Chapter 27
Chapter 27
If you’ve been paid, you do the job.
“So… go, and protect the client.”
The one person in this world who treated me like a human.
The mercenary captain stood before my eyes, covered in blood, carving open a path.
I couldn’t just stand there and watch.
‘But… can I even be of any help?’
I had never properly swung a sword.
My combat ability was pathetic.
There was only one conclusion.
Do what I can.
I bit down hard on my lips and sprinted like a beast toward the burning carriage.
All of their attention was focused on the captain, who stood alone, smashing enemies’ skulls.
Using that gap, I kicked open the shattered carriage door and rolled inside.
And there—
for the first time in my life,
I witnessed
‘magic.’
Outside was hell—blood and flesh flying, flaming arrows raining down.
But inside the carriage was different.
A suffocating cold.
No—beyond cold.
A chill that pierced deep into the bones filled the space.
The vicious flames pushing through the broken window—
the moment they touched the pure white frost extending from the fingertips of the robed client—
they froze with a crack and shattered.
Magic.
Real magic.
Something I had only heard about since arriving in this world.
A sacred mystery someone like me—stuck peeling potatoes in a shabby mercenary kitchen—could never witness.
Fragments of frozen flame scattered through the air like diamond dust.
For a moment, even the overwhelming terror crushing my mind was paralyzed.
And before I knew it, the truth slipped from my lips.
“…Beautiful.”
The client’s shoulders, wrapped in a faded robe, flinched.
“…What?”
A clear, fragile voice, like glass beads rolling—
filled with bewilderment at the lunatic who barged into this hell and suddenly called it beautiful.
“N-No! This carriage is going to collapse any second. We need to get out!”
At my urgent shout, the client clutched her robe tightly.
“…Do you have any way to break through those things outside?”
“As if I would.”
“…What?”
A hollow, incredulous breath escaped from beneath the hood.
I recalled what the captain had said earlier.
“Even if there’s no good method… if you’ve been paid, you still risk your life and try anyway… that’s what a mercenary does.”
Silence fell inside the robe.
She knew too.
That even her magic had limits in holding off the burning carriage.
After a moment, she gave a small nod and followed me out.
The moment we burst out of the carriage—
“That’s the target!!”
Some of the masked attackers broke away from the captain and turned toward us.
“Don’t you dare!!”
Crack—!!
At that moment, the blood-soaked captain roared like thunder and slammed her massive axe into the ground.
Dust exploded upward, shattering their formation.
Dozens of blades cut into her body—
yet even as blood sprayed, she tore apart anyone who tried to chase us.
Her face was a mess of blood and sweat,
but her blazing red eyes burned fiercely.
For a brief moment—
our eyes met.
The captain looked straight at me.
Then—
she gave a short nod.
I clenched my teeth and nodded back.
…
I immediately grabbed the client’s wrist.
So thin.
It felt like it would snap if I squeezed too hard.
But this wasn’t the time to care.
“Run!!”
We sprinted toward the forest like mad.
Despite the captain holding them back, a few pursuers stubbornly followed.
“Ah!”
On the rough forest path, with killing intent closing in from behind, the client tripped on a stone and fell forward.
Shing!!
At the same time, three masked attackers caught up, drawing their blades with beast-like eyes.
I helped her up and shouted desperately:
“You’re a mage, right?! Don’t you have some powerful attack magic to wipe them out in one go?!”
At my desperate question, she lowered her dirt-stained head and replied in a trembling voice:
“…I’m not that kind of great mage. High-tier spells take time to cast… and I only have enough mana left for one more.”
Damn it. Casting time.
But there was no other option.
“…Then do it.”
“What?”
“There’s no other way! I’ll hold them off with my life, so hurry and cast it!”
As I grabbed a stone and stepped forward, she seized my collar in shock.
“Are you insane?! How are you going to stop them alone, barehanded?! And even if the spell succeeds… at this distance, you’ll be caught in it too!”
“…It’s fine. That’s… my job.”
I forced my voice into something resolute.
But inside, it was desperate.
‘Fuck! Do you think I’m doing this to look cool?! There’s no other option, so just start casting already!!’
Crying blood inside, I threw myself at them like a beast.
“Aaaaaah!!”
It wasn’t a fight.
It was one-sided slaughter.
Stab!!
“Gaaah!!”
A dagger pierced through my thigh without mercy.
I screamed and collapsed, but even as I rolled on the ground, I clung desperately to his leg.
“You filthy bastard!”
Thud!!
Crunch!!
A leather boot crushed my face and stomach.
My vision flashed white as blood burst from my nose.
It felt like my ribs shattered, my organs ruptured.
But I didn’t let go.
Even as my nails tore and flesh ripped,
I dragged myself along, blocking their path with my body.
Stab!!
Stab!!
Cold steel plunged repeatedly into my back and shoulders as I curled around their legs.
My vision flickered red.
In the haze of fading consciousness, a chilling language echoed in my ears.
The client’s chant.
The attackers realized the danger too late.
“She’s casting! Stop her!”
One of them kicked me away and threw a dagger at her.
Thud!!
“—!”
It pierced her shoulder.
Blood flowed down her pale skin,
but she bit her lips until they bled, enduring the pain and continuing the chant.
I collapsed, burying my face in their legs, coughing up blood.
I could barely breathe.
‘Ah… so this is how I die…’
Just before my consciousness faded—
a beautiful, cruel voice echoed through the forest.
And then—
all sound disappeared.
As I lay there, fused to the ground in blood,
a massive storm of blue mana swept over my back like a tsunami.
“Aaaaa—!!”
Their final screams.
After that—
they became nothing but lifeless statues of ice.
“Haah… haah…”
When it was over,
the client staggered toward me and dropped to her knees.
“…Are you okay? Can you hear me?!”
She was pale from mana exhaustion and injuries, blood dripping down.
I blinked unfocused eyes and fumbled inside my clothes with trembling hands.
The red healing potion the captain had shoved into my chest before the mission.
I pulled it out and held it toward her.
“This is…”
“…Hea… ling… potion… cough… drink it…”
Her eyes wavered.
“Are you insane?! Look at your condition! You could die any second—why give this to me?!”
“…During missions… if something happens… use it…”
I smiled faintly through bloody foam.
If the client dies,
the mission fails.
I didn’t need medical knowledge to know—
my body was already beyond saving.
At least that one request the captain gave me—
to protect the client—
I wanted to fulfill it perfectly.
“No. You drink it.”
She refused firmly and brought the bottle back to my lips.
I used the last of my strength.
I grabbed her hand, pushed it away, bit open the cork with my teeth—
and forced the potion into her mouth.
“Mm?! Mmph?!”
My hand fell limp.
This was it.
My consciousness sank into darkness.
And then—
the client, frozen in shock, suddenly moved.
She leaned down and cupped my face with both hands.
“…?”
Something soft and cold pressed against my bloodied lips.
It was—
her lips.
Through my fading vision, her robe slipped back, revealing hair that cascaded like a galaxy.
She transferred the healing potion she had held in her mouth—
into mine.
…
My first kiss…
tasted like a healing potion.