《Hero without Blood or Tear》 Chapter 1: Red Dragons Fruit (1) Chapter 1: Red Dragons Fruit (1) Prologue It was one messed up game. Title: . It was an unprecedented, huge hit that swept across the world and created countless gaming addicts. The goal was to fight various demon lords invading the empire and to defend humanity. Its difficulty was nothing to scoff at, but it was loved by numerous fans across the world for being the most realistic virtual reality game ever. However, also had its point of infamy just like its superior gamey. It was because nobody had seen the good ending. The biggest point of interest for fans worldwide was when someone would finally get the good ending. There were several candidates most likely to achieve this, and one of the stronger candidates was me, Han Jaewoo. As a 22 year old Korean Gamer, I was globally ranked No.1 in this game. The game did not have PvP features, so in game achievement points were used to rank people. My current score was 546,200,000 points. The person in second ce only had 192,300,000 points, so it could not bepared. Frickin hell! I dived on top of my bed and threw a pillow to the side. Lately, there were precious few moments where profane words were noting out of my mouth. It was all because despite being ranked No.1 in the world, I had yet to reach the good ending. Even after ying for 2 years, there was no solution. Frankly, peoples attention towards me from all over the world grew more burdensome as well. I monotonously browsed through the Inte out of frustration. A sigh automatically came out after scrolling through thement section of an article about the game. These bastards didnt even know how I felt. They knew nothing about how desperate I was to get the good ending. Seriously, I was willing to do anything to get the good ending. I mean, what the hell kind of a game is this.... I grumbled every time, but was always on my mind whether I was awake or asleep. The real world and the virtual world had a different flow of time and I had already spent more than 100 years in the game. The elerated passage of time in the virtual world was made possible with nanobots in peoples head. I developed new walkthroughs quicker than anyone else. People were amazed whenever I broke the achievement score record and grew more awed at my skills. I had no intentions of giving up this game.
  • Hey, is Han Jaewoo going to post a new walkthrough anytime soon?
  • Hes the one who discovered how to beat most of the demon lords after all.
  • I guess so. If it wasnt for Han Jaewoo, people still wouldnt be able to kill a high ranking demon lord.
You bastards were putting me down until just a moment ago. Why are they suddenly praising me again. Ah, Im hungry. Due to the long y session, there was a twinge of hunger ringing across my stomach. I only realized it was twilight after looking out the window. I opened up a cup noodle and poured the boiling water in. After a moment, a delicious aroma wafted over. The sensation of warm steam tickling the cheeks was also enjoyable. Hmm? There was a post saying that the website had a new event on the page. What? A normal character y? While reading the event notes, the ramen noodles I put in my mouth had slid out. The event was something unbelievably outrageous.<><><><><> We wish to present a special event for everyone enjoying ! Instead of the normal guardian character, have a go at the game with a regr character! The yer who umtes the highest achievement score with a regr character in 6 months will win a prize! The prize is 25,000,000,000 won! Anyone can participate. <><><><><> The prize money was incredible. Even now, in 2045, despite intion and the value of money not being the same as before, it was enough to live out the rest of lifefortably. There was no way I wouldnt be hooked. But the event itself was too strange. Due to the diabolical difficulty of the game, allowed yers to pick top tier ss guardians from the get go. The yable guardians were:
  • Hero of Humanity: One Who Sold Soul to Darkness
  • Red Dragon Knight: Red Dragon Tercias Fianc(e)
  • Iron Prince-Elector: Iron Blooded Political Hero
  • Archbishop of the Exorcist Order: One Who Exorcises Evil Demons
And so forth. Their titles alone told just how amazing their sses were. But this was a game which could not be beaten even with such sses. So what was this about trying to see how far people could go with regr characters? What kind of sadistic concept was this? I had no idea whose head this idea came out of, but the goal was definitely to embarrass the top ranking yers around the world. These idiot admins always do the weirdest things. I stopped caring immediately. I had reputation and face to keep as the No.1 ranked yer in the world. What kind of embarrassment would I run into while ying as a regr character? It wasnt as if there wasnt a crowd out there waiting for me to fail already. Just one mistake and people would turn it into a meme and immortalize it online. Everything was a pain in the ass, so I just fell asleep on the bed as is. But people didnt leave the world rank No.1 alone. ***
  • You scared, Han Jaewoo?
  • Look at the pussy run.
  • He probably looked at it and figured he couldnt hack it. Probably thinks its better to pretend he never heard of it than get embarrassed.
  • No, I think I can understand. How the hell do you beat it with regr character when even guardian characters are getting smashed?
A month after the announcement of the event, forums were filled with posts denigrating me. The point of contention was why the world rank No.1 wouldnt participate in such a fun event. These guys, seriously.... I grabbed the back of my neck at the sensation of blood pressure rising. It wasnt as if I wasnt interested in it. But after looking at the scores that wereing up since the event started, I gave up without any regret. The current top score was 7,923.7,923.7,923. What were they doing to only get 7,923? It was night and daypared to the 546,200,000 I earned with a guardian character. Furthermore, the person who managed to score 7,932 points was the world rank No.2. His skills wereckingpared to mine, but he was someone famous who made numerous appearances on gaming shows. It was even more shocking since I recognized him as a good yer. I was bbergasted. It was a good move to not participate. Plus, if you died once in the game, that was the end. If you were ying as a regr character and got hit by a shrapnel from nowhere, that was game over. In addition, the world ranking No.3 currently had the score of zero. He had slipped on a cow pie while walking and died from smashing his head on the ground. He was theughingstock of the world right now. Everyone called the rank No.3 the Shitty Death. Consequently, it seems he gave up everything he had built up until now to make a new ount. Being called shitty death or cow shit everywhere you went, I could understand. It made me afraid. I was too afraid to have the confidence to join the event. *** 3 months after the event started, insults towards me became more pronounced. Even inte gaming broadcasts decried me.
  • Han Jaewoo from Korea is a coward. Hes refusing this grand adventure for the sake of resting on hisurels. He is the only person in top 10 rank to ignore this event so far. He should chop off his manhood if he doesnt have the balls for it.
A famous Swedish man who ran a popr gaming channel called Powdiepae was constantly attacking metely. I didnt know what people liked about him for him to have millions of subscribers, but I was being turned into a world famous coward. Fine, damn it. Ill do it. Ill do it. Grind I ground my teeth. I wasnt stupid and wasnt willing to enter without a strategy. To undo a screw, you needed a screwdriver. The top rankers so far yed as if they were strong enough to take out the screw without a screwdriver. Idiots. I had secretly been studying for a way to beat the game ying with a regr character. But there wasnt enough information. The event rules made it so footages and details of participants ying a regr character could not be released. It was because theters would have the advantage otherwise. I could rely only on myself and my wisdom to solve this problem. Browsing through secrets and knowledge about the game world, I looked for a way to raise a regr character. Another 3 months passed. The end of the event was close by. While I was focused on finding a way to beat the game without proper sleep or food, worlds interest towards me had died down. However, I finally obtained one of the secrets of the world. I did it! I found it! Right. With this, I had a chance even with a regr character. It was time to surprise everyone. A week before the event ended.I left a short post on my SNS. Im going to participate That alone was enough. That day, the inte flowed with hyped up gamers. You could participate the event only in ces the developer had set up, so I needed to go down to the Korean branch of the developerspany, Aqu Software Inc. I started out after finishing all the preparations. What the... I came without any thought, but the media had already camped outside of the building. I knew about half the faces there. Being the worlds rank No.1, I had plenty of chances to run into journalists. Hes here! Its Han Jaewoo! Mr. Han Jaewoo! The journalists swarmed over. Thanks to that, I had to do an unexpected press conference. Whats the reason behind participating only now? Hmm I was looking for ways to beat the game until now. Does that mean you found something? You are correct. Ohhh! And what did you find? The journalists showed great interest, but I wasnt about to share anything. Noment. Dont be like that! Give us something! They smelled blood in the water and none of the journalists gave up. But I kept my mouth closed. Ill share after the games over. I finished with that and entered thepetition ground. Wee, Mr. Han Jaewoo. We were waiting for you. A middle aged gentleman looking like the one in charge greeted me. Ah, hello. My name is Han Jaewoo. I am Aqu. Ah! The human-like being in front of my eyes was the artificial intelligence that created : Aqu. This middle aged gentleman must be one of the androids Aqu uses. I have always watched your gameys with great interest, Mr. Han Jaewoo. I thank you for participating in this event. Well, I wasnt able to get the good ending like everyone else either. Hahah, you dont need to think of it like that. Mr. Han Jaewoo, your gameys are different than other people. Aqu seemed to be happy with my visit today. Mr. Han Jaewoo, you will stay here while you y. Ill take special attention so nothing happens to your body meanwhile. Thank you. Then Ill get started right away. Before that, I have a tip Id like to tell you. Its something I tell all participants before starting, so you dont need to be concerned. ording to Aqu, ying as a regr character was difficult, but there was one advantage. It was that all the guardian characters you could choose from appeared in the game when ying as a regr character. In the game, if you chose one of the guardian characters, other guardians did not appear in the game as if they were gone. As if several suns could not exist under a single sky. But if the yer chose a regr character, all those guardian characters you could pick from appeared in the game. If you utilize this fact well, then there may be good results. I suppose it would be easier to take down the demon lords with more than one guardian around? Aqu smiled mysteriously at my question. You wouldnt know for sure. Huh? Whys that? I tried to ask more, but Aqu answered he could not say more due to the event regtion. There is one thing I am curious about. If its you, Mr. Han Jaewoo, I dont doubt you will take first ce in this event as well. Do you n on continuing the game even after scoring first ce in the achievement score? Considering he was saying something like that, there definitely was something hidden about the regr character. Yes, once I start, I dont n on ending it before the games over. Though I didnt tell anyone, I was obsessed over the good ending. Since all the guardians showed up in a regr character y, there could be a new way to beat the game. Plus, I wasnt ready to give up before trying out my hidden card in the game. Very well, then I will promise you here. If you reach the good ending with a regr character, on top of the prize money, we at Aqu Software Inc. will provide a special reward. I look forward to it. There was nothing more to gain by talking. Now was the time for action. Iid down in the nearest virtual world interface machine. Ill start then. Best of luck to you, Mr. Han Jaewoo. With Aqus farewell, the game started. *** Once started, there wasnt any grand intro cinematic or any sort of greeting. When starting as a guardian character, there was a scene where a king and themon folk came out to greet you. Then they ask you to secure the future of the humanity. But starting with a regr character It was a countryside vige. Oi, Valler, clean out the cowpies. The old man beside me handed a pitchfork over as if he was annoyed and shoved me along unpleasantly. I naturally knew that man was my uncle. While heading over to the pen, I quickly opened my status screen. ______________________________ Name: Vallerstadter VallerAge: 22 Level: 0 (No ss) HP: 20MP: 0Renown: 0 (Young Man Who Stacks Hay in Countryside) Strength: 18Intelligence: 10Dexterity: 22Constitution: 20Charisma: 5 Skill:None ________________________________ W, what? What is this countryside bumpkin with the only thing good about him being healthy? The stats were so low I could shed a tear. I could understand how the world rank No.3 could slip on cowpie and die. I was so scared I didnt even have the confidence to go down to the pen. I opened up the minimap. I needed to know where I was. Hmm Spandau. My current location was a tiny countryside vige in the northern part of the empire. There were cities nearby, but I was in a vige in any case. So what do I do now? I had prepared my own set of hidden cards to y, but there were many mountains to climb before I could show them. As a regr person, I needed to at least grow to a certain point where I can survive. Thankfully, I already knew a lot of information about this world. If I carefully sifted through them, I could find a way to gather some strength with this life thats no better than a flys. Kuuh. I couldnte up with an answer no matter how long I looked at the map. It would be more urate to say I knew the answer, but there was no way to achieve it. I knew where the hidden treasures like dragon heart were. The real issue was that hidden treasures were guarded by powerful monsters. There was nothing I could do when I didnt even own a sword. I was deep in my contemtion when I saw the stars in front of me. Crash I told you to clean up the cow pies! Turning back, the uncle was furious. Aigoo, what is with this life. I picked up the farming tool and headed over to the pen while grumbling. In there, I scrolled through a bit of history about this person called Valler in the character screen. Hmm Vallers parents had passed away when he was young. Since then, his uncle had been using him almost as a ve. I figured this uncle didnt treat him like a nephew in the first ce. He was a rotten person. While I was pretending to clean out the cow pies, I decided to run away in the middle of the night. *** The night hade. Kurrragggghhh! Kuraaagh-phew. Uncles snoring was quite loud. I moved carefully. I had already packed up before night came. The reason why I waited until night was to steal uncles money. Valler knew where uncle had hid the money, but he was too much of a coward to do anything. Creak Creak I carefully sifted through the furniture in uncles room while standing on the tip of my toes, and found the pouch of money. ng The bag was filled with coins from the sound of it. I pocketed it without hesitation and escaped from the house. The wheat field glistened in all direction from the moonlight shining down. The game was unbelievably realisticpared to to the game I had been ying in my room. Its so real. I ran industriously while admiring the surrounding environment that was indistinguishable from real world. Valler was healthy and possessed good stamina. Soon, a small river that marked the border of the vige showed up. If I crossed the tiny wooden bridge without any fence, that was the end of this tiny hellhole. You! You rotten bastard-! That was when arge man came chasing from behind while his shout weakly echoed through the night. It was the uncle. I thought he was asleep, but he somehow knew the money was gone. I hesitated for a moment, but stood waiting on the bridge. You ungrateful whelp! You arent even thankful for me raising you, but you even run off with my money! Pant! Pant! He sounded murderous while panting for breath. He even brought a quarterstaff to try to beat me half to death. With a single strike to the head from a quarterstaff, I would die. Nobody would care if a mere ve died in some countryside like this. His intention was to kill. But wasnt that underestimating me too much? Even though Im only level 0, I still possessed battle experience from having ying as a hero before. I wouldnt die to some middle aged man with a beer gut swinging a quarterstaff. Plus, Valler was fairly agile as well. Take this! Woosh The quartestaff swung down with murderous aura. But I quickly dodged. It was little close due to being in a regr persons body, but wasnt too bad overall. Oi! You dodged? Uncle became even more furious as if he had not expected it. But it wasnt as if this man knew martial arts. The way he swung the staff with all his might in the middle of the night was clumsy. He couldnt even calcte the distance correctly and struck somewhere near my feet. I quickly grabbed the quarterstaff and held on to it. Soon, the uncle could not hide his anger any longer. You! You bastard! He let go of the staffpletely and rushed over while swinging his fists in a wide arc. He figured he could probably take me on with just his bare fists. But I ducked slightly to dodge. He simply could not stop his own momentum from making himself fall off the bridge. Ssh Uwwaaaahh! He sshed around after falling into cold water in the middle of the night. The river only came up to his waist, but he made it sound as if he was drowning. After looking at that absurd scene for a moment, I started beating him with the quarterstaff. Twack! Crack! Twack! Arrrgh! You son of a-! O! A sound of a pig dying rang across the night sky. I purposefully avoided hitting him on the head. He would die if I hit him on the head, so I aimed only at the shoulders. First he stood there taking the hits with his willpower, but started wading away across the river when it became too painful to bear. I chased after him and kept swinging the quarterstaff down while running. Arrrgh! Oww! Uncles pained shout rang across the wheat field every time. It sounded like a pig dying. I didnt hold back one bit. The reason wasnt because he pped me on the back of the head in the morning. It was because while ying as a character called Valler, I could slowly feel his emotions and memories. His past pain and suffering were not a joke, and I intended to pay it all back. That man was a trash who treated his nephew like a livestock. Kuaaah! He finally copsed after being done in with the quarterstaff. From the way he was shaking, it would take months to fully recover. It usually took a while to recover from a beating anyhow. It was lucky he survived at all. Twe! Live properly from now on! I spat at him and turned around. Despite being chased and chasing in the middle of night, it felt quite good. Plus, since I took the young mans uncles money, there was no need to worry about money for a while. I chose my direction to the west. In that direction was a ce where Havel river had flooded over to create a swamp, and there was a legendary potion even a regr person like me could obtain. If I could obtain that legendary potion, I didnt need to worry about dying like a fly anymore. As expected, things were going smooth even as a regr person because I was ying. I peeked over at my achievement screen. It was a fairly high score for beating up a middle aged man with beer gut. Considering inte game, taking down an ogre would only you 1 point, it seemed that starting an adventure was valued highly. Alright, lets breeze through this. I shouldered the quarterstaff and excitedly started running under shining moonlight. Chapter 2: Chapter 2:Red Dragons Fruit (2) After that, it took two full days to arrive at Havel river. The area was a vast swamp created by the overflowing river. I needed to be careful in the swamp as this area had been upied by a demon army. The swamp was divided into five areas and a Witch of the Swamp lorded over each area. People called them Havels Five Witches. Its here. The ce I arrived at was one of the five areas; Gungel swamp. In demonguage, it meant sticky. A witch called Hejuju lived in this area, and she was quite peculiar. She really liked ancient demonic history. She gave out questions based on this and gave a legendary potion to those who answered correctly and ate those who answered incorrectly. In the past, while ying as a hero I managed to answer Hejujus questions correctly and received a potion. In other words, I knew what questions Hejuju was going to ask and the answers to those questions. The legendary potion was as good as mine. I felt a tinge of fear at having to meet one of the fearsome witches of the swamp, but my greed towards the legendary potion was even bigger. With that one potion, I would be able to get out of this pitiful state and roam the Empire freely. But I ran into a monster hunter just in front of the swamp. Young man, go back. Ahead is a den of demons, filled with all kinds of malice and evil. The way he was covered in blood and mud, it was quite apparent he had just finished hunting. Furthermore, the master of this swamp, Hejuju has just returned from a trip away from this swamp. I hurriedly escaped as well. This monster hunter seemed to hunt demons whenever the master of the swamp, Hejuju, left the ce. He was a fairly capable person. I thank you for your warning, but I have herbs to gather. I gave a half baked excuse and walked past him. The problem now was how to safely move across the swamp brimming with monsters, but the solution was simple. You simply needed to follow the rules of someone bringing a tribute to the witch of the swamp. I knew well from past experience. The money from Vallers uncle should be enough for a tribute. Lets go. Snap After snapping a branch off a hazel tree, I followed the designated path. The hazel tree branch served as the the sign someone was bringing a tribute. Grrrr. Krrrrggh. Beyond the swampy areas covered by fog, unknown noises flowed out endlessly. The monsters were definitely watching. But since I was bringing a tribute, they didnt dare attack. Sllllrrpp Sllllrrrp There was even a sound of a monster withrge mouth and tongue smacking his lips in anticipation for a taste. Hiigh, it was hair raising. I ignored the sounds with all my might and finally arrived at Hejujus hut. Oh Witch of the Swamp, I have brought you tribute. All kinds of disgusting smell greeted me once I opened the door and went inside. Amidst all kinds of misceneous wares, the witch Hejuju was boiling something in her cauldron. Such annoyance! Despite knowing that it was for a tribute, the fact she was unenthusiastic about it indicated she was annoyed about being interrupted. Inside the cauldron was suspicious green liquid with terrible stench. I became curious. May I ask what that is? Hmph, would something like you understand just because I exin? But Hejuju didnt seem to dislike that someone was showing interest in her work, so she exined. This is the new acid bomb I invented! If Ibine the acid and a bomb together, it will be more powerful than ever before! Muhahaha! I will be rich if I am sessful! You are amazing. I sucked up to her enthusiastically. Thankfully, the witch didnt dislike it. Of course! Be careful not to touch this. Or else there will be a big problem. As youmand. Either way, what did you bring for the tribute? I respectfully presented the prepared pouch of money. Hejuju opened the pouch with her hand that had long, dirty and overgrown fingernails and smiled. A useful amount. So, what did you want with this tribute? It hasnt been too long since you brought yourst tribute. As expected, she mistook me for a viger from nearby area. Since I knew the rules to pass through the swamp, that was only logical. O Witch of the Swamp, what I wish for is to solve your questions and receive the prize. What? Hejuju made an expression as if she heard something she had never anticipated. Hrious. Do you really believe youll be able to solve the question? If you fail, I will devour you. If you were joking, I will forgive you for bringing this much tribute. Be gone! I begged once more at the witch who was shooing me away. I implored that I was so fascinated with the question that I was willing to risk my life on it. You are a truly strange child. Then, theres no reason for me to not ask either. Hejuju could not hide her evil expression. In her head, I was probably already as good as dead. Thank you. Dont thank me. I was getting hungry while working anyways. I should be the one thanking you. Keheheh. Then listen well. There will be three questions on ancient history. Yes. What is the saying carved on the Great Naga Warlock Grams staff? Hejuju was overly confident. Her questions were based on rare information that only a select few demons had ess to. How could a human being know any saying by Nagas Great Warlock? Even further, theyve existed only in the ancient times. While I was ying the game, I obsessively studied demon history and culture to fight the stronger demons. was a difficult game, so I had to study a lot. Honestly, I probably knew more about the demons secrets than Hejuju, the witch of this swamp. That kind of question was boring. Return twice over for a favour, and ten times over for a grudge. When I answered immediately Hejujus eyes became wider. W, what? How does a mere human know that! I have studied a little. U, unbelievable. Its just a coincidence. Next question. Where is the Demon Lord from 400 years ago, Pattukas grave? I could feel Hejujus confidence in me not knowing the answer to this question. It was a question I was suppose to get wrong. Even some fairly high ranking demons didnt know the answer to this question. It is hidden deep in the secretive Rem Valley in the demonic world. What?! Again, I answered immediately and Hejuju began to shake all over. She pointed at me agitatedly while shaking her staff. Who are you! How do you know that! Next question please. You dare! Hejuju put on a serious face and poised to ask a question which I would really have no way of knowing. The question was, once again, too easy for a demon expert like me. How many demon lords are currently active within the Empire? Thirty three. Demon Lords were causing problems left and right but there were also those working from within the shadows. It was no easy feat to ount for all of them. But after having yed this game countless times, there was no way I wouldnt know the answer to this question. Hejuju lost herposure when I replied thirty three immediately. What where did something like you appear from? Even though her hands were shaking, Hejuju took out a pouch from her inner pocket. She tossed it over to me. Here is a legendary potion they call Dragons Fruit. Even trash like you will be reborn if you take it. Hmph! Take it. I have made a promise on my name to reward anyone who correctly answers the questions. I have no intention of breaking that promise. Thank you. I picked up the Dragons Fruit Hejuju had handed over. In the past, while ying as a guardian, I simply killed Hejuju after taking the potion, but since I didnt have the strength to do so this time, it was time to retreat. Then Hejuju called me over while I was trying to leave. Wait. When I turned around after feeling an ill-premonition, Hejuju was smiling at me like an evil spirit. And her staff was pointing my way. I handed over the Dragons Fruit as promised. But I never said I would let you go freely. It was strange. In my past ys as a guardian, I received the Dragons Fruit and that was the end. She didnt act petty like now. No, is it because Im an easy target right now? The reason she did nothing when I was a guardian was because she was too weak to do anything to me? This is different from what you promised! I never broke my promise! Hejuju shouted and fired a beam from her magic staff towards me. That was the end. I lost consciousness as I felt a sensation as if my soul was flying off. *** Mmmmhh. The moan was probablying out of my mouth. My body felt heavy as if it weighed a ton. Loud gossiping noise from nearby forced me to open my eyes. Kekeke! We havent had a feast in a while! I cant stop salivating. Its still young, so itll be soft and tender. Shriveled up and old ones smell and taste bad. I realized the situation I was in. Cold sweat rolled down. I squinted my eyes open to look ahead. There were five repugnant looking witches chattering away with a gigantic cauldron in the middle. No, seriously, what the hell kind of a situation is this. Looking at the cauldron, it looked as if they were nning to cook me in it. I scanned around to confirm that this was some sort of a cavern. There were human bones piled high along with misceneous wares in the cavern. Urgh. I tried to struggle around, but it was useless as my arms were tied behind me. I felt around with my hand to see if I could grab anything. Finally,I touched something sharp like a broken bone. But the next moment, I could only freeze like a frog that saw a snake. One of the witches was staring at me. My heart dropped. Its awake. What? At the word of the witch staring at me, all the other witches turned towards me. They were all hideous. Just wait few more moments, child. Well gobble you up delicious after deboning you. Kekeke! His heart is mine! Then the thighs mine! You always liked the chewy cut for some reason. They all started arguing over herbs and ingredients to put into the cauldron. The males have a rank smell to them, you need to put in plenty of rosemary! Shut up! Didnt you know I hate the smell of rosemary? You idiot! Taking a look at the situation, I still had a bit of time before being turned into a feast. What did I need to do? I desperately thought over what I knew about Havels five sister witches. I recalled despite looking rather friendly, they did not have a good rtion with each other. They were the type of people who couldnt hide their ugly jealousy over each other. Each of their names were: Hejuju, Kaldura, Pugul, Gunda and Oldaina. The Witches of the Swamp were infamous subjugation targets, so I had ran into them one way or another in the game. I remembered their dialogue from back then. And I realized I could y them against each other. Boosh Boosh While thinking, I was using my hands and that sharp bone to cut through the rope that was tied around my hands.Speaking of which, I waspletely naked. They were treating me more like a piece of meat than like a person. Snap! Its strange though. All the witches were looking at me as if they had never expected me to open my mouth. What? Whats that thing saying? Hejuju-nim, you said you wouldnt invite Pugul-nim, but why did you bring her anyways? Didnt you say Pugul-nim would eat too much and ruin the party? What? What nonsense are you spouting, you maniac? Hejuju was taken aback, but the witch called Pugul was already bright red with anger. She had inherited an ogres blood, one of her ancestors, so she was particrlyrge. All the other witches wereughing away at the situation. I took the opportunity to continue running my mouth. Gunda-nim, didnt you have a magical reagent stolen couple of days ago? Huh? What! How did you know! Thats because Hejuju-nim stole it with her familiar. If you open up that toad over there, youll find your lost property in the stomach. Once I had the initiative all kinds of memories from past quests came back. I shouted out the information as they came, and the witches started pulling at each others hair. Why is my stuffing out of your toads stomach?! How should I know! You thief! You bitch! The five witches who ruled over the swamp were locked into a melee with each other. They at least held off on using magic as a sort of an unwritten rule to not cross the line. If they started using magic, it would assure mutual destruction. I quickly got up and pushed Hejuju who was showing her back towards me. Die! Right into that gigantic cauldron with boiling water inside. Ssh! Hejujuunched straight into the boiling water. Kuaaaaaah! A screeching cry erupted. But I didnt stop. I picked up the staff Hejuju dropped and smacked down at her forehead that came out of the water. You bitch! Thwack! After taking the hit square on the head, she sunk below once again. However, she managed to float back up again and I struck down again. My emotions exploded out. What the hell did you say, you hag? Youre going to eat me? Thwack! At that moment, the magic staff broke with a mighty crack. And from the broken staff, me started sprouting out uncontrobly. Woosh That wasnt all. With a pew pew noise, something like fireworks starteding out of the staffs broken area. Guaaaaahhh! One of the witchs hair caught on fire and she rolled around. The situation turned into chaos in an instant. I threw the staff at the witches and scooped all the reagents on the table with my two arms to fling into the fire. Boom! Bang! Kam! Chain explosion erupted. The cavern was in absolute anarchy. You rotten hags! Youre all dead! Raging over the fact I was almost eaten so humiliatingly, I was in a state of frenzy. Chapter 3: Unlocking Rare Class (1) Chapter 3: Unlocking Rare ss (1) Chapter 3 - Unlocking Rare ss (1) Boom! m! Bang! Fire spurted everywhere when it met with the reagents. The witches jumped away in surprise. In the meantime, I began to hop around like a frog due to fiery sparks prickling away at me. How dare a mere human! One of the witches growled at me as she grasped the situation. I looked around and found a way leading up. A rather sturdy lookingdder. Naturally, I ran towards it. Where do you think youre going?! One of the witches casted a spell. In a split second I made a decision and grabbed one of the witches whose hair was on fire and pushed her in front of me like a shield. m! Smoke erupted and the witch turned into a skunk, which I threw towards the witch who casted the spell. The skunk became surprised and gassed the other witch. Arrrgh! The witch who took the spray head on copsed backward while screaming. There was nothing to hesitate about now. I ran forward with all my might. Where do you think youre going? Ill rip your limbs apart! The witch who measured roughly 2.5 m in height stood in front of me with her two arms extended out. It was Pugul, who had inherited ogres blood. She was quite strong, so she preferred to beat her opponents to death with her two arms rather than by using magic. I couldnt stop now. When Pugul tried to grab me while I was sprinting, I slid down and dived through right between her legs. You slippery rat! Enraged, Pugul tried to turn around but I found something resembling a stick and stuck it up her behind. Kuuaaaaahhh! The gigantic ogre sized witch jumped up. Thanks to that something fell off of Pugul. It was a hefty leather bag, and even at a nce, it looked important. So, despite the situation I grabbed it and climbed up thedder. Pant! Pant! While I was frantically climbing up thedder to save my life, one of the witches grabbed my ankle. Ill roast you alive! Ah damn it! I was almost there. I struggled with all my might and desperately groped around with my hand. The moment I felt something sturdy in my hand, I swung at the witchs forehead. Aaaaaagh! The witch, who had almost finished chanting her spell fell off thedder with a scream. I climbed to the upper level and hysterically looked around. Even if I kept running away at this pace, I would get caught soon. While I was looking around, arge cauldron caught my eyes. Right, she said it was an acid bomb! I started moving the cauldron without any hesitation. Pssssshhhhh A bit of acid sshed onto my skin but now was not the time to be concerned with something like pain. Uwwaaaah! I poured the content of the cauldron down the hole with a mighty shout. Then I ran out the door with all my strength. If Hejuju was right, that was a bomb. Since the lower level was filled with fire, it was obvious what would happen. Uwaaaaaahhhh! For barely a moment, I sped through the swamp trail like a famous athlete who broke the world record on the 100m sprint. Then a dull explosion erupted. Kuuuuuaaammm! It was a storm of fire that shook the entire swamp. Immense heat which felt like it was cooking my flesh blew from behind me but I didnt stop running. Whether I was lucky or not, the explosion had scared the swamp monsters and they had scattered. I kept sprinting down the swamp trail like a madman whilepletely naked. However, an unbelievable system message popped out in front of me. It was a rather distracting message. I carefully looked over while still running. What? Over three hundred thousand exp? I was surprised. That amount of exp was enough to hit level 30 with a regr character and that wasnt all. 5,000 achievement points in one go? It was unbelievable. It appeared I received a shocking amount of achievment points for doing something so outrageous with a regr character. With this single victory, I was on the verge of beating out the top score of this regr character tournament which has been going on for about half a year. As expected! It was all me. Things were different when I yed. Leaving the excitement behind, my body grew heavier and my sight grew more dim. After finally escaping the swamp, I copsed. Seems I was hurt all over while escaping. I had not noticed due to the excitement Ah I was on a roll, but its over already? It was a shame, but my eyes grew heavier and soon, my sight became dark. *** While Han Jaewoo was in the game, there was an uproar outside. Due to the difference in the passage of time while ingame, the people outside felt as if he simply waltzed over and picked up those points immediately.
  • Oi, it really is Han Jaewoo. Hespletely nuts. Totally nuts! How did he breakthrough five thousands points as a regr character?
  • I am shocked. I guess there really are people who are just born with talent.
  • I thought Han Jaewoo would not be any different, but I guess he is the top world-ranker for a reason.
