I Became the Hero Who Banished the Protagonist chapter 75

75. In memory (4)

The outline of the day’s operations was a bit strange. Arjen did not express his dissatisfaction right away, but he expressed his dissatisfaction indirectly by frowning. recapture the occupied territories. The repair mercenaries were ordered not to accompany the main unit, but to move as separate units. Arjen put his finger on the multiplication table drawn on the map.

“So, are we going to recapture this small town by ourselves? Soldiers and villagers being held captive here?”

When Arjen spoke, Carla nodded as if understanding Arjen’s reaction. Charlie was preparing his gear, mumbling, not showing any displeasure.

“It is. If it’s our mercenaries, we’ll be able to get it back without too much difficulty.”

“… Rescuing prisoners with just this amount of people.”

Rescuing prisoners was not the duty of mercenaries. Their job was to kill enemies, not to save people. However, Carla did not refuse this mission. He seemed to be moved by the news that they were holding even children captive.

“It doesn’t matter what you do. When we get paid, we just do what they tell us to do.”

Charlie finally responded to Arjen’s words by putting his sword around his waist. Arjen still looked uncomfortable. Carla slightly raised her hand on Arjen’s back.

“it’s okay. There will be nothing special. You have to move in small groups to recapture it so the enemy won’t notice your movements.”

It was an explanation that made sense, but not enough to completely nod. Carla leaned her chin on Arjen’s arm, who still looked dissatisfied.

“Don’t be anxious.”

Arjen raised his eyebrows and let out a bitter smile. Charlie only glanced at them and pretended not to know them.

“It was Carla who was anxious.”

“I’m okay. A dream is just a dream Because I really don’t care about that.”

Carla smiled as usual. Arjen studied her face carefully, but the emptiness of last night was not visible in Carla’s eyes. Arjen shook his head. Insignificant thoughts were forbidden on the battlefield. Think only of swinging the sword. Because thinking differently is death. Arjen recalled those words and raised his hand over Carla’s head.

“Don’t think otherwise.”

Carla, who showed a surprised expression at Arjen’s words, poked out her mouth while holding Arjen’s hand on top of her head. But it didn’t look too bad.

“It’s cheeky.”

Carla spat out sharply and raised her sword. Arjen followed her to pack her equipment. Arjen knew too. It’s funny, but mercenaries are people who live on trust. He knew that saying that he would not be able to take on this mission was directly related to trust and money.

“It’s still a thousand years too early for you to worry about me.”

Carla giggled and said as if teasing Arjen. It was before dawn. There was a chilly wind blowing that could be called late fall or early winter. Charlie followed Carla, leaving Arjen alone in the barracks to look at the map. Arjen, who had stuck his dagger over the red cross on the map, left the barracks with a feeling of embarrassment in his heart.

“I am sleepy. Let’s finish it quickly before the sun rises.”

Carla drew her sword and said, and Charlie opened her mouth and yawned. The mercenaries began to move after observing movements and signs near the village.

“… There is nothing.”

Arjen said that as he entered the village. The town was literally empty. There were no prisoners ordered to be rescued, nor soldiers from enemy countries who claimed to be protecting the village itself that had been taken away. They wandered around town, knocking open doors and looking for people.

“There are people here!”

a colleague exclaimed. In fact, people who seemed to have been held captive were kept inside the house with their limbs tied. A gag was placed on the prisoner’s mouth so that he could not speak.

“What the hell is going on? There are prisoners, but no one watching over them?”

Charlie frowned in disbelief. The sky just before dawn was calm. It was frighteningly silent. The world was silent, as if it would not give any answer. Carla stood in the center of the village, thinking quietly. The mercenaries busily went around the house and took the tied prisoners out one by one. The prisoners were shedding tears as they were led out by the mercenary’s hand.

“Arjen.”

Carla called Arjen. Arjen turned his head to face Carla.

“I’ll go back and report to the commander and ask for reinforcements. I will continue to search with the other members to see if there are any others.”

Arjen couldn’t take a step forward. Right now, that Kala’s words got stuck somewhere in his head, and he felt like he was restraining Arjen.

“hurry. They might be besieging this place and coming. Before that happens, we need to call in reinforcements quickly. You’re the quickest among us, so I’ll ask you.”

Arjen’s back was pushed by Carla.

That stiff face was the last thing Arjen remembered Carla.

—

“Your words are right.”

The commander said so.

“There was a large-scale destruction magic circle buried there. It seemed that at least a few wizards from the 5th circle or higher were mobilized. If we had sent soldiers and knights to recapture it without knowing anything, it would have been annihilated.”

The commander sighed as if he had endured ten years.

“Yes. If it had been that massive explosion, it would have been difficult for anyone to survive. Although I thought it was a little strange from the time I obtained the intelligence.”

The knight in charge of the staff nodded in agreement. A proud expression appeared on his face, as if his prediction had been met.

“Yes, actually, if we had committed troops, we would have had to endure a lot of attrition. You did a really good job using the mercenary unit before this battle.”

The commander said he was proud and put his hand on the knight’s shoulder and praised him.

“Good. Thanks to you, we were able to prevent mass sacrifice. Perhaps even the dead mercenaries will understand. The residents of that small town won’t be able to influence the general trend or public sentiment. It would have been okay if the lives of our soldiers had not been spent pointlessly.”

