Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: The Devil, the Witch, and the Demon Sword (4)
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[You have equipped the dagger of the "Vanishing Swordsman."]
Material: Steel
Quality: Rare
Owner: Eustaine Sako (4-Star)
Memory Retention: Low
Note: There was a swordsman whose shadow even the sun could not reveal. While holding this blade, you may become slightly less noticeable.
It was a dagger used by a man from the Eustaine Clan. Unlike the Eustaine folk who generally preferred to fight barehanded, this man named Sako had wielded a dagger.
Ban didn't know the reason. Perhaps he thought killing with a dagger was cleaner than tearing someone apart with his nails. In fact, reviewing Sako's memories, he truly moved with utmost stealth and struck silently. He wasn't one to welcome the very occurrence of "battle" itself.
And now Ban was right in the middle of countless spears and blades.
'Sako would hate this if he knew.'
No one could easily thrust their spears or blades at Ban. It wasn't surprising. Their eyes lacked proper killing intent. They weren't seasoned killers.
Ban moved his arm. Thanks to the distance from the spears and axes, the careless foes' blades and hafts were sliced away in an instant.
The name "Invisible Sword" led people to misconceptions. They thought it simply meant the blade itself was invisible. That was half right. The qi blade Ban created was utterly invisible to ordinary eyes.
Considering how normal qi blades distorted the air to create a sense of unease, it was quite a special technique. In truth, they just stupidly watched as their own axe and spear blades were shredded like leaves.
"W-What...?"
"A knight...!"
"'If you saw me come in alone, you should've expected this much.'"
Ban sighed and shook his head. He hadn't taken their lives. Even though they were threatening him, he couldn't imagine they truly meant to kill him.
The crowd murmured and backed further away from Ban. He slowly turned to gaze at the pastor.
"'Offering corpses to wraiths... You know that violates the national law, right?'"
"...National law."
The pastor smiled bitterly. His voice carried a shadow as dark as the gloom on his face.
"'Do you know the name of the man lying in this coffin?'"
"..No."
"'His name is Renber. Twenty-seven years old. A troublemaker since childhood. The nights he spent at the church after running away from home are too many to count on one hand, and that didn't change even after he grew up and followed his father into the mines.'"
"'What are you getting at?'"
"'Renber's father died in the mines.'"
The pastor said, with anger, with resignation.
"'All the iron and silver from Tolzberry Mine belong to mine owner Dudbol. No matter how much ore they dig up... no matter how hard they work, it never turns into wealth for the miners. They've been poor historically, and they'll remain poor. Swinging pickaxes endlessly in a mine where their parents' and relatives' corpses are buried...'"
"'...So you're saying you'll collapse the mine?'"
"'The mine? No way. We've devoted our lives to protecting it for so long. I just want to hand the rights to this mine to those who truly deserve them.'"
His logic was all too familiar. Ban sighed. He gripped the dagger tightly.
"'You're serving revolution, not God.'"
"'Call it what you will. Sorry. I have no grudge against you, but...'"
That was when it happened. From behind the men awkwardly clutching their broken spears and blades, figures in black robes began stepping forward one by one. Their pallid faces... they must be the corpses revived through the worship so far. Renber's corpse was no exception. Black mist-like energy seeped into his body, and soon he too slowly rose.
The pastor's words followed.
"'...I must fulfill my mission.'"
Ban shrugged.
"'Do as you must. I'll protect what's mine.'"
The undead corpses bared their teeth.
§
"Ugh, damn it, don't bite! Pastor! Do these things not brush their teeth?!"
"Graaaah!"
As the ordinary worshippers fled, the demon ghosts ceaselessly lunged to bite at Ban. The pastor stared at Ban with hardened eyes, offering no reply. Ban sighed.
"Why do all you revolutionaries act so damn serious...? Revolution doesn't have to be this grave all the time, right?"
"'Shut up.'"
"'I'll take that as a yes. You jaundiced fellow.'"
Ban grinned and swung his dagger. And in that instant, though his dagger visually seemed far from the demon ghost's body, the next moment the ghost recoiled with its arm severed, grinding its teeth.
Ban's blade didn't flash. It wasn't visible. And above all, its length was impossible to gauge.
It had to be that way. Not only was Ban's qi blade invisible, it could extend and contract at will. So when they raised a hand to block, that hand would pass harmlessly while their neck or torso got sliced.
'Tough bastards.'
As demon ghosts, their skin wasn't as soft as expected. If it weren't for his level of skill allowing such easy handling, ordinary folk without qi control might panic at that skin and get torn apart by those claws and teeth.
But they had picked the wrong opponent.
With every movement of Ban's sword, the demon ghosts' limbs were severed. Despite having the strength to pierce trees and rocks barehanded... it was incomprehensible how they fell so easily.
And then, the demon ghost inhabiting Renber's body moved.
Boom! A thunderous clash echoed, unbelievable for a blade meeting a fist. The already echoing mine forced the pastor to clutch his ears and groan.
