TAP TAP TAP TAP—
A magic scroll.
A spell document with a magic circle engraved in advance to reduce casting time.
Usually, it could even activate magic one or two stages above what its user could handle.
“Hah, hah—”
Thirty steps to the enemy formation.
And if what I had just seen was accurate—the magic engraved on the scroll was the 2nd-Circle spell ‘Lightning Spark.’
It was not powerful, but it could cause a momentary ‘electric shock.’
‘Garen probably has never received systematic magic resistance training....’
“Hey, I think that bastard fainted.”
“But why is he standing?”
“I don’t know. You go first.”
“Why me!”
In one-versus-many combat, even that brief moment could decide life or death.
Fortunately, perhaps, the mage had bought time, but those bastards failed to make proper use of the opening.
At the edge of my vision, I could see Garen’s back.
He was frozen.
Not even twitching.
‘Is he in shock from the electricity? No, that’s... did he faint while standing?’
TAP—
Twenty steps to the enemy formation.
I glanced sideways at Garen.
He had fainted for a moment, but his life was not in danger.
I passed him at once and kept running.
Ten steps.
WHOOSH—
I concentrated mana into the tips of my feet. And then.
BOOM!
I kicked off the ground and leaped.
The enemy formation closed in all at once.
The mage’s face entered my view.
As though her sight and thoughts had separated, she opened her mouth awkwardly.
“Uh...?”
So that was her last word.
SHNK— I drove my sword straight into the nape of her neck.
It was dangerous to let her use any more magic.
‘She might have read my mana just now too.’
Blood sprayed.
The enemy formation had already become a scene of chaos.
“H... Huh? Someone behind us—!”
“It’s an ambush!”
“Another predatory merchant company appeared!”
“Isn’t it a demon?”
“Fuck, run!”
“What about the company head?”
“Who cares!”
The sight of them throwing away even their weapons and scattering in every direction was something to behold.
Still, from their perspective, running away was probably the best choice.
“Hah, hah, hah, hah....”
—because I could not chase after them after overusing my mana.
“C-Company Head!”
Garen regained consciousness and ran toward me.
“Wh-what happened here?!”
“Ah, I ambushed the mage while she was chanting, and I got lucky.”
“How does that make any sen... Hup! Understood.”
“...Yes.”
A brief silence flowed.
Looking at the bloodstained carriage, Garen said,
“Company Head, what should we do with that bastard? He does not look like someone who only plundered. He seems to have killed people several times too.”
Before he even finished speaking, there came a rustle— from beside us.
A man crawled forward, floundering.
His torn coat and gold-threaded buttons stood out.
He was the head of the predatory merchant company.
He came before us, then immediately slammed his head into the ground.
“Please spare my life!”
Lying flat on the ground with his face covered in blood, he trembled down to his fingertips.
‘I suppose I have to kill him.’
Still, let’s at least hear what he has to say.
I lightly pressed the tip of my sword against his shoulder.
“Why should I spare you? You attacked first.”
“I-I am sorry! I... I truly did not know there would be a fight. I only meant for it to end as a quarrel—”
Was he treating me like an idiot?
In this rural backwater, the number of people he had plundered and killed must have been impossible to count. In a way, bastards like him were even worse than bandits.
“That is not convincing enough.”
“......”
The man slowly lifted his head. His face was terrified, but his eyes were constantly darting about.
As though he were trying to find some way to survive, no matter what.
“Answer.”
“I will g-give you money.”
“Are you trying to bargain with me?”
“No....”
“Then if you answer honestly, I will think about it.”
“Y-yes! Of course.”
“How many people have you killed until now?”
“......”
He could not open his mouth.
‘He probably cannot count them.’
There are two kinds of wrong answers in this world.
An answer that is not correct, and an answer that exceeds the time limit.
You are the second.
The tip of my sword grazed his throat.
A short silence flowed.
He exhaled at length, then spoke in an entirely different voice.
“Young merchant master. Are you truly going to kill me?”
“......”
“You have already killed six. By Imperial law, that alone is a serious crime.”
“We were attacked first.”
“Do you have evidence?”
“......”
Hmm. We did not have evidence.
If it went all the way, we had nothing to be ashamed of—but even so, going to trial would be extremely annoying.
My brow furrowed on its own.
“Even if it is treated as self-defense, the problem will become larger. Nobles will take interest. They will ask, ‘How are you so strong?’”
“Tch.”
As if reading my expression, he pressed even harder.
“...Do you want such troublesome matters?”
He slowly straightened his head. He was still kneeling, but his eyes were no longer those of the coward from a moment ago.
“Instead, let us make a deal.”
“A deal?”
