The Bastard Swordsman Of The Imperial Guard [EN]: Chapter 24

The Lucky Letter Should Be Handled Carefully

Zenon, the godfather who ruled the underworld of the 3rd and 4th districts of the Imperial Capital.

After being defeated in a power struggle and fleeing into the forbidden Alheim [a dangerous, magical realm], where he absorbed mana [magical energy], his life changed 180 degrees.

The mana was, fortunately, a perfect fit for his body.

Having gained power, Zenon boldly attacked the 3rd district of the capital, killed Rack, who had been ruling the underworld, and took his place.

“Brother Zenon! The information guilds in the 3rd district have bowed their heads!”

“The black market has started sending us tribute!”

It was only a matter of time before the 3rd district knelt before Zenon, who possessed overwhelming power.

Even when he recovered the 4th district, which had been pushed back by Gaksital, Zenon thought he would once again reach his prime.

“Ugh, ughaaaaack! Run! It’s a demon!”

“What? Th, this can’t be!”

··· If only the demons hadn’t suddenly invaded.

“This is the Demon King’s order. Kill all humans who resist.”

“There’s a human near here who has received the Demon King’s mana. Find him!”

The foundation of Zenon’s power was mana.

He couldn’t resist the demons.

Moreover, having accepted the mana, he saw it.

The eyes behind the demons….

The eyes that watched the world buried in mana.

That gaze, as if looking down on everything in the world, made him lose his will to resist, and Zenon knelt down without realizing it.

“This is the human. He has mana in his body.”

But even if the sky falls, there is a way out.

“Be careful. It’s the Demon King’s mana.”

“Rise, human.”

The mana that Zenon possessed belonged to the Demon King.

Life flickered in Zenon’s eyes, which had been resigned to death.

“The Gui King [likely a powerful demon or entity] is likely to be in the center of the capital. Now that we’ve found the Demon King’s mana, we’ll retreat.”

“Human. We’ll entrust the outskirts of the capital to you.”

“Th, thank you… Keuk… Keueup….”

Zenon, who had not properly grasped the situation, bowed his head at that moment.

Crack-

Mana began to fill the depths of Zenon’s heart.

The Demon King, Maledrak’s mana devoured the mana of the higher demons, growing larger than before.

Zenon retched and collapsed to the floor in pain, as if his heart was being torn apart.

“Hey, Gerk. You’re not really going to leave everything to one human, are you? Tracking the Gui King is also important.”

“A battle with the Magic Tower may begin in the 2nd district. We can’t spare many troops. I’ll pick one lieutenant demon and ten lower demons and leave them behind. That should be enough to spread letters to the commoners of the Empire.”

Zenon slowly rose to his feet, listening to the demons’ words.

He felt a fullness of power in his body that was different from before.

It was truly like possessing the world.

Dugun-

However, even after the demons disappeared, Zenon could not afford to relax.

The lieutenant demon and lower demons would soon return.

Zenon selected the remaining people and immediately began working.

“B, Brother Zenon. What is this that you’re telling us to spread throughout the Empire?”

“··· It’s an object that tracks the existence they’re looking for. You have to put this energy into the letters and find what they want.”

When mana settled in Zenon’s heart, a memory was also engraved with it.

The ‘letter that bewitches humans’ that the demons had given him.

“It’s done. Now, here…”

Zenon looked at the completed first letter with a nervous expression.

This letter is the starting point of the ritual.

You have to make this letter recognize what you want to find.

Zenon poured the ominous magic, the ghost energy, left behind by the demons into the letter.

While the letter was gulping down the ghost energy.

A mana sphere appeared in Zenon’s vision.

‘Gaksital….’

A mana sphere containing Gaksital’s mana.

It was a means to track him down if he ever appeared.

However, now Zenon had the demons’ tracking method in front of him.

‘The demons can just kill that bastard…!’

This letter has the power to track.

If it can track such ominous magic, it must be able to track Gaksital’s mana as well.

The ritual in his memory was very solid, so adding this much mana wouldn’t change anything.

As soon as the letter absorbed the ghost energy, Zenon brought Gaksital’s mana to it.

As expected, Gaksital’s mana was also sucked into the letter.

Zenon laughed loudly as he watched the still stable ritual.

“It, it’s done. It’s done… Gaksital. That bastard is finished now…! My world will come!”

Of course, the demons could distinguish between ghost energy and Gaksital’s mana, but Zenon didn’t have that much intelligence.

*

Alleyway in the 4th district.

Rael walked with a member of the guard, surveying the surroundings.

“G, Guard Captain….”

“Don’t open your mouth, just walk.”

Rael walked, maintaining a certain distance from the guard member.

It was a distance where he could cut him down with his sword at any time without arousing suspicion.

He was worried that the guy might be a demon disguised as a human, but when he slightly cut his neck and saw red blood, he knew he wasn’t a demon.

‘Lower-middle class demons have purple blood containing mana.’

From the upper-class demons who perfectly conceal their mana, their blood turns red, but those below them have purple blood.

It’s a method of distinguishing demons that he saw in the original work.

‘Is it the black market?’

