Chapter 438
Chapter 438
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 438
Chapter Title: 2-108. Acalusia (10)
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"This can't be happening..."
Iluan muttered in disbelief. He seemed utterly unable to comprehend the situation unfolding before him.
The dome of flames, crafted by layering three spells, had vanished without a trace. The polymorph magic maintaining Erzsebet's form had also been dispelled.
"...It's done."
Asel murmured to himself.
Though his expression looked relieved, his frail body seemed on the verge of collapse at any moment. Iluan, glancing back and forth between him and the audience, gritted his teeth.
"Damn brat...!"
He finally seemed to grasp the gravity of the situation. Among the Acalusia heirs filling the stands, there were likely many familiar faces. With each passing moment, their eyes wavered with fear and suspicion.
"Wh-what happened? Wasn't that Lord Iluan who supposedly died in an accident?"
"Wait, where's the lady?"
"No way..."
True to their noble upbringing, they caught on quickly. Family head Adrian stood frozen, like a wax doll.
No wonder. Discovering that her supposedly sealed husband had been impersonating their daughter and up to no good would shock anyone. Especially if he'd stolen her clothes to do it.
Iluan turned back to Asel with a growl.
"You... You've ruined everything."
"Haa... Cough! Cough!"
Instead of replying, Asel coughed up blood. It was clear he'd reached his limit. Iluan raised his arm.
"Your luck ends here. I'll burn you until not even a splinter of bone remains!"
Flames coiled around his pale fist. Seven blazing magic circles materialized in the air. Almost simultaneously, searing beams erupted from his hand and the circles.
Adrian, snapping out of her daze, cried out in horror.
"Lord Asel!"
She thrust out her arm. A translucent barrier enveloped Asel. Her casting speed was unlike that of an ordinary mage, but unfortunately, Iluan's beams packed more destructive power than expected.
Kwang!
The beams melted through the shield in an instant and surged toward Asel.
"N-no!"
The heirs' faces drained of color. Only Asel and I remained calm. Asel muttered something and flicked his fingers. Mana ripples, like heat haze, burst out from his body.
Shwaaak! The eight beams dissolved into mana upon contact with the ripples and scattered.
"What."
Iluan's eyes widened. I couldn't help but smile at the impressive display.
The moment the utterly exhausted Asel collapsed, the audience leaped to their feet in unison.
"Re-reverse magic!"
"What?!"
It was an unbelievable sight. In Asel's delicate hand, mana of the exact opposite property to Iluan's spells flickered. The ripples that dismantled the beams were made of that very mana.
"The dome vanished because of that too?!"
Adrian shuddered. If her memory was correct, Asel had learned reverse magic just this dawn. Having his spells countered twice in a row, Iluan bellowed in rage.
"Fine, try this!"
Abandoning magic, Iluan lunged at Asel with a punch. It didn't look overwhelmingly powerful, but it could easily crush Asel's small head like a ripe persimmon. The others wouldn't let that happen.
"What do you think you're doing, Iluan!"
"Enough of this disgrace!"
Adrian and the heirs chanted spells in unison. Dozens of magics chained toward Iluan. Iron chains of ice wrapped around his neck. Bluish electric currents bound him like a cage. Steel sharks bursting from the ground bit his legs and morphed into heavy shackles.
"Kuh!"
Iluan dropped to one knee. His shackled fist fell short of Asel. Following the ice chains with his gaze, he saw a massive magic circle—and his wife standing before it.
With her husband fully subdued, Adrian spoke.
"Iluan... why?"
"......Adrian."
Iluan twisted his lips. He had an overall honest face, but his eyes gleamed with murderous intent. The warmth and intellect were gone, leaving only sharp cunning—like a meat cleaver in place of a kitchen knife.
Adrian continued.
"Why are you here? What have you been doing in the basement?"
"Adrian, I..."
"Why are you disguised as Eri? How could you do this...!"
Adrian's voice trembled. A chill frost bloomed over her shoulders. No matter how this unfolded, there was no turning back.
"I..."
Iluan trailed off.
Adrian took a deep breath and shouted.
"Tell me!!"
"......!"
Her clear voice echoed across the arena. For a split second, Iluan's pupils dilated blankly. It wasn't just a shout—it seemed like a hypnotic spell.
Stunned as if his soul had been sucked out, Iluan finally spoke.
"......Acalusia must become great again."
"What?"
"The family prospers, but it's not enough. The Grancia pigs grow stronger by the day, and threatening new nobles rise in the borders. At this rate, Acalusia will lose its dominance."
All eyes in the arena fixed on him.
Iluan twitched like he'd been shocked and continued.
"I was lucky to break free from the seal. So I planned to take Eri's place as family head... She's too much like you, too soft-hearted. She tries hard, but she's not cut out to rule over others."
"Explain everything. Leave nothing out."
"My partner who freed me urged me to become head immediately. But I couldn't harm you or Eri. So I waited for the day you'd step down, building power in the basement. Raising an undead army, quietly removing weeds that could hinder the family's growth."
"Removing weeds...?"
Adrian faltered. It didn't take long to grasp the meaning.
Her violet eyes, like Erzsebet's, widened in shock.
"D-don't tell me you killed Adeshan?"
"Yes."
"Why? How could you...!"
"She was too clever. Clever enough to uncover my plans."
The secret of her death was revealed. No wonder it hadn't seemed like an accident.
Even Adeshan, with her regression, couldn't counter a determined assault from a mage of Iluan's caliber. After killing her, he'd sunk her body in a swamp to dispose of it.
But why?
After a brief pause, Iluan explained even that.
