1.
As the man stepped forward, the expressions of the other guys behind him turned fierce as well. They fiddled with their weapons as they stood beside him.
Hanson's response to that was incredibly simple. He just ignored them.
"That fucking bastard..."
Hanson turned and started walking down the slope. The man tried to chase after him and grab him, but he was stopped by the others.
"Why hold me back? We need to teach that bastard a lesson!"
"Calm down. For now, the knight entrusted us with this mission, so we need to handle that first. We can deal with his bullshit later."
"We can do it fine without that prick."
"Still, the knight specifically mentioned him. If something goes wrong, she might hold us accountable."
The logical argument shut the man's mouth. He clenched his fist tightly and let out a sigh.
"Fine. It's the knight's orders, after all."
"Good thinking. We'll figure out how to handle that guy later."
Watching Hanson's back as he walked away, the vigilante group headed down casually. They had expected monsters to attack along the way, but surprisingly, the surroundings stayed quiet.
"Hold! Hold the line, I said!"
"If you fall back, it's over! Fill in any gaps yourselves!"
Sudden shouts rang out. Turning their heads, they spotted the village hall in full view.
A barricade made of tables and chairs had been set up around it, and humans and goblins were clashing fiercely on either side.
Bodies of both humans and goblins littered the ground indiscriminately, the mingled stench of their blood thick in the air.
"Doesn't look good."
"Yeah. We need to help quick."
That was when they moved to join the fray with their blades drawn.
Splash!
Sudden red spray arcing through the air. Three goblin heads hit the ground at once.
"What the?"
One man—the same guy who'd picked a fight with them earlier—could be seen charging into the goblin horde.
It was reckless. Or so they thought. But that notion vanished in less than five seconds.
Puke!
Two goblin heads skewered like kebabs on his blade, which he yanked free before swinging it again at lightning speed.
Slash!
Fresh blood sprayed with a crisp sound. Just as a goblin sneaking up from behind thrust its dagger forward, the man's hand clamped around its throat.
Crack—
And snapped it clean. The green monster's body went limp. He hurled the corpse at another goblin and swung his sword wildly once more.
Kieeek!
On ground where human screams had dominated, goblin cries now overlaid them. The precarious front line stabilized, and the goblin formation crumbled.
Faced with such unreal power, the vigilante group could only watch in stunned silence.
"...A knight."
Yeah. It resembled a knight's prowess. Of course, the gap was enormous. But at a glance, it was the kind of might that could fool you into thinking he was one.
Kieeek!
As the last goblin fell, the man's movements halted. Covered head to toe in blood, he caught his breath for a moment before turning to the vigilante group.
The men flinched in shock. They tried to play it cool, but after witnessing that display, how could they not be intimidated?
"What are you standing around for? Hurry up and help."
They had no choice but to obey his gestured command.
2.
"Are you a knight?"
Inside the village hall, the mercenary I'd dealt with earlier asked with a furrowed brow. I sipped the tea in front of me and shook my head.
"No way."
I'd only encountered knights once, during a territorial war. Those guys were truly...
'Monsters in their own right.'
That was when I first understood why lords went to such lengths to maintain knights—and granted them so much power.
A knight was a pure killing machine. Mount them on a warhorse, and they became a murder tank. Only another knight could stop them.
'Being lumped in with those guys.'
Apparently, my performance earlier had left quite an impression. Of course, a real knight would have chopped his head off for the insult.
"Right? I mean, you're not gonna say you are one later and cut my head off for speaking casually, are you? I'm trusting that won't happen."
"I said I'm not."
The mercenary let out a deep sigh and relaxed his expression. He seemed relieved.
"Yeah, makes sense. No way a knight would be in a backwater village like this."
"There is one."
It was a mutter, but I replied anyway.
"What?"
His face crumpled.
"For real? There's a knight here?"
"Yeah. Why do you think I came to help the village hall? Because of the knight."
"A knight in a place like this... has to be that bitch."
I hadn't spilled any details, yet the man pinpointed the knight's identity instantly. Looked like he already knew.
'Bad blood between them?'
He tried to stay nonchalant, but his body betrayed him.
His white-knuckled grip on the teacup, ragged breaths, blazing eyes. Anyone could see he was furious.
'Or maybe there's a reason knights and mercenaries don't get along.'
Knights were nobles.
Sure, commoners and nobles generally didn't mix well, but not to this extent. How often did a commoner even cross paths with nobility?
'Maybe he met one on the battlefield like I did.'
