Volume 1, Chapter 3 – Awakening Part 4
Hiro sat alone on a rock and stared at the ground. The only thing that ran through his mind was his own inadequacy in being so lame.
Why did he come to this other world, and why did he have no power? But with the skill of just being able to see well, he can’t even fight for her.
(What did I come here for…?)
He was told to flee to the small country of Baum, but he doesn’t feel like moving. Maybe it’s because his feelings are leaning towards her at a distance…
Her sad smile appears in his mind. He wished her to ask him to fight with her. Even if it’s a battle that can’t be won, he hasn’t been able to repay the debt of gratitude for the care he’s received in this world.
(But… if it came down to a fight, I’m sure I won’t be able to stand out.)
That’s all fine, but Liz, the one who protected Hiro, might get hurt.
After shaking his head, Hiro looked up at the sky. The strong sunlight shone on the thirsty earth. The gloomy breeze evoked irritation and made him feel indescribably unpleasant.
(…What shall I do now?)
He gets off the rock and turns around to look at the remnants, and there she is at the end of this road. By now, the battle would have begun. Three thousand in number, against less than a hundred, is hopeless.
But Liz is strong. Even to the untrained eye, that’s for sure. Please help her to meet Margrave Grinda safely, Hiro prayed to the Spirit King.
“…Let’s go.”
He closed his eyes as if to discard his unrequited love and tried to leave quickly. However, he immediately stopped.
(…What? People?)
The sound of many footsteps could be heard, but it was the voices that were carried by the wind. He hid behind a rock, and then he saw a familiar group of people coming out of a gap in the cliff.
“Is this the right way?”
“Yeah, this area is in the small country of Baum. If we keep going south along the border, we should be able to get behind the Sixth Princess.”
“Is there a village around here?”
“Just be patient.”
“We’ve picked a fight with the Empire. It’s worthless to me unless I can get three slaves.”
Although he couldn’t keep track of the number, a large number of soldiers were coming out of the shadows. They are the soldiers of the Principality of Lichtine. All of the men have well-trained bodies, shamelessly exposing their brown skin as they proceed along the path that Hiro came from with a look of their own.
“After capturing the Sixth Princess, all that remains is to burn down the surrounding villages. Save it for fun.”
“The Sixth Princess… would someone be mad at me if I tasted her?”
“Well, I’m sure they’ll just take your head off.”
“I hope it’s worth it.”
Gyahaha, the people advancing with vulgar laughter, made Hiro feel angry and involuntarily jumped out from behind the rocks. The sight of the boy’s sudden appearance made the enemy soldiers tense, but they immediately raised their guard. What groundless fear is there in the boy who appeared while shaking his legs in fear?
“…A lost child, huh?”
“A guy, huh? If only a woman.”
The vulgar soldier slumped his shoulders in blatant dismay. But they put their hands to their chins and looked at Hiro with a jittery look.
“But he looks pretty good. I’m sure he will sell well. Should we catch him?”
“No, he’s just going to get in the way. Let’s just kill him.”
It would be troublesome if he reported to the small country of Baum. The serious soldier muttered and drew his sword inwardly. But the vulgar soldier stretched out his arm to stop the serious soldier.
“Wait, wait, I’ll take care of it.”
“Don’t waste our time.”
“Yeah yeah, well, I’ll do the spats, and you guys can watch. Or do you want to bet?”
Immediately, a joyful voice comes from the soldiers in the rear.
“There’s no such thing as a bet.”
“The kid’s dead. Let’s get the hell out of here.”
“Don’t spend too much time on it. His Excellency will kill you.”
“I know. Just give me a second.”
The vulgar man grabbed Hiro’s shoulder with his left hand. He stabbed the spear in his right hand into the ground and instead pulled out the scythe and pressed it tightly against Hiro’s neck.
“Are you too scared to speak? Don’t worry; it won’t hurt. I’ll give you such a fine cut to your neck.”
The vulgar man’s right arm spreads out. He was about to slash it off at a distance and with great vigor. Hiro’s body was trembling in small increments from fear. The man’s smile deepened as he imagined what kind of scream he would hear, but――.
“…I’m sorry.”
Hiro muttered.
“It’s too late to beg for your life now.”
The man tapped Hiro’s shoulder as if to comfort him and tried to shake him with all his strength.
――But the arm did not move. With a dubious look, the man looked at the place where his arm had been. He finally noticed that it was lost from his right shoulder onwards.
“Ah!? Wh-what? Udeaaaaghhh!”
He put his remaining hand on it as if trying to stop the blood that had spurted out. However, the blood poured out of the gap between his fingers and did not stop.
