Chapter 60

EP.60 Side Story - Encounter (2)

The gazes of the people were surprisingly not as harsh as expected.

It wasn't because he was simply carrying a severed head, but because they knew who the head belonged to.

To avoid Leo's gaze, especially the gaze of the decal he was wearing, people tried their best to look away.

But it didn't really matter. The fact that they were avoiding his gaze meant they had already seen the situation.

At that moment, Leo was only thinking one thing.

'It's starting to smell. Is there a good place to hang it?'

Just as he thought this, he saw a tall tree nearby.

"Perfect."

Muttering to himself, he threw the head against the tree and hung it. The head dangled from a branch, looking like a cruel Christmas ornament.

"Hey!"

Just as he was about to leave, someone called out to him. Turning his head, he saw a knight in chainmail holding a spear.

'...A guard?'

Judging by the good condition of his weapons, it seemed so.

"I came here after receiving a report. Kid, you need to come with me for a moment."

"...What if I don't want to?"

"There's also the option of immediate punishment."

The sharp spear glinted in the sunlight. The punishment would likely be carried out with that spear.

"What's the charge? For cutting off the money supply of a corrupt official?"

The guard's expression suddenly hardened. It seemed he had hit a nerve.

Swish

Without missing a beat, sand was thrown, and the rough grains hit his eyes.

"Ugh!"

Without missing a beat, Leo grabbed the hilt of his sword.

Whoosh

Even though he couldn't open his eyes, he could still swing his sword. As a guard, he could still show decent spear skills.

"Show me some dance moves. Just like that."

The problem was that he couldn't see, so his distance was all over the place. Hearing Leo's voice, the guard rubbed his eyes and lunged in that direction.

"Die...!!"

At that moment, Leo reflected the sunlight with his sword. The reflected light was a blinding flash to eyes that had been in the dark for a long time due to the sand.

"Die, you bastard."

Thud!

The guard was knocked down by the impact of the sword's back. Leo then stomped on the guard's stomach and started kicking his face.

Thud, Thud

After a few more sounds, confirming the guard was completely down, Leo took the guard's spear and stuck it in the tree.

"...Is this good enough?"

Leo wedged the spear between the guard's armor, creating a scarecrow-like figure.

There was no better pair than a contemptible bandit leader and the incompetent guards who ignored him.

"Click... Spit!"

Disinfecting the guard's face wound with his saliva was a matter of courtesy and an extra touch.

"...What bad luck."

He wasn't particularly worried about repercussions. On the contrary, the guards would be busy trying to cover up the fact that one of their own was beaten by a kid and that they were corrupt.

"Maybe I'll buy some meat for a change."

He would just make sure to get plenty of dried meat, as the reward would be generous.

With that light thought, Leo headed towards the market.

And then.

"Hey, you, stop right there."

He was drawn into another confrontation.

"...Is this my unlucky day, or why am I getting picked on...?"

Turning around, the rest of his words died in his throat. Behind him stood a small sun.

It was impossible for a human to emit such a glow, so in that moment, he concluded that the boy was the sun.

"Was it you? Those people?"

A girl with long white hair and heterochromatic eyes asked. Her beauty was so striking that even a high-quality pendant seemed plain in comparison.

"...How do you know about those people?"

Leo quickly regained his composure. As a mercenary, he had long learned how to calm his mind.

"I'm talking about the person hanging from the tree and the one tied to the spear."

At her explanation, Leo let out a hollow laugh, clearly amused. The girl glared at him for his rudeness.

"Are you some kind of righteous crusader?"

"...What?"

"If I cut off someone's head or beat them up, it's none of your business. Unless they were your family or friends. Is that the case?"

He asked, confident in his answer.

"No."

As expected.

"Still, what you did is unacceptable."

"Who are you to say? Who are you to judge? Do you know what those people did?"

"I don't. But I know that such actions shouldn't be taken lightly."

The conversation continued to miss the mark. The market people, witnessing this farce, had fallen silent.

"...We can't communicate. I'll be nice and let you go..."

At that moment, Leo noticed the pendant around her neck. The emblem of a lion standing with a holy sword, an emblem that only one family could bear.

"...So... it's come to this?"

Leo laughed and took off his glove, then threw it at her.

Click

"...Do you know what this means?"

"You're such a great knight, right? No need to drag this out. Let's fight."

There was no formality or courtesy, but the duel was established.

"Alright. Fine."

The girl drew her sword from her waist. But it wasn't a sword for the battlefield.

"...What does this mean?"

A dagger. A blade that could cut fruit or a rope, depending on how you looked at it.

"I don't want to use a proper sword against someone like you."

"...Huh... Is that so?"

Leo felt annoyed but not enraged. He had faced such insults countless times.

