Chapter 7

The Genius Knight Who Devours Memories

Chapter 7

That night, once it had grown late, Rohan got out of bed.

None of the squad members seemed to be asleep, but they did not particularly try to stop Rohan either.

Rohan quietly lifted the tent flap and headed outside.

Another tent came into view.

A single platoon consisted of four squads, and the four tents were arranged in a square formation.

At the center, two night guards took turns watching over the platoon.

The night guard raised his head at the sound of Rohan’s presence.

“Why are you out?”

“For a walk.”

“Rohan. Right? Just like I heard, you don’t say much. And you’re even prettier than the rumors said.”

Normally, people became offended when the young Rohan spoke informally to them, but the man did not seem particularly bothered.

The other night guard was nowhere to be seen.

“I heard you head out before dawn to catch animals. I wondered if I’d get to see you today, and here you are.”

“...”

“Your squad members must have it good. They get to eat meat every day.”

The man smacked his lips.

After Rohan had gone out at the same time for several days and returned with meat, it seemed rumors had spread through the unit.

At first, the night guards had been strict about him moving around before dawn, but now they simply accepted it whenever Rohan appeared.

“It really is strange. There shouldn’t be any animals left around here. Where do you keep finding them?”

“I’m good at hunting.”

As long as one understood an animal’s habits, finding its dwelling was not difficult.

“Right. If you get the chance, share some meat with me. You know, right? Technically, you’re not allowed to move around before dawn.”

It was a threat.

And he was not wrong.

It was technically forbidden, but such rules were rarely followed during wartime.

There were plenty of men who left camp before dawn to satisfy themselves in the red-light district or visit their families.

Whatever they did, no one made an issue of it as long as they returned before the daily routine began.

Rohan spoke indifferently.

“Standing night watch alone is technically punishable too.”

The man’s gaze shifted toward the empty seat beside him.

His senior was probably sleeping somewhere or had gone off to slack off.

He laughed awkwardly.

“Haha. If I said that to my senior, I’d get beaten. I’m Goto from Third Squad.”

He held out his right hand.

Goto was a large man covered in thick body hair.

Fat and muscle blended together, making him look like a huge round boulder.

Rohan took his hand.

He could feel a rough palm like the lid of a cauldron.

“Your hands are really delicate. How does a kid like you...”

He kneaded Rohan’s hand.

Rohan found it unpleasant, but did not pull away.

People who knew their way around a sword habitually checked another person’s hands first.

“Well. Everyone else calls you a murderer and whatnot, but I think differently. I like you.”

“Thanks.”

“You should be careful. Dave was declared unfit for combat yesterday and left the unit.”

It seemed that had deepened people’s resentment toward Rohan.

As though he did not care at all, Rohan merely shrugged.

“I can go, right?”

“Of course.”

Goto shifted aside.

“You know, right? Hm? I’m letting you off here. Goto from Third Squad! Our tent is right next door, and smelling meat every morning is killing me!”

He called quietly after Rohan as he walked away.

“If you don’t cause any trouble for me, I’ll share today’s catch with you.”

Rohan turned around and spoke.

Considering it payment for being allowed to move freely at night, it was not a bad deal.

Yes! Goto rejoiced inwardly.

_____________

The first place Rohan headed was the mountain behind the camp, not far from the unit.

As though familiar with the terrain, he made his way toward a place halfway up the mountain where flowers were in full bloom.

Having spent several days roaming the mountain, he had completely memorized the geography, allowing him to move quickly despite the weak moonlight.

Rohan plucked a handful of purple flowers whose heads drooped downward.

They looked beautiful on the outside, but they were aconite flowers containing deadly poison.

Consuming a small amount would cause paralysis and leave someone bedridden for several days, but consuming too much could kill a person in about five minutes.

He placed the flowers on a broad rock and began crushing them with a stone.

The flowers quickly became pulp, and clear poison seeped out.

Rohan poured it into a vial he had prepared beforehand.

After moving a little farther, he found a roe deer caught in the trap he had set the previous night.

The deer, hanging upside down, began thrashing when it sensed a human presence.

Rohan severed the back of its neck in a single stroke, killing it without pain.

At that moment, the deer’s memories flowed into him.

‘So there were wild boars nearby.’

Tracing through the deer’s memories, he identified the den of a family of wild boars not far away.

Since he had never seen them before, they seemed to have recently settled on the mountainside.

They were still traveling with their young, so he could hunt them after the piglets grew enough to live independently.

Indiscriminate slaughter would only leave the land barren.

Rohan skinned the deer and lit a wood fire.

After making cuts along its blood vessels, he placed the deer over the fire.

Normally, the blood had to be drained before roasting to prevent a gamey smell, but he did not have time, so he intended to drain it while roasting.

If he left it roasting now, the meat should be properly cooked by morning.

Rohan began descending the mountain again.

The place he stopped by on the way down was the riverside.

Since it was downstream, the grains of sand that had been carried along the riverbank were fine.

Rohan grabbed a handful of sand and put it into his pocket.

It had taken less than an hour to do everything.

