LMOFSF 09

Episode 9 – The Hunt

Sslash!

“Ughhh!!”

“To react to that just now… You must’ve had some real sword meals in your life.”

Did I hit too lightly?
I was planning to finish him in one blow without pain if possible.

His eyes couldn’t follow me, so his body must’ve moved back purely by instinct.

“W-Wait! Spare me!! No, please spare my life!!”

“You came here to kill me, and now you’re begging for your life? Isn’t that a bit contradictory?”

The mercenary clutched his bleeding chest and collapsed onto the ground.

“I-I didn’t know you were a mage! If you let me live, I’ll quietly leave!”

Well, for mercenaries without aura, a mage is a nightmare.

“That’s all?”

“I-I’ll give you all the money I was paid! I hid it nearby and can bring it right away!!”

“…I suppose you’re just a mercenary, doing a job for pay.”

“That’s right! I was foolish to break the guild’s rules! Please, I beg you…”

“But you see…”

The moment I lowered my sword, a dagger shot out from his chest.

Sssk!

“If you’ve already broken the rules once, doing it a second time is no trouble at all.”

And as someone who used to be a mercenary, I know exactly how far one can sink once they’ve crossed that line.

His head rolled onto the ground.

“Let me borrow this for a bit.”

I picked up the dead mercenary’s sword and gave it a light swing.

So this is the sword that old man made?

“Not bad.”

Solid fundamentals, perfect balance—not amazing, but no real flaws either.
Just right for me to use right now.

Was he that skilled of a craftsman?
He seemed like a decent person… If I get the chance, maybe I’ll recruit him.

Since a sword made through alchemy costs mana to maintain, I dispersed it back into the air as pure mana.

A new, solid sword rested in my hand.

“I don’t avoid fights that come to me. After I deal with all these mercenaries, it’ll be your turn—those of you hiding and waiting for an opening.”

So they never intended to let the mercenaries live in the first place?

If everyone dies, good. If not, they can retrieve the deposit and still finish the job.

Not happening.

I knocked aside incoming arrows and moved toward the next group of mercenaries.

The night air through the forest quickly filled with dying screams.

“Am I… dreaming?”

From Haun’s body, violet mana was surging like a storm.

Before he could even cross swords, the pressure overwhelmed him—despite being a mid-level Expert himself.

So during that sparring match, that wasn’t even his full strength?

And how did he create a sword out of thin air?

“Magic?”

In the past two weeks of training at the practice yard, there was never a sign of that.
And he didn’t have a magic teacher either…

…So he’s been hiding it on purpose.

If he suspected his identity might be questioned from the start, that made sense.

And then—

A woman suddenly appeared from Haun’s shadow.

Not a golem… a familiar?

It’s rare now, but in the past there were mages who specialized in those.

She was right there in front of him, yet he felt nothing.
It was as if that space alone was a hollow void.

Like standing at the edge of an endless pit.

Both the master and the familiar are monsters.

His hand on the sword hilt trembled slightly.

Yes—a monster.
Something only wearing the shape of a human.
And Haun, who commands such a creature…

…is the evil of Tindalos.

Strength returned to his grip.
The words repeated endlessly in his head:

The evil of Tindalos.
I must destroy it.

The evil of Tindalos.
I will strike it down!

Covering his body with aura, he charged forward.

His target—the monster in front of him.

Sssk!

His full-powered slash cut off the woman’s head with ease.

“Haahh!”

He panted heavily, then turned to find Haun—

“No need to look for me.”

“!! Sir Raster.”

It was the familiar voice of Raster, the captain of Baron Upton’s guards and a 3rd-circle mage.

Aside from two knights, the rest of the guards were also gathered.

“What do you mean, ‘no need to look’?”

“Exactly what I said. Begin.”

“What?!”

Before he could react, the mages among the guards cast binding magic on him.

Then two knights slashed him deeply across the waist.

“Guhh!!”

As he collapsed in pain, the two knights threw a mercenary’s corpse next to him.

“…What is the meaning of this?”

“You really don’t get it? Maybe it’s the mind control. You fought the assassins who killed Tindalos’ heir and died together with them. That’s all.”

“Mind control? What are you—”

“No time. His aura feels dangerous. Kill hi—”

Raster suddenly stopped speaking, his face frozen in shock.
The other guards followed his gaze—

Behind?

He turned—and saw the woman standing there, holding her severed head in her hands.

“What the hell is that?!”

“A monster?!”

Her head turned into black mist and reattached itself.
Her hair grew back where it had been cut.

“—Shhh.”

A twisted, eerie smile spread across her face as she raised one pale finger to her lips.

[Be quiet. Silence yourselves.]

The whispers, the rustling leaves, even breathing—all stopped.

Only distant dying screams remained.

In that strange stillness, the woman spoke again.

“My contractor is playing his melody, and yet these insects dare to stir.”

Her voice rang in their ears like an echo.

“He will arrive soon. Until then, remain still.”

He glanced around—the screams had already stopped.

And then Haun emerged from the nearby bushes, completely unharmed.

“What in the world… is going on here?”

When I came back after finishing off the mercenaries, I found a strange scene.

From the looks of it, Barus had been discarded like a useless hunting dog.

Aris just smiled, saying nothing.

“Did you start this?”

“Of course not. I stayed still. I wouldn’t steal your share.”

She didn’t seem to be lying.

“Fine. Step back then.”

Just then, beyond Barus, the 3rd-circle mage of the guards staggered up like he’d been holding his breath too long.

“You… you monsters!!”

“Monster? That’s harsh. You’ll hurt the monster’s feelings.”

“Ahhh! All of you, rise!”

Mana flared among the guards—except for Barus.

A morale boost spell?
Tricky to learn, and unlike a priest’s blessing, it doesn’t strengthen the body—just the spirit.
Rarely used. Interesting.

“Attack!”

Knights in front, mages in back.
Aside from the mages outnumbering the knights two to one, it was a textbook formation.

The knights closed in fast.

“Haaah!!”
“Haap!”

Left high slash, right mid-level slash.
A proper pincer attack—

“But too slow. No sharpness. You lack follow-through. Even my family’s twins would do better.”

I slipped between their sword arcs with ease.

“How?!”

“I can see your moves. Why would I just let them hit me?”

After all the sword meals I’ve eaten… Even if I’m not as strong as before, I don’t need to waste aura just to dodge this.

Keeping distance and throwing arrows or hidden weapons would be more troublesome.

“From your stance, I can guess—you’re using a southern sword style knockoff.”

After dodging a few more swings, I matched their stance exactly.

“What?!”
“You’re copying us?!”
“You learned our sword that fast?!”

“No, that’s not it.”

Covering myself fully in aura, I charged.

A heavy sound of air bursting—followed by dying groans.

Sssk!

Their shocked faces fell with their bodies to the dark forest floor.

“This is the original. Yours is just an imitation.”

I flicked the blood off my sword.