Chapter 62: Wipeout

“The Count said those exact words?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, you’ve done well. You may leave now.”

Rememver, his mind racing, masked his thoughts with his usual impassive expression as he sat down.

To relay the message through him instead of directly to the knight order or Sir Lien… there was a reason for that.

Rememver was a capable head butler, and his master was a hero of the Empire. He immediately grasped what Honorary Count Hart was instructing.

Someone who had experienced war wouldn’t choose such an inefficient method of delivering a message without a reason.

Therefore, his esteemed master was telling him to monitor a man named Dan.

‘There’s no way he’d suddenly let an outsider stay for no reason.’

He was likely keeping a potentially hostile individual close to observe him.

The reasoning was sound. The instruction ‘only teach him swordsmanship’ might sound like concern that the Killer Knights would try to drug Dan, but upon closer inspection, it meant not to teach him anything beyond swordsmanship.

In other words, be wary, as he might be an enemy.

‘As the head butler of a hero, I must ensure my master doesn’t waste his attention on such matters.’

That was a butler’s duty.

The seemingly ordinary head butler slowly rose from his seat.

***

“So… to be more precise, you want to become stronger quickly? Not just learn swordsmanship.”

“Yes.”

“Then we’re perfect for you. You’re in luck. Any other knight order wouldn’t even consider it.”

Typical knight orders taught ‘swordsmanship’ through systematic training and education. That was why those who started learning the sword late in life often failed to reach their desired level of strength.

Kleter, sitting on a tree stump in a corner of the training grounds, patted the spot next to him. Seeing Dan approach obediently, he continued speaking slowly.

“Do you know about our knight order?”

“The Killer Knights… known as a very strong knight order…”

“You flatterer. Well, we are quite famous. And we are pretty strong. But did you know that most of us are conscripted commoners, and from the slums at that?”

“I… I didn’t know that.”

“Really? It’s quite a famous story. Though, I guess you could have missed it. Anyway, what I’m trying to say is, we were all just ordinary people at first. Adults who started learning the sword way too late.”

“That’s right! Especially that old geezer over there, see him? He’s forty-six this year. He was thirty-six when he was conscripted!”

“…Milan…”

Kleter ran a hand over his face. He wondered why this idiot had been so quiet; it seemed his silence couldn’t last long.

He considered chasing him away for a moment, but knew it would only make him louder and more persistent, so he gave up and turned back to Dan. Judging by his expression, Milan’s words had made an impression. He was murmuring, ‘Forty-six…’

“So…”

“…how?”

“Huh?”

“How were you able to become so strong?”

“Well… there’s not much to it, really.”

Leaning back, as if reminiscing about the past, Kleter gazed at the sky and began to speak slowly. Or, he was about to.

If only Milan hadn’t interrupted.

“First off, all the weaklings died during the war.”

“Milan!”

“What? It’s true.”

Initially, they were deployed as cannon fodder on the front lines. Although the then-captain, Deon Hart, gave orders and guidance, those who couldn’t abandon their humanity and ultimately disobeyed his commands all perished.

Of course, Kleter intended to mention this, but he wanted to put it more delicately. Who knew this idiot would steal his thunder?

With a deep sigh, he listed the remaining reasons with a resigned expression.

“And after the war ended, the people who had somewhere to return to left. Don’t you think the knight order, which was once a ‘unit,’ is quite small? The ones who remain here aren’t afraid of death.”

Those with a home to return to and something to protect became cautious. On the battlefield, there was only one option, so they had no choice but to pretend they weren’t afraid of death, but now that it was all over, there was no need to continue that charade.

Therefore, those with lingering attachments to life naturally left the knight order and returned to their everyday lives.

Of course, many returned because they couldn’t overcome the trauma of war, but the majority came back because, over the long eight years, their homes and the things they protected had ‘disappeared’.

It was almost comical when he thought about it.

During the war, they were terrified of dying and acted accordingly, but now, it was as if they were trying to die.

‘Well, actually, it was an stubborn refusal to die during the war, so it’s different, I guess.’

As Kleter chuckled to himself, his expression suddenly hardened.

He’d felt uneasy from the start, and just as he’d suspected, that damned Milan—

“And the last reason is that we’re all drug addicts.”

“…Drug addicts?”

“Yeah, we make it sound grand, but in the end, we’re just half-wits who can’t kill a single person properly without drugs. In that sense…”

“…?”

“Wanna try some?”

“Milan!!”

There was no need to shout.

Almost at the same moment Kleter raised his voice, a sharp thud echoed as Milan went flying. The one now standing where he had been was none other than the captain, Lien Riner.

Instead of saying anything, she stomped towards Milan, her foot pressing firmly on his chest as she glared down at him with an icy gaze.

Finally, cold words escaped her lips.

“I suspected it, but you really tried to offer him drugs. Are you insane?”

“Owww… Captain, it hurts. I’m going to die…! Keugh!”

“Not ‘Captain,’ but ‘Captain-nim.'”

“Cap, Captain-nim! Captain-nim!”

“Yes.”

“I’m dying!”

Tch, Lien clicked her tongue and slowly removed her foot. As if he had been waiting for it, Milan coughed and gasped for breath, glaring at her as if she was being unfair.

