chapter 7
escaping the dark
It continued to move without stopping. By the time he could see the plain, Hyeon-joon sped up and ran out of the forest at once. Vance was also exhausted from exhaustion, and Yetir and Shosanna were nearly out of breath.
“Let’s rest for a while and go to Bimarun. And let’s jump right in. You have to go opposite the forest.”
“Wait, heck, June, heck, heck.”
Yetir barely called Hyeon-jun.
Hyunjoon waited for him. Now that I’m out of the forest, I’m relieved. But I have to leave Bimarn within today. An unconcealable nervousness and fear flickered across his face.
“Hey, hey, what the hell, hey, why are you doing that?”
“Okay, now explain.”
Barnes also asked Hyeon-jun while catching his breath. Shosanna was on the floor, vomiting.
“There were goblins. A lot. A few hundred, maybe a thousand. stuck together in one place That’s why I ran along the outskirts and didn’t meet any goblins.”
“what!”
Shosanna looked back at Hyeon-jun with a vomit-stained face. No one smiled even after seeing the messy face dripping with tears and runny nose. Normally, I would have laughed it off while swearing at each other, but a chilly atmosphere lingered. The fear that Hyeon-jun saw was so great. And it’s because he trusts Hyun-joon that much. And it was also a belief in Barnes who believed in him.
“That’s not the end. there’s something in the woods He’s a dangerous guy.”
Hyunjoon’s lips trembled. His fingertips were still trembling.
“If you can move, move. You have to run away right away. It will happen tonight at the earliest, or tomorrow at the latest.”
And he added in a small voice.
“Bimmarn might collapse.”
“I am sure. How do you know?”
Barnes asked sharply.
“You were a good fighter until yesterday, but you have such a good feeling…”
He glanced at Hyunjoon’s body and said.
“It wasn’t overpowering.”
Yetir and Shosanna also turned to Hyeon-jun at those words. As the shock subsided, they also noticed Hyun-joon’s condition. He’s pale and drenched in a cold sweat, but he doesn’t look tired at all. Even Barnes, a skilled warrior, was tired like that, which is ridiculous.
“I can’t tell you now. Barnes, trust me. You have to leave right now.”
A strange current flowed between the two. Yetir and Shosanna just stared at the two with hard faces. In fact, Barnes, the trustworthy party leader, and Hyun-jun, who had excellent skills and made good judgments at important moments, were the center of the party together. It was because they had something different from Yetir who roamed the back alleys and Shosanna who was a country girl.
“We haven’t even known each other for a fortnight.”
“okay. But I consider you my colleagues. I can’t let you die here.”
Hyeonjun now said with a cold and cold face. Faced with Barnes, his hidden intelligence shone in his eyes, where fear had disappeared. Yetir and Shosanna were mesmerized by the sharp, upright light. Suddenly he felt like a very distant person.
“This is a great opportunity. It’s a waste to trust your intuition and throw it away. Big money will come in, and bigger results will come. Not only will it be promoted to E class right away, but it will be talked about over and over again in the future.”
Barnes also stood upright and spoke lowly with a cold face. Hyunjoon could be sure now. He is the one who inherited the blood of knights or nobles. The usual gentle charisma that leads him is nowhere to be found, and despite his short stature, he speaks with a dignified face, and he definitely has blue blood flowing.
“Is it more important than life?”
“No, but it is important to success.”
Hyeon-jun saw the burning ambition in Barnes’s piercingly blue eyes. Hyunjoon closed his eyes. For him, the only way to persuade is to plead for trust. Since he cannot explain the status window, he cannot explain his suddenly amplified senses. Moreover, the creepy presence felt inside the forest was just a feeling.
In the end, Hyun-joon painfully threw a single shot.
“You can’t fight without me anyway.”
A chilly silence reigned. Yes, without Hyeon-jun, the remaining three cannot fight. Up until yesterday, I had a hard time catching 13 goblins, but what if Hyun-joon and the shield-less Yetir were defended and fought? There is a huge difference between having 3 shield soldiers and 2 soldiers. One plus one becomes three and four becomes a battle. Hyeonjun was a warrior who brilliantly defended one side of the party.
Barnes quietly closed his eyes and opened them. There was a deep disappointment that could not be hidden in his eyes. he said, turning to Yetir and Shosanna. He said it like he always did.
“Let’s go back.”
Yetir and Shosanna looked at each other and approached, hesitantly.
Hyunjoon couldn’t stand it and closed his eyes. A crucial divergence arose between Barnes and him. I will never be able to laugh and talk like I used to. It wasn’t Barnes and June, the F-rank adventurers who were fighting and drinking and cracking jokes together. It was a conversation between the noble Blue Blood and the modern man Kang Hyeon-jun. At this moment, Hyeon-jun cut the string that could go beyond being a colleague and become a friend. Sadly, I wanted to save them.
“Shosanna, I need to wipe my face.”
