Chapter 11
Chapter 11
It was not especially rare in the Middle Ages for fallen nobles or knights to turn into outlaws or bandits.
No matter how noble they once were, once their family collapsed, survival and basic necessities became their highest priority.
And most ruined nobles carried stains on their honor, making it difficult for other nobles to hire them.
There was always the risk of offending the royal family or high-ranking nobles who had punished them in the first place.
So the reason ruined nobles became raiders was never particularly complicated.
Would lords suddenly start plowing fields now?
Would they become merchants just because they were somewhat educated?
Or perhaps become tutors simply because they could read?
Whether they could or not was beside the point. Their pride as nobles would never allow it.
Nobles were people who sat inside towering castles, governed territories, and received the service of commoners.
Perhaps their descendants, born after the fall, might adapt.
But someone who had already tasted luxury could never suddenly lower themselves and bow among commoners.
Honestly, there was no need to overthink it.
There was a much easier way to make quick money.
As the saying went, the dead tell no tales.
Banditry and plunder preserved one’s pathetic sense of honor so long as no traces remained.
And for corrupted men, it was also a perfect outlet for the resentment of becoming ruined nobles.
The recently fallen Count Valten family was no different.
Who was Count Valten?
To put it simply, he was a man with twisted walls and an even more twisted personality.
And unable to control his rotten nature, he had ruled through tyranny.
As a result, innocent citizens had spent over a decade suffering in misery.
Simply because they had met the wrong lord.
Fortunately, their cries had not been meaningless.
Their suffering became so severe that even the Emperor far away heard of it.
Even considering Valten’s position as a border count, crossing the line by impaling rebelling vassal nobles had been too much.
Afterward, Count Valten had everything confiscated except for the family banner and the parchment proving his noble status.
Normally, even the Emperor avoided interfering in a vassal’s internal affairs.
That alone showed how horrific his rule had been.
Had he not secretly taken the parchment beforehand, he would not even have remained a noble.
He would have become a complete commoner.
Though it hardly mattered anymore.
That past as a noble was still his final shred of pride.
Count Valten.
Full name, Roston Valten.
Now the only people left beside the tyrant were the knights who had joined in his corruption and his younger brother, Aston Valten.
“Having him around really is fortunate.”
Roston sincerely thought so.
The existence of his younger brother, once the commander of the knights, felt incredibly reassuring.
Without his monstrous twin brother, he never would have been able to control that gang of thug-like knights.
He was neither intelligent nor meticulous, but—
“That inborn strength of his is exceptionally useful.”
It had been the same back when Roston still ruled.
Assassination, persuasion, threats, duels.
Whether in the shadows or face-to-face, his brother had helped him countless times in governing the territory.
And now, in a lawless wasteland where strength was everything, that usefulness shined even brighter.
“As expected, blood is all you can trust.”
Roston recalled his father’s words and smiled darkly.
His younger brother, who was growing stronger at an absurd pace, felt more dependable than ever.
Soon, he shifted his satisfied gaze elsewhere.
Their days of acting as mercenaries killing monsters or engaging in plunder would likely enter a temporary rest period.
This haul had been exceptionally profitable.
“Brother, with horns this large, they should fetch quite a price, no? Judging by the massive body and markings, that thing was definitely a chieftain.”
The count nodded.
Just as his brother said, the horn of a centaur, especially a chieftain’s horn, was extremely valuable as decoration.
“Well done. We cross the border immediately.”
Especially in neighboring countries where centaurs frequently appeared.
Roston and Aston planned to use this profit as funding and move to a distant kingdom to begin new lives.
“After we let the boys wet their throats first.”
“Understood.”
A huge man grinned broadly.
Below him lay the brutally butchered corpse of the centaur.
The greatsword in his hand glowed with blue sword aura, making it obvious who had done the deed.
His gleaming eyes were chilling.
Though his expression appeared hearty after finishing the job, the essence within him was no different from a murderous beast.
“Come to think of it, I heard there’s a ruined king’s territory nearby... no, I suppose it’s a barony now?”
Aston stared beyond the forest, his eyes gleaming with greed and battle lust.
