Chapter 7
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Forgiveness is Not an Obligation
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Aileen.
She had hated bugs ever since she was a child.
Crude, disgusting, insignificant things flailing desperately to survive, writhing their entire bodies—it grated on her nerves immensely.
At first, they were just bugs.
Useless creatures that no one complained about when killed.
But they were fun.
The sight of them crawling pitifully even after having their wings ripped off or legs severed, struggling to stay alive... She loved it.
Next came cats.
And the target after that...
Humans.
War and battle provided her with a legal drug.
Torturing weak prisoners was amusing enough... but she derived true catharsis from breaking the strong ones.
She was strong.
In other words, she had a talent for the sword.
Crushing those who pretended to be mighty with haughty expressions, the faces they made in that moment of torment—it was like a drug to her.
But even for her...
The Hero, Adel.
With him alone, she couldn't lay a hand.
"...Ugh... Aaaagh...!!"
"Haah-?! Why don't you scream a little louder? Stimulate me more. Scream louder!!"
She frequented the underground dungeon.
It housed captured demons and war prisoners, and each visit filled her with bliss and satisfaction as she indulged in her tortures.
"......Aren't you done yet?"
"......."
Clang-
She set down her torture tools awkwardly and saluted the Hero Adel, who had appeared in the underground prison.
"....It's part of my duties, Hero."
"......Is it now?"
Flinch-
Flinch-
Her nerves stood on end in an instant.
The pressure from the silently unfurled Aura.
This was the power of the genius swordsman who had reached the Swordmaster realm—one of only three in the world—and the Hero prophesied to defeat the Demon King.
Crushed by its weight, she could only look up at him like a bug.
'......Annoying, annoying, annoying...'
But soon, those feelings vanished, leaving only fear.
A metallic tang of blood lingered in her mouth.
But what she tasted wasn't iron—it was the bitter sting of utter defeat.
'....I can't win.'
Not even with a surprise attack or luck; such things required a baseline difference in skill.
Aileen couldn't endure it.
After that, she was expelled from the Hero's party.
It was just like any other day, during training in the sparring grounds.
That day arrived, and the Hero Adel was branded a massacre who had slaughtered countless humans.
As if scripted perfectly... for her.
Opportunity came knocking.
Afterward, her days were like paradise.
Every day, she delighted in pondering what torment to inflict on Adel next, what sense of defeat and guilt to force upon him.
".....Urk......"
"Ahaha- Why don't you scream a little louder? Hero?"
"......."
Slap-!!
"Who gave you permission to meet my eyes? You filthy bug."
—
".....P-Princess.... Please spare me.... I, I... I don't want to die.... Don't want to die....."
The Empire's First Princess, Agnia von Elene—who would rise to first in line for the throne if the childless Arhad perished.
She slowly stroked the head of Aileen, who knelt before her, pleading desperately.
".....Oh my... Former Knight Commander Aileen.... Stand up."
"Spare... Please spare me.... They're going to hang me publicly to quell the riots. Please....."
"......Hmm. Aileen, what can I even do...?"
".......Ah..."
Her pupils, glazed over, stared blankly at the princess.
"No justification, is there? Justification... You like justifications, don't you, Aileen?"
"......Hic... S-Spare..."
"My, weren't knights supposed to fear not death? Ah, has retirement dulled you so much...?"
She took a sip of her black tea, then gently brushed aside Aileen's golden hair and whispered.
".....I'll spare you."
"......."
Aileen's hazy blue eyes filled anew with the light of hope.
The princess smiled brightly and added,
".....Well, you've handled all my dirty work in the meantime. So yes, I'll spare you."
The words "I'll spare you," like a drug, echoed once more.
She inhaled the aroma of her black tea and slowly offered Aileen a vial of medicine.
At a glance, it was something ominous.
Reflected in the glass bottle was something dark red and viscous...
'......Blood?'
The princess smiled sweetly as she spoke slowly to Aileen.
"Drink it, Lady Aileen."
—
Clang-!!
Adel immediately gripped his sword in reverse and barely deflected Luke's strike once more.
And the follow-up barrage.
But...
Clang!
Kagang-!!
Kagagagagang-!!
'.......What the hell?'
Luke—no.
Eric, the adventurer hunter and former Royal Knight, sensed something off.
Clearly, the opponent was a novice who couldn't even use Aura.
B-Rank adventurer, Edward.
Out of 24 raid members, 12 had been recruited by Eric, and he'd deliberately included only weak parties.
