Chapter 132. The Guest Who Arrived First (3)

An uncomfortable silence filled the tavern.

I had been trying to avoid a fight.

The fact that I could steer situations like a 'game' gave me a sense of familiarity.

Moreover, simply subduing with brute force and ensuring my own safety seemed too much like something "Yulian" would do.

Because of this, I had tried to resolve it smoothly, but it felt like it wasn't completely settled.

Like leaving after handling only the basics?

To be precise, it's probably my fault for not considering how idiotic 'Felkhor' would be.

Future Felkhor felt increasingly pitiful.

How will he bear all this karma?

Thinking like that, I decided to observe the surrounding atmosphere once more.

Holding onto a sliver of hope.

If things could be resolved with words, that would be the best, wouldn't it?

Besides, no matter how much I belonged to the 'Cryphart' family, there wasn't such a strong connection...

"Ulmmm."

Except for Felkhor, who still didn't understand what he did wrong, a 'red heat haze' was rising over the heads of most people.

Intense hostility.

Their perception began shifting from one extreme to the other.

The suspicion that had been buried and dormant took only three seconds to sprout and bloom.

'It's hopeless.'

Only now did Felkhor start to grasp the situation, and his pupils shook as though an earthquake had hit them.

Let's talk later, you.

Clink──!

The bustling tavern quietened, and between the silence, a metallic sound began to echo in my ears.

The sound of hands reaching for weapons.

Tension gripped the moment as if a bomb were about to explode.

"Hyaaaaab!"

The first person to light the fuse emerged.

Among those drinking with Felkhor, one drew his sword, kicked the table, and charged.

Where should I hit?

There's too many places to choose!

Though summoned to the North as a soldier, in my eyes, he merely seemed like a child showcasing crude swordsmanship.

Thwack──!

I decided to swing a light fist first.

I'm not some terrible villain who would rashly swing a sword to tear off limbs.

Anyway, the man was knocked back faster than he charged at me.

The force was so strong that it broke through the tavern door.

Crash!

The deserters who saw the broken door were staring at me with wide eyes.

They reacted so because they witnessed with their own eyes the immense power that was almost awe-inspiring.

"Huh, huh..."

Gulp.

Degrid and the bandits who watched gulped nervously.

"I didn't plan for things to turn out this way."

I added this, drawing the 'Moonstone Sword' and preparing for combat.

===

⇒The sword is enveloped in moonlight.

⇒Activating the trait, 〈Moonlit Sword〉.

===

As I channeled mana into the sword in my hand, the Moonstone Sword naturally began to emanate a gentle moonlight.

"Ah, ah..."

Seeing the Moonlit Sword, Degrid's mouth was stretched wide open in disbelief, almost as if his jaw might fall off.

A wail that was closer to a lament.

He seemed to recognize the 'Moonlit Sword'.

Well, since it's a signature of Yulian's swordplay, it would've been disappointing if he hadn't recognized it.

"A, an aura that seems to wield moonlight, slit-eye..., and that eerily unpleasant Formal Speech!"

Eerily unpleasant, huh? I don't think it's that bad.

If you hear it often, wouldn't you find it endearing over time?

"And, the Cryphart family..."

Remembering what Felkhor said, Degrid muttered that and clenched his fist before glaring at me.

"Yulian, Yulian Cryphart Fra-son...! The Mad Dog of the Imperial Court... The Smiling Executioner!"

"Heh heh heh..."

As I chuckled slightly, Degrid's face grew rigid.

Honestly, I wasn't laughing with any particular meaning.

It was just amusing to hear such a title after such a long time.

"T-the psychopathic killer!?"

"Did that madman come to capture us!?"

"N-no way!"

Comments from the bandits trickled in one by one.

Hearing such plummeting evaluations somehow made me chuckle dryly. I felt as if my own standing was gradually deteriorating.

'However, thanks to that nickname, negotiating might be possible.'

The situation seemed hopeful since Degrid and the others recognized the nickname 'Smiling Executioner'.

Which meant, they knew how monstrously strong 'Yulian' was.

Subduing them without combat didn't seem too hard.

By stimulating the primal emotion of 'fear', a submitter of man, I could make them yield.

Such things were no longer difficult.

"If you know who I am, you'd best surrender. If you don't wish to see blood, that is."

Pulling off the most sinister smile I could muster, they gulped nervously.

Even though they hadn't personally experienced it, everyone who challenged the Smiling Executioner hadn't lived to tell the tale.

It's said that even newborns were killed with a smile.

The heat haze glistening above their heads soon changed to a shade of purple.

Yes, let's quietly resolve things that way.

"What are you doing?!"

Of course, not everything goes my way.

There's always one stubborn idiot.

Despite his trembling body, Degrid shouted loudly.

He stood out like a proud general, but it didn't mean he wasn't afraid.

The 'Color of Fear' hovered distinctly above his head.

"If Yulian indeed has come, we're as good as dead!"

