60 – The Messenger of Death
“Over there! He’s over there!”
Clatter!
Urgently following, the sound of what seemed like dozens of footsteps spurred me to move my legs hastily.
‘Darn it…’
From Noble mtl dot com
Curses involuntarily slipped out.
The pursuers weren’t particularly skilled. Normally, I could easily have outmaneuvered them.
But at this moment, after a long time of being pursued, my mind and body were at their limits.
Furthermore, the pursuers were not the end of it.
From all directions, a multitude of people were chasing after me.
In such a situation, it wasn’t easy to conceal oneself.
…No, if it was just a matter of numbers, I could have managed somehow.
By concealing my presence and sneaking into an alley.
But even that was an unattainable option at present.
Though unseen, the sense of being watched was multiplied.
In the darkness, in the shadows, behind buildings, among people.
There were those hiding their appearance, aiming for my throat.
Assassins.
They, too, were after my life.
On a basic level, from a fighting perspective, assassins might think they could easily sweep away even a truck coming at them.
But the story is different when it comes to them.
That’s their expertise, and my expertise lies elsewhere.
Silencing one’s presence is simple.
Deceiving their detection is also straightforward.
However, they are experts in killing and, at the same time, in tracking.
Unfortunately, my ability to erase and hide traces is lacking, so if they were to pursue my traces deliberately, I wouldn’t be able to shake them off.
Therefore, for days now, I had been on the run without properly taking a break.
As soon as things escalated, I hastily escaped the academy, swiftly left Ferdion, but those chasing me did not originate solely from Ferdion.
From all corners of the continent, individuals were aiming for my life.
From the soldiers of the Elbrent Empire to bounty hunters, mercenaries, and assassins from all over the continent.
All because of the crime I was accused of.
The crime of assassinating the prince of the Elbrent Empire.
Just the crime of murder alone is serious, but the victim being none other than the prince of the empire.
And even before I could take any measures, the fact was known to all, forcing me to urgently flee from the academy.
The sudden turn of events was due to falling into a trap.
“Indeed, you were the ‘variable’.”
Setting a cunning trap, the prince, those ‘people’, lured me in.
And forced me into a choice.
A choice where escape was never an option.
In the end, I had to kill the prince.
…No, I don’t really know if the prince is dead.
Perhaps I may never even know if he was truly a prince.
The only certainty is that it seemed so to others.
Hence, I found myself unjustly labeled as the prince’s assassin.
‘…If only I had been a bit more cautious.’
If I had been more cautious, if I had questioned everything.
Maybe this situation wouldn’t have arisen.
Since leaving the academy, such regrets kept haunting my mind.
And as time passed, as I grew weary, those regrets grew larger.
In fact, there was not only one way.
If I had simply thought of my safety, there was a more certain way than running away.
That is, seeking help from Estelle.
If it were Estelle, the one who would become the Empress of Lainberg, she could have surely protected me from the Elbrent Empire.
If I had made such a request, she would have likely accepted without hesitation.
However, that was not possible.
I couldn’t make that choice.
While not wanting to cause harm to her was certainly one reason, there was a more important one.
If I had made that choice, something uncontrollable would have happened.
The Elvrent Empire would have harbored resentment towards Estel and Rainberg, and perhaps it would have escalated into a war.
It’s a war between two empires that exist on this continent.
Just thinking about it alone, the scale of casualties would have been immense, and the fight between the two giants would not have simply remained their own.
Perhaps… no, the flames of war would have engulfed other nations without a doubt.
And ultimately, it would have consumed the entire continent.
Knowing that, I couldn’t make that choice.
I couldn’t create countless victims.
And also…
“I can’t just let things go as they please.”
Those who trapped me.
Those villains who framed me for the murder of a prince wanted something.
That something was war.
So, if I had entrusted myself to Estel, things would have indeed gone as those villains wanted.
They had conspired to start a war.
I haven’t fully grasped their true identity yet, but they are probably not part of a specific group or nation.
I had a strong conviction that they were spread more widely and deeply.
The problem was that I couldn’t even guess the extent of their power and influence.
They are a group that has the prince of Elvrent under their control.
It was difficult to easily speculate how far their influence extended.
Perhaps, they were an organization even larger than one could imagine.
The question was, why those individuals targeted me.
…No, the fact that they targeted me, I understand.
From the perspective of those who wanted to start a war, I must have been a nuisance to them.
If I had deliberately hidden my identity, it would have been different, but I had been quite active in preventing tricks within the academy, inevitably gaining some degree of fame.
I tried to be cautious in my own way, but in such circumstances, it was inevitable that I would attract some attention.
Even students at a mere academy knew me, so it was not impossible for organizations with significant power to notice my connection to distorted plans.
So, they must have wanted to eliminate me.
However, I feel that their investment was too excessive.
They used the prince of the empire as bait.
In reality, whether it was the prince or if he really died, one cannot be certain, but at least officially, in the eyes of the public, the prince was declared dead.
Now, I had become a card that could no longer be used externally.
It was certain that I was a nuisance to them, but not all my abilities had been revealed.
Yet, they invested in and discarded the card of the prince.
