Chapter 46
Chapter 46
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: Bloodied (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
When I came to, the world had been turned upside down.
The magic Bloody had just cast. 'Blood Temple'.
This spell transformed the entire palace into the guts of a monster, turning Yeon-Aeng Palace into a landscape straight out of an R-rated gore game.
"It really feels alive."
The sticky floor.
Some kind of fluid—body secretions or who knows what—clung to my shoes, and the ground I stepped on felt more like flesh walls than actual earth.
The walls and ceiling were the same. Pulsating blood vessels, lumpy organs.
It truly felt like I'd stepped inside the belly of some massive beast.
A quick look around revealed no one else.
The last sight I'd seen was nobles clutching their shattered glasses to their faces.
Their absence meant Bloody had scattered us randomly via teleportation.
The nobles were probably divided up and tossed into random spots throughout the monster-gutted Yeon-Aeng Palace.
'First things first, let's get out of here.'
I was worried about whether the nobles were safe or not, but that wasn't the priority right now.
Adelheit.
Bloody's main target in this incident.
To protect her from him, I needed to move fast.
I started walking to find a way out.
The unpleasant stickiness underfoot, the foul stench assaulting my nose, the wriggling flesh walls launching a visual assault.
It wasn't doing wonders for my mental state.
'And on top of that, it feels like it's sucking something out of my body.'
This living space wasn't just grotesquely horrifying.
It was steadily draining the energy inside me—my mana.
If I stayed here like this, my mana would dry up, leaving me helpless.
The prophet had said it originally took a week to fully complete.
If we'd been even a day later, who knows what catastrophe might have unfolded.
"At least the layout seems unchanged."
The structure of Yeon-Aeng Palace was exactly as I remembered.
I was in the spot where I'd dueled Zeil earlier.
Heading that way would lead to the arena.
It'd give me a wide view, making it easier to spot where everyone had gone.
As I kept walking forward—
-■■■■….
I encountered a bizarre monster.
This irregular mass moving sluggishly ahead of me.
If you made a slime out of rotten mud and dusted it with red powder, would it look like that?
A slimy blob of bloodstains patrolled the space, splattered across its entire body.
'What the hell is that thing?'
A type of enemy I'd never seen before in my life.
It didn't resemble any monster from my past life's media.
Which meant Bloody had created it himself.
"……."
Either way, what I had to do hadn't changed.
Take down that monster.
I couldn't get past otherwise.
I stepped forward deliberately, making enough noise for anyone to hear, and the monster reacted.
-■■■■…?
It turned toward me as if it had a face.
Then the center of the mud split open like a gaping maw, and it charged at me.
-■■■■!!!
A noise that battered my eardrums.
An instinctive revulsion, like nails scraping a windowpane.
The mud leaped at me, its blood drops painting the floor like splattered paint.
Aura flickered along my sword. I'd considered just swinging normally at first, but decided against it.
Unknown enemy. No room for carelessness. This was a summon from the fifth demon lord, after all. I attacked with aura.
As it closed in and its maw stretched wide to engulf me—
Azure Dragon Soaring Sword
First Form
Coiling Dragon Flow Wall
I slashed straight ahead, blocking it.
-■■, ■■■.
My sword sealed the monster's maw.
Our powers clashed evenly, locked in stalemate.
The moment our blades met, I knew.
This gore-covered mystery monster was no match for me in raw power.
A creature like this? I could cut it down.
Fierce Tiger Strike Sword
First Form
Tiger Chain Revolving Flash
I spun my sword in a half-circle, then a full rotation.
The two slashes carved right through the monster's body.
Well, "carved" might not be the right word.
Dddrrrrk!
A repulsive noise, like forcibly ripping thick cloth.
The blade didn't cut cleanly; I had to force it with aura.
-■■■■….
The thing screamed as it collapsed.
Once it stopped moving, I resumed walking.
'How many more of these will there be?'
Its combat power was far below mine, even compared to right now.
The nobles at the Cluster of Stars were mostly capable of defending themselves.
Even if they were weaker than me, they shouldn't fall to monsters like this.
The problem was that nearly all the nobles had been wearing glasses and gotten injured when they shattered.
'They could get taken down because of their injuries.'
My goal was rescuing Adelheit.
But saving a few people along the way didn't sound bad.
