Chapter 26: The Executioner Guin
After descending a long stretch of stairs with Leira, we eventually reached the very bottom of the underground area. The place felt similar to a sewer or even deeper.
The distinctive damp, musty smell of the underground hit our noses. As I observed the dimly lit surroundings from the lantern’s glow, I couldn’t help but let out an exclamation.
“Here is….”
“A prison. It was originally used to hold captives.”
“Originally? So what is it now?”
“Right now….”
Before Leira could finish her sentence, a blood-curdling “Keeeee!” was heard, and something from within a prison cell lunged at us.
Clang! It was blocked by the iron bars, but it was enough to startle me.
“What the X#%! Is that thing?”
“It’s an undead. They were once villagers of the fief.”
Leira replied in a matter-of-fact tone.
Because of her explanation, I calmed down and carefully inspected the monstrosity within the bars.
“…What? An undead?”
Decayed flesh clinging to bones, scratching sounds like wood being scraped, and bloodshot eyes—these were exactly like the undead we’ve seen in the audience hall, except they hadn’t burned yet. The rotting skin here was more distinct, making it even more unnerving.
As I stared blankly at it, Leira explained from behind.
“In the early stages of the curse, family members who couldn’t let go of hope voluntarily requested to be imprisoned. They were locked up and eventually transformed into undead.”
“Hmm….”
I nodded and stepped back from the bars. Leira let out a soft sigh and moved ahead. I quickly followed suit.
“Keeeee….”
“Gaaaw… uuuuh….”
As we passed by the cells, undead reached out toward us through the bars. They seemed drawn by the light.
From the elderly to the obese women, and even children who could barely walk—all sorts of people were there, their commonality being that they were now decayed corpses.
Feeling nauseous, I turned away from the scene.
“We’ve arrived. It’s here.”
Leira suddenly stopped.
In front of us was an ordinary-looking prison cell like the others. Leira approached the bars and shone her lantern inside. Naturally, I followed her gaze into the cell.
Leira reached out and gripped the bars with a sorrowful look on her face.
“Guin. It’s me.”
At the sound of her voice, something responded from the darkness within.
Though not clearly visible, it was undoubtedly something large, almost humanoid, which was hard to believe given its size.
Then its glowing eyes turned toward us. A croaking voice echoed out from the darkness.
“…Leira?”
“Yeah. Sorry. I’ve been busy and couldn’t visit.”
Leira’s voice had a hint of sadness. Her hand gripping the bars trembled.
But the shadowy eyes staring at us soon shook their head and turned away.
“Leira. You’re not listening to me. I told you not to come.”
“But Guin… I can’t do this without you….”
“Focus on assisting the lord. You’re all he has left. Forget about me.”
“Guin! How can you say that?”
Leira bit her lip. Tears trickled down her cheeks as she silently sobbed. From the other side, the towering figure—Guin—dismissed her curtly.
His voice trembled, sounding both fearful and sorrowful.
“Go back. And don’t come here again. It’s… dangerous. And I…”
That was as far as he got.
Suddenly, the red glow in the air paused and fixed on something. His eyes widening, seemingly startled.
Looking closer, I realized he was staring at me.
“The presence of someone from another world… A hero?”
As his murmurs confirmed he was talking about me, I wondered if I should give a salute like in the marines.
“Ugh… Ugh.”
Turning my attention back, I saw the giant figure clutching his head and fidgeting.
“…Guin?”
“Danger… don’t… you’ll die… Ugh… just, leave…”
Abruptly, Guin’s words started slurring, and his eyes began to distort. The redness in his eyes intensified, and he rose to his full height.
From his throat issued a grating sound, similar to an undead’s.
“Die! Execute them all! You must die… kill! I’ll kill you! Hurry… DIEEEEEEE!!!”
In an instant, Guin’s dark silhouette approached us.
Before we could react, he charged into the iron bars.
“Oh no, move away!”
Leira hastily pulled me by my collar, retreating from the bars.
Simultaneously, with a tremendous crash, the underground trembled. Guin had rammed the bars at full speed.
Only then did I get a clear look at this giant man named Guin.
“…He’s not undead.”
Guin continued smashing himself against the bars.
His height was about three meters, and his reddened eyes glared through his tousled brown hair. Unlike the undead in neighboring cells who emitted a rotten stench, Guin looked alive. His skin was rough but certainly had a human complexion.
He was definitely different.
“Dieeeee! Execute you! I’ll kill you! Die! I said die now!!”
But in his current state, it was clear he was far from normal.
Out of curiosity, I stared at Guin’s face, and the familiar sound prompted a notification panel to appear.
[Name: Guin]
[Nickname: Executioner, Traitor Knight, The Last Knight of Halsenberg]
[LV. ???]
[HP: ??? MP: ??? Physical Condition: Madness/Confusion]
[Strength: ??? Agility: ??? Intelligence: ??? Hero Sense: ???]
True enough, Mimir’s Eye was unable to properly activate.
