I Became a Gallery Newbie Beloved by Transcendents-Chapter 40: Escort (4)

Karmin approached me.

"I’d like to ride in the carriage with Rengel, if that’s alright with you?"

I looked at Karmin, but I was also aware of Rengel standing behind her, watching me.

Third-Rank.

I was confident I could kill him any time I wanted.

For now, I’d go with them.

A quest-type format.

My instincts strongly told me that this Third-Rank mercenary, who appeared in the role of a helper, was tied to the flow of the narrative.

From Karmin’s perspective, it made sense she’d trust Rengel more than me. They had a longer history together, while I’d only been around for just over an hour.

I needed to raise her trust in me.

Even though my brain wasn’t working smoothly, I managed to piece together a plan.

"Let’s do that. We could use every ally we can get right now."

Karmin nodded.

"Can you tell me exactly why you’re helping me?"

There wasn’t a trace of suspicion in her eyes.

It didn’t feel like she was questioning me out of doubt—it was more genuine curiosity.

I gave her the reason I’d prepared.

"Revenge against the Raphael Count family. I’ve had some run-ins with them too."

Even just from the gallery seniors’ conversations, the Raphael Count family had a long, storied reputation for being notorious.

Claiming they’d wronged me wouldn’t raise any eyebrows.

"This is a rare chance to royally piss off the firstborn son. There’s no way I’m letting it pass."

At my words, Karmin let out a sigh.

"...The Count family’s crimes aren’t just a few. I knew that, but still."

Seemed like she accepted my reasoning.

Getting moving was the priority now.

We had no idea how many people the Raphael Count family had dispatched.

Rengel mounted his horse and pulled the carriage along.

Karmin sat inside.

I didn’t get in the carriage. Instead, I chose to ride alongside on horseback.

Coincidentally, no name window floated above the horse’s head.

So even horses don’t count as NPCs?

That’s kind of sad.

I climbed into the saddle.

The horse’s whinny echoed in my ears.

I stroked its mane.

Sword of Light had said this kind of bonding was important.

"Alright, let’s do our best."

Neigh—

If you run well, our chances of safely clearing Floor 5 go way up.

Balancing was easier than I expected.

I grabbed the reins and gently nudged its sides with my feet.

Clop-clop—

I matched pace with Rengel’s carriage, staying alongside.

Half a day passed.

After six hours of steady travel, we decided to take a break.

Of course, it wasn’t exactly a peaceful rest.

We didn’t know how many people were tracking us.

"She’s asleep."

Rengel pulled back the carriage curtain to check on Karmin, who was dozing.

Before she met me, she was probably dealing with agents sent by the Raphael Count family. It made sense that exhaustion had caught up with her.

I kept my eyes on Rengel’s actions.

If he suddenly pulled out a dagger and stabbed her in the neck, that’d be it.

Thankfully, he didn’t make any sudden moves.

Just as I opened my mouth to speak, Rengel beat me to it.

"May I ask why you're helping the young lady?"

He hadn’t tried to hide our earlier conversation. He’d clearly heard everything, being a Third-Rank mercenary.

So why was he asking again?

Simple.

Just like I was suspicious of him...

He was suspicious of my motives for helping Karmin.

I dismounted and leaned against a tree.

"You heard me talking to Karmin before we left."

Rengel looked straight at me.

"I figured there might be another reason. That’s why I’m asking."

He gave me a friendly smile, trying to ease my suspicion.

But I decided to push forward.

With Karmin asleep from fatigue, now was a good time to probe his intentions.

"You’ve been acting like you're waiting for something."

He didn’t react.

"Expecting someone?"

Sweat rolled down Rengel’s forehead.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

After half a day of driving the carriage, physical exhaustion was natural.

But that sweat didn’t look like it came from fatigue.

My instincts told me otherwise.

"...I don’t know what you mean."

But he didn’t stop there.

"But unexpected variables will definitely arise. The Raphael Count family is after the young lady—and among them, there are some smart ones. It won’t be hard for them to predict how she’ll try to escape."

Now he was responding.

"And within the Empire, there are very few places untouched by the Count family’s influence. It wouldn’t be a stretch for them to guess that Ventura Academy is our destination, since it’s the closest safe zone."

He was right.

If Karmin had thought of it, then of course the Raphael Count family would have too.

"The people they’ve sent... we’ll have no choice but to face them head-on at key routes leading to Ventura Academy."

Rengel continued to stare at me.

"Their minimum force will include Fourth-Ranks... and at most, Fifth-Ranks."

I’d already faced plenty of Fourth-Ranks.

I’d expected to encounter Fifth-Ranks soon enough.

"Do you really think you can survive them... and safely escort Lady Karmin to Ventura Academy?"

"Yeah."

Rengel frowned at my indifferent reply.

"...You don’t seem like someone above Fifth-Rank. How can you be so confident?"

