episode_0020

“Hey! So many people are a little…”

“…Hmm.”

I reached the carriage gathering place in Leria Village and talked to the coachman. Rather than losing strength while walking, I decided to quickly use the carriage.

Seeing the coachman’s expression was not good… it seemed like it would be a bit difficult to take everyone with us since we had quite a few people.

But there are empty carriages all over the back there?

“What is that empty carriage behind there?”

“Hmm…Hmm. Anyway, Death Canyon is a bit…”

When I pointed to the carriages in the back, the driver broke into a cold sweat and hesitated.

Since the rumors about the area around Death Canyon were so bad, the driver seemed a little reluctant to take us.

“Good. In that case, I will pay twice the original price.”

“Two…do you mean twice..?! Ah… no… but…”

When he said that he would give it to him for a table, the coachman’s eyes widened and his pupils swiveled as if he was typing a calculator in his head.

“Kk..kkhum… Still, the Valley of Death…”

“Three times.”

“Uh…uhh…”

“I’ll give you four times as much.”

“…Let’s leave right now! Let’s get on board!!”

When the original price was offered, the coachman jumped up in the air with excitement and started bringing out the carriages in a hurry.

‘It’s no different here.’

If there is something that cannot be solved with money, think again about whether it is a lack of money.

After a while. The coachman brought out three carriages with horses tied to them, and other coachmen were also brought over and each sat in the driver’s seat.

“Good. Let’s all get on board. From now on, we are heading quickly to the Valley of Death.”

“Three carriages…? Captain… no matter what…”

When I called everyone together, pointed to the carriage, and told them to get on, Hans, who was confused, spoke.

I knew very well that he was saying this out of concern that it might be a burden, as the price of riding the carriage was very high.

When the new Scar mercenary group was founded, we lived a life of relative poverty. We bought our meals at a cheap restaurant nearby, and of course, our equipment was running backwards.

Even for requests that required moving long distances, most of them were done on foot rather than by carriage, so it was natural for those of us who were used to it.

‘But now we have a lot of money. It’s also incredibly…’

“It’s okay. Right now, we have enough money left over to buy all those wagons.”

“Ah. That’s right… let’s sleep! Come on, let’s get on board!”

I think it was because Hans was so used to the times of poverty.

After thinking for a moment, Hans immediately got into the carriage with the mercenaries, as if he remembered how much money we had raised.

“Ugh. Nari… This is Jo Seok’s deb show…”

“I know. The road is quiet, so I’ll give you some company.”

“Ahaha! Thank you for your consideration!”

After confirming that everyone was evenly aboard the carriage, I got into the passenger seat of the carriage in the front.

It felt a little awkward because the only remaining seat was the carriage that Cerise was in, and I thought it would be better to just look out from the passenger seat rather than inside the carriage where I couldn’t see the outside.

“Let’s go! Whoa! ”

slap-

Hee hee hee!

The coachman sitting next to me shouted so loudly that the cars behind him could hear, then hit the horse with his whip, and the horse began to run away quickly, making the sound of its hooves.

“…….”

I quietly watched the village of Leria moving away at high speed.

I’ll never come back… probably not. Goodbye.

***

“Have you heard the news that those beasts are running rampant again recently…? Ugh… I really need to catch those guys.”

“….I see.”

Several hours passed since I boarded the carriage and started running. I talked with the coachman whenever the time was right.

“We should just catch them and kill them like in the old days. The Emperor seems a little unusual. Hehehe..”

Prisoner. There is a race called beastmen in this world. That prisoner that appears in various media is correct.

You can think of him as a human with the characteristics of an animal. Things like ordinary humans having cat ears or different hands and feet… things like that.

Just for your information, it’s not ‘that side’ that’s so popular that it’s suspicious. That’s a beast with human characteristics.

anyway. It is said that in the past, beasts and humans coexisted on the continent. An ordinary day when people lived without discrimination, regardless of whether they were humans or beasts.

The ‘King of Beasts’ appeared. A huge organization was formed centered around the beastman who was stronger than any other beastman and had excellent leadership skills.

Centered around the King of Beasts, the beastmen began to escape the human realm and join the group as if possessed.

The organization started out as a small group, but as more and more beasts began to join, it grew to the point where it was called a kingdom.

That is how the Kibihi Kingdom was born. A world where the strong dominate the weak, and where strength determines all power.

The King of Beasts naturally became the king of the Kibihi Kingdom. There were often those who refused, but each time they showed overwhelming power and disparity, they were subdued.

