The Laughing Swordsman

Apollo fell to his knees, propping himself up with his bokken. He was desperately gasping for air.

After a few seconds, he calmed down.

Apollo shook his head.

He was back in the alleyway. He looked up in the sky to the moon shining brightly in the night sky.

Apollo fished out his copper coin. Strangely enough, it did not contain the symbols or picture of a demon's face.

It was just a normal coin.

He put it away and took note of that fact.

Apollo furrowed his brows. He didn't make it back in time before curfew.

If he encountered a guard, there would be bloodshed.

Apollo got back on the road.

There was not a soul around.

Jaguar simply led Apollo down the road in a straight line, so it was easy enough for Apollo to retrace his steps.

Perhaps he got lucky, but there were no guards on the way to Karn's home.

Apollo pushed open the door and walked inside. After an uncomfortably loud creaking sound, the door opened.

Apollo scanned the room.

He saw that Maya was still sleeping. Her sickness had not left. That much was evident from the sweat forming on her forehead and sickly red face.

Karn wasn't there.

Apollo raised an eyebrow.

Was he in one of the rooms?

Apollo pushed open the first door, revealing a shabby kitchen. There were no appliances and the floor was covered with a thin layer of dust.

Apollo went to the second room.

After he pushed open the door, he found a small room with a few empty crates lying around.

Karn wasn't anywhere to be found.

Apollo furrowed his brows.

Did Karn leave in search of him?

Apollo clicked his tongue and left the house.

"How troublesome."

The moonlight fell on Apollo's face and lit up the dark night.

Apollo's steps slapped against the cobblestone path. Before he got far, he heard a voice.

"Stop right there!"

A guard had been leaning on the back of a house. He was half asleep but fully woke up once he heard Apollo's footsteps.

Apollo was not going to slow down now.

The guard continued chasing after Apollo.

"Hey! Get back here!"

The guard's shouts attracted another guard who joined in on the chase.

"These worthless commoners only know how to make trouble!"

An annoyed smile appeared on Apollo's face. At this rate, things might escalate a little too fast.

Apollo's eyes widened and his bokken flashed.

Gales of wind were stirred up and a guard was split in two. Not only was he over five meters away, the strike directly pierced through his armor.

The other guard that was chasing tripped and fell to the floor. The moment he could, he crawled backward.

"M...Monster!"

Like the other guard, he was split in two as well.

Apollo believed that if the guard was alive, he would notify other guards and come back to bother him. As such, he did not hesitate in killing him.

Not that he would give up the opportunity anyway.

With a giggle, Apollo continued.

For a few moments, Apollo wondered why he was searching for Karn. After all, Karn was the idiot that brought his fate onto himself.

Apollo shook his head. He was this far, so he might as well continue.

As Apollo ran down the streets, his brows began to furrow.

There were no guards for quite some time now. Where were they?

Apollo's ears caught a faint sound in the distance.

He changed directions and ran towards the commotion.

"I'm sorry! I promise I won't do it again!"

It was Karn.

He was covered in bruises and kneeling on the floor. On top of that, his arms were behind his back and bound with a thick rope.

Surrounding him was a group of guards, jeering and spitting on him.

One of the guards had a red banner wrapped diagonally around his armor. He was the captain of this patrol team.

The captain bashed the hilt of his sword into Karn's stomach.

"Sorry? Is that sorry supposed to help me when I lose my position because of you?"

Karn coughed and hunched over.

"I just... wanted to find someone who accidentally overstayed in curfew!"

The captain slapped Karn, making him collapse from the strike.

"Idiot! Is it our job or yours to take care of people who stay outside for too long?"

Karn fell silent.

A guard beside the captain sighed.

"These damn commoners. We already have two strikes because of these morons. If we get another one..."

The captain scoffed.

"That's why we have to show these idiots the consequences of disobeying curfew."

The captain lifted his sword to bash Karn with the hilt once again. Suddenly, he froze.

There was an eerie laugh coming from behind him.

Apollo rested his bokken on his shoulder. He was leisurely walking towards the group with a wide smile on his face.

Karn gasped.

"What are you doing here? ...Run now!"

Apollo giggled and tilted his head to the side.

"What the hell are you doing here, Karn?"

Karn blinked a few times, then smiled bitterly.

"You were out after curfew... I thought you would need help"

Apollo's eyes widened dangerously.

"Are you an idiot? You can't even save yourself, how would you help me?"

Karn looked to the ground.

"Haha, you're not wrong."

The captain of the guards scoffed.

"So, you guys are having a reunion? If only you didn't have to break the rules for it."

The captain pointed at Apollo.

"Capture him! If he resists, just kill him!"

One of the guards laughed.

"It's just a kid, what are you getting so worked up for? I can handle this by myself."

The other guards remained seated as the guard who talked big got up. Some of the guards couldn't even be bothered, closing their eyes.

The captain frowned but did not say anything. Even he felt that his reaction was over the top for some random kid.

Apollo stood still as the guard approached.

The guard gave a derisive chuckle.

"What? Too scared? Your face is frozen, though I don't blame you."

A small giggle seeped out of Apollo.