Chapter 2: Empire's Army Advances
The news that the Empire's army had advanced all the way to our doorstep sent the small border gate village into chaos.
Merchants and nobles hurriedly packed their belongings and fled.
Following them, the knights guarding the gate also abandoned their posts.
“We!! We are not running away in the face of the enemy!! Protecting the nobles is also the knight's duty!! Leave the gate to you!”
The mercenaries, including me, all closed our eyes in disbelief.
As expected, most of the mercenaries who had gathered for money also fled with them.
The remaining ones were a few residents who had lived here for a long time, plus me and four other mercenaries, and one knight.
“Soldiers, thank you for staying behind instead of fleeing.”
By now, the sun had set and night had fallen. We each held torches and watched from the gate as the enemy approached.
“How can we flee when our families are left behind…”
The atmosphere looked gloomy, as if they had already sensed death.
“Contacting headquarters with the mana communication device, it seems they asked us to stop the enemy's advance with the remaining numbers…”
“That means they want us to die here~”
Hearing the news, one of the colleagues who usually spoke sarcastically said it flatly, and the atmosphere became even heavier.
In this heavy atmosphere, everyone silently stared at the front.
The enemy's advance had stopped at night, but...
Since they were coming right up to us, they would definitely arrive by morning.
The remaining people couldn't leave because their families were in the village.
Some said they were too poor to leave the village like others, unable to find a way to survive.
As a person who came from the modern and cyberpunk world, I found it hard to understand.
“You all go inside and rest. I'll take watch until morning.”
“Anyway, we'll all die by morning, so go sleep~”
Normally, someone would have retorted to that sarcasm, but tonight, everyone kept their mouths shut without energy.
Sorry, but in this life, I had decided to live peacefully, so I was about to leave.
It would be the right time to leave after sleeping, right…?
The backs of everyone going back to the lodging were visible.
“Tsk…”
It was a bit awkward to just leave, so I decided to at least do a scout.
I have to pay for the money.
**
- Rustle
I hid my body in the bushes and looked at the place where campfires were gathered in front.
“None of them visible.”
The enemies were camping on the field with distance, so from the bushes far away, they looked like ants.
“If only I had eye implants at times like this.”
Eye Expansion Protocol Activated.
I muttered to myself, wishing for an eye implant.
“No, is that even possible? When I touched it, it felt no different from normal body…”
It is a specially manufactured human-like special nanite body.
Even when I first used it, and after months of using the body, it was already exerting abilities beyond ordinary people.
It was as if military implants were embedded in legs, arms, spine, making it fast and strong like a gorilla.
Basic cognitive speed also exceeded my thoughts with the help of the chip's AI.
Was Murakumo Corporation a megacorp that dissected even aliens?
No matter how cyberpunk the world was, I couldn't doubt that it was a body transcending humans.
“Good, from now on I'll use it often, what should I call you?”
[MURAKUMO CORPORATION SUPER GENERATION PRIME ORIGINAL DEEP THINK AI BETA VERSION…]
“Too long… Just call me Ai. Enlarge the view enough to confirm the enemy's numbers.”
Night Vision 4x Zoom Mode Activated.
The view in front narrowed, and even in the dark, the enemies appeared right in front of my nose.
The number was around dozens, probably the vanguard or scouting unit.
This part was that they must have seen this place as trash just to try to cross the border with that number.
Yeah, since it's a gate guarded by people with no mana, even with that number of troops, it could be captured.
“Ai… Judging by the enemy's scale and equipment, how do you think our chances are?”
Insufficient understanding of the current world and information. Win rate prediction unavailable.
“It's not like the ones with implants, hard to understand.”
The enemies were probably under 100 normal soldiers.
We were 5 mercenaries… and one knight in front of the crude wooden gate.
If Klein leaves here, all will die.
“…”
I wasn't the type to do such things normally.
But if I deal with these guys, I can buy some time for people to wake up and flee.
