Chapter 4: Vengeful Assault

"I'm usually calm, but I do act rashly on occasion. Choosing the 'optimal' decision is something I tend to regret in those cases."

Wang Yu honed his blade on a whetstone as he knelt down by a pool of blood formed from a pile of corpses.

He was speaking to Avia Dovan.

"The safest method is to wait until sunset. The bulk of the bandits are dead—roughly 80% of them, I'd say. Wait until sunset. Wait for them to discover these corpses and go into a frenzy. There were too many bandits for us to go into hiding before. Once they found us missing, they'd have searched for us and found us easily. We'd never have been able to get away under such circumstances. Now, though, most of the bandits are dead. You could hide," Wang Yu said, shrugging. He pointed at the corpses.

"What about you, then?"

"As for me, well, that bandit chief Beran killed Reynard. I reckon I ought to collect on that debt. Reynard saved my life more than a few times. I couldn't save him, but I sure as hell can avenge him. I'm going to launch a sneak attack on Beran. I'll kill him so Reynard doesn't have to die alone!"

Wang Yu thought back to how Reynard had treated him. The just, righteous old knight really hadn't demanded much from Wang Yu.

Reynard had spent his own money to teach, train, and outfit him.

He claimed that Wang Yu would have to pay him back once Wang Yu was able to work as a mercenary and claim bounties, but even now that Wang Yu was able to eke out a living for himself, Reynard hadn't asked him for anything.

Wang Yu treated strangers politely, but he was hardly selfless. He had no interest in helping others at his own expense.

However, he would never forget the goodwill of those he valued.

Wang Yu sheathed his sword in the scabbard tied to his back, then stood up and stretched as he prepared for a fight to the death with Beran.

Suddenly, he noticed that Avia was still hanging around. He hadn't taken Wang Yu's advice to leave.

Avia, seeing that he had caught Wang Yu's attention, suddenly asked, "What if you were to let the guild handle matters here?"

Wang Yu blinked. He was caught off-guard by the question, but belatedly responded, "As far as the guild's concerned, we'll have to submit a report if we want them to do anything. Beran would know that something's wrong the moment he sees these corpses. He's a cautious man at heart. Before the guild gets here, he'll have run off—and I might lose the opportunity to kill the bastard."

"Will he run? Then... Then I suppose I'd better stay behind and help you..."

Avia's tone was somewhat hesitant and doubtful.

He did fear all this killing and indiscriminate slaughter, but for some reason, he chose to remain behind.

"Your bond with your mentor really is admirable, isn't it?"

Avia vocalized his thoughts in a soft whisper that none other would be able to hear. He sounded a little disappointed.

"Really? Thank you. You'll be a great help."

Wang Yu was shocked—and very happy. A skilled crossbowman would be of tremendous value to him.

"Without you, I would be wasting away in that woodshed. As you say, one ought to repay kindness with kindness."

Avia seemed a little embarrassed; he clearly wasn't the type to favor heart-to-heart talks. Wang Yu didn't mind. He would remember Avia's kindness and support where it mattered.

With Avia's assistance, Wang Yu was significantly more confident about the success of his plan. They finished up their preparations, then headed toward Beran and the magician Egor's house.

Because it was the middle of the day, neither of them bothered trying to sneak about, though they made sure their footfalls were silent. They drew near to the house they had previously confirmed that Beran and Egor were living in.

At that moment, within the house, Beran and Egor were seated at a table.

The magician was excitedly writing something in his notebook, surprising fervor and joy on his face.

Beside him, Beran was scowling in dissatisfaction.

He rapped his knuckles on the table.

"What's the use of all this research? Magicians and wizards both use magic, don't they? What's the point?! Where's the magic you promised me? The one that allows me to control other people's minds! What do you have to show for all your experiments? You've driven so many of my captives mad!

"All you've come up with is this Soulburst magic that freezes people in place with a mental shock, but it's useless to me! I can't cast magic! I need something to control people's minds. That's the only way I can expand my territory!"

Beran gave Egor a dissatisfied look as Egor summarized his research progress.

"Beran, calm down. That noble slave has the highest void affinity I've ever seen. If I can study his mind, I'll surely be able to become a magician. And then..."

