Chapter 86
First Day.
The Otherworlders, having quickly caught wind of the news, flocked to the Forest.
Unlike when the bounty was 5 million Berries, this time the frequency of their arrival was substantial.
Probably because they could get paid even if they didn't fully eliminate me, as long as they inflicted significant damage.
It seems like that's why so many people are participating.
I caught and dealt with every Otherworlder who came into the Forest.
After all, entering this Forest now is no different from coming to attack me.
I didn't have to show any mercy, which was convenient.
I also did some Interrogation while I was at it, gleaning some information.
I heard that the Knights' Order, the main force, is delaying their arrival.
That was slightly good news. It meant I had more time to rampage.
As time passed, the Otherworlders definitely got stronger, but they were still manageable. In fact, thanks to them recklessly charging in, catching them was easy.
I also made good use of the equipment they dropped.
I put the high-quality and expensive-looking items into my weapon pouch.
The armor was tricky to use, so I piled it up in one place for now.
The second day was similar.
This time, even more people flocked to the Forest.
The first day was just those who came in blindly. The second day is when things really began.
Of course, nothing changed. Find the Intruder and eliminate them.
There was no need to wait in the Cave.
The Heightened Hearing Amducias gave me allowed me to hear a lot, so it was more effective to ambush them.
That day, I was able to slice and dice dozens of people. I even saw a few Streamers.
Doing this kind of made me feel like a murderer, but since everyone who came here was an Otherworlder, I didn't feel particularly guilty.
The third day was a bit tough.
A group of 30 Otherworlders, all A-Class Adventurers, showed up.
They were even well-armed, and some even carried Holy Water.
Even I would struggle to overwhelm 30 Strong Ones with brute force alone.
Numbers, in themselves, were a tremendous pressure.
But that's all.
Except for their physical specs, their experience and momentum were lacking compared to other A-Class Adventurers.
It could be seen as a limitation of Otherworlders. Even if they somehow managed to boost their stats, they lacked the time to truly internalize experience.
Then the solution is simple.
Just hit them with a strong One Shot. As they say, momentum is key in a fight.
“This is insane…!”
“Get him! Get him!”
Taking out three of them at once in the first clash made it easy to maintain the momentum.
I got hurt a bit in the process, but I didn't care. Even my spilled blood becomes a weapon.
That’s how I managed to get through the third day.
The fourth day was rather easy.
Perhaps due to the aftermath of taking down those thirty people yesterday, the number of Otherworlders coming to the Forest actually decreased.
I briefly considered burning down the Goblin village again, but I gave up.
Frankly, I felt a bit sorry about burning it down four times… and if things had gotten this bad, the Goblins being on alert wouldn't make much difference anyway.
Instead, I burned the armor the Otherworlders dropped. Most of it was made for women, so I couldn't use it anyway. Better to destroy it so no one can use it.
Crackle- Crack-
Thus, the leather and cloth armor turned to ashes, and I threw the metal armor, which couldn't be burned, into the Goblin village. Goblins in plate armor… Come to think of it, I saw a few stone houses in the village.
I hope they do a good job defending against Intruders.
That's how the fourth day passed, with only a few Intruders Repulsed.
Then the fifth day dawned.
On this day, a rather unusual guest came to visit.
“Hey…! Yor… are you alive…!!”
The distance made it hard to hear clearly, but the tone and voice were familiar.
I grabbed my weapon and headed towards the source.
It didn't matter if it was an Intruder. I'd just kill them and turn them into a handful of dirt.
“Whoa…”
When I arrived, two women were standing there.
Familiar faces, but not welcome ones.
5th Division Branch Leader, Sephir, and team leader, Nicky Tanesia.
Executives of Lemegeton suddenly appeared in this Forest.
“The Atmosphere here is quite grim. You could at least wipe the blood off your clothes. If I’d run into you without knowing who you were, I would’ve run away screaming.”
“Nicky… don’t provoke him. We came here to talk, so be polite.”
Unsure how to react, I maintained my vigilance and asked,
“If I didn’t recognize you, a Sword would’ve already flown your way. …So, what brings you here?”
“You probably already guessed, but it’s an Invitation to join us, of course.”
At Sephir’s words, I frowned.
“Asking me to join again? You never get tired of asking. I've already given my answer several times.”
“Yes, you always refused. But isn't the situation a bit different this time?”
