Episode 3: This kind of neglect is somehow familiar. (3)
Skoban looked dumbfounded at Giselle’s sudden words.
It’s annoying that this useless guy keeps following me around, and now he’s asking me to just hand over command.
‘Are you crazy?’
I wanted to slap him right away, but I held myself back with superhuman patience.
No matter what, I couldn’t hit the successor to the estate.
“I don’t know why you’re suddenly like that, but that’s impossible. I’m the commander of the punitive force.”
There was always a hint of contempt thrown in there.
If they get upset because they were ignored, you can just calm them down and send them away.
“It is impossible for your Highness to command soldiers with his abilities.”
I was mentally preparing myself to scream, but Jiselle’s reaction was different than usual.
“Really? But for now, I’ll just do it.”
Skoban narrowed his eyes at Giselle, who spoke so casually.
‘What’s going on? Something feels different today. Why aren’t you lying down?’
The Grand Duke always seemed to have an inferiority complex from the very beginning.
Slightly hunched shoulders and waist, a strangely observant expression, and a habit of blushing and screaming when things don’t go his way.
But now, there was no sign of that at all.
He straightened his back and shoulders with confidence, and lifted his chin slightly in an arrogant manner. His eyes showed no emotion at all.
The atmosphere and momentum were truly that of a true Sword Master.
‘What… did you eat something weird? What was for lunch today?’
It was strange to see a person who knew how to get angry in the corner of the room suddenly act like this.
But Skoban didn’t care. No matter how much you try to make it look good, the pitiful core doesn’t change.
“No, you can’t. Please step back and rest. We will finish the expedition as quickly as possible and return to the castle.”
“I’ll do it.”
“… … I told you not to do that.”
“I will do it.”
“Your Highness!”
“I will do it.”
“… … .”
Skoban suddenly felt sick to his stomach. He felt like he was having a hard time because he had eaten so many sweet potatoes.
In the past, I could console him by calling him a pitiful brat, but now it felt like I was talking to a wall.
“Huh… … I am the one who has received the authority from the lord. Even if I am the grand duke, I cannot recklessly hand over the authority I have been given by the lord.”
“It’s okay. Right now, my orders on the scene take priority. You should leave it to the judgment of the frontline commander. Isn’t that a natural thing to do on the battlefield?”
‘The front-line commander is me, not you, you creatively crazy bastard! What do you know about the battlefield!’
It’s getting more and more frustrating to hear him say the same things. But his status is higher and it doesn’t make any sense.
This idiot seemed to think they were playing soldiers.
‘Okay, that’s fine. What do you want from him? Just let him play commander for show… … I’ll just kill the orcs.’
If it was really dangerous, I would have stopped it even by tying up the Archduke.
I would have liked to gag that nonsense mouth right now and throw him in jail.
But he was a knight, and Giselle was the grand duke of the land. Skoban tried hard to suppress his anger.
‘It’s so dirty, I’m really going to beat it this time.’
If I went to another territory, I would be treated better than I am now and could live with normal people.
Skoban, who had decided to finish this mission and leave Ferdium, said to Giselle.
“Really… … Do you really have to do that?”
“of course!”
“… … I understand. Then I will hand over command to your Highness the Grand Duke. However, you will also have to take responsibility for it.”
“Oh, good. I thought about it well. Then let’s get ready right away.”
“Yes? What are you preparing?”
“Prepare for battle.”
“No, the orcs haven’t even been discovered yet, so how can you prepare for battle… ?”
“It’s too much of a hassle to explain. Even if I tell you, you won’t believe me. Leave it to the judgment of the frontline commander.”
Leaving the bewildered Skoban behind, Giselle immediately called together all the soldiers.
Since there were only about thirty people, it gathered together in an instant.
The soldiers looked at Giselle with tired eyes.
The author, the Grand Duke, caused trouble every day, and they had to clean up the mess themselves, so just looking at him made me sick.
Looking at those soldiers, Giselle smiled.
‘Well, people’s hearts are really fickle.’
In the past, I hated these kinds of looks that ignored me, so I worked even harder to think.
As time went by, people’s gazes became colder, and as a result, my inferiority complex deepened.
Both he and the people watching him were always filled with anger. It was a vicious cycle.
But once I died and came back to life, I realized that they were all people I had to protect.
