A hazy consciousness.

Thoughts floated in emptiness.

In such a state, a voice rang out.

The drifting mind, lost without direction, began to find its way.

Before long, awareness returned.

Eyes that were thought to never open again blinked open.

“Finally awake, Bajar.”

With that voice came the sight of a knight with black hair clad in armor.

The emblem engraved on his chest.

From that, it was clear—he seemed to be a knight of the Empire.

“Where am I…?”

His head felt like it was about to explode. The slightest movement made nausea surge.

Desperately suppressing the headache, Bajar attempted to rise from what felt like a bed.

But there was no strength in his body whatsoever.

A superhuman who had reached the level of Swordmaster.

The omnipotence that usually radiated from that physique was nowhere to be felt.

The power that could split mountains with a single swing of a sword was gone; he couldn’t even lift his arm without struggle.

“You need to stay calm! Your wounds aren’t fully patched yet!”

As Bajar tried to move again, the black-haired knight shouted urgently.

At that, memories surged back.

The events rushed through his mind.

He had gone to investigate that Ruby girl, only to be ambushed by a white-haired man wielding unknown forces and bizarre companions…and ultimately, ended up…

Dying.

He was sure he had died.

Yet, here he was, breathing.

His body was in a complete state of disarray, but at least his limbs were still functioning.

A narrow escape.

Somehow, Bajar had survived that perilous situation.

“…Report. What on earth happened?”

“I found you collapsed in a ruined building and immediately rushed to the Holy Church. They began treatment as soon as I explained the situation.”

The black-haired knight sprang into action at Bajar’s command.

But questions lingered.

The situation was far too odd.

That attack.

Even if the divine power within that Holy Sword was immense, it didn’t seem reasonable that the hero had spent all his energy.

His companions were still in fighting shape.

‘But they left me there, just like that?’

Had they been in a rush to flee the mansion?

It was natural for people to be drawn to such a fierce battle, given what had unfolded.

It was rather plausible that they had hurriedly exited to avoid being discovered by the Empire without confirming his life or death, and that thought was the first to come to his mind.

But that felt a little strange.

‘I set up a barrier, after all.’

That Ruby girl was not just any commoner; she was nobility.

She belonged to a higher class, and her family’s influence wasn’t negligible either.

Witnessing someone from that status being oppressed publicly wouldn’t have any benefits for anyone.

Thus, Bajar had laid a barrier around the mansion.

A quality of enchantment that wouldn’t allow a single whisper to escape.

Even casting a charm spell so that normal folks couldn’t come near the mansion.

Did they really not notice that barrier?

Did some fortuitous event happen to keep him alive?

While some things defied explanation…

Bajar quickly swept those thoughts aside.

Denying the fortune that had come his way would be foolish, and more importantly, there were more pressing matters at hand.

With gritted teeth, he mustered his strength to rise, fighting against the horrible pain he felt.

Upon seeing this, the black-haired knight shouted in panic.

“You shouldn’t move! Your wounds…!”

“Enough! I have something to do, so just get lost.”

Bajar glared at him but, strangely enough, the man was persistent.

“If you push it now, your life will really be at risk. If there’s something you absolutely must do, leave it to me instead.”

A remarkably presumptuous piece of advice from the black-haired knight.

Normally, he’d deserve immediate punishment for such insolence.

But Bajar endured it, as he was technically his life-saver.

“It’s something you can’t do for me.”

“If it’s something I can’t do….”

“Revenge.”

Having cowardly used tricks to gauge his sword skills and called in allies against the rules of a sacred one-on-one duel.

He had no intention of letting that guy go.

‘Of course, facing him straight up is going to be tough.’

Then he’d just need to mobilize other troops.

He had already figured out their identities.

That immense power.

Those incomprehensible abilities.

The name of the mysterious organization filled with those odd individuals was easily recognizable, even for a child.

The Black Fangs.

Those slippery bastards.

‘Such a cunning move.’

That white-haired man.

He was definitely the leader of the Black Fangs; yet the Empire continued to chase down pesky low-lives like him.

He had to have manipulated the Empire in the same way he grasped Bajar’s swordsmanship.

‘But that’s going to end now.’

Bajar had seen it firsthand.

That guy’s face and the mana signature.

There was no way he could hide his identity anymore.

Until now, he had dodged them; but soon they would have to face the full might of the Empire.