_______________

Rainer, Vice Platoon Leader of Fourth Company’s Fourth Platoon, emerged from the officers’ barracks.

His current identity was vice platoon leader.

But he possessed another identity that was far more important.

Number One of the Black Dawn Knights’ infiltration team.

He served as the liaison with Noxis and held the crucial role of delivering orders.

With his hands clasped behind his back, he looked around before heading toward the Fourth Platoon barracks.

One of the night guards was nodding off.

The other was nowhere to be seen.

His expression twisted.

“Goto. Feeling sleepy?”

“H-huh?”

When Rainer called the dozing soldier’s name, he jolted awake.

Drool was even running from the corner of his mouth.

“Ah, Vice Platoon Leader. That’s...”

“Where’s the other one?”

“He s-said he urgently needed to relieve himself for a moment...”

When Rainer stared silently, Goto’s shoulders flinched.

“Anything unusual?”

“No, sir.”

Goto answered immediately.

But it was not an answer that satisfied Rainer.

“I hear the smell of meat has been coming from Fourth Squad lately. He must be going hunting before dawn.”

He was referring to Rohan.

Goto’s eyes darted around briefly before he answered firmly.

“I wouldn’t know.”

“Hmm. Report anything unusual.”

Goto’s pause made him suspicious, but questioning him any further here could raise suspicion.

Rainer’s eyes turned toward the Fourth Squad barracks.

He wanted to enter immediately and check whether Rohan was there, but an ordinary officer would not behave that way toward a mere soldier.

To avoid suspicion, all he could do was trust the night guard’s words.

After leaving the Fourth Platoon area, he headed toward the bulletin board.

It was late at night, and no one was around.

He expanded his senses and swept the area, but sensed no human presence.

Only small animals and birds.

Perhaps a feline beast or two.

‘The operation will begin soon.’

After checking his surroundings for quite some time, he took out the directive he had hidden inside his clothes.

To others, it would look like meaningless nonsense, but in reality, it contained the time and location.

There was a container of paste beside one corner of the bulletin board, but no brush for applying it.

‘Fuck, I told them to leave a brush here.’

Nothing in this unit worked properly.

In the end, he plunged his hand into the container, carefully spread paste onto the paper, and attached it to the bulletin board.

The bulletin board was cleared once every three days, so by tomorrow afternoon, the directive would disappear.

After confirming that it was properly attached, he turned around to return to the barracks.

After walking a little farther, he came to a path surrounded by thick trees.

It was the road connecting the officers’ barracks to the soldiers’ quarters.

He continued moving with his senses expanded, but detected no human presence.

‘There are a lot of cats tonight. Maybe wildcats.’

It seemed some sentimental soldier was scattering leftover food around.

He did not care about such things.

If this operation went well, he would soon be able to return home.

‘I just need this operation to succeed.’

He walked while thinking only about the operation.

He had reached about halfway along the forest path.

Crack-! Suddenly, he sensed a presence above him.

It was the sound of a branch snapping.

“Who’s there!”

Rainer drew his sword in an instant and looked upward.

Rustle-! Instead of a person, something composed of fine particles rained down from the sky.

In an instant, the particles filled his eyes and nose.

“Cough! Ptooey!”

Rainer brushed the dust off his face with his hand, then swung his sword toward the direction where he sensed killing intent.

Clang-! The sound of sword striking sword echoed through the forest.

“Wow. As expected, a vice platoon leader’s swordsmanship really is different.”

The troublesome newcomer to the unit.

Rohan stood before him.

“You’re strong.”

For some reason, Rohan was smiling.

_____________

Rohan’s heart began to pound.

It was a thrill he had not felt in some time.

A predator.

The person before him was unmistakably a predator.

‘I’m glad I decided to fight him myself.’

The reason he had personally stepped forward to ambush the spy was to gauge his skill.

Rohan had intended it as a decisive strike, but the spy had instantly blocked his sword.

‘So he’s the Fourth Vice Platoon Leader.’

He had never really interacted with the man.

All Rohan had heard was that he specialized in swift swordsmanship.

He wanted to experience that swift swordsmanship himself.

“Rohan? You son of a bitch. I already wanted to kill you.”

It seemed Rainer had been waiting for a chance to get rid of Rohan.

That was only natural after Rohan had exposed and killed a spy.

As though there were no need for conversation, Rainer swung his sword in an instant.

The movement was far faster than Rohan expected.

Rohan barely managed to raise his sword and block.

Clang! A numbing vibration ran from the hand gripping his sword all the way to his shoulder.

“Not bad.”

Rainer seemed somewhat surprised.

He had dismissed Rohan as a mere brat, but after Rohan blocked his sword, he adjusted his grip.

It meant he intended to take Rohan seriously.

Rainer looked at Rohan and spoke.

“I haven’t liked you since you came to the barracks—ugh!”

Clang! In the middle of his sentence, Rohan brought his sword down.

He did not have enough free time to listen to nonsense like that.

No one went easy on anyone on the battlefield.

When Rainer’s balance shifted, Rohan immediately closed in.

Then, concentrating, he swung his sword.

