Chapter 45
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: A Face I Don't Recognize
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Ending it here would be a pretty decent wrap-up, even by my own standards.
Since I'd minimized the killing, that is.
The ones who'd tried to ambush me from behind had probably frozen to death by now, but that was on them and their bad luck.
But the Fiore Royal Guard seemed to think differently.
"You arrogant bastard!"
"You think you can trample a soldier's honor and get away unscathed?!"
"We won't forgive you!"
A sigh escaped me amid the sluggishly flowing time.
'What's this honor bullshit? Is it more precious than their lives?'
Another thought crossed my mind too.
That I'd nearly botched things again because of my preconceptions.
I'd figured that if I overwhelmed their commander with superior skill during their moment of confusion, their morale would crumble.
'My mistake. Right, they're soldiers. Loyal to their country, willing to lay down their lives to protect their superior.'
【Silver Star: Soldiers my ass! Just pathetic humans!】
I'd planned to let them all go somehow, but the world doesn't bend to my will, does it?
Fatigue suddenly crashed over me.
That's when the commander, kneeling on one knee, thrust both arms out and shoved my chest.
I let it happen.
It didn't hurt anyway.
Several blades pressed in from behind.
Swords and spears advanced amiably to skewer me.
'I command thee—.'
I focused strength into my toes and kicked off the ground.
Vice commander's sword in my right hand, commander's in my left.
'Fucking annoying.'
I was pissed.
The cold that rushed to freeze my heart every time I tried to release power outward was annoying too.
I mixed that cold into my mana and coated the blades.
I slathered the two swords thick with irritation-laced frost.
"Fine, if that's your wish, die then."
I bent my legs in midair and twisted my waist.
Like embracing my lonely self, I hugged my body with the two swords.
Balance shattered, my body tilted at an angle.
"You smartasses, just go die......"
As I swung the two swords wide like flaring my coat, shards of frost surged forward.
Before they hit the ground, I veered them wildly, spraying cold everywhere.
"Die. Honorably."
I strode lightly in short steps, stabbing and slashing here and there like on patrol.
"Say hi to your dead vice commanders first. Got it?"
The guy lurking behind a tree, waiting for an opening, got bisected with it.
"If those bandits who died the other day bully you in the afterlife, fight honorably again, okay?"
I'd already drawn my mana to its limit.
I withdrew the frost and fought with raw blade.
A restrained swing cleaved spear and man alike.
A simple thrust shattered a soldier's sword and pierced his armor.
"Who said you could run......?"
I yanked a spear from the ground and infused it with magma's power.
The hurled spear flew and exploded.
"The bomb went KABOOM—. Whoa, that startled me—."
Flesh chunks and lava splattered, burning trees and melting earth.
Once fully immersed, their screams sounded like music.
"Shoooot thaaat shiiit—!"
I fluttered my sword like wings to draw their fire.
Whoosh—whoosh—.
"Hands over your heads—. At that pace, when will you escape?"
I stabbed the back of a soldier crawling desperately on the ground.
"Anyone else wanna live?"
I figured a few were probably playing dead.
Soldiers' honor and all that, but some had to value their lives more, like me, right?
"Others' lives are cheap, mine's precious. Soldiers' honor is sacred when massacring innocents, but people captured by bandits and living like slaves are worth less than bugs. Fuck, what a shitty world. Fine, I'll kill you all, you bastards."
Even after a bloodbath worse than the other day, my mind stayed cool, eyes clear.
I could feel the sneer tugging at my lips from the muscle movements.
Thanks to suppressing the Toolsep while fighting.
"If you wanna live, raise your hand and shout 'me!'"
Someone did, so I lopped off his arm.
His scream grated, so I took his head too.
"Anyone else wanna live?"
Silence blanketed everything.
Only ragged breaths choked with blood.
'Silver Star.'
【Silver Star: There! That bastard's still alive!】
'That's not why I called you.'
I stepped on that bastard's back and stabbed anyway.
'Not dizzy, but my head's fuzzy. Weirdly sleepy.'
【Silver Star: You're using strength to the point of exhaustion! Holding back mana invasion in that state! Like viruses fighting antibodies!】
Oh, that makes perfect sense.
'Gotta go in and sleep.'
【Silver Star: Finish up first!】
'They'll die on their own if I leave 'em. Wild beasts'll eat 'em. The unscathed ones'll flee anyway.'
I'd rampaged about killing them all, but 50 was a lot.
About 10 had rolled down the steep forest slope to escape, 10 had bolted outright. And five were playing dead.
'Yeah. Survive somehow, you bastards.'
Too much hassle to chase down every survivor.
【Silver Star: Do this! Do that! Come! Go!】
'That's human. I'm no monster.'
On my way back to retrieve my cloak, I spotted a soldier slumped with a dazed expression.
I prodded his shoulder with the flat of my blade.
His vacant eyes flicked to me, then forward again.
"You okay?"
"Y-Yes......"
"What's wrong?"
"M-Monster. I saw a demon."
I smacked his head with the sword flat.
"Agh—!"
"You nuts? Why insult demons? You know how nice Requiya is?"
"S-Sorry...? Yes?"
"You're the heretics, assholes. Killing holy knights, slaughtering bandits, trying to murder prisoners too."