The commander burst out laughing and looked down at the map. Their ambitious counterattack plan ended in catastrophic failure. Although they lost a competent mercenary unit, it was cheap considering the amount of power the enemy would have consumed this time. Considering the morale that would drop by losing an ally, it was a much more effective and efficient choice.

“It could even be used for propaganda. Like they exterminated the villagers.”

The commander smiled.

“great. Propaganda is also propaganda, but shouldn’t we miss this opportunity and prepare for a counterattack right away? They probably didn’t notice that our sacrifice was so little.”

The commander said so vigorously. If you declare to your soldiers that you have broken the enemy’s trap and uncovered the deception, their morale will skyrocket again.

“A victory in this battle will bring a dramatic change to the war. Sir, hurry up and start preparing for the siege. In a secret way so as not to make a fuss.”

“I will do as you command.”

The heated strategy meeting was over. The chief of staff took the first step with a satisfied face and opened the door to leave the meeting room.

“… ah.”

Then, his throat was cut and he fell to the floor, bleeding spatter. The commander jumped up from his seat, and the knights who were sitting with him drew their swords at the same time and aimed at the person standing by the door.

“Nice. You made the right and clear choice.”

A black-haired mercenary. The commander’s face darkened. The guy came to the headquarters looking perfectly fine. why? Didn’t get caught in the explosion? The knights in the meeting room were also clearly perplexed. He seemed to have a harder time believing that a mercenary had come here alive than the fact that his staff had just been decapitated.

“I would have done that too. Well. right. Certainly, we have to do that to save our side.”

An eerie smile appeared on the mercenary’s lips. However, bloody tears flowed from those eyes that glanced through her hair.

“by the way. what about this Did I survive?”

The mercenary slowly walked into the room. The mercenary’s shoes got wet in the puddle created by the blood flowing from the neck of the severed staff member.

“I am sick. I should have just taken our mercenaries and ran away when I thought it was strange. It’s my fault for not doing that. right. Speaking of mercenaries, Carla, who said that children were also being held captive and that she would rush to rescue them, was wrong.”

The blades of the knights thrust into the mercenary’s neck. The blade touched his skin, and blood flowed from the mercenary’s neck.

“You should have died quietly there.”

The commander said with a frown on his face. If the Commander’s hand falls down now, the swordsmen of knights who will kill that mercenary will rush in.

“Since you didn’t, it will be your turn to die, right?”

The mercenary laughed as if he did not know that his life was threatened. And,

squeak.

While the commander closed and opened his eyes, the heads of the three knights were blown away. The mercenary burst into madness and started swinging his sword. In front of the commander’s eyes, the knights loyal to him were helplessly dying. The mercenary swung his sword greedily as if he were going to bathe in their blood. The commander saw the great leader of the war dying, completely frozen in his seat.

“Hey! I’ll be in a good mood! I am very happy that the operation was successful!”

The mercenary laughed and screamed. The last remaining knight shuddered, urinating in his pants, then vomited foam and died with his neck pierced by a sword.

“Is it unfair to die?”

The commander looked at the mercenary who looked at him and made a ghostly expression. The commander looked up and tried to look the mercenary in the eyes, pretending to keep his dignity until the end.

“Answer me, huh?”

And, as soon as he met those blood-soaked eyes, he turned his head away. The mercenary giggled and let out a sound that I couldn’t tell whether it was laughter or crying. The commander opened his mouth and let out a scream as he felt a burning pain in his leg.

“Quaaagh!”

Arjen murmured in a low voice, slowly swinging the sword driven into the commander’s thigh.

“You didn’t think you would die in peace, did you?”

Arjen thought so as he continued torturing the screaming commander even though his throat was hoarse.

a stranger is a stranger After all, no one wants to save others. Being saved means that there is still a place to fall further in the end. There was no reason for Carla to die there. There was no reason for him to lose his collar. There was no reason for the repair mercenaries to be wiped out. If only it was trying to save someone else who had no connection, and died in vain.

Only I could save myself, and only I could save my people.

But I was left without being able to save anyone.

In the end, I was destined to kill people belatedly without being able to save them.

Arjen put down his sword. The commander is dead. Arjen laughed with a dejected expression among the corpses, then collapsed on the floor and cried.

From that day on, Arjen began to wander and deny others and the world.

—

squash.

The waves hit. How long had it been, the sun was already moving towards afternoon.

“You were here.”

Arjen turned his head. Bishop Andrew was approaching behind where Arjen was standing blankly. I wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone.

“Were you lost in thought? There was no sign of noticing at all.”

“Nothing. I guess you don’t think your presence is light.”

Arjen answered in a weak voice.

“Isn’t my duty also helping the lost?”

“Did I look like that?”

Bishop Andrew let out a low laugh.

“A five-year-old would have thought so.”

Arjen shook his head.

“It is none of your business.”

“I guess so. Well, I didn’t come to comfort you either.”

Bishop Andre stood next to Arjen. Arjen frowned and looked at the bishop.

“I want to hire you as a mercenary.”

Arjen’s face hardened. Looking at Arjen like that, Bishop Andre smiled lightly.

“Would you like to track down the demon worshipers with me?”