Chapter 1-15: Betrayal and a Plea for Rescue

Kukuri Village was facing the worst crisis in its entire history.

For the past several days, a heavy atmosphere had hung over the village.

It all started with several goblins that emerged from the forest.

If they had been ordinary goblins, there would have been no problem. Unfortunately, they had become zombies.

In this world, when monsters or humans die while harboring strong grudges or desires, their corpses can sometimes turn into zombies.

Alternatively, someone with a special ability known as a Necromancer can deliberately place a curse on a corpse, turning it into a zombie that becomes the caster’s servant.

The Goblin Zombies appeared to belong to the latter category.

They moved as though observing us, and whenever they were discovered, one would flee while the others stayed behind to delay their pursuers. Their movements were clearly coordinated, meaning there had to be some higher-ranking entity commanding them and receiving their reports.

Incidents like this had been occurring almost every day lately.

Because of that, several soldiers followed them.

Of the three who went, only one returned.

According to him, more than a thousand zombies had gathered together, and within a few days they would likely descend upon the village.

That report had arrived two days ago, and immediately afterward, representatives of the soldiers and the village held a meeting.

They decided that everyone would evacuate the following day, taking only what they could carry.

Messengers would be dispatched immediately. The injured and elderly would be loaded onto village and military wagons, while the soldiers and anyone capable of fighting would escort everyone toward the nearest city. There, they would wait for reinforcements from Margrave Haust.

Preparations were completed, and the evacuation was scheduled to begin at sunrise the next morning.

In other words, today.

But then something unexpected happened.

The wagons were gone.

Not only the military wagons, but the village wagons as well.

The villagers hurried to the military outpost, only to find it completely deserted.

The soldiers had stolen every single wagon.

Unfortunately, in preparation for the evacuation, all the wagons had been gathered together outside the village entrance on the side opposite the forest, alongside the army’s wagons.

And the guards watching over them had been soldiers.

Every villager was left speechless.

The soldiers dispatched by the margrave at the king’s request had fled together, practically using the villagers as bait.

It was unprecedented.

Even worse, noises and cries that sounded like zombie monsters were already coming from just inside the forest.

Too soon.

The soldiers had probably lied deliberately about when the horde was expected to arrive so they could secure their own escape.

Dad immediately made a decision.

“Everyone, evacuate into the military outpost immediately! Anyone who can move, bring anything that can be used as a weapon and as much food as possible from your homes! Hurry! If we want everyone to survive, our only choice is to barricade ourselves inside! And send two or three messengers out as well. Have them head somewhere other than the city those soldiers went to!”

Dad’s orders rang out.

He held no official title such as village chief, but among the village’s former adventurers, he had the greatest achievements and had once even been in the same adventuring party as the king.

Everyone immediately began moving according to his instructions.

Grandpa, Mom, and I used magic to build walls and dig defensive trenches.

Uncle Mark and several other hunters kept watch on the enemy’s movements.

Less than thirty minutes after everyone had evacuated and finished moving food and supplies inside, the first wave of zombies appeared.

There were around two hundred Goblin and Orc Zombies.

Once they came within range, we showered them with arrows.

Those that continued advancing were attacked by villagers who had once been warriors and swordsmen.

“Tenma, come here!”

Dad called me over.

“What is it, Dad?”

“Tenma, I want you to fly out as a messenger too. Head for the city those soldiers were going to!”

The people around us immediately began murmuring.

At the moment, I was one of the strongest fighters defending the village.

“No, Dad! If I leave now, our fighting strength will drop dramatically!”

But Dad shook his head.

“I’m not saying this because you’re my son. This is something only you can do!”

According to Dad, if I flew there using Flight, I should be able to reach the city in less than half a day.

He wanted me to arrive before the fleeing soldiers, explain what was happening, and bring back help.

Everyone around us nodded in agreement.

Dad then pulled a card from inside his clothes and handed it to me.

