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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: A Dangerous Man
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Late in the evening, after all the fighting had ended.
I was holed up in a relatively undamaged inn room, resting. It was a privilege earned for contributing the most in the battle.
Besides, on the surface, I was just a mercenary.
Of course, I never expected a situation like this, so my identity could be exposed easily, but I just had to leave before that happened.
Who could have imagined I'd suddenly be facing a horde of monsters like that?
The important thing was what to do now.
Time for some self-reflection, so to speak. And there was a lot to reflect on this time.
Reflection is best done quickly, and the rule is not to make the same mistake twice. That's all there is to it.
A cool head. Swift action. A passionate heart.
"Phew—reflection over!"
Of course, reflection should be short and sweet!
I planned to use the remaining time to decipher the coded booklet I'd gotten while escaping from the slave trader.
I was curious about its contents. When I died, the Empire was certainly stable. There was no information about any resistance forces.
"What the hell is this?"
The booklet I'd deciphered as being about the 'Resistance'.
Its contents were far from ordinary.
Resistance bases, contact methods, the structure and scale of their cells, and even passwords.
"Seriously, what kind of madmen are letting this kind of thing get out?!"
Whether it was stolen or just lost, the fact that something this important was floating around was a problem in itself.
"I think I'm screwed."
Anyone could see this was the kind of thing that would make you a target if you were caught with it.
Whether by the Resistance or the Empire.
The Empire. A resistance against the Empire.
This was on the level of the Rebel Alliance against the Galactic Empire in Star Wars.
*Knock, knock—*
Before the shock could even fade, a knock came from the door.
"Are you in? I'm Lando, Captain of the 10th Division of the White Mercenary Corps."
At those words, Kratos sighed and wiped his face. It seemed all of this was a legacy of his past.
The Resistance included.
He carefully tucked the booklet into his chest. He absolutely couldn't let it be discovered now. A time to use it would surely come later.
If possible, it would be best for this to find its way back to the Resistance.
*Click—*
When he opened the door, Lando greeted him with a broad smile. A bushy beard, tanned skin, and a long scar across the bridge of his nose.
The man he had seen in battle offered a friendly greeting.
"Good evening."
"A pleasure. I'm Kratos. It's an honor to meet someone from the renowned White Mercenary Corps, let alone the captain of the 10th Division."
No need to spit in a smiling face, as they say.
After all, a captain had come to visit him personally, even though he was a mercenary of unknown origin.
Besides, hadn't they saved his life?
"The rumors of your great deeds in the battle are spreading far and wide. They say your thrilling weapon skills are a sight to behold."
"I'm glad I could be of some help. Still, it's nothing compared to the White Mercenary Corps, who saved all of Rzhev."
"Haha. I'd love to chat, but I'm on a mission. If you're ever interested, please visit our headquarters. We always welcome talent like you, Mr. Kratos."
"My, I'm honored. The White Mercenary Corps, no less."
Lando handed him a small card, like a business card.
"Well then, I look forward to seeing you again."
"I wish you success on your mission."
The friendly greeting and smiling eyes were gone.
*Click—*
The door closed.
*'He's a dangerous man.'*
Kratos stood there for a long time, staring at the closed door.
That man, Lando. He had clearly come all this way to sound him out.
He might look young, but in his two previous lives, he had experienced all sorts of schemes and situations.
His gaze, his actions, his movements—everything was meant to scrutinize him.
A captain personally visiting to recruit one unknown mercenary?
Nonsense.
There had to be an ulterior motive for the visit.
And the captain of the 10th Division? His skills were undoubtedly the real deal. A true master who could easily make short work of Kratos in his current state.
He hastily packed his things. He couldn't get caught here before even reaching the capital.
Right now, he stood out too much. His hair, his eye color, even his face.
It was time to hide and flee.
Besides, they would surely put a tail on him or have him watched.
*'This is actually a relief.'*
Rzhev Castle was currently in a state of chaos. That meant there were plenty of openings.
The Resistance, the mercenary corps. It was a complete mess.
*'I'll leave when night falls.'*
The final destination was the capital. There was much to do besides seeing things with his own eyes and gathering information.
***
*'He's a dangerous man. He needs to be watched.'*
That was Lando's assessment of Kratos. He was dangerous. The name Kratos might even be an alias.
From what he had gathered, the mercenary named Kratos wasn't so handsome.
That meant he must have taken the real Kratos's mercenary tag.
But why? The question naturally arose: why would someone with such martial prowess conceal their identity so clumsily?
*'An escaped slave? Or someone with another purpose? No. He couldn't have been a slave. Not with that kind of power.'*
If he could take down hundreds of monsters by himself, there should be some kind of aura about him. But he felt nothing special.
He had a slender build at first glance. But he possessed that much monstrous strength? Enough to wield a weapon made of black iron with one hand?
It didn't make sense. He was definitely hiding something.
*'Besides, he clearly knew my intentions for visiting.'*
And yet, he greeted me with such a facade full of openings.
