Calling Old Colleagues (1)

‘Battlefield of the Gods’ Year 3, October 2.

The manor’s dining room and hall have been busy since early morning because representatives were scheduled to visit en masse today.

The hall and dining areas buzzed with cleaning, and the kitchen was busy preparing food.

After a while of watching the garden from the third-floor terrace, the commotion beyond the gate became noticeable.

“Finally!”

Watching the gate open slowly, sixteen representatives wandered through the garden toward the manor.

With two more arriving shortly after, the total reached eighteen.

It matched exactly the number I had scouted and invited to join the legion.

In other words, not a single one had refused; they all accepted the scouting offer.

After confirming the number of representatives, I left the terrace, descended to the first-floor hall, and finished preparing to receive the guests.

As soon as I reached the first-floor hall, the manor doors opened and all eighteen representatives entered at once.

And then,

“Hoho?”

“It’s flashy. I heard you’ve made a lot of money.”

“Impressive, huh?”

“Did you see the convergence array set up outside?”

Murmurs.

Amid the noisy busyness, only three people recognized me and approached.

“Thank you for the invitation. I’m Cheong.”

He’s not heavily built; a sharp gaze and slender frame.

At a glance his blue hair, like something from an anime, and the short Japanese sword are striking, this man is, unusually, a druid.

In his previous life his epithet was “Druid of Sacrifice.”

“Hello. I’m Kitas.”

Kitas isn’t very tall but has a cute face and an unexpectedly sensual figure.

With flaming red hair, she is a hyper-agile warrior who uses daggers like a ghost.

Her epithet was “Poison Fang of Swiftness.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Soria.”

Her turquoise hair resembles the Mediterranean Sea; her dignified presence is comparable to Mae Young-ryeong before becoming a dark Mae Young-ryeong.

She always kept her eyes closed but had no trouble eating, moving, or fighting.

In her previous life her epithet was “Spirit Shrine Maiden.”

“Pleased to meet you. I’m Kim Han. Let’s move inside first.”

As the three moved toward the dining room, an irritating sound reached my ears.

“Well. The host should come out to greet guests first; how rude.”

Turning, I saw a short brown-haired man scowling heavily while a woman beside him tried to calm him.

‘So that’s him.’

In truth, the one I knew in my previous life was that woman.

She was skilled enough to endure until the end in Battlefield of the Gods, told me to flee, and stood bare-handed against the enemy.

Among those here, the only representative who owes me nothing is the one she’s restraining, specifically, her fraternal twin brother.

When I first inquired about her, I was surprised to see a man beside her, and even more surprised that he was her kin.

I had already been informed that she gladly agreed to join the legion, but her brother was reluctant.

‘Well.’

They may have been my benefactors, but I won’t grovel. I shouldn’t. That would be like giving them a drug.

Luckily, there’s also a suitable mid-range opponent, perfect.

“You must be itching to move. Let’s warm up a bit before eating. Follow me.”

I led everyone down to the first-floor training ground.

As expected, representatives who use force as divine power admired the force convergence array installed in the training ground.

“Please come in.”

At my gentle invitation, the man snorted and strode in.

“Do you all know about the ‘Setting’ (magical protection) for harm?”

Most looked unfamiliar. Only Cheong the Druid of Sacrifice and Kitas the Poison Fang of Swiftness nodded or showed no surprise.

“What’s that?”

“The ‘Setting’ lets you adjust harm levels. There are five tiers: minor injury, moderate-minor injury, moderate injury, severe injury, and instant death. You get the idea, right? Will you set it to severe injury? I, of course, am set to severe injury. It allows for holes in the body or an arm or leg being torn off.”

My calm words terrified the blustering representative, but wanting to look bold before everyone, he snorted and changed his Setting.

“Attack first.”

“Good! Don’t regret this!!”

The man drew a longsword from a magic pouch.

Since the man’s sister, the one I intended to recruit, was a priest, the brother was a warrior type.

He approached at a reasonable pace and swung predictably. Not fast, not particularly sharp, and unoriginal.

I didn’t move a step and evaded everything; the man’s face flushed with anger.

