WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

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◈ Sword Master of the Fallen Kingdom

Chapter 24

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The Forgotten City (4)

Silence settled over the room for a moment.

Kyle looked at the three men who had suddenly appeared.

Each of them, likely mercenaries, held a bloodstained weapon. Judging by their arms and the quality of their gear, they were a capable party. Kyle’s gaze swept quickly from their heads to their feet, then returned to the weapons in their hands.

Was that blood from monsters, or from people?

From what he had overheard, people seemed more likely, but he still could not be sure. Kyle was not a madman who enjoyed slaughter. But he was not soft enough to spare men who threatened his life.

Should I watch a little longer?

While he thought it over, the three men also looked startled when they noticed Kyle. They had likely come looking for a decent place to spend the night and were troubled by finding someone already there.

"...Looks like someone got here first. That is awkward."

The three exchanged glances and almost nodded at the same time. The one in the middle, a broad man who looked to be in his thirties, stepped forward.

"We are mercenaries from the small city of Horn. Like you, we came here to clear the dungeon. Been about a week now..."

His eyes swept the room.

A small chamber fit for sleep. A Magic Stone Lamp in the center, giving off a soft glow. A black-haired, black-eyed man standing watch. And across from him, a young mage girl in a deep sleep.

"It is getting late, so we thought we should rest. We were looking around and did not expect someone to already be here. And now it is a bit late to go looking for another place..."

"......."

"So, how about letting us stay here for the night? Ah, of course, we do not mean anything by it. We are just exhausted. You can see the state we are in. Today was busy for us. Haha..."

The leader gave an awkward laugh. Kyle did not miss the way their eyes flicked to Lena. More precisely, those looks were full of lust.

A young mage girl in an expensive robe. Blue hair, and at a glance she looked noble. Her only companion was a man who looked a little younger than them. And this was deep inside underground ruins where murder was often overlooked.

So that was it.

Kyle could read their thoughts clearly. He looked down at the sword on his knees. His hand brushed the scabbard, and the familiar texture ran across his skin.

"That will be difficult."

At Kyle’s short reply, all three men’s expressions changed.

"What?"

"You are saying no?"

"Haah... if not here, we need to find somewhere else..."

"Come on, think it over one more time. We will not do anything harmful."

The leader spoke as if pleading.

"Could you make an exception?"

"......."

"Ah, then how about this? We had a pretty good haul today. Since you got this spot first, we will pay to stay here tonight. Think of it as a lodging fee."

"Lodging fee?"

"Right, lodging fee. How much do you want? We happen to have gold coins... you know Kingdom of Alenos gold coins, right? Relics that trade higher than Imperial or Federation gold. How about three?"

"And if I refuse?"

Kyle had been quietly looking at his sword, then he turned to face the three men. The leader gave a tiny signal with his eyes. The other two slowly spread out to either side.

"Haah... please. We do not want to keep searching for a place to sleep until midnight."

"Let us keep this friendly. If you are a fellow mercenary, you know how this goes, right? Too much greed brings trouble."

The leader smiled like a pleasant man. But the meaning underneath was different. Unlike before, his tone now carried a threat.

"I know. I have seen plenty of it."

Kyle was unmoved.

"Right?"

"Right. Men like you."

"What?"

The leader was about to retort.

At that moment, the head of the man on the right, who had moved into the room to encircle Kyle, snapped backward.

Huh?

The leader’s mouth fell open. A body collapsed like a puppet with cut strings, blood running down from the forehead. Something stuck there looked unreal, like a dream. His thoughts could not catch up to what he was seeing.

A dagger? A dagger in his forehead?

When did that happen?

"Y-you...!"

The man on the left came to his senses and raised his weapon.

By then, Kyle was already on his feet, and his hand blurred.

Slash!

A fountain of blood burst out. The blade that shot from Kyle’s right hand like a streak of light cleanly cut through the left man’s neck. Under the lamplight, the severed head rolled across the floor, eyes bulging. It all took less than a second.

"W-wait!"

The leader, suddenly alone, staggered backward.

Kyle vanished for an instant. The man stared in confusion.

A moment later, his body was shoved helplessly out into the corridor beyond the room.

Thud!

"Khk!"

