The Berserker’s Second Playthrough in the Game - Chapter 43



Only Krnovel

Episode 43. Brothers of Messen (3)

Not only Silk Kadim, but the entire group noticed the identity of the group blocking the bridge.

A bunch of thugs disguised as vigilantes.

It is not uncommon for young people in small towns to band together and form a vigilante group. But that is only true in places where public safety is poor, transportation is bad, and it is difficult to get help from the authorities. Messen was none of those.

If an unnecessary armed group was created, its purpose was obvious. Obtaining unfair advantage based on petty power. Occupying a freely accessible bridge and collecting tolls would have been a trivial task. In addition to this, they are probably generating a lot of dishonest profits.

Of course, Enrico had never given permission to do something like this. If he had seen a scene like this any other time, he would have immediately dragged his associates away and thrown them into the dungeons of Rem Thana.

However, he was currently hiding his identity.

If his identity was revealed, an immediate disturbance would be avoided, but rumors that the councilor was away could reach the ears of a seditious group.

“… … .”

A cold air flowed through the air. Even the leader of the vigilante group, Otram, felt that the atmosphere was not good. He decided that he needed to appease them in order to get through this without friction.

But all he came up with as a conciliatory measure was something like this.

“We normally charge 200 ludens per person, and 100 ludens per horse. However, since you seem to have important business to attend to, we will charge only human tolls this time, and at half price! 800 ludens is a steal for a guaranteed safe journey.”

Otram then glanced behind him. Then the vigilantes came out and tried to stop him clumsily. They said that they could only receive that much in toll, and that there was nothing left.

“Of course the losses are huge, but we’re not doing this for the money, are we, agents? The safety of the travelers and the villagers must always be our top priority!”

“As expected, Captain… … !”

“You guys are so lucky! Our leader rarely shows us this kind favor… … .”

800 Luden was close to ten times the normal toll. I couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“… … under.”

Watching a mediocre play was enough. Kadim grabbed the hilt of his sword and looked back at the councilor. The soldiers also prepared to slap their stirrups, waiting for instructions to come out.

However, Enrico did not order the extermination of the vigilantes.

“Give it to me, Feldrick.”

“……yes?”

“To the hard-working vigilante leader, give me 800 luden.”

“… … .”

The soldier reluctantly carried out the sergeant’s order. After receiving the shiny silver coins, the vigilante leader Otram’s mouth fell open.

“Hahaha, thank you for your cooperation. May you receive Remillion’s golden blessings! “If there is any problem in Messen, please come to our vigilante group at any time!”

Finally, the vigilantes cleared the way. The soldiers trudged onto the bridge, looking uncomfortable. Kadim also had a grim look on his face for a moment, but then continued his horse indifferently.

Before crossing the bridge, Enrico asked the vigilante leader in passing.

“How long do you plan to continue your vigilante activities?”

“Hahaha, shouldn’t I do this for a long time until the moment when my life ends? It’s my mission to keep the village and travelers safe.”

The commissioner pulled his hat down low and spoke meaningfully.

“Yes. Please eat this for a long, long time.”

*

Although Messen was small, it was located between the Golden Road and Remtana, so it had a fairly large floating population. The councilor group was able to easily find an inn with a stable and a restaurant and stay there.

But the atmosphere there wasn’t very pleasant.

“Everyone raise your glasses!! Cheers to the safety of our hometown and alliance!!!”

“Ahhhh! Stop being a rascal and give me my glass, Samson!! I’m not drunk! I can still drink ten more bottles!!”

“The plate is empty! Hey, mister, what are you doing! I told you to prepare the food in advance if it looks like it’s going to be empty!! Huh?!”

“We! Brave! Brothers of Messen! If not us, who else will guard this place Sonyaaaa …

Because of drunken customers yelling and behaving in a restaurant.

Judging by their similar-looking leather armor and long spears, they were clearly the vigilantes of the past. The other guests frowned at the sight of the rascals, and the innkeeper frowned and sweat profusely.

Fearing a fight would break out, the soldiers of the Chasam Army retreated long ago. Only Kadim, Duncan, and Enrico were sitting around the round wooden table. Enrico shook his head and looked away, as if he couldn’t bear to see it.

