Chapter 6: I shouldn't have done that (6)

The messenger didn’t slow down even as we left the city. People shrieked and scrambled out of the way, and when we passed through the city gates, I think one of the guards shouted something at us. I had no idea whether everything was actually okay.

Thududududu.

Either way, we left the gates, crossed the bridge, and charged into the forest. The sun had already set, and the surroundings were extremely dark.

Click.

I glanced at the messenger’s torch flickering ahead of me and brought up the Full Map again.

Judging by the location marker, we still had quite a way to go. We had to travel about the same distance as from the Trading Company to the city gates—or maybe another one and a half times that distance.

Ah, not knowing how many survivors there are is making me really nervous. What if they’re all dead by the time we get there?

I narrowed my eyes slightly in concern, then wondered whether I could make the horse go even faster.

I didn’t need a light source since I had a flashlight myself. But what about the horse? For some reason, I kept having the feeling that it could handle more speed.

After thinking it over, I lowered my body close to the horse and gave it a signal. The bouncing of my body became much stronger, but not enough for me to lose the rhythm.

“Uh?!”

My horse overtook the messenger’s horse and began pulling farther ahead.

The horse might suffer a little, but I wouldn’t need to push it this hard on the way back. Please hang in there.

The messenger tried to keep up behind me, but perhaps there was simply a difference between the horses themselves. The distance between us continued to grow.

Thudududu.

Just as I began wondering whether the horse was about to start foaming at the mouth, I finally approached the point marked on the map.

Even over the pounding of hooves, I could hear the clanging of metal and the shrill screeches of Demons.

I could also see the torches of people fighting ahead.

Lights that told me there were still survivors.

“Victory upon my sword…”

I instinctively began offering a prayer, but then a brief thought crossed my mind.

Should I stop the horse and join them on foot? Can’t I fight from horseback?

“Glory to the heavens!”

Ah, screw it. Let’s try mounted combat! It wasn’t like the horse could die anyway!

“Reinforcements!”

“Reinforcements?!”

The people from the caravan spotted me almost at the same moment I charged straight into their midst.

My Blade sliced through three Goblins at once, while my horse crashed into two others and crushed their heads beneath it.

“Die, you little vermin!”

At the same time, I realized something.

Mounted combat was probably impossible for me.

“W-What?!”

“Just one person?!”

“You said reinforcements were coming!”

“Are we going to survive?!”

Controlling a horse that had built up this much speed using only my legs was difficult enough. Swinging a sword while doing that and trying to split apart tiny Goblins was even harder.

And on top of that, it was the middle of the night.

Torches had been lit here and there, but it was still much harder to distinguish things than during the day.

I would probably get the hang of it eventually, but this definitely wasn’t something I should be trying right now.

“Tch.”

The moment I came to that conclusion, I threw my Zweihänder at a Goblin and immediately jumped off the horse.

The impact from falling off a horse moving at that speed should have been enormous.

But this was a game.

My body fell onto a pile of Goblin corpses.

Thud!

I rolled as I landed, and after feeling a dull ache, my body tumbled across the ground. A little HP was shaved off, but I didn’t receive any status effects.

That was good enough.

I retrieved the Zweihänder from the Goblin with it lodged in its head and swung it immediately.

The two Goblins nearby were split cleanly in half.

When I glanced over, my horse was charging straight through the battlefield and running away into the distance.

「※ People in Danger

■ Travel to the battle location

■ Eliminate the attackers 8/??

■ Bonus: Number of survivors 30/52」

Good.

It showed me the number as soon as I arrived.

I quickly surveyed the battlefield and identified the dangerous areas. Naturally, I cut down every Goblin that came at me.

Fifteen wagons.

People fighting while standing on top of the wagons, their roofs torn apart.

Horses that were barely alive or completely collapsed.

Goblins swarming in from every direction.

And among the Goblins, creatures were tearing at corpses.

Wolves?

「Jackal | A cunning beast that hunts skillfully in packs. Jackals tamed by Demons are even fiercer and more tenacious.」

A window appeared before me.

They weren’t wolves. They were Jackals.

Not that it mattered much.

“You’ve really made a mess of things…”

Pretending to be filled with hatred, I rapidly assessed the situation.

The wagons and merchandise weren’t what I was supposed to protect, so I ignored them.

I also excluded the places where large numbers of people were gathered together. They seemed capable of helping one another and holding out even without me.

That left only one obvious place to go first.

Slash!

I ran toward the very front and swung my Zweihänder.

The Goblins gripped rusty daggers in their bony limbs, while the Jackals darted forward to claw at me.

But I didn’t care.

They all died in one hit anyway.

“W-Watch the ground—!”

Thud!

As I swept along the right side of the line of wagons, one of the wagon wheels suddenly jolted slightly, and the ground bulged upward.

If there hadn’t been someone nearby holding a torch, I definitely would have missed it.

“...?!”

Unfortunately, it happened to be the exact spot I was about to step on, so I was slightly startled.

However, I was capable of hiding my surprise.

And being startled didn’t mean my brain stopped working.

