Age of Chaos (4)
"Now the real fight begins!"
Benof tapped Rian's guard to test its give, then launched a full assault.
Unlike quick jabs, his blows came like hammers, slamming into Rian so that his upper body ducked into the ring and bobbed like a buoy.
'Skill.'
And a high-level one at that.
'Couldn't you take it easy?'
Even as that thought crossed someone's mind, Benof's fists drummed against the guard like a sudden downpour.
'What an iron wall.'
Had he hit like this against steady subordinates, bones would've been broken and apologies written up.
"Try that and see what happens!"
Benof's leg shot up toward his head.
"If I break you, that settles it!"
The side impact shoved Rian along the line, his body reeling.
'The guard opened.'
Sensing the gap, Benof lunged forward—but Rian's fight was only beginning.
'I'm getting warm now.' He kept many of the practical techniques learned fighting demons tucked away deep.
'Let's see how you handle this.'
Fist met fist; the slap of leather-on-leather echoed through the garrison like someone beating a water sack.
"Wow—he's going blow for blow with the captain." The fearless exchange of punches left everyone stunned.
"He's skilled too. He's not giving any clean openings."
Heavy, iron-like fists grazed shoulders; every time someone dropped their stance, the air was split by an attack.
"Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!"
Benof pressed in, jabbing lefts and hooks continuously into Rian's ribs.
"Gah!"
A dull ache spread; then a right straight snapped toward his face.
Rian twisted on instinct, grabbed Benof's arm, and went for an over-the-hip throw.
Benof toppled as if checked, hitting the floor with a thud.
"You little—!"
The moment he rose, Rian moved behind him and locked in a triangle choke.
"All right, let's try this on for size..."
Benof popped his torso, slipped free of the choke, and drove a tackle into Rian as they fell into each other's arms.
"That's it!"
For the next two minutes, a barrage of ground techniques thundered as the two heavyweights rolled across the mat.
"Damn! Where's he getting all this strength?"
Even with daily training for close combat endurance, Rian felt cramps in his muscles after only two minutes facing him.
"Give it up. Fighting while exhausted is dangerous."
"Hahahaha! Kid!"
Benof's muscles bulged.
"What, you thought we were playing house?"
He forced out a last reserve of strength, twisted free, and Rian wrapped his arms around his waist.
'Idiot! Your face is blank!' Benof twisted his hips to swing an elbow—at that instant, two legs shot up.
"Oh?"
Rian arched his upper body and fell backward; the guards shut their eyes tight.
"German suplex! It's over!"
They expected a neck-snapping impact, but strangely there was no sickening thud.
"What the hell—?"
The guards stared, mouths open.
"Ughhh... you, you..."
Benof's crown floated an inch above the ring floor.
"Is that even a human posture?"
Stopping mid-German suplex couldn't be explained by brute force alone.
"...How is this possible?"
Benof, hips pointing at the sky, asked with a twisted expression.
"It's the swordsman's conviction."
It was the power of will to hold that pose.
"Conviction?"
Benof paused, frowned for a moment, then broke into a radiant smile.
"You win. Let's end it."
Benof rolled off the floor and stood; Rian lifted his upper body back up from the backward position.
Watching the miraculous sequence, Benof said, "How's that? Feel refreshed after sweating a bit?"
"Yes. Thanks to you."
It had been a long time since he'd felt that stress release.
"Since you're all sweaty, I should wash up. I heard you bathed earlier, but want to come along?"
"Sure. You can never have too many baths."
That was one lesson he'd learned since coming here.
The next morning.
It might be rude to compare a garrisonman's bed to a desert underground den, but Rian's eyes opened early at dawn.
Outside, the dawn watch had finished; guards they hadn't seen the night before sat in their places.
"You're up early. Feeling any better from the trip?"
Benof, the garrison captain, didn't respect night or day.
"Yes. I need to leave early."
"You said you were going home. Anything else left to do?"
"No. Not really..."
He only wanted to know how his family was doing.
"I see. Sorry, but I need to ask a favor that'll delay you a bit. Think of it as fate—I'm hoping you can help me."
"You mean those serial murders."
"You heard about them—quick on the uptake. Come with me; I'll explain on the way."
Heading to the morgue, Benof repeated basically the same account he'd given the other guards the day before.
"Civilians aren't allowed, but I trust you—so I'll show you. Right here."
When the coroner stepped aside, Benof pulled a handle like a drawer.
"Hmm."
Rian's face tightened.
"Do you get the feeling of it?"
The corpse had dried and shriveled into something like a mummy, its mouth wide open.
Whether the expression was terror or rapture was impossible to tell.
"Vampire."
Benof nodded.
"A likely suspect. There have been reports of vampire attacks in Jaive before. But this is unusual. They don't usually drain this much blood."
Rian agreed it didn't look normal.
"Even if vampires feed on blood, there are limits to how they disguise it. That's what's weird. It could be a human posing as a vampire."
"If it's human, that's a proper pervert."
"That's true. The palace is starting to see how serious this is. Still, I want to handle it myself. Not for glory—honestly, these bastards should be caught and smashed."
"It could really be vampires. If they're gluttons, they might need a lot of blood."
