Episode 73
It seemed to wrap around my hand, wrist, and forearm, then the black iron spread out thinly and covered my entire body.
After I completely covered my head with a mask, I couldn’t even recognize myself when I looked in the mirror.
After awakening the Demon Eye, I realized a new way to use Serenade.
Blukey, who had grown large by sucking blood, tried to attack Iredem. Just as he was about to stab Iredem’s neck with his sharp claws, Iredem’s wrist, which he thought was frozen solid, began to move.
Iredem threw a dagger. The dagger seemed to fly in a completely different direction from Blukey, and Blukey, who saw this, also tried to tear off Iredem’s neck.
Phew!
The dagger flew in an arc and embedded itself in the back of Blinky’s body. It was the last stroke of Vinos’s sword.
Kieeeek!
A surprised Blukey flapped his wings and tried to back away.
Iredem’s armor was crushed like paper by the rough gesture, but it allowed him to move.
“Get out of the way!”
Iredem bent down. I jumped up, stepping on the guy’s back, and faced Blukey. The guy’s mouth was wide open, and a white mist was about to burst out from within.
“Inferno!”
A red flame exploded in front of me.
It took the shape of a phoenix and shot out like an arrow.
Whoosh whoosh!
The coldness of Blinky and the flames of Inferno collided. The flames were not small sparks. They multiplied exponentially, revealing the power of a superior fire spirit. It transformed into a huge pillar of fire and swept away Blinky’s head.
Choaaaak!
I sliced off Blukey’s right wing. I intended to cut it off whole, but the creature momentarily turned its wing to dodge my attack.
Blukey lost his balance due to his half-severed wings flapping around. Inferno grabbed the creature’s wings with his sharp talons and pecked at its head with his beak, causing Blukey’s body to turn bright red.
Kieeeeeek!
Blukey roared. As the thing flew up in a sudden burst of cold air, Inferno lost sight of it. No, it wasn’t because of Blukey.
Tinkle tinkle!
Every time the sound of the bells rang out, I felt my insides shake. The magic power of every place where the sound spread out was strangely shaken. Iredem was also affected and his strength momentarily weakened.
“Iredem, kill all the fanatics.”
Iredem accepted my command.
He killed the believers without hesitation, and I chased after Blinky, who had begun a desperate escape.
“Blood cell, this is yours.”
As I placed my hand on the floor, the blood that had been excited disappeared in an instant. The blood absorbed by my palm became the source of energy for the blood cells. The one who filled my stomach repaid me. The blood in my body began to boil.
Blukey couldn’t fly high because of his broken wings.
I used the Sardia maneuver to climb up the building, while jumping from building to building to chase after Blinky.
Thanks to the blood cells amplifying my aura, I was able to catch up with Blukey.
“uh?”
Blukey, whom I thought I had caught, disappeared from my sight. I looked around, thinking he had fallen from the building, but he was nowhere to be found.
‘Is this also one of his abilities?’
It was the first time I had seen a branded monster with two abilities. The moment I concentrated my mind and opened my eyes, I knew that my judgment was correct.
A huge magical force was pressing down on me.
He was with his mouth wide open.
“Shut your mouth. It stinks.”
He extended his serenade and stabbed Blukey.
I had intended to pierce his head, but the Serenade blade grazed his mark.
Cheeeeeeek!
A puff of acrid smoke blew out. At the same time, I felt an unbearable heat on my forehead. It felt like someone was burning my forehead with a soldering iron, but the intense pain disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Meanwhile, Blukey, who had been fluttering around, also died. He died instantly because his skull was pierced by my serenade.
He ran his thinly armored hand over my forehead. He felt something bulging. It was interlocked with the previous wound, forming a ‘V’ shape. It looked like part of a brand.
‘If I hunt down these branded guys, will I also get branded?’
It was truly the worst assumption.
-I’ve been waiting for you, Louis.
I thought I heard a voice in my head that I assumed was the Trickster’s. It was an auditory hallucination.
It was nothing more than a recollection of a voice I had heard before.
‘I can’t just sit back and let this happen. I have to gather all the information I can about the Trickster.’
* * *
A temporary headquarters for the Canaan Mercenary Corps was established in Hebron. For now, it was decided to use an existing building, but a three-story building was to be built south of the Hebron lord’s castle. A large training ground was also planned, but until then, the Mercenary Corps was to train throughout Hebron.
Excluding the mercenaries who had left to complete an important mission, a total of 351 people gathered in Hebron. There were 212 D-class mercenaries, 93 C-class mercenaries, 41 B-class mercenaries, 4 A-class mercenaries, and Canaan was classified as S-class.
The mercenaries ran regardless of their rank. Those with higher ranks voluntarily adjusted their gear to adjust the weight. That was only for a short time in the beginning, and after a few days of repeated training, even the higher-ranking mercenaries threw away their gear.
Bam.
When I lightly touched the shoulder of the lagging mercenary, he reflexively shouted.
“D-class mercenary Rio!”
“I still have the strength to answer.”
Kicked Mercenary Rio in the back.
“Ugh!”
As Rio rolled around, C-class mercenary Daggan, who had been going ahead, returned and helped Rio up. This was because if no one was taken away, group training would begin, emphasizing things like cooperation and camaraderie.
“Run, if you don’t want to get crushed.”
“B-class… … mercenary… … . Gasp, gasp!”
Unlike Rio, the B-class mercenary acted as if he was going to die soon. His whole body was drenched in sweat, and his back was covered with salt grains. As I got closer, the smell of sweat hit my nose and I didn’t want to breathe.
