In the Warring States era, the thinker and philosopher Mencius said:
“Manners make the man. A person without manners isn’t a person at all, so even if you kill them, it’s not murder but property damage.”
The meaning was clear: if you don’t want your head split like a log, keep your manners in check.
Unfortunately, Rude, who was blissfully unaware of this wisdom, was so rude he earned a certificate of human disqualification. As a result of his impoliteness, he was demoted from human to object and smashed to pieces.
His buddies, disregarding the explanation that this was a duel for my mother’s honor and punishment…
“Uggghhh!”
“Don’t come! Don’t…!”
“Kugh…”
He was scattered like a tossed Lego, disassembled and spread everywhere.
Well, since they brought up Fernhilde’s name, I had no choice but to kill them anyway. I couldn’t let the baron’s soldiers get a bad rap for mercilessly slaughtering on behalf of the true owner of that name.
To put it bluntly… witnesses couldn’t be left alive.
If they had run away in terror, I might have hesitated a bit, but since they all charged at once, I had no other option.
I had to kill them all.
“Sa-save me…! My stomach… it hurts…”
“My leg, my leg… why is it over there…?”
And so, we annihilated all the soldiers blocking our path, messily destroyed the surroundings to make it look like a monster attack, and then took a long detour off the main road.
The baron’s soldiers couldn’t have numbered just a dozen, so we needed to divert far enough to avoid encountering other soldiers.
We ran for a whole half day.
“I thought pursuers might follow us… but it’s surprisingly quiet.”
“Yeah. Like master, like knight, Baron… what was it again? Braum? I guess that baron must be as incompetent as my knight.”
“Maybe. At the very least, judging by that knight, his eye for people is definitely lacking.”
As I worried about being pursued by the baron’s men, it seemed they either lacked the ability to chase us or had urgent matters to attend to instead of hunting down a heinous murderer.
I didn’t know the reason, but it was still good for us.
Unlike the time I was on the run with a high bounty on my head, I wouldn’t have to keep killing pursuers anymore.
The baron didn’t have many soldiers at his disposal anyway, and unless caught by their entire force, I wouldn’t be in any danger…
‘If I kill them all, it might blow up in my face.’
If that happened, things would escalate uncontrollably. Even if my true identity didn’t get revealed, killing that many people at once would turn me into a top-priority fugitive.
In reality, I was trying to pass quietly with that concern in mind… but unfortunately, that rude punk insulted my mother, making my inner lower-class butcher come out to play.
The kind of reckless person who would stab someone’s eyes with a blade just for peeping while taking a bath.
◆◆
When the moon and stars were firmly shining in the night sky, we finally arrived at a small village surrounded by palisades.
It was just a tiny village compared to our original destination, but at this point, I was even happier to see a village than a city.
Most cities surrounded by stone walls lock their gates after sunset, but these villages allowed free passage any time, as long as you were roughly identified.
“Adventurer Siegfriede from Levant? Wow, that’s quite a distance you’ve traveled.”
The guards in this village let us in right away as soon as they verified Friede’s identity badge. Maybe they skipped checking my badge because I explained we were a party. Thanks to that, we got in easily.
Finding the inn became more of a hassle than passing through the palisade.
“Um, can I ask something? This is my first time in the village, but where do I go to find an inn?”
“An inn? My home has an incredible bed, so if you want a place to stay, why not spend the night there? I won’t charge you; I’ll let you stay for free!”
“We’ll pass. Just tell me where the inn is—”
“Hey, don’t be like that. Traveling with two ladies must cost you a lot, right? I’ll give you a fair price…”
– Crack!
After just asking for directions, the guy blabbering about selling his body was knocked out cold and tossed under the bridge by the creek.
“…This doesn’t seem like the way to the inn.”
“Hehe, aren’t you a little slow for an adventurer? This is where the ladies’ inn is…”
– Kaboom!
“Ahhh! My leg! My leg!”
“If you don’t shut up, I’ll break your mouth too?”
The one who led us to the alley instead of the inn ended up crumpled in a trash heap with his knees bent backward.
“Ugh… this village seems to have a lot of bad characters…”
“All villages are like this. The city is probably much safer.”
After sending about five of them to join the river of souls, we finally arrived at an inn with a stable attached.
“It’s been a while since an adventurer visited. You folks must have heard the rumors about the monsters in Pinwood Forest?”
“Well… that’s about it?”
The innkeeper was a middle-aged man, likely struggling with hypertension and diabetes, who seemed to have a lot to say despite his grim face.
