Chapter 18: The Road to Empire (2)

The s*ave traders Aria encountered were not weak.

The fact that they were still in business, despite s*ave trading being illegal, was a testament to their strength.

The man they called “boss” was a renowned figure in the underworld.

He had a bounty on his head, placed by both the Adventurer’s Guild and the nobility, yet he continued to operate, even hunting the bounty hunters who came after him.

So why…

P-Please, spare me! I’ll—Ugh…!

Gyaaaa! My arm! My aaarm!!!

…was this carnage unfolding?

The reason was simple.

“Is this all it takes to call something a ‘declaration’?”

Even all of them combined were weaker than her.

A lone woman, untouched by the surrounding bloodbath.

Within the blood-soaked tent, a black reaper harvested lives.

Dozens of them, yet they couldn’t even muster the courage to fight against a single opponent.

Their strongest, the boss, had both his arms severed the moment he drew his sword.

His subordinates, who rushed to his defense, followed him to the afterlife.

These men, hardened by a life of violence, were now nothing more than terrified lambs.

They might feel wronged.

How could they have known that a lone woman would be an existence beyond their comprehension?

But they were simply…

“Are you the last one?”

“S-Spare…!”

Slice

…unlucky.

I looked around. Only corpses remained.

A familiar sight.

The last survivor lay on the ground, headless.

“Sigh… What am I going to do with this…”

Normally, I would have left one alive for interrogation.

But two years on the front lines had left me with a… side effect.

Once I started killing, it was hard to stop.

I couldn’t question the dead, so I moved on.

They would have needed a map to travel, so it had to be somewhere.

I searched the boss’s belongings, hoping to find something useful.

Bags of gold coins and several sets of keys.

Nothing of value.

The other tents and the crates yielded nothing as well.

Did they really not carry a spare map?

They were clearly not running a legitimate business.

Or perhaps the route was so familiar that they didn’t need one.

“I’ll have to follow the road, then… Huh?”

Despite thinking I had killed everyone, I sensed multiple presences coming from within.

Be quiet!

I’m scared…

Are we going to die?

They were trying to hide, but they couldn’t hide from me.

I followed the sound to the entrance of a cave.

Slice

I cut through the locked gate, light flooding the cave.

Startled, the figures inside scrambled away from me.

Humans, beastkin, and various other races huddled together.

They all shared one thing in common: s*ave collars around their necks.

The most striking figure was a young girl at the front.

“What are you going to do to us?”

“…An elf?”

Blue eyes met mine in the darkness.

Her golden hair was tangled and dusty, but her pointed ears were unmistakable.

Looking at the elf girl, I remembered what the s*ave traders had been talking about.

So the “high-quality goods” were elves.

Elves were rare.

Beautiful, long-lived, and naturally talented with bows and spirit magic, they were known as the people of the forest.

Should I have spared them?

Elves were fiercely protective of their kin, known to eradicate entire families for enslaving their kind.

These s*ave traders would have been killed by elves eventually, even without my intervention.

“Answer me. What are you going to do…?”

Perhaps due to her captivity, her words were sharp.

It was understandable for her to be wary, but it was still unpleasant to be spoken to like that after saving them.

“I have no intentions. I just happened to find you.”

“Don’t lie! You’re probably with them!”

“I’m alone.”

She continued to eye me suspiciously.

There was no point in reasoning with her.

It was easier to just get what I needed.

Slice

I cut through the girl’s collar with a single stroke.

“What…?”

“I thought it would be uncomfortable.”

She touched her neck, but there was no wound.

“Do you really… have no ulterior motives?”

“I told you, it was a coincidence.”

Her tone softened, perhaps from surprise, but I didn’t comment on it.

I freed the others, and they slowly began to stand.

“…Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

The elf girl approached me hesitantly, expressing her gratitude.

She then looked away shyly.

“Is there anything I can do to repay you?”

“Could you tell me the way to the nearest town?”

“We need to travel there as well. Why don’t we go together?”

She pointed to the side, where several people were preparing a carriage.

It was probably the only way for them to travel in their current state.

“Alright. I’ll take you up on that offer.”

“I’m Lena.”

“I’m Aria.”

That was my first encounter with Lena, the beginning of a long relationship.

The journey to the nearest town was uneventful.

Fortunately, it was the same town I had originally been heading for.

“So, why are you going to the town?”

“To get supplies for the Academy entrance exam and then take a carriage there.”

“You’re an Academy applicant too?”

“Are you as well, Lena?”

“…You could say that.”

Lena had started speaking informally.

We talked for half a day before arriving at the town gates.

“State your purpose.”

“I rescued these people from s*ave traders on the way here.”

“What? s*ave traders? What do you…”

The guard looked at the people in the carriage in surprise before bowing to me.

“Thank you for your assistance.”

“It was nothing.”

“I must report this to the lord. Could you come with me?”

I nodded, and he led us to the lord’s mansion.

After explaining the situation and refusing a reward, I was finally free.

“…You can come out now.”

It seemed I wasn’t the only one waiting.

I had noticed them following me since I entered the town.

At first, I thought they were simply surprised by the rescued slaves, but their gazes were fixed on the carriage.

As if they recognized it.

“Three on the roof, two in the left alley, and one around the corner.”

Did they think I wouldn’t notice?

As I spoke, they emerged from their hiding spots.

Cloaked and hooded, weapons drawn.

“You knew?”

“You weren’t exactly subtle.”

“Then this will be quick. Come quietly if you don’t want to die.”

The man in front released his killing intent. His subordinates followed suit.

“Oh…”

They were strong.

Stronger than the s*ave traders.

But…

“Who are you trying to intimidate?”

Slice

“Gyaaa! My eye! My eye…!”

They were nothing more than thugs.

The man clutched his bleeding eye socket, writhing on the ground. Another swing of my sword, and his head flew off.

A gruesome scene, painted with blood.

“N-No way…”

“The boss… in one blow…”

“A monster… we can’t win…”

The assassins faltered, terrified by what they had witnessed.

Witnessing their leader’s death was clearly a shock.

“Die.”

Shadows pierced the hearts of those who tried to flee.

Five of the six assassins were dead. I was about to kill the last one when…

“Haa… No… I have to restrain myself…”

…I stopped, the black blade inches from his skin.

I almost killed the only source of information again.

“You.”

“Y-Yes!”

“Answer my questions, and I’ll let you live.”

“Ask me anything! I’ll tell you everything!”

“Sigh…”

The man nodded frantically. I looked up at the white moon and sighed.

It was going to be a long night.