The Necromancer Who Was Despised – Chapter 57

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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It wasn’t that I couldn’t use a spear, and the same went for Kayla, who was once a knight.

Athena was a bit awkward, but she made up for that gap with the unique senses of a mana user and by perceiving the opponent’s movements in advance.

In the first place, all we had to do was stab with our spears from the top of the castle walls.

Even if she lacked proficiency, Athena was capable enough to cover it.

Although their armor was solid, there were gaps.

Especially the joints, if the shoulders were damaged, their defense would inevitably become loose, so the bastards had no choice but to be picky.

As some of them couldn’t defend properly due to injuries, the mercenaries were directly exposed to the attack.

Crack!

Thud!

“Aargh!”

“Aaaah!”

Spears pierced their bodies, avoiding the armor, and stones struck their helmets, making them unable to come to their senses.

Some of them fainted on the spot and collapsed on the ground, and we kindly threw heavy stones on top of their bodies.

“Ugh!”

With casualties occurring, there was no way for the work to progress.

Our side was able to keep the wooden fence unscathed, and I ordered Athena to support other areas.

Glancing at the gate, I saw the mercenary leader swinging his hammer like crazy with a mad smile.

“As expected of the losers! So pathetic!”

He seemed to prefer taking the lead.

“Ugh…”

Pipis and Venter tried their best to stop him somehow, but the guys around him were also quite skilled at defense, so they couldn’t easily disrupt him.

“Pour the water!”

It was the perfect moment.

Those waiting behind immediately brought the hot water and poured it towards the mercenaries.

Of course, it was impossible to easily avoid the pouring water.

They tried to block it by holding their shields tightly, but some of them inevitably had hot water poured on their bodies, and especially those who relied on their comrades to wield axes and hammers had no choice but to suffer burns.

“Don’t be afraid! Didn’t you expect this! Their supplies aren’t infinite! Don’t rush, but steadily break the castle walls!”

Someone who seemed to be the commander of another mercenary group shouted from behind, and it was certainly a reasonable statement.

“Argh! It’s hot!”

The big guy who took the lead in the front didn’t even scream despite the hot water touching his body.

However, it seemed difficult for him to keep attacking in that state, so he slowly began to retreat.

Those who were in a relatively better condition inflicted a bit more damage to the wooden fence, and soon they all seemed exhausted and gradually started to retreat.

Ten days.

That was how long the gate endured.

It was a shorter period than expected.

It wasn’t something the lord had predicted.

He called Mutre to reinforce the interior, and at Kuman’s request, he summoned even Baldur, his bodyguard, and the slaves under training to mobilize for defense.

Baldur was once Kayla’s disciple, so his skills were quite good.

They clearly made contributions, but there were limits.

Above all…

‘Those guys are mana users.’

I wondered why they didn’t provide this information.

The lord who fought them directly must have already known.

‘Did he think I would run away?’

Indeed, with that much difference in equipment, along with cavalry and even mana users, our chances of winning were almost nonexistent.

Looking closely, I could see them using very faint aura.

‘Their level isn’t outstanding, but…’

They weren’t at the level of high-ranking mercenaries.

However, they were too strong to be called mid-ranking mercenaries.

They had the skills to become high-ranking mercenaries if given a little more time.

It was at the barely passing level, though.

‘Madank… was it?’

The mercenary leader who had been chattering with the lord at the forefront.

He was a mana user, and Grimink and Abinas, who followed him most closely, also seemed to use mana, although at the beginner level.

Therefore, the gate only endured for about ten days, and until that guy broke the gate, Rankbink didn’t even participate in the battle.

And right after the gate was destroyed…

“Kuhahaha!”

Venter and Pipis, who had stepped up to stop him, were cut down and collapsed on the spot.

“That’s better! There was someone like this left!”

While Baldur desperately tied up the guy, Grimink and Abinas were trampling the remaining mercenaries belonging to the Venter Mercenary Group and the slaves.

After the gate was broken, the castle residents trembled in fear, and the lord was desperately trying to calm them down.

“…Kayla.”

“That guy named Madank, can you kill him?”

Of course, if she used her full power, it would be at a level where Kayla could play with him.

What I was asking was whether she could win while sealing one of her feet and pretending to be lame.

However, Kayla answered me as if I was saying something strange.

“It’ll be easy.”

She glanced at Baldur, who was facing Madank, and said,

“He has grown quite a bit, but seeing him struggling against a guy like that, he’s still far. To be honest, even the me before receiving your help, Master, could defeat that guy.”

She said it was possible even if it wasn’t as easy as now.

Moreover, now, apart from her foot, her senses and physical abilities had grown further through her body’s restructuring.

With a mana heart and even her level of aura rising… it would be strange for her to lose.

“Then we should go down.”

At Athena’s words, I pointed at Grimink and said,

“You take that side, I’ll handle that guy named Abinas.”

In terms of compatibility, it was advantageous for Athena to face Grimink.

