Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Kin of the Fangs 6
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“We’re just saying we should attack the monster first! Once we take it down, then we can grab the Herald Clan or whatever!”
“Yeah! That’s right!”
“Let’s hit the monster first!”
The villagers all raised their bows and began firing arrows in unison.
*********
Azadin gave a wry smile as he watched the arrows fly over his head. Compared to his own shots, their bows were pathetically weak.
A few among them wielded strongbows, but even those barely grazed flesh before bouncing off fangs. It looked like the villagers were trying to help in their own way, but to Azadin, their arrows were just going to waste.
‘Those arrows could’ve gone to me or the young lady.’
Still, seeing how their attacks were strictly aimed at the monster, he could sense their resolve. At least until the monster was defeated, they saw him as one of their own.
They might turn on him once it was down, but for now, he was satisfied that they viewed him as an ally.
“Alright then…”
Seizing the brief lull, Azadin rolled his shoulders. He dodged attacks while stretching, swinging his arms in big circles to loosen up.
“What are you doing?! Take this!”
The goblin, now a kin of the Fang King, growled in irritation and pressed forward. Ever since it realized Azadin was just barely slipping out of range of its tentacles, it had been closing the distance.
But getting closer meant eating more arrows from the villagers. Their accuracy improved, and the projectiles hit harder.
Thanks to the time they’d bought him, Azadin managed to loosen his shoulders somewhat.
“Good. Now then…”
Azadin set down his sword, which was already corroded by digestive juices.
“Let’s get started. I haven’t fully loosened up yet… but this should be enough!”
He tossed the dissolving blade to the ground and picked up a fallen fang instead. It was sharp, like the head of a triangular axe.
Gripping the shark-tooth-like fang, Azadin swung it sideways with his now-flexible shoulder and hurled it.
-Shrieeek!
The fang tore through the air—and the tentacles.
-Thunk!
It embedded itself in the torso of the Fang King’s kin.
“Kieeeek!”
The kin writhed in sudden agony.
“Nice! That works.”
Azadin scooped up the fangs he’d knocked loose with his sword earlier and began hurling them in rapid succession.
His shoulder and elbow weren’t fully warmed up for full power, but with clean weight shifts and precise timing, he could throw fast without straining himself.
The fangs left his hand like daggers, shredding into the Fang King’s kin.
“Graaaargh!”
Unable to endure the pain, a tattooed goblin head burst from the kin’s body.
“Y-You! I’m going to become the Fang King. I’ve been reborn as a greater being, a god… and now some puny human…”
“Funny thing—I’m a God-King Slayer.”
Azadin replied by chucking another sharp fang, splitting the goblin’s skull.
*********
Even after the goblin’s head was smashed, the Fang King’s kin kept going, but the fight was already decided. Azadin had endless ammo scattered on the ground, and the kin’s ordinary attacks couldn’t touch him.
All it had left was magic, but every time a goblin head popped out, Azadin obliterated it—only shortening the kin’s lifespan.
“N-No! Fang King Kararon!”
The goblin shaman, who’d once shown ambition to usurp the Fang King, ended up pleading to it in its final moments before collapsing.
In the end…
-Rumble!
The massive lump of flesh and fangs—the Fang King’s kin—began to crumble.
‘Lesser demons or something might still show up…’
Azadin dashed forward, careful not to touch the flesh, and snatched the wand from the ground.
‘Not sure, but this thing was using it to locate the God-King’s Grimoire?’
If it really could find the God-King’s Grimoire… it’d be useful to him.
‘But a mere scout had it, so it might be common among monsters. Either way, I’ll take it.’
Azadin pocketed it and turned around.
“Hmm.”
“Soulless blasphemer!”
The village vigilantes glared at Azadin. Some even nocked arrows.
‘Rude bunch. Drawing a bowstring risks an accidental shot.’
Azadin sighed. They could fight together until the monster was dead, but in the end, he was still persecuted as a member of the Herald Clan.
Some among them were surely grateful for his help and welcoming, but others were suspicious. The hunter who seemed to lead the vigilantes stepped forward with a question.
“What’s your game? Why… why did you drive off those monsters?”
“It’s probably because he summoned them!”
“Yeah! Doesn’t it seem suspicious? Monsters showing up out of nowhere!”
Some spat nonsense, as if the mere mention of the Herald Clan set them off. They’d been taught that the Emperor’s Heralds were soulless abominations deserving death, so it wasn’t surprising some thought that way.
Rural folk without proper education had no choice but to cling to the King’s Church teachings, even after being plundered by its followers.
“As you all know…”
Azadin raised his voice.
“I merely fulfill my duty for the Emperor’s gold coin. Someone paid it on your behalf to make a wish.”
