Miserable Reincarnation

65 – The Fugitive (1)

Lieutenant Kevin Grisslen.

He was as capable a soldier as his stern appearance suggested. Although not a battlefield promotion, his promotion speed was unusually fast even among officers.

Rumors circulated among his peers that if Kevin had possessed political acumen and flexibility, he could have set the record for the youngest promotion if he had swept through the ranks.

Tap-.

“Sorry. I’m late. Had to clear out some troublemakers.”

As he arrived, it seemed he’d been in a fierce battle; one side of the Hovercraft he boarded had a window completely shattered. Nevertheless, Lieutenant Kevin brushed off the dirt clinging to his uniform as if it were of no concern.

“Anyone injured?”

“Yes. Tina got some minor injuries but-“

“I-I’m fine! A few days’ rest will do!”

Smiling, Kevin glanced at Tina’s condition, then widened his eyes upon spotting Alves.

“Alves? How did you get here?”

“Joined in by chance while on the road.”

“Besides that, who allowed passage?”

“…Isn’t it normal to greet each other first in these situations?”

Seemingly familiar with such circumstances, Alves grumbled but obediently handed over an envelope containing the permit.

“Done?”

“Yeah. Seems your subordinates are in debt.”

“Still the same. No fun.”

Seeing them exchange a casual handshake, it seemed the notion of being close friends wasn’t entirely false.

“Headed towards the 4th Division?”

“Gave a hand at Matop.”

“No need to come in this direction, though?”

Instead of answering, Alves shrugged. That meant it’s none of your business. Yet, judging by his gesture, it seemed he had come for some drinks or mischief rather than anything official.

Kevin didn’t seem to dwell deeply on the situation, simply nodding his head and stepping back.

“Now that things have come to this, I don’t know if it means anything, but the interrogation results are out.”

“You got them quickly.”

“It would be good if you could keep your mouth shut for now.”

Alves glanced at Kevin and withdrew discreetly. The one to break the silence was Muller.

“I still want to hear it, though. What did they say?”

“At least among the lower ranks not properly recognized by the command faction, he seems to be at the bottom. The leader wasn’t even a high-ranking sorcerer; he was an outsider from the eastern continent. They said he had the ability to slaughter sorcerers who reached the 3rd or 4th rank, so he should be at least a 5th-rank sorcerer.”

“Must be from the Safa faction then. If it were the Zheng faction, they would probably be more cautious given the presence of the Three Eyes.”

Lieutenant Kevin nodded.

“His name is Hyeol-gwi. In his mid-30s, wanted at level 4 for the crime of massacring hundreds. Like typical outsiders, there’s no record in the Archive, but he seems to have mastered higher-level martial arts.”

A level 4 wanted criminal. I expected him to be a criminal, but I didn’t think he would be such a reckless guy to have a wanted order issued. In this world, they don’t usually issue wanted orders; they tend to kill them personally before that happens. In other words, the fact that a wanted order has been issued itself is a means of proving the criminal’s strength.

Of course, a level 4 wanted criminal is only one step above the lowest level, level 5.

Level 5 wanted criminals are often not strong enough to have a wanted order issued; it’s more of a joke that they got wanted because they were good at running away. The blood demon Hyeol-gwi, a level 4 wanted criminal, was probably in a similar situation.

It costs more to handle the damages if not dealt with than the cost of handling it.

Alves, who had taken a step back, spoke.

“If the story is over, let’s finish up roughly and have a drink.”

“I can’t allow a wanted criminal to roam around in my jurisdiction….”

Lieutenant Kevin paused in his speech and locked eyes with Alves. The next moment, his gaze slowly shifted towards Lian’s back.

Precisely, facing the short spear strapped to his back.

“……?”

Cracks appeared on the expressionless face, and the indifferent pupils shook slightly.

Anticipating such a reaction, Alves chuckled and raised his arm over Lieutenant Kevin’s shoulder.

“So it turned out like this, huh?”

“…Did you hunt that?”

“Well, which side do you think it is?”

Alves grinned nonchalantly.

“If you’re thinking of trying me, it’s better to stop.”

Thunk!

Lieutenant Kevin shrugged off Alves’s arm, his eyes flickering.

“If you really hunted a vampire, you wouldn’t be just trying me; you would have presented evidence right away.”

“hahahaha. You underestimate me too much.”

The atmosphere turned icy in an instant.

Leanne, realizing the focus was on her, spoke first.