I have to pay for the money.
“Ai, keep the night vision mode on at all times and focus on the enemy's noise.”
**
The remaining people were tense and silently staring at the front.
Only the sound of swallowing saliva was heard endlessly, and finally, Wilhelm, one of the mercenaries, spoke the first words.
“They aren't coming…?”
The Empire's army that was supposed to charge in the morning didn't come, so everyone looked puzzled.
“What… What's going on? Are we saved?”
“…Is there a problem? Let's all escape together while we can.”
“That's weird… Could we have misseen the Empire army? No, and Klein, where did you go at night? I didn't see you all night.”
My senior Wilhelm looked at me with suspicious eyes.
“Uh… um… Maybe because I was tense… I couldn't poop…”
“…That could be.”
And silence again.
“I'll go check.”
The one who broke the silence was the only remaining knight.
I didn't know his name, but since he was the only one left here, I saw him as a great person.
“No, let's just escape while there's still time…”
But everyone seemed to have no intention of leaving even though they had made a gap.
How hard it was to not sleep and chase him all night yesterday…
Sorry, but today I will escape even if it's just me.
I've done enough, right or wrong.
The knight immediately ran to the stable and mounted the horse.
“Then, I'll go quickly, so don't neglect the guard!”
And he disappeared quickly over the field.
“No… just let's go.”
I sighed deeply and closed my eyes, and Wilhelm next to me lightly poked and came close.
“Klein… Leave this place while there's still time. You've done enough. You're a smart kid.”
Wilhelm whispered in my ear.
“Go with your hyung. The Empire army might come soon.”
“No, I can't leave.”
Wilhelm had a desolate and longing expression.
“This place is my hometown and nest, and where my family lives. Whether I live or die, I'll do it here.”
“Why so much…”
“Our kind of lower class without mana, if we leave our workplace and home, it's hard to dream of a good future. The world is cruel to old people like me. Haha!”
Wilhelm saw my expression of not understanding, smiled awkwardly, and pushed my back.
“You are still young, so you can do it.”
Other colleagues who saw Wilhelm's appearance also agreed.
“True. Young ones, go to the capital and do something. We have nothing to do here anyway.”
“Klein, you're smart, even without mana you can succeed. We're different from you.”
Even the ones who usually teased me and the ones who seemed to have no energy because everything was annoying were smiling at me.
“No…”
How am I supposed to leave seeing this?
The guy I saw in the big water came to mind.
I stopped the steps I was backing up and took the guard posture again.
“No, I will stay too. I'm the smartest here, if I leave what happens?”
“No, we are dumb…”
At the moment when everyone's laughter was heard, a voice approaching at high speed from afar was seen.
It was the horse that had gone out with the knight, returning without its owner.
“Something is clinging to the saddle! Let's go!”
Everyone was startled, ran down to the gate, calmed the horse that was running excitedly, and checked what was clinging to the saddle.
“Ugh… uwek!”
One of the mercenaries vomited.
Wilhelm, who always had a kind expression, frowned.
What was clinging to the saddle was the brave knight's head.
“Damn! They must have come close to our gate! Lock the gate and install as many torches as possible to pretend there are many people!”
Wilhelm, as a veteran, tried to manage the situation and commanded the mercenaries.
They must have killed all of them without leaving any last night…
Then…!
From afar.
The sound of many horses running.
“Damn!!! It's a cavalry unit!!!”
The mercenary who had gone up to the gate first shouted.
“Shit, already arrived…?”
**
Right in front of our tiny gate.
Crossing the field, the Empire's cavalry unit was charging fiercely.
And in front of them, the huge man who seemed to be the enemy general, his face red with anger, shouted.
“Wah!! You bastards!!!! Sneaking in cowardly and ambushing our scouting unit last night, killing every last one without leaving any!!! Not even one can be spared!!!”
It seemed he was quite angry after losing dozens of soldiers in one night.
