Chapter 131
Chapter 131.1. The Third Year at the Academy - Saigus Mercenary Band (1)
The road stretching from the town of Rapzel into the forest ran straight southward through the Wolbar domain.
Narrow for a highway, it was so thickly blanketed with snow that without the tracks of the mercenary band, one could easily lose sight of it.
Footprints numbering well over a hundred, accompanied by several wagons.
Following these traces, I pressed on without rest.
By evening, I emerged from the forest into the plains.
If they were headed for Seren, they should have turned west here, yet the trail continued straight south.
A sense of foreboding settled over me as I followed the path up a gentle hill.
Peering ahead, my expression hardened.
The Southwestern Edge of Wolbar Domain: Irsana Village Irsana Village was the next stop after Verene Village on the way to Seren.
At the time, I had passed through without lingering, pressed for time.
Like Keril Village, it was the final resting point before Seren. However, as the plains lay ahead, most travelers passed through unless it was evening.
Perhaps because of this, Irsana struck me as a village larger than usual.
Standing atop the hill, a gentle breeze against my face, I detected a scent unlike that of a few hours earlier.
The thick stench of blood.
Hand on my sword's hilt, I advanced toward Irsana Village.
The growing intensity of the blood scent heightened my caution, but as the area fell within my [Presence Detection] range, I allowed myself a slight sigh of relief.
Not everyone was dead.
Even from a distance, I could see figures moving about—likely villagers.
But upon noticing me, those same villagers tensed and hid behind cover.
Passing through the unguarded gates, I stood still in the center of the scene.
Rapzel had been in terrible shape, too.
But Irsana Village was worse.
Scattered around the gate lay the corpses of a few guards and adventurers, carelessly discarded.
Inside the village, lifeless villagers littered the ground.
Near a blood-soaked man, an elderly woman—likely his mother—knelt, huddled.
Beside the bodies of a man and a woman, two young children sat silently.
Perhaps there was no strength left to move them—or too few survivors.
The living were scarce.
Clenching my teeth, I moved forward.
After a while, several armed men appeared, weapons raised.
I halted, signaling my lack of hostility, and addressed the middle-aged man at their forefront.
"Are you the village chief?"
"My father's dead."
"I see. I'm an adventurer from Seren."
I set down my backpack and retrieved a leather pouch.
"Take this. Healing potions."
The chief's son hesitated before accepting the pouch, then opened it, his surprise deepening.
"All of this...?"
"Yeah. I can only spare eight. Use them as you see fit."
Hugging the pouch, the men bowed deeply.
One of them carried the bag and ran toward a large building, likely where the gravely injured were gathered.
Watching him go, I turned back to the village chief's son.
"I've been chasing the mercenary band from Rapzel. They're the ones who attacked you, right?"
"Yes. At dawn. It happened so fast, there was no time to flee."
I surveyed the countless corpses scattered throughout the village.
It must have been while I was talking to Kinell.
A massacre was unfolding in the neighboring village.
If I'd taken the route through Irsana on my way to Rapzel, I might not have made it in time to defend them, but I could have saved the wounded—or so I thought. No, that wasn't right.
I silenced the regret welling up inside.
I hadn't even known about the mercenary band's existence, let alone their southward march, until hearing about it in Rapzel.
There was no reason to take a detour.
Indulging in "what-ifs" would only lead to self-pity.
Snapping out of my thoughts, I returned my gaze to him.
"Are the mercenaries heading for Seren?"
"No."
He shook his head and looked east.
His unexpected answer made me follow his gaze.
"They're heading east. I don't know where exactly, but it's toward a town called Lofmar."
Lofmar?
The stronghold of Lofmar Marquis, a key figure of the neutral faction.
It lay in the northern part of Weld Territory.
The neutral faction rarely clashed with others.
This wasn't their next job. The mercenary band must have a base there.
Then this devastation was… just a bonus for their return trip?
Suppressing the swirling disgust in my chest, I forced myself to focus.
Adventurers occasionally appeared on battlefields, but their work was primarily during peacetime.
Open plunder and slaughter were almost unheard of.
Such actions would ruin their ability to operate, and the Adventurer's Guild wouldn't tolerate it.
Mercenaries were the opposite.
While they fought monsters, their primary activity was warfare.
And with permission from their employer—the local lord—they even looted within the lord's own territory.
Maintaining tens or hundreds of warriors couldn't be sustained on pay alone. While their reasoning wasn't agreeable, it was understandable.
For this reason, their actions were seen as a necessary evil among the nobility.
But even so—this was excessive.
This was no different from banditry.
The eastern horizon was painted crimson by the setting sun.
To reach Lofmar, they would have to pass through Weld Territory.
If they stayed on the highway, it wouldn't be so bad.
But if they strayed off course…
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