Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: The Indefinite Contractor Fights the Barbarian Elites
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-Gulp, gulp.
"Pah!"
Daniel wiped his mouth after downing a mana potion.
The mana he'd expended during the magic demonstration began recovering at a rapid pace.
Rood clapped him on the shoulder.
"You must have had a tough time indulging this old man's stubbornness."
"No big deal. It wasn't that hard."
"I'm grateful you see it that way."
Rood shared his impressions.
"Your magic was impressive too, but the imps really stole the show. Any unit short of elite forces would suffer heavy casualties against a volley from those imps."
"I'm honored."
"Honored? I'm just stating facts."
Rood chuckled.
"If I had to nitpick, the firepower feels a bit lacking. It would have been even better if it could take down a wyvern. Ah, not that I'm complaining."
"Don't worry about that. I can cover it."
"Right, I forgot. You're a black mage."
He was so soldierly—nay, so knightly—that Daniel's true nature had slipped his mind. But at his core, Daniel was a black mage, an archmage on the cusp of mastering the 5th Circle.
Rood's eyes sparkled.
"A secret technique that can kill a wyvern, eh? I'm curious. Care to show me?"
"Hmm. That might be tricky."
"Why? Do you need more mana potions?"
"No, it's not that."
Rood looked disappointed, but Daniel had his reasons.
"There are two secret techniques, for starters. But the penalties are so severe they aren't practical even for testing."
"Penalties? Just how bad are they that even you're holding back?"
"One disables all magic for two days. The other prevents imp summons for a week."
"What?"
Rood was stunned.
"What kind of technique has penalties like that?"
"Black magic?"
"...Funny how that makes perfect sense."
It was an undeniably persuasive explanation.
Daniel shrugged.
"You'll see it someday. Personally, I'd rather that day never comes, but that's up to fate."
"...Fair enough."
Rood fell silent for a moment.
He wasn't fool enough to miss Daniel's point.
The Steel Scale Tribe!
The arch-nemesis every northerner loathed, the worst of the barbarians!
They were the very reason the Northern Archduke had begun mass-hiring 5th Circle archmages like Daniel.
Just thinking of that cursed name made Rood's chest tighten.
Whenever the Steel Scale Tribe appeared, casualties numbered in the hundreds at minimum.
And the property damage from their pillaging and destruction was incalculable.
This year felt safer with a reliable ally at hand, but the anxiety lingered.
'Sigh. The best way to minimize losses is early detection of their raids, but that's impossible. If only we had air forces like theirs... Huh?'
Something clicked in Rood's mind, and his eyes widened like saucers.
"Daniel, sir."
Rood called out, his gaze sharp.
"Can the imps scout too?"
"Yes, they can."
"How far?"
"Over 200 meters, under 300? Not sure exactly. I've never sent them farther."
"Then let's test that limit now."
"Pardon?"
Rood was deadly serious.
If this worked...
'The north will enter a new era!'
Daniel scratched his head, eyeing Rood's expression. It was clear: refusal wasn't an option.
Saying no would just make things messy.
'Ugh. Annoying, but what can I do? Client's orders.'
"Alright. What do I need to do?"
The indefinite contractor, steeped in modern corporate servitude, awaited instructions.
As usual, Rainer and Syril arrived right on time.
The waiting soldiers saluted, and the knights bowed.
"It's quite chilly today. Have some hot tea."
"Thank you, sir."
Rainer handed out snacks to the soldiers as usual, then made his way up the ramparts under knight escort.
There, far off, was the back of Daniel—the man he'd longed to see.
"Huh?"
"Sir Daniel?"
Rainer and Syril tilted their heads.
Something was off.
Daniel stood with eyes closed, gazing skyward.
Knights surrounded him, weapons at the ready in a tight guard.
Rood approached the puzzled pair.
"You've arrived, young lord. Please wait a moment. It won't take long."
"Sir Rood, what's Sir Daniel doing?"
"Nothing much. Scouting with imps."
"Scouting?"
Rainer peered beyond the ramparts.
Moonlit plains and forests stretched into view.
"Where'd you send them?"
"The whole world."
"Pardon?"
"What?"
Rood smiled at their expected reactions.
"No need to be so surprised."
His finger pointed skyward.
"Don't you know? Climb high enough, and the whole world is yours to see."
"...!"
"Right now, Sir Daniel is seeing it all."
With eyes closed, Daniel saw through the synchronized imp's vision.
'400 meters the limit?'
At 400 meters altitude, slicing through the night sky, the imp beheld a grand vista.
From a mountaintop, all below lies bare.
So it was now.
The flying imp's view encompassed Kazan, the surrounding plains, forests, roads—all in one glance.
'Special training paid off. Back then, 300 meters would've been the max.'
A summoned demon's endurance scaled with mana supply and distance.
Imps were lesser demons. They required far less mana than others, allowing greater range.
A mid-tier demon would've topped out at 20-30 meters.
'Nighttime vision's iffy.'
The imp's eyesight beat a human's, but not enough for clear ground view from 400 meters aloft at night.
But that was no real issue.
'If your own power falls short, borrow from elsewhere.'
At Daniel's will, the imp pulled a telescope from its back.
Rood's military-issue scope pierced the darkness.
'Whoa. This thing's insane.'
Kazan's buildings, roads, guard posts—even a soldier pissing roadside, snow-swept fields, an owl perched on a barren forest tree.
All crystal clear, like palm-held.
He whistled inwardly.
Simply fly high and use a scope.
Simple idea, spectacular results.
'Like sprinkling scan powder.'
Rood's insistence on testing for recon made sense now.
'Black mages'll be common in the north next year.'
He recalled an old internet post.
