「You cannot say? Then…… 」
「Please wait! I will say it! Im gonna say it! 」
Speaking honestly might have delayed his disappearance, but not speaking would be certain death. In that case, since it couldn’t be helped Guzafan begged for his life with a tear-streaked and disheveled face. Seeing this pathetic figure, Origa and Kasha were somewhat disgusted.
「 Being deceived by such a miserable person……. 」
「 Really. Even the desire to kill has dissipated…. 」
While saying that, the soldier from before ran out of town. Immediately behind him were a group of about 15 people. Since all of them wore armour similar to Guzafan’s, they were probably soldiers of the town.
Seeing them run in their direction, Hifumi instantly noticed something and started running towards the group.
「 Behind! 」
Hearing Hifumi’s yell, the soldier turned around, and before he knew it, the backup force behind him had drawn their swords.
「 Eh, what….. 」
Inadvertently halting, the soldier muttered upon seeing his colleagues face someone, not Guzafan, but him.
No, it wasn’t his imagination. The eyes of the lead soldier were clearly on him. The lead soldier raised his sword, clearly aiming for him.
「 Uwaaa! 」
「 Dodge it you fool! 」
Hifumi pushed away the soldier that was about to be cut, by a hairs breadth. Lashing out at the lead soldier with a frontal kick, while dodging the swung blade.
However the lead soldier only stumbled a step back and didn’t fall down.
「Nuu, stop your resistance！ you thieves！」
The lead soldier intimidates him and the soldiers surround Hifumi in a line with their swords drawn.
Several people appear to be heading towards Kasha and Origa.
「This piece of shit thief seems to be from your place。Is your head boiled?」
Hifumi drew his slender katana, and with knit brows, as if spitting out his words:
「 So you’re their boss. I knew you couldn’t discipline them, but I guess it can’t be helped if the one disciplining them is trash, right? Hm? 」
Whether they heard Hifumi’s provocation or not, the lead soldier steadies his sword again and says to his subordinates.
「This man is a noble who swindles, for him to frame and attempt to kill us is foolish! Arrest him on the spot!」
Purposely ignoring it, he yelled out loud so that the surrounding commoners can hear what he’s saying. Hifumi thought that this is an explanation. Using “That’s how it is” to dispose of inconveniences. It seems this isn’t his first offence and he’s quite used to it.
When it comes to it, Hifumi had only one choice.
「Understood. It seems talking to you is a waste of time. Come, I’m gonna kill you all together 」
「Don’t underestimate me youngster！ Die！」
Once again the lead soldier raised his sword and slashed diagonally from the shoulder, but during the downward slash, a sword struck his left eye. The blade then swept through his brain, and the soldier’s long life ended quickly.
「Origa, Kasha! Kill them as I have taught you, do it with all your might! 」
Hifumi didn’t see if both of the girls reacted to his voice.
Judging that Hifumi was more dangerous than the two women. Besides thelead soldier, the other 10 soldiers surrounded him.
Seeing that the lead soldier was dead, unrest ran through the soldiers, but comprehending that not getting rid of Hifumi would be dangerous, they immediately recovered and rushed at him.
Kasha and Origa have no practice in combat with multiple opponents. There are too many people to start teaching them now…
Although he was thinking that in an easygoing way, Hifumi’s movements were quick.
Before the soldiers’ attacks arrived, he quickly turned around and swapped places with a suitable person behind him.
「 Gua..! 」
Crammed into the place where Hifumi was before, many blades arced, voices were raised in anguish, and the man died.
Meanwhile moving further, a soldier’s head was lopped off, and Hifumi stored his katana.
A kusarigama was taken out.
The chain bound two people together at the neck, pulled them back, and then threw them to the ground.
You could hear the muffled sound of a necks breaking. The two of them died together, the chain was untied without confirming their deaths, and the blade of the sickle cut into a nearby person’s neck.
The blood spray was avoided to deal with another opponent, a sword was thrust but the chain wrapped around it and and pulled, snatching it away. The sickle was driven through the opening on the side of the armor, slicing the stomach open with all his might.
The soldier was stunned while staring at his own intestines messily flowing out, and died before he became fully aware of it.
「 Half of them left. No resistance at all. You all aren’t even worth killing if you don’t persevere a little bit more 」
Hifumi bragged, stating that he was disappointed, all while slashing at another oncoming person. A swipe at the soldier’s leg and the soldier would easily fall, then gently slash the carotid artery with the sickle.
The remaining soldiers were killed brutally. Hifumi, surrounded by dead bodies, turned his focus toward Origa and Kasha.
Those two each have an opponent, but had already defeated them.
Origa prevented them from approaching by hurting them with shurikens, and when their movements became dull, she chanted wind magic to cut their heads off. The accuracy of her magic is rising, and the sharpness seemed to have increased as well.
Conversely, Kasha was fighting with her 2 swords nearby, she repeatedly attacks the upper body with the right sword and when the opponent blocks her attack she will suddenly stab the opponent’s thigh with her left sword causing the opponent to stop on his tracks, then she will deal the killing blow by slicing through the throat.
