I looked at the kid standing in front of .
Fifteen? Maybe sixteen years old.
In a few years, he had grown from a boy to a young man.
But I'll just call him a kid.
Because a kid is a kid.
The kid was looking at with a sowhat bewildered face.
He had a dazed expression, as if he couldn't quite believe this situation.
"Um... are you Sir Ashuban of the Half-Sword, the captain of the Sherwood rcenary Corps?"
I nodded my head.
"That's right."
"Ooh...!"
The kid's eyes sparkled.
"It's an honor to et you!"
Currently, I was standing in the spacious training ground of the Ertrita family.
With the kid who had struck down with a fierce sword strike a few years ago.
The training ground was filled with nurous knights and family mbers who had co out to watch, and even the head of the Ertrita family had co out to observe.
But what did that matter?
I decided to focus on the revenge in front of .
I said in a cold tone.
"Cut the crap. What honor."
"Uh."
Bewildernt appeared in the kid's innocent eyes.
But I won't be fooled.
Wasn't the kid in front of the vicious bastard who had struck down with a fierce sword strike that didn't match his innocent eyes!
I will not be fooled by an old trick.
Sreung—
I drew my sword.
It was the Ash Bud Sword, which had been cut in half in the battle with the Evil God.
Woong!
When I injected my internal energy, a bright red flower blood from the cut surface of the broken blade.
It soon beca a complete sword.
—Ooh...!
—That is the sword that split the Evil God's heart...!
I heard murmuring from the surroundings.
I shouted, filled with red-hot emotion.
"Evan Ertrita! Draw your sword!"
Did he read the sincerity in my words?
The kid took his stance.
The kid's gaze cald down.
'Let's see how much you've grown.'
I'm sure, at the ti he struck down.
He had said it was the first ti he had ever held a sword.
I said to the kid.
"Do your best. So that you have no regrets."
The kid answered bravely.
"Yes!"
The mont I felt the kid's eyes seem to blaze.
'Huh?'
Seeing the shimring light on the kid's sword, I was at a loss for words.
"Haha..."
A hollow laugh escaped .
Did it make sense?
At that age, only two or three years after holding a sword for the first ti.
Was it even possible to create an aura!
And this guy wasn't even a demon who had received the energy of the demon realm!
'What kind of talent is this...!'
It was truly a talent bestowed by the heavens.
Perhaps, the Eight Sword Masters were born with such talent.
At the talent that defied common sense, I could only laugh in disbelief.
Had the gods bestowed the fate of a god-slayer who would dispose of the Evil God upon guys like this?
In that sense, I was truly a mutant.
'So what am I supposed to do?'
I'm not the sa as before either.
"The ti for revenge has finally arrived."
Even a genius cannot escape this.
"Um, but Sir Ashuban. I have a question."
The kid asked.
"What is it?"
"You keep talking about revenge... did I by any chance do sothing wrong to you before?"
"...You don't rember?"
"Uh, yes..."
For , it was the most intense, humiliating, and shocking.
An event that had not been forgotten from my mind even after ti had passed and many things had happened.
But for this genius kid, it wasn't a very impressive event?
It wasn't strange.
At that ti, I was a nobody that no one would rember.
Squeeze...!
I gripped the hilt of my sword tightly.
But, it's different now, you bastard.
Because I'm not the sa as before.
And, so what?
It doesn't matter.
Because revenge is mine alone.
I heard a phantom sound of soone clicking their tongue.
What would the Heavenly Demon have said if he had seen this?
'You beca the strongest under the heavens, and the best you can do is get revenge on a kid?' I could almost hear the Heavenly Demon's voice, full of disappointnt.
...For so reason, I felt a sense of emptiness.
I squeezed my eyes shut and shouted.
"Co!"
It's ti for revenge!
No matter who the opponent was, I always gave my all in every fight.
Even if it was a kid.
There are no exceptions.
The blade of my revenge does not discriminate between opponents.
A man who does his best even when facing a kid.
That is .
Flash!
I opened my eyes.
Kwaaaaa!
A mad wind rages.
Giiiiing
A red moon rises, and the world is dyed in blood.
"Blood Moon."
aning, blood moon.
***
"Ah, that's refreshing."
This feeling of a ten-year-old indigestion finally going down.
Indeed, revenge was sweet.
The kid couldn't even swing his sword once and knelt down, trembling.
And I took the victory.
