Ex rank talent Awakening: 100% Dodge rate

Brian continued his slow, undeterred path towards the lamenting sword until he was close enough.

He held the hilt of the sword, visions rushing into his brain.

"My liege, I'm at your service," a young-looking Commander Joshua said, kneeling before an also young-looking Emperor Augustus. One of his knees was bent and on the floor, paying his respects to the king.

"Captain Joshua, I have heard about your exploits and your genius achievements in tactics and battle."

"I humbly receive your praise," the young version of Joshua replied, his head still bowed.

Brian watched the ongoing conversation between the young emperor and the commander-to-be. It felt like he was there in the room, at the moment it happened, but he was invisible to the emperor and Joshua.

"Yes, my lord!" Joshua said, rising to his feet and taking his leave after paying his respects.

Without taking a single break, he arrived before a group of fully equipped knights.

"Our lord has given us a covert task that must be done secretly. I want you all prepared. This mission is of utmost secrecy. Anyone that dares expose it will not only have his life taken but also the life of his entire family," Joshua warned sternly.

"Yes, sir!" the knights affirmed, each and every one of them preparing themselves mentally for what they could be up against.

At dusk, the knights slipped away from the empire bit by bit after creating false alibis for themselves. It was covert, with very few people within the empire knowing about it. Brian followed the knights closely as they slipped away. He was invisible to every single person, allowing him to be more flexible and open in his approach towards Joshua.

"It seems we all made it here, following my instructions closely. No one noticed your slipping away, right?" Joshua asked, just to be sure.

"None, sir," the knights replied. Their voices were barely a whisper, yet the militaristic salutation remained despite the low tone.

"Good. Now we move!" Joshua commanded, moving extremely fast along with the other knights until they reached a village. The village was part of the empire, one that shared a border with Prindain, a kingdom that once existed on its own, having sovereignty over itself.

It was the dead of night, the hours closer to midnight than to dusk or dawn. The village was asleep, as should be expected. The small-time hunters, farmers, swordsmen, and mages all lay asleep alike, the day already over, resting to regain strength and be in top shape for the next day.

"Mages," Joshua called softly. The knight mages nodded their heads and began casting trapping spells on the village, preventing all those within from having any means of escape.

"Go! Kill every single person within the village!" Joshua commanded, his voice cold and detached, like he hadn't just ordered the deaths of innocent people.

The knights nodded their heads, all of them unsheathing their swords or holding their wands as they entered the village and began the massacre of every human that could be found within. None were spared—women, men, the elderly, and the young—all slaughtered without even the slightest flinch or hesitation by the knights.

"Mummy! Mummy! Where is my mummy!" a young girl, barely five, cried amidst the chaos, her voice nearly drowned by the screams of fleeing villagers or the wails of those cut down unfairly.

None paid heed to the girl crying and seeking her mother.

Joshua watched all this, extremely detached and unbothered, as though he had merely ordered the slaughter of livestock. But even an unwarranted slaughter of livestock like this would already be inhumane.

Soon, Joshua decided to join the slaughter spree to speed things up. None could be left alive before dawn.

Brian watched the cold actions of the knights, unable to say a word. He felt disgusted, the sight before him causing his blood to boil with rage and loathing.

"Mummy!" the young girl cried harder, turning around until she bumped into Joshua.

"Mister, did you see my mummy?" she asked innocently.

Joshua said nothing, his face expressionless. He swung his sword without hesitation and moved to the next target, his heart already blackened even more than a demon's.

Soon, the wailings and cries came to an end. Not a single villager was left alive.

"Burn the bodies. Place the evidence to show that Prindain was behind this. And destroy all evidence and traces of our presence. Mages—off to work," he commanded.

The mages carried out his orders.

Brian stood rooted in place, shocked. But above all, he felt disgusted—disgusted that he had been so easily fooled into thinking his teacher was a good man. He felt the urge to kill him there and then, but he couldn't. All he could do was hold on to the burning anger in his heart.

The next day, the news of Prindain attacking a neighbouring village came to light. The enraged empire demanded an explanation for the inhumane actions of Prindain, and soon, the flames of war ignited.

Prindain was conquered by the empire, who now had a valid reason to attack the kingdom. The fake evidence had done its work, and Prindain's allies couldn't interfere in the war.

Joshua—the war hero—made a name for himself during the campaign. He killed the king of Prindain, the princes, the princess, and all the important nobilities of the kingdom, leaving none alive to even think of rebellion.

He was praised as a just hero, the one who went to the forefront of battle to seek justice for the empire's citizens who had supposedly died at the hands of Prindain.

With his war achievements, he soon became a commander of the Grey Empire, praised and loved by all. But his dark secrets continued. The trusted knights who had committed all manner of atrocities alongside him continued their deeds in the dark.

Brian watched it all, his heart going cold. He didn't know what to believe anymore. Should he hold his teacher accountable for his past? Or believe him to be a changed man—and forgive him?

But the choice stood before him, whether he wanted it or not, as he continued to watch the actions of the man he once respected and called a teacher.

And as he kept watching the growing monstrosity of his teacher, the last atrocity he witnessed finally broke his heart. The truth could no longer be denied.

He could no longer defend him.