Will I End Up As a Hero or a Demon King (WN)

Chapter 205

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Chapter 205 – Execution

Although the speed was fast, the mood remained relaxed.

Looking down on the world from above, I could go wherever I wanted without anyone blaming me.

I realized how peaceful it was to travel without a specific destination and regretted not doing it more often when I was on Earth.

Compared to when I was determined not to let go of the controller, it’s hard to believe how my thinking has changed.

I head northwest toward Lagreath, passing through several small towns.

However, I didn’t find anything of value, so I gazed at what appeared to be a border checkpoint and headed south to take in the neighboring country’s scenery.

Below me were small mountains and mountain passes.

The northwestern part of the country seemed to be a gentle, mountainous area.

Because it was quite a distance from the capital, the influence of Divine Punishment was relatively weak in this area.

And then…

“Ah!”

A large group of men surrounded the carriage.

Even from a distance, I could see that they were holding long, shiny weapons.

The winding mountain path might have made them less noticeable, but from above, they were clearly visible.

“This is the second time. But there are more of them this time…”

Upon seeing the scene, I began to descend as if drawn by a magnet.

▽ ▼ ▽ ▼ ▽

“Please! We have no choice but to surrender. Leave the cargo behind!”

“W-what are you talking about? Why did I hire you in the first place?”

“There are too many of them. Two of our men have already fallen. They’re targeting the four of us!”

It was a mountain pass through the mountains.

This area had long been notorious for frequent bandit attacks due to its poor visibility.

Nevertheless, this was a major highway. If cargo were to be transported from the neighboring kingdom of Juroi, an ally to the west, to the southern part of Lagreath, it would take more than 10 days without passing through this road.

Therefore, merchants traveling on this road took the precaution of hiring guards.

That was the rule, and it was also our livelihood as hunters.

However, being caught by Enhas, a merchant, was nothing but bad luck.

I had worked as a convoy escort for several years, yet I had never seen this man in town before.

Enhas approached my partner and me directly at the entrance to the hunters’ guild.

“Will you escort my horse-drawn carriage?”

Normally, this kind of job would go through the guild.

Sometimes, though, you deal directly with someone you know well without going through the guild.

I was aware of the risks involved.

However, the amount of money offered was undeniably tempting.

The going rate for escort jobs is pretty standard, depending on the route.

Yet, this job offered 1.5 times that amount—enough to cover an extra day’s wages.

It was a route we were familiar with.

My partner was eager to take it, too.

So, even though excuses came to mind at the last minute, we ended up letting our guard down.

The next day, when we gathered at the meeting place, there were only three of us: my partner, me, and two E-rank hunters who often escorted convoys on the safer eastern route.

The original plan had been for five or six D-rank hunters, but that didn’t end up happening.

Still, the horse-drawn carriage was loaded with a large amount of cargo, and all the other preparations had been made.

…In the end, we couldn’t refuse.

“It’s been fine so far, right?” Enhas asked me. Since I had never actually encountered bandits before, I thought, “Yeah, you’re right.”

Despite knowing there were victims and their numbers were growing, I thought everything would be fine.

And this is the result.

Enhas didn’t listen to our advice and refused to link up with the other carriages.

That’s what people normally do.

To ensure their safety, carriages traveling in the same direction stick together in dangerous areas.

This makes them look like a single caravan.

However, it takes time to make it look bigger. Apparently, coordinating departure times in advance among merchants without prior connections is not easy.

I think Enhas didn’t have those connections.

As a result, we were attacked on the first day.

On a winding mountain road, we were caught in a pincer attack. My partner was thrown off the cliff after being caught off guard.

I was the only D-rank hunter.

Yet, we were surrounded by more than 30 armed spearmen.

Some of them trembled as they held their weapons, while others looked seasoned and glared at us with contempt.

Soon, our numbers were reduced by one more.

One of the E-rank hunters panicked and went on a rampage.

With spears pointed at him, he must have lost his mind.

He jumped off the cliff behind him.

He probably thought he could survive the fall, but the cliff was steep.

If he knew the terrain, then he must have jumped to end his own life.

It was hopeless.

“Hahahaha! Hand over everything you’ve got, and we’ll let you live!”

The bandits said they would spare our lives if we left behind all our equipment, money, clothes, and everything else we had.

We had no choice but to cling to their words.

“Damn it… Enhas! We’re at our limit! We surrender!”

But this man… Enhas!

“You fools, absolutely not! It’s your job to risk your lives to protect this cargo! This cargo is as important to me as my own life!”

