Chapter 56
Chapter 56
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: Darkness of Sarasma 4
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Anyone could see that building was suspicious. Even if the Rescue Knights claimed it was no longer in use, the fact that it had turned into a wererat den meant there had to be some connection.
In Sarasma's current state, every single building was precious. Even without rain, they could provide shelter from wind and dew for the frail and sick among the refugees, serve as kitchens for preparing relief supplies, or be turned into beds for treating the ill.
There was no reason to leave one building empty in such circumstances... Every sign pointed to the presence of Kurt cultists within the Rescue Knights.
"Let's raid it."
Azadin said it with genuine regret.
*********
Beside the riverbank stood a wooden building of the Rescue Knights. It looked rundown on the outside, but it had originally been a converted wine warehouse, with the ground and walls dug out to create a massive storage space.
A young man was approaching the entrance, tapping the ground with his cane.
"You can't come in."
"This is under the management of the Rescue Knights. It's dangerous inside."
As the young man neared the entrance, men wearing surcoats emblazoned with the Rescue Knights' emblem stepped out to block him. At first, they had tensed up excessively, but to their surprise, the young man was blind. A massive scar ran horizontally across both eyes.
"Ah..."
"You must be in poor health."
The holy knights of the Rescue Knights relaxed upon confirming he was blind.
"What do you need?"
"Actually, someone from the old canal area over there asked me to deliver this."
The young man said so and handed something over to the holy knights. It was a Mezzeri insignia carved into human skin—a grotesque claw pattern etched with needles and blood.
"They said they'd give food if I brought someone to help..."
The young man waited subtly, expecting some reward. The Rescue Knights' holy knights looked flustered.
"This... from the old canal?"
"Yes. There were iron bars, so I couldn't get inside, but someone called me from within and passed it over, saying to bring it here for a reward. They needed help cleaning up a lot inside."
"That's all? Did they mention any code or password?"
"A code? Hmm, I think they said something, but I can't quite recall."
"......"
The Rescue Knights' holy knights exchanged glances.
"Please wait a moment. Oh, how much help did they say they needed?"
"At least ten people, from what I heard."
"At least ten? That's a lot."
"Yes."
They opened the entrance to the wooden building.
"But we're short on relief supplies ourselves right now..."
"If it's all right with you, would you come inside? Wait while we fetch some."
A vile expression crept across the faces of the Rescue Knights' holy knights as they spoke.
"Pardon? Oh, inside?"
"Yes. Please wait inside, and we'll bring some relief supplies."
"Understood."
The blind young man carefully followed their guidance, tapping his cane on the ground as he stepped inside.
There were many people inside the abandoned building.
"What? We said not to let anyone in. It's broad daylight."
"Ah, he's blind. And... he came from the underground canal on their request or something."
"To hand out relief supplies."
"Yeah. Special relief supplies. Heh heh."
A holy knight of the Rescue Knights mocked from behind the blind young man with a jeering gesture.
"Ah, relief supplies. Relief supplies, huh?"
"Some fresh meat will be available soon enough. Heh heh."
They jeered at the blind young man. He tapped his cane as he entered, glancing around nervously as if afraid.
The entrance was like a hall, with people up on the second-floor railing, so from the blind man's perspective, voices echoed from all directions.
"Th-there are quite a few people. Are you all from the Rescue Knights?"
"Ah, yes. Our collaborators."
"And... I hear groans too. Are there injured people?"
"Yes, we're the Rescue Knights. Healing the wounded and sick is our mission, isn't it?"
They laughed as they said it. Those inside were anything but the injured or ill. It was then.
"Wait a second."
One of the men on the second-floor railing stood up.
"Ah, Kuben."
"Hey, turn that guy's face this way. The one you brought."
"Pardon?"
"He looks like someone I know."
"......"
The blind young man gripped his cane in panic.
"That's right. You. Hmm, could you be... Azadin?"
"Ah!"
At that moment, the Rescue Knight holy knight who had escorted the blind young man reached for his sword. But the blind young man was faster. He instantly smashed the holy knight's head with his cane, ducked low, and drew the holy knight's sword.
"You bastard!"
"Azadin!"
*********
The blind young man's true identity was Azadin in disguise as a pilgrim. No one could stay on guard against him in that guise. His plan was to carry the Mezzeri symbol he'd obtained from killing wererats, play dumb, lure out the enemies in small groups, and pick them off one by one.
Send ten wererats through the underground canal passage.
