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Even so, I had no choice but to roll across the ground if I wanted to evade the relentless assault of the eleven demonic monkeys.

Puk!

Profanities filled my mind when their claws sank into the soft soil where I had been just a moment ago.

I imbued aura into my blade, but rather than becoming wary of my aura, the demonic monkeys became even more frenzied as they leapt around excitedly.

Their behavior was akin to moths attracted to a flame—except I wasn’t a flame, but a lump of flesh they could easily tear apart with their claws.

Holding my breath, I drew a solid silver trajectory aimed at the monkey that had its claws dug into the ground.

There wasn’t much strength behind the sword since I barely managed to get into a sloppy stance after throwing myself to the ground, but with aura, it was more than enough to pierce through one beast.

However, something swung downwards and intercepted my sword before it could reach the beast.

Sparks shot through the air as my blade clashed against the claws of another monkey that leapt down from the tree. My attack was foiled as my center of gravity was shaken.

My center of gravity was already shaken from the poor posture, causing the sword’s trajectory to be easily broken by the monkey that was looking at me with an uncanny grin.

‘Cheeky bastard.’

I snorted and reached towards my waist with my other hand.

The monkey that had latched onto my sword with its claws now wore a stupefied look. It was its final expression.

With a crunch, my hatchet claimed its life. The monkey’s skull caved in, and it lifelessly collapsed onto the ground like a broken doll.

Now, only ten remained.

There was no time to rest. My ears picked up the footsteps of more approaching beasts. This time, three of them were attacking from different directions at different paces, making it difficult to deal with them.

I might have been able to kill all three of them had they attacked at the same time, but their spacing and timing made it impossible for me to handle them all at once. There was also a chance they would grab onto my sword if I haphazardly made a move.

Just like the first demonic monkey I killed.

I instinctively came to a decision and withdrew my sword, opting to hurl the hatchet instead.

The hatchet collided with one of the rapidly approaching beasts and became deeply embedded into its head, causing blood to spray out like a beautiful crimson fountain show under a moonlit night.

But I didn’t have the time to sit and appreciate the show. Another beast was charging along the imaginary trajectory drawn before me.

The trajectory extended in a straight line, indicating that I needed to thrust my sword.

My muscles were still stiff from throwing the hatchet, but even so, I grit my teeth and forced them to move.

Sharp claws rapidly closed in and narrowly missed my side. Taking advantage of that opening, I quickly grabbed hold of its arm. Then, as if I had performed the move countless times, my body moved on instinct as all my muscles and nerves worked together in perfect coordination.

Secret technique—Moon Reversal.

I firmly dug my grip into its arm and flipped it over my shoulders with all my might. The other monkey charging me from behind let out a bewildered screech, but it was too late.

Blood splattered in all directions. The monkey’s body that I flipped over was torn apart by the other monkey’s claws. Naturally, I didn’t forget to help it so it wouldn’t die a lonely death.

Boom!

A shockwave shook the ground. The Holy Nation’s secret technique utilized my physical strength which was enhanced by mana, resulting in a resounding boom.

“Kieeeeeeeeek-!”

The monkey that was charging from behind while slashing his claws became crushed under the mangled corpse as its pained bellows echoed through the forest.

Though it was technically still alive, it was unable to endure such a devastating impact and was going to soon accompany its friend in its death.

In just a short moment, the monkeys’ count was reduced by 3.

Now only seven remained.

Suddenly, the outreached arm of another demonic monkey entered my sight.

In response, a beam of light promptly shot out from my scabbard.

All it took was a single blow. No matter how long the monkey’s arms were, there was no way it could compete with the length of my sword.

Another corpse fell to the ground.

Only six were left.

It was a lot more manageable compared to how many there were in the beginning. I took in a deep breath and glared back at the monkeys that were silently glaring at me.

“……What are you looking at? Am I handsome in your monkey eyes too?”

In an instant, the monkeys brimmed with hostility as they began growling menacingly.

My feelings were slightly hurt. I knew I was their enemy, but did they have to react so negatively? I had never been called ugly in my entire life.

Enraged, I kicked off the ground. A couple of monkeys rushed towards me as well, and the ensuing dance of blood painted the tranquil forest.

Corpses piled up with every step as their claws clashed against my sword in a dance of death.

Then, the last one finally fell.

The sword I had thrown found its mark and pierced through the head of the crouching monkey.

With a squelch, blood splattered into the air, and the beast’s body collapsed onto the ground.

Naturally, my body wasn’t in good condition after fighting my way through all those demonic beasts either. There were deep cuts on my arms and back.

Though I could still move my arm, the blood loss from the wound on my back seemed to be more severe than I had anticipated.

Dizziness crept in. My vision wobbled as my back muscles struggled to support my body.

While gasping for breath, I bent down and yanked my hatchet out from the monkey’s forehead, causing another spray of blood. The corpse convulsed. It was the last proof of its vitality up until a moment ago.

