Chapter 46
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: Come Behind Me
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I stared silently at Yuderg for a moment before snapping at him curtly.
"Tell me when and where we met, and what your purpose was in chasing me down. Do that, and I'll kill you painlessly."
Yuderg didn't answer right away, but Requiya didn't smack him over the head for it.
Because I'd reached out an arm to stop him.
The look in the man's eyes, his barely audible breathing.
The desperate longing to live seeped through so palpably.
Even without the Insight Ability, anyone with a shred of perception could see it plain as day.
It was a strange thing.
Luke's temperament kept me grounded, but something like a psychological rhythm was heavily influenced by me.
'Which is why I waver so much.'
Even when fighting the soldiers led by the Fiore commander, I hadn't wanted to kill.
That feeling still held sway over me.
For Yuderg, you could call it good luck.
"I'll give you time to get your thoughts in order."
How long did we wait like that? Finally, Yuderg let out a long breath through his nose and spoke.
"About fifty days ago, on the northern plains of Negaf Arron—"
Ah, that jogged my memory as soon as I heard it.
I hadn't seen his face, but the name rang a bell.
'It was one of the knights I heard about when I first flew into Luke's body and fought the Red Dragon Knights.'
One of the knights who'd been beaten senseless and knocked out before Luke broke his taboo and started killing.
"I received orders to track you down, and I wanted personal revenge as well. I wanted it!"
There was power in Requiya's finger-pointing that forced polite speech.
To make even a knight giving his dying confession mind his manners—Requiya truly had a devilish talent.
"Revenge? Your arm wasn't even cut off because of me. And what were the orders?"
"The revenge... it's because I was stripped of the Red Dragon name due to mana training issues from injuries that day. The orders were to capture Luke Seid, who was wandering without his power. We received intel he'd headed for Fiore and made contact with the Fiore guard."
I nodded at Yuderg's explanation.
It made sense.
"So, you lost your mana because of me. You got kicked out of the Red Dragons, but the Empire hasn't completely abandoned you. Who gave the order to catch me?"
"The High Priest."
The Drauwen Empire's High Priest.
A wicked sorcerer manipulating the Emperor from the shadows—or so Luke had told me.
There was no lie in Yuderg's confession.
The faint hope for mercy, the desire to live, had shackled him to the truth.
"The High Priest wants my heart..."
Luke had mentioned the High Priest's schemes.
But he didn't know the details either.
"The High Priest..."
If I focused on the fact that the old High Priest was a sorcerer, not a true priest, it wasn't so hard to figure out.
"Something hidden deep underground, huh? Looks like only the High Priest knows."
"I-I don't know."
Was it Requiya's finger that scared him, or my glare?
Yuderg shook his head just from meeting my eyes.
I cut the ropes binding Yuderg with my knife.
He looked up at me from his knees, clearly confused about what I meant.
A superhuman knight with no power left was just a pathetic human.
I looked down at him with that thought in mind.
Yuderg's eyes narrowed.
"Why are your eyes so wide? What? You want me to kill you?"
"N-No. Not at all."
"You're curious, though, right?"
Yuderg couldn't bring himself to say it and slowly nodded.
"You can't even use mana anymore. No wonder a guy in a Red Dragon cloak fought so poorly. Anyway, with your skills, you think you could even stab me? You figured since I'd lost my power, you could take me with swordsmanship alone."
"Yes."
"And you wouldn't lie because you know what abilities I have."
"That's also correct. However—"
"You wanted to live. You could've kept your mouth shut, but you wanted to live, so you cooperated."
Yuderg hung his head low.
"Yes. Please spare me..."
Once a knight who commanded the continent, now looking like a beggar, he couldn't lift his face.
Tears colder than dew fell to the ground.
"Bullshit. Total bullshit. Got family waiting back home? Wife and kids or something?"
Yuderg shook his head.
"Then why the waterworks? You just like living that much?"
"Yes. From a young age, all I'd learned was building strength and honing sword skills. It was only after losing my mana that I realized how vast and wide the world is. Even just coming to Fiore made it feel so new and expansive."
Why does it take losing everything to see how vast the world is? Don't the Red Dragon Knights travel?
Well, at least this sounded less dramatic and more genuine.
"If you go back, the High Priest will rip out your heart."
"Probably..."
I turned and called to Requiya.
"Go find this guy's sword. You know where it is, right?"
"Yes, Boss."
His kneeling pose was just too pitiful.
I gave Yuderg's butt a light kick with my instep.
"Get up. Eat something."
"What should I...?"
"Figure it out yourself, you idiot. Just survive."
"Thank you for your mercy."
"It's not mercy..."
I trailed off with a sigh.
Something about Yuderg's listless figure felt like a glimpse of my own future, leaving me hollow.
"Just... a feeling. What's the point in killing a tiger without teeth? If you grow some back, come find me. I'll take your challenge."
I didn't know his full story.
Even with the ability to discern truth, unspoken tales were beyond me.
