¡°Come in, and sit down.¡±


    Only one option was given to Haze.


    When Haze sat down, as he was told, the entrance to the tent was closed by the soldier who was standing by.


    Then, Hugo started a light talk with Haze, as if they were acquaintances.


    ¡°Congratulations. It looks like you¡¯re going to have a second child. The future of this country looks bright with more people inheriting such excellent blood as you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much.¡±


    Hugo threw words at Haze like a performance actor, very professional.


    There was no way that a man as cunning as Hugo, who had spent his entire life fighting against the now-deceased War God of Highserk, could have summoned Haze for the sole purpose of small talk.


    ¡°Your family, will soon become three people.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the case, I believe.¡±


    Haze¡¯s sense of danger grew even stronger.


    The Foreign Minister, who also served as the leader of the strategy officers, seemed to know Haze very well. He had three soldiers by his side as escorts. One of them was a Company Commander, who sent many soldiers back to their homeland during the Great Outbreak. And the other two were ex-adventurers who showed their talent in the Demon Territory Recapture Battle.


    In order to clean the aftermath of the monsters¡¯ rampage, the three fought side by side on the battlefield. They had not only experience, but also powerful skills and magic, and depending on how they were used, they could do as much as a company unit. Including Haze, they were among the most elite of the Liberitoa Army.


    Suddenly, Haze sensed a slight presence from outside the tent. Not one or two. About a platoon size. So many people were waiting without him knowing their exact position.


    Then a word came to Haze¡¯s mind. ¡°Purge¡±. Even if that was true, he didn¡¯t know why he was chosen as a target. But, one thing he was sure, that if a purge was to take place, it wouldn¡¯t end with his life alone. As the word ¡°family¡± was mentioned by the Minister of Foreign Affairs.


    Considering the possibility, Haze had no choice but to make his mind work harder and faster to answer any question without making any mistakes.


    ¡°For your family, for your country, you have done the work that¡¯s worthy of a Liberitoa citizen. Surely you will continue the good work?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m willing to be loyal to Liberitoa, as I¡¯m indebted.¡±


    Although Haze was encouraged in this annoying situation, his words weren¡¯t deceitful at all. Once was an enemy country that he fought against. But it was the enemy, Liberitoa, that protected him from the rampaging monsters.


    Now that Haze had become a Liberitoa soldier, he had the education, knowledge, and even family he couldn¡¯t have hoped for when he was a poor illiterate farmer. At one corner he felt nostalgic for his past, but he now had a sense of awareness and resolution as a Liberitoa soldier.


    ¡°That¡¯s, very reliable. That being said, I heard you had a family when you were in Highserk. Do you remember how many siblings and parents you had?¡±


    Haze couldn¡¯t grasp the intention of the question, but he answered obediently.


    ¡°Father, mother, and two younger brothers.¡±


    The farming village where Haze lived was ruined in the Great Outbreak, but there was just no way he would forget the family he had spent most of his life with, ever.


    ¡°Have you confirmed who¡¯s dead, and who¡¯s still alive?¡±


    Haze tried to keep an expressionless face, but he didn¡¯t think he could hide his bitter expression at this question.


    Thus, memories of the past flooded into Haze¡¯s mind.


    The Great Outbreak happened when Haze, along with some people from his village, were on their way to sell agricultural products in the nearby city. His first younger brother, the second son, was killed by a demon, the same as the village¡¯s young people. Even now, he couldn¡¯t get his brother¡¯s scream of agony out of his head.


    Though barely, by the time Haze reached his hometown, the village had already turned into an undead den. The whole village was full of moving corpses. That scene was etched in his mind, especially when his parents tried to give him death¡¯s embrace.


    Haze¡¯s youngest brother, the third son, went to war in place of him the eldest son, and also the second son. And never came back. Although it was customary for those younger than the second son, if any, to go to the battlefield, there was never a day that he didn¡¯t regret sending his cute and slightly bratty youngest brother, whom he was very affectionate with, to the battlefield.


    ¡°¡­¡­My father and mother became undead in the village, my first younger brother was done in by a monster, and my youngest brother died somewhere in the Principality of Myard.¡±


    ¡°Hmm? That¡¯s a funny story.¡±


    Haze spoke to the Foreign Minister while suppressing his discomfort.


    ¡°Forgive my rudeness, but what¡¯s so funny?¡±


    ¡°Because the dead, is still alive and kicking well.¡±


    ¡°Certainly, my father and mother turned into undead, but it¡¯s not like I¡¯m comfortable with that fact. One day, I plan to exterminate the monsters from there and mourn them properly.¡±


    ¡°Ah, it seems you didn¡¯t get what I meant. Well. Your parents may still be kicking, but they¡¯re dead. The problem is your youngest brother.¡±


    ¡°My youngest brother, should¡¯ve also turned into an undead, so¡­¡±


    Undead born on the battlefield tended to be more powerful. Abundant food called corpses, and lingering attachment to life and regret bind the soul to this world. It was quite possible that Haze¡¯s youngest brother had turned into a mighty undead.


