Chapter 111

“Hahahahaha! A god? A god, you say?”

Laughter burst out uncontrollably.

A god, a god! Are you really saying that? If the gods are watching this scene, wouldn’t they be giving me a round of applause by now? I mean, I’m working so hard on their behalf!

Shrugging my shoulders, I laughed for a while. I couldn’t hold back the laughter.

“Haah… I laughed my fill. Seriously, now you’re looking for gods? Do you think they’ll save you?”

No one seemed to have the energy left to argue with my question.

“No answer, huh? I’m asking you! Do you really think that?”

I approached the guy who was calling out to the gods and spoke to him. When I leaned in close to ask, the trembling man foamed at the mouth and fainted.

“Sleeping, huh? Well, it is night. Makes sense.”

It didn’t really matter. He’d wake up soon enough anyway. I kept talking to him.

“Still, I think it’s a bit too dark here. Even for the middle of the night. Don’t you think? No wonder the gods can’t see you.”

The man with his eyes rolled back still didn’t say anything. No rebuttal means agreement, right?

“Don’t worry. I have a way. Let’s light up the place so bright that even the sky can see it. You’ll help, right?”

I brought a burning stick of wood close to the man’s clothes. The fire caught onto the fabric, and his body started burning in an instant.

“Ahhh! Ahhh! Fire! Fire! Aaah!”

The man, awakened by the searing pain, screamed and rolled on the ground. To make sure it didn’t go out, I pressed down with the stick and carefully coated his entire body with fire.

“Good. This should do. Don’t squirm too much. You should endure better than Johan, right? You’re an adult.”

I lifted the man’s body with my foot and kicked him far away.

Not too high, not too fast. Carefully, so the fire wouldn’t go out from the blood or the wind pressure.

The man’s body flew through the western sky like a shooting star. Soon, he crashed onto a roof in the distance and began sharing his warmth with the surroundings.

“Hmm. That was a great success. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if this would work.”

With my physical abilities enhanced, I can really do anything. Nodding in admiration, I lit fires for the others as well.

“Kyaaaah! It’s hot! Please!! Please put it out!!”

“Mooouul! Water!! It hurts! Gyaaaah!!”

“Ogeeeek! Geeeeeek!!”

“Aaah!! I was wrong! I was wrong!! Please save me! Aaah!!”

Along with the fragrant smell of roasted pork, a quartet of screams echoed.

Next, I carefully kicked the four fireballs, sending them flying in various directions to the west. Once I succeeded, I gained confidence.

The fireballs flew in parabolic arcs and landed safely. One fell on the road and went out, but four out of five isn’t a bad hit rate, right?

The fire spread to the buildings, and the western part of the village began to burn. One house, possibly a liquor storage, exploded into flames.

There probably aren’t many left, but… they’ll all run to the east now.

It’s the basics of hunting. Blocking one direction with fire. Whether it’s scattering incendiary bombs or having soldiers set the fires themselves. This way, the hidden ones come scurrying out like cockroaches.

There was no risk of the flames harming innocent children. Along the path I walked, only exploded corpses and squirming maggots remained.

Let them all become roasted bugs.

I approached the last one-legged man. The sight of five people burning alive didn’t seem to sit well with him, as the sprawled youth was crying and wetting himself.

“This is… a dream…! Just a dream…!”

A dream?

“Well. You’ll know when you burn.”

If it’s a dream, you’ll wake up.

After lighting him on fire, I left him there. I didn’t want to kick him and risk getting splashed.

“Kyaaaah!! It’s hot!! It’s hoooot!!”

A desperate scream came from behind.

Looks like waking up from this dream will be tough. Too bad, huh?

—-

The sinful village burns.

Sparks fly into the air, charred pillars collapse with a roar, and houses crumble. Leaning walls and roofs spread the flames to neighboring buildings.

I shoot the legs of those trying to flee and set them on fire ten more times.

The spreading flames engulf everything, stretching eastward. The fire, reaching for the sky, has already brightened the surroundings like daylight.

Yeah. This should be visible to the gods in the sky. Watch closely. I’ve done my part sending them up, so sending them to hell is your job.

I lit a cigarette while watching the burning village.

The screams of the burning maggots echoed faintly. A chorus that serves as a requiem for the victims.

The warm breeze tickled my hair. I enjoyed the warmth and leisurely inhaled the smoke.

“Phew—”

I added white smoke to the ash and soot-filled air. A cigarette after a good workout always tastes special.

The heightened bloodlust gradually subsided. The instincts pulsating through my veins were satisfied with the long-awaited feast and fell asleep.

There are about ten left. Milia should have taken care of them.

Panic-stricken fools, with four kids who haven’t even grown beards. I didn’t touch them because they looked like they’d burst like water balloons if poked.

I planned to have one cigarette and then go find Milia.

After that… maybe head to the chapel. It should be over there by now.

=======[Milia]=======

The eastern outskirts of the village.

Milia dismounted her horse on a low hill, took out her bow, and waited in silence. Thanks to slowing down and walking quietly near the village, no one seemed to have heard the horse’s hooves.

