episode_0015

Joining the subjugation team was easier than expected.

What was important for a subjugation team clearing out a bandit group as insignificant as this wasn’t excellent quality but numbers.

After overwhelming them with numbers and the nobles sweeping them away with their knights and soldiers.

It was a setup where the adventurers cleaned up the remaining stragglers.

The basic pay given was quite decent compared to the work, but you could also kill the remaining stragglers after the nobles had cleared them and take their heads to receive additional compensation.

An easy job.

Rather, in terms of risk alone, the small goblin village subjugation quest I did with Van would have been far more dangerous, but the reason I specifically intended to fall back to the rear supply unit was none other than.

Because I wasn’t prepared to kill people.

But this world is utterly cruel, snatching away and trampling even the handful of happiness I was holding onto so dearly.

So I have no choice but to become cruel as well.

However, since resolving myself that way doesn’t seem like it will change much.

I decided instead to witness scenes of people dying firsthand with this opportunity and volunteered for the front lines to steel my resolve by fighting myself.

The efforts I had diligently made until now were for protecting myself.

I picked up and swung a sword so I wouldn’t die meaninglessly, and I performed quests to make a living.

“But, I know now.”

The gloomy murmured words were not directed at anyone, but words repeated to myself.

“Training with a sword and diligently performing quests isn’t enough.”

With those, I could perhaps protect ‘myself,’ but I couldn’t protect the ‘happiness’ I had gained.

I felt that keenly this time.

To protect happiness, I must become cruel and ruthless to some extent.

Clenching my fist, I scanned the information posted on the bulletin board.

I heard the subjugation team departs in three days.

An official document telling everyone who joined the subjugation team to finish their preparations before then had been delivered.

There was enough time to handle one simple quest, but this time I decided to focus on checking my status rather than doing a quest.

I checked my status window.

Traits: Autonomy B, Silent Step C, Melancholy Aura D

Skill: Military Swordsmanship E

[Military Swordsmanship E]

Although I consistently performed quests and didn’t skip swordsmanship training, my swordsmanship showed no signs of rising from E rank.

Since I have no talent, it’s probably unavoidable.

Moreover, not only do I lack talent, but there was no one acting as a master right beside me.

Therefore, the only swordsmanship training I did was recalling and repeating what my grandfather had taught me.

My situation was frustrating, so I tried to buy a decent swordsmanship book from a bookstore, but books themselves were too expensive for my current means, so I gave up.

To buy the swordsmanship book I wanted, I would have to save consistently for at least half a year, and I concluded that with that money, it would be better to find a swordsmanship master instead.

“Swordsmanship, let’s leave that for now.”

All I could do was believe that if I kept trying, change would happen just like when I went from F to E rank.

With that, I examined the other traits besides swordsmanship.

[Silent Step C]

A useful trait that prevents sounds when walking.

There was a time when I held my breath, rubbed dirt on my body to erase my scent, walked slowly, and plunged my sword into a wild boar’s neck.

I had already confirmed that it works not only on humans but also on animals with sensitive senses.

If it grows further from here, I wonder if it wouldn’t just allow walking silently but also running silently.

But I couldn’t get a sense of how to make it grow.

As for the rest…

Autonomy was the only means I had to resist the player, and I did get a sense of how to make it grow.

It seemed like it would naturally grow if I continuously refused the player’s commands with my own will.

Since I disliked situations where the player gave commands from the start and didn’t know how far I could refuse, the situation itself where Autonomy would grow shouldn’t arise.

Shaking my head, I glared at the trait located at the end.

[Melancholy Aura D]

The reason I can’t make eye contact with people.

Borrowing Van’s words, it’s a curse that overlays unpleasantness and aversion onto my existence.

I’m even afraid of what might happen if this grows further.

Despite being a subtly low rank of D, just making eye contact makes people harbor such aversion towards me that, unless they are someone of great virtue, a fist would likely fly.

I trembled slightly, wondering if, should this grow one rank higher, people wouldn’t actually try to kill me just for making eye contact.

“Tch…”

Clicking my tongue at the situation, which was no different from when I left Diran, I returned to the inn.

Because there’s no one friendly towards me at the guild anymore, sitting idly there only leads to trouble.

“There’s no noticeable development, but I haven’t just been standing still, so I should take comfort in that.”

Even though I know I have no talent, thinking that something would change after only a few weeks of effort would be a ridiculous thought.

For now, all I can do is hold on with the thought that today is better than yesterday, at least.

In reality, compared to when I first left Diran, even if it’s not a hugely significant change, I have definitely improved.

“When holding the sword, the tip no longer shakes.”

Rather than my skill having increased, it was probably due to my muscles growing.

By repeating quests and training without rest, even with a body that doesn’t build muscle easily, my strength increased slightly.

Furthermore, since I wasn’t skimping on food, it might even be natural growth.

I drew my sword, swung it a few times in the air, and checked its condition.

