Chapter 248 : Chapter 248
Chapter 248 : Between Defying the Heavens and Embers (4)
I looked around once again.
The place where we had stopped was a spacious cavern reminiscent of an underground plaza.
Iron doors were sparsely embedded in the rough rock walls encircling the area. It seemed to be a structure where complex passages were tangled like a spiderweb beyond them.
"Welcome to my hunting ground, everyone."
What tore apart the silence Philinus II had created in an instant was—
A scream bursting out from somewhere deep within.
Uwaaaaaah—!
Startled, a few people shrunk their bodies. Philinus II seemed to enjoy it even more after seeing that.
"Heh heh, good. Very good. Batz, today is definitely that day, right?"
I alternately looked at Philinus II and Batz. I felt the presence of people suddenly raising their heads like moles in my peripheral vision.
Batz nodded his head. He had his mouth twisted.
"Yes, Your Majesty. Those bastards are probably waiting with their necks craned."
It was when they were exchanging meaningful laughs among themselves.
CRASH—!
One of the iron doors burst open along with a loud roar that seemed to tear down the wall.
Soon after, an armed guard appeared from beyond. Behind the iron chain he gripped in his hand, a group of prisoners tied up like livestock dragged to a slaughterhouse followed in a line.
"These are the guys selected for this tribute. Would you like to take a look?"
Philinus II nodded his head like crazy at Batz's question.
At this, the guard who was leading the prisoners stopped while yanking the iron chain.
"If you don't want to get beaten and die a dog's death here, all of you stand up straight."
The guard yelled. The roughly dozen prisoners forcefully straightened their hunched backs. Their bodies trembled violently as if they were the only ones feeling the cold.
"Heh heh, I see quite a few familiar faces? You all look very good? Hmm?"
Philinus II approached and rolled his eyes like he was picking out prey.
A few prisoners looked away, shivering in humiliation.
"How dare you! Greet him with proper posture!"
The guard's whip flew mercilessly. A prisoner struck on the back collapsed powerlessly.
"Keuheueut......!"
It was an old man with grayish-white hair. His thinly exposed joints looked precarious, as if they would break at any moment.
"Sir Stanley......?"
A trembling voice was heard from behind. Everyone's gaze, including mine, turned that way.
Adeline stood as if stuffed in place, her face completely drained of blood.
Step, step.
Adeline approached this way as if possessed by something. Joel and Henry, who were on either side, hurriedly reached out their arms, but she firmly shook the two off. The people parted to the left and right.
"L-Little Princess......?"
Goosebumps rose all over my body for a moment. My head turned on its own.
It was the prisoner who had fallen over from the whipping. His chapped lips were trembling like a spasm.
Adeline, who brushed past my side, knelt without hesitation and supported the prisoner to stand up.
"Ah, to meet you again like this...... It feels like a dream, My Lady. Since my appearance is so hideous—"
"Stop. Please do not speak anymore."
Moisture filled the edges of the old man's eyes. In his pitch-black face that looked like it was covered in filth, his wet pupils shone transparently.
"Ah......, Ah, Aaaah~!"
Philinus II, who was watching from the side, suddenly let out an exclamation and covered his mouth. While exaggeratingly trembling his body, the bastard's gaze restlessly glanced toward Zisair.
"W-What a pitiful thing......! To think an acquaintance of Adel is included among the tributes to be offered of all things. Ahem, t-this has put me in quite a difficult position......?"
Adeline's head whipped around. Anger was lodged in her eyes. It was to the point that Philinus II took a step backward.
"What do you mean by that? Tributes to be offered?"
"......Ah, y-yes. I suppose Adel wouldn't know. This is a kind of...... countermeasure. Fresh tributes are needed to soothe the Shadow Legion of Tristan that crosses the border every three months."
I couldn't hold back and interrupted. Strength went into my glabella. Had the opponent not been the King of this country, I would have grabbed him by the collar.
"What did you just say? Are you saying you offer living people to Demonic Beasts as tributes?"
"Yes. Throwing a few prisoners to buy the peace of this land, it can be called a very rational negotiation."
I was so dumbfounded that I was at a loss for words. It wasn't just because Adeline's acquaintance was involved.
I stared toward the Imperial Capital ministers. Each of their complexions was different. Those who held their breath and were silently astonished as if this was truly the first time they heard of it, and those who murmured and whispered among themselves like rats.
And the bystanders who bit their lips and remained silent, as if they already knew but couldn't dare step forward.......
Chief Attendant Ternien, Knight Commander Ludsilla, and Magic Corps Commander Gunt were them.
"A-Adel! You don't need to worry so much! D-Do you not know who I am? Pardoning a single sinner like this is nothing."
Philinus II looked at Batz. He nodded his head as if to say, do I really have to say it for you to know?
"Right, Batz?"
"Heh heh, it is not difficult. The tributes can just be swapped out however much you want."
"Y-You heard him, right, Adel? So stop being sad now and—"
At that time, the old man shouted as if spitting blood.
