by Road Warrior
“How about Eckheart?” Bertelgia had been watching Sungchul’s deliberation from the side and offered her opinion.
“I refuse.” He flatly rejected it, and Bertelgia’s color briefly turned red. He narrowed his options down to three, then etched them into a rock with his fingertip: Esper Kim, Chulin Kim, and Fabre Kim.
“Oooo….” Bertelgia let out a taunt.
“Something wrong?”
“Something’s very wrong. What the heck is Fabre? You sound like someone that never had any friends!”
“It’s the name of a scholar more famous than your father.”
“Don’t say such things. Anyways, all three options are bad.”
Sungchul’s eyes lit up. “What’s the issue?”
“Why do all the names have Kim? Can’t you just forget the Kim? What do you think you’re using an alias for? Isn’t it to hide your identity?” Bertelgia said everything she wanted to say despite fluttering about wildly.
“…”
Sungchul grew quiet. He knew that Bertelgia wasn’t full of nonsense.
“If you got nothing, then pick something mage-like. I thought you were going to go to the Storm Battlefront or something as a mage anyways?”
“More accurately an alchemist first and mage second,” responded Sungchul.
“Then a name with an S or T at the end would work! I don’t know why, but famous mage names usually end with S or T.”
After hearing her suggestion, Sungchul immediately added an S and removed the Kim. He added three more names for a total of six names in the rock: Espers, Chulins, Fabres, Espert, Chulint, and Fabret. Sungchul rubbed his chin as he muttered the names to himself to check how they sounded.
On the other end, Bertelgia was fuming. “Why are you so attached to those three names? All three are awful!”
“In the end, I think they all sound better than Eckheart?”
“Ugh. Good for you. Really. Why not just use a name from the Seven Heroes at this point?”
“The Seven Heroes?” A strange light flashed in his eyes. The names of the Seven Heroes weren’t that well known, but their names had significant weight since the past. Sungchul began to recall their names in his head.
Desfort, the leader of the Seven Heroes. Dragoman, one who reached the peak with swords. Daltanius, pursuer of endless strength. Sajators, the mage of multicast. White Shadow, the assassin without a record. Vestiare, the Echo Mage. Ga Xi Ong, the Devourer of Souls. Which name among these should be chosen?
“I choose White Shadow,” said Sungchul after briefly giving it a thought.
“White Shadow? That weirdo who wraps himself with that white cloth thing?”
“You’ve seen White Shadow?”
“Yea, but only from a distance. I haven’t even heard him speak. He’s a lunatic like the other Seven Heroes and writes instead of using his perfectly good tongue to communicate.”
“I see. How did you manage to meet him though?”
He knew that Bertelgia and Eckheart were from the same era as the Seven Heroes. However, there was no guarantee that these people would ever meet just because they lived in the same period. Especially since the Seven Heroes were top of the elite during their era. But Bertelgia immediately replied without hesitation.
“The Seven Heroes were regulars at Dad’s shop. They always ordered a bunch of stuff before they left for battle.”
“Hoh… is that right?”
“Yep. That’s why my dad called himself the Eighth Hero.”
“What did the Seven Heroes usually buy?”
“Well, I was really young, so I don’t remember much, but it was mostly potions like Elixir and high firepower Alchemic Bomb. The bratty kid mage and the bitchy woman bought Mana Essence and Dark Crystal.”
“Could I make those with my ability right now?”
“You could make some, but not others.”
Sungchul nodded at her assessment. He felt amused by Alchemy, but he was getting fed up with making useless alchemy items. But if the items were good enough to be regularly used by even the Seven Heroes, then from a manufacturing standpoint, Sungchul might be able to tackle the creation process with a sense of ambition.
I think it might help if I synthesise things every now and then to raise my alchemy technique and knowledge as she suggested. They might be good for me.
He chose the name and his goal and descended from the wild rocky mountain moving toward the stronghold.
***
The Battlefront of the Demon Realm was largely divided into four regions. The first region was the flat plain to the west that was mostly a wasteland. This region contained the most conflicts out of the four regions and was occupied by the Order of the Iron Blood Knights. They utilized the high mobility of their mighty Mobile Fortresses and the strength of their powerful knights to defend their territory.
The second region was a mountainous area with rugged mountain ranges that had the appearance of folding screens. This territory was a part of Storm Battlefront. The Dwarves, who call themselves children of the mountains, built impregnable fortresses all over the mountainside, squashing any desire for the demons to try and invade them.
The next region was a sea of trees underneath the mountain range. This region was occupied by an alliance of Elves called the Varan-Aran. Antagonising these people was like making an enemy of the forest itself. There were no records of hostile demons surviving the forest.
The final region was located behind the other three, called the Backline. This region that can’t exactly be called the frontlines was occupied by the allied air fleet of the Human Empire, mercenaries of the Coalition of Merchants, the Sword Masters of the Ancient Kingdom, and a reserve force composed of various units sent by supporting factions. Marquis Martin Breggas, a former Sixth Champion of the Continent, was assigned to lead and manage the combined forces gathered there. Sungchul picked Trowyn, a city within the Backline, as his destination.
