Reincarnated as the Descendant of a Fallen Noble

Chapter 69: I Need Investment. (2)

In the midst of the Ruslan Mountains, where the snowstorm raged so fiercely it was impossible to tell whether it was day or night, Hardin and his party stood.

“Keuuu, we found it alright.”

“……”

Hardin’s eyes sparkled with interest, while the rest of the group stared blankly at the sight ahead, their faces filled with confusion.

Roughly a few hundred meters away stood a fortress.

A stone wall about 3 to 4 meters high, with several wooden watchtowers erected above it.

To be honest, it didn’t seem very large in scale.

And then it happened.

 Kueeeeegh!

 Kkieeek!

From a nearby high ground, a group of monsters charged wildly toward the plain leading to the fortress.

Snow Wolves, Frost Ghouls, Ice Hogs, Bluebears, and more.

Monsters commonly found in cold regions.

But there was one peculiar thing...

‘There’s a damn lot of them.’

Even at a glance, there seemed to be at least several hundred.

Even now, monsters continued to pour in from beyond the ridge, joining the ranks.

With every charge, snow burst into the air, creating a white mist.

Hardin observed the scene, then raised his arm slightly and spoke.

“Hold it. We’ll watch from here for now.”

“Y-yes.”

Malion and the Maw mercenaries stared blankly at the spectacle, their faces pale.

‘What the hell is with that number?’

‘They’re fast... and look strong.’

The monsters’ screeches echoed chaotically.

There were even moments when they tripped over each other from their sheer numbers.

Even at a glance, it looked violent.

Just watching was enough to feel overwhelmed.

And just as the monsters neared the fortress...

“Fire! Fire!”

“Uaaaagh!”

Pshushuk! Pshuk!

The soldiers atop the fortress gritted their teeth and let loose a hail of arrows.

The arrows struck the monsters’ bodies, spraying blue blood.

However...

 Grrrrrk!

 Kueegh! Kkieeek!

Smaller and weaker monsters like Frost Ghouls couldn’t withstand the arrow barrage and collapsed, but larger ones like Bluebears and Ice Hogs only seemed to get angrier, increasing their charge.

“Fire! Fiiire!”

As the commander’s shout rang out as if his throat would burst, the barrage of arrows continued.

Kueegh!

One particularly large Frost Ghoul, slowly approaching from the rear, suddenly sprouted icy blue spikes all over its body.

Shaaack!

It thrust its arm forward, and dozens of ice spikes shot rapidly toward the top of the fortress.

“D-dodge it!”

“Aaagh!”

“Rohan! Rohaaan!”

Most of the soldiers quickly ducked to avoid them, but one soldier who had been drawing his bowstring had his head explode, his body flung backward.

Malion and the Maw mercenaries turned pale as they gasped for breath.

‘His head... in an instant…’

‘A man just died.’

Taking advantage of the confusion atop the wall, several monsters charged straight toward the fortress gate.

 Kkieeeek! Kkieek!

 Kkuoooh!

Kwaaaang! Kwaang!

An Ice Hog rammed its icy tusks into the gate, while a Bluebear struck with its front paw.

Each time, the thick gate shook, and the wood creaked as if it might break at any moment.

If that gate were to be destroyed… if those monsters broke into the fortress…

It was easy to imagine what would happen.

“Is that… really okay?”

“Why? You planning to stop them?”

“Not exactly… but it looks like they’re about to break through…”

Malion’s uneasy gaze remained fixed on the fortress as Hardin shrugged and replied.

“It’s fine. They probably haven’t even started yet.”

“…Sorry?”

At that moment—

A shadow dropped from above the fortress gate like a thunderbolt.

Kwachik! Kwachik!

 Kkieeek!

The moment the shadow landed, the Bluebear pounding on the gate had its limbs severed, and a fountain of blue blood sprayed through the air.

Through the scattering blood, a figure appeared.

A heavy knight with a bastard sword slung over his shoulder and a horned helmet.

Between the pieces of his armor, drenched in blue blood, a faint blue glow leaked out.

