Royal Road of the Extra Scribe

8

Behind the Salleon Duke’s estate in Gransell, there was mountainous terrain where bears resided in abundance. It was said that if the hunting was not conducted once every three months, the bears would come down to the estate and ruin the fields.

Given the recent suppression of arsonists by the master’s efforts, there was a temporary calm, and they seemed to be planning a small festival using the bear meat obtained from the hunt.

The Salleon Duke decided to entrust the bear hunt to the men who were receiving stewardship training.

Those becoming stewards. There were cases where they had to protect their masters at all costs. Their martial prowess was also necessary, hence the validation through the bear hunt.

As a result, 12 men who had distinguished themselves in stewardship training were chosen to accompany the bear hunt.

All of them were men over the age of twenty, waiting fully armed with sturdy bows and arrows.

I stood among them with a dumbfounded expression.

“I got dragged into something unnecessary.”

Being pulled into something I didn’t need to be involved in was endlessly annoying.

It seemed like other men felt the same way, as a man named Macias approached me.

“Hey kid. Did you come to the wrong place? I heard only adults were supposed to participate in this. Did you force your way in because you wanted to become a steward?”

“Of course not. I just had some circumstances.”

“Hmm, did your parents force you to do this against your will?”

He guessed and shrugged his shoulders, then whispered softly.

“It’s best to stay back quietly during the hunt. Today, things might get fierce.”

“Fierce?”

“It seems like this bear hunt will determine who will officially become a prospective steward. Someone might try to outdo others by causing an accident. Well, everyone is like that. They’ll do anything to score points. So, make sure you stay out of trouble.”

It might seem excessive to be so invested in becoming just a steward, but the Salleon Duke was one of the top families in the Calipher Kingdom.

At least for the noble youths aspiring to become stewards, it was a position not to be missed.

“Thank you for the advice.”

“Sure. Can I help you with anything? When I give the signal, throw the rope to the bear. If things go well, I’ll give you a little pocket money.”

“Is that so?”

However, it seemed like my role was already set.

“Alse Alain. Come this way.”

Just before departure, Erina appointed me as an assistant.

It seemed like a thoughtful gesture to keep a kid like me from getting involved in unnecessary matters, but at the same time, it seemed like she was seeking revenge from yesterday.

“Hey, want to read this? What does it say?”

“Erina Salleon… is written here.”

“That’s right. Say it out loud three more times.”

Seems like she was playfully retaliating for me forgetting her name.

* * *

Erina skillfully commanded the bear hunt, as if this wasn’t her first time.

She lured the baby bear with sweet bait, then trapped the mother bear, who came chasing after seeing it, and hunted her.

Even the clever bears didn’t notice the trap when their cubs were in danger and leaped into it recklessly.

They caught the trapped bears with ropes and collectively pierced them with spears to kill them.

The baby bear wept bitterly as it watched its mother bear take her last breath, only to soon undergo the same fate of being skinned for butchering.

In the case of the mother bear, her meat was tough, making it difficult to cook, but for the baby bear, it was not the same.

The mother bear arranged for the body to be divided among the hunters and the baby bear was to be eaten immediately in the mansion.

“A truly ruthless method without any blood or tears.”

“What did you say?”

“It’s nothing.”

In this manner, they hunted six bears and by the afternoon, they could reach the center of the mountain.

The sun was setting imperceptibly.

At that moment, I felt a great sense of unease.

“Excuse me? I have a question.”

“If you say ‘there’, I don’t know who you’re referring to.”

“Enough of that, Erina, please?”

“Heh, yes, what is it?”

“Isn’t this the final destination? The sun is gradually setting.”

“Yes. We will finish up here and descend the mountain.”

“But why are traps set up in a place like this?”

“Traps?”

I carefully dug through the bushes and soil, revealing a vicious trap that would crush the ankle and deprive one of mobility if stepped on.

Gently pressing the trap’s center with a thick branch, snap! The trap was triggered, launching the branch into the air.

“If it’s this size, it’s for catching wild boars or deer. It seems like it was set up a few hours ago. Are there hunters in the area?”

“There are, but…”

“Then please warn them. The traps are set in places where people could step on them.”