“······That’s…”
Her words left me momentarily speechless. As she said, the situation was very different this time. I never knew when the Knights' Order would attack.
I wasn’t sure if I could handle them if they did.
No, I'd probably lose…
That’s the prestige of the Knights' Order.
The protective Sword that supports this Empire. Those who claim to stand at the forefront of humanity.
Although not all of them, such a monstrous group is sending a Raiding Party to catch me.
As such, their Invitation carried weight. At the very least, if I joined Lemegeton, I could save my life.
“······.”
But I still hesitated. The reason… was hard to put into words, even for me.
I couldn’t quite pinpoint why I was so hesitant.
“…Well…”
In the end, all that came out of my mouth was this lukewarm response.
Nicky, seemingly displeased with my reaction, frowned and said,
“Ha, why this time? Are you going to give me some lame excuse like last time, saying you don't want to serve Demons?”
“······.”
“Get a grip. You’re not in a position to be so proud. You need to survive, don’t you, you idiot?”
She was right. She was right, but Nicky’s words rubbed me the wrong way.
Frowning, I said to her.
Honestly, I had a lot to say.
“If you think about it, isn’t this whole mess your fault?”
“…What?”
“If that damn Dantalian hadn't come here and spilled the beans, none of this would have happened.”
“Ugh, that’s…”
This time, Nicky backed down. Because it was true.
The reason the Subjugation Order was issued was because Dantalian suddenly showed up and forced a coming-out. Naturally, I couldn't have good feelings towards Lemegeton.
I started talking to argue, but voicing it out loud actually explained things. But that was it. It didn't fully explain the hesitation in my heart.
Nicky refuted my point.
She claimed it was Dantalian’s unilateral action, that the Branch Leaders had a high degree of autonomy and couldn’t be easily controlled, and so on.
Several excuses came out, but the conclusion was the same. She wasn't involved.
Which was true. She seemed to particularly dislike Harold.
Of course, making excuses in front of the person involved wasn’t a good look.
“Stop it, Nicky.”
As the rebuttal continued, Sephir stepped in and stopped her.
She probably realized that continuing wouldn’t be beneficial.
Instead, she quickly bowed her head and apologized to me.
“First of all… I apologize. I can’t deny that this situation arose because of our mistake. However, this is not a bad offer for you.”
She continued,
“We promise good treatment and comfortable accommodations. Someone of your talent could immediately aim for a Branch Leader position. Are you still refusing?”
“······Yes.”
“…I understand. Then please, at least accept this.”
Sephir sighed and took out a piece of paper.
Pierce-
Then she created an ice spike and cut her finger.
Bright red blood dripped from her finger.
Slightly wincing, she began to draw a Tattoo on the paper. A complex and geometric Tattoo. Seeing it, Nicky widened her eyes and scoffed.
“Huh, you're telling him about that too? He’s really being treated like royalty.”
I watched intently as she drew the Tattoo.
It was familiar somehow. I definitely remembered seeing it somewhere.
‘Damn, where have I seen this…?’
After briefly swimming through my sea of my memories, I remembered where I had seen it.
Come to think of it, a Lemegeton follower named Ryan died in front of me while drawing that.
After completing the Tattoo, she handed me the paper.
“Here. This is a way to contact us. In an emergency, draw this Tattoo with your blood and infuse it with Mana. Then the 2nd Division Branch Leader will receive it.”
“…Thanks.”
I didn't refuse that.
It could be considered a last resort.
Although the rope seemed a bit rotten. If the situation truly became dire, I would have to grab even this rope.
I was honestly grateful.
Even though it was an Invitation, they were still sharing this information with an outsider.
Nicky, despite her snarky attitude, had given me valuable information before.
After handing over the paper, they seemed ready to leave.
“Then we’ll be taking our leave. Be sure to contact us in time…”
“What are you going to do now?”
Nicky asked. I replied.
“Well… I’ll face them head-on.”
“Seriously? They even have the Knights’ Order Commander. Even we run when the Commander shows up. Do you think you can handle it alone?”
“Don’t worry. I have an escape route.”
“I’m not worried… Ugh, whatever. We’re leaving then.”
Thus, the Lemegeton people came quietly and left quietly.
I spent the rest of the day dealing with a few Otherworlder Intruders.
And so, the sixth day since the Subjugation Order was issued dawned.
The day the elite Knights' Order invaded the Forest.