The Sage that the Sword Saint is Obsessed With

5 – 2. Tyrant (2)

1.

Evan is soaked in alcohol again today.

He is intoxicated without a break, but on days when he has nothing to do, like today, he’s stuck in the inn, drinking non-stop.

When the alcohol runs out, he goes down to the first-floor restaurant and buys a bottle, then goes up, and if it runs out again, he repeats the same thing.

“You can’t go on like this!”

Mea, who is helping her parents in the inn, snatched the liquor bottle from Evan.

“You’ll ruin your body.”

She doesn’t harbor any particular affection for Evan, but as a human being, she can’t stand to watch him any longer.

He drank alcohol every day, enough to make even a drunkard hang his head, and it looked like he was going to die.

In his drunkenness, he gets hurt more often than not.

Falling down the stairs is a daily occurrence.

At times, when things got really bad, he’d even hurt himself while laughing.

“…Give it to me.”

Evan stretched out his hand with his head lowered.

“No.”

“…Give it to me.”

“I said no. Stop drinking for today. You’re already on your fifth bottle!”

Evan let out a deep sigh, “Haaa.”

He raised his head.

Mea shuddered.

The eyes glimpsed through the messy forelocks looked as if they would harm someone at any moment.

Evan glared at Mea with his bloodshot eyes.

“Do you pity me too?”

Mana began to ripple.

The atmosphere weighed down on their shoulders as if gravity itself had become a burden.

“Cut it out.”

A adventurer, who had been eating in the inn, grabbed Evan’s shoulder.

-Thwack!

Evan immediately turned his body and threw a punch at the adventurer’s face.

“Gah…!”

It hit right in the center of his face.

He stopped trying to use magic.

Because it easily broke.

The sturdier the target for venting anger, the better. They could be hit for a longer time, and occasionally countered with a small laugh.

Evan climbed on top of the adventurer.

-Thwack! Thwack!

Like hammering, Evan’s fists rained down furiously on the adventurer’s face.

Blood splattered.

The nose bone broke and swelled up like it had been stung by a bee.

The adventurer couldn’t even put up a proper resistance and turned into a bloody mess.

But Evan did not stop.

He continued to punch.

People grimaced.

It was cruel.

It was brutal.

What could they do about this tyrant?

The village was safe from magic due to his presence, but at the same time, his presence caused the village to be chaotic.

It was at that moment.

A middle-aged man opened the inn door and walked in.

“Stop it.”

The middle-aged man spoke in a low, heavy voice.

Evan slightly turned his head.

Her face is hidden behind her bangs.

She swept her bangs aside with her blood-stained hand, revealing her face.

“Didn’t we say we’d leave it to the Imperial Knights next time?”

A man chides in a stern voice.

He is Carden, the leader of the Adventurers’ Alliance in Capra Village.

Despite being intoxicated, Evan seemed to recognize Carden’s face and watched him closely.

Evan smirked.

“… Can we really pass it on?”

Until now, he hadn’t entered the detention center because the soldiers had overpowered him, but because he’d chosen to walk in whenever his anger couldn’t be subsided by alcohol.

Evan stood up.

He took out a gold coin from his pocket and tossed it to the fallen adventurer.

It was the payment for the drinks.

Reeking of alcohol, Evan stood before Carden.

“What is it this time?”

It seemed he knew why the leader of the Adventurers’ Alliance had come personally.

There could be only one reason.

As it had been until now.

To assign a dangerous quest.

Carden had come directly to the detention center a few days ago to entrust them with a mining quest.

“It’s a quest.”

“So, what kind of quest?”

“We’ll talk about the details at the Alliance.”

“Anyway, it’ll either be a demon or a mine, right?”

Evan laughed and staggered with a groan.

His legs kept losing strength.

It felt as if he was riding a wave, the world undulating around him.

Yet, he found the situation amusing and giggled.

“Just tell me the location.”

Evan adjusted his robe, as if he was ready to depart immediately.

Carden pressed the bridge of his nose and shook his head.

I knew he’d be drunk, but I didn’t expect him to be this wasted.

“Sober up and come to the Alliance tomorrow. We’ll discuss the details then.”

Karden clicked his tongue and turned away.

“Help that friend of yours to his room, will you?”

He ordered the other adventurers who had accompanied them to take Evan to his room. The adventurers were worried about being assaulted by the tyrant, but they had to follow the order.

-Whack!

As they tried to help, a fist came flying.

“Don’t touch me.”

His eyes were fierce.

“I can do it myself, so everybody piss off.”

Evan staggered up the stairs, looking as though he would fall.

“……”

Karden watched Evan safely climb to the second floor, then let out a sigh and left the inn.

It’s truly a pity.

If only his mind were clear, he would be an excellent adventurer.

He might even be the hero the world desires.

It’s a shame that such a talented person lives a life like a wretched being.

2.

The next day.

Evan made his way to the Adventurer’s Alliance, reeking of alcohol.

He didn’t have a clear head after drinking five bottles of alcohol, but he remembered a few important things.

He only remembered that Karden, the head of the Adventurer’s Alliance, had come to see him in person.

That alone is enough.

“…Hello.”

Ignoring the receptionist’s greeting out of courtesy, he entered the Alliance Leader’s office.

Karden glared at Evan, who burst in through the door.

“Knock before you enter.”

“……”

-Knock knock

Evan knocked, closed the door, and sat down on the sofa.

As soon as he spoke, Carden lowered his head.

“Just get to the point.”

Evan, whose head was beginning to clear from the alcohol, pressed down hard on his throbbing temples as he spoke.

“I want you to take care of a monster that’s appeared in the eastern forest.”

“Alright.”

He accepted without hesitation.

“Listen till the end. The one you’re dealing with this time isn’t one of the typical registered monsters.”

