Chapter 37
Chapter 37
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Battlefield of the Mongrels (1)
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Elena's traveling party walked for about three days.
Of course, every night during those three days, we all camped together.
'Even she camps out.'
The surprising part was that Elena, a pureblood noble, camped out too.
Well, in her case, she ate and slept inside the carriage, so calling it "camping" felt a bit off.
Still, I realized that on the road, whether mongrel or pureblood, everyone ended up sleeping on the ground.
And during those three days of travel, Ireila came over to my side quite often.
"Hey, when did you get that scar on your body?"
"Which scar."
"This one."
Poke.
Among the countless scars on my body, she pressed her finger against a pretty big one on my forearm.
Then she gently prodded it, examining the scar.
"Don't remember."
"You got injured this badly and you don't remember?"
"...How many scars do you think I have on my body?"
"...Ten?"
"That wasn't a real question."
Honestly, I was curious too about why this body had so many scars.
What the hell was this guy doing before I possessed him?
Did he even have parents?
Such questions popped up sometimes.
"Why didn't you heal it right away when you got the wound? You have regeneration, right?"
"Probably didn't have it back then."
"Can you get it later too?"
"...You're way more curious than you look?"
"More than I look...? How do I look?"
"......"
Another question.
With her blank face, she stared at me with bright, sparkling eyes, waiting for an answer.
What was with all these questions?
"Hey, what kind of person did you think I was?"
"......"
"Hey, what kind of person did you think I was?"
"......"
"Hey hey, what kind of per—"
"Argh, fine, I get it! I'll answer!"
Even when she shut her mouth, the questions didn't stop.
If anything, she clung even more persistently than during our match.
I had no choice but to play along with her boredom as we traveled.
"Hmm... An emotionless killer? The type who'd kill a whole mouse family, babies and all, without hesitation... Something like that?"
"......"
But when I answered honestly, her mouth shut for once.
What was that? Did I say some magic word?
Maybe there's a code key to stop her questions...
—Thwack!
"Kyaaak!"
"......"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Ancestor 'Eternal Teacher of the Fairies' bursts out laughing!] [Ancestor 'Star Prophet' chuckles softly.] "......"
"Can I tell you how you look to me too?"
Ireila, who had kicked my shin, asked me again with her blank face, as if nothing had happened.
And then.
As I stared at her silently, cursing her with my eyes.
"Hey, you mongrel."
"Me?"
"You see any other mongrels around here?"
"Nope."
"Good. Come here."
An elf soldier on horseback called out to me from in front.
As I approached him, his subordinate soldiers threw a cloth over my face.
I couldn't see a thing.
"What's this?"
"From here on, it's an elven confidential zone. Can't have a mongrel mercenary seeing it, so we're blinding you."
"......"
A bag-like thing over my face gave me a creepy chill for a second.
Was that just an excuse? Were they actually taking me to an execution ground?
Was the whole "hired for war" thing a lie?
If so, when should I bolt?
Such thoughts swirled in my head.
And right then.
Swish.
"......"
"Can I lead this mongrel?"
A warm, soft hand suddenly grabbed mine.
And Ireila's voice came from beside me.
"...Tch, do whatever."
"Okay."
After that, I heard the horse hooves receding into the distance.
And then Ireila's voice came again.
"It's fine. They're really just covering your eyes because they have to. Not doing anything bad."
"...Wasn't thinking anything."
"Really?"
"...Yeah."
"Good, then. Your body was shaking, so I thought you were scared."
"......"
I wasn't scared.
I was just loosening up in case I had to run soon.
The muscle tension made it tremble visibly, that's all.
"Let's go? Can you walk?"
"Don't talk to me like I'm a kid."
"Pfft, you'd trip without me holding your hand."
"......"
And so, holding Ireila's hand, I walked down the pitch-black path.
'Damn, can't even smell anything...'
The bag over my head reeked of strong perfume, like some spice or incense.
Thanks to that, sound was my only clue to what was around me.
And a short while later.
"Wait a bit."
We stopped walking.
"Let's go."
At Ireila's signal, we started again.
About an hour later, maybe.
"You can take it off now."
Ireila suddenly stopped me and pulled the bag off my head.
We'd only walked an hour—had we already passed the confidential zone?
"Wha—"
"First time in the elves' forest?"
"......"
And as the hood came off.
A vast forest full of green stretched before my eyes.
"......"
Trees towering like small buildings went on forever.
The elves' forest.
