Whoosh!
The scorch-like heat.
Before my eyes, a building was ablaze in flames.
Chaos reigned, both inside and outside the structure.
"Aargh!"
"Help me!"
People engulfed in fire, writhing in the searing flames.
In my hand, as I gazed upon them, was a sickle drenched in something wet.
The sight of a sickle meant for harvesting herbs soaked in blood was utterly gruesome.
"Aaaaaah!"
"Pl- Please help!"
Those who escaped from the flame-engulfed building rolled on the ground frantically to extinguish the fire on their bodies.
But the flames that already covered them from head to toe weren't easily quenched.
They died in agony as their flesh burned.
Despite the horrific scene, I felt not a shred of guilt.
No. I don't even know what guilt is.
[Cough, cough… Promise me.]
[What do you mean?]
[Never… reveal… your true nature…]
[…Grandfather.]
[Did this old man teach you to be like that?!]
[…I understand.]
The promise I made to my grandfather before he passed away keeps echoing in my head.
However, that promise was not kept.
No, it would be more accurate to say it was a promise that couldn't be kept.
'I'm sorry, Grandfather.'
I can't stop this until I find "that bastard" who made you suffer so terribly.
Even if the end result is the reality you feared, Grandfather.
The more blood I see, the harder it becomes to control myself.
What expression am I making right now?
I could feel the corners of my mouth twitching even as I witnessed this horrific scene of burning flesh and blood.
This emotion was unmistakably pleasure.
'True nature…'
Could evil truly be my true nature?
At least it feels more liberating than the version of myself Grandfather taught me to be.
Like I've been freed from shackles.
"Phew."
It doesn't matter.
Thanks to the scent of blood, I'm getting closer to finding clues about "that bastard" in high spirits.
Now, I just need to finish off the remaining survivors before leaving.
I gripped the sickle and took steps toward the few people who were still alive.
One step, two steps as I walked, they stared at me with eyes filled with terror.
That fear wasn't unpleasant.
If anything, it further tickled my murderous intent.
Step!
As I took another step, someone who had been frightened shouted at me.
"The- The Sickle-slaying Demon!"
The Sickle-slaying Demon…
It's a nickname I gained while tracking that bastard's traces.
Whenever I suspected someone was even slightly connected to him, I killed them all, and before I knew it, people started calling me the Sickle-slaying Demon.
They say it's because of the sickle marks left on the corpses. I seem to have inadvertently gained notoriety.
In just one month at that.
It's probably because I messed with slightly larger villages this time, unlike the remote mountain villages before.
Thanks to that, I learned a good lesson.
'I should burn everything.'
So as not to unnecessarily leave traces on the corpses.
No.
Maybe it would be better not to use the sickle at all?
Ah, I don't know. I'll worry about it later. For now, let's just kill them all and see.
Swish!
I raised the sickle toward the survivor crawling on the ground.
"Eek!"
The survivor curled up, face pale with fright.
Regardless, I swung the sickle,
Thud!
"Ungh!"
Something struck my abdomen with tremendous force, sending my body flying backward.
Even after rolling on the ground several times, the force did not dissipate.
I barely stopped after tumbling for a while, and the strange force churning my insides made me vomit violently.
"Blegh!"
Yaaaaaay!
Cheers rang out as I was retching.
It seemed to be the survivors' cries, no longer paralyzed by fear.
Although my insides still felt queasy and strength hadn't fully returned to my body, I struggled to lift my head.
'What the?'
As I wondered, I saw someone raising their hand.
That person was responding to the people's cheers as if they were some kind of hero.
Then, they soon shouted in a haughty voice.
"Indeed, the Sickle-slaying Demon. To think you withstood my Three Star Might!"
'Three Star Might?'
what the …. is he blabbering about?
The only thing I could understand from what this person said was the title Sickle-slaying Demon.
"Cough… Cough…"
I suppressed the urge to vomit.
I don't know who this person is, but one thing is certain – this person is dangerous.
I tried to forcibly get up, but my feet and legs wouldn't cooperate.
"Your evil deeds end here, Sickle-slaying Demon!"
That person slowly walked toward me.
'Danger.'
I gritted my teeth.
If I can't move, my life might be in jeopardy…
Whoosh!
'!?'
What?
The man seemed to be walking slowly, but suddenly he was standing right in front of me.
'Fast.'
How can a person move this quickly?
It was absurd.
"Hmm."
The middle-aged man let out a groan.
I hadn't noticed from a distance, but he had a long scar above his left eyebrow.
In his right hand was a blackened sword, as if it had been burned, and its sharpness was far from ordinary.
'I have to escape.'
All my senses were screaming warnings.
No matter how much I struggled, I was no match for this person.
Then, the middle-aged man spoke in a low voice, his face markedly colder than before.
"I wondered who was snooping around, but to think it was a teenage brat who hasn't even been weaned."
He feels like a completely different person.
But more than that, something else caught my attention.
'Snooping around?'
Then this person is…
Grab!
"Guh!"
Before I could even finish my thought, the man grabbed my neck.
Even though I'm seventeen, my body is not lacking compared to the average adult male's height.
Yet he lifted me up as if I weighed nothing.
I looked at his wrist and forearm, but there was no change in his muscles.
How did he lift me up like a feather?
As I wondered, the man furrowed his brow.
"You… haven't learned martial arts."
"Martial… arts?"
"You don't even know what martial arts are? Ha!"
The man seemed astonished.
Just what are these martial arts that he's reacting this way?
"Interesting. A kid who hasn't even learned martial arts survived a strike from me…"
"Cough, cough, what are you even saying…"
Shunk!
"Urk!"
My abdomen burns.
His black blade had pierced my abdomen before I knew it.
The man grinned savagely and spoke in a murderous voice.
"It'd be better to kill you now to avoid future troubles."
Squelch! Stab!
"Ack!"
Right after pulling out the sword embedded in my abdomen, the bastard stabbed my left chest.
As the sword penetrated my chest, blood gushed from my throat along with immense pain.
"You should've just lived quietly. Why go around causing trouble and hastening your own demise?"
"Haa… Haa…"
As I gasped for breath, the bastard tossed me to the ground.
Then he turned around, raising his black sword, and shouted.
"The Sickle-slaying Demon's evil deeds end here. Everyone, rest assured!"
He acted like a righteous hero again.
The survivors, unaware of the bastard's true colors, let out joyful cheers.
The wound in my chest was agonizing, but his hypocritical behavior infuriated me.
I finally found someone who might be my nemesis, only to be defeated so pathetically.
I was no match for him from the start.
'Grandfather…'
My vision gradually blurred.
Am I going to Grandfather's side without even getting revenge?
He's going to scold me to no end for breaking our promise…