Chapter 131
Chapter 131.3. The Third Year at the Academy - Saigus Mercenary Band (3)
Even as night deepened, voices of lively chatter leaked from the tents.
Perhaps fueled by alcohol, they were merrily conversing.
At least for now, the cold wave worked in my favor.
Thanks to the freezing wind, only the lookouts and patrols stayed outside.
I closed my eyes and focused on [Presence Detection].
The lookout farthest from the patrols and where the surrounding tents were quiet—there.
Taking a deep breath to steel myself, I slipped between the tents and approached the lookout.
As soon as they entered my sight, I channeled magic into [Penetrate Gale] and began [Multi-Casting].
With invisible wind bullets, I pierced through the eyes and destroyed the brains of two guards. I simultaneously struck, using [Heavy Blow] to decapitate the third.
In an instant, I dispatched all three lookouts and concealed myself again.
Their large numbers worked against them—no one noticed the disappearance of the guards.
Next target—.
As I shifted my gaze to the next lookout, I sensed something amiss.
My hands… are shaking?
It wasn't just my hands.
Suddenly, my knees gave out, and I collapsed on the spot.
Perplexed, my eyes caught a glimpse of something rolling toward me.
The bodies of the men I had killed.
The moment I registered them, my teeth began chattering, and the tremors spread through my body.
I tried to suppress them by hugging myself, but even my arms couldn't steady.
This is bad.
If I'm to live as a sword for my father and brother, I'll have to face this eventually.
I've taken so many lives before.
Humans are no exception.
I crawled toward the corpses, extending my trembling hand.
Grasping the still-warm jaw of one man, I stared into his lifeless eyes.
Suppressing the overwhelming nausea, I kept staring.
There was no personal grudge.
To protect my friends, I had to kill, even if it meant stopping them this way.
I repeated this to myself over and over, but the shaking wouldn't stop.
I thought of what I had seen today, imagining if such a scene befell Verene Village.
In that moment, another memory overlapped—a scene from years ago.
Suddenly, the shaking ceased.
"Ah, so—you're no different from goblin enemies."
What came to mind was a goblin settlement.
Slaughtered by adventurers, their rotting corpses were devoured by vultures.
It was an even worse sight than Ilsana Village.
Yet, I could accept it because they preyed on humans.
These mercenaries who raided villages and massacred people—what made them different from goblins?
I carelessly released the man's jaw and slowly moved my hands to confirm my strength had returned.
I'm fine now.
Even as I looked at the men's corpses, my emotions didn't stir.
I seemed to have come to terms with it, but—wasn't my reaction a bit extreme?
Feeling curious, I opened my status and let out a wry laugh.
[Mental Resistance 8]
My rank had increased by two.
Just how much do I hate killing people?
Well, for now, I'll be grateful for [Mental Resistance].
If I stayed in that state, I wouldn't be able to eliminate the mercenary band, let alone hold a sword again.
Activating [Stealth], I quietly observed my surroundings.
Though it had been a brief moment, [Stealth] had worn off.
The scouts—hadn't noticed me.
Let's continue.
Gripping my horned sword tightly, I dashed forward.
Using [Presence Detection], I targeted the lookouts and patrols, firing [Penetrate Gale] the moment they entered my line of sight.
Before the remaining guards could realize what was happening, I severed their heads and stabbed their hearts with a stiletto.
I circled the perimeter, eliminating lookouts and patrols one after another.
Some scouts reacted to the successive disappearances, but I silenced them with [Penetrate Gale] before they could raise an alarm.
Before long, all lookouts and patrols were dead.
Standing at the scene of the first kill, I surveyed the encampment.
Voices of revelry still echoed.
Even with so many comrades dead, they hadn't noticed?
These mercenaries were despicable.
As I sneered, a presence moved in one of the tents.
Someone stumbled out, humming a tune, likely to relieve themselves.
Then, spotting the corpse of a guard, their face turned from red to pale.
"E-enemy attack—!!"
At their shout, the tents burst into chaotic uproar.
Now the real battle begins.
Covering my mouth with cloth, I sprinted around the perimeter, hurling [Fireballs] at the nearest tents.
Without any warnings or reports from the lookouts, the [Fireballs] ignited the tents and supplies, spreading flames rapidly.
Never suspecting a lone attacker, the mercenaries fell into disarray.
They huddled inward to escape the fire, only to be blown apart by more [Fireballs].
Watching their comrades writhe and burn, the remaining mercenaries grew even more frantic.
"What's going on!?"
Amid the screams and shouts, a towering figure emerged from the central tent.
Behind him stood a nimble-looking man and another in plain clothes.
Finally, the officers made their appearance—but—.
My gaze was drawn to the fourth figure who appeared late, an unsettling presence surrounding him.
The moment I saw him, a sharp chill ran through my entire body.
It's him… he's the one who killed Klaus.
The fourth man was missing the left half of his body.
An arm, a leg, an eye.
Half his hair was gone—or rather, his scalp had been sheared away.
With a wooden prosthetic leg, he stepped through the snow, using an elegant spear as a cane to survey the encampment.
Ignoring the commanding officer shouting at the subordinates, he locked eyes with me, curling his lips into a smirk.