On the way, I heard about the Black Arachne guys from the old man.

They were a group of ten pieces of trash, and it seemed that each of them was a strong person who could use mana.

It was almost certain, judging by the fact that they showed monstrous strength and speed that could not be produced without using mana.

After they had treated the dying man, he had returned with his companions and was harassing the villagers.

It's not just magical beasts that harass the weak.

People also harass other people.

Rather, it could be said that people are much more professional and malicious in their harassment.

Because magical beasts are just busy eating.

Sigh... it's just a sigh-inducing matter.

Even if they can't gather their strength to kill magical beasts, to think that they would harass other people with that paltry power.

There are too many guys who need to be killed.

If I go easy on each of them, only more innocent people will die.

When dealing with villains, you have to be ruthless.

I carried the old man on my back and ran with Shushruta as the old man guided us.

Hearing the situation, it seemed that it wouldn't be a problem if one more person died on the way, so I sped up.

How long did we run to the southeast?

I found a small village located near the foot of a low mountain.

"Is that it?"

"Yes, that's right."

The old man, who had run fast, was panting and answered. It seemed that just being carried on my back had exhausted his energy due to his age.

I spread my ki sense and looked around, and then I put the old man down.

There was still quite a distance to the village.

I said to the old man who was catching his breath.

"I'll go take a look, so please wait here."

The old man waved his hand.

"I'm fine, so don't worry about me. And the guys have a black spider drawn on their necks, so you can distinguish them by that."

"And the leader?"

"He's a beast-like man with his hair grown out carelessly. His gaze is different, so you'll recognize him as soon as you see him."

"His gaze is different?"

"Yes. What should I say... even at a glance, his eyes were not sane. I was so scared that I didn't dare to meet his eyes."

The eyes are the windows to the soul.

And the gaze reflects the state of mind.

It seemed he was quite a crazy guy.

Well, if he weren't a crazy guy, he wouldn't have repaid the kindness of the village that had saved his companion with enmity.

Shushruta snorted.

"He's met his match today. I've never seen anyone with a more dangerous gaze than Ashuban."

"Hey, that's not a compliment."

After scolding Shushruta, who was showing off a strange pride, I asked again.

"Are there any other special features?"

"There's a large scar that runs diagonally from his neck to his chest. We were the ones who treated that wound, so we know it better than anyone."

"...The one you treated was the leader?"

The old man nodded grimly.

"Yes. The people of our village treated him with all their heart for several months, so it's a truly bitter thing that it has come to this."

I let out a short sigh.

I also had a near-death experience.

Hans's family treated me.

And I, who had received the grace of having my life saved, threw myself into a storm, risking my life to save Hans's family.

What we received was similar, but what we gave back was completely different.

Good intentions don't always lead to good results.

It was a bitter truth.

The old man leaned against a tree and exhaled.

"There are few magical beasts around here. Don't worry about me and go."

I nodded.

"Well then."

I left the old man and walked towards the village.

Suddenly, the words of the senile king of Blake came to mind.

"The red-eyed adjudicator will come."

I don't know why those words came to mind now.

'This is not a judgment.'

It's not a judgment to punish evil, it's just a simple request.

Receiving a reward and granting a request.

It's just that the request is to deal with trash.

"The red-eyed adjudicator will come down from a high place. In one hand, he will hold a broken longsword that will burn everything, and in the other, a dagger that will be used as a key."

This is just a request, and I'm not an adjudicator, I'm just an ordinary mercenary.

"The moment the adjudicator overcomes all trials, the master of the new throne will come."

Cut it out. I don't even know what that means.

"The one who stood alone. The one who awakened alone..."

Words whose meaning I didn't know kept ringing in my ears like an echo.

The world began to be dyed red.

[Disciple.]

The Heavenly Demon's low voice chased away the auditory hallucination.

"Yes, Master."

[Don't be swayed.]

"...."

[Don't try to look far away, focus on what's in front of you. The more you look at the distant place you can't see, the more blurred what's in front of you will become.]

"...."

[Do what you have to do.]

The Qi Deviation subsided.

The boiling emotions and the red energy that had been swirling around my eyes subsided.

