Instructor? What’s wrong? (9)
‘Selena set up a safety device. It’ll be fine.’
As soon as Zeke felt Selena connect their mana, he kicked the White Eye in the stomach. [T/N: White Eye refers to the leader of dark mages. ]
*Thwack!*
“Ugh!”
“Bishop!”
“Are you alright?!”
This was Zeke’s first counterattack.
Perhaps it was a critical hit, because the White Eye coughed up blood and trembled as he collapsed.
“You don’t have much left. You have to savor it.”
Zeke’s jaw dropped open, and saliva pooled in his mouth.
His senses were gradually getting sharper.
The remnants of yesterday’s Release, which had been complaining about the previous day’s large and disgusting meal, now felt his eyes sparkle with anticipation.
‘Right, right. I’ll feed you. It’ll suit your taste buds, since it’s what you used to eat.’
Zeke unleashed his mana and kicked the White Eye away.
Perhaps they sensed that something had changed, but the cultists began to back away.
They were still surrounding him, but the way they flinched back whenever he moved was almost comical.
“Scared?”
Zeke let out a low chuckle.
The White Eye, clutching his stomach, bit his lip.
His attitude was a far cry from when he had been charging at Zeke like a mad dog.
“Yeah, well. I understand. Mmm. Yeah. Understand… whew. Now, I have to show you what hell is really like… What should I do…”
Zeke scratched his chin and thought for a moment, then snapped his fingers.
“Right! It’d be fun to make you bastards curse the Demon King, wouldn’t it? Hmm, so if I do the same thing I did to that piece-of-shit Bongo…?”
“Don’t you dare insult the Demon King!”
“Heretic!”
As expected, the cultists’ reactions were perfect when he insulted the Demon King.
“Step forward. Just one. The first one to call the Demon King a son of a bitch. I’ll let one of you live.”
Zeke thrust his sword forward.
“A-Attack him!! He couldn’t do anything just now!! Hurry up and kill that blasphemous bastard!”
The White Eye pointed at Zeke and screamed.
Then, a large man beside him glared fiercely and charged.
“You heretic! Don’t you dare insult him!”
A dagger flew towards Zeke’s face.
However, Zeke calmly watched the tip of the blade, then suddenly ducked.
He quickly moved his hand and struck the man’s Achilles tendon.
*Shing!*
*Thud!*
“Aaaaagh!!”
Blood spurted from the man’s ankle and stained the floor.
He clutched at his ankle, his screams echoing through the cave.
“Aw, we haven’t even started yet and you’re already being dramatic.”
Zeke flicked his pinky finger at his ear.
* * *
“D-Duke. What in the world…”
Duke Pruna could not believe what he was seeing.
As if to prove that the White Tiger Knights’ blades had been completely useless, Zeke’s sword ripped through his enemies’ bodies with each swing.
Their limbs were sent flying as if they were made of straw.
“Am I dreaming…?”
“Y-Yes. I see it too… T-That’s Zeke Clayman…”
The savior of his youngest daughter’s life.
Zeke Clayman.
When he appeared in the cave with Selena, the Duke had despaired.
He looked so young, and his face was full of youthful rebellion.
It might have been different if he was holding a proper weapon, but all he had was a broken sword.
‘Did Selena ask her swordsmanship instructor to bring him here by force?’
He must have heard about their predicament and come here at Selena’s request.
However, it was impossible for a young swordsman to face a Dark Mage alone, let alone over fifty of them.
The Duke prayed.
He prayed that Zeke would quickly assess the situation, take Selena, and run away.
However, Zeke Clayman chose to fight, not flee.
When the battle first began, a glimmer of hope had sparked in the Duke’s chest.
He had nodded, thinking that Zeke certainly had the skills to back up his confidence.
Unlike the White Tiger Knights, who had been completely overwhelmed in a matter of minutes, Zeke was at least blocking their attacks and holding his own.
At that age, someone with those skills was a genius, or perhaps even a monster.
However…
As they say, there’s strength in numbers. Gradually, the young man began to be pushed back.
The Duke’s hope was quickly extinguished.
He wasn’t counterattacking at all, only desperately defending and dodging. The result was clear as day.
The Duke was about to tell them to run away with Selena.
But then.
He saw something completely out of place from behind Zeke.
Selena was sitting on the cave floor, eyes closed as if in meditation.
Then, she reached out her hand. The Duke felt as if Selena was giving him a warm embrace.
‘This is… Selena…’
At that moment, Zeke Clayman’s fighting style changed completely.
It was as if the previous fight had been nothing but a warm-up. He moved like an expert swordsman, or perhaps a butcher.
He swung his broken sword, seemingly determined to make his enemies suffer.
*Gulp.*
The Duke heard the knight commander swallow nervously beside him.
“H-He’s out of his mind.”
Pure madness gleamed in Zeke’s eyes.
The sight alone was enough to make the Duke tremble in fear, but he gritted his teeth and forced himself to watch.
“…He came here to save us. Don’t talk about him like that.”
