Ch.355Side Story 1 – Southern Continent Travelogue (10)

Selden Alphonse and Jena walked for a long time after escaping the Blood Mist Ravine.

Passing through the forest shrouded in darkness, they arrived at the Black Fang Mercenary Group’s headquarters.

Before them stood a massive wooden fortress with clear outlines even in the darkness, surrounded by dry earth.

Huge logs were woven together to form walls encircling the fortress, and through the gaps, mercenaries could be seen.

“Wait here.”

When Selden Alphonse spoke briefly, Jena flinched.

“…What?”

“You’ll be in the way. I said wait here.”

“Lord Cassian, even if some of them are out on a mission, there are still over fifty men remaining inside! It’s too dangerous to go alone!”

Jena looked at Selden Alphonse with a bewildered expression, but his eyes were resolute.

“It’s fine.”

Jena finally pressed her lips together without saying anything more.

Then, Selden Alphonse lightly gripped his sword.

The blade in his hand gleamed faintly under the deep moonlight.

It was no ordinary sword.

The Blood Dragon Sword, bestowed upon him by Emperor Malius himself.

The moment it was in his hand, the air changed.

—Rustle, rustle.

Selden Alphonse advanced forward without hesitation.

Two gatekeepers with stern expressions stood in front of the headquarters.

They were casually exchanging light jokes.

“Our boss seems to be in a bad mood these days.”

“Really? Wonder whose head will roll this time.”

“Well, as long as it’s not ours, who cares.”

They were talking nonchalantly.

At that moment,

—Swoosh.

“……?”

In the blink of an eye.

Their heads floated in the air.

“……!”

There wasn’t even time for a scream.

Before they could open their mouths, the two heads fell to the ground.

And even faster,

their bodies collapsed.

—Thud.

Blood splattered, but Selden Alphonse, without a single drop on him, quietly readjusted his grip on the sword.

His movements were perfect and precise.

In an instant, without any noise, two men fell simultaneously.

Without hesitation, he walked forward into the headquarters.

Creeeeak.

Meanwhile, Jena held her breath and swallowed her dry saliva.

‘Can he really do this alone…?’

Jena knew better than anyone that no territory in the Southern Continent dared to mess with the “Black Fang.”

That’s why the current situation was incomprehensible to her.

She bit her lip firmly.

‘He seemed like a good person…’

Jena stared at the entrance where Selden Alphonse had disappeared.

As if it were nothing.

Like a breeze passing by.

He had dispatched the gatekeepers with just two sword strikes and vanished.

‘Taking down Black Fang mercenaries like goblins in one hit…?’

With trembling hands, she hid behind a wall.

Jena was standing behind an old wooden pillar at the back of the headquarters.

The headquarters resembled a massive fortress.

The walls made of stacked solid logs looked like the ribs of a giant beast, reinforced with iron in places.

The wood revealed its rough surface, washed by wind and rain over time, with deep cracks in several spots.

Through those cracks.

She watched Selden Alphonse.

-I-Intruder!

-But, it’s just one person? Isn’t that okay…?

-Don’t let your guard down!!

The Black Fang mercenaries froze momentarily at the appearance of the strange intruder, but soon raised their bows in unison.

The bowstrings were drawn taut with tension, and the next moment, dozens of arrows sliced through the air all at once.

Swoosh—

It was almost like a downpour.

The tightly woven barrage of arrows came down without a single gap.

But Selden Alphonse didn’t even flinch.

The arrows raining down before him, the sharp killing intent piercing through—all were deflected by his sword in an instant.

Clack—

Clack—!

As the tightly wound sword energy exploded outward, flashes of metallic light bloomed with each arc of Selden Alphonse’s sword.

The swinging blade knocked away arrows in one breath, some cut in half, losing their momentum and tumbling in the air.

Some arrows changed direction, flying off to strange places and embedding themselves at the mercenaries’ feet.

-Ugh!

-If you shoot this way—ARGH!

Dozens of strikes were repeated in a short time.

Selden Alphonse’s sword was unwavering, like an anchor line cutting through fierce waves.

With each strike, arrows were deflected, and after deflecting the last arrow with the back of his blade, he took two steps forward.

Then, his body swayed strangely.

As if drunk, he staggered.

