"Please, spare me-"

The sound of cracking bones and splattering blood echoed throughout the forest.

"Kill that bastard!-"

Another bandit died. This one to a direct Flame Spear to face, and the explosion destroyed his upper body.

Then another, and another.

They either fell to my axe, magic, or might of my Wyvern.

We defeated bandits in no time. Now, it was only their leader. He stood alone against us.

"You gotta be kidding me. There were almost a hundred guys there, and I have to deal with this fucker." His dagger started glowing purple.

"Let me guess, you have an ace you haven't played yet," I said with an undermining tone. However, this is only to make my enemy drop their guard.

Glowing weapons = power is a concept I adapted well in this world.

"All those guys were some random runts I gathered from here and there. Now you will see a real killer."

He leaped forward and disappeared into the shadows.

Fionnlagh instinctively dashed forward and made a protective circle around me using his body.

"What a curious ability." 

I wished I had a spell with a large radius to find him quickly.

However, I quickly noticed his opening.

"Frozen Skin." I touched my chest, and a thin layer of ice covered my body.

His weakness was his magic only fooled one sense. He was invisible, but I still heard his footsteps, and I think if I tried hard enough, I might even smell him.

A moment later, the young bandit suddenly jumped on me. His dagger was aimed at my neck perfectly.

But his blade bounced away.

Before he hid again, I moved forward and tried to grab him, but Fionnlag was quicker than me.

He struck the bandit leader with a powerful tail attack and sent him flying towards a tree.

The impact knocked out the young bandit. Snow dropped from the branches and covered his body.

I looked at Fionnlagh. He had grown 1.5 times the size since I found him, and not only that, he was superior to his past self in all aspects.

I decided to ask a couple of questions about Aezikal, but just before I moved to check on him, I saw a faint blueish glow in Fionnlagh's mouth and quickly pushed his head away.

I caused him to miss his ice blast and hit a tree. His attack snapped that tree into two. "Fionnlagh, don't kill! I still have questions to ask." 

I grabbed some rope from the dead bandits and tied him, then threw him on Fionnlagh's back.

"Take him away, and make sure he doesn't escape."

Fionnlagh nodded.

s, so even though I plan on executing this criminal, I can postpone his sentence to get something useful from him.

With that, I left the position and entered the town borders, where two terrified town guards greeted me with spears.

"H- halt!" One of them managed to speak."S- sta- state your b- business!"

I looked at myself. Heavy armor and a giant ax, both soaked in blood, traces of Frozen Skin, shining under the moonlight. It wasn't the best attire for communication.

"I see it now." I dropped my ax and raised my arms as a friendly gesture. "I am a traveler on my way. I encountered some bandits, so I decided to take a rest. Does your village accept visitors?"

The town guard relaxed a bit. "By bandits, did you see a young man with blonde hair?"

"You mean one with a glowing dagger?" 

"Yes!" Guard shouted in excitement. "Have you killed him?"

"Almost. That bastard escaped, but the rest of his men either fled or died by my hand."

Guard fell to his knee and dropped his weapon. "Oh, holy light, you protected us today as well."

I raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "Isn't this town next to a fortress? Why are you scared of a couple of bandits?"

"Of course, a stranger wouldn't know. All you need to know is that those guys wouldn't care if we were all sacrificed to a demon as long as someone puts enough money into their pockets."

"Those damned leeches!" Another guard shouted.

I nodded. "I am glad I encountered the bandits then, but for now, could you guys show me where I can find myself a bath and a warm bed."

The kneeling guard got back up. "Sorry, just follow us, sir."

I followed them to a large building near the town center. It had the same sign as the hunter's guild in Arthur's town.

The buildings were smaller, but the content was mostly the same, as the usual job board, guild workers, and a tavern were all present.

Guards left me alone, saying they still had work to do.

I approached the counter. People inside were giving suspicious looks to me.

"Hello, how may I help you?" A young woman asked while holding a large book in her hands.

"Hello, I signed up to be a hunter." I sighed. "I will cut it short. I lost my tag some time ago. If there is a fee or something like that for a new one, I won't mind."

She placed her book on the counter and opened it. "And your name?"

"Erwin Blade."

"Erwin Blade, let's see." The book glowed with purplish magical energy and began turning by itself until it reached a page.

"Weird." She mumbled with a suspicious tone, then looked at my armor. " You are just a starter, am I right?"

"For the guild, yes, I registered some time ago but didn't take any jobs since I was already busy with mercenary jobs, which paid more than starter-level guild jobs."

"Is that so? Well, after looking at all that gear, it makes sense. Ten silvers then." 

