episode_0017

Even if I don’t consciously try, the sound disappears just by walking.

It wasn’t just the sound of walking, either.

All sounds produced by my body are inaudible.

Since it wasn’t the black body, the sound of it cutting through the wind when swung was audible, but that was all.

Melee.

In such a situation, being the only one without sound makes my presence faint.

The sensation of feeling unpleasant was also only felt after recognizing me, so the gloomy aura was also useless.

I walked.

I approached a bandit who was dealing with an adventurer and struck downwards with my sword from behind.

By the time they realized after hearing the sound of the sword swinging, the sword was already lodged in their neck.

An unpleasant and spine-chilling sensation was conveyed to my fingertips, piercing into my brain, but this was no time to be steeped in such trivial disgust.

I reached out my hand to an adventurer who had collapsed and was on the verge of death.

Perhaps because our eyes met, they frowned and pushed my hand away, and I sighed as I watched the adventurer get up on their own.

The situation wasn’t good.

The condition of the equipment the bandits were using was much better than expected.

Since we had knights included, we were somehow pushing forward, but.

That speed was too slow, and consequently, the bandits were clashing with the adventurers who had surrounded the area, trying to find an opportunity to escape.

“…I’ll have to help.”

If I wanted to resolve this situation quickly, it seemed I’d have to quickly break the main force rather than dealing with the guys trying to escape, and then free up the knights and soldiers.

My breathing is ragged, my arm is sore from having unnecessary tension due to nervousness, even though I haven’t swung my sword many times.

I walked.

No matter how urgent, nothing happens if I don’t walk.

I moved towards the main force.

Amidst the noisy situation, another bandit who was hiding revealed themselves, trying to escape.

I was tense, thinking I’d have to fight, but they passed by as if they didn’t even recognize me.

This wasn’t the first time I’d experienced something similar, but it was the first time I knew this worked even on humans.

I shook my head at the unnecessary thoughts.

The screams coming from everywhere cluttered my mind.

I told myself I had to become cruel, and I chose this place over the supply unit to fight directly with that resolve, but.

Perhaps my resolve was weak.

Or perhaps, putting aside the issue of resolve, I am simply weak.

My stomach churned.

I wanted to retch and empty my insides.

But I couldn’t.

I forcibly swallowed the foulness lingering in my throat. My throat felt hot, as if it had been burned.

The blood on my sword felt heavy no matter how much I shook it off.

The sensation of cutting monsters or beasts was distinctly different from cutting people.

“Haa…”

I regulated my breathing.

I headed towards the main force. The level of equipment the bandits were using was one thing, but holding out so stubbornly meant there was someone in charge of the command.

If only I could eliminate that person, they would eventually collapse.

I thought it was something only I could do.

I thought no more casualties should occur.

My heart was racing, but I could still only walk.

The scale of the mountain hideout was larger than the informant had said.

The number of personnel was clearly over thirty at a glance, so it wasn’t even a 2:1 fight to begin with.

“When this is over, I have to catch and kill him.”

I muttered softly.

If the informant brought false information, the informant was the one who should rightfully bear the consequences of that result.

I surveyed the main force.

In a dangerous place where blood splashed and flesh flew, only three people seemed relatively safe.

Two nobles being escorted by soldiers, and one person who, for some reason, seemed protected among the bandit group.

They hadn’t brought a weapon separately, and the clothes they were wearing weren’t the kind a low-level bandit would wear.

That’s the one.

I was certain.

I thought that if I could just eliminate that person, I could sort out this hellish situation.

I slowly continued walking.

It was literally only when walking that the sound disappeared; when I stopped, my presence would be revealed again.

I forcibly gripped the sword and moved forward.

I had to become cruel and disgusting.

I had resolved to change like that, hadn’t I?

Then I had to do it.

While heading towards the main force, I saved three adventurers.

When I plunged the sword into a bandit’s neck, tearing through the flesh, I harbored a weak thought, wishing all of this was a dream, but,

When the sword cut through the flesh, bit deep, and was stopped by the neck bone, I stared directly at the person I had stabbed with wide-open eyes.

What good was it that this situation was unwanted?

To begin with, how many situations in this world actually happen because I want them to?

So, wishing the situation away does nothing.

Self-pitying thoughts can wait until later, alone while looking up at the night sky.

I cannot control the situations that find me, but I *can* choose my actions within those situations.

I will do the work I have chosen.

I dealt with the bandits and saved the adventurers.

It hurt to receive looks of disgust despite helping, but I could endure it.

I was almost there.

As I got close enough to feel the heat of battle, the screams, which were close to roars, became audible as clear sentences.

“You damn bastards! Even if we’re hostile, how could you go so far as to sponsor a bandit group?!”

The knight named Neon, who seemed like he could turn bandits into minced meat in a single blow, was struggling.

The three knights who came with him were also facing different opponents, but.

They seemed to be having a hard time, and because the knights were tied up, it seemed difficult for the soldiers to push forward.

It was unbelievable that mere bandits were holding up knights.

There was a high probability that they had been causing trouble, sponsored by another city, and got caught when they couldn’t withdraw in time for our attack.

Nothing about this felt right.

The informant who threw out false information and disappeared, and the other city that sponsored the bandit group.

In endless displeasure, I raised my sword.

There seemed to be a story I didn’t know, but I didn’t particularly want to hear it.

“Push forward! And you call yourselves my soldiers? Sweep away the bandit group immediately!”

As the noble shouted, similar words flowed from the opposite side.

I walked continuously.

I hadn’t been noticed yet, but if I got a little closer, I might be.