Sure, a mage and priest would be hugely threatening with frontline guards...
But in the pre-planned ambush, he'd taken out the mage and priest first.
To the surprisingly powerful lady knight, he'd assigned four knight-class and two decent fighters extra.
And the remaining stragglers were mostly dealt with, except this guy.
Yet...
Boom-!!
How,
Clang-!!
the fuck?
".....Amateur Aura control. Looks like it's been at least ten years since you retired from the kingdom knights."
"......!!"
Provoked in that instant—he surged his Aura massively and swung again—
Slash-
".......Ugh....?!!"
Just a handspan.
No, a fraction more, and his throat would've been slit.
That strike just now—a bizarre sword art where the blade seemed to extend momentarily.
But...
"....Can't even handle that one? Eric?"
".....Gotta kill him quick and join the lady knight. That side's a monster."
Two more rushed in instantly, and Eric smirked confidently, readjusting his grip and charging.
—
This is bad.
'....I'm gonna die.'
What is Aura?
It's not just brute force enhancement or body strengthening.
It accelerates the heart, circulates blood, heats the body.
In short, it covers both stamina and combat power—a vital asset.
Moreover, the opponents: one Royal Knight-class and two knight-class.
[Master, teach me how to win against multiple foes.]
[....Why, who beat you up this time?]
[......N-No, it's not that.]
[I'll tell you straight. If it's two, go all out, resolve to die, and target just one to kill.]
[.....And three?]
[Three.....? Hmm......Uh......]
[Just run, you idiot.]
Stab-!!
Eric's sword finally grazed my right chest and pierced through.
*Cough*-
I spat blood lightly and lost my balance.
"Ha, damn it. Lucky your sword broke... He dragged one of us down and even dodged the heart."
".....A monster. Like a disgraced Knight Commander who lost his Aura?"
I slowly scanned my surroundings.
Karin, already dead.
And Elysia... too late now.
So damn many. Still six more...
Should've just run.
It felt empty. What had I lived this life for...?
Memories flashed like a montage, and I exhaled slowly.
"....Tsk tsk, farewell then, Edward. I'll remember your name forever."
"......Rot in hell."
*Ptoo*-
The moment Eric raised his sword to strike—
".....?"
The sword in Eric's hand vanished from sight.
He looked down puzzled.
His severed hand lay there with the sword.
Spurt-
Spurt-
".....A-Argh!!!"
Blood sprayed wildly as Eric screamed—
His final death cry.
A ferocious wind scattered the snowstorm, and a massive crimson sword aura sliced him in half instantly.
—
'Goddamn it.....Goddamn it....!!'
".....A-Aura Blade....?!!"
"Shit, why's a Swordmaster here!!"
At first, there had been a twinge of guilt.
When Eric—his comrade forced to retire after getting caught in an affair with a noble lady—proposed becoming adventurer hunters, he'd snapped and refused.
Infidelity was infidelity, but surely not against knightly honor.
For the record, Magnum believed accepting a lady's advances was a knightly virtue.
Anyway, he'd refused outright.
But there was no other way to make money.
After noble private knights were banned, without guard duty, adventurers were the only path to knight-level pay outside knight orders.
But after joining Eric... steady profits funded a life of pleasure. Not bad at all.
S-Rank adventurers aside, no one outmatched a former Royal Knight like Eric—or himself—in PvP, optimized for human combat as they were.
But the figure before him was on another level.
...He'd heard rumors once.
A once-in-a-generation genius born in a swordsmanship dynasty.
Crimson sword aura flickering like crimson flames.
And that flowing red hair.
'....Crimson Flame... Isabella....?!'
He'd definitely seen her face.
Seen her swing, thought he'd blocked it surely.
....But no sound reached him.
"......?"
Magnum's vision spun wildly, rotating 180 degrees.
Thus, unaware of what befell him,
He met his end right there.
".....A-Adel....!! Adel....!!!"
".......Ugh."
Isabella hurriedly poured a potion on the wound, checking Adel's condition.
Clearly, Adel had his eyes open.
"A-Are....you okay.....? H-How...how...."
"......."
Expressionless, he stared at Isabella.
"G-Good.....Good... Thank goodness.....Hic....
.....A-Ah!! Let's go to Lena. Adel. A wound like this—she'll heal it in seconds—"
"Isabella."
"....W-What?!!"
At my quiet voice, she rushed to me.
And the next words he spoke.
Froze her body solid.
".....Go back."