Chapter 10 : Old Evils

“W-What…?”

Hopkins, the leader of the group that kidnapped Erina, couldn’t process the situation unfolding before him.

Not only had a single person taken down his elite soldiers, but this man was radiating an aura that overwhelmed even Hopkins himself.

“Woojjiyaaaaaa!!”

And on his back was a toddler girl, barely old enough to walk.

The cute roar coming from her mouth was utterly out of place in this grave situation, leaving Hopkins staring at them in bewilderment, grappling with the disconnect.

“Honey!”

Erina’s cry from behind snapped him out of his daze.

Through her call, Hopkins instantly realized the man before him was her husband.

And, at the same time, the identity of the girl on his back.

‘That child… the reincarnation of the Hero…!’

The target had walked right into his grasp.

A broad grin spread across his face, but Erina, seemingly unaware of his thoughts, continued calling out to her husband.

“Honey, how did you find this place?”

“Even efforts to cover tracks leave traces. Especially when they’re familiar ones…”

“Did you report it once you pinpointed the location? Don’t tell me you came here alone? Without telling anyone?”

Her barrage of questions made the intruder’s body flinch.

Erina realized he’d come alone, but this was far from welcome news to her.

“You didn’t forget, did you?”

“Well…”

“Or did you think you could handle it alone? Without even knowing how many there are or how vicious they might be?”

“But you were in danger, so I thought coming quickly would be best…”

“So if I’m in danger, it’s fine for you to put yourself in harm’s way?! Ugh, seriously!! You’re always like this! Always trying to shoulder everything alone, never even considering asking for help!! That’s why you always come back covered in wounds, isn’t it?!”

“…”

Silenced by his wife’s scolding, the intruder clamped his mouth shut, unable to respond.

Considering he’d just taken down Hopkins’ soldiers, the scene felt surreal, but Hopkins chose to ignore it for now.

What mattered was that the reincarnation of the Hero was on the man’s back, meaning a negotiation opportunity had presented itself.

“…You.”

Before proceeding with negotiations, Hopkins quietly posed a question to the man.

“What did you do to my men outside?”

“I didn’t kill them.”

“…You subdued them without killing?”

“I don’t kill unless I have to. This isn’t a battlefield.”

Answering calmly, the man tightened his grip on the machete and glared at Hopkins.

“But that’s only if you don’t cross the line. I trust you understand what I’m demanding by now.”

Cease your actions and retreat quietly. Or I can’t guarantee what I’ll do next.

The implied threat made Hopkins grind his teeth, but he soon let out a scoff and gestured into the air.

“You seem confident in your strength, but you’ve misjudged your opponent. Those here aren’t mere adventurers—they’re true warriors.”

–Swoosh.

Black-hooded soldiers emerged from the shadows of the cave.

Ten in number. A force Hopkins was certain one man couldn’t handle alone.

“You likely got this far through ambushes or picking them off one by one. Facing this many alone will be impossible.”

Thus, the man’s only option was to comply with negotiations.

As if acknowledging this, the man asked in a gruff voice.

“What do you want?”

“Hand over the child on your back quietly.”

–Grit.

His teeth ground together.

Because he knew the demand was absurd.

“…I refuse.”

“Then we’ll have to use force.”

At Hopkins’ raised hand, the soldiers readied to act.

With a cold voice, Hopkins commanded.

“Kill if you must. But don’t harm the child.”

To them, only the reincarnation of the Hero held value, and any sacrifices were acceptable.

Especially if the targets were fools presuming to be the Hero’s parents.

As the order was given, the intruder gently set the child on his back to the ground, whispering in a tender voice.

“Rona, remember what we talked about?”

“Yes.”

“Good, I’m counting on you.”

Whatever exchange they had didn’t matter to Hopkins.

The moment his raised hand dropped, the frontline soldiers charged at the man, raising their blades.

–Hummm.

Their swords vibrated, blue currents flowing along them.

Aura, proof that all present had reached mastery.

Suppressing such skilled warriors single-handedly was impossible. With that certainty, the man swung his machete at the leading soldier without hesitation.

At a glance, a light motion.

But swift and precise.

–Slash!!

The soldier, confidently thrusting his blade, froze with a blank expression, feeling an empty sensation in his hand.

For some reason, the blade meant to cut the man had vanished. Why?

–THWACK!!

Before he could comprehend, a kick slammed into his abdomen, the agony of his lungs being crushed sending his body flying.

“Keh, hack…!”

Eyes rolling back, choking as he struggled to breathe, the soldier collapsed.

The faces of the soldiers charging behind him stiffened, but they pressed on, undeterred.

If one fell, two would attack, believing numbers would overwhelm him.

–Slash, slash!!

But their blades didn’t connect.

The Aura Blades meant to slice his limbs were cut apart by the machete in his hand.

“W-What!?”

The elite soldiers of the Imperial Army couldn’t contain their shock at the unthinkable sight.

Aura Blades, forged by honing mana to its limit, were sharper than razors. Wielded with mastered skill, they could cleave rock and even steel.

They were the ones who’d reached that pinnacle. Honored warriors who could easily overpower ordinary foes.

–CRACK!! Slash!!

But their pride was shattered in an instant.

The frontline soldiers, belatedly realizing they’d lost their weapons, faced merciless violence from a honed physique.

–BOOM! BANG!!

Mana-infused blows struck their bodies. No, they exploded.

Each attack was so devastating it could only be described that way.

Even protected by mana, their defenses were shattered by the overwhelming destructive force in his fists.

“What is this guy?! Does this even make sense!?”

“A monster… Why is such a monster in a backwater village like this?!”

Their morale crumbled, and fear blossomed in their hearts.

The excellence they’d once celebrated was rendered meaningless as the man before them ruthlessly crushed their strength.

