NOVEL NEXT Chapter 22
“Gasp…! Huff…!”
I’m out of breath.
Thud!
Right in front of me, the Masked Person who had stabbed me in the heart collapsed forward.
“I thought I was gonna die, you bastard…”
This guy was probably the toughest opponent I’ve faced so far.
I can’t even begin to understand why someone with this kind of skill would be running around worshiping demons.
Drip, drip.
More importantly.
As I caught my breath, the pain in my side surged even more, and I clutched it.
A quick glance revealed blood oozing out from between the torn leather and shattered chainmail.
Looks like the wound is worse than I thought.
Staggering, I managed to get up from my spot.
Boom- Crack!
The battlefield is still in full swing.
But.
It seems like Lorentz’s forces are generally in a superior position.
Well…
Kwa-dududududuk-!
“Kuaaah!”
Over there.
Thanks to Lorentz holding down one side all by himself, the focus has shifted here, so it’s only natural.
…I heard there was someone as skilled as this guy on that side too.
He’s single-handedly blocking other Masked People and now even subduing them.
Guess I don’t need to worry about that side and just focus on helping here.
Huff, I need to finish this quickly and get treated.
The pain keeps coming.
Thud!
I pulled out the broken sword from the Masked Person I had taken down.
Come to think of it, I’ve only fought an aura user twice, and both times my sword broke.
I really need to get myself a sturdy sword.
Thud!
“Guhk…!”
First, I stabbed another Masked Person who was sneaking up from behind and took his sword.
I should ask for a sword as a reward when I get back.
After all, I took down a fully-fledged aura user, and a demon worshiper at that, who had reached a considerable level in guarding.
It might not be as big as the achievement from the mansion last time, but it’s still a significant one.
And so.
After tearing the fallen Masked Person’s clothes to bind my wound, I rejoined the battle.
**
“The wound looks serious.”
“Yeah.”
“Mel, take care of it.”
After the battle was over.
Mel, one of Lorentz’s subordinates, cast a heal on me.
It’s not like the heals in games from my past life where wounds just magically close up.
It’s more like disinfecting the wound and easing the pain, I guess?
I heard that high-level priests can actually heal wounds, but I doubt I’ll ever get treated by someone like that.
Still, I’m grateful for even this much.
I feel much better than before.
“Go back and get the rest of your treatment.”
“Understood.”
But I need to get treated quickly.
After giving others some first aid, we made our way up through the sewers.
Fortunately, there were no more ambushes until we reached the first floor.
And so, we successfully made it back to the surface.
“Come see me again after you’re treated.”
“Is there more work?”
“No, I want to personally reward you.”
After exchanging those words with Lorentz, we parted ways.
After that, I headed not to a medical facility but to the mansion.
I figured the Void Family’s healer would be better than some random healer I’ve never met before.
“Y-you’re hurt?”
“Yeah, can you treat me?”
“Gasp…! What kind of wound is this?!”
It was too dark to see properly at the time, but in the bright light, the wound was clearly serious.
I had done some first aid, but the shattered chainmail and leather were tangled with the wound, making it look gruesome.
“Oh no! Does it hurt?!”
“…It does, but I’m fine.”
“I’ll give you some painkillers first, so lie down here!”
“Alright, let’s start the surgery.”
The healer skillfully removed the chainmail and leather fragments from the wound and meticulously stitched up the torn side.
As expected, their skills are top-notch.
“Absolute rest is a must! Stay in the treatment room!”
“Okay.”
“Don’t even think about running away!”
“Do I look like a kid to you? Running away?”
Zing-
The healer gave me a doubtful look at my words…
“Absolute rest! Remember that!”
With that, they left to get more medicine.
…Sigh.
Looks like I’m stuck in the treatment room for a while.
But still, fighting someone that strong and only ending up like this is a win in my book.
And so.
As I was lying down, following the healer’s orders to rest…
Knock knock.
“Yes, come in.”
Someone opened the door and came in.
Judging by the knock, it’s not the healer.
“How’s your body holding up?”
Ah, it’s Lowell.
“I feel like I’m dying. Send me some good medicine.”
“I already told you to use whatever medicine is in the mansion.”
“That’s good.”
I remember the medicine here being quite effective from past treatments.
I’ll probably be up and about in a week.
“By the way. Lorentz told me. You did an excellent job.”
“You already talked to Lorentz in that time?”
How long did it take for me to get treated that you already met with Lorentz?
“With the demon worshipers coming out in large numbers from the underground, Lorentz has been busy.”
“Ah, so the suppression unit is going?”
“The Royal Knights Order has been dispatched.”
“Ohoho…”
The Royal Knights Order, huh…
“Think they’ll do well?”
Honestly, my image of them has taken a hit.
Aren’t they the ones who got ambushed after boldly charging in?
