SWNOVELXO Chapter 15
TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 15
“Hurry.”
The resolute command was accompanied by the sound of dozens of hooves climbing the mountain.
From knights clad in heavy armor.
To knights adorned with shoulder guards.
The Lion Insignia of Histania fluttered on the mid-slope of the mountain.
At the forefront of the group, Rowen had a troubled expression.
It wasn’t a matter of fighting a formidable enemy.
Nor was it about battling the Demon King’s Army.
It wasn’t even about suppressing a rebel army.
Yet, Rowen’s lips were drier than ever before.
“Nothing will happen. Father knows that the youngest is a coward, doesn’t he? That coward doesn’t have the personality to risk their life on a challenge.”
The Eldest’s Sarcasm-filled reassurance.
“Exactly. Just like last time, they’ll probably hide in an inn and come back. By the time they return to the estate, they’ll be holed up in their room, for sure.”
The Second Sibling’s irritated agreement reached his ears, but Rowen could hear nothing.
-Please save me…. I don’t want to die like this.
Right now, Rowen’s mind was consumed by only one thing: the last image of the youngest daughter shown by the Blue Window.
‘It must have been a hallucination.’
The sight of his youngest daughter being brutally killed by an orc.
Her blood-soaked hands gripping a sword as she called for her father remained vivid. It was too realistic to be a hallucination, and her voice calling for him was crystal clear.
Hanna dying—wasn’t that unthinkable? Could the daughter of the Histania Family really fall to mere orcs…?
For a moment, his vision went dark.
Rowen shook his head vigorously, dispelling his stray thoughts.
‘It must be because of the Eldest’s strange words. The situation overlapped, and it made me think weird things.’
‘Maybe it’s because I’ve been overworking myself lately.’
‘Like the Second Sibling said, the youngest is timid. She’ll definitely be at home. Once I get back, I’ll make sure she gives up the sword.’
Excuses of all kinds swirled in his mind, but Rowen knew. The hallucination he saw wasn’t just the result of mere fatigue.
He didn’t understand why he saw such a thing.
Was it punishment for being harsh to his daughter all this time, or had he perhaps dreamed a premonitory dream like the prophets?
What was certain was that it wasn’t some hallucination or magic—it was like an actual memory.
For a Sword Master who had reached the pinnacle of physical mastery, to be affected by Mental Magic.
It wasn’t possible, nor was there a way for it to happen.
If such a thing were possible, the Empire would already be overrun with wizards.
‘It’s just a groundless fear.’
Rowen admonished himself.
It wasn’t that he hated his youngest.
It was just that, compared to his other children, she didn’t catch his attention. He thought he was doing well enough.
After all, his own father had been much worse.
And yet, why did he keep feeling regret? If his youngest daughter were to die, if she were to die alone, calling for him until her last breath, like in the hallucination shown by the Blue Window, falling to an orc’s greatsword.
If he were to see his daughter’s lifeless corpse.
Would he be angry at her for tarnishing the Histania name? Or would he collapse on the spot, weeping?
Rowen didn’t even want to imagine it.
He didn’t want to picture himself holding his daughter’s corpse tightly and crying, showing such a weak side, regretting too late. Isn’t it pathetic to regret something that’s already passed? If that’s the case, he should have done better from the start.
As a knight.
At the very least, as a knight, he should always be prepared for death….
“Halt… halt!”
A knight at the vanguard pointed toward a dense thicket and spoke. A female knight, spreading her palm toward the approaching group, spoke.
“There’s a corpse.”
Between the thickets where the female knight pointed, there lay a cold, lifeless body.
For a moment, Rowen felt as if his heart had stopped.
His mind was swarming with all kinds of negative thoughts, and cold sweat soaked the reins in his hands.
A pale hand visible through the thicket.
Long hair and a sword about 1 meter in length reminded him of someone he knew well.
Rowen quickly dismounted.
‘No. This is impossible.’
