The Southern Hero (2)

Caltran village was very famous among the lands in the south, due to its beautiful landscapes, elegant and cute women, and especially its high-quality homemade drinks.

Some travelers used to say that there was absolutely no chance of anything drastic happening in those surroundings.

No wonder the place had gained the unofficial nomenclature of "Paradise of the Fields", and that many people enjoyed spending their holidays in Caltran.

However, the secretaries, the other executive officers of the administration, and the head of the village itself had sat together in a room in the man's house to discuss a matter of the utmost importance.

At dawn, letters were secretly sent to all members of the population who represented a union or were important in the village.

Under high tension, the atmosphere in the room was deep and unsettling.

Like the calm that comes before the storm, the air felt depressing yet peaceful.

The men gathered there, all looking at the same floating screen, had all kinds of expressions on their faces.

''By all indications, the experts could calculate that we have about an hour until the enemies reach our location. Two hours at most, if we think optimistically."

With each passing day, the danger became more imminent.

The fate of the village's inhabitants and administrators seemed to be already sealed, going directly against the fervent prayers made by them.

The tracks and clues left behind by the creatures indicated that a whole immense pack of hostile creatures was making their way to the village.

To make matters worse, it was too late to declare a state of emergency and promptly evacuate to the nearest fortified city.

Now, even if it was done in a hurry, not even ¼ of all inhabitants would come out of the attack alive.

''Can't we ask our neighbors for some reinforcements?''

''No. It's impossible for them to arrive in time. We are in the southward; the quickest ones to respond to our call for help would be Hartry, and yet it would still be a entire day before their troops arrived here.''

''Then, what about our own soldiers? Can't we just—''

''It's not possible either. First things first, it's unlikely that we can stop the pack with our troops alone. The ratio is simply ridiculous, if we are even going to consider that mediocre possibility."

Silence filled the room for a few seconds.

'Is there really nothing we can do?'

The mayor bitterly regretted not having accepted the requests of the other representatives, having mistakenly trusted mercenaries -- these who received the payment and never showed up again.

Therefore, mercenaries were completely out of the question. To begin with, there was not enough budget to pay them.

Nor could they count on the aid of other cities or Epics -- people that held innate abilities -- who wandered as adventurers.

Sadly, regardless of how he analyzed the facts in the archives, all seemed lost.

''But back to the main topic: their number is estimated at a pack of over one hundred and twenty hell wolves.''

Concluded the speaker, further weighing the atmosphere in the room.

Hell wolves were creatures known for their aggressiveness towards anything that moved; even an inanimate object just programmed to perform some action.

They were some of the weakest monsters in existence, but that logic didn't apply to ordinary citizens who had zero or close to null combat experience.

Caltran village was essentially a rupestrian community based on commercial agricultural activities.

In retrospect, they could be described as a small country town and therefore the Kingdom made no effort to provide official funds to the place.

As a result, there were almost no military installations built around, or even within the village itself.

Naturally, this made them an extremely vulnerable target. It was almost as if they put a sign on their heads saying ''attack us, we are weak''.

The mayor looked at the gigantic holographic screen, frowning. Like a bomb, he looked ready to explode.

The front of the room was embarrassingly silent.

And then a man, twice the size of everyone there, carrying a large backpack full of materials, began to laugh.

His laugh, audible even outside, drew the attention of every individual in the room.

Posing, he tapped his index finger on the table decisively.

''So that's it, eh? There's nothing else to do. We can only try to orchestrate an ambush with what we have at hand.''

No one objected to the man's suggestion.

Honestly, that was the only thing they could do to create even the slightest chance of survival to the people.

''So, messenger, let the soldiers know. Tell them to take positions immediately.''

''Yes, sir.''

In a cold sweat, the men rose from their seats, finally ending the hour-long meeting.

Sorrowfully, in anticipation of an inevitable tragedy, they could only count on the improbable emergence of a miracle.