Hyeonjun handed over a clean cloth and said. He said it softly, but there was no strength. At the same time, the easy-going, neighborhood friend-like feeling disappeared, and an atmosphere that was difficult to approach somewhere lingered.
“Yes.”
Shosanna, taken aback by Hyeon-joon’s change, wiped her face with a cloth. With her wondering whether to return it or not, Hyeon-jun moved on.
His face sank motionlessly like a lake. However, the head constantly grasped the situation, calculated variables, and drew the future. I had already erased the fact that I had fallen out with Barnes. It’s already past, and it’s a waste to devote thought to it. The spirit of rationality has pushed back the human mind. I focused my whole mind on only one goal.
There was no more F-class adventurer Jun, only one insane person. Kang Hyeon-jun, who was called a motherless cub in his childhood, repeated.
‘The lord knew.’
Such is the case with the large-scale movement of the regular army. It costs a lot of money, and there are many places that need to be oiled as much as moving military power. Influence is also greatly consumed. More important things come and go than just supply or salary. It’s not a regular army to move against goblins. They are both soldiers and privates at the same time. Goblins are more than enough as conscripts. Although they are savage monsters, they are so insignificant.
‘Adventurers were a means to buy time.’
He attracted adventurers by doubling the price of receiving goblin ears. Otherwise, the goblins would have poured out of the forest soon after.
‘The speed at which goblins multiply is abnormal. It must mean that it doesn’t just increase through breeding.’
No matter how fertile the goblins are, it is impossible for more goblins to appear the next day, even if you kill hundreds of them in one day.
‘The date set by the lord is also exquisite.’
Goblins will pour out tonight at the earliest, or tomorrow at the latest. Hyeon-jun only felt that way, but his intuition shouted as soon as he entered its influence, which emitted a terrifying presence deep inside.
‘Does the lord think he can win?’
I don’t know. A lord is an aristocrat, and if he loses his lord, he will only perish even if he survives. The only thing you can do is fight back with full force.
When I think about that, there is something that flashes and passes through my head.
“I don’t go to the rain and run away right away.”
“what?”
“The lord intends to fight in Bimarun. I can’t come out now.”
“What are you talking about!”
“The lord knew the situation in the forest. when will they come out maybe tomorrow So, we announced the departure on time.”
“So what is it? You’re going out.”
Yetir said ferociously. The atmosphere chilled and everyone was on edge. Hyeonjun spoke calmly and calmly. It was like a person with no emotions.
“It’s not a ceremony. I will go defend the wall as it is.”
“What are you talking about!”
“stop.”
Vance spoke coldly at Yetir’s cry. Yetir’s face turned red and trembled with humiliation, but the atmosphere of Barnes and Hyun-jun was too frightening for an insignificant backstreet to step forward.
“continue.”
“The reason why I set the day for the departure is to use the citizens of the city. The city will be controlled for the march, and in the meantime goblins and gnomes will head for the city. Then, I plan to immediately lock the gate and hold a sit-in. Citizens must fight to survive.”
“Then, wouldn’t it be necessary to set a date for the departure?”
“I bought time by using adventurers, but moving regular troops is different. If resources move without a word and the lord exerts influence over the county, the nobles and citizens will be shaken. If the date of the ceremony is early, you cannot fight in the city, and if it is late, you cannot prepare. It is because they are hiding the fact that they will push to the city. Soldiers and local officials, even nobles.”
Yetir was taken aback by Hyeonjun’s calm words, and Shosanna froze with a pale face in fright.
“Youngju has no intention of winning. I plan to oxidize it to city bonds.”
They deceive everyone as if they were going to ‘subjugate’ the enemies lightly, and in reality, they use the city to hold a sit-in. Even if you survive, you are politically dead. Everyone will struggle to survive. When they come together, they become a powerful force, but if they survive, they will turn the tip of the spear to the lord.
“That makes sense.”
At Hyeonjun’s words, Barnes said. However, contrary to words, he is laughing as if he is having fun. He remains unconcerned when he hears of plans to imprison and kill tens of thousands of people in the city of Bimarn.
“Ha, I’ve gone completely crazy. I don’t want to go along with your delusions, so go away.”
Yetir spat and laughed at Hyeon-jun. It was because I thought Barnes’ words were ridiculing. Vance stamped Yetir down, but Yetir crawled under Vance. It’s a sad habit from the back alley.
Barnes didn’t say anything, just gave Hyeonjun a smiley face.
“I know, but I intend to go back.”
“okay.”
“For success?”
“I know you well.”
“That’s it. I will not do any more unnecessary persuasion.”
Yetir’s expression twisted after hearing the conversation. something is going weird Now, Hyeonjun erased Vance and Yetir from his mind. It is an unnecessary waste of resources.
“Shosanna.”
“Uh, uh…”
Looking at Shosanna’s frightened face, Hyeonjun said.
“Let’s go straight to your hometown.”
“Ha, but… Money in the inn…”
“no. The moment you enter the city, you won’t be able to get out. The lord must have a plausible reason to control the number of people leaving.”
