She retorted with another question, “Why did you follow me?”

I replied, “There was something off about you, something I couldn’t put a finger on. So when I saw you wander off, naturally I grew suspicious and decided to confirm them.”

She giggled once more, “Yeah, I would have done the same in your position. But I suggest you leave, the Lord of the Forest does not like your presence. It thanks you for ridding it of of the pests but it senses something off about you.”

I stood resolute and said, “I do not obey orders that have not come from the Emperor.”

She sighed and seemed to relay some information to the creature which growled at me one last time before finally accepting my presence. In response, I sheathed my sword and walked over, stopping when I was right in front of it. I stared into its silver eyes, the two of us bowing simultaneously in acknowledgement of each other’s strength. After satisfying that this thing was no danger, I merely warned the girl,

“You better not try anything. I will kill you without hesitation.”

I then turned and walked away, it is best not to tangle myself in something such as this. I just hope that this will be left behind me, though if I’m right about my suspicions, this won’t end here.

Of course, my comrade on watch was curious as to where I had gone to which I explained all that befell me. He was curious but also apprehensive, magic users were one of the reasons why the Morsadian Army suffered many losses and also why we had to go through such torturous training.

For anti-magic units were required to have artificial modification to their body, a process that isn’t just painful, it is harrowing to the point that my broken body has lost the ability to feel anything that isn’t horrendously painful. For instance, I can no longer feel the tenderness of silk, the warmth of the sun, or the cool of night. I can only feel the extremes which is why I love battle, for it is now the only thing that allows me to feel alive.

Anyways, I told him to be careful and went to sleep with the others. I slept without too much trouble, knowing that my comrade would be able to take care of anything that dared to wander near.

Once more, I did not dream, waking up from the dark void at the same time I always did. I stood up and stretched, the girl from before appearing from behind a tree. The others drew the swords the moment they saw her but I motioned them to stand down, asking,

“What is it girl?”

She grinned innocently and asked, “Can’t I visit a friend?”

I said, “You are certainly not my friend and I cannot imagine who among my comrades would be your friend mage.”

I added that last part coldly, I disliked mages at best and outright killed them at worst.

She frowned and said, “Discrimination is bad.”

I snorted, “Discrimination is a part of nature, it will never be stopped. Whether it be race, intelligence, strength or just how well of you are from birth, it will always exist.”

She frowned even more, “Don’t say that.”

I said, “I just speak the truth and the truth will always be there, even if you refuse to accept it. It is best to accept it kid, to fight the truth as others have done will only result in innocent but misinformed people uprising and then slaughtered by the punitary force. I’ve killed hundreds if not thousands of innocents because of people like you.”

She then crossed her arms above her chest and said, “You will forever be alone if you are like that. Women will avoid you like the plague.”

I snorted dismissively, “A soldier has no need of women to comfort him. Besides, this body of mine was broken because of the modifications done to it. I doubt I would be able to feel the pleasure of sex.”

Deciding that it was time to get to business, I commanded, “Now tell me why are you here.”

She pouted but said, “I just wanted to tell you on behalf of the Lord of the Forest to thank you. He is grateful that you rid his forest of a pestilence and the fact that you left us alone once your duty was done.”

I asked, “That’s it?”

She shook her head, saying, “I also wanted to thank you for saving this village, though I must say you are too different from what I expected.”

I said, “Whatever kid, I’m a soldier and soldiers aren’t heroes.”

She countered, “But they have to protect citizens, like heroes.”

I sighed, “The main difference between us soldiers and heroes is that unlike them, we are prepared to do anything for our country, to defend it by any means necessary. Heroes will always try to protect life, not their country. If there is a single innocent in a castle of enemies, they will ask to storm the castle at the loss of countless lives. Us soldiers will simply bombard the place till it is razed to the ground.”

She was silent, though she seemed to be seething on the inside.

I smirked and said, “Remember kid, don’t try to preach your ideals to others, they only lead to the deaths of many.”

I then turned and told my men to prepare to march, it was time that we returned to Hallowfall. The guildmaster was already preparing for our return, nodding at us briefly before returning to making preparations. We helped out as well, loading up the wagons that were used to bring the equipment needed for this quest.

