Chapter 20 : Chapter 20

Chapter 20. Fang (3)

「Sword Runner」.

They could be called the standard of strength on this continent. They were respected everywhere, reigning as ghosts of the battlefield.

That was the wall Fetel could not surpass, the lifelong aspiration he could never reach.

“…That is all I know.”

Suppressing the cough rising in his throat, Fetel answered the knight’s questions faithfully. The knight order’s purpose aligned with the village’s survival, and above all, cooperating in the capture of a deserter knight was a knight’s natural duty.

“I see. Thank you.”

And yet, Fetel felt uneasy.

“Though it wasn’t much help. You don’t know the exact location, nor even if the one we seek is truly there. In the end, it means we still must suffer for the search.”

“…Forgive me for being of no use.”

“It’s enough that you know.”

Was it the knight’s hostile tone? No. Fetel was used to the arrogance of knights who had reached the level of 「Sword Runner」.

The reason for his discomfort was something else.

“Now that I look closely, I’ve seen that face before. Your body and features have withered so much I didn’t notice, but… weren’t you called Fetel?”

“Yes. You know me?”

“Indeed. You… I think you were my senior at the Academy.”

Visiting this deserted village.

The long-buried regret he thought he had already let go of, waiting only for death.

“Your expression sours. Why, did you expect me to treat you like a senior?”

“…No, it’s fine.”

“Of course it’s fine. Naturally.”

Because he realized that regret still lingered in his heart.

“I remember now. Weren’t you quite famous once? ‘Loyal Fetel.’ Merely a Sword Walker, but honorable, righteous, a model knight who carried out every order without fail.”

“……”

“And yet now, just a discarded dog.”

A sneer slipped out.

“You were struck with an incurable disease, weren’t you? Abandoned by the 「Green Deer」 order, and now you’ve been wasting away in this backwater dump? If you were going to be this pitiful, you should have hidden yourself better. What an eyesore.”

The insults themselves didn’t wound him.

The source of Fetel’s unease was within himself.

“You’re staring at my wings, Fetel.”

“…Forgive me.”

“Jealous, aren’t you? Thinking perhaps—if only you had wings, if only you were a Sword Runner, then the order wouldn’t have abandoned you. That people might have tried to cure your sickness. Am I wrong?”

Fetel could not respond.

Because the knight’s words were true.

Even while enduring these humiliations, he envied those wings to the point of madness. The knight chuckled at the sight of Fetel hanging his head.

“Wake up. You were not chosen by the heavens. That is why you have no wings. And it is because you were not chosen by the heavens that you became a diseased wretch dying as you are.”

“……”

“Even the gods must have pitied you. With no talent whatsoever, yet still clinging pathetically to a sword, it was too shameful—so they called you to hurry up and die, to come into their embrace.”

The knight’s words poured out one after another, unrestrained, loud enough for Seol Yoon, who had supported Fetel there, to hear everything. She glared at the knight, about to speak up, but Fetel stopped her.

“Don’t.”

“His words go too far.”

“It’s fine. In the Iron Kingdom, strength is law.”

Fetel insisted he was fine. Watching him, the knight laughed uproariously.

“A sick man gains a caretaker. A pretty girl from the eastern continent—at least you won’t die lonely.”

“…Please, just leave.”

“Very well. That was amusing enough for tonight.”

The knight turned and shouted.

“Move out! Before dawn, we’ll catch the runaway dog and take his head! To the mountains!”

With that cry, the knight order departed into the night, leaving Fetel sitting hollowly, watching their backs disappear.

And then—

‘…Pathetic. I’m truly pathetic.’

Even now, unable to tear his eyes away from those wings, he thought himself utterly miserable. Yet still, he could not stop staring.

In his mind, he overlaid himself atop that knight. Not the wretched, dying invalid Fetel, but ‘Loyal Fetel,’ wings spread, acknowledged by all.

It was an image of a future that would never come.

Fetel closed his eyes tight and muttered.

“Perhaps it truly is my time to die.”

Ah. That was why he had planned to simply watch the sunset and pass away.

But the resurfacing thoughts made his head throb. He pressed hard against his temples.

Then, suddenly, he murmured.

In all this commotion, the one person who should have appeared was absent.

“…Where is Young Lord Arhan?”

At his question, Seol Yoon did not answer with words. Instead, she slowly turned her gaze toward the mountains. The very mountains the knight order was heading for.

Fetel, sensing he had misunderstood, asked in disbelief,

“Surely not… he went to the mountains?”

Seol Yoon nodded.

***

Dealing with the 「Red Wolves」 bandits went smoother than expected.

I was born and raised in this village, so naturally I knew the mountain paths behind it well—far better than the outsider bandits.

Just as Liam always said, when I obeyed my suspicions, I could pick them off one by one like a seasoned ranger hunting prey. Calmly, steadily.

