Chapter 13
Chapter 13
Chapter 13
Battle of Baran Village (1)
Demons never move easily.
Until a complete Demon Gate opens, most of their powers are restricted in this middle realm.
That means they would likely send subordinates who had contracted with them.
'It's ironic that even average subordinates are stronger than demons right now.'
If such subordinates were mixed among the bandits, the subjugation force would suffer unimaginable damage.
Of course, if they hadn't eliminated Caslay's blood magic stone, everyone would have been annihilated by the Death Knight, so he felt no guilt about the butterfly effect that was now occurring.
However, he still felt some responsibility for the current situation involving demon intervention.
'Hey.'
-What?
In response to Rudian's question, Diablo answered with an amused expression as if he knew everything.
'Help me out a bit.'
Having acquired him as a replacement for Adi who lacked attack capabilities, Diablo's cooperation was essential when force was needed.
-Kukuku, fine. Gauging the level of this era's descendants would be good entertainment too.
Diablo readily accepted Rudian's proposal.
-But remember this. No matter how freely I lend my power without asking anything in return, your current body is far too weak to accept my power.
'Damn it, I know.'
Even in the original story, only someone of "Sword Saint" Crux's caliber could freely wield Diablo. Others would have instantly turned into demons even without the curse of demonization.
-Kukuku, if you changed into a demon as I suggested, it would be so simple.
Of course, if he became a demon, he could wield Diablo without any restrictions and smash all the demons' skulls.
But afterward, whether it was the protagonist or some other secret society, the moment he was caught, he'd be beaten to death and leave this world.
'Eat this.'
Rudian flipped his middle finger at Diablo.
***
It was two days later when the Kingdom of Rohans soldiers disguised as bandits stormed into Baran Village.
-Master, they're coming.
Adi, who had been monitoring outside the village, informed Rudian.
-Fortunately, none of them possess demonic energy.
"...Is that so?"
It was unexpected that there were no demons or minions among them after they had crawled all the way here, but regardless, they were still enemies to him and the villagers.
"Haah, can't be helped."
To think he'd spend his remaining two days of vacation fighting such bastards.
Rudian stared at the strange dark-tinted longsword for a moment, then grabbed it and went outside.
"Ru, Rudian...!"
As soon as he opened the door, he saw Rebecca standing there with an anxious expression, her eyes trembling.
The bandits hadn't arrived yet, but she could sense the current dangerous situation through her Demon Eater blood's crisis detection ability.
"Don't worry."
Rudian gently reassured Rebecca and pushed her back inside the house.
"Ru, Rudian. Wait..."
"Just wait here for an hour. I'll be back soon after finishing this."
If they weren't demons, there was no need to handle it alone.
The village chief had already made sufficient preparations, so he only needed to provide a little assistance.
When he reached the village entrance, the vigilante group and the bandits were already in a tense standoff.
Holding a spear, the village chief fiercely rebuked the man who appeared to be the leader.
"This area is under the direct control of Count Iskar! Why are you threatening people like us? Aren't you afraid of the law?"
The man who appeared to be the leader responded with a heavy sneer.
"How ridiculous. Do bandits fear the law?"
"Don't make me laugh! We've already confirmed through the Information Guild that you aren't just ordinary bandits!"
"...Oh? The Empire's Information Guild is quite impressive."
Suddenly, killing intent began to surge from the leader's entire body.
The fact that he could directly emit killing intent showed that the opponent had clearly transcended the realm of ordinary people.
"I guess we've been too obvious in our activities and were quickly exposed. This means the Iskar people will soon be chasing us with their army."
The expression on his face as he spoke revealed considerable annoyance.
"Still, after suffering for days under those shitty orders, I need to get compensation from you all."
Rudian stared intently at the man who looked like a mountain bandit.
'That guy is not fully a knight’
-Name: Bernard Kalcho
-Occupation: Kingdom of Rohans Special Cavalry 'Cooper' 3rd Squad Leader
-Age: 32
-Title: None
-Strength: 17
-Agility: 21
-Vitality: 18
-Magic: 15
-Total Combat Power: 1,280
Even though he wasn't part of a knight order, someone at that level could handle the basics of magic.
Looking closely, besides the typical bandit attire, the small scars all over his body and the fewer than expected numbers suggested...
'So these guys are the ones who've been attacking nearby villages and hills.'
With combat now certain, fighting here would be suicidal.
"Village chief!"
"I know! Everyone, retreat!"
With Rudian's shout, the village chief immediately ordered the vigilante group to retreat.
"Eh? What's with these guys!"
"Where do you think you're going!"
After acting as if they were ready for a fight, the vigilante group suddenly fleeing left the bandits momentarily stunned and hesitant.
"You idiots! What are you waiting for? After them!"
Bernard, the cavalry squad leader disguised as a bandit leader, was the first to regain his senses and swung his sword at the retreating village chief's back.