“I was lucky.”

“Lucky?”

It wasn’t a story about accidentally hunting a fifth-class vampire.

“Be careful in choosing your words. You could end up facing a court-martial if you’re not careful.”

“Well… You might understand faster if you try handling a weapon.”

Liann extended a short spear instead of explaining.

Captain Kevin meticulously observed the weight, appearance, and material of the short spear, turning it over several times.

“It’s made of Eastern Continent Mountain Steel… with a hint of elastic alloy. Are they combining two short spears during similar situations to extend their length?”

It was a weapon that matched the reports he had seen.

Of course, if this were the only thing, rather than understanding the situation, it only raised questions about how they hunted vampires…

Captain Kevin quickly grasped Liann’s implication.

“…Poisonous.”

Colorless, yet unable to conceal the distinct odor of poison. Though even that was faint enough to be detected only after taking a deep breath right near it.

“How potent is the poison?”

“It’s probably melted into the bones by now.”

“…”

Surviving against someone who employs such lethal means… Or rather, should one consider winning because of that?

After all, the vampire was initially nameless, not because of poison but due to their spear skills.

It was quite common for those unfamiliar with poisons to make mistakes. Since even a slight deviation in applying the poison on a weapon could transfer it to the opponent’s weapon.

Using it wrongly might result in the reverse consequences affecting me.

That’s why they usually carried antidotes, but would an antidote hold significance against such potent poison?

A conclusion was drawn.

The vampire was as cunning with their poison as it was deadly enough to kill me if I were exposed.

As Kevin’s thoughts reached that point, he let out a hollow laugh unknowingly.

“An optimistic conjecture, worthy of someone like Alves.”

Having considered the best-case scenario, now I consider the worst.

Firstly, the assumption that the boy in front of me is not an ordinary boy.

His composure is unbelievable for his age. A mindset devoid of hesitation when it comes to murder. Proficiency in weapon usage to the point of mistaking him for a veteran.

But he is not a child soldier. Until the moment we first met, I was convinced of that…

[“I searched for the soldier you mentioned, sir, but he doesn’t exist in the data.”]

Since the information was confirmed directly by an officer in the execution unit, there is no doubt.

Lian is not a child soldier. There was a possibility that the information was manipulated, but the fact that Lian is not an ordinary boy remains unchanged.

So, what now?

Until now, it was just a suspicion, but after hearing that he hunted vampires single-handedly, I was certain.

To reach the 5th level and hunt a vampire single-handedly, you must at least be on the same level as them.

But at that age, it was impossible to reach the 5th level.

“…At least not through normal means.”

In the end, there is only one possibility left.

Artificial promotion in hierarchy.

The result of human modification without considering the side effects and the administration of unverified drugs.

It was a conjecture I could make because I knew that the military was producing “loyal” soldiers through human experimentation.

Lian, too, must be the result of thorough brainwashing and experimentation.

“…”

I must judge carefully.

If I were an experiment like myself, the person in charge is probably not of ordinary rank.

Having reached that conclusion, all the conversations I’ve had so far sounded completely different.

[Lucky me.]

From the beginning, it was thoroughly planned. Even the use of poison was not by a vampire, but by me.

[By now, it’s probably melted into the bones.]

The use of poison wasn’t to easily defeat a vampire but to obliterate the evidence.

What evidence was obliterated, you don’t need to know. Just quietly ask.

[You’ll understand faster if you see the weapon once.]

Act with discretion. If you don’t want to die.

“….”

Lieutenant Kevin, who was pondering for a moment, soon reached a conclusion.

“It seems like we can go back.”

“…Really?”

The bewildered voice flowed out of Lian’s mouth.

But don’t be deceived. Under that grotesque exterior, a murderer is lurking, waiting for us to make a mistake.

“Holding you like this is not a courtesy. Investigate. It’s not too late even after suppressing your body.”

“….”

Kevin didn’t miss the subtle smile appearing on Lian’s lips.

With his expression, Lian was saying this.

Too bad.

Only then could Kevin be certain.

The fact that this boy, even when broken, was remarkably resilient.

“Muller.”

“Yes, Lieutenant.”

“Take the team and depart first. I’ll… catch up in a bit.”

“…Yes.”

As Muller discreetly led the mercenaries away, Kevin let out the breath he had been holding.

“What’s going on?”

Alves asked cautiously, but Kevin remained silent.

He simply exhaled the smoke from his cigarette without a word.