A heavy silence lingered between them. Olivia sat frozen, her mind still reeling from the chaos she had just witnessed. The dark, otherworldly power Baldwin had unleashed defied everything she thought she understood. At last, she found the courage to speak.
What happened to the men you… sent into the shadows?" Olivia asked, her voice hesitant.
Baldwin didn't look up. His hands glowed faintly as he worked to stabilize her mother's condition.
"They're gone," he replied, his voice steady—unyielding, like a door long sealed shut.
Olivia hesitated, then pressed on. "You're a powerful mage… but if it's not too much trouble, could you help the villagers? The rest of the bandits are attacking them."
Baldwin glanced back. "Help them? Olivia, are you sure? These are the same people who exiled you and your mother."
"Even so," Olivia murmured. "If we help… maybe they'll give us some food. We have nothing left."
"Expecting kindness in return is a fool's hope, Olivia. People rarely give—they only take. But…" Baldwin stood, brushing off his hands. "I'll handle it."
Olivia rose, but Baldwin stopped her. "Stay with your mother. If anyone comes, delay them until I return."
"They can't know I helped them. Better they believe a stranger saved the day. It'll be easier that way," Baldwin muttered, narrowing his eyes.
With that, he stepped outside. His body shifted—bones cracking, skin reshaping. Within seconds, he stood as a tall, muscular man with striking blond hair, echoing Olivia's mother's features.
As the transformation finished, he leapt from the hilltop, landing with effortless grace. Without hesitation, he dashed toward the village, vanishing in a blur of speed.
When he arrived, the sight before him was grim. Around a hundred bandits were ransacking the village, killing or capturing its inhabitants. Supplies were piled in the center of the village, their loot almost complete.
Baldwin sighed, observing the scene."Pathetic... Even the enemies I crushed lived better deaths than this rabble."
He made his way to the village center, drawing the attention of the villagers and bandits alike.
"Who are you, mister?!" the young man exclaimed, eyes wide with suspicion.
"I'm… from the royal family," Baldwin declared confidently.
"Damn it," he thought a second later. "I forgot—there's no royal family anymore. This is a democracy now..."
"Uh, actually, I—" Baldwin began, but before he could finish, the young man stepped forward and seized his hand.
"Blond hair... and those stunning light-blue eyes!" the young man gasped. Then, raising Baldwin's hand high, he shouted for all to hear:
"The Nath bloodline lives! They're here to save us!" the young man cried, clinging to hope like a drowning man to driftwood.
Gasps and murmurs rippled through the crowd as hope lit their faces. Baldwin stood frozen, his thoughts racing.
"What... just happened?"
An elderly man scoffed, slamming his cane against the ground. "Bah! The Republic's soldiers are nothing compared to the Hero Kingdom of old. Bring back the Kingdom!"
"You still ramble about the Hero Kingdom?" a younger man snapped. "That era is over. It's time to build a new Empire! Now, Lord—tell us how you'll lead us!"
"Quiet!" another villager hissed nervously. "They'll hear us! Please, my lord... tell us!"
Baldwin stepped forward, his eyes heavy with memories—a lingering shadow of the mistake he'd made just moments earlier, invoking the name of the royal family too carelessly.
"Time to answer for the sins etched on my soul," he murmured, his voice quiet as thunder just beyond the hills.
He drew in a breath, glancing over the anxious crowd.
"First—know this. The royal family wishes for you all to remain just as you are—strong and resilient."
A pause. The weight of his words settled in the air.
"Second... the Nath family has forbidden me from involving any civilians in this battle."
"But Lord, you're alone! You'll die!" a young man cried out. "I can swing a sword! Let me fight beside you!"
Baldwin turned, his expression shifting into a bittersweet smile. His eyes shimmered with emotion—fake tears hiding real pain.
"I will not die," he said softly. "Because the last shred of your hope… now walks with me."
And with that, he turned and ran toward the center of the village, cloak trailing behind him—his silhouette a symbol of fragile hope wrapped in impossible courage.
Baldwin walked calmly toward the center of the square, where the villagers' goods were piled and several young women had been tied up. Without a word, he knelt beside one of the girls and began untying her restraints.
