14
My Villains Chapter 14
5-1. The Murderer's Debut Stage (1)
"Don't make me ask again! Are you mercenaries?"
I wanted to deny it, but there was no way I could.
I was wearing a plausible breastplate and had a falchion and buckler at my waist. If not a mercenary, who else would go around with such equipment?
Trying hard to maintain my composure, I answered the one who had shouted, “Yes, I am a mercenary!"
"What? And you next to him? You're dressed like a magician?"
The man, who might have been an officer or something, stood in front of us with three or four subordinates, having broken away from the formation.
Unlike the soldiers wearing thick quilted armor, the man was wearing armor made of iron plates meticulously joined together in a scale-like pattern.
He looked quite intimidating, wearing an iron helmet with a T-shaped opening for the eyes, nose, and mouth, and wielding a flail with a large piece of metal dangling from it.
While the man's face was hard to read, the soldiers standing behind him were openly sending wary glances our way.
Surely they don't suspect us of being pirates? ... Ugh, I suppose they could. We are foreigners after all.
"I'm La-Pala,"
I quickly covered Ellen's mouth as she tried to answer and pulled her behind me. Then I gripped her arm tightly to prevent her from stepping forward and answered instead.
"This one is my niece. She's still a student, too young to use magic properly."
"A student, you say."
The officer looked at me with glassy eyes.
... Uncle Pyeong-gyeong said not to look into someone's eyes when lying.
Feeling like I'd immediately receive a harsh reprimand if I turned my head away, I looked the officer straight in the eye.
"Military Officer, sir. We must go now."
Military Officer? Is that his title?
Anyway, the Military Officer listened to the whisper of a soldier standing next to him and then ordered me, "The Lord has issued a mobilization order, so come with us. If you refuse, you'll be imprisoned."
"... Understood. Then if I could just send my niece to the tower-"
"No, right now! She's not a little child, can't she run away on her own?"
The Military Officer bellowed and left without waiting for an answer.
However, I couldn't ignore his order and run away. Two soldiers were watching me with fierce eyes, and in the distance, another group of soldiers was approaching.
But as soon as the Military Officer disappeared, Ellen shook off my hand and shouted, "A student? I'm a proud-"
"Quiet!"
I hurriedly covered Ellen's mouth and met her eyes.
"Yes, I know. You're a proud magician, and someday you'll be the greatest archmage in the Middle World."
Ellen calmed down a bit at my whisper.
"But right now... Well, you're in a state where you can't demonstrate the functional aspects of being a magician, right? So,"
"Hey! How long are you going to chatter! If you don't come right now, we'll arrest you!"
Damn, how long has it been for them to be so impatient?
Glancing briefly, I could see urgency showing in the soldiers' expressions.
Soldiers in combat are beings who can do unpredictable things. Provoking them was definitely not a wise choice.
I quickly handed the bag to him and said, "Your mission now is to guard the luggage. We bought it cheaply thanks to you, it would be a shame to lose it, right?"
"Wait a minute, you..."
"Go quickly!"
I pushed Ellen away forcefully and turned to start running with the soldiers.
I felt an intense gaze on my back.
I didn't look back.
The army's numbers continued to rise as we ran towards the harbor.
This was because they were grabbing and dragging along every armed person they saw.
Thanks to this, by the time we reached the waterfront, there were about fifty recruits - mercenaries, sailors, merchant guards, and so on.
On the order of an officer, the recruits were divided and assigned to two sergeants.
It seemed they planned to operate separately from the existing forces, which was quite a wise choice. Whether it was advantageous to me or not, I couldn't tell.
In fact, until we arrived at the waterfront, I had been viewing the situation quite optimistically.
The soldiers guarding South Harbor were well-armed and disciplined.
The chain of command seemed clearly established, and there were also five or six people dressed as magicians.
On the other hand, the pirates I had faced a few days ago were just like beggars with only one weapon in their hands.
Moreover, there were already a considerable number of soldiers at the dock, so I thought they would easily drive away the pirates.
However, the reality was very different from my expectations.
"Militia! Forward!"
"Hah, they call this a militia."
What kind of name is militia for this group? None of the guys gathered here could be called citizens of South Harbor.