    ¡°That¡¯s not, completely true. Well, if what you assume is correct, in a way, that¡¯s good news for me. If only¡­¡­ The fire that will open the gate of hell, some call it. ¡¶Demon Fire¡·, the user of that blue flame, is your youngest brother. And soon, he may come into conflict with Liberitoa, us.¡±


    A shock went through Haze as if he had received a hard blow to the back of the head. A bad joke, he wished.


    ¡°Walm is¡­!? Impossible. No way. He should¡¯ve died!!¡±


    Unfortunately, there was no way the Minister of Foreign Affairs would bother to convey false information to Haze. After all, it was the solid security system that supported his survival.


    ¡°The eldest brother, a Liberitoa soldier, will be reunited with the youngest brother, a Highserk soldier.¡±


    ¡°Ah, a¡­¡±


    There was no way Haze could spit out meaningful words.


    There wasn¡¯t enough time for the confused Haze to calm down, for Hugo forced him to confront reality here, right now.


    ¡°You have two options. One, persuade your youngest brother to become an honorable Liberitoa citizen.¡±


    Hugo admonished Haze like a holy priest.


    Haze wanted the Foreign Minister to stop there, but the word of curse didn¡¯t stop.


    ¡°Two, if you fail to persuade him¡­.. I¡¯ll have to ¡°kindly¡± ask your brother to disappear.¡±


    What was meant by the sarcastic words was the murder of Walm. And Haze to be used as bait to lure his youngest brother, Walm, out of hiding.


    ¡°I expect a good result. For the sake of Liberitoa, your compatriots, and your family. You know what to do, I believe.¡±


    There were no options for Haze from the beginning.


    Teeth grinding on each other and fists clenched made sounds.


    The older brother couldn¡¯t even be happy that the younger brother was still alive. How much muddier did reality have to be, to be satisfied?


    For self-preservation and for the sake of the new family, Haze had to think about plotting against his own brother, or even killing him.


    What could be done in the face of such an event? Haze could only silently curse the Foreign Minister, the world, and the God who had abandoned him.

 CH 155

    155. Chapter 155 ¨C Return


    The road continued through the gaps in the forest and past the foothills of the mountains. On the ground, which had been trampled by the coming and going of men, horses, and carts, there were deep traces of wheels and footprints. This was evidence of frequent traffic.


    When Walm walked through such a road, he often crossed the path of passersby. And that was a good thing. After all, an active road, on which people and things kept flowing day by day, was the artery, the lifeline of a country, so to speak.


    Pushing the gentle slope with his sole and converting it into propulsion, Walm continued his journey. His body, once drowned in alcohol and dulled, had regained its finesse through the battles and training in the Archipelago, and his strong foot, which had traversed various terrains as a foot soldier, was demonstrating its capabilities in full again


    Soon enough, Walm caught up with one of the carts ahead of him.


    Carts loaded with livestock feed and hemp sacks of unknown use rattled and swayed, their axles and wheels rubbing against each other. A cart was pulled by two men.


    Among the young people, there were two who still bore the vestiges of a boy and had a similar facial structure and physique, probably they were relatives or brothers.


    Despite the hard work of transporting the cargo, the two conversed without complaining. Walm, who had completely overtaken them and turned his gaze from the side to the front, opened his mouth.


    ¡°Normal life, huh?¡±


    At first glance, it looked like an ordinary road. But to Walm, who knew what had happened a year and a half ago, it was a different sight.


    Back then, this road was lined on both sides with ruined corpses and exhausted stragglers waiting for their fate. The road was narrowed and chaotic because personal belongings and supplies had been abandoned as people fled. The blood and viscera overflowing from the corpses formed a muddy sludge on the ground. Just one step and a constant discomfort clung to the shoes that trod on the reddish-black clod of dirt.


    ¡°Ah, uhh.¡±


    After a year and a half, even though the road was well maintained, the soles of the half-boots brought back that sticky, hideous feeling.


    Logically, no way the dirt of the past was left on the ground. Birds and insects must have feasted on the flesh and blood, rotting the remains and flattening the ground once again. Still, the bloody spectacle smoldered in Walm¡¯s mind, and a non-existent odor of rotten smell filled his nostrils.


    Right, it wasn¡¯t real. It was a hallucination and a recollection of past events. Walm carefully clenched his molars so that the bystanders wouldn¡¯t notice he was acting slightly strange.


    ¡°¡­¡­This area, has also finally regained life. It took a lot of people and supplies, to take control of the area that was turned into a Demon Territory, and make it usable again.¡±


    Walm braced himself for his companion¡¯s words, thinking what he should say if he were to be asked if something was on his mind, but fortunately, it wasn¡¯t what he expected.


    Accompanying Walm on his return to his homeland, was Company Commander Friug, who had been under his command when he was a Wartime Battalion Commander at Dandurg.


    The words of the soldier, who continued to fight to defend Dandurg until the end, were truly weighty.


    ¡°Under that situation, and, you still managed to get this far.¡±


    Walm sincerely and honestly admired those who had stayed. While he himself had fled to another country and spent his days escaping reality, those who stayed behind kept moving forward. Even though they might have had to endure indescribable suffering and pain.


    A slight smile appeared on Friug¡¯s face, which had increased wrinkles.


