If You Wish For Something Useless - Chapter 25

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Chapter 25 – A Stepping Stone To Take Care Of That Day (1)

Vetern, the capital of the Hereos Empire, was drenched in rain that had been pouring nonstop for five days. The rain was getting stronger day by day. Surprised by the unexpected heavy rain in winter, people began to refrain from going out, and the streets were filled with puddles of water instead of people.

The situation in Vetern’s back alley was no different. In a place where passersby were unusual, even beggars hid in abandoned houses to avoid the rain. Thanks to this, those who opened the door of the shabby building and ran out into the empty street were bound to stand out.

“F*ck! How did they get here?!”

“Is that important?!”

What was heard along with the angry voices was obviously the noise of swords clashing. Three men in light coats ran out, and unidentified assailants were chasing them. A crowd in black masks soon surrounded the three men.

“Shut your snout if you have the time to say sh*t.”

Strangely enough, a calmly subdued voice was clearly audible in a noisy space. The man who spoke, Liam Sianov Agramento, swung his long sword in his hand. As he moved, brown hair soaked in rainwater clung to his cheeks. He was bothered by the hair that clung and obscured his view with every move, but he couldn’t afford to sweep it away. Because he was busy just dealing with those who were running for their lives right now. For the same reason, there was also no time to think. ‘How did they find this hideout? How were they able to sneak inside and launch a surprise attack?’ All questions should be left as tasks to be solved in the future.

‘I should live and see.’ Now was the time to stop the blade that flew over for his life. It was not that he had climbed all the way to die in a place like this. Liam looked back at the traces of his past and rushed at the nearest assailant. His sword drawn in diagonal lines from bottom to top left a deep cut on the unidentified man’s upper body. The sword that Liam wielded was sharp and terrifying. Blood splattered down along the blade’s trail. It was a very quiet movement for a person whose life was threatened by many. At that time, Liam, who cut off the arm of the assassin rushing at him, said while checking the air.

“More are coming from above.”

Immediately after he finished speaking, black-masked men jumped out of the air covered with rain.

“At this rate, we’ll be outnumbered!”

“Liam, run!”

Two people, Leon and Herald, who had raised their voices the moment they ran out of the building, shouted as they stopped the assassins. Unlike the two of them, Liam, who had been calm all along, frowned.

“I can’t hold on for long! Run!”

“Are you going to die here?!”

Despite repeated voices urging him, Liam sliced the neck of the nearest assailant instead of leaving.

“Liam!”

“Noisy!”

Even if two people remained, it was impossible to hold all the more than twenty men there. There will be a pursuit team, and unless there is someone to watch his back, the battle will be even more difficult. It was more likely that they would survive if they attacked together than running away alone. Arriving at that rational conclusion, Liam chose to fight instead of fleeing.

As if to repay him for such a decision, a sword harboring a murderous intent flew toward him.

However, Liam deflected the masked man’s sword with his blade. As soon as the blade was stabbed into the assailant’s abdomen, the person waiting for the next turn rushed in. Among them, some were ready to die and threw themselves away. He clearly cut off his arm and thrust a sword into his shoulder, but the unknown man ignored the injury and succeeded in grabbing Liam’s arm. He twisted his body to get out of the grip holding him back. However, the sword wielded by an unknown man was one step faster.

“You dare-!”

Fortunately, in such a moment of crisis, Leon blocked Liam’s front. In return, he had a deep cut on his side.

“Leon!”

When another unidentified sword penetrated Leon’s thigh, Herald’s shout echoed. Liam, who had been calm in a situation where blood and bodies only grew, gradually lost his composure. Unlike in the beginning, his sword lost its leisure and began to get impatient.

“Tsk.” Clicking his tongue, Liam struggled to ignore Leon’s injury and raised his sword. As long as they aren’t dead, injuries can be healed at any time.

Soon after, blue afterimages began to appear from the sword he was holding. He didn’t want to show his skills until the right moment came. The current situation was too disadvantageous to remain hidden. Liam wrapped mana on his sword, pulled out the dagger from his waistband, and threw it into the crowd of unidentified men. Blue mana was still overflowing from the dagger that pierced the forehead of an unknown man.

“As expected.”

For the first time, a voice came out from among the masked men. They must have known that Liam was hiding his skills. However, they would not have been sure of the level of his hidden skill. Now Liam was handing them solid information.

He, who showed his skills for the first time since returning to his family, frowned slightly. His level was at that where his mana could maintain its shape. He was revealing skills that surpassed those of a senior knight.

