VOLUME 15: CHAPTER 29

VOLUME 15: CHAPTER 29

What’s going on?

Where did these people come from?

These questions ran through everyone’s mind as the unknown young man and the Elder of the Eye Collector Clan faced each other, hostility burning in their eyes.

What should have been the caravan’s victory was thrown into chaos by the sudden arrival of the old man. Moments later, another figure—presumed to be from the Phantom Castle—descended from the sky and landed in the middle of the battlefield.

Seizing the brief distraction, the Captain and the mage exchanged a glance. No words were needed; they understood each other instantly.

Once an opening appeared, they would let the Princess escape on her own.

“Princess, we’ll create an opening for you,” the mage whispered through sound transmission. “Run as far as you can. Don’t worry, we won’t let anyone pursue you. Just focus on escaping!”

The Princess, unable to use sound transmission, muttered softly, “What about you?”

“Don’t worry about us. We’ll make it through somehow.”

It was an obvious lie.

If her guards were confident they could survive, they wouldn’t be forcing her to flee alone without an escort.

The Princess understood they only wanted her to live, but she couldn’t bring herself to abandon them. She knew she would only weigh them down if she stayed, yet part of her still wished to remain by their side despite the danger.

Desperately, she searched for another option. Through the carriage window, she spotted a man gripping a massive glaive.

“Can’t we ask him for help?” she asked.

Despite being feared as the Grim Reaper, the Elder of the Eye Collector Clan had yet to strike. He clearly regarded the young man warily—the one who had just fallen from the sky.

The mage forced a wry smile and replied through sound transmission, “If only we could. The Elder says that man is from the Phantom Castle. If he agreed to help us, we might actually escape alive. But Princess, the chance of that happening is close to zero.”

The Princess knew it as well.

The Phantom Castle was the most mysterious organization in the southern continent. Though they were few in number, every one of them was a monster capable of crushing armies alone. Even the Eye Collector Clan never dared provoke them.

That was why the Elder still hadn’t attacked. He knew striking a member of the Phantom Castle could spark a bloodbath between their factions.

“Maybe there’s a way to convince him,” the Princess pressed.

“Please, Princess. The Phantom Castle doesn’t work that way. Most of its members are ruthless killers. Don’t place your hopes on them. When the time comes, we’ll give you an opening—use it to escape.”

The Princess bit her lip, and a thin line of red flowed down her chin.

She didn’t like the idea of abandoning her men like this.

Even if the chances were slim, she had to do something!

Decisively making up her mind, she stepped out of the carriage and shouted, “Young Lord!”

Her voice echoed in the now silent forest.

The bandits, soldiers, Lark, and even the Elder looked in her direction. Luckily, she never took off her mask, and her true identity remained a secret even now.

“Oho~ the Saintess? So, she’s really here,” said the Elder.

The bandit leader smirked. “I knew it. She’s here.”

Never once did he believe the words of the Captain. Seeing how desperate they were to protect that carriage, the bandit leader was certain that the Saintess was inside.

The Princess ignored the bandits. Her attention was focused solely on the young man holding the massive glaive.

Their fate would rest in that person’s hands.

“Young Lord!” she shouted again. “Please help us!”

The Elder frowned. The surviving bandits started panicking after they realized what the Saintess was trying to do.

“I heard you’re from the Phantom Castle!” said the Princess. “If you help us get out of this place alive, I promise that I will help you obtain some of the lost relics from the Era of Magic! No, I’ll give them to you! You’re looking for their traces, right?”

“This bitch!” growled the bandit leader.

The other bandits, horrified by the idea of clashing against someone from the Phantom Castle, spat at her:

“How delusional!”

“You damn whore! Why would the Phantom Castle meddle in our battle!”

“Why would they help you!”

“You have some relics from the Era of Magic? Hah! As if anyone would believe that!”

Believing that Lark was a member of the Phantom Castle, everyone warily watched his every movement. The bandits prayed to whatever gods they believed in that he would ignore the Saintess.

Although the Elder was here, if the two of them fought, lowly bandits like them could easily become collateral damage.

After all, how could mere ants survive when two elephants fought?

“Who are you? And why are these people targeting your group?” said Lark.

“Youngling, are you certain you want to know the answer to that ques—”

“—I’m not talking to you, old man,” said Lark.

“…W-What?”

Veins popped on the Elder’s forehead. For a moment, he deliberated whether or not he should just rip this young man into shreds.

