Kanru And The Ogre Demon

Now that the sun had set, the inside of the palace was dimly lit as Kanru and the others rushed to the scene of the struggle. What they found was a corridor near the door leading to the royal family’s quarters, turned into a sea of blood. In front of that door, several soldiers lay dead with their throats cut.

“Where is the ogre demon?”

Kanru and the others searched the area, looking around for the ogre demon.

“There are bloody footprints here.”

One of the guards shone the lantern in his hand on the corridor floor. Ominous footprints marked in blood continued beyond the door separating the royal family’s living quarters from the area used for official duties.

Kanru drew his treasured sword and had one of the guards open the door. The moment the door opened, what leaped into Kanru’s sight was the figure of an ogre demon with its claws buried in a soldier’s neck.

“You bastard!”

Kanru sprang through the doorway with his treasured sword in hand. Using that momentum, he swung the treasured sword at the ogre demon’s neck. The ogre demon deflected Kanru’s attack with its dagger.

“Tch.”

Clicking his tongue, Kanru transformed Floating Yang Qi into dragon qi and circulated it through his body. Thanks to that, his physical abilities rose dramatically.

Right after that, the ogre demon lunged at Kanru. The ogre demon leaped into close range and tried to slash Kanru’s neck with its dagger, but Kanru caught it with his treasured sword. It turned into a contest of strength between Kanru, whose physical abilities had been enhanced by dragon qi, and the ogre demon, but in pure strength, the ogre demon was superior.

Kanru lost the clash of strength and was hurled backward into the wall. Realizing the ogre demon was following up, Kanru countered with a front kick.

“Evacuate the royal family!”

Kanru shouted to the guards. Hearing that, the guards ran deeper inside. Kanru felt relieved, because if the guards joined the battle, they would only get in the way.

As I was sleeping in my room, I woke because of some kind of presence.

“What is it?”

Someone was fighting in the distance. It seemed my Lone Awakening Eye had sensed the movement of strong qi. I hurriedly got ready, grabbed my Lightning Thorn Hammer, and stepped out of the room. Moonlight illuminated the corridor, but it was still dim.

“At a time like this, I really want a flashlight.”

I muttered that to myself. As I headed toward the place where the fighting was happening, I began to hear the sound of a bell along the way. Apparently it was the signal that intruders had entered, and many soldiers were running toward the royal family’s quarters farther inside.

“Kou, what happened?”

Elder Mon, having noticed the commotion, came after me.

“I can sense something like demonic qi, so I think that ogre demon has appeared.”

“It sounds like someone is fighting.”

“It is probably Senior Brother Kanru.”

We hurried to the scene of the battle. As expected, Kanru and the ogre demon were fighting. Soldiers were surrounding them, but apparently none of them could join the battle.

That was probably because Kanru and the ogre demon were fighting at tremendous speed, and anyone entering that space would die. Watching the ogre demon fight from a distance, I could tell just how incredible its Lightness Skill was.

“What splendid Lightness Skill. And it seems to have keen eyes as well.”

Elder Mon said that while sizing up the ogre demon.

“Why isn’t Senior Brother Kanru using his secret technique?”

I asked about the point that had struck me as strange while watching the battle with the ogre demon.

“If you mean the secret technique of Dragon Qi Sword Art, you mean Dragon Wing?”

“That’s right.”

“Perhaps it is because Dragon Wing is a secret technique used when there is distance between you and the opponent.”

“Ah, so that is it.”

I had thought Dragon Wing was a technique that could be used in any situation, so I was a little disappointed. Certainly, I thought Dragon Wing had been developed as a secret technique for defeating enemies at a distance. But since I had assumed it could also attack enemies at close range, I found myself wondering why it could not.

Since I was not actually training in Dragon Qi Sword Art, I did not know the exact details. Still, the fact remained that Kanru was not using Dragon Wing.

“Should I go help?”

When I asked Elder Mon, she shook her head in refusal.

“There is no need. The ogre demon is being cornered.”

Just as Elder Mon said, the battle between Kanru and the ogre demon had turned against the ogre demon. The ogre demon was steadily being driven back, and Kanru seemed to be waiting for an opening to finish it off.

At that moment, a man with no sense of timing appeared.

“Out of the way!”

Daaren came rushing over. Then, seeing the ogre demon being cornered, he cut in as if seizing a perfect chance. The ogre demon had dodged Kanru’s thrust and left an opening in its side, and Daaren did not miss it. Daaren’s treasured sword slammed into that opening.

That single strike slashed through the ogre demon’s heart.

“Ah.”

Kanru had his chance to finish it off stolen from him, so he looked startled and at the same time displeased. Daaren, not noticing that, began examining the ogre demon.

“Hey, look at this!”

Daaren shouted loudly. When I turned my eyes to the ogre demon, the face that had looked like a demon mask was returning to a human face.

“This is… isn’t this Beifan, one of the palace maids?”

“You’re kidding. Someone go call the chief lady-in-waiting.”

The chief lady-in-waiting who was called came over with a pale face and checked the dead ogre demon’s face.

“There is no mistake. It is Beifan.”

Apparently Beifan was a palace maid who had gone missing two months ago. Elder Mon seemed to have noticed something troubling, and she asked the chief lady-in-waiting for more detailed information.

As a result, it became clear that the missing Beifan had no record of leaving the palace for more than a year. The moment that became clear, Elder Mon’s beautiful face grew grim.

I thought about why, and quickly realized it. If it was true that Beifan had not gone outside for more than a year, then the problem was where she had absorbed demonic qi. The only possible answer was inside the palace. This was a serious situation.