Wandering Mercenary in an Open World
chapter-102

The men’s weapons and outfits varied widely.

Some wielded long spears, others carried swords, and some had hammers or axes. They were a motley crew.

Their mismatched gear made one thing clear.

They were not soldiers, but mercenaries.

That was the conclusion Ruon reached when he heard a greasy voice among the clustered mercenaries.

“Looks like the old bastard who was scraping by suddenly got a second wind and hired some mercenaries, huh? Did he have some money stashed away?”

As he spoke, the mercenaries parted to make way for a man with a massive body who waddled out like a penguin.

Maybe he knew his face looked like a baby’s because of his fat and saggy skin. He had grown a beard that did not suit him at all to cover his face.

“Haha, you’re a stiff one. I wonder if you can keep your posture when you find out who I am.”

He cleared his throat and looked around.

“Is there no one who can introduce me to that greenhorn?”

Just then, Colin, who had walked behind Ruon, frowned at the sight.

“What’s with that tone?”

At that moment, a shifty-looking mercenary stepped forward and shouted.

“This gentleman here is none other than Baron Farell, the filthy rich owner of some some mine or whatever. Did you hear that? You bastard!”

It was a cheap and rude introduction.

But the pig-like baron nodded his head with a satisfied smile. Upon closer inspection, he had a long scar across his forehead. It seemed to be the wound that Oten had left.

“Let me add a little explanation to this friend’s words. I’m on a heroic march with my proud soldiers. I’m rooting out the savages who were lurking in my territory and exposing the traitors. I’ve dealt with the problem that could have turned into a rebellion because of my father’s lax management. Do you understand?”

He’s just crazy.

Ruon revised his evaluation of the baron based on his words. He was not just covering up his faults by blaming the villagers for various crimes. He actually believed he was a hero.

His eyes, without a hint of doubt, proved that.

Meanwhile, the baron yelled.

“This house is where the wicked old man who sold my daughter to the savages and his granddaughter are hiding. So get out of the way! Then I’ll show you my last mercy with my generous magnanimity.”

He was a loudmouth. Ruon did not want to hear his quacking noise anymore. He clenched his fist silently, when

“Mercy? Who for whom?”

Kyle stepped forward.

Unlike Ruon and Colin, who wore leather and linen armor, he wore iron armor that glinted faintly. The baron flinched at his appearance.

“…Of course, I for you.”

“Are you confident in front of the goddess?”

The baron was bewildered by the sudden question, but soon sneered and answered.

“Of course! Do you know how much I’ve donated and offered to Tivella? I can say that I own a few pillars of the cathedral without exaggeration.”

At some point, Kyle’s face lost its expression. He turned his body and looked out the window, then smiled faintly and gestured to the old man to cover his ears with both index fingers.

The old man, who understood his meaning, nodded and covered the ears of the sleeping Adley with both hands.

Then Kyle turned his body again and said.

“…Why did the goddess choose me, who was nothing but a woodcutter, as her sword? I’ve always wondered, but now I think I know a little.”

The mercenaries, the baron, and even Colin held their breath at his calm voice. Ruon also quietly watched his movements.

Shriek-

He drew the Arming Sword from his waist instead of the hammer he had left in the hut. A faint light leaked from his body.

Then the baron shouted in surprise.

“Y-you! Who are you!”

Kyle pointed his sword at him and answered.

“I’m Tivella’s champion.”

At his words, the mercenaries murmured and looked at each other. They were used to pleasing the whims of the rich and committing all kinds of evil deeds. The knights of the church were their source of fear.

The baron shook his chin and screamed.

“Lies, lies! Why would Tivella’s champion come to this backwater? He’s using magic. Kill him! He’s surely in league with the savages. He’s a rebel who wants to overthrow the country!”

His scream was like a fuse, and the mercenaries rushed in with a roar.

“Die! You bastard!”

The one who had his nose broken and had been glaring at Ruon as if he wanted to kill him swung his axe first.

Ruon reached out and snapped the flying axe blade like a straw, then returned it to the bewildered man.

Crack-The axe head stuck in his forehead, and he fell back stiffly as if he had been struck by lightning. And he never got up again.

Right after, Ruon dodged a spear aimed at his temple by tilting his head, then grabbed the spear shaft and pulled it in.

“Wh-what?”

The mercenary, losing his balance and falling forward, was punched in the face by a large fist and sent flying backward. He lay motionless, appearing to have died instantly.

The man, deeming the mercenary unworthy of even drawing his sword, grabbed two mercenaries rushing from either side and smashed them together like cymbals. Meanwhile, his companions were also busy engaging in battle.

Colin, with his experience in the battlefield, wielded his sword precisely, effortlessly cutting down mercenaries, while Kyle aggressively swung his sword, showing no mercy as he cleared his path of enemies.

“Can’t you fight properly? Do you know how much I’ve spent on you?”

The baron shouted in shock as he watched his mercenaries crumble to the ground. Despite his desperate cries, the situation spiraled out of control.

