WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Sword Master of the Fallen Kingdom

Chapter 92

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Proof of Blood (1)

What did it mean to grow used to something?

Happy memories, sad memories, even suffering so awful it felt cruel. If all of them faded with time and slowly wore away, would a person eventually stop feeling even the slightest stir from them?

The passing scenery of the highlands was mostly the same. The breathtaking views that had felt mysterious at first had dulled at some point. Even the soaring peaks capped with eternal snow and the beautiful vistas spread out beneath them were no different. They no longer moved him the way they had before. They felt like part of the background.

Kyle stared at a distant ridge for a while, then lifted the hem of his cloak and gave it a light sniff. Thanks to a day of rest at the fortress yesterday, along with a quick wash and drying, it did not stink. Normally, he would have handled it with magic, but right now, even a single thread of mana was precious. He could not keep walking around in a blood-soaked cloak, so washing it with water had been his only option.

More than anything, the baron had handed over far more supplies than expected.

Does he trust me? Or does he trust my sword?

Neither would be strange. In a situation where the country’s ruler could change depending on the outcome, funneling supplies to him after sending a hundred soldiers was only natural.

Kyle tightened the reins of the horse he was riding. He was no longer in the original carriage, but on a horse the fortress had provided separately.

His black eyes slowly swept over the procession, which had grown several times larger. Thanks to the spoils taken from the enemies who had been camped in front of the fortress, they had plenty of usable wagons, horses, and supplies.

“They’re not disguising themselves anymore?”

“That’s what they said. Apparently there’s no point.”

“Then we can’t ambush anyone. Isn’t this basically a declaration of war?”

“What declaration of war? The moment we killed three of the count’s knights in the first battle, it was already war.”

“That’s true.”

The same went for their numbers. The duchy’s soldiers, the convoy’s mercenaries and merchants, and Kyle’s group. Nearly three hundred people were either riding inside the wagons or marching briskly outside.

It was a massive procession, with ten more wagons added to the original ten.

“Anything wrong on your side?”

Kyle asked while looking ahead. Kellan was approaching from that direction.

“No, nothing. At least, not yet.”

Kellan answered at once. He had not remained at the fortress and was accompanying Kyle. Since their forces had grown, every commander was valuable, so it was only natural. Kyle had not intended to let him stay behind in the first place.

“Are you really certain they’ll attack? That...”

“You mean the unit that cut off the fortress’s supply route?”

“...Yes.”

“They’ll come. Even if it isn’t them, others will smell blood and rush in. Whether they’re barbarians or Count Barkan’s rebel army.”

Yesterday, while drawing up the plan, Kyle and Kellan had heard the details from the baron. They had wiped out every enemy camped before the walls, but that was not everything.

Separate forces had cut off the auxiliary trade route and the supply route. Kyle had dealt with the former before arriving at the fortress, but the latter remained.

If a large procession of twenty wagons emerged from a fortress that had been on the verge of falling, the enemy would inevitably notice. They would realize that the barbarians and the count’s troops besieging the fortress had been wiped out.

“We need to cut down their numbers as much as possible before reaching Count Barkan’s fortress anyway.”

“A plan where we turn ourselves into bait...”

“We can’t fully disguise ourselves as a trading convoy like before, but we’ve reduced our visible strength by more than half. For now, it’s better if they underestimate us.”

The wagons of the original Silas Trade Company and the wagons the barbarians had seized as spoils were different in size and shape. Even so, it was not a major problem.

What mattered was that their visible force had been reduced to fewer than a hundred.

It did not matter whether the enemy attacked right away, or pulled back for a while, regrouped, and came again. The important part was exposing their route and drawing the enemy out of the fortress.

“Phew... I don’t know if this is really right. Maybe there’s a better way.”

Kellan glanced around, gauging the mood, then sighed. The plan Kyle had proposed yesterday seemed reckless at first glance, but there was no better option.

“There isn’t. This is the best we can do.”

“...I suppose so. I was just saying it.”

“Are you afraid now?”

“If I said I wasn’t afraid of dying, wouldn’t that be a lie? No one in this world welcomes their own death. Even beasts struggle by instinct to survive. Unless they’re mentally ill, sunk in despair and gloom, living each day in helplessness.”

This was different from simply killing barbarians and the count’s troops. Right now, the procession was walking straight into the middle of enemy territory. Into a place where the barbarians and the count’s soldiers outnumbered them several times over.

It would have been stranger not to be tense.

“Saying no one will die would be a lie. Still, most of them will live.”