If the Heavenly Demon had been in my head, he would have nagged for being happy about beating a re kid.
But since he wasn't there, it didn't matter.
"In tis like this, it's good that the Heavenly Demon is out of my head."
Thus, there are pros and cons to everything.
"Lululu~"
I humd as I returned to the hideout.
Pang! Pang!
I t eyes with Linda, who was hanging laundry in the backyard.
"Ah, it's the devil!"
Dadada—
Linda threw down the laundry she was shaking and ran to .
"Devil, where have you been?"
"Ah, I'm on my way back from finishing a sweet revenge."
"You look happy."
"Because I am."
Linda suddenly took sothing out of her pocket and held it out to .
"Want a mushroom?"
It was a mushroom of various colors.
A poisonous mushroom that clearly contained a serious poison just by looking at it.
"Sure."
But since I was in a good mood, I gladly accepted it and took a bite.
Omm-nom-nom.
"How is it? How is it?"
"Hmm. It's electrifying."
"Heeheehee."
Linda said as if she had just rembered.
"Ah, but devil."
"Yes?"
"Viola was waiting."
Halt.
The humming stopped abruptly.
"...Waiting for ?"
"Yeah. Ever since you left with Boris! She's been staring at the door the whole ti."
A chill ran down my spine.
It was a huge relief that I ca through the back.
If I had co through the front door without thinking, Viola would have grabbed by the collar.
Actually, I could just be honest.
That even after everything was over, I didn't have any particular thoughts.
But, perhaps because the period of waiting for that answer had beco too long.
Honestly, I'm scared.
How Viola will react.
I was scared of Viola crying, and I was even more scared of her chasing while crying.
Because she was the owner of a strange constitution where she beca stronger the more she cried sorrowfully.
Actually, I didn't know much about relationships between n and won, and it was awkward, so I had been putting it off as much as possible.
Is this why it's good to answer quickly and honestly?
"Linda."
I said to Linda in a very low tone.
"Yes."
Linda also answered in a small whisper, following my lead.
"I'll grant your wish now."
"Really?!"
"Shh!"
"Shh, shh!"
"So, go quietly and just call Shushuruta. You know what I an, right?"
Nod, nod.
Linda said quietly.
"Okay."
As I watched Linda's back as she quietly returned to the hideout, I rembered the wish they had asked of .
The wish that the Shushulinda duo had made after succeeding in destroying the most branches of the Dark Heaven Society was.
To go to the Blake Kingdom together.
Shushuruta probably wanted to go with her because she was worried about her master, the head of the thieves' guild whom she called 'old man'.
And Linda just seed to like traveling with .
Actually, I didn't really know what these guys were thinking when they asked to go on a trip to the Blake Kingdom together.
Because they were guys whose thoughts I could never figure out.
From my perspective, it was a good thing.
Since I was planning to go anyway.
At that mont, before Linda could even enter the hideout, a shadow silently descended into the backyard.
Shushuruta said nonchalantly.
"You don't have to go. I heard everything."
That's right, this one's hearing was unusually sharp.
Linda, who had spotted Shushuruta descending into the backyard, quietly approached this way again.
Shushuruta looked at and said.
"Viola seems to be waiting for you with her neck stretched out. Are you really just going to go?"
I nodded my head with a serious expression.
"That's right."
"Well, alright."
I left the hideout with Shushuruta, who had shrugged her shoulders, and Linda, who was still walking stealthily.
"Linda."
"Yes?"
"You can stop walking stealthily now."
"Okay!"
Hop.
"...I didn't an for you to get on my back."
"Hehehe."
I walked the streets of Milestone with the puppy-like Linda on my back.
The desolate appearance from when I first returned was nowhere to be seen.
Bustling, bustling.
Crowded, crowded.
"Oh, Ashuban."
"Yes?"
"Boris ca by while you were gone."
"Why?"
"He said the mithril-grade badge made by the rcenary guild has arrived."
"Ooh, really?"
Mithril Grade.
A grade above platinum grade.
The highest grade for a rcenary.
It was a grade badge ant for only one person, but now there were two owners.
Guston of the Greatsword.
And Ashuban of the Half-Sword.
"Haha."
It felt like just yesterday that I was wondering if I could even get a gold grade.
To receive a mithril grade, beyond platinum grade.
It was a new feeling.
"Are you going to go get it?"
"Of course."
The mont I was about to head to the guild.
Shudder!
I felt a creepy sensation and turned around.
