Royal Road of the Extra Scribe

94

The severed left arm of the opponent.

“Illiyaryu Bigi, Yusoo!”

Originally a technique to cut through the opponent’s side and neck, the movement was compromised due to the need to block the opponent’s spear.

Severing the left arm was undeniably effective.

For someone skilled in spear handling, missing a hand was a fatal flaw.

To put it plainly, think of playing billiards.

Imagine trying to strike the cue with only one hand. It’s obvious that a proper stroke wouldn’t come out because there’s no arm to balance the center of gravity.

A spear is no different.

If one had practiced handling a spear with one hand beforehand, it might have been possible to show normal movements in a situation where suddenly losing one arm like this, but it would be highly unlikely.

“I’ll end it here!”

I decided to thrust.

As I turned into a position behind the opponent, swish! I rotated the spear, held it backward, and thrust it towards my side.

“Illiyaryu Bigi, Hoechuk!”

The technique used against the thief leader when saving Erina in the past.

It was Illiya’s master’s signature move.

“You know about the Chester style, right? Then use the technique the master created!”

However, swoosh! The opponent twisted their body, evading the attack.

“What…!?”

Too surprised and shocked, I was caught off guard by the opponent’s spear swinging behind me.

Attempting consecutive powerful attacks without proper defense, I had to take the hit from the spear and tumble.

“Argh!”

Although my arm shielded me from a direct hit to the ribs or organs, the pain felt in my arm was unsettling.

A dizzying pain was felt in my right forearm.

“My arm is broken!”

While breaking a rib was better than piercing a liver or lung, not being able to use my arm now, especially the right arm that was my main weapon for wielding the spear, was a heavier blow than the opponent.

Yet, beyond the physical pain, the mental confusion was more overwhelming.

“Do you want to ask how I evaded that?”

Fisher said, breathing heavily. He wrapped a cloth around his left arm and tightly tied it with his right arm and teeth to stop the bleeding.

“It’s simple. It’s not the first time I’ve experienced Illiya’s technique. Well, I didn’t notice it until halfway. It was only after being hit by Yusoo that I realized you were Illiya’s disciple. Well, thanks to that, I managed to evade Hoechuk.”

“…!?”

How did that guy know the master’s name and the technique name?

“Why do you know about Illiya Anpey?”

“Now isn’t the time to ask about that affectionately. You know that, too. Ask Illiya after I’m dead. Or kill me now and go ask her.”

For some reason, the gaze looking at me felt somewhat softer.

“hahahaha… a disciple of Ilya. You couldn’t have picked a better target to take my life. Come on! Try to take my life!”

*Gasp!*

The situation of injury was almost identical.

I had lost the use of my dominant right arm, while the lad had damage from bleeding.

Shaking! I tried to use my right arm somehow, but I could barely grasp with my palm, unable to hold the spear due to the pain.

The only weapon in my hand was the sword in my left hand.

On the other hand, even though the enemy had lost their left arm, they could still handle the spear with their dominant right arm.

‘Still, I have to try. The opportunity is now…!’

The surroundings were gradually clearing up. The enemy kept receiving reinforcements. Our forces had dwindled drastically to just 30 soldiers.

I took a deep breath, focusing my strength on my left hand.

And then it happened.

“Don’t hog all the cool scenes for yourself, oh gallant commander. Hah!”

Suddenly, Edgar, who had risen, approached spitting blood.

Fisher responded with a threatening look on his young face.

“You have no place to intervene, you brat. Back off!”

The intimidating aura emanating from the strong. The fear of facing death made my heart race. If Dorothy were here, she might have fainted in a fit of rage, and even though I didn’t know, the likes of Ru’an Chase or Casper would have trembled in fear.

I wasn’t much different.

The only difference was that due to special circumstances, I had a higher mental age and had experience in battles with strong individuals like Eonia, Anton, Yumir, and others.

Deep down, I thought Edgar would be scared. After all, he was a year younger than me.

But I was wrong.

“heheheh.”

Edgar laughed as if enjoying the intimidation.

“A brat? You got the wrong person, mister.”

“…?”

“My name is Edgar! I’m a man destined to be a great commander! Woah!”

Edgar charged. For some reason, it seemed like the aura of his aura had intensified.

His movements too.

The lad, who had been pushed back unilaterally until now, was now more daring and aggressively swinging his sword. Fisher, who had already lost one arm, felt pressured by his movements.

‘This is not the time for this.’

I quickly joined the battle.

Focusing on dodging the enemy’s attacks, I swung the sword in my left hand.

“It’s not over yet! Your strikes barely touch me!”

Swoosh! The spear tip slashed deeply across Edgar’s chest.

“Argh…!”

Edgar clutched his chest, dropping to his knees.

‘This is it!’

With his big movement leaving his upper body exposed, I thrust the sword deeply towards his throat.

“Hmph!”

But he managed to barely pull away.

It wasn’t the black neck, but the boy’s left chest that was pierced, yet not deeply.

“Ha!”

Ping! As the boy swung his spear, the sword flew up and far away.

In this situation, I had no weapon in my hand.

“Now, die!”

Fisher, shortening the distance between us, held the spear tightly to thrust towards my head.

I managed to twist my upper body somehow to dodge, but thud! The spear deeply pierced my right armpit.

“Ugh…!”

My vision blurred with pain.

‘It’s over…!’

With this, all resistance became meaningless. I stood at the threshold of death.

However, as the scythe brushed by, nothing extraordinary happened.

