Chapter 33: You’re Making a Mistake
“Graaah!”
“Wh-What… Kugh!”
Under the onslaught of arrows from all directions, the mercenaries collapsed without much of a fight.
Two of them lay dead, while one crawled on the ground, bleeding profusely.
Moments later, figures emerged from the reeds, each armed with a bow.
These were the rustling sounds I’d heard earlier—another band of thieves that had recently set up traps around the reed field, ambushing travelers and stealing their valuables.
Their leader, a hulking man, stepped forward, grinning as he looked at the woman who had just emerged from the ground. He approached her with a disgusting smirk, flattering her in a sickening manner.
I’d seen this scene three or four times now, and I could never get used to the way he slobbered over her.
But really, banditry in a prison for test subjects?
To my eyes, they were nothing more than lab rats in a cage putting on a pathetic show.
‘It’s all pointless.’
They were prancing around cluelessly, oblivious to their situation here, but they’d be gone soon enough.
I was about to ignore them and keep walking, but their conversation made me pause.
“Oh! What’s this? A hefty gold plaque!”
“Ugh… I-I’ll give you everything, just please spare me!”
“What’s written on this thing? Anyone here know how to read?”
“It says it’s from the House of Marcia.”
“Marcia? Aren’t they a merchant family?”
“Could it be the merchant’s seal or something? Looks like a genuine gold emblem to me.”
“A seal? Why would something so valuable be on this guy? Could it be a fake?”
“Not sure. But the gold is real, right?”
“Yeah, it’s legit.”
The leader bit down on the gold plaque to check, then nodded. The other bandits raised their daggers and approached the mercenary.
The mercenary, sensing he was about to die, spilled everything without being asked.
“W-We were mercenaries hired by Marcia! I stole that plaque from the merchant’s corpse!”
“The merchant is dead? And you did it?”
“No, no, it wasn’t us!”
“Then who?”
“…The knights of House Blyer.”
The knights of House Blyer.
Hearing that name—the knights of the Butcher’s family—made my body react instinctively. I pushed through the reeds quickly.
News about Kamel Blazer?
This, I couldn’t ignore.
Rustle—Rustle—
The sound of reeds being violently disturbed.
“W-Who’s there!?”
The bandits, startled by the sudden noise, turned and aimed their bows.
I gripped the daggers in my hands tightly. The mana-infused blades hummed faintly.
“F-Fire!!!”
The moment I burst through the reeds, the bandits released their arrows. Keeping my mouth shut, I swung my daggers like lightning.
Ka-ka-ka-kang!
“……!”
Shattered arrow fragments scattered everywhere.
Deflecting the arrows, I dashed forward through the fragments with deadly precision.
“A m-monster!”
“It’s just one guy! Attack him!”
I might only be a Two-Star in front of Karl’s group.
But here…
‘I’m a monster to these bandits.’
I spotted the leader, shouting and raising his massive axe.
I raised my dagger.
Seems I had a little side business to take care of before returning to the hideout.
***
“Graaah!”
“…Ugh!”
It didn’t take long for the band of twenty bandits to collapse.
It was about what I’d expected.
The surprising part was that not a single one of them tried to flee.
Even while bleeding, they fought with a vicious determination. They had a different aura compared to the previous group of bandits I’d stripped bare.
What’s with these guys?
They didn’t feel like ordinary bandits.
I’d planned to scare them off, but I’d ended up getting my hands dirtier than intended.
For a moment, even I was taken aback by the resistance.
In the end, I had no choice but to kill the leader.
Puhk—!
“K-Kruk!”
I yanked my dagger out of his neck and took a step back.
The ground was slick with blood.
Around me, the bandits lay writhing in pain, unable to get back up, most of them covered in blood.
I’d spared most of them, but the leader had been too skilled with mana to let live.
I rifled through his belongings.
A red potion.
I took the healing potion as loot and slowly poured it over the cuts on my arms and legs. They’d put up such a fierce fight that I’d ended up with numerous minor injuries.
Treating my wounds right beside a corpse—guess I was becoming a true resident of this world.
Nearby, the woman was trembling as she stared at the dead leader.
“I-I was just following orders! I swear!”
“……”
“P-Please, spare me!”
She launched into a sob story about how she’d been dragged around by the bandits against her will.
