Chapter 72: Hakajin
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 72: Hakajin
The sounds I heard were clearly human. The situation couldn't have been more interesting. Who would have thought that the one I had no expectations for would pull something like this off? I smiled faintly and sent a message to Baek Ahyeon.
[Lead your forces and fall back.]
[What? Y-Yes!]
[You don't all need to pull out. It would be best if you retreated with a few of the humans you brought. Are you in a position where you can't escape?]
[No, my Savior. Except for the warriors who went in d-deep...]
[I'm on my way.]
[Y-Yes!]
Mev, Hark, and I kept running. The scenery blurred past in an instant; that's how fast we were moving. The reason, of course, was curiosity. I was dying to know what kind of trick he had used to hunt the humans.
A cave came into view. Just as I'd seen before, the rocks standing on either side made it look like a canyon. It was almost funny; I was baffled that I hadn't considered the possibility of an ambush in that location back then. His posture and his act of being terrified must have clouded my judgment.
In the brief moment I was lost in thought, rocks came crashing down from above. The goblins on the rocks were continuously firing stones and arrows down below.
“Aaaargh! Get back! Get back!”
“A masterpiece.”
The word escaped my lips before I could stop it. That cave was a perfect trap. The human forces were already split. He had used a massive rockslide to completely separate the melee warriors from the priests and mages.
I shot forward. The path to the cave was blocked by the large rocks, so I had to circle around, but there was plenty of time. It didn't seem like his forces were in any danger. There were undoubtedly traps inside the cave as well. As I darted out to the side, Baek Ahyeon and the other mages were staring blankly in this direction.
[M-My Savior!]
For a moment, Baek Ahyeon screamed when she saw me. Of course, she wasn't foolish enough to say it out loud. The mages and priests were just preparing for battle, but they looked completely at a loss, unsure how to fight without a front line to protect them. I turned my gaze away from them. I didn't have the energy to deal with them, and besides, at least that many needed to survive for Baek Ahyeon to avoid suspicion.
“I-It's the Weapon Merchant!”
“The Weapon Merchant... Dammit... Why is he here...?”
It seemed they were summoners from Aia. I ignored them and continued speaking to Baek Ahyeon.
[It's good to see you after so long. Go back now.]
[Y-Yes....]
[You've done well.]
[I... I will be waiting for the day we meet again, my Savior...]
I could hear the disappointment in her voice, but this was no place for pleasantries. Public opinion would likely be split between rescuing them and not, but with the mages aware of my presence and Baek Ahyeon following my orders, it was highly probable she would sway the others toward abandoning the trapped warriors and retreating.
After all, the terrified voices I'd just heard definitely sounded like they wanted to get out of here. We climbed to the top of the canyon. Sure enough, I could see humans starting to scramble up the rock face. Some decided it was safer to enter the cave, but screams were coming from inside there as well.
“Victory! For victory alone! For Blood Dagger!”
“For Blood Dagger!”
There was no way Hark and Mev wouldn't get excited on a battlefield where blood and guts were flying. Hark immediately took his sword, climbed onto the canyon rim, and smashed the head of a man trying to escape, while Mev continuously fired arrows at the humans below.
I, too, took up my Greatsword Too Large to be a Sword and began darting about, cutting them down. Of course, my eyes never stopped searching for Hakajin. The Green Skins who were also on the canyon rim looked at us, wondering what was going on, but they seemed grateful for the help and kept chittering.
Then, magical energy began to rise from within the cave. Along with an unidentifiable sound, I felt my body gradually become more vigorous.
‘A shaman.’
Someone was casting buffs from inside the cave. It had to be Hakajin. Judging by the wide range and weak effect, it was likely some kind of totem-based shamanism.
‘Versatile bastard.’
His level as a shaman didn't seem very high, but the guy was incredibly smart. Compared to ordinary Green Skins who only knew how to charge, it was no exaggeration to call him a genius. When entering the cave proved to be a bad idea, many humans tried to climb the canyon walls, but there was no way they could make it up safely.
If it had only been Hakajin's group here, the humans might have been able to escape, but Mev and her bow wouldn't let them get away. As she began firing shot after shot from the greatbow we'd gotten from the Ancient Warrior's Grave, a man climbing the opposite cliff was skewered and died pinned to the rock.
Baek Ahyeon and the other humans who hadn't been invited into Hakajin's maw seemed to be getting farther away, and the humans isolated here were nearly wiped out.
“Hark.”
As soon as I called his name, a roar erupted.
“For Blood Dagger!”
I plunged my sword into the rock and slid down, the sound of the blade scraping against stone grating in my ears, but I paid it no mind. Seeing me drop, Hark did the same. I landed on the canyon floor before him and began to gift my greatsword to the near-dead humans.
