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Chapter 320

The dark underground passage was filled with a musty smell.

It was wider than expected, and there were no side passages leading elsewhere.

At least this way, there was no chance of going off track midway.

I loosened my body lightly as I walked forward, then drew my sword from subspace.

The secret passage wasn’t endlessly long.

Which meant—if they tried to run, they would inevitably have to come through here.

The reason I came here was simple.

If the leader of the Moon Watchers had come this way, she would probably have killed them before they could do anything.

For me, I had no risk of being exposed, and as for the Watchers—it didn’t matter.

But I couldn’t let the entire County of Berner get dragged into scandal.

As the elder brother, I had to at least preserve some dignity.

“Wh… Who goes there?!”

“You there! Reveal yourself!”

Among the frightened soldiers, figures clad in white robes came into view.

Shiiing…

“Quietly step back and leave. Resist, and I won’t be responsible.”

The culprits were Marquis Veolas and his guard Kashiv, not these men.

At my chilling voice, the soldiers trembled and glanced at one another.

Unsure whether to believe me, they nodded slightly, then once again raised their weapons toward me.

“State your identity! How dare you block this path! Are you not afraid of a Marquis of the Empire—”

“Three.”

My sudden words made them flinch.

“Two. One.”

Slash!

A crimson flash—then the leading soldier who had leveled his spear at me collapsed, spraying blood.

“If you carry him off now, you can still save him. I’ll say it again. Leave this place at once. Three.”

As I counted once more, their faces turned deathly pale.

Instinctively, they realized this was not an opponent they could overcome.

“U… Uwaaaahhh!!!”

Screaming, they ran past me in a frenzy.

From behind them, however, I sensed another presence.

Not common soldiers, but knights.

And among them, Sword Master Kashiv and Marquis Veolas, clearly intent on fleeing.

I adjusted the mask on my face, twirled my sword once, and drove it hard into the air.

BOOOOM!!

A massive scar split the ground, drawing a clear boundary line between them and me.

“Gasp?!”

The newcomers halted as they finally noticed my presence.

“You there—who are you?”

At the forefront of the knights stood a man I had seen before.

The Empire’s Sword Master, Kashiv.

For whatever reason, he was following Marquis Veolas.

I fixed my gaze on him and asked quietly:

“Strange. Instead of blocking the rear, you came this way? Did you sense something off in the atmosphere of the Moon Watchers?”

At my words, his blade lit up with aura.

“This voice… familiar. Yes. You were one of the Moon’s Moon Watchers, weren’t you?”

Ah.

My voice modulation must have been lacking.

Clicking my tongue, I removed the mask.

Marquis Veolas’ eyes flew wide.

“Y-You…?!”

“Pleasure to meet you, Marquis Veolas.”

“You insolent cur! What is the meaning of this! Were you a member of the Moon Watchers?!”

At his outcry, I asked quietly,

“On your way with the antidote, you killed someone, didn’t you?”

My gaze landed on Kashiv.

“…”

“Because of that, countless people of this Berner County are now on the verge of death. Tell me—do you feel even a shred of guilt?”

At that, Marquis Veolas snorted.

“Hmph. You crawled all the way here to prattle about morality? What are you doing, Kashiv! Cut him down! He’s a traitor to mankind anyway!”

A traitor to mankind, huh.

The Moon’s Moon Watchers were killers, yes—but even they wouldn’t stoop to this.

“Good. At least you’re consistent. Don’t worry. None of you will cross this line.”

At my calm words, Kashiv stepped forward.

“I told you before, didn’t I? Pride only matters if you have the strength to uphold it. Do you really think you’re strong enough for that?”

I brushed my sword lightly.

Kashiv’s eyes widened, and he instinctively raised his blade.

BOOOOM!!

He was driven back as though struck by an immense force.

“Marquis Veolas. Sword Master Kashiv. Apart from you two—leave. If anyone wants to live, I’ll let you go. If you show loyalty, I’ll grant you better treatment.”

My cold gaze fell upon them, pressing down like lead.

The knights and soldiers surrounding Veolas paled.

“Don’t be deceived by his nonsense! He’s just one man! And a brat at that! Kashiv! Behead him! He’s a member of the Moon Watchers anyway!”

But Kashiv, after that single exchange, stood frozen in place.

* * *

His eyes trembled as he stared down at his sword.

Sword Master Kashiv understood what had happened—yet could not believe it.

Had he been a moment slower in drawing upon his strength, his head would already be rolling across the floor.

That boy had struck with absolute intent to kill.

And he had the power to do it.

Who in this world could bring a Sword Master—an existence above humanity—so close to death in a single exchange?

Since reaching transcendence, Kashiv had never felt such a primal instinct for survival.

And yet… his opponent was a youth barely in his twenties.

No wonder history had never seen Sword Masters emerge so young.

