How to Survive as a Player Chapter 193

#193

“… Go and stand in line.”

The driver took one last look at Sehyun’s hair and finished speaking with a frown. Sehyeon also nodded his head without saying anything and immediately turned his back. No, he tried to turn. Until people turned their heads at the sound of the chaotic surroundings.

The mess started from the main gate of the castle. The clattering sound of a dozen horses’ hooves and the sound of the knights’ armor clanking as they walked filled the surroundings.

Hundreds of knights, led by those on horseback, were marching out of the castle. As the soldiers and mercenaries lined up in front of the imperial castle saw this and began to open the way, Sehyeon had no choice but to be pushed back as if swept away.

Looking back from a distance, there was a blond man riding a horse in front of the procession. The man was full of authority and had cool eyes. Even the huge wings that symbolized her status overflowed with her majesty.

He was Nelus, whom I saw two days ago at the top of the castle. Looking at him up close, he definitely looked more immature than the current Ruhak. Even his aura and appearance were like that.

“Reorganize your ranks! Everyone, move along with His Majesty the Crown Prince’s military procession!!”

At the shout of one knight, the disorganized ranks began to reorganize.

The rear supply with Sehyeon was moved to the very back of the line. About a thousand, no. At least 2,000 troops shook the ground and began their march across the empire toward subjugation.

Even though it was early in the morning, the villagers took to the streets to see off the soldiers in their own way to ensure their safe return. Some people threw handkerchiefs.

It was the beginning of a short and long two-day journey.

The place where the 7th Brigade’s punitive force, where Sehyeon was located, was headed was a place called the ‘Ancient Battleground’. I remember hearing in passing that there were more than tens of thousands of troops currently stationed there.

The journey went slower than expected. Except for the crown prince and commanders who rode horses earlier, all the personnel moved on foot, so it was inevitable that they would be slow. In addition, supplies were currently transported by porters themselves, making it difficult to move quickly.

Jeopuk-

Sehyun raised her head and looked in front of Daeyeol. Long, endless lines. In front of them, vaguely shaped people were caught. It was where the crown prince was.

Maybe it was because the distance felt so far away, but it felt like a line that couldn’t be crossed. In reality, Nelus was not someone he could get close to in terms of status.

That’s why I thought we’d never run into each other again. If it weren’t for the scorching heat.

‘It’s so hot…’ .’

Of course, the place where the capital is located is a place where heat is rampant, and the scorching sun shines like an arrow all morning, so everyone who moves around has to sweat and suffer from the heat.

Sehyeon was no different. He was confident that he was quite resistant to the heat, but perhaps because his clothes were too tight, he could not help but suffer from the heat.

After walking without stopping for a while, when everyone was exhausted from the heat, the procession that had continued all morning stopped for the first time. It was the first break.

“Rod, are you okay?”

“a little… “It’s hot.”

As soon as the procession stopped, all the soldiers and mercenaries took refuge under the shade of the trees. Sehyeon also took a tree to cool off. Nevertheless, the heat did not cool down, so I had to get up later to find the faint sound of water.

“Ruhak, I’m going to take a moment to wash my face… .”

“Lord, the Archduke is currently away for a while.”

Sehyun’s gaze immediately moved to my side. The shadow that was visible just moments ago has now disappeared. It was a blink of an eye.

“I am currently going with Pen to check on the movement of the procession ahead.”

“There is a stream behind, would you like to go there?”

“ah… Just in case, Euncheong stays here, and only Muan moves with me.”

“yes.”

Sehyeon stood up shakily. Then, together with Muan, we crossed the forest path and set out to find a stream. Soon, a long stream appeared with a refreshing sound. There were quite a few soldiers and mercenaries who came to the stream like Sehyeon, perhaps to drink water.

Sehyun rolled up her sleeves and dipped her hands into the water. A pleasant feeling of coolness came over me. Sehyun let out a long breath, scooped up water, and splashed it on his face.

It was nice to even hear the sound of water droplets dripping down the tip of my chin. As she swept the back of her hand around her eyes, she felt the heat go away. After adding water a few more times, Sehyun wiped away the moisture running down the tip of his chin with the back of his hand.

It was then that I heard someone approaching.

Rustle-

Sehyun, who was wiping off the water when she heard the sound of someone stepping on the grass and approaching, immediately looked back. He didn’t hear much from Muan, so he assumed it must be Ruhak or some other hero.

However, what came along with the sound of footsteps was a fierce hand that grabbed Sehyun’s hair and pulled it back.

“Ugh… !”

A startled scream escaped from the trachea. Among the shining sunlight, there was a man with brilliant blonde hair. Sehyun’s eyes widened silently.

“He is a nobleman. “It is difficult to be born with such a vivid color unless you have authentic blood.”

The fingertips holding the hair gently rubbed the wet blonde hair. Vivid golden eyes in drowsy eyes. Those younger and more self-righteous eyes were looking down at Sehyun menacingly.