Even if he had defeated one Swordmaster…

Can he win against two?

What about the Empire’s formidable forces?

The legendary Hero.

What about the corpse puppets that guy made from his allies?

Even if he managed to take them all down, would they really be able to save their necks in front of His Majesty?

Could they stand against someone who had already transcended humanity?

There’s no way.

That white-haired Hero’s power.

Overwhelming physical prowess with techniques inferior to that of an apprentice knight.

If left unchecked, that guy would someday become a true monster capable of shaking the Empire.

But that wouldn’t happen anymore.

The name of the Black Fangs would soon be wiped from history.

“Those bastards… they’ll regret sparing my life forever.”

As Bajar spoke those words, a maniacal grin spread across his face.

And… the black-haired knight also broke into a laugh.

That guy was being absurd for no apparent reason. No matter how benevolent he was, his attitude was far too trashy.

Bajar shot him a glare as if to say ‘knock it off.’

…Or so he intended.

But nothing came out.

Speaking would only make things weirder.

“Right, you definitely seem to be right, Bajar.”

The black-haired man laughed heartily, and then, his features began to shift.

Revealing white hair and blue eyes.

“I too, feel I’ll regret leaving you alive.”

The leader of the Black Fangs was standing right in front of him.

*

“I can’t believe you didn’t notice a disguise. Your magic circuits must be pretty messed up.”

I said with a smile.

So, is a Swordmaster really a Swordmaster?

Bajar had endured the blow packed with the entirety of divine power.

Though closer to a lump of flesh than a person, he was still clinging to life.

Consequently, resurrection was perfectly achievable.

It wasn’t just the Saint-Class stigma for show; I could even exclude a few organs like the magic circuits from treatment.

Bajar ground his teeth as he looked at me.

“You coward… how far are you going to take this humiliation!”

He bickered, accusing me of using tricks and cowardly attacking him with numbers.

However, such words wouldn’t cause any damage.

‘Cowardly? What are you talking about?’

We are the righteous Hero Party, after all.

I worked hard to gather these good kids.

It’s only natural we teamed up with heroes in order to defeat the formidable obstacles in our way.

There was nothing cowardly about it.

If an Imperial knight bullies people together it’s called a lynch; if we do it, it’s a raid.

Well, even if I had used underhanded methods, it didn’t matter.

“The outcome of the duel is already certain, right? No matter what you say, it’s just the ramblings of the loser.”

His mouth naturally fell shut at my words.

A phrase he had repeated time and time again in the previous work. He never thought he’d hear it himself.

“…Kill me.”

He ultimately spoke in a resigned tone. I had expected him to struggle a bit more.

But it seemed he had genuinely concluded there was no way to survive.

With a pained expression, he closed his eyes.

I strolled over to him and said, “I’d rather not.”

His face immediately shifted to one of panic.

He didn’t seem to grasp the situation fully, but…

If he thought about it for a second, it should be obvious.

If I really intended to just kill him, why would I have gone through the hassle of treating him?

I could have simply sliced off his head for a kill confirmation.

“Don’t get your hopes up. That doesn’t mean I’m letting you live.”

In truth, I hadn’t completely ruled that out.

He was such a big shot that losing him would draw attention. I’d considered capturing him to some degree.

But he had said it himself.

“If I leave you alive, I’ll surely regret it.”

He openly proclaimed, “I’m the type who would stab you in the back if you spared me!”

Such warning was something I couldn’t ignore.

So, I would definitely kill him.

I would kill him, but…

“Of course, it’s only natural to repay what you’ve been dealt.”

As I said that, I pulled out the syringe filled with blue liquid.

The same kind of drug he had injected into Ruby.

His face turned pale with fright.

Well, it wasn’t too surprising.

How many people can produce the Empire’s special recipe on the spot, after all?

“Wait, just a moment…!”

His face turned deathly pale.

He panicked and tried to run from me, but…

I steadily closed the distance.

“I may not be from the Dang clan, but I’ve read a lot of martial arts novels. I learned a lot about how to live wisely in the world there.”

I flashed a bright smile and injected the drug into his wrist.

“Kindness should be repaid twofold, while grudges need to be multiplied a hundredfold.”

The scream that echoed was like that of a six-year-old girl.

Soon, Bajar’s waist bent like a bow.