NOVEL NEXT Chapter 26: (2)
However, he knew he only had one life. Even if the old knight treated him kindly, there was no need to become overly attached. He had finally obtained the power he desired; dying recklessly would be a waste.
“A mercenary? Is that so? Haha, that’s excellent. You indeed mentioned becoming a mercenary!” the old knight exclaimed, his satisfaction evident.
“Huh? Um, yes…”
‘Why is he so pleased about it? Did I say something wrong?’ Kaiyan wondered.
He couldn’t comprehend why the old knight seemed so delighted about his decision to become a mercenary. The overly contented smile on the old knight’s face made Kaiyan feel uneasy.
“Enough talking. Let’s go hunt some monsters. We’re falling behind,” the old knight said, redirecting the conversation.
“Understood,” Kaiyan replied, refocusing on the present.
With those words, the two of them resumed their journey toward the front lines, ready to face the next challenge.
Even if he couldn’t help feeling uneasy, Kaiyan couldn’t stop hunting monsters and leveling up. He had diligently hunted the monsters at the beginning to make his way to the center, so he couldn’t let others steal his monsters.
The advance of the 7th Special Unit went smoothly.
There were several reasons for this: the knights and soldiers had been working together for several days, and, most importantly, Kaiyan and the old knight had led the charge, slaughtering the monsters.
“Kuwaaak!”
“Huup! Haaap!”
Swinging his sword, Kaiyan leaped toward the Bearwolf, releasing the held breath from his lungs. In a fluid motion, he evaded the creature’s attack by instinctively ducking and swinging his sword toward its massive leg.
Pwuaak!
The leg was deeply cut, causing a significant wound.
The Bearwolf, clearly affected by the attack, staggered back a step.
“Hoo…!”
“Kruuk!! Kuwaaak!”
Driven by pain, the Bearwolf turned its attention to Kaiyan and abandoned the soldiers who had been engaging it.
The creature probably thought that as long as it dealt with Kaiyan alone, there would be no problem since it would be difficult for the soldiers to inflict fatal wounds on it.
“You’re mistaken. It’s the other way around.”
“Kuwaaak?”
The old knight, who had leaped high above the Bearwolf’s head, appeared. It was an impossible leap without the power of aura.
After rising to a considerable height, he sent me a smile and swung down the sword he had raised, causing the creature’s massive neck to fall off without even a scream.
Kuuuung!
Dust filled the air as the giant head fell.
“If it had accidentally fallen on someone, it would have caused serious injuries.”
Indeed, the fallen head was quite large, befitting the creature’s massive size. If the soldiers had accidentally been caught underneath, they would have suffered significant injuries.
As I observed the severed head, the old knight approached with the sword resting on his shoulder.
“Well done. As expected, we make a great team, don’t we?”
“Haha… Yes.”
‘I don’t know why he’s acting so familiar with me.’
If I were to choose the knight I was closest to right now, it would undoubtedly be the old knight.
The problem was that if I were to choose the knight I felt most uncomfortable with, it would still be the old knight.
It was nice of him to treat me well, but his excessive attention made me uncomfortable. However, despite that, it was true that we worked together seamlessly.
‘It’s really ironic…’
While shaking my head, the soldiers of the 7th Special Unit, who were beside me, suddenly discovered something and exclaimed in surprise.
“Hmm? Why are there orcs in the center? Look over there!”
“What’s going on? Orcs in the center… Oh? It’s true.”
“Orcs have appeared!”
‘Orcs? Orcs in the center?’
When I turned my head in the direction the soldier pointed, I saw that there were indeed orcs there.
“What? There really are orcs appearing.”
Orcs had appeared on the right flank of the central army. Their numbers were so immense that it would be an understatement to call them a horde.
“…Why?”
Orcs were not supposed to be present in the central battlefield.
The central battlefield was where battles were fought by medium-sized to large-sized monsters. It felt strange to see small monsters like orcs there.
“Hehe… This monster wave is quite interesting. It’s not often that such things happen in succession.”
While I was questioning this, the old knight beside me let out a laugh as if he knew the reason.
Although he didn’t say anything else, his eyes were filled with curiosity as he looked at the old knight.
“…Hmm? Are you curious?”
“Yes, I am curious.”
My earnest gaze must have reached him, as the old knight smiled and opened his mouth.
“When orcs appear in the central battlefield in Gami’an (The name of the plain they are fighting in), there’s only one reason. It means an Orc Lord has appeared.”
“Orc Lord…?”
As far as I knew, the title “Lord” referred to nobility higher than a viscount. But an orc being called a Lord? I had never heard of such a monster.
“Oh… You really don’t know a lot, despite being skilled with a sword. The Orc Lord is a named monster.”
“Oh, I see. I’ve been living in a small village, so…”
“Well, that’s understandable. The Orc Lord can be considered the noble who leads the orcs. That’s why it carries the title ‘Lord.’ Well, you could say ‘King.'”
It was truly surprising. There was a king even among orcs. That meant orcs had their own hierarchical society.
‘In that case… the orcs on the outskirts must be lower-ranking.’
“What are you thinking?”
“Oh, I had heard of shamans before. They weren’t exactly magic users, but they possessed similar powers to mages. They were a group of monsters with various abilities, collectively known as shamans.”
The old knight patted my shoulder as if impressed by my answer. It wasn’t particularly praiseworthy.
“Oh! So, you do know about shamans! It seems you know some things at least. Yes, those monsters are precisely the ones that use shamanism.”