“Did you even want to have fun? “Then you should have hidden it.”

The tone of voice was soft, almost like a warning, but the actions themselves were not. His fingertips, pulling at her hair, dug painfully through the hair. My eyes narrowed slightly.

The person in my distorted vision was Nellus, whom I thought I would never encounter.

“They bring their loyal dogs with them. “Isn’t that so?”

Nelus’ gaze passed Sehyeon and moved to the side. There was Ruhak with cold eyes, tightly holding Nelus’ wrist, which was holding Sehyun’s hair. Because the mutation skill was realized, Ruhak and Nelus did not look the same.

“That hand… “Let go.”

A crackling, grinding sound rang out from the suppressed words. Nellus’s wrist trembled under the crushing force of his hand.

The air subsided horribly. Nelus was speechless. He just looked at Ruhak without any expression. But after a while, Nelus loosened her grip on his hair and shook Ruhak’s hand away as coldly as if it were dirt. What broke out right after that was Sehyun’s suppressed cough.

“Cold, cold… !”

Sehyun, who was coughing and shaking her shoulders, wiped away the physiological tears as soon as her breathing subsided and looked up at Nellus. Reproach was hidden in the man’s calm face.

“Name your family name. “The reprimand for today’s incident will be passed down through your family.”

“I think you’re mistaken, haha… I’m not that noble. And I… “What did I do wrong?”

Nelus snorted at those words. The gaze immediately turned to Ruhak and Muan.

“Are you telling me to believe that about them? This punitive force is not an army organized to play nobles or anything like that. So go back.”

Sehyeon glanced at Nelus, then took out the mercenary card from his pocket and threw it at his feet. Nelus’ eyes followed this slowly.

“See for yourself.”

Nelus silently gave a small gesture to the attendant standing behind him. The attendant who picked up the mercenary badge on his behalf presented it to Nelus.

It was a tie. Before coming here, it was a D-class mercenary pack that Fen had newly created using copper obtained from the village blacksmith shop. If the existing wooden badge was a badge used by new mercenaries, the bronze plaque was a mercenary badge that showed a kind of ‘experience’, indicating that one had been working as a mercenary for a long time despite being of the same rank.

Minimum of 5 years of experience that can be converted to Bronze Medal. In order to be eligible, you had to receive small tasks each week and have your experience recognized by the mercenary office. So, that card was proof that Sehyeon had been working as a mercenary consistently for at least five years.

“Is there anything else you want to say?”

On the bronze plaque, not only the career history, but also the date of conversion to a bronze plaque and the issuing organization were recorded. It was a ‘counterfeit card’ made using the forgery skills that Pen had learned during his previous infiltration mission.

However, no one will be able to tell if this is a counterfeit card. Until you go directly to the issuing agency, the mercenary office, and view the information records. That meant it was a perfect counterfeit card.

“If you’ve seen it all, can you give it back to me? “Even if it’s like this, it’s because it’s a status scam.”

Nelus had no answer. I just stared at it for a long time, as if thinking over the name written on the mercenary badge. However, Nelus, who was looking at the bronze plaque for a moment, held it in his hand.

“… “Aren’t you giving it back?”

“You gave it to me, so it’s mine.”

“I never said I would give it to you… .”

“Once it comes into the hands of the royal family, its ownership becomes the property of the royal family. “Do you think it’s not you?”

Sehyeon silently kept his mouth shut as the words left him unable to tell his true meaning. That means that Se-hyeon’s ownership could be determined by that single mercenary card, but at the moment, it was impossible to determine whether that statement was true or not.

“Or, you never know. “Maybe if I get this, I’ll turn a blind eye to that recklessness.”

With a cynicism, the man turned his back. The shiny eyes of the attendant who was lowering her head passed by Sehyeon once.

The lights moving away gave me a feeling of déjà vu. Ruhak, who used to be sharp, was also such a thorny person. He was stabbed hundreds of times. Perhaps because I had become dull now, even the painful memories were faint.

Still, I felt relieved. The current Nelus did not have the ‘sadness’ that was visible when he first encountered Ruhak. I felt like I now knew what that sadness meant.

Isn’t it a feeling of skepticism about the life that had to be repeated countless times after losing one’s country?

Nelus’s back quickly disappeared. When the figure behind him disappeared without a faint afterimage, the sound of a horn announcing departure was heard in the distance.

Suddenly, Sehyun felt a hand playing with her damp hair. It was Ruhak. As if erasing traces of someone, Ruhak wrapped Sehyun’s hair around his fingertips and did not let go until everyone in the lake disappeared.

It was a touch that somehow felt persistent.

Nevertheless, Sehyeon had the illusion that someone else’s body odor was faintly present. She eventually met. On the one hand, I had predicted it, but on the other hand, it was my first meeting with Nelus, whom I thought I would never meet.