Though grumbling, I slowly moved forward following the sergeant's command.
I kept pace with the mercenaries on either side, making sure not to fall behind or get ahead.
But why, out of the sixty militia members, was I at the very front? Was it because my luck was terrible? Had I done something wrong?
The answer was because of this cursed buckler!
They're telling me to stand in the front row just because a buckler is considered a shield? At most it can cover one shoulder. It was truly unfair.
Meanwhile, the lord's soldiers took positions in the center and right wing, while the recruits, no, the militia, were assigned to the left wing.
The formation that had taken position at the waterfront maintained its state as it advanced towards the dock, as if closing in.
The dock had already been seized by the pirates. It seemed all the soldiers guarding the dock had either died or fled.
How did those beggars with just one weapon manage to crush the well-armed soldiers?
It was because not all the pirates were beggars.
Damn it.
As if cutting through my thoughts, a sharp whistling sound grazed above my head.
It might have been my imagination, but it felt like it brushed my hair, sending chills down my spine.
The eeriness was short-lived as arrows shot from behind us pierced the pirates.
The poorly armed guys at the front of the pirate ranks were penetrated by arrows and died bleeding.
Glancing back, I saw soldiers on the rooftops busily reloading their crossbows.
"Woah!"
"Let's shoot too!"
"Shoot, you bastards!"
There was a commotion among the pirates and arrows were fired.
Thud.
"Ugh,"
Damn, that was close. An arrow had lodged into the shield of the mercenary next to me with a dull sound.
At this moment, I bitterly resented myself. More precisely, I resented the past Kim Seung-soo who had equipped the buckler just because it had the ‘opportunity attack’ option.
Kim Seung-soo, you stupid damage dealer. They were all magic items anyway, you should have just equipped a bigger one.
Looking at the sturdy round shield covering the upper body of the guy next to me, I regretted it even more.
The buckler was only about the size of my head, so to block arrows, it seemed I'd have to swing it like throwing a jab rather than just holding it.
But the problem was that the arrows were really, terrifyingly fast. They seemed at least three times faster than Ryu Hyun-jin's fastball.
So I was just covering my head and neck with the buckler.
Ugh, I should have bought a helmet first-
Clang!
"Gah!"
Like an arrow- no, it was an actual arrow that hit my chest.
Ugh, it deflected off the breastplate, but the pain that choked my breath was transmitted...
"Are you alright?"
"Kuh, yes, I'm fine."
Hearing my answer, the mercenary moved closer to my side.
As the guy on my right came closer, naturally, the shield he was wearing on his left hand covered my right shoulder.
Could this guy be...?
"Th-Thank you..."
"Hehe, you know how to use that sword? Watch my back."
"Huh? Y-Yes..."
I nodded with a wry face. He must have thought I was quite strong seeing my physique and the falchion I had drawn.
In truth, I was almost in a state of panic right now.
This was because fighting with a few pirates on a ship was completely different from armies clashing.
The place I had been swept into in the confusion was literally a battlefield.
Harsh breathing and shouting, the sound of arrows cutting through the air - or wood grain or flesh - and screams deafened my ears.
The fishy smell of the sea and blood, the smell of sweat and oil, and the acrid smell of gunpowder numbed my nose.
Below the raised buckler, countless pirate bastards were visible. They filled my entire field of vision, making it impossible to even estimate how many there were.
It seemed like someone was talking next to me, but I couldn't hear anything.
Among the pirates who looked no different from beggars, armed individuals pushed their way through.
They wore iron masks with chain hoods attached, chain mail armor reaching down to their knees, and wielded large two-handed axes.
This isn't good. It's dangerous.
Seeing their eyes, I thought I should run away.
They were beasts hungry for blood, and I was just a weakling who had luckily won a life-or-death struggle.
There was no way I could win.
"Hey!"
"Huh!"
Startled by a hand patting my back, I turned around. There stood a woman, no, a female warrior.
The female warrior wearing a round helmet frowned deeply upon seeing my face.
"What's with you? You're completely scared stiff!"
"Wh-what?"
"Face forward when you speak!"
Ugh, I must be crazy. Turning my back when the enemy is right in front of me!
As an arrow struck near my feet, I yelled out in annoyance.
