Chapter 137: Among them, part 1
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Translator: Denryuu; Editor: Ryunakama
Sundoor — a city located in the west of Ferland.
It was one of the cities in Lord Guerrera’s territory. Recruitment posters detailing the benefits of signing up were plastered all over town.
It’s not uncommon to see nobles with personal armies. However, the role of the adventurers’ guild tends to overlap with that of these armies, and most nobles end up choosing the former, more cost-effective option. Even for those who continued maintaining personal armies, the scale of those has almost unequivocally shrunk.
Every town I had visited that was under the baron’s jurisdiction had given off the same air as this one. From where I was standing, I could see an old castle — where the baron presumably sat — in the distance. Taking into account the precautions he had taken when putting a bounty on my head, he was no doubt a cautious man, and thus definitely had tricks to deal with potential attackers up his sleeve.
I could just activate my skill and infiltrate the complex if not for the possibility that my teacher, Aimée, was waiting inside. Approaching without due caution would only serve to raise the alarm. If that were to happen, it would make it even harder for me to get within close proximity of it in the future. Fully aware of this, I stuck to making my rounds, obtaining information from various individuals and waiting for a chance to arise.
According to Rabi, those with connections could sit for a test to be enrolled into the unit that received their orders directly from Lord Guerrera. A regular enlistee had to work his way up from being a foot soldier. As I knew nobody that could fast-track me into the ranks, I could only infiltrate them by posing as a foot soldier myself.
The posters indicated that I could sit for the regular enrollment test at one of their outposts at any time.
Well then, let us commence forth.
There were already eight men waiting outside the outpost when I arrived. Most likely beggars, all of them were emaciated. Becoming part of a noble’s personal army gives you an iron rice bowl, so it’s a given that people like that would come knocking.
They entered one by one and soon came out again, looking dejected.
「Next!」, hollered a young man who was dressed and built like a knight.
It was my turn at last. I was shown to a seat, on the opposite of which sat a mustachioed knight. The knight that had called for me was seated beside him.
「Can I have your name and age, please?」, said the latter knight. 「Any relevant military experience?」
「Henri Everton. I’m twenty-two this year. I served in the 5th Army of the Ferland coalition army during the Great War.」
「Ho」, grunted the mustachioed knight.
He must be sick of entertaining vagabonds, I thought. He also behaves typically of a knight tasked with street patrol. I could instantly tell from the way he carried himself that he barely had any field experience, if at all.
「Is there a weapon you specialise in?」, asked the younger of the duo. 「How about your skill? Spells you’re well-versed in are fine too.」
「Sadly, I have no affinity for magic… but I know how to work a dagger.」
I don’t have much use for weapons, but since I’m being asked to name one, it’s no doubt the dagger. The two knights glanced at each other without thinking.
「Ehh, a dagger… hmm…」
The mustachioed knight continued while chortling.
「And what’s a dagger again?」
「You said that you’ve served before, right? Which unit do you belong to? Were you a combat medic or something? I hope you know the difference between a dagger and scalpel」, added the other knight, unable to conceal his cackling either.
That’s a lot of talk for someone who doesn’t even know that combat medics don’t use scalpels.
「My unit fought on the frontline.」
I must be a better comedian than I thought, for they burst out laughing.
「Hahaha! I see, I see. He wants to serve so much that he conjured a bunch of lies! Kukuku…」
「Maybe we shouldn’t be laughing, Sarge… kukuku. After all, he could be telling the truth!」
「A dagger user with no affinity for magic? He knows he won’t survive for long on the battlefield, right? Kudos to him, though — it’s the best joke I’ve heard in a while!」
「Agreed, Sarge — they try so many things to get in, but this one’s a first!」
「Aye, probably the top of all time!」
They glanced at me through tears of laughter.
Laugh while you can, folks. I activated my skill.
「So anyway, Henri, was it? It’s a shame, but –」
Before the young knight could officially turn me away, I quickly positioned myself between him and his comrade. Still staring at the seat I had sat in a moment ago, they hadn’t noticed my disappearance at all.
I drew both of their swords and pressed each one against the throat of the other.
「As the two of you have so kindly highlighted, I am weak and may not be of much use…」
「…」
「…」
Their eyeballs swivelling left and right, they tried to make sense of what had just happened.
「But I believe what little I have to offer will be useful.」
The moustachioed knight opened and shut his mouth repeatedly like a fish in an aquarium.
「‘This one’s a first’, you said…?」, I continued.
The colour had completely drained from their faces. I put their swords back in their respective sheaths and thumped their shoulders.
「I was joking. Please don’t take it to heart.」
Sweat dripping from their foreheads, they sighed loudly. The mustachioed knight produced a handkerchief to dry himself.
「W-Who are you…」
「I apologise for testing you earlier. The Ferland forces only organised themselves into four Armies in the coalition. Were you unaware of this?」
「…」
This city was so far removed from the fighting that it must have been like watching a neighbouring kingdom at war.
「I-I see… your skill… it allows you to move around quickly, I presume?」
「That I cannot answer. Although there is no weapon more suited to my style than the dagger.」
I returned to my seat.
「It may be just a rumour, but… it’s said that there’s actually a 5th Army…」, muttered the young knight.
「Hm? Really?」, asked his superior, to which he replied in the affirmative.
He’s right — it exists, though its existence was never made public.
「It’s such an outlandish claim that it should be taken with a pinch of salt, but… legend has it that the 5th Army is made up of only one person.」
「One person… making up an entire unit that usually contains tens of thousands of soldiers?」
「Yes.」
That would be me. I am the sole constituent of the 5th Army.
‘Placing the 5th Army on the frontline’ is synonymous with ‘causing the death of an important enemy commander’. It was interesting to watch the enemy fall into disarray and crumple once they met our main forces.
The two knights glanced at each other again, then slowly turned their heads to look at me. Their mockery and contempt from earlier had been replaced with terror.
I raised both hands to ease the tension.
「It’s all a joke — I simply found it convenient to mention the 5th Army. I’m nothing more than a combat medic, and as for the scalpel, I just felt like calling it a dagger.」
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