Instead, facing death, I surprisingly became remarkably calm.

Someone once said, the scythe is what the brain forcibly recalls to avoid death.

I was in a similar situation. The difference was that my brain sought answers in the present, not in past memories.

My mind cleared, my vision widened.

Thanks to that, I could see it.

“…!”

There’s only one chance.

I raised my trembling right hand and grabbed the spear piercing my armpit.

“What…!?”

Fisher frowned at this action, but only for a moment.

My left hand, empty.

The handle of the sword appeared in that direction.

Aegert, who had fallen, grabbed his sword in reverse and raised it towards where my left hand was.

I grabbed that handle and swung.

Fisher seemed completely caught off guard. With me holding the spear, he was too late to pull back.

“Checkmate…!!”

Boom! Swish! A sharp sensation in my palm.

Fisher, releasing the spear, staggered back, but swish! His neck on the right split wide, blood pouring out.

“Argh…! Ugh…!”

He seemed to lose consciousness due to bleeding from the carotid artery and soon knelt down.

“Me… like this…?”

Thud! Fisher, either unconscious or dazed.

“Is it done…?”

Aegert’s words prompted me to take a laborious step forward and stab his heart deeply to confirm the kill.

“Ha! Ha! Ha!”

A mix of the elation of victory and the relief of survival made me feel light-headed.

I slumped in exhaustion, but there was no time to rest.

“Captain! We need to get out of here now!”

Drenched in blood, Delas urged me on.

“Hoo…! I’m fine. You take care of Agent.”

Thanks to my intact legs, I could escape the battlefield through the path Delas had created.

* * *

Having escaped the battlefield, we barely managed to hide our bodies.

“Argh!”

A burning pain in my shoulder. The spear was still lodged in my shoulder.

Pulling it out would cause rapid bleeding.

I was relatively better off. Agent, deeply wounded in the chest, was unconscious as soon as the battle ended.

After finishing Agent’s emergency treatment, Delas approached me.

He took out a medical strap and tightly bound my right shoulder before saying, “Endure the pain, even if it hurts.”

Carefully, Delas pulled out the spear. I wanted to scream in the splitting pain, but I had to grit my teeth and endure to avoid drawing attention from enemy soldiers.

After removing the spear, Delas wrapped a bandage around the wound, applying pressure.

“Captain, we need to move now.”

Delas asked where we should go, but even I didn’t have a proper answer. With chaos between enemies and allies, the situation was a mess.

‘If I think about it, maybe…’

Directly descending seemed like a viable option.

The priority was to quickly escape, treat the wounds.

There were around 100 troops deployed in this operation. Only 40 returned alive, with 15 of them severely injured.

Their lives were at stake, so we needed to quickly retreat to the rear to seek medical assistance.

“I’ll minimize combat and head in this direction.”

“Understood!”

Dressed in attire suitable for stealth rather than military uniform for this surprise operation, we could avoid drawing attention from the enemy.

The enemy, seeing us descending from above, mistook us for allies and couldn’t respond quickly.

‘Alright, we’re almost there!’

As we thought this, a group of about 50 enemies appeared in front of us.

“These are the ones! The scoundrels who killed General Barret!”

Ignoring Fisher’s intrusion, they seemed to have pursued us upon seeing General Barret’s body in the main camp.

They seemed to have identified us based on the attire and the body of one of our soldiers at the location.

‘This is bad! We can’t afford to fight them!’

Delas, seemingly making the same judgment, handed me Agent and said, “I have one request. Please provide substantial compensation to the families of the mercenaries who sacrificed in this war. That will suffice.”

“Delas, you…!”

“Please, go now!”

Hesitation here would lead to a dire situation.

I closed my eyes tightly and decided to leave the battlefield.

However, at that moment.

“Such heroic sacrifice doesn’t suit you, Dilas.”

Accompanied by that familiar male voice.

“Haah!”

She burst in.

Swoosh! A spear piercing through the enemy’s throat.

A woman clad in gray armor and a gray helmet.

“Eo…!?”

I was too shocked to know how to react.

“How did you…!”

“I’ll explain later! For now… Ah, aah!? Alz, sir. Your, your wounds!”

As Eo, standing guard in front of us, saw the wounds on my shoulders and body, she trembled. Then, she exhaled unrefined energy towards the enemies.

“You scoundrels…!!”

A pure white aura distorted by anger.

Overwhelmed by this, the enemies took a step back. Seeing Eo’s display of authority, it was evident that they would meet a gruesome end if they persisted.

“Damn it! Retreat! Retreat!”

Our soldiers breathed a sigh of relief at their retreat.

Approaching us was that man.

“We don’t have time to waste. We need to go down quickly.”

I thought the voice sounded familiar. Indeed, it was.

“Olaf…! Why are you here too…!”

“I’ll explain when we’re down. Let’s get out of here first. Rania, let’s take this guy with us quickly.”

Receiving the signal, Eo immediately picked me up.

Her long-missed scent tickled my nose, easing the tension.

As the tension eased, for some reason, drowsiness began to set in. My body seemed to be demanding sleep to endure the pain.

“Just a short nap…”

“What!? No! Please don’t fall asleep!”

“Then tell me an interesting story…”

“An interesting story!? Even if you put it that way…”

Eo, unsure of what to do, began recounting his days in the Kurbel Empire.

“So, the prince scolded me and…”

Fuzzy thoughts.

I lost consciousness without even hearing the interesting story.