Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Living as a Hero's Brother**

**Part 5**

Whetton and Alex were running towards the village with all their might. Normally, Whetton, who could manipulate magic, would have been far ahead of Alex, but Alex knew the terrain around here like the back of his hand. Since he was very young, he had explored every hill and mountain in the neighborhood with his friends. Unlike when he was with the 30 knights, they took the paths that humans usually didn't use, the so-called animal trails, to head towards the village.

"We're almost there!"

"Right, I understand!"

Despite not knowing what Klein had seen that made him think the village was in danger, they knew that the person who had decapitated the trolls with a single strike would not lie. As they approached the village, they opened their eyes wide in shock. A giant ogre, enveloped in a black aura, stood there. It was a Twin-Headed Ogre, with two heads! This was a monstrous creature that Whetton had only seen once before. The sight of such a creature, shrouded in ominous darkness, was terrifying enough to make one fear it might appear in a nightmare.

Despite this, five knights were attacking the Twin-Headed Ogre simultaneously. With each heavy and swift attack, the knights were thrown back, spitting blood. However, they seemed prepared to face death, taking two steps back and then three steps forward, pressing the ogre relentlessly. The more they did this, the more the darkness emanating from the ogre's body weighed heavily on the knights' shoulders. Occasionally, thorns would even burst out from the direction of the shadows.

Whetton was certain he wouldn't survive even five seconds in that battle. Amidst this, a man standing behind the knights shouted, "Now!"

The five knights, who had been fiercely attacking the ogre, immediately used their last remaining strength to grab the ogre's feet. At that moment, Whetton and Alex's attention turned to the boy who had shouted. The black-haired boy created a blood-red disc in one hand and threw it at the ogre with all his might. The ogre, realizing the danger, tried to erect a dark barrier, but the boy shouted again, "How dare you!"

The barrier shook violently. Not only the ogre but also Alex, who had lost all strength in his legs and collapsed, and Whetton, who had knelt on one knee, felt the overwhelming power. It was a voice that could not be resisted, and Whetton was certain that even the fear he felt from the Twin-Headed Ogre in his past could not compare to this. However, this might have been a double-edged sword.

Whetton's soul was shaken by Shane's voice, and as the ogre's heads fell to the ground, Whetton and Alex saw the ogre's shadow stretching towards them for a moment.

* * *

When the five knights, including Lordwill, looked at Shane with shock, Shane did not relax his tension. From his past life, he knew that elementals, which did not exist materially, were always stubborn. Although he had dropped both heads of the ogre, which the Rotten Tree Elemental had possessed, the blow would have been significant enough to shake its existence.

He could still escape, especially since it was night, and the Rotten Tree Elemental, being a creature of darkness, could hide in any shadow. Of course, no one was as sensitive to dark magic as Shane, so he could easily detect it. However, if it entered a human body, it would be a different story. It would be difficult to deal with, and once it went into hibernation inside a human, it would be nearly impossible to detect without physical contact.

At that moment, Shane saw a young man and a middle-aged man sitting at the eastern entrance of the village. They were Alex and Whetton.

"Hmm."

Was this a messenger sent by Klein?

As Shane thought this, Alex, with trembling legs, stood up, and Whetton approached him.

"Are you, are you okay?"

"The situation here is under control. What about your side?"

He had expected that the situation on their side would also be resolved, but he asked anyway. As expected, Alex and Whetton said that all the trolls, who were the leaders, were dead, and the rest were just goblins and kobolds.

Kobolds might be a bit dangerous, but a few goblins could be handled by the village's vigilantes.

"The young knight told me to go to the village and evacuate..."

"That won't be necessary."

Shane looked at the ogre lying on the ground. Meanwhile, Alex couldn't control his racing heart. The sight of Klein in the forest was impressive, but Shane's shout had left a deep impression on him. He wanted to exchange a few more words with this person. Just as he was thinking this, Shane suddenly reached out to Whetton, and something unexpected happened.

"Choke! Lord Whetton...!"

Almost simultaneously with Shane's gesture, Whetton, who had not spoken until then, grabbed Alex by the neck and stepped back.

