How a Two-Life Scoundrel Lives - Chapter 28

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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【Episode 28】

To the soldiers, Sigmund represented trustworthy and dependable beings, noble existences worthy of respect.

It wasn’t a name that a mere junior soldier like Russell could casually mention as if calling someone’s dog.

Wilson hadn’t smacked Russell on the back of his head for no reason.

“This brat, I tell you. We’ve been calling him cute, so now he’s getting cocky.”

“Ugh.”

“And why would such a noble-blooded knight come to this tiny fortress? Are you crazy?”

Wilson glared with bulging eyes.

Nod nod!

The soldiers nodded their heads in unison, agreeing with Wilson’s words.

Bowden was a small fortress consisting of about 40 engineers mining magic stones and about 10 scout soldiers.

Among the dozens and hundreds of fortresses located in Kuberin, it was one of the smallest in scale, making it absurd to think that a knight of Sigmund bloodline would be stationed there.

“No! A knight with real Sigmund bloodline is really coming!”

“This bastard really!”

“Ah, I’m telling you it’s true! I saw it myself!”

“Huh?”

“I went out on a brief scout and encountered an escort unit!”

“R-really?”

“Yes!”

Russell spoke forcefully as if appealing his innocence.

“There was someone wearing House Sigmund’s military uniform in the escort unit!”

“Hey, aren’t you mistaken? When has a country bumpkin like you ever seen House Sigmund’s uniform?”

“Aren’t you looking down on me too much for being from the countryside? I’ve seen a knight from House Sigmund when I was young too!”

“Hmm.”

Wilson narrowed his eyes and stroked his beard.

If Russell had seen correctly, perhaps a knight with Sigmund bloodline might actually be coming to Bowden Fortress.

“A knight with House Sigmund bloodline is coming?”

“Come on, that can’t be.”

“He must have seen wrong.”

The other soldiers also couldn’t easily trust Russell’s words.

“It’s not entirely impossible.”

[Sleepy Eyes] Kudo, who had been lying sideways, spoke up.

He was the most senior soldier in the scout unit and was quite knowledgeable, earning considerable trust.

“The possibility of a direct bloodline member of House Sigmund coming to such a small fortress is virtually zero. They’re far too high-level personnel to be active in a place like this. Right now, Selena, who is direct bloodline among direct bloodline, is said to be achieving tremendous military accomplishments at the front lines. But if it’s a distant branch member, that’s a different story.”

“…!”

“Of course, they may be lacking compared to the direct line, but Sigmund is still Sigmund. Since it’s a family where even branch members can inherit the Grand Duke’s title if they have ability, even distant branch members would be incomparable to ordinary knights.”

“Ooh!”

The faces of the scout soldiers brightened.

If a Sigmund was really coming to Bowden, it would be like gaining a thousand troops for them.

Even if it was a distant branch member.

“See! What did I tell you! They’ll probably arrive within five minutes! Haha!”

Russell struck a boastful pose.

“To fight alongside a knight from House Sigmund! I’ll have a drinking story for life!”

“Ooh! Sigmund!”

Before long, Sigmund’s appointment seemed to have become a foregone conclusion among the scout members.

“You tactless bastards. Tone it down. Knight Helen might feel hurt.”

A middle-aged man.

The most senior [Axe Killer] Begman warned the soldiers.

Helen was Bowden’s only knight, someone who had started as a common soldier and became a knight.

Of course, she hadn’t become a knight officially, but was a case of field commission in recognition of her outstanding military service.

She had led the scout members through countless life-and-death situations over the past two years and proven her competence by surviving.

Naturally, she had earned the soldiers’ deep trust, and it was only natural for Begman, the most senior, to show concern by mentioning her.

“Come on, Knight Helen wouldn’t be like that. You know her personality.”

“When did we ever say Knight Helen was lacking~?”

“Wouldn’t it be good for Knight Helen too if a knight with Sigmund bloodline comes?”

The soldiers showed their anticipation while joking around.

“Quiet! Don’t get all excited for nothing and stay put! You brats don’t even know to be grateful to the commander who’s been good to you!”

When Begman burst out angrily, the soldiers became as quiet as dead mice.

Begman had served alongside Helen since she was a common soldier, so he was worried she might feel hurt.

* * *

‘How much further do we have to go? They said we were almost there.’

At the end of a long ten-day journey.

Carlisle glanced at the map to gauge where he was.

Since he hadn’t been told exactly where he was being sent, he had no choice but to determine his current location through the map.

‘Are they telling me not to even dream of deserting?’

According to the map, Carlisle’s current location was deep within the Blood-Soaked Land of Kuberin.

Though it wasn’t the front lines, it wasn’t far from areas occupied by barbarians.

Attempting to desert in such a dangerous remote area would be tantamount to suicide, so it wasn’t unreasonable for Carlisle to think that way.

‘Hmm. But it’s quite close to Antiros’s Laboratory.’

[Antiros’s Laboratory] was one of several hidden dungeons located in this Blood-Soaked Land, a farming spot where one could obtain very good items with luck.

‘The problem is it’s like a gacha.’

Since it wasn’t a place where good items could be obtained with 100% certainty, it might be a wasted trip, but since he had come close to it anyway, there was no reason not to go.

