Ch.1111. Gloomy Night

At a place where the road split in two, a man sat perched on a flat rock. He fiddled with a coin in his hand while gazing up at the sky.

Though he was simply sitting still without any particular movement, there was something fierce about him, as if approaching him might result in being cut. It was the natural aura that only someone who had overcome countless hardships could exude.

“Boss.”

The man, the mercenary captain, lowered his gaze. A one-eyed man wearing an eye patch spoke.

“Preparations are complete.”

“You searched thoroughly, right?”

“Don’t even mention it. Who would have thought the house would be so far from the village? Had a hard time finding it. But it was worth the trouble.”

When the mercenary captain stared at him silently, the one-eyed man smiled with a vicious expression.

“Who would have known we’d hit the jackpot at the end? Several pieces of quality deer hide and a well-ripened mother-daughter pair too. Heh. You should see for yourself.”

“Is that so?”

The mercenary captain leaped down from the rock. His feet touched the ground without making a sound, as if a feather had landed.

“Lead the way.”

“Yes. But you know… the daughter has a decent face, but she’s got quite the temper, so we had to give her a bit of education.”

“What?”

If a face was ruined, it would spoil the fun, and consequently, the lower parts would become less enjoyable too. The mercenary captain stopped walking and furrowed his brow.

“I-I’m sorry. The boys couldn’t control themselves and…”

“Didn’t I say I’d personally kill anyone who gets distracted?”

The one-eyed man hurriedly bowed his head. Despite having plundered together for nearly eight years now, his knees still trembled whenever the captain glared at him like that.

There was an unbridgeable gap between mere subordinates and this man. The mercenary captain was a former knight.

Strictly speaking, he was merely a squire who had been dishonorably dismissed before his knighting ceremony, but even ten men like himself would be no match for him. A properly trained swordsman was a monster in his own right.

The one-eyed man avoided the mercenary captain’s gaze and made excuses.

“She has a bruise on her cheek, but we didn’t touch her beyond that. I’m sorry.”

“Consider yourself lucky you didn’t lay hands on her before me. You know what I mean?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s go.”

The mercenary captain clicked his tongue and jerked his chin. Then he put the coin he had been fiddling with into his pocket. Catching a glimpse of the gold, the one-eyed man tilted his head.

“Boss, is that a gold coin? Where did you get it?”

“None of your business. Just lead the way.”

“Oh! S-sorry!”

The one-eyed man, who had been kicked in the rear for speaking out of turn, nervously watched the captain’s reaction. But there’s always someone who can’t help making unnecessary comments and drawing glares. The one-eyed man was such a person.

Eventually, unable to contain his itching mouth, the one-eyed man added another comment.

“Hehe. I thought there wouldn’t be much worth taking in this backwater village, but it’s surprisingly good, isn’t it?”

“Shut up.”

The mercenary captain said sternly. The one-eyed man closed his mouth.

And so silence fell, and the two walked down the dark path.

***

‘How did it come to this?’

Anna looked down at her body with a troubled expression.

Her arms and legs were tightly bound with sturdy ropes, as if she were a criminal being restrained.

Her knees stung as if they had been scraped on the ground, and her shoulders were beyond stiff—they were painful. A bitter taste of blood lingered in her chapped mouth.

Escape was impossible. A bandit-like man was watching her without taking his eyes off her for even a moment.

“Pretty one, just wait a little. I’ll play with you soon. Hehe.”

The man licked his lips, which were dripping with filth.

His eyes, full of lust, lingered on Anna’s chest for a while. It made her skin crawl as if cockroaches were crawling on it. The blood drained from Anna’s face.

This whole situation felt like a dream. Truly.

Out of nowhere, intruders had broken in, dragged Anna and her mother out, and stolen their property. They couldn’t even put up a fight.

Even now, except for the man in front of her, the rest were ransacking the house as they pleased. From what she could hear them saying to each other, they had already killed several people. This wasn’t their first time committing robbery.

“Anna. It’s okay.”

Her mother, who was also restrained alongside her, spoke. Though she was equally pale, she forced a bright expression.

“Your father is still out there. He’ll be back soon and take care of these ruffians in no time. And Lex is with him too.”

