The Northern Frontier
10. Riding a horse and heading north without any plan, I realized a few mistakes I had made. First, setting off without any preparation when I didn't even know how far it was to the north. Second, overlooking how dangerous traveling at night could be because I was used to modern roads at night. "How many times is this already?" I frowned at the wild beast that appeared before me. Monsters like horned wolves, winged wolves, and boars with scales as hard as a hippo's kept charging at me without rest. If I had only been an Aura User, I might have been torn apart by the beasts long ago—the attacks came that frequently.
'There aren't any bandits, but why are there so many beasts?' Well, it was funny to think bandits would live in mountains filled with dangerous monsters and beasts that even Aura-trained knights found perilous. With that kind of skill, they could make a living anywhere with just a sword—there was no need to become a bandit unless they had some mental issue that made normal social life impossible.
'What a shame.' Before reaching the north, I had wanted to try killing a human at least once. Killing orcs had been no problem, but that was only because orcs looked nothing like humans at a glance. I couldn't be sure how it would feel against actual humans. What if I hesitated during my first kill while fighting barbarians in the north? That could lead to a fatal injury. That's why I wanted to confirm whether I was the type to hesitate when killing people... 'Can't be helped. That's all part of real combat anyway.'
Even if I turned out to be someone who hesitated to kill, I would accept that too. With that thought, I slowly guided my horse and arrived at the border between the north and the central regions. "This is..." Snow was falling. Just one step back and it was the warm south where the night wind was only slightly chilly, but one step forward and snow began to fall lightly, as if the game's 'map' had changed. I lightly leaped over the border line dividing the two regions and understood why Yuri always wore such a cold expression. 'If you walked around smiling in a place like this, your face would get torn off.' It was a region where you couldn't naturally smile. Feeling the steel-like chill against my skin, I entered the north.
People who came and went from the north fell into exactly two categories: those dragged there after committing crimes, or soldiers leaving the north wounded. And then there were the merchants who came hauling goods, hoping to do business even in the north. The former only traveled on set dates, and the only ones who came all the way to the unprofitable north were the regular supply caravans. In other words, the post guarding the border between the north and the central regions was a cushy job where wounded soldiers from the battlefield were stationed for a bit of rest—and true to such a quiet post where almost no one came or went, the soldiers here had extremely lax discipline.
"Two pair." "I win. Triple." "What? That doesn't make sense. You cheating bastard!?" "Don't talk if you have no proof～." Having won the card game, Rail began sweeping up all the money on the table while humming. In the north, the only entertainment was drinking and embracing the warm chests of prostitutes, but even that required money. While he was cheerfully collecting the coins, Kasim, who had lost his money, frowned in irritation and tilted back a bottle of liquor. "Shit, this doesn't make any—huh?" As he was drinking, Kasim spotted someone riding a horse in the distance and frowned. No one should be coming up to the north at this hour. Especially not alone, wearing nothing but a shabby cloak? Kasim wondered if he was seeing a ghost instead of a person.
"Someone's coming." "What? What nonsense, you're not getting the pot back just by—" Hearing Kasim's words, Rail turned his head and also spotted the figure riding toward them, snapping to attention. Anyway, it was highly suspicious for someone to approach this place alone. It wasn't likely that the barbarians beyond the Great Wall had secretly crossed, obtained armor and horses, and were returning to the north... but suspicious was suspicious. The two men quickly straightened their posture, raised their spears, and aimed them at the unidentified man approaching from afar. The man on horseback saw them and slowly began to reduce his speed. "Halt! Who are you!?" "—Is this the north?" "I asked who you are!" "Kyle Meyer."
Upon hearing the name, the two men tilted their heads. It sounded familiar, but they couldn't immediately place it. The fact that he had a family name meant he was a noble, but why would a noble come all the way here alone? And fully armed like that, no less. Kyle looked at the soldiers still pointing their spears at him, lightly dismounted, and threw back the hood he had been wearing. "I am the son-in-law of Duke Valter Grace, and the fiancé of his daughter, Yuri Grace." "...What? What does that—" "Didn't you hear? I said I'm the duke's son-in-law." When the duke's name left his mouth, the two soldiers belatedly realized who they were facing. Kyle Meyer. The heir to the Meyer family whom Duke Grace had tried to lure into expanding into the central regions. They didn't know why he was here, but they knew he wasn't someone they could treat carelessly. Swallowing hard, the two men carefully withdrew their spears. "...Do you perhaps have a way to prove your identity?" "I didn't bring anything like an ID card."
