Of course, it didn’t matter to me whether the middle-aged man’s complexion turned pale or not.
Every time I took a step forward, he struggled and dragged his body back.
But he could never be faster than me.
After plunging the hand axe into the floor with a thud, I crouched down to match the middle-aged man’s eye level.
The hint of fear in his eyes deepened, for the floor where I casually placed the axe was made of stone.
“So, hurry up and answer, when I was a pacifist… hmm? Who did you sell me out to?”
“Y-Your Excellency… you are making a mistake…”
Only then did the middle-aged man, who had managed to hold onto a thread of rationality, begin to speak respectfully.
If his previous demeanor was feigned, the attitude flowing now was genuine.
He had keenly felt who held the upper hand.
“I-I am just a tool! Holding me hostage won’t be of any use! There must be dozens of organization members rushing here right now… Is there really no one among them who can defeat you?”
Hwm, as I swallowed my spit, he pleaded with a trembling voice.
“R-Right now… it’s not too late. Let’s discuss a solution together. I-I don’t want to die!”
“You won’t die.”
With that, I got back up.
Before long, I could sense presences approaching down the long corridor.
I didn’t know the principle behind it, but it seemed that when chaos erupted in the reception room, news somehow traveled. It was definitely not a level of security that an ordinary gang would possess.
And even a contender capable of defeating me?
No matter how underestimated they were, I was an upperclassman at the Academy. Even the gangsters and former mercenaries I had just faced were no match for me.
Regardless of the fact that they numbered in the dozens, that remained true.
It was an incredibly interesting testimony.
Nevertheless, I threw him a slight smile, as if to say not to worry.
“……As long as I haven’t killed you.”
The middle-aged man let out a sharp gasp and began to sob again.
Since he wouldn’t be able to move for a while anyway, it didn’t matter to me. I slammed the door of the reception room open and stepped outside.
Thugs equipped with various weapons were approaching from beyond the long corridor.
It seemed today’s extermination operation would be a bit lengthy.
Every time the hand axe traced a silver line, blood burst forth.
The once monochrome stone corridor, cracked in places, was now stained with vivid colors.
Flesh-colored and red, severed body parts lay scattered from the fallen men.
I did not kill them.
I literally did not kill them, but some of the weaker ones might die from excessive blood loss. Of course, I was doing my best to ensure that the actual fatality rate was low.
After all, they were clearly hiding something secret.
And they were even charging at me as if to kill a noble, so it wouldn’t have been surprising if I took their lives. Still, I didn’t particularly want to kill them.
They were just pawns of the underbelly.
I couldn’t even tell how many among them had actively participated in crimes. I wanted to save any lives I could.
I just had no intention of saving them at the cost of my own life.
The gangsters, perhaps having forgotten their fear, charged at me with bloodshot eyes.
In the narrow corridor, there was a limit to the number of people who could rush at me. At most two, and thanks to that, I was fully able to leverage that advantage.
Taking a deep breath, I steadied my position, my hands striking like lightning.
With a thud, the hand axe struck one thug in the abdomen. I aimed with the blunt part to avoid killing him, but it was a weapon made of metal to begin with.
As the acceleration increased, the momentum itself became extraordinary.
With a splatter of blood, the thug’s body bent. Another thug standing beside him swung a weapon in an attempt to block my incoming axe.
He was a comrade wielding the same armament.
Of course, his skill level was pathetic, to the point where I found myself missing my senior Olmar from the Hunting Festival.
I wondered how he was doing.
With such idle thoughts, my kick shot towards the empty thug.
His body crumpled from the blow to his solar plexus, just like his companion.
In that gap, I regained hold of the spinning hand axe.
With a sharp thrust, I slammed it down onto the thug’s shoulder, and he fell, clearing the way.
And then came another wave of assaults.
Indeed, it was evident that the skill level of those charging at me was gradually rising.
At first, they couldn’t even deflect my hand axe, but now they managed to block my second strike, which moved through a sequence of stillness and motion.
Even so, they were still insufficient to face me.
Dodging the dagger that a woman lunged at me, I promptly impaled her with the hand axe, severing her arm from her shoulder.
“K-Kyaaaaaah!”
She shrieked as her body collapsed and twisted.
Having seen countless such scenes, I felt no emotion now.
I simply calculated that she seemed a bit strong, and if she was good at stem bleeding, she might last a while longer.
Before long, the floor was soaked with blood with every step I took.
