Amella quickly caught up with Ruon, who was advancing without hesitation.
“Hmm? It seems like you’re worried too?”
“Nonsense. Why would I worry about someone who can single-handedly kill a demon worshiper?”
Ruon shrugged his shoulders.
“Then you should have stayed over there with Kyle and watched.”
“Even so, I can’t just leave you alone and idly wait. And there’s always a chance of something unexpected happening… Kyle said he’ll come along too, but someone needs to stay and watch over the horses.”
Meanwhile, the troll was getting closer. It was an adult, and a truly intimidating one at that. The troll must have sensed their approach, because it growled and turned its head. Its bloodshot eyes, devoid of any trace of reason, did not seem capable of engaging in conversation.
Amella spoke up.
“Do whatever it takes to inflict a wound. I’ll blast flames into it to delay its regeneration.”
“Do as you please. Just don’t get in the way.”
With that response, Ruon drew his Holy Sword. The sword, emerging with a gentle hiss, gleamed brightly, engulfed in sunlight. Interpreting it as a blatant provocation, the troll contorted its snout and violently swung down the wooden club it had been dragging on the ground.
Thud!
As if to show off his power, he slammed the club down, causing the dirt on the ground to scatter wildly.
Hee hee hee!
Ignoring the terrified horses’ frantic neighs, Ruon boldly approached, gripping the hilt of the sword and looking up at the towering troll. Aside from the wyvern he had faced long ago, this was the first time he encountered a creature of such immense size.
‘I hope it gives experience points like the wyvern did.’
Staring into the red eyes that were filled with madness, Ruon said,
“Come at me.”
“Geu-wa!-wa!-wa!-wa!”
The troll roared and swung its club, sweeping the ground. It was such a threatening attack that it felt like an entire tree was flying towards him. Ruon, confident that he wouldn’t be outmatched in strength, still couldn’t ignore the difference in size and stature, so he leaped high in place and dodged the club.
Even though he jumped quite high, he could still feel a gust blow past his toes.
‘It would be dangerous if it hit me directly.’
As Ruon landed on the ground, he immediately plunged between the troll’s legs.
Aiming for the artery inside its thick leg, Ruon raised his sword to strike, but he hastily stepped back as the troll’s feet stomped frantically. He didn’t want to be greedy and end up crushed.
Instead, in his outstretched hand, a bow suddenly appeared. Loading an arrow from the quiver strapped to his thigh, Ruon wasted no time in pulling the string. His fingers that held the arrow released, and the arrow sliced through the air.
“Wa!”
The troll screamed, covering its eyes. Unable to pull out the lodged arrow, it went berserk and swung its club in all directions. With each strike of the club pounding the ground like a bombardment, fist-sized clumps of dirt shot up.
It was an attack that lacked any semblance of order, but the power contained within it made it difficult to approach easily. However, Ruon remained unfazed, evading the trajectory of the club and closing the distance. At that moment, the troll’s left heel flung at him with tremendous speed.
In response to the unexpected attack, Ruon instinctively raised his left hand high and caught the troll’s massive ankle in his arm. His foot, firmly planted on the ground, skidded into a deep trench, and the Holy Sword in his other hand flashed brightly.
“Wa-wa-wa!”
The human, who he thought was going to fly away after being struck by his foot, not only grabbed it, but sliced off his ankle cleanly. The troll, in excruciating pain, spat yellowish saliva as it writhed.
‘How annoyingly loud.’
Ruon, using the fallen knee of the troll as a springboard, leaped up and gripped the handle of the Holy Sword with both hands.
A moment of focus.
He felt the power coursing vigorously within the Holy Sword. Controlling the power surging through his hands while gripping the sword, Ruon swung the sword downward.
Reflexively, the troll raised both hands, but the Holy Sword cleaved straight through the troll’s wrists, slicing through its forehead and crashing downward with a thud.
“…Wa?”
As Ruon landed on the ground, the troll looked down at him with a dumbfounded expression. A vertical red line appeared on the troll’s face, then swiftly split horizontally. The torn body revealed internal organs that emitted a hot steam, pouring onto the ground like a waterfall.
Amidst the pouring blood, Ruon smiled, feeling a tingling sensation as exhilaration spread to his whole body.
This level-up was definitely fast, excluding the time he spent struggling in Relizan. Compared to the previous level-ups, it was an incomparable growth.
From Salvator and the two who were trying to destroy the monument, to another demonic follower and a troll. Each and every one of them gave him a nice chunk of experience.
Focusing his concentration, Ruon evenly distributed the experience points to his strength and health.
Feeling a powerful force swirling inside him, he clenched his fist, realizing that his body was untouched even within the pouring blood. The blood was falling to the ground, blocked by a translucent yellowish barrier.
