Chapter 7: Childhood(3)

“—Lia!”

My left hand shot out instinctively. Something sharp and stinging pierced the space between my wrist and palm.

My gaze snapped to it. Lodged in my left wrist was a thin, black needle.

I immediately drew my sword, scanning the surroundings, and carefully pulled the needle out.

Its tip was discolored white, suggesting it wasn’t just a normal needle.

“C-Cain! What was that just now…!?”

Lia grabbed my sleeve, her face pale with shock. Moving recklessly in this situation could be dangerous.

I raised my left hand, signaling her to stay quiet and still.

“Lia, shh. Be quiet for now…”

…Or I tried to. I would have, if my left arm didn’t feel unnaturally heavy.

Realizing something was off, I tried wiggling my left index finger.

“…”

It was sluggish. Very sluggish.

It felt like trying to move while under the effects of an anesthetic needle…

“Well, well, to think you can still move after being hit by that needle.”

At that moment, a man wearing a suspicious mask stepped out from the shade of a pear tree at the bottom of the hill.

His face was hidden below the eyes by the mask, but I could tell his complexion was unnaturally pale.

“Even most wild beasts, including the ferocious silver-maned ones, would be knocked out by a single dose of that needle. Impressive. Who are you?”

“…And who are you?”

Gently detaching Lia’s hand, I stepped forward.

The masked man, devoid of any trace of vitality, met my gaze with cold, emotionless eyes.

“Siblings… no, that doesn’t seem right. Are you Lia von Elevess’s lover? Or perhaps her butler?”

I had no desire to exchange words with this shady figure, but right now, my priority was recovering from the numbing effects of the needle on my left arm.

I’ve been trained to resist such debilitating tactics. In about five minutes, I should be back to normal.

So, until then, I’ll keep him talking to buy time.

“Not her lover or her butler. I’m her escort knight.”

“…Escort knight?”

The man muttered curiously, eyeing me up and down.

“A kid as young as you, Lia von Elevess’s escort knight?”

“That’s right. Got a problem with that?”

“Heh, no problem at all. But it seems the head of the Elevess family has fallen far. To assign a brat who can barely handle himself as an escort knight to his precious daughter.”

“You know the head of the Elevess family?”

“Oh, I know him well.”

For a fleeting moment, a sharp glint flashed in the man’s eyes.

“…The man who turned my life upside down and threw it into the gutter—how could I forget that hateful wretch?”

The deep resentment in his words set my mind racing.

This must be a backstory I didn’t know about—one that never appeared in the original story.

I don’t have much information yet, so it’s just a guess, but… this man likely holds a grudge against Lia’s father, the head of the Elevess family, for some reason.

And to settle that grudge, he’s probably trying to kidnap Lia to harm her.

With that thought, I spoke to probe him further.

“So, in short, this is about venting your anger? You don’t have the guts or strength to confront the head of the Elevess family directly, so you’re targeting his daughter to satisfy your twisted need for revenge. Am I right?”

“Heh, revenge. Sure, I once joined the cult with such petty motives.”

The man pulled down his mask.

…Every part of his face, except his eyes, was grotesquely disfigured, barely resembling anything human.

“C-Cain…!”

Terrified by the man’s face, Lia clung to me, her expression near tears, gripping my sleeve as if she’d never let go.

She wasn’t scared of a silver-maned, red-eyed wolf beast, but this creepy masked man with a grotesque face clearly frightened her.

“…But not anymore. My body and soul already belong to Him.”

“I don’t know who this ‘Him’ is, but… if revenge isn’t your goal, why are you attacking us?”

“Because the girl behind you, Lia von Elevess, is the one He has chosen…”

The man’s mouth—or what passed for one—twisted grotesquely.

I couldn’t be certain due to its unclear shape, but…

“…as a sacrificial offering.”

He seemed to be smiling.

“…Eek!”

Lia let out a gasp and hid behind my back.

Too scared to even hold my sleeve, she clung to the hem of my clothes, trembling. The man’s talk of making her a sacrificial offering had clearly shaken her.

To calm her, I reached back with my left hand and gently held the back of hers.

“Lia, relax. Nothing’s going to happen.”

“B-But, Cain, he just said he’d make me a sacrificial offering…”

“Look at me, Lia.”

She slowly raised her head.

Since I’d taken off my boots, her sky-blue eyes, slightly higher than usual, met mine.

“I’ve always told you, haven’t I? No matter what happens, I’ll protect you, so just stay by my side.”