So what if he’s from the Phantom Castle?

He was too impudent!

Lark said to the Princess, “Well? Can you tell me?”

The Princess breathed in and out. She nodded, “Of course! I am known as the Saintess. I was on my way to the Dried Leaf Village to hand out supplies to the struggling villagers when these bandits attacked our caravan.”

“The Saintess,” repeated Lark.

“Yes. As for the reason why they’re targeting our group,” said the Princess. “I don’t know... Maybe it’s for the supplies we’re transporting, or maybe I have a bounty on my head I’m unaware of. If you really want to know the reason, it’ll be easier if you ask those bandits yourself, esteemed Young Lord.”

Lark found it funny how these people assumed he was part of this so-called Phantom Castle without even knowing who he was.

The Saintess was even asking him for help, believing he held enough sway to help them get out of this predicament alive.

Strangely, he found it fun.

Lark scanned his surroundings. The moment his eyes met the Elder’s, he smirked mockingly, infuriating the old man even further.

“These bandits are all criminals, correct?” said Lark.

The Princess was flustered by the bold question. “Y-Yes? Yes!”

Lark grinned, “That settles it, then.” He added shamelessly, “As a member of the Phantom Castle, it is my duty to cull all of the evil in this world. I will help you.”

What was this bastard saying?

Cull all evil?

The bandits nearby were obviously baffled by how a member of the notorious criminal group was playing hero right now.

Did he lose his mind?

“Don’t push your luck, youngling,” warned the Elder.

Lark took several steps forward, until he was only around ten meters away from the Elder of the Eye Collector Clan.

Finding the situation novel and fun, he became more talkative than usual.

This situation was quite refreshing, he had to admit.

It was not every day he got to impersonate someone like this.

“Old man, I don’t really like your eyes,” said Lark. “I’ve seen a lot of evil people in my life, and you can easily rank among the worst of that lot. You probably don’t notice it, but you’ve killed so many people that I can smell the stench of blood on your body all the way here.”

After encountering people like him numerous times, Lark had developed the ability to discern an evil bastard like him in a single glance.

“Kid, do you really think the Phantom Castle will protect you if you mess with the Eye Collector Clan?!”

“Eye Collector Clan? As if I care about those trivial things. Old man, stop blabbering and just come at me.”

“You damn mutt!”

Unable to bear the insults any longer, the Elder finally snapped and lunged at Lark with killing intent.

Judging by his stance, muscles, and attack pattern, the Elder was probably a martial master.

He had likely honed his physical body to perfection, allowing it to wield force capable of piercing even mana-reinforced bodies.

In the blink of an eye, the Elder disappeared from his place and reappeared behind Lark.

From the Elder’s fingers, claws of solidified mana formed. With a swipe, the Elder tried to cut Lark’s head into numerous pieces like a watermelon.

He tried to.

To his surprise, his claws failed to pierce the young man’s head. They couldn’t even touch the skin as three layers of thin mana blocked his attack.

“What?”

Without turning around, Lark muttered, “Kneel.”

An invisible pressure enveloped the entire area where the bandits and the caravan members stood. The invisible pressure selectively forced the bandits to kneel on the ground, including the Elder behind Lark.

“Kuaack! What’s happening?!”

“I-I can’t move!”

“E-Elder, please help me!”

The bandits were horrified after the invisible pressure suddenly forced their bodies to kneel, then prostrate on the ground.

Only the bandit leader and the Elder managed to remain standing, and both of them were clearly struggling.

Gravity magic was really convenient when used against weaker opponents.

“What did you do?!” roared the Elder.

Lark finally turned around and faced him.

“I’ve got to thank all of you for giving me the chance to test the magic circles,” said Lark.

He was referring to the magic formations engraved on his modified arm. Aside from shield magic, it was also imbued with different spells such as gravity and levitation magic.

He was finally able to test them again in real battle thanks to these bandits.

The Elder strengthened his body with mana. After exerting as much strength as he could, he leapt back, creating distance between him and Lark.

Wary of the invisible force that had enveloped the area, the Elder decided to strengthen his body to its utmost limit.

With a sharp inhale, he spread his stance and pressed his fists together. Mana coursed through his veins, swelling his muscles until his body turned red and started emitting steam.

“Body Strengthening: Crimson Steel Vein Art,” he declared.

The ground splintered beneath his feet as his aura surged outward. He looked nothing like a frail old man but a warrior who had trained his body into a weapon sharper than any blade.

