Chapter 36: The Path That Must Be Taken (2) I mounted my warhorse and turned toward the western border. The Mecken Mountains formed the primary barrier between the Empire and the western kingdoms. Once across those peaks, one was at the border. While there were several viable escape routes out of the Empire, this one offered the lowest probability of success.
"...Mecken, huh."
The Mecken Mountains were an extremely dangerous region where Aberrations lurked. Even I had to be cautious there. It wasn't for nothing that the Empire's expansion had ground to a halt at the foot of the Mecken range.
Beasts, Aberrations, and entities beyond human comprehension dwelled within those heights.
Because it was such a difficult path, it was the desperate, final choice of a man pushed to the brink.
And because it was such an extreme path, he had failed to survive it in my previous life.
Sshhhhhh—
The cold wind shook the fallen leaves. The mountain air was already chilling. Suddenly, my horse stopped. I dismounted and gazed silently at the distant sky.
Today, I had killed a kinsman.
But this was only the beginning. From now on, I would kill countless people. I would have to become that kind of person.
Under the grand cause of humanity's survival, individual sacrifice was inevitable.
...Yes, inevitable.
I recalled a phrase Zebestian used to say often.
"It has come to this."
"Sir Knight!"
The cavalrymen tasked with the pursuit arrived shortly after.
"It seems we'll have to scale the mountains ourselves. There are no tracks on the footpaths."
At this rate, they would discover Akad before long.
In the past, Akad had failed to cross these mountains. Whether he was killed by his pursuers or fell prey to a monster, I didn't know, but his body was eventually found.
"Continue the search."
I handed a crystal ball to the man who appeared to be the leader of the pursuit party. It was a magical communication tool commonly used in such remote areas.
"Contact me immediately the moment you spot the target."
"Yes, sir! Ah, Sir Knight."
Holding the reins of his horse, he turned back to look at me. A greasy smile spread across his face, his eyes gleaming with greed.
"I am Major Hans Cailus. I mention this in case you were worried, but like Lord Jekard, I intend to cast off this filthy family name soon, so please do not be concerned."
Hans Cailus. Jekard had sent his own confidant. He seemed half-certain that Akad's escape route led through here.
This is why it's troublesome when a piece of shit is also smart.
"...I see."
I had to keep my objectives thoroughly hidden. As Edmond said, I had to be wary not only of Agentes but of all the eyes and ears of this Empire.
I still lacked sufficient power, and the Imperial Court was crawling with treacherous officials lusting for authority.
* * *
A mask to hide his face, a robe to conceal his frame. Akad Cailus, wrapped tightly from head to toe, scrambled up the rugged mountainside.
Whenever he closed his eyes, he could still see the family's main estate engulfed in flames. Even now, his kin were dying behind him. All because of this absurd conspiracy, because of the betrayal of the brutes he had believed were his family.
"Huff..."
Even so, Akad did not look back. He suppressed his resentment and pushed forward.
He had to survive.
If only for the sake of the family members who had sacrificed everything for him, he had to.
"Pant, pant..."
The Imperial Military had blocked the roads, as well as the other paths. That was why he chose Mecken. The border at the western edge. It was the most difficult and dangerous route, but he had to escape the Empire at any cost.
He ran without a moment's rest to evade the pursuit party. In that time, day turned to night, and night deepened once more.
Akad hid briefly in a crevice between rocks. He pulled a biscuit from his inner robe pocket and chewed.
"Ugh..."
His tears soaked the biscuit. The last words his father had spoken while handing him these rations echoed in his ears.
'Akad. You must survive. Our will, the secret art that will complete our house, rests with you.'
Do not cry. It is enough if you carry us within you. You shall be the vessel that reflects our legacy.
Akad willingly accepted that overwhelming weight.
Rustle.
In an instant, there was a sign of presence in the nearby bushes. Akad quickly hid himself. However, the intruder's footsteps stopped unnaturally.
Akad was quite quick-witted.
