The Soldier Shouted Save

Chapter 28

Since experiencing *Save*, my physical abilities had drastically improved.

As I followed the knight who was leading me, I looked down at my hand.

‘It wasn’t my technique that was lacking… it was my physical ability.’

After thousands of failures, I had finally succeeded in executing the swordmaster’s technique. But now wasn’t the time to bask in a sense of accomplishment.

Creaaak.

The door opened, revealing the Walker family’s old, worn-down training ground.

The facility was in poor shape, with barely a corner that was properly maintained. I couldn’t help but chuckle at the pitiful sight.

But then I felt someone’s gaze.

“……”

It was the elderly man who had passed the interview just ahead of me.

Without breaking eye contact, he approached me with a smile.

“That was impressive swordsmanship. Looked like the work of a swordmaster. Were you a knight of the Imperial Palace?”

He had a keen eye.

In just five seconds of swordplay, he had identified that my technique was rooted in the Imperial Palace’s swordsmanship.

Which meant…

“You must also be from the Imperial Palace, sir.”

“Ha ha ha, that’s right. The name’s Walter.”

“Allen,” I responded.

I shook the hand that Walter extended, and I couldn’t help but notice the presence of a striking red ring on his finger.

It was the Red Dragon’s Ring, wrapped around Walter’s index finger.

Sensing my gaze, Walter chuckled.

“I see you recognize the Red Dragon’s Ring?”

“I only know that it’s an expensive magic artifact.”

“Ha ha ha, you’re right. It’s famous for being outrageously expensive. When my new employer gave it to me, even this old man was surprised.”

“Whoever they are, they must be very generous. Even nobles would find that price difficult to bear.”

Could one of the noblemen behind him be his employer?

I glanced at the group of minor nobles standing behind Walter, but he waved them off with a laugh.

“Ha! You think those young heirs without a proper title are my employers? Not a chance.”

He spoke disdainfully about the powerless nobles without hesitation.

Walter sneered at the young nobles who were glaring at him, then leaned closer and lowered his voice.

“Once the contracts are finalized, they’ll be reorganizing the military unit around the three Walker siblings.”

This matched perfectly with the information I had on the Imperial Guild.

“When the time comes, choose the eldest son. You won’t regret it.”

There was no need to wonder where he’d heard this.

The way Walter pointed at his finger with a grin made it clear—the Red Dragon’s Ring was a gift from the Walker family’s eldest son.

‘I see. His employer is the eldest son of the Walker family.’

I followed his gaze to the Red Dragon’s Ring and nodded.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Satisfied with my response, Walter turned and walked away, leaving me to ponder.

‘The eldest son, huh…’

Which side should I choose?

As I calculated the risks and benefits based on my knowledge of the Imperial Guild, a familiar, lively voice interrupted my thoughts.

“Hey, mister!”

It was Hyerin, still in her Imperial apprentice mage uniform, her face bright with excitement as she ran toward me.

I frowned at the sight and scolded her.

“Don’t run. Imperial apprentice mages don’t behave that carelessly.”

“Oh, seriously! Are you T or something?”

I furrowed my brow at the unfamiliar slang from the heroes’ world.

“…What does that even mean?”

“I don’t know either!”

Irritated for some reason, Hyerin plopped down on a chair and slapped the seat next to her.

I ignored her and sat in the wider, empty seat opposite her.

“What, you don’t want to sit next to me?”

“There are plenty of seats. Why would I need to sit right there?”

“…Because we have important things to discuss. Yeah, that’s it! We have lots of secret things to talk about, remember?”

Even though there were plenty of people around, most of them were absorbed in their own conversations with nobles.

No one seemed to be paying us any attention, but it wasn’t a bad idea to be cautious.

“Fine.”

As soon as I sat next to her, Hyerin let out a childish giggle.

“Imperial apprentice mages don’t laugh so foolishly either…”

“If you say that one more time, I’m quitting the guild. I’m serious.”

“……”

Maybe I’d hit a sore spot. Heroes seemed sensitive about certain things, so I let the matter drop and changed the subject.

“Were there any mages who were pre-selected for deployment?”

“Hm, I’m not sure, but I think everyone was advised to join the eldest son’s unit.”

“What makes you think that?”

“Well, both the person before me and after me were told the same thing. I didn’t see the others, but I bet they were all given the same advice.”

I glanced at Walter’s retreating figure.

He was quietly approaching the skilled swordsmen, discreetly talking to them.

‘Is the Walker family’s eldest son aiming for something bigger?’

It seemed likely that the eldest son was trying to solidify his position as heir by using this monster extermination mission to his advantage.

On the Gerard Continent, a lord who couldn’t protect their territory from monsters was not accepted as a proper lord.

“Oh! Looks like they’re about to start.”

The basic interviews must have ended because a line of 30 soldiers and knights entered, one after the other, shouting at us.