Even as he did so, he diligently pushed himself up, anticipating another stomp.

Lien scoffed at his pathetic yet irritating behavior and turned her gaze away. While further educating this insolent brat wouldn’t be bad, she had a clear purpose for being here.

And even without saying anything…

“Kleter.”

“Yes, Captain-nim.”

“Prepare him.”

“Ah…! Yes!”

“W-Wait a minute! Captain! No, Captain-nim! Aren’t we picking people for a mission right now? Then why just him…?! I’m bored too!”

She knew he would ask. Lien smirked at his predictable question.

As if waiting for this moment, she answered kindly, with a hint of amusement and triumph in her irritatingly smug expression.

“Our lord instructed us to choose ten of the ‘relatively normal’ ones.”

“Ah… damn it!”

He didn’t even try to argue.

Lien, unable to hide her amusement, chuckled and then focused her gaze on a nearby tree.

She had suspected it since arriving, but now she was certain.

“Come out.”

There was no response, but her conviction remained. Her voice was even and businesslike as she continued.

“How long were you planning to just stand there and watch? Our lord’s guest was about to be given drugs, and you just stood by.”

“…This old man doesn’t have the strength to stop young men. Besides, Sir Lien stopped them before I could intervene.”

Hiss, Kleter sucked in a small breath. Milan, startled, made a confused sound, “Huh? Uh?”

Having endured eight years on the battlefield, they were experts at detecting presences, yet they hadn’t noticed a thing.

They always knew the head butler was no ordinary servant, but they never imagined he was this skilled…

Ignoring the reactions of her subordinates, Lien addressed Rememver.

“What brings you here?”

“I came to deliver the Count’s message. However…”

Catching Rememver’s gaze, she addressed her subordinates.

“Take Dan and move away for a moment.”

***

“I apologize. I’m late.”

“It’s alright.”

It had only been a few minutes, anyway.

Lien arrived not long after I finished my cup of tea.

It wasn’t like I had specified an exact time, and I drank my tea quickly, so it couldn’t really be considered late. However, it seemed Lien felt differently.

“I’m truly sorry. I have no excuse…”

“It’s really alright. There must have been a reason. Perhaps a knight tried to offer him drugs instead of teaching him swordsmanship, and required some correction…”

“H-How did you know?!”

What? Was it true? I guessed it right?!

If that was the reason for the delay, then there was no need for apologies. She deserved a commendation.

“Well done.”

“Yes?”

“Did Dan take any drugs?”

“No, he didn’t.”

“Then you did very well.”

Lien had prevented another lunatic from appearing in this world!

She contributed to the peace of the continent; a slight delay was insignificant. I reiterated sincerely, “Well done.”

“Then, shall we go?”

I turned my gaze to the people standing before me. The mad dogs, Lien, and the sorceress Ran.

Hmm, it seems no one’s missing. But there seem to be quite a few of them.

New people rarely moved into the slums, they said. Everyone knew each other’s faces, so a newcomer would be noticed immediately.

Maybe one or two wouldn’t be a problem, but if a group of unfamiliar faces suddenly appeared, wouldn’t news travel quickly to their target?

“…It seems we’ll have to split up…”

“To avoid detection, it would be safer to move in groups of two or three, though it will be more troublesome.”

I agreed. Even three seemed risky. Two would be the safest bet.

The problem was…

“Who doesn’t know the layout of this area?”

“…”

“…”

No one answered.

What? There’s no way they didn’t hear me. Could it be that no one actually doesn’t know the area?

No way, that’s…

“No one.”

“…Hmm?”

“We’re all from around here…”

“Considering the circumstances, we only selected individuals from this area’s slums.”

A proud voice overlapped the calm explanation of the facts.

As expected of Lien. Truly capable. I do have a knack for finding talented individuals.

‘Although, I wish I didn’t have quite as much of that luck in the Demon Realm…’

I quickly pushed aside the melancholic thought and simply nodded.

“Then the knights will pair up and move along different routes. The rendezvous point is near the Salvation Church. If you don’t know the location, ask Sir Lien, and just try to gather inconspicuously.”

“Yes!”

“Sir Lien and the sorceress will accompany me.”

“Understood.”

I watched the men disperse in different directions before quickly starting to walk.

I could afford to move a little slower, but the thought of Cruel made it impossible.

Where is that guy and what is he doing? Could he have moved even faster than me?

Maybe I should have traveled with him. No, but still…

….

Reaching the destination was quick.

Whether their claim of being from this area was true or not, the knights had all arrived before me, even though they had moved in different directions – one team even went back the way they came.

I knew that a large percentage of the Killer Knights were from the slums, but I didn’t realize there were so many from the same slum, not just different areas.

“Ah—that’s because this slum is the largest.”

“That’s why the Empire started rounding up soldiers here first.”

“Unless they were very old or very young, all the men were taken, which significantly reduced the size. It used to be more crowded.”

This is a reduced size? I can’t imagine what it used to be like.

“So, are we charging in now?”

“Guys, let’s take our medicine!”

“…That’s not it. Put the drugs down.”