novelraw Chapter 42 : The Vigilantes of Messen (2)
Chapter 42 : The Vigilantes of Messen (2)
Chapter 42: The Vigilantes of Messen (2)
A gentle morning breeze brushed through his shaggy hair as the wide-open plain stretched before him. In the far distance, barely visible, stood a massive tree.
Kadim focused his eyes.
The tree, once small as a pinpoint, grew to the size of a walnut. Before long, it expanded to an apple, then a melon, and finally loomed as large as a watermelon in his sight. Slowly, he tightened his grip on the axe handle as the tendons in his arm went taut. He twisted his torso and released, swinging the weapon horizontally. The axe flew viciously through the air, and moments later, a distant explosive crack reached his ears.
BANG!
He watched the tree tilt over with its trunk completely blown apart. The faint smell of fresh wood drifted over on the wind.
Kadim extended his arm and muttered quietly.
'Come back, Salmon.'
Salmon flew back, smashing through the tree trunk again on its way.
...CRAAAAAACK!
Right before it hit him, the spinning stopped, and the dark handle slapped right into his calloused palm. Kadim clipped Salmon to his belt and checked himself over.
He was sure of it. It wasn't just the weapon; his body had grown stronger again.
His eyesight now rivaled that of hawks or eagles. Looking back, hadn't he been slaughtering monsters without issue in the fortress even without any real light source?
His hearing and smell were better than most animals too. With a little more practice, he’d probably be able to spot enemies miles away without even looking.
His strength went without saying. Compared to when he first started this second playthrough, Kadim's power had increased by dozens of stat points' worth.
All those fights must have fed his growth. If he kept this up, he might get his original power back in a few years.
That is, if he managed to keep his sanity until then.
"..."
He suddenly sensed a faint presence.
Turning his gaze, he saw a figure who'd somehow gotten close. There was no need to be wary though. Duncan came running up and stood before him awkwardly.
"My lord... The Consul has summoned you. I think we're about to depart soon..."
Kadim nodded silently. They'd already been waiting two weeks in Remtana for the Consul to finish his business. He was getting itchy to move. He was actually thinking about leaving without them if it took much longer, so this was good timing.
Kadim turned to head back, but Duncan didn't immediately follow. The merchant hesitated as if he had something to say, then finally approached and held out a hefty pouch.
"My lord... please, take this..."
"What's this?"
"It's the money from selling that snake demon's scales before, and what I made selling various goods while we stayed in Remtana... I thought I should give it to you now..."
“Isn't that the money you earned? Why give it to me?”
"Th-those demons were killed by you, my lord! Moreover, you've been paying for all the inn's food and lodging costs this whole time. While you were out fighting, I didn't do anything... I just, uh, wanted to pull my weight...”
Duncan's voice grew smaller and smaller, as if crawling into a mouse hole. Kadim looked down at him impassively.
As he'd said before, money doesn't change hands in this world without purpose. This merchant who followed him around like a servant was no exception. He must want something if he was offering money on his own.
"What do you want?"
"P-pardon?"
"No need to play dumb. You wouldn't give me money without wanting something. Whatever it is, I won't get angry, so just say it."
Duncan fell into intense inner turmoil. He tried to speak several times but kept closing his mouth again. It looked like he was battling fiercely with another version of himself inside.
He dragged out the time endlessly, and just before Kadim's patience ran out, Duncan's mouth finally opened.
"My lord, could you... teach me how to fight?"
"..."
“I-I know I’ll never be a great warrior like you... but I still want to help out in a fight. If I’m part of the group, I should carry my own weight...”
"You're already serving as a guide. That's enough."
“E-even a guide needs to know how to defend himself! You're going to keep fighting powerful demons and monsters. If I stay like this, I’ll just be dead weight, and I’ll probably get killed!”
"..."
Kadim stared at the merchant without blinking. Duncan gasped and covered his mouth, thinking he screwed up, but then he just gave up and hung his head. The breeze was light as a feather, but the silence felt heavy as a rock.
Kadim broke the silence.
He unhooked Mosquito from his waist and tossed it in front of Duncan, then spoke.
"Stab me with that sword."
"...What?"
"Stab me with that sword. If you have the guts to do it, I'll teach you how to fight."
At first, Duncan couldn't comprehend what was being said and showed no reaction.
When the words finally sank in, panic spread through him like ink in water. Then he freaked out completely.
