The Butcher of Bern Falls

In his past life, Luden had reached 3-Star while working as a mercenary. It was the result of scrambling desperately, doing whatever it took to survive. But he had never been particularly proud of it. Any noble-born child who had taken swordsmanship lessons from an early age was expected to reach 3-Star before adulthood—it was a realm anyone could attain with even ordinary effort. Reaching it only at thirty meant he had no talent. He wasn't disappointed, though. He had already realized he lacked talent back when he lost to Kevin.

"Hraaaaaagh!" Drag closed the distance in an instant, impossibly fast for a man of his size, and brought his greatsword down with terrifying force. Luden chose to evade rather than block head-on.

KWAANG! The warehouse's old clutter shattered, sending up a cloud of pale dust. So he's got the edge in raw strength. Luden was never one for overconfidence. Even with his temporarily boosted stats, Drag was stronger. The gap between 3-Star and 5-Star wasn't something that could be bridged so easily in the first place.

Shadow Step's greatest strength lay in its stealth—moving silently with all presence suppressed. In a confined space full of cover like this, the ability shone all the brighter, letting him hunt for openings in his opponent's guard.

"You little bastard. Where are you?! Where the hell are you hiding?!"

When Luden vanished from sight, Drag panicked but sharpened his senses. His stance showed no openings. Impressive, really. It was exactly what one would expect from a former knight who'd come to rule Bern's underworld.

Luden had planned to provoke him into creating an opening, but the man was colder than he'd expected.

Fine, then. How about this.

Luden pulled a dagger from his Inventory Pocket and hurled it.

"Over there!" Drag deflected it with a twist of his greatsword. Even forced to rely on vision in the faint moonlight filtering in, he blocked it on pure instinct and reflex alone—remarkable.

But.

The instant he threw the dagger, Luden bored in with Shadow Step and delivered the strongest blow he could muster. His blade, charged with the power of the thunderstrike, shot forward, and Drag desperately twisted his body to block it.

PAAANG!

"Kgh!" A trickle of blood ran from the corner of Drag's mouth as he was driven back. His face contorted—he hadn't imagined a single attack could deal him internal injury.

Storm Sword

1st Form: Razor Wind

Luden seized the moment and pressed Drag even harder. A wind laden with sharp killing intent swept through the narrow warehouse.

"Kgh... dirty tricks."

Swinging that massive greatsword freely was difficult with so much debris in the way. Worse, Luden was cunningly exploiting exactly that, restricting Drag's movements.

No ordinary foe, this one. This style of fighting wasn't something a knight could do. It was the way of a mercenary—a hardened veteran of the trade, at that.

"Hiring a guy like you. Did Red Skull send you?!"

"Never heard of them. Ugly name, though."

"Kgh! You—"

He was feigning composure, but Luden was the anxious one. At any moment, Drag's underlings might come swarming in.

And besides—

This is my only chance to take Drag down.

He had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a quest. Fail here, and the quest failed. That was absolutely unacceptable.

Luden extended his leg and kicked Drag's greatsword skyward. Caught off guard by the unexpected attack, Drag faltered—and for an instant, an opening appeared.

"Kgh—!" Struck by the Stun Smash, Drag's body seized up for a moment. Luden flowed straight into the next form.

Storm Sword

2nd Form: Whirlwind

"GRAAAAAAGH!!"

KUUUUNG! The warehouse's goods went flying in every direction along with Drag. The old building, unable to bear the aftermath of the fight, swayed precariously.

"GRAAAH! You son of a bitch!" Drag rose from amid the wreckage, his face a mangled mess. But for all his fury, his body was already drenched in blood.

Luden smirked at him.

"So much for the Butcher of Bern. You're a sorry sight."

"You little shit!" Bloodshot eyes glared at Luden, brimming with murderous intent. He had originally planned to capture the man and force a confession, but after being humiliated this thoroughly, that no longer mattered. He would tear the bastard apart right here and now. That was the only thought left in Drag's head.

"I'll kill you. I'll kill you dead. I'll kill you, you hear me...!"

A vivid aura coalesced along Drag's descending greatsword, driving back the darkness. Even facing utter annihilation, Luden only smiled.

"Good. I was worried you might run."

KUUUNG! With a violent tremor, an invisible shockwave rippled outward from Luden. Windows shattered, and the aged walls split with a crack.

"Wh-what the—?!" The shockwave staggered Drag, and disbelief spread across his face. In his eyes, Luden's impassive expression was suddenly reflected—far too close, right in front of him.

Storm Sword

3rd Form: Gale

SHWAK!

"KUAAAHK!" Along with a horrific scream, Drag's head left his shoulders. The man who had held more than half of Bern's underworld in his grip met his end in a shabby warehouse.

"Whew. The 3rd Form is still a handful, as expected."

Luden exhaled the breath he'd been holding, his face deathly pale. Forcing his body through a form he hadn't yet mastered had taken its toll. And as his boosted stats returned to normal, a wave of exhaustion flooded his entire body.

He tensed his trembling legs and barely managed to keep from collapsing.

"It's not over yet."

Drag had been dealt with, and the kidnapped beastfolk rescued. But it wasn't over.

He escaped the warehouse, which looked ready to collapse at any moment, and the night sky greeted him, beautifully embroidered with stars.

And then—

"The boss is over there! Hurry, go help the boss!"