Shouting like this would make rescue impossible.

It makes it seem like the most important things are themselves and their cargo and that the looters’ gain at someone else’s expense would mean temporary safety for them.

Even if they were linked together in a life-or-death situation, no one would come to their rescue.

This was especially true for the hunters who were hired as guards.

There’s nothing I can do. I’ll have to surrender without the client’s permission. If Enhas survives and reports this to the guild, I’ll be expelled from the Hunters. But there’s no other option.

I kneel down, put down my weapon, and raise my hands.

“I surrender. We’ll give you everything, so please spare us…”

“Ah?”

“Huh?”

It was a strange sight.

Right in front of me, a boy fell from the sky.

It happened so suddenly that I couldn’t describe it any other way.

“You’re still safe.”

But why could he talk? Why can he stand? Why is he alive?

I looked up at the sky to see where he had fallen from, but all I could see were thick clouds.

No one could comprehend what was happening. Everyone was too busy looking up at the sky to respond to the boy’s words.

Seemingly unconcerned with the situation, the boy looked around and spoke to me and Enhas.

“Answer me briefly. Were you about to be killed?”

“Ah, yes…”

“W-w-what happened? It was dangerous! My friends were killed! Please help me!”

The guy who was crying and muttering that he shouldn’t have accepted this request just a moment ago suddenly came back to life and started screaming.

I’m the one who lost a friend. Your partner committed suicide.

And Enhas…

“I’ll pay you! If you save us from this predicament, I’ll pay you, so please help us!”

Despite the dire situation, I couldn’t help but laugh at that answer.

“If you’re going to pay, you should have said so from the start.”

The boy replied… with a scowl.

“I’ll ask again. Were you about to be killed? Or not? Which is it?”

“That’s right! We were about to be killed! Can’t you see the weapons these men are pointing at us?”

The boy didn’t respond.

Instead, he kept his eyes on the bandits behind him, who were still holding their spears.

“You… Seriously, where did you come from?”

“Ah, I’m going to rescue these people now.”

“Hey, are you listening? Answer――”

“In ten seconds, if you’re still pointing that spear at me, I’ll consider you an enemy. All enemies will be eliminated, so if you don’t want that to happen, drop your weapons and surrender.”

In a calm voice, the boy interrupted the words of the man who seemed to be the leader of the bandits.

After a moment of silence, laughter erupted.

Not everyone laughed, though.

One or two people started laughing first, and then the laughter spread as if they were being drawn in.

It was understandable.

Not only was he short, but he wasn’t wearing any armor either.

His high-pitched voice, which hadn’t broken yet, was hardly frightening, and it was unclear where he had come from.

One of the bandits threw his spear at the boy while laughing.

The boy caught the spear but did nothing, just staring at it.

Ten seconds passed, and still no one lowered their weapons.

“Okay, ten seconds. You are all enemies now.”

Still, the laughter didn’t stop.

But—

“Thank you for your hard work.”

As those words were spoken, the spears were thrown, and everyone froze.

▽ ▼ ▽ ▼ ▽

They’re all idiots, really.

With that thought in mind, I threw the spear that had been thrown half-jokingly at me at the man with all my might. It flew through the air and crashed into the dirt wall behind him.

‘You have acquired Mining Lv1.’

‘You have acquired Fishing Lv1.’

‘You have acquired Unbreakable Strength Lv3.’

‘You have acquired Superhuman Strength Lv3.’

‘You have acquired Special Move Lv2.’

‘You have acquired Farsight Lv3.’

‘Range Increase has been unlocked.’

The man dies with a look of surprise on his face, a spear piercing his chest.

His companions turn around and stare at the scene in silence.

Really, they’re all idiots.

I cut off their defenseless necks one by one.

‘You have acquired Voice Amplification Lv1.’

‘You have acquired Logging Lv1.’

‘You have acquired Logging Lv2.’

‘You have acquired Farming Lv3.’

‘You have acquired Construction Lv2.’

‘You have acquired Housework Lv1.’

‘You have acquired Memorization Lv2.’

‘You have acquired Different Language Comprehension Lv5.’

Just like the goblins in Palmera!

‘You have acquired Dismantling Lv3.’

‘You have acquired Cooking Lv2.’

‘You have acquired Steel Heart Lv3.’

‘You have acquired Farming Lv4.’

‘You have acquired Mining Lv2.’

‘You have acquired Painting Lv1.’

‘You have acquired Foraging Lv3.’

“Wait! W-wait!”