'Life, huh.'
It left a bitter taste.
A man once in the Empire's elite knights now ate cold potatoes looking like a bum.
Meanwhile, someone else got locked naked in a cave, fingers breaking as they clung on desperately, only to turn it around.
Strong enough to unilaterally slaughter dozens of guards.
Ah, that's my story.
'Though he was strong to begin with. Surviving was thanks to my quick thinking. Ahem.'
Anyway, things would work out somehow.
That's how humans live, day by day.
The rest of our time in the bandit lair passed peacefully.
We could've left anytime, but the villagers' recovery came first. What if someone twisted an ankle on the march—who'd carry them?
We also had to sync with the group coming from the western border city to meet us.
We passed the time checking intel gathered by the birds.
"Yuderg. I'm a fake."
"Requiya told me. Complicated circumstances..."
"Requiya's got a big mouth."
"I heard severe head injuries can do that."
Hm?
Does this guy still think I'm Luke?
Maybe I should've played the amnesia card.
'Nah. Not my style.'
Let them assume whatever; I wasn't keen on actively deceiving them.
Lies are for treating others like fools.
Like con artists.
'Fabricating endless lies takes brains too. Ugh, headache-inducing.'
【Eight Colors!】
I slept during the day, gazed at the stars by night, and swung my sword following imaginary constellations.
"Yuderg. Requiya. You try it too. It's fun."
"Yes..."
Yuderg reluctantly swung a stick.
Requiya, who'd already tried it, quietly backed away.
"I'll check on the villagers' preparations. Need to inspect the perimeter too."
"Requiya works hard."
No visit from the Brad Kingdom slave trader who extorted tribute from the bandits via Latrap.
'Tough bastard. Was gonna kill him if he showed.'
On the third day, the villagers finally set off on their journey to freedom.
"Requiya, escort them to the main road to Fiore. I'll bring up the rear."
The villagers, sharing out the loot from the bandit warehouse evenly, filed out of the mountain stronghold in a line.
They paused now and then, looking back with sighs.
The place where their lives were stolen, where family and friends died—full of resentment, no doubt.
'I command thee—rage of magma—'
So I burned it down.
Ordered the bandits to demolish the stockade and barracks, then set them ablaze.
Anyone with bad intentions settling in would just turn it back into a bandit den.
Down on the main road, Suhes and Fred greeted us. The crows did good work. Time for two extra corns as a bonus.
The security force had brought over ten wagons. The villagers boarded one by one.
Good— the trip to the city would be comfortable.
The villagers looked at me with expectant eyes.
They finally spoke up awkwardly.
"Stay in the city to recover, then go find those who have places to go. Farewell."
The villagers pressed their hands together in thanks.
"Thank you, Holy Knight—"
"May the light be with you..."
"We pray the Demon God's power blesses you, Holy Knight."
I nodded vaguely and turned to leave when Suhes's voice rang out.
"Which of you were the ones doing the banditry—?"
Why was this old geezer suddenly stirring shit?
Why pick out the ones trying to live straight?
The beggar ex-bandits sheepishly raised hands.
"Get off right now, you scum."
The beggars lowered their hands.
Suhes put a hand to his shiny forehead and sighed.
"I said get off the wagons."
"Suhes, what's this about?"
Suhes turned to me, no longer the kindly balding uncle.
His cold gaze carried the charisma of a mayor responsible for his city.
"Our city was built fighting bandits. Plenty of young folk died protecting family and homes, right? Think the citizens will stand for it? Even if they did, I couldn't stomach it. That's the city law. Heh, gotta uphold it myself first. Banditry means death penalty."
Shing— Shing—
No sooner had "death penalty" left his lips than the security force drew swords.
"So, you're going to kill them? These are the ones I gave a chance at redemption."
I stood my ground.
"I get Kalruk spared bandits 'cause he's extraordinary. But we can't ignore our sentiments, our laws. That's how we survived."
As I hesitated, the beggars climbed down, faces crumpling.
I beckoned them over.
"Come behind me. You're no longer bandits."
"Of course, Boss. We..."
Kruk trailed off, wiping his eyes with his sleeve.
"But Suhes is right too. You joining the city like this would cause issues."
"What should we do?"
"Please spare us..."
"Boss..."
I think I understood why Luke's temperament clashed with mine, why I'd felt conflicted.
I believed their sincerity, wanted to open a path for them.
But Luke's nature wanted to shove them aside as trouble.
I couldn't exactly blame Luke's side either.
I'd kept my own distance from people too.
"Let us follow you, Boss. We're just the ones who stood watch, hunted, did laundry. The stronghold's burned down. We're too weak to survive elsewhere—easy pickings. If we can't even mine in the city, let us serve you."
Requiya and Yuderg just watched my reaction, saying nothing.
Clear they saw them as baggage.
Luke probably hadn't foreseen this.
What would he have done?
'I'm not Luke.'
Screw it. I didn't know.