Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: The Lord's Death
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⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Blessing of the Sky activated Sudden death has been nullified. It had been ages since this ability last triggered. Right away, numbers started flashing in front of my eyes. A countdown roughly warning, 'I saved your life, now get moving.'
【5 Seconds】 "Ugh!"
Just before the number ticked from '5' to '4'...
I snapped back to my senses and tried to pull away.
'Crush it flat with the quickest sacred seal I can muster!'
I thrust out my hand.
But this shameless goblin assassin had pulled a cowardly trick in the meantime. Even after failing his ambush, he was gunning for a second chance. Another black stake erupted from his hand.
The goblin clung to me tenaciously, hell-bent on killing me.
"Not yet—!"
"?!"
No.
Hey—!!
'This is insane. How is this goblin so damn quick?'
【4 Seconds】 The goblin assassin, who had closed in in an instant, spat blood as he screamed.
"Not yet!! I still have magic left—!! I'll bet everything on this!!"
"Kuh?!"
'Why does it keep getting this close...! I can't use my sacred seal like this!'
【3 Seconds】 Another stake pierced straight through my chest.
Squish—!
Slide...!
But the still-shimmering Blessing of the Sky nullified that attack too. The goblin's face drained of color again. He started screaming in rage.
"Argh!! You bastard!! What the hell is this—!!"
【2 Seconds】 Thud crash!
The goblin's desperate momentum...
We collided and tumbled across the ground.
"Grah?!"
"Uwaa—!"
Even as we rolled,
the goblin didn't stop attacking.
"Die! Die! Die!"
The goblin stabbed at me wildly in a frenzy. Yet every strike vanished into a sparkle of light.
Even as the attacks kept coming,
the stakes dissolved like mist.
Finally,
with the stakes fully evaporated, the goblin wailed in despair.
"Aaaah—!!"
【1 Second】 In that chaotic moment, screams still echoed around us, and guards sprinted toward us full-tilt.
-Kill it quick!!
-Save the Lord!!
-Nooooo—!!
Everything flowed in slow motion.
The goblin assassin's face twisted in despair.
He realized the assassination had failed completely.
"No way..."
【Protection Ended】 "..."
"..."
Finally, the protection ended.
But so did the attacks.
"...I failed."
"!"
Tangled on the ground,
I watched the goblin fumble desperately in his robes. I had no idea what he was after. But it was clear he was trying to escape this encirclement.
Suicide?
Flee?
Smoke bomb?
I had no intention of letting him.
'This fucking bastard? You think you can just bail?'
Even if he tried to off himself,
I was determined to beat him first.
I seized the goblin's small head.
"Where do you think you're running?!"
"Hic...?!"
Under the hood, our eyes met—his filled with terror. There was a glimmer of reason, but it was the same familiar look I saw in goblins during forest clearances.
Pure goblin fear!
"Explosion—!"
The skull in my grip began to swell slowly. In those brief seconds, the goblin assassin rolled back his eyes and let out an agonized scream.
"Gaaaah!!"
Rumble...!
The agony of a boiling brain.
Soon, with a scorching heat, it burst, splattering red blood everywhere. Like a tomato smashed by a fist.
Boom—!
The goblin assassin slumped lifelessly. A small object tumbled from his hand—a suspicious, obsidian-like pebble.
"!"
'Covered in patterns. Looks like an artifact.'
I snatched it up quick and pocketed it, then tried to stand.
I needed to let everyone know the lord was fine,
or their worries wouldn't ease, right?
'Gotta maintain order in the city first!'
I shouted.
"Everyone, no need to worry! I'm perfectly—"
But my words cut off midway.
"Transport the Lord nooow—!!"
"W-Wait! If you all rush in at once, it's dangerous...!"
Despite my protests,
hundreds of people surged toward me.
"Lord?! Are you alri... Aaaah—!!"
"N-No... Nooooo—!!"
"...Unbelievable."
And the guards who came to protect me lifted me up like a rock star diving into the crowd, radiating murderous intent that sent chills down spines as they bellowed.
"Everyone freeze where you are!!"
