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Chapter 001
At the road leading from the forest to the village.
Fwoosh.
Orange flames flickered beyond the trees, lighting up the darkened sky.
“By Lu Sola… I knew I smelled something burning.”
A member of the village watch muttered as he stared at the sight with his single remaining eye.
If the fire was visible from here, then whatever lay beyond had to be a sea of flames.
“Didn’t you say it was just one swordsman, Captain?”
The one-eyed man turned and asked.
The captain of the watch, a man with graying hair leaning against a tree, frowned deeply.
“He’s a spellcaster who carries a sword. I saw him myself. You’re saying you don’t trust me?”
His eyes looked ready to draw steel at any moment.
The one-eyed man quickly put on a servile smile.
“Of course not. Just asking. Just in case.”
Unlike the others, the captain was a former Imperial soldier.
A deserter now, but his swordsmanship was the real thing.
“Uh, Captain… if that’s the case…”
A large bald man who had been watching the forest hesitantly spoke up. He was also a member of the watch.
“Shouldn’t we change the plan? Wizards make me uneasy…”
“That’s what I’m saying,” the one-eyed man jumped in. “That direction looks exactly like where the kobold nest is.”
“If he burned down the whole nest by himself, wouldn’t it be smarter to back off?”
“…”
The captain’s brow tightened further.
Encouraged by the fact that he hadn’t been cursed out yet, the one-eyed man added,
“No need to risk our lives over a side job, right? He didn’t look like he had much on him anyway. Heh…”
“…Haa.”
The captain finally sighed.
The reason he had formed this watch in the first place was to protect the village from kobolds.
At least, that was how it looked.
In reality, kobolds were small monsters that rarely left the forest.
Stab one or two with a sword, and the rest would usually flee in panic.
In exchange, the watch enjoyed unlimited free food and drink.
Easy work.
And the side job paid well too.
From time to time, wandering mercenaries would try to wipe out the kobold nest.
None of them ever succeeded.
When their home was threatened, kobolds went berserk.
They stopped running and fought to the death like true monsters.
So the captain and his men would wait along this road, then rob the battered mercenaries as they fled.
They tossed the corpses back into the forest. The kobolds would take care of the rest.
Even if no one showed up, they could search for bodies the next day.
Kobolds cared about meat, not belongings.
It was a mutually beneficial relationship.
And that had been the plan today as well.
“Idiots.”
The captain spat.
The bald man and the one-eyed man stiffened.
“If that really is the kobold nest burning, does the side job matter anymore? We’re about to lose our main job starting tomorrow.”
“…!”
“…!”
Both men’s eyes widened.
“That’s why we have to silence that spellcaster,” the captain continued. “The villagers can’t find out the nest is gone.”
Only then did the two nod.
Swallowing nervously, the bald man asked,
“We can’t keep lying forever, can we?”
“Tomorrow we lead a ‘subjugation.’ We come back with loot and say the wizard made it easier. Who’s going to question that?”
“…!”
“…!”
Their eyes widened again.
“If that works, we stay on the village watch. Maybe we even get officially appointed.”
“As expected of you, Captain…”
The one-eyed man murmured admiringly.
Then the bald man hesitated again.
“But can we actually beat him? A red mage…”
“That’s why now is the moment, you coward,” the captain snapped. “Magic isn’t some endless miracle.”
“That much fire means he burned everything he had. No mana left. And this damned era is a mana drought.”
“A mage without mana is weaker than a child.”
He slid his thumb across his throat.
“Just stab him. I’ve seen plenty of spellcasters die that easily on the battlefield.”
“What if he still has mana?”
“Red magic takes time to chant. If anything feels off, we throw our swords first.”
The bald man’s eyes finally lit up.
“I get it, Captain.”
That was a lie.
The captain fully intended to use them as bait if necessary.
All he needed was one opening to land his blade.
He trusted his sword more than anyone else.
“Don’t worry.”
Hiding his thoughts, the captain patted the bald man’s shoulder.
“No real mage would come all the way out to a backwater like this. The real ones are all holed up in towers. So just do what we always—”
He suddenly stopped.
Staring into the darkness, he crouched low.
“Shh. He’s coming.”
“…!”
The two men hurriedly hid on either side of the road.
Step. Step.
Slow, uneven footsteps.
“Damn… this thing’s heavy as hell…”
A grumbling voice followed.
The smell of blood, ash, and sweat hit their noses.
The spellcaster emerged from the darkness.
He looked like he had bathed in ash and blood.
No hood. No sword.
One leg dragged slightly.