「 Great, you did well」
Hifumi was looking around while praising them quickly. The townspeople who were there from the beginning were afraid of being caught up in the fighting, none of them dared to run.
Only Hifumi and the gang survived with Guzafan still tied down and the man who called the group of soldiers.
The battle was confirmed to be over, the soldier who was unsteadily trying to stand up asked Hifumi for his name and introduced himself as Tamuzu.
「What the hell happened here……」
In front of the dumbfounded Tamuzu, objects that appear to be people were scattered all over the place and the smell of blood permeated the air from the town entrance.
「You still don’t know even though you were watching from a special seat? Guzafan is a fool who rummages through travelers’ luggages, the ones felled here are your colleges, including your boss. 」
Whether he can’t admit it or the shock was too big to think of anything Tamuzu could only remain silent.
Hifumi decided to leave it alone because it didn’t matter. He stood in front of Guzafan who was terrified from seeing his accomplices completely annihilated.
「You, don’t you what’s going to happen because of your actions……」
「What’s going to happen？ Are the numbers coming going to double？Is a stronger guy going to appear？ Or are going to say some famous guy is going to appear？」
Without waiting for Guzafan to answer, Hifumi kept rattled on.
「There’s too many people like you on their high horses, thinking they are great. Look at those corpses. Can you tell who’s your colleague, your boss? Which flesh is your friends’? Which internal organ is your boss’? If a human being is cut, their insides spill out and they die. Kings, knights, and thugs, it’s all the same. 」
The one listening to Hifumi’s words is not only Guzafan. Origa and Kasha were also seriously listening.
「It’s the same for you and me, the foundation for every human is the
same. The only difference is their appearance, to distinguish them, what they think, and what they do. You guys only thought about doing bad things and were hostile to me. That was all. 」
Ignoring Gazufan who was lost for words, Hifumi turned around to face Origa.
「This, understand that these guys are organized when committing the crime. Whether that asshole from before is the mastermind or just the lackey, we will know when we hear it. Therefore…… 」
Hifumi kicked Guzafan towards the two slaves
「 If I were in your position, I would kill this guy. Nothing will happen even if you kill him, even the mastermind thought they are nothing, and would execute this guy. Therefore just kill him. 」
This is revenge in the first place as Hifumi said.
And then, staring intently at Origa and Kasha one by one, he told them to make their own decisions.
Kasha was hesitant.
Her way of speaking was coarse and rough, completely opposite to her graceful appearance, and unlike her master Hifumi, she was a girl who could not stay calm after injuring good people.
If attacked by an opponent with weapons, one would naturally kill, since it is impossible to survive without doing so.
Even so, just for being an enemy, killing an enemy, especially one who is not resisting. Just for the sake of revenge, as a person, is it right to kill?
While Kasha was kneading around this question in her head, Origa calmly stood up.
「 …… Kill him」
Origa said clearly.
「 Kasha, pulling back now, I have a feeling that we will regret it. We had a hard time in the past. Kill him, if not, someone else will. After all, if master hadn’t taken us at that time, how would we be able to take revenge with our own hands? 」
Though this time, master arranged it, smiled Origa wryly.
That is so, Kasha’s head cleared.
「 We will bring down our enemies. 」
Pulling out a single sword, Kasha smiled at Origa.
「 Master, if it’s alright, may I borrow master’s “Katana”? 」
No magic, realising that Origa wanted to kill with her own hands, Hifumi loosened his sword in the sheath, and pointed it towards Origa, hilt first.
Smoothly, the blade was drawn, light reflecting off its beautiful curve. The atmosphere changed. The fact that it was a tool to deprive life was forgotten.
Reverently receiving the sword, Origa stood awkwardly clasping the katana next to Kasha, looking down at Guzafan rolling underfoot.
「 P-Please sto-……I believed it was wrong. But after all, it was an order….」
「 Shut up. 」
Origa said in a cold voice. Kasha’s mouth was drawn tensely.
「Think of death as salvation. The life of despair that we felt, savouring fear everyday for the agony that is to come. What kind of humiliation would we receive, the anxiousness of how we would die. It’s better than living with our minds crushed by the gruesome picture of our future, even if we don’t want to think about it. Because if it were possible to die, then that would be the end of it」
Origa looked at the close friend next to her who finished speaking.
Kasha only nodded once and at the same time Origa thrust
「Gi~ii……！」
Guzafan only grit his teeth without even releasing any sound from the pain, he didn’t die immediately.
Their sword damaged Guzafan’s femoral artery, an enormous amount of blood flowed out, a little reprieve was given before he died.
「I’ll watch the way you die. Look at our faces while you die in regret 」
「We regretted a lot during that time. To have been cheated by you. Therefore this time, you must regret a lot during that time.」
The two of them watched Guzafan’s corpse emotionlessly.
Hifumi was silently watching, over looking them fondly, it’s like looking at a beautiful, benevolent, and profound holy mother but the comparison was silly.
Guzafan died while muttering that he didn’t want to die.
For Origa and Kasha, it was their first taste of revenge.
Origa and Kasha didn’t say anything while Hifumi lead them to the dining room.
The time to eat was just approaching, but they did not leave, as Origa and Kasha seemed as though they did not want to move.
