Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Star Feast (1)
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□□ □□ □□ smiled.
An unexpected auditory hallucination in the midst of a frantic crisis.
Before I could even realize what it was, the dim plains brightened as if it were midday.
There was no way morning had suddenly broken.
It was an incomprehensible phenomenon.
□□ □□ □□ waved its hand.
The mumbling hallucination continued.
There was no time to think.
I didn't know what kind of trick this was, but for now, stopping the enemy was the priority.
I released the fully drawn bowstring.
“Agh!”
With a scream, the enemy charging at the very front collapsed.
“There’s an archer in ambush!”
“Where?”
The speed of the relentlessly advancing enemies slowed.
“It’s not an ambush, you idiots.”
I frowned as the bandits, who hadn't spotted me yet, glanced around in all directions.
It must be because it's dark. Surely not because I'm a shorty. Definitely not.
While my mind was filled with useless thoughts, my hands were busy loosing arrows.
“Agh!”
“Gah!”
Screams erupted from all over.
The bandits hunched their shoulders and lowered their stances, their pace slowing even more.
Eventually, a few of them dropped flat on the ground, hiding their bodies in the sparse bushes.
But to my eyes, they were perfectly visible.
*Twang, twang, twang.*
I loosed a volley of arrows at the ones who conveniently exposed the crowns of their heads.
“Kuaargh!”
“Where the hell is he!”
Screams and shouts filled the air.
□□ □□ □□ clenched its fist.
I casually ignored the distracting hallucination.
I just kept drawing and releasing the bowstring without rest.
The longbow, which should have been difficult to handle with my current strength, somehow felt perfectly natural in my hands.
The bowstring, drawn without the slightest strain, moved as if possessed.
“You men with shields, get to the front!”
“You idiots! Don't just lie there, get behind the shield bearers!”
But the situation changed as the enemies quickly recovered from the chaos and began to advance with shield bearers in the lead.
I managed to take down a few who peeked their heads out from behind the shields, but it had little effect.
“Found him! There's some kid over there!”
“Pathetic fools! Getting held up by a mere brat!”
Emboldened, the enemies spotted me and immediately picked up their pace.
After firing my last few arrows, I set down Grendel's longbow.
□□ □□ □□ sighed as if in disappointment.
Then I took out the Knight Killer.
I cocked the string with a goat's foot lever, nocked a bolt.
Raised it to my chest, aiming at the shield bearer in the lead.
In the short time it took to take a shallow breath in and out, I completed the entire process and pulled the trigger.
“Kuaaaargh!”
“W-what! It went through the shield!”
“It hit the guy behind him, too!”
The effect was tremendous.
The enemies who had been advancing relentlessly behind their shield bearers immediately halted and screamed.
Of course, I didn't just stand there and watch.
“Gak!”
“Th-this can't be blocked by a shield!”
Three more shield bearers at the front fell.
□□ □□ □□ clapped its hands in admiration.
In a band of bandits, not a regular army with proper formations, how many shield bearers could there be? And how many would be willing to stand at the front, risking death?
After I took down two more, no one else would pick up a shield.
They seemed to have realized that the one holding the shield becomes a pincushion first.
“Just run, you idiots!”
“Better to run than stand around and die!”
Instead, the enemies chose to charge, screaming ferociously.
Watching the enemy leap over puddles as they ran, I bit my lip.
“Not yet, not yet.”
I switched the string latch from the sniping position to the rapid-fire setting.
I took out the rapid-fire magazine, attached it to the top of the Knight Killer, and braced the stock against my abdomen.
*Kreeeak.*
I roughly pulled the lever-style loading handle on top of the rapid-fire magazine.
*Click. Clack. Click. Clack. Click.*
Without even needing to pull the trigger, the Knight Killer sprayed a volley of specially made, short, rapid-fire bolts.
The enemies who were spreading out as they approached screamed and fell.
I slapped in a spare magazine and repeated the process.
Two magazines, each holding five bolts.
And so, using two magazines, I took down six of them.
That was the limit of the rapid-fire function, which only allowed for hip-firing.
I quickly scanned my surroundings.
The number of enemies I'd taken down so far was over ten.
But the enemies before me hadn't dwindled; on the contrary, their numbers had grown.
It seemed all the enemy forces that had been surrounding the camp had converged on me.
“Damn.”
I had moved around to avoid being encircled, but in the end, I was surrounded.
This was the price for presumptuously playing the part of a knight.
“I must be insane. There's no way I would've done something this crazy otherwise.”
