Chapter 36: The Path I Must Take (2) | Semi-Coercive Imperialist
I mounted my warhorse and moved toward the western border. The Mekken Mountain Range was the largest boundary that separated the Western Kingdom from the Empire. Crossing that range would bring one directly to the border. There were several meaningful escape routes out of the Empire, but this one also had the lowest chance of success.
"...Mekken."
The Mekken Mountain Range is an extremely dangerous area infested with monsters. Even I have to be quite cautious there. The expansion of the Empire didn't stop at Mekken without reason.
Monsters, abominations, and beings that defy human comprehension lurk there.
Precisely because it is such a difficult path, it becomes the desperate and extreme choice of humans.
And precisely because it is such an extreme path, he failed to survive before Regression.
Swaaah──
Cold wind rustled the fallen leaves. The mountain air was already chilly. Suddenly, my warhorse came to a stop. I dismounted and quietly looked at the sky in the distance.
Today, I killed one bloodline.
But this is only the beginning. From now on, I will kill countless people. I must become someone who does so.
Under the cause of humanity's survival, individual sacrifice is inevitable.
...Yes, it is inevitable.
I repeated the words that Sebestian often said.
"It couldn't be helped."
"Sir Knight!"
The cavalry in charge of the pursuit soon caught up.
"It seems we'll have to climb the mountain range directly. There are no traces on foot."
At this rate, they would discover Akard before long.
In the past, Akard had failed to cross this mountain range. Whether he was killed by the pursuing squad or by a monster, no one knew for sure, his body was eventually discovered.
"Continue the search."
I handed a crystal orb to the man who appeared to be the leader of the pursuit unit. It was a magical communication tool often used in remote areas like this.
"Contact me immediately if the target is spotted."
"Yes, sir! Ah, Sir Knight."
The man holding my warhorse's reins turned to me again. A sharp, greedy glint filled his eyes, and a smirk spread across his face.
"I am Major Hans Kailus. Just in case you're worried, I'll let you know that like Lord Jekerd, I too plan to cast off this filthy family soon, so you don't need to be too concerned."
Hans Kailus. Jekerd had sent his trusted subordinate. It seemed he was half-sure that Akard's escape route would be through here.
This is why a fucking bastard being smart is a real nuisance.
"...Very well."
I must thoroughly conceal my true intentions. As Edmon said, I must be cautious of not only Agenthes but also all the eyes and ears of the Empire.
I still lack power, and the Imperial Court is swarming with sycophants who covet authority.
***
...A mask that covered his face and a robe that concealed his body. Akard Kailus, with his entire body wrapped tightly, crawled up the rough mountain range.
When he closed his eyes, the burning image of his family's estate still flickered in his mind. Behind his back, they were still dying even now. Because of this absurd conspiracy, because of the betrayal of the beasts he had trusted as family.
"Haa...."
Even so, Akard did not look back. Swallowing his rage, he pushed forward.
He must survive no matter what.
For the family that sacrificed everything for him alone, he must.
"...Haa, haa."
The roads were already blocked by Imperial forces, and so were the other routes. That was why he chose Mekken. The westernmost border. It was the hardest and most dangerous path, but he had to escape the Empire somehow.
To evade the pursuit unit, he ran without a moment's rest. Day turned to night, and then night deepened again.
Akard hid himself briefly between the rocks. He took out a biscuit from a pocket inside his robe and bit into it.
"Sob...."
Tears streamed down, soaking the biscuit. The last words his father said to him as he handed over this food echoed in his ears.
'Akard. You must survive. Our will, the secret technique to complete our family, lies with you.'
Do not cry. Just embody us. You, the vessel, will reflect all of us.
Akard willingly accepted that weight, though it was far beyond what he deserved.
Fssst.
In an instant, there was a stir in the nearby bushes. Akard quickly hid himself. However, the footsteps of the other person came to an unnaturally abrupt halt.
Akard was rather quick-witted.
He had been discovered.