The old magician Egor laid out his plan in a composed fashion, but the frustrated Beran interrupted the old magician's long-winded explanation.

"I don't care if you become a wizard or not. I want to see results! Show me results first! That noble slave's own family sold him out. He's not as valuable as real nobles, but he's hardly like those common slaves. If you don't show me any results this time, I'll kill you!"

Despite Beran's interruption, Egor remained calm and unflustered.

Not only was Beran relying on his research, Beran wouldn't necessarily be able to kill him before he activated Soulburst.

Beran provided the magician with research materials, whereas the magician promised Beran results. The magician seemed to be the weaker party, but either could win in an actual fight.

"I'll have to correct you a little, Beran. Wizards and magicians are two different things entirely. Magicians use magic to harness the elements or directly release magic as attacks. They make use of what already exists in the world.

"Wizards are different. They harness the void itself with their minds, using it to rewrite reality. Magicians can release fireballs, but wizards can transform them into, say, hail. The fundamental principles behind their craft are completely different. The question is, what does it take to become a wizard?

"The candidate must have affinity to the void, or he won't even be able to sense it. He must also have tremendous willpower. Many wizards have lost their lives to the void. Without sufficient willpower, the void will erode your faculties away and leave you a vile, amorphous creature. How can such pitiful fellows properly be considered wizards?

"They're nothing more than bugs. As for me, who would otherwise be a true wizard with boundless willpower, I have no void affinity at all. How can this be? How can this be?! If I was born with no such affinity, I'll steal it. I'll pilfer it from those who do! That's why I've been focusing on magic concerning the mind and spirit.

"I'll claim that noble's soul structure and void affinity for myself. Let's see who would still dare call me a trashy magician then! Haha, hahaha!"

The old magician, who had initially started off providing an explanation to Beran, was soon overwhelmed by his fantasies. His features twisted in a frightening smile as he cackled hoarsely.

Beran couldn't help but sneer at the old magician. He was filled with a disgust he couldn't quite articulate.

A wild, uncontrollable old man...

If Beran didn't need the old magician's abilities, if he weren't just a novice knight-in-training with a physique about 1.2x the human maximum, he would already have killed that damnable magician.

Beran's disgust only deepened the more he stared at the crazed old man.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. The old magician's laughter trailed off abruptly. He frowned at Beran.

"What's wrong with your subordinates? How can they knock on your door so casually? You might as well chop off their limbs and let me use them as research material!"

Beran ignored the old magician's disrespectful tone. He grabbed his sword on the table, a serious expression on his face.

He unsheathed it and held it in hand as he crept toward the side of the door.

His subordinates would never dare knock on his door in this manner.

He was a cruel, tyrannical fellow, even to his subordinates.

He might not kill those subordinates who annoyed him, but he would surely torture them cruelly at the very least.

That was why his subordinates feared him. They would never dare rap directly on his door. At the very least, they should have called out for him timidly beforehand.

So who could be outside...?

Beran slowly drew closer to the door as the old magician tittered behind him.

"What a joke you are. Your subordinates are about to rebel—and yet, despite being a knight-in-training, you're still so cautious and fearful. Everyone calls me a trashy magician, but what about you? Haha!"

Veins protruded from Beran's forehead. Flames of anger burned in his chest.

Beran forced himself to remain calm. First, he was going to finish off the scumbag outside who dared to challenge his authority. He'd strip off his limbs and then burn him alive.

Then, the moment the old magician Egor gave him what he wanted, no matter what, no matter how, he was going to kill Egor!

He continued to creep toward the door. Just as he was about to come into contact with it, Beran shot forward and kicked it down with explosive strength. The force of the impact reverberated throughout the house, causing clouds of dust to billow.

Beran thrust forward without even looking at who stood behind the door. His actions were calculated and precise; he had clearly received formal training.

His physique, at 1.2x the human maximum, gave his thrust incredible penetrating power.

The sword hissed as it cut through air.

As he completed his stance, Beran discovered that there seemed to be no one behind the door at all. There was nothing in sight.

He rapidly swept his sword arm in a 150-degree arc in the air as he scanned his surroundings.