“It’s too late to regret this, brat!”

The Elder lunged.

In the blink of an eye, his fist struck toward Lark’s chest with the weight of a battering ram.

Using his modified arm, Lark blocked the attack. The collision sent a shockwave rippling across the forest, uprooting trees and hurling weaker bandits into the air.

Even the carriage and the horses of the caravan would have been flung away from the shockwave had the mage not protected them.

“Die! Die! Die!”

Like a troll that had entered a berserk state, the Elder unleashed a barrage of strikes, each punch faster and heavier than the last. His fists blurred into afterimages, hammering down on Lark from every angle, each blow carrying enough force to pulverize stone.

The forest shook with every impact. Trees split apart, soil erupted into craters, and the very air screamed under the pressure of his assault.

But Lark stood his ground.

With his modified arm raised, he caught and deflected every strike. Sparks of mana flared with each collision, but his expression never wavered. To him, the Elder’s furious onslaught was little more than noise.

Even if he failed to block the attacks, the thin layers of mana coursing through his body would allow him to come out unscathed.

His modified left arm, acting as a medium, allowed Lark to continuously manipulate the mana in his body subconsciously, forming layers of shields that would protect him even while sleeping.

Of course, the thin layers of shield would shatter if he let the Elder strike them repeatedly. And Lark had no intention of letting that happen.

Treating it as a form of training, Lark blocked each of the Elder’s attacks with his modified arm, purposely not using any offensive spells to end the battle in an instant.

“What… the hell?”

The Princess didn’t miss the words that escaped the Captain’s mouth.

“He’s playing with the Elder…”

Even the mage, who had been planning ways for the Princess to escape, was currently watching the battle with his jaw hanging.

No matter how they looked at it, the man from the Phantom Castle was toying with the Clan Elder.

The Princess, watching from the carriage window, could only gape in disbelief. Her guards—considered elites in their own right—would have been shredded to pieces by even a single one of those blows. And yet this young man was stopping them all with one arm.

Each of the Elder’s strikes should have been capable of blowing a hole in their city walls!

“I see,” muttered the mage. “It makes sense.”

“What do you mean?” said the Captain.

“I heard before that the leader of the Phantom Castle is a transcendent being capable of uniting the entire continent if he wants to.”

“A-Are you saying he’s the leader of the Phantom Castle?!”

The Captain and the soldiers nearby were not only shocked, but also terrified.

The leader of the Phantom Castle was a man shrouded in mystery.

He was so elusive that even the Council of Scholars couldn’t obtain enough information to put him in the rankings.

No one except his members knew his true appearance, and no one knew the reason why he had created an organization composed mostly of powerful criminals.

Some said he was in search of ancient relics, while some said he simply enjoyed ruling over his powerful minions in the shadows.

One thing was certain though—the leader of the Phantom Castle was a formidable individual.

The other bandits also heard what the mage said. They were as terrified by the information as the soldiers.

“Fuck!”

“He’s the Phantom Castle’s leader?!”

“No wonder the Elder can’t do shit to him!”

“Damn it! L-Let’s run away from here!”

Despair befell everyone as they watched Lark continuously toy with the Clan Elder.

Those who were desperate enough mustered the last bit of their strength to break free from the gravity spell. The moment they managed to stand up, they fled.

Seeing the bandits start fleeing in all directions, the bandit leader and the Clan Elder were utterly enraged.

They vowed in their hearts that they would execute those traitors!

Those damn cowards!

“Hey,” said Lark.

As though he was tired of entertaining the old man, he grabbed his wrist with his modified hand, and gripped it tight.

“UAAAAACCK!”

The sound of flesh bursting and bone shattering was heard along with the Elder’s cry.

Without much effort, the modified hand of Lark easily crushed the Elder’s right wrist.

“Who told you that you can leave?” continued Lark.

Without warning, the adamantite cubes hovering behind him split into numerous smaller pieces and shot toward the fleeing bandits, accurately piercing their ankles and knees.

Blood spurted out as the bandits lost their balance and fell one after another.

Seeing that some of the bandits tried crawling their way out of the forest after they had lost mobility in their legs, Lark willed the adamantite cubes to crush their arms next.

It was a merciless move that made the Princess and the members of her caravan shudder.

Seeing how calm Lark was even while crippling dozens of bandits, his identity as the leader of the Phantom Castle was solidified in their hearts.