Well, even though they were ambushed, they did manage to inflict damage on the demon worshipers and the remnants of the Luger Kingdom, so I guess our side successfully held them off.
“They have a lot of skilled people.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes, but they also have a lot of hot-headed individuals, which was a problem.”
Lowell’s words are in the past tense.
So that means…
“Not anymore, huh.”
“Getting beaten badly back then probably made them come to their senses.”
Then maybe I can have some expectations.
Well, anyway.
The Royal Knights Order isn’t some child’s play; they’ll handle it.
My job here is done.
“More importantly, what kind of reward are you looking for?”
Ah, right, it’s time for my reward.
Considering the difficulty of this first mission, just getting my salary wouldn’t cut it.
“I want a good weapon.”
“Straight to the point, huh.”
“My sword broke again this time.”
I already knew what I wanted.
After two battles with aura users where my sword broke both times.
What I need most right now is a good sword.
“It’s about time you had a custom weapon. Perfect timing.”
Lowell said that and took out his wallet.
I thought he was going to give me money to buy a weapon, but…
“Here you go.”
What Lowell handed me wasn’t money but a piece of paper.
“What’s this?”
“It’s a pass.”
“Huh?”
“Go to the address written on the back.”
Looking closely, the front of the high-quality paper had only the name “Garrett” written on it.
Flipping it over, there was a simple map.
“This is…”
“It’s a VIP pass to Garrett’s Blacksmith Shop.”
Garrett, Garrett.
Of course, it’s a name I’ve never heard before.
But the fact that Lowell gave me this ticket means he must be a pretty amazing blacksmith.
“He’s the best blacksmith in the kingdom, so go check him out.”
“I’ll visit him soon.”
“Alright, go once you’re treated.”
And so.
I carefully tucked the pass into my pocket.
And a few days later.
“Absolute rest!”
“Understood.”
Taking advantage of the healer leaving to do other things after telling me to rest again today.
I opened the window and went out into the garden.
Then I went back to the doghouse, quickly dressed, and…
“Oh, going out for the first time in a while?”
“Yeah, I’ll be back.”
After casually greeting the gatekeeper, I left the mansion.
The servants here don’t know the details of my situation, so they didn’t say much.
Probably only Lowell and the healer know that I got hurt on a mission and came back.
Most would just think I wasn’t around for some other reason.
Anyway.
After stepping outside, I immediately checked the map on the pass and headed to the high-end commercial district.
I thought I’d be itching to go quickly.
A custom weapon, isn’t that just full of romance?
Moreover, today is the day I promised to meet with Jeven, the mercenary leader, so after visiting the blacksmith, I can head to the Mercenary Guild to check on my fake identity.
I’ll get scolded by the angry healer when I get back to the mansion, but… forgiveness is easier than permission.
“Is this it?”
After following the map, I arrived at a large building in the high-end commercial district.
It looked more like a commercial building than a blacksmith shop.
The unique thing was that the first floor was packed with people.
Looks like they’re all in line.
From merchants in suits to rough-looking mercenaries in heavy armor, all sorts of people were there.
I guess the clientele is diverse since it’s a blacksmith shop.
Am I supposed to line up there too?
I have a VIP pass from the Void Family, so I doubt I need to line up.
So I carefully examined the pass and noticed something odd on the back.
[Entrance: 2nd Floor]
2nd floor?
The people are lining up on the first floor, but the entrance is on the second.
Ah, so the second floor must be the VIP room.
To get to the second-floor entrance, I looked around the building for stairs but couldn’t find any.
…Am I supposed to push through the crowd blocking the entrance to get upstairs?
Then I noticed a terrace on the second floor of the blacksmith shop.
A small terrace with large windows and curtains drawn shut.
…Is that the entrance?
Being a VIP, I guess I can enter through there.
Thud, thud.
I briefly jumped in place to gauge the height of the second floor.
Let’s see…
After gathering aura in my legs…
Whoosh.
Using the essence of Fleet, I leaped into the air and landed precisely on the terrace.
“Huh?”
“What’s that?!”
Hearing the surprised voices of people as I suddenly jumped up, I landed perfectly on the terrace.
And then.
Knock knock.
I knocked on the closed window.
Creak-
The curtain was drawn, and the window opened.
“Ah, sorry for the intrusion…”
“Come on in.”
It might have been a rude move, so I tried to apologize, but the woman who opened the window pointed inside without any change in expression.
“Was it okay to come in through the window?”
“Huh? This is the common entrance for VIPs, so it’s fine.”
“Ah.”
So this was the entrance after all.
Looks like that old man Lowell didn’t explain it properly.
What a tricky guy.
Well, anyway…
“I’ll take you to Garrett.”
With a bit of anticipation, I moved further into the blacksmith shop.