The Warrior’s Ballad

Translator: Willia

As Marie, dressed in a one-piece dress, stepped forward, Regina widened her eyes in slight surprise before soon smirking triumphantly.

“It’s amusing to see a lady stepping up. Is this the freedom you were talking about? Stupidity isn’t freedom, you know. Ohohoho!”

“Hiding behind others when dealing with important matters isn’t behavior befitting a noble. That’s just cowardice.”

“Oh my, does it look like I’m hiding? No. This is what we call giving orders. You wouldn’t understand, would you? How about you send out your frail knight now? Before you regret it.”

“If I do that, you might end up dead.”

Marie warned her without exaggeration.

At Marie's consistently cold and blunt words, Regina dropped her pretense as if a mask had been torn off.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"......You really have no sense of propriety in your speech."

Marie, already taller than her, gave a condescending chuckle as she looked down at her. Regina no longer maintained her composure. Her smile had disappeared, and she was breathing irregularly, flushed with anger.

In truth, what annoyed Regina the most about Marie was her appearance. By anyone’s standards, Marie was more striking than she was. Even though Regina had adorned herself with expensive clothes and accessories, her face couldn’t compare.

If only Marie had humbly flattered her, she might have tolerated it. But Marie carried herself with a haughty and dignified attitude, making it impossible to overlook.

“Lowly beings need to taste humiliation once to come to their senses. Showing mercy as a noble is such a difficult principle to uphold. Boys, who wants to ruin that face for me?"

Regina spoke as she turned to the men standing behind her. There were six of them, all adults, and they looked like thugs. For someone who pretended to be so elegant, it was now obvious what kind of company she kept.

“Tsk, what a waste.”

One of the men muttered. His words were utterly distasteful.

The men glanced at Ricardt, who was quietly standing in the back, and judged him to be nothing more than a spineless coward. What kind of man would let a woman take the lead while he stood back watching?

But their thoughts didn’t last long, because Marie suddenly closed the distance and struck one of them with a front kick delivered by her long leg.

Thwack!

Her kick hit his abdomen as if a spear had been thrust into it. The man immediately dropped to his knees, vomiting the contents of his stomach like a waterfall.

“Uuurrgh!”

Marie’s movements were so natural and swift that these mere thugs couldn’t respond in time. For a moment, they were left dumbfounded, unable to grasp what had just happened.

Marie didn’t stop there. She swung her fist in a full arc, smashing it into the face of another man.

Crack!

The sound of breaking bones echoed. His nose, philtrum, and jaw were completely shattered. It was a blow that could kill someone if unlucky.

Only then did the remaining three men feel the hair on the back of their necks stand up. A sudden realization hit them, they had messed with the wrong person.

However, they were momentarily paralyzed, unable to respond or flee. The unexpected turn of events left them completely bewildered, incapable of making a decision.

Marie turned to her next target, gritting her teeth as if she were wielding a club. She unleashed a devastating kick, followed by another swing of her fist.

Crunch! Thud!

Two more men fell. She didn’t need multiple attacks. One blow per person was enough.

To begin with, mere street thugs who only knew how to throw punches couldn’t possibly stand a chance against someone skilled in life-or-death combat. More importantly, Marie could wield mana.

Of course, just being able to use mana didn’t guarantee victory, nor did it make one invincible. But it was clear that an ordinary person couldn’t hope to handle someone like her.

Casually, Marie pulled out a tooth lodged in her fist and tossed it to the ground. Then, she turned her gaze to the last remaining man.

The man, frozen in place, flinched before finally snapping out of it and trying to flee.

But Marie grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, swept his legs out from under him, and slammed him to the ground. Then, raising her foot, she stomped down hard on his face.

Crunch!

While she didn’t crush his skull like a watermelon, as Nameless could, the force was enough to break his nose and send his teeth scattering.

Meanwhile, as Marie fought in her one-piece dress, Ricardt, watching from behind, felt a bit awkward seeing her white legs and hips flash occasionally. He slightly regretted not stepping forward himself.

After reducing five adult men to pulp in mere moments, Marie nudged aside the head of the last man she had stomped on and turned her gaze to Regina.

In the dark night, her blue eyes gleamed coldly.

“This is what real power looks like, cute little Reggie.”

Marie smiled as she threw Regina’s own words about the differences between nobles and commoners, power and authority, back at her.

But Regina didn’t hear a word Marie said. She was too stunned to process the situation. Her mind was blank, unable to comprehend what was happening.

