Chapter 16 – Journey (2)

Was she excited by the thought of having full plate armor? Adel shouted loudly.

“Owner! Where are you? Show yourself at once!”

Although they were from a fallen family, Veloc was a knight and a noble, and Adel was his squire. By the customary law of this world, nobles never bowed their heads to commoners.

The lower people had to step forward first and serve them.

In that sense, Adel’s behavior was justified. But it was not so to the blacksmith, who disliked nobles and demanded manners.

Predicting the situation that would unfold, Veloc held his head, and as expected, cursing flew from inside.

“Goddammit! Which bastard is throwing open someone else’s door without permission!”

One could guess his age by the hoarse, cranky voice that sounded as if phlegm were caught in it.

Adel did not back down either. As a mere blacksmith shouted, she immediately drew her sword and cried out,

“Old man! Come out quickly and greet my master, Sir Veloc! He is a truly honorable and truthful knight.”

“What? A knight? Did the Serpent Lord send you to capture me? Bullshit!”

Swoosh—

As if responding, arrows flew from the darkness. Adel ducked in horror.

Enraged by the arrow that grazed her hair, Adel cursed from the blacksmith’s mother to his grandfather and was about to charge blindly.

Did the provocation work? Luke, who was inside the smithy, suddenly popped out.

A muscular old man with an attractive beard was holding an axe.

“What a crazy bitch! You, a kid whose blood hasn’t even dried on your head. Good timing. I’ll split your skull!”

“You’re the crazy one! You senile old geezer. How dare you shoot an arrow?”

Things had gone heavily awry from the very start. Veloc looked at the growling duo, pondering how to resolve this situation.

By customary law, it was Luke’s fault for not serving a noble. However, from the perspective of a modern person and knowing his personality, Veloc saw that Adel was also at fault.

‘Hmm.’

But in the end, didn’t Adel act for my sake?

Rather, the closer the relationship, the more one should look out for them. Blood is thicker than water.

One might call it narrow-minded, but at least that was Veloc’s thought.

“Lord Veloc! I do not need anything like armor! I would rather fight bare-bodied than use the creation of such a madman.”

“Who said I would make it for you? I came all the way here because I hate noble bastards like you. Why do you keep bothering me?”

“My master said he needs the equipment you make. But to think you are an ignorant fool with no manners toward nobles.”

“You must truly want to die. Fine. Good! I’ll be clearing away two corpses today!”

As the argument grew fierce and was about to lead to bloodshed, Veloc stepped in between the two.

Since he had to obtain the equipment, he had to appease Luke’s anger, yet he did not want to scold Adel. So, Veloc bowed his head toward Luke.

“Lord Veloc?!”

Adel screamed at her master’s unbelievable action. Luke also widened his eyes and unconsciously dropped the axe in his hand.

A noble, whose pride was everything, bowing his head to a commoner? For Luke, who had spent his life serving nobles, this caused a major shock.

Luke asked in a flustered voice,

“What is this…?”

“Old man. We need weapons. Not for ceremony, but real blades.”

Weapons? You came all the way to this remote place just for that? If so, they aren’t assassins sent by him?

Luke recalled his own relationship of gratitude and grudges.

“Did the Serpent Lord truly not send you?”

“I don’t know who the Serpent Lord is, but I do know this one thing. That you possess skills as outstanding as the dwarven craftsmen.”

“Nonsense… The skills of those shorties cannot even be compared to mine.”

“Does that mean you are superior?”

“What do you mean by…”

At that calm voice and ridiculous content, his boiling anger subsided.

Luke forgot he was angry and before he knew it, he began to get swept along by Veloc’s pace.

Veloc and Luke’s gazes met.

The young knight’s pupils did not waver at all. It was a look that only those with conviction could display.

He truly believed that his skills were superior to the dwarves.

Luke swallowed hard.

‘Real blades? Do you even know what that means?’

Humans are social animals.

No matter how much one tried to live as a lone wolf, someone’s warm word or recognition naturally made them open their heart.

The desire for recognition of the path he had devoted his life to. Even in the heart of the blacksmith who chose a lonely path for his beliefs, that remained.