The sound of it cutting through the air was incredibly sharp.

“The sword my grandfather gave me, it’s light and sturdy.”

It wasn’t special, but it was certainly a good quality item.

The fact that there were sometimes guys eyeing my sword with envy says it all.

“Please take care of me this time too.”

I whispered to the sword.

It was a pathetic thing to do, but since this sword was all I could rely on, it was a natural ritual for me.

Steeling my resolve once more, I looked up at the sky.

The sky, looking gloomy with heavy dark clouds, seemed like it was about to pour down rain.

To say it represented my feelings felt like attributing too much to the sky; it didn’t seem like it would sympathize with a guy like me, and if anything, its appearance seemed to be a preview of my days ahead, making me feel bad for no reason.

Three days until the subjugation team departs.

It seemed I needed to prepare thoroughly during that time.

I sharpened the blade of my sword, trained with the sword, and killed people countless times in my imagination.

Killing people in imagination was too easy, but considering what would actually happen, it naturally wouldn’t go as easily as in imagination.

But I don’t know how to prepare for killing.

I know well that I must ultimately commit murder, but when such a situation actually approaches, I don’t know how to compose my emotions.

So all I could do is try.

For two days, I repeated swinging my sword, imagining, running mountains, and swinging my sword again.

On the last day, I spent time purchasing food and supplies in preparation for the long-distance journey.

Flint, oil, whetstone, dried food, rope, and even a decent quality dagger.

After completing all preparations, the next day arrived, and I joined the subjugation team and began moving.

There were as many as forty adventurers deployed at the front, excluding the supply unit, along with two nobles, four knights to escort them, and twenty soldiers under their command.

Considering the bandit group’s size is around thirty, the number of personnel was more than double.

“The knights better be tactful and leave some stragglers behind, you know.”

“Right, in the last subjugation operation, the knights swept everything clean, so we didn’t get any extra rewards.”

The bandit subjugation looked endlessly lighthearted and lacked tension, as if it were a picnic.

Those two, both B-rank adventurers as far as I know, what makes them so relaxed?

Of course, the knights and soldiers under the nobles will handle most of it, but shouldn’t they still be careful of stray swords and arrows?

If so, while excessive tension is poison, shouldn’t a moderate amount of tension be maintained?

Right now, the palms of my hands clenched into fists are sweaty.

Looking around, the sight of everyone laughing and chatting felt strange.

Perhaps it’s because the knights and soldiers will be fighting head-on anyway, so they themselves are relatively safe.

It was a scene I didn’t like, but if this is how this world works, then I too have no choice but to understand.

I shook my head.

Having no friendly adventurers, I traveled silently for a whole day, and when the next day arrived.

The guy walking next to me, perhaps bored, started tripping me.

I almost fell several times and got angry, but I silently endured it because I had to maintain the formation and wasn’t confident in winning a fight.

Still, perhaps because it was in front of the nobles, they didn’t bully me severely, so it was bearable.

“A brat shouldn’t be joining something like this, should he? All he’ll do is piss himself scared, right?”

“Are you fighting a kid, you idiot?”

Occasionally, he would throw out words to his friend as if asking him to join in insulting me, but he didn’t get much response.

How much time had passed like that?

Cloudy weather.

A strong wind blew, making it a bit chilly, so I pulled my clothes tighter.

The two nobles in front began the briefing.

“According to the informant, the bandit group hasn’t hidden themselves and hasn’t stopped their activities. These are undoubtedly evil people who must be subjugated, and since they have given up on being human themselves, feeling guilt about slaughtering them means you are the same kind of evil! To completely butcher them all and put down the seeds of chaos in the world is righteousness, so do not hesitate!”

They designated the bandit group as completely evil and called us righteous.

The noble’s eloquence wasn’t that great, but it was granting us justification for killing.

After the noble finished speaking, everyone shouted in response, and our voices would surely be heard by the bandit group hidden in the mountains.

The reason for deliberately shouting instead of a surprise attack is to break their morale.

I could easily predict that what would happen from now on wouldn’t be a battle but a unilateral massacre.

The subjugation team entered the mountain where the bandit group was hidden.

A few insignificant traps were set, but some skilled adventurers spotted the traps like ghosts and disarmed them.

How much did we climb up the mountain like that?

The mountain stronghold began to appear.

That’s when it happened.

Time stopped.

-Event Occurrence!

This sensation, something I had already experienced several times, made me calmly steel my mind.

I intended not to follow any choice that appeared.

However, what appeared in the stopped time wasn’t a choice.

-D6_1

Simultaneously with hearing strange words, a dice rolled before my eyes.

Drrrrlek-

The dice, which rolled violently, finally stopped and revealed the number 1.

“1?”

-Result Value 1: Bandit Subjugation Difficulty Very Difficult!!

“What…”

As I frowned at the sudden turn of events.

An arrow rain poured down from the mountain stronghold.