Chapter 56
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: The Calm Before the Storm
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A week.
Yes, I had a week's reprieve before being dispatched to Vellaland.
Veteran mages would use this time wisely. They would research their self-developed spells for any flaws, purchase new robes and accessories, or prepare their grimoires.
...And how am I spending it, you ask?
First, I'm trying to recover from the shock.
“...”
Vellaland.
Even in this god-awful medieval era, this place was overwhelmingly dreadful.
The Sword Saint's party, having discovered traces of the Overlord Maltiel, led a large-scale force to invade the land known as 'Vellaland,' where Maltiel's stronghold was located.
Bel Artois, the strongest mage and the pride of the fire school, and Grisha, a saint of the Astella faith and a battlefield hero who had saved countless lives from the brink of death with her powerful healing abilities.
An elite force of 20,000 had rallied behind these two heroes.
An operation where every single soldier boasted skills surpassing even Rex, composed of the empire's finest elites... like most operations, it seemed perfect until an unexpected variable emerged.
‘Who would have thought three more Overlords would show up as reinforcements?’
Maltiel, aware that his location had been compromised, had laid a trap in Vellaland ahead of time.
As a result, the army led by the 9th-Circle mage Bel and the Saintess Grisha was ambushed by four Overlords the moment they set foot in Vellaland.
Mutants crawled up from beneath their feet, and they rained down from the sky like a storm.
They lost half their infantry on the first day alone.
Despite suffering devastating losses from the Overlords' unexpected coordinated attack, the two heroes and their soldiers dug trenches, established a front line, and fought back.
The Overlords, as if to mock the soldiers desperately defending the line, retreated their mutants with sneers on their faces. Bel, Grisha, and their subordinates were so overwhelmed just maintaining their current position that they couldn't give chase... and thus began a horrific war of attrition.
The Overlords, having succeeded with their surprise attack, hid themselves throughout Vellaland, sending only mutants to gradually wear down the Sword Saint's party and their soldiers.
Of the 20,000 who had set foot on that land, only 4,000 soldiers now remained.
Yet, they couldn't give up, not when it was a place where four Overlords had revealed themselves.
The Vellaland of today is nothing short of a hell where minds and lives are ground away in a meaningless, localized war.
"...Haaah."
The images of soldiers, fueled by rage, swinging their swords and shields without sleep or food against the endless waves of mutants, flickered before my eyes.
"Ah, I really fucking don't want to go..."
The two words 'desertion' seriously crossed my mind.
I just couldn't see myself surviving on a battlefield where four Overlords were running rampant with my current specs.
But even if I ran, how far could I get? With this pathetic body, I'd probably collapse from exhaustion before I even made it out of the capital.
And even if I was lucky enough to slip out of the capital undetected, the next part was the problem.
The moment the Mazoku found out I'd left the capital and was on my own, they would come to kill me. I would resist for five minutes, and then my magic's duration would end, and I'd lose consciousness.
When I opened my eyes next, I'd be greeted by the sight of my own grotesquely mutated body.
"Haha, shit. I'm so fucked."
In the end, the best option left for me is to head to Vellaland. And once I get there, I'll have to fight the Overlords with Bel and Grisha at my back.
...No matter how I think about it, this option also seems insane.
"Let's think positively."
Isn't it more rational to play Russian roulette with a revolver than with a semi-automatic pistol?
Desertion is certain death, while heading to Vellaland is 'a suicide mission with at least a minuscule chance of survival.' If I have to choose one, the latter is the more logical choice.
To use an analogy, it's like a suicide attempt by hanging yourself with a rope that's been rotting in a warehouse for about twenty years.
You stick your head in the noose, praying the rope will snap.
"Haaah..."
*Tap, tap.*
As I was sighing with my head on my desk, I heard a knock so soft it would have been missed if I hadn't been listening carefully.
"...Yes... I'm here..."
There was only one person I knew who would knock like that. I answered without bothering to lift my head from the desk.
"Um... Sir Bin?"
Rireu, who had just entered the room, looked at me lying face down on the desk with a hint of concern in her eyes.
Unlike her usual self, always wrapped up in a robe and hood, she was wearing a thin dress.
It was a simple white dress without any frills or decorations, and here and there were traces of clumsy mending. She must have torn off the flashy decorations and lace herself.