The realmotion broke out when an article iming Han Jaewoo beat Havels Five Sisters as a regr character at Lv.0. Gamey footages were not revealed during thepetition. However, it was information that Aqu Software Inc. had intentionally leaked. Reporters were mouring over each other all day and night to have the gamey footage released. Mr. Aqu! Pleasement on how Han Jaewoo killed all the witches as a Lv.0 regr character! Mr. Aqu! An interview, please! The artificial intelligence, Aqu, replied calmly and leisurely amidst the cacophony of reporters. Per the tournament rules, I cannot reveal any information. But I have felt a revtion from watching him y. He may be able to clear the game as a regr character. This is something previously agreed upon, but Mr. Han Jaewoo has announced he will continue to y until game over, regardless of achievement points. Is he really thinking about finishing the game with a regr character? I cannot be certain of what he is thinking. But if it is Mr. Han Jaewoo, I believe that is possible. Aqus words made the front page of various websites around the world. In 2045, thanks to artificial intelligence, a universal basic ie had been implemented. Due to this, people were freed from work and their interest towards virtual reality games became truly enormous. Virtual reality gamers across the world cheered on Han Jaewoo after reading the articles. However, whether the world was cheering him on or not, Han Jaewoo was now lying down half dead in a shabby hut. *** Urrrrgghh I felt like dying. Why did I y a regr character and bring this on myself. Ah, am I still alive? Kuuuhh Everything ached, but when I opened my eyes, a bonfire was burning in front of me. Oh, youre awake. A man with a sharp appearance approached. This is..? My hut. I found you copsed by the swamp and brought you here. Ah thank you. However, this man was familiar. Where have I seen him before? Ah! Youre that monster hunter. It was the monster hunter I met before going to meet Hejuju. I never imagined he would be the one to save me. Yes, but more importantly, what happened? Youre covered in burns and cuts. Not to mention that explosion in the swamp, what in the world was that? Ah, its, ugggh My whole body felt like it was on fire. I only realized I was burnt this seriously after the fact. Then the monster hunter handed something towards me. It was arge red fruit. This is? It is the legendary medicine called Red Dragons Fruit. If you eat this, you will gain a strong constitution called dragon bone. You will gain resistance to fire as well and this kind of burn will be healed instantaneously. ... Why are you giving something so precious to me? Its yours. Didnt you know? It fell out from the pouch hanging around your neck. I was surprised too. What? What did he say? Red Dragons Fruit? I only realized after looking at the pouch the hunter showed me. I grabbed that pouch amidst the chaos because it instinctively felt important. The Red Dragons Fruit was what was probably in there. It was an unexpected bonus. I originally nned on getting a Dragons Fruit from Hejuju, but I got the Red Dragons Fruit, which was levels above Dragons Fruit. Red Dragons Fruit was a legendary medicine that grew from the Dragon Tree in the swamp which only bears fruit once every 500 years. The witches of the swamp had a monopoly on the Dragon Fruits. Each of the five swamps grew a different type of Dragons Fruit. I had heard they were sent over to demon lords as tributes. It appears she had one hidden away. I was unbelievably lucky. However, the monster hunters reaction with something so precious in front of him was even more unbelievable. Youre giving it back to me? You could have taken it at any time. Well, its not that Im not greedy. Ive hunted in this here swamp for a long time now. Thanks to that, I ate ck Dragons Fruit a long time ago. I dont know if you are aware of this, but even if you eat a different Dragons Fruit, you will not gain anything after the first one you consumed. Its useless to me. If you sell it, youd be a rich man. Hahaha. If I cared about something like money, I wouldnt be hunting monsters in a ce like this. He was truly a peculiar person. I felt the goodwill of the person in front of me. May I ask your name? Lud. And yours? Its Valler. Very well, Valler. Eat that fruit first. Youre in a pretty bad shape. I nodded and bit down on the Red Dragons Fruit. I could feel something in my stomach boiling and strength exploded through my body. Goodness! It was a massive boost. Strength 18 -> 118Dexterity 22 ->142Constitution 20 ->170 My mouth opened wide at the extreme change. 118 strength was monstrous. The average strength stat of those infamous ogres was only 100. I had somehow managed to gain strength simr to that of an ogre from the start. It was indeed a legendary medicine. I didnt feel like there was much of a future for a regr character, but now there was a basis for rapid growth. Congrattions. The monster hunter Lud congratted me with a kind smile. Despite his sharp appearance, he was a kind and amicable man. Thank you. Besides that, just what happened in that swamp? I was all healed up, so I might as well. I exined the situation while eating the food he had given me. Goodness! Lud was absorbed in the story and eximed at every turn. Unbelievable! Simply amazing! I couldnt manage to take down a single witch all my life, but youve managed to kill them all! I was lucky. Its not just luck! The Ability to make snap decisions in extreme situations like that is truly amazing. Lud seemed to be deep in thought after listening to the story. He talked to me in a serious voice a little while after. Say, have you ever wanted to try learning the skills of a monster hunter? Ive been looking for someone to inherit my skills, after all Im not getting any younger. Looking at your bravery, I like what youre made of. He continued on. But this isnt something like giving you a duty to fulfil. You dont need to remain in this swamp to hunt demons either. You have something you need to do after all, right? I can see it in that determined look in your eyes. People like you have some unbreakable principle or goal. I have something I must do. Lud nodded as if he had expected it. The only thing I want is while you travel the empire, help the people in need with your skills. If you can save even just one person, then it would have been worth passing down these skills to you. It was a destined meeting. Despite raking in massive amount of exp, I was still Lv. 0 because I didnt have a ss. If I could gain a rare ss like Monster Hunter, I could invest my exp points into it. But beyond everything, I felt that Lud was a good person. I wish to call you teacher from now on. Very well. Hahaha! Heughed happily. Aftering into this world, my first ss became Monster Hunter. Naturally, the basics of the game was being able to have multiple sses. You could always gain more sses as long as you were capable. For now, I aimed to get stronger while progressing along as a Monster Hunter. Chapter 4: Unlocking Rare Class (2) Chapter 4: Unlocking Rare ss (2) Chapter 4 - Unlocking Rare ss (2) Do you think its better to learn a lot of various skills? Or learn few skills to masters proficiency? This was the question my teacher, Monster Hunter Lud, asked as soon as the lessons began. I replied based on my experience. Thetter is better. The former may appear ubiquitous and adaptable, but humans arent too quick witted when cornered. Youre bound to rely on the skills you usually use. Lud nodded in agreement. Correct! Valler, you dont seem to have any battle experience, but you speak like a veteran warrior. My uncle was a mercenary. He told me a lot about things. He simply epted my half-baked excuse. I agree with your uncles opinion. So I n to concentrate on passing down only a set of my best skills. Ill leave the other misceneous skills at only showing them to you. It will widen your horizon. I understand. I will focus on honing and mastering the skills you teach me. Being satisfied at my attitude, the first skill Lud taught me was Monster Tracking. Go hide anywhere in this forest. Ill chase you after 30 minutes. Lud was nning to show it to me in action. I was excited to see how it worked so I hid with all earnesty. Frankly, I nned to hide so well that it would impress Lud. Right here. Youve hid well. Hahaha! But he found me simply by looking around like an old man out for a stroll looking at the scenery. I felt taken back yet furious at the result and asked to hide once again. Very well. As many times as you want. Hiding is also a skill. Even though we may look like were ying around, dont forget this is how you are practicing this skill right now. He found me instantaneously again. After repeating simr situation for an entire day, I gave up. Master, please teach me how you found me. Your face is full of curious expression. Its any teachers pleasure to help any pupil with that kind of face to solve the problem. Hahaha. Lud exined everything about tracking starting that day. It was aplex skill that tracked the opponent by using footprints, tell-tale signs, smell and sound. Dont look so sick of it. Even 5 years is short to master it. Unfortunately, I nned on breaking that convention. I had humongous amount of exp saved up. I could level up by using those and gain skill points. With the skill points I earned from killing those witches, I nned to acquire tracking immediately. I already learned everything about theory either way. Alright. That night, I levelled up the Monster Hunter ss to Lv.5, and poured as much skill points into tracking as I can. Skill proficiencies had levels between 1 to 10, and 10 was the end. Since I mastered it, it would serve me well in future. The next day, I informed Lud I finished learning the Monster Tracking. Then Ludughed hysterically. I know youre a young man with a strong drive, but dont hurry too much. It was logical to not believe me. For the people of this world, there was no concept of levelling and ranking up skill proficiency in the first ce. So I told him I would demonstrate it. Are you that confident? Then let us see the result of your efforts. Lud still didnt believe me. However, when he hid first and I found him not too long after, he was immensely surprised. H, how did you find me? You must have gotten lucky, but itll be harder this time. Lud hid his expression though his expression showed his pride had been hurt. This time he was really determined to hide, so it took some effort to search him. However, I found him in one hour. Y-you! Lud was so surprised he could not close his mouth. How did you do this? You taught me well, master. They say geniuses exist Turned out to be true. Haha! How did you master the skill that took me five years in just a week? Did you truly memorize everything I said? Of course. Lud didnt speak anymore. He looked almost afraid of my abilities. I dont know if I can handle someone like you. Dont talk like that, master. Though I said that, it only took me three months to leech everything I needed from the monster hunter with 15 years of experience. *** Three monthster, I became a Lv.30 Monster Hunter. In this world, you were rtively strong if you were Lv. 30. I have nothing more to say. I nned on passing down my skills in five years frame, but youve learned everything in three months. Ive never seen anyone like you in my entire life. My current stats were like this. ________________________________________ Name: Vallerstadter VallerAge: 22 ss: Monster Hunter Lv.30HP: 520MP: 0 Strength: 158Intelligence: 34Dexterity: 212Constitution: 230Charisma: 67 Skill:Monster Tracking (Proficiency 10)Herbalism (Proficiency 5)Survival (Proficiency 5)Hunt Specialization - Orc (Proficiency 7)Hunt Specialization - Ogre (7)Hunt Specialization - Troll (7)Hunt Specialization - Dark Elf (7)Musket Gunnery (Proficiency 5)Brotherhood of St. Mark Intermediate Swordsmanship (Proficiency 10)____________________________________ Ive ran into an unexpected stroke of luck while training under Lud. He was a member of Brotherhood of St. Mark, which was one of five official school of swordsmanship recognized by the Emperor. Thanks to that, I could learn intermediate swordsmanship of Brotherhood of St. Mark as well. Though its called intermediate swordsmanship, it was actually a fairly powerful style that is of A-Rank It was a closely guarded style that no one outside the brotherhood knew, but I learned it thanks to befriending Lud. Unless I run into some kind of swordmaster, there was no way I would lose in a swordfight.Its almost strange how you grew so much in three months. To get to where you are, even a talented person need to put in at least 10 years of effort. Lud looked happy even though he was saying that. At the same time he looked regretful. Youll go now? Yes, I wish to stay by your side longer, master. But I have something I need to do. How can I keep an energetic young man like you in this countryside. Go as your heart tells you. Master Thanks to you killing all the witches, its more peaceful around here than ever before. Monsters asionallye out from the swamp, but nobody needs to pay anymore tribute to the witches. Youve done a great thing. I hope you would show your goodwill to others as well. I bowed deeply to Lud and promised I would. Meeting you was a once in a lifetime kind of luck, master. It really was. If not, I would have lost all the exp from not having a ss. If you gained exp as Lv.0 with no ss, the exp remained for one month before disappearing. But thanks to Lud, I gained a rare ss, and solved the exp problem. I couldnt fully express my gratitude. But what will you do from now on? Do you have a n? I think I will be a mercenary first. The reason I wanted to be a mercenary was because battlefields were the most advantageous ce to meet the heroes in. Then I will write you a letter of rmendation. One of my best friends is a mercenary. His name is Levi Schultz. Hes arge boisterous man with red beard. He should be in Frankfurt. Go find him. Thank you, master. I wont forget all the things youve done for me. I will visit againter. I showed my deep gratitude towards Lud and departed for Frankfurt. *** Finding Levi Schultz in Frankfurt was not hard at all. He was called Sergeant Schultz, and I found his impressionable red beard immediately in the city square. He worked as a recruiter, and was yelling at the top of his voice along with a drummer and a piper. By the power vested in me, Levi Schultz, by our most benevolent Emperor! Along with the privileges and rights as a sergeant ofndsknecht! As well as through the permission of this citys council, I recruit hot blooded and courageous young men into service of this nation! He smiled as I approached. Young man! Do you wish to be a soldier! Yes, I have a letter of rmendation. Hmm? Letter of rmendation? Sergeant Schultz looked at my letter with a curious expression, but a smile soon spread across his face. Kuhaha! Youre Luds pupil! Never expected him to have a pupil of all things! Well! Recruitment for today is over! Pack up and return. Ill be having a round with this fellow over here! He was a boisterous man. He stopped working the moment he met a friends pupil. Now, now, lets go meet the other mercs. Ill introduce you to them. Let us go. We headed out together to the mercenary camp just outside the city. When we arrived it seemed some sort ofpetition was taking ce. Various men wielding practice swords called federschwert were colliding against each other. Is there apetition going on in the camp? Simr. This is a match to decide who gets to be the squad leader amongst the regrs. There is also prize money, of course. Everyones all fired up because their pride and money is on the line. The tournament was the tournament, but the shouts and exmations heated the atmosphere. When I couldnt take my eyes off the matches, Sergeant Schultz smiled. Im curious about your skill with a sword. Yes? No need to be modest! If youre Luds pupil, I reckon youll be pretty handy with a sword. Go on, get out there! No, thats not the issue Im still a new recruit But sergeant Schultz said that wasnt an issue. The rules forndsknechts who work in assault squad is different than regr soldiers. Everything depends on your strength and abilities. For a regr squad leader, you would need some experience as well as strength, but for assault squads, all you need is strength! Is that right? Of course! Well, to be honest, its because everyone dies so quickly theres no time to get experienced in the first ce! Oi, oi, youve just said some crazy things to a new recruit. Oi, you lots! Herees the fresh meat. Sergeant Schultz handed me a federschwert and pushed me towards them. What! Fresh meat? You nning on joining the assault squad right away? You must be out of your mind! Come here, young blood. Lets get down to it! There were all kinds of burly men here since it was the assault squad. They all looked at me like they were going to be the one to beat me. However, it looked more like curiosity to measure strength rather than hostility. Very well. I had apetitive side as well. If it went this far, I couldnt refuse. A cheer erupted out when I put down my baggage. Young bloods all enthusiastic. Dont me us if you get beaten to a pulp. You should worry about yourself. The one who stepped up was a man roughly around 30s who looked like he had some experience. Ive learned swordsmanship for two years in Feathered Brotherhood. I n to show you the sword techniques. So you should be worri--- aaggghhh! While he was giving a long speech, I struck him and he went down with a single shout. Laughter exploded all around. A cheap shot! Oi that new recruits real cheap!Aint no such thing as cheap shot out in battlefield! Good job, new guy! It seems my action earned sense of camaraderie than dislike. When facing each other with a sword in hand, they seemed to believe there was no need to stand on useless ceremonies. Ill be your next opponent. Another mercenary stepped forward and his size reminded me of an ogre. He charged forward as soon as he greeted me. Kuuaaaaap! It felt like a mountain was rushing towards me. However, it only took three seconds to decide the match. Kuaagh! The man reminding me of an ogre copsed with a roaring shout. What is this? Why are they so weak? While pondering on the issue, I realized they werent weak, but I was the strong one. Ive raked in massive amount of exp points after killing the witches of the swamp and levelled up at once. Furthermore, since Ive learned under a strong master, the mercenaries were no match for me. They were probably somewhere around Lv.5~10. They would be stronger than an average soldier, but I was already past Lv.30. This was why nobody could withstand my sword. Oi, the new guys no joke.Y-yea, hes beating people with such a straight face on. Hes quite a swordsman. The mercenaries were showing interest towards me. Everybody was hesitant after looking at my skill, but a bald man stepped forward with a bigugh. From the sound of it, he was the most likely candidate for the squad leader. Very well! If it came to this, I need to keep the reputation of the veterans. Uaaagh! Help! I smashed him with the sword since he was being so loud. Cheers erupted from all around. Woooah! New squad leader! A new guys the squad leader!Whats this! Hahaha! Amidst the celebration, sergeant Schultz tapped my shoulder. A new squad leader is always wee! TL Note: Happy Canada Day, 150th anniversary. Chapter 5: Achievement on the Battlefield (1) Chapter 5: Achievement on the Battlefield (1) Chapter 5 - Achievement on the Battlefield (1) Its been three months since I became a mercenary. Thanks to the swordsmanship tournament on the first day, I became the squad leader for a 10-man assault squad. It was all thanks to my abilities. In those three months, I fought in a battle once and showed off my skill to the fullest. No one has called me a rookie since then. My second battle crept up just as I was getting adjusted to the life as a mercenary. The Iron Prince-Elector is nning a decisive battle with a Demon Lord at Hofheim. Hes gathering all the men he can and our Fhnlein ns on joining in as well.(TL: Fahnlein: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F%C3%A4hnlein)(TL: Prince-Elector: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince-elector) My heart beat faster as I listened to Sergeant Schultzs exnation. I could finally have a chance to meet one of the guardian characters I could have chosen in this world. Iron Prince-Elector was a nickname. He is the ruler of the Electorate of Ptinate and one of several Prince-Electors in the Empire. Technically, his title is Prince-Elector of Ptinate, but everyone simply referred to him as the Iron Prince-Elector. (TL: Pntinate: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electoral_Ptinate) Then Ill go as well. The Battle of Hofheim was essentially the debut stage for the Iron Price-Elector. He could win the battle or lose. The story shifted dramatically depending on the result so I nned on keeping a close eye on it. There could also be a way to get acquainted with him if the opportunity presented itself. *** One monthter. We joined the Iron Prince-Electors army which was marching to oppose the Demon Lord. The Iron Prince-Electors army met Demon Lord Pejamuts, which was marching north, at Hofheim. Finally, both armies were ready to duke it out. Our fhnlein has been ordered to retake this hill from the enemys hands! Forward! Themander of our fhnlein, the Captain, shouted loudly. We maintained our square phnx formation as we advanced. Arquebusiers who were extended like wings on each side of the formation fired continuously. Bang! Ba-bang! m! But the enemys response was not light either. The demonic army casted magic in response to our bullets. aaam! Baaam! It was a bloodbath in every direction. However, I walked calmly alongside the pikemen. Soon, we would be close enough for the assault squad to charge. Listen up ya sorry lot of pigs! Get ready to run wild! Sergeant Schultz seemed to be the one who would lead the charge. He looked around and after picking me out from the group nodded his head at me. Valler! I have high expectations of you! If I fall, you will lead them. Amidst their preparation, all the assault squad soldiers looked at me. They also nodded at me as if they approved. Charge! Sergeant Schultz took the lead. Then, the assault squad soldiers armed with halberds and two handed swords followed. Everyone had already set foot in a battlefield, so the bullets whizzing by didnt faze them one bit. It was a leisurely pace at the start, but everyone sped up little by little and it became a full sprint once the distance closed to about 20m. Courageous war cries echoed from everywhere. Waaaarrrggghhh! Lets go! Time to die! Our target was a line of orc pikemen. Boastingrge muscles and stronger than humans, they weremon foot soldiers in Demon Lords armies. Many humans did not enjoy the sight of their green skin. Kill them all! As Sergeant Schultz shouted his order, we collided with the orc pike line. ng! Twack! Kang! ng! The sound of weapons shing with each other was noisy. The orcs tried to keep us back by stabbing towards us with their pikes as we vigorously swung our two handed swords to smack them away. Pikes broke and splinters flew in all direction. I dodged a pike aimed at my face and grabbed it. The orc held on to the pike trying not to lose it. I dont think so! Crack The pike shattered immediately. The orcs nearby screamed in astonishment. Some couldnt believe what had happened in front of their eyes. I dug into the gap created by shattering the pike. I held my two handed swords in a reverse grip like an oar and started sweeping away the pikemen left and right. Urgh! They fell like wheat as I used my strength. I was using thew of the lever so they couldnt hold on even if they tried. (ED: Law of the Lever: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lever#Law_of_the_lever) Alright! Im going in! When I widened the gap, other assault troops waded in as if they had been waiting for this chance and started swinging down their swords. No matter how tough the orcs were, they couldnt withstand two handed swords. Their arms and legs flew in all direction. Kuaaagh!Kuuurggggh! Parts of the orc pike line wavered and descended into confusion. We didnt miss the opportunity. Get em!Push them back! Everyone started driving their way in while pushing back the pikes with their swords. The area I was swinging my sword at was especially wiped clean of orcs. I had as much strength as an ogre. All those muscr orc warriors dived at me but were knocked back immediately. Kuaagh! Its a monster! A monster!A human with the strength of an ogre! I was proficient in the orcishnguage so I could understand everything they were saying. As I was wiping out the area, a squad member ran up and shouted. Our boys have started the push of pike! (TL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Push_of_pike) Looking at the ce the squad member was pointing at, the allies who had somehow managed to climb up the hill were stabbing away at the orcs. The way we disrupted the enemy line probably helped greatly. What do we do? Give us an order. It wasnt just him. All the assault troops nearby were looking at me. Sergeant Schultz had taken a pike to his shoulder during an earlier engagement and was wounded. Valler, Im sorry, but I leave it to you. I had themand. Everyone else shouted too. Everyone will follow you, Squad Leader Valler. Your orders!Ive decided to aim for achieving something substantial on the battlefield along with everybody. If I managed a significant feat, there would be an opportunity to meet with the Iron Prince-Elector. My goal was clear. Listen up! Well capture the enemys colours!(TL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_colours,_standards_and_guidons) It was evident everyone was surprised at what I had to say. The enemys colours were deep in the centre of the pike line. For now, they were in disarray, but it was an incredibly risky task. However, if done sessfully, it would be an iparable achievement. Everyone here knows how important the colours are, right!? That right there is the most delicious prey in sight! Soldiers gathered around their regimental colours. Soldiers knew where to go even amidst the chaos because the g stood tall. If the colours disappeared, the regiments unity and morale would plummet. If we use this momentum to seize the colours, we can capture this hill! Orc bastards run the moment they feel like theyre losing. It looked like everybodys appetite for this tempting target was worked up. Ill take the lead! Follow!Waaarrrgghhh! Follow Squad Leader Valler!Lets goooo! We charged at the enemy line like an angry bull while shouting courageous war cries. Die! Every time a two handed sword shed, an orcs head flew. Our indiscriminate charge sttered enemy blood everywhere; but, the orcs managed to take down several of us as well. Pant! Pant! Just a little bit more! Were almost there! Despite having a numerical advantage, the orcs were on the back foot due to our ferocity. I could not let this opportunity pass and dug in even deeper. Finally, I swung my sword at the one holding the regimental colours. Kueeegh! He must have been a formidable warrior to be guarding the colours, but he couldnt withstand a single blow and copsed on the ground a headless corpse. I shouted while holding the g that had fallen down. I, Valler from Spandau, have taken the enemy colours! When I waved the blood soaked g, all the assault troops who had followed in broke out in cheer. Waaarrrgghh! Hurrah!Squad Leader Valler captured the enemy colours! There were less voices than before. Unfortunately, out of roughly 50 men who charged the pike line with me, only about 30 remained. The ones who remained were covered in injuries. But everyone looked ecstatic because we had taken the enemy colours. It was a valor they could brag about in beer halls for the next 10 years. We need to hold out now! Rally around the colours! Our men areing up! I gathered the surviving members of the assault troop. The reason we could break through was due to the main body engaging in push of pike. I never thought it was possible to escape with the colours all by ourselves in the first ce. Alright! Lets hold out! If we make it, its a jackpot! Everyone shared simr thoughts. We held back the swarm of orcs with all our might. But the situation didnt progress as anticipated. Our boys are being pushed back! One of the squad members shouted out in a hurry. No! Damn it! Desperation seeped out in his voice. The allied troops were failing to take the hill and were slowly being pushed back from the orc counter-attack. At this rate, we would be isted amidst the enemy position. What about us, you bastards!Come back! You cowards! I never thought it would turn out like this. Taking the enemy colours was undoubtedly sessful. It was reckless, but we seeded. However, our troops being pushed back was outside the calction. Everyone looked towards me bbergasted. Squad Leader Valler! The orcs stood roughly two sword lengths away and had us surrounded in a circle. It was calm for now, but I couldnt see an escape route. Your orders! If itse to this... Some looked like they were ready to fight to the death. You all know! Death is something that cane at any moment for a mercenary. Of course, it would preferably not have been today. Everyone here knew they would probably meet an end like this one day. But I didnt want to shout for everyone to prepare to dine in hell tonight. Since I dragged them here I wanted to see them make it out alive. But how? I couldnt think of anything. Hmm. Everyone hurried me for orders since I was pondering silently. Squad Leader! I dont me you for it. Who wouldve thought that the idiot captain would call for a retreat while we were still here! Thats right! Since it came to this, lets go out with a bang! It was the soldiers Marx and Telmann from my squad who said this. Both were excellent swordsmen and soldiers as courageous as lions. After witnessing their disy of courage, I had all the more reason not to let them die here. Marx. Yes, Squad Leader! Start a fire. He looked confused at the sudden order. However, Telmann, who was standing right beside him, took out his flints and looked for an oil canister. Then he ripped off a piece of cloth from a dead soldier nearby to make a torch. What do you n to do? Light it. Quickly! Understood! Woosh. Once the torch was lit, I stepped forward. Then I proimed loudly towards the orcs. You sorry sons of whores! If youe any closer, Ill burn your standard to a crisp! I could see several orcs who seemed to understand Imperialnguage flinch. When I tried to light the colours on fire, several orcs jumped in their spot and shouted something. Eventually one of their officers came forward and shouted in Imperial tongue. Dont be foolish! We wont let you leave alive if anything happens to the colours! You what? Not going to let us leave alive? I knew orcs were stupid, but you must be on another level! Youre going to kill us anyways! I said stay back! I waved the torch while pouring insults at them. Seriously, this psychotic human. The orc officer couldnt hide his consternation. Regimental colours were not only for practical usage but carried the regiments history as well. I sneaked a peek at the letters written on the g. Based on the demons calendar, it was a 22-year old colours. No wonder it felt like a rag... Come try it you bastards! We wont go down easily. The attempt to set the regiments 22 years of history aze took the orcspletely unaware. Calm down, humans. If you hand back the colours, well let you return to your regiment safely. As if you arent an orc. Every time you open your mouth, lieses flowing out! Get back! I was holding off the massacre by holding the colours as hostage. It wasnt just my life on the line. All I could think about was saving my men. However, this wouldntst too long. The orcs werent stupid. They were taken aback, but would soone up with something. My life and myrades life were burning away like a candle. Chapter 6: Achievement on the Battlefield (2) Chapter 6: Achievement on the Battlefield (2) Chapter 6 - Achievement on the Battlefield (2) The orc pikemen had us surrounded in an impassable wall. We were like fish in a barrel. The men were cussing out our regiment which had retreated. You bastards! You only need to save your own hides, is that it?If I make it back I am chopping off that damned captains willy and shoving it in his mouth so he cant give a shitty order like that ever again! Everybody was mouring to go out with ast charge since we were cornered. Squad Leader Valler! Lets take the fight to them!Hes right! We cant just die like cowards! I could understand that their frustration was on the verge of exploding. But if we attacked, we would all be dead men. You idiots! If we give up, we all die! I proimed with ample rifications that no one was to charge without an order. What the hell do you want us to do then, damn it!Why are you doing this? Comints in rough tones spilled out from the ranks. Everyone was on the edge from being surrounded. It was times like this that I needed to reassure everybody as the squad leader. Ill find a way for everyone to make it back alive! Ill find it, so just wait a moment you impatient bastards! You all want to go back alive, dont you? A lot of mercenaries were simple wanderers but just as many had homes and families to go back to. At the very least, these men werent someone who deserved to be abandoned by allies to die. I had befriended most of them in the past three months. von Horst! You said you had a daughter not too long ago! T, thats Marx! What about your mother! She waits day and night for you, but are you just going to die here? Kuggh! Telmann! That goes the same for you! You said youre from Spandau as well! We gotta go back together one day! Squad Leader! I shouted at the top of my lungs to spark their will to survive. This was when the orc pikemen started advancing. Theirmander must have decided they couldnt engage in one-sided negotiations anymore. They looked prepared to lose their colours. The cheap trick of holding the colours hostage wasnt going to work anymore. I really didnt know what to do. But its moments like these one needed to appear confident. Everyone was looking at me after all. Hold out! Hold out everyone! Ill find a way for us to make it out! Did my screamings work? The atmosphere had shifted. Everyone resisted ferociously while swinging their two handed swords. Waaarggh! Lets go back! Back to home!Right! We cant die in a ce like this! Another skirmish erupted and thanks to the morale boost, we held out fairly well. Eventually, the orcmander called in 12 goblin arquebusiers for reinforcement. He probably felt the situation was going nowhere. Make a barricade! I ordered the men to stack up the orc corpses. Then I shouted the moment goblin arquebusiers started firing. Down! Bang Bang Bang! m! Bang! It was a deadly volley but we stayed closed to the ground and endured. The bullets nged around noisily every time they struck an armour piece on the corpses. Alright!Goblins aint nothing after all! Since we survived, the angry orcmander called in 12 more goblin arquebusiers. Firearms in this game was faithful to history and took forever to reload. The ones who already fired had retreated and were busy pouring in ck powder and a ball into the barrel. Squad Leader! It looks like theyre lining up for another volley! Everyone nned to hide behind the mound of bodies again. I nned to do so as well. However, my past experience endowed me with decision making skill far better than others. I had even yed as a general directing the entire war in previous ythroughs. My insight went beyond a mere squad leader thanks to those experiences. I could roughly grasp the flow of the entire battlefield. They pulled the gunners from the nk! If thats the case...! A sudden epiphany hit me and I stepped on the pile of corpses to climb up. The men who were crouching nearby were surprised and tried to hold me down. Are you crazy? Why are you climbing up there when theyre about to shoot!Hold the Squad Leader down! However, I ignored them and surveyed beyond the encirclement. And I found what I was looking for outside the wall of pike encircling us. Come down! Are you trying to get yourself killed? I shouted as soon as I was forcibly pulled down. Hand me the horn! Theyre not going toe even if we blow the horn! Just give me the damn thing! I snatched the horn from his hands and started blowing it towards east rather than south, where our regiment had retreated to. The horn signal pattern was also something nobody recognized. Buu-- Buuum-- Buuuun!Buu-- Buuum-- Buuuun! The men looked baffled at the signal with regr intervals. Marx couldnt hold back his curiosity and asked. What are you doing? Are you trying to y a music? Its the signal for cavalry to charge, you idiot! What? Cavalry charge? Before I could reply, bullets flew our way once again. Bang! Bam Bang Bang Bang! There were several injured men this time. Arrgh!Kuaagh! We couldnt dodge all the rounds since we werent in proper concealment. Orcs thought it was the moment to seize after hearing our screams and rushed forward once more. I was the first to stand up and proimed while aiming the pistol I had managed to grab. Listen up pigs! Hold out for just a little bit more! If the gods are with us today, well make it out alive! I really dont understand what youve been saying since the start, squad leader! If you dont know, then shut up and swing your sword, you idiot! Ah, I can understand that one. Pikes came at us from every angle. We did anything we could do to survive. I even threw away my sword to pick up a corpse to use as a shield. Just hold out! Dont try to win. Damn it! Just how long do we have to hold out! How the hell should I know! If you dont know, then who the hell does, you crazy squad leader! There were only five men left swinging their swords.The rest were bleeding and groaning down on the ground. Ha Damn it, are they noting I could only resign myself since situation had devolved so far. That was when a cool and clear voice pierced through the air. Dont give up! Crack! Ance from nowhere pierced through three orcs and broke into splinters. A knight emerged through a cloud of dust. Surprisingly, the knights steed was a unicorn. The knight shouted towards me. Pick up your sword! Some path will only open if you fight for it! With those words, the knight crossed arms to draw a pair of pistol to shoot at orcsing from either side. Bang! Two orcs copsed with a hole in their heads in an instant. The knight did not miss the momentum to draw twin swords and scour the area of orcs like a fierce storm. Theyre here! I cried out in happiness. Using the horn to signal the cavalry to charge had paid off. Soon, 50 knights were charging over in this direction in unison. Whats all this, Squad Leader? Marx couldnt hide his surprise as he asked. You dont know? Thanks to orcmander trying to hurry things up, an opportunity opened up. Huh? Since we were holding out, he pulled two ranks of goblin arquebusiers, a total of 24 over here. Naturally, their nk would weaken! Plus, the orc pikemen line was uneven since they were trying to surround us. Its a natural target for the cavalry. Goodness, you figured all that out and blew the horn earlier? Of course. If our pike line was still engaged with theirs, the cavalry would have jumped in the nk like wolves long before this. The reason I climbed on top of the mound of corpse to look around was to find where the cavalry was positioned. I managed to find a group of them and blew the horn. Goodness! How did you know all that Squad Leader? Even on how to signal the cavalry! It wasnt just Marx. Everybody was surprised as well. Doesnt matter! Lets get out of here! The knights managed to split the pike line into half and arrived. One of them shouted towards us. How many survived? Twelve including the wounded! Got it. He hurried the men to load us up on the horses. Other knights were fighting off the enemy meanwhile. Bam Bang Bang Bang Bang! The knights firing their pistols in unison broke the back of the orc front line and they were in full retreat. Their formation was now folding back on itself. However, the knights knew they couldnt sweep aside the entire enemy line just by themselves. Once the wounded were loaded up, they started to make their exit. Squad Leader! Hurry, Squad Leader! I was thest one left since Ive been helping to load the men. I couldnt find a knight to hitch a ride with due to putting the men first. Everybody was already getting out in droves. The situation forced me to abandon my sword and start sprinting with the colours in hand. It really was a desperate all out sprint. I needed to make it out before the gap the knights had opened up got filled with orcs again. However, I attracted too much attention since I was carrying the colours. I didnt want to give up the colours after going through everything, but I didnt want to die as well. A galloping sound rang out behind me while I was contemting. You! Youll go with me! When I turned around, it was the female knight who was first to arrive to the scene. She rode over to me and extended her arm towards me. My mouth opened wide at that moment. It was because I recognized the female knight. My god! Her! Right, she participated in the Battle of Hofheim. I focused so much on Iron Prince-Elector, I forgot all about her. My memory welled up. She was someone I always trusted and relied on. I spent most of the 100 years worth of game time with her. I could not forget that unicorn steed and her saint-like appearance even if I wanted to. The Sister Knight Temr, Walpurgis. That was the identity of the knight who had jumped into the middle of the pike line. The world worked in mysterious ways. She still came to my rescue despite having never met me in this y through. I didnt anticipate on meeting her in the first ce since I was starting off as a regr character. Your hand! With Walpurgis help, I hopped on behind her with the colours in my hand. Hold onto my waist! Were leaving in a hurry! Walpurgis drove her unicorn to glide like the wind. Plenty of orcs tried to dismount her with their pike but she deflected them all. It was a level of swordsmanship truly on an artistic level. The real war had yet to erupt, but this already felt like the climax. In terms of the Romance of Three Kingdoms, Walpurgis was someone like Zhao Yun.(TL: Zhao Yun: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhao_Yun) Thank you for your help! I could only think I was saved from certain death. My heart beat rapidly at the thought of having escaped the maw of death. We were nning to break through in a different area of the line, but heard the horn. And I saw you and your men fighting desperately there. We couldnt charge in blindly, but for some reason there were less gunners covering that nk. Thats why we could attack! Just as I thought. Thank you for your rescue. I thought it was all over for me, but I survived by mydys graciousness. You and your men were worth it. I salute you for your courage to charge into the middle of enemy line to take their colours. Walpurgis was of noble birth, but she did not judge people by their status. She judged ones worthiness by their courage. You praise me too much. Praising too much? You say that even after taking the enemys colours. Look over there. Walpurgis pointed to a side while galloping atop the unicorn. I looked over without much thought but what I saw surprised me. Hurrraahhh!Hip hip! Hurray! Hip hip! Hurray! Countless soldiers were screaming out their cheer for me. There were 10,000 men gathered at Hofheim and the battle was still at an opening phase. Majority of the men had yet to meet the enemy in battle and were advancing to the frontline. There were several pike regiments amalgamated from variouspany size units marching forward for a decisive push. The soldiers in those regiments all cheered me on. Youre like a general in a victory parade. They all see the colours you have taken from the enemy. Ah Walpurgis asked something to me just then. I wish to hear your name. Im Valler from Spandau. After nodding as if she understood, Walpurgis slowed her unicorn down near the troops and announced to the troops nearby. Hear me! Valler from Spandau here has courageously taken the enemys colours! There will be many who takes enemys colours today, but remember that Valler was the first to do so this day! Countless soldiers in the area chanted my name. Valler! Valler! Valler! The ground shook every time they chanted my name. The pikemen were pounding the ground with their pike while standing still. It rang out like an earthquake. Valler! Valler! Valler! My whole body was shaking. It was something Ive never felt no matter what kind of hero I yed as. Valler. You need to respond to them. Walpurgis had intentionally slowed the horse. I nodded simply and raised the colours up high. Then another wave of cheer swept through the area. Hurrraaaah-! Along with the cheer, the regiments marching towards the enemy gave me a little ceremony. They lowered their regiment colours towards me as a sign of saluting me. Ah..! A chill ran down through my back. Saluting by lowering regimental colours was done rarely even for the Archduke or a king. It was truly a heartfelt and voluntary respect for a soldier who showed valour and achieved an outstanding feat on the battle. TL Note: Sorry forte post folks, but can''t post with mobiles away from home. I''ve also been fiddling around which days to post since Saturday seem to ovep too much with Sky''s main releases. For now tentatively, the date will be Sunday. Chapter 7: Earning A Gifted Persons Goodwill (1) Chapter 7: Earning A Gifted Persons Goodwill (1) Chapter 7 - Earning A Gifted Persons Goodwill (1) A system message suddenly popped up. What? 80 renown and 2,000 achievement points! Its an extravagant glory for someone like me. That is not true. It is what you deserve. However, we should treat your wounds first. I feel fine, but things are starting to get blurry. I never felt it, but after taking a look, I found myself covered in wounds. Of course. A cavalryman approached while I was talking with Walpurgis. Lady Walpurgis! What is it? The Prince-Elector wishes to see the mercenary who captured the enemy colours. Very well. However, his injuries are grave. Tell his highness the mercenary will seek audience after recovering. Understood! It was a huge gamble, but it worked as I nned. I could finally meet the Iron Prince-Elector, one of the great guardian character. Aqu specifically stated rtionships with guardian characters was vital in ythrough as a regr character. Ah, the Iron Prince-Elector also permitted those who achieve a feat in battle to use the healing house. A good news. After that, I was helped by priests who had set up a temporary healing house. However, they only used minimal amount of holy power to heal me to the point that my life wasnt at risk. It couldnt be helped since healing power was such a raremodity in this world. If I didnt manage to achieve a feat, an average soldier like me wouldnt be able to get healed like this. It would still take me months to fully heal and return to normal, but I was still thankful. Sergeant Schultz, who had his life saved grabbed my hand emotionally. Thank you, Valler. If it wasnt for you, I wouldnt be here right now. His eyes were tearing up. This gigantic man was more sentimental than people would expect. He wouldnt blink an eye when killing an enemy, but he was an emotional man when it came to subordinates he bonded with. Not too long ago, when a man named Lindz died, Schultz even sent half a years worth of his own sry to Lindzs family. Thats why despite having stepped on battlefield dirt longer than I have, he did not have much to his name other than equipments on his body. Youre a grown man, you shouldnt cry. Who said I was crying? I just had some dirt in my eyes. He looked like a mountain bandit, but way he tried to hide his embarrassment was funny to watch. You were always good to me, sergeant. Im only happy I could repay it. No, I didnt do anything. It was all you. I told him to rest up. Ill be meeting the Prince-Elector. Ill petition him so we can return home, so you just wait here. Thank you. I sincerely thank you. Marx, Telmann and others swarmed over to my side. Squad Leader Valler! If it wasnt for you, Id be dead. I put this life you saved in your hands, Squad Leader. Me, too, Squad Leader. I may not be talented, but please call on me if you ever need help. I could feel heartfelt sincerity in their words. They considered me a truerade. I shook every soldiers hand one by one. In those shakes, I felt something beyond the warmth of their hands. I wanted to treasure these deep bonds even in the future. The past me built rtionships with heroes iparable to people like these. These men were unbelievably weakpared to those heroes, but that only made it more endearing. Plus, there were some things you could do only because you were a normal person. Then, Ill be back soon. Ah, whats the Iron Elector-Princes name, Marx? Marx looked amazed lying on top of his makeshift bed. Squad Leader, how do you not know your own Kreigsherrens name? Man, you must forget everything except money and sword. Kreigsherren referred to the lord who hired the mercenaries for a war. There was no way a mercenary wouldnt know his own employers name. So I hastily came up with an excuse. It just slipped my mind. Marx clicked his tongue at me as if pitying me. Tsk, tsk. They say if you only practice sword, your head empties out everything excepting killing other people. It seems like its true. Im still young just like you, Squad Leader, but I wont be going down that path. Youd forget even your own parents names. You bastard! Urrrk! He fell back when I lightly pressed his wound with a finger. Arrrhhh! Spill it out! Uwaaat! Its Phillip! Phillip! How do you forget something so simple. Alright, alright, youre smart. Jeez. It was Phillip. Normally, the yer would pick out a name but it seems like the name when AI control him was Phillip. I tidied my clothes before stepping out of the tent. Walpurgis was waiting for me outside. I shall go with you. I thank you for your consideration. She was waiting for me on purpose. She was looking out for me since someone of my stature would feel overwhelmed at the ce that would be crawling with nobles. What consideration? We were simply going the same way. Eh-hem. The way she tries to hide it, that was the Walpurgis I knew. Iughed out loud as if on cue. Fufufu. Ah, ugh! I had to crouch over because the pierce wound on my stomach ached while I wasughing. It was mostly healed up but I couldnt overextend myself. Are you going to be fine? Youre quite the troublemaker tough in that state Youre peculiar as well. You know my stature is quite high, but youugh and treat me without ss. The Walpurgis in front of me didnt know who I was. However, she was a preciousrade who was always by my side. I suppose I was a little informal with her. Do you dislike it? No, it is quite refreshing actually. I do not dislike it. Just because you are without ss does not mean you are rude. I knew Walpurgis personality well. There was no way she would be stuffy about someone who she acknowledges treating herfortably. I met the Knight of Walpurs eyes for a moment. She was wearing her helmet and her visor was down, so I could only see her clear and pure eyes. She was an honourable and courageous knight above all, but she also had a malicious nickname. Nobody called her by that nickname in front of her face, but people whispered behind her back. Ugly Knight Walpurgis. She was a skilled knight, but rumour was that she was the ugliest person in the Empire. The source of rumour seemed to be the fact she never took off her helmet no matter where she went. That was why small men who were envious of her skills mocked her behind her back. She wasntpletely unaware of this either. Due to her high stature even amongst the nobles, nobody was foolish enough to be rude to her. However, she still recognized the hidden contempt for her seeping out of them. She was only 16 years old and it would have hurt her a lot. She must have felt curious at how I acted without care about her status or any knowledge of her nickname. However she opened her mouth as if she didnt appreciate me staring at her outright. Are you curious about my ugly face as well? No. Then why do you stare at adys face so discourteously? Am I someone who is not worthy of being treated like ady? That would never be the case. I couldnt help but to stare at your beautiful eyes. If I was rude, I apologize. W, what? Walpurgis waddled a little as if she was surprised. It must have been the first time she heard her eyes were beautiful. Its not an emptypliment. Her light green eyes glinted like precious gems. It even made me realize that human eyes could be so beautiful. Ive been lucky in my life and saw many elves they call quite a beauty. None had eyes like yours, mydy. Walpurgis practically jumped at those words. W-what do you mean?! You are truly strange. If you n on mocking me, you shall pay for it! I believe mydy is capable is telling the difference between a lie and a truth. Now, his highness the Prince-Elector is waiting. We should start heading there. To deflect it hmph! You truly are iprehensible. I headed to themand post with the horse she provided. Bwaaam! m! m! Heavy cannons were spitting out fire continuously. All kinds of shouts, screams and cacophony came from the hill. The battle was continuing. It would probably continue for the next 6 hours. Over there. Looking at where Walpurgis was pointing at, there was a group of men on horse on top of a hill looking down. Everyone was wearing shy armour as if they were out on a parade. The person in the middle, wearing dark blue te armour with gold decoration was probably the Iron Prince-Elector. The people around him must be the nobles in his retinue. I fell in strange nostalgia looking at them. That was my ce. The Battle of Hofheim was the Iron Prince-Electors prologue. Depending on todays result, the story would split dramatically. If you lost, you would be reduced to a wanderer for five years and make a gloriouseback on 1618 when the great war breaks out. Ive already yed it multiple times. I always stood there surrounded by my retinue, but today I would meet him as amon soldier. I feltplicated. But I nced over at Walpurgis who was right beside me. Ah I eximed at an epiphany. Speaking of which, the Battle of Hofheim was also a crucial day for Walpurgis as well. Depending on how the battle progressed, she could die. I didnt know how the story would progress, but if a danger does befall Walpurgis, I wanted to save her. Seine Durcucht! (Your Highness) Even as I hopped off my horse and showed my respects to Phillip, my head was spinning up a n. Chapter 8: Earning A Gifted Persons Goodwill (2) Chapter 8: Earning A Gifted Persons Goodwill (2) Chapter 8 - Earning A Gifted Persons Goodwill (2) The title Prince-Elector denoted the divine right to vote for the next emperor. Their influence in the Empire was substantial. The Prince-Electors prestige and power were the same as that of a king of a country. This was why they were to be addressed with the honorific Your Royal Highness which was only a step down from the Emperors. Are you the mercenary who seized the enemy colours? The Iron Prince-Elector Philip was looking down on me with an interested expression. Despite having only passed the age of 20 not too long ago his eyes were filled with extraordinariness. They held a glint simr to that of a dragons eyes. Yes, your royal highness. You honour me greatly to call me over personally. He smiled slightly when I spoke with the proper etiquette.The face of one intrigued at how a mere mercenary was acting. Your name is Vallerstadter Valler, correct? Yes, your royal highness. Your courage is truly astonishing. To charge the enemy line to seize their colours, you are like a ferocious lion. Your praise honours me greatly. I am beside myself with joy. No. One who achieves a feat must be rewarded ordingly. I award all who participated in this disy of bravery with 100 florins each. For you, I award 300 florins. 