The Soldier Shouted Save

Chapter 2

“Are you really okay, brother? Is this because of Croa?”

Rian asked with a worried expression, while I instinctively replied as I surveyed our surroundings.

“No… it’s not because of Croa.”

Croa, my younger sister, is 17, ten years younger than me.

I hadn’t seen her for eight years, ever since I started my career as a palace soldier at 19.

When we finally reunited after all that time, it felt awkward.

My skin, darkened by the sun and covered in scars, contrasted with Croa, who had matured into a woman from the child I had once known.

She even started using formal speech with me, which only deepened the awkwardness.

I had thought I should try to fix that somehow, but it wasn’t the most important issue at the moment.

What was more pressing were the words floating before my eyes.

― You have died from a ??? attack. [Confirm]

― Reloading from the last save point. [Confirm]

― Hint: Be cautious of what’s behind you. [Confirm]

Even when I shook my head, the letters followed my vision like persistent fruit flies.

I reached out toward the words again.

The letters passed through my fingers without any resistance.

Click.

I felt a small click as the message that read, “You have died from a ??? attack,” disappeared.

‘What did I just do?’

Curious, I carefully touched the remaining message, “Reloading from the last save point. [Confirm].”

Click.

When my fingers touched the confirm button, the last set of letters vanished with a strange sensation.

Only one message remained before my eyes.

― Hint: Be cautious of what’s behind you. [Confirm]

What did that mean?

The first message said I died from an attack.

‘Did I really die?’

I thought back to my last memory.

I had killed 22 goblins and was staggering back toward the village, but…

‘I was attacked by something.’

Click.

I pressed the final confirm button and began thinking about what the messages could mean.

Could there still be an enemy lurking nearby?

“Um, brother… the lights seem to be getting closer…”

Rian was trembling lightly as he pointed out the goblins’ torches, now halfway down the mountain and heading toward us.

‘Should I send Rian back to the village now?’

Before I died, I had sent Rian to the village for help.

‘But no one came…’

The goblins weren’t the only threat.

Something had clearly happened in the village too.

Should I go back with Rian now?

As I unconsciously turned my gaze toward the village—

Rustle.

I heard a sound.

I immediately snapped my attention toward the direction of the noise.

It was too dark to see anything clearly.

“…Is it… an animal or something?” Rian asked nervously.

An animal.

That could be it, as Rian suggested. Or it could have just been the wind rustling through the bushes.

Both possibilities seemed plausible, but the timing felt off.

Why did the sound occur just when I turned around?

Was it just a coincidence?

Normally, I wouldn’t dwell on it too much, but…

‘Be cautious of what’s behind you…’

That message kept ringing in my mind.

“Rian, do you know what this means?”

I extended my arm in front of him.

“What is that?”

“It’s something the palace soldiers do before going into battle.”

Rian’s eyes widened with curiosity as he extended his own arm.

I grabbed his hand and pressed it close to my body, then whispered softly,

“There’s an enemy behind us.”

Rian gasped and tried to turn his head, but I stopped him by gently patting his head.

“Take the torch, go forward, and then extinguish the light. Find the enemy that’s behind us.”

I needed to confirm whether there really was an enemy hiding in the shadows.

The advantage of darkness wasn’t just theirs to claim.

With Rian’s small, nimble body, he could easily hide in the shadows and scout out any lurking danger.

“I-I’ll try…” Rian nodded quietly, overwhelmed by the seriousness in my tone.

I released him and lightly patted his shoulder.

“Rian! Take the torch and go check ahead!”

I shouted loudly enough so he wouldn’t miss my instructions, placing the torch firmly in his hand.

Rian, quick to catch on, nodded at me as we made eye contact.

“Go farther ahead!”

I called out as Rian glanced back at me hesitantly.

Farther.

I sent him forward until he disappeared from my sight, ensuring he was far enough to escape the possible enemy’s view from behind us.

*…*

As Rian vanished into the darkness, everything became quiet.

I waited.

Rian would extinguish the torch and slip through the bushes to scout behind us.

I shifted my focus toward the goblins’ movements.

They were descending from the mountain, heading straight for us.

They’d arrive in about five minutes.

I drew my sword and began swinging it through the air.

“Hyaaah!”

Unlike usual, I swung it dramatically, shouting loudly to draw attention.

The more noise I made, the less likely it was for Rian to be spotted while sneaking behind.

The goblins drew closer, their green skin now visible in the torchlight.

I stopped moving.

I stood still, straining my ears to listen to the sounds behind me.

Rustle. Rustle.

The bushes rustled in the eerie breeze, but there was no signal from Rian indicating he’d found anything.

I had hoped to confirm the presence of an enemy before the goblins arrived.

But there was no more time.

I had no choice but to focus on the goblins in front of me.

“Kieeek!”

The helmeted goblin spotted me and screeched.

All 22 goblins charged toward me.

This time, I hadn’t extinguished my torch beforehand, so I couldn’t rely on stealth.

I lowered my stance and raised my sword.

I had practiced this stance hundreds, no, thousands of times in the palace, waiting for the right moment as the goblins charged.

They came recklessly, but the helmeted goblin halted them.

“Kieeek!”

The intelligent leader barked orders to its subordinates.

