Risk and Reward
The western plains baked under the afternoon sun, and the autumn wind that had been trembling through the grass seemed to have vanished without a trace.
As thirty wagons loaded down with cargo rattled along the road, a noblewoman’s carriage, which had been brought to a halt to make way for them, slowly began to move again.
“An inn station. All of you, slow your pace.”
It was a stone building well equipped with a stable and a watchtower, and it even had lodging large enough to house a considerable number of people.
About a dozen guards came out at once.
“Please stop for a moment.”
The officer conducting the inspection gave a crisp salute when he saw Ho-yeong’s Upper Knight medal and count’s brooch.
“I am Rio, Captain of the Thirteenth Guard Company. May I ask where you are headed?”
“Tamer Territory.”
“Do you have a pass?”
Ho-yeong almost, for no reason at all, blurted out that they did not.
“Without the king’s pass, we cannot let such a large armed force through.”
Lilian handed over the royal appointment and transit document for the Border County.
To the responsible officials of each region, I command that Count Joren Tamer, lord of Tamer Territory, and his party be allowed to pass without hindrance, and that all necessary conveniences be provided to them during their journey. If there be any brave enough to harm these travelers upon land or sea, let that person pause and consider whether he is truly brave enough to make war against the King of Kain.
Written in Queen Daisy’s own hand, the pass contained those terrifying words.
“So the city of Auphocalypse has now become Tamer Territory. We will spread the word properly.”
The guards looked upon the party with pity.
“Since Your Lordship also holds a knightly rank, and your retainers are soldiers as well, the toll is waived. You may also use every facility here free of charge. Will you be staying?”
“I thank you, but that won’t be necessary. There are so many of us. We’ll rest for an hour or two, and in the meantime I would ask only that you see to the horses.”
Ho-yeong ordered that both the pack animals and the men take their ease.
Pear, the maid, came up beside him and began massaging his shoulders.
“Master. Are you tired?”
She had meant to knead them.
“Agh, that tickles. Enough. You should go rest somewhere too, Peach.”
“...That was mean.”
She muttered behind Ho-yeong’s back after being brusquely pushed away, then pouted.
He does seem a little different from before. I heard it was a side effect of the resurrection, so maybe that’s why. Still, I didn’t expect we’d be walking the whole way like this. My feet hurt.
She had thought he might at least buy a donkey to carry her.
“No! We don’t have money for that... no, I mean, I can’t make special allowances just because you’re part of my household. The soldiers are all walking too. I’m not making you carry anything, so bear with it a little.”
Her awful master had refused flatly.
Still, I can endure it.
More than waiting endlessly in an empty mansion for her master to return, it was better to accompany him through a difficult journey, even if she could only stay by his side in misery for now.
For now I only trudge along on two feet like this... but one day, I’ll sit beside Master in the carriage.
Ho-yeong, unaware that Peach was already dreaming such dreadful things, stared out across the far horizon. The air shimmering with heat haze made the brush seem to sway even without wind.
Meanwhile, the soldiers had gathered in little groups around the campfire to rest.
“T-there are monsters on the highway? Why?! Isn’t Podwor Highway supposed to be blessed by the four angels so that monsters can’t even come near it?”
A young soldier who had only just shaken off his boyishness asked in alarm.
“Let me borrow a light.”
A woman stepped in with a pipe in hand; it was Rubia, newly appointed military priestess.
The soldiers handed her a fire starter, but she shoved the pipe straight into the campfire.
“Hoo. Hey, you little baby soldier there. Wondering why monsters are appearing on the highway? This big sister will tell you. In a word, the angels have been derelict in their duty.”
As though to demonstrate how blasphemy ought to be done, Rubia blew smoke up toward the sky.
“If they’re going to grant a blessing, they should see it through to the end. They dropped a buff and then did nothing else, so yes, dereliction of duty.”
The soldiers were scandalized.
“Why are all of you jumping so hard? Afraid you’ll get struck by lightning? It’s fine. You won’t die, you won’t die. If you do, big sis will resurrect you.”
“What if the priest gets struck by lightning?”
“Then you lot can resurrect me. If you could drag me to a nearby temple afterward, I’d appreciate it. And if I get struck and turn to charcoal and ash, you still need to bring me back in a box. There’s a better chance of resurrection if even some ash remains.”
“Pardon?”
The soldiers edged away from her one by one.
Rubia, having monopolized the campfire, stretched out her legs. Fortunately, no lightning fell.
“Lightning, huh... if the angels had really done their job, they’d be striking monsters with it instead of this useless priestess.”
The smoke she exhaled like a sigh drifted lazily toward Ho-yeong.
