Chapter 237: Lainella's Fate is Decided by Lainella (30)
Chapter 237: Lainella's Fate is Decided by Lainella (30)
Of course, whether the middle-aged man’s face turned deathly pale or not was none of my concern.
With every step I took, he scrambled backward, dragging his body along the floor in a desperate struggle.
Not that he could ever be faster than me.
Thwack. I embedded my hand axe into the floor for a moment and knelt down to meet his eyes.
The terror in his gaze deepened, likely because the floor I had so effortlessly buried my axe into was made of solid stone.
“So, answer me quickly while I’m still being a pacifist… Hmm? Who did you sell them to?”
“Y-Young Master… you are making a mistake….”
Finally catching a fraying thread of reason, the man began to speak formally.
If his previous tone had been a facade, this display of respect was genuine. He had realized, down to his very bones, who held the upper hand.
“I-I am nothing more than a tool! Taking me hostage won’t do you any good! Dozens of our members must be swarming this place by now… Do you really think none of them can defeat you?”
“Hmm,” I hummed, swallowing a dry laugh. He continued to plead in a trembling voice.
“I-It’s… it’s not too late. Let’s discuss a solution together. I—I don’t want to die!”
“You won’t.”
I stood up.
I could already feel the presence of people approaching through the long corridor. I wasn’t sure how it worked, but it seemed news of the commotion in the reception room had traveled fast. This wasn't the level of security one would expect from a common gang of thugs.
And someone who could defeat me?
No matter how much they underestimated me, I was an upperclassman at the Academy. A pack of thugs—even fighters on the level of the former mercenary I’d just dealt with—were no match for me.
Even considering their numbers, the result would be the same.
It was a very interesting claim, to say the least.
Nevertheless, I gave him a slight smile as if to reassure him.
“...Not until I kill you, anyway.”
“Eek!” The man began to sob again.
It didn't matter; he wouldn't be moving for a while. I kicked the reception room door open and stepped out.
Beyond the long corridor, a mob of ruffians armed with all sorts of tools was closing in.
It looked like today’s pest control was going to take a while.
Every time my hand axe traced a silver streak through the air, blood sprayed.
The colorless stone corridor, cracked in various places, was soon stained with vivid hues.
The colors of flesh and crimson mingled as severed limbs from the fallen men tumbled one by one.
I didn't kill them.
I mean, I literally just didn't kill them; the weaker ones might still die from blood loss. Of course, I was being as careful as possible, so the actual probability of death wasn't high.
These people were clearly hiding something.
They had charged at a noble with lethal intent, so I would have been well within my rights to take their lives. Even so, I didn't particularly want to kill them.
They were just bottom-feeders, mere pawns.
I had no way of knowing how many of them had actively participated in the crimes. I wanted to save whatever lives I could.
I just wasn't willing to sacrifice myself to save them.
The thugs seemed to have forgotten fear, charging at me with bloodshot eyes.
Because the corridor was narrow, there was a limit to how many could attack at once. At most, two. I took full advantage of that.
Whoosh. I corrected my posture, and my hand shot out like a bolt of lightning.
Thud. The blunt side of my hand axe slammed into the abdomen of one of the charging men. I aimed with the flat of the blade to avoid killing him, but it was still a weapon made of solid metal.
With acceleration added, the momentum was on another level.
The man doubled over, coughing up blood. The man standing next to him swung his own axe, trying to deflect my next strike.
A comrade-in-arms using the same weapon.
His skill, however, was so pathetic that I found myself missing Senior Olmar, whom I’d fought during the Hunting Festival.
I wonder how that senior is doing.
With that idle thought, my kick snapped out toward the man’s exposed chest.
Struck squarely in the solar plexus, his body buckled just like his companion’s.
In that opening, I caught my spinning hand axe.
Crunch. I brought it down on his shoulder, and the man collapsed, clearing the path.
Then came the next wave of attacks.
The quality of the attackers was definitely improving as I moved forward.
At first, they couldn't even deflect my axe despite seeing it coming; now, they were somehow managing to parry up to the second strike, the one following the Secret of Stillness in Motion.
Not that it was enough to handle me.
I twisted my body to dodge a dagger strike from a woman charging at me, then immediately brought my hand axe down. Her arm was severed from her shoulder.
“A-Aaaaagh!”
She collapsed, her body twitching as she screamed.
I had seen this sight so many times that I felt nothing.
I simply made a mechanical calculation: she seemed somewhat strong and could use mana, so if she managed to stop the bleeding, she’d probably live for a while.
