Chapter 11

Chapter 11: The Ego Sword Picked Me Up (11)

Barbarians

Judging from the blond young man’s reaction, I seemed to have produced an enormous result for a first attempt.

‘Can training reduce the backlash from using a sacred object? Still, compared to when I fought the Lizardmen last time, this does seem less difficult.’

This battle had been less intense, and my injuries were fewer as well.

Brad took my hand and said,“I survived thanks to you. I never imagined a Vamp would jump out there. This is half the reward I received for dealing with the Vamp. I want to give you all of it, but I’m in a tight spot too.”

Brad held out 4 gold coins and a long piece of iron to me. It was more money than I had gathered from all kinds of requests and hunting.

Engraved into the iron piece was “Veronica Mercenary Company Rohan (lowest-grade).” It was a “mercenary badge” proving that I was a lowest-grade mercenary belonging to the Veronica Mercenary Company.

On the back of the mercenary badge was written “Lowest-Grade Promotion Vamp Hunt (Solo).”

It meant I had established the insane achievement of hunting a Vamp alone during a lowest-grade promotion request.

“It’s shabby, but you can stay as long as you want. The key is on the table, so if you go out, put it in the gap by the stairs. I brought the luggage you had stored at the inn too.”

Brad was unexpectedly attentive. He pointed at the backpack I had used, and I bowed politely to him.

“Thank you.”

I wanted to get up right away and run to the hunting grounds, but my body stiffened. It was because the sight of the Vamp’s mouth splitting into 4 parts surfaced vividly in my mind.

‘If I meet a monster like that again…… I’ll die.’

On Earth, I had belonged to the fairly strong side, but not here. Even after my physical abilities were maximized through the influence of a sacred object, I had nearly been killed by a B~C Grade monster.

‘The Vamp I faced was probably C-grade. They say a Vamp’s ability changes depending on what body it occupies.’

I had to grow stronger. I had to rise to a level incomparable to now.

After Brad left, I gathered myself.

It was nice that I did not have to pay the 10 silver for room and board, but Brad’s house was several times dirtier than the inn. If I stayed here, I felt as if I would be bitten by bugs before monsters.

I had no choice but to give up on the lower half of my armor, which was half-torn and hanging in tatters.

My side and thigh stabbed with pain whenever I walked, but it was not to the point that I could not move.

“Anyway, why is it so noisy?”

DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG!

It was not the hour, yet the bell rang noisily.

No, the number of times the bell had rung had long since passed 12. That meant it was not meant to announce the time.

Wondering what was going on, I shouldered my backpack and tried to head out, but armed soldiers were running around in a hurry. One of them spotted me and came running.

“Are you a mercenary?”

I proudly held out my mercenary badge.

“Lowest-grade.”

Starting from lowest-grade mercenary, one could freely accept and resolve requests. My status had risen from intern to full employee.

“You are being drafted.”

Starting from lowest-grade mercenary, one had to answer the lord’s conscription.

“Yes?”

“Max, take this one!”

The soldier called Max ran over and grabbed me.

‘Damn it! I got too excited just because I obtained one mercenary badge!’

The soldiers wore breastplates and helmets.

Since they had purchased equipment at their own expense, their outfits were all different aside from their spears, just like mercenaries.

The same was true for the mercenaries. There were plenty who did not have money to buy armor and simply wore layers of clothing.

There seemed to be around 70 mercenaries, and it looked as if everyone active in Azif had been dragged over.

The place I was dragged to in confusion was outside the northern wall. The mercenaries, including me, were placed at the front.

We were meat shields.

In front of me, the mercenaries who had boasted about being veterans were whispering and whining.

“What’s going on?”

“I don’t know either. I was suddenly dragged here.”

“Did a war break out? The mood around here has been bad lately.”

“Do not say unlucky things!”

At that moment, a cloud of dust rose hazily from the distant forest.

RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE!

I felt vibrations. Some mercenaries even put their ears to the ground. I seemed to hear faint shouts as well.

‘Something is coming!’

Colorful flags fluttered between the sparse trees.

That flag, half red and half blue from left to right, symbolized Baron Genon of the north. Besides that, 5 more flags could be seen.

‘A noble alliance? Don’t tell me a civil war has broken out?’

As if denying my thoughts, someone shouted.

“Barbarians!”

The bastards bursting out of the forest wore the hides of beasts and monsters.

Their main weapons were axes rather than swords, and they used throwing spears instead of bows.

Barbarians!

They were an existence that threatened the Rubalt Kingdom.

They had yet to move beyond tribal states, but their military might was powerful enough to threaten the kingdom. It was because they were a warrior people who learned martial arts as soon as they started walking.

The enemy numbered in the hundreds. They did not seem to exceed 500.

Even so, it was not a level that a barony with a population of 2,000 could handle.

Our forces barely exceeded 300. Among them, the regular army numbered fewer than 100. Around 100 were conscripts, and the rest were filled with mercenaries.

On top of that, they had plundered several territories on their way here and seized flags as well.

An army that had accumulated experience and morale was a fearsome opponent.

Then someone shouted.

“A barbarian shaman! O God, protect us!”

It was a world where swords and magic existed.

Shamans were slightly different from mages who handled magic power. They summoned demons or cursed their opponents.

‘That man is the shaman!’