Wearing low-heeled shoes, Marie clicked her way toward Regina. Regina didn't even tremble in fear, just stared blankly up at Marie with wide eyes. It was because she couldn't even understand what was happening.

Marie slowly raised her hand and, with all her strength, slapped Regina across the face.

SMACK!

The slap echoed like the sound of wood splitting. Regina’s jawbone fractured, and she collapsed unconscious to the ground. As she fell, shattered teeth scattered through the air like corn kernels.

Once everything had ended, Ricardt stepped forward, his footsteps echoing softly, and stared down at Regina.

“She looks like a crushed rat.”

Regina, who had fainted with her mouth wide open, was drooling blood-mixed saliva.

Still, Ricardt couldn’t help but think this would make any dealings with the Merchant Guild nearly impossible now. But what was done was done, there was no going back, and he didn’t want to blame Marie for it.

The thought of killing her now and dumping her in the waterway to cover it up briefly crossed Ricardt's mind, but he didn't want to go that far at this point.

If they were going to do it, they should have done it faster and more instantly, now there might be witnesses, he thought.

“Is your hand okay?”

"Yeah. It should heal quickly if I apply Boribori's herbs, right?"

“I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t trust that stuff.”

“Aren’t you two best friends?”

“Being friends doesn’t mean I believe in everything.”

"You're so cold-hearted as always."

With a faint laugh, Ricardt walked over the bridge. The sound of their footsteps, one soft and the other sharp, faded into the distance.

The perpetrators who had become victims lay devastated here and there.

The next morning, Ricardt and his friends were gathered in the spacious building they had made their own. They sat around a table, sharing breakfast together.

Volka, chewing his food, turned to Marie and spoke.

“So, let me get this straight, you just beat her up? The merchant family's daughter?"

“Yeah. Sorry.”

"Well, they threatened first, so you don't need to be sorry... but will it be okay? It will be okay, right?"

Volka asked, glancing at Ricardt with a look that said, You’re a noble, so you’ll take care of this, right?

“I heard somewhere that merchant families aren’t considered nobles under Imperial law.”

“You sure?”

"Well..."

“…”

Volka had nothing more to say. No matter how things played out, the responsibility would fall squarely on him. Of course, he trusted his friends, but he couldn’t help but sweat a little at the thought of the consequences.

“How’s the dock situation?”

Boribori, who was picking out chunks from her soup with his fingers and sucking them clean, answered.

“The Stonemasons’ Guild has taken over the dock. Merchant Guild ships can’t leave. Apparently, it’s because they haven’t paid their construction fees. There wasn’t any fighting yesterday, but the stonemasons looked like they were practically living there. Doesn’t seem like they’ll budge until they get their money.”

“Hmm… I see. By the way, I looked into it briefly, and it turns out the Stonemasons’ Guild is made up of long-time locals here in Ernburg. The Merchant Guild’s been around for a while too, but their personnel and families seem to change often. In other words, to put it simply, the Stonemasons’ Guild and the Merchant Guild are the two major factions in Ernburg.”

"So?"

Ricardt asked.

“So… should we get involved in their fight, or just watch from the sidelines? These things can go south real fast if we meddle in the wrong way.”

"Aren't we already past the point with the Merchant Guild? We beat up their girl."

As Delphi gathered the empty dishes left behind by her friends, she spoke up. She wasn’t blaming Marie, she was just stating how things were.

“Still, we could just watch from the sidelines without interfering, right?”

“But if the Merchant Guild gains the upper hand, we might end up in trouble too. I think it’s better to take a side while we still can.”

Ricardt expressed his opinion, leaning toward actively getting involved in the fight between the two factions.

“But how are we supposed to align ourselves with the Stonemasons’ Guild?”

“Debt collection. That’s something adventurers have been doing since ancient times. It's a very traditional line of work.”

“Collecting unpaid debts from the Ernburg Merchant Guild... Still, why haven’t they paid? It’s not like they’re people who don’t have money.”

“We can look into that. I’ll go ask about it. Those guys seem to like me anyway.”

Boribori said. Honestly, it was hard to be certain, but Boribori was undoubtedly the second most sociable person in the group after Volka. He was especially popular with gruff, older men.

“Alright, sounds good. But first, you guys need to learn the ropes. There’s more work than you’d think. Also, get to know the merchants around here, grocery store Benny, general store Grot, blacksmith Waylon, and others like the tanner, the potion shop, and the textile shop. We need to familiarize ourselves with all these people if we want to source supplies. You get what I’m saying?”

One of the Adventurers’ Guild’s responsibilities was to provide supplies to visiting adventurers.

