Episode 90

“Wha—?”

“……”

Donear and the bandits froze in shock, staring at the figure emerging from the bushes.

It wasn’t just anyone—it was Ject the Arbiter, clad in golden armor.

“S-Sir Ject, this is….”

“You’ve found the Heavenly King’s Book of Truth. Well done. Now, hand it over to me. Or perhaps, are you considering testing yourselves under the influence of that Naga woman’s schemes?”

Ject smiled as he spoke.

“Would you like to see if the reputation of the Arbiter is a mere illusion?”

“……”

The bandits were at a loss.

‘Aren’t we basically invincible now?’

‘But this man… he’s the one who made us invincible.’

‘Oh.’

The bandits swallowed nervously, staring at Ject.

“Hand it over. The Heavenly King’s Book of Truth.”

“Y-yes, of course.”

Donear, unable to withstand Ject’s oppressive presence, reluctantly handed over the book. Ject took it with a faint smirk.

“I must say, I’m a bit disappointed in you all. I expected you to take care of this mess without dirtying my hands.”

“Pardon?”

“I-I mean….”

“Make sure there are no witnesses left behind. I’ll take my leave now. I’ll see you at the Lantarique Holy Knights Headquarters.”

But just at that moment—

Swish!

An arrow flew toward Ject.

“What?!”

It wasn’t just one arrow. Four arrows shot from different directions, all targeting Ject. Two of them were enchanted, while the others were fired using the Two-Stringed Bow technique.

Flowers, Birds, Wind, Moon – Golden Crane and White Crane.

“Hm?”

Ject casually flicked his hand. Silver light radiated from his fingertips, and the arrows exploded mid-air.

“Impressive archery. You must be from the Messenger Clan?”

“Yes!”

From the bushes, a young girl stepped out. Mediam emerged with an arrow nocked on her bowstring. She boldly puffed out her chest and glared at Ject with defiance.

“Calling yourself a Holy Knight while siding with bandits to slaughter innocent civilians? How shameless can you be!”

“Hahaha, what a bold little lady. A member of the Messenger Clan lecturing a Holy Knight of the King’s Church? How amusing.”

“Of course! I am Mediam Ethar, a bearer of the Emperor’s voice! The ignorant call us soulless, but the truth is that it is you who lack a soul!”

With those words, Mediam aimed her bow at Ject.

“Fallen to corruption, you’ve become part of a savage band of outlaws, yet you dare call yourself a knight? How impudent! On behalf of the Emperor, I shall deliver divine punishment!”

“Hahaha! Adorable.”

Despite the fact that Mediam was aiming her bow at him, Ject showed no tension and watched her antics with amusement. He seemed entertained by her exaggerated words and gestures.

‘Good, he’s distracted!’

Mediam fired her arrow. At the same time, Ismail, moving silently among the trees above, dove down with his sword, aiming at Ject from above.

“Adorable.”

Ject extended his hand, and silver threads of light shot toward both Mediam and Ismail.

Clang!

The threads collided with Ismail’s sword, shattering the blade into seven fragments. Mediam’s arrows also exploded mid-flight.

And then—

Thud!

Something pierced Mediam’s body.

“Urk?!”

Mediam finally noticed what had struck her—a thin, needle-like object threaded with a glimmering string.

‘No way… A needle pierced my body?’

It was so fine that, despite piercing her stomach, it caused only slight pain. But the thread remained threaded through her body.

“Don’t move hastily. If I so much as tug on this string….”

“Aaaagh!”

Mediam screamed as excruciating pain, like her body being set ablaze, coursed through her.

“Mediam!”

Panicked, Ismail charged toward Ject, but Ject flicked another needle and string toward him.

Flowers, Birds, Wind, Moon – Twilight.

Ismail dodged the thread aimed at his head, but it struck a massive tree behind him.

The needle pierced the thick tree trunk with a heavy, resounding impact.

Crack!

Ject lightly tugged the thread.

Whiiirr.

The thread vibrated, and the tree exploded into splinters, breaking in half.

“Ah!”

Mediam gasped in horror at the sight.

Now pierced by Ject’s needle and string, Mediam realized what that power could do. If Ject exerted the same force on her, she would be obliterated, leaving no remains behind.

Ject’s restraint was not due to mercy but rather precision control of his power to avoid killing her outright. Yet, if he desired, he could shatter her into pieces without hesitation.

“Gasp.”

The watching bandits were speechless.

“This… this is the Arbiter.”

“My god.”

The bandits, who had grown overconfident with their invulnerable bodies, now realized the futility of their strength. It was obvious that even with their enhanced forms, they were no match for Ject’s power.

“Damn it!”

Ismail tried to fire arrows, aiming for an opening, but Ject flicked his thread, causing an invisible shockwave that shattered the arrows mid-air. Even a light graze from the thread reduced the steel-tipped arrows to dust.

Thwack!

Eventually, Ismail was struck by a needle.

“Aaagh!”

