Oukoku e Tsuzuku Michi

「I see, I see. That’s wonderful.」

「What’s with you, laughing so much? Do you like hearing the brats scream? Pervert, you better do your job.」

Aldo speaks in a condescending tone and tries to lift my hand off his shoulder, but my grip is too strong.

「……hey, let go.」

He fails twice more before finally removing my hand on the fourth time.

No, he didn’t remove it. I let go.

I turn to Rebecca, who is clinging to my waist and desperately pulling me.

「Stay! Please stay! The boss! We just need to find the boss!」

「No, I can’t hold back anymore. I’m going to wreck everything and save the girls.」

Rebecca hangs on my arm as it grabs the sword on my hip and points to the surroundings.

「What good is it to go berserk against these numbers!? We have to arrest the boss and call reinforcements first!」

I quickly glance around me.

There are ten thugs who came with me, twenty guys protecting the slave marketplace, thirty or so customers and their bodyguards, and Aldo.

「I can beat them, let go.」

「Ueh!? I underestimated Your Majesty’s strength! But still, you mustn’t! Even if you can, you shouldn’t! Err!」

Rebecca, who has mastered the advanced skill of shouting in a whisper, snuggles up to Aldo and comments in a prostitute’s tone.

「What an incredible place……I’m surprised such a place existed in Goldonia. Are there others like this?」

Aldo directs an uninterested gaze at Rebecca.

「Underground slave markets are nothing special. But they seem to have been largely destroyed during the previous king’s era. We have merely three places, however we continually get customers.」

Rebecca makes her way back while flirting.

「Hear that, Your Majesty!? There are two other sites! Even if you rampage here, unless the boss is arrested, two other places will go unchecked!」

「Gnnnuu.」

I exhale and restrain my arm from swinging on its own.

「Where is the boss?」

「I’m not telling a guy who joined recently! Rather, neither I nor the other executives know. Whenever the boss comes, it’s sudden and without plan. During the unexpected visit, we would be told about the next big job, and sometimes about an incoming raid from the kingdom or a feudal lord.」

Hey hey, then how long are you telling me to close my eyes for?

「Anyways, the boss has crazy good intuition. Some people say it’s a weird spell, but the boss is not replaceable. That’s why the executives don’t want to do anything that resembles betrayal. Well, that’s not the only reason……」

In a rogue organization, there is no loyalty or honor.

The head controls his subordinates with money and fear, but on the other hand, the subordinates can overturn the head if they have more power.

However, if the boss has abilities that can’t be replaced by power, the matter becomes complicated.

「When the bad guys get to a certain size, they will often have internal struggles for the top spot and lose momentum…… or they create an opening for an inside job. With a boss who is especially careful, that makes it hard for them to be toppled. That’s how they’ve been expanding their influence all this time!」

After pondering, Rebecca once again reminds me that it’s imperative to arrest the boss.

「It’s not a good idea to talk too much about the boss. Get to your job. I’m leaving for other business.」

I scan my surroundings another time.

Young girls and boys are locked in rooms like prisons.

Seeing how they fall when they try to stand, I’m guessing the tendons on their legs have been cut.

Several kids are lined up as customers compete with each other to win them in the auction.

The screams of a girl clearly being violated are coming from the adjacent small room.

In the pit resembling an arena, a girl is crying as she is forced to fight and the boy acting as her opponent is being beaten by the supervisor for seemingly having lost his will to fight.

「It’s almost a miracle that we were able to get in so easily. We must not waste this opportunity.」

As Rebecca insists, even if we demolish this place, there are two others identical to this one.

My fiery emotions cool down.

I walk with big steps and head to the room where I hear the girl’s screams first.

「Please wait! If you fight here, we won’t get information on the boss or the other two bases!」

「I don’t care.」

Without stopping, I approached the man who had been beating the crying girl with the axe, and stepped on his foot as we crossed paths.

I stepped with force intending to separate his toes from his foot.

「Look at the broader picture! It’s not productive to let your emotions――」

I can’t help those I can’t see. I can’t do anything about those I can’t reach.

I’m no god so I can’t save every unfortunate girl.

「But I can save these girls right now. I can see and reach them. I must do it. The bigger picture or whatever……you can bring that to Leopolt.」

I barge into the room covered with a canopy.

