00013 <-- Episode 13: Hunting the Demon (4) -->
————————————————– ———————-=
Flames rise throughout the town. Many people are screaming and dying.
“Eww!”
“Cough!”
The child, hiding under the wall, trembles. He sobs and wipes his tears with his ash-stained hands.
“Ugh, ugh… … !”
The voices of angry soldiers roared from all sides. They were the ones who had the Rusclan emblem tattooed on their chests and backs.
“Kill them all!”
“Don’t leave a single one alive!”
“Set everything on fire!”
There was no particular reason why the village of Veran, an ordinary farming village, came under the wrath of the madman Rustanad. It was simply that one of the rebel leaders was from this village.
The rebels were all suppressed and hanged, but the emperor’s madness did not end there.
Treason is punishable by association.
He ordered that the villages where the traitors were born and raised be burned down. The 3rd Corps of the Imperial Army was dispatched, and only the unaware residents of Veran Village were struck by lightning.
Of course, little Zenon, now ten years old, did not know this fact. He just held his breath and cried in fear.
“Sigh, sob… … .”
Fortunately, thanks to hiding, the Imperial soldiers hadn’t caught them yet. Most of the other village children were already dead. They were clearly told to hide, but they kept crying and searching for their mother and father.
But Zenon, an orphan, had no parents to look for.
The village chief couple who had raised him treated young Zenon too harshly for a parent, so even in this situation, he did not dare to look for him.
So, instead of looking for adults like other children, he hid alone under the shadow of the wall and didn’t move.
That’s what kept young Zeno alive until now.
But that luck didn’t last long.
“There’s one here too!”
A fierce voice is heard beyond the wall, and a group of soldiers appear. The child’s eyes open wide and he lets out a blank sound.
“Ah… … Ahh… … .”
The soldiers’ faces changed. The child they finally found was so poor that he looked extremely miserable. One of the soldiers grimaced.
“Do we have to kill even a child like this?”
A middle-aged man who appeared to be the leader responded indifferently.
“His Majesty the Emperor has ordered that not a single life be spared.”
There is a trembling in their indifferent voices. They certainly do not want to commit such massacres.
“If we disobey the imperial command, we will be punished… … .”
And the punishment is unconditional death. You will be hanged next to the traitors for disobeying orders.
“f*ck… … .”
“I have to kill a child like this just to live… … .”
The Imperial soldiers gnashed their teeth in self-loathing. The captain took the lead and drew his sword.
He could not have his subordinates commit such a heinous crime. If he was going to commit a crime, it had to be him, the leader.
“sorry…….”
Just as the captain was about to stab the child with his sword, a gloomy voice was heard behind the soldiers.
“Yeah, you guys will end up in the same situation.”
The soldiers looked back in surprise.
“Who are you?”
A boy in his late teens with black hair, black eyes, and a rather handsome appearance was standing there.
He was dressed like an ordinary traveler, but there was one thing that stood out: he was holding a large claymore in his right hand. Considering the boy’s size, it looked awkward.
Claymore is a large sword that even the strongest warriors have difficulty handling.
The boy shook his head, looking back and forth between the soldier and young Zeno with gloomy eyes.
“Is this the kind of thing you see everywhere? This is just too much, damn it!”
Even in front of a large number of imperial soldiers, the boy showed no signs of nervousness. It was an attitude that could not be displayed unless there was something to believe in. And the soldiers gathered here were all veterans who could understand that much.
‘That… … .’
‘He’s no ordinary guy!’
The imperial soldiers all took up their battle stances. The captain shouted as he turned his sword and aimed it at the boy.
“Reveal your identity!”
The boy continued speaking softly.
“I won’t kill you. But you still seem a little better than those other murder-mad guys.”
The captain gave the order.
“Take care of it! Never let your guard down!”
The soldiers quickly surrounded the boy. Swords flew from all sides. The boy stood still and muttered.
“I won’t kill you, but… … .”
Suddenly the boy kicked the ground.
“It will hurt so much you will want to die!”
***
The child stared blankly at the scene before his eyes.
“Eww!”
“Ugh!”
“Eww!”
People were flying around. They weren’t just flying around, they were crashing into buildings, the ground, and everywhere else mercilessly. Every now and then, the boy’s shrill scream could be heard.
“I won’t die!”
The child thought.
——————
faqwiki.us
Join our Discord for new chapter updates!
https://discord.com/invite/xr7SxG5T6V
——————
‘… … I think he’s dead?’
Even to the eyes of a ten-year-old child, that did not look like a situation in which people could possibly live.
Humans are not strong enough creatures to survive being thrown into a building or having their entire upper body buried in the ground.
It took only a few minutes for all the soldiers to fall. The boy approached young Zenon, shaking his hands, and asked,
“Are you okay, kid? Are you hurt?”
Zeno asked, trembling.
“Are they all dead?”
“Nobody died.”
At the boy’s calm answer, Zenon looked at the fallen soldiers once more. And he was convinced.
