Return of the Calamity-Class Death Knight

Chapter 163

Chapter 163: Bundle (3)

***

With a brisk sound, the heads of the two high-class knight hit the ground.

This time, neither of them could raise their heads. They could only lie on the ground, trembling.

“Hmm… I guess I used too much strength without realizing it.”

Thanks to the technique of the Personality Corrector the ‘Strict Punishment’, they were not injured, but the pain was so strong that both of them passed out.

“Still, it feels so good after rehabilitating someone.”

Damien put the club into his subspace with a satisfied expression.

“You there.”

Damien said, pointing behind him. The knights that the two high-class knights had brought with them looked at Damien in fear.

“Get these guys out of here right now.”

At Damien’s command, the knights hurriedly supported the two high-class knights and quickly ran out of the castle.

“They won’t be able to bark again.”

Damien said with satisfaction and turned his head.

But then he saw Athena looking at him with a rather strange expression.

“Why?”

“Ah, no… I just thought you were a scarier person than I thought.”

Athena added with a sheepish tone.

“But I-I think that kind of look is cool too.”

Damien looked at Athena with a face that said, “What are you talking about?”

***

After being carried away by the knights, Opheus and Ballet opened their eyes after a while.

“Huh?”

“What?”

The two knights got up and looked around. Only then did they realize that they were lying in a carriage.

“W-why are we here… ?”

Opheus muttered with a bewildered face. At that, the other knights came running and said.

“Lord Opheus! You’re awake!”

“You were knocked unconscious after being hit by that monster’s… no, Damien Haksen’s club.”

Opheus and Ballet looked at each other.

High-class knights like themselves were knocked unconscious with just one blow from a club? It was a story they could hardly believe.

“…I see.”

Just then, Ballet spoke up. He spoke with a determined look in his eyes.

“We were too careless.”

“…Huh? What do you mean?”

“Think about it. Did you think we would be attacked in Baron Burra’s castle?”

“W-well, no?”

“Because we were too careless, our bodies and minds were relaxed. That’s why we couldn’t react to that guy’s club.”

The surrounding knights looked speechless. No matter how you looked at it, that didn’t seem to be the case.

“…Indeed.”

However, Opheus took Ballet’s words seriously.

“It seems we were too careless. We need to reflect on ourselves.”

“That’s right. If we had been in our normal state, we would have been able to defeat that bastard in an instant.”

Opheus and Ballet nodded.

Although it was nothing more than self-rationalization, the two did not feel shame at all.

“By the way, where are we going?”

“We’re on our way to the Fish Territory.”

The Fish Territory was located not far from the territory where the fight had just taken place.

It was also the territory that the two knights, along with Baron Burra, had been considering as their base.

“A wise decision. We can trust Count Fish.”

Just as Opheus said that,

“K-knights! Knights! P-please help me!”

A young man ran over in a hurry from a distance. The knights stopped walking.

“What is it?”

Opheus asked the young man. The young man gasped for breath for a while before saying.

“I-I met an undead that looked exactly like a wolf, and my party was all killed! I barely managed to escape alive!”

At the mention of a wolf-like monster, Opheus and Ballet looked at each other.

It was without a doubt the undead they were chasing.

“You’re lucky. We’re on our way to kill that monster.”

“R-really?”

“Where is that monster? Do you know the location?”

The young man nodded at the two men’s questions.

“I-it’s the forest! I saw it in the forest! I can guide you to the location!”

“Good. Lead the way. I’ll let you watch us kill that monster from the front.”

Opheus said, patting his chest. The young man smiled in relief at his gesture.

“To bring such great information. I will reward you later, so tell me your name.”

“M-me? I’m…”

The young man said, calming his rapid breathing.

“My name is Garrot.”

The lens of the telescope hanging around the young man’s neck glinted in the sunlight.

***

I had a dream about Master.

In the dream, I was running with Master on a forest trail in the evening. When I looked up, I saw the sky dyed red between the tall trees.

“I found you!”

Master hugged me from behind. I shook its body vigorously to try to escape from the his arms.

“No way! I’m not letting you go!”

I eventually gave up and licked the master’s cheek.

Master laughed out loud and released me. But I didn’t leave his side.

“Ahahaha, it tickles. Stop, stay still.”

When master was happy, I was happy too. When I was happy, master was happy too.

“Munchi, you know, I want to be a knight.”

Suddenly, master said that.

“I heard from the village elders that knights are incredibly strong, incredibly brave, and incredibly powerful. They say even monsters are no match for them.”

I didn’t understand what master was talking about at all.

But I was happy just knowing that master was happy.

“If I become a great person like a knight… won’t my father love me too? He won’t insult me anymore for being born after killing my mother…”

Master’s face turned gloomy. My mood also became gloomy.

I rubbed its face against the master’s leg. Master smiled bitterly and patted my head.

Then I woke up from the dream.

The world filled with red sunset was nowhere to be seen. All that was visible was the eerily cold sky and the dark shadows of the forest.

Wolf stood up shakily. It looked around with dull eyes.

Master… I can’t see you…

Even though it was a dream, perhaps because it had met master, the empty space felt even bigger.

Master… where are you?

I missed the master’s voice, laughter, and the touch of the hand that stroked its fur.

Wolf lowered its head and let out a small cry. Only wolf’s cries could be heard in the quiet forest.

