Year 141_Keireki Era_Summer/02
"What the hell happened...?"
Mathias was bewildered.
The men he had stationed here weren’t exactly seasoned elites, but they weren’t the kind to be taken down so easily either.
Yet, in the blink of an eye, they had been sniped from somewhere and utterly trampled.
"Sorry about that, Mathias. Seems like my comrades were hundreds of times more capable than yours. I almost feel bad for treating them like kids."
"... Don't underestimate me, you oversized bastard."
Goadad chuckled. "Underestimate you? Me? … I understand well enough that this is a life-or-death situation."
Then, as if it had just occurred to him,
"We’re bandits, aren't we?"
"Hah? What are you getting at now?"
"Stealing is fine. It’s the instinct of a bandit. I won’t deny that. But is total destruction really our way?"
A sudden philosophical question from Goadad to Mathias.
"Oh... I see now. You must be from one of those places I burned down. Hihahaha! That so? Hehehe... Hey, don’t glare at me like that."
Catching his breath, Mathias continued.
"Yeah, that’s right, we’re bandits! We steal! But destruction isn’t our way? Hell no! Of course, it is!
We steal, we violate, we destroy, and we kill! That’s what being a bandit is all about!"
Or do you think otherwise? Maybe you’re special, but are the people you lead any different?”
He spat out the words in mockery, continuing with a sneer.
"Or what, Goadad? Are you trying to tell me that just stealing means you’re not destroying anything? Wrong again! Whenever we rampage, something of someone’s always gets destroyed! There ain’t a thing in this world that doesn’t break!"
He tried to stifle his laughter and steady his breathing.
It was obvious that Goadad wasn’t here just to fight.
"Now I get it. You’re no bandit! At least, not like me. You’re just some self-righteous fool playing at being a noble thief! Only stealing from the rich and wicked, using it as some kind of lesson, huh? Don’t make me laugh! Bandits are scum, the absolute worst! Stop pretending to be something you’re not!"
His expression changed then, his face twisted with a fury and hatred that might not even have been directed at Goadad.
"—Blazing ruin, unworthy blade, fitting incompetence."
As Mathias chanted his incantation, he closed in on Goadad.
The completed spell formed a one-handed sword in his grip, its blade wreathed in roaring flames.
Each swing sent waves of fire scorching the earth.
"Mathias! Answer me one last thing! Why did you burn the fields of the village called 'Capta' eight years ago!? Why did you incinerate everything there!?"
"Because I wanted to be like my idol, the King of Bandits! To turn everything to ash, just like he did! No mercy, no hesitation—by becoming a destroyer, I could take my first step toward greatness! I burned it down because I was certain that cruelty is the only path for me!"
"Even your heart has been consumed by the flames, huh, Mathias—As the Capta Village Chief’s son!—I have no mercy left for you!"
The flaming sword slashed.
Though it didn’t land a direct hit, the heat alone seared Goadad’s flesh.
Yet, despite the pain, Goadad pressed on.
But his weapon was only his fists.
Mathias had gauged his reach perfectly, landing hit after hit, slowly wearing him down.
"Boss!"
A voice rang out.
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Oh, come on!
Going up against that flaming sword with your bare hands—just how much do you hate Mathias!?
And, as expected, you’re getting overpowered!
I glanced around.
It all came down to reach.
If only he had a weapon with decent length—unless it was terribly poor quality, it should be able to counter that flaming sword.
Looks like Lulu had the same idea.
"Vi! Over here!"
She had found a warhammer. It must’ve been knocked away when one of Mathias’s guards tried to use it.
The size was perfect, but... handing it over? Ah, screw it, let’s give it a shot!
I grabbed it with both hands, dragging it along before starting to spin, building momentum.
Come on, skill gods, don’t get picky about whether throwing techniques apply to something this heavy.
Just lend me a bit of strength.
Let me do something cool for once!
"Oooooh...!"
A dull pain throbbed in my chest.
Like grains of sand slipping through my fingers, vanishing memories screamed at me.
I can’t win in a fight against a real warrior.
But just because I’m a weakling doesn’t mean I’m powerless.
There’s always something I can do.
"Oooohaaarghh!!"
I let go.
Combining my built-up rotation with throwing technique, I hurled the warhammer toward Goadad.
"Catch it, Boss!"
He grabbed the hammer mid-flight with one hand, not stopping its momentum but instead using it to fuel his own spin as he brought it crashing down on Mathias.
"I’ll burn you to nothing!"
Mathias raised his sword to meet the hammer.
"This isn’t just a lack of mercy—this is my utter rejection of you!"
Boss roared.
The warhammer shone.
The impact shattered the flaming sword.
And not only that—it crushed Mathias himself.
A sickening crunch echoed, yet his body still held some semblance of form.
That alone was proof he wasn’t just some nobody.
But the fight was over.
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"Cough... hack… To think I’d lose... to a self-righteous fool..."
"With your strength, why become a bandit? Why seek destruction and violation?"
"Heh... I already told you. I wasn’t aiming to be some second-rate King of Bandits that makes counts piss themselves. I wanted to be like the true King of Bandits from before Karzahari was even founded—the one from legend. The one who destroyed everything with overwhelming power... That was my goal..."
Mathias reached a still-functioning hand toward the sky.
What was he seeing in his final moments?
"But even that legendary bandit’s destruction was different from yours."
"... I know that... cough. But what else could I do, after being raised in a house that survived by selling out and killing its own villagers? All I could do was rampage."
He coughed up blood, his breath growing steadier—as if finding peace, or simply approaching death.
"Big guy... why play at being a noble thief? What’re you gonna do about the bandits who follow you now? They’re no different from me."
"Yeah… I’ll try to help them leave this life behind."
"That’s... a long road. But... I’m almost jealous..."
Either way, the battle was won.
That was all that mattered.
Only now did I realize—maybe Boss had chosen me and Lulu as his last line of defense beforehand.
Probably.
He must have thought that way.
That subtle change in expression when I threw the hammer—it looked like he was chastising himself for focusing too much on protecting us.
But that wasn’t his only goal.
He probably wanted to keep the fight against Mathias as contained as possible.
I had no way of knowing what history lay between them.
But at least I survived.
Lulu survived. Boss survived.
That was all that mattered.
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A victory feast was underway.
Mathias and his crew had hoarded quite the stash.
I watched from a short distance away.
With this ruckus, slipping away unnoticed wouldn’t be an issue.
Sticking around with Goadad, the so-called noble thief, sounded fun.
But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious about what lay beyond this battle.
Not enough to risk my life over, but... enough to chase after something new.
After all, I’d gained something valuable today.
That "something" was Boss—Goadad himself.
Learning that even among bandits, there were those who tried to curb their own was like glimpsing a bright hope.
At the same time, I couldn’t help but wonder—if all bandits vanished, what would become of me?
But that was an impossible future.
So it wasn’t worth thinking about.
As I stepped away from the crowd, heading toward the road—
"Hey."
Lulu’s voice stopped me.
Was she just sharp-eyed, or should I be grateful she cared?
Either way, it didn’t feel bad.
"Where are you going, Vi?"
Her eyes held a quiet smile, yet they seemed to gaze somewhere far away.
It didn’t feel bad.
But I couldn’t say I wasn’t a little afraid.
What do you think about this chapter?