Nearly a dozen men failed to overcome just three, scattering blood in a surreal scene that left the baron gaping in stunned silence.

“This can’t be happening, it’s a lie! I’ve invested a hundred gold coins in these men. A hundred!”

The baron’s words were cut short as Luon kicked him in the chest. The baron, emitting a sound like a pig being slaughtered, fell to the ground, unable to rise due to his own weight.

“Wait! I don’t know how much that old man paid you, but I’ll give you ten times, no, a hundred times more. What do you say? Isn’t that tempting?”

Even in this situation, the baron tried to bargain, but Kyle kicked him hard in the face.

The baron instinctively covered his face as he spat out yellow teeth.

“Don’t be so dramatic,” Kyle growled.

Colin, having finished off the fallen mercenaries with his sword, approached with blood streaming down his cheek.

“They’re all dead.”

Realizing there was no hope left, the baron wet himself where he sat.

Kyle looked down at the pitiful figure and asked, “Why did you kill that woman?”

The baron, blinking in confusion, suddenly remembered something and said, “Are you talking about that barbarian’s woman? It’s a misunderstanding. I didn’t kill her. I just wanted to have a bit of fun before letting her go. I never thought she’d bite her tongue and end her life. Damn it! Am I that disgusting?”

Ranting to himself, the baron suddenly put on a forced smile and added, “I should apologize. Yes, to that old man. Then everything will be fine, right? If I sincerely repent, the goddess of mercy will forgive me, won’t she?”

Colin, disgusted by the nonsensical talk, twirled his sword in his hand.

“This pig is unbelievable…”

Luon raised his arm to stop Colin, shaking his head slightly in response to Colin’s questioning look.

Kyle then said, “My friend had something to say when he killed a demon. There are no prayers for you.”

The baron tilted his head in confusion at the sudden mention of a demon.

“What are you talking about all of a sudden…”

Before the baron could finish, Kyle continued calmly, “There’s no mercy for you either, bastard.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Kyle’s sword sliced through the air. The baron’s throat was deeply cut, and he twisted his body as he let out a deflating sound.

His eyes rolled back, and as they turned completely white, he stopped moving.

Colin approached Kyle, who was looking down at the dead baron with a complex expression, and said while wiping under his nose, “Well done, brother. Don’t be too down.”

***

The old man, unable to believe that the three strangers he had taken into his home had saved his and his granddaughter’s lives, laughed hollowly before breaking down into tears like a child.

Kyle knelt beside the old man, joining him in silent prayer for the dead daughter, son-in-law, and villagers.

In that moment, he was truly becoming a champion of the goddess of mercy.

“I always thought there was something special about you since you arrived in shining armor, but to be a champion of the gods… I’ve lived a tumultuous life myself, but I can’t compare to you two. What exactly happened?”

Colin, who had been tossing bodies into a large pit, wiped the sweat from his forehead and asked.

Luon, who had been collecting a few silver coins from the dead, pushed another body into the pit and replied, “Killed a couple of archdemons… something like that.”

Colin, drinking from his water skin, sprayed water forward and choked. After regaining his breath, he said, “What? What demons? You’re joking, right?”

“There’s no one here to laugh.”

Colin blinked, still not comprehending.

“Why haven’t you told me about this before? We’ve been traveling together for days.”

“You never asked.”

“Ah?”

Indeed, he hadn’t.

Ruon didn’t talk about his past because he wasn’t asked, and even Kyle, who liked to chat about this and that, had no reason to blurt out that he had killed the great demon.

Besides, Colin, who had become numb to rumors while roaming the battlefield, still didn’t know the name of the party that had slain the great demon.

Of course, Ruon thought it was rather fortunate that he didn’t know his embarrassing nickname, ‘the great Ruon’.

“Shit, shit. Who have I been traveling with all this time?”

Colin muttered and then added abruptly.

“We’re going north to find Amela, right? That’s what Kyle said, I think.”

“That’s right.”

“That’s a relief. I thought we were going to kill another great demon…”

Ruon wondered if he should tell him that it might happen, when Kyle came through the grass from afar.

“I’m sorry. I should have helped you.”

“Ah, no, it’s fine. What’s this? It’s normal to deal with corpses. By the way, how are the two of them?”

Kyle looked at Colin, who was stammering, with a strange expression and said.

“They’ve calmed down and fallen asleep. I gave them some money for the trip, but they’re still anxious.”

“It’s not our territory from now on.”

Kyle nodded at Ruon’s words.

Then he opened his mouth slowly.

“I’m sorry for killing the noble without listening to the two of them…”

Colin waved his hand.

“Hey, brother, why are you apologizing all the time? What’s wrong with killing a noble? I’m a damn deserter, you know? And in my opinion, judging by the way he talked, he wasn’t from a deep-rooted family. He must have been a rich merchant who bought a title. Let’s just cover it up.”

He said, rummaging through the last remaining baron’s corpse.

“He said he had a mine ownership or something, but I wonder if he hid it somewhere.”

Why would he carry that around with him?

Ruon snorted incredulously, and Colin exclaimed.

“What? He has it?”