“Aaaaagaaahhhhh!?”
The man suffering from severe pain rolls on the ground. And there was someone who looked down at it with icy eyes.
――It was Hiro.
In his hand, the arm torn off from the man’s shoulder was clenched. The base of the arm―with blood trickling down to the ground like it was being sucked into the ground.
“….Ah.”
Hiro certainly heard it within himself.
“…I see.”
The eerie sound of something breaking reverberates within the body. It will never go back to the way it was. It must have been completely broken.
“I’m…”
The sensation of clearing every corner of his head is pleasant. Then Hiro pulled out the spear that pierced the earth.
“Damn kid!”
He pierced the chest of the approaching enemy. He stole the sword from the waist of his foe as he was about to fall.
“Oraa――!”
He cut off the head of the next enemy. He can feel the power spreading to every corner of his body.
“What the hell are you doing? Surround him!”
He slaughtered another enemy and snatched the spear and cleaved it to the side. The heads of the three enemy soldiers flew through the air. The wall that was suppressing the boy has completely disappeared.
He could feel his head getting clearer. He could feel his body becoming lighter and lighter. He could feel his five senses being sharpened.
The boy―he realized that his former self had returned. As if to confirm this, he clasps his hand twice or three times.
“…..”
There is no emotion floating in the eyes of the abyss; there is only nothingness.
Just dark.
Just deep.
Just cold.
――The curtain of carnage has gone up.
＊＊＊＊＊
(Where did I go wrong? What did I do wrong?)
The man’s head was flooded with those words alone. There was room to spare a moment ago, but there was no such thing now. It was all they could do to escape from the enemy chasing them from behind.
The man’s name was Karelis, and he would be thirty-four years old this year. He is one of the staff members of the Principality of Lichtine, led by Vile Narmer Lichtine.
He used to be a slave, but he was freed by developing his own abilities by advancing his knowledge. His life was finally starting to get back on track, but he had encountered some nasty things.
Besides, where were all those friends that were with him?
(There were 500 of them. What the hell’s going on?)
Five hundred men slaughtered by a single opponent without so much as a single sword. If this isn’t a dream, then the only monster that can do such a thing is a spirit being.
Suddenly, the man stopped after coming to that thought.
(…Could it be that it was a spirit kind?)
He hides behind a rock to catch his breath. After that, he should probably head to report to his commander. Keeping a vigilant eye on his surroundings, Karelis decided to clear his head under his breath.
(That’s right. If it weren’t for the spirits, there’s no way Dagner would have died in such an unnatural way.)
It makes him shudder to remember it now. Before they could march on, a boy appeared, and Dagner’s arm was torn off as he tried to eliminate him. From there, the unspeakable carnage began. All who confronted him were slaughtered, and those who fled were decapitated from behind.
There was no emotion in the boy’s face as he killed people so easily. The memory of the boy’s face made his body tremble with fear.
(How did this happen… It should have been an easy job. I just had to get behind the Sixth Princess!)
It’s not even cold, but his body is shaking, and his teeth are biting together. No sound should be made. The boy will notice him. Karelis presses his mouth down.
There’s a crack―and a kicking sound of stone. When Karelis closes his eyes, a gloomy wind caresses his cheeks. The fear was so great that it almost drove him crazy.
(I don’t want to die. I don’t want to die. I don’t want to die. I don’t want to die.)
But―the despair was not lost on him.
“…I offer you two choices. Take your own life, or let me take your life.”
“Hyii, p-please, forgive me! I don’t know what I did, but it was my fault. So please let it go!”
The boy looked down at Karelis, who lowered his head, with inorganic eyes.
“Please. What did I do to deserve this? I didn’t do anything! I have lost my friends, what else do you want me to do――gahh!?”
Karelis was grabbed by the neck and lifted up. Karelis’s heart broke completely at this point, as he didn’t know what kind of power that Hiro’s thin arms had.
“Please, I didn’t do anything! Please don’t kill me! I don’t want to die yet!”
“You haven’t done anything yet. But you might do something if I let you. That’s worth dying for. Someone might get hurt for letting you get away. And I can’t stand it.”
“W-what’s that… that’s why you’re killing them! Do you really think you’re a god?”
“Yeah… I guess I’m a god now.”
“Ogooh―pubuh?!”
A shimmering blade crossed his chest and spat out blood from his mouth. As Karelis’s consciousness faded away, he remembered an old story. It was a common story that parents would read to their children who stayed up late.
When they stayed up late――.
――The Endless Despair is coming to take you away.