Rohan recalled Creed’s teaching.

‘The goal of the sword.’

His mother’s death.

Leon, the Noxis soldier.

Hans, the spy.

The five Noxis soldiers.

Thinking of all of them,

Reinag.

Toward one single goal.

Clang-! Sparks flew as sword struck sword.

It was a decisive strike, but Rainer blocked it.

“Ugh.”

Still, it seemed to have affected him.

Rainer took two steps back and shook his hand.

His little finger was trembling.

‘It works.’

A smile appeared on Rohan’s lips.

If he had not studied swordsmanship the previous day, would he even have been able to cross swords with Rainer?

As far as Rohan was concerned, it was a very meaningful achievement.

But his opponent was strong.

Rohan knew that hoping for anything more would be greed.

Rohan stopped attacking and took a defensive stance.

Rainer’s face twisted sharply.

“You won’t do.”

His presence changed.

If he raised his aura this much, the people in the barracks might notice.

It seemed he intended to quickly deal with Rohan and flee before they arrived.

Rohan instinctively sensed danger.

Rainer appeared to raise his sword.

The instant Rohan saw the movement, he stepped backward.

Swoosh-!

Rainer had not even fully raised his sword, yet the front of Rohan’s tied robe split open and his chest burned.

Looking down, he saw a long wound across his chest.

Had it been slightly deeper, it could have reached his heart.

Rohan’s eyes widened.

‘That’s swift swordsmanship!’

Rohan had wanted to see this for himself.

Seeing something through stolen memories was different from seeing it with his own eyes.

It had clearly looked like a slow sword strike, so what had happened?

All Rohan’s eyes had seen was Rainer lifting his sword.

‘I want it.’

Intense curiosity surged through Rohan’s mind.

This time, Rainer thrust his sword straight forward.

Having learned about muscle movements from Creed, Rohan threw himself sideways the moment Rainer’s front foot twitched.

Having already been struck once, he had to move at the slightest indication.

Papapak! It had only been one thrust, yet three scratches appeared on the tree behind Rohan.

“Strange.”

Rainer tilted his head.

“Just like I heard, you really are insane. Your eyes aren’t showing fear. They’re filled with nothing but curiosity.”

“Just like I heard, swift swordsmanship really is an ability worth coveting. I want it.”

Rohan shot back.

Apparently having no intention of talking any further, Rainer approached.

“Let’s end this.”

Rainer walked toward Rohan as though his irritation were boiling over.

A large tree blocked Rohan’s path from behind.

No matter where he ran, he would never be able to outrun Rainer’s speed.

A drop of sweat ran down from Rainer’s temple as he approached.

After noticing it, Rohan lowered his defensive stance and simply stared at Rainer.

To Rainer, he looked like a coward who had given up on living.

Rainer smirked.

“Yeah. You can’t run, you bastard. Just die quietly. I’ll make it painless—”

Ghk! Before he could finish speaking, Rainer clutched his throat.

“Haaagh!”

Unable to breathe, he twisted his body around with strange movements.

“You fucking bastard, poison...!”

Like the seasoned soldier he was, Rainer immediately understood the cause.

Clang- He even threw away the sword he had been holding.

He was trying to expel the poison using mana.

At that point, Rohan brushed off his backside and stood.

“It’s useless.”

“...?”

Rainer glared at Rohan with an expression of confusion.

“That’s aconite.”

Unlike ordinary poisons that blocked the mana circuits, aconite directly affected the body.

By this point, it had already been absorbed into his body, meaning he could no longer expel the poison through mana.

“Haaagh... haaagh... you, w-when.”

Rainer gasped, unable to breathe.

It seemed he wanted to know when the poison had been administered.

There was no need to hide it anymore.

“You need paste to stick paper onto the bulletin board, right?”

Rohan rummaged through his clothes, pulled out a brush, and smiled.

Rainer’s eyes narrowed as he clutched his heart.

“Fuu...ck.”

Rainer bit his lip.

The paste had gotten onto his hand, and when Rohan threw the sand, he had rubbed his face.

He had thought the sand was only meant to obscure his vision, but it had actually been used to smear the poison onto his face.

To think he had fallen so easily for the trick of a mere fifteen-year-old brat.

Thud.

In the end, Rainer’s body collapsed.

He could no longer put any strength into his body.

It felt as though his heart were being squeezed.

Bright moonlight filled Rainer’s vision as he lay sprawled on his back.

Beside the enormous moon, a round head came into view.

It was Rohan.

Looking up at Rohan, he forced out words that would barely come.

“S-save me... I’ll tell you everything... gasp!”

“You mean you’ll tell me anything if I spare you, right?”

When Rohan said what he was trying to say, Rainer painfully nodded.

“Why does everyone say the same thing when they’re about to die? There’s no need.”

Rohan crouched in front of Rainer with an expressionless face.

Even while dying, Rainer felt a chill.

The emotion visible on Rohan’s face as he looked down was neither sympathy nor guilt.

Greed.

Only unmistakable greed filled his eyes.

Rohan smiled.

“I’ll make sure to remember your swift swordsmanship.”