Rewards would later be distributed at the guild so everyone was in a hurry to return. Once more we resumed marching and an uneventful four days passed, finally returning to the guild. There, I was surprised that the noblewoman from before, Lady Atherton I believe, had sent in a letter for me. It seems that she wanted to thank me personally and officially but since she was busy reuniting and me always away on quests, there never was a chance for her to show her gratitude.

Personally, I would have gotten along fine without her thanks, in fact I had almost forgotten her. But, it is not wise to say, “fuck off” to a noble family, that would most likely result in me and my men being chased out of the city. I’d rather avoid that for rather obvious reasons so I went to meet her, waiting at the designated place as described in the letter.

Soon she arrived, four armed escorts accompanying her. But with a wave of her hand, they surrounded an area around the fountain, allowing us to speak in relative privacy. She first bowed deeply, saying,

“I am deeply grateful for the help and kindness you have extended to me, how may I repay you?”

I politely refused, “I have no need of your gratitude, you have already repaid me by teaching me of your world.”

She jerked her head up, asking, “Surely there must be something I could do?”

I shook my head, “I have no need for money for it will not help me on the battlefield. Gifts can not get better than the one you have already given me, the knowledge of this world’s currency and language.”

She almost said something but instead blushed deeply, whispering something unintelligible. I asked,

“Did you say something?”

She blushed even further and in a small voice offered, “I could give you my body.”

I was silent, wondering how I could phrase it so that it wouldn’t offend her guards. Finally, I said,

“Lady Atherton, I believe I told you I am a soldier. I don’t know how soldiers are in your nation but in mine, we are not permitted to indulge in a woman’s body. Though I am no longer in my nation, I will not disobey the Emperor’s decree.”

She was still blushing but remained silent. When a few moments of silence passed, I took my leave, bowing my head slightly,

“It is best you forget about me, Lady Atherton, for you do not know me. I have slaughtered many with this sword, ordered the burnings of countless innocent villages, had women and children put at the forefront of battle to serve as human shields and more, all on the orders of the Emperor. One such as I does not create life, I merely destroy it.”

I turned and took my leave, the escorts making no effort to stop me. Really, I never thought that I’d have to deal with something like this, though seeing as I’m the one that saved her from that hell, it’s not surprising. But they are a pain to deal with, unless she is killed but that is hardly a good solution in this sort of situation. I’ll just have to hope it blows over quietly.

But of course, all I said wasn’t just lies to drive her away, it was all the truth. I watched many villages burn under my orders and even now, I do not feel a morsel of guilt or regret. They were enemies of the Empire and my duty was to eliminate such enemies.

After all the first unit I was a part of, the Forty-Fourth Legion, was infamous as one of the most ruthless and cruel legions in all of the Morsadian Army. We carried out the dirty work of the Empire, though it was ultimately destroyed in the Battle of Ash, fire mages raining eternal flames which continue to burn to this day, unless they have been put out.

My unit was wiped out because of those flames except me, something like fire would not be enough to kill me. But it was a victory for the Empire nonetheless, for because of the Forty-Fourth Legion’s sacrifice, it allowed the Thirtieth Legion to flank the enemy and wipe them out.

I didn’t enjoy my time with the Forty-Fourth Legion but I never hated either, it was merely an experience. But I am grateful to it, it was what allowed me to be the soldier I am today. I was able to control my emotions and to kill without mercy. Now I could look in the face of a child and kill him without guilt for that child will grow to be an enemy to the Empire, perhaps an enemy which would be too strong to defeat.

One must be cruelly efficient for the sake of safety. After all, caution is not needed when the problem is eliminated permanently. Cruel but necessary, some would call it a necessary evil but I would like to disagree. Good and evil are relative, who are we to decide what is good and evil? We rely upon religion to decide that, different religions coming up with various reasons to crusade against each other, all in the name of “Good”.

Of course, I do not hate religion, I am a member of one, the Clergy of Reality. We worship Reality, we’d like to think that it’s a god but in truth, we just don’t know. The tenet of my religion is the concept of Reality, that when we die, we do not know what happens. We must simply live our life’s purpose, which the core of is to reproduce.

