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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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Chapter 14
“Leon?! How are you even…?”
“Oh, come on. Someone like you should’ve figured it out by now.”
Leon spun the sword he had taken from Melissa with a chilling smile.
“I’ve been pretty tired lately, and my control’s been a bit off. But I really appreciate you all gathering in a place with no prying eyes.”
Aura began to seep out of Leon’s entire body.
Although he wasn’t an Expert, the distinct traits of an Aura User were clearly visible.
Yet, for some reason, Vishiri Cascadia couldn’t shake his unease.
An inexplicable sense of dread was pounding at his survival instincts.
Afraid?
Of someone who wasn’t even an Expert?
And he, who had reached the intermediate level of Expert?
It was only natural for his face to contort with humiliation and rage.
“Before heading to the Count’s domain, drag that man before me and make him kneel. I’ll sever his head myself.”
Even though it was a cheap provocation, it hit its mark perfectly.
Then, Leon lightly slashed the sword he held in one hand.
A single straight line was deeply etched into the ground in front of him.
He took a few steps back and yawned briefly.
“Cross it if you dare.”
Slash!
Even before his words fully settled, one of the Expert-level knights charged swiftly toward Leon.
But the moment the knight’s foot crossed the line—
The knight’s head flew into the air as if slicing through the sky.
…
The knight fell dead without even a chance to scream, leaving the onlookers in stunned silence.
This couldn’t be happening.
The speed and power Leon had just displayed—was that something an Aura User was capable of?
No, how was that even possible?
None of them could comprehend the situation.
Of course, Leon’s current state, which was utterly beyond their understanding, was also his greatest advantage.
The range of power an Aura User could wield.
The strength, speed, and skill an entry-level or intermediate-level Expert could exhibit.
Though nations differed, the vast majority of swordsmen operated within this framework.
However.
No matter how they looked at him, Leon—a mere Aura User—was far exceeding the maximum skill, strength, and speed an Aura User could display.
“I’m so tired I could die…”
Leon muttered under his breath, genuinely grumbling about his dire state, but to the knights, those words utterly crushed their pride.
“What are you waiting for?! He’s alone! Take him down now!!”
The knights began moving in unison.
* * *
A body far stronger than an Expert’s, enhanced senses, overwhelming combat skill—these were more than enough to make a mere Aura User a monster.
And combat experience?
From my perspective, after fighting countless foes for what felt like an eternity, these human enemies were hardly a threat.
In fact, the human enemies I faced in that place were far more dangerous than this lot.
‘This fatigue… it’s worse than I thought.’
Could this really be chalked up to just sleep deprivation?
Sure, I hadn’t slept, but could a few sleepless nights leave my mind this unstable?
‘My eyes are closing.’
Slash!
“Arghhh!!”
Even so, I couldn’t fall asleep.
There’s a form of torture where they prevent you from sleeping.
This curse-like insomnia felt no different from that torture.
Slash! Crunch!
Those who crossed the line—Expert or not—were all cut down indiscriminately.
When their numbers grew, I unleashed overwhelming aura to crush them under its weight, using the opening to strike them down.
Especially since this location was a relatively narrow and desolate pathway.
The bottleneck meant only a few could attack me at once.
Of course, some tried to flee, but most had their eyes clouded by rage and desperation to kill me, provoked by my taunts.
Naturally, as I began cutting them down one by one, it seemed they finally realized something was terribly wrong.
“H-how is this happening…?”
Meanwhile, I was having a conversation with “The Librarian.”
[Confirmed. Your mind has not yet recovered from the aftereffects of the Labyrinth. It is presumed that your soul is experiencing exhaustion as time begins to flow again.]
What a mess.
I caught the flash of a sword’s pristine white blade narrowly grazing past me.
It felt as though time itself was slowing.
Slash! Crack!
I shattered the shin of a swiftly approaching Aura User-level knight, turning him into a human obstacle.
Then, I cleanly severed the neck of the knight who followed behind him.
My mind grew increasingly hazy.
I knew I was reaching my limit, but my sword’s speed wasn’t slowing.
In fact, it was getting faster.
As my consciousness blurred, the aura spilling uncontrollably from within me activated so strongly it began damaging my body.
And the foggier my mind grew, the less hesitation I felt when striking down my opponents.
I’d faced far worse horrors in the Labyrinth.
I’d survived far more dire situations than this.
If I’d been the kind to back down against the likes of these men, I’d have given up long ago.
Corpses piled up like mountains, and fear consumed the air around me.
The knights, now retreating in hesitation, had fear etched deeply into their faces.
There wasn’t even a shred of fighting spirit left in them.
“This… this isn’t possible… He’s just an Aura User…”
An Aura User, and yet the sight I displayed was that of a top-tier Expert.
The highest of the four stages of Expert.
Naturally, I was far beyond the level of entry or intermediate knights.
Of course, the status screen from the Librarian still stubbornly labeled me an Aura User.
“What’s wrong? Aren’t you coming?”
The smile had long since disappeared from my face due to exhaustion.
Only a cold, venomous gaze remained.
“What are you doing?! Kill him!!”
Even Vishiri Cascadia shouted with a pale face.
But the intermediate Experts instinctively knew.
This was a monster they could not defeat.
