"What is this crazy bastard saying?"
The Snow Strikers leader Edquill glared at Raon with his brown eyes.
"Are you saying that you discovered the trolls' location from crouching there and looking at a footprint?"
He shouted at him, claiming that it was absolute nonsense, and shoved his face at Raon.
"If you are looking for some attention, return to the castle and do some more of those shitty matches instead of acting out here."
"Then, do you wanna make a bet?"
Raon tilted his head.
"Bet?"
"Yes. Let's make a bet on whether I'm right or you are, since all you've been doing is talking."
"You are insane! How are we going to even bet when no one's going to trust you?!"
"Are you scared?"
"Ugh!"
Raon snickered and raised the corners of his mouth. Edquill started grinding his teeth.
"Stop saying nonsense when you are just a moron that's come from nowhere! And why have you been talking to me so casually?"
"That's how you've been talking to me. I'm not your subordinate."
"Even if you aren't, my position is…"
"The commander personally assigned me as the scout party's guard. I'm actually directly affiliated to the commander, so there's no reason to show you courtesy."
It was true that Edquill had a higher position, but it was also true that he had no reason to bow to him since his position was directly given to him by the commander.
"You young bastard!"
"Oh, are you talking about age now that position didn't work? How ugly."
"Stop!"
Terian stood between Raon and Edquill with heavy steps.
"Restrain yourselves, both of you. What do you think you are doing right now? Monsters could appear at any time!"
He frowned, looking back and forth between them.
"Edquill, why are you so emotional today?"
"It's because this kid keeps speaking nonsense!"
"He hasn't spoken any nonsense yet, because he didn't say anything about the location of the trolls, nor how he found them."
Terian turned his head to look at Raon.
"Are you sure you found them?"
"Yes, I am. They are gathered around the frozen valley at about twenty-five degrees to the right from where the scouts predicted."
"And how did you discover that?"
Terian's voice trembled upon hearing Raon's confident and definite answer.
"I've learned to use intuition to determine the enemy's location from someone who frequents forests and mountains as if they were his home."
"Intuition? Did you just say intuition?"
Edquill pointed his finger and burst in laughter.
"Kuhahaha! He said intuition! You wouldn't believe that crazy bastard, would you?"
"Intuition, huh?"
Terian looked at Raon, who remained indifferent despite being the target of Edquill and the Snow Strikers' mockery.
'I can't trust intuition.'
Everyone there had an intuition forged from the experience, but he couldn't move the group following mere intuition.
'However, he is…'
He felt trustworthy for some reason, even if he wasn't from Zieghart. His red eyes, which seemed to be looking through everything in the world, were making him feel like it was a good idea to trust his words.
'And he said forests and mountains.'
Someone came into his mind as soon as he heard about that. The Sword of Light Rimmer from Zieghart, who was supposed to be Raon's instructor. He must've been the person that taught him to search with intuition.
"Haa, even then…"
"Vice-commander."
The third scouting party's leader Radin came forth.
"Do you remember my recent report? I mentioned that everyone could have died because I ignored what Raon had said."
"Yes."
Terrain nodded. It was only a few days ago that he heard that they fell into the danger of annihilation from ignoring Raon's warning.
"His eyes were exactly the same back then. Try trusting him once."
"Sensing shark moles isn't a big deal! How are you asking him to make a decision following a mere intuition? Do all the scouts have a hole in their head or something? Huh?"
Edquill tapped Radin's head with his finger.
"If you have time for stupid shit like that, you should be educating that idiot instead!"
"Edquill, stop right there."
"Hmph!"
Terian stopped him and Edquill crossed his arms, turning around.
"Hmm… I'm also interested."
Beto, the Wolf Mercenary Corps captain, also stepped up.
"Swordsman Raon?"
"Yes."
"How long does it take to get there?"
"It takes thirty minutes normally, but it will take ten more minutes if we want to reach their backs."
"Back? Did you even find a spot for a surprise attack?"
"Yes."
"Huh…"
He exclaimed, raising his head to look up at the sky.
"Vice-Commander, thirty minutes isn't even long enough to reach the mountainside. We can return before it's too late, so let's try going there."
"Beto? Why are you saying that? Were bribed by that idiot or something?"
Edquill frowned and stomped the ground, as even Beto took Raon's side.
"He feels trustworthy for some reason. I wonder, is it because he defeated my troublemakers?"
"Haa."
Terian sighed and turned around.
"Get ready, everyone. We are climbing Stallin Mountain."
"V… Vice-Commander! Are we seriously going?"
"Yes. It would be even more dangerous if the trolls attack us after nightfall. It's better to eliminate them as soon as possible if we can."
"But how are we supposed to trust this insane bastard?"
"I will not allow any further objections."
"Ugh!"
Edquill wanted to keep talking, but he had no choice but to step back as Terian gave his definite answer.
"So, we've decided to check the location."
Raon smiled coldly and approached Edquill.
"And we should continue the bet."
"What bet are you talking about?"
