After Evelyn left, something completely unexpected happened.
A band of thieves appeared in another village as well.
Judging by their attire and looting methods, they seemed to be the same group Evelyn had gone after.
“What’s their intention? Are they trying to scatter the soldiers? If not, there’s no reason to exposethemselves at such a risk.”
“It could be just to mock us.”
“Should we go?”
Kallian glanced at the soldiers who were holding a strategy meeting.
Among them, the one who appeared to be the commander was discussing splitting some forces from the main unit to chase after the newly surfaced bandits.
What should we do?
If we leave here, we won’t be able to respond immediately if something happens to Evelyn.
Still, the identity of these bandits was suspicious.
The fact that they dared to loot the Rose Duke’s territory and remained uncaptured until now suggested there was something more to them.
“We’ll go,” I proposed to the commander.
“Kallian, Lumia, and I—just the three of us—will stop the bandits’ looting.”
“I’ve heard of Kallian’s skills, but the other two—it’ll be dangerous for them. Chasing after the bandits is even more risky.”
“We won’t chase them; we’ll just stop them.”
“Hmm… The Lady did say to trust you if an issue arose. Fine, set off immediately.”
Thankfully, the commander didn’t stop us.
I headed toward the place where the bandits had reportedly appeared, along with Kallian and Lumia.
Elia was left behind—who knew what trouble she’d stir up otherwise.
Among us, Kallian was the fastest.
The moment he stepped forward, he vanished from sight, while I matched my pace with Lumia’s slower speed.
By the time I arrived, I had a feeling Kallian would have already taken care of everything… but still, I needed to check.
Upon reaching the other village, I realized the situation was worse than expected.
Even if Kallian had rushed at full speed, it seemed he couldn’t arrive in time.
The village was already in ruins.
It wasn’t just burnt or broken—it was as if a typhoon had swept through, with houses smashed to pieces and bodies of villagers scattered in fragments.
“Ugh…”
Lumia struggled to hold back her nausea at the gruesome sight.
As I guided her to survey the area, I locked eyes with a soldier who had lost the lower half of his body.
He seemed to be one of Evelyn’s stationed troops.
“Ugh…”
“What happened here?”
“R-run… A m-monster…”
The soldier lost consciousness after uttering those words.
A monster? It seemed there was indeed something unusual going on.
Using my senses, I scanned the village.
Other than Kallian, Lumia, and me, only ominous presences remained.
Kallian was already confronting the bandits.
Though he was overwhelming them, it was surprising that they were holding out for so long.
“Who are you?”
At that moment, bandits hidden in the shadows emerged, surrounding Lumia and me from behind.
At first glance, they looked like knights with some training, but something about them felt off.
“Heh heh heh, what luck! Just when we were struggling, this is perfect.”
“What’s so perfect?”
“Doesn’t matter. You just need to scream and disappear once the time comes.”
The bandits licked their blades, grinning smugly.
They seemed confident they could overpower us instantly, showing no signs of tension.
The only one who was tense was Lumia.
“Ugh… I-I’ll be fine… Wade!”
“Huh?”
“I-I’ll… protect y-you… so-so don’t w-worry!”
“Oh, sure. Thanks.”
She drew her sword and stepped in front of me.
Impressive courage, though her trembling legs made it a little pitiful.
“Hahaha! A pretty little girl, huh? Alright, I’ll spare you. I don’t know where you picked up your knighthood, but I can have my fun with you for at least a month.”
“Ugh…”
“What should we do with you? If you don’t resist, it’ll be over quickly. Once we deal with that guy rampaging over there, we’ll make sure to entertain ourselves properly.”
The bandits laughed mockingly.
Listening to them felt like a waste of time, so I decided to take matters into my own hands.
“Lumia, be careful!”
“Huh? H-Huh?”
I struck Lumia at the back of her neck, knocking her unconscious, and gently laid her on the ground.
The bandits, initially confused, exchanged looks before bursting into laughter.
“You’re reducing your own forces? What a fool!”
“There’s something shocking about to happen, so I put her to sleep beforehand. Even knights can’t handle watching someone being butchered so easily.”
“You’re an idiot. Do you think we’re ordinary bandits? Listen, Wade… putting up a front won’t change a thing.”
“You know me?”
“Of course! We know you’re Kallian’s close friend and nothing more than an underachiever.”
They’ve been investigating us? What are these guys?
“What’s your objective? Is it Evelyn? Or Kallian?”
“Why should I tell you that?”