My eyes could see what others could not.

Not only could I see the red solid lines revealed through resonance with Flambeju, I had also seen the black energy of the artifact “Grok Naal.” I could also see spirits dwelling in artifacts and sacred objects.

Perhaps because of that, I could see the energy wavering around the person presumed to be a shaman.

His firm upper body was exposed, and the areas beneath his eyes had turned black. In his hand, he held a tree lush with branches. Colorful cloths were tied to the branches, and as they shook, they made an irritating shshsh sound.

Dark energy flowed out from the shaman’s staff. It was several times faster than the barbarians, and the energy spreading in every direction surged toward us.

‘Can this not be dodged?’

The mercenaries standing in front of me turned pale. They lifted their feet and checked their soles and the ground.

“W-What’s wrong with this?”

“My body is heavy!”

Their movements were slow and heavy, as if they had fallen into mud, and it seemed to be the effect of the shamanic art.

That black energy stretched out like a lush tree spreading its branches, coiling from the mercenaries’ feet and trying to bind their entire bodies.

It was when it rushed at me.

―Cut it apart!

At Flambeju’s shout, I swung the sword without thinking.

WHOOOOOOSH!

It was a wild swing that seemed to cut empty air. Yet the black energy approaching me split apart.

The cut portion scattered, and the thick strand that had begun from the shaman paused.

After a moment’s hesitation, the black energy returned along the path it had come from. It released the mercenaries it had been holding in full.

Like a rubber band pulled hard and let go, the ominous energy returned to its original place in an instant. And the shaman standing at its end turned deathly pale.

Guhak!

The black energy entered the mouth of the shaman holding the tree. Like a monster with form, it forcibly opened the shaman’s mouth and burrowed into his stomach.

The shaman’s body swelled like a balloon, and before long, it burst with a pop!

―Foolish bastard! That is the end of a curse shaman who failed a curse!

The abilities of this world had “backlash.” The more outstanding the ability, the greater the adverse effect caused by failure.

‘I need to prepare for failure.’

There had been a clue in Flambeju’s words. If I devoted myself diligently, I would eventually be able to fly around even without losing consciousness.

When the curse that had bound the mercenaries’ feet was lifted, it seemed a battle between barbarians and mercenaries was about to break out.

But before that, a change arose in our own camp.

“Shoot!”

The 30 archers lined up atop the wall were a major threat to the enemy by their mere presence.

THUD-THUD-THUD-THUD!

The barbarians who had been charging blindly took the arrows with their bodies, and around 10 collapsed one after another.

However, the condition of those who fell was strange. They had disabilities, such as missing arms or bodies that were inconvenient to move. Even with such bodies, they had charged in while screaming.

The barbarians trampled over the corpses of their dead kin and charged, and I ran toward them.

Compared to the Vamp or Karkash, they were easy opponents. There was not one of them on whom I could not see a “red solid line.”

SWIIIIISH!

I split one warrior apart.

It was not simply the level of cutting his chest and making blood spurt. I cut through more than half of his thick torso.

The barbarian warrior collapsed while foaming blood, and the warrior rushing from behind glared at me with startled eyes.

SQUELLLLLCH!

Flambeju pierced the neck of the warrior who charged in next.

I kicked him off and aimed for the next opponent.

I must not rest for even a moment. I must not be careless, even more so. I had to open my eyes wide, open my ears, and amplify my 5 senses.

I also had to listen to Flambeju’s words.

―Put strength into it, strength! Well done! Well done!

Flambeju only flapped his mouth, as if there was no room for him to intervene.

That was how quickly I became accustomed to this battlefield.

‘War!’

It was absurd.

Until just a few days ago, I had only thought that life itself was war. And now, rather than a metaphorical battlefield, I was swinging a sword on a battlefield where one could lose their life in an instant.

‘I heard the relationship between the Rubalt Kingdom and the barbarians was bad, but they invade this openly? And yet the royal family does not dispatch troops?’

―Keep your head straight! Now is the time to fight!

Flambeju was right. I had to focus on the barbarian warrior charging at me. Unlike the warriors on whom I could see several bundles of red solid lines, only a few strands could barely be seen on him.

Even those appeared and disappeared repeatedly in an instant.

Flinch!

When the warrior’s eyes met mine, he hesitated. At that moment, the red solid lines disappeared as well.

“You’re quick-witted, aren’t you?”

“Aaaaaaah!”

A mercenary nearby screamed. Even with blood surging from his skull and one of his arms cut off, the mercenary did not die.

Human life was unexpectedly tenacious. The red solid lines were what erased that unexpectedness.

―Where do you think you are going? Do not move away from your allies! Those things will take swords in your place!

Flambeju was right, but I was not used to group battles. The martial arts I had learned were generally premised on individual combat.

When I moved a little away from my allies, the radius in which I could swing my sword widened.

Soon, the barbarian warriors tried to surround me, but that was rather what I had hoped for.

I cut one and withdrew. As I slid backward while holding the sword, the warriors swung at empty air.

Kendo and judo both had footwork. The two martial arts had a common footwork, and it was called suriashi.

Both were footwork methods where one moved as if sliding without lifting the feet from the ground, but their purposes were subtly different.

While kendo emphasized advance and retreat, judo placed importance on maintaining distance and securing angles.