Chapter 2

The Story of the Second Son of a Baron - Chapter 2 (2/123)

< The Story of the Second Son of a Baron – Chapter 2 – >

Half a month later, the time had come to leave the beloved fief and head north. This was an order from the emperor of the empire.

To defy it would be outright rebellion, turning the peaceful fief into a sea of fire. If our family had more power and prestige, we might have been sent to a different place instead of the north, but we were merely a minor noble family in the region. We had no choice but to obediently follow the order.

"Be careful, and always stay on guard. You never know when or where you might be struck by a blind blade."

"I'm sorry. I should be the one to go... It feels like I'm putting another heavy burden on you."

"Don't worry too much. The north is still a place where people live, and it's part of the empire. I'll take the utmost care and come back safely."

"Big brother, you must come back safely."

After saying goodbye to my father, mother, older brother, and younger sister, I left the fief. Thinking about the future ahead, I felt a darkness before my eyes. But there was no other way.

Run away or not go? As I said, this is an imperial decree. Even if it wasn't a direct order from the emperor, its authority is the same. This world is a monarchy where all power is concentrated in the emperor. I couldn't make my family and the people of the fief suffer for my own survival after nearly twenty years of close ties.

That said, no other family member could go in my place. My older brother, the eldest son, had to inherit the family, so it was impossible for him to go to the north where death could come at any moment. It was even more out of the question for my younger sister, who hadn't even had her coming-of-age ceremony. So, I resigned myself to going to the north. Could someone else be sent?

Unfortunately, I am one of the magicians affiliated with the empire's magic tower. I'm a promising magician who created three circles before turning twenty. The world of this realm held no new excitement for me, trained as I was by the internet, so I took an interest in magic, the essence of fantasy. My talent and hard work combined to yield good results. I didn't expect this to become a penalty. In any case, there was no way for everyone to remain peaceful unless I went to the north.

"It was hard enough for two years, but ten years... And in the north, where battles could break out at any time!"

The northern part of the empire, specifically the Terra Wall at the very edge. That was where I had to survive for ten years. The strongest and impenetrable shield protecting the empire from the monsters swarming outside its borders. Unlike the talk of potential war in my previous life in South Korea, this place truly could see battles break out at any time.

For ordinary soldiers, the probability of dying in the north was higher than the probability of being caught and killed while deserting. The rumor that soldiers would rather desert than go to the Terra Wall speaks for itself. No further explanation is needed.

"Ah, God! Please look upon me with favor!"

#

Whether I prayed to a god I didn't know or not, the clock kept ticking, and the wheels of the carriage kept turning. That meant I was getting closer to the Terra Wall.

"This is worse than I thought..."

Of course, I wasn't going to the Terra Wall alone. The Terra Wall, where dozens of soldiers died every day and life-and-death situations unfolded several times a week, was a place that couldn't be abandoned. If the defense of the Terra Wall were abandoned, it would mean giving up the entire northern part of the empire. So, soldiers had to be sent there continuously.

Thus, I joined ten thousand soldiers and dozens of knights. Along with me, there were fewer than ten magicians heading to the Terra Wall... It was worse than I thought.

The soldiers all hung their heads and sighed as if being dragged to hell. The knights, who were supposed to lead them, had grim expressions and urged their horses on. The magicians, needless to say, were no different. I still couldn't forget the look in the royal magician's eyes when he saw me in the capital for the headcount. It wasn't the look of someone seeing a living person. It was the look of someone seeing a dead person. He thought I wouldn't come back alive. No matter how I thought about it, it felt like a bad omen.

"..."

"..."

The magicians in the same carriage as me were all silent, their heads bowed, as if they were thinking the same thing. They seemed to feel that there was no point in talking to comrades who were going to die anyway. Then, a commotion was felt from outside.

Murmurs—

"I'll check it out."

"Actually, there's no need. This is imperial territory. Who would dare to interfere with the imperial army? It's probably just the soldiers making a fuss over some monsters. They'll call for our help if they need it. It's better to think about how to survive from now on."

"Thank you for the advice."

However, contrary to his words, I opened the carriage door and went outside. First, I preferred the fresh air to the silence. Second, if the commotion was caused by monsters, as the magician said, I wanted to try casting a spell. I was a magician who had never experienced real combat, so I wanted to gain some experience now. It would be difficult to have such a relaxed fight once we reached the Terra Wall.

"What's going on?"

"Oh, nothing much. There's a group of orcs blocking the road, probably because there was an orc village on our path. We'll clear it up soon, so you can stay inside if you want."

"I'm feeling a bit cramped inside, so I'll lend a hand."

The knight readily opened the way. His expression, voice, and actions all conveyed that he had already given up and didn't care what happened to the rest.

'Damn. Everyone looks like they're going to die...!'

I knew we were heading to our deaths. The fear of possibly dying as soon as we arrived was overwhelming. But I had to struggle to survive. If I just gave up, I would truly be going to die.

"Those are the orcs?"

"Yes."

Hundreds of orcs blocking the path of thousands of soldiers. Their momentum was good, but the tenfold difference in numbers couldn't be overcome by momentum alone. If it were just the soldiers, it might have been different, but with a few knights and magicians, it was even more so.

"I'll cast the first spell."

"Are you sure?"

To be honest, there wasn't much I could do with three circles. At best, I could kill one person with a single strike. It was the ultimate inefficiency to be able to do in a day what a person with a cold weapon could do after ten years of effort. Of course, after another ten years, I might be able to kill dozens with magic while someone with a cold weapon could only kill a few.

"O burning flame, reveal yourself by consuming the enemy. Fireball."

The battle began with a single orc burning to death from the fireball that flew in a parabolic trajectory. Green and red blood began to mix, but the battle ended quickly due to the overwhelming difference in strength.

'As I thought... I don't feel nauseous or anything.'

This was the first time I had used magic against a living being, the first time I had taken a life. But I didn't have much of a reaction. Perhaps it was because I had only pulled a trigger like a gun, not killed directly with a sword, or because I didn't see the orcs as beings with the same personality as humans. Either way, it wasn't a bad thing. I would have to kill countless monsters to survive, so it would be troublesome to be emotionally affected each time.

"The orcs are blocking the road, but it should be cleared up soon. You can stay inside if you want."

"That's what I said. You'll see plenty of this in the future, so you're just making things harder for yourself."

Before I went outside, the middle-aged magician who said there was no need added one more comment, and the carriage fell silent again. Most magicians didn't care about things that didn't concern them.

Clunk—

"We're moving again."

The battle was over, and the carriage wheels started turning again. That night, after the battle with the monsters, I had a dream.

#

"Huh!"

It was too vivid to be a dream. I wiped the cold sweat from my forehead and tried to recall the content of the dream, but I had never had such an experience. It was a vivid and clear dream, so I couldn't fall back asleep.

"Clearly, it was like this..."

In the dream, I wasn't my current age. However, for some reason, what I did in the dream felt like something I could do now. So, I tried it once.

"Ugh."

A pebble that fit perfectly in my fist. Just one word. Even though it was just one word, a considerable amount of magic power was used. In return, I got a pebble with the word '爆' (explode) engraved on it.

"Where are you going?"

"I need to do a quick experiment, so ignore any loud noises."

Leaving the soldiers on guard behind, I moved a suitable distance away from the camp and threw the pebble with all my strength.

Boom—

It seemed that what I thought was just a dream wasn't just a dream.

< The Story of the Second Son of a Baron – Chapter 2 – > End