Chapter V: Remorseless Crow

Death is something that many have fear of and that no one will ever want to experience. 

Except for people who had lost all their hope and lived their lives in misery, wanting to let go.

Lee Hyun, after experiencing death more than one time, has completely become as empty as a jar, hopeless and tired, and now that the curse has passed down, he has completely lost it. The despair has completely devoured him.

A little boy who looks like an 8-year-old child with an aureole appearance blankly stares at his reflection in the mirror. They weren't inside the building but hiding in the dense foot of the mountain.

He just stared at himself while a young- man showered him with lots of compliments.

"Milord, no one can ever compare to your beauty!"

Erwin spoke with light glittering in his eyes.

'Again…I'm back'

Khalid thought with a blank expression on his face and dull yet pitiful eyes in despair that he had completely become different after being possessed by a demonic beast named Mummie, who is known as the symbol of death. 

His glaucous eyes which were like the sky from above have now gone; it's just his right eye that has changed, but it doesn't look like a human anymore. Khalid's iris has turned into the color of fiery vermillion, which shines brighter than any luxurious jewel, and his sclera was tainted in darkness, which made him look different enough to be recognized as a human being.

"You are prettier than ever humans have existed, Milord."

Erwin blushed awkwardly, but then it made Khalid's eyes widen. 

After Erwin puts on the elegant-looking ribbon that the noble usually wears, it makes him feel sympathetic. It is the same brand and designed clothes he was looking at in the boutique the other day when he stared at his reflection, which probably caused their misunderstanding.

Khalid looked down without facing Erwin, but then his attention was caught by something. It was a smokey big pile of meat and some veggies and herbs that looked salivating. 

The food was arranged and made by a well-built big guy with a curve in his biceps through his forearms that was visible through his thin clothing.

"Milord, the clothes look great on you."

Even Reinhardt complimented him with a smile as if nothing has happened—they even prepared a feast of food that was too much for the three of them to eat.

That's what Khalid had thought, but then, as he was about to eat, the two just stood beside him. 

They looked thinner and more exhausted than before.

"Let's all eat together."

He insisted. 

The two look at each other and smile as they sit on both sides.

Both of them started to eat awkwardly and uncomfortably, chewing the food that covered the place in silence.

They both glance at him as Khalid puts down his utensils and starts to speak.

"You...t-thank you.."

 Khalid bashfully said that the two were left stunned to speak. 

Their faces brightened and felt warm inside. It's just a word, but the two couldn't stop expressing their joy as Erwin started to wail like a child while Reinhardt was left shocked and accidentally dropped the meaty bone he was holding.

The big feast of food that Khalid thought would not be able to be finished by them is completely gone without even crumbs left behind.

 Just then, he remembered that the two of them hadn't eaten for a week until he woke up, which made him feel like he was steeped in guilt.

"Milord, we can take a rest in here for a while."

Reinhardt suggested as he handed Khalid a waterskin made from animal hide.

The three of them have rested under the wisteria tree as Reinhardt insists, leaving Erwin to carelessly doze off because of the warm light of the sun it gives in the afternoon.

It was a harmonic day where only the singing of the birds was heard and the loud snore of Erwin, who was peacefully asleep, but just as Khalid simply watched the surroundings, he could feel the footsteps and eyes of people observing not so far from them. Khalid has thought deeply as if his intuition is playing at him, as the aura is getting weaker and closer at the same time. 

He was sitting on the top branches of the tree when his eyes widened. 

Khalid hurriedly jumped down at the branch where he was just sitting earlier and ran through the grove of trees immediately.

He was so determined to catch who might be that person who was following them, and he knew that the person who was doing it only wanted to lure him, so he might use the opportunity when Reinhardt tried to chase the map that was flown by the wind. 

He runs and jumps through the high and thick branches of the trees before he decides to stop, as he can already feel the heavy aura walking near him.

"Hahaha… a clever one, I see!"

The man who was holding a big, spiky ball with a chain has shown up behind the tree.

Khalid turned back to face the man; instead of fearing the guy's body, which was double the size of big Reinhardt, his looks were rather calm.

'Just like I thought...' 