“Disappointing.”

Kuuuuung—!

“Gah!”

I did nothing. I only focused my presence and killing intent. I didn’t even attack with force.

Yet he dropped his sword and collapsed, unable to stand. Truly disappointing.

“Huh, was the scouting wrong? Really disappointing. You couldn’t even withstand mere presence.”

Kuuuuung—

I widened the presence to press them, and only five people remained standing.

The three who greeted me earlier, the twin sister, and one man, no, a half-orc.

“The gap is too wide. I’ll have to reconsider whether to accept you into the legion.”

Kuuuuung—!

Raising my presence further, the fraternal twin sister of the man now prostrate before me fell to her knees.

Following them, the half-orc, Kitas the Poison Fang of Swiftness, and Cheong nearly collapsed almost simultaneously; only Soria the Spirit Shrine Maiden stood with difficulty.

At that moment, a group strolled into the training ground.

It was Lee Hyo-ju, Mae Young-ryeong, Hazel, Naruan, and Arun.

They had likely come out of curiosity and concern when they saw me lead representatives to the training ground.

They approached, greeted me politely, and stood behind me.

The representatives stared in shock at the group moving freely within my presence.

“I expected them to at least to withstand the presence… What to do about this?”

The man who had charged at me first now drools and buries his face in the ground.

“…Guh!! Cough, s-save me…”

“Hmm? Ah! Don’t worry. You won’t die. You may be maimed or crippled, but not killed. Besides, this level doesn’t even count as minor injury under the ‘Setting’ (magical protection). So won’t we all remain like this?”

Faces fell into despair, sending looks of reproach, why invite them here if this was to happen?

“What is Battlefield of the Gods to you?”

No representative answers. Or rather, none can.

“Ah, I see. I’ll release it.”

When I eased my presence, coughing and gasps filled the air; some inhaled as if they’d nearly suffocated.

“Anyone want to challenge me? If you think my presence attack was a sneak, challenge me. I’ll wait. Prepare magic or summon whatever you need. But only after you change the ‘Setting’ to severe injury.”

But no one stepped forward to challenge.

This was unexpected; I’d thought the half-orc and Kitas would leap at the chance.

“Then back to my question: what is Battlefield of the Gods to you?”

“….”

Only heavy breathing could be heard.

I could have kept up the hostility, but they’re not my enemies nor my prisoners.

After a long silence of breaths, a clear voice spoke.

“To me, this place is… a nightmare. So bad I can’t open my eyes.”

“I see. Soria, that’s likely because of your patron deity, right?”

“…Yes.”

Soria answers with difficulty and shakes her head, not because of my pressure but as if trying to avoid recalling something.

“Likely the same goes for the others. Those gathered here probably don’t expect sudden riches or tremendous power like other representatives, except for this person here.”

I indicate the representative who couldn’t rise and who first attacked me.

My gaze, however, turned to the man’s twin sister.

She fidgeted, watching her brother and me.

“Mae Young-ryeong, heal them.”

“Yes.”

The representatives were surprised again as Mae Young-ryeong began healing without a word.

“Some of you may have come thinking you’d pick the pockets of the so-called pushover who formed this legion.”

Twitch—

The man collapsed before me visibly flinched, and his sister hung her head.

“Or perhaps some of you came when I found you, those lamenting their lonely fate and suddenly thinking you’d found salvation.”

This time, no one flinched.

“I don’t know your reasons, but as you know, I have a history of indirectly refusing my patron deity’s orders.”

This fact caused my abilities to be belittled and rumors spread among representatives.

To most representatives, defying your patron deity is the dumbest thing you can do.

A patron deity distributes power to representatives each year in the Garden of Gods, at the deity’s whim.

That implies the god will dislike me, and my power will wane.

“Some of you may have come for that reason.”

Twitch—

This time quite a few showed surprise.

“Whatever your reasons, I’m looking for family, and that’s why I gathered you. Those who wish to join should sign the papers handed out.”

The document was simple.

It stated you could not resign from the legion after joining, and leaking internal information or betraying it would result in death.

