kscans

Chapter 92 - The Battle on the Border

We arrived in front of Count Munil’s manor.

Scores of adventurers were waiting, their anticipation palpable.

From the looks on their faces, they were a tough-looking bunch. I figured they had a fair amount of experience. Then, the doors opened, and a man in noble attire with a chubby physique emerged.

He looked every bit the part of a man who had coasted on his family’s fame.

"Gentlemen! I’m glad you all could make it. I am Count Munil, the one who governs this land. Some of you may know me, some may not, but that is of no concern. Now, I assume you’ve heard the details of the request at the guild, so let’s get to work immediately. To the north of here is a base maintaining the border. I will send one of my soldiers to guide you. If there are no questions, you may be on your way."

At these words, one of the adventurers spoke up.

"About the reward. Will we be paid daily? Or only when we decide to quit?"

His question was echoed on the faces of the other adventurers.

It was true. The letter stated a payment of one gold coin per day, but it never specified that it would be paid daily. Moreover, the contract was open-ended, so we had no idea how long we’d be fighting.

It was possible that if an adventurer died, they might try to weasel out of payment, saying something like, ‘There’s no point in paying the dead.’

These people had families. They had people to support.

They were working hard to provide a slightly better life for them, and to be told they wouldn't be paid because they died—that would be far too cruel.

In response, the Count said, "You will be paid daily. I have arranged for a soldier to deliver the payment the following morning. As proof…" He gestured. "Hey, bring that out."

Soldiers emerged from a storehouse, carrying a large bag.

Inside was a massive amount of gold coins. The adventurers gasped in amazement.

Even for a noble, it was suspicious to have this much gold on hand.

The noble continued. "This gold was provided by the Second Princess, Lady Grine, who resides in the Empire. The letter you received was also written by Lady Grine herself. In other words, this request comes from Lady Grine herself!"

He declared it with a grand gesture.

The adventurers’ faces were a mix of shock and confusion.

A request from royalty was rare. It was only natural they’d be unsettled.

We, on the other hand, had experienced it in the Republic.

The noble went on. "Depending on the length of your service, she has said she will provide additional payment. You should be grateful for her generosity. When she eventually becomes emperor, you will have no greater pride."

He said it with a broad smile.

The former emperor was dead. It was only natural that his child would succeed him.

But to say such a thing, pushing aside the first princess… he could be arrested for high treason.

Even for a noble.

Perhaps the political winds in the Empire were shifting in the second princess’s favor.

Well, that was a problem for the royals and nobles.

It was not a matter for a mere hunter to meddle in.

After that, there were no more questions, and the noble said, "Nothing else, then? In that case, you may depart. I am a busy man, so I will take my leave."

With that, he returned to his mansion.

Busy, huh? Busy counting his money, probably.

With that thought, we followed the soldier’s guidance toward the border.

The path was a somewhat rugged mountain range, a perfect place for monsters to attack. But we weren’t attacked.

That was because the adventurers were moving in formation.

Many were pulling carts due to their luggage, but they still moved in a tight group.

It was like a military march.

We, too, pulled our cart and moved along with them.

Finally, we reached our destination—the border. A place teeming with formidable monsters.

To put it in a word, it was a perpetual battlefield.

The roars of men and monsters filled the air.

The stench of blood hung heavy. It was a world of nothing but battle.

The humans—soldiers, knights, and magicians—fought with weapons like ballistae and catapults. On the other side, the variety of monsters was staggering. Just from a glance, I could see various types of Goblins and Orcs, along with Ogres, Lizardmen, and a three-meter-tall Cyclops.

The adventurers were speechless at the sight. On the way here, they had been boasting things like, ‘This’ll be a piece of cake,’ and ‘This is gonna be some easy money,’ but now they just stood there, stunned.

"Tina," I said, "if you want to reconsider, now’s the time."

To this, Tina replied, "It’s too late for that. I was prepared for this from the moment I decided to follow you."

Her words put my mind at ease.

Guided by the soldier, we were led into the frontline base at the border.

A middle-aged man with a prominent mustache was there.

"Hmph. So you’ve come, you money-grubbing adventurers. I am Viscount Totto, the Vice Commander here. It is an honor beyond the reach of commoners like you to ever lay eyes on me. Be grateful."

He introduced himself with an incredibly arrogant attitude.

The adventurers were overflowing with so much frustration and anger it was palpable.

But no one said a word.

A high-paying job like this was hard to come by. Even if your boss was scum, you had to obey.

I had seen bosses like him on Earth. They didn't show it so openly, but they engaged in power harassment through petty, insidious means. Compared to that, having it all out in the open was, in a way, refreshing.

Tina listened with a look of indifference. She was clearly used to dealing with this type of person.

Viscount Totto continued. "Now, I assume you’ve seen the letter, so you know what’s going on, but Lady Grine has strictly ordered me to give you a detailed explanation. I’ll only say this once, so listen carefully.

"The battlefield you will be assigned to is to the east and west of the central front. The terrain is a rugged mountain range with many animal trails, unsuitable for large-scale battles. Therefore, you will split into two teams and engage the enemy. That is all. Now get going!"

His attitude made it clear he wouldn’t be taking any questions.

