abcnovels
Chapter 44
Chapter 44
"Argh?!"
"Ack?!"
The bandits who were struck by my spear screamed and fell one by one.
Hesitation about killing? Reluctance?
I left such lukewarm emotions on the battlefield of the past war. If I don't kill them, I will die.
Vroom- Thud!
"Argh?!"
The bandit, whose head was crushed by the spear handle I struck, collapsed.
"This bastard...!"
Another bandit who didn't care about his comrade's death targeted my back.
It was a perfect ambush aimed at the moment of attack, but the problem was that it was the decisive reason for my death last time.
'Will I fall for the same trick again?'
I regretted and reflected as I was dying. I wouldn't have been fooled if I had paid a little more attention to my surroundings.
Swoosh-
I spun my body like a top around my right foot, which I stepped forward while swinging.
"Ugh?!"
The bandit, who tried to stab my back with a raised dagger, gasped and widened his eyes.
Immediately after,
Swish-!
The sharp tip of the spear grazed the bandit's neck.
'Next!'
I had no time to check for injuries or catch my breath.
From the beginning, we were outnumbered and surrounded. Moreover, we had two non-combatants to protect.
"Capture the women!"
"If you want to die, come on...!"
The two women who took out crossbows from the wagon's cargo compartment were surrounded by bandits, relying on each other's backs.
However, no one could approach them rashly because...
"Hurry up and catch them!"
"You do it!"
"Don't push me!"
Even though it was just one shot, the crossbows, which were pre-loaded, could be easily fired by a weak woman by just pulling the trigger with her finger.
In other words, the first two to rush at them would surely die!
That meant,
"Come on!"
"Try to catch us!"
If the two died, the crossbows would become useless, and the women could be completely suppressed.
However, even with their desperate provocations, the bandits couldn't move. Their lives were the most precious to them.
In the midst of such a standoff,
Thump! Thud!
I broke through the encirclement and turned the tables.
'That's a relief.'
We are not specialized mercenaries or professional soldiers, so we can't help but have many weaknesses.
Yet, the level of the bandits who targeted us was also in a similar situation!
They can only bully children of a similar age who are weak like them.
"Damn it! Someone stop him!"
"What the hell is this guy?!"
"Heeek?! Save me- Ack?!"
The fact that there had been no long-range attacks since the battle started was proof of their weakness.
Moreover, time was on my side.
Everyone, except for me with good stamina, was getting tired quickly. My spear was getting duller and becoming unusable even before me.
Swoosh.
I boldly threw away my spear and picked up one that had fallen from a bandit.
'It's a bit heavy.'
However, it wasn't to the extent that I couldn't knock down the whining bandits who were running out of energy.
"Hey! Help me!"
"Let's deal with those women later!"
"They can't escape anyway!"
The bandits, who had been unable to do anything to the two women, charged at me all at once.
Their movements were quite fast since they had barely moved, but how strong could those despicable guys be who targeted weak women first?
They were quickly taken care of like rotten straw mats.
"Retreat!"
"This is unbelievable!"
"Run away!"
I chased and killed the scattering bandits who had lost their fighting spirit.
All by myself?josei
Of course not.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
"Ack~?!"
"Argh~?!"
It was thanks to the crossbows that the women had been saving as if their lives depended on it.
"Forgive me-"
Thud!
I stabbed the spear into the neck of the last bandit who had given up on running away and begged on his knees, and the battle was over.
"Hurray! We won!"
"Thank you, God!"
"We survived...!"
However, the joy of victory was short-lived, and the atmosphere quickly turned somber.
"Cough, cough..."
"Hang in there a little longer!"
"......"
"Hurry up and stop the bleeding with a bandage...!"
"It's too late."
"Ah..."
The group, which had been 14 people when we left from the Count of Chimac's territory, had only six people left, including me.
Even among them, one person's injuries were so severe that it was uncertain whether they would see tomorrow's sun safely.
The youngest boy in the group cried out.
"Because of me, that man...!"
"We must collect his belongings and return them to his family. That's the duty of us who survived."
The man who had acted as the leader in an unspoken manner comforted him.
"Yes. Sob, sob!"
"Take your time, even if it's hard."