It was the hatchet I threw back when three of the monkeys attacked me in tandem. Since I had thrown my sword away to kill the last monkey, the hatchet was the only weapon I had left.

“Kiekiekiekiek.”

An annoying laughter tickled my ear from the distance.

I turned towards the source and found Senior Delphine crouched down while trembling like a fragile leaf in the wind.

“S-stop! I-I-I was wrong… I won’t ever try to resist again… Hatchet Lord, no, S-sir Ian….”

Except, Senior Delphine wasn’t alone.

One of the demonic monkeys was smirking with its claws against her nape, indicating that it would kill her if I made even the slightest movement.

I thought they were only focused on me, but it seemed there was at least one with high intelligence among them.

Silence ensued for a while.

There was quite a distance between us, and while I could kill the beast by throwing the hatchet, it already had its claws on her nape.

It was obvious that if I moved, the beast would immediately take her life.

The monkey and I silently stared at each other for an extended period of time.

Then, as a sigh leaked out from between my lips, I threw my hatchet up into the sky as if I had no other choice but to throw my weapon away.

The hatchet spiraled upwards, and I was left empty-handed.

I raised my hands in surrender, and the monkey made high-pitched screeches in joy of its apparent victory.

Its glowing blue eyes dripped with desire. It looked to be contemplating how to effectively use the hostage in its hands to ultimately capture and cook me into a meal.

The monkey was too preoccupied with its own excitement to notice that my hatchet was following an unnatural trajectory through the sky towards its head.

Pak!

The hatchet dug into its head and its eyes widened in disbelief.

That was the end.

The monkey’s lifeless body collapsed, its blood spraying into the air and its brain matter littering the ground.

“……Thirteen, done.”

It was only then that tension left my body and my voice regained its calm. However, such wasn’t the case for Senior Delphine who was drowning in the stench of blood while entirely splattered in blood.

“P-please… Hik… S-stop…”

Tears were flowing down her face. I momentarily looked at Senior Delphine bleakly before speaking softly.

“……Senior, it’s over.”

“I-I’m sorry… f-for going against you without knowing my place, I-I’m so s-sorry…..”

“Delphine Yurdina!”

Thinking nothing would change if I let her be, I shouted her name to snap her out of it. Fortunately, it was enough to bring her back. Even so, she still looked scared witless as she looked around her.

“……I told you it’s over.”

The place was littered with the corpses of demonic monkeys. She started getting up while trembling with a frightened face.

“Hieeek!”

she fearfully stumbled backwards with quivering legs as soon as her gaze fell upon the dead monkey next to her. The corpse’s dilated pupils were wide open and blankly staring at her with a viscous mixture of blood, yellowish brain fluid and matter oozing out from the top of its head.

Her eyes remained fixed on the hatchet.

I then realized that the hatchet was the trigger to her switch. My head started to throb, and blood was still dripping down my back and arms. I pressed my temples to ease the throbbing.

I had to hurry back. The trip wasn’t fruitless. The behavior of the demonic monkeys during the battle was abnormal compared to the usual behavior of demonic beasts.

It was something to confide in with a knowledgeable person like Leto. Someone with substantial experience would also be able to provide valuable insight.

On top of that, disposing of the corpses and splitting the reward with the orphanage to assist with their operational expenses would also make the children happy.

Frankly speaking, there really wasn’t a need for me to give anything to the orphanage, but I had grown attached and wanted to help in any way I could since the children there struggled to have proper meals daily.

Not to mention, as a noble, I at least didn’t have to worry about making a living to put food on the table. Moreover, I trusted Mr. Gilford to not use the money for his personal gain.

Nobles had to know how to share. That was the duty of the privileged, and I simply wanted to do was to put that into practice.

Anyways, I was the one who slew all thirteen beasts, and no one would complain about how I used the reward I earned myself

While contemplating what to do, I noticed that Senior Delphine had managed to stand back up. She was silently looking at me, but when I glanced towards her to meet her gaze, she bit her lips and immediately averted her eyes.

She seemed to be feeling ashamed, but I had no intention of comforting her. Instead, I decided to be straightforward.

“…….What do you want to do?”

Upon hearing my voice, her body trembled and her fear-ridden eyes shook vigorously as they looked up at me.

After a while, she timidly drooped her head.

“…….I’ll go back.”

“Good choice.”

I went and retrieved my weapons while Senior Delphine simply stood there, gnawing on her lips.

Her trembling shoulders betrayed her anxious heart.

I looked at her pitifully, but then suddenly remembered the resolution I made. I placed my hand on Senior Delphine’s shoulder and flashed her the friendliest smile I could make.

“…….Now then. How should I punish you before we head back”

Her crimson eyes looked back up at me in a daze.

Thud.

The sword that was in her hand fell to the ground.

Color drained from her face as the fear in her eyes intensified.

It was time for her punishment.