My sound and presence disappear, but my appearance doesn’t.

If I was properly caught in someone’s sight, spears and swords could immediately fly, so I hid my body and walked in place, watching for an opportunity.

Among dozens of people, my sword wasn’t sharp enough to attack the person protected in the rear.

Just now, a spear was thrust through a gap that a soldier hadn’t managed to cover with his shield.

Blood was coughed up.

Even the scream was swallowed by the noise and wasn’t heard.

If I had been strong, couldn’t I have charged in, taken the enemy commander’s head, and ended the battle?

Such a fantasy turned into guilt and welled up in my chest.

If I had tried just a little harder, wouldn’t I be much stronger by now?

Instead of watching for an opportunity like this, couldn’t I have stepped up and finished it sooner?

As one soldier fell, the formation began to collapse.

It was a disaster that occurred when a gap was created by trying to push too hard.

Instead, it was the soldiers who were being pushed back.

When one shield disappeared, a gap of that size was created.

All sorts of weapons exploited the gap, and again. Two were impaled and fell.

Blood and the filth contained within their entrails spilled out.

A head was exploded by a hammer blow. Teeth, bones, translucent brain matter, brain fragments, and eyes scattered everywhere.

The horrifying deaths broke their momentum.

Looking at the bandits who were surging forward in the instantly reversed situation, I realized an opportunity had arrived.

I was scared.

Of course, I had to be scared.

But, this was an opportunity that arose from people dying, and I was the only one who could seize this opportunity.

So, I had to force myself to do it, as much as I was scared.

“Haa… Haa…”

My breathing becomes rapid, my vision narrows, my heart beats fast, and my whole body is soaked in sweat.

Dirt clung to my sweaty skin, feeling rough.

Blood flowing from my waist wouldn’t stop, making me dizzy, and something kept trying to rise from my stomach.

Step by step, my sense of balance was slowly collapsing with each stride.

I lowered the sword blade towards the ground and dragged it.

I lacked the strength to carry it around.

Dark clouds were gathering as if the clear weather had never been.

Soldiers and adventurers were dying in vain.

Knights were struggling, and fear was evident on the nobles’ faces.

My strength was needed to ensure that all that death and fear did not flow away in vain.

Naturally, I merged with the bandit group.

The bandits, in their excitement from their perceived victory, didn’t pay attention to me.

Mixing in with them, I felt a dirty elation cling to me.

Forward, forward, I just kept going, slaughtering the soldiers.

The one who acted as their leader also couldn’t suppress their laughter.

“You imbecile bastards! There was no way we could win just by pushing slowly, but you’re destroying yourselves!”

A tone that seemed certain of victory.

But no.

I could say with certainty.

Because.

“…Thank you for making noise. Thanks to that, I could find you easily in the crowd.”

I gripped the sword, and then I thrust it in.

Since he was wearing armor, I couldn’t pierce his heart, but there was a gap at his neck between his armor and helmet.

Blood spurted and entered my mouth.

It tasted metallic and foul, so I spat it out.

As the commander suddenly disappeared, those who revealed their confusion glared at me from all sides.

Although I had dealt with the commander in the center of the bandits, having created the incident in their center, there was no escape route in sight.

“Heh…”

I let out a hollow laugh.

Heavy rain began to fall.

I had no strength, nor the will to escape.

But, that didn’t mean I was in despair.

I did what I had to do.

I was satisfied with that.

I decided to think that way.

It was then.

Time stopped again.

-Difficulty Very Hard: Bandit Leader Killed!

-You have killed a hostile key figure.

-Ally morale greatly increases.

“Ha…”

The words ‘morale increases’ must mean combat power has increased.

See?

I did manage to do something.

As I smiled foolishly, I heard a loud crash from far away – definitely a bang I had heard before, and at the same time, something went splat!

And a voice loud enough to shake the entire mountain covered the battlefield.

“I killed the knight from Alaca who was helping you bastards!! From now on, only those who are confident in facing me keep their weapons!”

I saw the bandits who were approaching to kill me flinch.

It wasn’t over yet, and there was still work for me to do.

I struck the neck of the person I had stabbed to death four times, forcefully, cutting off the head.

Then I pierced it with my sword and raised it high.

“I! Defeated your leader!”

It wasn’t as resonant as a knight’s voice, nor did it carry an intimidating momentum that could overwhelm others.

It was the voice of a weak girl, but I shouted desperately, not wanting to miss the chance to end this chaotic situation.

“I!! Cut off your leader’s head! You motherfuckers-!!!”

Blood streamed down from the head pierced by the sword and held high, staining me, but it was washed away by the pouring rain.

Thud- Plop- One, two.

My tension broke at the actions of the guys dropping their weapons, making me want to slump down, but I knew at least that I shouldn’t show weakness at a time like this.

Thud- Thud- Everyone put down their weapons and surrendered.

The soldiers began to bind them, and the knights and nobles approached me.

“……You are an unpleasant girl.”

The noble’s first words were not particularly pleasant to hear.

“However, we were able to overcome thanks to you. Thank you.”

As the nobles bowed first, the knights who were looking at me right behind them also bowed their heads in thanks.

“……Haha.”

I slumped down right there.

Time hadn’t stopped, but the unique, flat, mechanical voice echoed in my head.

-Bandit Extermination Success!

Your reputation increases!

-Gained the highest contribution to the bandit extermination!

(Bonus points based on difficulty granted)

Acquire a special reward!

-Soundless Steps C ▶ Soundless Steps B

-Killed ‘Scheming Tyson’!

Obtained some of his belongings!