Excising the Rot (2)
"...?"
Clank, clank—
It was at that exact moment that the heavy thud of footsteps echoed from afar.
A group of five or six fully armed knights was marching toward us in a hurry.
Those guys...
I narrowed my eyes, examining the level windows floating above their heads.
Their levels were in the mid-forties.
Judging by the crest engraved on their armor, they were undoubtedly the private soldiers of the Brickwoods.
Upon seeing them, Mrs. Durdamel gasped and began to tremble violently.
"Y-Young Master..."
Her face turned deathly pale as she clutched tightly at the hem of my sleeve.
I spoke in a deliberately calm voice to reassure the terrified woman.
"Do not worry. Nothing will happen to you."
"But..."
"Actually, this works out well. We can just have them guide us."
As the knights drew closer, Adelia gripped the hilt of her sword. I reached out and stayed her hand.
It is not yet time to draw our weapons.
At the very least, I needed to gauge what kind of people we were dealing with first.
If they are merely following unjust orders against their will, there is no need to resort to violence...
But if they were the opposite, there would be no need for mercy.
"Are you Gaon?"
One of the knights stepped forward with a smug, arrogant expression.
"Where the hell have you been hiding all this time? Do you have any idea how long we've been looking for—"
"I have just returned from slaying the Earth Dragon of Labyrinth Village."
"...What?"
The knights froze in their tracks.
They exchanged bewildered glances for a brief second before bursting into uproarious laughter.
"Puhahaha!"
"What is this dumbass talking about? He killed the Earth Dragon?"
"How pathetic. Is it not enough that you're claiming to have personally slain a monster discovered in an uncharted zone?"
Their mocking laughter filled the air in front of the inn.
It seemed they hadn't heard the news of my victory over the Earth Dragon yet.
Their information is slow.
Given the massive scene we had caused at the Adventurers' Guild, the rumors should have reached them by now.
The fact that they were completely oblivious only proved how sloppy their operations were.
"Leave him be. Once we torture him, he'll be crying and begging to tell us the truth anyway."
"Kahahahat!"
"Let's pull out a few of his fingernails, just like we did to that idiot Durdamel. That'll get this bastard crying and screaming in no time."
"...!"
Mrs. Durdamel collapsed to the ground on the spot.
Hearing that her husband was being tortured had drained all the strength from her legs.
"Ah... Ahhh..."
"Madam...!" A startled Adelia quickly rushed to support her.
"..."
I stared coldly at the guards and spoke.
"You tortured the merchant leader?"
"Tortured? That's putting it lightly. We completely trashed their merchant guild building. Beat the living daylights out of the employees, too."
"..."
"You should've seen that bastard bleeding all over the place, begging us to stop hitting his employees! It was hilarious!"
Their filthy snickers continued to echo.
There wasn't a single shred of guilt on their faces.
They weren't acting out of obligation; they were people who genuinely enjoyed committing such atrocities.
"I see," I muttered, giving a brief nod.
There was no longer any point in talking.
"Adelia."
"Yes, Master."
"Kill them all. It would be a waste of breath to even ask them for directions."
The knights froze.
A few of them, still failing to grasp the situation, burst into laughter, but the others stiffened.
It seemed they had managed to catch a glimpse of Adelia's true strength.
"...What is he talking about? Has he actually lost his mind?"
Even so, the knights did not take a single step back.
The reason was simple: they had the backing of the Brickwoods.
Having spent their entire lives trampling over others...
...they couldn't even fathom the idea that someone would dare challenge the rulers of eastern Vertas.
"Do you even know who we are to spout such nonsense—"
Slash.
Spurt!
"...!"
Unfortunately for them, such threats meant absolutely nothing to us.
"W-What...!"
The sickening sound of tearing flesh was followed immediately by a fountain of crimson blood.
As their comrade's head was severed in a single stroke, the remaining knights' eyes widened in sheer horror.
"Wh-What...?"
"Damn it! Draw your weapons!"
Shring! The panicked knights scrambled to draw their swords.
But they were already far too late.
Slash! Adelia's sword, trailing a brilliant cyan light, sliced through the air and claimed their lives.
Armor, flesh, and bone were nothing more than wet paper before her blade.
The flailing knights were torn apart one by one by her swift strikes.
"Aaargh!"
"Y-You monster...!"
It was a one-sided slaughter, too pathetic to even be called a battle.
There was no way these half-baked soldiers, barely reaching level 50 and unworthy of the title of knight, could ever keep up with Adelia's speed.
Crunch! Even as she severed limbs and decapitated heads, Adelia's expression remained as cold as ice.
Having already branded them as evil, she showed absolutely no mercy in her strikes.
"Ugh... Urgh..."
Mrs. Durdamel squeezed her eyes shut and turned away from the gruesome sight.
I stepped in front of her, shielding her view, and watched the scene unfold with indifferent eyes.
"Stop."
At my command, Adelia's sword instantly came to a halt. Only a few moments had passed.
I slowly looked around. The mutilated corpses of the knights lay scattered across the blood-soaked dirt.
"Pant... F-Fuck...!"
The sole survivor, his legs severed, was crawling along the ground.
He dragged himself forward like a turtle, desperately trying to get away from us.
"H-How dare you," he spat, gritting his teeth in agony.
