Chapter 14
Lost in the forest, I couldn’t find Kals.
I felt like I had become completely lost, but at the same time, I worried about Kals.
He had come to help me—what if he ended up in a difficult situation because of it?
“Ugh… I’m scared.”
—Dirtling.
Dirtling tried to comfort me, but the fear was unavoidable.
Looking at the darkening sky, I wondered when Karon would arrive.
Today alone had been chaotic; how could I endure an entire week?
The bandits might completely overrun us before a week even passed.
Even if Karon did arrive, it would still be a problem.
No matter how strong he was, fighting all those bandits would take time.
If we couldn’t hold out during the battle, we’d still die, even with his help.
I sighed heavily, holding the communicator.
I couldn’t contact Deruna, who might be in the middle of a fight, and I couldn’t stop worrying about Elenien.
I was terrified of being alone. What should I do?
After some hesitation, I thought about contacting Karon.
He was probably busy traveling, but he might have a moment to answer.
I picked up the communicator and checked the surroundings.
There didn’t seem to be any bandits nearby, so it felt safe to make the call.
—Beep beep.
The connection tone rang as I called Karon.
However, he didn’t pick up.
I sighed and ended the call. Soon after, the communicator lit up silently, signaling an incoming call.
When I answered, Karon’s voice came through.
“Hey, Serupe. Spending your break productively, I see.”
“It feels more like I’m about to die.”
“Hahaha, isn’t Deruna with you? I’m on my way too, so I’ll save you as a bonus.”
“Bonus? Oh, thank you so much.”
“You’re the one who can’t manage to get out on your own after all the lessons I gave you, sigh…”
What the heck is he talking about?
“How am I supposed to run away by myself?”
“You run, request reinforcements from a nearby city, and sweep through the bandits starting from the outskirts. Pushing back the front line increases your chances of survival.”
“I’m not a noble—how am I supposed to request reinforcements?”
“Use Deruna Archil’s name. The city’s local nobles would be obligated to mobilize soldiers, and plenty of mercenaries from the Archil family, a renowned mercenary household, would join as well. Didn’t you learn this as an Academy student?”
“Oh… uh…”
But none of that mattered if I couldn’t escape in the first place.
“Geez, whining won’t help. Anyway, Deruna can’t handle this alone, so you’ll need to deal with a few of Green Forest’s strong members. I suspect they’ll group up to target her.”
“Me? How?”
“I gave you a swordsmanship manual, didn’t I? Don’t tell me you haven’t memorized it.”
“…I’ve been carrying it with me.”
“RAAAHHHHH!”
Karon let out a monstrous scream.
I’m doomed. I’m doomed. Why am I so stupid? Should I just tell him not to come for me?
Whether I died to the bandits or to Karon, I was dead either way…
Honestly, dying to the bandits seemed less horrifying.
“…I’ll give you tailored training like I did with Adela. If I hear you’ve done nothing but run, you’re dead meat…”
“Hic.”
“Heh heh… By the time I arrive, you’ll either have taken down all the bandits, or I’ll kill you myself. One or the other.”
Of course, Karon handed down his death sentence as expected.
I was dead.
The call continued, with Karon scolding me relentlessly.
***
Deruna had returned to the hideout where she had concealed Elenien after setting traps.
She planned to hold out with a magical barrier and fortified defenses.
If the bandits stormed the place, she’d thin out their numbers as much as possible before fleeing to the next hideout.
A glow emanated from the charm on Elenien’s waist, where she had tucked a spade.
“Karon?”
Sure enough, it was Karon.
Deruna answered the call with her usual sarcasm.
“Hello?”
“Deruna, you’re doing such a great job babysitting that halfwit.”
“If you know, hurry up and get here already. Why am I the one cleaning up after your student?”
“Heh heh heh, could it be that springtime has come for Deruna?”
“What?”
Although it was hard to tell in the dark, Deruna’s face flushed as she leaned closer to the communicator.
“Cut the nonsense, Karon.”
What kind of ridiculous idea was this?
Did this guy even know how I felt?
Just wait until he arrived—I’d half kill him.
Deruna gritted her teeth while Karon chuckled, asking her to do something.
“…You think you can lie about something like that?”
“It’s his fault for fumbling around after I trained him. He’s the type who responds well to a little shock therapy.”
“Ha… Whatever. Hanging up now.”
Deruna straightened the communicator and cleared her throat.
With teary eyes glistening, she looked like she was auditioning for a leading actress role.
***
In the dark forest at night.
“Damn it… Staying up all night just to catch a few?”
A bandit wandering the mountain with a torch suddenly felt his strength drain and stopped in place.
Noticing something odd, he reached for his neck.
It was wet.
It was red enough to be indistinguishable from the torchlight.
Blood.
That was the last thing the bandit realized.
Blood gushed from his neck as he collapsed to the ground.
“What the… you?”
Before his companion could process the scene, he met the same fate.
“Aaagh! We’re under attack! Ambush!”
“Where? Where are they?”
“Kyaagh! Why are you stabbing me?”
“It’s not me!”
The bandits began to fall one by one.
Walking calmly among their fallen bodies toward the enemy’s base, Serupe muttered to himself.
“I’ll kill them all….”
He could have questioned his own achievements, but Serupe didn’t hear the confused mutterings of the bandits.