‘A mana user?’

‘A knight… of the fortress?’

The entire Hardin party couldn’t take their eyes off him.

 Kkieeek!

 Kkuoh! Kkuoh! Kkuoooh!

The monsters near the gate all charged at the knight at once.

The Bluebears lunged with sharp teeth and swung their massive arms, while the Frost Ghouls in the back launched ice spikes from their bodies.

But...

Taat!

Without a moment’s hesitation, the knight dashed forward instead.

So much so that even Malion and the Maw mercenaries felt their hearts sink just watching.

But the monsters’ attacks narrowly missed him.

Chwaaaak!

 Kkieeeek!

The knight’s sword cleaved through the monsters' flesh, carving a path forward.

He immediately kicked one away, using the recoil to drive a punch straight into a Bluebear’s belly, punching a hole clean through it.

 Kuegh! Kuek!

Another Ice Hog tried to slip in through the gap.

Kwaaaaang!

 Kkieeek!

The knight’s forehead crashed into the monster’s head, forcing it to its knees on the spot.

‘He’s strong.’

‘He’s overwhelming them… alone.’

A figure like a grim reaper.

As if there was no way such monsters could kill him, the heavy knight moved with unshakable confidence.

The Maw mercenaries, being mana users themselves, could clearly feel it too.

That this knight was someone truly extraordinary.

“Wow, he’s pretty good.”

Hardin let out an admiring sigh, wearing an intrigued expression, then plopped down on the spot.

“What are you doing, sir?”

“Watching the fight.”

“Excuse me?”

“Keep your eyes peeled too. If you take it all in properly, it’ll all become experience and strength for you later.”

Chewing noisily.

At some point, Hardin had pulled out jerky from his clothes and was gnawing on it.

He looked as if he had come to watch a circus or a theatrical performance.

‘Did… did he finally lose it?’

Chewing on jerky so casually in this situation?

While Malion blinked in disbelief, Hardin’s gaze remained fixed on the knight.

 Kkieeeek!

Kwachik! Kwachik!

The heavy knight’s bastard sword continued tearing through the monsters.

By the time he had cut down six or seven of them—

“Support the commander!”

“Yes, sir!”

Pababat!

Roughly a dozen knights leapt down from the outpost, their eyes glowing with a piercing blue light as they landed on the ground.

Then...

 Kkieek!

 Kkuoooh!

Kwachik! Kwachik!

With every swing of their swords, the monsters’ bodies were shredded into chunks of flesh.

Pure awe appeared on the faces of Malion and the Maw mercenaries.

‘Amazing.’

‘The atmosphere… has completely changed.’

As the knights continued their fierce assault—

 Kkieeeek!

 Kuegh! Kueegh!

The Ice Hogs that had been waiting in the rear for a chance to ram their icy tusks suddenly veered off, making a wide turn toward the left side of the base.

“They’re flanking!”

“Fire! Fire at them!”

The soldiers hastily loosed their arrows, but they only managed to slow the monsters down slightly.

Worse still, the knights at the gate hadn’t yet finished off the monsters in their vicinity.

Meanwhile—

 Kkieeek!

“G-get away!”

Kuuung! Kuung! Kuung!

The Ice Hogs charged into the left side of the fortress, where troop deployment was thinner, ramming their massive bodies into the stone walls.

Soldiers scrambled to fire arrows and even hurled spears, but—

Even while dripping blue blood, the monsters didn’t stop their charge.

Shake! Shake!

Cracks opened between the stones in the fortress wall, visibly shaking.

Watching this, Beryl muttered in a tense voice.

“Aren’t they gonna break through at this rate? I don’t think it’s going to last much longer.”

“Come on, no way it’ll break that easily, right? It’s built from stone. There’s no way it’d collapse just like that…”

Mikkelsen responded, half-doubting, when—

 Kkieeek!

Crash! Rumble-rumble-rumble!

The moment one Ice Hog rammed its head in, a section of the stone wall shattered and crumbled entirely.

“...It collapsed.”

“W-what…?”

