When Fear Turns to Courage

After that, Meno told me everything. The wretched mountain bandit’s name was Goro. He was tall and broad—Meno said he was twice my height. He wore a bear’s pelt as clothing and carried a massive cleaver in his hand. Aside from being cruel, Meno also said he was cunning, and warned me to be careful.

“Does he have underlings?”

“Yes… around ten men, give or take. But still, the most dangerous one is Goro.”

I did not know how strong this man named Goro really was, but it seemed wise to stay cautious.

“Where are the villagers?”

“They are working under his orders right now. But at night, the villagers are usually gathered in the village hall and forbidden to leave. Only his men patrol the village.”

“I see. That means the villagers won’t be involved. I can strike at night.”

“No, sir! That is far too dangerous for you! And you have a child with you!”

It seemed this bastard had left the boy so terrified that he could hardly think straight. I could not just ignore this. Mikaor was less than a day’s journey away—wiping out a few insects should not take too long.

“I beg you, sir. I don’t want to see any more deaths, especially from outsiders like you.”

“I cannot turn away. I need to reach Mikaor quickly.”

“If you want to go to Mikaor, you should take the longer route around. It is only a day longer than through our village.”

“I already told you I must reach Mikaor as soon as possible. Has your fear made you deaf?”

“I—I’m sorry…”

The problem was I could not fight freely against many opponents if no one was watching over Rin.

I patted Meno’s shoulder.

“Listen to me. Tonight, I will end those bandits’ lives. But I need one thing from you.”

I glanced at Rin.

“Protect her. Make sure she is safe. Can you do that?”

Meno looked confused for a moment, but then his expression hardened with resolve.

“V-very well. In return, please save the people of Motar from these bandits’ cruelty.”

“Finally, you sound like a man.”

I went to Rin and stroked her head.

“Rin, tonight I will punish the bad men. You will stay with Meno for a while. I won’t be long, don’t worry.”

Rin looked sad and disappointed, but she nodded in agreement.

The sky darkened, the sun disappeared, the sound of crickets filled the night. From afar, I could see torches lighting parts of Motar Village. At the entrance, two guards stood watch.

“Only two guards? Where are the others?”

“Usually the rest patrol inside the village. They switch shifts from time to time.”

“Alright.”

I told Meno and Rin to stay back and observe from a distance, then stepped forward toward the village. As soon as I approached, the two guards drew their weapons—sharp little knives.

“Who are you?”

“Ah, sorry, sorry… I didn’t mean to scare you like that.”

“What did you say, bastard?!”

One of them charged at me. A shame they did not come at once.

I drew my katana and sliced off his head. The other bandit, seeing his comrade fall, trembled violently. His face was pale with fear.

“Not coming? Then I’ll come to you.”

I dashed forward and beheaded him just the same. I could feel a strange power in this blade filling me with confidence. It was my first time wielding it, yet it felt as if I had a long connection with it.

I entered the village. To my left and right, the homes looked similar to those in Green Valley—huts made of wood, clustered close together. The streets, however, were silent.

Walking deeper inside, I spotted a bonfire in the distance surrounded by men dressed in animal pelts. These must have been Goro’s underlings. I counted eight. But from Meno’s description, Goro himself was not among them. Where was that bastard?

I approached the fire.

“Excuse me, have you seen the bastard named Goro?”

They all stood, drawing sharp knives, anger clear on their faces.

“I don’t know how you got in, but you’re a fool if you think you’ll leave alive.”

“Ouch, my ears… your trash talk is like noise pollution.”

“This bastard really has a death wish! Everyone, get him!”

They surrounded me, charging all at once with their blades.

“Now that’s better. Saves me the trouble of killing you one by one.”

My body felt light. Time itself seemed to slow. I could see every strike coming. Drawing my katana, I spun in a wide arc, cleaving all of their heads in an instant. Blood sprayed everywhere, skulls thudded against the ground one after another.

Now then… where was Goro?

I heard footsteps. From a large hut ahead, a group of elderly villagers and children shuffled out, their hands bound with rope. Leading them was a towering man with a massive cleaver. He looked at me with a vicious smile, full of murderous intent. That bastard was Goro.

He placed the cleaver against the throat of an old man struggling to stand.

“Meno! I know you’re watching! Come out, or I’ll kill your grandfather!”

I looked around and found Meno with Rin at my right side. What was this boy thinking?

“Hahaha, so you finally showed yourself!”

Goro’s gaze shifted to Rin.

“Bring me that child, or this cleaver will end your grandfather’s life.”

The old man looked ready to accept death. But everything now rested on Meno’s choice.

Meno stepped in front of Rin, spreading his arms wide.

“I will never hand her over to a bastard like you! I’ve seen with my own eyes the cruelty you’ve brought to our village! Now a hero has come to free us! There is no way I will ever believe a word from your filthy mouth again, Goro!”

He shouted through tears streaming down his face. His hands and legs trembled, but he stood tall.

Around us, I could see the villagers’ faces lift, a small flame of hope igniting in their eyes. Goro, on the other hand, had reached his limit. His face was red, veins bulging with rage.

Before the cleaver could swing toward Meno’s grandfather’s neck, my katana had already sliced off Goro’s hand, then severed his head with a single strike.

“Your choice was the right one, Meno.”