No, more so, how far has that damned hearsay spread? Does this guy even know that the monsters in Pinwood Forest are sitting right in front of him, munching on bread and sausage?
Of course, he wouldn’t have a clue. If he did, he would have ditched the inn and run screaming for the guards.
“Sorry, but you’re a bit too late.”
The innkeeper shook his head and shrugged.
“Late, you say?”
“The baron Braum has already sent a squad to subjugate them; adventurers won’t have the chance to get involved. He doesn’t like to share his achievements.”
“Oh.”
Friede, quietly chewing on a sausage, let out an involuntary sound. I barely managed to suppress the milk I was about to spew from the side.
Baron Braum. A name I had never seen but felt oddly familiar.
Wasn’t he roughly the owner of those soldiers we slaughtered this morning?
We finally realized why they had blocked the main road and prohibited passage.
They were a hunting party formed to catch me.
The guilt that had been lodged in my heart like a thorn suddenly faded away.
======[ Baron Braum ]======
“Rude, Bron, and Lars were all wiped out…?”
“…Yes. Reports say they were all killed on the spot, with not a single survivor.”
A report that the trio of loyal knights and the soldiers he attached to them had been slaughtered made Baron Braum lose his appetite, putting down the steak he had just started to chew.
“…I need to check the scene myself. Lead the way.”
“It’s dangerous. Unless we get there before sunset, encountering that monster in the middle of the night…”
The knight delivering the report carefully cautioned the baron with a worried expression.
Their guess that the monsters in Pinwood Forest were of the undead kind had already solidified into doctrine.
Undead usually become stronger at night and weaker in daylight, making it unwise to seek their hideouts during the nighttime.
“It’s better than missing it with my eyes open, right? If it really is undead, it’s bound to start acting soon. How will we chase it if it runs away?”
However, how could one refuse the orders of their lord while being paid?
The baron’s will was stubbornly resolute, and the knight couldn’t dissuade him a second time without risking his job.
With that, they headed to the site of the massacre.
Accompanied by all the soldiers mobilized for the baron’s escort and two priests who had come to aid in the undead subjugation.
“In this world, oh Elianel…!”
“Oh my god, what is this…!”
The soldiers witnessing the scene retched, the knights gritted their teeth vowing revenge, and the priests raised prayers to the goddess with shocked faces.
“…It’s horrific. You’ve created an absolute hellscape.”
The baron grimaced, feeling nauseated by the gruesome sight before him and barely suppressing his rising queasiness.
It was that horrific.
Dozens of people were torn to shreds and mixed up all around, scattered flesh and entrails bore distinct marks of having been eaten by beasts.
The bodies’ eyes were picked clean by crows, and the leftover chunks were swarmed with carcass-eating bugs wriggling about.
It was the kind of scene that undoubtedly ranked first among those least fit for children and the elderly to behold.
Barely suppressing his gag reflex, the baron ordered an investigation of the condition of the bodies and the surrounding area. His subordinates reluctantly complied, trying not to reveal their reluctance.
“Look here. Lord Rude and knight Bron never stood a chance. They must have concealed their presence and ambushed them.”
“Shredding through steel plate armor… Unbelievable strength, surpassing even trolls…”
“This gash… this claw mark? No, maybe they wielded the knights’ own weapons against them…”
“The footprints… I can’t make sense of this. It’s too messed up.”
Since they were convinced the enemy was not a monster but a human, the subordinates were earnestly analyzing nonexistent monster information in error.
Yet they couldn’t be branded foolish for this misunderstanding.
The slaughter carried out by Hilde and Friede was so grotesque, destructive, and cruel that one would prefer to believe it was not the work of a human.
In any case, their investigation gradually widened, eventually reaching deep into the woods dozens of minutes away.
What they saw there was…
“Pr-priest! Come here! What is this?!”
“What’s all this fuss about… Huhhh! Oh Elianel, what in the world…?!”
It was something horrifically evil and foul enough to startle even the boldest of priests back a step.
“Is this… is this lake?!”
One of the knights who had followed the priests pointed with trembling hands toward the source of that evil. He struggled against the horrible stench that was curling up his nostrils.
In the middle of a clearing where not only the trees but even the weeds had turned black and withered, a stagnant, greenish-black lake bobbed with blood and chunks of flesh. Just looking at it made one feel like their eyes would rot from the sight.
“Oh my god, such profound malice and corruption…!”