‘I have no choice but to take care of everything and shut their mouths.’ An eerie glare flowed from his blue eyes. Liam cut through the masked men faster than before. Along with mana leaving a bluish afterimage, the two forces continued their fierce battle. The difference in skill between the two forces was noticeable. The gap was large enough for Liam’s small three-man party to endure.

Nevertheless, numerical inferiority was a great burden. When the number of the assailants had decreased by nearly 70%, none of Liam’s group remained unscathed. Apart from Leon, of course, Liam and Herald were also injured. The longer the battle, the more blood they shed, and the heavier their bodies became. Because of that, he made a mistake that normally he would not have made. He lost his balance, stepping on a corpse lying on the floor. The assailants did not overlook his mistake. The masked men fired their swords simultaneously.

“Liam!”

Upon the crisis, Herald pushed Liam away.

“You idiot!”

Liam called him in an urgent voice. Two swords pierced Herald’s shoulder. And then another sword pierced his neck deeply. He made a strange noise, collapsing as he vomited blood that had come up through the airways.

For a moment, Liam held his breath without realizing it. Herald was a street orphan whom Liam first met as a child after running away from his biological father to live. He died like that. Very vainly and easy.

“F*ck!” Liam swore out loud.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t afford to mourn the past he experienced with Herald. The assailants left a long cut on Liam’s neck without even giving him a break. He, who had twisted his body in time, frowned and grabbed his neck. Fortunately, he avoided being cut off at once, but the wound was deeper than he thought.

How cruel was the blood gushing undiluted by the rain.

As time went on, the war situation became unfavorable to Liam. Leon, who had been injured early, was already breathing hard with his back against the wall. It was clear that his vision was blurred as he blinked repeatedly.

‘If we keep going like this, we will be annihilated by these masked men.’ Liam clenched his teeth as he retreated to avoid the sword approaching once again, aiming for his head.

‘Is this how it ends?’ It can’t be. How could I climb all the way here to end so vainly?

The figure of Herald, who had died helplessly before, shimmered in front of his eyes. So meaninglessly, he couldn’t have died without leaving a trace. His movements started to get rough. Liam raised his sword once more, holding the bleeding from the nape of his neck with his left hand.

Boom! Then a red flare went off in the eastern sky. It was something no one expected. Not just Liam, the unidentified men surrounding him looked back in the direction of the signal.

‘Did the enemy’s support troops arrive?’ Liam’s question to himself brought a skeptical answer. ‘If it was a support group, they would have joined immediately instead of giving a signal.’

‘Then what the hell is that?’ The red light that filled the air disappeared while Liam was thinking. After that, the attacks of the assassins became more violent. Like a desperate person. That gave Liam certainty. The flare that just went off had nothing to do with them. Rather, they seemed to be thinking that flare was related to Liam.

‘You think support is coming from my side.’ Assuming that was the case, he could understand the hasty attacks. They were in a hurry, afraid of missing their catch. After brief contemplation, Liam hit the head of one assailant who was still looking in the direction where the flare had been fired.

‘Now there are five left.’ Immediately after, he turned his back to Leon, who was still breathing, and focused on defense instead of attack. Such an attitude seemed to have instilled confidence in the assassins. It was full of black loopholes digging rashly.

Liam blocked their swords, which had become weaker than before, with all his might. However, it was impossible to strike all five swords with one hand. A sword flying in a straight trajectory scratched Liam’s cheek and penetrated the wall of the building. To make matters worse, Liam was seriously injured. His vision was blurred and his hands were trembling, as more blood flowed from his neck than he had expected. He clenched his teeth with the thought that he could not die like this, but the situation was too unfavorable for him. Just before Liam, who felt that death was just around the corner, uttered a scream stained with despair.

Clack– Not too far away, there was an object rolling toward them. As soon as he noticed it, Liam moved. He grabbed the neck of the assassin who was holding out his sword in front of him and pulled him closer. It happened as soon as he and Leon, who was hanging from behind as if dead, were covered with the body of the assassin.

Bang! After the short pounding was over, several long moans followed. What he had seen was a round wooden barrel the size of a human fist. A magical tool that explodes sharp blades like arrowheads.

Due to the nature of military goods, they could only be traded with the permission of the Imperial family. That wasn’t all. It was an expensive product with a distribution price of 10,000 Hertz due to its difficult manufacturing. In Hereos, where 1Hz is worth 30 Ferrel, the cost of living for a two-person household is only 4Hz. An amount that ordinary people cannot even dream of.

Nevertheless, the Explosive Magic Tool was worth the administrative and financial burden. Because the lethality of it had already been proven.

As evidence, Liam’s shin and thighs, which could not be covered by the unidentified man’s body, were covered with sharp small blades. The same was true of the stone walls and shacks in the shabby alley.

Liam released the man’s collar and looked down.

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