Chapter 17
Mode, the leader of the Muddy Hand, collapses.
The man who had built up a notorious reputation as the leader of the Muddy Hand.
His death was this empty and meaningless.
Instant Death Magic.
That single gesture sent Mode from this world.
Thud—
I took in the sight of Mode’s fallen form and adjusted the iron helmet on my head.
The Muddy Hand building was quieter than ever.
The death that had suddenly visited this place had claimed all of their lives.
Because of this, those connected to the Muddy Hand might come after me.
But I didn’t care.
They would simply meet the same end as the Muddy Hand.
I moved my steps and examined the ledgers Mode had kept.
The ledgers contained many records.
After skimming through them for a while, I took them with me.
The ledgers were filled entirely with tales steeped in human malice.
Even though it was hard to bear seeing them, these ledgers would be useful somewhere.
Of course, it wasn’t something I could handle with my current mind and abilities.
‘To think I would realize once again that I lack both the knowledge and the strength to realize justice.’
That fact made me sigh, but it was alright.
Because that was precisely why I was striving so hard.
So now, I will do the best I can.
So that Obel’s death won’t be in vain, so that no one’s death will be in vain.
I will change this world, even if just a little.
‘I’ve memorized the names of the nobles, at least.’
Holding their names clearly in my heart, I searched my waist.
The oil I had brought up from below earlier.
I slowly poured the oil throughout the room.
Then, I immediately took out a match and lit it.
This building contains numerous drugs and dangerous materials.
If left as is, they would eventually end up in someone else’s hands.
So I will uproot the evil for sure.
And I will send a warning to others.
That if such a thing happens again, I will surely punish them.
I threw the match, and flames instantly erupted.
The fire consumed the room in an instant and spread to the surroundings.
Meanwhile, I turned back and passed through the hallway.
My plan was to pass by each room, pour oil, and set them ablaze.
With the single-minded intention of burning everything down, I was pouring oil when…
Through my Third Eye, I saw a single flame flicker.
On the way here.
I had extinguished the flames of all those belonging to the Muddy Hand as I passed.
But it seemed one flame remained.
I followed the flame and moved my steps.
A room in the corner.
A place where people’s feet rarely reached.
But for some reason, it was cleaner than others and lined with luxurious ornaments.
A reception room for guests, perhaps.
Thinking that, I opened the door.
Squeak, squeak—
From inside, I heard a sound like something being cut.
At the same time, a thick smell of blood tickled my nose.
An unpleasant sensation rose from within my stomach.
Following that feeling, I shifted my gaze, and my face instantly hardened.
There was a man torturing a boy.
The plump man was humming a cheerful tune as if enjoying a fun game.
The boy’s face was familiar.
He was the boy I had given a fairy tale book to before coming here.
I had told him to be smart and survive.
But in the end, his life hadn’t lasted long.
The stench of drugs stung my nose.
The sight of the man, completely intoxicated by drugs, covered in blood.
It was a sight so horrible I couldn’t bear to look at it with human eyes.
The boy’s breath was already gone.
I didn’t know if that was fortunate or not.
Was that a demon? A monster?
If it were a human, they would never do such things, yet there it was unfolding.
Beings worse than monsters.
Following Trenba, such a thing had been recreated here once again.
The moment I saw that sight, my body was already moving.
My extended leg kicked the man in the back.
“Gwook?!”
The fat man, caught off guard by the sudden attack, rolled on the floor.
I mounted him and, without hesitation, drove my fist into his face.
Crack! Crack!
The sound of facial bones breaking echoed instantly.
“Wh-what the—! Ah! St-stop! Huk, uk!”
Ignoring his screams, I swung my fists wildly.
After a moment, the man, now in a gruesome state, trembled beneath me.
“P-please stop. Huuk, huk, ugh. Wh-why are you doing this to me? G-geuk.”
But I felt no pity.
Rather, the fact that a human voice was coming from him made me even more disgusted.
“If you’re human—”
I drove another fist into him.
“—if you’re born human, the least you can do is uphold basic human decency. That’s what makes you human.”
The man’s pig-like screams rang out.
“But you abandoned even basic human decency, didn’t you? Are you an animal? A monster?”
“Keuk, huk, I-I am, I am a man named Eron! A retainer serving the noble, Frendal Laoren!”
Even with his face swollen, he managed to force the words out.
Blood was boiling, causing him to spit blood phlegm, but he was desperate, as if he had to scream to survive.
Frendal Laoren.
Hearing that name, I stopped my fist.
The youngest of the Laoren Count family.
Among them, he was known for causing trouble.
And his name was clearly written in the ledgers I had checked today.
The noble who purchased large quantities of drugs from the Muddy Hand.
That was precisely Frendal.
“I-If I die, keuk, you’ll be in trouble too!
Because my master cares for me greatly, he will never let the one who harmed me go!”
Though Eron didn’t know who I was, he babbled on.
He seemed to think I had stopped my fist because of his status.
