Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: The Puppet Master
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The Iron-Blooded Duke had a total of twelve children.
Seven sons and five daughters.
Perhaps the Iron-Blooded Duke's emphasis on bloodline wasn't misguided, as most of them possessed outstanding talent, but—
Not all of them reached adulthood unscathed.
As I recall, three of them die before that.
Two in accidents during missions, and the last one, a mysterious death.
That one was declared mysteriously dead after going missing for over three years...
His last known location was none other than the Bednicker main estate.
His name was Ludwig.
He was the fifth son of the Bednicker family, and from what I remember, he was an incredibly curious fellow.
Why would Ludwig come to mind at a moment like this?
‘He wouldn't kill his own child just for stepping into a forbidden area, but...’
This belief of mine applied only to the Iron-Blooded Duke.
For example, let's say all my suspicions are true, and the Council of Elders discovers this intrusion first.
They might assassinate me and then play dumb, or perhaps report it after the fact.
It wouldn't be strange to dismiss it all as paranoia, but the very fact that a monster like that is roaming around is absurd to begin with...
In the first place, I'm not one to deny the rumors about the Bednicker family being gloomy or sinister...
“Hey. Say something.”
I looked up at the sound of Seren's voice.
She had a somewhat anxious expression.
‘She seems trustworthy enough.’
Still, there was no need to tell her everything.
In any case, the best course of action, in my opinion, is to escape this place without anyone knowing we were here.
“It looks like we'll have to fight Hariba.”
“What?”
“It's the best way.”
I knew that blurting out the main point like this was a poor way to converse, but.
Right now, there was no other choice.
As expected, Seren stared at me with a dumbfounded look.
“Are you crazy?”
“Of course not.”
“Then you must have lost your mind.”
Isn't that the same thing?
“Didn't you see him just now? I landed a kick with three Blessings behind it, and all he did was stumble for a moment. It was like kicking a solid iron wall. We might stand a chance with weapons, but we can't beat him bare-handed.”
Hearing this, I had no choice but to give a similar reply as before.
“My entire body is a weapon.”
“...”
“Anyway, the family can't find out we came in here. Especially you. This could escalate into a dispute between the Bednicker and Goodspring families. Are you okay with that?”
At the mention of her family, Seren's expression hardened.
This was also strange.
From the way she acted, she seemed like someone who wouldn't care what her family thought, yet at times like this, she seemed strangely conscious of it.
“But—.”
“I wouldn't be saying this if I were alone. But I'm saying it because I think the two of us have a good chance of winning.”
“How am I supposed to believe that?”
She had a point.
I thought for a moment, then came up with the best excuse for a situation like this.
“Because that's my Blessing.”
“What?”
“I can't tell you what kind of Blessing it is. But just know that with my Blessing, we can definitely win.”
“...”
At that, Seren flinched and looked at me.
“Don't tell me... you obtained the [Blessing of the Stars]?”
“...”
“That's it, isn't it? You received a prophecy that we would win or something.”
What's that now?
The Blessing of the Stars, is it something like receiving a revelation from the starry sky?
“...”
I was surprised by Seren's sudden words, but regardless, I kept my expression serious.
For some reason, I judged that this was the best way to handle it.
How long did the silence last?
Seren looked at me and said.
“...Fine. I'll follow your lead. In that case, it'd be better if you came up with the plan.”
“You think so?”
That was what I wanted to suggest anyway, but she beat me to it.
In any case, my plan would surely be more plausible.
I briefly thought about the terrain here and Hariba.
I hadn't faced Hariba directly, but Seren's kick had carried considerable power.
Even after taking a hit like that, he was completely unscathed, so his physical defense must be quite high.
Still, I didn't think he would be tougher than the scales of a Jewel Beast—the Sapphire Snake.
If his defense was only at that level, I could take care of Hariba myself without much difficulty.
‘...’
However, I considered such thoughts to be a form of overconfidence.
After all, when I had an asset like Seren available, there was no need to fight alone.
‘Besides, the changes his body underwent are also bothering me.’
His body, which had swollen up like rubber, had transformed in less than ten seconds into something that could no longer be called human.
Perhaps that transformation was still ongoing.
‘First, I'll have to fight him to find out.’
My rough deliberations were over.
I slowly opened my mouth to explain the plan...
* * *
Finding Hariba wasn't difficult.
When we went back in the direction we had fled, we found him letting out a monstrous scream.
“Ruaaaaan—!”
My ears are going to burst.
By this point, Hariba had transformed into a shape that could no longer be called human, and I had no idea what to call that thing.
A swollen lump of flesh?
‘Was he subjected to human experimentation or something, rather than a curse?’
Only fallen alchemists would be capable of such sinister deeds.
In any case, I waited for Hariba to get a little closer.
I was separated from Seren for the moment; I was to act as the bait.
