Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Snow-Covered's Resolve
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'I can do it.'
Whoosh, whoosh!
Thwack!
The stone from her third sling shot struck true.
Thanks to that, the barbarian lunging at the recruit crumpled to the ground, his skull shattered.
But Snow-Covered wasn't satisfied. She reloaded with another stone handed to her by the old woman.
"Hoo, ha."
Her hands trembled, her breath came in ragged gasps.
It was proof that Snow-Covered, who had led the group while pretending to be calm and fearless, was now gripped by terror.
Yet her master's teachings shone like a beacon, guiding her down the right path.
'Feeling fear doesn't make you worthless.'
His words weren't impossibly idealistic, nor overly cynical.
Like the teachings embraced the complexity of humanity itself, they struck a perfect balance.
They encouraged courage.
Fear was merely a step in growth.
'Don't let panic cloud your judgment—keep your eyes on the situation.'
Snow-Covered steeled herself.
Just like that, the trembling in her hands vanished, and strength surged into her grip.
She whirled the sling overhead with fierce momentum, then hurled it forward with all her might.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
Thud!
"Ah..."
The stone flew in a perfect arc.
But it lacked just a bit of power, striking the barbarian's abdomen instead of a vital spot.
If she left it at that, the enraged brute would charge straight at her and the old woman.
Snow-Covered scrambled into a defensive stance, bracing for close combat.
"Ugh, uwaaaah!"
"Block it—!"
But before the barbarian could close in, the two nearby recruits who'd been guarding Snow-Covered raised their table shields and stepped forward.
They desperately swung their shields, barely managing to take down the barbarian.
"Huff, huff."
Their faces were smeared with blood and sweat, their eyes wide with fear.
But just as Snow-Covered had stepped up with courage, they were responding in kind.
Her heart swelled with an indescribable emotion as she shouted to the group.
"Hurry! It's right there!"
The darkness and chaos made it seem farther, but the building where they'd stayed and the village hall weren't that distant.
Encouraging one another, Snow-Covered and her companions dragged their weary legs and ran.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
"— — — — — — —!!"
In the distance, she spotted several torch-bearing groups locked in fierce struggle.
They were the village chief and about ten vigilantes defending the hall.
"Out of the way! We don't have time for this!"
"P-Please calm down, Chief! What if you leave the hall now?!"
True to his days as a veteran soldier, the village chief gripped a massive two-handed axe and led the vigilantes.
But the barbarians kept popping up sporadically and aggressively, making it hard to even hold their ragged formation.
It was a total disaster.
Their strength in unity was failing amid the darkness and confusion.
Snow-Covered's face darkened. She poured every ounce of strength into her voice and shouted.
"Chief!"
"Th-There! Help! Clear a path for them! Hurry!"
The chief startled at their sudden appearance.
But he quickly urged the archer vigilantes onward, creating an opening for them to join.
Reaching the village hall at the center, they plunged into an even more chaotic melee.
The chief hurried over to the safely arrived group and asked urgently.
"I should have sent someone sooner—I'm truly sorry. Is everyone all right?"
"Hoo... Y-Yeah, we're all safe."
"Where is he? Still back there?"
The chief's face grew grave.
Not only had he failed to protect an important guest, but the very man who'd helped forge their alliance had vanished.
But before the chief could get worked up, Snow-Covered waved both hands emphatically.
"He left ahead of us! He'll join us soon—just don't worry!"
It was absurd to think they needed to fret over their master.
He was probably off somewhere slaughtering barbarians and handling crucial matters right now.
"Hm."
But the chief, unaware of Broken Sword's true nature, could only respond with worried silence.
With the situation spiraling unpredictably, there was no time for questions.
"Damn it, here they come again!"
"Hold! Shields up!"
And sure enough, while the chief had turned away, more barbarians swarmed in.
They moved as if under orders, pinning the chief and vigilantes in front of the hall.
"Damn it!"
The chief hefted his axe once more.
Like a frontline warrior in his prime, he swung it fiercely to defend the village.
Screams pierced the empty air.
Bodies piled on the ground.
The two groups, locked in a kill-or-be-killed struggle, stained the pitch-black dawn with blood.
Yet even amid such tragedy,
Snow-Covered's steps remained quick as a squirrel and bold as a bear.
Bang, screech!
Snow-Covered led her hesitant companions into the village hall.
She rummaged through the room she'd noted earlier, retrieving the weapons they'd left behind and arming themselves.
Click.
Her own sword, her master's sword.
Snow-Covered buckled on the blade Red Iron had forged, vowing never to be separated again.
One of the recruits, who had grabbed a short spear and shield almost by reflex, called out as she headed back outside.
"Wh-What do we do now..."
"Help me one more time."
"Huh?"
"We need to get them moving."
The hall, where everyone should have gathered, was held by the chief and a dozen vigilantes, isolated.
Even though there were several times more vigilantes and villagers scattered throughout the village, they were pinned down here, unable to budge.
If even this strongest point was in such dire straits, the rest could only be worse.
No doubt they were being picked off piecemeal by the encroaching barbarians even now.
But what hurt Snow-Covered more was the thought that her master's grand vision for humanity might fail.
