Chapter 124. The Royal Bloodline (6)
All correspondence addressed to the “Silver Shield Mercenary Gordi Khan” by the mercenary guild is handled with utmost urgency. This was a special arrangement requested by Khan to swiftly receive weapons and letters from Magus Jerome of the Mage Tower, and it was facilitated by direct influence from Kal Elson, disseminated to all branches of the Argon mercenary guild.
Unaware of this, Diego had cleverly attempted to contact Khan through the guild, inadvertently making the best possible choice. The letter, written in the characteristically messy script of medieval times, was legible enough to get the message across.
「You might not remember me, but I thought I’d leave a letter just in case. After parting ways, I’ve been working as the head of security for the Yorthus Marquisate…」
「… Then I heard from a colleague that upper management was badmouthing a barbarian. It hit me immediately—this must be related to you! It happened in Wagner too.」
「So, here’s what I wanted to say: The trading company under the Yorthus Marquisate is heading west with Prince Alan. They spread people all over Argon but are converging in the west. It smells fishy. I don’t know the details, but I thought you’d want to know. Hope you get the gist.」
Khan shared the essential parts of the letter with his party: Prince Alan was heading west with significant forces from the trading company.
“The west…”
Aries, rarely showing unease, had an uneasy reaction. Khan nodded, acknowledged her concerns. Even for someone as emotionally reserved as her, the west was a place that brought many thoughts. And Khan was no exception.
The west was where his journey toward his goal began in earnest. For Aries, it was where she dealt with a lifelong vendetta.
“Do you have any idea what’s going on?”
“Yes.”
“Really?!”
Princess Delphina, surprised, closed the distance between them. Despite being a royal princess, her candid behavior was unusual, but Khan didn’t show it. Instead, he spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear.
“There’s a ticking time bomb in the west.”
“Ah…!”
Maya realized it first, followed by Delphina and Maxim, their expressions hardening.
“The Western Great Mountain Range. It seems something’s about to go off there.”
***
The city of Nordic, next to the Necar Mountain and adjacent to the Western Great Mountain Range, was experiencing considerable upheaval.
Most of the city’s population survived off the byproducts from the monsters of Necar Mountain. Recently, though, it had been thrown into chaos.
Not only had the infamous dark mage, Darkin Perayas, taken refuge on Necar Mountain, but it was also revealed that several key figures in the city were colluding with Darkin to engage in illegal human experiments.
When it was uncovered that even the deputy head of the monastery, norman, who was more respected than the mayor, was corrupt, the mayor, who was found indulging in decadence and neglecting his duties, couldn’t escape being implicated.
In the mayor’s stead, Prince Alan took advantage of the king’s and the crown prince’s absence to put a noble who supported him into the position.
Consequently, the influence of the trading company operated by the Yorthus Marquisate, Alan’s maternal relatives, swiftly took over Nordic. To maximize profits, they initiated a project using the new mayor:
‘The Great Western Mountain Range Development Project.’
The goal was to revitalize the monster material market by developing the uncharted Western Great Mountain Range.
The mercenaries of Nordic, who barely ventured into the depths of Necar Mountain out of fear of the creatures, quickly rebelled against this new project. The fear of the deep-seated monsters was deeply ingrained in their minds.
In response, the Yorthus Marquisate proposed an additional incentive:
‘Additional rewards based on development achievements, and potentially hiring entire mercenary groups as private soldiers of the marquisate.’
Mercenaries gradually started joining the development efforts. They began reporting their achievements not to the mercenary guild but directly to the Marquisate, who successfully brought Nordic under their complete influence.
“In the end, only the Marquisate profited. Uncharted territory offers numerous opportunities, and the Marquisate monopolized those opportunities with money. And all this was due to some passing barbarian taking down Darkin Perayas.”
“So what?”
“Nothing really. Just informing you of the situation in the city since you left.”
Revn, still disguised in armor bearing the royal insignia, laughed. Despite being on horseback, he had no trouble delivering such a lengthy explanation.
“In any case, I was genuinely surprised that you pinpointed Prince Alan’s destination as Nordic. Even more so considering you didn’t know the intricacies of the city’s situation.”
“You’re just flattering.”
Revn truly admired Khan’s intellect.
Yet, Khan was well aware that his intelligence wasn’t particularly noteworthy. His ability to deduce what others couldn’t and find answers with limited information was thanks to his knowledge and experience from games.
This was another instance of that.
‘I’m the only one who has actually ventured into the depths of Necar Mountain. That’s why I could immediately think of it.’
“The crucial question now is one: Can we get to Nordic before Prince Alan? And…”
“Can we resolve whatever Prince Alan is aiming for before it goes off, right?”
“Correct.”