"If I managed to find the trolls, you should speak to the scouts respectfully from now on, carry your own baggage and the scouts' baggage, and do the chores for them as well."
"What if you didn't?"
"Then I'll grant any of your wishes."
"Fine. You'd better be ready, since you will never be able to shoot your mouth off ever again."
Edquill gave a deadly frown and walked towards the Snow Strikers.
What an idiot. This guy always has a trick up his sleeve, so you always have to be careful to avoid being tricked by his words.
'I know, right?'
Raon smiled, looking at Wrath as he called Edquill an idiot.
'But you also get tricked all the time.'
* * *
"Hmm?"
The man in the black robe groaned, looking down from the midpoint of Stallin Mountain.
'What?'
He frowned, looking at Habun Castle's troops as they climbed Stallin Mountain.
"Why are they climbing?"
Climbing that mountain after seeing a single trace was an incomprehensible behavior considering the personality of Habun castle's commanders, who tended to double check on everything.
'The plan is going wrong…'
The initial plan was to perform a surprise attack with the ice trolls after Habun Castle's troops fell asleep in their camp, so their actions were messing up his plan.
'I need to withdraw for now.'
The man in black robe went up slightly higher just in case, along with the ice troll warrior and shaman.
Since the other ice trolls were hidden inside the frozen valley, there was no way they would be found out. In fact, Habun Castle's troops were moving in a slightly different direction than the valley.
'Hmm, let's observe for now.'
The man in the black robe licked his lips, watching the climbing troops.
It wasn't difficult to deal with them, but he couldn't kill all of them.
For the sake of the plan, they needed to bring the news about the ice troll warrior and shaman's appearance back to the castle, so he needed to let a few of them survive.
'Go back down already. You won't be able to find the tro…huh?'
His belittling eyes started wavering like a boat facing a tidal wave.
"What?! Why are they going there?"
The troops that seemed to be moving in the wrong direction were heading towards the valley in a roundabout route.
'Did they know about it all along?'
Their movements signified that they were already aware of the trolls' presence in the valley from the beginning. If not, there would have been no reason for them to move like that.
'But how?'
It was impossible to find the trolls in the middle of Stallin Mountain's snowstorm, even for the scouts that had spent their entire lives there. He couldn't understand how they discovered the trolls' location.
"It's too late to withdraw the trolls, how…? Ah!"
He got a great idea while pondering on what to do.
"No."
The man in the black robe, who was biting his lips, looked back at the ice troll warrior and shaman and smiled.
"This might be even better."
* * *
Raon hid his presence and led everyone to the hill at the lower part of the mountain. It was a stiff mountain, but it wouldn't be difficult to go down because there was no ice.
He laid down on his belly at the edge of the hill and looked down. There were fifteen trolls inside the frozen valley.
Eleven of them were drawing some strange pattern with the orcs and bearwolves corpses and blood, and the other four were watching the surroundings with their arms drooped down. It looked like they were preparing some kind of ritual or ceremony.
"T-Trolls! Trolls are really there."
"Fifteen?"
"There are more of them than what we saw before, but I'm sure they are the same ones."
The second scouting party nodded their heads after seeing the trolls.
"How did he notice those trolls from all the way down there?"
"H-His intuition was right…"
"Is he even human? Isn't he actually a dog?"
The scouts, Wolf Mercenaries, and even the Snow Strikers were almost out of their minds as they looked back at Raon.
"Th-This can't be true! It's impossible for him to have found them from there!"
The Snow Strikers leader Edquill's mustache trembled like a catfish's whiskers in disbelief.
Raon snickered and stepped up next to him.
"After this battle, the scouting party's baggage and chores are the Snow Strikers' job. I'm sure you won't go back on your word as the leader of a group. Ah, don't forget to speak respectfully."
"Ugh…"
"And one more thing. I want you to personally carry my baggage."
"It won't be fun for you if you keep doing this."
"It's very fun for me, so don't worry about that."
"Seriously, you bastard…"
Edquill ground his teeth as he looked at Raon.
"My premonition was right. I felt there was something about him."
Beto exclaimed, provoking Edquill even further.
"Fighting wasn't the only thing he was good at."
"I know, right? It's my first time witnessing a scouting ability like this."
"Can we recruit him to our mercenary corps somehow?"
The mercenaries also admired him, looking down at the trolls.
"Ugh!"
"Wh-What the…"
"Damn it!"
The Snow Strikers leader and swordsmen were the only people grimacing amongst them.
"Raon, d-did you really discover them with your intuition?"
Terian carefully approached him. His eyes were trembling intensely.
"I told you, I have a pretty good intuition."
"Hmm…"
"And there's something more important than that right now."
"Yes, that's true."
He nodded and carefully went to the edge of the hill.
"Everyone, prepare to fight."
The scouts held the crossbows, and the mercenaries and the swordsmen drew their swords. They barely made any sound, as expected of veterans, but the trolls standing guard must've felt the small amount of murderous intent. They looked up at once.
"Kraaa!"
"Kraa!"
