Chapter 49
Chapter 49
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: Bloodied (5)
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"...".
Adelheit said nothing after hearing my words.
Her legs were still trembling even now.
She was terrified.
Terrified of coming all this way.
Terrified of facing Bloodied.
Everything was so frightening she could barely endure it, yet she'd still mustered her courage.
To save the others.
That was enough.
Adelheit might claim it was all because of me, but I believed it was simply because she was a good person.
"So please, step back. I'll handle the rest."
"But..."
"What? We've even danced together. Laying down my life in place of the princess is a knight's duty, after all."
I shrugged and sent her on her way.
Just in case, I warned her not to use any magic.
Because I might not win.
If Adelheit ended up dying because of that, I wouldn't have the face to meet anyone in the afterlife.
I soothed Adelheit, who looked like she had a lot to say, and sent her to the back.
When I turned forward again, Bloodied was twisting the corners of her mouth upward.
"How amusing. A romance blooming on the battlefield? Youth and all that, right?"
"Not like you to get all girly. You."
"Uhuhuhu. It's revolting, you see. A guy who's about to turn into a corpse under my magic is acting like that."
Bloodied swung her hand.
Blood droplets scattered through the air, then clumped together into lumps.
They gathered like slime and let out eerie screams.
That monster.
The unidentified creature I'd seen when I was first thrown into the monster's guts.
Dozens of them spawned, blocking the path between me and Bloodied.
"Think you can fend off all these little ones with just that puny sword?"
"We'll see."
"Uhuhuhu. So brave. Oh, and just so you know, I have no intention of sparing the imperial princess."
Meaning any monsters I missed would head straight for Adelheit.
They were coming.
The monsters charged toward me.
The holes they opened like gaping maws created a gruesome spectacle.
Those things.
Fierce Tiger Strike Sword
Second Form: Tiger Claw Strike
I thrust my sword straight ahead, piercing right through them.
Aura erupted from my blade.
Grrr—
Aura rampaging like a tiger extending its claws.
It shot straight forward, shattering the monsters.
"Hah—"
The first monster I'd encountered hadn't let the blade sink in easily, so I'd had to force it through.
As a result, I'd poured a ton of power into the aura, and I could feel my body's mana draining away rapidly.
No helping it.
To inflict massive damage in a single blow, it was unavoidable.
The monsters not caught in the aura slithered toward other paths.
They were even faster than the ones I'd seen from below.
Bloodied must have given them some special treatment.
Even if I left them alone, Adelheit might be able to take them out with magic...
But I had no desire to test that theory.
Fierce Tiger Strike Sword
Third Form: Tiger Swift Slash
I kicked off from my position.
Roar—
Aura roared like a tiger charging at its prey.
My body shot forward like a bullet, closing in on the monsters trying to slip past my attack.
Boom!
With a sound like a tiger's paws slamming the ground, the monster burst apart.
I didn't stop there and unleashed Tiger Swift Slash once more.
Boom! Boom!
By the time I'd wiped out every last one...
My body was drenched in a mix of sweat and blood droplets.
"Hoo—"
The intense movements brought exhaustion crashing through my entire body.
But exhaustion was the least of my worries.
The real problem was the blood droplets that had burst from the exploding monsters.
Whether Bloodied had done something special to them or not, those droplets raked across my skin, adding even more wounds.
"Aww. How cute."
Bloodied sneered at me all the while.
Just like a cat toying with a kitten's antics.
With the face of an absolute superior predator appraising its plaything.
"Such outstanding courage, temperament, looks, and will at your young age. Truly adorable."
Her chilling follow-up made me want to crush her underfoot.
I ignored it and focused on regulating my breathing.
I had to rest while she was busy showing off her leisure.
As I did, I scanned my surroundings.
The top floor had already been trashed by the chain of battles.
But then...
I noticed distorted pools scattered here and there.
'Those...'
The back world.
They'd said the Crimson Blood Cult leader's power came from the back world.
It seemed the aftermath had eroded the space itself.
And within those pools, I could see... images? Visions, like videos.
As if past records were playing back like video files.
Inside them, Bloodied and a horde of children were visible.
Bloodied sucked at one child's nape.
Bloodied sank her fangs into another child's nape.
The screams of countless other children.
All of them had Bloodied's fangs buried in their napes as she drained their blood.
They looked just like mummies—utterly horrific to behold.
Grip—
Strength flowed automatically into my sword hand.
I ground my teeth and snarled.
"You crazy bitch."
"Uhuhuhu. Surprised? The back world has these moments where it jumps through time. But don't worry too much—you'll end up just like them."
Revolting.
The way she spoke so casually after guzzling children's blood.
Not just because she was the villain I had to take down.