"Absolutely not! My Lady! Do not be deceived by that snakelike tongue! It is a trick to tie you down using this wretched life as bait!"
Thick tears dropped onto his grime-stained cheeks. He desperately gripped Adeline's hand as if to crush it and screamed.
"Originally, the tributes are decided entirely at random! It is an amusement for the guards! But I was singled out without even such a procedure! There is no doubt these bastards set up a board—"
CRACK—!
Another whipping exploded. It was the moment Stanley's scream burst out. My string of reason wasn't tough.
Approaching the guard in no time, I struck the bastard's scrap metal helmet with my elbow.
CLANG—!
At the same time the guard bastard collapsed, several murderous intents intersected behind me.
Batz's sword heading toward me, Joel's sword aiming at Batz, and Ludsilla's sword keeping Joel in check crossed each other as if biting tail after tail. The guards, who had been standing like stone statues in the shadows, drawing their weapons in unison was the very last thing.
After metallic sounds rang out loudly in succession, silence settled for a moment. It seemed as if a storm had swept past once.
"Wow, junior. As expected, your spirit isn't ordinary. Still, you should look at your opponent and the location while acting up. Isn't that right?"
I couldn't help but be me. In the midst of this, the blade the bastard aimed at me caught my eyes first. It was a typical saber of the Empire.
"That's a glad sight. Regardless of the higher-ups' circumstances, let's have a refreshing bout."
"Haha, this is a real crazy bastard."
I suddenly snapped to my senses only after seeing Batz's yellowish glint of the eyes shining. I definitely wasn't in my right mind. Because I wouldn't have done this if I had considered Adeline's position even a little bit.
Regret? Well. The fire has already been set.
I don't have the slightest intention of backing down.
"......Stop. I command you. Everyone, sheathe your swords."
Philinus II muttered lowly with his head bowed. At the sudden Royal Command, everyone except Batz scurried about in confusion and read each other's moods.
Only Batz was just glaring piercingly at me as before.
"Do my words not sound like words? I said put your swords away!"
At the yell that fell once again, only then did everyone hastily put away their weapons. Batz also smacked his lips and slowly sheathed his saber. His twisted mouth remained exactly the same.
"......Bihen Benkou."
At Philinus II's low call, I answered while blowing out a snort, having suppressed my anger.
"Please speak."
"......Keuk."
I turned my head at that sound. I thought I had heard wrong. I hadn't. The bastard giggled as if he had lost his mind.
"I wondered if it could be true. Honestly, I hoped it wasn't. I liked you quite a bit, you know."
"What are you talking about?"
"The two of you, I mean."
Philinus II alternately pointed at me and Adeline with his chin.
"......Are you two really in that kind of relationship? Are you really lovers or something?"
He didn't even give me a chance to answer. Philinus II convulsively screamed at the top of his lungs.
"Did you already sleep together? I'm asking if you did it! Tell me right now!"
I felt like the lid on my head was flipping open at the bastard's vulgar rage. Heat surged all over my body to the point where I wondered if this was what it meant to have blood rushing backwards.
As I was standing blankly, truly flustered, the deadly pale Chief Attendant Ternien and the retainers hastily rushed in and grabbed the King. The immature King jumped around wildly, as if he gained more momentum the more they tried to stop him.
"Let go! I still haven't heard that bastard's answer! Bihen Benkou! Spit it out obediently right now! How dare you......!"
Philinus II's shrieking voice faded away as he was dragged off.
It's a shame. Had it not been for Adeline's revenge, I would have run over right away and split his skull open.
"Sigh, it's really not easy, is it."
It was Zisair. He had approached, taking advantage of the chaotic surroundings.
"You should have tampered your temper a bit. No matter how pathetic he looks, he's still the King of a country."
What kind of bullshit is this again? I blankly looked down at the bastard's hand tapping my shoulder without any fear. While suppressing the impulse to snap his wrist right away, I glared at his ugly mug.
"Don't pull any bullshit tricks."
"My, don't get so heated. If you keep acting like this, our plans will go awry."
The bastard pulled his hand away and put his hands behind his back, pretending to be troubled.
"Well, what else can I do? I just have to do my duty as a subject for now."
The corners of his mouth were curled up, but his eyes were not.
***
In my past life, Tristan was a source of amusement, let alone a threat. It isn't an exaggeration. A hunting ground often favored by the Imperial Army to relieve their boredom after getting tired of dealing with the ragtag Kingdom Army. Its status was exactly just that.
'Mandrake was an exception, though.'
Anyway, it means it was definitely not an opponent to beg for peace from while offering up tributes just to cater to the Demonic Beasts' tastes like now.
No, setting this aside, the fact that a highly intelligent entity capable of such political negotiations with humans exists in Tristan is absurd to begin with.
'It's something that would get me grabbed by the collar by that Hermann bastard while being asked if I'd lost my mind.'
It's dizzying just imagining it. But what can be done? When the reality right in front of my eyes is like this. There's no way the Martial Artist of Defying the Heavens would spout nonsense at this point, either.