“I-I’ll let today’s incident slide as a mistake! So, please calm your anger! I can pay you money!”
I looked down at him silently.
Perhaps because I wasn’t answering and just staring, Eron trailed off and slowly stammered.
His face was filled with terror as he met the chill in my eyes.
“S-so. I’m saying that if you kill me, it’ll be troublesome for you too.”
“Are you saying if I kill you, Frendal will lead his knights to come kill me?”
“Th-that’s right. He has great pride; he wouldn’t want his own property damaged! Surely, to protect his pride, he’ll definitely punish you!”
I see.
That makes sense.
From Frendal’s perspective, it would be infuriating.
His subordinate sent on an errand is dead, and his playground is destroyed.
Would a spoiled child whose toy was taken stay quiet?
To show off his pride to the nobles around him, he’ll likely try to find and kill the one responsible for this mess.
But so what?
“Then, I’ll kill Frendal too.”
“…Pardon?”
Eron asked back stupidly.
His face looked like he couldn’t believe what he had just heard.
“I’ll kill the knights serving that master, kill the nobles, kill them all.”
Nobles exist in a world completely different from commoners.
Harming them is enough to lead to execution.
But for the justice I pursue, that doesn’t matter.
If there is wrongdoing, it’s justice that would oppose even a mage.
So why would I fear a noble now?
Compared to mages, they are ultimately the same as me.
People who die from a single Instant Death Magic.
Instant Death Magic.
There is no justice more equal than this.
It is the unwavering justice that will realize my mission.
I raised my hand and grabbed his face firmly.
Eron struggled, but I didn’t particularly care.
“W-wait! You say you’ll kill a noble? What kind of insane talk is that! Think again! This isn’t something a sane person would do!”
“Are you sane?”
Eron’s reflection filled my eyes.
“Is it sane to torture a child while wearing the mask of a human, high on drugs, humming a tune?”
No, I can confidently say this isn’t considered sane in any world.
“And do I look sane to you?”
Eron’s face slowly hardened.
He seemed to realize the death looming over him.
“You’ll die! You’re going to die! If you kill me, Lord Frendal will not let it go! Do you think nobles are a joke? You ignorant fool!”
Now he started shouting.
He seemed to have judged that talking with me was useless.
“I don’t know.”
But.
“What I do know is that you will die by my hand today. Whether it’s Frendal or a noble, what happens to me, what happens to Frendal… you will never know. You die here today.”
With those words, Eron’s voice slowly faded.
He began to tremble violently.
At some point, his trouser legs had become damp.
Strength drained from his body.
Tears welled in his eyes, betraying his fear of impending death.
Death is that terrifying.
No matter how strong someone is, in the face of death, they are all ultimately the same.
“I-I’m sorry. I-I’m sorry. I-I, I just, I just, don’t want to die. I don’t want to die.”
So, Eron begged.
He begged pathetically for his life.
I didn’t answer.
I didn’t even give him time to accept his death.
Mercy is meaningless for pests like this.
Instant Death Magic
The flame of life cast over him was extinguished.
Eron’s face didn’t even have time for the fear to fade, overtaken by the death that arrived in an instant.
He simply remained a pathetic sight, begging endlessly with tears filling both eyes.
Frendal’s subordinate, Eron.
Leaving his death behind, I slowly rose from my spot.
From outside, I heard the sound of flames consuming the building.
On the desk.
After looking at the boy’s corpse, I picked up a cloth lying nearby and covered him.
It was a final courtesy for the boy whose life was already lost.
There was no one left in the Muddy Hand building.
Leaving the burning building behind, I walked outside.
I didn’t feel like I had executed justice.
I only felt a vague emptiness circulating within my body.
I knew well that even if I destroyed the Muddy Hand that sold drugs to Trenba, Obel wouldn’t come back alive.
The dead do not return to life.
That was an inescapable reality.
I slowly unclenched my fist.
I took off the iron mask I had been wearing and discarded it in front of the building.
I didn’t know if this was revenge for Obel or simply me venting my anger.
But it was something that someone had to do.
If the pests gnawing away at the city weren’t dealt with, ultimately, more people would fall ill.
‘Frendal.’
The youngest of the Laoren Count’s domain.
He is the same.
Even I cannot just charge into a noble’s mansion.
The knights lined up in a noble’s house are people who hunt other people.
It’s a world of difference compared to dealing with the thugs of the Muddy Hand.
But even a noble can’t stay in their mansion forever.
Especially Frendal, a spoiled noble, was known for frequenting the entertainment districts.
Just because he’s a noble, does that mean he won’t die?
Just because he’s a noble, does that mean he can abandon human decency?
No, he cannot.
Just as a monster is a monster regardless of its form.
A pest is still a pest.
Pests must be eradicated.
Holding that thought, I quietly turned away.
Amidst the ashes scattering like snow.
Harboring the justice I would one day come to accept, I quietly departed like that.