"There’s no certainty. I’ll just fight."

It’s not like I’m in a position to back down just because someone’s a higher rank.

Fear only makes sense when fear is an option.

A little while later, Karmin woke up, and we resumed our journey.

Clop clop—

Time passed, and dawn crept in.

The sun was just beginning to rise when the unexpected happened—right after we emerged from the forest.

"They really came in numbers."

I scanned the enemies spread out across the open field.

[NPC – Fourth-Rank Knight, Benrant]

[NPC – Third-Rank Knight, Ian]

[NPC – Third-Rank Knight, Mars]

One Fourth-Rank.

Two Third-Ranks.

Three Second-Ranks, but they didn’t matter much.

The rest were soldiers without displayed ranks.

And the one radiating the most murderous intent stood at the center.

[NPC – Fifth-Rank Knight, Kailas]

A red-haired knight.

Including the soldiers, the total number of enemies we had to face was twelve.

Yeah. Definitely a lot.

A voice filled with desperation rang out beside me.

"...Damn it. This is why I didn’t want to get involved this time, even if it was for the young lady."

It was Rengel’s voice.

"Even if it was a favor for the man who once saved my sister... I shouldn’t have stepped in."

He kept muttering under his breath.

"Goddamn it. Goddamn it."

So that was it.

He wasn’t someone secretly working with the Raphael Count family, nor some traitor with a hidden agenda—just a plain coward.

"You, swordsman guarding Karmin Everhart."

Kailas.

The Fifth-Rank Knight finally spoke.

"That sword mark you carved back in town was impressive. But I wonder... do you truly understand who it is you’re facing?"

His gaze locked squarely onto me.

"You’re standing against the Raphael Count family of the Arkemer Empire. That is the enemy before you."

The way he said it, you’d think the Count family was royalty.

His lines were dripping with pride.

Twelve enemies.

Just three of us.

Four-to-one odds.

I needed to thin their numbers first.

I grabbed the black spear—the Black Javelin.

[Activating Skill: Mana Body Enhancement Lv.6]

And I threw it.

Target: the direction of the Fifth-Rank Knight, Kailas.

More precisely, the massive soldier standing in front of him.

Thwunk!

With a meaty sound, the giant fell forward.

The spear pierced straight through his body and hurtled toward Kailas’s heart.

Kailas raised his right hand.

Clang!

The black spear was easily deflected by a casual swing of his blade and went flying.

I never expected to take out a Fifth-Rank from range anyway.

The plan was to eliminate someone I could definitely kill.

That was my judgment.

I still had one more thing to throw.

Sliding my left foot back, I gripped the hilt tightly.

I raised the blade straight in front of me.

Not a spear throw—this was a sword throw.

I hurled a single sword.

Tearing through the air, it shot toward the gap in the armor worn by the Third-Rank Knight, Ian.

Crunch!

It pierced straight through his heart.

The weapon I’d thrown was Mundum Exstinguit—the sword I obtained yesterday.

Effect 2: Retrieval.

I could remotely summon the weapon back from any target I’d “registered” through user recognition.

I had already tested how to control the return trajectory and position back in the waiting room.

I calculated the angle.

An angle that would disable as many as possible on its return path.

A # Nоvеlight # deep navy-blue current swirled around Mundum Exstinguit.

The signal for retrieval.

Whoosh!

The sword, now protruding from Ian’s corpse, tore into the air in a curved path. freewёbnoνel.com

Slice!

It severed the neck of a Second-Rank Knight.

Then suddenly veered at a right angle.

Shraaak!

"Arghhh!"

It tore a deep wound into a soldier’s abdomen.

Slick!

Then it mercilessly slashed the ankle of another soldier—

Fwhoosh!

—and flew straight back into my hand.

Vrrrm...

I gripped the returning Mundum Exstinguit once more.

The scent of blood filled my nostrils.

“......”

“......”

I could feel all eyes on me.

One soldier dead from the Black Javelin.

One Third-Rank Knight, Ian, killed instantly by the thrown Mundum Exstinguit.

One Second-Rank Knight killed by the sword’s retrieval path.

Two soldiers incapacitated and unable to fight.

Seven enemies remained.

The bloodlust that had paused now returned, trickling down my fingers.

A cold, sharp intent in the air made sweat bead on my skin.

"I apologize."

It was the voice of Kailas, the Fifth-Rank Knight.

"It seems I too failed to fully recognize who I was up against."

Was that... acknowledgment?

I didn’t need it.

Honestly, guys who were all brawn and no brains were easier to deal with.

I focused my mind.

"Let’s go."

Kailas’s form blurred.

I didn’t lose track of his movement.

He appeared right in front of me—and at the same moment, unleashed a diagonal crimson slash.

Clang!

Our blades collided.

My hands went numb.

Fifth-Rank Knight.

This guy—I had to kill him.