Instructor? What's Wrong? (6)
"Ugh!"
"Blegh!"
The knights who visited the scene were pale and retching.
The White Tiger Knights had participated in numerous battles and hunted monsters like a monthly routine.
They were used to blood and death, but none of them could remain calm in the face of the carnage before them.
Even the knight commander, their leader, couldn't find the words to describe it and swallowed dryly.
Headless corpses, armless corpses, legless corpses, boneless corpses. Corpses that had been crushed and mangled beyond recognition.
All the corpses had only one thing in common. Faces contorted in terror.
"S-Start the investigation!"
The knight commander ordered his men.
And a moment later.
"......It's as if a demon has descended."
Yohaiden's head, Duke Pruna, muttered, swallowing his saliva.
He had a feeling something serious had happened from the moment he received the report, but what he actually encountered was a field of corpses far beyond his imagination.
The sounds of the investigators gagging could be heard intermittently.
"Have you identified these men?"
He looked around the scene and asked the knight commander.
"Yes...... Excuse me, but could you take a look at one of the bodies separately?"
The knight commander said apologetically, having to show the Duke something so dirty.
"It's fine. I've already seen this scene, one or two more won't make a difference."
"Then this way..."
The knight commander led him to a corpse with a large build.
"Hmm..."
The Duke's lips tightened.
There were countless corpses scattered about, but the one the knight commander had led him to was the most gruesome of them all.
Both arms and legs had been stripped of flesh and muscle, leaving only bone,
and a large hole in his abdomen spilled his intestines. However, the internal organs themselves appeared to be unharmed, suggesting they had been extracted while he was still alive.
The man's face was contorted in a grimace of pure terror.
"This bastard..."
The Duke narrowed his eyes and examined the man's face. A sense of familiarity.
"He was a notorious wanted man in the capital. A bandit king named Keigue."
"Keigue!"
The name Keigue was known to every noble in the capital.
He had committed countless atrocities regardless of social status, and although several subjugation teams had been formed, they had all failed to eliminate him due to his large forces and cunning nature.
"That cunning and elusive bastard was based in Higma Forest, only half a day's journey from the capital? The lamppost was dark indeed..."
The Duke muttered as he looked around at the scattered corpses.
"So all these corpses are his bandit subordinates?"
"Yes. Based on their belongings, none of them appear to be ordinary commoners."
"Hmm... That's a relief, at least..."
"And... Take a look at this."
The knight commander handed the Duke a piece of paper.
"What's this?"
"It's a contract found on him."
"A contract?"
The Duke took the contract and examined it.
It was stained with blood and the original writing was quite smeared, but it was still legible.
"Kidnapping humans... 1 gold per person...?"
"Yes... It seems someone proposed a human trafficking deal to these bastards."
"The only ones who kidnap and trade humans are slave traders... But 1 gold per person? They wouldn't be able to get that much when they sell them..."
It was suspicious in many ways.
The Duke, pondering the situation, asked the knight commander again.
"Hmm, I thought it might be a monster capable of such a massacre, but it seems it could be a group of humans as well. There's a possibility that something went wrong with the contract and they clashed."
"That's not quite right either."
The knight commander said with a stiff face, glancing around.
"I can't be sure, but... I think it was the work of one person."
"What!?"
"If it were multiple people, the wounds would be more haphazard... But if you look around, the wounds are all uniform, as if they were inflicted by the same attack."
"That's absurd! There are over a thousand of them! Even a monster couldn't do this!"
"It doesn't seem like the work of a monster either. If it were, the cuts would be rougher... and there would definitely be signs of the bodies being eaten. But we haven't found any signs of cannibalism here."
The knight commander continued to spout preposterous claims.
Such a massacre, alone? Even the Northern Duke, said to have reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship, couldn't do such a thing.
He had only come to assess the situation, but what he encountered was a far more complex and serious incident than he had anticipated.
The Duke pressed his throbbing temples and looked for any other peculiarities.
Then, he felt a strange sense of unease.
Something sticky and viscous seemed to be clinging to his body.
"Knight Commander. Doesn't something feel... off?"
"Yes? Of course, everything is off, but..."
"No, I mean, isn't it too quiet?"
Apart from the clanking of the White Tiger Knights' armor, there was no other sound.
Soon, goosebumps erupted on his arms as he realized the source of his unease.
"There are... no insects on the bodies..."
Right, the lack of monsters was understandable.
The one who had created this mountain of corpses was no ordinary being, so it was possible that they had sensed the danger and fled.
But.
Even after just 10 minutes, there should be at least one or two insects crawling on dead bodies.
With the stench of brain matter and entrails overflowing from countless corpses, not a single ant in sight?