“… …They’re all dead?”
The child was confused. Which was more dangerous, the imperial army that was blatantly threatening to kill, or the guy who was blatantly committing murder right in front of his eyes and then denying it?
The child slowly backed away. The boy snorted and said,
“I didn’t kill him. I just used a pressure device to make him faint.”
Then he picks up a stone and throws it at a soldier who is stuck in the wall. The soldier groans when the stone hits his leg.
“Ugh… … .”
By the way, the soldier’s upper body was stuck in the wall. That means the groaning was heard from inside the wall.
“See, he’s not dead?”
“Eeeeek?!”
Zeno’s eyes widened in surprise. The boy continued speaking as if making an excuse.
“The pressure technique is originally a technique that pressurizes the opponent’s entire body with force. However, I can apply this and cover the opponent’s surroundings. It’s like coating them with force? And when you hit them in that state, all the impact is evenly distributed to the force that has been covered.”
It was similar to shooting a projectile at a rock or a projectile weapon.
If you add speculation, you can cut steel with ordinary wood or paper. Here, the boy’s method was to make the wood or paper become a person.
“Then you can just blow it away. Thanks to the speculation, it’s easy to throw it anywhere. The impact is dispersed and hits your entire body, so it’ll hurt like hell, but you can avoid fatal injuries. Plus, it’s noisy, so it’s good for demoralizing people. This is a method that was carefully designed to be non-lethal.”
So, the boy continued his explanation, saying, “Don’t treat me like a murderer,” and smiled bitterly.
“… … Even if I say that, what would a child like this know? I’m a funny guy too.”
Young Zenon just nodded blankly. He didn’t know for sure, but he was certain that the boy in front of him had saved him.
“Thank you for saving me… … .”
Only then did he realize that he was alive. All the other children had died miserably.
Zenon gasped for breath as a corner of his chest felt strangely full. Then he raised his head to look at the other person’s face.
To Zenon, who was smaller than his peers, the boy seemed as huge as a mountain.
Zeno asked, not even knowing that his own emotions were emotions.
“Can I ask you the name of the person who saved your life?”
“Hey, you little brat know all those difficult words like ‘benefactor’?”
The boy looked down at the child as if he was curious. Then, after thinking for a moment, he opened his mouth.
“My name is Sihan. Seong Sihan. I usually use a fake name, but I guess there’s no need to lie to someone like this.”
It was an unusual name. At least not in the Rusclan Empire style.
Zeno kept repeating the name. Time, time, time.
Suddenly, the boy looked across the village. He stared into the distance with a troubled expression on his face, then kicked the claymore into the road.
“Oh, this isn’t the time to be doing this. I have other things to take care of as well.”
The boy leapt forward. He ran like a swift mountain goat and disappeared in an instant. The child who had been standing there blankly screamed.
“Hi, my name is Zenon!”
But his figure had already disappeared from sight.
***
After that day, Zenon was taken in by the survivors of Veran Village and lived in hiding in a slash-and-burn village.
A year later, a swordsman in the revolutionary army fortunately recognized Zenon’s talent and took him on as a disciple. At that time, Zenon learned that the boy who saved him was called the Savior of the Other World and had become a public enemy of the Rusclan Empire.
“It was only after I mastered the art of fighting and became a swordsman that I realized what Shihan-nim had meant. That’s how I was able to block the pressure. If I shake off the pressure that covered my entire body with the same full-body fighting, then after that, it will be just a normal attack.”
It was several years after that incident, when Zeno was 15 years old, that he learned to speculate. However, even though a considerable amount of time had passed, he still remembered what Shihan had said at the time.
I could never forget it. An experience so intense is engraved deeply in the mind regardless of understanding.
Shihan, who had heard Zeno’s story, had an ambiguous expression on his face.
“… … It’s Veran Village. Now that I think about it, something like that did happen.”
To be honest, I don’t remember the name of the town. But I remember that incident.
It wasn’t because he had saved Xenon, but because it was the first demonstration site for the newly-created ‘non-lethal pressure device’.
‘I wanted to show off the new technology I had just created, but I couldn’t just show off my capital, so I ended up rambling on about it to some brat.’
The King’s ears were like donkey ears~ Was that a symbol? Thinking about it now, it was such a foolish thing.
“Yeah, I remember.”
Zeno’s expression brightened. Clicking his tongue, Shihan continued.
“Yeah, I definitely saved a kid back then. I remember that… … .”
And then he looked up at Zeno with a serious face.
“Are you that kid from back then?”
“Yes! That’s it, Sihan!”
“Surely, at that time, that little boy named Zenon was about the size of my waist?”
On the other hand, Zenon in front of him was a man with broad shoulders and a body that was a head taller than Shihan, and was extremely sturdy overall. His upper body was so wide that it seemed like it could be used as a sunshade when the sun was beating down on him.
“The growth period has come.”
“You’ve grown so much! How did that little kid grow into such a giant like you?”