If his son saw him like this, he’d surely think it was laughable. A Knight Commander unable to maintain composure, dismounting like this. He chuckled at himself for doing something he detested the most, but his mind wasn’t functioning well enough to dwell on such trivial matters.
Rowen ran swiftly toward the thicket.
The knight crouched and examined the corpse.
Soon, a small nameplate was held in their hand.
Rowen’s body grew increasingly rigid.
‘Please.’
‘Let it not be.’
‘That’s just an illusion. Don’t be afraid, Rowen.’
In that moment, Rowen thought he was despicable.
-I’m glad I eavesdropped when Brother and Father were talking. Father said he improved his skills by hunting orcs in the Hamel Mountain Range when he was young….
Hanna’s face, filled with anticipation, climbing the mountain after overhearing the story he had told the Eldest.
And then.
-Ah… If it were Father, he wouldn’t be scared to fight something like this. Maybe if I catch it, Father might even praise me.
The image of her trembling while holding a sword against an orc four times her size.
Rowen tightly shut his eyes.
‘God, please….’
He never thought a day would come when he’d call upon God.
The Pope would laugh if he saw him now.
The knight rummaging through the disfigured body held up an Adventurer Badge and spoke.
“Age, 51. A-Rank Adventurer.”
Rowen’s pale complexion gradually regained warmth.
“From now on, I will move alone. Knights’ Order, split into five groups and focus on searching around the Orc Encampments.”
“Yes, sir!”
With the resounding response of the Knights’ Order, Rowen spoke coldly.
“Hurry.”
***
“This is how you do it.”
At the Summit of the Hamel Mountain Range, within the Orc Encampment, a neatly spread pink mat was laid out.
Hanna, who had prepared sandwiches and Potato Salad as if for a picnic and was pouring green tea, looked at me with a resigned expression.
“How am I supposed to do that!”
“It’s simple. Just swing your sword at the carotid artery with a swoosh, and they’ll collapse. Easy, right?”
“That’s only possible because it’s you, Butler.”
“No, Miss Hanna, you can do it too.”
I tilted my head and said to Hanna.
“Probably?”
Around the mat, orc corpses were scattered chaotically. Including the body of the notorious Crimson Orc, known to be difficult to deal with, and even an Orc Warrior, their torsos and heads were neatly separated, bidding farewell to the world.
Now, it was Hanna’s turn to show.
I looked at Hanna with great anticipation.
“You can handle this much, right?”
“How is that even possible!”
We had settled in the area closest to the mountain’s summit.
A monster with the descriptor “elite” is a rare and highly valued creature.
Even monsters with the same name become three to four times stronger when labeled as elite.
In the original work, Mikhail was often trampled by elite monsters, so I vaguely remembered the characteristics of their habitats.
First, elite monsters must remain untouched by human hands.
Because the parts of elite monsters are expensive and they are rare, they are often found in isolated areas, forming groups and living there.
Because of that, Hanna and I settled on a Mountain Summit where people were unlikely to tread, and we were able to find quite a few Elite Orc habitats.
Of course, the problem was that there were more Elite Orcs than expected.
‘There are too many corpses.’
Around us, the corpses of Numerous Adventurers were piled up to the point of forming a tower. The bodies of Veteran Adventurers, equipped with good gear and of considerable age, were abnormally scattered all around.
Occasionally, there were traces of actions not done by Orcs but by humans, though it wasn’t something to be overly concerned about.
Right now, Hanna’s growth is what matters most.
When I slaughtered a decent Orc to demonstrate the strategy, Hanna sighed and meticulously analyzed my stance.
It was a good stance.
“How many Orc heads have I chopped off so far? Don’t be scared. There’s no need to worry.”
“But those were just regular Orcs… This is my first time dealing with an Elite Orc.”
“It’ll be fine.”
I trust Hanna.
With me protecting her and Hanna’s skills, I think it’ll be a close call, but it’s doable.
Orcs are sluggish.
They wield heavy greatswords and aim for powerful single strikes. On the other hand, Hanna is agile and quick.