His back slammed into the wall and a cough burst out. At the same time, violent pain spread from his solar plexus. With trembling eyes, he looked ahead and saw Kyle, who had driven him to the wall and buried a sword in his chest.

What is this? What just happened? Two are dead and I am alone? I did not even see him move.

"Kugh!"

The man coughed blood. Kyle slowly twisted the hilt in his right hand. The man’s body shook like a leaf. Blood poured beneath the silver blade like a waterfall.

"S-save..."

"......."

"Spare me... p-please... spare me..."

"Spare you?"

"Y-yes..."

"Why should I?"

"I will tell you... everything I know... ngh!"

Kyle loosened his grip. The man, face twisted in pain, took rough breaths.

"Talk."

"Haa... haa..."

"Who are you?"

"W-we are mercenaries... active in Brendel..."

"Any other companions?"

"N-no... just the three of us..."

Gurgle.

The man spat foamy blood. Kyle stared at him and sorted through his thoughts.

Not lying. He is terrified. He cannot even think about resisting.

A person’s eyes carry a lot of information. Words can lie, but controlling behavior as well is nearly impossible unless someone is a highly trained assassin.

By that standard, this one was not lying. His mind was filled with only one instinct: survive.

"Why come this deep?"

Kyle held eye contact as he asked.

"To... find a place to sleep..."

"Why offer to share the room?"

"To rob you... your group was small... khk!"

"And?"

"That mage girl... looked like a noble..."

That was enough.

As expected, they were nothing special. Just moderately experienced mercenaries ruled by their desires.

As he said, they had likely been looking for a place to sleep at dusk and happened upon Kyle’s group. At first, they probably planned to sleep and move on. Then they saw Lena and changed their minds. A pretty young girl, and a mage from a Magic Tower at that. Perfect prey.

Physically and financially.

Kyle was her only companion, and Lena had been asleep, so they must have judged three against one to be easy.

In the end, two were dead and one was at death’s door.

"Last question."

Kyle tightened his grip on the hilt.

"Do you know Marquis Filein?"

"M-Marquis Filein...?"

"You do not?"

"I-I do not. I know nothing..."

"Then what about the Twin Fangs of Silence?"

"......."

"So you do not know. How many people have you killed so far?"

"E-eight..."

"I see."

Kyle said it shortly. The man sensed what was coming and thrashed in panic.

"S-spare..."

Gurgle!

The man’s eyes rolled back. Pinning him down, Kyle covered the man’s mouth with his free left hand and slowly drove the blade in deeper. He felt flesh and bone give way, but he did not stop.

"Shhh."

"Ghk... ghk..."

"Quiet."

"Aaak..."

"Yes, like that. Do not say a word."

"Aaagh... khk..."

"It will be over soon."

Kyle twisted the blade upward, cutting through ribs, past the heart, and up toward the shoulder blade and nape.

Crunch!

The sound of bone breaking echoed.

Then the man’s convulsions stopped.

Kyle watched the clouded eyes for a moment, then stood. The corridor, briefly disturbed, fell silent again.

***

"I am sorry! I will never do it again!"

"......."

"Please spare me just this once. I truly had no idea you were with the Twin Fangs of Silence. We will leave quietly. Please..."

A young man bowed low, voice shaking. The others around him were no different.

In front of them sat a man who looked bored.

It was Nyx Varkein, guild master of the Twin Fangs of Silence.

On his forearm was a tattoo of two venomous snakes entwined around a long dagger. It was the mark of the Twin Fangs of Silence, and proof of the brotherhood rite they shared.

Tap, tap.

He kept tossing the dagger in his hand and catching it.

"Why did you attack me?"

"That is..."

"Ah, right. You did not know. That is usually how brainless idiots are."

"P-please spare us!"

"Well, let us see... Chris. What do you think?"

He asked without turning.

From a corner so dark nothing could be seen, a voice answered.

"As you wish."

"You heard him."

"Do you want to live?"

"Y-yes, yes! I want to live!"

"Good. I will spare you."

"R-really?"

Hope spread through the people prostrating on the floor. A moment ago they had looked dead already. Now they stared at him like a savior.

"But only one."

"...What?"

"One. I will spare exactly one of you."

The faces that had just started to brighten went rigid.

"What are you waiting for?"

"......."

