Chapter 171
Chapter 171
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 171
Chapter Title: The First Ironclad Rule
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In truth, how things played out from here depended entirely on Bater.
If he charged in a rage, I'd have no choice but to beat him half to death.
And if it came to that, there would only be two reasons.
If his pride outweighed his sense of duty, he'd come rushing in unable to contain his fury...
Which would mean he was far more pathetic than I'd hoped—someone who hadn't grasped the true intent behind my single strike.
That wouldn't be amusing to me at all.
His skills were exceptional, despite his poor judgment. If he came at me with everything he had, I'd have to expend a fair amount of effort too.
Of course, such a fierce clash wouldn't benefit either of us.
It would just spiral into a minor catastrophe...
“...”
Bater closed his eyes.
His eyelids trembled faintly before his lips parted.
“...I lost.”
Those who had been watching silently turned to him in shock.
“C-Captain?”
“What do you...”
Bater pressed his lips tight and brushed past me. The special task force members, who had been sneaking glances, trailed after him and vanished.
‘Oh...’
It was a far cleaner concession than I'd expected.
I hadn't thought he'd throw a full tantrum, but I'd figured he'd refuse to accept defeat and propose some other form of duel.
I scanned the suddenly quiet rooftop and spoke up.
“Get the people I named earlier ready right now. We're heading out in ten minutes.”
* * *
Once the leadership hurried off, only the chancellor and I remained on the rooftop.
I spoke first.
“There's no guarantee the princess will keep her word.”
“Hm.”
“She said the assault begins in twelve hours, but it's not like we signed a contract. She could break it without a second thought. From the way she was talking, her mind seemed a bit unstable too.”
“I get what you're saying. You're planning to fight defensively once you leave, with a mindset for holding out.”
Alderson added.
“And honestly, Bater's temperament suits defense even better.”
“That much is clear. That aside, can you hold out against 250 armored soldiers? Frankly, they might be more worrying than the demons.”
Alderson's expression hardened slightly.
“To be honest, if the White Knight Order launches a full assault, we might not last ten minutes.”
“...”
“We plan to buy as much time as possible while disrupting the knights' mobility with mana manipulation... but even being generous, our odds are about fifty percent.”
I nodded and said.
“I see. Then set the armored soldiers aside for now.”
“Do you have a way?”
“It's a trump card, so I can't reveal it yet. I'll handle preparations my way... but in the worst case, every last one of those armored soldiers could end up scrapped.”
Alderson chuckled dryly and shook his head.
“That would be impossible unless the Demon King descends in his true form.”
“...Well. Anyway, proceed as planned. The best outcome is taking down the princess within twelve hours. Speaking of which, I thought the Demon King would only appear after we defeated her...”
I turned my gaze to the red moon hanging in the sky and continued.
“But according to you, chancellor, hasn't he already appeared? What do we do next?”
No matter how much experience I had, I'd never fought a moon before.
How do you even attack something floating in the sky? Crashing it into the ground would be a disaster for everyone.
“I don't know that far either. But defeating the princess should return us to the real world. She's clearly the mastermind behind this shadow realm, so it should resolve naturally. Once that's done, I can immediately summon the other three grand magicians back at the empire. Their magic could get them to Cartel Academy in under a minute.”
“Ah.”
Three grand magicians in top form would make short work of some half-summoned Demon King.
“I wish you the best of luck. Cliché as it sounds... our fates rest on you.”
“Will you stay on the rooftop, chancellor?”
“For now.”
It was perfectly open on all sides, ideal for lookout duty.
“I'll send one cadet to assist you.”
“Anyone you recommend?”
“Yes.”
“Then I'll count on them.”
I exchanged brief farewells with Alderson and headed downstairs. Soon, amid the cadets sprawled in the corridors, I spotted the face I was looking for.
“Senior Arin?”
Arin, who had been dozing off with her head bobbing, jerked awake.
“H-Huh? Oh, yes?”
“Why the formal speech again.”
Arin mumbled hesitantly.