By now, the floor was drenched in blood with every step I took.
Each time I stepped on the fallen thugs, groans leaked out like a carpet of sound. It wasn't a pleasant sensation.
If there were a craftsman who made carpets like this, they’d surely starve to death.
It was only slightly saddening that I was the cause of this carnage.
At the end of the path paved with the blood, groans, and pain of dozens of men, a single man stood like a ghost.
He was a swordsman wearing a shabby coat.
The longsword hanging at his waist was impressive. It was a weapon that couldn't even be used without a solid foundation of physical strength.
Finally, a proper opponent.
I wiped the blood from my face with my sleeve to cool down my body, which had been warmed by the spray of my enemies. Then, I spat out the blood that had seeped between my lips.
The stench of iron was overwhelming.
“...I thought we maintained a good relationship with the Percus family.”
“That relationship ends today.”
The man glared at me with sharp eyes.
“I once met your younger sister, Young Master. She was quite lovely.”
“She’s a bit too fond of her brother, which is a problem… though I have no intention of giving her to someone like you.”
I let out a rough breath and gave a faint smile. Seeing my relaxed demeanor, the man’s expression turned cold.
“...Sometimes, there are truths that are better left unknown.”
“I’ve come too far to listen to that. Haven't you heard the rumors about me?”
“I have. They were impressive. However, I too was once a student at the Academy.”
I frowned slightly at the unexpected revelation.
Seeing my reaction, the man let out a bitter laugh.
“I couldn't overcome the limits of a commoner… I slowly withered away under the contempt and disregard of the nobles. In the end, I couldn't even get my diploma. I fled the Academy and ended up living this low-life existence.”
“Well… getting into the Academy doesn't necessarily guarantee success.”
My tone became slightly more polite upon realizing he was once a senior.
The hierarchy of the Academy was firm, after all.
But despite my consolation, the man only gnashed his teeth, his hatred burning bright.
“That’s why I’m envious, and why I hate you. I could have been in that position, or by your side—or at the very least, I could have remained as a spectator in the place where history is written!”
I sighed and scratched my head.
I wasn't exactly the smartest person, so I didn't know what to say in times like this.
I wasn't used to people suddenly getting all dramatic, either.
I simply offered the best comfort I could.
“...So, how does it look, seeing it right in front of you?”
“It’s magnificent. However.”
With a sharp metallic ring, his longsword was drawn.
The sharpness flowing along the long blade was no joke. It meant he had put great effort into maintaining his weapon.
He was a powerhouse on a completely different level from those I had faced so far.
It made sense, if he was once an Academy student.
“There are things one cannot learn in a greenhouse. I will show you the swordsmanship I realized at the bottom of life. Now, come….”
Hearing that, I couldn't help but look troubled.
With a sigh, I spoke to him.
“I don’t know what your circumstances were… but you were expelled from the Academy, weren't you?”
There were people like that.
People who grew up being worshipped for their brilliant talent, only to realize the bitter reality when thrown among true geniuses.
In fact, most Academy freshmen were like that.
Wasn't I the same?
I was barely mid-to-low rank, and even that was a result achieved through desperate training.
It took a long time to admit that no matter how much I struggled, there were limits.
“...It was because of the envy and jealousy of the nobles.”
“I see. In that case….”
I hung my hand axe at my waist and drew my sword instead.
It was a minimum show of respect.
The man gave a nod of gratitude. I gave a bitter smile and took my stance.
Then, silence.
It was only a few seconds, but it was enough time for the tension to pull taut again.
In that gap of strained time.
A single step forward granted me extreme acceleration.
My body shot forward, closing the distance in an instant. As if he had been waiting, the man calmly moved his longsword.
My sword swung vertically, burning with silver aura.
The trajectory of the longsword blocking it was horizontal; the blade, held with both hands, was now overflowing with blue aura.
The man’s eyes deepened.
It meant he was contemplating his next strategy.
But in the next moment.
Crack.
With the sound of something shattering, the blade turned into fragments and scattered.
The man’s eyes went blank.
The longsword he held had failed to withstand my aura and shattered. The silver aura had sliced through the overflowing blue aura in a single stroke.
My strike tore through the man’s defenseless chest.
Blood sprayed, but the man remained standing. It seemed the reality before his eyes was taking a moment to penetrate his mind.
I looked at him and spoke in a low, cold voice.
“...Stop posing, you bastard.”
It was just that the enemies I’d faced until now were strong; I had become incomparably more powerful than before.
A dropout like him couldn't possibly block my sword.
Now, it was time to find out who was behind this.