Tears streamed down her face as she begged for her life, and I just watched her silently. After a moment, I glanced around and pointed in a direction.
“Keep going that way. You’ll reach a large camp. Go.”
“Th-Thank you! Thank you so much!”
“Don’t come back here again.”
Nodding repeatedly, she dashed off in the direction I’d pointed. Watching her run, I shook off my thoughts and turned my attention to the mercenary.
The real reason I was here was to get information from him.
As I approached, the mercenary, pale as a ghost, crawled backward on the ground.
“P-Please spare me!”
“Just answer my questions, and I’ll let you live.”
“Y-Yes!”
Through the mercenary, I confirmed the identity of the Blyer knights.
The ones who had attacked the Marcia family’s estate, torched it, and disappeared.
Judging by the descriptions, it seemed to be Kamel’s personal guard, led by Lyon Martrein.
‘They must be after the artifacts Marcia had collected.’
The Butcher had set out on a hunt for ancient artifacts that could awaken the one slumbering within him. This wasn’t particularly surprising—it was something I’d already anticipated.
According to the mercenary, the burnt-down estate wasn’t far from the “negotiation spot” I’d pointed out.
‘They’re probably scooping up everything within reach.’
Knowing Kamel Blazer’s personality, most of these acquisitions were likely achieved through force, and like Marcia, many would have lost their lives.
I looked at the mercenary, one of the lucky few to survive the ordeal.
“You’re lucky to be alive.”
“I-I only ran into the forest! I swear!”
“Yeah, I get it.”
He’d escaped toward Laup Forest—a fortunate choice.
‘Kamel must have issued a ban on approaching Laup Forest.’
He knew well the dangers of Dominic and was trying to avoid a clash.
With Dominic on a rampage, the Butcher was likely planning his own moves.
My thoughts didn’t linger long.
“Huk!”
The mercenary’s breathing suddenly grew labored, and his face turned ashen.
His luck ran out here.
“Grrrkk!”
Clutching his chest, he began coughing up black blood. He grabbed his throat and twisted in agony, screaming as he died.
I watched with a bitter smile.
Guess he wasn’t going to go quietly, after all.
Moments later, the mercenary’s convulsing body went limp.
Despite the suddenness of his death, I stayed silent.
I had a bad feeling about this from the start.
“Kekekekeke!”
A woman’s laughter echoed from behind me.
It was an unsettling laugh, not at all like the woman who’d been cowering and running away just moments ago. She now wore a black robe, her entire demeanor transformed.
“Why did you come back?”
“Because I don’t have to hide anymore.”
“Looks like you pulled some kind of trick on me, like you did with that dead mercenary, right?”
“Sharp, aren’t you? You’ll be begging me to spare you soon enough.”
“What, you planning to play dollhouse with me?”
She held two small dolls in her hands, one of them torn to shreds.
Smiling with cruel satisfaction, she gestured to the mercenary who had died a horrific death and the torn doll.
“How about it? You’re next.”
“A dark shaman, huh?”
“Hmph! Knowing that won’t help you.”
As I raised my dagger, she gripped the remaining doll tightly. Suddenly, I felt a constricting force around me. So, that strange aura had been tied to black magic all along?
To cast a curse, a medium is required. That medium…
“You cursed the bandits’ weapons, didn’t you?”
“Even if you know, it’s too late. The curse is complete.”
“So you brainwashed those bandits too? I thought it was strange that they showed no fear.”
“Are you stupid or just fearless? Can’t you see what’s happening?”
“……”
“I’ll give you a chance. You seem more useful than those trash.”
“A chance?”
She pulled a small, squirming insect out of a wooden box.
A writhing, disgusting bug.
Damn, my mood soured instantly.
“Eat it. Then I’ll spare your life.”
“…You’re making a mistake. I have a serious grudge against anyone who tries to make me eat bugs.”
“Do you want to die?”
“Sorry, lady, but you’re not my type.”
Her face twisted with rage.
Her hand, clutching the doll, turned pitch black.
At that moment, the strange energy within me began to rage wildly.
The energy of a curse.
As it writhed, attempting to take over my body, I activated the ancient glyph.
When I’d first been injured by the cursed bandit weapons, I’d felt that foreign energy seeping in.
But I hadn’t been too worried.
After absorbing the sticky, filthy energy of the mana stones, I’d started to understand how to use the glyph.