“No. They were told today is for bear hunting, so the hunters probably won’t come in…”

Erina blurred her words, claiming she didn’t understand English.

It was then that I sensed the imminent danger concealed beneath the unease.

And almost simultaneously,

Twang! An arrow flew and struck the arm of the man guarding the flank.

“Ugh! What the heck is this!”

“An ambush!? Stay alert!”

Ssshh! Just then, as if waiting for this moment, signs of movement emerged from the bushes.

“Tsk!”

Unintentionally, I clicked my tongue. Failing to notice the signs until now meant they were skilled individuals.

‘Are they the ones the master was chasing after? So, the arson at the salon was a trap!’

Those troublemakers the master had subdued were nothing but bait.

Their goal had been here all along. To kidnap the daughter of the nobleman who carelessly went bear hunting.

‘Dangerous. They revealed themselves here with confidence in capturing us. The odds are against us here.’

My mind raced, calculating numbers at lightning speed.

My only talent, being dubbed a fake genius.

I was far superior in calculation speed compared to others.

In the game of Baduk, I didn’t see much improvement despite studying hard, but my talent shone in the simplicity of chess.

Limited to blitz chess, I was close to the world’s top level.

“The escape route is… “

Their goal, the direction of the arrows flying. The sensed locations, terrains, structures, and traps.

Having finished my calculations, I abruptly grabbed Erina.

“Whoa!?”

“Hold on tight!”

Thud! I pushed off and started running towards a specific point.

It was the flaw that arose when the opponent decided to surround us perfectly.

Complete encirclement is a strategy possible only when there are significantly more numbers than the opponent. If they had prepared such a large number of people, they would have somehow noticed in advance, so the likelihood of that was low.

“Their plan is to take advantage of our confusion.”

So, if we stay composed and swiftly escape, we can easily foil their plan.

“What…! They’re escaping!”

“What’s that guy!? Catch him! Don’t let the woman get away!”

They chased after us in confusion.

Their target was, as expected, Erina.

As I grabbed Erina, our escape disrupted their encirclement formation easily.

In a situation where they forcibly chase me after the formation collapses, they would get entangled with other reserve attendants, hindering their pursuit.

Soon, the sounds of clashes and clashes echoed as combat ensued.

“No…! These people…!”

Erina was at a loss, but there was nothing she could do.

To be honest, there was also the option of breaking through with force, but I didn’t want to take on that level of risk.

Having never killed anyone before, I couldn’t predict how I would react in a chaotic situation.

Thud! Thud! I quickly descended the mountain, retracing my steps.

I had memorized the terrain as I ascended the mountain.

The lessons I learned from Master Ilya about mountain tactics were proving useful.

However, it seemed that the opponents’ skills were not to be underestimated.

“Found them! Over here!”

“Kill the man! Just capture the woman!”

Two men who had been lying in ambush drew their swords and charged.

I threw Erina into the bushes behind me and pulled out the spear I had brought along just in case.

“You brats!”

“Don’t act up and behave… *stab*!?”

*Swoosh!* As soon as they approached, I pierced through their necks and heads, ending their lives.

Even though it was my first kill, I felt no particular disturbance.

“It’s startling how indifferent I am… “

Was it because Master had trained me to cut the throats of animals as preparation for moments like this? Or was it because these men were villains?

*Whoosh!* I wiped the blood off the spear tip and then hugged Erina once again.

“All, all of you… How can you… “

“These days, attendants are all capable of this much.”

In the subculture I encountered, there were many cases where a butler was considered the strongest in the world.

I had intended to ease the tension by making light jokes so as not to be afraid, but soon I reached my limit.

“…!”

A chilling presence that made my spine tingle.

I quickly threw Erina aside and turned my body around, holding the spear horizontally.

Thud! A heavy blow that felt like crushing my body.

“Oh ho. You managed to block my strike? Impressive.”

It was a man wearing a mask.

“Haaah!”

Swish swish swish swish! I tried to push him back with a swift 4-hit combo aiming for his vital points, but clang! He countered with force, maintaining his distance.

“Tsk! If it were my master, I would have landed at least a stylish 13-hit combo.”

I had not reached that level yet.

And that meant, in other words, there was a gap in skill between this guy who blocked my 4-hit combo and me.