Considering her introverted personality, such a plain and unadorned outfit suited her far better than a flashy dress that would draw people's attention.
"...What is it?"
She wore a floppy hat made of the same fabric as her white dress. The combination of her blonde hair peeking out from under the white hat and her fair skin made her look even more elegant and refined.
Rireu boasted an appearance that could make anyone believe she was a young lady cherished and raised in a noble house.
Normally, I would have complimented her on how nice she looked... but I wasn't in the mood right now.
I felt like a pig about to be dragged to the slaughterhouse.
"What do you mean, 'what is it'? It's because I'm being dragged off to the battlefield next week, isn't it?"
"Still, you seem so down. You've always carried out your missions without a word until now, haven't you?"
“...”
The reason I'd gone on expeditions to the Dragon's Nest or the Akilliptus Forest Zone without a word—no, the reason I'd actually suggested going there myself—wasn't out of some sense of duty as a soldier.
It was because there were definite rewards to be had there.
The Red Crystal would supplement my non-existent basic attack abilities, and the Spirit's Protection would not only raise my potential but also enhance my survivability.
In an era like this, where people die every other day, being able to gain the power to protect oneself is a huge merit.
But what about Vellaland?
There's nothing there.
It does drop materials for crafting the ultimate bow for rangers, but that's it. It's standard practice for those raising mages to never set foot in this region.
It's foolish to talk about standard practice at this point, but anyway, the point is that as someone born a mage, there was not a single reason for me to step into the perilous land of Vellaland.
"They're orders, so what can we do? We're soldiers, after all."
Rireu said, lightly patting the back of my head as I slowly lifted it from the desk.
...It felt like a kid being comforted by his older cousin, which wasn't a great feeling.
"You're awfully calm about it. We're about to walk into a living hell."
"Well, you're here, Sir Bin. I'm sure you'll take care of it."
"Easy for you to say. We're being dragged to a living hell."
There was a 99 percent chance that Rireu would have a harder time than me.
If she found out right now that I could only use one spell, would that nonchalant attitude of hers gain a bit of tension?
Should I just spill it all? Tell her what kind of person I really am?
"It doesn't matter, whether it's hell or anywhere else. I just feel like you'll manage somehow, Sir Bin."
"That's a lot of pressure."
Rireu tapped the top of my head lightly with her palm and chuckled. She was so gentle that my head would tilt forward slightly and then return to its place with each tap.
"Well, that's that. Let's go downtown together. You slept all day yesterday, didn't you?"
"...Is there something you need to buy?"
"There is, but we also need to eat."
Why is she so carefree, really?
Are you hiding some kind of ultimate move? Can I just trust you and be carefree too?
Unless she had a secret technique that made her hair stand on end and shoot beams from her palms, I couldn't imagine being so calm in this situation.
"Well... alright, then. It's not like sitting cooped up in here whining is going to help anything."
I got up from my seat and threw a light outer garment over my cotton shirt and pants. It was a wool-lined jacket, and being a dwarven creation, it was so light it didn't put any strain on my frail shoulders.
From the moment I stood up to the moment I put on my jacket, Rireu followed me, never ceasing to tap the top of my head with her palm.
A faint humming sound escaped her lips; she seemed quite cheerful.
At this point, I was starting to suspect she wasn't just carefree, but actually insane.
"Where are we going?"
I asked, pushing away her hand as she continued to tap my head, even standing on her tiptoes to do so.
"...?"
The moment I grabbed her wrist, her humming stopped. Her brow furrowed in an instant.
“...”
What's with her? Is she seriously giving me a look just because I stopped her from tapping my head...
"You said you'd look into it."
"Pardon?"
"Don't tell me you forgot? That you promised to buy me a meal?"
A chilly breeze seemed to blow from Rireu's face. For some reason, a shiver ran down my spine, and the hairs on my arms and legs stood on end.
...I respectfully let go of Rireu's wrist and took a step back.
What, I promised to buy her a meal?
Her?
When?
“...”
“...”
Three seconds.
A short, cold, and heavy silence hung in the air for three seconds. It was the heaviest, most murderous silence I had ever experienced in my life.
"Ah, of course I remember. Why the serious face? Can't even take a joke."
I must survive...!