I defined the power of the glyph in one word.
Purification.
The moment golden light burst from my hand, the raging energy was suppressed and vanished almost instantly.
“Kyaaaah!”
The woman screamed, dropping the doll. Blood spurted from her mouth as she staggered, clearly reeling from the backlash of her broken spell.
As I approached her slowly, she backed away, terrified.
“W-What was that just now? What did you do!?”
The first time she’d begged for her life, I hadn’t sensed any real fear. That’s when I knew she was hiding something.
“You should work on your acting skills.”
“Filthy insect!”
Her eyes turned a vivid red.
She tried to cast a brainwashing spell on me, just like she had on the bandits.
As our gazes met, a familiar headache throbbed in my skull.
I’d felt this before.
Memories of being surrounded by dark shamans in Kamel’s prison resurfaced, and I scowled.
We stood off for a moment, and then her face turned deathly pale, contorting in horror.
In contrast, my expression relaxed.
Her mental pressure was far weaker than Rengua’s. If she kept pushing against my mind, the outcome was clear, so I moved to stop her quickly.
Perhaps sensing my impatience, she unleashed all her power.
“D-Die!!!”
Puhk!
Her head exploded.
Her headless corpse slumped to the ground.
I stared at the dead woman for a moment.
Mental Barrier.
It was a natural counter against dark shamans who sought to control and mock others’ minds.
Damn it, I had things I wanted to ask her.
“Ha…”
I sighed deeply and drew my dagger. Looking around, I saw the bandits trembling in fear.
With her death, they seemed to have regained their senses as the brainwashing spell broke.
But it was too late.
‘Stupid woman. Why couldn’t you just leave?’
Cursing the headless corpse, I gripped my dagger and walked toward the bandits.
Karl Bastain had taught me how to survive.
Especially, the standards for spilling blood.
I couldn’t leave anyone who had witnessed my power alive.
This was a matter of survival.
***
“You’re late?”
“I had some business to take care of.”
“Killed quite a few people, didn’t you?”
“How did you know?”
“The smell of blood is thick.”
“The smell of blood?”
I sniffed myself. I’d washed up by the river, but Karl still picked up the scent.
Did he have the nose of a bloodhound?
Or maybe it was his Crisis Detector ability?
I briefly recounted what had happened with the dark shaman to Karl.
“Doesn’t sound like a particularly skilled dark shaman. I mean, for someone who was running around here hunting humans. You don’t even know her name?”
“Oh, well…”
I didn’t get the chance to ask, and I couldn’t exactly explain my Mental Barrier, so I just scratched my head awkwardly.
Karl examined the gold plaque I’d handed over.
“It’s the seal of the Marcia family. Greedy pig ended up going straight to hell.”
“You knew the Marcia merchant?”
“I received assassination requests for him a few times. He was an old man obsessed with collecting antiques.”
Unfortunately, one of those antiques was something that Kamel Blazer had his eyes on.
An artifact synonymous with the Butcher’s name.
‘The Cloak of Dragon’s Fang.’
An artifact that would enhance the presence of a ruler like him.
I knew it was a top-priority target for plundering.
“So the culprit is the lord of House Blyer? The assassination target you mentioned?”
“Yes.”
“The other nobles won’t stay silent. Marcia paid a considerable sum for their protection.”
The Butcher must have waited for the nobles’ attention to shift.
By now, they’d be too distracted dealing with the chimera horde unleashed by Dominic.
Handing me the seal, Karl smacked his lips.
“Seems like things aren’t going smoothly outside either, huh?”
“Some people see the chimera attacks as an opportunity.”
It wasn’t just “some people”—it was the Butcher himself, monopolizing the chaos. He was the one who’d benefit most from this entire situation.
“Forget about the Blyer lord. He’s not our problem. Let’s focus on the job.”
“Sure.”
“Now get out of here. The blood smell is making me dizzy.”
“Not something I expected to hear from an assassin with decades of experience.”
I returned to my spot.
Lying on the field, I let my thoughts drift.
I recalled what Karl had said.
Not involved with the Butcher?
‘Oh, we’re very involved.’
Karl could say that only because he didn’t know his own future. If he did, I wonder what expression he’d make.
‘The Butcher will move soon.’
This was the main event that would greatly aid the rise of the Butcher, the protagonist of Chapter 1—The Hundred Hearts.