3 Years Later
3 Years Later
"Damn it! They just keep coming!"
"Right side! Hold your shields straight! If the line breaks, we'll be swept away!"
The soldiers of Alderin formed a battle array.
This expedition was a large-scale monster subjugation operation taking place near the Barony of Alderin.
Over the past few years, the appearance of monsters had increased exponentially.
It was a phenomenon far removed from occasional territorial intrusions or seasonal monster migrations.
Monsters that had been cooped up deep within the remote forests began pouring out as if they had made a pact.
The ferocity of the individuals had become incomparably darker than before, and the frequency of them swarming together to ravage nearby villages had also increased sharply.
It was at a level that the Baron of Alderin's own forces could not possibly handle.
Thus, joining the expedition were adventurers and mercenaries staying in the city, as well as the knights of Edelheid.
Among them, the knights of Edelheid were by far the strongest force.
"Irion! The right defensive line has been breached! Stop them!"
"Understood."
As soon as Lance's command fell, a single shadow surged into the middle of the collapsed defensive line.
The soldiers of Alderin, clutching their shields in fear, were stepping back.
Just as a giant wolf monster was about to swallow a soldier whole, its head was severed and soared into the air.
Seogeok!
"Uh...!"
The soldier's eyes widened.
The wolf's head, which had been thrusting its maw right in front of him, vanished. In its place, filling his vision, was a black-haired young man wearing the Edelheid knight uniform.
Before the soldier could even grasp the situation, the young man's figure sprang forward once again.
Kiaaaaaak!
The screams of monsters erupted from all directions, and dark red blood scattered into the air.
Every time a flash of golden light flickered, the carcasses of monsters piled up in heaps.
"Wh-what on earth is that...?"
"A knight...?"
Not only the soldiers of Alderin but even the veteran mercenaries and adventurers forgot the battle and watched that overwhelming martial prowess.
His footsteps moved among the monsters as if he were taking a stroll in his own front yard. Lightning-like golden trajectories embroidered the battlefield.
With the addition of just one person, the unfavorable tide of battle was overturned in an instant.
Kugugugu!
It was then.
A heavy vibration that shook the very earth struck the battlefield.
A pressure as if dozens of beasts were roaring at once. The trees of the forest shattered to make a path.
"Wh-what is that now...!"
One adventurer stepped back, his face turning pale.
Emerging with a thick cloud of dust was a giant old tree, massive enough to blot out the forest.
It was a Blood Trent, an anomalous monster that had guarded the forest for ages before being corrupted by demonic energy and soaking in blood.
Gigigigigik!
Along with the bizarre sound of twisting bark, dozens of branches stretched out like tentacles.
Blood-colored branches, their tips sharpened like spearheads. The target was Irion, standing in the middle of the monster carcasses.
The branches poured down like rain, surrounding him from all sides. A perfect encirclement with no place to escape.
Irion held his dripping sword at an angle and faced it with calm eyes.
Paat!
The explosive sound of breaking air erupted in the very next moment.
Irion's figure blurred, and a streak of light flashed.
A marvelous speed that the eye could not follow.
Behind the streak of light, the branches that had been surging from all directions were sliced into pieces in an instant.
Before the severed wooden fragments could even hit the ground, Irion had already reached the main body of the Blood Trent.
Golden mana wrapped around the blade as if painting over it. The sword drew a graceful semicircle, cutting across the massive body of the Blood Trent.
Seugeok.
A cutting sound so eerily quiet and smooth that it was hard to believe it was the sound of slicing through the Blood Trent's bark, which was harder than metal.
A thin golden line appeared across the large torso.
A moment of silence.
Soon, starting from that line, the torso split and fell to the left and right. As it slammed into the ground, a massive cloud of dust rose.
"They're running away!"
"Don't let them escape! Each one is worth a silver coin!"
The monsters began to tuck their tails and flee toward the forest. The adventurers and mercenaries did not miss the opportunity and rushed out with shouts.
Irion shook the sap and blood off his blade into the air and smoothly sheathed his sword.
"Who is that person?"
An adventurer watching Irion from a distance spoke up. She was an adventurer who had recently settled in Alderin.
"You're trying to be an adventurer in Alderin and you don't know the Slave Knight?"
"The Slave Knight? That one from Edelheid?"
The Slave Knight of Edelheid.
He was a celebrity to the point where it was hard to find someone in Alderin who didn't know him.
I heard he was incredibly strong, but to think he was at that level...
"With that kind of skill, why is he a slave?"
"He was originally a gladiator slave, but the Lady of Edelheid bought him. Still, he wasn't that good back then..."