I dropped a gold coin on the counter. The guild worker quickly gave me a new tag.

I turned around and moved towards the bulletin board. I wasn't planning on taking any jobs, but posters still possessed some of the information I wanted.

"Curious." I reached for a more lavish-looking poster. "Powerful necromancer on wild." It is a drawing of me in my old armor. "For its head, the reward will be two thousand gold coins. Current location: Workcamp Glazov."

It looked like my name had spread around, though they didn't know or purposefully hid my real identity.

"You interested?" A large guy approached me.

"Honestly." I turned my back to the board. "No, I don't care what happens to that barbaric place."

"Barbaric?" He began laughing. "Those vermins deserve the punishment they get, or don't tell me, do you support those dwarves?"

I nodded. " Maybe, but nowadays, nobles throw in every farmer they want their land, every servant they are dissatisfied with. It is also a demonically cruel place. I heard they feed their prisoners only enough to function for the day's job."

He touched my shoulder. "Your armor and weapon are still freshly soaked in blood, yet you talk against violence as if you are a prophet of peace."

I pushed his hand away. "You are right to a degree. I killed many people, more than you can count, and as it seems, I will kill more in the future. So, is there anyone more qualified to say if an act is barbaric than me?"

"Really? And why do you kill people?" 

"If one draws their weapons with intent to kill and accept the possibility of death in that way, I will only honor their choice."

He reached to his hip and pulled out a sword. "So, let's say I pointed this sword at you. Does that mean you will also honor me by killing me?"

"Yes, I will, but are you sure you want this one-time experience?" I draw my sword. "My blade is sharp. Let me warn you beforehand."

"Hah! I liked this one. Give us two ales! And you!" He pointed towards a guy. "Pull one more chair for this friend." 

***

It was a somewhat enjoyable night. I relieved some stress and ate some decent food.

But it is time for my mission.

I reached the sewers gate behind the castle. Lady provided me with good intel.

She also told me that she bribed the guard and would turn a blind eye, so I only need to find a way to sneak in, then get out, and in the worst case, I have Fionnlagh.

Sewage tunnels were dark, but I still managed to find my way.

"Heh, we will feed tonight, my dears." An ominous voice followed by what sounds like an entire swarm of rats squeaking echoed.

Shortly after, rats from all sides charged at me.

I managed to throw away most of the pests. In the end, I lost my temper. "Frozen Skin, Flame Spear." I exploded a Flame Spear next to myself and got rid of the pest for good.

"No! You stinking bastard!" The puppet master behind the rats showed itself.

A skinny man with a scrap metal hat shaped like a crown showed himself. He was wearing a ragged purple cloak.

He dashed forward and tried to stab me with a dagger.

I easily avoided his futile attempt and grabbed him by the neck.

"Good, you, tell me a way to jail cells, and I will spare your life."

"Of course." He suddenly spotted a green goo on my face. It made me dizzy and cut most of my vision. "NOT! You killed Wilbur, you bastard. I will make you pay for it."

"Frozen Skin, Flame Spear!" I randomly threw the spear somewhere close to myself.

Some more rats died, but no sound from that bastard.

"*Gasp* You killed Marry! She had twenty little kids, you monster!"

"I must focus." I took a deep sigh. The smell of sewer shocked me and made me refocus. "Ugh, but good enough."

"You rat killer!" Rat-master shouted right before attacking me with his dagger.

Thankfully, my armor was sturdy enough to deflect his blows, but he gave me an idea.

"Of course, dead rats!" I raised my prosthetic arm. "Raise." hundreds of green glows appeared all around the sewer corridor, and in an instant, a swarm of zombie rats appeared.

"Attack!"

Undead don't need my senses, so while I cleaned that goo from my face, I sent my rats after my enemy.

"My dears, you are alive, but how?" He was surprised. "Don't come at me, come to him, look, he is blinded!?"

He was trying to dodge the zombie rats. "Auch! Little Billy? Why did you bite me? Is that because that one time I stole your cheese? Hey, stop!"

He was overwhelmed by the trick he used against me. I almost laughed at the irony.

After recovering, I quickly charged forward and finished him with a single swing of my sword.

Blade cleanly cleaved his head away from his body.

And rats that obeyed him began devouring his corpse the moment he hit the ground.

"Controlling rats, such a unique ability. Too bad I had to kill its user."

After dealing with the threat, I walked more around the sewers until I found the entrance to the dungeons, but I stopped quickly.

"Didn't you learn that prisoner's name yet?"

"No sir, General Leonard ordered everyone to stay away from his cell, and that demon isn't allowing anyone to move close to the cell."

