episode_0124

A sharp wind blew.

It was a wind caused by a light gesture from Heron Argos.

The actual wind cannot tear human skin, but the wind created artificially by some monster was different. There is no way that the wind of one who can cut down a city itself could not tear the skin of a womanizer.

The wind lifted him into the air, and the sharp wind gradually cut into his skin.

“Kkaaah!!!”

“You lack respect. You may not show respect to those who fought for this country, but you should not despise them. Don’t you know that if you step on the sword that protects you, you will cut your own foot? What country in the world does that?”

“Ah. Okay, stop it, you, it hurts too much!!!”

“Yeah, you cowardly dogs who would lick a shoe if it hurts right now. That’s you. If you were consistent, you wouldn’t say anything. You disgusting country that leans on soldiers when war is imminent, and then throws their dedication away like an old shoe when the war is over… You’re all fucking together to create a shitty country to live in. ”

Raoul tried to stop him, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Compensation for the families of the dead soldiers, pensions for soldiers disabled during the war, consolation money for the surviving soldiers… All of these were paid by the current Emperor and Empress, the Duke of Argos, the Marquis of Nevermore, the Viscount Poleur, and the Count of Bergé.

Other nobles were also asked to make donations, but they each made excuses and refused, and from that day on, Raoul gave up hope in other nobles.

Even Raoul couldn’t readily give an answer to the question of whether this kind of trash had any value in life.

“It’s so unpleasant. It’s like there are ants crawling inside my clothes. It’s like a disgusting country that doesn’t respect warriors, only focuses on immediate profits and stimulation, and you can’t find any respect or understanding.”

The wind that was cutting down the undignified man contained hatred towards the empire.

“Honor, knighthood, that’s bullshit that’s not worth even a penny. I don’t respect that, you piece of shit.”

Before he knew it, red blood was splattering everywhere, and Raoul, thinking that this was enough, tried to stop his teacher.

“Master.”

“You. Have you ever heard these kids thank you for protecting the country?”

“This wasn’t started with the intention of receiving thanks from these authors.”

“When I see those kind of kids, I feel a murderous desire. Kids like that should just disappear…!”

“The bar is getting dirty.”

“…. That’s true too.”

As Heron snapped his fingers, the man whose whole body had been mangled looked up at him, breathing heavily.

“…… Get out. Before I kill you.”

“Yes, yes!”

“Take that damn woman with you. If I see her, I feel like I’m going to lose my mind and start killing people.”

“Oh, I see!”

While he was running away, Heron emptied a bottle of strong liquor in one gulp with an angry expression on his face.

Raoul looked at him and asked cautiously.

“What the hell happened?”

“…… I never intended to be a knight in the first place. Whether it was talent or something… I just wanted to be a musician who travels the world and plays music. But you know. My fiancée, who I have a crush on, said that she thought I looked cool with a spear. She wanted to see me become a knight.”

“…….”

“So I worked like crazy. I asked for teachings from the so-called strongest, defeated countless strong men, and achieved great feats on the battlefield… I overcame life-or-death crises several times and became the Minister of the Armed Forces.”

Who doesn’t know that story?

The tale of Heron Argos was so famous that even Raoul read it many times when he was young.

However, the story after that was not recorded in any book, so we could not know.

“And the day after I became the Minister of War, my wife ran away. Leaving behind only responsibilities that I could not bear to abandon. Leaving behind this disgusting empire and children who resembled her… She ran away with her property and heirlooms…”

It was a famous story that everyone who knew about it would know.

However, the story that followed was not like that.

“Still, I desperately believed I had been kidnapped and searched… But the magic tool that recorded the footage arrived. Do you know what that woman said to me?”

“… Was that a breakup notice?”

“She laughed. So loudly that it was crazy. She laughed at me for believing her. And then she said. She never loved me from the beginning. She just whispered to me to become a knight so she could exploit me. She wouldn’t have anything to take if I abandoned my family. It’s really funny. I was playing into her hands from the beginning. My strength and my status… were all her tricks. ”

Raoul couldn’t bring himself to say anything to him.

Because words of sympathy, words of comfort, words of empathy would all be nothing but hypocrisy.

“Can I endure this world with a clear mind? Can I not feel a murderous urge when I see children who resemble that woman? I have no choice but to suppress it all with alcohol.”