The needle pierced his arm, and as it wrapped around a tall tree branch, Ismail was lifted into the air, his feet dangling. Unlike Mediam, who had her feet planted on the ground, Ismail’s weight pulled against the thread, threatening to tear the wound wider. Panicked, he grabbed his arm, clutching the thread and wound together to prevent further tearing. But blood trickled along the thread as the wound worsened.

“This… this can’t be….”

Both Ismail and Mediam were subdued by Ject in an instant.

Ject appeared uninterested in killing them, satisfied with merely restraining them.

Was this the leisure of an absolute superior?

To Ject, neither Ismail nor Mediam posed any threat, no matter their efforts. He watched them with the same indulgent gaze as a parent humoring the antics of a child.

‘This is wrong. He’s insane.’

How could someone like him allow bandits to ravage innocent civilians?

Mediam bit her lower lip as she watched Ject approach.

“You’re young, practically children, but your spirit is commendable. It would be a shame to leave you as mere members of the Messenger Clan. How about becoming my disciples instead?”

“Thanks, but no thanks. The proud daughter of Ethar won’t stoop so low as to beg for her life by becoming the apprentice of a dog!”

“Is that so?”

Another needle flew out and pierced Mediam’s thigh.

“Ugh!”

“I appreciate the spirit of the Messenger Clan, but there’s no need to spare you both. I’ll keep one of you as a trophy. So, who will live, and who will die?”

As Ject posed the question, both Mediam and Ismail’s eyes burned with defiance. Despite their predicament, their resolve remained unbroken, which once again impressed Ject.

“It seems persuasion won’t work. Perhaps I’ll have to touch your brains….”

At that moment, another arrow flew through the air.

“Pointless effort!”

Without turning, Ject released a needle toward the arrow. But something unusual happened when the needle and arrow collided.

Ting!

The arrow deflected the needle and continued its flight.

“Hm?!”

The arrow reached just shy of Ject’s hand before exploding. The resulting shockwave loosened the tension in the threads restraining Ismail and Mediam, allowing Ismail to land safely on the ground.

“Well, well.”

Ject looked at his hand. The spool of thread he held trembled slightly. It had absorbed the impact of the arrow, causing his hand to shake. Though the vibration subsided, it was clear this opponent was not to be underestimated.

At that moment, Mediam and Ismail were freed from the threads. Azadine had used a dagger to sever the threads binding them.

“Azadine!”

“You’re here!”

Even Ismail, who usually resented Azadine, was relieved to see him at this moment.

“Well done, Mediam and Ismail. I’m proud of you.”

Azadine commended them, clearly aware of the bravery Mediam had shown to distract Ject.

“On the other hand, Sir Ject seems to be someone who enjoys tormenting children. Does the King’s Church have no sense of dignity?”

“Interesting. This time, instead of fleeing, you’ve decided to confront me, Messenger?”

Ject smirked, mocking Azadine for avoiding him in the past.

‘So that’s why Azadine was avoiding the Arbiter.’

Both Mediam and Ismail now understood. But Azadine calmly replied.

“The world is already chaotic enough. Killing someone like the Arbiter would only worsen the disorder. You’re still useful when dealing with the Kurut God Tribe or monsters.”

“Hahaha.”

“But harassing civilians and children? That’s unacceptable.”

“Children? These youths would already be parents in regions with early marriage customs. Harassing children seems like an exaggeration, wouldn’t you say?”

“Who cares about customs in other places?”

“Ignoring other cultures’ customs won’t earn you any praise.”

“Well, by that logic, aren’t you old enough to be in a coffin in places where funerals are held early? How about lying down and respecting their traditions right now?”

“…Such places exist?”

“Yeah, sure. They exist.”

Azadine brushed off the topic and signaled to Mediam and Ismail.

“I’ll handle this guy. You two lead the others to safety.”

“What?!”

“You’re going to face the Arbiter alone?”

“Yes.”

With that, Azadine moved into the forest.

“After such a dramatic entrance, you’re going to run away?”

Ject scoffed. But before he could finish, an arrow flew toward his face. Startled, he tilted his head to dodge, only for the arrow to twist mid-air, changing direction like a fish swimming through rapids.

Thwack!

The arrow grazed Ject’s armor, leaving a deep gash. The powerful longbow had nearly pierced the armor.

“Your armor saved you.”

Azadine smirked.

“Well, that was rude.”

Ject clicked his tongue, realizing that Azadine’s strategy was proving more troublesome than expected.

“Impressive.”

Mediam marveled at Azadine’s skill, having brought down Ject’s threads so easily with his arrows. Meanwhile, Ismail grumbled as he tended to his wound.

“He just used a strong bow, didn’t he? I could do that too… eventually. Or if I had Black Steel Arrows right now….”

“Ismail, why are you always complaining about Azadine?”

“You’re the one who got influenced by him! Instead of running from the Arbiter, you went for a direct fight, and look where it got us.”

“But we got praised, didn’t we?”

“……”

And that was the problem.

Mediam had never cared for recognition or praise. As a scion of the Ethar family, many people had sought her approval, so she dismissed compliments as either flattery or expected.

Yet here she was, speaking and acting like Azadine, feeling proud of his praise. What annoyed him most was—

‘When he praised me, I felt happy….’

And that infuriated him beyond words.