As I stepped over the fallen gangsters, groans escaped like a carpet beneath my feet. It was not a particularly pleasant sensation.
If there were a craftsman who made such a carpet, he would likely die of starvation.
It was only sad that the cause of this catastrophe was me.
At the end of the street lined with blood, groans, and pain, a solitary man stood like a ghost.
He was a swordsman in shabby attire.
The long blade hanging at his waist was impressive. It was a weapon that could not even be wielded without basic physical strength.
Now, a worthy opponent had finally appeared.
I wiped the blood off my face with my sleeve to cool down my body drenched in his blood. Then, I spat out the blood that had seeped into my lips.
The stench of blood hung thick in the air.
“…I thought we were on good terms with the Percus Family.”
“That relationship ends today.”
He glared at me with fierce eyes.
“I once met Your Excellency’s sister. She was quite lovely.”
“She has a tendency to get too attached to her brother… Though I have no intention of giving her to you.”
I took a deep breath to calm my ragged breathing and smiled faintly. The coldness of the man’s expression deepened as he saw my relaxed demeanor.
“…Sometimes, there are truths one should not know.”
“I’ve come too far to be told that; haven’t you heard the rumors about me?”
“I have. They’re impressive. But I was once a student at the Academy as well.”
I furrowed my brow at the unexpected revelation.
Seeing my reaction, he let out a sorrowful laugh.
“I could never surpass the limits of a commoner… Slowly dying amidst the disdain and neglect of the nobles, I eventually fled the Academy without even obtaining a diploma, living this sort of lowly life.”
“Well, just because you made it into the Academy doesn’t guarantee success.”
Realizing that the man had once been my senior softened my tone somewhat.
The hierarchy at the Academy was rigid.
But in spite of my consolation, the man merely gritted his teeth and burned with hatred.
“I’m envious, and I also resent it. Perhaps I could have remained as an audience member, if not in that position, or at least in the place where such history is crafted!”
I sighed and scratched my head.
Not being particularly intelligent, I didn’t know what to say at a time like this.
I wasn’t even used to someone trying to create an atmosphere suddenly.
I could only offer my best attempt at comfort.
“…How does it feel, seeing it from right in front of you?”
“It’s impressive, but…”
With a sharp sound, the long blade revealed itself.
The beautiful aura flowing along its lengthy blade was extraordinary. It indicated he had taken great care in maintaining his weapon.
He was a force that diverged significantly from those I had faced until now.
He had once been a student at the Academy—naturally.
“There are things that cannot be learned in a greenhouse. Allow me to show you the swordsmanship learned from the depths of life. Now, come…”
Upon hearing those words, I could do nothing but display a troubled expression.
With a sigh, I spoke to him.
“Uh, I don’t know what circumstances you had, but… you were expelled from the Academy, right?”
There were people like that.
Those who lived praised for their shining talents, only to be thrown among true geniuses and face a tragic reality.
No, most new students at the Academy experienced that.
Hadn’t I also gone through the same?
I was barely mid-tier, and that was an achievement I earned through relentless training.
It took a long time to admit that there were limits, no matter how hard I flailed about.
“…It was because of the envy and jealousy of the nobles.”
“I see. Then…”
I strapped the hand axe to my waist and instead drew my sword.
It was minimal courtesy.
The man offered a nod, as if to say thank you. I responded with a wry smile and took my stance.
And then stillness.
Though mere seconds had passed, it was enough time to tighten the atmosphere again.
In that tense moment.
With one step I took, I imparted extreme acceleration.
My body shot forward, narrowing the distance in an instant. The man seemed to have been waiting for me, moving his long blade with a calm demeanor.
My sword ignited with a silvery aura, tracing a line.
The trajectory of the blade, attempting to block, was level, and the verdant aura flowed over the long sword supported by both hands.
The man’s eyes deepened.
It was a sign he was pondering his next move.
But the next moment.
With a sound of shattering.
Something broke, and the blade turned into shards.
The man’s eyes went blank.
The long blade he held could not withstand my aura and shattered. The silvery aura overwhelmed the overflowing blue aura in an instant.
The sword strike tore through his empty body.
Blood burst forth, but he still stood tall. It seemed the reality reaching him took time to sink in.
To him, I uttered in a subdued voice.
“…Stop posturing, you bastard.”
The opponents I had faced until now had been strong, but I had grown immeasurably stronger compared to before.
A dropout like him could not block my sword.
Now it was time to uncover the figures behind this.