We buried our deceased companions in the ground, collected their belongings, and then rummaged through the corpses of the bandits to take anything that could be worth money.
The majority of the spoils would be given to the families of those who fought with us...
"Thank you. I survived because of you."
"No, it was thanks to everyone's brave fight."
"Still, if it weren't for you, we would all be dead. We would have suffered all kinds of humiliation even if we were alive."
"I was lucky."
If I hadn't exchanged my life for real combat experience, I wouldn't have been able to perform this well.
"You can't take down that many bandits just by luck."
"......"
Honestly, I didn't know I could fight this well.
"Have confidence in yourself."
"...I'll think about it."
"Stubborn."
The man who promised to take responsibility for the families of the group when we safely arrived at our destination patted my shoulder.
"......"
"......"
Afterward, we silently lay down in the wagon's cargo compartment to rest.
Clatter, clatter.
It was fortunate that the bandits didn't attack the horse pulling the wagon. They must have not touched it to sell the horse.
"Mr. Kang Moon-soo."
"......"
"Are you asleep?"
"...No."
I reluctantly opened my tired eyes at the call of the woman who controlled the wagon.
'Suspicious.'
She was the woman who said she would pay the outrageous toll the bandits had demanded.
If she had that much money, she could have hired mercenaries to safely go to the Somac Duke's territory.
She cautiously spoke.
"I have a favor to ask."
"What is it?"
"If I have a problem, please deliver this letter to Duke of Somac."
* * *
The protagonist is the youngest daughter of a count's family, as the title of the novel suggests.
So, there are many brothers and sisters above her, but in the original work that focuses only on the protagonist's romance, they either appear as a folding screen or are briefly mentioned...
"I am the nanny of Ann Milrina Chimac, the third daughter of Count Chimac."
"That's why you had so much money."
The reason she could afford the outrageous toll the bandits demanded was simply revealed.
'If it's Ann Milrina Chimac...'
When analyzing the novel <I Became the Youngest Daughter of a Count's Family>, researching the protagonist's family is essential!
The third daughter, Ann Milrina Chimac, is a widowed countess who lost her husband early.
She briefly appears as a character who is jealous of her younger sister, who is loved by many men...
"The marriage condition between the two families was that a son would be born in the Somac Duke's family and a daughter in the Chimac Count's family."
However, since a son was not born in the Duke's family, the marriage was endlessly postponed...
The daughters of the count's family couldn't miss their chance to marry, and when news of a son being born in the Duke's family reached them, only the youngest daughter was still unmarried.
"Why are you telling me this..."
"It means that Lady Ann Milrina also has the right."
"But it's already broken, isn't it?"
The two families completely separated due to the protagonist's consecutive mistakes.
Can this be mended?
The woman who introduced herself as the nanny spoke in a slightly somber tone.
"It won't be easy. However, Lady Ann Milrina is so stubborn... She often lamented that if she had been born just one year later, she would have been the fiancée instead of the youngest daughter..."
"Why?"
"......"
"Is it a secret?"
"The Duke doesn't like older women or women of the same age, and you two are the same age."
"Aha!"
If it's a matter of preference, there's nothing we can do!
It's only natural to respect them.
"Everyone knows that fact if they have a noble daughter of marriageable age, but you must not spread rumors."
"Yes."
I have no intention of doing something that would destroy my brain cells.
'Another variable has been added to the mix.'
But it's a good variable.
The rebellion of a supporting character who had no weight in the original novel!
For me, who had to plan to meet the fiancé as soon as I arrived at the Duke's territory, it was a very welcome opportunity.
'I'm so happy! I even thought about working part-time at a restaurant that the fiancé frequents...!'
It's not easy for a person of unknown identity to meet the heir of the only Duke's family in the kingdom.
So, I had thought of various tricks, but if I could make good use of this situation, would there be any need for them?
I spoke as if I was doing a favor.
"I understand. If there's a problem, I'll take responsibility and deliver the letter."
"Thank you!"
"But in return, please let me accompany you until the end, even if everything goes well. It's my wish to have a conversation with a noble person."
"Alright. But you might be disappointed."
The woman smiled softly as she said that.
"Why?"
