Chapter: 200
As she charged onto the battlefield, soldiers followed her with a unified roar. Arrows flew in from the enemy, but her shield and armor effortlessly deflected them.
Magic-enchanted arrows that couldn’t be stopped were neatly sliced in half by her sword.
As she darted around the battlefield, taking down enemies left and right, her allies were invigorated, their fear forgotten as they surged forward.
Noah boldly plunged into the heart of the enemy lines, taking down a dark mage in one swift strike. With a flurry of sword swings, she cleaved through her foes in an instant. Her lightning-fast movements began to crumble the enemy’s defenses.
As time passed, the battlefield became engulfed in chaos. The air grew thick with the stench of blood, and the sounds of soldiers’ screams and clashing weapons rang out continuously.
Both sides soon found themselves in a situation where they could no longer continue the fight.
“Retreat!”
“Fall back!”
As the zombie-like soldiers of the Demon King’s army began to withdraw, the commander on the Empire’s side quickly ordered a retreat.
Such battles repeated themselves multiple times a day.
*
“Haah…”
As Noah removed her helmet, wet hair tumbled down, revealing her sweat-soaked face. Though she appeared exhausted, her eyes shone steadfast like a lighthouse in the midst of a storm.
Clink, clank.
Walking slowly through the camp, the heavy clinking of her armor echoed around her.
At the camp’s center stood a tent housing barracks, surrounded by many more tents. Soldiers flowed back and forth, transporting the wounded and organizing supplies.
“Ugh…”
“Ahhh!”
Pained groans echoed from all directions. Noah, accustomed to such cries, made her way toward the tent that served as her quarters.
As she disappeared inside, the soldiers who were still somewhat intact began to speak.
“Wow… Is my head still attached? If the knight had been just a little late, I wouldn’t be sitting here in one piece.”
“That was truly an incredible fight…”
“Maybe we’re witnessing the start of a hero.”
The soldiers, having witnessed Noah’s astounding skills firsthand, couldn’t help but express their admiration.
“A hero, huh…”
“Just a lucky commoner, that’s all.”
“Did she charm the commander, or what?”
“Seems like it; maybe she got herself a decent weapon by batting her eyelashes!”
However, there were plenty of jealous voices among the soldiers. Those disparaging her were mainly noble bloods who hadn’t set foot on the battlefield. They had come rushing to the frontlines, claiming they needed to make a mark, yet they were cowardly and inexperienced, providing little help.
They were ready to scamper away faster than mice at the first sign of danger. Even so, they burned with inferiority complex toward Noah, savoring every opportunity to take jabs at her.
“I wish that white-masked freak causing havoc in the Demon King’s army would show up on our side.”
One noble sneered, prompting another noble to laugh coldly in agreement.
“Haha, I wonder what kind of face that overconfident fool would make.”
Ignoring the fact that it was thanks to Noah that they could still remain safely in camp, they even prayed for the enemy to take her down a peg.
Sensitive to her surroundings, Noah overheard their conversation but chose to disregard it as usual.
“Great job. Here, water.”
“Oh, thanks.”
Noah received the water flask Lily handed her and quenched her thirst. Fresh from the battlefield, she was too charged with excitement to realize how thirsty she actually was. It felt like pouring water onto a parched earth, swallowing it without a break.
Swish.
Lily placed a slip of paper in front of her while Noah pulled the flask away and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Her gaze fell upon the paper laid out on the wooden table.
“Are you sure this is okay?”
Lily looked back and forth between the note issued by the organization and Noah, concern etched on her face.
“This will do.”
“…Isn’t the money we’ve collected enough?”
“No, it’s still not enough.”
Noah was being paid enough as a mercenary for a single job to almost purchase a two-story house in the outskirts of the capital.
Adding up all the money she’d received so far, she could probably afford a house with a yard in the capital.
Noah’s intent to save money for a house seemed more than achievable. It would have been understandable if she had other expenses, but her obsession with saving for a house while it remained her ultimate goal felt unsettlingly strange.
“What kind of house are you planning to buy?”
Suppressing her mounting unease, Lily asked, and Noah answered with a smile.
“I’m going to buy a big house. A cozy one with everything inside.”
“Ah -… You mean like the kind of house retiring mercenaries want to live in?”
Most mercenaries who made big bucks wished to live out their lives like slackers. A huge house with servants at their beck and call, simply lounging around in leisure during their sunset years.
Lily chuckled, thinking Noah’s desires resembled that of someone wanting a leisure-filled life. Without agreeing or disagreeing, Noah began to outline her envisioned house to her.
With a fairly detailed plan, Lily smiled gently in relief.
“If you live in such a nice house, I think you’ll become too comfortable to go out much.”
“Really…? Glad to hear that.”
The whisper of “I’m glad to hear that” gave Lily a strangely ominous vibe, making her tilt her head in confusion. As Noah mentally pictured a cozy honeymoon house suitable for someone to confine, she tucked away the note.
Having fallen for someone she might lose at any moment, Noah resolutely visualized her future.
Holding onto despair would only trip her up, so she tried her best to think of hopeful scenarios. Every time she spotted a gap, images of Lian crumbling helplessly before her would emerge, but she struggled to firmly grasp onto hope.
Noah’s demeanor resembled that of a foolish swan flailing in a swamp, desperately trying not to sink into darkness.
That fragile little hope crumbled lightly when the next day she stood on the battlefield.
*
On the battlefield, where the aura of war began to brew, soldiers, recently bandaged, took their positions. Tension hung heavily in the air.
Noah lowered her helmet’s visor and released a long breath, her eyes sparking.
Swoosh, her sword slid smoothly from her hand, glinting chillingly. Zombie-like soldiers in the enemy ranks began to show themselves. The mood thickened with rising tension, as if a fight could break out at any moment.
Just as they were waiting for the commander’s command, Noah’s gaze caught sight of a figure approaching. Emerging slowly from the heart of the enemy lines was someone donning light mercenary armor, the sword dragging behind.
“White mask?”
The white mask drew everyone’s attention, surveying the battlefield with icy eyes. Its mask gleamed expressionlessly, and the face behind it was obscured, instilling a sense of unfathomable fear.
“What is this?”
Noah felt an unshakeable sense of déjà vu emanating from the white mask. His movements, his gaze, even the aura he exuded—everything intensified as he drew closer.
The white hair swaying outside the mask triggered a reflexive memory of someone. Noah bit her lip, shaking off the thought.
“Lian… Lian said he was trapped in the Demon King’s Castle. He can’t be on the battlefield.”
As their gazes crossed, a jarring shock rippled through her mind, ringing like a bell. Instinct screamed at her. That’s Lian. It has to be him. But simultaneously, another sensation seized her reason.
“No, it can’t be.”
The being before her was Lian, yet not Lian. Illogical as it was, such thoughts stuck in her mind like a stubborn stain.
As her head spun in chaos, the white mask arrived at the center of the battlefield. The soldiers swallowed nervously, their faces tense.
Whoosh.
As the wind brushed past their cheeks, the white mask vanished, leaving behind only an afterimage.
Clang!
In an instant, Noah lunged forward, blocking the sword aimed at a soldier’s neck wielded by the white mask.
“Ugh..!”
The soldier, nearly having his throat cut, gasped and stumbled back.
“Graaah!”
“Die! Die!”
As if the attack from the white mask served as a signal, the Demon King’s army began charging forward like madmen. The soldiers roared, moving to strike back.
Boom! Bang!
The most intense war began anew.
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