God-Tier Enhancement: My Upgrades Never Fail-Chapter 113: Episode 22 _ You’ll Remember If You Get Hit(4)

Chapter 113: Episode 22 _ You’ll Remember If You Get Hit(4)

5.

Baron Karan’s army was pathetic beyond measure.

Far from breaching the wall, their trebuchets were destroyed before they could even use them, leaving them with no choice but to stare blankly at the sturdy wall.

Since the means of attack in the siege had disappeared, what else could they do?

They say if you have no teeth, chew with your gums; they should have raised the ladders they prepared and climbed the wall, but morale had already hit rock bottom due to all sorts of curses that began once they approached within a hundred steps of the wall.

Even Baron Karan didn’t want to go back in there, so how must the soldiers feel?

The time had come to make a decision.

"L-Let’s retreat for now! I’m worried about an enemy ambush as it gets dark, so we’ll retreat to the territory and promise a later date!"

A heavy silence followed.

No one cheered at his rationalization.

Not because it was night.

But because trust was already lost.

Even if it’s a small war between territories, it is still a war.

In such a war, he wants to return to the base to rest, a base that takes a full half-day of walking without rest to reach.

Is this even a thought that makes sense?

It sounded like nothing more than saying he was scared and running away.

"Sigh."

"Still, we survived." 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"Yeah. Damn it. See if I ever come to this territory as a mercenary again."

Anyway, perhaps because they were ashamed to have participated in a war where they couldn’t even scratch the wall, or perhaps because they thought it was fortunate to keep their lives, the mercenaries turned around without saying much.

They would go back, pay the penalty or whatever, and get out of here quickly.

It was a mystery why the enemy didn’t attack Karan’s army, loitering in front of their base like this, but if they had attacked when they approached the wall, their lives would have been heading for the afterlife by now.

Creak—

Was it because most thoughts coincided?

Behind Baron Karan’s army, which had lost before even fighting and packed up to turn around, the firmly closed castle gate opened.

"...?"

"...?"

The gaze of the army, where silence flowed, turned backward.

What is it?

Suddenly?

Of course, they didn’t think much of it.

They had just collapsed from exhaustion after shadowboxing, so the question of why the opponent wasn’t attacking was just kept in a corner of their minds.

That mindset invited carelessness, and toward those turning back with their morale completely depleted, players burst out.

"Raaaah!"

"It’s experience! It’s money!"

"It’s one silver for every kill! I’m going to catch a hundred and eat fried chicken for three days!"

In terms of level alone, the players bursting out of the Rich Territory were lacking.

Equipment-wise, there were players better than the soldiers who were only issued basic gear, but since most were low-levels here for part-time jobs, they might be weak.

Was that all?

In terms of numbers, excluding the territory NPCs, only pure players stepped up, so it was difficult in every aspect.

But one thing.

Momentum!

The mindset that it didn’t matter if they died!

The will for money planted fear in the army of Karan Territory, who had already lost everything and were trying to run away.

Of course, it might have been difficult if it were day.

But now it was night!

In the darkness where even the moon hadn’t risen, could those who inwardly admitted defeat and were retreating make a cold judgment and power comparison against enemies rushing at them like crazy?

Right now, even Karan was panicked by the sudden shouting and running without looking back.

"R-Run away!"

"Run. We have to run!"

Besides, no one wants to get bitten by guys rushing at them screaming like lunatics.

Especially mercenaries, who are quicker than anyone at judging the situation and work hard to preserve their lives on the battlefield.

First, Karan ran, and the mercenaries followed behind him.

Naturally, the soldiers lagged behind, and the military supplies they brought were abandoned.

"They’re running away! Catch them!"

"My money is running away!"

Normally, not chasing is the best policy.

Chasing a fleeing enemy is more exhausting than one might imagine.

But the players, driven by money, ignored such compatibility.

They chased unconditionally.

They had to earn even a penny more to gear up for the game.

No, it’s even better if they catch that soldier and take the armor and weapon he’s wearing.

Thus, the chase in the dark night began.

* * *

Baron Karan, who had survived with cockroach-like vitality and felt like he had lost 4.4 pounds of fat from running, gasped for breath.

"Huff. Huff."

He felt like he was going to die.

He was out of breath, and since he ran when he never usually did, he felt dizzy too.

But he felt like he understood what it meant that just being able to feel such pain was happiness itself.

"I must go and surrender immediately..."

They say people only change when they are on the brink of death.

Baron Karan was no exception.

The players of the Rich Territory had chased him all the way back to his own domain, cackling like madmen the entire time!

He had compressed a half-day’s journey into a mere six hours. In that time, he saw his life flash before his eyes no less than thirty-six times, swept up in a whirlwind of emotions.

At the same time, he felt a deep sense of regret.

’I should have lived a kinder life.’

If he had possessed even a shred of decency, he wouldn’t have thought to march all the way to the Rich Territory to act like a tyrant.

’Why did I ever think of waging a territory war with this birdbrain of mine?’

Once his arrogance vanished, only a fat pig who grasped reality all too well remained.

He swore to surrender, no matter what sacrifice he had to make even if that choice meant risking his life right now.

He ran toward his Lord’s Castle without even checking the fate of the soldiers or mercenaries who had died for him.

The residents of the territory gathered one by one, their wailing ringing out through the streets, but right now, Karan just wanted to rest his body, which felt on the verge of collapse.

“...What is this?”

However, upon arriving at the Lord’s Castle, he felt as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over him. Lying collapsed at the entrance were the few knights and soldiers he had left behind to guard the territory—no, his personal property.

