LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 103
In Europa, fences, wooden barricades, and castle walls weren’t merely defensive measures.
They were, in fact, visible symbols dividing civilization from the wild.
Stepping outside, even near a major city, naturally brought about dangers.
The role of walls was simply to block external threats and safeguard the homes and daily lives of the inhabitants.
It was an understood fact for Elder Iona, who was traveling the Felwinter Ridge surrounded by guards, as well as for the soldiers and knights protecting her, and even the servants and workers accompanying them.
“Whoa… Sir Hyphon.”
“Yes, Elder.”
“How much longer do we have?”
Iceland—the land where barbarism prevailed over civilization.
Thus, from the moment they left Coldon, everyone was well aware that such events like this could occur.
In response to Iona’s question, Sir Hyphon dismounted from his Snowrunner and lifted the visor of his helmet.
Despite his exhaustion, he quickly assessed those setting up camp and organizing security details before closing it again.
“Fortunately, there are no fatalities. However, if we exclude the injured, I’d say roughly 70% have sustained moderate to serious injuries.”
“Ugh.”
“The workers and servants have suffered about the same degree of injuries.”
“So essentially, it’s almost total annihilation.”
“Still, since there are no critical injuries, it’s not total destruction.”
At that moment, Iona felt the notable presence of the rosary necklace buried beneath her thick neck.
In sudden situations like this, everyone had steeled themselves.
Yet, the fact that there were casualties weighed heavy on her heart, as if it were as substantial as her very being.
Managing matters large and small for the Felwinter Family and Iceland, death and sacrifice were seen as trivial occurrences.
Fortunately, there were no fatalities.
It could certainly be said that the divine had shown them favor.
Still, Iona found it incredibly difficult to adapt to the notion of someone’s death.
“It’s a relief that they were taken on their final journey too soon.”
“I guess we should be thankful that luck was on our side.”
“Indeed, it truly was.”
Both Iona and Hyphon exhaled deeply.
If one thought about it, it was indeed a harrowing moment.
Just after leaving the village, the ambush had occurred.
A horde of monsters vastly outnumbered the guards, leaving the knights, soldiers, servants, and workers solely committed to ensuring Iona’s safe escape.
The ensuing battle unfolded as expected.
The scene depicted Iona and her guards attempting to break through the encirclement, while the monsters relentlessly attacked them.
For every one that was slain, two arrived; for every two, four pressed on, a chaotic clash.
Due to carelessness, tension, and surprise, the soldiers and knights among the guards sustained more and more injuries.
The situation escalated to the point where even Iona had to roll up her sleeves and swing her fists.
“Whew. Who would’ve thought help would arrive from over there?”
After taking a final panting breath, Iona shook her head.
Sir Hyphon, fiddling with the longsword at his waist, nodded in agreement.
“That moment was truly blessed by the gods.”
Then he turned to glance at a group of mercenaries lounging off to the side.
While everyone else was busily moving around, no one seemed to chastise them.
Of course, no one would scorn those who had saved their lives.
Especially if a Swordmaster, as rare as they are, was among those mercenaries.
“A Mercenary Swordmaster, huh? I’ve only heard of them, but seeing one in person is another matter. Why would someone of such skill take on mercenary work?”
“Well, it’s pretty obvious that they made it all the way to Iceland for a reason, right?”
“Hmm, that’s certainly true.”
Hyphon nodded in agreement, speaking as if it were common knowledge.
Iceland was the last refuge for fugitives and criminals fleeing from the civilized world.
The reason didn’t matter much.
“Just look at Viktor’s past; it’s anything but ordinary.”
“Indeed. That man…”
In reality, most skilled individuals who weren’t originally from Iceland shared a similar background.
But Viktor’s past was especially unique.
Iona could assure that it ranked among the top five most shocking.
She had been a witness when the previous Duke of Iceland appointed Viktor the King of Smugglers.
Given that he was willing to abandon much of what he riskily built to come to Iceland, it was only reasonable that he had some serious issues.
However, nobody dared to dig deeper.
What, just for being a mercenary Swordmaster with a questionable past?
Especially one whose minimum skill level was equivalent to a captain of a knight order from a relatively well-off kingdom?
It was only natural that any pretense of being a dashing knight would seem foolish in the eyes of the average troll when they saw the real deal.
Those petty concerns hardly stood as any reason to reject him.
Iceland was always in need of strength—be it in numbers or otherwise.
“So how can we persuade him to join us?”
Iona immediately posed the question to Hyphon.
She was certain that her lord, Alfred, would act similarly.
“Well, shouldn’t this be enough?”
With a twirl of his fingers, Hyphon mused aloud.
“A mercenary who clearly has a penchant for money, after all.”
“Hmm, if there’s no other reason, that would mean we could sway him with land grants and titles.”
Just then, a loud rustling from the bushes broke the conversation.
The unnatural noise startled those organizing and resting nearby, causing them to quietly grab their weapons and stand guard.
The tension enveloped the scene in an instant.
Then, branches snapped as the underbrush parted to reveal—
A massive mossy boar hoisted by a mercenary.
Gordon, cosplaying as a particularly “popular” mercenary Swordmaster, stepped into view.
“Huh? Are you pointing a weapon at me?”
“Oh, it’s you, Uncle Gordon?”
“Uncle? What uncle? I’ve never even been married.”
“Once you hit your coming-of-age ceremony, you’re an uncle—just look at your age.”
At those words, the crowd sheepishly lowered their weapons and shifted their gazes.
The ever-observant servants quickly approached.