    ¡°Thank you very much for the words. That being said, even if people have regained their lives along the main road, if you look at it from the outside, it¡¯s not that different from the weathered bones. Monsters appear sporadically in places that are supposed to be under control, and there are many uninhabited villages and houses. Even if we recaptured our home village over the course of a year and a half, there are still more houses than surviving residents.¡±


    Walm saw many abandoned villages as he advanced inland through territory controlled by the former Southern Army of the Highserk Empire. Reconstruction was underway, but with the exception of a few key areas, the ruins were still visible.


    Friug continued his words to Walm, who was looking around along the way.


    ¡°Even so, humans are tenacious beings. Surprisingly, there were survivors among the villages we had recaptured from the Demon Territory over the year. They were skinny, dirty, and exhausted, but still, no doubt that they were humans.¡±


    Walm almost said, ¡°Impossible,¡± to deny what he had just heard. For he didn¡¯t believe that a village with a decent fighting force and no defenses would be able to survive while the forts and checkpoints with multiple lines of defense were swallowed up by the onslaught of monsters.


    But given what he saw and heard, Walm tried to consider the possibility.


    ¡°Regardless of how it happened, the monsters¡¯ rampage was a disaster¡­ an army kind of force?¡±


    Tactics utilizing the natural environments had been used many times before, such as cutting river and sea weirs or collapsing mountainsides and cliffs. The Imperial Army of Highserk also used it frequently, one of them as a delaying tactic from pursuers coming from Refn Mine.


    The Great Outbreak would be similar to them. However, its controllability and reproducibility were poor, and most importantly, its magnitude was incomparable. Perhaps some sort of man-made natural disaster was the right word.


    Naturally, the great waves of rampaging monsters were devastating, but they had no strict order and their targets of attack weren¡¯t clearly defined. Behind their actions, there was a kind of fighting method and fighting technique, but no real strategy. It wasn¡¯t strange that some errors occurred.


    ¡°No, more like some kind of muddy current or tidal wave. Most of them were attracted to densely populated areas. That means, a direct hit could be avoided.¡±


    While Dandurg and many cities were inundated by the monsters, remote areas and villages that had strayed from the invasion path were spared annihilation. Of course, there weren¡¯t many places that were so lucky.


    ¡°Yes, the survivors said the same thing. It wasn¡¯t that they defeated all the attacking monsters, just that, they were lucky enough to be overlooked.¡±


    ¡°Still. The surrounding area had been turned into a Demon Territory. For staying alive in such isolated areas, they sure did endure well.¡±


    Maintaining control in a situation where contact with the outside world was cut off was really difficult. Unlike an offensive that would come to an end, such as if it becomes a deadly defense of a base called a village, no one could see into the future.


    Friug lowered his tone and began to talk about his past experiences.


    ¡°Honestly, we couldn¡¯t hide our confusion. After all, in a Demon Territory where people shouldn¡¯t be ¨D¨D as we stepped into the village, their faces, I just can¡¯t forget them. ¡°Thank you for coming. Really. I thought the world had come to an end.¡±  was what they said as they welcomed us with tears and laughter. It was hard to believe, as a year had passed.¡±


    For those who didn¡¯t even have any information, it was like the end of the world to see monsters rampaging without having time to prepare. Even more so when communication with the surrounding area was cut off for a year.


    In fact, Ferrius perished and produced many refugees, and both Highserk and Myard were paralyzed. Really. It wouldn¡¯t be surprising if the three countries were completely destroyed and the number of dead shot up by one or two zeros.


    ¡°Fortunately, it seems that veterans and soldiers who had dropped out of their unit had become the main force of the vigilante units. Their work in withstanding a year of siege was simply admirable.¡±


    Abandoning the unit they were assigned, the destination was their hometown. Walm could understand their state of mind. After all, he himself had once been through the same journey.


    After the death of his comrades and the break in the chain of command, Walm had few options and chose the same one as them. However, there was a chasm that separated him and them. Unlike Walm, who didn¡¯t make it in time, they rushed over and managed to help.


    ¡°They, managed to protect their hometown.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­.Yes, they sure did protect their hometown.¡±


    Walm simply nodded back at the survival of a stranger compatriot. Contrary to what he said, emotions of relief, regret, and envy swirled up within him, one after another. It had to be because his hometown was now physically and psychologically closer.


    Maybe Walm was too pessimistic or too much in trying to escape reality, but he just couldn¡¯t forget the past. In any case, he had no intention of forgetting it completely, but at least he could stop the stagnation. Even if he only moved at a snail¡¯s pace, he was determined to keep moving forward.


    The present Highserk was filling its thirst by sucking up all sorts of people and things, just as dry soil sucking up the water when available. Walm himself was one of them.


    The place Walm was headed for was about a day away. Actually, he had never set foot there. It was only a place he ever looked down on from afar, from the hill the deceased War God loved. Yet, strangely, he felt a bit nostalgic when he looked at it.


    The destination was the cornerstone of the Highserk Empire in the past as well as the present. The Imperial Capital, Varigend, which had once fallen due to the Flame Emperor Dragon and the Great Outbreak.