“B-But… next to Lady Selena… That madman…”
“Does he look like he’s smiling to you?”
The smile that stretched up to Zeke’s ears… He looked like a torturer, reveling in the pain he was inflicting.
“Look closely. His eyes aren’t smiling. He’s not crazy. This is all intentional.”
It didn’t take long for Zeke Clayman to overpower them all.
Within minutes, over fifty cultists lay writhing on the ground, their limbs severed.
“Hehehe―hoo―♬”
Zeke grabbed the leader by the hair and lifted him up.
“Now, now, look over here~ Are there any brave souls who still have the guts to call the Demon King a son of a bitch?”
“Kill… me…”
The leader, his face contorted in pain, muttered through gritted teeth.
“Ah, White Eye. I’m going to kill you even if you do curse the Demon King, so don’t worry. It’s not like you can tell me anything with that seal on you anyway.”
“…”
“Yeah, just keep your mouth shut. But you’ll have to be my teaching material instead.”
Zeke turned his gaze to the fallen cultists. Then, he spoke in a cheerful voice.
“Well then―. Students, you can all see clearly, right? I didn’t gouge out your eyes. And I didn’t rip out your tongues, so you can still talk.”
Zeke shoved the White Eye in front of them.
“Now, let’s pretend this guy is the Demon King. Ah, but he doesn’t have any horns, does he? Anything that looks like horns?”
Zeke frowned and looked the man up and down, then stopped at his lower body.
“Hmm, it’s too dirty to use as a backscratcher, but I wonder if it can still function as a horn…”
Zeke cut off the man’s pants with his sword.
*Rip.*
The fabric fell to the floor.
“Eek!? Why is it so small!? The Demon King’s was quite big…?”
For some reason, Selena’s face, which had been closed in concentration, turned bright red.
“Ah, never mind. That was that other crazy bastard, wasn’t it? The Demon King was super tiny too. Ah, I guess that’s why his followers are all so small too?”
“K-Kill me!!!! Kill me!!!!!!”
Unable to bear the humiliation of having his manhood put on display after Zeke’s insults to the Demon King, the leader finally snapped.
“Nah, I can’t kill you that easily. Anyway, let’s just pretend this is a horn, okay?”
*Slice!*
*Thud.*
“Gyaaaaaaaa!!!”
Blood gushed from between the man’s legs.
The sight of their Bishop mutilated, his limbs and genitals severed, made the cultists shut their eyes tight.
*Thump.*
Zeke picked up the man’s genitals with the tip of his sword.
The small organ drooped limply.
“Tsk, I was going to use it as a horn, but it’s so small and squishy? Ugh, this won’t do. Hmm! You! The guy who attacked me before! Lend me your arm bone!”
“D-Duke… T-That thing… It’s not actually crazy…”
“…Y-Yes! It’s not crazy! It’s all intentional!”
“I-It just… shoved a bone up that man’s…”
“Shut up! Can’t you see the sadness in its eyes?!”
He couldn’t take back what he had already said.
Besides, the Duke was afraid that if he provoked Zeke any further, that madness would be directed at them next.
“T-That’s… That’s resentment!”
“Resentment… Is it?”
“…He acts so cheerful, but his eyes never once smile. This isn’t just some one-sided grudge. Did you hear what he said? He called him the Demon King… Those are the eyes of someone who lost someone precious to the Demon King. He… He must have watched them suffer a horrible death…”
The Duke rambled on, trying to convince himself as much as the knight commander.
“…The Demon King… That’s impossible.”
“Can’t you believe your own eyes?! The Dark Mages are operating right under the capital’s nose! And can you even imagine how long he must have honed his skills, fueled by that resentment?!”
“W-Well, you’re not wrong. Our swords were completely useless against those bastards, and for someone his age to have those skills… He must have…”
Just then, they heard a delicate voice beside them.
“How could… Instructor… That’s so sad… You don’t even remember… Resentment…”
“Selena!!”
“Father!”
The Duke’s youngest daughter was standing beside him.
“…To add to what Father said… This is the first time I’ve ever seen Instructor like this…”
“I-Is that so?”
“Yes, he usually has no expression at all. And he’s very quiet. I’ve never seen him get angry, no matter how much I provoke him.”
“Is that true?”
“Yes. I’ve spent a long time with him, so I know. You’d hear the same thing if you asked anyone else at the mansion. Like Father said… This is all intentional… and planned…”
Selena nodded at the Duke’s question.
“Y-You’re right. It seems like the best way to deal with madmen is to act even crazier… He’s skilled in psychological warfare as well…”
“Father… I’m glad… you’re alright.”
Selena threw her arms around the Duke.
Embraced by his daughter, the Duke’s fear at Zeke’s display finally subsided.
If it weren’t for the sounds in the background…
“Demon King, you son of a bitch!!!”
“Louder!”
“Demon King, you son of a bitch!!!!”
“Louder!!”
“Demon King, you son of a bitch!!!!!!!!”
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He teach them a lesson
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