Dark Fantasy: Magical Eye Knight – Chapter 129

Chapter 129: Hedilund (2)

TL: Potato-tan

Proofreader: Asianpotato

A group of men slowly moved between the trees. Ten men, each armed with a blade like a sword or an axe, were approaching the flickering light of a bonfire in the distance.

“Which way?”

“Over there, can you see that light? Just keep going in this direction. I confirmed there were four of them earlier.”

A man named Shadelloc walked in the middle, clad in layers of animal skins, a sword at his waist, and a small shield on his forearm. He flexed his fingers inside his gauntlets, the cold steel reassuring against his skin. Shadelloc spoke,

“Four? Three women and two men, right? Where’s the other one?”

“He must be relieving himself.”

“Tch, such rabble. Shut your mouths and check your loads. Don’t forget to put arrows on your quivers. Aim for the arms or legs, got it?”

“Aye.”

The bandits’ conversation was casual, their footfalls barely making a sound as they traversed the forest. Their practiced and experienced legs effortlessly navigated around the thickets and branches, choosing only the firmest soil to step on.

“What about the ones we captured? Did you make sure they couldn’t cause trouble?”

“Of course. We left people to watch them. It’s impossible to find them right away with all these trees and grass.”

“Good. They found our hideout, after all. Let’s capture just enough of them, then sell them to the city.”

A satisfied smirk spread across Shadelloc’s face. If they managed to capture and sell those clueless travelers who dared to wander unguarded, a few dozen gold coins would surely end up in his hands.

He could spare a few coins for these incompetent fools; it wasn’t like he was running a one-man operation, and they would leave immediately if he didn’t pay them enough.

Lately, the demand for slaves has been steadily increasing, especially for experiments at the Mage Tower on the outskirts of Hedilund City. As long as the Tower kept sending orders, Shadelloc’s human-hunting business would continue to thrive.

The air was thick with anticipation, like a taut string that could snap at any moment. However, just as the man at the front, holding a crossbow, raised his hand, the conversation ceased, replaced by palpable tension.

The following bandits instantly lowered their bodies, hiding within the bushes. They held their breath, minimizing the movement of their bodies.

The silence was deafening, with not even a whisper in the air. The insects near the bandits stopped chirping, freezing in place.

But a little further away, the insects continued to flap their wings, their bodies vibrating with their calls. The harmony of silence and insect chorus echoed softly, both fitting and out of place.

“What’s wrong? Why did we stop?”

When one bandit asked a question, the man in front pointed ahead. At the tip of his finger, one of their targets was walking slowly.

“Look, there’s that big guy. Is he going to take a leak or something?”

“Damn, he’s scaring the hell out of me.”

“We’ll ambush him once he drops his pants. Aim for as many arms or legs as possible. If he falls over his own shit, so be it.”

The bandits snickered. The tall man approached with long, steady strides. There was no sign of him stopping to relieve himself or doing anything else.

As the distance closed, the bandits grew confused.

“What the hell is he doing? Why is he coming this way?”

“Maybe he’s looking for a good spot.”

But contrary to their assumptions, the man was steadily approaching them, his movements devoid of hostility.

The bandits, crouched among the bushes and trees, the grass reaching their waists, watched as the bandit leader, clad in animal skins, met the man’s gaze. The man was looking directly at him.

A chilling sensation ran up his spine, from his tailbone to the nape of his neck. It was the sensation he always felt whenever his life was in danger. He sprang to his feet.

“Damn it, we’ve been spotted! Get up!”

At his cry, the men holding crossbows rose from their spots, aiming at the man. The bandit dressed in animal skins did the same, with his crossbow tightly drawn. Later, they could figure out how he knew.

Right now, the most pressing matter is to silence the alarm bells ringing in their heads.

“Fire!”

As they pulled the triggers in unison, the taut gears and pulleys released, giving freedom to the bowstrings that had been held in tension.

Black lines streaked through the darkness. The man seemed to be instantly riddled with arrows, and the bandits had no reason to doubt it.

But the arrows didn’t pierce the man. Instead, they were caught in his hands. When he moved his hands, the bandits couldn’t tell.

“Are you a human hunters?”

A voice rang out in the darkness. The man stood in a clever position where the shadows of the large and small trees around him overlapped, while the rest of the area was bathed in bright moonlight, Milky Way, and starlight.

He set a clever boundary, and because he spoke while concealed in the darkness, the bandits felt as if the darkness itself was speaking directly to them.

They remained silent; none of them was able to answer. It was a strange situation, whether they said yes or no.

Just then, two orbs of purple light glowed from what they assumed was the man’s face, hidden in the darkness.

As if only two eyeballs were floating in the darkness, one of the bandits hastily drew his sword and shouted,

“F*ck, it’s magic! He blocked the arrows with a spell.”

“Charge! We can’t give him time to cast a spell!”

The bandits emerged from the bushes and trees, armed with swords, axes, and shields. The bright moonlight filtering through the leaves above their heads illuminated them, but the bandits’ weapons didn’t reflect the light.

