Chapter 7
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: The Pride of Living as a Human
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"My lord!"
"What happened?!"
Viscount Domos grabbed the steward who had come rushing in, shaking his shoulders impatiently before the man could even catch his breath.
"W-Well... By the time Philip the caravan leader and the mercenaries we hired came to their senses, everything had vanished without a trace. The goods, the bandits... all of it..."
"Oh no, oh no, I'm dying...!"
"Gasp! My lord! Are you all right?"
Viscount Domos clutched the back of his neck and collapsed to the floor. The steward, startled, rushed to support him.
But despite the steward's genuine concern, all he got in return was an irritated slap.
Slap!
"You idiot! Does this look all right to you? The goods in that carriage were worth a whopping 30,000 gold. 30,000 gold! And it got stolen right under our noses—do you think you'd stay sane if it were you?"
30,000 gold was equivalent to three months of operating expenses for the Domos viscounty. Even for Viscount Domos, it wasn't the kind of money you could easily replace.
'That's why I said to send the regular army as escorts! He opposed it, saying leaks from inside would make it riskier—and now he's taking it out on me? Damn it!'
"I-I'm sorry. Should we raid their hideout right now?"
The steward's question carried a strong implication that they had known the Resistance's hideout all along.
So why were they leaving the Resistance alone despite knowing their base? The answer came from the viscount's response.
"Not yet. Their numbers are bigger than we thought. If we'd caught it earlier, maybe, but if we strike now, we'll take heavy losses. In our current situation, we can't afford to reduce our private soldiers."
From the perspective of a lord with territory, the number of private soldiers he commanded was power itself.
Sure, he could forcibly conscript as many as needed, but training them cost money too. It was best not to lose them needlessly.
"Oh, and Philip—the one who survived—mentioned something. One of the bandits used Lightning Mana."
"Lightning Mana? What's that?"
"I looked into it since I didn't know either, but it was all just legendary tales. Something about 'gods' mana' or 'king of mana.' Most of the great heroes and villains who shook the world in the past were said to possess it..."
Reading Viscount Domos's expression, the steward trailed off. The viscount irritably scratched his head and snapped back.
"So, you're saying a great hero or arch-villain straight out of legend personally graced this backwater and swept away all my treasures?"
"That's not what I'm saying... It was Philip who..."
"Sigh... Where's that bastard Philip? I need to knock his teeth out first to feel better."
Viscount Domos rose in outrage—right as another shout came.
"My lord! My lord!"
The deputy steward came barreling in, and Viscount Domos reacted irritably, sensing something ominous.
"What now?!"
"Word from the spy! It seems he's coming out of the valley with minimal men!"
"What?! Is that true?"
The deputy steward hurriedly handed over the sealed letter. As Viscount Domos scanned it eagerly, the corners of his mouth curled up in delight.
In the deep, dark night, a group moved stealthily through the forest depths.
They were heading to the appointed place at the appointed time: none other than the Resistance leader and his escorts.
"No matter how I think about it, this feels dangerous. You should turn back while there's still time..."
One of the escorts, Bix, tried to persuade the leader even now, but the leader's resolve remained firm.
"No opportunity without risk. If he wants something from us, it's worth negotiating in exchange. And even if things go wrong for me, Rex can take over. Are you doubting Rex's abilities?"
"You know that's not it!"
"Then quit yapping and let's go. He might arrive first and wait."
The place they cautiously approached was a small, abandoned cabin in the woods—used occasionally by hunters or woodcutters to shelter from rain. Nothing was inside.
'Looks like he hasn't arrived yet.'
They'd arrived 30 minutes early, but there was no sign of the other party—not even a shadow.
Too early, perhaps. But as 10 minutes passed, then 20, the escorts grew anxious.
"Leader, are you going to wait longer?"
"The appointed time hasn't come yet. We're not impatient puppies—wait quietly."
Under the leader's stern command, Bix sighed and glanced aside. There stood Henderson, calmly waiting behind the leader for Johann.
"What's with you staying so calm? You'd usually be more worked up than me by now."
"The leader said to wait quietly. And he didn't seem like the type to scam us over something like this."
"Evidence?"
"None. Just a feeling."
Bix's sigh deepened at Henderson's absurd answer.
Then the appointed time arrived.
"What, you guys are early?"
Bix and the leader broke into a slight cold sweat at the masked man's casual speech and sudden appearance.
Outside, the handpicked elite Resistance escorts stood guard like an iron wall. Yet the man had appeared silently before their eyes—naturally unnerving.
'If he'd wanted to, we would've been dead long ago.'
"Those guys outside your escorts? Quite the tight security—must've picked the best."
