The Price of Defeat
In the distance, a flag fluttered, bearing the crest of the Empire—the primary setting of The Romance Fantasy: Somire's Route. It was the lion crest I had seen to the point of nausea back when I played the game. The knights were marching toward us under that very banner. With every step they took, their armor and helmets clashed fiercely. Clouds of sand and dust kicked up in their wake. It seemed the line we were in was the very last one.
"Y-Your Highness! What do you plan to do now...?"
What do you mean, what do I plan to do? It's either kill them all or run.
"Your Highness! Please, at least you must escape...!"
The prisoners of war turned pale. They clearly thought it was impossible to face a whole order of knights. For starters, running away was out of the question. I had only just transmigrated, so I didn't even know how to use Aura yet, and the enemy consisted of mounted knights. Shaking them off wouldn't be easy.
There was no choice. I had to fight.
I gripped the hilt of my sword tightly.
"Son of a bitch. Let's see what you've got."
At the curse I spat out along with my resolve, the faces of the surrounding prisoners turned completely white.
"Your Highness...! How could you use such vulgar language!"
Is that really what's important right now? The knights are charging at us this very second! We need to figure out how to fight, not worry about manners.
I gripped my sword firmly and raised it high.
"Your Highness...?"
I roared at the top of my lungs.
"Everyone! Take up your weapons! We will not go down easily! We will resist to the bitter end!"
At my shout, everyone nodded and roared in unison.
"For His Highness!"
"For Barenberg!"
As if stepping right into a scene from a war movie, everyone picked up whatever weapons lay scattered on the ground. Those who couldn't find a weapon grabbed pebbles instead.
"Surrender! It would be wise not to try anything foolish!"
The knights arrived. I glared at them and bellowed.
"Charge! We will never be slaves!"
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
The thundering footsteps did not stop, kicking up and scattering the desert sand into the air.
"Damn it, capture Jin Barenberg first! We have orders to take him alive, not kill him! Keep that in mind!"
The knights rushed forward in a frenzy, surrounding me. I shouted to the other prisoners of war.
"Prioritize your own survival!"
With those words, I squeezed the hilt of my sword. I focused entirely on what I had to do right now.
The buff effect that had popped up in the message earlier was still active. My body felt light as a feather, and my senses were heightened to their absolute limit, allowing me to perceive things normally invisible to the naked eye.
If it was the current me, I could do this.
My calves and thighs swelled as my muscles tensed.
Crack!
Veins bulged along my rugged forearms, granting me a grip strength that could easily crush the hilt of my sword.
"Aaaaargh!"
I let out a battle cry and charged. As long as I fought the way I did against the soldier earlier, it shouldn't be much different.
"Cavalry, advance first!"
Clack-clack, clack-clack.
The sound of horse hooves echoed with sharp clarity. Honestly, facing cavalry head-on was practically suicide, but I had no other choice. I just had to fight.
I was almost upon the cavalry. The core of a cavalryman—often called the tank of the Middle Ages—was the horse. I already knew exactly where my sword needed to go.
"Hup!"
Thud!
My dulled blade bit into the horse's neck with a heavy, blunt sound. I severed the horse's head clean off, just like a legendary general from Korean history.
Squelch!
I plunged the tip of my sword into the chest of the rider who had fallen from his mount.
"Cough, cough!"
Blood erupted from his mouth like a waterfall. There was no time to rest. I immediately snatched up the spear the cavalryman had dropped.
"...!"
Spinning around on the spot, I drove the spear straight into the abdomen of a knight behind me.
Thrust!
The spearhead pierced through the armor, protruding from his back.
Screeech.
My boots scraped against the ground as I shifted my stance. Snatching up another fallen spear from the ground, I rushed forward with a spear in one hand and my sword in the other.
"Damn it, capture Jin Barenberg first!"
"The prisoners of war are resisting too fiercely!"
"Ignore them and just get Jin Barenberg!"
The muscles in my calves tensed to their absolute limit.
Boom!
Leaping high into the air, I plunged straight into the center of the nearly hundred-strong order of knights. If I drew their attention to the center, the other prisoners would have a better chance of fighting back.