By delivering that message to divide the enemy, he could defeat them piecemeal. But who would have thought a fellow Herald clansman was among them!
"Hey! Get out of the way!"
In that instant, Kuben leaped down to the first floor.
"You've grown a lot, Azadin! I heard you'd become a Herald, but I never imagined you'd show up here."
"And you? You've become a Mezzeri cultist? A disgrace to the clan."
"Hmph. What has the Emperor ever done for us besides cursing us with servitude? Thanks to Mezzeri's blessing, I'm completely free of that curse. Now I rape whenever I want, eat whenever I want!"
Kuben grinned wickedly, slipping on claw gauntlets with both hands and blocking Azadin's path.
"Remember our childhood? When you crawled under my groin? Hey! Everyone's watching! I'll handle this one!"
From the way Kuben spoke, he seemed to hold a fairly high position among them.
Of course, Kuben wasn't a Herald or a servant, but he had undergone systematic training during the Herald selection process. He was undoubtedly far superior to those who later became mere swordsmen.
"So what? You betrayed the clan just to rape and eat freely? Your desires are utterly one-dimensional. Pathetic."
"Shut up, Azadin!"
Kuben swung his claws in attack. Azadin countered with the sword he'd seized from the holy knight. But Kuben easily caught the blade between his claw's talons.
"Pathetic! A Herald with this level of skill!"
He twisted to disarm him. But the sword didn't budge.
"Huh?!"
Kuben panicked for a moment. He had always possessed freakish strength compared to other Hubris clansmen, and becoming a wererat had only amplified it further. Yet it was useless against Azadin, whom he'd toyed with as a child?
Azadin grabbed Kuben's wrist.
—'Blazing Phoenix Gale Moon, Azure Pine Toss, Kazas Throw!'
Azadin slipped under Kuben and hurled him with tremendous force.
The Azure Pine Toss was originally a spell to flip an opponent and slam them into the ground, but the Kazas variant drove them straight into the earth. The problem was how blindingly fast and powerful it was...
—Crack!
By grabbing the opponent's arm and crossing it like a lever, the crossed arm snapped in that instant. Kuben flew into the air weapon-first before crashing down.
Startled, Kuben twisted midair, stomping the ground to roll out of it, but Azadin's throw had insane rotational speed and angling—one foot, twisted sideways, hit first.
—Snap!
Kuben's ankle shattered.
"Argh!"
A brutal throw that snapped both arm and ankle at once! This was Azadin's Blazing Phoenix Gale Moon, Azure Pine Toss.
"You bastard! What kind of Azure Pine Toss is this?!"
Kuben tried to counter with his claws, but Azadin's sword had them locked tight—he couldn't move.
"Again?"
Azadin unleashed another 'Kazas Throw' Azure Pine Toss. With his leg broken, Kuben couldn't even attempt a roll this time and slammed straight down.
"Argh!"
Kuben hit the floor but couldn't rise recklessly. Azadin had pinned his claws with the sword, tossed it aside, and now pressed the blade to his throat.
"Damn it! What are you all doing?! Don't just watch! Kill him!"
Kuben shed his now-twisted, useless claws and pulled back from the fight. Instantly, the other holy knights and onlookers charged.
Their eyes gleamed with red madness as they attacked Azadin. Some had already transformed into wererats and lunged at him.
"Come on!"
Azadin swung his sword horizontally, decapitating the first assailant in one stroke.
—Crunch!
The wererat's head flew off, and the blade shattered into pieces. Even when beheading someone bound helpless in stocks, blades often chipped—but slicing a live, thrashing foe clean through was inevitable.
"......"
"Squeak!"
But the effect of that single strike was undeniable. Wererats didn't want to die either. Seeing Azadin sever a head in one blow, they hesitated to close in recklessly.
"Hey! That bastard's blade is chipped! It's fine! Attack!"
Kuben urged the wererats on, but they fixated on how the sword still held its shape. Still, the next strike would surely shatter it.
Azadin's sword was cracked. Moreover, he'd played the blind pilgrim without drawing his own blade. He had no backup weapons—only the one taken from the wererat-disguised holy knight. Even so, no wererat wanted to test a chipped iron sword on their own body.
'No matter our regeneration...'
'Getting our heads chopped off just prolongs the pain...'
'That guy's swordsmanship is no joke.'
Azadin's swordplay just moments ago had been near-miraculous. A flash faster than a wererat's reflexes had severed neck bones. Seeing the headless body twitch and cool only sapped their will further.
Rush in banking on a chipped weapon?
No thanks.