It really gave way that easily?

Mikkelsen couldn’t finish his sentence, covering his mouth in disbelief.

“Hiiiiiik! It—it broke through!”

“Stop them! We can’t let them in!”

The faces of the soldiers inside the fortress turned ghostly pale as they watched the wall fall.

Desperately, they rushed to the breach and thrust their spears, but—

 Kkieek!

 Kkuoooh!

The Ice Hogs paid no heed and tried to force their way in.

If they managed to break all the way inside like this, the interior of the fortress would become a complete mess.

“Phewww.”

Hardin swallowed the jerky he’d been chewing and casually rose to his feet.

Then, turning his head, he spoke to Malion.

“Hey, let’s go.”

“Huh? Go where?”

“Where do you think? Over there.”

Hardin pointed toward the horde of Ice Hogs crowding around the crumbling wall.

“…You’re planning to step in yourself?”

“Yeah. It’s a great chance to leave a strong first impression.”

“First impression? On who exactly…?”

“Whoever.”

Taaat!

“Hardin, wait!”

Before Malion could stop him, Hardin darted out.

‘Nooo!’

Why in the world do we have to get involved in that?

As Malion tore at his hair, he shouted.

“Just wait a second, you lunatic!”

With tears in his eyes, Malion chased after Hardin, and soon enough…

“Brother Beryl, we should go too, right…?”

“…If we don’t, we’ll get our asses kicked.”

Jeeezus.

Beryl, Mikkelsen, and the rest of the Maw mercenaries all had expressions of half resignation as they ran after Malion.

Meanwhile—

 Kueegh!

Ruuumble!

“It—it broke through!”

With another crash from an Ice Hog’s charge, a section of the fortress wall finally collapsed.

Just as the Ice Hogs tried to clamber over the debris to push inside—

“Hold it right there!”

Shwaaack!

With an unexpected shout from nowhere, Hardin’s flying kick slammed into the face of the lead Ice Hog, blasting it backward.

 Kkueegh?!

 Kieek?

Startled, the Ice Hog recoiled, and Hardin stepped forward, patting his shoulder with his sword as he spoke.

“Back off, all of you. This area’s off-limits from now on.”

 Kkieeeegh!

 Kkuuegh?

But Ice Hogs, with brains barely more advanced than boars, clearly couldn’t understand human speech.

They all charged at Hardin at once.

“See? Should’ve listened when I was being nice. Damn beasts…”

Kwachik!

Hardin’s sword sliced through the air, cleanly severing the monsters’ throats.

And not long after—

“Uwaaaaah! Come at me, you hairy freaks!”

“Get ouuuuuut!”

Malion and the Maw mercenaries arrived and attacked the Ice Hogs from behind.

In the blink of an eye, the monsters were surrounded on both sides.

 Kkieek!

 Kkuuh? Kkuuuh?

The Ice Hogs, flustered, couldn’t focus their gaze and began thrashing wildly.

 Kkieeegh!

“Where the hell are you lookin’, you bastards!”

The bloodbath between the Ice Hogs and the Daphne crew raged on.

“Uuuuurgh! Headbutt time!”

Smaaack!

Beryl slammed his forehead into an Ice Hog’s head, smashing it to bits.

“Hiiieek! Hiiieek! Hey! I said go easy, dammit!”

Mikkelsen rolled between the beasts’ legs, narrowly slashing at the back of their knees.

 Kieeegh!

Smaaack!

“Aaagh! That hurts!”

From time to time, a few were sent flying after getting hit by the Ice Hogs’ horns.

“Get up! Hurry!”

“Y-yes, sir!”

Beryl was the first to jump in and rescue those in danger.

Watching this from the corner of his eye, the corners of Hardin’s mouth curled up slightly.

‘He’s grown a little.’

Meanwhile, on the other side of the fortress, the soldiers watching the scene wore confused expressions.

“Who are those people?”

“I don’t know either... I didn’t hear anything about reinforcements coming.”

“W-whatever, let’s help them!”

Shwaaack! Shwaaack!