“Uh, um. R-Right. You said to speak casually...”
“More importantly, you're in the magic department, right? From now on, could you assist the chancellor?”
“Mm... Won't I just get in the way?”
“It's fine. I'm not asking for calculations or reinforcement spells. Just help him if he's having trouble moving. And also...”
I passed Arin the most crucial information and item.
Arin tilted her head.
“What's this?”
“My trump card.”
“...?”
“Throw it into the sky when it looks like everything's gone wrong.”
Arin nodded.
“Mm... Got it.”
Good.
I'd prepared everything I could...
Now it was time for the assault team to depart.
* * *
Caron, Evan, Seren, Mir...
Of course, this lineup wasn't purely based on skill rankings. If it were, Bater and Hector would naturally be included.
Even among the special task force, there were likely members who could outperform these four in raw combat power, mission execution, and real battle experience.
Yet I considered this the optimal selection for a simple reason.
The most important factor in this mission wasn't individual performance—it was teamwork.
Our relationships weren't exactly amicable... but that was only without this gear called Ruan Bednicker.
I had faith in myself.
Faith that I could control these four properly and draw out peak efficiency.
“They really aren't attacking.”
Thirty minutes since leaving Building 12.
Caron muttered.
He stood at the front, eyes sharp like an eagle's as he scanned the surroundings.
“No dolls in sight?”
“There are some a bit farther off, but they don't seem interested in us.”
Caron replied flatly.
In combat, he was like a honed wild beast. Far more reliable than when he was fawning over me as "big brother."
“...Feels oddly ominous.”
Evan muttered.
“Why?”
“It feels like we're heading straight into their jaws. Like stepping into an obvious trap—makes me uneasy.”
“Depends on how you look at it. If the enemy dug a trap and is waiting, at least they won't have ulterior motives in that moment. They'll just wait for us to spring it.”
“So that's bad?”
“Exactly.”
I had no idea what I was even saying.
Even so, the dolls being quiet didn't mean they wouldn't charge suddenly.
If we got too close, who knew what freak move they'd pull? So whenever a doll blocked the path squarely, we'd take a slight detour.
And there was one guy who messed up every time.
Crack.
“...!”
It was Mir.
He stepped on a dry twig with dramatic flair.
Naturally, in the deathly quiet, the sound rang out hugely.
The moment Caron shot him a cold glare, Mir flinched.
“S-Sorry...!”
Grrr...?
A nearby doll tilted its head at the near-shout of apology.
We instantly heightened our tension, bracing for battle...
“...”
But the doll just gave us a blank stare with its milky eyes before shambling away.
Once it was a good distance off, Mir apologized again with a miserable face.
“S-Sorry...”
“I don't get why you're even apologizing.”
Caron snapped curtly.
Mir flinched harder and bowed his head deeper. His face flushed with shame.
Feeling pity, perhaps.
Evan stepped in.
“Don't be too harsh. Mir's a giant clansman. Tell most giants to move stealthily, and they'd cleave your head with an axe. For a giant, Mir's pretty adaptable.”
“So what? What am I supposed to do about it?”
“Huh?”
“Let me say it now, Evan Helvin. I'm not thrilled with your selection either. Hector Bednicker would've been better.”
“...”
Caron's icy glare fixed on Evan. Evan dropped his smile and glared back.
“Got something going on? Or is the situation still leisurely? Staring contest in the heart of enemy territory—what bullshit is this.”
My irritated voice halted their staring match. Then I glanced briefly at Caron.
“And that was over the line just now. Yeah, Mir's frustrating, but we didn't actually get spotted by a doll.”
Sure, nothing was dumber than caution after screwing up...
But I couldn't tolerate infighting before even entering Building 13.
Caron nodded reluctantly.
“...Understood.”
I felt Seren, standing beside me, let out a faint sigh.
Anyway, aside from Mir's carelessness, we proceeded without major issues after that...
About an hour after leaving Building 12.
We finally reached Building 13.
Before opening the door, I turned to Caron, Mir, and Evan—the ones who had burst out from inside this place.