"Teleportation?"
"Yeah. Didn't feel weird?"
"Didn't notice at all."
"Good thing. Must suit your constitution."
The "confidential zone" must've been a hidden transfer magic circle linking to the elves' forest.
That would make it confidential.
Anyone who knew could sneak in easily.
Back when I played, such methods existed, but I used them freely without thinking, so I never connected it to "confidential zone."
Thus, I admired the elves' forest—my first time seeing it for real—and resumed walking.
"Mongrel, you're this way."
A few hours into the forest, we hit a fork.
We split up.
Elena went right; I went left.
"What're you doing? Go on. Your master's that way."
"......"
Even at the fork, Ireila stood by me for a bit.
When I asked why she wasn't chasing the carriage, she glanced at me.
"Don't die."
"What?"
"See you later."
"......"
Then she walked past me toward Elena's carriage.
"......"
Was she... worried about me?
...The girl who tried to kill me in the match?
Traveling together had built some rapport, sure.
'Guess she's not as emotionless as she seems.'
I couldn't read her blank face or know her thoughts.
But the fact she worried made me smirk unwittingly.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The war zone was north of the elven nation.
Where elven lands met the chaos tribe's territory.
It took a week from the teleport spot.
...A total of ten days camping on the march.
'My bones ache...'
Good thing this mongrel body was tough.
Felt like I'd done one of those legendary thousand-li marches.
Ten days of nothing but walking in my memory.
Now I got why armies drill marches.
"You're the mongrel they hired this time?"
"Yes."
Upon reaching the war camp, I saw proper-looking tents.
I was handed off from Elena's soldiers to an elf soldier at the front, then led into a large tent.
"Lady Elena paid a fortune, so I figured she'd hired hundreds of laborers..."
"......"
"Just you?"
"Instead of sending droves of my kin to die, they sent just me."
"You're standing in for hundreds of laborers?"
"Yes."
"......"
The elf soldier in the tent.
No—general, probably.
Blond hair, but brown eyes, so not pureblood.
Half-elf born of purebloods, or normal caste, maybe.
He eyed me closely at my honest answer.
Then snorted.
"Hah, what baseless arrogance for a mere mongrel."
"......"
"Lady Elena's too naive and kind. Falling for a mongrel's begging..."
"......"
The elf general shook his head, lamenting.
I stared at him in disbelief.
Not because he dissed me.
'That bitch is kind...?'
What nonsense.
How could a psycho who tries to kill you over spilled milk be kind?
Elves really are hard to understand.
"Mongrel, what's your name."
"No name. Number 17 Gladiator Slave. That's basically my name."
"Hm, fine. Number 17. You're with the 2nd Reconnaissance Unit from today."
"Yes."
"Go prove your words, mongrel. ...Die worth the coin."
"Yes."
Reconnaissance Unit...
Sounds like sneaking into enemy lines to scout.
'But nah.'
A unit including a mongrel like me.
Probably all mongrels.
Would they give mongrels safe jobs?
No way.
"Ooh! Newbie!"
"Number 17 Gladiator Slave. Call me Number 17."
"Hahaha! Gladiator slave, eh. Most mongrels dragged to war are. Come on, I'll show you your tent."
Led by another elf soldier, I reached the 2nd Reconnaissance Unit.
The unit leader, introduced as Karloph, welcomed me.
Maybe because I'm a mongrel, the leader himself showed the newbie around.
'Damn... Looks like a refugee camp...'
The 2nd Recon camp reeked of rot and blood.
Soldiers outside sat dazed; some had limbs hacked off, just bandaged.
Others, cheeks hollow like starvation ghosts, shuffled about.
"Hey, Captain. Mind if I ask one question?"
"Oho, hahaha! This mongrel buddy's got manners! Sure, what's up?"
"What's our unit's main mission?"
No need for formal speech, but army habits slipped out.
Would drop it if no reports needed.
First impressions matter.
"Ooh, eager already."
Karloph smiled, but his dead eyes answered.
"Our job's infiltrating enemy lines for intel or assassinations."
"......"
"Haha! That look—like 'why mongrels for that?'"
"......"
Noticing my doubt, Karloph laughed heartily.
"Because we're mongrels. That's why we get those jobs."
"......"
Treated worse than bugs, mongrels.
Elven units of them were moth-to-flame stuff.
Wipeout? Fine. Intel? Good. Assassination? Great.
Suicide squad, basically.
This 2nd Recon Unit.