"How dare you...! Do you think you'll get away with this after crossing the Eastern Merchants Coalition and the Brickwoods...!"
The man shrieked, his eyes bloodshot. I slowly walked over to him and spoke.
"Your approach is wrong."
"...?"
"If you wanted to live, you shouldn't have threatened me with the Brickwood name."
Shring! The Feather Sword slid from its scabbard, letting out a chilling ring.
"You should have fallen to your knees and begged for your life."
The guard's eyes widened. He tried to say something, but I ignored him.
"If I were the type to be frightened by the name Brickwood, I wouldn't have started this in the first place."
"W-Wait a minute—!"
Slash.
With a natural, fluid swing, the knight's head was cleanly severed.
I looked down indifferently at the twitching corpse as it pooled with blood.
Was it because of my high mental stats? Or was it simply because they were trash unworthy of human empathy?
I felt absolutely no emotional disturbance.
"Whew." I let out a soft sigh, clearing my mind.
The real purge was about to begin.
"Y-You must be exhausted from your long journey. Please, have a seat here."
Inside a luxurious reception room built of black marble, Edmon Brickwood welcomed the Inquisitor of Midtemple with a strained smile.
Normally, a reception room was supposed to be a comfortable place, second only to a bedroom. But right now, the space felt more suffocating than ever.
"I-It is an honor to once again host the emissary of such noble figures..."
Edmon Brickwood bowed deeply once more, offering a polite greeting. He swallowed hard.
A cold sweat broke out on his forehead and trickled down his temple.
The man sitting before him possessed authority that reached the heavens.
The Holy City of Midtemple—the sacred land where the Holy Families, who inherited the will of the ancient god Elder, resided.
Sikan Bauer, an Inquisitor and the leader of the investigation team from that very city, spoke.
"It is a fine reception room, just as I heard."
Sikan Bauer settled into the sofa. Contrary to his polite words, his gaze was ice-cold as he slowly swept his eyes over the antique furniture.
"Yes. It is also v-very well soundproofed. If you wish, I could arrange for some courtesans to liven up the mood..."
"Courtesans?"
Edmon Brickwood flinched at the cold interruption.
"Watch your tongue. I did not travel all this way to indulge in your vulgar amusements."
"...M-My apologies."
Edmon could easily gauge Sikan Bauer's personality now.
He was a strict, rigid moralist who didn't care for pleasure in the slightest. He was the most difficult and troublesome type of person to deal with.
"I was told the mastermind behind the incident has been arrested. Time is of the essence, so what are we waiting for?"
"Ah, w-well..."
Edmon rubbed his palms together anxiously.
Just a few minutes ago, he had received a report that Gaon had been spotted in the city.
However, because it coincided exactly with the arrival of the Midtemple investigation team, he hadn't had the chance to verify the details.
He had sent his knights to drag the boy in, but he hadn't heard back yet.
"There is still a remnant remaining. My knights will bring him here shortly."
"A remnant?"
"Yes," Edmon Brickwood nodded hastily.
"There is someone the mastermind set up as a puppet. I thought it would be best to hear his testimony before we interrogate the mastermind..."
"Hmm." Sikan Bauer stroked his chin.
Growing anxious, Edmon called for his butler.
"Hey, when is he arriving? It's been quite a while since the knights left."
"I will check immediately, sir. They should be arriving any moment now..."
Clack, creeeak—!
"...?"
It was at that exact moment that the firmly shut doors of the reception room swung open with a creak.
Hearing this, Edmon Brickwood frowned deeply and snapped in irritation.
"Who dares enter without knocking when we are hosting an esteemed guest—!"
He choked on his words.
He had assumed it was one of the coalition's employees, but the person standing at the door was a complete stranger.
"...?"
A young man with dark blue hair, sharp golden eyes, and pale skin.
Gaon...?
He matched the description of the vagrant, Gaon, perfectly.
Edmon stared blankly at the youth for a moment. Though his features were sharp, he couldn't sense any presence or power from him.
Just as the butler Taylor had said, it seemed highly unlikely that this boy was the one who had wiped out the Heavenly Dragon Squad.
Did Durdamel really try to deceive us by putting up a puppet like this...?
A scoff escaped Edmon's lips.
No matter how desperate they were, this was far too sloppy.
If they wanted to claim he had personally killed the Heavenly Dragon Squad, they should have at least hired someone who looked strong.
...Wait. Edmon froze as a sudden sense of incongruity washed over him.
Why is that brat completely unharmed?
He had ordered his knights to arrest him.
Some level of violence was inevitable during an arrest, yet Gaon looked perfectly fine.
In fact, there wasn't even a single bruise on him. It was as if he hadn't clashed with the knights at all.
...And where on earth did the knights go?
It made no sense. The boy, who should have been dragged in with his hands bound behind his back, was walking into the reception room completely free and on his own two feet.
Confused and unsettled, Edmon Brickwood asked in a tense voice,
"Where are the knights? Why have you come alone?"
Gaon replied in a chillingly calm voice,
"They are all dead."
"...?"
"And I am not alone. There are two of us."
Step. As soon as he finished speaking, another figure stepped into view.
In the very next moment...
"...!"
...Sikan Bauer, the investigation leader who had remained entirely indifferent until now, visibly stiffened in shock.