"But let me tell you something."

Leo also grabbed his sword from his waist. Of course, it was a longsword that had killed dozens of people.

"The headless one was the leader of a bandit gang that killed and plundered people. The one I beat up was a guard who ignored it."

The girl hesitated for a moment.

"...?!"

It was a fact he had deliberately mentioned. Leo immediately charged. It was a cheap shot, but what he said was the truth.

Clang!

The swords stopped. Clearly, Leo's sword should have deflected the girl's dagger.

But it was Leo's sword that stopped. He had the initiative and the better weapon.

"...I didn't know that."

Still, the girl's dagger firmly held Leo's longsword. She pressed the tip of her dagger against the blade.

It was a trick more suited to an acrobat than a knight or mercenary.

"...Tch...!"

He had expected it.

Aether, a skill that a lowly person like him could never learn or even see.

Thud!

This time, he tried a roundhouse kick. But as expected, she dodged and struck his wrist with the hilt of her dagger.

The longsword fell to the ground with a clatter, and Leo stumbled.

The girl's dagger was now pointed at him, and her breathing was steady.

"I won't ask you to apologize. I understand. Get up."

She sheathed her dagger and extended her hand. The scene was so merciful that everyone watching was moved to tears.

Slap

Only Leo slapped her hand away.

"Damn... Are you kidding? Do it again. Don't treat people like this."

Leo, with his swollen wrist, grabbed his sword again.

"Why should I? The misunderstanding is cleared. There's no reason to fight."

"There might not be a reason, but... to someone like me, there's meaning."

And he swung his sword again. Despite his swollen hand, the speed of the sword was faster than before. The girl, expecting a fast attack, stepped back.

Clang!

This time, the sword itself broke. Clearly, Leo had been the one attacking, but he was also the one who lost.

"Is it over now?"

Her gaze was condescending.

"Stop it...!!"

He drew another sword with his other hand. The surprise attack was faster because that hand wasn't swollen.

"I told you...!!"

Thud

The sword pierced. It was a mistake that could happen with a surprise attack. Blood splattered, and people couldn't even scream at the sudden scene.

"...You'll die if you keep this up."

"I know... It's pretty deep...!"

Leo had a dagger in his chest. The dagger, embedded in the side of his chest, pierced through his clothes, and the blood stained deeply.

"...Step back. If you don't want to die."

Leo took another step forward. The blade went deeper, and the pain brought him closer to death.

"...Why are you doing this?"

"People like you wouldn't understand even if you died and came back...! You might worry about how to live tomorrow, but... I..."

More blood flowed. The wound was close to his heart, and the bleeding was severe.

"...I... every day... I worry about how I'll die...!"

He didn't stop talking.

Was it because he wanted this girl to kill him?

Was it because he wanted someone to hear these words?

No one knew.

"...I'm not... a great hero like you... I haven't had a reason to live for a long time... "

The face that flashed in his mind was his mother's, whose body he had never found.

"If I die at the hands of someone like you... I can go a little more... proudly... right...?"

It was almost a mad statement. A madness that was extremely indifferent to others, rising in his hand, he grabbed the girl's dagger.

"...If I just change the angle a little, it will be certain..."

At that moment, Leo stopped his hand. Like a sinner facing his own sin.

"...You..."

The boy let go of the dagger.

"I'm done."

As blood flowed, Leo tore his sleeve to try to stop the bleeding.

"...You need proper treatment...!"

"It's fine. Don't worry about a loser. It's more humiliating."

When the bleeding didn't stop as expected, Leo looked at a nearby lamp. It was set up by market vendors to do business at night.

"I'll use this. Sir."

"...Huh? Oh, okay?!"

Before he could get a proper answer, Leo picked up the lamp.

Sizzle!

He pressed the heated lamp against his chest. The smell of burning flesh filled the market.

It was a bold and cruel act, one that a boy shouldn't do.

"It will disinfect too."

Looking at the cauterized wound, Leo said. No one responded.

Everyone was too shocked to speak.

"Thanks, sir. It will be fine once it's cleaned."

With that, Leo walked to the inn. As he left, the market people started murmuring.

Was he crazy? Was he on drugs?

Was that kid really the one who killed Decal?

Why did he start a fight and then try to die?

As they used these questions as gossip, Leo argued with the innkeeper about his chest wound and then lay down on the bed.

"...Damn... If I had really stabbed myself, it would have been over."

He had no more attachment to this ridiculous life.

"...I killed a wyvern, so why am I shaking...?"

Just because his hand was trembling when he held the dagger that pierced him.

"...Damn... Embarrassing..."

Leo chose defeat over death.

It was the first defeat Leo faced with Aria.

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