Episode 1: This kind of neglect is somehow familiar. (1)
“What happens after a person dies?”
“I don’t know because I haven’t died yet.”
I answered my friend who suddenly asked me a question while we were drinking nonchalantly.
It was a problem I had never even thought about. I would have been better off sharpening my sword a little more instead of thinking about such things.
“There is also talk of being reborn.”
“Then next time, I hope to be born into an ordinary family. I want to live a quiet life.”
When I said I wanted to live quietly, he laughed for a while and then asked again.
“Are you really going to do it?”
“okay.”
“Many people are suffering from the disaster even now. If you move, more people will die.”
“doesn’t care.”
“I never knew that my friend, who seemed so cheerful, was in so much pain.”
“Everyone has at least one painful past.”
The friend nodded and raised his glass as he spoke.
“After work, let’s go back to hunting monsters.”
“Find someone fun to deal with.”
He chuckled, downed his drink in one gulp, and put his glass down.
“I hope you succeed. Would you mind praying for me instead?”
“I don’t believe in God. I only believe in this.”
As I laughed and waved my sword, he shook his head and got up from his seat.
“Go well. You won’t be going far.”
“Are you stupid?”
Ugh.
A black circle appears and your friend’s body disappears as if it were sucked into it.
“Wow, that’s a convenient technique.”
Left alone, I raised my glass.
One glass, two glasses, three glasses.
Again, memories of the past come to mind.
‘I regret it.’
The Ferdium Territory in the northern part of the Kingdom of Rutania.
A poor and barren territory located on the outskirts of the kingdom, constantly fighting against barbarians.
I was born a prince there.
‘It was pathetic.’
He lived a life full of dissatisfaction, comparing his situation with that of other noble children.
Comparison breeds feelings of inferiority.
My inferiority complex erupted in reckless behavior, which soon led to accidents and constant finger pointing from others.
A scoundrel, a madman, a corner sword master… … .
After hearing all sorts of bad nicknames, I eventually ran away from my family.
I spent several years wandering around as a mercenary.
Luckily, I survived through countless battles.
As my skills improved and my reputation grew, I began to miss my hometown.
‘At that time, I thought everything would be fine if I returned to my family.’
I thought that I would return to my family and become a great strength to them, filled with regret and sorrow for my reckless days.
but…….
When he returned, his family and estate had already been reduced to ashes.
I just avoided it without doing anything.
For fear of being punished, he had to live in hiding, even abandoning his noble name.
‘I had to get stronger.’
A new goal has emerged.
They endured excruciating pain and endured hardships for years. They fought tirelessly against the countless disasters that struck the continent.
At some point I was called by a new name.
King of Mercenaries.
And now, they stand in the glorious position of being among the seven strongest people in the world, the seven continents.
By then, he had no shortage of life. He had numerous subordinates, a high reputation, and the skills to match.
‘But it wasn’t enough.’
But I always felt thirsty.
A family that is no longer there, regrets from my youth, and belated realizations.
All my past haunted me every night and I couldn’t sleep without alcohol.
Family, friends, and people from Yeongji that I want to see… …. Now they will not return.
‘I regret it.’
The war is not over yet.
The disasters that swept across the continent left every place stained with blood. The groans of people’s pain were endless.
But my heart could no longer contain those screams.
‘The time has come.’
Now it was time to put regrets aside for a moment. There was still one thing left to do.
Still weak, still lacking, still cautious… … Still… … Still… … .
Something that has always been put off with excuses like this.
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‘plural.’
Yes, the time has come to take revenge on those who destroyed my family.
The emptiness was eating me up. I couldn’t put it off any longer.
Their blood will fill the emptiness within me.
I put down my glass and picked up my sword.
* * *
The mercenary king, Gisel, raised an army.
Everyone was shocked when they heard the news that he, who was one of the seven powers of the continent, was advancing.
Although he is ranked as the last of the seven great warriors, the tactical value of the ‘Mercenary King’ is considered to be equivalent to the military force of a country.
