Chapter 9

Posted by Kuze, ? Views, Released on January 22, 2025

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4.

The Rubens Empire in the central part of the continent.

The empire is the undisputed strongest superpower in the world, wielding immense influence across the continent.

However, even such an empire has remote areas beyond its reach. The vast desert to the south, the jungle regions to the east, and the snowy mountains and prairies to the north.

Among these, the “Village of Vagrants” is located right below the snowy mountains. It’s a village formed by fugitives who fled after committing crimes in the empire. This place is truly a lawless zone.

Since most of the inhabitants are former criminals, it’s extremely rare for anyone to earn money through honest work.

Most of them either rob unsuspecting travelers who wander into the village or make a living by banditry outside the village.

Just like now.

“Did you see that pouch earlier?”

“It looked like it had over a hundred silver coins.”

“Really? Wow, that’s amazing.”

The first floor of a dimly lit inn.

Men sitting in their respective seats sharpened their knives while chatting. Then, a man sitting in the corner suddenly spoke up.

“But he couldn’t possibly be a noble, right?”

“Idiot. What noble would wander around with just one mercenary?”

“He couldn’t be a noble in the first place.”

“Because they came over the mountains.”

They came over the mountains.

At these words, everyone’s expressions changed.

“That means…”

“They’re barbarian brats.”

Beyond the snowy mountains lies a vast prairie.

It’s the domain of barbarians, far removed from civilization. These people have no connection to the empire. Even if they quietly disappeared in such a village, no one would care.

“But the woman seems different, right?”

“Right. She doesn’t look like a barbarian.”

“Hey, that’s even better. We can have some fun with her and then sell her for a high price.”

Some of the men chuckled.

Soon, they gripped their knives. Sharpened blades. Everyone’s eyes turned menacing.

“Alright, then…”

“Let’s head up if you’re ready.”

It’s time to work.

The men moved as if it were routine. They climbed the creaky stairs and reached the second floor. Someone spoke to the man leading the way.

“Hey, Joel.”

“What?”

“Target the barbarian first. No matter how you look at it, that guy doesn’t seem ordinary.”

A warning laced with concern.

Joel laughed it off.

“Why are you so worried? It’s not like this is our first time. Just watch and see.”

They had already drugged the bread the barbarians were supposed to eat. By now, they should be passed out.

With that confidence, Joel continued walking.

But suddenly, his eyebrow twitched.

‘What was that? Just now…’

He thought he heard a voice.

He cautiously listened, but beyond the door, it was completely silent. Did he mishear? As he pondered this and fiddled with his knife—

*Crash! Bang!*

With the sound of the door breaking, a massive hand burst through.

Before he could even react, his head was grabbed. An overwhelming force followed.

Joel’s eyes widened.

“Guh! Gahk!”

He had intended to swing his knife the moment his head was grabbed. But he couldn’t do anything. The grip was impossibly strong.

‘I… I can’t breathe!’

All he could do was struggle with a pained expression.

That was Joel’s last thought.

*Crunch!*

With the sound of something being crushed, Joel’s body went limp.

5.

“Damn it! They noticed!”

“Attack them all at once!”

After Joel fell, foaming at the mouth, the men from downstairs rushed in.

They held sharply honed knives.

In such situations, there are usually two options. One is to flee, and the other is to find a weapon or shield in the room.

But Ulan’s choice was neither.

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

Instead of retreating, he charged forward.

This was unexpected for the men. Their surprise created openings, and Ulan didn’t miss them.

*Thwack! Crunch!*

A punch to the face.

The nose shattered in one blow. Ulan twisted his body, elbowed the head, and then raised his knee to smash the jaw.

*Thud! Crack!*

Three men fell in an instant.

Ulan’s assault didn’t stop there. He used the unconscious man as a shield and charged toward the stairs.

“Wha—what?!”

“Damn it! Aaah!”

A brutal charge.

The men tumbled down to the first floor like dominoes. Their formation collapsed, and they lost their composure.

Now, this was Ulan’s battlefield.

*Thud! Crack! Crunch!*

Fists, arms, legs, and knees. He used his entire body to efficiently subdue his enemies.

Was it due to his monstrous strength?

None of those hit by Ulan got back up. By the time he caught and subdued even those trying to flee the inn—

“Joel’s gang has been taken down!”

“Stop him! Don’t let him escape!”

The villagers swarmed in.

It seemed they were all in cahoots. Armed and with hostile eyes, they were proof enough.

‘Then I’ll just have to knock them all down.’

Ulan clenched his fist.

If he swung an axe, he wasn’t sure he could subdue them without killing.

But at that moment, something unexpected happened.

*Rumble! Splash!*

The ground rippled like the surface of a lake. Soon, the villagers’ feet were sucked into the ground.

“Wha—what’s this?!”

“The ground turned into a swamp!”

“It’s magic! He’s using magic!”

The villagers panicked at the sudden change. Meanwhile, Ulan instinctively knew what was happening.

‘Noa, is that you?’

Ulan’s guess was correct.

Noa had stepped outside and spread talismans all around. She asked, wide awake:

“What on earth is going on?”

“I don’t know either.”

Ulan shook his head.

“Let’s subdue them first.”

“Ugh, that sounds good.”

Noa agreed.

With their thoughts aligned, there was no hesitation.

The two faced dozens of people and soon succeeded in subduing everyone.

“Now, shall we hear the reason for the attack?”

Noa began to interrogate.

The reason was obvious. Their goal was the silver coins and Noa. After a moment, Noa’s expression changed as if she had realized something.