The place he arrived at, following the guard member, was a building like a black market.

HUMANS addicted to alcohol were rolling on the floor, and everyone passing by was glancing this way, making it obvious that it was a suspicious place.

Rael touched the guard member’s shoulder and asked.

“Is it inside?”

“Yes. Yes… There’s a demon inside…!”

Rael narrowed his eyes and looked inside the building.

Certainly, as the guard said, he could feel mana from inside.

“P, please just spare my life. I don’t know anything. It’s just that these guys threatened me….”

The guard member, having finished guiding him, trembled and begged for his life.

He was too afraid to die.

“Where are your comrades?”

“Th, they’re dead. A few hours ago, two of us met a demon. We resisted them… I was captured….”

“··· I see. You were definitely just being used. Go back.”

Rael nodded after staring at him intently.

At the same time, the guard member’s expression brightened.

“Th, thank you….”

Swish-

At that moment, Rael instantly drew his sword and cut off the guard member’s head.

Rael frowned as he looked at the head that had been separated from the body in an instant and fallen to the floor.

The guard member was smiling until the end.

Thud-

Rael looked at the body that had fallen to the floor.

I’m sorry, but there wasn’t a single trace of fighting on his body.

He must have sold out his comrades as soon as he met the demon, or surrendered immediately without resisting.

‘In the first place, you had mana in your heart, so you would have died soon.’

The demons never let humans live.

That guard member would have had his heart explode and died painfully after delivering the letter.

When the heart explodes due to mana, the mana spreads to the surroundings.

For his sake, and for the sake of others, it’s better to kill him painlessly with his own hands.

At least Rael’s last consideration was to make him smile at the end.

“This damn world is ruining my values.”

To cut off his head directly to send him off without pain.

Rael hated himself for adapting to this barbaric method.

“···.”

Rael pushed the guard member’s corpse to one side and entered, suppressing his presence.

He didn’t feel strong mana from inside, but it seemed like there was definitely a demon inside.

‘A demon….’

Even though he knew the mana of demons, it was his first time actually meeting a demon, so Rael couldn’t help but be a little nervous.

Swish- Swish-

As he carefully entered, he heard a constant sound from inside the building.

It sounded like someone was writing something on paper with a pen.

‘That’s… an outer guard member, isn’t it?’

An unbelievable sight appeared inside the building.

Several dozen outer guard members were writing letters while chained up.

Everyone’s expression was bad, so it seemed like they had been captured for quite a while.

“What are you guys doing here?”

Rael approached the guard members, avoiding the eyes of the guys who were watching this way.

The guard members, who had been repeating the writing of letters with unfocused eyes, widened their eyes as soon as they saw Rael.

“Guard Captain Rael…! Please save us! Please!”

“Damn it! I’ve been trapped since last night and I’m just writing letters! What the hell is this!”

“Keep it down… Tsk. I asked why you’re here. Answer me.”

“W, we were just patrolling the 4th district. But the demons attacked us…! We haven’t been allowed to sleep since yesterday and we’re just writing letters….”

It seemed like they were directly producing the letters to be distributed in the 4th district here.

··· Are these guys barbaric?

‘No. Is it natural since there are no copiers in this world?’

Anyway, Rael examined the guard members’ bodies.

That guy from before had the role of wandering around outside, so he had mana in his heart, but fortunately, these guys seemed fine.

Rael looked around.

The mana that he felt from outside was still nearby.

The demon is inside this building.

‘Should I investigate first?’

Rael turned around, sensing the humans walking this way.

Five thugs-like guys were surrounding Rael.

It seemed like they had come because they heard the commotion.

“You bastard! How dare you enter this place without permission!”

Swish-

The guys drew their swords as soon as they made eye contact with Rael.

It didn’t seem like they had any intention of sparing him, but he was more comfortable with that.

He can beat them without hesitation this way.

“I feel like I’ve seen your faces somewhere… Where are you guys from?”

“You don’t need to know, you’re about to die! Kill him now!”

Rael nodded as he looked at the five approaching men.

They were friends who didn’t listen, like thugs.

“Okay. You’ll remember even what you don’t know if you get hit.”

Rael smiled and drew his sword.

“Wait a minute! That guy’s face is familiar….”

At that time, one of the thugs who was looking at Rael’s face frowned.

Kwaang-!

That was the thug’s last memory.

*

“O, our boss is Zenon.”

“··· Zenon? Who’s that again?”

Cleaning up only took a minute.

Five men knelt down after Rael swung his sword five times.

The guy who was in the lead trembled and answered Rael’s question.

“He’s the godfather of the underworld who rules the 3rd and 4th districts…!”

“Demons attacked, but he was recognized by them….”

The name that the guys commonly mentioned was Zenon.

He was said to have created the lucky letters with the demons.

‘··· If you’re going to use the name of godfather of the underworld, shouldn’t you go to the 1st or 2nd district?’

What kind of godfather is a guy who’s only acting tough in a place where there are commoners at best.

These guys are really ridiculous.

“So, the demons are the masterminds, and Zenon is being used.”

Tia said that the lucky letters were a demon’s method.

