Those Who Live Without the Law Chapter 3

Kairus silently watched the knight and the wolves.

The wolves had been invited because of the roasted meat. Naturally, the one who sent out the invitations should be the one to entertain the guests. But…

“Driver.”

Kairus spoke to the driver, who was trembling nearby with a deathly pale face.

“W-what? Why the hell are you talking to me all of a sudden?”

“If I cut them all down, can you take me to the town with the train station?”

At Kairus’s question, the driver snapped back irritably.

“What kind of bullshit is that?! The knight is standing right there!”

Standing proudly, huh? Kairus immediately scoffed.

“Looks like the meaning of ‘proud’ changed while I was in the reformation camp.”

That knight looks like he needs a diaper. Maybe the courage the driver mentioned was the kind that made you wet your pants.

Of course, from the knight’s perspective, there were plenty of reasons to feel wronged.

He had spent a fortune to buy his position as a squire, only to be dragged into this mess and ultimately end up as a snack for wolves on an icy road.

Granted, all of this happened because he ignored people’s warnings and roasted meat, but if he were the kind of person capable of reflecting on his mistakes in a situation like this, he wouldn’t have bought his squire title in the first place.

“Ugh… Ughhh…!”

At last, terror overpowered the knight’s sense of dignity. He immediately dropped his heavy sword, turned his back, and ran.

“What an idiot.”

Kairus watched the scene with an expression of pure disdain. Turning your back and running in front of hungry predators?

Might as well hang a sign on his back that says, ‘Tonight’s Late-Night Snack!’ and wave it around.

The moment the knight turned, the wolves lunged.

With a pitiful scream, the knight’s uniform was shredded by the wolves’ fangs and claws.

For the wolves, it must have felt like unwrapping a well-packaged gift.

“So, the proud knight who was standing there just a moment ago has embarked on a journey with no return.”

Kairus glanced at the driver.

“Are you planning to be the next course in their feast? Or would you rather take me to the nearest train station? It’s a cheap price for your life.”

The driver stared at Kairus.

A convict who had just come out of a reformatory was going to take on those monsters straight out of hell?

There was no time to question it.

“Shit, goddamn it. Just do something! If we get out of this alive, I’ll take you past the damn border, not just the train station!”

“No, just take me to the train station.”

Kairus picked up the sword the knight had abandoned.

“Well, at least he had battle gear.”

A sword-shaped battle gear—the form Kairus was most familiar with.

Examining the blade, Kairus visibly frowned.

“Just a standard military issue.”

As he gripped the sword, a burning pain, like being stabbed with hot needles, shot up his arm.

Then, a sharp click echoed from within his body.

It was the sound of the battle gear optimizing itself to him.

“It’s been a while.”

Kairus tightened his grip, his knuckles cracking audibly.

As he swung the sword, the snow piled on the ground lifted with the blade’s movement, swirling in the air.

The wolves, who had been tearing into the dead knight’s flesh and drinking his warm blood, instinctively sensed danger and turned their eyes to Kairus.

Even wolves knew from experience that the blade in his hand was deadly.

“So… what now?”

Kairus held his sword, feeling lost—not because of the wolves baring their yellowed fangs right in front of him.

But because of his own miserable situation.

“No elder from my family to guide me… No vision manuals left… The family’s emblem is gone.”

Kairus was too young. He still had a long way to go before mastering his family’s swordsmanship, but all the guides were dead, and the map had been lost.

“Hey! What are you doing?!”

The driver shouted urgently, but his voice only agitated the wolves, not Kairus.

One of the wolves jumped at him—the same one that had been the first to attack the knight earlier.

It had lunged with the same confidence, expecting the same result.

“I’m already in a shitty mood today.”

But the wolf met the exact opposite outcome.

The air danced with the blade’s movement, and the swirling snowflakes followed its flow.

The blade, the wind, and the snow enveloped the wolf mid-air.

Before it could reach Kairus, the wolf lost its balance in the gust and was torn apart.

Dozens of slashes shredded its body, blood seeping into the snow.

“You damn mutts have no sense of timing.”

Muttering like a lunatic, Kairus kept swinging.

“Not guilty.”

Those two words drove him mad every time he thought about them.

“And now what?”

The storm of slashes intensified, slicing the airborne wolf into pieces.

By the time the shredded remains hit the ground, they were unrecognizable.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!”

The driver trembled in fear.

“A human… No, he’s not even human. Holy shit.”

It wasn’t just the driver who was horrified.

Even the wolves, mere beasts, felt the same way.

The wolf, Kairus had just butchered was their leader—the biggest, the smartest.

Instinct screamed at them.

“Our alpha was killed without even resisting.”

Their tails tucked between their legs on their own.

They had just watched their leader turn into minced meat in real time.

None of them dared to attack.

“Where do you think you’re going? Do I look like a public restroom? Coming and going as you please.”

As the wolves started to retreat, Kairus charged at them.

The roles of predator and prey had already reversed.

To the wolves, the approaching Kairus was no different from death itself.

One by one, he cut them down. In an instant, four more wolves crossed the river of no return.

“Ah.”

At that moment, one of the fleeing wolves flipped onto its back, exposing its belly.

A desperate, instinctive act in a hopeless situation—begging for mercy.