Besides, I'd need to ask around about where she'd gone anyway.
I reached the arena and looked around.
No sign of anyone. Maybe no one got teleported here.
The choice was mine.
Head down to the first floor? Up to the third?
Or take the elevator.
As I pondered, footsteps echoed nearby.
Splash—splash—
They kicked up fluids but carried solid weight.
Not an injured person.
The figure who appeared was an unexpected man.
The swordsman I'd dueled in this very arena—Zeil Stimond.
"……Well, this is something."
We faced each other, swords in hand.
Zeil's expression stiffened slightly. He seemed uncomfortable running into me.
He stabbed his sword into the ground and sighed.
"I heard footsteps and thought someone was hurt. But it's you, Young Master Kline. Unnecessary worry on my part."
"That's a bit hurtful. You think I couldn't get hurt?"
"Of course not. You're the strongest one here at this social gathering, Young Master Kline."
"Huh?"
Why was he hyping me up like this?
The Cluster of Stars allowed nobles up to 19 years old.
There were tons of much older seniors here.
But Zeil didn't seem inclined to retract his words, even seeing my puzzled look.
"No, I mean it. Anyway... what are you doing? Everyone's in a panic over this mess."
"Looking for Her Highness the Imperial Princess."
"As expected. Even in this chaos, you think of her first... That attention to detail is what sets you and me apart."
"Huh?"
This guy was really hyping me up out of nowhere.
Things had been too hectic earlier with Bloody causing the incident, but now Zeil seemed... different somehow.
The burning competitive drive, the obsession to beat me—it was gone.
His face now held a much clearer, purer expression.
Of course, he still looked a bit awkward and apologetic toward me.
But beyond that was unmistakable respect—bordering on admiration.
That's what felt so off.
Why the sudden change?
"Any guesses about this situation? I never imagined something like this happening right after you talked with Merchant Lord Bloody. No clue what's going on."
"Mm... I'll explain later. It's urgent right now, and it'd take too long anyway."
"Understood. I won't pry. But his eyes... they turned red, didn't they? ...Is the merchant lord even human?"
"Probably not."
Zeil nodded.
A faint disgust crossed his face.
Just as the prophet said—this world seemed to loathe red eyes.
"I've been helping the injured. Everyone got scattered so widely. With monsters prowling around, I need to get to them before they get hurt."
"Good work."
"Come with me for now. Asking around for witnesses is a good way to find Her Highness."
I nodded at Zeil's suggestion and walked alongside him.
This was probably the first time we'd been shoulder-to-shoulder like this.
Glancing at his face while walking, it matched what I'd seen earlier.
Crystal clear.
Zeil had transformed into someone with an utterly pure heart, as if his old self had never existed.
The change left me feeling awkward.
-■■■■!!!
-Kyaaak!
"Sounds like one's over there. Let's go."
"Yeah."
Zeil and I gripped our swords and headed toward the screams.
Well, I could check on Zeil's change later.
First, let's find someone who's seen Adelheit.
"Hic, hngh... Th-thank you. Thank you so much…."
A young lady shedding tears in drops.
But her blood-smeared face turned those tears red.
Leaning against the flesh wall, she sobbed. Zeil and I exchanged glances after felling the monster behind us.
-What do we do?
-No choice. Without healing magic, all we can do is first aid.
-Yeah.
Her face looked unlikely to regain its original beauty anytime soon.
She could get close to normal with expensive treatment back home.
But only with proper first aid—and quickly, before too much time passed.
None of that would be easy inside this Blood Temple.
Embarrassed by her scarred face, the young lady hung her head and wailed.
Watching her made it hard to speak up.
'Kinda awkward to ask now.'
I needed to find out where Adelheit was.
But with her crying like this, it felt wrong.
"My lady."
Then Zeil spoke up.
He gently pressed her shoulder and addressed her.
"Calm down. There's no enemy left here to harm you."
"Hic. R-really…?"
"Yes. Rest easy. We'll clear the area around you. Right, Young Master Kline?"
"Uh? Yeah. Sure."
"So relax. You'll be fine."
"Hic…."
What was this? Had Zeil fallen for her?
Thanks to his sweet soothing, she stopped crying and looked up at us.
Zeil gave me a subtle nod.
-Ask her now. She's good.
-Ah. Thanks.
Oh.