The problem was that the thunder didn't stop. Before one could even blink, Ban and Renber's fists clashed several times. The demon ghosts waiting to swarm Ban from the sidelines could only lick their chops, unable to find an opening.
After about thirty clashes of fist and blade, Ban and the demon ghost faced off at a distance. Both realized the other was no pushover. Ban sneered.
"'Uncle, what lingering regrets keep you bound to this earth?'"
"'...You're strong, kid.'"
It was a gloomy yet somehow gentle voice. Whether it was Renber's or the demon ghost's inside him, Ban couldn't tell. The demon ghost continued quietly.
"'An achievement unbelievable for your age... Right, from the Academy? That explains it.'"
"'No way... Nah, right?'"
"'It's been ages since I last saw a junior.'"
He smiled. An inexplicable warmth even tinged his face. Ban asked with a dumbfounded look.
"'Wait, you're trying to kill your junior right now?'"
"'Don't worry. I prefer not to kill if possible. Just planning to shatter your legs. So you can't report back to the Academy.'"
"'...Should I thank you?'"
"'Save your thanks for after I break them.'"
"'Always the same. Everyone talks like they can definitely beat me.'"
Ban growled. But a smile played on his lips. A good fight always excited him. The pastor's circumstances, the revolutionaries' cause, the need to complete his mission—all those trivial thoughts faded into the back of his mind.
"'Ban. Orphan background. I handle the sword a bit. You should be careful. Plenty of seniors have gotten hurt by me.'"
"'Good to meet you. I'm Yucheong.'"
"'Nice to meet you, Senior Yucheong. Anyway. Thing is, I'm not fully armed right now... Mind waiting while I grab a few more swords? Nothing worth taking here but axes and spears. Junior's request, so it's fine, right?'"
"'Heh, if this were the Academy, I might've obliged, but this is the real world, isn't it?'"
"'...A dead guy lecturing about society.'"
Ban grumbled. But an overwhelming sword intent poured from his seemingly relaxed form, suffocating the air. Even the pastor, standing some distance away, felt like hundreds of needles pricked his skin.
"'The Academy still gathers talents, huh...'"
A smile crept onto Yucheong's lips. Truth be told, he wanted to tell Ban to fetch his swords. That talented a junior.
But this wasn't the place for such petty indulgences. The body he inhabited was frail, on the verge of collapse. Yucheong smiled, half-raising his fist toward Ban.
"'We have plenty of reason to fight. Come at me. As your senior...'"
Yucheong couldn't finish. Ban had already lunged, spotting the opening. From all directions—up, down, left, right—like a torrent, then instantly shifting to thrusts. Yucheong chuckled, parrying with his fist. A junior this rude—could anything be more delightful?
It was a perfect match of dragon and tiger. Speed equal. Technique equal. Power equal. Yucheong's fist couldn't shatter Ban's dagger, nor could Ban's dagger pierce Yucheong's fist.
It wasn't a fight between humans. Each clash unleashed gusts fierce enough to belie the cavern, strong enough to snuff out torches.
Ban caught his breath and asked.
"'You know? With any other blade, you'd already be beaten.'"
"'Know this? With a proper body, your legs would've been broken long ago.'"
"'Ah, so many excuses. What a lame senior.'"
"'You're one cheeky junior. No manners at all?'"
"'Plenty of manners for a senior who couldn't die clean and became a traitor.'"
"'Ha, ha! That brat's tone...'"
Yucheong let out a hollow laugh, truly astonished now. He hastily blocked Ban's charging dagger. The wraiths had long since stopped interfering, mere spectators. Among the living, only the pastor watched their battle.
"'You shameless brat! How can an aspiring knight act like...'"
"'Yeah, not something to hear from a senior haunting corpses.'"
"'Don't you think there's reason for going this far?'"
"'I have my reasons for being this rude too, Senior.'"
And that was the moment. Ban flashed a strange smile. With his back to the torch, he asked in a sly tone. His face, swallowed by shadow, looked more villainous than the demon ghost.
"'By the way. Isn't the cave getting kinda dark?'"
The instant he heard it, Yucheong understood why Ban had been so talkative. Why he'd tried to distract him.
But realizing it was too late. Ban's blade moved, and the last flame was severed by his qi.
Darkness fell. Of course, for an Academy graduate like Ban, darkness was no issue. He'd trained for years to "see" through it. And Yucheong should be the same.
He should have been.
'...Huh?'
Yucheong strained his eyes. But Ban was nowhere to be seen. He knew Ban planned something in the dark, and he could make out every contour of the mine walls... so why couldn't he spot Ban?
By the time the question arose, it was too late.
'Invisible Sword.'
The dagger's description read: 'While holding this blade, you may become slightly less noticeable.' Like how gripping Yuri's broadsword made Deflection easier, this dagger was the same.
The world permitted him, only while wielding this dagger, a slight 'fading of presence.'
A truly minor ability. Useless under sunlight, barely enhancing his stealth when light suddenly vanished like this.
But battles are always decided by such trifles. The Invisible Sword shot forth.