Chapter 105

The King of Specters released the bowstring aimed at the tree right in front of him.

Normally, the arrow should have just pierced the tree. But the arrow shot by the King of Specters was different. It obliterated the tree just 1mm away without a trace, then turned other trees into dust as it flew.

Anything in its path—trees, rocks, or even beasts—was reduced to powder.

Far away in a corner of a hunting ground, Aron Berze, with a massive sword, rubbed the bruise on his neck and cursed.

“Damn it, that woman acts all high and mighty just because she’s in that position. Even if she’s called a hero, she’s still just a woman. Just a beast who got the title by showing her face a few times in a war fought by numbers…”

But he smiled smugly as he looked at the mercenaries he had hired for the hunting event.

“Still, with you guys, it’s enough. With you, I can kill Raul that bastard and make Camilla beg on her knees. Then, first, I’ll tear off her clothes…”

As Aron proudly laid out his vile plan, an ivory-colored arrow from afar struck him.

The moment the arrowhead touched his body, a loud explosion occurred, and Aron’s upper body vanished.

A shockwave followed, and his legs, now without an owner, collapsed to their knees.

The mercenaries caught in the shockwave also fainted on the spot.

“One down.”

Another ivory arrow emerged from the King’s elbow.

“…And another.”

He pulled the bowstring, spun the arrow between his fingers, and released it.

Far away in a camp, Raul’s aunt polished her newly acquired golden crossbow while chatting with noble ladies.

“Honestly, bringing strange things into the household is just damaging the family’s reputation.”

“It must be quite a worry for you.”

“…Speaking of which, do we even know if Rizel is really my brother’s child? Can’t trust a woman who’s done it once, right?”

“Now that you mention it, that’s true. So, the one currently leading the Berze Family might not even be a real Berze.”

“Yes. So, I hope you ladies can help. So that my Aron can reclaim his rightful position as the family head.”

“If that’s what you wish, of course, we’ll help.”

And so, they began plotting a meticulous plan to bring down Rizel and Latri.

Veterans of such schemes, their plan seemed flawless, but they overlooked one thing.

They were in the arrow’s trajectory.

The spinning arrow swept through everything in its path like a storm, and the noble ladies were no exception.

To the arrow, it didn’t matter if they were noble ladies or not—it had no eyes.

No more schemes or conspiracies could exist there. Only the legs of their owners, now unidentifiable, remained.

Far away, Kyle sensed the incoming arrow and quickly swung his staff to protect Rizel.

Even though the arrow was deflected, it still shattered five trees with its force.

Kyle’s hand trembled as he barely managed to deflect it. The shock reverberated through his bones and muscles, making him grimace.

“Damn it, if only Layla were here…!”

It was a pointless wish.

But Kyle couldn’t help but think of the deceased Layla.

Only she could have matched the arrow’s speed and perfectly intercepted it.

“Kyle…!”

“…Miss, stay close to me from now on. Honestly, even keeping myself alive is going to be tough.”

Meanwhile, the other nobles, startled by the sudden attack and the arrow’s power, fell backward.

“What’s this? An assassin? Targeting me, a pillar of the Empire…!”

“Hey, you idiots! Protect us! Isn’t that what we pay you for?!”

“Capture the assassin, you incompetent trash of the military!”

Hearing this, Kyle couldn’t hold back his rising irritation and shouted.

“Shut up, old fools! Do you even know what that arrow is? I had to focus all my nerves just to barely deflect it! Stop being a nuisance, dammit!!!”

But sadly, these hardened minds wouldn’t listen.

“Isn’t it your job to protect us nobles, even at the cost of your lives? That’s why you eat the Empire’s bread!”

“Call Raul Berze! He’ll be able to stop it!”

“Yes! Where is Raul?!”

Hearing this, Kyle seriously considered just letting them die.

But as soon as he saw more demon soldiers approaching, he had no choice but to grip his weapon again.

At the same time, he cursed his job, wishing he could just be a lazy bum.

“…I really want to be a freeloader.”

Meanwhile, far away on a plain, Raul and Camilla simultaneously gripped their spear and staff.

The King of Specters was that threatening.

Beyond his strength, what caused the most injuries and fear were his arrows.

“…Both of you, duck. Unless you want to die by an arrow.”

The two bit their lower lips, tense.

On the battlefield, his arrows had taken countless lives. In sheer numbers, the Dragon Queen might have killed more, but in terms of powerful individuals, his arrows were unmatched.

A moment of relaxation on the battlefield, and an arrow would fly to take that miscalculating head.

S-rank adventurers who volunteered for the war, strong individuals who came out of seclusion to join the fight, disciples who had learned from the Minister of War before the heroes—all fell to those vicious arrows.

“Just an arrow…!”

“…Watch your mouth. Do you think those who died to that arrow were weaker than you?”

Raul clenched his lips, guarding against the arrow, and began to ponder a question that crossed his mind.

Why target the hunting event? The Emperor, Empress, Camilla, himself—all strong individuals. And on top of that, the troops led by Kyle. There was no need to target the hunting event at its strongest moment.

Why not strike at their weakest? It would have been easier to shoot leisurely nobles in the capital.

Perhaps this place held special meaning.

Or maybe there was a special condition tied to the hunting event.

“…Wait.”

Come to think of it, on the battlefield, strong individuals always died in the midst of fierce combat.

There were ambushes, but never night raids. If there had been night raids, they would have died without resistance.

Meals, rest, meetings—there were countless opportunities to take lives outside the battlefield, but no one died to his arrows outside of it.

And the hunting event was the same. If he had struck while everyone was asleep, it would have been much easier.

Considering these traits and the hunting event’s uniqueness… there was only one answer.

“…Drop your weapons now.”

“What?”

“What are you saying?”

“Drop your weapons now!”

Seeing Raul’s urgent expression for the first time, Latri quickly dropped her sword.

But Rosie couldn’t. With her sister’s ring confiscated, she couldn’t let go of the sword her sister had gifted her.

And the King of Specters showed no mercy to the child who had lost her sister.

A fiercely spinning arrow stormed toward Rosie, with Latri standing behind her.

If left as is, the arrow would pierce Rosie and then Latri.

But pushing them away and then drawing a weapon to deflect it was beyond their skill. Only Layla could have done that.

“Camilla.”

It was an unusually warm and soft voice.

Hearing her name called in such an unfamiliar tone, Camilla instinctively tried to grab Raul.

But Raul had already thrown himself forward.

“Sorry.”

Raul kicked both Rosie and Latri away.

As the two opened their mouths to ask what was happening, red liquid splattered across their faces.

“…At least I didn’t want this kind of ending.”

The arrowhead protruding from Raul’s chest explained in detail what had just happened.

Raul had thrown himself in front of the two, and as a result, he took the arrow instead of them. That was all.

“It hurts. It really hurts. Yeah. Just like always…”

Raul forced a bitter smile.

“My chest hurts so much.”

Raul lost consciousness, as usual, in the midst of heart-wrenching pain.