 CH 156

    156. Chapter 156 ¨C Imperial Capital


    In front of the Imperial Capital, Varigend, a city that made even Walm feel nostalgic, a troublesome thing called ingrained habit, emerged from the sea of thoughts, which had been polluted by the battlefield experience. What could be used for defense? Would the design, would the materials, be good enough? He couldn¡¯t help but be amazed at himself, who unconsciously began to evaluate the walls.


    The walls surrounding the city were constructed in a distorted trapezoidal shape. Speaking of its characteristic, it was formed in a reminiscent of an irregular lattice. It resembled a partition separating the contents of a box, one might say.


    ¡°The wall, maybe, was it expanded year after year¡­?¡±


    Friug answered Walm¡¯s muttering, which could be taken as a question to himself.


    ¡°Since just a few years ago. Speaking of the old parts, even those of the Varigend Fortress era are still present here and there.¡±


    ¡°Varigend Fortress, the predecessor of the Higherk Empire, huh? The old people often told me about it.¡±


    Walm was neither a scholar nor a history specialist, but when he was young, he was enlightened about the origins of the country by the elders of the village. What could one say, after all, old people just loved younglings and old stories. Of course, endless traditions and historical stories were close to torture for ordinary children. Most children would always try to escape by any means from the evil¡¯s clutches, and in this case, Walm was offered to the elders as a talking point.


    That said, now, Walm was grateful for it. The wisdom of the predecessors was precious. You couldn¡¯t get it when you wanted it, and you could easily lose it.


    Thus, Walm searched for a vague distant memory and thought of it.


    A fortress built near the confluence of the Ganau River, a tributary from the Liberitoa Trade Federation that crossed the Highserk Empire, was the beginning of Varigend, the Imperial City.


    A small feudal lord, the predecessor of the Highserk Empire, led his forces to defeat the powerful monsters infesting the confluence of the rivers. By building Varigend Fortress on a rocky hill overlooking the Ganau River, the habitat of the monsters, his forces managed to control the key points of water traffic and succeeded in seizing a small but rare agricultural area. Heavy items, such as stones and wood, were transported using the river.


    Due to its very strategic position, the Fortress was occasionally attacked by surrounding lords who allied themselves, even if they only ended up repulsed by the Fortress defense and Ganau River, which acted as a layer of natural fortress. Just like this, they continued to swallow up the hostile forces in the surrounding area with tactics and counterattacks. As time went on, its size continued to swell, taking in several small countries, and it began its path as an empire, the Highserk Empire. These were the footsteps of Highserk that Walm had heard.


    ¡°The east and north of the Imperial City have the oldest history. The structures in the southwest, on the other hand, are relatively new.¡±


    Friug looked like he was opening a history course for free. Of course, Walm welcomed the impartation of knowledge.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably also to cover the new weak point, but anyway, in order to extend the function as a city, the defensive walls were added.¡±


    Walm shifted his gaze to the thing pointed by Friug¡¯s finger. Although it had been renovated, the architectural style around the Imperial Castle, built on a rocky hill, conveyed a sense of antiquity. The western and southern areas, which function had been strengthened by the expansion of the city, were protected by side defense towers and sturdy gate towers lined up at regular intervals. One tower had several embrasures, and one could see the concept that the lines of fire crossed.


    There was no need to think about where such a solid Imperial Capital was attacked during the Great Outbreak. It was obvious. Walls and city were as if butter cut out with a dagger. Walm had already experienced a similar phenomenon in the Labyrinth City. Dragon Breath. An attack that only the dragon that stood at the top of the ecosystem could use, but it was powerful enough, fit to be owned by the Living Natural Disaster. Even the breath of the Undead Dragon could reduce a city to rubble and kill all the people. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that the supreme blow that the dragon bearing the name ¡°Emperor¡± could deliver, would turn everything in its path into nothingness.


    The pierced ramparts were still in repair, so their defense function was being assisted by hastily constructed defense facilities inside and outside the pierced points. In the inner city, on the other hand, the restoration was clearly delayed. This was probably related to the priority of the defensive facilities, but the main factor was probably the decrease in the total number of inhabitants using the house.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go into the city.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, right.¡±


    Friug, who had shortened the distance by one step, called out.


    Walm, whose eyes were fixed on the hollowed and vanished corner of the city, nodded slightly and drove the engraved horrors of calamity out of sight.


    ¡ô


    Even within the Imperial Capital, the symbol of the Empire, there was a calm and austere atmosphere, matured through history and traditions. As evidence of this, the sound of shoe soles hitting the stone pavement resounded in the quiet hallway. Fully armed guards greeted the visitors standing still, and the soldiers, passing each other, stopped their feet and saluted. Walm, who responded to them, sensed a nostalgic atmosphere.


    Of course, Walm in the past was nothing than a mere foot soldier, and was on the side of those bowing their heads and saluting. When he was appointed as a Wartime Battalion Commander, he wasted no time, perhaps the situation also played a big factor, but his bows and salutes vanished without a trace. Now, he was on the side that also received the salute, though, he couldn¡¯t help feeling itchy, but he understood, they were just performing their duties as soldiers.


    Hypothetically, if you led a small group on the battlefield, you could reduce it to the bare necessities, but the location did matter after all. In any case, the place where Walm was now, was the central command center, the heart of the Highserk Empire¡¯s military, and was staffed by the generals who acted as brains. So of course, a certain amount of rigor and decorum was expected.


