How a Two-Life Scoundrel Lives - Chapter 39

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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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【Chapter 39】

Talent, by its very nature, tends to reveal itself.

Marder was exactly such a case.

Born as the son of a hunter, Marder had been very close to the bow since childhood.

From the time he could barely walk, he played with toy bows, and by the age of three, he could shoot and hit apples hanging from the apple tree in front of his house.

Seven years old.

– Straighten your posture. That’s right, well done. Take a deep breath. Yes, that’s it. Hold your breath. And gently release.

– Like this?

– Yes, just like that.

His father began teaching young Marder how to shoot a bow in earnest.

And two years later, when Marder turned nine.

Marder, who had gone hunting with his father, spotted a badger and drew his bow himself.

Swoosh!

Thunk!

– Kyaang!

The badger let out a single scream and collapsed.

– …!

Marder never forgot that memory, and probably wouldn’t forget it until the moment he closed his eyes forever.

The thrill of his arrow hitting its prey was an indescribable pleasure.

After that, Marder roamed mountains, fields, and forests with his father, gaining fame as a young hunter.

Those days were the happiest time in Marder’s entire life.

The dozen or so years of learning Hunting Skills and Archery from his father, hunting together and sharing the bond between father and son….

However, happiness was not eternal.

When Marder turned nineteen.

The father and son, who had gone hunting as usual, unfortunately encountered Barbarians who had crossed the border.

Soon, a chase ensued with pursuer and pursued.

The father and son, being excellent hunters, did not easily fall to the Barbarians.

However, no matter how skilled they were, it was never easy for ordinary hunters to completely shake off Barbarian Warriors and survive.

– Go!

– F-Father…!

Marder’s father sacrificed himself for his son.

– Live! You must survive!

– But… But….

– Go! Hurry!

Marder fled with tears in his eyes and ultimately succeeded in surviving.

– He’ll be alive. Father isn’t someone who would be easily defeated.

Marder never doubted his father’s safe return.

It was a very earnest wish for a miracle to happen.

Cruelly, no miracle occurred.

A few days later.

Marder’s father was found as a cold corpse by Knights of Decaron.

– Don’t look.

– I will look.

– You’ll be greatly shocked.

– I still need to see.

Despite the Knight’s dissuasion, Marder stubbornly took in the sight of his father’s miserable corpse with his own eyes.

– I’ll never… forgive them… Never… I’ll have my revenge. Definitely….

Marder made a firm vow.

He would use the Archery his father taught him to take revenge on the Barbarians….

One year later.

Marder enlisted in the army to become a soldier of Decaron, and pleaded to be sent to the Blood-Soaked Land of Kuberin.

The reason was that he could frequently encounter the hateful Barbarians there.

Sent to Bowden Fortress, Marder fully utilized the Hunting Skills and Archery he learned from his father, gained recognition for his abilities, and became active as a Scout Member.

And today.

‘I absolutely won’t let you go.’

Marder’s eyes followed Bjornsen as he flew in an arc.

“Hoop.”

– Take a deep breath. Yes, that’s it.

His father’s voice seemed to echo in Marder’s ears.

– Hold your breath… and gently release.

Twang!

Marder’s hand released the bowstring.

Following the teachings of his father, who had been an excellent hunter and archer….

Swoooosh!

Thunk!

The arrow of revenge struck Bjornsen’s back.

* * *

Crash!

Bjornsen, who had been flying over the wooden fence, was hit by Marder’s arrow and crashed down.

Although he had already crossed the wooden fence so he didn’t fall inside the fortress, it was a clear fact that he had crashed during his [Thunder Leap].

“…!”

Everyone was amazed.

It was such a magnificent shot that not only the allied Decaron Army but even the enemy Barbarian Warriors’ eyes widened.

To shoot down a Barbarian Warrior flying with [Thunder Leap]!

“Ooooh!”

The Scout Members’ gazes turned toward the watchtower where Marder was positioned.

Swoosh, Marder slightly pulled down the brim of his helmet with the hand that had released the bowstring, responding to his comrades’ admiring gazes.

Meanwhile.

“Retreat!”

“Everyone retreat! Retreat!”

The Barbarian Warriors withdrew like a receding tide.

Not only was it their commander Bjornsen’s order, but the resistance of Bowden Fortress was so fierce that they couldn’t continue pushing forward.

“Waaaaaaaaaah!”

Victory cheers echoed throughout Bowden Fortress.

“You fucking bastards! How does that taste!”

“Puhahaha!”

“That’s right! Run away like scared dogs! You stupid Barbarian bastards!”

The Soldiers of Bowden Fortress hurled curses at the fleeing Barbarian Warriors, mocking them and fully expressing their joy of victory.

Meanwhile, Helen was not intoxicated by victory.

As a commander, she knew all too well what needed to be done immediately after battle ended.

“Tend to the wounded first! Hurry!”

“Yes!”

“There could be additional attacks from the enemy! Deploy sentries in all directions and maintain thorough vigilance of the surroundings!”

“Yes!”

There was another who was not intoxicated by victory.

‘He wouldn’t be dead.’

Carlisle was certain of Bjornsen’s survival.

The idea that a 4-star Barbarian Warrior with the [Primordial Vitality] tattoo could be killed by just one arrow was too naive.

