Chapter 154 : Chapter 154

Chapter 154: The Way of Medicine (2)

Bolero walked without rest, carrying Bihen on his back.

He didn't even realize that day had broken.

“Huu……”

Cold sweat trickled down his pale face.

His eyelids drooped heavily.

With every step, his body swayed as if it would collapse.

He was already at his limit.

Thud!

He finally tumbled while climbing a slope.

Bihen, who was on his back, rolled on the ground and was thrown some distance away.

“Pant, pant. Sorry about that. You’re not dead, are you?”

Bolero deliberately slapped Bihen’s cheek with feeling.

At this point, it seemed like he should have woken up, but Bihen, who still couldn't regain consciousness, felt a bit cruel.

‘Damn it, to think that Fist King Bolero is sitting here having such pathetic thoughts.’

As his body collapsed like this, his mind broke down just as much.

Only then did he feel to his bones just how deadly and terrifying Krause's poison was.

‘…….’

Bolero stared down at Bihen.

Just what kind of monster was this man who had single-handedly annihilated the Krause family?

Rustle—

Bolero raised his head.

It was the sound of bushes rustling.

‘That’s not the presence of a beast.’

Bolero’s eyes narrowed.

Just because his body had weakened didn't mean his senses had dulled.

Like a wounded beast protecting itself from a threat, Bolero’s five senses were in a state of being sharpened even more keenly.

‘Seven? Eight? I don’t think it’s up to ten.’

Bolero was certain that the something slowly closing in was human.

‘Well, nothing to be surprised about.’

In the Kingdom, the lands untouched by human hands were still far wider and more vast than the lands they ruled.

Such wildernesses were teeming with groups pushed out from civilization, and they had their own physiology and laws.

This ecology became more prominent the further west one went from the central region.

Outside the Imperial Capital, chaos was the norm, and all sorts of characters abounded.

There was a reason why everyone agreed that Conwell in the east, on the opposite side, was a good place to live.

“Come out instead of hiding like rats.”

Bolero meticulously massaged his knuckles.

His eyes, tracking the presence, glinted, and a grim smile spread across his lips.

Soon, they began to reveal themselves one by one from the surroundings.

As expected, there were fewer than ten of them, but their appearances were all a bit peculiar.

‘They don’t look like simple bandits.’

The armor each of them wore was not a ready-made product from the market but closer to military supplies for territorial soldiers.

Even those were rusty and full of signs of damage, and they were often worn sloppily and mismatched.

“Are you deserters from somewhere? Or are you dealers in stolen goods?”

The bandits silently and slowly encircled Bolero.

They sidestepped cautiously with their weapons aimed, and their eyes were all hollow as if they had starved for days.

“Unable to distinguish right from wrong, you’re certainly no different from beasts.”

Bolero growled lowly.

The fallen Bihen could have been a constraint, but at this level, he didn't have to mind it.

“Kiyaaaak!”

A monstrous cry came from behind.

Bolero immediately turned around and snatched the neck of the charging bandit.

“Hmph, if you’re going to launch a surprise attack, do it properly……”

“Kuup— Ptui!”

The man, still in his grasp, spat.

Bolero’s eyes, after wiping the spit from his face, turned cold.

There are quite a few bastards who struggle like this right before they die.

Crack!

The sound of a bone breaking echoed gruesomely.

‘Ugh……!’

Bolero secretly bit his lower lip.

The moment he put strength into his hand, a sharp pain as if a muscle was twisting shot through him.

It was as if his body was warning him that it wasn't time to fight yet.

“You insect-like bastards! Can you barely make a living with just this much! Come at me all at once!”

There was nothing to be gained by dragging it out.

No matter how insignificant, they were a wild pack that had survived in the harsh wilderness.

They were bastards who knew instinctively how to slowly wear down and kill a tired opponent.

“Attack!”

This time, it was from both sides.

Bolero quickly checked his left and right.

The one on the right was a step faster.

The moment he threw a punch, the man’s mouth opened wide like a beast’s.

His jaw dropped to his chest, and his teeth grew sharp.