    The Central Army had lost many personnel and generals due to the interdiction operation and the battle to defend the Imperial Capital. Subsequently, the survivors from various units were withdrawn to rebuild many parts of the city.


    Unlike the young soldiers who were suddenly mobilized to the front line due to the expansion of border, the Four-Country Alliance War, and also the Great Outbreak, the soldiers stationed at headquarters were all experienced soldiers. For better or worse, the remnants of the Highserk Empire¡¯s heyday still remained. Their eyes were filled with a strong will, and their well-trained bodies and demeanor attested to their combat record.


    Walm couldn¡¯t just focus on the other soldiers, because one of the generals of this headquarters had been waiting for his arrival.


    Guided by Friug, Walm went deeper and deeper, and before a certain room, the short march stopped.


    ¡°Please, wait a moment.¡±


    Leaving these words behind, Friug disappeared into the room.


    A few words were exchanged through the door, and after that, Friug asked Walm into the room.


    It was a plain room.


    In the room Walm entered were only Friug and a person who appeared to be a soldier under the direct command of a general.


    ¡°Captain Walm, please follow me.¡±


    The soldier opened the door leading to the back.


    Walm looked around the room.


    At first glance, he saw a man among the jumbled piles of papers. The man who should be had absolutely nothing to do with paperwork. A fearless man, unsuited to be in a place like here.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time. I¡¯ve heard of your achievements many times, but it¡¯s been since Aidenberg that I meet you in person.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad, Battalion Commander Jaff is still alive.¡±


    The Commander of a Cavalry Battalion, Jaff, who was known as the sword of the deceased War God and the sharp tip of the empire, was in front of Walm.


    It wasn¡¯t until the Battle of Aidenberg, when Walm was sent into the enemy¡¯s main line, that Walm clearly stood side by side with him on the battlefield. At that time, Walm was physically and mentally exhausted. Even Walm, who was accustomed to running around, nearly spat out whines and blood.


    ¡°How are you? Well and kicking? I¡¯m not trying to be a pessimist loser, but I¡¯m a little envious of those who passed away first.¡±


    ¡°¡­What are you trying to say?¡±


    Jaff took a deliberate glance at the paperwork and began to explain.


    ¡°As you can see, the Empire looks like this. You¡¯ve probably seen everything from the south. We¡¯ve secured rivers and land transportation routes, but we¡¯re all busy just connecting various places¡­ Expendable human resources are running low. It¡¯s been a year and a half now that we¡¯ve been working hard to get back on our feet, but that damned dragon really did us good. Thanks to that, I¡¯ve been forced to pretend as a civil officer like this.¡±


    It was a pessimistic look that one wouldn¡¯t expect from a fierce general who ran freely across the battlefield. It was unclear whether the paper-stained room caused him to be like this, or whether Walm¡¯s unknown year and a half changed his mind, or both.


    Not that Walm was any better. He was a pessimistic person himself, if he had to say.


    ¡°And yet, the Empire still standing.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. We, the Highserk Empire, still standing. We have to make an effort to keep standing¡­ And yet, as soon as we met again, I¡¯m only just complaining. Want some?¡±


    With a wry smile, Jaff retrieved rum and a glass from the drawer and placed it on the desk. It was the familiar Archipelago rum. Since the Mithril mine had started the mining operation, the Empire and the Archipelago had only strengthened their ties. Rum was one of the products as a result of this newly tied knot. Long ago, Walm would have drunk the whole bottle with ease, but now that was no longer the case.


    ¡°Thank you, but I¡¯m abstaining from drinking.¡±


    Jaff¡¯s eyes widened as if he had seen a ghost.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you going to become a priest after you quit being a soldier?¡±


    ¡°Haha, that¡¯s not a bad idea. You might be surprised, but I drank a lifetime¡¯s worth when I was away from here.¡±


    Walm was telling the truth. Depending on how one perceived it, it could become a form of returning a joke to a joke.


    ¡°Is that so? How enviable. And cigarettes?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have those.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. If you keep refusing, I may have to issue an order.¡±


    It was just a hunch Walm felt, but Battalion Commander Jaff was probably half serious.


    Lighting the cigarettes for the two of them, Walm sent the purple smoke into his lungs. The miscellaneous tastes were only a few, in short, it was delicious. It seemed that the leaves were well sealed in a container, so it was dry and of good quality. Then, a vague feeling of regret comes to his mind, and he wondered if perhaps he shouldn¡¯t have refused the drink.


    While enjoying the cigarettes, the trivial story continued. After enough time, Jaff got to the point.


    ¡°¡­On the way, as you might have heard from Company Commander Friug, Higherk Empire has formed an alliance with the Principality of Myard.¡±


    ¡°Yesterday¡¯s enemy, could be today¡¯s friend¡­ huh¡­¡±


    For those who were killing each other on the battlefield, this was abhorrent behavior. But, looking at the history of the northern countries, it wasn¡¯t that uncommon. And even, in Walm¡¯s previous world, it was common. So to him, such an idea didn¡¯t sound so outlandish.