"It seems there wasn't enough time for hibernation."

Shane said this in a cold voice, and Alex, feeling the pressure on his neck, couldn't regain his composure. As he struggled in pain and managed to look at Whetton, he saw that Whetton was already enveloped in a black mist.

'How...?!'

In his fading consciousness, Alex looked at Shane, who was still staring at him with a cold gaze.

"Human. Let me go, and this human will live."

Shane's voice, which usually sounded hearty, was now chilling.

"Do you think you can escape?"

"This human will die."

"If I let you go, more humans will die."

"Then, negotiation."

"It's too late."

"..."

Before the Rotten Tree Elemental could express its confusion, a light burst from beneath its feet.

"Human...!"

The elemental was bound by the earth that shot up instantly. The ground was like steel, and no matter how much the elemental tried to move, it couldn't.

"How?!"

The elemental, using the knowledge in Whetton's mind, was shocked. How could a boy who hadn't even reached adulthood cast a spell with a magic wand?

Of course, such beings did exist in the prehistoric era, but it was hard to believe that the spell was cast so secretly that even the elemental couldn't detect it.

Magic is the power that constitutes elementals!

It was impossible for a spell to be cast without the elemental's knowledge.

"Can a mere creature like you understand?"

Shane, knowing the shock on the elemental's face, laughed dismissively.

"Wait, human! Do you intend to kill this human?"

"What can't I do?"

As he said this, Shane raised one hand and drew a rune with magic. A metallic blade formed on his outstretched hand.

"..."

Shane, after his rebirth, had not intended to kill humans. However, he wasn't going to let things slide easily. He wasn't planning to slaughter mercilessly, but he wasn't going to let his enemies live either.

"Even if you remain in that body, the man will die. No, he might even wish for death."

The feeling of having one's body ravaged while being trapped inside was something no one knew better than Shane.

The metallic blade on Shane's hand began to spin rapidly.

"Farewell."

"Wait, just a moment!"

Just as Shane was about to strike the creature's neck with his blade without a moment's hesitation, Alex rushed forward and grabbed Shane's arm.

A commoner daring to touch a noble's body.

This alone would have warranted a beating, but Shane only raised an eyebrow and glared at Alex.

"Didn't you hear? If you leave it like this, the man will die."

"Is there no other way?"

Alex, with a desperate look, grabbed Shane's arm and knelt on both knees.

At that moment, a memory flashed through Shane's mind.

A bloodied man, with three swords on his back, was making a plea to a blond man.

The bloodied man looked at the blond man with a pained expression.

The blond man soon fell off a cliff.

Eventually, the bloodied man, who was left alone, turned around and looked at Shane.

Or rather, he looked at the undead army that served as Shane's eyes and shouted.

The man, who seemed unable to move even a step, finally fell to his death after using the swords on his back to defeat 15 Death Knights.

"...It was you."

"Y-Yes?"

"..."

The man looked very different from his past self. His hair was completely white, and his body was covered in scars, making him look very different from the ordinary rural youth he was now. But it was clear.

He was one of the members of the suicide squad who had come to rescue the princess in the city where Klein and the princess were trapped. During that process, everyone except Klein and the princess had been killed by Shane's undead army, and Alex was the last member who had protected Klein until the end.

If Alex hadn't helped Klein escape to the bottom of the cliff, Klein might not have survived, and he wouldn't have met the fortuitous encounter below.

'So that's why his face was familiar.'

Shane looked at Alex for a moment and then sighed.

'If possible, I didn't want to do this.'

However, it was hard to find someone with the skills to stand by Klein's side in the future. But one of the chosen ones was right in front of him.

Shane decided to take the risk and met the eyes of the Rotten Tree Elemental, still bound and unable to move.

"I'll give you one more chance."

"What?"

Before the Rotten Tree Elemental could properly respond, Shane channeled magic into Whetton's body.

"Come in. This is your only chance to survive."

"...Human. You are arrogant."

At the same time, the black mist that had seeped into Whetton's body slowly moved towards Shane.