‘It’s kind of cute when you growl.’
Jiselle, who had been observing the soldiers for a while, spoke quietly.
“The orcs will invade soon. Everyone, prepare for defense and standby.”
The soldiers lined up again, resigned to the idea that the Archduke was acting crazy.
‘What the hell is this?’
‘Sigh, I’m really tired.’
The soldiers stood still, muttering all sorts of curses in their hearts.
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The moment when Skoban, who couldn’t stand to see the soldiers wasting their time, was about to say something to Giselle.
Doo doo doo doo!
From far away, I could hear the sound of something running in a swarm.
The soldiers turned toward the sound and screamed in surprise.
“Oh, it’s an orc! It really did appear!”
“What, why are there so many!”
Dozens of orcs were running towards them.
Skoban, the ‘real’ commander of the punitive force, drew his sword in confusion.
“Hey, hey! Everyone, don’t panic and prepare for battle… … . Huh?”
Skoban looked back at the soldiers and opened his eyes wide.
The soldiers had already set up their shields in front of them and had their spears extended.
Because they had prepared a defensive formation in advance, they were able to prepare for battle in an instant.
If Giselle hadn’t prepared in advance, everyone would have been confused by the sudden attack.
“What, what is this… … .”
Skoban looked at Giselle with wide eyes.
Giselle, who would normally be boasting about her foresight, was busy checking on the condition of her soldiers.
Even though we had prepared the formation in advance, there were just too many orcs.
The soldiers trembled with fearful expressions on their faces.
“Gisselle said, tapping the shoulder of one of the tense soldiers.
“Hey, why are you so scared? Are you scared of something like that?”
“yes yes?”
“Tsk tsk, why are you so scared? Do you know what the most important thing in a fight is?”
“What, what is that?”
Jiselle answered leisurely to the soldier who asked with a bewildered expression.
“Momentum, momentum is important. Just like those orcs.”
The soldier swallowed dryly and turned his head again.
The orcs were running wildly, as if they were going to kill their enemies in one breath.
But, seeing the Archduke acting relaxed in such an urgent situation did not feel realistic at all.
Looking at the soldier, Giselle continued speaking.
“Don’t be afraid. If you’re afraid, you’ll die without being able to fully demonstrate your abilities. It’d be really unfair to die like that. Don’t you think so?”
Jiselle smiled gently. She remembered the time in her past life when she had taught new mercenaries.
But the soldier who was listening to Jiselle thought seriously.
‘Why is this guy acting so cool all of a sudden?’
Advice only reaches the heart when it is given by someone who is plausible.
To hear such words from the Grand Duke, who was known to be worse than a mere soldier, I honestly couldn’t help but think it was ridiculous.
Jiselle, who was observing the soldiers, suddenly frowned. It was obvious on her face what she was thinking.
“hey.”
“yes?”
“You just cursed inwardly.”
“Yes… … you!”
There was a brief moment of silence, and then Jiselle clicked her tongue and turned her head.
‘Oh my. I’m used to being ignored like this, but I still can’t get used to it.’
He was one of the seven powers of the continent and the king of mercenaries, and he was being treated like this. If his subordinates found out before he returned, he would be a laughing stock for the rest of his life.
‘Well, reputation can be changed slowly.’
Jiselle smiled and stepped forward.
Skoban shouted at him as he leisurely twirled his sword and approached the orcs.
“Your Highness! What are you doing? Get back!”
“Okay. You just go there and look around.”
“yes?”
“I’m going and coming back.”
Jiselle blurted out a word and leapt forward.
‘Damn it! You idiot! If you’re going to die, die alone!’
Skoban gritted his teeth and gestured to his soldiers. He intended to make them retreat first and then capture Giselle.
But the sight that followed immediately made Skoban freeze like a statue.
“Kuaaaah!”
The orc at the very front swung his rusted axe at the approaching Giselle.
A powerful blow that could split a human in half in an instant.
But Giselle just took a step to the side with a smile on her face.
Kwaaaaang!
The stray axe struck the empty ground.
The moment the orc lifts his axe again with an angry expression.
Scratch!
With a sound like cutting air, Giselle’s sword passed through the orc’s throat like lightning.
“Kurururuk… … .”
thud!
The orc collapsed with a sound like boiling phlegm.