The village was dark and quiet. Uncharacteristically so for a village of people who had committed such atrocities. Of course, the men gathered inside the houses were busy spewing vulgar jokes and chatting, but Milia’s hearing wasn’t sharp enough to catch their voices.

In a way, it was fortunate. If she had heard them, it would have been horrifying.

From the start, I might have already lost my composure.

‘They’re kobolds. Kobolds…’

Milia kept muttering to herself, as if trying to convince herself, while taking slow, deep breaths.

Her white top, sticking out, swayed every time she exhaled.

The repeated affirmations seemed to work, as her mind gradually calmed down.

The cold sweat running down her cheeks stopped, and her trembling fingertips also settled down.

‘It’s okay. I can do it. Me too…’

Milia steeled herself and looked down at the village.

Ha-shal-leur wasn’t wrong. As a knight, this much was expected. After all, exterminating vicious criminals was also part of a knight’s duty.

That’s why they had the authority to execute on the spot.

And Milia herself was already a knight.

It didn’t feel real, and she was still better with a bow than a sword… but still, she was a knight.

Someone who defeats evil and saves people. Like Damien back then.

So she had to fight. Like a knight.

She couldn’t hesitate forever.

With her composure regained, Milia placed an arrow on her bow.

A beacon was burning.

Soon after, a loud noise echoed, and a cloud of dust rose from the west side of the village.

The vibrations in the air reached Milia. It was probably Ha-shal-leur’s doing.

‘Ha-shal-leur…’

The princess of Ka`har. The Dain Slaughterer. A noble of the Empire. The Beastman Devourer. A master-level knight. A butcher. A friend.

Milia’s feelings toward her were still complicated.

Affection and fondness as a friend. Gratitude toward a benefactor. Awe for her strength… and a bit of jealousy.

And the awkwardness she felt whenever Ha-shal-leur showed her more alien side.

The menacing aura that came out when she was annoyed. The bursts of violence and cruelty that sometimes erupted, as if she had transformed.

This was still unsettling for Milia.

Freide was also violent, but… even if it was the same cruelty, the essence was different.

Freide’s brutality was based on rational reasons.

Since she mainly fought beastmen, she used a saw to cause more bleeding and wounds.

As a result, her opponents were torn apart horribly. That was all.

On the other hand, the cruelty Ha-shal-leur displayed was laced with deep malice.

She wanted to instill terrible fear and inflict horrific pain, mocking her victims as they screamed.

If she had done that to innocent people, she would have immediately become an enemy of the Empire.

Still, to Milia, Ha-shal-leur was a precious friend. By now.

Milia waited for the enemies to rush out, reminiscing about the past.

——–

When she first saw her, all she felt was fear and wariness.

The sharp, piercing gaze that radiated a terrifying aura was frightening.

But after recovering from a sparring injury and actually talking to her, Milia’s thoughts changed a bit.

The Ha-shal-leur she spoke to was quite different from the rumors.

She was still full of killing intent, but her friendly demeanor was something Milia couldn’t have imagined given her infamous reputation.

It was a bit disorienting. Like encountering a wolf that munched on leaves instead of meat.

The infamous slaughterer who had supposedly killed thousands of Dain was, in reality, just a slightly twisted young woman.

Her rough yet subtly caring tone. The way she joked and laughed like a boy.

She was delinquent enough to casually smoke mana herbs in the hallway, but she didn’t bully other students.

In fact, she was surprisingly kind to those who didn’t show her any ill will.

And occasionally, she showed a sharp wit in her words.

In short, she was a hard-to-describe, peculiar person.

Milia remembered feeling a bit curious about Ha-shal-leur’s behavior.

When Ha-shal-leur returned battered from a fight with Knut, Milia was shocked.

Ha-shal-leur, who lay limp, showing all her weakened state, seemed like a completely different person.

It was only then that Milia could really look at Ha-shal-leur’s face.

She looked a couple of years older than Milia, but her exotic features still had a youthful air.

Her pale face was as beautiful as glasswork.

Milia realized anew that Ha-shal-leur was still under twenty.

Her lifeless eyes looked pitiful.

When she hesitantly asked if Milia blamed her, Milia even felt an inexplicable sympathy.

What kind of life had Ha-shal-leur lived?

Was this life of constant fighting and injury what she had wanted from the start?

Probably not. Milia still remembered her habit of saying, “What can I do?”

It must have always been like that.

Maybe she had no choice but to live that way.

If she hadn’t been born in the land of Ka`har, maybe Ha-shal-leur would have lived an ordinary life.

Loved by her parents, growing up, loving someone as an adult… a peaceful daily life, like everyone else.

No. Maybe she would have become a celebrated knight of the Empire.

Perhaps even joining Princess Leonor’s knight order.

Seeing Ha-shal-leur’s expression, like a child with many scars, blankly shedding tears, Milia made a decision.

To accept her.

To not care about her appearance or the rumors, and to only see and believe in what she showed.

As a friend.

After that, Ha-shal-leur became the closest to Milia after Damien.

Though it was always embarrassing when she teased Milia about Damien, she was a reliable friend who always helped them.

In fact, it felt more like having an older sister or brother than a friend.

——–

Screams began to echo from the other side of the village, along with the noise of panicked voices.

Milia stopped her thoughts and placed an arrow on the bowstring.