The sword was just about to pierce its throat.

A single drop of blood dripped from the tip of the blade, landing on the wolf’s fur.

“….”

Surrender and escape are different actions. At least, they were for Kairus.

If one trusted their own abilities and attempted to flee, it would simply be another battle—a contest between their ability to escape and Kairus’s ability to pursue.

However, if they gave up completely and entrusted their life to the mercy of their opponent, that was no longer a battle.

“There won’t be a second time.”

Kairus moved his sword, carving a small X on the creature’s belly. If he met this thing again, he would recognize it by that mark. And if it attacked him then, as it had now, he would kill it.

“It’s cold. Stop showing your belly and get lost.”

He had no further business with one who had surrendered.

Kairus gave the wolf’s stomach a light tap with the tip of his boot, then turned back to the driver, inspecting the sword in his hand.

“Exactly one horsepower. Getting it tuned this precisely is a skill of its own.”

One horsepower. That meant if he directed all of this battle gear’s output into strength enhancement, he could exert the power of a single horse for eight hours. If he pushed the output beyond its limit, he might double that strength, but the gear would break in no time.

As he continued to examine the blade, Kairus noticed the engraved characters on it and scoffed.

“Salcheonseong, huh? What a ridiculous name.”

For a mass-produced battle gear issued by the military, it was an absurdly grandiose name.

‘If it were Nongjoyeonun, that would be another story.’

Nongjoyeonun—the battle gear used by the head of the Featherwing family, and the family’s very symbol. According to the late knight’s words, the Featherwing’s symbol, Nongjoyeonun, had gone missing.

“A masterpiece like that, lost…”

Kairus was neither the head of the Featherwing family nor its successor, so he had never wielded it himself. But as a direct descendant, he had had the chance to see it.

A dazzlingly magnificent blade, its deep green colour leaving a lasting impression.

It was a battle gear from an era before mass production technology had been perfected—A time when artisans, honing their craft, poured their individuality, unlimited budgets, and boundless time into their creations, disregarding mere productivity and efficiency.

Angelene’s Answer.

Moon Sand.

Nongjoyeonun…

The most powerful and renowned battle gears were given a special distinction—masterpieces.

“Hey.”

The driver spoke to Kairus.

“To the nearest train station. Keep your word.”

Snapping out of his thoughts, Kairus turned to the driver.

“Of course! I’ll, um… get you there as fast as possible!”

The driver had no intention of going back on his word now—not after witnessing firsthand how those massive wolves had been cut down so mercilessly.

The vehicle began moving again. Unlike before, Kairus was no longer in the cargo area; he now sat in the prime seat behind the driver.

“Do you know anything about Bennet City?”

Kairus asked.

“Bennet City, sir? Well… I doubt someone like me knows anything important.”

He’s using honorifics now. Kairus noted that thought as he continued.

“Still, you must’ve heard some rumors. You used to serve a knight, after all.”

The driver let out a thoughtful hum before something seemed to come to mind.

“If we’re talking about something famous besides crime… there’s the Antaria Grand Canal.”

“The Antaria Grand Canal. Right, there’s that.”

Kairus was familiar with the structure. Among the countless wonders of the world, it was one that was never left off the list.

A legacy of Dersos.

Dersos had been an ancient kingdom, long since destroyed 350 years ago. Yet, the Antaria Grand Canal had been maintained and renovated throughout the centuries and was still in use.

“Is it really that impressive?”

At Kairus’s question, the driver immediately responded.

“Rumor has it that even if ten whale-class warships entered side by side, there would still be space left over.”

Kairus’s eyes widened at that. That meant the minimum width of the canal had to be over 200 meters.

“Incredible.”

Even with modern technology, no one dared attempt constructing something of its scale. It truly deserved to be called a wonder.

“And it’s so long that it takes merchant ships around thirteen days to travel its entire length.”

The driver continued, though his tone suddenly took on a dissatisfied edge, letting out a small grunt.

“But what good is fame? Those damn fools in the Airan Republic keep throwing fits, claiming the entire area as their territory.”

His voice carried a clear sense of hostility as he ranted on.

“They even set up some so-called police headquarters in Bennet City, illegally occupying the place and making a mess of things. Damn bastards. What the hell do they think they’re doing on someone else’s land?”

The Airan Republic and the Balorn Empire.

These two nations, sharing a border, did not get along. Though Balorn had the larger landmass, their national power and military strength were evenly matched.

On top of that, both sides considered themselves the rightful successor to Dersos, leading to endless territorial disputes.

“Well, it’s nothing new for lunatics who elect their king by vote to pull crap like that.”

Kairus half-heartedly agreed with the driver.

In truth, the political state of the two nations didn’t interest him much.

His concern was whether or not he could find information on Nongjoyeonun’s whereabouts in Bennet City.

Nongjoyeonun was more than just a powerful artifact. It was the very symbol of the Featherwing family.

No one who trained in the Featherwing family’s swordsmanship could defeat the head of the family.

‘Without Nongjoyeonun, Featherwing swordsmanship can never be complete.’

Kairus clenched his fist.

In reality, even finding Nongjoyeonun wouldn’t be the end of it. A far more fundamental issue remained.

‘Goddamn it. Who the hell is supposed to teach me?’

He had no master.