Chapter 51
Chapter 51: The calm aftermath after killing someone
This wasn’t the first time that Han Shuo had killed someone, but compared to killing forest trolls, the impact Han Shuo’s heart received from slaughtering Claude was exceedingly great.
After all, forest trolls were a different race from him, and were renowned robbers. Han Shuo killing them felt as natural as killing magical creatures, but Claude was completely different from them. Han Shuo had been forced to kill him because he knew within his heart that if Claude didn’t die, Han Shuo could put all thoughts of peacefully living his life in the future out of his mind.
Watching Claude weaken and sag into a pool of blood, Han Shuo felt a bit numb in that moment. There was an empty feeling in his heart, he hadn’t hesitated when he made his move, and it was only when he watched Claude die in front of him that a feeling of nervousness grew in Han Shuo.
Claude was a noble, and the youngest son of the commander of the Empire’s Gryphon Legion. If news of this matter leaked, only death awaited Han Shuo.
Gazing at Claude’s corpse, Han Shuo stared dumbly into space for a while. His originally slightly panicked expression became more and more resolute and harshly cold.
Finally, Han Shuo rearranged his clothes and stood up, walking up to Claude with a calm face and rummaging through his clothes. He poured out a few gold coins from his money bag, a crystal card, and some scattered medicine.
After thinking for a bit, Han Shuo only put away the gold coins. He set aside the potentially incriminating crystal card and Claude’s other belongings.
A little skeleton, wielding a bone knife, appeared in front of Han Shuo after his incantation had finished. Han Shuo searched out a desolate clearing as one man and one skeleton wielded bone knife and dagger spent a few minutes digging a deep hole. After burying Claude in the hole, Han Shuo carefully cleaned up the traces of blood that Claude had left behind. He even slowly covered up the traces in which he’d fallen down and rolled around.
Circling around the forest patch and confirming that no clues had been left behind, Han Shuo did not return along the original way. Rather, he made an additional circle and dug a deep hole to the north of Drol, burying all of Claude’s belongings. Finally, he returned to Drol using another street.
Lisa still wasn’t fully at ease upon hearing Fanny’s explanation, but didn’t say anything further as she turned to leave, muttering something in her mouth.
As soon as Lisa had left, Fanny raked her gaze over Han Shuo and looked at the room she’d once lived in, seeming to remember what had happened last time as her cheeks flushed even redder. She humphed lightly and said, “Aren’t you going to invite me in?”
“Eh, Master Fanny, this way please.” Han Shuo was taken aback and hurriedly turned his body to the side. When Fanny had stepped inside, he stuck a head out for a look in the hallway and hastily shut the door tight, like he was acting with a guilty conscience.
“What are you doing so surreptitiously? I ask you, what happened the day after you left camp? How do you have the gold coins to stay in this room?” Fanny nailed Han Shuo with a patrolling look after she sat down.
Han Shuo still hadn’t fully recovered from killing Claude. Upon hearing Fanny’s words, he was a bit surprised. He thought for a bit and then explained with a laugh, “When I left the camp that day, I stayed nearby practicing necromancy magic. I met an injured Windblade Wolf afterwards. I kept chasing the injured Windblade Wolf and finally killed it when it wasn’t paying attention. When I returned to the camp, I made my way back here after I realized that you had gone.
After returning to Drol, I sold the Windblade Wolf core and pelt. That’s how I got the gold coins. I thought that you guys would likely be staying here again after returning, which is why I rented the room to wait for you guys. This is what happened.”
Fanny didn’t immediately speak after Han Shuo had finished, but rather gazed upon Han Shuo in apparent thought. She exhaled lightly after a while, “Bryan, you’re truly completely different from before!”
He started and managed to squeeze out an honest smile. He scratched his head, “Really? Where am I different?”
“In many ways. Your appearance, body, and height, as well as your personality and expressions when you talk are all much too different from how I knew you before. It looks like you were the one who changed the most after experiencing the trials of the Dark Forest. All the students have undergone some changes after constantly facing battles of life and death, but who would’ve thought that your change would’ve been the biggest? How shocking!” Fanny stared dumbly at Han Shuo and said with a face of severity.
Han Shuo understood that during this time’s outing in the Dark Forest, unbeknownst to him, a change had truly occurred in the way he viewed things. This change had accompanied the increases in his strength and the dangers that he had faced. After killing Claude with his own hands the day before yesterday and a serious round of reflection, Han Shuo had gained a clearer understanding of the harsh realities of this world, and with it, his heart had become colder and crueler.
“Master Fanny, you left a note saying that you guys had met the two man-eating monsters. Did you get into a conflict with them in the end?” Han Shuo laughed lightly and didn’t explain things in further detail, but rather started asking Fanny what had happened to them afterwards.
“Of course, the two man-eating monsters kept following us. They even colluded with a few forest trolls to attack us. We finally made it out, but our paths were deviated significantly from our original direction because we were avoiding the man-eating monsters and the forest trolls. That’s why we returned to Drol so late.” Fanny responded.
Nodding, Han Shuo was about to open his mouth, when he suddenly frowned and abruptly stood up. He said with a face full of seriousness, “Looks like we’ve got trouble.”
“Everyone on alert! The orc wolf riders have appeared in the southern part of Drol. They are headed this way, everyone make ready for battle!”
Large yells suddenly sounded from the streets outside the hotel, all having to do with the imminent invasion from the orc wolf riders.