"Whistling!"
"Scorching heat."
"Before my eyes, the building was engulfed in flames."
"Chaos reigned both inside and outside the building."
"Aaaaah!"
"Help me!"
People, consumed by fire, writhed in agony within the all-consuming blaze.
In my hand, as I watched them, was a sickle soaked in something wet.
The sight of a sickle meant for gathering herbs, now drenched in blood, was utterly horrifying.
"Aaaaaaah!"
"P-please, help!"
Those who had escaped the burning building desperately rolled on the ground, trying to extinguish the flames on their bodies.
But the fire, which had already engulfed them from head to toe, was not easy to put out.
They died in torment as their flesh burned away.
Despite the horrific scene, I felt not a shred of guilt.
No—I didn't even know what guilt was.
[Cough, cough… Promise me.]
- "What do you mean?"
[Never… reveal… your true nature…]
[…Grandpa.]
- "So it was that old man who taught me to be like this?!"
[…I understand.]
The promise I made to my grandfather before his death kept replaying in my head.
Yet, that promise remained unfulfilled.
No—to be precise, it was a promise that *couldn't* be kept.
'Sorry, Grandpa.'
I can't stop this until I find *that bastard* who made you suffer so horribly.
Even if the end result is what you feared, Grandpa.
The more blood I see, the harder it becomes to control myself.
What kind of expression am I wearing right now?
I felt the corners of my mouth twitch as I witnessed the horrifying scene of burning flesh and blood.
This emotion was undoubtedly pleasure.
'True nature…'
Could evil truly be my *real* nature?
At the very least, it feels far more liberating than the version of myself Grandpa tried to mold me into.
It's as if I've been freed from chains.
"Hah."
It doesn't matter.
Thanks to the scent of blood, I'm getting closer to uncovering the mystery of *that bastard*, my spirits high.
Now, I just need to finish off the remaining survivors before leaving.
I gripped the sickle and took a few steps toward the few still alive.
Step, step… As I walked, they stared at me with eyes full of terror.
Their fear wasn't unpleasant.
If anything, it only fueled my bloodlust further.
Step!
When I took another step, one of the terrified survivors screamed at me.
"The Sickle Demon!"
The Sickle Demon…
That was the name I earned while hunting that bastard.
Every time I suspected someone might be even slightly connected to him, I slaughtered them all—before I knew it, people started calling me the Sickle Demon.
They say it's because of the sickle marks left on the corpses. Seems I unintentionally gained quite the reputation.
And all in just *one month*.
Maybe it's because this time, I targeted slightly larger villages, unlike the remote mountain ones before.
This taught me a good lesson.
'I should burn everything.'
To avoid leaving unnecessary traces on the corpses.
No—
Maybe I should stop using the sickle altogether?
Ah, whatever. I'll think about it later. For now, let's just kill them all and see.
Swish!
I raised the sickle toward a survivor crawling on the ground.
"Eek!"
The survivor curled up, face pale with fear.
Without hesitation, I swung the sickle—
Thud!
"Guh!"
Something struck my stomach with tremendous force, hurling my body backward.
Even after tumbling across the ground several times, the impact didn't fade.
I barely managed to stand after rolling for a while, but a strange pressure crushed my insides, forcing blood to gush from my mouth.
"Damn it!"
Blergh—Cough, cough!
As I vomited, cheers erupted.
It seemed to be the voices of survivors, no longer frozen in fear.
Though still nauseous and weak, I forced myself to lift my head.
"What the—?"
As I struggled to comprehend, I saw someone raising their hand.
This person responded to the cheers like some kind of hero.
Then, in an arrogant voice, they declared:
"So, the Sickle Demon is real. To think you withstood my Three-Star Power!"
"Three-Star Power?"
What the hell is he talking about?
The only thing I understood from his words was "Sickle Demon."
"Cough… Cough…"
I suppressed another urge to vomit.
I don't know who this man is, but one thing's certain—he's dangerous.
I tried to stand, but my legs wouldn't obey.
"Your reign of terror ends here, Sickle Demon!"
The man slowly approached me.
'Dangerous.'
I clenched my teeth.
If I can't move, my life might be over—
Whoosh!
"!?"
What—?
The man had seemed to walk slowly, yet suddenly, he was right in front of me.
'Fast.'
How can a human move like that?
It's absurd.
"Hmph."
The middle-aged man grunted.
From a distance, I hadn't noticed, but he had a long scar above his left eyebrow.
In his right hand was a blackened, burnt-looking sword, its edge far from ordinary.
'I have to run.'
Every instinct screamed at me to flee.
"No matter what I do, I can't win against this man."
Then, the man spoke in a low voice, his expression turning icy.
"I wondered who was lurking around here, but to think it was just a brat who still has milk on his lips."
He felt like a completely different person.
But more than that—something else caught my attention.
"Lurking around?"
So, this man is…
Grab!
"Ghk!"
Before I could finish my thought, the man seized me by the throat.
Despite being seventeen, my build is no smaller than an average adult man's.
Yet, he lifted me as if I weighed nothing.
I glanced at his wrist and forearm, but his muscles showed no strain.
How could he lift me so effortlessly?
As I struggled to understand, the man frowned.
"You… you've never trained in martial arts."
"Martial… arts?"
"You don't even know what martial arts are? Hah!"
The man seemed genuinely surprised.
What *are* these "martial arts" he's talking about?
"Interesting. A child who's never trained in martial arts survived my strike…"
"Cough… What the hell are you—"
Stab!
"Guh—!"
My stomach burned.
His blackened blade pierced my abdomen before I could react.
The man grinned savagely and spoke in a murderous tone.
"It's better to kill you now and avoid future trouble."
Squelch! Thrust!
"Gah—!"
Right after pulling the sword from my stomach, he drove it into the left side of my chest.
As the blade pierced my heart, blood gushed from my throat, accompanied by unbearable pain.
"You should've just lived quietly. Why cause trouble and hasten your own death?"
"Hah… Hah…"
Gasping for air, the bastard threw me to the ground.
Then, raising his black sword, he turned and shouted:
"The Sickle Demon's reign of terror ends today. Rest assured!"
Once again, he played the righteous hero.
The survivors, unaware of his true nature, erupted in cheers.
The wound in my chest was excruciating, but his hypocrisy enraged me.
After finally finding the one who might be my sworn enemy, I suffered such a pathetic defeat.
I never stood a chance from the beginning.
'Grandpa…'
My vision blurred.
Will I join Grandpa without ever taking revenge?
He'll scold me endlessly for breaking our promise…