Ch.118Devil – 3

“Oh right, I almost forgot to mention this. We’re running a very special business for adventurers passing through here.”

“More nonsense?”

“Nonsense? This is a legitimate business. As I said earlier, this is Giant Death Worm territory. How do you think we’ve managed to survive here? It’s because we know the safe paths to avoid that beast. Starting to get the picture now?”

“What, are you saying you’ll show us this safe path?”

“Exactly! You catch on quick. But listen here. Even when we show people the safe path, some fools still wander off and get eaten. As a kind and generous adventurer, I simply can’t stand by and watch that happen. So we also provide escort services. Interested?”

I gestured with my chin toward Serena.

“If it’s an escort you’re offering, I already have one right here.”

“No, no. This is mandatory. Kids like you always ignore our advice and stray off the path, only to get eaten. We must accompany you as escorts. I just told you—I’m too kind-hearted to watch people die.”

“I believe I said we don’t need it.”

“The escort fee… we’ll take it in the form of your belongings.”

The man pointed his knife at me. The others aimed their weapons at Serena and me.

“What, would you back off if I gave you some money?”

“No, no. A few coins won’t do. Do you know how much effort we put in? Regularly monitoring for Giant Death Worms, risking our lives to find safer paths, and being the first to sacrifice ourselves if one shows up. A few coins is far from enough.”

If such a creature actually existed, these guys would be the first to run away, not sacrifice themselves. I inwardly smirked at their ridiculous lies.

“Well, the money I have isn’t just ‘a few coins.’ It’s probably an amount someone like you couldn’t earn in a lifetime.”

“Then all the more reason to take it, right? What fool would pass up a once-in-a-lifetime fortune that’s right in front of them? Don’t worry. We’ll take all your belongings and your horse, but we’ll definitely let you keep your life. Oh, but if you try to take a different path than the one we tell you, we might have to restrain you a bit forcefully, so please be mindful of that.”

Now he was openly implying, in a roundabout way, that he planned to kill me somewhere in that wasteland. This conversation made that perfectly clear.

It was time to move on to the next phase of my plan.

“Serena. Draw your sword.”

“As you command, my lord.”

That was the signal I had mentioned.

Serena removed the cloth covering her face and pushed back the hood of her robe. Her ponytail, which had been hidden under her hat, sprang out with a graceful bounce.

The bandits surrounding us froze at the sight of Serena’s otherworldly beauty.

Even their leader, who had been running his mouth at me just moments ago, stood with his mouth half-open, staring at her.

“Ahem… ahem. Well, your escort is quite the beauty. Did you hire her based on looks? Perhaps for bedtime services too?”

Being the leader, he was the first to recover from the shock. He cleared his throat repeatedly. Serena responded with an icy voice.

“Shut your mouth. I won’t tolerate any further insults to my lord.”

“Oh my, how frightening. Judging by your face, you look like a knight who’s never been in a real fight. Can you even properly wield that sword?”

That wasn’t entirely wrong.

Adventure or knighthood usually leaves scars all over the body, but Serena was an exception. She had never received a wound that would leave a scar.

But the leader, entranced by her beauty, was making a serious miscalculation.

“Hey, young master. I don’t know why you hired this woman, but she’s clearly just a pretty face with terrible sword skills. It’s a common saying in this field that beautiful ones are usually incompetent. So here’s what I propose.”

His face gleamed with filthy desire.

“Leave the woman here with your belongings. We’ll train her properly and send her back later. In exchange, we’ll escort you. Give her to us for just a month, and her skills will improve dramatically!”

Sounds of agreement came from all around. With those murmurs as background, I slowly examined the encirclement around us.

There was no need to describe the face of the leader who had made such a proposal, and the remaining fifteen men—presumably his subordinates—showed no hesitation or guilt on their faces.

Every one of them was scanning Serena’s body with eyes full of unbearable lust.

They were perfect sacrifices for summoning a demon.

“Serena.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Kill him.”

My finger pointed at the leader who had been conversing with me. The man burst into laughter.

“Hahaha! Kill me? Hey guys, the young master is telling his pretty escort to kill m—”

A sharp metallic sound—ching!—cut off his words.

Serena had just pushed World Eater, which had been slightly drawn, fully back into its scabbard.

Click. The sound of the blade being accepted into its sheath echoed quietly. After completing this simple series of movements, Serena slightly bowed her head to me.

“It is done.”

Even the men who had been making lewd fantasies about Serena seemed to realize something was wrong. Silence enveloped them.

The leader’s eyes, which had been reaching out to mock me, gradually lost their light. The weapon in his hand fell limply to the ground.

Their gazes focused on their leader, who stood silent with lifeless eyes.

Suddenly, a stream of blood seeped from his face.

It wasn’t blood coming from his eyes, nose, mouth, or ears.

It was literally blood seeping from his “face.”

The flowing blood gradually increased in volume. One stream became two, and two became three.

By the time the smiles had completely disappeared from the faces of his subordinates surrounding us, the man’s fingers began to crumble.

In perfect square shapes.

Starting from the fingertips, pieces of his body, cut into neat square shapes, dropped to the ground one after another.

They were just large enough to recognize that these severed body parts were indeed square-shaped.

The cross-sections were bright red. Red, square chunks of meat scattered on the ground, spraying blood everywhere.

Once the body began to collapse, it accelerated. His hands crumbled, then his arms, shoulders, legs, and torso, all finely cut, pouring onto the ground.

It didn’t take long for what was once a human being to transform into thousands of neat cubes.

The pungent smell of blood began to emanate from the pile of neatly diced square flesh.

Faced with a situation beyond human comprehension, the men who had surrounded us stood frozen.

They all looked as if they couldn’t understand what had just happened.

It was understandable. All we could see was Serena sheathing her sword, but the result was anything but simple.

“U-uwaaaaaaaah!”

Belatedly, screams erupted.

The men fell into panic, screaming in unison. Some collapsed to the ground as their legs gave way, while others tried to crawl away.

The encirclement around us collapsed in an instant. Given what had happened to one of them, it was only natural.

A few who still had strength in their legs threw away their weapons and turned to run. Each one of them was a precious sacrifice—I couldn’t let them escape like this.

I gave Serena a look. Understanding my intention, she drew World Eater once more.

Then, infusing it with mana, she swung it lightly.

World Eater unleashed its power generously, and soon a large circle was inscribed around Serena and me.

Flames erupted from the circle’s edge. Several bandits who had been desperately fleeing tripped over their own feet at the sudden appearance of the flames.

“Those who flee will die.”

My voice must have pierced through their panicked screams, as the fallen men crawled back on all fours.

I was going to kill them anyway, but I decided not to mention that. I didn’t want them to struggle and die before I could offer them to World Eater.

I felt no pity for these men whatsoever.

I might have spared anyone who hesitated or showed reluctance when their leader sexually harassed Serena or when they surrounded us, but there were none.

In other words, these men were quite accustomed to such banditry. So there was no need to show mercy.

Serena emanated an aura suggesting she would immediately reduce them all to the same state as their leader at my command.

I gently stroked her head to calm her down a bit, then dismounted. Serena followed suit and took the reins to lead our horses a short distance away.

The men were kneeling, bowing so low their heads nearly touched the ground, whimpering. The sound of swallowed tears could be heard here and there.

Good, they’re quick to read the situation. If any had foolishly attacked, I would have lost some sacrifices.

After confirming that Serena had returned to my side after leaving the horses at a distance, I spoke.

“If you’re interested in demons, raise your hand quietly.”