They were afraid to enter, since they might be refused entry, but after proving that they were working for the kingdom, they were reluctantly let in. After showing the medal of nobility, of course.
「This is bad. 」
While saying so, he gave the shop employee a huge amount of money and told them to bring suitable dishes.
「How long are you going to be engrossed. You should wake up anytime now」
「I’m, I’m deeply sorry」
「……To bask yourselves in a little sentimentality is ok, but…」
Origa remembered that they were slaves and got flustered, while Kasha pouted her lips in dissatisfaction. Hifumi thought they were strong women. Having experienced quite a bit of shock, there seemed to be no problem.
「Don’t be satisfied with defeating that one person who is at most a piece of shit underling. After this isn’t there more people to kill and places to go?」
「……To kill with reason huh」
「 There should be a suspicious high ranking dipshit behind this, it was bad luck that you had experienced a painful mistake but you had to do it again. 」
Therefore, erasing the hostile guy at the top should be done without regret. After that, you’ll feel better, said Hifumi.
In front of these three, a succession of dishes were lined up one by one.
Though somewhat larger portions and strangely luxurious, it was because the shopkeeper knew Hifumi was a noble and worked harder at preparing the dishes.
In contrast to Origa and Kasha, who didn’t have an appetite and were reservedly eating the tender pork sauted style steak and the fresh and crunchy salad, Hifumi simply gulped down his meal and announced his plans.
「 After eating, I will go to Viscount Hagenti’s estate and say hello. 」
Upon hearing the plan, only Kasha’s ears did not detect the declaration of a new massacre.
Chapter 17: Hail And Kill
Nearby where they were eating, a young man approached Hifumi and co. HE sported clothing resembling a merchant’s, with a refreshing smile on his face.
「 Heeey, long time no see! When did you get here? 」
Sitting down next to Hifumi in a friendly manner, he passed him a note unseen by others around.
「 The meal has already ended, huh. There’s a cafe nearby, how about it? 」
「 No, that is… 」
Not going along with the man’s tension, Hifumi placed the note on the table.
「 There’s no need for a performance. There are no suspicious people in the vicinity, so this kind of communication is unnecessary. Moreover, it’s meaningless since I can’t read. You’re from the Third Knight Corps yes? 」
「 Certainly, the memo says he is from the Third Knight Corps. 」
Origa read the memo placed on the table.
As for the man, his smile slipped off, his precautions unnecessary.
「 Uu~, unable to read…… Then how did you notice I was a Knight? 」
「 Knights who receive training in marching walk in a manner different from normal people. 」
He was used to seeing it after Pajou and the others, and understood it immediately.
「 Then, what’s the important matter? You fellows disappeared after leaving the capital. It seems that you guys operate only within the royal capital, huh… 」
「 Th-This is the matter. 」
The Knight straightened up and introduced himself as Sabnak. As of now still an inexperienced Knight, concealed in Fukaroru on his own as an apprentice merchant.
「 Well, in the matter of Marquis, the target of my observation is Viscount Hagenti. Since you disappeared, there was a report distributed vi
a messenger bird from the capital, to continue watching from here. 」
From the fact that a carriage was prepared for them, the person in charge of the tracking was going to have them followed while pretending to be a merchant in a mercantile caravan.
However, since the carriage was immediately stored, and horses were used in leaving the capital, the trackers were left in the dust.
Sabnak followed them, he acted as a lone pursuer since the concept of acting in a 2 or 3 person cell didn’t seem to exist here. Like the incident with Pajou, she wasn’t carrying weapons during surveillance. Was it normal for them to operate alone?
「We don’t have enough personnel. There are few applicants who wish to join the 3rd knights’ corps, all the excellent applicants aimed for the Castle duty of the First Knight Corps, and any applicants who boast their strength picked the Second Knight Corps.」
「Generally only nobles can enlist for the Knight Corps. Being patient and stealthily mingling with the commoners makes the Third Knight Corps’s job unpopular with the nobles. But, the Second Knight Corps only takes action in the event of a crisis, and the First Knight Corps doesn’t actually experience field work, so it is believed that the Third Knights Corps is the most useful in protecting the citizens. 」
「……So?」
Sounding considerably annoyed, Hifumi shut Sabnak up with a single word.
「What do you want? Your work is to monitor me, you’re not supposed to make contact with me, else the Third Knight Corps’ involvement will be revealed. 」
「Ah, please excuse me……」
Sabnak just realized that he was heated up, he bowed down while blushing.
Remembering the un-knightly attitude of Midas and Pajou, Hifumi’s evaluation of them was “The Third Knight Corps is a gathering of strange fellows”.
Sabnak who received instructions from the capital, turned towards the entrance in a hurry, but already in its place was spread a scene nothing short of a picture of a hell.
Sabnak who looked directly at the familiar tragically scattered corpses, threw up gastric juices, he then pulled himself together and started searching for Hifumi.
「Honestly speaking, I want to capture Viscount Hagenti alive. There’s also the confession from the Marquis. The Marquis issued instructions only to suck up profits. Specifically, we still don’t know who’s moving them and how.」
Summoned Slaughterer - Book 1 Page 13
