41 — Chapter 41

The rhythmic clop of hooves and the rolling wheels blended oddly well with the long forest road. As I walked, my senses picked up something strange. Roughly two hundred meters ahead, from both sides of the forest, came an alien aura.

Not human. Monster. It figured—this far from the city, monsters were bound to appear.

I felt it but said nothing. If they showed themselves, I’d earn five gold. Of course, that would immediately go toward the guild’s registration fee.

While I was mulling it over, another aura surfaced. But this one…

“Everyone, keep to the right!”

At Medsav’s shout, the caravan shifted.

The new aura was human, approaching directly from the front. I couldn’t see clearly from the back of the wagons, but from the presence, it felt like there were at least fifty of them. A sizable force. At this pace…

“Grrrk!”

“Graaaagh!”

“Merchants, fall back!”

“Mercenaries, form ranks!”

As expected, my hunch was right. Moving up, I passed the retreating merchants and caught sight of Sharn and Sunwar standing at the front.

On the opposite side, dozens of knights in full armor lined up in formation. Between them and us, hulking ogres stepped into view, their presence heavy and violent.

“Stay calm! Do not falter!”

One knight in a striking white cloak drew his sword and barked the order. His booming voice steadied the men around him, who shuffled into tighter formation. Counting him, there were thirty-two knights in total.

And the ogres—six of them. Considering they usually roamed alone, that was a lot.

“To bring down an ogre, at least three Paladin-level knights are needed. Form into teams of seven and engage! The rest will reinforce as needed!”

Paladin-level meant B-rank for mercenaries. From both his words and the aura I felt, the cloaked knight stood out. The others gave off nothing, but he radiated mana at roughly A-rank—Sword Expert level.

“Damn.”

The curse slipped out of Sharn, sharp and fitting. With his current skill, he could probably take on one or two ogres. Any more would overwhelm him.

As for Horse-face Sunwar—he was out of the question. Without me, the two of them together wouldn’t stand a chance.

Still, the presence of dozens of knights offered some comfort.

Thoom. Thoom. Thoom…

“Hold! Wait for my command before you move! Not a moment sooner—stay sharp!”

As five ogres thundered toward the knights, the cloaked leader bellowed, sparing even us a glance of concern. The last ogre threw both arms into the air and roared, shaking the ground with its challenge.

In front of me, Sharn raised his twin blades and began moving slowly toward it. In truth, Sunwar had no place in this fight.

Even if Horse-face could channel mana, it wouldn’t do much against an ogre. Judging by how he stood frozen at my side, he knew it too.

I turned my attention forward, focusing.

“Haaah!”

Sharn, who had been approaching the ogre step by step, suddenly let out a sharp battle cry and kicked off the ground, rushing forward. The ogre gathered its massive forearms—thick enough to crush boulders—and brought them down on him.

KWAANG!

The impact shook the ground, leaving a deep crater where its fists had struck. I scanned quickly, searching for Sharn.

He had already slipped to the ogre’s right, raising one sword to slash at its leg. But with a guttural roar, the ogre leapt straight into the air.

Unbelievable as it was, that massive body lifted clear off the ground—just enough to dodge Sharn’s blade.

Sharn moved with it, darting behind as the ogre landed. His sword gleamed faintly as it swept through the air. From where I stood, I could tell. The next strike would finish it. That last blow had left the ogre mortally wounded.

Puk—

“GRAAAAHHH!”

As I expected, Sharn’s follow-up killed it. His first strike had carved a deep wound across the creature’s waist. Even as it thrashed in defiance, Sharn sidestepped with ease and drove his blade straight into its chest.

Blood sprayed. The ogre’s dying scream seemed to swallow the entire clearing.

“AAAAHHHH! H-help me!”

Just as Sharn wiped his blade clean of blood and turned toward me, the first human scream tore through the knights’ line. One of them stumbled back, his left leg crushed into a mangled mess—trampled beneath an ogre’s foot.

His eyes were wide with terror, his mouth spilling frantic cries without pause.

“Y-you bastard!”

“Kill it! Kill it now!”

Six nearby knights roared as they rushed in, charging at the ogre surrounding their fallen comrade. It was recklessness at its peak.

The ogre swung its arms lazily, swatting them aside like flies, all while stalking toward the knight crawling desperately backward. Still, I noticed slashes riddled across its body. Small wounds, but telling.

The worst of it marred its leg. Because of that injury, its movements looked noticeably slower.

“Two of you, carry Sem away!”

I heard the cloaked knight’s voice barking orders. So the one crawling on the ground was named Sem. Even if he survived, his leg would never recover. Without the touch of a high priest, it was beyond saving.

“GRAAAAH!”

The ogre stalking him let out a roar, then dropped to one knee. Looking closer, I saw why—its leg was mangled badly.

“Now’s our chance!”

“No! Fall back!”

Two voices rang out almost at the same time. The first belonged to one of the knights; the second, just a beat later, came from the cloaked commander. But the others either didn’t hear their leader or ignored him, charging headlong at the ogre.

“GRAAAH!”

The kneeling ogre suddenly lashed out, swinging its arms wildly.

“Urgh!”

“AAAGH!”

Screams followed as knights were smashed aside. I caught sight of one with his skull caved in—dead instantly—and another whose shoulder was pulverized. He let out one last cry before collapsing unconscious. The remaining four knights, horrified, stumbled back.

“GRAAAH!”

“GUAAAHH!”

Another roar, another scream from elsewhere. I turned my head to see an ogre on both knees, while a knight lay crumpled before it, the breastplate of his armor crushed inward grotesquely.

“Still standing around? Or are you just scared to die?”

Sharn’s cold voice came from my left, sharper than ever. He sounded like he was deliberately picking a fight now.

I ignored him and swept my eyes around. Horse-face Sunwar still hadn’t moved from where he stood, while Sharn glared at me with a mocking smirk. I had no idea what his problem was, but I wasn’t going to waste thought on him.

Ahead, knights and ogres clashed in a bloody frenzy. Two ogres had been forced to their knees, but the other two still fought strong. Four knights had already fallen silent, their life force gone. Nine more lay injured on the ground.

Even the cloaked knight had joined the fray now, but despite his skill, the toll on their side was heavy.

I glanced around again. Medsav was there. Sunwar. Sharn too—but clearly unwilling to lift a finger to help.

This fight… it was my chance. A chance to make my name echo.

Both Medsav and Sunwar had their eyes on me. If I proved myself here, it was only a matter of time before word spread.

I tightened my grip on the hilt in my right hand, muscles surging with power. The weight of the blade grounded me, solid and real.

I finished sorting my thoughts, then lunged forward.

My target: the white cloak—no, the knight whose mantle was now smeared with patches of an ogre’s dark green blood.