“Huh?”
“Someone did?”
“W-Wait, one of us?”
“I’ve no obligation or authority to say who.”
Ignoring their confusion, Azadin stood before the checkpoint barricade. No arrows or stones rained down.
“Now that it’s over, I can pass, right?”
“…….”
“Or are you going to fight me for the King’s Church? Even after that noble bastard just looted you?”
“That’s…”
“Don’t mock our piety.”
“Yeah, you’re all pious subjects. Sure, whatever.”
Azadin yawned. Forced marches for the gold coin, crossing a drought-stricken pioneer village, then these back-to-back brawls—even a seasoned Herald felt the fatigue.
“So, I’m going through.”
“Urk?!”
Someone tried to loose an arrow, but the hunter stopped him. In that moment, Azadin lightly kicked off the barricade, scaled it without touching the wall, and landed gracefully atop the gate.
“Can I take a few arrows?”
Azadin grabbed a handful from the quivers on the barricade.
“…….”
“Hmm.”
“The gold coin devil says he helped us because of a gold coin?”
“Meaning someone from the village used one?”
“Who?”
The villagers eyed each other suspiciously. Of course, there was no such person.
‘Because it was a lie.’
Azadin shrugged and leaped down from the barricade, passing through the gate.
Just then, he heard the hunter mutter behind him.
“…Thanks.”
The hunter said it low enough that others wouldn’t hear.
He must’ve seen through Azadin’s lie—or even if someone had paid fairly, he wanted to express gratitude anyway.
The King’s Church sentences death just for associating with Heralds. For the hunter to speak up like that was incredibly risky.
“Hmph, no problem.”
Azadin waved them off and broke into a run along the road.
[Gold coin my foot… You lie without batting an eye.]
The Emperor’s voice spoke to him.
“If I didn’t say that, they’d stay clueless and keep fearing the King’s Church, right?”
[Don’t you resent them? You drove off the monsters, and they act like that?]
“Everyone’s weak in their own way. I’m satisfied they treated me well despite pretending to be blind. If someone’s kind to the powerless, they deserve kindness in return, don’t you think?”
Azadin said as he hurried past the villagers.
“Ah, but I’m beat. I liked playing blind to breeze through checkpoints, but this time I really got screwed.”
*********
Having defended the eastern checkpoint village from the Fang King’s kin, Azadin ran along the road for about half an hour. Soon, he spotted two children leading a Kerim mountain goat.
Midiam and Ismail were heading back with a torch when they saw him.
“Ah! Azadin! You’re here!”
Midiam greeted him joyfully.
“Are you okay? No injuries?”
“Nope. Were you coming back to wait for me? You could’ve just kept going.”
It was only a short ways together anyway. If they’d made it to him on their own, they could easily reach the sanctuary.
But Midiam shook her head.
“You’ll hurt my feelings saying that.”
“I’m saying it to spare yours. Anyway, what’s with the torch?”
“One of our group fell behind, so the villagers gave it to us. Convincing them not to help search was exhausting.”
“They insisted we take it.”
When Midiam and Ismail explained that Azadin had split from the group and gotten lost on the mountain path, the villagers had given them the torch to find him.
“You ditched them well. They wouldn’t just let kids like you go, worrying about monsters.”
“Yeah. They bought it when we said the mountain goat wards off most beasts. I was worried as Whubris folk, but they didn’t know we’re from Aragsa, so… well, they were kind because I’m so pretty.”
“Heh. Kind because you’re pretty, not because you’re a kid?”
“Yeah!”
Midiam pouted.
“I’m thirteen. Not that young. Northern queens marry at my age.”
“Anyway, you wasted energy when you didn’t even use a gold coin. Whubris folk were kind, sure, but you didn’t need to go that far.”
Ismail chimed in, clearly displeased at how well Azadin and Midiam were getting along.
“When I pretended to be blind, they helped me without expecting anything. So I helped them without gain in mind. As Midiam said, aiding and protecting the common folk is noble. Life’s boring without that aesthetic.”
“So what happened? The monsters? How many? Were the people grateful after you beat them?”
Midiam asked curiously. She put on airs as a Founder Clan member of the Etar Bloodline, but she was still a kid at heart, thrilled to hear worldly tales.
‘She’s got her cute side. Kids from the clans endure harsh sanctuary training, no matter their lineage. Right at that curious age.’
Azadin answered Midiam, whose eyes sparkled.
“One ogre, a goblin squad or so? And one kin of the Kurt God-Clan.”
“Eek? A kin?”
“You took down a Kurt God-Clan kin?”
“Not that strong.”
Azadin said nonchalantly.