As expected, a chubby middle-aged man is mounting a crying girl and shaking his hips.

「Sir, we can’t have that.」

I place a hand on the man’s shoulder.

「W-what!? I paid!」

「Shut up. An ugly person like you doesn’t deserve to fuck a girl. Do it with a pig.」

I grab him by the shoulders and throw him out of the room.

The man’s guard tries to lay his hands on me, but he is too slow and I break his arms.

Before he can yell, I stuff a rag picked up from the floor into his mouth.

「Sorry. If I was a bit quicker, you might not have suffered such a terrible experience.」

I lay a blanket on the girl and kiss the spot under her wet eye.

She lifts her thin body and stares at me blankly.

I tear apart the chains attached to her feet with my bare hands.

「Things are going to get rough, go hide. Tell the others if you can.」

The girl nods silently and runs to the room where the other children are confined.

「Alright, let’s do it.」

「Aaah, everything’s a mess. I guess it’s better to give up like the infiltration failed from the beginning.」

It happened just as I stepped out of the room filled with determination.

「Uoh, boss!?」

「You came!?」

「All of you, c’mere! Drag the guys on break too!」

The thugs scramble.

「A-at this timing!? How lucky!」

Rebecca climbs on my shoulders to get even a little bit of a higher view.

And I’m smart enough to at least restrain myself for about ten seconds in front of the boss.

「Gather ‘round immediately. Danger is approaching.」

Everybody’s attention is on the boss.

The man whose foot I stepped on and the customer who was tossed out are complaining, but get yelled at instead for being too loud.

The person with the highest authority emerges with light footsteps and a high-pitched voice, wearing a cloak as red as blood.

「He’s younger than I thought……no, it’s a girl?」

He has a height of 160 cm and a slender build like that of a town girl.

His face is young, almost baby-like, and androgynous, barely recognizable as a man.

「This is the boss? Not the boss’s lover or male concubine?」

This is completely unexpected.

I imagined someone closer to Mack or Gildress, but in fact the boss is physically more similar to Celia.

「He doesn’t appear to be just an effeminate man though.」

「Yeah, that much I can tell.」

Distinctive features include the needlessly poisonous-looking clothes and his right eye which is covered by an eye patch.

His left eye is unusually large and the black pupil can be seen moving from a few meters away where I am.

「B-boss. What do you mean, danger?」

「Is it a raid by a feudal lord? Or maybe another spy from central?」

The thugs ask with their bodies bent over.

「No――It’s something more dangerous. Aah, I see it……the base on the west coast is burning…… flames, iron balls, a one-armed warrior. An army of steel ravages the base in the north with eyes as cold as ice.」

The head clutches his right eye and begins muttering.

「Is that guy insane?」

「I don’t know, but this group has repelled all sorts of raids and spies. It might be a special ability, so we should be careful.」

As if suddenly realizing something, the head slowly points at me.

「Blood, guts, a black reaper of betrayal――I see, so it’s you?」

The subordinates’ all turn to me.

I turn behind me to Rebecca with the same movement.

「Ue!? Are you cutting me off――I’ll resent you!」

I’m kidding.

I turn back around and stare at the tiny boss.

I don’t know how he did it, but I can’t hide now that I’ve been found out.

「That’s right. I am――」

I should act with more dignity here.

「――I am the current king of Goldonia, Hardlett. Your heads are high, peasants. Bow down!」

Everyone falls silent.

The head, the thugs, and the customers looking for a chance to escape don’t move an inch.

「What did this guy say?」

「He must be crazy.」

「Uhh, are you sure he’s a traitor? I don’t know about the rest.」

Nobody kneels nor is anybody surprised.

Who would be? If I suddenly declared I was king and that they’re finished, nobody would believe me.

I extend my hand to Rebecca, almost like I’m demanding something urgently.

「What’s that hand for?」

「Isn’t it obvious? I’m going to present proof to these guys that I’m the king. Now, bring it out.」

「I don’t have it. This was supposed to be an infiltration so I’m not going to carry anything that will identify myself.」

I retract my hand without saying anything.

Then I inhale a big breath of air.

「Ooooooh!!」

I draw my sword with an energizing shout and smash the head of a nearby customer.

「Brutes! Don’t think that you’ll get away alive!!」

I say as I sweep my sword horizontally at a thug who reaches for his weapon.

