The Rural Officer Who Was Once a General

Part 1, Chapter 5

‘What the hell!’

In the blink of an eye, Terry furrowed his brow as he faced Tryaev.

Although arrows were flying toward them, the pale-faced officer charged forward without any sign of fear.

What in the world was he relying on to do that?

Numerical superiority?

No, there was no way the officer knew how many assassins were hiding behind the reeds.

He didn’t seem the type to charge recklessly just because of the number of arrows, so it must be the confidence in his own abilities.

The scars all over his face and the dual swords—only those who were proficient in the sword would use such weapons.

His footwork wasn’t on the level of a ranger, but it was still quite good.

More importantly, there was no trace of nervousness on the officer's face.

‘Tch.’

Terry gripped his dagger tightly, narrowing his eyes.

In terms of combat experience and skill, he, a member of the elite forces of the Khanate, wouldn’t be easily outclassed.

And, most importantly, they had the support of crossbowmen.

It was unclear if he could break through the arrows and reach Tryaev.

But Terry’s doubts were quickly resolved.

Two blades, shaped like wings, extended from Tryaev’s hands.

Tryaev leaned forward, thrusting his body at a steep angle toward the ground.

Whoosh!

With the sound of a sharp gust of wind, arrows flew toward him.

Clash!

The narrow blades, despite being thin, deflected five arrows flying straight at him.

Thud!

Six of the remaining arrows struck the ground near his feet, and the last one aimed at a soldier behind him was easily blocked by an oiled shield.

‘Here it comes!’

Terry swallowed hard as a gulp echoed in his throat.

He felt his heart pounding as he tilted his dagger sideways.

He planned to strike at Tryaev’s joints or chest with a slashing blow.

Tryaev had steel armor on his shoulders and wrists, but the rest of his body was covered only in leather or cloth.

‘The blade should get through.’

The issue was timing.

Although the dual swords were relatively short, they could still dominate in range against a dagger.

Therefore, Terry had to close the gap and strike up close.

‘The power isn’t what matters.’

His dagger was coated with poison that would spread through blood, so even a small cut would suffice.

He just needed to think of it like cutting a beard—just a swift swipe.

Terry made his decision in an instant and met Tryaev’s eyes.

‘Come at me!’

With skilled movement, Terry aimed his dagger at Tryaev’s lower body.

Clang!

In an incredible display, Tryaev’s sword in his right hand deflected Terry’s dagger.

Then, the sword in his left hand shot toward Terry’s neck.

‘Damn!’

There was no way to block it.

Terry quickly adjusted his grip on the dagger and adopted a posture where his upper body would collide with Tryaev’s.

That was the only way he could win.

Clink!

As Terry shifted his weight forward, Tryaev’s sword, held in his right hand, struck at an unusual angle and embedded itself in Terry’s waist.

“Ugh!”

Despite the training he had undergone to suppress his voice since becoming an assassin, Terry let out a loud cry.

Whoosh.

The sword in Tryaev’s left hand pierced Terry’s neck but quickly pulled out.

There were still enemies left.

Jett, realizing the danger of Tryaev, swiftly moved his body and thrust his dagger.

Tryaev, pulling his sword from Terry’s neck, blocked Jett’s dagger and took a step back.

Jett, without hesitation, bent his upper body and lunged toward Tryaev.

“Hm?”

It seemed Jett was wearing an armor made of a mixture of leather and metal around his neck.

He must have been relying on that.

‘He probably thinks just tilting his head is enough to avoid it.’

That wasn’t an entirely wrong assumption.

Dual swords aren’t just about wielding two separate blades—they’re weapons that use both swords as one.

So, those who use dual swords develop certain patterns.

Jett must have believed he could read and respond to that.

‘But.’

Tryaev raised his right leg and delivered a kick to Jett’s chin.

“Ugh!”

Unlike Terry, Jett tried to suppress the noise, but he too couldn’t hold back a scream.

It seemed he hadn’t expected a kick from below.

“Tch, I was expecting more from an elite.”

What kind of confidence did he have, charging in with his chin exposed at such close range?

Crunch.

Jett’s thigh was deeply cut, and he collapsed to the ground.

Whoosh.

Tryaev’s sword thrust into Jett’s heart.

“Break through!”

Tryaev shouted, shaking the blood off his sword and spraying it into the reed field.

“Yes!”

Three of Tryaev’s direct subordinates charged into the reed field.

“I think someone was over here! There are tracks from some fallen reeds.”

The largest of the three, holding a mace, shouted.

Whoosh.

The reeds in front of him shifted slightly, but he didn’t notice it.

Swish.

The leader of the assassin group emerged from the reed field and slashed downward with a curved sword about two feet long.

Clang!

The blow crushed the helmet, knocking it off.

“Ugh!”

Enduring the agonizing pain in his head, the large soldier swung his mace at the enemy before him.

Whoosh.

However, the assassin leader quickly disappeared into the reed field, and the mace merely sliced through the long reeds.

