Ch.7224. If You Feel Wronged, Then Chase Me Well.

As I grabbed the hilt, darkness settled before my eyes.

And then, a moment later.

The scene I had witnessed before unfolded before me.

The only difference from before was:

Through whose eyes I was seeing.

Now, I was observing the world through the eyes of the one holding the sword.

Before me stood a father who looked young.

The events unfolded similarly to what I had seen before.

Previously, it was as if I was watching the situation from the sky or from a distance.

But not now.

It was all too clear whose eyes I was borrowing to witness this situation.

Observing a confrontation, a life-or-death struggle, from a third-person perspective versus borrowing the perspective of one of the participants… the feeling was completely different.

Pressure. Threat. Tension. Escalation.

…Even though it was clearly an indirect experience,

Each sensation came through vividly, as if alive and breathing.

Finally, at the climax of the brief yet long duel,

The two clashed.

The outcome was clear.

But unlike before, I couldn’t understand why Grandeus fell without using his vision.

…It simply didn’t make sense.

The black knight, kneeling on one knee on the ground,

Used his sword as support.

And that diagonally embedded sword was precisely…

…this one before me now.

“……”

I returned to reality.

The sword that had endured countless storms to maintain its position…

…was still standing guard in the same place.

I pulled on the hilt with all my might.

It didn’t budge an inch.

As if saying, “Who do you think you are?” in defiance.

No, that wasn’t it.

Perhaps I was just disappointed, feeling rejected by the lack of response.

“……”

Since people were waiting behind me, I let go without lingering.

Perhaps today wasn’t the day.

Or maybe… the time wasn’t yet ripe.

Or perhaps…

…I hadn’t yet earned the right to wield it.

I wasn’t sure what it was.

“Is it the same for you, Master?”

Luirin nudged my arm as if to say “See?”

“I guess so.”

I simply offered a smile without saying much.

As I was leaving the line, I spotted Leo and Luciri in the distance.

They looked somewhat anxious in front of a flower stall, so I approached them instinctively.

“Ah, Sir Riel!”

Leo’s face brightened as if he was glad to see me.

“If it’s not too much trouble, could I ask for your help?”

“…Let’s hear it.”

The girl, leaning on her cane as she stood up, looked urgent, as if ready to take action immediately.

It seemed this might be more her problem than Leo’s group’s issue.

“They say Rio was taken away by men who looked like adults. Ah, Rio is… Lady Louines here…”

So the flower stall girl’s name was Louines.

Behind her was a tiny girl who barely reached her knees, clinging to her legs and looking up at us with anxious eyes.

“It seems urgent, so just give me the brief details.”

“I’ll explain,” Luciri said, taking over for Leo.

“Rio is an orphan who lives in a small chapel here in Somern.”

The point was simple.

Under the pretext of being orphans, some eager children were made to run errands, which sometimes led to unsavory tasks.

Then, whether they made mistakes or for other reasons, they would be captured or sometimes even kidnapped for human trafficking, though such cases were rare.

“Appearance? Location of disappearance and possible whereabouts?”

“That… I think I know a bit about that.”

Without a proper map, we went to what seemed like the edge of a cliff, where Louines began pointing out several locations, roughly indicating specific buildings or positions.

“I can’t pinpoint exactly… but it’s either there or over there.”

“So we can split into two groups,” Leo said naturally.

“……”

Is he just a good person, or does he have ulterior motives?

The flower stall girl is certainly beautiful, but to help her for such impure reasons… that boy Leo seems a bit… how should I put it?

‘He seems quite the pushover.’

And what about Cariel himself who’s helping them?

‘Indeed.’

If you asked if it was chivalry in action, that’s not it.

Compassion? It’s a bit different from that too.

…I don’t particularly dislike admitting it, but.

“Then I’ll go check over there first. It seems farther. Luirin, you go with them.”

“……”

Luirin seemed quite reluctant to do something without compensation, but she didn’t complain.

She just cursed with her expression.

“Well then.”

Toward the edge that was practically a cliff, where one step would lead to a fall into the void,

I stepped backward, leading with my back.

And then.

In an instant, my vision flipped.

The endless sky captured my eyes.

And my body fell without hesitation.

“Huh?! W-wait a moment—?!”

Leo, Luciri, even Louines and the little girl clinging to her all watched in shock as I fell, their eyes following me intently.

‘It’s not even that high.’

I lightly placed my foot on the wall to change my direction.

Eventually, after stepping on the wall several times to control my speed,

I launched myself again.

Then I landed on a building roof without damaging it, and dashed toward my target.

====

“…Is he an elf?”

At Luciri’s not-quite-admiring comment, Leo let out an awkward laugh.

“Climbing buildings isn’t impossible if one is naturally agile…”

He added unnecessarily.

It might be possible given how close the buildings are to each other, but still.

“Just accept it. And instead of admiring, shouldn’t we get moving? Or would you rather jump down from here like my master?”

At Luirin’s unenthusiastic words, Luciri and Leo shook their heads simultaneously as if they had planned it.

“Let’s talk about what each of us can do as we go. Or are we just going to barge in recklessly?”

“And if we get caught by the guards, who benefits?”

Leo interjected into the practical conversation between the two girls.

“Let’s think about that when we get there.”

“Isn’t it too late to think about it then?”

“Better than being too late to do anything because we hesitated.”

“That’s… true.”

He unexpectedly hit the mark.

Naturally, since the three couldn’t confidently perform a high-altitude drop like Cariel, they immediately headed toward the stairs.

====

Cariel, who reached his destination in just a few minutes when it would have taken others at least tens of minutes, first landed on the roof of what appeared to be a large warehouse and began to sense what was inside.

‘……’

A strong metallic smell of blood came riding on the wind.