To do so, they needed to stock up on goods in advance, making good relationships with local merchants crucial. Food supply was especially important, so maintaining a rapport with the farmers around the city was also necessary.

Since Volka couldn't always handle everything alone, naturally each clan member had to help as part of their duties.

“Ice, do you think you can manage it?”

Ricardt asked. This was because, unlike Boribori, Ice had almost no social skills. To put it numerically, his sociability was close to zero.

“He doesn’t need to say anything. Just standing there would be enough. Let’s focus on introducing him to the women.”

Aside from his exceptional talent in swordsmanship, Ice’s stunning looks were one of his strongest assets.

“I’ve never paid full price for anything in my life.”

Ice commented casually. What he meant was that merchants would voluntarily give him discounts.

Was he joking? Was he serious? Everyone present burst into laughter at the absurdity of the statement. Ice, seeing their reaction, finally let a small smile slip.

Meanwhile, a young girl lay on an elegant bed, her head wrapped in bandages. It was Regina. However, her face was swollen and disfigured to the point of being unrecognizable, one side bruised black and bloated.

Marconis, her father, stood silently, looking down at her. Other family members were in the room as well, but Marconis muttered as though speaking for everyone to hear.

“Utterly useless… utterly useless… tsk.”

He seemed more irritated than worried about his daughter’s condition.

“When was the matchmaking meeting with the Harpin family again?”

Marconis asked, turning toward his grown son. The son, Armen, had sleek brown hair, neatly combed back and shining as if oiled.

“Next month, Father.”

“Cancel it. She’s useless like this. If we wait for her to recover, she’ll miss her prime marriage age. What a foolish girl.”

His tone was devoid of any affection for his daughter. He seemed to regard her purely as a tool for the family’s benefit.

“But Father, shouldn’t we deal with the ones who did this to her?”

“Do you think we’re some backwater country knights blinded by revenge? Haven’t I always told you to weigh the benefits and costs before taking any action?”

“I’m sorry, Father.”

“But we can’t just let this slide, either. Reach out to the Beringen Guild. Investigate those two bastards thoroughly.”

Marconis was a meticulous man. He wasn’t the type to act impulsively out of anger.

That said, he was undoubtedly furious. However, his anger didn’t stem from the fact that his daughter had been assaulted, it was because his plans had been derailed.

Matchmaking, engagements, and marriages were critical events for a noble family. This was because they served as opportunities to forge new alliances or strengthen existing ones.

The fact that such an important event had been disrupted naturally caused anger and frustration.

To make matters worse, they were currently embroiled in a conflict with the Ernburg Stonemasons’ Guild, adding yet another problem to the pile.

In truth, the Merchant Guild wasn’t unable to pay the construction fees due to a lack of money. Instead, they were deliberately nitpicking a clause in the contract to withhold payment. The reason for this was simple, they were engaged in a power struggle with the Stonemasons’ Guild and intended to subdue them.

The Ernburg Stonemasons’ Guild was essentially a collective of craftsmen who were deeply rooted in the region. They were a generational group, passing down their skills and livelihoods from parent to child.

The Merchant Guild’s ultimate goal was to bring the Stonemasons under their control, completely seize Ernburg, and enjoy exclusive dominance over the area.

To achieve this, their current strategy was to pressure the Stonemasons financially, drag things out over time, and then gradually provide them some breathing room, just enough to manipulate them according to the Merchant Guild’s whims.

Compared to this overarching plan, his daughter being assaulted wasn’t a major issue. It was annoying, yes, but hardly a catastrophe. Still, it was like a hangnail, insignificant but irritating enough to linger in his mind.

Moreover, 'Red Cloak' and 'Five Body Part Slicer' needed to be dealt with carefully. Marconis was well aware of how fierce and terrifying the Ernburg Five had been, and the fact that someone had killed such people made it clear that they were no ordinary opponents.

A few days later, a letter arrived from the Beringen Guild. Marconis read it and frowned slightly, tilting his head.

<We express our condolences for the unfortunate incident involving your daughter. However, we cannot disclose any information regarding our guild’s adventurers. We wish you martial fortune.>

Martial fortune? Not luck? Marconis was bothered by the phrasing of a single word. The term felt oddly out of place for an official letter, as it wasn’t the appropriate vocabulary for such correspondence.

Because the exact meaning of 'martial fortune' referred to luck in battle victories and defeats. Were they just uneducated people using words carelessly?

The hangnail-like irritation continued to bother him. Ignoring it felt frustrating, but addressing it felt like it might hurt more than expected. It was precisely that kind of vexing feeling.