“So what, a monster is a monster.”

“Don’t take it lightly. At first, it appeared in the capital, killing hundreds on its way here. The central imperial army is pursuing it, and they’ve asked our adventurers for help.”

Evan snickered.

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“So it’s incredibly strong?”

Carden sighed, as if to say, ‘here we go again.’

“Didn’t I just say it’s a different type this time?”

“I said it too, didn’t I?”

Evan stood up from his seat.

“A monster is nothing more than a monster. Whether it’s strong or weak, it will eventually die by my hands.”

“That’s arrogance.”

“It’s confidence.”

There was nothing more to listen to.

Evan decided to head straight to the eastern forest.

He didn’t listen to any information about the monster.

If he were to catch the monsters in the forest one by one, the monster that the Alliance leader mentioned would eventually be included.

“It’s quiet.”

The eastern forest had an eerily conspicuous silence.

As if time had stopped.

The leaves on the trees were motionless, as if they were solidified.

There wasn’t a single gust of wind blowing through the deep slumber of the forest.

Evan continued walking into the unsettling atmosphere, felt by anyone.

Strangely, there weren’t any monsters in sight.

Normally, at least one should have appeared by now.

Even the beasts living in the forest seemed to have fled somewhere.

How long had he been walking like this?

A terrible stench grazed the tip of his nose.

It was similar to the smell of rotting corpses.

There was also the smell of blood mixed in.

His nose felt numb and tingling.

Normally, one would be terrified and retreat at this point, but Evan excitedly chuckled and headed deeper into the forest.

He was obsessed with combat.

He enjoyed facing strong opponents because it was a way to prove his ability while not thinking about anything other than the fight.

At that moment, his miserable heart could find some relief.

In a life-and-death battle, the only thing that came to mind was the desire to survive.

“…Is that it?”

Evan chuckled, “Heh.”

“Can you call that a magical beast?”

What he found was a monster.

Though magical beasts were also referred to as monsters, this one could not be defined with any other term.

A lizard walking on two legs.

It had two heads and six eye

There had been times when he was on the verge of death.

Retreat was an option, but there was nothing as thrilling as a battle with life and death at stake.

And if he died?

Well, then he’d die.

Waves of power rippled through the air, shaking the atmosphere.

Storm

A magic circle appeared in his right hand, and the air began to twist at high speeds.

Trees were torn apart, and the ground split open.

A gust of wind mixed with the forest assaulted the demonic beast.

– Kwaahhh!!

The blades of wind tore the demonic beast to shreds.

All he had to do was watch until it was completely destroyed.

However, at that moment.

– Pwack!

A long tail struck Evan’s side.

“Kuh…!”

Evan’s body flew to the side.

The force was so strong that he broke several trees as he fell to the ground.

His right ribs were crushed.

He couldn’t breathe.

Every little movement was accompanied by indescribable pain.

“Tch…!”

Spitting out the blood caught in his throat, Evan got up from his spot.

It hurts.

It’s incredibly painful.

But this vivid sensation feels better than ever.

“I might die today…”

Unlike Evan, who had been severely injured by a single attack, the demonic beast was unharmed after being hit by the magic. It was sturdy despite its appearance.

“Kieeek!”

Both heads roared at the same time as they leaped high into the air.

The ribcage spread apart like butterfly wings.

That’s where it was going to be trapped.

Evan spread his arms wide and clasped the ribcage as if embracing it.

“Ugh…!”

The sharp ribs of the monster dug into his back.

“Stupid thing…!”

How many strong opponents had he fought and defeated so far to become stronger?

He didn’t just fight blindly.

Through various battles, he had developed combat know-how.

He also knew how to deal with opponents depending on their style.

He had figured it all out with his initial whirlwind magic attack.

This lizard may have looked like a corpse, but its exterior was as hard as armor. However, its insides were weak.

He had seen the ribs closing to protect the insides when it was hit by the whirlwind.

So this was the best way.

Explosion

A magic circle appeared on the back of his hand.

Evan coughed up blood and clenched his fist upward.

-Boom!!!

The moment his fist touched the monster’s throat, a massive explosion erupted, and a pillar of fire shot up. The monster’s head exploded along with the pillar of fire.

As expected, it could withstand an external explosion, but could not endure one from the inside.

The monster twitched and floundered before falling to the ground.

Its long tail moved a few times before going limp.

Evan crawled out from the monster’s back, struggling.

“Cough…! Gasp…!”

He collapsed on the ground, coughing up blood.

He had fought foolishly with a foolish method.

The explosion had hurt him too.

He had put up a barrier just before, but the recoil from the explosion had completely shattered the bones in his right arm.

Evan took out a water bottle from his belt with his left arm.

-Gulp! Gulp!

Inside was a recovery potion.

The fact that it was mixed with alcohol meant it could both heal and lift the spirits, killing two birds with one stone.

Having roughly finished the first aid, Evan struggled to get up.

The bones hadn’t completely healed, but he could somehow manage to stand.

He took one step forward.

And then, collapsed forward, crumpling in pain.

“Argh…!”

Even he had to admit that he had fought foolishly.

Being cautious could have reduced his injuries, but Evan’s battle style was far from cautious.

In his mind, all that mattered was winning.

That was the proof of strength.

It’s not the strong who survive.

It’s the survivors who are strong.

But this time, he might really die.

Evan chuckled with a sigh.

He couldn’t rule out the possibility that he had been wanting this.

Maybe he had been reckless with his own life because he wanted to die.

He couldn’t fully understand himself.

Was it that he wanted to live?

Or that he wanted to die?

He agonizingly wanted to die, yet kept scraping by.

Did he have something to hope for?

He didn’t know.

It was then that someone approached him.

“Was that foolish spell I saw just now yours?”

An old man with white hair looked down at Evan.