“We both keep our mouths shut and go our separate ways. I will report that I was attacked by demons. I live, and you avoid troublesome matters, young master.”
Garen asked from a distance,
“Company Head! What will you do?”
I drew in a short breath.
“Fine. Then let’s go our separate ways.”
“You have made a wise judg—”
SLASH—
“Guh... Cough, cough. Why....”
I cut off his head just like that.
Who the hell did this murderous bastard think he was, trying to bargain?
When I searched his robe, I found an Imperial certificate along with a golden seal.
∿∿∿∿∿∿∿∿∿∿∿∿
[ Imperial Merchant Company Certificate ]
Merchant Company Name: Valorant Merchant Company
Representative: Sven Valorant
Grade: Small Merchant Company
Validity Period: 1 year
This document certifies that short-term trade activities have been authorized under the approval of the Imperial Commerce Bureau.
< Imperial Seal of His Majesty the Emperor ⚜ >
∿∿∿∿∿∿∿∿∿∿∿∿
“Valorant?”
It was a name I had never heard before. It was clearly a noble family, but that was not something to worry about right now.
What mattered now was Garen.
‘How will he see me?’
The me from the village and the me right now were too different.
Just then, he approached me.
“Company Head!”
“Y-yes?”
As though I were a thief whose own foot had started tingling, I answered awkwardly before I knew it.
“You were truly lucky!”
“Uh... Right? I really was lucky.”
“Then what should we do with these spoils?”
He laughed heartily and pointed at the horses and carriages.
“Hmm... I am not sure it is right to call them spoils, but we have to leave them here.”
“Yes?”
“If nothing was taken, people will think it was a “demon attack.’”
“Aha!”
“And if the Empire happens to come investigate, and they try to point to us as the ones who plundered them, this could also serve as proof that we did not.”
“You are wise. Then I will prepare at once!”
He calmly walked toward the mules.
We once again set our feet toward the western region.
***
The sun tilted, and darkness slowly began to fall.
After walking in silence for a long while—
“We were delayed quite a bit.”
I spoke first.
“We can simply sleep a little less!”
“Right. But... are you not curious about what happened earlier?”
There was no way he had not noticed anyway.
It was better to address it clearly.
“Hahaha!”
Garen laughed loudly.
“A mercenary should keep his mouth heavy and his fist light!”
A perfect answer.
“In that case....”
Should I seriously try raising him?
“When I was young, I learned a little swordsmanship.”
I chose my words for a moment, then added as politely as possible,
“If it would help... shall we practice together?”
Garen wore an unreadable expression.
“......”
I had phrased it indirectly, but telling a swordsman, ‘I will teach you swordsmanship,’ was practically the same as touching his pride.
“It would be an honor, Company Head. But if this happens, should I not return my wages?”
“Ha ha... Of course not.”
Behind Garen’s laughter, I thought briefly.
If Garen’s swordsmanship improved, I would have an easier time later.
Even if I were suspected of being an Awakened—
‘My mercenary did all of this.’
—that would become possible.
“Then let’s try after we finish setting up camp.”
“Understood. Hup!”
He pressed the flint against his knee, then struck it with the steel in his hand.
When sparks flew, he lowered his head and blew on them.
“Whoo, whoo, whoo. There we go.”
As I spread out a blanket, I sank briefly into thought.
I drew up several options in my head, but not one of them pleased me much.
‘Should I fix a shield to his prosthetic?’
...No. That would change Garen’s essence.
‘Then fix a greatsword to the prosthetic?’
Would that structure really allow him to swing it properly?
‘Using only one hand, but handling it like a greatsword, is probably the right direction.’
His reach would fall short compared to a two-handed sword, but it would still be enough.
An ordinary greatsword was about as tall as the swordsman using it.
“Mr. Garen.”
“Yes! Company Head!”
“Could I see your basic stance once?”
“Of course.”
Garen took his stance.
His left arm, holding the sword, hung heavily, and his right shoulder naturally rose.
“If you stand like that, you will be pushed to the left. Since the sword’s weight is on your left arm, tilt your body slightly to the right to balance it.”
“Yes!”
Garen carefully adjusted his stance.
“...Yes, just like that. Imagine creating rotational force with your right foot. Your left foot supports you and becomes the axis of rotation. Swing while maintaining that angle.”
WHOOSH—
The tip of his sword no longer wavered.
No, wait. He is too good at this.
‘I thought it would take at least a month just to establish his stance.’
“Company Head! This feels terribly awkward!”
He once again forced the load to settle through his knee and toes. The sword tip shook faintly.
“No.”
I shook my head.
“If you hold it like that, all your strength disperses. You need to fix your center with your thigh and side. That way, even if the sword is pushed back, your body can endure it.”
