episode_0019

“Haa, haa…”

As I put aside all other matters and headed towards the heroes’ residence, my breathing gradually grew ragged.

It wasn’t ragged from joy or excitement, but from unease.

Ears long like the leaves symbolizing elves.

And Kara’s expressionless face, staring at me with cold eyes.

Her appearance, completely different from what I had seen in the past, caused my mind to gradually become confused.

Rushing quickly, I soon arrived at the heroes’ residence.

Several tents symbolizing each hero were set up, and in front of them, knights stood strict guard.

“Stop!”

A knight standing at the entrance to the heroes’ residence stopped me.

“Those without permission cannot enter here, so turn back.”

I replied in an urgent voice.

“I am Agape, the military attaché of Duke Oleg’s knight order, the Oleg Knights. Please inform the Third Hero Kara that I have arrived.”

At my words, the knight snorted.

“The Hero is not free enough to see someone like you.”

My brow furrowed at his excessively rude attitude for a knight guarding a hero, but I soon tried to speak again.

“I repeat—”

Shing—

As I took one step forward, the knight drew his sword and began to threaten me.

“If you come one step closer, it will be considered an act of rebellion against the ‘Imperial Family’.”

The Imperial Family.

It was an extremely arrogant remark for a mere knight to utter, but then I understood upon seeing the emblem engraved on the knight’s armor.

‘The Impurity Family.’

A family related to the Imperial Family, possessing power and influence second only to them.

They held the same ducal title as Duke Oleg’s family, but their prestige was so immense it made other dukes of the Empire seem insignificant.

To what extent, you ask—

“I am a knight of the Impurity Family. Not some Oleg military attaché; at least bring a vice-commander.”

To the extent that he could casually spout such words.

Hearing that, a furious heat began to erupt within me.

I was already desperate to meet Kara, and now some low-ranking individual, not even an officer, was insulting the knight order I had served for eight years.

Grinding my teeth—

For a moment, I was so enraged I ground my teeth, but I decided to hold back.

There was something more important now than venting my anger over insulting remarks about the knight order.

“…If I cannot enter, can you at least deliver a message?”

“Get lost.”

He spat—

The knight spat on the ground and ignored Agape’s words.

“……”

As Agape’s demeanor began to turn slightly fierce at the renewed rude behavior, the knight raised an eyebrow and pointed his sword at Agape.

“What is that look?”

“I’ll say it again.”

Thud—

Flinch!

“If you can’t even deliver my message to Lord Kara, then I won’t stand idly by any longer—”

Swoosh—

Suddenly, the knight swung his sword at me.

I barely dodged it, but the attack was clearly imbued with killing intent, and I glared fiercely at him.

“What are you doing?”

“Get lost.”

The knight said, his expression unchanged.

“If you displease me again, I will add the crime of attempting to assassinate the heroes to the crime of defying an Impurity knight, and—”

He pointed—

The knight pointed his sword and gave a sinister smile.

“I’ll personally cut the throats of your parents too.”

My patience ran out there.

Slice—

“Ugh, Aaaaaaaargh…!!!!!!”

I cut off his wrist.

The knight, unable to even react, belatedly realized his wrist was gone and let out a scream of agony.

At the same time, about a dozen knights who were on guard elsewhere rushed towards me.

“What have you done!”

“An assassin! An assassin targeting the heroes has come!”

They concluded that I was an assassin sent to kill the heroes.

They all bore the same Impurity Family emblem.

They had remained silent when their comrade uttered insulting remarks, but only now rushed forward when I took ‘appropriate’ action against his rudeness.

Their appearance was so pathetic and ugly that I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.

‘Is this truly the appearance of knights who serve heroes?’

That knights from the most noble families, grand family knights supposedly guarding heroes, would act so despicably.

Feeling disappointed by how different they were from what I had heard, I simultaneously pointed my sword at them.

Shing—

Things had gotten complicated, but I didn’t regret it.

Enduring that insult just now would have been foolish.

Thinking it was now or never, I warned them.

“I will say it again.”

“……!”

As soon as I spoke, the knights who were about to rush me stopped.

“I will meet Hero Kara, so open the path. Otherwise—”

Shing—

“From this moment on, I will cut down anyone who stands in my way.”