He didn't rule that out.
"I'm keeping both possibilities in mind. If it really is vampires, things could get big. If they're purebloods, the garrison won't cope. You'd need the royal guard—Shinjang—at least."
That explained why Benof had asked for help.
'Vampires...'
Aside from going home, Rian had nothing pressing to do, and vampires were demons by any definition.
"All right. I'll help where I can."
Benof clapped Rian on the shoulder.
"Ha! I knew you'd say that. I'll set up a temporary post in the department—wait there. You won't be stuck at a desk anyway."
Rian unpacked again, sat at the spot Benof assigned, and waited for hours.
After lunch he was summoned.
"Get in the carriage. We've got somewhere urgent to go."
Benof looked worse than that morning, but Rian climbed aboard without complaint.
They arrived at a mansion whose wealth was obvious at a glance.
It wasn't as large as the Ozent estate, but it was more than enough for the heart of Jaive's capital.
"This place?"
"The Bark family—first rank in Jaive. We got a report relating to the Maha matter from higher-ups."
"Is this about vampires?"
He disliked being dragged into political affairs.
"Maybe, maybe not..."
A butler opened the door.
"Welcome. We've received word for the head of the household. The young lady is waiting."
Inside, a teenage girl stood with arms linked under the escort of knights.
"Oh my god—! I was supposed to go shopping today! Why are you keeping me in?"
She was the household head's only daughter: Irene Bark.
"Miss, you know there have been gruesome incidents recently. Please refrain from going out..."
"Don't tell me I can't even go out during the day. Daddy's so unfair!"
"Today is a special case. There are duties that require me to ask this."
The butler bowed and introduced Rian and Benof.
"From today onward, Miss, the Maha knight assigned to escort you is Sir Ozent Rian—of a family famed for excellence in swordsmanship..."
"That's enough! My current knights are more than enough! How much are you trying to suffocate me?"
Rian hadn't expected this.
"You want me to guard a civilian?"
Benof scratched his head, embarrassed.
"Strictly speaking she's not just a civilian. She's the minister's daughter. The mistress is a consultant in the economic department."
Even so, it was hard to accept.
"A few days ago an anonymous warning came—watch out for vampires. Whether it's a prank or not, we can't ignore it."
That was why he had been reluctant to reveal details.
"Cut me some slack. I'm forming a task force to find the culprit. For now, stay put."
Overhearing, Irene scowled.
"So what, I'm grounded? You've got to be kidding me. Hey, mister—do you know who I am?"
"The minister's daughter."
Irene snorted.
"Yes, I know that. But I don't let strange men into my company carelessly. And I hate bulky people. That alone disqualifies you!"
"Disqualified?"
The knights protecting Irene were uniformly handsome and lithe.
"Hey, kid. First, I'm not a Jaive citizen. Second, having a pretty body doesn't mean you're good at fighting. And last, I'm not your uncle—I'm your brother."
"Puhahaha! He says he's your brother. How old are you?"
Rian answered confidently.
"Twenty-two."
"Ugh, you're ancient." In a different sense, he'd rather not be here.
"Listen, Maha knight. If you don't want to do this, step down. She's fine with us."
A sharply dressed knight waved his hand, shooing him away.
After all, as the minister's daughter she'd be well protected—getting noticed here could set someone up for a bright future.
'More importantly...'
If she caught someone's eye romantically, it'd be jackpot.
"No, that's fine."
Irene stepped forward.
"I'll hire you. We're short on manpower anyway. Protect our Tonas."
"Who's Tonas?"
Irene shouted toward the grounds.
"Tonas! Come here!"
A black-furred Doberman came bounding over, tongue lolling, and leapt into Irene's arms.
"This is ridiculous."
Benof rubbed his forehead as Irene pointed imperiously at Rian.
"There! Protect him!"
Rian was adamant.
"No. Apologize for the insult and accept my escort, or I'll leave."
"Hmph! Who do you think decides? Weren't you sent here on my father's orders too, mister?"
"You don't want to die either."
Rian's cold stare made Irene flinch.
"My father called because we don't have enough force to deal with vampires. You know that. You'd gather pretty half-and-half types and try to survive, right?" Most vampire victims were beautiful.
"W-what...!"
While Irene rolled her eyes, the knights behind her surged forward as one.
"Hey, musclehead. Heard you've been annoying people. What do you have to add to our good looks?"
"Little fry, get out."
"...Miss, may we audition in your place?"
Irene snapped back to attention and shouted.
"All right! Show me what you've got!"
The knights cracked their knuckles and stepped forward—Rian's eyes went wide.
Divine Transcendence—Heart-Fist Onslaught.
The mind strikes before the body.
- Heart-Fist! Heart-Fist! Heart-Fist! Heart-Fist! Heart-Fist! Heart-Fist! Heart-Fist! Heart-Fist! Heart-Fist! Heart-Fist! Heart-Fist! Heart-Fist!
There was no need to make a move.
"What are you waiting for? Hurry and teach that insolent man a lesson—"
Irene frowned, glanced back, and then stared in disbelief.
"Ughhh... I—"
The knights, as if struck by dozens of invisible blows, were all on their knees, cold sweat pouring from their brows.