Chapter 193

    193: The Ashen Wolf [2]

    So... according to a traveler who once visited the orphanage a long time ago, miracles are something that occasionally, suddenly, whoosh, find their way .

    I raised my hand out of mild curiosity and asked

    — Are these miracles perhaps like moths or cockroaches?

    But it seemed my poor expression didn’t sit well with the learned scholar. He gave a rather hollow laugh, patted my head, and explained further.

    — Typically, things like those you mentioned bring misfortune. Bugs, beasts that harm humans, and magical creatures especially tend to do so. So, I’d say your expression isn’t quite appropriate.

    — But miracles are different. They are born from something you earnestly wish for, pray for, and believe in so deeply that it reaches the gods. That’s what a miracle is.

    But he didn’t add this part.

    In most cases, the protagonist of the miracle isn’t me. And that brats like me, born in some backwater eastern village, are better suited for tragic endings.

    Now, here I am, holding Aeloi’s lifeless body in my arms.

    She, now a cold corpse, hadn’t even managed to utter a single word of farewell. Aeloi’s breasts were far too small to belong to someone who had become the concubine of a noble family. All I could do was hold her for a long time. The noble had long since departed.

    After the supplies ran out, Count Kses stopped distributing meals to his people. Instead, he sold some of them as slaves to raise the required funds for the search for the [Philosopher’s Stone].

    Among those, Aeloi, who was strikingly beautiful, became the concubine of that lecherous man. But Aeloi had a defiant spirit, a stubbornness that wouldn’t let her bow to anyone.

    Sleeping in the same bed with a man she did not desire was likely something she could not even fathom, let alone dream of.

    What followed is a predictable story.

    Her chest bore savage stab wounds and bloodstains. The sight of her severed tongue, bitten off, told the rest. Aeloi must have rejected the count’s demands and chosen to take her own life instead.

    She must have no other choice than to end her own life.

    To protect her own will and chastity, that was the best judgment.

    That strong-willed woman would have done exactly that.

    Knowing her so well, I held her small body for a while.

    Her warmth was gone, her heartbeat silent. Her eyes were closed, and her jaw was clenched shut, refusing to open. She wore a torn negligee, forcibly dressed on her by the count’s preferences, over white underclothes.

    At that moment, the words she’d spoken to me a year ago.

    Just before I left, came vividly to mind.

    — Why do you have to go off picking fights! Please.... can’t you just stay here?

    — In truth, for me that’s not.. it’s just... forget it. Go. Just go.

    Just go.

    With a faint smile, I returned to the village and gently buried her.

    Either way, the situation was already over. All I could do was run away or continue proving to him that I was still his dog.

    “Miracles, huh....”

    There are no miracles for me.

    It was winter. My white breath broke apart in the cold, blurring my vision in a pale haze.

    How about her?

    She’d probably be cold.

    Maybe she’d felt that way for a whole year since I’d left her behind. For so long, she might have been searching for me.

    I finally understood.

    The one person who had always tormented me was now gone.

    Am I happy?

    No.

    Am I sad?

    I’m not sure.

    When the contradictory emotions reached their extreme, I realized what I had to do. It was to cut him down.

    Count Kses.

    The image of Aeloi’s final moments, wrapped in rags and discarded, flickered faintly in my mind.

    If it were her, she’d probably say something like this.

    — You’re seriously thinking of fighting a Count? The stray dogs passing by would laugh! Stop spouting nonsense and go mind your own business! Quit doing pointless things! r??O?bΕS??

    ———————————————

    When my ceaseless steps finally brought me to the front of the count’s mansion.

    I felt it.

    These people live in a world different from mine. And perhaps that’s why? I thought it might be okay to be a bit more cruel.

    “Who are you?!”

    The voice belonged to a guard.

    I tightly gripped the old, worn-out sword I’d barely managed to get from the knight’s order and replied.

    “I need to see the count. Would you mind stepping aside?”

    Naturally, I didn’t bother with formal speech.

    I told you, didn’t I? I’m not well-educated and tend to ramble.

    It’s the same when speaking to others as it is when recounting my own story.

    “Why should I do that?”

    “Because it’s better than dying here and now. Honestly, I’m surprised I have to explain this to you.”

    “Listen, Captain... No, Farrell, I only care about things that are interesting.”

    “You’re spouting nonsense like a moth flying into the flame. Do you really think you’ll leave here alive?”

    “At the very least, I’m confident I can take your head. Shall we bet?”

    “...Hah. In the end, it’s come to this. Wolves should never be tamed, but there’s no choice.”

    Farrell’s drew his mana with murderous intent, glaring at me.

    Naturally, since I wasn’t an adult yet, I didn’t know how to use mana. So I simply observed, finding what he did fascinating.

    Not bad.

    With power like that, it would be easier to cut down my enemies.

    I wanted it.

    How could I take it....

    Chaeng——!

    All of a sudden, Farrell’s blade came flying toward me.

    It wasn’t particularly frightening.

    I had heard many rumors about mana, but ultimately, I knew it was no more than a supplement to swordsmanship.

    I heard the best swordsmanship should be trained along with mana, but since I lacked it, it hardly mattered to me.

    If that guy were skilled enough to wield mana proficiently, he wouldn’t be rotting in a place like this.

    Which meant I had a chance.

    Thud!

    Farrell stomped forward, closing the distance between us.

    But I had a year’s worth of experience as a mercenary. This was the same man who had once commanded me as the squad leader.

    Where he’d move.

    Which sword he’d employ, and what acrobats he’d try. I remember it all. Instinctively, I focused on his downward vertical slash, tracking it closely before deflecting it completely.

    Now it was starting to get interesting.

    ''Is this what revenge feels like?’

    The thought crossed my mind.

    Over one year as a mercenary, I’d encountered countless volunteers, proclaiming they came to this place for revenge. They’d give their life to achieve it

    Back then, as a newly promoted squad leader, I watched them with curiosity.

    What was it about revenge that clouded human reason and stirred such intense emotions?

    I couldn’t understand it.

    Why?

    Because those same people, blinded by revenge, all died fighting monsters. For reference, not a single one survived to speak the word revenge again.

    They were weak.

    Because they were weak, they died.

    And none of them ever succeeded in their vengeance.

    “Is this for revenge?”

    Farrell asked at just the right moment.

    As I spun my sword casually, as if I didn’t know what he meant, I closed the distance between us.

    I thrust my blade straight toward him, but he deflected it to the side.

    Chaeng——!

    “You’re a dog. Remember that, Ashen. In the end, no matter what you do, nothing will change. Do you think some lowly commoner can change the world? No. You’re just a brat. Couldn’t even protect the one girl who was following you to that extent... a piece of trash from the slums..”

    “Too long.”

    At that moment, I put more strength on the sword I was gripping.

    The massive energy I felt from the strange stone I’d recently found began to take form, wrapping itself around me. This feeling wasn’t bad.

    I am no longer pushed by him. Why?

    I don’t know the reason yet.

    But why was that?

    Farrell seemed to understand the reason. His face twisted in shock, and he gritted his teeth as he stared at me.

    “Ashen... That stone... You, don’t tell me!!”

    [Cut him down.]

    Puhwat——!

    At the same time as I heard that mysterious voice, I successfully cleaved Farrell in two, cleanly separating his upper body from his lower half. The sensation was exhilarating.

    Why was this power suddenly surged within me?

    I wasn’t entirely sure, but...

    But now, what mattered most was dealing with what I needed to do.