After all, a mere attendant beside me couldn’t even be perceived, so how much more for this giant who obviously looked stronger than me?
I glanced at Leira and asked, “Your boyfriend gets scary when mad, huh?”
“…”
My teasing earned me a glare from Leira.
She was looking at me like she wanted to kill me. I quickly held up my hands in apology.
Feeling awkward, I turned my eyes and noticed something peculiar when looking at Guin’s status panel.
“…Hero Sense?”
This man named Guin had the ‘Hero Sense’ stat attached to him.
The specific value was unknown, but it wasn’t necessarily important.
What mattered was the fact that the stat existed.
“Hey, Leira.”
“Yes. What is it?”
“Is this guy… by any chance… that kind?”
“What kind?”
“You know. That group you really hate….”
I didn’t dare to say the word, remembering the unpleasant experience in the sewer.
However, Leira immediately understood and nodded in confirmation.
“Yes. Guin was one of the heroes summoned to this land a long time ago.”
In that moment, my thoughts froze.
“AAAAAAAAH! DIE! I’ll kill you! Execute you! DIEEEEEEE!!”
Despite this, Guin’s rampage continued as if it would never end, as if his frustration could only be relieved once he had killed everything in sight.
I gazed vacantly at the ugly form of this hero from a bygone era, feeling a strange kinship to him as my distant senior.
“Guin was one of the last knights to survive here in the castle.”
After parting ways with Guin, while retracing our steps, Leira suddenly began to speak.
I listened quietly to her monologue, thankful she had started speaking before I had to figure out how to ask.
“When the knightly order was formed, the heroes began to be summoned, do you recall?”
“I do.”
“Later, as the knights fell one by one, the summoned heroes took their place. For some reason, they were remarkably willing to help us. One of the first to be summoned was Guin.”
“Hmm.”
More likely than not, his goodwill was not purely altruistic. He probably received quests, just like me, and pretended amicability in order to complete them.
Still, his proactive role in slaying northern demons was unexpected. Perhaps the quests he did back then were entirely different from the ones I now received.
“Guin worked tirelessly—leveling up, honing his skills, always strategizing with the lord… The lord came to quickly trust Guin, appointing him as his right-hand man.”
“At what level was Guin back then?”
“Hmm. As far as I remember, over 100 without a doubt, the only person capable of fighting efficiently with our lord.”
“Over a hundred…?”
One thing became clear to me while listening to Leira’s account:
Levels, skills, status windows—all these were concepts understood and usable by this world’s native inhabitants, the NPCs.
Now it made sense; Leira had used a skill before to instantly slay the goblins. This meant everyone in this world had their own stat and skill windows, and Mimir’s Eye was merely a function to peek at others’ statuses.
In fact, it was quite a powerful ability, my personal otherworldly Wikipedia.
As I internally digested this, Leira’s story continued.
“But they still grew too arrogant. They started forming guilds and made unreasonable demands to the lord.”
“For example?”
“Using human sacrifices to lure in demons, asking for ridiculous amounts of gold for killing a demon, it was as if they were a band of thieves.”
“Ouch.”
It seemed like their quests in the past required them to hunt ancient demons.
In their process of seeking personal gain, they evidently engaged in such practices—typical human nature, I supposed.
“And then they crossed a line they should never have.”
“What did they do?”
“They kidnapped the viscountess and attempted to negotiate with the Eldritch. They asked for a hundred lives as payment to give the viscountess back. It was a completely incomprehensible negotiation.”
“…I see.”
I admitted that the heroes had overstepped a clear boundary. Even from my brief acquaintance with the baron, I could tell how dear his wife was to him.
I silently lamented the foolishness of these elder heroes. Leira, too, continued with a tone of regret.
“But in a way, it was an effective negotiation card. The lord cherished the viscountess like his life. To the Eldritch, the biggest obstacle to invading Mittelrand wasn’t the swarm of heroes but the lord himself.”
“…Okay.”
“So… the negotiation ultimately succeeded.”
That sealed it.
Their quest back then had been to “kill 100 ancient demons in the north.”
While the revelation confirmed my suspicions, it only made me feel sick to my stomach.
I urged her to continue.
“So, what happened next?”
“Angry, the lord naturally went to eliminate these trash. After enormous sacrifices by the knights, the lord successfully retrieved the viscountess, but it was already too late.”
I remembered the viscountess’ pitiful state.
Her withered neck adorned with a gleaming ruby was an unforgettable memory.
“Guin defied the other heroes, standing by the lord’s side during that time. Out of the countless heroes, only Guin remained loyal.”
I saw Leira’s hand tremble as she held the lantern.
“What do you think the outcome was?”
“The baron’s still standing, so obviously the heroes lost, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct. Internal warfare broke out inside the castle, and every last one of them was killed. Half by Guin, the other half by the lord himself.”
Leira briefly glanced at me and gave a chilling smile.
I understood from her expression. She probably half suspected I was a hero too.
‘Fortunately, I chose the baron’s side.’
With a sigh of relief, I followed her calmly.