Though it would only be possible by secretly slipping away from the unit…

“We’re almost there, Sir Carlisle.”

“Ugh.”

Carlisle shuddered at the unfamiliar honorific ‘Sir.’

He had heard it countless times during the ten days from Dekaron to here, but he still couldn’t get used to it.

“Look over there.”

“What kind of fortress is that? It’s a bandit den.”

Seeing Bowden Fortress in the distance, Carlisle muttered to himself in disbelief.

Bowden Fortress, built surrounded by high wooden stakes, was unmistakably a bandit den.

Well, there would be no reason to spend expensive money building a small fortress where only about 60 people were stationed.

Moreover, due to the geographical characteristics of the Blood-Soaked Land Kuberin, there was no need to worry about enemy siege weapons.

The knight didn’t bother responding to Carlisle’s comment.

In fact, though Carlisle was completely unaware, the anxiety felt by those in the escort unit was beyond imagination.

‘D-don’t know when he might explode, so let’s not let our guard down.’

‘We’re almost there. Just need to endure a little longer.’

‘Just go crazy! Go crazy! Don’t drive people insane!’

The strongest and worst troublemaker in Northern history was unexpectedly quiet and well-behaved, making them lose sleep wondering when he might commit some crazy act.

Though his occasional remarks did have thorns in them.

“It’s an escort unit. Call the commander.”

As Carlisle’s group approached, Helen came out of the fortress with soldiers.

“Are you Knight Helen? The one responsible for this fortress in place of the fallen Knight Jeffrey?”

“Yes.”

“This is an order from Dekaron.”

“Knight Helen, I receive your orders.”

Helen knelt on one knee.

“I command my dear Knight Helen…”

The knight read aloud Grand Duke Guntram’s letter.

The contents were simple: a new recruit was being assigned to Bowden Territory, and she should command the soldiers well as she had been doing, along with an enclosed letter to be read separately later.

“…That is all.”

As the knight finished reading the letter, Helen rose to her feet.

“But where is the new recruit…?”

Helen’s gaze swept over the escort unit and stopped right on Carlisle.

“You, you are…”

Helen gasped in surprise and stepped back half a pace.

“…?”

Carlisle tilted his head, wondering why Helen was acting this way, then soon realized the reason and nodded inwardly.

‘Ah, it’s because I’m Carlisle. I’d probably react the same way.’

If the so-called new recruit turned out to be the world’s greatest scoundrel from a noble family, anyone would be appalled.

‘But from Young Master to common soldier? Isn’t this too harsh?’

When first assigned to the front lines, Sigmund members had to serve as low-ranking soldiers—the lowest rank among troops—until they completed their [Noble Proof].

Low-ranking soldier was equivalent to a private in the world Carlisle originally lived in, so it was like falling from heaven to hell.

This was why the escort knight referred to Carlisle as a [new recruit] rather than an officer.

‘But why does she look familiar? Was she an important character?’

Carlisle stared intently at Helen, searching his memory.

However, his knowledge of the game [Overlord] contained no information about Knight Helen.

‘Where have I seen her before? She definitely looks familiar…’

Then a memory flashed through Carlisle’s mind.

It wasn’t a memory of the current Carlisle, but of the real Carlisle who was the original owner of this body.

About a year ago.

“Oh? You’re quite pretty. Hey you, come over here.”

The real Carlisle had spotted a beautiful lady and made advances.

“What’s your name?”

“…”

“Hey, I asked what your name is.”

“…”

“What, not going to answer? From that uniform, you look like some knight. Don’t you know who I am?”

Helen, who had been on leave and briefly stopped by Decaron’s capital, had the misfortune of catching the eye of the real Carlisle, the notorious scoundrel.

What happened next was…

‘You crazy bastard, stop it.’

Carlisle cried out to the real Carlisle in the memory, but that wouldn’t change what had already happened in the past.

Smack!

The real Carlisle continued making advances and harassing her, then flew into a rage at Helen’s silent response and finally slapped her across the face.

Fortunately, some knights who happened to be passing by intervened, and the situation ended there.

The problem was that this past grudge had been passed on to the current Carlisle, not the real Carlisle who was the actual culprit.

Now he was going to serve as a lowly soldier under the knight he had wronged…

“Hmm. I’m fucked.”

Carlisle succinctly summarized his situation.

* * *

When the escort unit arrived, the soldiers of Bowden Fortress were filled with anticipation.

Especially the scout members, who were combat soldiers, felt even greater excitement.

Most soldiers had mining as their main duty, so they were rarely directly exposed to enemy threats.

Though that didn’t mean they never engaged in combat.

But scout members were frequently exposed to danger as they conducted searches and reconnaissance, and sometimes attempted preemptive strikes.

So naturally, they wanted to be commanded by a knight with stronger combat abilities.

“Let’s go!”

“A knight from House Sigmund is coming, so we should go out to see. Of course we should.”

“Ohhh! Sigmund!”

The scout members rushed toward the fortress main gate.

With such an esteemed person coming to their humble place, they couldn’t just sit still as proud soldiers of the Decaron Army.

But who would have thought the long-awaited Sigmund would be the [Northern Scoundrel]…

“Fuck.”

Curses erupted in unison from the scout members’ mouths.

“We’re fucked.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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