100 florins was a years worth of sry for a pikeman. Since I received three times that amount, it was arge sum. I thank you for your graciousness, your royal highness. I have only done what is just. Your royal highness, I would like to make a petition. Phillip nodded as if telling me to go ahead. Our band has taken heavy injuries from the previous battle. Though the battle is still ongoing, I would like permission for our band to recuperate by Wittenweier.(TL: Wittenweier has been merged with several other townships into a town called Schwanau in 1971/72 for those who like to search ces up to see where our protagonist is going.) Wittenweier was a city roughly 10 kms away from here. I nned on stepping back for a moment and n since I knew Walpurgis life hinged on the results of todays battle. It is only right since you are injured. Do not worry. I nned to do so since the start. I will assign a few carts you and yourrades can ride on. Speaking of which, should I be giving military advice to Phillip since I met him? I knew how the Battle of Hoffenheim would pan out in every which way. Todays battle has two obstacles and if Phillip ovees them, it will be a victory. If not, then it would be a loss. Hmm To be honest, just walking away would be the wisest course of action. Saying something here would only annoy the Iron Prince-Elector Philip and his retinue. But I couldnt stop thinking about it. It wasnt just about Walpurgis, but other mercenaries worried me as well. Your royal highness. Is there something more you want? Your awards and graciousness are plentiful enough, how can I wish for more? But may your lowly subject offer his thoughts? Normally, I wouldnt be able to even attempt something like this in front of someone with such stature. It was only possible due to my feat on the battlefield. I could already see the nobles frowning at me. They probably thought I was someone who didnt know when to get lost and was overstepping my bounds. There is nothing to stop you from doing so. What do you wish to talk about? Your royal highness, in your lowly subjects opinion, there is something worrying in your highness army. Phillips expression hardened for a moment. He probably keenly felt I was trying to give him an advice. He was probably someone confident in his own perfection. He looked offended that someone of such low stature would try to advise him with such a worrisome voice. Damn, I tried to be as polite as possible, but it still ended up like this. Furthermore, I pointed out there was something wrong in the army he so fervently prepared. Phillip sounded slightly sarcastic as expected. Hmm? From which point of view would that be from? The tactical point of view? The political point of view? Or He looked at me and smiled snidely. For a brief moment I caught a glimpse of the contemptible personality hiding behind the mask of a good person. A mary point of view? Nearby nobles exploded out inughter. Everyone was probably thinking I didnt know my ce. Several of them started mocking me openly. I could even catch glimpses of several of them sneering at me. You achieved a military feat, and that is all good. However, how dare someone like you try to preach about his highness army?Perhaps he has learned some parlour tricks to entertain us with. He must not be satisfied with what he has already and desires something more. Rather than feeling insulted, I felt strange. The Iron Prince-Elector was a guardian. Why would he be acting like such a small person? That kind of ignobility was not befitting of a guardian. I felt great disappointment in myself for trying to find a way to build a rtionship with him. Whys he like this? Is this something which happens only when you y as a regr character? Suddenly, a theory popped up. If all the guardian characters appeared because I chose a regr character, the demon lords would be at an enormous disadvantage. Even a single guardian could change the flow of the war. Thus it was logical to have some method of bnce adjustment. If all the guardians fought as one with a single goal against the demon lords, the era of peace for humanity woulde quickly. There was no way that the AI Aqui would make it so easy. At the same time, a scary thought popped into my mind. How would things progress if all the guardian characters were selfish people working only for their own gain? Things would unfold in apletely different manner from how I experienced the game so far. There was a chance I would need to fight not only the demon lords, but the guardians as well. Worries flooded my mind. However, I decided to think about it at ater date. For now, warning about the situation took priority. It didnt seem like the Iron Prince-Elector was going to listen to me. I was in a difficult spot when someone unexpected came to my defense. Your royal highness, there is a saying when three people walk down the same path, one of them will be a teacher for you. Why do you ignore the words of one who devotes himself to you?(TL: Phrase from Analects of Confucius. Full saying is: When three people walk a path together, there will be a teacher for me. Learn and adopt the good things. Perceive in (them) what is negative, and fix those about myself.) It was a voice filled with beauty and elegance. It surprised the vulgar and sarcastic nobles as if they just awoke from a dream. Ke-hem.Khmm... The nobles coughed in their embarrassment. Considering nobles were beings filled with pride, there were grounds to feel annoyed at being reprimanded so openly. However, nobody objected. It was because the one who said it was Walpurgis. If mydy says so, I understand. Even Philip was careful due to her status. You do not need to call me mydy. I am simply here to fulfill my duty as an ordinaryncer. My apologies, Lady Temr Walpurgis. Your royal highness, please hear him out. You only need reward him if his advice is true or punish him ording to thew if he speaks false. You are correct. I shall do as you suggest. Ke-hem! Philip gave a dry cough and looked at me. I thanked Walpurgis for her help by ncing over at her. Mercenary, I apologize for my rudeness. There is no need, your royal highness. If you could hear your lowly subjects words for even a moment, that is enough. Very well. Speak. What is so worrisome in this field Ive prepared so meticulously. On Philip''s words, all his retinue and apanying cavalrys attention shifted to me. In that moment, I couldnt even breathe due to the pressure. I turned slightly to look at the shady looking man standing behind Phillip. He had a hooked nose and looked short tempered. That man was the cause for Phillips potential defeat, Friedrich. He was Phillips uncle and today was the day he would backstab his nephew in a grand fashion. He was a traitor who coborated with the enemy. Hes been eyeing Phillips position for a while. Hes yed the role of a nice uncle so far, but he would reveal his true colours today. His deep brown eyes thoroughly nced me over like a snake. His eyes looked at me as if thinking who is this idiot?. Should I reveal his betrayal here? I considered for a while, but eventually I decided otherwise. Who would believe me? Friedrich had a nasty personality but he was one of the richest men in the Empire. There were always people who needed money. Thus, peoples trust in him was piled as high as his stack of gold. On the other hand, I was a simplemoner. I would be executed for lowering troop morale and insulting a noble of high stature. I couldnt dare talk about Friedrich. Instead, I decided to warn him on a tactical point. The two reasons he could lose today was from the betrayal and an ambush. Since I couldnt talk about the betrayal, I wanted to cover at least the ambush. Look over there, your royal highness. I pointed at the hignd upied by the enemys right nk. They were firing magic and muskets towards our troops from there. Its a tactically important position. If the men could capture that hill, it would be an ideal position to bombard the demon lords force. However, the defense for that position is poor. One of the cavalry officers scoffed at my words. Hmmph! Do you really think nobody here realizes that? You seem to wish to show off your shallow knowledge, but we have already decided to capture that position. Laughter exploded out from all around at the cavalry officers words. While an overtly arrogant atmosphere was about to bloom again, I swayed my head. Thats not it, my lord. That ce will turn into the deaths maw. Why do you n to rush headlong into it? He was taken aback when I retorted directly. He probably never expected amoner to retort to a noble like him in such fashion. His face reddened in a moment. Before he could open his mouth to pour out whatever he was nning to say, Phillip stopped him by raising his hand. Ho-oh, and why do you think that? Phillip showed interest. However, his gaze was sharp and it was clear he wouldnt tolerate nonsense for an answer. If I said something along the line of the reason that hill is suspicious is your lowly subjects intuition, my head wouldnt be attached to my body anymore. Your royal highness, your lowly subject believes theres an ambush beyond that hill. And why do you believe so? I decided to present evidence based on recent cases to Phillip. I spent a long time in this world and researched various demon lords in the game. The same went for rank 12 demon lord, Pejamut of blood and death. I carefully investigated all his battles against humans. Your royal highness, Pejamust has faced the Imperial army only a few times before. However, he has been victorious at every encounter. That is because hes quite skilled at ambushes. ... Continue. 10 years ago, Rodrigo the 4th of the Toa Kingdom fought against Pejamut and an ambush decided the victor. It was the same with the Marquis of Anhalt 6 years ago. Philip replied to me at that point. And it was the same 2 years ago with the Emperors appointed representative, Duke Eugen. You are well versed in military history. You praise me too much. Of course, I do praise too much. Kuku. I can understand your concern, however I can ovee even such ambushes. He really was an arrogant bastard. It had not been a long time since weve met, but his voice was already grating on my ears. However, his confidence to not lose to an ambush didnt seem like a bluff. With the Iron Prince-Electors abilities, he could encourage his army even when its on its back foot to execute a counter attack. However, the power hungry uncle of his would stab him in the back today. The way he was smiling so ignorantly made me feel frustrated on the inside because I knew everything. He was still a kid despite being a guardian. He probably felt like the world was his oyster since everybody around him was praising him as The Iron Prince-Elector. That damned idiot. My contemtion continued on inside of me, but I decided quickly. It would be best to give up on him. I decided to choose Walpurgis over Phillip. Phillip only filled me with disappointment but Walpurgis was no different than her usual heroic self. Establishing a rtionship with her here would be a great help in the future. I decided to duck out after reaching this decision. Today, the battlefield will be chaotic. I had a lot to prepare to save Lady Knight Temr Walpurgis. Your royal highness, it seems your lowly subject spoke out of turn. I will now go with your permission. My eyes met with an old general at the back of the Iron Prince-Electors retinue for a moment. He was staring at me intently. I could only be surprised after finding out his identity. Goodness! Hes! Johann Tseres von Tilly! (TL: von Tilly: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Tseres,_Count_of_Tilly) What was that legendary general doing here? I realized at that moment. The important rtion I needed to build now wasnt with Phillip. I resolved to get acquainted with von Tilly today no matter what. Thankfully, he looked interested in me. I could glimpse curiosity from old man von Tillys face. Chapter 10: Lady Templar Walpurgis (1) Chapter 10: Lady Temr Walpurgis (1)Chapter 9 - Earning A Gifted Persons Goodwill (3) It certainly is tiring to deal withmoners. You treat them well even for a little and they forget their ce. Phillip murmured loudly enough for me to hear before turning his horse to leave. His guards and retinues all followed. What would an ignorant sellsword know, your royal highness.I know that you worry about your army as if you were their father, your royal highness. There is no w in it, you need not worry. The Prince-Elector was surrounding himself with sycophants. It seemed he wouldntst long even if he does manage to win today. It is a shame. Your advice was truly out of a concern for the army. Walpurgis, who remained by my side, was trying to apologize for Phillips behaviour. It cant be helped. Thank you for helping me earlier. Her family, the Prince-Elector of Bavaria, was closely rted with Phillip, the Prince-Elector of Ptinate. It was because both of their families belonged to the House of Wittelsbach. (TL Note: House of Wittelsbach, along with Luxembourg and Habsburg were the 3 most powerful families in the Holy Roman Empire, until the rise of Prussia.) The reason why Phillip treated her so respectfully was not only due to her strength. It was because while she was in his army, he could expect a helping hand from the mighty Prince-Elector of Bavaria. There was no noble who was unaware of this fact in this army. That was why she could help me out like that, but it wasnt without a burden for her either. I was really grateful to her. I simply did what I had to do. It may not be enough as an apology, but take this. This is? I was surprised with what Walpurgis handed to me: a ss vial filled with golden liquid. It was a healing potion. Healing potions were extremely valuable in this world. The golden liquid in the vial was more expensive than its equivalent weight in gold. To have one of those was like having a spare life. I cant take something so valuable. Its not something you should apologize for either. That is not the entire reason I give this to you. I am the representing noble for Bavaria. It is only natural to reward those who achieved a feat. She was probably minding the fact I wasnt fully healed when giving me the potion. However, I knew of a better opportunity to use it than on myself. I ept wholeheartedly. Is there nothing else you wish for? If it is something within my power, I shall make it so. Walpurgis kindness towards me probably stemmed from her belief that I didnt receive proper treatment matching the magnitude of my achievement. She was a fair and just person, so she probably wanted to make up for Phillip treating me with contempt. If so, I would like a horse and a barrel of gunpowder. A horse? She enthusiastically handed a horse to me when I exined I wanted to be a cavalryman in the future. This child is the horse I use as my spare. However, it never had the opportunity to excel because Mira is so sturdy. So I award it to thee. Mira was the name of the unicorn she rode. Is it alright to receive such a fine horse? I didnt want much beyond any old spare horse lying around, but I never expected to get one of her own. The way its brown hair glistened revealed it was an excellent horse. I believe you are fully qualified, Valler. Now, roam the battlefield together with this child. I conveyed my deep and sincere thanks to her. Do you wish to be a dragoon? Even so, it would be difficult to carry a barrel of gunpowder with you wherever you go.(TL: Dragoon:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragoon) Ah, its for the others. Arquebusiers from Wittenweier area arrived today, but it looked like they wont be able to participate todays battle because ofck of gunpowder. A barrel would go a long way to help them. Walpurgis nodded at my words and wrote out an order allowing the requisition of a barrel of gunpowder. Take it to the Prince-Elector of Bavarias quartermaster. Thank you for your generosity. Bing a cavalryman or giving the gunpowder to arquebusiers was all an excuse. The real reason I wanted a horse and gunpowder was to save Walpurgis today. It wasnt decided whether the story would flow towards her being killed, but I nned to prevent it to the best of my ability. Her generosity and kind heart would be what saves her today. I couldnt guarantee I would save her, but I would at least try my best. The battle rages on still, so we shall part here. We shall meet each other again at ater date if fate would have it, Valler. I wish the best of luck for you, Lady Temr Walpurgis. We went our respective ways after the farewell. I hopped onto my new horse. Pururugh The horse neighed for a little bit, but it soon obeyed. It was a gentle and well trained horse. I already knew how to ride and was raring to go. That was when someone called out to me. Greetings. It was Johann Tseres von Tilly. It was a perfect opportunity. I was nning on talking to him first. Tilly looked like a handsome and dignified elderly gentleman in his ck armour. Nicknamed The Monk in Armour, he was the greatest general in the faction of humans opposed to the demon lords. Count Tilly went through both glory and disgrace in the great war. Defeating the Demon Lord Mannsfeld and Demon Lord Halberstadt would be considered his greatest achievement. However, he would be defeated by Demon Lord Wallenstein and subsequently meet a tragic end. Tilly and Wallensteins military skills wereparable to each other, but Tilly did not possess the political skills of his rival. Wallenstein pressured Tilly from outside the battlefield and grasped victory in the end. Tilly would be a field marshal and rise to be the hope of humanity after defeating powerful demon lords one after the other, but lose in front of the great evil called Wallenstein. Yes, general? He smiled warmly when I replied politely. He was quite strict in trainings and battles but was actually a kind person. I am a guest advisor under the Iron Prince-Elector, Johann Tseres von Tilly. Unlike from when I was ying, he was a guest advisor to the Iron Prince-Elector. But he didnt seem particrly valued. My name is Vallerstadter Valler. A pleasure. I called you over because I wanted to have a talk with you. Will it be alright in the middle of a battle? I looked over to the battle still raging on. Countless regiments and their colours were advancing towards the demon lords army. Tillys eyes glinted for a moment when he saw that but took on a gloomy expression. Fufu, an old man like me has no ce there. It was a perfect sentence describing his situation. When the great war broke out and his name became renown he was over 60 years old. He would roughly be in his mid-fifties right now. In any case, Tilly looked like someone who was unimportant. All he had under him were a few cavalryman as well. Talented retinues which glitter like the stars surround his royal highness, so there isnt much of a ce for an old man like me. I could figure out his situation from those words. An honourable man like him would be shunned by the sycophants. Perhaps glittering like stars at ttery. Tillyughed loudly when I pointed it out. What? Hahaha! Your tongue seems to be as sharp as your sword. It was iprehensible. Why would anyone take Tilly as a guest advisor and give him a cold shoulder. In terms of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, he was someone like Zhou Yu.(TL: Zhou Yu: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhou_Yu) He was someone to hold on to at all cost, but that foolish Phillip didnt recognize the gem hiding in in sight. I nned to bring Tilly into my service. To be fair, it wasnt possible at this moment. Even if he was getting a cold shoulder, he was still a general. On the other hand I was still amon soldier, so I wasnt in any position to bring anyone into my service. However, once I make it big in the future, I would definitely seek him out. In a harsh world like this, I needed help from all kinds of talented people to win. First Walpurgis, and now Tilly, I was really lucky. It was like meeting Zhao Zilong and Zhou Yu all in one day. But why do you take interest in someone as lowly as me, general. Its because you are quite versed in military affairs unlike a normal mercenary. That hill is suspicious to me as well. No, that is not the only thing that seemed suspicious today. I carefully advised the Prince-Elector earlier, but it was no use. I suppose that was to be expected of an old guest advisor who has fallen out of favour. Haha. The way Tilly looked at me with pride was akin to how a teacher would look at a talented student. This was troubling. That genius general probably mistook me for someone with great intellect. Sweat poured down my back. You overpraise me. What over praising. Still Tillys gaze turned sharp in a moment. Wasnt there something you couldnt tell truthfully to his royal highness? ... I dont understand. Tilly smiled when I feigned ignorance. You said you analyzed the previous battles. Then you would recognize his pattern as well. Yes. Was Pejamuts pattern just an ambush? I felt the pressure. Dodging his question here seemed difficult. If I lied here, he would be disappointed in me. ... no. Theres betrayal as well. Breaking down the enemy camp is the tactic he truly favours. Unlike whats known, Pejamut is someone who scares easily. Without ambush and betrayal, he would never take to the field. A perfect answer! Hahaha! Now I finally meet someone whom I can talk freely with. He leaned closer to me before speaking in lower tone. Ive seen whom you were ncing at earlier. Huuph! There was no getting past him. Tilly noticed I was intently looking at the Iron Prince-Electors uncle, Friedrich, and figured everything out already. I knew he was a genius, but this was hair raising. Honestly, I almost wanted to offer for him to sit down and have a discussion. Dont worry, it is not to interrogate you. I am simply d there is someone who shares the same depth of understanding as I. Tilly probably couldnt bring it up as well. It looked like Tilly was nning to get as far away from the battlefield at the earliest opportunity as well. General It was wise to not bring up the man you suspected. Tilly nodded a couple of times and looked at me. It is a natural suspicion for anyone who can see the big picture. ... is that so. There was no reason to hold back now since i came this far. Furthermore, Tilly wasnt someone who would secretly inform on others. I spoke freely about what I thought. His royal highness lost his father at an early age. Because his royal highness was so young at the time, Count Friedrich ruled the Ptinate as the regent. I exined all the details I knew on the subject. He was faithful to his role as the regent at first, however Count Friedrich became greedy towards the position of Prince-Elector. After careful nning, he tried to adopt his nephew, who would naturally assume the position when hees of age. It was a breach of all protocols. Naturally, objections flew his way. He broke the Imperial Law due to his ambition. Eventually, it was annulled with objections from his majesty, the Emperor and other Prince-Electors. But it isnt difficult to see his ambition has been there since long ago. Tilly became truly surprised at my words. H, how! How do you know all of that? It is something that only few people know now. The generals eyes widened as he never anticipated me to bring up that hidden story. Some time has passed since then and the fact the Emperor and Prince-Electors interfered with the adoption was a little known secret. It was natural for Tilly to show such reaction. Perhaps, are you a bastard of a noble house? You may be working as a mercenary, but you know the affairs of the nobility well. Your etiquettes in front of his royal highness was immacte as well. The misunderstanding was getting bigger. Well, I suppose it was only natural for Tilly toe to that conclusion since he didnt know I yed as the Iron Prince-Elector in the past and learned all about the situation and etiquettes. His gaze on me deepened. Extraordinary Simply extraordinary. Why would a son of an honoured family work as a mere mercenary. Your talent is that of a general. I couldnt think of a response. I decided to give a vague answer. Everyone has a circumstance. Those words probably deepened his misunderstanding. Tilly closed his eyes and stroked his beard. He was in deep contemtion. Momentster, he spoke to me. I do not know your situation, but if you ever decide to choose a career in military,e find me. I epted his proposal without thinking. This general with high status told me he himself would open a path for me in the military. I never nned to join, but an opportunity to raise my status opened up either way. I was happy with Tillys goodwill. Im truly grateful you took interest in someonecking and lowly as me. You are a fascinating person and I wish to talk more, but let us meet again at ater date since the battle continues. May god bless you. With that, my short meeting with Tilly was over. I didnt know anything else, but I knew I left a deep impression on him. That was enough. I turned my horse around. Now, it was time to go prepare to save Walpurgis. It would be difficult for the Philip I saw today to win. If I used the entire barrel of gunpowder, I could make an amazing trap. Bang! And watch the fireworks. It would be a grand day if all went well. I couldnt hide my excitement at the thought of saving Walpurgis and taking out one of key figures in the demon lords army. *** Chapter 10 - Lady Temr Walpurgis (1) I hurried my horse over to the healing house. It was to bid farewell to Sergeant Schultz and other injuredrades. They were already lying down on the wagon and ready to head to Wittenweier. Youre finally here. Weve been waiting. Sergeant Schultz greeted me with enthusiasm though he didnt yet look fully recovered. Lets go. I think I want a mug of beer. Marx, who was lying beside Sergeant Schultz, swayed his head. Sergeant, youre full of holes, but youre still looking for beer. What did you say! I felt relieved at the way they were bickering with each other. One wrong move and they would have been part of the corpses lying around on the battlefield. But they were arguing over here. Being alive was a precious thing. Im sorry but I wont be able to apany you. Go ahead to the city first. I have something to do first. Ill catch up with you at Wittenweier. Sergeant Schultz quieted down for a moment and spoke with a worried expression on his face. Take care of yourself. Well be waiting. Its just a simple business. If its a simple business, then why do you need an entire barrel of gunpowder? .... There was no fooling someone so experienced. I smiled bitterly at Sergeant Schultz. There wont be much of a problem. Ill see you again at Wittenweier. I bowed slightly and turned my horse around. Marx and Telmann shouted from behind. Squad Leader! Well be waiting!Well go for a mug together at a beer hall! I raised my hand slightly instead of a reply and sped up the horse. There was a lot to do if I wanted to save Walpurgis. I needed to hurry. Hyat! Where I was headed to was the Deep Forest roughly three kilometers to the left of the current battlefield. Ive yed as the Iron Prince-Elector in the past, so I knew what would happen all too well. I was nning with the assumption that todays battle would end in defeat. That was how disappointing Phillip was to me. In the original story, if he was defeated, it would serve as an opportunity to mature and develop himself. When he returned, he befitted the description hero of the century. However, his actions today made me question if he would indeed turn out to be so. I couldnt shake off the feelings of suspicion, but I also couldnt abandon all hope as he was a guardian character. Here we go. I arrived at Deep Forest. To shake off his pursuers, Phillip would escape this way. Then, the demon lords force would catch up to him in this forest. That was the crossroad between life and death for Walpurgis. I was moving to intervene at just the right moment. It was a storyline I experienced many times so I knew where the battle would take ce in the forest. I nned toy a trap ahead of time. Itll be a big one. The gunpowder barrel was heavy. But there would be enough firepower. Lets go, Filly. I named the horse Walpurgis gave me Filly. *** Pejamut! Philip roared while swinging his sword. Now was finally the moment to take down a demon lord with his own hands. Though he usually put on airs and pretended to be a big shot, it was impossible to hide his excitement at the moment. Take that! Hidden swordsmanship passed down only to the head of the Electorate of Ptinate, der Mondschatten Schwert (Moonlight Swordsmanship), rained at Pejamut. Pejamut howled and retreated in pain at the mysterious moonlight skill. Kuaagh! Pejamut kneeled on one leg while his ck blood oozed out. The Iron Prince-Elector Philips eyes filled with joy at the sight. This is only the beginning of an epic. Die, demon lord. Ill rise above with your corpse as a stepping stone. Philip was renown as a genius child throughout the Empire, but today was his proper debut stage. And he was about to defeat the infamous rank 12 demon lord, Pejamut. How could he not be happy. Kuggh they say there is a young dragon in Ptinate, and you certainly live up to the name. I cannot hide my surprise. Pejamut! Look at this hill! I shall raise your gravestone here. Ecstasy at the apparent victory came out along with his words. However, Pejamut only cackled wickedly. Kukuku young Prince-Elector, you certainly are talented, but you have a long way to go. Many things are hidden behind that brightness of your youth. Many things like your impulsiveness and your inexperience. What? Hahaha! But you shall die at the hand of this inexperienced youth. Philipughed loudly. However, he still felt uneasy at Pejamuts words. He pretended to be full of confidence but decided to kill Pejamut quickly. That was when a loud roar came from the left nk. Waaaaaagghhh-! Along with a ground shaking roar, the human forces that upied the important hill to the left were being pushed back. It was because the demon lords armyying in ambush beyond the hill poured out. The Prince-Electors army was falling back at every turn at the unexpected assault. Philip remembered the mercenary while looking at that scene. Was he right all along? Philip felt nauseous. However, he was confident. He could ovee this kind of trick with his leadership. Pejamut! Is that all! Your hidden trick? Hahaha! I will cut off your head now and remedy the situation! You think something like this would Kukuku. The confident Philip lost his words at Pejamuts sinisterughter. It was because he instinctively felt danger. Pejamut smiled at the sight of Philip frozen in ce. Now you truly look like a youth. A youth has two faces. A confident and invincible face and a face of despair after realizing the difference between ideal and reality. Kukuku. I am someone who is twisted, so I prefer thetter. You! Philip used Moonlight Swordsmanship again, but Pejamut was different this time around. He casted magical barrier with skilled proficiency and blocked all attacks. Then Pejamut licked the drops of blood flowing through his torn clothes. I can bear losing this insignificant amount of blood. Especially if it means I can make our talented and handsome young dragon overconfident. Also, I am someone who is more thorough than you believe. What ridiculousness are you trying to spout again? Kuhuhu. I sincerely hope you fix that habit of screaming when you are cornered. It only uses up strength and achieves nothing. If you wish to win, be cold and calcting. Pejamut tapped his own forehead with a finger as if telling Phillip to use his head. Well, that is not what is important. I am more of a coward than I may appear. So I am never satisfied with only a single trick. That meant something else was prepared. It appears to be the time. Now, look over there. Pejamut extended his hand to point. There were ten regiments lead by Philips uncle Friedrich standing there. Philip felt relieved at the sight. Even if you try to somehow use my uncles weakness, it will not work! He is more experienced than you realize, so he will not be Buuuung! Buun! Buun! The sound of horns rang out. The sound with regr interval was probably a signal carrying some meaning. However, there was no such military arrangement Philip arranged. W, what? Just as he could not grasp what was going on around him, he heard his uncles voice. Despite the distance, it was clear and loud. Honourable soldiers of the Empire take heed! Prince-Elector Philip has plotted rebellion against the most gracious his majesty the Emperor! Thus, his majesty has ordered me to quell the rebel! Philip was at a loss of words with what his uncle was saying. At first, he couldnt understand what was being said. But when his uncles forces started attacking his army along with the demon lords, he felt like he was going crazy. His majesty has already ratified a peace treaty with Demon Lord Pejamut. However, the wicked Prince-Elector Philip has broken this decree and started this war to bring chaos to the Empire! Thus, I shall work together with the demon lords army to conquer the rebels! Follow with your utmost loyalty to the Emperor! Uncle! Philip shouted in frustration. Friedrich looked like he reacted for a moment, but turned away. Why that senile old fool! Philips hands started to shake. Pejamutughed dly at the sight. Indeed. You were correct that your uncle would not fall into a trap. However, have you ever considered your uncle would be the trap? Pejamut! Kuaah! Philip rushed to Pejamut and struck with all his rage. But he could notst several exchanges with Pejamuts overwhelming might. Pejamut was one of highest ranking magic-martial arts master, proficient at both magic and martial art. Kang! Philips shy sword broke with a loud noise. Cough! Philip coughed up blood at the shock. Pejamut did not miss a beat and sneered at the sight. Hmph! Regret that you are not wielding Ptinates heirloom the masterfully crafted sword, Ljubljana. Well, I suppose I know why you did not bring it. You were not satisfied with how in it looked. That is why you brought that garbage encrusted with gold instead! Kuhahaha! Pejamuts words turned into contemptful scorn. If you had brought Ljubljana, even I would not be able to finish you off so easily! The way you brought some shy sword, you are like a woman going out to a ball. Pejamut appeared to want to deliver the finishing blow and used his unique skill, Hand of Death. ck blood oozing with poison dripped from the tip of his fingers. A single hit from the skill would cause a person to die a painful death while oozing ck blood from all over the body. Since there was no cure, many people cursed Pejamut for such a merciless attack. Regret your own vanity! Just as he was about to finish off Philip, Walpurgis, who was dealing with the demon lords retinues, jumped in. ng! Walpurgis crossed her twin swords to block Pejamuts hand. She realized now would be her only chance and used her secret skill. sh! Blinding holy aura radiated out and assaulted Pejamut. Walpurgis was a sister of the Convent of Walpurga. She was a secr nun, so she could roam the battlefield swinging her swords, but the fact that she was a devout clergywoman didnt change. Since she poured out all her divine power in a moment the damage to the demon lord belonging to darkness was immense. Kuaagh! Pejamut howled in pain and retreated. His entire body was covered in burns from the holy aura. Unfortunately, Walpurgis didnt have enough divine power left in her to finish off Pejamut. She convinced Philip that now was the moment to escape. Guards! Protect his royal highness! Retreat! I shall open the way! Hoffenheim was filled with hellscape of killing and being killed. On top of that, pursuers from the demon lords army was closing right behind. They needed to find an escape route fast. That was when she saw a forest not too far away. It was already toote to reorganize the army. The men were scattering in all direction and Philip was dazed out of his mind as well. There was no hesitation. Walpurgis gritted her teeth and headed towards the forest. Drive your horses as hard as you can if you wish to see tomorrow! Walpurgis raced ahead. Never anticipating what would happen in that forest in her wildest dream. TL Note: This double release is courtesy of no releasest week. Chapter 11-12: Lady Templar Walpurgis (3) Chapter 11-12: Lady Temr Walpurgis (3) Chapter 11 - Lady Temr Walpurgis (2) Phillip drove his horse on like a madman. His brain was already filled to the brim with fear. Damn it, I cant use my mana. He couldnt use his mana as if it was an aftereffect of his defeat. He felt extreme anxiety at the fact. Hyah! Faster! Walpurgis headed the group at first but after being ovee with survival instincts, Phillip surged forward. Your highness! Her, the retinues and guards struggled to keep up with Phillip who was racing like a madman. The renown Iron Prince-Elector was abandoning his army to save his own self. Your highness! Its dangerous to recklessly charge ahead! Theyreing to get me! Theyreing for me! There really were pursuers from the demon lords forces. Your highness! Your cavalrymen are still intact! If you face the situation calmly, everything will be fine! The retinues lent their support to Walpurgis words. Your highness! Please heed her!The column is being stretched too thin! The demon lords pursuers were scary in their own right but everyone present were people strong enough to be in Phillips retinue. Furthermore, since the Demon Lord Pejamut himself had to withdraw after Walpurgis attack, an orderly retreat was the best chance for as many people to make it back alive. However, Philip was overtaken with fear and chose the worst option despite their advice. Once the Moselle river blocked his path, he frantically looked around for a bridge. When he couldnt find one, he felt an even deeper sense of panic. Your royal highness, there is a bridge roughly a kilometer from here We cross here! Your royal highness? The retinue was bbergasted at the sudden order. Your royal highness, crossing a river on horse is normally possible but they are wearing heavy barding right now. Furthermore, the current is quite strong! Please think of your safety first! Silence! The fifth head of my house managed to cross the Danube on horse. Do you believe I cannot do the same? However, the Danube river Philips ancestor crossed did not have strong currents and his horse was not exhausted either. Walpurgis hurriedly pointed out these facts. Your horse is exhausted from sprinting away from the battlefield! Entering the water will be dangerous! As expected, the horses were breathing rapidly with little plumes of steam emerging every time they breathed out. Jumping into a cold river in this state was dangerous. However, Philip jumped in without reply. Ssh! Philips horse, which submerged under water for just a second, re-emerged with a loud ssh. It was drifting down diagonally as it swam forward. Your royal highness! The retinues and guards followed after Philip who was drifting downstream. Damn it! If itse to this...!Follow his royal highness! Nobles were a breed of people who put their reputation and appearance on the line more than anything. But a high ranking officer in the demon lords army was close on their heels and Philips horse was crossing the river unexpectedly well. Ssh! Puwussh! Gaggles of heavily armoured cavalrymen dived forward into the river. However, there was one thing they severely miscalcted. Philips horse, which was barely crossing the river, was not just an ordinary horse, but one of few peerless horses in the entire world. That was why it was fine even in the worst of situations. On the other hand, the others were being swept downstream. Uuuhp! Help!Gurgle! The cavalrymen who were being swept downstream along with their horses grabbed at theirrades to try to survive, but it was no use. They would all be swallowed by the river. It was a watery hell where warriors of high stature drowned by the dozens. Only a tiny number managed to reach the other side. They were either lightly armoured, skilled at horsemanship, or simply lucky. Walpurgis also managed to reach the other side as her steed was a mythological creature, a unicorn. She shivered as she waspletely soaked in the still chilly April weather water. The armour was still draining water every time it moved. Where do you n to head next, your royal highness? Walpurgis asked in exhausted voice. Including her, there were only ten others left beside Philip. Their originalmanding appearance was nowhere to be seen and what remained was a pitiful looking group. Soaked to the bone was an apt phrase for the situation. I will go to the forest. It seemed Philip nned to hide in the Deep Forest ahead of him. Everyone felt uncertain but no one objected. They wanted to hide in the forest to lose their pursuers. Everyone rushed into the forest. However, there was a problem. The sun was setting and inside the forest was dark. They couldnt find their bearing. Furthermore, this was not a forest humans frequented. We seem to be going in circles, your royal highness. Damn it! While Philips men were disoriented, the demon lords pursuers rapidly caught up to them. Zombie hounds! Your royal highness! Theyre close by! That was the start. Having managed to find Philip thanks to the zombie hound, the pursuers began attacking immediately. Uaaagh!Aggh! After being taken by surprise, Philips cavalrymen took off in all directions. Their morale was already broken. There were none who tried to fight. The zombie hound bit savagely at the horses rear legs. Once again, Philip attempted to escape while his men were under attack. For that, Walpurgis scorned him. Why do you keep running away despite being their lord! Do you not hear their screams? My life is worth more than theirs! Who else has the power to avenge them atter date other than me? It was a reasonable sounding excuse.No, it was only words. Soon, only Walpurgis remained by Philips side. The demon lords armys pursuit continued and every time they managed to catch up Philip dashed away in another direction leading them into a wild goose chase around the forest. He ran like a baby boar bit in the rear by a hunting hound. Walpurgis finally suffered a wound trying to protect a man like him. Kukukuh, the most dangerous one is hurt. Now, this hunt will be as easy as twisting a childs hand. Kuhahah! The leader of the pursuers was a high ranking officer in Pejamuts army, Hessax. He roared out inughter which shook the entire forest. He was an evil-looking demon with arge body, bat wings, and horns. This will be my opportunity for a promotion. He leisurely walked forward while stroking his beard. Considering the amount of noise ahead, it seemed his subordinates had managed to corner the target once again. Hiding in a ce like this? Hessax arrived at arge clearing no one could have imagined would be in a forest like this. His quarry was standing in that clearing. *** The time was now. After finishing all the preparations, I hid in the ruined cabin and saw Philip and Walpurgis make it into the clearing. I squeezed my fist tight. It was just as expected. They were locked in a melee with the pursuers. I didnt jump in prematurely and instead watched for now. Now, Philip, what will you choose? If he showed even a little hint of grace, I would let go of all the grudges against him. I would even wish him luck from here. But if he abandoned Walpurgis to run away, I would be greatly disappointed. There is a ce like this? That was when a great evil strode in with hefty footsteps. His devilish appearance and opulent armour confirmed that he was a high ranking officer in the demon lords army. What was his name again? Ah, its Hessax. I faced him several times while fighting Pejamut. He wasnt very impressionable considering he was nothing more than a mini-boss that worked as a speed bump but he did drop some pretty good loots. I kept my attention fixed ahead and prepared the necessary tools. I took out a pair of flints and lighted the fuse wrapped around my wrist. Foo-- foo-- I softly blew at the fuse to make sure it was lighted and looked ahead. But Philip was someone who exceeded even my anticipation. Originally, there were two choices here.
