Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: EP.14 Why Bother? - 1
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Originally, heading to the battlefield meant taking a carriage north for several days of travel. Even General Leoden moved that way when he couldn't use Claire's portal.
But I was different.
"Where should I put this..."
Sword, staff, dagger, lute, and... all sorts of other... equipment...
I had way too damn much.
A Sage could use skills from every class and equip gear from every class.
But there was a limit to how much gear you could carry. Even a Sage didn't have multiple arms.
So I'd only packed what I needed, and it still filled the bed completely.
"Ugh..."
Still, I couldn't leave for the battlefield without it...
After stuffing everything in as best I could, I looked out the window.
The garden I'd monopolized these past few days was shrouded in quiet darkness.
It'd be peaceful here for a while.
Staring at it, I channeled mana into my ring. The moment I did, a deep blue energy enveloped me.
"Medic!! Medic!"
"Damn it! Where are the priests?! Hurry!!"
"Aaah!! My arm! My aaaarm!!"
I arrived on a battlefield thick with the smell of blood.
Looking around, I pointed my staff at a soldier writhing in pain, untreated due to the lack of priests.
"Heal."
"Huh...?"
It wasn't as good as a professional priest, but the healing effect still snapped the suffering soldier back to his senses. Among those holding him down was a burly werewolf with shaggy black fur that stood out.
General Leoden's adjutant looked at me in admiration.
"Sage!"
"Long time no see."
"I didn't expect you so soon! Ah, no, but right as you arrive..."
"It's fine."
I set down my staff and rummaged for the Divine Mark. The priests bustling with treatments looked utterly exhausted.
I spotted a familiar face among them, gave them a quick nod, and held up the Divine Mark.
The area-of-effect recovery only high priests and Sages could use.
'Sanctuary' activated.
-Oooong...
Light shot into the sky, spreading out like a curtain. As the wounded within it began to heal, the adjutant's expression brightened just as much.
"Emergency treatment should hold."
"Thank you... right as you arrive, like this..."
"I'm not here to fight on the front lines. Shall we go?"
"Yes? Ah. Yes. To the command tent first."
Guided by the adjutant, the command tent had a map of the battlefield. He pointed to a section marked with a white circle, explaining in a tone heavy with bitterness.
"From here to here. New monsters, ones we hadn't seen before, have appeared."
"What kind?"
"A wide variety. But they have one thing in common. Pale skin, and extremely high defense. Do you know anything about them?"
"Hmm..."
Of course I did.
Byproducts from the Pale Moon Cult's ritual to summon the Pale Moon.
The rejects that couldn't become the Pale Moon itself.
"How have you been handling them so far?"
"Well... we've left it entirely to the Hero Party."
Those rejects required special methods, unlike regular monsters.
First was borrowing the power of the Red Moon.
Using the bracelet I had now, or hunting them on nights when the Red Moon rose.
Otherwise, overwhelming power.
Crushing them with sheer level advantage, ignoring patterns and all.
There were a few other ways, but those two were the easiest.
"Have you fought them at night?"
"At night? We've tried a few times, but... no real difference."
"Anything unusual around?"
"Unusual..."
"Like strange structures. Small altars or the like."
"Small altars... Does that include ones piled with stones?"
"Yes."
"...Now that you mention it... yes. There were."
Night limited visibility, so spotting those small things one by one was impossible. But the adjutant noticing meant it was thanks to a werewolf's superior physical senses.
I gave him the solution as he gravely recounted fighting them at night.
"Those altars grant the monsters the Pale Moon's power. If combat starts, assign two people to scout the surroundings. Destroy the altar, and the Red Moon will weaken the pale power. And..."
"And?"
"The rest... better to explain in the fight."
Removing the pale power didn't make them fall with a single hit. They were still dangerous in their own way. But they wouldn't be completely impervious to blades, so the rest could wait for battle.
"Thank you! As expected of the Sage!"
"Anyone could figure it out with a little attention. We'll attack tonight, then."
"Yes. And... for tonight's sortie. How should we handle the personnel?"
"You mean the Hero Party?"
"Yes. They're the strongest here... so including them with your support..."
The adjutant glanced at me cautiously, but I shook my head.
No need to drag them along.
"Just attach some knights, soldiers, and one or two priests."
That should be enough.
I'd use this command tent for now. It was quite luxurious, and the adjutant told me to rest until the operation.
But I had no intention of idling.
I'd earned the Healing Master achievement, but others remained.
Leaving the tent, I headed to the area with the most wounded. Some soldiers greeted me joyfully.
"Ah! Sage!"
"Th-thank you earlier!"
"No big deal. Know where they fix gear?"
"Gear? Ah... over there."
The makeshift smithy in the camp had a few smiths working hard on equipment.
But with their numbers, they couldn't keep up with weapons damaged by tough monster hides and shells.
"Thanks."
"No problem!"
After a casual reply to the cheerful soldier, I headed there. The smiths looked dead tired, hollow-eyed as they sharpened blades.
"Mind if I help?"
"Hm... who are... Huh? Sage?"
"Long time no see. Dex."
I knew one of the smiths. A man I'd met during the main story, indebted to him quite a bit.
