Chapter 350: Omen: Defeat, Victory, Defeat, Victory, Victory
Chapter 350: Omen: Defeat, Victory, Defeat, Victory, Victory
There were many routes to Barbara, but the fastest was undoubtedly a straight line.
Indeed, the East's travel path was drawn nearly as a straight line. The estimated travel time, accounting only for pure movement, was set at about three weeks.
And now, the Eastern forces were crossing the ‘Uncharted Wilderness’.
The Uncharted Wilderness was the first region one entered after leaving Prinsica, and it had once been known as a treasure trove of ruins. More than six ruins had been excavated from this place alone.
Of course, as more Users flocked there over time, the region was rapidly stabilized and interest in it gradually faded… But as the saying goes, the darkest place is right beneath the lamp.
The Uncharted Wilderness is vast and expansive. It takes an average of eleven days just to cross it into the next region, which should give some idea of its sheer size.
But its size wasn't the important part. According to my memory, there were still two undiscovered sites left in the Uncharted Wilderness.
Lost Paradise and the Tower of Valhalla.
At first, I had considered setting up my base here. In the end, the scales tipped in favor of the ‘Magic City Magia’, but Lost Paradise and the Tower of Valhalla were ruins that absolutely had to be claimed.
“Halt the march!”
Just then, a booming voice erupted from the front. As it shook me from my thoughts, I could hear the ragged breaths of people gasping for air all around.
“We’ve reached the halfway point! We will take a long rest here!”
The shout came again, and at the same time, I saw the surrounding Users drop their packs with audible thuds.
Looks like they're pretty worn out.
The East's current pace was so fast it could be considered a forced march. The participating Users were high-level, but according to the Goryeo Lord, the first objective was to break through the Uncharted Wilderness in seven days. So it wasn't surprising that some Users were running out of stamina.
In any case, since it was still the beginning, a certain degree of forced marching was tolerable.
For a moment, I thought about going to see the kids, but I quickly shook my head. Checking up on them to see if they were adjusting was fine once or twice, but if I kept visiting, the Users in their unit might start giving me strange looks.
So, I started walking toward the outskirts to find a suitable spot. As I did, a User who had been bustling about nearby quickly approached and spoke to me.
“Mercenary Lord. It looks like we'll be having a meal along with our rest.”
“I'm fine. My stomach feels a bit upset.”
“Oh, you’re not feeling well? If it’s serious, I can go fetch someone from the Fourth Unit.”
“There’s no need to call a priest. I’m just going to get some fresh air in a quiet place.”
“Understood. Still, just in case, please don't wander too far.”
I nodded a couple of times to show him he didn't need to worry.
After watching the User scurry away, I slowly turned around.
I soon found an open spot without any interference. In such a wide field, it would be hard to find a truly secluded place, but this was still a wartime situation. While I didn't need to sneak away during a break, it was best to stop somewhere within sight of the main group.
“Phew. Now I can finally breathe.”
I sat down on a lone rock in the empty field and stretched my arms out wide.
Perhaps because of the sheer number of Users stationed around me, I’d felt suffocated several times during the march. What’s more, constantly observing everyone with my Third Eye had made even my eyes ache. A cigarette during the regularly scheduled breaks was about my only pleasure these days.
“Oh, Mercenary Lord. There you are. Let me get a smoke.”
“...”
Why did the phrase, “Everything would be great if only you weren’t here,” suddenly come to mind?
I was just about to pull out a cigarette, but I turned my head with a sullen expression. And just as I expected, there was Kim Deokpil, holding out his hand with a beaming smile. I had no idea when he'd approached.
“I don't have any.”
“Huh? Really?”
“Yeah. I'm all out. Thanks to someone.”
“Aww, man. I’m on my last one, too. Tsk... Well, can’t be helped. Here, smoke this instead.”
Kim Deokpil scratched the back of his head with a very disappointed look, then handed me a cigarette as thick as his thumb.
Did he just give me his last one?
Feeling a little awkward, I cleared my throat and handed him the cigarette I’d been holding in my pocket. It was much thinner than the one he’d offered, but it was also much longer.
“...Huh.”
“Actually, I had one left.”
We stared blankly at each other for a moment before amicably lighting up our cigarettes.
“Oh, right. Mercenary Lord, did you hear the news? They say the North and South have finally started to make their move.”
“Yes, I believe I heard about it in yesterday's meeting.”
“Ah, right. You had a meeting yesterday. Goddammit. What's with all these fucking meetings, calling us in every other day? We should just crush the Western Continent and all the Vagabonds and be done with it.”
Clearly fed up with the daily meetings, Kim Deokpil spat on the ground and grumbled. He then raised his eyebrows at me as if seeking agreement, but I just shrugged. I simply thought it was a fitting attitude for a User with the title ‘Vagabond Slayer’ and gave a small, dry laugh to myself.
“Tsk... Huh? What's she doing here?”
Just then, Kim Deokpil, who had been smacking his lips, perhaps dissatisfied with my lukewarm response, suddenly widened his eyes and lifted his head. Following his gaze, I too spotted an unexpected person.
In the field before us, the ‘Sword Empress,’ Nam Daeun, was walking across the plain.
Nam Daeun must have sensed our presence, as she glanced back at us briefly before disappearing with quick steps.
A moment of silence passed before Kim Deokpil's low voice broke it.
“Jeez, her personality hasn't changed a bit.”
“Her personality?”
“You didn’t know? The Sword Empress, Nam Daeun. She’s famous for her misandry. And her past is a little shady, too.”
