Act 2-15 - Vlad

Chapter 15 : Vlad

The massacre declaration from Vlad had caused another uproar in the shopping district.

「Seriously, grey cult? at this kind of time, right in the middle of the city, and by himself?」

「Oi, stop kidding around and set down your enchanted weapon already!」

Vlad rested the blunt side of his big hatchet on his shoulder.

「《Shadow Gate》!」

A magic circle appeared beneath Vlad’s feet and suddenly, his figure vanished as if he was sucked into the ground.

No, he was actually sucked into his own shadow.

Because even after Vlad’s figure had vanished, his shadow was still there.

It might be somesort of space-time magic.

Moreover, since that magic allowed him to escape to another space, it must be a high ranking spell.

The demon who could use space-time magic was amongst the minority, that was the reason why enchanted tools which were suitable for space-time magic rarely appeared.

Though the user’s skill was also one of the factors, the enchanted weapon’s compatibility played the biggest factor.

But… why did he choose this location of all places to hide himself in the shadows? and, as soon as I was pondering about that, the shadow started moving, creeping on the roof to descend from the wall.

I was at a loss for words upon seeing the scenery in front of me.

I mean literally, I was standing dumbfoundedly as I looked at the creeping shadow.

I had a bad feeling upon seeing it creeping toward the crowds.

「O-Oi, what in the hell is this?」

Vlad suddenly sprung up from the shadow as soon as someone muttered those words.

He swung his big hatchet with ease, aiming toward the four people closest to him.

「PURGE!!!」

A light smile appeared on Vlad’s expressionless face.

Bits of meat scattering around along with sprays of blood.

A silence enveloped the district in that exact moment.

And then, followed by an agonizing scream,.

「A-A-AAAAA….」

One person whose abdomen was torn by that hatchet stretched out his arm, asking the people around to save him.

「Uhm, one person has survived huh.」

And then, Vlad beheaded that man with his big hatchet as if that man was a piece of meat.

I simply couldn’t believe the scene I was seeing right now.

It was to the point that I think those people from the grey cult weren’t the same kind of human as us.

Whether it was Gaza or Vlad, they killed humans without batting their eyelids, yes, as if they killed a mere insect.

The next time Vlad raised his big hatchet, another adventurer nearby drew his short sword and closed in toward Vlad.

Vlad, who was about to swing down his big hatchet was forced to parry the incoming short sword to protect his life.

「Lunatic bastard, you already have gone too far.」

The newcomer has a tall and lean figure with long, bluish purple hair that gave him a sloven impression.

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It was someone that I knew.

Standing along with Fedor, he was one of the strongest adventurers in Romburgh city, Heidar.

While being a perception user who wielded 《Prognostication Short Sword; Gjallarhorn》an enchanted sword which sword’s blade made from the fang of a demon beast, the person himself was a swordmaster.

「You think you can stop me with such a slow, weak, and thin sword?」

Vlad was trying to push with his brute force but Heidar stabbed with his sword the moment Vlad was about to attack, forcing the latter to go back to defense.

The timing of Heidar’s attack was superb.

Surely, Heidar’s speed and power was below Vlad but, he was overwhelmingly superior in terms of skill.

The way Heidar moves as if he had read Vlad’s movement beforehands.

「HAAAAH!」

After using a big swing in a hurry, Vlad tilted his head to the side, and leapt back in a hurry.

《Prognostication Short Sword; Gjallarhorn》’s blade left a trail of blood on Vlad’s cheek.

「Woops, there’s some noise just now. Who’re you calling slow just now?」

A frown formed on Vlad’s face.

I approached Gilbert and called out to him.

Vlad was powerful.

From his movement, I guess that he was stronger than the less skillful Gaza.

Though Heidar was strong too, his main duty was scout who relied on his perception and speed.

Though he could push back Vlad, it was obvious that both his power and speed was inferior compared to Vlad, he couldn’t land a decisive blow.

I expect that he didn’t have a trump card to finish this fight too.