Crunch.

A soldier’s joint, unprotected by heavy armor, was cut, causing him to fall to the ground, and soon after, red blood splattered across the reeds.

‘There’s another skilled one.’

Taking down one of his soldiers so easily in such a situation showed undeniable skill.

‘What kind of opponent is this?’

At the very least, the enemy seemed to be on par with him and perhaps even superior.

Whoosh!

Once again, arrows flew across the reed field.

Clang!

Tryaev’s swords, making wide arcs, intercepted half of the arrows, while the other half were successfully blocked by a soldier holding a shield slightly ahead of him.

“Over there!”

Tryaev quickly identified the position of the crossbowmen and swiftly moved.

Before fighting the leader of those rangers, he had to deal with the archers.

Surprisingly, the crossbowmen were close by.

What was unexpected was that, by the time Tryaev had noticed, they had discarded their crossbows and grabbed daggers.

“Tch.”

It would be three against twelve in close combat.

“Charge!”

That was, of course, assuming the command given by Fade wasn’t issued right then.

At that moment, the leader of the assassin group also poked his head out from the reed field and shouted.

“Infantry, join the battle!”

It was just one shout, but it echoed all the way to the dense hills.

“Waaaah!”

Apparently, there was no intention of ending things quietly. Eight light infantry soldiers shouted loudly as they charged into the reed field.

“Officer, fall back…!”

Fade shouted, but Tryaev lightly ignored him.

“Do I have no pride? The vanguard can’t retreat with its tail between its legs.”

“…I thought you might say that…”

Having come back to such a blood-curdling battlefield after a while, Tryaev was clearly eager to let loose.

Fade let out a deep sigh and urged the soldiers forward.

“Ugh!”

A soldier at the far left of the rear was struck down, spraying blood as he fell.

‘A skilled one, huh.’

The energy coming from this one was different from the ones who had fallen to Tryaev, like Jett or Terry.

“Soldiers, maintain formation and advance. Officers, follow me!”

Fade handed his horse to one of the officers and charged into the blood-splattered reed field.

‘I need to lure them.’

To prevent more casualties, he needed to meet the enemy’s leader quickly.

Since the opponent was skilled, if he gave even a small opening, the enemy would exploit it.

Fade moved a step beyond what he deemed a safe position, and the signal came.

It wasn’t anything audible or visible, but one sense of Fade’s confirmed the assassin leader’s attack.

Fade spun around and raised his bastard sword.

The blade made contact with a curved sword, sending sparks flying.

Ting!

“Ugh, my wrist.”

Normally, Fade would have used an arming sword, so wielding the bastard sword to block such a strong attack gave a slight recoil.

‘But still, I’m more comfortable with a longsword.’

Although it couldn’t compare to the custom longsword he once used, his swordsmanship was better suited for handling long swords.

So, in a rush, he borrowed Karun’s well-maintained sword, but the weapon was still too unfamiliar to his body, and it screamed in protest.

It didn’t matter too much.

His body could adjust with time, and the opponent in front of him was more than manageable even with this handicap.

It wasn’t that the enemy’s leader was unskilled.

It was just that the enemy was unfortunate.

Fade tightened his grip on the bastard sword and swung it with all his might in a horizontal arc.

“Ugh!”

The assassin leader retreated, narrowly avoiding the bastard sword, and before Fade could recover his blade, he slashed downward with his curved sword as he charged in.

Fade leaped backward, deflecting the attack.

“…Damn it…”

The assassin leader grimaced.

It was because of the position he was in.

‘Was that intentional...?’

Fade swung the bastard sword wildly, cutting down all the reeds nearby, and then backed away, letting the empty space between the reeds trap him.

“Clever.”

The leader ground his teeth and tightened his grip on his sword, twisting it aggressively.

‘All I need to do is kill him.’

After that, if he struck the rear of those infantry soldiers?

He was certain of victory.

Except for the old man with white hair, they were all nothing but rabble, and he was confident he could take down that old man as well.

Since they would all die in the reed field anyway, it would also make cleaning up the traces much easier.

“Ugh!”

The assassin leader, unexpectedly letting out a low battle cry, charged at Fade.

Kiriick.

The curved sword came at Fade with fierce momentum.

The erratic path of the sword, making it impossible to know where it would strike, caused Fade to wait until the blade was close to his feet.

Twang!

Fade extended the back edge of his gauntlet-wrapped left hand to deflect the sword.

Whooosh.

The unbalanced sword sliced through the air, and Fade immediately swung his longsword horizontally.

Swish!

The assassin leader hurriedly leaped back, but the bastard sword still managed to slice across his chest.

“Ugh…!”

The wound on his chest cracked open with a painful rip.

The assassin leader bit his lip tightly, glaring at the emotionless Fade.

‘Damn it, this is bad...’

No matter how he looked at it, this man didn’t seem like someone who would be in a rural backwater like this.