kscans

Chapter 77 - Hitokiri Yuto

It seems that something like 'order' exists in this world, for what it's worth. Soldiers stood as guards at the gates of the Royal Capital Levin, which was surrounded by stone walls, monitoring the passersby. The buildings were zoned, markets lined the squares, and portraits of the king were posted on street corners.

...But just because there's order, doesn't mean it's good.

(Just because I look like a guy in his thirties, everyone's being strangely polite.)

I, Yuto Mikazuki, am a reincarnator. I died at age 7 and came to this world with the body and sword skills of a 32-year-old. Clad in black, with the jet-black katana Oborozuki at my waist. I wouldn't be surprised if I were eliminated as a suspicious person, but it seems this world is lenient toward 'power.'

Past noon, as I was walking through the town, a dilapidated tavern caught my eye. It had no name. Only its door was quietly open.

(...Maybe I'll have a drink.)

The wooden interior was a bit dusty, and a few adventurer-types were gathered around a table. I sat at the counter and randomly ordered Levin Ale. It was supposed to be the tavern's specialty, but what came out was a dirt-colored liquid that smelled like a fermented rag.

"...Disgusting."

I grimaced after one sip.

(My old man... got drunk and violent on stuff like this?)

At that moment, the face of the man who had been buried in the depths of my memory resurfaced. The smell of alcohol, the violence, the fists that flew with shouts. The hellish days after my mother left, until I starved to death.

A cold anger welled up from deep within my chest.

"...Yeah, alcohol is crap."

I tossed some coins down, stood up, and left the tavern. The street was in twilight. The red sun cast shadows on the cobblestones.

It was then.

"S, stop it!!"

A scream. A woman's voice.

I ran over and found several royal knights surrounding a pregnant woman in the square. Their swords were drawn, their cold gazes piercing her.

"The crime of crossing the path of the king's carriage without permission is a grave one."

"That's not... I was rushing... to the hospital...!"

(What? And that's grounds for 'punishment'?)

I looked and saw an overly decorated golden carriage approaching from down the road. The moment one of the soldiers raised his fist, I had already jumped out.

"...Don't. If you hit her, you'll die."

"Who are you!"

"Just a passerby. But I don't want to see a woman being subjected to violence anymore."

The knights surrounded me all at once.

(...Well then, shall I show you. My 'shadow.')

"Eiko-sen."

At that moment, my body dissolved into shadow.

The air tensed. Their gazes darted about. The next instant.

"Spaa."

One by one, the knights collapsed, clutching their throats. There was no afterimage. No sound. Just a black shadow that had run past.

"Where is he!? Where...!"

"...Right behind you."

By the time the last soldier was cut down, I had already sheathed my katana.

(This is Eiko-sen. Moving with the shadows, erasing my presence and footsteps. Not just swordsmanship, but a martial art of assassination.)

The golden carriage came to a stop in the now-quiet square. From within emerged a small man dressed in flashy clothes. He wore a crown and had a face that clearly said 'I am the king.'

"You... do you think you can get away with laying a hand on the kingdom's soldiers!"

"I just 'protected' her. ...Is your order something to be maintained even by killing people?"

"Silence!!"

The king's face turned red with anger, and he spat out his words.

"I will put you on the wanted list nationwide and issue a notice to the entire country!"

...Oh, I see.

I never had a 'place' to belong to from the very beginning.

"That's fine. I have no intention of living my life being ordered around by someone else."

I helped the woman to a safe place and quietly left the square. In the twilight, only my shadow stretched long behind me.

And so, I was given a name.

Hitokiri Yuto.

But that was nothing more than a moniker. It was the beginning of the story of a single reincarnator, trying to resist the 'darkness' of this world.