I genuinely, from the bottom of my heart, wanted to kill this woman named Bloodied.
"How much children's blood have you drunk up till now? How many futures have you destroyed?"
"Who knows? I don't keep track of that stuff. Not important anyway. Even if they grew up, they'd just be trash useless to the world."
Those words carried a hint of personal hatred.
I realized it clearly then.
Bloodied hated children.
I didn't know the reason—what wound a child's existence had inflicted on her.
And it wasn't an important issue anyway.
No matter what wound she'd suffered, the dead children were innocent.
"Yeah."
I nodded.
That was that.
It was enough to gauge Bloodied's true nature.
"In the end, you're no monster."
"...What?"
"You pretend to be innately wicked and inhuman. But deep down, there's a wound. A human wound from back when you still were one."
"..."
Bloodied's lips quivered.
More than anything else I'd said up to now.
No—even more than when I'd moved to cut her down right in front of her.
Like she couldn't forgive those words of mine, she flew into a rage.
"Even becoming a vampire couldn't change your capacity."
"...You bark well. For someone who hasn't even grazed me with that sword tip, you sure run your mouth."
In that instant.
All the mana on the top floor was sucked into Bloodied at overwhelming speed.
Whoooosh—
A sound came from the mana flow.
Impossible. Mana flowing through the air shouldn't make any noise.
The fact that it did meant...
The magic Bloodied was about to unleash was no ordinary spell.
"Crimson Mist."
With Bloodied's incantation name, the mana took the form of mist.
The fog, filled with vivid red blood droplets, looked ominous even at a glance.
Just stepping into it—or even brushing against it—would probably tear my body to shreds.
"To think I'd have to get serious against trash like you."
Bloodied ground her teeth from beyond the mist.
Her blood-red eyes fixed on me.
Ominous crimson eyes.
Right here, the Crimson Blood Cult's Fifth Division leader was unleashing her ultimate final technique.
"The strongest spell, one that can't be canceled once cast. But there's no way trash like you could pierce my magic. Right? Vermin."
She'd gotten quite emotional.
My words must have really gotten under her skin.
"Go on, try running. The mist will reach you anyway. ...Ah. I'll kill the princess too regardless, so do whatever."
In that case, I wouldn't hold back.
I immediately put distance between us, retreating.
I sat down next to Adelheit, who had been watching the situation from the rear.
Her mouth hung wide open as she'd observed my battle with Bloodied up to now.
Then, as I drew near, she started shaking my body this way and that.
"Wh-what are you going to do?!"
"Don't shake so hard—my wounds are splitting open. Sorry for dragging Your Highness into this."
"No... You think I'm upset over my own life? That woman just went all out, and now it's too much for you to handle!"
Ah. So that was her angle.
She scolded me for provoking her too much.
I shrugged.
What was done was done.
If anything, it was a good turn of events.
Hadn't Bloodied said it herself?
A serious spell she couldn't cancel once cast.
If I could just break through it, a path would open.
"Don't worry. I'll handle the fighting. Your Highness just focus on staying safe."
"...! Yo-you idiot! Why are you fighting so hard? What did I ever say? If I just sacrifice myself, that's enough."
That again.
Even as she trembled like a leaf, she was ready to push herself too far.
"There's no need for you to sacrifice yourself."
"I am the imperial princess. That's what everyone said. Everyone told me I have to bear that duty."
It might have been a deep-seated complex she'd carried in her heart for a long time.
She gazed at me with trembling eyes.
Resolve and fear coexisted in her pink irises.
"...I've run from it so far because I didn't want to bear it. But now I'm ready to accept it. So why are you getting in my way?"
Hmm.
Explaining it would ruin the mood.
Besides, the blood mist was already creeping closer from afar.
There was no logical argument that would convince her.
So I answered in my own style.
"Princess or not, it doesn't matter. A world where a girl has to sacrifice herself just to survive has no right to exist."
"A-a girl...? You see me as some little girl?"
"Of course—what else would I see?"
There was no turning back now anyway.
I ignored the princess bit and answered honestly.
The blood mist was nearly upon us.
Time to face it head-on.
With every ounce of power I had.
I gave Adelheit one last word and prepared to charge out.
"Think what you will of yourself, Your Highness. But you're a girl more responsible than anyone—charming and free-spirited to boot."
How much did those words land?
Adelheit stared up at me in a daze, her lips moving fitfully.
"...You."
It was like she was seeking confirmation.
Like she was pleading to hear the one thing she'd always wanted to hear, just once in her life.
"You... do you think I'm beautiful?"
"The most in the world."
I flashed a grin as I said it.
I didn't mention that it was a white lie.
If you lined up the world's most beautiful girls, Adelheit would be number one—and Ariel would be number zero.