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Chapter : 13
Ah, preferences.
The entire wall of the hallway, including the door, was covered with artwork and jewels.
Even in the middle of a war, is it the psychology of humans that they can’t help but indulge in luxury?
As I was about to open the door, thinking I might take the jewels embedded in the walls as a reward when I leave, a man next to me blocked the door with his body.
“No matter who you are, if you go in there, you’ll die.”
“…”
“Bring more mercenaries. Even then, we’ll barely win. A person like me needs at least five others.”
Had anyone else heard this, it would have been advice they’d be grateful for their entire life.
But.
“So what? I’ll just crush them with force.”
It wasn’t advice that worked on me either.
I easily brushed the man aside and opened the door wide. I heard him mutter a curse.
‘The smell of blood.’
I didn’t care. Calmly, I inhaled the air inside.
It was the smell that only those who had died in numbers over ten could produce.
“Oh, a guest has arrived.”
Through the pungent stench of blood, a man’s voice pushed through. It was a lazy voice, easily discernible to anyone as being relaxed.
The scene inside was far from ordinary. It was more brutal than any battlefield.
Contrary to the polite tone, the man had the face of someone in their early twenties. He looked too young to be a commander of the alliance army.
“How tiresome. Could you at least get rid of that bothersome magic tool?”
…Leon. You said no one would notice. Why does everyone seem to be catching on?
I stood there, dumbfounded with a grim expression, then silently drew my sword. Maybe I should just kill them all and eliminate Leon as well.
The alliance army commander seemed unaffected, almost confident that he wouldn’t lose. I stared at the man before me, thinking about how things always went wrong for me.
I was certain something was fundamentally wrong with my life.
The man leisurely stroked his chin and snapped his fingers, making a sound with his thumb and middle finger.
Soon, a portal appeared in the air.
“As I said. You have quite an appealing face. Let’s exchange your face for these.”
Instead of items, people started pouring out of the portal. Most were innocent civilians, and among them, a man who looked like a commander of the empire appeared.
How troublesome. Why did it have to be a sword master?
Tutting, I turned off the artifact I had in my pocket. Truthfully, I could kill them right now, but if I didn’t give them a chance, someone might get hurt.
I appeared in front of a window that hadn’t been visible to anyone before. I pushed my bangs back, narrowing my eyes slightly.
The commander clapped and laughed at what he saw.
“Good! Just as I expected! Perfect! Today, you’ll be the one to fight me. If I’m satisfied, I’ll release these poor souls.”
“…”
The words changed right away. He had acted as if just showing my face would set them free, but… well, humans of high status always act that way.
“Why? Don’t you like it? Hmm, well, it can’t be helped.”
Meanwhile, the commander of the alliance army misinterpreted my indifferent expression and began licking his lips. But his eyes were full of madness.
He drew his sword from his waist and walked through the fallen people. He looked around and then approached a woman lying unconscious on the floor, raising his sword vertically above her.
“Take your time to think. I’ll do my part.”
“No. There’s no need.”
I gritted my teeth unknowingly.
The woman, who looked fragile enough to break, the vertical sword, and the tip of the blade pointed at her heart.
That scene touched the fuse of my calmness.
It wasn’t just because the woman was on the verge of death. It was simply… because it reminded me of a past I wanted to forget.
‘I don’t want to die like this… Lu, Isa.’
“I’ll make sure you’ll have an experience you’ll never forget.”
The string of reason snapped.
I threw my sword to the ground carelessly and slowly walked toward the man.
Misinterpreting this, the man grinned and spread his arms.
“Haha, good thinking. I’m excited!”
Yeah, I’m excited too.
I stretched my stiff wrists.
‘Let’s see.’
I’ll show them what hell is like today, and make them feel it with my hands.
The man who had advised Louisa, Evan Wirad, nervously bit his dry lips, deep in thought.
Even if he entered, they’d all be wiped out. The alliance commander, Fardin, was a genius in both magic and swordsmanship, as rumors said.
He was even cruel. This meant that the mercenaries who entered just now had a 0% chance of surviving.
Evan knew it logically, but still couldn’t help but worry.
A mercenary wearing a cheap invisible artifact who had come to such a conflict zone.
She must have been dragged here by force or had joined because of greed. Moreover, Evan’s instinct told him the mercenary was a woman.
Fardin was even more brutal toward women. Evan’s head was spinning wildly.
‘At least I should take care of the bodies.’