“This is the guild card I used when I was an adventurer. Take this to the guild, and they should at least listen to what you have to say.”

Along with it, he gave me a small amount of water and food.

I immediately activated Flight and took off.

I had already checked the city’s location on a map yesterday, so I knew exactly where to go.

After flying for about an hour, I spotted the soldiers who had fled the village resting below.

They did not seem to have noticed me.

There were twenty-five of them.

Considering the size of the outpost, that seemed rather few.

Some of them were even drinking alcohol, apparently convinced that they were completely safe.

But I had no time to waste on them.

So for now, I decided to ignore them.

After another six hours of flying, the city finally came into view.

Russell City.

It was the second-largest city in Margrave Haust’s territory.

A huge gate appeared ahead.

The guards noticed me approaching and gestured for me to stop.

I ignored them.

Still using Flight, I flew straight over the gate and into the city.

Soon afterward, I located the guild I had been told about and burst inside.

“I have an emergency request from Ricardo of Kukuri Village! Someone, please help me!”

Everyone inside stared at me in surprise as I suddenly rushed in shouting.

Then one man approached.

“Shut the hell up, brat! Go home and suck on your mommy’s tits!”

He reached out to grab me.

I was already desperate and barely held back.

I threw him.

Using something similar to a shoulder throw, I slammed him into the floor so hard that he bounced once and rolled all the way to the wall.

At that moment, five city guards rushed through the door.

“We received word that someone illegally entered the city and came to the guild! Surrender peacefully!”

The guards spotted me and began moving in to arrest me.

Then a clear voice echoed through the guild.

“What is all this commotion? You’re being awfully loud.”

I used Appraisal.

Name: Yuri Filand Forrester

Age: 200

Race: Elf

Title: Guildmaster of Russell City

HP: 14,000

MP: 17,500

Strength: B-

Defense: A-

Speed: B+

Magic Power: A-

Mental Strength: A+

Growth Potential: B

Luck: A

Skills: Archery 8, Water Magic 8, Wind Magic 8, Magic Control 7, Enhanced Senses 7, Earth Magic 6, Light Magic 6, Throwing 6, Night Vision 5, Traps 5, Martial Arts 5, Swordsmanship 5, Magic Enhancement 5, Concealment 5, Enhanced Recovery 5, Abnormal Status Resistance 4

Gift: Blessing of the Forest

It was the first time I had ever seen an elf.

But more importantly, my eyes were drawn to the title Guildmaster.

“Are you Guildmaster Yuri?”

Ignoring the guards, I addressed him directly.

“I am… but who are you?”

“My apologies for not introducing myself sooner. My name is Tenma. I’m Ricardo’s son from Kukuri Village. My father sent me with a message for the guildmaster.”

I mixed a lie into my explanation.

“From Ricardo? Do you have anything that proves that?”

It worked.

I handed him Dad’s guild card.

“This certainly belongs to Ricardo. Very well. I will hear what you have to say. Come with me.”

The guildmaster was about to lead me farther inside when one of the guards shouted,

“Please wait, Guildmaster! That boy is suspected of illegally entering the city! We demand that you hand him over to us!”

The guildmaster turned toward them.

“That is troublesome. However, guild premises are granted a degree of extraterritorial authority. As long as he is inside this building, custody of him belongs to the guild. I am under no obligation to hand him over to you.”

The two sides began arguing.

I interrupted.

“Guildmaster, we don’t have time. Please listen to me here. There’s also a reason the guards need to hear this.”

“I understand. Then please explain that reason as well.”

After receiving his permission, I began describing the situation in Kukuri Village.

Aside from the guildmaster, guild staff, and the guards who had come to arrest me, there were around twenty adventurers present.

Every one of them was watching me.

I explained how the zombie horde had been discovered.

How the soldiers had abandoned the villagers, used them as bait, and fled toward this city by themselves.