It seems like Zenon was the one who picked the production workers among the humans.

‘Does that Zenon guy have a bad relationship with me?’

I can’t remember him even after hearing his name, so he must be a scrub, but it’s amazing how such a guy cooperated with the demons.

‘And… what’s wrong with the Empire? Why are they so incompetent?’

Even though this place is the 4th district for commoners, it was still a part of the capital.

Does it make sense for demons to be wreaking havoc like this in the capital?

Maybe there was an incident he didn’t know about.

“··· Hmm?”

At that time, he began to feel a different mana from before over there.

Thud- Thud-

Feeling the mana approaching this way, Rael turned around.

“Speak of the devil, and he comes. He couldn’t wait for me to come and came himself.”

Rael nodded, feeling the mana from above.

The closer he got, the thicker the mana he felt.

“Keuheok… Keueok.”

The thugs who had been kneeling behind him began to suffer as soon as they came into contact with the demon’s mana.

After a while, a demon who was a head taller than Rael came down from the second floor of the building.

Small horns protruded from both sides of his head.

“A lower demon, huh?”

A lower demon whose blood turns purple when you cut his neck.

To compare it to the realm of swordsmanship, his power itself is about the early stage of Sword Expert.

But he had mana.

“There’s a guy who dares to ruin the Demon King’s plan.”

Sreureuk-

“Keuheok… Keoeheok….”

The guard members who were writing letters also began to groan as the mana gradually emanated.

The guys who couldn’t handle mana properly were also in pain from the lower demon’s mana.

Of course, even if you can handle mana, the situation is similar if you meet a high-ranking demon.

Mana gnaws at the human soul and steals life force.

It even becomes difficult to generate mana.

That’s why it’s hard for humans to defeat demons.

“You also have to become a part of the formula like those humans.”

“You’re saying to sit down and write letters in a shitty way.”

Rael stared intently at the demon in front of him.

It was his first time actually meeting a demon, but fortunately, it wasn’t much different from what he expected.

‘Is this what it feels like? There’s not much difference.’

Mana doesn’t affect him.

Knowing that fact made him feel comfortable about what was to come.

“Kuhahaha! You’re just a human, but your mouth is alive. But, how about this!”

The demon smiled confidently and unleashed his mana.

An explosion of mana that ordinary humans could never withstand.

Rael, who was directly caught up in the explosion, looked at him and raised his sword.

“Did you do everything you needed to do?”

Rael stared intently at the guy and generated mana.

He was nervous just in case, but he was just a worthless guy after all.

“··· Wh, why?!”

The demon’s mouth dropped open.

He was a lower demon, but there was no way there could be a human who could withstand mana in a place like this.

Jiiing-

A blue aura formed on Rael’s sword.

A sharp sensation scanned the demon’s body from top to bottom.

“You bastard! How can you move!”

The demon’s body trembled as he looked at the human glaring at him.

It was his first time seeing a guy emitting such perfect mana inside mana.

The demon felt fear only then.

He belatedly tried to generate mana to block the guy’s attack, but….

“Ask your parents in hell what you’re curious about.”

Swish-

Rael’s already moving sword cut the demon’s body in half.

*

Monster.

That was the feeling Lloyd had when he first met the demon.

He was a subordinate of Zenon, the godfather of the underworld, and he knelt down as soon as he saw the demon.

‘If such a monster is on our side… we can aim for the 2nd or 1st district.’

He also had some information about demons.

Mana makes humans suffer. And it makes them weak.

These were things that he couldn’t imagine just by hearing about them.

But after actually experiencing it, he could understand.

This is hell.

No one can withstand this energy.

He firmly believed that even the famous crazy guard captain in the capital would be no match for the demons.

“Huh?”

And, his thoughts were shattered along with the demon that was cut in half.

The demon he believed in was killed by a guard captain, not even a knight.

Lloyd began to tremble as he looked at the crazy guard captain walking this way.

It was their turn next.

“Get up.”

“P, please spare me. We were just caught by the demons and did as we were told….”

“···.”

Why do these bastards all have the same excuses?

Rael sighed and pointed to one side with his chin.

The thugs quickly released the chains that were binding the guard members.

“Th, thank you. Guard Captain…!”

“You defeated the demon! You’re amazing!”

“Shut up. Prepare to take these bastards into custody.”

After confirming that the guards were arresting the thugs one by one.

Rael slowly opened his mouth.

“I’ll call those guys when I need them, so lock them up in the outer guard for now. Ah, the same goes for you guys. We might need your testimony.”

“Yes, sir! Please come to the outer guard anytime you need us!”

“S, save me….”

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

Rael thought as he watched the backs of the guards escorting the thugs.

He knew the mastermind was in the 3rd district, but he couldn’t just wander around the 3rd district alone again.

Since demons were involved, this matter was too big to handle alone.

‘I’ve never made a donation to the Order, and I’ve been pretending to pray with my eyes closed every prayer time, but….’

The main god, Gaia, told me not to ignore the sheep who need help.

So the good Order, which follows the words of God well, will not ignore Rael, who needs help.

··· He was definitely not passing the buck.