I already knew about her personality, so I asked nonchalantly, but this was the first I'd heard about her past being shady.
“That’s the first I’m hearing of it.”
“Oh, is it? Well, I guess you’re a Year 0 User... It’s a story only a few people know, but...”
Kim Deokpil seemed to hesitate for a moment before he slowly began to speak.
“She’s built a reputation as the Sword Empress now, but there’s a rumor that Nam Daeun was originally a Vagabond.”
This was news even to me, who had lived through the first playthrough. That's why I listened all the more intently to what Kim Deokpil said next.
“They say she’s cold and hates men now, but apparently she wasn’t always like that. When she first entered the Hall Plain, her personality was quite cheerful, and she was talented enough to graduate at the top of her class at the User Academy.”
“Then why...”
“That's what I wonder, too. I know for a fact our Reverse Clan made her an offer, but on the day of her graduation, she rejected all of them and followed some guy. Left everyone disappointed.”
“A man?”
At my question, Kim Deokpil flicked away his finished cigarette.
“Yeah. A guy named Lee Kangsan. Have you heard of him?”
The turncoat, Lee Kangsan.
I immediately knew which Vagabond Kim Deokpil was talking about. He was one of the most formidable members who would later become a pillar of the Murder Brigade.
“He's pretty well-known among the Vagabonds even now. After he turned from a User into a Vagabond, I fought him a few times. Each time, I barely managed to escape with my life.”
“Then why is Nam Daeun here now...”
“After she just vanished like that... was it about a year later? Anyway, she suddenly showed up in Barbara with the heads of a few Vagabonds. She explained that she'd followed him without knowing what was going on and said she wanted to be a User again.”
“Then it seems safe to assume she converted. She's part of an active clan now, after all...”
My point seemed reasonable enough, but Kim Deokpil shook his head, his expression quite serious.
“I don't know. There are some things that make it hard to see it so positively... And if you're talking about the Cheondun Clan, they were practically wiped out in the Steel Mountains expedition anyway. Besides, that clan's nature is...”
Just then, Kim Deokpil abruptly stopped talking. He scowled and resolutely stood up.
“Dammit. They don’t give you a moment’s rest.”
For a second, I wondered what was wrong, but I quickly understood why. In the distance, where the Users were gathered, a woman was running hard in our direction. I recognized her as the herald who announced the meetings, someone I'd seen several times since we departed.
“I should probably tell her the Sword Empress went that way.”
As Kim Deokpil muttered weakly, I calmly got to my feet.
*
Today was another repeat of meetings and marching, and time passed until deep night fell. Since we couldn't march at night, we naturally had to sleep. Accordingly, a campsite for nearly five thousand Users had been set up around us.
While on night watch, I quietly surveyed the entire campsite.
The silver light of the bright midnight moon illuminated the areas beyond the sentries' line of sight. I always used a sleeping bag on expeditions, but seeing the tents neatly arranged across the vast field was quite a spectacle.
Crackle! Crackle, crackle!
Suddenly, the sound of a crackling campfire drifted over from somewhere.
“You should sleep if you're tired, sir.”
At the same time, the User standing watch next to me spoke in a sweet voice. I glanced over and saw a female User with a cute impression, her round face still holding a bit of baby fat.
Thinking her way of speaking was rather unique, I replied quietly.
“I'm not very tired.”
“Oh, come now, sir. I can see the sleepiness all around your eyes.”
“...”
“A-Actually, it’s because I’m a little uncomfortable, sir.”
When I didn’t respond, the woman answered in a stammering tone. I hadn’t said a word, but it seemed her conscience was already pricked.
“What's making you uncomfortable?”
“Well... you're the Mercenary Lord, are you not, sir?”
“Yes.”
“I was under the impression that most other clan lords don’t stand for night watch... It’s a bit surprising, sir.”
What a liar.
She said that, but what she really meant was that she was unhappy because standing watch with me meant she had to be on high alert. I chuckled and replied.
“That's incorrect information. The Goryeo Lord, for example, has never once skipped his watch duty.”
“W-Well, that may be true, but other clan lords have been known to quietly skip it, sir.”
“That's their business. I have no intention of doing so. Now, please focus on your duty.”
“…Yeees.”
Was her name Noh Yumi? She answered sullenly, then let out a sigh so heavy it felt like the ground might collapse.
Then, I gently closed my eyes and sank into thought about the meetings that had been held daily as of late.
Our passage through the Uncharted Wilderness was finally nearing its end. We had held numerous meetings on the way here, but there was still one agenda item on which we couldn't narrow our differences. And that was...
Rustle.
Hm?
It was then.
“M-Mercenary Lord.”
“...”
Just when I thought she'd quieted down, she started chattering again.
“M-Mercenary Lord! Th-There's someone behind you, sir!”
“What...?”
But the woman's next words were enough to startle me. As I reflexively drew up my magic, I felt the presence of someone standing silently behind my back.
To be honest, I had been lost in thought and hadn’t activated Sensing. Even so, the fact that my basic instincts had failed to notice the person meant they were extraordinarily skilled.
I spun around at once. Then, the identity of this skilled individual slowly came into view.
Long, straight hair. A slender, oval-shaped face. Plump lips. A slim, shapely waist and long legs.
And I could feel a pair of cold, tranquil eyes looking straight at me.
“Mercenary Lord.”
This was the first time I had ever heard her voice.
Before I could even reply, the Sword Empress's lips slowly parted.
“Let's talk for a moment.”
Nam Daeun's voice was flat and dripping with cold, but it was undeniably beautiful.