Killed by the Love I Believed In, I Shatter Everything with a Greatsword - The Avenger Lurking in the Shadows

The Royal Capital, Legrand. Every time he heard that name, a chill settled deep in Allen's chest. The city he had returned to after two years hadn't changed at all. The cobblestone streets. The people coming and going. The shouts of merchants echoing from the marketplace. Everything was exactly as it had been that day. But he was different. Allen walked through the streets of the Lower District, his hood pulled low. His black hair, grown to his shoulders, peeked out from beneath the dirty cloth. On his left cheek, a deep scar from when he'd fallen off the cliff remained, pale and stark. The person he'd been as an apprentice of the Demon Forging Order was gone now. None of the passersby looked at Allen. They didn't even try. No one had any interest in a shabby traveler. He entered a back alley deep in the Lower District. There, crumbling abandoned buildings stood in a row. They had apparently once been merchant warehouses, but no one used them now. The smell of rats and dust stung his nose. Allen pushed open the door of one of them. A rusty creak echoed through the darkness. Inside, there was nothing but broken wooden crates and cobwebs. It was enough to live in. Allen leaned against the wall and sat down. (*This is where it begins.*) Lilia's face surfaced in his mind. Her platinum blonde curls, reaching down to her waist. Her deep emerald-green eyes. And that cold voice. *"The obstacle is gone."* He clenched his fist. His nails bit into his palm. (*I will find you. I will expose your crimes.*) When night fell, Allen stood up. A tavern on the Lower District's main street—the "Bent Chimney." True to its name, the sign depicted a chimney bent in the middle. He'd heard the owner was a one-eyed former mercenary, well-versed in the underworld's information. Allen pulled his hood down even further and pushed open the tavern door. Inside, the stench of tobacco smoke and cheap liquor was nearly suffocating. Several men sat around tables, drinking. No one looked at Allen. Behind the counter stood a large, one-eyed man. His short-cropped hair was streaked with gray. His empty left eye socket was sewn shut, narrowed to a thin line. "...What'll you drink?" Dario's voice was low, like grinding rocks. Allen placed two silver coins on the counter. "Not drinks. Information." Dario's remaining right eye glinted faintly. "...Hoh. What do you want to know?" "About House Fernan. Specifically, about a woman named Lilia." Dario fell silent for a moment. Then, he swiftly pulled the silver coins towards himself. "...You'd best not talk too much about House Fernan. That family has a private army called the Iron Lid Brigade. They're troublesome folk." "I don't care. I know." Dario chuckled lowly. "Lilia got engaged to His Highness Diethart, the King's younger brother, two years ago. The wedding will be held at the Royal Palace in a month. With that, House Fernan's power has become unstoppable. Especially her father, Ozvan, is doing whatever he pleases. Using the engagement as backing, he's been threatening the surrounding nobles." A cold fire burned deep in Allen's eyes. (*Marrying into the royal family. If she's climbed that high, she's out of reach.*) "What else?" "...Listen, this stays between us. Using the Iron Lid Brigade, they've... dealt with several nobles who got in their way. Assassination, threats, they don't care about the methods. If you get involved carelessly, one life won't be nearly enough." Allen stood up. "That's enough information." "...Hey, you." Allen didn't look back. "Don't regret this." Back at the abandoned building, Allen briefly scrawled Lilia's current activities on the wall. He carved her name into the wooden wall with charcoal. (*I need proof. Ledgers, written orders... solid evidence to drag Lilia down.*) The next morning, Allen donned a worn set of servant's clothes from a noble household. He'd bought them at a used clothing shop in the Lower District. With this, he would infiltrate the Upper District. The Royal Capital Legrand was structured in three tiers. The Upper District, where the Royal Palace and nobles resided; the Middle District, the commercial center; and the Lower District for commoners. To enter the Upper District, one had to prove their identity at the main gate. Disguised as a servant of House Fernan, Allen passed through the gate. The air in the Upper District was completely different from the Lower District. Well-maintained cobblestones. Waterways flowing with clean water. The scent of flowers. Everything was adorned with power and money. The Legrand estate of House Fernan was immediately obvious. It was a mansion with white walls, a size larger than the other noble residences. Allen gazed at the mansion from a distance. (*Is Lilia here?