NOVEL NEXT Chapter 8 - Destroy Them. The Bandits.
The duke’s garden was indescribably beautiful.
Kiera and Lucy sat on outdoor chairs, taking in the colorful flowers for a long time.
They weren’t just passing time idly.
Currently, Kiera was in convalescence.
To regain her hero’s power.
“Kiera, don’t you miss the pork belly that mutt used to make?”
“The taste was good. But I don’t particularly want to eat it.”
“Really?”
Lucy looked at the distant scenery and smiled.
“These days, I sometimes think of the mutt. I wonder if we were wrong to kick him out. Besides, I’m bored without someone to bully. If I’d known it would be like this, I should have tormented him more before kicking him out.”
Kiera became serious.
“Why are you suddenly bringing up that person?”
“Honestly.”
Lucy paused for a moment before continuing.
“According to my judgment as the wise mage Lucy, your current loss of power. Isn’t it because of Maru? Even though you outwardly dislike Maru, inwardly, aren’t you deeply hurt by his departure? The psychological factor affected your hero’s power.”
“Kuk kuk.”
Kiera’s shoulders shook slightly with laughter before it grew louder.
“Haha, hahaha!”
After laughing loudly like a madwoman, she suddenly became serious.
“Lucy. You know what? Until just a minute ago, a person called Maru definitely didn’t exist in my memories, no, in my life. But because of you, I remembered. Do you know what this means?”
“You hadn’t thought about the mutt at all since he left…”
“Why should I think about him? We broke up. That’s the end, isn’t it? We’re complete strangers now.”
“You lost your power, and the only thing that changed in our lives was the mutt leaving, so that’s why.”
“It’s absolutely unrelated to him. If anything, having him around was more harmful.”
Lucy smiled.
“You really hate him, huh? Didn’t he take good care of you when you were sick? Where did that gratitude go?”
“I don’t hate him. He was just all niceness and nothing else. In our line of work, being nice isn’t enough. You need ambition. And I paid back any debt from those days during our hero life. Being a commoner, wasn’t it enough that he got to meet nobles and enjoy luxuries beyond his status while following a hero?”
“You cut it off so coldly.”
“Cold? I gave him many chances. He just didn’t take them. I think I did enough. Actually, thinking about it now, he seems like someone who was too inadequate for me. He was someone who only suited me when I was poor. That lasted annoyingly long and became a wound for both of us. We should have broken up at the right time. Breaking up now was too late.”
“Your expensive armor had a lot of his money in it too. If you were planning to break up, you shouldn’t have taken that money.”
“That’s natural since he was my boyfriend. The money would have been useless for him anyway. Besides, I showed enough gratitude.”
“How?”
“Isn’t it enough that I, a hero, slept with him?”
“You two didn’t even hold hands in the last year though.”
“I meant before that.”
“Lady Kiera. So this is where you were.”
Suddenly, a man’s voice was heard from afar.
“I was just hoping to see you.”
A handsome man with beautiful orange hair was approaching.
It was Josef, the eldest son of Duke Toledo.
Kiera jumped up from her seat and greeted him with a demure smile.
“I was just taking a walk. Why were you looking for me?”
“I just finished a finance meeting. Please be happy.”
Josef showed a charming smile revealing white teeth.
“Our House of Toledo has decided to sponsor Lady Hero Kiera’s activities for the next three years. And you mentioned wanting to change the horse you’ve been riding? We will prepare the finest steed for you within days. Please look forward to it.”
“Oh my!”
Kiera covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes welling up.
“Thank you…! Thank you!”
“Not at all.”
Josef patted her back, which was shaking with tears of joy, and cheered for her future.
After the mood calmed, Josef spoke.
“Ah yes. Are you free tonight? There’s a ball exclusively for noble youths, and I’d like to invite you, Lady Kiera. Everyone would consider it an honor.”
Kiera smiled brightly without a moment’s hesitation.
“How perfect, I happen to be free today. When are you planning to leave?”
The two quickly became engrossed in conversation about the evening’s ball.
Lucy, sitting beside them with her chin propped up boredly, pursed her lips.
‘Kiera has a strong stomach. I could never do that even if I died.’
Suddenly Maru came to mind.
She giggled.
‘Wonder if our mutt is alive or dead? If Han Maru saw this situation, he’d die of frustration.’
Hundreds of kilometers away at the bandits’ hideout.