「Gilbert, let’s go to assist him. Your 《Curse Trace Magic》 should be able to create an opening for a decisive blow on that big man.」

「D-DON’T JOKE AROUND! STOP TALKING NONSENSE! AS IF I CAN FIGHT AGAINST THAT MONSTER!」

I caught Gilbert who was about to flee on his wrist.

「PLEASE! I DON’T MIND EVEN IF YOU FIGHT FROM AFAR! PLEASE BACK US UP FROM BEHIND WHILE I FIGHT AS VANGUARD ALONG WITH HEIDAR!! I DON’T MIND EVEN YOU ESCAPE WHEN THINGS START GETTING DANGEROUS!」

Gilbert was【Lv:18】.

Moreover, he could use 《Curse Trace Magic》 to attack from mid-range, attracting Vlad’s attention with minimum risk.

「LIKE I CARE ABOUT THAT! I’LL ONLY BE KILLED BY THAT GUY IF I FIGHT HIM! AS IF I WANT TO JOINT SUCH A PROFITLESS BATTLE!!」

Gilbert shook my hand off, and fled to save his own life.

I could drag him back if I felt like it but, he would only become a drag even if he joined the battle in his current condition.

I looked at Gilbert’s back as I felt a regret sprung in my heart.

I shifted my attention toward Vlad and Heidar’s battle, readied my 《Demon Eater Sword; Beelzera》.

I looked around but I found that no one else had an enchanted weapon like me.

When I dropped my luggage and was about to join the fight, my wrist was caught by Mani.

「… Mani?」

Mani shook her head.

「The current situation is different from what happens in the labyrinth. That man’s aim is to cause as much damage as possible in this place. That’s why he made such a bold declaration and Heidar got baited by it. He might look angry from the outside but Vlad is clearly calm and collected. In addition, he isn’t aiming at the adventurers, that’s why it’s better if we escape from this place.」

「Are you suggesting to… run from here?」

「Yes. Please take a look around, us aside, the rest are civilians. I know that you’ll be angry with me but, we’re not the army, we’ve no obligation to protect the civilians. There’s also the risk of the information of your skill leaked to the army, that is the thing that you must absolutely careful with.」

… The reason Vlad launched his attack at this kind of time was most likely because he anticipated the army intervention too.

He would kill the civilians after the enchanted weapon’s user had escaped, and then flee with 《Shadow Gate》 once the army came to intervene.

He made use of the loophole in the adventurers’ policy.

In addition, there was a risk that a bystander who saw my fight would leak the secret of my 《Demon Eater Sword; Beelzera》.

And once the secret of my sword leaked out, it would only matter of time before someone like Fedor came to snatch it by force.

The danger would ony increase even further if the guy who wanted to snatch my sword was more powerful than Fedor, and as sly as a fox.

I mean, the army would obviously want to snatch my sword too.

「Haah, I understand. Well, I might become a burden even if I join the fight.」

But, if I back down here, Vlad would start a wanton killing in this place once Heidar was defeated.

「THEN!」

「When my mother was killed by the demon beast that were overflowing from the demon labyrinth, the situation back then resembles the current situation.」

The army was too late.

And none of the adventurers came to save us back then.

「That’s why, even if the other humans are running away from this scene, I won’t.」

Amongst the people who fled from this place was a child around the same age as me back then.

My hand was pulled by my mother as we ran from the demon beast.

After that child figure left my field of view, I readied my 《Demon Eater Sword; Beelzera》.

I shook my hand lightly to free my wrist from Mani’s grip, and ran toward Vlad.

「DEAN!」

Mani called out my name.

「Run as far as possible! … I won’t be able to focus in the fight if you stay in this place.」

I told Mani to leave this place.

Though the way I told her was more like I ordered her, I had to make sure that she understood my intention.

Unlike Gaza, Vlad might have lacked ranged magic or battle art to attack from mid-range.

Because if he had one, he should’ve already used it to kill the civilians in this place.

That situaiton is rather favorable so far.

The problem was… the possibility that Mani’s suspicion was spot on, he just faked it.

Though Mani obediently retreated as I ordered during the fight agaisnt Gaza since she knew that she would only become a hindrance, she might hit upon that possibility since Vlad made such a grand entrance right in the middle of this city.