‘You have acquired Hunting Lv4.’

‘You have acquired Superhuman Strength Lv4.’

‘You have acquired Swiftness Lv2.’

‘You have acquired Wind Resistance Lv1.’

‘You have acquired Sewing Lv1.’

‘You have acquired Fishing Lv2.’

‘You have acquired Cooking Lv3.’

All of this was done without emotion or hesitation, just calmly.

‘You have acquired Logging Lv3.’

‘You have acquired Animal Husbandry Lv2.’

‘You have acquired Good Luck Lv2.’

‘You have acquired Magic Attack Resistance Lv1.’

‘You have acquired Keen Hearing Lv2.’

‘You have acquired Farming Lv5.’

‘You have acquired Voice Amplification Lv2.’

“I surrender! I’ll throw down my weapons…”

‘You have acquired Farsight Lv4.’

‘You have acquired Special Move Lv3.’

‘You have acquired Logging Lv4.’

‘You have acquired Mining Lv3.’

‘You have acquired Construction Lv3.’

‘You have acquired Processing Lv2.’

‘You have acquired Investigation Lv3.’

“H-help… Stop!”

‘You have acquired Hunting Lv5.’

‘You have acquired Fine Arts Lv1.’

‘You have acquired Charm Resistance Lv1.’

‘You have acquired Farming Lv6.’

‘You have acquired Unbreakable Strength Lv4.’

‘You have acquired Swiftness Lv3.’

‘You have acquired Physical Attack Resistance Lv4.’

‘You have acquired Special Move Lv4.’

‘You have acquired Dismantling Lv4.’

‘You have acquired Different Language Comprehension Lv6.’

‘You have acquired Memorization Lv3.’

‘You have acquired Farsight Lv5.’

‘You have acquired Night Vision Lv5.’

‘You have acquired Wind Resistance Lv2.’

▽ ▼ ▽ ▼ ▽

He probably threw it.

Judging by the result, that’s likely what happened.

There was a spear stuck in the slope in the background, along with a man.

That man had thrown the spear in jest a moment ago.

From there…

“Uwaaaaaaaaa!!!”

—―A brutal, one-sided massacre too horrific to watch.

The loud screams, cries, and pleas for mercy that had filled the air moments ago vanished in an instant.

Before I knew it, only one person remained.

From his stance and appearance, it seemed that only the bandit leader had been spared.

If my eyes weren’t deceiving me, it seemed as if the boss had been kneeling on the ground the entire time, having lost all will to fight.

Strangely, the conversation with the boy continued despite the situation.

“What is your name?”

“O-O-Osram…”

“Osram, I see. Then there is only one thing I want from you: Speak only the truth: Slave Magic, Forced Contract.”

“Agh! Ugh!”

“Then I will ask you a question. Do you have a hideout?”

“Yes.”

“Is it nearby?”

“Yes.”

“Is there a ‘book’ there?”

“No.”

“Then is there anything rare that could fetch a high price?”

“We have some equipment that we took from hunters, but that’s about it.”

“I see. Then that’s all. Thank you for your time.”

“Ah…”

I didn’t know what I was being shown.

With that question, the man—the boss—was as good as dead.

Who was the fool who said he wasn’t afraid?

Enhas and the E-rank guy next to me clapped their hands in delight, but I couldn’t stop my body from shaking.

My breathing was rough, and I couldn’t move—even if I wanted to.

“It’s okay now. Are you hurt?”

“N-no, I’m fine. Thank you.”

“Y-you saved me…”

“Well done, boy! These guys are useless. If you don’t mind, please continue to escort the――”

“Then I’ll be going.”

Before Enhas could finish, the boy’s body began to float in front of him. Instinctively, I pushed my voice out of my stomach to stop him.

“W-wait a minute! You… It’s hard to believe, but you can fly, right? Then I beg you… My friend was thrown off this cliff. Another hunter fell from here, too. Could you please check to see if they’re alive or dead?

I know it’s a bold request, but he’s been my partner for eight years.

It’s probably hopeless, but if he’s alive, I want to do whatever I can to save him.

If necessary, I’ll sell everything I own to pay this boy to rescue him.

The boy leaned over the cliff and looked down.

“It’s quite a height, isn’t it? All right, I’ll take a look.”

With that, he jumped down with surprising ease.

I leaned forward, watching him descend while avoiding rocks and trees. It seemed certain he could fly.

After waiting for a while,

The boy flew through the air, climbing up from the bottom of the cliff, and answered:

“Unfortunately… both of them are already deceased.”

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