For some reason, Luke’s heart throbbed, but he tried not to show it and spoke bluntly.

“…Let’s go inside first and talk.”

Sitting at the wide wooden table, Luke poured a cup of hot tea.

Veloc accepted it without declining.

The talk that began before the steam rising from the teacup could cool only got into full swing once it had cooled.

“So… you want to make weapons to hunt demons?”

“I also need one more suit of full plate armor.”

“You seem to already be wearing one. Is it for that cheeky girl behind you?”

“That’s right.”

Luke pointed to Adel, who was standing quietly behind Veloc.

As Luke’s gaze turned toward her, Adel scowled heavily, but after looking at Veloc, she groaned and shut her mouth tight.

When Luke showed signs of difficulty, Veloc pulled out a pouch of gems from his bosom. In this medieval land, too, there was little that could not be solved with money.

“If it’s money, I can pay you enough.”

Adel, who was behind, also rummaged through her bosom and put down the salary she had saved up.

Then, saying ‘Ah,’ she also put down the gold ring she had plundered from the bandit earlier, still attached to the finger.

Luke wore a disgruntled expression. The finger seemed to have had the opposite effect. Luke’s gaze toward Adel grew even worse.

“Hmm…”

Luke pondered with his arms crossed. The amount was sufficient, and the communication was good. The young noble before his eyes respected him enough.

He could accept him as a customer. But… there was one problem. That damn monster!

Luke let out a sigh.

“My concern was not just because of the money. I think I can manage the sword somehow. But I lack the iron ore to make a full plate armor.”

Why? For what reason was it lacking? Especially for a blacksmith who handled iron.

Veloc did not bother to ask. He just blurted out the reason.

“Is it the work of a cave troll?”

“How did you know?”

As he spoke as if he knew everything, Luke was surprised. At that reaction, Veloc gained confidence.

It seemed this future had not changed yet. However, since there was the precedent of Sneak, he could not speak openly. Veloc lied calmly.

“While coming up the mountain, I discovered its traces. It seems to have built a nest.”

“Yes. It was extremely large.”

Unlike before, Adel chimed in quickly.

Luke and the Cave Troll of the Mine.

This was the name of the quest Veloc had cleared in his previous run.

If he defeated the troll that had suddenly appeared, occupied his mine, and blocked the mining of iron ore, Luke would craft equipment for him as a token of gratitude.

‘It was a typical RPG-style progression.’

But the RPG world that became reality was more lifelike than that. Once a monster became a neighbor,

Luke, whose livelihood and life were immediately at stake, poured out a passionate speech as if they had said the right thing.

“Did you see him?! Seriously… nothing has gone right since that pockmarked bastard appeared! The iron ore I managed to gather was all snatched away by that greedy monster.

An idiot who doesn’t even know how to use it!”

“I will handle it.”

“What?”

“The cave troll.”

“Did you bring an army?”

Luke asked in an expectant voice.

“No, just the two of us.”

At Veloc’s subsequent words, Luke laughed as if dumbfounded. Was he crazy? Or was it a young man’s arrogance?

Catching a troll with just one knight and a squire? It was nonsense.

The creature was a large-scale monster.

At least dozens of skilled mercenaries and a few more knights were needed. Luke waved his hand.

“I say this out of concern, but value your life. I do not wish to see a young life extinguished before my eyes.”

But Veloc did not even listen. He just recalled how he caught the troll when playing the game.

‘I stabbed it a few times and cauterized the wounds with fire so it couldn’t regenerate, right?’

Finishing his thoughts, Veloc said,

“I will return before sunset. If I bring the creature’s head, will you craft the equipment?”

“No, so I’ve repeatedly said the two of you are insufficient—”

Ignoring Luke’s reaction, Veloc wrote down something on a parchment.

“Please.”

Leaving only a short word, the two kicked the door open and left. Luke stared at the traces of their departure with dumbfounded eyes, then

his gaze fell upon the parchment Veloc had written on. He read the parchment.

“-I need a sword that will not chip even when killing any demon or monster, and armor light and sturdy enough to easily withstand their attacks.-”

“Crazy bastards…”

He thought it was a noble with a proper mind for once, but were they just moths drawn to the flame, blinded by honor and achievements?

