Chapter 2.2: Escape (2)

Dayphon walked down the hallways, across the corpses of convoys and sailors.

Things went smoothly as planned.

The ship had been largely destroyed, so the convoy would soon sink.

Now, he only needed to kill the ‘warrior’ and he could return without leaving a single survivor.

He didn’t expect that the Rognar Kingdom would have any preparations, so it was quite unexpected that one of the five stars would appear.

Five Stars of Santea. It was unreasonable to deal with someone as strong as that alone, even if it was Dayphon.

But he wasn’t too concerned. Because there was a card prepared for such a variable.

Is it over there?

The strong energy felt from downstairs made Dayphon immediately convinced that the warrior was there.

The inside of the cabin, which appeared to be the prisoner’ confinement spaces, was already a gruesome scene with the bodies of the prisoners.

It was difficult to control even the rampaging prisoners when the convoy was attacked, so the person responsible for this must have dealt with them all.

Moving leisurely inside the cabin while hiding, he could find the warrior Garten as expected.

“I am the warrior, Garten. If you have any last words, I will listen to it.”

The warrior had his hand on top of a prisoner’s head.

Dayphon stood at a distance and watched the scene.

He didn’t know the full situation, but the warrior was planning to deal with the last surviving prisoner after he listened to his will.

I have to attack the moment he kills that prisoner.

If possible, it would be better to launch a surprise attack at the most appropriate time.

After deciding, Dayphon waited for the warrior to explode the prisoner’s head.

And soon, the prisoner’s mouth opened.

“Die.”

Dayphon’s eyes widened in astonishment at the sight that followed.

“...?!”

The warrior’s body collapsed on the floor at the prisoner’s words.

For a moment, he did not know what had happened.

Dead...?

No breathing, no heart beating.

The sign of life was completely cut off from the fallen warrior, and Dayphon could no longer feel any energy from him.

He’s really dead.

In an instant, one of the Five Stars of Santea, a warrior with a high reputation throughout the continent, died just like that.

Dayphon reflexively stopped breathing and killed his presence as much as possible.

A prisoner with restraints on his hands and feet, staring down at the dead warrior.

It was hard to believe, but it was a sight that made one think he had killed the warrior, Garten.

But how?

The other didn’t lift a finger. All the mad did was say a short word - ‘die’.

...Spirit magic? Is it some kind of spirit?n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

However, how could there be a spirit capable if killing the warrior with just one word? What kind of spirit was that?

Dayphon stared at the man with confusion.

The appearance of a variable that was far beyond the assumption. He couldn’t really decide what to do in this absurd situation.

Surprise attack? Doing that would be crazy, especially since he’s up against a monster who killed the warrior in just an instant.

Even with the power provided by the King of the Dead, the original plan to kill the warrior, the odds of winning were unknown.

So, should I retreat like this? But to return without knowing the identity of that unknown person...

“...!”

For a moment, Dayphon felt goosebumps welling up all over his body.

It was because the man suddenly turned his gaze and was staring at where he was.

“Stop acting like a rat and come out.”

...Caught. Since when?

That his stealth skill was so easily discovered made Dayphon feel the greatest shock and disappointment.

It was because he had the highest stealth ability on all continents.

He was still thinking of escaping just now, but he soon gave up on that idea.

His life could easily end in an instant, just like what happened to the warrior just now. He couldn’t risk that.

Squeak.

Dayphon appeared and met the man’s eyes.

In the empty eyes that did not show any emotion, he felt an indescribable sense of coercion.

Dayphon only had a vague intuition.

That the man in front of him might be someone on par with the monarchs.

“...Who are you?”

After a moment of silence, Dayphon asked.

The man just stared at him with his mouth still closed, as if he had no intention of answering.

Unspoken pressure. Dayphon guessed the meaning of that gaze and thought about what to say.

The other’s identity was unknown, but he was escorted to Archemon as a prisoner and he killed the warrior without hesitation.

At least there was no friendly relationship there, so it wouldn’t matter if Dayphon revealed his identity. No, it would be better to make it clear.

“I am a member of the Calderic Monarchy, Dayphon. Not affiliated with the Rognar Kingdom or Santea Empire Alliance.”

At those words, a slight change occurred in the man's expression. He wasn’t sure what the other was thinking.

“...Calderic Monarchy?”

After mumbling like that, he paused and asked;

“What did you do to this ship?”

“...If you want to know the condition of the hull, the convoy will soon sink without reaching Archemon.”

At those words, the man’s expression slightly frowned for a moment and then straightened again.

The conversation ended like that.

As if that was all he was curious about, the man asked nothing else.

He seemed uninterested in why Calderic attacked a single convoy or the details behind it.

For now, is it fortunate that that’s the case?

Dayphon was a little relieved at the other’s attitude that didn’t show any hostility.

No, rather than having no hostility... it seemed closer to not being interested anymore since Dayphon had already answered his question.

As long as Dayphon didn’t attack, the man didn’t seem to care anymore whether he escaped.

However, Dayphon hesitated to leave.

It’s because he felt regretful about leaving just like this.

He, too, was in a state of growing doubts and curiosity about this bizarre man.

“Why is someone like you a prisoner in this convoy?”

A monster that killed the warrior in an instant and discovered him, whose ability and power were unfathomable.

To Dayphon, the situation seemed ridiculous. Like finding a dragon sleeping quietly curled up with meager shackled at the corner of a goblin cage.

Cooong!

The hull shook violently and tilted.

The man still did not take any action, and the answer to the question was not returned.

Dayphon, who was staring at him, suddenly realized something.

“...”

Empty eyes with cold emotions. Total indifference to the surroundings. A uniquely bored atmosphere.

He had seen a similar person.

That was clearly the attitude of someone who no longer felt any meaning in life.

Perhaps everything was irrelevant to that man.

Even now, even when the ship was sinking, the other did not even think of escaping. Whether he died, his life would not matter.

Killing the warrior and talking to Dayphon must have been just a momentary whim.

Waa!

Once again, the hull vibrated.

Dayphon felt a great disappointment.

A giant like this no longer had any interest or regret in the world and wanted to just sink to the cold seabed and disappear.

The regret made him come up with a rather impulsive, out-of-the-box proposal that didn’t suit the situation at all.

“Would you like to go with me?”

He just hoped that he could ignite even the slightest spark of interest in this man’s heart.

“To Calderic’s overlord castle?”