Chapter 12: Quest Without a Choice

I had already killed the second knight, but I still couldn’t feel at ease.

A knight with one arm severed was galloping toward me on horseback.

Without hesitation, I plunged the sword I was holding in my right hand into the ground and immediately formed a Magic Missile.

At the same time, I cast Light Magic with my left hand.

Skill ‘Multi-Casting’ acquired.

Ignoring the Notification Window in front of me, I sent the Magic Missile flying toward the charging knight.

Flash!

The Magic Missile struck the knight’s armor but had no effect at all.

However, the real attack was the Light Magic that followed.

It was the Light Magic that had previously heated the knight’s helmet.

He would think it was just a simple Light Magic.

He hadn’t seen how I fought Sir James, after all.

As expected, he took the Light Magic directly on his head.

Chiiik!

With the helmet melting and a burning agony spreading through his skull, the knight immediately fell off his horse.

He struggled to remove the helmet with his remaining arm, but in such pain, it was not an easy task.

I approached him and sliced his neck cleanly.

Swoosh.

Confirming the blood spurting from the severed neck, I turned around.

There were still enemy soldiers remaining.

While I had been fighting the knights, the soldiers and mercenaries had focused on defense, so our casualties were minimal.

If I hadn’t quickly taken down twenty of them, we would have already been overwhelmed.

“Magic Missile and Fire Bolt.”

Thanks to learning the skill Multi-Casting, I was able to create not just one skill, but two at the same time.

Swoosh, flash!

The Magic Missile and Fire Bolt formed simultaneously and flew toward the enemy, burning one soldier to death on impact.

“Magic Missile and Fire Bolt.”

My near no-cooldown magic was produced again, killing another enemy instantly.

“Eighteen left.”

I wanted to kill these guys quickly and rest.

I hastily cast more spells, and our side moved to protect me.

My magic attacks on the enemies continued without pause, and before long, all those brandishing swords against us lay dead on the ground, cold corpses.

***

-Level Up.

-Five additional stats granted.

That was the Notification Window that appeared when the fight ended.

I immediately invested all the new stats into Health and scanned the surroundings, licking my lips.

‘Hah… There’s something I need to learn right away.’

I replayed the recent fight in my mind.

Then I realized something.

The knights of this world wore good armor, and that armor easily blocked my magic attacks.

‘If that’s the case, I need to learn magic that alters the terrain or more advanced spells.’

Of course, it would cost a fortune, so I had to work hard to earn money.

So, I looked in the direction where my patron lord was.

“Eh, hmm….”

All I could do was sigh.

The first thing visible around the wagon was none other than mercenaries.

“Damn it…”

“Son of a— How did this happen?”

“Damn, poor bastard. Did you die trying to do something for your wife and kid?”

Out of the ten mercenaries besides me, only seven had survived.

Among those who died was one who had come with me from the County of Veric.

I knew the reality well, but the bitterness wouldn’t fade.

We were sitting and resting, but the soldiers were different.

They were blank, not knowing what to do.

Everything had been decided by James, and all they knew was to follow orders and reach our destination.

Fed up with this, one mercenary suddenly stood up and approached the wagon.

Clang, clack!

The soldiers hurriedly blocked him, their expressions warning they wouldn’t hesitate to attack.

“Oh my, such loyalty.”

I muttered to myself what I wished I could say aloud.

Fortunately, either they didn’t hear me or pretended not to.

Probably didn’t hear.

“Hey, young master. Don’t just stay inside the wagon; come out and let’s talk!”

There was no way the young master could hear shouting from inside.

I decided to observe the mercenary’s actions.

I knew well that if he defied a noble like that, he would be dead instantly, so seeing this told me those earlier enemies must have been terrifying.

Otherwise, no one would act like this.

“Come on out, I said!”

At the mercenary’s persistence, the wagon door finally opened, and the lord’s son stepped outside.

Rave, the lord’s son, looked at the scene and his expression grew pale.

But soon, he hardened his face and nodded after scanning the area once more.

“We will continue toward the Capital. I will tell the family to give proper compensation for the dead.”

That was the first thing he said to us.

He spoke in a surprisingly gentle voice for a man.

But the mercenaries didn’t seem to care about that.

“No, that’s not what we want.”

I didn’t know when they had agreed among themselves, but the words that came out of his mouth shocked me.

“We will abandon the quest.”

The words ‘abandon the quest.’

Usually, mercenaries didn’t easily give up quests.

They often thoroughly investigated and completed them.

But this quest involved the lord’s coercion — more like a threat.

If they gave up on it, who knew what would happen to them.

Knowing this well, the lord’s son continued with a slightly angry tone.

“Abandon the quest… Breach of contract will be a serious crime for you all, no exceptions.”

But the mercenaries were resolute.

“Better to die than to endure.”

“Who would take a quest they don’t know if they’ll live through?”

“It’s better to inform the Mercenary Guild about this and live cautiously for a while.”

“We’re just leaving.”

Surprisingly, all the mercenaries shared the same sentiment.

After saying that, they left without looking back.

“Haah…”

A low sigh escaped from the lord’s son.