The reason was simple.
Hariba's attention was currently focused on me.
‘The signal should be coming soon... oh.’
Just then, Seren, who had moved behind Hariba, gave me a hand signal.
It meant she was ready.
Then...
Crack—.
I habitually cracked my neck and revealed myself.
“Ru...!”
Hariba instantly noticed my presence and, with a roar, charged at me.
I narrowed my eyes and watched him.
I couldn't feel the aura of a curse, nor any mana.
From what I'd gathered so far, his ability was entirely based on overwhelming physical performance.
In other words, it was difficult to accurately gauge his capabilities without clashing with him directly.
Crrrack.
I clenched my fist.
I knew it was a stupid thing to do, but I wanted to try clashing with him head-on just once.
Watching Hariba close in, I took a stance and threw a punch.
White Sun Eclipse, First Form.
Scorching Heat.
BOOM!
The moment our fists met, I realized.
‘He's stronger than I thought...’
Way stronger.
Stunned, I was sent flying back like a cannonball.
“Ruan—!”
I thought it was Hariba screaming my name again, but it wasn't.
The one who charged forward, shouting my name, was Seren.
Even in the midst of that, she must have found a weak spot, as she aimed a kick at Hariba's neck.
But does shouting like that really count as a surprise attack?
As expected, Hariba turned and swung the back of his hand.
SMACK!
Hit by the back of his hand, Seren went flying just like I did.
Worse, it was in my direction.
I was about to catch her, thinking she'd get hurt otherwise, but she managed to land safely on her own.
“Hey, you're bleeding.”
“...I know.”
A trickle of blood ran down from her head, as if her forehead was cut.
The crimson blood stood out starkly against her otherwise pale features.
Seren roughly wiped away the streak of blood and, surprisingly, worried about me instead.
“Are you okay? You went flying even more spectacularly than I did.”
“I'm fine.”
“...You must have a sturdy body. But what was that about? What were you thinking, taking that monster on head-on?”
“Save the lecture for later. If you're okay, get up. He's coming again.”
I said, watching Hariba approach, his body twisting grotesquely as he walked.
“Did you find his weak spot?”
Seren hadn't just moved to his rear.
She had deliberately taken a wide detour to observe Hariba from all angles.
“His neck is pretty thin for his size. Unlike the rest of him, it's not covered in muscle.”
“Really? I couldn't tell from the front.”
“It's hidden by his chest muscles.”
“Hmm. So he's a tough opponent to break through from the front.”
I nodded and said.
“I'll be the bait again.”
“...Are you sure?”
“We don't have a choice. He's still only looking at me.”
“...”
Seren, seemingly out of better ideas, fell silent, though she still sent me a look of distrust.
“I won't be reckless this time, so go.”
“You promise?”
“Yeah.”
“...Don't die.”
I didn't answer her last words, just let out a laugh.
“Ruan...”
Hariba's gaze remained fixed on me.
It stayed on me even as Seren, the one he had loved so dearly, left his line of sight.
In that case, between love and hate,
could one say that hatred is the more powerful emotion?
‘...’
A faint sense of unease.
I felt that something was wrong.
As Hariba approached, I scanned my surroundings again.
The dead land, still devoid of any human presence, was tinged with an ominous violet hue.
‘Should I test it?’
Having closed the distance, Hariba began his assault once more.
His attacks consisted almost entirely of indiscriminately swinging both fists, but even this simple method unleashed tremendous power, backed by his transcendent physique.
CR-CR-CR-CRACK!
Hariba practically tore up the ground as he pursued me.
He certainly wasn't slow.
His focused attacks now, and his reaction to Seren's surprise attack earlier.
I had thought it was just a momentary burst of explosive speed, but...
“Ruaaaaan—!”
His assault had been going on for over a minute, yet he showed no signs of tiring.
Parrying Hariba's attacks, I moved into an area where the trees were particularly dense.
It was a place with the skeletal remains of weathered buildings scattered about—in other words, there were a great many obstacles.
‘Sorry, Seren.’
There's something I have to confirm.
CRASH! BOOM!
I continued the exchange with Hariba, dashing through the undergrowth.
He was a fundamentally violent creature, so the sounds of things exploding and shattering echoed ceaselessly in my ears.
And amidst that fierce battle, I noticed something.
There were moments, however brief, when Hariba's movements would falter.
It happened when the obstacles around us became particularly dense.
It wasn't that his movements were getting sluggish because there were more things in his way.
In the middle of this fierce melee, his movements would suddenly stop and start, as if he were being struck by paralysis.
Of course, this hesitation vanished even more quickly than it appeared... but it wasn't subtle enough to escape my notice.
I continued the intense fight with Hariba while scanning my surroundings.
Before long, my hunch had turned into a certainty.
Somewhere in this forest, there is someone controlling Hariba.