Amella retracted her outstretched arm and spoke, “You should find opportunities to rely on others.”
Ruon extended his index finger, pointing at the barrier.
“This was enough. We avoided becoming drenched in blood.”
Amella let out a wry laugh and shook her head.
“Thanks to you, I learned that trolls can be instantly killed. I have nothing to say, really.”
“Is that so?”
Ruon shrugged and redirected his steps towards the group. As he approached, Colin spoke with a dazed voice, “Oh, gods… What did I just see?”
“…”
“…”
His bald brothers also seemed speechless, only murmuring with their mouths. But when their eyes met Ruon’s, their shoulders involuntarily shrank, revealing a fear different from before. Someone might think he had hit them rather than the troll.
Even Kyle, who had seen everything until now, seemed genuinely astonished, with his jaw dropped as if his cheekbones had disappeared.
“Does this make sense?”
Amella spoke to the bewildered men.
“I understand that you’re all surprised, but we should gather what needs to be collected.”
She rummaged through the backpack hanging from her saddle and took out a few empty bottles.
“Everyone knows that troll blood can be used as a potion ingredient, right?”
After saying so, Amella unexpectedly threw the empty bottles. Kyle, who stood dumbfounded, managed to catch the flying bottle near his face just in time and belatedly nodded, rushing towards the troll’s corpse.
Observing the scene, Colin approached Ruon, clasping his hands politely.
“Uh, sir… Oh, no, Sir Ruon.”
“What is it?”
“Is it possible for you to share a bottle of troll blood with us?”
Hearing Colin suddenly use honorifics, Ruon, who chuckled, spoke.
“For nothing in return?”
Colin, momentarily taken aback, swallowed his saliva and replied with a determined face.
“As soon as we arrive in Breiten, I will spread rumors about a warrior who single-handedly killed a troll! The warrior Ruon! The troll blood we receive will serve as evidence to support that claim. Didn’t Duke Carlos rise to his current position after he hunted down an ogre alone and gained a high-ranking knight title? Ruon will surely…”
‘What nonsense is this?’ Ruon furrowed his brow.
“And why would I want that?”
With his intense gaze, Ruon and the bald men exchanged glances.
“Well, what should we do then…”
“Just take one bottle and go. Let’s not spread unnecessary rumors.”
Upon hearing those words, Colin hesitated for a moment before quickly rushing off. Ruon sighed softly as he watched Colin’s retreating figure. He noticed Amella placing her hand on her horse’s forehead. She lightly pursed her lips, and a faint glow emanated from beneath her pale hand, seeping into the horse’s forehead. The horse’s unsettled gaze, which had been anxiously darting around, gradually calmed down. After pacifying all the horses in this manner, Amella spoke.
“These are not war horses, so they’re a bit delicate.”
“…Seeing this, I regret not choosing to become a mage.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s nothing. I was just impressed by how easily you calm the horses.”
Amella, who had been silently laughing, gazed into the distance and muttered to herself.
“When I couldn’t fall asleep as a child, my sister would recite this spell for me. It was quite effective…”
As her words trailed off, she raised her voice as if to invigorate the atmosphere.
“But I find your formidable swordsmanship to be more magical. What about your ability to withstand a troll’s kick with your bare body? I’m sure even the knights who received strength spells couldn’t do that. I now know for certain that it wasn’t just by chance that you received Tibella’s favor.”
Ruon raised his head.
“That’s enough praise for now. Let’s not overdo it.”
Rather than wait for a reply, he immediately turned his body and Amella followed behind him, shrugging her shoulders.
Kyle, who had been licking some blood on his hand, hid his hand behind his back when he noticed Ruon and Amella’s gaze fixed on him.
“Cough, I heard that troll blood is good for men…”
Amella asked with a faint smile.
“Did you collect enough blood?”
Kyle raised his head and looked at the blood-soaked ground.
“I managed to fill two bottles, but it would be difficult to get more. As you can see, most of it has already spilled on the ground.”
“No, that should be sufficient. You’ve worked hard.”
Leaving behind the conversation between the two, Ruon approached the remnants of the troll’s legs.
He followed the chain to the end of the bridge and found a rusted winch with chains coiled around each end. Attached to the end of the winch, which looked like a cylinder turned on its side, was a large wheel, which was apparently meant to be turned to tighten or loosen the chains.
Without hesitation, Ruon gripped the wheel tightly.
Colin, observing from a distance, murmured softly.
“You’re going to turn that large wheel by yourself? Don’t you need help?”
“Isn’t he someone who can take down a troll alone? Does he really need assistance?”
With a daunting reply from Kyle, the sound of creaking chains accompanied the loosening of the iron chains, and the leg slowly descended. He added.
“…Look at that.”
