Chapter 38
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: That Is My Justice
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Walking the night path filled with birdsong, that sense of uncertainty refused to fade.
But Luke's temperament wouldn't stand by and watch me sink into a depressive mire.
I quickly pulled myself together and looked ahead.
"What will you do after your revenge is complete?"
"If you'll allow it, I plan to keep following you, Commander."
"It'll be a dangerous road. The journey I have in mind is anything but easy."
"It might get even more dangerous than now."
"Yeah."
"But that's fine. For the first time, I feel like I'm truly alive. So what if it gets riskier? If I grow stronger every day, I can overcome even greater dangers, right?"
I chuckled softly, since I'd thought the same thing myself.
"If I ever become a burden to you, I'll leave. Truth be told, even now as we're pulling away from Fiore, I feel like I'm not much help."
"You are. Just by being here."
"Really?"
"If it were just me, I'd have barreled through this night path at full speed and collapsed from exhaustion somewhere. I wouldn't have gotten a proper rest either."
"Then I'm glad."
The birdsong grew louder, and the faint torchlights flickering in the distance vanished.
The voices of the Fiore army crossing the mountain ridge fell silent.
"We'll walk through the night and find a spot to hide when dawn breaks."
"Understood."
I snickered at Requiya's prompt, obedient reply.
"He’s the kind of person who understands without needing detailed explanations—there’s no way he’d be a hindrance." No, wait—translate properly: "Someone who gets it without detailed explanations can't possibly be a hindrance."
"Hahaha, right?"
I still hadn't escaped the queen's threat.
We had to rest during the day.
Daylight was breaking.
Though left alone, I wasn't truly alone as I climbed the mountain to a spot ideal for surveilling the surroundings.
Mostly conifers, which made hiding tricky.
Wet fallen leaves made the footing slippery.
Refusing to give up, I pressed on until I reached a thicket of leafy shrubs.
I lay down using my backpack as a pillow and draped my cloak over me like a blanket.
"I'll take first watch. Get some sleep, even if it's just a little. If you're too fatigued, you won't be able to fight when it matters."
"Yes."
Lying there, I scanned the terrain with Blue Eye.
Hellite was in sight, along with the road leading to Brad.
Monsters were supposed to prowl here, and sure enough, a giant bigger than any man lumbered along with an axe in hand.
'What the hell is that thing? Head's huge, shoulders like boulders.'
The vantage for observing without moving wasn't expansive.
'If I head further toward Brad, maybe I'll spot where the dragon sleeps.'
As I kept monitoring with Blue Eye, a shadow appeared on the approach toward us, one mountain over.
'Now what? Not an army, not a caravan.'
Their attire was mismatched and chaotic. Roughly twenty men moving swiftly off the path.
'Heading this way?'
I traced their path backward with my sight.
Between the conifers, a wooden tower flickered into view.
'Ah, that area's much higher up. No wonder I missed it.'
In this situation, their target was obvious without asking.
We were the only ones in the forest.
'Feels like easy pickings.'
Soon, hoofbeats echoed from the trail we'd taken.
The soldiers we'd knocked out must have woken and called for help—pursuit on horseback, not foot.
If those who joined had chased without pause, they'd had ample time.
Army behind, bandits ahead.
"Hahaha. At least we have a sword."
Requiya, sensing the vibe, laughed like a man resigned to fate.
I drew the sword I'd taken from the soldier about a handspan.
It was the same type Andre had used.
'Explorer swords aren't short like this; it's a cavalry blade.'
Sharp, but short and narrow.
"Requiya. Stay here."
"I'll fight too."
I shook my head.
"Of course you'll fight. But swords have no eyes."
"Ah, I understand."
Reading my resolve, he bit his lip hard and nodded.
I folded my lips inward and clamped them shut.
A bitter taste filled my mouth.
"I was too naive. Should've handled it decisively like you."
"Yeah, you should have."
This bastard?
Even so, "yeah, you should have"?
He grinned like a cheeky kid, but his demonic eyes quivered in sync with the approaching tremors.
"A romantic choice, but a dangerous one. Admit it?"
I patted his shoulder lightly with a smirk.
"Prepare Blood Frenzy."
"Frenzy?"
"Hit the rears. Both sides."
Blood Frenzy.
The demonic curse I'd used on Marcus at the waterfall.
It didn't just scramble the mind—it blocked cool judgment and awakened blind attack instincts.
"Hit the rear, then the next ones up, keep going. Even if you miss."
Grasping my intent, Requiya said,
"I'll keep trying until it lands."
"See you soon."
I stood and descended to the trail.
Fiore cavalry charged from the right at full gallop.
Blue Eye showed about twenty, similar to the bandits.
The bandits on the left had better gear than the border city's guards. Thieves always lived better than honest folk, it seemed.
Long mountain dwellers, their footwork was light.
Swords at both hips, pry bars in hand.
Now it was do or die.
But I didn't feel like I was going to die.
'If it looked hopeless, I wouldn't have stepped in. I'm brute force, but not brainless.'
The bandits' voices reached me first, speed unchecked.