I guess spending too much time with knights messed with my head.
But strangely, I didn't feel a shred of regret.
“This life was a bonus anyway.”
I lived fiercely, and died miserably because my strength fell short.
This time is no different.
It was simply my fate to live like this and die like this.
“You damned brat. You'd better be ready. You won't die a clean death.”
“Come on, come on. Let's finish this quick. How much time have we wasted because of this snot-nosed kid?”
“What's the rush? How far could a bunch of dying old folks and kids have gotten through this mud?”
Watching the cackling bandits approach, I carefully placed the Knight Killer on the ground.
“Right. Good thinking. Surrender quietly and we'll make it painless. Of course, you'll have to hand over that artifact.”
“An artifact that can pierce shields and fire five bolts in an instant. What a windfall.”
“Offer that up, and a spot as an officer is guaranteed.”
“The problem is who gets to offer it...”
Watching them talk about the Knight Killer as if it were already theirs, I quietly assumed a dual-sword stance.
The longsword in my right hand was held as if resting on my shoulder. The Swordbreaker in my left was extended forward.
Then I spun around and swung the longsword with all my might.
“Kyaaah!”
A bandit who had been sneaking up behind me shrieked and collapsed.
“Well, that's one less competitor. You're welcome, right?”
I flicked the blood off my sword and curled my lips into a smirk.
“You half-wit! Can't even catch one kid!”
“Just rush him all at once!”
The enemies charged, spitting curses.
“Agh!”
“My foot!”
A few of the approaching bandits stepped on the caltrops I had scattered earlier and fell.
“Th-that brat! He's full of tricks!”
“What the hell is with this kid!”
The charging bandits stopped in their tracks and frantically began checking the ground beneath their feet.
But in the dim night, with rain pouring down, there was no way they could see the blackened caltrops.
“Shuffle your feet! Sweep the ground as you move!”
“What's that mean? Speak so I can understand!”
“Walk like a damn cripple!”
But it seemed one of the enemies had received regular military training.
The men began to shuffle forward cautiously, dragging their feet.
In that time, I quickly hooked the serrated edge of the Swordbreaker onto my longsword, drew throwing knives with my left hand, and scattered them.
“Gah! How many damn weapons does this bastard have?!”
“Is he fighting a war by himself?!”
The men hit by the throwing knives screamed.
But none of those hit by the knives actually died.
I hadn't expected them to.
What great result could I expect from throwing knives scattered with my left hand, especially when I already lacked strength?
Now, close combat was truly unavoidable.
How long could I last against these able-bodied bandits in my current state?
“I'll find out when I try.”
For now, all I can do is fight.
The only fortunate thing was that these foolish bandits were all clustered together just to catch me.
It would have been troublesome if they had split their forces, one group to hold me down and the other to pursue my fleeing companions.
I let out a dry laugh.
It was amusing how I was playing the knight to the very end, even on the verge of death.
And the sight of the enemies shuffling toward me was also amusing.
“Got you, you little rat!”
The bandits who finally reached me brought their scimitars down.
I deflected the attack aimed at my shoulder with the Swordbreaker and took the one aimed at my side with my armor.
A pain as if my ribs were being crushed.
Instead of screaming, I swung my longsword down from above.
“Grrgle.”
The bandit, his face neatly split in two, collapsed, spewing bloody phlegm.
In an instant, the bandits surrounding me hacked at me from all sides with their scimitars.
I parried and blocked, taking the attacks from behind with the shield on my back.
A frantic exchange of blows continued.
How many I'd cut down, how many times I'd been struck—none of it registered in my mind anymore.
I just fought like a madman.
I felt dizzy.
My vision, once bright as day, flickered between dark and light.
I was gasping for breath.
“Agh!”
Even in that state, I managed to cut down another bandit.
But in return, I took a long gash across my forehead.
*Gush.*
The wound split open instantly, and blood drenched my face. The dripping blood obscured my vision.
I couldn't judge the distance properly.
I had to rely purely on instinct to block, dodge, and counter the enemy's attacks.
In a short moment, my armor was torn to shreds.
*Thunk.*
Someone grabbed me by the collar. He spat bloody phlegm. I plunged the Swordbreaker into the face of the man, whose eyes were squeezed shut.
A dull pain struck my back.
Instead of resisting, I let go of the Swordbreaker and rolled forward.
From the roll, I sprang up and swung the longsword in an upward arc.
A sword from behind sliced across the back of my neck.
Enduring the searing pain, I reversed my grip on the longsword, spun, and thrust it under an armpit.
