I Became a Crazy Swordsmanship Instructor in the Game

Chapter 62:

The mercenaries were left utterly dumbfounded by Philip’s feat.

What kind of demon was an ogre?

Known as the nightmare of mercenaries, a terror that devoured numerous travelers and mercenaries along the road, and a formidable creature powerful enough to require extermination requests even from the rural estates’ lords despite having household knights.

He had single-handedly defeated an ogre that was twice as powerful as a troll slayer, a title earned for defeating a single troll, a feat that brought fame. Trying to gauge Philip’s strength compared to the mercenaries’ own proved to be an impossible task.

The leader of the Foundation Mercenary Corps, known as ‘Bald Bottom,’ wiped sweat from his forehead and cautiously observed Philip.

“… An Academy instructor?”

Being one of the more experienced among them, Bald Bottom could roughly estimate Philip’s level. Having participated in the demon subjugation operation in the forest once called the Darkwood, he had witnessed a knight commander in his late thirties defeat an ogre in a battle that took several minutes.

“So, he’s stronger than that knight commander from back then?”

—Indeed, the taste of piercing and slashing a large-scale demon seemed to be the best. Humans were too tender.

Meanwhile, Philip was pondering whether he should really enhance Neria. Just listening to Privia, he could potentially lead to the creation of a legendary cursed sword, and he wanted to avoid that possibility.

Lua’s eyes seemed to deepen with understanding after witnessing Philip’s combat. Whether it was boys and girls of her age or even adults, experiences that were intense and shocking tended to leave a deep impression.

“Let’s finish tidying up and get moving.”

It was only then that Lisriel regained her composure and issued orders to the porters and mercenaries.

“Everyone, gather your belongings. It’s time to depart. Did you all see? Unless a dragon or something similar appears, there’s no need to worry about demon-like creatures.”

The group quickly finished packing up and resumed their journey. It wasn’t until Philip had boarded the carriage that Bald Bottom, the leader of the mercenary group, let out a sigh of relief.

“… Never seen anything like that before, Captain.”

The youngest member of the mercenary corp, Owen, whispered to Bald Bottom. The captain glared at him menacingly and warned in a low voice.

“You little brat, just as a precaution, don’t even think about saying anything weird. People like him live in a different world from us. The moment you try to get something out of him or approach him, you’ll end up dead like a bug.”

Experienced mercenary as he was, Bald Bottom knew well how ruthless and cruel the noble race could become. Even though they might treat the people of their territories kindly, mercenaries like them weren’t exactly favored.

Of course, they were armed with swords and axes, so one couldn’t be too reckless in dealing with them, but anyone who had been a mercenary for a long time knew that they wouldn’t be treated the same as regular people.

“What did I do to deserve this? I haven’t even said a word yet.”

Owen grumbled.

“Don’t mess around. Do I look like an idiot to you?”

After giving Owen’s head a thump, Bald urged him to keep walking.

But the problem was that it wasn’t Owen who caught his attention.

“… Should I give it a try?”

Bald didn’t realize that it wasn’t Owen, but rather the only female member of the mercenary group, Marsha, who was gazing at the carriage rode by Philip with a curious look in her eyes.

That night.

The group set up camp in a relatively safe valley.

About five or so porters used a large tent, and the noble tent was typically a two-person size.

Lisriel glanced slightly at Privia, who ended up sharing the same tent with her, then quickly averted her gaze when their eyes met.

“Why are you acting like that?”

Though Privia acted as if she were much older, Lisriel couldn’t bring herself to ask why.

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

“Are you unhappy being with me? You must have wanted to snuggle up to that young lad.”

Suddenly, a barrage of words that could be considered verbal abuse flew out in her heart. Lisriel quickly raised her head.

“What are you talking about!”

“Or should I not speak up? Why get angry? Go to sleep.”

Privia glanced at Lisriel as if finding her cute, then started removing her robe and changing into different clothes. Lisriel puffed out her cheeks for a moment before letting out a deep sigh.

There didn’t seem to be any ill intentions from Privia, and since she was a lady whom Philip treated with respect, Lisriel couldn’t create any friction.

‘By the way, her figure… is quite lovely.’

Lisriel observed Privia as if she were entranced. It wasn’t so much a sense of sexual appeal but rather an admiration for the graceful lines of her body.

Sensing that gaze, Privia turned her head and pointed to her chest.

“Do you want to touch?”

“No.”

Feeling like a toy, Lisriel quickly changed her clothes and got into her sleeping bag. As she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, Privia’s laughter tickled her ears.

* * *

The next day, just like the previous day, it was the same monotonous journey.

“… We should start preparing. Probably around today, they will definitely try some tricks.”

Tightly gripping the reins, Lisriel drove the carriage with a high level of tension. Since Philip hadn’t told her about Castler Morrela, she was completely unaware, and she looked around like a meerkat, her head sticking out.

