Terminally-Ill Genius Dark Knight

193: The Ashen Wolf [2]

So… according to a traveler who once visited the orphanage a long time ago, miracles are something that occasionally, suddenly, whoosh, find their way .

I raised my hand out of mild curiosity and asked

— Are these miracles perhaps like moths or cockroaches?

But it seemed my poor expression didn’t sit well with the learned scholar. He gave a rather hollow laugh, patted my head, and explained further.

— Typically, things like those you mentioned bring misfortune. Bugs, beasts that harm humans, and magical creatures especially tend to do so. So, I’d say your expression isn’t quite appropriate.

— But miracles are different. They are born from something you earnestly wish for, pray for, and believe in so deeply that it reaches the gods. That’s what a miracle is.

But he didn’t add this part.

In most cases, the protagonist of the miracle isn’t me. And that brats like me, born in some backwater eastern village, are better suited for tragic endings.

She, now a cold corpse, hadn’t even managed to utter a single word of farewell. Aeloi’s breasts were far too small to belong to someone who had become the concubine of a noble family. All I could do was hold her for a long time. The noble had long since departed.

After the supplies ran out, Count Kses stopped distributing meals to his people. Instead, he sold some of them as slaves to raise the required funds for the search for the [Philosopher’s Stone].

Among those, Aeloi, who was strikingly beautiful, became the concubine of that lecherous man. But Aeloi had a defiant spirit, a stubbornness that wouldn’t let her bow to anyone.

Sleeping in the same bed with a man she did not desire was likely something she could not even fathom, let alone dream of.

What followed is a predictable story.

Her chest bore savage stab wounds and bloodstains. The sight of her severed tongue, bitten off, told the rest. Aeloi must have rejected the count’s demands and chosen to take her own life instead.

She must have no other choice than to end her own life.

To protect her own will and chastity, that was the best judgment.

That strong-willed woman would have done exactly that.

Knowing her so well, I held her small body for a while.

Her warmth was gone, her heartbeat silent. Her eyes were closed, and her jaw was clenched shut, refusing to open. She wore a torn negligee, forcibly dressed on her by the count’s preferences, over white underclothes.

At that moment, the words she’d spoken to me a year ago.

Just before I left, came vividly to mind.

— Why do you have to go off picking fights! Please…. can’t you just stay here?

— In truth, for me that’s not.. it’s just… forget it. Go. Just go.

Just go.

With a faint smile, I returned to the village and gently buried her.

Either way, the situation was already over. All I could do was run away or continue proving to him that I was still his dog.

“Miracles, huh….”

There are no miracles for me.

It was winter. My white breath broke apart in the cold, blurring my vision in a pale haze.

How about her?

She’d probably be cold.

Maybe she’d felt that way for a whole year since I’d left her behind. For so long, she might have been searching for me.

I finally understood.

The one person who had always tormented me was now gone.

Am I happy?

No.

Am I sad?

I’m not sure.

When the contradictory emotions reached their extreme, I realized what I had to do. It was to cut him down.

Count Kses.

The image of Aeloi’s final moments, wrapped in rags and discarded, flickered faintly in my mind.

If it were her, she’d probably say something like this.

— You’re seriously thinking of fighting a Count? The stray dogs passing by would laugh! Stop spouting nonsense and go mind your own business! Quit doing pointless things!

———————————————

When my ceaseless steps finally brought me to the front of the count’s mansion.

I felt it.

These people live in a world different from mine. And perhaps that’s why? I thought it might be okay to be a bit more cruel.

“Who are you?!”

The voice belonged to a guard.

I tightly gripped the old, worn-out sword I’d barely managed to get from the knight’s order and replied.

“I need to see the count. Would you mind stepping aside?”

Naturally, I didn’t bother with formal speech.

I told you, didn’t I? I’m not well-educated and tend to ramble.

It’s the same when speaking to others as it is when recounting my own story.

“A filthy commoner dares to spout such nonsense? How ridiculous. From the looks of it, you’re trying to play at being a knight with that sword, huh? Get lost. I’ve seen plenty of fools like you!”

“It’ll be a problem if you don’t step aside.”

“Haha! And what could a brat who hasn’t even undergone their coming-of-age ceremony possibly do….”

Shwat———!

Blood splattered.

Into the air.

Red stains spread across the blue sky like silk dye.

Why?

This strange sensation… it thrilled me.

Perhaps it was similar to the rush I felt when I cut someone down most recently, when I killed the captain and took his place as squad leader.

Thud.

A head fell to the ground. The guard, unable to utter even a death cry, died instantly.

Immediately after, a maid witnessing the scene screamed. I ignored her and stormed into the mansion.

The hallway was absurdly long, so much so that even if it were given just a span, it would be wider than Salvator

Looking back, I later found out that what I saw was merely the guest rooms.

But that’s not important.

If necessary, I cut down those in my way, gradually making my way further inside.

I ascended the stairs,

Amidst screams and the clatter of falling tableware.

One man, who seemed to hold some authority, attempted to send a message somewhere. I let him be.

The more people gathered to surround me, the more fun it would be.

But….

Shwat——!

Contrary to my expectations, the enemies were incredibly weak.

Weak. Trash.

