Volume 4 - CH 24

Act 4-24: The Old Man’s Participation In War

===

North of Babel, 1st area of 【Death Metropolis of Flower】

Though Babel was under the category of the academy, it was in fact more like a giant vocational training place rather than an academy. And graduating from Babel was equivalent to getting ahead in one’s life. Especially the graduate from the central Babel’s tower, one could say that their future was limitless. And amongst Babel’s policy was to not refuse anyone who come to learn, and anyone who have power. Naturally, it was a completely different matter whether a famous criminal could pass the test or not.

In short, the exam didn’t place have limitations like the other place, whether it was an aged person or people from the underworld, all of them could take the exam.

「UWAAAAAAAA!」

A blonde-haired youth fired his arrow as he raised a perplexed shout toward a bald giant whose body was covered in scars, equipped with a curved sword and suddenly appeared from the woods. The arrow struck right on the bald-headed giant but, it got repelled as if it just hit metal instead of skin, and fell to the ground.

「DAMMIIIIIIIT!」

That was surely a desperate situation. Even now, despite the two girls who wield swords and stood beside the youth who fired the arrow slashing her sword at the bald man’s skin, the latter skin turned out to be extremely tough for them. And then, they got swatted aside like bugs by the bald man’s arm, thrown back till they crashed against the woods behind them, and passed out.

The bald man looks carefully at the unconscious boy and girl.

「Are they dead?… Good grief, a youngster’s body is way too fragile.」

The bald giant whose body was covered in scars muttered such soliloquy, then looked at the youth who fired the arrow.

「Hiii!」

The youth was scared shi*tless. When the bald giant approaches the youth who fell on his rear,

「Sorry kid. You who saw that had to die..」

Beheaded the youth with his curved sword, and took the badge from the youth’s pocket whose body had already turned into a corpse.

「Hah! This seemingly boring commission turned out to be the source of really nice profit.」

The giant baldy―― B-rank criminal, Mad Hound was laughing creepily as he looked at the badge in his hand.

He was happy with this income, and even more so since it came from the famous Babel. He didn’t get disqualified no matter how many test-taker he killed, and his earnings would be paid in cash in accordance with the total point that he managed to retrieve at the end of the practical exam. Moreover, as long as he managed to bring the test-taker to the designated point, Mad Hound would get an enormous amount of bonus.

Different from the original plan, though he really wanted to kill the big shot of Babel who made the commission the moment he found out that the incompetent called Kai Heineman was in a different team, he only felt grateful to them right now.

Anyhow, he found no problem since the Babel side didn’t disqualify 《Mad Hound》 no matter how many test-taker died in his hands in accordance with their prior agreement.

「Well then, now is the time to find my real target and accomplish my mission.」

The moment he walked to the forest with a triumphant look on his face,

「Uhm?」

Three flame spears suddenly appeared from the air. He twists his upper body and dodges one of them, and bisected another one with the curve sword in his right hand. As for the last one, he caught it with his left hand and throw it away.  The thrown flame spear vanished into the wood, hitting the man clad in a green robe and making him fall to the ground.

「Small fry!」

Apparently, the academy side had also employed another criminal since he was ambushed in this kind of situation.

When the content of the commission clashed, the stronger take it all. It was the law of the underworld, the place where someone like Mad Hound reside. Thus, this clash wasn’t something new to him.

（That ain’t enough to kill them huh.）

Dangerous, intimidating air exploded from the direction of the forest. As if the other party had no intention to hide their existence at all.

「Come out!」

As if answering the calling of the bald giant with a body full of scars, a swordsman with long black hair appeared from inside the forest.

「Hou. You seem to be quite skilled at least.」

「…」

The black-haired swordsman replied with a smile on his face, readying his long sword. Thus, both men clashed.

Mad Hound’s and Black-Haired Swordsman’s skills kept pushing onto each other.

After numerous clashes, Mad Hound felt sharp pain running in his left shin. He lowered his gaze and found out that a flaming snake was biting into his shin. In that short opening, he felt that his field of view was shaken, and he fell to his knees.

「Listen Muscle Brain Gorilla, that’s paralysis poison that can even knock down an ogre. We shall take this victory.」

The man in a green robe that should’ve been fall before standing up again and saying so as if nothing happened to him.

Paralysis poison. Mad Hound possesses a certain amount of resistance against poison due to his gift. But, he need a few minutes for his body to counter the poison, in the meantime, his action was severely limited during those moments. Small fry aside, the swordsman in front of him definitely wouldn’t let him off that easily.

「You bastard…」

The Black-haired swordsman was looking at the man in a green robe and Mad Hound who barely stood on his feet.

「You guys, how about working together with me?」

But, he spoke the last expected remark.

「Hah? Working together?」

Working together means that their income had to be split among three people. Logically speaking, there was no reason for them to work together in the job that only required them to send silk pants brat and incompetent brat to the designated place.