The soldiers around him looked unsure whether to capture the mercenaries or just watch.

Unlike them, the lord’s son looked at me.

His eyes seemed to ask what I was going to do.

“Well, if you’re leaving, you could’ve said so earlier.”

I couldn’t help but curse the mercenaries who had left first.

I hated the atmosphere left behind.

“Damn it, I feel sorry for that brat, but what can I do? I’m only one person, after all.”

Honestly, I couldn’t disagree with the mercenaries.

Why?

Because I only have one neck, and it’s precious.

Following them blindly could mean death at any moment.

“Me too…”

Just as I was about to make up my mind and speak, the Notification Window appeared.

A quest has started.

[Safely escort Rave, the lord’s son, to the Capital]

-Rank: A

-Details: The lord must send his son Rave to the Capital for unavoidable reasons, but there will be obstacles. Protect him safely to the Capital.

-Objective: Reach the Capital alive with Rave

-Deadline: Until arrival at the Capital

I stared blankly at the empty air — no, the Notification Window.

I felt dumbfounded.

What? A quest? Seriously? And no reward?

I blinked several times, closing and opening my eyes repeatedly, but the Notification Window did not disappear and stayed there.

I was utterly confused.

No, I was so lost that I almost laughed.

“Hahaha…”

The lord’s son and soldiers’ gazes all fixed on me.

It was as if they were looking at a madman.

But I ignored those looks.

No, I didn’t have the luxury to care.

‘Now? Only now? And for something that concerns my life? A quest just appeared?’

I had no way to refuse this.

And even if I did, I wouldn’t refuse.

‘This quest must have been made because I have to do this.’

It felt as if the god who sent me here alive wanted something.

Or perhaps it was leading me down a path of ruin.

Still, I had to follow this.

Only then would I understand the reason I came here.

“Alright.”

I organized the tangled thoughts in my head and looked at the lord’s son.

Though his face remained pale and his eyes full of worry, his determination to continue to the Capital was unchanged.

“Very well. I will accompany you to the Capital.”

“Good thinking.”

If it were that easy, I’d be a pushover.

“Well…”

“Yes?”

“Compensation must increase. By several times at least.”

“I promise maximum compensation within reasonable limits.”

A new contract was formed between the lord’s son and me.

Some soldiers sighed with relief.

They would follow the lord’s son’s orders unwillingly but with many concerns.

All the mercenaries had left, and with the strongest gone, no one knew what might happen.

Naturally, I became the leader among us.

The strongest becomes the truth.

I ordered the soldiers to prepare for departure.

Treat the wounded and recover some Health, even if only for a moment.

‘I have other business to attend to.’

I began searching through the bodies around me.

I carefully examined each, gathering anything that could be sold for money.

‘Looting the spoils after a hunt is only natural.’

Since I desperately needed money, I had to collect even a single coin’s worth of goods.

I searched through the bodies of about fifty elite soldiers.

‘What the hell? Beggars?’

They carried about twenty silver coins each.

No, they barely carried any money.

They had no Jewelry on them either, nothing to sell.

My hands were just dirtied.

“What are you looking for?”

The lord’s son approached, sensing my intentions.

I wanted to boldly say “money,” but instead, I just shrugged.

“I was looking for this and that.”

He nodded and took a step back, observing me.

I ignored him and continued searching.

Luckily, the three knights had heavy purses.

A total of six gold and three jewels.

I emptied their purses.

“Looks like quest funds.”

The lord’s son said that.

I nodded and pocketed the money.

Seeing that, he said nothing.

I continued searching, but nothing else came up.

Finally, I searched James’s body and took his purse.

It held 10 gold and 96 silver.

That money wasn’t mine.

It was for the soldiers and the lord’s son’s travel expenses.

Then I stripped armor off the dead.

There was one reason.

‘According to the information given by the god, weapons were worth more than money.’

Buying the weapons here outright would have cost over 200 gold easily.

If I sold these, my purse would grow fat.

With that money, I could become stronger.

I loaded the armor and weapons onto the wagon.

The soldiers looked slightly uncomfortable, but since the lord’s son did not object, I was able to stack everything neatly inside.

After finishing the loot, I ordered departure.

“Mage, wouldn’t it be better for you to ride a horse?”

“What?”

I questioned the soldier’s words.

He said that to preserve the mage’s stamina, it would be better to ride.

I said, “I don’t know how to ride a horse.”

The soldiers were a bit surprised but accepted it.

However, soon after we started walking, I had no choice but to ride.

“There are horses here.”

Fifty horses were tied to trees.

Judging by the looks, they were the horses used by the people who ambushed us.

“Ride the horses. Teach the mage Mountsmanship.”

“…”

At the lord’s son’s order, a soldier clung to me and began teaching me how to ride.

He showed me how to hold the reins and sit properly, and I mounted a horse.

I nudged its side, and it headed forward.

-Skill ‘Mountsmanship’ acquired.

The Notification Window appeared and etched information about Mountsmanship into my mind.

After that, I naturally became proficient at riding.

We galloped toward the next village.