MTLNOVEL Chapter 28
I sprang into action as soon as I spotted the people hiding in the pit at the harbor.
Ideally, I would have preferred to remain incognito, but I wasn’t heartless enough to ignore people in danger.
If I can save them, I should.
Thus, I instructed the three artillery units to continue pounding Margrave Fortress and instead ordered the revolutionary army’s main force to charge toward the port.
Spurred on by [Battlefield Charisma], the revolutionary forces swept away the royalist coalition and entered the harbor in the blink of an eye.
‘They’re from Europe.’
The people hiding in the pit were Europeans.
Given that Toulon Port is in France, they must be French hunters.
It’s amazing to think that I would meet people who had entered a gate on the other side of the world from our shop in Yŏksam-dong, Korea.
The woman who seemed to be their leader looked somewhat familiar, but I couldn’t quite place her.
“Would you allow me to heal these individuals?”
“If Jean wants to, she should go ahead.”
While Jean was healing the hunters, I took on the royalist monsters.
Bang—!
When I shot the head off the officer at the center of the group, dozens of monsters that had been clustered together all crumbled.
I didn’t know that shooting the officers would cause the remaining monsters to disappear.
I just felt it was what I should do, and they fell apart.
This must be part of the ability of Napoleon’s Rifle.
The ability to identify the “core” of the monsters.
Bang—! Bang—!
I pulled the trigger on whoever Napoleon’s Rifle indicated I should shoot.
Each time, an officer without fail collapsed, his head disappearing.
‘Wow, this thing hits perfectly.’
The bullets hit each time, making shooting a pleasure.
At this rate, I could probably hit the target with my eyes closed.
Of course, it’s not because I’m a sharpshooter that I hit so well.
===
Accuracy: 90% increased
===
It’s just because the gun is great.
As the officers dropped one by one, the harbor, which had been full of monsters, quickly became quiet.
“Clean up.”
[Oh!]
A revolutionary army officer saluted me and began dealing with the remaining royalists with his troops.
Perhaps thanks to the battlefield charisma buff, the royalist monsters didn’t put up much of a fight.
I left the cleanup to the revolutionary army and turned to the French hunters.
The hunters who had been injured were already healed thanks to Jean’s treatment.
The woman who appeared to be their representative introduced herself.
“Rachel Bonaparte.”
“My name is Rachel Bonaparte. She said she is the current head of the Bonaparte family.”
“Ah, this person…”
Through Jean’s translation, I looked at the woman with renewed interest.
So that’s why she seemed familiar.
Rachel Bonaparte was a woman often seen on TV.
She was a French S-Rank Hunter and well-known as a direct descendant of Napoleon.
Up close, she bore a strong resemblance to Napoleon.
Although her hair was silver, the direct gaze of her eyes and her elegant features reminded me of Napoleon.
Suddenly, Rachel handed me a small brooch.
“Present.”
“Thank you.”
Upon hearing her offer in English, I accepted the brooch she extended.
It was a brooch with a jewel set in the shape of a cross in the center, surrounded by a laurel wreath.
‘It looks like a medal.’
I inspected the brooch.
===
Napoleon’s Medal
===
While I couldn’t see its rank or abilities, it was clear this was a relic of Napoleon’s.
Surprised, I looked at Rachel, and she mimed pinning a medal on her chest.
“Wear it.”
“She says she’s giving it to you as a token of gratitude.”
“Is she giving this to me?”
“Yes, she said it’s for saving her.”
Though it felt like unexpected good fortune, I followed Rachel’s suggestion and pinned the medal to my chest.
However, the relic appeared completely normal, showing no effect whatsoever.
‘It must not suit me.’
Sometimes this happens.
There are relics that require the soul’s resonance to align, or relics that select their own master.
The most famous relic of this kind is Excalibur of King Arthur.
Arthur became the king of Britain by drawing the sword stuck in the ground, which no one else could pull.
Also, Thor’s hammer is said to be wieldable only by Thor.
By that logic, it seemed that I hadn’t been chosen by the brooch.
However…
—Napoleon’s Rifle has recognized the medal.