-Th-That bastard is exhausted!

-Now’s our chance! Let’s regroup!

Just as the mercenaries believed this and tried to regroup, Selden Alphonse vanished from Jena’s sight.

It happened in the blink of an eye.

The black shadow dispersed and disappeared, and the mercenaries instinctively shrank back.

For a moment, a breathtaking silence descended.

And then.

In that instant, the necks of all the surrounding mercenaries simultaneously shot up toward the sky.

Droplets of blood scattered in the air like red roses.

There wasn’t even time for a death cry.

Their bodies were already collapsing, spurting blood, while the headless bodies remained standing for a while.

Thud—

Thud thud—

Thud thud thud—!

The heads soared into the sky before falling lifelessly, piling up on the damp ground.

Jena couldn’t even breathe.

She could barely distinguish whether the scene unfolding before her was reality or a dream.

In that brief moment, Selden Alphonse had vanished from sight, and when he reappeared, everything was already over.

‘What am I witnessing right now…?’

Jena blinked with both hands and narrowed her eyes to focus.

Selden Alphonse was still standing there, sword in hand.

A single drop of blood slowly fell from the tip of his blade, seeping into the ground, and his breathing remained undisturbed.

Meanwhile, Kazhan, the leader of the Black Fang, had never felt fear in his life.

Since his boyhood, he had fought countless battles as a mercenary.

Even when he first took a life.

Even when he held a blood-soaked sword and heard an enemy’s last breath.

He knew no fear.

Even as his comrades died one by one, he was confident he would survive, and that confidence always became reality.

But.

Now, facing Selden Alphonse, Kazhan realized for the first time.

That death was right before him.

‘I’m… going to die…’

Kazhan’s hands trembled.

He couldn’t believe he was this terrified.

The cold sensation enveloping his body, the premonition of death penetrating deep into his mind.

His throat was dry, making it difficult to even breathe.

He instinctively fell to his knees.

Pride and dignity were luxuries he couldn’t afford.

“P-Please… if you spare me, I’ll do whatever—”

Just as Kazhan’s trembling lips were letting out a cowardly voice,

Selden Alphonse disappeared.

More precisely, he vanished from sight.

With a chilling presence, his existence dissolved into thin air.

Whoosh—

Kazhan’s heart stopped for a moment.

The lips that were begging for his life froze.

Even when his subordinates were executed, he could see how fast that sword was.

But this time was different.

It was impossible to follow with the eyes.

Where had he gone?

There was no killing intent at all.

Normally, a knight or mercenary would emanate murderous intent just before striking.

But Selden Alphonse was different.

The moment he disappeared, this place became nothingness.

And then.

From behind, a cold, sharp wind blew.

Whish—

Kazhan’s pupils shook violently.

He’s behind me.

Selden Alphonse was simply standing behind him.

That fact was even more terrifying.

“Uh, uh…”

Sweat trickled down Kazhan’s cheeks.

He couldn’t even turn his head.

He remained frozen, kneeling.

And then.

A light flashed.

It was like a bolt of lightning.

Slice.

He couldn’t see the sword’s movement, nor could he avoid it.

In that flash, everything was already over.

Kazhan opened his eyes, but what he saw was the sky.

Why was he looking at the sky?

His body felt strange.

His limbs were heavy, his senses dull.

He couldn’t hear his heartbeat in his ears.

Slide.

Then, a familiar sight appeared before his eyes.

His own body, kneeling.

Only then did he realize.

That his head had been separated from his body.

Thud—

His head flew through the air and rolled heavily onto the ground.

The last thing that entered Kazhan’s vision was Selden Alphonse, his expression still unchanged.

“L-Lord Cassian!”

Jena rushed over hurriedly, but her lips trembled, and her body was stiff.

It was understandable, having witnessed with her own eyes a bizarre scene she had never experienced in her life.

“…Shouldn’t you check on your brother first?”

Despite his indifferent tone, Selden Alphonse thoughtfully suggested checking on Jena’s brother first.

She ran to a wooden house set up in one corner of the headquarters.

And then.

“M-My brother is here!”

She immediately came out holding her brother, sobbing and raising her voice.

Selden Alphonse looked at her and smiled gently.

“It seems this journey has been ruined after all…”