That's why he'd gone through the trouble.
To help me out.
He'd calmed her down to make it easier to ask about Adelheit.
Revising my opinion of Zeil inwardly, I asked her.
"Have you seen Her Highness the Imperial Princess by any chance?"
"Hic. Th-the Imperial Princess…?"
"Yes."
"Ugh. I did... I think she said she was heading to the first floor. We talked briefly."
"Got it. Thank you."
With that, she hung her head again.
I nodded to Zeil.
Leaving her here felt risky, but we couldn't stay.
Other nobles were in danger elsewhere, and I still needed to find Adelheit.
In the end, Zeil and I had to keep moving.
"We'll clear the surroundings and come back. Rest easy."
"Hic. Thank you."
Leaving the young lady, Zeil and I departed.
After that, we headed for the stairs, clearing monsters along the way.
They popped up one by one whenever we let our guard down, which was annoying.
But for powerhouses like us, dealing with them was easy.
I was just getting impatient because I wanted to find Adelheit quickly.
And Zeil pointed it out exactly.
"Young Master Kline. Let's take a short break."
"Huh? But it's urgent."
"I know. Still, we need to rest. We don't know what enemies are ahead—can't burn through our stamina."
"Mm. You're right."
I sighed and relaxed my tense body.
Yeah. Panicking wouldn't help.
Stay calm, especially when it's urgent. That's the way.
The surprising part was Zeil being the one to advise it.
'Why's he so composed now?'
He definitely hadn't been like this during our duel.
As I eyed him with that question, Zeil gave a wry smile.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"No. Just... surprised you're not wearing glasses. Almost all the other nobles got hurt because of theirs."
"That's nothing. As a swordsman, accessories like that just get in the way."
"Fair point."
I shut my mouth, not wanting to make a fuss about him seeming different.
It might come off as rude.
But Zeil brought it up himself.
"Surprised?"
"Huh?"
"By me acting all composed. Giving advice to you, of all people, Young Master Kline."
"Uh... No, didn't see it that way."
I hadn't expected him to say it outright, so I was caught off guard.
Might as well ask while resting.
What happened after the duel?
"A bit surprised, yeah. You seem less confident than before, and you're putting me on a pedestal."
"How is that putting you on a pedestal? I genuinely respect you, Young Master Kline. To be bold, you're someone I admire."
"Wow."
Talk about bold.
Me, the object of his admiration?
It was embarrassing; my limbs felt tangled.
He was four years older—why act like this?
"What changed? You were dying to beat me before."
"Haha. Sure, back then... But the duel made me realize it. The caliber of Kline Leonhart."
"I didn't do anything special."
"No."
Zeil shook his head firmly.
It was like he was telling even me not to downplay my achievements.
"How else could you have used aura? How else would your hand get hurt? All to cover for your foolish opponent's mistakes."
"Uhmm…."
"A much younger boy showed me consideration, and that's when I realized my shortcomings. My immaturity. I acknowledged it and vowed to change. So, Young Master Kline—you're my master now."
Whoa. What was I even hearing?
I wasn't the shy type, but this had me flustered.
Sure, I'd held back with aura and let my hand get hurt to spare him.
But hearing him get it and praise me like that? Felt like kowtowing.
"No. Really, it's not that big a deal."
"No. I truly owe you, Young Master Kline. You cleared the delusions that clouded my heart."
"Sounds like you snapped out of some heart devil trance."
"Exactly. Spot on. As expected of you."
…Whatever I said, he just ate it up. Nothing left to say.
I shrugged and stood.
Better end this convo and find Adelheit.
"Alright. Let's go. Still got work to do."
"Understood. Onward."
We gripped our swords and set off.
Destination: first floor.
She'd supposedly gone there, and being the largest space, it likely had the most people teleported.
So both Zeil and I were headed to the first floor.
As we descended the stairs step by step—
"Young Master Kline."
"Yes?"
Zeil, following behind, stepped up beside me.
On the same stair.
Shoulders almost level, he said,
"I didn't get to say it then, but... thank you. It started with bad motives, but meeting you because of it? I consider it fortune."
"……."
"Someday, I'll stand shoulder-to-shoulder with you. Wait for me until then."
Zeil, saying this, seemed like a completely different person from during the duel.
I felt satisfied, thinking I'd done the right thing back then.