Chapter 3: Fixing the Broken Female Knight (2)

The temple healing room was filled with a gentle light.

In the center of the magic circle on the marble floor, the girl lay.

“It will be 5 gold coins.”

I handed the gold coins to the priest at his words.
Most of the money from selling the signet ring was gone, but I had no regrets.

A soft golden light flowed from the priest’s fingertips, which were placed on her shoulders.

“Umm…”

With a small groan, flesh and bone began to slowly grow from her severed shoulders.

“A wound of this degree… I think it will take about an hour.”

The priest said, wiping away his sweat.

An hour passed.
Both arms were completely regenerated.

“Ooh…”

An exclamation of awe escaped my lips unknowingly.
They were perfect arms, as if they had been there from the beginning.

The girl moved her hands here and there, her expression one of disbelief.

Just then, the priest tilted his head.

“Hmm… This is strange.”

“What is?”

“It seems this young lady’s ‘stage’ has risen during the healing process.”

“‘Stage’? If you say stage… to what extent?”

“I’m not a mercenary, knight, or adventurer, so I don’t know much about warrior stages, but wouldn’t she be at the Expert level?”

I nodded on the outside.

“I see. That’s amazing.”

But inside, completely different thoughts were brewing.

‘He’s a priest, so he doesn’t know the ways of the world. An Expert at such a young age.’

Expert.

A level most knights would be proud to reach even after a lifetime of effort.

And this young girl?

“Also, the s*ave brand hasn’t broken. Usually, for someone who has reached this stage, the brand would crack during the healing process… It seems this young lady is genuinely obedient.”

My heart beat fast.

Obedience.

I never knew that word could sound so sweet.

For her to be obedient to me when we’ve only just met.
It was a good start.

As we stepped outside, a cool breeze brushed against my face.

The girl was marveling at her new arms, moving them this way and that.

I slowed my pace and organized my thoughts.

I couldn’t take the word ‘Expert’ at face value, but it was true that I had sensed a faint flow of mana around the girl during the healing process.

It was certain that she could at least handle mana.

‘The priest, ignorant of mana, probably confused a Mana User with an Expert.’

A Mana User.

This alone was valuable enough.
Much better than some mediocre knights.

‘A real knight-level s*ave!’
A smile crept onto my lips.

It was proof that my ‘Talent Discerning’ ability was certainly effective.

No matter how dirty and miserable her appearance, true talent couldn’t deceive my eyes.

I looked at her perfectly regenerated arms, feeling inwardly satisfied.

Our next destination was the weapon shop.

I chose a sturdy, northern-style sword worth 1 gold coin and handed it to the girl.

The girl’s eyes sparkled as she looked at the sword, held in her own hands for the first time.

“I guess what’s left is 2 gold coins. I’ll have to buy armor with this.”

I had spent my entire fortune, but it was the minimum investment required to live as a mercenary.

After finishing our shopping, we returned to the inn.

The empty lot behind the inn.
It was patchy with weeds, but it was sufficient for a swordsmanship test.

“Alright, shall we take a look at your basics?”

I deliberately spoke in an arrogant tone.

She wouldn’t understand the words, but it was enough if the mood was conveyed.

The girl drew the new sword.

In that moment, the air in the inn’s backyard changed.

The slender girl who had been cautiously watching her master’s face just moments before was gone.

That stance… it wasn’t a simple school stance.

It was the stance of ‘murder,’ one that could only be attained by someone whose body and soul were forged through thousands, tens of thousands of real battles.

“…Come at me slowly.”

My voice came out hoarse without me realizing it.

As a test, I thrust my sword lightly.
A playful attack.

KWAANG-!

“…!”

With a sound that tore at my eardrums, a shock like being hit with a steel hammer was transmitted to my wrist.

The girl’s blade, which had parried my sword, seemed to vanish from my sight for a moment, and before I knew it, it was at my chin.

“Oho…”

I let out a hollow laugh, hiding my cold sweat.
The game was over.

This time, I was serious.

I unleashed five sword strikes in a single breath.

A dazzling chain of attacks containing all my experience.

An attack I was confident could break any decent knight in one or two exchanges.

But the girl didn’t back down.

Rather, she stepped half a pace into the storm of my sword.
And then, strangely, everything stopped.

Clang!
Kang!
Clang!
Kang!
Kang!

All five attacks were blocked by just five disciplined movements.

Minimal movement, optimal angles.

All my attacks were neutralized as if they had hit a giant wall.

It didn’t stop at blocking.

With each momentary opening created as my sword was deflected, the girl’s blade unerringly dug into my vitals.