His stomach is torn through his leather armor, his guts fly in the direction of my slash, and in just two swings my sword has broken.

「What’s wrong with this guy, is he nuts!?」

「He may be a crazy son of a bitch, but he’s a traitor like the boss said! Give him hell!!」

The thugs grab swords and spears and rush at me.

I tried to settle this with style and dignity, but it turned into a mess. I don’t care anymore.

All that matters is that I cut them down.

A spear targets the center of my torso.

I use my half-broken sword to swat the tip downward, step on the shaft as it hits the floor, and sink my fist into the man’s face.

My unrestrained blow is twice as powerful as the punch that killed the big man at the bar.

Not only is the man’s face bone cracked, his skull is deformed and he is sent spinning to the ground while leaking gray matter.

「He’s unarmed!」

A man yells as he swings his sword at me.

「Yes, that’s a bit of a problem.」

I sidestep the slash and stomp my foot down hard.

The force splits the brick floor and shoots pieces of debris in the air.

The fragments hit the forward-leaning man in the face and makes the slash miss.

「So I’m going to borrow this sword.」

That split second is long enough for me.

I snatch the sword from the man’s hand and twist his head while I’m at it.

「He’s strong! Let’s attack together!」

「Good idea. If you come to me, it saves me the effort of having to run to you.」

I slit the throat of the man who suggested the convenient tactic and charge into the crowd of men.

I’m going to have to change a few of my wild habits that I grew accustomed to when fighting with the Dual Crater.

I disable the arm raised by the first man with a shallow slice to each side, severing the tendons and arteries, then on the return swing I slice through the knee of the second man just as he is stepping in for a slash, and lastly I kick the third man through his guard, rocketing him up to the ceiling.

The man hits the low ceiling and falls head-first to his death at the same time I plant my foot on the head of the man writhing in pain from his shattered knee. As for the first guy……he’s bleeding like a fountain and will probably die if I leave him alone.

Taking a quick breath, I turn my sword around and thrust it under my arm at the person behind me.

「Gyabh……」

「Your attempt at my back is so obvious.」

I twist the sword that pierced the man in the chest and then pull it out.

Not even bothering to wipe the blood off the sword, I spread my legs shoulder-width apart and stand imposingly.

During the exchange, I had gradually been shifting my position until I stood in front of the only exit.

My intent is evident.

「If you want to run, you have to kill me.」

The head and his goons are going to die here.

「I-I’m merely a customer! I’m only here on behalf of my employer! My lord is a man of high rank, if you have any complaints you can write to him la――」

I grab the mumbling man trying to pass by the throat and close my hand around his neck.

「It’s not good to cheat.」

His neck snaps and I throw the twitching man away.

「Who is he? This guy is ridiculously strong!」

「He said Hardlett, and the only one I know is from the infamous story of him killing allies in order to become king.」

「The real deal……no way that’s possible!」

The clamoring thugs close the distance one step at a time.

That’s when I hear a voice from behind――in other words, from outside.

「The time to change shifts has long passed. What is going……」

It seems the lookout has come back.

That means I’m sandwiched from the front and back.

The thugs smirk.

「Alright, we go all at once. If we attack from all sides, even he can’t defend!」

「You guys join too! There’s no distinguishing between customers or whatever!」

I’m facing a collective attack from the front, and the guy behind me has also drawn his weapon after sensing something is amiss.

This is a bit of a challenge for a cheap sword with a chipped blade.

「Au……aauuu.」

A feeble voice attracts my attention to my feet where a girl who was being auctioned is trembling.

Her shackles are chained to an iron ball which seems to be as heavy as she is.

I lightly stroke her cheek.

「Let me borrow this. Oh, keep your head down.」

「Fueh?」

I pull apart the chain next to her feet.

Then I hold the chain and swing the iron ball attached to the other end.

「「「Get ‘em!!」」」

Thugs attack from all directions.

「That’s right, attack all at once. Don’t think you can escape.」

The iron ball collides with their swords and spears.

The collision makes a satisfying clash and sends a dull shock through my arms.

It’s the same sound that is made when a hammer breaks an old stone wall.

Of course, what I’m breaking is not a stone wall but the face of a thug.

