Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: One Man Army
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A moment ago.
“I heard that up until about fifty years ago, this place was the biggest battlefield in the entire region. Something about having massive magic stone deposits?”
It was just as Begman was casually sharing an old story about the area.
[Notification: The trace of a deceased soul has been detected.]
[Notification: A Lingering Will remains somewhere nearby.]
‘Huh?’
Carlyle glanced around at the notification window that had appeared before him, then spotted a rusty sword stuck in the ground.
The sword was chipped in several places, half-broken, and so covered in rust it looked as if it would crumble into dust at any moment.
It was clearly a sword that had been abandoned during one of the dozens, or hundreds, of battles that had taken place here.
And within that sword dwelled the lingering will of a fallen soul.
[Notification: Lingering Will discovered.]
[Notification: Reading the trace left behind by the deceased.]
The memory of the departed, their final moments, unfolded before Carlyle’s eyes.
‘Die!’
‘Kuhahaha! You weaklings of the continent! I’ll slaughter every last one of you!’
The barbarians were numerous.
In contrast, the Decaron forces were hopelessly outnumbered.
It was a situation no different from the one Carlyle’s group was currently in.
‘I will hold them off.’
A single knight stood alone against the enemy.
‘N-No! You must come with us!’
‘Go!’
The knight shouted at the men who followed him.
‘Go, now. Do not stop, and do not look back. That is my final order.’
With those words, the knight drew upon all the strength he possessed.
It was the last resort available to him.
It wasn't enough to simply detonate all his mana at once; he was even drawing upon his own life force.
‘My back to my allies, my sword to my foes. Here, I shall burn myself away with all my being.’
The vision faded with the knight’s last words and the sight of the charging barbarians.
[Notification: Lingering Will read.]
[Notification: The Lingering Will can be absorbed.]
Slowly, Carlyle’s hand reached out and touched the hilt of the rusty, broken sword.
[Notification: Lingering Will absorbed!]
[Notification: Skill acquired!]
*Swoosh!*
A new power settled within Carlyle’s body.
It was the noble and sublime will of the knight who had once stood alone to protect his men.
[One Man Army]
None shall pass me.
Effect:
- All stats +200% when fighting multiple enemies alone.
“All of you, go on ahead! I’ll hold them off here!”
Carlyle’s shout echoed across the battlefield.
“You crazy bastard! What are you talking about!”
“Nonsense!”
“You dying alone won’t save the rest of us!”
The reconnaissance team members shouted, dismissing the idea.
All but one person.
“Hmm.”
Kudo, ‘Slit-Eyes,’ observed Carlyle carefully, a look of belief in his eyes.
“Captain! Let’s just go!”
“What?”
“It looks like Private Carlyle has a plan, so I think we should go on ahead!”
“This son of a bitch! Why are you acting like this too? Ugh! We’re all about to die, and you’re spouting this kind of crap…”
“He’s a Sigmund! A Sigmund! Don’t you know the saying? You’re not supposed to worry about a Sigmund!”
Kudo yelled as he cut down an approaching barbarian.
Indeed, such a saying existed in the North.
*You don’t worry about a Sigmund.*
*The only ones who can worry about a Sigmund are other Sigmunds.*
It was a phrase born from the centuries during which those of Sigmund blood had displayed power that was simply beyond compare.
It was so extreme that people even said they were a different species altogether.
Kudo’s words were decisive.
‘It’s like a mouse worrying about a cat.’
‘Come to think of it, that kid’s a Sigmund.’
‘Right. Who’s worrying about whom?’
No matter what anyone said, Carlyle was a man who carried the blood of the Sigmund family.
And among them, wasn't he a direct descendant of the purest bloodline?
“I’m heading out first!”
Kudo took the combat engineers and broke away from the battlefield, dashing toward Bowden Fortress.
“Sh-Should we go?”
“Hmm.”
With Kudo leading the way, the other reconnaissance team members also began to cautiously back away.
“A-Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
“I’ll be fine, so just go. You’re in the way.”
“I-In the way?”
“Yes, in the way.”
“R-Right. Understood. We’ll go first, so catch up quickly. Don’t you dare die. We’re not abandoning you, we’re going because we trust…”
“Ugh, just go.”
“Fine! We’re going!”
Begman turned his back on Carlyle, limping away.
As the reconnaissance team members and combat engineers left the battlefield one by one, Carlyle was left alone.
Just like the knight who had fought valiantly and died facing the enemy alone to save his allies.
***
The barbarians, the Raging Hoof Cavalry, did not pursue the retreating Decaron forces.
They merely sneered.
“Puhahaha!”
“They’re trying all sorts of things!”
“Do they really think that one scrawny little brat can stop us?”
The reason the Raging Hoof Cavalry let the Decaron forces go was their confidence that they could catch them again at any time.
Chasing them on their boars, they could catch up in the blink of an eye. They felt no need to hurry.
“You there.”
Orka, the leader of the Raging Hoof Cavalry, spoke nonchalantly.
“Is it true that you’re a Sigmund?”
“Maybe, maybe not.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Figure it out yourself.”
“Insolent whelp.”
Orka frowned.
“I was going to let you off easy for being amusing, but it turns out you’re just a disrespectful brat who doesn’t even know a warrior’s honor. Don’t you know it’s proper etiquette for warriors to state their names?”
“That’s bullshit.”
Carlyle stated flatly.
“What’s the point of knowing things like that when we’re just here to kill each other?”
