Chapter: 164: Return of the Hero (1)
You know the saying, “Life is full of unexpected twists”?
It really hits home when you look back and realize just how true it is.
One moment you’re living a perfectly average life, and the next?
Kidnapped and turned into a slave at a mining camp—talk about a plot twist!
Just when I thought I was done for because another group of kids snagged my food, some little white-haired kid shares their rations and suddenly I’m back in the game!
Sure, I managed to survive. But what’s the point of being stuck in this hellhole where I’m just waiting to die?
I was half giving up when that same white-haired kid got framed and ended up in serious danger. The strange-looking black-haired girl watches this unfold, muttering to herself…
“Swallow him whole, Wolf.”
Out of nowhere, this girl—who typically keeps to herself—goes berserk and takes out the overseers in an instant. What on earth is happening here?
Everyone goes into a panic, and in midst of fleeing for our lives, I end up making this totally irrational choice to stay behind and hand over the key to that kid.
I wrap it up with some cheesy line about paying back a debt before stepping toward a new life.
Just a series of coincidences, leading to miracles that could only happen in life, right?
“…Damn, life is wild.”
And miraculously escaping that situation only to find myself enslaved again in a magic stone mine three years later? Yeah, that’s life for you.
The inconsistency is utterly maddening!
I worked so hard to make some cash, got support from an organization, and erased all my old marks and scars, only to find myself branded again just like before.
Three years have passed, so I thought it might hurt a little less now that I’m an adult, but nope—still a boatload of pain!
“Nothing seems to have changed at all.”
You’d think, with the Empire’s technology, they’d use machines for this kind of labor, but no, they still crank out humans instead.
Instead of forming any sense of camaraderie over our shared hardship, the kids around me are just eyeing each other like they’re ready to eat one another alive.
The overseers? Absolute monsters!
The working conditions? Countless shades of hell!
This is just a mini demon realm.
No, actually, thinking back to how the Second Prince cleaned up the demon realm a while back, this place might actually be worse than that.
At least in the demon realm, people who were dragged in against their will weren’t forced to live on borrowed time.
“Hey, you!!”
Amidst my misery, I hear a shout.
I instinctively flinch and turn my head, fearing I’d be punished for letting my displeasure show on my face.
But guess what? The overseer isn’t even glaring at me.
“What are you standing there for, numbnuts?!”
It’s our precious mealtime, and everyone is struggling to eat some questionable lump that could be either stone or bread, and here’s some idiot wandering off instead.
What the heck is going on?
I consider myself pretty capable, but somehow I totally missed overt signs of that punk heading straight for the overseer.
Even if I was lost in my self-pity for a moment, everyone else was sitting down—how did nobody see him get up and approach the overseer?
It’s as if he teleported!
I keep my guard up and scrutinize that kid. I don’t want to stay here even for another minute, so I won’t let this plan go sideways.
I light up with determination, focusing on that kid.
White hair.
Blue eyes.
A face reminiscent of a cute parasitic brother.
“…Huh?”
I couldn’t help but let out a dumbstruck noise. No surprise there!
Three years really changes a guy. He’s got less of the “innocent little boy” vibe now and more of a “young man” sort of look, but there’s no way I could forget the face of the person who saved my life.
That kid.
He’s here!
“Why?”
My mind goes blank. I can wrap my head around why I’m here, but what’s his excuse for showing up in this nightmare?
I just couldn’t understand how this situation came to be.
But… there’s no time to ponder. I need to save him first and then can start asking questions later.
To me, he’s a lifesaver, but to the overseers, he’s just another disposable slave.
A worthless piece of property.
And by stepping up to them, it’s clear how the overseers will react.
Sure, the mission is important but….
That kid’s life is important, too!
While I might have rambled on about being even, there’s no way such a debt would just vanish with a single key.
This place? No one you can trust.
When I was ostracized and pushed to the brink of despair, that kid shared his food with me, even though he didn’t have to.