He snapped back to reality.

Only then did his memory return.

A very trivial detail he had forgotten.

’The lord of the Rich Territory rode something and headed for our territory...!’

Why had he forgotten that?

At the time, he hadn’t thought it was important. Distracted by the attack on the castle right in front of him, perhaps it was natural to overlook it.

He stood there, speechless.

His steps slowly retreated backward.

’No, it can’t be. Inside will be fine.’

He desperately wanted to believe that the enemy had come, saw nothing of value, and simply left. He had a wild desire to go inside and lie his crumbling body on his bed, but the little reason he had left screamed at him to run away immediately.

Life wasn’t a horror movie.

Baron Karan was not the fool who sees a clue implying ominous danger and still walks into the dark room. Instinctively, he turned his back on the castle.

’I have to run.’

Now that he realized it, he couldn’t miss the chance.

He had vowed to surrender, but that was only in his heart. He hadn’t conveyed his will yet.

Naturally, if he were caught, he would be killed. Or, to extract the rewards of the territory war, he would be tortured.

To avoid that, he started running again.

Although his speed was slow because his whole body felt heavy as lead.

Still, he felt proud.

It was a relief that he noticed before going inside.

“Where are you going?”

He froze in his tracks.

It was soon revealed that his relief was nothing more than wishful thinking.

* * *

6.

“Yo. Long time no see, huh?”

“H-Hello... Viscount.”

“Why the formal speech? Let’s act like we used to. You know, the great Baron Karan, who has connections with the central nobles.”

“...I am sorry. I am so sorry! Please forgive me just this once!”

Han Simin shook his head as he looked down at Karan, who was prostrate on the ground, begging.

“Mm-mm. No. That’s not it.”

Karan looked up in confusion.

“That’s no fun. You applied for a territory war and charged in with such spirit, so what is this?”

“I failed to recognize your greatness and acted out. I am sorry.”

“Eyy. I know you applied for the territory war, knowing I’m His Majesty’s son-in-law, don’t I?”

“No. Absolutely not!”

“What do you mean no? Boing? Isn’t this basically treason against His Majesty?”

“Haa!”

Karan went into a seizure.

Simply put, the territory war itself wasn’t a problem. Far from treason, the tradition of territorial war was a culture accepted even if one were to challenge the Emperor’s grandfather.

However, once divided into winner and loser, things changed a little.

Everything was according to the winner’s will.

It was truly a war where life and death were at stake.

In a situation where even the decision to take a life belonged to the winner, there wasn’t much difference between being framed for treason or being framed for killing a passing mutt.

It just sounded like, ’I’m definitely going to kill you.’

“I will do anything. I will give you anything. Please, just spare my life...”

“Isn’t that a given?”

“...Yes. It is a given.”

“Hmm.”

Simin sipped his tea while looking around the lord’s office. It had been compared to the Imperial Palace, but it was certainly more humble.

Around him, rabbits were playing while gnawing on carrots.

“The rabbits are quite cute, aren’t they?”

“Yes? Yes.”

’Cute, my ass.’

Wearing armor and baring their teeth, their faces were savage beyond measure.

Since he couldn’t tell the truth, he nodded unconditionally. He wasn’t even curious why Simin was saying such things out of the blue.

Nevertheless, Han Simin kindly explained the reason for changing the subject.

“Actually, my wife—that is, the princess—really likes our rabbits.”

“...Yes.”

“Our Princess is having her once-in-a-lifetime coming-of-age ceremony this time, and I was trying to prepare a special gift for her, even if it meant overextending myself a bit...”

Karan looked confused.

The gentle gaze turned toward the pig.

His body flinched!

“Because of you, I spent a lot of money preparing for the territory war.”

He gasped.

His true intentions revealed!

Simin had only done things he intended to do anyway under the pretext of the territory war, but everything was now the responsibility of the foolish Baron Karan, who had to take the fall!

Before he could even feel the injustice, Simin spat out words like a rapid-fire gun.

“I will compensate for everything!”

“How?”

“If you tell me the damages, I will cover that part entirely...”

“And if you lack the money?”

“I-I will pay it back even if I have to go into debt!”

“Really? Hmm.”

Even though he had a reluctant expression at the unconditional promise, Han Simin nodded and brought up the next business.

“And one more thing.”

“Yes!”

“That was the deal regarding my losses, and now I’m thinking of making a deal for your life.”

Karan was bewildered.

There is no thief like this thief.

Since he won the territory war anyway, if he just took everything without saying a word, it wouldn’t feel this stifling. It felt unnecessarily wasteful and bitter to have to personally prepare and offer it up, as if Baron Karan were doing it voluntarily.

“I told you I spent some money this time. It seems it will take too long to get the compensation from you and buy the princess’s gift, so I want to obtain a gift suitable for the princess’s coming-of-age ceremony in exchange for your life. How about it?”

“...Pardon?”

“I asked about it. Something suitable for a gift. Do you have anything?”

“...No, I don’t think I have anything like that...”

Baron Karan shook his head at the most difficult question in the world.

What did he expect him to do?!

How was he supposed to decide such a thing? What if he gave something and the princess didn’t like it?

In cases like this, backing out is the correct answer.

“You don’t?”

“...Yes.”

“No. You do. You must have something. Think carefully.”

Karan remained silent.

“Hmm. This won’t do. I’ll help you a little.”

“Yes?”

“You seem unable to think because you’re a bit out of it right now. You’ll remember once you get hit.”

Unfortunately for Baron Karan, backing out was not the correct answer for Han Simin.

* * *