Chapter 8
Chapter 8
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 8
Ilene (6)
Until the moment he captured the Princess, Cedric was convinced. That there was nothing in this Kingdom threatening him anymore.
Having handed over enough corpses of villagers to the demons, he believed that if he just offered the head of that arrogant War Hero, his life would be smooth sailing.
Until that voice was heard from outside the cabin.
"Damn it!"
Cedric drew his sword along with a curse. He intended to attack together with the demon as soon as the War Hero opened that door and entered.
"Uh?"
But something was strange. He definitely had to take a stance, but his body wouldn't listen. Even the hand holding the sword trembled until he finally dropped the weapon. Looking to the side, the demon was the same.
"...Don't tell me paralysis poison?"
Cedric looked around belatedly. The poison fog he missed because of the darkness was finally caught in his eyes, and he hurriedly covered his mouth.
However, it was already too late. His body was already full of poison, and the door was opening with the anxious sound of hinges.
Along with the wind, the fog escaped, and instead, a knight stained with blood revealed himself. Discovering him, Cedric shouted as if he couldn't believe it.
"This crazy bastard! There's a Princess here, but you released poison here!?"
It wasn't the time to discuss a knight's chivalry or honor. The Princess was also in this place right now. Yet that crazy guy released poison here.
"Ah, ugh..."
Looking to the side, Ilene was also flinching, affected by the poison. But Carmil didn't even give a glance to her.
His gaze was fixed only on Cedric, who was backing away.
"Why are you like that? Wasn't it me you wanted to meet."
"D-Damn it...!"
As time passed, strength didn't enter his body. Even though the weapon was right below, he couldn't dare to pick it up. At most, standing was all he could do. Leaving aside fighting, it was a situation where even fleeing wasn't allowed.
"Kuk!?"
Eventually, Cedric, whose legs were wobbling, fell to the floor. In front of him like that, heavy footsteps stopped.
When Cedric barely lifted his head, red eyes inside the helmet were looking down at him. That gaze that glared at him during the day was measuring the prey once again.
"C-Cowardly bastard. A guy called a knight uses paralysis poison!? Do you have no honor!"
"Cowardly, you say. That is truly the best praise one can hear from an enemy."
But even hearing those words, Carmil didn't care. Usually, when said like this, most knights were busy getting angry.
Cedric couldn't get a sense of what to say to this pattern he was seeing for the first time.
"Y-You bastard. Let's fight one-on-one! I challenge you to a duel as a knight!!"
"..."
Although Cedric proposed with hope, he didn't even pretend to hear. He was just slowly appreciating the appearance of Cedric wriggling like a worm on the floor.
"I, you see. Like the sight of trash who have some pride in their sword dying without being able to swing their sword properly even once. Because there is nothing as spectacular as the unfair expression shown at that time."
"Y-You bastard..."
At the completely unexpected answer, Cedric felt dizzy. He was prepared to die stabbed by a sword someday while doing this. But he thought even if he died, he would die fighting an opponent stronger than him. He never even imagined he would meet his end without being able to use his sword even once like this.
Cedric glared with eyes mixed with anger and helplessness, but Carmil was still looking down at him calmly.
"Why are you like that? Did you think trash like you could die gloriously? The victims who suffered from you until now would laugh."
"This son of a bitch! If you are a knight too, you should know that you must take care of at least the last honor of others!!"
"Ha. Not even remembering the trashy things you did yourself and blabbering about one-on-one duel or honor, the state of not knowing your place is quite a sight. Why. Since you use a sword a little among bandits, did you think you became some special guy?"
Thud!
As Carmil struck down his sword towards the floor, one of Cedric's fingers was severed.
"Aaaaaah!!"
"Right. You just have to scream like that. You just have to die like that without being able to show any of the swordsmanship skills you trained for decades."
"This son of a bitch. I-I will kill you. Fuck, I will definitely kill you no matter what happens!!"
Cedric poured out his anger glaring at him with bloodshot eyes, but nevertheless, Carmil's answer didn't change.
"Since you use a sword well, you must have expected your end would be cool too. Not a chance."
Slice-
Tilting the sword, two fingers were cut off in an instant this time.
"Aaaaaaaaaaah!!"
"You should have been prepared for this from the moment you entered my battlefield."
With those words as the end, Carmil didn't deal with him anymore. Even if Cedric poured out all sorts of curses and swore, he didn't stop. Later, he begged please let him hold a sword and fight, but he ignored all that too.
Like that, after cutting off all fingers and toes, he cut off his limbs. Next, pulling out all his teeth and thrusting the sword into his mouth, only then did the sound of begging to kill him stop.
Carmil stabbed him a couple more times and nodded.
"...Is he dead?"
And the demon, who watched that scene from beginning to end, couldn't say anything. He just flinched when Carmil turned his head and looked at him.