– Why did the Mercenary King make such a choice!
With the war still not over, Jiselle’s actions drew the ire of many.
Why did you cause internal strife now of all times?
Then he revealed his first and last name, which he had kept hidden until now.
“Vengeance of my family is more important to me.”
The target of his revenge was the Kingdom of Rutania, where his family was from. Giselle aimed his sword at his homeland that he had left long ago.
Many people were drawn to the war by the fame of the mercenary king.
Jiselle’s loyal followers, those who wanted to take advantage of this opportunity, drew their swords along with him.
“My only goal is the destruction of Rutania.”
Although Rutania was known as a military powerhouse, Giselle, one of the seven powers on the continent, was also incredibly strong.
Jiselle trampled the kingdom with great force, destroying everything in her path.
But at some point his advance was met with fierce resistance.
‘weird.’
Strong people whose names were unknown to her appeared one after another and blocked Jiselle’s path. However, they were not from Rutania.
Why would those who have no connection to the kingdom block Giselle?
‘There is something.’
Jiselle left her doubts behind and calmly moved forward, taking down each of them one by one.
If Giselle wanted to win the war, he had to finish it quickly. However, his plan was disrupted by the appearance of hidden powerhouses.
As the war dragged on, finances quickly deteriorated, and more and more mercenaries began to desert for their own gains and losses.
Then, a decisive incident occurred that determined the outcome.
The 7th continent powerhouse, ‘Noble Knight’ Aiden, participated in the battle.
The balance of victory tilted sharply toward the kingdom. In the end, in the final battle, Giselle ended up kneeling before the enemy.
“Carto. No, your real name was Giselle? So this is how the match is decided.”
Aidan, a blond handsome man in fancy armor, said with a smile as if he found it amusing.
He too looked like he had been through quite a bit, with his armor broken in several places and his hair disheveled, but his wounds were not serious enough to put his life in danger.
On the other hand, Giselle, who was kneeling before him, had been pierced by dozens of spears and swords, and it was difficult to find a single intact part of her body.
Jiselle smiled at Aiden, baring her teeth, even as she bled.
“You unlucky bastard. I didn’t know you’d get involved.”
Aiden smiled again and looked around the battlefield.
The fierce battle left the area scorched earth. Corpses were piled up like mountains and blood flowed like rivers.
“Your men have all run away. You are truly a bunch of shallow guys with no pride.”
“Heh, a skilled mercenary is someone who can find a way to survive. If you can live, there’s no need to die.”
Aiden snorted and lifted his sword, holding it to Giselle’s neck.
“What are your final words?”
“None. It’s just a shame that I couldn’t completely end the kingdom. Now kill me, you filthy brat.”
“How cheeky.”
Aiden pursed his lips, seemingly displeased with the sight of the confident Giselle.
“I’ve always disliked it. It’s the fact that I’m being lumped in with a lowly mercenary.”
“Do you know who was good?”
“But who would have thought that he was a survivor of Count Ferdium’s family? That’s one thing that’s surprising.”
Jiselle wiggled her eyebrows.
It was a slightly strange tone to simply say that it was an appreciation of something that had been heard.
Aiden smiled with satisfaction as he saw Giselle’s confused eyes. He leaned his head a little closer to Giselle’s ear and whispered.
“I thought you were the Archduke of Ferdium who had disappeared. You left home after your sister died, didn’t you? I once looked for you.”
“How do you know that?”
Aiden is not from the Kingdom of Rutania. Therefore, there was no reason for him to know such detailed information about events that had already occurred in a foreign country a long time ago.
And you were looking for yourself?
“Of course I know. Because ‘we’ joined hands with the Duke of Delphine and destroyed your family.”
“what?”
Aiden’s words struck Jiselle’s mind.
The Delphine Dukes, who had destroyed Ferdium, had long since rebelled and taken control of the kingdom.
That is why Giselle had no choice but to take revenge on the kingdom itself.