Gordon, who had already dealt with the blood and innards, simply advised that they just needed to chop it up by parts before handing over the giant mossy boar.
“At least everyone here can have something to eat by tomorrow morning.”
And with a gesture from Iona, he stepped over with light steps.
“Wow, you really caught it, huh? Gordon?”
“Well, I found some tracks along the way. It wasn’t too far off.”
Hyphon shook his head in disbelief.
“If you could spot that and catch it in one go, then all hunters would be dead by now.”
“With my skill and years as a mercenary, that’s only natural.”
“How on earth did you catch it without a bow or spear?”
“Well, there’s this.”
Gordon casually patted his waist.
The mere impact caused his longsword in its sheath to rattle.
“I aimed for its neck with this and swiftly took its head off.”
“Huh, threw a longsword like a dagger? Now that’s worthy of a Swordmaster title.”
“This is a technique I learned simply because it looked cool.”
Gordon bluntly denied Hyphon’s admiration.
Hyphon, caught by surprise, couldn’t help but be perplexed by such an unexpected reason, and it showed even through his helmet.
“Wait, did you just say you learned it just because it looked cool?”
“Yep. But after mastering it, I found it to be unexpectedly useful, especially for surprising strikes.”
“Well, that’s the case.”
Hyphon haphazardly nodded.
After all, who would be crazy enough to throw a longsword like it were a dagger?
As the three of them chatted, a tantalizing aroma wafted in the air.
With empty stomachs and dry mouths, their heads instinctively turned toward the source.
The sizzling fat from the melting mossy boar dripped onto the firewood, sending up a thick plume of aromatic smoke that wafted the delightful scent of mushrooms into the air.
“The smell is to die for, but I hope none of those mushrooms grew on the boar itself.”
“The soldiers and servants foraged and gathered a whole bunch while you were away.”
“Oh, then I guess that’s a good thing.”
Thus, the rising smoke surrounded the various cuts of the mossy boar meat skewered on a multitude of sticks.
The meat, coated by the intense heat, began to fry and grill, repeating the process endlessly.
With each drop of oil that dripped off the skewers, the mushrooms sizzling alongside them heated up, cooking downwards.
The sound of bubbling and sizzling meat with the mouthwatering aroma would captivate the attention of everyone around, including the guards and mercenaries, all of whom had been playing with the discarded mossy boar mushrooms.
“I wonder if we can indulge like this while being on the run.”
Iona muttered, unable to tear her gaze away from the smoke and sounds pouring forth from the fire.
In such a situation, lighting a fire and cooking was, in a sense, tantamount to inviting the horde of monsters trailing behind them to “come and get us.”
Yet, despite Iona’s honest feelings, her words contradicted her intentions so clearly that others could easily discern her thoughts.
“Stop lying, Lady Iona! You’re glaring at this food with a fiery gaze, unlike any mere mercenary who hasn’t seen a woman in six months.”
“How dare you speak like that to a steward of a noble house and a leader among the clergy?”
“Did I say anything false?”
“You’re an arrogant mercenary. However, you’ve brought fresh meat, so I’ll let you off the hook this time.”
“Thanks a lot!”
Gordon offered a charming yet unrefined bow to show his gratitude.
It had been three days since their escape.
Of which, they had been running day and night for two of those days.
What Iona and the survivors had consumed during that time was painfully predictable.
Just hardtack, some jerky, and water.
Ironically, the first cart and wagon to be destroyed during the monster attack were the supply carts that held their provisions.
Iona couldn’t help but admire the workers, servants, and soldiers who had gathered the food and essential supplies amid such chaos.
“Well, monsters may have good stamina, but they run slower than us humans, so we should be able to rest comfortably until tomorrow around this time.”
“That’s good news.”
“Besides, I must say, the smell is incredible.”
As they relaxed and relieved their fatigue, some servants, workers, and soldiers hastily sprinkled the salt and pepper they had salvaged earlier, making the aroma even more potent.
The smell of burning firewood and charcoal wafted through.
The oil bubbling and rising from the melting mossy boar meat intensified the fragrance.
And then there was the sharp aroma of pepper that piqued their senses.
It had been an endlessly long and torturous stretch of time for their starving bodies.
But every endeavor has its end.
As the servants kept flipping the skewers, they confirmed that everything was ready and quickly piled the perfectly cooked meat onto a flat stone they had washed in advance, delivering it right in front of Iona.
While she praised the servants and workers for their efforts, she couldn’t tear her gaze away from the skewers piled high.
Iona was not alone in this.
Hyphon and Gordon shared the same hunger pangs.
After all, what they had eaten for the past few days, as previously stated, was merely hardtack, jerky, and water.
“Elder? How long will you keep holding onto that?”
“Huh?! When did I grab it?!”
“Quite a while ago—”
“Seriously, I only cut it up and skewer it with salt and pepper, and it turns out I’ve created a delicacy.”
Iona quickly examined the skewer before her.
The various cuts of the mossy boar, expertly roasted over direct fire, had all turned a rich brown.
The unexpected heat had charred the edges black.
But that didn’t detract from its taste.
Every piece of meat, from start to finish, had formed a perfect crust.
The surface was dotted with specks of pepper.
And the strong aroma of burning firewood complemented the dish.
Such a simple meal would hardly have been mentioned if it had landed on a noble family’s table.
But as the saying goes, the best seasoning is a hungry stomach, and right now, it was an irresistible temptation for Iona.
Snapping back to reality as she felt the gazes from either side, Iona quickly seized a skewer that resembled a massive steak.
Without caring that juices and oil stained her chin like a wild beast, she sunk her teeth into the meat.