The Heart Demon was now coming and going as it pleased, without any warning, as soon as a gap appeared.

I stopped for a moment, took a deep breath, and then looked to the side.

Shushruta was looking at me.

"Are you okay?"

"Couldn't be better."

"You look particularly unwell."

...She's so quick to notice things like this.

I changed the subject.

"Do you hear anything?"

Shushruta frowned.

"I hear a disgusting sound."

"What kind?"

"It seems they are mainly harassing women."

"Hmm."

That's what villains do. It was obvious.

But I can't just rush in.

Because they might take the villagers hostage.

The request is to kill the ruffians and rescue the villagers.

The emphasis here is on the rescue.

Their safety must be secured first.

Just because you have high combat power doesn't mean you're a great mercenary.

Because there are many times when you have to consider various situations like this.

The night comes quickly in the mountains.

Because the distance we had run was not short, the sun was setting and dusk was spreading from the western sky.

I watched the darkness fall in an instant and said.

"Night is coming. Let's deal with it quickly."

Shushruta nodded and then said something unexpected.

"Ashuban. I have some information about your comrades."

"What is it?"

"I'll tell you after we finish this quickly."

"Let's do that."

I met Shushruta's gaze for a moment, and then I hid in the deep shadows, killing my presence, and approached the village.

***

The village shrouded in darkness.

From a certain building, a mixture of a woman's scream and a groan could be heard.

A man who was listening to the sound from outside said.

"Do you hear it? It's a very beautiful sound."

He was a beast-like man.

His hair was matted like a beast's mane and grew out carelessly, and the glint in his eyes shone even in the darkness.

A black spider mark was drawn on the neck of the man with a magnificent build.

Although a large scar that came up from his chest had split the spider in half.

"Gak..."

The man held in his hand was covered in blood, and there was no part of him that looked intact, as if he had been beaten up.

The man looked at the man and raised the corners of his mouth.

"Why did you have to fight back? If you had just stayed crouched like a bug, this wouldn't have happened. Right? Were you that angry that your wife was taken away?"

"P-please stop..."

The man's eyes, which had once shone with anger, were now filled with only fear.

The man slowly leaned over to the man and began to sniff.

"Haa... I smell it. I smell it. The smell of fear. This is it. I love this smell so much."

While the beast-like man continued to sniff, the man could only tremble and stay still.

Because he didn't know what else he would do to him.

The other men who were holding torches nearby giggled.

"Leader. That guy is going to piss his pants."

"Our leader is scary."

"It's a bit much to say this, but our leader is a real crazy guy."

At that moment, a man shot up.

"You saved him when he was about to die, how can you do this! Are you even a person?"

Thud.

The man who had been held by the leader's neck fell to the ground powerlessly and groaned.

The leader of the Black Arachne raised his head and looked at the man who had bravely criticized him.

His two hands were tied behind his back, but his mouth was free.

"Are you not afraid of the heavens? Ketel is watching everything."

The beast-like man's lips curved into a line.

It was an expression of having found an interesting toy.

He beckoned with his hand.

"Bring him."

The subordinates giggled and dragged the man over.

The man's hands were tied behind his back, and he looked as if he had been beaten up several times, but he still criticized the leader of the Black Arachne.

"When you were lying in the mountains. The villagers took turns nursing you through the night. Even in the dark, they went to the mountains with torches and picked all sorts of medicinal herbs. Is this all you have to repay them?"

The leader of the Black Arachne grinned and said.

"You. What's your name."

The man glared and answered.

"Billy."

"Billy."

Thwack!

"Keuk!"

Billy's waist bent as he was hit in the abdomen without warning.

"Nice to meet you. I am Bakar of the Black Arachne."

Bakar watched the gasping Billy and said.

"People call me Bakar the Mad Spider. Do you know why?"

"Heok... heok..."

"I'm asking you. You should answer."

Thwack!

Billy rolled on the ground.

"Do you know how a spider hunts?"

"Gak..."

"A spider sets a trap. A web. And when its prey gets caught... thwack! It goes over and wraps it up in its web. It ties it up tightly. So it can't escape. So no one can take my prey."

Bakar stood up from his seat and slowly approached the fallen Billy.

