Tale of the Fake Hero

Chapter 11 – The End of Childhood, Battle of Aristapo (2)

He felt panic, as if the blood flowing through his head had hardened into pure lead.

“D-damn…”

“Almighty Terbel, save… save us with your light, the light of the heavens…”

An otherworldly spectacle flashed in the retinas of the retreating human soldiers.

“Ra… Rabi? Dull? So dull, so dull, so dull!” The uruk’s physique was so magnificent that an onlooker could only laugh in disbelief. Using its pair of ridiculously large steel claws, it tore apart five human soldiers, who bled out in great pain.

Rather than a fight, it was a massacre.

“You call yourselves ‘otous’, ‘warriors’, when you are like this? Are you supposed to be warriors?” the uruk asked.

The 5,800 musketeers guarding Fortress 22 of the Inferno Line were annihilated in a relative instant.

That monster of an uruk single-handedly killed half of the humans while other uruks killed the remaining half.

“I’m Kishun? I’m Kishun Giolobepe!” The vicious uruk chief, covered in human blood and flesh, spoke the human language and revealed his name. “Fae… Humanity’s greatest warriors are called Fake Warriors? Where are they now?!”

* * *

“Kaisen, you brat. Can’t you be a little more gentle with Lady Kamila?” Rifle Jin asked. The man was in his 30s and always spoke gruffly with a toothpick in his mouth.

“Why me?”

“You brat, if she hadn’t taken you in, you would have already died, bastard.”

“You never know. I might have met someone somewhat normal, like Sharon Alter Tas Alfo.”

Though they found themselves in the twilight hours, ‘Aquitaina’ was noisy and bright. They hadn’t been to such a city for quite some time.

The lights were bright in every inn, and the sounds of the barkeepers and male prostitutes fawning over the male and female mercenaries added to the cacophony of noises.

“You, cool guy over there, why don’t you come play?”

“Whistle~! You have good senses, miss, but I have a prior contract.” Jin, who was well versed in dealing with women, joked with the woman who’d approached him and looked back at Kaisen. “Kaisen, do you know Kamila looks for you after every battle?”

“…?”

“There is no such treatment for mercenary bums like the rest of us. When we say there were 10 casualties, she just remembers us as being included in those 10.”

That was certainly true. When Kaisen gave it more thought, he felt confused. He shook his head and banished his wandering thoughts. “To begin with, Kamila and I have never had a mutually caring relationship. We’re bound by a contract.”

“As expected, you are still young. You idiot, you don’t know much about the world.”

“If you want to fight, I’ll accept the challenge.” Kaisen was on his way to the military store. His military shoes were half-rotted and chipped, so he needed to buy new ones.

“Oh, my.” When they reached their destination, Jin gave a sinister whistle and pounded Kaisen on the back. “Do your best, young man. Uncle Jin is a great guy who knows how to get out of the way when he needs to.”

“What bullshit are you on about now?” Kaisen tried to grab him and ask what nonsense he was talking about, but Jin twisted to avoid his touch and disappeared into the night, chuckling.

“Why is he like that?” Staring blankly at Jin’s back, Kaisen looked forward again and saw the man’s reason for leaving.

The girl’s long, elegant blonde hair stood out in the twilight. Lia Riley… were all noble women so beautiful? Her eyes were wide open—as if they had been painted on.

Kaisen narrowed his eyes. “Why are you looking at me like that? Want to fight again?”

Lia Riley cleared her throat and solemnly shook her head. “You don’t seem to know much. Those of the Riley family don’t dwell on past wins and losses.”

“Okay?”

“I apologize for the conflict that arose from my misunderstanding. I didn’t know you were Kamila’s student. I mean, you’re a guy, after all. You didn’t even know the sword’s prayer.”

He would later learn, as they traveled through various battlefields, that Lia was a truly outstanding noblewoman. He’d never met a noble who admitted to their mistakes and apologized first.

“I’m not Kamila’s student, though?” he answered before entering the store to choose a new pair of boots.

Lia followed him in, seemingly amazed. “You’re not a disciple? What do you mean? You’re using the Cross Sword Style.”

“That’s true. Hey, Uncle, how much is this?”

“You have good eyes,” the shopkeeper commented. “Do you know of the Manja Alliance?”

“The Manja Alliance?” Kaisen tilted his head.