Anna was about to answer but then lowered her head. She knew it was meant to reassure her, but she couldn’t muster a hopeful response.

Anna actually hoped that her father and Lex would never return to the village. She didn’t think they could win against multiple armed men, no matter how skilled they were.

If they got hurt trying to save us…

Just then, there was a faint sound of something cutting through the air, and the man who had been watching them staggered a step before collapsing. A black-colored arrow was lodged in the back of his head.

“Huh?”

Anna unconsciously opened her mouth, wondering what was happening. There was a rustling sound from the nearby bushes. Both mother and daughter’s eyes widened simultaneously.

“Shh.”

Lex approached stealthily, placing a finger on his lips. Gert loaded a bolt into his crossbow and stepped back, observing the surroundings with sharp eyes.

“You…”

“I came to rescue you. Are you hurt?”

“I-I’m fine.”

Lex took out a dagger and cut through the ropes. Anna tried to stand but momentarily lost her footing. Having been bound for quite some time, her legs kept giving way.

Lex grabbed both her mother’s and Anna’s hands and pulled them up with a jerk. Has he always been this strong? When Anna looked at him with surprised eyes, Lex awkwardly scratched his cheek.

“Phew. We arrived just in time.”

“Lex… thank you.”

Was all the composure she had shown just an act? Her mother’s voice was choked with emotion.

Anna’s eyes reddened in response. Until just now, she thought she had resigned herself to their fate. The true feelings she had been suppressing flowed out as tears.

Though he didn’t show it, Gert also seemed relieved. He stroked Anna’s head and embraced his wife. Bloodlust flowed from his bloodshot eyes.

“Is he the only one?”

“No, there are more inside the house.”

“How many?”

“Five.”

An ambiguous number. As much as he wanted to slaughter them immediately, if his daughter and wife got hurt in the process, it would defeat the purpose. Gert glared at the house with burning eyes before turning away.

“Let’s get away from here first. Lex. Stay alert.”

Though he had made the decision, it wasn’t clear where they should go. The entire village was in chaos—where could they possibly go? Still, they had no choice but to move.

But today was not their lucky day.

Just as they were about to take a step, one of the thieves poked his head through the door crack, perhaps sensing something amiss. He might have been suspicious that someone was enjoying themselves alone.

“Huh? Who the hell are those guys?”

“What are you yelling about?”

“Shit, Markel’s dead! Get them!”

“What?”

“I always knew that loser would screw up someday. Damn it.”

“Hurry! You bastards!”

There was a brief commotion inside the house. The disturbance was short-lived. Men armed with various weapons—dirks, maces, pickaxes—kicked open the door and rushed out.

But they all wore expressions of annoyance, as if this was a bother.

They yawned with their mouths wide open, picked their noses, and showed not a hint of tension. It was as if Markel’s demise was merely due to his carelessness, and now that they had all come out together, they could easily take care of the two intruders.

“What’s this? I thought we killed all the men.”

“Which idiot made a mistake again? We’re going to get an earful from the boss.”

“We’ll just take care of them before that happens.”

“True. Heh. One of them is just a kid?”

They didn’t seem inclined to back down peacefully. But neither could Lex and Gert afford to surrender. After sending Anna and her mother to the back, Lex picked up an axe.

Gert aimed his crossbow forward. One of the men widened his eyes.

“Oh, shit, cross—”

The man’s words were cut short. The bolt pierced the exact center of his forehead. The bandits hesitated and spat out curses.

“Bruk’s down!”

“Just attack! If we rush them with numbers, they can’t do anything!”

The shock lasted only a moment. Though they were scum, they were experienced in killing people. The opponents spread out, exchanged glances, and charged in an instant.

They had killed one by surprise, but the situation was still unfavorable. Two against four was a difficult match.

The thieves split into pairs. Lex hardened his expression and fixed his gaze on his opponent. The other two headed for Gert, so he couldn’t expect any help. This was a crisis he had to resolve with his own strength.

“Kid. Come here?”

A man holding a crude dirk sneered with a condescending tone and suddenly swung his arm. Slash! Lex merely tilted his head slightly. The dirk cut through empty air.

“Huh.”