Even so, there was nothing to be found. Where was his supposed enemy?

Could he have misheard?

Beran quickly dismissed this possibility.

It was impossible. As a knight-in-training, his body was several tiers stronger than that of an ordinary human. He would never mishear anything—not while he was wide awake, at the very least.

In that case, someone had to have knocked at the door. But where could he be now? Beran suddenly whirled around toward the only other entrance to the house: the window.

Before he could do so, however, the glass shattered. A shield-wielding figure smashed apart the window and rushed into the house.

He had charged into the window with such force that the glass shards traced out arcs of his blood in the air.

His target was none other than the old magician Egor.

The figure moved quickly, but the magician was even faster.

Egor hadn't accomplished much in decades despite his arrogant and boastful claims, but he was excellent at running away.

He leapt up over his chair and hit the ground in a roll, managing to avoid the sudden attack to everyone's surprise.

He rolled underneath the table and began to chant a magic incantation immediately.

The shield-wielding figure seemed to have been stunned by the sudden impact. He stood in place as he shrugged off the shards of glass all over his body, giving Egor a chance to act.

The only spell with which Egor had any facility, and indeed his only damaging spell, was Soulburst.

Without any hesitation, Egor cast Soulburst on the intruder.

Formless ripples spread through the air, destroying the will of all intelligent lifeforms in their path. Beran stopped short by the door and scrambled out.

The old magician's invocation might as well have been a death knell.

He was useless and a piece of trash, but his signature Soulburst was incredibly devastating against knights without bolstered mental fortitude.

He didn't know who the shield-wielding figure was, but the fact that he had frozen in place upon charging in and allowed the old magician to complete his spell made it clear he wasn't a skilled combatant.

He likely wasn't at the level of a knight-in-training, either. After being struck by the technique, he would lose all resistance. However, the technique affected a wide range and didn't differentiate between ally and enemy. Beran couldn't attack the figure for fear of being affected himself.

Beran dashed out of range of the spell before turning back.

As expected, the shield-wielding figure, whose face was blocked from sight by his shield, was now standing stock-still.

"That old piece of trash really is dangerous," Beran murmured to himself.

He was growing more unstable and more difficult to control, too. Perhaps Beran would have to cut his losses and finish him off soon.

Not knowing that Beran had just come to terms with his death, the old magician began to chuckle. With a malicious smile on his face, he walked toward the figure whose mental barriers had just been destroyed.

"How laughable. Did you really think you could have gotten the better of me? I hope you haven't died just yet, or I'll have lost a new test subject, hehe..."

The old magician was very conceited about the fact that the mystery assailant had been stunned by his spell.

In the past, if he had seen his enemies not fall after being struck by his Soulburst, he would have fearfully assumed that they had resisted the attack.

However, the fact that that old knight's squire had frozen for some time before falling to the ground made him aware of the possibility that his Soulburst might even render weaker targets unconscious.

He strutted cockily toward the shield-wielding figure. Suddenly, that figure dropped his shield to reveal a familiar face: that of the old knight's squire, Wang Yu.

"You? You?!"

The old magician shrieked in panic, unable to understand what was going on. How could he have shrugged off his signature spell? How could he be the squire who should have been locked up in the woodshed?

Fear and shock had turned his pupils into pinpricks.

The tip of a sword shot straight toward his eye.

Wang Yu had drawn his longsword and thrust it toward the old magician in a single fluid move. The old magician, wracked with fear, didn't even have time to attempt to dodge.

The longsword pierced through his eye and stabbed into his brain. The soul of the magician who played with others' souls began to dissipate.

What accompanied the old magician to his death wasn't his dream of wizardry or anything of the sort, but rather an endless expanse of fear and the sharp glint of metal approaching him...

Beran, who had turned around just in time to see Wang Yu kill Egor, widened his sword-scarred eyes.

"You?!" he exclaimed.

"That's right, it's me. Come on, you despicable cur. I challenge you to a duel between knights!"

Wang Yu pulled out the sword from the old magician's head and shook off the vile mixture of blood and brain matter on it with a few sharp swings.

He kicked aside the old magician's withered body and made a stance that Reynard had taught him as he challenged Beran...