Chapter 18
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: The Troll Slayer
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Amella quickly fell in step beside Luon, who was advancing without hesitation.
“Why? Are you worried about me?”
“What nonsense. Why would I worry about a man who can beat a demon's minion to death with his bare hands?”
Luon shrugged.
“Then you should have stayed back there with Kyle and watched.”
“I couldn’t just send you in alone and stand around doing nothing. There’s always the chance of an emergency… Kyle wanted to come too, but I figured someone had to stay behind and guard the horses, so I left him there.”
Meanwhile, the troll was getting closer. They’d said it was a full-grown adult, and it was indeed an intimidating beast. The troll seemed to notice their approach, turning its head with a low growl. Its red eyes, devoid of any reason, made it clear that conversation was not an option.
Amella said.
“Just make a wound, any wound. I’ll blast it with fire to slow its regeneration.”
“Do as you please. Just stay out of my way.”
With that, Luon drew his holy sword. The blade slid from its sheath with a soft whisper, catching the sunlight and shining brightly. Taking this as a clear provocation, the troll scrunched up its nose and slammed the wooden club it had been dragging against the ground.
*Thump!*
As if showing off its strength, the impact sent sand flying wildly into the air.
*Hee-hee-hing!*
Leaving the sound of the frightened, rearing horses behind him, Luon strode forward, looking up at the troll that towered over him and gripping the hilt of his sword. Aside from the wyvern he had fought long ago, this was the first time he’d faced a monster of this size.
*I hope it gives as much experience as the wyvern did.*
He stared into its crazed red eyes and said.
“Come on.”
“Gra-wa-wa-wa-wa!”
The troll roared and swung its club, sweeping it across the ground. The attack was so menacing it felt like an entire tree was flying at him. Though Luon was confident he wouldn’t be outmatched in sheer strength, he couldn’t ignore the difference in weight class. He leaped high into the air to avoid the club.
Even though he had jumped quite high, he could still feel the rush of air grazing his toes.
*A direct hit would be dangerous.*
Landing on the ground, Luon immediately darted between the troll's legs.
He was about to swing his sword upward, aiming for the artery on the inner thigh, but had to quickly retreat three steps to avoid the troll's frantic stomping. He couldn’t risk getting greedy and being flattened like a pancake.
Instead, as he created distance, a bow appeared in his hands. He nocked an arrow from the quiver fixed to his thigh and drew the bowstring without delay. His fingers released the nock, and the arrow split the air.
“Gra-wak!”
The troll shrieked and clutched at its eye. When it failed to pull out the embedded arrow, it flew into a rage, swinging its club wildly in all directions. Every time the club struck the ground like a bombardment, fist-sized clumps of dirt shot up.
The attacks had no rhyme or reason, but the sheer power behind them made it difficult to approach. But Luon paid it no mind, dodging the club's trajectory and closing the distance. From his left, the troll's house-sized heel came flying at him with incredible speed.
Caught by the unexpected attack, Luon instinctively raised his left hand and caught the beast's massive ankle under his arm. As his feet, planted firmly on the ground, slid back and carved deep furrows, the holy sword in his other hand flashed.
“Gra-wa-wa-wak!”
The human it expected to send flying had not only caught its foot but had also lopped off its ankle. The troll screamed in agony, spraying yellow saliva everywhere.
*Damn noisy.* Luon used the kneeling beast's knee as a foothold to leap into the air, gripping the hilt of his holy sword with both hands.
A moment of concentration.
He felt a wild power pulsating within the holy sword. Controlling the power that surged into him through his hands like a waterfall, he brought the sword down.
The blade sliced through the troll's wrists as it reflexively raised its hands, then reached the crown of its head and dropped straight through.
“…Gra-wa?”
The troll stared down at the landed Luon with a dumbfounded expression as a thin red line appeared vertically on its face, then split wide open. Steaming entrails spilled from the sundered torso, cascading to the ground.
Standing in the rain of blood, Luon smiled, feeling the exhilarating rush of built-up elation spreading throughout his body.
*My progress is certainly faster this time.*
It was true. Excluding the sluggish time spent in Relizan, his growth was incomparably faster than before.
From Salvatore and the man and woman who were after the stone tablet, to another minion and now this troll—it was all thanks to these foes, each one a hefty gift of experience.
Luon focused and distributed his bonus stats evenly between Strength and Stamina.
As he clenched his fist, feeling the powerful energy swirling within him, he suddenly realized he was untouched by the downpour of blood and looked up. The blood was being blocked by a translucent yellow barrier, dripping to the ground around him.