An earsplitting roar came from the trolls on the right side as they noticed the Snow Strikers swordsmen on the hill.
"Shoot!"
Along with the sound of smashing trees, silver rain fell under the hill.
Pop-pow!
Each of the ice trolls were hit by at least five bolts, but only a few of them managed to pierce through their thick skin into their flesh.
"Kraaa!"
"Kaaaaa!"
The trolls plucked away the bolts stuck on their bodies and roared in anger, mouths red.
"Charge!"
"Ee-yah!"
Terian brandished his aura blade to run ahead like an excellent horse, and the Snow Strikers and the Mercenary Corps followed him.
"Keuh! Let's go!"
The scouts jumped down as well, holding crossbows in one hand and shields in the other.
"Ugh!"
Dorian's lips were trembling in fear, but he didn't forget what he needed to do. He drew his sword and stayed right next to the scouts.
'I should go too.'
Raon ran down the hill alongside the third scouting party. The battle had already started, and the Snow Strikers and the Wolf Mercenaries were storming through the trolls.
"Cut their flesh and rip them apart!"
The Wolf Mercenary Corps captain, Beto, was swinging his sword like a madman. His eyes were filled with madness, so different from the polite behavior he had displayed before. The deadly energy surrounding his blade savagely cut through the ice troll's upper body.
"Surround them from four directions and attack! Aim for the neck and heart!"
Despite their ugly personalities, the Snow Strikers had excellent abilities. They created a sword formation to press on the trolls with the best hunting method for killing a small number of monsters with a higher number of swordsmen.
"Fire!"
The scouts ran around the battlefield to fire bolts at the trolls fighting against the swordsmen.
There were more bolts piercing through their skins as they shot from a closer distance, but the damage wasn't significant. However, the fact that they were distracting the trolls was creating a better situation for the swordsmen and the mercenaries.
There were almost ten swordsmen and scouts per troll, so despite the fact that it looked like a messy battle, it was actually advantageous for the humans.
"Keuh! Young master."
After pushing away the ice troll that was trying to attack the scouts, Dorian breathed out roughly.
"Why are you so quiet today? You would've normally already started fighting by now."
"Our mission is the protection of the scouts, and my opponent is something else."
No one else had felt it, but two monsters strong enough to be the trolls' leader were running towards them.
'They are almost here.'
Raon smiled coldly and raised his head.
'Welcome, my food.'
* * *
"Never approach them! Our goal is distraction!"
Radin shouted at the scouts.
"If you managed to distract the troll, step back immediately! We don't need to fight them ourselves!"
He ran ahead quickly and shot the crossbow towards the shoulder of the troll that was about to grab a Snow Strikers swordsman
Pow!
The bolt barely managed to pierce the troll's skin, but that was enough. The swordsman used that opportunity to dodge and started counterattacking.
"Stay back if you run out of stamina!"
Radin notched another bolt. It was difficult to believe he was using a crossbow that was slow to load. It was proof that he'd practiced it more than anyone else in that place.
He ran around the battlefield like a squirrel to help the swordsmen and mercenaries in danger and encouraged the exhausted scouts.
"Haa, haa!"
Radin caught his breath under the hill they came down from.
'This is the best-case scenario.'
The advantage they got from the surprise attack was continuing. A few people were injured, but no one had died and there were only a few trolls remaining.
'This rarely happens.'
Habun Castle's violent battles were rarely one-sided like that. It was all thanks to Raon.
'I'll buy him a nice meal when we ret… huh?'
A terrible murderous intent that made his hair stand on their ends cut off his line of thought.
Gulp.
He swallowed and raised his head. At the top of the hill, two trolls around one head taller than the ice trolls could be seen, one holding a club and the other a staff.
"A w-warrior and a shaman…"
"Krrr!"
He felt like he was stark naked from the icy chill coming from the intense murderous intent the two monsters possessed.
Slam!
The ice troll warrior crushed the hill and jumped down at the scouts. He could feel the incredible strength coming from the blood-covered club.
"Keuh!"
He couldn't breathe anymore. Death was the only thing he could think about. There was no way he could survive. The other scouts next to him also closed their eyes, sensing the end of their lives.
'Damn it!'
It was as he was biting his lip, looking at the club getting bigger and bigger. In the midst of frozen time, one swordsman was moving.
Thud!
He pushed Radin and the scouts back with an invisible strength and stood alone in front of the ice troll warrior.
He thrust his thin sword towards the troll's club, which contained a tremendous amount of strength. The crimson flower blooming from the end of his blade fluttered beautifully.
Whaaam!
The tremendous shock crushed the ever-frozen valley, and the ravine crumbled.
However, the swordsman's body didn't falter in the slightest. Like the root of a thousand-year-old tree, his legs were firmly supporting his body, pushing back a club the size of a human with his strength alone.
"Ah…"
The scouts, who were prepared to die, felt their breath catch upon witnessing that thrilling sight.
"Please, stay back."
Raon turned his head halfway. The shape of his mouth was clearly a smile.
"I'll finish this quickly."
____
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