Chapter 47
"...What?"
Beringer's hand stopped on the documents.
He looked toward the man standing in front of him.
"Say that again."
"The trainees from Hell Island have escaped."
"How many?"
The man hesitated.
Then answered.
"...All of them."
One of Beringer's eyebrows slowly rose.
"All of them?"
"Yes."
Silence followed.
The trainees of Hell Island had escaped.
Not one or two...
All of them.
The claim was so absurd that Beringer briefly doubted his ears.
And it had happened while Kren himself was personally inspecting the island.
But then...
"Pfft."
Laughter escaped Beringer.
"Hahahahaha!"
He leaned back in his chair and laughed loudly.
"Kren."
"That arrogant bastard really got humiliated this time."
Just imagining it was funny.
Kren never stopped bragging about how capable he was.
He had made a huge show of personally inspecting Hell Island and selecting useful trainees.
And yet...
While he was there...
Every single trainee escaped.
"How did he manage to lose all those brats on Hell Island?"
The man answered.
"A large fire broke out at the supply warehouse."
"The trainees used the chaos to attack the Executioners and instructors."
"Head Instructor Berton has also been confirmed dead."
The instant he heard that...
Beringer's laughter disappeared.
His gaze became cold.
"Berton is dead?"
"Yes."
"..."
Berton had not been an easy man.
They would never have placed just anyone in charge of Hell Island.
More importantly...
There were numerous Executioners and instructors stationed there.
Yet the trainees had not only escaped.
They had killed Head Instructor Berton.
So it wasn't luck.
This had to have been a carefully planned escape.
One prepared over a long period.
Beringer slowly tapped one finger against the desk.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
"Interesting."
At first...
He had only found Kren's humiliation amusing.
But now...
This was a far larger incident than expected.
"So what did Kren ask for?"
"He requested that nearby ports and coastal cities be sealed."
"He also said the trainees' personal information will be sent shortly."
"So he wants us to clean up his mess?"
"...Essentially."
A slow smile spread across Beringer's lips.
"Then we should help him."
"Sir?"
"Of course we should."
He smiled.
"Poor Kren is probably panicking after losing a bunch of Hell Island brats."
His words sounded sympathetic.
His face did not.
He looked delighted.
Beringer slowly stood.
"Contact every nearby port."
"Collect everything Kren sends us."
"Understood."
"And prepare people for tracking."
The man bowed.
Beringer walked toward the window.
All the Hell Island trainees...
That meant at least three to four hundred children.
The best outcome would be locating their ship before they reached land.
If they had already scattered...
Things could become slightly troublesome.
But...
That's a separate matter.
Something else mattered more.
Kren had asked him for help.
And had been forced to reveal his humiliating failure to do it.
A wide smile spread across Beringer's face.
"Let's help him for now."
Later...
He could take his time deciding what to demand from Kren in return.
"I'm already looking forward to seeing his face."
Chuckling softly...
Beringer put on his coat and walked out.
SPLASH!
One boy after another climbed out of the freezing sea.
"Everyone okay?"
"Haaah... Haaah..."
"Since I'm... still alive..."
"I guess I'm okay..."
Some collapsed onto the sand while gasping.
Others grabbed the arms of the comrades swimming behind them and pulled them ashore.
Once each section reached land...
They began separating in different directions, just as planned.
"We're going this way!"
"Everyone survive!"
"Let's meet again!"
Short farewells echoed across the beach.
The Section Five boys naturally looked toward Theron.
Theron watched them for a moment.
Then looked toward Perka.
"Perka."
"Hm?"
"You're in charge of them from here."
Perka froze.
"...What?"
"Lead them as far away as possible."
"Avoid major roads."
"And stay away from villages for the time being."
Perka's eyes widened.
"What about you?"
"I'll move separately."
"Why?"
Theron silently looked at them.
Their wet clothes clung to their bodies.
They were shivering from the cold.
These were the people he had trained beside on Hell Island.
Truthfully...
He wanted to go with them too.
But he could not.
"If you stay with me..."
Theron's expression became serious.
"All of you will be in danger."
"What are you talking about?"
"Who do you think they'll search for first?"
Perka's face stiffened.
Theron was the one who killed Head Instructor Berton.
Theron had also created the entire escape plan.
They all knew it.
Which meant...
The first person their enemies would pursue...
Would be Theron.
And Theron knew it too.
"If I stay with you, they'll eventually find all of you."
"But going alone..."
"Moving alone is easier."
"Theron."
"I'm fine."
Theron's voice was calm.
But Perka still looked troubled.
Theron lightly struck his shoulder.
"Survive."
"..."
"Survive..."
His voice softened.
"And let's meet again."
Perka's lips trembled.
"Theron..."
Theron would have liked to stay with them.
But right now...
Even keeping himself alive would not be easy.
And from here on...
There were things he had to do.
Perka stared at him silently.
Then finally...
"...All right."
He slowly nodded.
Then clenched his teeth.
"I'll survive."
After him...
The other Section Five boys approached Theron one by one.
"Me too."
"I'll survive too."
Renil looked directly at Theron.
"Don't die."
Tioren, beside him, spoke next.
"I'll get stronger."
"So..."
He clenched his fist.
"Tell me when the time comes."
"I want revenge on them too."
"Me too."
"Me too!"
Everyone clenched their fists.
Theron nodded.
"Let's meet again."
It was an awkward farewell.
None of them knew how to properly say goodbye.
They only repeated the same words.
Let's meet again.
But that was enough.
Theron memorized each of their faces.
"Go."
"Hurry."
At Theron's words...
Perka turned away.
The Section Five boys began following him.