At my warning, imbued with killing intent, the knights broke into a cold sweat.

‘What kind of killing intent is so terrifying?’

Even though it was clear he wasn’t using aura, an oppressive force washed over them, making them feel as if they were being directly hit by ‘Fear’.

Yes, Fear. It felt like they were being crushed by an aura reminiscent of Fear, like an ocean.

Overwhelmed by Agape’s overwhelming presence, the knights involuntarily cowered, maintaining a standoff, unable to act.

It wasn’t just the presence; their instincts, forged from long combat experience, were warning them.

If all of them charged, they would surely win…

But the first one to charge would definitely, unequivocally die by that man’s hand.

Such poisonous killing intent was directed at them that none of them dared to step forward first, risking their lives.

“What is this commotion?!”

Then, Hero Danoa’s voice was heard.

“Lord Danoa!”

At one knight’s cry, Danoa’s gaze turned towards me.

“You are…”

Danoa frowned, trailing off her words.

“What is this commotion?”

At that moment, a woman’s voice was heard from inside the tent.

It was Kara’s voice.

“Ah, Lord Kara. That is—”

Before Danoa could finish speaking, Kara emerged from the tent.

“Kara…”

At my voice, her long ears twitched, and her gaze turned towards me.

“……”

Kara’s gaze stopped on me.

In the perfectly silent atmosphere, the two of us stared into each other’s eyes, with the wall of knights between us.

Then, another voice was heard from inside the tent.

“What’s going on, Kara?”

Soon, a blond, blue-eyed man in splendid armor emerged from the tent.

Astolfo.

The eldest son of the Impurity Ducal Family, a relative of the Imperial Family, and the next head of the family.

He, the fourth knight of the Shahlnu Stellarum Knights, holding the spear symbolizing his family, looked between the two of us.

“What is this fool?”

Astolfo’s brow furrowed.

At the same time, he shifted his gaze to the knights who had stopped me and demanded an answer.

The knight whose wrist I had severed replied, suppressing his pain.

“He is… an assassin… who came to kill the Hero of Verdure.”

“Kill? Assassin?”

At his subordinate knight’s words, Astolfo looked at me.

And then.

WHAM—!!

He threw a spear at supersonic speed, piercing my left arm, which held my sword.

“……!”

CRASH—

“Aaaaargh!”

A sudden surge of pain made me involuntarily scream.

My arm, pinned to the tree by the piercing spear, was instantly shredded to a rag by Astolfo’s single powerful aura attack.

Step-step.

He approached me with leisurely steps.

“To dare infiltrate the heroes’ residence alone, you have some nerve.”

Crack—

Pulling the spear from the tree, Astolfo pointed the spearhead at my chest.

“Die.”

“Wait!”

At some point, Kara had stepped in front of me and seized Astolfo’s wrist, stopping him.

“There’s no need to go that far.”

“No need to go that far? Ha! What nonsense! This fellow is an assassin who came to harm a hero!”

“Even so—!”

Their argument began.

“Haa, haa… Ngh…”

I clutched my tattered arm to prevent it from falling off.

Then, looking up at them, a sparkling piece of jewelry on Kara’s ring finger caught my eye.

A lapis lazuli ring.

Upon seeing it, Agape’s pupils contracted.

“That…”

With a trembling voice and fingertip, I pointed at her ring finger.

“That ring, …what is it?”

“Ring?”

I expected Kara to answer, but Astolfo’s questioning words pierced my ears before hers.

At the same time, his gaze moved to his own finger.

“Are you referring to my engagement ring?”

“…What did you say?”

At his words, I looked at Astolfo’s finger.

A lapis lazuli ring, identical in shape to Kara’s, was on it.

My gaze turned to Kara.

Kara, who had maintained an expressionless face all along, subtly avoided my gaze.

“……What happened?”

“……”

“KARA!!”

CRASH—!

“Ngh…!”

“How dare you shout at anyone!”

He stomped on my face with his boot, snarling.

“…off.”

“…What did you just say?”

“Mo-ve… aside.”

Shhhhrrrring────

Clank—

I drew Morgoth’s sword.