The rain had stopped, but the damp air remained. The sticky, oppressive sweat made it uncomfortable to wake up each morning.
By midday, that discomfort only worsened.
As the sun climbed higher, the humidity intensified, and a subtle heat began to add to the misery.
Under the humid midday sun, the discomfort, sweat, and heavy air pressed on as the village chief urgently shouted.
"I'll give you whatever you want!"
The bandit leader, clearly the one in charge, sneered and laughed.
It was as if he were daring them to attack.
When the rcenary captain didn't respond, the chief's face twisted in distress, and it seed as though tears might co.
"Please..."
A few villagers, nervous, looked at the rcenaries with pleading eyes.
Still, no answer ca.
The captain swallowed a short, frustrated sound.
'Are they not going to accept the request ?'
Enkrid's gaze shifted to the captain.
The original task had been completed earlier that morning, and the rcenary group was only supposed to leave.
Then, a sharp-eyed rcenary spotted sothing, and a scout from the bandits was captured.
Without needing to interrogate him, the bandit revealed the location and numbers of his group.
They weren't well-known bandits, but they were nurous.
There were over a hundred of them.
When you combined the villagers and the rcenaries, the total number of fighters barely surpassed thirty.
The difference in numbers was more than double.
The rcenary captain was troubled.
"rcenaries sell their swords for gold. We don't fight without a contract. This isn't a request, it's a rescue. We owe no such loyalty."
He wasn't a bad person for a rcenary captain.
For soone in his position, his decision made sense.
So, his choice was justified.
There was no reason to risk their lives.
"Wise."
The bandit leader exhaled a sigh of relief.
Of course, why wouldn't he?
If the rcenaries decided to fight, the bandits would have to bear the consequences.
No matter how skilled they were, at least ten would die.
No, more than twenty could fall.
The captain seed to be a formidable fighter himself.
Even if they won, the casualties would be severe.
If it wasn't for that, the rcenaries would have already wiped out the bandits.
Had the scout not been caught, the rcenaries would have simply left after finishing their task.
"Let him go."
At the captain's order, the rcenary released the captured bandit.
"Where is the justice in this?"
"We'll all be killed!"
"Please!"
"Why?"
"We'll give you everything we have! We have jewels!"
One of the villagers shouted. Another tried to grab the bandit's pant leg, but was swiftly brushed aside.
Wham!
"Approach, and I'll cut you down."
One of the rcenaries spoke harshly. He seed ready to strike without hesitation.
In truth, just by not siding with the bandits and sharing the village's wealth, the rcenaries had already shown loyalty.
The captain was wise.
"Stop. If you co any closer, we'll draw our weapons. Everyone step back."
The captain quickly took control of the situation.
He signaled for the rcenaries to step back, and the bandits stood by, watching.
Enkrid found himself caught in the middle.
As part of the rcenary group, he could have simply stepped aside, but his indifferent gaze caught sight of the reckless little girl who had entered.
The sa wild child who had once told him she planned to leave the village in three years and beco an herb gatherer.
"Uncle, let's go."
How reckless could she be?
Even as the villagers
begged for their lives, her eyes were scanning the surroundings, and in the midst of it all, she even waved at Enkrid, using the back of her hand.
Her expression wasn't one of giving up. She was likely considering making a run for it.
Enkrid had dealt with many bandits in his ti, and he knew how this would end.
They would all die. His contribution wouldn't change the outco. Should he stay out of it?
Should he turn his back and walk away?
Was he really willing to abandon everything he had sworn to protect?
'What am I hoping for?'
What if I turn my back now? What if I ignore it?
I can do nothing.
How many tis have I just watched, unable to act because I wasn't strong enough?
Should I do the sa again this ti?
I don't know. Until now, I've ignored things, even when I knew better, but why does this feel so heavy in my chest?
"Hey, let's go."
A rcenary from behind tapped my shoulder. His face was unpleasant, but he was a good-natured guy.
He had been helping the villagers with their chores too.
But when it ca ti to leave, there was no hesitation. That's the basic ntality of swordsn in this world.
It's rare for soone to seek death. A fool who stands their ground, knowing they're going to die, would be incredibly foolish.
And if they did it to protect the weak, with so misguided sense of romantic idealism, they'd be even more foolish.
'I feel like people would call crazy for this.'
I knew that even without him saying it.
Yet, I couldn't turn my back.
If I take one step back now and turn my back on even this, I'll never be able to move forward again.
That's how it felt.
"Hey."
Have I survived so far just because the goddess of luck felt sorry for ?
But I don't think I've even received a kiss yet.
If luck were to help , it would co in full force, right?
What a ridiculous thought.
The sound of raindrops started to fall again.
"Enki, you bastard."
The rcenary captain was angry.
The words he said stuck with for a long ti.
"They won't die. Even if we leave, they won't die. Why would they kill a group this big? What are you going to gain by killing people? Are you a pervert? They're not going to kill anyone. If we leave, they'll probably be sold to a slave trader. Honestly, being a slave might even be better for them!"
Life in the swamp village wasn't exactly prosperous, but at least they were alive.
But I couldn't say that being a slave would be better.
"We were going to hire you, you fool."
The captain pulled his foot back.
It couldn't be helped. They weren't in a position to force him to co with them, and it wasn't their place to get involved to that degree.
More importantly, he was just a guide who could wield a sword—not so great talent.
He was just a fool who couldn't see even a step ahead.
"Why?"
The village chief asked, his eyes filled with disbelief. It wasn't gratitude but because it was so absurd that he couldn't believe it.
"Do you see the guy standing third from the left in that group?"
"Yeah, I see him."
"That's my enemy."
It was the second ti I had seen him.
