Chapter 4
Chapter 4: This Insult Feels Familiar (4)
Having suddenly overexerted the muscles and tendons that had been inactive, my entire body creaked uncomfortably.
Ghislaine discreetly counted the remaining orcs.
‘Wow, there are still five left?’
According to my initial calculations, all should have been dealt with by now. But my body was far weaker than expected, making it hard to even stand, let alone defeat all the orcs.
“Grrk, grrrk.”
Fortunately, it seemed my bravado had worked, as the orcs began to slowly retreat.
Although orcs were famous for their combat prowess, the wandering orcs valued their lives more than a fight.
Realizing they couldn’t take on the human before them, the orcs lost all will to fight.
‘Ugh, they can’t run away.’
Panic rose within me, and I instinctively tried to attack the orcs.
But my legs suddenly weakened, and I staggered down.
“……?”
Seeing my flustered expression, the orcs’ eyes glinted with excitement.
“Graaah!”
One sharp-witted orc rushed at me with an axe drawn. Skoban, witnessing this, gasped and sprang forward.
“Grand Duke!”
With Skoban’s horrified shout, the orc’s axe came crashing down toward me.
Boom!
As I rolled away just in time, the orc’s axe thudded into the ground where I’d been.
Seizing the opportunity, I sprang up and swung my sword toward the orc’s neck.
Swish!
Blood sprayed, and the orc fell, causing Skoban, who had rushed over, to halt in his tracks.
I brushed my hair back with a relaxed smile.
“Ha! Mission accomplished.”
“Grrk!”
The orcs began to back away again. It seemed they thought I had deliberately shown a weak spot as a bait.
But Skoban looked at me with a confused expression.
‘Is this real? Did she really trick them? Then why are her legs trembling like that?’
It wasn’t just my legs; my sword-bearing hand was slightly shaking too.
That was a signal my muscles weren’t responding properly.
Yet, my expression was as calm as someone out for a leisurely stroll.
If that were genuine acting, I’d have a talent worthy of a stage.
While the orcs and Skoban watched, half doubtful, I made a decision.
‘This won’t do. It’s embarrassing, but it’s unavoidable.’
Although I had confidently told everyone to sit back and relax earlier, the time had come to mobilize the soldiers.
To be honest, it was truly hard to move my body. Yet showing weakness here was not an option.
The moment I displayed any sign of weakness, the enemy’s morale would surely soar.
Maintaining a serious expression, I turned to the soldiers.
“With this level, you should all be able to handle it. Now, attack the remaining orcs!”
“…….”
But the soldiers just blinked, showing no sign of moving.
Sure, I had demonstrated impressive skills, but it was so unexpected that they didn’t know how to respond.
I stared back at them, blinking in disbelief.
‘Not a single one… is moving?’
It hit me just how little regard I had received in this era.
No matter how much of a fool I was, I never expected the soldiers to ignore me this much.
It couldn’t be helped. At times like these, I needed to issue a precise command.
“Ricardo! You at least come out! Block them!”
I called out to someone I knew, but the handsome Ricardo shouted back in terror.
“No way! No, don’t do this to me!”
“Geez, what the hell? Is there none of you that actually listens to me?”
With the soldiers ignoring me, I had no choice but to pour my wrath on the ‘real’ commander.
“Skoban! What are you doing? The orcs are escaping! Aren’t you going to move? You want to die, you idiots!”
Skoban, who had been blankly standing there, finally snapped to attention at my furious roar.
“Y-Yes! Yes! Everyone, attack!”
Indeed, the ‘real’ commander was different. As soon as the orders were given, the soldiers moved in perfect synchronicity.
“Waaaah!”
Skoban swiftly blocked the orcs’ path.
While the orcs were already turning to flee, he was a knight who could use mana.
His speed was faster than anyone else present.
As Skoban danced around the area to slow the orcs’ escape, the soldiers began to surround them.
I tried to move to finish off the remaining orcs, but my body refused to cooperate.
‘Ugh, it feels like I’ve twisted my bones.’
In the end, I gave up on moving and sat down splendidly on the ground.
Fighting relies on momentum and confidence. You must never show signs of weakness.
This was the fundamental essence of mercenaries: ‘bravado’ and ‘facade.’
Fortunately, since Skoban was a capable knight himself, dealing with the remaining orcs didn’t prove difficult.
“Graaah!”
Boom, thud!
Before long, all the remaining orcs were toppled.
I sat there, feigning relaxation while watching as I chuckled.
“All captured. No one hurt or dead, right? What do you think? Wasn’t it manageable?”
At my question, all the soldiers nodded silently.
Honestly, they felt like they should say something, but words wouldn’t come.
The Ghislaine they knew was pathetic and worthless.
Despite not properly training or even exercising, I held onto confidence.
But suddenly, this trash had displayed exceptional swordsmanship, taking down nearly twenty orcs single-handedly.
Had this talent been known, I wouldn’t have been treated with such disdain all this time.
“G-Grand Duke! Are you alright?”
Skoban looked at me, trembling in disbelief.
His feelings weren’t much different from those of the soldiers.
This was unreal.
Even Perdium’s Knight Commander couldn’t showcase such swordsmanship.
I wanted to grab Ghislaine and ask what on earth was happening, but I spoke first.
“Ah, I’m fine. But now, are we heading back to the castle?”
“Yes. Now that we’ve captured all the orcs, we ought to return.”
“That’s great. Then let’s go back to the castle right away.”
“Y-Yes?”
His urgency caught me off guard, but Skoban didn’t dare ask why.
“Make sure to move my body to the castle swiftly and safely. I can’t afford to die again.”