“Clearly weaker than a master. But compared to me now…”

It seemed like I could escape on my own, but with baggage, that was not an option.

The opponent, aware of this, spoke.

“If you surrender now, I’ll let you go. Our aim is the lady over there. Don’t worry. We have no intention of taking her life. …For now.”

“Enough with your poor attempts at strategizing. How about you just come at me?”

“Hmph.”

I had no choice. If I left Erina behind, the Duke of Salion would come to my aid later.

“Don’t regret it, kid!”

“You’re the one who should.”

Swish swish swish! A 3-hit combo targeting the neck, heart, and abdomen.

He approached, deflecting the attacks with a small shield in his left hand, putting strength into his sword swings.

The sword emitted a red aura, which startled Erina.

“Ora…!”

An ominously glowing crimson aura.

“Let your weapon shatter!”

However, a blue aura began to swirl around my spear as well.

“Haaah!”

“Whoa…?”

Clang clang clang! The blue aura of my spear pushed back the opponent’s sword.

The man’s expression changed in an instant upon seeing this.

“Your aura…! Damn, did you already have reinforcements from Salion? I thought I had tricked you…!”

“Haa! Haa!”

The pinnacle of an aura that can only be achieved through innate talent.

Though it was known to be attainable through innate talent, in reality, it was something everyone used in the game.

In the game, any armament with a power level of 70 or above inherently used an aura. In the game, Al’s personal power level was around 87. It could rise to 91 upon completing hidden enhancement quests.

Ignoring actual performance, there was certainly talent in martial arts.

“Shall we continue? Next time, your neck might get pierced.”

“Do not be so reckless, kid. It’s foolish to think I would fear a battle with a user.”

“Then come at me already.”

“Is there a need for that? The urgency isn’t on my side, is it?”

“….”

As expected, it unfolded like this.

The opponent had reinforcements that could rush here directly. Time was on their side.

I could sense the approaching presence as if they were closing in on this place.

“Darn, I need to settle this quickly!”

Having finished my calculations, I gripped the spear tightly and charged at the guy.

“Haaat!”

“You foolish one, rushing the fight, aren’t you?”

Clang! Sparks flew.

Quickly, I thrust precise strikes from a medium distance, aiming to create openings.

The targets were all vital spots. If just one hit, it could end a life.

Thus, he couldn’t close the distance and was focused on deflecting the attacks.

Finally, with a clang! Thinking he couldn’t deflect anymore, he forcefully pushed my spear aside and distanced himself.

After about forty exchanges, the duel ended in a draw.

“hahahahah! I don’t know who taught you, but it doesn’t seem like it was some lowly person. What’s the name of the one who taught you?”

“Before that, how about you tell me your name?”

“Hmph, after nearly killing someone, they usually answer even if they don’t want to. So? Not planning to charge at me anymore? Time is squeezing your neck.”

Calmly speaking, the guy.

If reinforcements came for him, I would be in a tough spot.

Currently, it was a one-on-one duel, so I could focus on fighting Erina without worry, but if another person showed up, that would become impossible.

‘This is a situation beyond my expectations.’

The thought that I had neatly dealt with the troublemaker thanks to my master’s actions was now haunting me.

If not for that, I would have prepared properly.

I had taken out insurance for any unexpected situation, but I never imagined something this big would happen, so I doubted if that insurance would be effective in time.

‘It’s risky, but I have no choice but to go with Plan B for now.’

Ting! I kicked the sword I had left on the ground into the air.

It was the sword of the guys I had killed earlier.

Swish, swish, swish! The sword spun fiercely in the air.

With a thud! I shot it towards the guy like a lance and simultaneously rushed in again.

“You brat, using dirty tricks!”

The guy stepped back lightly, preparing to counter my attack.

Clang! The sword stuck in front of him.

“Haaat!”

I tightly gripped the spear in my right hand and thrust a powerful blow. An attack filled with irresistible force.

But perhaps my movement was too big. The guy smirked slyly.

“You fool! Die!”

Instead, as he closed the distance, the guy swung the sword, aiming to slice from the collarbone to the right hip.

“No──!!”

Erina’s scream echoed.

An unavoidable strike to the naked eye.

I seized this moment and drew out a trump card.