"B-but Degrid..."

"If we surrender, we might be spared!"

When the others looked at me with desperate eyes, I nodded ever so slightly.

"I'd prefer for things to end quietly too."

Though I spoke with the brightest smile possible, Degrid wasn't ready to accept it willingly.

No, judging by his face, even the 'bright smile' struck fear into him.

"H-have you ever heard of that Mad Dog sparing anyone who broke the rules?"

Hmm... To be honest, I hadn't heard of it either.

If I ever granted such mercy, such a dreadful nickname wouldn't have spread among the masses.

"And if that foolish noble truly belongs to the Cryphart family, we're dead even if we surrender!"

At Degrid's words, a resolution kindled in the deserters' eyes.

If they're going to die no matter what, they'll bet on the option with even the slightest chance.

In the end, does it come to this?

Infamy tied to one's name can indeed backfire.

'Damn it.'

Whether good or bad.

It's an infamy that's unhelpful.

***

Naturally, Degrid and the deserters were no match for me.

Their defenses were rendered useless by attacks using aura, and what they thought were clever attacks could be easily countered.

"Ugh, ugh..."

Watching the scattered deserters, I pondered.

Should I have gone in like this from the start?

'It seems Angelica wasn't needed at all.'

Squirm.

As the situation came to a close, the large figure lying on the ground slowly began to move.

The cause of all this mess was Felkhor.

"Y-Yulian sir...? W-what's going on?"

Oh, pretending to be drunk now, are we?

The next line should go...

"I remember nothing."

Right. That's the line I expected.

The moment the battle began, the fool who immediately went down held his aching head between his temples.

"Sir Felkhor, turns out you're the type to become a dog when you drink."

"A dog...? What suddenly...urk!"

Once I kicked Felkhor, he looked at me with bewilderment, not knowing why.

Leaving that fool behind, I approached the fallen Degrid and grabbed his head, lifting it.

Though slightly annoyed by being this close to his battered face, questioning took precedence over irritation.

"Sir Degrid, where is the foolish noble you mentioned earlier?"

"Cu-Keheuk..."

Though I've no great interest in the Cryphart family, I should at least check since it's come to this.

"Und- under...the warehouse..."

Warehouse?

Ah, it seems there's a warehouse beneath the wooden floor.

After tossing Degrid back to the ground, I began searching for the way down.

It wasn't difficult to find.

Just like in a cliché, throwing aside a carpet revealed a staircase leading down.

'Now then.'

Shall I see who this so-called foolish member of the Cryphart family is?

As Degrid mentioned, there indeed was a person bound hand and foot in the warehouse.

"Mm, mmmm!"

With a gag in his mouth, the one only able to moan had a sack over his head.

"What...who is this?"

Having followed me down, Felkhor looked at me with a puzzled expression.

Would I know?

Thinking that because of this fool I had unnecessarily drawn my sword, a wave of annoyance rose within me.

'These deserters have lost their chance for leniency.'

Kidnapping a person obviously amounted to crime—meant they had some hand in human trafficking too.

Maybe it was fortunate things turned out this way.

I wasn't very fond of handling them directly anyway.

"Release him."

Felkhor, reeking of alcohol, approached the man and with his roughly calloused hands, began removing the sack.

Finally, a familiar face appeared beneath it.

"Ugh...ugh!"

Joshua?

"Cover him again."

"Uuughh!!!!!"

As I instructed Felkhor to cover him again, Joshua tried to thrash around as he struggled with the wrapping.

His eyes, burning with indignation, seemed to say clearly.

'Hurry up and free me, you damned fool.'

I'm fairly certain that's what he'd be thinking.

"Sir Yulian, shall I really cover him again?"

Felkhor, hesitantly asked once more sensing a connection between me and the captive.

"No, let's just remove the gag for a start."

I was curious.

About how Joshua ended up here, I thought hearing the reason wouldn't hurt.

"Kaah! Keheuk, cough!"

After removing the gag, Joshua began coughing repeatedly.

As he gradually calmed down, the frequency of his coughing diminished, and soon looking up, he met my eyes.

"Did you come to rescue me, elder brother Yulian?"

"Not particularly."

"Then why are you here...?"

"That's a question I should be asking. Joshua. Why are you here?"

"That's..."

Somehow Joshua hesitated.

"Really... please cover him again. Sir Felkhor."

"No, I'll tell! Elder brother Yulian!"

"Are you under the mistaken impression that I wasn't going to cover you, whether you spoke or not?"

Joshua's reason for being here?

Truthfully, I wasn't exceptionally curious.

I only came down because I was curious about the claim a member of the Cryphart household was detained.

"At least give me a hand just this once! We're from the same Cryphart house, aren't we family, elder brother?"

Now pitifully pleading, Joshua.

The arrogance he showed upon our first meeting had completely vanished, but even then, did he think he had any rights to my help?

'Not really. Do I have to?'

Clacky's Corner:A wild Joshua appeared.

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