Chapter 20: the black demon

"..."

""...""

Markus locked eyes with Aidan for a bit, unsure of what to do.

But he eventually got his bearings and dragged his exhausted body up to greet Aidan in the most courteous way he's been taught.

""A pleasure to meet you milord...""

Bowing with one leg on it's knee and his right hand on his heart Markus greeted Aidan with as much grace as he can muster in his current state.

The simple act of bowing and greeting someone of higher status right now is taking everything Markus's got as he can literally feel every bone and muscle in his body beginning to give out to the numbness.

In response to this, Aidan just looked at Markus blankly for a few seconds, when he's like this it's no wonder why people say that Markus is Aidan's son.

((...well this is awkward))

Markus thought, his mind still hazy from the fight earlier.

After a while, Aidan took on a gentle smile and said warmly:

"You really do look like your mother..."

That statement made Markus cringe inwardly.

((What a cliche thing to say...also, like I've been saying, she doesn't even exist!))

Walking pass the bowing figure of Markus, Aidan left one final word for him.

"Welcome home...my child"

Aidan walked with long strides to the gate, where he was greeted by Zen.

They talked about something but Markus couldn't hear it clearly as his brain has finally given up on receiving new information.

His hearing was stopped by an irritating ringing sound, his head hurts like it's being split in half, he feels disoriented and nauseous and his vision was blurry.

((Oh sh*t I'm losing consciousne...))

Markus collapsed on the ground.

"Hey! You oka..."

Syph who saw this, tried to shake Markus but it was no use.

"(Sighs), I might have gone a bit too far..."

Realizing her mistake, Syph sighed.

Markus was in bed for the rest of that morning until noon came, he was treated with mana potions and good food as well as a good rest.

In the evening, Markus continued with his magic training in the library and had a few spars with Gail and the annoying vice captain Mutara as well as the rest of the guards, since he had recovered from his battle with Syph this morning he was mostly relaxed while doing these things, honestly fighting these smalls fries were much more fun than fighting Syph so Markus slowly recovered his strength while not slacking off in his endeavors to raise his stats.

And then, night came...

As always a figure enveloped in a hooded long cloak which was darker than the night sky as if someone ripped off a piece of darkness itself and made it into a piece of clothing can be seen sneaking away from the Silver's mansion.

It moved through the nearly empty, nearly quiet streets of the capital, completely dodging detection from anything and everything, even the sewer rats that came out to scavenge for a midnight snacks in dirty alleyways didn't notice the shadow when it walked straight by them.

""The capital sure is peaceful even at this time of night huh?""

Markus commented, surprised that he hasn't encountered any helpless old woman being mugged or a man being ganged up on yet, after all this world is set in a medieval-like era where the weak were trampled like dirt and the strong ruled with an iron fist.

Perhaps this was a testament to the care the ruling family had for their citizens.

""Public order is surprisingly good, with all the knights and mages walking around...criminals would have to think twice before conducting their businesses, come to think of it the crime rate of the capital is actually unimaginably low according to what I've read""

Even in the commoner's districts of the capital, crime was greatly reduced due to the watchful eyes of the knights tasked with the protection of civilians and the enactment of the law.

""But, I shouldn't get side tracked here...after all where I'm going is the hotbed of the underworld in the capital""

Markus said, shifting his focus back on his goal.

((Although the Randrind empire is considered one of the "good" governments when it comes to their treatment of their people, there's no such things as a "perfect" society...crime and debauchery always finds a way...))

Markus was not one qualified to discuss philosophy in any way but as someone who has been taught and experienced both the good and bad side of society during both of his lives, he knew this fact better than anyone.

((No matter how hard one tries to rid the world of evil, proclaiming justice while saving the weak...there will never exist a world without unjustified suffering, for sometimes what you consider "evil" could be considered "good" by others and other times what you do for the sake of others is not necessarily good for them...these are only a few examples of the effects of the thing we call "evil" and worst of all, "evil" never dies, for good and evil are like light and darkness, one cannot exist without the other and if one is removed from the equilibrium the other one will also cease to be...they can also be compared to two sides of the same coin, if two sides are the same, the coin loses it's meaning))

Markus's expression was even more empty than usual, something that even he didn't think was possible.

((As mortals, no matter what race, sex, age, occupation and level of power we are we will never truly be able to do things that will bring eternal fulfilment to everyone least of all ourselves, all we have is the right to endlessly struggle for every scrap of meaning we can get...freedom only comes for those who are willing to waiver, suffer and desperately flail for it on a constant basis, most people live life on the path the world set for them. Too afraid to explore any other, free will is a gift you'll never know how to use until you fight for it))

This situation could be related to Markus's own position in his war with destiny on a very fundamental level so Markus used it to reaffirm his own convictions and increased his speed.

