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Chapter – 43
“……!”
Carlisle stopped talking to Gwen and gripped the hilt of Grimungand.
‘A lot of them. Around fifteen.’
Compared to the battle from the night before, it was fewer—but fifteen was still more than enough to be called a threat.
“Let’s return to our positions.”
“So suddenly?”
“It looks like enemies are approaching. A fight might break out, so you should head back first.”
“Ah, got it.”
Gwen hurried back toward the engineers.
“They’re coming.”
Carlisle approached Kudo, who was leaning against a tree and smoking.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
Carlisle pointed to Grimungand, which was faintly vibrating.
“Damn it. I thought the rain would keep them quiet. Why now, of all times?”
Kudo frowned, annoyed.
“Because of yesterday’s defeat, perhaps?”
“Who knows.”
Kudo shrugged, as if to say it didn’t really matter.
“The only thing that’s clear is—they’re trying to disrupt our mining operation.”
“Yeah, that sounds about right.”
“How much time do we have?”
“Five to ten minutes.”
Carlisle gauged the enemies’ movements through Grimungand before answering.
“How many of them?”
“Fifteen.”
“Hmm.”
Kudo thought for a moment, then said,
“Fifteen isn’t an easy number, especially since most of our people here are engineers.”
“What if we sneak around and take them out one by one?”
“Hm?”
“With all this rain, visibility’s terrible, and any sound will be drowned out. Seems like a good chance for it, doesn’t it?”
Carlisle could suggest such a plan for one simple reason—because the rain was absolutely brutal.
Shhhhhhhhhhh!
The downpour was so heavy that the sound of rain pelting leaves and branches muffled everything else.
Visibility was so poor that even from a few meters away, it was hard to tell who was there. Someone could be ambushed right next to you without realizing it.
Under such conditions, the side initiating the ambush would have an overwhelming advantage.
“In that case, let’s strike first.”
Carlisle pressed his case.
“Send me, and I’ll handle it.”
“Private Carlisle, alone?”
“I’m the only one who can pinpoint their positions.”
“Ah.”
Kudo nodded in understanding.
Only Carlisle could sense the barbarians’ location through Grimungand. Sending other scouts around back would be pointless.
“Fine. But I’m not letting you go alone. Take Marder with you. He’s a capable one—should be of help.”
“Understood.”
Carlisle readily agreed.
Marder, being a skilled hunter and an excellent marksman, was perfect for a stealth mission like this.
“Let’s move.”
“You go first. I’ll follow.”
“Yes, sir…”
Carlisle stepped into the forest, Marder following closely behind.
The forest was even noisier than the mining site.
The dense trees and thick underbrush amplified the sound of the rain, making it even harder to hear anything else.
Thanks to that, Carlisle and Marder could move quickly without worrying about footsteps, easily circling behind the barbarian warriors.
—There, two of them.
—Confirmed.
They exchanged hand signals.
Ahead, two barbarian warriors were cautiously making their way toward the mining site.
Carlisle crept up behind the one on the left.
—Three… two… one.
Thrust! Thunk!
Grimungand’s blade pierced through the warrior’s back, while Marder’s arrow went clean through the skull of the other.
Thud, thud!
Two enemies dead in an instant—and the rest still had no idea.
The same rain that had helped them approach undetected now sealed their fate in silence.
—Over there.
—Confirmed.
—Three, two, one.
Thrust! Thunk!
Another pair down.
‘At this rate, we could take out ten easily.’
Carlisle was right.
The barbarians didn’t even realize what was happening until ten of their number had already fallen.
And the cost of that ignorance would be… fatal.
Fweeeet!
Kudo’s whistle pierced through the rain, and the engineers suddenly turned around.
“……!”
The barbarians froze in confusion.
Seeing the engineers—who had been busy working—suddenly pivot toward them was eerie, almost terrifying.
“Attack!”
“Kill the rats!”
The engineers charged forward, wielding their tools like weapons.
“Damn it!”
The barbarians scrambled to ready their weapons, but the outcome had already been decided before the fight even began.
“Wh-where is everyone?!”
Their commander shouted desperately, but the dead did not answer.
“Ugh!”
“V-Valhalla…! Guhk!”
The barbarians, who had failed their ambush, were annihilated instead.
Only one survived.
