novelraw Chapter 41 : Trap (3)
Chapter 41 : Trap (3)
Trap (3)
There were only a few classes in the main game, but each class branched into different advancement routes.
Basically, for swordsmen, if one chose the "good" route, they would become a holy swordsman; if one chose the "evil" route, they would become a blood swordsman.
A holy swordsman wielded sacred power, just as the name implied, and their path eventually led to the Paladin, known as the pinnacle of the Empire.
Given the nature of the route, the character's disposition was also extremely righteous.
Because they gained recognition for their talent from imperial knights and grew up properly, they became knights trusted by the people of the Empire.
It was the classic protagonist's temperament often seen in traditional royal road stories.
Someone who couldn't just pass by when help was needed and possessed overwhelming strength—truly an ideal figure in reality.
'That's the future Dimo should originally have reached.'
Then what about the blood swordsman on the evil route?
This, too, was literally a warrior who wielded the power of blood, and at the end of the path, one would give up humanity to become the Vampire Lord, the king of vampires.
Given the nature of the route, it wasn't sane.
This character, having strayed into the underworld, awakened to the innate power of blood and gradually descended into madness.
Driven by an unquenchable thirst for blood, they'd skip words and speak with swords the moment things went awry.
Unlike the just holy swordsman, this one was madness itself.
They were an interesting character in fiction, but definitely not someone you'd want to see in real life.
'That's the future Rio is currently walking toward.'
That's why Louis felt worried.
The power Rio had displayed this time was something that really shouldn't be shown in front of others.
"To think I'd witness blood swordsmanship with my own eyes."
"Do you know what that is?"
"If you read swordsmanship books often, you can't not know."
Up until she was expelled from her family, Silia had learned far more than just the basic art of swinging a sword.
So someone like Silia knowing about blood swordsmanship was not strange.
That was because blood swordsmanship was a technique once used by the Vampire Lord who had driven the Empire to terror in the war against the demonkin long ago.
"Based on what's in my head, blood swordsmanship was the technique used by the worst enemy the Empire ever faced. If you showed this to anyone, the treatment you'd get is obvious."
When Rio first awakened it, she apparently blew the infirmary's ceiling away upon waking up.
Since then, having participated in actual combat, Louis and Silia had witnessed Rio's new power with their own eyes.
"Moreover, it's said that those who wield blood swordsmanship eventually go mad from bloodlust."
"Exactly...."
Silia wore an expression full of concern at the realization another strange kid had ended up under her command.
Just like Louis's Chaos Dragon, being discovered would invite the wrath of both the Empire and the Holy Nation.
"Still, if she can control the output, can't we just pass it off as red aura?"
"It's not impossible, but holding back your strength in a demon realm like this is suicide."
After awakening to that blood swordsmanship, Rio could now wield aura.
Normally, aura was grayish, but for some people, the color could differ.
Those people were called "peculiar types" and could emit flames or chills from their swords—swordsmen who could essentially act like mages through their aura.
"At first, I thought she was just a peculiar type...."
So Silia had thought, but upon seeing Rio drink both human and monster blood alike, her mind changed.
She had seen countless soldiers die after drinking monster blood hoping to quench their thirst, only for their bodies' fluids to reverse and kill them.
For Rio to remain unscathed after such a thing was not something that could be explained by being a peculiar type.
"Even if we say it's peculiar, I've never seen anyone manipulate blood except for Rio, so I don't know."
As days passed, the number of monsters appearing from the stampede dwindled.
Yet, since it was still wartime, the squad members were always preparing for threats.
Right now, as part of that effort, Rio was sparring with someone using wooden swords.
"You wench!!"
Rejir swung his wooden sword, his eyes full of venom, but Rio deflected it lightly.
Having ended up sparring with Rio at Louis's suggestion, Rejir ground his teeth in frustration.
'Last time, this girl was losing to me—so how...!'
Of course, he did lose last time, but that was when Dimo and Rio had teamed up against him two-on-one.
Even then, at first, Dimo and Rio couldn't handle Rejir together.
But now, the situation was reversed—he was the one completely unable to gain the upper hand against Rio.
"Kgh!"
When Rio put strength into her wooden sword, Rejir grunted and was immediately sent flying.
Looking at Rejir lying on the ground, Rio wore a disappointed expression.
"That's odd."
"Hrk... What's odd?"
"Are you not feeling well? Why did you get weaker than before?"
Rio's question left Rejir dumbfounded.
Did she say I got weaker? No way. If anything, fighting monsters had only made me stronger; there's no way my skills have dulled.
"Don't hold back. Fight me properly, or the training is pointless."
Rio meant it.
Having fought Rejir before, she knew his skills well.
Even when Dimo and she attacked together, Rejir wasn't pushed back at all.
If the aura hadn't miraculously awakened then, the two of them would have lost.
"You little bastard...."
Rejir knew his own skill.
That's why the current situation made him furious.
"This isn't because I got weaker...! And I wasn't holding back either!"
"Then what is it?"
Rio asked, looking genuinely puzzled.
Had she really not noticed? Seeing that innocent face, Rejir felt dizzy.
He didn't want to admit it. He didn't want to acknowledge that this girl had suddenly gotten stronger.
"What is it? Tell me."
"...."
If he said it, it'd be admitting it, so he kept his mouth shut.
"It's just that Rio got stronger."
Just then, Silia, who had been watching from afar, chimed in, making Rio's eyes widen.
"Me? But this guy was incredibly strong. I don't think it makes sense I caught up in just a few days."