He stayed in his position where he was standing and was relieved that his intuition was right.

"A monster, hiding its face!" 

He paused.

"Interesting."

The guy added.

"If you take off that mask now, I will gladly reduce the pain of your death!"

The man starts to swing his weapon, which causes the tree to be cut in half.

"So noisy!"

He frowned.

"Ha, a stubborn one, I see. If you don't take it off, then I'll just take it off myself!" 

His voice got louder and started swinging where Khalid was standing, and with the hard force that his weapon created, Khalid had a hard time avoiding the spike in his weapon as it stretched as soon as it pointed at him and caused the mask to break into pieces while leaving a wound on his face.

"AH, my mask..."

Being a threat to the empire, Khalid has been careful to hide his face due to the two suggestions for him to hide his identity until they find a safe place to reside, but then the mask is broken and he can no longer hide the curses on his right eye.

After seeing Khalid's face, the hunter's expression was painted in shock, as if it were the first time he had seen someone as beautiful as him.

"A... girl?"

He even stuttered and completely lost his cool.

Khalid gently wipes off the blood on the wound on his face, but then it just heals rather quickly and leaves the hunter standing steady as his curses that cover his right eye shine in the sun, a vermillion color like a setting sun that was covered in the darkness of the night. 

He clenched his hands and took the bayonet on its back as he charged to attack. And just like that, without a noise, Khalid successfully slashed off the hunter's head with great speed, as if it were the work of the wind.

Blood splashed on his face, and the hood he was wearing was now covered in blood. Without a change of poker expression, Khalid finds himself in a weird situation.

He feels his stomach tightening as he continues to vomit, while his mouth can't seem to stop salivating like a beast that just found its prey.

"What? - 

*blargh! * 

-what's h-happening?!"

Khalid looks at his hands; his vision has begun to blur.

The body of the guy he had killed earlier suddenly gave off a pleasing smell to him; it was lying on the grassy field, bathing in its blood, no longer attached to his head. 

Khalid has wiped off his saliva a thousand, thousand times, but he can't seem to control the hunger he feels as soon as he sees its corpse.

"Ngry…I'm hungry…" 

Just like a crow, Khalid has acted like a scavenger, as if he had been famished for ages.

He can't ignore the irresistible hunger he was feeling, as if it were scratching his stomach and reaping its inside...

Just then, without a single thought, Khalid walked towards the corpse, stumbling as he kneeled and devoured the guy's body. As soon as he touches the flesh, it turns into ashes, and it enters his mouth, making his eye glow like a luminous light in the dark.

'No, no-s-stop.' 

He tries to stop himself, but it is already too late. The monster's desire inside his body has completely controlled him.

'What the f*ck am I doing?! This taste feels so weird that it makes me feel full."

Khalid continuously devoured the guy's body as he stopped questioning himself; no food can be so delicious as what he was feasting on.

The corpse that was lying on the ground and the blood that stained the grass had gone after he devoured them. He wipes off his chin and is about to stand when he finds Reinhardt standing towards him with a weird expression painted on his face that made his eyes widen as he was holding on to its big ax.

"Re-Reinhardt?!"

He stuttered.

Reinhardt walked closer towards Khalid. He lifted his hands, holding a white handkerchief, and wiped off the blood and saliva on his face.

"Allow me to wipe the blood on your face, milord."

After he rubbed off the blood on its face, he gently covered Khalid in its hoodie.

The place was eaten in silence while Reinhardt tried to clean him with his handkerchief, not until Khalid began to open up his mouth and started to speak.

"Rry, I'm sorry."

Khalid apologetically stated that Reinhardt just nodded, whether he was listening or not.

"I broke the mask..."

He looked down.

His innocent face sympathetically won Reinhardt, who stopped as soon as he saw Khalid make a childlike expression as if he had done something wrong.

'How can our Lord be so cute?!"

Reinhardt hugged him tight as if his ribs were about to crash. 

"F-forget it!" 

He taps Reinhardt on the shoulder as he feels suffocating in his embrace, but then Erwin joins them as soon as he arrives on the scene, dramatically wiping off his fake tears.