“Want a puff, my lord?”
The military priestess offered the pipe.
The lord took a firm pull.
If my little sisters knew this, they’d be horrified. Still, does it matter? This isn’t even my original body... and when I clear this, I’ll go back to my real one.
It was the first time he had smoked since becoming the head of a household.
“Not bad, is it? It’s from Thalia.”
“It’s good.”
The tobacco of this other world released a scent that was both biting and strangely smooth.
“What do you think, my lord?”
“About why monsters appear on the highway?”
In truth, Ho-yeong had a guess. He remembered what the status window had said on the first day he was possessed in this world.
For reasons unknown, the real world and the game world have become connected, and because of that, the world within the game has been distorted... something like that. It also said I was a chosen being meant to set things right.
But he couldn’t exactly say that to game characters.
“Right. Even the magic stones in streetlamps have to be recharged every year, so expecting a blessing that’s over five hundred years old to stay rock-solid is asking too much, isn’t it?”
Ho-yeong thought that, for someone who claimed to be a holy man, she was less devout than openly skeptical.
“Exactly. You have to keep up the aftercare, no, the maintenance, properly.”
“That’s right. That’s exactly it. I like how direct you are, my lord. Still, where are your parents? They aren’t traveling with you?”
“They died in an accident.”
His parents had died in a drunk-driving crash.
“Oh no. I’m sorry. Were they taken by monsters?”
Rubia had meant Joren Tamer’s parents, and in fact they had been killed by monsters, but Ho-yeong was thinking of his own parents.
“Yes. They were taken by monsters.”
The culprit had four prior offenses and even a hit-and-run on top of that. A bastard like that was monstrous enough not to deserve the name human. One day, Ho-yeong would catch him for good.
“Then I suppose we have something in common.”
The difference was that one of them had quit smoking after losing his parents, while the other had taken it up.
“All right, let’s do our best.”
Ho-yeong returned the pipe and grinned.
* * *
“Everyone, halt.”
Ho-yeong, standing at the front, raised a fist.
“What is it?”
Even to Lilian’s question, he gave no answer, only scanned the surroundings.
Sub quest issued! Defeat the monster Mandragorani. Required kills to complete the quest: 30 or more.
The status window had suddenly thrown him a quest. But there was no monster in sight anywhere.
Mandragorani. I ran into those all the time on the western plains stage. Trash mobs, but a complete pain in the ass.
A deerlike monster that screamed like a mandrake. Allies who heard a Mandragorani’s shriek received a debuff that drastically reduced attack speed and movement speed for a short time. Their health and attack power were nothing special, but even when they died, they died screaming. Annoying creatures, through and through.
“Listen up, all of you. The monster Mandragorani is around here.”
The western-born soldiers all pulled miserable faces, while the porters who had never heard of a Mandragorani merely tilted their heads.
“You guys don’t know? What kind of monster is a Mandragorani?”
Ho-yeong did not hesitate to issue his orders.
“All units, prepare for battle! First squad, take spears and form a ring around the cargo wagons to guard them.”
“Yes, sir!”
The soldiers obeyed at once. That was partly because his earlier coaxing had raised their conversion level, but also because they had come to trust Joren Tamer’s word on battle absolutely.
“Porters and Peach. Get some cotton, soak it in water, and stuff it in the soldiers’ ears. Right now!”
“Got it! Move, hurry up, now.”
Even Cadegil, leader of the porters, followed without complaint.
I wish we had proper earplugs, but if we don’t, we make do with what we have.
It was an order shaped by his experience serving in artillery.
“Second and third squads, follow me. Spread out and form a skirmish formation.”
It was the glorious moment when the former Purple Banner Company, now the standing army of Tamer Territory, was to enter its first battle.
The restless brush that swayed before Ho-yeong’s wide eyes was distracting.
There isn’t any wind, though?
The weather was clearly still, yet the grass was moving.
“Baunal! Throw stones into that brush!”
“Got it!”
The halfling Baunal spun his sling and let fly.
- Kiiyaaaaaaaagh!
A bizarre, horrifying scream rang out through the brush.
“Look over there in the thicket!”
The grass leaped up as though something had been yanked from the ground.
“Wh-what is that?!”
What they had thought was grass had actually been the little trees growing from the Mandragorani’s head.
Good grief.
Half the terrain they had mistaken for brush was nothing but the monster’s horns.
The creatures that had been hidden as though there were no need to hide any longer all rose up at once.
“Cavalry, charge!”
Ho-yeong shouted with a booming voice, perhaps aided by Joren’s soul.
Only then did he realize something belatedly.
Huh? Come to think of it, have I ever swung a sword before?