How Dad and the others were now barricaded inside the military outpost, desperately waiting for help.

And I made sure to emphasize one point in particular.

Soldiers dispatched by the margrave under the king’s orders had used the villagers they were supposed to protect as shields and fled by themselves.

The guards listening to the story turned pale.

Broadly speaking, those soldiers could be considered their fellow servicemen.

The others looked at me with sympathy while directing openly accusatory stares at the guards.

“That’s why I need you to send reinforcements immediately.”

The guildmaster’s expression became serious.

“We will send help. However, we cannot gather enough people immediately. We need to coordinate with the mayor and collect food and supplies. That alone will take a full day. Even if we move quickly, reaching Kukuri Village will take three or four days.”

Frustration welled up inside me.

Then an idea suddenly occurred to me.

“I have about 500,000 G with me. Please use it to hire as many adventurers as possible and send them toward Kukuri Village immediately. I’ll leave the number of people, food expenses, and other details to you.”

The guildmaster answered immediately.

“Understood. We will accept it as an emergency quest. The guild will waive its normal commission for this request. Instead, compensation should eventually be paid by the margrave or other responsible parties. We will take a portion of that compensation as the guild’s fee. If that is acceptable, please sign this contract.”

I signed the agreement with the guildmaster.

In the section concerning the guild’s compensation, I wrote that I would transfer a portion of my rights to any damages or compensation received later.

“Then we’ll post the quest immediately. Payment will be 10,000 G per person upon completion, plus ownership of any materials from monsters they personally defeat, with the possibility of an additional special reward.”

The notice was posted right away.

Apparently, Russell City would most likely issue its own extermination request as well, so the adventurers participating in my rescue mission would also be counted as having participated in that request and would receive its rewards too.

Otherwise, my payment of 10,000 G per person was apparently not particularly attractive, and high-ranking adventurers might refuse to participate.

“Guildmaster, I have two more requests.”

“What are they?”

I looked at him.

“First, I need to return to the village immediately, so please make sure I’m not arrested when I leave here.”

“I see. What do you say to that?”

The guildmaster turned toward the guards.

Apparently realizing that worsening their position any further would be unwise, one of them straightened his back.

“We will report this as a special exception under emergency circumstances.”

“Please do.”

The guildmaster turned back to me.

“And your second request?”

I smiled faintly.

“I’m going to hit the fleeing soldiers with magic on my way back. If they survive, please have them arrested. If they die, I’d appreciate it if you could defend me.”

“…Understood. I’ll take care of it. Though I doubt you’ll need any defense.”

I tilted my head.

The guildmaster gave a small laugh.

“Those men have effectively defied the king’s orders. They abandoned the people they were supposed to protect and used them as shields while they escaped. They will not be able to avoid the death penalty. If anything, people may thank you.”

The two of us were smiling while discussing something rather violent.

The people around us seemed slightly disturbed.

That was probably just my imagination.

Immediately afterward, I filled my stomach with water, food, and a healing potion, then took off toward Kukuri Village.

After flying for about five hours, I found the soldiers.

Making sure not to knock them completely unconscious, I hit them with a fairly powerful Stun spell.

Once they could no longer move, I used earth magic to restrain their arms and legs and left them there.

I also took everything they had loaded onto the wagons, along with all the weapons they were carrying, and stored it inside my Dimension Bag.

Then I resumed flying toward the village.

I had once heard that during a siege, morale could differ as greatly as heaven and earth depending on whether the defenders knew that help was coming.

Remembering that, I continued flying as fast as I possibly could, desperate to reach Kukuri Village even a moment sooner.

Tenma and the others have been betrayed by those worthless soldiers, and because of that betrayal, Kukuri Village has been driven into a desperate situation.

What will happen next?

Setting that aside, I tried showing a little of Tenma’s ruthless side this time.

Tenma isn’t some completely innocent good boy!

That is the kind of feeling I wanted to convey.