  1. Fight with Walpurgis
  2. Ask Walpurgis to cover his back
However, he took the third option. Bam! A gunshot rang out. The bullet Philip fired pierced Walpurgis thigh. Your... highness...! Walpurgis let out a sound that was closer to a scream. Instead of a reply, Philip fired once again. Bam! This time, he fired at the unicorn Walpurgis was riding. You bastard! I stood up in utter surprise. Philip was an even bigger madman than I initially thought. I regretted thinking there was even a trace of hope left for him. When Walpurgis fell from her steed due to the injury, monsters swarmed around as if possessing her. Philip took the opportunity to ride away by himself. W, what the hell I couldnt speak in shock. Even though Philip was an arrogant son of a bitch, he was still a Guardian. One of the defenders of humanity, who would shoulder the Empires future, just shot thedy temr who was guarding him. He left her injured so she would stall for time against the monsters. Then he disappeared like the wind. What kind of outrageous conduct was this? It was by far the kind of scummy act which did not befit someone who upied the position of Prince-Elector. I swore to not let Philip get away with it. I already knew where that scum would head to once he gets out of the forest. An unanticipated scene unfolded in front of me but the destination was obvious. The priority now was to save Walpurgis. Tayat! Walpurgis shouts echoed. She swung her twin swords, but she was already exhausted. She was barely putting up a fight against the demons and monsters that were swarming her. At their current rate, it wouldnt take very long for them to tear her into pieces. Kuhahah! Hessax, who had been watching from the back, looked delighted. There was no time to waste anymore. Walpurgis life was already at stake. I took the fuse to light the bottle bombs wicks. The bottle bombs were now ready to go. I rushed forward without hesitation. Fortunately, the demonic army was fixated on Walpurgis and didnt even notice me. Hmm? By the time Hessax spotted me, I was already close enough with the bottle bombs. What? Who? I threw the bottle bombs without any thought. ng! mes spurted up along with sound of ss breaking. For now, this was the only apparent effect. Several demons broke out inughter. Even Hessax smirked at me. A remnant? Kukuku, but just what were you hoping to achieve with something so insignificant? Kkuaaaanngg! An enormous explosion erupted. A pir of me swirled amidst the dark sky as an entire barrel of gunpowder exploded. This was more than enough gunpowder to fire a heavy cannon and the immediate vicinity was covered in smoke and heat. Lady Walpurgis! I took the moment to hurry over to her. I helped her up after swinging my sword to decapitate anyone standing near by. Hurry! Youre..! Walpurgis copsed from the shock wave of the explosion but still looked surprised at my appearance. Valler! How did you? We can talk about it after getting out of here! I supported her and hurried along. That was when a zombie hound leaped at me while making a strange noise. I took out a pistol from my waist and fired. Bang The shot prated its forehead and it slumped down on the spot. Just a little bit more! No, save yourself! Both of us cannot escape this situation. Walpurgis was sincerely worried that I would die as well. It was difficult to support her since she was pushing at me to save myself. Go! I cannot see a brave man like you die in a ce like this. Right now, it would seem things would go that way. But, thats why I prepared a bunch of contingencies for a situation like this. I sat Walpurgis down after helping her to the ruined cabin I was hiding in earlier. Pant-- pant-- Walpurgis was breathing painfully. She was also bleeding heavily and the ce at which she sat down immediately turned into a puddle of blood. I would need to take care of the demonic army quickly. It seemed Hessax had fallen down after taking a severe wound. Countless other dead were on the ground. However, the lucky ones who survived were standing up. Walpurgis shouted again after taking a look at the situation. Go, now! I will hold them down! She tried standing despite the pain but I pushed her shoulder to sit her back down. Instead of running, I took a line of fuse from my waist belt and tied it around her wrist after lighting it. Just what..? I kicked over a wooden board instead of answering. The contents spilled out. They were muskets. There were ten of them. Walpurgis eyes went round at the sudden appearance of the muskets. I could tell she was surprised even through that helmet of hers. Fufu, that expression alone makes all this preparation worth it. To be fair, just burying the gunpowder barrel alone seemed a littlecking. So I dropped by the army camp once again. It was quite exhausting to borrow them without permission. In short, I stole them all. Theyre all loaded, so just grab one and shoot. Ill leave five with you. I stuck the prepared musket stand on the ground. Plop I leaned on the stand and aimed forward while controlling my breathing. We have ten shots total. Lets make it count. The demons and monsters in the demon lords army were already charging towards us. Kieeeghh!~ When a demons monstrous howl sounded, the first round fired. Bang! Chapter 12 - Lady Temr Walpurgis (3) One of the orcs running over copsed on the ground. The sword he was carrying flew into the air and nted itself into the ground shaking. Bang! The second shot fired. Kueegh! A goblin that was aiming its arquebus at me copsed. My skills were far superior due to having learned a lot about marksmanship from monster hunter Ludd. The Rank 5 Proficiency was really shining through. Bang! m! Bang! Walpurgis was leaning on the ruined wall and firing away enthusiastically as well. When all ten shots were gone, no one was left standing. They were all dead or squirming while bleeding out. Still, it was too early to feel relieved. The big fish is still here. Hessax, who had fallen earlier, stood up. His lower body was a mess from being caught in the explosion. The way chunks of his thighs were missing was a gory sight. Hessax gritted his teeth while taking slow methodical steps towards us. Walpurgis! I nned to take you as a prisoner but I have changed my mind. I will kill you as painfully as I possibly can. By sunrise, this forest will be filled with your screams. You dare make a trap like this in the middle of a nowhere like this? Even I shivered at the words dripping with malevolent aura. The difference between him and I was massive. He was only a mid boss when I yed as a Guardian but now he was making me feel fear that froze my heart. His abilities were more than enough to physically fold me in half. And you! Hessax took an ugly mace from his waist and pointed at me. I have no clue where something like you came from but you will not be allowed even the relief of death. I will turn your life into a living hell. This was no idle threat. Hismander, Demon Lord Pejamut, controlled the aspects of blood and death. In one word, he was a necromancer. Obviously, his subordinates were also masters in the necromantic arts. He probably nned to kill me, revive me as an undead, and put me through endless pain. Valler, he speaks true. Please run. I will try to stall him. Even amidst everything, she was worrying for my wellbeing. Her attitude helped my heart frozen with fear regain courage. I reminded myself why I came here. I had already prepared for this. I knew Hessax would be the one chasing them as well. I also prepared for in case the explosion wouldnt take him out. The muskets were just to clean up the minions. I had something else ready to take out the boss. A big fish required a big rod to reel in. Dont worry about it. How are you so calm about this! Urkk! Walpurgis condition wasnt very good. I nodded to reassure her and shouted at Hessax. Hessax! What is it? Begging for your life will be of no use. It is better for you to search for ice in a desert. I have no ns to beg to a demon! I would rather embrace my death than beg! Kuhaha! Your bluffs are as transparent as theye! What kind of tricks do you still have left that youre so confident in? Hessax smashed the ground with his mace while stillughing. Kuumph It was a truly heavy sound. I wouldnt be able to hold out against even a single swing from that thing. If you still have guns left, then go ahead and shoot! You will never prate this thick armour! Hessax pounded his armour to make loud nging sounds. Hessax really was wearing an enormous and thick armour befitting his size. It was something that no human would be able to wear. Even a heavy musket wouldnt dent something as abnormal as that. But that didnt mean there wasnt a way. Kukuku, then shall we start after smashing your loud mouth first! Hessax waited no longer and darted forward. Lady Walpurgis! Please buy me some time! Understood! Walpurgis had already been preparing and lunged forward to stop Hessax. ng! While she crossed her twin swords to block the mace, I opened a window on the old cabin to crawl inside. I pushed what I had hidden in the cabin outside with all my strength. I had to clench my teeth because its weight was no joke. Kuuurgh! What I had hidden inside the cabin was none other than a leather cannon. It was the lightest cannon used in the Empire and a single horse was enough to pull it around. It may be called a leather cannon, but it wasnt made from leather. To reduce the weight, a thin copper barrel was cast and wrapped with leather to provide structural support. This was why it was called a leather cannon. It was an attempt to reduce the weight, but durability also suffered as a result. Despite this, its very useful in situations like this. If it wasnt a leather cannon, I couldnt have used Filly to bring it here. Even a light cannon was remarkably heavy. To move even a gel light cannon required six horses. One could understand how light a leather cannon is whenparing the two. Its durability may have been sacrificed but the firepower was still there.(TL: gel is a German ssification of a cannon roughly simr in ss to falcon cannon, which is heavier version of better known falc cannonshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falc_(cannon)) It was already loaded with gunpowder and a shot weighing about 1.4 kg. I carefully moved the cannon to aim at Hessax. It was short ranged and had a thin barrel. Since he was such arge target, the shot wouldnd as long as I aimed carefully. If I missed, I was truly a dead man. Kuhaha! Is that all you have, temr? It seems Hessax didnt notice what was going on in this direction. He probably thought I was not something worth paying attention to. He was more absorbed in toying with Walpurgis like a predator that had cornered its prey. Lady Walpurgis! After taking a careful look at the situation, I realized now was the perfect opportunity. Walpurgis threw one of her swords at Hessaxs face and retreated. The moment Hessax covered his face with his gauntlet in surprise, I lighted the cannons fuse. Tsssssssss Kuaaaammm! The sh of light from cannon was extraordinarily bright most likely due to the sky already being dark.The direct fired shot from the cannon passed through Hessaxs chest in an instant. ng Sparks showered as his armour broke. Then, blood, and flesh fell on the ground. Wha.. what is. Hessax couldnt close his mouth due to shock. There was a hole in his chest big enough to fit a fist through. He would never have anticipated to be hit by a cannon of all things. I smiled smugly at him. Fear no longer controlled me. I may not be a hero, but I remembered facing down this insignificant mini-boss countless times. You said to shoot if I have anything left. Ah, my bad. My gun has some pretty big bullets. I was technically correct. Bullets in this time were not explosive rounds, but a simple ball of metal. If youre wearing big armour, I only need to use more gunpowder and bigger shots. ... damn you Kuumph Hessax copsed with a hefty thump. Blood pooled out where he copsed and soaked the surrounding ground. Amazing Valler, your resourcefulness knows no bounds To kill him with a cannon Walpurgis was barely standing while leaning on her sword. Are you alright? Fuuu Walpurgis let out a long sigh and copsed forward as she could no longer stand. I hurriedly took her in my arms. The confident knight finally looked like a girl her age. She was still only 16 years old. Huuugh.. Her pained groans made my heart ache. Still, she tried her best to hide the pain so as not to worry me. It seems this is as far as I will go. Valler, I will not forget your help for the rest of my life urghh now go. Save yourself After those words, she fainted. Her breathing was shallow as if she was about to die at any moment. Walpurgis. I swayed my head side to side. She wasnt even a little bit different. I owed her countless debts. She died protecting me numerous times in the past. Ive always felt sorry and thankful. Now, I finally have a chance to save you. I took out a healing potion. It was the potion she gave me. I gingerly ced the potion down beside me and carefully removed her chest armour. Since she fainted, making her drink it was not an option. Plus, if I removed her helmet, the consequences would be dire. She avoided exposing her face at any cost. She said shed rather die, so even I hadnt seen her face before. It would be better to pour the potion on the wound itself. The potion was more effective this way as well. ck ck I undid the ties holding the front te and the back te together and untied the connection to the gorget as well. Then the breastte was pushed back with notable resistance. W, what? Is there something inside? It felt like there were small air packets inside so I lifted the te to take a look. And I was truly surprised. Jiggle jiggle The unimaginablyrge breasts revealed their outlines. Looking back, I never saw her out of her amour. There was a fair amount of cotton padding to press them down but it was bouncing back against them with so much force. Also, the sticity to push back against armour? I had never heard of such a thing. But my excitementsted for only a moment and dissipated when I saw her padded shirt soaked in blood. I quickly took her shirt off. Her white skin ruined with blotches of blood. A thick smell of iron wafted over. Plop I hurriedly took the lid off the potion and started pouring the potion over her chest. Did she fight even with something like this Hnnngg. Walpurgis moaned once more but her tone indicated she was in a much better condition. It appeared her pain had lessened. My gaze unintentionally went towards something above her white chest. I could glimpse a little above her corbone where something that looked like a burn scar continued upward. Hmm That was probably rted to Walpurgis secret. Considering where the scar lead to, there must be a story behind it. My curiosity suddenly sprouted. Walpurgis was essentially in aa due to the healing potions effects. Taking the helmet off would be easy. Healing potions were not something that magically recovered any wounds the moment one drank them. That would be convenient, but nowhere close to reality. Moving after drinking the potion hindered the healing. Muscles needed to be as still as possible to re-attach themselves properly. It wasnt just the muscles. Bones needed to be set properly before drinking the potion as well. Though there were various kinds of potions, the majority of them put the user to sleep for the stated reasons. If not sleeping, then one needed to stay still in the proper position for an hour or so to heal properly. It was only natural since muscles weren''t some intelligent entity which could find its own position and link up with others. Hmm I fell into deep contemtion while looking down at Walpurgis. I shook my head and dressed her back up. No, thats not right. I needed to respect her secrets as much as I respected her. ck ck I donned her armour up again andid her down straight. Shed need at least 30 minutes considering how severe her wounds were. I decided to clean up the immediate surroundings in the meanwhile. There is the good loot Ive been eyeing at. I rubbed my hands as I walked over to Hessaxs corpse. The way he carried around a bunch of expensive items made him no different than a walking bank vault. Today was a good day. I wonder what he has. Hessaxs Armour and Hessaxs Mace always dropped but other items werepletely random every time. I started rummaging through Hessaxs corpse in anticipation. TL Note: Sorry for long hiatus folks. Had some issues crop up. HWBT''s also gotten a new, cooler cover which will be uploaded along with next post. Chapter 13: Lady Templar Walpurgis (4) Chapter 13: Lady Temr Walpurgis (4) Chapter 13 - Lady Temr Walpurgis (4) Lets see. The first loot was an item which is integral to any fantasy genre games: additional inventory. Magic Zipper. When you open the zipper while holding it midair, a magical space which you can ce items in appears. Zippers didnt exist in this world, but the only exception was this magic zipper. It was a unique item of sort. I took a wooden board toy everything in the zipper out . Tumble Whoah! Gold coins and gemstones poured out. He was a rich man befitting his status as a high ranking officer in the demon lords army. I would need to appraise them further to be sure but there were at least 2,000 florins in here. It was a fair amount of capital to work with. There were also two potions in there.(TL: Florin is gold coins originating from Florence, Italy that was the dominant currency of Europe from roughly mid-1200s to mid-1500s. Even after the end of its dominance, many European countries utilized and emted Florin style currency untilte modern era.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florin) -Healing Potion-Fortification Potion They were both something which woulde in handy in a pinch. I decided not to sell them and protected them like treasures. Another one. I found another magic item. It was a Moving Rope. It was a magic rope that, like a snake, moved on its own and could be used for a variety of purposes such as tying up prisoners. There were also rumours that nobles in the capitals used it for sexual purposes. It was an extremely functional item no matter the purpose. Hmm? Thest items were a deadly poison and the antidote for it. I recognized them because I hade into contact with a variety of valuable goods before. -Poison Dragon Furgumas Teeth Venom-Poison Dragon Furgumas Teeth Venom Antidote This was one of the top five most deadly poisons in the game. It was exorbitant to boot. This was because it was strong enough to kill even heros. Why did Hessax have something like this? Furgumas poison always linked back to the most insidious kinds of political intrigues. In previous ythroughs, someone high profile died every time I ran into it. Was Hessax nning on assassinating his own lord, Pejamut? I was curious about the truth but dead men tell no tales. The poison and the antidote were assets no matter how you looked at them. There were always uses for items like these. I could easily sell them as well. If I remember correctly, they were worth a small castle. Todays greatest loot was the poison. That was it for items. I took Hessaxs mace and armour and ced them into the Magic Zipper. Those two were fairly pricey enchanted pieces of equipment as well. Hessax was a big guy, so I wouldnt be able to use them. Selling them to something like an ogre was suitable. I knew about this world all too well. I knew where an ogre, smart enough to trade, and in need of enchanted equipment lived. After finishing up over here, I nned to drop by for a visit. I opened my character screen after sifting through all the items. Ive been looking forward to this. Just as expected, I had levelled up twice from killing Hessax. ____________________________________ Monster Hunter (Lv. 30 -> 32) HP: 520 -> 570MP: 0 Strength: 158 -> 187Intelligence: 34 -> 39Dexterity: 212 -> 233Constitution: 230Charisma: 67 -> 70 Achievement Point + 3,000! _____________________________________ They were reasonably satisfactory stats. Mmmmm A light moan sounded behind me. Walpurgis seemed to be about to wake up. Lady Walpurgis! Uhhhh Please wake up. She started regaining consciousness after I talked to her several times. ... Where? Dont you remember? Ah! Walpurgis tried to jolt up but screamed out in pain. Kyyaagh! Your injuries are severe. You should rest. ... What happened? When she asked how she recovered when she was only moments ago at deaths doorstep, I raised the empty healing potion bottle up to her. Its the one you gave me. Im happy that I could use it to save you. Ah! Walpurgis seemed to remember giving me the healing potion. That was very much like Walpurgis. Its good to give out rewards but she should keep at least one for herself. Her selflessness was part of her charm but sometimes it was sometimes frustrating to watch her. It couldnt be fixed either because she was just born that way. Her earnestness was often the cause of her death as well. Thinking of her deaths made me feel a little depressed but all was good. I managed to save her this time after all. Valler, risking your life to save me in and of itself is a courageous act but you used something so valuable to save me. What a wonderful man you are Walpurgis voice was trembling. I swayed my head. This potion was originally yours. That is not a sufficient reason. You could have livedfortably in arge mansion if you sold that potion. She looked quite emotional. It was a rare sight to see such a perfect warrior, who always controlled her emotions, to be this emotional. It was probably because she still had girlish sentiments left. When Walpurgis finished growing as a perfect knight, this kind of cute side of her disappeared too. After she finishes maturing emotionally and fully proficient in swordsmanship, she bes a shining avatar of chivalry like a hero in fairy tales. Walpurgis reminded me of a beautiful sword. I was just happy that such a future for her wasnt gone. Its simply your own noble heart that saved you. At my words, Walpurgis let out a light voice. Ah Something definitely shed through her mind. Perhaps something was being put together in her thought. I could have inadvertently triggered the process ofpletely developing Walpurgis as a knight. It would be an honour if that was indeed the case. You didnt discriminate because I was a simple mercenary and even worried for me. If mydy didnt give that healing potion, how could I have saved you? No! I owe you a great debt once again. Walpurgis thanked me repeatedly. It actually felt refreshing since I had never seen her like this. Valler, I owe my life to you for today. If ever you should need help at ater date, I shall aid you even if it costs me my life. Your words alone reassure me. I showed my appreciation before suggesting to quickly get away from this ce. Itd be best to take care of the corpses as well. Nothing good can happen from staying here any longer. We stacked the corpsesying around into a pile on top of Hessax. Then we ced tree branches and poured oil onto the pile. I never expected his highness to act like so. Walpurgis spoke in a confused tone. Dont worry, I will make him pay for his actions. This was not a joke. I nned to find him and kill him in a couple of days. Valler, Philip is no ordinary man. Do not do anything rash. There will be plenty of opportunities down the road. I do not n on pretending today did not happen either. Walpurgis was enraged at his betrayal as well. And why shouldnt she be? She defended Philip to the end but all he did was shoot her and run away by himself. Considering Walpurgis personality, all he needed to do was ask. Just until a few hours ago, she believed Philip was someone who was worthy of fighting and dying for. She would have dly sacrificed herself for him. I believed he would be the hope to strike back against the demon lords. It seems I was short sighted. Ha... That was how it was suppose to be. I wondered why everything changed so much. At least youve found out about his real self. It wouldve been a bigger problem if you found outter. I lighted the corpses on fire. The pyre burned bright. It smelled horrible but looked agreeable. Either way, Im sorry I dont know what happened to your unicorn. I couldnt keep track of it during the fight. Im sorry. Ah! There is no need for you to worry. Valler, you do not seem to know about unicorns. Hmm? Unicorns are divine beasts. It simply returned to the divine realm after being shot. It will return in several days after it has recovered. It has happened several times already. Then I didnt need to worry about it. Still, that was really convenient to have. Sometimes horses died more easily in the chaos of the battle than humans. On top of that, recovering on its own after being injured? This was definitely over powered. Still, it was of no use for me to covet it. Unicorns didnt follow anyone who wasnt a pure virgin. A dark and twisted man like me could never even hope to try to ride it. Where are you nning to go now? Ill give you a ride. I brought over Filly whom I had hidden. She was quite happy to see the horse that belonged to her until not too long ago. You look like youre happy to see your former owner too, Filly. Goodness, Valler. I know she is a mare but you named such a fine war horse Filly? In my eyes, shes as cute as a filly. Fillys coat was as soft as silk and her eyes glistened like gems. I really liked her. It was a right decision to give her to you. Hahaha. So where to now? I already had a rough estimation of where she wanted to go. She probably didnt want to go back to Bavaria right away. Because the convent for the Order of Sisters of Walpurgis, which she belonged to, was just a days ride from here. I wish to head to the vicinity of Rheinfelden.(TL: There are two Rheinfelden. One in Germany and one in Switzend. They used to be one city, but was divided and split between the two countries by Napoleon.) To the Walpurgis Convent? Walpurgis nodded. It is only a days ride away so I will count on you. When I return to Bavaria at ater date, I shall prepare a fitting reward. If you will ept, I shall even grant you the title of baron. Walpurgis was the sessor to Bavaria. It meant she was the future head of one of the most powerful families in the entirety of the Empire. Giving out the title of baron was not an issue for her. An elevation into nobility isnt fitting for amoner like me, mydy. Do not talk like that. Valler, you are a warrior more virtuous than any nobles I have seen. You praise me too much. Well postpone this talk to ater date. I wanted to get there on my own but there was no reason to refuse something that was offered freely. It is my honour to escort someone as awe-inspiring as mydy to Rheinfelden. Ha! You are certainly versed in ttery. You may have a smooth tongue, but save it for a beautifuldy than someone like I. Whoever said that beauty was only for the face, mydy? Walpurgis punched me lightly. Hmph, I should have known. Hahaha! Weve saved each others life. Thanks to that, we became close even though we havent known each other for very long. Speaking of which, I needed to calcte something. If we set out now, we would arrive at the convent by midday. Then I needed toe back to hunt Philip after a little rest. I apologized in my heart to Walpurgis but it was something I needed to do alone. This was going to be dirty work. From my experience ying as the Iron Prince-Elector, he would run away to the safe house designated as one of the rally points. He would stay there for four days. There was still a window of opportunity. But, the longer I wait, the more of Philips retinues and soldiers would find their way back to him. It was best to be quick. Then please, hop on. Thank you, Valler. There was another goal in travelling to the Walpurgis Convent besides taking her there. Theres a divine relic in the convent thats unknown to outsiders. I nned to demand it in return for saving Walpurgis. Walpurgis is the future of the Order of Sisters of Walpurgis. It was worth trying since I saved her. That relic was Angels Heart. It was a SS-ss magic item that gave the character another life. In a world so prevalent with death, it was one of the most valuable items I needed to get my hands on it quickly. The one guarding the item now was the Abbess of the Order of Sisters of Walpurgis, Ang. Lady Walpurgis, may I be granted an audience with the Abbess once we reach the convent? That will not be difficult. She is certain to express her gratitude if she hears you have saved me. Her name was Ang, if I remembered correctly. Would I really be able to get the Angels Heart? I might not have enough achievement points. I saved Walpurgis and there wasnt going to be an opportunity like this again in the future. If she remained apprehensive about giving me the Angels Heart, I just needed to hand over a couple pieces of juicy information. The Order of Sisters of Walpurgis despised the Demon Lord Pejamut. I just needed to drop some intel on Pejamut. If I died, it was over. I needed to have a contingency n no matter what. Hyah! I hurried Filly to head to Rheinfelden. Everything was settled. As I looked up in the sky, those fluffy clouds hanging in the clear sky reminded me of Walpurgis white chest. How could I phrase it They wererge and beautiful Ah, Valler. Walpurgis talked to me from behind. Yes? I appreciate you healing me, but does that mean you r.. r, removed my chest armour? Walpurgis asked in a trembling and shy voice that didnt suit her. Then I started sweating profusely after realizing the implications of a man undressing a young woman of 16 years of age. What kind of excuse did I need to make up?It felt like I was going to suffocate. ____________________________________ New WN cover is here. TL Note: I''d like to thank everyone reading this. I know it must be hard to keep up with rather irregr updates. If you''re reading this, enjoy our other series in the mean time as well. But good readings to everyone. Chapter 14: Meeting Great Evil (1) Chapter 14: Meeting Great Evil (1)Chapter 14 - Meeting Great Evil (1) Eventually we dismounted and faced each other. How much did you see? Walpurgis was dead serious. I decided it was best to be honest. I saw half of your chest. Hiiiii! Walpurgis jerked away in surprise and covered her chest. She was shaking when she retorted to me. You, you swine! Do you not know ady has to marry the man who has seen her body? I have spent over 100 cumtive years in this game, but that was the first Ive heard of such a thing. From my experience, nobles in this world didnt have much in the way of being sexually reserved. Just what was the Prince-Elector of Bavaria teaching his sessor? What? Me marrying yourdyship? Walpurgis seemed even more upset at my response. What? So you took a look without marriage in mind? Then you must be plotting to seize the seat of the Prince-Elector for yourself! You chatan! This world didnt have anything like the Salicw or morganatic marriage. That was why Walpurgis was allowed to be Bavarias heir despite being a woman and passing on the title via marriage with a man of lower stature was possible. Legally, there was no issue with amoner like me marrying her. (TL Note: Salic Law is old Frankishw used for long time in Europe that covered many things, but in context of here, forbade woman from inheritingnds. Morganatic marriage is a form of marriage where a person of higher stature marries someone of lower stature but the person of lower stature and their children being unable to im or inherit anything.) No, thats not it. Walpurgis face recovered some colour when I denied it. T, then it is marriage? Walpurgis started nodding by herself as if there was some sort of internal thought process. I wish you would let me keep my helmet on for the first night. I s..shall take off everything else. I do not know about anything else; but, I have one of the best figure in the Empire... THE HELL was with this situation. A bride entirely naked except a helmet. Please calm down youre thinking too far ahead. Its because the wound was severe I calmly started to exin the situation at the time. I exined why I had to take her chest armour off and I made sure to rify while her chest wasrge and bouncy and beautiful, I didnt feel anything much beyond that. For some reason, Walpurgis slumped her shoulders. Disappointed. Then there will be no marriage? Her excited voice turned dejected like a puppy standing out in the rain. No. ..... Ooooogh. I nned on showing my chest only to the one who would be my husband. I felt unfair at this point. I only saw half! Silence, you swine! If you eat only half of a beautiful and well-leavened white bread, does it count as not having eaten it? Even I know that you must buy the whole bread if you eat half of it! How dare you try to get away by iming it is just half. It sounded like an incorrectparison but it was difficult to retort. An educateddy of a noble house indeed knew her way with words. However, I also knew a thing or two about making wrong but reasonable soundingparisons. Your logic has its merits, but the main point is the raisin on that bread. If theres no raisin, even such a well-leavened and white bread would be missing something. I havent eaten the raisin if following your analogy. Thus I respectfully request a refund. Walpurgis tilted her head curiously at my words. Raisin? Raisin on top of a well-leavened and white bread? ... You know, there are those kind of parts on a womans body. They were covered by your innerwear, so I dont think Im at the point where I should be taking responsibility. What? She stood petrified in the position when she finally understood. I imagine I could see her jaws drop wide open if she didnt have that helmet on. Shakeshakeshake Trembletrembletremble Quiverquiverquiver The mood was uneasy. It felt like a bomb was about to go off. I tried to sneak away, but she had already drawn her sword. Then she finally exploded. You lecherous swine! I shall butcher you today! She was screaming at the top of her lungs. And theyre pink! Pink! How dare you call it a raisin! *** Two hourster. I thanked whatever powers that be for surviving, but the real surprise was when I opened the stats menu. I had gained +3,500 exp. I gained exp equivalent to killing three ogres just by running away from Walpurgis and her deadly des. What was this exp machine? It was a convenient machine, but I couldnt guarantee my survival if I continued to use it. There were significant aftereffects as well. It appears everything is going well for you. You do not need to live with someone as ugly as I anymore. Hmmph. Walpurgis, who was riding behind me on Philly, was still mumbling away as she was still angry. By the way, mydy. What do you want? Any sort of dignity or ss wasnt present in her response. I said what do you want? ... T, thats can yourdyship marry even though youre a nun? Of course. I am a secr nun. I can romance or marry whomever I wish. Is that so. That was my first time hearing it since nun wasnt a job I was interested in. Naturally so. If the protege of the Order could not marry, the Order couldnt use me as they wanted either. She became really direct. It was apparent she was truly incensed. Furthermore, I am the sessor to Bavaria. Do you believe my uncle would allow me to be a nun if I cannot marry? I see. Then I wish you will meet a good man in your future. It was something I said without much thought, but it turned out I poured oil on a burning house with those words. What? Hahaha! Those are very gracious words. Extremely gracious. Such thoughtful and gracious words! She started pping my back whileughing. She still had her steel gauntlets on. Argh! Help! How could a nun beughing while beating someone up? I do not know what you are talking about, Valler. It is a massage. A massage! You must be tired from riding all night while carrying I. I am simply showing care for others as someone who serves a god. What? Im gaining stats from this? My jaws opened wide at the rate my exp and stats were going up. Was I someone who could get stronger just by being hit? It hurts! Ill level up at this rate! Massages are supposed to hurt. Hmmph. Thankfully, Walpurgis stopped at a reasonable point. It was fortunate that I didnt open my eyes to some weird and strange path and didnt earn any skill that would set me down the path of no return. I was truly thankful that I didnt be someone who wasnt me. But I realized I didnt know about Walpurgis as much as I thought. She was so lively even though we havent been friends for very long. I only saw the reserved and disciplined knight side of her, so I couldnt imagine this kind of girlish yet dynamic side of her. It seemed I didnt pay enough attention to therade who always stood by my side. I really wanted to make it right to her this time. *** Filly rode hard until the sun hung high in midday to catch a glimpse of the destination. Over there. There was picturesque grasnd following the bends of the Rhine river. In the middle of that scenery was arge hill. No, perhaps it was more fitting to call it a small naked mountain than arge hill. On top of that hill wererge walls. Therey the main convent of Order of Sisters of Walpurgis. They were renowned throughout the south-western part of the Empire. Is it strange that the convent is a fortress? I swayed my head at Walpurgis question. Order of Sisters of Walpurgis is a militant order protecting the south-western part of the Empire from the demon lords. It is only natural for it to be so fortified since they could be attacked at any moment. The Order of Sisters of Walpurgis originated as an order for protecting themon folk. Their history was long and illustrious as well. They were an honourable martial order that trained many renown temr knights. Ive heard rumours that the Abbess confides much in yourdyship. That she treats you as if you were her own daughter. She showers her endless love undeservingly onto me. I worry sometimes that I will not be able to repay her. Mydy has done well so far. Walpurgis sighed at my words as we approached closer to the fortress. You do not know. She has been under immense pressure as ofte. I need to help ease her burden, but I return in defeat. Walpurgis voice had no strength. My curiosity awoke. May I hear more on this? Hmm very well. It is not something for an outsider, but I shall confide in you, Valler. Our Order is in trouble. It is because of Pejamut, who has consolidated his strength and expanded his territory down south. Originally, Pejamuts territoryy well beyond the south-western border of the Empire. However, he had been making advances into the wide ins and plentiful forests in the south as of recent. That was why the hegemon of the south-west of the Empire, Iron Prince-Elector Philip, gathered his army for a decisive battle. The Order of Sisters of Walpurgis lent a hand as well and Lady Temr Walpurgis participated with knights from Bavaria. But the result was defeat. On top of that, Walpurgis barely survived due to Philips betrayal. Her heart could only weigh heavy when on way to report these facts. I have lost the fight and lost the noble warriors of Bavaria. I can only pray they are still alive. You worry too much, mydy. They are more than capable of taking care of themselves. I hope so I could feel Walpurgis hugging me tightly from behind and leaning onto me. I could feel her exhaustion and sorrow. I had no words that couldfort her, so I grasped her hands that were hugging my waist. Walpurgis seemed surprised for a moment, but she grabbed them back. Valler, you are kind You praise me too much. I passed through the gate of the convent-fortress quickly due to Walpurgis. It was a fortress devoted to nuns and women, but that didnt mean men were forbidden from entering either. The forbidden area was only the nuns quarters, and there were a fair number of men staying in the outer areas of the castle. Some were merchants here to trade, and some were patients waiting to be treated. Energetic. That building over there. They will allow you to stay as a guest. There stood several majestic buildings, and some nuns recognized Walpurgis when we approached. Ah! Sister!Sister Walpurgis is back! There was amotion in the immediate area. It seemed Walpurgis was pretty popr here. Younger nuns even let out sounds like Kyaaah! Kyaaah!. Then the noise died down when a strict looking middle-aged nun approached. Wee back, sister. I have returned. Please permit a ce for Valler here, the man who saved my life, to rest. I see. Despite her stringent appearance, she bowed towards me gracefully. I thank you for saving Sister Walpurgis. No, I only did what was right. I will take appropriate measures so your stay here can be as restful as possible. I removed my feathered hat to show my appreciation. When the conversation finished, Walpurgis approached. Valler, rest for the moment. I will visit you after meeting with the Abbess. A bath and meal will be ready for you. With that, she told the middle-aged nun she will be meeting the Abbess. The middle-aged nun seemed taken aback at the request. She regainedposure quickly, but I could sense that something was wrong. Sister Walpurgis, it is not something to discuss out in open. Please, follow me. Elena and Marie, guide Mr. Valler to his room. The two adolescent nuns stuck close to my sides. I wanted to ask what was going on, but there was no opportunity due to the two young nuns pulling at my clothes. I could only ask when Walpurgis returned. I waited for Walpurgis after bathing and eating but she didnt seem intent on showing up. I simply wanted to rest on the bed for a bit, but fell asleep. Rustle How long was I asleep for? I opened my eyes as I felt a presence. It was Walpurgis. I apologize. I did not mean to awake you. I assumed you would be curious, but you were asleep. I was nning to retire to my chamber just now. She didnt sound good. Something definitely must have happened. Valler, I am sorry. I nned on introducing you to the Abbess to repay you. However, it does not seem appropriate under the circumstance. What happened? I sat up straight and asked her. However, she was still apprehensive, so