The soldiers inside the fortress loosed arrows and thrust their spears, joining in to support Hardin’s group.

With the fortress soldiers joining the fray, the heat of the battle intensified quickly.

More than twenty Ice Hogs were soon turned into cold corpses, lying motionless.

Then it happened.

 Krrraaaagh!

 Kieek! Kieeek!

One Ice Hog broke away from the group, and the others soon followed, retreating.

Only after they vanished beyond the snowy mountain, cutting through the storm—

“W-we repelled them…”

“Haah, haah… I’m exhausted to death.”

Malion and the Maw mercenaries panted heavily, completely drained.

Hardin smiled wide at the sight.

A moment later—

Thud!

The sound of footsteps made everyone turn their heads, and there stood the knights.

At the very front, the heavy knight in the horned helmet, covered in blood, stared at them.

“Whew. Great job, brother. You really held your own back there. What’s your name? Let’s get acquainted.”

Hardin joked around and grabbed the knight’s hands, shaking them vigorously up and down.

‘Does he even know who that is?’

‘Bold of him. Acting so familiar with someone he just met…’

Malion and the Maw mercenaries watched indifferently.

“What do you think you’re doing!”

“Let go of that hand!”

The other knights standing nearby quickly stepped forward, swords drawn, their eyes glowing threateningly.

Overwhelmed, Malion and the Maw mercenaries quickly stepped back and gripped their swords tightly.

But Hardin simply tilted his head and replied.

“Why? I was just giving a compliment since they were good in a fight…”

At that moment—

A completely unexpected voice came from beneath the helmet.

“Medeia Fabian.”

“…Huh?”

“My name is Medeia Fabian.”

The heavy knight removed the horned helmet with both hands.

Shrrrrrak!

Long strands of silver hair scattered into the air.

“Huh?”

“Uhhh…”

Malion and the Maw mercenaries widened their eyes in shock.

‘Wait, what?’

‘S-she’s stunning!’

A pale face with sharp, feline-like eyes.

A dark teardrop-shaped beauty mark beneath her eye, silver hair that shimmered as it swayed, and striking crimson eyes that immediately drew attention.

Altogether, she looked like a doll with a vintage, noble aura—completely at odds with the person who had just massacred monsters moments earlier.

‘So it wasn’t a brother, but a sister?’

Hardin scratched his head and asked.

“But… your name’s Medeia Fabian? That’s the same as the Fourth Princess’s name.”

“Yes. I am the Fourth Princess.”

“Ah… I see. So you’re the princess. No wonder! No wonder you were so good in a fight.”

Cold sweat trickled down Hardin’s forehead as he took a step back and jabbed Malion in the side, whispering.

“Hey, hey, bow! She’s a princess, you know.”

“Hiiiiiik!”

Thud!

Malion dropped to his knees in the snow and bowed his head, followed quickly by Beryl, Mikkelsen, and the rest of the Maw mercenaries.

“We’ve committed a grave offense, Princess Medeia! Please forgive us!”

“W-we deserve death!”

Hardin scratched his head again and spoke.

“Princess, that earlier thing was just a little mistake. You get it, right?”

“What are you doing, sir! Kneel already!”

What the hell had that man done?

Malion’s face turned to despair, but Hardin just waved it off.

“Ehh, no need to kneel over something like this.”

“Noooo! Just kneel already!”

“It’s fine, really. I’m sure Her Highness has the generosity to forgive something this small. Right, Princess?”

People make mistakes now and then—it’s just life.

A relaxed smile spread across Hardin’s face, as carefree as ever.

---

“I didn’t do anything wrong! Why are you doing this to meee!”

Clang clang! Clang clang!

Inside the prison deep in the fortress.

Hardin gripped the iron bars and whined dramatically.

“It’s not fine at all! Forgive me? What forgiveness!”

From behind, Malion roared.

‘Trusting that guy… I’m an idiot, a total idiot.’

‘We’re so screwed…’

The Maw mercenaries crouched in the corner of the cell, sobbing with tears streaming down their faces.