*) That's when it happened. A young woman burst out from the mansion's back door. Clutching her belongings, she ran, crying. Behind her, a man who looked like a butler saw her off with cold eyes. Allen followed her. She was crouched in a corner of an alleyway. "...Did something happen?" The woman flinched, her shoulders trembling, and looked up. "Wh-who are you...?" "Just a traveler." The moment she met Allen's cold gray eyes, Ella seemed to sense something, and began to speak, haltingly. "...I was a servant of House Fernan. But I was just thrown out. Just because I mentioned there were some strange money movements in the ledgers..." Allen's eyes narrowed slightly. "Ledgers, you say?" "Yes. Every time someone was killed or threatened, money would move... I got scared... But I didn't hand over the evidence! This is a copy I made before they could burn it!" With trembling hands, Ella pulled a scrap of paper from her worn leather bag. Allen took it. "...Thank you for your cooperation." He pressed five silver coins into Ella's hand. "Huh... this much?" "Don't come here anymore. You should leave Legrand." With just those words, Allen turned his back. Ella stared blankly at his retreating figure. That back was strangely, terribly lonely. As if he was carrying a shadow, it was painful to see—a faint ache ran through Ella's heart. But Allen never looked back. On the way back from the Upper District. Allen turned a corner in an alley. —At that moment. Thud. He collided head-on with someone. "Whoa, sorry!" The one who called out was a young man. Wavy, shining blond hair that reached his shoulders. Gentle blue eyes. He had no airs about him whatsoever; rather, he clearly apologized, taking the blame for the collision himself. Allen tried to leave without a word. "Wait. Are you... a swordsman? You seem like a martial artist. You're quite well-trained." Diethart seemed interested in Allen's toned body and the sharpness in his eyes. "...Just a traveler." Allen answered curtly. Diethart stared intently into Allen's eyes. "I see... But your eyes are the eyes of someone searching for something." Allen's feet stopped. For just a moment, Allen looked back. Their gazes intersected. Allen didn't yet know who this man was. But the accuracy of those words seared something deep in his chest with a sharp sting. "...Have a good journey." Saying that, Diethart raised a hand lightly and disappeared into the crowd. Allen watched his back for a few seconds, then started walking again. The next day, clutching the copied ledger, Allen was in the warehouse district of the Middle District. According to the information he'd obtained, one of these warehouses served as a contact point for the Iron Lid Brigade, who carried out House Fernan's assassinations. His goal was to seize the actual assassination orders. A single man stood in front of the warehouse. Short-cropped, gray hair streaked with white. Emotionless, murky brown eyes. Half of his left earlobe was missing. Galt Becken. The man who had thrown Allen off a cliff two years ago. Galt's eyes caught Allen. For just an instant, those murky eyes narrowed slightly. It was because he immediately understood that the man before him was the boy he should have killed two years ago. However, his expression didn't change at all. He just stood there. Allen silently extended his right hand forward. "—Come forth." In an instant, black light gathered in his palm, and a jet-black greatsword materialized. Its dark blade seemed to absorb the daylight. Galt also drew the Demon Forging sword from his back. A pale blue light of magical power ran along its blade. "...Just business." Galt's habitual phrase leaked out quietly. The battle began. Galt moved first. He stepped in on a straight line, thrusting his sword at Allen's throat. Fast. But—he could see it. CLANG!! Allen precisely deflected it with his greatsword. The impact reverberated heavily through his arm. It was different from two years ago. He wouldn't be overpowered. Without pause, Galt slashed repeatedly. His movements were precise and efficient, almost mechanical. But Allen caught every blow with his greatsword, scattering sparks and refusing to give a single step. An even exchange of blows. Galt was silent. But inside him, something close to genuine emotion stirred faintly for the first time. (*He's grown...*) Allen swung his greatsword in a horizontal arc. Galt leaped backward to evade. The wooden wall of the warehouse dented from the shockwave. At that moment— From a distant window in the Upper District, someone was watching the fight. Lilia lowered her binoculars and smiled coldly. "So you were alive, Allen." She quietly gave an order to the captain of the guard who stood by. —Soon, the orderly sound of footsteps echoed, and twenty guards surrounded the warehouse. Allen stopped moving. (*...Too many.*) One-on-one was one thing, but he couldn't handle this number and Galt at the same time. "...Next time." Allen dismissed his greatsword. He spun on his heel, kicked off the wall of a house, and leaped onto the roof. With the shouts of the guards at his back, Allen jumped from rooftop to rooftop, vanishing in the direction of the Lower District. Galt sheathed his sword and watched him go. He did not pursue. At the window in the Upper District, Lilia toyed with the curtain with her fingertips, her cold smile unwavering. "This has gotten interesting, hasn't it? ...Very well. This time, I'll erase you completely." In her emerald-green eyes, calculations for her next move were already swirling. Back at the abandoned building in the Lower District, Allen leaned against the wall, steadying his ragged breath. He looked at the copied ledger clutched in his hand. This alone wasn't enough. He needed more solid proof. Now that Lilia knew he was alive, time was short. She would definitely make her next move. Sending the Iron Lid Brigade's elite, this time to kill him for sure. In the cold darkness, Allen quietly closed his eyes.

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Episode 4

Name: Killed by the Love I Believed In, I Shatter Everything with a Greatsword
Author: Novelia

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