‘Ah, I see. No wonder it felt familiar when I first saw it…’

This place was in Noa’s memory.

To be precise, it was a place that appeared in the character story of “Noa Darshen.” Eight years ago, a village that captured young Noa and sold her to a slave trader.

‘…The Village of Vagrants.’

Noa’s eyes turned somber.

Meanwhile, the men subdued by Ulan began to shout shamelessly.

“We’re citizens of the empire!”

“If you lay a hand on us, you won’t get away with it!”

“The army will come to exterminate the barbarians!”

“You don’t want to make an enemy of the empire, do you?!”

As they bluffed, Noa casually remarked:

“Stop lying.”

“Huh?”

“This is the Village of Vagrants. A den of criminals who fled after committing crimes in the empire. The empire isn’t so idle as to send troops just because some criminals disappeared.”

At her words, the villagers’ faces turned pale. As if struck to the core.

“So it’s true.”

Ulan muttered, intrigued.

“But how do you know that? Didn’t you say it’s your first time around here?”

“Uh…!”

Noa’s eyes widened momentarily.

A look of realization.

“I… I heard it from my teacher!”

Noa hastily dodged the question.

Ulan stared at her intently.

Noa reflexively avoided his gaze. The more he knew, the more she seemed to hide.

“Let’s assume that for now.”

I’ll ask her everything at once when the opportunity arises.

I need to find out what she’s hiding in that small body.

With that thought, Ulan picked up an axe lying on the ground. He then strode over and struck the neck of a nearby man.

*Thud! Thump!*

The chilling sound of metal tearing through flesh.

With the sound of the head being severed, blood gushed out. The somewhat surreal scene made Noa freeze momentarily.

“Uh…?”

The other fugitives were the same.

For a moment, it felt as if time had frozen. The only things moving were Ulan and the axe in his hand.

*Thud! Crack!*

The second fugitive’s head flew off.

The third, fourth, fifth.

Just as the sixth fugitive’s head was about to be severed, Noa shut her eyes tightly and shouted:

“Ulan! What are you doing…?”

“Cleaning up.”

Ulan replied indifferently.

Swinging a blade means being prepared to be struck by one. Moreover, these were men who tried to kill for money. There was no reason to spare them.

“Eeek!”

“Spare us!”

Perhaps sensing their impending death, the fugitives screamed for mercy.

But it had no effect on Ulan. Just as he was about to swing the axe again—

“Wait, wait!”

Noa stopped Ulan again.

Her eyes were still tightly shut.

“There’s a much better way than just killing them! Something that benefits us!”

“A better way?”

“Yes, something you’ll surely be satisfied with.”

A better solution than splitting heads? Out of sudden curiosity, Ulan silently put the axe away.

Shortly after, they tied up thirty fugitives with ropes and spent the night in the Village of Vagrants.

5.

The next morning.

Ulan and Noa left the village at dawn. After three days of diligent travel, they finally arrived in imperial territory.

The border town, Kavien.

Their destination wasn’t an inn but the town’s guard station. They were there to hand over the fugitives they had subdued in the Village of Vagrants.

And as a result—

“Thank you for your cooperation.”

“Here is the promised reward.”

They received a substantial reward.

One hundred and eighty-six silver coins.

They had earned twice their travel expenses in one go. Additionally, they received a special reward.

「Third-Class Pass.」

Although it had various usage restrictions, possessing it allowed smooth travel to their destination.

“I didn’t expect you to hand them over to the guards.”

“Killing them would have been easier, but we wouldn’t have gained anything. Handing them over to the guards and collecting the bounty is much more beneficial.”

Noa shrugged.

There was another reason.

‘It’s been eight years since I entered this game world.’

She had adapted quite well to this world by now. But seeing people die in front of her—no matter how many times she saw it—she couldn’t get used to it.

So Noa decided to hand the fugitives over to the guards. She recalled a similar event in the game.

‘Anyway, we earned money from it.’

Ulan should be satisfied with that.

With a broad smile, Noa patted her now-heavier coin pouch. Ulan spoke up again.

“You seem to have done something else too.”

During their journey, Noa had performed strange rituals on the fugitives every night. She attached talismans to their bodies or drew symbols on their foreheads.

Each time, the fugitives screamed as if being tortured.

“Fufufu, that’s right. I cursed them.”

“A curse? What kind?”

“The Curse of Non-Killing and the Curse of Harvest.”

The Curse of Non-Killing causes excruciating headaches and drains the target’s life force if they harbor murderous intent or hatred.

“And the Curse of Harvest binds the target’s soul to me upon their death. I can use those souls to enhance my spells or increase my magic power.”

After Noa’s explanation, Ulan asked, sounding surprised:

“I thought you didn’t like people dying?”

“That’s right. But only when I see it.”

Seeing people die in front of her—no matter how many times she saw it—she couldn’t get used to it. But that only applied when she saw it with her own eyes.

“Out of my sight, I don’t care if they live or die. Even if it’s because of a curse I cast.”

So she cast the curses without hesitation.

After all, she wouldn’t see them again. Moreover, it felt like this was the only way to satisfy “Noa Darshen’s” lingering resentment.

So killing them was fine.

Noa smiled brightly.

“…”

Ulan silently stared at her.

When he first met her, he thought she was just a small, timid girl like a rabbit. But now, it seemed that wasn’t entirely the case.

‘And…’

For some reason, he felt something strange.

Since they hadn’t been together long, he couldn’t quite place it. But spending more time together would surely clarify that feeling.

‘For now, I’ll keep watching her.’