The scene repeated relentlessly.

A spectacle Hopkins could only watch helplessly.

“Ugh, huff…”

As over ten men lay sprawled on the ground, Hopkins could only stare, his breath frozen.

What was this situation?

To so easily defeat those called the finest elites in the Empire. Only the Golden Knights, the Emperor’s personal guard, should be capable of such a feat.

“You… What’s your identity?”

No, that can’t be.

A Golden Knight settling in a rural village like this?

“I’m a soldier. I fought on the front lines a few years ago.”

“That’s absurd! A mere conscript did this?”

“I don’t care to hear that from someone clinging to the vile traditions of a bygone era.”

Vile traditions.

The words grated on Hopkins’ nerves.

Even before fully grasping their intent, he instinctively understood their meaning.

“I already confirmed on my way here that you’re from the Military Police.”

But the man spoke casually.

With certainty of their identity and a near-contemptuous tone.

“The Military Police were created to oppress the Empire’s citizens. Their origins lie in absolute tyranny, but after the current Emperor recognized the rights and freedoms of the people, their scale was minimized. Now, they’re merely tools used by a few officials to control their jurisdictions…”

Their roots were a force built for tyranny.

In the current era, employing such a group was for suppressing issues in one’s domain with force.

Without freedom or respect. Though smaller than the old Empire’s tyranny, they were still tools to flaunt authority.

“At best, they’re thugs serving corrupt nobles consumed by greed for power, oppressing weak citizens… Do you really think I’d respect such scum?”

“You bastard!!”

Humiliation surged within him.

Enough to forget the unthinkable strength the man had shown.

His words stung Hopkins’ nerves so deeply.

“What do you know to spout such nonsense?! That person kept the Military Police for a reason! For the Empire… To revive this declining nation!!”

“Even as a victor in war, handing the Empire to a foolish Crown Prince who prattles about peace is unthinkable! The one who should truly lead the Empire is that person! Why can’t you understand that I must take the reincarnation of the Hero you’ve raised for that person?!”

Hopkins, Captain of a special unit of the Military Police.

He yearned for the glory of the past more than anyone, willingly serving as a lackey for a power dreaming of tyranny.

To him, those playing family with a tool like the reincarnation of the Hero were incomprehensible and beneath his notice.

Unleashing his rage, he charged, but the man faced him silently, readjusting his grip on the machete.

He met the incoming blade.

A fierce, powerful strike befitting a Captain, which he dodged to the side without clashing.

–Swoosh!!

The rage-fueled strike cut through the air, leaving an opening.

The man attached no meaning to the failed attack, simply gripping his machete firmly.

Channeling every ounce of his anger.

To unleash it on the despicable foe before him.

–BOOM!!

A fist slammed into Hopkins’ face, sending the Military Police Captain flying limply.

Suppressing the urge to lose consciousness from the shock, he clutched his bleeding nose, grinding his teeth.

‘I can’t accept this, I won’t…!’

He was the one pursuing the greater good.

With the necessary tool right before him, to be crushed so pathetically in a place like this?

“Should I understand you?”

But reality cruelly urged him to give up.

“You didn’t understand me and tried to destroy my life, yet you expect me to understand your pathetic ideals?”

If this continued, a broken nose would be the least of his worries.

Instinctively backing away from the lethal warning, Hopkins noticed someone nearby and jerked his head up.

It was Erina, bound and watching the scene. The partner the man who’d crushed him cherished.

“Don’t come closer!”

Grabbing Erina and pressing a blade to her throat, Hopkins halted the man’s advancing steps.

Yes, this woman was his weakness.

Just by threatening her, Hopkins could gain the upper hand.

“…You claim to serve the greater good, yet you resort to every dirty trick.”

“Shut up! What do you know?!”

Hopkins’ trembling blade drew closer to Erina’s throat.

The smirk on his face was so ugly it was unthinkable for someone claiming to pursue the greater good. Unaware of this, he sneered and mocked them.

“How could you understand the greater good? To achieve it, one must dirty their hands and cast aside beliefs… So I won’t stop. All for the Empire and humanity! To annihilate all evil threatening them!”

Even cornered, Hopkins branded himself as justice and the couple as evil, refusing to yield.

But the man didn’t react with anger.

He stood there, looking at Hopkins with pity and disdain, then quietly shifted his gaze to someone Hopkins had overlooked.

“You’re forgetting something, aren’t you?”

“Haha! What nonsense are you—”

–Hummm.

A vibration echoed.

The noise of mana being channeled.

But the man stood still, and the sound came from the opposite direction.

‘What the…!’

Was there another ally?

Realizing this, Hopkins’ gaze slowly turned back, and he met the presence standing there.

A small girl with white hair.

A mere toddler, too weak to be worth a veteran soldier’s concern.

–WHOOSH!!

Blinded by that prejudice, Hopkins was a beat too late to notice the torrent of mana surging from her body.

And that split-second delay was fatal in this moment.

–BANG!!

The girl, seizing the moment, channeled strength into her legs, the repulsive force of her compressed mana propelling her small body into a blur.

Too fast to track with the eyes.

But the pressure of her approach was undeniable.

“Ajjyaaaaaa!!”

Her battle cry resounded as the distance closed instantly.

Hopkins couldn’t react in time, leaving him vulnerable to the strike aimed at his lower body.

–CRASH!!

Her head slammed precisely into the vulnerable spot between his legs.

The force, capable of shattering rock, crushed the two fragile targets too weak to withstand such a blow.

“Ogh, o-oh…”

Unable to even scream from the agony, Hopkins collapsed.

Rising from the ground, the girl raised both arms and shouted with all her might.

“Nona did it!!”

The little Hero had claimed her first victory.