Even the most brilliant geniuses failed to reach transcendence in their twenties.

Because becoming a Sword Master was simply that impossible.

It demanded decades of experience, countless hours of discipline, and unrelenting persistence.

But this youth had just shown he could end a Sword Master’s life.

‘No… It must be a mistake. I underestimated him. That’s all.’

He steadied his shaken mind.

Then slowly infused aura into his blade again, lifting his head.

The boy in the black robe still stood there, waiting.

Despite their overwhelming numbers, his side hesitated, unable to move.

Which meant—it was up to him to break this stalemate.

No matter what trump card the boy was hiding.

After all, Kashiv had his own.

Exploding with power, he unleashed his aura in full force.

The knights, soldiers—even Marquis Veolas—reeled under the pressure, but he no longer cared.

Before him stood a threat.

That was all that mattered.

“This ends here. All units—prepare for battle.”

“W-What?!”

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The soldiers’ faces showed nothing but fear.

Still, an order was an order.

They raised their weapons and charged toward Leon.

Leon’s eyes went cold.

“As expected.”

The moment the soldiers crossed the line carved into the ground—

Slice!

The first to step over had his head severed cleanly, flying silently through the air.

“Wha—?”

“What just happened…?”

It was as if an invisible wire had slit his throat.

The soldiers froze in horror.

One soldier instinctively pulled back his foot, trembling.

“A trap—he’s laid a trap!”

Their reasoning was sound.

Surely there must be some deadly mechanism at the boundary line.

“Raise shields!”

Forming a wall of shields, they advanced.

But—

Slice!

The moment their shields crossed the line, they too were severed like paper.

“Still don’t get it?”

Leon’s cold voice rang out as his eyes glowed sky-blue.

“If you’re not involved, drop your weapons and leave. I’ll spare you. Do you value loyalty more than your lives?”

One soldier gasped, panicked.

He dropped his sword with trembling hands and stepped over the line.

This time, he was unharmed.

It was no trap.

“Th-Then…!”

“Uwaaaaahhh!!!”

Realizing he was still alive, the soldier bolted in terror.

Leon let him go.

“Your master hoarded the antidote to the Hydra’s poison, then shattered it—dooming the people of Berner County along with you. We can still resolve this, but without us, you’d all have been discarded.”

Silence fell like ice.

“Lies! Nonsense!”

“You never even knew how to mass-produce that antidote, did you?”

No one could.

Because the poison it required as a base existed in only one person in the entire world.

“For greed, your master tried to slaughter countless innocents. If you wish to defend such beasts, stay. But I only warn twice. Those who want to live—throw down your arms and flee. Remain near Berner County for a few days.”

One by one, the soldiers dropped their weapons and ran.

“U-Uwaaaaahhh!!”

“I—I want to live!”

“Poison?! I never heard of this!”

They hadn’t become soldiers for loyalty.

And even if they had—self-preservation came first.

Who would risk their life for a master who treated them as expendable?

As panic spread, even some knights faltered, glancing back at Veolas.

“M-Marquis… what is going on…?”

“Don’t believe a word! That brat can’t possibly handle our strength! Kashiv, why are you standing idle! Cut him down at once!”

At his roar, Kashiv stepped forward.

“From now on, anyone who drops their weapon and flees—I’ll cut them down myself—”

BOOOOM!!

A sudden thunderbolt struck him full force, blasting him away.

“I told you already. Pride comes from strength. So then… what now?”

With Kashiv knocked aside, the group’s morale shattered completely.

Soldiers and knights alike abandoned their weapons and fled screaming.

Only Marquis Veolas and Kashiv remained.

Leon stretched lightly, as though finally rid of all nuisances.

“How dare you. To raise your hand against a Marquis of the Empire and a Sword Master—do you think you’ll live? The Empire will hunt you down! They’ll annihilate your lair, your loved ones—everything!”

“Is that why the Empire still hasn’t caught the Moon Watchers?”

Veolas fell silent.

His death alone would not stir such upheaval.

In fact, once the truth came out, the Imperial Throne would bury House Veolas itself to cover it up.

“L-Let’s not be hasty. We can negotiate. Humanity is a race of dialogue, isn’t it?”

As he fumbled for terms of negotiation—

Kashiv drew a vial of fine powder from his robes and scattered it into the air.

The particles spread instantly, seeping everywhere.

Leon expanded his mana to block them—but the powder pierced through, sinking into him.

“Kashiv! That’s—!”

“We cannot win by fighting him head-on! This is no time to hoard precious tools!”

He shouted loudly,

“Drop your sword! Resist, and there will be no antidote!”

“What?”

“What you’ve just absorbed is the poison of an ancient creature. Potent enough to kill even a Sword Master. It may not rival the Hydra’s venom, but surely you don’t carry an antidote for such an alien toxin.”

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