“Y-Yeah, I know. I know, but…”

“Lia, trust me.”

It’s reckless to take my eyes off an enemy, but I still reached out with my left hand and patted her head.

…Truth be told, I was confident.

As long as I could move my left hand freely, I was sure I could defeat anyone.

“I’ll wrap this up quickly, and we’ll go home for dinner. …Got it?”

“…Okay. I trust you, Cain.”

Her trembling stopped as if by magic.

The man, watching our exchange, let out a mocking chuckle.

“You managed to resist the paralyzing needle, so you’ve got some skill. But you’re still just a kid. You think you can beat me?”

“Sorry, but even if ten of you showed up, you wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“…Heh, is that so?”

Snap.

The man snapped his fingers.

From the shadows of trees—not the one he stood under—nine more masked figures in similar attire emerged.

“Just as you said, kid. Ten assassins of my caliber. What now?”

“C-Cain…!”

“…”

They actually showed up.

I was dumbfounded, but this was still within acceptable limits.

The paralyzing needle only hit me because Lia distracted me, making me lower my guard. As long as I stay focused, I’ll be fine.

…Think about it.

Why would a mere ten-year-old kid like me be chosen as the escort knight for the daughter of a wealthy count family?

I hate to say it myself, but the reason is simple.

“No matter if ten come…”

My strength transcends age.

“…or a hundred.”

Overwhelming force.

“I’ll win.”

Far from the village outskirts where Cain and Lia stood—dozens of kilometers away, deep underground in the heart of the labyrinth Lyrinthos, a place yet to be revealed to the world.

In that eerie space, devoid of any trace of life, the demon Grace was utterly shocked.

Clang!

Thud, roll.

The head of the man—or rather, what used to be a man—sharing Grace’s vision was severed and rolled pathetically across the ground.

‘Four in ten seconds. No, five…?’

The assassins sharing Grace’s vision were those who had pawned their souls to the cult, gaining immense power in exchange for never finding peace in death.

Though not exact, their strength was roughly equivalent to the midpoint between a Sword Expert and a Sword Master in this world’s terms—far from mediocre.

Yet, this youthful boy was cutting their heads off like slicing vegetables.

Five in just ten seconds—one every two seconds.

‘What is this…?’

The world is vast, and the strong are many, but is this allowed? A kid who hasn’t even reached adulthood is slaughtering the cult’s forces so ruthlessly?

Grace, dazed by Cain’s rough but refined, almost beautiful swordsmanship, snapped back to reality when the ninth head hit the ground.

‘…This won’t do.’

The kid’s swordsmanship was impressive, but Grace couldn’t just sit and watch.

Kidnapping Lia von Elevess to offer as a sacrifice was His divine will and demand.

Grace plunged the end of their staff into the ground, channeling mana into the remaining assassin through a magical link, drastically enhancing his physical abilities.

A high-level dark magic spell of the sixth tier among the eight ranks of dark magic—Physical Enhancement.

It demanded a vast amount of mana, but the payoff was significant.

Through the enhancement, the remaining assassin’s physical strength tripled.

Now, he should be able to match that kid.

Grace, still linked visually with the assassin, smirked slyly.

‘You’ve got some tricks, but it’s over, kid.’

Clang!

The enhanced assassin’s sword clashed with Cain’s, producing a deafening sound like a hammer striking an iron gate. The assassin’s sword shattered in two.

‘N-No way…!’

Grace was stunned again. But an even more shocking event followed.

[Hey, what’s this?]

After breaking the assassin’s sword and slicing his neck, Cain tilted his head.

Muttering, “This… could it be…?” as if suspecting something, Cain crouched in front of the severed head rolling on the ground.

[Hey.]

‘…’

[Hey, you. The mage behind this guy. Can you hear me?]

‘What?!’

Cain locked eyes with the severed head, addressing Grace directly—someone he should never have been able to detect.

Shocked that Cain had noticed their presence, Grace froze.

Cain pointed his index finger at the head, as if warning Grace personally, and muttered.

[You’re with some cult, right? I don’t know who this ‘Him’ you talk about is or what your cult’s after, but…]

[If you ever touch Lia again after this moment…]

“Cain! Are you okay? You’re not hurt, are you?!”

Lia ran up, grabbing Cain’s sleeve and asking worriedly.

Cain reassured her he was fine and to calm down.

Then, turning back to the severed head, out of Lia’s earshot, he mouthed silently:

[I’ll find you and crush you all.]

Shudder!

“…H-Haaah!”

Grace’s jaw dropped.