"Hup!"
I used the spear to keep my distance, repeatedly thrusting and pulling back. I slashed at any knights who got too close with my sword, even resorting to kicking as I fought like a cornered dog.
"Jin Barenberg!!"
The knights roared. Their numbers didn't seem to dwindle at all.
Was my only option to give up like this?
If only I could use even half of Jin's original strength...!
I wanted to wail in frustration, but such emotions were a luxury. My life was hanging by a thread.
"Aaaaargh!"
I endured with sheer grit. I swung my spear. I slashed with my sword, constantly picking up new weapons as I fought on.
How long had this battle been going on?
"Pant, wheeze... cough!"
A metallic rasp scraped my throat. My heart felt like it was about to burst, and my breathing was ragged. Yet, the number of knights remained virtually unchanged from the start.
I fought this hard, and they're still standing.
Knights in this world were equivalent to modern fighter pilots. Seeing so many of them here made it impossible to even fathom the sheer scale of the Empire's national power.
"Jin Barenberg. Surrender."
The other prisoners of war were already either dead or bound and forced to their knees.
I guess this is as far as we go.
"Whew."
I had done everything I possibly could.
Clang.
I dropped the spear and the broken, utterly dulled sword from my hands.
"A wise decision."
The knights approached and bound me once more. Five heavy steel cuffs, identical to the ones from before, shackled my arms.
"An unnecessary commotion. We return to the Empire!"
My escape had failed.
We marched through the scorching desert under the blazing sun, then through a forest lush with green leaves. Eventually, we reached the border of the Empire.
At the border stood a military camp, serving as the Empire's temporary base. We were led into the camp, where we, the prisoners of a fallen kingdom, were forced to kneel and bow our heads.
"Jin Barenberg. Raise your head."
I slowly lifted my gaze.
The man standing before me was a familiar face.
Rezeph Fedelian.
The Crown Prince of the Empire. The crazy bastard I used to call a complete lunatic.
"Seeing you in such a pathetic state is quite a pleasant sight."
Was there some kind of grudge between the Crown Prince and the original Jin Barenberg? As far as I knew, there was no such information in the game.
"I still remember how smug you were during the diplomatic summit. You were incredibly obnoxious back then. How does it feel to be dragged in as a prisoner of war?"
What? He held a grudge all this time just because Jin showed off a little?
Seriously, this guy is not normal either. What a lunatic.
Tsk. I clicked my tongue and turned my head away. Remembering his behavior from when I played the game made my blood boil.
"You bastard...!"
Slap!
The Crown Prince struck my cheek. I lost count of how many times I had been slapped today.
"Still as arrogant as ever, I see. Men! Drag him away!"
The Crown Prince dusted off his hands and pulled on his gloves. Ugh, look at that venomous face. That instant-ramen-brained lunatic.
"What shall we do with him, Your Highness? He is still royalty of a fallen kingdom."
"Royalty of a fallen kingdom? Ridiculous. Since when does a destroyed kingdom have royalty?"
"My apologies, Your Highness..."
"Tell the mage to brand him with the Slave Brand. Then put him up for auction. Make sure it's the worst, most wretched market possible."
"Understood, Your Highness. Follow me!"
The knight, acting on the Crown Prince's orders, yanked the rope binding me. I naturally followed behind him.
The place we arrived at was a blue tent. It stood out in this temporary base, where almost everything else was green.
"Get in there!"
The knight kicked me in the back. I tumbled across the floor and into the blue tent.
"Oh? You actually brought Jin Barenberg?"
An old woman who looked exactly like a wicked witch greeted us. Her laugh was so sinister it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
"The Crown Prince has issued an order. Engrave the Slave Brand on this man."
"Engraving a Slave Brand on someone who was once a prince of a kingdom? The Crown Prince is truly merciless. Hehehehe."
"It is the Crown Prince's decision. Watch your mouth."
"Of course, of course. I know, I know. Hehehehe."
The wicked witch approached me. A green flame flared in her hand, splitting into several strokes to form a magic circle.
