Chapter 123
Chapter 123
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 123
Chapter Title: The Usefulness of a Treacherous Subject
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Kwoooooong!
The engraved bolt clattered to the ground, and Beonald dropped the Explosion Ballista. He then took off his helmet to cool his heated body for a moment, pulled a potion bottle from the pouch at his waist, broke the seal, and drank it immediately.
"Hoo... Honestly, sweating and getting this exhausted isn't my style... Hooooo..."
The potions were ones Beonald had made using the alchemy equipment left in this "Graveyard of Discards." He had brought them to cover the extreme consumption of 'Aura' and stamina.
One might wonder why alchemy equipment was in a place full of failures, but Beonald had made countless efforts to improve the productivity and efficiency of alchemy equipment, and some of those experimental units had ended up here.
'And... I had plenty of backup potions too. Though it's a pain not knowing when the preservation functions stopped working, but I'm in no position to be picky right now.'
Similarly, potions that had failed during creation or had side effects were also stored here. The problem was that the magic stones powering the refrigeration and preservation enchantments on the storage containers might not have been replaced, rendering them useless, but as he said, he was in no position to be choosy.
'Huuu~ Shall we go then?'
Putting his helmet back on, he took a steadying breath, thinking all preparations were complete, and stroked Alterio's head.
"Alterio, you wait here. I'd love to fight alongside you, but... this is my first real combat in this gear."
Hruuu!
With that, Beonald began to charge through the dungeon. Now entering proper close-quarters combat, he drew his sword and swung it.
The knights of the Kmel family, who had stepped forward to protect their mages, could only stare in shock.
"What the... It's so big! So fa—"
Before the word "fast" could leave his mouth, one knight's head flew off.
The Aura concentrated on the mithril sword—scaled to a size a human wouldn't normally wield—glowed intensely, transforming into dense blue flames that burned brightly. The remaining knights could easily deduce their opponent's strength.
"That Aura's power is insane! Gah!"
"Who is this guy? An ancient knight slumbering in the ruins? Mages! Help us...! Ugh!"
"It's impossible! That armor! It's mithril. And it's engraved with the same spells as the ones on the gate we broke through!"
'They have good eyes in the dark, huh? Well, equipping anti-magic measures was common sense 500 years ago...'
Mages were a powerful force unified under the mighty Magical Tower, wielding great influence in the Unified Empire. Not just Beonald, but other noble families also continuously researched anti-magic means to counter mages and their formidable power, a major trend of that era.
"Anyway, is that it... Huh."
Looking at the corpses of the Kmel family knights and mages, who couldn't even put up a proper fight, Beonald smiled, pleased with how easily he had dispatched them.
They were nobles and mages, people he might have respected under other circumstances, but he was a man who was kind and gentle only to those within his own 'garden.' Moreover, these were shameless thieves who came to plunder another's ruins. They weren't worth a shred of mercy, fit only as fodder for dogs.
"Hah... My lot is truly pitiful. Having to rifle through the pockets of such scum. I'll use them if they have anything, though..."
Knowing his own situation well, Beonald thoroughly looted the corpses on the off chance there might be something useful. The knights had nothing of value. The only worthwhile items were a few magic stones used as catalysts and the gems from the mages' staves.
He also took their clothes and helmets before quickly exiting the facility.
'Oh... They're all prepared.'
Emerging outside, he found Sir Alsus and the remaining knights and soldiers on high alert, watching him intently.
Perhaps when he fired the siege magic cannon, or maybe even before he switched to the Explosion Ballista, someone had run outside with news. That would explain their readiness.
Seeing Beonald clad in his massive armor, Sir Alsus pointed his sword and shouted.
"Halt! You, who are you?"
'Shall I start the act?'
A booming voice, mixed with an unpleasant, grating metallic sound, echoed loudly. It was a failed magic item for voice amplification, attached inside the helmet and activated by pressing a switch with his tongue.
As he spoke, Beonald sheathed the sword in his hand, drew the Thunderforce Cannon from his back, aimed it at the sky, and pressed the firing switch.
Weeeeeng! Kwarurururung!
With a recoil that threatened to press Beonald's body into the ground, a golden lightning bolt shot from the Thunderforce Cannon into the sky, creating a massive torrent of thunderous light visible even in the clear sky.
'Actually, this thing... It's all flash, just a bluff.'
Despite its spectacular appearance, it was a weapon created to hunt dangerous marine creatures... It had no real lethality. However, as long as its anti-magic enchantments were intact, its visual spectacle was overwhelmingly more impressive than his other two weapons, making it perfect for bluffing.