Kyle spoke indifferently. Kellan looked back at him in surprise. Around then, Kyle turned his head toward the now twenty wagons.

Jade, who had been sitting leisurely in the driver’s seat and steering the horses, raised his gaze. When he saw Kyle staring straight at him, his face twisted at once. The distance from the middle of the procession to the wagon was considerable, but Kyle could see Jade’s face and moving lips clearly.

What now?

Is everything fine over there?

The problem is that nothing’s happening. It’s not even noon yet.

Don’t get too relaxed. There may be barbarians or Count Barkan’s soldiers nearby.

You don’t have to tell me. I’m keeping watch.

Jade grumbled with the shape of his mouth. Elysia, who was inside the wagon, poked her head out and looked at Kyle.

Unlike Jade, she did not say anything. She simply exchanged a brief look with him and nodded. Kyle gave a small blink in return and faced forward again. Beside him, Kellan was looking at him strangely.

“What is it?”

“Nothing.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. We’ll continue straight until noon.”

Kyle spoke. Kellan nodded in understanding. Starting from the front, the procession picked up speed.

The same kind of scenery continued. The people inside the wagons, and those outside as well, moved forward in silence. After some time, the sun hung high overhead. It was noon.

Kyle checked the time with his pocket watch. He was about to stop the procession for a rest, but Kellan approached him first.

“What is it?”

Kyle asked. Unlike earlier, Kellan looked somewhat anxious. He looked around and spoke.

“The rangers we sent out to scout still haven’t returned.”

“When did you send them?”

“Two hours ago. I told them to check only the area ahead and come back before noon...”

Kellan’s expression turned grave. Kyle glanced to the side.

Among the nearly three hundred people, there were not only ordinary soldiers and mercenaries, but also a ranger captain and a few knights. Instead of leaving the fortress himself, the baron had left only the bare minimum defensive force behind and poured every spare soldier into this operation. Because of that, the rangers sent ahead were more numerous than before. They were nearly the size of a small squad.

Yet they still had not returned.

“Stop.”

Kyle raised his hand. The procession noticed the change, slowed, and halted.

When he drew on the ring’s mana, his five senses expanded. Kyle swept through several hundred meters in every direction at once. Not far away, a group was rapidly approaching them. The moment he sensed them, Kyle pulled on his horse’s reins.

Neeeeigh!

In an instant, Kyle shot forward. The people behind him let out dazed voices at the sudden movement.

“Huh?”

“What’s happening all of a sudden?”

“Sir Kellan!”

One of the knights under the baron called to Kellan at the front.

But Kellan did not know what was happening either, so he could not answer.

The answer came quickly. Ahead, where gentle ridges rippled like waves, figures slowly appeared along the winding road. At the very front were the rangers who had gone out scouting two hours ago. Behind them, mounted barbarians were close on their heels.

“B-Barbarians!”

“Prepare for battle! Everyone, prepare for battle!”

The area grew chaotic in an instant. The knights and the ranger captain quickly gave orders.

Kyle was one beat faster. The fleeing rangers, who had looked relieved after seeing the long line of wagons, were startled when they saw Kyle riding back toward them. Silver sword light rose from Kyle’s waist as he passed the rangers.

Splurt!

The barbarian closest to the rangers spilled blood and fell from his horse. Kyle drove straight into the midst of the barbarians. They shouted at the top of their lungs.

He ignored them. The star iron sword in his hand cut smoothly through the air.

One strike, one man. By the time the eighth slash fell, no one remained around Kyle. The soldiers and mercenaries who had been bracing for a battle, and even the merchants, lost their tension and let out long breaths.

“This is...”

Kellan and a few other commanders who had been watching approached.

“Do you recognize them?”

Kyle looked back. As the knights all groaned, the ranger captain, who had plenty of scouting experience, opened his mouth.

“Yes. They’re familiar.”

“Who are they?”

“They’re the ones who blocked the fortress’s supply route. More precisely, the road connected to the capital. Judging by their numbers, they seem to be a scouting party...”

“I see.”

Kyle shook the blood from his sword and sheathed it. If there had been many of them, that would have been one thing, but there were only eight, and they were not especially skilled. There had been no need to use mana.

“What will we do?”

Kellan asked on behalf of the others. Kyle briefly glanced toward the procession, then spoke as if it were nothing.

“We proceed as planned. And...”

“And?”

“Can you form another scouting party and send them out?”

“Scout again?”

Kellan asked back.

“Yes.”

Kyle nodded and spoke.

