Chapter 30
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Achievement Unlocked (4)
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“Uwaaaah!”
“What!?”
The moment the red pattern appeared, the bastard suddenly unleashed tremendous strength.
Even with Kirigumo pinning him down from above, he forcibly rose to his feet and swung his arm, sending Kirigumo flying.
Kirigumo immediately executed a landing roll and sprang back up, staring at Trond where the red pattern had formed.
“Trond! That pattern...”
The pattern on Trond was one I knew all too well.
A pattern I'd seen countless times in Savior of World.
“So you're a cultist, after all?”
A fanatic worshipper of an evil god.
Not just any—only high-ranking fanatic officers revealed such patterns.
Low-tier followers of evil gods usually only had it on their palms, but elites or officers displayed it on their arms, legs, and even faces.
The moment Trond heard me, he screamed.
“Shut your mouth! How dare you call serving the great one who saved me a cult! You filthy imperial scum, enslaved by false gods!”
“Answer me, Trond!”
Kirigumo suddenly wore a ferocious expression as he demanded an answer from Trond.
“That pattern...! Spreading not just on your face but your hands too! I could never forget it, not for a second! That day! The mysterious assailant who attacked us! Was it you?!”
“Kuh, kuheheh, kuhhuhuhu! To only realize it now! You're as dull as ever, Kazuki, past and present!”
The culprit who attacked Kirigumo's home and poisoned Tenka.
It was none other than Trond, right before my eyes.
“Uncle Trond was the assailant back then?”
“Why... Why?! I thought of you as a friend!”
“Who’s your friend?! You stole the woman I wanted! Aaah! I can’t forgive you! I can’t forgive you! That bitch who wouldn’t become mine, you who took the woman I should have had, and that little wench who carries your blood—all of you!”
Trond wildly tore at his own hair.
“Aaah! I can’t forgive you! Can’t forgive, can’t forgive, can’t forgive! How happy I was! How much fun I had! Your agonized face watching your frail daughter every day was pure bliss! How ridiculous you looked, shedding tears of gratitude when I handed you more poisonous herbs to worsen her condition! Aaaaaah!”
“What... did you say? You bastaaaard!”
Fury erupted from Kirigumo as he charged at him again.
But the bastard didn’t go down easily this time.
Whether the pattern granted some enhancement effect, he effortlessly dodged Kirigumo’s fist and countered with his own, sending the blocking Kirigumo flying backward.
“Kuh! What is this monstrous strength?!”
“Ku, kuheheh! This is all thanks to the great god who granted my wish...!”
I’d heard enough.
Now it was time to punish this fool for using poisonous herbs in my mansion.
“Evil god’s power, huh.”
I applied Cloud Mist Fist to close the distance in an instant and drove my fist into his gut.
“Get out of my mansion.”
I hurled him toward the window.
Shatter!
The window broke as he flew out of the mansion.
“Tenka, go fetch Amelin. Ridel, get Gillek.”
“Understood!”
“Yes, Your Highness Aren.”
“Kirigumo, follow me.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
After issuing orders to Tenka and Ridel, Kirigumo and I headed outside the mansion.
“Kuh! You repulsive imperial...!”
The pattern etched on his face belonged to one of the evil gods.
The mark of an elite follower of the Evil God of Jealousy.
Fits him perfectly, given what he did to Tenka. But to run into a cultist this early...
My younger brother.
The death of the 13th Prince marks the start of the world going to hell, but thinking about it, cultists didn’t just drop from the sky right after that incident.
Naturally, existing cultists grew stronger and more active, exerting their influence.
And this guy in front of me was already operating as a cultist before that event.
In other words, he was a human who’d gone astray long before the world fell apart.
I’ll kill you! I have no choice but to kill you anyway! I’ll kill you alongside Kirigumo, who ruined my fun!
Trond had no intention of fleeing.
No, he didn’t want to.
It was a plan he’d prepared for so long.
When Kirigumo, tormented daily by his wasting daughter, finally failed to save her and had to let her go.
He planned to deceive Kirigumo with the evil god’s power, refusing to accept reality.
Implant the false belief that his daughter was still alive, and revel in watching him chase the unattainable Manlenesia despite her death.
But it all went up in smoke.
His plan for revenge against the man who stole the woman he couldn’t have.