Hyeon-jun also left most of his money at the dorm. The only money in hand is 10 fairy tales. However, in front of his bright future and life, whether silver or gold, it is just a lump of filth.
“Money can be earned again. Think of your parents.”
Shosanna, who left home and worked as an adventurer, said she would buy a cow for her parents with the money she earned. She was a warrior with a solid physique and able to rip open the head of a goblin with an axe, but she was also a simple country girl who loved her parents. Hyeonjun dug into that point.
“Still, you don’t know if they really control the city. What if you are wrong?”
The moment Shosanna thought of her parents, she already wanted to return to her hometown. However, the 4 silver coins hidden in the inn are too much money to get rid of at once.
“No, that’s right. The lord of Bimarn is such a man. He is a man who will burn everything before he is defeated and destroyed.”
Her eyes focused on Barnes’ words.
“You know the lord.”
“Yes, he was abandoned, but he was a nobleman.”
At Barnes’ words, Yetir and Shosanna turned pale in surprise. He spoke recklessly to the nobles and hit and f*cked them. On the other hand, Hyunjoon spoke calmly.
“You mean you’re going to die even though you know?”
“What better opportunity could there be? If you survive, at least a knighthood.”
Yetir’s eyes widened. Knighthood! He is not a nobleman, but with a knighthood, he is no different from a nobleman among commoners. If you receive even a small manor, you can live with a lot of excitement for the rest of your life. If you pay taxes to the nobles you serve, you can reign and live in the manor as a king.
Greed filled Yetir’s eyes. It was the delusion of a dirty rat without knowing the subject. A knighthood will only be given to Barnes with skills and pedigree. That’s not certain either. You will have to do all sorts of tricks to gain influence. Even if you do well, Yetir is one silver coin. If you are unlucky, even if you survive, you will not receive a fairy tale and you will be kicked out or your neck will fall.
“Shosanna. Let’s move right now.”
“Yes. okay.”
“I have 10 fairy tales right now. you?”
“I have three… Change the rest into silver coins and stay at the inn.”
“There is no camping equipment, so we have no choice but to stay in the village. It’s a little short of money, but if you do a simple request, you’ll have enough money to go to your hometown. Which direction?”
“this way.”
Fortunately, it was in the direction away from the forest. It was still morning, as I came out right after entering the forest, and it was long before the sun went down. You should be able to reach the next town before sunset.
“let’s go.”
Hyunjoon moved right away. Vance and Yetir didn’t even look. It was no longer of any value to them. It’s just a moving corpse.
Shosanna, hesitant, followed Hyeon-jun. Falling in love with Yetir, who was sarcastic and swearing at Vance and Hyeon-jun, who was talking coldly, she looked back at them once, opened her mouth, and moved along with Hyeon-jun.
“Master Ban, what should I do?”
Yetir politely asked Vance, who had been swearing and patting each other just two hours ago. It is too servile to say that the art of living is good, to the point of frowning. Barnes said without hesitation.
“Go back to Bimarn. I need to meet the lord.”
“Meeting the lord is something a commoner like me can’t imagine.”
‘A nasty bastard.’
Barnes, no, Barnskel Einher was disgusted by Yetir’s attitude, but spoke calmly.
“okay. If we overcome this difficulty together, there will be all kinds of wealth and glory.”
“ha ha ha! I look forward to that.”
‘Sorry.’
Banskell sighed in regret.
‘Jun, you must have been more valuable than I expected.’
Even if it was only a basic skill, Jun, who could absorb his movements in an instant and judge him calmly, was a fairly decent commoner. Compared to other worms, I thought it was definitely compliant.
‘Hey, you did a good job hiding it.’
those unfeeling eyes. Thinking ability to grasp the situation. firm decision. really not worth it But it’s okay to throw it away.
‘Even though I knew I was a nobleman, I didn’t bend.’
It’s not just about being outraged. It was because the authority of the nobility showed no concern. That is good to wield as a sword, but poison to bear.
‘Nobility is something that hurts authority just by having it.’
Banskell walked toward Bimarn. I will use Hyeon-jun’s reasoning to meet the lord alone. Although he was expelled from the succession competition due to physical problems, his skills as a knight did not disappear. What he showed as an F-class adventurer, Barnes, was nothing. Even if 100 people like Yetir or Shosanna attack you, you can tear them apart with your bare hands. Because he’s a real warrior who handles mana.
‘June, well. I don’t know.’
Thinking of Jun, who suddenly appeared stronger this morning, Banskell smiled. Although he is an insignificant kid, his physical abilities have become superior to him. Jun’s body didn’t get much stronger. Banskell was only overtaken because his body was born as a premature baby. In addition, Jun grew up quickly. The next time we meet, depending on the situation, I might use it as a knife.
‘Or kill them.’
Listening to Yetir’s chatter, Vanskell quietly drew the future. He also has ambitions and dreams of a future.