「Is it because one of the best four in the Sacred Martial Arts Tournament, Somni Barrel among the target?」

When the man in green robe asked so while manifesting a fire lance in the air,

「That guy only managed to advance thanks to his parent’s influence. The brat himself hasn’t realized that though. There’s no reason for us to be wary of that kind of person.」

The black-haired swordsman shook his head as he denied that.

「Oi, are you telling me that we’ve to work together just to beat an incompetent brat?」

One of the targets, Kai Heineman was the holder of a pitiful gift called 『The Most Incompetent in This World』. Definitely not strong.

「Yes. According to the rumour, he seems to fight on par with Zack Prower.」

「Ah, that rumour huh? Sounds impossible to me.」

Zack’s strength was not only famous on the surface, he was also famous in the underworld. He was a man of legend with many deeds following after him, one of those was the story about him single-handedly annihilating an army of goblins led by a goblin general in one of the monster outbreaks in the past. Thus, it was literally impossible for a man with the weakest gift to fight on par with him sounded like a lie.

「It’s not a rumour, it’s the truth. That’s the undeniable truth.」

Hearing the Black Haired Swordsman’s remark,

「HAH! I heard that rumour too. I hear that he’s cheating by using a magic item to advance into the final round of the tournament――」

「You fool. Supposing it really is as you say, you think crude method such as using the magic item is enough to bridge the gap of abilities between Zack and him.」

To Mad Hound who shouted as if spitting curses,

「WHAT DID YOU SAY!?」

The man clad in a green robe responded with an angry bellow.

「I mean, even if I’ve magic item equipped, I don’t think I can fight on par with Zack. I happen to see one of Zack’s fights before but, he doesn’t seem to be a guy whose fighting skill can be bridged by the mere magic tool.」

The Black-Haired Swordsman agreed with Mad Hound.

「…」

Thus, even the man clad in a green robe had no choice but to believe the authenticity of the rumour. And silently erased the fire lance.

「In short, the degree of difficulty of this commission is higher than we expected. Is that what you wanted to say?」

「Exactly. At least, far more than you expected. And then, I think the headmaster is on the opposite side of the one who gives this commission.」

Some big shots of Babel were on the opposite side of the one who gave the request. Hearing that, even Mad Hound understood what the Black-Haired Swordsman tried to say.

「So that means that the reason why I’m excluded from Kai Heineman’s team is the work of the Grand Headmaster?」

Hearing that, the tips of the Black-Haired man’s lips rose up,

「As expected, so you two are supposed to be in the same team as Kai Heineman, right?」

When he asked so as he looked at the man in a green robe,

「Yeah.」

The man in a green robe replied with an emotionless voice while averting his gaze.

「If my instinct is correct, the two teammates of Kai Heineman should be special people chosen by the grand headmaster.」

It was too coincidental. Or rather, it was as too much to be called coincidence. If Kai Heineman was truly a warrior that not even Babel dared to go against, then challenging him alone was a suicidal act.

「Okay, count me in.」

And just as expected, the man in the green robe agreed,

「Count me in too.」

Mad Hound nodded too.

The knack to survive for a long time in this kind of job was to never underestimate his target. Even if the other party was as weak as slime, as long as there was an uncertain factor mixed in, he had to go all out.

The current Kai Heineman had grown into such dangerous existence in Mad Hound and co’s mind.

「Great. Can I take that as you agreed to split the reward equal to the three of us?」

「I don’t mind.」

「Same here.」

The Black-Haired Swordsman nodded in satisfaction upon seeing that and,

「Well then, best regard for this short time we’re working together.」

Spoke so as he raised his right hand.

After taking care of Mad Hound’s paralysis poison, he went into the forest again along with the man in the green robe, the Black-Haired Swordsman showed displeased look on his face,

（Thank god the other party is brain muscle.）

And muttered so while snapping his fingers, a black flame appeared from the feet of the Black-Haired Swordsman, forming a circle around him.

The black flame burned the body of three test-taker into ashes in just a moment, the figure of the Black-Haired Swordsman himself turned into a beardy middle-aged man with white hair.

And then, the boy and girls who should’ve been killed by Mad Hound a while ago lay down on the ground as if nothing happened to them.

（They didn’t even realize that their target is actually the marionettes prepared by us, I doubt they can scratch the skin of That Personage.）

When the White-Haired Middle-Aged man clapped his hands, three lumps of fire appeared in front of him, forming the silhouette of humans.

（Please bring those children back to the plaza.）

The three humanoid black flames nodded and then ran toward the plaza, bringing along the three unconscious test-taker with them.

（Most unnecessary garbages in the area who’re not needed in the plan have been evacuated.）

The white-haired middle-aged man thought so as he crossed his arms with an entranced look on his face.

（OUR REVERED SUPREME GOD! WE, YOUR LOYAL SERVANTS WILL DO OUR BEST TO ASSIST YOU!）

It was such a passionate vow of loyalty. The passionate look on his face was similar to those people from Subjugation Picture Book, maybe even surpassed those fanatics.