Chapter 29: Just as I thought.

“Just sleep.”

Having had a gun pointed at his head more than once, Eugene closed his eyes again. Well, at worst, it would just mean a bullet hole in his head. So there was no reason to get up.

“Have you ever seen a crazy bastard like this…! Can’t you get up right now?”

When he closed his eyes, he heard a flustered female voice. Judging by her deliberately masculine tone, she had to be a soldier. And if she was a soldier, she wouldn’t just shoot an unidentified civilian without cause.

“Screw you, I’m going to sleep.”

If that was the case, why bother getting up? No way he’d give up his rest for some soldiers like them.

“What? Screw you? You bastard!”

The woman snapped back at the insult, but

“Enough, Captain Springfield.”

A low male voice stopped her anger. Judging by his tone, he seemed to be her superior—at least a major. And besides the captain and major, there was no other presence nearby.

‘Two officers wandering around a place like this alone?’

He commanded a battalion. Under a typical military structure, a captain and major would each command a company, meaning unit-level. They rarely went out alone.

But the empire had an unusual organization far from a typical military system.

‘Rangers.’

An organization personally created 90 years ago, it emphasized individual activity. To flexibly identify and resolve problems within the empire. And to ensure that flexibility, they had authority to mobilize manpower and supplies.

‘Nominally, they’re considered high-ranking officers.’

Just like knights hold at least the rank of sergeant. Rangers begin operations with at least the rank of lieutenant. So when you see officers of lieutenant rank or higher acting individually, 90% of the time they’re Rangers.

“What brings the Rangers here in this remote village?”

As Eugene’s speculation reached this point, he asked them. Rangers appearing near this border village meant there was a problem they had to deal with.

‘Or maybe they’re a step too late.’

They must have come down here to eliminate the aberration. If they’d gone through Emilia’s mind, she would’ve come with them. But since Emilia wasn’t with them, when these guys aimed their guns, she would’ve made a scene.

‘One thing is certain.’

These Rangers had come down from the direction of Enderdebelt.

“How did you figure out who we are?”

The woman looked embarrassed, clearly not expecting to have her identity seen through. Above all, even after knowing they were Rangers, Eugene had told them to screw off. No doubt this man lying on the ground looked like a complete madman.

“…You have keen eyesight, sir.”

The low voice of the woman’s superior responded. Since they confirmed their identities, at least they weren’t hostile. His body felt less fatigued, so maybe he could deal with them a little.

“Heh.”

He lifted his upper body from the ground, rubbing his tight eyes with his thumb and forefinger. Then he opened his vision toward the direction the voices came from.

‘Just as I thought.’

A man and woman fully clad in military cloaks with wide-brimmed hats came into view. The woman pointed her gun warily at Eugene, while her superior’s eyes were silently troubled.

‘Their expressions say it all.’

He smiled wryly.

“Those looks aren’t good. Did the mission fail?”

No one answered his deliberately thrown question. They were the ones who had come to eliminate the aberration but came back empty-handed.

“For example, weed removal.”

The female captain snapped, unable to hold back.

“Tell the truth! How did you deal with the monsters here?”

She’d been high-handed from the start. Although Rangers had higher ranks than civilians, they weren’t supposed to flaunt authority without merit.

“Is that the attitude of someone asking questions?”

“What?”

The captain’s face twisted when her attitude was called out. Already frustrated by the mission’s failure, having a civilian talk back to a Ranger made her even angrier.

“Do you think you’re in any position to lecture me on attitude right now?”

Spitting while lying down?

“You’re a useless mutt who can’t even hunt properly but sure can talk.”

“Kuh…”

The captain ground her teeth at that. It must feel like being toyed with by a civilian. And since she couldn’t refute it, her frustration must have been boiling.

“Haa…”

Her superior sighed and spoke.

“I apologize on behalf of my subordinate. Sir.”

The man seemed a bit more reasonable. Continuing the argument here would only highlight their failure. Better to listen to the civilian’s side and deal with the situation afterward.

“That’s not the only thing to apologize for.”

They lived off the tax money. If they had moved faster, the aberration wouldn’t have run rampant. In the end, they rushed to exterminate a bloated monster and couldn’t even do that.

“…Can you explain what happened?”

The man shifted the topic without answering. Better to understand the course of events than dwell on their incompetence.