His bushy chin beard quivered as he forced a smile and handed me the sword he was working on.
"With your skills, I can trust you with this."
As he said. I wasn't a full-time smith, but better than an average craftsman.
Gear repair counted toward achievements, so fix as much as I could while I had the chance.
-Shiiiing... shiiiing...
Sitting down, I started sharpening the sword on the whetstone. Once done, next was a spear. Pull the blade, replace the shaft, balance the weight, set it aside.
Then a bow. String broken, end ring cracked. Fixed it up and set it aside.
Others came with requests, and I kept repairing what I could.
Then a shadow appeared before me.
I looked up, and its owner flinched.
"...It... it's really... really... you..."
Greaves caked in blood and mud, heavy plate armor encasing her body.
A sword sticky with monster blood.
A beautiful silver-haired knight with hints of blue.
Leventia Shuma stared blankly at me, then spoke in a trembling voice.
"You... really... seeing you again like this..."
I silently watched tears well up in her eyes.
- Hm... impressive. Helping the weak and upholding justice without a blessing. Sage, much to learn from you.
- Aren't you tired? Want me to help?
- Oh. You fixed my sword too? Thanks. Here's payment. Sweet treats from the village.
- Your cooking's still delicious. Way better than jerky.
Early on, things weren't bad with Leventia.
But as the main story progressed, she changed, nitpicking everything, picking fights over trifles.
- How the hell did you repair it? If that's how it's gonna be, don't say you'll repair it. Should've done it in another village.
- Sigh. You're really... hopeless. Follow me. Can't even lift this, how do you expect to join the journey?
- Why not head back? Or become my official squire and train.
- Tasteless. Better off with jerky.
- We missed it because you're so slow! How did you heal?! What the hell!
...
Yeah. Revisiting these memories was worse than MSG.
I'd thought I'd let go of her scoldings and criticisms mindlessly, but they still lingered inside.
I understood, accepted, and the results were good.
Even if the process wasn't smooth.
"Sa... Sage. Hyunwoo. H-how have you... Huh? Th-that... I'm..."
"Sword."
"...Huh?"
"Here to get your sword fixed, right?"
"Th-that's... no... not... I heard you were here and..."
"Just hand over the sword."
I considered venting this stuffiness with some cursing...
Eh. What would be the point.
Better to just rack up repair points.
Flustered and fumbling, Leventia hesitantly offered her sword.
The Shuma family heirloom was quite damaged. No matter how fine the blade, unless it was the hero's indestructible sword, it needed regular maintenance.
But unlike when I maintained it, it was in bad shape.
Hadn't gotten proper care lately?
Fine by me.
The better the weapon, the more points for repairing it.
"Um. Sage... I... th-that time, I... um..."
Stammering, unable to meet my eyes, she babbled in front of me.
But I didn't even glance at her. Once the sword was mostly fixed, I called Dex.
"This good enough?"
"Uh, yeah? Uh... it's fine. But hey. You okay? With her..."
"What's it to you."
"No, Lady Leventia."
"Leave it."
Dex gestured to Leventia, on the verge of tears—no, already one tear streaming down as she bowed her head. I shook my head.
He finally checked the Shuma sword in my hand a few more times, pointed out extra spots, and I fixed those before handing it back.
"Next."
The knight behind Leventia glanced between us awkwardly, smiled, and bolted.
Damn it.
Having her around makes repairing tough.
"Hey."
"Y-yes? Yes! Sage! Do you have something to say to me... "
"Go."
"...Huh?"
"You're in the way. Get lost."
Confusion crossed Leventia's pretty face. It didn't take long to twist into hurt.
Her shoulders shook. Tears fell in drops.
I heard her sobbing with her head down, but I had only one thing to say.
"Our ties are cut. No need for more here. So go."
"...Sniff. Sob... S-sorry. Sorry... sorry... I... I..."
Sighing at her broken-record apologies, I stood, pulled her aside to a nearby spot, and said to the awkward onlookers.
"Next."
Despite Leventia's interruption, I'd racked up decent points in a short time. Stay here and finish the gear repair achievement before leaving?
Anyway, repairs for today were done. Time to grind cooking points.
Finishing all the repair requests at the smithy, I headed to the cook tent.
-Step. Step.
Leventia trailed behind me, thoroughly cowed. Sobs continued, but I ignored them.
Arriving at the tent, I turned.
Our eyes met, and Leventia startled with a hiccup, halting.
"S-Sa-Sage, I..."
"What."
I stared at her calmly and said flatly.
"Busy being the princess's master, no time to squire for you. Head back. Done."
"Wait! W-wait! Hear me out! Sage! Hyunwoo! N-not squire! Th-that's... that's... just hear me out..."
I lightly shook off her grabbing hand.
Even facing her stirred up stuffiness bad for my mental health.
"Why bother?"
Better to chop extra onions and grind points instead.
I glanced at her dumbstruck face, entered the tent, and heard something slump outside.
But that had nothing to do with me.
Author's Note
Hello, it's Malmulmalmul ㅎ
ㅠㅠ Don't hate the princess too much ㅠㅠ
Have a good night~