“What's the layout like in here?”
“There was a corridor.”
Caron answered for them.
“The only lighting was candles on the walls, and it was wide and long—stifling. Anyway, the inside is much bigger than it looks from outside.”
Caron paused briefly before adding.
“The only odd thing was... no doors.”
“Hm.”
“Of course, we only explored the first floor, so I don't know about the upper levels.”
That was enough for now.
“What about the monster chasing you?”
“Oh. That stump-like thing...”
Caron's expression grew peculiar.
He seemed to be choosing his words carefully.
Evan answered instead.
“Probably another doll. Though I've never seen one that grotesque. Waist thicker than a massive tree trunk, with some perpetually pissed-off look. No arms or legs, so it hopped around on its torso—thud thud thud. Super creepy. Like a giant earthworm standing upright...”
“...”
Hard to picture from words alone. Seeing beats hearing a hundred times.
I gripped the door handle and said.
“Let's head in.”
We nodded in unison, then carefully opened the front door.
Creeeak.
The unoiled hinge sound was predictable by now.
The interior was silent.
Not just quiet— the whole atmosphere was.
Just as Caron said, a doorless corridor stretched straight ahead... and the wall candles swayed faintly in the air currents.
Thud.
Predictable staging number two: the door closing on its own.
The moment it shut, it felt like we'd been completely cut off from the outside world.
The kind of ringing silence you only get in a sealed room.
Step.
I broke that silence.
I took the first step forward.
“...”
“...”
Our footsteps echoed coldly on the corridor floor as I gestured, and we advanced wordlessly.
Not a peep, like we'd rehearsed it...
Frankly, my mouth itched a bit.
‘Hold it in.’
If I yelled “Wah!” to scare them, I might get seriously beaten. A premonition of all four ganging up on me.
Anyway.
The straight corridor felt eerie. For starters, the vibe was worlds apart from Building 12 where the chancellor had been.
No doors, no windows.
Wall candles flickered, but until you actually stepped forward, the darkness beyond hid everything.
Even using Snake Eyes for caution, it was the same.
Not just dark—like smeared with thick black paint.
The only way to wipe it away was to advance.
And strangely, the pitch blackness would recede on its own, securing minimal visibility.
‘Getting flanked front and back would suck.’
The corridor was decently wide, but a big doll could block it completely.
Could I smash through the wall?
In the worst case, I might need to secure an escape route that way.
The thought had just crossed my mind.
Boom!
“...!”
Without warning, the left wall exploded inward.
“Wha...”
I was startled.
Not by the wall breaking—but because my imagination had manifested instantly.
Dust billowed out, shrouding everything.
Darkness and grit mixed, obscuring shapes.
“Cough...!”
Then an elderly man burst through the dust.
Bleeding profusely, as if injured.
Coincidentally, a familiar face.
“Keian?”
“Y-Young master...?”
Keian, blood streaming, said urgently.
“It's dangerous here! You must flee immediately...”
“What happened?”
“There's a grotesque doll. Come this way first!”
The instant Keian reached for my hand.
I subtly pulled my arm back, making him grab air...
Then yanked his exposed arm and kneed it upward.
Crack. His elbow joint twisted at an unnatural angle.
“Young master...?”
Keian blurted in confusion.
But unlike his dumbstruck face, his other hand blurred for an instant and lunged at me.
Stab!
Surprisingly, Seren blocked it.
When had she drawn her sword? Her slender longsword pierced straight through Keian's left palm.
Shing.
I watched as both his arms were pinned, then drew the Seven Sins Sword after ages and severed his neck in one stroke.
Slice.
“Ahh...!?”
Mir yelped, staring at Keian's rolling head.
The others looked at me with stiff expressions.
“W-What the...! Wasn't he one of us?”
“Let's set the first ironclad rule.”
“Huh?”
“In this building, don't trust anyone but our five.”
I shook off the Seven Sins Sword, spotless of even a drop of blood, and said.
“Got it?”