The reason he didn’t head directly to the Storm Battlefront was simple. The Backline was where most people congregated, and it was known that all information regarding the frontlines flowed through here. More than anything, the recruitment of mercenaries occurred here too. The free city of Trowyn was the busiest area of the Backline and was most apt for Sungchul’s needs.
“…”
Sungchul arrived at the walls of Trowyn at early morning. However, the city guards were unusually grim. The city borders were ceaselessly patrolled by packs of werewolf soldiers and knights on gryphons were looking down from the skies.
Sungchul could force his entry, but he didn’t wish to attract such attention to himself at this place. He would go through proper channels if he could manage it. After coming to this decision, he hid within a field of reeds and observed the situation. He overheard conversations from merchants, housewives, and soldiers until midday and got a grasp of the situation within the city.
There was only one reason the city was on full alert: It was the Enemy of the World. It was known that the Enemy of the World had left for the Demon Realm, so notices requesting high alert with the authority of each ruler had been spread throughout the frontlines as it couldn’t be predicted when the Enemy of the World will appear again.
“Really. What did you do that made everyone hate you so much?” Bertelgia asked, exasperated.
“I did cause some problems. I emptied a vault, stole a hammer, destroyed a Royal Palace, and killed a rotten prince…”
“Wait, now that I’m listening to all this, it doesn’t really sound like a little?”
When Bertelgia retorted, Sungchul shook his head and continued, “Those things were inconsequential. First and foremost, the real reason why they resent me is because I am powerful. Next, it is because I disagree with their ideas. A good mixture of the two created this level of fear and resentment.”
Sungchul pulled out an outfit from the Soul Storage. It was a worn-out brown coat and military pants that had become grey as its colours faded away. Sungchul pulled off
the clothes he had been wearing without thought and changed into his new outfit.
Bertelgia made a serious request while he changed. “Ugh. Even if I am a book, I am a maiden at heart so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t just strip naked without warning.”
Of course, Sungchul didn’t give her plea a second thought. “Isn’t it enough to just close your eyes?”
Sungchul put on a snap-buttoned plaid shirt over his muscled body.
“Mmm…” No matter how you look at it, the plaid shirt looked bad. It must have turned out like this because he had been stealing the clothes of the Summoned at the Golden City before entering the Summoning Palace without checking them. Sungchul ripped the shirt off and buried it before pulling out another shirt of a similar style.
“Mmm.” He had been trying to put in some effort behind it, but his outfit hadn’t progressed an inch from his hobo appearance.
“Wouldn’t the clothes of a Summoned stand out?” Bertelgia flew around Sungchul once and judged his outfit.
Sungchul shook his head. “There are several groups of Summoned that purposely try to wear styles of clothes similar to their original world’s.”
“Why?”
“It is to avoid losing their distinct identity even after coming to this world. Well, a lot of the people that choose to keep the clothes from their original world often choose the path of a Returnee.”
A bitter memory passed by Sungchul’s eyes. If only she had chosen to return, all of this could have been avoided.
The past was the past. Sungchul brushed the memory aside and looked onto the main road.
“Anyway, how will you get into the city? I don’t think they’ll just let you in.”
“How many people do you think come in and out of Trowyn? It’s thousands, if not tens of thousands, of people. It’s not easy for a couple of guards to inspect all of them.”
Sungchul stood on the side of the main road and waited for a wagon en-route to the city. It didn’t take long for such a wagon to appear.
It was a transport wagon with a forgettable old man, pulled by a pair of old and skinny horses. Sungchul carefully looked at the wagon before he let it pass.
“Why did you let that one go? I think you’d be safe if you hid in the stuff at the back.”
Bertelgia spoke from his pocket, but Sungchul just shook his head.
“The worse the cart and its driver look, the stricter the inspection.”
Sungchul let several more wagons pass until a massive stagecoach pulled by a team of eight angelic horses, the Pegasi, approached from the distance. Seeing that the stagecoach was pulled by pegasi and it had a floatation stone instead of wheels meant that it was a high-class stagecoach capable of flight.
“Hmm. That one looks like someone with some money would be riding it?”
Sungchul nodded at Bertelgia’s words and blocked its path.
“Could I get a ride? It is quite bothersome to walk all that distance,” said Sungchul as he handed out a single silver coin to the driver.
The driver let out a laugh and shot Sungchul a cold glare. “Do you think you can ride this stagecoach with just a single silver coin? Get out of the way!”
He raised the whip in order to move the carriage, but Sungchul pulled out something different. The driver’s eyes changed. It was because a shiny gold coin was held in front of him.
“I don't quite know the value of goods very well yet, is this enough?” said Sungchul.
The driver looked at him once again.
Sungchul looked like a typical Summoned on the outside. He looked pitiful, but his appearance was that of a young man in his twenties or thirties. The driver had recently heard of the existence of the Preselected among the Summoned who received privileged treatment upon their arrival to the Other World. Is he one of those idiots? Whatever, I can just earn some coin.
Finally, he received the coin and carefully examined its surface. Where there was supposed to be a mark for the mint, it was etched with the marking of the Human Empire foundry.
It’s clean, thought the driver.