“Ha ha... This will take quite some time, will it not?”
...I agreed. Still, until he grew accustomed to it, settling the basic stance came first.
“Shall we stop here for today?”
“You sleep first, Company Head! I will practice a little more before sleeping!”
“Yes... Then you worked hard today.”
I pulled the blanket over myself and lay down.
WHOOSH, WHOOSH— WHOOSH, WHOOSH—
Every time Garen swung his sword, the sound of it cutting through the air lingered by my ears.
Like a night insect crying inside my ear.
WHOOSH, WHOOSH— WHOOSH, WHOOSH—
In the end, I spent the whole day dreaming that I was being chased by a swarm of hornets.
***
On the third day, we encountered a bear that had lost its way near the edge of the forest.
Garen cut the back of its neck in one stroke.
That evening, we roasted raw meat over the fire and laughed, saying, “Now this is real luxury.”
On the sixth day, rain fell.
To avoid the rain, we spent the night beneath the shade of a rock at the foot of a hill.
Even on the wet earth, Garen swung his sword.
Drops of water sprayed from the tip of his sword and glittered through the night.
“The stance you taught me is more comfortable now, Company Head!”
His voice rang through the rain.
On the eighth day, the first village finally came into view.
We could wash with warm water instead of icy stream water. That night, we both fell asleep without a word.
And in the second week, the mountains eased, and fields spread out before us.
That was how the second village appeared.
We headed to a shabby-looking three-story inn.
CLACK.
“Welcome.”
“We would like to stay for one night. How much is one room?”
“For two people, correct? Five silver coins. I will include meals.”
“That is a little expensive.... Could you perhaps lower it?”
Hiding the way I had been working Garen all day, I smiled as meekly as possible.
A merchant haggles anywhere.
“Then... four silver coins.”
“Thank you!”
I turned back and spoke to Garen.
“After we unpack, shall we have a simple late-night meal today?”
One needed to rest from time to time.
I decided to provide some welfare.
“Oh! That sounds excellent. Does that mean I can drink too?”
“You can. How many cups do you drink?”
“Hahaha! Who counts that?”
Oh... It seemed he could drink quite a bit.
“Then I will have a cup too.”
“You drink as well, Company Head?”
Isn’t that obvious—
Ah, perhaps it is not.
In my previous life, I had been a hopeless lover of alcohol.
“Me? Well... moderately.”
“That is good! I will see you on the first floor in an hour!”
“Yes.”
Feeling pleased, I went up to the lodgings on the third floor.
‘I can sleep in for the first time in a while tomorrow.’
Thanks to several days of forced marching, the western city of Marcella was now only a little over two days away.
Besides, tonight I would not hear Garen’s hornet noises either. What a relief.
THUNK!
The beer mugs struck together with a dull sound.
So I was finally drinking the alcohol I had failed to drink at Oxhorn Pass.
“An employer who even buys drinks. Is this not something that would only happen in a novel?”
“When working, one should work. When resting, one should rest. That is how efficiency improves.”
“Is that so? Then let us have another cup!”
THUNK! THUNK! THUNK!
Foam overflowed each time the mugs clashed.
As we emptied them several more times—
Garen’s eyes began to heat up.
Damn it. His academic enthusiasm had been triggered.
I felt as though the sound of hornets was buzzing in my head again.
“Company Head! I am used to the stance now. Is there no next stage?”
“Next is...... the downward cleave and rotational strike, which form the basics of greatsword technique.”
“Rotational strike?! What a cool name!”
That was when it happened.
I heard a familiar name.
“Did you hear? Sven of the Valorant Family is dead!”
Garen and I turned our heads at the same time.
Farmers at the next table were whispering as they tilted their cups.
“Really? I guess God does exist. Ha ha.”
“But what happened? That place spends a lot of money on escorts too.”
“I do not know exactly either, but they say it was an attack by a group of orcs.”
Whew, I swept a hand over my chest.
A group of orcs appearing....
Now it truly felt as though we had entered the western region.
“Hey, keep your voice down when you talk about that.”
“Why? Everyone here works in the Valorant fields anyway.”
“Even so, you should watch what you say. If it reaches the wrong ears for no reason, it will become troublesome.”
THUNK. I set down my beer mug.
......That noble family lives here?
And—
“They say the family has drawn its blades. Whether it was orcs or people, they will chase them down until they die.”
I quietly rose from my seat.
“Mr. Garen, we should hurry and leave......”
Garen glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, while with his mouth, he gulped down the remaining beer.
‘Is beer what you are worried about right now?’
“You should...... stop drinking now.”
Gulp. Gulp.
“Krrrgh... I will pack my things and come down at once.”
We gave up on the four silver coins and immediately left for the west.