"M-Mister, behind you! The leader—One Eye!"
The girl cried out, then scrambled to her feet and ran from the center.
Baldwin rose slowly and turned.
From the shadows emerged a man—grizzled, broad-shouldered, and unmistakably dangerous. His most defining feature: a missing eye.
"Tsk. Seems someone's touching my property without permission," the man said, voice laced with mockery. "Didn't your parents teach you any manners?"
Baldwin tilted his head with a faint smile.
"So you're One Eye, huh? Sounds fearsome… for an insect."
One Eye narrowed his gaze.
"You've got guts, stranger. But you won't be smiling when you become my guest. I've seen your kind before—brave fools. They all fall the same."
Baldwin's eyes flashed crimson.
"You're just a human—barely past your prime. Talking like you've faced legends. How ridiculous."
He took a step forward, the ground beneath him subtly cracking.
"Let's see how long that arrogance lasts... when reality finally hits you."
"Reality?" One Eye sneered, his single eye gleaming with something darker than madness. "Yeah, I got hit by it once. And you know what I realized? This world's system… is full of errors."
Baldwin raised an eyebrow, lips curving into a smug smile.
"Is that your way of distracting me so you can land a cheap shot?"
"Oh? You caught on. So you do have a brain," One Eye said with a grin. "Still too late, though."
Without warning, a invisible hand—completely invisible to normal eyes—lurched from Baldwin's left. But he reacted in a blur, twisting his body mid-step and ducking low. His knee drove upward, slamming into the hand. With a faint hiss, it vanished into smoke.
"That's a strange little trick you've got there, One Eye," Baldwin said, rising smoothly.
Caught off guard already? Planning your escape?" One Eye sneered, venom laced in his grin.
Baldwin gave a low chuckle.
"Run? From you? What are you even talking about?"
"Tch! Got you now!" One Eye growled.
Suddenly, four large shadowy hands burst from the ground—this time visible, grotesque and gnarled. They surged forward and clamped onto Baldwin, lifting him into the air like a caught puppet.
"Can't hear you now, hero!" One Eye shouted, laughter echoing through the village square.
"Trying to play the noble savior? You'll die for it!"
Suddenly, from a distance, a sharp crack split the air—a gunshot.
A young girl stood at the edge of the square, rifle steady in her hands. The bullet whizzed through the gloom, aimed directly at One Eye's skull.
But the man jerked back just in time. The shot grazed past him.
Snarling, he raised his hand.
"Who dares—"
Crack! Another shot rang out. This time, he caught the bullet midair—his invisible hand pulsing faintly as it stopped the projectile with ease.
"Someone's trying to kill me now?" One Eye hissed, teeth bared. "How dare you!"
Without warning, he vanished—then reappeared behind the girl. Shadowy limbs lashed out and seized her by the waist, hoisting her into the air like a doll.
"You think you can interfere? I'll take your life!" he snarled.
But before he could strike—
"Not so fast." Baldwin's voice cut through the chaos like steel.
Baldwin moved his hand with precision, and the invisible hand restraining the girl shattered into fragments of shadow.
Raising his arm, blue lightning crackled around his fingertips, the air buzzing with raw power. With a flick of his wrist, he hurled it straight at One Eye.
The bandit leader reacted instantly—drawing a massive, worn sword from his back. Steel met lightning in a brilliant clash. The energy dispersed without a trace, but not because it lacked strength—Baldwin had held back.
He narrowed his eyes, a calm smirk forming on his lips.
"Let's keep it balanced… for now. Wouldn't want you thinking you're outmatched just yet." Baldwin thought to himself, a slow smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
The leader grinned, swinging his sword through the air to unleash two slicing waves of energy. Baldwin dodged them effortlessly.
Suddenly, a barrage of magical arrows rained down on Baldwin from behind. He didn't flinch. With a single motion, he summoned a towering lighting wall that intercepted the arrows.
The bandits froze, stunned by the sheer speed and efficiency of his magic.
"He wields lightning like it's second nature…" One Eye muttered, his single eye narrowing in disbelief.
But Baldwin didn't stop. He raised both hands, summoning two massive lightning arrows. One was aimed at the leader, and the other at his companions.