In WWI, biplanes' main role wasn't combat—it was reconnaissance.
Now he got why nations poured fortunes into air forces for scouting.
'Anyway, this scope's top-notch. Could spot lunar craters.'
Not intentional.
Pure curiosity—he swung the scope moonward.
'Huh?'
No craters. Something else.
'Wait! No way?!'
-Thwack!
"Gah!"
Imp vision cut off.
Recoil from forced unsummoning hit like a migraine.
Daniel dropped to his knees.
"Sir Daniel?!"
"Are you alright?!"
"Healer! Call a healer!"
Daniel collapsed suddenly.
Knights panicked, supporting him.
"Sir Daniel?!"
"What's wrong all of a sudden?"
Rood, Rainer, and Syril rushed over.
As Daniel caught his breath amid the concern, he lifted his head.
"Wyv—"
"What?"
"WYVERNS!!!"
"Guh?!"
Everyone clamped hands over ears.
Amplified by enhancement magic, his voice boomed like cannon fire across the ramparts.
"Wyvern raid! Wyvern raid! It's the Steel Scale Tribe! The Steel Scale Tribe is here!!!"
"...!!!"
Kazan's air froze instantly.
No one could believe their ears—near or far.
"No way?!"
Rood recovered first.
He snatched his telescope and scanned the sky.
"Damn it!"
A massive shadow emerged under moonlight.
Long wings, scales glinting like moonlight, even a human face.
No doubt.
The foe they'd dreaded but half-expected had arrived.
"Full alert, level one! Sound the alarm! Sound the alarm!!!"
"SKREEEEEE!!!"
As Rood bellowed, the cursed beast's roar erupted from above.
"The Steel Scale Tribe is attacking!!!"
-Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding
"SKREEEEEE!!!"
Alarm bells and wyvern roars echoed through Kazan.
The waking stiffened; the sleeping bolted upright.
The worst night visitors had come calling.
"Steel Scale Tribe!"
"To the shelters, underground shelters!"
"Get the kids!"
People moved swiftly.
Women clutched children, racing to bunkers.
Men raided armories for rusty armor and weapons.
Torches flared across Kazan as alarms blared.
Flames banished darkness from ramparts and streets.
Tension replaced chill; fear, the night.
From 500 meters above, Black Mane Tribe warriors smirked down.
"The cowards finally woke from their slumber."
Kudan was relaxed.
This was a hunt.
Hunts demanded chase and pursuit.
Prey got time to prepare.
Now, the hunters moved.
"Ready spears!"
"Yes, sir!!!"
At Kudan's command, wyvern riders gripped javelins.
The harpoon tip that pierced the sky-loitering imp gleamed wickedly in moonlight.
"Dive! Ravage them, warriors! Blood festival begins!!!"
"Wooooaaarrr!!!"
"SKREEEEEE!!!"
Warriors roared.
Wyverns folded wings on command.
Gigantic shadows plummeted from the heavens at terrifying speed.
-BWOOOOOONG!!!!
Horn trumpets dangling from wyvern bellies devoured the frigid northern air with thunderous blasts.
"Wyvern horns!!!"
"Damn it!"
Across eras, armies piped horns, drums, flutes before battle.
Simple reason.
Bolster allies' morale.
Instill terror in foes.
The Black Mane Tribe was no different.
They firmly believed these horns granted hunters courage's blessing—and prey terror's curse.
"Aaaah! Black Mane Tribe scum!"
"To the shelters, hurry!"
"Waaaah!!!"
Women hugged wailing children.
Men paled, fighting panic.
Kazan folk knew: skyfall barbarians were Black Mane.
Only that mad tribe clung to wyvern horns for tradition, blunting surprise.
Terror surged.
Blood-mad berserkers invading Kazan—a gruesome reality!
All prayed to see tomorrow's dawn.
"Damn! Wyvern dive-bombing! Brace for impact! Soldiers, load the anti-dragon ballistae! Archers, form up! Form up!"
Rood bellowed.
Wyvern dive-bomb: nightmare tactic.
Steele Scale exclusives: knights-only speeds impaling foes, snatching targets.
Obvious quarry: anyone could guess.
"Knights and soldiers, protect the young lord! Now!!!"
Rood bit his lip.
No scope needed now; wyverns loomed close.
Too late to dodge.
Dodging invited backstabs.
One option left.
"Hold here! Kill the Steel Scale Tribe! For Kazan!"
"For Kazan!"
Soldiers packed tight formations.
Knights clustered around Rainer.
Rainer and Syril paled, but knew: sole path.
All or nothing.
Thrust into low-odds gamble, Rainer gritted teeth.
"Ready marksmen, prepare to fire!"
Ballista crews and archers craned skyward.
On Rood's word, they'd loose war's herald.
"Marksmen! Fii—"
"Hold, Sir Rood."
Daniel staggered up, cutting Rood off.
"I'll take first shot."
"What? Have you lost your—"
Rood trailed off.
Daniel gestured: 107 imps materialized.
Daniel looked up.
The killer of his 'eye' was in sight.
'These bastards throwing first punch?'
Worse than a random street slap.
Yes. Daniel was livid, unhinged.
So he decided.
Penalties? Screw 'em.
Blast 'em!
Lunatic Flame
Blue flames of madness engulf the imps!
"KIIIIII!!!"
"Gasp?!"
"What the?!"
Moonlight warped.
Blue flames, moon-kissed, wreathed the imps.
To the burning, eyes-rolling imps, Daniel issued cold command.
"Go kill."
"SKREEEEEE!!!"
Madness-consumed demons rocketed skyward.
Their paths cleaved moonlight toward the foe.
Flame met scales in the heavens.