Bellark had once been a rather famous small kingdom even in the Empire’s frontier.
Naturally, news of its destruction spread rapidly.
“We’re in similar circumstances, so how about paying them a comforting visit?”
“A comforting visit? From you?”
“Haha, isn’t it obvious what kind of comfort we’d offer?”
Aston tilted his head toward the centaur’s corpse.
“Kuhahahaha!”
Roston burst into laughter.
That was exactly like his brother.
If he genuinely showed mercy, the Valten name itself would weep.
“…It’s not a bad idea, but forget it.”
However, Roston had no intention of accepting his brother’s amusing suggestion.
“The Champion of Bellark may still be alive. Considering the lifespan of a knight who reached that level... the odds are high.”
If he and the knights joined Aston, it might not be impossible.
But risking themselves over such a worthless backwater simply was not worth it.
“Hm, but even then, he’s just some dying old man, isn’t he?”
The Champion of Bellark.
Even if it was in the past, anyone familiar with the name knew the reputation attached to it.
Yet Aston’s confidence remained overwhelming.
Blue flames of battle spirit rose endlessly from his eyes, proving he was a warrior far beyond ordinary knights.
“Aston, this is an important time. No matter how old he’s become, there’s no reason to take unnecessary risks.”
“Well, if that’s your opinion, brother.”
At the same time, Aston was a practical man who valued efficiency above all else.
He clicked his tongue regretfully at his brother’s words.
His gaze drifted toward the crimson serpent engraved on his greatsword, the ancient crest symbolizing House Valten.
Though he loved the smell of blood and battle more than anything, avoiding variables was the correct choice if it meant restoring the family.
Besides, following his brother’s advice had rarely led to losses.
“In that case, shouldn’t we also erase the evidence properly? You always said no one should know of our actions until we leave the Empire.”
A fair point.
Accepting his brother’s opinion, Roston turned his gaze toward the forest beyond the lake.
The daring little brat hiding among the bushes and spying on them lingered in his mind.
Considering her age, she probably had no hidden intentions.
Still, children that age never stopped talking.
And just in case—
“Getting rid of her wouldn’t hurt.”
Roston, though not on the same level as his brother, was still a powerful knight.
Seeing the face of the distant girl had not been difficult.
“She looked like she’d grow into quite the beauty.”
If that happened, there was the option of selling her as a slave.
But the country they planned to flee to had already abolished slavery.
“What a shame.”
Selling a single child was not worth retracing their entire route.
“Aston, there’s no need for you to handle it personally. The knights can do it.”
Unfortunately for Sera, it seemed charm and likability did not always work in convenient ways.
This world had too many rotten people for simple goodwill to solve everything.
Or perhaps her abilities had not yet grown enough to defy the laws of the world.
“It’s fine. I’ll handle it myself. Those idiots can be rather cruel.”
As if you’re any different.
At his brother’s dumbfounded look, the murderer grinned again.
Then disappeared beyond the forest carrying the massive greatsword.
Even after becoming younger.
Even after becoming a girl.
There was one ability from my previous life that remained exactly the same.
My instinct for identifying bastards.
The kind of people I should associate with.
And the kind I absolutely should not.
I had always possessed terrifyingly accurate instincts about that.
The eyes of those strangers at the lakeside.
Out of everything I had seen across both my past and present lives, those eyes ranked among the most unsettling.
Eyes overflowing with greed and desire like demons.
The moment I saw them, I realized something.
Beasts wearing human skin and pretending to be human.
I did not know the details, but one thing was certain.
They were people I should never get involved with.
“Huff... huff... haaah!”
I desperately tore through the forest.
Losing the centaur was no longer the issue.
My life itself was in danger right now.
Who had the luxury to care about anything else?
Crunch!
I occasionally tripped over rocks and bruised my knees bloody, but—
“Ghk!”
Instead of falling, I forced myself into rolls and kept moving.
I had to get farther away somehow.
Those unidentified monsters were absolutely not people I could afford to approach.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
How could someone’s footsteps sound like an earthquake?
The stomping through the forest grew louder and louder.
No, was that even a human?
