Chapter 23
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Even a Single Strand of Hair is Precious (4)
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Roin kept his eyes locked on the movements of the two men charging ahead right up to the end.
He scooped up a stray pebble from the ground and began channeling his Aura into it.
Then, with a casual flick of his arm, he hurled it forward.
Whiiish!
The pebble cut through the air, hurtling toward them at blinding speed.
It slammed dead-center into the forehead of the man on the left.
He toppled backward, arms splayed, and passed out cold.
Seizing the opening created by their shock, Roin drew the small rapier he'd been given for self-defense.
He slashed deep into the side of the remaining man, blade held high.
Ugh!
The man let out a strangled yelp, lost his balance, and crumpled to the ground.
Roin had neutralized both thugs in the blink of an eye. He flicked the blood from the tip of his rapier onto the dirt.
All right. Who's next?
.
.
The remaining men exchanged quick glances.
This time, all three lunged at Roin together, their footwork sharper and more agile than before.
From the front, the back, and the side.
Three assailants closing in from every direction.
That was why fights against multiple opponents were always a disadvantage.
But Roin was the exception.
He grabbed the collar of the man sprawled unconscious on the ground.
With one hand, he hoisted the full-grown adult into the air and hurled him mercilessly at the thug charging from behind.
The attacker, caught off guard, couldn't react in time.
He hadn't anticipated Roin possessing such raw strength.
In the end, he tangled with his fallen comrade and went down in a heap.
Roin darted lightly forward from there.
Standing still would just turn him into a punching bag.
The more enemies there were, the busier he had to stay.
In an instant, he slipped in close to the man in front of him and raised his rapier once more.
He drove the tip deep into the man's left shoulder.
Stab!
The man's body lurched violently.
One more behind me!
He yanked the rapier free and swung it horizontally in a wide arc.
Even though the attacker had come from Roin's blind spot.
It was as if Roin had eyes in the back of his headthe strike carved a massive gash into him.
Blood sprayed in every direction.
Good thing this is a back alley, after all.
No witnesses.
The man who'd fallen on his ass was the least injured of the bunch.
Roin approached him slowly.
Can I pass now?
The man's body trembled at Roin's question.
At that moment.
BOOM!
A massive explosion rocked the area nearby.
It came from the market street Roin had just passed through.
Only then did Roin remember that Viola was still back there.
Damn it.
The trouble wasn't over yet.
Roin emerged from the alley and stepped back onto the main street.
He was left speechless by the scene unfolding before him.
Several men in the same garb as the thugs he'd just taken down were unleashing black magic in every direction.
A familiar sight.
Only now did Roin recall the events from ten years ago.
Black magic and those outfits... Figures they'd look familiar. Muorat's remnants.
There had once been an organization formed by Muorat and his followers who served Demon God Inkra.
Ratio.
The group that Lord Rodri had once razed to the ground.
Roin himself had wiped out Muorat and several key lieutenants.
He hadn't expected their survivors to still be around, pulling off terrorist attacks like this.
Tenacious as cockroaches.
As if hearing Roin's mutter, the Inkra cultists turned toward him.
What did you just call us, brat?
Three of the cultists approached Roin slowly.
Roin smirked at the sight.
You've got ears like a bat.
That set them off. Their eyes bulged with rage as they bombarded Roin with black magic.
An eerie, nauseating Demonic Energy began to saturate the air around him, even brushing against him sending chills down the spine.
Just as knights had ranks, so did mages.
Apprentice, Junior, Mid, and Senior.
The ones hurling attack spells at Roin were squarely between Junior and Mid level.
Roin unleashed his Aura, shoving the Demonic Energy back in a single wave.
The Inkra cultists gulped in astonishment.
Before they could complicate things further, Roin closed the distance at top speed.
He slashed their throats with the rapier in his hand.
Thud, thud.
In a flash, two heads separated from their bodies.
The remaining cultist was frozen in horror.
The terror of facing a child.
Unfortunately, Roin had no intention of going easy on them.
The chaos these Inkra cultists had already caused had claimed dozensno, hundredsof lives.
Roin impassively severed the last one's neck and shook the blood from his blade again.
He didn't have time to waste on them right now.
Where's Viola?
She couldn't have gone far.
As he scoured the chaotic market street inch by inch.
There!
He finally spotted Viola.
A deranged cultist was hot on her heels, sword raised.
Viola fled, gasping for breath as she evaded him.