Cradled in his arms was something else.
A horned head.
A kobold’s head was far larger than the captain had imagined.
‘That bastard really wiped out the nest… insane.’
The captain realized it was the kobold chieftain’s head.
And felt relief.
‘This is the only time we can kill him.’
He clearly couldn’t cast magic right now.
Waiting until the mage drew close, the captain gave the signal.
The bald man and the one-eyed man silently rose, swords drawn.
Steel glimmered faintly in the dark.
“…?”
The mage tilted his head.
Too late to matter.
Six or seven steps away.
One leap would be enough.
Confident, the captain rose a beat later.
“You’d better stop.”
The mage froze.
“Haa…”
As he sighed, the captain quickly added,
“Don’t say a word. And that.”
He gestured at the head.
“Put it down. Do that, and I’ll spare your life.”
“…”
Silence.
Then the mage snorted.
“Fine.”
He let go of the head.
As it fell, his hand was revealed.
Blue mana flickered.
“…!”
The captain’s eyes widened.
“When did—?! Shoot!”
Thwip!
A bolt whistled from behind the mage.
A crossbow.
At the same instant, gray distortion shimmered behind him.
“Aaagh!”
The bald man dropped to one knee.
The bolt meant for the mage was buried in his thigh.
No one had time to think.
The one-eyed man charged. The captain followed.
Boom!
A blast of heated air slammed into them.
The wind barrier that bent the bolt.
It lasted only an instant.
Clap!
But it gave the mage time to bring his hands together.
Whooosh—
Blue frost exploded outward in a circle.
Everything caught in it froze instantly.
“…!”
The one-eyed man flew past the mage and crashed.
Crack.
The sound of ice shattering echoed from his body.
The captain was luckier.
“Ah… ngh…”
His entire body was frostbitten, but he lived.
The spell hadn’t covered a wide area.
“…”
The mage glanced down at him.
Red mana now flickered in his hand.
Fwoosh.
Seven fist-sized flames rose around him.
Six shot backward.
Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.
Poorly aimed, but enough.
“Aaagh!”
The ambusher screamed as explosions tore through the trees.
“P-Please—!”
Boom! Fwoosh!
The final flame engulfed the bald man’s head.
The surroundings brightened.
Shaking, the captain looked up.
“H-how…”
“How can you use fire and ice… at the same time?”
As a former Imperial soldier, he knew how abnormal that was.
Mages specialized in one element.
They never shared spells across disciplines.
That was common sense.
“What do you mean, ‘how’?”
The mage muttered as he picked up the captain’s sword.
“I’m a garbage build.”
“…Garbage… build?”
The captain asked blankly.
That was his last word.
Crunch.
The mage chopped his head off.
“Fucking sick of this…”
He sighed again and searched the body.
Very practiced hands.
A small pouch.
“Tch.”
Only a few coins.
He checked the others too.
Finally, he turned away.
“…Guess I really don’t shake anymore.”
He picked up the frozen kobold head.
“Cold.”
Using the captain’s sword as a cane, he limped away.
Leaving the corpses behind.
***
Bang!
The tavern door burst open.
The noise inside stopped instantly.
Everyone stared.
A man who looked like he’d crawled out of hell stood there, holding a monstrous head.
No one screamed.
Step. Step.
He walked to the counter.
Thud.
Dropped the head.
The muscular owner jolted awake.
“…Oh. Huh.”
Then laughed dryly.
“So you really did it. Thanks.”
The man said nothing.
Instead, he raised his hand.
Crunch!
A sword embedded itself in the counter.
“…?”
The owner sighed.
“You ran into the watch.”
“Yeah.”
“They’re all dead?”
“Yeah.”
Silence thickened.
“Anything else to say?”
The man asked.
The owner met his gaze.
Calm black eyes. Calm, heavy killing intent.
“…Good work.”
“They were nothing but leeches anyway.”
Drunkards quickly agreed.
“Right! Bastards!”
“Two problems solved at once!”
“…I see.”
The man nodded.
“You didn’t forget the payment.”
“Lifetime food and lodging. As promised.”
“That’s enough. I just want to sleep.”
“Hot bath?”
“Keep filling it until I say stop.”
He limped upstairs.
“Name?”
“Ian.”
***
“…So damn noisy.”
Ian muttered in the bath.
Third refill.
Still felt filthy.
“Man… I’d kill for cucumber soap.”
He laughed bitterly.
“Yeah, right.”
What he really wanted was to go home.
“…I never should’ve pirated that file.”
It had been a year since he fell into this world.
