Revenge of the Iron-Blooded Sword Hound Chapter 396

Revenge of the Iron-Blooded Sword Hound Chapter 396

[Translator – Clara]

[Proofreader – Lucky]

Chapter 396: Dead Man Walking (1)

A week passed quickly.

*Sizzle!*

Vikir burned all of Garam’s diaries. The necessary information had already been acquired, and his handwriting had become perfect, thanks to the forgery techniques he learned from Chihuahua.

“Now I can confidently imitate Garam’s handwriting whenever necessary.”

It was fortunate.

‘I want to leave this place. With her.’

Vikir silently gazed at the pages of the diary burning white-hot. Garam’s wish to leave this place would never come true. They would only turn into dark and white ashes sinking to the bottom of the deep sea.

“...,” Vikir silently watched as dozens of notebooks turned into ashes from beginning to end. It was a meager ending for a young man’s entire life.

“Still, I was able to obtain a lot of information. Thank you,” Vikir murmured, thinking of Garam, until the smoke from the burning diary disappeared completely.

Then, there was a knock at the door.

Tap, tap.

Opening the door, Kirko stood there with her usual expressionless face.

“It’s three hours before the execution.”

“...Why are you here so early?”

“I wanted to inform you in advance.”

“...Is that so?”

Kirko stood in front of the door, seemingly waiting for Vikir to finish getting ready, without moving a muscle.

Vikir found her blank stare somewhat unsettling but proceeded to dress.

Then, “Captain.”

Kirko spoke up as Vikir turned his head.

After a deep breath, she continued, “May I speak with you briefly before the execution?”

It was a somewhat unexpected request.

Since there was no reason to refuse, Vikir nodded, indicating his willingness.

In a solemn tone, Kirko began to speak.

“As you know, Captain, I was born in Nouvellebag.”

“...?”

“There was an incident in the past where a prisoner assaulted a guard, resulting in my birth.”

Kirko’s straightforward words caused Vikir to pause in buttoning up his shirt.

“I’m warning you in advance, it might be an immediate execution. Ever since the ‘unfortunate incident’ between a guard and a prisoner 19 years ago, the Hangman has been strict in control and punishment.”

The words Major D’ordume had spoken when Vikir had refused labor for some reason still lingered in his memory.

Kirko continued in a composed tone.

“After that, both my biological father and mother were referred to the disciplinary committee and disappeared. It is assumed they escaped... Anyway, I don’t know who my parents are. Naturally, I’ve never been to the surface.”

“Why are you telling me this now?” Vikir asked.

Kirko hesitated for a moment before revealing her true feelings.

“It’s because I’ve disliked you, Captain, due to my personal past that I’ve mentioned before.”

Kirko didn’t like Garam. No, she hated him. It was not because Garam was dull and sluggish, or because he was inherently kind and easy to manipulate, but for reasons beyond his constant mistakes.

Garam had parents to miss and a homeland on the surface, while Kirko, of the same age, had neither.

“Captain, you have a homeland and parents. When we first met, you said you came here to help your parents’ livelihoods. You said you missed your homeland’s mountains, fields, rivers, and lakes.”

“...?”

“Maybe I envied that. No, it’s more like inferiority. So, every time you made a mistake, I filled my lacking self-esteem by looking down on you and feeling contempt.”

Perhaps Garam would never have known that Kirko harbored such thoughts, even until the end.

‘No, even if he knew, would it have changed anything?’

Vikir stared intently at Kirko, as if asking what she wanted to say.

Vikir was in charge.

Leading Sakkuth, Vikir headed towards the edge of a cliff.

At the edge of the cliff stood jagged rocks, and Sakkuth was left standing precariously at the edge.

“Do not falter until the end,” Vikir spoke softly behind Sakkuth’s back.

“When you fall from the cliff, the rescue operation will be carried out. Understood?”

“I understand,” Sakkuth replied calmly.

Being thrown off this pitch-black cliff was the ‘unofficial execution’ of Nouvellebag.

Thud...

Vikir noticed Sakkuth’s legs trembling slightly.

“You pathetic fool. Are you scared?”

“H-how could I be, sir?”

“Don’t worry. See the guards and prisoners over there? They’re all operatives.”

Vikir pointed to the left and right sides of the cliff.

Sakkuth turned to look in the direction Vikir indicated.

Indeed, some guards and prisoners seemed oddly stiff or awkward among the crowd.

“They’re the insiders who will help you. They’ll rush to your aid as soon as my order is given.”

“I see... You truly are remarkable. When did you manage to enlist so many?”

“...”

Vikir didn’t bother to answer. In truth, the guards he had pointed out were just ordinary guards and prisoners. It was merely exploiting the psychological phenomenon that people see what they want to see when cornered.

With baseless hope, Sakkuth stood at the brink of the cliff.

“Ha-ha-ha! I have no regrets in life anymore. Do as you please, you bastards!”

Sakkuth shouted triumphantly at the surrounding guards before turning his head to give Vikir a smug glance.

And then, without hesitation, Sakkuth leaped off the cliff.

Wheeeeee!

A prisoner falling into the deep abyss, into the depths of darkness.

However...

The guards’ expressions remained unchanged.

The execution wasn’t over just because Sakkuth had jumped off the cliff.

...Eventually.

Rumble, rumble...

The ‘real’ execution had begun.

“Huh?”

Even Sakkuth, who was being executed, didn’t realize it.

And for Vikir, it was also his first time seeing it in person.

Rumble, rumble...

In the darkness, a long line was drawn.

It spread wide like the mouth of a living creature, revealing grotesque deformities nestled inside.

The long line extended endlessly, opening wide to reveal a gaping maw filled with these grotesque creatures.

One enormous face with bared teeth looked down from above.

“W-what!? What is that!?”

Sakkuth’s face turned pale, and Vikir too swallowed hard.

Among the five pillars representing Nouvellebag, the one with the most veiled identity had appeared.

“...I heard it wasn’t a human as well, but I never imagined it’d look like that.”

It was the arrival of Lieutenant Colonel Flubber.

[Translator – Clara]

[Proofreader – Lucky]