"Wow, that Lady must have hit the jackpot."
"Who in the world would invest in a slave like that? Her discernment is also extraordinary."
The buzzing sounds from the surroundings hit his ears, but Irion didn't care at all.
It was a story he heard commonly everywhere he went. Having lived with it for three years, he was more than used to it.
"Irion."
Footsteps were heard from behind. When he turned his head, Lance was approaching.
"Good work. Thanks to you, we were able to prevent major damage."
"I just followed orders, that's all."
"Mm. Clean up and come along. We are returning to the mansion."
Lance moved away.
Left alone, Irion lightly brushed off his uniform. He looked over his body here and there to check if he was injured.
Before setting out, the voice of Renoa, who had threatened to double his training if he returned with even a single scratch, was vivid in his ears.
Fortunately, there were no wounds.
Irion hopped down from the carcass. He turned his back on the scattered monster corpses and walked away.
The monster subjugation was successfully completed.
We were currently returning to the Edelheid villa, which was like our home, in a luggage wagon.
"How many did you guys catch today?"
"Heh. I got seven."
"I got four..."
The apprentice knights in the same wagon as me shared the number of monsters they had subjugated in this expedition.
In their conversation, a sense of competition and superiority regarding each other's achievements subtly leaked out.
"Everyone caught quite a few. Euclis, what about you?"
"Why?"
Euclis replied with a serious face.
"What do you mean why? I'm just curious."
"Is the number of monsters caught really such an important matter? Get a grip, Hamson. Monster subjugation is not a subject to be used for betting. The safety of countless citizens is at stake."
"No, that's true, but when did I say let's bet? I just asked how many you caught..."
"What if I didn't catch a single one? Would that be a problem? Are you perhaps trying to say that a person who cannot defeat a monster has no value? Isn't the important thing the courage itself to stand in that place without backing down?"
"Why is your tongue so long? I'm just asking how many you caught."
"I'm disappointed, Hamson. To think you were such a result-oriented snob..."
"This bastard definitely didn't catch a single one."
At Hamson's sharp remark, silly laughter erupted from the candidates. Euclis's face turned red in an instant.
"What are you looking at? Irion, how many did you catch?"
Euclis, who was being teased, turned the arrow toward me.
I thought back for a moment.
"I didn't count, so I don't know."
"What?"
"Euclis, do you know the number of pieces of bread you've eaten so far? It's the same principle."
"In the first place, the kill count is meaningless for him, isn't it? He took down the boss single-handedly. Seriously, this monster-like bastard. He doesn't know moderation."
Hamson shook his head with an exasperated expression. There was no negative sentiment in his attitude.
The attitude of the candidates toward me had changed significantly over these three years.
Rolling on the dirt floor together, sweating, and fighting with our lives on the line on the battlefield, it was an environment where camaraderie couldn't help but form.
It was also thanks to everyone growing internally as time passed. I don't know about being friends, but we were at least on joking terms.
Soon, the wagon arrived at the mansion.
We got off the wagon and lined up in front of Lance.
"Good work on this expedition as well. While there are those who achieved satisfactory results, there are also those who did not."
At those words, everyone's gaze turned toward Euclis. Euclis clicked his tongue with a displeased expression.
"You don't need to be disheartened. However, I hope you take some time to think about what you lacked."
It was before Lance's lecture could even finish.
Kki-ik.
The firmly closed front door of the mansion slowly opened. Emerging from behind it was Renoa.
I looked at her while standing in the ranks.
Three years. That time, which was by no means short, had left distinct changes in Renoa as well.
The traces of the young girl who was always irritable and acted sharply were now nowhere to be found.
She had grown much taller. As her baby fat disappeared, her facial lines became more slender and alluring.
Even the curves of her body, which clearly made their presence known through her dress. The growth of her feminine physique was evident.
The Renoa Edelheid I knew.
It was the moment she perfectly overlapped with the image of the villainess in the original story.
"Reporting. We have returned after successfully completing the monster subjugation near the Barony of Alderin."
Renoa, who walked down the stairs leisurely, cast a languid gaze toward us.
"Good work. Don't just stand there like idiots; go wash up and rest. I've told them to prepare dinner with special care today."
"Thank you, Agassi!"
At the reward of a sweet rest and a feast, the faces of the candidates brightened all at once.
We were about to move to wash up after giving a polite greeting.
"Ah."
Renoa's lips opened slowly as if she had just remembered something.
"Irion, you stay."
"..."
It has been three years since I became Renoa's slave.
If there was one more thing that had changed, it was that her obsession with me had become even more intense.