Chapter 7
Chapter 7
Chapter 7.
“The Holy Army is coming soon.”
At those words, everyone looked at me like I was crazy.
The Merchant Guild Master's daughter, Eddie who had rushed over, and Ryan who was trying to grab me in a panic, all had the same expression.
Only one person.
The Merchant Guild Master was different.
Kalian Ladenbach.
His eyes, hidden by deep wrinkles, trembled slightly.
…A tangible anxiety washed over him and then subsided.
“Is that bastard crazy? How dare he barge into the Merchant Guild Master's carriage without fear!?”
“Whoa, wait a minute, Eddie! Gunter wouldn't do something like this without a reason.”
“Bullshit, get out of the way!”
“Damn it, put that sword away first!”
It was chaos outside.
What else could one expect when a mere mercenary barged in and flung open the door of the Merchant Guild Master's carriage?
The entire merchant caravan had come to a halt.
But that was even better.
It would buy me more time.
Ignoring the commotion, I kept my eyes fixed on the Merchant Guild Master.
Just then, his lips parted.
“Everyone, stand back.”
A low voice.
A voice that filled the space like a musical instrument.
“You seem agitated, so sit down for a moment.”
Thump-!
Beyond the closing door, I saw the bewildered faces of Ryan and Eddie.
I sat down opposite the Merchant Guild Master.
Throughout this time, his eyes had not left me, constantly tracking my movements.
“Your name is… Gunter, wasn't it?”
“Do you know me?”
“Thanks to my daughter.”
“Dad!” A commotion arose at the shout.
The Merchant Guild Master calmly asked again.
His acting skills were quite good.
“But speaking of the Holy Army, what is that all about, out of the blue?”
His nonchalant attitude was so convincing that even I, who knew the truth, was momentarily confused.
However, I didn't have time to admire the Merchant Guild Master's performance.
“It's not just the Holy Army; the Paladins will be coming too.”
“……”
The reply came after a brief, unnatural silence.
“Why would they come?”
As I've said repeatedly, there was no time.
I stood up and brought my mouth close to the Merchant Guild Master's ear.
“Because you are a member of the Night Crow's inner circle, the Golden Fox.”
“!”
For an instant, the mask shattered.
His face reflected a cascade of immense confusion, disbelief, impulse, and anxiety.
“……”
It was an understandable reaction.
The words that came from the mouth of a mercenary who hadn't been with them long could never be spoken.
But what was needed now was not vague persuasion, but a definite shock.
This was the best approach.
As expected, the Merchant Guild Master immediately dropped his leisurely demeanor.
“What you just said… makes me very curious about your true identity.”
“A prophet, a spy for the Theocracy, a madman… I don't care what you think of me.”
After all, it would all be as if it never happened once I returned.
“What's important now is that the Holy Army will be here any moment to slaughter us all.”
I deliberately glanced at the Merchant Guild Master's daughter.
The corners of the Merchant Guild Master's mouth twitched slightly.
“Blackmail, huh? You're playing your worst card.”
“The real worst is letting this pointless argument drag on.”
A fierce staring contest.
His gaze, which seemed to probe beneath my skin, was fixed on me.
It was then that the Merchant Guild Master's daughter interjected.
“Dad… Gunter isn't the type to spout nonsense like this.”
The Merchant Guild Master sighed deeply and turned to her.
“Yor, what do you know about this man to speak so confidently?”
“At least he's not crazy, right?”
“What?”
“Dad, really, do you think I’m saying this because he’s handsome?”
Yor pointed out the window.
In front of the carriage.
The caravan guards, swords drawn, were facing off against a few fellow mercenaries.
If not for Ryan, I wouldn't have expected them to step in as well.
“He’s someone who earns that much trust from his colleagues.”
“……”
“Wouldn't it be a small loss to stop for a moment and prepare?”
I was a little taken aback that she would take my side, but seizing the opportunity, I continued.
“Running away is also a futile option.”
Indeed, it was.
With the caravan's mobility, they would be caught in no time.
Nor was the Merchant Guild Master the type to abandon his daughter, subordinates, and merchandise to flee.
‘The enemy would have prepared for escape too.’
Therefore, the best course of action now was to form a defensive formation and fight right here.