    ¡°Are you dissatisfied?¡±


    ¡°No, in Dandurg, people fought regardless of their country or affiliation. Now, I have no resistance against it.¡±


    There was no mistake in interpreting the fact that you could only hold out your hand with your neighbors in front of monsters, not peace, but war. Ironically, that sounded much more convincing than some sweet words nonsense.


    Jaff nodded in agreement and drank the slightly viscous contents of the glass.


    The smell of alcohol mixed with a faint sweetness drifted in the closed room and stimulated Walm¡¯s nostrils.


    ¡°Glad that you are a reasonable person. The situation in the northern countries has been unstable since ancient times. Collusion, estrangement, alliances. The list is endless. It¡¯s not an exaggeration to say that this aspect is complicated and strange like a mystery.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say that it doesn¡¯t exist, but I think it would be wrong to expect too much friendship between nations. Both, have their own great cause, which, after all, can¡¯t be just given up.¡±


    ¡°How cold. I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re a former farmer.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the compliment.¡±


    ¡°In any case, there were some backlash and opposition, but the two countries are now connected. For now, we¡¯re using the scars left by the Flame Emperor Dragon¨D¨Dthe Flame Emperor Dragon Corridor to exchange personnel and supplies with Myard¡­ A lot of people fled there. Those from Myard, Highserk, Ferrius, and others. To hold them in Celta territory alone, the land and food are, as expected, far beyond capacity. Those who thought so passed through the corridor, and took root in the Highserk Empire, establishing ties with our people¡­ Northern countries where countries and borders change frequently. I guess it¡¯s a regional characteristic to obediently obey if you lose your ¡°head¡±.¡±


    ¡°And it¡¯s the war that creates the flexibility, it¡¯s ironic.¡±


    ¡°The long-lasting war gave them a clear goal. Well, not like it¡¯s someone else¡¯s problem. However, the more people and goods flow, the more dangerous it becomes. There¡¯s no end to the list of anxiety factors, like spies and traitors¡­ Unfortunately, we need to expand. Well, there¡¯s no way we can manage everything. But the current situation is that, there¡¯s no choice but to accept them even after considering the danger¡­ Let me say this again, even I, have to end up pretending to be a civil officer like this. Handling men and horses and battalions at the front lines, was much easier.¡±


    ¡°My sincere sympathy for you, sir.¡±


    Walm gave his sincere sympathy to Jaff, the Battalion Commander.


    ¡°Though there might be a difference in degree, you already experienced that in Dandurg.¡±


    Battalion Commander Jaff exhaled the purple smoke he had inhaled, and the smoke spread out as if to crawl on the ceiling.


    ¡°The corridor to Celta is crossed by a merchant caravan. Although the path has been made, it¡¯s nothing more than dotted lines. To say that it¡¯s safe, would be an exaggeration. Anyway, the next caravan will depart in six days. Until then, you should rest your body. I would love to have a long talk, but I¡¯m busy even now. We¡¯ll talk again after your eye treatment at Myard. These cigarettes are a parting gift.¡°


    Battalion Commander Jaff placed a leather bag on the table. Walm took the contents without checking.


    ¡°I will gratefully accept it. Thank you very much. I look forward to seeing you again, sir.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be overly polite. When it¡¯s too much, your words will only turn in the wrong direction, and it may lead to unpleasant results.¡±


    Jaff¡¯s face contorted in genuine disgust.


    Walm replied with a smile.


    ¡°Well then, when we meet again, I¡¯ll be looking forward to the cigarettes, I mean, parting gift again.¡±


    ¡°Hah, meeting with you again, huh¡­? You sure fast at switching your face. Well, if it¡¯s just cigarettes, you shall have them.¡±


    Jaff waved his hand to encourage Walm to leave.


    Having finished his reciprocation, Walm quietly left the room.

 CH 157

    157. Chapter 157 ¨C The Future Path


    The hustle and bustle caused by the movement of people and goods continued without interruption.


    Slipping by the side of a man carrying a coarse gunny bag, avoiding a child looking away, and passing behind a soldier glaring at a bottle of liquor with a sly expression, Walm weaved through the crowd. It was the call to invite customers that slowed him down.


    ¡°Hey, mister over there, there¡¯s good liquor from the Archipelago.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯ve had enough alcohol.¡±


    ¡°Really? Well then, if you feel like it, stop by. Hey, that soldier over there, what have you been worrying about from a while ago?¡±


    If it were daily necessities or other luxury items, stopping by to see might not hurt, but for Walm, who continued to abstain from drinking, it wasn¡¯t an interesting item.


    The merchant changed his target. He must have compared the contents of his wallet, which wouldn¡¯t increase no matter how much he looked into it, and the liquor, since he was going to a soldier who seemed to be in conflict, perhaps assuming that such a person might drop some money.


    The scenery and noises weren¡¯t the only things busy. From the smell of sweat to the fragrant smell of grilled skewers, even the sense of smell was overworked. The layout of this market was just that extremely chaotic. First of all, the exterior and the upper part weren¡¯t patched up, as this wasn¡¯t important. Then, both sides of the street were lined with wooden huts. No, not a house intended for living.


    There were several markets within the Imperial City, and the one where Walm now was the newest.