But it is not limited to that, it may just be to fulfill your desires in life. Even murderers are allowed to murder, though once they are caught, they are then discommunicated. They failed in their purpose and thus a Fallen. The Fallen are to be hunted down, to bring whatever it is that is after death be it nothingness or an afterlife.

It was partly because of the Clergy that I do not pursue other things that will not help fulfill my purpose, to do my duty as a soldier until I die. I am not afraid if they were to deem me as a Fallen, I would then proceed to destroy the Clergy of Reality and continue on with my life. I am confident I could do so, in fact I know it. The Clergy isn’t really well known and all the members know one another well as well as where everyone lives.

This is a requirement so everyone can participate in the cleansing of the Fallen. But the Fallen can hunt the Clergy, in fact it is encouraged, for if they kill more than five, they are cleansed of their Fallen status and can resume the pursuit of their purpose as a member once more with access to funds and all that other shit.

So if I was able to kill them back, I would be cleansed. So no matter what I did, I would be able to fulfill my purpose. But I wouldn’t be hunted by the Clergy, I will never shirk from my path to fulfillment.

A sudden disturbance roused me from my thoughts and I looked to see the cause, seeing and hearing a man loudly ringing a bell, the cause of the disturbance. He was also shouting, I guess this world’s equivalent to a town crier.

But my ears perked at the contents of what the town crier was saying,

“The Hallowed Arena shall open once more four months from now! It is advised that those who wish to participate register at the Hallowfall Guild today! Hallowfall guild members will be given free access but that shall be the extent of their privilege! The prizes for the tournament are a sword of adamant, a set of armor of mithril and a shield of oricalcum! There are monetary rewards of ten thousand gold for first place, seven thousand five hundred gold for second and five thousand for third! The Hallowed Arena hopes you participate and wishes you the best of luck!”

I was curious to be sure, perhaps even slightly intrigued. I mean, in the army, I never had a chance to fight against others of similar or higher strength. Even the match that Adaris had with the harem guard was a secret, if they had been caught, they would have been forced to fight to the death and the winner then demoted to the lowest possible rank.

I wanted to participate and from the looks of it, so did my men. We accepted the knowledge that we’d have to fight each other sooner or later and promised that we would not hold back on each other’s account. We vowed this and took off on our own to train. It would not do to train with potential enemies.

We had no trouble registering for the tournament, the cost for entering free because of our service in the guild. The guild master merely chuckled, saying,

“I look forward to your exploits in the Hallow Arena. I can’t wait for those useless sods to start shaking in their boots when one of your skill appears.”

He burst into evil laughter and in answer, I merely smiled, “Believe me, I do not intend to lose to some useless sods Ferlin.”

He laughed further, wrapping his arm around my shoulders and guided me to the bar, challenging me to a drinking contest. Of course I accepted, I do not back down from any challenge. I ended up winning many drinks later, the guildmaster a mighty drinker in his own right. But I am hardly affected by the alcohol, my mind rules my body with an ironfist and alcohol is not enough to overcome its defenses.

Of course, seeing my constitution, a few other adventurers decided to try their hand, betting a single gold piece if they beat me. Of course, I continued to beat them again and again, finally stopping because I needed to empty my bladder. But I was soon at it again, beginning to feel slightly tipsy when eleven barrels disappeared in our gullets and twenty adventurers including the guildmaster lay on the ground dead drunk.

By this time, my impressive fortitude had dissuaded any from trying to even compete with my drinking ability so I decided to stop, heading out to the forest to clear my head and begin training. I headed out deep into the forest where I was sure that no one would follow me. I then decided to step things up and use my dragon blade, the unnerving lack of weight not as disturbing as it once was.

It had been at least a year since I had last touched and I sensed a tad bit of discontent emanate from the sword. How could it not? It was the best weapon in my arsenal but I refused to use it. Considering that it was a dragon, it surely must be furious with me for refusing to use it. It must be an affront to its honor.

I activated and then drew my dagger, also activating the armor. I felt almost naked in this armament, for there was no weight at all, almost as if I was clad in an illusion. But I knew that despite the lack of weight, these weapons were immensely sharp and could cut through a cliff from end to end with no trouble at all. In fact, if I put my mind to it, I could fell the whole of this forest with a single slash to each tree.