The priests were horrified by the sickness contained within that lake, while the knights and soldiers were equally aghast at the sight of nature itself having died.
“My mother told me that there was surely a lake inhabited by spirits around here…”
“Spirits? This is undoubtedly the lake of that dreadful monster! Maybe it was born here!”
One soldier, dazed by the stench, shouted back defiantly.
Though somewhat baseless, his words bore a certain persuasion.
An undead monster known to have torn apart over forty humans could only be connected to a lake bubbling with death itself.
It was obvious that a link existed between the two.
It was not just the knights and soldiers who began to suspect this. Even the priests believed that this monster was surely born from the depths of this abominable pool of darkness.
Considering the timeline, one could argue the opposite, but those who had misstarted the first thread of misunderstanding had no choice but to grasp at such a conclusion.
Then, at that moment, new evidence began to approach that would further solidify their misunderstanding.
– Thump! Thump!
“Wait… is that… a sound like footsteps…?”
From behind the dead trees, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed back ominously.
As a multitude of smaller and larger footsteps drew closer, surrounding the panicking soldiers.
“Warning! We are under attack! Stay alert!”
Soldiers with torches leaned forward to illuminate the space beyond the trees, and priests conjured spheres of light into the air.
The lakeside began to illuminate gradually.
“Protect the lord! Defensive formation!”
Knights drew their weapons in unison, giving tight bodyguard protection around the baron, while the soldiers fell into their trained formations.
And then…
“F-fuck, what on earth is coming?!”
Just as one of the spearmen swallowed thick saliva and muttered a low curse,
“GRWAARRRRR!”
“RAARGHHHH!”
“KREEEEEEK! KYYYYAAAAAAAAA!”
With a screech that sounded like tearing metal, dozens of beasts charged at them in unison.
“Oh, they’re coming!”
“RUN AWAY!”
“What the hell is that?!”
Soldiers screamed and trembled as they buckled under the chaos.
They weren’t even just regular animals.
Each beast charging forth was gushing foul green blood from every orifice in their face, with grotesque tentacles sprouting from half-decayed bodies.
It was an ugly, disgusting, and horrific sight. Even before they could fight back, morale had hit rock bottom.
“The Army of the Abyss! The monster from Pinwood Forest has summoned the Army of the Abyss!”
Sensing the abyssal power hidden within those beasts, the priests widened their eyes in horror, tempering their despair with a breathless lamentation.
It wasn’t entirely wrong.
These beasts had either drunk the tainted water of the lake contaminated by Ganagl or had consumed infected plants and animals, twisting them into horrific shadow creatures.
“GWAAAAAHHHH!”
Half-decayed, insane aberrations charged relentlessly at Baron Braum’s extermination squad.
Screams and cries intertwined with red and green blood, adding new deaths to the already dead lake.
A hellscape unfolded in the heart of the forest at midnight.
“Shit! You never said I’d have to fight these monsters!”
“O Elianel, mighty one! Protect me with your eternal light! O Elianel, mighty one! Protect me with your eternal light! O Elianel, mighty one! Protect me with your eternal light!”
Panicked soldiers broke formation and fled, while several confused priests collapsed, calling upon the name of their deity.
“My lord! We must retreat! These creatures, the monsters in Pinwood forest were never going to be something we could handle!”
Even the knights who were muttering about cutting down those beasts instead begged to retreat in a frightened tone.
They could probably manage to subjugate all the beasts, but the prospect of facing the ‘monster from Pinwood Forest,’ presumed to be their leader, filled them with dread.
Baron Braum felt the same way.
What began as a quest for honor had turned into a fight for survival. Urgently, he pointed in the direction his main force was situated.
“To hell with this! Retreat west! We need to regroup with the reserve squad!”
The knights following his orders organized the remaining soldiers, engaging in a fierce struggle while retreating, with frenzied beasts pursuing them, occasionally getting struck down in retaliation.
It was a horrific night.
For everyone gathered in that forest.
That day, Baron Braum lost numerous soldiers and nine knights, suffering a heavy defeat.
He would give the mysterious undead monster a new moniker: the ‘Nightmare of Braum.’
“Hmmm… Friede…”
Meanwhile, the true mastermind behind all the calamity lay tucked in a warm inn, deeply enjoying a peaceful sleep.
“So warm…”
If Baron Braum ever discovered the truth, he’d be so sickened he’d probably vomit blood and drop dead from the utter contradiction of bliss resting on my features.
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