The opponent made a surprised sound, not expecting him to dodge. Lex raised his axe above his head. His body moved on its own, faster than he thought.

Crack!

The axe penetrated the opponent’s crown with no resistance, as if splitting soft tofu. The skull separated left and right, revealing the inner flesh. The head was split vertically exactly to where the nose was.

“No!”

The thief who had witnessed the scene from beginning to end screamed. He hadn’t expected his comrade to fall in one blow. They should have attacked simultaneously. But the water was already spilled.

Lex stared at the remaining man. He had killed two on the way to the house, and now there were three more. More vitality surged from the markings than before.

“Die—!”

When their eyes met, the opponent swung a club studded with nails while cursing. It was a crude attack with an obvious trajectory.

These were the men who had terrorized the villagers? Anger boiled within him like flames. Channeling that emotion, Lex thrust his axe forward. The club was blocked in mid-air and easily pushed back.

“Ah!”

The opponent tried to say something with a shocked face, but it was too late.

Slash!

As the dagger in his other hand grazed the carotid artery, blood spurted out like a fountain. The opponent dropped his weapon and clutched his throat with his hands. Of course, that wouldn’t save him.

“Gurgle.”

Lex glanced coldly at the two corpses growing cold and took a step forward.

“You idiots! What are you doing!”

The man fighting Gert shouted in frustration as reinforcements were delayed. The combination of crossbow and sickle was quite troublesome. He was also quick-witted, retreating whenever Gert tried to exploit an opening.

It seemed he needed help from the others, so the man turned his back to call for assistance.

I’m going to ask what’s taking so long to handle one kid. That’s what he intended to say. And then his consciousness was cut off.

Thud!

With a dull sound, the man’s head jerked backward. The one threatening Gert with a spear looked up in shock at his comrade. An axe?

He was momentarily distracted by his comrade’s unexpected death. The price of his carelessness was steep. Gert didn’t miss the opening and fired his crossbow.

“Gak!”

Gert spoke to Lex, who was walking slowly toward him.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes. And you, father?”

“I’m fine.”

Anna and her mother, who had been standing at a distance, slowly returned. Their faces had turned pale. The scene of five corpses strewn about was that horrific.

Their gazes toward Lex were particularly complex, as they had clearly seen him fighting. He could fight this well? Such thoughts were plainly visible on their faces.

Gert looked over his family once and said:

“Let’s go.”

However, the response came from an unexpected place.

“Go where?”

Everyone’s heads turned simultaneously.

A man walked leisurely out of the pitch-black shadows. Following him was a one-eyed man wearing an eye patch. His lips were swollen as if he had been hit by someone.

As soon as the man appeared, the atmosphere changed drastically. The smell of blood seemed to waft from somewhere. The man glanced around the scene once and sighed.

“Five of you, and you lose to just two? Pathetic fools.”

Though his tone was casual, as if he had let his guard down, Lex sensed it immediately. This man was the most dangerous of all the enemies he had seen today. Compared to him, those he had faced earlier were mere scarecrows.

The man pointed his finger into the air. It was in the direction of Anna and her mother.

“Are those the women?”

“Y-yes, that’s right.”

When the one-eyed man nodded, the man frowned.

“Did losing one eye make you forget how to judge faces too? How can you call that a beauty?”

“I-I’m sorry. But they’re not that bad…”

“Want me to gouge out your other eye too? Hm?”

“Oh no, I’m sorry. I was wrong, boss.”

The conversation between the man called boss and the one-eyed man was like a ridiculous play. Of course, those watching directly couldn’t laugh.

“It’s my fault for trusting an idiot.”

“…Can I help you?”

“No need. Just watch. Make sure those women don’t escape. Since we’ve caught them, we might as well enjoy ourselves.”

“Hehe, understood.”

At the man’s words, Gert immediately aimed his crossbow at the enemies. Lex also gripped his axe, honing his senses to respond to any attack.

“Oh my… how frightening.”

With a face that didn’t match his words at all, the man placed his hand on his waist.

Shing! With a clear metallic sound, a razor-sharp blade was drawn.

Whoosh. As dust swirled in the wind, an uncomfortable silence settled among the people.

The moon, firmly embedded in the dark blue night sky, looked down upon them.