AIAW Royal Road Chapter 38: Epilogue

(POV: Katsu)

I spent the rest of the day studying the documents, containing info on the Shadow Orc. There’s a lot that’s changed since I last laid eyes on the beast. It appeared to be far more dangerous than I could’ve guessed. According to the information, the Monster Hunter division had bene hunting the Orc if I have, and they’d even had multiple encounters with it. Some being in recent weeks. Each time, someone died in a horrible way.

Countless villages were destroyed this month alone. The Kingdome news blames the rise in monster across the nation. But that’s just the cover up. The one responsible was that damn beast.

Items and weapons were spread out across my bed. I stood there, thinking up a strategy, a plan for my next move. I had to be cautious, even more than usual. This Orc wasn’t just an S-rank threat anymore. It’s grown to the level of Gold-rank. There was a high chance this hunt would end in death. Death for me. But I was prepared to lay down my life if it meant I could bring that beast down with me.

I’ll see you soon. You damn monster.

____

That next morning, I was up before the sun had even risen. I gathered a few bags and loaded them up in the wagon. Patiently, I sat out here in the cold, waiting for Amaya to come running out with her bags. One minute turned into two. Those two minutes turned into ten, then twenty.

Where are you Amaya? You only had one task.

Just as I was about to head in to get her, she walked outside, nearly stumbling with the bag on her back. She was still half asleep, judging by the drool running out her mouth. She tossed her bag in the wagon and climbed in.

“You’re ten minutes late.” I said.

“Aaauuww.” Her mouth opened wide with a terrible loud yawn before she replied, “I know, I know. I kind of had an incident while gathering my stuffs...”

And by ’Incident’ I’m sure she meant falling asleep.

“What if a monster had attacked. You would’ve been unable to defend yourself, all because to the fact you feel asleep.”

“Not this again...But a monster didn’t attack.”

I know I got on her nerves with my realistic thinking, but it was all to discipline her. I’ve learned that things happen when you least expect them to. Which is why you must always except the unexpected and be aware. The last thing I wanted was for her to end up dead someday.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“Correction. A monster didn’t attack today.”

The wagon set in motion, the horses pulling us down the road. Our destination wasn’t all that far from the city. Eight miles north of here was a village, another unlucky target for monster attacks. The document states that the attack happened only two days ago. Detectives for the Monster Hunting division believe the one who organized the attack was the Shadow Orc itself. There was a good chance this trip would lead us to right to it. But was I ready for this?

It was the moment I’d been waiting for, but I could feel an emotion in my chest. One I hadn’t felt in a long time. It was fear. Up until this point, the shadow Orc was the most unique monster I'd ever hunted. All the same, it was one of the strongest.

Was I even skilled enough to bring it down? I wasn’t sure. But there was one thing that I was sure about.

If anyone’s going to put an end to that thing, it must be me.

I turned to see Amaya laying in the back of the wagon, wrapped in a blanket made from sheep wool. She was already falling back asleep, but I had to interrupt.

“Amaya.”

“Mmmm.” she groaned, “What is it? Can’t you just let me sleep?” she pouted.

“Listen, I need you awake for this?”

“Okay okay.” she sat up, “I’m listening.”

“Are you really sure you want to be a part of this? This hunt, I mean.”

“Why are ask all of a sudden?”

I had to be sure she understood the risk.

“There’s a high chance that somewhere along the lines of this hunt, one of us could die. Could be today, could be tomorrow, or it could be weeks from now. But there is no promise that we’ll be safe. Knowing that, are you sure you’re fine with this?”

An expression washed over her face that showed she was giving it lots of thought. I was partially expecting her to have second thoughts. But after some silence, her lips showed me a firm and confident smile.

“I’m more than sure.”

So, she’s prepared to lay down her life.

As expected of her. She's a dedicated girl. That's one thing I respect about her.

If the day comes that I lead you into battle and you die because of it, I hope you know how truly sorry I am.

The sun started to rise, the sky being filled with orange and red rays. The wagon came to a stop. Here we were, our destination. I hopped out of the wagon, bringing with me an important bag, containing items for the worst-case scenario.

“Come on, Amaya. Let's go.”

Her face was frozen. Her eyes fixated on the scene of tragedy. Village homes burned to ash. Blood, dried in the dirt. Belongings, scattered across the ground. One in particular caught my eye. A teddy bear, likely once belonging to a child.

We walked through the once lively village, taking in each and every detail. It was a horrid view. And I could only imagine the gruesome events that took place.

The surviving people of the village sat beside their ruined homes, some had tents set up. But they all had one thing in common, the utter expression of despair. Right outside the village, I could see newly dug graves. Men and woman, crying at the final resting place of their loved ones. The dirt of this place has tasted both blood and tears alike.

I didn’t like this at all. My fists clenched with the strength of every muscle in my hands. I understood what these people felt. I, too, had to endure the same trauma. The death of family and friends. That day, a part of me died with them. The same way these people lost a part of themselves.

A burning hatred ignited deep inside my heart. All I wanted was to kill. To kill each and every monster responsible.

“This is horrible...” Amaya muttered.

“It is.”

The feeling in the air. This reminded me all over again why I spent my life hunting monsters. It was for this reason. This is why.

This is how I became the swordsman of vengeance.