Ch.7575. In Memory (4)

The day’s operation overview was a bit strange. Aryen didn’t voice his complaints directly, but he frowned, indirectly expressing his dissatisfaction. Reclaiming occupied territory. The Repair Mercenary Company had received orders to move as a separate unit rather than accompanying the main force. Aryen placed his finger on the X mark drawn on the map.

“So, we’re supposed to recapture this small village by ourselves? With soldiers and villagers being held prisoner there?”

When Aryen spoke, Kala nodded as if understanding his reaction. Charlie didn’t show any particular dissatisfaction and was just lazily preparing his equipment.

“That’s what they said. Apparently, our mercenary company can reclaim it without much difficulty.”

“…Rescuing prisoners with just this many people.”

Rescuing prisoners wasn’t a mercenary’s primary duty. Their job was to kill enemies, not save people. But Kala didn’t particularly refuse this mission. She seemed moved by the news that they were even holding children as prisoners.

“It doesn’t matter what we do. We got paid, so we just do what they tell us to do.”

Charlie answered Aryen’s comment while finally strapping his sword to his waist. Aryen still looked uncomfortable. Kala gently placed her hand on Aryen’s back.

“It’s okay. Nothing bad will happen. Moving in small numbers to recapture it will prevent the enemy from noticing our movements.”

It was a somewhat convincing explanation, but not enough to make him nod in complete agreement. Kala rested her chin on Aryen’s arm, who still looked dissatisfied.

“Don’t worry.”

Aryen raised his eyebrows, then exhaled with a bitter smile. Charlie merely glanced at them but pretended not to notice.

“You were the one who was worried, Kala.”

“I’m fine. Dreams are just dreams. I really don’t care about such things.”

Kala smiled as usual while saying this. Aryen carefully examined her face, but that emptiness from last night was no longer visible in her eyes. Aryen shook his head. Unnecessary thoughts were forbidden on the battlefield. Think only about wielding your sword. Any distraction means death. Aryen recalled those words again as he placed his hand on Kala’s head.

“Don’t get distracted.”

Surprised by Aryen’s words, Kala grabbed his hand on her head and pouted. But she didn’t seem particularly upset.

“How impudent.”

Kala said sharply and picked up her sword. Aryen followed her and gathered his equipment. He knew it too. Ridiculous as it was, mercenaries lived on trust. Refusing this mission would directly impact their trust and, consequently, their money.

“You’re a thousand years too early to be worrying about me.”

Kala said teasingly with a giggle. It was before dawn. A chilly wind was blowing, worthy of being called late autumn or early winter. Charlie followed Kala, and Aryen remained alone in the tent, staring at the map. He stabbed a dagger into the red X mark on the map and left the tent with uneasiness in his heart.

“I’m sleepy. Let’s finish this quickly before sunrise.”

Kala said, drawing her sword, and Charlie yawned widely. The mercenary company began to move after checking for movements and signs near the village.

“…There’s nothing here.”

Aryen said after entering the village. The village was literally empty. There were no prisoners they were instructed to rescue, nor enemy soldiers supposedly guarding the captured village. They walked around the village, opening doors to search for people.

“There are people here!”

One of their comrades shouted. Indeed, there were people who seemed to be held prisoner, tied up inside a house. The prisoners had gags tightly placed in their mouths to prevent them from speaking.

“What’s going on? There are prisoners but not a single guard watching them?”

Charlie frowned in confusion. The sky just before dawn was quiet. Terrifyingly quiet. The world was silent as if refusing to give any answers. Kala stood in the center of the village, lost in thought. The mercenaries were busily searching through houses, bringing out the tied prisoners one by one. The prisoners were shedding tears as they were led out by the mercenaries.

“Aryen.”

Kala called out to Aryen. He turned his head to face her.

“Go back, report to the commander, and request reinforcements. I’ll continue searching with the other members in case there are more people.”

Aryen couldn’t readily take a step. Kala’s words seemed to be restraining him, as if caught in his mind.

“Hurry. They might be surrounding this place and approaching. Before that happens, we need to quickly call for reinforcements. You’re the fastest among us, so please.”

Kala pushed Aryen’s back.

That determined face was the last image of Kala that Aryen remembered.

==

“You were right,” said the commander.

“There was a large-scale destructive magic formation installed there. It seems several magicians of at least 5th circle or higher were mobilized. If we had sent soldiers and knights to recapture the place without knowing anything, they would have been completely annihilated.”

The commander sighed as if he had aged ten years.

“Yes. With that massive explosion, it would have been difficult for anyone to survive. I thought something was strange from the moment we received the intelligence.”

The knight serving as an advisor nodded in agreement. His face showed a satisfied expression, as if pleased that his prediction had been correct.

“Indeed, if we had deployed our troops, we would have had to bear significant losses. It was a good decision to employ the mercenary company before this battle.”

The commander placed his hand on the knight’s shoulder in praise, impressed.

“Good. Thanks to you, we were able to prevent a large-scale sacrifice. I’m sure the dead mercenaries would understand. The villagers of that small village wouldn’t have affected the overall situation or public sentiment anyway. We didn’t have to meaninglessly waste our soldiers’ lives.”