After exchanging a few more blows, I had no choice but to lower my sword.

This wasn’t a spar.

It was closer to one-sided ‘instruction’.

“Well, it seems you’re at least at my level. With this much…”

I pretended to be nonchalant on the outside, feigning bravado, but a waterfall of cold sweat was flowing down my back.

Sheathing her sword, the girl silently bowed her head deeply.

I could read several emotions in that gesture.

After sweating profusely, we had a simple dinner together in the inn’s dining hall.

It was only black bread and thin soup, but the girl, carefully lifting her spoon with her two new hands, bowed her head as if in thanks.

“Tomorrow… are you not worried?”

I asked with gestures.

I made a motion of swinging a sword and then tilted my head.

After thinking for a moment, the girl shook her head.

Then she pointed at me, tapped her own chest twice, and made a firm expression.

Loyalty.

The meaning was clearly conveyed.

“I’m Leon. What’s your name? Your… name?”

She opened her mouth for a moment, then shook her head as if disappointed.

It seemed she couldn’t speak.

“Let’s get to know each other slowly after tomorrow.”

---

The Mercenary Guild.

Large and small mercenaries mingled, clinking their mugs and chattering loudly.

I approached the notice board.
It was packed with request forms.

Goblin Subjugation – Reward 50 silver coins.

Merchant Escort – Reward 2 gold coins.

Beast Extermination – Reward 1 gold coin.

Most of them had terrible rewards or were so dangerous you had to risk your life.
Then, one request form caught my eye.

Subjugation of Nearby Bandits – Large-scale joint operation.

“This one, what kind of request is it?”

I asked the guild staff.

“Ah, that one? It’s been quite a troublesome case recently.”

Sighing, the staff member began to explain.

“It was originally a small group of about twenty bandits, but they recently merged with other groups and have grown to about fifty. It’s become quite dangerous.”

“And so?”

“This time, about fifty mercenaries will swarm in and wipe them out at once. The reward is shared among all participants, and distributed according to contribution.”

The conditions were interesting.

50 versus 50.

The numbers were even, but since they were trained mercenaries, it seemed winnable.

“How is the contribution evaluated?”

“It’s determined by combining the testimony of other mercenaries and the observation of the guild staff. The harder you fight, the more you get.”

If so, our skills could shine.
There was a risk, but if we succeeded, we could expect a pretty decent reward.

“I’d like to apply.”

“Really? Just the two of you?”

The staff member’s eyes widened.

“Yes, no problem.”

As I was filling out the application, I heard a familiar and unpleasant voice.

“Well, well, who is this?”

Turning around, I saw Victor, the second son of the Marquis family.
He was entering the guild with seven armed subordinates in tow.

“Are you still hanging around with that armless wench?”

Victor looked the girl up and down as if she were an insect, then burst out laughing.

“Ah, you have arms now. You must have spent quite a bit of money, huh? Looks like you went to the temple?”

I didn’t answer and just silently filled out the application.

“Don’t tell me you’re also participating in the bandit subjugation?”

Victor glanced at my application and sneered.

“Well, I guess it wouldn’t be bad to watch for the experience. You’ll learn firsthand what a real battle is like.”

The surrounding mercenaries also began to whisper.

“What can those two do?”

“They’ll just be a burden…”

“Did some noble master come here to play?”

“He looks well-built, maybe he’s traveling with his concubine?”

I made up my mind.

I would show them clearly on this occasion.

Slowly, I drew up the mana within my body.

The air began to vibrate faintly.

An invisible pressure spread out from me like a wave.

As if sensing my intention, the girl quietly began to release her own mana.

“M-Mana User?! A high-level one? When did her stage… rise?”

Victor’s face turned pale.

Despite being of noble birth, that bastard hadn’t awakened his mana.

Needless to say, his private soldiers and slaves hadn’t either.

“I may be in a tight spot right now, but I’m not at a level to be ignored by you. Right?”

“Th-th-th….”

Victor couldn’t even answer properly.

It was obvious.

A standoff between a dozen or so idiots and two Mana Users.

There was no need to say which side had the advantage.

The surrounding mercenaries also suddenly fell silent.
Everyone held their breath under the pressure of the mana they could feel on their skin.

“I can’t hear you?”

“I-I’m sorry, Young Master Leon.”

“Idiot.”

I muttered briefly.

As I walked away, Victor mumbled with a stiff expression, “So what… you were still kicked out of your family…”

But there was no strength in his voice.

Regardless, I had clearly won this battle of wills.