The memories within 「Fang」 from the assassin also helped. Last time, in the open Arena, my techniques had no chance to shine. But here, they fatally crushed the bandits’ throats.

To be honest, I was beginning to think, ‘This is easier than I expected.’ But, as always, my life was never simple.

「A deserter knight. Among knights, we call them runaway dogs.」

A knight who committed disgrace, fleeing punishment. One who abandoned the rules more precious than life to the orders. A knight who deserted during war and vanished.

Strictly speaking, it was a derogatory term for one who had cast aside duty and responsibility. But that dictionary meaning fixated too much on the word “desertion.”

I could not get caught up in that word.

「Naturally, deserter or not, he’s stronger than you.」

Yes. What mattered wasn’t the “deserter” part, but the “knight.”

Knight meant, at minimum, a 「Sword Walker」.

“…The condition is still that I must handle them alone?”

「Yes. Nothing has changed.」

“But…”

I hesitated at Liam’s resolute expression, then admitted,

“I have already lost twice to Sword Walkers.”

Those repeated defeats haunted me.

‘Can I truly overcome a Sword Walker now?’

Perhaps Liam knew my doubt, for he asked,

「And so?」

His eyes pierced me.

「Will you run, afraid of defeat? Or will you hole yourself away, saying you’ll only fight again once you too become a Sword Walker?」

“……”

「Child, I’ve said it before—your road is long.」

His gaze grew sharp, cutting into me.

「The Swordmaster you aim for possesses talent unfit for this age. Reality is not like knightly tales. Villains don’t wait—they grow stronger even as we speak.」

He was right.

Swordmaster Carlos grew greater with each passing day. There was no one on this continent who didn’t know his name.

「And those two defeats have become a precious experience for you. You are not the same person as before them.」

“……”

「Did I not say it? The Karavans grow greater through battle.」

Liam grinned.

「If you cannot trust yourself, then trust me.」

Those words shook my chest.

Yes. My master never lied about the sword. I would believe him.

“Excuse me.”

Just then, the 「Red Wolves」 member pinned under my knee whimpered.

“Wh-who are you talking to? There’s no one here…”

“……”

“Eek! F-forgive me! Ask me anything! Anything! I’ll tell you everything, just spare my life!”

I hadn’t intended it, but it seemed I had instilled a deep fear.

Well.

“Good. You’ll have plenty to tell me.”

That wasn’t a bad outcome.

***

The information I pried from the 「Red Wolves」 member was more useful than expected. He told me much, and of course, I did not spare him. Even as he died, eyes wide with betrayal, I buried him and gripped 「Fang」.

Wiping its bloodied blade, I reflected.

At last, I understood why Liam had fed me this dagger.

The assassin’s way suited me.

「Now you understand without me needing to explain.」

Compared to armored knights, barbarian warriors of the North, or seasoned Arena gladiators, they were weak. Facing them head-on, I would almost certainly lose.

But real combat had no rules, no open coliseums. Cheat, exploit weaknesses, so long as the enemy’s breath was snuffed out, you won.

Assassins focused solely on that.

“Hoo.”

They sought perfection to kill their target.

They missed nothing, preparing contingencies—second, third, even fourth plans for when the first strike failed.

“Ha.”

And what was it they obsessed over to reach perfection? Astonishingly, it was the very thing Liam had called my talent.

Suspicion. To reach perfection, one needed endless doubt.

『Doubt everything. Only then will you not fail.』

『The only thing not to doubt is your own sword.』

Hidden in the dark, I circled the 「Red Wolves」 hideout, steadily thinning out the sentries.

It wasn’t difficult. Most were common raiders, not even Sword Beginners, dying without knowing how or why.

A few had reached Sword Beginner, but that mattered little. Possessing a second heart didn’t make one superhuman.

A blade in the throat from the shadows killed them all the same. 「Fang」 erased life without leaving a scream.

And when I had killed thirty-one of them.

「The leader seems to have noticed something.」

From the hideout extended a jagged, faint Road. Evidence of a 「Sword Walker」. I studied it carefully.

At the end of that Road, the furious leader stood, face red with rage. From the dark, I watched his every move without missing a twitch.

Though the bandit I interrogated had told me much, I would not accept it blindly. How could I trust words from another’s mouth?

Others’ words were hints, not keys of certainty.

Certainty came only from what my own eyes confirmed.

“Hm.”

And so.

「Well?」

After some observation, I came to a conclusion. I muttered under my breath,

“I can kill him.”

I was certain.

***

「Name: Fang」

「A dagger once used by an unnamed assassin of Free City Crowley.」

「A blade easily hidden, made for concealment.」

.

.

.

「Ingestion Effect」

「Inherit the mindset of an assassin, the art of assassination.」

「Your heart is reforged to match the skill of the unnamed assassin.」

「The body flowing with Steel Blood hardens the more it is tempered.」