I pulled a chair to ask her to sit down. ..... She didnt speak for a while. It was not something that could easily be shared with an outsider. But I couldnt just retreat after havinge this far. I didnt want to leave without knowing what was going on. I believe I have some rights to know as well. They were words hinting at her promise to introduce me to the Abbess. Finally, Walpurgis surrendered. I suppose it could not be helped. What happened to the Abbess? You cannot ever reveal this to anyone else, Valler. I swear upon my honour. Walpurgis slowly nodded her head ever so slightly. Fine. Truthfully, the Abbess has copsed. I suspected something like that already. What was important was why it happened. My looks conveyed my question without need for words. ... The Abbess was attacked by the darkness. Her condition is critical, and she is not expected to make it through the night. What Walpurgis said was more shocking than I anticipated. __________________________________ TL: Last week was a great week for gamers everywhere. Championship for SC2, OW, HotS, Hearthstone, LoL, and whatever other games that had its world championship tournament. There were great matches all around. Congrattions to Korea for making another sweep on Championships. I look forward to their excellent performance next year as well. As well, check out Skys Charity Drive. Some things are worth supporting. Link below. Chapter 15: Meeting Great Evil (2) Chapter 15: Meeting Great Evil (2) Chapter 15 - Meeting Great Evil (2) Tantor: WeekendgollemEditor: Deus Ex Machina, Perditor My god. Darkness referred to the primordial powers the demons worshipped. The materialized personifications of the Darkness were mysterious god-like beings called Princes of Darkness. The demon lords and other demonic creatures worshipped them and in return received power. It was the same principle as humans worshipping gods and receiving blessings in exchange. The Convent of Sisters of Walpurgis, for example, worshipped the goddess of charity and protection, Walpurga. Walpurgis own strength was based on Walpurgas love for her and the name Walpurgis was itself inspired by Walpurga.. This alone revealed how much she was loved by the goddess. If she managed to survive to theter part of the story, she would advance to her final ss Avatar of Goddess Walpurga. It was no coincidence she was the hope of the Order of Sisters of Walpurgis. Regardless, the situation was still strange. I dont understand, Lady Walpurgis. This is the main convent of the Order. How can the Abbess of the Order be attacked by Darkness in the middle of the convent. To make aparison to exin how ridiculous the situation was, one was more likely to catch a cold while inpletely sterile room. This ce was crawling with high level pdins and temrs. Even normal looking granny nuns walking around were level 50~60 masters. For anyone on the side of Darkness, this ce was a true hell. But for the leader and the strongest warrior of them all to be defeated? Furthermore, the Abbess of the Order of Sisters of Walpurgis was one of the 12 Swords of the Empire, the 12 strongest people in the Empire. The Sisters of Walpurgis were a purely militaristic order dedicated to smashing apart demon lords, unlike the images of an ordinary nun. They received much power from the goddess and even the middle-aged nuns tending to a flower bed in a corner of the fortress had killed their fair share of orcs. Who knew if they were using the orcs they killed as fertilizer. I understand why you may be confused. The Abbess fell into a carefully prepared trap. There was also a traitor among us.. There was one person whom the word treachery reminded me of.. Is it Pejamuts work? Probably so. Pejamut was a coward who didnt act on anything unless a trap and betrayal were ready. It seemed he worked hard to spring a trap on the Abbess while preparing one for Philip as well. This may sound unpleasant, but it appears Pejamut is very resourceful. For him to work on the Sisterhood as well as Philip at the same time. Even I feel fearful. These dark plots that the demon lords weave are truly something to behold. I listened to the details of the story. It seems one of the relics of the Princes of Darkness was discovered somewhere in Rheinfelden. The one who brought news of discovery was one of the revered elders, Annacis. And Annacis was the traitor? Correct. Letting one of the relics of the Princes of Darkness fall into demon hands posed a significant threat. Furthermore, even if the relic was left alone, it would taint thend and kill the people who lived nearby. Annacis and several high ranking nuns were dispatched but the mission failed and she returned alone. An act. She probably killed the nuns who went with her. ... Valler, your guesses appear quite urate despite not hearing about it. Treachery is something I have had the misfortune of running into many times before. Ive fought the demon lords for countless seasons. A traitor was something Ive suffered many times. The reason why I liked Walpurgis amongst all the heroes was because she never betrayed you no matter how bad the situation was. You are a strange man, Valler. Sometimes you sound like a young man, but other times you sound like an experienced general. When I talk with you, I sometimes feel like I am talking to one of the elders of the Order. Everyone has their own story. ..... Walpurgis just looked at me without words for a while. I had no idea what she was thinking, but she continued. The Abbess lead the expedition herself after Annacis report. She would not have acted so hastily under normal circumstances. However, with Pejamuts army so close by, she needed to take care of the situation as quickly as possible. And then she was ambushed? Correct. Pejamuts specialty. What was particr about this ambush was there was no army waiting for them. The relic itself was the ambush. It was an artifact Pejamut had prepared. The moment she tried to purify the Darkness, the Darkness swallowed her. She was attacked by the traitor Annacis amidst the situation as well. She managed to defeat her, but now Walpurgis pained voice became quieter and quieter. I embraced her silently. Walpurgis melted into my embrace without any resistance. Its unbearable to see the Abbess like that swallowed by the Darkness Both of Walpurgis parents passed away when she was young. That was why she followed the Abbess as if she was her own mother. Now, she just heard that the Abbess would not make it through the night. I could imagine how she felt. She barely returned after Iron Prince-Elector Philips betrayal and her mother-figure was in such a condition. I wondered how she had the mental strength to still hold on. Furthermore, she wasnt the perfect sword yet. She was still a tender 16 year old girl who didnt show that side of her to others. Itll be alright. It will be fine. I fell into thought while stroking her back. There was something I didnt understand. Darkness which could swallow the Abbess? No matter how strong the Darkness was, that wasnt how it worked. She was a specialist in dealing with darkness. Even the power of the strongest of the Princes, Unspeakable Dark wouldnt affect her so. That meant there was an unknown factor at y here. The Darkness had numerous powers. Best I could guess was that she was done in while she was still stunned from something she had never encountered before. Maybe I can be of help in this situation? Ive been to the end of this world. There was only destruction at the end, but I did manage to see most of the mysteries and supernatural beings of the world. If I could find out which Darkness had swallowed her, I could find a way to drive it out as well. Lady Walpurgis. Hmm? Speak. She dug even deeper into my embrace while speaking. My goodness. It was difficult to believe such a sharp woman would be looking for love andfort while clinging to me. I wish to see the Abbess. What? Walpurgis looked all too surprised at my words. I needed to exin carefully from here. Ive gathered much knowledge about the Darkness for a long time. Ive even learned under a holy person for a period of time. It was not a lie. When I yed the guardian, Archbishop of the Exorcist Order, my master was a saint on pilgrimage. Ive learned much secret knowledge from him. Is that true? Am I someone who would lie to yourdyship? I think weve gotten to know each other fairly well. Walpurgis swayed her head. No, youre not someone who would lie to me. You are an honourable man, Valler. Thank you for thinking of me so. Im not saying I will do something that is beyond my power. Just let me see her. My knowledge might be able to help her. Walpurgis thought hard on my words and informed me she would bring it up to others. She probably hoped to grasp even onto a straw. I will talk to the Prioress Ang.(TL: Prioress is rank below Abbess) Hm? Wasnt Ang the Abbess name? No. The Abbess name is Margarita. The Prioress is Ang. Ah I only knew Ang as the Abbess of the Order of Sisters of Walpurgis. It was certain that Margarita would die tonight and Ang would inherit the position. From how guardians stories progressed, there was no way to meet Walpurgis untilter on so I never knew about this. Only when you were ying as the Iron Prince-Elector Philip, would you meet her in 1613, but then you would be separated due to the Battle of Offenheim. Walpurgis joined you only after she became 20 years of age, and she rarely talked about her past. It was only natural to know barely anything about her. Huu. I let out a big sigh. I could finally understand why she was so devoid of emotion and dedicated everything to fighting the demon lords in the past. The death of someone she thought of as her mother, Abbess Margarita, was probably the final straw for her. Then she lived devoid of emotion, fighting only for vengeance. Ive adventured for over 100 years in this world; I still had a lot to learn. Especially, the story behind my closestpanion. I will definitely save her. I grasped Walpurgis hands tightly and swore. A lot hinged on today. Getting the Angel Heart, the bnce of power between Pejamut and the Order of Sisters of Walpurgis, a branching story depending on who leads the Order in the future. But the most important thing to me right now was thisdy temr who had yet to grow fully looking at me with eyes about to cry. I wanted to resolve todays issues for her. Ive studied the darkness countless hours tobat the demon lords. Even the Order of Sisters of Walpurgis didnt know all the things Ive learned. So I would definitely be of help. Lets go right now. Well talk there. *** As expected, the elders protecting the Abbess balked at the idea of a mere mercenary meeting with the Abbess. They were also scolding Walpurgis at the fact she revealed a purely internal secret onto an outsider. Sister Walpurgis, I know that you are loved by the Abbess; but, this is going too far. How can you bring in an unknown ruffian to concoct some unnatural n. A ruffian? Im standing right here. Thanks. Ive managed to get to the ce they were protecting the Abbess with Walpurgis help, but all the nuns who held significant power and strength in the order were already gathered there. To bring a man, especially an outsider, this far in is against the code, Sister Walpurgis. However, considering your aplishments thus far, we will not hold you responsible if you choose to go back. Indeed so! They sounded very angry; but, they werent willing to punish her. That showed just how significant Walpurgis position in the Order was. Revered elders, please. He is not a man who would speak empty words. It is not as if we have a better alternative. Where is the harm in letting him take a look. Do you know what you speak of! You may enjoy the same position as a king in the secr world, but that means nothing here! Be gone! The nuns started ring at me instead now. They certainly were nuns, but I felt like it was the infamous witches of the swamps ring at me instead. If they could cut me down with just a look, they would have done so thousands times over already. You! I do not know what silver-tongued rhetoric you whispered to our little angel to deceive her so, but know that the gods are watching. It was because she was a nun she warned me so. If she was a normal person, there would be all kinds of expletives flying my ways already. Speaking of which, the elders really seemed to treasure Walpurgis. Even amidst this situation, they called her our little angel. Maybe she was a mascot and a star to this Order. Its true that I can be of help. How can I get you to trust me, sister? Hmph, and what is the basis for your confidence? I knew the answer to shut them all up. It was no use to say Ive learned under a saint. They wouldnt believe it and would scold me until my ears fell off. In situations like this, it was best to give as shocking of answer as possible. I took a step forward before speaking. Ive read the Canon of Seven Evils.(TL: Canon here refers to religious biblical canon, not big guns that go boom.) What? In that moment, all the nuns stood frozen in their ce. That was expected. The Canon of Seven Evils was a relic written a thousand years ago by Saint Antonio regarding various kinds of darkness and how to defeat them. It went missing so long ago, many questioned if it even truly existed. If you asked around for its secrets, only the wisest of the schrs would fearfully reply that one of the Princes, the Struggling Death had stolen it away to hide it. Even the sage who told me of the fact thought the mere mention of it would bring destruction and told me in careful whisper after checking all his surroundings. The man passed away four dayster due to a seizure of mysterious cause. It was said he died while struggling with something. And I just told them all that Ive read it. Did I really read it? Thats right. Just once. I really managed to get my hands on that book. Chapter 16: Meeting Great Evil (3) Chapter 16: Meeting Great Evil (3) A calm voice interjected amidst the stunned crowd. The Canon of Seven Evils? It was a familiar voice. I let out a small sigh after turning to look at the person who just walked into the room. Ah Large well-built body, gentle appearance like a grandmother looking at her grandchild. She was the Abbess Ang of my memories. Although shes a Prioress right now. Prioress. The nearby nuns bowed to greet her. I actually felt rather light-hearted to see her. We cooperated closely to fight against the demon lords in the past. We grew especially closer after Walpurgis death. She was a preciousrade to me and to her a precious daughter-figure. The loss of someone so cherished gifted a bond transcending age to us. Ive read it before. I can definitely help. I hoped Ang would take me seriously. However, she suddenly shouted at me in anger. My! Who is this ruffian? The Canon of Seven Evil? That book is a myth. All the nuns jolted a little at Angs rebuke. The Abbess is ill! Is this really an appropriate time to argue with a mere mercenary? No, Prioress. Remove him at once. Do not kick him out of the Convent as he is a guest of Sister Walpurgis; but, all of you should have stopped him froming into the inner sanctum at the very least!... I said at once! Angs stinging disapproval concluded the situation in an instant. I was immediately turned into a liar and several nuns grabbed me to escort me out. We will not punish you for this, but know your ce and spend the rest of your time here quietly. This Convent is under crisis. I was curious even as I was being pushed out. Ang in my memory was a calm and wise person. She was not someone who would drive a person out just for mentioning the Canon of Seven Evils. Then she kicks me out screaming all of a sudden?It was strange The Canon of Seven Evils! My, what is this worlding to for people to indulge in such fairy tales. Some even mocked me openly. Some nuns who, even for a moment, thought I was telling the truth bowed to Ang in repentance. Our apologies, Prioress. Our faith wascking. In mere moments, I was pushedpletely from their interest. Even if I had to leave the convent, I really needed to prove my innocence. But in that moment, my eyes met with Angs. She was trying to tell me something with herposed look. Things werent all that meets the eye here. I quietly left the area and Walpurgis followed. We walked down a silent hallway devoid of people. I am sorry. I did not think the elders would be so against the idea. Walpurgis apologized to me profusely. It was quite clear she felt disappointed about the situation. Valler, you tried so hard to prove to them you had knowledge regarding the Darkness You would have been a great help to the Abbess I dont think you should feel so bad about it. Hmm? I pointed to ahead of me. One of the elder nuns from moments ago was standing there. She must have used a shortcut to get ahead of us. Please, follow me, Mr. Valler. I understood how the situation was ying out now. This elder was probably sent by Ang to guide us to where we could meet secretly. As expected, we were led to a hidden area. Please wait here. She will arrive shortly. If you will excuse me. Ang arrived rather quickly. Prioress! Walpurgis went and hugged her like a small child. My, what an energetic youngdy. You can take off your armour in the convent. Its very stiff and cold when you hug me with your armour still on. I understand. Walpurgis looked like her obedient daughter. I finally understood why she liked the Order so much. Other nuns filled in the ce of the parents she lost at such an early age and siblings she never had. Mr. Valler, I am Prioress Ang. Her courteous greeting was just as I remembered Ang. I also took off my feathered cap and bowed to greet her. Im Valler from Spandau. I heard that you saved Walpurgis. I extend my thanks regarding the situation. No, I survived thanks to her. I only returned the favour. You are a modest man. I see why Walpurgis vouched for you. Everything from before was an act. She seemed quite friendly to me just by the fact I had saved her. The conversation flowed favourably due to that. However, she skipped right to the point as the Abbess was not faring too well. Mr. Valler, you have read the Canon of Seven Evils? Yes, with my own eyes. Ang nodded when I confirmed it. Goodness My, such a thing. For a legendary relic to exist. Do you believe me? Honestly, I find it difficult to. However, there is no reason to suspect you would be lying either. That is why I prepared this meeting. She was thorough yet logical as ever. She was the kind of person youd prefer to work with than others. And it is for your safety as well, Mr. Valler. It may have been to persuade us; but, talking about the Canon of Seven Evils publicly is dangerous. We also do not know if there are other traitors in the Order as well. I was short sighted. If I saved the Abbess earlier in front of everybody, it was highly likely for Pejamut to learn about me. He would never forgive anyone who ruined his schemes. Furthermore, the contents of the Canon of Seven Evils were something that even demon lords coveted. He would torture me to learn everything I knew about it. Ang acted knowing fully what could happen. She was indeed wise. Thank you for your concerns. No, I cannot put someone who volunteered to aid this Order in any danger. Even if it is not about the Canon of Seven Evils, it will be best to keep the fact you tried to help the Abbess a secret. You may gain renown, but you will also be Pejamuts target. The circle of grudge knew no end. I didnt even want to think about what would happen if demon lords were really angry with me. Now was not the time to antagonise them. Mr. Valler, may I confirm you have indeed read the Canon of Seven Evils? It was only natural. This was something entirely separate with how she valued my character. Of course. Questions flooded out as soon as I gave my approval. They were all information only those versed in Darkness would know. Ang could not hide her amazement at how I could answer all of them without any hesitation. You are still a young man! But to have learned such knowledge! I even told Ang that I would answer anything she was curious about. Others would never even believe this situation without seeing it with their own eyes. The Prioress of the Order of Sisters of Walpurgis was renowned as a symbol of wisdom and knowledge. Since the moment and opportunity was here, I wanted to share as much knowledge as possible. Even Walpurgis sitting beside me was surprised. ... Valler, your knowledge is truly tremendous. Ang was wide-eyed as well. At first it felt like she was a teacher giving a test; but now, it was more like she was the student. I was fairly well-acquainted with the main interest of the Order, Pejamut. The Prince of Darkness Pejamut serves has been a secret for a long time; but, I think I can find out if I see the Abbess condition. I have a guess of my own Ah, you are most wise, Mr. Valler. Ang swayed her head with her mouth still wide open. I can only conclude that you have indeed read the Canon of Seven Evils. You wouldnt be able to find the kind of knowledge youve shared today even if you searched the libraries of this Order. She changed her attitude and asked carefully. May I ask for the name of the sage? She probably thought I wasnt who I appeared to be. A sage? No, you give me too much credit. Im simply an ordinary man. Surely you do not take me for a fool. I may be an old nun who has severed ties with the secr world, but I know enough to know an ordinary mercenary cannot save the Lady Temr and know the contents of the Canon of Seven Evils inside and out. Therelle a day when I can reveal myself. Until then, just think of me as a mere foot soldier working hard to defend humanity. She didnt ask further when I drew the line there. She bowed to me instead. Thank you foring to this Orders aid. I will lead you to the Abbess now. We headed to the chamber deep in the inner sanctum through a secret passageway. The ones standing guard inside are all trustworthy nuns under mymand. Please do not worry. Your actions here tonight will be a secret. I felt that Ang was trying to protect me as best she could. Over here. An evil aura was already radiating out from the sturdy door in front of me. Please steel yourself. You may be shocked by what is inside. Ang blessed both me and Walpurgis. It was because you could die from a sudden encounter with a powerful Darkness. Please, enter. I followed Ang in to see a rather small Abbess lying in the middle of a holy circle glowing white. For some reason, she looked like a young girl. Around the holy circle were kneeling high ranking nuns praying endlessly. Ah! I let out an exmation after looking at the Darkness that swallowed the Abbess. The pitch ck Darkness sprouted spider-like legs from the centre of the chest. I immediately knew the Darkness identity. Domineering aura of death.The irrefutable master of the eventuality. Mr. Valler, do you recognize it? ... yes. Ang sounded surprised as if she didnt expect me to know it as well. Why not, after all even the most knowledged experts in the Order didnt know. However, the one most surprised was me. Thats the husk of the avatar of the Prince of Darkness One Crouching by the Grave. It was only natural for the Order to not know what it was. The husk of the avatar of One Crouching by the Grave was an important feature in theter storyline. But why was it here now? However, that wasnt my immediate concern right now. The real important matter was that power was something that yers could absorb. A husk of the avatar? Also, I have never heard of the One Crouching by the Grave. It cant be helped. He is a Prince of Darkness not well known to humans. Only those who read the Canon of Seven Evils would know of him. Also known as the King of Gravekeepers, he oversees the dead. In other words, he controls the powers of necromancy. Necromancy! How vile Ang drew a cross in the air as if just the thought alone repulsed her. That is the power of the avatar of the One Crouching by the Grave, but it seems he died a long time ago and only the husk remains.But even that husk is fatal. Then what is the purpose of the remains? Is it to kill an enemy by cursing them? I swayed my head at Angs question. Purely by the condition of the Abbess, it may seem that way, but that was not the exact usage for the husk of the avatar. That is a dark relic which bestows power onto the user. Its something that demons covet yet fear. Walpurgis titled her head in curiosity. Covet yet fear? Stange. Demons are something that would not hesitate to murder their own parents if they could gain more power. They would not fear a mere curse. Thats because its not a mere curse. That husk demands your life in exchange for power. It was definitely one of the worst kinds of dark relic. It bestowed power to those who epted it, but took their life in exchange. Pejamut, being the coward that he is, probably struggled for awhile on how to use it after obtaining it. In the end, he seems to have used it as a trap. He probably thinks himself so smart for using it like that. Though to be fair, it did work. If you knew how to, you could keep the power and still live. I decided this was the time for decisive action. I can save the Abbess by siphoning all the Darkness from her. Is it possible? Is that true, Valler? Ang and Walpurgis seemed relieved. However, there was a pre-requisite. But I have a condition. What may that be? I looked straight at Ang. I need the Angels Heart. Maybe they already had a n to use the Angels Heart on the Abbess. But, since the Abbess would never ept Darkness power, it would be just killing her twice. On the other hand, I was different. I wanted to sacrifice the Angels Heart and take the Darkness power. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity. If Im right, the ss I would get after absorbing the husk of the avatar is One Without Blood or Tear. It was the top necromancy ss rivalling even the guardians. {Editors Comment, Perditor: Roll Credits!} I still remembered. How the enemy One Without Blood or Tear showed up on a bone dragon guarded by liches. The coldness of death aura froze all living creatures in the vicinity. It was a truly a sight to behold. A true lord of the dead. ______________________________ TLer answers some questions fromments. Q: Is there release schedule? A: No. I will endeavour to make one. Q: Whats going on with time thing both on the inside and outside the game?A: The exnation is time passes much faster in the game and people get injected with nanomachine to help cope with this. Furthermore, when Han Jae-Woo first started the game, he requested to not be taken out of game until his game was over. Forpetition, when the IRL deadline pass for the event, only the point he earned until that time would be counted while game continues on for him regardless of end of thepetition. Q:Is it his master (for the char he was ying at the time) who died after talking about the Canon of Seven Evils? A: Its another schr unrted to his master. Q: First!A: Yes. Q: Still waiting for those Alderamin updatesA: I dropped this series initially because myptop holding all the raws of various series died. (Also wasnt very popr). I re-picked up this series after talking with certain anon after he offered to provide with Korean raws of the novel. Unfortunately, I have not received them. I am unsure if its because of me, if it got lost in the shipping process, or what. Either case, I do not have them. So you can probably say after this December, you can consider it fully dropped. Q: Can we have more frequent uploads? A: My intent was to provide readers with sense of pride and aplishment for reading a new chapter. (EA Battlefield 2 reference for anyone who is not in on this joke) No, but seriously. Will work on it. I will work on that along with schedule, but I cannot make it more than 1 chapter per week except special asions. Closing Comment Feel free to post questions within reasonable bounds in thement sections of HWBT if you have them. I cant answer them every week but I will collect what doesnt get answered by fellow readers and endeavour to go over them every 1~3 months. Yourments really help out in showing support. It is encouraging to see most of the times we get close number ofments to Cooking despite Cooking having 2~3 times the views. Sky is also nning for a holiday season charity drive. More info on that when its ready. My thanks to editors. Also remember to check out Cooking (the other series on the site right now) and hope everybody bought something nice for themselves on ck Friday sales. Chapter 17: One Crouching by the Grave (1) Chapter 17: One Crouching by the Grave (1)Chapter 17 - One Crouching by the Grave (1) There was an uproar as I mentioned the Angels Heart. I exined calmly to Ang, who was having an adverse reaction. There are two ways to solve the curse. To find a new sacrifice for it to move onto or for the host to ept it. So the Angels Heart is of no use. Ang probably nned to use the Angels Heart as ast resort. Still, it was no use to revive the Abbess if the curse wasnt solved in the first ce. Correct. Even if we use the Angels Heart, its impossible for the Abbess to ept that power. The Abbess divine power and that husks power could only sh with each other. So I will transfer that curse onto me. You are saying that you will be the sacrifice? Im different than the Abbess. Since I dont have any divine power, I can sacrifice the Angels Heart to ept that power. I will seal that darkness within my own body. Ang told me I couldnt do that. Why are you thinking about such a sacrifice. Do you understand what you are saying? That is a curse you will bear all your life no even cursing your own soul as well. It wasnt wrong but it wasnt right either. For some it was curse, and for some it was a blessing. I dont n on living with the curse all my life either. Ive read the Canon of Seven Evils and have learned much about the darkness. Im confident that I can find a way to remove the curse and seal that power away in the future. How can you be so confident that you will be able to? Of course, the Order must help me as well. Its not something that one man can aplish by himself. If you can remember my sacrifice and help me, we can ovee it together. However, I cannot let an innocent bystander to be involved in this! Even if the Abbess life hangs in the bnce. For Ang, due to her upright personality, it was a difficult proposition to ept. So I emphasized the greater good. Please reconsider. The Abbess is the bulwark guarding the Empires south-west. If she falls, then people are sure to lose heart. The south-west would be a mess. After the Iron Prince-Elector retreats, his uncle Friedrich only looked after himself. Since the Abbess passed away as well, it was only natural what would happen. Many humans were massacred or sold away as ves. If the Abbess survives, she could prevent such future froming true. Still, I cannot agree to this, Valler! Walpurgis sternly opposed the idea. Lady Walpurgis, you know this decision isnt just for the Abbess. You know this better than anyone. I kept greater good as the justification, but I stood to benefit the most from this. Not only would I gain the avatars powers, but the Order would owe me one as well. If I wanted the south-west of the Empire to remain stable, the Orders help was necessary. I knew it was sly to pretend to be a victim when I gain everything I wanted and then some more. Getting the avatars power and having the Order of Sisters of Walpurgis support wasnt something I could shy away from. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Im thankful for your concern for me, but please think of themon folks who will suffer. Ang, who was standing like a rock just before, showed tears. Such a selfless and wise person you are truly worthy of canonization. It wasnt just her. Other nuns in the room were also deeply saddened as well. Urk. When they were thinking about me with such pure thoughts, I felt guilty. I felt like a vampire exposed to sunlight. It wasnt like I was scamming the Order. It was mutually beneficial trade for both of us. They would have their Abbess back. I would gain that power and support of the Order. The south-west of the Empire would have its peace. And Pejamut would get a big middle finger to his n. Multiple birds with a single stone. It was a win-win all around. Valler! Please, reconsider! But it seemed convincing Walpurgis was the challenge. She was genuinely concerned. I smiled to show that I was fine with it. When I be cursed, it would be hard finding someone to marry. I guess you just need to take responsibility and marry me, mydy. How can you joke in a situation like this! You! I tried to ease the situation, but she became genuinely upset. Others pretended to be in prayer to let us talk between ourselves. Im sorry to make you worry. But Im really thankful that you think so highly of me. You want me to take responsibility? Ha, very well! You can live with someone as ugly as I now! Sob.. I didnt know how to react at the way Walpurgis was barely holding back from crying. Who else in this world would care about me as much as her. I hugged her lightly. Even though she was wearing her armour, she couldnt feel warmer in my embrace. Didnt you say you may be ugly, but you have one of the best figures in the Empire? I would be the happiest man in the world on the first night. Idiot! Other sisters can hear you! Walpurgis flinched as she didnt expect me to say something like that and pushed me away. But others have already heard it all. Ke-hem. One of the elders coughed loudly. She looked flustered despite being a fairly aged nun. Several others were fanning away with their hand. You! Walpurgis was hitting me in frustration. I simply smiled and pped my hands. p! The atmosphere changed. Prioress Ang, please bring me the Angels Heart. I will save the Abbess. ... You will truly go through with this? I nodded in response. Ang acquiesced since this was the only way. *** I started the ritual as soon as the Angels Heart arrived. Looking closely, the Abbess was in worse shape than I thought. There was arge ck hole in her stomach and ugly spider legs-like darkness sprouted out from there. But this was only a husk of a long dead avatar. If everyone followed the rules, there wouldnt be much danger. Please remain silent. I alerted everyone around me and breathed in deep to prepare myself. Then I read out the chants from the Canon of Seven Evils. One who harvests the dead stars. One who tirelessly tortures souls looking for their rest. The king of gravekeepers crouching by the grave. The air changed as I chanted down verse after verse. Deep mist-like darkness settled and divine light started to fade away. The temperature turned like chilly mid-winter and the cold dug into the very bones. Goooooo An unimaginable and iprehensible supernatural being started approaching from incalcble distance away. Breathing became harder and dizziness started to overtake me. However, I bit my lips and endured. Then, The One Crouching by the Grave talked to me through his dead avatar. Who dares call out to me. He only spoke, but there was a shock like a mace hitting my chest. Kugh. How would a mere mortal reach out to me? My very existence is a closely guarded secret. This has been the second time in the eternity of existence that a mortal has called upon me. It was not a good situation from the get go. I could feel The One Crouching by the Graves anger from the way he spoke. Was there a problem if I summoned him early in the game? Maybe he wanted to keep his existence hidden for a bit longer, but was angry because I summoned him. If everything went as he nned, he would show up towards the second half of the game. Maybe I messed up his n. I didnt know the details, but this was definitely different from my experience. The ritual probably wouldnt end as well as it didst time. I am Vallerstedt Valler. I called upon you because I desire the dead avatars power. A scathingughter ensued after I stated my intention. What? Kuhahaha! Something like you! You dare want my power! The one who weave between the constetions to harvest stars death? I instinctively knew the ritual would fail if it kept going like this. The One Crouching by the Grave would annihte me himself right now if he could. Only his consciousness has arrived here from a far away ce, so he couldnt exert physical power. However, it was possible for him to grab the summoners soul and punish it with eternal pain. A mere worm is not worth my time. You will pay for not knowing your own position and calling upon power a being like you shouldnt even name. The One Crouching by the Grave extended his spider-like legs to grab my soul. Kyaaah! The nuns watching screamed. I was surprised as well at the fact his personality was violent and impatient. However, I stood my ground. There was one rule that even divine beings couldnt breach. The yers soul cannot be tampered with. I wasnt someone in this world, but a yer. And yers received several perks which bends this worlds rules. One of them was that mind-altering magic didnt work on yers. It was because there would be an issue if there was something happening to the mind of the yer in the real world. The soul being unable to be tampered with fell within same category. What? I cannot grab your soul? While trying to stomp me out like a bug, he couldnt hide his surprise. His spider-like legs fell on me like a guillotine several times after as well. ng! Kaang! But it bounced back with white sparks every time. Now the supernatural being was definitely taken aback. You, what are you? It is unnatural that you know my name in the first ce. The One Crouching by the Grave started showing interest towards me. A mortal cannot resist my powers. This fact stands like the fact that an iron ore is hard and there is no exception I had no intention to sate his curiosity. How would I even exin Im a yer in the first ce. Thats not important. Hand over the husks power to me and disappear. That is why I summoned you here. But the opponent was not so easy. He wasnt co-operative either. Silence! Confess how you have learned of my existence! Or I shall shred apart the soul of everyone here! I do not know why I cannot touch your soul, but they will not be so lucky! The spider-like legs extended out in all direction and hovered above the nuns head. He was prepared to strike down and rip out their soul at any moment. Now speak, unique yet foolish one. Cold sweat ran down my back. I predicted as much, but he was an even more difficult opponent than I had thought. TL Corner: I''ve talked with editors to see what their optimal time will be as well. Starting January, the regr release will hit on Sundays. (Monday if you use the clock on the front page of the website) Chapter 18: One Crouching by the Grave (2) Chapter 18: One Crouching by the Grave (2)Chapter 18 - One Crouching by the Grave (2) Fine, Ill tell you the truth. The One Crouching by the Grave had managed to hide himself from the world for a long time. He was naturally quite sensitive a human not only knew he existed, but had summoned him as well. Ive read the Canon of Seven Evils. The Canon? That book should be hidden! How did you read it? That was a difficult question to answer. I said how did you read it? One Crouching by the Grave urged me harshly when I hesitated to answer. He looked like he was about to snatch away the nuns souls at any moment but now wasnt the time to panic. Right now, Struggling Death was the one holding the Canon of Seven Evils. But, someone appeared who imed to have read the book. From One Crouching by the Graves point of view, Struggling Death would be extremely suspicious. Furthermore, in theter part of the story, One Crouching by the Grave and Struggling Death were on bad terms with each other. They had allied due to necessity, but ultimately worked against each other in most things. The one who received power from One Crouching by the Grave, the top ss necromancer One Without Blood or Tear attacked the demon lords serving Struggling Death as well. I needed to y them against each other. There was nothing better than for these mysterious beings to turn on each other and bloody themselves. There were risks associated with deceptions like this but now wasnt the time to be picky. For me to get out of this situation, I needed to frame someone else. I steeled my resolve. Struggling Death showed me. What! Its voice was filled with anger. However, he had already anticipated my answer. The moment Canon of Seven Evils came up, Struggling Death would have been a prime suspect in One Crouching by the Graves mind. Why did he show you the Canon of Seven Evils! The dark aura around me started to boil like magma. How would I know? I only know whats written in there; I used the knowledge when I came across your dead avatar. I masterfully lied and led him on. Im probably not the only one he showed it to. I believe he also showed it to several sages around the Empire for a price That flippant fool. It seemed One Crouching by the Grave believed everything I was saying. Or rather, his mind was already made up when he asked me. To be fair its difficult to im I masterfully deceived him. I only fanned the long seated mistrust between the two of them. These beings live for a long time so they did not care much about a single event. Even the quickest of ns they devise extend well over hundreds of years. Betrayals like this must have happened numerously in the past and the only thing I had done was add a small piece on top of arge tower of distrust built over time. However, there was such a thing as a limit. Built over time, even a small thing could reach the limit. Fine. I will no longer tolerate that fool. The Canon of Seven Evils was just that limit. Finally, the cumtion of thousands of years of events matured in front of me. The time and situation is early but that is no obstacle. Meeting you in a ce like this, I consider it a karma and destiny that even I could not foresee. Wooosh Great darkness filled with malice gathered from all directions. My teeth chattered and I felt as if I was standing naked on ice in the middle of a blizzard. I allow you to