It was a sad statement, but Raoul looked dumbfounded.

“That’s what love is. What my daughter feels, what you feel. It’s all such fleeting and light nonsense.”

“I don’t understand.”

“… What?”

“It would be an exaggeration to say that Camilla and I will fail because the Master failed in love. And even my mother’s love for my father is heavy. On the contrary, the light thing is the Master’s conclusion based on his personal experience…”

“This kid…”

Heron lifted the bottle of wine, but couldn’t bring himself to swing it. Instead, he gulped down its contents in frustration.

“Yeah. What’s the use of being mad at you?”

“That’s a wise decision.”

Raoul put down the cane he had hidden behind his back and explained briefly what he had intended to do.

“You creepy bastard… Anyway. That’s why I’m saying this. Take my heart and live with my daughter. Saying that it’s some kind of bad love or something. Isn’t it better for a young person like you to live with many reasons to live than an old man who doesn’t want to live?”

“You’re going to run away in the end.”

“Wow, you damn wall-crawler… Even if someone like me dies, there’s no one who’ll cry for you, but you’re different, you little shit.”

“I don’t want to do things like sacrifice others to survive.”

“Wow, this is so fucking frustrating.”

As Raoul and Heron continued their parallel fight, the woman who had once been Heron’s wife and his lover hurriedly tried to leave the village.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Oh, we have to run away. Before that monster attacks us…”

“Let’s just hire mercenaries and kill them. Even though I’m strong, I’m just a knight. If I just hire a few mercenaries and kill them…!”

“That guy, he’s not a person with common sense, so you should run away quickly…!”

So the two ran towards the entrance of the village without paying the overdue accommodation fee, and ended up colliding with someone who was entering the village through the entrance.

“Ouch!”

“Where the hell are you looking?”

“… Hmm. I think it was you who ran without looking ahead, but I apologize for now. ”

When the opponent bowed down and came out, they could not overcome their mean instinct and started to show off.

“Oh my, it looks like the bone is broken. Should I get medical treatment?”

“… It wasn’t that strong of a shock.”

“What do you know? Are you a doctor? What are you?!”

“Who am I…?”

He thought for a moment, then began introducing himself in a calm voice.

“I am the monarch who once ruled the eastern continent, having ascended to the pinnacle of swords and martial arts.”

“He is a master who taught effective swordsmanship to the humans of this continent who could not even catch a single demon.”

“He is still worshipped as a god of war in some regions.”

“He is also a skilled blacksmith who created the weapons held by the heroes of the empire.”

“At the same time, he was also a usurper who defeated the king who had been tormenting humans and took his place.”

The two, surprised by his simple madness, tried to slowly back away, but they couldn’t do so with their feet missing both ankles.

The two people who had lost both ankles were unable to scream in pain and tried to crawl away.

My instincts as a living thing were frantically warning me to run away, but my wretched body wouldn’t follow suit.

“But now that those names are buried in the dust of history, the only name I can give is…”

And then the being finally drew its sword.

“It must be the ‘Devil King’.”

The two people turned to dust and disappeared without being able to say anything in response.

No, it would be more correct to say that it was mangled to the point of turning into dust.

They ended their lives in the most cruel and painful way possible, without even being able to scream.

“Of course, at the same time, he would be the husband of a beautiful woman.”

After finishing his introduction that no one would listen to, he quickly hurried his steps toward a shabby bar.

“Long time no see.”

And as the door of the old tavern creaked and the ultimate enemy appeared, Raoul naturally grabbed his staff and straightened his stance.

“Don’t misunderstand. I didn’t come here to fight today.”

“… How can I trust you?”

“If we want to fight, we can fight… but if we fight in this village, all the lowly lives around us will be blown away in an instant?”

“……. Still vicious.”

“Think as you wish.”

Heron Argos also glared at his teacher and held a spear instead of a flask.

“Come on. It would be reckless to confront me while I’m drunk.”

In the midst of such a tense atmosphere, Raoul looked at the faces of the men in the bar.

And he listed the common characteristics of the three people gathered at the bar.

“… It’s not like we’re gathered here to lament our past failures in love.”

Then, Heron, unable to control his anger, hit Raoul’s head with his bottle of wine.

“….. I see. There was a mistake. Only two people failed in love. I succeeded at the end. ”

At that story, the Demon King could not hold back his boiling anger and almost drew his sword.