    Just because it was the newest, of course, didn¡¯t mean it was clean and tidy. After all, the place where the market was located was an empty lot in an area that had been severely damaged by the Flame Emperor Dragon and other monsters. The strange appearance of this open-air market, which lacked uniformity, was also due to the active use of wreckage as building material.


    Conventional markets and warehouses managed by large merchants were preferentially filled for trade with the Principality of Myard and the Archipelago. This was due to the fact that the current Imperial Capital was designated as the only artery connecting the territory of Myard and Highserk. That said, it also fulfilled its function well within the Highserk Empire as a central location for the redistribution of accumulated personnel and supplies


    The only thing the Highserk Empire, which suffered from poverty due to resource scarcity and war turmoil, could offer was military power. Although, that was now a thing of the past, as the discovery of a rare Mithril Mine became the Highserk Empire¡¯s main lifeline. It was a monster¡¯s rampage that drove the empire to the brink of doom, but had the monster¡¯s habitat not been altered by this phenomenon, the Mithril Mine would have remained unnoticed and dormant. Really ironic.


    After dismissing the merchant, Walm continued to wander aimlessly through the city with various thoughts. He had stocked up on the necessities and luxuries he would consume on his journey, and had stuffed food into his magic bag. It had been three days since he had arrived in the Imperial City, and he needed no rest. Right. He had become accustomed to the life of a soldier moving from place to place.


    ¡°What should I do now¡­¡±


    Whether he should continue to walk around and look at the stalls, Walm couldn¡¯t figure out. Not to mention that, he also had his meal.


    Unlike Walm, who had plenty of free time, Battalion Commander Jaff and Company Commander Friug were busy with their military duties. To annoy such a busy person would only cause resentment, and it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if he were suddenly stabbed in the ass by them on the battlefield. So, it was out of options. There was still the possibility of training hard on the training ground, but for now he had been ordered to rest. Just that, unfortunately, he had completely forgotten how to rest.


    ¡°Oi©`, you there.¡±


    Walm, who was in an envious dilemma, stopped his behavior when he heard a voice calling him. Thinking that it was just another merchant, the answer was ready in his throat.


    Unexpectedly, the voice sounded familiar to him.


    ¡­Some soldier I know?


    With that in mind, turning around, Walm caught the owner of the voice.


    A slender man with a load that exceeded his height was coming toward him. The sight of objects that didn¡¯t match was a masterpiece and left Walm speechless.


    The sight reminded Walm of a salesman with a bunch of dolls and key chains hanging around in his former world.


    Letting go of his guard, Walm spoke the name of the peddler as if to confirm.


    ¡°Hugh, is that you?¡±


    ¡°Right. Just as I thought, you¡¯re Walm-san, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    It seemed as if they were half in doubt about each other, and only after matching their answers, they finally recognized each other.


    ¡°It¡¯s been since the Adelina voyage.¡±


    ¡°That time was a disaster. For a while after that, I didn¡¯t want to smell the sea.¡±


    Reminiscing the past, Walm frowned along with Hugh.


    An enclosed space surrounded by flammable objects on a ship was a bad fit for ¡¶Demon Fire¡· and fire-attribute magic. Not only that, but the sea creatures were really annoying. The Kraken was a powerful monster that could destroy even large ships, and depending on the situation, such as at night, the whole ship could become seaweed trash without anyone noticing. Invited by flesh and blood, many Sahuagins appeared. Apart from their intelligence and dexterity in handling weapons, their numbers were also a challenge. Above all, the stench after death was stronger than that of some undead. There was no end of things to complain.


    Putting aside memories of the past, Walm asked Hugh.


    ¡°Why were you in such a remote place like this?¡±


    Walm, who shared a cabin with Hugh on the voyage, deepened their relationship in their own way. As far as Walm could remember, Hugh was supposed to be a peddler who traded in the cities and villages of the Archipelago.


    ¡°Due to the Gundor disturbance that occurred in the Labyrinth City, my suppliers literally went bankrupt. There were many merchants who found themselves in the same situation when it came to new business, and as you might expect, a weak individual simply can¡¯t win the competition.¡±


    The Undead Dragon, which caused enormous damage to the city¡¯s functions, also hit the labyrinth facilities, which were a resource area, at the same time. In a series of riots, adventurers and labyrinth explorers were mobilized to defend them, making it impossible to acquire resources on the scale that they had in the past. And the effects reached Hugh as well.


    ¡°Recently, when I visited the Dalimarx territory, which was doing well with Mithril Mine, I noticed people and goods were flowing into Highserk. The flow of people and goods, means business. That¡¯s why I came here to seize business opportunities.¡±


    Looking at Hugh¡¯s feet as he proudly explained the situation, his worn shoes stood out. In the truest sense of the word, he was making money by wearing out his feet.


    ¡°What a touching story.¡±


    Paying respect to the effort and power of action, Walm obediently uttered words of appreciation.


    ¡°Thanks to that, I was able to sell most of the items I brought. Now, if I could just secure a sales channel for specialty products, that¡¯d be the best.¡±


    ¡°That being said, that sure looks heavy.¡±


    Hugh was lamenting, but the shoulder strap was strongly digging into his shoulder. That wouldn¡¯t happen if the load on your back wasn¡¯t so full.