"Heretics...? What does that mean?"
"Hell if I know. If I'm calling you heretics, you are. I'm a holy knight! Holy knight says so, it is! Got it?"
"Yes......"
"Where's the prince?"
"He must've left by now. On horseback......"
Looked like he'd bugged out first.
Makes sense. What noble sticks around camping forever? Seen plenty suffer tick bites.
"Prince got lucky. Would've gone kill him if he was nearby. Damn, too bad."
Irritation flared, so I booted the soldier's ass.
"Scram! Heretic scum."
He crawled off awkwardly, collapsed after a few steps.
His hopeless gaze around him was like a kid who'd lost mom on a battlefield.
"Sigh—. That's the Royal Guard?"
I picked up my cloak, brushed off stuck leaves and dirt.
Draped it roughly over my shoulders and surveyed the area.
Sensed guys clutching trees or comrades' corpses, prone—not even scratched by blades. Breathing evenly, like asleep.
"Saved a ton. So generous, me."
Spotted the commander, frozen solid then shattered into chunks.
Died in the chaos, probably.
Well, by my hand, yeah.
"Died by me, but your fault. I just followed my justice. Red Dragon Knights' bootlickers, who you think you are? Oh right—. Where'd that red cloak punk go?"
"I caught him, boss."
From the voice's direction, a blood-red cloak bobbed up the slope, tightly bound.
Requiya was hauling the bound guy up.
"Villagers?"
"Locked in barracks playing with the bandits."
"With those beggars? Playing? Doing what?"
"All sorts, looks like? Saw bandits playing with kids—decent at it. Told 'em to. Screams were too loud, bad for kids' education."
Hm, nodding-worthy move.
Such a family-oriented demon, Requiya.
"Good work."
Back at the fort, Erakins greeted us.
"Good work, sir."
I nodded, handed him the bloodied vice commander's sword.
"Erakins, use this. Decent blade. Clean the blood yourself."
"Thank you. I'll treasure it."
Erakins took it with an unreadable expression—awkward stance said he'd never held one before.
Requiya asked from behind.
"What about this one?"
I lifted the face of the guy slung over Requiya's shoulder.
Looked young like Requiya, but unshaven stubble curled like bristles on pigskin.
Pale face—severe internal injuries from clashing with me?
'Nah. Maybe just pale by nature.'
I'm so nice, I blame myself for everything.
Mom's fault.
'What to do with him?'
Blood dripped from his mouth to the ground. Gross.
"Who is this guy?"
"No idea. Too weak for Red Dragon. You don't know either, boss?"
"Nope. First time seeing him."
"Interrogate when he wakes."
"Anyone here know healing magic?"
"I'll check."
"If he dies, oh well."
Requiya doesn't know healing magic.
Said spellbooks are pricey; not just anyone learns it.
I don't know how to heal others either.
Wondered if I could try, like conceptualizing and realizing spirit form through imagination.
But heal this trash for gains?
"Requiya, take the guards inside too. Spread word the army retreated."
"And you, boss?"
"Gonna wash up."
"Ah, bath time? Got it."
In a secluded corner, I stripped, raised both hands above my head, and rubbed them together.
Rub rub—.
Water flowed where palms met.
"Ugh! Fuck, cold."
Snapped me awake.
Half-closed eyes flew open.
Thought of mixing magma spirit, but held back.
Might boil like poached chicken if temp control failed. Poached chicken sounds tasty.
"Rain, come. No, don't. Mud'll make it hell for villagers descending."
Grooo—.
Hippo rubbed his face on my leg.
【Silver Star: Good job!】
"Yeah. You slacked off good too, Hippo."
Hippo lapped up the dripping water after our greeting.
"Water taste good?"
Grooo—.
【Silver Star: Good!】
Yeah. Like I always say, as long as someone's happy.
Dried off, sat with Hippo, chatted idly.
Mostly me talking.
"Let a bunch go. Only killed the ones who ran once then came back. Know why?"
Grooo—.
【Silver Star: Wanna swim!】
"If possible, yeah...... Wanted to give everyone a fair shot."
Grooo—.
【Silver Star: Hungry!】
"Don't even know who I am anymore. Definitely not Luke...... But not wandering lost. Just a bit tough."
【Silver Star: Miss mom!】
"Emotions always make reason suffer."
【Silver Star: No river here!】
Venting helped lighten my mood.
【Silver Star: Want milk!】
Even listens—Hippo's a great guy.
It took a full day for the Red Dragon cloak guy to regain consciousness.
"Name."
He mumbled at my question; Requiya smacked his head.
"Answer the boss quick or get punished. He asked your name."
"Yuderg. Yuderg Wilhelm."
Requiya hit him again.
Grievance flickered in Yuderg's eyes, like why hit me after answering?
"Too curt? Huh?"
"Stop. You'll dumb him down."
"Yes, boss."
I pondered Yuderg, bound and looking up at me.
'A face I don't recognize.'
Chin in hand, scratched nape, fiddled side, clenched butt—racked my brain, but nada.
"Yuderg, we met before?"
"Y-Yes..., sir."
Glancing at Requiya, he switched to polite speech.
We'd met?
When? Where? How?
'And why charge at me to die?'
Did I borrow money from him or something?
Like one of those tragic debts leading to doom?