“Even if it was an ambush!!! There is not a single one among us who can defeat an army, you little shits!!!”
The soldiers, as if crushed by the enemy's momentum, shouted aggrievedly.
“Originally, who disappeared last night? Only the knight was on watch, we all slept… uh… um?”
“Klein was not there last night…?”
At the time when they were whispering about what happened, the soldiers' gazes turned to me.
I quickly turned my head, pretending not to know.
“…”
“The great Empire's general, I Utibek, personally offered surrender to you!! But you repaid it with blood!!!!”
A general riding a horse that looked tough like a blood horse shouted loudly.
He was clad in heavy-grade artifact heavy armor, with a huge body like a heavyweight fighter, and a massive steel club/mace.
The guy was probably angry because of me.
Was the cyber city mercenary solution method not the answer in this world… um.
At that time, we just beat up the noisy ones in front of us.
“Klein is strong, but he's never fought in real battle. No way.”
“True. Klein who hates everything wouldn't do that. They must have misjudged something big.”
The mercenaries, after concluding, had Wilhelm, the oldest, shout at the Empire's general.
“We didn't do it!!! There's a misunderstanding, let's resolve with dialogue!!”
“Shut up!!! They were all trained professional scouts!!! Let the little rats come out!! If they don't come out in 10 seconds, my soldiers will set the gate on fire and I'll cut down every last one!!”
Dialogue didn't work.
“Damn, who among us would do such a thing…”
This time, the mercenaries who sensed death were flustered.
The cavalry filling the field, the general Utibek who seemed to handle mana, a strong enemy.
The morale was at the bottom, and what was left was waiting for death.
Wilhelm, who had been silently watching the scene, secretly came close to me.
“Klein… There's still time. Run at full speed as fast as possible.”
He grabbed my back and pulled me strongly back, then shouted loudly.
“I killed them!!! It's my own doing, so accept the attack from my comrades!!”
“No, what are you saying now.”
Wilhelm shook his head as if denying and went down to the gate.
And he walked calmly to the front of the enemy general and stood proudly.
“Are you looking at me as a fool? You, an old man without mana or artifacts, killed my soldiers alone?”
“Yes, I did.”
“The soldiers' throats were cut precisely without any error. Judging by the traces, they didn't even resist properly. Could someone like you do it in the dark? It must be the work of a professionally trained assassination squad.”
Even in the general's fierce roar, Wilhelm stood proudly.
I wondered if it was the same person who joked with me a few days ago.
“Wasting time… Just kill you too and kill all your colleagues. There's no more time to drag this out.”
The Empire's general lifted a huge steel mass.
It was obviously not a weapon a human could lift.
“Guess I won't be able to live quietly.”
I sighed deeply, pushed off from the gate, and jumped to the field.
***
- Boom!
Although it was not a large gate, the height of the wooden wall was more than twice that of an adult man.
An ordinary human without mana couldn't jump over it.
But now, a person without any mana felt jumped over the wall and landed on the ground.
“What… That was Klein just now?”
“How did he get over…”
The mercenaries who saw Klein's absurd athletic ability couldn't close their mouths.
The Empire's general also looked at it with interest.
“So, the real little rat has appeared.”
Utibek put the steel club he had lifted on his shoulder and immediately looked at Klein.
Wilhelm, who had closed his eyes in fear upon seeing the huge club, now looked around when he felt no pain.
And upon finding Klein, he shouted urgently.
“Klein! Listen to me and run away!”
“Go back to your hyung.”
In response to Wilhelm's shout, Klein smiled as if it was fine and waved his hand.
Klein took a step towards the general Utibek.
He took off the armor he was wearing, threw the spear and shield.
And pulled out only one sword from his waist.
“The shape is a bit different from the unique katana I used before, but this form is convenient.”
Soon, Klein drew the sword and stood in front of the much larger Utibek.
“I killed them, your subordinates last night. Not a single one left.”