For my sake.
And for theirs.
“…We must fight. I will answer all your questions, once we have survived.”
With that, the Merchant Guild Master leaned back in his chair, sighing as if he had aged ten years.
A moment of silence.
“Eddie!”
As if he had been waiting, Eddie scrambled into the carriage.
“Merchant Guild Master! Are you alright? And you, young lady… you are unharmed.”
I watched the two of them alternately, my tension rising.
Would they order me to be dragged out?
Or would they listen to me?
The Merchant Guild Master's face was so rigid that his expression was unreadable.
And then-
“Prepare for battle.”
“…What?”
An uncomfortable smile.
“No, Merchant Guild Master, are you seriously… believing that bastard’s nonsense…?”
“Hurry.”
Eddie stepped outside with a somewhat disappointed expression.
Soon, the sounds of bustling activity pierced the carriage walls and flowed inside.
The Merchant Guild Master glared at me and then spat out in a low voice.
“This is absurd. To be swayed like this by a young man not even of age.”
“…Making the right judgment within limited time is the virtue of a merchant.”
“You speak fluently.”
He suddenly let out a bitter smile.
Strangely, there was a hint of interest in that expression.
“Listen, if by any chance nothing happens….”
“If nothing happens?”
“I will hire you as my damned daughter's lifelong bodyguard. That would be a harsh price for a brief moment of nonsense.”
Yor threw her hands up silently.
I pretended not to see and replied, “Only if they really come?”
“…What?”
“If the Holy Army charges in?”
With all eyes in the carriage focused on me, I continued.
“Just grant me two requests.”
.
.
.
Everyone reacted with confusion to the sudden order to prepare for battle, but they all fell silent when the Merchant Guild Master promised additional compensation.
Mercenaries and guards formed barricades with cargo wagons, drove stakes into the ground, and organized defensive formations.
As veterans, their expressions were reluctant, but their movements were swift.
‘Good, there's still plenty of time.’
The distance between us and the enemy had increased by the same amount we hadn't advanced.
They would also need time to assess the situation.
Ryan, who was pushing a cart beside me, whispered softly.
“Hey, is this for real?”
“What is?”
“Is the Holy Army really coming? Why would they….”
Ryan tilted his head.
Seeing that even he was half-doubting, it meant that virtually no one believed me.
After all, from the perspective of someone who didn't know the Merchant Guild Master's true identity, I must have sounded like I was spouting madness.
“And besides, even if they do come… why would you make that kind of demand?”
“What demand?”
“What do you mean, you bastard? You asked the Merchant Guild Master for command authority.”
That was right.
The option I chose this time was 'moving as a group.'
‘It's the best in the current situation.’
My plan was to subtly coordinate the war situation while pooling the strength of many to create variables.
But Ryan seemed uneasy.
“Commanding isn't like playing house. Have you ever commanded this many troops before?”
It was a valid concern.
That was also why I hadn't implemented this method from the start.
But I had seen one possibility through my past life.
[The Ninety-Nine Overlord Knight King scoffs at Ryan's needless worry.]
‘Knight King.’
Since the divine being who had commanded tens of thousands of troops was attached to me, I believed a reversal was possible.
Moreover, I had perfectly memorized the battlefield of Act 1, Scene 1 through countless deaths.
With the Merchant Guild Master's reaction, which was my biggest concern, resolved.
Surely, I could create a different outcome than in my previous life.
“Damn it.”
Eddie approached then, his face full of annoyance.
“What Holy Army is supposed to appear in this barren wasteland?”
He turned to me with a contorted face and spat.
“Gunter… I know your type very well. Guys who are desperate to be the protagonist everywhere.”
Desperate to be the protagonist, he said.
I couldn't help but let out a hollow laugh at those words.
It wasn't wrong.
If anything, it would be more accurate to say he was a pitiful guy who had no choice but to become the protagonist.
“You're laughing?”
Eddie's expression hardened menacingly.
He took a step closer, as if to retort further.
But then.
His annoyed expression suddenly froze.
His pupils contracted, trembling slightly.
“…No, what is this…”
Rumble-rumble-rumble-!
The earth began to vibrate with a low, dull tremor.
