"No time to slack off, Yuushin! Swing your sword! If they break through,
they'll flank our friendlies!"
"Understood, Commander!"
I responded to Lucy who was fighting beside me as she took command.
We are now cutting our way through the goblins at our front.
After taking down three, I backed up to catch my breath. In turn, Lucy
switched with me and killed the rest that was approaching.
As Lucy was taught aristocratic swordsmanship when she was a child, her
skill with the sword was as good, or rather, even better than an ordinary
soldier.
It was a big difference compared to me, who had only trained with a sword
months before.
That difference became even more apparent when she cut down three
goblins approaching her in one swing, which took me a lot of defending and
several swings just to kill one.
It was pathetic, honest, but it couldn't be helped. There's also the factor of
magic in which I have none.
I could lose my life anytime if I am not careful.
Currently, our unit is fighting the enemy detachment on the right flank of
their main unit.
The enemy was charging at us in a scattered fashion, so we had no choice
but to spread out in a wide area. As a result, the battle immediately turned
into an intense melee.
"Milady! About a hundred goblins are moving out of the defensive line!"
"Ugh, if this continues, we'll never make it in time..."
Lucy groaned at the report, but she was just too preoccupied with the
enemy in front of her to form a breakthrough and deal with the separating
ones.
But before the goblins could attack the main troops, there was suddenly a
commotion from the enemy's main force.
"What happened?"
The next moment, a unit broke out in the middle of the enemy's forces.
It was a cavalry unit advancing furiously, billowing up clouds of smoke.
It was the elite unit led by Count Luke Krall, whom I will never forget.
"His unit was supposed to be positioned on the left flank...Don't tell me,
they managed to break through all the way to the middle of the enemy!?"
There were only a hundred cavalrymen strong at Count Luke's unit, and
they were against two thousand of the enemy's main army.
I heard grunts from the vassals as well.
"No time to be surprised, men! The enemy's right wing is starting a
counterattack!"
We were speechless at the sheer insanity of it all, but Tilda's voice brought
us back to our senses.
"Tilda is right. We should focus first on destroying the enemy detachment.
At least, with the Count's success, we would no longer have to worry about
the other flank."
Right after the iconic cavalry charge, the battle continued, and soon, the
monsters were successfully exterminated.
A few hours after that.
Amid our triumphant victory over our enemy, I thought about the scene I
had just witnessed.
A single cavalry unit successfully breaking through the enemy alone,
successfully rescuing their allies in the end.
The sight of this event was burned into the eyes of the many soldiers, and
with that, Count Luke's popularity grew even more. If yo u ar e abl e to re
ad th is mes sag e, yo u are re ad ing fr om an unaut ho rize d agg re gate si
te. Rea d at my W ordP ress at sta bbi ng wi th a syr inge. ho me. bl og to
supp ort me a nd my trans lati ons.
"But even after all that, there were no fatalities recorded among his cavalry.
It's strange, no matter how you look at it."
No matter how much luck you have, you will eventually run out of it. And
no matter how elite your soldiers are, there will always be casualties if one
is directly hit on a vital spot.
Considering this, the Count's case seemed quite unusual.
"There's definitely something going on. I guess I need to look into it a
little."
I muttered to myself as I followed the sight of this "invincible unit".
◆ ◆
After returning to Krasland, I put on a disguise and headed for the base
where Count Luke's troops are stationed.
After all, in a city with so many blonde-haired people, a black-haired one is
sure to stand out.
Disguised as a passerby with something to cover my hair, I took a good
look at the barracks from a distance.
"Then again, as expected of the subordinates of the Count, they are all welldisciplined."
I have already investigated the profiles of the members of the Count's unit.
It wasn't that hard, as all of them are famous in one way or another, with
the majority receiving achievements that one could be proud of.
They have all received a high-quality education in military and literary arts,
making them a truly elite unit.
As I continued to observe the barracks, two people came out of it.
They were lightly armed, though "lightly" is an understatement, as they
were wearing all the essential protective gear.
"It's not that I can't empathize with them. Not only they're heavy, armors
create too much noise when walking. I guess I'll follow these guys first."
I followed them at a distance sufficient not for them to suspect anything, but
also in a way that I won't lose sight of them.
However, after walking for about 30 minutes, the place gradually became
deserted.
"Where do they think they're going? There is only the ruined district being
redeveloped in the path ahead."
As immigrants are starting to flood the city, Marquis Krall used this
opportunity to redevelop the areas which were once abandoned due to a
monster invasion, to put this space into better use.
Naturally, the labor for this project came from the immigrants themselves.
"Looks like the Marquis is expanding his power even more. And ironically,
the cause of it was the immigrants he hated so much. Either way, the more
allies we have, the merrier."
While I was saying this, the two people I had been tracking entered a
building.
It appeared to be an apartment complex that had been abandoned.
And because all the windows are sealed with scrap wood, the only way to
find out what was going on inside was to enter.
This should be the time when I should go home and organize the
information, but I had already come to this suspicious place. I might as well
go all the way in.
"Now, which one will come out, a devil or a snake? Let's poke the bush to
see it."
I approached the house. Slowly, to erase the sound of my footsteps.
Following the traces of footprints on the dusty floor, it seems that my
destination is on the third and topmost floor.
However, before I was able to reach it, I heard a noise approaching my
direction.
It was a set of footsteps. And they're coming ahead.
I quickly ducked into the shadows nearby.
"..."
Immediately after, two figures passed in front of me and descended the
stairs I just been in.
