Ch.4Ep.4 Starting Over Again

“First, I need information.”

Upon discovering the coordinates where Arsia was expected to be, Radios calmly executed his plan.

As a precaution, while fighting the guards protecting the ruins of Hermes’ temple, he had copied the basic skill of the Toolcha Order, Fire Dance.

His initial plan was to find a nearby village and extract only the essential information he needed.

“With this much commotion, information should have reached the main order.”

A mysterious powerful figure who attacked the ruins of Hermes’ temple.

Since the otherworlders likely believe they have complete control over Kadinant, they would probably send someone with considerable power, suspecting the appearance of Guardian Spirit remnants.

He estimated at least a Cardinal-level opponent.

‘With this body, I can face a Cardinal… but I’d have to risk my life.’

Objectively, Radios was far from his prime condition.

Although in his prime, he wouldn’t have batted an eye at a Cardinal.

With his current strength at the level of a Squad Leader, facing two Cardinal-level opponents would mean certain defeat.

Therefore, if Radios encountered a Cardinal, he planned to activate the Sword of Judgment without hesitation.

Since it was a newly acquired ability, he needed to test it anyway.

Astrape consumed too much magical power, so he had no intention of using it for now.

Besides, he had stolen it for later use.

‘I wanted to give Zeus a hard time anyway.’

Hades, who now clung to his coattails after previously ignoring him, and Zeus, who raged as if humans were beneath him.

In terms of disgust, Zeus ranked far higher.

A thug who didn’t recognize his own faults and just caused trouble.

To Radios, Zeus was nothing more than that.

“Well, shall we get going?”

Perhaps because he was alone and lonely, talking to himself had become a habit.

But soon, more companions would join him.

Radios left the ruins of Hermes’ temple, praying that Arsia was safe and sound.

It was deep into the night and he needed to sleep, but he couldn’t possibly fall asleep here.

***

Hermes’ temple was located in a treacherous mountainous area.

Climbing up there was an ordeal for ordinary people, partly due to Hermes’ eccentric personality.

The words he left behind were quite remarkable.

Those words were:

[If you cannot climb up here, you are not worthy of seeing my temple.]

It was said that he built his temple with these words.

Perhaps because of this, many villages existed on the middle slopes of the mountain where the ruins of Hermes’ temple were located.

However, Radios couldn’t find a single village while circling the mountain.

The answer was simple and required no speculation.

Along with the collapse of Hermes’ temple, all those numerous villages had disappeared as well.

Despite already knowing this, Radios gritted his teeth at the otherworlders’ atrocities.

“Why… why are you doing this to us…”

What benefit could there be in violating a world where others lived?

Looking at a village reduced to ruins, Radios felt his unquenchable hostility toward the otherworlders intensify with anger.

Soon he would complete a full circle around the mountain.

Wondering if all those villages had really disappeared, he suddenly exclaimed:

“This…!”

He spotted footprints that weren’t his own.

Following them, Radios arrived at a cave.

The moment he entered the cave:

[Identification required.]

[Prove that you are a believer of the ‘Outer God’.]

[If you are not a believer of the Outer God, your location will be transmitted to Outer God orders worldwide.]

The same situation that had occurred when he copied Astrape with the power of the fragment unfolded.

Unfazed by the floating text, Radios used the skill ‘Fire Dance.’

With that, the text floating in the air disappeared with a sizzle.

Soon, new text appeared:

[Moving to village ‘428th Slave Worksite’.]

Radios frowned at the words “slave worksite.”

He was teleported to an unknown space amid a bright light and witnessed a scene that was nothing short of shocking.

“Move faster! How long do you plan to work so sluggishly? You must have a death wish!”

“Aaagh! Please… please, some water…!”

“Shut up! Who are you, people of Kadinant, to drink water! Your only job is to work until you die!!”

“Please… at least my child…”

“Get lost! How many times do I have to tell you! Go back to work now!”

Trembling.

Seeing the indiscriminate labor exploitation inflicted on the people of Kadinant, Radios nearly lost his composure but barely managed to restrain himself.

Calm down.

He needed to save all of them, but… it was too early to act.

Soothing himself with such impossible words, Radios approached the man who was abusing the slaves.

“Who the… W-who are you, sir?”

“…”

The man asked for Radios’s identity after being approached without warning.

When Radios proved himself with the Fire Dance skill, the man prostrated himself and exclaimed in an excited voice:

“I am honored to meet one who serves the dancing green flames! I am from the 428th Slave Worksite–“

“Spare me the chatter. I need a place to stay for a while.”