"I've heard from Henderson. You seem even more impressive than I imagined. I'm Gellpin, currently leading the Resistance despite our shortcomings."
As Gellpin offered a handshake, Johann took it and asked,
"Huh? Isn't the knight captain of this viscounty someone with the same name? Coincidence?"
"No coincidence. I'm the same Gellpin Douglas, former knight captain, that you know of."
"Did the knight captain position taste that bad that you ditched it to become a bandit leader? Or does banditry pay better?"
'This guy!'
Bix bristled at Johann's consistently dismissive attitude toward his leader, stepping forward. He didn't mind insults to himself, but not to Gellpin.
Swoosh...
'Henderson? You...'
But Henderson—who revered the leader far more than he did, a hothead who snapped at the slightest provocation—blocked him instead.
Bix swallowed his rage and decided to watch a bit longer.
"My goal has always been one thing: to make this wretched territory a little better to live in. I trained relentlessly, studied relentlessly, and rose from commoner to knight captain—a position beyond my station. But..."
"And all you confirmed was your own powerlessness."
"Exactly as you say. I couldn't change a thing alone. If I hadn't risen that high, my little sister might never have caught the eye of a beast like Sazan..."
Gellpin's calm expression finally shifted.
That day he returned from a grueling campaign...
Recalling Sazan's desperate attempt to rape his sister and her wailing resistance still made his blood boil in reverse.
"So you beat the viscount's eldest son like a dog? Enough to keep him out of public for three months?"
"I still regret it."
"That you held back?"
"No. If I'd beaten him to death, I wouldn't feel this lingering unease. Back then, seeing the brat beg for his life as the lord's son, my fists stopped. Of course, now I'd smash his face to pieces."
"Puhahaha!"
Johann couldn't hold back his laughter at Gellpin's candid honesty.
"Sorry for laughing. I was just curious. A knight captain who could live well here—barring House Domos—why slit the belly of the golden goose?"
'That explains why it was omitted even after the Resistance was crushed. A knight's family assaulted by the one he swore loyalty to... No knight would pledge to Sazan if that got out.'
Johann stood and walked to the window, speaking.
"So they stripped your title and exiled you to cover it up. Executing you would've let House Crimford learn what Sazan did."
"I don't think I was lucky. Even knowing I'd die for sure, I'd make the same choice if I went back. No—then I'd kill Sazan with my own hands."
"You're crazy. Then again, you wouldn't have formed and backed the Resistance as a knight captain without that madness."
"You knew that far?"
Johann understood Gellpin's surprise.
It was common knowledge after the Resistance was wiped out, but now only a few knew.
Johann hid his foreknowledge with a convenient excuse.
"The knight captain turning up as leader of the Resistance, our mortal enemies? That's the only explanation that makes sense. Unless the Resistance is just local thugs worshiping their enemy boss because he's a bit strong?"
"I can't take this anymore!"
"Bix!"
"Hey, you...!"
Bix finally exploded. Henderson and Gellpin urgently tried to stop him, but he poured it out.
"I joined the Resistance because I wanted to live like a human... like a person! If I planned to crawl like a dog licking the lord's soles, I'd have endured it! But in the Resistance, taking on missions ten times riskier, facing death countless times—I was human here!"
"Who doesn't know that? Shut up and stay put now!"
Henderson sweated bullets, glancing at Johann. Johann stared back with colder eyes than ever, but Bix only grew bolder.
"Let go, you bastard. Know what makes me happiest since joining? Saying what I want. If you can't even speak, you're just a muzzled beast, not human. Listen, I don't know or care how great you are that even Henderson and the leader fawn over you. See? No one's making me."
"Bix! One more reckless move, and I'll cut you down here!"
Shing.
Gellpin drew his sword to Bix's throat, apologizing to Johann.
"Forgive us. My subordinate is so unlearned he committed a grave rudeness unintentionally."
"Let him be. He's not wrong. People should live saying what they want. And I was rude too. So, what do you want to say?"
Johann himself egged it on.
With Johann's permission, Bix challenged him boldly.
"Fight me. If you win, I'll be your slave forever—whatever you command. But if I win, apologize to my comrades you looked down on."
"Bix!"
"Hey, you!"
Gellpin and Henderson tried to restrain him, but Bix was resolute.
Johann, whom Bix expected to be offended, nodded approvingly instead.
"Henderson, you, seems the Resistance is full of fearless guys. The more lunatics like you, the better for me. Fine, I accept. But first, let's clean up the trash."
"What does that..."
Then—
"Leader! Big trouble! Soldiers! The area's completely surrounded!"
Tension filled the room as a subordinate burst in through the door.