******

[Somewhere in the village]

I'm freaking lost.

I should've arrived at Discipline by now.

Yet I'm in a village, in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by nothing but weeds and shitty cornfields.

Frankly, this is humiliating even for me.

So, okay, it's really official now: I'm a bigger imbecile than I thought for trusting the things Mael told me that came from 'reliable sources'.

''What do you mean by ''go southwest'' when all your directions say north?!''

Looking at a small notebook that was in my hands, I spit curses out loud unconsciously.

It had been more than two and a half days since I had left the Martial Spire Mansion accommodations, which I had lived in for all these years in this world.

Honestly, I was kinda frustrated here, as I expected to arrive at the Academy in that time, but in the end, here I was, pushing my mind to make sense of Mael's handwritten notes.

The path he suggested to me made no sense at all.

Just the thought of delineate by myself a functional route amidst this plethora of X-shaped markings in the notebook made my head ache like it was going to break into pieces.

Even a damn kid could do it better than that damn old man.

That old-man was a genius when it came to fighting, but everything about him, with the exception of his fists and majestic body, was woefully underdeveloped.

Come to think of it, was he intellectually dysfunctional?

Well, it was a possibility. I couldn't dismiss it easily, I must say.

''So did you get what you wanted. Sir?''

A sharp, high voice woke me from my thoughts.

Behind a rather rough counter, made of dark wood and with some scratches and cracks, a middle-aged man watched me with eyes full of excitement.

Hoping to try to understand the points made by Mael, I came to the information desk, usually used to help travelers and tourists during their stay in the village.

''Honestly no. Comparing with the map, it becomes even more confusing than before.''

''Excuse me, but can I see it?''

He held out his hand, gesturing for me to hasten my judgment.

Without pausing, I handed over the notebook.

Then the man muttered something under his breath to himself, shaking his head from side to side — at one time trying to decipher the freaking Mayan codes Mael called his calligraphy, at another time resting his pupils under the map on the counter.

''Surely this was designed by someone with no brain-cells. If I may say so, if you continued to take this route, your life would be in serious trouble."

''But, is there a fix?''

''Luckily, yes. I have made all the preparations that you must follow to arrive at the desired point.''

He replied, handing me back my notebook.

As an addition, the man was kind enough to also give me a few separate pages on which he had scribbled detailed directions to the Academy.

''I hope your path is bright, Sir.''

''Thank you so much for everything.''

I felt as if my shoulders had been lifted from a huge burden.

So, without much further ado, I walked out of the small establishment that housed the battered information desk; my legs carrying me into the unknown once more.

''That old son of a bitch... He'll see what's good to cure damaged brain-cells when we meet again.''

I was relieved as ever to have someone so helpful to help me, but night was falling and I didn't know if there was any danger lurking around me.

Of course, it wasn't as if none of the creatures that lived up in the forests that surrounded the village were dangerous to me. But I didn't want to risk it.

The last thing I wanted was to die ignominiously to a powerful opponent who caught me off guard.

I looked up at the stars.

The sun was already setting and I knew I would need to find a place to spend the night.

Although my body was physically able to stand on its feet for all that time, my mind was racked with exhaustion.

I'd felt like a walking undead for hours, just going forward on instinct and willpower.

''Okay. Let's find an inn, then.''

Surviving? Fuck that!

For now, all I wanted was to collapse on a goddamn bed!

*****

Just when I thought there would be no more trouble in my way, something happened.

Could some god, if there truly was one on this world, be playing tricks on me just for his own amusement?

So, would that make me a clown of fate?

Whether that was it or not, I didn't have time to delve into the topic.

I resolutely cleared my mind of these worthless vague thoughts.

''Please... someone... anyone... Help us!''

A lot of screams rang through the roads I traveled.

The most audible one appeared to originate from a female voice, evidently calling for help.

Was this some kind of ambush orchestrated by thieves?

Well, let me see...

