Chapter 73

"Leave it to us, kid, we'll avenge you."

The young man, dressed in a dazzling bright green outfit, gently patted the head of the crying child and readily accepted the difficult task.

"Are you in your right mind, Guild Master? If we fail, we will be criminals. In the worst case, the ogre horde will scatter and enter the city. Even if we succeed, we will be targeted by Count Mond."

The well-dressed old swordsman, though exasperated, got up and began to prepare.

The old swordsman was the assistant to the Guild Master of the adventurer guild "Great Bow of the Azure Sky," which was rumored to be the strongest in the city of Baraila. He had once been a knight in the service of a noble. After retiring, he had intended to live a peaceful life, but was drawn by the young man's charisma and strong will, and returned as an adventurer. Now, he not only serves as one of the main adventurers of "Great Bow of the Azure Sky" but also often advises the reckless young man and acts as the negotiator with noble clients.

"No problem. Either way, we are already a presence that Count cannot ignore. Besides, it's precisely because others are hesitant to take on this task that it's worth challenging. That's what heroes do. If you don't like it, you can leave the guild to avoid getting involved."

"…Indeed, you are a troublesome person. I, too, have my thoughts about Count Mond, who has become dull in his judgment. We will make him and the stability-obsessed count recognize our strength. This time, I will draw my sword as well."

With the assistant's approval, the adventurers in the guild stood up and cheered.

"Of course, Mr. Robin Hood! You are so kind to children and those in trouble, and to cute girls like me! Because it will become a beautiful story!"

The young Guild Master, with a slight movement, dodged the girl who threw herself at him.

"Don't say such things, Shalna."

The young man said with a laugh.

Shalna, the girl who was called, was one of his subordinates. In battle, she excelled in close combat with a grappling hook. Despite her failed attempt to tackle the Guild Master, she looked a bit proud, showing her admiration for her leader.

---

A few days later, all the adventurers of "Great Bow of the Azure Sky" were sentenced to execution. The reason was that they had attacked the ogre horde, which the lord had forbidden by proclamation, due to their own selfish desire for glory, failed to defeat them, and brought the ogres and the ogre king into the city of Baraila, causing numerous deaths.

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"I had a hard time. I had to expose the person who was directing the interference by gathering adventurers who hated me and those who couldn't choose criminal jobs. I didn't expect them to hide their identity so thoroughly. Thanks to that, I ended up killing quite a few innocent people."

Robin Hood directed a gaze filled with resentment and madness at Yunos.

"You don't hesitate to kill for your goals. Perhaps you are similar to me. Hero, Robin Hood."

Yunos said provocatively.

"I won't deny it. I don't think I will die a good death. You should be prepared as well."

"Seeking retribution for evil deeds is the mark of a weak person. But in reality, the weak often choose a more miserable death than the wicked. Those who wish for retribution should realize that their core values are cheap desires, meaningless assumptions, and hollow self-affirmation."

Yunos twisted his lips and readied his sword, looking at Robin Hood through the blade and snorting.

"I was born in the slums. A child I stole bread from was, a few days later, eaten alive by stray dogs, reduced to skin and bones. But I am still alive. The outside of the slums was beautiful, but it didn't take long to realize that the essence is the same everywhere!"

Yunos closed the distance with Robin Hood.

Robin Hood hooked three arrows on his fingers and, one after another, shot them at Yunos. Thanks to Robin Hood's skill, the three arrows, which seemed to be released simultaneously, attacked Yunos. Yunos dodged two of them and shattered the remaining one with his sword.

Without a moment's pause, the four arrows released again failed to injure Yunos. They were cut down by his long sword and fell to the floor. Finally, Robin Hood was within Yunos's sword range.

"Great Bow of the Azure Sky is like the child in the slums who had his bread stolen. You are no different."

Yunos, tilting the tip of his sword towards himself, thrust it at Robin Hood with a flick of his wrist.

Robin Hood dodged it with a body movement alone. He dropped the bow he was holding and, with his free hand, took out a knife hidden in his clothes, naturally positioning it in his hand.

The knife had a peculiar shape, with a blade that curved like a sickle. Of course, the knife was much shorter than Yunos's long sword.

Yunos was confident of victory. The moment he broke through the archer's range, Yunos's victory was almost certain. Moreover, one was a seasoned swordsman, the other a desperate archer with a knife.

Yunos stood in a position where his sword could barely reach, using the length of his blade to launch a one-sided attack.

In contrast, Robin Hood did not use the knife for defense. He moved his body continuously, dodging Yunos's sword. He kept dodging.

"Then, how about this?"

Yunos temporarily moved out of his range and bent his back.

"Wind, carry me."

A magic circle appeared at the tip of Yunos's sword as he kicked the ground. The wind that blew fiercely propelled Yunos. In this unconventional high-speed movement, Yunos extended his sword to accurately target Robin Hood. This was the true skill of the Windblade Yunos, combining wind magic movement and swordsmanship, making it difficult to predict and avoid.

As Yunos soared through the wind, he made eye contact with Robin Hood. Yunos reassured himself that it couldn't be.

It took Yunos several years to master this technique. He needed to read the movements around him while moving at high speed within the wind. It was not as simple as it sounded. Yet, Robin Hood was easily tracking Yunos's unconventional movements. It was unacceptable.

To fully utilize the bow, Robin Hood had trained his dynamic vision from a young age. To him, Yunos's sword appeared to be stationary. The high-speed movement of wind magic was no exception.

"Damn!"

Yunos had planned to slide past Robin Hood at high speed and swing his sword when their shadows crossed. However, he had to bend his extended arm to defend against Robin Hood's attack.

Yunos, forced to defend unexpectedly in mid-air, landed awkwardly. He quickly kicked the ground to put distance between himself and Robin Hood.

(To be cornered by such a knife... He can handle more than just the bow. But with that reach, I should be safe at this distance. Robin Hood just threw away his bow. He can't attack with it...)

Yunos's thoughts were interrupted when an arrow pierced his abdomen. His attempt to retreat by kicking the ground was disrupted, and he collapsed on the spot.

(No... I wasn't prepared for an arrow...)

Yunos raised his head, and Robin Hood was still holding the knife from earlier. Yunos narrowed his eyes and noticed something odd about the knife. Upon closer inspection, he saw threads attached to the side. He realized too late that the knife also served as a bow.

"Too... easy... to underestimate... me..."

As Yunos tried to get up, Robin Hood stepped on the back of his hand, causing him to cry out in pain.

"Yunos, you said the relationship between good and evil and the way one dies is thin. I don't care about your philosophy, but in this situation, it is clearly wrong."

"Wait, Robin Hood! Let's negotiate!"

"Because the one who decides your way of dying is not the god of fate. It's me."

Robin Hood put away the knife and picked up the regular bow he had dropped. He drew the arrow and pressed its tip against Yunos's back, opposite his heart.

"Stop! I... I can't die yet! I have great talent! I am not just a Guild Master of a city's adventurer guild... I have the potential to achieve much greater things! This is just a stepping stone! I can't... here!"

Yunos tried to crawl away. Robin Hood released the arrow. Fresh blood splattered the balcony.