Chapter 88

When I saw the man, the first thing that came to mind was how big he was.

When he passed through the door, his face was not visible until he bent down. And he was wide too.

He must be over two and a half meters tall, with a bulky, shapeless body. It wasn't due to fat; from the muscles visible under his short sleeves, it was clear he was well-built.

His body was so well-trained that it looked as if he were fat, and he had the stealth to not let Tethra notice him until he grabbed her.

He might be the strongest among the mercenaries in the tavern now. That's what I felt.

And there was one thing that puzzled me.

"Tethra, aren't you going to escape?"

Tethra, who hadn't resisted much beyond the small flame she had produced earlier, was struggling but not using magic.

"Stop saying nonsense and help me, okay!"

The large man was grinning as he watched Tethra struggle.

"If you use 'Blazing Hair'..."

"It would burn you too; you can't do that."

The large man then raised his free hand and clenched his fist, preparing to strike Tethra.

"Here, take this!"

"Sorry, I didn't notice."

I drew my scythe and slashed at his left arm.

"Aaahhh!?"

The man's arm flew off, and red blood gushed from the cut.

The strength in his right hand also disappeared, and Tethra was gently lowered.

Tethra was quick to act.

As she turned, she swung her 'Blazing Hair.' The flames burned her clothes and scorched her skin, but it didn't seem to be serious.

"Ch!"

Tethra made a loud clicking sound with her tongue.

It didn't seem like she had inflicted much damage with her magic.

Tethra retreated behind me, and the marks of the large man's grip were clearly visible on her wrist.

From the looks of it, the leader standing in front of me with his sword and the large man who was shouting behind him were the strongest. There were about three other combatants left, but they didn't pose much of a threat.

According to Raito, the mercenary group was led by the accountant, Ferment, and the main fighters were the leader and the large man, Balsaga. It seemed this information was correct.

"So, there won't be any more threats, right? That's settled."

There were eight combatants in the tavern now. The rest were at the mayor's residence. I needed to finish this quickly.

"Aaaaaah!"

Balsaga charged at me with a roar. His face was red with anger or excitement.

He was trying to grab me with his remaining arm. His right hand was coming towards me.

But he was too slow. I could easily grab his arm.

"I'm sorry for causing you pain."

While apologizing, I deflected his arm.

As he lost his balance, I swung my scythe at Balsaga's neck.

I looked around the room.

The leader and the remaining members were watching us with bitter expressions.

"Will you... resist?"

Before I could call for their surrender, one of the members moved.

He kicked a chair, blocking my view.

When I blocked the chair with my arm, the member was already in front of me.

But just as his sword was about to reach my face, he was pulled back. No, he was pulled back.

"Will we be spared if we surrender?"

The leader, who had pulled the member back, asked me.

I hesitated for a moment, thinking about the treatment of those who surrendered without resistance.

But my hesitation was quickly cut short.

There was no need to hesitate. The goal was to eliminate the mayor's forces. For the normal operation of the town and Tethra's safety, I couldn't let them escape.

"Your salvation is not necessary. If we let you go, there's a possibility you might attack Tethra for revenge."

"Hahaha! I wouldn't do something that troublesome, but there might be someone who would! ...What then?"

The leader agreed, looking amused. I was certain he wasn't begging for his life; he was just confirming.

That's why he was waiting for my next words.

"All of you will be killed."

Hearing my words, the leader's lips curled up.

"Then we can't help but resist!"

As he said this, the leader's sword blurred as he repositioned himself.

He lunged at me instantly. I dodged to the side, and his sharp thrust passed by my nose.

The sword flashed once, twice, and the momentum increased. Eventually, the backrest of a nearby bench was finely sliced.

"Hey! What's wrong! You said you'd kill us all!"

While dodging the sword flashes and hearing the sharp whistling of the wind, I thought.

The sword strikes were powerful enough to wound me if they hit. Since he was using a one-handed sword, he could also throw something with his other hand.

I glanced at Tethra. From her earlier performance, I didn't think her support would be effective.

The sword was troublesome. I decided to destroy the weapon.

The moment the sword was swung, there was a brief pause in his movement.

I aimed for that moment and cut the blade at its base.

The blade clattered to the ground. The leader still smiled.

"Haha, just as I thought."

"What do you mean?"

I asked, not understanding his mutter.

The leader laughed, his arm hanging loosely.

"You've never killed a person, have you? You could have blown my head off just now, but you didn't want to... right?"

I was taken aback by his sudden observation.

