Dofang's eyes trembled violently.

He doubted his own eyes. No, he couldn't believe it.

The fool who, despite being weak, had rushed at a magical beast stronger than himself to save the villagers, and had been chased for days and nights, bleeding, before finally throwing himself off the Mist Cliff with the magical beast.

The idiot who, when sent to teach the lord's son how to use a sword, was beaten up by a kid who had never held a sword before and passed out disgracefully.

The fool who, acting like a stingy miser who couldn't be seen spending a single penny, had spent all the money he had saved over decades of mercenary work to buy a grave for a friend who had died long ago.

Ashuban.

It was him.

"H-how...?"

Dofang's arms trembled and he fell to his knees.

He was so surprised that his legs gave out.

At that, Ashuban ran a hand through his hair and grumbled in dissatisfaction.

"Damn it. Why does this hat keep slipping off?"

Dofang crawled on his knees and grabbed Ashuban's leg.

"Ashuban. Is it really you? Is it you? You came back alive from that cliff full of a hazy, endless fog?"

"Ah, let go. This is a new pair of pants. You'll get blood on them. I didn't even draw my sword when I was fighting those guys because I was afraid of getting blood on them."

But Dofang didn't let go of his leg.

Instead, he shook it wildly.

"Ashuban. Is it you? If it is, say something crazy."

"Ah, let go! It's coming off!"

Thwack!

"Ugh."

Dofang, who was hit by Ashuban's irritable kick, was sent flying.

He looked at Ashuban, who was grumbling and pulling up his pants, and muttered like a madman while lying on the ground.

"No. It can't be. I definitely saw the traces of him falling. I even searched the area just in case. There was no trace of him. Then what is this guy in front of me? And why are his eyes as red as blood?"

Dofang, lying on his side, stared at Ashuban.

"No, maybe not. It might be a devil who has taken on his shell. Look at those eyes. They're as red as a devil's. Is there a more ominous eye than that? I don't think so."

"What are you talking about?"

Dofang thought of a question that only Ashuban could answer and slowly stood up.

His luxurious blue overcoat was covered in dust, but he didn't care.

Dofang's eyes were more serious than ever. He opened his mouth cautiously. A careful question flowed from his lips.

"What is the greeting of the shrimp country?"

Ashuban answered.

"Hello, shrimp."

Dofang immediately spread his arms and rushed at Ashuban.

"Ashuban! You crazy bastard! It's you!"

"Get lost."

Thwack!

"Ugh."

Ashuban kicked the rushing Dofang, and Dofang was sent flying, kicking up dust, and collapsed on the side of the road.

Ashuban said in a tone as cold as the wind.

"Stop talking nonsense and come at me. I have something to repay you for."

Dofang, who was lying on the ground, turned his head and looked at Ashuban.

"You owe me something? What is it?"

"What do you think? You teased me when I came back after being beaten up by a kid. Don't you remember?"

"...Ah?"

Suddenly, a memory of a happy time flashed through Dofang's mind.

The memory of surrounding Ashuban, who had come back after being beaten up by a kid, and teasing him with the other guys.

—There's a guy who came back after being beaten up by a thirteen-year-old kid?

—And he said it was the first time he had ever held a sword?

—This bastard. Is he crying? Is he crying?

—Heeheehee! Hahahaha!

"...."

Drip—

A stream of cold sweat flowed down Dofang's back like a meteor shower.

"Haha, you too. You kept that in your heart?"

Ashuban grinned.

It was a very ominous smile.

"Of course. I can't forget it. It's as clear as yesterday."

Ashuban's head tilted.

A bloody light flowed from his eyes.

"But looking at your expression, Brother Do, you seem to have completely forgotten?"

"M-me? Haha... how could I? I was reflecting on it with all my might."

"Hmm, that's possible. The perpetrator never remembers."

Dofang smiled awkwardly, sweating profusely.

"Ha, haha..."

Screech—

Ashuban raised his blood-stained sword and pointed it at Dofang.

"So, I'll help you a little. To remember."

Just then, a cloud covered the moon.

In the complete darkness, only Ashuban's eyes and sword shone with an eerie, bloody light.

At a glance, he looked like a devil who had risen from hell.