A middle-aged man in robes was lying on the ground.
“Urk… p-please spare me…”
“I was going to hit you just three times, but you resisted so it became ten. That’s your fault.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the alchemist passed out.
After dusting off his hands, Maru moved on.
He saw half-naked women screaming and running out of a thatched house.
“Is that it?”
As he reached the entrance, a huge muscular pig of a man walked out.
Over 2 meters tall, bald, with extremely thick and bulging trapezius muscles around his neck.
Just looking at him, one could tell he was the boss.
Maru stood face to face with him.
The man’s mouth opened as he looked down with angry eyes.
“Are you the one who turned my quarters into a mess?”
“Yeah.”
“You short-haired bastard asking to die.”
He suddenly swung his hand and slapped.
Slap!
Maru’s head turned.
Maru returned his head to position and this time slapped the boss.
Slap!
The boss’s body flew like an arrow and tumbled into the adjacent building.
“Urgh! D-damn…”
“Surprised it hurts so much?”
Others would have passed out already, but being the boss, he had quite some endurance.
He hurriedly cleared away the debris and stood up, grinding his teeth.
His face turned red, flushing all the way to the top of his head.
“I’ll cut you into pieces and chew your raw flesh!”
The boss started throwing anything he could grab.
Rocks, building debris, people – everything came flying indiscriminately.
Maru dodged here and there while stepping back.
“He’ll come anyway.”
Leaving him wasting energy, Maru entered the boss’s house.
The boss hurriedly followed.
Just as he was about to enter, Maru’s fist shot out and struck his face.
“Ugh… uugh…”
“Didn’t expect that?”
“Y-you b…”
The huge body fell backward.
Maru sat on his stomach and threw a few punches.
Then, as if bursting with rage, the guy started transforming while spewing vulgar curses that rivaled profanity.
“Kieeek…! You bastaaard! I won’t let you live!”
Several spider-like legs sprouted from his sides and his two legs merged into one like a scorpion’s tail.
Rather than being surprised, Maru found it ridiculous when the guy struggling under him embraced his body tightly with multiple legs.
“What are you. A demon?”
“Kieeek!”
To think a demon had infiltrated and become the boss of a bandit group.
Maru tore off all the legs restraining his body and then gleefully ripped apart the internal organs.
The boss monster was no match for Maru.
The difference in power was stark.
He died, torn to shreds like that.
“Following the hero party for so long seems to have given me a habit of being brutal when I see demons… It’s an occupational disease, an occupational disease. This is a problem.”
Maru got chills thinking he’d been too cruel even though he did it himself.
“Found it.”
He discovered the mirror of truth in the boss’s house.
Maru wrapped it carefully in cloth and took it out.
Then he looked around the bandits’ hideout.
Those who could run away had all fled, and fires were burning everywhere.
“I can’t believe I did this…”
It was unbelievable that the despised porter had single-handedly taken down an entire bandit group.
“I won’t have to worry about making a living anymore.”
He rubbed his nose and moved on.
He saw half-naked women screaming and running out of a thatched house.
“Is that the place?”
Just as he reached the entrance, a huge muscular pig of a man walked out.
Over 2 meters tall, bald, with extremely thick and bulging trapezius muscles around his neck.
Just looking at him, one could tell he was the boss.
Maru stood face to face with him.
The man’s mouth opened as he looked down with angry eyes.
“Are you the one who turned my quarters into a mess?”
“Yeah.”
“You short-haired bastard asking to die.”
He suddenly swung his hand and slapped.
Slap!
Maru’s head turned.
Maru returned his head to position and this time slapped the boss.
Slap!
The boss’s body flew like an arrow and tumbled into the adjacent building.
“Urgh! D-damn…”
“Surprised it hurts so much?”
Others would have passed out already, but being the boss, he had quite some endurance.
He hurriedly cleared away the debris and stood up, grinding his teeth.
His face turned red, flushing all the way to the top of his head.
“I’ll cut you into pieces and chew your raw flesh!”
The boss started throwing anything he could grab.
Rocks, building debris, people – everything came flying indiscriminately.
Maru dodged here and there while stepping back.
“He’ll come anyway.”
Leaving him wasting energy, Maru entered the boss’s house.
The boss hurriedly followed.
Just as he was about to enter, Maru’s fist shot out and struck his face.