Perhaps it was because the enemies were such weaklings, or because he had learned from Karon, but he couldn’t objectively evaluate himself.
With eyes burning, the monster roamed the battlefield, tracking the bandits’ traces.
For the shadows stepped on by this monster, their fate was sealed.
Another one-sided massacre unfolded.
“Arghhh!”
“What’s going on? Where is it coming from? Where?!”
“It’s a ghost—a ghost!”
The bandits fell helplessly to the ground.
With an entire squad obliterated, the last remaining bandit fell on his rear, scrambling backward.
He could only watch as Serupe approached him, step by step.
“I’m sorry… Elenien… I’m so sorry… If only I hadn’t foolishly set out for the trade route… If I had just stayed quietly at the Academy when I heard there were bandits…. Oh no… I deserve to die… Someone like me… It’s terrifying… terrifying… Elenien….”
“Gasp, huff… Don’t… Don’t come any closer!”
The bandit screamed as he watched the blood-soaked swordsman approach with his face in his hands.
“Green Wave? You trash who delude yourselves into thinking you’re revolutionaries while stealing lives and tormenting people… I’ll kill every last one of you.”
“Ahhhhhh!”
Caught in a trance, under the red light of the moon, the massacre continued.
***
One of the mercenaries paused mid-draw of his arrow and spoke to Deruna.
“This is strange. It feels like fewer bandits are approaching. Wait, they’re retreating.”
“That’s an impressive effect….”
“Did you contact anyone outside, Lady Deruna? Could reinforcements have arrived already? I heard you called Karon—surely he alone would be enough. Is there any other force that could have arrived this quickly?”
“No.”
“What kind of magic have you employed?”
The mercenary’s curiosity was met with a wry smile from Deruna.
She already knew Serupe was a monster, but this was something else entirely….
Shaking her head as a reply, the mercenary merely shrugged.
“Alright, let’s start resting in two shifts.”
“Phew, I don’t know what’s happening, but this mission suddenly feels too easy. Can I really sleep?”
“Sleep.”
At her words, the mercenary leaned back and began snoring almost immediately.
For the others who stayed awake, Deruna issued a separate order.
“Some of you should go find Kals and bring him back. I’ll guard this spot in the meantime.”
“Understood.”
The mercenaries stopped mid-reply as they caught sight of something.
A magical signal, used to prevent friendly fire, had been sent.
When Deruna and the mercenaries assumed defensive positions in the direction of the signal, Kals appeared, sticking his head out.
“Phew, so you’re all here.”
“Talk about the tiger appearing when called.”
“Excuse me? Were you looking for me?”
“We were just about to go looking for you.”
“Ha ha, who do you think I am? Kals, who survives even when thrown into enemy territory!”
“I feel like throwing you again.”
“Whoa, hold up! I just got back after a rough time, you know.”
The mercenary who had been about to throw him stopped as Deruna scolded Kals.
“I’m sure it was easy coming back.”
“Well, it was. The bandits suddenly started acting like they were sick or something.”
“This mission wasn’t really about protecting your employer….”
“Excuse me?”
Deruna leaned against the wall with a sigh, resting her forehead in her hand.
Why were there so many geniuses and monsters in the world?
She thought she was already used to such absurdities after seeing Karon, but….
“I’m tired. You guys keep watch first. Ugh, life is so unfair. Don’t we have any alcohol?”
“Hehe, I’ve got some hidden. Should I bring it out?”
“Tsk, fine. But only I’m drinking. You all need to stay sharp.”
Kals chimed in slyly.
“I saw it on the way here—the bandits were completely routed and retreating everywhere.”
Seeing the mercenaries offer her a drink, Deruna sighed heavily and held out the bottle.
“Fine, we’ll all drink equally then.”
“That’s not like you—what’s gotten into you?”
“It’s better for you not to know. Just focus on your job….”
Would they believe her if she said that someone who had barely trained for a month was already stronger than her?
She considered shattering the mercenaries’ confidence with the truth but decided against it. The aftermath would be too much trouble to handle.
“There’s a monster… A real monster….”
With a heavy sigh, Deruna lifted the bottle.
She drank deeply, her thoughts drifting to the monstrous boy enduring this ordeal alone.
“Phew, I feel a bit bad for him, but….”
After all—she’d lied to him, saying Elenien had been captured.
Still, at least she could relax and drink for a while, so perhaps it wasn’t all bad.
“Hey, don’t drink all of it! That’s all we have left, Lady Deruna.”
Deruna downed the rest of the bottle.
***
A countermeasure to handle Deruna.
One of Green Forest’s lords, leading his troops, sensed something amiss and swung his greatsword downward.
———Boom!
“How dare you send assassins against me. Such petty tricks won’t work….”
The moon waned.
“I have no time to deal with scum like you.”
As the lord’s body fell from his horse, someone stepped over it.
Seeing the bandits retreating timidly, Serupe’s eyes filled with tears.
“Where are you, Elenien…?”
No bandit dared stand in his way.
Unable to find Elenien, Serupe, with bloodshot eyes, wandered aimlessly.
The fleeing bandits later gathered to share stories about that night’s events.
Those stories soon turned into rumors, spreading across the continent about the “Weeping Swordsman.”
If Serupe ever heard about it, he’d be mortified.
—
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