Chapter 65

"Alright, you admit defeat, Vargas."

"Damn... What just happened..."

Vargas was blown back to the ground, but he didn't lose consciousness. When I called out to him, he muttered in confusion, not understanding what had just transpired.

The attack I launched on Vargas was the same long-range magic attack as before. However, it wasn't the [Shotgun] attack. Of course, if the [Shotgun] could have ended the fight, that would have been fine. But because Vargas was unexpectedly strong, I used the [Shotgun] attack itself as a decoy to launch my real attack.

Vargas had been able to predict the direction of my attacks based on the angle of my palm and the timing of the incantations. I simply reversed this. By persistently using the [Shotgun] attack, which he had repeatedly dodged, I eventually forced Vargas to take a desperate action, trying to land his own attack even if it meant taking a hit. However, this was exactly what I had planned.

I didn't expect to be able to approach him without any damage, but the purpose was to prevent him from predicting and dodging my attacks.

Then, I launched a counterattack against his desperate move. No matter how many battles Vargas had fought, if caught off guard, he would still take damage. I launched a magic attack without an incantation while he exposed himself to my magic attack.

Until then, the magic attack had always been launched with the word [Shotgun]. Vargas must have been conditioned to expect a magic attack when he heard the incantation. If it had been anyone else, this wouldn't have been a problem. But I can cast magic without an incantation. I visualized a larger and harder rock in my mind and launched it silently.

Vargas wouldn't have been able to detect this attack until he was hit.

Thus, my counterattack was a perfect success. Still, I have to admit, Vargas was impressive. Even though he was caught off guard, he used his greatsword to defend himself and reduce the damage, though it ended up breaking his beloved greatsword.

"Fine. I admit defeat. I surrender. But please, I beg you, do not harm the people of this village."

After I defeated Vargas, the people of Barka Village cheered with a roar of joy. They must have been thrilled to see their own people defeat the hero of the neighboring village. However, their excitement seemed to be getting a bit too heated. Group psychology can be dangerous in such situations. Even normally kind and gentle people can be driven to actions they wouldn't normally consider in a frenzied atmosphere, especially when they have weapons in their hands. Vargas might have feared that his defeat would lead to his village being ravaged.

That's why he surrendered to me rather than just admitting defeat. It was a good decision. We are preparing to fight the noble who governs the land, but our forces are far from sufficient. In fact, even after gathering people from the entire village, we might still be too few. I came to this village to expand our forces, and a man like Vargas is exactly what we need.

"Fine. Vargas, if you agree to fight with us, I promise not to harm the village."

"Understood. I will fight with you, Arceus."

"Thank you. I count on you."

Thus, I achieved my initial goal of strengthening our forces, just as planned.

※ ※ ※

"Amazing. I never thought I'd be able to use magic."

After adding Vargas to our group, I immediately gave him the Barka surname to enable him to use magic. It might seem odd to give the Barka surname to Vargas, who is from the neighboring village, but I had already given the Barka surname to Gran and the merchant, who had no connection to the village. There's no need to be particular about the village's people. Rather, by sharing the same surname, we might foster a sense of unity and fight more effectively. Whether this actually works or not is uncertain, but I decided to proceed with this idea and gave the Barka surname to enable them to learn magic.

The unexpected situation of fighting Vargas turned out to be a good thing. The most significant aspect was that I could show everyone my actual fighting skills.

It makes sense when you think about it. I'm still a child who hasn't even reached adulthood. Even if I can grant the ability to use magic, it's not easy for people to trust or believe in me just like that. Many might have thought about leaving and returning home if things got serious.

However, after seeing me fight, the atmosphere seemed to change. I defeated Vargas, who had a proven track record of overwhelming strength on the battlefield, as if the roles were reversed, making it seem like I was easily handling a child. Maybe I really am strong. Maybe we can defeat the noble. This wasn't an unreasonable thought. The "maybe" was significant. Even a faint hope can make people strive to pursue it. The group was filled with a spirit of "Let's do it."

"So, where is the commander heading now?"

"What do you mean by 'commander'?"

"I mean Arceus. You're the leader here, so 'commander' is fine, right?"

"Hmm, I guess it's fine. We're heading to the river. We plan to set up camp there."

Vargas came over and started talking to me. He turned out to be quite an interesting person. He seemed to care for his comrades and was well-respected by them. When Vargas surrendered and agreed to fight with us, several young men from the neighboring village also joined us. It seems that Vargas had left his village in the past due to a conflict that arose from trying to protect his comrades.

I answered Vargas's question. Our destination, after absorbing the neighboring village's forces and starting to move, was a river on the way to the city of Fontana from Barka Village. I planned to set up a camp there and prepare to face the Fontana family.

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