His superior, who had been captured as soon as he arrived, didn’t even worry. But then again, he was the type to buy his way into the palace with donations in the hundreds of millions, entering as a parachute.
Whether he lived or died, it wasn’t Evan’s concern.
Making up his mind, Evan focused his magic into his feet.
‘It hasn’t been too long, so she might still be alive.’
He would get her out somehow.
With a determined look on his face, Evan opened the door and ran inside.
But then.
“…?”
Why was the mercenary woman beating up Fardin…?
“Oh, you’re here? Please move these people to a safe place.”
She casually gave orders.
Evan awkwardly moved, helping the fallen people lean against the walls.
The place where strong allies were present was the safest, so there was no need to move them.
Once Evan carefully moved the sickly people, he glanced at Louisa.
Unknowingly, a sigh of admiration escaped his lips. He had never seen such strange yet beautiful hair and eye color.
While staring at her helplessly, a man with a similar expression to hers came into his view.
He looked to be in his late twenties. Evan recognized him immediately—a shabby man with a bird’s nest hairstyle and ragged clothes.
It was his superior who had wormed his way into the palace by feeding them money.
Evan clicked his tongue. Even in this situation, this guy was still stuck in the corner, staring at a woman.
He regretted refusing the commander position so easily back then, not wanting to carry the heavy burden.
“Done, mercenary.”
Evan suppressed the frustration rising in his throat as he spoke to Louisa.
Then Louisa, who responded casually, struck Fardin one last time.
“P-Please spare me…! Ugh…”
“I told you I wouldn’t kill you.”
She replied softly as she tossed Fardin’s limp body onto her shoulder.
With a small exclamation, Louisa stood up. It was already quite bright outside, as dawn was approaching.
In Evan’s eyes, the light coming through the window and Louisa’s figure filled his vision.
Wow, without realizing it, he let out a breath of admiration. Even in that state, she was beautiful.
“Ah, that was neat. Thanks.”
Louisa, who had remained expressionless the entire time, smiled faintly. For some reason, Evan’s ears turned bright red.
“I’ll take care of this. It’d be a waste to just kill him.”
She nodded toward Fardin on her shoulder.
Evan didn’t quite understand what she meant by saying it’d be a waste to kill him, but he nodded obediently.
Her surprisingly cooperative attitude made Louisa raise an eyebrow.
It was as if she wanted to ask, “Do I have to do all the dirty work now?” or “Who are you really?”
‘Well, I guess it’d be stupid to argue after seeing this.’
Didn’t they say it would take at least five intermediate sword experts to kill a commander? Even then, they would only win after fighting while severely wounded.
But she solved it with just these two fists. Evan could understand why he was surprised.
Louisa turned the artifact back on. Maybe because she was carrying a person on her shoulder, the magic intermittently flickered on and off.
She ground her teeth in frustration over the unstable effect. She vowed to break Leon’s arms when she returned, not the palace’s.
Louisa passed Evan and opened the door.
That’s when it happened.
“Stop!”
The imperial commander, who had been quietly hiding in the corner, suddenly shouted.
It was clear that the order was directed at Louisa, so she stood tall, glancing back at him.
Commander Jake, seeing Louisa stand up and not immediately react, straightened his waist and puffed out his chest for appearance’s sake.
“Hm! Who are you?”
He asked the question with incredible speed. Louisa, pressing her eyes tiredly, answered with indifference.
“An imperial mercenary.”
“Ugh! How dare a mercenary speak to a noble like that! Your face may be decent, but your mouth is terrible!”
‘What the hell is this guy?’
‘This crazy guy!’
At the same time, Louisa and Evan had similar thoughts.
They saved him, and now he was trying to climb over them, not knowing the favor he had received. It reminded Louisa of a superior who had dumped all the blame on her after she helped solve a big accident.
She briefly reminisced about the typical arrogant bosses from Korea.
Meanwhile, Evan, with a grim expression, blocked her path. He had thought the battlefield was full of crazy people, but he hadn’t expected it to be this bad.
However, despite Evan’s grim expression, Commander Jake stood proud, as if he was confident in his position.
Louisa glanced at the powerless commander and, after dismissing him, lightly patted Evan’s shoulder.
“Give more advice. Not just to me.”
“Eh? Uh…”
Evan’s ears turned red again. He awkwardly nodded as Louisa opened the door and walked out.
“Hey! Hey!”
The foolish commander’s angry voice echoed, but the hallway was already empty.