“Because the teacher fed me well.”
“No, even considering that, isn’t the flashback too weird? That was twelve years ago?”
So, this story is about when Shihan was around 16 years old. And no matter how you look at it, this young man in front of you was in his late 20s. He definitely didn’t look younger than Shihan.
“… … I don’t think that’s possible, but how old are you now?”
“I’m 22 this year. I was 10 at the time.”
Alita, who had been listening quietly, screamed in horror.
“Eh? So you’re only five years older than me?”
Shihan and Alita stared blankly at Zenon.
A sturdy build, a mature appearance that is full of experience, and the aura of a warrior that radiates from his entire body.
You’ve been on the battlefield for at least a dozen years, and now you’re only 22?
“You really have old eyes… … .”
The time limit was approaching, and Zenon puffed out his chest as if he didn’t care at all.
“I hear that a lot. But isn’t appearance just a shell, and what’s inside is the truth?”
“Who said such nonsense?”
“These are the words left behind by the Savior of the Other World.”
“Ugh… … .”
Shihan scratched his head. Now that I think about it, it seems like he used to go around saying things like that…
In any case, it seemed that this young man named Zenon was indeed the child he had saved at the time. The circumstances were correct, and the story was just as Shihan remembered.
Above all, there was no doubt that Zeno worshipped him.
‘Unless you’re really serious, you wouldn’t be keeping a pair of ten-year-old men’s underwear as if it were a treasure, right?’
Meanwhile, Alita was still looking at Zenon with wary eyes.
It makes sense why Zeno didn’t fight. It also makes sense why he sought time.
But this story has nothing to do with her. From Alita’s perspective, Zenon was still her enemy.
Alita asked Zenon, keeping a close eye on him.
“I understand the situation, but what do you want?”
“What does that mean?”
Zenon looked puzzled. Alita asked again.
“I understand why you found the deadline. So what do you want to do now?”
Zeno’s expression became blank.
To be honest, I didn’t think that far ahead. I was just obsessed with having to check.
“……well?”
‘This guy, an idiot?’
Alita rolled her eyes in disbelief. Shihan clicked his tongue as he spoke.
“I am a saint, just as you said. I guess it is true that I saved you when you were young. So what do you want from me?”
“That, that… … .”
Zeno stuttered for a moment. But his confusion did not last long. Ever since he was a child, he had been fantasizing about his heroes.
What do you wish for? What you wish for has been decided ten years ago!
Zeno, with a serious expression, knelt down respectfully. Then he lifted his sword with both hands and held it forward.
“My name is Zenon Stride, I was apprenticed to Higher Grat and I reside in the Sword Higher rank of Knight. Please allow me to serve you with this sword!”
Shihan’s expression became strange. Now Zenon was saying that he would become Shihan’s knight and serve him.
“Weren’t you a reporter for Lilstein?”
“His Majesty the King will understand.”
It was an unwavering answer.
Indeed, some knights serve other lords with their lord’s permission.
It is surprisingly common for a subordinate knight to meet a benefactor and serve him, and in such cases, the lord will often release him from his loyalty contract.
I don’t think you want to be known as a narrow-minded lord. It’s not like it’s particularly against chivalry.
“I will take you to the palace, Your Majesty. I am sure His Majesty the King will be very pleased.”
Zenon, who was speaking with an excited face, looked at Alita and flinched. It was because he remembered that girl, a descendant of Rusclan, had been protected by Shihan.
I don’t know why the otherworldly savior would protect the cursed bloodline of the madman, but at least in the current situation, it seems certain that she is one of Shihan’s companions. She even seems to know Shihan’s true identity.
‘Did you take mercy on that girl and take her in?’
Zeno continued, judging on his own.
“If it is your will, I will keep that girl’s identity a secret. You can trust me.”
Even so, Zenon, who was still a knight of the Royal House of Lilstein, easily brought up the idea of deceiving the King. Shihan sneered in disbelief.
“Lilstein has a very loyal knight.”
Zenon smiled broadly.
“I swore allegiance to the House of Lilstein because His Majesty the King was your colleague.”
Shihan stared down at Zenon. He was still kneeling with his sword outstretched. It seemed he was planning to maintain that posture until Shihan accepted the sword.
“Then what if… … .”
Suddenly curious, Shihan asked.
“What would you do if I were to turn against Lilstein?”
“yes?”
Zenon’s eyes widened. It seemed like he had never thought of this.
‘Well, I guess so.’
It was when Shihan smiled bitterly.
“Then he is my enemy too!”
Zeno declared with a frighteningly serious expression. Shihan’s face wavered.
Burning eyes, tightly closed lips. A strong will is felt throughout Zenon’s entire body.
‘Are you serious?’
Since his true identity had already been revealed, he couldn’t send him back. But he also felt uneasy about killing the person he had saved as a child with his own hands.
“Okay, then… … .”
Shihan reached out to Zeno.
“Let me take your sword.”