Lia Riley seemed to think it was the right moment, cleared her throat to draw his attention, and answered for him. “It’s a famous military supply association in the western part of the Holy Human Empire.”

The shopkeeper nodded. “That’s right. It’s a luxury military supply company created through a collaboration between the Dwarf Federation and the mages.”

“I’m from the empire. I don’t know about things like that,” Kaisen said. “What’s the point…?”

The shopkeeper explained it to him. “Those artisans made this pair of boots. They’re luxury items imbued with magic that makes them both durable and breathable. Rather than mere objects, they are magic tools. The pair costs 25 silver coins.”

‘25 coins…?’ The boots were carefully woven with dark-brown leather, and the ankles and heels were lined with magic-imbued iron plates, making them look really sturdy.

“That’s too expensive. Is there anything I can buy for less than three coins?” There was regret in Kaisen’s voice as he put the boots back on the display stand.

Lia grabbed Kaisen’s shoulder. “What do you mean? You said you’re a mercenary, not a student. Since you received your payment all at once, you can afford the boots without difficulty. It’s not that expensive, considering the high pay of a Fake Warrior corps.”

“I’m not a member of the corps,” Kaisen replied, “so I don’t get paid.”

“?”

“It’s complicated. If I say I need something, Wolf will buy it for me… but I can’t just depend on him forever. Uncle, do you have anything else?”

“If you want a low-cost model, there are some this way.”

Just as Kaisen was about to follow the merchant into the shop…

“Hmm, hmm, hmm!” There was a strange sense of satisfaction on Lia’s face as she repeatedly cleared her throat to grab his attention.

Kaisen rolled his eyes. “Did you get sick?”

“25 silver coins, right?” she asked the shopkeeper. “Please measure Kaisen’s feet. I will pay for them.”

Kaisen, who had already realized that there was no such thing as gratuitous kindness in the world, warily took half a step back. “What are your intentions?”

“What intentions? I’m just trying to pay you back for not cutting off my hand earlier.”

“Pay me back?”

Lia Riley, the warrior who was recorded by later generations as a peerless leader who led the Era of Heroes, was nothing more than a playful girl at that moment.

She was born into a strict, prestigious family and immediately became a Fake Warrior’s disciple, so she never even had a chance to make friends with her peers.

That was probably the reason why her attitude toward the opposite sex was clear but rigid, playful but also awkward.

“If you receive a favor, repay it twice over. That’s what my master always told me,” she explained.

He would truly be receiving something for free? After completing the calculations in his head, Kaisen’s face lit up with a faint glow, and he grabbed both of Lia’s shoulders. “You’re actually a good person, aren’t you?”

* * *

Reaper Scans

Translator – Rainypup

Proofreader – ilafy

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* * *

“You can praise me more. I deserve it. No one will look at you strangely.”

“You’re the best.”

“Hehe, you can do better than that.”

Their expressions were very refreshing as they nodded their heads in satisfaction and seemed pleased with the interaction.

His dear friend, Lia Riley… Kaisen would never forget the clear laughter he heard from her for the first time that day.

“Ugh, that damn thief.”

“Be happy, My Lady.”

“Hey, Kaisen is the biggest fool there is, so you don’t have to worry. If she’s not an uruk, he won’t move at all.”

“Wow, what a completely crazy bastard.”

Jin was grinning as soldiers of both corps chatted and spied on the two in the military supply shop.

‘That guy, Kaisen… when he hangs out with a girl his age, he makes that kind of expression.’ Jin was Kaisen’s squad leader before he was drafted into Kamila’s reserve unit, so those memories were bound to be special.

“Hmm?”

Suddenly, a strange scream and a booming sound erupted from the sky.

“Wh-what?!”

Just as the mercenaries were panicking and scattering, something massive from the air crashed down and destroyed the road.

“What kind of…?”

“A catapult? Is it an enemy?”

“No, look at that. That’s a griffin!”

Both the griffin and the rider on the saddle were covered in blood to the point where the rider could barely even be seen. Only fresh blood could create such an atmosphere.

Everyone present was overwhelmed by the sight, and their hearts trembled with inexplicable tension.

“Where is this…?” the rider asked.

“Aquitaina. Are you okay? Please get off the saddle.”

“Is the marshal here…?”

