The Ruined Death Knight

"Hey, have you heard the news already?"

"Hmm? What news, did your wife throw you out again?"

"Ye- What! No, you idiot! I am talking about the hammer head gang!"

"The hammer head? Are you talking about those mercenaries who instead of going into missions they just steal from the weak?"

"Yeah, Yeah. I talk about those shitheads. Apparently, they have gone missing since yesterday, it´s being theorized that someone finally stood against them and managed to kill them!"

"Seriously!? Tell me the details!"

"Hehe...as long as you pay for tonight's drinks."

Two men conversed together and they weren´t the only ones who were talking about their sudden disappearance.

Though for other mercenaries they would only think of this group of just a bunch of drunken people, for the common people who were doing everything they could to live their everyday life, their name was like the plague.

Harassed by the daily, they were really grateful that someone final decision to kill those guys.

Storys of how a rightful paladin finally gave them their deserved divine punishment or how a magic caster obliterated them with just a single spell went through all around the folk.

They were many variants of this story of how a rightful hero killed those guys. But one thing they had in common.

That was the confirmation that the gang's hammer head has been killed.

Of course, that news reached the ears of the Durendal association, which forced them to move.

Though they were equally satisfied with those leeches finally dying, since they were the leading part of the whole city of Nercana, they were forced to take some action as they couldn´t just let someone who killed a member of their association go, even if they were of the lower rank.

That was the reason why many guards and various mercenary were standing outside the streets patrolling.

Unbeknownst to them though, the almighty hero who got rid of the Hammer head gang was walking among those same streets while humming happily.

"Damn, this place is much better than Bernes, not only fewer people but also cheaper stuff!" Danzel looked at the paper stack that he was holding in his hand.

Now he understood what the old man in the magic shop in Bernes had meant with the prices being ridiculous high for magic items.

Although the kingdom of Berum didn´t openly hate magic caster or generally magic. Their laws though said a whole nother thing.

The kingdom of Berum was the perfect example of actions speaking louder than words.

Since the Berum kingdom was more focused on the studies of life force, people who were using life force would usually have higher status.

The reason behind that was supposed because their first king, Bernes was a being who was made out of pure life force, otherwise known as the immortal phoenix.

At least that´s what he got from reading the book of [Knowledge for every Caster] in the section of laws.

Honestly though, if magic wasn´t that useful that it is, I would even bet that those guys would just straight up forbid the use of magic, except magic that they call light and holy magic.

That by itself I found biased against all magic!

What holy and light magic?

Magic is magic!

There is nothing more to discuss!

Why would you even put other types of magic into your hate list without much reason?

Getting out of the point though, as for now he quite liked Nercana.

Since everything was dirt cheap...

"But still... hammer head gang?" Danzel who was still walking back to his church couldn´t help but overhear all the stories of that group dying yesterday.

`Didn´t the boss of those guys yesterday use a hammer?´ Danzel thought.

He could still remember how the massive hammer came crushing to his chest.

Though it was a weak swing, he still remembers breaking the mana plating and forcing to take a step back.

If that were any other day, he wouldn´t have thought of all this crap.

But...

"Too soon..." Danzel said before hasting his steps.

He would understand if the rumors were about them going missing.

But for them to be declared dead not even 24 hours before their death?

He highly doubted it.

`Did anyone by chance see the fight without me noticing?´ He couldn´t help but think.

Moving some few minutes, he reached the area where the church was.

And the moment he walked in, he noticed something unusual.

'What are they doing there?' He thought, noticing all the small figures hiding between the gaps of the houses.

Danzel quickly noticed that those guys were the brats of yesterday.

He saw the small girl who shot an arrow with the improvised crossbow at him, that kid who was full of rebellion spirit in him and some others who he wrote as crybabies.

After all, the hugest impression that he had was from those two brats and that fast black-haired kid.

'Hmm? Where is the black-haired kid?' Danzel thought as he looked to his side, but without any success of finding him among the other children.

Though he was somewhat curious about where he went, he quickly dismissed those thoughts.

But upon reaching his destination, he saw the same black-haired teenage boy standing in front of the door who was blocked by a stone wall.

Starting him with silence, he put the stack of papers that he bought to the inside of the armor through the neck opening and placed them inside the ring of storage.

"Didn't I already tell you? That if you were to come back I wouldn't show any mercy?" Danzel said with his cold voice.

Putting his hand on the field of the un-runed sword, he unsheathed it out of his scabbard.

"Wait, I got to tell you something-"

Without letting him finish, Danzel dashed forward with his killing intent fully coming out.

"No need."

"H-Huh!?" The boy who was shocked upon seeing this, bit his lips before taking a step back with around the same speed as Danzel.

"Hear me out!" The boy pleaded.

Turning a dead ear to his plea, he moved towards the boy.

"The moment you came here you accepted your fate..." Danzel said as he swung the sword diagonally.

"Y-You!" Bending his body to the side, he avoided the first swing by a hairs breath.

The boy pulled his dagger from his sleeve and barely managed to miss directed the next swing to his side.

Taking a huge step backward, he held his wrist out of pain.

Since the strength difference was so huge, the boy was lucky to not break his wrist by that small clash.

"Ugh...Hear me out!" 

A weak dark green light surrounded Danzel.

The next moment the black-haired boy knew, he was already in front of him grabbing his neck.

"Kayn!" The brats who were by the side called out and we're ready to go and help.

But upon seeing the eyes of Kayn, they forced themselves to stay put.

Not minding them a bit, he raised the boy to the air with the blade ready to pierce through his chest.

"Kghhh! Let me go!" Suddenly dark veins showed to the side of his eyes before his sclera became pitch black.

Grabbing the hand that was holding his neck for support, he threw out a kick directly to Danzel's chest.

And thoroughly surprised, Danzel was almost pushed back and nearly thrown off to the ground by the sheer strength of the kick.

'What the hell! That was even stronger than the guy's hammer of yesterday!'

Seeing that things were becoming more serious, he was about to draw out Veren and go all out even if this mana hasn't fully recovered yet.

But as he touched the hilt of Veren, he saw the black-haired kid's legs shaking unnaturally while black tears were coming out of his eyes.

"What the..."

Using Danzel's confusion, the boy bit down his pain and forced himself to talk.

"We know that you killed the-Ugh, the hammer heads! If you kill me now everyone else here will go out and tell the association that-Ugh, it was you who killed them!" The boy said with growls of pain in between sentences caused by the pain.

Hearing the kid's words, Danzel was shocked.

"How do you know...?" Danzel whispered to the boy.

He was totally sure that he killed every single one of those guys yesterday, so the fact that the boy knew that it was him threw him off.

Of course, he didn't let it show it.

He only question the boy in a whisper in case he didn't really know and only guessed it.

With a weak voice, the boy said.

"Though the cracks...I saw you how you received a-Ugh...a hammer at your chest."

Starting him in silence he looked at the other brats while grinding his teeth.

'If those guys were to put suspicion on me, then I...' Danzel though.

Even if they were to report it, he doubted someone would believe them.

But just them putting the suspicion on me was enough of a headache that I wasn't willing to feel.

Looking at the boy who had black tears to his cheeks, he said rather unwilling.

"What do you want..."

Though the constant pain that the boy Kayn was receiving, in the end, he still managed to show a smile when he heard the knight's words.

"We want a cooperation with you."