BANG!
But Bernard's slash didn't reach the village chief's back as it was blocked by someone else's sword.
It was none other than Rudian's sword.
"He blocked it?"
For just one attack being blocked, Bernard's expression noticeably hardened.
Rudian, on his part, frowned at the tingling pain surging through both his hands.
'This bastard! He infused magic into his sword!'
With his magic stat, Bernard was a martial artist who could enhance his slashes with magic.
Though he couldn't create a magic sword, he could still slice through both an ordinary person's weapon and its owner.
-This situation is different from what you described... Should I just lend you my power?
'No, if the opponent is human, you stay out of it!'
Rudian rejected Diablo's offer and swung his sword.
Bernard avoided Rudian's attack and twisted his lips.
"For a youngster, you have a good sword."
"......"
"A nice trophy comes to me at the end. It's quite a lucky day today."
"Who said I'm giving it to you, you bastard!"
"Wh-what?"
Rudian spat out a crisp curse and then dashed into the village following the village chief.
Bernard roared at Rudian.
"You dare think of running away in front of cavalry!"
Naturally, under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have been able to escape for even a few seconds before his back was split open.
But there was a reason why Bernard and his subordinates couldn't move freely.
THWIP! THWIP!
Arrows that had suddenly flown from inside the village pierced straight through several cavalry and infantry.
"...These damn bastards!"
Bernard's eyes bulged as he saw several of his men become targets and collapse.
"These sons of bitches were prepared for this!"
Bernard's gaze turned toward where the arrows had come from.
There, vigilante group members and village elders were hiding behind rooftops, aiming at the enemy.
"You just figured that out now?"
Even while fleeing, Rudian taunted Bernard.
If demon minions had attacked, such preparations would have been meaningless, and he would have evacuated everyone.
But against purely human opponents, this ambush was plenty effective.
"There's hardly anyone inside the village. Did they evacuate in advance?"
After assessing the situation, Bernard's furious shout rattled his subordinates' eardrums.
"Kill them all!"
With that command, Bernard's subordinates charged into the village with battle cries.
"There aren't many archers! Be careful and there won't be any problems! Round them up and kill them one by one slowly!"
Bernard might not have talent in magic, but he was a somewhat experienced commander who had spent a few years on the battlefield.
"They may be a vigilante group, but they're just civilians. No matter how many there are, they can't defeat us!"
Indeed, though they wore the disguise of bandits, their essence was that of soldiers.
In a normal situation, each one could easily handle three or four vigilante group members.
Well, if it were a normal situation, that is.
SQUISH!
"Huh?"
Several men who were chasing the vigilante group on horseback fell right into traps laid nearby.
"Y-you rat bastards!"
The traps were crude and hastily made, but the bandits' complacency—never imagining the villagers would prepare this extensively—had played right into Bernard's blind spot.
And above all.
SLASH!
No one had expected that Rudian, who was running away like his tail was on fire, would suddenly behead one of the men caught in the trap.
"Phu, phuuh! This son of a bitch!"
"He knows how to use a sword! Don't underestimate him just because he's young—he blocked the captain's sword!"
The enemies became more cautious than before and didn't rush in recklessly.
Rudian and the village chief knew this was a good opportunity for them.
"Shoot arrows! Lure them deeper inside!"
At the village chief's shout, the hidden archers fired a few arrows at the approaching enemies, then immediately joined the vigilante group in retreat.
In this situation, a subordinate asked Bernard:
"Captain, what should we do?"
"It seems they're well prepared, perhaps we should wait for the backup unit..."
The subordinate's advice was appropriate, but Bernard, whose anger had risen to his head, didn't listen.
"Wait for backup just to catch guys like them? Chase them now!"
Under Bernard's pressure, the subordinates had no choice but to enter the village.
The village chief, seeing everything proceeding according to the original plan, turned to Rudian.
"Are you sure you'll be alright, Rudian?"
In this plan, Rudian was in the most dangerous position.
He was the bait to lure in the enemies.
Rudian calmly nodded at the village chief's worried gaze.
"We need to reduce their numbers as much as possible. No matter how great the quality difference, if we use the terrain advantage, we have a chance."
"That's not it. No matter how much experience you've gained as the young lord's servant, you're still a youngster who hasn't even reached adulthood. How long can you hold against those soldiers disguised as bandits!"
"...Haha!"
Yes, with his original skills, he would struggle against even a single cavalryman or one or two soldiers.
Even though he had received some training from knights using Calline's influence, after only 1-2 years, he wasn't skilled enough to present his credentials anywhere.
But from now on, things will be different.
"Don't worry. I definitely won't die."
"Where is this confidence coming from...?"
"Because fortune has followed me, allowing me to at least get a foothold in this wretched world."
That fortune was still waving its tentacles around, observing the situation.
Rudian spoke to the village chief while holding Diablo in his hand.
"I'll be back."