"Damn it! What the hell!"
"Ha, what an attitude. We're about to charge with our comrades, so watch our backs."
"What nonsense—" Before I could finish my reply, the sergeant let out a thunderous shout.
"Militia! Charge!"
"Uwaaaaah!"
With that, the female warrior charged forward with a battle cry, as if she'd been waiting for this moment.
Five mercenaries followed her, also yelling as they rushed forward. That guy who had been covering my shoulder was among them.
Before the soldier next to the sergeant could blow his horn, the female warrior and her subordinates were already four or five steps ahead of the formation.
"Chaaaarge!"
"To death!"
The next moment, everyone around began their assault.
Amidst this overwhelming scene of madness and fighting spirit, I could only stand there trembling, frozen in place.
"This is insane, what the—"
"Hey! I said charge!"
As I stood there, unable to move, the sergeant with his rough beard approached and yelled at me.
"Charge, you coward!" Slap!
A hand in a rough leather glove struck my cheek.
...This bastard?
I barely felt the pain, but instead, an extreme sense of shame and disgust exploded in my chest.
Wham.
Without thinking, my raised foot instantly connected with the sergeant's stomach.
"Oof!"
As the sergeant doubled over and fell to his knees, vomiting, the two soldiers behind him pointed their spears at me in shock.
"Y-you bastard, are you crazy?!"
"Drop your weapon!"
Huff— Looking at the sergeant writhing at my feet, I felt a massive amount of air fill my lungs as if my chest had been blown wide open.
That's right, I wasn't Kim Seung-soo, but Phoenix.
Not a thirty-year-old ordinary citizen, but a hot-blooded Blood Knight.
Oh, look at that rhyme. Hot-blooded Blood Knight. Should've named the character like that.
"I said drop your weapon, you bastard!"
The soldier shouted as he thrust his spear.
The spear thrust by the soldier was surprisingly slow compared to arrows. I was confident I could deflect it with my buckler even while yawning.
Crack!
"Ugh—"
And the buckler did more than just deflect the spear; it broke the shaft.
My strength, combined with the power of the dead Blood Knight's relic ring, had surpassed human limits.
The sense of omnipotence I had momentarily forgotten coursed through my entire body. The blood of a fierce warrior began to heat up the mind of an ordinary citizen.
"Hey."
"Wh-what, what is it?"
Looking at the two trembling soldiers, I spoke in a calm tone.
"This was self-defense. Wouldn't you get angry if someone suddenly slapped you?"
"What nonsense—"
"No need for long explanations."
I glanced briefly at the front. Mercenaries and pirates were still engaged in chaotic battle.
Pointing in that direction with my falchion, I said,
"I'm charging now, okay?"
"...What?"
"I said I'm charging now. I'm not disobeying orders, so you two need to be my witnesses. Got it?"
The soldiers exchanged uneasy glances.
Frustrating idiots. I don't have time to talk with these guys—
"Ptui, you filthy mercenary..."
The sergeant who had been kneeling wiped his mouth and staggered to his feet.
Wow, I kicked him pretty hard, but he's getting up.
Even more surprising was that he looked at the battlefield before getting angry at me.
"Damn it..."
He cursed softly with a darkened expression.
Are we at a disadvantage? ...I can't really tell even if I look.
"You!"
"Y-yes?"
Ugh, I'm using honorifics because I know I did something wrong.
"Seems you're quite strong."
"Well... I suppose so."
"Heh, you dog. Bring me twenty enemy heads. Then I'll forgive you."
"Twenty?"
"That's right!"
Well, I was worried about causing trouble, but this is somewhat of a relief.
But twenty? Seems like a lot...
However, I couldn't haggle here. If I did, I might really end up with a bounty on my head.
"It's a promise!"
"Alright, you punk!"
As soon as I heard the sergeant's response, I kicked off the ground.
While doing so, I made a long cut on my wrist with the falchion.
Blood oozed out, then wrapped around the falchion and shield.
Then, a burning thirst took over my entire body.
My vision briefly turned red, but my senses were clearer than ever.
And well, a charge without a battle cry feels incomplete.
I tensed my lower abdomen and let out a crazy yell.
"Kyaaaaah!"