The Covenant Oath is a high-tier magical contract, something a patron deity can enact.

But the patron deity is likely forced to sign an even higher-tier Divine Oath by now, so this minimizes the chance of betrayal.

Even former comrades who helped me in a past life might act differently under changed circumstances.

“What happens if we don’t sign?”

“Then you may leave. For the record, those who don’t sign suffer no harm; you simply walk out.”

My answer seemed unexpected; they looked curious.

“Isn’t that obvious? If a representative is too fearful to join a legion led by someone who openly defied their patron deity, then I don’t want them.”

Soria, who had been keeping her eyes closed, signed first, and then everyone followed in quick succession.

Only two, the fraternal twins, did not sign. I looked at the sister and asked about them.

“Won’t you sign?”

“…I will.”

“Then you will.”

“Well… yes. But my brother…”

In my past life she was very much like me, perhaps she liked me for that, the gullible one resembling herself.

Even now she hesitates to sign the contract she wants to because of her brother.

“Name…?”

I asked to avoid suspicion, though I already knew.

She hesitated, then softly answered.

“I’m Apher.”

“Representative Apher, remember one thing: before you’re bound to the legion, a representative must think only of themselves. Otherwise your neck will be cut off in an instant and your face and name will appear in the Sky of Remembrance. Your brother has been causing trouble from the start. Look into your heart and listen to your own voice, what do you truly want to do?”

“…I want to.”

Of course she wanted to; what her patron deity did to her made even me angry.

“Then do it.”

“My brother…”

“If you were to die because of your brother, what then? What about the harm you’ve suffered because of him? You entered this place because of matters tied to your brother; will you still prioritize him?”

“…Because he’s my brother.”

I don’t ask how she knew of us. But her eyes don’t waver like before.

I prod the man with my foot and ask.

“Name.”

Perhaps because my foot touched him, the so-called brother flinched in surprise.

“Don’t make me ask twice. Name.”

“Ribor…”

“What will you do?”

“I, um, I…”

I speak to the hesitant man in a gentle, reassuring tone.

“Don’t worry. If you choose not to join our legion, we won’t harm you. If you don’t want to, stand up and leave now. That mage will guide you out.”

“…I want to leave. Please spare me!”

I glance at Ribor bowing his head in the training ground begging for his life, then look at Apher.

Her eyes are full of pity.

“Your brother says he wants to leave. What will you do? Will you give up because of him again? Like when you entered Battlefield of the Gods? Or like before that?”

Flinch!

“How I know of this isn’t important. Apher, are you sure you’ve heard the true voice from your own heart?”

She had once told me regretfully.

I recall someone saying that if someone had slapped her to force her to hear her true self, she wouldn’t be in this state.

Apher, who had stared blankly for a long time, now shows resolve and meets her brother’s eyes.

Ribor glared resentfully at Apher with anxious, shifting eyes.

“…Why?”

Apher asks.

“Why are you blaming me?”

Apher asks again.

“Why should I be the one to take your resentment?”

Ribor glances at me, then glares at Apher in annoyance, telling her to stop talking or to hurry up and leave.

Apher bites her lip, clenches both hands, and as if to show she means it, signs the document while staring Ribor in the face.

Ribor contorts his face not with surprise but with fury.

But he doesn’t sign for his sister. He scrambles to his feet and watches my reaction.

“Then go. Let’s not see each other a year from now.”

“Yes, yes. Thank you. Thank you!”

Ribor hurriedly left the manor, leaving the originally planned seventeen representatives gathered.

I spoke in a bright voice to ease the heavy atmosphere.

“We will be a slightly different legion, and you are part of that plan. Also, the issue of an uncooperative patron deity should be resolved when you enter the Garden of Gods in the fourth year. They will noticeably change and return the power you’ve been owed.”

Inex, Simon, and Hugo approached the puzzled group; some were recognized and welcomed.

“These three joined the legion a year before you and have become far stronger in just one year, unlike before. Some of you may already know them.”

A few nodded; indeed, the three had become noticeably stronger.

Leaving the curious behind, I explained our legion’s initial plan and then led the newly joined members to the dining room.