"Come at me. I crawled up from the bottom of hell to kick your ass."

Dofang slowly stood up, raising his two hands, and calmed the devil—no, Ashuban.

"Ah, Ashuban, you bastard. We just met after a long time, and you want to fight? This isn't right. What would your sister say if she saw this? Let's talk it out, okay? We can catch up on what's been going on. Let's hear what happened. Most conflicts arise from misunderstandings, and although it may look like a tangled mess at first glance, if you unravel it with words, you'll find that it started with a ridiculously thin thread—"

Hwoong!

Ashuban's sword strike cut off Dofang's rambling words.

Dofang hurriedly rolled to the side to dodge the attack.

A part of his clothes was cut off.

If he hadn't dodged, his arm would have been cut off.

"...!"

Dofang's eyes widened.

"Hey! Are you really trying to kill me?"

"Ah, one more thing."

Ashuban added in a calm tone.

"I heard from Hud."

"Wh-what?"

When Hud's name was mentioned, Dofang felt his back get wet without realizing it.

When did he come back and meet Hudmilla?

"The title of leader of the Gyllenthaal Crusaders was in vain, and you secretly received Gyllenthaal by wagging your tail at the main enemy, the leader?"

Flinch!

"There was a reason why I couldn't even see Gyllenthaal for so long. There was a reason why the operation failed every time. You used our sacred resolution to satisfy your own petty greed? It seems that our resolution to die at any time for Gyllenthaal was all a joke to you."

"Th-that's—"

"They say you get your foot chopped by the axe you trust, so it's my fault for being deceived, right? If you get rid of the axe, you won't get your foot chopped. Huh? Right?"

"Ashuban! Shuban! Listen to me!"

"No, you're not given the right to speak. You should listen to my words."

Ashuban held the red-hot sword with both hands and raised it piously to his chest like a holy knight.

"You sinful human! I have returned from hell. I have crawled up from the lower world, where the red lava is boiling, to judge you for the teasing you gave me and your denial."

Ashuban, who was sternly rebuking the sinner, looked like a judge of hell.

His voice echoed loudly in the back alley.

Even the innocent would tremble.

"You bastard, Dofang! Do you know your sin!"

Ashuban swung the sword, which seemed to be flickering with the red flames of hell.

"Sinner, stand up and receive my slash!"

"You crazy bastard!"

Dofang hurriedly stood up and received his sword strike.

"Shuban, it's your brother!"

"Brother, my ass!"

Clang!

'Crazy! What power!'

Yes, let's say he somehow came back alive from that cliff.

What is this aura?

How did a guy who couldn't even use mana become an aura user in half a year?

"Hahahaha! It's time for sweet revenge, phantom thief. Receive your judgment!"

"Keuk!"

Dofang, who had committed a sin, couldn't dare to attack and only defended with the butterfly knife he was holding.

Compared to the terrifying bloody sword, his small butterfly knife looked cute.

"The price of sin is sweet, and the will of Ketel is high! The scales have tipped to one side. I am the guardian of balance. You should be punished!"

Clang! Clang! Clang!

"Hahahaha!"

Although he was trying his best to focus on defense, it was difficult to defend a longsword with a short-bladed dagger.

Especially against a sword that was wrapped in that terrifying aura.

"Ashuban! Calm down! Are you really trying to kill me?"

"Sinner, receive the aura!"

"Aaaah! You crazy bastard!"

Dofang dodged and parried Ashuban's sword with a very bewildered face.

He was originally a master of assassination and infiltration.

Although he wasn't specialized in this kind of fair and square frontal confrontation, the problem was that that crazy guy had become unbelievably strong.

In fact, although it looked like he was swinging his sword randomly, he was throwing his blade without missing a single subtle gap that was revealed between his movements.

'That guy died—no, he fell off the cliff about half a year ago? How could he become so strong in that time?'

Ashuban, who was watching the confused Dofang and swinging his sword, caught an opening and sprayed the Night Sky on his face.

"What! What is this!"

The moment Dofang was flustered by the unexpected attack.

Pabak!

Ashuban moved his hand like lightning and hit his pressure points.

"...!"

Dofang, who had become as stiff as a statue in an instant.