Rejir silently agreed in his mind. Yeah, that's right!
Honestly, anyone would think Rio's words made sense. But surprisingly, it was indeed true that Rio had gotten stronger.
"Rio, it sounds crazy, but it's true. Now you're stronger than that guy."
"...."
Rio stared at her wooden sword, and then red aura surged along the blade.
"Is it because of this?"
Ever since this mysterious red power awakened, Rio realized her strength had skyrocketed.
She tried testing her power against monsters, but each time she used it, she was hit with a splitting headache.
So now, wanting to test her strength without using her power, she needed a sparring partner.
Using Rejir as her test subject, she realized she had indeed gotten stronger than before.
"Is it true, young master, that Rio is stronger than this guy now?"
"How could things change so much in just a few days?"
Victor and Pram, who were watching the spar, approached Rio.
"Now, Rio's the only one we can rely on!"
"We still have the young master."
"Rio comes right after him."
Simon, Pram, and Rozen joined in, chatting in front of Rio.
These five had survived the stampede so far, but they were all exhausted.
Life in the 7th Legion was hell for people their age, and five others from their village had already died.
Even with Louis around, they all knew intuitively that their turn would come someday.
In the end, the only ones they could rely on were each other. There wasn't a single reliable soldier in this fortress.
That was why Silia's squad was kind to each other.
With no one else to trust, their desire not to be separated from one another grew only stronger.
It was the same for Rio.
"Young master."
Rio looked longingly at Louis, who was standing leisurely.
She shyly poked her head forward, and Louis understood what she meant.
"Alright. You did great."
Louis patted Rio's head as praise.
He was the only one in the fortress to do this for her.
"Deputy-commander, do you want to do it too?"
Louis offered even to Silia, who was sitting far away, but she turned her head awkwardly, declining with an embarrassed face.
"Still, I feel kind of bad for this guy. Now he can't even be Rio's practice partner anymore."
"What did you say?"
At Pram's teasing remark, Rejir's face flushed with anger.
"Now that you mention it, that's true! He's nothing but a weakling now!"
"I thought Rio was going to lose at first—I was worried for nothing."
"Serves you right!"
"This is punishment for trying to kill us!"
Squad Members took turns ridiculing Rejir.
Even Rio, who had defeated him in sparring, spoke coldly.
"I don't think we need this guy anymore. I'll have to look for a stronger opponent."
That was the last straw; Rejir's mind went completely blank.
'What did these brats just say?'
Being disrespected so openly by those younger than himself, he looked about to lose his reason.
"Young master, take care of this guy."
"How should I take care of him?"
When Louis grabbed Rejir's head as Rio requested, Rejir's face turned deathly pale.
The rage boiling in his chest turned to icy fear the moment his eyes met Louis's.
"He's useless now, so just throw him away."
Rio's attitude, as if tossing out trash, made Rejir scream.
"You damned bastards! Do you think you'll get away with this? How can you treat a person like garbage!"
At those words, the squad members scowled as one.
"Then what about your family, who burned down an innocent domain?"
"We all know! We heard the reason the Seifert domain was destroyed was your family."
"That was our hometown! But your family destroyed it!"
"Come to think of it, this guy is our hometown's enemy! And he has the nerve to whine about being treated like trash?"
The squad members had no reason to show Rejir mercy.
It was only natural.
"Well then, goodbye."
Leaving those words behind, Rio walked away.
The squad members followed after her, chatting boisterously.
"You'll either get eaten by a monster, get tortured to death by an officer, or kill yourself. The choice is yours~"
"Shall we bet? I'm picking the first one!"
"I'll go with the second. With that temper, he'll mouth off to an officer for sure!"
"I'll take the third! No way he survives long with that weak mind."
"How about you, young master?"
Hearing them jabber, Rejir was utterly crushed.
Normally, he'd have summoned vassals or knights to deal with this, but now he couldn't.
Left alone, Silia approached him and spoke.
"What, do you feel wronged?"
"...."
"You were the first to try to kill them."
Rejir had no right to feel sad.
"Besides, attacking allies during a stampede is grounds for summary execution. You should have died already."
"So why...?"
When he asked why they let him live, Silia answered.
"No reason."
The reason was simple. There wasn't a single person here who'd take Rejir's side.
"By the way, I pick the second one."
With those words as Silia walked away, the light disappeared from Rejir's eyes.
****
Knights in armor walked through a dense forest.
Before their eyes, the 7th Legion's 5th Fortress Paruzan came into view.
"Just as the rumors say, it's a harsh place."
"It'll only get harsher. There's a stampede going on right now."
They were the reinforcement troops for Paruzan Fortress dispatched by Bisted.
Their affiliation was to the Bisted family, but as knights, where they were born was—
"Everyone knows the objective, right?"
"We'll fight as needed and collect the corpse of a higher-rank monster."
Recalling their mission, they finally stopped at the entrance of the fortress.
After having their identities confirmed by the soldiers guarding the gate, they waited for the gigantic doors to open.
"I heard that young master is being held here."
"You mean Rejir? He's probably dead by now."
"And if he's alive?"
At that, the leading knight, Alpher, smiled.
"That means Kadim failed. In that case, I'll have to offer up his head myself, in place of that incompetent fool. Kukukuk!"
As that ominous laugh rang out, the fortress gates opened.
"The higher-rank monster's corpse is ours."
As they stepped closer to the fortress, they vowed to themselves.
"All for His Highness the Crown Prince. And for Bisted."