It was then. The smell of master reached my nose.

Master?

I hurriedly raised my head. I turned my head in the direction of the smell.

It wasn’t a wrong smell. The smell of the master was getting stronger.

Master!

Just as I was about to run in the direction of the smell.

Something flew out, tearing through the bushes. A long, invisible blade stretched out and pierced my body.

“Keng!”

It felt like it was being pierced by a red-hot iron rod. I screamed and rolled on the ground.

“So it really was here.”

Two human men walked out from between the bushes.

As soon as I saw their faces, it felt a chill. They were the scary humans who had attacked it before.

Why? Where is the master?

I felt confused. When they first met, they didn’t smell like master. Why did both of them smell like the master now?

“Ballet, this time let’s cut off that bastard’s head and take it back.”

“Yes, Lord Opheus. Let’s reclaim our honor.”

The two human men drew their swords. The blades began to glow red.

As soon as wolf saw the red glow, its body trembled.

It knew very well from the previous experience. How easily those red blades could cut through its body. And how much pain they would inflict.

“Kki, kkiing…….”

Wolf backed away, wary of the two men. The two human men snorted at its sight.

“A monster like you is scared… We won’t be fooled by that kind of act.”

“You must be thinking of lulling us into a false sense of security and waiting for an opportunity, just like last time.”

The two men simultaneously charged at wolf.

Running in different directions, the two men swung their swords at the same time.

Wolf’s skin was cut like water by the red-hot blades.

“Keng! Keung!”

Wolf struggled to shake off the two men. It pawed at the ground and rammed its body into trees.

However, the two human men were persistent. They continued to stab wolf’s body without backing down even a bit.

It hurts! It hurts!

The pain was incomparable to being kicked and trampled by the humans.

Every time I was cut by the red blades, it felt like my wounds were burning. As if that wasn’t enough, it felt like thorns were growing inside them.

Master! Master!

Wolf desperately searched for his master. But no one came to protect it.

Why.

Amidst the surging pain, the wolf wondered.

Why do humans always…

Why do they torment me? Why do they only give me pain?

Why.

I just need to find the master. I just need to see the master.

Why! Why! Me! Me! Master! Always! Whenever! Every day!

“This bastard! You can’t even move unlike last time!”

“Lord Opheus! Let’s cut off its head now!”

The two men swung their swords down at Master’s neck from both sides.

That’s when it happened.

Dark mana exploded from the wolf’s body. A massive amount of dark mana gushed out in all directions.

Wolf’s dark mana was like a storm. It overturned the ground and uprooted trees. Even the two men were blown away by the storm.

“W-what is this dark mana…?”

One of the men looked at Master with a bewildered face.

Wolf raised its head. It let out a howl towards the sky.

– ■■■■■■!

No, that wasn’t a howl. It was something filled with pain and anger.

A horrible sound that human eardrums could not comprehend shook the entire world.

Wolf lowered its head that it had raised. It glared at the two human men. Its cloudy eyes were emitting a red light.

The two men froze at that overwhelming killing intent.

Wolf bared its teeth at the two men. The only thought that was dominating wolf’s mind right now was one.

I’m going to kill you!

Anger surged. Hatred gushed out endlessly.

I’m going to crush your guts with my paws! I’m going to bite off your heads! Just like what you did to me…!

– Munchi~

Suddenly, a familiar voice from its memory came to mind. Wolf’s body froze.

– You’re so hurt…….

– You have to eat… They say you need to eat to get better.

– Are you feeling better now?

The dark mana that the wolf was emitting instantly subsided.

Wolf turned around. It ran in the opposite direction of the men.

“……What, what is it?”

“W-what the hell happened?”

The two men followed the wolf’s back with bewildered faces.

They didn’t know why the undead had stopped, but it was clear that they had passed the dangerous moment.

“It wasn’t an ordinary undead… .”

“It was a much more dangerous creature than we expected.”

Just as Opheus and Ballet were trembling with fear,

“Lord Opheus, Sir Ballet!”

“Are you both okay?”

Other knights ran to the two men. The two nodded as if they were fine.

Then suddenly, they realized that one person was missing.

“Where’s Garrot? Where’s that young man?”

Opheus asked the knights. The knights looked around.

“I don’t know.”

“He was here just a moment ago… .”

The knights said with bewildered faces.

***

“I don’t know why we’re bothering with this annoying task. Is there a reason why you made the knights attack the undead like this?”

Kardak said in a dissatisfied tone.

“Is there a reason why you made the knights attack the undead like this?”

Garrot asked, looking at the fleeing undead through his telescope.

“When do you think the undead will be complete?”

“How the hell should I know? I don’t touch corpses.”

“Ahahaha, I forgot. You don’t handle corpses.”

Garrot said with a cheerful laugh.

“Then I’m not going to ask a question. I’ll just tell you the answer first. It’s when it finds an opponent to hate.”

Garrot added with a regretful expression.

“Too bad. If it had crossed the line just a little bit more, it would have been complete… Why didn’t it kill those two?”

Garrot pondered for a moment and then opened his mouth.

“It seems that it’s a very timid child compared to its talent. This won’t do. We need to take it away and educate it separately.”

Garrot’s eyes shone.

“Shall we go and retrieve it right away?”

***