He had been spotted.
He made a split-second decision. Drawing his sword, he lunged at the figure in the darkness. He thrust his blade toward the person's heart.
"Kugh!"
The blade pierced the solar plexus, but it was already too late. From somewhere, numerous cavalrymen swarmed in with a roar.
Thud, thud, thud.
The sound of galloping hooves thundered like drums, and Akad was surrounded in an instant. He held his sword high, guarding against all sides.
"Good to see you, Akad."
Whoosh.
Torches illuminated the darkness as a man revealed himself.
"...!"
It was his father's youngest brother, Hans Cailus.
Akad's brow furrowed.
"You too... Did you also betray Father?"
A hollow laugh escaped him at the sense of betrayal. A streak of blood ran down his dirt-caked eyelid.
"No. No, it's not like that. I..."
Hans shook his head with a look of feigned sorrow.
"I was never by your pathetic father's side to begin with."
"..."
The insult to his father made Akad feel as if his head would explode. Staggering, he looked around at the cavalrymen.
There were dozens of them. He was alone.
Yet, he had to survive. To keep his promise.
Therefore, battle was unavoidable.
Akad channeled mana into his sword. Hans sneered as he saw the blue halo of light—the Sword Aura—forming around the blade.
"Your pathetic father called you the talent of the family. Looking at you now, I see he was right. Sword Aura at only sixteen."
Hans drew his sword. That was the signal. The cavalrymen charged all at once.
Akad lunged with his sword. He cut down two cavalrymen and unleashed a wind of blades that toppled several warhorses.
However, they engaged in guerrilla tactics. They didn't approach easily, instead parrying or dodging Akad's strikes to induce exhaustion. Occasionally, they threw flying daggers.
Clang! Clang—!
Compared to the mana he wrapped around his sword, Akad's level of Aura for physical protection was still insufficient. Small wounds began to mark his body here and there.
"Kh— Hyaaah!"
Akad finally lost his patience. He rushed toward Hans, but the cavalrymen skillfully evaded him. Instead, they widened the distance, herding him deeper into the mountains. It was the classic "rabbit hunt" tactic of the cavalry.
Hans smiled slyly.
"But for all your talent, your head is too stiff. Just like your father, whose head rolled in the castle down there."
Akad felt a rage that shook his very core. The mana in his sword wavered. His stamina was draining along with the blood flowing from his minor wounds.
"...Huh?"
It was then.
In the deep shadows of the forest, Akad's eyes caught sight of a certain 'presence.'
How could one describe that form?
First of all... it was an Aberration. Antlers resembling withered branches sprouted from its head, and dozens of red eyes glittered on an owl-like face.
"Ha. You stupid brat."
Hans chuckled. He thought Akad was trying to distract him by staring at the Aberration.
"Do you really think anyone would fall for—"
AAAAAAAGH!
Hans's words were drowned out by a horrific scream. 'It' was moving.
The Aberration extended a massive arm, snatching up the cavalrymen like toys. It crushed a human head with one hand and swallowed a warhorse whole with the other.
"W-What on earth is...!"
Whinny!
The remaining warhorses reared up in terror. The horses bucked, throwing their riders before fleeing.
The Aberration continued its meal.
Crunch! Snap! Squish!
The sickening sound of flesh and blood being torn apart. The horrific echoes of bones snapping and human bodies being dismantled.
Under the grotesque assault, the cavalrymen were shredded like paper before they could even scream.
"Gurgle..."
Hans, who had been torn in half before he knew it, stared at Akad as he died. A small crystal ball was clutched in his hand.
"Ah..."
Finally. Just as the monster raised its massive arm toward the lone survivor, Akad.
* * *
Moonlight illuminated the clearing—or so it felt. A single flash of light arrived silently, without sound or warning. That silver current severed the monster's arm.
■■■■■!
The creature let out a shriek of agony, and Akad's eyes turned toward the source.