I peeked out of the shadows. Then, seeing that the coast was clear, I
immediately went in the direction opposite the two earlier.
Eventually, I saw the two whom I was following. They were just outside a
certain room, each sitting in a chair placed on both sides of its door.
They are moving as if they are taking turns keeping an eye on something.
However, they don't seem to be that tensed, even though they're supposed
to be on guard.
In fact, as if proving my hunch, one of them took out a deck of cards, and
they started playing.
They had no hesitations in their gestures, meaning it wasn't the first time
they had done this thing.
"Still, there is only one corridor. And because this is the third floor, it is
impossible to get in by going around it."
The only way to check the inside is by going through them.
"But then again, I am not confident that I can defeat these soldiers upfront.
For that, I have to trick them."
Thankfully, I found some bottles of booze lying around. Most of them were
empty, but there was one that still had some liquor in it.
I disheveled my clothes and spread some of the liquor on my body to make
me smell drunk.
"Ugh, I feel sick...I think I drank too much..."
Then, I approached the two casually, pretending to be a lost drunkard.
"What the-!? Who are you!?"
"And why are you here!? Speak!"
"Who the hell am I? Whaaa~t? What are you doing in my houu~se?"
"This isn't your house, you moron! Ugh, he reeks of booze! Isn't he just a
drunkard?"
After that, I dropped my body in front of them to throw their guard down.
"Geez, this guy. Hey, help me out, will ya. Before this one throws up all
over the place."
"Yeah yeah."
Each of them grabbed me by the arms and made me go down the stairs.
At that moment, I deliberately tripped their feet to make them fall.
Of course, that was after I got into a good position to prevent myself from
getting caught with them.
"Whoaa!"
What the heeeeeell!"
Just like that, the two came down rolling.
Of course, I still pretended to be downright drunk in case they got up, but
after seeing that no one had responded yet, I immediately got up to check
on them.
"Luckily or unluckily, they still have pulses. It seems that they just lost
consciousness."
They don't seem to be injured, thanks to their light protective gear.
"Now then. Let's see what you are hiding."
After frisking through their clothes, I found a set of keys. After that, I
proceeded immediately to the room in question.
As soon as I unlocked the door,
"Wait, the door is not closed? What does this mean?"
Curious, I opened the door and went inside.
I was quite surprised by the sight.
For a room in an abandoned building, the place was well maintained.
However, that was it. It is all empty, and not a thing of interest was in there.
This cha p ter tr ansl ation is ma de poss ibl e by sta bbing wit h a s yri nge
tran slatio ns. check on ly up-to -dat e transla tions on my Wor dp ress s ite.
I also checked the other rooms in the building, but almost all are the same.
"One last room. Let's get this over with."
I said as I stepped into the room at the end of the hall.
But when I opened the door, what stumbled me was what seemed to be a
bedroom with a canopy.
The furnishings were all well-made, but what caught my eye was a figure
sitting on the bed at the far end.
The light was too dim to show what is in the back, so I couldn't see their
face, but they appeared to be a woman, judging from their bodyline.
"...Is anyone there?"
Instead of answering the inquiry brought by the other party, I upped my
guard.
Seeing that she won't receive an answer from me, the woman spoke again.
"My my, and who might you be? You're not one of those usual men."
"I will answer your queries if you answer mine first. Can we start from
there?"
"What a boorish man...It can't be helped then."
As she says this, she lightly raises an arm.
I braced myself to see what she was going to do, but what came next
rendered me speechless.
Was I hallucinating? For a moment there, the woman's fingertip glowed,
and the next moment, the candle on the desk glowed strongly.
"Guh...the glow...!"
"Sorry about making it bright without warning you. But with this, at least
we can see each other's faces now, can't we?"
My eyes, unable to adjust to the extreme light, were temporarily blinded.
But it got dimmer and dimmer until finally, I was able to see her face.
But what I saw shocked me more than the unexpected brightness.
Her skin was brown like milk chocolate, showing that she was clearly not
from this country.
Her supple body wore an extremely sexy outfit, and under her shiny silver
hair was an irresistible pair of eyes, staring at me with amusement.
If it was only up to here, then I would have mistaken her for a prostitute or
something similar that had drifted in from another country.
But she was not. Because there was one crucial difference in her from the
people I knew.
Her ears were pointed.
I remember seeing her in many games when I was in Japan.
Yes. The woman I am facing right now. She is...
"...A dark elf? This is a surprise, seeing one here."
Like the goblins, ogres and cyclops monsters I have fought, another
creature straight out of fantasy has stumbled before my eyes.
The dark elf just laughed when she saw my astonishment.
"Ahahaha. Quite an amusing face there, young man. Yes, I am indeed a
dark elf."
She is looking at me with her arms and legs comfortably folded.
Was she confident that she could easily take me on alone? Or was it
something else?
Either way, I could sense she has a leeway to spare.
And I have an idea why.
"A figure that is partially the same as humans. Moreover, that candlelight
increasing its glow without warning...that was magic, right? And you are
a sorceress of some sort."
"Wow, you're on a roll, lad! You're right again! Shall I kiss you as a
reward?"
"I would be pleased if this was a normal conversation, but no, thank you. Or
rather, can you tell me something about you first?"
I braced as I started my queries, keeping my hand on the dagger I brought
for self-defense.
Then, after taking a breather,
"I am Anastasia Laverty. As you can see, I am a dark elf and a sorceress.
Nice to meet you, mister human stranger."
The woman, Anastasia, introduced herself. Along with a mysterious and
seductive smile on her face.