"The Headless Spectral Knight. We call it the Knight of Embers."
Batz and I were walking side-by-side at the very rear of the procession. I don't know the reason. The murderous intent of the bastard, who was acting like he'd eaten me alive until just a moment ago, had strangely died down to an unpleasant degree.
Like, how should I say it......, as if we had become accomplices sharing the same secret.
"It's something that happened a long time ago, even before I came here. When the Warden at the time boldly refused the tribute, it's said that the Shadow Legion led by the Knight of Embers stormed all the way to the front of the Imperial Capital's gates or something."
The bastard briefly explained the history of this Grimbalt Prison while we were on our way. Of course, there was a difference from what I knew in my past life.
"They're still just Demonic Beasts. Making human sacrifices because you're scared of a mere pack of Demonic Beasts? It's ridiculous."
Batz, who was walking swaggeringly with his scabbard slung over his shoulder, chuckled.
"I suppose so, you don't have fear if you're stupid. Don't act out of bravado, junior. It's a monster that takes my sword. It's a bastard that spars on equal footing with me. And you think a mere bastard like you can handle it?"
The sight of Adeline walking far ahead caught my eyes. Although they weren't blatantly aiming their swords at her, the armed guard bastards were blocking off all her sides without any gaps.
'.......'
It's a clear warning sent to me.
I took a deep breath.
"Thanks to having a good senior, I'm certain that I'll be able to leap over the wall sooner or later, too."
"Heh heh, ridiculous bastard."
The procession led by Philinus II soon reached the end of Grimbalt Prison, the 'border' that met the Demonic Realm Tristan.
WOOOOOO—
Gasps burst out from all over at the sound of the wind blowing up from the abyss.
What unfolded before our eyes was the end of the world itself.
'Just what, is this......'
It was a sight that couldn't help but overwhelm even me. Rather than a cliff, this looked like a giant cross-section where a swordsman who had reached the Divine Realm sliced the world in a single stroke.
Pitch-black darkness swayed like an ocean beneath the sheer precipice. It was the edge of this life, where it felt like you would plummet into an eternal abyss if you made just a single misstep, where it seemed like your soul would be sucked in just by staring at it.
"Are you coming to your senses now, junior?"
"......Is that Tristan down below?"
"Yeah. The reason the entire area is pitch-black like ink is due to the demonic energy spewed out by the Shadow Legion commanded by the Knight of Embers. It means those bastards are right down there, looking up at us with their maws wide open."
In the meantime, under the control of the guards, the nobles formed an observation formation. The prisoners to be offered as tributes were lined up at the edge of the cliff.
"Let me ask you one thing, you foolish junior."
I turned my head. As if the execution ceremony in front of his eyes didn't matter at all, his gaze was fixed solely on me.
"Just what kind of bastard are you?"
"What are you suddenly talking about?"
"I'm asking for your true identity."
The bastard poked my chest with his index finger.
"I'm not particularly curious about the reason you're acting out of bravado after coming all this way. You probably have some kind of story yourself too. But you better make it clear. Whether you're truly a martial artist walking the path of the sword, or if you're just some knight scrub full of hot air."
The bastard nonchalantly pointed somewhere with his chin as if telling me to look.
The place my gaze reached was the edge of the cliff.
I saw Stanley standing with his back to the abyss, Adeline trembling while facing him, and Philinus II next to them not knowing what to do.
The preparations for the execution ceremony seemed to be finished.
Soon, Adeline hugged Stanley's thin waist as if to crush it. I could see her shoulders trembling. She seemed to be sobbing with bated breath. It was a momentum as if she would fall together with him right away.
Joel and Henry hurriedly rushed in and pulled Adeline away. Watching that made a corner of my heart ache.
Soon, shadows were cast on the spot where she had been. One guard stuck to each prisoner.
"Execute."
Batz's short sentence fell. At the same time, the guards kicked the prisoners' abdomens without a single hesitation.
THUD—!
The sound was infinitely hollow. The bodies of the prisoners, including Stanley, helplessly disappeared down into the abyss. That scene was, how should I put it, it felt completely devoid of reality, like someone had shoved a blade into my head and maliciously hacked away at my memories.
"......."
Batz's eyes sank deeply. Was it because of the sudden shock? I felt as if some sense inside my head was thrown wide open for an instant.
Perhaps because of that, I felt like I knew.
What brushed past the bastard's pupils was a terribly bitter remorse.
"Now. Show me your answer, junior."
Then, the bastard lightly pushed my back.
"Whether you'll be a loser who loses everything while delaying your choice, or—"
"Open your eyes wide and watch."
There's no time. I cut off his lecture in a single stroke.
"I am a swordsman who knows honor."
For a moment, the bastard's pupils fluctuated greatly as if an earthquake had struck. His deadly pale face was quite a sight to see.
Yeah, that's enough.
As if to show off, I kicked off the ground and threw my body down into the abyss that had swallowed the prisoners.