A man stood there. Though the mountains were shrouded in darkness, a faint moonlight shimmered from the longsword in his hand. It cast a dim light upon his figure.
A Sentinel's uniform. An Imperial Knight.
The knight stood loftily, facing the monster. The creature glared at the knight while clutching its severed arm. The knight did not flinch under the monster's murderous gaze.
Instead, he took a step forward. The monster recoiled as if frightened.
As the creature turned to flee, the knight swung his sword once more.
* * *
The moonlight raced forward. As if alive, the pure white mana surged and swallowed the monster.
■■■■■...!
The monster's body, engulfed in mana, began to burn. It was sliced at a molecular level, melting away into a brilliant, pure white.
"..."
Akad stared at him blankly. The silver light flowing from his sword was dazzling.
But he was not an ally.
"...Akad Cailus."
Finally, the knight called his name.
"I am Maximilian of Ebenholtz. The knight who beheaded your father, your mother, your brother, and your sister."
Akad's eyes widened. His teeth chattered uncontrollably.
Yet, his body would not move. His feet felt frozen to the ground.
This opponent was far more terrifying than the monster from moments ago.
If he takes even one step closer, I will die.
Just as Akad, gasping for breath, was about to turn and run—
"Will you run from your enemy?"
Maximilian asked. Akad fell silent. His heart sank heavily.
Scrape. His sole brushed against the ground.
He gripped his sword tight.
He could not step back here. He could not run.
Whether he died showing his back or died on his knees, the end was the same.
If his failure and the annihilation of his family were a predetermined future...
Akad pointed his trembling sword tip at the knight. His heart pounded frantically, but the knight merely watched him with composure.
He couldn't win.
There was absolutely no way he could win.
The Aura radiating from the man was of a kind he had never experienced in his life.
"Steady your breathing."
The knight spoke clearly.
"If your mind falters before your body, you die in that instant."
At his words, the shaking blade became steady as if by magic.
"Are you prepared for death?"
The knight was judging him now. Those deep, deep golden eyes, which he didn't dare look into, were weighing his soul.
"I came this far so that I wouldn't have to die."
Akad adjusted his grip on his sword. He drew up every last drop of his remaining mana.
The Secret Art passed down through the Cailus family.
He looked at the Knight of Ebenholtz. The man was still watching him, motionless.
Rather than kneeling and waiting for death, he would aim for hope by catching him off guard.
Akad lunged his sword at him.
CLAAAAAANG—!
A sharp, ear-splitting sound echoed through the mountains. The blue Sword Aura erupting from Akad's blade struck the Knight of Ebenholtz.
Whoosh.
The knight met the strike and swept his sword.
BOOM—!
Mana exploded as sword met sword.
An overflow of blue and pure white.
However, his blue was overwhelmed by the knight's light. His mana shattered, and his Sword Aura broke.
Even so, the knight stood in the same spot. Akad had staked everything, but the man hadn't been pushed back even a single step.
"...Resonance, is it?"
Maximilian spoke softly, tracing his finger along his cheek. A small drop of blood was wiped away by the tip of his index finger.
"A sword that resembles the sea."
Akad looked at the knight. He did not avert his gaze.
If death was inevitable, he would face it with his eyes open.
"..."
The knight looked down at the boy for a long time. He looked into the boy's strength.
A child so different from his own weak past self. He possessed something Maximilian had lacked—a talent too precious to let wither away.
"Hone your skills."
The knight turned away.
"So that one day, you may reclaim what you have lost."
Akad watched in silence as the knight's back slowly receded after leaving those words.
When he had completely vanished, the boy fell to his knees. The tension broke, and the strength left his legs.
"Pant, pant..."
Exhaling ragged breaths as if on the verge of collapse, he realized he had survived.
Whether it was the knight's whim or some other reason, he couldn't possibly know, but Akad forced himself to stand once more.
The mountains were filled with Aberrations. The ground was littered with the corpses of the cavalrymen and Hans.
I still have a path I must take.
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