The commander burst into laughter and lowered his gaze to the map. The enemy’s ambitious counterattack plan had ended in a major failure. Although they had lost a capable mercenary company, considering the forces the enemy would have expended, it was a cheap price to pay. Taking into account the morale that would have dropped from losing their own troops, it was a much more effective and efficient choice.

“We could even use it for propaganda. Saying that they massacred the villagers.”

The commander grinned.

“Good. Besides propaganda, we should prepare for a counterattack immediately, taking advantage of this opportunity. They probably haven’t realized that we suffered almost no casualties.”

The commander spoke energetically. If he announced to the soldiers that they had broken the enemy’s trap and exposed their deception, the soldiers’ morale would soar again.

“If we win this battle, it will bring a dramatic change to the war. From now on, begin preparations for the siege battle. Quietly, so as not to cause a commotion.”

“I will do as ordered.”

The heated strategy meeting ended. The advisor, with a satisfied face, moved first to leave the meeting room and flung open the door.

“…Ah.”

And with that, his neck was severed, and he collapsed to the floor, spraying blood. The commander jumped to his feet, and the knights present simultaneously drew their swords, targeting the figure standing at the door.

“Splendid. You really chose the right and certain option.”

A mercenary with black hair. The commander’s face turned pale. The man had come to the headquarters looking completely unharmed. Why? Had he not been caught in the explosion? The knights in the meeting room also showed obvious signs of confusion. They seemed to find it harder to believe that a single mercenary had survived and come here than the fact that the advisor’s neck had just been cut.

“I would have done the same. Yes, that’s right. To save our side, that’s what needed to be done.”

A chilling smile appeared on the mercenary’s face. However, through his hair, tears of blood seemed to be flowing from his eyes.

“But you know what? What should I do? I survived.”

The mercenary slowly walked into the room. His shoes became soaked in the pool of blood flowing from the severed neck of the advisor.

“I’m the idiot. When I felt something was off about your prisoners or whatever, I should have just taken our mercenary company and fled. It’s my fault for not doing so. That’s right. It’s Kala’s fault for being a mercenary and rushing in to save even children who were taken prisoner.”

The knights’ blades were pressed against the mercenary’s neck. The blades touched his skin, and blood trickled down his neck.

“You should have died quietly there.”

The commander said with a distorted face. If the commander’s hand were to drop now, the knights’ sword strikes would pour down to kill the mercenary.

“Since I didn’t, it’s your turn to die, isn’t it?”

The mercenary laughed as if unaware that his life was being threatened. And then,

Slash.

In the time it took the commander to blink, three knights’ heads flew off. The mercenary began swinging his sword with maniacal laughter. Before the commander’s eyes, the knights loyal to him were dying helplessly. The mercenary swung his sword greedily, as if wanting to bathe in their blood. The commander, completely frozen in place, watched the war veterans dying.

“Hey! This feels great! You must feel so good that your operation succeeded!”

The mercenary shouted while laughing. The last remaining knight, having wet his pants in fear, trembled before being impaled through the neck by the sword, dying as he coughed up bloody foam.

“Do you resent dying?”

The commander looked at the mercenary who was staring at him with a ghastly expression. The commander tried to maintain his dignity until the end by raising his head to meet the mercenary’s eyes.

“Answer me, will you?”

But upon meeting those blood-soaked eyes, he immediately turned his head away. The mercenary made a sound that was either laughter or crying. The commander’s lips trembled, and then he screamed as he felt a burning pain in his leg.

“Aaaaargh!”

Aryen slowly twisted the sword he had stabbed into the commander’s thigh and muttered in a low voice.

“You didn’t think you’d die comfortably, did you?”

Aryen thought as he continued to torture the commander who was screaming until his voice became hoarse.

Others are others. In the end, no one tries to save others. Being saved means that there’s still room to fall further. There was no reason for Kala to die there. No reason for him to lose Kala. No reason for the Repair Mercenary Company to be annihilated. If they had died so pathetically trying to save strangers they had no connection with.

Only I could save myself, and only I could save my people.

But I was left behind, unable to save anyone.

In the end, I was destined to not save people but to kill them belatedly.

Aryen put down his sword. The commander was dead. Aryen laughed with a dejected expression among the scattered corpses, then collapsed to the floor and cried.

From that day on, Aryen began to wander and deny others, deny the world.

==

Splash.

The waves crashed. How long had he been there? The sun was already heading toward the afternoon.

“So this is where you were.”

Aryen turned his head. Bishop Andre had approached behind where Aryen was standing blankly. He wasn’t particularly in the mood to talk to anyone.

“Were you lost in thought? You didn’t seem to notice my presence at all.”

“Not particularly. I don’t think your presence is that faint.”

Aryen answered in a weak voice.

“Part of my duty is also to help those who have lost their way, isn’t it?”

“Do I look like that?”

Bishop Andre let out a low laugh.

“Even a five-year-old child would think so.”

Aryen shook his head.

“It’s none of your business.”

“That’s true. Well, I didn’t come to comfort you either.”

Bishop Andre approached and stood next to Aryen. Aryen frowned as he looked at the bishop.

“I want to hire you as a mercenary.”

Aryen’s face hardened. Looking at him, Bishop Andre smiled faintly.

“Would you join me in tracking down evil god worshippers?”