I don't know to what extent, but his skills were clearly above average.
"Put a tail on that mercenary. Be careful. He's dangerous. He might have ties to the Empire. Do it discreetly, without being noticed."
"Understood. I'll assign Seamus."
"Seamus will do."
He gave the order quietly to his vice-captain as they left the inn.
It was necessary to investigate. It was right to suspect everyone suspicious.
Moreover, the man's timing for being in Rzhev Castle was just too perfect.
According to the teachings passed down, there were no coincidences in the world.
There was definitely something about that man. His intuition told him so.
"For now, return to headquarters. Damn, this is a big problem."
There was a mountain of work to do, but it felt like everything was progressing slowly.
The White Mercenary Corps was always in a precarious situation.
***
The night was deep, but Rzhev was still bright. Restoration work was in full swing, as no one knew when the monsters might attack again.
The gateway city had once again become a frontline city, and the soldiers' vigilance was sharp.
*Swoosh—*
The window opened, and Kratos, having draped a large cloth from the inn room over himself like a hood, climbed through the window and onto the roof.
From the roof, he surveyed the overall situation. Security was tight, but that was for non-human creatures, not for him.
His target was the south gate. It led to his first destination.
"Leaving so soon? It's late."
The guards on duty expressed their deep regret. And at this late hour, no less.
Traveling alone at night these days was literally putting one's life on the line. Of course, for a man like him, that was probably not a concern.
Many who had fought in the battle for Rzhev had been helped by Kratos.
Especially when the first outer wall was breached. He had stayed at the rear until the very end, killing every last monster he could to buy time for people to evacuate.
"Yes. I have things I need to do…"
"That's a shame. Should you ever return, Rzhev will welcome you, Sir Kratos. We wish you success in achieving your goals on your journey."
"I look forward to seeing you all again someday."
Amid the soldiers' warm farewells, Kratos left the city gates. The night was deep, and the road ahead was long.
The night was preferable. Now that he knew where he was, he knew the way to the capital like the back of his hand.
Encountering monsters on the way? That was even better. It meant he could get more of those red experience clumps.
The first destination was Livria. There was something he needed to find there.
He clenched his fist. Perhaps because he had rested well, his body felt completely recovered.
*'A single stat-up.'*
Regardless of his base stats, he had achieved one stat-up through the red granules. To be precise, his strength had increased.
He remembered it clearly. He had absorbed 1,000 red granules.
When he absorbed 1,000 red granules, his strength increased.
He struck a boulder on the side of the road with all his might.
*Crack—*
The bear-sized boulder split in half from the force of his punch.
It wasn't difficult.
It was a wondrous strength, no matter how many times he felt it.
A score of 101... he couldn't be sure, but wasn't that likely in the highest tier in this world?
And this strength could level up. Just how much stronger could he get?
There had been a crisis, but he had certainly gained a lot in Rzhev.
He would have no choice but to visit Rzhev again.
After all, Rzhev was the place with the most monsters on the continent.
Kratos took in the view of Rzhev one last time before slowly starting his journey to Livria.
*'Ah, come to think of it, it doesn't seem like I have a tail, does it?'*
He didn't sense anything. He tilted his head in confusion, but it didn't matter. For now, he just needed to get to Livria safely.
***
"I think he noticed."
On the road to Livria where Kratos was traveling, Seamus, watching from a distance, swallowed nervously and opened a communication line.
—*What do you mean? He just left.*
"Right after leaving the south gate, he split a boulder with his bare hands. Then he looked in my direction. It was clearly a warning."
Seamus waited for Lando's orders. He was sure he had been watching from a safe distance.
—*…Follow from a greater distance. Do not, under any circumstances, take any hostile action. Just watch.*
"Understood. I'll report if anything unusual happens."
He prided himself on being skilled in infiltration, assassination, and tracking within the 10th Division.
Besides, if splitting a boulder with his bare hands while looking this way wasn't a warning, what else could it be?
Just as the captain had said, the man was terrifying. But an order was an order. Seamus waited until Kratos was a faint speck in the distance before slowly beginning to follow again.
He vowed not to be caught this time.
***
The journey to Livria was peaceful. So much so that the fierce battle in Rzhev felt like a dream.
At this pace, it would take about three more days to arrive.
*'I've been walking for about five days now.'*
That was pretty fast, all things considered.
He'd been so focused on adapting to his new body that he'd lost track of time.
Livria was slightly off the main path to the capital.
But the reason for heading to Livria was simple.
One of his pasts was there. It was one of the identities he had created while wandering the continent before pledging himself to the kingdom.
Of course, it wasn't just the identity, but also various artifacts and items he had used back then.
It was, quite literally, as if he had left a piece of himself here.
"But this is…"
Ten years ago, it was just a small-to-medium-sized city.
Facing the massive city walls, Kratos let out a hollow laugh.
It seemed a lot had really happened in the last ten years.
Arsène Lupin.
The place where one of his identities was buried had grown into a large city.