Chapter 92
Chapter 92
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 92
Chapter Title: Those Who Worship Death (9)
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Cain peeled off the fragments of the armor he had been wearing and tossed them aside. Taking off armor single-handedly is no easy feat.
However, shedding that rotten, decayed armor proved far simpler than expected. A mere tug, and it came apart on its own.
Gazing at the armor fragments oozing a putrid stench, Cain let out a deep sigh. If it had burrowed just a little deeper...
"What are you musing about all by yourself? Isn't this the moment to celebrate Renheim's grand victory!"
"Ao. You again."
Though they'd known each other for barely over two months, Cain and Skadi had become fast friends in that brief span.
No need to mention Cain—Skadi herself had recognized him as one of her precious few worthy rivals.
Naturally, their bond couldn't be anything but strong. Of course, from Cain's side, Skadi felt a tad overwhelming.
"Look at that pathetic armor. One slip, and I could've been a goner."
"Hmph. You're not the type to fall to trash like that."
"How can you be so certain?"
"A master's keen intuition."
Skadi uttered the nonsense without batting an eye. Otherwise, that so-called intuition would've frozen solid ages ago.
Skadi had no idea, but Cain had already perished countless times at Melisto's hands. Undeniable defeats, every one.
Yet he'd scraped by victory thanks to that absurd cheat known as Defeat Regression. Without it...
'No, don't dwell on what's done. Fair play or cheat... in the end, I'm the one who claimed the win.'
Melisto now lay skewered like a kebab on Cain's jet-black greatsword, pinned to the earth. Hardly a picture-perfect triumph.
Still, the costs had piled up. The war with the necromancer had claimed no small number of soldiers and knights.
Against monsters that died only to rise again, it was a decent outcome—but losses remained losses.
And on a personal note, Cain could no longer wield the jet-black greatsword once used by Earl Sandwy.
In slaying Melisto, the death force infused in the blade had surpassed its limits. It looked intact for now,
but the edge—and even the core—had crumbled beyond repair. Cain sighed.
'Still, it served me well this long... Gonna miss it.'
The dwarves of the Red Hammer Tribe were already forging a replacement. Likely superior in every way.
But swinging that jet-black greatsword had filled a corner of his heart with solid reassurance. His first true weapon, after all.
Or maybe he was just more attached than he realized. Shaking off the stray thoughts, Cain rose to his feet.
"Situation report?"
"Her Highness the Princess and His Highness the Crown Prince are handling cleanup. Gathering the fallen... and mopping up the remaining undead."
"Chris?"
"Leading the knights against the last straggling Death Knights."
"See them eradicated. Leave any embers, and they could spark a wildfire."
Necromancers were, bar none, the foulest foes in the demon realm. Not that any enemy had ever been a pushover.
Even the enmity-free Lost Empire—he'd regressed how many times to escape that cursed seduction?
But necromancers topped the list in revulsion. No quarter given this time.
"Not one left breathing. We push into that cleaved imperial tomb and uproot every last trace."
"Understood. Now cool your head."
"Kuh."
Skadi flicked her finger lightly, snapping Cain's forehead. No real force behind it.
Even so, he crumpled back down. His legs buckled from that alone.
The cause was plain as day. Cain was utterly spent—dangerously so.
"We'll wrap the rest. You—head back and crash."
"My men are busting their asses, and you want me lounging around?"
"Rest and sound sleep are lordly duties too. Lord of Renheim."
Unlike her usual banter, Skadi switched to formal speech. A shift to official capacity.
Cain had no choice but to nod. He wanted to argue, but lacked even the strength.
Perhaps letting his guard down now that it was over. The backlog of fatigue crashed in all at once.
...So damn sleepy. Just a quick nap.
He'd handle work after waking.
◇ Gazing at the dead-to-the-world Cain, Skadi heaved a deep sigh. How could a man be so bullheaded?
The burdens Cain had shouldered were crushing. No exaggeration—half the imperial palace's workload.
Given the palace's scale versus Renheim's, his lordly duties bordered on lethal.
'Yet he tackles them without a peep... and charges the front lines, life be damned.'
A commander in the thick of it might inspire awe, but it was far from ideal.
One mishap—a death or capture—and morale aside, the chain of command crumbles.
Principle dictated directing from the rear, safely. Cain knew as much.
Skadi glanced at the discarded armor. Rotting away, mocking the Empire's famed smithing.
No normal sight. Steel rotting? She'd never heard the like.
Yet Cain's armor went beyond corrosion—it was rotted through, grotesquely so.
'Drenched pitch black. An outsider might think it fire-scorched... If I'd taken that hit.'
Defeat had no place in Skadi's world. But total safety?...
She wasn't so arrogant as to claim yes. Melisto... a foe to respect.
Her colossal mana alone had Skadi on guard. And he'd felled her.
"Knew I wasn't mistaken."
Others' eyes could lie; her own never did. In that short while, Cain had leaped far stronger.
Upper Expert before—now brushing top-tier Expert.
'Genius'? Debatable. True genius would've hit Master ages ago.
But therein lay the allure. No genius, yet he shattered expectations effortlessly.
Even Master Grandel had pegged him early on as no Master timber.
Now? Utterly unpredictable. Right—as expected. You'll stand where I do someday.
'This guy's insane growth after every scrap sets my blood boiling. But hold... not time yet.'
Each battle remade him anew. A warped gift, blooming only in mortal combat.
Others would've recoiled in terror. Skadi felt a profound kinship.
Her reverie didn't linger. Probes came at her from all sides soon enough.
"Ahem! Master Skadi? Don't you have duties?"
"Apologies, Your Highness. Much on my mind..."
"It's fine."
Princess Morgana. Lately, she'd ghost in the instant Skadi drew near Cain.
Her Highness sensed a threat... hardly incomprehensible.
Skadi yielded a step. Victory was hers in the end, regardless.
'Forgive me, Your Highness... twisted souls like us can't mingle with mere mortals.'
Cain might not see it yet, sharing her warped talent. But he would, in time.
She'd cede the spot till then. Unless he strayed midway...
Then, as his friend, she'd wrench him back herself. Her crimson eyes gleamed with chilling resolve.
"...You've served valiantly till now, Sir Blackguard. On behalf of the imperial house, I salute your deeds and toil."
Meanwhile, Morgana honored the exhausted Cain before stepping in to command.
She yearned to linger on his sleeping face... but duty trumped desire.
Once she wrapped up his entrusted tasks flawlessly, rewards awaited—not long off.