use my power! But you must carry out a task. Thats what I wanted all along. What task is it? Kill all the demon lords serving Struggling Death. Demon lords were chess pieces of the Princes of Darkness. Princes of Darkness wishing to intervene in the world used demon lords to carry out their will. They were the true power pulling the strings from the shadows. Most demon lords work towards their ambition without even knowing who they are being controlled by. The heroes are the same. The heroes are gods chess pieces and fight without knowing who their true enemy is. One Crouching by the Grave started his plot against Struggling Death and I became one of the chess pieces in that game. Being one of the mysterious beings chosen is the opportunity of a lifetime. I would be king of the undead soon. Then, I would fight for One Crouching by the Grave. I wouldnt fight wholeheartedly of course. Thanks to the yers protection, even a Prince of Darkness couldnt bind my soul. I would betray him if necessary in the future. Remember. Rank 5. Demon Lord of Emptiness, Kk. Rank 7. Demon Lord of Dark Sky, Parja. Rank 14. Demon Lord of Gluttony and Greed, Herjamok. Rank 17. Demon Lord of Nightmare and Illusion, Amur. Kill these four. For they are being aided by Struggling Death. I learned something I didnt expect. I knew Rank 7 Parja and Rank 14 Herjamok received their power from Struggling Death but I didnt know about Rank 5 Kk and Rank 17 Amur. From where I stood, I had nned to eliminate the demon lords anyway, the condition was eptable. The only thing which changed was now there is bigger focus on the ones serving Struggling Death. Not a bad deal.No, it was a great deal. I swear it. The darkness exploded when I agreed and swallowed me up. Kuaaaang! That was it. But I will rise again from death. *** How long has it been? I was still groggy but I could feel my consciousness returning. It felt like right before waking up from sleep. My head spun like a kaleidoscope and just as I was about to reach the epitome of confusion, my eyes opened. Haaa--- Haaa--- I was soaked in sweat. Was everything a nightmare? I couldnt remember anything Then I remembered I died. Ah my I could recall everything. Revived! My body shuddered in relief that I was resurrected due to the Angels Heart. A sigh of relief came out naturally. I looked around and saw a clean bed. From the way the dark sky was slowly brightening up, it must be daybreak. I immediately opened my stat page. If I was sessful, I would have a new ss. Ah! One Without Blood or Tear (Level 1) Those clear letters were telling me all about the result. My chest warmed up. I started as amoner and now obtained one of the best sses. shakeshake My body shuddered subconsciously. My stats were up by a significant amount due to the new job as well. _________________________ HP: 570 -> 880MP: 0 -> 550Darkness: 0 -> 320 Renown: 80 (A Well Known Rookie) StatusStrength: 187 ->232Intelligence: 39 -> 139Agility: 233 -> 250Constitution: 230 -> 240Charisma: 70 -> 178 SkillSummon Undead (S ss) Achievement Point +50,000 ___________________ There was huge boost to stats overall. Getting MP was good development as well. 550 MP was roughly about the level of an intermediate mage. Now I could use spells if I learned them. Something I didnt see before was the Darkness. This was something only demon lords receiving powers from Princes of Darkness had. But thanks to the dead husk of the avatar, I now had one as well. I concentrated the power of darkness into my hand for a moment. Wooosh Pitch dark me climbed up my wrist and dissipated with ck smoke on the tip of my finger. It was the power of darkness. I managed to obtain demonkins power as a human. There was even the S-ss skill, . I would only be able to summon things like skeletons in the beginning; but if I raise the proficiency, I could probably raise a monster like the bone dragon. Should I make my personal guards vampires? Might as well fill it up with all those beautiful female vampires Since there are many beautiful femme fatale vampires... Furthermore, summoning undead was just a first tier skill for One Without Blood or Tear. There were far greater things toe. My expectations were high. Creak The door opened. A nun carrying a jug of water and a te entered and seemed surprised to see me up. Valler! She ran over immediately and jumped into my embrace. It was Walpurgis wearing a nuns habit with a mask. Valler! You woke! Why did you do something so reckless! You fool! It seems everything went well since I woke. That is correct. Everything went as you nned. Ah! I must catch you up first. Walpurgis exined what happened while I was out cold. She said that the Abbess survived the curse and recovered for the most part. The Abbess could not hide her surprise at your sacrifice. She did not think there was someone brave enough to take on the curse for the peace of the Empires south-west. She said that the Order would do everything in its power to repay you. Of course. Thats how it should be. I did go through the trouble after all. Valler, I am thankful you saved the Abbess. But my heart still aches. What will you do with this curse I replied to her depressed voice with a cheery voice of my own. If Walpurgis was sad, even I would get sad as well. Please think of me often. It would be an honour for mydy to keep me in your heart. What? Walpurgis pinched my side. You! Now you are starting to sound like a bon vivant. Answer me! Are you keeping a woman hidden from me? No. What woman are you even talking about. I replied excitedly but her response was enthusiastic. Is, is that so? She really sounded happy. So there is no someone That is good Its a good thing? N, no! Pay no attention to what I said! I shall be taking care of you for the rest of your life in any case. B, because of the curse! A sound of dry cough came amidst our conversation. Hm. Walpurgis, your rtionship is your own as you are a secr nun but please do not forget this is a convent. Prioress! Angs sudden appearance made Walpurgis jump while still hugging me. She let me go and bowed her head. Personally, I felt empty for something very bouncy stopped pressuring my chest. Mr. Valler, have you recovered fully? Yes. It didnt take very long. That is quite fortunate. On behalf of the Order, I thank you once again. No, Im sorry the convent has to lodge a cursed person. Please do not say that. Whether you are cursed or not, the Order will always wee you, Mr. Valler. She didnt seem to be the type toe just for pleasantries so I asked her what the matter was. She replied the Abbess wished to see me. She instructed me to escort you to her once you awake. The proper etiquette would have been toe see you herself, but she asks for your understanding due to her condition. I would be fine because I died and revived; however, she would take a long time to recover. It would be difficult for her to move for at least one or two months. Of course, someone whos healthy should go. Ill go right away. She wishes to discuss this incident and demon lord Pejamut. Good. I stood on my feet. I nned to go meet Pejamut after leaving the convent, so more information was better. But why was I nning to meet Pejamut? It was simple. I nned to sell out Iron Prince-Elector Philip to him. I would tell them where Philip is hiding and hunt him down with their help. I would take my revenge on that bastard and also get rewards from the demon lord. It was two birds with one stone. Plus, this wasnt a bad opportunity to get familiar with Pejamut. The conclusion I came to with all my past experiences is that even demon lords have their uses. TL Note: If formatting is all messed up, check back in about an hour or two. The issue seems recurring but fixes on its own. Skythewood: Guy who fixes the formatting automatically reporting in. All done boss. Chapter 19: Nightmare to Demon Lords (1) Chapter 19: Nightmare to Demon Lords (1)Chapter 19 - Nightmare to Demon Lords (1) I arrived at the Abbess chamber. When I entered, a small girl sat up from her bed. Wee. This girl who looked only 12 years old was the Abbess Margherita. I wasnt too surprised because Ive seen all kinds of people in this world. Those who received power of divine beings came in all sizes and shapes. She probably hadnt aged since she was a child. Only she would know her true age. You are Valler? Abbess Margheritas initial impression was sharp, but she was beautiful like a pretty doll. Her clear eyes were especially impressionable. I could feel her many years of devotion. Yes. I am Valler from Spandau. Thank you foring. Please forgive my rudeness of meeting you on bed. Margherita bowed deeply. Theres no need for it, Abbess. Valler, I truly thank you for your deeds. However, you can send back the curse whenever you wish to. It is not something you need to solve. Margherita was talking about if I couldnt seal the curse. But I swayed my head. I will find a way. You dont need to worry. I shall also give my utmost effort to find a solution. Margherita looked at me from on top of her bed and sighed. Ha How shall I ever repay this debt? It is a sizeable debt that cannot easily be repaid. It was for the good of the Empire. Please stand as you have so far as the bulwark of humanity. So far, the conversation was going as nned. She was a pretty 12 year old girl on the outside, but carried aura and dignity befitting an Abbess. I was more than satisfied. The Abbess of the Order of Sisters of Walpurgis was a prominent position. Even Prince Electors couldnt do as they wished against the Abbess. How could I not feel smug when someone like that owes me one. But. When the Abbess expression turned mischievous as if she was done putting on a front, I started to get a bad feeling. Hmm Well, I think I spoke like a true Abbess. The aura of a proper and devout clergywoman disappeared and a rather scampish attitude emanated. Ang, who was sitting beside, interjected. Please try to see it through since you were trying to act proper. Mr. Valler here is an outsider. To treat him like the nuns here would be problematic. Are you also not in his debt? Margheritay down sideway like a rascal and ignored Angs advice. Ang, Im still thankful even if Im not being formal. I am very thankful indeed. If possible, I would even give him my purity. Abbess! Her answer even made Ang shout. I know, I know. Its not like itd be fun with this childish body. You know that is not what I meant! Alright, fine. Youre still young but too rigid in every matter, Ang. I smiled bitterly at the scene of a small child calling a wrinkled old woman young. That meant Margherita was at least 100 years old. Valler, truly, if it was up to me, I would even offer you my body. However, I am promised to god. So how about Walpurgis instead? Shes incredible in many ways. Abbess! It was Walpurgis turn to shout this time. I think I was starting to figure out this Abbess character. I could only imagine how shed be like if she wasnt still recovering. I nced sideways to find Ang burying her face into her hands with a sigh and Walpurgis attempting to stop Ang from making a circle with one hand and motioning her index finger on the other hand going in and out of the circle. Please maintain some semnce of ss, Abbess. And next time, dont just eat or open anything youe across! Margherita only scratched her ears at Walpurgis concerned advice. I only got unlucky this time. Dont lecture me. p! Margherita pped Walpurgis buttocks dismissively. Kya! Abbess! Why are you yelling at someone whos sick? Speaking of which, did your butt getrger? Ah thank you for telling me such juicy info. Abbess! Ang, who had been waiting patiently finally pinched the Abbess cheeks and pulled at them. You are ruining the Orders reputation! Uwaah! It hurts! Its too much! You are the one who is acting too much Abbess! They bickered for a while then Margheritaughed. Hahaha. Isnt this better? Abbess? This is much better than being gloomy. ... Abbes Weve already gone through too much sadness. We will be gloomy no longer. Margherita jumped down from her bed with a short shout. Hyat! She was only wearing a thin nightgown. Ang hurriedly tried to help her put something on in surprise, but Margherita refused. Its too hot. This is fine. You cannot be dressed like that in front of a man! It doesnt matter. Its not like hed be excited with looking at such a childlike body. Margherita stood in front of me. A beautiful girl was looking up at me with a serious face. Valler. Yes, Abbess. I wish to cry for you. It is my honest feeling. I am so sorry, yet I am also so thankful that I could bawl my eyes out. Thats how you feel? Indeed. I dont know what you think of me No, perhaps it wasnt the best first impression, but I am still the Abbess. I am more conscientious than others. To have someone who took the curse instead of me stand in front of me my heart cannot stand it. I could feel the desperate truth in her words. I am sorry for joking this and that about my body in front of you. However, I promise you that I will do anything that is within my power for you. On my honour and my name. Her small hands grasped mine tightly. I swear now. I will do anything to find a way to undo that curse on you. I will swear my every being to save you. Abbess. Call me Marie. That is my nickname. How can I dare call the Abbes If you do not call me by that name, I will not talk to you. I nced over sideway and found Ang telling me with her eyes that the Abbess was stubborn. It couldnt be helped. Marie. Hohoho. It sounds like a music to my ears, Valler. Ive heard that you are devoted to fighting the demon lords. Thats correct. Then I will dedicate the rest of my life to help you achieve that goal. Send for me and I will dly help you. After speaking, Margherita took off a ring and handed it to Ang. It was the seal of the Abbess. Abbess, this is! I pass the position of Abbess to you, Ang. Starting today, you are the Abbess. Angs eyes went round at the unexpected turn of events. No, Abbess! The Order needs your strength, now more than ever! Dont cry like a child! I know better than anyone, Ang. You can fulfil this position better than me. I do not n to take no as an answer. Starting today, I will work to undo Vallers curse. I will also start training to defeat Pejamut, so it will be difficult for me to sit as the Abbess. Margherita was determined to go through with her decision. It was a rather sickly face at the moment, but her eyes showed burning determination on the inside. I do not n to repeat myself. I have a made a decision and you will follow that decision! This is myst order as the Abbess. Since Abbess was this determined, Ang couldnt help the situation. She politely received the ring. I understand, Sister Margherita. I leave it in your care, Abbess. Margherita hugged Ang tightly and stood confidently in front of me. Valler, my life is yours now. You have given everything for me, so I will give my everything for you. From her standpoint, I took the curse and my soul was being held hostage by a dark power. So she was nning to use all her power to help save me in repayment. Valler, grow your strength. The moment wille. Then, well ice that wretched Pejamut together. There was some rather informal word choice for an Abbess. Ice him? When you decide to strike at Pejamut, I will be there with you. A system message popped up with her words. W, what? Was she apanion character as well? Ive never came across her, so I couldnt hide my surprise. Plus, for the strongest person in the south-west of the Empire to offer to be mypanion! It was amazing. Once I hit level 60, I could easily smash Pejamut with her. Speaking of which, what kind of clergyperson has the title of Storm and Massacre? I felt uneasy. While I was shuddering secretly at the ominous feeling, Margherita, who was wearing only a thin nightgown, ced her hands on her waist andughed. Good! Hahaha! Now that Ive thrown that annoying Abbess position out of the way, its time to kill every single demon. This scene made her look like Satans doll rather than a clergy woman. I suppose thats that. But the story would change dramatically now that the unnaturally strong Abbess Margherita survived. Furthermore, she swore to help me in my fight against demon lords. Who knew what the future held now. There was one thing that was certain though. The days where Pejamut could sleep easy were no more. If the Abbess of the Order of the Sisters of Walpurgis swore to kill me, I wouldnt be able to sleepfortably either. If you thought nuns were weak, that was a huge misconception. The twin sword swordsmanship of the Order of Sisters of Walpurgis was one of the strongest sword style of the Empire. On top of that, Margheritas near endless holy power essentially turned her into a demon ughtering machine. The one blessed by the Goddess, the Abbess of the Order, didnt have measurable holy power. She had infinity symbol instead of any number. She was not human. She was a machine. She shredded demons like a chicken nugget machine. Only people who witnessed her could know the terror. She was frightening even to her allies. Furthermore, mercy from the Order of Sisters of Walpurgis only extended to humans and humanoid species. There was none for demons. If I remember correctly, towards thete game, it was this order which orchestrated the burying of eighty thousand orc, ogre, naga and other demons alive. Ill finally be getting some exercise. Ang! Where are the dual swords I made from the bones of that red dragon rampaging around the Teor Mountains? In the storage. Can you bring it here quick? I need to sharpen it up prettily. Prettily sharpened swords chop prettilly. I felt absolutely certain this pretty looking girl was a Satanic doll. Trantor Note: Q&A next week. Includes why I was sote, projects on horizon and etc. Chapter 20-22 Chapter 20-22
This continues from where the previous trantion stopped even though the chapter numbers do not match. Cheers!
Heros Hunt (1) Walpurgis whispered as she bowed her head and stopped moving her hand before removing her helmet. Valler, what I am about to show you is a secret that no one other than the nuns and order know. In that case, will it be alright for me to know it? The rtionship with her in the past. The rtionship with her now. What caused the difference in the situation? Even in the past, Walpurgis was a close friend. We shared a friendship as firm as a stone statue. We have been in the battlefield for so many years, that I trust her. However, even during that time Walpurgis had never taken off her helmet. Right now, our rtionship has only been a few days. And I cant figure out what exactly moved her to this. Honestly, Im not so sure about telling this secret. But this is what my heart says. Valler, please look. And there was no reason to decline those words. Even I was curious about her secret. Walpurgis nodded her head and finally took off her helmet. Ah! Words of admiration came out from mymouth because her blonde hair was shining in the sun. I remembered the Fairy Queen that I saw once. And her face. She bit down on her lip as if trying to hide her shyness, and I felt like I was going to get an adrenaline rush if the girl was going to look at me like that. Being this beautiful. I wonder if such a beauty even existedin a royal family. Walpurgis is the goddess I remembered Goddess Walpurgis who is famous for being unintentionally beautiful. I even thought that she might definitely be the Goddess. In thest hundred years that Ive been here, I saw numerous beautiful people. But the most beautiful one is rightin front of my eyes. But. But, words to praise her beauty didnte out from my mouth. .. its a curse. I see. Half of Walpurgis left cheek, till a part of her jaw was distorted because of the curse. About 1/3rdof the entire face was messedup. This is an alternate.. what curse could this be. This was why she was covering her face like that. Besides, the aura of the curse was not an illusion. It seemed like it was something that was difficult to be exined. I was intuitively able to identify that this curse was something that was put down by some higher beings. Human beings wouldnteven dare to do such a thing. .. do the congregation of the sisters also know? Of course. This is why Abbess and the others protect me. it was because of this curse that Walpur had a connection with the Sisterhood in the first ce. And my uncle put me in this congregation. What curse is this? These were things that I havent seen before. Walpurgis just lowered her head. Im sorry. I cant talk about that. I dont want to talk about this curse. If thats so, then why did you show it to me? Walpurgis hesitated at my question for a while. Then with a lot of effort she opened her lips. .. that, because you received the curse. Did you by any chance, show me that tofort me? Nod nod. Walpurgis nodded her shy face in agreement. This was something she did tofort me. This was why she looked at me with worry in her eyes. I guess, I smiled at her child-like idea without even realizing. Still being a girl, Walpurgis was this cute. However, the words that followed were pretty astonishing. Valler. Even if it gets tough, endure it. My sisters and the congregation will definitely try and find a way to solve your curse. Know this as well. There aremany more beside you who live in the arms of the curse. Lady Walpurgis. A sixteen year old girl has also ovee it. Youre not much olderpared to the others. Be strong to ovee it. Ill surely protect you. No, if she was going to be this cute, I mighteback. And that isnt the only reason I showed you my face. Valler, You saved my life. And you saved the life of Abbess whom I follow like a mother. Because of that I want to be honest with you. And you Walpurgis words faded and after a while she whispered with a face that seemed to indicate that she lost some of her courage. I was hopingthat you would understand my ugly side. The face of Walpurgis went still as I stretched out my hand. She had transparent white skin without any specks. Walpurgis flinched for a second but a whileter she epted my hand. Ugly? Hasnt mydy epted the curse willingly, I wonder? And could you give me a reason for calling you ugly? I noticed a change in appearance of Walpurgis towards me and that impressed me a little. Valler I guess Im grateful. She looked at me and smiled happily. She is the prettiest person in this world when she smiles. I had no other choice but to look at Walpurgis, who went nk for a moment. But at that moment. [It is possible to recruit your colleague Walpurgis whenever it is needed.] [You can receive help with her power and strength!] A message ofpanion recruitmentpopped up. Even then I wasnt much surprised or ted because of it. Maybe because it was quite frequent in the past. However, now this felt a little special. No, this wasnt special just because Walpurgis expressed her gratefulness towards me. Valler. Yes. There is one more thing that you need to know After I listened to that, she nodded her head,came close to my face,stood close to me, and said in a voice that only Icould hear. Walpurgis is my Religious name. The goddess Walpurgas festivals name is Walpurgis. My Name day was the first day for celebrating the feast of Walpurgis. To celebrate that day, the nuns gave me that name. She probably had a real name. However, I hadnt heard of such a thing. Valler, remember. My real name is Charlotte. Charlotte. Such a lovelyname. .. I, I like it anyway. If you would remember it. I wont forget it. Walpurgis took something off from aroundher neck. It was her ne. I understood the temperature of the girl. This is a treasured item from Bavaria. I got this from my uncle. It is asouvenir from my mother. Why are you giving this to me? A sign of our promise that we will meet again in the future. Can I return it then? At that Walpurgis showed a sign of dissatisfaction. There is no need to return it. Just take responsibility forit. No matter what happens it seemed like I could notloseit. I understand. Ill cherish this very dearly. I put the ne around my neck and looking at this Walpurgisughed slightly, whileputting her helmet back on. Then Ill look forward to the time when youe to find me! Lets meet again! With that,Walpurgis calledher unicorn and it came running. In a sh, her appearance drifted away. I was out there alone when a system message appeared. [Hidden story Bavarias treasure was unlocked!] [Charlottes love route sprouted.] What? There was nothing I could do other than sit there in shock. It was clear before that there was no love route forWalpurgis. This wasnt a character that could love in the first ce. Im not proud of being familiar with this game either. Even then, Walpurgislove route? No, the system message said that it was Charlotteslove route. If that is so, then her real name Charlotte hasunlockedthelove route. No matter how deep the bond with Walpurgis is, there was no way for her to develop love. However, the moment I met Charlotte, it seems like the g for her love route wasraised. To know more information I looked into the system message once again. [You have received the mark of Charlotte. Afterpleting Bavarias initialstory, if you cure Charlottes curse, you will get herpletely.] I expect that I would have to suffer a lot in order to see the ending of Walpurgiss love route. However, if you can have a woman around you, it was worth thechallenge. Hehe! This is getting interesting. I pretended to have enough, but I wasnt able to hide the fact that my heart inside mychest was going kung! Kung! I am grateful that no one sawme atthis moment. * * * * With a steel heart,I gained a reason to catch Philip and attract the Demon Lord. Since I have received the reward, from here on out I have three possible ns to advance. First, it was simply topletethe sidequests and receive their rewards, thenfind a way to leave. Although this was safe, of course this was thpanion route. It is a great thing that cannot be bought easily. Then whats the middle route? Simple. Fight with the Demon Lord who went to hunt Philip and get experience points. If he was unlucky, Philipsmen will be torn to shreds. It wasnt a bad n in its own way. But this wasnt too goodeither. In that case, what aboutthe upper route? I defeat Philips armyand forgive him for his crimes. Afterward Philip will seek help from the Demon Lord, who will then attack me with his magic, which will in turn draw out the Demon Lord. That seems likea good idea. Originally, using this method would be quitedifficult, but there was a change in the circumstances. This was because I finallygainedthe ss of No Blood or Tear. With the skill to summon Undead, I can call out soldiers to fight for me. Even though it is still in its first level, it is not enough to break down the Philips henchmen, the best result would be to utilize it to strike against the army. Because of the war, there were a lot of corpsesthat can be used to summon a lot of the Undead in the field. The crows and dogs eating the corpses of the humans and the Orcs will also be full. Wah, Wah. I stopped Fillyand pulled out a magic wand frommy waist. This wand was carved fromthe bones of evil beings, taken along with the armor from the underground storehouse that I visited with Walpurgis and the nuns. Although these items were cursed, the curse wouldnt be able to effect this great body. It was a good thing that my body is Without Blood Or Tear, sinceI can use cursed items without much drawbacks. - [The Magic wand that was made from Garga.] A ss magic article. Darkness +70 Strength +50 Charisma +13 For summoning the undead + 20% more will be summoned. This magic wand is a thing only for themanders and with it,Ill be able to summon more Undead. Nice. I was really excited at the moment. In the 100 years that Ive been travelling, this was the first time that I was a hero of justice. Ive always watched the Undead being summoned, but this was the first time that it was this interesting. While summoning the Undead until now, Ive only been able to call out skeletons because my summoning skill is still atthe firstlevel. However, this wasnt something to be worried about,because I had lots of darkness and strength. And the body in front myeyes was the heaven and earth. During the half day it would take to reach the Demon Lord, I will keep summoningthe Undead and train this ability. Rise up! My army! Raise your bones! Huaaaong! Dark smoke came out as I wriggled my arms. Suddenly the dead bodies seemed toe out as if they were in a turmoil. YourMaster is right here! I shouted at the corpses of dark energy. The warriors of Death,e and stand before your Master! That moment was the start of the rise of the Undead. ********* Re-edited by wFinder, May 1st 2020, 2 changes made. Chapter 23 Chapter 23 Heros Hunt (2) The darkness everywhere was beginning to crumble, the skeletonsrose with noises of the devil crying from Hell. Kuahahaha! Because of the Undead, there was pitch ck darkness everywhere;they broke out after their death. Be angry! On those who pushed you into the hell hole and becamethe cause for your death! And be grateful! Im presenting you with an opportunity to take revenge. Kheahahah! The response from the skeletonscame outreadily. Satisfied after gaining their absolute loyalty I nodded my head. Originally it was 20, but now it was 24, because of the magic wand 24 Undead can be summoned now. Each of them was holding a good amount offirearmsandbombs, as a test I tried to move them. Uhm, also. As predicted their movement was very stiff and unnatural. Moreover, it seemed like since the level was still 1, the ability to summon Undeadwas limited. This wasnt something that could be helped. Later on, I will move on step by step towards summoninga Death Knight. First, since the summoning was still in the first level, apart from skeletonsitsonly possible to summon zombies while other types of Undead were still limited. The stamina cost for zombies is much greater than skeletons. While zombies have poor attack capability, they were a veryversatile weapon. I was curious to know how much I needed to level up the Summon Undead spell to achieve that ability. Without more detailed exnations, I wanted to experiment and see where the limit is. Soldiers, warriors of death, stand before your master! At this 24 zombies answered my call. kuhahahah-. The zombies wereing out from the ground noisily just like what can be seen in the movies. Euk! Because I summoned 48 creatures my head felt heavy and dizzy. Everything in the front looked blurry and unclear. It was pretty hard to summon 48 creatures because of the low proficiency rate at the moment. Yet, I wanted to squeeze out more. In order to win the world, I had to change myself by making my heart hard. If I continue on atthis level, Ill be defeated in a moment. Soldiers, warriors of death, stand up in front of your Master! Khuuuung! Once again ck smoke rose up and this time 14 skeletonsrose up. And the bodies of a dog came up along with the skeleton soldiers and one zombie came out. That guy looked cute so I named him as Sam. Ging Ging! Not sure why, it seemed like it had a pitiful life. It looked cute as it went after a bone that I threw. By now there were, in total, 60 zombies and skeletons around me. Wobble. My nose began to bleed. Rightnow, the numbers were still limited. He! Heeeing! At that time Filly came over and seeing the undead shefelt a little uneasy and restless. Filly, Its alright. They wont hurt you. When I was patting the neck of Filly something felt a little weird. Why doI not see any marauders? Usually after the end of any battle, there will be a massive looting of the opponents supplies and equipment that follows. Everyone is going to take a bite from here, there are things that are still untouched in the battle field. The level of the army is 2, these were worth looting. By a local residents, or those who specializes in these kind of things. But I couldnt see anyone anywhere and Filly was panicking. If this wasnt a practice exercise this doesnt seem right, I dont like this kind of situation. This was a question of, What went wrong?based on the long experience that Ive got. Hmm. I wonder if I should getthe skeletons to scout around, but at that momentakung! kung! sound started to ring. And from beyond the hills, something huge came out. Ugh! Being in a state of surprise I almostdroppedthe wand that was in my hand. It was the head of the gigantic dragon that showed his most evil face. To be precise, it wasnt a dragon, it was a sub-species of dragon called a Drake. It looked simr to a wingless dragon that is covered with brown scales. With humongous weight that is ten times more than an elephant. It was different from an actual dragon, it is ipetent and stupid, but thanks to its excellent size and solid scales, itwas simr to that of a huge thug. Once he passed a vige, nothing remained over there. It hase to eat the dead bodies. Now I know why Im not able to see any predators. It wasnt that they havente. It could be that they were either kicked away or eaten. As he was moving forward he looked at the undead creatures with curiosity filled greedy eyes. This wont work. I should quicklymand my undead army. Comrades! Get up! Rise! Get ready to attack! The skeletons and zombies instinctively began to move. And I quickly got onto Filly and started moving behind them. amander is basically a person who onlymands. It was possible to create a bufferwith the use of skeletons and zombies, when I used the undead army on the Drake, I wasnt sure how well they would hold onto it. But at that time a system message popped up. [You have gained the leadership for the Undead, and a new skill for those who have neither blood nor death.] What? Is it because Ive been working on themanding power of the Undead? After I read the skill, my ability tomand the army of the Undead rose high. Firstly, leadersmanding level for the Undead rose to 1. [The Undead inside 100 meters vitality +10% , defense +10%, attack +5% has been gained.] Kheeuk! Khuae! The army of Undead upon receiving the new strength were excited and roared. They set up theirposition and aimed their muskets toward the direction thnd Drake wasing from. At that moment, thnd Drake came out making a kung kung sound. Commence the gun fire! Dhadadadang! Dhadadang! Dhang! My soldiers let out their gun fire. Yet, the gunshots from the musket gun didnt even get through the hard brown scales of thend Drake. He just epted them. Whoop! Kwaahahahng! The result came out in just a moment. The skeletons shatteredlikewooden sticks. The overwhelming disaster in front of me didnt seem so meaningful to me. I, who was looking at this intently, felt sick. Aahhhh.. Everything seemed to happen slowly in my eyes. Countless bones were broken down and scattered everywhere. They werepleted annihted. Thend Drake which is 10 times the weight of a elephant and 15 meters in the length destroyed my poor little Undead more powerfully than dumping something into a dump truck. Khuaaang! A tail that was as thick as three necks hits the Undead soldiers who were left, which made them fly towards the sky. No way! Sam! Sam was thest one that came out. I lost all of my men in a sh. Trembling trembling! This hatefulnd Drake creature will never be a member of the dragon race, that was what I thought in my mind but my body stayed still. Poor Sam flew away as a fragment and then ran away. Ohe on! Come on! Thend Drake smashed my army in one stroke, and sat down and started munching down on the dead bodies. Edk! Odk! Ohdudhk! It was eating very deliciously. That, that! Mother f*cker! Does the Undead recall have no use in front of the wrath of the nature? But then, at that moment I looked at the stats window. [You are capable of essingthe 2ndstage of summoning the Undead! Consume skill points.] Oh? 2ndstage already? For the S ss skill experience it is almost impossible to raise it thisfortably. To use it directly certain conditions must be met. So it is not easy to levelS ss skills. Fortunately, skill points can be collected without using them. Immediately the level of summoning Undead rose to 2. [Congrattions! The summoning ability of the Undead has goneup to 2ndstage. It is possible to summon skeleton warriors, poison zombies, and the shadows!] Nice, new Undead creatures can be called. There was a burning sensation inside which wanted to go against thend Drake one more time. I ran to theright ce. The battlefield was very wide and there were bodies everywhere. Soldiers who have died in the battlefield, stand up in front of your Master! It was three times more than the previous summoning. Due tothe 2ndstage of the Undead summoning capability being huge, 70 units rose up. More could be summoned too. The skeleton warrior who was ofthe2nd stage is much more agile and stronger than the skeleton of the first stage. It could do quite a lot of things that the body could do in itsprevious lifetime. From the poison zombies body there was an organ that let it spread poison just like the ones in the movies. This one is a great guy who can make a great deal of damage by sticking it in when fighting other humans. The shadows strength is a little weak, but it was capable of hiding, being invisible or scouting/tracking someone. It also does not die easily because it negates physical attacks with a certain probability. Nice! My army! Go and subjugate that creature, the Land Drake! Kheeeuk! Kheeah! Its worth a considerable amount of work. I summoned 70 units ofundead and they were marching alongside the shoulder in a disgraceful manner. And thend Drake once again got onto his feat. Die! With mymand, the body of thend Drake answered me back. Kuahhhhhhh! Keahhhhhh! Khuahhhhng! It was like a bomb fell on the ground, that was the sound of thend Drakes head against the ground. It was as if a giant block of iron fell. No, No way. The white color on the floor.. are they my skeleton warriors? Everyone is in a powdered state. Water was forming in my eyes. I may bea person without blood and tear, but today blood and tears were flowing. Though I have tried my best it wasnt so effective. Out of the summoned skeleton warriors, one of them managed to pierce thend Drake between its scales and make it bleed, but it was annihted more quickly due to its nature. This time also I ran away from battle ground Burinake. I was grateful that Filly could fly fast. Hh.. When I reached this ce I felt like crying. All 70 unitsof Undead were strong and powerful. Yet all of them were flown away like soybean flour. My heart is broken and the my breath stopped. I, I feel like eating sweet potatoes. Save, save me However, there is no way I can back off. I looked at the stats window once again. [The summoning ability of the Undead has gone up to 3rdstage! Consume skill points.] It went high. I reached the summoning ability of 3rdlevel. [Congrattions! The summoning ability has reached the3rdlevel. The burning ughterer, undead spider, and ghost creatures can be summoned.] 