“The weeds crossed the line, so I just removed them.”

He answered briefly.

“Did you really exterminate that all by yourself?”

Surprise leaked from the man’s voice. They must have judged it difficult to eliminate. They even sent two Rangers as extermination forces. So it was understandable that a civilian exterminating the monster alone would leave them stunned.

“What’s so surprising? I’m just stronger than you.”

“What nonsense—”

The major raised a hand to stop the captain’s outburst. Whether this civilian was telling the truth or not, the fact remained that the monster’s vital signs had ceased.

“If that’s true, I express my gratitude.”

He took off his hat and bowed. Better to patch things up and discuss follow-up measures than spark needless conflict.

‘That way they can cover up their failure.’

Unlike other organizations, Rangers enjoyed flexibility and autonomy. Since their inception, they patrolled the nation independently to solve problems. They were also watched carefully by both the military and the knights.

‘So every time a mission fails, they give enemies an excuse to attack them.’

No one liked giving their own organization a reason to be targeted. Even if they lacked a sense of identity with the group, their position inside would become shaky. Somly must have considered this and treated them cautiously.

“Rachel, lower your gun.”

“Major Anderson!”

Rachel gave Major Anderson a protesting look, but she received only a cold stare from the major. A silent reprimand asking who should back down in this situation.

“Got it!”

In the end, the captain clicked his tongue and lowered the rifle he’d been aiming. From start to finish, they felt like they were being played. He wouldn’t like the civilian’s attitude of mocking the Ranger’s authority.

“Do you think you’re being disrespected?”

“Hmm?”

Rachel furrowed her brows at that. She must have realized those words were meant for her. Taking the opportunity, Eugene spoke to the greenhorn who was thoroughly mistaken.

“If you think being a Ranger is just a title to show off, you’d better quit as soon as possible.”

*****

The captain’s grip on the rifle tightened. Veins stood out on the back of his hand. He was struggling to swallow his frustration over a minor order.

“Always remember where you came from.”

That was a warning to the major, too. It applied to all Rangers. The foundation of the Rangers who roamed the empire was, after all, ‘a bandit group.’

Rangers were originally a bandit gang led by the warrior before he became a mercenary. An organization created to turn those gangsters—who only knew how to fight—into useful members of society.

‘Now, that kind of organization is receiving better treatment than it deserves.’

The major narrowed his eyes, as if understanding.

“…You seem well informed about our organization.”

“At least that much, yes.”

With those words, Eugene shut his mouth. No reason to spill unnecessary information, and besides, he sensed approaching footsteps from afar.

“Sir!”

Emilia waved as she spotted Eugene.

“What! You’re not dead!”

Needle glanced at Eugene and clicked her tongue in disappointment. Of course, it wasn’t because she was glad he wasn’t dead. Even if that had been her thought, there wasn’t much to say.

“Are those your comrades?”

Major Anderson looked their way and asked.

“Yes.”

They answered and stood up. Now that Emilia and Needle had arrived, there was no reason to linger. His body fully recovered, and with the Rangers here, only one thing remained. He looked at Major Anderson and said, “You guys only have one chance to prove useful now. You know that, right?”

What else but post-conflict cleanup?

“…Leave it to us.”

Sighing at having been stuck with the most annoying cleanup duty, Anderson spoke.

“What are your orders?”

Rachel laughed as she watched the crowd gathering at the train station. After completing the cleanup of the toxic pollen scattered by the aberration, they watched as the train departed again for the border.

“First, we’ll take the train back to Enderdebelt.”

Anderson answered his adjutant. They’d marched day and night for three days chasing the aberration. It was a shame all that hard marching ended in vain, but there was no choice.

“I have to report to Captain Blizzard.”

To inform that the southern threat had been eliminated. It was hard to believe a civilian had done it alone, but since he was a mercenary, it wasn’t entirely impossible.

“What a day, huh! Everything that could happen happened!”

“So true, pollen covering the whole village.”

“I heard there are many monsters like that in the demon realm, I’m worried…”

Students in school uniforms chattered as they boarded the train. Their biggest topic was the pollen covering the mind, the aberrations, and the one mercenary who had exterminated them.

“That monster, some mercenary guy took it down alone?”

“Hmm, that silver-haired guy? He seems kind of serious.”

