Popular NPC in a Gender-Reversed Game

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Upon hearing the other Adventurer’s words, I found myself glancing around again.

Hearing that they had already been defeated made the scene before me appear slightly different.

Now that I thought about it, the atmosphere felt unusually heavy.

With so many people gathered, it should have been a bustling scene, yet there was an eerily oppressive silence hanging over everything.

Well, not entirely silent.

“Ugh…!”

“Priest! Is there a Priest around here?!”

It wasn’t noise from excited chatter, but the groans of the injured, lamenting their wounds.

Injured individuals, whether Knights or Adventurers, caught my eye.

The injuries among the Adventurers were especially severe, with many moaning in pain from burns. Some were wrapped in bandages from head to toe.

Amidst them, a Priest from the Otherworlders was desperately trying to treat them.

It seemed that the recent battle had been quite extensive.

Honestly, I had no connection to those injured, but…

Still, sharing the same humanity, I couldn’t help but feel a pinch of discomfort.

Seeing this, I asked the Adventurer beside me for the details.

“By the time we arrived, the Lemegaton folks had already set up their camp.”

It turned out the Knights and Adventurers were already a step behind.

Whether Lemegaton had gotten wind of the news first, they had already established a formidable defensive line near the Altar.

It was something the Knights couldn’t just let be, so they ordered a charge.

And then, they met with an unexpectedly strong enemy force and were forced to retreat.

“From the start, the positioning was just too disadvantageous. Tch… the Altar was atop a mountain. I mean, isn’t attacking from a bad position just asking for a loss? But they recklessly charged in anyway.”

The Adventurer before me scowled.

“At least it’s a rocky mountain,” he muttered. Luckily, there wouldn’t be any spread of fire.

I heard that among their main officers, there was one who was quite skilled in flame magic.

The fact that they were easily defeated was largely due to that guy.

After listening to the story, I nodded lightly.

Either way, this wasn’t good news.

‘…Why does it have to be mountainous terrain.’

Although I’m not an expert in strategies, I know that mountainous terrain is not ideal for battles.

Especially for the attackers.

The defenders simply need to knock down the incoming foes, unlike attackers who have to climb the mountain while dealing with the enemies at the same time.

It doubles their stamina usage.

Meanwhile, they’ve lost in battle, and the enemy is still fortifying their defenses. Setting up barricades or traps along the way.

‘This is going to give the Knights a headache.’

Of course, this was somewhat irrelevant to me.

I was just a mere soldier involved in this. Finding ways to counter that was the Knights’ responsibility, not mine.

‘Should I just go check out their mood?’

Suddenly curious about their vibe, I decided to head towards the Knights’ tents.

“Huh? Where are you going?”

“Just curious about what the Knights are talking about.”

“Ah, come back quickly!”

As I went, I made sure to inform my party.

Finding the tent where the upper echelons of the Knights were staying wasn’t too hard.

After all, it was usually the largest tent around.

“What the heck? Why are you here!”

My guess was spot-on. As soon as I stepped in, a brown-haired Knight greeted me.

It seemed that the commander dispatched this time was the Fifth Knight Commander.

‘What was her name…?’

Serena, right? That’s probably it. To be honest, I can’t recall it all that well.

Unlike the second Knight Commander who had a great deal of pride and the third who seemed a bit odd, the fifth one didn’t have any distinct traits.

“Damn, so you showed up too. I don’t know if I should be happy or not…”

Only thing I really remembered was that she particularly didn’t seem to like me among the other commanders. Given her intense pride as a Knight, it made sense.

It didn’t help that I had smashed through a lot of Knights.

But at least, she didn’t seem keen on kicking me out.

“You look like you’ve got quite the headache.”

I said, looking at her.

Since they lost the battle and returned, her expression looked completely strained. Maybe she had some trouble sleeping, because she had dark circles under her eyes.

Still, she kept her eyes fixed on the map laid out on the table.

A lot of pieces seemed to be arranged on the map. Some looked human-like while others resembled obstacles.

I’m guessing that’s how she planned strategies.

She mumbled while shifting pieces around.

“Don’t worry. We can win… No, we will win.”

“…Hmm.”

I quietly observed her.

Honestly, we weren’t on great terms but I couldn’t ignore that sight either.

She was genuinely trying her best to care for the Knights and Adventurers, striving for victory.

Because of that, I decided to add a word of encouragement for her.

“Of course we’ll win. I came all this way after all. Since I’m involved, I should get to be on the map too.”

Tap.

I said this as I put one of the pieces that had been rolling around on the table.

It might sound boastful, but my skills are pretty decent. Even one piece could be of help.

“…?”

For a moment she just stared at me blankly.

Then she opened her mouth.

“I heard you performed quite well during the Andras subjugation.”

“Of course. Without me, we would have been in big trouble!”

“…Right. Thanks. I won’t turn down a goodwill gesture.”

She calmly expressed her gratitude. There seemed to be various emotions swirling in her brown eyes.

“Well, of course you should be grateful.”

I grinned and exited the tent.