It felt like they had started much later than me, but even if I was a child, how were they closing the distance this quickly?
Slash!
I had no time to look back, but every time the monster behind me swung its arm, thick trees seemed to split apart.
Wait.
It was cutting through those huge trees in one strike?
Was that really human?
“Aaaaagh!”
No matter what, running was still my only option.
But the heavy footsteps closed in mercilessly.
A massive danger squeezing my entire body.
Before long, I realized it.
I was finished.
There was no escaping by running.
“Fuck…”
I had only just become capable of properly cursing at Eden, and now I was going to die this pointlessly?
I was only four years old, but all I could do now was hope for some miracle from my traits.
Crunch.
I abandoned the escape, reached into my pocket, and grabbed my sling.
A crude weapon inspired by David and Goliath.
I had made it in case I ever encountered a thief or bandit and needed to throw rocks before escaping.
Yeah.
I wished it had only been ordinary bandits.
What kind of monster was this?
For the first time in my life, I envied David for fighting only Goliath.
I knew resistance was meaningless.
But the man pursuing me clearly had purpose.
Whether I begged or resisted, my fate would be the same.
If so, then even if I died, I would struggle until the end.
No matter how powerful my opponent was, refusing to submit was my final pride.
‘Come…!’
I steeled myself while staring into the noisy forest behind me.
I had no intention of dying quietly.
At the very least, I would take one of his eyes.
Or leave even the smallest wound.
If helplessness and defeat were inevitable, then I would at least preserve my pathetic pride.
Boom!
Soon the gigantic pursuer ended the chase and appeared before me instantly.
…But holy shit, he was huge.
Over two meters tall.
Maybe even far beyond that.
Perhaps he was the same kind of monster as the champion who had sent me to the afterlife in my previous life.
“Oh? For someone your age, you run quite well.”
His enormous frame blocked even the sunlight.
It felt like he could swallow me whole.
“And to think you’re even trying to resist. Brother was right. Such a shame. You’re quite the bold little brat.”
Still, I would not cower.
Even if I was terrified, I refused to show it.
No matter the difference in strength, a battle to the death demanded everything I had.
“But don’t worry too much. Since I like you, I’ll grant you a great kindness.”
What a load of bullshit.
I already knew what his “great kindness” meant.
A painless death at best.
Slavery at worst.
“I’ll end it before you even have time to feel pain.”
“Fuck you!”
There was no reason to listen to any more of his nonsense.
Pak! Pak! Pak! Pak!
I resisted like mad before he could act.
“Die! Dieee!”
I grabbed two stones at a time and rapidly fired them through the sling.
Against a normal adult, this would have been an effective counterattack.
Human faces were not harder than rocks.
“…Haha.”
But what exactly was this man?
Countless stones smashed into his unhelmeted face, yet he did not even flinch.
“Khk!”
To make matters worse, the moment I bent down briefly to grab more stones—
“Peekaboo~”
His grotesque smile was suddenly right in front of my face.
“Hik!?”
I froze for an instant at the absurd sight.
Then overwhelming fury surged through me.
This bastard.
Was he playing with me?
“Uaaaaah!”
Screw it all.
I swung a branch wildly.
Pathetic though it was, I burned with more fighting spirit than ever before.
Crack!
But that was all.
Even the fairly thick branch snapped in half instantly.
Clink.
The giant withdrew the sword aura and reversed his grip so the blunt side of the greatsword pointed downward.
More like a blunt weapon than a sword.
If that monster brought the blade down, I would become a bloody smear instantly.
‘……’
…It had been short.
And shitty.
But it was still a life I regretted losing.
This was a world I wanted to keep living in.
And I still had not lived for myself yet.
Then brief memories flashed through my mind like a dying lantern.
Eden.
The nanny.
Sir Lekun.
Relationships too precious to lose like this.
People I had failed to truly appreciate because I was obsessed with stats and special traits.
Still, these tiny memories brought me a little comfort.
Just as I was about to cling to those memories to endure the despair—
“Sera!!!”
A familiar voice rang in my ears.
Crunch!
And then warm arms wrapped tightly around me.