Calmly shifting my foot aside, I stabbed my Blade into the center of the bulging ground.

Crunch!

Something firm yet soft caught on the Blade.

「Gut Worm | A Demon that burrows beneath the earth with a body resembling a sheep’s intestine. It hunts its prey using the paralysis poison secreted from its teeth.」

I glanced over.

My sword was embedded in the head of a worm that looked like a mealworm inflated several hundred times over.

I had wondered why everyone had climbed onto the wagons.

Apparently, this thing had something to do with it.

And the reason so many people had died was probably because of its paralysis poison.

From that point onward, I continued the slaughter while watching where I stepped.

Since everyone had climbed onto the wagons, I didn’t have to worry much about where I swung my sword. It made things far more convenient.

An equal number of corpses was added atop the pile of Goblins the others had already killed.

Crunch!

The Gut Worms crushed beneath my Military Boots were just a bonus.

“W-What is that…?”

“It’s a monster…”

Screech.

Screeeeech!

But as I tore through and killed them, I spotted a Goblin with a distinctly different color.

A Hobgoblin.

The one I had seen in the Sewers.

Hidden by the wagons and the darkness of the night, I had mistaken it for an ordinary Goblin.

Jackpot.

“Screech?!”

The Hobgoblin raised its staff.

Black light flowed from it toward the surrounding Goblins.

Judging by the signs, it was probably some kind of buff skill.

In that case, I couldn’t let it go.

Supporters and healers were always the first priority.

“I’ll tear you apart and kill you…!”

The moment I spotted it, I charged straight at it.

The Goblins tried to stop me, but that only mattered if I bothered responding to them.

「Survival Instinct | A skilled warrior must be able to protect himself even on the battlefield, so this skill presents a route for avoiding attacks. Effect: Displays 1 possible evasion route. Cooldown: 60 seconds」

I activated one of the skills I had picked up when leveling up.

A translucent arrow appeared and showed me a path that would let me advance while taking as few attacks as possible.

This probably wasn’t what the skill was intended for, but it was a neat little trick.

Anyway, I immediately stepped onto the side of a wagon and jumped.

There was so much cargo loaded inside that it didn’t tip over from my weight.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

My body barely balanced on the narrow upper edge of the wagon’s side and railing as I crossed over two wagons.

The Hobgoblin at the very front was suddenly right before my eyes.

Screeeech!!!

The Goblins that leaped at me while I jumped between the wagons dug their claws into my body.

But I could endure that much pain and weight.

I tightened my grip on the sword and slashed upward.

The Goblins that had thrown themselves forward to become a wall of flesh were cut apart.

As I adjusted my grip, I reversed the sword in my hand and brought it crashing down from midair.

Crunch!

Were all Hobgoblins destined to be impaled to death?

This time, instead of its head, the Blade of the Zweihänder pierced straight through its neck.

Slash!

Since the position was awkward, I twisted and tore it apart with a swing afterward.

Grrrkkk—

From the Hobgoblin’s Adam’s apple, the sword tore through its arm and emerged from beneath its armpit before scraping across the ground and burying itself in another Goblin’s body.

At the same time, I released the hilt and tore the Goblins and Gut Worms clinging to my body away from me.

Quite a bit of my HP had been shaved off, and my paralysis poison gauge had risen slightly.

I was still in the safe zone, but another three or four bites would probably become dangerous.

Thud!

The Goblins caught in both of my hands were thrown away, and I drew my Longsword with my left hand.

Meanwhile, my right hand was still busy tearing the Demon bastards off my arms, legs, and back.

Screech!!

Wait. The boss is dead, but these guys are still perfectly fine?

I narrowed my eyes at the Goblins, who showed no signs of panicking, and then realized one thing I had overlooked.

The right side of the wagons—the side I had charged through—had contained only Goblins and Gut Worms.

But on the left side, there was still another Hobgoblin.

Bad luck with the draw.

“Aaaah!”

At that moment, an NPC with his ankle bitten by a Gut Worm began falling off the wagon.

“Tch.”

I exaggeratedly twisted my face into a grimace and threw my Longsword.

It wasn’t designed for throwing, so I didn’t receive any Combat Assistance and it landed slightly away from where I had aimed.

But that was enough.

A Goblin approaching the falling NPC was blocked by the sword embedded in the ground.

Whoosh.

In the meantime, I quickly grabbed my Zweihänder and charged forward.

The number of Goblins had decreased by the number I had slaughtered, making it easier to rush through than before.

“Die…!”

To get the maximum reach, I gripped the very end of the Zweihänder and brought it down from above.

Bang!

Two Goblins that had been targeting the NPC while avoiding the Longsword were split in half from the crown of their heads to their groins.

“Eek!”

“Pull him up!”

“Grab him!”

“Hold his arm!”

The NPC who had nearly died shrieked in terror, while the others on the wagon hurriedly grabbed his arms.

They pulled him up, and he collapsed face-first onto the merchandise.

Screech! Squeak!

That old man was safe now.

So, was it time to kill the remaining Hobgoblin?

Fortunately, it was on the same route.