"Wh-what are you saying?! Stab you, my lord?! That’s crazy... I, I could never do tha...”
“If you can't even stab a defenseless enemy who gave you a weapon, how do you expect to learn how to fight? Don't pretend you can handle it. Just learn to hide and run. You'll live longer that way.”
"..."
It was a brutal hit to his pride.
He clenched his fists and wrestled with himself briefly. Finally, the merchant picked up Mosquito with a desperate expression. Seeing this, the barbarian twisted his lips slightly.
Yeah, not completely hopeless after all.
But that was as far as it went. Duncan held the knife and shook like a leaf. He was unable to move himself after all of that. To be fair, even managing that much took more courage than he'd shown in his entire life up to that point.
Kadim decided to give him a nudge.
“If you're scared to stab, try cursing your enemy while you are at it. Words can help you move.”
So Duncan did just that.
"D-die, asshole!"
Whoosh!
Kadim easily blocked the sudden slash with just his index and middle fingers.
"..."
At first, he looked like he couldn't believe it, but then he looked interested.
Meanwhile, Duncan came to his senses belatedly and was horrified.
He was shocked that Kadim caught the blade, and even more shocked that he actually attacked him. Thinking about what Kadim might do next made his balls shrink.
But unexpectedly, what came back was praise.
"You have some talent for swordsmanship."
"...I-is that really true, my lord?"
"No, I lied."
"..."
Another moment of silence.
Kadim twisted his fingers to take Mosquito back. Then he turned and started walking ahead.
"Pack your things at the inn and prepare to leave. I'll teach you how to fight later when I have time."
"..."
Duncan stood there with his mouth hanging open like an idiot. Then he snapped back to reality and hurried after Kadim.
***
The next morning at dawn, the party heading to Delutana assembled in front of the Consul's residence.
The group's composition was quite grand. The Consul, four elite soldiers from the Council Guard, the old blacksmith, the merchant, and the massive barbarian. Including the horses they rode, the total headcount reached fourteen.
It looked impressive for a normal group, but actually quite modest for a Consul entourage. They kept it light on purpose to hide who he was and the fact that he was leaving town.
“It’s not exactly a great idea for a Consul to be away from the city for long... plus, I need to watch out for any shady groups. Like the Vestana Council or the Mage Tower... So unless it's an emergency, I’m keeping my identity a secret on this trip.”
Kadim glanced at Enrico.
He had his hat pulled down low to hide his face. What little was visible looked as wrinkled as rotten pickles. He’d been up for days without sleep trying to clean up the mess and fake the evidence. His half-asleep muttering as he clutched the reins looked genuinely precarious.
"You must've been busy. Did you finish wrapping things up?"
...The main framework is set, and I’ve left the remaining cleanup to my Chief Advisor. He's trustworthy, so no need to worry. His entire extended family in Delutana is living off our household, and the debt he owes alone exceeds twelve million Luden."
"..."
Hard to call someone with that kind of leverage "trustworthy," but it was definitely a tight leash. Kadim nodded and changed the subject.
"Explain the route and how we're getting there. Tell me the dangerous spots, so I can prepare in advance."
"There’s nothing really dangerous on the way. Half a day’s ride gets us to a river, and across that is a village called Messen. We'll spend a night there, then ride hard for two days and we'll hit the Golden Road. It’s a safe route with barely any monsters or bandits, but keep an eye out for strangers just in case.”
Honestly, there was no need for an escort at all. The main reason Enrico had requested protection was to strengthen his connection with Kadim. Since Kadim got 50,000 Luden, a horse, and expenses out of it, he wasn't complaining.
—Neigh!
"..."
Kadim pulled on the reins to slow down. He checked on the rest of the party following behind.
When the barbarian's gaze turned toward them, the soldiers tensed up for no reason. They all started coughing awkwardly at the exact same time.
"Ahem..."
"Cough..."
Clink—
Clink—
With each step the horses took, the pieces of the Hydra's scales hanging all over their armor clattered loudly.
"..."
Kadim saw this but didn't say anything.
They'd bought it with their own money, so whether they made scale armor or scale underwear was their business.
The merchant and blacksmith didn't know how to ride, so they were riding on the back of the soldiers' horses.
Kadim rode up next to Gulak. His wrinkled face lit up at the thought of seeing his family.
But all Gulak had brought with him was a money pouch, his hammer, and a few other tools.