After crossing just a few rooftops, it became so intense it was almost nauseating.

“……”

Getting involved might lead to an unpleasant situation.

But if that child named Rio or whatever was here…

‘If they’re already dead.’

Should I at least retrieve the body?

Feeling somewhat disgusted at himself for coldly considering this,

Cariel abandoned stealth and descended from the roof to head for the warehouse entrance.

Blood was splattered everywhere from the entrance.

The men sprawled out had no signs of life, having breathed their last long ago.

“……”

When he opened the warehouse door, the smell of blood intensified.

“……”

Inside, of course, were many corpses.

Probably more than ten.

Fortunately, none appeared to be children.

However.

“How frightening.”

Standing on the flowing blood, someone glared in his direction.

A neurotic gaze.

Sharp eyes.

Deep amber eyes and dark blue hair that seemed to hide them cast their presence boldly through the dark warehouse.

“I heard someone would come if I killed them all, but you really came.”

The young man muttered, either to himself or addressing Cariel, it wasn’t clear.

All while keeping his gaze fixed on Cariel.

“I came looking for a child.”

“A child? What child?”

The young man frowned as if confused.

“In this cruel world where children die everywhere, you rushed here so busily to help a complete stranger?”

“……”

What does he know?

His tone wasn’t just guessing.

He knows something.

“That’s why I’m hunting like this. Don’t worry. We might let things slide elsewhere, but we’re not soft enough to allow such rampaging here.”

“…I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

After scanning the surroundings, Cariel concluded this wasn’t the place.

“Leaving already?”

“……”

“I wanted to test your skills. If you’re the one from the prophecy, didn’t you come here to get Grandeus’s sword or whatever?”

“……”

Prophecy. Grandeus. Sword.

The reason for coming here.

Wanting to test skills.

…From just these fragments, Cariel could roughly guess how much information advantage the other had.

More importantly, “the one from the prophecy.”

So Cariel himself is some specific entity wandering in a damned prophecy that someone spoke or recorded.

Is that what he means?

“Does that prophecy say whether you’ll win, live, or die?”

“Why? Planning to make it come true if I tell you?”

The young man swung his sword toward the empty air.

The raised sword was aimed at the ground without any warning.

Suddenly, the blood on the sword splattered,

Creating countless ripples on the blood-covered floor that was just beginning to congeal.

It happened in an instant.

…Too fast to follow with the eyes.

“You’ve been up there, so you know, right? But even you, who’s supposedly chosen, couldn’t pull it out? Then isn’t it ultimately a matter of skill?”

“…What are you trying to say?”

“You. They say you inherited Grandeus’s techniques without even being from the Salvation Knight Order? How is that possible?”

I had expected to get entangled somehow, but…

…I didn’t expect it to be in this way.

“Then are you from that great Salvation Knight Order?”

“Yes. I’m the third sword, no less.”

“……”

Does that ranking even matter?

Cariel couldn’t understand the mentality of someone who boasted about such things.

“What’s with that look?”

“So what? Third or fourth, what does that have to do with me?”

“This is why those without roots are trash.”

That’s my line.

Confidence that seems to transcend reason. Pride.

Those stiff shoulders, that gaze, that expression, arrogant to the point of haughtiness.

…I’ve seen this kind of behavior many times before.

Those who call themselves blue-blooded acted like this.

Above all.

…Alesius.

That bastard who claimed to have golden blood always displayed such groundless confidence, even behind his mask.

In the end, he made it his foundation and actually achieved it.

But that was possible because he was that exceptional.

Credit where credit is due.

Without Elhermina, he would have been beyond gifted—a genius in his own right.

Strangely enough.

The guy before me is completely different from him, and surely lived a different life.

Yet somehow, he smelled similar.

“Drop that gloomy expression. Let’s fight. We’re not on friendly terms anyway.”

“…Then is there a reason to cross swords?”

Being detained here for too long might lead to misunderstandings, which would be more painful.

“Then should I ask that little girl instead? The one you brought here.”

“You have the skill for that?”

Cheap provocation.

Moreover.

“…Wasn’t the Salvation Knight Order supposed to stand for justice, protecting the weak, and guardianship? Seems like its identity has changed a lot since Grandeus’s death.”

“Aren’t you the Dark Lord’s leader?”

Those words unexpectedly pierced my core.

“What?”

“Not denying it, I see?”

What is this?

“There’s a rumor spreading everywhere now. The child of some great hero is plotting the revival of the Dark Lord.”

“……”

Absolute nonsense, but.

The truth doesn’t matter.

Whether it’s factual or not is even less important.

What matters is that someone believes it and is spreading such talk.

That’s all that matters.

“Should I spread the word that this great hero’s child is here? That would cause quite a commotion, wouldn’t it?”

“……”

Is this a threat?

Or is it blackmail, or the groundwork for negotiation?

“Haa.”

Let’s get this over with.

“Fine. I’ll play along.”

I drew Elhermina’s sword.

No matter how I thought about it,

I couldn’t come up with a better idea.

Besides,

…is there any reason to avoid a fight that’s been brought to me?

What I was wary of was fighting in this area and potentially being falsely accused.

So, if that issue is resolved…

“Hm?”

Instead of entering the warehouse, I moved away from it, as if trying to disappear.

“You bastard?!”

Like a child who felt mocked, he chased after me in a rage.

“Hey, you bastard! You said we’d fight! Where are you running to?! Are you going to stop or not?!”

…Why does this guy, who seems several years older than me, act like a child?

Instantly crossing to sit on another warehouse roof, I waved my index finger at him as he looked up at me.

Then, after gesturing with my chin for him to follow, I immediately left.

“Yaaah—!”

The young man’s roar, almost a scream, shook the area.

What can you do, you idiot?

If you’re upset, just follow me well.