"I cannot tell you because the honor of the nobility is at stake."
"Ah, I see."
However, I could easily guess what she wanted to say.
'Nobles are just the same as any other human being.'
I only pretended to be naive to create a reason to meet the noble.
If you don't expect it from the beginning, you won't be disappointed.
"Please take care."
"Likewise."
The Duke's territory was getting closer and closer.
* * *
If I meet the patient who has become the protagonist right away and persuade them, wouldn't it be resolved easily?
...You might think so.
However, I experienced a terrible death when I tried this method on Choi Kang-min, so it's impossible to adopt it!
So, even if it's troublesome, I decided to go the long way around.
'This is certain.'
It's a method that even the magical boy, who had no rival in the world of dreams, knelt down to.
In other words, the bitter taste of failure!
I plan to make the protagonist 'Angelina Chimac' fail in her life surrounded by handsome men.
Make the patient want to escape from this world where things don't go as planned!
Just as I escaped from Earth (reality).
That is my goal.
"I will never forget you all until I die! Thank you! Thank you!"
"Be happy."
"Take care!"
The boy who had been sulking all the way left first.
What about the severely injured person?
Unfortunately, his injuries were so severe that he couldn't accompany us to the end.
"My parents have been running an inn for four generations. If you need a place to stay... No, please come. I want to treat you to a splendid meal."
"Stay strong."
"I'll definitely go."
The woman who returned to her family with the news that her younger brother, who was swept up in the war between the two families, had died.
Her younger brother, who was the top priority for conscription when it became known that he was from the Somac Duke's territory, couldn't return alive...
There was a reason why her expression had been dark all along.
"Huh?"
"Why?"
"Could it be, the captain is also going to see the Duke?"
The captain, who I thought it was time to part ways with, was accompanying us to the entrance of the Duke's mansion.
Scratching his head, he said,
"Don't you have to know your enemy to win in a war?"
"...You were a spy."
"That's right."
I was slightly shocked by the identity of the man who disguised himself as a traveler caught up in the war between the two families.
'There's no one to trust!'
The woman's attitude, which seemed to have anticipated the shock, added to it.
Am I naive?
Maybe there were more people among the group who were hiding their identities. Including the two who parted ways.
"Stop."
"Identify yourself."
Click! Click!
The guards guarding the entrance to the mansion stood in a dignified posture to block our way.
"I've brought a letter from Ann Milrina, the third daughter of Count Chimac, to Duke Somac. As proof, I have brought the lady's seal."
The woman finished introducing herself and took out a ring from her belongings.
The ring had a chicken engraved on it, symbolizing the Chimac Count's family.
Following that,
"I am a merchant who brought the goods ordered by the Duke."
The captain lied again.
"What kind of goods?"
"Beer. But it's not ordinary beer."
"Is it poisoned?"
"I mixed a little more stimulating alcohol than poison."
"How much did you mix?"
"Enough to get drunk in one shot."
I belatedly realized that the conversation between the guards and the captain was perfectly in sync, like a play.
Click!
"Welcome back, hero!"
"Thank you for the hospitality."
The captain smiled as he replied to the guard, who saluted him with respect.
And then it was my turn!
"......"
"......"
The two guards looked at me, asking for my identity.
"...My name is Kang Moon-soo. These two will vouch for my identity."
I looked back at the woman, asking for her help.
"I'm sorry. I can't accompany you because it's a very important occasion for the lady and the family's fate."
"......"
I didn't expect to be betrayed at the last minute, although I thought things were going too smoothly.
"Ha ha! The dogs raised by the Chimac Count's family all behave the same way!"
"What, what...!"
The woman was appalled by the captain's insult, which intervened between us.
Anyway,
"It's not my promise, but Kang Moon-soo is the benefactor of my life. I wish you would allow him to accompany us."
"Hmm. Please wait a moment."
The guard, who judged that he had overstepped his authority, entered the mansion.
And a moment later,
Creak-
The door to the mansion opened wide.
"Thank you, Captain!"
"If you're grateful, use that power for Duke Somac."
"I'll think about it."
I came here with that intention from the beginning.
'Is this the beginning?'
I will become a King-Maker.
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