"So what will you do."
At Carmil's question, the demon's vision went dark. This was no longer the realm of battle. The demon shuddered looking at the knight standing in front of him.
The demon lamented. At least he had to go back and inform this fact. But he couldn't picture himself running away avoiding that person at all.
Before he knew it, the paralysis poison was almost detoxified by the magic power inside his body. Nevertheless, he didn't even think of lifting a weapon towards that knight.
Originally, death during battle was glory for demons. So dying fighting wasn't scary.
But he wasn't confident he could handle that pain of begging to be killed instead. Eventually, the demon threw away his weapon and made a liberated expression.
Since it came to this, he had no choice but to sacrifice the small for the greater good.
"...I will tell you everything. So please kill me without pain."
Carmil nodded silently. The demon, as promised, handed over the map marked with the location of nearby colleagues, and Carmil called the knights waiting outside.
"I will clean up here and go, so you guys go here first and sweep them away without leaving a single one."
"Yes!"
The knights who received the order took Ilene and the demon and left, and soon only Carmil remained there.
Like that, eternal silence visited the cabin.
"Phew. Is it finally over?"
The only one standing in that spot was the War Hero covered in the blood of a demon and a human.
Passing the long night in the cabin, finally the next day came.
Receiving Carmil's order, the 4th Knight Order headed straight to the place written on the map. As expected, demons were collecting corpses of villagers traded with bandits there, and they were annihilated without missing a single one by the 4th Knight Order's raid. And Carmil also cut off the demon's head at once as promised.
Like that, finishing all missions, the 4th Knight Order was returning to the Kingdom.
"Haa..."
The last night of the first mission. At the riverside near the campsite, Ilene let out a deep sigh.
She was burying her face while crouching down. She knew the fact that Carmil approached next to her, but recalling the things that happened today, she couldn't lift her head at all.
"...Sorry."
"..."
"It's all my fault. Because of me alone, you and other knights were almost put in danger. When we return to the Kingdom, I will confess all my sins to Your Majesty myself."
She barely squeezed out her voice and apologized to him. But Carmil didn't give any answer. It would be better if he rather cursed a bucketload.
Just until yesterday, she thought she was right and Carmil was wrong, but it wasn't. From beginning to end, everything wrong in this mission was herself. While her actions were putting knights in danger, his orders were conversely saving subordinates. And the fact that Ilene herself was included in those subordinates tormented her more than anything else.
Carmil, who was looking at her indifferently, opened his mouth quietly.
"Princess. I have told you before. There is no one without sin on the battlefield."
"Huh?"
Maybe he's trying to comfort me? But right now, being treated kindly was rather more painful, and Carmil knew to that extent too.
Therefore, what he was trying to say was at least not such kindness.
"As long as we stand on the same battlefield, I am not curious about their circumstances. I only think about the sin of trying to kill me. And the sin of trying to take away my precious comrades' lives."
"..."
"So do not trust the enemy's tongue there and witness only their sins. Then at least there won't be things like today."
"...Ugh!"
At those words, she bowed her head lower. Because she was worried he might hear the crying sound she barely held back. Carmil also knew that, so he decided to listen to the sound of river water.
"..."
Like that, how much time passed?
She dusted off her bottom, stood up, and faced him. Eyes bloodshot red were looking up at him as if determined.
Anyway, apart from him forgiving her, she had to apologize formally for the things that happened so far.
"...T-That, I am sorry. Captain. For behaving rudely all this time."
When she bowed her waist and apologized, he shook his head lightly.
"It doesn't particularly matter. Thanks to the Princess, we found their hideout too."
"That is... Fufut. To think you would use me as bait. Including the paralysis poison at that time, you have quite a radical side."
"Ah. That disloyalty, later..."
"No! Don't say such things. Rather, I am the one who should beg for forgiveness. So someday, please let me repay this favor to my benefactor. Captain Carmil."
Saying that, she bowed her head deeply once again. Carmil also nodded at her words. Ilene swore to herself looking at him.
Like that, the last night of the 4th Knight Order passed.
Late at night when all streetlights in the city streets were turned off.
While the 4th Knight Order was spending the last night of the mission, a deep silence settled in the Royal Palace.
In the audience chamber, including the King, numerous ministers were present, but no one could open their mouth. Even the knights were unable to hide their astonishment at the sight they had never seen even once.
"T-This is just what on earth. Our Kingdom isn't some northern barbarians; how can such things be done!?"
"That is correct! If other countries know these facts, what would they think. This matter alone must never be just overlooked!"
"...Your Majesty. Please make a decision."
"..."
At the subject's words, the King didn't say anything. He was just looking at the prisoner sent by the 4th Knight Order.
That person was the prisoner whose eyes Carmil gouged out and castrated himself.