“Krrrrrk.”
I kept cutting. It wasn't out of malice, nor was it to feel myself growing stronger. This was joy. This was a display of power.
After switching weapons, I swung the ‘Ancient Flame’. It must have registered as a critical hit, because an uncontrollable torrent of fire erupted from it. The fwoosh of the flames roared in my ears, and I felt an unbearable heat. It seemed the special abilities attached to items were also affected by my unique ability. I grinned and swung my sword.
“Aaaaargh!”
“Aaaaaargh!”
It was like a cat hunting a cornered mouse. Hark, who had arrived at some point, had summoned a new Hark and was also charging at the humans, sword swinging.
Arrows rained down, aimed at the humans below, but neither Hark nor I were foolish enough to be hit by a stray shot.
“Agh! That hurts!”
The new Hark, however, was not so lucky. It didn't seem like enough damage to hinder its movements. I smiled slightly at the cute sight. And by the time I realized I could no longer hear human screams, the battle was completely over. I glanced up at the canyon rim and saw something very interesting. Hakajin's goblins had their bowstrings drawn, aimed down at us.
“Interesting.”
But I wasn't worried. Mev was aiming an arrow back at them, and more importantly, there was no way arrows fired by goblins of that level would ever hit us. The goblins held their bows with anxious expressions. I figured they knew it as well as I did. Trying to fight us now would be a dog's death.
I simply sat down in a suitable spot and waited for him to come out of the cave. Soon enough, Hakajin slowly began to emerge. At the same time, the goblins lowered their arrows, one by one. Hakajin's group was the first to show they had no intention of fighting.
Hakajin looked at me, his eyes filled with some surprise.
He probably couldn't fathom why I, the one who raised his sword to fight for honor until death, was here.
“Forgive our rudeness...”
He was undoubtedly referring to his goblins who had aimed their bows at me. I didn't answer, just grinned.
“Krrrrrk.”
As expected, he scanned his surroundings with an anxious look. It was a face full of fear. Of course. This one was a coward. He was clearly the type to be cautious and worry about everything. I knew this type well.
The kind who always assume the worst.
Guys like this are always running calculations in their heads. What if a fight breaks out here... What if the humans come back... What if Blood Dagger tries to harm me...
And yet, the reason he came out here... was his own sense of responsibility. I looked at him with a genuinely amused expression and spoke.
“When we first met here...”
“...”
“You were going to kill us...”
“...”
He didn't answer.
“Krrrrrrk...”
This place was clearly both a refuge and a battlefield for them. I knew it from the way he lured us in when the Blood Dagger Clan first came to his settlement. If... if I had come with the intention of killing everyone in this settlement, he would have drawn his blade against us as well.
Of course, it would have been a losing battle for them. Even so, this Hakajin and his group were truly interesting.
“Hakajin.”
“S-Speak...”
They had no options left. He began to watch me with an anxious face. A million thoughts must have been racing through his mind. First, his failure to answer my question about trying to kill us. Second, the fact that he had just hidden away from us. But I wasn't here to reprimand him.
This one…
He would definitely…
Make the Blood Dagger Clan prosper.
Having organized my thoughts, I opened my mouth to speak to him.
“I want you and your group to join the Blood Dagger Clan.”
“Th-That is...”
He must have had some inkling, but his eyes went wide as if it were a complete surprise. The way he kept glancing around anxiously looked almost cute. The cave's location had been exposed. His settlement's location had been exposed to the humans. This group had lost its foundation for survival in this forest. No matter how you looked at it, accepting my offer was the right choice.
But his expression was reluctant. I had a good idea what he was worried about.
Dying a pointless dog's death in some absurd battle, of course.
“What is honor to you?”
He didn't answer my question. As someone who fled the Warrior's Exam... a truly honorless creature, it was understandable. But when I uttered the word "honor," his expression was clearly one of longing for something unseen.
“The honor we of the Blood Dagger Clan believe in is doing whatever it takes to win. It is surviving, no matter the cost.”
“Surviving is also an honor. Saving your clansmen is also an honor. You are an honorable warrior, Hakajin. The Blood Dagger Clan needs a warrior like you.”
At my words, his expression began to change strangely. He stood there for a moment with his mouth agape, as if in shock. It was funny, but he was clearly on the verge of tears. His methods were certainly not honorable. No Green Skin, aside from those in his own group, would ever understand Hakajin's way of doing things.
That must be why he lived in hiding, reluctant to reveal himself. I couldn't be certain, but he must have felt that he had just been ‘acknowledged.’
For the first time in his life, his way had been validated.
For a Green Skin, what could bring greater joy?
After a long moment passed.
Finally, he slowly brought a hand to his chest and spoke.
“I will follow you.”
His voice was thick with unshed tears.