"Army coming from over there?"
"Was that guy bait?"
"Then he's a soldier too? Anyone know which army?"
Some misunderstanding brewing.
The Fiore cavalry's confusion rang out too.
"That's Luke Seid! Golden long hair, blue cape!"
"He has backup!"
"He's luring us in!"
What the hell, you idiots.
Skip the frenzy and let them delude themselves?
They might squabble and back off.
I shook my head soon after.
Naive pipe dream.
And the plan was already in motion.
Requiya's curse had taken hold.
"Wh-what?! Don't push!"
"Boss! The guys in back have crazy eyes!"
The bandits fell to the curse easily; their charging rears with drawn swords tangled them up.
"Move! Gonna kill! Kill 'em all!"
"Snap out of it, you fool!"
Even the one trying to restrain went bloodshot-eyed soon.
"Yeah, let's kill 'em all!"
Watching their violent frenzy, I wondered if Marcus had truly been cursed. It hadn't been this bad.
Or maybe Marcus's mental fortitude made him go mad with dignity?
What about the Fiore cavalry then?
"Uwaaak!"
"What the hell are you doing?!"
Horses tumbled from behind, something snapped.
The last cavalryman shoved his comrades forward.
'Maybe Marcus resisted it. Or Requiya's grown, making the curse nastier.'
Either way, an astonishing find and tactic.
Damn, damn.
Like a cult leader with arms spread and lips mumbling, gray mist flowed from Requiya's hands, seeping into the foes.
Cursing multiple targets at once.
'Ho. Spreading like mist enables area curses.'
I calmly scanned the enemies with Blue Eye.
Even the uncursed ones' eyes rolled back eventually.
The madness was contagious.
Bloodshot-eyed foes charged wildly.
'Now.'
I sprinted toward the bandit mob, slower than the cavalry.
I tapped the power I'd been concealing Silver Star with too.
No reason to hold back in a life-or-death scrap.
Even if my position was exposed, no issue. By the time the queen arrived here, I'd be gone.
Full throttle permitted.
An arrow loosed by the running bandits grazed my ear.
A horse neighed from an arrow hit behind me; a man screamed.
A thick thing cracked. Horse neck snapped in the fall.
I maxed Blue Eye and focused.
I lightly stepped the head of the front bandit swinging his sword, launching skyward, then twisted toward the Fiore cavalry.
Stepped the horse head tight on my heels for extra height, twisted once more.
Kwajajajak!
Horse screamed, man wailed.
Horse-crushed bandit's head burst; the cavalryman rammed by his comrade's mount flew into a bandit's spear.
Left alone, they'd collide and wipe each other out.
But it was my responsibility.
That's how I saw it.
No regrets over their pointless deaths—they'd come for my head—but those deaths were on me.
So I'd cut their breath short myself. Properly.
Take responsibility my way.
'That is my justice, Luke.'
Midair, I gripped the pry bar's end with both hands, arms extended.
Twisted my waist to the max for the wind-up swing.
'I command—'
The dark brown pry bar whitened and froze solid.
Water conjured from my hand iced over, locking it to my grip.
As descent began, I unleashed the twisted abs.
Legs spread wide, arms whipped with full force.
My body spun like a whirlwind, blasting cold in all directions.
Shiiiiiik—
Sounded like a snake striking a frog.
Sharp ice shards scattered in the vortex's wake.
My ice needles cared not for friend or foe.
Too small to block, too fast to dodge.
Screams intensified, but I tuned them out.
No pity spared.
But I knew.
I'd caught the curse too.
Even with Blue Eye active, my eyes burned hot, vision tinged red.
'Did Requiya curse me too?'
【No way!】
By the time my feet hit ground, the downed foes had been flung back by the whirlwind.
I iced the pry bar's tip to a razor point.
Like a spearhead.
I jabbed the charging enemies' vitals relentlessly with the bar.
Infused rhythm from my star-piercing spear techniques.
Far foes: long-gripped club to smash skulls. Close rushers: throat impales.
Both sides down to half, they snapped to sanity.
Madness and terror deadlocked—terror won.
I warned the recovered ones in a flat tone.
"Too late. Not a single one lives."
They exchanged glances, monster-eyed.
Didn't take long to realize their sole survival path.
"Kill him!"
"Kill him or we die!"
I hurled the pry bar and drew my sword.
'I command—'
Breath ragged, Toolsep surged through my body.
Using the ability had burned through my mana vessel's full allotment.
'Gotta train mana cultivation harder.'
Magma heat bloomed from my hand, coiling around the blade.
I pierced the arm of the nearest cavalryman lunging for my neck.
Molten metal oozed from the wound like drips.
His arm melted clean off soon after.
Lava crept up his shoulder to his neck.
Mercy stroke: severed his head.
'Magma's risky if mishandled.'
Shook the sword to shed the heat, then wrapped it in cold.
A bandit's blocked sword shattered.
Thigh stab froze his leg solid.
Felt another force tamping down the rampaging Toolsep; I cocked my head.
'Hard to swallow.'
What the hell was divine power?
My vessel expanded even amid the killing.