"We need to get him to the lord's manor... no, the aid station!!"
"Anyone blocking the Lord's path from now on will be executed on the spot—!!"
"Lord!! Is the Lord okay...!?"
"Uwaaah!! Covered in blood!! Morning Star Goddess help us—!!"
"His heart was stabbed!! Call Sister Lucia now!! Confiscate every potion in the city and pour them all—!!"
"Ahh... This can't be real—. The Lord...!!"
Captain Luciana of the subjugation force, who had arrived, screamed with a terrifying expression I'd never seen before. She ground her teeth, veins bulging on her forehead.
"Battle stations!! Pursue and exterminate that Banshee Hawk—!! Maintain battle stations until the Lord is safely in bed!! All forces of the Walled City Baran, prepare for combat—!!"
"Yes, ma'am!!"
Dogkin tribesfolk and climbers around us leaped up, firing crossbows skyward or hurling flames and ice spears. In an instant, the peaceful festival grounds turned into a battlefield.
Boom!
Fwoosh—!
Roooar!
-Kill it!! That thing ruined everything!!
-Kill it dead—!!
-Shoot its wings and bring it down!!
Screeeee—!
An anti-air net formed in seconds. The Banshee Hawk plummeted. Grinding their teeth, subjugation members and climbers drew blades and hacked away.
-Because of you!! Because of yooou—!!
-You damned monster!
-Die...!! Dieee—!!
Luciana swung her axe with a demonic glare too. Her heavy blows had already pulverized the corpse beyond recognition.
"Uwaaaaaah—!!"
Bam!
Bam!
Bam!
As this mad frenzy unfolded,
I desperately tried to signal Captain Luciana that I was fine.
"W-Wait! Luciana! Luciana—! Before going to battle stations, I'm oka... Ngh?!"
But the soldiers carrying me about and shouting made me bite my tongue—I couldn't speak.
'They all know my ability. And I've been saying I'm fine since earlier, so why...?!'
Soon enough,
I realized why they were so frantic.
"?!"
'Oh shit, the goblin's brains and blood splattered perfectly.'
Right on my chest.
Dark red chunks and blood stained my white shirt like pro makeup. Even the exploded bits added a realistic crimson glow.
Plus, that bastard had stabbed at my heart nonstop for seconds, so even knowing my ability, it looked misleading as hell.
'Useless goblin to the bitter end.'
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "See? I'm fine, right?"
In the end, I was dragged unyieldingly to the aid station. Only after stripping off my shirt in front of the pale-as-a-ghost Sister Lucia could I prove I was healthy.
"Phew—."
Lucia had come with armfuls of potions, only to collapse in relief with a deep sigh. Her hands trembled as she prayed.
"Ah, may the Morning Star Goddess protect you... Thank goodness."
"I'm really fine, no worries."
"Even if you say that covered in that mess, it doesn't convince anyone."
"..."
'It was movie-level special effects makeup, yeah.'
But the facts couldn't be distorted.
I earnestly told Milla, the secretary who had rushed to the aid station.
"So, go back to town and let everyone know I'm okay."
"..."
Milla stared at me in a daze. Unlike her usual stoic face, she was soaked in tears.
"You're... really, truly okay, right...?"
"Yeah, totally fine. You know my ability."
"People were saying your heart exploded... that you were hacked to pieces—."
"What exploded wasn't my heart—it was that guy's head."
"Y-Yes..."
Milla poked at my chest for a while, then bowed her head and sobbed.
"Really... When I heard, I was so shocked. My mind went blank—."
"..."
'Even the calmest of the Sage's disciples, Milla, must've been floored.'
I pitied her, but
leaving it like this would only worsen the city's chaos.
Once Milla calmed a bit, I ordered again.
"Then go tell them, Milla."
"...Understood. I'll inform the townsfolk of the Lord's well-being."
Milla wiped her tears and left.
I too stepped out in front of the gathered crowd at the aid station. I wore only a thin shirt on purpose, with a few buttons undone.
"You've all worried enough! As you can see, I'm perfectly fine! So return to your posts without concern—!"