Phew!
The B-class mercenary slid forward, blocking my kick with his butt. He rolled around a couple of times with a look of difficulty on his face, and if I hadn’t been able to see his aura, I would have been fooled without a second thought.
——————
faqwiki.us
Join our Discord for new chapter updates!
https://discord.com/invite/xr7SxG5T6V
——————
“Your acting is pretty good. I’ll remember your name.”
“… …Arthur.”
Arthur, a B-class mercenary, looked pale.
He sensed that his acting had been seen through and that his future was clouded. If he were to resort to trickery from now on, his life would be worse than that of a slave. Just like other mercenaries who had been caught trying to use trickery before.
“You are the red ribbon. Run.”
The mercenaries had a destination. Each mercenary had a colored ribbon that he had to obtain, and he could not rest until he obtained it.
The mercenaries did not break ranks. They supported those who fell behind. Usually, the higher-ranking mercenaries took care of the lower-ranking ones, but there were times when that was not the case. Not all of the higher-ranking ones were physically strong.
I approached a man running at the front, carrying a huge iron sword. He was wearing iron armor, although it was light armor.
I heard that armor with lightweight magic engraved on it is only used in actual combat.
“Canaan.”
“Yes, your highness.”
“Is it worth doing?”
“yes!”
“I don’t think it’s the other guys?”
The mercenaries’ eyes were focused on Canaan. Their eyes were filled with resentment and anticipation. They wanted this tiresome and painful physical training to stop immediately.
Canaan said, staring ahead.
“No. We are the Canaan Mercenaries. We don’t get tired like this.”
As Canaan breathed life into them, the mercenaries lowered their heads in dejection.
“Yes, since you’re so enthusiastic about not getting tired at all, it would be only natural to give a corresponding answer. Stop training. Everyone, rest for 10 minutes.”
The mercenaries collapsed as if they had been waiting. I raised my right arm high and snapped my fingers.
Taaak!
The slave soldiers who heard my signal came running. They were also training with the mercenary group. The only difference was that they were carrying a large load.
“Share it.”
Kwung! Boom!
Every time the slave soldier put down his load, a heavy sound was heard. The mercenaries who heard the sound looked anxious, and Canaan stepped forward as the representative and asked me.
“What is all this?”
“These are sandbags. Put them on your arms and legs.”
The first thing he gave to Canaan was his gift. He sighed as he fastened the heavy iron restraints around his wrists and ankles.
“Mom, it seems like there’s more iron than sand.”
“Yours is a special order. No, all of them are custom made. The grade and name are written on it, so don’t take someone else’s. I’ve written the left and right, so don’t wear it the wrong way around. If you steal someone else’s stuff to train for your own convenience, you could end up crippled for the rest of your life.”
The sandbags they handed out were not simple restraint devices. They were definitely not sandbags for physical training. They were special equipment that helped maintain balance, and they were custom-made to fit the imbalances of the mercenaries’ bodies. Of course, just walking around wearing them wouldn’t help you maintain balance. You needed to train accordingly.
The restraint equipment was made of cheap iron. Iron was not suitable for making weapons because it was heavy and easily corroded, but if properly maintained, it could be used for a month or two.
Canaan was about to say something to me, but when he saw Sir Ambrod standing beside him, he shut his mouth tightly. His arms and legs had been restrained for a long time. Even his belly was bigger than Canaan’s, and it was beginning to corrode.
‘It would be amazing. Ambrod has regained his prime. I think it’s amazing, but others will think it’s a miracle.’
Ambrod has made remarkable progress over the past few days. It was all thanks to my eyes and Ambrod following my training, even abandoning his personality.
Recently, Ambrose trained with Wulf. He was determined to fight as one with Wulf.
“… … When can I learn swordsmanship?”
A-class mercenary Xander, wearing restraint gear, glared at me with sharp eyes. Ambrod approached to pluck out the unholy eye, but stopped in his tracks when I raised my hand.
The Canaan Mercenaries expected me to train as a knight. It didn’t take a day for that expectation to be shattered. They had been training for over a month, and today they were wearing heavy restraints.
Contrary to their expectations, there was no such thing as a swordsmanship demonstration. No matter how high their rank, mercenaries are not knights. Their abilities and swordsmanship were all different, and the vast majority of them learned martial arts spontaneously on the spot without any system.
“If you qualify.”
“Please give even the A-class mercenaries a chance.”
A-class mercenaries were classified as high-level mercenaries. They were treated like knights and demonstrated skills comparable to those in actual combat.
But in one-on-one combat, the knights overwhelmed the higher-level mercenaries.
“Canaan, what is your judgment?”
Canaan was also developing his own martial arts. He was a man who shined with talent and hard work. Now, all of that was reaching its limit and burning like the last candle.
If Canaan had not met me, I would have destroyed myself within a few years. Knowing this, Canaan treated me with respect.
“please.”
Canaan must have had his own position. He was the leader of 487 mercenaries, including those who were not present. He had made sweet promises to them, so he had to somehow provide them with a corresponding reward.
I drew Serenade. Without infusing the sword with aura, I aimed the tip of the sword at the A-class mercenary, Xander.
“Come.”
As if he had been waiting, Gender approached. He knew how to move faster and more stealthily than the assassin. He shook his upper body for a moment, creating an afterimage, and then he came while exploding his aura.
Phew!
Serenade dug into Gender’s shoulder. He hurriedly swung his sword to make me retreat, but even then, I did not put my sword away.
Eventually, Serenade pierced through Gender’s shoulder.
Gender protested to me, clutching his hollow shoulder.