“Those who are called, please prepare for sparring matches!”

If the first stage was a paper application, the second stage seemed to be a practical test to prove our combat abilities.

I took my place, following the knight’s instructions.

“Once you’re ready, begin your match!”

The young noble in front of me backed away, and a swordsman dressed in leather armor took his place.

He was probably the noble’s hired guard.

“D-damn it, why me…”

Had he seen me perform the swordmaster’s technique earlier?

Even before the match began, the man’s legs were trembling as he pointed his sword at me.

“Begin!”

The match was over before it even started.

All I had to do was end it before this nervous rookie even had time to react.

“Ugh…!”

I lightly kicked off the ground and struck the swordsman’s solar plexus with the hilt of my sword. The soldier next to us stammered as he announced the result.

“O-one-hit victory! The winner is Knight Allen!”

Those preparing for their own matches looked confused at first.

“What? Already?”

“…Ah, it’s that knight.”

It seemed my swordmaster’s technique had left quite an impression.

As soon as they realized I was the winner, the other competitors nodded in understanding.

The only one who hadn’t expected this result was the young noble who had hired the rookie swordsman.

“Damn it! You useless fool!”

“Good work, mister,” Hyerin said as she walked over.

“Did you pass?”

“Well, mages basically get ranked during the first round of interviews, so yeah.”

I glanced at the other mages and asked, “What rank are you?”

“I’m probably the top dog. There was someone with a bigger mana stack than me, but they were more into fire magic, so I guess I won, in the end.”

It was the difference between her having the Quick Slot and the others not.

While most people struggled for years just to master a single spell, Hyerin could cast any spell she registered in her Quick Slot with ease.

“Hehehe.”

She was probably the only one who could use such high-level fire magic.

Seeing how satisfied she was, I patted her on the shoulder, and she responded with a goofy smile.

“Why are you smiling so much?”

When I directly asked why her mood had lightened so much, Hyerin pouted and muttered in a sulky tone.

“I’ve been camping out for so long, but now I finally feel safe! Is that so wrong? Can’t I smile?”

“It’s a good sign.”

“Ugh! That annoying tone again!”

I suppressed a laugh as we continued to make small talk, waiting for the rest of the sparring matches to finish.

Two hours passed.

Finally, after a long wait, the people we had been waiting for arrived.

“Welcome to all those who accepted our request. I am Kyle Walker,” announced the eldest son of the Walker family.

The three Walker siblings had arrived. Kyle, the eldest, addressed those who had passed the interviews and were now gathered for the mission briefing.

“As you all know, our task is to exterminate a great monster lurking in the forest. However, I cannot reveal exactly what this great monster is.”

Many people frowned at this absurd statement from the client.

“You’re telling us to defeat some great monster without even knowing what it is?” one of the mercenaries asked, clearly annoyed.

“We don’t want rumors spreading. If word gets out about the nature of this great monster, the trade of World Tree leaves could become unstable, and that would be… troublesome.”

Kyle’s response only increased the skepticism in the room.

I thought this was a pointless power play. The Walker family’s reputation had already taken a hit the moment they had to recruit an extermination force.

“Prepare yourselves.”

Kyle Walker snapped his fingers with a smile.

Snap!

With a crisp sound, Walker family soldiers brought out tables and stacked papers on top.

“These are non-disclosure contracts. Until the monster is defeated, you’ll be required to stay in the accommodations we provide, and you cannot reveal anything about the mission to outsiders.”

One of the mercenaries approached the table and skimmed the contract, his expression growing darker as he read.

He let out a derisive laugh.

“What kind of pay are we getting for signing a cursed contract like this?”

It wasn’t just a regular contract—it was a curse contract. Anyone who broke it would be hit with a second-grade curse.

The conditions seemed extreme for a monster extermination mission. But Kyle Walker nodded calmly and explained.

“Once the monster is defeated, each of you will receive 600 gold coins. We’ve factored in the inconvenience this might cause you. Does that sound fair?”

His words left the room stunned.

Hyerin, looking puzzled, leaned over and whispered to me.

“How much is 600 gold coins? Is it really that much?”

“One gold coin is roughly two months’ living expenses for a commoner.”

“So… it’s a lot?”

“You could buy a house with a yard for that.”

Her eyes widened at my response.

Some of the mercenaries, now excited by the enormous reward, raised their voices with more questions.

“Who’s guaranteeing we’ll actually get the 600 gold coins?”

Kyle maintained his smile as he answered.

“We have submitted this contract to the Gerard Merchant Alliance, the Imperial Palace, the Adventurer’s Guild, and even Freya’s Church. We have received tokens from all of them. Does that reassure you?”

Kyle presented the various tokens he had received from these organizations, and the mercenaries’ faces lit up with satisfaction.

“Can we sign right now?”

“Yes. The soldiers will guide you.”

A long line formed as the mercenaries, now fully trusting the contract, lined up to sign.