There was an order trickling down from above: Report anyone with an unmarked coin to a superior officer. It was a task not even a horse driver of the transportation company affiliated with the Merchant's Coalition could forgo. Also, the coin was confirmed to be without problems. There was no reason for the driver to reject Sungchul.
“Open the second door and get on. Don’t bother the other guests.”
Sungchul excused himself before entering the cabin. When Sungchul opened the door to the cabin, Bertelgia whispered in a quiet voice, “It looks like you’ve done this before?”
“…”
Sungchul didn’t confirm nor deny it. The cabin was more or less empty. The only guests were a middle-aged noblewoman with a fan made of the tail feathers of a rare bird, a man of sophisticated airs reading a book with a monocle, and a stubborn-looking male dwarf whose feet didn’t quite reach the wagon floor. It was just these three. They glanced over at Sungchul as he stepped onto the coach, but didn’t make much of it. However, Sungchul could see a hint of revulsion on their faces, especially the noblewoman.
“We’re departing.” The coach left on a relatively light note. Green farmlands could be seen outside the window as they passed the rural villages of the border on their way to the castle gates. There was a formation of five guards examining the coaches as they entered.
Due to the slight angling of the road, Sungchul was just barely able to watch a wagon undergo the inspection through the window. The one currently being searched was the rickety load-bearing wagon ridden by the old horseman that he had just allowed to pass. Four guards surrounded him as they stood beside the wagon’s load with their tridents in hand. Bertelgia squirmed at the sight as though she was on the wagon herself.
Soon, the head gatekeeper’s commanding voice roared, “Commence Special Search!”
As soon as his order fell, the four guards began to stab away at the bale of hay with their tridents with fearsome vigor.
“Hundred Spear Thrust!”
It was an inspection that would not only make a pincushion of anyone inside, but shred them to pieces as well. Sungchul stroked Bertelgia in his pocket and quietly whispered to her. “Do you get it now?”
Bertelgia shook her body lightly. Soon, the turn for the coach that Sungchul was riding came. Unlike the previous search, the guards and the gatekeeper had a completely different attitude. They didn’t even dare to open up the coach door, and only spoke to the coach driver. After a few words from the driver, the gatekeeper nodded and gestured to let them through.
“Pass!”
The noblewoman’s face grew ugly, but she didn’t make any further actions. She had decided that exercising her patience a bit longer was less effort than reporting the repulsive man. Thankfully, this allowed Sungchul safe entry into the town center of Trowyn. It was an economic result at the expense of some time and a gold coin.
Sungchul, after arriving at the town center, entered into the back alleys to seek out an information broker. He inquired between several information brokers to find the one who had his finger on the pulse of the battlefield. The one who met the qualifications was a disabled veteran missing an eye and a leg. Sungchul held out several silver coins and asked a question.
“I am seeking a mercenary mage by the name of Deckard.”
“Deckard?” The former soldier looked up at him with his remaining eye. When Sungchul nodded, the man let out a sigh before speaking again. “If the Deckard you speak of is the mercenary mage affiliated with the Storm Battlefront, he is probably… well… he’s most likely dead by now.”
“What does that mean?”
“He committed a crime and got assigned to the Suicide Unit.”
Chapter 2 – Suicide Unit
It was a common occurrence for soldiers of both private and state armies who have committed a crime to be assigned to dangerous missions to absolve themselves. However, the Demon Realm Battlefront was
unlike other battlefields in the sense that the repercussions were significant and the enemies were existences to be feared. The ratio of deserters was significantly higher than other battlefields which made strict military discipline a requirement. The suicide unit was one of the measures set forth to maintain the frontlines of the Demon Realm.
The soldiers of the Demon Realm Battlefront treated being assigned to the suicide unit as a death sentence. It was because the casualty rate was at 90%, but as far as anyone could tell, the 90% was only a statistic, and most suicide units resolved such mistakes with a wipeout. As someone who had served on the frontlines of the Demon Realm the longest, there was no way that Sungchul didn’t know this.
“What is the suicide unit?”
Sungchul responded to Bertelgia’s question with a brief answer. “A fish on a chopping block.”
Sungchul followed the road to the recruitment centre to put in a request as a mercenary. As the battlefront always had a need for soldiers, their background check was considerably loose. The mercenaries that came to the frontlines were almost always criminals or debtors escaping their debts. Being stringent with the check would only reduce the amount of soldiers that were willing to fight on the frontlines.
“What will be your branch of service?” a recruitment officer with a grotesque scar in the shape of a devil’s claw across his face asked the question with a grave voice.
“Mage,” answered Sungchul.
“There are more than a few type of mages… do you specialise in Dimensional magic? Supporting magic? Combat specialist?”
“Combat.” Sungchul then added one more thing. “Alchemy.”
“What good is Alchemy… Just forget about that one unless you want to be stuck in a factory pumping out potions.”
“…”
When the military branch was selected, the recruitment officer asked regarding his preferred frontline. Of course, the battlefront the officer suggested was the most dangerous one.
“How about the battlefront supervised by the Varan-Aran Tribal Alliance? It’s a good opportunity to get close to some pretty elf women.”