A cause for humankind.
How stirring those words were.
For a child who had spent her life yearning to unite and fight back against constant submission, it was nothing short of radiant light.
So Snow-Covered moved forward, knowing her place and the limits of her small frame.
Even if it was reckless, even if she'd pay dearly later.
To turn this dire situation around, she felt the need to follow her master's advice.
The recruits, hearing her words, nodded grimly and gripped their shields tight.
Bang!
Snow-Covered and her group kicked open the door.
Grabbing only the fiercely burning torches, they advanced slowly toward the fleeing villagers ahead.
"Wh-What?"
"Wh-Where are you going?! Come back!"
The vigilantes panicked, of course.
Snow-Covered's group, whom they'd expected to stay put, had broken formation with this bold move.
But it was far too late to stop them.
"Krrrrr..."
Naturally, eyes turned their way.
The barbarians, mid-swing with their clubs, spotted Snow-Covered—the perfect tender prey.
How succulent would such a young, small thing be?
Their blood-smeared clubs and teeth turned toward her unprotected neck.
"Uwaaaah!!"
"Eek!"
The youngest vigilante recruit squeezed his eyes shut at the charging barbarians.
He couldn't bear to watch Snow-Covered at the front get butchered horrifically.
But in that moment, an unbelievable miracle unfolded before their eyes.
Clang—!
Her thumb lifted the sword guard.
A sharp blade emerged, announcing its presence.
Blazing eyes, the motion of drawing the sword.
Not masterful, but persistent—the movement evoked a fledgling bird's first flight on the wings of swordsmanship.
To the crawling barbarians, it was an untouchable mountain peak.
"Hraaaah—!!"
Snow-Covered let out a tearing shout.
With it, her small sword whipped up a surge, slicing through the ominous black air.
It carried the bloody resentment she'd harbored since birth.
Slash!
The stunned onlookers soon shuddered in awe.
The soul-shaking roar had severed the barbarian's neck.
If even that tiny child could step forward, what were they doing?
Her raw, powerful inexperience delivered a fresh shock to them all.
"Y-Yes! We have to push forward too!"
The chief's blood boiled.
Realizing Snow-Covered's intent, he shoved aside the shoulders of the hesitating vigilantes.
"Follow me! We're going to save the villagers!"
"Ch-Chief?"
Years had passed, age had crept in.
He'd ignored reality and fled fear to make the most of his remaining time.
Now, he couldn't stand his own patheticness.
A rusted axe was still an axe.
The chief bellowed the war cry he'd roared countless times as a soldier and charged ahead.
"Damn it, after him!"
"U-Uwaaaah, what the hell!"
No time to hesitate.
The startled vigilantes floundered before instinctually following the chief.
Like a ball unfurling from self-imposed isolation, they broke free.
The surprised ones were the barbarians.
"Hah?!"
The fools they'd planned to chew to death slowly were now charging with their massive frames leading.
The momentum was so fierce that even the scattered attackers faltered.
"Kill them!"
"Don't lower your shields!"
Crack! Bang!
Slash!
They slashed, stabbed, shoved, bashed.
The fear they'd suppressed fueled an explosive morale.
At the vanguard were the chief, mad with rediscovered youth, and Snow-Covered's group.
"Over here!"
"I-I'm alive! Thank you!"
"Thank you, Chief!"
After cutting down a wave of barbarians, a path began to clear.
As they pressed along it, vigilantes and villagers fighting in groups of two or three joined, swelling their ranks.
"Send the kids to the back!"
"Anyone unhurt, grab a weapon!"
Families aided families,
neighbors helped neighbors,
forming a bulwark of "us."
The initially sloppy shield wall evolved into an impenetrable fortress, allowing no gaps.
But Snow-Covered, the spark that ignited it all, had fallen back with an utterly exhausted face.
Her overexertion had drained every last drop of stamina.
Hands drenched in blood, face pale as if she'd emptied her guts.
A recruit holding a shield nearby rushed over in panic to wipe the blood from her.
"B-Blood! Are you okay?!"
"H-Hoo... It's not mine."
No matter her prodigious talent in swordsmanship, a trainee was still a trainee.
Stamina and strength couldn't keep up, and the revulsion from her first kill had long since gnawed at her.
"Hnnng..."
Her hands shook uncontrollably.
Her wounds from the brutes throbbed.
But Snow-Covered wiped her tears with a resolute face and slapped her cheeks hard.
Slap!
The battle wasn't over yet.
To face her master with pride, she had to fight to the end.
Snow-Covered gripped her sword again, trying to straighten her screaming waist and legs.
"Kwaaaah—!!"
Thud! Boom—!
But then a tearing scream rang out as something hurtled toward the shield wall.
Regrettably, it was the corpse of a vigilante—arms and legs twisted unnaturally in agony even in death.
What could have done that?
The mood chilled instantly; people swallowed dryly.
Gulp.
The barbarians slowly retreated.
And from the darkness beyond, an enormous silhouette began to emerge.
Its frame was so massive that each step sent the ground thundering.
From the hefty club it wielded dripped an aura like molten iron.
A barbarian warrior wielding aura.
The worst enemy they'd yet faced revealed itself before them.