「Gya.」

The man who is directly hit in the face by the mass of iron weighing several kilograms lets out a pathetic groan and dies instantly.

「Aim for his ba――ghnyo.」

The man approaching from behind is grazed on the chin by the iron ball and the part from his upper lip to the lower half of his face disappears.

The weird sound he makes is comical.

「「「Three, two, one, go!!」」」

Three men thrust their spears in unison after synchronizing.

Two of them are deflected by the rapidly spinning ball, while the other one is tangled by the chain and pulls its owner along with it.

「This is a last resort, but it’s rather fun.」

I add more momentum and increase the speed of the spinning iron ball.

「Wh-what is that!? How should we attack!?」

「He’s just twirling it! If we aim for a gap……man, that’s some fast twirling! I can’t see the ball!」

「It’s like an iron tornado……」

The length of the chain is roughly three meters.

Anything that enters that range, whether it be spears or swords or a person’s head, will be ripped off.

Naturally, I’m not going to simply stand still.

I maintain the spinning speed and move around, actively dragging my opponents into the danger zone.

「No matter how much range it has, he’s still indoors! There are plenty of obstacles like the ceiling and pillars. If we use them――」

Before he can finish his sentence, the iron ball hits a pillar and bounces right into the man’s forehead.

I’m not a master at wielding a ball and chain.

The iron ball is bouncing off pillars, tables, and the ceiling.

If I was spinning a sword or spear instead, it would get stuck and its momentum would stop. There is a limit to how much I can swing through with strength alone.

However, the round iron orb exhibits more power than expected.

When it bounces off a pillar, the trajectory changes unpredictably, and when it hits the floor, it shatters bricks and keeps rolling.

There is no stabbing motion so the momentum doesn’t stop.

After that, I just have to add in my own strength and it really won’t stop spinning.

「Aren’t you confident in your speed!? Find an opening and kill him!」

A small man, who narrowly found a timing to jump in, is unable to follow the iron ball as it suddenly bounces and is knocked back.

「Aren’t you proud of your steel shield!? Try blocking it!」

When the iron ball slams against the steel shield, the upper half of the shield caves inward and dents the man’s forehead, causing him to die as blood oozes out of his eyes, nose, and mouth.

「Aren’t you the self-proclaimed strongest man in Goldonia!? Go catch it!」

The large man runs at the iron ball and is hit right in the chest, flies into the ceiling and bounces against a pillar before crashing and sliding into a slave’s cage.

I don’t think his death needs to be confirmed.

At this point, I’m sure the thugs’ will is close to being broken.

I also observe my surroundings to check on the boss’s expression.

He is staring tensely at me, but then he abruptly moves one step to the side.

Just as I wondered why he did that, the chain Could not support the spinning force and breaks, releasing the iron ball.

「Gyaa!?」

「Ugyah!!」

It was a throw even I could not predict.

The iron ball hits several men on its path toward the boss and……flies past one step beside him.

「As expected.」

The boss says in a pre-pubescent voice.

「A tyrant of blood and guts. He is not a force to be reckoned with.」

He removes his eye patch.

The revealed eye is as big as the left eye, but it doesn’t have the same shine or move.

「I saw what’s inside you. You have a familiarity with this kind of place. In that case, you should experience it again.」

What’s he saying?

「Oh no! It’s a power that interferes with the mind! Clench your stomach and endure it!」

Is the flustered voice Rebecca?

Her feverish state makes me smile unconsciously.

「Fufufu, who do you think I am? I’m not the kind of guy who is affected by the magic of a boss of punks. See, I don’t have to guard and my head doesn’t hurt nor do I feel dizzy――un?」

When I look around, I don’t see the boss or Rebecca.

I only see a scene that is deeply ingrained in my memories.

I am sitting inside a cage underground that I’ve almost forgotten about.

「Oro?」

I notice my unusually low point of view and check my body to see that I have shrunk.

I’m as tall as the time I escaped the underground arena.

「How strange.」

「What?」

When I peek outside, the guard bangs on the bars to intimidate me.

This guy’s face is faintly familiar.

Another voice echoes inside me.

It’s the boss’s voice.

『This is the memory you sealed away. Your stain, your fear, suffer the agony and be trapped in here.』

「I talked big and it took just one second……in front of Rebecca too.」

I slump my shoulders in disappointment.