Amella lowered the arm she had held outstretched and said.
“Help you? You did everything yourself… I couldn’t even find an opening.”
Luon pointed a finger at the barrier.
“This was more than enough. You saved me from getting drenched in blood.”
Amella let out a dry laugh and shook her head.
“Thanks to you, I now know a troll can be killed instantly. Really, I'm speechless.”
“Is that so?”
Luon shrugged and walked toward the others. As he approached, Colin spoke in a dazed voice.
“Oh, gods… what did I just see?”
“……”
“……”
His bald brothers seemed to be at a loss for words, their mouths just gaping open and shut. When they made eye contact with Luon, they flinched, shrinking back in a way that showed they were now terrified of him for a different reason. *Anyone watching would think I was about to hit them.*
Even Kyle, who had seen his share of Luon's feats, was so shocked this time that his mouth hung open as if his jaw were broken.
“…Is that even possible?”
Amella addressed the stunned men.
“I know you're all shocked, but there's work to be done.”
She rummaged through a backpack hanging from her saddle and took out a few empty glass vials.
“You've all heard that troll's blood is an ingredient for potions, right?”
After saying that, Amella tossed a vial without warning. Kyle, who had been standing there with a dumb look on his face, barely managed to snatch the vial flying toward him. He then belatedly nodded and ran toward the troll's corpse.
Watching this, Colin approached Luon, his hands clasped respectfully.
“Excuse me, friend… ah, no, Lord Luon.”
“What is it?”
“Would it be possible for you to spare us just one vial of the troll's blood…?”
Luon gave a short, humorless laugh at Colin's sudden use of formal speech.
“For free?”
Colin, flustered for a moment, swallowed hard and then spoke with a grave expression.
“As soon as we reach Briten, I'll spread rumors that we saw a warrior kill a troll single-handedly! And that the warrior's name is Luon. The troll blood we receive will be proof to back up the story. Wasn't it Duke Carlos who earned his knighthood and rose to his current position by hunting an ogre alone? Luon could surely…”
*What kind of bullshit is this?* Luon scowled.
“Who gave you permission?”
At his sharp gaze, Colin and the bald men began to glance nervously at each other.
“Then what should we…”
“Just take a vial. And forget about spreading useless rumors.”
At those words, Colin's face brightened, and he scurried away. Luon sighed softly at his retreating back and turned his head. He saw Amella with her hand on a horse's forehead. She whispered something, and a faint light flowed from beneath the back of her pale hand, seeping into the horse's forehead. The horse, which had been snorting nervously, calmed down, its eyes settling. After calming all the horses, Amella said.
“Since they aren't warhorses, the poor things are a bit skittish.”
“…It's times like this I regret not choosing to be a mage.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“It's nothing. I was just impressed by how easily you calmed the horses.”
Amella smiled silently, her gaze drifting to a distant point in the air as she murmured.
“It's a spell my sister used to cast on me when I couldn't sleep as a child. It's quite effective…”
Her voice trailed off before she raised it again, as if to change the mood.
“If you ask me, your monstrous swordsmanship feels more like magic. And what about the body that can take a troll's kick head-on? I'm sure even knights under a Strength spell couldn't do that. This just proves you didn't receive Tivela's grace for nothing.”
Luon shook his head.
“I've had enough praise from them. Let's just cross the bridge.”
He turned without waiting for a reply, and Amella shrugged and followed.
Kyle, who had been licking the blood from his hand, noticed Luon and Amella staring at him. He cleared his throat and hid his hand behind his back.
“Ahem, I heard troll's blood is… good for men.”
Amella asked with a faint smile.
“Did you get enough blood?”
Kyle looked at the ground, soaked with the troll's blood, and shook his head.
“I barely managed to fill two vials. It'll be hard to get any more. As you can see, most of it has already soaked into the ground.”
“No, that's plenty. You did well.”
Leaving the two of them to their conversation, Luon walked toward the bridge.
His eyes followed the chains connected to the end of the bridge, leading him to a rusted windlass where the chains were coiled. The windlass, which looked like a cylinder laid on its side, had a large wheel attached to one end, apparently used to tighten or loosen the chains.
As soon as he sized it up, Luon gripped the wheel without hesitation.
Watching from a distance, Colin muttered quietly.
“Is he going to turn that huge wheel by himself? Shouldn't we help him?”
“Does a man who can kill a troll by himself really need any help?”
No sooner had Kyle spoken than a grinding sound was heard as the chains began to slacken and the bridge slowly lowered. He added.
“…See?”