“This is shameful because I feel like I’m only showing the ugly side of the jurisdiction… … . I was so preoccupied with other issues for a while that I couldn’t pay attention to this… … .”

Enrico then began to ramble on about some things he had found out about the vigilantes by eavesdropping.

They say that they only embezzled money from those who left Remtana on purpose, that the leader of the vigilante group seemed to be in collusion with the village chief, and that the blockage of the Twin Canyons and the increase in taxes here were the reasons for the formation of the vigilante group…

That wasn’t something that interested Kadim. Kadim drank the beer that had some kind of indecipherable substance floating around in it. Maybe it was because it was lukewarm, or because the foreign substances couldn’t be filtered out, but the beer here didn’t taste that good either.

I asked, clearing my throat with a soggy rye pie.

“So, you want me to cut off that damn lump of shit, Commander?”

“… … No, that’s fine. If that was the case, I would have said so a long time ago. I plan to send the vigilante leader back from Delutana and personally question him.”

“Then go back and get some sleep. My role is to nip threats in the bud and provide protection, not listen to your complaints.”

“… … .”

The councilor closed his mouth in confusion and then sighed.

“Whoa… … You are right. I’ll need to stock up on stamina if I’m going to run for the next two days. I’ll go in and rest for now, so you guys go in before it’s too late… … “Oh my.”

“Are you okay, sir?”

I tripped and almost knocked over the entire table. Duncan carried the weary and staggering sergeant into the room. Kadim was left alone to finish his meal and finish his tasteless beer.

At that moment, I felt footsteps slowly approaching.

Kadim turned his head. One of the noisy vigilantes was coming this way. Holding a glass of alcohol in your hand.

“Oh, who is this! The great son of the wilderness who settled beyond the mountains! Aren’t you a warrior born with the blood of Atala and a compatriot of the renowned ‘Agon’s Raging Horn’? What on earth is going on in Messen, our hometown where the silver river flows? … .”

BAM!

Kadim slammed his empty glass down. A loud noise rang out from the table and immediately caught everyone’s attention.

“… … .”

There was a brief silence in the restaurant, but the noise soon returned as the man waved at his colleagues, saying it was nothing.

A cold fire flickered in Kadim’s pupils. He didn’t know how long he would have to listen to that damned ‘Agon’s Angry Horn’. If he hadn’t been under guard, he would have slammed his goblet on that head instead of the table.

The man seemed to have sensed it vaguely, and took on an even more subdued attitude.

“Ahem, if I said something that you didn’t like, I apologize. I don’t know much about Atalain etiquette. This is meant as an apology, so why don’t we have a drink together first?”

“… … .”

Kadim didn’t accept the glass. The man cleared his throat, sat down quietly, and nodded.

“Ah, I see. You didn’t like the way we were yelling? But please understand. The vigilantes don’t just guard the roads. They also solve problems for the townspeople, listen to the grievances of travelers, and sometimes even take on requests to solve them… … The work is so hard that we can’t help but solve it every day.”

Kadim didn’t tell her to stop talking nonsense and shut up. He just stood there, looking down expressionlessly.

The man mistook this as silent permission to talk as much as he wanted. He chatted excitedly for a while, even emptying the glass of wine he had brought with him, before slowly bending down and getting to the point.

“… … Do you see the woman sitting over there? “Yeah, that girl alone at the table in the corner.”

There was no need to see anything. Because we already looked at it earlier.

A woman of mysterious age with thin lips, slightly tanned skin, eyes that shine like jewels, and a tunic that is rather large, yet still shows off her well-proportioned body curves. Her dark brown hair is braided and falls down her back.

At first, I looked at him, wondering if he was related to the Magic Tower, since his appearance didn’t really fit in with this kind of place. But when he didn’t make any moves until the inspector left, I turned my attention away.

But everyone except Kadim was still very interested in that woman. The vigilantes who were acting out were diligently glancing sideways, and the man was openly looking at the woman with a disgusting gaze.

“Hehehe, she’s a pretty nice girl, right? Everything that went in went in, and everything that came out came out… … . “It’s a town with a lot of people coming and going, but it’s rare to see a woman like that.”

“… … .”

“Where is that woman? She said she was a graduate of Galentana University. I heard she was looking for some kind of ruins. But no matter how I look at it, it’s suspicious. She’s traveling alone without any companions, and she’s carrying around a lot of strange items… … .”