He made a swift decision. Drawing his sword, he rushed toward the figure in the darkness. He thrust the blade toward the figure's heart.
"Urgh!"
The blade pierced cleanly through the solar plexus, but it was already too late. From somewhere, countless cavalry shouted as they surged in.
Thudda-thud. Thudda-thud.
The sound of horse hooves thundered like drums, and Akard was surrounded in an instant. He raised his sword, keeping watch in all directions.
"Good to see you, Akard."
Whoosh.
A torch lit up the darkness, revealing a man's figure.
"...!"
It was his father's youngest brother, Hans Kailus.
Akard's brow twitched.
"You too... you betrayed Father as well?"
A bitter laugh escaped him. From the dust-caked eyelids, streaks of blood trickled down.
"No. No, not quite. I never..."
Hans shook his head with a wistful expression.
"I was never once on the side of your pathetic father."
"...."
Words insulting his father. It felt like his head was about to split. Akard staggered, glancing around at the cavalry.
Dozens of them. He was alone.
Still, he must survive. To keep his promise.
Therefore, battle was unavoidable.
Akard drew mana into his sword. Seeing the blue glow forming around the blade, the aura, Hans sneered.
"Your moron father claimed you were the family's talent. And now I see it. Aura at just sixteen?"
Hans drew his sword. That was the signal. The cavalry charged in at once.
Akard swung his sword. He cut down two cavalrymen and unleashed a sword gust that knocked over several horses.
But they fought guerrilla-style. They didn't approach easily, merely deflecting or dodging his strikes, wearing down his stamina. From time to time, they threw flying daggers.
Clang! Clang─!
Compared to the mana he enveloped on his sword, the strength of his body's aura was still lacking. Small wounds were etched all over his body.
"Guh, hyaah!"
In the end, Akard couldn't hold back. He charged at Hans, but the cavalry skillfully avoided him. Instead, they drew back and drove him deeper into the mountain. It was the cavalry's characteristic rabbit hunt.
Hans grinned slyly.
"But your mind is far too rigid for your talent. Just like your father, who lost his head down in that castle."
Akard felt fury boil in his core. His mana wavered on the blade. With blood flowing from small wounds, his stamina was draining fast.
"...Huh?"
That was when it happened.
In the deep darkness of the forest, Akard's eyes caught sight of a certain 'presence'.
How could one describe its form?
First of all... it was grotesque. Antler-like horns resembling withered branches sprouted from its head, and on its owl-like face, dozens of red eyes gleamed.
"Ha. You stupid fool."
Hans scoffed. It seemed funny to him that Akard was distracted by the abomination.
"Looking at that now won't-"
Screeeeeaaaaagh!
Hans's words were drowned in a horrifying scream. 'It' was moving.
The creature reached out with a massive arm and grabbed the cavalry like toys. With one hand, it crushed a man's head, and with the other, it swallowed an entire horse.
"Wha, what is that...!"
Neighhhhh!
The remaining horses panicked and went wild. Rearing up, they threw their riders off and fled.
The monster continued its feast.
Crunch! Crack! Screeeaaagh!
The gruesome sound of flesh being torn. Bones being ripped apart, the human body being dismantled, a dreadful cacophony.
The cavalry, caught in the grotesque assault, were torn like paper without even having time to scream.
"G-Ggghhh─"
Before he knew it, Hans, split in half, died while staring at Akard. In his hand, he clutched a small orb.
"Ah...."
The end. In the moment when the grotesque creature raised its massive arm toward the last one standing, Akard.
───
Moonlight shone down upon this place. At least, that was how it felt. A flash of silver light arrived silently, without sound or presence. That silvery current sliced through the creature's arm.
■■■■■!
The thing let out a howl of agony, and Akard's eyes turned toward it.
A man was standing there. Though the mountain range was shrouded in darkness, faint moonlight shimmered from the longsword in his hand. His figure appeared faintly lit.
A Sentinel uniform, a knight of the Empire.
