Chapter 32: The Berserker’s Squire

26 MAR 2022NOOBCHAN TRANSLATION BERSERKER MOB

　An annex of the Angus Inn.

　It has been a month since Al launched the “Adventurers’ Guild” concept, using it as a base.

　It has not yet reached the point of releasing the children into town in earnest. It is still in a state of preparation. Fortunately, however, the innkeeper, Vargas, has bought into Al’s idea. He had originally promised to vacate the inn only for a month, once the regular convoy arrived in town, but Vargas talked him into renting a vacant two-story house in the neighborhood of the inn. He is now preparing to move there.

“Iras. How’s the senior class? Are you a little more comfortable with your job?”

“Oh, Al-sama. Yes. We are managing somehow. Joey and Eliza are doing well in their work at Angus’s Inn, thanks in part to the goodwill of Mr. Vargas. Saji has also been hired as a menial worker on Craftsman Street. Just visit ……The younger kids are still in a predicament…”

　Those who are over ten years old are the elders. Those under 10 years old are roughly divided into two groups: the oldest and the youngest.

　The elders are Silas, Joey, Saji, and Eliza, but they are all working in town as menial laborers, thanks to Vargas’ goodwill and connections.

　There are five younger ones, but it is still difficult for them to go out to work. First, they were quite weak.

“Oh. I don’t mind. I have a good amount of money. The youngsters seem to be getting along with Vera, so there’s nothing to panic about.”

　And Vera. She resigned from the royal shadow and settled down as Al’s follower. Al had told her that she did not have to be his squire, but Vera was stubborn and would not budge. However, she now spends most of her time not as Al’s squire, but as the caretaker of the younger children.

“…Instead, I’d like to say this…… Al-sama. There was a story at the bar where I work that has been bothering me a bit.”

“Great. Let’s hear it.”

　Rumors about the town and information about people in trouble. So far, most of it is coming from Cyrus. But I don’t really care about Al.

　He just hopes it works out, and if it doesn’t, he just needs to establish it as normal support for them. Such was the attitude of the hawk.

****

“Al-sama. If you are back, please call on me…”

“No, I saw you were relaxing with the younger kids, so I felt bad to distrub. I was just getting a little information from Cyrus, and I didn’t have any special business to attend to.”

　After resigning from the royal shadow, Vera relaxed somewhat. Or should I say that the tension that had been building up has loosened?

　There is no harsh training. No killing each other. No deceptive tactics or pulling each other down.

　In such a situation, by taking care of the former vagrants, it can be said that she is rehabilitating her past self. …… the young Vera, who is in tears.

“My apologies. I should have been a squire and served Al-sama. “

“No, so I don’t need it all the time. I’ll call on you when I need you. It’s much better to have you taking care of the younger kids than to have you accompany me when I don’t have anything to do. You’ve been very helpful. Vera, Thank you.”

　Gratitude. Words of exertion. Caring.

　None of these things existed in the shadow of the royal family. It is a matter, of course, to clear training quotas. It is a matter of course to accomplish the task. If you fail, punishment awaits you.

　But not here. There are no punishments, no reprimands, no quotas. You are allowed to be relaxed without being tense.

　Vera spends the night with the children, but she still wakes up with dreams of fearful memories from the past. At such times, the young children comfort Vera. They hugged her. They stay with her until she falls asleep.

　For the first time since the death of her parents, her heart finds peace.

　Magic is all about imagery.

　It reflects the person’s mental image.

　The truth is unknown.

　However, even though she no longer spends as much time training as she did in the past, …… Vera’s “binding chain” has become more powerful. The reaction speed and operation have become smother and sharper. She says that until now there was a kind of heavy tugging when manipulating the chains, but that this has almost disappeared.

“So? What did you do this time?”

“I think it’s an offshoot. …… The story is about the reappearance of the dead spirit of the deacon who once assisted Cyrus and his friends at …….I heard that he had disappeared for a while. The location is around the ruins of that abandoned church. But the impression I get is that the dead spirit is spreading rumors because there are people who don’t want it to get close to them…… is what Cyrus heard”

　Rumors that Cyrus has been getting.

　The dead spirits of the abandoned church have already been exorcised. But only Mary’s. Deacon Franz’s spirit had escaped. Of course, the church would never say such a thing, but …… there is one wandering spirit of death on the loose for sure.

　And there are rumors that there are those who are taking advantage of the situation and are working in the dark.

(Hmmm… …… I don’t catch it in my memory at all. Maybe a thug with a broken backstreet business? No, there was no such thing in the game as Deacon Franz’s dead spirit on the loose in the first place, and I shouldn’t worry too much about the game in the details anymore. The protagonists are getting to know the big shots just fine, and …… I’ll keep an eye out for signs of war, and the dark deeds of the demon tribe!)

　Al heads toward his destination, contemplating in silence as usual. And Squire Vera, smiling and watching over him, follows him like a guardian.

****

“I knew it. Just a bunch of punks.”

“No, I don’t think mage was just a thug. Al-sama.”

　After killing a little time, the darkness of the night enveloped the town. There were those who showed movement in the embrace of that darkness. They have a flair for mana. In other words, those who are related to the nobility. Mages.

