"St-stop, pleaseeeeeee!"
"Ahhhhh, what is thisssss!!"
The "Ruthless Predator " extended tentacle-like appendages, grabbing the villagers one by one and tossing them into its mouth.
As the villagers were thrown into its mouth, it chewed with a squelching sound, using its powerful jaws to crush them.
"Puppeteer, I have some business to attend to, so I'm going to go. You can go wild as you like."
"Understood, Master!"
The villagers were completely preoccupied with the "Ruthless Predator" and paid me no attention. In their distraction, I moved away to find my intended targets.
My trusted Parasitic Sword Puppeteer had transformed into the "Ruthless Predator," so I had a newly acquired "Blazing Sword" in my hand.
There were certain individuals that I needed to thoroughly make regret their actions.
First, Darga, the village chief's son, who was responsible for the death of Namia. He deserved the harshest punishment.
Next was Rizlut, the village chief, who was the main instigator behind blaming me for Darga's crimes.
And the four men who often hung around with Darga. They were among those who were at Namia's house that day, even though they were present at the scene, they provided false testimony that I had committed the crime.
There was also the judge who sentenced me to exile, but dealing with him could be of lower priority.
In any case, I needed to apprehend the individuals mentioned above to ensure they didn't escape.
"Hey, it looks like monsters have appeared in the town!"
"What kind of monsters have appeared?"
"I've never seen monsters like these."
"What? Really!?"
"What are the adventurers doing? Hurry up and subdue them!"
"What's the guild doing? Gather the adventurers!"
The village was in chaos.
Everyone was in a state of panic, with some ready to fight, some trying to escape, and others attempting to call for help. People's reactions varied.
The so-called "monsters" were most likely the "Ruthless Predator."
While the "Ruthless Predator" wasn't actually a monster, its appearance could easily be mistaken for one.
Now, where could they be?
"I've found him."
I muttered as I spotted one of my targets.
"It's been a while."
I greeted him.
In reality, it had only been about a week since I returned to this place after being banished to the dungeon, but due to the hundreds of times I had experienced death and rebirth, it felt like I hadn't seen him in many years.
"Why is Kiska here…?"
The person I looked at seemed flustered and voiced their surprise.
"Now, why do you think that is, Darga?"
"A-anyway, I don't have time to deal with you right now! It seems that monsters have appeared in the village. I'm busy dealing with those monsters right now! Stay out of the way!"
"Hey, Darga, what would you think if the cause of the monsters appearing in the village was me?"
"Huh, I don't understand what you're talking about—"
Darga couldn't finish his sentence.
No, I didn't let him.
"Darga, I'll tell you something because it seems you've misunderstood. I can kill you anytime I want."
As I said that, I swung my sword.
I stabbed a blade into Darga's left arm and cut it deeply.
The "Blazing Sword" had a red-hot blade, which, upon cutting, could coagulate blood with its heat, stopping the bleeding. It was a sword designed more for torture than for killing.
"Arghhhhhhhh!"
In agony, Darga writhed on the ground.
"Don't mess around with me!"
Despite the pain, Darga still seemed to have some fight left in him and attempted to exert some dominance over me.
"Yes, is something the matter!? Lord Darga."
"What in the world is all this commotion!?"
I noticed that men who had become aware of the unusual situation were rushing over. Among them was one of the men who had broken into Namia's house that day. They seemed to be preparing to deal with the monsters, as all of them were armed.
"Hey, you guys, kill this silver-haired guy!"
Darga ordered the men.
In an instant, all of them gripped their weapons tightly and charged at me.
In the past, I would have been defenseless and likely beaten to a pulp. But now, with my current abilities…
"You weaklings, come at me."
"Don't get cocky!!"
I used "Provocation" to lure their attacks and then evaded, countering their strikes.
"Aghhh!"
The slashed man collapsed on the spot.
I continued to cut down one after another with my blade.
"W-what's with this guy's movements!?"
"Absolutely, we can't lay a finger on him!"
"P-please, stop!"
"Aggh!"
If I had survived that hellish dungeon, dealing with these guys would be a walk in the park. I could take them down with my eyes closed.
"Darga, I'll say it again, think about why I'm here."
As I said this, I stepped on one of the fallen men. All the attackers had already been subdued.
"I-I never thought you'd come back from that dungeon…"
Finally, it seemed like he had realized. Quite slow on the uptake. He appeared to be quite dense.
"Hey, Darga. Do you know what I was thinking while I was conquering the dungeon?"
"W-what are you talking about…"
"I've been thinking about how to get revenge on you all this time. I've been contemplating how to give you the most gruesome death. Whether it's bludgeoning, beheading, impalement, water torture, burning, whipping, flaying, eye gouging, finger amputation, starvation, venereal disease, suffocation, live burial, genital mutilation, poisoning, confinement, or stabbing, I've been thinking about it continuously."
I spoke in a single breath, and with each word, Darga's face contorted in terror.
"Hey, master, can I eat these guys too?"
Suddenly, I noticed that the Puppeteer was approaching. It had probably come this far while devouring the villagers.
By "these guys," it probably meant the people who had attacked me and were subsequently defeated.
"Anyone except for this one is fair game."
I pointed at Darga while giving my permission.
"Got it!"
The Puppeteer replied energetically and used its tentacles to devour the men one after another.
"Stop!!"
"Uwaaaaah!!"
"No, please! Nooooooo!!"
"Let go, let go, let me gooo!!"
Everyone struggled desperately, but their resistance was futile. One by one, the Puppeteer's powerful jaws crushed them.
"D-Did you summon this monster…?"
Darga asked with an expression of utter despair.
"Yeah, that's right."
So, I affirmed it.
Instantly, an unpleasant smell reached my nose. Oh, this guy must have soiled himself in fear.
"Don't worry, you won't be killed as easily as these guys."
"Help me! I was wrong! I apologize, I apologize, so please help me!"
Instantly, Darga began apologizing profusely as if begging for his life.
Seeing that, I couldn't help but feel disappointed deep down. What a small-minded person he was. If he were a villain, I wished he would act like one. Apologizing like this made it seem like I was the one in the wrong.
So, with a hint of exasperation, I said, "With that, there's no way I'll forgive you."