The soldiers’ mouths dropped open at the sight of the orc writhing on the ground.
Orcs are monsters known for their thick hide. It is difficult to inflict serious damage without using mana.
However, Giselle, who clearly did not know how to handle mana, cut off the orc’s head in one go.
“What, what is it?”
Skoban also stood still, his mouth agape with a dumbfounded expression.
Even I, who could use mana, could not feel the mana waves at all.
That meant… … that Giselle had incapacitated the orc with a single strike without using any mana.
“That’s ridiculous!”
Mana is a supernatural power that helps humans transcend their limitations.
It would take either incredible strength or extreme skill to kill an orc in one fell swoop without using it.
There is no way that Jiselle, who has never trained and whose body is weak, could have such incredible strength.
So there is only one reason why he could kill the orc.
He has unimaginable swordsmanship skills, capable of attacking the weakest point at precise timing.
“Krrrrr!”
“Kwaaah!”
The running orcs all stopped and began to surround Giselle when the one in the lead suddenly collapsed.
Jiselle raised the corners of her lips.
“Oh, that’s good. Are you after me first? It’ll be easier this way.”
To reduce damage, he rallied the soldiers in advance and formed formation.
He could kill as many orcs as he wanted, but it wasn’t easy to keep his soldiers from getting hurt with his current level of skill.
But all these idiots were flocking to me. I should have bowed down and said thank you.
“It’s been a while since I fought without mana?”
Jiselle raised her sword with an arrogant smile.
Even during this time, I knew about my family’s mana cultivation method, but I never practiced it properly.
In my previous life, I left home and began to wander as a mercenary before I began to train. It was to survive.
Even in the beginning, you had no choice but to fight for your life without even mana.
But now, it was the same as then, yet different. The swordsmanship that he had cultivated for a long time and reached the pinnacle was in his head.
“Come on!”
“Kuaaaah!”
Kwaaang!
The orcs swung their axes wildly, but all of them missed the target, the strangely moving Giselle.
He dodged the attacks with minimal movement, and used the orcs’ force to cut through their weakest part, the neck.
Choaack!
“Krrrrr!”
With each swing of the sword, an orc fell, spurting blood.
“Oh my, my body isn’t listening to me properly.”
Jiselle grumbled, swinging her sword.
The body at this time was truly miserably weak.
Even with just the slightest movement, I started sweating like crazy and my muscles were sore.
It felt like my joints were creaking from the excessive movement.
But the smile never stopped on his face.
I’ve lived through decades of battlefields and carnage. If I hadn’t enjoyed fighting, I wouldn’t have survived.
This feeling of pushing my body to the limit was also proof that I was still alive.
Whirlwind.
Kwaaaaang!
Jiselle narrowly avoided the orcs’ attacks and took them down one by one.
Skoban gulped when he saw that movement. Even he, who can use mana, cannot move like that.
‘Oh, how can the Archduke move like that?’
It was clear that he was struggling. However, his movements were uninterrupted, both when he was avoiding attacks and when he was attacking.
Skoban had never seen such swordplay in his entire life.
‘It’s amazing.’
A movement so perfect that one would want to learn it as a swordsman. It was like a sword master who couldn’t use mana.
‘No, maybe more than that… … .’
It was an assessment that others would think was crazy, but it was actually close to the truth.
The seven powers of the continent are all superhumans who have transcended the realm of humanity. The skills they possess are not simple skills, but insight that penetrates battles.
So, even though he had no mana and was physically weak, the experience and skills that Jiselle had accumulated allowed him to overcome limitations.
Kwajik!
As Giselle swung her sword, another orc fell, spitting out blood.
“Krrrrr!”
The orcs began to retreat, hesitantly.
The orcs that numbered over twenty were now reduced to just five. Most of them had been killed in the short time, either by being beheaded or stabbed by Giselle’s sword.
“Hey, it’s over already? I’m still not fully recovered. How can I show myself so weakly? Are you really a combat species?”
Jiselle aimed her sword at the orcs and grumbled.
Of course, my true feelings were completely different.
‘Ha, I’m going to die again like this. I just want to lie down. Was I this weak at that time?’
There is a price to pay for wielding power beyond limits.
Jiselle’s frail body was starting to lose its ability to listen to her.