"This is the strongest type of brand, so it's going to hurt a bit. Hehehehe."
Could she please stop making that disgusting laugh?
The magic circle drew closer and was pressed against my back.
Sizzle!
It felt as if a red-hot iron plate was being seared directly into my flesh.
"Aaargh...!"
A strangled scream escaped my throat. My eyes went wide, and my entire body convulsed. The pain was dizzying. Even the headache I felt during the soul synchronization process was nothing compared to this...!
Whether she knew of my agony or not, the wicked witch simply cackled.
"The Slave Brand is complete. You can do whatever you want with him now. Hehehehe."
The knight slung me over his shoulder as I struggled to remain conscious through the pain.
"We'll be taking our leave then."
As we stepped out of the blue tent, the knight clicked his tongue and muttered under his breath.
"Tsk, creepy old hag. Just because she's a Transcendental Mage, she thinks she can act like that."
A Transcendental Mage?
The strongest class of mages, briefly mentioned in the game... Was she the one who had engraved this brand on me?
"What... will happen to me... now...?"
"What do you mean, what will happen? You're going to be put up for sale as a slave."
So things were proceeding exactly as scheduled.
Son of a bitch.
With this, my fate was sealed. I was to become Franche Decartes's pawn.
But a sudden question crossed my mind.
Why did Jin, a mere slave, become the final boss?
In the true ending route of the game, Franche Decartes died before Jin appeared as the final boss. That meant the Slave Brand should have been broken. I had no idea why he ended up as the final boss in the end.
It was never explained in the scenario.
But I would find out soon enough. Because I had become Jin Barenberg...
Just then, the knight yanked my leash.
"Walk properly!"
The knights shoved me into a carriage made of iron bars. I could feel everyone's eyes locked onto me, so intense it made my back sting. I felt like a caged lion in a zoo.
"Move out!"
At the knight's command, the carriage jolted forward with a heavy rattle. My body bounced with the movement. A burning pain still radiated from the Slave Brand on my back. Facing such a hopeless situation, a deep sigh escaped my lips.
I lowered my head and closed my eyes.
Slap!
My head snapped to the side from a sharp impact. My eyes flew open.
"Get up, you bastard!"
The treatment of slaves was truly wretched. Well, considering history, it wasn't exactly surprising.
Clank.
The iron gate of the cage swung open. Before I knew it, steel handcuffs had been slapped onto my wrists.
"Follow me."
I walked behind the knight.
The place we arrived at was the Empire's black market, a location I had seen in the game. It was a place where all sorts of rare goods were traded, and exotic races like elves were put up for auction as slaves. Since it offered merchandise that couldn't be found anywhere else, nobles frequented the place. I, too, had visited this black market during my playthroughs to acquire rare items.
"My, my, you've arrived! I received word beforehand via carrier pigeon. You wish to put a slave up for auction?"
"Yes. List the item anonymously. It is His Highness's command."
"Of course, of course. We wouldn't dream of tarnishing his prestigious name."
The black market broker coaxed the knight with a genial, business-like smile.
"Would you care to look around? We have some excellent merchandise going up today."
"No need. Just hand over the agreed amount."
"Ah, right here, sir."
An immense pile of gold was placed on the table, reflecting the dim light so brightly it was almost blinding.
"The amount is correct."
"Thank you for your business, sir!"
The knight swept the piles of gold into his bag and leisurely departed.
The broker turned to me. "Now, follow me. You'd best not try to resist. You've already received the Slave Brand."
I didn't bother to reply. I merely glared at him with a fierce, murderous gaze.
"Tsk, what a vicious look. Impudent bastard."
The broker sneered and activated the brand.
Immediately, a searing pain, like liquid fire, erupted on my back.
"Aaargh...!"
My mind went hazy. With my eyes half-closed, I was dragged by the broker into the black market auction house and locked inside an iron cage.
"You'll be going up on the stage soon, so wait here."
I kept my head lowered and remained silent.
After all, the person who would buy me was already decided.
Franche Decartes.
I would become hers. The slave of the villainess who stood against the original protagonist, Somire.