((After all isn't that what makes the world beautiful? They say the world is unfair and cruel because there's no one definite meaning to all their struggles, I however, strongly disagree with this notion, in my opinion the world is completely fair BECAUSE it has no inherent meaning and as such we each have the ability to draw our own meaning into the world making it an exciting and constantly fluctuating value, like a blank canvas constantly being drawn on by a different artist everyday...))

Markus wanted to laugh at himself for having such abstract thoughts about things that probably doesn't even make sense to most people, but at the same time he couldn't help but have these thoughts, he IS an introvert after all.

((But hey, that's just my thoughts on this matter, the thoughts of a cheating liar trying to justify the morally disgusting things he does for the sake of his own survival...if people hear me say this, they'll probably take it with more than just a grain of salt))

Markus once again was consumed by his self mockery.

""Enough trivial thought, I've arrived...""

Landing on a roof of a shop in front of a particular abandoned warehouse, Markus said.

This ware house was one of the many outposts belonging to Executor, Markus's mortal enemy and elimination target for tonight.

The warehouse was located near the wall that separated the commoner's area of the capital and the slums, making it the perfect place to gather for an underworld organisation like Executor.

Before going out on this trip Markus had already formulated a plan to eliminate everyone present in these outposts as fast as possible.

Studying Ian's journal, Markus has studied how these outposts are supposed to work, the various positions of the occupants here so that he can find out which person needs to be prioritised for elimination and more.

((Even though it has been 3 years since Ian died, the structural outline of these outposts should be the same due to how strict the public security in the capital is, and also since Executor is in the middle of a civil war right now, they wouldn't dare to move one of their only few established bases in the capital recklessly))

Markus put on a mask that he brought from Friendrich's lab, a metal mask that he has used many times during his time working for Executor.

The masked covered only the area of his face and didn't need any strap to hold it on his face, it's design is like that of a gargoyle, vicious monsters that hunt alone and can strike fear into even the most hard hearted of adventurers.

((There's twelve hours until dawn, let's see how many bodies I can pile up before then...))

Markus unsheathed a particular sword that he had and began to get ready for tonight's attack on Executor.

This night, will be the night that will go down in the capital's history, for in the darkness of night, screams of agony began to ring out from multiple places as fires broke out and burned down multiple warehouses across the slums of the capital.

4 hours later...

A man was running for his damn life through the hallways of a warehouse, locking every door behind him as he runs pass them.

Arriving at a room he closed the reinforced doors behind him and locked it with chain locks and blocking it by pushing a nearby cabinet in front of it.

Finally finding a moment to catch his breath the man felt temporary relief.

"What the actual fvck was that!? Suddenly for some reason I received multiple reports from delirious idiots about an "an unknown attacker" and then for some reason my subordinates started to disappear one by one in a short time?"

The man wanted to scream out his frustrations at his current dilemma.

"What the h*ll's going on!?"

That question was the most prominent one in the man's head right now.

""Before asking that, you should really check whether the room you're in is really secured or not""

A voice colder than ice called out completely freezing the man's heart, leaving him paralysed.

Reluctantly, the man turned around-

What he saw behind will probably haunt him for the rest of his life, that is if he is to survive after today.

There was a demon, no words could describe it other than a demon! Clad in the very darkness of night and holding a curved single edged blade that was drenched in fresh blood dripping down from it in it's left hand standing behind him.

(A katana?!)

The man instinctively thought, recognizing the unique design of the sword the demon was holding.

It's face was that of a feared gargoyle and under it's black hood was hair as white as chalk.

The killing intent exuded by the demon was unimaginably oppressive so much so that it made the man desperately wanted to kneel down and begged for mercy if he wasn't completely frozen in fear already.

The demon was holding something in it's right hand, a sack of some kind with blood also dripping from it.

""Here, a gift for you""

Markus threw the bag before the man revealing the contents of what's inside.

There were 4 heads, 3 man and 1 woman all freshly decapitated from the neck, the cut was clean and precise too.

Their blood spilled out on the floor.

"Geh!!!!"

The man grunted, holding his mouth unable to process the sight of things before him, the heads were from his fellow members of Executor charged with the supervision of the other 4 outposts the organization had in the capital city Millelith.

That sight told the man everything he needed to know, whoever this demon is, he knows about Executor and is actively trying to undermine it, in simple terms this demon is declaring that he's a threat to Executor through attacking their only footholds in the capital.

Markus allowed him to regain his bearings and he said.

"So what!? You've killed the head of our other outposts in the capital? This stops nothing! We will rebuild from scratch if we have to!"