* * *
A cloud of dust slowly rose, then spread like a dark curtain.
The expressions of those who had harbored vague doubts turned chillingly grim.
“…Shit.”
Eddie looked as if I had just choked his neck.
So flustered was he that his hand fumbled for his sword hilt, grasping at empty air.
“They’re really coming? The Holy Army?”
Ryan scrambled onto the barricade.
The distance was still too far for their silhouettes to be clear, but anyone with keen eyesight would know they were no mere mounted bandits.
Without hesitation, he shouted.
“Enemy attack!”
A chilling wind blew.
People's eyes rolled around, as if frozen by the cold.
It was then that a resounding voice awakened the stiffened crowd.
“All units, prepare for battle!”
The Merchant Guild Master emerged from the carriage with a calm expression.
He shouted from the center of the caravan.
“If we survive this battle, I will give you three times… no, five times the promised reward! And to the members of the caravan! I will share all the profits of this journey with you!”
His bold expression showed no doubt in victory.
…Thanks to his skillful acting, the atmosphere shifted.
“Fight bravely! For your lives and for gold!”
Uraaaaaa-!
The people, now filled with morale, raised their weapons.
Preparations for battle accelerated.
In many ways, it was a much better start than my previous life.
Except for one thing.
“I cannot give you command of the guards.”
Eddie refused my command.
Unlike the mercenaries hired for this mission, Eddie and the other guards worked directly for the caravan.
They subtly looked down on the mercenaries, harboring a strange sense of superiority.
“Surprising. Is that petty pride important right now?”
“It’s not pride, it's a rational judgment. There's no one among us who would trust you with their lives.”
A cold silence hung in the air for a moment.
“We will move in our own way. You figure things out with your friends.”
…Yes.
It was exactly as I had predicted.
“Eddie.”
“You have something to say….”
Without hesitation, I swung the hilt of my sword.
[Knight's Swordsmanship Lv1 is activated!]
Eddie, struck directly in the solar plexus with speed and accuracy beyond imagination, collapsed without even a scream.
“…You, cough, how.”
It was naturally a shock from Eddie's perspective.
The opponent he had underestimated had so easily subdued him.
His subordinates, flustered, rushed to his side, but I ignored them and leaned towards him.
“Rational judgment? Do you really think so?”
Whoosh-!
As I finished speaking, I deliberately revealed the Stigma on my wrist.
I was familiar with types like Eddie.
Only when he judged me to be his equal, or superior, could a proper conversation begin.
As expected, Eddie's eyes widened.
“…A Contractor? I-impossible.”
It was surprising, of course.
My Stigma was an irregular obtained as a reward for Karma.
It wasn't obtained through a normal contract, so he hadn't recognized me as a Contractor even when facing me.
And usually.
Such unilateral recognition only occurred when the opponent had made a pact with a much higher god.
[The One Who Sends a Love Letter That Will Never Return recoils]
In other words, he was mistaking me for having contracted with a god of a different, higher dimension.
I continued speaking to the frozen Eddie.
“Not only your employer, but the woman you hold dear is also in danger.”
“I, I…”
“Will you be crushed by those bastards acting like a disorganized mob, or will you band together and try something? Choose.”
I turned away without giving Eddie time to reply.
Behind me, I heard the sounds of Eddie's subordinates helping him up.
“Damn it….”
And then, the sound of footsteps reluctantly following.
It was a relief that he had at least a modicum of common sense.
[Red Street Pillar approves of your method of resolution]
“Wow, what happened?”
Ryan, who had been with the fellow mercenaries, whispered when he saw Eddie following obediently.
I checked the barricades, which had now taken shape, and asked.
“Is everyone here?”
“Yeah. So, what now?”
The gazes of about twenty mercenaries turned to me.
These were Silver, Bronze, and Copper mercenaries that the Silver Compass Merchant Guild had procured cheaply in the 'Badlands' on-site.
Over the past two months, I had naturally become the tacit leader among them.
It was thanks to my superior skills and the strategic insights I had gained from the Knight King, which allowed me to play a central role in battles.
Now was the time to rely on the trust I had built.
“Everyone, there's no need to be afraid.”
In the center where all the caravan's forces had gathered, I spoke a lie.
“Because we will definitely win.”