Not a barbarian warrior.

Eugene didn’t know why they had become bandits, or what unfortunate circumstances had forced them to become bandits. And he didn’t want to know either.

How many people had they robbed so far? How many evil deeds had they committed? These people who were once in a weak position were now exploiting other weak people.

He couldn’t sympathize with or pity such people. There were far too many other pitiful people for that.

In a situation where they were threatening the lives and property of Dietrich and the other merchants, the only mercy Eugene could show them was to cut their necks with a single stroke. At least to give them a painless death.

“Charge-!”

As soon as they heard the battle cry filled with intense killing intent, the bodies of the bandits holding weapons stiffened, then began to convulse.

Eugene swung his sword straight at them. The blade extended from left to right, cutting through the air.

At that moment, something flew spinning into the air. It was a person’s head. The face had eyes wide open, as if not understanding what had happened. A sticky red thread thinly connected the space between the head and neck, then snapped.

Splash!

The headless neck spurted blood like a fountain on the spot. Meanwhile, Eugene immediately changed his foot position. His body spun with his steps, and his arm, powered by centrifugal force, swung the sword fiercely again.

Slash-!

Before the first flying head had even fallen, another head flew into the sky. The headless corpse burst a fountain of blood from its shoulders, and that red hot liquid soaked Eugene’s body.

But Eugene didn’t stop there. After clearing the two people standing in front, he plunged right into the middle of the enemy ranks.

The guy who had been flapping his mouth earlier saying life was already hell, collapsed on the spot when he saw that scene. He realized his words had been wrong. There was a separate hell. That thing casually cutting off people’s necks was a living hell.

“Hu… Huaaah! Mo-Monster!”

“Run away!”

“We-We’re sorry!”

It was utter pandemonium. As yet another person’s head flew spinning into the air, the bandits completely lost their will to fight. They screamed and fled in all directions to escape Eugene, who was displaying overwhelming force.

“Huh…”

The escorts following Eugene, who had suddenly leapt into the enemy ranks, didn’t even get a chance to swing their swords a few times. Not a single person came at them. Leaving behind over a dozen corpses, the bandits vanished from the spot in an instant.

“So that’s the champion of Carlisle’s tournament…”

“No wonder our employer paid such a high price…”

The escorts quietly marveled as they looked at Eugene standing alone. Any doubts they had harbored about his skills were long gone.

Moreover, Dietrich and the merchants who had watched Eugene’s performance from behind were busy praising him.

“What amazing skills…!”

“Did you hear that battle cry earlier? Even though I was far away, my legs went weak…”

“Indeed. I almost collapsed from my legs giving out. Haha…”

Eugene cleared away the log blocking the road along with the escorts, then returned to his original position. Dietrich approached him with an excited face and said:

“The silver coins I promised weren’t wasted at all! I truly mean it…!”

“I’m glad you feel that way.”

Eugene lightly bowed his head in response and returned to the carriage where Lorena was. She was still standing leaning against the carriage with a pale face.

“Eugene, are you alright…? Are, are you hurt anywhere…? There’s blood…”

“I’m fine. But blood…? What blood?”

Eugene answered while opening his visor, then took off the helmet he was wearing. Only then could he see that he was covered in red blood.

He flinched for a moment. He had just ruthlessly cut people’s necks and returned. The thought flashed that Lorena might find him repulsive.

“Le-Let me see…”

However, she instead took a step closer to Eugene. With a worried face, she gently caressed his cheek. After carefully examining every corner, she confirmed there were no wounds and let out a sigh of relief.

“Phew… Th-Thank goodness…”

“…Yeah. I’m fine. Go lie down in the back. We’ll be departing again soon.”

“O-Okay…”

She went to the back wagon and lay down again. Eugene, climbing onto the driver’s seat, roughly wiped off the blood on his helmet and armor with a cloth. He unconsciously touched his cheek where her hand had been with his ungloved hand. Her warmth still lingered there.

On the fourth day since leaving Carlisle, the merchant group Eugene was escorting had been moving diligently without stopping at any villages. As the sunset faded completely and night fell, they once again slept outdoors.

While the escorts took turns keeping watch on the hill, Eugene prepared dinner with Lorena below. Of course, Eugene was in charge of the meal.

Lorena piled up a bunch of thick and thin branches, then lightly waved her staff over them. Immediately, sparks arose and a campfire was completed.

Eugene prepared the ingredients, then hung a pot over the fire and skillfully made a stew. Below the pot, he skewered lightly smoked meat. Soon, a delicious aroma wafted through the air.

Lorena hadn’t been able to eat properly due to motion sickness all this time. Finally feeling better today, she crouched in front of the campfire and swallowed her saliva. After a short yet long wait, Eugene handed her a bowl of hot stew. Along with well-cooked skewers.

“Th-Thank you for the meal…”

“Eat slowly so you don’t get indigestion.”

“Mmm…? Whut did yuu shay…?”

“No. Never mind.”

She was stuffing her mouth full with the food Eugene had prepared and chewing. Seeing her like that, Eugene was suddenly reminded of a squirrel. One with its cheeks full of acorns.