“Uh. Hey, help me. Get this guy down.”

“No, this letter… I have to give it to him quickly…”

“Hey, what’s wrong? What’s so urgent?”

“The… the Inferno Line has been breached…!” the rider cried out.

Even the noisy mercenary, who’d seemingly forgotten all the pain in the world, held their breaths, their eyes wide in shock.

The Inferno Line, humanity’s lifeline…

It was breached?

A mercenary who had been playing dice just a moment prior clasped his hands and said, “I guess I should at least pray.”

* * *

By order of Marshal Krauzan, all officers staying in Aquitaina were summoned to the city hall, which was converted into a temporary headquarters.

“To think that the Inferno Line has been breached…” Wolf headed to the marshal’s office. Waiting in the elevator, he frowned, finding it difficult to accept.

“It was only a matter of time before this happened anyway due to structural defects.” calmly Kamila responded.

Sharon also sighed. “That’s right. Even if just one fortress were breached, we knew they would fall one after another like dominoes.”

“Those idiots from the old empire should have trained professional troops instead of spending astronomical amounts of money to build such a defensive line.”

“It is said that, in the old days, martial artists called vagabonds protected the empire together with witches, but technology has developed too far. Witches have become completely secularized, and vagabonds have disappeared into the backroads of history, right?”

At one point, an elite group of vagabonds called the Six Great Sects was responsible for the security of the empire.

“This is all because the need to practice martial arts was eliminated.”

“The freedom of the citizens may also have been a problem. In an empire or a kingdom, it is possible to force training, but here, all the citizens are free. They also did not want to be obliged to serve in the military.”

In the end, about 50 years prior, the last of the six major schools of martial arts, the Sun Sect, disbanded, and the vagabonds disappeared into history.

“Eltoram, what is the logistics and supply situation?” Kamila asked.

“It’s perfect. We can go at any time. However, we haven’t had time to screen new recruits.”

“It looks like our departure date will be moved up a bit, but there’s nothing we can do. The church will take care of the payment. Gather everyone in front of the west gate before noon tomorrow.”

“Yes.”

When the elevator reached the 4th floor, they headed to the office at the end of the hallway.

The city’s emblem, decorated with a fancy gold leaf, had no meaning in the face of an emergency. It was to the point where they had to collect every single piece of gold for military funds.

As soon as he sat down at the head table, Marshal Krauzan spoke. “Kamila’s corps will cooperate with Sharon’s corps and set out on a rescue mission for ‘Aristapo’.”

Aristapo was a large port city in the western part of the old empire and one of the seven ancient cities. It was a historical metropolis and a maritime strategic point built on a bay deep inland from the Southern Sea.

“Aristapo is a very important location. If this place is breached, it will be no different than them breaching the Inferno Line. It will be the complete fall of humanity’s southern border.”

“What is the current situation of the city?”

“It is said that they are under attack by 31 allied clans. The number of uruk warriors alone is approximately 160,000. The total number of demon troops is said to be 850,000.”

“How large is the city’s garrison?”

“A little less than 200,000.”

“850,000. Who commands that many uruks?”

“The chief of the Kiral Clan is serving as warchief.”

The Kiral Clan… Just those two words were enough to bring a feeling of gloomy despair to their eyes.

“After all, it’s the leading clan of Hai-tarks…”

The 21 highest-ranking uruk clans were called the ‘Hai-tark’, and their ranks were determined solely through strength.

“The leading clan is Balkrush. Kiral is a traditional powerhouse, but they fell in the rankings.”

“The Balkrush Clan’s growth is a bit strange. An unknown guy became the leading Hai-tark leader in just four years.”

“Stop. Balkrush is a problem on the Eastern Front. What we have to deal with now is Kiral.”

“Don’t the uruks hate sieges? They lack racial discretion.”

“The armies of the other six major demon races are already joining forces.”

“If the place is taken, it will give them a bridgehead for invasion. It’s going to be a really tough fight.” Wolf sighed.

Kamila looked down at the map in silence and carefully checked the condition of her body. Her vitality was gradually fading away.

Was it to be her last fight?

‘Then this is where I die.’ The vague realization that her relatively long life was coming to an end filled her heart with crushing pain.

‘Master… I taught him everything I could. I will come see you soon.’

“I will leave at dawn tomorrow,” she said.

____

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