Considering I was out in the middle of the night, alone, dressed in clothes that demonstrated that I came from a clearly wealthy family, I DID THINK it was a plausible consideration to make.

Still, what if it wasn't a trap?

''Whatever. It's not my problem.''

I concluded, nullifying the mental dilemma.

But the will of fate spoke louder than my way of thinking.

As the sounds of footsteps got closer to where I was, the lights around me started to come on one by one, indicating that other guys were starting to wake up because of this sudden disturbance.

So I couldn't just stand here.

That would pose a danger to the dignity of the Dashner clan and so to my noble title, and future plans of living a peaceful rich life!

I mean, people already recognized me when I walked in here.

If I ran away, I couldn't escape rumors that a ''Knight from the Dashner family fled from the battle and left people suffering by themselves''.

Though they didn't know I was Steelheart's direct disciple, they knew the ensign of the house -- an embroidered lion's crest under a bright, golden fist.

''Fuck it, then.''

Without thinking twice, I turned towards the source of the sound.

Several shaken and bruised figures were running towards me wildly, in tattered clothes - some even covered in blood.

They were followed by a gigantic wolf.

''A hell wolf?''

My tone of voice made it sound like I was scared, but I wasn't.

I had killed so many of this same species that, if not for the fact that they would continue to spawn endlessly as long as the portals and towers were standing, they would have gone extinct.

All I really felt was surprise...

''What is this thing doing here?''

Surprise that such a violent monster had ended up in a peaceful region.

Were these bastards migrating? That could become a hindrance later on, huh?

''Hey! Please help us! I beg-'' The man in front started, almost choking.

In an oversight of his, his leg buckled for a second and then he stumbled.

''Right.''

I answered him dryly, as I didn't hesitate, pulling my sword from my belt and running towards the wolf.

I knew I would need to be quick as the people running towards me were about to be attacked.

Injecting mana into my legs, I felt my veins pop out.

''Careful, they are cunning and...''

The man could not believe the scene that unfolded right before his eyes.

The crowd of people following him had the same reaction — stunned, they lost control of their respective jaws.

Nevertheless, it made sense.

It was in the blink of an eye. I got close to the wolf and with one precise blow, I slit its throat.

Bum~

He landed on the floor with a dull thud.

I looked back quickly, seeing the others helping the man to his feet.

The street residents came out of their homes little by little, joining the commotion.

''Behind you!'', the man warned me, pointing with trembling fingers.

Four other hellwolves leapt at me in unison.

They had followed the other one, now dead, gushing blood like a common water fountain.

''Hm.''

Their yellowish sharp nails brushed past me, slicing the air as I took a single step to the side.

Their pattern was simple, they didn't actively think about winning, just killing.

''.....''

The sky had already darkened, but flames and explosions in the distance lit up the night.

I could see smoke rising from all sides; everything seemed to indicate that the entire village was under attack.

'Can't I have a moment of peace?'

I was angry.

Angry at not being able to sleep even in the middle of the night; angry at being the victim of an uncomfortable fate every time.

''Grrr'' One of the beasts tried to intimidate me.

Strangely, they were gradually trying to surround me.

I didn't hesitate, as I fired at them and with one precise blow, I cut off the head of a wolf.

The others turned to me, but I was prepared.

Each time a wolf approached, I dodged the attack and slashed at it with deadly accuracy.

''W-woah!''

In a heartbeat, a small mound of wolf corpses had been built up by the results of the battle.

Blood that smelled like rotting meat stained my clothes. I defeated them extremely easily, one by one, without sweat or bruises on my body.

Even when I restrict myself to using a weapon I was learning to use, they were still weak; it had been a tedious fight.

''H-hero! You are a hero!''

My hairs stood on end at the mention of that word. The adrenaline in my blood raced even faster.

With bloodthirsty eyes, I stared at the man who was carrying goods with a wagon.

'What did he call me, right now?'

Gritting my teeth, I thought.