"Only one person walks out alive. Otherwise... you all die."

"Aaaah!"

At those words, the young man on the floor lunged and grabbed the woman beside him by the throat. The others also began attacking whoever was nearest.

All weapons had already been taken, so the fight dragged on. Punching faces, choking throats, stomping feet. A filthy blood-soaked brawl, hard to watch. Not a trace of humanity or comradeship remained.

"H-ha, haha... I lived. I lived...!"

After several minutes, one young man raised both hands with a bright smile among the scattered corpses. It was the same man who had first begged for his life.

"Can... can I go now?"

"Yes. Go."

"Haha! Thank you. I will never forget this debt..."

Thunk!

A dagger sank into the back of his head as he tried to stand.

The dagger that had been in Nyx’s hand a moment ago was gone.

"Watching bottom-feeders fight can be fun."

"But I am getting bored."

The focus faded from the young man’s eyes. With a dagger in his skull, his body collapsed to the floor.

"Did we collect everything?"

"Yes."

"I see."

Nyx stood and stopped in front of the fallen body. He held out his hand, and the dagger embedded in the back of the head pulled itself free and flew into his grip.

"How much is left?"

"We still have quite a way to go to hit the target."

"Still fast. At first I thought this was a damn mess, but it worked out. Money is everywhere."

Nyx smiled darkly. This place was full of relics and Magic Tools, and full of people too.

The never-cleared ruins of the Kingdom of Alenos.

It was practically a walking pot of gold. The essence of the ancient magic kingdom that had fallen centuries ago was scattered throughout the ruins. The closer one moved toward the center, the more obvious it became. The difficulty rose with it, but Nyx never even considered the possibility of his own death.

That could not happen.

Only two things mattered.

How much could he make?
How many could he kill?

"The kill is still lacking. It is only fun when they can put up a decent fight."

He spun the dagger in his hand.

"...We should move quickly."

"Because of Marquis Filein?"

A man stepped from the shadows and stood behind Nyx. He draped a gray-fur coat over Nyx’s shoulders. It was one of the Ancient Relics they had found in the ruins not long ago.

"You worry too much, Chris. That coward will not enter the ruins."

"But..."

"He is the type to set traps outside instead of taking things with his own hands. And this is not his only prey."

"You mean House Metis?"

Count Metis, one of the high nobles of the Kingdom of Brendel. Only a very small number knew he had preemptively claimed an undisclosed ruin.

Marquis Filein and Nyx were among them.

"Right. By now, it should be settled."

"......."

"The odds of success are high... but who knows. Count Metis is a seasoned noble. If luck breaks his way, he might pull off a miracle."

"And if he fails..."

"The damage will be severe. Four knights, including one who can use Sword Aura, right? If they get wiped out, that means the other side has even greater strength. That coward will move even more carefully."

Either way, it had nothing to do with him.

"Looks like he joined hands with Serentia... foolish."

Was that really the right choice?

Nyx chuckled. He started moving again. Several silent footsteps followed from the shadows behind him.

"Hyungnim."

One subordinate hidden in the dark approached without a sound and whispered.

Nyx stopped.

His gaze dropped to the ground. His narrowed eyes scanned the area, and a savage smile spread across his face.

"Chris."

"Yes."

"How many this time?"

"Two men in front, one woman mage..."

"And?"

Every person leaves traces where they pass. And Chris, Nyx’s right hand, was an assassin unmatched in tracking and sensing human presence.

"One of the men uses sword and shield, the other uses a double-headed axe. The mage does not seem to be from a Magic Tower, more like a street type."

"Companions?"

"Yes. Their formation is focused on protecting the rear mage. Judging from their route, they definitely have a Mana Compass. They are skilled."

"A party with two male frontliners and one female mage..."

Good. Very good.

Nyx spoke with laughter in his voice.

"Hunt them. Do not kill them right away. Herd them in slowly."

At his words, the shadows rushed through the ruins.

Nyx followed at an easy pace behind the subordinates who had gone ahead first.

There was no hesitation in his steps.

His eyes shone with greed.

He would strip the ruins clean, toy with capable prey, and then kill them.

If anyone stood in his way, he would kill them all.

Even if that person was a high noble like Marquis Filein.

No one could dodge a silent flying blade.

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