3rdstage already? Though I was happy, it felt like it was going forward too quickly. These didnt seem like simple summons. Being concerned over it I intertwined my fingers. I know! This gavebat experience and strength, the proficiency level might have gone up sharply. The strongnd Drake was, by itself, a precious experience. Wait? I was thinking like this but isnt this a great thing? There are bodies around, the target does not die even when it is hit. Where will I find an opponent which will give such good training in this whole world? At this moment my heart felt light. What ambassador Won Hyo said was right. My heart was prepared for everything. If it wasnt for thatnd Drake would I have reached the 3rdlevel of summon undead? I am satisfied with the level of upgrade that Undead got. Since the darkness wascking, I took out the crystal of darkness from the magic zipper. This was also something that Walpurgis gave, a bag withrge quantities of goods, this needs to be consumed to restore. Phajik! As the gauntlet broke, a dark aura bloomed out and got sucked into my mouth. And suddenly strength started to grow in my body. [Darkness + 500 recovered.] Im going to kill you. Land Drake. The battle was in vain before, but itll be different this time. The burning ughterer is really a strong one. The undead spider is definitely well known for it wickedness. These guys attack with strong acid from their teeth and their tails. Versatile indeed. Lastly the ghost, is much stronger than the shadow. Able to negate the physical attacks and deals out unique cold damage. The three upgraded levels are all strong. Soldiers of death, warriors, stand before your Master! This time 100 unitscame out. The burning ughterers 50 units The Undead spider 30 units Ghosts 20 units. Kheuaaaakk! Krk! As soon as they came out they started to scream from their mouths. However, I wasnt smiling this time. If anyone could look at me now, I was afraid of being a champion of evil that could not hold the madness ofughter while shedding blood. Lets go! Kids! This time it was going to be a revenge. My undead 100 units were all dressed in the ck and were marching forward. It was the sight of a loser. If I have these guys, it means I have the whole world. I headed towards the Drake immediately. I am not going to miss the dragon heart, if I get its strength, my magic will soar. Greed started to rise in my heart. Nice! Beat!!! The third battle against thend Drake willmence. ************* Re-edited by wFinder, May 1st 2020, 5 changes made Chapter 24 Chapter 24 Heros Hunt (3) After five hours. This goddamn bastard leta human live. Curse words never stoppeding out of my mouth, and the cause of it was the Land Drake. However, I dont find it hard to battle such a monstrous bully on this battlefield. However, to conclude this, I eventually knocked him down. Killed it, my Lord! From my side the vampires who were biting into the Land Drakes body were shouting loudly. Hmmm. I pompously nodded my head once and looked at my hands. And the scale of 150 heads of the undead were all screaming. Khyahhhk! Vampire, Specter, Undead Spider and Bloudthirstyughterers. After fighting, I reached the 4thlevel, sothe Vampires and the Specterswere possible to be summoned. Over 100 Undead soldiers were sessfully raised with the skills 3rd stage; however,they were annihted. Unlike before, these guys went into the battle andpletely drained the energy of the Land Drake. I repeated the same process numerous times, and then I was able to summon the Vampire and the Specters once I reached the 4thlevel. Thankfully, it becamenighttime so there was no problem for the Vampire and the Specters to perform. Great achievement,Vampires. It was a joy, my Lord. The Vampires were definitely strong. When the Land Drakes bigpaw fell on the bunch of the Vampires, I thought I was stuck in my previous position. They were going to be pieces once again, but at thestmoment they turned themselves into bats and flewaway as fast as ghosts. The Specters were also definitely strong too. They continuously floatedaround the Land Drake and suckedon him, whichcaused a big drop in hisphysical strength. Just wait a little moremyLord. I will give you the heart of the Drake. No matter my perception, I liked the words of the Vampires. The skeletons and zombies had a different abilities, the Vampires had a special ability, and they were much stronger than the before ones. I knew that the wild dragons out there would be the end of me, but with the Undead a new kind of life could be there for me. There is going to be a series offights of some kind, and I had the thought of looting someones property. Bam! Bam! Bam! From a while the Vampires were tearing open the stomach of the Drake with both of their hands. Theybroke few of the ribs that were blocking the heart of the Drake. It did seem like the LandDrake was the same ability as that of the undead, but the Wyvernwere much stronger and bigger creatures. Later I intended for myproficiency of the undead to grow by using those creatures. It seemed like the undead could makewheels fromthe dead Drake and use them inchariots, which would be nice. Hm. Boring.. At my one word, all the vampires were shocked. The headVampire flew to the air,turned towards the vampire soldiers and kicked one of them on the ass. The Lord needs more speed you Bastards! Come on, move it! The Specter that was floatingbeside me wasgraciously fanning me. It had an weird and uncanny euphoria, but itsappearance looked pretty apologetic. Maybeno. It couldnt be the soul of a dead soldier from today. A little more harder please. Yes. If the general public saw the appearance of the Specter, it was enough to get them scared outta their wits, but I am not going to be affected by their aura and fear energy. Besides the Specters were afraid of me as they were in awe with my indifferentattitude. My Lord! My Lord! We took it out atst! With the Drake heart in their hands, the Vampires rushed back towards me. I thought that these vampires were great as they could move 10 meters with just a singleleap. Nice. You did a lot of hard work. Come over to this side. I stretched out my finger at the Vampire who brought out the Drakes heart,and the absorption started. Slurp! From the vibrating Drake heart came out white light due tothe magic within it. Without hesitation, I sucked on it. After a whilea new message popped up. 2,100> Because of the Drakes heart, the magic points went up by 2000at once. Magic above 2000wasvery good. I still wasnt able to use the magic yet, but I had entered the magic ss. As I concentrated on how to usethis, I felta deep sense of glee. Mycloak was almost pping by itself. ng. All the Vampires went onto their knees. Congrattions on yourbig achievement, my Lord! Congrattions,myLord! All the other undead creatures also went onto their knees and bowedtheir heads. I nodded my head with satisfaction. Bykilling the Land Drake I was able to levelup. [Without Blood or Tears 1-> level 2] Vitality: 1,532-> 1,564 (Cursed at Birth + 654) Magic: 2,100-> 2,150 (The wand made of the bone of a Kraken.) Darkness: 512-> 542 (Cursed at Birth + 122, bone wand of Kraken+70) Strength 264-> (Cursed at Birth +32 ) Intellect 139-> 159 Agility 250-> 259 Health 240-> 245 Charisma 192-> 232 (Bone wand of the Kraken+13) The ability had increased by a lot. Indeed, this was a very high rank, it was equal to that of the guardian ss. Not only that, there could be a new skill too. The S ss skill now was the [Blood and tear] one. The skill was a huge one, but it is needed to be considered as one of the energy draining ability. The other one that could be brought up in the category of the energy drain was the undead. Very nice. Mana replenishment was not much, but the Land Drakes heart did help. This was hard work, but the achievement was much greater and astonishing one. But time was running out. I was in a hurry to stop at the position of the Devil Pajemut. A moment. If I went in alone, it would attract the attention of the devil whichwould be impossible to fool, so Philip will have to capture me. But things have changed. Normally I would have been surrounding myself with the Skeletons and Zombies, but because of the Land Drake, I now have Vampires and Specters. This was a lot of power, but will I have to borrow the power of the devil if it gets risky in there? No way, No. I can manage to slip in and slip away byusing Philip and his men all by myself. If that was what I intend to do, then Ill get all the items and the experience too. ThenI had another thought that came into my mind. Now I have the ability to raise the dead corpses. Then, if that is so, how would it be if I could raisethe corpse of Philip, aGuardian ss? If so then could he be made into a Vampire or any other weird creature? Will hestill have his power? Hopefully it will This was pretty nice, but there would never be a time when a guardian will be a traitor from beingdemoted. Right now, this was my nI will make him into a Vampireanter I will see if there are any other things that could be summoned from the undead. Probably not even if I think. Before raisingPhilip, his human body might be simr to trash, but because of my ability he might look excellent. If he was going to be a good listener and do nothing else, that was a open wee for him. I was attracted to the idea of makinga Undead guardian. Ok I was determined. I will defeat and take over the devil all by myself,and Im going to have all of it by myself. One is never supposed to split the beststuff with others. Listen! YesmyLord! Tonight we will hunt the noble human lineage. We have understood. The army of dead begins to march. At the monstrous shouts from the undead creatures, my excitement rose. It was like the atmosphere of a festival. I assume that the thought of hunting down the living increasedtheir energy. The moonlight shone like a blessing on to the dead. * * * The tributaries of the Moselle river originallyenabledthe city of Pont--Mousson to flourish and prosper, but the citywas devastated by the Devil in a long battle. Toul, Nancy, ThionvilleandLuxembourg were all the ces that were on the river of Moselle, but they were severely damaged. There were a lot abandoned high castles there, and one of it was already predetermined to be a hide out. The Devil Pajemut would have searched for Philip everywhere around the Moselle river with his eyes and ears. In the three days, Philip would have gathered all the men that he could, and he might n to break himself out and return to tz at once. With the experience of what happened in the past, I know the n on the back of my hand. Here you are. We arrived at an old castle that didnt need much searching. A heavenly one in the ruins near the Moselle river. It would be understandable if the devil wouldnt be able to find Philip anytime soon. Philip is expected to be around the left of Nancy, and right over 200 kilometers to Neuilly-sur-Marne. No matter how many subordinates Pajemut sends over, tracking them wouldnt be an easy thing. Especially as the army will have a loose atmosphere after any short victory. On the other hand, I knew the answer to this. All enter at once. All the 150 undead went into the half copsed castle at my words. There was a man who saw us, and when we looked at him he screamed. The dead who were buffed bythe moonlight were energized. From the inside of the castle came the sounds of disturbance. We seemed to have entered not only a copsed but a devastated castle too.That was what this felt like. From the copsed tower was a dim light and until we arrived at the main building there was no other light. Open it. At my words the burning ughterers started to punch open the door. Bang! From my side came the sound of the door opening slightly. The undead creatures began to go in. I just looked at that ce thoroughly. There was a mountain where the people might go to after making their arrangements. From the inside a sound of things begin smashed and hit could be heard. I tilted my ear towards that direction and then I spoke to the Specters. Let no one out from the castle tonight. The Specters suddenly disappeared to somewhere. Thisnight is so good that there will be no running away,becausethe Specterswill follow them. It has been organized,myLord. OfVampires that went in, one of them came out and informed me. I nodded my head and then turned around and entered inside. There was Vampire which held two swords in its wobbly hands and caught up to my ce. Tak. Tak. It was quiet everywhere. Only the sound of the footsteps could be heard. A lot people who were killed inside.Their blood was everywhere. There were around ten people inside, and in those group of people was Philip. What a guy! If he was on the forefront then there would be no deaths. He ranaway from the Devil, so I wonder if there was any chance at redemptionas he had been hiding. If not, was it all just a bluff? After that I looked down at him with interest. This is fun. Just a few days ago you were looking down on me after getting onto my horse. What? No, wait a minute! This, thisguy! Fromthe mercenaries before! After looking at me, astonishment rose onto Philipsface. He pointedhis trembling finger at me. Such attitude from him filled my vanity, and I felt the urgeto speak. Isnt lifefunny, Philip? How our fortunes have reversed? At this momenta guy in front of Philip shouted out. You! Tell usthe name of your Master. Inanswer that I looked over at one of the vampires. The Vampire immediately disappeared and reappeared behind that guy,shinghis throat with a knife. Slick! The Vampire held the head that he cut off with both hands. I epted itfrom himand though hewas a little shy I spoke to my Vampires. Getting ready to fight? How nice. In that case, why dont you start with my troops. Jim* here is the king of the dead. Thenck smoke from my hand went into the held head. I asked the head. You will fight, wont you? Then thedead headseyes opened. Indeed I will,Your Serene Highness(Seine Durcucht)! Ah. The heads wordshavesuch a nice ring. It gives methe taste of power. Edited by WellBattle6 (GBiv) *From the trantion in the next chapter, we are unsure whether Jim actually refers to the newly severed head here. Editor Notes: Hi everyone, Im WellBattle6, also known as GBiv in thements, the new Canadian editor for this series. I used to a merementer like you, then I got an email from Wujigege-sama. This series is a bit hard for our team to trante properly (city names, creature names, and character names, so anything with a name and since the source material sometimes trantes to vague it without reference), so please bear with our imperfect quality. If you see any mistakes, do not hesitate toment on it. In other news, Im proud to say that we will be continuing this series trantion after Chapter 25 has been re-edited. Please look forward to it! Chapter 25 Chapter 25 Heros Hunt (4) An honorable title that was only given to those who deserve it. I had a head start because of the undeadin front of me, I was able to take himon with the undead. This was a difficultsituation. I heldthe severedhead to the side and everyoneflinched. Philip. Your men look outfor you,but I think that Jim would be interested in getting a nice position up in the empire. Suddenly Jim himself insultedPhilip. This mercenary has the audacity toassassinate you! In response, Philip becameangry and pulled out his long sword and rushed at Jim. But. ng! With a loud sound the long sword of Philips was blocked. That was because a dozen swords crossed the path right in front of him. The Vampires took out their long swords to protect me. This cowardly idiot! A coward? This is the true strength of Jim that is being disyed through the Undead. Philip ifyou are going to fight with the sword and speeches, Jim will fight you with the Vampires. Lets us fight one on one! You and me! You dont even know what to say. Honestly, there was no way that he would win in a one on one fight. None whatsoever , due to the wounds that he had sustained from the fight with the Devil Pajemut, Philip wasntpletely healed and the difference between ourlevels was extreme. Of course, it would be a different story if there were countermeasures. Philip, it is not that you are an enemy that I couldnt handle in a one onone fight.Thisis definitely not that. Okay, if you manage to win against me, Ill let you getoutof here with your soldiers. What did you say! Philip was considering my proposal. A fight between me and this foolish man. I couldnt suggest this in normal circumstancesbut this could be a way to stop this before it gets worse. Lord, will you really let him goif that manwins? The Vampire that was beside me spoke out with a dissatisfied voice. I pointed out with my finger towards the princeand answered him. Could that happen? It is just something to stir him up. If Jim cant manage to do it, then you will have to take revenge. .. pretty cowardly, myLord. Jim is the main reason for fighting. You need to get used to it. Should we all rush him? There are no rulesabout using ournumbers. Hmm reasonable enough but this isnt fun. Listen, it is more important for Jim to have his vengeance. Ho. That is, okay. But I feel like I should take a minute. Your muttering is too loud. You seem to have a lot of words in you. Enough words, can I have a pistol?Ill even use acannon. At my words, everyone around me didnt know what to do. Doesnt anyone have a handgun? The lord wants it. Then a wheellock pistrrived. I took the pistol I asked for and put gunpowder in it. Philip. I know that I had promised you but in truth, Jim is a very friendly man. I put a bulletinto themuzzle and then rammed it in.Next Iturnedthe wheel with the help of the spanner,and pulled downits dog*to the back. With thatthe loading of the pistol seemed to be done. Okay, Please give it to our dearPhilip. Philip looked at the Vampire who was handing him the pistol with astonishmentin his face. What kind of jokeis this? I donot need this to ughter your troops! Cluckcluck! At Philips words I clickedwith mytongue. Something to ughter, ughter. Speak like a gentleman. Philip, be careful with the tone that you choose to speak., maybe you dont know who is a noble and who is a mercenary here. Shut up! Youbastard! Youre really a barbarian. Thats it! Why the hell did you give me this f*cking thing! I pointed to Philips legs. What? What? Philip couldnt understand meand frowned. So I exined. Shoot at yourthigh. What did you say? He didnt understand it and at his wordsmy heart turnedcold. From then onmy attitude took a drastic turn. Domy words not ring a bell? What about mythigh? What do you mean? You mean to tell me you dont remember shooting Lady Walpurgis inher thigh and running away from there? You bloody shit! At that moment Philip felt like he was stung. My men and I vowed to not let you get away after I saw that absurdity that day! How could you leave behinda struggling knight aftershooting her in the thigh with a pistol! Heh Philip, who was actually a shameless man, didnt know what to say in that moment of confrontation. Since my men still have a little conscience, they continue tothink about you. If you donotwant to do that you can stick with one on one. Philips face showed confliction. I knew that the one on one would be a bit too overwhelming for him now. But, there was justno way he would choose to shoot his thigh with a pistol. So I threw in a little bait. See this,Philip. I looked at the healing potion that I had received from Hessax. This isavery precious healing potion. Lets say that if you win against me in the one on one battle, then you get to have this. Shlosh.Shlosh. At the sound of the healing potion, he seemed to have been tempted. However, if you chose to fight nevertheless, then your whole group will be annihted. How about looking for a breakthrough? Youare like thedevil himself! No confidence? Like I would be frightened of a guy like you! Good! Whatever it is that you are thinking, Im just afraid that I willlosethe chance to pulloutthatsneakytongue of yours! Then, shoot yourthigh. Gasp Philip hesitated. It looked like it wasnt that easy for him to shoot his thigh. But thinking that there was going to be no other way, he pulled the trigger. Bang! Aaah! The fire sparks burst out intothe thigh and smoke came out from the back of it. It did avoid hittingthe artery, but itseems like this would make it difficult to fight in a battle. Heh! So, lets fight! Good. There is no suitable reason why I would renegeon apromise I made to anoble. I spoke and then took off my cape. The vampire beside mequicklycaught the cape before it touched the ground. I walkedin front of Philip and then drank two bottles of magic potion. Hah! Looks like strong magic potions! Unfortunately itis no use no matter how many magic potions you drink when going against a guy like me. Philipughed a little and pulled out his long sword. It looked wonderfully dangerous. Almost like a wounded beast. Itcould be in thiscondition because of the fight against Devil Pajemut. Shring. I also pulled out my long sword. Because of the wound on the Philipsthigh, this could end pretty quickly. The blood was still flowing. Die! I shrugged my shoulders at the way the Philip moved. So he frowned. Surprised at my skillso you want to block? I didnt answer. No, this wasnt a situation that I had to replyin. Instead, I just yeddumb,so Philip came forward with a condescendingattitude to attack. Aha! With great skill he swung his long sword. I knew about this method of his very well. This was because I concentrated on these techniques a lot in the past. First of all, the Iron Prince-Elector had a glimmer of hope for survival in his future, because at the moment his sword came into contact with mine, I realized I knew his method and technique very well. The reasons why his moon fencing technique is wonderful is the following, and any person who knows the craft couldnt help admiring this:
  • The pathway of this sword is the shining moon in the night sky.
  • The swords de is faint like the moons shadow.
Myopponent took the first strike in moon fencing and was able to counter attack and defend.At thismoment, it seemed it was time for meto die in the mysterious shadow of the moonlight. If it was possible, how couldmoon fencing fail? It was simple. One just needed to escape. This man! Such a coward! Philip had a brilliant sword, but there would notbe much if the opponent was me,and he didnte up behind me even when I tried to escape. If he was trying to stab and threatening to cut, he wouldnt try to cross hisopponents sword, and kept repeating the same again and again. I definitely need training in fighting against this technique, and it wasnt so easy to assess the movement ofthe de that wasing at me. From him and me the difference was pretty hardto deal with, this wasnt something that couldnt be dealt with. However, it was different now. That was because he had a wound on his leg. The wound on his leg was because he had abandoned Walpurgis when she was in a simr state, but I kept the difference of our sword skill in my mind before considering anything. Now we were holding long swords in our hands in aone on one duel, because this was how it was nned. If I say it like that it sounds like a bad thing.Honestly it was because I was great when ites to a sword, and I could be trusted with it. And it would be tough to run away if there was a wound on the leg. If someone learned the sword skills like I did it would definitely be tough to get away. It seemed like Philip was getting tirednow. Hah! Huh! Philip was breathing heavilynow. The blood was still flowingfrom hiswound. Cough! Even so the sword skills of Philip were stronger than mine, and this was because he had gathered experience for a 100 years. You wanted topete with swords! But it looks like cowardice is growing in you! At Philipswords I chose to speak nothing, and I didnt need to either. I had to pretend because I needed to get into character, so I didnt need to open my lips to him. From before till now, I was just purposefully sword fightingin this manner. ng! As both of our swords met with each other this sound came out. Although it was just for a brief moment that our swords shed, Philips expression contained a kind of bliss on it. I caught it atst! That expression needed no words. As both the swords shed with one another, it was a matter of hissword taking control of the opponents sword. There was nothing better than this position for any swordsman. So I would runaway. But now we were stuck close together. Philip was sure that he was going to win. Well, that wasnt such a misjudgment. Ifonly I was not prepared for this beforehand. Ptui! From my mouth that sound came as I spit on Philips face. This was not something that happened in the spur of the moment. Philip turned green as the liquid touched his face. Kyaaah! He wiped it off his face after screaming out. It seemed like it hurt his eyes. This was because of the poisonous tooth I got from Duke Hurukuma. By any chance the poison could have goneinto hismouth.Well it looked like it but I wasnt sure. Because of this I spoke to ask.I opened my mouth. Are you alright? It seems like you were poisoned? The one of the Vampires looked at the antidote. Before fighting I drank two magic potions, which were the antidote, as a precaution. Usuallybefore a match most peoplewill go aheadand drink the antidote beforehand. AsI was sword fightingand my flesh isnt undead, I would be dead without precautions. Aahhh! You cowardly bastard! Philip seemed to be in pain because of the poison as he kept on coughing continuously. Even sohe stoodstraight with the sword in his hand. Youwicked bastard! Cough! I wont forgive you! Though he wasnt facing forward, he did put the sword up in the right direction. ck! The swordrung. However, what I did was very simple. After avoiding the sword I withdrew a little backwards, and I pushed my palm in that direction. With the ability of myarmor, I used the shadow explosion. Bang! With a small sound the explosion took ce. Argh! Philip kept on screaming and screaming fromit. If you have such a temper, then you should probably go towards the devil. You foolish one. I took out a rope from my belongings. It was something that I had received from the Devil Hessax. The rope on the ground started to wrap itself around Philip like a snake. I looked at theimage in front of me and threw down mygauntlet. Then Ifolded my sleeve and spoke. Give me a dagger. Yes, myLord One of theVampires took out a dagger in a short momentand gave it to me. I took it from him and then pointed it towards Philip. The rope tied itself on to Philip because he was weak after the poison, and he was wriggling like a worm because of the pain. Lord. But at that time a vampire called out to me and I turned around to face him. What is it? What should I do about them? The vampire had asked me about the guys who were left in Philips group. They were filled with fear, and they would even roll around like a dog at the orders of their Masterwithoutspeaking. Looking at them I could do nothing butugh. What? You didnt kill them yet? At those words the Vampires overwhelmedPhilips men. Kuahh! Save me! Aah! The Vampires tore apartthe men. With the great amount of power they harbored within, the Vampires ripped offtheir legs, and then drank their blood. As it was the bodiesof humans a lot of blood spilledfrom them. It flowed out everywhere. Little by little the blood was flowing untilit reached all the way tomy feet. I tried not to step on the blood that was flowing. Almost like a human who never had a speck of blood on them. Hah hah cough! How could you do this.. Though his eyes were moving rapidly and his body was not responding, there was still anger residing in him. I had one thing that I needed to say. You shouldnt have abandoned her. A pig would have handled the poison much better than him. I held the dagger and put it into itssheath, I advised him in a friendly tone and then startedtaking off hishelmet. Itis a pitiful thing to see your strengthlike this.I believe in my youth and my ability.Atthis point you are like a prostitute. Various people go through numerous stages. Your uncle Friedrich used this thing first, and then next Pajemut used it and finally youused this, will it be a painful life for them? The help of a devil.** The connection part of the helmet was released. And with my left hand I held the hair of Philip and the dagger in the right hand. Then Philip, who was terrified,started to plead. Save, save me. Please! If you sparemy life, Ill give you anything! I will flood you with gold if you want! No, you want women? The best beauties of the Ptinate, Ill give them to you! Land too! Anything! I heard the pitiful words from him and moved the dagger slightly. Im sorry. There is no other way but for you to die. Jims words. I moved close to his ear and then whispered to him. Im curious as to know what kind of work you could do if a guardian like youwasneeded to be killed. Stab! With the dagger I slit directlybelow Philipsthroat. It pinched the corbone and went further in. Edited by WellBattle6 (GBiv) *The dog is a wheellock firearms spring loaded arm that holds pyrite. When the trigger is pulled, the dog swings forward to bring the pyrite against either the pan or the spinning wheel, which ignites. **The actual trantion is It. Our trantion is guesswork on our part. Editor Notes: (Repeat from notes in Chapter 24) Hi everyone, Im WellBattle6, also known as GBiv in thements, the new Canadian editor for this series. I used to a merementer like you, then I got an email from Wujigege-sama. This series is a bit hard for our team to trante properly (city names, creature names, and character names, so anything with a name and since the source material sometimes trantes to vague it without reference), so please bear with our imperfect quality. If you see any mistakes, do not hesitate toment on it. In other news, Im proud to say that we will be continuing this series trantion after Chapter 25 has been re-edited. Please look forward to it! **** Re-edited by wFinder, 16 adjustments made, May 2nd 2020 New Editors Note: I know a lot of readers are probably confused by who Jim is. Its exined in the next few chapters. Hopefully my edits unrted to Jim make this chapter less confusing Chapter 26.1 Chapter 26.1 [Chapter 26] Heros Hunt (5) Kheeakk! Philip screamed as the longsword stabbed his flesh. He struggled in the puddle of his own blood, thrashing like a fish that was thrown onto the shore, drowning in the air. But he couldntst long. After an eternity of suffering for him, but only a few seconds for me, his strength gave out and hey in his own lifes blood and could only twitch feebly. Ugh. You have to be the best of the Empire.. Phillip looked miserable. My vengeance wasplete. I need mock Philip no longer. I unsheathed my longsword and rested the de on my shoulder. Philip. Your destruction brings joy to three people. To your uncle, Frederich, the Devil Pajemut, and to Jim here. To be honest, you were hopeless. But there is another way. In life, you failed to be the great man you could have been, but after death, theres still hope. * Wh..what do you mean? Philip asked me in a faded voice. Its simple. You are going to serve Jim after you are dead just like the others here. In your life, youve managed to defecate on your name, your rank, your subjects however after your blood cools down after your heart stops beating, maybe you could finally be useful, right? You are demon, you are evil. No matter how wicked I amdont insult my death. You really are without blood or tears. I was surprised by Philips resentful words and smiled. The man without blood or tears, he said! Philip, hahaha! You are amazing as I expected! Maybe you have insights that even Jim doesnt have. But this is what Jim has dered. These words are for Philip, but also for me. I would do whatever it takes to see the good ending for this game. Pho-ok! The sword I wielded shattered Philips forehead. That was the end of the Guardian of Iron, the Prince Elector Phillip. System Message is opened. The amount of experience and achievements have gone up sharply. When I saw it, I just turned off the achievement rm. It is a score which has far surpassed the second ce. For me though, the good ending for this game was much more important than those. This.! Now, there was something that caught my attention at once. The strong, indestructible red ruby could be expected as a reward from Kubalt. That red ruby was a coveted item inside the demon world. Take this for now. Kubalt pushed forward a ring formunication use. It was like some sort of a direct telephone item type. When needed, contact me. My intel will be helpful to you. If it is rted to the matter at hand, Ill let you know for free. It was necessary to pay a lot of money to buy information from him. Even in the past, thats how Kuts intel capability has been utilized. So, as he was offering to provide intel for free, it was obvious as to how aggressive he was in this matter. Thank you. I will make good use it. By the way, I have one question. By any chance, have you any information on the swordsman who ims to be thest one of the great swordsmen? Ah, you are talking about that someone who showed up all of a sudden, boasting of his sword skills. There isnt a whole lot of information about him. If Ihappened to find something, I will let you know. Thank you. Alright. Then thats enough of talking. Now, lets go feast and celebrate! After having enjoyed the great party, hosted by Kubalt, I immediately left early in the next morning. *** Four dayster. I arrived at Dresden. Not thinking about what should and would happen, I stormed into Bellia Merchants main gate. I wish to see the master of the merchant. Who are you? If you do not have an appointment.. Aaaaah! Im sorry! How dare I, and not recognize your greatness! The soldier, who was stationed as a sentry, fell to the ground on his behind as he flustered. Go in and inform the master. Tell him that a man who could resolve his worries over his child hase. Yes sir! Yes sir! Bowing down low, the soldier replied twice before running and disappearing into the mansion. After momentster, a man who seemed to be the butler of the house ran out. Who may you be, my lord that.. Aaaaah! Im sorry! How dare I, and not recognize your greatness! The butler, who appeared to have been well cultured, fell down hard onto his behind. Ah, Ill lead you, sir! Ultimately, Iwas able to very quickly meet with the master of the Bellia Merchant. As Icontinued to have the SS skill level activated, he bowed down deep in a hurry as soon as he saw me. What is your loyal name? I am Basthedde Valer. I came after hearing that you were in search of someone who could save your son. Can you truly resolve my sons problems? It was well known news that the son of the master of BelliaMerchant was very ill. He has spent a fortune and tried to save his only sessor, but to no avail. Hence, I was going to save his son in order to get what I wanted from the master of the Bellia Merchant. As I have performed the simrdeeds many times in the past, saving his son would not be a big deal. Certainly. Trust me. Yes sir. Please do look over my son, first. He was in the condition that I had expected, now that I saw him. It was the strange symptom of losing the entire muscles of the body. To find the cure to this muscr disease, one had to go to the mountain, located beyond the empires southeast border, called Grosglochner. The majestic mountain of Grosglochner, rising 3,798 Meters high above the sea level, was a different world that was filled with miracle drugs. One of the miracle drugs there was the special medicine for the son of master of the merchant. When I told him that thats where Iwould go, he looked shocked. Why would you want to go to that treacherous, forsaken ce! It wasnt an overreaction to be shocked like that. Grosglochner was a ce thatno one, humans or demons, have ever dared to go. Grosglochner is the home to the demon dragon Schwarzertoyel! Please rethink and refrain yourself from going there as no one, whether a human or a demon, has ever came back after having gone up the mountain! I, too, do not wish to have someone with your dignity to die in vain due to my son. Was he not a very considerateperson. Most people would do anything if it would somehow save ones own son, yet he was concerned that Icould die. Or to think of it in other terms, going to Groslochner was just a crazy idea. However, there was one fact, which even the wisest schr, or the demon king, who was sensitiveto rumors, did not know yet. That was, demon dragon Schwarzertoyel was on hisst breath due to his old age. As it was such a dangerous being, even if it was about to take thest breath, the n was to go there after the dragonhas met its natural death. However, as the situation has developed like this, I figured on going there for the miracle drug, deliver thest strike, ande back. Also, there was some level of confidence after having earned the highest title of the man with no blood and tear. There was no need for even a direct confrontation. The n was to attack the bastard with undead over many days and nights until it dies. After having punished him through them, Iwill pierce a sword into him just before the bastard was to die. The great sword of Ljubljana, the family sword of the feudallord of Pfalz, should be sufficient to pierce through the hard scales of Schwarzertoyel. Well, was a dragon yer that special. The one, who stakes a sword through the dragon, after his underlings have weakened it, was called the dragon yer. Those, among the princes, who were usually called the dragon yers, have always done it this way. No matter what, the demon dragon Schwarzertoyel would provide incredible experience? Experience level was usually based on the adversarys reputation to begin with. The infamy that which Schwarzertoyel has garnered went beyond anyones imagination. My n was to absorb all of that in whole. Chapter 36.1 Chapter 36.1 Groslochner (The great bell). Located beyond the empires southeastern borders, the grand mountain boasted picturesque scenery, and was also the home territory of the demon dragon Schwarzertoyel. Only those demons and demon creatures with his permission to stay were able to live there, but in return, they became the hunters who would patrol and watch over the intruders. The probability of those who had gone to Groslochner, but unable to return due to having been killed by the hunters was higher than actually having encountered the dragon. It was the same case for me as well. Having arrived at the mountain after an arduous journey, I was immediately met by a group of hobgoblins, with nightmarish weapons. Upon discovering me while they wereing down the mountain, the 20 of them rushed toward me. Although it waste night, the surroundingarea was bright as there was a full moon and the mountain was covered with snow. Kundar Hatham! The hobgoblins leaders shouting sound reverberated throughout the mountain. ording to theirnguage, it meant kill that bastard! Any intruder, entering the mountain range patrolled by the hunters, werent given any leniencyor courtesy of anything, but were immediately struck and killed. Kuaaah! Krrrr! Krrreeeyah! The moon, which was hung over the mountain, and visible behind the hobgoblins that which were rushing as they screamed, was beautiful. Purr! Puuuurr! Puck! The axes and javelins, thrown by the hobgoblins, staked the grounds nearby. Scared, Philly stood on his two hind legs and I had to calm down Philly by stroking the horses neck. Thuuuur. But then the ring Iwas wearing vibrated. It was the one given by the demon king Kubalt. -Your highness. How have you been sir? -Ha-ha-ha. How about you? A voice that was pleasing to people was heard from thering. Magic is certainly great. The sound came out clearly even though the distance from here to Pilsen was quite far. Kaaaaaahh! The shouts of the hobgoblins that havee to within 20 meters reverberated loudly. -Hm? Is anyone nearby? I am hearing some loud noise? -Ah, its the locals. They are weing me. Well, I suppose I didnt need to report the details of the savagery nature of thend to the demon kings highness. Kubalt gave me kudos as if he was impressed with the way I spoke in a refined manner. -Certainly, you are a fascinating man. It isnt easy, these days, to be given a weing reception due to hardened social conditions. From what I can hear, it must be a very enthusiastic weing? -Everyone seems to have abundance of love. While I was carrying on an ordinary conversation with him, I took out a pistol from the saddle, and fired. Paang! There was no forgiveness from me who had a level-5 experience in matchlock shooting. One of the hobgoblins, running toward me, plopped down with a hole in his forehead. -There are also some morous noises also? -It is the weing fireworks. They must really be d to see me. Kubalt was impressed once again. -Oh, oh! You must be being received as a VIP! Bringing out the fireworks, and all! It is definitely like you, Valer. -Ha-ha-ha. Thank you for seeing it in a good way. Kwaaang! As the bastards approached, a shadow explosion was used. With the sting snow and dust, the hobgoblin warriors got tossed into the air, all bloodied up. Kubaltughed out loud upon hearing that sound. -You must have gone to a rich city? They even brought out the salute guns for you! By any chance, have you gone to Danzig Rigar? -No. Its a bit further south. -Is that so? Im not sure where you are, but they really are something. They know how to wee a guest. You know, those typesof people with good courtesy are a dying breed these days. -Youre right. Your highness. I stretched out my palm forward as I spoke in agreement with Kubalt. Koooong! As the strong S-level skill, , was activated, 10 of the hobgoblins began to dry up thinly, like the mummies. Keeeeeah! Koooooaaaahk! As the screams of pain exploded, I quickly made up a story. -There is so much weing from everywhere. The people are screaming as if they are about to die. What a frenzy situation! It appears that today happens to be a celebration day. Your highness. They really died after screaming as if they were about to die. However, not knowing what was going on, Kubalt was feeling envious. -Ha-ha, that must really be fun. We will also have a celebration in December, in Pilsen, too. If you get the chance, do stop by. Youre always wee. Ha-ha-ha! -Im honored. Your highness. The one scary part about absorbing blood and tear was the fact that the victims would be reborn as undead. The dead hobgoblinsdried up skins fell off and they rose up as skeleton soldiers. Shooowoong! Puck! Pa-ack! They were wielding their axes and were crushing open the hobgoblins that were theirrades just a moment ago. I was leisurely watching what was unfolding while bringing the dead hobgoblins as the undead. The situation has been soon settled and the number of effortlessly reborn undead stood around me. With the exception of the 10 hobgoblins that were killed with the absorption of blood and tear, the rest of them were brought back by making them undead. There were 3 hobgoblin vampires. There were 5 poison hobgoblin zombies. And there were 10 hobgoblin skeleton soldiers. The original intention was to make 5 vampires, but since 2 of them had religions, that n had failed. It was because when they were afforded the protection from the deities that they believed in, the creation of advanced undead, which requires capturing the spirits, usually led to failures. Well, that didnt necessarily mean that it was regretful. Where is the vige that you live in? Then the leader of the hobgoblins came forward and replied with courtesy. Ill lead you, my master. Since theyve be undead, hobgoblins and I couldmunicate. It was because we were speaking in thenguage of the dead. Good. Lead the way. I leisurely followed the undead hobgoblin from behind. -Your highness. It appears that Ido not need to be concerned over where to stay tonight. Everyone is fighting to take me to their own ce. -Wherever that region is, they certainly have a great hospitality. It was when we were making such small talks that a new system message was delivered. From the S-level skill, due to its specialty, it was necessary to utilize the skill, quite a bit, in order to raise the skill level. Fortunately, that was possible thanks to those good fellows who havee to meet me at the bottom of the mountain. Chapter 36.2 Chapter 36.2 I ced my hand on my chest to show my appreciation to the skeletons that were leading the way as I put a stamp on making the skill level 2. -Your highness. I just even received a great gift as well. -Then Valer. It seems that you have a lot of money, so dont be too stingy, but splurge on them. Generosity shoulde and go. -Certainly! Your highnesss advice on win-win coexistence is truly wise. Then Iasked him what made him contact me while making such conversation. -Ah, it wasnt nothing special, just curious to see if the ring was working properly. Although thatshow he put it, he must have felt offended that Idid not contact him first. He was justanxious to do something for me as he wanted to form an alliance with Walpurgis. However, since Idid not make any pleas for help, he must have contacted me this way. I couldnt help, butugh inside, but Idid not show it. I feel bad about it as far as Kubalt was concerned, but Im not a push