With no insects driven by their appetites, all that remained was silence.
This couldn't be the work of slave traders or monsters.
An uncanny phenomenon.
And one that required human sacrifices.
Gulp.
He swallowed dryly.
"...A Dark Mage."
"!"
The knight commander's eyes widened at Duke Yohaiden's words.
"This is dangerous. We need to return immediately and report this to the Emperor."
At that moment.
"Hmm...? I came to tell you that innocent souls are needed... but it seems something interesting has happened."
A sweet, melodious voice.
A man in a black hood.
Behind him appeared more figures in similar attire.
* * *
"Say that again. What did you say about what!?"
"Black-clad Dark Mages appeared and... the Yohaiden's White Tiger Knights..."
"Dark Mages!!!!! What about the Lord! What happened to the Lord!?"
"H-He ordered us to report to the capital and inform the Imperial Family! And for the Young Lord to lead the entire White Tiger Knights and coordinate with the other families..."
"No! Not that! I asked what happened to the Lord!!!"
Sedan, his veins bulging in his neck, roared at the scout.
The scout gulped and spoke in a trembling voice.
"H-He said he would stay behind and hold them off..."
Wham!
Sedan's fist slammed into the scout's face.
"F-Father...!"
Selena, who had been listening beside him, covered her mouth with both hands and trembled.
"Selena."
Zeke approached Selena and placed a hand on her shoulder.
Her pupils were shaking violently.
"I-Instructor... M-My father, my father..."
"Calm down."
But Selena shook her head, unable to think straight.
Zeke infused his voice with mana.
"I told you, Selena."
Zeke met Selena's eyes.
"If you want, I'll even catch the Demon King for you."
At Zeke's words, Selena's pupils returned to their rightful place.
She parted her trembling lips.
With the desperation of someone clinging to a straw.
"P-Please... help me..."
"Okay. I'll help you."
Zeke grinned boyishly.
"Let's go save your dad."
At that moment, Sedan, who had been fuming with barely contained anger, strode towards them.
"You! What did you just say!!"
Sedan grabbed Zeke by the collar.
"The Lord has given his orders! And you dare to go somewhere else!?"
"Huh? What's this, let go."
Zeke tilted his head, still held by the collar.
"Hmm... You don't want to save your dad?"
"That's not it! Orders have been given, and we must obey! He said for everyone to gather, all the other families too!"
"Dude, your dad is in danger, who cares about that?"
Zeke frowned and said to Sedan.
"T-The Lord's orders are absolute, he must have had his reasons..."
"That's what I'm saying, who cares? And I warned you, let go."
Wooong-
Heavy mana flowed from Zeke's body, pressing down on Sedan's shoulders.
Thud.
Sedan's knees buckled.
"G-Gah! W-What is this...!?"
He struggled to get up, sweat dripping down his face, but his arms trembled uncontrollably, refusing to obey.
"You. Scared?"
"I-I'm not s-scared...!"
"Brother!"
Selena started towards Sedan but then turned to Zeke, grabbing his arm.
"Instructor! We need to go, now! Quickly! My father is in danger!"
At her words, Sedan gritted his teeth and looked up.
His eyes were bloodshot, glaring at Selena.
"Selena!! Where do you think you're going!!!"
"Selena is coming with me."
"Taking Selena to that dangerous place! Absolutely not! I won't allow it!"
"You."
Zeke glared at Sedan with an irritated expression.
"Do you even know Selena?"
"A-At least I've known her longer than y-you..."
Selena cut him off.
"Brother. I'm going with the Instructor!"
"Selena!!! After what that guy just-!"
"Quiet."
Sigh-
Zeke let out a tired sigh.
"I understand your concern, but she's decided to wield a sword. She's not the little girl you used to coddle. It's time you let her spread her wings. How can you not trust Selena, her own family?"
"...What do you know! Selena isn't suited for the sword! And even if she was, a Duke's daughter shouldn't be put in such danger!"
"Well, you're not blind. But..."
Zeke wrapped his arm around Selena's waist.
"Not anymore."
"What?!"
He lifted Selena off her feet as if she weighed nothing.
"She's suited for the sword now. Right?"
"Eek! I-Instructor!?"
Zeke turned to leave but then looked back at Sedan, scratching his head with his sword.
"Instructor?! Are you alright?"
"Tsk, I don't usually stick my neck out for others, but if you care about something, don't miss the chance to protect it yourself, kid. You'll regret it like hell later."
Zeke kicked off the ground.
Fwooosh-
Kaboom!!
Sedan gaped in the direction Selena and Zeke had disappeared to.
"S-Selena..."
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Poor brother ðŸ˜
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