A crowd was rushing toward him. The surviving members of Drag's organization.

"Quite a crowd showed up. Good. Let's finish this once and for all."

The quest wasn't over yet.

"I see. So that's what last night's commotion was about."

The middle-aged man nodded as he heard the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠full account of what had happened. For a lord whose territory had been thrown into chaos, his reaction was remarkably composed. It was hard to believe that this was the man who, in his past life, had flown into a rage and declared war on the Black Wolf Tribe.

Well, then again. He nearly lost his only son to beastfolk, so I suppose it was only natural.

Even if he'd won the war, that incident had poisoned relations between the beastfolk and the kingdom—Viscount Valen couldn't have escaped responsibility either.

As Luden was thinking this, the lord of Bern, Viscount Valen, spoke up.

"I understand the situation. To think the recent incidents involving the Black Wolf Tribe were all the work of the Drag Gang. My failure to investigate properly. Had it not been for you, our relations with them would have soured. I owe a debt to House Kaisar."

"Not at all. It was simply my duty as a knight in training."

He had had no intention of revealing his status if he could avoid it, but resolving this incident had required the lord's help. Fortunately, Valen had accepted Luden's account without a hint of suspicion.

That aside, however, this matter could not simply be brushed under the rug. Now that people had tried to abduct beastfolk within his territory, a thorough investigation was only natural.

The Drag Gang, all but finished already, would not be the only organization to suffer. Bern would be noisy for a while.

Watching Viscount Valen sink into thought with a grave expression, Luden offered a casual suggestion.

"If you don't mind, may I take the rescued beastfolk back myself?"

"Hm?"

"The urgent matter is returning the abducted children to the Black Wolf Tribe and clearing up their misunderstanding. Fortunately, they're all safe, so if the persuasion goes well, the tribe won't lay hands on people again."

"That's true, but—you intend to go yourself?"

"Yes. I want to see this matter through to the end. Besides, my going in person would be better in many ways than sending someone else."

The truth was the quest, but it wasn't a lie. The Black Wolf Tribe might harbor hostility, but Luden, who had rescued their children, would at least be heard out.

Valen apparently thought so too, for he nodded gravely.

"Very well. Shamefully, I must ask this of you. If there is anything you need, say the word—I will have it prepared."

"Thank you. Then I'll depart at once."

"To think Count Kaisar has a son like you. I confess I'm rather envious."

Valen's eyes were full of goodwill. To a stranger, Luden's conduct was the very model of a knight, and the man was clearly pleased by it.

Lucky me. Building connections with other nobles at a time like this will help Kevin too.

The Kaisar territory was remote, and his father Geisel had long kept the social world at arm's length, so the only noble who really dealt with the Kaisar family was his maternal ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠grandfather, Viscount Felix. And even that man harbored impure intentions—thinking of it that way, building connections now would surely benefit Kevin as well.

After a final farewell to Viscount Valen, Luden went straight to see the Black Wolf Tribe children he had rescued.

The children, drained of vitality when he'd found them, had recovered their strength within a single day thanks to Valen's care.

"Must be a beastfolk thing—they recover fast."

"Human. I thank you once more."

"No need for thanks. I only did what anyone should."

Even so, the Black Wolf boy bowed his head deeply in gratitude. The boy, introduced as Ruka, was more mature than the others—and perhaps because of that, earnest by nature.

"Ruka. I'm taking you home right now, so get ready."

"Really?!"

At the news that they were being taken home, Ruka and all the other children looked astonished—then burst into tears of joy.

These children, who must have trembled in fear and ached for home the whole time they were captive, would be desperate to see their families even a moment sooner.

Just how much of a piece of trash was Drag, to have abducted children like these?

SWIPE.

As he watched the happy children, cursing Drag under his breath, Luden felt a tug at his sleeve and turned his head. A black-haired Black Wolf girl was clutching his sleeve tightly.

"You're Sara, aren't you?"

Nod.

Sara, gazing up at him blankly with violet eyes, gave a small nod. Unlike the other children, her placid expression showed no trace of joy.

Was she not happy to be going home?

No. That can't be it.

Taking her small hand in his, Luden spoke to the children.

"Alright. Time to go home."

"We must rescue the children from the humans' hands at once!"

"How much longer must we endure? Even now, the children—"

"War! The humans who dared abduct our children must pay the price!"

Each impassioned cry pushed the already ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠overheated atmosphere closer to the breaking point. Beastly howls rang out, and flashing eyes burned with ferocity.

Watching his tribesmen, Chieftain Vargar sighed and spoke.

"Calm yourselves, all of you. I do not misunderstand your feelings, but finding the children comes first."

A full week had already passed since the children were taken. Had they not caught the faint scent of humans at the last trace left behind, the tribe might never have known the children had been taken by humans.

As such, the Black Wolf Tribe's rage was at its peak. Vargar was holding it back with the authority of his station, but even that was reaching its limit.

Hah. Do they truly mean to start a war?

Vargar was no less angry than the rest. But he was the chieftain, and he could not ignore the safety of the Black Wolf Tribe. Few people in this hall were burning with more anxiety than he was.

"Haah... I have grown old."

"Chieftain! A report!"

Just then, one of the Black Wolf warriors returned from patrol. Something had happened—his face was full of urgency.

And without pausing for breath, he delivered unbelievable news.

"The abducted children—they are coming to the forest now!"

"What did you say?!"