028. Supreme Legendary Sword
Near the Royal Tomb of the central continent.
Someone pushed through the dense thicket. Birds and rats scattered in all directions from the shaking bushes.
Then, figures emerged from the foliage. It was the children who had escaped from Shobe Cave.
Terrified, they ran for their lives.
"Huff... huff..."
Their breaths came in ragged gasps. Hearts pounded like they might burst. Enduring the pain, the children forced one more step forward. They had no desire to be caught again.
Chasing after them came a man with an axe at his waist.
"Kids, let's talk for a moment."
His smile was kind, his tone gentle. He wore shabby clothes like a woodcutter on his way to chop logs. His yellowed outfit looked as if it were dusted with sawdust.
"Kids, is it this axe? I brought it for firewood. I hope there's no misunderstanding."
Despite the man's soft words, the children fled desperately.
"Huff... huff..."
But the man didn't give up and kept calling to them.
"Kids, you didn't get separated from your parents, did you? They begged me with tears in their eyes to find kids like you."
At his gentle voice, the boy, Helen, turned his head.
"Mom? Dad..."
One more sprint and his heart might explode. The man's tone was cautious, too. And... the family he'd longed for.
"Mom and Dad are looking for me..."
Helen's steps began to slow. Tears welled in his eyes.
"Uh, Mom. Ah, Dad..."
He wanted to see them. To throw himself into their arms and sob endlessly. To tell them how scared and exhausted he'd been. How he'd thought he'd never see them again.
Plop.
Finally, Helen's feet stopped.
"...I want to see Mom and Dad."
Seeing this, the girl Mia spun around and ran back to him. She grabbed his arm and yanked.
"Huff, huff... Helen! You idiot, snap out of it! That uncle says he's chopping firewood, but he doesn't even have a carrier on his back!"
Realization hit Helen like a chill down his spine. Of course it was suspicious. Who chops wood without a way to carry it?
Snapped back to reality by Mia's words, Helen tried to run again. But shock had drained the strength from his legs, and he tumbled forward.
Thud!
Mia helped the fallen Helen to his feet. In that instant, a dark shadow loomed over them.
"Peekaboo."
The pursuing man grinned sinisterly at them, axe in hand.
"Got you little brats at last."
He was one of the Red Squad.
His superiors had ordered him to just watch the children. They planned to capture them all at once. Letting even one escape could bring unforeseen trouble.
But he thought differently. For a simple reason: he planned to sell the strays on the sly.
His conscience had long since been discarded. As long as he profited, that was enough.
He raised his axe. He intended to cripple one of Helen's legs so the boy couldn't run.
Mia saw this and stepped in front of Helen, spreading her arms and legs wide.
"I'll tell you where the other kids are..."
Even at her young age, Mia was bold. She sensed the man's scheme. Better to offer the many over the few—it would surely benefit him more.
The Red Squad member's lips curled into a smile at Mia's audacity. Greed knew no bounds, it seemed. Her proposal wasn't bad.
"Suck, look at this sly little thing. I like it."
His expression turned lecherous. Visions of greater riches made saliva pool in his mouth.
"Alright, kid, lead the way then?"
The Red Squad knight eyed Mia with a wicked grin.
"Okay, so..."
Mia pretended to think, extending her finger. As the knight's gaze followed it...
Mia slammed her knee into his groin with all her might.
Crack!
Mia urgently grabbed Helen's arm and yelled.
"Helen, now!"
Pat pat pat.
"Urgh!! You little bitch!"
Before the knight could howl in agony, he seized Mia's neck with swift steps. Her young age meant her strike lacked the power to fully subdue him.
Thud. Roll roll.
Helen tumbled to the ground nearby. Mia's ploy had only provoked the man further.
He pinned her to the dirt and raised his axe.
At that moment, something flew toward the knight's crotch.
Crack!
A sickening sound echoed, and wetness spread below. Lifting his head, the knight saw a one-legged dwarf standing there, holding a Y-shaped staff.
"To shove such a vile thing at a child. What would your family think? A weapon should never be wielded lightly!"
