Chapter 144
Chapter 144
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 144
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Visitor
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I shouted boldly, but in truth, my heart was pounding.
‘Don't actually come out, though. You get me?’
Wink. Wink.
I sent a wink filled with that sentiment, but it was meaningless.
There was no way a simple blink could be seen from hundreds of meters away.
Well, anyway, the result was good.
No matter what I spouted, the other side didn't send out another challenger for a short skirmish.
It seemed Krol Karim's public defeat had been quite a shock.
‘Then again, they probably never imagined a monster like him would lose to me.’
I had gained some renown in the Empire, but that was limited to Venderford and Troven.
No, I should probably add Poven to that list now.
In any case, it was true my recognition was far lower.
Corinth's greatest warrior gets crushed by someone like me without even landing a blow?
The fact that the leaders of the Third Prince's army couldn't believe the good news gave me a good idea.
Just how absurd this whole situation was.
“Anyone else coming out? This measly butcher isn't enough to satisfy me.”
I shouted confidently toward the Second Prince and the Corinthian allied forces.
As expected, the enemy army didn't react.
It's about time to head back.
“I’ll break that arrogant nose of yours…”
Just then, someone brandishing a large scimitar tried to step forward.
But I had already turned my body and was heading back to Ermac Fortress.
‘Ah, that clueless bastard.’
I glanced back to gauge his skill, and he wasn't even fit to lick Krol Karim's boots.
He was probably acting rashly, trying to score some military achievement.
However, the problem was that my body was in such bad shape I couldn't even beat a guy like that.
If I fought now, there was a high chance I'd lose even to a scrub like him.
In times like these, pretending not to hear and making a run for it is the best option.
“Prepare someone stronger next time.”
“No, I said I’ll fight you!”
“Later.”
Ignoring the officer who was rampaging and swinging his scimitar, I returned to Ermac Fortress.
My internal injuries were severe, so I collapsed the moment I arrived.
Thump.
But just as I was about to fall, someone supported my body.
Lifting my head weakly, I saw Adel's beautiful face.
“You pushed yourself a bit too hard.”
“You worked hard. Rest now.”
“Sorry, but could you carry me?”
“Of course.”
Heft!
She easily lifted me onto her back.
Her swordsmanship scores might not have been great, but she was still a talent who had learned aura.
She was more than capable of carrying an average adult man.
Feeling a pleasant softness against me, I quietly closed my eyes.
Before I knew it, a satisfied smile had spread across my lips.
“Take your hands off. Before I throw you off the fortress wall.”
“…Ahem! That was a mistake.”
It wasn't just my heart that felt soft.
Swallowing a strange sense of disappointment, I awkwardly raised my arms forward.
Adel just shook her head.
“You’re blocking my view. Put your arms down.”
Ah, which is it? Make up your mind.
Letting my body go limp again, I soon wore a sly grin.
* * *
‘That was close.’
That was the first thought that came to mind as soon as I woke up from sleeping like the dead in Frixon's room.
The battle with Krol Karim, who had become a death knight, was more or less manageable.
The problem was the final moment.
When that undead bastard I was pummeling suddenly tried to self-destruct.
It must have been a last resort implanted in his body by the necromancer who resurrected Krol Karim.
The sheer force of the flames and explosion was immense.
Unbelievable for something that originated from a mere corpse.
“Most knights probably would have lost their lives there.”
But who am I?
Looks, skills.
The universally acknowledged best...
‘Ah, am I praising myself too much?’
In any case, I was on a different level from ordinary knights.
A magic swordsman, a rarity on the continent these days.
What saved my life in that desperate moment was magic.
‘Elemental Shield.’
It was only a 5th-tier spell, but there was no better choice to block the explosion.
And there wasn't enough time to cast a higher-level defensive spell.
In the end, I survived.
Though I was thrown a considerable distance and suffered bruises all over my body.
I had officially defeated Corinth's greatest warrior, Krol Karim.
“I wonder if my value is getting too high. Well, what could go wrong?”
The Head must have considered all this when he planned the mission in the first place.
The Crown Prince's aide couldn't be some nobody, after all.
‘Whoops, this isn't the time for that.’
Staring blankly into space as I recalled my near-death moment, I snapped back to my senses.
The rematch with Krol Karim was incredibly valuable.
It was a chance to solidify the enlightenment I hadn't been able to properly grasp before.
Reviewing the battle, especially regarding the Nine-Ring Annihilation, was worth its weight in gold.
I immediately sat in a formal posture and began to meditate.
‘I made more mistakes than I thought.’
In a world teeming with top-tier experts of the 2nd tier and above, one truly had to consider every single factor.
It was a given that even the same technique had to be adapted to the opponent's traits and level to be effective.
But in my rematch with Krol Karim, I made a rather basic mistake.
I had straightforwardly unleashed the sword form on an opponent who had already experienced the Nine-Ring Annihilation.
It was the result of focusing too much on perfecting the swordsmanship on a superficial level.
‘That's basically asking to be killed.’
My actions were practically saying as much.
If not for the transcendent power of the Nine-Ring Annihilation, it wouldn't have even gotten to the point of self-destruction.