"And then... slowly, slowly, very slowly, it sucks out its sweet bodily fluids."

Bakar, who had crouched down in front of him, whispered in Billy's ear.

"You guys are caught in my web."

Bakar slowly stroked Billy's head and said.

"Why? Don't you like my hunting method? Did you want a reward for treating me? Here it is, the reward. Huh? It's my own sincerity... why, don't you like it?"

"You crazy... bastard..."

Bakar grinned.

"That's right. I'm Bakar the Mad Spider."

Bakar, who had stood up from his seat, looked down at Billy.

"But you know."

His expression suddenly contorted.

A fierce kick fell on Billy.

Thwack!

"Keuk!"

"Why! Did you! Interfere?"

Bakar stomped on the fallen Billy.

"Who! Told you! To open! Your mouth? Who! Asked you! To preach?"

The subordinates giggled and shook their heads.

"He's our leader, but he's a real crazy guy."

"To think of meeting him as an enemy... ugh, it's terrible just thinking about it."

"Leader! Go easy on him. He'll die at this rate. Ah, was that your intention?"

Laughter erupted at the silly joke.

Bakar burst out laughing with his subordinates and hummed a crude tune.

"Billy. Our brave Billy. The righteous Billy who stood up for his friend. But what can I do? The price of that recklessness is death."

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

Bakar beat Billy and then knelt down on one knee.

"Is he dead? He can't die yet."

Bakar grabbed the fallen Billy's hair and then beckoned to one of his subordinates.

When the subordinate brought a torch closer, Bakar examined Billy's expression.

And then he smiled with satisfaction.

"Yes... that's it. Those eyes."

"...."

"Those guys who were so arrogant, after they're broken by me, their eyes become so gentle. I love looking at those gentle eyes. Very much. There's a taste in comparing them."

Bakar grabbed Billy's hair and made him meet his gaze.

"Why? Why don't you glare at me and talk like you did before?"

"...."

Billy avoided his gaze.

Tremble.

His body was trembling slightly.

"Ah, devil."

At that, Bakar laughed with great joy.

"Keuk, keuk... do I look like a devil?"

It was then.

The subordinate who was holding the torch suddenly collapsed without a sound.

Naturally, the torch he was holding also fell to the ground.

"What?"

Bakar threw Billy, whom he had been holding, and frowned, saying to his subordinate.

"What's wrong all of a sudden?"

The moment he said that and looked at his subordinate, Bakar's eyes widened.

The subordinate had already stopped breathing.

"...!"

Bakar's pupils dilated and his senses became very sharp.

Come to think of it, the screams and groans that had been heard had stopped at some point.

It was quiet.

At that moment, a strong wind suddenly blew and extinguished the torch that was rolling on the ground.

In the faint moonlight, Bakar slowly stood up and looked around.

The torches that had been illuminating the surroundings were all extinguished, and his subordinates, who had been laughing at his words, were all lying on the ground.

Of course, they were dead.

'When on earth?'

They weren't far away, they were right nearby.

But he hadn't noticed.

It was unrealistic. It felt like he was dreaming.

Did a ghost come and go?

Bakar picked up the weapon he had been leaning against and said in a low voice.

"...Who is it?"

A whistling sound was heard.

The whistling sound that was heard in the complete silence was very eerie.

From a distance, a man was walking leisurely under the faint moonlight.

He had a sword slung over his shoulder, and the broken silver sword sparkled, reflecting the moonlight as he walked.

Bakar watched him and slowly drew his sword.

"You don't look like a knight. A mercenary? A bounty hunter?"

There was no answer.

The man just walked leisurely with an eerie whistling sound.

Bakar felt his hand, which was holding the sword, sweating.

"Stop!"

He stopped.

It wasn't far, but it wasn't close either.

Bakar tried to check his face, but the distance was not close, and all the torches were extinguished, so it was dark and his face was not visible.

Just then, a cloud covered the moonlight.

As darkness fell, there was something that shone even more.

He met the gaze of the bloody eyes that flashed in the darkness.

"...!"

A feeling of being frozen cold all over.

The red-eyed man said.

"What are you looking at?"

Bakar avoided his gaze without realizing it.

(End of Chapter)