“J-just kill me! Don’t dishonor a warrior’s pride! Grrh!”
The barbarian commander screamed.
He’d been beaten senseless during the scuffle—lucky enough to be alive, though “lucky” was debatable.
‘Yikes.’
Carlisle grimaced.
The man looked like a lump of meat—because the engineers had used shovels and pickaxes to subdue him.
“I am Tolrok, son of Olgar! A Ten-Captain of the Honorable Butchers Tribe!”
The barbarian introduced himself without being asked.
“I didn’t even ask yet.”
“You were going to! I simply answered first! A proud warrior has nothing to hide!”
So unnecessarily honest…
“You’ve got the wrong guy. I’m just a lowly private. If you’ve got questions, save them for our officers.”
“That’s nonsense!”
“What is?”
“You may be ugly, but you’re a strong warrior!”
With his smashed nose, jutting jaw, and scarred face, calling Carlisle ugly was a bit much—especially coming from a brute like Tolrok.
“Why am I ugly?”
“You look like some weak, pampered noble!”
“…Right.”
Carlisle decided not to argue about beauty standards.
After all, barbarians had very different ones.
“But how do you even know I’m strong?”
“You’re the one who fought Captain Bjornsen last night, aren’t you? These eyes saw it clearly!”
“Ah.”
“A warrior like you—a mere private? Do the civilized not know how to honor warriors?”
“Guess not.”
It was true—Carlisle’s low rank didn’t make sense.
In another noble family, his ability alone would have made him an officer at least.
“If it bothers you that much, tell your superiors to get me promoted.”
“No way…”
Tolrok narrowed his eyes, studying Carlisle closely.
“You—are you a Sigmund?”
“Maybe I am, maybe I’m not.”
“Hmm. But you seem too weak to be one…”
He furrowed his brow, thinking hard.
‘Yeah, far too weak.’
Carlisle smirked inwardly.
The Sigmund family’s direct bloodline were living weapons—human monsters.
If a true Sigmund had been there, Tolrok wouldn’t have even had the chance to speak before being erased from existence.
“What do we do with him?”
“Execution seems best,” Kudo replied.
“Barbarians rarely talk, and this was clearly a revenge strike for yesterday’s battle. No need to drag him back for questioning.”
“Agreed.”
“Do you want to handle it yourself?”
“I’ll pass.”
Shhk!
The moment Carlisle declined, Kudo’s sword pierced Tolrok’s throat.
[Notice: Progress in has reached 30%! (3/10)]
Carlisle’s unit didn’t return to the fortress until the mining operation was complete.
They’d successfully repelled the ambush and achieved a clear victory—no reason to withdraw early.
On the way back—
Limp, limp.
Carlisle noticed Gwen walking with a limp.
“Are you hurt again?”
“Hehe.”
She smiled sheepishly.
“I tripped while charging.”
“……”
Carlisle was speechless.
Come to think of it, he had seen a small figure sprinting with a pickaxe, then faceplanting in the mud…
“But it’s fine! This is nothing! I’m from the North, remember?”
“Of course you are.”
Carlisle sighed.
Northerners seemed born numb to pain. Broken bones or gashes never stopped them.
It wasn’t uncommon to see someone in a tavern drinking with a shattered limb, white bone showing through the skin.
‘Honestly, not much different from the barbarians.’
As Carlisle thought that, Kudo looked toward the faint outline of the fortress emerging through the mist and rain.
The silhouette looked grim—almost ominous.
“I’m worried,” Kudo said.
“About what?”
“There’s no way we were the only ones attacked.”
“Ah.”
“Usually, on days like this, you come back to find half the garrison dead. I just hope that’s not the case this time.”
His eyes were filled with unease.
Everyone knew operating in weather like this was dangerous—and with one ambush already confirmed, it was only natural to fear for the others.
And soon enough, Kudo’s fears proved justified.
They could tell things were bad just by the faces of the sentries guarding the gate.
“So we weren’t the only ones hit.”
“……”
Once they passed through the gates, a heavy silence pressed down on them.
Everyone moved briskly, but their expressions were grim.
“……Ah.”
Carlisle let out a quiet sigh at the sight before him.
About ten soldiers lay lined up neatly on the ground, motionless—soaked by the unrelenting rain.
