Chapter 8. Gambler’s Den (7) Part-2

"Oof… That must hurt."

"Brother Holy Knight! Do something! Mhm! I want to live!"

"Then struggle, why don't you? Instead of grabbing onto me!" Tom responded to Halsem's plea by pushing him away and raising his sword, a rusty piece of metal given to him by the mercenaries. "…A sword like this would normally break before even cutting through that thick hide, yes?"

Tom glanced at Ellin, who cowed at the sight of the slaves killed by the ogre's monstrous strength. There were ogre guardsmen everywhere in the Demon Kingdom, but they were mild in nature, unlike their vicious appearances, which she found cute after looking at them for a long while. How popular they were, so well-liked that they were the best mascots after slimes. Only, the ogre in front of Ellin was running amok in a rage; the madness she was witnessing, the likes of which she had yet to experience, made her lose her courage.

Ellin was startled at the look Tom gave her, forcing strength into her voice.

"Pitiful though it may be… I'm the only one that can take it down. Mister Holy Knight! You just watch carefully. I'll show you right now what an amazing demon I…"

At that moment, a figure could be seen flying to her side at such a tremendous speed that it was practically instantaneous. By the time she turned around in surprise, what entered her vision was the sight of Tom flying in midair and rotating in a circle. He gazed at the broken blade of his worn-out sword before shifting his eyes to the hilt. It was not possible to cut through the ogre's thick hide since the strength of the blade would not hold up. However, the handle was quite clean.

He coldly looked down at the ogre as he rotated and struck the ogre's forehead with the pommel of his sword. A loud thonk rang throughout the arena, and at the same time, the ogre's head became embedded in the ground, its legs rising into the air. The view left Ellin, Halsem, the surviving slaves, and even Kelvin, who was watching along with the gamblers in the spectator seats, gaping at Tom in astonishment.

The ogre's massive body completely flipped over after staying in the air for a bit and fell flat to the ground again, causing the entire arena to vibrate as if an earthquake was coming; the ogre's eyes were rolled into the back of its head, with its tongue was hanging out of its mouth. It appeared to be unconscious and completely incapable of further battle.

Ellin dazedly murmured to herself, looking at Tom.

"Ama…zing."

An instant later, cheers burst from the surrounding. Regardless of whether the gamblers lost or won money, they went wild with excitement at how the ogre was defeated in one strike.

Ellin was no less excited than they were. She prided herself on being rather capable, yet even she, with her reflexes and senses unique to demons, could not properly see his movements.

"What the hell?! That mister might actually be a big shot…!"

"…Wow, wow, wow! Brother Holy Knight! You're amazing! Incredible! Are all Holy Knights like that?!"

Halsem yelled in wonder, even forgetting his situation of having become a slave, but Tom ignored his reaction, turned his wrist, and checked if his limbs were moving fine.

'Is my body in the condition I had back in my hero days?'

His current form, which was not the manifestation of Artarrk, was in the best possible state. If he had to guess, his power should be near that of when he had slain the old Demon Lord.

'…The movements this youthful body can make sure are good.'

It had been a long time since he had worked out like this, mainly because he had remained in the holy palace of Lania for 30 years, so he found it slightly unfamiliar.

"… Ki-kill him."

The mercenaries in the VIP seats looked at Kelvin, who was biting his fingers with toothless gums. So much blood was dripping from his mouth that it could not be determined if it was from his gums or finger as he glared murderously at Tom with bloodshot eyes.

"Kill him! Kill him, I say! Right this instant!"

"B-but normally, freedom is granted upon facing a demon and surviving… More than anything, nobles are in the audience as well. Here…"

"Or will you die instead?"

The mercenaries shook their heads at Kelvin's cold gaze.

"N-no! How-however, the man even took down an ogr—"

"Then use the soldiers in the fief! Why don't you use those good-for-nothings?!"

"U-understood! O-oi! Get your gear!"

The mercenaries rushed about while Kelvin kept glaring at Tom, as if his gaze could kill him. Although there was a deep dent in the head of the ogre, it was still barely alive and breathing, apparently thanks to its thick hide.

"…It's still alive."

Ellin gently brushed the ogre's skin.

"It'll probably wake up in 10 to 20 minutes."

"You mean, you went easy?"

Tom smiled leisurely instead of giving a reply.

"Everybody, stay still!"

Ellin and Tom turned their gaze toward the gate. Mercenaries had entered the arena, armed with swords, axes, maces, and shields, standing with nervous looks on their faces. Aside from them, well-equipped regular soldiers had also made an appearance in the spectator seats and inside the arena.

The soldiers wearing light armor over their military uniforms raised their long spears as they surrounded Tom, Ellin, and the other slaves, while the archer units up at the spectator seats nocked their bows in unison. At that moment, Kelvin walked out from among them. Apparently having faith in the soldiers, he was standing there with shaking legs, holding the magic gun he had bought from the merchant.

"Amazing. Amazing indeed! You do seem worthy of being acquainted with the previous Hero, is that it?"

Ellin looked with surprise towards Tom at that comment.

'Previous hero?' Ellin tilted her head. 'Come to think of it, just how many Heroes are there?!'

There were hundreds of Heroes who had set out to subjugate the Demon Lord alone. There was no way Ellin could know about each and every one of them.

"It's no use, no matter how much you try to take revenge for what happened back then! I'm going to live! Live, no matter what! I'll never die until I touch all the gold there is in the world! So you're the one who's going to di—"

Kelvin's eyes grew as large as saucers—Tom's face was right before him.

"…Heeek?!"

"…W-when?!"

Kelvin stared in turn at the circle of mercenaries and at Tom, while the latter kept his eyes on him. He could not see his face, but only the glints of his eyes. Under his stare, all sounds faded into the background, and the surroundings grew dark for him. Those golden glints, fixed on his eyes, spoke to him.

[Run.]

Kelvin could hardly breathe.

[Run, run, and run!]

Kelvin stepped backward.

[Try and escape from the fate of death, struggling to fulfill the wish you spoke of! Run like it's a game of hide and seek, flounder in despair as you fall in your depravity.]

He tripped over his own feet.

[Await your judgment as you fall, and fall.]

The eyes in the darkness gazed down at the unsightly figure of Kelvin, as if observing an insect.

[When I catch you in your flight, I shall let you relish your very last moments in a swamp of what you so desire!]

"A-aaaah!"

Kelvin raised the magic gun in his hand, but the golden eyes only grew wider as they gazed at the weapon with curiosity. As the eyes took in the unfamiliar-looking item, the trigger of the gun was pulled, and the sound of gunfire rang out.

The world of darkness vanished within an instant, and the sight of soldiers standing overcome with shock could finally be seen. Even as Kelvin rasped for breath with the relief of returning to his original world, he looked about him with a confused face at the atmosphere that had turned strangely quiet. Then he looked at none other than the individual who had collapsed in front of him.

"…W-what the?"

Kelvin gazed at the magic gun in his hand; smoke was coming out from the muzzle. The magic bullet he had shot out of reflex had accurately penetrated Tom's forehead by coincidence.

"…H-he's dead? Dead?! Haha! I, I killed him!"

— Ω —