‘……?!’

Bolero flinched.

For a moment, he also heard an auditory hallucination like a scream.

When he blinked, the man’s face had returned to normal.

Thwack—!

The one on the opposite side exploited the opening.

The mana barrier at the tip of the spear shattered helplessly.

“Fly-like bastards with your cheap tricks!”

Bolero threw punches to his left and right. Heads burst like split fruit.

“Not a chance……”

Bolero stopped mid-sentence and frowned.

The surrounding bandits had all transformed into four-legged beasts.

Saliva dripped from under their long snouts, and a black haze was rising around their bodies.

‘……Damn it, what is this?’

Bolero rubbed his eyes.

When he looked again, the men had returned to their original forms, as if nothing had happened.

‘Is this an aftereffect of being poisoned?’

The surrounding bandits slowly narrowed the distance as if they were conducting a drive hunt.

Fear and caution were embedded in their hesitant steps.

Bolero shook his head as if to shake off sleepiness.

His eyelids kept sinking heavily.

“Bolero, over here.”

Bolero’s pupils dilated. A welcome voice came from near his feet.

“Bihen?! Did you finally come to your senses!”

“……Idiot bastard. Die.”

“What?”

Bihen, who he thought had opened his eyes, was still the same.

By the time he realized it was a hallucination, the killing intent rushing in from all sides had already reached him.

“Ihihihit! Got him—!”

“Die!”

In that instant, Bolero sighed.

To be toyed with by such a flimsy trick, it was utterly pathetic.

Even if his physical condition was at its worst, it was something he could not forgive himself for.

‘I guess I’ll have to be prepared to be bedridden for a few more days.’

He stared at the men rushing in from all directions.

To protect Bihen, he had to be prepared to have a few pieces of his flesh torn.

It was the moment he was correcting his stance.

“Get down! Bolero!”

A hallucination again?

No. The voice that rang out for a moment was upright and clear.

It was a voice reminiscent of an oracle.

Kiiiiing—!

Bolero’s vision flashed white.

The bandits, engulfed in light, suddenly stopped like hardened stone statues.

A long, thin line formed above them.

Thud.

The light sound of a foot landing on the ground.

Immediately after, the bandits’ bodies split simultaneously along that line.

Bolero let out a faint sigh. His eyes met with a man’s over the falling bandits.

“You are……”

“You’ve had a hard time coming this far, Bolero.”

The man sheathed his sword nonchalantly.

It was Noser of the Imperial Capital Knight Order.

***

Bihen’s world of unconsciousness, the Altar of the Abyss.

Bihen and Kuhn stood facing each other from a distance.

Bihen was holding a long wooden stick like a sword, in a stance.

His expression was quite serious.

“Hmm, again.”

“……”

Kuhn was the opposite.

Her face, which usually showed no emotion, now looked beyond indifferent to bored.

Kuhn casually waved her arm in the air.

The talisman that flew from her fingertips drew an arc before turning into a flame mid-air.

Bihen swung the stick with all his might.

The flame that hit the stick scattered sparks and then feebly died out.

“How was it, wasn't that last one a bit different? I felt a little something the moment it touched.”

“Not at all. I don’t know what’s different.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Kuhn held back a sigh that was about to escape.

They have done this over a thousand times now.

“It is not uncommon to mistake a coincidence for the truth and chase an illusion. The deeper the longing, the more so.”

“Speak simply.”

“It is impossible to cut sorcery with a sword.”

Bihen snorted.

“Mages used to say the same thing.”

The sensation of cutting magic is as familiar to Bihen as the sensation of cutting flesh and bone.

The moment he faced the poison arts of the Krause family was no different.

‘It was definitely similar.’

Bihen gripped the stick tightly. It felt as if sweat was pouring down, even though that couldn't be.

“If I repeat it over and over, it will happen by chance again. I just need to increase it like that.”

Bihen took a ready stance.

“Then, will it truly be a coincidence?”

Finally, a change occurred in Kuhn’s expression as well. Her look of disgust was evident.