By the time an Orc swings its greatsword once, Hanna has the agility to dodge and counterattack.
She might not realize her own talent, but I am certain that Hanna’s talent lies in her agility.
In the Original Work, she failed because she lacked the physical strength to deal a critical blow to the Orc, but this time, it’ll be different.
Hanna supported herself on her knees and stood up.
“Alright. Let’s give it a shot. If anything happens, you’ll help me, right, Butler?”
“Of course.”
Yeah, if anything happens, I’ll step in to help.
With that thought, I picked up a stone and aimed it at the massive Orc visible at the edge of the mountain slope.
“Huh? Why are you reaching for that one…? There’s a smaller Orc over there.”
When I reached out toward the massive Orc, I met Hanna’s awkwardly smiling gaze and flashed her a provocative smile I’d learned from the Young Lady.
If we’re going to do this, we might as well go for the strongest one.
“Alright. Get ready.”
“Wait, Butler, hold on a second—”
“Fire away!”
-Thud!
A dull sound echoed, followed by the Orc’s scream.
-Uwooooooo!!!
I quickly hid behind Hanna.
“You’ve got this!”
I didn’t forget to cheer her on.
“Damn it…!”
It was the first time I realized Hanna could curse so well.
***
Hanna successfully took down the Orc.
She didn’t sustain any critical injuries.
With only minor cuts, she finished the battle splendidly.
“You did great.”
“I know I did.”
Seeing her becoming more shameless, it felt like she was starting to resemble me. It was nice to see. After all, being humble doesn’t get you recognized.
I handed her a water bottle with pride.
“You were perfect. Especially the way you targeted the vital spot by slipping through its side—that was truly impressive.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Though, if you had been just a little slower, you might’ve ended up on a blind date with the Goddess.”
“Tch… And?”
“What?”
Hanna blushed.
She glanced at me shyly before quickly turning her head, looking like a girl her age.
“And isn’t there more? I… I thought there were a lot of things to praise me for today….”
“Pfft.”
“Why are you laughing!”
“No reason.”
It seems she still needs more praise.
────────────────
[Q. The Tragic Extra ‘Hanna’]
1. Praise to boost her Self-esteem.
(9/10)
2. Raise Favorability to 40 or higher.
[Favorability: 51]
3. Defeat the Elite Orc Gladiator.
(1/1)
────────────────
I thought the Quest would end once I praised her after defeating the Orc, but it seems she’s built up a resistance to the compliments I’ve given so far.
Giving praise isn’t hard, and she really did perform well today. I shouldn’t hold back.
It’s just.
It would’ve been better if there weren’t any Unwelcome Guests.
“Looks like we have a visitor?”
A man who resembled a mantis stealthily emerged from behind a tree. He had been hiding his presence and observing us, likely revealing himself after confirming Hanna was worn out.
He was grinning slyly as he looked at Hanna and me.
A dagger hung at his waist.
A face that seemed suited for Mantis Fist.
A man who seemed like he’d stab you in the back if you got close to him—a walking embodiment of the unlikable trio.
He was a bandit you could find anywhere.
It’s just.
He was an exceptionally bad bandit.
His clothes were plastered with Adventurer Badges. It was as if he had turned them into collectibles and stuck them all over his armor, which was incredibly distasteful.
I know him well.
Even if he doesn’t know me.
There’s only one person in the novel who would walk around with such an unlikable face and bizarre attire.
The Adventurer Hunter.
An antagonist who, in the middle of the novel, hunted Numerous Adventurers and joined the Heretics to become the Archbishop of Madness.
He was a fairly strong character who inflicted significant wounds on Ruin using tricky magic and unique Dark Magic.
‘So that’s why there were so many abnormal Adventurer corpses. They seemed capable enough to handle Elite Orcs, after all.’
The Black Magic Circles scattered on the ground and the slyly grinning mantis were all quite unsettling.
I looked at him and spoke.
“Wow. A villain.”
The slyly grinning mantis.
I continued my self-introduction.
“I’m a villain too.”