The knight stood with dignity, facing the monster. The creature, clutching its torn-off arm, glared at the knight. The knight did not avert his gaze from the creature's murderous stare.
Rather, he took a step forward. The monster, as if afraid, backed away.
As the creature turned to flee, the knight swung his sword once again.
───
Moonlight raced forward. As if alive and moving, pure white mana surged forth, swallowing the monster.
■■■■■...!
The creature's body, engulfed in mana, began to burn. It was sliced at the particle level, melting away, white, utterly white.
"...."
Akard stared blankly at him. The silver glow flowing from his sword was blinding.
But he was not an ally.
"...Akard Kailus."
At last, the knight called out his name.
"I am Maximilian of Ebenholtz. The knight who beheaded your father and mother, your older brothers and sisters."
Akard's eyes flew wide open. His teeth chattered with a clicking sound.
However, his body would not move. It was as if his feet had frozen to the ground.
He was an opponent far more terrifying than the monster just now.
If I take even a single step toward him, I will die.
Just as Akard, gasping for breath, was about to turn and flee.
"Will you run, from your enemy?"
Maximilian asked. Akard closed his mouth. His heart sank heavily.
Scratch. His sole scraped against the ground.
Tight. He gripped his sword.
He must not take a step back here. He must not run.
Whether he died showing his back, or died kneeling, if the end was death all the same.
If my failure, the annihilation of my family, is a predetermined future...
Akard raised his trembling sword and aimed it at the knight. His heart pounded like mad, but the knight only looked at him calmly.
I can't win.
There's absolutely no way I can win.
The aura emanating from him was of a kind Akard had never experienced in his life.
"Steady your breathing."
The knight spoke clearly.
"If your mind falters before your body does, you'll die in that moment."
At his words, the trembling blade stilled, as if by magic.
"Have you resolved yourself to die?"
The knight was judging him now. Eyes of deep, unfathomable gold, beyond what he could dare to comprehend, were measuring his soul.
"I came this far, to avoid death."
Akard adjusted his grip on the sword. He drew out the last of his remaining mana.
The secret technique passed down through the Kailus family for generations.
He looked at the knight of Ebenholtz. The man still stood unmoving, watching him.
Rather than waiting for death on his knees, he would aim for the moment of carelessness, cling to hope.
Akard lunged at him with his sword.
Chaaaeaaaaaeng───!
A sharp sound, as if to tear through the eardrums, echoed through the mountain range. The blue sword aura unleashed from Akard's blade surged toward the knight of Ebenholtz.
Whoosh.
The knight met his charge and swept his sword.
KWAHHHH!─!
Swords clashed, mana exploded.
A flood of blue and white.
However, his blueness was overwhelmed by the knight's light. His mana shattered, and his sword aura broke apart.
Even so, the knight remained standing in the same place. Akard had thrown everything he had into that strike, but the knight had not been pushed back even a single step.
"...Resonance?"
Maximilian spoke softly as he ran his finger along his cheek. A small drop of blood was wiped away on the tip of his index finger.
"A sword that resembles the sea."
Akard looked at the knight. He did not avert his gaze.
If death was inevitable, he would face it with eyes wide open.
"...."
The knight gazed down at the boy for a long time. He looked into the boy's strength.
A child so utterly unlike his own past fragile self. This boy had something he himself never possessed. It was a talent too precious to let fade away.
"Hone and polish it."
The knight turned away.
"So that one day, you may reclaim what was lost."
Leaving behind those words, the knight slowly walked away, and Akard silently watched his retreating figure.
When he had completely disappeared, the boy fell to his knees. At the same time that his tension released, his legs gave out.
"Haa, haa...."
With ragged breaths that seemed to empty him out, he realized, he had survived.
Whether it was the knight's whim, or for some other reason, he couldn't possibly know. But Akard rose to his feet again.
A mountain range full of abominations. A place now littered with the corpses of cavalrymen and Hans.
There was still a path he had to take.