Chapter 35.2: The Road to the Imperial Palace Part 2

The surface of the carriage, which clearly had the Imperial crest before I boarded, was now completely clean.

As if such a crest had never existed in the first place.

'Wait, this is...'

The carriage entering a strange path.

The coachman immediately prostrating himself as soon as he heard the bandits' shouts.

The suddenly erased Imperial crest.

Putting all these clues together, I could grasp how the situation was unfolding.

"So that's how it is."

I muttered softly and drew my sword from my waist.

*Shing*, a clear sound rang out as the shining blade revealed its true form.

"Surrender quickly and lie down, it'll be good for your health..."

They're really noisy, chattering away.

Just some extra bandits.

Annoyed by the guy who wouldn't shut up, I quietly chanted.

"Blink × 6."

-Crack!

My vision flickered with blue sparks.

And when I opened my eyes again, all I saw was the back of his head.

"Huh? What, where did he go..."

I swung my sword towards his stupid head, which was turning around in a daze.

-Slash!

The sound of the blade slicing through flesh and bone echoed.

A silver line was drawn in the air, and a red fountain gushed out.

-Thud, thud...

And then, his head fell to the ground pathetically.

"......"

The bandits, who had been noisy just a moment ago, fell silent.

I looked at them and stomped on the rolling head.

-Crunch...!

The face burst with a pleasant sound.

I rubbed the blood and brains splattered on my shoes against the ground and said,

"Aren't you coming?"

"......"

"Then I'll come to you."

I raised my sword and kicked off the ground.

For a while, the sounds of clashing steel and horrifying screams echoed through the forest.

.

.

.

"Ugh..."

A forest path splendidly splattered with red bloodstains.

Severed limbs scattered on the ground.

Mud soaked with fresh organ fragments.

Standing at the center of this hellish landscape was...

"Is it over?"

None other than myself.

I wiped off the blood dripping from my sword and turned my head.

"Ugh, uh, aaaah..."

My gaze landed on the last surviving bandit, crawling on the ground.

With both legs severed, he was writhing and screaming.

I slowly approached him.

"D-don't come closer...! Please...!"

He screamed as I got closer.

I ignored him and raised my sword.

"Spare me... please spare me...!"

A desperate, even ugly cry.

I frowned at his pitiful wail.

A sliver of sympathy almost bloomed deep within my heart.

But my reason ruthlessly uprooted it.

"It's laughable."

To beg for his life so shamelessly, when he made a living by oppressing and robbing people.

"Didn't those who lost their lives at your hands also cry out like that?"

"I-I'm sorry... p-please just this once...!"

"......"

What makes this guy any better than the Tomb Raiders?

Those who live by pursuing what they shouldn't, to satisfy their greed.

How many people were sacrificed to satisfy their desires?

I felt a thick disgust creeping up my throat.

Strength naturally flowed into the hand gripping the sword.

I declared to the guy looking at me with pleading eyes,

"Accept it."

"Ah, aaagh!! No!!!"

"Your death will be someone's revenge."

A death sentence with not a shred of salvation.

-Slash!

The blade moved once more, separating the bandit's head from his body.

The face that fell at my feet was staring at me with a contorted expression.

I kicked it away and returned to the carriage.

"Let's depart again."

As I knocked on the carriage, the coachman, who had been hiding inside, crawled out.

"Oh my... thank you, my lord...! You saved my life...!!"

I looked at him, who kept bowing deeply, with a disgusted expression.

This guy too, what should I say...

Tough, really tough.

"It seems we've lost a lot of time."

"I'll escort you as fast as the wind, my lord."

"This time, I'd prefer if we took the regular road, not a 'shortcut'."

"Ahem, ahem..."

At the coachman's awkward cough, I shook my head and boarded the passenger seat.

As the messy surroundings were somewhat tidied up, the carriage started moving again.

-Rumble...

Along with the familiar sound of the wheels, I took out a handkerchief from my pocket.

As I wiped off the bloodstains that covered my hands, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.

'Come to think of it... I seem to be killing too casually.'

I guess a guy who was tearing limbs off and burning people alive just a few days ago wouldn't hesitate to kill, but...

Still, it made me feel uncomfortable like I was some kind of inhuman being.

"It's just that they deserved to die..."

I muttered those words, tossing the bloodstained handkerchief out the window.

Then I leaned back against the backrest with my arms crossed.

Perhaps because I had exerted myself, I felt a little tired.

Closing my eyes as drowsiness washed over me, I emptied my mind of stray thoughts.

And then.

A few hours later.

"We've arrived at the Imperial Palace, my lord!"

The coachman's energetic shout woke me up.

Rate and review this novel on NU to help people find this novel.