She was on the verge of being caught.
Roin's blade pierced the cultist's heart from behind.
Gah...!
The man spat blood from his mouth and collapsed.
Roin kicked the cooling corpse aside with his foot.
He retrieved his sword and approached Viola.
Are you all right?
I-I'm fine. But Roin, you... You're not shaken up at all?
Viola had never witnessed combat firsthand.
So, seeing her younger brother kill without batting an eye was both astonishing and a little frightening.
Roin gave a wry smile.
I'm a proper knight, too, you know.
A lifetime of threats on his life, of taking lives.
That was Roin's existence, so by now, it didn't faze him anymore.
Let's get out of here first.
Where to?
To pick up Emilia.
Roin racked his brain, recalling where Emilia had said she'd stop by today.
She mentioned the general store first.
But which one?
He hadn't caught the name.
Guess I'll have to follow the path she took.
No other choice.
The sudden uproar had brought the entire city to a standstill.
The guard unit mobilized late, and it looked like subduing the incident would take time.
In the meantime, Roin raced along the route where Emilia had vanished.
Viola chased after him from behind with all her might, but her stamina soon gave out.
R-Roin! Slow down a bit!
Slowing down in this situation was out of the question.
Seira or Helton might have kept up with Roin's pace, at least somewhat.
But Viola had never even trained.
No wonder her endurance was poor.
Judging it unavoidable, Roin resorted to his last option.
He strode up to Viola.
And scooped her into his arms.
Eek!
Bear with it for a little.
Better than letting her become a target for the Inkra cultists.
Roin and Viola pressed forward, weaving through flames erupting here and there.
That's when more cultists blocked their path.
One of them had a familiar face.
One of the guys I beat down in the alley.
He'd apparently come for revenge.
The badly injured cultist pointed at Roin and bellowed.
Kill that brat no matter what! Got it?
Yes!
Putting Viola down to fight would be risky.
He didn't know when or where another cultist might pop up and take her hostage.
Even so, Roin stayed calm.
If I can't use my hands...
He leaped high into the air.
Then drove his heel into the jaw of the cultist in front.
Ill just use my legs!
The cultist's jawbone shattered, and he writhed in unbearable agony, unable to steady himself.
About ten cultists left.
They knew Roin's strength by now, so they held back from charging solo.
Even when attacking, they stuck to group assaults.
Annoying bastards.
Part of him wished they'd all rush him at once.
A brawl would favor him.
But they refused to play along.
Then
Stab!
A sword suddenly burst through the chest of one cultist.
The ambushed man from behind dropped dead instantly.
The startled Inkra cultists whipped around to stare at the rear.
There stood a woman wielding a two-handed sword.
Dressed in maid attire, she was none other than Emilia, the one Roin had been desperately searching for.
The cultists panicked at the sight of a maid handling such a massive blade with ease.
You'd better back off from Lord Roin and Lady Viola. Or you'll end up like this one.
Killing intent laced Emilia's voice.
Emilia wasn't just some household maid.
She was a swordswoman of Mid Knight caliber.
To protect the Leyden family, she'd chosen to hone her swordsmanship on her own.
Thanks to grueling training under Gillion, she'd entered a swordsmanship academy in another region at a late age and graduated with top marks.
Emilia could handle a horde of Inkra cultists with room to spare.
The flustered cultists faltered.
Roin seized the gap, launching himself at the one who seemed to be their leader.
He slammed a kick into the man's gut.
......!
Agony like his breath had been crushed overwhelmed him.
Roin stomped down on the head of the man pitching forward.
Don't move. The second you do, I'll crush your leader's skull.
......
......
The cultists eyed each other warily.
Bewilderment etched across their faces.
Roin raised his voice at them again.
Drop your weapons!
Startled by his commanding presence, the cultists hastily tossed their arms to the ground.
In the time Roin had bought, the arriving Freeva guards subdued them all.
Only after the incident wound down could they finally breathe easy.
Emilia checked on Roin and Viola again.
You're both really okay? No injuries?
Nope. Roin protected me.
Thank goodness.
Viola seemed fine.
However.
Roin's face was gravely serious.
What's wrong, Lord Roin?
Had he been hurt after all?
The worry crossed her mind.
But that wasn't the reason for his expression.
Across the street, one shop blazed furiously.
Roin stared at it, a harsh curse escaping his lips.
Fuck.
It was the very beauty salon he'd had his eye on today.