　Their appearance is backstreet style. Their mannerisms are coarse, and it can be seen that they are from the backstreet business. Pretense. They are those who are thoroughly committed to acting as soldiers of an organization. Their movements are clearly trained. Their mana flow is also distinct from that of aristocrats and pseudo-mages.

“Just kidding. I’m just surprised I hit the jackpot out of the blue. But I don’t know where the string is attached, but the people who planned to …… the end of the string are idiots.”

“Yes. The church has been keeping a close eye on this area since the “unveiling” of Daryl’s magic. Since they are spreading rumors about dead spirits on the loose, they must know what the church is up to. ……?”

　Why go to the trouble of moving to a place where the church is watching? Al and Vera had such a feeling of dismay. If even that is a trap? I also have my doubts about …….

“Eight in the building. Three guards outside. Two are hiding at a distance. The two hiding in plain sight are the real deal in terms of ability. …… tighten up this way. These two are also the only ones who can feel the thinly veiled black mana.”

“Yes, sir. Then, what about the rest?”

“Hold off for now. First, we’ll kidnap one of the stronger ones and make a run for it.”

　The Berserker and his squire move.

　First, they move toward one of the two hiding spots, the one they have set as their target. The one who is felt more capable than the others by more than one head.

　He is sitting still in a crude hut, keeping watch over an abandoned house disguised as a mansion, where the others are hanging out. Man. A mage. A private soldier of a noble family.

　He was responsible for getting the other guys to make a certain deal, and then fighting off the hostile organizations that were going to step in.

　He was aware that this surrounding area was being watched by the church, and he decided to go through with the plan. The man himself asked his employer to change the plan, postpone it, or at least change the location, but the employer brusquely rejected the request. He is forced to cover up his reckless plan.

(Fuck! No matter how solid the deal is, this is too far from the right place. What if the members of the church step in before we can lure the enemy in! Goddamn it!)

　The man’s fears are well justified. Because what they are trading are special items. They trade in special items, even those of involving demon tribes. It is a common trade among the nobility in the capital, and there are even people who collect them as curiosities.

　This time, they are trying to trap the opposing faction. There are rumors that they are not satisfied with just collecting and admiring special items, and have begun to deal in ‘different items’.

　Even the church tacitly approves of the “such amusement” of the city’s nobility. If the scene is suppressed, there is nothing that can be done. It is difficult to cover up the trouble because of the fact that the thing is a quintessential thing.

　In such a situation, they prepared goods that matched the tastes of the favored nobles and continued trading day after day to lure their hands on them. However, the nobles in question have a disposition to take advantage of others, and they have caused similar disturbances in the past. It is ridiculous to think that they can predict that they will surely come on board, aided by the manipulation of information.

　From the point of view of a man of private army, the church stepping in is ten thousand times scarier.

　He knows. But the result was the same.

****

……! What is this place?

　A man from the private army wakes up. No, he doesn’t even remember losing consciousness. When he came to, the scenery had suddenly switched.

　Confirmation. He is tied to a chair. Chains. I can’t move. But there is no blindfold. His mouth is not closed.

(What the hell happened to the noble family on the enemy side? Are these chains made by magic? …… No, they are not that strong. At best, they are only as good as me. Did they hire someone? or church officials? …… Damnit ! That’s why I didn’t want to handle that thing to lure out a perverted nobels! If it’s the Church guys, there will be an inquiry for sure!)

　The man is simply a little above average for a mage. However, rather than just being a mage, he has a long history of actual combat experience in the underworld, and the sense of crisis awareness that comes from that experience is quite impressive. The man was also against this operation. His prediction turned out to be wrong. [ Wrong bc he predicted it’ll be either church or nobels but too bad it Al]

“Hi. Are you awake?”

“..!!??”

　Voice. From directly behind. The man could not read the signs at all.

“……, what do you want?”

“Heh. That’s quirky. Quenched the mana in an instant. You are quite a master. If we’d met differently, I might have recruited you as a front-line soldier.”

　Two shadows circle in front of the man.

(…Shit! A woman too! I didn’t know there was another one! Shit! What a bunch of guys. I couldn’t read their signs even though they called out to me. Is this impossible ……?)

“I’ll tell you first. They are all dead. I didn’t know who we were dealing with …..but. Yes, we’ve taken care of those pervertes…… you were after, as well as the Viscount Delaney’s crew. No one survived. You are the last.”

　Al and his team quickly neutralized the man in front of them and were about to move him to another location when, at the right time or wrong… the dealmakers and the assailants who had intervened in the transaction appeared.

　The scene quickly turned into a struggle, and Al and Vera watched the scene with bated breath. …… Amid the struggle, they suddenly saw the item being traded. It had rolled out of the crate at some point.

　A stuffed head in a container.

　It was not human. Or at least, the heads of those with non-human characteristics.

　An infant with horns on its forehead.

　A boy with bright purple hair.

　A girl with cat-like eyes and ears.

　Goods like these. Bodies.

　In Al’s eyes, only the two who were hiding did have the black mana. The others were ‘clean’. They were not those who were particularly harmful to the “Divine Child.”