If it had hit his head, that would be a different story, but it was hard to expect Bjornsen’s death from merely piercing through his back.

The most reliable ways to kill a Barbarian Warrior with [Primordial Vitality] were to destroy the heart, sever the neck, or shatter the head to pieces.

At least that’s how Bjornsen in [Overlord] was, as far as Carlisle knew.

‘Should I just let him go back alive?’

Carlisle pondered.

‘If I let him live, he’ll definitely become a headache. He’s cunning for a Barbarian Warrior. He might show up years later to trouble Frey.’

Since Carlisle knew exactly what kind of person Bjornsen was, he could sufficiently predict what would happen in the future.

The Bjornsen that Carlisle knew was tenaciously persistent, cunning, and an annoying existence.

‘I might get into trouble first before even reaching Frey.’

If Bjornsen was determined to take revenge, Carlisle couldn’t even imagine how much he’d suffer.

In reality, Bjornsen was a character who was more than capable of doing just that.

In that case…

‘I’ll eliminate him while I have the chance.’

Carlisle made his decision.

Letting Bjornsen go alive here felt like missing a golden opportunity to eliminate a future troublemaker.

“Sir Helen.”

“Save the talk for later.”

Helen seemed busy attending to the wounded as a commander.

“This is important.”

“Is there anything more important than treating the wounded right now?”

“Not exactly, but it’ll only take a moment.”

“Sigh.”

Helen let out a deep sigh, stopped what she was doing, and turned to look at Carlisle.

“What exactly is this important matter, Private Carlisle?”

“Are you planning to just let the enemy commander go?”

“The enemy commander should be dead, shouldn’t he?”

Helen frowned as she recalled Bjornsen’s fall.

Her judgment was that falling from that height after being hit by an arrow, even a Barbarian Warrior wouldn’t have survived.

Having fought Barbarian Warriors here in the Blood-Soaked Land for the past five years, her judgment was quite reasonable.

“He’s probably alive. The tattoo carved in the center of his chest is…”

“I know too. You’re talking about Primordial Vitality, aren’t you? Did you think I wouldn’t know? Barbarian Warriors with that tattoo don’t die easily. But falling from that height is a different story.”

“Then at least let me confirm his corpse.”

“I cannot allow it.”

Helen shook her head.

“Outside the fortress is dangerous. You should know that rashly going outside the fortress could result in a counterattack.”

“I have this Inheritance Sword. If there’s an enemy ambush, I can detect it beforehand…”

“Stop.”

Helen spoke as if it wasn’t worth reconsidering any further.

“Even if the enemy commander didn’t die, I will not send you outside the fortress.”

“But…”

“You should have earned enough military merit already.”

“…”

Carlisle realized that Helen was having a misunderstanding that wasn’t really a misunderstanding.

She seemed to think he was heated up to earn military merit, but the problem was he couldn’t say that wasn’t the case.

‘How can I say I need to chase after him because it’s Bjornsen? She wouldn’t believe that anyway.’

Even Carlisle wouldn’t have cared whether any other Barbarian Warrior lived or died, so he couldn’t really think of a proper excuse.

‘I have no choice… Ah.’

Carlisle deliberately hardened his expression at a sudden thought and said to Helen.

“Private Derek died at his hands.”

“That, that’s…”

Helen’s expression hardened.

In fact, she had been deliberately avoiding Derek’s death while performing her duties as commander.

‘Good.’

Carlisle expected this approach would work and continued.

“Are you telling me not to even confirm the life or death of the enemy commander who killed a scout member? There’s no time to delay. If we move right now…”

“Private Derek’s death is regrettable, but that doesn’t mean we can force through a reckless operation. Private Carlisle, say no more. This is an order.”

“…”

Carlisle had no choice but to back down from Helen’s stubbornness.

He knew her judgment and decision weren’t wrong at all…

However.

“Well said, recruit.”

Scout Captain Begman stepped forward to support Carlisle’s opinion.

* * *

Begman was just the beginning.

“I won’t be satisfied until I scalp that bastard tonight!”

Wilson said angrily.

“We need revenge, don’t we?”

Kudo said with a murderous smile.

“If he’s alive, this time I’ll put an arrow through his skull.”

Marder, who had come down from the watchtower, also shared the same sentiment as the scout members.

“We can’t just let the bastard who killed Private Derek go. I want to at least confirm his corpse.”

Russell, who had escaped from the [Berserker]’s frenzy state, also seemed unable to contain his rising hostility.

That wasn’t all.

They weren’t the only ones in the scout unit.

“Please approve the operation.”

“We beg you, Sir Helen.”

The rest of the scout members also earnestly pleaded with Helen to pursue Bjornsen.

“But…”

Helen couldn’t easily make a decision.

She knew all too well how dangerous it was to send soldiers outside the fortress in the current situation.

“Sir Helen, Derek is dead. That good kid died miserably without even being able to close his eyes.”

“Sergeant Begman…”

“Please, for old times’ sake, approve this operation just this once. I beg you. I won’t make such an unreasonable request ever again.”

“…”

Helen showed clear signs of conflict at Begman’s plea.

Since she had such a special relationship with Begman, it wasn’t easy to refuse his request, unlike with others.

After some time passed, Helen opened her mouth.

“Operation… approved.”

A smile appeared on Carlisle’s lips.

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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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