Kyle said this while pondering how to prove he was Kyle Meyer, then suddenly snatched the spear Rail was holding. Rail, a veteran soldier, didn't notice his spear had been taken for quite some time. Only after belatedly seeing the spear now in Kyle's previously empty hands did he realize his own hands were empty. "Will this serve as proof?" Grabbing the spearhead of the stolen spear, Kyle wrapped Aura around his palm and crushed it. Crack—! The two men, Rail and Kasim, realized for the first time in their lives that steel could make such a sound when torn. Kyle's palm, which had lightly crushed the spear, bore not a single scratch, and the two knew there was only one type of being capable of such a feat. "A-Aura..." "Do you believe me now?" "O-Of course! Young Master Kyle! Please, come inside!"
The two men made a fuss and immediately guided Kyle inside. Upon entering, Kyle flinched at the sight of rolling liquor bottles and scattered cards, but knowing from his previous life how idle garrison soldiers could be, he deliberately overlooked it. He hadn't planned on staying here long anyway. His target was the barbarians beyond the Great Wall in the north. However, there was no need to explain such detailed reasons even to ordinary soldiers. Kyle mounted his horse again and spoke. "Where is the duke?" "His Grace is at the front lines..." "Where?" "Ah, this direction. If you keep going straight..." Rail quickly told Kyle what he wanted to know. After hearing the locations of the ducal castle and the Great Wall where the barbarians attacked, Kyle immediately led his horse in that direction.
Watching Kyle's retreating figure disappear into the distance, Kasim realized Rail had said too much and cautiously called out to him. "Hey, is this okay? What if that guy isn't actually Young Master Kyle?" "It's probably him." "Why do you think so?" "He didn't kill us and just left, didn't he?" Rail said this while picking up the spear Kyle had destroyed. The steel was completely torn and twisted, and the shaft holding the spearhead had burst in the middle. The monstrous strength to destroy a spear with one hand, and the speed so quick that Rail hadn't noticed his weapon being taken— if Kyle had been a spy trying to attack the northern army from behind, there would have been no reason to leave them alive. Wasn't he skilled enough to eliminate them without anyone knowing? "By the way... how old is the young master this year?" "Well, I heard he's the same age as the young lady." "Then he's fifteen?" "Nah, there's no way someone who uses Aura that well is only fifteen." "Haha, right? So he's over twenty then—"
Once Kyle was far enough to be out of sight, the two men, who had relaxed at an unbelievable speed, began drinking while using Kyle as drinking conversation.
The Great Wall of the north. A wall built so massively that barbarians couldn't easily cross it. Upon arriving there, I realized its reputation was no exaggeration. 'Damn, even I can't climb this?' I could easily jump over about ten meters, but the wall's height far exceeded that. It was so tall that I wondered if the knees of the soldiers stationed here would even survive. Having just arrived on horseback below the wall, I heard the shouts and metallic sounds coming from above and beyond it, realizing they were currently in battle. 'Good timing.' Leaping off my horse, I ran straight up the stairs along the wall without stopping. The soldiers shooting arrows through small holes inside the wall looked at me curiously as I suddenly appeared. However, in the midst of war, none of them found it strange that an unfamiliar knight had appeared behind them. They simply assumed I was a newly arrived knight. Thanks to that, I reached the top of the wall without any interference and could grasp the entire battlefield situation at a glance from atop the towering Great Wall. 'They're about to break through here and here, so I should block this spot first—ah, there. The duke is over there.'
Thump thump thump! My heart began pounding wildly at the prospect of my first real battle. Not some fake battle that didn't feel real, but an actual battlefield where my head could be cut off at any moment. After taking a deep breath, I immediately leaped down from the Great Wall. Whoosh—! Feeling the wind whipping past my ears, I landed heavily in front of a barbarian who was mercilessly slaughtering soldiers. "Huh? Who the hell are you..." "—Nice to meet you." Without even time for greetings, I swung my sword. Meyer Style Form 3. Nameless Slash. The barbarian's upper body rolled across the ground. Revulsion? There was none. The swordsmanship I had drilled into my body until it broke had been trained to move even unconsciously. "Good..." I grinned and looked ahead. There were still plenty of prey left. Thud— Gripping my sword, I charged forward.