To hide my inner turmoil, I responded.

"What are you talking about? I've already killed three people since I entered."

"Yeah, but they all had a reason, didn't they?"

I gritted my teeth.

I thought the leader was just a charismatic but otherwise mediocre person, but he was observant.

Indeed, upon reflection, I had only killed those who I could justify.

Apart from the accountant, I had only killed those who attacked me.

I could have decapitated him, but I chose to destroy his weapon.

My hand trembled at being read so accurately.

The leader laughed, amused.

"What a softie! You're strong, but you lack the resolve!"

"Resolve... resolve..."

I clenched my trembling hand.

"Indeed, I've been saying I would kill and eliminate, but I lacked the awareness."

The awareness of getting my hands dirty.

As I spoke, the leader crouched.

"Haha!! I can't be killed by a kid like you!"

He lunged at me, holding a crescent-shaped sword in his hand.

He must have taken it from the member whose neck I had grabbed earlier.

I watched the scene with a cold head.

Indeed, I still lacked the resolve.

I was probably influenced by Raito's words. That's why, at some point, I started thinking about eliminating and removing people easily.

I had forgotten that it meant killing people.

But this was my own thought.

It might have been influenced by Raito, but I was the one who decided to eliminate the private army, and it was necessary.

I needed the resolve, and it would be necessary someday.

My trembling stopped, and my fist tightened.

So, I would use this leader as a means for my growth.

"I might forget you. But..."

Indeed, his sword was fast. But to me, it was full of openings.

I dodged the sword and stepped in, entering the leader's guard.

"I swear I will never forget the feeling of your blood on my hands."

And instead of using my scythe or foot, I punched the leader's head with my fist.

The leader's dying face was a defiant smile.

"Well, the tavern's forces are eliminated! The remaining two are at the mayor's residence."

I called out to Tethra after dealing with the rest.

Tethra watched me stretch with a complex expression.

"...Sorry."

"I don't know what you're apologizing for, but I think you don't need to worry about it."

I answered as calmly as possible.

Probably, Tethra was apologizing for making me commit murder.

But it was unnecessary.

First, I had already committed murder yesterday.

The awareness of killing, the timing was just off, but there was no other problem.

Besides, Tethra and Raito were also killing people calmly.

There was no need to treat my first experience as special.

"Let's go."

"Okay..."

So, Tethra had no reason to worry at all.

"Oh, there's one more thing."

"Ah, these guys..."

When I noticed and called out, Tethra seemed to realize as well.

Saul, who had been in the dining room earlier, was slumped against the wall, and the woman who had been serving the leader was still frozen on the bench.

The woman seemed to be a prostitute. I left her to Tethra.

I approached Saul.

"Mr. Saul, right? Raito's husband."

When I called out, he jumped up.

"R-Raito's enemy...!"

He picked up a small sword from the floor and pointed it at me with a trembling hand.

"Don't worry, she's waiting at the inn."

"Even if the leader lost... what?"

"I said I would let her go. She's safe."

From their behavior, it was clear they couldn't even muster the fighting spirit. They couldn't fight.

And once past the growth period, it was difficult to develop fighting spirit.

In other words, they couldn't become stronger in the future.

They couldn't take revenge on their own.

So, it was fine to let them live.

"More than the survival of the group, it seems they were worried about you. Go back to her quickly. And leave the town as soon as possible to live a proper life."

"I...!"

"Of course, if you come after us again, I will kill you without hesitation."

Even if they couldn't take revenge on their own, they could hire someone. So, I needed to reduce their desire for revenge.

I threatened them, and it seemed to work.

Saul ran to the inn without a word.

"Letting them go was a bit surprising. You could have... killed them, right?"

"I don't kill just because I can. I won't."

I said firmly.

I wasn't a sadistic killer. Even now, I didn't want to kill unnecessarily.

Besides, I didn't break my word. That was my pride, raised by the Stone House.

"Why?"

"It's a secret. Ask Raito."

Our business was done. I took a step to leave the tavern.

At that moment, I felt a tingling in my hand, which should have been uninjured, and I turned around.

Looking at the man whose head I had shattered, a pain ran through my chest.

I had killed him with my own hands.

But seeing the man, a feeling of pity arose. A feeling I rarely felt when killing fish or insects.

As long as I had this feeling, I was probably okay.

What was okay? What would happen if this feeling disappeared?

I didn't know, but for now, I was okay.

I seemed to have come to some conclusion on my own.

My steps as I left the tavern felt a bit lighter for some reason.