Right now, my faint survival instinct was screaming louder than ever before.
"When did you promise to buy me one?"
Rireu eyed me up and down with suspicion for a moment before posing a question that cut straight to the heart of the matter.
...I felt completely cornered. My mouth went dry, and a cold sweat broke out. I could feel my breathing become ragged and my pupils faintly tremble.
"It's a little disappointing that you'd ask. Are you testing the trust between us—"
*Squeeeze...!*
Rireu's slender fingers pinched my cheek.
"Ow! Seriously, that really hurts. Ah, wait! Hey, hey!"
With her powerful grip, I thought my skin was going to be torn off.
As a race specializing in being rangers, elves had thumb and index finger strength three to four times that of an ordinary human from drawing bowstrings.
I just never thought I'd experience that fact in this manner...
"Ow! Ow, I remember! I remember now!"
I just have to survive...!
"You're lying again!"
Being an elf, Rireu had a keen eye. She could tell I was lying just by the movement of my pupils.
This is bad.
There was no way out.
***
In the end, Rireu never told me when I had promised to buy her a meal.
Judging by her expression and tone, I didn't think she was making it up... but it would have been nice if she had at least told me when I had said such a thing.
In any case, the carriage carried Rireu and me for some time before arriving in the bustling downtown area.
Rireu didn't say a word inside the carriage.
She seemed angry... but once the carriage reached the shopping district and the scent of bread and coffee filled the air, her sharp demeanor quickly softened.
"What do you want to eat?"
"Anything's fine."
"How about coffee and bread then?"
"A place that serves tea, too, please. Coffee doesn't agree with me."
I had never had coffee in this body, but I was certain that if I carelessly drank some, I would go into caffeine shock.
I'm not joking. I might actually die from caffeine shock.
I'd rather not be used as material for a sensational article like, 'Greatest Genius Mage of All Time Dies of Heart Attack After Drinking Coffee, Shocking...!'
"I don't know this area well either, you know? You were the one who was supposed to find a place, after all..."
She grumbled, turning her head to scan the signs and menus of the nearby shops.
"What kind of bread would you like? They say the plain bread here is quite popular."
"That's boring. I eat plain bread every morning. Since we're out, I want to try something new."
"How about cornbread then?"
"I'm not really feeling it."
"Then should we think of something other than bread? How about over there? They say it's noodles made with flour. The owner is a dwarf, so the quality is guaranteed..."
"Flour isn't very good for you."
"...Bread is made of flour, you know?"
"Anyway, it's not good for you."
"You said anything was fine."
Rireu glared at me with a look that said she genuinely wanted to rip my cheeks off.
"I meant anything *I* like."
Wasn't the word 'anything' used by the person buying the meal a shortened version of 'anything from among the things I like'? The fact that I had to spell this out was absurd.
To think the gap in common sense between a medieval person and a modern person would trip me up again here...!
"Then go ask the people walking on the street what's good around here."
"You go ask them, Rireu. I'm the one paying."
"How can I talk to strangers... Sir Bin, you're saying the strangest things."
"...?"
So it's fine for me to talk to strangers, but it's not fine for you to talk to strangers?
"Fine, I get it. But there's a place I want to stop by, too. I'll find a good place to eat nearby, so come with me there, too."
"Where is it?"
"A music store."
Last time, I couldn't stop by the music store because we got caught up in that sudden commotion. This time, I'm determined to buy a piano or a guitar for my room.
The stress had been piling up considerably over the last two months of intense stat-grinding and pretending to be a genius.
Even a genius needs leisure time and entertainment, right?
With a body that can't enjoy cigarettes, alcohol, or even coffee, music was about the only pleasure I had left.
"Fine, just go and come back quickly. I'm hungry."
"You're hungry? It's just past eleven... Did you skip breakfast?"
“...”
Rireu scrunched her brow and answered by placing her thumb and index finger on my cheek.
"No, wai— Why? What did I—"
Despite my urgent voice, she ignored me and applied pressure with her thumb and forefinger.
"Ow! Ow! Why! Why on earth! At least tell me the reason before you pull!"
She focused on pulling my cheek without a word, despite my desperate screams.
The people around us glanced at Rireu's attire, dismissed it as a typical scene of a noble bullying a commoner, and paid it no mind.
...What a truly god-awful era.