The Bloody Valkyrie

Located within the deepest part of cave that served as the mercenary’s hideout, the sides of the long and narrow hall were lined with many rooms: living quarters and storage space for weapons and food supplies. Because of this, losing that area meant that the rest would be picked off one by one. In the case of an attack, they would build an encampment in the hall and use it as their last line of defense.

Despite calling it an encampment, the construction was mediocre at best.

First, they placed crude tables on their sides, then stacked several wooden boxes to complete what could just barely pass as a blockade. Next, they stretched numerous ropes at around half a man’s height between them and the entrance of the hall. Their purpose was to prevent the enemy from charging into the barricade.

Just behind these defenses, almost every mercenary held a crossbow and stood ready. They were arranged at the center and at either flank.

Despite being protected by such simple defenses that still allowed them to fight against larger forces, the men’s faces were filled with unease.

The sound of rattling metal rang out as bodies trembled against the chainmail wrapped around them.

It was true that the temperature inside the cave wasn’t that high; it was enough for summers to feel comfortable. But what seized them was something slightly different from a chill.

Just a short moment before, a loud laughter rang out from the entrance. It was a terrifying laughter that echoed against the walls of the cavern, rendering it indiscernible as to whether the voice belonged to a man or a woman. It was this voice that froze their insides cold.

An enemy that could defeat Brain; someone like that didn’t exist. Even now, they still believed it.

Brain’s strength was in a different league. He was skilled to the point where even the empire’s knights were no match for him; monsters were no exception. He could kill an ogre in a single attack, and could jump into a pack of goblins and cut them down like grass. He was a man who could even defeat all the members of the “Death Spreading Brigade” in a head-on clash. They had no choice but to call such a person the strongest.

A man of that caliber had lost; the implications were severe.

The fact that the opponent had the leisure to laugh during a fight against Brain meant only one thing.

Even when everyone understood, no one spoke.

The best they could manage was to silently look at each other’s faces.

Every single member of the mercenaries had their mouths closed shut, and glared in the direction of the hall’s entrance— the cave’s entrance.

In the midst of the mounting tension—

The sound of someone running could be heard; it slowly grew louder.

One could hear the sound of someone swallowing their saliva. A silence dominated the hall, and was soon broken by the noise of numerous arrows being nocked to its position.

A man completely out of breath ran through the hall’s entrance, under watch by the entirety of the mercenary group. It was a wonder how the arrows didn’t immediately fly in his direction.

“Brain!”

The boss of the mercenaries—their leader yelled aloud. Following shortly, the hall exploded in cheers. It was a roar of celebration for their victory against the intruders.

Each man pounded the shoulder of the one next to him, and shouts praising Brain rang out in triumph.

His name could be heard countless times. Surrounded in cheers, Brain weakly held his weapon in one hand and stood at the entrance of the hall with a blank expression. He suddenly began to search the faces of the mercenaries around him.

No, that was wrong, he was looking for something else.

Seeing Brain act so differently from his usual self, the cheering in the room slowly died down.

Brain ran towards the barricade.

“H, Hey! Just hold on! We’re opening it right now!”

As if he didn’t hear a word, he squeezed his body through. Not wanting to wait even one minute, one second, Brain passed the barricade and ran.

With the confused looks of the bandits following behind him, he threw open the door to a storage room and ran inside.

“What was that about? Did he leave something in there?”

“Who knows? Something was strange about him though… he looked like he was crying… no way, right?”

Amongst them, one man’s face had changed. He understood the truth of the situation that only he, no, with Brain combined; only two at present had come to grasp. However, the man had no time to ascertain whether or not he was correct.

Click, with a quiet sound, another figure had emerged from the entrance.

Needless to say, it was an unfamiliar face. If no one amongst the mercenaries knew who this person was, it meant that she was the intruder responsible for the chaos. The commotion in the hall dried up instantly.

That was impossible, then Brain’s appearance here would take on a completely different meaning. The fact that the intruder was alive meant that he had lost and fled.

There was only one intruder, with a hunched appearance that looked incredibly eerie.