“… Yawn.”

Lua let out a yawn. She had stayed up until dawn the previous night chatting with Philip. While Philip’s strength could recover after just a few hours of sleep, Lua, who hadn’t caught up on her rest yet, took longer to recover.

Leaning her head on Philip’s shoulder, she dozed off and woke up with a jolt whenever the carriage bumped, causing Privia to chuckle softly.

“It seems that the young lady went for a walk last night. Haha.”

The official made a joke. Philip smirked and nodded.

“She did walk a bit, actually.”

“If it’s not too intrusive, may I inquire about the relationship between the two of you?”

“She’s a child I’m personally sponsoring. I don’t know what might happen later.”

The official was skilled at dealing with people. His tone was calm and pleasant, and he had a knack for not making the other person uncomfortable.

While they chatted, a desperate cry from Lisriel suddenly rang in Philip’s ear.

“Everyone, stop! Stop, please!”

Something urgent seemed to have happened. As Philip got off the carriage, he saw a group of armed individuals approaching from the west.

The sight of dust rising like a cloud and the sound of hooves trampling the grass on the prairie created a sense of tension among the group.

They were all on horseback, and judging by their well-armed appearance, they seemed like noble mercenaries.

They soon approached a position where they could launch an ambush if they decided, and the person at the front, riding a battle horse, stood before Lisriel.

“Who are you people?”

Without showing any sign of fear, Lisriel directed her question at the helmeted rider.

“We ask for your temporary cooperation. I am a knight serving under the Marquis Veronche, dispatched here due to the unfortunate events occurring near the Elphenia Forest. It refers to the regrettable incidents where innocent elves are being captured by force and sold as slaves.”

“We are on our way to the Elphenia Forest, but we are not slave hunters. We are members of Joseph Trading Association, and we are transporting goods for a pre arranged trade.”

The rider surveyed Philip and the group. To him, there didn’t seem to be anything suspicious. While Lisriel might seem a bit young to take on such a task, if she was indeed part of the Joseph Trading Association, it wasn’t too strange.

It was well-known that the direct line of the Joseph family was still young.

With a handsome noble appearance, two beautiful women, and even a young girl looking at them with admiration, it was hard to think of them as a heinous criminal group.

Of course, gruff mercenaries were exceptions if they were hired for the task.

“… Is that so? My apologies for the misunderstanding. I hope you have a safe journey.”

The rider seemed ready to withdraw, but someone from his group stepped forward.

“Just a moment, Sir Sethian. We can’t just let them go like this. How about confirming their identity, just in case?”

The person who stepped forward had his face covered with a robe.

“Calber. Confirming? What are you talking about? We’ve already blocked their path, are you suggesting we inconvenience them further?”

Sethian expressed doubt.

“It’ll only take a moment, Sir. It might be your first time dealing with something like this, but slave hunters will do anything to avoid suspicion. Besides, while they may be nobles, there’s no law that says nobles can’t hunt elves, right?”

It seemed like Philip’s group was being treated as if they were elf hunters. As Calber, the robed man, met Lisriel’s uncomfortable gaze, he quickly averted his eyes.

“Oh, things have escalated. I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant it’s better to be thorough. If it’s alright, could our mage use a detection spell? Then we won’t trouble you further.”

Lisriel sighed and nodded her head.

“Go ahead.”

“Thank you. Sir Castler? Could you assist, please?”

Soon, Castler Morrela, dressed in blue robes, approached from the carriage. Philip barely suppressed his laughter as he met his gaze.

Even Castler struggled to suppress a laugh as he turned his head, pretending to stifle a sneeze.

“Ahem. Ah, ahem.”

He cleared his throat a few times before raising his staff. Then, waves of light radiated from the crystal at the end of his staff. It covered an area wide enough to encompass all four carriages.

While the four cargo carriages appeared unaffected, a bright blue light burst forth from the guest carriage where Philip, Lua, and Privia were seated.

“Sir Castler. What does that mean for that carriage?”

Sethian asked, and Castler responded with a smile.

“It means there are magical goods concealed in that carriage. The light form suggests it’s beneath the carriage floor.”

Castler Morrela.

He was a scion of a marquis family, but also the quartermaster of the Crimson Tower. No one doubted his words in place of the Crimson Tower.

“I’ll check for a moment.”

A man named Calber stepped forward before Lisriel could react. With a sheathed sword at his waist, he waved it a few times beneath the carriage, causing a loud clanging sound as something fell.

Calber wore a somewhat sinister smile as he picked up what had fallen.

It was unmistakably hefty-looking restraints like chains and handcuffs.

“… These are restraining devices enchanted with a silence spell to prevent summoning of spirits. These individuals are caught in the act, Sir Sethian. Disgustingly enough, it seems they tried to deceive us…”

Philip looked at the scene and smirked.

“They’re causing a fuss.”