over. -I see. Ah, your highness! There are many vigers here. I probably need to go splurge on them and engage them. I will talk to youter. As I told him that Ineeded to go first, there was an aura of disappointment in his voice. -Ah, is that so? I, I guess you have to. I couldnt hold a busy man and continue to talk. -Sir, then Iwill go now. After removing the magic that was ced on the ring, Isurveyed the area ahead. There I saw a hobgoblinsvige. I will splurge as the highness has suggested. I ordered the undead. Kill them all. *** Personally, I did not like hobgoblins. It was because they loathed, and did notpromise with the humans. They were the opposites of the cunning orcs who sometimes lived in peace with the humans as situations called for. As they were uniquely heartless and cruel, it was not even possible to see hobgoblins under mild demon kings. Spare me! Spare me! An old hobgoblin was begging on his knees before me. The old hobgoblin that was nonsensically speaking the empiresnguage was the chief of the small vige. He was dragged here, at a shoddy structure that had been his own house, and was kneeling on his knees. And therge chair that he used sit in was now upied by me. Did you say spare you? Just now. Yes! Spare me! In response to his desperate plea, I pointed to the ornaments which were hanging on his wall. They were the taxidermies, made out of human heads. There werent just one or two. Tens of humans were used to decorate his house. On their faces, fear and suffering were visible just before their deaths. Even at a nce, Icould tell that they were the farmers who ran to this ce from the human feudal lord. The hobgoblins used to hunt such people for fun. Hence, I did not like this type of tribes, at all. They seem to want your death though? Please! I beg you! You. Do not lose your bravery before death. Were you not the chief of this vige? Kee-aaannnng! Atst, the chief hobgoblin cried as he wet his pants. That, he probably couldnt help at all. At this time, the hobgoblins, which used to live with him in the vige, were now looking down on him as cadavers. The countless number of undead hobgoblins was looking down, filled with hatred, on the chief. They were the eyes of the revengeful ghosts of the dead. Gosh, you must not have been very likable. It wasnt even hard to take a guess. Hobgoblins were cruel to humans, but they were also cruel to the same race. They lived in the society which normalized the actions of the strong ones persecuting the weak ones. Therefore, even when a smaller goblin than them formed the dynasty, they could not escape the tribal society. No! This cant be! This is a bad dream! Abad dream! Seeing the chief shedding a bucket full of tear, I lost my interest. As I gestured with my hand, indicating that he was pestering, the undead dragged the chief outside. Keeeaaaaaahk! The chief made shrieking screams from outside. However, that was the end of it. The vigers have finally taken the revenge, only after they were dead. O, master. Thank you for allowing us to take our revenge against the chief. It wasnteven describableas to how much he used to torment us. One of the hobgoblin vampires took the knee and bowed down before me. I, kindly, nodded my head. As my heart is with the peasants, Im truly happy. Your grace is immeasurable, my lord! It was an admirable story. An admirable story. If someone, in the future, were to record my deeds, one would callme the liberator of the oppressed. Even the system was congrattingme. As a result of killing hundreds of the hobgoblins from the vige, by using absorb blood and tear, Ihave reached the level 3. Actually, this vige was not a ce that which with only 20 undead could have steamrolled over. However, as the fighting went on, the number of undead grew on this side while more on the other side was dying. That simple difference has led to the one way massacre. As the friendly surprise attack seeded, the number of undead immediately increased to 40, and when the hobgoblin warriors came out with their weapons in hand, that numberhad already increased to 80. It was a fight with expected oue. I am just satisfied that Ive reached the level-3 in the absorb blood and tear skill. What is your name? Im Kurrk. My master. As this hobgoblin vampire had a quick thinking, I intended to use him going forward. Good. Kurrk. Do you know all the locations of the demon tribesviges nearby? Every single one of them, yes. Good. Very good. Hahaha. It was not good enoughto hunt Demon Dragon Schwarzertoyel, in our current condition. The battle against the earth drake in the past gave a good learning lesson as far as recognizing how fearful a giant monster could be. Furthermore, Schwarzertoyel was an ancient dragon which the earth drake could not even bepared to. Even if it was on its death bed and sick all the time, it was not an easy adversary. Even if 100 undead hobgoblins were to rush to attack him, it would, unfortunately, be onlyst for 1 minute. No, may be less than 1 minute. Should the bastard whip his tail that was thicker than cedar tree, the skeleton debris would be raining down on to my head. So, it was decided. That Iwould battle it after Ibe stronger by using absorb blood and tear skill by going through the viges nearthis Groslochner. All these 4 skills were level S. By just increasing the experience level, my power would be much greater. Kurrk. Yes, my master. I am heavy hearted with respect to the lives of the citizens around here. Id like to liberate them from their difficult lives. Your thoughts are merciful and great! Ill lead you, master. I have decided to wipe out the ogre, orc, hobgloblin, and bugbear viges near the Groslochner Mountain. Chapter 37.1 Chapter 37.1 Take your positions before your master, oh, you soldiers whoe as death fighters! As there were many dead bodies in the vige, I summoned them back as undead. Hm Although I checked the status window, the experience level did not increase at all. Certainly, something like hobgoblinswas no longer effective. The undead summoningat experience level 4 was requesting me to turn the undead into stronger monsters. Stronger monster It wasnt that there wasnt a way. In fact, there was something very usable. That was, by practicing summoning undead on the body of the Demon Dragon Schwarzertoyel, I felt that there wouldbe a surging up with respect to the experience level. That wasnt the end of it. The dragon heart. A treasure like no other. An enormous amount of experience. It was like aprehensive gift set,and it could also be describedas a deluxe edition for a future hero. If the task at hand could bepleted sessfully, I felt that I would achieve great aplishments. Oh, Kurrk. Yes, my master. From now on, address me as your lord. Yes, my lord. The reason was that 2 syblesweremore practical than 3 sybles. Exin to me the powers of this mountain region. Yes. Many monster races live here, but they arergely separated into two factions. They were called the Wild Hog Rock Faction and Thunderbolt Tree Faction. Why were they named that way? Thats simple. They were named after where each faction held their meeting. Where the Wild Hog Rock Faction met, there was arge rock that looked like a wild hog, and where the Thunderbolt Tree Faction met, there was an old, dead tree that was hit by lightning. Most of the hobgoblins like Krrk were said to belong to the Wild Hog Rock Faction. What are the situations like between them? It does not look good. It wont be all that strange should there be a head on shsoon. Do you usually get into fights in this mountain? I would think thatthe demon dragon might not havelet those things happen? That was certainly true. When the demon dragon was alive, no one dared to cause such incidents. However, it has already been 10 years since we were in contact with the demon dragonst. Huh? That long? The demon tribestried all that they could to get in touch with the demon dragon since he no longer issuedanymands or made demands. Following the specified protocol, they made offerings, or even petitioned with their lives. However, the demon dragon did not respond. It has been 10 years already, not just a few. No matter how fearful they were of the demon dragon, the demon tribes began to have different attitudes. Ten years may not even be a consequential period of time for dragons, but the meaning was different for the demon tribes. There was no way that Schwarzertoyel did not know that. So the fact that he did not show up could be a proof that something had happened. So, are you saying that the two factions are now about to get into afight? Yes. Although they are holding themselves back, still fearing the demon dragon, it is only a matter of time until things blow up. I nodded my head, listening to Krrks exnation. In that case, I should free them from their agonies. Are you saying? It is also the kings duty to gently push the citizens backswhen they attempt to take a step forward. Thats right. Let me go there and encourage them. *** Apanied by Krrk, the hobgoblin vampire, I set out in thete evening. It wasnt necessary to worry about not being able to run into the demon tribes in the mountainnds. That was because they were nocturnal, by nature. My lord, where would you like to go? Lets first go to the Thunderbolt Tree. After three hours of traveling on the mountain trail, a dark old tree came in to view in the distance. And there were several camp fires below that. There were quite a few, perhaps,over 50 orcs around the campfires. They were drinking and talking loudly. My lord. Do you want to have a chat with them? Then Ill go there first and No. I shook my head. No chatting. I despise those who only talk. Everything must be demonstrated with action. I walked towards them, after leaving Philly in Krrks care. Crunch. Crunch. The sound and the feeling of snow with each step felt good. As everyone of the orcs wasrowdy, having a st, they were quite surprised when they saw me. Tapping on the fellows next to each other, they pointed my way. They must have felt weird. That was a natural reaction if a human approached them in the middle of the night, all alone. Furthermore, if the humans spirit seemed unusually high then it would certainly add to that. Ordinarily, they would rush and attack at once, but they must have felt something strange as they stayed put. . They were only fiercely staring at my direction. Despite the many eyes thatstared at me, I calmly walked into the center of the crowd. Then picking up a skewered meat that was cooking over the campfire, I devoured it without asking. Um, no good. I threw the skewered food to the ground and stamped on it. At that moment, as if pre-synchronized, they all picked up weaponsand rushed me. Krrrrah! When the orcs were about to hack me with therge axes, I used shadow explosion. Kwaang! As the camp fire was caught up with the ck explosion, the fire woods and fire scattered all over the ce. Krrrrraak! Krah-ak! Therge sizedorcs went rolling on the ground. Then a battle ensued shortly. Kwaang! Taking out my sword, I hit away an axe that someone threw. Then stretching out my left hand, I used absorb blood and tear. Re-edited by wFinder, May 1st 2020. 6 changes made Chapter 37.2 Chapter 37.2 Kraaaaah! Aaaaah! Krrra! The power of the absorb blood and tear, which has reached experience level 3, was already on a different ne. In an instant, 30 orcs held on to their necks as they gasped and died. They rose up as ghoul ughters. The remaining orcs were barely able to withstand the series of attacks from the ghoul ughters. This is a boring fight. Um? Lookingover to a side, one big orc stood with a devastated look on his face. His facial expression was saying that what was happening was unbelievable. I kicked an axe that had been abandoned on the ground towards him. Do you want to find out which is stronger, your axe or my sword? At that moment, the facial expression on the orc changed. Although thenguage was different, it appeared that the right meaning has been delivered. He angrily picked up the axe. And in Oguage, he denied me and criticized me as an evil being. Certainly, themander would be far from the warriors pride in whichthey believedin. As if to punish me for thinking that, the orc bravely ran towards me with the axe in his hand. Reflecting the moon light, hiseyes turned red with blood. Certainly, that was the disy of pride from a man who lived all of his life as a warrior. Then I, too, disyparable.. Tang! With a sound of a gunfire, the warrior with that high pride fell to the ground. And he never moved again. I lowered my head in apology. Sorry for not keeping my promise. I forgot that I had a gunon my waist. As you may also know, when there is a gun, it is hard not to fire it. The battle was already waning down. Although several orcs tried to escape, they fell and roll on to the snow after getting hit withthe axesthat werethrown by the ghoul ughters. In an instant moment of time, 50 orcs have been killed. My lord. What do you n to do now? In response to Krrks question, I ordered the bodies to be hung on the Thunderbolt Tree. I feel like trimming a tree, so do your best. As it merelyissuing amand alone did not satisfy me, I personally directed it. No, dont ce them all in one section, but spread them out. Gosh! Krrk! Go and tie the ropes by yourself. Geez! The ghouls are good fighters, but haveno talent in this type of work! With ropes tied around their necks, one by one, the orcs were hung on that ck, burned, deadold tree. I approached the dead body that was to be hungst. Give me a knife for a minute. Here,sir. After removing the dead orcs shirt, I wrote a few words on his back. [Our patience is limited. You will be. Pretty ornaments on this tree.] I wrote it in hobgoblinnguage. My Hobgoblin grammar was a mess, but it didnt matter that much. That was because, even the hobgoblins could not write their ownnguage. There really wasnt a reason to reveal as to who wrote it. That wasbecause there were many, who lived in this mountainregion,whohated the Thunderbolt Tree Faction to death. All set. OK, hang it. Prrrd! Prrrd! As the rough rope shook the tree, the snow that was on the dead old tree fell down,all around. Like tiny crystals under the moon light, they sparkled beautifully. This evening is certainly ambient! I was impressed by the great looking tree. *** This time, we moved towards the ce calledthe Wild Hog Rock. We arrived after five hours of travel timefrom the Thunderbolt Tree. Philly,tired? Ill let you rest once we get back. Philly was breathing hard as white steam came out of his nostrils due to the long travel time on the mountain. I fed sufficientwater to Philly. Poor thing. My heart ached a little. My lord. Its over there. It really does look like a big wild hog. Due to the darkness, the silhouette of the big rock, which was totally ck, surely looked like a big wild hog. And there were some ogres and hobgoblins congregated and gluttonously gorging on something. On the second look, Icould tell that it was a bear. Looking at the squashed head, it must have been smashed by an ogres bat. Krrrng? A one eyed ogre with a bears thigh in its mouth showedan interest in me upon discovering me. With blood stains around the mouth, it certainlyhad a scary look. Chruup. The one eyed ogre licked his chops while looking at me. That bastard must certainly know how humans taste. Hee-inng! Scared, Philly jumped. Kwang! Kwang! Kwang! The ogre then ran towards here and stretched his hand out. He must have thought that Iwould not bother to resist, in the first ce. It appeared as if he was taking food from the shelf. So, Istretched out my hand too. Then the ogre and I, like that famous Michael Angelos , came in contact with our hands. Although that moment was short, the result was definite. Kwaaang! Bone dried up, the ogre fell on to the snow. Then the other bastards who were watching stood up in shock. Looking at them, I thought a littleas I stroked my chin. Since there is no tree here, Isuppose I would just chopthem up. Then like preparing a fish, Isliced them up in to pieces. It did not even take 5 minutes to kill them all. I will leave a message here as well. Using much of their blood as ink, I wrote on the Wild Hog Rock. [To the cowards, with respect.] Perhaps, neitherof the factions would think that someone else was driving a wedge between them. They have been living isted lives in the mountain for so long. They were bound to be close minded. Even if someone wise was among them, the wraths that boiled blindly in both factions could not be stopped. *** The next day. Krrk brought interesting news. My lord. It was reported thatan ogre, dispatched from the Wild Hog Rock Faction in an attempt to make a protest, and demand exnation, has been stoned to death by the Thunderbolt Tree Faction. Both sides have exploded, and are out of control. At this time, without any concern for the demon dragon, they were in full preparation stage for a war. They have decided on a full head on sh to determine the victor. Did they by any chance decide on the ce and date as well? Yes, my lord. Gosh, how can they be so honorable. If it was a war between humans, the battle would start with a surprise attack, at an unknown time. But they have decided to arrange a sword and axe fight, two days in advance. At what time? It will be an early morning, they said. Looking at their standards of time as being nocturnal behaviors, early morning would normally mean 3-4 in the afternoon. Krrk said that there was a good location. I know of a high ce where the battle fields can be seen in a sweep. From that vantage point, the situation could be assessed in a nce. That is great information. Krrk, do you want to go set up a table and a chair for me in advance? That was a great time to have a tea time. Chapter 38.1 Chapter 38.1 It was 3O clock in the afternoon. The warmth of the early winters sunlight felt good. I was enjoyinga leisurely cup of tea at a ce where the vantage point was great for viewing the battle field. Down below, the two factions, the Wild Hog Rock Faction and the Thunderbolt Tree Faction, were busy getting ready for the battle. As they were nocturnal by nature, 3O clock in the afternoon would be like an early morning for them. I suppose it would be like 3O clock in the morning for the humans. To see them gathered like this with their tools, at such an early morning, it wasnt too hard to see how excited they were. These two factions have been looking for the right time to sh to begin with. Internally, I was certain that there were many of them who thought that it was for the best. Kura moost kumora hudan harasah (Listen, you cowards who hit and run)! A good sized Orc, from the Thunderbolt Tree Faction, stepped forward and began to taunt the opposition. In response, a pair of Ogres, from the Wild Hog Rock Faction, stepped forward and yelled back. Both sides got loud, and the area was filled with vulgarity and screaming. It was an act to keep their, own respective sides charged up before the battle. It was followed with the sounding of the battle drums as part of the war ceremony. The sound of drums was deafening. It was like watching a battle of the primitive men. There were extended periods of time during which they exchanged verbal assaults, or performed other ceremonies beforethe fight began in earnest. In the process, the sun was already setting slowly in the west. This was why they gathered so early. It seemed that the battle would begin after the sunset. Zzzz-. Zzzz-, Right at that moment, the ring vibrated again. It was Kubalt. Gosh, this man has nothing to do, calling so often? -Your highness. -Valer, how is it going? -Thanks to the gods, Im doing fine -Ha, ha! Youre making a joke that is very unlike of you. I called to let you know of some information that I obtained today. Kubalt had good news to tell me. It was about the internal disputes within the Rajter Knight Family. As Walpurgis has proposed an unlikelypromise as I requested, there formed, two conflicting factions, one urging to ept the proposal and the other pushing to go all the way to the end as the emperor wished. The strategy to buy time was working quite well. Walpurgis, by principle, would never agree to a degradingpromise, but not knowing this, the Rajter Knight Family has taken the bait and was squabbling internally. -Thank you for taking the time to let me know. -I just figured that you would like the news. Um, but I hear loud noises in the background? The two factions have shed in earnest. With the loud shouts that would blow away the mountains, they were pushing towards each othersdirections in waves. -Ah, Im watching a group tournament. The Wild Hog Rock Faction and the Thunderbolt Tree Faction are shing with each other. This is the main event of the day. -Ha-ha, that must be a sight to see. Even the team names are entertaining. Which team did you bet on? You wouldnt say that you do not know how to make bets, would you? -Hahaha. How could I not know, your highness? I told Kubalt that my bet was on both teams losing. Then he thought that was odd. -It is quite rare for both teams to lose in a group tournament? Is there such a case? -With unusual maneuvers, it would be possible. -You must have bet that both teams will be disqualified with penalties then? I would think the odds of that happening would be very low. You seem to be clear cut when ites to gambling. -Hahaha. All that needs to be done is to increase the odds. That was right. The method was to increase the odds. Quietly waiting for a game to end was not my style. After engaging in some more small talk, we hung up. Then as if he has been waiting, Krrk appeared from behind me. As soon as the sun has set, he, who is a vampire, bes active. Winter must be the vampiresfavorite season since the sun sets this early. This is the first time that Ive weed winter after Ive be a vampire, but now that Iheard what you just said, it truly seems that way. Do wee many more winters from now on. I asked whether the troops were ready. Currently, there were 70 undead under mymand. I told them to get ready for the battle when the sun sets. Certainly. Are you looking for the right time to attack them? Krrk asked as he watched the two factions engaging in a fierce fight. I shook my head. Thatwould be pushing it. At a nce, there are more than 1 thousand. Even if when they are exhausted, there is too much of a gap in the headcounts. We are all prepared to die for you. I appreciate everyones determination, but if they discover us, the undead, theywill stop fighting. The dead beings have the power to even bringing the enemies together. Even if they were invincible forces, jumping into the midst of 1 thousand demon tribe members would cause them to instantly melt away. There was never an intention to jump them even if they were all exhausted. Then what would you do? I only follow your orders as I am slow witted. There is a simpler maneuver in this type of situation. Krrk, I hope that you will learn my ways going forward. Please to teach me. Getting up from my chair, Iwalked towards Philip. Then a vampire knelt on his four, offering his back. I stepped on his back and got on the horse. The most interesting thing about any war is inunching a raid on the unattended headquarters. While they are too preupied with the sh, we will go around the empty viges. Mostly nonbatants will remain in the viges. Theywill bepletely annihted. ******* Re-edited by wFinder, May 1st 2020, 6 changes made Chapter 38.2 Chapter 38.2 Certainly, they will be enraged! They would believe that the oppositionhad formed raid teams to attack their viges, even after they had a gentlemens agreement! Correct. Thats what I am after. Well attack appropriate sized viges that we can destroypletely. There cannot be any witnesses. Yourmand will be done! Let them fight the clean war, or gentlemens war, as they please. All I will do is take care of a small business in their viges. We, first, went to a vige of the Wild Hog Rock Faction. Kill everyone. Only, do not set them on fire. They might stop fighting should they see rising fires. Do it quietly. Yes, sir! I summoned 10 specters to prevent anyone from escaping. These ghosts had the knack for finding anyone who was alive. Find anyone who is hiding and kill them, whether its in the atticor basement. Having received my order, the specters suddenly disappeared. Soon, the vige was filled with horrific screams. I calmlymanded the undead. There was no need for me to personally engage since the viges didnt even have any warriors. However, thats when a system message arrived. Oh, it was experience level 2. It appeared thatmoving about here and there,manding the team of undead, must have been effective. Without any hesitation, I invested the skill points. Centering me, the dark aura has be a level stronger as it entwined the undead. Then they became excited with new powers that they quickly cleaned out the vige. The horrific screams that reverberated the area has stopped as if there was never any scream. Did you clean it out withoutleaving anyone? Yes, my lord. No one was left breathing. Good. This time, lets raid the viges of the Thunderbolt Tree Faction. Thats how wepletely destroyed several viges. Although it took over 5 hours, I felt quite satisfied during our return. It alwaysseems rewarding to go return after a hard work. Yes, my lord. An old saint has said that one deserves to eat bread only after a good sweat. Those, whobor, deserve to eat is what it means then. I will give my blood and sweat in followingyou, my lord. Krrk lowered his head respectfully. I thought that that was a very bad joke. Thatwas because right at that moment, surrounding mewere many skeletonsthat had no sweat or blood. *** The both factions became outraged because we have annihted the viges in secret. It was, now, like having crossed the bridge of no return. Even after a few days have passed, the situation has be much worse, rather than getting better. Perhaps, the leaderships on both sides might have decided on who the victor and loser was going to be with a single sh, and then thought about reaching a reasonablepromiseter. However, at this point, the Wild Hog Rock Faction and the Thunderbolt Tree Faction have be sworn enemies. From that day on, the factions were engaging in an exterminatory warfare. Both factions wanted topletely eradicate the otherside. The mountains have been stained with blood and death. And as that happened, my camp only grewrger. I see why the undead makes their cities in cold regions. It is perfect for making undead since the cadaversfreeze, not dpose. I brought back arge Ogre that was buried deep in the snow as a vampire. The demons in the mountains were beyond recovery. I just focused on turning reasonably good conditioned bodies into undead and stopped thinking about them. They were no longer important. My head was filled with how to capture the demon dragon Schwarzertoyel. My lord. The casualties on both sides have be irrecoverable. ording to Krrks report, there were just fewer than 200 warriors who were alive. That was the end of them both. The number of troops was over 1 thousand, just a few days ago. This is the best opportune time to destroy them all. No. Leave the ones who are alive alone. As Krrk was curious as to why I was letting them be, Iprovided an additionalexnation. Shouldnt there be livestock for you, vampires, to feast on? Ah! I couldnt think that far, my lord. Listen. I n to make this mountain my first territory. I nned to build a city of undead. Thisrge mountainnd was isted from the outside that it was well positioned ce for defensive purposes. It was a perfect ce to build a base. It will take many years to build a goodenough city, but even Rome wasnt built overnight, is it not. Thats certainlyan excellent n! Imagine it! Krrk! I pointed to the mountain paths. That sorry looking path will be paved. And on that road, the knights of the death knight will march majestically. Then I pointed to the ridge. That ce, which is surrounded by the screen of mountains, will be where the lichsdemon tower will be raised. This city will certainly be the center of the research for the art ofmanding! Then Ipointed to the sky. The skeleton dragons will be flying in that sky and protect everyone! Imagine it! Krrk! That great city! Those who are alive will not be able to even utter the name of the city in fear! Krrk seemed to be deep under a spell by this grand n. My lord! What is the name of that great city? Ill tell you for the first time. The name of the city is Mors S. I dare to ask. What is the meaning of that? It has a simple and clear meaning. Only Death! *** The demons in the mountain have beenpletely wiped out. The remnants were justpreupied with recovering from damages and didnt even have any mindset to fight further. They have now recognized the existenceof the dead beings, but it was already toote. Some would leave the mountain, and some would continueto push for survival. No matter what, it wasnt a concern. What was important was that fact that the dead bodies were buried frozen everywhere in the mountain. They were important resourcesfor the purpose of the future fight with the demon dragon Schwarzertoyel. Hm, of course. I tried to bring a dad Ogre as undead, but the experience level did not move at all from level 4. It was no longer possible to raise the experience level with just the demon tribe members in the mountain. Then it was time to suppress Schwarzertoyel at once, without the need for any dys. I mobilized 80 undead in preparation for a battle. It was possibleto summon more, but doing so could cause harm. It was better to keep pushing while maintaining an appropriate level. Listen, everyone! This ce will be the greatest city in the history. Only of the dead! Only for the dead! Only by the dead! I promised that this will be the beginning of a legend. The undead cheered wildly. However, in order to begin this journey, Schwarzertoyel must be suppressed. This is the only road prepared before us, so there cant be any other opinion! Kayyyyyyyeh! Now, only the battle remained. The victor would rule this mountain. Chapter 39.1 Chapter 39.1 Whe-. Enjoying the blowing snow, I was admiring the mountainous scenery. Although it was already the middle of the winter, I did not feel much cold, perhaps, due to having be someone who had no blood or tears. How many winters have I weed here As this thought came to me, a sudden rush of regrets from the past 100 years spent in the game came over me. A countless number of failures have passed by me like a revolvingntern. They were being piled up, one by one, as bitterness in my heart. When a person fails a task that he has been preparing for 10 years, all of the sinking feeling from that could not be expressed. As it was about 100 years of time, how could anyone recall all of the bitterness. Perhaps that was why my obsession for a happy ending has been growing by the day. This time.. Unlike the other times, there was hope: an assassination scenario while ying asan ordinary yer, making contact with the One Who is Crouching in the Grave, a member of the Great Dark Army, learning the real name of Walpurgis, and other such opportunities. I was taking a different path than the onesfrom the past. Furthermore, the worlds secret gave me an opportunity to challenge ordinary ys, which was also one of the best moves. It was different than up to now. Unfortunately, there was a high possibility that the me of the past had mistaken the sess rate. Hmm.. That was that, but I felt something was strange. This world, it felt more real as time went by Ive been feeling regrets from the time I was in the dumps when I entered Spandau for the first time. I did not pay much attention as I was too busy ying, but the graphics of the snow blowingover the peak of that mountain seemed too realistic to believe. Wondering about it, I thought that Aqu might have performed graphic re-mastering. As the technology was changing by the day, that was also a possibility. I decided to not worry any more. The focus needed to be on attacking Schwarzertoyel. This y was very critical with respect to the future ys. OK, lets take care of the demon dragon first. I went up to the mountain, leading a total of 80 undead. The target location was Schwarzertoyels nest. The bastards nest was very easy to locate. It would be found by entering the giant cave located around the ridge of the 7thmountain. It was like there wasa shing neon sign, indicating that this is where the dragon nest was, but no one dared to invade it. Krrk, do not engage in this battle. Why do you give me such an order? Your servant is ready to die for your goals.. The thing is there is a problem. Unlike the other demons whom were dull, other than having physical strength in this mountain, Krrk was one of the rare intelligent ones. It would be a big loss should someone this useful was to die by the jaws of the dragon. The undead are brave, but the opposition is that demon dragon. As the collision will take ce several times, you need to take prudent steps. After exining the situation, I ordered him to continue to support me. Ill follow your highness order. Having nodded, I tapped on his shoulders as a sign of encouragement. There it is. Arge cave, big enough for dragons to go in and out of, was visible at about the mid-height of the mountain. I entered the cave without any hesitation. The cave was dug up such that traveling down the mountain was made possible. Certainly, it wasnt done by nature. Such a tunnel through which dragons coulde in and go out was created by magic. While traveling down, the beings protecting the nest were encountered several times, but there were no strong ones who could withstand the numbers. Since we were moving in waves, there was not much of a problem. And finally, weve reached the most inner ce, the location where Schwarzertoyel cohabitated with others. Is that the demon dragon.. In the center of themunity, a grand dragon was sleeping on the top of the nket of gold. Its size was incredible. I was impressed with that great size, but couldnt help hide my disappointment to some degree. Ive never seen a dragon this old before. The exterior of its wings looked damaged all over, and I wondered whether it could even fly around. The ck scales appeared to be missing in many areas, causing him to appear shabby. Kuwaaaah. Looking at its mouth as it opened wide when it yawned, most of its teeth were missing and only the gums remained. It made me think that perhaps, it wasnt able to chew meat, so it could only lick its food. I have always encountered this dragon as ahalf rotten dead one. This was because when I was ying as a guardianas the first half of the stories were full, I did not have a chance toe to such a remote location. The protectors were always very busy in the first half with the stories of betrayal, growth, and love. On the other hand, as an ordinary person, I did not have any fixed schedule. It was the best as far as the freedom level was concerned. This was because I was free to move as I had wished. So as this was the first time that I was able to see the living Schwarzertoyel, I was very disappointed upon seeing its shabby appearance. Chapter 39.2 Chapter 39.2 Certainly, it must have been a formidable dragon in its prime time. However, crouched, and shivering now and then as if it was cold, it even made my eyes watery. Maybe, it would be an easier foe than I had thought. There was even a permeating ambience which might cause one to think that it might take itsst breath during the night as it slept. Those old ones cannot withstand the changes of the seasons very well. Looks like he would be gone by the time spring arrives. I agree with you. Your highness. It even made me think about the possibility of waiting until the spring time. However, once a man took out a sword, it must be used. Turning back without engaging was not an option at this point. Everyone, attack! The undead that were fluttering maderge shrieking noises as they moved out in waves. With this.. It would be a lie to saythere was no confidence. However, although it appeared that they have been rushing towards Schwarzertoyel for a while, they have not reached him yet. It takes a while.. Perhaps, the closeness to him was miscalcted due to his enormous size. I realized this when the undead appeared to be the size of ants. Keaaaahhk! Even the undead that were screaming with shrieking cries appeared to be adorable as babies when they neared the dragon. So, it also felt like their screams sounded cute as well. Tack-tack. Using all their might, the undead tapped on theying dragon. Yet, Schwarzertoyel had no visible response for a while. Then finally, as if it has been annoying, he swung his arm. Kwaaang! Ploppp-! That was the end of it. My proud undead force was annihted with the sleepy swing of Schwarzertoyels arm. What the heck.. In the distance, there rolled round a countless number of bones. Such a way of getting annihted has never been imagined. This was even worse than the ground Drake. It was on a different level. To everyone it would seem like the same strategies from the fight with the ground drake were being used, but with a different level of mobilized force.The conditions of the undead have improved quite a bit. Also, I even have experience from battling a dragon in the past. Honestly, with all this, I thought it would be sufficient to bring trouble to an ill dragon. I did not think that we would be able to take care of it with a single attack, but I thought that with 5~6 repetitions, it would see its end. You! Damn dragon bastard! I couldnt retreat like this. To immediately bring back more undead, I rushed forward. Your highness! Ill maximize theposition rate of the vampires! The highest type of soldiers that could be summoned from the experience level 4 undead summoning was the vampires. I restrained myself as increasing theirposition rate would push me to the limit, but I could no longer restrain myself due to my anger. I felt like I was going insane upon witnessing that the dragon had annihted everything without even opening his eyes, no matter how great a dragon it was. And they were mainly ogre vampires, on top of it! The burden would grow bigger as the number of the bodies to be made into undead increased. On the other hand, they would certainly bestrong. So, that burden must be taken on. At this point, what was important was to cause damage to Schwarzertoyel. O, the warriors of death, whovee as soldiers, stand in formation before your master! Kwoooong! The ogres who had died were raised back as vampires. After making 30 ogre vampires like that, blood came out of both of my nostrils. She. Krrk tried to stop me as he watched, but I could not give up yet. O, the warriors of death, whovee as soldiers, stand in formation before your master! Additional 30 ogre vampires were created. Then this time, blood spewed out of my mouth. Kuuuuak! Cough! Fishy smelling blood flowed down along my chin. As I thought it could kill me if I was to continue it at this rate, I gave up making additional ogre vampires. Instead, they were reced with ghoul ughterers and specters. The fighting force that was made in this way was a maximum of 120, thats excludingthe 30 vampires that have been dispatched to the southwest of the empire. It was really a lot. Alright 60 ogre vampires. It is the best that I can do at this point. Even that bastard could not easily handle it at this level. Sixty ogres meant a disaster, by itself. Think about the battlefield where the 60 ogres were running around in madness. That would be a ce where the gusting winds of blood would be pummeling. Furthermore, the ogre vampires have been made stronger than before. Even if it was Schwarzertoyel, he couldnt be able to take it lightly. Ive elevated my assessment of the bastards fighting power to a much higher level. Even if it was weak and about to die, Ive raised its power assessment to the level of an ordinary adult dragons. However, even if for an adult dragon, facing 60 ogre vampires would not be an easy task. It was certainly true just only based on the past experience. Lets, Lets go.. Your highness. Are you truly all right? Normally, this would have been responded to as being annoying, but I did not even have the strength to say that. By removing the focus even for a moment, it felt like the summoning of the undead would be cancelled. Hanging on to Philly, I went down towards Schwarzertoyels nest. Chapter 39.3 Chapter 39.3 Attack! Bring me victory! With the emotion filled shouts, the 2ndwave of the undead attack ensued. After rushing to Schwarzertoyel, they diligently began to hit him at close range. It would be different this time around for sure. What, what? Schwarzertoyel did not even show a minute movement. Even the ogres were hitting him? Krng! Kring! Krrrng! Schwarzertoyel, instead, opened his nostrils wider as if to sneeze. It was because much dust has entered through his nostrils as the undead were beating on him for a long while. A-chew-a-chew! Finally, Schwarzertoyel sneezed in a great fashion. And at that moment, extremely deadly acid spewed out from his mouth and covered the undead. And with that, everything came to an end. Hey, Krrk. Yes, your highness. Those bones that are flowing about in that green acid are my proud military force? .. The loyal Krrk could not respond, and just kept silent. Schwarzertoyel, on the other hand, fell back to sleep as if he had never sneezed. Cough! Blood again spewed out of my mouth. I then lost my consciousness. *** Your highness! Your highness! I couldnt tell how long it had been, but I was able to wake up with Krrk, shaking me. Aaa How long was I out? It has been just under 20 minutes. Ive brought your highness to here. Looking around, I was able to tell that it was in the middle of the tunnel, leading to the nest. He must have brought me here as he couldnt leave me there. Haa. All the strength has escaped me from my body. Falling to the ground immediately, I was staring at the ceiling of the tunnel. Was this the dragon? Was it Schwarzertoyel, the infamous demon dragon. I must have underestimated the bastard. Hm? But then there was a system message on the screen.