A little while later, Lorena finished her meal and said to Eugene with a very satisfied face:

“Ahh… That was so delicious…”

“You liked it that much?”

“Umm… It-It was the twenty-fourth best meal I’ve had so far…”

Eugene, now well aware of what her evaluation meant, smiled contentedly.

“That’s high praise.”

“Ehehe… It is high praise…”

The two chuckled and chatted for a while. Then Eugene got up slightly and touched Lorena’s face. Flustered by his sudden action, she asked:

“Wh-What, what is it…?”

“Ah, there was something on your face. Did it get there when you were eating the skewer earlier?”

Eugene showed her his thumb with an indifferent face. It was covered in black, burnt-looking dirt.

“Ahaha… I-I must have eaten too hastily…”

Lorena felt her face getting hot for some reason. Though she couldn’t check without a mirror, she thought it might have turned red. Fortunately, thanks to the campfire light, her face already looked red for a while.

Anyone could feel the strange atmosphere flowing between these two. People around them refrained from passing between them or doing anything to break the mood. One of the escorts keeping watch on the hill muttered quietly as he looked at the two:

“Sigh… Young love…”

The merchant group’s journey continued. It was now the eighth day since they had left.

While taking a short rest by the roadside, Dietrich approached and spoke to Eugene.

“Phew… We’ve passed more than half now. We just need to go as far as we’ve come so far.”

So far, all the merchant group had encountered were some clumsy bandits, four-eyed wolf monsters that came at night, and a few garums. He continued with a bright face:

“If we keep going like this without incident, we might arrive in fourteen days instead of fifteen. Even if that happens, I’ll calculate your pay for fifteen days.”

Eugene expressed his gratitude for Dietrich’s unexpected generosity, and as always, Dietrich asked him to continue his good work.

“I’ll be counting on you for the rest of the journey as well.”

“…I’ll do my best for what I’m paid.”

Dietrich shook hands with Eugene and left. Watching his retreating back, Eugene muttered:

“‘If nothing happens’… Like with the bandits before, and the garums too… Whenever someone says something like that, something always seems to happen…”

The short break ended, and the caravan started moving again. A few hours later, an urgent voice was heard from the front.

“Stop! Halt!”

Eugene realized his ominous premonition had come true after all. He immediately stood up from the driver’s seat to check the situation ahead.

The thick bushes beside the road shook, and something was slowly crawling out.

Eugene strained his eyes to see what it was in detail. As soon as he confirmed its identity, he said to Lorena sitting beside him:

“…Basilisk!”

“Eh… What…? Ba-Basilisk?”

At those words, Lorena also jumped to her feet.

A huge lizard that looked like it could easily swallow a person whole appeared on the road. It kept flicking its long tongue as it stared at the escort in front of it. It was the gaze of a predator looking at its prey.

“Don’t make eye contact! Back away!”

Eugene shouted loudly from behind. However, the escort at the front was already looking into the monster’s evil eyes. Once you made eye contact with it, no ordinary willpower could break free. You kept staring as if hypnotized.

While Eugene and Lorena hurried from the rear, the basilisk’s eyes flashed for an instant. The two escorts hit by the powerful cursed gaze screamed.

“Ugh… Uwaah! My-My body!”

“…What is this! What on earth…!”

The two tried to back away immediately, dropping their weapons, but they couldn’t. Their legs, which had quickly turned ashen gray from the toes up, had hardened like stone and wouldn’t move.

“Sa-Save me…!”

“My legs! My legs!”

Terrified, the two fell to the ground and crawled desperately. Another escort behind them grabbed their shoulders and quickly pulled them behind the carriage.

Seeing this, Lorena urgently said to Eugene:

“Eugene! Bu-Buy me some time with the others!”

“Got it!”

Eugene put on his helmet, then immediately surrounded the basilisk in the middle of the road along with the other escorts.

Meanwhile, Lorena examined the two people whose bodies were turning to stone. The petrification curse had already passed their thighs. The moment their hearts hardened, these two would die.

Without hesitation, she bit her thumb, then drew a circle on the chests of the two dying people. A magic circle drawn with blood was completed in an instant, but this wasn’t enough.

‘If only I could chant the spell…!’

For Lorena, who still stuttered, chanting spells was impossible. She had no choice but to use a more complicated method. She took out two round pearls from her bosom and whimpered:

“Th-These are expensive…!”

But this was the only way to cast the spell right now. She placed one pearl each in the center of the magic circles drawn on their chests and infused them with mana.

Then the circles emitted a blue light and melted the pearls into a gooey substance. The melted pearls were absorbed directly into the two people’s skin.

“Oh… I can feel sensation returning…!”

“M-Me too!”

The petrification curse that had already risen past their waists quickly disappeared. The two people, whose skin returned from ashen gray to its original color, sincerely thanked Lorena.

Though she hadn’t had a chance to act until now, she felt proud, but it was only a very small emotion. What covered her heart now was a burning rage.

“You da-damned lizard…! How dare you make me use my pearls…! Two of them at that…!”

She immediately took out her staff from her bosom and walked towards the basilisk.