On the outskirts of the Imperial Capital, a carriage escorted by twenty or thirty guards rolled through a ruined village.
Inside the carriage, an old man sat beside a young woman in the rear seat.
Along the way, the old man kept looking out the window, his brows drawn together in worry.
He sighed. "This village is the same too. No matter where we go, the people are barely holding on. This country is clearly so rich, yet those greedy bastards have completely thrown away their humanity."
This old man was Minister Chouri.
To be precise, the former minister.
As someone who had once stood at the height of Imperial politics, he understood the Empire's finances and resources very well.
If the officials had not been so excessive with their embezzlement, exploitation, and corruption, how could the people's lives have become this hard?
All of it was because of that man.
"That's why you decided to stand up again, isn't it? You care so much for the people that you're even willing to return to that viper's nest of an Imperial Capital. Father, you really are amazing."
The girl sitting beside Minister Chouri was his daughter, Spear.
Because Minister Chouri had raised her through his own example, Spear had grown into a girl with a strong sense of justice.
She knew that her father had made too many enemies because he was too upright, so she had trained in martial arts since she was young.
She had even entered the Empire's greatest martial arts temple, Kōken Temple, to study, and had become especially skilled with the spear.
"I will definitely protect you, Father!"
Even while sitting inside the carriage, Spear did not let her weapon leave her side. She kept it resting across her shoulder.
Chouri looked at his daughter with pride at first, but that pride quickly turned into worry.
"I really do have a wonderful daughter. I'm happy about that, of course, but this courage of yours is exactly why you still haven't found a husband. Your father worries about it all the time."
Minister Chouri looked genuinely troubled.
His daughter had already reached marriageable age, yet almost no one came to propose.
She was outstanding in both personality and appearance, but ever since she was little, she had loved swinging spears and practicing weapons.
Among the civil officials' families, there was basically no chance at all.
As for the military families, none of them had suitable young men of the right age.
He sighed.
If she did not marry soon, what would happen if Spear became an old maid?
"I... if there were someone suitable, I'd want to marry quickly too."
Although her father praised her bravery, Spear had grown up in the Imperial Capital.
She knew there were countless experts in the world, and her own level could not be considered especially impressive.
Her father only praised her so much because he saw her as his daughter.
Compared to other noble young ladies, her martial skill was definitely exceptional.
But Spear knew very well that inside Kōken Temple alone, there were many people stronger than her.
Although Kōken Temple had acknowledged her as someone who had mastered the spear to a certain level, that judgment probably had some leniency in it.
Most likely because she was a woman.
And because she was a minister's daughter.
"Neigh!"
The carriage suddenly came to a stop.
A guard ran over and spoke from outside the carriage. "My apologies..."
Minister Chouri's expression changed.
He frowned and said, "Bandits again? How many times has it been now? We're almost at the Imperial Capital, yet public order is still this bad. What in the world has happened to this country?"
On the way here, almost every time they passed a village, they had run into bandits.
Sometimes, when the other side saw that the group had twenty or thirty guards, they would back off and let them pass.
Even so, the carriage had been stopped many times.
As the strongest among the escorts, Spear stepped down from the carriage immediately after it stopped.
Calmly, just as she had done several times along the way, she began arranging their formation.
"Everyone, don't get careless. If it's the same scale as before, we'll use the same formation and break them apart one group at a time."
With a spear in hand, Spear walked to the front of the group.
She was not the type to order others to charge forward while she stayed safely behind.
She had trained her body and skills for this exact reason. Standing in front of those weaker than herself was the meaning behind her strength.
However, once she stepped forward, she discovered something that shocked her.
"Only three people?"
Spear looked at the three figures blocking the middle of the road, all of them giving off a dangerous air, and cold sweat trickled down her forehead.
These people did not seem like ordinary bandits.
After hesitating for a moment, she called out, "Who are you? Why are you blocking our carriage? Could you please step aside?"
The three people blocking the road glanced at one another.
Then one of them stepped forward.
"It is rather rude of us to interrupt so suddenly. Since that is the case, allow us to introduce ourselves first."
The one who stepped forward was a middle-aged man with silver-gray hair and a neat mustache.
Judging by his manner, he seemed somewhat gentlemanly.
After giving a polite bow, he said, "My name is Liver. I am one of the Three Beasts serving under General Esdeath."
After the white-haired gentleman, Liver, finished speaking, the shortest among the three, a small-framed boy, hopped forward.
With an innocent smile on his face, he cheerfully introduced himself.
"Me too, me too! I'm Nyau, also one of Lady Esdeath's Three Beasts."
Finally, there was a burly man.
He had a rough beard and a body covered in muscle.
Though he wore the same uniform as the other two, it looked as if his clothes might burst apart at any moment.
Even more frightening was the enormous battle-axe he held, so large it looked exaggerated.
"I'm Daidara."
The burly man only gave his name before immediately barking impatiently, "Hey, introductions are done, right? Can we start killing now? I can't wait to fight. I'm going to turn all these guys into experience points!"
The man named Daidara acted almost like a wild beast.
He licked his lips, looking terribly eager for the slaughter that was about to begin.
"The Three Beasts! These guys are the ones from the rumors?"
The moment the guards heard their names, some of them immediately started thinking about retreating.
When people mentioned the Three Beasts, all that came to mind were terrifying rumors.
They were said to be absurdly strong and unusually cruel.
If someone fell into their hands, dying might be considered lucky. If they were captured alive, they would suffer torture worse than death.
"Oh?"
Seeing the fear on the guards' faces, Nyau happily said, "Looks like they've all heard of us. Great! That means we're already pretty famous."