The three of them successfully escaped the vadon of Ammyr's empire. With a smile left on their faces, Khalid changed his clothes and wore the elegant-looking eye patch that Reinhardt had given him.

On the way, Reinhardt stops and gives a signal to Erwin as they feel the heavy, intimidating aura surrounding the place where they are standing. 

"I think the imperial dogs have found us." 

Erwin spoke. 

The two of them immediately gripped their weapons as they positioned themselves.

A passel of knights showed up in front of their direction and cornered the three. Some were riding a horse while holding nicely sharpened weapons and bows with a symbolic crease of the hawk of the imperial family. They were wearing chain mail and plate armor made in thousand metal rings with a long padded hauberk to protect themselves and paired it with aketon to help cushion the weight of the armor, expecting that this kind of clothing would save their lives from the half-demon Khalid as they looked at him as if he were just a mere insect.

The two knights who were with Khalid had changed their expressions as the guy who was wearing a much more decent uniform spoke.

"Khalid De'l Urchtdorf, as a traitor and a threat to the empire, you are declared to be executed today by the emperor's order, along with the former commander Reinhardt Levista and knight Erwin, for betraying the emperor's loyalty!"

With such dignity, he affirmed verbatim as he pointed the sword at Khalid, even if they were a meter away.

"Everyone in your position!"

The imperial knights positioned themselves and made the two grit in anger, while Khalid stayed dauntless as he watched their move. That was a denouement of the scene, he has cause.

'Impressive…' 

That was the only thing he could think of while watching them position themselves as they left a cumbersome situation.

"Everyone! Kill the demon!" 

He exclaimed.

One by one, the imperial knights attacked them and started to swing and stab the swords at the three while arrows rained at them, which they even avoided rather quickly as they used some of the imperial knight's corpses as shields to protect themselves.

 With amazing reflexes, Khalid avoided the attack and jumped in front of the guy as he squatted on his arms and stabbed the bayonet on his neck while two slashed and swung their heavy and long weapons like maniacs. 

Every time Khalid landed on the enemy's shoulder, it was his small body that took advantage to move freely like a mosquito that swiftly moves around while he cut off the imperial knight's body into halves, along with his two loyal knights, who have turned into different people whenever it comes to their lord's safety.

"Kill? Don't you dare say it carelessly if you can't do it!"

With a serious tone in his voice, the other trembled and started to back out after losing half of the flock.

The commander was left speechless, but then Khalid charged at him. As he cut the commander's arms, he whispered.

"If he wants me dead, then kill me with his hands." 

Khalid gave them a death glare as he continued to speak after passing through to their commander.

"You guys are just a bunch of bark and no bite. If you want to kill me, then go on. I will let you reap what you sow."

Khalid raised his palm in their direction with a soulless expression. He said it in a monotone voice, leaving the commander grinding on his teeth and frowning his brows as he sizzled in anger.

"D.I.E."

The soft-calm birr of the air turns into a forceful, massive billow of dust that strikes hard in their direction and creates an unyielding hurricane; whenever it strikes upon the trees, it starts to root away and turn into fragments. Khalid turns his back on them while the wind sways his hood.

The imperial knights started to decay; their bodies turned into bones before they turned into piles of dust as Khalid enjoyed his feast with their decaying ashes.

"Let's head on."

The two nodded and smiled. 

As they leave the scene, imperial knights scream in agony while some survive Khalid's compelling attack, including the commander, who has Khalid slash his hands after using the holy barrier to protect themselves, leaving the others to die.

"Milord, let's go find the right place." 

Erwin spoke in joy as they continued to embark on their journey.

"I would gladly do so." 

Khalid smiled. 

'How funny nothing even changes about me; the only thing that changes is that I have these two by my side.' 

He thought as he took out the doubt, he was feeling on the two.

*Hisssssssss~*

Within a distance, a snake can be seen as it watches the perilous situation, spying on the three walking away from the scene as it sneakily follows them from behind.

"Hisss~Found it...my prey." 

Just then, it took the form of a moth and followed along.

"Milord?" 

Out of curiosity, Erwin wondered as he saw Khalid form a smirk on his lips.