Even the Elder realized the gap between their abilities. Like a broken doll, he gave up. Lark let go of his wrist and the Elder fell on his knees under the influence of gravity magic.

“Haah… Haah… Please spare me…” said the Elder. “This old man failed to recognize the esteemed leader of the Phantom Castle!”

It was probably the first time the Elder experienced so much despair. His face was currently contorted, and snot and tears continuously slid down his face.

Despite all his bravado, the old man was afraid of death.

Lark found this discovery amusing. At the same time, he also found it disappointing.

“Old man,” said Lark.

He spared the bandits, leaving their fate to the caravan members. But he had a different plan for this one.

“A man who takes lives must never flinch when his own is demanded,” said Lark. “Every blade drawn is also a blade turned against its wielder. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

The Elder, who understood perfectly what Lark was trying to tell him, shuddered in utter terror.

He realized that this young man had no intention of sparing his life.

“B-But! We had an agreement with the Phantom Castle! If you kill me—”

The Elder couldn’t finish his sentence.

Lark swung his glaive, severing the Elder’s head cleanly.

Blood spurted out like a fountain, and the Elder slumped on the ground, lifeless.

Lark turned to the bandit leader and his right-hand man. Upon meeting Lark’s gaze, the two of them shrieked in terror, and the right-hand man even peed his pants.

Using the same method he had used against the bandits trying to escape, he crippled the remaining bandits in the area.

Overall, the number of people Lark killed was only one.

The Clan Elder.

He was the only person Lark deemed not worth sparing among this bunch.

Of course, these bandits were also probably evil and worthy of the death penalty. But their level of threat was nothing compared to that old man.

Lark judged that as long as he crippled them, he could safely leave them in the hands of the caravan members.

Lark turned to the Princess, “You said before that you have some of the relics from the Era of Magic?”

The Princess flinched when Lark suddenly spoke to her. After seeing the bloodbath, she realized that she had made a deal with a dangerous monster.

Still, despite this, she did her best to prevent any trace of fear from showing on her body language.

“Yes!”

The Princess and her men were shivering.

At this point, they were aware that they were at the mercy of this man.

If he wanted to kill them, this place would be their grave.

And no one, not even the kingdom, would be able to do anything to avenge them.

The Princess removed her necklace and showed it to him.

“This is an artifact that allows the wielder to perform the lowest grade healing magic!”

Lark looked at the artifact in her hand. He recognized it.

It was one of those multi-purpose artifacts widely available in the Empire of Magic over a millennium ago.

Seeing Lark’s disinterest, the Princess hurriedly added, “N-Not only that! It can also cure weak poisons and purify water!”

“Anything else?” said Lark.

“Yes?”

“Is there anything else?” repeated Lark. “You said there are relics.”

The Princess’ face turned even paler. She was really glad she was wearing a mask right now.

She realized that the leader of the Phantom Castle had no interest in the artifact she was presenting him.

“T-This is the relic. There… There are five of these items,” stammered the Princess. “If… the esteemed leader of the Phantom Castle wants them, I can offer all of them.”

Lark’s face remained expressionless.

A part of him wanted to tease the so-called Saintess, but he refrained from doing so in the end.

Lark could easily infer that the Saintess had been using those relics to help the villagers she had been visiting.

Had she successfully entered the Dried Leaf Village, she would have probably used the artifact to heal the sick and provide clean water for the villagers.

It was a noble act.

And Lark had no intention of interfering by taking away those items from her.

“Keep it,” said Lark.

Uttering those simple words, Lark turned around and flew upward.

Without even saying goodbye, he disappeared from sight, leaving behind dozens of injured bandits and a headless Elder from the Eye Collector Clan.

“Appearing and disappearing like a ghost,” muttered the Princess. “He… really is like a phantom.”

“I can’t believe we survived after meeting the leader of the Phantom Castle,” said the Captain.

“Yeah,” the mage agreed.

For nearly a full minute, the Princess looked at the sky, in the direction Lark disappeared to.

She knew that the man was the notorious leader of a criminal group. But for some strange reason, she didn’t feel any malice in him, as though he wasn’t someone utterly evil like the rumors.

In a voice only she could hear, she said, “I wonder if we’ll meet again.”

Little did the Princess know that a few days later, they would meet each other again in the royal palace.

Not as the leader of the Phantom Castle and the Saintess,

But as the King of Lukas and the Princess.