Though they had skills reaching the intermediate level, they knew crossing that line now would inevitably lead to one of them dying.
From the perspective of the mercenary forces, there was no one willing to throw away their life for Tyvel Cascadia.
“This is different from what we agreed on!! Nobody told us there would be someone of this caliber!!”
“Exactly! With power like that, he must be at least at the upper ranks of an expert!!”
As complaints from the mercenary knights erupted, Vishiri Cascadia gritted his teeth.
If they retreated or delayed any longer, everything would fall apart.
“Damn bastard... How the hell did he hide his strength…?”
The oppressive aura surrounding them swelled uncontrollably, growing even larger.
An aura user, especially at the lower intermediate level, could not possibly wield such a ridiculous amount of aura.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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That meant the person standing before them was something far beyond an ordinary aura user.
Their misunderstanding deepened further.
And it wasn’t just that.
The sound of galloping hooves echoed in the distance—Melissa had already gathered the returning knights and was quickly approaching.
Clang!
It happened at that moment.
One of the knights, overwhelmed by terror, swung his sword at Vishiri Cascadia.
“I… I’m not dying here!! I’m just a mercenary! Nobody ever said there’d be a monster like that!!”
Shouting desperately, the knight aimed for Vishiri’s back.
Of course, someone like Vishiri Cascadia, an intermediate-level expert, wasn’t going to fall for such an attack.
He swiftly dodged, drew his sword, and struck down the attacker.
“Trash like you…”
As he spat out his rage toward those paralyzed by fear, something else happened.
The remnants of my aura carved another line into the ground at Vishiri Cascadia’s feet.
“You’ve crossed the line.”
“What nonsense is this?!”
Before he could finish speaking, I had already approached him.
Both hands firmly gripped the hilt of my sword.
Vishiri, unleashing his aura, frantically drew his sword to defend himself.
He moved as quickly as he could, trying to counterattack, but it was as if our times were moving at different speeds.
The exchange was completely one-sided.
Crack!!
The sound of both his arm bones shattering rang out.
Crash!!
In an instant, his arms were destroyed, and my sword sliced through his neck.
A spray of blood filled the air as Vishiri Cascadia’s severed head fell.
Intermediate-level expert.
A level of skill that could earn respect anywhere—but now, he was nothing more than a headless body.
“W-Wait!! The cause of all this, Vishiri Cascadia, is dead! We’re just mercenaries! We were only hired for the job!!”
The remaining knights desperately tried to negotiate.
“Hired? Mercenaries?”
“Y-Yes, that’s right. Most of the forces here are just mercenaries! With Vishiri Cascadia dead, we have no reason to fight you anymore! So, please…”
“If Vishiri hadn’t died, he would’ve turned the Count’s domain into a sea of fire, wouldn’t he?”
Speaking calmly, I drew another line a few steps closer, making them recoil in terror.
They had learned the hard way: anyone who crossed the line would lose their head.
“Let’s calm down for a moment. We request that you treat us as prisoners of war!”
The alley was narrow, leaving them with no way to retreat.
They could try escaping by leaping upward, but a few who attempted that were already impaled by the daggers I had thrown to the ground.
If they scattered, a few might survive.
But instead of gambling with their lives, they judged that negotiation was the safer option.
Clang!!
“Wait!!”
I drew another line closer, and the knights raised their hands in surrender, shouting.
“Please let us go! We won’t do anything to you! Or if you’re uneasy, you can capture and imprison us in the Count’s domain!”
Scratch!!
“W-Wait! Please, wait!!”
This time, the line barely moved forward.
“We’ll give you what you want! Tyvel Cascadia! If you’re preparing for a civil war with Tyvel Cascadia, we’ll stand at the vanguard! We’ll fight as your mercenaries…”
Scratch…
“M-Money!! We’ll give you money! I’ll hand over all the wealth I’ve accumulated!”
“Money? Money, you say…”
As I pretended to ponder, stroking my chin, the knights frantically shouted.
“The universal currency of the continent!”
“The universal currency…”
“Yes, the universal currency. No worries about counterfeits or credit issues. If you want, I’ll give it all to you.”
“Hm… A reliable, counterfeit-proof currency…”
I appeared to think deeply for a moment, then moved my sword.
Scratch…
“We’ll give you high-grade magical equipment! Mithril-infused swords! Magical artifacts!! Things you can’t buy even with money!”
They were willing to promise anything for their survival.
At that moment, one knight cautiously made a suggestion.
“If I return, I’ll tell my lord to establish a friendly stance toward you! How about that? Having the backing of a central noble…”
Scratch, scratch, scratch!!
The line was drawn behind them this time.
Now, they were all within its bounds.
“You think you can attack the Count’s domain and then offer an alliance? Do you take the Cascadia family, protectors of the frontier, for fools?”
The Count’s household may have been a border noble family, but they held significant authority as a special aristocracy.
Even high-ranking nobles like marquises and dukes wouldn’t treat them lightly.
Though the family was now split in two, and most of the knights who had once supported the former Count of Cascadia had left the territory in disappointment…
“Damn it all…”
* * *
After Leon had left the Count’s estate, Melissa quickly rallied the returning knights and prepared the forces for immediate action.
“They’re rebels trying to overthrow the Count’s family! Subdue them all!”
Melissa unsheathed her sword and shouted with determination.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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