“… … .”

“Coincidentally, that woman asked our vigilantes to guide her to the place where the ruins are. I accepted for now, but it still felt suspicious. I plan to conduct a secret and private ‘check’ along the way. I’ll check every nook and cranny of her belongings and her person, and I’ll have some fun while I’m at it… Hehehe, you know what I mean?”

“… … .”

“But I thought it would be good to have at least one big person to hold you down while you have fun. In particular, I would like to include you in the ‘interrogation’… … “Are you not interested?”

The man was so consumed by base lust and intoxication that he didn’t notice the cold disgust in the savage’s eyes, as if he was looking at filth. Kadim stared blankly and asked dryly.

“… … fun? “What kind of fun are you talking about?”

“Hehehe, don’t act like you don’t know! If it’s fun to be seen as such a good-looking woman, then of course… … .”

“Are you talking about the fun your mother taught all the men?”

The air is settling coolly.

It took me a while to understand what he meant. And even after I did, it took me a while to get over it. But if the man had more reason, he would have found a more peaceful solution.

Unfortunately, the man’s judgment was impaired due to intoxication.

“What did this kid just say… … Kkeuk!”

As soon as I stood up with my fist raised, the hand of a barbarian struck me like a thunderbolt. His rough, large hands clamped down on his neck with a harsh force. I held on to his finger with both hands and tried to pull it away, but it wouldn’t budge. It feels like pushing away a golem’s grasp.

“Kahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah… … .”

The man’s face turned red like a ripe strawberry. But soon it turned blue like a moldy strawberry, and finally a dark color contrasting with his rounded white eyes. His head started to throbbed as if a bomb had exploded, and his consciousness gradually became distant.

Kadim released the man just before he died. The man who had returned from hell coughed violently and threw up everything he had eaten and drunk all evening.

“… … Huh! Cough, Cough, Cough! Guwaek, guweeh… … .”

However, it was only to that extent because Kadim had controlled his strength. If he had squeezed with all his might, the man’s neck would have already been crushed and burst, and all the bones would have been crushed.

“Mo, Moren! Damn it, Moren! Are you okay?”

“Fuck, what the hell happened!”

“Kuhuk, that color, that bastard, keuhuk, guwaek, kuehek…” … .”

“… … .”

The man’s colleagues didn’t seem to particularly appreciate that fact. He opened his axe eyes, glared at Khadim, and raised his polearm.

However, I could not wield the weapon carelessly. As Kadim stood up, the vigilantes flinched and took a step back. An enormous body, ferocious muscles, and a vast shadow reaching up to the heavy ceiling. When I came face to face with the large figure of a savage that seemed to be human, I suddenly sobered up and instinctive fear consumed my nerves.

“What, what is it… … .”

“What kind of person is this big… … .”

While they were hesitating, Kadim turned and headed toward the guest room.

Normally, they would have just slaughtered them all to avoid any repercussions. But now, they couldn’t do that at will.

The councillor was Kadim’s employer and an accomplice in covering up the murder of the paladin. There was no benefit in causing bloodshed and worsening relations. If the councillor had a grudge and reported the incident, it would not only be impossible for him to be safe, but it would also cause serious disruption to our journey.

However, we can’t just leave them alone. Fear that is not accompanied by the pain of tearing bones and flesh volatilizes like melting snow when the target disappears right under your nose. Once you have a grudge, you will retaliate in some way.

He didn’t regret what he had done, but he needed to sort things out. Kadim planned to wake up the counselor, ask him, and then decide.

‘Either we slaughter the vigilantes immediately, or we leave the village without anyone knowing.’

But retaliation came much faster than expected.

– Heeheeheeheehee!

– Hehehehehehe!

The moment I knocked on the guest room door, I heard a desperate cry from outside.

The door opened suddenly and Enrico rushed out. He blinked his eyes repeatedly, as if he was still half asleep, and asked,

“W-what are you talking about, Kadim? It seems like there were only our horses in the stable… … .”

Kadim’s mouth became stiff. The faint smell of blood, and the sound of the ground moving away quickly. Even without looking, I could fully guess what happened in the stable.

“… … .”

Somehow, it seemed difficult to continue the journey while leaving the rotten ‘self-proclaimed vigilante’ alone.