I retrieved the Longsword I had thrown and swung it sideways.

The head of a Goblin that had leaped at me was separated from its neck and rolled away.

Tap.

The Longsword that had bisected the Goblin returned to my waist.

Heh. Even I have to admit, that was seriously cool.

Grrrrk.

The Zweihänder in one hand lightly scraped across the ground. When I gripped it with both hands, it rose into the air.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

My Military Boots stepped over Goblin corpses.

Screeeeeeech!!!

At the end of my charge, the Hobgoblin sensed the danger to its life and called Goblins to stand in front of it.

But I didn’t slow down.

My Zweihänder was pointed forward, parallel to the ground.

And its Blade was approximately one meter long.

Crunch!

With a couple of Goblins impaled on my shoulders, I pierced through three Goblins and the Hobgoblin’s heart.

Screech!

Squeak, squeak!!

“D-Dead…”

“The Demons are…”

Immediately afterward, the Goblins panicked and began running in every direction.

Shing.

I drew my bloodstained Longsword and cut off the Hobgoblin’s head—just in case—before hunting down and killing the ones trying to escape.

The Goblins that had been clutching scraps of clothing from corpses or hopping around in place shrieked in terror and fled toward the other side of the forest.

“Are you leaving…?!”

Would it be more in character to chase down even the fleeing ones and tear them apart?

Or should I help the people deal with the aftermath?

Ptooey.

I spat out the bloody saliva in my mouth.

Apparently, while fighting, pieces of Goblin flesh had gotten into my mouth.

That was one of the downsides of a game that was too realistically implemented.

I pulled out the Zweihänder I had left behind.

When I checked the number of survivors, it had stopped at 27.

“S-Saved…”

“My God, thank you…”

“Who on earth is that person…?”

Ah, and the Mercenaries.

Hadn’t the Trading Company said they were sending Mercenaries separately?

Unless my memory was failing me, they definitely had.

I had no idea when they were supposed to arrive, though.

The Messenger seemed to have successfully caught up after retrieving my runaway horse.

“Aaaaargh!”

Whatever.

Whether the Mercenaries came or not, chasing after the fleeing Demons would fit my Character Concept better.

Just as I took a step forward with that thought, a desperate scream struck my ears.

“Demonic Energy is invading him!”

“Isn’t there any medicine?!”

“There are sedatives, but…”

That was when I remembered one of the game’s settings.

「Demonic Energy Corruption | Those attacked by Demons have a certain probability of becoming corrupted by Demonic Energy.

As the corruption level rises, various status effects are inflicted. In severe cases, the victim may transform into a Demon.」

In the original game, I remembered that the corruption gauge had a chance to increase every time you took damage from a Demon.

Different status effects were applied at every ten-percent interval, if I remembered correctly.

Still, it wasn’t particularly difficult to manage.

You could buy medicine from the Temple or receive Purification, and everything would be fine.

More importantly, the Demon Knight class didn’t have to worry about it.

Maybe because it already had a Demon in its arm, its corruption gauge didn’t increase at all!

“Take this.”

“Huh?”

Anyway, I had exactly the medicine they needed.

Maybe because the starting items were shared by all classes.

The Demon Knight class had no use for it, yet I had been given it anyway.

「Demonic Energy Antidote | A pill that purifies Demonic Energy that has corrupted the inside of a human body. It suppresses the madness brought by Demons and brings temporary calm.」

Anyway, I threw them a bottle of pills.

There were ten pills in one set, so they should be able to make good use of them.

“This… T-Thank you!”

“Medicine?!”

It was a little expensive, so part of me felt reluctant to give it away.

But when I saw the NPCs’ incredibly realistic expressions, I felt rather satisfied.

Yeah.

It wasn’t like I needed it anyway.

Saving a few NPCs with it was fine.

Besides, someone who had lost their family to Demons and had also suffered Demonic Energy Corruption probably wouldn’t stand by and watch other people become corrupted by Demons.

So it didn’t go against my interpretation of the character, either.

Perfect.

“Do we have any Bandages?!”

“Damn it, we’re running out of sedatives…!”

“Is that all the Demonic Energy Antidote we have?!”

“T-That’s all that person gave us.”

“Damn…”

But somehow, it seemed like they needed more.

I hesitated, my feet already pointed toward the dark forest, before finally turning back toward the wagons.

Creak.

The sword in my hand rubbed against my leather gloves as I slid it into the scabbard on my back.

Clatter.

“This is?!”

“Use it.”

Considering the number of survivors, I threw them another bottle of Demonic Energy Antidote.

I also handed over the Bandages I had received as starting equipment to the people who needed them.

I had wondered why they had given me so many starting items.

Maybe this was exactly what they had been intended for.

“T-Thank you!”

The game had provided all of it, so there was no reason for them to thank me.

More importantly, could I get reimbursed if I billed that old man for these?

The game was so well made that it was hard to tell.

Thududududu.

“Ah, reinforcements!”

Just then, I saw the Mercenaries sent by the Trading Company charging toward us in the distance—or rather, I saw the torches they were carrying.

The quest was over.