I hadn't noticed before, but now I saw a few fingers missing from his hand. Large scars peeked from his clothes too.
'Not my business.'
I shook my head to clear the thoughts. Good or bad blood between them, it wasn't my concern. He'd handle it himself.
"Thanks for the heads-up. And for the help."
"No problem."
"I'd like to repay you somehow, but we're in rough shape right now. Once things settle, I'll send someone with proper thanks."
"Sure."
The place was practically in ruins. I wasn't so heartless as to squeeze rewards from here.
'Besides, I've already been rewarded.'
Taking down those goblins at the village hall had netted me a level-up and plenty of gold. A huge gain.
"Guess I should head out."
"Yeah. Take care."
With his send-off, I stepped outside. The door creaking open drew every villager's gaze.
They paused their work and bowed deeply—a thanks for the rescue. I nodded back and wove through the corpses.
'A lot died.'
Over twenty human bodies at a glance. Far more goblins, but that didn't console much.
No, maybe it was cause for joy. Fewer mouths to feed meant no food worries for a while.
'Guess my brain's pickled too.'
I chuckled and turned outward.
The night sky still shrouded everything, but village buildings blazed below, standing in for the sunset.
'Time to head back.'
I led the hesitant vigilante group back up the path.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"The vigilante group told me. Said you did great."
"It was nothing."
Fighting solo versus having people hold the front felt totally different.
As I shrugged, a smile tugged at her lips.
"You're really not a knight's squire? Or maybe an apprentice knight."
"I said no."
"Hmm. If what the vigilantes reported is true, I'd have heard your name somewhere. And the porter bit is weird too."
"Everyone's got their circumstances, right?"
Almost no mercenaries lacked a backstory. That's what drew guys like them to the job.
"Don't wanna talk? Fine by me. More importantly, where you planning to stay from now on?"
The lady knight brushed it off coolly. Like before, she had a very straightforward personality.
"Was gonna stick at the inn for a bit... oh."
Right, it was probably all burned to ash by now.
"Hmm. If it's not a bother, how about living up top with us? I'll tell folks to treat you right."
"Payment for doing your favor?"
"No. Just my goodwill. Letting someone like you die pointlessly here would be a huge loss. In this messed-up world, strong folks are more precious than ever, no?"
I nodded.
"No reason to say no."
"Then let's go now. Follow me."
I stuck by the lady knight as we climbed the hill. The vigilante group trailed slowly behind.
"Where'd you learn swordsmanship?"
"Never learned."
"For real? Looked like you had the basics down."
'Of course.'
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡Lv.6 Basic Swordsmanship
Slashing, thrusting, and blocking. Allows proficient use of swordsmanship fundamentals.
Basic Swordsmanship had reached Lv.6 and evolved into its current name without me noticing. Never dreamed it'd progress like this.
More than that, when the hell had she watched me fight?
'Gotta stay cautious.'
Chatting idly with the lady knight, a low wall soon came into view. Two men stood guard before it, weapons in hand.
"Who goes there!"
The man swung his torch and demanded. Spotting the lady knight, he continued.
"Open up."
"Yes, ma'am!"
The soldiers startled and bowed. They glanced at me briefly.
The vigilante group didn't enter, dispersing on their own. Looked like they lived elsewhere.
"Oh."
Inside was a tidy garden and a large house.
"Never imagined a house like this in a village like that."
"Plenty of mountains and forests near Dina Village. It's a villa set up for occasional retreats."
'Noble's villa, huh.'
That explained it. From the description, it was probably the vacation home of whoever the lady knight served.
"You must be tired from fighting. I'll assign you a room. The maid will show you. Oh, and breakfast with the Young Lady tomorrow morning—set your own alarm. Got it?"
"Got it."
"Then she'll guide you."
A maid approached silently, bowed, and said to me,
"This way, please."
The maid led me through the grand house to a room. She helped me undress, then brought steaming bathwater—hot, by the looks of it.
'Baths even in this apocalypse.'
What a luxury. Nobles gonna noble.
"Shall I assist with your bath?"
She asked as she slipped off a bit more clothing. Tempting for a second, but I shook my head. I was beat, and sticky.
"No need."
"Understood. Leave your clothes out, and I'll have them laundered."
"Sure."
"Very well."
The maid left, and I sank my feet into the wooden tub. Fully submerged, a groan escaped me.
"Feels good."
Getting treatment like this out of nowhere. Strength really was king in this world.
'Time to check today's gains.'