The man scowled at Ront's words.
"You... Ront!"
A dwarf missing one leg. And a staff of exquisite craftsmanship. Anyone would recognize him instantly.
Ront chuckled leisurely and pulled out a red projectile. He tied it to the string at the end of his Y-shaped staff, aiming at the man like a hunter with a slingshot.
"Ho ho, you know my name? This body is rather famous, after all. No need for long talk then."
"..."
The Red Squad knight met Ront's confident tone with a silent stare-down. Ront stared back without flinching.
"Do you not grasp your situation, sir? Your groin is slick with oil right now. The moment this red pellet touches it... well, no need to say more."
Ront's warning blanked the knight's mind. Imagining that spot igniting filled him with dread.
The knight hesitated.
'Ront, master artisan of weapons. His aim is sure to be flawless.'
Seeing his panic, Ront continued.
"I'll give you three seconds. Best to leave while you can. Three."
"..."
But even at Ront's warning, the man gritted his teeth and wavered.
Grind.
Ront's lips curled as he warned again.
"Two."
But then, Ront fired the red pellet early.
Thwack!
The unexpected strike hit his vital spot, and flames erupted.
Whoosh!
The knight screamed in agony as his flesh burned.
"Aaaargh!!"
Yet something was off. It was unbearable pain, enough to make him writhe. But he just stood there shrieking.
"Ughaaargh!! Fuck!! I can't move..."
Ront's eyes gleamed.
"Your legs are fully numb by now. The first shot had oil and anesthetic from a monster's venom."
Ront hadn't just oiled it. The pellet contained paralyzing toxin. He worried the fire might spread to the children.
"Aaaargh!!"
The man wailed in sustained torment. Oddly, flames roared over his body, but his flesh wasn't charring.
Ront remarked,
"Your lust nearly doomed one child to a lifetime of nightmares. Now close your eyes slowly in the 'Flames of Agony' that bring only suffering."
Thrashing his head, the knight screamed,
"Aaaargh! Just kill me!!"
Ignoring him, Ront led the children away.
Mia hugged the short Ront, tears streaming down her face.
"Uncle Ront... I was so, so scared..."
Ront patted her back.
"It's alright now, Mia."
"Uncle, I miss my sister..."
"Yes, yes. Let's go find her."
It wasn't an exaggeration to say Ront had helped for this child's sake. She was the younger sister of Ria, the woman he loved.
Sensing the Red Squad's location, Ront couldn't hide his unease.
'What to do... More of them will close in. Even I couldn't protect the kids while fighting.'
He sighed deeply. Then, a conversation with Bin flashed in his mind.
"They'll close in slowly. I'll take back Gleipnir too. Come to the Royal Tomb. I'll handle the rest."
He looked no older than mid-teens. But his eyes burned with certainty, as if seeing through everything.
Recalling Bin, Ront nodded.
"Let's see if this body can stake on those eyes."
Smiling, Ront led the children toward the Royal Tomb.
Inside the Royal Tomb.
Around the anvil—used for holding metal—lay scattered tools: furnace, tongs, bent iron pieces. All pulled from Codic's mouth.
Bin hammered the heated Cerberian's fang.
Clang! Clang!
The fang was gone, reshaped into a finely forged longsword. Thick blade, straight and imposing. Too heavy for most to wield.
Bin smiled at the nearly complete Luminare.
"Looking at this makes me itch to see those filthy faces sooner."
He envisioned the Gana Imperial Guard, recalling his long-laid plan: revenge using Luminare, and taking down Helden Grander—one of the continent's top ten strongest.
But first, the immediate foe.
Bin's eyes turned icy as Gangble Grander's face came to mind. He gripped his hammer.
"Gangble Grander, you'll be the first sacrifice for this blade."
With iron resolve, he slammed the hammer down on Luminare.
Clang!
The metallic ring echoed through the Royal Tomb.
Then Codic approached from the shadows.
Swish—
"My lord! Someone's coming this way."
As he said, footsteps grew nearer.
Thud.
... Thud.
"..."
Bin paused his hammering, focusing on the approaching dark figure.