Even though he was scared sh*tress the man still boldly declared to the demon in front of him in a fearless manner.

Perhaps it was a last word from a man who knows that he is about to die or perhaps it was a person's final desperate grasp at straws but the man screamed at the top of his lungs:

"The darkness of Executor is rooted deeper than your foolish mind can comprehend! You can never oppose us! No matter how powerful you are, you will simply perish under our weight"

""...""

Markus had no immediate response.

""if that's so then I'll just have to burrow even deeper into the great abyss...""

Markus fired his own declaration at the man.

"You little sh*t! You think this is a ga..."

The man reached for his weapon in a final bid for survival but before he could his body was cleaved in half by one swift motion from the boy's left arm.

(So fast....)

That was the man's last thought before he slipped into the great beyond.

""Farewell, your death will serve as an adequate message to Executor, as well as all who seek to stand in my way in the future""

Markus said turning his bag on the man while putting his katana back into it's sheath.

""Welp, there's only one last thing thing to do...""

Holding up his left hand into the sky it wasn't long before a red magic formation appeared in Markus's palm, like it always has before.

(([Ardent inferno]))

A pillar of red hot fire like that of a volcano erupting fired out, causing a massive explosion to completely obliterate the last outpost that Executor had in the capital, engulfing it in a sea of flames.

((Have my spells become stronger since I last remembered?))

Markus thought, confused at the increased potency of his magic.

((Oh I get it, I must have leveled up from that battle with Sypha-san this morning...))

But it wasn't long before Markus found the answer.

Even though it was unfair, Markus did technically win that fight, so the experience he gain was enormous as expected of beating an opponent so much higher in level than he was.

He jumped 5 levels straight to LV 6 thanks to that fight, causing him to become exponentially more powerful than he was this morning which is one of the reason why this Executor extermination trip took much less time than Markus had originally planned.

((Well, let's worry about that later after I've escape from this burning, collapsing building))

Markus started making a run for the exit.

((I've killed a lot of people again today...))

As soon as he got out Markus was once again tormented by his own morals.

((...))

Unsure of how to resolve this heavy feeling in his heart Markus sighed.

((You know what!? Screw it all!...I don't really know if what I'm doing is right or not but at this stage, I don't really care anymore...if I have to carry the stigma of being a "murderer" and a "liar" in order to live then so be it))

Markus was in a melancholic mood as he escaped the premises of the warehouse.

((Even if it's unsightly, even if it's wrong even if people end up hating me as a monster for the rest of my life I don't care, god helps the people that gets caught in the crossfire..my life and free will is my own! And it will be all that I fight for...I'm tired of having those things taken away from me!))

Both Markus and Kazuki had reached an important decision, from now on they will fight for themselves and only for themselves, after all, they're completely and utterly alone this world right? What do they have to lose?

Markus was tired, Kazuki was tired, in both of their lives they have been abused by the world they lived in, Markus had it worse but Kazuki didn't have a happy life either, his father was a useless alcoholic drunk and his mother was a gambling addict that bet off all their money, Kazuki basically had to raise both him and his sister by himself...there's nothing that can be gain by being nice, those who give the most are those who receive the least, so why was he still trying to be nice anyway?

If Markus insist on holding on to his morals here, not only will it get in the way of his goals, it will only be nothing but his own useless self righteousness.

((What right does this world have to judge my actions anyway!?))

From that day on Markus finally bid farewell to his weak heart.

((It doesn't matter who I have to use, it doesn't matter who I have to wrong, it doesn't matter what I have to do...as long as I win in the end, that's all that matters))

Next morning...

Knight's POV:

"That's the last of them sir"

A soldier said to the knight after transporting a burned corpse out of the destroyed warehouse.

"Who could've done this?"

The knight asked holding his chin.

"Witness report had the same description of the supposed culprit and it matched perfectly...but one person cannot possibly attack 5 different places in such a short time"

The knight was tasked by his superior to investigate last night's incident on the attacks on the warehouses in the slums, after reports from multiple civilians came in about fires being set at 5 specific places near the border of the slums and the commoner's district.

"Maybe it was a monster?"

The soldier gave a possible answer to the knight.

"What kinda monster would want to specifically attack warehouses? Besides the reports described a masked humanoid individual"

The knight shot off his soldier's stupid proposal.

"..."

The soldier was completely shut up for a minute.

"By the way sir, what do we call this supposed "culprit"?"

The soldier asked.

"..."

The knight was silent at his subordinate's question for a while, seemingly contemplating something before he finally answered.

"The witnesses called it "the black demon""

And so that name made headlines across the news of the capital that day.