As Khan nodded in response to her question, a determined resolve glimmered in Delphina’s eyes.
“If it’s Alan, he’ll wait until the city is half-destroyed before making a move. We must resolve this before him.”
“I don’t care either way. As long as the promised reward is delivered.”
“Rest assured. I will open the royal treasury for you, using my name if necessary.”
Khan was pleased with Delphina’s direct promise of compensation, unlike Alan’s evasive tactics. Smiling in satisfaction, he patted his horse, which was already panting under his weight, and muttered to himself.
‘Personally, I’d love to see that arrogant fool’s face when he realizes he’s too late.’
***
Thanks to the friendly forces of the king, crown prince, and Princess Delphina, swapping horses several times and cutting down on sleep, Khan and his party managed to reach Nordic before Prince Alan’s forces.
Alan’s troops, divided into numerous groups to hide their movements, had taken long detours, causing delays. In contrast, Khan’s group had advanced directly from the southwest, allowing them to arrive ahead.
But there was an issue.
“It looks like we’re too late.”
“No need to say it; I can see it. Small one.”
“I’m not small.”
“Now isn’t the time for this…!”
Leo, leaping gracefully from his horse and drawing his sword and shield, shouted.
He was right.
Boom───!!
Crash. Crunch!
The screams of people, the sounds of buildings collapsing, and the chaotic noise of weapons clashing filled the air beyond the high city walls.
Whatever Alan had aimed for was already active.
‘With high probability, it’s either a wyvern or a creature from the depths of Necar Mountain.’
Khan dismounted and picked up his axe and cursed sword in each hand with practiced ease.
“This will be a street battle. Leave the horses and clear a straight path. Ignore any obstacles—whether mercenaries or monsters. The more we dawdle, the greater the damage.”
“I’ll focus on protecting the princess. That way, you can concentrate on the fight.”
“Suit yourself.”
“Battle! Let’s go─!”
Fueled by the chaos unraveling before her, Pashantu hefted her black hand-axe and began carving a path through the city.
Her violent but effective method of dispatching monsters chasing the fleeing townsfolk drew attention.
Especially among mercenaries who had once faced off against the barbarian, their eyes widened in recognition.
“It’s the Skull Crusher!”
“Idiot, the Skull Crusher is a man!”
“Who the hell cares if she’s a woman? Look at that build!”
Pashantu’s imposing presence and ferocity made it clear: this was no ordinary battle, and they were in for a grueling conflict.
Those bastards are still using that nickname. Hearing the old, infamous nickname made Khan grimace as he suddenly turned his head to a commotion nearby.
“Brother! Just hang on a bit longer!”
“Ugh… I feel sick. Damn you guys!”
“Didn’t we tell you to lose weight?!”
“How am I supposed to lose weight with this leg?!”
A bald man was being awkwardly supported by two more bald men as they struggled to flee the city. In this wretched world, their brotherly bond was touching, though their predicament was dire: a monster was charging at them, maw agape.
That unforgettable ugly face, combined with his distinctive limp, made him hard to forget. After all, Khan had been the one who crippled his leg.
“Tch.”
Khan clicked his tongue and disappeared, reappearing behind the bumbling trio. They were too busy running to notice the monster lunging at them from behind.
“Shut up.”
With a sharp command, the monster’s head exploded against the city wall with a resounding crack.
“Holy crap! Who is that…?”
“Damn! It’s the Skull Crusher!”
“Quiet.”
Realizing they had nearly become monster chow, the brothers looked back and recognized Khan, causing them to nearly have a fit.
“You… what are you doing here? No, that’s a stupid question.”
The eldest brother, the limping one, shook his head, trying to remain calm.
“You must be here to deal with that monster, given your history of exploring the depths. I don’t know how you timed it, but you’ve made a mistake. The creature that’s emerged now is beyond…”
Boom—!
“What?”
Without even glancing back, Khan took down another massive monster that had leaped from the city wall with a single swing.
The sheer, overwhelming power and instincts left even the eldest of the ugly trio speechless. For a moment, he swallowed hard, thinking, this guy’s a monster too…
“The creature that broke through the walls near Necar Mountain was something from the depths. It was unlike anything we’ve seen before, and it makes you wonder how it could have hidden such a massive body.”
“Did you see it yourself?”
“I did. Unless my eyes are failing, there’s no way I could have missed it. It was a giant serpent with multiple heads…how could anyone miss that?”
“A serpent with multiple heads?”
“Yes. It’s hard to believe, isn’t it? Larger than buildings and with several heads. Unless it’s some witch’s experiment, I can’t imagine such a horrifying creature existing…”
Damn it.
Interrupting the limping man’s explanation with a curse, Khan instinctively looked toward the city wall—or rather, beyond it.
‘… We’re screwed.’