When I said "enemy," the bandit blinked in surprise. He studied Enkrid's face. Soone who looked like that wouldn't easily be forgotten.
"Are you from the mining village?"
I nodded.
"Shit, the bastard who survived there is here too."
It seed like they were troublemakers, causing problems in various places.
If that was the case, it would be fine to kill them all.
Though they might die before that happens, I needed to strengthen my resolve.
"Really?"
The village chief whispered in my ear.
"Just kidding."
"...Are you crazy?"
Enkrid smirked.
Since we had already decided to fight, the reason didn't matter.
The village chief was so shocked that he didn't even think to stop the rcenaries from leaving.
"That bastard isn't our responsibility."
The rcenary captain said.
"Is he just going to stay behind?"
The bandit leader asked.
The rcenaries began to retreat.
Two of them, however, decided to stay behind.
"Goddamn, what's wrong with you?"
"Ger?"
"I'll stay. That guy is bothering . If things go wrong, I'll take him and run."
"Asshole, if you're going to do that, I have to stay behind too."
"Pete, you too?"
"I'm worried because he's like a little brother to ."
The captain narrowed his eyes. Deep down, he wanted to stay, but if he did, the rcenary group would be wiped out.
The captain told them both that if they wanted to stay, they should leave the rcenaries.
And that was that.
Ger and Pete.
Two rcenaries stayed behind.
"I'm older than you."
I said to Pete, who was tough-looking but loved children.
"On paper, I'm definitely the older one."
At that, Enkrid couldn't help but laugh.
Though it had only been about a month, the two rcenaries who had gotten to know Enkrid couldn't just turn their backs on him.
Enkrid drew his sword, blocking the path of the bandits.
"Are you out of your mind?"
The kid asked, but it wasn't entirely unreasonable to think that being sold into slavery would be the better outco. Seeing the perverse way the bandits had been eyeing the children earlier, it was clear their future wasn't looking bright.
"Did you fall for him, kid? It's only right to watch a man's fight."
Ger responded to the kid's question with a mocking comnt.
"What's he saying?"
The kid, ignoring him, didn't care.
"Sort of."
Enkrid shrugged off the kid's comnt and raised his sword.
He was crazy, there was no denying that.
Was there anything to gain by protecting these kids? No.
Was there any honor or reward to be found in this ss? Absolutely not.
The nobles in the kingdom probably had no idea what was happening here. They were too busy filling their own pockets.
Enkrid knew the nobles well.
What if the local lord was asked to deal with the bandits?
Let's pretend there's a benevolent lord who would listen to such a request.
But by the ti the entire village had been reduced to slaves, corpses, or crippled people, scattered and sold or buried, it would be far too late to intervene.
Moreover, this particular lord would never bother to send soldiers to deal with a group of bandits that even the lord's n didn't know existed.
The conclusion: If left alone, they would all die. There was no one else coming to help—except Enkrid.
"Those guys could be sold too. Not bad-looking."
The bandit leader grinned, thinking of the profits.
Enkrid fought back fiercely.
He used every trick he knew, cutting down three of the bandits before the fourth one swung a club at his head, causing him to stagger.
Ger and Pete were also fighting hard. Ger swung his axe with power, while Pete thrust his spear, making holes in the bodies of several bandits.
"If you don't want to be captured, get your act together!"
The village chief shouted boldly.
But just then, an axe ca flying, striking the chief in the head, killing him instantly.
Still, they fought.
So of the villagers grabbed weapons and rushed forward, swinging axes ant for chopping wood and wielding long sticks.
"Throw!"
The kid, dreaming of becoming an herbalist, joined in, picking up rocks and throwing them with the other children, so of whom were just a year or two older than her.
It felt like they might have a chance. If they were lucky, they could even find an opportunity to escape.
What if the rcenary captain decided to intervene and launch a surprise attack?
But that didn't happen.
"Fire!"
The archers let loose, and Pete fell, an unlucky arrow piercing his neck.
"Ugh..."
Pete never even got to say his final words.
Did Ger and Pete know they were going to die? Of course, they did. But they had hoped for a twist of fate.
Ger had even made a plan.
Before the fight started, he said that if he saw an opening, he would capture the bandit leader as a hostage.
Ger was good in one-on-one combat—he'd never lost. It seed like a solid plan.
Pete, quick on his feet, darted around like lightning, stabbing at the bandits with precision.
One would create an opening while the other would seize the leader. That was the plan.
But it failed.
The bandit leader was strong, skilled, and much more capable than they had anticipated.
When Ger saw an opportunity and lunged, the bandit leader t his axe with a sword.
Clang!
Sparks flew as Ger's face twisted in pain.
The bandit leader's skill was far superior.
"Shit."
Ger felt despair. Pete fought on, but in the end, an arrow struck him in the neck, and he fell. Hope vanished.
"You bastards!"
Ger let out a final, desperate scream and charged.
"Where do you think you're going?"
The bandit leader remained calm, not letting his guard down.
He directed his n with precision, trapping them in a circle. There was no escape.
It ended as expected.
The bandit leader severed Ger's head with a swift stroke of his sword.
"Did you think you could win? What were you hoping for?"
Enkrid fought until the end, but the bandit leader strangled him with his bare hands.
Enkrid's sword had slipped from his hand, and it lay discarded in the mud-soaked ground.
In the distance, Enkrid saw a kid who had kept fighting until her skull was crushed, blood pouring from her head.
"Looks like she's dead too."
Enkrid muttered without thinking, and the bandit leader followed his gaze, responding casually.
"She fought too hard. Every ti we touched her, she fought back like a wild animal."
The bandit leader's tone was indifferent. In this world, it was kill or be killed. It wasn't surprising.
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