Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Fry Some Meat for Me - 1
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Beating Balrog was a given for me.
So this victory wasn't all that impressive or joyful for me.
I just wanted to mess with him a bit, make him look pathetic in front of everyone.
But to think it wasn't even him from the start?
No matter how quick on my feet I am, even I had to feel a little thrown off by this.
"P-Please spare me... I'll do anything you say."
Balrog mumbled that as he—now she—had somehow stripped off all her heavy armor. She was even shedding the lighter pieces left behind.
I scrambled to get things under control.
I had to emphasize her breach of knightly honor, not make it seem like I'd violated chivalry by stripping a beautiful girl and forcing her facedown.
"W-Wait a second. As you can see, I won. Everyone agrees, right?"
Everyone nodded. A few knights' eyes were glued to Balrog's chest—I made a mental note to kill those bastards later.
"Cheshire."
"Meow. Boss."
"Keep an eye on the rest of these knight pricks. I need a private word with Balrog."
"Got it, meow."
After that short exchange, I grabbed Balrog's wrist tight and dragged her off.
"Wh-What's this? Something's pulling me?! Sp-Spare me! Please spare me! Have mercy!"
That's what Balrog screamed while being hauled away.
Back in Balrog's private office, I gave her the short version of events.
Me being Florian himself. That I'd killed every last one of those invading Kalliman without exception...
Once I dropped my invisibility and explained, Balrog's eyes went wide at first, staring blankly. Now she seemed to get it and nodded.
"Balrog."
"Y-Yes, yes, yes, y-yes, Fl-Florian, sir! Eek!"
The common thread among the guys I'd beaten was they all switched to polite speech.
Balrog was no different.
The one annoying thing? Armored Balrog and naked Balrog felt like completely different people.
...Right now, she looked terrified enough to flinch at a falling leaf.
Anyway, my turn to ask questions.
"I had no idea you were a woman."
"N-Not just you, sir—none of the knights under me knew either! Only Queen Dnia knows I'm a woman..."
"How'd you pull that off?"
Balrog pointed quickly at her armor hanging in the office.
"Th-That armor has Qu-Queen Dnia's magic on it... Boosts physical abilities, voice modulation, all that... The armor made it possible..."
"I see."
Suddenly pissed, I flicked her hard on the forehead—thwack!
Ellis or Tyr would've bawled if they saw this.
We got beaten half to death, and she just gets a flick?!
Screaming something like that.
"Ow!"
Still, that had to sting pretty good.
Balrog clutched her head with both hands. I looked at her and said,
"So basically, you're worthless without that armor. It's all the gear, huh?"
"Y-Yes, yes, yes..."
"If you knew you were nothing on your own, you should've acted like it. Why strut around so cocky? Stuck in that shell, you can't see how the world really works, right?"
"S-Sorry, so sorry! Eek! Don't hit me! Please don't hit me!"
"If you're sorry, answer me. What gave you the balls to act like that?"
"Th-The armor, sir."
"......"
I quietly gripped Trivi. Some people are just born without a shred of tact.
The second she saw the pistol, Balrog jumped up in panic, then flattened herself on the floor again.
"S-So sorry... Just spare me this once! I'll live by the knightly code from now on!"
"Follow the code and you'll die. Want that?"
"...I'll find something else worthwhile. A-Anyway, just spare me!"
To keep someone marked for death alive, they had to be useful.
I pondered Balrog's potential uses.
"I'm planning to crush all the Clover and Diamond knights, then take down Dnia too. Tell me exactly how you can help."
I wasn't worried about spilling the plan to her outright. I'd smash her skull the moment she tried anything clever.
She knew that well enough and answered with utmost sincerity.
"Balrog is just a title for the top Spade knight. You can just declare yourself Balrog, sir."
"No backlash from the underlings? No need to kill them all?"
"Y-Yes. The lower knights can't defy Balrog's authority."
"Loyal bunch. But betrayal risk?"
"W-We Spades don't get along with Diamond or Clover knights—and neither do the lowers. No chance of them defecting there."
"I get the situation, but..."
I pressed Trivi's barrel to her temple.
"...that just makes keeping you alive even less appealing. Kill you, wear the armor—no one would know. No fallout."
Finally realizing, Balrog went pale.
"N-No, wait, I mean... Pl-Please... I... um... I!"
"You."
"I-I'm good at cooking! I-I stir-fry meat great. N-Noodles too. I'm confident in all cooking! I-I'll cook for life, just spare me!"
Hmm.
Surprisingly solid offer. We didn't have a cooking whiz among the execs yet.
Then Balrog hugged my calf and burst into tears.
"Sp-Spare me! D-Don't kill me! Beat me instead! I-I'm tough, I can take it! Please... pleeease... eek!"
Up close, she looked off, so I finally flipped on the office light. What I saw was unexpected.
"What the hell? I never hit your face."
"Ugh... eek!"
I grabbed her chin and tilted her head.
Not just her face—her whole body was covered in bruises.
Too severe for training mishaps. Anyone could see she'd been unilaterally beaten.
"What's wrong with your body?"
"Qu-Queen Dnia did it... D-Don't hit me! No, don't kill me! Beating's fine!"
"Wow..."
I'd heard Dnia brag back when I was with the Shadows.
Treating underlings like objects—that's true authority, right? So that's how I handle mine.
Anyone who crosses me won't leave intact. Hehe.
But beatings this bad?
Elfriede's crimes and beatings always had grand justifications—illusions that even convinced her own crew it was right.
Dnia's were different. Low-class.
Just venting on her subordinate? Even I felt disgusted.
"Do the other knights get this too?"
"N-No... J-Just me... Even if others screw up, I take the beating..."
Basically workplace bullying.
Suddenly, I didn't want to kill her. Knowing Dnia wouldn't bat an eye if she died.
Her brazenly surviving and joining me? That would piss Dnia off more.
So I decided to spare Balrog. I flicked her forehead with my finger.
"Here's the deal. I take over the lower knights—no killing them. From now on, I'm Balrog. No knightly honor, but whatever."
"Y-Yes..."
"Round up all the Elbalom execs. Time to explain how things run now. Get to it."
"U-Uh..."
Then Balrog started stripping.
I stared, dumbfounded.
"...What the hell are you doing?"
"G-Getting ready for the beating..."
"Sigh. One more thing."
Bang!
"Eeeeeek!"
I shot the ceiling. Balrog shuddered and prostrated herself. I whispered in her ear,
"From now on, no one touches your body except you. Not even Dnia. Got it?"
"Y-Yes?"
"Forget how you understand—just know it."
"Y-Yes!"
"Alright, let's go."
I hauled her up and shoved her out of the office.
Let's see...
Ellis, me, Tyr, Cheshire, Dodo... five for now. To Balrog looking back with wide eyes,
"Fry some meat for me. Five servings."
My first order.