Russell narrowed his eyes at the sight.

“It’s not magic.”

Thud, thud, thud.

The arrows that had been aimed at him fell to the ground. Russell had simply seen each of the incoming arrows and acknowledged them. However, the bandits simply assumed he had cast some kind of spell and charged forward.

“Die, you bastard!”

One of the bandits raised a one-handed sword high. He seemed to intend to cleave Russell’s head with one blow. One had to be quite confident in their strength to charge forward with their chest so exposed.

Russell stepped right up to the first charging bandit. Surprised by the ghost-like movement, the bandit tried to lower his raised arm, but Russell’s fingertips struck his throat before he could.

Thwack, the sword fell from the bandit’s weakened hand, and Russell caught it with his left hand, then swung it from the bottom left to the top right.

The bandit’s torso was sliced diagonally, severing both the quilted armor and the chainmail beneath. Blood and entrails gushed out, filling the air with a pungent stench. One bandit died like that. The others gasped at the sight.

“Henbin! You son of a b*tch!”

“Damn it!”

Despite seeing one of their comrades die instantly, the bandits didn’t stop charging.

There was one enemy and nine of them, even after losing one. According to their common sense, it was impossible for one to win against such a number disparity.

“Aaaargh!”

With a sound that could have been a battle cry or a scream, another bandit thrust his sword. His posture wasn’t bad, as if he had learned a thing or two somewhere.

With his left foot firmly planted on the ground, his right foot extended forward, his waist and upper body twisted, and both arms fully extended, the combined length of his arms and the sword’s blade would have pierced either the chest or abdomen of an ordinary person in an instant.

Russell simply deflected the swift thrust to the side and swung the sword he had taken from the bandit.

“Kuaaagh!”

The bandit’s arms were severed as easily as when he had deflected the thrust. The cross-section of the severed arms revealed pale bones and muscles.

The bandit with severed arms screamed as if the forest were being torn away, then fell silent as the pommel of the sword struck his head.

As the bandit fell backward, two more charged forward. One held a shield, and the other wielded a large axe. The one with the shield led the way, while the one with the axe put all his strength into both arms behind him. They appeared to have planned to block the sword with the shield and strike with the axe in the meantime.

In this manner, they would direct Russell’s focus forward, while the others would stab him from the sides or behind.

However, their plan went awry from the start when the one charging forward was cut in half at the waist, along with his shield. And before he could even realize that the plan had failed, Russell’s left fist slammed into the chest of the one with the axe.

Thud! The bandit’s body shook violently, and he collapsed, coughing blood from his nose, mouth, and eyes.

The sword he had taken from the first bandit he had killed snapped and fell. The remaining bandits saw it.

“That bastard’s sword broke!”

“Charge all at once!”

The one approaching from behind thrust his sword upward without a sound. Russell’s back was his target.

The bandit’s eyes widened as he attacked from behind. Russell, who had turned around at some point, had caught the blade with his left hand. To sense and catch a freshly sharpened, quietly approaching blade with his bare hand was an unbelievable feat.

“Haha, what the f*ck. . . What kind of monster is this?”

The bandit, who had let out a hollow laugh, had his head blown off. Russell, who had blown off the bandit’s head with his fist, looked at the remaining ones.

Drip, drip, blood, and flesh cascaded down from his hands. Russell roughly shook them off and gestured at the bandits standing there, frozen.

“Come on, you guys. If a man draws a sword, he needs to do something with it. Are you going to just stand there all day?”

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

The man in animal skins, Shadelloc, couldn’t understand why the situation had unfolded this way. This was supposed to be just like any other day.

They would ambush easy targets on one of the paths through the Penmaur Mountains. They would take the women, play with them for a while, and sell them. They would do the same with the men, selling them into slavery.

He had anticipated a similar experience this time around. Young people travel carelessly, clueless about the world. They would impart the harsh realities of the frigid and cruel world to individuals, using their entire being.

But the result this time was different, thanks to the man who was fighting their bandits with nothing but his bare fists and feet.

Shadelloc took off the glove he had been wearing on his left hand. On his middle finger was an iron ring with a small green jewel and geometric patterns, which didn’t match his attire.

There was only one chance. There were five bandits left, including Shadelloc. The five who had gone before them had died instantly, so the surviving bandits looked at Shadelloc with trembling eyes.

“W, What should we do, boss?”

Shadelloc swallowed dryly and whispered,

“. . .I’ll say three, and you all stab him with your swords at once. When I see an opening, I’ll activate this.”

He shook the ring on his left middle finger slightly. The bandits looked at each other and raised their swords.

Russell stood still, gazing at the remaining bandits. He stood on one leg, putting his weight on it, with his other leg slightly bent, unarmed and barehanded. However, despite his defenseless appearance, the bandits were more tense.

Shadelloc gave the signal.

“Three!”

“Aaaaargh!”