　However, Al had made up his mind. He decided to get rid of them.

　Then, sensing her Lord’s intention, Vera makes a move.

　Vera. Her “binding chains” dances in the air.

　Those who are pierced by chains.

　Those who are wrapped around and crushed as it is.

　Those who are struck like whips and have their bodies torn apart.

　Some are bound by chains and become stains on the wall or ground from the swinging and slamming.

　After getting some information from one or two of them, we took care of them all. Those who were hit instantly could not have grasped the situation at all. It was only for a moment.

　Vera is at peace.

　She is unaware of it, but in truth, what she is doing is not so different from what she did at the time of the royal shadow. No, in a sense, what she is doing is more gruesome than before. At least before she had some hesitation in killing people, but …… Now she is different.

　She doesn’t realize it. She does not realize that she is now able to do things that she used to hesitate to do because of a guilty conscious, without even a change of face.

“hmmm. You think I’m going to be freaked out by that bullshit?”

“No, it’s just a fact. And there’s only one thing I want to hear from you. And that’s just confirmation. …… are you sure you are a private soldier of the Viscount Drake family?”

“…………”

　The man does not answer. It’s only natural. Besides, the man calculated. The other party was no match for him in a serious fight. But he already knew the name of the Viscount Drake family. He could be of use to them. He thought he would not be killed so easily.

“huh, yeah. Okay, then.”

“……HEY! What th? Guaaaaa”

　The chains that were wrapped around the man’s body “Crushed” his body in a split second. Blood and flesh splatters. Naturally, Al had no interest in soiling his body with such things, and he had already distanced himself from “what used to be Viscount Drake’s private army.

“…I guess that’s it. We didn’t get any word that the Viscount Drake family was involved, did we?”

“All right. It’s just a formality. We are not an investigative agency. We don’t need proof. Besides, if you’re going to be this fancy, you might as well get a real job looking into it.”

“…. what about their bodies?”

　Vera’s expression clouded over, which had been unperturbed by the killing of the traders.

　The bodies she refers to are not theirs.

　It is the goods of the deal. A stuffed head. The bodies of children of the demon tribe.

“…….I would mourn them if I could, but they are also evidence. If they were seen, the church would intervene with the quicksand. They are clearly children of the demon tribe. They will move on, including where they got them, etc. Right?”

“Yes, that’s correct. Regarding demon tribe-related matters, the Church’s Holy Order of Knights will intervene, not the Kingdom’s investigative agencies or security knights. I am afraid that no one but the great noble families can make backroom deals, such as bribing the church or the Order of the Holy Sepulchre.”

　Al thinks for a moment.

　Killing the enemy on the battlefield is fine. It is a battle. If you don’t kill your opponent, you will be killed. It is simple.

　But this is different. It is not logical to say that you can do whatever you want just because your opponent is a demon tribe. No, Al understands that it is justified for humans to harm the demon tribe as long as the country and the church allow it. If there is a war, there will probably be looting, and the demon tribe will probably overrun the human tribe.

(…huh. Am I still attracted to events? I didn’t think I’d be able to pull off a site like this. …… I’ m supposed to be a mob. Did the game ever have such a disgusting episode? …… Well, even if there had been, it would have ended up being a smooth-running process. Like a stuffed child’s head… The rut is in the way of regulation.

　But still, I would have thought it was inevitable if they were just feckless … but there is such a mix of rotten people among the capital’s nobility. …It’s a shame. Really. I guess the protagonists, who are surrounded by the church and the great nobility will never know this side of the city’s nobility. …… haha …… I’m not looking for a world-changer, but… If I have to deal with these rotten people in the future, I’ll take care of them. Well, it won’t reach the head of the noble family anyway, but it’ll at least harass him.)

　Al was not expecting much if he could foresee the occurrence of commoner-related quests through the “Guild” …… even a little. It was a spur of the moment kind of thing.

　However, this time, he unexpectedly ran into a silly dispute between aristocratic families……. And he doesn’t even remember that there was such a quest. But at this rate, there’s likely to be a ‘next time.’

“Vera. I know that by nature you have a temperament that does not like to fight. I really only wanted to ask you to take care of Cyrus and the” guild …… But it seems that things like this will continue to happen. I want you to help me ……. Can you do that for me?”

“As you wish. I am willing to do whatever it takes for the sake of Al-sama, who has given me peace and a place to stay.”

　Vera is oblivious.

　The vague shadow of foreboding she felt behind Al. The thing she once had a vision of.

　Vera does not know that she herself has become part of that shadow. She is unaware of it. No, even if she did, she would not stop …… to protect her place for Al-sama, for Cyrus and the others, …… and so on.

　Vera. She is the Sword and shield for Al. A dead soldier.

　The Squire of the Berserker.

　And Apostle Albert.

　He set the “Guild” in motion to investigate the possibility of those who would seek to harm the ” Divine Child”. He was accompanied by a follower named Vera, who was a shadow of the royal family, and a group of vagrants.

　He let Vera live. The Guild was created.

　This was the turning point. And there was no going back.

　He conquered the path of the dead mountains and rivers of blood. He doesn’t know it.