But who would have thought that even people from other countries would be involved in that?
Jiselle’s body froze stiffly in a situation that he could not understand at all. He shouted urgently with a confused expression.
“‘We’? Are you saying that the Duke’s family was behind it?!”
“Behind the scenes… … I don’t like that word. Rather than that… … No, there’s no need to explain it to someone like you. Just think of us as all on the same side.”
Aiden may be arrogant and sentimental, but he always has justice in his mouth. That’s why he’s called a ‘noble knight’.
I couldn’t believe that such a man was involved in a conspiracy to destroy Ferdium.
“Why are you in our family…? … Isn’t this the territory of a foreign country that has nothing to do with you?”
“The world doesn’t work that simply. Well, there’s no way a shallow mercenary could understand such a high-level meaning.”
“Then you got involved in this war too… … .”
“Yes, to wrap things up neatly. I don’t want any stains on my name.”
As soon as Aiden finished speaking, he raised his sword. If that sword falls, Giselle’s head will fall as well.
“You bastard! I won’t forgive you!”
Jiselle tried to raise her body somehow.
But with his body already broken, he couldn’t even move his mana properly.
“You idiot, it’s over now. You should have lived a life of mercenary work, appropriate to your station.”
Aiden swung his sword quickly, letting out a cold sneer.
Pfft!
For a moment, it felt like time had stopped.
A cool sensation brushing against my neck.
My vision began to spin.
In the midst of the blooming blood, Giselle felt all the emotions that had been tormenting her for so long.
Regret, emptiness, sadness, pity… … .
But in the end, what remained was an endless burning anger.
– There was also talk of being reborn.
Why do I remember what my friend said at the end?
‘If I’m really reborn! I’ll tear you to pieces!’
dump.
The fallen head rolled on the floor.
With his eyes wide open as if in resentment, the mercenary king Giselle breathed his last in vain.
* * *
‘Are you alive?’
It was definitely a beheading. Could it be that I was mistaken?
Jiselle didn’t move hastily, but only opened her eyes cautiously.
‘barracks?’
I saw a makeshift military tent, like the one used at campsites.
‘Have you been taken prisoner?’
Judging by the lack of any sign of life around him, it was clear that he was alone in the barracks.
Besides, his body wasn’t even tied up.
‘You cheeky bastards. You just left me alone?’
He must have thought he looked quite ridiculous. He had just laid him down like this without even tying him up.
I tried to slowly draw up my mana, but I couldn’t feel the powerful mana that was like the ocean at all.
‘I wonder if they’ve taken some action?’
He slowly sat up straight and looked around.
‘knife?’
A sword was propped up against the cot.
“Heh heh, I really looked funny.”
Even if you can’t use mana, the swordsmanship you’ve accumulated so far won’t disappear. With just one sword, you’re confident you can kill hundreds of soldiers.
‘I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I’m going to make you regret it.’
Mana would just have to recover after escaping from here.
Rustle.
At that moment, she felt someone entering the barracks entrance. Jiselle quickly lay down on the bed and closed her eyes.
A soldier came in carrying something. Judging from the delicious smell of soup, he must have brought food.
The smell of food made me a little hungry, but now was not the time to be concerned about food.
While the soldier turned his back and prepared a meal, Giselle drew her sword and moved at lightning speed.
“Shh, if you answer my questions honestly, I’ll spare your life.”
He thought for a moment and then added quietly.
“Maybe not.”
The soldier seemed startled when the sword was put to his neck, but soon relaxed.
Just as Giselle, who thought he had given up on the rebellion, was about to ask the soldier something he was curious about, a sigh and some irritated words came out of his mouth.
“Haa, Your Highness. Why are you doing this again? Are you bored? Why don’t you just go back to the castle?”
“huh?”
Jiselle was at a loss for words. Even though he was a prisoner, how dare he, a mere soldier, speak like this to the mercenary king.
however…….
This annoyance feels somehow familiar.