Thud.
As soon as I finished my words, I passed out.
Even a mercenary’s bravado and facade have their limits.
*
As I opened my eyes, the clean ceiling came into view, and I let out a sigh of relief.
“I’m alive.”
After pushing my body to its limits without mana, I had lost consciousness.
The aftereffects left my body aching all over. This was a definite sign that what I was experiencing wasn’t a dream.
“Oh, this place is….”
It was a small yet tidy and refined room, like one fit for a noble.
The oddly familiar surroundings made me tilt my head. Memories flickered at the edge of my consciousness.
“I guess I’m back at the castle? Is this my room?”
It seemed quite some time had passed since I lost consciousness.
Click.
Suddenly, a person burst in through the door, and upon seeing me looking around the room, they gasped in surprise.
“Young Master! You’re awake!”
“Huh?”
A well-dressed woman with her black hair neatly styled clapped her hands in delight.
Her face seemed somewhat familiar.
I gasped in recognition and called her name.
“Belinda?”
The woman standing before me was indeed Belinda, my dedicated head maid and tutor.
She was the one person who had always stood by my side, even when everyone in Perdium berated me.
What a surprise to meet her again.
“Belinda!”
I jumped out of bed and embraced her tightly.
“Why are you suddenly acting like this? Did you do something wrong again?”
Belinda gently reassured me with her soft tone. I pulled back my body and smiled brightly.
“No, I just missed you.”
“You see me every day; why would you suddenly miss me this much?”
With a suspicious expression, Belinda locked eyes with me as I said seriously.
“Actually, I died and came back to life…”
“Yes, yes. You died at the hands of orcs and have now been resurrected in bed. Wow, how amazing.”
Seeing me about to ramble nonsense again, Belinda swiftly cut me off.
“……No, that’s not what I meant.”
She leaned in closer, whispering in my ear.
“Master, do you realize you’re in a dangerous situation right now? If the maids hear and rumors spread, you’ll truly be imprisoned.”
“……”
At her words, I nodded in resignation. Indeed, it was tough to convey sincerity when one’s credit had been tarnished.
“By the way, where is this?”
“Where else but your room, Master. Anyway, I’m so glad you’ve awakened.”
I looked around again. The scenery indeed felt familiar.
A space that triggered nostalgic memories blazed before me. This was surely the room I had used in my youth.
While I was nostalgically observing my surroundings, Belinda continued speaking.
“You seem fine physically now… But after sweating so much, you should start with a bath.”
She turned and rang the golden bell on the table several times.
Ding, ding.
The door soon opened, and several maids rushed in.
“Let’s bathe Young Master.”
“Yes, Head Maid.”
The maids quickly closed in on me, pulling me along as if to whisk me away.
“Uh? Uh?”
I stumbled in surprise and was dragged off.
*
After finishing my grooming, I stood before the mirror once more.
The image reflected in the mirror was vibrant and vivid, far clearer than any reflection on water.
‘…I can’t believe it.’
The figure staring back was indeed a proper young nobleman.
Gone were the scars that marred my face, the brutal glint in my eyes, and the menacing expression. Only the handsome, cheerful version of Ghislaine from the past remained.
As I gazed into the mirror with a dazed expression, Belinda chuckled softly.
“Looks like you’re really pleased with your own face?”
“Yeah, I’m very pleased.”
My confident response, devoid of any embarrassment, caused Belinda to momentarily frown.
Upon closer inspection, Ghislaine was endlessly engrossed in looking in the mirror.
It wasn’t often that someone became so captivated by their own face.
‘Wow, it must truly be that nice. Well, it’s better than causing trouble by just staring at the mirror.’
Today’s atmosphere felt a bit odd, but then again, it wasn’t out of the ordinary for a young master to act strangely.
“You should rest a bit more.”
With that, Belinda shook her head and exited the room.
Even after she left, I continued staring at the mirror for quite some time.
Squeak.
How long had I been staring into the mirror when the door cracked open, and a girl peeked her head inside?
“Brother?”
“Elena?”
I was taken aback upon seeing her face.
A girl with blonde hair, looking about sixteen or seventeen years old.
It was none other than my younger sister, Elena.
Seeing her caused my heart to drop.
Suddenly back in the past, I had been focused on the battle and hadn’t organized my thoughts clearly.
But looking at my sister’s face made a particular incident rise sharply in my mind among the tangled memories.
‘Wait, how many days are left?’
In my previous life, after the extermination squad was decimated, I faced an immense torrent of blame.
Although I had caused my fair share of troubles, I had never felt such guilt over losing so many lives.
‘If only I hadn’t been a terrible commander back then.’
The retainers had called for my imprisonment, and unable to bear it, I had resolved to leave the family.
‘Right, it was the battle against the orcs that triggered it.’
My heart began to race with mounting anxiety.
As I resolved to depart and grappled with my complicated feelings during that time, the fateful incident occurred.
The accident that befell Elena had been the decisive reason for my decision to leave the family.
“Elena!”
I called out to her with a serious expression, and she jumped in surprise.
“Uh? Why?”
“How much time is left until the festival?”
“Umm, a week?”
I wrapped my hands around her face, blocking her view, then silently laughed. I simply couldn’t contain my amusement.
Had I decided to leave the territory amid all the blame for failing to exterminate the orcs?
The day that changed my life was entirely separate.
Even if decades had passed, how could I ever forget?
His two eyes concealed by my hands filled with a thick, lingering bloodlust.
‘The day I wished to reverse the most. The memory that tormented me for a lifetime.’
In just one week, Elena would die.
