Chapter 5: Betrayal

Chapter 5: Chapter 5: Betrayal

Tock Tock Tock.

The carriage rolled forward with the sound of horse hooves on the dusty ground.

​It was heading straight toward the western horizon, where nothing could be seen except an endless expanse of green crop fields.

​The road had many curves, and Kronor had never come this far.

​Behind him, the silhouettes of his family grew smaller and smaller, until nothing of them remained.

​He looked at the driver through the small window. He was a tall man with rough, calloused hands, showcasing the years of hard work he had done. His head was covered by a straw hat, and thus Krono’r couldn’t exactly see his face.

​If he had, he would have been frightened.

​Because the driver was currently grinning viciously, as if a hunter had just caught prey in his trap.

"Neighh~!"

​He violently pulled the reins once again, doubling the speed.

​Kronor felt the change in the environment, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. He was not omniscient, after all.

​And that’s why, when the danger came, he realized it too late.

After half an hour, while Kronor was reading a book in relaxation, the carriage suddenly came to a halt with a sharp screech.

​It stopped by a tall, cavernous mountain.

​Neigh! Neigh!

​The horse that was pulling the carriage let out very high-pitched noises.

​Krono’r sat up in alarm.

"What happened, driver?" he called out, throwing the door open and jumping down onto the rocky path.

​The driver slowly climbed down from his seat. As the man turned, the straw hat moved, and Kronor finally got a clear look at his face.

Only then did Kronor get to see his face.

His heartbeat sped up at once.

Rhe face didn’t belong to the original driver at all. It belonged to an extremely handsome man with a bushy mustache.

Instantly, Kronor’s initial alarm twisted into a cold dread.

​"Wh-Who are you? You don’t look like a driver at all!" Krono’r asked, sounding a little panicked.

​The man grinned. "Of course not. I am Sir Azerim, a Holy Executioner form the Divine Temple of Elongate."

Ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump..

​Hearing him, Kronor’s heart trembled violently. He realized what those words signified. His dormant demonic nature had been recognized. And there was only one person who could have sensed it in such a short time.

​His father, Priest Elmond.

​The man who had just sent him off with such an encouraging smile.

​That meant everything was fake. His father’s understanding was fake. His encouragement was fake. His gentleness was a fake. Everything.

​That grand ceremony at the church hadn’t been a farewell prayer at all. It was a sacrificial rite. Priest Elmond had simply been blessing a lamb right before sending it off to the slaughterhouse.

​Noticing the dawning realisation in Kronor’s eyes, the man calmly took out his blade, which was a double-edged sword.

Whii-iiiin...

​It was so dangerously sharp that it looked like it could even cut through air molecules.

​"Since you already figured it all out, I might as well finish this quickly. Any last wishes, demon spawn?" he asked coldly.

​Despite the immediate threat of death, Kronor’s adult soul allowed him to forcibly cool his racing heart. And then, his mind rapidly began to concoct an escape plan.

After a few seconds, he said:

​"Yes. I have one question."

"What is it?"

"Was it my father who called you here to execute me?"

​The executioner gave a curt nod. "Indeed, you’re correct. Your father is a very kind and righteous man. The moment he sensed the demonic miasma within you, he informed the church."

​"I see..." Krono’r murmured calmly, although unknowingly, a tear formed at the corner of his eye.

​Slowly, he went down on his knees, looking at the dirt.

​So basically, their familial connection meant nothing. Without verifying things with him first, his father had declared his own son a heretic.

​"Enough pleasantries! Come extend your neck for me so I can make things as painless as possible."

​Just then, Krono’r splashed a handful of sand into the man’s face.

​Some of the scorching sand went inside his eyes, making him scream in pain.

​"Damn demon spawn! You dare! I will kill you!" he roared and swung his silver sword blindly.

​Kronor smirked triumphantly, dodging a wild slash. But he also knew he couldn’t stay there for long.

​Without delay, he sprang to his feet, heading inside the cavernous mountain to escape the Holy Executioner’s clutches.

​The inside terrain was sometimes very narrow, rocky, and slippery.

​A single mishap could lead to his death.

The executioner also gave chase after recovering.

"Demon spawn! You will not run away like this! I am going to hunt you down!"

The executioner followed the tracks inside the mountain; however, because of rocky ground, the footprints became very thin and hard to follow.

He also noticed there were several other smaller footprints, indicating there were more guests inside.

But he wasn’t the type to get afraid. An executer never feels fear and mercy. That’s why they were chosen in the first place.

Very soon, two tunnels appeared before him. Left and right tunnels. Two paths could lead to different locations.

So he had to choose carefully.

At first he looked for footprints. After some careful looking, he did find some. But they were multiple and confusing.

So he had to resort to using his specially trained nose.

Soon, his eyes lit up with a fanatical glint. His nose picked up Kronor’s scent in the right tunnel.

"Didn’t I tell you, demon spawn? You can never hide from."

With that, he dashed inside the right tunnel at an incredible speed, confident Kronor was already within his grasp.

But seconds of silence, from the left tunnel, Kronor came out wearing a victorious smile.

But right now he was completely naked and covered in gelatinous fungi.

He had successfully fooled the executioner by rubbing his clothes at the right tunnel and then covering his own body scent using jelly fungus.

And now, he had some time to plan his next steps.

What would his next steps be?