—Napoleon’s Rifle’s attack power has increased slightly.
Napoleon’s Rifle hummed, and detailed information about the brooch appeared.
===
[Napoleon’s Medal]
[Grade: Epic]
[Protective Barrier: 3 uses]
[Reuse Wait Time: 24 hours]
—Granted to Napoleon by King Frederik VI of Denmark, this is the Elephant Medal.
===
‘So it comes down to this.’
Just like Yi Sun-sin’s Helmet coordinated with the Twin Dragon Sword, this medal did the same.
Since I had been acknowledged by the previous owners of the relics, it seemed the other relics naturally linked with mine as well.
Meanwhile, Rachel, who had given Napoleon’s Medal to Sejun Cho, was trembling.
She wanted to believe that Sejun Cho was the reincarnation of Napoleon and had given him the medal to confirm this.
Only the rightful owner, Napoleon, could fully awaken the medal he had once worn.
Given that it was realistically impossible for anyone to meet a figure from centuries ago in their lifetime, there was no need to discuss it.
However, the medal reacted.
This meant that Sejun Cho was the reincarnation of Napoleon.
It was strange at first that the medal didn’t react, but it must have taken some time to recognize Sejun Cho as the reincarnation.
‘Ancestor…’
Rachel’s gaze towards Sejun Cho wavered.
She finally understood why the revolutionary army followed him; Napoleon had been the commander of Toulon!
The rightful owner of the relic had returned, so naturally, the revolutionary army followed him.
‘The strategy of pressuring the fortress with the artillery is exactly as written in the family documents.’
Rachel trembled with the thrilling realization that her ancestor had been reborn.
*
‘Why is she acting like this?’
Rachel was looking at me in a burdensome way.
Her legs seemed to be weak, as if she hadn’t fully recovered from her injuries.
It seemed she was asking for the medal back with her eyes, so I, though reluctant, undid it from my chest.
Of course, a relic like this wouldn’t be given away so easily.
“This is too precious a thing for me to accept.”
But even after I returned the medal, Rachel refused to take it back.
“She says you’re qualified.”
“Me?”
“Yes. That’s what she said.”
Looking at Rachel, she nodded with a gentle smile.
Then she stood up and led the way out of the pit.
“She wants you to lead the charge.”
“But it seems like your wounds aren’t fully recovered…”
I was concerned about Rachel’s condition, but it was hard to stop her, given she wanted to take the lead herself.
I was also curious as to what kind of capabilities an S-Rank Hunter like Rachel had.
If it appears too dangerous, I’ll have to stop her then.
‘She’s an incredibly kind person.’
Rachel, despite everything, stepping forward confidently, was truly worthy as a descendant of Napoleon.
*
‘Why is she acting like this?’
Rachel was looking at me with a somewhat strange expression.
Her legs seemed to be trembling slightly, making it appear as if she hadn’t fully recovered from her injuries.
It seemed that her gaze was asking for the medal back, so, though reluctant, I took it off my chest and handed it over.
After all, something like this relic wouldn’t be given away so easily.
“I’m unworthy to accept such a valuable object.”
However, Rachel refused to take the medal back, insisting.
“She says you’re qualified,” Jean translated.
“Me?”
“Yes. That’s what she said.”
Looking at Rachel, she was nodding with a gentle smile.
Then, leading the way out of the pit, she announced.
“She wants you to take the lead in the charge.”
“But it seems your injuries haven’t fully healed…”
Worried about Rachel’s condition, it was difficult to dissuade her since she insisted on taking the lead.
I secretly wanted to observe just how capable Rachel, the S-Rank Hunter, was.
If it seems too dangerous, I guess I’ll have no choice but to intervene then.
‘What a remarkably kind person.’
The boldness with which Rachel took the lead was truly befitting a descendant of Napoleon.
*
Rachel had struggled simply because she entered the gate without any prior information.
Her skills, when not taken lightly, were truly worthy of an S-Rank title.
Whoosh—whoosh—
Each time her golden sword swung, the monsters in its path were effortlessly cut down.