Viola was standing in the middle of the street.
"Huk!"
She tilted her head slightly to one side and stared straight at .
Viola muttered ominously.
"Ashuban... where are you going...?"
"U-uaaah!"
"Woah!"
I hurriedly used my lightness technique with Linda on my back and escaped from Milestone.
After leaving the city, I looked back and saw Viola standing on the city wall, looking at .
With her bow aid at .
"Why... are you running away...?"
"W-wait! Don't shoot, listen. I have so business to take care of in the east...!"
"Again... you're telling to wait...?"
Viola let go of the bowstring, tears streaming down her face.
"I can't do that...!"
Swish!
The arrow that left the bowstring flew at a trendous speed.
"Ugh!"
Thud-kwang!
The ground caved in as if a cannonball had fallen, and a cloud of dust rose.
"This is crazy..."
It was an ordinary arrow, but in Viola's hands, it had transford into a siege weapon.
When I looked at the city wall, I saw Viola taking an arrow from a quiver she had snatched from a soldier and nocking it on her bow.
"I need to hear your answer...!"
Viola said, aiming her bow at .
Tears were streaming down from her eyes.
"Ashuban, I like you. Like my heart is on fire."
"Uh, uh..."
"What about you?"
"Th-that's..."
"Answer...!"
Swish!
Thud-kwang!
"Waaah!"
I used my lightness technique and fled towards the east.
"Where do you think you're running...!"
Viola chased after , holding her bow.
"Answer ...!"
Thud-kwang!
Every ti Viola shot an arrow, the ground caved in and dirt poured down.
"Answer... ...!"
Thud-kwang! Thud-kwang! Thud-kwang!
A bowman who fired battering rams, that was the crybaby Viola.
"Waaah!"
Linda, on my back, was having fun.
"I knew this would happen!"
Shushuruta followed, keeping a distance from .
I dodged the arrows pouring down on and shouted as I furiously used my lightness technique towards the east.
"When I get back! I'll tell you when I get back!"
"I can't wait any longer...! Answer and go...!"
Swish!
Thud-kwang!
"Aaaah!"
She's not listening!
"Ashuban! What are you going to do!"
Shushuruta, who was running alongside at a slight distance, shouted.
"Change of plans!"
Originally, I was planning to go south and travel peacefully like a tourist.
But the story changes if a crazy archer who shoots battering rams is chasing .
"We're going straight to the Misty Cliff!"
Thud-kwang!
An arrow fell between and Shushuruta, and dirt poured down.
Through it, I saw Shushuruta's widened eyes.
"D-don't tell ...?!"
"That's right! There's no strange mist anymore, so there's no problem!"
"The mist isn't the problem! Do you know how high it is!"
"I don't know anything like that!"
"That's sothing to be proud of, you idiot!"
Thud-kwang!
But there was no choice.
I had to shake off this crazy crybaby archer at the cliff.
How long did we run east like that?
We were soon running through a rugged mountain range.
Around that ti, Viola's voice changed.
"Ashuban...! I won't shoot arrows...! I won't shoot, so don't run away...!"
I glanced back, and then,
Swish!
I hurriedly kicked off the ground at the incoming arrow.
Kwang!
"You said you wouldn't shoot!"
"S-sorry...! That was a mistake! Believe ...!"
"You think I'd believe you!"
I picked up even more speed and ran east.
"I'm sorry...! I said I'm sorry...!"
Even more arrows flew in.
Swish!
Thud-kwang! Thud-kwang! Thud-kwang!
"I apologized! Why won't you accept my apology...! Why won't you accept my apology!"
Viola's state beca strange.
"Apologize! Apologize! Apologize to ...!"
"Is she really crazy?"
At that mont, my vision opened up, and a blue sky and a sheer cliff appeared.
Swish!
Hearing the sound of an arrow flying from behind, I grabbed Shushuruta, who was running next to .
"Uh...!"
And then, kicking off the edge of the cliff.
I threw my body over the cliff with all my might.
Thud-kwang!
An arrow flew and struck the edge of the cliff where I had kicked off, and a cloud of dust rose.
But it didn't matter.
I had already left the ground and seized freedom.
"Hahahaha!"
"Wiiiiii!"
"U-uaaah!"
We fell over the cliff, and Viola's voice, full of anger, echoed from beyond.
"You're dead when you get back...!!!"
And so, the exciting journey to the Blake Kingdom began.
(End of Chapter)
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