"Hmm, give me that food tray. I will give our prisoner his food tonight."

 I waited for the other guy to leave, followed the guard with a food tray, and stopped at the top of a spiral stairway.

Two people were talking. So, I eavesdropped to gather information.

One who was carrying the food tray. "Come on, why are you even hiding that guy? We will see his face at tomorrow's tournament anyway?"

"Rules are rules. General Leonhard gave me orders, and I am implying them. Now, go before I turn you into a paste and feed you to that weirdo."

"Fine, here, his food there."

 I hid in the corner, and the moment that soldier took his last step to the top of the spiral stairway, I quickly hit his head with my sword's pommel and knocked him out.

 I don't need any bloodshed for now.

I climbed down the stairs with the knocked-out soldier, but at the final couple of stairs.

"I know you are there. You don't need to hide."

"What a surprise, but how did you know I was there." I dropped the soldier and entered the corridor.

A massive guy with an executioner's ax was sitting at the end. He got up and opened the cell next to him. "Here, take him. Lady said you were coming sometime soon."

I entered Arthurs's cell. He was just a shell of his former self. All of that spark and courage were all gone.

Scars from long sessions of torture destroyed his body, and malnutrition made it worse.

"Arthur, I am here, friend. Are you there." I began shaking him. "Come one, wake up."

"Erwin?" Arthur slowly opened his eyes. I saw terror inside his eye pupils. "No! Escape, now!"

"Well, here goes the surprise. I wanted to kill you while you were desperately trying to escape with a piece of hope inside your heart. General told me you lost to a simple cleric. You have no chance against me."

"So, tell me your name." I raised my ax. "So I can add you to my list."

"Ortho The Cleaver, remember it or don't. You will die anyway."

Ortho raised his ax and swung towards me, but it was too slow.

I easily evaded the attack, but a follow-up came right after it.

But rather than evading, I blocked this one.

He was strong, just not enough.

I pushed the man back, and he gave me a gaze of terror.

"So, are you scared?"

"Impossible!"

Ortho started swinging his ax even faster. I can feel his fury flowing through his arms and then to his attacks, but it alone will not be enough to beat me. 

After evading one more attack, I grabbed his ax and pulled it away from his hands.

"My turn." I raised my ax. The ominous red aura covered my body and increased my strength.

With one swing, I split that man into two, but I wonder, am I getting too powerful, or is it the enemies staying relatively weak?

"Arthur, can you walk."

He was still weak, but he nodded with his head.

"Good, now follow me."

I grabbed Ortho's corpse and dragged it with me. I was going to escape from the sewers, but.

"Shit, that rat freak is killed, sound the alarm!"

They found us. I should have hidden that body. "Follow me." We walked to the ward.

"My friend." Arthur coughed. "I am surprised by your strength, but let's not do anything too risky.

"Give that moment to me." I threw Ortho's corpse to the ward and entered after it with my ax between my shoulders.

"Now, everyone inside here, we can do this in a good way, which none of you ended up dying, or in a hard way."

"What a pain in the ass this late at night. I am the captain of this fortress. Answer me, intruder. Who you are to be so eager to die?"

"Someone who will go on his way if you open the door."

Captain laughed. "Look at how arrogant you are, let's see." He walked out of sight for a second. "How about no! Soldiers kill those two!"

Arthur began poking me.

"Don't worry." I created a Flame Spear and threw it into the air.

"Alright, we are ready. Who wants to die first?" I said while looking towards a column of footman.

"Move and kill him, you idiots! They are only two people." Their captain shouted from a safe location.

"Are you mad!" Arthur shouted from my back.

No soldier took a move forward.

"Don't worry, none of these guys here wants to throw their lives for nothing."

Their captain shouted. "Archers! Kill that fucker. All fire allowed. Now!"

"Arthur, are you hearing that." A pair of wings flapping from the far.

"Anything other than sweet song of death? No, I cannot."

I smiled. "Make sure to remind you that I will hire a doctor for your ears. Now get behind me."

"Frozen Skin." I used it on both myself and Arthur.

"Fire!" And archers quickly shot their arrows toward us.

I used Ortho's corpse as a shield to block some of the arrows, and the rest got deflected by my armor.

"Here comes our ride. Be ready, my friend!"

And from the darkness, Fionnlagh appeared. He instantly dived towards the fortress and cleared an entire wall of archers with his frozen breath before landing next to us.

When Fionnlagh landed, I helped Arthur to climb on his back. 

Archers kept firing arrows after us but left the area unscathed. Now, it is time to go back home and recover.