There were no problems until the kingdom was created. Because it was natural for groups and cities to be formed around outstanding people.

However, the King of Beasts declared war on the human kingdom.

The humans began to be pushed back helplessly by the sudden offensive. They could not withstand the attacks of beasts with physical abilities far superior to those of humans.

Not surprisingly, there was no unity in the camp of the human kingdom. They just stand by and try to enrich their own stomachs.

Centered around the King of Beasts, the attacks of beast warriors who seemed possessed by something began to collapse the kingdom.

It was only when the entire continent was destroyed and collapsed, without even thinking about whether it was for their own benefit or anything else, that the human camp came to their senses and began to work together.

By gathering the strong and the strategists from all over the continent, they began to repel the beasts running toward infinite hunger.

Humans had knowledge and will that could not be compared to anything else. However, the beasts had a power that surpassed that.

The tense war, with no superiority determined, lasted for several years.

Both humans and beasts were devastated, and the entire continent became more and more unhealthy.

The number of dead and injured increased day by day, and the war was dominated by emotions without any benefit.

To put an end to the terrible war, representatives of the human side and the king of beasts concluded an agreement.

It was a promise to select a representative from each faction, fight a duel, and accept whatever the winning side proposed.

If the war continues any longer, there will be no benefit and only the destruction of all life will remain.

The promised day of battle. On the battlefield watched by all soldiers and citizens, representatives of each faction faced each other.

The king of beasts with hair resembling a lion’s mane, and a knight reminiscent of the light of the sun.

The battle between the two lasted for a week. Just like the war of the gods, the blows were so fast that they were invisible and pierced everything.

The end of the battle was marked by the sharp sword of a knight who did not miss the small mistake made by the king of beasts on the first day.

The terrible war that lasted for several years ended at the end of that sharp sword.

The family of knights who ended the war like that, the Sunrise family, became the imperial family with that honor on their backs.

The beastmen who lost their king were scattered throughout the continent.

It is said that no one still knows the price of the promise made by humans.

Well, it is said that this has been true for hundreds of years. Only recently, with the coronation of a new emperor, has the treatment of prisoners improved considerably.

It is said that as a result, prisoners who were not easily seen appeared. It is also said that in slums formed somewhere on the eastern side of the continent, there are cases of prisoners being bought and sold as slaves.

This was the end of my knowledge through rumors and books.

“….a prisoner.”

I’ve never seen it before. I think it would be really amazing to see it in person.

“You mean those rotten bastards… Uh huh..? Why are you suddenly pulling out your knife…”

“Wait a moment.”

I left the coachman’s indifferent expression behind me and got off the carriage, following the lingering scent of mana that I could feel.

The carriage came to a sudden stop, and swearing could be heard coming from the carriage behind.

‘…heat. No, I think it’s about fifteen…’

I could feel several faint magical powers in the dense forest on both sides of the carriage road.

Looking at this rough and dirty mana… it’s definitely not a human, it’s probably a monster.

There’s a long way to go… let’s finish it quickly.

Tadadadadak-!

-…K…Krrr?!

-Keeek-!

As I ran after Mana, I saw several gnolls hiding in the bushes.

Immediately, he generates mana into his body and sword, then cuts down several people with a single sword strike.

Piing-! visor!

I hit the arrow flying from behind with the side of my sword, then run straight ahead and cut off the guy’s head.

Suddenly – liquid!

The group of gnolls was dealt with very easily. For me, who can catch even 4-star monsters if I concentrate, I couldn’t even warm up to things like gnolls.

“…Let’s start again.”

“Uh…uhhh…yes…yes! You are really strong… hehe…”

In less than a minute, I got back on the carriage. The driver looked at me blankly, as if he had seen something amazing, and then started the carriage again.

“Cough.”

I felt a foreign body in my throat, and couldn’t hold back the cough, so I let it out.

When I wiped my mouth with the handkerchief I kept in my pocket, a little blood leaked out.

“Cough…cough.”

“Uh…it’s okay…”

“……Shhh.”

“…….Yes.”

The coachman saw my sign and immediately drove the carriage in silence.

‘….There really isn’t much left.’

Vomiting blood… I guess it’s a sign from a broken body.

It’s okay though. The promise I made to Seris and the goal I set… will be successful if I complete this quest.

It will definitely shine more brilliantly than in the past when it commanded the entire empire.

“…….”

I was silent as I watched the setting sun.