"Wh-what is that?"
'...Just the reaction I expected. To people of this backward age, this grandeur must look like a divine miracle.'
Of course, his very return to this world was a divine miracle in itself, but that was beside the point. His only wish now was for them to see this, be terrified, and leave.
His ultimate goal was for this area to be sanctified or deified, preventing anyone else from entering at all.
'I lack the power to guard and claim this place now. But if I don't have it... I can just borrow it.'
Borrowing authority from a tiger while hiding behind a fox. Wasn't that the very specialty of a treacherous subject?
If he could use the Goddess's authority to make this place a holy site, there would be no better method. As if to prove its effectiveness, among the Kmel family's troops were priests of the Goddess Church who had come for healing purposes. They knelt in prayer, repeatedly chanting the Goddess's name, while the knights and soldiers looked at each other in confusion and panic.
"...Damn it!"
Sir Alsus was also frightened by this mysterious being who had single-handedly defeated the mages and knights who went inside. Moreover, the power of the lightning that had just filled the sky. From his perspective, it truly seemed like the 'divine punishment' one only read about in myths and fairy tales.
"...All units... withdraw!"
Having lost not only his family's knights but also many mages dispatched by the Magical Tower, the losses were already severe. He didn't know what to do next, but he couldn't afford further losses. Fighting this suspicious entity seemed far worse than retreating for now, so he finally ordered the troops and excavation team to withdraw.
'Hmm, was "slumber of the Apostle" a bit over the top? Well, the Goddess will forgive me.'
Getting too into his act, Beonald had added a few unnecessary lines. After confirming their retreat, he went back down, first clearing the rubble from the broken wall, then began sealing the block.
Even if the temple sanctified the area, there was a chance someone might try excavating again. He decided to completely seal this entrance, even cutting away part of the passageway and contaminating it with poison.
"There are other exits anyway. Hoo-hoo~ Good thing the bluff worked."
If it hadn't worked, he would have gladly fought, but that would have meant an uncertain battle. His forces seemed superior, but getting injured or wounded here would make the return journey far too difficult.
"Anyway, let's see... The partial block closure password was... 'Even a snake can sever its own tail.'... right?"
Kugugugugung!
Inputting the password caused the revealed passage at the entrance to be severed and completely removed. The partition wall itself exploded, and the trap poison stored beneath began to flow out, contaminating the area beyond the wall. Anyone thinking of excavating again would have to give up on coming from that direction.
After checking the status of the other entrances, Beonald returned the prototype Knight Armor to its original place, rested, then packed the necessary items into the unfinished subspace storage backpack and prepared to leave.
"Lululala~ Good, I've secured a proper haul. I need to leave now to reach the capital on time. Hup-cha! Let's go, Alterio."
Hruuu~
Though the volume was reduced by the subspace storage, the weight remained, and Beonald felt the heavy backpack as he calmly headed for another exit.
As for why he didn't take the repaired Knight Armor, it was just a hastily patched-up job. Beonald planned to leave now and return later to build a new one from scratch.
'Having the principles and blueprints is enough. The rest is just a matter of repairing or making a new one.'
He had left the teleportation magic chamber activated, so he could go to the other facility anytime. He had already pinpointed its location.
'My legacy... No, since I've returned to life, calling it a legacy is a bit ambiguous. Anyway, the twists of fate are truly unpredictable. Especially Alterio... Who would have thought things would come full circle like this? A strange turn of events.'
Leaving the facility with the griffin Alterio and the place he had missed, Beonald couldn't help but reminisce about the past. Even though the items here were failures, they were familiar objects from 500 years ago. The architectural style and scenery filled him with nostalgia.
'Am I human after all? Hoo-hoo~ Anyway, time to go.'
Arriving at the other passage, Beonald manipulated the buttons on the wall to seal off the other facilities with partitions and opened the exit door. A cave appeared before them... Suddenly, as the door opened, wind rushed in from outside. In that instant, Alterio bristled his feathers and wings and began to thrash about.
...Squeeeeee!
"Huh? What's wrong? Alterio... This is?"
Chaaang... Ching... Whooeee...
Faintly, carried on the wind, came the sounds of clashing metal and human screams.
It was unmistakably the sound of battle. His eyes widening, Beonald tried to run with Alterio to see the situation.
But first, to prevent this entrance from being discovered, he used his sword technique to partially collapse the cave behind him. Then, cautiously heading outside, he watched the unfolding battle scene and muttered.
"What... is that?"