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying I couldn¡¯t stock any. Just that, it lacks stability, not a guarantee, so it¡¯s not suitable for the next time. Inside is a monster. A unique monster that you can¡¯t even buy in the Labyrinth City.¡±


    Probably, a monster that overflowed from the demon territory due to the Great Outbreak. Even in the Battle of Dandurg Castle, so many rare and uncommon species were springing up that it would be foolish to even try to count them or classify them.


    After answering, Hugh asked questions about Walm.


    ¡°By the way, Walm-san, are you going to work in the Archipelago? That outfit seems to be quite popular there you know.¡±


    Hugh obliquely suggested that Walm was a Highserk soldier. He seemed to be tired of it, but it wasn¡¯t all that strange. After all, this was the base of the Highselk Imperial Army.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s for minor business. I came back with the help of an old acquaintance.¡±


    ¡°I envy you that you¡¯re blessed with good people. By the way, is the name ¡°Walm¡± often used in Highserk?¡±


    Walm answered the unexpected question with a question mark floating on his head.


    ¡°No? Well, I don¡¯t know much about it. But, why so sudden?¡±


    ¡°A person I met recently in the market was looking for his brother, who had died in the war, named Walm.¡±


    Walm¡¯s heart leaped with shock and confusion.


    No way. It can¡¯t be¡­ But, right, it¡¯s no use just expecting.


    Walm, gasping for breath, slowly moved his dry lips and squeezed out words.


    ¡°¡­¡­Did you hear his name?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I think his name was Haze.¡±


    It was the same name as Walm¡¯s eldest brother, word for word.


    A man, named ¡°Haze¡±, looking for his younger brother, named ¡°Walm¡±. Such can¡¯t be just a mere coincidence¡­


    Walm resumed the conversation while suppressing his inner turmoil.


    ¡°Where, did you meet him?¡±


    ¡°The place was a street market, but he said he would return to his hometown, an abandoned village. He said it was in a village northeast of the Imperial Capital. He seems to be on the verge of giving up, and may go to the Archipelago or Republic afterwards, but¨D¨Dis he really your brother?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, must be.¡±


    Even if Walm pieced together fragmentary information, the result would definitely be his brother. After returning home too late, he burned many things, but his parents were the only members of his family whose death he directly confirmed.


    ¡°Sorry for the trouble. Thank you. At least let me express¨D¡±


    Walm took out a coin bag to pay the benefactor who had brought him the news of his family.


    However, Hugh pushed the bag back with his hand.


    ¡°No, you saved me on the ship, and then there was also the matter of the chipped axe. Please don¡¯t worry about it. I earnestly hope that you¡¯ll be able to meet your brother again. It¡¯d be nice if our paths crossed¡­ Really.¡±


    Said Hugh with a smile.


    ¡°Yeah, thank you.¡±


    Knowing the survival of his older brother Haze, Walm relaxed. Though with all things that were in his mind, he didn¡¯t notice Hugh¡¯s unchanging smile until the end.


    ¡ô


    Hugh, who had received repeated words of thanks, looked at the back of the Highserk soldier running away.


    ¡°Is he finally gone?¡±


    Hugh packed his load back on his back and with slow steps left the open-air market.


    From the bottom of his heart, Hugh personally hoped that the Highserk soldier¡¯s family, the brothers who had been separated from each other due to the ravages of war, would follow the same path. After all, he was indebted to this soldier, and he had also had the experience of spending time together in a small room of a ship.


    Hugh, pushing his way through the crowd, was like a merchant who had completed a big order. Of course, his heart was beating fast, and he was desperately trying to keep his hands and feet from shaking. Not to mention his neck, even his eyes were still fixed on the front, but he kept a careful lookout for anything that seemed strange or odd about the people he passed.


    Then Hugh came to a corner where abandoned houses used for gathering materials were crowded together, and finally he sat down on the remains of a stone pillar foundation. Fortunately, there were no tracks following. All that was following him was a burning feeling of guilt and fear.


    ¡°Haa, aahh, even if it¡¯s a strict order from my home country, I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    In a voice that sounded so weak like an insect, Hugh complained. Originally, Hugh was just one of the sources of information covering a wide area of the Archipelago to bring to his homeland. He had some experience in negotiating and bargaining, but he was neither an intelligent officer nor a spy who had received special training in his homeland. Considering the whip, which was beyond the scope of a normal threat, and the tasty reward, he finally accepted, albeit reluctantly.


    Would there even be a human being who would comply with such a request? As far as Hugh knew, no.


    During the struggle to defend the ship ¡°Adelina¡±, Hugh couldn¡¯t forget that he was being stared at by eyes that, despite their golden color, could only be described as muddy. More than that, they weren¡¯t human eyes. Besides, the turmoil in the Labyrinth City, the war of the Four-Country Alliance, and the devastating blue flames in Sarajevo Fortress, even if they were only rumors, were simply awe-inspiring. And the man of the rumor held back in the fight against the Kraken on board. Just killing Hugh, the man could even do that with one hand.


    ¡°I¡¯d really like to follow the same path. If¨D¨Dif we were on a differ¡­¡±


    Imagination flashed through Hugh¡¯s mind, making him stopped speaking further.