But enough of thoughts, now is merely to get used to and memorize my movements in such armament and how to maximise my performance. I tried a slash, mine had been fast before with my regular sword but now, it was almost like an instant. Even my eyes, trained to see the movements of lightning that spews forth from the hands of a mage with ease couldn’t see it and I almost forgot to stop myself. It wasn’t too hard when I focused, though my body still instinctively tried to let the weight of the sword and gravity help bring it to a stop.

But soon enough, I had gotten the hang of it, my movements noticeably more faster than with my previous armor. The sheer weightlessness of the armor and weapons was the reason for this, as unnerving as it was. But I soon got used to it, I’d be a poor soldier if I couldn’t adapt.

Pretty soon, I was dashing all over the place, silent as always and cutting down imaginary enemies. Finally I was done and as I looked behind me, I saw countless leaves, leaves that have been cut in half. I whistled in appreciation and spoke to the blade,

“Forgive me for not using you before. It is just that there was no one worthy enough.”

It may have been my imagination but for a briefest of moments, I felt the blade vibrate and a satisfied hum fill the air. I chuckled at myself, a sword that was alive, who would believe it? But still, it is best to assume that it is alive, for it never hurts to have a sentient sword which thinks highly of you. But for the moment, I returned to my usual armor and weapons, breathing a sigh of relief as I felt the familiar weight once more. But even though I was relieved, I could not help but feel cramped and held back. It was the first time I had used the dragon’s regalia fully aware of its effects, most of the time I was too immersed in battle to notice.

I smirked at myself, really, it seems I’ve over indulged by training in this armor. But I resigned myself to these constraints. It was necessary, after all my dragon regalia would be my trump card, that or a magnificent way to bring an end to the final battle. I briefly returned to the guild to inform them that I would be away training which they understood.

Once that was taken care of, I went even deeper into the forest, so deep in fact that the trees here were thicker than houses and they simply towered above me, perhaps to the height of mountains. Of course there were dangers along the way, dangers that would kill even highly skilled and veteran adventurers but with my dragon regalia, it was no problem.

Just one slash and they were dead, they couldn’t dodge and to my knowledge, there was no material that could stop my blade. I met various unknown creatures while I journeyed, strange lizard humanoids, what appeared to be reverse minotaurs, with goat’s legs but a man’s body, unearthly beautiful humanoids with long pointed ears, peaceful miniature people with insect wings, and creatures with a horse’s lower body and a man’s chest.

These were but a sample of what I saw, many others for whom words could not describe. Most appeared to be docile, though the lizardmen and the horsemen were particularly aggressive. But they were all slain and soon, I was left alone. There were plenty non-hostile animals as well, though they were almost infuriatingly difficult to hunt.

It seems that they were enhanced by magic, increasing their speed, toughness of their hides or their strength. Of course, the tough hides and strength was of no worry to me, it was those insanely fast rabbits that aggravating. But I soon got the hang of it, throwing my dagger with a speed that was far greater than theirs.

At first I missed quite a few times but I soon grew to be proficient at it, able to hit a target a hundred feet away at the exact point where I wanted to hit it. So my source of food was taken care of and with a source of food established, I could now focus on my training without any distractions. I had no need of shelter, instead braving the elements as I had been forced to long ago back when I had joined the army. Those were some miserable days, but of course, now I embrace the rain or the hot sun.

But here, there was no sun, only perpetual twilight during the day because of the great leaves on even greater trees that blocked out the sun. Night was true darkness, one hardly able to see because of the feeble light that filters through the leaves, not that I needed to see to train. I rigorously trained my, wearing my old armor to attain the same level of speed I have with my dragon regalia, pushing my muscles until I physically couldn’t hold my sword anymore.

But after a month, I’ve been keeping track of time by scratching lines on a tree, I finally was able to lose sight of my sword when I swung it. Really it is nothing too impressive. I was already fast before, I was just pushing myself the last few miles of the thousand mile journey. Of course, I spent another two weeks reinforcing it so that I was truly that fast. The next two weeks were spent training in my dragon regalia armor, more often than not ending up smashing into trees or tripping up because of how fast I was.