“What did you say?”
“I have no interest in learning the names of those I’m about to kill.”
“Keuk!”
Orka bared his yellowed teeth and laughed.
“Are you trying to say you can take us all on by yourself? Surely not?”
“Of course.”
“Did you all hear that? This brat says he’s going to kill us all!”
“Puhahahaha!”
The barbarians burst into laughter.
“What a reckless little fool! Keuk-keuk! Keuk-keuk-keuk!”
“Hey! Brat! Go drink some more of your mommy’s milk! Kuhahaha!”
The barbarians thoroughly ignored and ridiculed Carlyle.
From their perspective, Carlyle was nothing but weak.
He was tall, sure, but he wasn’t particularly large, was he?
His face was unscarred and his features weren’t fierce.
Furthermore, the uniform he wore was shabby, and his rank insignia was that of a lowly private.
It was only natural for the barbarians to find Carlyle amusing.
After all, the reason the Raging Hoof Cavalry hadn't pursued the Decaron forces was because they planned to toy with Carlyle before killing him.
“You little…”
Orka’s expression suddenly turned menacing.
“I thought you were a brave pup, but it turns out you’re just an idiot who doesn’t know his place. I would have thought more highly of you if you had at least shown some fear and trembled.”
“I have no desire to be well-regarded by a bunch of dead men, so cut the chatter and just come at me.”
“Hmph! I’ll make sure to kill you as cruelly as possible. We’ll see if you can still spew such insolent words after I’ve skinned you alive and hung you up to dry.”
No sooner had Orka finished his words than a rider spurred his boar and charged toward Carlyle.
“Hiyah, hiyah!”
“Squeeeal!”
“I’ll turn you into a flattened piece of jerky! Kuhahat!”
*Thud-thud-thud!*
The boar, wearing a helmet and armor on its shoulders and chest, was like a living chariot.
Its weight of several hundred kilograms, combined with its high speed, gave it enough destructive power to completely crush a person.
Carlyle did not dodge the charging boar.
*Flash!*
As Carlyle swung Grimungandr, a black glint of light flashed.
And…
“…!”
The eyes of the watching barbarians widened as if they were about to pop out of their sockets.
*Thud, thud!*
The boar that had been about to ram Carlyle—or rather, what was left of it—crashed to the ground in two pieces.
Along with the barbarian rider who had been on its back.
“I don’t know about anything else…”
Carlyle slowly began to speak.
“But maybe because I’ve died by being run over once before, I’ll pass on a repeat performance.”
“W-What are you talking about?”
“Don’t mind me. Just talking to myself.”
Carlyle flicked Grimungandr clean and activated the skill he had just acquired.
One Man Army, activate.
*Fwoosh!*
A sacred energy erupted from Carlyle.
He looked as if he were wreathed in holy flames.
“Who’s the predator, and who’s the prey?”
Carlyle launched himself toward the barbarians.
***
“W-We really shouldn’t have just left him there!”
Having returned safely to the fortress, Begman was pacing back and forth, wringing his hands in anxiety.
“Let’s go back for him now!”
“Captain.”
Kudo spoke quietly, as if dealing with a child.
“What’s going to change if we go back for him now?”
“But the rookie is all alone…”
“You seem to keep forgetting, but Private Carlyle is also a Sigmund.”
“W-Well, that’s true.”
“No matter how much of a good-for-nothing train wreck he is, his bloodline is still there. Let’s just wait quietly. Private Carlyle must have had a reason to send us ahead.”
“Hmm.”
Although Begman seemed to accept Kudo’s words, he couldn’t shake his worry for Carlyle and stared endlessly out of the fortress.
“Marder, you bastard! What happened to the rookie? I told you to send your familiar to check!”
“I’ve already told you four times that the trees are too dense to see anything.”
“R-Right, you did?”
“If you were going to be like this, you should have stayed behind too, Captain. You ran away and left the rookie just like the rest of us.”
“What did you say, you bastard?!”
Begman glared at Marder.
“That’s because the rookie told us to go quickly since we’d be in the way!”
“So you just leave because he says so? When a lowly private says he’ll stay behind alone?”
“Keuk.”
“I know you’re worried, but this isn’t changing anything. For now, let’s just trust the rookie and wait!”
There was another person worried about Carlyle.
‘Private Carlyle. You may be unreliable, but you are a Sigmund. As a Sigmund, please, come back alive.’
Just as Helen was thinking of Carlyle and praying for his safe return…
“H-Hey! Look over there!”
“…!”
Everyone’s gaze turned in the direction Russell was pointing.
Outside the fortress.
A handsome man, drenched head to toe in blood, was trudging toward the fortress.
He was covered in so much blood that a long trail of it marked the path he had walked.
“Open the gate! Open the gate! Now!”
Helen shouted urgently.
*Creeak, thud!*
The gate opened, and he returned to Bowden Fortress.
Carlyle looked no different than usual.
Although his expression was a bit more sullen than normal…
“Uwahaha!”
Begman, despite his limp, rushed over to Carlyle in a single bound.
“You’re alive! You came back alive! You bastard! How on earth did you survive? Huh? In that situation, how…”
“I killed them.”
“Huh?”
Begman was taken aback by Carlyle’s answer.
“K-Killed them?”
“Yes.”
“You mean… all those barbarians? By yourself?”
“Yes.”
“…”
Begman was at a loss for words.
He couldn't possibly imagine one person slaughtering nearly fifty barbarians all by himself.