The goblins began to spread out, trying to encircle me.

Their tactics were better than those of some incompetent nobles.

Whoosh!

I wasn’t about to let them box me in.

I swung my sword wildly, threatening the goblins, and then pushed off the ground, retreating before they could surround me.

I quickly threw myself into the bushes.

“Kieeek!”

At the command of the helmeted goblin, the rest of the goblins moved toward the bushes.

I held my breath and waited.

Rustle.

Through the grass, I could see the slim, green ankle of one of the goblins right in front of me.

I couldn’t miss this chance.

Still crouched, I swung my sword at its ankle.

With a sickening thud, the goblin fell to the ground, its ankle severed.

“Kieek, kieek, kieeeek!!”

The goblin’s shrill cries drew the attention of the others.

So what?

I leaped out of the bushes, planting my heel down hard.

Thud!

I crushed the goblin’s head underfoot and launched myself forward, heading straight for the helmeted goblin.

It was backing up frantically, calling out to its underlings.

“Ke…kerk!”

As expected, this one wasn’t as physically capable as the other goblins.

If it were a different goblin, a frontal attack might not have worked, but this one was an exception.

Swish!

My sword traced a white arc as it sliced through the helmeted goblin’s neck. Its head and helmet tumbled to the ground.

“Now, we’re even.”

One of the most important factors in battle is the mental state.

Can I win?

Will I survive?

Even if I defeat these goblins, will another enemy appear?

These doubts slowly eat away at your psyche.

But I was different.

I dodged a club aimed at my waist and plunged my sword into a goblin’s chest.

And I counted.

“Fifth one!”

I knew exactly how many were left.

Seventeen goblins remained.

Don’t get confused.

Every time I cut one down, I kept track.

Thud!

A goblin’s club slammed into my shoulder, but I didn’t make a sound.

I’d been through this before. I knew I could handle this level of pain.

I felt the sharp thorns on the club dig into my back with a powerful blow.

But it didn’t matter. A wound like this wouldn’t stop me from swinging my sword.

“Aaaaah! Come on, come at me!”

I shouted with all my strength, turning my body and slashing at the goblin that had crept up on me.

Another head flew into the air.

“Thirteenth!”

My body was becoming more and more bloodied, but my spirit remained unbroken.

Because I knew.

Even with the club wounds on my back and blood dripping from my head, I had survived.

I had stood victorious, having killed all 22 goblins the first time.

If I did it once, I could do it again.

“Twentieth!!”

Only two remained.

The goblins, who had been charging recklessly, finally stopped.

It took the deaths of 20 goblins for them to realize.

The frail-looking human before them, covered in bruises and drenched in blood, had killed 20 of their comrades.

“K-kerlurk!”

With that realization, the remaining two goblins fled.

They weren’t running toward the village, so I had no reason to pursue them.

I turned my body toward the village.

Whoosh.

Something grazed my cheek.

A cut appeared, and blood dripped down my face.

That was it.

That chilling sensation.

This was what had ended my life the last time.

I hadn’t seen it before.

But now, I saw it clearly.

A man in a black hood, aiming a crossbow at me.

And a blond-haired boy desperately grappling with him.

“You bastard! Where the hell did you come from?!”

“B-brother! Are you okay?!”

In the midst of their struggle, Rian had turned his head toward me.

‘Damn it!’

I forced my aching body to move, sprinting toward them.

But it was too late.

“A-ah…b-brother…”

Rian’s body slumped lifelessly to the ground.

Thud.

Rian was no longer moving. He had become a corpse.

It was a stupid mistake.

Rian had looked away from the enemy, turning toward me instead.

“You little brat… acting tough…”

But the man had made the same mistake.

He had taken his eyes off me to look at Rian.

Slice.

The man’s head, along with his crossbow, fell atop Rian’s corpse.

…I couldn’t allow that.

I kicked the severed head away, sending it rolling into the bushes.

I wouldn’t let this bastard’s blood stain Rian’s body.

The head disappeared into the grass, and I turned my gaze to Rian.

He wasn’t my biological brother.

But from the time we were young, and even after I returned to the village, he had always treated me like a real older brother.

Tears welled up in my eyes.

After all the battles I had fought, after losing comrades and friends, I thought my tears had dried up long ago.

But they came now.

Still, that was all I could afford.

Leaving Rian’s body behind, I turned and began walking toward the village.

It was far.

Each step felt impossibly heavy.

But I kept walking.

The village was just one kilometer away.

If I were running, I could have covered the distance in four minutes.

But it took me over 10 minutes—more than double the time—to reach the village.

“…What is this?”

Only when I arrived did I realize why no one had come to help.

The village was empty.

There were signs that people had lived here.

Of course, there would be. It had been a normal village when I left for the outpost just a kilometer away.

Doors were left wide open.

Household items were scattered across the ground.

There were signs of people fleeing in a hurry.

Had the village been attacked?

But there were no bloodstains, no bodies.

Then, by the light of a torch, I saw the form of a person lying on the ground.

Step, step.

I walked closer.

It was the body of a young woman.

A dagger was lodged in her stomach.

Long, brown hair.

A slender frame.

Her face was streaked with blood and tears, but I recognized her immediately.

She was my one and only sister.