"I preserved her body intact, without a scratch. Eri adored her so much. Once I became head, I planned to revive Adeshan in a space I'd prepare and let Eri live with her."
"......You're insane."
Adrian bit her lower lip. I agreed completely.
I had to restrain myself from charging out and tearing that bastard into ten thousand pieces. Even knowing the full story already, it was hard to endure.
The holy sword's hilt trembled faintly, as if urging me to calm down.
"It's fine. It's not my turn yet."
I gently stroked the hilt. If I'd intended to act, I'd have slaughtered them all the moment I found the basement. The Acalusia heirs listened to Iluan's confessions in stunned silence. Sometimes, revealing every detail maximized the shock.
"Hey."
Instead of meddling in family drama, I approached Asel.
He lay limp like a marionette with cut strings, breathing raggedly. I poked his cheek with my finger, and a voice leaked from his dry lips.
"Ro...nan?"
"Good work, Asel. You fought well. You mastered reverse magic way faster than I expected."
An unbelievable achievement. Well, he had to pull off at least this much to be archmage material. Tears streamed down Asel's cheeks.
"Thanks... I'm really grateful, but my body won't move... I-I'm gonna die... Sob."
"You've got way too much left to do to die, idiot. It's just mana depletion. Don't worry."
I hoisted the sniffling Asel over my shoulder. He was too light—probably from not eating properly. Practically a girl's weight; time to fatten him up first.
As I turned to head back to the stands with that thought...
"Right! Ronan!"
"Shit, you scared me."
Asel suddenly yelled. If he weren't a patient, I'd have smacked his head.
"What's up?"
"W-we can't stay like this... There's another culprit. Wh-where'd they go?! They were right here a second ago...!"
Asel flailed weakly. I knew who he meant. The true mastermind behind this mess, the one with the worst crimes. Scanning around, I shrugged.
"Huh, they're gone. Probably off to their next target since things went so sideways."
"N-next target?"
"Lady Erzsebet, who's not here. Kill the husband twice and lose her only daughter, and the family head would be a total wreck. Gotta say, their stealth is top-notch... No wonder even Lady Adrian didn't notice."
I was genuinely impressed. Hadn't even caught when they slipped away.
For years, they'd danced in the basement, and Acalusia ran smoothly despite two daughters—thanks to the mastermind's flawless skills.
Shocked by my casual tone, Asel panicked.
"Th-that's bad! We have to save the lady quick!"
"Relax, man. If it were serious, would I be standing here? You've done more than enough. Just sleep it off quietly."
"Ack!"
I flicked Asel's nose lightly. His small head lolled powerlessly.
True to my word, I wasn't worried at all. The mastermind's assumption that killing Eri would be easy was dead wrong.
Because she'd tossed and turned all night over the star mushroom spores on her sofa.
Suddenly, screams erupted from the arena.
"Gasp."
"My god, Iluan!"
"Th-this can't be...!"
I turned to look. Iluan was free, while the heirs sat frozen. The various binding spells had turned to smoke and dispersed. Even Adrian's remaining ice chains melted under his feet from rising heat.
"Still the same, Adrian. I said too much without realizing."
His eyes had regained their gleam; the hypnosis was broken.
Iluan said,
"But you forgot—reverse magic was always my specialty."
"Are you going to keep this up here?!"
Adrian shouted. Ignoring her, Iluan waved his hand through the air. Mana ripples spread, turning even the ice chains to smoke.
The mana backlash made Adrian stagger.
"Ugh!"
"No choice but to start over from the beginning. Remember what magic I was researching when I failed?"
"W-wait. Stop!"
Adrian gripped the railing and stood, her face more panicked than when her husband's identity was revealed.
"Don't worry. I love my family. Nothing will happen to you or Eri."
Iluan smiled. Suddenly, an indescribable roar echoed from above. It sounded like an ancient beast growling—something I'd never heard before.
I noticed the rain had stopped and looked up.
"Huh."
I let out a hollow laugh. The thick clouds were gone, revealing a piercingly blue sky. At its center, a massive rock wreathed in flames plummeted down. Its scorching surface disintegrated bit by bit even now.
"Come to me... star."
A cracked smile spread across Iluan's lips. It seemed his research was magic to summon and drop stars from the cosmos. The heat warped the air around the meteor.
Now I get why it failed, fuck.
"Iluan! Stop!"
Adrian pleaded, to no avail. The heirs were petrified, like frogs facing a snake around the corner. Less than a minute until impact.
"Haa... fuck, for real."
I sighed deeply and drew my sword hilt.
"Yeah. I've held back enough."
****
"......?"
The rain stopped abruptly, but the intruder paid it no mind.
A slight tug on the doorknob, and the door opened silently—as if the hinges had been oiled. In the dim depths of the room, a luxurious bed came into view.
"Snooore..."
Atop it slept Erzsebet de Acalusia, Acalusia's lady and next family head, breathing softly. Normally sensitive and prone to insomnia, tonight not even an elephant in the room would wake her. The herbal tea she'd drunk last night ensured that.
"......"
The intruder pulled out a syringe. Inside the thin, long barrel, golden liquid sloshed. A miracle drug to extend her sleepless nights into eternity.
Testing the plunger with a press, the intruder approached the bed.
"Foika toad secretion. The ultimate poison used for euthanasia, right?"
"......!!"
"Planning to inject that into me?"
Erzsebet suddenly opened her eyes. The intruder froze in place, unable to react. The room lights flicked on. Rising, Erzsebet faced the intruder.
"Star mushroom spores on your hands too. Why is that?"
"......Lady."
"Huh? Liz. I'm the one asking."
Tears streamed down below Erzsebet's cheek.
The intruder—maid Liz—slowly lowered the syringe hand.