“Ugh… uugh…”
“Didn’t expect that?”
“Y-you b…”
The huge body fell backward.
Maru sat on his stomach and threw a few punches.
Then, as if bursting with rage, the guy started transforming while spewing vulgar curses that rivaled profanity.
“Kieeek…! You bastaaard! I won’t let you live!”
Several spider-like legs sprouted from his sides and his two legs merged into one like a scorpion’s tail.
Rather than being surprised, Maru found it ridiculous when the guy struggling under him embraced his body tightly with multiple legs.
“What are you. A demon?”
“Kieeek!”
To think a demon had infiltrated and become the boss of a bandit group.
Maru tore off all the legs restraining his body and then gleefully ripped apart the internal organs.
The boss monster was no match for Maru.
The difference in power was stark.
He died, torn to shreds like that.
“Following the hero party for so long seems to have given me a habit of being brutal when I see demons… It’s an occupational disease, an occupational disease. This is a problem.”
Maru got chills thinking he’d been too cruel even though he did it himself.
“Found it.”
He discovered the mirror of truth in the boss’s house.
Maru wrapped it carefully in cloth and took it out.
Then he looked around the bandits’ hideout.
Those who could run away had all fled, and fires were burning everywhere.
“I can’t believe I did this…”
It was unbelievable that the despised porter had single-handedly taken down an entire bandit group.
“Now I won’t have to worry about making a living.”
After wiping his nose, he walked on.
At that moment, a watchtower that was on fire suddenly tilted left and blocked the cave prison entrance.
“Edward!”
Just as Maru rushed over urgently, he suddenly felt pain in his chest and collapsed.
“Urgh! What’s this! Something… is trying to burst out!”
It hurt so badly he wanted to scream.
It felt like his flesh was tearing.
Though he didn’t know the cause, the feeling was certain.
He had a foreboding that if he released whatever was thrashing inside him, it wasn’t him but the world that would be fucked.
Maru endured desperately.
“Huff! Huff!”
He stood up painfully and ran forward.
He stopped in front of the blocked prison entrance.
The fallen watchtower’s debris was all ablaze and the inside of the cave was completely invisible.
“Edward!”
When he called for the prince, fortunately a voice came from the other side.
“Oh Maru! Are you hurt anywhere!”
“Worry about yourself! Urgh!”
“Wh-what was that sound! Are you perhaps injured!?”
“Don’t breathe! Smoke coming in! cough cough!”
“If you’re hurt, I’m fine! Take care of yourself first in this dangerous situation!”
“Don’t say nonsense!”
Maru endured the pain while starting to clear away the burning debris.
“Cover your mouth with a wet cloth until I clear everything! Ugh!”
“You can rest if it’s hard! I’m this country’s prince! I absolutely won’t die before ascending to the throne! Even the flames will avoid me!”
Inside the cave prison.
Edward shouted brightly but was actually in a state of resignation.
Black smoke entering his nostrils made breathing painful.
“cough cough!”
He felt like he would die from suffocation soon.
Still, he worried about Maru more than himself.
“You look like you’re struggling, stop! With this much piled up, it’ll take ages to clear! Rather, I hope at least you escape safely. I’m just a fool anyway, even if I live there’s no one who would be happy. Everyone would probably be glad, saying it’s for the best.”
Sensing death, Edward smiled bitterly and muttered to himself.
“In all my life, you’re the first person who sincerely tried to help me. What luck to meet you so late… I can die feeling good.”
He shouted loudly again.
“Don’t struggle for a useless person like me! Quickly leave before the remaining bandits return!”
However, Maru’s voice came from beyond the debris as he cleared things away desperately.
“Why is your self-esteem so low! Listen carefully! There are no worthless humans in this world! Not me! Not you! It’s just that our time to shine hasn’t come yet! We’re just late compared to others, so stay alive, you bastard!”
At that moment, numerous debris were lifted up and fresh air flowed into the prison that had been full of acrid smoke.
Maru threw the burning pile of debris far away.
Then he smiled brightly at Edward who was sitting with a dry cloth over his mouth.
“See, you can live. Why give up in advance? huff huff…!”
“Maru!”
Edward burst into tears of gratitude right there.
He said this was the first time someone saved him with their heart and not for money.
As he kept crying and saying how admirable, heroic, and amazing it was, Maru got tired of it and kicked him in the butt.