Liver said with deep respect, "That is all thanks to our master, Lady Esdeath. Mere fame is something we are bound to obtain as long as we follow her."
After hearing Liver's words, Nyau laughed. "Yeah, yeah. Liver really does respect Lady Esdeath as much as ever."
"Of course."
"Oh, right. Daidara, you can start now. Sorry for making you wait so long."
Daidara gripped the axe handle with both hands and laughed wildly.
"Finally!"
His huge body moved with unbelievable speed.
In the blink of an eye, he had already charged into the guards' formation.
Then a flash of cold steel swept past faster than the eye could follow, and every guard standing near Daidara was cut in half.
That swing had been horizontal.
Some people had their heads chopped off. Others were split straight through the waist.
With a single attack, eight or nine people died.
Their deaths were horrifying. Their faces remained frozen in terror, and their organs spilled across the ground.
In an instant, more than a third of their force had been wiped out.
And the enemy had only used one strike.
Seeing how powerful the enemy was, Spear's heart filled with alarm.
But she could not just watch.
She gritted her teeth, gripped her spear, and attacked Daidara from behind.
"Haaah!"
Bang!
Before Spear could even react, a fist slammed hard into her stomach.
She spat out a mouthful of stomach acid and collapsed weakly onto the ground.
Daidara had not even turned his head. One punch was enough to take away her ability to move.
The gap between them was no longer just large.
They were not even on the same level!
"Stop!"
Minister Chouri struggled down from the carriage.
Every step he took was a step toward death.
Even so, he had no intention of simply watching his daughter be killed.
Daidara actually stopped.
Liver looked at Minister Chouri, who was walking with difficulty, and said, "My apologies, but we cannot grant that request. In the past, I admired your political skill. If you die, the Empire will lose a capable and excellent loyal minister. Unfortunately, our master Lady Esdeath's orders are absolute. Daidara, do it."
The muscular man holding the massive axe revealed a savage grin.
He raised his weapon above his head, and the shadow of the axe fell over Spear's frightened face.
If nothing unexpected happened, that pretty face would be smashed apart in the next second.
Along with her entire head.
"N-no...!"
In the face of death, even the usually brave Spear felt fear.
She was only twenty years old!
Her life was about to end before she had even fallen in love.
More importantly, she had failed to protect her father, who was trying to fight for the people.
She could not accept it!
"Ora!"
Daidara swung down the massive axe.
Boom!
The impact sent the heavy snow on the ground flying again, blocking everyone's vision.
Liver frowned slightly.
Nyau, on the other hand, looked at the exaggerated scene with a smile.
"Something's wrong."
Liver suddenly spoke. "The vibration through the ground was too weak."
Once he said that, Nyau reacted too.
With Daidara's brute strength, that young lady should have been shattered by a single axe strike. On top of that, the axe should have smashed deep into the ground.
But right now, there was barely any tremor beneath their feet.
Had Daidara held back? No, that was impossible.
That muscle-brained idiot would never do something like that.
And that muscle-brained idiot, as his companions saw him, was now filled with disbelief.
Because he had used so much strength, even his muscles had begun trembling.
He had clearly put in all his power.
So why?
Why had this guy who suddenly appeared out of nowhere not moved at all?
The terrifying axe was being held between one hand's fingers.
That hand alone had thrown Daidara into deep self-doubt.
His attack had been caught with one hand.
What kind of joke was this?
Whoosh—
A cold wind blew past, scattering the snow filling the air.
Daidara and Spear appeared once more before everyone.
The difference was that now, a stranger wrapped completely in ragged cloth stood between them.
"Spear!"
Seeing that his daughter was safe, Minister Chouri called out in excitement.
Liver and Nyau immediately became alert.
But the most emotional one was Daidara.
Facing this "skinny little guy" in front of him, his strength had actually failed to move the man at all?
Impossible!
This guy had to be using some kind of trick!
"Hey, where the hell did you come from? I don't know who you are, but since you dare stick your nose into this, turn into experience points for me too!"
Daidara suddenly pulled both hands apart on the axe handle.
The huge double-bladed axe split apart directly, becoming two separate single-bladed axes.
He pulled one of them free and slashed horizontally.
Seeing that, Noah did not even need Appraisal to know what this was.
The Teigu, Two Great Axes: Belvaac.
Still gripping one of Daidara's axes, Noah shifted gravity and used the axe in his hand to collide with the one swinging toward him.
Daidara felt an overwhelming force he could not resist.
The axes in his two hands were forced into each other.
Taking that chance, Noah stepped back to Spear's side, reached beneath her arm, lifted her up, and leapt backward, landing beside Minister Chouri.
Spear stared blankly at the man who had saved her.
His height was exactly her type.
So was his build.
And he was incredibly strong.
She just could not see his face.
That was natural.
Right now, Noah was wearing the damaged equipment he usually used for practice and destruction tests.
So from head to toe, he looked completely shabby!
A ragged headscarf and a tattered cloak wrapped his entire body in "mystery."
Since this operation was basically the same as making an enemy of the Minister, he had chosen to hide his identity before acting.
However, he had not expected the Minister to send Esdeath's Three Beasts instead of his own people.
Sure enough, there were the Minister's eyes among Chouri's people.
Chouri had only decided to return to the Imperial Capital three days ago.
Considering the travel time and how early the Three Beasts had set up an ambush here, the Minister must have learned about Chouri's movements immediately.
Fortunately, Noah had still made it in time.
If he had been any later, he would only have been collecting the bodies of this father and daughter.
No, considering the perverted rumors surrounding the Three Beasts, even finding intact bodies might have been impossible.