He gave a piece of his life—something precious to him—to a total stranger lying in the dirt.
So, “a key” isn’t going to cut it for repayment.
There’s no more time to hesitate. I ditch the whole sneaking plan and pull out a hidden blade to save that kid instead.
…Just kidding, I totally meant to grab it.
Suddenly, I hear hurried footsteps.
Someone’s panting and rushing toward me.
I can already guess what news they want to share, and I really don’t need to hear it.
“The Black Fangs are attacking! The Black Fangs are here!”
Oh no.
I’m ruined.
This has turned into a total mess.
I’d been so eagerly awaiting this news, but of course, it had to spring up right now.
“Run! Get out of here!”
I yell at the white-haired kid.
But maybe he was too shocked by the sudden twists, because he doesn’t move.
That’s the glaring opening the dreaded overseer won’t miss.
He points his wand.
I can feel the spell being conjured, just about to complete—and it’s aimed right at the kid!
“Great, just what I needed,”
I think, as that overseer’s icy spear is bound to pierce the kid’s heart.
The Black Fangs have disrupted the operation at the mine too many times, forcing the overseers to adopt a strategy where they treat the kids as hostages. And of course, fate has decided that this kid gets caught up in it.
Now, that’s a twist I didn’t see coming.
The attack was never scheduled for today.
Our mission of relaying the Black Fangs’ plans? Not even started yet!
So why is chaos striking today of all days when we’re not ready?
How can such an incredibly messed-up coincidence happen now? I could feel the rage bubbling up!
But I can’t just stand here and watch.
I quickly calm my excitement and think hard.
“Support will arrive in… about 10 minutes.”
My lousy mana detection might not be precise, but I can hold out long enough.
Except…
“…What the hell? Why doesn’t he have a slave brand?”
The overseer mumbles, as if they’ve just found the ultimate mystery.
That kid isn’t a slave; he’s infiltrating as a Black Fang, and if we let him be, he’ll signal our position with their spells.
Why he doesn’t have that brand is a mystery, but there’s no question: the kid’s life is in danger within seconds.
In front of my eyes, they’re debating whether to take him out.
To save that kid, I have to fight.
“But can I win?”
I’ve got the brand etched into my neck.
Sure, they handed us resistance potions when we joined, but I kept mine back for when I’d need it during a scheduled attack!
I might have trained, but resisting sleep magic while battling three overseers and rescuing that kid? Forget it!
Not all Black Fangs are the same.
I’ve been in this organization for only a year.
I’m the lowest of low, never even spoken to a higher-up, let alone seen the boss, whose face I’ve only caught a glimpse of when the skies turned crimson.
I was chosen just because I entered this mine once. I have no combat prowess to speak of.
Charging into this may as well be a death sentence.
If I run and leave that kid behind, I’ll definitely survive. For the sake of helping the others escape, no one would condemn me!
In this situation,
the only decision I can make is:
[Run away.]
I hide my trembling and keep my voice steady, trying not to reveal my fear, so that kid can feel safe.
“If I must, I’m part of the Black Fang. I can block at least one ice spear.”
Not a lie but certainly a stretch—more about throwing myself on the obstruction versus any real fight.
“On three, when you signal, you run, okay?”
I communicate discreetly through transmission magic.
I close my eyes, steeling my resolve, and start the countdown…
“Long time no see.”
That should have been my cue.
But instead, just as I was about to hit “go,” the kid turns his head, locking eyes with mine, as he casually drops that line.
My face flushes with shock.
“Seems like we’ve got a lot of questions for each other, but first, let’s take care of these guys.”
And sure enough, the kid strides forward against the armed overseers.
But no words come to stop him from advancing.
How could I possibly?
‘…This can’t be real.’
Radiant light.
Eight pairs of wings.
The Holy Sword in his grip.
That black robe appearing out of nowhere.
This can only mean one thing.
『Holy Sword Release』
The Commander is back!
—
Next chapter awaits!
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