As soon as the monster charged forward, it instantly shifted to the building on the right, letting it destroy the house where several villagers had taken shelter. Their faces, filled with fear, could be seen before they ultimately became one with the rubble.
Feeling bored, he immediately began searching for the remaining villagers before they could escape because he didn't want to find out what would happen if the mission wasn't completed.
To be honest, he was curious.
Maybe he would be punished.
Maybe he would die instantly.
"Hmm, how about we try it instead of being bored?" he thought before jumping down, completely ignoring the boar-like monster that had just destroyed the second house where he had been standing earlier.
Screams and cries from those inside were heard before they were abruptly silenced, as if cut off by something.
Their souls severed from the world.
He walked leisurely, as if the chaos around him didn't matter at all, and sat on a chair in the yard of another villager's house. The owner of the house peeked from behind the window, hoping he would leave soon. But the monster had already turned around and was charging toward him, making the ground tremble violently.
Not knowing where else to run, the homeowner could only collapse in despair, watching as the monster drew closer and closer, blocking out the sunlight before completely plunging everything into darkness. At the same time, the monster's massive foot crashed into the house, reducing it to rubble.
Meanwhile, he and his chair were once again in the air, still pondering the question from earlier.
The five people who had been on the hill had now arrived, their eyes wide as they took in the sight of the villagers' mangled bodies, blood pooling everywhere. Fire consumed the houses, thick black smoke billowing high into the sky, accompanied by the wails, screams, and desperate pleas of the remaining villagers, begging for salvation.
But before they could act, he had already started shifting from place to place, deliberately guiding the monster to destroy the villagers' homes, killing those inside.
They didn't know who he was or why he was doing this. But they wouldn't let it continue.
"Save the remaining villagers immediately! Two of you, come with me to stop him!" ordered the man with a face as handsome as the protagonist of a fantasy story.
Not to mention his blond hair and a pair of eyes as blue as the ocean.
Just seeing his strength was enough to—
The ground split in two as he swung his sword, creating a sharp white crescent of light that shot forward, cutting through the forest. A power strong enough to destroy the entire village if he had ill intentions.
But from the way he swung, it was clear he didn't want any villagers to be harmed, so he only used that much power on the wide road, enough for two horse-drawn carriages to pass side by side.
Unfortunately, the attack wasn't enough.
He suddenly appeared not far to the side, still sitting on the wooden chair without even glancing at him, as if he wasn't important. Not even a fly. Just a speck of dust unworthy of attention.
Annoyed by his attitude, the knight swung his sword again.
This time, multiple times, creating smaller sharp white crescents.
But just like before—
Before the attacks could reach him, he disappeared again without a trace. No mana, no magic. As if the power he used wasn't something they knew. But something else entirely.
"Alright!" he shouted, having made up his mind. "Let's see what happens if I don't complete the mission!" he said loudly enough for them to hear.
"Who are you!?" the knight yelled in anger.
He glanced at him and raised an eyebrow. "Who are you?"
Inside, he chuckled.
He had wanted to say something like that for a long time. Though it felt a little embarrassing, at least he had fulfilled one of his small wishes, which made his heart swell with joy.
His grip on the sword tightened, trying to suppress the rage that was about to erupt. "My name is Aldean Dragonheart! A knight under the king's banner! Leader of the hero party!"
"Oh," he replied indifferently.
Aldean's eyes widened as he suddenly appeared in front of him, causing his teammates to freeze in place—none of them could sense his presence, even now, as he stood before them. As if he had never existed.
Just a shadow. Something unreal.
"I know you're just following orders, just like me. But can't you see that the monster behind me is the one causing this chaos, not me?" he said, pointing at the rampaging boar-like monster now charging toward him.
"You deliberately targeted the villagers!"
"That's the mission I was given. What else can I do?" he replied before turning around and striking the boar monster, sending it flying with a deafening crash.
Before it could hit the ground, its body was suddenly filled with glitches, accompanied by sounds that made the heroes furrow their brows even more—especially when they saw the monster disappear without leaving a single trace.
As if it had been erased from existence.
"So, will you still try to stop me, or will you let me go? Because I'm truly bored of this place. Besides..." He pointed at the remaining villagers, who had finally been rescued by the two party members. "Don't you have far more important matters to deal with?" he asked with a smile before vanishing, not giving the knight a chance to respond.
Aldean clenched his fists tightly, trying to suppress his anger.
Never in his life had he felt this humiliated.
For the first time, he couldn't do anything but stand there, making the situation worse by recklessly using his power—something a hero, let alone their leader, should never do.
But seeing that person...
His heart burned with fury.
He should have been the one to save the villagers, yet he chose to destroy them instead of using his power for good. He despised people like that, and he would make sure to pay him back for his cruelty.
"Aldean..." called a beautiful girl with long white hair and striking golden eyes, placing a hand on the knight's shoulder out of concern. It had been a long time since she had seen him like this.
The last time was when he had to face his own family.
Aldean took a deep breath to calm himself and gently squeezed her arm. "I'm fine," he replied softly, nodding before approaching the villagers being assisted by his teammates.
From a distance, he couldn't hear their conversation.
After all, his power was not omnipotent.
He was still just a human—one who didn't belong to this world, which was trying to erase him, causing those glitches that had instead become his power.
He looked at his right palm, watching as the glitch still flickered, though on a smaller scale. A reminder that he was never meant to be part of this story, this life.
He was merely an outsider with a purpose that remained a mystery.
And now, that purpose had given him a new mission:
He had to follow the hero party below.
"That's it? What I did doesn't matter?" he asked, but there was no answer, making his smile widen.
"Alright then."