Usually, the more awkward the relationship, the better the goodwill should be managed. It reduces the chances of troublesome situations cropping up later. It’s all about holding onto that light in your heart.

Fortunately, she seemed to be eager to properly utilize me as a piece.

Just two days after arriving here,

Despite it being so soon after the defeat, Serena hinted again about charging forward.

“Everyone, prepare yourselves. We’re planning to strike tomorrow.”

Serena, standing on the platform, briefly explained the plan.

Considering how long she must have thought about it, the strategy was rather simple.

They would lead with the Knights and tankers slowly clearing a path ahead.

There was no way to circumvent since it was a rocky mountain all around. Fortifying defense and eliminating all attackers was the way to go.

It was basic but also lacked any real variables to speak of.

Unsurprisingly, the Adventurers protested first.

“Isn’t this too hasty? It was just a few days since we lost to the enemy. We haven’t even finished treating the injured. Shouldn’t we wait for more Adventurers to gather? We haven’t seen any S-rank Adventurers around either.”

Yet Serena wasn’t fazed, pressing her own agenda.

“Exactly! That’s why now is the opportunity. They must be fatigued from fighting. Plus, they had to build defenses, so they couldn’t rest properly. We should hit them while they’re still recovering.”

“Hmm… if that’s the case.”

With that, the Adventurers had no choice but to concede.

As for the Otherworlders, they were naturally in favor, eager for the event to start.

I was assigned to the frontlines.

Even though I wasn’t a tanker, eventually someone had to be on point.

“I’m sorry, but I think we’ll definitely need your help this time. To clear the way, we ultimately need a battle of strength…”

I readily nodded.

If it had just been me participating, that would have felt a bit unfair, but since Serena was going to the front as well, it seemed I wouldn’t be alone.

Moreover, Yoo Chaerin somehow ended up at the front too, so it shouldn’t be boring.

Thus, we charged into battle the next day.

The goal was the summit of the rocky mountain, aiming for the spot where the Altar was located.

***

“…This is the Third Commander reporting.”

At the summit of the rocky mountain, where the demon’s emblem was inscribed upon the Altar, numerous Mages were currently gathering and infusing mana into the Altar.

Waves of mana swirled and seeped into the patterns of the Altar.

This was a ritual to summon demons.

And at the center of those Mages stood a woman radiating a slightly unsettling aura.

“Yes, what’s going on?”

It was the Third Commander, Libya.

As she turned her head, the follower who approached her answered quickly.

“Uh, it seems the enemy is trying to invade again …”

“Oh, again? How long has it been since we chased them off that they’re back already?”

Libya continued her words as if musing around.

“Seriously… this time I’ll burn it all to the ground.”

Snap— crackle—!

Then, small sparks began to flicker on her palm.

Like fireworks, tiny, vibrant flames exploded and vanished repeatedly.

To an observer, it appeared to be just a beautiful display of magic, but the follower watching could only feel chills down their spine.

‘…That’s frightening.’

She had keenly observed how brutally those flames had scorched Adventurers.

Especially, the fact that her gentle expression remained unchanged while watching people burn before her was enough to chill anyone to the bone. Regardless of respect for her superior.

“Then let’s go. I’ll head out first.”

Unbothered by such sentiments, Libya merely descended the rocky mountain, flames still dancing in her palm.

Her follower thought to themself:

‘Once again, many Adventurers will likely be burned…’

***

“Phew…”

Meanwhile, inside the Lemegaton’s hideout.

Having taken guard there after a long time, Sephir let out a long sigh.

It was a relief to just patrol the city and not much else, but…

Thinking of Libya, who was currently out on deployment, made her uneasy.

Not only was she unwilling about the council choosing Libya for this task, but honestly, she just didn’t like Libya herself.

Not only was she always irritating, but their personalities clashed drastically.

Unlike herself, who didn’t take unnecessary lives, Libya had a tendency to kill on sight if she saw Knights or Adventurers. Especially against Adventurers, her rage was fierce.

She always wore a smile, yet Sephir couldn’t tell what went on in that head of hers. Truly incompatible.

How did that girl end up so twisted…?

“Do you know why Libya hates Knights and Adventurers so much?”

While sighing, she asked Amber from the finance team.

Since not her, but Amber was relatively close to Libya, she figured she might know something.

“Haha, I wouldn’t know. She has a thick face and doesn’t talk much about her past, you know? If I died, she’d probably just go, ‘Oh, I died~’ and that’s it.”

Of course, Sephir didn’t get any helpful answers from that.

After hearing that, Sephir sighed once more.

As is often the case in workplace life, it isn’t easy to collaborate with colleagues you don’t like.

“Oh right.”

While sighed, Amber, who had been looking at her pityingly, added a line.

It was one fact she had learned while spending time with Libya.

“By the way, I heard she grew up in an orphanage before joining us…”

“Oh dear, does that mean she developed a twisted personality for growing up without parents?”

“Eh…! Don’t say that, Sephir!”

Of course, that wasn’t very useful information for Sephir.

 

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