“Sure is a skilled mercenary. Ours are just neighborhood guys.”

“Really, being a bodyguard is all luck. Luck…”

The mercenary who exterminated the aberration alone was Eugene. His name was the same as the great ancestor Eugene mentioned in the Ranger chronicles. Of course, the ancestor was in his twenties 90 years ago, so he couldn’t possibly be alive now.

‘Talking as if he knows everything is just his personality.’

Anyway, Eugene was definitely skilled. And skilled people were precisely the kind of talent needed on the border. Especially considering the current situation in Enderdebelt.

“I wonder if those students know.”

Rachel shook her head watching the students board.

“Even if they go to Enderdebelt now, they can’t enter the demon realm.”

“Hey, Illu.”

Eugene lay on the train’s cabin floor, sharpening a dagger. Oddly, he had been silent since the battle with the aberration. Normally, he would have started talking and wouldn’t have stopped.

“I wanted to ask about his past.”

The past he glimpsed at the moment before Eugene’s attempted suicide to escape the aberration’s illusion. Who was that Lucy woman? What was Gilgamesh?

[…You’ve been through a lot.]

“Hey, did he leave?”

But the dagger’s voice was weak. As if it had exhausted its energy. The one tired from fighting monsters was Eugene.

‘I did all the hard work, so why are you the one like this?’

[Heh, do you think you’re the only one who suffered?]

“What?”

The dagger clicked its tongue.

[Who do you think saved you from the monster’s illusion?]

“Could it be…”

Then the saint’s illusion was all created by this dagger? The saint’s self-sacrifice that broke the illusion, all of it just a fabrication made by the dagger?

[It’s not an illusion.]

“What?”

If it’s not an illusion, then what? Celestia had died fifty years ago. Eugene tried to ask for an explanation about the dagger’s cryptic answer,

[You wouldn’t understand, so I won’t explain.]

Illu answered only that. He didn’t want to reveal what he had done. He could read Eugene’s thoughts, but Eugene couldn’t read his.

‘Unfair.’

[It’s arrogant of a human to try to understand a god’s true intentions.]

Such nonsense. Well, nonsense was typical for Illu. Feeling a bit revived, Eugene tried to start the conversation.

‘You know I saw your past.’

[Yeah.]

Calm and cool. He seemed to know exactly what Eugene wanted to ask. So Eugene went straight to the point.

‘Who was that woman, and what is the name Gilgamesh?’

The dagger didn’t answer immediately. Maybe thinking about how to respond. Eugene urged him to answer.

‘Answer honestly.’

[Do you think I’d lie about a question like that?]

Why didn’t he explain before? No need to spoil the mood.

[First.]

The dagger answered. Although there were many things Eugene wanted to point out,

[That blonde woman, I don’t know who she is either.]

“What?”

How could he not know when it’s about his past? Losing memories due to divine sickness these days?

Eugene was baffled, but Illu said,

[As I said before, I was shattered and sealed by the Demon King.]

‘Didn’t he say his soul was shattered too?’

[Yes.]

So memories of the woman named Lucy must be in another shard. If he’s going to find the pieces anyway, no need to be curious yet. Changing the subject, Eugene asked the next question.

‘Then what about Gilgamesh?’

[That is…]

Illu hesitated a moment before answering.

[One of my many names.]

‘Many names?’

A name is usually fixed. Is it because he’s a god that he has many?

‘Are there other names you go by?’

[Besides Gilgamesh…]

The dagger hesitated again, as if recalling. Since his memory was shattered, it wasn’t a lie.

[Oh… ah, I remember.]

Illu answered as if suddenly recalling.

[Odin.]

‘Odin?’

Eugene twitched his eyebrows. A completely unfamiliar and exotic name. In the known history of this continent.

[It’s a long-forgotten name.]

Illu said and changed the topic.

[More importantly, tell me about that monster you exorcised today.]

‘Suddenly?’

He didn’t expect Illu to be interested. He thought Illu only cared about breaking seals. Reading his thoughts, Illu snapped in a gruff voice.

[Do you think I’m ignorant of outside affairs? How arrogant.]

‘So what do you want to say?’

Still, Illu wouldn’t bring up trivial matters. Coincidentally, they had similar personalities and hated pointless things. Setting the stage, Illu went straight to the point.

[I felt my power in that monster you killed.]