It was an investment that defied common sense, excessive beyond words.
To sacrifice the life of a prince just to capture a mere academy student was incomprehensible.
Apart from the frustration and anger of being trapped, that aspect kept bothering me.
Why did they make such a choice?
Well, it’s not like I can peek into their minds, so it’s an unsolvable mystery.
Anyway, it’s certain that it was an excessive investment, but ultimately, a cunning trap was created that was impossible to escape from because of it.
From their perspective, it became a trap where it didn’t matter which side they chose, one where they would never incur losses.
If I were caught and killed, it would be good riddance for them, as I, who had been a hindrance at every turn, would disappear. And if I managed to survive by borrowing the power of Estelle or someone else, then I could use that as an excuse to ignite the spark of war.
Whichever way it rolled, in the end, they would profit.
Thinking like that, it truly was a well-made trap.
…From the receiving end, it was endlessly unjust.
“…Hoo, focus.”
Regardless of how the situation unfolded, it had already come to pass, and regretting it would be a long way off.
For now, the priority was to think about surviving.
As for information about them, I had already conveyed a certain amount to the group, so I had no choice but to trust them.
In the long run, I would have to prove that I had no choice but to kill the prince and extract the source of evil, but for now, I had to focus on staying alive.
“Hah.”
Took a short breath.
Thud!
Leaped forward.
“He’s escaping!”
The ones chasing me looked stunned as they saw me quickly widen the distance in an instant.
Escaping this situation cleanly, I judged that physically outpacing them would be the fastest way.
With my stamina and magical energy running low, it wasn’t a choice I particularly wanted to make, but in this situation, it was inevitable.
Nevertheless, it seemed that my bold move paid off, as I was able to quickly put some distance between me and my pursuers.
“If I hide within the city like this… it won’t work out.”
Even if I could immediately divert attention away from me, being unable to erase the traces and lacking the time or ability to do so, it was certain that eventually, they would find me following those traces.
Continually moving to evade pursuit would likely be difficult due to the pursuers spread throughout the entire city.
Therefore, in this case, leaving the city seemed to be the right choice.
Making that decision, I swiftly headed towards the city’s entrance.
Though exhausted, my physical abilities when using magic were almost superhuman. Despite the city being quite vast, it didn’t take long to reach the city gates.
The problem was…
“There he comes!”
The ones who anticipated my arrival were waiting there.
“Stop him!”
At a glance, there seemed to be easily dozens of individuals, each holding a weapon and aiming at me.
Their determination was evident.
The will to somehow catch and stop me.
To break through in an instant, it seemed like a significant blow would be necessary.
However, to do so, a considerable amount of magical energy would need to be expended, and harm could also come to the surrounding civilians.
Assessing the situation in a brief moment, I immediately struck the ground.
Thud!
“What, what is this!”
“In the world…!”
I hear a sound of astonishment directed at me.
It was understandable.
Because I had leaped higher than the fortress they were looking at.
There were those standing on top of the fortress, but I didn’t even give them time to react.
Whoosh!
Feeling a strong wind, my body floating in the air plummeted back down.
Thunk!
As my feet touched the ground again, I found myself with the fortress behind me.
“What is that…!”
Listening to the voice of astonishment ringing from behind, I immediately started running forward again.
Once outside the city, the enemies rushed towards me regardless of their numbers, but in turn, with no obstacles in my way, I was able to increase my speed and outmaneuver them.
Buying some time and scattering their attention, I chose a path towards the mountains for escape.
Despite that, as I ran hard, I gradually felt the pursuit behind me fading away.
If I could widen the distance significantly and, in my own way, pay attention to the tracks while moving away, I might still be able to buy some time.
While thinking like that, I kept moving my legs tirelessly and eventually reached the middle of the mountains.
“Truly, a skill that doesn’t match your age.”
Chills!
The sudden voice, the goosebumps all over me, and the intense warning of intuition stopped me in my tracks.
“No, it’s more than that.”
If I hadn’t stopped immediately…
‘I would have been done for.’
Most likely, no, definitely, I would have been done for.
“Even at this age, surprising things happen. Indeed, the world is truly vast.”
Sweating coldly down my back, I swallowed dryly.
And with trembling eyes, I looked at the old man standing before me.
Dressed in unassuming but noticeably extraordinary black attire.
White hair neatly groomed by the marks of time and a polite touch.
Eyes that seemed soft at first glance but harbored an eerie intensity, revealing nothing of their inner thoughts.
A sturdy physique that did not match his apparent age at all.
And, hanging loosely at his waist, a sword emitting an extraordinary aura.
Although meeting for the first time, I immediately recognized the old man’s identity.
I already knew the face of the old man.
…No, even if I didn’t know the face, I would have recognized him immediately.
That’s how sharp and intimidating the aura and atmosphere exuded by the old man were.
‘…Why?’
An unbearable question arose.
A person who shouldn’t be here.
Someone who shouldn’t exist was now standing before my eyes.
From Noble mtl dot com
“Do you not think so?”
The strongest swordsman of the empire, perhaps even the strongest swordsman on the continent.
The Empire’s sword.
Sword Master Drayr Hekslar.