Luke let out a hollow laugh, finding the new guests’ courage bordering on arrogance and their bizarre requirements absurd.

And then he tore the paper. He truly did not think they would capture the troll with just the two of them.

They would become its meal, or if lucky, escape with a few limbs lost. I just hope they don’t bring the damage all the way here…

Luke let out a sigh.

“Are the preparations all finished?”

“Yes. Ready at any time.”

A troll. A monster boasting a size over three meters and possessing outstanding regenerative ability.

Encountering this giant, whose face was distorted like pockmarks, in the forest was another disaster for travelers.

But Veloc, a knight who had even hunted a demon, was calm. As the master was so, the squire was the same.

Holding up torches and shields, the two entered the troll’s habitat.

Although hunters living near the Nas Jungle or magicians with strange secrets sprayed a scent that trolls liked to lure and capture them, Veloc was a knight.

So he had to choose the direct approach. Boldly entering and beating it down.

The cave was dark and damp. In contrast, the flickering flames along with hot heat cast deep shadows on the two’s faces.

Reflected in the torchlight, Veloc’s face looked black or sometimes orange. He looked like the monster instead of the troll. Veloc, with his colorful face, said,

“The cave is not as wide as I thought. Be careful. It’s not easy to swing a sword.”

“Understood.”

As they went deeper, the gamey stench grew thicker. Pile of bones, seemingly belonging to humans or animals, were also seen here and there.

Whether bandits, wanderers, or pilgrims who were attacked, they seemed to have become a meal for this hungry troll.

Finally, the narrow passage passed, and a fairly spacious cavern appeared. The nasty smell grew thicker.

Chomp, chomp—

The sound of chewing something was also heard. Through the faint torchlight, the silhouette of a large monster was faintly visible.

Veloc gestured. Adel lit the oiled firewood she had brought in advance and threw it into every corner of the cavern.

Warmth filled the space, and the dark cave instantly brightened. Iron ore and a pickaxe piled in one corner were visible.

The figure of the monster situated right in the center was also clearly visible.

As if it was mealtime, the troll was chewing something with its back turned. It also dismantled the prey’s bones with its long, ape-like arms.

It also sucked the flesh stuck to its hook-like claws. The monster’s primitive eating scene was not a pleasant sight, indeed.

“Grrrr?”

Was it because of the heat felt behind its back? The troll turned its head. The blood smeared on its mouth and the protruding fangs, coupled with its festered face, were quite horrific.

Its yellow eyes captured the prey that had walked in on their own feet.

Two humans clad in iron. Since the male was probably tough, I should eat the tender female first. Having finished its thoughts, the troll grinned.

Veloc smiled in return. And instead of a greeting, he fired the crossbow in his hand.

Swoosh—

The troll blocked the arrow with the chunk of meat in its hand. The creature put down the chunk of meat and picked up a club. Waiting for that, Adel fired her crossbow.

Thud!

“Keuuuugh!”

The troll was a fearsome monster, but it was stupid. The troll screamed at the stinging sensation, as if pricked by a toothpick.

Pain was pain, even from a small wound. The troll charged in rage. Veloc also ran forward toward the troll, saying,

“Adel. Just keep it in check.”

Putting away her crossbow, Adel stepped back and drew her spear. Then, glaring at the troll, she slowly circled the cavern.

Along with a powerful wind pressure, the troll’s club swung in. Veloc briefly pondered whether Bourbon’s steel axe would be stronger or that club.

‘Can I deflect it? No, I don’t think so.’

Finishing his thoughts, Veloc dropped his shield and rolled on the floor. A chill ran down his neck, and his helmet vibrated.

Regaining his stance after a roll, Veloc gripped the mace in his hand with both hands. And with a deep breath, he struck the troll’s leg violently.

The ruler of the nameless mountain, the troll, chuckled. A weapon wielded by a human only half its size was laughable.

The troll believed in its mighty body. It believed in its outstanding regenerative power. It intended to take one hit and then turn the human into mush.

Crack!

One of the troll’s legs was blown away with a roaring sound.