Everyone walked out, looking exasperated. As they did, the viscount’s face turned toward us, a smirk playing on his lips.

So it’s that pattern.

Once outside, the adventurers arbitrarily split into two teams and set off.

Tina and I decided to head to the eastern front.

When we arrived, there was an odd silence.

Even though a fierce battle was raging on the central front, there was nothing here. It was a hard situation to believe.

With such a diverse array of monsters, it wouldn’t be surprising if some of them were intelligent.

Which means… I activated my ‘Detection’ skill.

The result: forty blue dots and thirty red dots. And they were close…

I looked around and above, but there were no signs of them.

The only place left was… below! I placed my hand on the ground and activated ‘Analysis’.

An unidentifiable object was moving.

I shouted frantically, "Watch out! Something’s coming from below!"

At my cry, Tina and the other adventurers drew their weapons and went on alert.

As we all stared at the ground, it suddenly trembled, and something erupted from beneath one of the adventurers.

A giant earthworm swallowed him whole.

It was a Worm, just like in the games.

I immediately activated my fire magic.

"Great Fireball!"

I threw a massive fireball with all my might.

It scored a direct hit and burst into flames. The Worm writhed without screaming. It thrashed about so violently that we couldn’t get close.

Tina yelled, "Wind Blade!"

A huge blade of wind sliced the Worm in two.

After one last spasm, it stopped moving completely.

The adventurer inside didn't emerge, so he was likely dead.

Once swallowed, the chance of survival was zero.

The others must have had the same thought, as they were scrambling away from the ground and climbing the walls.

I reinforced my legs with lightning, scooped up Tina, and leaped. At a height of about twenty meters, I drove my sword into the wall to hold my position. Tina did the same, and we supported each other.

Then, one after another, Worms emerged from the ground.

Having spotted their prey above, they attacked all at once.

The adventurers fought back with their own weapons and magic.

Evening came.

The monsters began to retreat one by one.

The soldiers watched them go before returning to their positions.

By the time we got back, five of the original forty members had died. The faces of the surviving adventurers were etched with exhaustion. The adventurers who had gone west had also returned, looking just as worn out.

The thought that the Empire had been fighting like this for years was disheartening.

But this environment was convenient for me.

To grow stronger, I needed to train not just my body, but my mind as well.

To move with cold detachment at all times—that was my ideal.

But to achieve that, I first had to deal with the viscount who was now approaching.

The viscount stopped in front of us.

"You there, the beautiful woman. Come with me. That is an order."

He commanded with a vulgar smile.

It was exactly as I had expected. Tina, looking exasperated, said, "An order? I am here on a request from the guild, working on the battlefield as an adventurer. I have no memory of becoming your subordinate."

She hit him with plain logic.

The viscount began to tremble.

"W-What?! My orders are absolute here! When I say come, you come! That is common sense! A commoner should just obey quietly!"

His words were those of a man drunk on power.

Tina sighed. "It’s true that I am a commoner. But that doesn’t mean I have to obey a noble. No matter how noble you are, there are things you can and cannot do. Forcing yourself on others is an act that diminishes the dignity of the nobility."

She answered him firmly.

I wasn't very familiar with the nobles of this world.

From what I’d heard, nobles were those who stood above the people. Because of that, they bore great responsibility, and selfish actions could, in some cases, be considered an act of rebellion against the state.

For that reason, nobles acted so as not to cause unnecessary trouble. However, some acted tyrannically, with the attitude that they didn’t care. Of course, the higher-ups wouldn’t remain silent.

Apparently, they would investigate, gather evidence, and carry out the appropriate punishment. I had never seen such a thing myself.

The viscount’s face turned red. "Y-Youuuuu! Just because you have a pretty face, you think you can get away with anything?! Hey, soldiers! Arrest this beautiful woman immediately for high treason!"

The soldiers, following his orders, began to move in to capture her.

I wasn’t about to stand by and watch. Even though I was tired, there were only five soldiers. It would be a piece of cake.

Without even drawing my sword, I beat them down with my bare hands.

The viscount sputtered, "Y-You bastard! Do you have any idea what you’ve just done?! This is clear-cut treason!"

As the viscount pointed at me with a furious expression, I shot back, "Shut up, you piece of shit. Did you really think I’d just stand by and watch you try to take my woman? Use your damn head before you speak."

I spat out the vulgar words.

The people around us kept their distance, watching from afar.

Tina’s face was slightly red as she stood beside me.

The viscount yelled, "H-How dare you, a mere commoner! Soldiers! Seize these two immediately!"

The soldiers raised their weapons in compliance with his order.

I thought to myself, So this is it. Tina’s expression told me she was thinking the same thing.

Our battle in the Empire was a short one.

I’d quickly silence the soldiers, get out of here, find a safe place to draw a teleportation circle, and escape.

Just as I was forming my plan and about to act, a voice came from the side.

"That’s enough."

At the sound of the voice, everyone turned.

There stood a large man clad in crimson armor, darker than jet black. His presence exuded immense strength.

The viscount’s legs trembled. "C-Commander Goltor… W-Why are you here?"

It was Goltor, the commander of the border forces.