I left the area I had been guarding and headed towards the entrance of the broken gate.

In the meantime, the slaves who had been taught by Baldur and the remaining mercenaries on our side had all fallen, and Baldur was surrounded by three of them, fighting desperately.

“Athena.”

At my order, Athena charged forward quickly.

Athena aimed at the guy named Grimink as I instructed.

Seeing Athena rushing at a level incomparable to the guys he had faced so far, the guy was shocked.

Clang!

“…A woman?”

Grimink, who blocked Athena’s surprise attack, showed a startled expression.

“First time seeing a woman?”

“No way. There were no women in the previous battle!”

Grimink repelled Athena’s dagger and counterattacked.

I wasn’t idle either.

As I had announced, I also swung my sword at the guy named Abinas.

“…Interesting. Where do these guys keep popping out from? You’re also a face I haven’t seen in the previous battle…”

“Hehehe. So you were hiding these guys and fighting us?”

“Don’t get too excited, commander. If you go wild…”

Bam.

“…Too late.”

The guy named Abinas, my opponent, frowned as if annoyed.

Baldur was hit in the chest by the guy’s weapon and rolled on the ground.

The guy swung his hammer at Baldur as if he was going to make him a punching bag.

Thud thud thud!

Baldur rolled on the ground, struggling desperately to survive.

At that moment.

Thud, clang!

“Your strength… is decent.”

For the first time, the guy named Madank faltered.

“…A cripple? You are…”

Did he sense something?

Madank instantly threw his body back.

Kayla’s sword strike brushed past where he had been.

“You dodged that?”

Kayla spoke with a surprised expression.

“You, what are you? How…”

“My name is Kayla. I am Jimnis’s slave and sword.”

“…Slave? Wait, if you say Jimnis, I’ve heard of him. The monster hunter Jimnis. The one who brought dozens of orc slaves to Kuman… I see. If he has someone like you as a slave, it’s not impossible.”

Surprisingly, the guy knew about me as well.

Hearing Madank’s words, Abinas looked at me and said,

“Then you must be Jimnis.”

“That’s right.”

“Tsk. I was told to persuade you if we found you. How about it? Joining us? You know the situation, right? We’re not just simple bandits.”

“I know. You’re mercenaries hired by the merchant union of the Siglen County.”

“Yes. If you surrender to us, we promise you better treatment than before.”

“Well. Isn’t the crime you committed so great that you’ll be heading straight to the guillotine?”

“Information control is perfect. The merchant union has a long history. There are strong connections even within the Siglen County. This incident will be buried in darkness forever.”

“…Are you planning to kill all the residents of the territory?”

“No. Someone close to our side will be appointed as the new lord with Siglen’s permission.”

‘…They’re doing that kind of work too?’

It seemed the roots of the merchant union were deeper than I thought.

‘Siglen is in trouble.’

If it was an organization of this scale, there was a high possibility that the Siglen side also considered them a headache.

They could have wiped them out completely with this opportunity.

The cost was the dwarf, but from their perspective, it might have been a cheap price to pay.

‘I’ll make good use of it.’

“Sorry, but I refuse.”

“…Why?”

“I have a feeling you will fail. And…”

I answered as I charged at the guy.

“Being under someone is not my taste.”

Clang!

His sword and my sword clashed, sparking.

“Tch. Then there’s no choice. Die.”

The guy definitely pressured me with excellent physical abilities befitting a mana user.

Clang, thud!

However, I easily adapted to his speed.

I wasn’t using magical energy, but my body was also considerably enhanced, and my close combat skills were something even Kayla acknowledged.

With just close combat, I was at the level of a mid-ranking mercenary.

Moreover, my experience was no joke, having struggled at the bottom for several years.

Even though he was pushing me, I could see Abinas’s face gradually hardening.

“…Why…”

On the verge of collapse, I calmly maintained my posture, continuing to deflect and block his attacks.

It wasn’t a one-sided defensive.

Whenever I saw an opening, I cut off his pulse, so even though he had the upper hand, he could never bring me down.

No, sometimes he showed an expression as if his heart had turned cold from my counterattacks.

‘…As I thought, this is my limit.’

I felt it anew.

I lacked talent as a warrior.

I was merely enduring this far with my experience from the previous round, the increased physical and cognitive abilities from awakening magical energy, but unlike Kayla or Athena, I couldn’t become a first-class warrior.

And while I was buying time like that…

“Aaargh!”

Athena was the first to cut down Grimink.

“Damn it… Damn it! What the hell is going on! To a mere cripple!”

Madank, who had been overwhelming the others until just now, was nowhere to be seen as he was increasingly driven into a corner.

Athena charged at Madank and blocked his escape route.

If it weren’t for her act of being injured, his head would have been cut off long ago.

He had endured until now based on his excellent mobility, but as soon as Athena blocked the passage, his head was severed.

Kayla’s words that he was nothing special were true.

Seeing his comrades dying one by one, Abinas’s face grew impatient.

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