After several steps...
Perka suddenly stopped.
Then turned around.
"Theron!"
Theron looked over.
Perka shouted.
"Shadow Legion."
"..."
"I'll remember it."
Theron's eyes trembled for just a moment.
Then a tiny smile appeared on his lips.
"Yeah."
Shadow Legion.
If they met again someday...
They would probably look different.
Not like fugitives...
But strong enough that nobody could ever trample them again.
Soon...
Perka and the others disappeared completely into the darkness.
Theron turned the opposite way.
Only the sound of waves remained on the shore.
Now...
"...I should get moving too."
There was somewhere he needed to go.
His figure also melted into the darkness like smoke.
A coastal forest covered in darkness.
Theron moved quickly between trees where even moonlight barely reached.
His clothes were soaked in seawater and clung to his body.
Every time the cold night wind blew...
His young body trembled.
Still...
He never slowed.
By now...
Carrier pigeons had probably already left Hell Island.
The nearby ports and coastal cities would have received word of their escape.
Once morning came...
Checkpoints would appear on the major roads.
Before long...
Countless pursuers would swarm into the region.
He had to put as much distance between himself and the coast as possible before then.
First, food and clothes.
Theron brushed back his wet hair and looked around.
There was a small fishing village about half a day's journey east along the coast.
But he had no intention of going there.
The moment he appeared in a village...
He would leave traces.
A twelve-year-old boy showing up in the middle of the night wearing soaked clothes...
Would look suspicious to anyone.
Instead...
Theron turned deeper into the forest.
If his memories from his previous life were correct...
There should be an abandoned hunter's cabin beyond these woods.
When he had served as a Shadow Knight...
He had stayed there for several days while pursuing a rebel fleeing along the coast.
It was already pretty old back then.
But now...
Its roof and walls might still be intact.
After walking for some time...
A faint structure appeared between the trees.
A small cabin.
Vines covered one of its walls.
"..."
Theron approached carefully.
He circled the building and examined the ground, windows, and door handle.
He was checking for signs of anyone using it.
But...
Nothing.
Fortunately...
There were no signs of people.
Only then did Theron open the door.
Creeeak.
The smell of old dust struck his nose.
A worn bed.
A broken chair.
Several rusted hunting tools hung from one wall.
Theron searched the cabin.
He found an old blanket and a small fire striker.
Inside a wooden box in the corner...
He also found dried meat that had become hard with age and a leather water pouch.
"Better than nothing."
Theron lit the fireplace.
Then removed his wet clothes and began drying them.
Wrapped in the blanket...
He leaned against the wall.
As warmth gradually spread...
His body finally stopped trembling.
"...Haaah."
Theron closed his eyes.
There were countless things he had to do from now on.
The princes would begin seriously fighting for the throne...
Ten years from now.
The Shadow Knights would also be created around that time.
And that was when Theron had begun acting as their blade.
By then...
A brutal struggle would begin in the shadows.
And eventually...
It would reach the people who had thrown Theron and his comrades away like disposable tools.
But Theron stopped himself.
There was no need to think ten years ahead right now.
He was only twelve.
His memories and experience came from his previous life.
But his body could not yet fully realize them.
Strength.
Stamina.
Even the vessel holding his mana...
Was still incomplete.
No matter how great his technique...
He could not directly endure the strength and speed of an adult forever.
At least eight years...
His body would need until around twenty to fully mature.
But...
Theron did not intend to hide until then.
There were things he could only do now.
He slowly placed one hand over his chest.
His mana circuits were still developing.
Once he became an adult...
They would harden and become difficult to change.
But while his body was still growing...
Those circuits would continue widening and changing shape.
Theron intended to use that.
Tempelst Mana Method.
A mana method specialized in explosive mana control.
And...
Darkfin Mana Method.
The mana method of the Shadow Knights.
Specialized in hiding and compressing mana.
The Darkfin Mana Method allowed rapid growth...
But carried the side effect of limiting a person to Six-Star.
If I combine them properly...
Theron's eyes sharpened.
I can become incomparably stronger than I was before.
Perhaps...
He could even reach Eight-Star.
A realm Theron had never reached in his previous life.
There was only one problem.
If the mana produced by the two methods clashes...
Ordinary herbs or mana stones could never prevent his circuits from tearing apart.
To naturally connect the two flows...
He needed mana that was extremely dense and pure.
"...Then I need to hurry."
A place appeared in Theron's mind.
Southern continent.
Five days from here.
The Karden Mountain Range.
And beneath an abandoned mine in those mountains...
A powerful medicinal treasure grew.
Mardian Root.
In the future...
An unknown mercenary would discover it.
After consuming it...
He would become powerful enough to suddenly make a name for himself throughout the mercenary world.
The discovery had caused a huge commotion.
But the location where it had been found...
Was not revealed until much later.
"Perfect."
There were still three years before anyone discovered it.
If Theron went now...
He could take it without interference.
He opened his eyes and looked at the flames.
Obtain the Mardian Root.
Use it to truly merge the two methods into Dark Tempelst.
That would be his second step toward revenge.
Then...
Rustle.
A tiny sound came from outside.
Theron's eyes instantly turned cold.
That was not the sound of leaves moving in the wind.
Footsteps.
Approaching at steady intervals.
And...
There was more than one person.
Theron silently stood and picked up the sword lying on the floor.
Already?
The pursuers had caught up much faster than expected.
A faint shadow passed beyond the window.
Then...
Presences surrounded the cabin from several directions.
A cold smile formed on Theron's lips.
"Good timing."
Before he went after the Mardian Root...
It seemed he could collect some supplies first.