“We’ll track them in reverse. From now on, we kill everything that blocks the path to the count’s fortress.”

***

A man who had been a ranger of the duchy clenched his teeth without realizing it.

Around him, countless barbarians surrounded him in a circle, shouting all kinds of things.

“Shurak! Shurak! Shurak!”

“Prove the courage of the Azarak Tribe!”

“Don’t run, coward! Fight!”

The awful sounds hammered at his ears. The metallic taste of blood rose in his mouth. The man gripped the dagger in his hand hard enough to break it and looked down at the comrades who had been alive moments ago. Now cold corpses, they lay scattered carelessly across ground covered in pools of blood.

These damned barbarian bastards.

The man forced his ragged breathing under control. It did not work. His heart kept pounding like mad. He would rather have died fighting. He had never imagined he would die after being driven into this absurd entertainment and forced to play the clown.

Ignoring the barbarian across from him, his opponent in the duel, he turned his gaze to the side. There, a barbarian with an enormous build sat on a splendid chair and looked down at them. Two long, curved swords leaned against either side of the chair. It was not hard to recognize him.

Chieftain of the Krakes Tribe, and now the Great Chieftain who had united three tribes, Zakan.

Alongside Count Barkan, he was the root cause of this entire situation.

People said he was on a similar level to the knight commander who defended the duchy’s capital, but seeing him in person felt different. Rather than similar, he was clearly a level higher. The ranger could tell without seeing him fight.

The instincts he had honed through real battles screamed a warning in his head.

“As expected of the duke’s lackeys, you’re pathetically weak!”

“Does your duke not know honorable duels?”

“Fight! Kill! Only one survives!”

The barbarian facing the man raised his curved sword high into the sky. The near-screaming cheers from every direction filled the blue sky overhead.

“Uaaaaah!”

Unable to bear it any longer, the man charged at the barbarian with the dagger in his hand. If he had no choice but to die here, he would at least take one of that barbarian bastard’s arms. But the dagger he thrust out never reached the barbarian.

By the time he came to his senses, the man had stopped in front of the barbarian, blood spraying red from his body as he fell to his knees.

“Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!”

Everyone shouted with one heart and one mind. The barbarian raised his curved sword above his head, then brought the hilt down. The curved blade cut through the man’s flesh without hesitation. The last spark of life vanished from the dying man’s eyes.

Waaaaaaaaah!

When even the last remaining ranger died, the barbarians surrounding the corpses like an arena all roared together. Zakan, seated at the highest place and looking down, brought a cup of alcohol to his mouth with a bored expression.

“Great Chieftain!”

Just then, a barbarian pushed through the crowd and knelt before Zakan. He was covered in blood from head to toe. As if he had run without rest, his breathing was rough.

“This time, Olga, the Third Foot of Krakes, is dead!”

For an instant, the surroundings went silent as if cold water had been poured over them. The barbarians shut their mouths and stared in one direction.

“Was it the same ones?”

Zakan spoke slowly.

“Yes. The same ones. After the Fourth Foot, even the Third Foot is dead. To a single man...”

Murmurs spread like wildfire. It was obvious who those “same ones” meant.

The trading convoy that had blocked the cavalry unit at the entrance of the auxiliary trade route. The ones who had nearly annihilated those elites of the Krakes Tribe. As if that were not enough, they had also saved the fortress in the dead center of the main trade route.

They had already learned, through a messenger hawk sent by one of the survivors, that the cavalry unit on the auxiliary trade route had suffered near-total destruction. The problem was that after that, messenger hawks kept flying in every day without fail. Each one carried impossible bad news.

“Zakan. We must move. We can no longer sit still.”

An older barbarian standing beside the Great Chieftain spoke.

“Come to think of it, that beast sent a letter last time.”

Zakan muttered in a low voice and closed his eyes. Count Barkan.

That rebel, who had temporarily joined hands with him because their goals aligned, had sent him a messenger hawk directly for some reason.

Inside, the letter had said they should increase the number of troops controlling the main trade route, just in case. It said one mercenary wearing a black cloak was especially strong. At first, Zakan had dismissed it as nonsense and ignored it, but it seemed he could no longer leave this alone. The damage was already too great to overlook.

“Gather the warriors.”

Zakan lifted his eyelids and rose from his seat.

“It is a Blood Festival. I will go myself.”

The barbarians looked at one another and blinked blankly, then soon let out fierce shouts. Countless voices echoed as if resonating together.

Between the pools of blood, the corpses of the dead rangers were growing cold.

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