“If you talk now, I’ll at least make sure you die without pain. There won’t be a second chance.”
“Heh heh heh… Oh, really now…”
One of the bandits, laughing emptily, suddenly darted toward me and threw a punch.
The impact sent me flying, crashing through a nearby house and out the other side.
He’s fast.
Clearly, their identity as bandits is a cover, and they’re stronger than most knights.
Moreover…
“You’ve been granted the power of an Apostle, haven’t you?”
An Apostle.
Beings who inherit the blood of demons and wield the world’s strongest powers, called “miracles.”
Each one is as strong as, if not stronger than, a demon king.
Kallian’s enemies.
I could sense that Apostolic power from these bandits.
Though I’d encountered it occasionally before joining the academy, I never expected to find traces of an
Apostle in the Rose Duchy’s territory.
“An Apostle? What nonsense are you spouting?”
“Where did you get that power?”
“I don’t have to tell a dead man anything.”
“You’ll want to tell me soon enough.”
I had considered taking my time to extract information, but that was no longer an option.
Now that I knew the bandits were tied to Apostles, there was no point in holding back.
Swoosh.
Without a sound, I appeared behind one of them and twisted his arm.
Snap!
“Arghhh!”
“If you’re already screaming, how will you handle what’s next? There’s still so much for you to do.”
“You bastard…!”
The bandit swung his sword, forcing me back.
His twisted arm spun unnaturally before snapping back into place, as if it had never been injured.
After clenching his hand a few times, he chuckled.
“Haha, that was your only chance. The last opportunity you’ll ever have to kill me!”
“There will be more chances.”
“Get him! It doesn’t matter if you cut off all his limbs—just leave him breathing!”
“If you cut off someone’s limbs, they die, you idiot.”
The bandits all charged at once.
There was no need to draw my sword.
With my bare hands, I tore their bodies apart.
I shattered skulls, broke limbs, stripped bones, and ruptured organs, sending their insides spilling out from every hole in their bodies.
Though their Apostolic power gave them abnormal regenerative abilities, they weren’t invincible.
And the pain they experienced was no different from that of ordinary humans.
“Haha, we’re immortal beings…!”
Crack! Snap!
“This is impossible… A monster! He’s a monster! How are we supposed to deal with something like this?!”
Crunch, crack!
“Stop, stooop! Please, stop! I’ll talk! I’ll tell you everything I know—just, please, stop breaking my bones!”
It took some time for the crazed and violent eyes of the bandits to turn into the gaze of frightened prey.
“Finally willing to talk, are you?”
“Yes, I’ll tell you everything. I swear!”
“Good. Then I’ll kill you one by one. Speak as fast as you can, or you’ll all die.”
“What?!”
I began absorbing the Apostle’s power from them, killing them one by one in excruciating ways.
Faced with the urgency of a “time attack” to save their lives, the bandits spilled everything they knew.
The recent attacks on the Rose Duchy by bandits had a specific purpose: to capture Kallian and Evelyn.
The bandits didn’t know why.
Their orders were simply to raid villages and draw attention, luring the two into a trap.
“Who’s the one controlling you? Someone must’ve given you the Apostle’s power.”
“W-We don’t really know about him…”
“You don’t know? Then you’ll have to die.”
“Arghhh! A magician! He called himself a magician!”
By the time I had practically reduced the last bandit to pieces, I finally learned the mastermind behind them.
A magician.
I never thought I’d find a clue here in the Rose Duchy, but this fit perfectly.
It explained why they were targeting Evelyn and Kallian.
After clearing out the trash, Kallian appeared.
“You took care of the rest, I see.”
“Did you learn anything?”
“I figured out they’re connected to Apostles, but they wouldn’t talk even to their last breath. Tough bastards.”
“That’s because your interrogation skills are… never mind. I found out something important.”
“What should I do?”
I pointed to the unconscious Lumia.
“Take her back to the main unit. I’ll bring Evelyn back myself.”
“Wait, wouldn’t it be better if I came with you? We don’t know what’s waiting there. Even for you, going alone is…”
Kallian’s face was filled with worry.
He’d grown up relying on my help and knew my secret—that I pretended to be weak while hiding my true strength.
Going alone where an Apostle might be lurking was dangerous, even with my abilities.
But no. I couldn’t allow him to be the one to save Evelyn.
I swallowed my thoughts and left without explaining.
You saving Evelyn? Not a chance.
Her favorability toward you is already sky-high—do you want it to pierce the heavens?
With that, I headed toward my next destination.