Meanwhile, Hyerin scratched her head, still confused, and asked me, “What are those tokens? Are they really that important? Does having one mean you absolutely have to keep your promise?”

“Exactly. If you break a promise tied to those tokens, all the associated organizations—the Merchant Alliance, the Adventurer’s Guild, the Imperial Palace, and Freya’s Church—will refuse to do business with you.”

Being blacklisted by all these major institutions was effectively a death sentence for any noble on the Gerard Continent.

Not just nobles—anyone from the Gerard Continent would rather go into debt than break such a promise.

Despite the airtight guarantees, there were still some who remained skeptical.

“Kyle, what about the merit points? How are those being handled?”

“Don’t worry. Merit points will be properly calculated.”

“And who’s judging them? Surely, it’s not the Walker family themselves, is it?”

At that, Kyle Walker chuckled.

“Contrary to what you might expect, we’ve brought in someone impartial. James, the master of the Walker region’s Adventurer’s Guild, will convert your achievements into merit points.”

With that, James, the Adventurer’s Guild master, stepped forward and bowed.

Seeing him, the nobles’ faces turned greedy, and they eagerly joined the line to sign the contract.

“I knew the Walker family was wealthy, but I didn’t realize it was to this extent.”

“Well, doesn’t that just show how desperate they are?”

“Heh, whatever the case, we’ve got nothing to lose here, do we?”

The promised reward was excessive, but Kyle Walker’s tokens were legitimate, beyond question.

There was only one logical conclusion to draw from all this.

‘They must be even more cornered than I thought.’

With those tokens, there was no reason to doubt the deal. As I overheard the nobles’ conversations, I joined the line to sign the contract myself.

Scratch, scratch.

As the sound of quills writing on parchment filled the air, the line gradually shortened.

What will happen to Hyerin and me once this mission is over?

As we waited, I leaned over and whispered to Hyerin.

“How about marrying Kyle Walker?”

“…Huh? Where did that come from?”

Her voice raised in surprise, and she blushed, realizing how loud she had been. But no one was paying attention to us.

Most of the people here were likely thinking about securing some kind of marriage alliance with the Walker family anyway.

I gave Hyerin a reality check.

“Do you know what ‘merit points’ are?”

“…Not really.”

“It’s a measure of the influence you have over the Walker family. With enough merit points, you can ask for money, request help, or even arrange a marriage with them.”

“Wait, you can get married just by having enough merit points? And who would even want that?”

At her naive question, some nearby nobles snickered. I leaned closer and whispered again.

“Didn’t you see something like that in the Room of Fate? How could a hero become a noble?”

“Oh! Yeah, I did see something like that… But still, marriage because of merit points? That seems a bit much…”

“By your standards, maybe. But on the Gerard Continent, it’s perfectly normal. Opportunities to earn merit points like this don’t come around often.”

I glanced over at Kyle Walker, who was commanding the room with ease.

“You think it’s strange that marriage is on the table? The fact that they even have to offer merit points means the lord’s incompetence is being exposed.”

Offering merit points was a last-ditch effort.

Hyerin blinked her large eyes and looked around again, as if seeing the room for the first time.

“…Wait, so you’re telling me everyone here is…”

“The majority of people here are nobles who have hired skilled fighters with the goal of securing the Walker family’s lordship.”

At that, Hyerin fell silent. A few minutes later, it was finally our turn.

Scratch, scratch.

I glanced at the name “Lee Hyun-seok” written on the contract.

I handed Hyerin the quill, leaning in to whisper one last piece of advice.

“Don’t use your real name. Just make something up. The contract will still be binding no matter what name you write.”

The moment the quill left the parchment, the contract absorbed the ink of our names.

Everyone in the room, including us, had finished signing the contracts.

Satisfied, Kyle Walker smiled and descended from the platform.

“Before we go over the detailed strategy, we will now divide you into units, led by me and my siblings.”

Kyle, the eldest son, along with his younger sister and brother, stood apart, giving us the choice of which sibling to follow.

“I, Kyle Walker, will reward those who fight with me with a potion brewed from World Tree leaves and sap.”

The handsome eldest son, likely to inherit the Walker family, offered potions.

“Merit points! Anyone who makes achievements under my command will be rewarded with even more merit points!” said the youngest sibling, who seemed ambitious and eager to prove himself.

“Which one seems better to you?” Hyerin asked.

“Kyle. The youngest is only offering merit points related to himself, not the entire Walker family, so it’s not very useful.”

In contrast, the potion crafted from World Tree materials was something I could genuinely use to improve my abilities.

But then the eldest daughter, standing last, spoke, and her words completely overshadowed everything the others had said.

“Those who fight with me, Mari Walker, will receive a special reward.”

Both Hyerin and I perked up at the mention of a “special reward.”

“I will grant you the special powers given to me by a hero.”

She was offering the transfer of special abilities as a reward.