“Follow me!”

The man was startled when he detected the concentration of magical power Radios possessed.

A power worthy of a Cardinal!

He must certainly be someone of a rank far above his own.

The man guided Radios, forgetting even to drive the slaves, and Radios discreetly tossed a water bottle to the slaves from inside his garment.

They tried to thank him for his mercy, but he and the man had long since disappeared.

“How is it? I trust you’ll be comfortable here?”

“It’s not exactly to my liking… but it’s not bad. I’ll take this room.”

“Understood! I’ll visit you again when the big event happens tonight! If you need anything…”

“Bring me someone who knows the current situation well.”

“I will do as you command!”

The man was quick-witted and understood Radios’s words precisely. He went to an informant and handed over gold coins.

“It seems our illegal dealings at the worksite have been discovered. So you’ll have to suffer a bit.”

“Damn it… where did we go wrong?”

“I don’t know either. The person who came here is Cardinal-level. We need to persuade them and prove our innocence.”

The man was sweating profusely and biting his nails.

This was only part of the truth.

The blood of Kadinant people was like a drug to the otherworlders…

The man was running an illegal drug operation, extracting all the blood from slaves who had died from overwork.

Radios had been listening to this conversation until the end.

“…Filthy bastards.”

Radios’s teeth chattered at the otherworlders’ actions, which were beyond what he had imagined.

But it was still too early to act. He needed to be patient a little longer.

Even if it meant extracting all the information from the past three years.

‘I must understand the current situation thoroughly.’

There was something Arsia always emphasized:

[The quality of a soldier’s sword on the battlefield is determined by whether or not they have information. Without information, it’s like going to battle with a wooden sword; with information, it’s like wielding a sharply honed steel sword.]

Improving the treatment of Kadinant people would come after obtaining information.

While Radios was organizing his thoughts, the person he had requested from the slave-driving man arrived.

Radios ordered her to recount the situation after the Guardian Spirit was disbanded.

The woman, who had received the order, recalled the precautions she had been told by Tilo, the overseer of the 428th Slave Worksite, before entering this room.

‘No matter how they act… they will try to test us. Answer any questions sincerely!’

Having heard this, she listed all the information she knew in response to Radios’s question without any hesitation.

Radios, who had been listening silently to her words, raised one arm at some point to signal her to stop.

“That’s enough. You can go now.”

“Understood. If you have any more questions, please feel free to call me.”

After the woman politely bowed and left the room, Radios heaved a deep sigh.

“Three years… have passed.”

Three years since he was betrayed by Serena.

Kadinant had completely fallen to the otherworlders.

The otherworlders were using the people of Kadinant as slaves.

There was more minor information as well.

Radios lay down.

‘A big event tonight…’

What could be the big event Tilo mentioned?

To Radios, Tilo was the epitome of someone who acted strong against the weak and weak against the strong.

He didn’t even ask for Radios’s exact identity.

Just seeing the Fire Dance skill made him so subservient.

Surely there must be something unknown to him at this big event tonight.

‘First, I’ll check what this event is… then free the Kadinant people and leave this place.’

The problem was where the liberated Kadinant people would go.

Radios had no intention of concerning himself with where they would head.

Although they were his people, Radios had a primary objective, and it was hard enough to take care of himself.

He believed he could maintain his composure as long as no massacre occurred before his eyes.

But.

Radios realized how completely wrong that belief was when he saw the big event Tilo had mentioned.

“You’ve arrived, my lord! Finally, tonight’s main event! The life-or-death battle of Kadinant people begins!”

“…”

Radios swallowed hard as he looked at the two men trapped in an octagonal iron cage.

Yes.

The big event of the night was:

Forcing Kadinant people to fight each other, betting money on one of them, and if the person you bet on wins, you take the money from those who bet on the loser.

A base, barbaric…

Gambling den.

And the condition for victory was…

“When someone meets death, that’s when the winner and loser are determined!”

“…Disgusting.”

“Pardon?”

Tilo tilted his head, seemingly unable to hear Radios’s muttering.

Radios spoke again in a louder voice.

“I said it’s disgusting.”

“What do you–“

Swoosh!

As Radios sliced Tilo’s neck with a dagger hidden in his garment, the heated atmosphere of the gambling den turned ice cold.

Trampling on Tilo’s headless corpse, Radios declared:

“As an inquisitor of Kadinant… I will exterminate the otherworlders.”