Ruined by this 9th Prince of the empire, who possessed the status, wealth, and position he lacked.
Jealousy toward the one who thwarted his plans blazed within Trond.
Envy, envy, envy, envy, I envy you! I’ll kill you! Kill you! Kill you! Kill you! All who have what I couldn’t!
Trond’s eyes turned red, and the ugly jealousy blooming in his heart drew even more attention from the evil god.
The evil god’s attention granted greater power to its follower.
Feeling the surging strength within him, Trond gave thanks to the evil god empowering him.
This time, I won’t lose like before!
Trond had heard plenty about the 9th Prince.
The talentless, kind-hearted 9th Prince whose mercy was his only gift.
His speed and punch earlier were surprising, but they were all ambushes.
He was stronger than expected, but that made sense for an imperial prince.
Talentless by imperial standards, sure.
But as royalty, he must have been constantly fed rare elixirs and such.
However.
With this power! I won’t lose like before!
No more carelessness.
Trond devised a new plan.
Before the others arrived, quickly take out the two and subdue Tenka.
Force her to witness her dead father’s corpse, then violate her.
When she was frail, he could enjoy the sight, but her now-healthy body looked deliciously ripe—perfect for a different kind of fun, he thought with vile intent.
Trond drew the two daggers from his waist, gripping them in reverse.
“Look forward to it, Kazukiiii! I’ll rape your daughter right in front of your corpse!”
Feigning an attack on Kirigumo, Trond kicked off the ground toward Aren.
He was certain a mere 9th Prince couldn’t dodge his strike.
But.
The moment he thought he’d slashed the 9th Prince’s throat with his dagger.
The prince’s body seemed to vanish like mist.
And Trond recognized the phenomenon.
This is!
“That’s disgusting to hear.”
Bam!
The instant he heard Aren’s voice, Trond’s face met a fist, sending him flying.
“Kuh!”
As he scrambled into a landing roll to rise.
“Tronnnd!”
Kirigumo followed up, trying to stomp his heel down on Trond’s head.
“Ugh!”
Trond barely rolled away and swung his dagger to slice Kirigumo’s leg.
But Kirigumo used Cloud Mist Fist to evade as well.
“How... How can a prince use your secret technique, Kirigumo?!”
“He learned it.”
“Learned it?! Don’t make me laugh! You’ve been in this mansion less than a month! No way he mastered your secret art that fast!”
“Don’t judge His Highness by your pathetic standards!”
“Shut uuuup!”
Realizing the 9th Prince was no pushover, Trond decided to end it with his secret technique.
Secret Art: Mana Thread Daggers!
Trond hurled a dagger at Kirigumo.
Kirigumo dodged it with Cloud Mist Fist as expected, but Trond’s assault didn’t end there.
“There you are!”
The moment Kirigumo reappeared from the mist, Trond swung his arm.
The thrown dagger changed trajectory, flying toward Kirigumo.
“Kuh!”
Kirigumo urgently deflected it.
The knocked-aside dagger didn’t fall to the ground.
Trond yanked his arm, and it returned to his hand.
“Be careful, Your Highness! That’s his secret technique!”
“What kind is it?”
“He ties mana threads to the daggers to control them!”
“Spilling your friend’s secret technique so easily, Kazuki?”
“Shut up! Who’s friends with scum like you?!”
“Kirigumo, we attack together this time.”
“Understood, Your Highness!”
Thud!
Kirigumo and Aren charged at Trond simultaneously.
“Die!”
Trond threw his daggers at Kirigumo and Aren.
He planned to use his technique to keep them at bay, then unleash a barrage when they closed in.
Kirigumo dodged with Cloud Mist Fist, as anticipated.
But Aren did not.
Instead of evading with the Cloud Mist Fist he’d learned from Kirigumo, he grabbed the dagger’s hilt mid-flight.
“What?!”
“If it’s connected by mana threads... then this should work too!”
Aren yanked the dagger hard. Connected by the invisible mana thread, Trond was pulled forward, closing the distance.
Caught off-guard and dragged, Trond missed his timing to launch follow-up strikes at Kirigumo with his other hand.
“Tronnnd!”
Bam!
“Gahk!”
Kirigumo’s fist slammed into Trond’s face.