The sensation of tearing flesh reached my fingertips.
And then something sharp tore through my flesh and plunged deep into my body.
“Ah...”
I could see the sword that had pierced my stomach.
I lifted my head and looked forward.
“Y-you monstrous little bastard!”
The face of the bandit who had stabbed me was deathly pale.
It was funny.
I was the one with a hole in my body, so why did he look like he was the one who'd been stabbed?
“Keuk.”
I lifted my limp longsword and stabbed the enemy.
The enemy, having lost his grip on his sword, collapsed.
I couldn't muster any strength in my hand.
And so, I dropped the longsword.
*Thud.*
My legs gave out. I fell back and sat down hard.
I fumbled at my chest.
But all my hands found were the grotesque rents in my torn armor.
No daggers, no knives, nothing left to fight with.
“Cough. A bunch of grown men can't even catch one kid. Pathetic. So pathetic.”
All I could do was suppress a bloody cough and mock the enemies.
“How many of us did this one kid take down...?”
“What a venomous bastard...”
The bandits looked at their dead comrades sprawled on the ground, their faces aghast.
Only then was I able to survey my surroundings.
There were bodies everywhere.
Even I, the one who had done it, couldn't help but be surprised.
To think I'd defeated so many enemies with this body.
Maybe... I'm strong?
No way.
This must have something to do with that hallucination I heard.
□□ □□ □□ nodded its head enthusiastically.
The hallucination sounded again, as if it had read my mind.
It was only then that I realized.
It was the will of a star, sent to me.
“Ha.”
A hollow laugh escaped me.
After all that time I spent chasing them, not a single one ever looked my way.
And now, of all times, when I'm at death's door.
Why now?
□□ □□ □□ tilted its head.
It was unfair and infuriating.
But the feelings were meaningless.
What does any of that matter now?
This is the end, anyway.
“Still, not a bad way to go.”
The justification is pretty decent, isn't it?
A member of the Order of Relief Knights, died in battle fighting alone to protect the powerless refugees.
At least it was far more plausible than my past life, where I was captured like a dog chasing a chicken, only to be tortured to death as a prisoner.
I didn't feel too bad.
I felt like I could even die with a smile on my face.
“They must be pretty far by now. All of them.”
If they ran without stopping, they should have covered a considerable distance by now.
If someone fast had already run to Komrat to deliver the news, they would soon be able to join up with the Komrat soldiers sent out to meet them.
Or so I thought.
“Esquireeeeeee!”
I was wrong.
“Save the Esquire!”
“Break through!”
A group of figures suddenly crashed into the bandits' rear flank.
“Agh!”
“Who are these guys!”
Beyond the bandits thrown into confusion by the surprise attack, I saw familiar faces.
It was Bok, Garon, and the rest of the Forsaken Hounds.
“You idiots!”
Even thieves need teamwork.
I had a chance for a decent death, but thanks to these stupid mercenaries, it was about to become a dog's death.
“You should have just run without looking back!”
“The refugees are safe! The Komrat Guard is escorting them!”
“How did the Komrat Guard...”
“Sasha, that kid Sasha informed Komrat!”
“Ah...”
So Sasha, who had ignored my order to return to Komrat and was loitering around the camp, had seen the sudden chaos and quickly ran to Komrat to report the incident.
At those words, I yelled.
“Still, why did you come by yourselves?!”
It was good that Sasha was quick-witted enough to inform Komrat, and it was good that the refugees were safe.
Yes. That was all good, but what were the Forsaken Hounds planning to do, charging in without reinforcements?
Their numbers had thinned, but the enemy still outnumbered the Forsaken Hounds several times over.
“Dammit, finish off the kid first! The rest of you, handle the mercenaries!”
Nothing had changed. Only the mercenaries' meaningless deaths were added to my own.
As I watched the bandits approach, gripping their scimitars, Bok's voice rang out again.
“We didn't come alone! Reinforcements came with us!”
Contrary to his words, the only allies trading blows with the bandits were the Forsaken Hounds.
That's what I thought.
*Shnk.*
Until a green shadow rose up before my eyes like a ghost.
“I am truly delighted that my judgment was not mistaken.”
Just as I heard a voice, neither high nor low, someone lifted me into their arms.
“You have already done more than your duty. You may rest now.”
A woman with long, flowing hair was looking down at me.
“Little squire.”
Her eyes, with pupils slit vertically like a snake's, curved gently upwards.
“The fight you could not finish, Giftrang will take up.”
Before her words had even finished, a storm of blood erupted on all sides.