‘This isn’t the feeling’

It needed to be more exhilarating.

They must do it.

After all, they’d taken so much from me.

Hadn’t they?

It shouldn’t be bland like this, shouldn’t it?

Chaeng.

Finally, I reached the door to Count Kses’s room, a familiar face caught my eye

Platoon leader.

If I were one of the squad leaders who led smaller units, this man, who gathered and commanded all the squad leaders, was the platoon leader. His name was Farrell, wasn’t it?

Anyway, he blocked my path, slowly pressed his sword against mine, and spoke.

“This is as far as you go. Stop this madness, Ashen.”

“I heard the mercenaries were furious about not receiving their rations. Why are you siding with the noble?”

“Count Kses and I are business partners.”

It was difficult to understand, but at least I knew something shady was going on. wasn’t I someone who’d survived the back alleys?

Therefore, I quickly caught on.

This man had colluded with Count Kses and led the mercenaries under his command to their deaths.

“I did hear the mercenary rebellion was subdued without issue.”

Chaeng!

I deflected his blade and replied. He furrowed his brows slightly.

“Are you serious? You’re going to fight me, Ashen?”

“Then, after creating this mess, you think I’ll let the man behind that door live?”

“Count Kses, for all his faults, values your strength. He intends to resume the search for the Philosopher’s Stone. For his illness, that was the best and …”

“And for that, he needs me?”

“That’s right. To be precise, he’s interested in the Ashen, who severed the squad leader’s head after barely half a year of wielding a sword properly.”

“It seems you don’t think that you can be thrown anytime”

“You’ll swear a Mana Pact. That person will never harm you. But you must swear the same in return.”

A Mana Pact.

It was a magic I first heard about during my one year as a knight.

It binds both parties, imposing severe penalties if broken. I remember I found it fascinating and listened attentively.

Of course, the mage who’d explained it to me lost his head to an ogre the very next day.

“Why should I do that?”

“Because it’s better than dying here and now. Honestly, I’m surprised I have to explain this to you.”

“Listen, Captain… No, Farrell, I only care about things that are interesting.”

“You’re spouting nonsense like a moth flying into the flame. Do you really think you’ll leave here alive?”

“At the very least, I’m confident I can take your head. Shall we bet?”

“…Hah. In the end, it’s come to this. Wolves should never be tamed, but there’s no choice.”

Farrell’s drew his mana with murderous intent, glaring at me.

Naturally, since I wasn’t an adult yet, I didn’t know how to use mana. So I simply observed, finding what he did fascinating.

Not bad.

With power like that, it would be easier to cut down my enemies.

I wanted it.

How could I take it….

Chaeng——!

All of a sudden, Farrell’s blade came flying toward me.

It wasn’t particularly frightening.

I had heard many rumors about mana, but ultimately, I knew it was no more than a supplement to swordsmanship.

I heard the best swordsmanship should be trained along with mana, but since I lacked it, it hardly mattered to me.

If that guy were skilled enough to wield mana proficiently, he wouldn’t be rotting in a place like this.

Which meant I had a chance.

Thud!

Farrell stomped forward, closing the distance between us.

But I had a year’s worth of experience as a mercenary. This was the same man who had once commanded me as the squad leader.

Where he’d move.

Which sword he’d employ, and what acrobats he’d try. I remember it all. Instinctively, I focused on his downward vertical slash, tracking it closely before deflecting it completely.

Now it was starting to get interesting.

'Is this what revenge feels like?’

The thought crossed my mind.

Over one year as a mercenary, I’d encountered countless volunteers, proclaiming they came to this place for revenge. They’d give their life to achieve it

Back then, as a newly promoted squad leader, I watched them with curiosity.

What was it about revenge that clouded human reason and stirred such intense emotions?

I couldn’t understand it.

Why?

Because those same people, blinded by revenge, all died fighting monsters. For reference, not a single one survived to speak the word revenge again.

They were weak.

Because they were weak, they died.

And none of them ever succeeded in their vengeance.

“Is this for revenge?”

Farrell asked at just the right moment.

As I spun my sword casually, as if I didn’t know what he meant, I closed the distance between us.

I thrust my blade straight toward him, but he deflected it to the side.

Chaeng——!

“You’re a dog. Remember that, Ashen. In the end, no matter what you do, nothing will change. Do you think some lowly commoner can change the world? No. You’re just a brat. Couldn’t even protect the one girl who was following you to that extent… a piece of trash from the slums..”

“Too long.”

At that moment, I put more strength on the sword I was gripping.

The massive energy I felt from the strange stone I’d recently found began to take form, wrapping itself around me. This feeling wasn’t bad.

I am no longer pushed by him. Why?

I don’t know the reason yet.

But why was that?

Farrell seemed to understand the reason. His face twisted in shock, and he gritted his teeth as he stared at me.

“Ashen… That stone… You, don’t tell me!!”

[Cut him down.]

Puhwat——!

At the same time as I heard that mysterious voice, I successfully cleaved Farrell in two, cleanly separating his upper body from his lower half. The sensation was exhilarating.

Why was this power suddenly surged within me?

I wasn’t entirely sure, but…

But now, what mattered most was dealing with what I needed to do.

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