***

“Is he dead?”

Noser’s gaze was on Bihen.

Bolero was conscious of it and remained on guard.

“How could that be possible?”

“I was worried. That’s a relief.”

The presence of people approaching from a distance was heard.

Bolero looked back and forth between that direction and Noser.

His tense demeanor was evident.

“Ah, it’s fine. They are my men.”

“……You’ve been quite diligent in your pursuit.”

Noser shrugged.

“I came in a hurry myself because the situation seemed urgent, but it's a bit disappointing not to get a word of greeting.”

Noser touched his hair out of habit.

Just like the gleam spreading from the pure white plate armor, his hair, pressed down with pomade, also had a smooth shine.

“To be thanked, when this hardship is because of someone. That's not even funny.”

“What happened to you is my fault? Isn't that a bit unfair?”

Just then, Noser’s men arrived one after another.

A large carriage followed behind the ten or so soldiers.

“May I see Bihen Benkou? He doesn't look well.”

Bolero stood, shielding Bihen.

“That won’t be possible.”

“I don’t think you’re in a position to be so stiff, are you? The Krause mansion was a complete mess. You won’t deny that Bihen Benkou led it, will you?”

“……”

“Excluding you, since you can't even move your body. It's difficult to explain that tragedy with just Jayden’s group. More than anything, doesn't it not make sense that all of them are unharmed without a single scratch?”

Noser walked around, lost in deep thought.

Bolero only followed him with his eyes.

“There were no signs of an external force entering Aldenfort. Then what on earth is it? It’s not logically convincing that Bihen Benkou caused all that ruckus by himself.”

“Bihen did it alone.”

“Hmm, right. Bihen alone… what?”

Noser crumpled his brow. The soldiers standing behind him also swallowed hard and looked at Bolero.

“I’m saying that Bihen Benkou fought the Krause family alone.”

“……And you expect me to believe that?”

“Well, what can you do? That’s the truth.”

He had dismissed the rumor that he had single-handedly ended the Conwell civil war as nothing.

It was common everywhere to exaggerate heroic tales to create a hero for the territory.

Moreover, for a huge territory like Conwell, the fabrication would have been even bolder.

However, this time was different.

If they were trying to brazenly deceive him right in front of his eyes, that was something he could not tolerate.

“Are you making a fool of me, Bolero?”

“We can confirm it when Bihen wakes up, can’t we? Since Bihen is from the Empire, he won’t follow the rules of the Imperial Capital. Perhaps Sir Noser might have to prepare for the fight of his life.”

The sharp sound of blades being drawn spread.

It was the soldiers of the Imperial Capital Knight Order.

They were not just some riffraff.

They did not overlook an insult to their superior officer.

“……Your condition doesn’t look so good either, so don't needlessly risk your life. This is a warning. I’m not so benevolent as to give a warning twice.”

Bolero coughed. It felt like his body was going to fall apart.

He deliberately straightened his back even more.

“I would like to know the reason why the Imperial Capital Knight Order intervened in the dispute between Solari and the Gunbel Trading Company under a forced pretext. Thanks to that, Bihen ended up in this state.”

“There’s no reason for me to kindly answer you. If you’re really curious, obediently let us shackle Bihen and follow us. Who knows? I might feel whimsical and tell you.”

“You’ll take us both? Do you think that’s possible?”

“Well, it won’t be easy.”

Bolero and Noser aimed their gazes at each other.

A heavy, cold air flowed between them.

Thud.

It was then.

Bihen, who had collapsed behind the Bolero, shot up to his feet.

“B-Bihen!”

“……!”

Both Bolero and Noser’s eyes widened.

The soldiers were the same.

Shing.

Bihen drew the Heavenly Demon with his back to everyone.

It was sudden, without any warning.

In an instant, the area was in an uproar.

Swish.

Bihen lightly swung his arm.

The Heavenly Demon smoothly cut through the air.

The soldiers were all startled and flinched and Bolero and Noser also swallowed a gasp.

“……Is this not it?”

Bihen tilted his head.

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