I probably would have been struck down by his counterattack.
Imagining such an end sent a shudder through me, even during meditation.
My expression hardened as I seriously continued my review of the battle.
After a long while of this.
“Umm…”
As I slowly lifted my eyelids, the dark room momentarily brightened.
A stream of light emanating from my eyes had illuminated the surroundings.
The glow in my eyes, accompanied by aura, soon faded, bringing back the darkness.
‘Looks like a full day has passed.’
Seeing that it was already night, I must have been in seclusion for quite some time.
I rose with staggering steps and opened the door.
Clack!
But the door stopped as if blocked by something.
Peeking my head out, I saw a tray with a simple meal on it.
It seemed someone had come up, worried about me treating my internal injuries, and left some food before going back.
The only person who would do something so adorable...
“Hehe! It must be Adel.”
A ticklish feeling of romance filled my chest, and I smiled warmly.
But I couldn't eat the food she had brought.
It was dried out, probably from being left out too long, and ants had even gotten to it.
‘Come to think of it, how long did I sleep? It hasn't been several days, has it?’
If it had been brought during the day, it wouldn't have gotten to this state already.
I quietly closed my eyes and focused on a signal from somewhere inside my body.
Soon, a distinct sensation burst through my stomach.
Growl!
“Hmm… At least two days must have passed.”
As expected, my stomach clock is precise.
Anyway, where should I go to satisfy this hunger?
The fortress at night was utterly silent.
Soldiers on guard duty could be seen here and there.
But my pride wouldn't allow me to go up to them and demand food.
In times like these, there's only one thing to do...
‘Sneak in and steal some food.’
No, thinking about it differently, it definitely wasn't stealing.
I had already starved for several days and hadn't even properly stayed in the fortress.
In other words, I was long overdue for my share of the food.
Besides, wasn't the Third Prince's army's abundant supply all thanks to me leading the merchants of Poven here?
The explanation was long-winded, but the point was that I was more than qualified to eat.
“Let’s see…”
Becoming one with the darkness, I roamed freely inside the fortress.
Finding the food storage wasn't too difficult.
At times like this, my brain works exceptionally well, and the fortress blueprints came back to me vividly.
However, a problem arose the moment I tried to pass the soldiers and enter the warehouse.
Zing!
The moment I felt an immense sense of wrongness, I immediately stopped in my tracks.
‘…This is? Search.’
Without putting my foot down, I cast a search spell.
Traces of countless warding spells set up around the food storage became visible.
If I had taken just one more step, those magic traps would have triggered in a chain reaction, setting off an alarm.
There was only one person in the Third Prince's army who would do something so extreme.
‘Wow! Sophia, you fearsome woman.’
It seems that since she lacked the ability to construct the traps intricately, she just plastered them everywhere.
It would be an enormous waste of mana, but its effectiveness would be undeniable.
But to me, the unofficial head of Riverune, its strengths and weaknesses were clearly visible.
‘The ground level is one thing, but what about above? The defenses are good, but there are some sloppy spots.’
A typical intruder would naturally approach on foot.
But assassins sometimes attack from the air or infiltrate through walls or ceilings.
Furthermore, there were transcendent beings who could disarm the magic traps and enter directly.
Just like me.
Fzzt!
For me, who had now reached the mature stage of the 2nd tier, warding spells were not difficult.
No matter how many were layered, they would melt away with a single wave of my hand.
Passing the cluster of magic traps, I was able to reach my destination.
“Oh…!”
The food storage of Ermac Fortress was quite a sight.
It was very neatly organized, and the quality and storage conditions also looked good.
This felt less like military provisions and more like a store display.
It looked like Frixon and the other merchant guild staff had worked their magic.
‘The kitchens are obviously closed, and as for things I can eat right away... bread, smoked meat, and vegetables?’
I could just make something like a sandwich, so I wouldn't have to worry about the meal.
I immediately sliced the smoked meat thinly and placed it on the bread.
Even someone terrible at cooking could easily manage this much.
“…”
Looking down at the result, I shook my head slightly.
I think I needed to correct what I just said.
All I had to do was slice the ingredients and stack them...
“Why does it look so monstrous? Did I put too much meat in it?”
As expected, food tastes best when someone else makes it.
It seemed best to refrain from cooking myself.
I picked up the sandwich, which looked like a hacked-up monster carcass.
I was so hungry that even this felt like a gourmet meal.
“As long as it tastes good, right?”
Anyway, I decided to think as positively as possible.
Just as I was about to take a bite of the unidentified food object.
Clatter! Crumble.
A strange noise came from somewhere, and a section of the food storage wall crumbled.
It was a very cautious movement.
With my mouth wide open, I froze on the spot.
‘Ah, I was too absorbed in my cooking.’
A cold sweat trickled down my spine, wondering if I'd been caught by the soldiers on guard duty.
‘No, but what kind of soldiers wander around demolishing walls? Are they doing repairs at this hour?’
The moment that thought crossed my mind, some kind of doll suddenly appeared from the collapsed wall.
It and I stood there, staring blankly at each other.
Finally, a single phrase escaped my lips.
“Who are you?”