With a battle cry, four blades flew towards Russell. As if they had rehearsed it, their timing was perfect, and there was nowhere to dodge.

Russell didn’t dodge; instead, he pulled his hand out from inside his coat. In his hand was a gleaming white axe.

Tatatatatang!

All four blades were deflected into the air.

“Kuagh!”

“M, My hand!”

The deflected swords fell to the ground with a clang. The bandits backed away, each clutching their hands. They had been forced to let go of their swords due to the overwhelming force that tore their palms.

Then, Shadelloc, who had been muttering something behind him, clenched his left hand into a fist and extended it towards Russell. The ring on his middle finger flashed brightly. He shouted,

“A-zvetoh! Storm Blade!”

Puhwaaagh!

As the green jewel on the ring glowed, the mana around it began to fluctuate. The fluctuating mana quickly gathered in front of the ring and took on a hazy form, which became a sharp blade and charged at Russell.

“Ugh!”

Four of the bandits, who had charged at Russell, narrowly dodged the wind blade by rolling on the ground.

“Damn, we almost died, boss!”

“Shut up and stay back!”

Shadelloc said it forcefully. He kept pouring magic into the ring, aiming it at Russell with his left hand. This ring, which operated with a single trigger word, was a magic ring containing the spell Storm Blade, which didn’t require the caster’s magic power but instead consumed a great deal of concentration and stamina.

Kwagagagagak!

Shadelloc swallowed the blood that was welling up in his mouth, but he didn’t stop activating the ring. Dozens of translucent blades of wind were created, slashing the space where Russell stood. The slashing continued for a short while, then stopped as Shadelrock vomited blood.

Swoosh. . .

The ring, which had stopped operating, lost its glow and turned a dull color.

“Huff, huff, huff. . .”

The space that was hit by the countless blades of wind was in ruins. Trees thicker than a man’s waist were sliced down, leaving only their stumps. Dust filled the air.

“Cough, ugh.”

The branches and leaves that had been caught in the storm-like blades flew high into the air and then fell back down.

“Damn, I guess I can’t do it twice. What are you guys doing? Check if he’s dead, and get that axe from before!”

Despite all of this, Shadelloc kept his eyes on the axe the man had pulled out of his coat. The axe, which emitted a faint white light even in the darkness, was surely a magical item or relic, just like his ring.

“Damn, I’m going to die.”

Shadelloc’s lips dripped blood mixed with saliva as he knelt down with his back hunched. The sight of his five subordinates dying without even being able to touch him had terrified him, and he had operated the ring at maximum power.

If only he had had more magic power, it would have been easier to handle the ring, but he had no talent for magic. That was why the ring consumed his vitality and stamina instead.

“I’m so tired, I’m actually going to awaken. . . .”

Perhaps he could get a mana circuit operation from Deckers after delivering these experimental subjects and slaves to the tower. He would have to give up his gold coins and even pay for it, but it was better than dying.

The most important thing to survive was one’s own strength. Shadelloc, coughing up blood, once again realized that he had been temporarily blinded by money.

“If I had that, I wouldn’t. . . Damn it. I don’t envy you guys.”

Suddenly, Shadelloc stopped muttering. This was due to the unwavering gut instinct that had been raising alarms.

“Ugh, dust. . . you’re supposed to be more careful, right?”

One of the bandits, who had been waving his hand and searching the space where the storm blades had passed, uttered a question. And that voice was the last sound he made in his life.

Puhwaak━!

The thick dust that had filled the air was suddenly blown away and scattered. Russell was there. The ground he was standing on was intact. The rest of the space was in shambles, turned upside down, and torn apart by the storm blades.

Belatedly, the bandit, who had lost his head, collapsed. Shadelloc tried to figure out how he was still alive, even with his blurred vision from vomiting too much blood.

“What? You’re not dead, ugh!”

“P, Please spare me. . .!”

“Aack!”

It didn’t take long for the remaining three bandits to die. The dead bandits’ bodies were strange.

The one whose neck had been cut off had a frozen head, and the cross-section was also frozen solid white.

The person whose chest had been split open also had his wound and the insides frozen, as if a cold spell had struck.

Shadelrock, who had collapsed on his knees, stared blankly at Russell, who was approaching him slowly.

Coming out of the darkness and standing under the bright moonlight and starlight, he was a very tall man with a rugged face. The man, who shook off the dust from his coat, slung the axe over his shoulder and crouched down.

“That was quite strong. Is that a magical item?”

“How. . . the Storm Blade. . .”

“I blocked each one.”

Shadelloc recalled how only the ground Russell was standing on, with a radius of just over 3 meters, was intact. The storm blades emitted by the magic ring had carved and shattered the rest of the ground outside Russell’s standing area.

What did that mean? It meant that this monstrous monster had seen each of the countless storm blades that had flown at him and intercepted them one by one.

“Heh, f*ck. . .”

Shadelloc could only utter profanities.

Translator’s Blog