"!"
"!"
"!"
Murmurs.
-What? The Lord's safe?! Really?!
-Oh thank goodness... What a relief.
-It's okay now—. As long as the Lord's fine...
Relieved to hear I was safe, the citizens relaxed. But they still crowded the aid station entrance like overprotective zookeepers for a baby hippo.
They fretted even over my every move.
"Now I need to head to the lord's manor."
"Oh, Lord! For our sake, please rest easy here at the aid station today! We'll make sure no one disturbs you...!"
"No, I still have duties, and orders to give for security..."
"Oh no!! Oh pleeease!! You can't—!! We'll all have heart attacks!!"
"...Got it."
Not wanting to crush morale, I returned to the bed in the aid station. I lay there under Sister Lucia's "care"(?).
"..."
'Attacked out of nowhere, now forced to play sick.'
What an exhausting day.
My eyes began to droop.
Come to think of it,
I hadn't recovered from the keyboard battle fatigue either.
"..."
'Still tons to do, and I flaked on my promise with Niva, which bums me out. But best to sleep it off today and step up once things calm tomorrow.'
For Niva...
I could apologize later.
'She'll understand—we're that close now.'
Right?
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ In the center of Baran Square,
the culprit behind the lord's assassination attempt dangled from a stake—the goblin corpse in black robes. Its exploded head made for a gruesome sight, growing even uglier.
Passersby hurled stones and curses as they spat on it.
"You filthy bastard—!"
"May the Morning Star Goddess curse you eternally!"
"Filth of a monster that can't even revert to a mana stone!"
"Daring to target the Lord?"
Thwack!
Thwack!
Thwack!
The territory's soldiers watched coldly. Captain of the Guard Sir Jayden and Scout Captain Sir William too.
Sir Jayden spoke.
"No matter how much we investigated that thing, aside from the black robe, it had no weapons or gear. Identical to a regular goblin. Those stakes it used on the Lord—we have no idea where they came from."
"Did you recover the black robe, Sir Jayden?"
"Of course. Captain Luciana has it under strict guard."
"The climbers?"
"They're holding meetings in their spots now that the Lord's safe."
"Mm."
They nodded.
They looked ahead again. The citizens' rage still burned hot. But this process channeled their misplaced hostility productively.
'As the Lord said, sometimes hating a common enemy is the fastest way to quell chaos.'
At that moment,
Sir William sensed something off.
"Huh? That woman...?"
"One of the climbers the Lord brought?"
Step.
Step.
The delayed execution played out in the square.
A woman with limp blonde hair and hollow eyes staggered forward. Her fluttering skirt evoked an eerie vibe with every step.
"..."
Her unsettling aura
made the raging crowd falter.
-Who's that?
-Uh...
-Miss Niva?
-The Lord's magic tutor...?
Niva shuffled blankly to the stake. In a voice dry as bone, she intoned.
"Manifest, Flare." ⟨ Flare ⟩
Flames' essence gathered,
engulfing the stake in an instant.
Kaboom—!
In a flash of light,
everything—the stake included—turned to white ash. Even the pitifully hanging corpse. The crowd stared, speechless.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
In the chill silence,
Niva staggered off somewhere.
Muttering endlessly.
"Sorry... Sorry..."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ I had a rare dream.
In it, I teamed up with the troll hunter from my imagination battles, smashing the vile wanderer '38.2' and that brutish ogre. It felt like a fun monster battle anime from my past life.
'No gallery, but a fun dream instead.'
Ever since gaining perfect memory,
most dreams came as lucid ones.
So I leisurely enjoyed it,
until
-Sorry...
"?"
Something whispered from afar.
A familiar woman's voice.
'What?'
-Sorry, I won't do it again.
"...?"
Too familiar,
my eyelids twitched, eyes snapping open.
And what I saw—
amber eyes staring right at me in the dark, golden hair like curtains.
Niva said,
"Sorry."
Bunny girl bedside vigil.
Niva stood muttering by my bed. The moment I opened my eyes, we locked gazes.
"..."
Uh.
Um.
This is,
'kinda scary.'