Kadim tilted his head slightly and asked, "That's all your luggage, old man? I did tell you to only pack what you needed, but it's even lighter than I expected."
"Ah, all that other junk was just cumbersome, so I gave it to the smith on the main street. Just as anywhere becomes a battlefield for you as long as you have that axe, anywhere becomes a smithy for me as long as I have this hammer.”
Gulak grinned, showing his broken front teeth. Kadim let out a chuckle.
The old man had skills, but he was also full of hot air.
The group crossed the empty streets at dawn and headed out the north gate. Wildflowers covered in dew caught the morning light rising from the horizon, scattering a soft glow across the plains. The horses trampled the weeds, kicking up the thick smell of grass as they passed. It wasn't even fully sunrise yet, but the air was already warm as if summer had come.
Neigh!
Clop! Clop! Clop...
Listening to the sound of hoofbeats in his ears, Kadim thought about how it had been a very long time since he'd ridden a horse.
Even in his first playthrough, he'd rarely ridden horses. Untrained horses get scared easily, which makes them useless on a journey full of monsters and demons. In the Demon Scape, crawling with demons, and even in other regions, the Hero's party chose to just walk briskly rather than bother finding trained horses.
Despite this, Kadim's horsemanship was excellent. The Atalan blood flowing through his veins made him naturally learn how to ride. He pressed his thighs firmly against the horse's body and handled it skillfully like an experienced rider. The only problem was that he was so huge that the poor horse looked like it was struggling.
Just like Enrico said, the trip was peaceful and safe. The only excitement was when the dozing Consul almost fell off his horse. By afternoon, with the sun getting lower and warmer, the group crossed the plains and got close to their stop, Messen.
But as they neared the river before Messen, Kadim detected something.
"Wait. Stop."
Neigh!
Following Kadim's command, the party halted in perfect unison. Representing the confused group, Enrico asked.
"What's wrong? Is there a problem?"
"We cross that bridge over the river to reach Messen, right, Consul?"
"That's correct, but..."
"Someone's standing guard in front of the bridge. About six people are armed with spears and axes.”
Enrico lifted his hat brim and squinted.
Sure enough, there were whitish specks in the distance, but it was impossible to discern their exact number or armament. But he knew well enough that this barbarian would not lie.
"Hmm, that's strange... The river's quite wide and deep, so you have to cross that bridge to get to Messen. But that bridge was built for anyone to use freely..."
"What do you want to do? If you're worried about friction, I can take care of them right now and we can pass through."
"Haha, no need for that. How could you possibly kill people who are barely even visible...”
Enrico laughed weakly, but then he saw it. The sharp, shiny axe in the barbarian’s hand. He wasn't joking at all.
“S-stop! We don't even know who they are yet. We can resort to violence after we try talking to them!”
"..."
Seemed like a waste of breath, though.
That's what Kadim thought, but he kept his mouth shut. Either way, he was currently working for pay. If the employer wanted it that way, then that's how it would be.
And Kadim's concerns became reality.
“Hold it! Everybody stop!”
Sure enough, they blocked the bridge.
A man with small eyes and a beaming smile stepped forward from the group. Despite his innocent country boy appearance, he didn't look the least bit ridiculous. That was thanks to his burly physique and the large axe strapped to his back.
The man quickly scanned the party's composition and adopted a polite attitude.
"Good day, travelers. Sorry to bother you. Mind if I ask who you are and where you're headed?”
"You go first. Tell us why we should reveal that information when this isn't even an official checkpoint," Kadim shot back arrogantly.
The man’s face twisted for a second, but he hid it fast and kept talking.
“We’re the Messen Vigilantes, and I’m Captain Otram. Security in the area hasn't been good lately, so we've stepped up to maintain order and collect a small toll from travelers. It’s for everyone's safety, so we hope you’ll cooperate...”
"Security isn't good? I heard there aren't many monsters around here."
"Hahaha, monsters aren't the only danger on the road, you know. There are bandits and rogue mercenaries, and demons show up occasionally too. If it weren't for us, all you travelers would be shaking in your boots all the way to the Golden Road."
This was very different from what the Consul had told him.
A slight wrinkle formed between Kadim's brows.
"...So who gave you permission to collect tolls?"
"The Consul of Remtana, of course. You don't think we'd be collecting money without permission from someone important, do you? Hahaha!"
The man’s friendly laugh made Kadim look back at the Consul.
Under the shadow of his hat, Enrico’s face was stone cold.