"Hehehe."

Ashuban laughed wickedly and slowly approached the stiff Dofang.

Although Dofang didn't know exactly what had happened to him, he realized that it was the technique he had used when he was dealing with the Trammy gang.

Had his muscles stiffened?

He couldn't move a muscle.

Dofang, who had quickly grasped the situation, smiled awkwardly in his stiff posture.

"Haha, Shuban. Do you know how much I worried about you? I'm glad you're back. I want to welcome you with open arms, but my arms won't move. I don't know what it is, but can you release it?"

Ashuban also replied with a warm smile.

"It's a snake's tongue. I'll have to cut that tongue to finally make the lies of this world take a step back."

"Shuban, Ashuban!"

Ashuban knocked Dofang, who was calling him urgently, to the ground and began to stomp on him.

"Ugh! Ugh!"

Of course, Dofang, whose body had been stiffened by the pressure points, couldn't resist at all and was beaten up.

Even while being beaten, Dofang didn't stop talking.

"Keuk! Shuban, you can hit me as much as you want if it makes you feel better. But is this really the right way? Violence doesn't solve everything."

"But there are things that can only be solved with violence."

"Such sophistry!"

"Shut up."

At that moment, the sound of running footsteps was heard from a distance, and Linda and Schmitt appeared.

"Devil!"

Linda, who had woken up, immediately went looking for Ashuban, and Schmitt, who had been dozing off in the inn's restaurant, found Linda and followed her.

Linda, who was running, stopped when she saw Ashuban beating someone up.

"...Devil, what are you doing?"

Ashuban rarely welcomed Linda's appearance.

"Oh, you're here."

"Yeah?"

"No need for long words. Just come and stomp on him with me."

"Yeah! Okay!"

Ashuban also gestured to Schmitt.

"Schmitt. You know without me saying it. It's Dofang. Come and say hello."

Schmitt also nodded with a smiling face.

"W-wait a minute!"

Thump, thump, thump!

"Kraak!"

The three of them excitedly stomped on the fallen Dofang.

"Hehehe."

"Hey! Hey!"

"...."

After that, Dofang was stomped on by the three of them for a long time.

The people in the back alleys who were secretly watching trembled at the cruelty.

The villain who had annihilated the infamous Trammy gang in just a few minutes and was beating people with a devilish smile.

Ashuban's notoriety spread far and wide.

And Sherwood's notoriety as well.

***

I beat Dofang up and then dragged him to the inn and released his pressure points.

Dofang buried his face in his palms and cried pitifully.

"Sob! What did I do so wrong? To be beaten up like this by my younger siblings. My body and mind hurt so much that I can't stand it."

I looked at Dofang, who was a mess and was crying, with a much lighter heart.

Seeing his clothes, which were presumed to have been stolen from a noble, in tatters, my heart felt warm.

"Ah, how refreshing."

I could hear the Heavenly Demon's chuckling laughter.

[You beat him up good.]

Schmitt was watching Dofang, who was pretending to cry, with a pleased look on his face, just like me, and then he yawned and went up to his room.

"Sob! I was just so happy to see my dearest younger brother back that I was about to welcome him with open arms. What kind of misfortune is this?"

Judging by the way Dofang was making such a fuss, he must have only suffered minor bruises and was fine.

There's no way that guy would be injured by just a few kicks.

Linda, who was mixing poison into her tea next to him, asked.

"Devil, but who is he?"

At that, Dofang lifted his head.

As expected, there were no tear stains.

"Then you beat me up without even knowing who I was?"

Linda smiled brightly.

"Yeah! Because the devil told me to!"

"...."

Dofang looked at Linda for a moment and then whispered to me.

"Brother. Who is the lady? It's a bit much to say this on our first meeting... but her eyes are not normal."

I smiled slightly and opened my mouth.

"It's a long story. Would you like to hear it?"

The night deepened.

The flickering bonfire, Linda who had fallen asleep with her head on my shoulder, the phantom thief who was listening with an interested face, and the Heavenly Demon who occasionally added a word to my story.

I felt the reward of coming back alive for the first time in a while and continued the story.

The story didn't end easily.

(End of Chapter)