"Let's see if your luck holds out," Baldwin said coldly, unleashing the devastating attack.
After seeing the massive magical lightning arrow, chaos erupted in the village. Both bandits and villagers alike began to flee, desperate to save their lives. Screams filled the air as panic spread like wildfire. However, amidst the chaos, One Eye stood his ground, his expression tense but calculated.
A few bandits quickly rallied around him. Among them, a man in brown robes placed his hands firmly on the dusty ground. A mud wall began to rise, intended to shield the leader and his companions from Baldwin's attack.
Baldwin didn't wait. His lightning arrow shot forward with blinding speed, tearing through the air and colliding with the half-formed mud wall before it could fully materialize. The resulting explosion shook the ground, sending tremors through the village. A cloud of dust and debris blanketed the area, obscuring everything from view.
When the dust settled, Baldwin's gaze locked on One Eye and his companions, who were still standing unscathed. Though the mud wall had failed to rise completely, it had served its purpose in deflecting the brunt of the attack.
Baldwin narrowed his eyes. While most of the other bandits had been obliterated on the spot, One Eye's survival left him irritated.
One Eye smirked and, with a swift motion, swung his massive sword through the air. A surge of power rippled outward, forming a colossal wind tornado that tore through the village.
Baldwin's eyes widened slightly, surprise flickering in their crimson depths.
"A wind mage? And such a powerful one at that..." he muttered, narrowing his gaze on One Eye.
"A bandit leader with this level of strength? Dual-user, perhaps? No… something feels off here."
Before he could counter, more attacks followed. A speed mage dashed forward, hurling over ten magically-enhanced swords toward Baldwin with incredible precision. Simultaneously, a fire mage launched a volley of fiery arrows from another direction.
Three simultaneous assaults from three angles.
"So that's how they want to play… Then I'll show them what a real game looks like."
Baldwin smirked, amused by their desperation.
With a powerful leap, he launched into the sky, effortlessly dodging the deadly barrage below. Mid-air, his palm ignited with crackling energy as he conjured a massive lightning hand—its fingers surging with untamed power.
"Let's change the scene, shall we? Time for the main act."
With a sweeping motion, he hurled the hand downward. It struck the ground like a divine hammer. A roar of thunder shattered the air as lightning surged outward in all directions, ripping through the battlefield.
Explosions lit the sky. Craters burned across the earth. Screams were silenced in a blink.
The village trembled under the force of the attack, and when the storm cleared, only smoldering remains were left behind. Most of the bandits were reduced to ash.
And yet… a handful still stood—battered, trembling, defiant in the face of overwhelming power.
As Baldwin landed gracefully on the ground, his senses sharpened. He turned to see One Eye and two other mages—one wielding smoke magic—gathering their energy. They unleashed a combined attack, a powerful orb of chaotic energy aimed directly at him.
At first, Baldwin assumed it was an attack he could easily deflect. But mid-flight, the orb exploded, releasing a dense, suffocating mist that blanketed the entire area.
Baldwin activated his Demon King's Eye, his vision cutting through the obscuring mist. To his surprise, he spotted One Eye and his remaining allies fleeing the village, carrying the stolen resources with them.
"Running already?" Baldwin muttered, his tone ice. "Smart move… but you're still too slow."
Suddenly, in the misty chaos, Baldwin felt a body crash into his back. He turned swiftly, ready to strike—but paused.
A man stood before him, clad in a blood-soaked white shirt and equally stained trousers. His eyes wide with fear and awe.
Baldwin's Demon King's Eye activated in an instant—his irises glowing crimson as arcane energy scanned the stranger. No threat. With a blink, the glow faded, and his gaze returned to its usual deep red.
The man staggered back before dropping to his knees.
"I... I can't believe it—my daughter's alive! Thank you, sir—my name is Smith. I owe you everything."
Baldwin said nothing at first. Then, with an unreadable expression, he muttered,
"It's fine. Anyone could've done it… or maybe they wouldn't. I did it because I chose to. No need to thank me."
Without waiting for a reply, Baldwin turned his back and began walking toward the edge of the village. His footsteps were steady—deliberate.
"Perhaps the gods won't punish mankind… but they will witness my wrath. And they will remember."