The sword Rachel wielded, with Jupiter’s head carved at the hilt, was known to have been Napoleon’s golden sabre used in the Battle of Marengo.
But Rachel’s true strength wasn’t from the relic; it was the Hunter awakening ability she possessed herself.
Whoosh—
Surrounding her was a swirling vortex of wind, demonstrating the power of the “Wind King’s Armor.”
This ability, which epitomized Rachel as a Wind Attribute S-Rank Awakened, was a formidable weapon that destroyed everything in its path.
The golden sword wrapped in wind not only enhanced its cutting power astronomically but also fired blasts of compressed wind.
And that wasn’t all.
Flutter— Flutter—
Jean’s flag waved, further increasing Rachel’s overall capabilities.
Combine that with the high morale boost from the “Charisma of the Battlefield,”
Swish—
and the royalist general guarding the path to the fortress had his head cleanly cut off by the mighty two-stage buff-powered Rachel.
[Ohhh!]
With the obstacle out of the way, the revolutionary army charged into the fallen fortress.
Despite doing nothing, the fortress was being claimed without my intervention.
‘This is what they call carrying the game.’
Is this what automatic hunting is like?
*
[Defeated O’Hara General]
[Toulon Gate Raid Successful]
[Raid Rating: SSS]
[Reward: Summon Initialization Ticket awarded]
As General O’Hara, the commander of the Margrave Fortress, lost his head to Rachel’s sword, the raid on Toulon Gate was complete.
As the gate raid ended, Jean and I were automatically returned to the shop.
“Master Sejun, thank you for your hard work.”
“Hard work? What hard work? It was Rachel and Jean who did all the toil.”
It wasn’t a polite remark but sincere.
After all, all I did was pull the trigger from behind.
After Rachel joined, I didn’t even need to do that.
With the S-Rank Hunter boosted by the Holy Woman, she was like an indestructible monster that wouldn’t die no matter how hard it was hit, making it confusing as to which side were the real monsters.
It was Jean who did all the heavy lifting with her holy powers, so it was embarrassing to hear that I had “worked hard.”
That said,
‘Summon Initialization Ticket.’
The Summon Initialization Ticket awarded as a reward for the gate raid was a ticket that could reset the cooldown for relics or even Jean’s summoning time.
Although it might seem lackluster at first glance, it would be nice to use when in a pinch.
Additionally, the amount of mana in the Blizzard Stone increased dramatically through this raid.
Although I couldn’t use the relics as much as I’d like, I didn’t need to conserve mana as I did before.
Of course, it didn’t shorten the cooldown time, but thanks to that, the amount of holy power Jean could use increased as a favorable outcome.
And yet,
“Jean, where do you go after your summon period ends?”
“I don’t know where exactly. I just feel like I’m sleeping.”
“Are you uncomfortable or in pain?”
“No, I’m fine, so don’t worry about me.”
Jean smiled and said she was fine, but was it really that simple?
I just felt the need to increase my mana as soon as possible or at least gather summon initialization tickets.
“Jean, after we’re done cleaning up, shall we go out and eat some pork belly?”
“Sure.”
Jean smiled cheerfully.
*
My shop was structured with a house located in the back.
A house with one bedroom attached to the living room.
It was more convenient for me to live this way rather than constantly coming and going from the shop.
‘Nevertheless, I should move soon.’
I hadn’t noticed when I was alone, but living with Jean made me realize how cramped it was in several ways.
Even though Jean wasn’t around all the time, I still wanted her to live comfortably when she was.
I still had plenty of money left over from selling the Korean ring swords, so I didn’t need to worry about finances.
Thinking I should look for a proper home soon, I sat on the living room sofa and turned on the TV.
—Hunter Rachel! How was the Toulon Gate raid?
—We’ve heard the sacrifices from the hunters were immense. How did you manage to complete the raid without injury?
On TV, Rachel was giving a live interview in front of reporters, who were asking about the Toulon Gate raid that had caused quite a stir worldwide.
And Rachel was sharing her thoughts on the raid amidst the onslaught of questions from the reporters.
—It was… thanks to my ancestor.
—?
“…?”